MAXON CINEMA 4D Helps Savannah College Students Tackle Super Bowl Broadcast
NEWBURY PARK, Calif.–MAXON, a developer of professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions, today announced that
Faceware Technologies forms partnership with Vicon
LOS ANGELES–Faceware Technologies, a provider of markerless 3D facial motion capture solutions, has entered into a global partnership with Vicon, the motion capture technology specialists for the entertainment, defense, life sciences and engineering industries. The partnership will focus on providing mocap studios and service providers with more hardware and software options for capturing, analyzing and retargeting facial and full-body mocap data.
In the first phase of the partnership, Faceware has made its software products, Analyzer and Retargeter, compatible with Vicon’s Cara head rig when used in a single-camera configuration. Studios capturing facial performance data using Cara will now be able to process and retarget that data onto 3D characters using Faceware’s products. The Cara integration is complementary to Faceware’s own Headcam options. Faceware and Vicon have also started discussing additional integrations between their hardware and software solutions.
Faceware’s software product line includes Faceware Analyzer, a facial tracking software application that converts any video of an actor’s performance into facial motion files, and Faceware Retargeter, a plug-in for Autodesk animation tools that utilizes the data created in Analyzer to help animators create facial animation through a quick and intuitive pose-based workflow. Both products are now fully capable of processing the information captured by the Vicon Cara headset just as if the information were captured by Faceware’s own head-mounted cameras.
Cara is Vicon’s facial motion capture system that enables film and games studios of any size to bring characters to life through advanced facial tracking and capture. # # #
Comcast to bring online Olympics coverage to TV
By Ryan Nakashima, Business Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Over the past few Olympics, NBC has shown more live coverage over the Internet than it has on TV. For the upcoming Winter Games, Comcast’s Xfinity TV subscribers will be able to tap the breadth of that online coverage on their big screens.
For the first time, subscribers who use Comcast Corp.’s latest-generation X1 video set-top box will be able to access content that had once been “digital only.”
That includes use of the NBC Sports Live Extra app on big-screen TVs. This year, the app will include a buffed-up version of a live program called “Gold Zone.” It will cut in and out of medal events and recap highlights. This time, it will also have hosts and a studio, similar to football’s NFL RedZone channel. Live streaming of events and other coverage from Sochi, Russia, will also be available on the TV through the X1 box.
All told, NBC is streaming more than 1,000 hours of live event coverage online. For the first time, that will include popular events such as figure skating. At the Winter Olympics in Vancouver four years ago, live coverage online was limited to curling and ice hockey, plus some training runs, and only 430 hours of online coverage was live.
Subscribers of other pay TV companies will be able to catch the “Gold Zone” and other online coverage only on computers, tablets and mobile phones — at least without connecting cables to the TV. Verification through the X1 is automatic, as it will be for some subscribers of other services that can recognize if you’re on your home Wi-Fi network.
The change is one further step in the TV industry’s evolution to become a platform delivered via the Internet. Because the X1 box can handle the HTML 5 Internet programming language, it was easy to repurpose the app, the company said.
It’s also an example of the benefits Comcast Corp. can reap by owning NBCUniversal, which it purchased in 2011.
“Gold Zone” will be hosted by Andrew Siciliano, the host of DirecTV’s “NFL Sunday Ticket Red Zone,” and Ryan Burr, an NBC Sports and Golf Channel journalist. The show will stream as live events play out in Russia from about 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern time in the U.S.
When the online show ends, NBC will typically have two hours of afternoon coverage starting at 3 p.m. EST and three hours in prime time starting at 8 p.m. EST. Broadcasts will be delayed outside the Eastern and Central time zones. Other affiliated pay TV networks — USA, MSNBC, CNBC and NBC Sports Network — will carry other events as well.
When X1 users turn on the TV, they will be notified of what Olympic events are coming up and on which channels if they tap the “info” button on their remote controls.
In a handful of test markets — including Boston, Philadelphia and parts of New York state — X1 users will also be able to watch competition from the beginning if they show up a bit late, a feature the company is calling “Instant Video on Demand.” Fast-forwarding of ads will be disabled, however.
Comcast doesn’t say how many of its customers use X1. It’s available to all new customers who subscribe to at least three services — video, voice and data. Existing customers can ask for X1 and may be required to pay for an upgrade. Getting one isn’t guaranteed.
NBC plans to make money on the Olympics, thanks in part to heavy use of its multiple TV and online networks. Its motto this year reflects its intention to blanket the Olympics: “Every Minute. Every Medal. Every Screen.” So far, it has sold some $800 million worth of ads — more than $50 million of which are from digital platforms — while covering the Sochi games cost it $775 million in licensing fees.
It has also learned a lesson from the London Games and has decided not to tape-delay marquee events in order to boost prime-time TV ratings. In fact, NBC said Thursday that it found those who watched live streaming online were more likely to tune in later on television.
The exception to the live streaming is the opening ceremony, which will be broadcast on NBC at 7:30 p.m. EST on Feb. 7, about nine hours after the event happens.
The Olympics run from Feb. 6 to 23, with some events taking place before the opening ceremony.
Google hopes designer frames will sharpen Glass
By Barbara Ortutay, Technology Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Google Glass is getting glasses.
Google is adding prescription frames and new styles of detachable sunglasses to its computerized, Internet-connected goggles known as Glass.
The move comes as Google Inc. prepares to make Glass available to the general population later this year. Currently, Glass is available only to the tens of thousands of people who are testing and creating apps for it.
Glass hasn’t actually had glasses in its frame until now.
