News Stories

Disney Announces Four More Blu-ray 3D Titles, Coming this Fall

8.7.2011

[Excerpts]

Disney seems to be delivering on its promise to release a lot of Blu-ray 3D titles this year. The studio just announced plans for four new titles, which will all hit shelves on November 8, 2011.

The new releases will be Bolt 3D, Meet The Robinsons 3D, Chicken Little 3D, and G-Force 3D. All four were previously announced, so there are no real surprises. A little bit of good news, however, is that each one will be sold as a Disney Blu-ray Combo Pack. Hopefully, this is the studio’s new trend, since they seem to be releasing all of the Blu-ray 3D titles with the Blu-ray 3D disc, as well as a 2D Blu-ray, the standard-def DVD, and a Digital Copy inside each set.

Disney has yet to reveal any specs, special features, or even prices for each of the newly announced titles.

All four releases will come about a month after The Lion King: Diamond Editionand Beauty and the Beast both make their Blu-ray 3D debut on October 4. Both of those titles will carry an MSRP of $49.99.

See the original post here: http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Disney-Announces-Four-More-Blu-ray-3D-Titles-Coming-this-Fall.shtml

3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD art for "Thor"

7.15.2011

[by Lex Walker]

Kenneth Branagh’s Thor, starring Chris Hemsworth as the god of thunder, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Tom Hiddleston, Rene Russo, and Anthony Hopkins, was one of the unexpected hits of the summer, performing modestly here in the US but getting a thunderous applause abroad. While the details on the extras for the 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD releases of Thor are unspecified (as of yet), Paramount has released the cover art for all three.And call me crazy, but the artwork for the regular Blu-ray and DVD versions is definitely better than the art on the 3D Blu-ray cover.

Thor seems to be getting the Tron: Legacy release treatment in that they’re offering the Blu-ray combo packs (3D and regular) that also include the film on DVD and as a digital copy, whereas the DVD release has no extra formats to keep it company. Though speculative, it’s also possible that the Blu-ray releases may feature a picture-in-picture commentary track and other possible goodies you might not get with DVD. That’s just guessing though, but it wouldn’t be too surprising if a few additional Blu-ray exclusives are tossed in there just to force the hand of a few stalwart consumers holding out on the new format.

See the original post here: http://www.justpressplay.net/articles/8154-3d-Blu-ray-Blu-ray-and-dvd-art-for-qthorq.html

 

 

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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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