Societies really imply a lot of special efforts by individual. Here's some news from some of the many in this field.
One of the great parts of being Press at a convention like IBC is the absolute flood of email’d press releases that come in for weeks in advance. It allows one to prepare, and I am especially prepared for the BuzzwordCompliance Award.
So far, Customer Experience Management (CEM) Technology has got me hyped. I’ll spend the entire train ride to the show wondering why it isn’t CEMT.
Travel disruption during IBC2012…RAI <=> Schipol, Weekend Only
The Dutch Railway Service (NS) will be carrying out essential engineering works during the weekend of Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 September which will affect travel between Schipol airport and the RAI.
The train line from Schipol Airport to Holendrecht, via the RAI, will be affected, and no trains will run on this line during the weekend. There will be additional shuttle buses running from Schipol and surrounding hotels to the RAI, and Information Hostesses will be available at Schipol for additional travel information. You can see the (grey) train line affected here: http://www.amsterdamtips.com/images/amsterdam-metro-map.gif. Trams, metro and buses are not affected.
Travel disruption during IBC2012…RAI <=> Schipol, Weekend Only
The Dutch Railway Service (NS) will be carrying out essential engineering works during the weekend of Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 September which will affect travel between Schipol airport and the RAI.
The train line from Schipol Airport to Holendrecht, via the RAI, will be affected, and no trains will run on this line during the weekend. There will be additional shuttle buses running from Schipol and surrounding hotels to the RAI, and Information Hostesses will be available at Schipol for additional travel information. You can see the (grey) train line affected here: http://www.amsterdamtips.com/images/amsterdam-metro-map.gif. Trams, metro and buses are not affected.
MixOnline has a good story on it:
MixOnline has a good story on it:
AVB works over ethernet networks, but as Kevin Gross explains on the LinkedIn AVB board – only networks with compliant equipment in the network – and by extension (which was my mistake of hope over reality) never outside of an internet.
Looks good until I get to this bit, “AVB can be integrated into any existing Ethernet network through the installation of AVB certified devices.”
All network equipment between AVB endpoints must support the new 802.1 AVB standards. “Existing Ethernet networks” generally do not meet these requirements. Deploying AVB involves deploying new network equipment as well as new or upgraded endpoints.
10 AVB Products For High Quality Digital Audio and Video Control
What does this mean to a cinema exhibitor who might want to create clever “between rooms” games or other interesting alternative content that relies upon audio and video signals getting passed around in a timely manner?
Later in the board thread it also becomes clear that while the audio portion is working well with many manufacturers, some video AVB ideas are waiting for technology jumps.
In this conversation from the thread, Cindy Davis is the editor at TechDecisions Media while the others are experts in this field (we’re working on getting permissions to post these comments – don’t read them until all permissions are granted):
Warren J. Osse CTS-D, DMC-E • Interesting article. The video part of this equation is more complicated. You have mentioned “channels” of audio and video; the bandwidth for a single HD video signal would be difficult for most networks at present. Due to video bandwidth requirements, audio seems to be the focus at present. Networks will need to speed up for the video aspect to function well. The adoption of this transportation mechanism does require very current Ethernet switches; note that AVB is Layer 2 at present. It works well at what is is designed to do. AVnu is doing a great job of maintaining compatibility and helping this fledgling technology move in to the mainstream.
Cindy Davis • Thanks Warren, We are going to do a follow up article on, “Preparing Your Network for AVB.” Would you be available for an interview on this? We will be looking for a few people to interview for this. thank for your feedback. Cindy
Thomas Mullins • I have to agree with Warren, and this is further hampered by the lack of support from the video manufacturers; the vast majority of supporters are pro audio companies. On a 1G switch, with 25% reserved for normal network demands, that leaves 750M of space left for audio and video. Barely enough for two HD video signals with embedded audio. Even if you take advantage of H.264 compression, the channel count is limited. I haven’t found many of the streaming companies (such as VBrick) who are interested in AVB. They see no need.
Kevin Gross • HD video can be anywhere from 3 Gb to 3 Mb or less. It just depends on how much compression you want to do. The bandwidth problem is actively being worked from both ends – improved compression and increased network capabilities. If there is still a problem, it won’t remain unsolved for much longer. Networked video is already in widespread use in IPTV, Netflix streaming, DVR sharing, security camera systems etc. We haven’t seen these applications adopt AVB. What do they gain by doing so?
