News Stories

Did You Miss “The Future of M&E in a Time of Radical Change”?

4.27.2020

On April 30, Equinix and The Entertainment Technology Center @USC hosted a conference to discuss a number of industry challenges due to the COVID-19 health crisis. Increased streaming demands and unprecedented stress on infrastructure have forced media companies to quickly adapt and accelerate their digital transformation, yet the future remains uncertain. How will this unprecedented crisis affect content product and distribution? Who will be the winners and losers in the aftermath? What technologies will move to the forefront?  In case you missed these insightful and provocative conversations exploring the future and its opportunities with an array of industry experts and thought leaders, or perhaps you just want to check them out again, we have the full 4-hour event here and the individual sessions below, available on YouTube:

 

 

ETC at NAB Show Express – Session Now Available

4.24.2020

The Entertainment Technology Center@USC (ETC) participated in this year’s NABShow Express that took place May 13 & 14.  The re-imaged virtual event replaced NAB’s annual Las Vegas conference in answer to the COVID-19 pandemic.  2 sessions programmed by Erik Weaver, ETC’s director of special projects, for the original the NABShow, were included in this online event: ILMxLAB’s Michael Koperwas presented “Virtual Beings and the Immersive World,” and a panel discussion, “Digital Storage for Next Generation Media” moderated by Tom Coughlin, president of Coughlin Associate.  The sessions are now available through NAB’s portal.  You will need to register for a free account if you don’t already have one.

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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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