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About 25% Of TV Viewers Expect To Upgrade To 3D In 18 Months: Survey

Motorola Study Finds Consumers Would Pay for Social Media Features on TV

surveyed video-consumption habits among 7,500 consumers in 13 countries: the U.S., Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, Nordics, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the U.K. /

About a quarter of TV viewers surveyed expect to upgrade to 3DTVs in the next 18 months, while 75% either currently own an HD set or plan to buy one in the same time frame, according to research from Motorola Mobility.

Motorola Mobility’s Global 2010 Media Engagement Barometer also found that consumers around the world are very interested in using social-media features on their TVs — with 58% of people who have used social media during a TV program saying they would change their service provider if it were offered as an integrated service.

The study found 42% of viewers globally have had an e-mail conversation, engaged in an instant message chat or used a social network to discuss a program or video while they were watching it. Of this group, 22% said that social-media multitasking is a regular part of their viewing experience and 61% would be prepared to pay more for a service that offered these capabilities.

The Media Engagement Barometer study, conducted by research agency Vanson Bourne, surveyed video-consumption habits among 7,500 consumers in 13 countries: the U.S., Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, Nordics, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the U.K.

“The research clearly shows a changing television landscape, one where subscription services are becoming mainstream, augmented by social activities revolving around Internet chat and networking channels,” Motorola Mobility chief marketing officer Bill Ogle said. “The good news is that, based on these findings, consumers are willing to pay for the services providing the value.”

Just over two-thirds of the respondents said it was either “quite” or “very” important to be able to access free content on devices other than the main TV set in the home, compared with 39% who said the same about subscription content.

Consumers in China, the United Arab Emirates and Russia were the most enthusiastic when it comes to integrating social media into their viewing habits, while the Japanese, Germans and viewers in the Nordics are the least likely to chat, use instant messaging or a platform like Twitter or Facebook to discuss a program or video while they are watching it, according to the study.

Meanwhile, shopping via television was of interest to 42% of viewers globally, followed by chat (30%), updating a social media site (27%) and accessing Twitter (17%), the study found. About 20% of respondents said they would be interested in a recommendation engine that tracked viewing habits and suggested content based on viewer preference in addition to popular content their friends are watching.

By Todd Spangler — Multichannel News

source: http://www.multichannel.com/article/460011-About_25_Of_TV_Viewers_Expect_To_Upgrade_To_3D_In_18_Months_Survey.php

Remake of Killer Bee Movie ‘The Swarm’ Takes Flight

In the bloody wake of the success of “Piranha 3D,” another cult classic B-movie is being remade that is sure to have genre fans “buzzing” with anticipation.

Producers Roy Lee (“The Ring”) of Vertigo Entertainment and Steven Schneider (“Paranormal Activity”) of Room 101 are developing a remake of the 1978 Irwin Allen disaster movie “The Swarm,” TheWrap has learned.

The original starred Michael Caine as an entomologist who learns that killer bees from South America have been coming together to form huge swarms. He sets out to stop the military from attacking and worsening the imbalance in nature, ultimately teaming up with them to prevent the deadly swarm from reaching Houston.

Award-winning commercials director Ash Bolland is attached to direct and a writer is expected to be hired within the next month, although it’s unclear whether they’ll be working from the Arthur Herzog novel that served as the basis for Allen’s movie, or writing an original screenplay.

“The Swarm” flopped at the box office and has beensubsequently disowned by Caine, but it still has a fervent following among genre enthusiasts thanks to its impressive cast, which included Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain, Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson, Henry Fonda, Patty Duke, Slim Pickens and Fred MacMurray in his final role.

Bolland is represented by Anonymous Content.

By Jeff Sneider

source: http://www.thewrap.com/deal-central/column-post/exclusive-remake-killer-bee-movie-swarm-takes-flight-22563

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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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