Bill Murphy • Hello Cindy, Thank you for your article and editorial interest Cindy. Your mix of products for AVB includes I believe some which are shipping and some near shipping. My company, Extreme Networks, makes a wide range of AVB ready switches up to 40 GB that will require a software bump to support AVB. We were the core switch for the AVnu booth demo and are well known to the AVB endpoint vendors. We also provided demo kit on several booths. If you look at the Audinate video from the show you will see our switch talked about there as well. We discussed the issues the network faces in supporting AVB at the show as a regular daily presentation on the AVnu booth.
Bill Murphy • Good to meet you at infocomm Kevin. I look after AVB and Physical Security for my company. For Security, most video is not associated with audio. The need for accurate sync for the video in that industry is mostly for video which could end up in court as evidence. On the Pro-Video front, there is interest for high-speed ports (40Gb). It is driven by the desire to reduce cabling requirements and move from the SDI cost curve to the ethernet cost curve. As has been said, it is moving more slowly than Pro-Audio.
Erich Friend • It is the ‘built-in network manager’ features that makes AVB attractive to many end-users. Most don’t have, or desire to get a BICSI certification just to make a network function. They want plug-n-play, not plug-n-pray. The reduced hassle-factor of the AVB system promises to make systems configuration on-the-fly in live entertainment scenarios much more palatable. The added benefit of control, audio, and video arriving in sync is just icing on the cake. When the end-users begin to understand the convenience of AVB, they will demand it from the manufacturers. On a similar note, I have posted an article about the recent NATEAC conference and the discussion there about the future design of stage lighting [control] systems (http://theatreface.ning.com/profiles/blogs/a-gathering-of-minds-nateac-report). The distribution of control signals is, I believe, best achieved by an AVB compliant control network, but it will take the ‘waking-up’ of the stage lighting industry before this can be achieved. Educating those that define the ACN and RDM-net protocols about the tweaks necessary to ride the AVB train would be a good prodding for AVnu to pursue. With apologies to Dire Straits, a parody of their ‘Money for Nothing’ song might go something like this. . . ”Now look at them yo-yo’s, that’s the way you do it You play your program on that AVB That ain’t workin’, that’s the way you do it Money for nothin’ and your bits for free Now that ain’t workin’, that’s the way you do it Lemme tell ya, them guys ain’t dumb I want my A V B I want my A V B . . . “
calvin williams • I wanted to start installing AVB gear for video, I was there for all presentations on AVB at INFOCOMM one of the presenters told me Iam looking at 3 to 4 years away. or may be longer, The presenter said most of the video companies do not want to spend money on R&D no ROI.
Finally, while we are on this topic of AVB, John Grant tosses an elegantly honed spanner into another AVB discussion:
There are lots of “forum” or “alliance” or “trade association” organisations, mostly headquartered in USA and charging a fee which big companies won’t notice but which discourages small companies from joining. A cynic might think they’re organised as a way of shutting out the smaller, more innovative, companies without actually violating the US anti-trust laws.
There are other ways to organise compliance testing; one example is the EBU work on audio over IP. No doubt a similar initiative could be organised within an appropriate group such as the AES.
This discussion link will be interesting for policy wonks for its replies that defend the hard work of usually sincerely interested engineers doing unglorified work, even while working and doing what seems right for their large corporations…or small. If someone has an idea they don’t want to see it railroaded over by what they might feel is an ill-formed standard that will restrict their concepts. Though, sometimes it is corporate greed in its worse form…something I’ve only read about… and certainly it has never been done in the entertainment technologies field.
AVB works over ethernet networks, but as Kevin Gross explains on the LinkedIn AVB board – only networks with compliant equipment in the network – and by extension (which was my mistake of hope over reality) never outside of an internet.
Looks good until I get to this bit, “AVB can be integrated into any existing Ethernet network through the installation of AVB certified devices.”
All network equipment between AVB endpoints must support the new 802.1 AVB standards. “Existing Ethernet networks” generally do not meet these requirements. Deploying AVB involves deploying new network equipment as well as new or upgraded endpoints.
10 AVB Products For High Quality Digital Audio and Video Control
What does this mean to a cinema exhibitor who might want to create clever “between rooms” games or other interesting alternative content that relies upon audio and video signals getting passed around in a timely manner?
Later in the board thread it also becomes clear that while the audio portion is working well with many manufacturers, some video AVB ideas are waiting for technology jumps.
