News Stories

3D lens adapter for ENG

5.17.2011

[by TVB Europe]
A prototype lens adapter made by South Korean developer Wasol in co-operation with Ikegami and marketed by Korea’s K2E can turn any standard 2D professional camera into one capable of capturing 3D.
The 3D Lensys adapter can be fitted to a conventional lens in about 15 minutes and works by means of a field sequencing device rotating in front of two small lenses. It weighs 21kg.
The field sequencer rotates 60 times a second to deliver 30fps of light into each of the lenses in the adapter. The combined 3D signal is output as HD SDI or component.
“3D Lensys allows you to use only one camera and to shoot in the same way as you would with existing cameras,” said Jin Kin, overseas sales and marketing for K2E. “You save time and money by using your existing equipment throughout the production process.”
K2E said the Lensys can be built to order. It was shown at NAB working on an Ikegami shoulder mount body.

Sky and Virgin reveal 3D strategy

5.17.2011

[by Chris Dziadul, www.broadbandtvnews.com]

3DTV WORLD FORUM-LONDON. Sky has no plans to offer its dedicated 3DTV channel Sky 3D as a stand-alone service, preferring instead to provide it bundled for HD subscribers. It has also, according to John Cassy, director of Sky 3D, detected evidence that some customers are upgrading in order to receive 3D.

Speaking at the opening session of the 3DTV World Forum, Cassy in addition said that by Sky’s estimates, it will be another 5-7 years before glasses-free 3DTV will be available on a mass market scale.

Kevin O’Neil, head of on demand development, Virgin Media, meanwhile revealed that 3D on Virgin Media had to date had 85,000 unique users.

Its 3D offer is primarily in movies in PPV, costing £5.99 for a 48-hour rental. This compares with £4.99 for PPV HD and £3.99 for SD movies.

O’Neil said he was of the view that the three ‘C’s of content, CPE and cost will drive 3D.

He added that research by both Virgin and Nielsen points to around 6% of viewers actively looking at buying a 3DTV set in the near future. O’Neil also confirmed that Virgin Media’s long-term strategy is to offer 3D on an on demand basis.

See the original post here; http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2011/05/17/sky-and-virgin-reveal-3d-strategy/

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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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