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Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015

Travel industry embraces virtual reality as marketing tool

In this Sept. 19, 2014, file photo, Anan Bishara, left, and Denise Burrell, right, both from New York, check out a virtual reality display that lets visitors explore the Pike Place Market and other attractions atop the Space Needle in Seattle. The high-tech attractions are part of an explosion of virtual reality in the travel industry. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

By Beth J. Harpaz, Travel Editor

From roller coasters to cruises to destinations, virtual reality is exploding as a way to market travel.

You can parasail and paddle-board using virtual reality content produced by Florida's Visit St. Pete/Clearwater Tourism Board. You can land a jet on Hamilton Island in Queensland, Australia, then go swimming with tropical fish in the Great Barrier Reef. You can watch the opening song "Circle of Life," recorded at a live Broadway performance of "The Lion King," and peer around the theater at everything from the aisles and audience, to the performers and props, to the conductor and backstage. And even if you can't afford Dubai's luxury Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel, you can take a 3-D online tour of a royal suite, lobby, helipad, bar, spa, restaurants, marble staircase with cheetah-print carpet and rotating canopy bed.

"VR is taking the world by storm, similar to what mobile did seven years ago," said Abi Mandelbaum, CEO of YouVisit, which has created over 300 VR experiences for destinations, from Vatican City to Mexico's Grand Velas Riviera Maya. "Virtual reality is the most realistic experience you can have of a place without being there. It's powerful. It gets people excited and engaged and interested in having that experience in real life."

Virtual reality offers immersive, 3-D experiences via videos and images with 360-degree perspectives, using a $100 headset from Samsung or a virtually free cardboard contraption designed by Google. You need your own smartphone, and the $100 headset works only with certain Samsung models. You can also watch VR videos online with a 360-degree view, though they're not as immersive as using a headset because you're not shutting out your surroundings.

Whichever your method, by moving the device or cursor in different directions, you can see the sky, the floor, down a hallway or around a corner. Mandelbaum said the average user spends 10 minutes on a VR experience, "an eternity" in the digital world.

Dolly Parton's theme park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, created a VR experience to introduce a new ride, Lightning Rod, billed as the "world's fastest wooden coaster."

"You can take your phone and spin it up and down, look behind you, to the left or right, to get an idea of what this ride is like," said Dollywood spokesman Wes Ramey, comparing the VR experience to looking at photos or reviews before booking a trip. "The ride will not open until March, but this builds buzz around it. It gives people an opportunity to ride it virtually before it's completed."

Mall of America in Minnesota is launching its first VR videos this month, showing its onsite aquarium, Nickelodeon Universe theme park, Santa exhibit, a shopping wing and a choral performance. Carnival Corp.'s new Fathom brand, which plans voluntourism cruises to the Dominican Republic and Cuba, is working on VR content that shows participants in onshore activities like planting seedlings in a reforestation program, reciting English with school children, dancing to Latin music and sharing a meal with locals.

Because so few consumers own viewing devices, some VR producers set up at trade shows, shopping malls, pop-up stores and even on the street where they can provide the headsets. The Miami-based Newlink public relations firm created a VR experience for the Dominican Republic that can be seen on YouTube in a simple 360-degree version, but the company also showed it at trade shows, supplying VR headsets so viewers could get the full effect. As a marketing technique, said Newlink spokeswoman Lourdes Perez, "it is the next big thing."

Is there a risk that viewers will be so satisfied by the VR experience that they won't need to see the real thing? Visitors to Seattle's Space Needle observatory sometimes focus less on real views of the city out the windows because they're so mesmerized by virtual views on the observatory's walls, screens and videos.

But Mandelbaum's not worried. When YouVisit set up tents in Manhattan where more than 1,000 visitors used VR headsets to experience a Carnival cruise, "the reactions were incredible. They would say, 'I didn't know I could do all that on a cruise.' Once they see what it's like, they're more inclined to book."

Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015

SMPTE UK formally created; Bruce Devlin named 1st governor

Bruce Devlin

LONDON --

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) Board of Governors has formally approved the creation of the SMPTE U.K. Region and appointed Bruce Devlin, chief media scientist at Dalet, to serve as its first governor.

