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Stanford’s virtual dissecting table (not S3D)

Stanford Schoolf of Medicine has a new computerized table that lets students do virtual dissection of 3D cadavers. They published a video of the newly-designed anatomy course that combines traditional prosection with stereoscopic images, and a virtual dissecting table.

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The 60,000$ table, which made its debut on campus in April, is on loan from Anatomage (San Jose, USA). Faculty are experimenting with its use as a possible teaching aid for everyone from undergraduate anatomy students to medical students, residents and even patients. Read the Stanford paper (and watch the video).

See the original post here: http://stereoscopynews.com/hotnews/history/market-a-trends/1538-stanfords-virtual-dissecting-table.html

Sky and Virgin: glasses-free 3D is needed

[By Marc Chacksfield, TechRadar]

Rivals agree on future 3D tech

 

Glasses-less 3D needs to come sooner rather than later if 3D is to truly go mainstream, explained Sky and Virgin Media at the 3D TV World Forum in London this week.

Both companies are pushing for TV manufacturers to develop autostereoscopic sets as they believe that this will be a major factor in bringing 3D to the mainstream.

Speaking at the 3DTV World Forum in London this week, John Cassy, Director of 3D at Sky, said that glasses-free technology would be a boon but the company was also making great strides with their 3D channel, despite users having to wear glasses.

“We are not a TV manufacturer, but glasses free would be a great boost for the industry,” said Cassy.

“However, there is a lot of opportunity in the meantime.”

Price drop needed?

This view was backed up by Kevin O’Neil, head of VOD at Virgin Media, who believes that 3D needs a glasses-free experience sooner rather than later.

“3D should be a glass-less experience in the home as soon as possible,” said O’Neill.

He also noted that in the short term to get more customers into 3D, 3D ready TVs “need to come down in price dramatically.”

Adrian Northover Smith, head of public affairs for Sony, however, doesn’t believe that price is that big an issue at the moment – especially when it comes to active shutter TVs.

“If you use active shutter glasses, there is no premium at all to 3D TV set – the only premium you have is with the glasses themselves and they will inevitably come down in price,” said Northover Smith.

And despite O’Neil’s reservations of 3D sales, Northover Smith things that the numbers are decent enough, when you compare them to past technology innovations in the TV sector.

“It took two years to sell 125.000 widescreen TVs in the UK when they were first launched – for 3D we managed this in just 10 months.”

When it comes to glasses-free TV, both Samsung and Toshiba have made in-roads in this sector.

Toshiba released a 22-inch autostereoscopic screen in Japan earlier in the year and will be launching the technology in Europe in 2012, while Samsung has announced it is working on a 55-inch glasses-free setup, which is still a prototype at the moment.

See the original post here;  http://www.techradar.com/news/television/sky-and-virgin-glasses-free-3d-is-needed-956743

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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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