News Stories

UltraViolet and Piracy

2.16.2011

“Internet piracy is continuing to grow, and physical piracy is staying about the same,” reported Wendy Aylsworth, senior vp technology at Warner Bros. Technical Operations, Wednesday during a panel on content protection and piracy. “We are not trying to eliminate all piracy; it is impossible to do so. It is a matter of keeping it at a manageable level.”
Digital copy and managed copy processes were discussed, as well as DECE’s UltraViolet. Aylsworth offered an overview of UltraViolet, while reporting that existing CE devices may be upgradable and new UV-supported devices are being built.The new UV-supported devices are expected to begin to rollout later this year.
Aylsworth reported that adoption of digital copies has not been as rapid as the industry would like. But she added that she remains optimistic and encouraged to continue.
Asked if she thought UltraViolet would take over, Aylsworth responded: “I think they will all sort of merge together. There are all sorts of discussions about how that might occur.”

Sony Unveils OLED Displays

2.16.2011

Sony has unveiled two new OLED displays, aimed at the CRT replacement market.
At the HPA Tech Retreat, Sony is generating a lot of interest with the new display. It is showing a side-by-side comparison of the new OLED display, a CRT and a LCD display.
The BVM-E series reference monitors – initially available in 17- and 25-inch – use the same OLED technology as seen as part of Sony’s future technologies exhibit last month at CES. (There, Sony showed a prototype OLED autostereo display.)
At HPA, Sony reported that the new OLED reference monitors offer full HD resolution OLED panels with 10-bit drivers, as well as a newly developed display engine. Sony also focused on the black levels, offering the ability to essentially turn off the pixels.
Sony’s 17-inch OLED monitor lists for $17,000 and the 25-inch goes for $26,000. Shipping is expected in the April-June timeframe.
Dolby is also targeting the CRT replacement market with its shipping PRM-4200 professional reference monitor, which lists for $54,950.

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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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