The SMPTE U.K. Section’s growth from 83 members in 2012 to more than 500 members in 2015. Any Section reaching the 500 member milestone is eligible to petition the Board of Governors for creation of a Region, which will provide that Section with formal representation on the Board.

“The widespread support for the SMPTE U.K. Section and its work, evident in rapidly increasing attendance at meetings across the U.K., reflects the growth occurring across the Society as a whole,” said William C. Miller, SMPTE membership vice president. “SMPTE now has more than 6,400 members worldwide, and students represent the fastest-growing group of members. As we move into the Society’s centennial year, it is exciting to see that our work is relevant and important to the newest members of our industry.”

Devlin had previously been elected by the membership to serve as 2016-2017 governor for the Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central, and South America Region. The SMPTE Board of Governors has now appointed Siegfried Foessel, head of the department of Moving Picture Technologies at Fraunhofer IIS, to assume that role while Devlin will represent the SMPTE U.K. Region on the board.

“The growth and influence of the SMPTE U.K. Section are due solely to the dedicated involvement of our members, who have helped us to expand our activities across the country to meet the demands of the broader U.K. media communities,” said Peter Weitzel, SMPTE membership director and secretary/treasurer for the SMPTE U.K. Section.

Re-established in 2012 and chaired by Chris Johns, chief engineer of broadcast strategy at Sky, the SMPTE U.K. Section has seen a high degree of interest and support from individuals and companies across the creative, manufacturing, broadcasting, and service organizations. The Section holds regular meetings across the U.K. and each month in London, giving members time to network and the opportunity to explore a wide range of topics with industry experts. The Section also holds an annual one-day seminar in London and Salford.

Members of the SMPTE U.K. Section have a strong history of supporting students, new graduates, and new members of the industry, and the SMPTE U.K. Region already boasts its first student chapter. The inaugural meeting for the newly approved SMPTE Student Chapter at Southampton Solent University was held in November when the university celebrated the installation of Dolby Atmos in its 3D cinema. During the event, Richard Welsh, CEO at Sundog Media Toolkit and the current SMPTE Governor for the Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central, and South America Region, presented university student Louis Arrigoni with the award for Best Use of Creative Virtual Reality (VR) Technology in Storytelling. The award recognizes Arrigoni’s short film “PhaseShift,” presented at the SMPTE-HPA Student Film Festival during the SMPTE 2015 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition.

“SMPTE has seen a surge in student membership, thanks to the charitable work of members led by Bill Miller, who has donated funds to allow students to join SMPTE for free in their first year,” Welsh said while speaking at his alma mater. “The SMPTE Student Membership Challenge is one of the most important initiatives in the Society, as these young people are the future of our industry and, of course, SMPTE itself.”

Monday, Dec. 14, 2015

Alliance for IP Media Solutions trade association launched

Mike Cronk, senior VP of strategic marketing, Grass Valley

BOTHELL, Wash. --

A group of broadcast and media industry suppliers, including Grass Valley, Imagine Communications, Lawo, Snell Advanced Media and Nevion, have collaborated to form the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS). This new, independent trade association’s mandate is to bring IP solutions to market that offer complete interoperability, are based on open standards, and integrate seamlessly into media workflow environments to foster industry innovation and efficiency. The group’s efforts will be focused on promoting the adoption, standardization, development and refinement of open protocols for media over IP, with an initial emphasis on VSF TR-03 and TR-04, SMPTE 2022-6 and AES67.

As broadcasters and other media companies look to use IP workflows to speed and streamline the movement and management of increasingly complex content and adapt their businesses to better compete with other content options such as over-the-top (OTT), open standards are the key to protecting current investments and ensuring long-term interoperability.

