News Stories

Mobilizedtv’s story on MasterImage’s participation in ETC@USC’s 3D initiatives

5.11.2010

MobilizedTV first wrote about 3D for mobile phones in 2008, but MasterImage 3D stood out at NAB 2010 with its compelling autostereoscopic (glasses-free) display for mobile phones.

True, shortly after MasterImage 3D announced (and showed) its 3D display, and just before NAB, Sharp Electronics made an announcement about its plans to offer glasses-free 3D mobile displays. But MasterImage 3D is already there: its auto-stereoscopic 3D display was commercialized in Februrary 2009 for the Hitachi Wooo H001 (see photo) by Casio Hitachi Mobile Communications, and was enabled by MasterImage’s glasses-free 3D display. Available only in Japan and for a limited time, 300,000 units of the Hitachi Wooo H001 were sold.

MobilizedTV wasn’t the only one to be impressed. At the end of April, The Entertainment Technology Center @ USC,
(“which brings together the top entertainment, technology and consumer electronic companies to evaluate what consumers really want, which is then translated to the companies that make technology products”) brought MasterImage 3D, into the fold as a Consumer 3D Experience Lab project sponsor.

As a 3D project sponsor, MasterImage will participate in ETC@USC’s 3D initiatives, including testing 3D products, 3D consumer adoption research and the impact of 3D technologies as it relates to human eyesight and the visual system. The 3D project will also focus on compatible and full resolution viewing tests, subtitling and EPG methods as well as examine the challenges faced when selling 3D products, opportunities for retail, marketing in 3D, and overall industry education of 3D. (Click here for Mark Schubin’s very informative two-part primer on the physical realities of watching 3D on a mobile phone.)

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Christian Science Monitor quotes David in article about Iron Man 2

5.10.2010

3D is already a mainstream filmmaking tool, says David Wertheimer, executive director of the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California. “There is no major film going into production today that doesn’t have people asking whether it should be in 3D or not,” he writes in an e-mail.

“It is a revolution, like color or sound, but the analogy is not perfect. 3D will not reach 100 percent penetration like those technologies did. Just about any film could be better with 3D, but for a lot of reasons, it will be a long time before even a majority of them are offered in 3D, much less all of them.”

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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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