In this conversation from the thread, Cindy Davis is the editor at TechDecisions Media while the others are experts in this field (we’re working on getting permissions to post these comments – don’t read them until all permissions are granted):
Warren J. Osse CTS-D, DMC-E • Interesting article. The video part of this equation is more complicated. You have mentioned “channels” of audio and video; the bandwidth for a single HD video signal would be difficult for most networks at present. Due to video bandwidth requirements, audio seems to be the focus at present. Networks will need to speed up for the video aspect to function well. The adoption of this transportation mechanism does require very current Ethernet switches; note that AVB is Layer 2 at present. It works well at what is is designed to do. AVnu is doing a great job of maintaining compatibility and helping this fledgling technology move in to the mainstream.
Cindy Davis • Thanks Warren, We are going to do a follow up article on, “Preparing Your Network for AVB.” Would you be available for an interview on this? We will be looking for a few people to interview for this. thank for your feedback. Cindy
Thomas Mullins • I have to agree with Warren, and this is further hampered by the lack of support from the video manufacturers; the vast majority of supporters are pro audio companies. On a 1G switch, with 25% reserved for normal network demands, that leaves 750M of space left for audio and video. Barely enough for two HD video signals with embedded audio. Even if you take advantage of H.264 compression, the channel count is limited. I haven’t found many of the streaming companies (such as VBrick) who are interested in AVB. They see no need.
Kevin Gross • HD video can be anywhere from 3 Gb to 3 Mb or less. It just depends on how much compression you want to do. The bandwidth problem is actively being worked from both ends – improved compression and increased network capabilities. If there is still a problem, it won’t remain unsolved for much longer. Networked video is already in widespread use in IPTV, Netflix streaming, DVR sharing, security camera systems etc. We haven’t seen these applications adopt AVB. What do they gain by doing so?
Bill Murphy • Hello Cindy, Thank you for your article and editorial interest Cindy. Your mix of products for AVB includes I believe some which are shipping and some near shipping. My company, Extreme Networks, makes a wide range of AVB ready switches up to 40 GB that will require a software bump to support AVB. We were the core switch for the AVnu booth demo and are well known to the AVB endpoint vendors. We also provided demo kit on several booths. If you look at the Audinate video from the show you will see our switch talked about there as well. We discussed the issues the network faces in supporting AVB at the show as a regular daily presentation on the AVnu booth.
Bill Murphy • Good to meet you at infocomm Kevin. I look after AVB and Physical Security for my company. For Security, most video is not associated with audio. The need for accurate sync for the video in that industry is mostly for video which could end up in court as evidence. On the Pro-Video front, there is interest for high-speed ports (40Gb). It is driven by the desire to reduce cabling requirements and move from the SDI cost curve to the ethernet cost curve. As has been said, it is moving more slowly than Pro-Audio.
Erich Friend • It is the ‘built-in network manager’ features that makes AVB attractive to many end-users. Most don’t have, or desire to get a BICSI certification just to make a network function. They want plug-n-play, not plug-n-pray. The reduced hassle-factor of the AVB system promises to make systems configuration on-the-fly in live entertainment scenarios much more palatable. The added benefit of control, audio, and video arriving in sync is just icing on the cake. When the end-users begin to understand the convenience of AVB, they will demand it from the manufacturers. On a similar note, I have posted an article about the recent NATEAC conference and the discussion there about the future design of stage lighting [control] systems (http://theatreface.ning.com/profiles/blogs/a-gathering-of-minds-nateac-report). The distribution of control signals is, I believe, best achieved by an AVB compliant control network, but it will take the ‘waking-up’ of the stage lighting industry before this can be achieved. Educating those that define the ACN and RDM-net protocols about the tweaks necessary to ride the AVB train would be a good prodding for AVnu to pursue. With apologies to Dire Straits, a parody of their ‘Money for Nothing’ song might go something like this. . . ”Now look at them yo-yo’s, that’s the way you do it You play your program on that AVB That ain’t workin’, that’s the way you do it Money for nothin’ and your bits for free Now that ain’t workin’, that’s the way you do it Lemme tell ya, them guys ain’t dumb I want my A V B I want my A V B . . . “
calvin williams • I wanted to start installing AVB gear for video, I was there for all presentations on AVB at INFOCOMM one of the presenters told me Iam looking at 3 to 4 years away. or may be longer, The presenter said most of the video companies do not want to spend money on R&D no ROI.
