The image above isn’t Tutankhamun’s tomb, but the most accurate large-scale facsimile ever made. The replica was created by Factum Arte, from Madrid, Spain, in conjunction with the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt. The real tomb has been open to the public for many years, and suffered gradual decline as a result. The replica has recently opened to the public, and will soon take all the tourist foot-fall strain, while the original is retired for conservation purposes. Factum Arte used a low intensity red light laser with a resolution of 100 microns, a 3D white light scanner (250 – 700 microns resolution), along with hundreds of man hours (and patience) to take detailed scans of everything in the chamber. A milling machine then used the data to carve out incredibly detailed 3D surfaces of the walls and sarcophagus. High resolution cameras, color-matching and digital stitching techniques were used to re-create the art and imagery on the walls. The same techniques will also be used to create replicas of the Tombs of Seti I and Nefertari — both of which currently closed to the public. Filed under: Science Comments Source: Factum Arte

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The Big Picture: Accurately replicating Tutankhamun’s tomb

Microsoft has been teasing a level of interactivity within its slate of original Xbox video programming , but what kind of control will you actually get? The company isn’t revealing everything right now, but it just gave Deadline Hollywood a few small clues . TV producer Stephen David is creating a documentary/drama hybrid for Xbox Entertainment Studios that he says will be “like playing television.” In the inaugural 13 Days of Blood episode, which shows Roman history through the eyes of emperor Commodus (seen in marble here), there will be “new, interactive technology” that should “bring fight scenes to life, ” according to Microsoft. This sounds tantalizing, but it’s clear that the company is keeping its cards close to the vest. While the interaction could involve a full-fledged game component, it could equally be a simple matter of choosing camera angles as you watch gladiators and retiarii slug it out. The docudrama also isn’t due until 2015, so the odds aren’t great that you’ll hear much more about it this year. Nonetheless, these early tidbits give us a better idea of what to expect from Microsoft’s first experiments with self-branded shows. [Image credit: Cmgramse, Flickr ] Filed under: Gaming , Home Entertainment , HD , Microsoft Comments Source: Deadline Hollywood

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Upcoming Xbox history show will let you ‘play TV’

Right in sync with rumors , AT&T has launched its high-quality LTE voice calling in a handful of places across the US. If you live in the right parts of Illinois, Indiana, Minneapolis and Wisconsin, you’ll get pristine-sounding phone conversations starting on May 23rd. There’s no public roadmap for other regions, but AT&T is promising news on a “market-to-market” basis. Just don’t expect a wide selection of phones at first. The only phone that will support voice over LTE from day one is the fairly ho-hum Galaxy S4 Mini — if you just bought a Galaxy S5 or some other hot new device, you’ll still have to wait patiently for word of an update. Many smartphones are capable of handling the technology, however, so don’t be surprised if your next heart-to-heart chat sounds much clearer than usual. [Image credit: Getty Images] Filed under: Cellphones , Wireless , Mobile , AT&T Comments Source: AT&T (1) , (2)

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AT&T’s high-quality LTE calls arrive on May 23rd, but only on one phone