News Stories

Korea gets FashionOne and 3D (MIPTV 2011)

4.6.2011

[by Robert Briel, BroadbandTVNews.com]

FashionOneTV and High TV 3D have announced they will enter the Korean market with the signing of a memorandum of understanding with KT (formerly Korea Telecom). This deal was facilitated by GlobeCast, FashionOne’s exclusive distributor in Asia.

FashionOneTV is expected to launch onto KT’s IPTV platform in mid-2011. The channel will be distributed via KT’s N-Screen Service including IPTV, online, tablet PC, mobile and other devices on both wired and wireless platforms. HighTV 3D is the first worldwide 3D entertainment channel and will launch at a later date.

Olleh is KT’s brand identity, which also incorporates OTV (Olleh TV – KT’s live channel, VOD and interactive service).

“We are very pleased to have a partnership with FashionOneTV and HIGHTV 3D to provide high quality programming on our platform. With FashionOneTV and HighTV 3D on board, we are confident that these two channels will help to make kt’s multi-window line up, Olleh N-Screen, even stronger and more competitive,” said Dongsoo Park, VP, content and media business unit of KT.

GlobeCast has secured numerous carriage deals for FashionOneTV, launching the channel into various SEA markets such as Hong Kong, Mongolia, Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia.

The channel is also available in HD in a number of territories. FashionOne HD broadcasts 24/7 internationally across multiple platforms, including direct-to-home satellite television, cable television and the web.

See the original post here: http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2011/04/06/korea-gets-fashionone-and-3d/

 

Optimism about future of 3D TV (MIPTV 2011)

4.6.2011

[by Robert Briel, BroadbandTVNews.com]

Optimism prevailed at the conference sessions on 3D developments, that attracted a full house.

Sony’s Akira Shimazu, senior general manger 3D project management division, said the company will introduce 3D home imaging products such as handheld handycams and casual imaging products such as its cybershot camera’s. The company will also offer 3D products, both games and VOD movies, via PlayStationNetwork and the Quriocity VOD portal. There are currently 17 3D titles available on the network and 12 on the VOD portal.

Shimazu was also upbeat about sales of 3D TV sets with sharp increase in set sales in both the US and Europe. Sony also plans to release a 3D free firmware upgrade to make all PlayStation 3 consoles fit for playing 3D games as well as playing back 3D Blu-ray discs. He expects that this year there will be about 100 3D Blu-ray titles available as well as 35 3D games.

But there still is not enough 3D content, with 3 3D channels in the US, Sky Perfect 3D in Japan and incidental 3D programming in Europe.

Vincent Teulade, director at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, was also optimistic, “When we said three years ago that 3D would be a success, people criticised us. But 3D has arrived, it is known by the mass market. And for movies, between 50 – 70% of the income is generated by 3D.”

Last year, 11 out of the Top 20 movies were available in 3D, while three years ago there was just one single 3D title. “This is a strong demonstration that 3D movies are big commercial success.” But there is a limit to the premium people are willing to pay for seeing a 3D version of the movie.

Equipment is not the issue, according to Teulade, people are buying 3D sets in large numbers. “People don’t buy 3D, they buy future proof – the want connected TV etc.” The availability of content, however, is an issue, “There is a content gap – there is not enough programming for 24 hour linear channel.” And what is the business case, “a lot of TV executives are wondering if 3D is best for linear or for VOD.”

YoungSu Oh, director convergence bureau Korean Communications Commission, said he expects the Korean people to buy 3D sets in large numbers when the country switches off analogue broadcasts in 2012.

See the original post here: http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2011/04/06/optimism-about-future-of-3d-tv/

 

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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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