Specifically, AIMS will prioritize three key strategies:

    Initiatives that facilitate the education and adoption of open standards
    Facilitation of activities that accelerate the development of solutions that support these open standards
    Nurturing the creation of new standards by supporting standards bodies with participation and testing in real-world environments

“The mission of the Alliance for IP Media Solutions is to endorse open standards and protect the choice that broadcasters and media companies must have when selecting the right solution for their particular needs,” noted Steve Reynolds, CTO, Imagine Communications. Mike Cronk, senior vice president of strategic marketing, Grass Valley, related, “Our intent is to avoid perpetuating a future where suppliers push their proprietary technologies only to lock media companies into technologies that don’t work well with other systems or are not easily scaled and upgraded.”

Andreas Hilmer, director of marketing & communications with Lawo, added, “AIMS’s support of open standards and technical recommendations such as TR-03, TR-04 and AES67 afford us an opportunity to eliminate the fragmentation of implementations that our industry has endured over the last 20 years—our chance to avoid repeating expensive and time-consuming mistakes of the past.“ Tim Thorsteinson, CEO of Snell Advanced Media (SAM) said, “In this transition to IP, we need one set of standards that become as ubiquitous as SDI. SAM is throwing its weight behind AIMS because it supports the only set of standards for IP that have been collaboratively developed and that meet the needs of future business models.”

Open standards work for the IP transition is already underway by the 74-member Video Services Forum (VSF), with the support of organizations such as SMPTE and the EBU. AIMS endorses the work of the VSF and will continue to lend support in the development of a standard approach to IP. More than 30 broadcast equipment manufacturers are actively testing and validating the VSF’s approach today.

AIMS provides specific guidance in its bylaws to its members and to the media industry via the AIMS Roadmap. The organization endorses an IP transition plan that includes support for SMPTE 2022-6, AES67 and VSF recommendations TR-03 and TR-04.

A number of solutions are already on the market to help media companies begin the transition by introducing IP components to an SDI workflow. The transition represents a significant investment and will not happen overnight. An open standards approach allows media companies to implement the technology over time and transition at the pace that makes sense for their businesses.

“The rate of change in broadcast and media is unprecedented, so it is critical that the industry rapidly aligns with open standards to the benefit of all—from suppliers to end users,” said Brad Gilmer, executive director of VSF. “The approach that AIMS is endorsing is already enjoying broad industry support and is well suited to the industry’s future, providing IP’s enhanced flexibility and cost efficiencies by leveraging the huge investments being made in off-the-shelf IT technology.”

Membership in AIMS is available to all individuals and companies that support open standards and share a commitment to the group’s founding principles.

For more about the importance of open standards and interoperability in the broadcast and media industry, visit the alliance website and download the Alliance for IP Media Solutions’ new white paper “An Argument for Open IP Standards in the Media Industry.”

Monday, Dec. 14, 2015

VR technology company Pixvana launched with $6M investment

Forest Key, CEO of Pixvana

SEATTLE --

Pixvana, a virtual reality (VR) technology startup, has been launched with a $6 million investment led by Madrona Venture Group with participation from Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital, and angel investors. Pixvana is developing a cloud-based technology platform that dramatically improves the immersive video viewing experience for VR and augmented reality (AR) applications across a broad set of viewing devices, and is coming to market in 2016.

The founding Pixvana team has been deeply involved in digital video and entertainment content production, delivery and software platforms for more than two decades. Headed by entrepreneur and digital media exec Forest Key, Pixvana is solving the challenges inherent in creating and delivering high quality VR and AR video.

“There is incredible momentum in the VR space and it is clear that outstanding VR video will be a central pillar to the success of the medium, “ said Tim Porter, managing director, Madrona Venture Group. “It’s exciting to back the Pixvana team that has been at the forefront of the massive shifts we have already seen in the industry--from film to digital and from TV to web and mobile video. This team has the experience and vision to create the industry standard technology platform for VR video.”

“It is clear that just as in the early days of web video, which was hard for consumers to configure on their devices and often stuttery and unsatisfying to watch, VR video is facing similar challenges,” said Pixvana CEO Key. “I couldn’t be more excited to work with this incredible team as we make VR video a reality for content producers and crucially, make viewing video on VR headsets a profoundly magical experience for consumers.”

Also investing in the company are notable angels including former Microsoft Developer Tools division executive S. Somasegar, and aQuantive co-founder Mike Galgon, both of whom will join the company’s board of directors, along with Porter.

