RealD Cinema

RealD Cinema is a digital 3D stereoscopic projection technology which does not require two projectors, unlike some older 3D stereoscopic projection technology. A high-resolution digital projector using Texas Instruments' DLP Cinema technology is used.

Technology
The RealD 3-D system is based on the push-pull electro-optical modulator called the ZScreen invented by Lenny Lipton, an American inventor.

The technique that RealD uses is comparable to the traditional method of 3-D imaging which uses linearly polarized glasses. The traditional method works by projecting two differently linearly polarized images onto the same screen, polarized at +45° and -45° from the horizontal, which are then filtered by linearly polarized glasses worn by the audience. This type of 3-D imaging requires two projectors, and suffers from visible double-imaging if the head is tilted to the side which places the glasses at an inappropriate angle.

RealD however uses a single projector that alternately projects the right-eye frame and left-eye frame, and circularly polarizes these frames, clockwise for the right-eye and counterclockwise for the left-eye, using a liquid-crystal screen placed in front of the projector lens. Circularly polarized glasses make sure each eye sees only "its own" picture, even if the head is tilted. The very high framerate, which is 72 frames per second per eye, makes sure the image looks continuous. In RealD Cinema, each frame is projected three times to reduce flicker, as the source video is usually 24 frames per second. The result is a seamless 3-D picture that seems to extend behind and in front of the screen itself.

Films featured using Real D
The first film released using this format was 2005's Chicken Little. For this release, the computer-animated film was re-rendered in 3-D by Industrial Light and Magic and exhibited on RealD Cinema Systems using Dolby Digital Cinema servers.

The 3D version of Chicken Little has so far earned about 2.5 times as much per screen as the flat version. When the movie was first shown in 2005, fewer than 100 theaters around the US were equipped to show the movie in 3D. These statistics are difficult to correlate on their own given the many unknown factors involved.

Also, a stereoscopic 3D version of the film Monster House was released in approximately 200 theaters equipped for RealD Cinema. In October 2006 and again in October 2007 The Nightmare Before Christmas was re-released in this technique as well.

Meet the Robinsons was released March 30th, 2007, in both traditional "flat" and "3D" versions of the film. The film was converted to stereo by Digital Domain. Some estimate over 700 screens for the 3D release of the film. That would make this release the largest up to that date using the RealD system.

Beowulf, directed by Robert Zemeckis, released in November 2007 is another film that uses the RealD 3D technology. Beowulf opened on close to 900 RealD screens. RealD at that point had passed its stated milestone of 1,000 global RealD screens installed for the release of Beowulf.

Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds Concert was released on February 1st, 2008, and marks another in the Disney stable of 3D films. Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert was only shown on digital 3D screens, 97% of which are RealD 3D screens, and brought in $31 million in its opening weekend, virtually all of which was generated in RealD theaters. (Disney Digital 3D films do not exhibit in IMAX 3D theaters, which utilize an analog technology).

U2 3D, U2's concert film based on the Vertigo Tour, debuted in RealD in 2008. The film was exhibited in both IMAX 3D and RealD Cinema.

Future films
New Line Cinema and Walden Media's Journey to the Center of the Earth is set to be released in summer 2008 in both 3D and 2D, making it the first live-action film to be released in RealD 3D. On March 12, 2007, DreamWorks Animation announced that beginning with the spring 2009 release of Monsters vs. Aliens, all of their features will be released in theatres in 3D. On April 8, 2008, Disney/Pixar followed suit, announcing that from the November 11, 2008 release of Bolt, all Disney/Pixar animation features will be released in 3D. Other upcoming 3D releases in 2009 and beyond include Focus Features' Coraline, from the book by Neil Gaiman and directed by Henry Selick of Nightmare Before Christmas; 3D conversions of all Pixar's Toy Story films; Robert Zemeckis's A Christmas Carol; and Tim Burton-helmed versions of Alice in Wonderland and his original short Frankenweenie. One of the most eagerly awaited releases is James Cameron's Avatar, currently scheduled for December 18, 2009. Horrorween 2009 will also be filmed in RealD 3-D. 3-D legend Chris Condon, and Director Ed Meyer are set to remake The Stewardesses, the most successful 3D film in history, in RealD in 2009. Also, Dante's Inferno is expected to be released as an animation feature in 3D as well as a live action feature in 3D in 2009.

By Srivenkat Bulemoni, Filmmaking Techniques

Amazon Plans an Online Store for Movies and TV Shows

In a significant step toward vanquishing the local video store and keeping couch potatoes planted firmly in front of their televisions and computers, Amazon.com will introduce a new online store of TV shows and movies on Thursday, called “Amazon Video on Demand.”

