Connectivity

intoPIX showcases its new PRISTINE JPEG 2000 Board

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A wide range of applications can be addressed using PRISTINE: Digital Cinema, Audiovisual Lossless Archiving, 3G Contribution, 3D Stereoscopy and Ultra- High-Resolution applications.“We are setting a new standard with the PRISTINE. It is really a breakthrough to have a board that can perform JPEG 2000 compression and decompression in 4K with this level of flexibility and performance”, says Jean-François Nivart, C.E.O. of intoPIX.

For Digital Cinema Package creation (DCP), the PRISTINE offers ultra fast, fully DCI compliant 2K & 4K encoding with frame rates going up to 120fps for 2K and 30fps for 4K resolutions respectively. PRISTINE handles RGB, YUV or X’Y’Z’ content.

For Broadcast Contribution, the PRISTINE can process virtually all HD formats in real-time, with the possibility of working in multichannel mode. This allows addressing major applications in contribution for HD, 3G and 3D stereoscopic.

For Audiovisual archiving, PRISTINE uniquely accelerates JPEG 2000 encoding and decoding while supporting a wide range of resolutions up to 4K+ (4096×3112). The embedded intoPIX technology allows both Mathematically and Visually Lossless compression providing unaltered quality. The PRISTINE range answers the challenge of long term audiovisual content archiving.

Combining several PRISTINE boards gives access to the most demanding applications in terms of high resolutions. Processing Ultra High Resolution 8K is now possible, with both Mathematically and Visually Lossless compression.

The new PRISTINE JPEG 2000 Boards will be available starting Q4 2009. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Specifications on the PRISTINE JPEG 2000 boards are available at the intoPIX booth #10.D29 (Hall 10) during the IBC 2009 Exhibition in September and downloadable at www.intopix.com .

About intoPIX intoPIX develops and commercializes high end image processing and security tools for large data streams with high intrinsic value. The applications focus in particular pictures with highly demanding requirements regarding quality, security and authoring rights. Based in Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium), intoPIX was established in 2005, quickly becoming the international reference for hardware-based JPEG 2000 coding solutions. More information on the company and its product range can be found at their website at www.intopix.com

intoPIX s.a. Place de l’Universite 16

B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve Belgium Tel: +32 (0)10 23 84 70 Fax: +32 (0)10 23 84 71 [email protected]

In the News

Apple’s Snow Leopard downgrades Flash

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Apple’s Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6, downgrades the Adobe Flash Player installed on systems being upgraded with the updated operating system. The Flash Player version distributed with Snow Leopard is 10.0.23.1. Although this is a later version number than the most recently reported vulnerable version, it was being distributed at the same time as the flawed version and most probably suffers the same critical security issues. Adobe have confirmed the issue exists and recommend that Snow Leopard users update their Flash Player as soon as possible, by visiting http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ and installing version 10.0.32.18. Users can check what version of Flash Player they have installed by going to Adobe’s version check

page.

Read the entire article at:

Apple’s Snow Leopard downgrades Flash – News – The H Security: News and features

During the development of Snow Leopard, and as far back as early July, beta versions were shipped which included Adobe Flash Player 10.0.23.1. Towards the end of July, a critical security vulnerability was discovered in Flash Player version 10.0.22.87, the generally available Flash Player version at the time. The Flash Player was updated on the last day of July, to version 10.0.32.18, but it appears either Adobe or Apple did not ensure that this update made it onto the “gold master” of Snow Leopard which, according to reports, was sent to manufacturing in mid August. This master was used to produce the Snow Leopard DVDs, which were made available in stores on August 28th. As a result, users who had updated the Flash Player on Mac OS X 10.5.8 at the start of August, and then upgraded to Snow Leopard will find that they are back to running a version which, although there are no specific security advisories for it, is most probably vulnerable to the same flaws as Flash Player 10.0.22.87.

Consultants

Gmail flaw shows value of strong passwords

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[Editor’s Point] Yet again, this is not important to us as a community just because some of us might have a gmail account. This is important because security moves in a diminishing cycle. Of the 10 items in the article, who among us is vigialant on more than 3? on even 3?

The other nice thing about this article is that it is written in a way that it can  be given to anyone; a great training tool.

