News Stories

Record, Store and Play Media with ZAGGbox

1.9.2010

ZAGG (“Zealous about Great Gadgets”) is previewing its ZAGGbox, which a company rep described as a sort of Slingbox, DVR and AppleTV in one.  It is a single device that essentially serves as a digital media center/aggregator with 1 TB hard drive that can record, store, and play media.

ZAGGboxIntended to operate as a universal remote, it can hook up, for instance, a set-top box and Blu-ray player.

The ZAGGbox automatically reads and transcodes any video codec into two formats at one time—one for television viewing and one for the iPhone/iPod.

An iPhone app provides control on the iPhone platform, and ZAGG is developing similar apps for other mobile devices.

Future features include the ability to use the ZAGGbox for home security systems, door locks, or lighting.  It is slated to ship during the first week of April for under $1,000.

Red Leaf and IMG see Gesture App potential for Theaters

1.9.2010

Red Leaf’s Central Hall exhibition drew a huge crowd with a demonstration of Paradigm Ask Concierge, a gesture-based app for use in public places from theaters to museums and retail installations.  Red Leaf Retail Concepts is headquartered in Ontario, Canada.

redleaf

Collaborator IMG would create the interface and content, which can range from accessing trailers and information to actual commerce.  Rear view projection is used for display on glass; a computer drives the application.

IMG’s Jason Opat reported that the company is in active discussions with theater owners about the use of the technology for movie theaters to show trailers and offer information about motion pictures.

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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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