Customers of Amazon’s new store will be able to start watching any of 40,000 movies and television programs immediately after ordering them because they stream, just like programs on a cable video-on-demand service. That is different from most Internet video stores, like Apple iTunes and the original incarnation of Amazon’s video store, which require users to download files to their hard drives.

“For the first time, this is drop dead simple,” said Bill Carr, Amazon’s vice president for digital media. “Our goal is to create an immersive experience where people can’t help but get caught up in how exciting it is to simply watch a movie right from Amazon.com with a click of the button.”

Amazon, which is based in Seattle, is also pursuing the technology and media world’s holy grail — an Internet pipeline to the TV. It has struck a deal with Sony Electronics to place its Internet video store on the Sony Bravia line of high-definition TVs. The video store will be accessible through the Sony Bravia Internet Video link, a $300 tower-shaped device that funnels Web video directly to Sony’s high-definition televisions. That is an awkward extra expense, for now. But future Bravias are expected to have this capability embedded in the television, making it even easier to gain access to the full catalog of past and present TV shows and movies, over the Internet, using a television remote control.

Mr. Carr said Amazon would pursue similar deals with other makers of TVs and Internet devices. “We can support both streaming and downloading,” he said. “Our goal is to continue to establish partnerships with all companies who have a connected device.”

Amazon Video on Demand will be accessible to a limited number of invited Amazon.com customers on Thursday before it opens more broadly to other users later this summer.

Films and TV shows from almost all the major studios and television networks are available for sale or rental to Amazon’s customers in the United States, at varying prices depending on the program and whether people buy or rent it. The lone holdouts are Walt Disney and ABC, which Disney owns. Both have close relations with Amazon’s digital rival, Apple.

Although Amazon does not release revenue numbers for its digital initiatives, its 10-month-old digital music store, Amazon MP3, is viewed favorably as a solid runner-up to iTunes from Apple. But it is far behind iTunes, which recently surpassed Wal-Mart Stores as the leading supplier of music in the United States.

Amazon Unbox, the company’s original download-only video store, was largely seen as a disappointment because it required customers to download special software to watch the programs they bought. The service also worked only on Windows PCs and TiVo set-top boxes. To make the new service more enticing, the first two minutes of all movies and TV shows will begin playing for users on Amazon.com immediately when they visit a title’s product page on the digital video store.

It will also let users buy a TV show or movie without actually downloading the video file to the PC’s hard drive. Amazon will store each customer’s selection in what it calls “Your Video Library.” Customers can then watch that show or movie whenever they return to Amazon, even if it is from a different computer or device, a solution that neatly gets around studio concerns about piracy.

“I can be at my office, purchase a movie, and then it will be available on my television at home,” said Robert Jacobs, a senior manager at Sony Electronics. “Creating this on-demand available-everywhere access to premium content is going to be very attractive to consumers.”

Amazon will have some formidable rivals if it hopes to dominate the emerging world of digital video. Apple, Microsoft, Google and Netflix are all looking to capture the coveted real estate in the living room as well. Apple has had the most success with video on its iTunes video store and its Apple TV set-top box. It recently added content from several movie studios and introduced video rentals to the service.

Amazon Video on Demand is not expected to generate significant profits for Amazon, which must pay large royalties to Hollywood studios and develop the costly technical infrastructure required to make the service operate reliably.

But Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive, may have another goal in mind. Establishing a foothold on televisions could be a way to let couch potatoes and television advertisers link up to the rest of Amazon’s online store with a click of the remote control.

“That is certainly a possibility for the future,” Mr. Carr said.

By Brad Stone, The New York Times

IMAX Signs International Joint Venture Deal with One of Japan's Largest Exhibitors

IMAX Corporation and Tokyu Recreation, the owner of 109 Cinemas (10 is "To" and 9 is "kyu"), one of Japan's largest exhibition chains, today announced a joint venture agreement to install up to four IMAX theatres in Japan. The agreement marks IMAX's second international joint venture deal, as the Company aligns itself with top exhibitors worldwide with its new IMAX Digital theatre system. To date, IMAX has signed contracts for more than 180 IMAX Digital theatre systems, with approximately 50 expected to be installed by the end of 2008.

The announcement follows a record-setting movie event in Japan, where 25,000 people, the largest IMAX audience ever for a single screening, enjoyed the Japanese premiere of Speed Racer: The IMAX Experience on June 29 at the Tokyo Dome. The Tokyo Dome, which is a traditional venue for concerts and sporting events, was converted into a huge IMAX theatre for the event.

