Societies

[Ongoing Update] IBC 2011 – EDCF LineUp Announced

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The EDCF annual review of progress in D-Cinema will be on the last day of IBC, Tuesday September 13th at 10:00 in Room E102 of the RAI Conference Centre.

There will be 13 speakers covering a wide range of topics including:-

  • Dave Monk                  – the tipping point for D-Cinema
  • Peter Wilson                 – recommendations for screening Alternative Content
  • Siegfried Foessel          – the Prime 3D project
  • Reiner Doetzkies          – an update from TI
  • John Hurst                    – DCI testing & 21DC activity
  • David Hancock            – current status of worldwide deployment
  • CJ Flynn                       – ISDCF activity
  • Kommer Kleijn             – screening quality concerns amongst cinematographers
  • Tim Sinnaeve                – 4k from Barco
  • Benoit Michel               – XDC & delivery of Alternative Content
  • Francois Helt                – Screen Measurement
  • Nigel Dennis                 – latest developments from Qube
  • Laurence Claydon        – current issues in post-production

Entry to this session is free but you will need to be registered to enter the RAI

Also please note that the EDCF/SMPTE Post-Production Workshop at 16:00 on Sunday 11th is also a free entry session.

Win an iPad: Cabletime to hold iPad prize draw Stand:13.373

Here’s some friends or things that I want to see (none of which have offered me an iPad):

The new GefenPRO 3GSDI to 3GSDI Scaler, 3GSDI Fiber Optics Extender and 16x 3GSDI Rack Tray all make their first appearance at IBC. A plug and play methodology with support for high definition resolutions up to 1080p full HD makes each solution ideal for professionals who want support for the most current formats and a true high definition performance.

GefenPRO 3GSDI to 3GSDI Scaler

This new scaler will automatically adjust incoming video to the maximum resolution supported on the connected display using all SDI formats including SD, HD and 3G SDI. This is important when multiple displays do not support the same native resolution in a system. If two displays are connected with 3GSDI capability, and a third is connected with HDSDI  capability, the GefenPRO 3GSDI to 3GSDI Scaler will allow the HDSDI display to show video in its native resolution, while the other displays show 1080p full HD in the 3GSDI format. This scaler can also be manually scaled to all SDI formats up to 1080p full HD.

GefenPRO 3GSDI Fiber Optic Extender Short Range

This short-range extender offers another option for integrators that need to extend 3G SDI up to 100 meters (330 feet). It uses uses small, dongle-type sender and receiver units to extend a source using 3GSDI to its display over one single-mode fiber optic cable terminated in ST connectors.

GefenPRO 16X 3GSDI Rack Tray

This companion product to the GefenPRO 16×16 3GSDI Matrix works in concert with Gefen’s 3GSDI Fiber Optic Extenders to centralize all audio/video equipment. It is a flexible accessory that can hold up to 16 3GSDI Fiber Optic Extender sender units in a single rack space, giving installers an easy way to access all audio/video equipment in the rack. The modular tray can be scaled to fit any combination of Gefen’s fiber optics extenders, up to a total of 16, using removable mounting brackets. Comprised of die-cast metal, this rack tray offers an open top design for easy access to insert or remove individual sender units. Cable brackets on the rear of the tray streamline cables out the back in an orderly fashion. Dual power supplies  strengthen performance.

 

 

Qube is really pushing their new faster, more of everything, cheaper DCP creation platform for digital cinema. Booth 7.F45

This should be of great interest to everyone. QubeMaster Xpress 2 is a Windows platform tool.

Nick Dagger has a piece up about QubeMaster Xport on a Mac working with Compressor 4

2d-to-s3d-conversion-process011

YUV Soft 3D Video 11.F74

Just because they kind of look interesting and they are stuck in the hinterlands.

