Connectivity

100BaseT HD A/V Spec Released/Promoted

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Made possible by a chipset from Valens Semiconductor, the HDbaseT Alliance is inviting companies to join. There is a HDBaseT Comparison Table listing details of other current and future technologies alongside the HDBaseT 1.0 spec.

The HDMI cable was an incredible advance when it first arrived, but it isn’t easy to pull one through conduit and create an end in situ. The cost of using the technology was also the cost of the chipset, plus a payment based upon quantity with the HDMI alliance. The HDBaseT Press Release doesn’t mention any license fees.

 

It takes just a little thinking to realize how important a technology that can pass network data, USB, control data, daisy-chain (or star) devices, plus pass audio and video. The pr mentions a video recorder serving all devices in a multi-TV house, but it goes much farther. The digital signage field has handled some of these protocols, for example, but it has been through proprietary work. 

More data: Find chip prices and if there is licensing considerations.

Tangential Art and Science

RealD Gets Serious with IPO – UPdate

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The NYTimes has a 13 July article titled Will RealD’s IPO Be a Blockbuster or a Flop? – According to MarketWatch, RealD is now expected to be listed on 15 July and is very oversubscribed. Another tech company (electronic white board manufacturer Smart Technologies opened their IPO exactly on the expected amount. [End update; 14 July]

RealD has formally launched their bid for an IPO, expecting to sell 10.75 million shares at $13 – $15 – obviously short of the $200 million sale/1 billion dollar valuation that had been floated earlier. The proposed trade date is 7/16.

Doubtless, they are getting lots of advice. The stocks are being flogged by: J.P. Morgan, Piper Jaffray, William Blair & Co., Thomas Weisel Partners, and BMO Capital Markets.

Renaissance Capital points out that at the mid-point of the proposed range, RealD will command a market value of $667 million – meaning that the 10.75 million shares roughly translates to 23% of the company. 

Charlotte Jones at Screen Digest lays it out pretty well at this article from 21 April (when the preliminary S1 form was released by RealD): Pure play 3D company launches IPO

RealD was an early player in the 3D game, with a love/hate relationship with the studios. They’ve invested a lot, and certainly 3D to the cinema wouldn’t be where it is without them.

Recently they are getting pressure from their competitors, which is to be expected as the market matures. Dolby is no longer trailing by far, MasterImage is strengthening their base with a low-priced technology that piggy-backs on RealD’s efforts, and the home 3D market is so far using infra-red style blanking, ala the XpanD system…which is also doing fairly well.

The important points remain; that the digital cinema revolution is less than 20% through its transition, which leaves a lot of conversions left in the world. 3D does not appear to be a fad, and is only getting stronger. The home 3D market is wide open, with several well funded companies putting money into their product lines…with many companies, such as RealD, capable of riding that set of coattails. 

Uncategorized

Michael Bay, Transformers 3, PACE 3D Cameras

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According to FirstShowing.net, 3D nay-sayer Michael Bay is Shooting Transformers 3 with PACE 3D Cameras. 

This, of course, gets the “Can’t transform 2D into 3D” crowd into a froth. It also further sets in stone the term: Native 3D. 

But also in a froth are the Pirates of the Caribbean fans who are goaded with the same source quotes from Vince Pace (All this from Marketsaw):

“Trying to lay low and do what I do best. We took delivery of the first Alexa cameras for Hugo and have 23 more on the way. Transformers has also signed on to shoot 3D throughout the film. I am working on a big Disney film but can’t mention the name and are lining up five more films. Just wrapped on additional photography for Resident Evil and Tron. Currently in Hawaii and flying out to London for Hugo.”

Pace has one of those fancy websites (PaceHD) which doesn’t really say anything beyond the hype, but they have done good work. Maybe they’re aiming for an IPO like that other 3D-centric company, RealD.

Exhibitor News

AEG pays 1.3 million to Los Angeles

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Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and the estate of Michael Jackson have agreed to provide $1.3 million to the city of Los Angeles to help cover the cost of last year’s memorial for the entertainer at Staples Center, Councilwoman Jan Perry said today.

So says a breaking story release in the LA Times.

Interesting timing, as there were hundreds of police protecting the area around AEG’s Staple Center after the LAkers took the NBA title just two days ago. The estimate of the costs to the city for the Jackson event was 3.2 million dollars. 