Under the terms of the joint venture agreement, IMAX and Tokyu Recreation will share the cost and profitability of the new theatres. The first theatre is scheduled to be installed at the 109 Cinemas Kawasaki in the city of Kawasaki in November of this year, followed by another in early 2009 at the 109 Cinemas Shobu in the city of Shobu. Each theatre will be equipped with IMAX's new digital projection system. The third and fourth systems are subject to mutual agreement on sites, projected rates of return and certain other factors.

"IMAX's new digital theatre system offers us the best of both worlds - we can deliver an immersive cinematic experience that cannot be replicated at home or in a conventional theatre, and we can enjoy the economical and logistical benefits of a digital theatre system," said Hitoshi Sato, President of Tokyu Recreation. "Over the past four decades, people in Japan have recognized the IMAX brand as being synonymous with the world's most immersive cinematic experience, and we are excited to become a part of that prestigious recognition, as our locations transform into destinations for consumers who want to see Hollywood's biggest movies in the most powerful format."

"Exhibitor response to our IMAX Digital system has been extremely positive in North America and now we're starting to see increasing enthusiasm internationally," said IMAX's Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs, Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler. "Japan is an important market for IMAX, and we believe this partnership, combined with our new digital theatre system, will serve as a catalyst for further expansion into additional international commercial markets."

The highly anticipated IMAX Digital projection delivers The IMAX Experience and helps drive profitability for studios, exhibitors and IMAX theatres by eliminating the need for film prints, increasing program flexibility and ultimately increasing the number of movies shown on IMAX screens. IMAX Digital theatres will be capable of presenting Hollywood movies that have been digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with IMAX DMR technology in both IMAX and IMAX 3D, as well as original IMAX 3D documentary-style movies that are entertaining and educational.

The current IMAX film slate for the remainder of 2008, 2009 and 2010 includes:
   - The Dark Knight - Warner Bros. Pictures - July 18, 2008
   - Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa - DreamWorks Animation - November 7, 2008
   - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Warner Bros. Pictures - November 21, 2008
   - Under the Sea 3D - Warner Bros. Pictures - February, 2009
   - Monsters vs. Aliens 3D - DreamWorks Animation - March, 2009
   - Hubble 3D (working title) - Warner Bros. Pictures - February, 2010
   - How to Train Your Dragon 3D - DreamWorks Animation - March, 2010
   - Shrek Goes Fourth 3D - DreamWorks Animation - May, 2010

Source: DCinemaToday

Cinepolis and RealD 3D Announce Exclusive Digital 3D Partnership

Morelia and Santa Fe, Mexico- based Cinepolis, Inc, the world's fifth largest cinema exhibitor, and RealD 3D, the global leader in 3D, announced today that Cinepolis will add 500 RealD 3D screens to its circuit.

The rollout of these 500 RealD 3D screens has already begun with six new screens installed for the release of Journey to the Center of the Earth, and will continue through 2010. The partnership makes RealD the exclusive choice of Cinepolis for digital 3D and creates a strong platform in the market for the upcoming slate of over thirty major studio 3D releases in 2009 and 2010.

"We are in the midst of a defining moment in movie going history," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation. "This massive expansion of screens into the critical markets of Central and South America is a giant leap forward for Cinepolis, RealD and all content creators who are committed to the worldwide deployment of digital 3D."

RealD's next-generation 3D experience has garnered over 90% of the global market for 3D cinema, with RealD 3D theaters in 25 countries with over 70 exhibition partners. Cinepolis, with theaters in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, and Colombia, welcomed 91 million moviegoers through the doors of its theaters in 2007.

Source: DCinemaToday

LiveNation Now Uses the Newly Developed Concert Registration System from Sceneware

Sceneware successfully developed the technology for concert registrations in both HD and SD formats. The first version of the full system that allows for monitoring and control of 80+ venues around the world is now fully operational.

Every venue takes as input as many as six DVCpro 100 cameras and stores this data on a single computer. A directors cut is at the same time streamed live in various formats over the internet and to mobiles. This is the most advanced concert registration software on the market today. This project was ordered by LiveNation, in order to streamline their concert registrations and make them much more reliable.

Challenge
Create a setup to store, monitor, control and broadcast live concerts from 80+ venues around the world from LiveNation head-quarters in LA.

Demands for HD-recording in a single computer:
   - Record six DVCPro 100 camera-streams to hard-disk simultaneously.
   - Record timecode stream.
   - Record directors cut (camera selection) and create edit-files for Final Cut Pro with above DV-streams.
   - Monitor and be able to handle: wrong camera settings, camera failures, hard-disk problems, network problems, system failures, and more.
   - Reduce the time from concert to content on DVD by at least a quarter.
   - Make the system 100% reliable.

