A source for information from the Societies and consultants…
The HPA Technical Retreat has come and gone, but the Schubin Cafe keeps posting slide shows and videos from the event.
Don’t miss these two posts:
Schubin Cafe » Blog Archive » Alternatives to Two-Lens 3D (HPA 2011 Tech Retreat Presentation #2)
Schubin Cafe » Blog Archive » Alternatives to Two-Lens 3D (HPA 2011 Tech Retreat Presentation #2)
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The MPEG working group ise looking for a new compression standard which would be “in line with the expected usage models of the internet”. It would like the new standard to achieve “substantially better compression performance” than MPEG-2 and is hoping it may be comparable with the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC baseline profile.
This article derives from H-Online’s article:
MPEG calling for royalty-free web video codec
The issue of video codecs has been particularly controversial over the last year with the emergence of Google’s royalty free WebM/VP8 codec taking on the MPEG groups’s royalty encumbered H.264 codec. Last week, MPEG LA, a patent pooling company not connected to the ISO/IEC MPEG group, announced that it was beginning a search for patents essential to VP8 with an eye to creating a patent pool and charging royalties. Royalties for the use of H.264 for video on the internet were dropped in August 2010, but are still required to be paid by the makers of web browsers and video encoders.
Currently, it is unknown how many of, or how enthusiastically, the participants in MPEG will rise to the call for proposals. The March meeting of the MPEG group will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the 21st to the 25th.
Following is the press release from MPEG
MPEG anticipates March 2011 CfP for Type-1 Video Coding Standard
MPEG has been producing standards that provide industry with the best video compression technologies. In recognition of the growing importance that the Internet plays in the generation and consumption of video content, MPEG intends to develop a new video compression standard in line with the expected usage models of the Internet. The new standard is intended to achieve substantially better compression performance than that offered by MPEG-2 and possibly comparable to that offered by the AVC Baseline Profile. MPEG will issue a call for proposals on video compression technology at the end of its upcoming meeting in March 2011 that is expected to lead to a standard falling under ISO/IEC “Type-1 licensing”, i.e. intended to be “royalty free”.
MPEG moves toward a visual search standard by issuing Draft Call for Proposals
In its latest step toward creating a standard for efficient and interoperable designs of visual search applications, MPEG has issued a draft Call for Proposals at its 95th meeting. Like a barcode reader, but using regular images instead of barcodes, visual search enables the retrieval of related information from databases for tourists, simplified shopping, mobile augmented reality, and other applications.
Specifically, the call seeks technologies that deliver robust matching of images of objects, such as landmarks and text-based documents, that may be partially occluded or captured from various vantage points, and with different camera parameters, or lighting conditions. The underlying component technologies that are expected to be addressed by the standard include the format of the visual descriptors, and parts of the descriptor extraction process needed to ensure interoperability. Other component technologies, such as indexing and matching algorithms, may also be incorporated into the new standard.
Further details are outlined in the text of the call available at http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/hot_news.htm. The Final Call for Proposals will be issued at the 96th MPEG meeting in March 2011 with responses due in October 2011.
MPEG targets a new phase of 3D video coding standards
A Draft Call for Proposals on 3D Video Coding Technology has also been issued by MPEG at its 95th meeting. This call invites technology submissions providing efficient compression of 3D video and high quality view reconstruction that goes beyond the capabilities of existing standards. MPEG has already delivered 3D compression formats to the market, including MVC and frame-compatible stereoscopic formats, which are being deployed by industry for packaged media and broadcast services. However, the market needs are expected to evolve and new types of 3D displays and services will be offered. With this call, MPEG embarks on a new phase of 3D standardization that anticipates these future needs. The next-generation of 3D standards will define the 3D data format and associated compression technology to facilitate the generation of multiview output to enable both advanced stereoscopic display processing and improved support for auto-stereoscopic displays. Further details are outlined in MPEG’s Vision on 3D Video (http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/visions/3dv/index.htm). The Final Call for Proposals will be issued at the 96th MPEG meeting in March 2011 with responses due in September 2011.