Finally, while we are on this topic of AVB, John Grant tosses an elegantly honed spanner into another AVB discussion:
There are lots of “forum” or “alliance” or “trade association” organisations, mostly headquartered in USA and charging a fee which big companies won’t notice but which discourages small companies from joining. A cynic might think they’re organised as a way of shutting out the smaller, more innovative, companies without actually violating the US anti-trust laws.
There are other ways to organise compliance testing; one example is the EBU work on audio over IP. No doubt a similar initiative could be organised within an appropriate group such as the AES.
This discussion link will be interesting for policy wonks for its replies that defend the hard work of usually sincerely interested engineers doing unglorified work, even while working and doing what seems right for their large corporations…or small. If someone has an idea they don’t want to see it railroaded over by what they might feel is an ill-formed standard that will restrict their concepts. Though, sometimes it is corporate greed in its worse form…something I’ve only read about… and certainly it has never been done in the entertainment technologies field.
The 2nd issue that I noticed is that it doesn’t seem to be trustworthy yet. Besides being slow, it has wrong data. The first event that I checked – the EDCF D-Cinema Update Conference Event – shows correctly on 11 September, but doesn’t show the correct time. It shows 11AM instead of the 10AM time that the IBC site shows. It also doesn’t say where, which the online listing shows. [Room E102]
He says that he can’t announce anything in advance of the conferences.
Both the D-Cinema Update and the Future Projection Tech are free, and both are worth a fortune.
The Conference link is:
IBC2012 – Target specific areas of interest and build your own programme.
Flying into Schiphol Airport is usually pretty easy. Walking out of the customs area there are a couple rings of shops. In the past there has been an IBC welcome table where one can get their travel passes…but the travel pass is not good for the train to the RAI. The penalty for not having a ticket on the train is 35€.
There is also a bus to the RAI. I haven’t taken it and don’t know where the platform is. But the nice thing about the train is that for 3 euros it takes 10 minutes every time. Traffic can make a car or buss ride take 30 minutes.
One can go to the yellow kiosks to buy the train ticket…it isn’t obvious though…why not just select “R” and navigate to: RAI Station? Because the machine thinks of it as Amsterdam RAI…selected under the “A”.
Can you get a ticket with an out of country credit card. Sometimes, though sometimes I have seen people with English cards fail, and I have had problems with my French cards. Carry a few euros is the safe bet. And, definitely, American credit cards won’t work.
This will be an ongoing article with updates…there is still the announcements about the movies to come and most of the cool conference info is obscure…thanks be to the holy pizza that it doesn’t seem to be 3D HFR all the time.
The 2nd issue that I noticed is that it doesn’t seem to be trustworthy yet. Besides being slow, it has wrong data. The first event that I checked – the EDCF D-Cinema Update Conference Event – shows correctly on 11 September, but doesn’t show the correct time. It shows 11AM instead of the 10AM time that the IBC site shows. It also doesn’t say where, which the online listing shows. [Room E102]
He says that he can’t announce anything in advance of the conferences.
Both the D-Cinema Update and the Future Projection Tech are free, and both are worth a fortune.
The Conference link is:
IBC2012 – Target specific areas of interest and build your own programme.
Flying into Schiphol Airport is usually pretty easy. Walking out of the customs area there are a couple rings of shops. In the past there has been an IBC welcome table where one can get their travel passes…but the travel pass is not good for the train to the RAI. The penalty for not having a ticket on the train is 35€.
There is also a bus to the RAI. I haven’t taken it and don’t know where the platform is. But the nice thing about the train is that for 3 euros it takes 10 minutes every time. Traffic can make a car or buss ride take 30 minutes.
One can go to the yellow kiosks to buy the train ticket…it isn’t obvious though…why not just select “R” and navigate to: RAI Station? Because the machine thinks of it as Amsterdam RAI…selected under the “A”.
Can you get a ticket with an out of country credit card. Sometimes, though sometimes I have seen people with English cards fail, and I have had problems with my French cards. Carry a few euros is the safe bet. And, definitely, American credit cards won’t work.
This will be an ongoing article with updates…there is still the announcements about the movies to come and most of the cool conference info is obscure…thanks be to the holy pizza that it doesn’t seem to be 3D HFR all the time.
Perhaps this will change soon, but when it does it will have to be marketed, and marketed well. More new people are going to have to understand that something new and different is happening.
