WASHINGTON, DC -- Technical, creative and business issues raised by the digital cinema roll-out will be the focus of the Digital Cinema Summit at NAB2007, it was announced today by conference partners NAB, the Entertainment Technology Center at University of Southern California (ETC@USC) and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). The two-day event will feature keynotes, case studies and panels examining real world successes and challenges across the entire digital motion picture release chain from production and post production through theatrical exhibition, to multi-platform, digital release. The Digital Cinema Summit takes place Saturday, April 14 and Sunday April 15 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Saturday's line up, programmed by SMPTE, focuses on the latest in stereoscopic (digital 3D) cinema techniques; technologies for creating digital intermediates (DIs); new, innovative workflows in the digital theater; the DC-28 Standards; and a final report from the international digital cinema deployment organization, World Screen. Chris Cookson, chief technology officer for Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., will deliver a keynote address that explores what the industry can do to prepare for and empower the long-term promise of digital cinema image quality.
Sunday's program, produced by ETC@USC, will look at creating and distributing digital motion picture content for consumption in the movie theater and the new digital home. Sessions will address the digital pipeline, success and roadblocks in retrofitting theaters for digital cinema exhibition, 3D content, and recent Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) developments. The day will be feature two, in-depth case studies analyzing the production of recent, high profile, digital releases and a soon-to-be-announced keynote from a leading filmmaker.
"As digital technologies bring the various sectors of the entertainment industry closer together, the Digital Cinema Summit grows more germane to our NAB audience," said NAB Vice President of Science & Technology John Marino. "ETC@USC and SMPTE will draw back the curtain on key innovations that impact our post production, research and manufacturing, and Internet broadcast communities."
"Digital cinema has flourished from a few locations to thousands of screens worldwide, driven, in large part, by the development of new technologies," said Kimberly Maki, executive director, SMPTE. "Attendees to the Saturday Summit sessions will gain a deeper understanding of new technological developments and solutions, information they can take with them to the NAB exhibition floor."
"Digital Cinema represents the high-end and leading edge of the digital distribution continuum," said David Wertheimer, newly appointed executive director, ETC@USC. "What we are doing as an industry here is shaping how digital products get produced and distributed downstream. With our Sunday sessions, industry members will gain the information they need to remain ahead of the digital curve."
The Digital Cinema Summit is designed for content owners and distributors, filmmakers and crew, post production staff, theater owners, equipment manufacturers, technology companies, analysts and journalists. For detailed program info, click here.
About
the Society of Motion Picture Engineers
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), is the
leading technical society for the motion imaging industry. SMPTE members
are spread throughout 61 countries worldwide. More than 200 Sustaining
(Corporate) Members belong to SMPTE, allowing networking and contacts
to occur on a larger scale. Touching on every discipline, our members
include engineers, technical directors, editors, technicians, manufacturers,
educators, and consultants.
About
the Entertainment Technology Center at USC www.etcenter.org
The Entertainment Technology Center at University of Southern California
(ETC@USC) is a neutral, non-partisan research organization in the School
of Cinematic Arts that studies entertainment technology developments that
are critical to the creative community; production companies; content
owners, distributors and exhibitors; and technology companies. ETC@USC's
sponsors include USC-School of Cinematic Arts; Hollywood's major studios:
NBC-Universal, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Viacom/Paramount
Studios, The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros.; Lucasfilm Ltd.; Cisco;
Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, Inc; and Thomson.
About
NAB2007
NAB2007 will take place April 14 - 19, 2007 in Las Vegas (exhibits open
April 16). It is the world's largest electronic media show covering the
development, delivery and management of professional video and audio content
across all mediums. Complete NAB2007 details are available at www.nabshow.com.
About
NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association that advocates
on behalf of more than 8,300 free, local radio and television stations
and also broadcast networks before Congress, the Federal Communications
Commission and the Courts. Information about NAB can be found at www.nab.org.