News Stories

ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC to Distribute 25 Hours of Live X Games 17 Content

7.27.2011

[Excerpt]

This year, viewers will be able to connect with the X Games in unprecedented ways. Content will be available via television, smartphones, tablets and online through digital and social media platforms. On Saturday, July 30, from 2 – 6 p.m. ET, ESPN will debut X Games Everywhere with unique live content simultaneously projected across every platform and device. The new content initiative will also enhance, add dimension and establish a two-way conversation between ESPN, athletes, fans on-site and those viewing the competition with a companion screen through XGames.com

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During X Games 17, fans will be able to consume original X Games content on more platforms than ever before. ESPN will televise 25 hours of live HD programming on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC, July 28-31. In addition to the nine live competition shows, X Center will air nightly on ESPN2. ESPN 3D will televise 21 hours of X Games 17 live. ESPN3.com will stream 29 total hours, including more than six hours of original X Games content. The event will also be televised in more than 192 countries and territories to more than 232 million homes.

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Read the original story, including some scheduling information, here: http://realitytvwebsite.com/RealityTVNews/ESPN-ESPN2-and-ABC-to-Distribute-25-Hours-of-Live-X-Games-17-Content.html

Jane's Addiction on the confluence of music and technology (Q+A)

7.26.2011

[Excerpts]

The music and technology worlds are colliding. That’s never been more apparent than at yesterday night’s performance by Jane’s Addiction. The concert was as much about entertaining a group of hardcore fans as it was about promoting LG’s upcoming Thrill 4G, AT&T’s first smartphone packing 3D capabilities.

Indeed, 3D was the key gimmick at the event, with random individuals selected to hold a Thrill 4G and tape the concert in 3D. LG will later take the footage shot and splice together what it bills as the first 3D user-generated concert. It’s unclear, however, how much the fans participated in the content generation; staffers near the stage and behind it shot the concert with the Thrill using special gear,  …

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Q: This is a weird confluence with LG and Jane’s Addiction. What made you jump into this event?
Navarro: It gives our audience an opportunity to watch us live and streaming on the Internet. We generally play a lot of bigger outdoor shows, and right now we’ve been playing a lot of big festivals. To be in a little club like this, it’s kind of a special event. We always have a really good time in these kind of environments.

The amount of participation you have is limited; there are only so many people who can come, so this way you can broadcast it to the world. We’re also giving a bunch of the 3D phones to 100 people in the audience. They’re going to shoot it, and then it’ll be cut together as a user-generated 3D film.

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What do you think about 3D in general?
Navarro: Beyond what we’re doing which is a pretty huge undertaking, I don’t know if it’s something that we necessarily want to incorporate. It’s interesting and it’s current and there’s a big push behind it right now. But personally, I don’t enjoy watching 3D.

Chaney: I go to watch movies with my kids, and now they’re into it. I have a 3DTV also, and the glasses. I watch it occasionally. After about an hour…maybe because I’m not a kid and I don’t go on the 200-foot roller coaster anymore, but for a kid I can see the attraction. For myself, it’s fascinating. I saw “Coraline” in 3D and I was blown away. It is hard on your eyes though. …

Read the full story here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20083475-94/janes-addiction-on-the-confluence-of-music-and-technology-q-a/

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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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