Read the entire article at: Gmail flaw shows value of strong passwords | By Becky Waring

According to Aguilera’s new security alert, Google allows anyone with a Gmail account to guess another Gmail user’s password 100 times every two hours, or 1,200 times per day. …

To its credit, Gmail requires fairly long passwords of 8 characters or more. However, as Aguilera points out, Gmail allows users to create extremely weak passwords such as aaaaaaaa.

A quick survey of my friends and relatives revealed that not one of them uses strong passwords. Most people have no idea how to create them. Yet everyone I asked expressed guilt at using easy-to-crack passwords: pet names, birthdays, and common dictionary words.

Most people’s passwords could be guessed in far fewer than 10,000 attempts. And, despite using weak passwords, the people I interviewed say they rarely change their sign-in strings. (One-third of the people surveyed use the same password for every Web site they sign in to, and the infamous Conficker worm needed to try only 200 common passwords to break into many systems, according to an analysis by the Sophos security firm.)

Here’s the topper: many respondents to my informal survey admitted to keeping an unencrypted file on their systems that lists every password they use!

The article continues to tell why that is just wrong, and what can be done – simply – to fix the problem…as well as challenge us all with 10 things that we who know better probably don’t do…well, maybe a few…

Newsources and Blogs

It’s Microsoft Patch Tuesday: September 2009

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Microsoft Patch Tuesday BugThis month’s patch release is about average for Microsoft Patch Tuesday,
but there were a huge number of out of band patches in late August. I’m
really not a big fan of that for non-critical security patches. It
makes sense, though; the patches are related to Windows 7 and Windows
Server 2008 R2, both of which RTMed recently and are just now finding
their way onto systems.

By reader request, I am now listing the updates’ approximate sizes.
I am rounding the numbers, so don’t treat the numbers as accurate to
the byte; the numbers are meant to let you know if this is worth the
download in locations with restricted or metered bandwidth. Please let
me know in the forums whether you find this change useful or think it
adds clutter to the report.

We are continuing to use our new rating system, where one flag means
“patch only if applicable,” two flags means “patch during your next
regularly scheduled patch cycle,” and three flags indicates “patch
immediately.”

[Editor’s Point] Why is this important? Well, obviously, it ain’t. Most of the production and post and exhibition machines are, a) not connected to the internet and b) are not Windows machines.

Not so obviously, how many of us get a USB stick with a file we need from a Windows machine? or where the original information came from a Windows machine? Those ads that need playing before the movie may or may no have come from a hard disk that come from a Windows machine, but I’ll bet money that the key distribution system is on a Windows machine.

Is there a recorded instance where a Unix virus was put onto a USB stick that got inserted into a film play-out server? I don’t know. But constant vigilance and watching the buts of our co-workers is going to save more than one problem in the future. 

Tech Republic is a responsible journal for this type of info. If they say Update Now, please, Update Now.

Read the entire article at: It’s Microsoft Patch Tuesday: September 2009 | Microsoft Windows | TechRepublic.com

Societies

Call for Presentations – HPA Tech Retreat

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Presentations: Main-program presentations must be technology-related but can relate to any characteristic of motion-image, sound, and related fields, including (but not limited to): acquisition, storage, processing, distribution, presentation, test & measurement, perception, 3-D, interactivity, metadata, mobile, cinema, broadcast, internet, law & regulation, workflow, archives, asset management, content security, hardware, software, convergence, history, future, etc.  They may be individual or joint presentations, panels, tutorials, etc.  Main-program presentations are not to be marketing or sales pitches.

No formal proposal is required.  A line or two of description is usually sufficient (if it isn’t, you will be contacted for more info).  No “paper” is ever required.  Presenters are encouraged (but not required) to post material on the HPA web site before, during, and after the event.

Presentation slots are nominally 30 minutes long, including set-up and Q&A.  Longer (especially for panels) and shorter slots can be accommodated before the schedule is finalized.  Once time slots are finalized, they are STRICTLY enforced.

The selection process involves not only what is in a proposal but also trends that seem to be identified by other submissions and comments.  Rejection does not necessarily have anything to do with the proposed presentation’s quality.  We usually receive about six times more proposals than can be accommodated.

