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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.

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015

Avid Everywhere helps CNN Indonesia create production workflow for news channel

BURLINGTON, Mass. --

Avid (Nasdaq: AVID) announced that CNN Indonesia, a newly formed broadcast organization reaching 255 million people, recently embraced Avid Everywhere to launch a 24-hour TV channel in less than one year. Built on the Avid MediaCentral Platform, the new end-to-end broadcast workflow enables CNN Indonesia to unite six remote broadcast bureaus, quickly produce content under tight deadlines, and accelerate the delivery of breaking news.

“News organizations like CNN Indonesia face intense competition from other networks, so it’s crucial to implement cutting-edge solutions that enable them to quickly produce and distribute breaking news to the widest possible audience,” stated Tom Cordiner, vice president of International Sales at Avid. “By leveraging the power of Avid Everywhere, CNN Indonesia reporters in the field can access media assets back at the station, create complete packages by mixing the remote media with footage shot on location, and send back completed news packages for others connected to the central storage system to leverage—greatly accelerating production.”

CNN Indonesia launched in August 2015 as a joint venture between Turner Broadcasting and Indonesia-based media group PT Trans Media Corporation. The entire broadcast network needed to be up and running within one year, and the intense deadline required close collaboration with Avid Global Services experts.

“Avid offered a complete end-to-end turnkey solution with proven and trusted solutions which met the demanding needs of our news production and management,” said Johnny Yeung, technical director of PT Trans Media Corporation. “This saves a lot of time, and timeliness in our business makes all the difference between winning and losing. This is an achievement for us, and much credit goes to the hard work of Avid.”

CNN Indonesia is made up of six remote bureaus in cities across Indonesia, in addition to the main facility in Jakarta. In order to unite the production teams, CNN Indonesia implemented advanced media management solutions from the Avid Media Suite. An iNEWS newsroom management system is at the center of news content creation and distribution at CNN Indonesia, providing journalists, field reports, producers, and editors, with instant access to moment-by-moment status information, feeds, stories, and rundowns.

Avid MediaCentral | UX, the cloud-based, web front-end to the Avid MediaCentral Platform, enables production teams in the field to easily access media, work on projects, and edit stories remotely using their laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. A fully centralized Interplay | Production media asset management system enables more than 100 reporters and producers spread across the country to easily collaborate, share media, and work on projects simultaneously. Media Composer | Cloud video editing software lets the remote bureaus retrieve data from the main facility in Jakarta, edit clips remotely, and send back completed news stories for broadcasting.

To effectively store and archive the massive amount of media generated by the 24/7-production cycle, CNN Indonesia implemented cutting-edge media storage solutions from the Avid Storage Suite. All of their media is stored on a fully integrated and connected Avid shared storage system, enabling reporters, producers, and editors across the entire network to access, edit, and share media, regardless of their location.

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015

Autodesk 3ds Max 2016 Extension 2 debuts

Autodesk 3ds Max 2016 Extension 2

SAN FRANCISCO --

Autodesk has launched Autodesk 3ds Max 2016 Extension 2 for 3D modeling, animation and rendering. Building on 3ds Max 2016 and Extension 1 releases unveiled earlier this year, Extension 2 expands the software’s capabilities with new tools and workflow improvements that simplify and accelerate the creation of 3D assets for design visualization and content creation professionals.

New in 3ds Max 2016: Extension 2

-- Max Creation Graph Enhancements: Create, manipulate and use shapes and splines with new nodes; import bitmaps and simulation data like CSV or Open VDB files; and more.
-- One-Click Print Studio Access: Launch Autodesk Print Studio and export 3ds Max files for 3D printing in one swift click.
-- Simple Simulation Data Import: Import and animate accurate simulation data, and visualize how it changes over time with 3ds Max lighting and rendering tools.
-- Text and Shape Map: Use objects as a mask to create custom decals, graffiti and other text -based graphics on the fly without leaving 3ds Max.
-- Text Tool Improvements: Font names are now displayed in the font type, making it faster to find fonts when using Text Tool to apply textures, animations and effects to text.
-- Texture Object Mask: Easily and accurately create, place and animate multiple materials, and use any shape to control the application of materials to an object.

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015

YES Productions opts for Grass Valley’s Kayenne Switcher

Stephen Stubelt, sr. VP, sales & marketing, Grass Valley

MONTREAL --

YES Productions, a complete television production facility that’s part of the New Orleans PBS affiliate, has installed the Kayenne K-Frame Video Production Center switcher from Grass Valley, a Belden Brand.

Kayenne K-Frame will be the centerpiece of YES Production’s mobile unit that broadcasts live sports and entertainment. It helps operators by eliminating complexity from today’s productions and by giving them: Responsive control surface and menu preferred by TDs; unprecedented I/O density; up to 9 M/Es—18 using DoubleTake split M/E technology; 3G capability with full 1080P 50/60 support; and suites mode that enables one frame to support multiple panels.

“There are some operations that are bigger, but you won’t find one that does live production better,” says Jim Moriarty, VP and general manager of YES Productions. “The Kayenne will help our operators deliver broadcasts with the highest level of performance. We’ve worked with Grass Valley previously, and we know how much we can trust the equipment.”

YES Productions selected the Kayenne K-Frame after working closely with systems integrator Comprehensive Technical Group. YES Productions has worked with Grass Valley solutions for a number of years, having previously installed switchers in its mobile units.

“Our solutions are designed to handle the needs of any operation, regardless of size or scale,” said Stephen Stubelt, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Grass Valley.

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