Along those lines the International Union of Cinemas has issued a request for ideas. A handful of ‘winners’ will get an expense paid visit to CineEurope in Barcelona and watch the ultimate winner receive a cash prize of 5,000€. Attached is the press release.
This reminds one of the early days of digital. The cinemas who were able to promote to their potential audience were able to get crowds 3 to 5 times larger than their cross-town competition…and remember, these were the days of 1.3k chips!
Get on the thinking caps! 31 May is the final submission date.
The CineEurope Convention is being held this year (and for the first time) in Barcelone, Spain on Monday thru Thursday, 18-21 June. Click for CineEurope Schedule of Events
The winner of the UNIC competition will be announced at the:
Operating in a Digital World – Digital Innovation Award (Room 112, Level 1)
Mark de Quervain, Sales and Marketing Director, Vue Entertainment
Jan Runge, CEO, UNIC
Pete Buckingham, Kube Consulting
Digitizing cinema screens is part of a wider revolution in the way people find out about film content.
Growth in smartphone use and tailored ‘apps’ offer huge potential for better engagement with the cinema-going audience.
This session will see the culmination of a competition which invited software developers and others to put forward proposals for a cinema-related ‘app’. After a judging process, dozens of entrants have been reduced to a shortlist of three, who will explain their application and how it would benefit the sector. The convention audience will then have a chance to vote on the winner.
Perhaps this will change soon, but when it does it will have to be marketed, and marketed well. More new people are going to have to understand that something new and different is happening.
Along those lines the International Union of Cinemas has issued a request for ideas. A handful of ‘winners’ will get an expense paid visit to CineEurope in Barcelona and watch the ultimate winner receive a cash prize of 5,000€. Attached is the press release.
This reminds one of the early days of digital. The cinemas who were able to promote to their potential audience were able to get crowds 3 to 5 times larger than their cross-town competition…and remember, these were the days of 1.3k chips!
Get on the thinking caps! 31 May is the final submission date.
The CineEurope Convention is being held this year (and for the first time) in Barcelone, Spain on Monday thru Thursday, 18-21 June. Click for CineEurope Schedule of Events
The winner of the UNIC competition will be announced at the:
Operating in a Digital World – Digital Innovation Award (Room 112, Level 1)
Mark de Quervain, Sales and Marketing Director, Vue Entertainment
Jan Runge, CEO, UNIC
Pete Buckingham, Kube Consulting
Digitizing cinema screens is part of a wider revolution in the way people find out about film content.
Growth in smartphone use and tailored ‘apps’ offer huge potential for better engagement with the cinema-going audience.
This session will see the culmination of a competition which invited software developers and others to put forward proposals for a cinema-related ‘app’. After a judging process, dozens of entrants have been reduced to a shortlist of three, who will explain their application and how it would benefit the sector. The convention audience will then have a chance to vote on the winner.
Perhaps this will change soon, but when it does it will have to be marketed, and marketed well. More new people are going to have to understand that something new and different is happening.
Along those lines the International Union of Cinemas has issued a request for ideas. A handful of ‘winners’ will get an expense paid visit to CineEurope in Barcelona and watch the ultimate winner receive a cash prize of 5,000€. Attached is the press release.
This reminds one of the early days of digital. The cinemas who were able to promote to their potential audience were able to get crowds 3 to 5 times larger than their cross-town competition…and remember, these were the days of 1.3k chips!
Get on the thinking caps! 31 May is the final submission date.
The CineEurope Convention is being held this year (and for the first time) in Barcelone, Spain on Monday thru Thursday, 18-21 June. Click for CineEurope Schedule of Events
The winner of the UNIC competition will be announced at the:
Operating in a Digital World – Digital Innovation Award (Room 112, Level 1)
Mark de Quervain, Sales and Marketing Director, Vue Entertainment
Jan Runge, CEO, UNIC
Pete Buckingham, Kube Consulting
Digitizing cinema screens is part of a wider revolution in the way people find out about film content.
Growth in smartphone use and tailored ‘apps’ offer huge potential for better engagement with the cinema-going audience.
This session will see the culmination of a competition which invited software developers and others to put forward proposals for a cinema-related ‘app’. After a judging process, dozens of entrants have been reduced to a shortlist of three, who will explain their application and how it would benefit the sector. The convention audience will then have a chance to vote on the winner.