Demands for SD-recording and broadcasting in a single computer:
   - Broadcast and record the live concert in H264, MP4, Flash and Windows Media. Both for mobile and for internet.
   - Automatically switch audio channels if audio accidently drops on one line.
   - Monitor and be able to handle: hard-disk problems, network problems, bitrates, system failures, and more.
   - Local monitoring and intervention for both SD and HD with a touchscreen driven GUI in case the internet-connection to LiveNation head-quarters is lost.
   - And again: make the system 100% reliable

Sceneware's workflow for LiveNation
A comprehensive website controls and monitors all venues, the network operations center (NOC). In one overview the status of every venue, SD and HD combined, is presented by green, orange and red buttons for video, audio, network, temperature and timecode. Recording in a venue can be started and stopped with a single click. Every stream in a venue can be controlled and monitored independently (see screenshot in above picture). Video tracks in both SD and HD can be visually monitored with refreshing JPEG images and small WAV samples for audio. Textual feedback and logs allow for quick trouble-shooting. The NOC is also used to create and edit streams using presets or from scratch and you can schedule shows for automatic loading and recording. The latter to auto-start even if the network connection from the venue to the NOC is down.

The HD-system goes without interface, but the SD-system has an intuitive touch-screen interface that allows all the monitoring and control features present in the NOC for both systems. This way, people at site can quickly, independently from the NOC, notice problems and have enough info to solve them quickly. Recording of both the SD- and HD-systems can be controlled as well. VU-meters for audio and (fullscreen) video for all input channels make the system complete.

Technology
Both the HD and SD system use SceneChange as technological basis. Its SOAP interface allows for easy connection between the two systems and the monitoring and control website developed in Ruby on Rails. The outstanding performance of SceneChange allow both the HD and SD system to handle more simultaneous streams reliably; limiting the total setup to two computers only.

Product
The system is in operation since December 2007 and has been recording and broadcasting many concerts already. It has proven to be reliable and has met all demands. With our hardware partner we can offer complete systems for sale or we can sell the software separately. Please send your enquiry and wishes to sales@sceneware.nl and we will provide you with all the details.

About Sceneware
Sceneware is a world-leading MPEG-4 encoding specialist. The company provides a suite of competitively-priced verification, manipulation and streaming solutions for mobile and Internet-focused video content providers, backed up with exceptional levels of support, experience and advice. Owned and run by its founders since 1992. Sceneware works with service providers, broadcasters, content owners and OEMs including Vodafone, Orange, KPN, Universal, Tandberg, Motorola, Siemens, TDK and Philips.

CNC Funding Goes to Occho

The first in a series of subsidies for 3-D film production in France was announced Tuesday by the Centre National de la Cinematographie, Gaul's government-backed film and TV funder.

It will give up to €60,000 ($95,000) to TeamTO Studio for its animated feature Occho kochoi. Pic tells the story of Occho, a bird who by chance is entrusted with the secrets needed to guide his flock on its annual migration to Africa. Tale is penned by Antoine Barraud, with character design by Benjamin Renner.

The CNC plans to bestow three more grants for 3-D pics this year. The money is meant to underwrite the technological developments necessary for 3-D production.

The CNC is also supporting research into active glasses, widely used in French 3-D theaters. In the fall it will convene a working group on 3-D cinema, comprising filmmakers, producers, distributors, theater owners and the technology industries.

By Ian Mundell, Variety

"In Their Own Words": Political Videos Meet Google Speech-to-Text Technology

The Google speech team (part of Google Research) is launching the Google Elections Video Search gadget, our modest contribution to the electoral process. With the help of our speech recognition technologies, videos from YouTube's Politicians channels are automatically transcribed from speech to text and indexed. Using the gadget you can search not only the titles and descriptions of the videos, but also their spoken content. Additionally, since speech recognition tells us exactly when words are spoken in the video, you can jump right to the most relevant parts of the videos you find.

Google Elections Video Search Gadget
The gadget only searches videos uploaded to YouTube's Politicians channels, which include videos from Senator Obama's and Senator McCain's campaigns, as well as those from dozens of other candidates and politicians. It usually takes less than a few hours for a video to appear in the index after it has been published on YouTube. Candidates can control the videos that appear in the gadget by managing the content they upload to YouTube. While some of the transcript snippets you see may not be 100% accurate, we hope that you'll find the product useful for most purposes. Speech recognition is a difficult problem that hasn't yet been completely solved, but we're constantly working to refine our algorithms and improve the accuracy and relevance of these transcribed results.