The Pixvana founding team brings together singular experts in software platforms, visual effects, video production, codecs and content creation with the business expertise to build a meaningful company.

-- CEO Key started his career in visual effects at Lucasfilm. He was later central to the success and evangelism of the two most important web-based video technologies, Flash and Silverlight. Key has also built and sold two successful companies, most recently buuteeq, a cloud-based solution for hotel marketing and customer management that was purchased by Priceline in 2014.
-- Chief product officer Bill Hensler has driven the consumer- and business-facing products in the digital image industry for both Apple and Adobe. Most recently he was sr. director of engineering at Apple for photo apps and imaging technologies, and at Adobe he was the chief technologist of creative suites and oversaw engineering and R&D for all video products.
-- CTO and creative director Scott Squires is a Sci-Tech Academy Award winning digital visual effects pioneer and software innovator. At Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light and Magic, Squires was the CTO who led the company’s transition from analog film to digital production technology, and was a three-time VFX Academy Award nominee for his work on several feature films including Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace.
-- VP of product management Sean Safreed is the co-founder of film and video software company Red Giant whose products have been used by thousands of filmmakers and designers. Safreed has developed go-to-market strategies for dozens of professional media and entertainment software tools.

Friday, Dec. 11, 2015

RED Digital Cinema unveils 5K Scarlet-W Camera

RED Digital Cinema's SCARLET-W

IRVINE, Calif. --

RED Digital Cinema has unveiled the latest addition to its line of professional cameras, the SCARLET-W. Joining the RED RAVEN™ and WEAPON® in the latest generation of RED cameras, the SCARLET-W is a versatile, feature-rich, and intuitive option for professional shooters. SCARLET-W offers a RED DRAGON sensor, interchangeable lens mounts, simultaneous recording in REDCODE® RAW and Apple ProRes formats, an intelligent OLPF system, and in-camera 3D-LUT outputs. At just $9,950 for the camera BRAIN® and $14,500 for the complete Base I/O V-Lock Package, SCARLET-W delivers unparalleled flexibility, accessibility and performance.

SCARLET-W captures 5K at 60 frames per second (fps), 4K at 150 fps, or 2K at 300 fps with REDCODE RAW; and its wide dynamic range produces cinema-quality images rich with natural color. SCARLET-W also offers an upgrade path to WEAPON and uses the DSMC2™ line of accessories— compatible with both RED RAVEN and WEAPON cameras—giving shooters the option to move between camera systems without having to purchase all new gear.

“When we began shipping the 4K RED ONE in 2007, it did nothing short of disrupting the camera industry with an unheard of blend of performance and price,” said Jarred Land, president of Red Digital Cinema. “And we are doing it again—meet the 5K SCARLET-W. It is a perfect storm of image quality, intuitive design, and accessibility.”

SCARLET-W comes on the heels of the recent 4.5K RED RAVEN announcement, and is the latest example of RED’s ongoing commitment to the belief that cinema-quality creative tools should not be in the hands of a few—they should be available to a wide spectrum of content creators. RED RAVEN is RED’s most compact and lightweight camera priced at $5,950 for the BRAIN only, with full packages starting at $9,750. Customers that have placed RED RAVEN pre-orders can easily change to a SCARLET-W pre-order.

SCARLET-W is estimated to begin shipping in February 2016, and deposits are being accepted beginning. Customers will be given a choice of purchasing the BRAIN only to build a kit that best fits their needs or choosing the SCARLET-W Base I/O V-Lock Package, which offers everything content creators need to start taking their productions to the next level.

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015

Apple CEO: More computer science and coding education needed

Apple CEO Tim Cook, right, and Apple software engineer and VP Cheryl Thomas watch third grade students work on coding at an Apple Store, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015 in New York. Apple is hosting Hour of Code events around the world as part of Computer Science Education Week which runs through Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

By Bree Fowler, Technology Writer

NEW YORK (AP) --

Teaching kids to code is just as important as teaching them any other language. And the younger they start learning it, the better, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday.