Regardless, Jerry did assert a few points. Overarching was a point later made by Dolby at their Atmos launch:
His insinuation seemed to be that the exhibitors shouldn’t be caught up in the false premise that they are in a battle with the consumer field. He also encouraged exhibitors to experiment, giving as as example the idea of an up-charge for a “no ads” showing.
Finally he bridged into the area that one is sure he would have liked to give a Master’s Course for Exhibitors: Quality of Exhibition. Instead he only had two minutes, so he went provocative. He said that he would have preferred that he had never seen Avatar in a theater with only 3 footLamberts, declaring that the DVD at home with proper light levels was better. With that he encouraged that the audience members get “full bright plus 10 light levels” for 3D movies so that they will be stellar.
Original Article with Press Release
The Inter-Society for the Enhancement of Cinema Presentation, Inc. (the Inter-Society), in concert with CinemaCon, announced today that Jerry Pierce, former Senior Vice President of Technology at Universal Pictures and Founder/Chairman of the Inter-Society’s Digital Cinema Forum (ISDCF), will receive the Inter-Society’s “2012 Ken Mason Award.” The award will be presented at CinemaCon, which will be held April 23 – 26, 2012 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. CinemaCon, the official convention of The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), is the largest and most important gathering of cinema owners and operators from around the world.
The Ken Mason Award, named after the Inter-Society’s founder, will be presented to Pierce during the Breakfast and Industry Awards Presentation on Tuesday, April 24 by SVP of Technicolor Curt Behlmer, on behalf of the Inter-Society. The annual award honors an individual who has made outstanding long-term contributions leading to the overall improvement of the motion picture experience. Previous recipients include: Ken Mason, Barry Reardon, Al Shapiro, Bud Stone, Ioan Allen, Mark Christiansen, Sid Ganis and Gary Weaver.
“Jerry epitomizes the purpose of the Ken Mason award – he has been an instrumental leader toward excellence in the cinema experience,” noted John Fithian, President and CEO of NATO. “His guidance of the ISDCF has enabled the significant industry collaboration to address critical digital cinema-related issues. Exhibitors are undoubtedly grateful for his tremendous service to our industry.”
“From the foundation of DC28, through DCI and the ISDCF, Jerry’s singular vision has been one of the central pillars supporting today’s digital cinema technology,” said Ioan Allen, SVP Dolby Laboratories.
Jerry Pierce came to the film technology industry by way of a master’s degree in electrical engineering-laser optics at Stanford, and 14 years of engineering developments at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft and Stanford Research Institute. He joined Universal in 1995 and immediately began work developing the DVD format, as part of the Universal/Panasonic/Warner Bros./Toshiba team that moved the format from concept to launch – he and Panasonic were recognized with an Emmy award in 1999 for their efforts.
In 2000, Jerry joined the Theatrical Division of Universal Pictures and was at the ground floor of the launch of Digital Cinema. He was active within The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) DC28, where the initial industry-wide objectives were formulated. He also served as chairman of SMPTE DC28.2, the digital cinema mastering group. Following the initial SMPTE work, Pierce became a founding member of Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI), and served on both the management and technical committees. He also was a board member of the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California that hosted the Digital Cinema Theater in Hollywood, where the early testing for DCI was held and many of its standards first tested. His close working relationship with NATO and the Inter-Society was recognized as one of the bridges between the organizations.
Pierce, together with Wayne Anderson and John Fithian, described and initiated the Inter-Society Digital Cinema Forum in 2006 to create a group for cross-industry open discussions on the real-world evolving practices for digital cinema. This has become the de-facto location to bring up critical technical issues for digital cinema. Jerry has served as its chairman, webmaster and negotiator since its inception. It is widely recognized as the best users forum in the industry.
CinemaCon will attract upwards of 5,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry –from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas – all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office. CinemaCon 2012 will be held from April 23-26, 2012 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. In returning to Caesars Palace, CinemaCon is able to offer its delegates a modern and upscale conference facility and a one-of-a-kind moviegoing experience in The Colosseum, the 4,200 seat theatre and crown jewel of Caesars Palace.
CinemaCon is delighted to have both the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) and National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) as its tradeshow partners. Cinemacon is also delighted to have as its official presenting sponsor, The Coca-Cola Company, one of the industry’s greatest and highly regarded and respected partners in the world of the movies. Additional information on CinemaCon, the Official Convention of NATO, can be found at www.cinemacon.com.
