All posts by Like Tangents In The Rain

Update – Ludé on Light Field Displays

There are a few things to notice as Mr. Ludé gets past the basics and into the meat of the matter. For example, at just before minute 24 he starts talking about how – in the future – these huge amounts of data representations for light might be handled. First is reference to the order of magnitude for storage and manipulation, and second is the evolution of the devices that what we now call game engines to handle this information.

What he would have said if he had the time and were disposed to more exposition and basics is how much data manipulation is currently done in a typical animated or CGI scene that vectors leaves moving and creeks getting exposed to the light that the leaves just allowed to touch the water or reflect off some stone near the water. Current 2D 2K technology doesn’t really allow all that is required to do a great job, so algorithms are used to constrain the scene to some practical/compromised number of layers that the director is willing to let go by.

4K is still around the bend for all but the biggest budgets, but, given what was possible 10 years ago for that technology and the push to make animations for the coming 8K Tokyo Olympics, one can imagine that there will be constant money to keep increasing capabilities. 

Another thing to notice is how people who are close to the bleeding edge of video technology had interesting basic questions – even errors in fact – that Mr. Ludé was able to not only answer but give example about. 

Light Wave Technology. Not coming to homes or theaters soon, and not holograms – which is an entire discussion in itself – but certainly in the future.

Update: Orders of magnitude…

Pete stated about 15 minutes in that the size of the LEDs probably wouldn’t be getting smaller than the 1 micron size of the smallest bacteria since we are getting down to the size of the wavelength of light. Although we have learned that there is no limit to the way that technology can always go past “won’t/can’t get any faster/smaller/more powerful”, we must leave that for the future to decide. One or two breakthroughs in quantum computers and/or making microwaves manipulate light and we are off to who-knows-land.

But, how small is micro____? And how does that relate to a micron? Since we were kids, the name of these smaller than small terms have been tossed in the air and re-arranged by the ISO. The greek letter ‘mu’ is the chosen one – and ‘μ’ is the symbol and in usage it is micrometere (if you follow the ISO) or micrometer in English speaking countries. But ‘micrometer’ is also used in English as the name of a measuring tool, so, be aware. By the way, mu is also seen in italic, like this: ‘μ‘, but technically that is the old and no-longer-used symbol. …oh, and in Greek the word μικρός (mikrós), means “small”. …oh, and add 3 zeros and that is ‘nano’ size.

Here is Pete’s slide:

 

Bacteria can indeed be that small, but not usually smaller – they generally range 1 – 10 

Update – Ludé on Light Field Displays

There are a few things to notice as Mr. Ludé gets past the basics and into the meat of the matter. For example, at just before minute 24 he starts talking about how – in the future – these huge amounts of data representations for light might be handled. First is reference to the order of magnitude for storage and manipulation, and second is the evolution of the devices that what we now call game engines to handle this information.

What he would have said if he had the time and were disposed to more exposition and basics is how much data manipulation is currently done in a typical animated or CGI scene that vectors leaves moving and creeks getting exposed to the light that the leaves just allowed to touch the water or reflect off some stone near the water. Current 2D 2K technology doesn’t really allow all that is required to do a great job, so algorithms are used to constrain the scene to some practical/compromised number of layers that the director is willing to let go by.

4K is still around the bend for all but the biggest budgets, but, given what was possible 10 years ago for that technology and the push to make animations for the coming 8K Tokyo Olympics, one can imagine that there will be constant money to keep increasing capabilities. 

Another thing to notice is how people who are close to the bleeding edge of video technology had interesting basic questions – even errors in fact – that Mr. Ludé was able to not only answer but give example about. 

Light Wave Technology. Not coming to homes or theaters soon, and not holograms – which is an entire discussion in itself – but certainly in the future.

Update: Orders of magnitude…

Pete stated about 15 minutes in that the size of the LEDs probably wouldn’t be getting smaller than the 1 micron size of the smallest bacteria since we are getting down to the size of the wavelength of light. Although we have learned that there is no limit to the way that technology can always go past “won’t/can’t get any faster/smaller/more powerful”, we must leave that for the future to decide. One or two breakthroughs in quantum computers and/or making microwaves manipulate light and we are off to who-knows-land.

But, how small is micro____? And how does that relate to a micron? Since we were kids, the name of these smaller than small terms have been tossed in the air and re-arranged by the ISO. The greek letter ‘mu’ is the chosen one – and ‘μ’ is the symbol and in usage it is micrometere (if you follow the ISO) or micrometer in English speaking countries. But ‘micrometer’ is also used in English as the name of a measuring tool, so, be aware. By the way, mu is also seen in italic, like this: ‘μ‘, but technically that is the old and no-longer-used symbol. …oh, and in Greek the word μικρός (mikrós), means “small”. …oh, and add 3 zeros and that is ‘nano’ size.