Proposals that are accepted give the presenter/moderator/panelist a substantial discount on full-event registration.  There is no charge for a presenter to attend her or his session.

The deadline for main-program submissions is October 23.  Final decisions are expected by mid-November.

Breakfast Roundtables:

These are literally round tables at which event participants eat breakfast.
Each is numbered, and the numbers relate to a particular topic.  Breakfast roundtables are available on Thursday and Friday mornings.  They begin at 7:30 am and last for one hour.

Any registered participant may moderate a breakfast roundtable on any motion-image and sound-related topic until we run out of tables (around 30 each day).  Moderators may lecture, ask questions, mediate fights, etc.  Anything goes at breakfast roundtables (including marketing pitches).  Topics and even moderators may be changed for assigned tables up to the last minute, but, once a table is assigned, it must be covered.  Because there is no selection process for the roundtables (first-come, first served), they do not provide any discount, and moderators must be registered for the full conference.

There is no deadline for breakfast-roundtable submissions, but, when the tables run out, they run out.

Demo Area:

There is a separate selection process for the technology demo area.  It has not yet begun.  Check the HPA web site beginning in November.

Sponsorships:

Those interested in sponsoring some portion of the retreat should contact HPA Executive Director Eileen Kramer.  There is no relation between sponsorships and presentations, breakfast roundtables, or demo space.

Submissions:

Please send all proposals for main-program presentations and breakfast roundtables to Mark Schubin <tvmark at that earthlink dot com place>.  You will receive an e-mail acknowledgement.  If you do not receive the acknowledgement, your proposal has probably not been received.

ALL PROPOSALS MUST COME FROM THE PROPOSED PRESENTER OR MODERATOR.  Proposals may be prepared by PR firms, but the submission MUST come from the person who will do the presentation or moderating.  Sorry, but we have been burned in the past by people who think it would be a good idea (without checking) for their boss or client to make a presentation.

Comments on topics that should be of most interest are also welcome to assist in the selection process.  Unfortunately, we cannot put together panels; if you’d like to see one on a particular topic or featuring a particular group, please try to wrangle it yourself.

New This Year:

Ralph Brown, Chief Technology Officer of CableLabs, the joint cable-industry orghanization, will join the other CTOs and directors of engineering.

Links:

Main HPA web site: http://www.hpaonline.com
HPA contacts: http://www.hpaonline.com/mc/page.do?sitePageId=21780&orgId=hopa
FAQs: http://www.hpaonline.com/mc/page.do?sitePageId=23995&orgId=hopa
2010 retreat: http://www.hpaonline.com/mc/page.do?sitePageId=89641&orgId=hopa
Retreat hotel: http://www.rancholaspalmas.com/

If you have any questions (AFTER reading the FAQs), please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please feel free to forward this to anyone in any form.

Thanks!

TTFN,
Mark

Storage

The MatrixStore Enhances P2 Experience – IBC PR

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Press Release from Objective Matrix -7 September 2009

Content and metadata that is ingested from Panasonic’s range of P2 based broadcast cameras can seamlessly be moved into the MatrixStore cluster using either Final Cut Server, CatDV or DropSpot applications. This range of interfaces provides the ability to protect content generated on mixed production platforms be they Avid, Apple or Adobe.

Nick Pearce, co-founder of Object Matrix, commented: “The centre puts into the spotlight the demonstrable benefits that automated, integrated, file based workflows can bring, namely increased efficiency, reduction in operating costs and highly secure data management.”

The centre highlights how the content and associated metadata can be protected at the highest levels from ingest to archive. Using The MatrixStore, digital assets are stored on state of the art server hardware with powerful software to provide an easy to use, scalable, secure and cost effective method of archiving multimedia projects. Archives are always available at the touch of a button, and the ease of installation and use mean that businesses are free to concentrate on their core competencies.

Adrian Clarke, General Manager UK & Ireland Professional & Broadcast IT Systems, stated: “Including Matrixstore into the Panasonic workflow experience centre exemplifies the convergence of Broadcast and IT technologies. It’s a combination of standard IT building blocks with their deep understanding of the needs of the Broadcast user add another strong partner to the centre, giving our visitors the most powerful end to end demonstration of scalable tapeless workflow solutions anywhere in the market.”