By Arnaud Sahuguet and Ari Bezman, The Official Google Blog

Meatballs in Forecast for Sony Animation

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs will be Sony Picture Animation's first stereoscopic 3-D digital release. The company behind Open Season (which had a 3-D Imax film-based release) and Surf's Up has set a Jan. 15, 2010, release date.

"Food falling from the sky lends itself so well to 3-D," said Bob Osher, president of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Digital Production division.

Sony Pictures Imageworks' animation and 3-D process (Beowulf) will be used. In release news, Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania -- which had been slated for Sept. 25, 2009 -- has not announced a new release date.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Japanese Team Developing Palm-held 3D Display

Researchers in Japan are developing a gadget that could enable people to hold a three-dimensional image of someone in the palm of their hand. They hope the gCubik, which is still at the prototype stage, will later be developed to move in real time and appear to speak.

gCubik
"The ultimate image we have in mind is having a small person in your palm," said Shunsuke Yoshida, one of the researchers involved in the study at Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology.

"Suppose you have a picture of your girlfriend smiling on your desk. She could be smiling as a 3D image in a cube," he told AFP at a recent gathering of imaging researchers here. Grandparents could use the device -- which comes in a 10 centimetre (3.9 inches) cube -- to see a 3D image of their grandchild living far away, while business people could view a prototype product from afar and school teachers could use it in science classes, he said. At the moment the device has a still image but efforts are underway to make it move in real time, Yoshida said.

The panels have many tiny lenses on liquid crystal displays. Unlike conventional 3D displays, which are viewed only from the front, the gCubik can be seen from three sides, giving different images from various angles. And unlike conventional 3D users will not need glasses to see the benefit. Yoshida said the team hopes to put the technology to practical use within about three years by improving picture quality, getting rid of cords now attached to the cube and allowing viewing from all six sides of the box. The team also wants to give vocal sounds to the 3D image in the future, making it appear as if the person in the cube is speaking.

Source: Physorg

Area Firm Pioneers 3-D Advertising

Floating above a retail display in an Oregon supermarket, the image of the Coke can looks realistic enough to grab. But it's only a hologram: a full-color, high-resolution image created by Provision Interactive Technologies, the Chatsworth-based company that is pioneering the use of 3-D videos and images for commercial advertising.

"A marketing genius came up with the name 3DEO," said Provision Chief Executive Officer Curt Thornton. "Back in the early-1900s, there was audio. In the 1970s and '80s, we have video. In 2000, we have 3DEO."

Among Provision's latest products is the 3DEO Media Center or kiosk. Kiosks - each projecting the image of a floating soda can - are being installed at 29 Fred Meyer Stores in Portland, Ore.

"What's new and different is that, thanks to 3DEO's proprietary technology, your product will be floating in space and rotating in the third dimension. The effect is compelling and traffic-stopping," said Lynn Gust, executive vice president of merchandising and advertising for Fred Meyer Stores.

"Besides the 3-D display, the 3DEO unit also has a user interface and can dispense coupons."

Thornton said the 3DEO units will be installed this summer at 47 independent Hispanic markets in Southern California. With market research showing that 70percent of purchasing decisions are made in-store, the high-tech kiosks are designed to influence impulse buyers.

"Most Hispanic consumers don't shop by themselves. They go with their family, so if they have a child, automatically he is a buyer, too," said Ben Remez, president of Clear TV Inc., which is working with Provision on the new kiosks.
Provision started in 2001 as a hardware company that sold products like black boxes and displays. It expanded in 2006 to digital media and now has a dozen employees.

Although Provision has implemented 3DEO technology for retail advertising - its clients include Adidas, Kodak, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Disney, and Johnson & Johnson - Thornton said it could be adapted for education and other uses.

"It can be used for a medical X-ray or body scan in 3-D, government homeland security and flight avionics. People who fly in 3-D space need 3-D displays."

Thornton said his company's technology works for video games and could someday be adapted for television. There also are plans to bring three-dimensional technology to the automotive industry. Daihatsu, a subsidiary of Toyota, hired Provision last year to create a holographic dashboard that presents 3-D warnings and vehicle notifications.

"The Tokyo Motor Show launched the concept car, and it was the hit of show," Thornton said.

But Thornton cautioned that it will be years before Provision can launch its technology in forms other than kiosks.

"The American market doesn't adopt technology as quickly as the foreign market. It is less of a risk taker and wants to see the product proved," Thornton said.

