News Stories

Astra confirms 3D leadership

4.27.2011

[by Chris Dziadul, broadband tv news]

SES Astra has confirmed its market leadership in 3D television by adding a demo channel from the Spanish operator Digital+ to its line-up. The Luxembourg-based company already distributes six commercial 3D channels, including BSkyB in the UK, Canal+ in France, Sky in Germany, Viasat in Scandinavia and Brava 3D and Penthouse HD, catering for a pan-European audience.

It also features its own 3D demo channels, bringing the total number of channels in the format to eight.

The new demo channel from Digital+ is being broadcast from SES Astra’s 23.5 degrees East position and is available FTA across Europe.

The operator has launched the service, which will feature a variety of high quality 3D content including feature film clips and concert clips during daytime, to allow installers and retailers to showcase 3D television at points of sale.

See the original post here:  http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2011/04/27/astra-confirms-3d-leadership/

The SMPTE Second Annual International Conference on Stereoscopic 3D for Media & Entertainment

4.26.2011

 

21-22 June 2011
Co-located with DV Expo East, taking place on 22 June 2011

Millennium Broadway Hotel, New York City

The SMPTE Second Annual International Conference on Stereoscopic 3D for Media & Entertainment spans two days and will cover a wide range of topics. Among them will be a number of presentations on stereoscopy and the human visual system, including:

 

 

Getting The Geometry Right
Jenny Read: Newcastle University, United Kingdom

Should stereo media attempt to recreate the scene like a puppet theater in front of the viewer, or simply give a good impression of depth? How should we arrange the geometry to achieve each of these? This session will cover epipolar geometry (recreating the images caused by physically present objects), which is fundamental to stereo viewing in the natural environment – as well as deviations from this geometry and how each affects the visual system with consequences ranging from none at all, to eyestrain, to distorted perception.

Depth Cue Interactions in Stereoscopic 3D Media
Robert S Allison: York University, Canada

In stereo media, as in the real world, people combine the cues to depth to form a coherent perception of the 3D environment. But in stereoscopic 3D media, depth cues do not typically correspond to what the viewer would experience in a given scene and are also not in agreement with each other. This session covers what vision science has to say about how depth cues are integrated and what happens when they conflict, the role of cue interaction in choosing the configuration of rigs and displays, and how cue interactions create common distortions experienced in stereoscopic 3D media.

Learn more about this event here: http://www.smpte.org/events/2nd_Annual_3D_Conference/

Register by May 16 and get your early-bird discount!

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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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