The Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California (ETC@USC) is pleased to announce the addition of the RoninX Foundation to its executive board. The Japan-based foundation is pursuing a camera metadata interoperability standard and a new 8K streaming protocol for innovative use cases for the open multiverse. The RoninX Foundation is guided by its community of camera manufacturers, storage providers, Internet service providers, infrastructure providers, 5G operators and studios.

Prominent members of the RoninX Foundation include multiverse infrastructure developer Streamonix; decentralized video platform Videogram; 8K camera platform solutions provider ASTRODESIGN; and Sento, an open multiverse company founded by Yoshimoto Kogyo (Japan’s largest talent management and TV production company). Sento’s mandate is to build an Open Multiverse for the Osaka 2025 Expo and beyond.

Shareholders include Fuji TV, TV Asahi, Tokyo Broadcasting System, TV Tokyo, Nippon TV, Yomiuri TV, Mainichi TV, TV Osaka, Kansai TV, Asahi Broadcasting, Shochiku, Toho, Dentsu, Hakuhodo, KDDI, SoftBank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Mizuho Financial Group.

By joining the board, the RoninX Foundation will provide valuable feedback from Japanese camera manufacturers, broadcasters, studios, game companies, anime companies and represent these companies in ETC’s exploration of open, interoperable multiverse standards.

“Multiverse requires tight integration of cameras, infrastructure, production, post production, distribution, end-devices and an advanced streaming protocol to deliver data-intensive payloads glass-to-glass with low latency, at high bit rates and maximum security,” said Sandeep Casi, RoninX Foundation president, who is on the board of ETC on behalf of the Foundation.

“Furthermore, a metadata interoperability standard is required to link camera, infrastructure, and display technologies to enable innovative use cases and monetization models for the open multiverse,” he added. “We are delighted to be collaborating with ETC on this exciting journey.”

“We are very pleased to have RoninX as a member of our ETC executive board and look forward to their significant contributions to the evolving multiverse framework,” said Ken Williams, ETC’s executive director & CEO.

Three working groups underway:

Glass-to-Glass 8K Live Streaming Working Group: This group is working with Streamonix, ASTRODESIGN and Tata Communications (RoninX’s preferred telecommunications partner) to develop a pilot network project for real-time 8K (and beyond) glass-to-glass streaming that maximizes performance and security while reducing cost (opex and capex) and carbon footprint.

Camera Metadata Interoperability Working Group: This group is working with Videogram and Japanese camera manufacturers to agree on an open universal metadata container (for lens data, color lookup table, and video frame metadata auto-extracted using AI) to be carried by the open source Integrated Real-time Protocol (IRP). RoninX is working on the embedding of IRP into 8K cameras as the transport protocol and media container for metadata, audio, video and other digital media payloads.

Japan Open Multiverse Working Group: This group is working with Sento to build partnerships with Japanese anime companies, game developers, broadcasters, media brands and advertisers for the Japanese open multiverse for Osaka Expo 2025 and beyond.

ETC enjoys a longstanding history as a neutral think tank and research center within USC’s School of Cinematic Arts that convenes executives, innovators, thought leaders and catalysts along with the academic resources of the university. With the addition of this Japan-based international foundation, ETC expands its global reach by connecting with leaders in Japan’s media, entertainment and communications sectors.