Is post production dead… or has it just fled to the cloud? That question was posed by HPA President Leon Silverman who moderated a panel on the future of post production at the HPA Tech Retreat yesterday. Post production facilities coping with complicated metadata and new delivery platforms are moving services to the cloud, and panelists from companies including Sony, Premiere Digital, Paramount, Light Iron and others described how they are incorporating cloud services. Continue reading HPA Panel Addresses Post Production’s Move to the Cloud

President Barack Obama spoke about the National Security Agency last week at the Department of Justice in Washington. The President touched on allowing technology companies to disclose information to the public about the kinds of data the government requests from them. However, he did not address issues such as secret government taps on data centers located overseas and encryption standards, two issues of particular interest to technology and phone companies. Continue reading Tech Companies Hopeful for Change in NSA Disclosure Policy

ComiXology, a digital comics platform that launched in 2009, sold 4 billion pages of comics through its iPad app last year, earning it the title of most profitable non-game app for the iPod for the third year in a row. That figure shows a drastic increase in sales since the launch of ComiXology, which has sold more than 6 billion pages of comics total. CEO David Steinberger says the considerable growth is due not only to long-time comics lovers moving over to digital versions, but new, first-time comics fans. Continue reading ComiXology: Sales of Digital Comics Pages Soar to 6 Billion

Panel discussions at the 2014 CES about 3D TV made one thing clear: adoption will rely on getting rid of 3D glasses. 3D TV was a big hit at last year’s CES, but was much less prevalent among the 4K madness at this year’s show. Industry execs who are hopeful that the technology will prevail insist glasses-free 3D TVs will get consumers excited about 3D again. James Cameron and his team are in research and development to improve the 3D experience for the Avatar sequels. Continue reading CES: 3D TV Must Go Glasses-Free to Take Off in the Home

Bendable video screens offer the best of both worlds: an immersive cinema experience by pushing forward into the screen for an increased peripheral experience — or a flat panel for viewing basic content such as a news show from across the room. New flexible substrates are making this possible, and two manufacturers showed prototypes at CES. Samsung and LG both unveiled widescreen TVs that can mechanically bend at the press of a remote control button. Continue reading Bendable Screens Provide the Option of Going Flat or Curved

Immersive technology was all the rage as wide screens took over cinema in the 1950s. Its impact was made real again in three manufacturers’ booths at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show. Samsung, LG and Hitachi all showed impressive 105-inch diagonal, “5K” displays. The immense curved screens, featuring an ultra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio, are the first of their kind to present movies this close to their native cinematic format. Continue reading Ultra HD Flirting with Aspect Ratio: Video Curves That Please

At a panel provocatively titled “The Sixth Sense is Digital,” several wearables pioneers gathered to discuss the evolving changes and direction of the burgeoning industry. NeuroSky CEO Stanley Yang started it off with a series of important questions: “First, you have to ask — do I need to wear anything? If I do, what’s helpful? After motion tracking, what do you do with it? Who can design the next wearable technology for the masses with the functions we need?” Continue reading CES Panel: Sixth Sense is Digital, Say Wearables Innovators

Some of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games will be recorded in Ultra HD according to Tony Werner, Comcast’s chief technology officer. The cable company will integrate a new app in Samsung’s 4K TVs to allow for on-demand streaming of the games broadcast from Sochi. Part of the motivation to record in UHD is to “stimulate the imagination” of viewers to see what 4K can do for sports, Werner explained at a CES panel discussion on UHD content. Continue reading Comcast Unveils Plans to Produce Winter Olympics in Ultra HD

Industry leaders speaking at two CES panels this week addressed new directions in entertainment media. During the panel “What are the Entertainment Trends at CES 2014?”, wearables were discussed, smartwatches in particular, and what it will take to spark consumer adoption. During “The State of the New TV Business: What Comes Next?” panel, speakers examined how networks are tackling distribution and monetization of content in an era of streaming media. Continue reading CES Panelists Discuss Entertainment Trends and Future of TV

At the Sports and Fitness Tech Summit, the focus was on wearables that combine function and fashion for optimum success. In a panel on Wearable Tech: Function Meets Fashion, panelists described their own successes. FitLinxx CEO David Monahan summed up his formula for successful deployment: “Can I blend it into my lifestyle? Second, is it relevant — does it give me behavioral change? The third piece is affordability. If you’re deploying devices to 50,000 people, price makes a big difference.” Continue reading Identifying Where Function Meets Fashion with New Wearables

“Content without strategy is a home movie,” said David Tochterman, head of digital media for Innovative Artists, a bi-coastal talent agency. “And all of us on this panel are investing our time not just in good content, but the strategy to make it successful.” The panel he was referring to was a Digital Hollywood focus on how today’s multitude of media platforms has significantly changed the content game — from development and production to marketing and distribution. Continue reading Digital Hollywood: Content Strategies for Multiple Platforms

Although wearables are a relatively new category in the digital marketplace, manufacturers are already looking to expand beyond the wrist to the smart home. “The [home security] market largely didn’t move from the 1970s,” explains Michael Wolff, founder of NextMarket Insights. “It was always high-end proprietary systems, but it’s being reinvented in the last couple of years.” Wearables are a great source of data, such as biometrics, goes the argument, and therefore can interface nicely with smart home applications. Continue reading Wearable Tech Innovators Have an Eye on the Smart Home

During the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week, LG Electronics is planning to unveil its 31-inch “Real 4K” 31MU95, the company’s first 4K PC monitor. While manufacturers such as Asus, Dell and Sharp already sell 4K monitors with 3840×2160 resolution, LG’s first offering will tout 4096×2160 resolution at a 16:9 aspect ratio, the ultra-wide 4K resolution favored by the film industry. LG’s 4K monitor is intended for professionals in visual industries including design and film. Continue reading LG to Debut its First Ultra HD PC Monitor at CES Next Week

A report by a panel of outside advisers has urged President Obama to place a number of restrictions on the NSA. Commissioned by President Obama back in August, the report is a response to the outrage inspired by Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing of the agency’s spying methods. The advisers are calling for greater congressional oversight and presidential approval for spying on national leaders. They also want to see the agency give up its cyber-spying on American hardware and software. Continue reading Panel Recommends Obama Impose Restrictions on NSA Spying

Industry leaders gathered at Loews Hollywood Hotel for the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers’ annual conference this week. Executives from Samsung, Sony, NPD DisplaySearch and HDMI Licensing discussed the progress and future of 4K television during the “4K/UHD TV – Will it be a hit with consumers?” panel. Topics included quality, pricing, content availability, upconversion, replacement cycles, lessons learned from 3D TV, and the need for consistent terminology. Continue reading EXCLUSIVE: SMPTE Asks if 4K Will Be a Hit with Consumers