WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Oct. 11, 2016 -- The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R)), the organization whose standards work has supported a century of technological advances in entertainment technology, today announced that filmmaker, innovator and entrepreneur Douglas Trumbull, this year's recipient of the SMPTE Progress Medal, will join SMPTE President Robert Seidel, vice president of engineering and advanced technology at CBS, in presenting the opening keynote at the SMPTE 2016 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2016) on Oct. 25 in Hollywood, California. Composer and researcher Daniel Teruggi, director of the Research and Experimentation Department at the National Audiovisual Institute in Paris and recipient of this year's SMPTE Archival Technology Medal Award, will present the SMPTE 2016 Symposium keynote on the preceding day, Oct. 24.
The SMPTE 2016 Annual Technical Conference keynote will discuss the past, present, and future of media and entertainment technology and supporting standards work, a key theme for SMPTE 2016. Trumbull will depict the evolution of cinema technology, from Cinerama and Cinemascope to immersive experiences including virtual and augmented reality, and will present never-before-seen clips from his work developing a 3D 120 fps cinema system called Magi. Seidel then will continue demonstrating the evolution of broadcast technology by providing a glimpse back in time with remarkable outtakes of John Glenn's return from space and a highlight reel illustrating the benefits of digital television. He will also discuss current trends such as 4K television and over-the-top (OTT) streaming services, and then look ahead to what may be in store for the future.
"With their incredible experience and transformative involvement in the evolution of media consumption, Doug and Bob can provide a truly unique overview of the tremendous achievements our industry has made over the past century -- and they'll also offer an informed look ahead at what we might accomplish in the next 100 years," said Barbara Lange, SMPTE executive director. "We are proud to open our centennial year Annual Technical Conference with a joint keynote from these two industry leaders."
Trumbull's career in filmmaking and entertainment technologies includes pioneering work as a photographic effects supervisor on "2001: A Space Odyssey" and on subsequent titles such as "The Andromeda Strain," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," and "Blade Runner." He has also directed the feature films "Silent Running" and "Brainstorm," contributed to the design of groundbreaking theme park attractions, and invented simulation ride technology. In the 1990s he helped to bring IMAX into the commercial feature film marketplace. Now through Trumbull Studios, he is pushing the boundaries of the giant screen, higher frame rates (HFR), extreme-brightness 3D and virtual digital production with his revolutionary Magi process.
Trumbull holds more than 20 patents, including one for the first entertainment simulator ride, "Back to the Future: The Ride" at Universal Studios theme parks, and another for the Academy Award(R)-winning Showscan(R) process for high-speed 70 mm cinematography. He was recently awarded the coveted Gordon E. Sawyer Academy Award for his contributions to cinema technology, and at the Oct. 28 SMPTE Centennial Gala, he will join James Cameron in accepting SMPTE's top honors. Trumbull will receive the SMPTE Progress Medal, and Cameron will receive Honorary Membership.
Over his career at CBS, Seidel has played a key role in the evolution of the network's broadcast technology. He directed the design and installation of the CBS Broadcast Origination Center and later led the engineering team that made broadcasting history on July 23, 1996, when WRAL-HD, the CBS affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina, became the first television station to transmit in high-definition (HD). He has received an Emmy(R) Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his innovation in portable satellite uplink systems used for worldwide newsgathering, and in 2014 he received the National Association of Broadcasters Television Engineering Achievement Award.
The SMPTE 2016 Symposium also will provide a glimpse into the future. The daylong program, titled "Preserving Stories for the Future: A Technology Perspective," will kick off with Teruggi's keynote.
Teruggi has been the coordinator of the FP6 European project PrestoSpace, devoted to the development of new technology for digital preservation, and the FP7 European project PrestoPRIME, dedicated to the long-term preservation of digital audiovisual content. He is a member of the Europeana project and Foundation and general secretary of the International Federation of Audiovisual Archives (FIAT/IFTA). Within these projects, new technological devices and new methods for digitization and long-term preservation were successfully developed with many industrial applications and developments. Teruggi has composed nearly 80 works, mainly for the concert and always using electroacoustic devices with or without acoustic instruments. He is the author of numerous research articles on sound and musical perception, and musical analysis. Teruggi is a founding member of the International Electroacoustic Musical Studies network.
"On SMPTE's 100th anniversary, it's fascinating to see how much technology has transformed not only the way we tell stories but also how we preserve them," said Andrea Kalas, president of the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) and program chair for the SMPTE 2016 Symposium. "With Daniel's presentation, the Association of Moving Image Archivists is happy to pay tribute to SMPTE's role in preserving heritage by bringing to the symposium a fascinating set of discussions on the changing role of the archives in 2016. Why restore films anymore, how do you archive a video game, and what does archiving have to do with human biology? These are just a few of the provocative sessions. We look forward to some lively discussion."
Full SMPTE 2016 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition registration is required to attend the Opening Keynote by Trumbull and Seidel, and registration for the SMPTE 2016 Symposium is necessary to attend Teruggi's keynote. SMPTE Centennial Gala tickets are available for separate purchase or along with conference registration packages.
Further information about SMPTE 2016, the 2016 Symposium, and the SMPTE Centennial Gala is available at www.smpte2016.org. Additional information about SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org.
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About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R))
For the past 100 years, the people of the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers (SMPTE, pronounced "simp-tee") have sorted out the details of many significant advances in entertainment technology, from the introduction of "talkies" and color television to HD and UHD (4K, 8K) TV. Since its founding in 1916, the Society has earned an Oscar(R) and multiple Emmy(R) Awards for its work in advancing moving-imagery education and engineering across the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. The Society has developed thousands of standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines, more than 800 of which are currently in force.
SMPTE's global membership today includes 7,000 members, who are motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students. A partnership with the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA(R)) connects SMPTE and its membership with the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide the expertise, support, tools, and infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television programs, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join.
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Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/SMPTE/SMPTE-Douglas-Trumbull-Film-Director.jpg
Photo Caption: Douglas Trumbull, Film Director
Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/SMPTE/SMPTE-President-Robert-Seidel.jpg
Photo Caption: Robert Seidel, SMPTE President
Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/SMPTE/SMPTE-Andrea-Kalas.jpg
Photo Caption: Andrea Kalas, President of the Association of Moving Image Archivists
Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/SMPTE/SMPTE-Daniel-Teruggi.jpg
Photo Caption: Daniel Teruggi, Director of the Research and Experimentation Department at the National Audiovisual Institute in Paris
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