By Melissa Lambarena, DailyNews Los Angeles

MovieBeam's Crazy Story Continues: Bought By India's Valuable Group

The MovieBeam box just added a tenth life: The Indian tech-media group Valuable Group has bought out the assets of online and set-top box service MovieBeam. The acquisition includes all assets, including trademarks and intellectual property rights which its past suitors, including Disney, Intel and Cisco amongst others, reportedly spent $200 million in creating over the years.

And we all thought MovieBeam would finally be buried with Movie Gallery bankruptcy...it was sold out of bankruptcy to Dar Capital Limited at a $2.25 million price tag, just two months ago. MG bought the company for less than $10 million early last year, and operated the movie delivery service for a while before shutting it down in December. MovieBeam receives the content over the air with an antenna connected to a set-top box. A brief history of the various re-incarnations of MovieBeam is here.

MovieBeam had about 1,800 subscribers at the time it was shut down. Valuable says it has ear-marked an investment of $100 million over the next two years for the re-launch of the service (slated to launch at the end of 2008) in North America, UK and other markets. It will launch the service by the end of 2008 in three markets.

Besides integration options with Valuable's digital cinema unit, UFO Moviez, Valuable also has it's own proprietary satellite based set-top box solution, titled BOX Networks, where the tech integration will happen. This also gives UFO Moviez the ability to simultaneously release movies for both the theatrical as well as a VOD platform.

By Rafat Ali, The Washington Post

Manzanita Systems Announces MP2TSMM 5.0

Manzanita Systems has announced MP2TSMM 5.0, a major upgrade to its MPEG-2 Transport Stream Multiplexer for Multiple Programs software. The latest release of the multiplexer includes expanded audio elementary stream support, an improved demultiplexer utility, the MBatch scripting utility, enhanced remultiplexing, and Microsoft Windows Vista operating system support.

MP2TSMM continues to be a popular offline multiplexer because of its solid feature set and its reliable multiplexing core technology. It utilizes the robust multiplexer engine to produce professional-grade, single-program or multiple-program transport stream files. The software multiplexer supports MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video stream formats. It also multiplexes the following audio formats: MPEG, DTS, Dolby AC-3, Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3), AAC, and the newest addition, HE-AAC v1 and v2. Default multiplexing configurations for compliance with the CableLabs VOD SD and HD Content Specification are now included.

In addition to supporting HE-AAC v1 and v2 elementary streams formats, MP2TSMM further improves the support of several other audio formats. The multiplexer now accepts low sampling rates for MPEG audio layers 1, 2, and 3. Support for multiple sub-streams and small block frames in Dolby Digital Plus audio elementary streams has been added.

The demultiplexer utility is now capable of demultiplexing MP4 wrapped files. MP4 is a container format that can envelop a video and audio elementary stream. The demultiplexer strips off the MP4 wrapper and saves the audio and video streams as separate files on your hard drive. The demultiplexer now supports packet sizes greater than 188 bytes.

The scripting utility, MBatch, now ships with MP2TSMM. MBatch offers an easy way to automate a batch process for multiplexing several assets in sequenc. Alternatively, MBatch can designate a "watch" folder and have MP2TSMM dynamically multiplex files that are added to the folder.

The remultiplexing function now supports the drag and drop of an input transport stream file directly onto the GUI. The software recognizes the file as a multiplexed transport stream and automatically configures MP2TSMM accordingly. Elementary stream descriptors that are present in the input transport stream are conveniently passed-through to the output file. Program and system streams can be remultiplexed by utilizing the same drag and drop process.

MP2TSMM 5.0 is available for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Apple Mac OS. MP2TSMM is sold directly through Manzanita Systems for the list price of $3,500 (US). Owners of previous versions of MP2TSMM may call Manzanita Systems for upgrade pricing.

Source: BroadcastBuyer

Radiohead's New Video: No Cameras, No Lights, Just Data

A few weeks ago we heard about a project Radiohead was working on. The band was making a new video, but they weren't using any cameras, just lasers and data. As you might imagine, we were intrigued.

The song is called “House of Cards,” from Radiohead’s recent “In Rainbows” album. In this new video, there were no cameras on set. Instead, two scanning technologies were used to capture 3D images. Geometric Informatics scanning systems produced structured light to capture 3D images at close proximity, while a Velodyne LIDAR system that uses multiple lasers was used to capture large environments such as landscapes. In the video, 64 lasers rotating and shooting in a 360 degree radius 900 times per minute produced all the exterior scenes.