AEG later was paid 60 million for the clips that eventually were turned into the movie This Is It, also staged at the Staples Center. The movie was premiered at the LA Live Nokia Theater, also owned by AEG. 

A million is better than nothing, and the city has probably spent a lot of that in documenting paperwork and lawyer fees. But one supposes that they would never hold a grudge and further corporate events will get full support of the city. 

…continuing the LATimes breaking news… 

Under the agreement, the city’s general fund – which pays for basic services such as public safety and parks – would receive $1 million. Another $300,000 would be provided in the form of a contribution to the Los Angeles Police Foundation to pay for equipment at the Los Angeles Police Department, she said.

The memorial was staged at the Nokia Theater at Staples Center, both of which are owned by AEG. The cost of the event was viewed as controversial at a time when the city is scaling back services and laying off city employees. A city report last year put the total cost of the event at $3.2 million.

 

 

 

More soon at: http://www.latimes.com/

 

 

 

Los Angeles Times | June 18, 2010 | 11:14 a.m.

Societies

Implications of Having Crossed the Chasm

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Your author took a few moments to place some numbers on the classic Technology Adoption Curve from Moore’s Crossing the Chasm. Depending upon how one parses sales and installations and the actual number of screens to be adapted, the curve appears to continue to apply. Michael Karagosian noticed this in 2006 when the Chasm wasn’t obvious, nor was the financial crisis known to be so severe. But those days are behind.

If the future continues to follow the curve, then the 50% mark should be achieved by the end of 2011. One presumes that by then all the first run cinemas will be digital. What will happen then? Studios don’t make film prints for second and third run cinemas.

With less film being produced for distribution, with less shooting stock being produced due to digital cameras, what is the price of film going to do…or even its availability? One presumes that archival film is still a booming market, but when will that be impacted by the LTO5 and larger optical discs?

The approach of the studios who pay VPFs is that they will pay to the amount that they are saving by ‘printing’ to digital distribution. 

The question isn’t “Can the studios discontinue the distribution of film.” The question is When? 

The big 6 studios are always cognizant of the monopoly issues that some of them got in trouble for in the 1940’s. But they are also aware of their responsibility to their shareholders and the amount of cash that they have to produce movies. And, they have to juggle against the near-monopoly of the large cinema chains. When is the line crossed and how will it be phrased? Can Kodak, who put so much into the new and excellent film stocks, spell demise? Can studios announce a cut-off date?

Certainly by application of the Pareto Principle, we must be long past the point where 80% of the studios income (at 20% the expense) is turning their efforts into charity work. So, what of these other screens that aren’t coming on board quickly, or who are left at the short end of the funding stick? Could the studios work out an arrangement where they can show BluRay discs 3 months later on non-DCI e-cinema equipment? Same quality, but different security. There is still the issue of tracking piracy from the screen that e-cinema can’t meet. There would be a lot of angst in the community, where the studios said that it would never happen.

No answers here. Just watching trends to see if any develop.  

Connectivity

DCI Compliance – Then There Were Three [Updated]

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The good news is that after 10 years of TI doing the yeoman work of making the digital cinema industry happen, they finally have gotten two of their OEMs past the goal.

They also announced that there are now 300,000 3D capable projectors in the field. But that was a different group making noise for a different industry.

Congrats to TI. Next up, a server company…bets anyone?

[Update: Christie PR was able to help parse the noise…]:

Yes, there is a difference in our announcement.  Barco’s announcement says only that they’ve passed the “procedural” portion of the CTP.  Christie is announcing they’ve passed everything, which includes the  procedural AND design aspects, so we’re much closer to receiving complete DCI compliance certification.
Here’s Barco’s announcement:
Kortrijk, Belgium, 17 March 2010 — Barco, a global leader in digital cinema announced today that its ‘Series 2’ digital cinema projector has successfully passed the procedural test for DCI compliance administered by CineCert, the leading 3rd party authorizing test facility.
Hope this helps.

 So there. We now know better what to watch for.