About the Inter-Society – The Inter-Society for the Enhancement of Cinema Presentation, Inc (the Inter-Society), promotes interactive dialogue and information exchange between cinema-related entities with the goal of resolving issues affecting the overall cinema presentation. Founded in 1978 by Eastman Kodak VP Ken Mason, membership is composed of its five charter trade organizations: the Association of Cinema and Video Labs (ACVL), the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE)—along with over 40 member companies, made up of trade organizations, motion picture studios, exhibition companies, manufacturers, technical consultants and other industry stakeholders. Previous activities include playing a major role in the implementation of cyan (silverless) soundtracks for 35MM film and procedures for controlling excessive loudness on trailers and feature films. Current committees include the Inter-Society Digital Cinema Forum (ISDCF) which is focused on resolving issues affecting the global digital cinema deployment, and the Inter-Society Environmental Committee (ISEC) which promotes green conservation and awareness within the cinema industry.
About NATO
The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 30,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 50 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.
Media Contacts:
Heather Lewandoski Jessica Erskine
Rogers & Cowan Rogers & Cowan
310.854.8147 310.854.8129
Regardless, Jerry did assert a few points. Overarching was a point later made by Dolby at their Atmos launch:
His insinuation seemed to be that the exhibitors shouldn’t be caught up in the false premise that they are in a battle with the consumer field. He also encouraged exhibitors to experiment, giving as as example the idea of an up-charge for a “no ads” showing.
Finally he bridged into the area that one is sure he would have liked to give a Master’s Course for Exhibitors: Quality of Exhibition. Instead he only had two minutes, so he went provocative. He said that he would have preferred that he had never seen Avatar in a theater with only 3 footLamberts, declaring that the DVD at home with proper light levels was better. With that he encouraged that the audience members get “full bright plus 10 light levels” for 3D movies so that they will be stellar.
Original Article with Press Release
The Inter-Society for the Enhancement of Cinema Presentation, Inc. (the Inter-Society), in concert with CinemaCon, announced today that Jerry Pierce, former Senior Vice President of Technology at Universal Pictures and Founder/Chairman of the Inter-Society’s Digital Cinema Forum (ISDCF), will receive the Inter-Society’s “2012 Ken Mason Award.” The award will be presented at CinemaCon, which will be held April 23 – 26, 2012 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. CinemaCon, the official convention of The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), is the largest and most important gathering of cinema owners and operators from around the world.
The Ken Mason Award, named after the Inter-Society’s founder, will be presented to Pierce during the Breakfast and Industry Awards Presentation on Tuesday, April 24 by SVP of Technicolor Curt Behlmer, on behalf of the Inter-Society. The annual award honors an individual who has made outstanding long-term contributions leading to the overall improvement of the motion picture experience. Previous recipients include: Ken Mason, Barry Reardon, Al Shapiro, Bud Stone, Ioan Allen, Mark Christiansen, Sid Ganis and Gary Weaver.
“Jerry epitomizes the purpose of the Ken Mason award – he has been an instrumental leader toward excellence in the cinema experience,” noted John Fithian, President and CEO of NATO. “His guidance of the ISDCF has enabled the significant industry collaboration to address critical digital cinema-related issues. Exhibitors are undoubtedly grateful for his tremendous service to our industry.”
“From the foundation of DC28, through DCI and the ISDCF, Jerry’s singular vision has been one of the central pillars supporting today’s digital cinema technology,” said Ioan Allen, SVP Dolby Laboratories.
Jerry Pierce came to the film technology industry by way of a master’s degree in electrical engineering-laser optics at Stanford, and 14 years of engineering developments at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft and Stanford Research Institute. He joined Universal in 1995 and immediately began work developing the DVD format, as part of the Universal/Panasonic/Warner Bros./Toshiba team that moved the format from concept to launch – he and Panasonic were recognized with an Emmy award in 1999 for their efforts.
In 2000, Jerry joined the Theatrical Division of Universal Pictures and was at the ground floor of the launch of Digital Cinema. He was active within The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) DC28, where the initial industry-wide objectives were formulated. He also served as chairman of SMPTE DC28.2, the digital cinema mastering group. Following the initial SMPTE work, Pierce became a founding member of Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI), and served on both the management and technical committees. He also was a board member of the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California that hosted the Digital Cinema Theater in Hollywood, where the early testing for DCI was held and many of its standards first tested. His close working relationship with NATO and the Inter-Society was recognized as one of the bridges between the organizations.
