Last week, NAB and sponsor Grass Valley hosted a day of online sessions covering various “Production in a Pandemic” topics. ETC@USC’s Erik Weaver moderated a compelling panel during which industry experts discussed the methods used to produce the short film “Ripple Effect,” a live-action project testing the limits of virtual production. The production focused on how Previz, Techviz and Safetyviz can help limit crew and cast to create a safer work environment. Video of the panel — “In Harm’s Way: Using Safetyviz to Mitigate Onset Liability” — is now available on the NAB Show site. Continue reading Video: NAB Panel on ETC Film Project and Virtual Production

NAB Show, with sponsor Grass Valley, will offer online sessions September 2 that address topics related to “Production in a Pandemic.” In partnership with the Entertainment Technology Center @ USC, the day’s first session — “In Harm’s Way: Using Safetyviz to Mitigate Onset Liability” (10:00 am PT) — will feature a panel of industry experts discussing the methods used to produce the short film “Ripple Effect.” The project focused on how Previz, Techviz and Safetyviz can help limit crew and cast to create a safer work environment.  Continue reading NAB Panel to Address Virtual Production of ETC Film Project

Grass Valley regional account manager Mark Chiolis moderated the HPA Tech Retreat 2017 version of an annual panel looking at the latest trends in remote, mobile, live productions. “Last year’s panelists focused on traditional remote, mobile, live,” said Chiolis. “This year we’re expanding the definition of what live and remote is.” NEP technical advisor George Hoover, focusing on the use of IP in live events, described a new remote production model in which only cameras, camera operators and audio capture are at the venue. Continue reading HPA Tech Retreat: Latest in Remote, Mobile, Live Productions

At Sony’s NAB 2016 press conference, the company unveiled a new HDR monitor, portable memory recorder, and, most significantly, its new Ultra High Frame Rate 4K Sports and Live Entertainment camera. The new camera is a follow-up to the HDC-4300 4K live production and studio camera with HDR and high frame rate that was introduced at last year’s NAB and has since become a widely used solution for live sports and events. The new HDC-4800 is the “next leap” in Sony imagery, offering 4K recording at a whopping 480 fps. Continue reading Sony Introduces New 4K Camera for Live Sports Applications

Television production facilities began incorporating IP, or Internet Protocol, technology several years ago, and an increasing number of broadcast equipment manufacturers are supporting the video/audio signal transport format. But is IP networking mature and robust enough for broadcasters to consider replacing their now-standard SDI networks with “all IP” versions? Broadcasters and broadcast equipment manufacturers have been busy trying to answer that question, and some of their results were presented at SMPTE 2015. Continue reading SMPTE 2015: Experts Greenlight IP Technology for Broadcast

At the SMPTE 2015 annual conference, broadcast consultant Jim DeFilippis, Grass Valley camera executive Klaus Weber, and Panasonic researcher Hiroaki Iwasaki, among others, looked at the challenges involved with adding higher frame rates, higher dynamic range and wider color gamut for 4K resolution and beyond. Baylor University professors Corey Carbonara and Michael Korpi attempted to find the perfect amount of frame rates, exposure times, lighting, and refresh rates to arrive at the best image. Continue reading SMPTE 2015: Challenges of Adding HDR, HFR and Color to 4K

At the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam, high dynamic range was a focus of conversation: how to define it, standardize it and distribute it. Broadcasters and purveyors of cameras, post production gear and theatrical exhibition all showed off their own versions of HDR. The key to success, say experts, however, is to come up with a single standard, a feat that both the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) are busily working on. Continue reading Industry Places Spotlight on High Dynamic Range at IBC 2015

On the third and last full day of the HPA Tech Retreat in Indian Wells, California, a panel of imaging experts drilled down into some of the more esoteric topics related to 4K and digital acquisition. Among the topics addressed were sensor-lens options for 4K acquisition; solar activity and lit/stuck/dead pixels; design challenges of long-range zoom lenses for 4K S35 digital cameras; video/D-Cinema camera/sensor noise; the role of nonlinear coding of the TV image; and 4K, HDR and imagers. Continue reading HPA Tech Retreat: Understanding the New Digital Acquisition