Cameras

Red’s EPIC/Scarlett Problems {Update}

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July 6 Update: A new Jannard post says the EPIC bug has been found and demented (and insinuates that it was the same bug that was holding back the Scarlet) and insists that they are back on the road of building the most best great and ultimate. A hint that the manufacturer is found, by saying that it will be built in the US, though that is not explicitly stated. The delivery dates are not hinted at, though some versions will definitely be in 2011 since the 28K sensor won’t be available since then. 

 

Jim Jannard continued his excellent client experiment by filling everyone in on further bug and manufacturing delays in a 14 June reduser.com post;

 

… we have a bug. It has held us up now for two months. We have working cameras, as you know. But we aren’t going to release anything until the cameras are done and bug free. And we have stumbled on an issue that has caused us considerable grief. It is unexpected and it has us baffled.

The fix could be tomorrow. Or not.

We have been a “lucky” company up to this point. The moon and stars lined up for us for the RED ONE (since we didn’t have a clue what we were doing in the beginning) and the RED ONE did all we asked. The M-X sensor is incredible… as you know. Our new ASICs for the EPIC and Scarlet are complicate times a million. And they work. Another miracle. Everything was late but on track. Then we hit a snag.

We have an army working on this. 24/7. Trust me when I tell you that we have been humbled. I have questioned our aggressive goals every day.

So what does this mean? Obviously another delay. To compound matters, the company that was to make Scarlet has made an incredible announcement recently and has significant issues. You can probably figure out who this is. This will force us to find a new manufacturing partner for that product. When we 1st got wind of this, we decided to make EPIC in the US, hoping that the company would find a solution in time for Scarlet production. That now seems unlikely so we are now scrambling for a new partner.

The manufacturing problem that is mentioned is presumed to be tied to Foxconn in China who is undergoing some major restructuring. It has to have several manufacturers scrabbling. For example, Apple has long made iPhone and other products with this group.

The EPIC and Scarlet camera are meant to bridge the original RED ONE, the Scarlet with 3K resolution and 5K or better for the EPIC. As recently as April, the EPIC was slatted for shipping in July, the Scarlet in August. 

Richard Lackey’s http://dcinema.wordpress.com/ has a great synopsis.

 

Security Sites and Blogs

Hackers For Charity – MetaSploit Unleashed

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Mastering the Framework is the chant behind this marvelous idea – put together a great set of test programs, put together the technical data that teaches on how to use it, and ask for a 4$ contribution to help feed people.

Offensive Security is a white hat group who teaches people to think like blackhats, so that they can better protect their environment. Find someone in your organization who can take advantage of this now, and make it a part of your procedures.

Integrator News

World Cup 3D ReScheduled to Semi-Finals? [reUpdated]

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The announcement says that “Cinedigm … announced a… partnership with SENSIO® to bring the first ever globally broadcasted LIVE 3D sporting event to theatres outside the United States.” Since “globally” includes “theaters outside the US” we suspect some nuance not immediately obvious. Since Cinedigm isn’t known for having launched in other countries besides the US, it may mean something different than what it implies. [E-mails are out to the parties involved, so we will update this news item as details filter in.] Update: Aqiva, once expecting more, is now responsible for showing the 3D version in the UK only.

CineLive™ Technology is mentioned in the release. Cinedigm has used IDC equipment in some of their installations, and there is a d-cinema IDC product which has Sensio chips in it. The cut sheets for these items are lacking technical specs. 

There is mention of 100’s of theaters in the press release. This is a bit of a let down from the numbers that were originally expected. In the EU alone there are over 3,500 cinemas with 3D equipment…and the EU would be expected to be the largest market for an event like this. Edit: News is all over now that 3D broadcasts will be in many countries…for TV [see here for France, Swiss, Spain, Netherlands.]

There are a few cinema press releases;

in England: A site with links to various 3D site, including non-cinema

in South Korea…there will be 3 games that include S. Korea shown, plus any games leading to the finals that include the countries team. This article points out that Korean cinemas had a good experience with the Cup games in 2D two years ago: Watch World Cup in 3D theaters

in Italy…

The company said Wednesday it would screen about a dozen key matches starting in the final days of the second round, including all of the games from that point and onward featuring Italy, the defending champions. The first game to be aired will be the June 24 match between the Italian side and Slovakia.

Among the non-Italian games to be aired is the Brazil-Portugal match, as well as the final and semi-final games, even if they do not include the Italian squad.

