Content Folks Focus on the Technical Iues of Entertainment

Content Folks Focus on the Technical Issues of Entertainment posted: 20/03/2017

by Andy Marken

You are wise in your generation. We must have a long talk, and then I have an important call to make.

Probably the best way to describe the HPA (Hollywood Professional Association) Tech Retreat is one part creative, one part IT (information technology), one part CFO (chief financial officer) and one part networking. The HPA, which is now a part of SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers), isn't confused, it's just focused on how they can squeeze all of those subjects into four days.

If you hadn't noticed, the content industry has suddenly become just about everything people do - they create and they consume -- in ridiculous quantities.

Are CFOs the only ones who work anymore?

Citing a recent PayPal study, Pete Putman, of ROAM Consulting, noted that 58 percent of folks out there watch their content on their phone, followed by a tablet. I guess the rest are stuck with a TV set. While YouTube and Facebook Video fill in the awkward silence periods, Netflix has the U.S. SVOD (subscription video on demand) market where 75 percent of the viewers stream their media.

In other words, couch potatoes still exist but they grab their favorite fast food and consume their content on the go anytime, anywhere, on any device.

And that's basically what the Tech Retreat focuses on to meet the changing needs in all of those areas- how to move/protect the content, how to monetize the content and how to get ahead of technology for the next generation(s) of content.

Dedicated to raising awareness of industry advancements, Seth Hallen, HPA President; and Barbara Lang, executive director of SMPTE & HPA; had tomorrow's eye candy (VR - virtual reality) lead off the event.

While some folks like to say that VR will be dead on arrival, Lucas Wilson, of SuperSphereVR, as well as the Tech Retreat panels and case studies, showed VR isnt some ugly monster made up of a bunch of spare parts; it is a great new way for people to participate in and experience content.

Virtual Discussion - Lucas Wilson, of SuperShpereVR, kicked off the special HPA TR-X day of activities on VR and AR, giving attendees in the packed sessions a clear understanding of the importance of the immersive technology and the personalized impact it can have on the viewer.

Jaunt, Nokia, Google, Facebook, other camera and hardware/software providers are busy working with filmmakers, production studios and marketing firms to push the technology forward, and get it out to the market quickly, he noted.

He explained that today, shooters are using 6 to 24 digital cameras shooting at 30-60fps and are producing 10 times the volume of 4K content, compared to older HD video. Stitching the content together, editing, color correction, adding effects and other work is very time- and computer-intensive. But several companies are also making great strides in cloud-based processing and delivery, quickly shortening times from shoot to delivery.

Wilson added that VR is delivering a rapidly growing volume of short- and long-form entertainment; but it's also proving to be very effective in company/product marketing and advertising.

A newer generation of VR filmmakers is thinking about 360 from inception. They are not locked into a frame, but rather think of how to capture the entire world around them in an integrated and interactive way, he explained. And that is what communicates to an audience. Immersion matters.

While the Tech Retreat attendees were getting ready for immersive content they were more hungry for information/answers about the latest technology developments that allow creators and distributors to attract and capture the eyeballs of the constantly changing viewer.

Industry players like Netflix and Google (YouTube) explained what the next-gen firms are doing; who's watching them; technology problems they deal with and, perhaps most important, how they monetized the content.

The Retreat was a mashup of producing/delivering great content and mundane technical issues were the key reasons a few of the tech people suggested that 4K and HDR (high dynamic range) technologies should be separated.

Their rationale was that it would simplify and speed transmission for distribution organizations - broadcast, cable and OTT.

During one of the breaks, an attendee noted that directors and filmmakers prefer to work first on the version that has the widest possible audience; but the trick is to optimize the content for every platform.

Question from the Floor - Howard Lukk, SMPTE director of standards and engineering, turns a question over to one of the panel members during a session. All of the sessions at the Retreat made plenty of time available for attendees to get specific questions answered and material clarified.

Attendee consensus was mixed but many feel that 4K content is what people want, right behind high-quality streaming live events. The need for HDR imagery - better contrast ratio and more accurate color, more depth - is also expected.

Because there's obviously a lot of secret sauce involved in the actual work of content workflow; both Robert Puri, of Netflix; and Stephen Wilson, of Avid; were very open with the attendees regarding workflow activities.

Global Entertainment - Proving that images and entertainment are a universal language worldwide, Netflix offers content to viewers in more than 120 countries in markets across Europe, Latin America and Asia. The streaming content giant continues its quest of delivering localized and global content to viewers everywhere.

Netflix, the big gorilla in the room when it comes to content acquisition and distribution, has become a master at implementing SMPTE's IMF (interoperable master format) which, simply stated, means the way m

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