News Stories

The rise of digital in motion pictures – Beyond the tipping point for film (part 1 of 2)

2.10.2012

[Quantel]

After 120 years of entertaining audiences, countless movies and pioneering works on the format, celluloid 35mm film looks to be on the way out as the industry picks up the pace to adopt digital for major motion picture capturing, post and distribution.

This month, the IHS Screen Digest claim that 63% of the world’s cinema screens will be digital compared to 2010 where 67% of global screens were still projecting 35mm. This dramatic increase highlights the speed at which the industry is moving toward to digital innovations.

“Since 1889, 35mm has been the principal film projection technology, however, after 10 years of market priming, movie theaters now are undergoing a rapid transition to digital technology, spurred initially by the rising popularity of 3D films,” said David Hancock, head of film research at IHS.  …

Read the full story here: http://blog.quantel.eu/2012/02/the-rise-of-digital-in-motion-pictures-beyond-the-tipping-point-for-film-part-1-of-2/

DISCOVERY 3D DOMES

2.10.2012

[StereoscopyNews]

Discovery Dome (Houston, TX, USA) manufactures and sell inflatable 360° 3D stereoscopic projection domes and they offer till July 2012 a 3D starter package for free with the standard $29,495 price system!….

Immersion vs. 3D Stereoscopic

All digital planetariums (mirror and fisheye, both offered by Discovery) are immersive, giving a 3D effect by projecting the fulldome image all around you, but not stereoscopic, where your two eyes see different images so it appears to come near you.  There are a few projection systems that offer full dome AND stereoscopic 3D, but they use multiple projectors and are tremendously expensive.  For stars and distant objects, stereoscopy isn’t really needed (as all stars are very very far), but for action movies of course 3D stereoscopy really adds to the experience.

That is why Discovery now offer for the first time ever a low-cost system that can easily switch from full-dome to 3D stereo, using the same projector, same dome, and even same laptop.  The magic is the dual-mirror Newtonian(TM) system developed by Avela.

The newest projector offered by Discovery can show both 2D and active 3D content.  In fulldome mode, it uses the Newtonian in its standard 2-mirror mode.  By using two mirrors, you don’t have to left/right reverse the projector (with two mirros the image is reversed two times, thus apperas normal again).  If then you want to show a non-fulldome movie, all you do is remove the secondary (30 seconds), zoom out the projector and go. If you want to show a 3D stereoscopic movie, you just switch the projector input’s from the laptop to a 3D blu-ray player, or use a 3D laptop as a stereoscopic player, put on the glasses, and now your visitors see full active 3D, but not on the full dome – just on the front part of the screen.  …

Read the full story here: http://stereoscopynews.com/hotnews/3d-cinema/exhibition/2183-discovery-3d-domes.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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