 

 

 

See Big Pic at IBC – Booth 7.K01
Big Pic Media is bringing a full lineup of production and postproduction technologies to IBC. This year, the UK-based systems integrator will be presenting Cintel, YoYotta, MARVIN and Pandora.
“The exciting thing for Big Pic at this year’s IBC is the fact that the worlds of production and postproduction are actually merging,” said Adam Welsh, director of Big Pic Media. “It’s interesting to present products that cross those boundaries.”
1. CINTEL
Cintel will be at booth 7.B35 showing the new user interfaces for the ImageMill 2 GRACE, STEADY and ORIGIN. FLOW provides a full timeline user interface enabling GRACE, STEADY and ORIGIN to be adjusted on a scene-by-scene basis. The price for FLOW will be £995.
COLOURFLOW adds zoom pan and rotate effects PLUS additional real time data primary colour correction. The price for COLOURFLOW is £3,995.
Cintel will also announce new upgrades to diTTo evolution at IBC, including a capstan drive and a true 4K camera.
In addition to this, Cintel is using IBC to announce three new Film2Film Image Restoration packages. These all feature diTTo evolution, imageMill2 and the CCG DEFINITY Film Recorder (which will be on the stand at IBC).
2. MARVIN
MARVIN Technologies will introduce its new MARVIN 2.0 on-set camera data management system in Hall 7 booth 7.K01e. Along with support for all common digital cinema cameras, including RED, ARRI Alexa, Silicon Imaging SI 2K, and others, IBC attendees will get a sneak peek at MARVIN’s new stereoscopic 3D support.
MARVIN automates the creation of backups, LTO tape masters, QuickTime proxies for offline editing and DVD dailies as well as shot logging. Now, with MARVIN 2.0, filmmakers have a choice of three models, ensuring data safety and efficient transcoding for any size of project.
The new stereo 3D support in MARVIN 2.0 allows the system to ingest left- and right-eye images simultaneously, archiving to two LTO tapes – one for each eye. MARVIN 2.0 will render stereoscopic content to side-by-side, interleaved or checkerboard QuickTimes for Final Cut Pro or MXF files for fast import into Avid systems.
3. Pandora
Widely recognized for its industry-leading line of colour grading systems, Pandora International will be introducing a new product at IBC 2011 at booth 7.K01b.  PLUTO is a new image processing system that is designed to run various applications for postproduction and production workflows.
PLUTO hardware allows for HDSDi 4:2:2, 4:4:4 dual link and 3G I/O with options for HDMi and display port to follow.
PLUTO currently has three optional applications that can run standalone or simultaneously, Display Colour Management, Cursor and Blanking Generator and 3D Stereoscopic processing.
PLUTO supports the main colour management software solution for the profiling of displays and applying the calibration and creative LUT’s created.
Pandora will also be presenting the highly acclaimed  REVOLUTION real-time file-based colour correction system, the PILOT machine controller and the Spirit Classic update to real-time 2k scanning PSi.
4. YoYotta
YoYotta will be showing the latest version of the YoYo postproduction workflow system at IBC 2011. Already deployed around the world at major postproduction facilities, the new YoDailies application now has multiple seats in use at a major LA-based studio for file-based digital dailies workflows. The YoYo suite of products can this year be seen in two locations.
You can also see YoYotta at the Tangent stand (7.B16) where YoYo will be running as a portable setup known as YoMobile. The latest Apple MacBook Pro, Mac Mini or iMac models include Thunderbolt, which is a fast data connection running over a single cable.
YoYo can use Thunderbolt to connect to RAID and HD monitoring which makes YoDailies even more portable for on set use.
At IBC YoYo will be using the latest Tangent element panels which are very compact and modular. YoYo continues to support the Tangent Wave panel.
At the Sony stand (12.A10) Big Pic will be showing the development of new YoYo workflows for the F65 camera and SRMASTER format.

 

Qube is really pushing their new faster, more of everything, cheaper DCP creation platform for digital cinema. Booth 7.F45 

This should be of great interest to everyone. QubeMaster Xpress 2 is a Windows platform tool.

