News Stories

Vatican Preps Pope for HD and 3D Debut

The Vatican has announced the launch of a new high-definition TV channel to be produced with a newly acquired mobile unit. A new over-the-air DTV channel focused entirely on Vatican activities with no commentary is part of an overall media package that includes a new Web site as well.

The new HD channel is expected to be up in time for the Pope’s Christmas midnight mass, according to several reports from a Vatican press conference held Tuesday.

“This will allow future papal ceremonies to be transmitted in 3D,” the Rome Reports said. “With these new tools, the Vatican aims to attract more people to events with the Pope, and deliver his message in top quality.”

The Pope toured the new mobile unit, a 46-footer with 16 workstations, according to theCatholic News Service. The Vatican TV service, CTV, invested more than $6 million in the new truck, with Sony Italy providing a discount of more than $1 million. The Knights of Columbus contributed another $1 million, and CTV covered the rest.

A Vatican spokesman said the decision was made to upgrade to HD to meet the production values of distributors.

source: http://www.televisionbroadcast.com/article/109414

Richard Lewis, MD, First Glaucoma Specialist to Go 3D Hi-Def

Full Program of 3D Glaucoma Video Education Debut at American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting in Chicago
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Dr. Richard Lewis, of Grutzmacher, Lewis & Sierra Eye Specialists in Sacramento, California, is the first glaucoma specialist in the nation to adopt the TrueVision® 3D Surgical Visualization System as an advanced, new technology for glaucoma and refractive cataract surgery. The TrueVision® 3D Surgical Visualization System is a real-time, stereoscopic, 3D high-definition visualization system for microsurgery that attaches to microscopes to display the surgical field of view in real-time on 3D flat panel displays in the operating room.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cataracts and glaucoma are the first and second leading causes of blindness worldwide, both of which increase in prevalence as the population ages. Over 20 million people over the age of 40 have cataracts in the U.S. and it is estimated that over 4 million people have glaucoma, with many unaware of the condition.

The National Eye Institute (NEI) defines glaucoma as a group of eye diseases that cause vision loss and blindness as a result of damage to the optic nerve. Glaucoma is often referred to as the “silent thief of sight” due to the loss of vision which can occur gradually and without patient symptoms until the disease has significantly progressed. Currently, no cure for glaucoma exists, but with early diagnosis and medical or surgical treatment, it is possible to reduce or halt the progression of vision loss.

At the Grutzmacher, Lewis & Sierra Eye Specialist clinic, Dr. Lewis equipped an operating suite with the state-of-the-art TrueVision® 3D Surgical Visualization System for day-to-day glaucoma, refractive cataract, and corneal surgeries. The system is also used to record 3D surgical video for educational purposes and presenting on-demand and streaming 3D surgical video content.

For the first time ever, a comprehensive program for glaucoma by renowned surgeons, including Dr. Lewis, was presented in 3D at this year’s annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Chicago, October 16 through 19, 2010.

“TrueVision® provides me a 3D high-definition view of the surgical field that allows my operating room staff to see what I see, enabling them to anticipate my needs during glaucoma and cataract surgery. I can operate in an ergonomic position while maintaining the views of ocular structures involved in advanced glaucoma surgical techniques and cataract surgery. The 3D videos and images also allow me to educate my patients about their surgery and other surgeons about new techniques in a way that shows real depth within the eye,” said Dr. Lewis who is recognized internationally as glaucoma and cataract specialist. Dr. Lewis has presented 3D surgical videos to his colleagues during medical scientific conferences.

About Richard A. Lewis, MD
Dr. Lewis is a cataract surgeon and glaucoma specialist practicing in Sacramento, Calif. In addition to his busy private consulting practice, Dr. Lewis is actively involved in clinical research in national and international trials in glaucoma therapy. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Glaucoma, Glaucoma Today, Focus on Glaucoma, and Ocular Surgery News and Video Journal of Ophthalmology. He also serves Glaucoma Today as the chief medical editor. For more information on Dr. Lewis, visit http://www.eyelasik.com/lasik-sacramento/richard-lewis.htm.

About TrueVision® 3D Surgical
TrueVision® 3D Surgical is the leader in digital 3D visualization for microsurgery. Based in Santa Barbara, Calif., TrueVision® has developed and patented an intelligent, real-time, 3D surgical visualization platform. The company is focused on developing a suite of 3D guidance applications for microsurgery to assist surgeons and positively impact patient outcomes. Visit http://www.truevisionsys.com for more information.

CONTACT:
Robert Reali
TrueVision 3D Surgical
805-963-9700

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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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