Category Archive: videomag

Avid Media Composer 8.7 Now Available

Categories:

Post Production, videomag

December 15, 2016

(Taken from Avidblogs.com)

Avid team has prepared a shiny new version of Media Composer. This new update (8.7) is packed with great new features that will accelerate the way you tell your stories. Here’s a detailed overview of what’s new in Media Composer 8.7 — now available!

mc8_7-dupe-detection

Dupe Detection for Audio and Data Tracks

The Dupe Detection feature lets you visually track duplicate frames of audio and data tracks. Previously, Dupe Detection applied to Video tracks only. The colored bars that distinguish duplicate frames in the sequence appear automatically above the frames in the Timeline.

mc8_7-match-frame

Match Framing to Titles and Matte Keys

With this release of the editing application, when editing a title or matte key into a sequence, the sequence will track the original clip used so that it can be match framed. This applies to newly edited Titles or Matte keys (Media Composer v8.7 or later).

mc8_7-grid

New Safe Area and Safe Title Options

In the Grid Settings dialog, it is now possible to set the Safe Area/Title to RP-2046 (safe area 93%, safe title 90%) and EBU R95 (safe area 96.5%, safe title 95%) standards.

mc8_7-audio-punch

Extended Audio Punch-In

In Media Composer 8.7 you can extend Audio Punch-In beyond the end of the sequence or the Mark Out.

mc8_7-multicam

Controlling the Track Shown in Split View

A new setting to the Composer Settings window in the Multicam tab allows you to control which track is shown in the split view when you press Play. You can choose between V1 or the monitored track.

mc8_7-default-pan

Audio Default Pan Update

This update provides two new menu items in the Clip mode of the Audio Mixer tool that allow you to commit and remove pan effects whose values are the same as the default for their respective tracks.

mc8_7-frameflex-rotation

Rotation Presets in FrameFlex

The Source Settings FrameFlex tab includes rotate left and rotate right buttons to help you when adjusting the Framing parameters when you are setting new dimensions of the framing box.

mc8_7-clip-info

Clip Info Shortcut

The Clip Info shortcut Alt+Ctrl+I has been added to the editing application. Select the clip or multiple clips and press Alt+Ctrl+I. The clip(s) information appears in the Console window. This is helpful if you want to copy a text version of the clip information.

mc8_7-default-bin

Set Default Bin View

The new Set Default Bin View option in the Bin Settings window allows you to set a default bin view when creating a new bin.

mc8_7-close-all-but-active

Close All Bins But Active (Windows only)

A new option has been added to the Windows menu. When you select Close All Bins But Active, all open bins will be closed except the bin that currently has focus. (This is currently working on Windows systems only.)

mc8_7-locked-bins

Skip Prompt to Save Locked Bins on Auto-Save

The new option “Skip prompts to save locked bins on Auto-Save” in Bin Settings window allows you to disable the prompts that appear when saving locked bins during Auto-save. You will receive the following warning if you choose “Skip prompts to save locked bins on Auto-
Save.”

mc8_7-hybridlog

Hybrid Log Gamma Color Space

All references to  AribB-67 have been changed to HybridLogGamma across the editing application. This change is seen in the color space selection, as well as color transformations in the Source Settings.

mc8_7-timecode

Timecode Burn-In Effect Local Frame Count

In a previous release, the editing application allowed you to set the starting frame count at 0 or 1. With this release, you can set the starting frame count at any value. This value will also be reflected in the Frame Count Start bin column entry.

mc8_7-list-tools

List Tool Update

With Media Composer, you can now create a cut list or change list for multiple sequences.

Support for Sony XAVC-LongG Format

This release of the Avid editing application supports the Sony XAVC-Long GOP format. The formats listed below are available for media creation and linking. You must have the latest Sony Plugin installed to Link to XAVC-Long GOP. See http://www.avid.com/plugins/ama-plugins.

XAVC-L-HD 50 (720p/50, 720p59.94, 1080i/50, 1080i/59.94)
XAVC-L-HD 35 (1080i/50, 1080i/59.94)
XAVC-L-HD 25 (1080i/50, 1080i/59.94)

Media Composer 8.7 is now available for all customers who have a Subscription, Floating or Perpetual License with an active Upgrade and Support plan. As soon as you connect to the internet, your Avid Application Manager will notify you about the availability of this new version. If you don’t have an internet connection on your system, just download the latest version from your Avid Account or the Video Download Center.

