Entertainment Technology Center @ USC

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Digitalsmiths Corporation, the video metadata experts, today announced that for the second consecutive year, it has been chosen by AlwaysOn as one of the OnHollywood 100 winners. Inclusion in the OnHollywood 100 signifies leadership among its peers and game-changing approaches and technologies that are likely to disrupt existing and entrenched Hollywood entertainment.

Digitalsmiths was specially selected by the AlwaysOn editorial team and industry experts spanning the globe based on a set of five criteria: innovation, market potential, commercialization, stakeholder value, and media buzz. Digitalsmiths and the OnHollywood 100 companies will be honored at AlwaysOn’s fifth annual OnHollywood on September 27, 2010, at the Entertainment Technology Center @ USC in Los Angeles, Calif.

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Leading Social Network Recognized for Technology Innovation in Digital Entertainment

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwire – September 21, 2010) – Tagged, the third largest social network in the United States, today announced it has been chosen by AlwaysOn as an OnHollywood 100 winner. Inclusion in the OnHollywood 100 signifies leadership among its peers and game-changing approaches and technologies that are likely to disrupt existing and entrenched Hollywood entertainment. Tagged was selected by the AlwaysOn editorial team and industry experts spanning the globe based on a set of five criteria: innovation, market potential, commercialization, stakeholder value, and media buzz.

“We are honored that AlwaysOn has recognized Tagged as an innovator among social networks,” said Greg Tseng, CEO of Tagged. “Tagged is dedicated to being the best place for meeting new people online and our 100 million members worldwide, combined with winning this award, validates our efforts.”

Tagged and the OnHollywood 100 companies will be honored at AlwaysOn’s fifth annual OnHollywood on September 27^th, 2010, at the Entertainment Technology Center @ USC in Los Angeles, CA. A full list of all the AlwaysOn OnHollywood 100 winners can be found on the AlwaysOn website at:

LOS ANGELES, CA–(Marketwire – August 31, 2010) –  The Entertainment Technology Center @ USC (ETC@USC), www.etcenter.org, announced that it is seeking broad multi-industry feedback for the Interoperable Master Format (IMF) draft specification. Over the last year, the ETC@USC has hosted the IMF project seeking to develop a voluntary specification for an interoperable set of master files (and associated metadata) to enable the interchange and automated creation of downstream distribution packages within the motion picture and television production and post-production industries. The participants in the IMF project, which include Disney, Fox, NBC/Universal, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Warner Bros., will create a specification that can be proposed to SMPTE with the intention of initiating a formal standards-setting process. The goal is to create an interoperable, high-quality set of master files suitable for a variety of distribution packages that can be used to output an arbitrary number of versions for varying screen sizes, resolutions, bit rates, codecs, service providers, etc.

As part of the process of developing the specification, the participants in the IMF project are very interested in receiving commentary and feedback on the proposed specification and its contents from companies and individuals within the motion picture and television production and post-production industries, technology providers and manufacturers, and anyone else who may use or be affected by the IMF specifications under development. Many interested industry technology and solution providers have already provided feedback on the draft, and ETC is now looking to widen the net throughout the motion picture and television post-production and distribution industries.

“A meaningful and implementable IMF specification is essential to helping content creators and distributors take advantage of ever-increasing opportunities and platforms. We have reached a critical milestone in this project where we want and need input from a variety of potential adopters of the IMF format. This will allow us to refine the draft specification before it is turned over to SMPTE for potential standardization,” said David Wertheimer, CEO and Executive Director of the Entertainment Technology Center @ USC.

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The Entertainment Technology Center @ USC (ETC@USC), www.etcenter.org, announced that it is seeking broad multi-industry feedback for the Interoperable Master Format (IMF) draft specification. Over the last year, the ETC@USC has hosted the IMF project seeking to develop a voluntary specification for an interoperable set of master files (and associated metadata) to enable the interchange and automated creation of downstream distribution packages within the motion picture and television production and post-production industries. The participants in the IMF project, which include Disney, Fox, NBC/Universal, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Warner Bros., will create a specification that can be proposed to SMPTE with the intention of initiating a formal standards-setting process. The goal is to create an interoperable, high-quality set of master files suitable for a variety of distribution packages that can be used to output an arbitrary number of versions for varying screen sizes, resolutions, bit rates, codecs, service providers, etc.

For more information, email: info@etcenter.org.

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The Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California has launched an online portal dedicated to the stereoscopic 3D industry.

The site, 3D.etcenter.org, features news, listings of 3D events, content releases and broadcast information, links to training and education resources, and a database of market research reports. The site covers all things 3D for movies, sports and games.

“The current surge of interest in 3D content and consumer electronics devices has led to a flood of requests to our lab for information about 3D,” said Phil Lelyveld, product manager for ETC@USC’s consumer 3D Experience Project. “With the support of our member companies, we have established an online resource that we hope will become a key source of information for anyone interested in learning about and keeping up with the latest developments in stereoscopic 3D.”

