Lee Soo-man, key producer of A2O, took the stage as a presenter at the debut show for the new project A2O to introduce 4D Gaussian Splatting (4DGS) technology.
On the afternoon of October 12, A2O held a global debut show titled "WELCOME TO SOULITE From A2O SOUL A2O LITE" at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, which doubled as a launching event for new idol groups. The event was attended by Lee Soo-man, founder of SM Entertainment and former general producer, along with A2O's new rookie boy group A2O SOUL and girl group A2O LITE.
Due to a non-compete clause signed when he sold his SM shares to Hybe in early 2023, Lee has faced restrictions on domestic entertainment management activities for three years. His appearance at a domestic official event marks his return in about two years and five months, following his keynote speech at the World Congress of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) held in May 2024.
Lee re-emphasized Culture Technology (CT), which he has long advocated. "CT does not simply mean adding technology to culture," he added. "It includes contemplating how to connect new technology with culture when it emerges, and what technology is needed to create new content. It encompasses the effort to endlessly search and experiment to realize it even by creating the technology if it does not exist."
The core technology introduced on this day was 4DGS. Describing 4DGS as moving "from a camera that shoots to a camera that creates," Lee noted, "Until now, cameras recorded the scenes they looked at, and viewpoints not filmed did not exist in the footage." It is a method where multiple cameras simultaneously record an artist's performance from various perspectives, and the data is combined to reconstruct it within a three-dimensional space. He explained that even after filming is completed, viewers can revisit the space and the artists from desired positions and angles using a "free viewpoint."
Emphasizing that he had previously created the Matrix Camera System himself to produce scenes in music videos for Girls' Generation, SHINee, TVXQ!, and BoA where the camera seemed to circle around a suspended subject, he stated, "Now, about 16 years later, we have begun to realize that potential in actual content through new methods such as 4DGS and the INFINITE shooting system."
This filming method was also applied to the music videos of A2O SOUL and A2O LITE unveiled on this day.
Lee remarked, "Photography recorded a single moment of a human, and video recorded the flow of time and movement. 4DGS records the very reality in which humans existed, exactly as it was in that time and space," adding, "It may be the most advanced and final form in the evolutionary process of recording devices called cameras," using the expression "the final recording device created by humanity."
Finally, Lee explained, "I have long asked the question, 'What's the Difference?' Today, I am revealing the results for the first time. Being different is not enough; we must also achieve widespread liking and affection from many people. Before trying to find out what makes it different, I hope you can first experience the feeling of it being 'good.'"
Introduced by Lee, the two teams—the 9-member multinational boy group A2O SOUL and the 15-member multinational girl group A2O LITE—performed their debut stages at the event.
(Photo: SBS Entertainment News, Reported by Kang Kyung-yoon)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.