 

Blue George the world’s first professional HDSDI Multi-format BD recorder will be available for demonstration at IBC 2011
Picture of Frontniche Bluray recorder
IBCBlue George Features:

  • Near Real-Time Direct Record to BD
  • HDSDI Input & O/P with embedded Audio
  • Multi-Channel versions
  • New 1 TB HDD version
  • Burn further copies with new HDD version
  • 56 hrs of video Storage at 40MB/s
  • Multi standard and therefore will record US and European Broadcast / Film formats
  • 1080i, 720p at 50/60/59.94Hz, 1080 24p or 23.98PsF, 1080p 30Hz, 1080p 25Hz, 1080p 29.97Hz, 576i, 480i
  • Data record rate is up 40Mbit/s
  • VDCP remote control for integration with NLE systems
  • Control via network TCP/IP sockets, RS422, 7″ Touch Screen and Web Server is standard
  • Disc finalisation process duration: less than 5 minutes
For further Information please visit our new look web site www.frontniche.com

Stand 10.F35 The manufacturer of compact, cost-effective equipment for live production and post-production will demonstrate Video Ghost, its award-winning phantom power modules developed as a low-cost, reliable alternative to traditional batteries.  BHV will also exhibit its full range of rack-mount and portable hybrid digital/analogue switchers, rate/standards and up/cross conversion products.
Stand 10.A49 The designer and manufacturer of VTR and video server remote control panels is demonstrating its newly launched andaward-winning AVITA live production control system at IBC 2011. AVITA is a unique hybrid control system designed to easily and quickly capture, edit and play out media from multiple sources. The system uses the very latest touch screen technology and modular hardware panels to allow multiple users access to multiple server ports over a network.
Stand 8.A94 The manufacturer of award-winning 3G/HD/SD conversion gear will conduct technology demonstrations of loudness processing over IP, debut its 9257 1×9 MADI card-based audio distribution amplifier, introduce +LM virtual loudness metering options, and present a new MPEG-4 signal delivery source. The Company also plans to highlight solutions and enhancements to their Fusion3G® and COMPASS® series of multi-functional, multi-featured cards.
Stand # 8.B96 The oldest antenna company in the USA will turn the spotlight on its broadband products, including its JAT-U UHF broadband super turnstile antenna, JUHD UHF broadband panel antenna, Prostar JA/MS-BB broadband UHF slot antenna, and the new RCEC .2 meter (8”) affordable mask filter.  Jampro will also showcase its RCCC constant impedance combiner along with economical and flexible antennas, combiners & filters, towers, and RF components for every application in the broadcast industry including DTV, DVB-T, FM and HD Radio solutions.
Stand 11.G30 A well-established leader in manual and robotic camera support and virtual reality tracking, Shotoku’s manual highlights will include a new 2-stage pneumatic pedestal and perfect counter-balance pan & tilt head. On the robotic side, enhancements that further ease-of-use and please the most budget conscious will be demonstrated.

Gefen 7.B30
Frontniche 10.F32

Articles and News

Sony Solves Caption Glasses

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Sony developing ‘subtitle glasses’ for cinema use | News | TechRadar UK
Deaf film lovers rejoice

[Your editor saw these at CinemaCon and was very impressed.]

“What we do is put the closed captions or the subtitles onto the screen of the glasses so it’s super-imposed on the cinema screen, so it looks like the actual subtitles are on the cinema screen,” explains Sony Digital Cinema, Tim Potter.

Complications

What’s more, Sony reckons the glasses could hit UK cinemas in early 2012, although it’s not clear how well – if at all – the specs would work with a 3D film. [Clip-on glasses have been mentioned. – ED]

Sony is eyeing future possibilities for its glasses tech too – like simultaneous conversation transcription so that deaf people could read what’s being said to them during the course of a conversation.

From the BBC

Video Processing

DCP Creation, August 2011

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Folloqing is a press release from one group who have chosen the Qube route.

Silverlake-based Fancy Film is using QubeMaster Xport to generate DCI-compliant Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) for filmmakers. QubeMaster Xport is a plug-in which works within Apple Compressor, simplifying the process of mastering digital cinema content. Thanks to QubeMaster Xport, Fancy Film is able to provide high quality digital cinema at affordable rates for documentary makers and independent film companies.

“We’ve been getting more and more inquiries about DCP mastering,” said Bill Macomber, principal and founder of Fancy Film Post Services. “It used to be that the only people who wanted digital cinema were the big Hollywood films who were releasing to at least 500 or 1,000 screens,” he added. “Now we’re getting calls from people who want to release on just 10 screens, or even just for one film festival. Those filmmakers need a cost-effective solution.”

