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Variety covers ETC@USC New Chairman Vince Roberts Announcment

Vince Roberts, VP of global operations and chief technology officer for Disney/ABC Television Group, has been appointed chairman of the board for USC’s Entertainment Technology Center.

ETC@USC is a multi-industry effort to ensure that consumers have the best digital entertainment experiences possible.

Roberts steps in for departing chairman Chris Carey of Paramount. David Wertheimer remains CEO and executive director of the ETC.

At Disney/ABC, Roberts oversees the broadcast operating and technical functions of the ABC Television Network, Disney Channel Worldwide, Disney XD, Playhouse Disney, SOAPnet, ABC Family and Disney ABC Intl. Television.

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NAB: New Camera 3D Test Chart from DSC Labs Sets to Reduce 3D Headaches

DSC Labs, an eco-friendly developer of innovative products for image quality improvement, is pleased to introduce its new 3D camera test chart — the 3-DZ. Initially announced as the prototype “Pilot 3D Chart,” the 3-DZ is engineered to quickly pinpoint imprecision in subjective and inefficient setup procedures, resulting in the possible reduction of “3D headaches.” “3D viewing can be an exciting and pleasurable experience when cameras and projection systems are set up accurately. However, misaligned rigs could be responsible not only for contributing to health issues, but also for giving 3D a bad image,” comments DSC Labs President David Corley. “While DSC’s ChromaDuMonde and other charts enable precision alignment of color, grayscale and resolution in the X/Y coordinates, the 3-DZ adds the missing third, or Z, dimension that is so vital in stereo imaging. We believe that setting up accurately with the 3-DZ at the start of each scene could save hours in reshoots and salvaging scenes in post. It could be the ‘ounce of prevention’ that provides a ‘pound of cure.'”

The 3-DZ consists of five LED lights with adjustable brightness for daylight and studio settings to help simplify the adjustment of virtually any 3D rig. The four corner LEDs provide basic frame alignment and “The Schnoz,” a central, adjustable LED, is used to set interocular distance and convergence. Horizontal and vertical indices in 100th (image width) increments also assist in precise and repeatable alignment. “The Schnoz” is adjustable from chart plane to 305 mm (12″) in front of the chart surface, and the 3-DZ’s graduated set-square, along with X/Y axis adjustment, helps ensure that “The Schnoz’s” LED is centered and positioned at the desired distance in the Z plane.

3-DZ Features

Developed through numerous hours of research, testing and collaboration with industry engineers and DP’s, the 3-DZ includes:

• DSC’s easy-to-use “put ’em in the boxes” color chips

• 11-step patented crossed grayscale for efficient gamma adjustment

• Corner resolution wedges up to 800 LLPH

• Black/white horizontal scale to simplify setting interocular and convergence

• “The Schnoz,” a central three-axis adjustable LED, to be used in conjunction with B/W scale

• Corner LEDs adjustable to daylight and studio brightness levels

• Quadrant markers for immediate identification of flipped images

• Central circular “zoom ring” to assist with camera matching

Availability and Pricing

The 3-DZ will be on display at NAB (April 11–14). Attendees will be able to see its unique capabilities demonstrated at the DSC booth (C10215).

For more information about DSC Labs, please visit: www.dsclabs.com.

DSC Labs has been dedicated to image integrity in visual communications for more than 48 years. The company’s pioneering engineering achievements include patented image processes and the development of standardized industry-wide test patterns, earning DSC the Fuji Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to television. Using ground source heat/cool technology at the lab, DSC is known for its environmentally friendly production processes and materials, and whenever possible, for designing recyclable products. “Better Images through Research” articulates the company’s continuing commitment to making innovative products for image quality improvement.

See the original post here: http://www.studiodaily.com/main/news/headlines/New-Camera-3D-Test-Chart-from-DSC-Labs-Sets-to-Reduce-3D-Headaches_13041.html

 

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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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