As part of the “Media Management in the Cloud” conference running at the NAB Show in Las Vegas this week, Brian McKay, executive vice president of production operations at Warner Bros., discussed the challenges and opportunities of moving the studio’s archive into the cloud. In one of the final sessions of the conference, which concluded late Wednesday, McKay appeared onstage with David Cohen, senior editor at Variety, for a one-on-one conversation. Continue reading Warner Bros. Exec Discusses Moving Studio Archive to the Cloud

Day one of Media Management in the Cloud, a two-day conference co-produced by NAB and the ETC, opened Tuesday morning to a standing-room only crowd in the Convention Center’s South Hall. After a brief welcome by ETC CEO Ken Williams, ETC’s Erik Weaver began the day’s events, noting that almost everything happening at NAB this year seems to have some connection to the cloud. Day one presentations and panels focused on key areas related to cloud services, such as cost, scalability, security, production and storage. Continue reading NAB Cloud Conference Opens to a Packed House in Las Vegas

During the NAB Show, thousands of companies descend on Las Vegas. Perhaps one of the smallest is a three-man startup called Eyeris, that aims to change the way we gather data about consumer preference. Featured by the SPROCKIT program, a new venue co-sponsored by NAB that aims to highlight nascent tech companies that may have a big impact on the entertainment industry, Eyeris tracks viewer response to motion picture content using clever software and the cameras already embedded in the the devices most of us carry. Continue reading Tech Startup Offers Compelling New Way to Watch Audiences

In a ceremony at the Ray Stark Theater on USC’s Cinematic Arts campus last Thursday, Dean Elizabeth Daley joined George Lucas in welcoming three USC film professors to their new endowed chairs. Made possible by a generous gift from Lucas, the three new chairs — The Sergei Eisenstein Endowed Chair for Cinematic Design, the George Mélies Endowed Chair in Visual Effects, and the William Cameron Menzies Endowed Chair in Production Design — are now held by Bruce Block, Michael Funk, and Alex McDowell respectively. Continue reading USC Cinematic Arts Professors Installed in New Endowed Chairs

In what was perhaps the most forward-looking panel yet to appear onstage at the HPA Tech Retreat, a group of six professionals from across the post-production industry made the case Thursday afternoon that the future of post would be more distributed, more accessible, and very much dependent on cloud technologies. The “Virtual/Distributed Post” panel, moderated by Creative COW‘s Debra Kaufman, featured individuals working to develop and deploy technologies that break the mold of traditional post-production facilities. Continue reading HPA Tech Retreat: Panel Ponders New Era of Post Production

A panel of experts from across the entertainment industry convened at the HPA Tech Retreat on Thursday morning to discuss the importance of increasing pixel counts in next generation televisions and displays. While so-called “4K” or Ultra HD televisions have now appeared on the market from nearly every major consumer electronics manufacturer, there has been some debate about whether simply increasingly resolution truly improves picture quality. Continue reading HPA Panel Discusses Pixel Count in Next-Generation Displays

Attendees at the Hollywood Post Alliance Tech Retreat in Indian Wells were treated on Wednesday to an in-depth technical description of the most connected sports stadium in the world. James Stellpflug, VP of sports products at media company EVS Broadcast Equipment explained the inner workings of the latest systems currently running at Sporting Park, the home of Major League Soccer team Sporting Kansas City. Last summer we reported that Sporting Park is becoming a model for stadium technology and fan engagement. Continue reading HPA Retreat: Stadium of the Future? There’s an App for That

The HPA Tech Retreat was in full swing on Tuesday, and one of the most intriguing presentations was a case study in the use of Big Data, given by Christy King, VP digital technology and R&D at the Ultimate Fighting Championship. King, co-presenting with journalist Deborah McAdams of TV Technology outlined the methods that UFC employs to collect and analyze data about its fans and viewers, including how they use that data to make decisions about marketing and expansion. Continue reading UFC Discusses Its Big-Data Strategy at the HPA Tech Retreat

