IBC2015 Preview
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R))
Partnership Village, Stand 8.F51f
Company Overview
About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R))
The Oscar(R) and Emmy(R) Award-winning Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R)), a professional membership association, is a leader in the advancement of the art, science, and craft of the image, sound, and metadata ecosystem, worldwide. An internationally recognized and accredited organization, SMPTE advances moving-imagery education and engineering across the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has published the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal and developed more than 800 standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines.
More than 6,000 members -- motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students -- who meet in Sections throughout the world, sustain the Society. Through the Society's partnership with the Hollywood Post Alliance(R) (HPA(R)), this membership is complemented by the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide the expertise, support, tools, and infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television programs, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join.
SMPTE at IBC2015
SMPTE Technical Session: "UHD: Where Do We Stand, and Where Are We Going?"
SMPTE Members will contribute to a variety of sessions during the IBC2015 exhibition, and the Society itself will present "UHD: Where Do We Stand, and Where Are We Going?" at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13 in the Emerald Theatre, as part of the Advances in Technology stream. SMPTE Executive Vice President Matthew Goldman, who is senior vice president of technology, TV compression, at Ericsson, will moderate the session as it addresses how UHD's implementation will affect broadcasting and theatrical releases and explores the full UHD ecosystem. In particular, the session will explore new compression methods and standards used to deliver content to customers while discussing the relative contributions of resolution, high dynamic range (HDR), and wide color gamut (WCG) to delivering an immersive viewing experience. Case studies provided by leading broadcasters will examine the strategy and success of the "pathfinders" that have rolled out the first UHD implementations. Hans Hoffmann, head of media production technology at the EBU and former SMPTE standards vice president, SMPTE Executive Member, Spencer Stephens, executive vice president and chief technology officer at Sony Pictures Entertainment will be among the experts contributing to the discussion.
SMPTE Conference Participation
In addition to chairing the SMPTE-produced session, Goldman also will participate in a SMPTE session titled "Breaking the Codec: Are Current Video Compression Standards Enough?" with SMPTE Fellow David Wood, a consultant to EBU Technology and Information, current chair of DVB groups in 3DTV and UHDTV, and past chair of the World Broadcasting Union Technical Committee. At 4:45 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13, Goldman, Wood, and fellow panelists will explore current and emerging video compression standards, discuss the demands driving further development of such standards, and offer a look ahead at the standards that will carry the industry forward.
At 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13, the EDCF Global Update session will include SMPTE Fellow, Siegfried Foessel, head of cinema technologies at Fraunhofer Institute; SMPTE Fellow, John Hurst, CEO at Cinecert; Julian Pinn, director at Julian Pinn Ltd.; and Richard Welsh, SMPTE governor for EMEA and Central and South America Region and CEO at Sundog Media Toolkit. An annual fixture of IBC, the session brings attendees up to speed on the latest business, technology, and quality developments in cinema around the world. Leading practitioners will share their experience, answering questions in a focused, fast-moving session.
At 2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, "Immersive Cinema: Sound" also will feature a panel made up almost entirely of SMPTE Members: Pinn, the session producer; Dean Bullock, director of technology strategy, cinema, at Dolby; Brian Claypool, senior director of strategic business development at Barco; Ton Kalker, vice president of emerging technologies at DTS; and Denis Tremblay, manager of electrical and audio engineering of audio technology at IMAX. Together, these experts will provide a definitive update on the standards processes, reveal advances in immersive audio for cinema, and offer exclusive examples of immersive audio featured in the IBC Big Screen.
As an IBC2015 partner, SMPTE is once again supporting the Rising Stars program, which offers exclusive conference sessions tailored to tackle the topics most important to young professionals. This popular program gives new entrants to the broadcast industry the opportunity to meet top industry experts across a series of specially staged sessions and events. Throughout the show, SMPTE Members will volunteer their time and expertise to provide guided tours of the exhibition floor to Rising Stars participants. Through this program, SMPTE helps to foster the successful rise and advance of young creative, business, and technology professionals working within the industry. A complete list of sessions for the two-day program is available at http://www.ibc.org/Content/IBC2015-Rising-Stars.
SMPTE Announcements at IBC2015
Save the Date! Registration is open for the SMPTE 2015 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2015), which will take place Oct. 26-29 in Hollywood, California. Further details on presentations and speakers will be announced during IBC2015. SMPTE representatives will also provide information about the HPA Tech Retreat (R), scheduled for Feb. 15-19, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells in Indian Wells, California. Registration for the retreat will open in October.
SMPTE Publications and Resources at IBC2015
Throughout IBC2015, SMPTE staff will be available on the stand to discuss current trends and answer questions about SMPTE activities, resources, and publications. One of those publications, the latest "SMPTE Standards Quarterly Report," will be released detailing the outcome of the July meeting of the SMPTE Standards Committee in Sydney, Australia, hosted by Randwick Technical and Further Education (Randwick TAFE). The Standards Report summarizes the current progress of SMPTE committees working to create, approve, revise, and remove standards for the industry. Copies of the September 2015 SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal's "Progress Report" issue, the Society's key publication, will be available on the stand. The issue will focus on trends and developments in the motion-imaging industry. The SMPTE Digital Library provides one-stop access to SMPTE resources so that professionals can stay informed about the latest technology and industry research. Readers may access Journal content from 1916 to the present from the SMPTE Digital Library, which will be fully incorporated into the IEEE XploreDigital Library -- one of the industry's most popular sources for technical publications -- by the end of 2015.
A complete listing of SMPTE publications is available at www.smpte.org/publications.
Membership Services
SMPTE Manager of Member Relations Roberta Gorman, members of the SMPTE Sections' Board of Managers, and members of the SMPTE Board of Governors will be on hand at IBC2015 to discuss membership benefits and the Society's role in international standards and interoperability. Prospective members will be able to join and existing members may renew their memberships on-site. Thanks to the Student Membership Challenge (SMC), a SMPTE fund that pays for the first year of a student membership, students can join for free. Annual fees are just $10 for students. Further information on student programs is available at www.smpte.org/students.
Company Quote:
"The participation of SMPTE Members in IBC2015 conference sessions, and as exhibitors, demonstrates the Society's leadership in defining and developing the standards that support the advance of the media industry. As the Society approaches its centennial celebration in 2016, it's exciting to see this powerful example of SMPTE's continuing influence and importance in the field of motion imaging."
-- Barbara H. Lange, Executive Director of SMPTE