Cook spoke to a group of New York third graders who visited a Manhattan Apple store for an "Hour of Code" class. In an interview afterward, he said that schools aren't putting enough emphasis on computer-science education, but he has "great hope" that will change and coding will ultimately become a required class for all kids.

"From an economic standpoint the job segment itself today is huge, but it's going to become even larger," Cook said.

And if the concepts are introduced at a young age, in a fun way, it's more likely that kids will find them cool and stay interested as they grow older, hopefully resulting in a larger and more diverse tech workforce down the road, he said.

Cook added that even if kids don't grow up to get a lucrative job in the tech industry, they'll discover a new way to be creative and pick up important problem-solving skills along the way.

The kids at Wednesday's event played with a Star Wars-themed game created by the non-profit group Code.org in partnership with Disney. On iPad Minis, they used basic drag-and-drop commands to program their droid to do things like pick up scrap metal and evade Stormtroopers.

Their teacher, Joann Khan, said Wednesday's introduction to coding was probably a first for most of her students, noting that her school, located in Manhattan's East Harlem neighborhood, no longer has a computer lab.

She said the lessons taught through the game bring to life some of the math skills the kids are learning in her classroom, something she planned to point out to them when they returned to school.

The "Hour of Code" workshop was one of many held by Apple Inc. and a slew of other technology companies around the world this week as part of a Code.org push to introduce as many kids as possible to computer science through a one-hour class.

Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015

Ithaca College chooses Cartoni camera support for HD production facilities

Ithaca College broadcast production program students get hands-on experience on equipment such as HD Ikegami cameras and Cue Script teleprompters supported by Cartoni products from Manios Digital & Film.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. --

Ithaca College’s Roy H. Park School of Communications recently selected Cartoni camera support products from North Hollywood-based Manios Digital & Film as part of a general upgrade of its studio production facilities. A total of six Cartoni P90 studio pedestals, and Omega fluid heads are part of an all-new camera package that also includes ten HD Ikegami cameras and six state-of-the-art CueScript teleprompters. The school also purchased four Gamma fluid heads for its mobile production unit. The new gear will be used for both classroom instruction and student production activity, including ICTV, the school’s award-winning, student-run television operation.

Ithaca College boasts one of the oldest and most sophisticated broadcast production programs in higher education, serving students from around the country and the world. This past year, the school implemented plans to overhaul its production facilities to bring them in line with current professional standards. “Our philosophy is to provide our students with the best and most advanced equipment, compatible with our instructional needs and budget,” said director of technical operations David Priester. “We buy infrequently, but we buy well.”

In selecting new pedestals and heads, the school considered such factors as quality, durability, precision and cost. “We were very impressed with the engineering of the Cartoni products,” Priester noted. “We also liked the pricing and the long-term cost of ownership. Their warranty program is better than those offered by most manufacturers. They were the right fit for us.”

The school’s production equipment has to stand up to heavy use. Studios are busy most weekdays with classroom instruction, while evenings and weekends are devoted to student-led productions. ICTV provides programming for local cable channel, with content including news, sports, public affairs, arts performances, comedy, drama and game shows.

The Cartoni pedestals and fluid heads perform well amid such rigorous use and also provide flexibility for varying production demands. The P90 pedestals are capable of supporting the school’s new Ikegami HDK-95C camera systems and payloads up to 55kg and 90kg, respectively. They’re also a perfect match for new CueScript Teleprompter Monitors.

“A lot of broadcast facilities are transitioning away from the heavy studio cameras and bulky support systems of the past,” noted CueScript President Michael Accardi. “Cartoni pedestals are better suited to today’s cameras, and to our prompters. They are better sized and have a better feature set.”

“We’re very happy with the whole camera package,” concluded Priester. “The Cartoni support products are well designed and can survive use by students who are just learning their craft.”

Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015

Rec4Box and Grass Valley team on mobile production vehicles

Rec4Box mobile production vehicle

MONTREAL --

Rec4Box OB Factory announced a collaboration with Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, which will define an exciting new range of production trailers for the U.S. market. The “Corsair,” Rec4Box’s updated 26’ vehicle, as well as the newly announced 37’ 5th-wheel trailer “Galleon” series, will both sport a Grass Valley Karrera K-Frame Video Production Center switcher.

