News Stories

Movie Studios Are Dreaming of a Blu Christmas

12.3.2010

All signs point to a colorful holiday, at least as far as movie viewing at home goes.

After years of being the format for early adopters, movie fanatics and gadget gurus, Blu-ray is finally poised to go mainstream this holiday season. The technology, which won out in the format war with HD-DVD in early 2008, has seen a major surge in sales this year.

The Digital Entertainment Group saw Blu-ray set-top sales jump 104 percent in the first three quarters of this year from the same period a year ago.

The Los Angeles-based group, which advocates and promotes home entertainment products, estimates that there are now 21.1 million households in the United States with Blu-ray-enabled players. One factor has been the large base of HDTV sets, and the falling price of both the TVs and Blu-ray players.

The full, lengthy story is here: http://www.cnbc.com/id/40477029

IT big guns set to take the Connected TV prize

11.12.2010

Despite the pioneering work that has been done by start up companies in the IPTV and OTT online video space, the sector will soon be dominated by the three IT giants—Microsoft, Apple and Google–who have recently come to market win the sector.

The latest report by new media research firm GigaOm suggests that the rapid growth of Internet-enabled HDTVs and other living room devices is laying a new technological foundation, one that will enable digital video and other media content to exist alongside the current technologies of cable and satellite TV service.

The analyst says that software developers and technology providers are rushing to put in place the necessary embedded software and distribution infrastructure that will enable content owners, aggregators, advertisers and consumers to reap the benefits of network connectivity in consumer electronics devices.

GigaOm predicts that the connected platform providers will take a significant slice of the $60 billion annual pay-TV business for themselves. Ominously for those smaller firms who took the first leap into connected TV, right at the head of those likely to take advantage will be Microsoft, Google and Apple.

However, GigaOm believes that the upstarts, in particular Roku, Boxee and Vudu, will not let the giants have everything their own way. For example, it highlights the fact that Roku, who it says pioneered the use of embedded apps in a STB, will face off with Apple. For bringing streamed video content to the TV, Boxee is the current leader among browser-based platforms and is going to run head first into Google. For its part, Vudu’s embeddable apps platform and VOD service for connected CE devices could still be a formidable competitor to both Google and Apple, especially after its acquisition by Wal-Mart.

Other potential key players identified by GigaOm include Samsung with a wide variety of video-enabled platforms and a vertically integrated apps platform,  and also  Sony whose online network based around the PlayStation 3  game console offers a solid foundation from which to launch what the analyst believes could be an excursion into the digital living room.

by Joseph O’Halloran ©RapidTVNews | 11-11-2010

source: http://www.rapidtvnews.com/index.php/201011118753/it-big-guns-set-to-take-the-connected-tv-prize.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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