Here is Pete’s slide:

 

Bacteria can indeed be that small, but not usually smaller – they generally range 1 – 10 

Comments on the Celluloid Junkie Predictions 2019

2019Predictions Celluloid Junkie
Celluloid Junkie Predictions Issue 2019

Meanwhile, niches such as IMAX took much longer to get to 1,000 screens, and the great advance of DolbyVision is still only shown on hundreds of screens. (The great advance of Atmos is in the thousands, while Auro and DTS:X are less than 100 combined.)

So, hopefully that gives a sense of the spectacular end of the business…not unlike post houses which would order the latest from Ampex or Sony at NAB many months before delivery even knowing that a year later their competition could order the same thing for half what they would be paying. Such is technology. LED walls have some advantage, but they have a lot of hurdles to still overcome.

Comments on the Celluloid Junkie Predictions 2019

2019Predictions Celluloid Junkie
Celluloid Junkie Predictions Issue 2019

Meanwhile, niches such as IMAX took much longer to get to 1,000 screens, and the great advance of DolbyVision is still only shown on hundreds of screens. (The great advance of Atmos is in the thousands, while Auro and DTS:X are less than 100 combined.)

So, hopefully that gives a sense of the spectacular end of the business…not unlike post houses which would order the latest from Ampex or Sony at NAB many months before delivery even knowing that a year later their competition could order the same thing for half what they would be paying. Such is technology. LED walls have some advantage, but they have a lot of hurdles to still overcome.

…and finally, Encrypt

Perhaps there was a time when things were so confusing at the final stage of movie creation and festival distribution that it made more sense to send out an unencrypted version of your movie. James Gardiner, the CineTech Geek, begs you please – whether you make your DCP with DCP-O-Matic or whether you use a service…ENCRYPT. It is 2019, and you are a professional with an asset to protect.

James Gardiner, CineTech Geek, explains why to encrypt your DCP.

…and finally, Encrypt

Perhaps there was a time when things were so confusing at the final stage of movie creation and festival distribution that it made more sense to send out an unencrypted version of your movie. James Gardiner, the CineTech Geek, begs you please – whether you make your DCP with DCP-O-Matic or whether you use a service…ENCRYPT. It is 2019, and you are a professional with an asset to protect.

James Gardiner, CineTech Geek, explains why to encrypt your DCP.

HDR Explained – for the rest of us…

From the cinema exhibition view, it is getting more difficult to explain why the big screen pictures are a better quality experience for watching movies than the experience at home. The industry has never done well at explaining the differences, so it is nice to see a good attempt to explain the groundwork of what is obviously coming. One remembers the 2007 NAB/SMPTE Digital Cinema Summit when Chris Cookson, then chief technology officer for Warner Bros. explained why at all costs producers should insist on 4K deliverables if they had any respect for their future library.

In this case, the potential for getting HDR to the home is now here. With all the 4K televisions walking out of CostCo and BestBuy, and more data streaming into people’s home, it has a chance. We will see what CinemaCon brings this spring…perhaps the tech won’t embarrass us like it did last year.

HDR Explained – for the rest of us…

From the cinema exhibition view, it is getting more difficult to explain why the big screen pictures are a better quality experience for watching movies than the experience at home. The industry has never done well at explaining the differences, so it is nice to see a good attempt to explain the groundwork of what is obviously coming. One remembers the 2007 NAB/SMPTE Digital Cinema Summit when Chris Cookson, then chief technology officer for Warner Bros. explained why at all costs producers should insist on 4K deliverables if they had any respect for their future library.

In this case, the potential for getting HDR to the home is now here. With all the 4K televisions walking out of CostCo and BestBuy, and more data streaming into people’s home, it has a chance. We will see what CinemaCon brings this spring…perhaps the tech won’t embarrass us like it did last year.

DCI – New HDR and Direct View Display Docs

The difference is that these documents are very fleshed out, reading more like a SMPTE document than a brief one what one should consider, and are complete with Normative References and a Glossary, in addition to the required formulas and charts.

Interesting highlights include the luminance parameters for 500 candela/m2 (146 fL) with stricter tolerances and roll offs at the edges and corners. A minimum black level of 0.005 cd/m2 is specifically mentioned, which is a 5 decimal point swing, or 100,000:1. It was nice to see that P3D65 makes an appearance as the White Point, coming on the heels of the latest revision of ST 2067-102:2017

SDR ranges are also specified, with a black level under 0.01 cd/m2 being the level under which the display shall never reproduce. This might protect grey fuzzies from appearing in place of blacks in SDR releases shown through HDR machinery. References to 5,000:1 for SDR are mentioned in the Direct View Display document, but not the HDR. In fact, there is an actual paucity of the word Contrast, though not a dearth…it is mentioned once and implied a few times.