Remember you’ll need an active Upgrade and Support plan to use the latest features in Media Composer 8.7, so be sure your Annual Upgrade Plan is current—renew your plan now in your Avid Account.

Get more details on these features, changes and improvements in the ReadMe and What’s New documents on our Media Composer Documentation page.

source

 

Ericsson report: Mobile video viewing up over 200 hours a year since 2012

Categories:

Articles, Over-The-Top TV, videomag

November 8, 2016

Ericsson launched the seventh edition of its annual ConsumerLab TV & Media Report, which details the enormous and rapid shift in TV and video viewing behavior towards mobility. The report also shows that while both mobile video and on-demand TV viewing have soared over the past seven years, content discovery remains a huge frustration for consumers.

Continued shift to mobile:

Average viewing times on mobile devices has grown by more than 200 hours a year since 2012, driving up overall TV and video viewing by an additional 1.5 hours a week. The surge in mobile viewing is offset with a decline in fixed screen viewing of 2.5 hours a week, however the appetite for TV and video is not waning.

erickson111428

  • Weekly share of time spent watching TV and video on mobile devices has grown by 85 percent (2010-2016); on fixed screens it has gone down by 14 percent over the same period
  • 40 percent of consumers globally are ‘very interested’ in a mobile data plan that includes unrestricted video streaming
  • In the US, 20 percent of mobile viewing is paid-for content using services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime

Content discovery – how hard can it be?

A major issue, highlighted by the report, is low consumer satisfaction when trying to find something to watch. 44 percent of US consumers say they can’t find anything to watch on linear TV on a daily basis, an increase of 22 percent compared with last year (36 percent). In contrast, US consumers spend 45 percent more time choosing what to watch on VOD services than linear TV.

Paradoxically, 63 percent of consumers claim that they are very satisfied with content discovery when it comes to their VOD service, while only 51 percent say the same for linear TV. The findings suggest that although the VOD discovery process is more time consuming than with linear broadcast TV, consumers rate it as less frustrating, as it implicitly promises the opportunity to find something they want to watch, when they want to watch it.

Popularity of on-demand services soars:

The total viewing time of on-demand content – such as streamed TV series, movies and other TV programs – has increased 50 percent since 2010. Strong indicators of this growing engagement and satisfaction with VOD services include:

  • Consumers continue to embrace binge watching; 37 percent watch two or more episodes of the same show in a row on a weekly basis, more than a fifth say they do this daily
  • Consumer spending on VOD services in the US has increased by over 60 percent since 2012, from $13 to $20 per month
  • 40 percent of respondents say they watch YouTube daily; a substantial 10 percent of consumers say they watch YouTube for more than three hours a day

Zeynep Ahmet, Senior Advisor, Ericsson ConsumerLab says: “Based on our extensive research, we can see consumers increasingly ask for seamless access to high quality TV and video content, across services and devices. For consumers in general, and millennials in particular, being able to watch on the smartphone is key. Consumers not only want the shared, social broadcast TV experience, they also expect the flexibility of an à la carte on-demand media offering. Today’s experience is multifaceted and consumers want to create their own worlds of compelling, personalized content.”

READ THE FULL REPORT HERE:

Ericsson ConsumerLab TV & Media Report 2016 (HTML and PDF versions)

http://www.ericsson.com/ 
www.ericsson.com/news
www.twitter.com/ericssonpress
www.facebook.com/ericsson
www.youtube.com/ericsson

Source: www.videomag.eu

@videomageu

DFL introduces Ultra HD production standard

Categories:

TV industry, videomag

August 19, 2016

Starting in autumn 2016, DFL Deutsche Fussball Liga will for the first time be broadcasting television images in Ultra High Definition quality (UHD). Following the launch, plans are to initially produce one game per match day in UHD which will be broadcast by national TV partner Sky Deutschland.

sport_cast_budensliga

UHD stands for extreme high-resolution images, a standard that calls for a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. This is four times the resolution of the existing High Definition (HD) standard, and twenty times the resolution of the older Standard Definition (SD) standard. Sky, the Bundesliga’s national pay TV partner, announced the introduction of two UHD channels including the Ultra-HD-capable receiver Sky+ Pro for the 4th quarter of 2016.