Amendment to MPEG-2 systems is finalized at 95th meeting
MPEG is continuously improving the popular MPEG-2 Transport Stream (TS) standard (ISO/IEC 13818-1), one of its most widely accepted standards for broadcast industries. At its 95th meeting, MPEG has finalized a new amendment to support recently developed video coding standards, Advanced Video Coding (AVC) and Multiview Video Coding (MVC), in MPEG-2 TS. This amendment extends the AVC video descriptor to signal the presence of a frame packing arrangement in an associated supplemental enhancement information message for the underlying AVC video stream component. The new amendment also adds signaling of an operating point descriptor of MVC which enables transmission systems to convey the relevant operating points that can be used by receiving devices.
In a related project, MPEG has also started a new amendment to signal stereoscopic video services carried in MPEG-2 TS. This amendment will support not only frame compatible video services but also service compatible video services which will allow implementation of backward compatible stereoscopic video services in HDTV systems.
MPEG hosts MPEG-V awareness event
At its 95th meeting, MPEG hosted the MPEG-V Awareness Event 2011, at which the full range of MPEG-V technologies, including several products and applications employing the standard, were showcased. These technologies cover applications for multi-sensorial user experience in the home environment, control of virtual worlds by real signals, motion capture systems and real-time avatar animation, multi-platform streaming for virtual worlds and mixed reality games. The workshop presentations are available at http://wg11.sc29.org/mpeg-v.
A hot standard moves fast
MPEG has approved the promotion of Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH) to Draft International Standard (DIS) status. The draft is available from the Hot News page of http://mpeg.chiariglione.org.
Responding to a Call – How to Contact MPEG
The text and details related to the Calls mentioned above (together with other current Calls) are in the Hot News section,http://www.chiariglione.org/mpeg/hot_news.htm. These documents include information on how to respond to the Calls.
Communicating the large and sometimes complex array of technologies that the MPEG Committee has developed is not a simple task. Experts, past and present, have contributed a series of tutorials and vision documents that explain each of these standards individually. The repository is growing with each meeting, but if something of interest cannot be found, do not hesitate to request it. You can start your MPEG adventure at:http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/technologies.htm.
Further Information
Future MPEG meetings are planned as follows:
| No. 96 | Geneva | CH | 21-25 | March | 2011 |
| No. 97 | Torino | IT | 18-22 | July | 2011 |
| No. 98 | Geneva | CH | 28-02 | November-December | 2011 |
| No. 99 | San Jose | US | 06-10 | February | 2012 |
For further information about MPEG, please contact:
| Dr. Leonardo Chiariglione (Convener of MPEG, Italy) |
| Via Borgionera, 103 |
| 10040 Villar Dora (TO), Italy |
| Tel: +39 011 935 04 61 |
| [email protected] |
This press release and other MPEG-related information can be found on the MPEG homepage:
The MPEG homepage also has links to other MPEG pages which are maintained by the MPEG subgroups. It also contains links to public documents that are freely available for download by those who are not MPEG members. Journalists that wish to receive MPEG Press Releases by email should contact Dr. Arianne T. Hinds at [email protected].
UNIC, the International Union of Cinemas, and Prometheus Global Media has announced a rebranding following last years successful 20th CineExpo. The name is being changed to CineEurope.
The relationship continues, after a rocky transition felt by NATO’s take-over of ShoWest, now CinemaCon (to be held in April 2011) and an odd foray by UNIC into producing its own expo in Brussels last year.
The press release is at CINEMA EXPO INTERNATIONAL IS NOW CINEEUROPE, THE OFFICIAL CONVENTION OF UNIC
The next CineEurope will be held on 27 – 30 June, 2011 at the RAI in Amsterdam.
Continuing the HI/VI Discussion from the September 2010 IBC Presentation, this 20 Jan 2011 presentation to the European Digital Cinema Forum Technical Group covers new information on 3D Glasses Hygiene, Laser Light Engines, and news about the EU Ratification of the UN Convention | Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the US Department of Justice Hearings for Non-Discrimination, and SMPTE/InterOp DCP and HI/VI Plugfest Tests.
