News Stories

SRS iWow 3D Quick Look (3D Audio product)

2.28.2011

At Macworld this year, I got a chance to try out the new SRS iWow 3D. It’s an interesting little dongle that fits on your iPhone, iPad, or any iPod, including the touch, that has the 30 pin connector. When you connect it, plug in your headphones to it, and click the on button, it enhances the sound coming from your device in some interesting ways.

I have no idea what’s behind the magic that this little device does. What I do know is that it seems to enhance the sound impressively. The stereo separation seems much greater. The highs brighter, and the bass deeper. Works great with music, but the enhancement when playing videos was even more dramatic.

SRS has also created an iWow 3D app that lets you tailor the sound to your preferences. You can set the output for different devices such as headphone or speakers, and you can increase the treble and base to your preferences.

If the sound is important to you, it may be worth carrying around an extra piece to you. You can pre-order the SRS iWow 3D now from SRS directly.

By Jeff Scott on February 28th, 2011

See the original story here: http://www.148apps.com/news/srs-iwow-3d-quick/


Using LightWave 10 (S3D software): Cool Software, Cool Price

2.28.2011


Remember the splash at NAB1990 when NewTek brought out the Video Toaster with LightWave animation software running on the Amiga platform? Things have come a long way since then.

The latest Version 10 of a whole series of evolutions called “LightWave 3D” packs a wallop of features for its price (new, $895; upgrades, $495) and is already being used by some creative visual effects artists on some pretty cool projects.

“The greatest improvement in this new release is its ability to help computer artists and graphic designers make iterative changes in real time,” explained Rob Powers, vice president of 3D development at NewTek. “It gives them interactive control over their creations, and this type of workflow was used extensively by James Cameron to visualize the scenes on Pandora for ‘Avatar,’ among many other projects. If film artists and game creators can see their changes in real time, their work can keep up with their imaginations.”

(from Stereoscopy.com “With the new stereoscopic 3D convergence rig LightWave has implemented in this latest release, you can adjust the zero parallax point in a way similar to Vince Pace’s Fusion 3D physical camera adjustments. It lets you dynamically track the inter-ocular distance throughout a shot.”)

by Jay Ankeney, 02.14.2011

Read the full article, with illustrations, here: http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/113668


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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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