News Stories

Bob Lambert appointed Chairman Emeritus and special advisor to the board of ETC

8.30.2010

LOS ANGELES (September 21, 2010) –The Entertainment Technology Center at University of Southern California (ETC@USC) has appointed Bob Lambert as ETC Chairman Emeritus and Special Advisor to the Board.   The Entertainment Technology Center is a multi-industry consortium pioneering new initiatives in the consumer and professional realms.  Engaged and active with ETC’s board for the past decade, among other roles Bob served terms as ETC Board chairman and as CEO pro tem, while also serving as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Technology Strategy for The Walt Disney Company.

“Bob is a visionary for our industry, and an exceptional supporter and driver of inter-industry projects and of USC’s efforts in entertainment and technology,” Cited ETC CEO and executive director David Wertheimer.   The ETC Board and I are delighted to have his continued involvement and support.”

Bob serves on several for-profit and non-profit boards of directors.  In addition to being a veteran of twenty-five years as a senior executive of The Walt Disney Company, he has advised MPAA, MovieLabs, DCI LLC, AFI, and other organizations and technology start-ups.  He will continue efforts on new ETC initiatives and sponsorships, working with Wertheimer.

Press Release
For more information contact:
Shana Starr / Tiffany Massey
LFPR (for ETC@USC)
949.502.7750 x 209/218
shanas@lf-pr.com / tiffanym@lf-pr.com

50th IFA INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE PROGRAM PREMIERES 3D CONTENT (Event posting)

8.30.2010


Berlin, 30 August 2010 – Leaders from the worlds of cinema and sport take to the stage to demonstrate the power of 3D entertainment when the IFA International Keynote Program opens on September 3. Keynote attendees will hear from ESPN and Constantin Medien on the future of 3D entertainment as the 50th edition of IFA opens for business and to the public September 3 – 8 at the Berlin Exhibition Site a complete list of press conferences can be found at: IFA Press Conference Time Table

On September 3 at 3:00 p.m. Bryan Burns, vice president of strategic business planning and development at ESPN, takes the keynote stage to discuss the challenges and alliances that need to be formed to drive consumer interest in 3D – and his company’s experience with broadcasting sporting events in 3D. Mr. Burns will address lessons learned from pioneering 3D coverage of the Masters and World Cup. In addition to his review of what ESPN has already done, he will outline what is next in the 3D space for the next year for the network in theUnited States.

At 3:30 p.m. on September 3, Bernhard Burgener, CEO of Constantin Medien AG, will discuss the role of cinema in driving 3D media consumption. He will preview trailers of the highly-anticipated computer-generated animation feature “Konferenz der Tiere“ (Conference of the Animals), and the first 3D instalment of the hit video game series and media franchise, “Resident Evil.” Both will be released in September.


All IFA Keynote speeches take place in Hall 6.3 in the IFA International Keynote Area

The 3D keynotes are powered by RealD, the leading global licensor of 3D technology. Keynote attendees will all receive special glasses from RealD to enjoy the 3D keynote content. RealD is also partnering with IFA to supply the 3D projection technology, projection screens and additional 3D content for the keynote sessions.

“The 50th IFA is focused on driving the 3D agenda and demonstrating the future of entertainment – in the home, in the theatre, and increasingly in our digital lives,” said Jens Heithecker, executive director of IFA.”

From 3 to 8 September IFA will be celebrating its 50th edition on the Berlin Exhibition Site. The show is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

click here for the IFA home page

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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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