SMPTE® has issued a call for technical manuscript proposals for the SMPTE 2018 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2018), which will be held Oct. 23-25 at a new venue, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in downtown Los Angeles. Authors must submit their proposals by May 28.
Held annually by SMPTE, the technical conference is the world’s premier forum for the exploration of media and entertainment technology. This year’s program committee is co-chaired by two SMPTE Fellows: Thomas Edwards, vice president engineering and development at Fox, and SMPTE Education Director Sara J. Kudrle, product marketing manager for playout at Imagine Communications. The committee is being overseen by SMPTE Education Director for Conference Programs Yvonne Thomas, product manager at Arvato Systems, and by SMPTE Education Vice President Richard Welsh, co-founder and CEO of Sundog Media Toolkit.
“The program committee intends to build a technical program that will reflect the innovative spirit, dynamic nature, and growing inclusion that characterize today’s media and entertainment industry,” said Welsh. “Presenting a paper at SMPTE 2018 offers researchers, engineers, educators, executives, creatives, and students with a unique opportunity to share their expertise, and we welcome proposals from all variety of professionals working in our field.”
Authors of manuscript proposals selected by the 2018 program committee will have the opportunity to present at the event and network with the industry’s most esteemed technology thought leaders and engineering executives. Program sessions address advancements in current technology, plus future-looking developments in media technology, content creation, image and sound, and the allied arts and sciences.
Proposed papers must be informational and must address technical theory, research, innovation, application, or practice specific to any of the evolving technologies associated with the media and entertainment industry. Papers that are commercial or promotional will not be considered, nor will those that have already been published. Student papers are strongly encouraged.
Possible paper topics include subjects such as ultra high definition (UHD); wide color gamut (WCG) and high dynamic range (HDR) management; the future of media distribution (OTT, ATSC 3.0, mobile, etc.); media infrastructure (SDI, ST 2110); workflow management (file-based, automation); cloud and virtualized media processing; image acquisition and processing; content management and storage, restoration, and preservation; cinema processing and projection technology; human perception of images and sound; quality and monitoring of images or sound; new compression techniques and implementations; content and network security; new audio techniques or technologies; advances in display technologies; future media technology (virtual reality, augmented reality, 360 video); machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) technology for professional content creation; and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Instructions on submitting an abstract, along with a comprehensive listing of potential topics, are available here. Early submission of paper proposals will ensure consideration by the SMPTE 2018 program committee. May 28 is the firm deadline for abstract submissions.
Final proposal selection and notification to authors will occur no later than July 20. To ensure SMPTE has time to process papers for the conference, selected presenters must provide an electronic version of the final technical manuscript to the Society no later than Sept. 28.
Following SMPTE 2018, SMPTE will publish accepted manuscripts to the SMPTE Digital Library hosted on the IEEE Xplore platform, and video of each paper presentation will be posted to the Society’s YouTube channel. Submitted manuscripts will also go through peer review for possible publication in the award-winning SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal.
This year the SMPTE conference will boast a larger high-tech exhibit hall and more seating for its three days of technical sessions. The event also will feature special events including two cocktail receptions, the Annual Awards Gala, and a preconference Symposium, all of which bring attendees unparalleled opportunities for professional development, relationship building, and “mind sharing.” SMPTE 2018 also provides exhibitors and sponsors with a unique opportunity to showcase their latest products and technologies while increasing brand visibility.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More