Object Matrix will be exhibiting the MatrixStore solution at IBC (Stand 6.C28d).

For more information on Object Matrix and The MatrixStore please contact Tom Warren on 01296 394614 or at [email protected]

~~~end~~~
About Object Matrix

Established in 2003, Object Matrix is a software company based in Caerphilly (Wales, UK). Its acclaimed product MatrixStore has been used in production since 2006 by broadcast and creative agency customers.

Object Matrix is comprised of a team of storage industry experts with a shared vision for high levels of data security combined with intuitive user interfaces. In addition to providing solutions and product integrations for the storage, search and retrieval of media assets, Object Matrix also provides consultancy, training, systems integration, and ongoing support services.
www.object-matrix.com

About Panasonic

Panasonic is a brand name for Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd. of Japan (MEI), one of the world’s largest manufacturers of consumer electronics and ranked third on the Fortune 500 Electronics and Electrical Equipment Index. The company was founded in 1918 in Osaka, Japan, by Konosuke Matsushita and has grown from just three employees to more than 328,645 people worldwide. Panasonic has been operating in Europe since 1962, when it established its first sales office in Hamburg, Germany. The company’s presence has increased throughout Europe following major investment programmes in manufacturing and sales operations.

About PBITS

Panasonic’s Professional Broadcast and IT Systems unit is part of Panasonic Audio Visual and Computer Systems Europe (PAVCSE), a division of Panasonic Marketing Europe GmbH. The company is a leader in the development of video formats and core products for broadcast and professional AV, including camera-recorders, video recorders, monitors, and mixers. Panasonic’s P2 systems provide the reliability of solid-state production with immediate connectivity to existing IT infrastructures, allowing for completely tapeless workflows. http://panasonic-broadcast.com.

Contact:
Ranieri Communications
Tom Warren
[email protected]
01296 394614

In the News

Another New AES Attack

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But, is it merely FUD at this point? For the daily user, this info is nothing to lose sleep over. AES is not broken. Someone can’t open an AES encrypted movie at this point. But, it points out that rust and black-hats never sleep, and neither should white-hats. The library of a studio is theirs to protect for its owner for many years, if not many decades. This is pointing out that what seemed unthinkable not too many years ago is stumbling into the realm of possibility now.

In the article, Mr. Schneier makes recommendations about how to make better choises. It would be good for the powers that be to re-examine their choices and let everyone know that everything is fine. [End Editor Comment]

From Crypto-Gram: August 15, 2009 Anyone interested and capable of reading this blog should be subscribing to Crypto-Gram

Abstract. AES is the best known and most widely used block cipher. Its three versions (AES-128, AES-192, and AES-256) differ in their key sizes (128 bits, 192 bits and 256 bits) and in their number of rounds (10, 12, and 14, respectively). In the case of AES-128, there is no known attack which is faster than the 2^128 complexity of exhaustive search. However, AES-192 and AES-256 were recently shown to be breakable by attacks which require 2^176 and 2^119 time, respectively. While these complexities are much faster than exhaustive search, they are completely non-practical, and do not seem to pose any real threat to the security of AES-based systems.

In this paper we describe several attacks which can break with practical complexity variants of AES-256 whose number of rounds are comparable to that of AES-128. One of our attacks uses only two related keys and 2^39^ time to recover the complete 256-bit key of a 9-round version of AES-256 (the best previous attack on this variant required 4 related keys and 2^120 time). Another attack can break a 10 round version of AES-256 in 2^45 time, but it uses a stronger type of related subkey attack (the best previous attack on this variant required 64 related keys and 2^172 time).

They also describe an attack against 11-round AES-256 that requires 2^70 time — almost practical.

[Editor] The balance of the article is just as important as the above, explaining how critical this is and how it can be mitigated. It also includes references to the original work.

 

Read at: From Crypto-Gram: August 15, 2009

 

In the News

Linux kernel vulnerability fixes – Update 3