Bill Macomber started out as a documentary editor in 2000. In 2001 he founded Fancy Film. The facility provides complete postproduction services, including grading, assembly and output, along with editing, and caters to the growing market of independent filmmakers and television production companies.

“We don’t compete with the people who edit their movies in their own garage, but there is a lot of demand for finishing to the correct specs for the various distribution formats,” said Macomber. “There’s no room for error in this business: the deliverables have to work perfectly wherever they are sent.”

“Finishing is a very technical task, and you have to stay in close contact with the different networks and distributors, so that you alway know exactly what they need,” explained Macomber. “I like the engineering side, so this kind of perfectionism appeals to me.”

Reel 2011 from Fancy Film on Vimeo.

Most of Fancy Film’s clients have been doing their films with the facility for years. “It’s about building long-term relationships,” noted Macomber. Recent projects include America’s Wildest Refuge,Underwater Universe for the History Channel, the documentaryUndefeated, as well as Part-Time Fabulous, an independent film, for which Fancy Film did the color grading, laid-off to tape, and the DCP mastering with QubeMaster Xport.

QubeMaster Pro Packager
As the demand for DCPs grows, Fancy Film is now also looking to add QubeMaster Pro Packager, a Windows application which provides quality control, as well as the ability to create alternate versions of a DCP without having to re-encode the whole file. “It will be the last step in our pipeline, said Macomber. “Along with QC, Packager allows us to offer encryption, as well as the ability to add new soundtracks and subtitle options. It’s a complete DCP workflow.”

“The Qube software is rock solid and the algorithm they use to generate JPEG 2000s is very powerful,” commented Macomber. “We’re very happy with the output from QubeMaster Xport and our customers have been delighted.”

“The world of theatrical distribution will evolve radically over the next few years,” said Eric Bergez, Qube Cinema director of sales & marketing for the Americas. “Qube is helping to drive the change by making digital cinema a lot simpler for everyone.”

QubeMaster Xport runs on Mac OS X and is Lion compatible. QubeMaster Xport requires Compressor 3.5, part of the Final Cut Pro Suite, or Compressor 4, which is available as a stand-alone application. For more information visithttp://www.qubecinema.com/products/xport.

Information about the QubeMaster Pro Packager application is available athttp://www.qubecinema.com/products/QubeMasterPro_Packager.

Visitors to the IBC exhibition in Amsterdam, September 9 through 13, can see QubeMaster Xport and QubeMaster Pro Packager in action at Qube Cinema in Hall 7 – booth 7.F45.

White Papers Post

Five Reasons Classic Ethernet Switches Won’t Support the Cloud

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When a company starts looking at providing cloud services to its clients, or consuming cloud services itself, it often becomes quickly apparent that the network needs to be upgraded to support this new service delivery model.

From an Internet.com article: 
Five Reasons Classic Ethernet Switches Won’t Support the Cloud.
By Drew Robb

“External and hybrid cloud models mean that computing resources are remote, and access/ communications with those workloads will have to traverse a wide area or Internet network link,” says Jim Frey Managing Research Director of analyst firm Enterprise Management Associates. “This introduces substantially greater latency (and bandwidth constraints) than are normal for traditional campus/data center-based computing.”

Before implementing cloud computing, therefore, it is critical to examine the strength of the network to make sure that any weak points are located and eliminated. This helps to ensure …

1. Classic Ethernet Networks are Hierarchical

Ethernet typically relies on a hierarchy of three or more tiers. Moving traffic between different server racks, for example, requires transitioning up and down this logical tree. The important point here is that each step along the path adds to the total latency. To avoid bridge loops between different network segments, IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) allows only one active path at a time between two switches. However, …

2. Classic Ethernet Networks are Unintelligent

Classic switches are designed to connect physical, not virtual, resources. Each port is individually configured with the QoS, security, VLAN traffic and other network policies required by that particular server. In a virtual world, however, VMs move from one box to another depending on traffic loads or maintenance requirements. Unless the port configuration follows the VM to its new physical location, …

3. Classic Ethernet Networks Don’t Scale

Since Classic Ethernet networks are designed to allow only a single connection between switches, this limits the amount of traffic they can carry.

