Yahoo! and VEVO presented Digital Content NewFront events yesterday in New York City, each announcing original programming scheduled for the coming year.
Katie Couric will host her own ABC News show on Yahoo! called “Katie’s Take,” a weekly online-only series debuting May 1 that will have its own page dedicated to the program. This will be one of several shows on Yahoo! that will be offered to ad buyers to get them to spend TV ad dollars on digital. The launch sponsor will be Nestle’s Poland Spring Natural Water.
Yahoo! also announced: “Electric City,” an animated sci-fi series produced by Tom Hanks; “Cybergeddon,” a feature length film to be released in segments, written and directed by Anthony Zuiker; a talk show hosted by Jeff Goldblum and produced by Yahoo! Studios; “Stunt Nation,” a weekly five-minute show; and “KaBOOM!” a three-minute show featuring “ridiculously fun objects getting blown to smithereens.”
Primarily known for music videos, VEVO announced six new series, including: a singing competition program, a scripted musical comedy series, a dating show, a comedy series about album covers, a show that searches the country for talented female musicians, and a show detailing the music culture of specific cities.
Higher frame rates have been the talk of CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week where notable filmmakers have been discussing the shift to 3D production for more than just “the right kind of movies.”
“Right now, we still need an excuse to watch 3D. Someday we won’t need those excuses,” suggested Ang Lee who was joined onstage by Martin Scorsese. “I just think you have to accept it as a part of storytelling,” added Scorsese.
The two directors “took the unequivocal position that very soon, 3D will be the standard not just for the ‘right’ films but for all films. Scorsese, Lee and Baz Luhrmann are among filmmakers taking the format beyond tentpole fare. Luhrmann’s 3D footage from ‘The Great Gatsby’ was warmly received at the confab, even without the benefit of color correction or vfx,” reports Variety.
Scorsese pointed out that depth was one of early filmmakers’ pursuits, and that technology has finally reached the point of achieving that dream. Scorsese’s team on “Hugo” screened Alfred Hitchcock’s 3D thriller “Dial M for Murder” for inspiration. “It was this whole other approach to something that was not a horror genre, that was literally a stage play in 3D,” he said. “I decided I wanted to go more that way (with ‘Hugo’).”
Directors such as Peter Jackson and James Cameron have been touting higher frame rates, the next cinematic innovation that has taken center stage at this year’s convention.
“Scorsese said he did not see the 48 frames-per-second demonstration of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ that divided viewers at Caesars — but he defended it sight unseen, comparing it to the change from nitrate to regular black-and-white film — another cinematic evolution that was initially controversial,” reports Variety.
Samsung has announced three new compact cameras with Wi-Fi connectivity for instant photo sharing. The NX series offers the first compact system to feature Wi-Fi connectivity.
“Each new NX has a Samsung-developed 20.3 megapixel CMOS sensor, with the ability to record 1080p high definition video, plus they’re all compatible with the NX range of accessories, including lenses and flash units,” reports Digital Trends.
Once connected to a Wi-Fi network, photos can be shared via social networks and email, or uploaded to a cloud storage service.
“Samsung’s selection of ten Smart Filters may sound small in comparison to mobile applications like the iPhone’s Camera+, but all the old favorites are here, including a retro, vignette, old-style film and even a cartoon filter,” explains the post. “If you’re using a Samsung smartphone to provide a Wi-Fi Hotspot, there’s also the option to use the phone as a remote viewfinder too.”
The new Samsung series includes the $699 NX1000, the $899 NX210, and $1,100 NX20. All three cameras will be available in May.
Apple is making a push for smartphone business users by launching a new page on its site for iPhone’s use in the enterprise market.
“The info-packed page shows how the iPhone is used in the business setting to organize days, manage projects, setup meetings, read mail, set calendar appointments, keep contacts organized, and more,” reports 9to5Mac.
The company is highlighting related apps available in the App Store including MicroStrategy, OmniFocus, GoToMeeting, and TripIt. Another Apple page highlights businesses using the iPhone, including Lowe’s, GE and Gap Adventures.
Over the last year, Apple has been working to better compete with Microsoft and RIM in the enterprise space.
“At the end of the day, I think more and more businesses are starting to realize where they need to put their money,” comments the post. “Apple’s new page should help IT heads to choose the products from Cupertino, rather than the plastic phones from up north.”
Sony announced on Friday that it will launch “PlayMemories Online” this week, a photo and video sharing service that will offer 5GB of free storage.
“The service will allow users to upload photos and videos taken with Sony cameras, using its ‘PlayMemories Home’ software for Windows and Macintosh,” reports PC World. “Photos can also be uploaded from smartphones and tablets using an Android app that will be available from the Google Play store.”