“We’ve had numerous requests from the U.S. market to provide Grass Valley switchers in our vehicles. Karrera provides outstanding value and excellent mid-range switcher performance while facilitating workflows that support very complex productions,” says Rob Poretti, vice president sales & marketing, Rec4Box OB Factory. Rec4Box CTO, Jonathan Fortin adds, “The engineering and integration support at Grass Valley has been second-to-none. They really understand both the technical and commercial support required in developing cost effective but high-end mobile technology solutions.”

Rec4Box has developed a modern outside mobile broadcasting unit that exceeds the highly creative demands of production teams while managing the realities of tighter budgets and production timelines. Rec4Box vehicles are designed in collaboration with directors, producers and technicians to offer a transformative working environment—with modular and adaptable configurations, workstation ergonomics that promote outstanding comfort, trendy interior design and quick transportability and setup.

“The demands on a mobile broadcasting operation are intense, making reliability, simplicity, scalability and ease of integration all critical when selecting the various components that power the workflow,” notes Stephen Stubelt, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Grass Valley. “Rec4Box chose Karrera K-Frame switchers based on proven performance in OB van environments and will be better positioned to meet the needs of its customer base. Together, we’ve been able to ensure that the next generation of Rec4Box mobile units is ready for anything a broadcaster may require.”

“Rec4Box continues to focus on the four fundamental principles on which we built this company: innovative and powerful technology, versatility, low energy and fast deployment,” said Joel Fortin, vice president of operations at Rec4Box. “Providing cost-effective solutions while keeping an eye on our four pillars is why our vehicles are in high demand. Customers understand the value that we’re providing—and the serious power to handle any production requirement quickly. Grass Valley products are perfectly aligned with our company mandate and development rationale.”

Friday, Dec. 4, 2015

Quantum enhances StorNext 5 shared workflow storage platform

Alex Grossman, VP, media and entertainment of Quantum

SAN JOSE, Calif. --

Quantum Corp. (NYSE: QTM) has introduced StorNext 5.3, a new release of its industry-leading shared workflow storage platform that has been enhanced with features and capabilities that give users greater control and flexibility in optimizing their collaborative media workflows for maximum efficiency and productivity.

In addition to powering the company’s new Xcellis high-performance, end-to-end shared workflow storage solution, StorNext 5.3 supports Quantum’s new Q-Cloud Vault service and enables end-to-end encryption, allowing StorNext 4users to take advantage of secure, low-cost public cloud storage for long-term retention and protection of media content. The extended capabilities of StorNext 5.3 also include concurrent copying of media files to different locations and different types of storage, as well as Apple Spotlight search support and expanded Web services that enable greater partner integration.

Enhancements within StorNext 5.3 give creative facilities an even more robust toolset with which to manage ever-greater volumes of content, including high-resolution media in 4K, 8K and beyond. Making it easier and more economical than ever to take full advantage of disk, tape and cloud storage, the workflow-guided StorNext 5.3 platform delivers both high performance and the quick, easy access to media that is critical to meeting short production deadlines.

Q-Cloud Vault
Fully integrated within workflows powered by StorNext 5.3, Q-Cloud Vault provides low-cost, Quantum-managed “cold storage” in the public cloud. As a result, users can leverage the cloud as a part of their storage infrastructure to facilitate the most cost-effective storage of their media content, both on-site and off-site. Benefits include:
• Automated, policy-based movement of media to the cloud.
• No need for additional hardware, separate applications or programming.
• End-to-end encryption — on the client side, in transit and at rest in the cloud.
• Full user control of encryption keys and data access.
• Straightforward pricing and billing directly from Quantum.
• Quantum’s world-class service and support.

Q-Cloud Vault incorporates Amazon Glacier storage for lower-cost, long-term data storage and is a complement to Quantum’s Q-Cloud Archive service, which leverages Amazon S3 for storage of more frequently accessed content.