The site is open to the public, though ETC@USC sponsors have access to additional exclusive information and analysis.

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LOS ANGELES (August 17, 2010) –, In response to industry and media demand, The Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California (ETC@USC) announced today that it has created a living, online resource dedicated to stereoscopic 3D. For the last two years the center’s Consumer 3D Experience Lab has housed a world-class collection of 3D displays and demonstration materials, and has been the site of meetings and conferences related to the emerging art, technology, and business of stereoscopic 3D.

“The current surge of interest in 3D content and consumer electronics devices has led to a flood of requests to our Lab for information about 3D,” said Consumer 3D Experience Project
program manager Phil Lelyveld. “With the support of our member companies, we have established an online resource that we hope will become a key source of information for anyone
interested in learning about and keeping up with the latest developments in stereoscopic 3D.”

The resource center called the “Consumer 3D Experience Project” at http://3D.etcenter.org links to current information related to the rapidly evolving 3D entertainment landscape; which includes movies, sports, and video games. The site provides 3D news, information about upcoming events for 3D professionals, content release and broadcast information, links to training and education resources, and a database of information about market research reports. The information, which is available to all, is updated on a daily basis. The site is a great starting point for industry, press, and consumers interested in 3D.

“Because of our expertise in 3D, our access to research, and the ETC@USC’s Consumer 3D Experience Lab, we are able to not only track the latest news and events on 3D, but also offer
up the history and context for 3D moving into the future,” said David Wertheimer, executive director and CEO at ETC@USC. “Our new consumer 3D project site is one of the top places to go if you are looking for the latest information and pointers to the wealth of resources available on 3D content.”

While the information offered by the Consumer 3D Experience Project is accessible to anyone tracking the developments within this area, sponsors of the Entertainment Technology Center are provided with additional exclusive information and analysis. In addition, the ETC@USC works closely with other leading organizations in this field, such as the CEA, Variety, SMPTE, Sports Video Group, the International 3D Society, NAB, etc. to create influential conferences and events about stereoscopic 3D.

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DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/17f41b/3d_in_the_home_wh) has announced the addition of the “3D in the Home: Who, What, When and Where” report to their offering.

3D TV was one of the biggest themes emerging from the 2010 International CES, but is it a viable home entertainment technology? While we’ve had 3D in some form for over 100 years, it is now pushing into the living room. Can it survive and will it make a difference? CEA and Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) present a second year follow-up report to their groundbreaking 2009 3D study.

Among the topics covered are:

• The current state of 3D
• What segment of the population is interested in learning more about 3D
• What segment of the population is most interested in bringing 3DTV into their home
• The forecast for 3D TVs over the next three years

This report is a must read for anyone involved in the manufacturing, marketing and merchandising of 3DTV and 3D content.

Topics Included In Study: Content; Digital Television; Gaming; Video

Measurements: Awareness; Expenditures (Future); Interest; Purchase Intentions; Satisfaction

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/17f41b/3d_in_the_home_wh

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1828 — Charles Wheatstone gives a speech to the Royal Scottish Society of Arts and describes his invention, the stereoscope. The device delivers synthetic stereoscopic imagery, in which the brain fuses two different images, each directed at a different eyes, into one. The is the underpinning of 3-D technology.

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June 2010 — ESPN launches its own 3-D channel devoted to sporting events. The Disney-owned network will air 25 World Cup matches in 3-D and plans to air about 100 sporting events this year.

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Source: WSJ research, Entertainment Technology Center, 3-D film preservation Fund.

The Entertainment Technology Center at University of Southern California has released a white paper, ETC Marketing Metadata 1.0 that provides a set of best practices for creating descriptive/marketing metadata, based on the combined wisdom of the experts who produce and distribute digital media for the leading Hollywood studios.  The ETC@USC is also announcing a new metadata online discussion group open to industry members who are looking to further the discussion around the distribution of metadata.

Metadata is information that, in this case, describes what is contained in digital content files. Virtually every content creator or related service company creates metadata, and each distributor/network has its own specification for the metadata it receives with the content.  There are a wide variety of implementations, and managing a consistent quality of data through distribution can be a challenge.

“With the explosion and increasing importance of online content, the need for sharing best practices for metadata has become essential.  Your metadata is often all you have to get your content in front of the online consumer.  The ETC@USC metadata discussion group will bring together those with the interest to further develop best practices for this data,” says KC Blake, director of business development at ETC@USC.  “ETC@USC’s metadata project has the support of many of the Hollywood studios and the companies that support them.  We are therefore confident that the metadata discussion group will enable industry members to share information, to work together, and to ultimately save everyone in the value chain time and money.  Best of all, consumers will be able to find the content they want easier.”

Click here to read the whitepaper.

Those interested in signing up for the ETC@USC metadata online discussion group can do so by visiting http://etcenter.org/metadata

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