Glass is basically a small computer, with a camera and a display screen above the wearer’s right eye. The device sits roughly at eyebrow level, higher than where eyeglasses would go.
It lets wearers surf the Web, ask for directions and take photos or videos. Akin to wearing a smartphone without having to hold it in your hands, Glass also lets people read their email, share photos on Twitter and Facebook, translate phrases while traveling or partake in video chats. Glass follows some basic voice commands, spoken after the worlds “OK, Glass.”
The gadget itself is not changing with this announcement. Rather, Google plans to make various attachments available. Starting Tuesday, the Mountain View, Calif., company is offering four styles of prescription frames and two new types of shades available to its “explorers” — the people who are trying out Glass. The frames will cost $225 and the shades, $150. That’s on top of the $1,500 price of Glass.
Users can take the frames to any vision care provider for prescription lenses, though Google says it is working with insurance provider Vision Service Plan to train eye-care providers around the U.S. on how to work with Glass. Google says some insurance plans may cover the cost of the frames.
Isabelle Olsson, the lead designer for Google Glass, says the new frames open the spectacles up to a larger audience.
She demonstrated the new frames to The Associated Press last week at the Google Glass Basecamp, an airy loft on the eighth floor of New York City’s Chelsea Market. It’s one of the places where Glass users go to pick up their wares and learn how to use them. Walking in, visitors are greeted, of course, by a receptionist wearing Google Glass.
“We want as many people as possible to wear it,” she said.
To that end, Glass’s designers picked four basic but distinct frame styles. On one end is a chunky “bold” style that stands out. On the other is a “thin” design — to blend in as much as possible.
Olsson said Google won’t be able to compete with the thousands of styles offered at typical eyeglasses stores. Instead, Glass’s designers looked at what types of glasses are most popular, what people wear the most and, importantly, what they look good in.
The latter has been a constant challenge for the nascent wearable technology industry, especially for something like Google Glass, designed to be worn on your face. When Google unveiled Glass in a video nearly two years ago, it drew unfavorable comparisons to Bluetooth headsets, the trademarks of the fashion-ignorant technophile.
In designing Google Glass, Olsson and her team focused on three design principles with the goal of creating something that people want to wear. These were lightness, simplicity and scalability. That last one means having different options available for different people — just as there are different styles of headphones, from in-ear buds to huge aviator-style monstrosities.
Google Glass currently comes in five colors — “charcoal,” a lighter shade of gray called “shale,” white, tangerine and bright blue “sky.” The frame attachments out Tuesday are all titanium. Users can mix and match.
“People need to be able to choose,” Olsson said. “These products need to be lifestyle products.”
T3Media Selects Front Porch’s SAMMA to Digitize Visual History of U.S. Armed Forces
LOUISVILLE, Colo.–T3Media, Inc., a provider of cloud-based video management and licensing services, has chosen Front Porch Digital’s SAMMA migration system to digitize the videotape collection of the Department of Defense (DOD) dating back to World War II. The collection is managed within the DOD by the Defense Imagery Management Operations Center (DIMOC).
The DOD collection contains a wide range of videotape formats including Betacam, VHS, and U-matic. T3Media will incorporate a seven-stream SAMMArobot into its workflow to enable automated, high-throughput migration of the Betacam material.
“Front Porch Digital’s SAMMA line was a natural choice for such a large and important digitization project as this one,” said Mark Lemmons, chief technology officer at T3Media. “The SAMMA migration system enables us to scale the encoding of this unique content and rapidly onboard it into our world-class platform.”
Besides being able to produce multiple digital file recordings from seven videotape recorders simultaneously, SAMMArobot can monitor and improve the video signal at the same time — all while generating associated technical metadata for every stage of the migration. It can also interface with T3Media’s existing platform, retrieve the information generated during the migration process, and guarantee the creation of open video formats and genuinely interoperable technical metadata.
“T3Media is the acknowledged industry leader in enterprise-scale archive management, and we appreciate their confidence in our capabilities,” said Mike Knaisch, president and CEO of content storage management solutions company Front Porch Digital. “Our SAMMA products will provide a critical piece of T3Media’s workflow for this project, and we’re thrilled to be such a big part of preserving the visual history of our nation’s armed forces.”
Grass Valley Demonstrates Commitment to Middle East
HILLSBORO, Ore.–Grass Valley will showcase a range of broadcast and media solutions at CABSAT 2014, held March 11-13 at the World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE. Spanning across two levels and designed for maximum impact, Grass Valley’s stand (A5-20, Hall 5) will house its growing product suite, including production switchers, cameras and editing software, and provide a VIP atmosphere for meetings away from the busy show floor.
Making its debut in the Middle East region is the GV Director Nonlinear Live Production System that integrates several features such as video switching and graphics in a single, intuitive system, and the new LDX Compact series of small footprint advanced imaging cameras. Also on display will be the powerful K2 Summit and K2 Solo media servers, which are known for their reliability by delivering a 24/7/365 file-based infrastructure as well as demonstrations of GV Edge, Grass Valley’s revolutionary playout solution.
To further drive support for the region, Grass Valley has announced three new hires for the Middle East operations in Dubai–a regional sales manager, customer services engineer and a marketing coordinator.
Moreover, due to be launched around the CABSAT timing, Grass Valley is installing a new demonstration facility in its Dubai office to create an exceptional venue where customers and end-users alike can see the very latest broadcast and media technologies brought to life.
To serve its Arabic speaking customer base in the Middle East and around the world, Grass Valley is launching its first Arabic web site: http://www-ar.grassvalley.com. The site will be complete with product information and video tutorials to further promote Grass Valley’s dedication to the growing broadcast market in the Middle East region.