Click to watch the video
Whether you're a music fan or a developer (or both), we agreed with the band that it would be great to give you a deeper look into how all of this was done, and even a chance to play with the data yourself, under a license that allows remixing. You can view the video, watch a short documentary about how it was made, interact with the video in 3D, download some of the data, and download an iGoogle theme and gadget - all here.


Making Of “House of Cards”
By Ola Rosling, The Official Google Blog

REDrushes

RED has recently released a new application that appears as part of the RED Alert install on the Macintosh computer (RED Alert isn’t available for PCs). It’s called REDrushes and it is especially useful because you can use it to batch render self-contained Quicktime files from raw RED .R3D files for your edit. Yes, you technically “can” edit from the proxy Quicktime reference files created by the camera but for anything more than basic single stream cuts you will want self-contained files.

You can render them out in any number of codecs (Avid DNxHD support is coming according to this thread on reduser.net), as well as TIFF or DPX sequences. You can also crop and scale the files upon encoding, choose which of the recorded timecode tracks to use as well as choose how to utilize the metadata and color corrections made with RED Alert.

REDrushes
To me this is they type of tool that we as offline editors have been waiting for RED to provide as it will be a vital piece of the post-production puzzle. Sure it’s possible to not use REDrushes (as we haven’t had it for the months before now) and achieve a similar result but it is that simple concept of batching usable footage directly from .R3D files that just make the whole post process easier. Let’s hope it works well and it is updated with bug fixes and more functionality as time passes.

By Scott Simmons, StudioDaily

3-D Movie in the Top 5 at Weekend Box Office

Journey to the Center of the Earth — promoted as the first live-action feature shot in a new digital 3-D process — sold a modest $20.6 million in tickets at North American theaters over the weekend, placing third among the five highest-grossing films for the period.

During a weekend of intense competition that included Hellboy II reaching No. 1 and an Eddie Murphy film that couldn’t crack the top five, the estimated total for Journey was diminished by a shortage of movie theaters capable of screening the movie in its intended 3-D format. The producers had hoped there would be a minimum of about 1,400 auditoriums with the technology. But theater owners have moved more slowly than expected to install the expensive system. By Friday, when Journey to the Center of the Earth opened, there were only 954 screens.

As a result, New Line, the recently slimmed-down branch of Time Warner that released the $54 million picture, had to scramble to tweak the marketing for the film — going so far as to drop “3D” from the title — and implement a standard two-dimensional release in tandem. That may have confused moviegoers.

Still, there were hints buried deeper in the box-office returns suggesting that 3-D is well on its way to becoming a force at multiplexes. Auditoriums screening the movie in 3-D sold more than three times as many tickets as those showing the standard version. About 57 percent of the total gross for Journey to the Center of the Earth, based on the classic Jules Verne tale, came from 3-D screenings.

In comparison, 3-D screenings of Beowulf, the computer-generated picture that opened last November, generated just 28 percent of its opening-weekend gross. (Beowulf was available in 3-D on slightly fewer screens.)

Michael V. Lewis, the chairman of RealD, the company behind the technology used in the film, said he was “ecstatic” about the public’s response. “This demonstrates the power of 3-D and we are going to continue to roll out the technology on a global scale as quickly as possible,” he said.

Elsewhere at the multiplex, Hellboy II: Golden Army, starring a comic-book demon and released by Universal Pictures, opened in the No. 1 slot, selling about $35.9 million in tickets, according to Media by Numbers, a box-office tracking company.

The opening for this $85 million movie significantly outperformed its 2004 predecessor, creating a potential franchise for Universal. Its success is a validation for the studio, which chose to continue with the character after Sony Pictures, which distributed the first movie, passed.

Hancock, starring Will Smith as a misanthropic superhero, was a close No. 2 with an estimated $33 million in sales. This Sony title, which cost about $150 million to produce, excluding marketing costs, has sold about $165 million in tickets in North America during its first two weeks in release; the worldwide tally is $345 million.

Journey to the Center of the Earth, which stars Brendon Fraser, was followed, in fourth position, by the animated Wall-E from the Walt Disney Company ($18.5 million for a new domestic total of $162.8 million). Wall-E has not opened on a wide scale internationally.

Wanted, a Universal movie starring Angelina Jolie as a superhero assassin, rounded out the Top 5 ($11.6 million for a new domestic total of $112 million and a worldwide $176 million). Notable for a dismal opening over the weekend was the most recent offering from Eddie Murphy, Meet Dave, which cost about $60 million to produce and is distributed by 20th Century Fox; it sold about $5.3 million in tickets, only enough for seventh place.