Pierce, together with Wayne Anderson and John Fithian, described and initiated the Inter-Society Digital Cinema Forum in 2006 to create a group for cross-industry open discussions on the real-world evolving practices for digital cinema. This has become the de-facto location to bring up critical technical issues for digital cinema. Jerry has served as its chairman, webmaster and negotiator since its inception. It is widely recognized as the best users forum in the industry.
CinemaCon will attract upwards of 5,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry –from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas – all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office. CinemaCon 2012 will be held from April 23-26, 2012 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. In returning to Caesars Palace, CinemaCon is able to offer its delegates a modern and upscale conference facility and a one-of-a-kind moviegoing experience in The Colosseum, the 4,200 seat theatre and crown jewel of Caesars Palace.
CinemaCon is delighted to have both the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) and National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) as its tradeshow partners. Cinemacon is also delighted to have as its official presenting sponsor, The Coca-Cola Company, one of the industry’s greatest and highly regarded and respected partners in the world of the movies. Additional information on CinemaCon, the Official Convention of NATO, can be found at www.cinemacon.com.
About the Inter-Society – The Inter-Society for the Enhancement of Cinema Presentation, Inc (the Inter-Society), promotes interactive dialogue and information exchange between cinema-related entities with the goal of resolving issues affecting the overall cinema presentation. Founded in 1978 by Eastman Kodak VP Ken Mason, membership is composed of its five charter trade organizations: the Association of Cinema and Video Labs (ACVL), the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE)—along with over 40 member companies, made up of trade organizations, motion picture studios, exhibition companies, manufacturers, technical consultants and other industry stakeholders. Previous activities include playing a major role in the implementation of cyan (silverless) soundtracks for 35MM film and procedures for controlling excessive loudness on trailers and feature films. Current committees include the Inter-Society Digital Cinema Forum (ISDCF) which is focused on resolving issues affecting the global digital cinema deployment, and the Inter-Society Environmental Committee (ISEC) which promotes green conservation and awareness within the cinema industry.
About NATO
The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 30,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 50 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.
Media Contacts:
Heather Lewandoski Jessica Erskine
Rogers & Cowan Rogers & Cowan
310.854.8147 310.854.8129
International Day and Kickoff Party on 23 April mark their usual spots, but there are some interesting panels on Monday, with some good speakers;
Digital Cinema 2.0: The New Frontier and What Lies Ahead
This 9:30 AM Opening morning presentation has been updated. The line up is terrific:
“Digital Cinema 2.0: The New Frontier and What Lies Ahead”
Moderator: Mark Christiansen, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Operations, Paramount
Pictures
Panelists:
Steve Weinstein, CEO, Motion Picture Laboratories, Inc.
Joe Hart, Sr. Vice President, Deluxe Digital Cinema
Christiane Ducasse, President, Smartjog USA
Curt Behlmer, Senior Vice President, Digital Cinema, Technicolor
Paul Holliman, Vice President – Distribution Administration and Operations, Walt Disney
Studios Motion Pictures
Drew Kaza, Executive Vice President Digital Development, Odeon UCI Cinemas
Gone Digital: Now What For Programming?
Moderator: David Hancock, Senior Analyst, Head of Film and Cinema, IHS Screen Digest
Topics and Presentations (to date):
“The Value Proposition for Alternative Content to the Exhibitor”-Rob Arthur, Managing Director, Apollo Cinemas
“Content is Key: Challenges of Securing Regular Content Stream”
“Wimbledon 3D and Driving Live Sports in Cinema”-Dave Cowlishaw, Head of Business Development, Digital Cinema, Sony Europe Ltd.
Now that the digital revolution has passed the mid-point numerically, it is time to speak of these issues. What expenses are ahead that will cost real money when VPF payments from the studios end? Why hasn’t Alternative Content gone any further than it has toward filling the gap in the costs of film projection v digital?
We’re not sure what to make of Wednesday’s Prioritizing Concessions in the New Digital Environment: A Panel Discussion on the creative adaptation of new space and communication that delivers profit to the bottom line. Somehow we can’t get the byte to bite calculator working, but maybe we will by the next report.
The rest of the schedule hasn’t been filled in yet. We’ll make this an Ongoing Article, adding to it as Mr. Neuhauser fills us in.
2012 Schedule of Events – CinemaCon — Celebrating the Moviegoing Experience