“The scalability of traditional Ethernet is problematic, especially if an organization assumes, as it nearly always will, that cloud infrastructures will grow,” says Charles King, Principal Analyst at Pund-IT, Inc. “That said, …

To reduce the impact of this bottleneck, link aggregation groups (LAGs) permit multiple physical links to share the ISL. But this requires …

4. Classic Ethernet Networks Are Inefficient

Due to the limitations of STP, only one link or LAG can be active at a time, lowering the utilization rate. Adding or removing a new link causes the entire network to pause …

5. Classic Ethernet Networks Are Complex

With classic Ethernet networks, each port on each switch needs to be configured with the applicable VLANs, QoS, security, network policies and protocols. As servers are added, …

Switching to Fabric

To eliminate the various bottlenecks caused by traditional Ethernet architectures, switch vendors have begun to adopt fabric architecture into their Ethernet switches. This eliminates or mitigates each of the problems listed above.

Fabric switches flatten the network, reducing latency by eliminating unnecessary steps and preventing bottlenecks …

Classic or Fabric?

When is a classic Ethernet network adequate and when should one change to an Ethernet fabric? It depends on the applications. Some applications require large amounts of raw throughput; transaction systems are sensitive to latency.

“It comes back to what is the workload one is trying to project up into the cloud,” says Dan Kusnetzky, analyst and founder of the Kusnetzky Group. “Until we know more about the application and its requirements, … Ultimately, though, some network upgrades and enhancements will be in your future.”

 

Read the entire Internet.com article: 
Five Reasons Classic Ethernet Switches Won’t Support the Cloud.
By Drew Robb

Tangential Art and Science

Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation

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• Although women fill close to half of all jobs in the U.S. economy, they hold less than 25 percent of STEM jobs. This has been the case throughout the past decade, even as college-educated women have increased their share of the overall workforce.

• Women with STEM jobs earned 33 percent more than comparable women in non-STEM jobs – considerably higher than the STEM premium for men. As a result, the gender wage gap is smaller in STEM jobs than in non-STEM jobs.

• Women hold a disproportionately low share of STEM undergraduate degrees, particularly in engineering.

• Women with a STEM degree are less likely than their male counterparts to work in a STEM occupation; they are more likely to work in education or healthcare.

There are many possible factors contributing to the discrepancy of women and men in STEM jobs, including: a lack of female role models, gender stereotyping, and less family-friendly flexibility in the STEM fields. Regardless of the causes, the findings of this report provide evidence of a need to encourage and support women in STEM.

A good synopsis is at: Study: Women Aren’t Taking Science And Tech Jobs | TPM Idea Lab

Courses

3D Lab in the Middle East – Real Vision

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The 3D Lab was inaugurated last week, and has been well received by the press.

In a nutshell the 3D Lab has been built to encourage best practices in stereoscopic 3D production.

Production studios and professionals from the GCC, Arabian gulf region, and India have already shown keen interest to attend workshops to be conducted at the 3D Lab, and to meet like minded professionals in this collaborative environment.

Mutually beneficial Opportunity:

The 3DLab welcomes hardware and software manufacturers to place on permanent loan, equipment and NFR versions of software, which will be exposed to regional production houses and potential clients.

The 3DLab can act as showcase and will not be polarized or biased toward any one technology or vendor.

Feel free to contact Clyde in this regard.

More on the 3DLab in pictures: http://bit.ly/rsray9

Current equipment and facilities in the 3DLab

  • ET Quasar Rig (for broadcast 3DTV and cinema configs)
  • Panasonic AG3DA1
  • Prosumer 3D cameras from Sony and GOPro
  • Digital Projection’s Titan 2K 3D projector
  • Real D polarizer projection system
  • JVC professional 3D monitors
  • Cineform NEO 3D (full license)
  • The Foundry NUKE + Ocula (full license)
  • Classroom collaborative environment for workshops.
  • Studio zone, Hardware beta test zone and dedicated Software sandbox area.

