News Stories

Chumby Brings Widgets to Digital Photo Frames

1.10.2009

San Diego-based chumby announced its plans to deliver personalized Internet content to connected devices including digital photo frames and TVs.  In its booth the company is streaming chumby content of over 1,000 widgets in 30 categories such as news, entertainment, music, sports, Internet radio and online video clips.

Chumby – which is open source and a fave of hackers – has come a long way from the cute little beanbag-encased design of previous shows…

chumbyThey’re showing prototypes and reference designs for digital touch-screen photo frames with embedded cameras for viewing and sharing content.  Chumby’s media partners include CBS, MTV, New York Times, The Weather Channel, AOL’s SHOUTcast and Scripps Networks.

Chumby also announced a partnership with Samsung for a reference design built on Samsung’s application processor for Web-connected frames that offer drag-and-drop photo and video sharing, social networks, multimedia messaging, games, Internet radio, animation, video, RSS feeds and more.

Additionally, chumby announced a collaboration with Marvell.  By leveraging Marvell’s application processor and Wi-Fi chipset, chumby explains that OEMs “will now be able to offer consumers powerful Internet connected devices that deliver rich media experiences.”

G4TV offers a video report.

Where to see it:

  • Central 14448

Toshiba Previews Prototype Cell TVs

1.10.2009

Toshiba is featuring a technology demo of a 56-inch, 4Kx2K pixel panel with Cell processor, converting imagery from 1920x1080p to 3840x2160p – along with a set-top box that can record up to six HD programs at once.  It is also using its “Resolution+” development with new noise reduction technology.

toshiba_cell_tv

Also on display is a 55-inch backlit LED panel that uses the Cell platform. It is slated for release in Japan during Q3 and the company anticipates a U.S. release in early 2010.

Also in its booth, Toshiba is demoing a prototype of a spatial motion interface. Like a scene in Minority Report, attendees were gathered around, using hand motions to control the device.  Everybody was tight-lipped about where the technology comes from, but it sure looked a lot like the Prime Sense demo we got in a whisper suite a few days back…

toshiba_motion

Additional prototype: A water-resistant Internet viewer.

Where to see it:

  • Central 12814

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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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