UNIX / Linux Tutorial for Beginners – From the University of Surrey–Guildford
UNIXhelp for users – developed at the University of Edinburgh
Subject: NEW! Online Subscriptions to SMPTE Standards
As of November 2010, SMPTE is pleased to provide customers with new online access to its Standards documents. Through a password-protected online service, users will have online access to all relevant documents plus the added benefit of access to new documents as soon as they are published.
Subscriptions will be available to Individuals and Institutions, Member or non-Member, with discounted rates for Individual and Sustaining SMPTE members (and the Individual Member rate is reduced from the CD subscription). Full details at http://www.smpte.org/standards/subscriptions/ .
For new or renewing subscribers the new products are now offered in the SMPTE Store http://store.smpte.org/category-s/58.htm. SMPTE will discontinue distribution of Standards and other documents on CD-ROM. All existing subscribers who would normally have received the October 2010 CD-ROM as part of their subscription will receive access to the online service until the anniversary date of their subscription. An individual notice will be sent to these subscribers within the next two weeks.
We are excited to be taking this next step in making SMPTE documents available to the industry in a simple and timely manner; please feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions.
Peter Symes
Director, Standards and Engineering
Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers
Renumbering of SMPTE Standards
(What happened to the “M”?)
Please be aware of the following changes to document numbering:
The Entertainment Technology Center has put up a series of FAQs and other information about 3D named 3D Resources for Industry and the Press. It seems quite 3DTV Centric, which means that all the information will be wrong within a moment of publication, but it is a good idea.
The first article (that your editor saw, 15 things your salesperson should know, or s/g like that) played a bit fast and loose with the definition of high definition, but it is better then nothing.
Nothing will help; 3DTV is doomed to fail in the present configuration. It is barely good enough when hot-rodded by gamers. Home users at a close distance with ambient light providing mismatched eye info will not have a fun time. Odd generations of set top boxes mis-matching with TV inputs…who could ask for a worse situation during a depression?
Using the Dolby 3D display system along with Dolby 7.1 surround on 11 September.
Conference Session – Digital restoration – new technology, new business – 1:30-13:00
Conference Session – Lights. What camera? Action: The Cinematographer’s battle to keep control of his fast expanding toolbox | David Stump, VFX supervisor, ASC | 14:00-15:30
ACES IIF brings in a 16-bit linear system based on floating point mathematics, and one thing to consider is that the 10-bit Log pipeline has been as big an encumbrance for modern film stocks as it is for digital cameras. It came out of the ASC’s camera review project.
Cinematographers cannot afford to be nostalgic for film, but the steady penetration of digital cameras looks like killing off optical media within four years.
Conference Session – Post-Produciton Workflow – How fast is your workflow? 16:00-17:30
IBC2010 Awards Ceremony
Free to attend for all show visitors – The IBC Awards are presented to the worthy winners of the Innovation Awards, the Exhibition Design Awards, the Conference Awards, the Special Award, the Judges Prize and, of course, the International Honour for Excellence, which this year has been announced as Manolo Romero, the managing director of Olympic Broadcasting Services.
Where: The Auditorium, RAI Time: 18:15 (18:30 start)
Amsterdam SuperMeet – Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, Dam Square; 19:00 – 23:00. Doors open at 16:00.
For information visit: http://www.supermeet.com/.
Singular Software is only showing at the Supermeet – See PluralEyes for yourself
Stereoscopic 3D Day |
9:30 Keynote, Cameras, 11AM Editing and 2D/3D Creation, 14:00 Exhibition, 16:00 Questions
Monday Night Movie: Avatar (Special Edition) in 3D
A special screening of Avatar, starts at 18:30 on Monday 13 September using the RealD stereoscopic 3D system.
