News Stories

Technicolor Focuses on 3D Solutions

1.7.2010

Technicolor is serious about 3D.

At CES, the company is demonstrating several innovations to support the consumer electronic industry’s migration to 3D, including new technologies for Blu-ray 3D, broadcast 3D, 3D subtitling, and auto-stereoscopic 3D delivery to mobile handsets.  Demos are taking place in a private room at the Technicolor booth.

Highlights include:monsteraliensscreen_04_big

– A preview of DWA’s upcoming 3D Blu-ray release of “Monsters vs. Aliens,” authored by Technicolor.

– A 3D subtitling creation tool that automatically analyzes depth and recommends the best placement of subtitles to minimize disruption to the creative intent of the content.

– A preview of autostereoscopic content delivery on a Hitachi Wooo mobile phone.  The content was encoded by Technicolor and customized to the screen size.

Microsoft showcases Slate PC and other Cool Devices

1.7.2010

PegatronSlateIf you find yourself pulling up to the Microsoft booth – so large it has its own parking lot! – be sure to schmooze your way into the private upper level, where they’re showcasing cool stuff including the Pegatron “slate” PC (Steve Ballmer introduced several Slate PCs from different manufacturers during his keynote).  The 11.6-inch diagonal screen Pegatron tablet runs Windows 7, has a 30GB hard drive, an SD slot, HDMI in/out and a USB port, powered by a 1GB Intel Atom processor.  Though it operates by touch it also has a stylus port.

onkyo2Other cool items “upstairs” include the dual-screen laptop from Onkyo and the Microsoft Surface (which though not new, is super cool, turning table tops into oversized touch screens designed for a retail/commercial environment. LG, Samsung and Kodak are actually using the Surface in booth displays).

Meanwhile, one of the hottest items in the main floor display is the HTC HD2 Windows Mobile Smart Phone, which makes its US debut in March.  The 3G phone has a sleek 4.74-inch diagonal screen, 512MB of storage, a 5-megapixel camera and of course plays back HD video, among other goodies.

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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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