There are no new press releases from Germany continuing the story from last week that the two largest German theater syndicates have refused to sign onto the 3D broadcast event because of quality issues. It will be a feat for Cinedigm to figure out the problems of different frame rates and broadcasting standards while working from the US. One hopes a good team has flown over.

in China…

s the first 3D World Cup, 25 of the tournament’s 64 matches will be broadcast live in 3D. However, cinemas in China have not shown much enthusiasm. Only 40 throughout the country applied for the right to broadcast live matches, just two of them in Shanghai.

To screen live football matches in 3D, a cinema has to install a direct broadcast satellite receiver system, which costs about 200,000 yuan (US$29,290). Then there is a 50,000 yuan broadcast fee.

As some of the matches will be on at 2am, there would be extra operational costs. As a result, a ticket for a 3D World Cup match could be as much as 200 yuan (US$29).

There’s also the problem that the peace and quiet of a cinema might not be viewed by enthusiastic fans as the best place to view a sport which inspires so much passion.

Presenting mid-quality 3D in a theater after the abusive reviews of Clash of the Titans (and to a large extent Alice in Wonderland) is not necessarily a bright idea at this stage of digital cinemas evolution. Only in the last few months, mostly in advance of Avatar, has there been a minor explosion in d-cinema installations. Although this has led to a doubling of digital screens, it is still less than 20% of theaters world-wide. With 3D TV getting a lot of press and marketing investment from the television manufacturers, the differentiation will be blurred in patron’s minds after seeing a 720p image in a theater compared to sitting a few meters away from a TV screen with a well-scaled HD image.

The Future Holds...

Excellent Analysis of Dolby’s 7.1 – DCinema Report

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Digital Cinema Report has an excellent analysis of the reasons and technology of Dolby’s new 7.1 Audio system. There is no need for a pull-quote as it is all good. Read it at:

A Sound Idea

Bloomberg has a good article as well:
Pixar Gets Dolby to Invent ‘Rain of Sound’ to Match 3-D Movies
excerpt:

The current setup in most theaters, known as 5.1, couldn’t direct sounds precisely enough to specific parts of the theater, says Paul Cichocki, post-production supervisor at Pixar. The audio didn’t feel like it was putting the viewer in the middle of the action, he says.

“We really wanted to take sound to the next level, and we just weren’t able to do much in 5.1,” Cichocki said. “If we could put sound in the right places, it helps your brain look in the right place.”

That’s why Pixar urged Dolby Laboratories Inc. to develop a new version of its sound system, the dominant audio technology in theaters. The resulting Dolby Surround 7.1 standard lets movies deliver sounds through seven speakers, plus one subwoofer, which handles bass. For Dolby, the technology helps the company keep pace with other cinema improvements — from crisper digital images to reclining seats — and give audiences a reason to keep coming back.

Societies

State of European DCinema Conference

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The presentations were recorded, and are now available with their documents. With the plethora of conferences, and the financial and environmental aspects of attending them, having this information available on the Observatory’s site is laudable in itself. Being well organized and filled with excellent data makes it even more compelling.

The presenters and their topics were:

  • Box office trends 2009: 3D a driving force
    — Martin Kanzler, European Audiovisual Observatory 
  • Digital roll-out: Status quo as of year-end 2009
    —Elisabetta Brunella, MEDIA Salles
  • Public funding for digital roll-out: who, what and where
    —Susan Newman-Baudais, European Audiovisual Observatory>
  • Public funding – Legal issues
    —Francisco Cabrera-Blázquez, European Audiovisual Observatory 

[DailyMotion videos can now be watched from the DailyMotion app for the iPhone/iPad/Touch.]

Digital Cinema Tango! The Observatory Panel in Cannes part 1

Digital Cinema Tango! The Observatory Panel in Cannes part 2

Digital Cinema Tango! The Observatory Panel in Cannes part 3

[To easily get the links on your iPhone, use the mail link above to send this article to yourself. We don’t get or keep a copy of your email addresses.]

