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ESPN teams with university for research lab

U.S. cable network ESPN and Full Sail University, an Orlando area school that specializes in entertainment, media & the arts, are collaborating on a research and development lab.

The Full Sail University Sports Lab Powered by ESPN, unveiled Thursday, will be used for R&D of new studio and remote technologies.

The lab will also work in conjunction with the Innovation Lab at ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World, which was heavily involved in the development of ESPN 3D.

“ESPN has long been an industry leader in utilizing cutting-edge technology to bring fans the best content,” said Anthony Bailey, vp emerging technology at ESPN.

“The energy and creativity that the students and staff at Full Sail University will bring to this facility make this a natural location for this lab and will help us develop new tools to provide fans the best on-air coverage of sports,” he continued.

The mission will be to not only develop new technology enhancements such as virtual applications but to provide students at Full Sail the opportunity to work alongside ESPN’s emerging technology team to gain real-world experience.

By Carolyn Giardina

(Editing by Zorianna Kit)

source: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AI09920101119

2nd Annual SMPTE International Conference on Stereoscopic 3D for Entertainment – Call for Papers

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) is seeking proposals for scientific, academic and highly technical papers for the 2011 SMPTE International Conference on Stereoscopic 3D for Entertainment.  Proposed papers must be informational in nature and must address technical theory, research, clinical results, or emerging technologies specific to Stereoscopic 3D for Entertainment.



Location: New York, NY


Date: June 21-22, 2011

Technical Topics to be considered:


Novel stereoscopic and multi-view camera systems

Human perception factors for stereoscopic and volumetric imaging

Real time depth mapping using LIDAR, Time of flight and other methods

Light Field Camera systems

Assisted auto-edge segmentation

Real-time 2D to 3D Conversion Algorithms

Advances in image segmentation

3D Tracking software

Visual error tolerances

Video codecs for stereoscopic and multi-view transmission

Metrology and test methods for 3D image quality analysis

Emerging technologies for computer generated synthetic stereo space

Advances in Autostereoscopic displays

Horizontal Image Translation

Holographic and volumetric display technologies

Other technologies that enhance 3D imaging

To Submit an Abstract

Interested parties are invited to submit a one-page abstract (no more than 150 words) Including topic heading, paper title, delivery method (presentation, video clip, demonstration), a brief description of the proposed paper’s content, name of author/presenter, company, mailing address, telephone/fax no later than 28 February, 2011


Previously published, product-specific, or promotional papers will not be considered.


If not already registered with the paper management system (EDAS):

1. Go to http://www.edas.info

2. Select “New User”

3. Fill in required information

4. Check “I consent to the EDAS Privacy Policies” box

5. Click on “Add This Person” Button


Submit a Paper (if registered with EDAS):

1. Log-in

2. go to http://edas.info//N9769

3. Enter the paper’s title

4. Add the author’s name

5. Enter the synopsis in the “Abstract” field

6. Press “Submit”


Authors will be notified regarding the status of their submitted abstracts no later than 11 March, 2011


To ensure sufficient time to process papers for the conference, all selected speakers are required to provide an electronic version of their final manuscript to SMPTE no later than 20 May, 2011.

You can buy the conference proceedings from last year’s SMPTE 3D Conference on Stereoscopic 3D for Media and Entertainment here.

Original post: http://www.smpte.org/events/2nd_Annual_3D_Conference_Call_for_Papers/

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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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