The service is part of Sony’s efforts to link its products online, similar to how Apple allows sharing via its iCloud service. Other companies such as Samsung will also be rolling out cloud platforms.
Sony is developing other online offerings as well. “It has grouped many of its online music, movies, and games into its Sony Entertainment Network, and is developing a PlayStation platform that will expand the brand beyond Sony-made consoles, on approved devices made by other hardware manufacturers,” according to the post.
At Upfronts 2012 last week, Hulu announced to potential advertisers that it plans to produce four new original Web-based programs.
“Original television content made for the Web is a new market, with several technology powerhouses at the helm including Hulu, Yahoo and YouTube,” reports Digital Trends. “All three companies hope to capture the elusive mainstream audience, but we’re inclined to place our bets on Hulu after the announcement of its new line-up of Web-based shows.”
Hulu’s initial jump into original programming included the critically acclaimed “League of Extraordinary Dancers” and “The Confession” starring Kiefer Sutherland. New programs will feature the likes of Danny Leiner, Seth Meyers and Adrian Grenier.
Hulu says it will be investing $500 million in licensing content and producing original programs.
“Between original Netflix renewing shows like ‘Lillyhammer,’ YouTube’s original content channels, and now Hulu, competition among Web-based services to offer original programming is just beginning to heat up,” suggests the article.
Avid Technology announced at NAB that it will be providing the “most comprehensive system in the history of NBC Olympics” for the network’s upcoming coverage of the summer games.
“Marking NBC’s Olympics division’s and Avid’s sixth consecutive Summer or Winter Games working together, the effort centers on Avid Interplay Media Asset Management (MAM) system,” writes Carolyn Giardina for The Hollywood Reporter.
“Installed as part of a system that includes technology from third party vendors Sony and Harmonic, the Interplay MAM will be used to create two simultaneous feeds for use in London and at NBC Olympics in New York, according to Avid,” explains the article.
London’s International Broadcast Center will be outfitted with Avid Symphony and Media Composer editing systems that will be connected to ISIS shared storage and Interplay.
The Future of Broadcast Television Initiative (FoBTV) launched at the NAB Show last week with 13 international broadcast and engineering groups.
The goal is to create a global standard for digital broadcast TV, one that will enable future services such as ultra high-definition television, 3D, and mobile and Internet services.
“The challenges of a global specification may seem daunting, but the benefits of achieving such a goal are enormous,” said Phil Laven, chairman of the Digital Video Broadcasting Project in Switzerland.
The world standard is intended to replace current incompatible digital standards including ATSC in North America, DVB-T and DVB-T2 in Europe, and others.
“Over the years multiple standards around the world have cost the industry and consumer billions in any currency,” said Lavin. “Consumers now expect that their portable devices will be able to receive TV signals anywhere in the world. Thus, a single global standard is becoming essential.”
FoBTV does not plan to write the standard on its own, but hopes to work with standards-setting organizations around the world, including the Advanced Television Systems Committee in the U.S.
Social media innovation for TV was making inroads at NAB last week, but the interest in integration is even greater, according to Sam Decker, CEO of Mass Relevance.
“There are so many technology providers here, and the interest in social TV is disproportionate to the innovation,” he said during the show. “It’s such a small part of all the real estate and discussions that are happening.”
Decker notes that the tech crowd is “beginning to react to demands from producers who want more social functionality in the production process,” reports Lost Remote.
The comments suggest that social media may be where the Internet was in the late 1990s regarding TV, writes Cory Bergman in the post, adding that now “we can feel the beginning of a shift to infuse social in just about every TV production product.”
The article cites some interesting innovation in this space, including the new Engage platform from TV graphics firm Chyron, a social media prompter for TV talent from Never.no, automatic content recognition (ACR) solutions from Audible Magic and Civolution, and more.
Om Malik, writing for GigaOM, suggests that physical media is dead: “It is being replaced with ‘apps’ thanks to broadband connectivity and anywhere computing that has come to us via smartphones, tablets and other connected devices.”
“From music playlists to catalogs to retail stores to television — it wouldn’t surprise me if everything is an app in short order,” he adds. “And that future is scary and yet full of opportunities.”
Malik cites the migration from CDs to streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify and download options including iTunes and Amazon. He notes the growing popularity of e-books and options such as Netflix and Hulu for movies and television.
“The unifying fabric behind all these new behaviors is broadband. For the longest time, physical media was the container that moved content. Records became compact discs. Movie film became VHS tapes and then DVD. Books didn’t really change. And neither did newspapers and magazines. They are all mere containers,” he explains.