Watch the videos and download the materials from the European Audiovisual Observatory site:

Digital Cinema Tango Workshop [Link]

Alternative Content

More World Cup 3D Woes—German exhibs question quality

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Variety is following this issue: Read their full report at:

German exhibs nix 3D World Cup
Operators gives thumbs-down to technology
By ED MEZA—Posted: Thurs., May 27, 2010, 4:00am PT

See also: Collapse in 3D World Cup Broadcast -Variety 
THURSDAY, 13 MAY 2010 13:43

This isn’t the first broadcast coming into cinemas. Opera and live concerts have been successful. But, in 2D.

As far as production values, the Sony operation in South Africa is noted for being highly qualified. 

So, where is the problem? 

One can understand low resolution and interlace effects. When compared to 2K digital cinema, everything (including Blu-ray) is going to suffer in comparison. DCinema 3D is often chastised for its current limits.

Andreas Cruesemann, Cineplex’s head of sales and marketing is quoted to say, “We can’t take money for an experiment. That’s why we said no. We are not saying no to soccer or 3D screenings. We will be very happy when it’s working. We were really disappointed last week because we expected more. If the picture was good of course we’d pay for it.”

What the exhibitors don’t have to pay for is a 2D feed, but the other side is that they can’t charge for it. But exhibitors get more funds from the concessions anyway. If they can pull patrons in on nights that might be empty because of a popular match, would they care if it is 2D? There is no record for this, 2D or 3D.

The market is obvious and should be straight by the Olympics in 2012. The 30 games that were to be broadcast in 3D would have been a solid test, but as is seen from the dismissal of Aruna as distributor just a few weeks before the event, and now a major country’s largest exhibitor groups dissing the quality…it makes for an interesting set of questions.

The Variety article goes into the politics, but without technical details. Since the technical details are in flux, we’ll be careful not to demean anyone’s attempts. As one industry insider is known to say “That’s the great thing about standards…there’s so many of them.”

In this case, we are talking about the insertion of an evolving video ‘standard’ into an evolving cinema ‘standard’. According to the Variety article, people saw a test that was expected to show problems. Perhaps it shouldn’t have had an audience from the a non-technical public. 

There are certain challenges that need to be addressed in the transition of a TV signal with equipment that was designed for the highest quality digital cinema signal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Richard LaBerge, executive VP for tech provider Sensio, told Daily Variety the German exhibs most likely saw a May 5 test of the worldwide network that was never meant for their eyes.

“I don’t know who invited the exhibitors,” said LaBerge. “I would assume it was Aruna.”

Aruna is the Swiss company that obtained the 3D out-of-home rights, only to have FIFA pull them. (Daily Variety, May 20). Whether or not that was a result of the unenthusiastic response to the 3D presentation is not clear.

LaBerge said it was “risky” to show that test, as it was expected to reveal problems with the video. “We did not recommend they show that to exhibitors.”

Exhib chains Cinemaxx and Cinestar have not ruled out carrying the games in 3D but say production values have to be much improved before they sign on.

LaBerge said there will be more screenings for exhibs once the video problems are resolved. The entire project is being done at breakneck speed to make the June 11 deadline.

FIFA, which could not be reached for comment, is partnering with Sensio and using the tech provider’s 3D format to deliver live telecasts via satellite.

Exhibs also have the option to present World Cup matches in 2D as free public screenings.

(David S. Cohen contributed to this report.)

Contact the Variety newsroom at [email protected].

Connectivity

Professional Differences – Set Top Boxes

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There are 4 other topics, just as important, but not as buzzword compliant? Why not?

Because the standards in this field are off in the distance.

That can be better said. Today’s standards are many. A cohesive standard is off in the distance, but components of it will be implemented on an adhoc basis. The loser will be the facility who can’t adapt…and likely, one won’t know until the last moment.

For example: What if a right’s holder decides they want to put a professioal grade encryption on the next live event? Will the consumer box that has been used successfully for opera all these months work?  No. Can it be modified to work. No. Will a professional box be able to accept a code at the last second via the ethernet port (a port that the consumer box doesn’t have!)? Yes.

If there are problems with lip sync, can the projectionist adjust the consumer unit? Need you ask?

The report can be downloaded from the EDCF website. Don’t forget to support the European Digital Cinema Forum when you can. The Member’s Only site has many more interesting documents. Membership is not onerous.

Going Live! See the Annex Page

Arqiva Set Top Box Query–Pro or Cut off?

…Like Tangents In Rain