Areas of exploration and interest:

  • Laser scanning and data set visualization
  • Stereoscopic Caves
  • 3D Rigs
  • Camera systems
  • Virtual Sets and Realtime tracking
  • Broadcast 3DTV infra structure and workflows
  • Stereo 3D gaming

and more…

 

Clyde DeSouza can be reached at Real Vision at [email protected] – The Real Vision site is at: RealVision.ae Knowledge Base and stereoscopic 3D Blog

DCinema Services Directory

[Update] Deluxe/Technicolor Agree–Death Rattles of Film

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Both companies have gotten into digital post and distribution services in a big way, Deluxe purchasing several companies recently and making agreements with companies such as EchoStar for satellite distribution direct to cinemas. Technicolor has been growing into these services more organically. But as the 50% penetration of digital media players and projectors is approaching and the tipping point of more digital ‘prints’ than film prints is also reached, film becomes legacy.  

No news about who gets the volume discount remuneration from Kodak at the end of the year or how studios will mark up the interstitial services.

Original SOURCE Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc.-18 July 2011

Technicolor Source:Digital Cinema Buyers Guide – Latest News

Signs subcontracting agreements with Deluxe for Film services in North America, Thailand and UK

Technicolor announces the launch of phase II of its photochemical film activities optimization. This follows the completion of the first phase of rationalization launched in October 2010, and will enable the Group to optimize worldwide 35mm print manufacturing capacities as well as leveraging its North American theatrical distribution infrastructure.

This phase II is structured around subcontracting agreements with Deluxe, covering:

· 35mm release print manufacturing

· Subcontracting agreement from Technicolor to Deluxe in North America

· Subcontracting agreement from Deluxe to Technicolor in Thailand

· Subcontracting agreement from Deluxe to Technicolor for negative development in the UK

Theatrical distribution

Subcontracting agreement from Deluxe to Technicolor for the distribution of photochemical film prints in the US

Technicolor will continue to service its clients, and Technicolor and Deluxe remain competitors in all markets where they operate. Technicolor maintains its front end activities in North America and remains the key provider of 65/70mm film printing worldwide.

Following the rapid shift to digital cinema since 2010, the Group launched phase I of its photochemical film optimization in the fourth quarter of 2010, with the closure of its North Hollywood facility and rationalization across European operations. Phase II subcontracting agreements lead the Group to cease its release printing manufacturing operations in Mirabel (Canada), employing 178 people, with immediate effect.

This enables the Group to have a more flexible cost structure with the share of variable costs moving from 60 to 85% in North America. In addition, the cash restructuring costs linked to the implementation of this phase II are expected to be offset by savings on photochemical maintenance capex and by the favorable impact of incremental distribution volumes.

The phase II will ensure that the Group focuses its investments in digital services where it already benefits from market leading positions, while continuing to serve its customers through the tail of film processing.

Video Processing

Manhattan Edit Fest Wrap

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Thanks to my trusty side-kick the “Padcaster” – a home-made iPad shoulder rig – we were able to capture all the behind-the-scenes action of the event – from the cocktail party Friday night through to the Closing Night Feature Editor Panel. Here are just a few clips:

  • Listen to Documentary Film Editor Robin Hessman & Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship recipient (aka schmellow) Erin Casper comment on the importance of the EditFest community: >>http://vimeo.com/25088026
  • Hear Author and Editor Bobbie O’Steen & Pixar Editor Ken Schretzmann discuss the importance of learning from your peers at EditFest: >>http://vimeo.com/24965304
  • Ben Frazer, editor of Say Yes to the Dress and TLC reality shows, joins his fellow “un-sung” heros of film and TV at EditFest NY: >>http://vimeo.com/24949075

Check out all the candid padumentary videos from EditFest NY 2011 here: >>http://bit.ly/lsEXr3.

Great Movies You Never Saw – Before Now!