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From an article in H Security: Linux kernel vulnerability fixes – Update 3 – News – The H Security: News and features
17 August 2009, 16:40

Update 18 August – There is currently no patch for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), but the company does offer a workaround which involves blacklisting certain network protocols so that the exploit that is currently in the wild does not function. The CentOS developers are waiting on a patch to appear from Red Hat and in the interim recommend a similar procedure as a workaround. Novell has said there is no patch yet available for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.

Update 19 August – Ubuntu have released updates for Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, Ubuntu 8.04 LTS, Ubuntu 8.10, Ubuntu 9.04 and all corresponding versions of Kubuntu, Edubuntu, and Xubuntu. Details of the updates are given in an Ubuntu Security Notice and the updates are available through Ubuntu’s software Update Manager system.

Update 25 August – Red Hat, Novell and CentOS have now published updates to address the vulnerability for RHEL 4 and 5, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server/Desktop and opensSUSE 10.3 to 11.1 and CentOS 4 and 5 respectively.

Glossary

Digital Cinema Glossaries

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Glossaries Logo

Exhibition Glossaries

Disney Digital Cinema Glossary – (Online PDF)

Rex Beckett’s dicineco DCinema Glossary (Online)

Council of Europe’s Glossary Digitisation (DOC)

XDC’s DC Glossary (PDF)

Michael Karagosian’s MKPE Digital Cinema Technology FAQ

Michael Karagosian’s MKPE Digital Cinema Business FAQs

Dolby’s Digital Cinema Glossary (pdf)

Dolby’s Digital Cinema Glossary – (Link Broken)

Mad Cornish Projectionist Wiki Glossary – (Online)

Europa Distribution DC Glossary (PDF)

DCI DCinema Specs 1.1 Glossary (PDF)

Christie’s Pro A/V Glossary (Online)

3DGuy’s 3D Stereoscopic Glossary (Online)

The Movie Theater Dictionary (Online)

Post Production/Mastering Glossaries

EDCF’s Mastering Guide Glossary – (PDF)

Phil Green’ s Digital Intermediate Guide (Online)

Gael Chandler’s The Joy of Film Editing Glossary (Online)

Surreal Road’s Digital Intermediate Primer (Online)

Surreal Road’s Digital Intermediate FAQ (Online)

Surreal Road’s Digital Intermediate Glossary (Online)

Digital Rebellions’ Post Production Glossary (Online)

FinalColor.com’s Film and Video Glossary for Colorists (Online)

3D Glossary

ev3’s 3D Glossary

3D@Home Consortium Glossary (Online)

3D@Home Consortium and MPEG Industry Forum

Glossary for Video & Perceptual Quality of Stereoscopic Video (Download)

 

Production Glossaries

ASC’s HD Glossary (Online)

Lowel’s Glossary of Lighting Terms (Online)

Filmland’s Dictionary of Film, Audio and Video (Online)

Moving Picture Company’s Jargon Explained (Online)

Fletcher’s Film Budget Glossary (Online)

Joel Schlemowitz‘s Glossary of Film Terms

Octamas Film Production DC Glossary (Online)

Pocket Lint’s Glossary of 3D Terms (Online)

IMDb Film Glossary

Kodak’s Cinema and Television Glossary (Online)

Sony’s ABCs of Digital Cinema (PDF)

Associated Glossaries

ColorWiki Glossary (Online)

Dilettante’s Dictionary – Audio Terminology in these Digital Days

Visiton Loudspeaker Audio Dictionary (Online) [High level and excellent]

Audio Terms: German / French / English / Italiano

Photonics.com Dictionary (Online)

Christie’s Technology Explained (OnLine)

Joe Kane’s Video Essentials Glossary (Online)

Video Help’s Blu-ray/DVD/VCD Glossary (Online)

Sony’s Audio Glossary (Online PDF) Dang~! Gone

QSC’s Glossary of Audio Terms (Online) Dang~! Gone

Rane’s Pro Audio Reference (Online)

Tech-Notes Glossary of Broadcast Terms (Online)

Cinema and Filmmaking English to German Dictionary (Online)

Constant Alertness

Deadly pings for Cisco routers and switches

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From a story at H Security: Deadly pings for Cisco routers and switches – News – The H Security: News and features

The command show np 2 stats can be used to determine whether the problem has previously occurred. If it has the error message “ERROR: np_logger_query request for FP Stats failed” is returned. The vendor does not suggest a workaround, but has made updated versions of the FWSM software available in which the problem does not occur.

Notice in the comments:

Ok, this is just plain inaccurate.

I’m not sure who read the Cisco advisory because they did a pretty bad job at the interpretation:

