First look at The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug in 3D HFR

3D Focus

Peter Jackson presented a new trailer for The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug, the first showing anywhere in High Frame Rate 3D.http://www.3dfocus.co.uk/3d-news-2/3d-film/first-look-at-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-in-3d-hfr/13787

Adrian Pennington from IBC

At the Cinemacon show in 2012 Jackson had presented unfinished sequences of The Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey and was lambasted by some critics for his decision to shoot at 48 fps, based on the partially finished grade of that material.

This time he was taking no chances. The trailer – which included a first full body shot of the dragon Smaug – looked pristine, and to this viewer had none of the 'video' quality which was a common criticism of the first installment.

The effect of the high frame rate, which is twice the conventional rate, is to allow Jackson to move the camera freely, giving a real sense of the chaos of battle in the climactic scenes.

Speaking in a pre-recorded video Jackson said: “Sometimes people don’t regard imagination and technology as being one and the same, supporting each other. In the case of the film industry – and particularly the films I make – I cannot exercise my imagination without the support of technology.”

He added: “This is a great time to be a film-maker. Just about anything you imagine can be put on screen today. The amount of freedom I have is absolutely incredible.  That is due to all the wonderful technology companies and the innovators out there who keep pushing the boundaries. There is going to be innovation in the entertainment business that we cannot even dream about today.”

The director was the recipient of the IBC International Honour for Excellence, while Park Road Post Production were garlanded with the Innovation Award for Content Creation for its work on The Hobbit, at the IBC Awards Ceremony.

Despite its's poor reception, James Cameron is expected to release Avatar 2 and 3 in high frame rate, using 60 frames per second to wrap up the story of the Avatar characters.  Speaking during NAB in April, producer Jon Landau said "“There is a strong likelihood that we will use high frame rates for Avatar. Why? Because it is a better experience for the audience. Nobody should dictate to a filmmaker whether they should make films at 24, 48 or 60fps since the technology now exists and can be presented with the same cinema equipment.”

The Hobbit Part 2 is expected to be released in December this year with the third and final of the trilogy expected to be in cinemas by December 2014.

IBC: Sony Readies DSLR Cameras to Ward Off 'Canon Attack'

THR

Sony is designing a new series of cameras to ward off strong competition from Canon and GoPro.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/ibc-sony-readies-dslr-cameras-629844

First look at The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug in 3D HFR

3D Focus

Peter Jackson presented a new trailer for The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug, the first showing anywhere in High Frame Rate 3D

http://www.3dfocus.co.uk/3d-news-2/3d-film/first-look-at-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-in-3d-hfr/13787

IBC: Sony Readies DSLR Cameras to Ward Off 'Canon Attack'

The Hollywood Reporter

Sony is designing a new series of cameras to ward off strong competition from Canon and GoPro

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/ibc-sony-readies-dslr-cameras-629844

What does Big Data mean for broadcasters?

CSI 

 

Attempting to divine what value is to be gleaned from Big Data by broadcasters, IBC corralled a heavyweight cast spanning two sessions 'The Big Data Revolution' and 'Big Data - Broadcasting's New Oil or Digital Exhaust?'

http://www.csimagazine.com/csi/What-does-Big-Data-mean-for-broadcasters.php

IBC: 8K Broadcast Planned For Tokyo 2020 Olympics

The Hollywood Reporter

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/tokyo-olympics-8k-broadcast-planned-629427

AMSTERDAM -- An 8K broadcast of the Tokyo Olympic Games in Japan is being planned after Sony revealed it was developing production equipment to support 8K, which is ultra sharp and 16 times the resolution of today's HD. 

Sony is part of NexTV-F, a $31 million government-backed consortia comprising Japanese electronics manufacturers, public broadcaster NHK and other stakeholders to forward 4K and 8K "Ultra HD TV."

“The Japanese government has accelerated 4K and 8K in order to be ready for the 2020 Olympic Games, and we will prepare a team to develop 8K [technology],” said Shoji Nemoto, corporate executive officer, and president of Sony's Professional Services Group.

Friday at the International Broadcasting Convention, FIFA announced that, with Sony, it would record the World Cup Final 2014 in 4K. That follows a 4K test at last summer's FIFA Confederations Cup.

"The move by FIFA is a big first step for Ultra-HD," said Katsunori Yamanouchi, vp of Sony Professional Solutions Europe. "It will help broadcasters understand the product and, when audiences see it – perhaps at public venues – it will begin to generate demand."

"We've been in touch with many broadcasters who have declared an interest in 4K including BSkyB, Sky Italia, Sky Deutschland and they are continuing to test it. ... As always with new technology though, we have a chicken and egg situation where content is needed," Yamanouchi added.

The Next Wave of Technology will be mobile

CSI

As technology continues to evolve at light speed it throws up incredible opportunities but almost overwhelming challenges. Just how do CEOs and CTOs make the right decision in terms of investment? IBC tackled this issue head-on with a conference curtain-raiser featuring four heavyweights who predicted the impact of 'The Next Wave of Technology'.

http://www.csimagazine.com/csi/The-Next-Wave-of-Technology-will-be-mobile.php