Panavision posts “Demystifying Digital Camera Specifications” videos

Jim Feeley | 05/07- 10:23 AM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“DEMYSTIFYING DIGITAL CAMERA SPECIFICATIONS,”
SEVEN-PART VIDEO SERIES ILLUMINATING DIGITAL IMAGING TECHNOLOGY, DEBUTS ON PANAVISION WEBSITE

Panavision’s John Galt and Canon’s Larry Thorpe Make The Case for Meaningful Metrics Appropriate for The Age of Digital Movie Making

May 6, 2008 - Woodland Hills, Calif. —“Demystifying Digital Camera Specifications,” a seven-part series focusing on the complex science of image resolution and digital cinema cameras is now available on the Panavision website. The URL is: http://media.panavision.com/ScreeningRoom/Screening_Room/Box_Office.html.

The in-depth symposium is presented by two icons of digital cinema technology: John Galt, Panavision Senior Vice President, Advanced Digital Imaging; and Larry Thorpe, National Marketing Manager, Canon Broadcast & Communication Division.

A master class for motion picture professionals and students, the series is also in the minds of its creators a precursor to a broader, crucial industry-wide discussion: the need for a scientifically valid, objective method of assessing the quality of digital and film images.

Recorded in high-definition video, the symposium was held April 3 before an audience of invited guests in the Panavision Theater, located in the company’s world headquarters in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Imaging resolution science: a closer look

Throughout the series, Galt and Thorpe challenge the simplistic and inaccurate assumption that digital camera resolution is “all about the camera output pixels.” Instead, they help serious motion picture creators to understand the difference between optical sampling from camera imagers (where resolution is totally determined) and the camera digital sampling.

They explore in depth what is meant by Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) and the compounding effect of lens MTF, camera MTF, and the MTF of subsequent production system elements.

Their discussion emphasizes that the relationship between the lens-camera MTF profile and associated residual aliasing – in both the horizontal and vertical domains – constitutes the only rational metric on imaging resolution. These two criteria apply to all 2/3-inch three-imager and to 35mm single-imager digital cameras. Nyquist theory, optical prefiltering and imager sampling lattice are explained in the context of camera design criteria that seek a pragmatic compromise between high MTF and minimum aliasing.

While camera manufacturers generally do not publish camera-specific information regarding lens-camera MTF and aliasing, various test charts are available to enable an objective assessment of both criteria. With these charts, fully demonstrated in the series, content developers can directly compare the performance between any two digital cameras regardless of image format size, number of imagers, or their optical sampling lattice.

Using the MTF metric, Galt and Thorpe conclude, digital movie makers now have better tools to help them gauge precisely what effect each step has on the production of the final image.

In addition to appearing on the Panavision website, the “Demystifying Digital Camera Specifications” series is being made available through various professional, trade and media Internet sites. For film schools, students and instructors, it is being showcased through the University Film and Video Association: http://www.ufva.org, in the news section. The UFVA is an international organization of almost 800 professionals and institutions involved in the production and study of film, video, and other media arts.

Transcripts of the seminars, with embedded slides, will soon be available to accompany the video presentation to facilitate class use or individual study.

“With programs like ‘Demystifying Digital Camera Specifications,’” said Bob Beitcher, President and CEO, “Panavision is trying both to educate our customers as well as raise the level of industry discussion about emerging technologies to focus on the science of what we do. I think that most everyone stands to benefit from a good look-and-listen at this stimulating presentation from two true experts.”

About the company
Founded in 1954, Panavision Inc. is a leading designer and manufacturer of high-precision camera systems, comprising of film and digital cameras, lenses and accessories for the motion picture and television industries. Panavision systems are rented through its domestic and international owned and operated facilities and distributor network. Panavision also supplies lighting, grip and crane equipment for use by motion picture and television productions.

Adobe Demos Future Technology At NAB

Richard Harrington | 05/06- 08:47 PM

Adobe showed some awesome stuff at NAB. My favorite was a future version of Premiere that transcribes your footage, then makes the transcription searchable for both editing and publishing to the web.

NIN – The Times are Changing

Richard Harrington | 05/06- 07:44 PM

One of the first bands I fell in love with during college was Nine Inch Nails (actually back then, it wasn’t a band).  The seminal record, Pretty Hate Machine was a mash-up of Prince Samples and Orchestral Scores from Stephen King and Clive Barker films (along with many other sounds).  Since then Trent Reznor has continued to evolve/

Yesterday they‘ve released The Slip—a new 10-track album—for free on http://theslip.nin.com/.  The record is available in virtually every flavor of DRM-free digital format, all you need to do is give them your email address.  The album will eventually be available in traditional formats as well.  This move mirrors those of both Radiohead and Prince.

Available in several DRM-free formats, the record will be released on CD and vinyl in July.

“Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years,” Reznor wrote. “This one’s on me.”

BOXX Releases Next Generation Special Edition 3DBOXX

Scott Gentry | 05/06- 09:25 AM

BOXX Technologies Inc., an innovator in high-performance computing systems for visual effects (VFX) and design professionals, today released a Special Edition 3DBOXX workstation that delivers unmatched dual- processor workstation performance by maximizing the power of two Intel Core 2 Extreme processors. Benchmarks computed by BOXX Labs indicate 23.2 percent more performance on Cinebench 10 for the Special Edition compared to the world-record setting 3DBOXX 8400SE.*

The Special Edition 3DBOXX is designed specifically for digital artists who push the limits of dual-processor architectures because of the frequency at which they perform compute-intensive tasks. 

“Once again, BOXX Labs has demonstrated its ability to deliver jaw-dropping performance in a dual-processor workstation, this time by seizing a unique opportunity to optimize the processing power of two Intel Core 2 Extreme processors. The latest Special Edition 3DBOXX remains cool and quiet thanks to a unique, high efficiency liquid cooling solution,” said Francois Wolf, director of marketing at BOXX Technologies. 

Digital artists who are frequently called upon to create complex effects such as simulated water, rain, or fog will find this new Special Edition perfect for frequent rendering. Other effects such as the simulation of hair or fur, or muscle and skin behavior, also require the highest performance in order to maintain a fluid level of interactivity between the artist or designer and the software. The new Special Edition 3DBOXX provides the best possible performance level within the 3DBOXX enclosure. 

“The performance and energy efficiency of Intel’s Core 2 Extreme processor has provided BOXX the ideal computing platform for its Special Edition 3DBOXX workstation with the power for special applications used in animation, visual special effects and design,” said Boyd Davis, general manager of Intel’s Server Products Group Marketing. 

Pricing and Availability
Base configurations for the Special Edition start at $7,722 or a low monthly lease of $256.37

Avid Intros Next-Gen RAID Solutions

Jim Feeley | 05/05- 09:46 AM

TEWKSBURY, Mass., May 5, 2008 - Avid Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVID) today announced the next-generation of its high-performance storage disk arrays - Avid VideoRAID ST and Avid VideoRAID SR solutions - which combine real-time performance, cost-effective SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) drive technology, and the security of fail-safe data protection in the event of a disk drive failure. Unlike other RAID solutions that may be unusable during a drive rebuild, Avid VideoRAID solutions help customers keep up with the fast pace of digital content creation by maintaining full performance and data protection, while rebuilding the drives in the background. Customers will also be able to take advantage of real-time playback of up to two streams of uncompressed HD on as few as eight Avid VideoRAID drives. Additionally, Avid is offering all new VideoRAID ST and SR customers a three-year warranty on drive mechanisms and enclosures and will provide advanced exchange of replacement parts to customers at no additional cost. 

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