News Stories

Must-See 3D at NAB

3.6.2011

[by George Winslow, Broadcasting & Cable]

Here are some of the advances in 3D production that will be important to watch for at the National Association of Broadcasters show April 9–14 in Las Vegas, and throughout 2011:

Small and better
Stereoscopic camera rigs, which require two cameras and were notoriously bulky, have become dramatically smaller over the last year. ESPN’s first 3D camera rig for use along the sidelines of football games weighed 45 pounds, notes Phil Orlins, coordinating producer at ESPN, but the network has since reduced the rig (which now features two Sony Exmor cameras in a sideby- side configuration) to just under 20 pounds.

Sony has introduced its HDCP1 camera with smaller Fujinon lenses, which is much lighter than the HDC-1500s previously used in many 3D rigs, says Rob Willox, director of 3D business development at Sony Electronics. That lighter weight allowed Sony to use steady cams for last month’s Sony Open telecast on the Golf Channel.

3D Consumer Gear
Technological advances in small 3D consumer camcorders and still cameras will also be important for professional gear. During the Sony Open, a $1,499 Sony consumer camcorder was attached to about $80,000 worth of professional equipment and successfully used as a POV camera on a tower, notes Willox.

Automation and Graphics
3ality Digital is working on automating some production processes for measuring convergence and will be showing that technology at NAB, reports CEO Steve Schklair.

3ality will also be introducing tools that will allow graphics to automatically be placed at the proper depth in stereoscopic images.

See the original post here: http://www.tvtechnology.com/channel/nab-show/113918

< PREVIOUS ARTICLES NEXT ARTICLES >

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.

Oops, something went wrong.