State of play: developments in D-cinema – 10AM – 13:00
Dolby – Booth 2.B28 Dolby Professional Reference Monitor;
Doremi – Booth 10.B10 – Qalif Cinema Set-up and qualification system
Canon – Booth 11.E50 – Will they show a PL lens friendly APS-C sensor unit like that Panni?
Avid
– Booth 7.J20 – New Media Pro ReleaseASSIMILATE
– Booth 7.K01The Foundry
– Booth 7.J18Bluefish444
– Booth 7.J07Venera Technologies
– Booth7.J15ci –Automated Content Verifier System-PulsarDVS DI – Booth 7.E25 – CLIPSTER/ Stereoscopic/ Apple ProRes 422
Cine-tal – no booth, but their Cinemage B will be displayed at several booths.
IBC Hall 1
T-VIPS, Booth 1.B71
– Just because they can mention JPEG 2000 and high speed 3DIBC Hall 5
Stereographic 3D Cinematography Course
▪ August 28 – 30, 2010
(Three Days – Saturday/Sunday/Monday)
Registration and Additional Information here.
Theory, workflow and hands-on with the latest 3D rigs and HD camera systems. This is the first stage in the Santa Fe 3D Workshop Program, which is designed to provide increasingly advanced and intensive levels of S3D Cinematography training and testing.
The Los Angeles 3D Workshop is presented in association with VER 3D. And with Fujinon,IRIDAS, Angenieux, S.two, 1Beyond, Element Technica, More2Cam, DSC Labs, 3reedom Digital, Convergent Design and Fletcher Cameras & Lenses.
Instructors include Geoff Boyle, Aaron James, Maninder Saini, Mike Spodnik SOC, Bob Kertesz and Dan Kneece SOC. Guest speakers – Miles Shozuya, Fujinon; Steve Crouch, IRIDAS; Ted White, S.two Corp.; and George Palmer, Thales Angenieux.
3D Luminance Issues—Photopic, barely. Mesopic, often. Scotopic? Who knows…?
We don’t mean to be picking on the good people at Stewart Film Screens by making an example of their Silver Screen light rolloff curve. They just happen to grace us with the most usable graphic description of what is happening to our light. Looking at Harkness Screens Data Sheet for Spectral 240 3D Screens is not better and may be worse.
We know the problems of getting light to the eyes for any of the available 3D systems. The initial filter eats up to 50% of the light from the projector, plus the manner of each eye getting turned off 50% of the time, and the darkness of the glasses all steal a lot of light. If the projectors could produce enough light to overcome all these transmission problems…which they generally can’t…it would just mean more burnt expensive bulbs and higher electricity costs.
But even if the exhibitor cranks it as best as possible, and tweaks the room to get the best RGB balance at the best seats of the house, if the auditorium is using a ‘silver’ screen to maintain the polarity of the RealD or MasterImage system, the patron who is 23 degrees off the center-axis will have half the light available. Put another way, as you can see from the full picture at the Stewart site, 3 seats away from center is a totally different picture…as is the 4th and 5th, etc., as the situation just gets worse.
If the cinema had achieved 5 foot Lamberts (17 candela/m2) behind the glasses (most don’t get 3ftL – 10c/m2), then 3 seats off center will be 2.5ftL (8.5c/m2). At this point, bright reds have all turned to brick red or darker, and blues are becoming relatively dominant – it isn’t that there are fewer yellows or greens in the picture – it is that the eye becomes better able to discern the blue in the mix. (Another way to describe what is known as the Purkinje shift is that an object that appears greenish-yellow in brighter light will appear to be greenish blue as the intensity of the light descends lower than below 10 candelas/m2.) Combine that with stray light from a few EXIT signs, which not only mess with the contrast but puts non-symetrical data into the normally “practically-” symmetrical 3D mix, plus some reflections in the back of the eyeglasses and the patrons should not wonder why they don’t universally have an enjoyable experience.
We won’t beat this into a pulp since most real-life scenarios just get worse.
What will make it better?
Consumer education to begin, which is the real excuse for this article. Patrons must know what to insist upon.