One of the favorite panels of the entire event was “Great Movies You Never Saw” – moderated by >>Jeffrey Wolf (Billy Madison, The Longshots) and featured panelists Peter Frank (Dirty Dancing, The Verdict), >>Malcolm Jamieson (Down to the Bone, Mad Men), >>Keith Reamer (The Art of Love, I Shot Andy Warhol), and >>David Zieff (Metallica: Some Kind of Monster). These masterminds took the EditFest audience on a journey through some of the most artistically and technically thrilling films ever made (yet not widely seen) – including Amreeka, Cadillac Records, Down to the Bone, and more. If you weren’t able to attend EditFest NY, now’s the time to get your Netflix lists ready – we put together a few short highlight reels from the panel, giving you a sneak peak at the juicy details of some of the greatest movies you’ve never seen. Watch them all here: >>http://vimeo.com/26082200;>>http://vimeo.com/26082713; >>http://vimeo.com/26081491; >>http://vimeo.com/26081846.

Thanks to everyone who made this year’s EditFest NY such a blast, and we hope to see you next year at EditFest NY 2012!

On behalf of the Mewshop Team,

Josh Apter

Owner and Founder

Manhattan Edit Workshop

Technique Bin

Silver Screens – French Quality Officially Declines?

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The CNC is the group who sets the the “AFNOR” standards for French cinema (and TV). This is the group who wrote in 2007 that once the SMPTE specifications for digital cinema technology are finalized that they “would have the force of law” in France and on the international level. (See: Force of Law; France Issues DCinema Document)

And yet, this very group is about to allow ‘silver screens’ to be within the actual standard with the reasoning; that commercially, silver screens have become a de facto standard. This is the equivalent of allowing the old 625-line/50 field per second interlaced video as an acceptable HD TV standard because there are so many TVs of that nature in the field. The reality is that silver screens – actually, aluminum painted screens – for passive 3D systems (the ‘cheaper’ RealD and MasterImage systems) cannot provide the mandated levels of light except to perhaps 10 seats in the theater. The fall-off in quality from using silver screens is the number one worst aspect of 3D presentations. And when a 2D movie is played on them, the results are a disaster: dark and gray patches, diminishing light to every seat except the one “measured” position, screens that cannot be cleaned, and which get darker in fewer years than the normal screen.

You can see the reply by several French cinema organizations at the following link: Respecter la lumière dans les salles obscures

Roughly translated that is: Respect the light in the darkened theater. 

The players are no slouches. They are the technical organizations of every stage of the movie making process. It seems that they are respectful, but they are forceful. What they didn’t say was that was that the CNC should be embarrassed. What they didn’t say was that the artist and technology groups will create a grass roots education plan if they continue with the abdication of standards in the theater for financial reasons. 

We are looking for a better english translation, but until we have one, this will have to suffice:

Respect the Light in Darkened Theater 22 June 2011

The CNC is about to sign a decision to amend the technical specifications – Requirements for Registration – of cinema theaters. The proposed text refers to the French standard for digital cinema, but with the “amputation” of the article about the difference in luminance (point 5.1.2 of the standard 27100).

That article provides that the difference in luminance between the brightest spot and the lowest point of a bright image on a screen can not exceed 25%. This aspect of the standard is essential. It guarantees the respect of light and contrast of the image desired by the director and the cinematographer and allows that all the spectators in the same room see the same film.

The exception to this standard is clearly intended to allow the spread of “silver screens” designed primarily for 3D projections. At this time, three large French circuits equip themselves large amounts of these screens …

In the event that a classic 2D projection is performed on a silver screen, over 80% of the audience of a room would not see the film in the technical and with the ‘artistic intention’ that the directors, producers and technicians have designed.

This proposal is a dramatic decline in the quality and respect of the works: we sacrifice the quality of films, and the moral rights of authors, on behalf of the immediate profit potential of 3D, and seriously risk the experience in the auditorium.

We request of the CNC:

• to reverse its decision and enforce the entirety of the standard French NF S27100 particularly on point spreads luminance, taken by the international standard ISO digital cinema,

• to define together the means to monitor the implementation of this standard after a systematic inspection of the CST.

Signed

ACID Fabienne Hanclot 01 44 89 99 71 / 

AFC Carolina Champetier 01 42 64 41 41 /

ARP Florence Gastaud 01 53 42 40 00 / 

CST Laurent Hebert 01 53 04 44 00 /

the FICAM Hervé Chateauneuf 01 45 05 72 47 / 

SACD Agnes Mazet 01 40 23 45 11 /

SRF’s Cyril Seassau 01 44 89 99 65

 

 

For our earlier articles on the flaws of using silver screens see: 
Scotopic Issues with 3D, and Silver Screens
23 degrees…half the light. 3D What?  