“In the post-broadband world, Internet is the truck, and app stores are the newsstand and book store. Result: the slow and steady decay of physical media as a container for content,” says Malik, adding that the subsequent impact will be immense, despite the fact that we are still thinking in terms of the old containers.
He suggests the upheaval has already begun and illustrates his point with examples including the impact on the U.S. Postal Service, commercial printers and traditional advertising models.
T3 Motion at NAB this week announced the launch of two new trailer systems designed specifically for film production.
The T3MT and T41 systems eliminate the need for tracks during shooting. The camera attaches to the vehicle rather than the camera operator.
The battery-powered vehicles go forward and reverse and include a cameraman seat, Steadicam and Glidecam mounting posts, and 7-inch HD monitor.
“Few products on the market facilitate tracking camerawork from 0-15 miles per hour — tracking shots at low speeds can be arduous and difficult to manage. Our T3 Motion broadcasting products provide a tracking platform that allow for a uniquely clean and efficient production process, facilitating tracking shots without operator fatigue,” stated T3 Motion CTO Ki Nam in a press release.
The T3MT and T41 Trailer packages start at $10,000.
At the NAB Show in Las Vegas this week, Adobe demonstrated its new version of Creative Suite 6 (CS6).
Pricing has not been announced, and the company was vague about the release date, other than to say it would be ready during the first half of 2012.
The suite includes Premiere Pro video editor, After Effects motion graphics effect generator, Photoshop image editor, Audition sound editor and mixer, and additional tools for disc authoring, media encoding, script development, production scheduling, color grading and more.
“The biggest updates to existing apps come to Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Photoshop,” reports PCMag. “CS6 Premiere Pro gets a redesigned and simplified user interface, with large view for the source and preview video at top left and right. The interface is still highly customizable, and you can even switch back to its previous layout and add and remove buttons to taste.”
“Clips can now be skimmed through with the cursor, a la Apple’s iMovie, and you can mark rough in and out edits right in the clip thumbnails,” explains the article. “Markers also get more power, with color coding; comments and durations can now be assigned to them, as well. A new trim mode shows both the outgoing and incoming frames, and there’s lots more keyboard shortcut support (10 assignable) for trims and trim modes. Effects can now be applied to multiple clips using layers and masks, not unlike in Photoshop.”
At NAB, Dolby 3D, a glasses-free display standard, was being shown on a smartphone, tablet, and a prototype 4K 56-inch display.
Interestingly, viewers can adjust the 3D depth to suit their preferences. While side viewing is possible, the 3D effect is most pronounced when viewing near the center.
“Best known for its audio technologies, the company just launched its own 3D standard in cooperation with Philips, called Dolby 3D,” reports Engadget. “The platform-agnostic solution is far from ready to make its way into your living room, but it’s conceptually sound, and the prototype 4K 3D TV and mobile versions being demonstrated at Dolby’s NAB booth make us hopeful for the future.”
“As with all displays — especially those that support 3D — you’ll really need to see to believe, but we had an opportunity to do just that, and walked away very impressed,” comments Engadget.
The post includes a 3-minute video report from the show floor.
Panasonic, Olympus and Sony are designing mirrorless cameras to compete with Canon and Nikon in the high-end SLR market.
IDC forecasts that global shipments of mirrorless cameras will grow 60 percent this year to 6.43 million units, compared to an 18 percent growth rate for SLRs.
“The challengers are hoping to gain market share from an emerging type of camera that packs high-end features into a compact design,” reports the Wall Street Journal.
“Like SLRs, these cameras come with large sensors and interchangeable lenses that produce high-quality images. But they don’t have the conventional mirror-based viewfinders that reflect the image to the photographer’s eye. Instead, the image is digitized, allowing for a more compact body,” explains the article.
Additionally, the mirrorless models are generally more affordable than digital SLRs.
Despite the economic downturn, television is experiencing a new “golden age” in both creative and business terms, according to Bruce Rosenblum, president of Warner Bros. Television Group.
“Revenue from international has improved dramatically. The domestic broadcast, cable and syndication businesses are at a high point, and there are new buyers” such as Netflix and Hulu, Rosenblum noted during an NAB Show industry discussion group.
Rosenblum explained that international markets currently comprise almost one-third of their revenue. He said that revenue “from international more than covers the production costs of our entire sales of 26 shows.”
He noted that streaming services are becoming useful for library product and new shows, adding that Hulu and Netflix deals for CW content may have “saved the network.”
Rosenblum also stressed the growing importance of social media: “Where Facebook and Twitter can help is when you have shows that are on bubble. Several shows have gotten renewed [in recent years] because networks were aware of how much chatter was out there.”