Projectors can’t generate enough light to get 3D up to the 14ftL (48 candelas/m2) that 2D movies are shown at. But the new Series II projectors can do ‘more’ and industry tests show that ‘more’ is better, especially if the original was ‘mastered’ to be shown at ‘more’. James Cameron was prepared to ship theaters a ‘print’ of Avatar that was mastered at hotter levels for cinemas who asked for it…up to 10 ftL! Patrons must insist that if they are paying more for the experience, they should get better…perhaps 10ftL is not going to be the standard this year, but 7 or 8? Grass roots effort anyone? The studios set the intention in the DCI spec at 14, so one would think that they will come to the plate with ‘more’ if asked. [DCI Specification 1.2; page 48…and tell them that you want an order of Uniformity and some of that ±4 Delta E while they’re at it.]
The future also holds at least two potential ways that will give a better picture. Brian Claypool at Christie points out that one of the features of the Series II projector is “more native support for faster frame rates.” For example, many people in the creative community believe that higher frame rates will do more for image quality than having more pixel resolution. Again, Brian Claypool, “Do you remember how rich every frame was in Avatar, that your eye just kept wanting to look around? Well, imagine having 2 times as many frames for your eyes to follow… it will feel like looking out a window on another reality”.
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The other, also long-term, change is replacing bulbs with lasers in the projectors. Good news on that front was announced by one player, Laser Light Engines. We deconstructed their newest announcement and some of their potential at: Laser Light Engines gets IMAX funding—Putting Light on the Subject.
Some mark this as digital cinema’s 11th year, but it wasn’t until 6 years ago that 2K was delivered, an example of the evolution of this industry.
Links: Luminance Conversion Table
SMPTE is pleased to once again be holding its Annual Conference at the
Renaissance Hollywood Hotel
Fall Conference – Register Early & Save Up To 25%
I also want to encourage you to save the date for the SMPTE Annual Conference & Expo, which takes place Oct. 26-28 in Hollywood – and to take advantage our early-registration discounts.
Early conference registration opens on 6 August, 2010. To register for the event and receive up to a 25% member discount, please visit
http://www.smpte.org/events/smpte_2010_annual_tech_conf/.
You can also visit the same site to reserve your hotel room at a discounted rate today.
We plan to get you updates shortly with regard to the speaker and presentation lineups for this event – and look forward to seeing you in California this Fall.
To be sure there were serious efforts prior to 1999. JVC with their D-ILA technology can make a legitimate claim for the first digital cinema demonstration. On March 19, 1998, they collaborated on a digital presentation at a cinema in London. Another early effort was the movie The Last Broadcast, which may have made cinematic history on October 23, 1998 when it became the first feature to be theatrically released digitally, via satellite download, to theatres across the United States. Wavelength Releasing, Texas Instruments, Digital Projection and Loral Space headed that effort. In 1999, it was repeated across Europe using QuVIS technology and The Last Broadcast became the first feature to be screened digitally at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2000, Disney, Texas Instruments and Technicolor worked with several U.S. and international exhibitors to deploy prototype digital cinema systems in commercial theatres. Technicolor assembled and installed the systems using the TI mark V prototype projector, a special Christie lamp house and QuVIS’s QuBit server with custom designed automation interfaces.
But the Phantom Menace digital screenings generated widespread visibility and publicity and developments began to occur on a more regular basis. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers began work on standards for digital cinema in 2001. The Digital Cinema Initiatives formed in March 2002 as a joint effort by Disney, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. The serious technical groundwork was being laid. The rest, as the cliché goes, is history.
The challenge? To literally rethink, retool and reinvent, from the ground up, a global industry that had worked successfully for a century. Read that sentence again to get a sense of how overwhelming – and some would, and did, say unnecessary – that task would be and you may gain a greater appreciation for how much was actually accomplished in a decade.
Country Codes and TV Broadcast Standards — WORLD TELEVISION SIGNAL GUIDE
Ethernet Physical Data — 10 | 100BaseT | RJ-45 connectors — a Tutorial