Workflow efficiency
StorNext 5.3 gives users new options for managing media content with greater efficiency. Alternate Store Location (ASL) is a highly configurable feature that facilitates the copying of files to multiple sites and storage types. For example, users can configure ASL to automate the concurrent copying of high-resolution media files acquired during production to high-performance disk storage for work-in-process operations and to cloud storage or tape — including the latest LTO-7 tape systems and devices — for archive and long-term retention. Once the project is complete and delivered, associated media can be deleted from the more expensive on-site storage, with a copy of that content already preserved in the archive.

StorNext 5.3 appliance integration and availability
In addition to serving as the platform for Xcellis, StorNext 5.3 will now also provide the software foundation for Quantum’s StorNext Pro™ Solutions, StorNext M-Series appliances and Artico™ NAS archive appliances. StorNext 5.3, Xcellis workflow storage and Q-Cloud Vault are all available today.

Alex Grossman, VP, media and entertainment of Quantum, said, “Quantum is dedicated to continued innovation in making the complete media workflow seamless. To this end, the release of StorNext 5.3 delivers new functionality that further boosts efficiency and productivity while providing convenient access to content — on-site and in the cloud — at any stage in the workflow. Whether powering a new Xcellis deployment or a StorNext Pro Solutions installation, StorNext 5.3 enables high-performance collaborative storage with the power and flexibility to address the challenges of extremely demanding content creation and delivery workflows.”

Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015

Howard Lukk to join SMPTE as director of standards

Howard Lukk

WHITE PLAINS, NY --

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has hired Howard Lukk as director of standards. Over the coming 12 months, Lukk will transition into the position that has been held by Peter Symes for the past eight years. Symes will retire at the end of 2016.

“Howard’s extensive knowledge is matched by his enthusiasm for the standards development process. His input will be invaluable as we look to improve the infrastructure that supports this important SMPTE activity,” said SMPTE executive director Barbara Lange.

Lukk is a writer and director at independent film production and management company Pannon Entertainment, where he has been working on short films and providing technical consulting and education for clients. His last short film, “Emma,” was shot and finished in high-dynamic-range (HDR).

In an earlier role as VP of production systems at The Walt Disney Studios, Lukk oversaw a team responsible for engineering, installation, and maintenance of on-lot and on-set feature film production and postproduction systems. Responsible for helping to incorporate new technologies into the workflow, he assisted the studios’ transition from analog to digital workflows. Lukk also spearheaded theatrical production, post-production, and distribution projects focused on digital capture, digital cinema, stereoscopic (3D), file-based workflow, color management, and archive.

During two years as director of media systems at Pixar, Lukk was responsible for managing both the audiovisual engineering as well as the image mastering departments and the work of maintaining the recording, projection, and post-production systems and workflows supporting Pixar filmmakers. Before joining Pixar, Lukk held his first role with The Walt Disney Studios. As VP of production technology for the studios, he focused on integrating a new digital cinema workflow throughout the company’s global operations.

Lukk’s early work with Disney built on his previous experience as director of technology at Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI), where he was responsible for research and development, design, and documentation of a digital cinema system specification and test plan. Earlier, as chief engineer at International Video Conversions, Lukk worked with engineering staff to design, build, and maintain a high-end post-production facility specializing in digital cinema, telecine transfer, audio post, and standards conversion work.

“I have always respected and valued SMPTE’s work in creating the standards that support interoperability in image, sound, and metadata, and I am excited about becoming even more involved in this process,” Lukk said. “The many significant technological changes taking place in our industry give an immediacy to the Society’s efforts and open up unprecedented opportunities to make a meaningful impact on the future of media creation, delivery, and consumption.”

A SMPTE Fellow, Lukk has served the Society in numerous volunteer roles including Technology Committee co-chair, Working Group chair, document editor; and also director of the “Moving Images” documentary project. He has served as an advisor to the Board of Governors as an appointed standards director. In the latter role, Lukk has acted as one of the Society’s key spokespeople with the entertainment industry, press, and public in matters relating to its standards efforts. Though Lukk will officially join SMPTE staff as director of standards on Jan. 4, he will attend the SMPTE standards block meetings this month in Atlanta.

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