News Stories

CONTENT VITAL TO SALES OF 3D-ENABLED TVs, CEA/ETC STUDY FINDS

3.18.2010

Arlington, Va., March 18, 2010 – Increased availability of 3D content is vitally important to sales of 3D-enabled TVs in 2010 and beyond, according to new consumer research from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® and the Entertainment and Technology Center (ETC) at the University of Southern California.

Content remains the key component in future adoption of 3D in the home. Two-thirds (67 percent) of those planning to buy a 3D-enabled TV within the next three years say they will be more likely to buy if they can receive and watch 3D television programs through an antenna, cable, satellite or fiber-to-the-home. Most say the primary reason to buy a 3D-enabled set is to watch 3D movies at home; 65 percent want to watch movies, 36 percent want to play 3D video games and 33 percent want to watch television programming.

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Radio Business Report covers Hallmark Channel/ETC Lifestages Study

3.5.2010

The joint study of US media consumption was conducted by Hallmark Channel, E-Poll Market Research and the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California (ETC). It revealed that Americans’ media behavior is most greatly affected by their stage in life, rather than demographic or economic factors.

The study, titled “Life Stage: Its Impact on the Future of Traditional and Emerging Media,” explores the attitudes and traces the distinct and often contrasting behaviors of eight major life stage groups, including Teens, College Students, Recent Grads, Single No Kids, New Nesters, Established Families, Married No Kids and Empty Nesters.

“Life stage research is a new and valuable tool to help the ETC and our member companies understand the impact of new technology on all aspects of the entertainment industry. Importantly, this research provides insight not only for today’s market, but also in the future as consumers pass through various life stage groups,” said KC Blake, Director of Business Development at the ETC.

“People come to the ETC to share and explore ideas on how entertainment consumption is changing and to look for the opportunities to come together for the good of the consumer. This research is a great example of how new technologies change the way people think about media and we’re excited to be bringing this study to the entertainment and technology industries,” said David Wertheimer, CEO and Executive Director of the ETC.

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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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