[press release]

Lucasfilm, one of the world’s leading film and entertainment companies, and Prime Focus, the global visual entertainment services company, are proud to announce their collaboration on the 3D conversion of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace for theatrical release, heralding an exciting new era in Star Wars entertainment. Prime Focus was selected by Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) following an exhaustive testing process.

Utilizing Prime Focus’ proprietary View-D™ process, the cutting-edge conversion is scheduled to hit 3D theater screens on February 10, 2012. Involving meticulous crafting and attention to detail by Prime Focus’ global team of artists, the 3D release promises a wonderfully immersive experience for fans of the original, and a big screen introduction for a whole new generation.

“It was incredibly important to me that we have the technology, the resources and the time to do this right,” said Star Wars creator George Lucas. “I’m very happy with the results I’ve been seeing on Episode I.”

Prime Focus founder and CEO Namit Malhotra said: “Wherever you are in the world, the Star Wars films have become part of the very fabric of film-making – the epitome of the big cinema experience. To be chosen by Lucasfilm as a trusted partner, and to be given the time and opportunity to re-present this series as a new experience to both old and new audiences alike, is an incredible honor. For a project of this importance and magnitude, Lucasfilm and ILM would only have chosen a company with the best talent in the industry, leading proprietary technology and infrastructure, a production-proven pipeline and unmatched scale. I am hugely proud that Prime Focus is that company.”

The extensive conversion process is being completed under the close supervision of John Knoll, Visual Effects Supervisor for ILM.

“Getting really good results from stereo conversion requires a lot of attention to detail and it is imperative that you take the time to get it right – and that’s just what we’re doing,” said Knoll. “We’re taking a different approach than you might expect. George’s vision has been to add dimension to the film in subtle ways. This isn’t a novelty conversion, with things jumping out at the audience; our goal has been to enhance the classic Star Wars theatrical experience, utilizing the latest cinematic tools and techniques.”

Prime Focus is a global leader in 3D conversion and VFX, and has delivered work on films such as Avatar, Shrek, Tron: Legacy, Narnia: Dawn Treader and most recently Sucker Punch. Deploying its global View-D™ conversion team on the Star Wars project, led out of the Prime Focus Hollywood office, artists in Los Angeles, London and Mumbai are delivering shots via Prime Focus’ ‘Global Digital Pipeline™.’ In collaboration with ILM, the meticulous conversion is being completed with the utmost respect for the source material, and with a keen eye for both technological considerations and artistic intentions.

Find out more about Prime Focus 3D at www.primefocus3d.com. Prime Focus is exhibiting at the upcoming National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas April 11-14 – visit us at booth number #SL10205, South Lower Hall.

See the original post here: http://www.primefocusworld.com/news/2011/03/lucasfilm-works-prime-focus-convert-star-wars-episode-i-phantom-menace-3d

“Designed specifically for 3DTV sports, Stergen’s software takes advantage of sports- specific features, such as the planar and uniformly colored playing field, enabling accurate segmentation of objects like players, balls, and goal posts. A known geometry is then assigned to those objects; for example, players and goal posts are vertical, the field is horizontal, and stands have a known slope.”

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[press release]

In the same way that sports was the “killer app” that fueled early interest in HDTV, many sports networks such as ESPN 3D and Sky 3D are betting that live sports will drive the fledgling 3DTV medium. With many sports aficionados among the early adopters of 3DTV, broadcasters are hustling to produce as much live 3DTV sports as possible, and they need stereo 3D production tools that make the job faster, easier, and more cost-effective.

To answer that need, Stergen, a strategic partner of Vizrt, will show its new and groundbreaking Stergen Live software for live 2D to stereoscopic 3D conversion at Vizrt’s booth (#SL5408) at the 2011 NAB show, to be held from April 11-14 in Las Vegas, Nev. Unlike many of its rivaling options in the market, the software does not compromise on quality, making the end-product a real treat – even for the pickiest of eyes.

Stergen products can also be used for after-the-fact conversion of 2D footage, processing select game segments for 3D highlight programs and turning legacy archive materials into stereoscopic 3D content.

“Stergen software enables broadcasters and sports production companies to produce games in stereo 3D with their existing HD broadcast equipment,” said Dr. Miky Tamir, founder of Stergen. “This spares them the huge operational costs associated with the transition to stereo 3D, especially for live stereo 3D HD acquisition. Aside from adding the Stergen 2D to stereo 3D conversion software, their existing HD production infrastructure remains practically unchanged. This presents a very compelling value proposition for those seeking to expand their stereo 3D program offerings as simply and cost-effectively as possible.”

Stergen Live, which receives an HD signal via its SDI input and outputs the conversion results from dual SDI outputs, generates a realistic 3D stereoscopic video program of the event. Stergen Highlights executes 2D to stereo 3D conversion on video that’s already been produced, making it ideal for the conversion of existing 2D media assets, such as highlights programs, and for legacy archive materials.

“Stergen Live offer sports producers a compelling alternative to expensive, logistically complex live stereo 3D production,” said Gerhard Lang, Vizrt’s Chief Engineering Officer. “The ease and cost-effectiveness this provides will prove a game changer for 3DTV sports production. We’re extremely pleased to partner with Stergen to offer this exciting 2D to stereo 3D conversion technology as an integrated capability within our digital graphics and production environment.”

Designed specifically for 3DTV sports, Stergen’s software takes advantage of sports- specific features, such as the planar and uniformly colored playing field, enabling accurate segmentation of objects like players, balls, and goal posts. A known geometry is then assigned to those objects; for example, players and goal posts are vertical, the field is horizontal, and stands have a known slope.

On–the-fly calculation of the scene’s geometry and its stereoscopic 3D image rendering are then performed. This stereo information can be used by various 3D graphics systems for positioning their graphics in the image depth dimenstion. The in-booth video displays will showcase the tight integration between the Stergen software and Vizrt’s own stereo 3D digital production workflow.

Stergen offers high operational flexibility: in-stadium conversion of a single camera or a number of cameras connected through a matrix switcher, in-studio conversion of a live program feed and after-the-fact converison of pre-recorded footage.

Stergen Live is currently available. Several broadcasters and sports production companies have already conducted their own successful real-time demonstrations. The first field trials are set to begin in April.

About Stergen
Stergen is an Israeli startup company founded on January 2010 by Miky Tamir, Avi Klinger, Itzik Wilf and TheTime Investment Company. Stergen develops 2D to 3D video conversion technologies for the TV sports market.

About Vizrt:
Vizrt provides real-time 3D graphics and asset management tools for the broadcast industry and media houses – from award-winning animations & maps to online publishing tools. Vizrt’s products are used by the world’s leading broadcasters and publishing houses, including: CNN, CBS, Fox, the BBC, BSkyB, ITN, ZDF, Star TV, Network 18, TV Today, CCTV, NHK, The Globe and Mail, Times Online, The Telegraph, and Welt Online. Furthermore, many world-class production houses and corporate institutions such as the Stock Exchanges in New York and London use Vizrt systems.

See the original post here:  http://www.prlog.org/11410632-vizrt-to-demo-integration-with-stergen-live-2d-to-stereo-3d-conversion-software-at-2011-nab.html