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Verizon to get iPhone

“The new competition from Verizon may cause AT&T to push even harder to increase their network’s capability and reliability, so they may retain unhappy customers,” said Bryan Gonzalez of the Entertainment Technology Center in Los Angeles.

“In the end, the increase in available phones across carriers will only help consumers see lower rates and higher quality products in the marketplace.”

Having smartphones on multiple carriers will also help smartphone makers increase the size of their audience, Gonzalez said.

“This will only further spur competition in the multicarrier smartphone market,” Gonzalez said. “For a long time, the smartphone manufacturers were at the will of the cell phone carriers. But as smartphones become more appealing and gain popularity, phone carriers must start to give in to smartphone maker’s demands.”

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What Verizon iPhone users can expect

“The new iPhone will at a minimum have the same features offered on a GSM version of the iPhone,” said David Wertheimer, CEO and executive director of the Entertainment Technology Center at USC, a nonprofit consortium funded by Hollywood studios and a variety technology companies. “Customers will expect it to be in parity with what is offered by AT&T and other GSM carriers.”

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Specification for Naming VFX Image Sequences Released

ETC’s VFX Working Group has published a specification for best practices naming image sequences such as plates and comps. File naming is an essential tool for organizing the multitude of frames that are inputs and outputs from the VFX process. Prior to the publication of this specification, each organization had its own naming scheme, requiring custom processes for each partner, which often resulted in confusion and miscommunication.

The new ETC@USC specification focuses primarily on sequences of individual images. The initial use case was VFX plates, typically delivered as OpenEXR or DPX files. However, the team soon realized that the same naming conventions can apply to virtually any image sequence. Consequently, the specification was written to handle a wide array of assets and use cases.

To ensure all requirements are represented, the working group included over 2 dozen participants representing studios, VFX houses, tool creators, creatives and others.  The ETC@USC also worked closely with MovieLabs to ensure that the specification could be integrated as part of their 2030 Vision.

A key design criteria for this specification is compatibility with existing practices.  Chair of the VFX working group, Horst Sarubin of Universal Pictures, said: “Our studio is committed to being at the forefront of designing best industry practices to modernize and simplify workflows, and we believe this white paper succeeded in building a new foundation for tools to transfer files in the most efficient manner.”

This specification is compatible with other initiatives such as the Visual Effects Society (VES) Transfer Specifications. “We wanted to make it as seamless as possible for everyone to adopt this specification,” said working group co-chair and ETC@USC’s Erik Weaver. “To ensure all perspectives were represented we created a team of industry experts familiar with the handling of these materials and collaborated with a number of industry groups.”

“Collaboration between MovieLabs and important industry groups like the ETC is critical to implementing the 2030 Vision,” said Craig Seidel, SVP of MovieLabs. “This specification is a key step in defining the foundations for better software-defined workflows. We look forward to continued partnership with the ETC on implementing other critical elements of the 2030 Vision.”

The specification is available online for anyone to use.

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