News Stories

PRESIDENT OBAMA IS BECOMING QUITE THE 3D FAN

2.29.2012

[3DTV.com]

More recently, the President also reportedly had the film ‘Up’  in 3D screened there.

The White House is pretty tight lipped about what tech is in the White House Theater, but clearly 3D projection is now part of the equipment.

The history of the theater is pretty interesting. The theater was converted from a cloakroom in 1942 during the construction of the east wing. It overlooks the sculpture garden established by Hillary Clinton, and for years had white curtains with a red floral design. In 2004 it was converted to the current bright red color. The first film shown at the White House was ‘Birth of A Nation’ in 1915, but there was no formal theater then.

President Eisenhower loved westerns, and screened more than 200 films during his time in office. A favorite was ‘High Noon’.

President Kennedy loved historical films, and was particularly fond of ‘El Cid’. Before the President left for his fateful appointment in Dallas in 1963, he watched Charlton Heston in ‘55 Days at Peking’.

President Reagan loved ‘The Sound of Music’, while President Clinton was a fan of ‘Fight Club’ and ‘American Beauty’. 

As far as I can tell the first 3D screenings have been during the Obama administration. While there was both anaglyphic 3D and the polarized variety available beginning in the 60’s I can’t find any evidence that 3D films were shown at the White House in any format.

Read the full story here: http://www.3dtv.com/news/President-Obama-is-becoming-quite-the-3D-fan

Panasonic Announces Pricing for 2012 Line of High Definition Camcorders, all Available in March 2012

2.29.2012

[HDTV Magazine]

Panasonic today announces pricing for its 2012 line of camcorders, which were debuted at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, ranging from a full-High Definition 3MOS model with a superb imaging system; to six full-HD 1MOS models that feature incredible lenses, to a compact HD model that has a powerful 70x enhanced optical zoom, to the ideal active camcorder that is waterproof* up to approximately 10 feet. All nine new Panasonic camcorders will be available in March 2012.

The Panasonic HC-X900M camcorder, the top-of-the-line model that can record 1080 60p, and features the 3MOS System Pro, will have a suggested retail price (SRP) of $1,199.99. With the new 3MOS System Pro, the HC-X900M achieves incredibly bright, outstanding video even under dim lighting, thanks to the re-engineering of all the core imaging components: the lens, sensor and engine. Plus, with professional-like features such as a manual ring, a 5.1-channel surround sound and an advanced Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S) system called Hybrid O.I.S. +, the HC-X900M is a feature-rich camcorder. And for those looking to explore in 3D, the HC-X900M can also shoot full-HD 3D (in the AVCHD 3D format) with the new optional conversion 3D lens, the VW-CLT2, which has an SRP of $399.99.

For 2012, Panasonic introduced six 1MOS full-HD camcorders and they will have the following SRPs:

$599.99 for the HC-V700M, $549.99 for the HC-V700, $499.99 for the HC-V500M, $449.99 for the HC-V500, $399.99 for the HC-V100M and $349.99 for the HC-V100. All six camcorders feature a compact body to make them more convenient to carry anywhere, an ultra-telephoto zoom, wide-angle lenses, and Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) to control blur caused by a shaky hand. The Panasonic Intelligent Zoom feature incorporates super-high resolution technology and the Image Processing LSI for ultra-telephoto shooting helps to exceed the magnification range of the ordinary optical zoom.

The HC-V700 and HC-V700M models capture stunning indoor and nighttime shots thanks to the High Sensitivity Sensor, which greatly improves image quality in low-light conditions. After capture, the user can view the video on an ultra-sharp 460K dot LCD with touch control. Users can also shoot lifelike, textured 3D images by simply mounting the VW-CLT2 3D conversion lens.

Panasonic’s HC-V500 and HC-V500M camcorders are stylish, easy-to-use, compact models that take beautiful shots of distant subjects and perform superbly in dim lighting. These models feature the Advanced Highlight Playback function (also available in the HC-V700 and HC-V700M), which is designed for users who want to view recorded images as quickly as possible. This feature uses the I.I.S. (Intelligent Index System) to detect zooming, panning, scene changes, and faces in recorded images as “highlights.” It can then automatically play back the detected highlight scenes.

The HC-V500 and HC-V500M camcorders include the 2D to 3D Conversion function, which means they can convert 2D images recorded by the user into 3D images. Both models also feature four special effect modes – Natural, Pop, Dynamic & Classical – each adding a special effect suitable for the mood of recorded footage, to create impressive images that allow viewers to imagine the occasion and place of shooting. …

See the full story here: http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/news/2012/02/panasonic-announces-pricing-for-2012-line-of-high-definition-camcorders-all-available-in-march-2012.php

< PREVIOUS ARTICLES NEXT ARTICLES >

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.

Oops, something went wrong.