Technique Bin

What Is A Projectionist? In The Digital Age

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In addition to being the last expert in the post-production chain, the projectionist also is the last person in the chain that starts with the security experts who literally keep the keys to the safe. 

No less urgent is the organization of the presentation, which begins with the negotiations between the studios and distribution and advertising groups and involve the exhibition management. Soon this will include the added duty of presenting more and better closed and open caption presentations for an audience who have been largely left out of the mainstream cinema theater culture, the deaf, hard of hearing and visually impaired audience. 

Add to that the mixing in of various forms of alternative content, which means satellite feeds and interface boxes with very nuanced choices (neither the NOC nor the cinema manager is going to change from side to side from sequential or make certain the encryption code is set right for a particular show.) Bluray means audio changes, and last years inexpensive cable boxes won’t work soon in the cinema. [Unmentioned: a truly professional satellite presentation always has backup everything – dish, electronics, test gear. The kit is incredibly cheap, especially compared to returning the cost of premium tickets. Of course, this should never be brought up since we don’t want to scare the cinema owner who already has made a 4X investment in dcinema gear compared to the film equipment it is replacing. (“We are solving a problem that didn’t exist”, as one studio exec said.)] 

In the rapidly disappearing days of film presentation, the projectionist assembled the film from multiple cans, put it onto the mechanical film chain, and made certain that the focus was correct. In the best of cases they made certain that the gates and pull-downs and pulleys weren’t physically harming the film, although there wasn’t much that could be done to prevent the enormous amounts of heat from bringing the plastic to its melting point, with its two harmful effects: desaturating the colors from the film, and creating a dust magnet from the electrostatic condition of all that heat and change that melts the dust into the cooling film. Except for keeping the bulb fresh and the voltage up, there wasn’t much more that a person could do for the picture. [We are, but we shouldn’t be, avoiding the audio topics of dcinema in this document.]

With digital projectors, all of the parameters of the color and luminance are available to perfect. There is no reason for a properly sized system to be anything less than up to SMPTE/ISO specifications. According to some manufacturers, today’s xenon bulbs don’t really even gain much more time or use less electricity by tweaking them down.

The recent kerflufle brought on by the Boston Globe article points to other issues that a projectionist should be solving. 3D alone is an issue that involved color shifts and brightness issues that should be controlled between each movie. When cinemas play 2D and 3D on the same screen, it isn’t surprising that something will suffer. It shouldn’t be the audience, but that is what is happening.

Then there is the system itself. Not the media player (SMS)/projection/audio/satellite feed/bluray player system at every port hole, but the IT system that holds all the SMS systems to one theater management system – with all the projectors filtering data back as required for keeping logs and ‘state of health’ info to network operation centers (NOCs). The projectionist is the person who has to respond quickly and well to the experts at the other end. For all the hype about what can be monitored at a NOC, it is hundreds of times better if there is a person to communicate with at the other end who is versed in perceiving the extant situation.

Perhaps there are people who have been around banks of computers that work flawlessly for days and months and years. But more common is the reality that computers always need some attention from someone on-site. 

[The unwritten topic concerns the issue of how well D-Cinema systems are defended in this age when nothing seems sacred. There are weekly reports about corporations with elaborate staff and technology, who still have secure information exposed. So far, dcinema has been flying under the radar, but with ugly habits. The US military took two years to clean up vital systems after an infected (probably targeted) USB stick put secret data into criminals control. See: Infected USB caused biggest US military breach ever.]

Point being, a trained projectionist in the digital age is a Solution to many a Why. 

Yet when asked, two large cinema chains acknowledged that they didn’t have an updated job description for Projectionist. Booth Monitor was one recently seen posting.

What is a projectionist in the digital age? What are the responsibilities? Is it reasonable that these responsibilities will get fewer as the technology evolves? 

…Like Tangents In Rain