News Stories

2nd Annual SMPTE International Conference on Stereoscopic 3D for Entertainment – Call for Papers

11.19.2010

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) is seeking proposals for scientific, academic and highly technical papers for the 2011 SMPTE International Conference on Stereoscopic 3D for Entertainment.  Proposed papers must be informational in nature and must address technical theory, research, clinical results, or emerging technologies specific to Stereoscopic 3D for Entertainment.



Location: New York, NY


Date: June 21-22, 2011

Technical Topics to be considered:


Novel stereoscopic and multi-view camera systems

Human perception factors for stereoscopic and volumetric imaging

Real time depth mapping using LIDAR, Time of flight and other methods

Light Field Camera systems

Assisted auto-edge segmentation

Real-time 2D to 3D Conversion Algorithms

Advances in image segmentation

3D Tracking software

Visual error tolerances

Video codecs for stereoscopic and multi-view transmission

Metrology and test methods for 3D image quality analysis

Emerging technologies for computer generated synthetic stereo space

Advances in Autostereoscopic displays

Horizontal Image Translation

Holographic and volumetric display technologies

Other technologies that enhance 3D imaging

To Submit an Abstract

Interested parties are invited to submit a one-page abstract (no more than 150 words) Including topic heading, paper title, delivery method (presentation, video clip, demonstration), a brief description of the proposed paper’s content, name of author/presenter, company, mailing address, telephone/fax no later than 28 February, 2011


Previously published, product-specific, or promotional papers will not be considered.


If not already registered with the paper management system (EDAS):

1. Go to http://www.edas.info

2. Select “New User”

3. Fill in required information

4. Check “I consent to the EDAS Privacy Policies” box

5. Click on “Add This Person” Button


Submit a Paper (if registered with EDAS):

1. Log-in

2. go to http://edas.info//N9769

3. Enter the paper’s title

4. Add the author’s name

5. Enter the synopsis in the “Abstract” field

6. Press “Submit”


Authors will be notified regarding the status of their submitted abstracts no later than 11 March, 2011


To ensure sufficient time to process papers for the conference, all selected speakers are required to provide an electronic version of their final manuscript to SMPTE no later than 20 May, 2011.

You can buy the conference proceedings from last year’s SMPTE 3D Conference on Stereoscopic 3D for Media and Entertainment here.

Original post: http://www.smpte.org/events/2nd_Annual_3D_Conference_Call_for_Papers/

Web piracy law gets greenlight

11.18.2010

Senate committee approves copyright infringement measure

Lawmakers on Thursday gave the greenlight to legislation hailed by Hollywood as a significant effort to shut down websites worldwide that traffic in pirated content.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously in favor of the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, a bill that would expand the government’s ability to shut down sites devoted to selling or distributing unauthorized copyrighted material.

The legislation, introduced by Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), had a bipartisan list of 17 co-sponsors, so its clearance through the committee was not in doubt.

The bill would enable the Justice Dept. to track and shut down websites that provide access to unauthorized downloads, streaming or the sale of pirated content. It authorizes the Justice Dept. to file an “in rem” civil action against a domain name, and then seek a preliminary order from the court that the domain name is being used to traffic in infringing material. Supporters say this type of action is needed to combat piracy on sites outside the U.S.

Howard Gantman, spokesman for the Motion Picture Assn. of America, called the Judiciary Committee’s action “a major step forward.”

Mitch Bainwol, chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Assn. of America, said in a statement that “in a world where hackers and copyright thieves are able to take down websites, rip off American consumers and rake in profits operating rogue businesses built on the backs of the American creative community, the committee has taken a strong step toward fostering a more safe and secure online experience for consumers.”

With Congress in lame-duck session, it will be difficult for a bill to get to President Obama’s desk before the end of the year.

Attention will be focused on the House Judiciary Committee introducing a similar bill, and supporters are hopeful that the unanimous vote will give momentum for action even as Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) takes over the chairmanship from Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) in the next Congress.

Critics charged that the bill gave the federal government too broad of powers to shut down sites, but reps for Leahy noted that it includes provisions that allow the domain name owner or site operator to petition the court to lift an order, and gives the federal court the final say over whether a site should be cut off from supportive services.

By TED JOHNSON

source: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118027728

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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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