Source: The New York Times

JVC Introduces Free Monitor Calibration Software for its HD DT-V Series Monitors

All JVC professional studio monitors are shipped from the JVC factory in Japan and are precisely calibrated at 6500K and 2.2 gamma correction. Manual adjustments include a unique backlight adjustment, and when combined with very high native contrast ratio, enable close matching of black levels to reference CRT monitors for critical viewing and color matching applications.

JVC released free monitor calibration software for their video monitors. The software is compatible with X-Rite and Minolta color probes (purchased separately) and allows the user to re-calibrate DT-V series professional monitors to custom luminance levels, color temperature and gamma curves. Monitor calibration can be saved and re-applied to groups of monitors to achieve uniform color reproduction throughout the entire studio facility. Multiple color profiles including factory calibration settings can be saved and re-applied if required.

JVC's free Monitor Calibration Software is available to registered DT-V Series monitor customers at http://pro.jvc.com/calibrate

Source: Digital Production Buzz

QuickTip: Importing XDCAM EX Media into Avid Media Composer 3.0 for the Mac

For those working on the Mac version of Avid’s Media Composer 3.0 with XDCAM EX footage shot with Sony’s new PMW-EX1 camera, there is an issue with importing that you should be aware of. This video Quick Tip will walk you through it.
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Source: HDFilmtools

Higher Definition: 3-D

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Source: ABC News

US Cinema Pins Hopes on 3D

Hollywood is hoping 3D films such as Journey to the Centre of the Earth will draw movie lovers back to theatres as home cinema systems grow in popularity.
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John Fithian Fires Back at Warner Bros.

Is exhibition or distribution to blame for the slow rollout of digital 3-D cinema?

Addressing the opening today of Journey to the Center of the Earth, Warner Bros. domestic distribution president Dan Fellman said Thursday that "3-D is the future, so why is exhibition dragging its feet? I'm pleased Journey will be the biggest digital 3-D release to date. But it is disconcerting that since November, the 3-D screen count has only gone up from 660 (for Beowulf) to 854 noncompetitive locations for Journey."

John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, immediately responded, saying, "It is particularly ironic and frustrating that a senior executive from Warner Bros. would accuse exhibition of 'dragging its feet' on 3-D when Warners has been the absolutely slowest of all major studios to come to the table with support for the d-cinema rollout. If Warners believes there are an insufficient number of 3-D screens in the marketplace today, they have no one to blame but themselves, and they know it."

Numerous digital-cinema deals remain at an impasse over virtual print fees, under which studios agree to contribute a fee per screen, per movie to offset exhibitors' installation costs.

Digital Cinema Integration Partners -- a joint venture owned by AMC, Cinemark and Regal -- is negotiating a key VPF deal. Although many expected it to be completed earlier this year, negotiations have dragged on, with Warners one of the studios that has not yet reached an agreement.

Separately, Access Integrated Technologies -- which handles the majority of digital installations in North America -- has struck Phase 2 deals with Disney, Fox, Paramount and Universal. Warners and Sony are still in negotiations.

Warners has, however, struck an international deal with deployer XDC in European markets.

"Warner Bros. has released more films digitally than any other studio, without question," Fellman responded. "Our discussion is with exhibition, circuit by circuit, and John has never attended one business session at which any Warner exec was present. ... We are continuing to serve every digital theater that request a (digital) print. We stand by our record."

Fithian added: "Exhibition stands ready to provide our patrons in the U.S. and around the world with wider access to exciting 3-D technologies as soon as all of our partners in distribution come to agreement on the level of support they will provide for the underlying costly digital cinema infrastructure. You cannot have 3-D without d-cinema. And we cannot have digital cinema by 'negotiating' through the media."

Beyond Journey, the next digital 3-D release is Summit Entertainment's Fly Me to the Moon, which is scheduled to open Aug. 8. Summit co-chairman and CEO Rob Friedman said he anticipates the 3-D digital screen count for the release to fall within 900-1,100 screens. He said that with the additional screens that will be deployed in the coming weeks, Summit will have the count it expected.

Later this year, Disney plans to open 3-D titles Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas and Bolt and possibly a 3-D Jonas Brothers concert film, which is slated to be lensed in the coming weeks, though a release date has not yet been announced. Focus Features' 3-D stop motion feature Coraline is also expected to open by year's end, as is Stage 6 Films' The Dark Country. At least 10 3-D titles are planned for 2009 release, including DreamWorks Animation's Monsters vs. Aliens and James Cameron's Avatar.

There are nearly 5,000 digital cinema screens-- including just over 1,000 with 3-D capabilities -- currently installed in North America, out of a total of nearly 39,000.

By Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter