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Fox Announces ‘Angry Birds’ Mobile Game Tied to 3D Toon ‘Rio’

1.28.2011

The special edition will be released in March, just ahead of the film’s release on Apr. 15.

Fox Film Entertainment co-chair Jim Gianopulos announced Friday there will be a special edition of the wildly popular mobile game app Angry Birds tied to upcoming 3D toon Rio.

The marketing partnership was revealed at a press junket on the Fox lot, after footage from the pic — with a voice cast led by Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway — was shown.

Angry Birds Rio will be the title of the game.

The game’s maker is Rovio Mobile Ltd; the special edition will be released in March, just ahead of the film’s release on Apr. 15.

Rio, from Fox and Blue Sky Studios, tells the story of a domesticated Macaw named Blu who never learned how to fly and lives in Minnesota with his loving and doting owner. The last male of his species, Blu is convinced to go to Rio to mate with his female counterpart. But he and Jewel are kidnapped and a great adventure ensues.

In the game Angry Birds Rio, the original Angry Birds are kidnapped and taken to Rio themselves, where they eventually escape their captors and set out to save their friends, Blu and Jewel.

Angry Birds has become a phenomenon, with 75 million downloads to date, the most ever for a mobile game.

Original post here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fox-announces-angry-birds-mobile-94174

DVB approves 3DTV specifications

1.28.2011

The DVB Technical Module has given its approval to the DVB-3DTV specification.

The Phase 1, frame compatible, system will allow viewers to keep and use their current set-top box, in line with plans put forward by broadcasters including BSkyB and Canal+, though requiring them to purchase a new 3D compatible television display.

Work in the technical module has been led by BSkyB’s David Daniels, and follows the establishment of the first set of commercial requirements that were prepared and agreed last July.

DVB commercial experts are currently discussing a Phase 2 system that may be needed to meet other broadcast requirements, such as having a 2D version of the same programme available as part of the 3D channel. There may also be a need for viewers to be able to adjust picture depth for maximum ‘eye comfort’.

The majority of interest in the Phase 1 system has come from pay-TV broadcasters, in Europe and the United States. Phase 2 is also attracting interest from the free-to-air broadcasters in the US market and some pay-TV operators. Tests of a DVB Phase 2 system are currently taking place in Korea.

“There are circumstances where each of the formats gives viewers the best quality and that’s why we need all of them,” explained David Wood, chair of the DVB’s commercial module.

Speaking at last week’s DTG 3D event, Wood said there were also plans for a Service Compatible option within Phase 1. This involved signaling information on frame cropping and aspect ratio that would instruct the receiver to ‘de-anamorphize’ one of the stereo images and output it as a normal 2D image.

Formal Steering Board approval and publication of the standard is expected towards the end of February.

View the original post here: http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2011/01/28/dvb-approves-3dtv-specifications/

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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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