High Frame Rates are also detailed in the Direct View document, in Edit Units per second. 

Many other details…go to:

DCI DRAFT High Dynamic Range D-Cinema Addendum version 0.9 (PDF) 
Click here: http://dcimovies.com/drafts/DCI-DRAFT-HDR-D-Cinema-Addendum_v09_2018-1116.pdf

DCI DRAFT Direct View Display D-Cinema Addendum version 0.9 (PDF)
Click here: http://dcimovies.com/drafts/DCI-DRAFT-Direct-View-Display-D-Cinema-Addendum_v09_2018-1116.pdf

DCI – New HDR and Direct View Display Docs

The difference is that these documents are very fleshed out, reading more like a SMPTE document than a brief one what one should consider, and are complete with Normative References and a Glossary, in addition to the required formulas and charts.

Interesting highlights include the luminance parameters for 500 candela/m2 (146 fL) with stricter tolerances and roll offs at the edges and corners. A minimum black level of 0.005 cd/m2 is specifically mentioned, which is a 5 decimal point swing, or 100,000:1. It was nice to see that P3D65 makes an appearance as the White Point, coming on the heels of the latest revision of ST 2067-102:2017

SDR ranges are also specified, with a black level under 0.01 cd/m2 being the level under which the display shall never reproduce. This might protect grey fuzzies from appearing in place of blacks in SDR releases shown through HDR machinery. References to 5,000:1 for SDR are mentioned in the Direct View Display document, but not the HDR. In fact, there is an actual paucity of the word Contrast, though not a dearth…it is mentioned once and implied a few times.

High Frame Rates are also detailed in the Direct View document, in Edit Units per second. 

Many other details…go to:

DCI DRAFT High Dynamic Range D-Cinema Addendum version 0.9 (PDF) 
Click here: http://dcimovies.com/drafts/DCI-DRAFT-HDR-D-Cinema-Addendum_v09_2018-1116.pdf

DCI DRAFT Direct View Display D-Cinema Addendum version 0.9 (PDF)
Click here: http://dcimovies.com/drafts/DCI-DRAFT-Direct-View-Display-D-Cinema-Addendum_v09_2018-1116.pdf

Color Spaces Training Cool

While writing an addendum to CinemaTestTools.com‘s Lesson A Look At Light, Part 2, your author was amazed to find a uniquely incredible lesson on Color Spaces, the 2nd in a series of interactive training courses from Wigglepixel: What are Color Spaces, Color Profiles and Gamma Correction?

It really is a masterclass given the scope – from spaces through chromaticity through gamut and gamma correction…and more, and especially when combined with last month’s lesson on Color Models. No need to say anymore…just go there now and point others to Maarten de Haas’ Wigglepixel blog and site. (Written in both English and Dutch.)

wigglepixel demo of P3 and 2020 and RGB

Color Spaces Training Cool

While writing an addendum to CinemaTestTools.com‘s Lesson A Look At Light, Part 2, your author was amazed to find a uniquely incredible lesson on Color Spaces, the 2nd in a series of interactive training courses from Wigglepixel: What are Color Spaces, Color Profiles and Gamma Correction?

It really is a masterclass given the scope – from spaces through chromaticity through gamut and gamma correction…and more, and especially when combined with last month’s lesson on Color Models. No need to say anymore…just go there now and point others to Maarten de Haas’ Wigglepixel blog and site. (Written in both English and Dutch.)

wigglepixel demo of P3 and 2020 and RGB

NATO Declares 9 April ’19 SMPTE DCP Compliance Day

There is now a website that details the migration project at smptedcp.com which gives the running status of North America and Europe for percentages of feasibility, as well as good descriptions of what this means.SMPTE DCP dot Com

With word that there is no more technical or equipment reason for any exhibitor in the United States to not be running SMTPE Compliant DCPs, the board of NATO has released the following: 

Be it resolved that motion picture distributors and exhibitors operating in the ‘domestic’ market of the United States and Canada will fully transition to SMPTE DCP by 9 April 2019. A full press release will follow shortly.

See the full document full of Whereas and BE IT in the attachment…

NATO Declares 9 April ’19 SMPTE DCP Compliance Day

There is now a website that details the migration project at smptedcp.com which gives the running status of North America and Europe for percentages of feasibility, as well as good descriptions of what this means.SMPTE DCP dot Com

With word that there is no more technical or equipment reason for any exhibitor in the United States to not be running SMTPE Compliant DCPs, the board of NATO has released the following: 

Be it resolved that motion picture distributors and exhibitors operating in the ‘domestic’ market of the United States and Canada will fully transition to SMPTE DCP by 9 April 2019. A full press release will follow shortly.

See the full document full of Whereas and BE IT in the attachment…