News Stories

‘The Lion King’ Roars into 3D (with children's 3D glasses)

8.29.2011

[DMW Media]

When Disney’s The Lion King returns to theaters on Sept. 16, it will be in an additional dimension. And not only will the 1994 blockbuster be in Disney Digital 3D, but RealD will be reinforcing the sense of event by issuing specially designed 3D glasses to all children.

Each North American child’s ticket to a RealD-equipped theater will come with a pair of RealD 3D glasses, colored to match the movie and decorated with a picture of the lovable lion cub Simba, until the limited supply runs out.

Joseph Peixoto, president, worldwide cinema at RealD, pointed out that the theater experience of The Lion King would be new to an entire generation, and the 3D theater experience is new for everyone. He added that the glasses, which are designed to fit those who are 8 years old and younger, would be a fun souvenir to take home. …

Read the full story here: http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2011/08/29/the-lion-king-roars-into-3d

IBC Conference Looks to the Future, Part 2 (S3D)

8.29.2011

 

[TV Technology]

… While doubts remain about the viability of stereoscopic 3D, broadcasters such as Sky, Discovery and the BBC have all kept up momentum this year with major sporting events such as Wimbledon and natural history documentaries all being shot in this format. And the need to keep abreast of rapidly evolving technology and discuss what’s working and what’s not is arguably more compelling than ever. This hot topic is put under the microscope at IBC’s 2011 conference, which dovetails the issues of sports broadcasting with those of business and production surrounding 3DTV. 

Monday’s sessions see most of the conversations dedicated to 3D@IBC where delegates have a chance to hear BSkyB’s Brian Lenz speaking in the session “Delivering 3D to the audience.” This session is aimed at producers and technicians seeking to master the techniques that enable their 3D content to be presented correctly on all screens and devices. There will also be discussion around how to work with different delivery formats including varying levels of brightness on reception and how to manage different language versions, content layers, titles and graphic overlays in 3D space.

While most delegates are still exploring the day’s stereoscopic offerings, IBC is also set to offer its conference attendees “A glimpse into the stereoscopic future.” This session takes a look at what can we expect to see on our screens a decade from now and features innovators such as Howard Lukk, vice president of digital production technology, The Walt Disney Studio, and Peter Lude, senior vice president engineering, Sony Electronics Inc. The panel will look at how far away we are from the arrival and affordability of autosteroscopic (glasses free 3D) screens and whether 3D is practical for smart phones and, if so, when we will see the first killer apps in 3D. 

The delivery of 3D forms the subject of one of the final sessions at the conference on Tuesday 13. “3D and Cable: Technical Challenges and Business Opportunities” will explore in detail the delivery of stereo 3D video by cable during this special meeting of the Benelux SCTE (Society for Broadband Professionals). 

In particular, there will be a focus on the impact of stereoscopic content on transport issues in CATV and fibre networks. With Hollywood movies being presented in 3D format, the CATV industry must prepare to offer these and a variety of 3D programmes to their subscribers maintaining unrivalled quality of experience. The session will feature presentations from companies on the network operator side, as well as from industry vendors including Entropic, Cisco, BigBand Networks and ADB.

Read the full story here: http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/123382

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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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