There have also been early expressions of interest in the UHD content from the Bundesliga’s international TV partners. The planned launch to market of Bundesliga transmissions in high-resolution UHD was preceded by an intensive test phase in collaboration with the DFL subsidiary SPORTCAST and with Sky.

“The introduction of the UHD technology demonstrates once again the innovative strength of the Bundesliga. We are pleased to be able to provide our live broadcasting rights partners with yet another top product,” said Dr. Holger Blask, Director Audiovisual Rights and responsible for the DFL strategy in this field.​

http://www.bundesliga.com/

via @videomageu

 

 

Technicolor PostWorks creates colour for Café Society

Categories:

Articles, Post Production, videomag

August 17, 2016

Technicolor PostWorks New York completed the finishing on Café Society, Woody Allen’s first digital motion picture as a director, which was captured by legendary cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. The film opened the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and was released in the United States last month.

Set in the 1930s, the story charts the rise of the naïve young Bobby Dorfman (played by Jesse Eisenberg) from his humble origins in the Bronx before seeking fame in Hollywood and returning to New York in triumph. Storaro, working with senior colourist Anthony Raffaele, created looks that reflected the major locations, each in need of a distinctive visual style, and the development of the main character as he navigates a world of dreams and artifice.

cafe_society1

“When Woody Allen asked me to do Café Society, he had never done a digital capture before, but I knew that I had to jump completely into this new chance we had,” said Vittorio Storaro. “I wanted to see images on set that would be very close to the final result and afterwards on dailies even closer, almost 90% of that way to what we would see at the end – Anthony Raffaele with Baselight was able to offer that.”

Storaro wanted to keep a 16-bit 4K workflow throughout. Due to his previous experience with Baselight – on Majid Majidi’s Muhammad: The Messenger of God – and its ability to work in multiple new formats, Storaro was also insistent that Baselight was the ideal system for both the dailies and DI. The project was shot on Sony F55 and F65 cameras and graded using the ACES standard, with Baselight converting to XYZ to retain quality and to allow high dynamic range output to all the deliverables.

“A real plus of ACES is that you can achieve every colour and density you could ever want,” said colourist Raffaele. “Vittorio always wants a crisp black level. But with digital projection you do not get the same quality black level as you do with print. The full support for ACES in Baselight enabled us to emulate film.”

Because Storaro insisted on the same colourist for dailies and finishing, Raffaele formed a close working relationship with on-set DIT Simone d’Archangelo, exchanging files and notes every day to ensure that what was seen on set was precisely what left the colour suite.

Raffaele made extensive use of Baselight’s layer functionality, including emulating the original Technicolor three-strip process and colour intensity to create strong key looks, identifying each location.

“The Bronx was supposed to be a softer palette. It was poor, lower toned, with muted contrast,” Raffaele explained.  “Los Angeles was more vibrant, new, golden with luminous glow, reflecting the fact that our main character is in a more uplifted place. The New York look was a merging of the two, bringing something back from LA, with a fresher look. Bobby Dorfman has changed his life and so the image is a cleaner colour palette, with more contrasts.”

He used a large part of the grading arsenal of Baselight, such as the DFuse tool to soften out skin, particularly to make the main female characters look more radiant and angelic. The Baselight layering tools helped him complete simple VFX jobs too, such as adding lights to a dawn scene and matting out unwanted objects.

Raffaele also pointed to Baselight’s ability to switch colour spaces readily, allowing him to create the final grade in HDR on HD and immediately apply it to the 4K raw footage inside ACES, then roll out the deliverables to multiple colour spaces.

“Anthony Raffaele is a wonderful colourist. He was with us from New York to Los Angeles, from the beginning to the end,” said Storaro. “That’s something I’m used to doing in Italy and I really love it, to have the same colourist doing dailies and doing the DI as well, following the movie through its entire journey.”

Storaro had a clear vision of the complete movie, including references to classical painters and photographers, and he also had a very strong understanding of the technologies involved to achieve what he wanted. He went through the exact same process as shooting in celluloid.

“Vittorio is an absolute perfectionist. He’s extremely technical and a great storyteller. He is also the most collaborative cinematographer I’ve ever worked with,” added Raffaele. “Plus he insisted on a Baselight grade – and that day the stars aligned for me.”

http://www.filmlight.ltd.uk

 

via @videomageu

 

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