News Stories

HPA Demo Room Roundup Part 2

2.18.2010

—Miranda has its eye on 3D in the home.
At HPA, it previewed its Multiviewer, upgraded to view 3D content. The monitor displayed 3D images, along with the left eye/right eye material, for two different cameras, simultaneously. It is aimed at multicamera shooting for use at studios or in production trucks.
The company also previewed a branding/master control system for 3D, aimed at NAB availability. The technology, designed for TV stations, allows the user to set convergence for logos or other branding.
The company is working on a technology to automatically gauge depth and set a comfortable viewing position for graphics.

photo–On the production side, Fujinon previewed a lens system (pictured) that calibrates and synchronizes two lenses for stereo 3D production.

—Imartis and IFX demonstrated a 3D workflow. This included a SwissRig beam splitter rig and IFX’s On-set control system that includes a vectorscope, waveform, and color and convergence tools.

–Also on the 3D front, Henry Gu of GIC showed the 3DV stereoscopic QC and subtitling system. Features including disparity calculation. The system includes a realtime file server, full res stereo display and control interface.

A complete list and description of exhibits is posted on the HPA web site at http://www.hpaonline.com/mc/page.do?sitePageId=99082&orgId=hopa

HPA Links With Collaborative Networks

2.18.2010

A look at collaborative networking at the HPA Tech Retreat included updates from Smartjog and AboveNet. Also addressed:

–Peter Wilson introduced MUPPITS (Multiple User Post Production IT Services), an R&D project to develop an open and secure collaborative system based on a service-oriented architecture. Partners include Sohonet, Pinewood, BBC, Molinare and Smoke and Mirrors. The main aims of the projects is to offer remote rendering, as well as a tapeless workflow. To learn more: www.muppits.org.uk

–CineGrid Exchange Architecture is growing and by spring of this year, global capacity is expected to reach 256 TB connected via a 10 GigE cyberinfrastructure. Demonstrations have included 4K uncompressed interactive color grading between CinePost in Prague and UC San Diego.

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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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