1) First off, this isn’t a bug that “disables Cisco routers and switches”. This is specifically about the FIREWALL MODULE that can be installed on a 6500-switch or a 7600-series router. Just because the  module is installed on the switch/router does not mean that the entire platform is affected/disabled. Please read up on modular switches/routers to understand what that means.

2) The vendor DOES suggest a workaround (albeit not to be carried out on the FWSM itself); it may not be the most elegant, but the
workaround is to filter ICMP packets before they get to the FWSM. The
edge router would be the most suitable candidate for that and applying this filter would prevent the malicious ICMP traffic in question from reaching the vulnerable FWSM.

See also:

[Editor] And now an update: 9 September – It seems there is a problem, and now a fix:

Cisco TCP stack vulnerable to DoS attacks – News – The H Security: News and features

9 September 2009, 12:52

Cisco TCP stack vulnerable to DoS attacks

Cisco has released a software update to fix a DoS vulnerability in a number of its products. An attacker can manipulate the state of an open TCP connection so that it never times out and remains connected indefinitely. According to Cisco, such connections hang in the FINWAIT1 state.

If an attacker can achieve this with a large number of connections, they will consume sufficient resources to prevent further connections to the system being established. A reboot is required to resolve the problem. Crashes may also occur.

Cisco IOS, IOS-XE, CatOS, ASA, PIX, NX-OS and Linksys products are all affected. Precise details of which systems are affected and which are not, can be found in the vendor’s own security advisory.

The problem is not new, but has been smouldering in the TCP stacks of a number of vendors for a while and is actually a bug in the TCP protocol itself. The problem was first reported by Robert E. Lee and Jack C. Louis from Outpost24 back in October. They used a special tool to demonstrate that a low bandwidth internet connection was able to knock a broadband server off the web. Vendors have been scrabbling around for a solution ever since.

Yesterday, Microsoft too released a patch to fix this problem. Checkpoint, Juniper and other vendors have also now reacted. The Finnish CERT has now finally released details of the problem and of the Sockstress tool used, and distributed to vendors, to test the issue.

Ingest

DVExpo – Pasadena Education Details

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The Digital Video Conference is produced by the editors of DV and Videography magazines and the Creative Planet Community sites. The conference offers tracks in postproduction, Web video, new HD cameras, content distribution, HD workflow, 3D production, using HD-capable DSLRs, editing, digital cinematography, lighting for HD, and career development.

Also offered will be RED Boot Camp session from the Los Angeles RED User Group, a digital camera “Super Session” profiling new units seen at NAB, and a series of lighting workshops.

Session topics include:

  • Postproduction Trends for 2009/2010
  • Building a Cost-Effective Editing Suite
  • Tapeless Media Post Workflows
  • Codecs, Encoding & Compression
  • HD DSLR Basics and Production
  • DVD Distribution
  • Introduction to Stereoscopic Production
  • New Camera Overview
  • Flavors of HD
  • Final Cut Pro Plug-Ins
  • iPhone Apps for Production
  • NLE Update
  • Growing Your Business
  • Top 10 Tips: Career Development

Additional conference and educational programs running alongside Digital Video Expo include Broadcast Symposium West and Apple Certified Training.

For complete event and registration information, please visit http://www.dvexpo.com.DVEExpo Logo

Video Processing

DVS@IBC; new workflows for RED™ & 3D

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CLIPSTER® generates digital deliverables in high-speed, enables conforming of RED™ files and provides complete camera parameter settings for adjustment at any time.

CLIPSTER® enters the third dimension: 3D projects as specified by DCI are easily processed with the DIworkstation. CLIPSTER® merges left eye and right eye image data together and creates a stereoscopic video track in the timeline that can be edited as regular video material. In addition, CLIPSTER® has the ability to create 3D DCPs in high speed.

Hans-Ulrich Weidenbruch, DVS CEO: “We transferred our longstanding expertise in post production to the requirements of cutting-edge broadcasting. VENICE, as presented at IBC, is a future-proof system, guaranteeing file based broadcast workflows with maximum flexibility. We look forward to presenting all of our advanced solutions at IBC.”

Tangential Art and Science

Patent Stop MS Word

