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LG Cinema 3D TV Gets Record-Breaking Launch in Paris’ Le Grand Palais

[by KoreaTimes]

In Palatial French Surroundings, LG Rolls Out Next Generation 3D TV

LG Electronics (LG) hosted a large-scale extravaganza on April 21 in France to mark the global launch of its CINEMA 3D TV, featuring LG’s next generation 3D TV technology.

At the majestic Le Grand Palais in Paris, 1,500 guests enjoyed the debut of LG’s CIN-EMA 3D TV, which combines the first officially certified “Flicker-Free” picture in the industry with comfortable, battery-free, lightweight glasses, a brighter picture, more flexible viewing positions and a wide viewing angle. Together, the new features make CINEMA 3D perfect for watching 3D in groups with family or friends. 

“When it comes to watching 3D entertainment for longer periods in greater comfort, CINEMA 3D is the perfect choice,” said Kyung-hoon Byun, Executive Vice President and Head of Overseas Sales and Marketing, LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company. “We’re eager to show everyone just how exciting our new 3D TVs are and why we’re confident this will become the industry standard for 3D TV technology.” 

Approximately 1,500 guests from across Europe and other regions came together in Paris to watch a screening of the new 3D movie ‘Rio’ on a massive 27m x 11m screen. Two records were established last night — the biggest audience ever to view a 3D movie and the largest 3D screen in the world– both confirmed by Guinness World Records immediately after the event. The event also included its share of celebrities with actors Sophie Marceau and Isabelle Giordano and film director Claude Lelouch among those in attendance. 

“The connection between CINEMA 3D and entertainment is a very natural one,” said Mr. Byun. “That’s why CINEMA 3D will also have a presence at the Cannes Film Festival next month, as part of a wider campaign to speak directly to the public about how much progress 3D technology has made.” 

CINEMA 3D arrives in a marketplace that was slow to accept 3D in the first year but looks set to take off in 2011. Whereas almost all the major 3D TV models last year were of the shutter glasses (SG) variety, LG’s CINEMA 3D range employs Film Patterned Retarder (FPR) technology, which addresses the problems that hampered the enjoyment of earlier 3D TVs. CINEMA 3D uses a polarized film on the screen to deliver different images for the left and right eyes. These images are then matched up with CINEMA 3D glasses and the result is a 3D picture that is Flicker-Free – as certified by European quality assurance agencies TÜV and Intertek – with less crosstalk, meaning no more dizziness and eye fatigue that sometimes occurs with wearing shutter glasses. 

And because they’re completely free of electrical and moving parts, LG’s CINEMA 3D glasses weigh no more than 16 grams, making them comfortable to wear even for ex-tended periods of time. At only USD 10 per pair, it is now possible for entire families and groups of friends to enjoy 3D at home together. This key benefit was underscored at the recent National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in Las Vegas when Ava-tar director James Cameron predicted that cheaper, lightweight polarized glasses would need to become the industry standard for 3D TVs to become truly embraced by consumers. And with millions of people already wearing corrective lenses, LG’s convenient 3D clipons are a great solution which SG 3D TVs simply cannot offer due to their bulk and complexity. 

Further contributing to higher picture quality is LG’s Light Boost, a thin film that ensures 3D images are shown at their full brightness. What’s more, a wide viewing angle and flexible viewing positions make CINEMA 3D ideal for watching in groups or while sitting or lying down in any spot in front of the screen. 

CINEMA 3D also addresses another problem that affected previous 3D sets – the lack of content. With a new, highly advanced 2D to 3D conversion feature, CINEMA 3D TVs deliver top quality 3D on the fly, meaning viewers will never be short of good 3D content to watch. 

In Paris, LG demonstrated that 3D technology has come of age with CINEMA 3D. By introducing the next generation technology, LG is poised to take 3D to new heights and into living rooms all over the world.

See the original post here: http://www.koreaittimes.com/story/14318/lg-cinema-3d-tv-gets-record-breaking-launch-paris-le-grand-palais

CES: 2011 TVs preview

Welcome to CNET’s predictions for the TV hardware category at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. For previous shows–most recently CES 2005CES 2006CES 2007CES 2008CES 2009 and CES 2010–I’ve placed not-so-bold bets on buzzwords like “1080p,” “LCoS,” “iDCR,” “xvYCC,” “LED,” “Green,” “Internet TV” and, yes, “3D.” My first bet for 2011: Don’t expect to see any major new technology acronyms this year.

The most prominent trends of 2010 were the introduction of 3D–the biggest, and most controversial, new TV feature in the last few years–as well as the addition of expanded Internet capabilities such as Samsung Apps, Vizio’s VIA platform, and yes, Google TV. Those two trends will gain strength in 2011 and undergo some interesting differentiation as makers seek to distinguish themselves from the pack.

3D TVs
We’ve already gotten a look at the 2011 product lines from more than one TV maker, and while we agreed not to get too specific (the price of being given early info), we can say that 3D will be everywhere at the show this year. Late in 2010Samsung and Panasonic announced less-expensive versions of their flagship 3D models, and in 2011 3D will be reduced from a flagship feature to something available on midtier TVs from just about every manufacturer. One of the advantages of the “active” 3D model found on current TVs (more info) is that it doesn’t cost much more for manufacturers to build in–most of the extra cost is in the glasses themselves.

Speaking of the glasses, you’ll still need to use them for the foreseeable 3D future. We wouldn’t be surprised to see lots of “glasses-free 3D” demos in CES booths (like maybe Toshiba’s) next month, but they should be accompanied by admonitions that said technology is still “a few years” away from mainstream release.

A “universal” standard for active 3D glasses is also not in the cards for 2011, so don’t expect Sony glasses to work with Samsung TVs, for example. Those specs will remain proprietary, keeping the market window open for third-partyuniversal solutions like the XpanD X103 released in late 2010. Maybe the TV makers can agree on a standard by 2012, but we wouldn’t place money on it.

“Passive” 3D TVs
All of the consumer-targeted 3D TVs released by major makers in 2010 used those active shutter glasses, complete with batteries, infrared synching with the TV and generally $100-plus price tags.

In the summer of 2010, however, Vizio showed a model using passive 3D technology, and in late November a final-looking version of that very TV, the 65-inch XVT3D650SV, quietlyappeared on the company’s Web site. While pretty steep at $3700 list, it does come with 4 pairs of the cheaper, non-battery-powered passive polarized glasses, and additional pair may cost as little as $10 each. If Vizio is true to its word, the TV will arrive in stores in January 2011. Update: Vizio’s rep says the TV is how shipping, soon to be available at Costco, Sam’s Club and online.

We haven’t had a chance to thoroughly test it, but in brief demos of preproduction units we found the passive 3D effect on TVs worked well, albeit more subject to off-angle issues than active. Passive 3D, which is used in most US theaters, is said by proponents to reduce crosstalk (an artifact that appears as a double image) and be more comfortable than active over long viewing sessions. For their part, expect purveyors of active TVs to accuse passive models of not achieving “full 1080p to both eyes”–a true accusation technically, although we’ll be curious to see for ourselves how much the lower resolution actually affects perceived sharpness at normal viewing distances. If our experience with 2D is any indication, the lower resolution–half of the vertical lines of 1080, or 540–might not even be visible to viewers seated far enough from the screen.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see at least one other manufacturer try its hand at the passive 3D technology. Earlier this year LG released a passive 3D model in the UK, the 47LD950, for example.

To see the full story, with coverage of App TV and Display Technology, click here: http://ces.cnet.com/8301-32254_1-20025520-283.html?tag=mncol%3b10n

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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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