Walt Disney Studios and Microsoft inked a five-year deal to start transitioning filmmaking to Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, with the goal of complete “scene to screen.” The effort is led by Disney’s StudioLAB. Walt Disney Studios chief technology officer Jamie Voris said the first step will be to move Avid editing tools into the cloud, to facilitate collaboration across locations. Microsoft U.S. president Kate Johnson noted that “we are at the tipping point for cloud in media and entertainment.” Continue reading Disney, Microsoft Team Up to Shift Moviemaking to the Cloud

The Entertainment Technology Center @ the University of Southern California (ETC) held its 8th annual Studio Technology Leaders Dinner this week, which coincided with the 26th anniversary of ETC’s founding. Executive director & CEO Ken Williams noted that the event, which was underwritten by supporting sponsor Equinix and contributing sponsor WekaIO, would honor industry leader Leon Silverman with the Bob Lambert Technology Leadership Award and feature a panel to examine some of the industry’s most pressing issues in “Media Fundamentals in Flex: Conflict, Chaos or Collaboration.” Continue reading Hollywood Technology Execs Gather at Annual ETC Dinner

“5G will change everything,” said Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg in the opening statement of his CES keynote. The exponential enabling power of the 5G network relies on what he called “eight currencies” or capabilities that together produce true 5G. They are peak data rate, mobile data volume, mobility, connected devices, energy efficiency, service deployment, reliability and latency. These “currencies” enable innovation and Vestberg presented initiatives with The New York Times, Walt Disney Studios, Verizon-owned drone operator Skyward, and Medivis, in healthcare, as examples. Continue reading Verizon CES Keynote Demonstrates ‘Eight Currencies’ of 5G

The Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California held its 2017 Studio Technology Leaders Dinner at NeueHouse in Hollywood. Sponsored by Western Digital, HGST and Equinix, the event honored former Sony Pictures CTO Spencer Stephens with the Bob Lambert Technology Leadership Award. The evening featured a panel of studio execs discussing new directions in film production, and a screening of “Wonder Buffalo,” the third R&D short produced under the auspices of ETC@USC’s Project Cloud to explore and test next-generation production processes.  Continue reading Spencer Stephens Honored With ETC Tech Leadership Award

Disney/ABC Television Group Executive VP of Global Operations and Chief Technology Officer Vince Roberts received the Bob Lambert Technology Leadership Award from the Entertainment Technology Center@USC on June 11. ETC’s Studio Technology Leaders Dinner, held at USC’s Town and Gown, brought together influential media, entertainment and technology executives from major studios and leading tech companies. The evening also featured a panel of top studio tech leaders discussing the most pressing trends, challenges and opportunities facing the entertainment industry. Continue reading ETC and the Entertainment Tech Industry Honor Vince Roberts

The Disney Movies Anywhere app, which launched for iOS and the iTunes Store earlier this year, will now be available for Android and Google Play. Consumers who purchase Disney, Pixar, or Marvel Universe movies via Google Play will have their content automatically added to an account to be joined by anything they have purchased on iTunes or redeemed using digital copies that come with DVDs and Blu-rays. Interestingly, movies purchased via iTunes will appear in the Google Play app and vice-versa. Continue reading Disney Movies Anywhere App Available for iOS and Android