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US court tells Microsoft to stop selling Word The patent infringement suit involves Microsoft’s use of XML.

By Stuart Turton, 12 Aug 2009 at 12:22

Microsoft has been ordered to stop selling Microsoft Word in the US, after finding itself on the wrong end of patent infringement suit.

The US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas sided with technology company i4i, which alleged that Microsoft had willfully infringed a patent relating to the creation of custom XML documents.

The software giant has been ordered to stop selling Microsoft Word – the cornerstone of its Office suite – in its current form within 60 days.

For a list of the fines that MS is ordered to pay, see the entire article at: US court tells Microsoft to stop selling Word | IT PRO

Integrator News

Cinedigm, Sageview, 75 million, 8%, 35% potential interest

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At the time of Sageview’s Guitar Center purchases, they made thestatement: Sageview aims to differentiate itself from other investmentfirms, promising neither to be a passive investor like a mutual fundnor an “activist” investor that puts pressure on management of publiccompanies. Messrs. Gilhuly and Stuart seek to take stakes valued atabout $100m in strong companies with stock-market values from $500m to$5bn and hold those stakes for several years.

In further news, another investment specialist, Adam M Mizel, previously on the board, will be joining the working staff of Cinedigm as the unexcitingly titled CFO and the excitingly titledChief Strategy Officer. According to the reporting services, Adam owns 2 million plus shares of Cinedigm stock, though somehow indirectly. (March 19, 2009 Statement of (indirect) Ownership)

There are some who say that business people shouldn’t be involved in running government and finance people shouldn’t run companies – that the philosophies are diametrically opposed – today’s business people are first tasked at looking out for the shareholders bottom line while governments are tasked with looking after the bottom line and Commons of ‘We the People’. Similarly, they say that finance people should focus on meeting the conservative needs of getting funding to the operational units in an efficient manner, while Strategic management should be focused upon turning dreams into fruition, damn the torpedoes.

Cinedigm though, has done all the logical things, but been trapped by the politics of competing studio and exhibitor needs and wants, which in turn has made all their strategy turn into a mere survival game. These latest moves, plus moves earlier this year that pushed off more immediate dept repayments by refinancing their GE dept again, give them a bit of a cleaner field to operate, hoping that the industry will pick up enough to tilt the momentum (defined as size of installed base times products they can sell to the installed base at a better return than movies, allowing the VPF returns to pay off debt.) Perhaps it is appropriate to have a finance person involved in strategy when the strategy has changed from Create to Survive…which is really the theme for the entire industry.

This author will be writing for more concise information to the contact on the bottom of the press releases (1),and (2) Mr. Adam Mizel. Hopefully some more data will also come during webcast’d conference call. Expect edits… Info below:

CONFERENCE CALL NOTIFICATION

Cinedigm will host a conference call to discuss its financial results at9:00 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, August 12, 2009. The conference can beaccessed by dialing 719.325.4851 at least five minutes before the start ofthe call. No passcode is required. The conference call will also bewebcast simultaneously and will be accessible via the web on Cinedigm’s Website, www.cinedigmcorp.com. A replay of the call will be available after1:30 p.m. Eastern at 719.457.0820 or 888.203.1112, passcode 8479698. Thereplay will be accessible through Wednesday, August 19th.

In the News

Multiple Adobe security holes closed

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All of the fixed vulnerabilities were critical, with most having the potential to allow an attacker to take over a user’s system.

Read the entire IT Pro story at: Multiple Adobe security holes closed | IT PRO – By Asavin Wattanajantra, 3 Aug 2009 at 11:22

Details of how to update the Adobe software can be found in its security bulletin here. Adobe is planning…

Adobe has had a very difficult time this year, with its popular Reader and Acrobat products suffering so many problems …

Cyber criminals see PDF-reading software as a good oppportunity …

…Like Tangents In Rain