News Stories

Sky 3D Europe

8.4.2010

BSkyB has confirmed that Europe’s first 3D channel will make its consumer debut on Friday October 1. Transmitted in the side by side format, Sky 3D will offer viewers a line-up of sport, movies, entertainment and the arts.

Sky 3D is compatible with all of the 3D TVs being introduced by Sony, Samsung, LG and Panasonic, and works with both ‘active’ and ‘passive’ 3D formats.

“As with HD, 3D is set to transform the way TV is enjoyed in homes nationwide. Following hot on the heels of the success of 3D cinema, Sky customers will now be the first anywhere in Europe to experience 3D TV from the comfort of their living rooms,” said Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch. “They can look forward to a fantastic mix of live sport, blockbuster movies, and innovative entertainment and arts shows.”

This year’s Ryder Cup from Celtic Manor will be carried in 3D across three days as Europe takes on the US in the most anticipated golfing event of the year.

Two of the biggest grossing 3D films to date, Bolt and Monster vs. Aliens, will make their 3D debut. A number of other movie titles will be shown in the run up to Christmas including Alice in Wonderland; Ice Age – Dawn of the Dinosaurs; Coraline; Fly Me To The Moon, Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince and My Bloody Valentine. Agreement has been reached with major Hollywood studios Disney, Fox, Universal, Warner Brothers, Paramount and DreamWorks to screen their 3D content.

Sky 3D will also continue to show live Premier League football, the mainstay of the 3D pubs channel that launched on Easter Saturday, with further announcements on entertainment and arts content due in the run up to the launch.

All Sky+ HD viewers with a 3DTV will be able to receive Sky 3D, as no set-top box upgrade is required. There is no additional fee to customers on the top tier already paying £51 (€61.2) per month for the satcaster’s Movies, Sports, Entertainment and HD Packs.

< 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.