The Hollywood Post Alliance’s Tech Retreat began its first full day of programming Tuesday morning, marking the 20th consecutive year of the event. Held at the Hyatt Regency in Indian Wells, CA, the event is a combination tech symposium and trade show, which brings together professionals working in various aspects of motion picture and television post-production to discuss emerging trends and technologies. Tuesday’s program featured a daylong session: “The New Normal is Anything But — How Digital Technology from Creation to Consumption Impacts Everything.” Continue reading HPA Tech Retreat Gets Underway This Week in Palm Springs

With numerous reports showing that the trend of cord-cutting continued to accelerate during 2013, despite the fact that pay TV revenue growth remains strong, the ETCentric reporting team in Las Vegas will be looking for innovative or disruptive products and services that may impact the current television business model. Currently, 14 percent of U.S. broadband households are using some sort of video streaming media device, with the various models of Roku being the most popular. Continue reading CES 2014: TV Everywhere and Tech Beyond the End of the Cord

In the run-up to last weekend’s Emmy Awards, a great deal was written about the nominations received by “House of Cards,” and what those nominations mean for the future of television, both as a business and as an art form. Though the show missed out on most of the evening’s top honors, the three wins it did secure still mark a turning point in TV’s evolution. While it seems unlikely that the changes in the way television is produced and consumed will be as transformational or as swift as some predict, it does seem clear that the nature of television has changed and will continue to change in several important ways. Continue reading EXCLUSIVE: Netflix, the Emmys, and the Changing Face of Television

Google has sent Microsoft a cease and desist letter, demanding that the YouTube app for Windows Phone be removed from the Windows Phone Store by May 22nd. The letter alleges that the app, unveiled just over a week ago, blocks advertising and allows local downloads of content, both clear violations of YouTube’s terms of service. The application was authored by Microsoft, without consultation or collaboration with Google. Continue reading Google Cries Foul Over New Windows Phone YouTube App

• Speaking at a keynote event, Robert Kyncl, vice president of global content partnerships for YouTube explained that the video site would continue to expand at a rapid pace, as it moves more toward a channel model.
• Kyncl pointed out that the five most popular YouTube channels now have as many viewers as the top 20 cable channels, and further explained that content on the video site is instantly global, avoiding many of the complex licensing and distribution hurdles that exist in traditional television.
• He highlighted a number of well-known personalities who would launch YouTube channels in 2012, including “The Office” co-star Rainn Wilson, and Marvel comic book legend Stan Lee.
• A panel of speakers at the event, including “CSI” creator Anthony Zuiker, and a number of advertising executives, highlighted YouTube’s unique ability to target specific audiences, in contrast to the wide net cast by traditional television advertising.
• “The problem with TV is that you can’t sell the same can of beer to a six year-old and a sixty year-old,” said Zuiker. “We are seeing the beginning of the extinction of traditional television.”

• Fremont, CA-based Optoma Technology is displaying a short-throw 3D projector designed for gaming.
• The projector, the GT750E, uses active shutter technology to display 3D content at 720p, with an output of 3000 ANSI lumens.
• A key feature of the projector its the spherical lens that gives it an extremely short throw, allowing it to project an image in excess of 180-inches in size from a distance of less than ten feet.
• Additional features: DLP Link 120Hz display technology, 3000:1 contrast ratio, support of up to 2D or 3D 1080p resolution, built-in 10-watt speaker system.
• “The key here is that we are allowing the customer to project real 3D content right from the coffee table,” said Nancy Beckmann, a spokesperson for the company.
• Designed with gaming in mind, the projector is retailing for $799.
• Where to see it: South Hall 20431

• Philips is demonstrating a new remote control technology called uWand, which uses an interface that the company calls “remote touch.”
• Combining accelerometers and infrared cameras, the remote allows users to interact with the screen simply by pointing, in an approach very similar to that of the gesture control tech used by the Nintendo Wii.
• The model on display at CES also incorporates an integrated QWERTY keyboard on the back of the remote, allowing for a straightforward and intuitive text interface.
• The pointing technology also allows users to interact with many popular mobile applications in a manner that is very similar to the touch interface for those apps on mobile devices.
• The company says it intends to incorporate the technology into its own televisions, as well as licensing it to other manufacturers.
• This full-featured interface could prove beneficial in the consumer adoption of smart TVs.
• Where to see it: South Hall 21451