News Stories

Sony Invites Consumers to Imagine Their Lives in 3D (3D Competition)

5.10.2011

New Contest Harnesses the Power of Social Media; Highlights the Impact of 3D on Consumers’ Lives for Preserving Personal Memories

 

[Press Release]

 

First there were 3D movies in theaters, then 3D TV in the home and 3D cameras. Now, for the first time, Sony is giving consumers a chance to have their most meaningful life event filmed in 3D through a social media-driven contest titled “Your Life in Sony 3D.” The grand prize: a 3D video of the winning idea – shot on Sony professional equipment and aired nationally on 3net, the 24/7 3D network recently launched by Sony, Discovery and Imax.

Unveiled May 9 on Sony Electronics’ Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sonyelectronics, “Your Life in Sony 3D” invites consumers to be active participants in the 3D phenomenon. Entrants can submit a short event description along with a personal photo in any of four categories: Sports & Recreation, Arts & Entertainment, Cause & Community or Life Milestones & Events. After the four-week submission and voting period, the five most voted-on ideas, plus an additional five ideas selected by producers at 3net and Sony, will be chosen. These 10 finalists will then be judged by an expert panel — Buzz Hays, Executive Stereoscopic 3D Producer for Sony’s 3D Technology Center in Los Angeles, and director Scott Stewart (“Priest”) — who will choose the contest winner.

“3D is delivering an entirely new type of entertainment experience that consumers want – whether it’s “Priest” on the big screen or the excitement of the World Cup on TV,” said Stuart Redsun, senior vice president, marketing communications, Sony Electronics. “Now, for the first time, consumers can be fully involved in the 3D process, and get to see their own stories told in 3D.”

“Our goal at 3net is to provide the most compelling and engaging in-home entertainment possible,” said Rod Riegel vice president, marketing and communications, 3net. “We believe that by integrating a unique, user-inspired component, we can demonstrate to consumers the kind of closest-to-real experience that only native 3D can deliver.”

In addition to local and national media exposure, the winner will also receive a hands-on tour of the 3D production truck used for the event, as well as an edited 3D video, a Sony 3D HDTV, 3D Blu-ray player, and 3D personal video cameras. The edited video of the event will air on the 3net channel as well as in Sony stores nationwide. A 2D version will also air on the Sony billboard in Times Square.

The “Your Life in 3D” contest will be promoted through a Facebook ad buy beginning May 13, a 3D promotional spot to air on 3net beginning May 13 as well as in 3D at Sony stores nationwide. A 2D version of the spot will appear on 3net.com and Sony Electronics YouTube channel.  Banner ads will also run on Crackle.com.

Visit www.Facebook.com/SonyElectronics for more details about this contest.

See the original post here:  http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-invites-consumers-to-imagine-their-lives-in-3d-121555603.html

LG’s First 3D Phone Will Show You Restaurants And Tweets Around You…In 3D

5.10.2011

[by Ellis Hamburger,  Business Insider]

When the LG Optimus 3D launches on AT&T later this year (as the Thrill 4G), it will have one killer app behind it.

LG partnered with app-maker Wikitude to offer a 3D “augmented reality” world browser which will illuminate restaurants, tweets, landmarks, and more near you.

All you’ll need to do is hold up your phone in front of you, then spin in a circle to see what’s nearby. Little icons will represent points of interest, and will move on your screen based on which way you’re looking.

If you see something interesting, you can tap it to view a Wikipedia article about it, or even make a reservation. The app will include over 100 million points of interest around the world and will be in 12 languages from the get-go.

This concept has existed for a while now and there are plenty of apps doing this magic trick, but none of them do it in 3D except Nintendo 3DS games–which are actually incredibly fun.

And don’t worry. The Optimus 3D uses glasses-free 3D technology so you won’t look like silly while you’re using it.

See the original post here: http://www.businessinsider.com/lg-optimus-3d-augmented-reality-app-2011-5

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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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