If you want to learn the latest on 3-D technology, the Digital Cinema Summit, which runs April 10 and 11, is the place to be at NAB.
This two-day event will examine stereoscopic 3-D movies, which are driving customers to movie theaters and are now being marketed to the home. Virtually every company is now studying its own role in 3-D.
This year’s summit, produced by SMPTE, the Entertainment Technology Center at USC and the European Broadcasting Union is entitled “3D: Lens to Living Room to 3D - Cinema and Home.”
The summit will begin by providing a thorough understanding of how the human brain perceives stereo images. From there, leading directors, producers and technologists will review the entire 3-D path from acquisition, through post production, distribution and display in cinema and in the home. Panelists will review both techniques and lessons learned with real equipment and full visual demonstrations. The audience will participate in 3-D perceptual viewing and will be able to discover the limitations of their own visual systems.
Leading engineers will explain and demonstrate the various techniques used for packaging and distributing compressed 3-D images for satellite, over-the-air, IP download and packaged media, such as Blu-ray Disc. A comprehensive review of display technologies will reveal the benefits and shortcomings of today’s stereoscopic displays and provide a glimpse into the R&D labs now inventing the future of stereoscopic display.
On Monday afternoon, April 12, the NAB’s Stereoscopic 3-D Content Theater will offer two sessions on 3-D. Two are certain to generate major interest.
At 3:50 p.m., “ESPN: Scoring a Field Goal in S3D Sports” will feature a panel of leading executives including Anthony Bailey, vice president emerging technologies, ESPN; Phil Orlins, coordinating producer, ESPN X Games; Vince Pace, CEO and Cinematographer, PACE; and Bob Toms, vice president, production enhancements and interactive TV, ESPN.
At 4:50, p.m., “Alice in Wonderland: Turning Fantasy into Motion Picture Reality” will feature a line-up of industry leaders including Art Repola, executive vice president of visual effects and production, The Walt Disney Studios; Ken Ralston, multi Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor for the film; Corey Turner, stereographer for the film; and Tom Peitzman, co-producer/visual effects producer for the film.
