philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Disney’s Crazy Invention Lets You Feel Phantom Objects Floating In Air

Aireal is the result of research by University of Illinois PhD student Rajinder Sodhi and Disney Reseach’s Ivan Poupyrev. When set by your television or connected to an iPad, this diminutive machine will puff air rings that allow you to actually feel objects and textures in midair--no special controllers or gloves required.

See the full story here: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1673054/disneys-crazy-invention-lets-you-feel-phantom-objects-floating-in-air?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fastcompany%2Fheadlines+%28Fast+Company%29&curator=MediaREDEF#1

Movies in movies: A metacinematic montage

139 clips from 93 different films

Among other things, this illustrates the power of music to bring continuity to unrelated clips.

See the video here: http://slacktory.com/2013/07/movies-in-movies-a-metacinematic-montage/?curator=MediaREDEF

iWatch’s novelty emerges as Apple taps sensor and fitness experts

Based on comments from Apple CEO Tim Cook and numerous reports, the wrist is the part of the body in which top Apple executives are currently targeting…

While Apple has assembled a “dream-team” to build wearable devices, the company has had some minor setbacks in retaining talent. Recently, a member of the team defected to Google X, the Google skunkworks program behind Project Glass. Tim Cook previously said that he does not believe Glass will have a “broad range appeal.” With that in mind, it is unlikely that Apple will tackle face-worn devices anytime soon. “I wear glasses because I have to,” he said. “The wrist is interesting,” however, Cook added.

Read the full article here: http://9to5mac.com/2013/07/18/apple-stacks-iwatch-team-with-sensor-fitness-experts/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+9To5Mac-MacAllDay+%289+to+5+Mac+-+Apple+Intelligence%29&curator=MediaREDEF

4K: Ready or Not

With much less fanfare than when HDTV was introduced in the market 15 years ago, the first UHDTVs started appearing in major consumer electronics retail showrooms this spring. Looking for a modest 55-inch set to replace your current one? You can drop a cool $5,000 on the Sony XBR55X900, which it announced at the NAB Show. For even less than that, you can purchase a Seiki Digital 50-inch screen for $1,400. A digital cinema enthusiast can splurge for a $17,000 LG 84-inch UHDTV.

As recently as a year ago, there was a high degree of skepticism in the broadcast engineering community about the future validity of 4K for the consumer market. That has subsided somewhat with the introduction of 4K-ready production gear introduced at this year’s NAB Show and the even more rapid market introduction of UHDTV. But as we report in this issue’s cover story on the format, putting all the pieces together for a true end-to-end 4K production/distribution workflow will take a bit longer. If content is the lifeblood of the media facility today, we’re going to need larger, more efficient arteries. -

See the full story here: http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/k-ready-or-not/220171

Sebastian Thrun on the Future of Learning

Udacity cofounder and CEO Sebastian Thrun says more AI is coming to online education, but we’ll still need humans to grade our English essays.

See the full story here: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/517181/sebastian-thrun-on-the-future-of-learning/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_source=newsletter-daily-all&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20130719

BIG DATA: RETAILERS EXPERIMENT TRACKING SHOPPERS IN-STORE

Nordstrom recently tested new technology in their stores in order to learn more about their customers. The system tracked customers’ movements by following their smartphone Wi-Fi signals while in the store. Nordstrom’s system is similar to what online retailers do to track customers’ online movements. Nordstrom is one of many retailers that are using in-store tracking and monitoring technologies, yet there are concerns of privacy.

The retailer posted a sign regarding the tracking, and some customers complained. The Nordstrom experiment ended in May, mainly due to complaints, according to The New York Times.

The retailer’s actions are part of a movement to collect data on in-store customer behavior.

Despite all the tracking, some consumers are willing to trade their digital privacy for special discounts and services. Placed, a Seattle company, offers an app that asks where customers are while in the store and sells this data to retailers, in exchange for cash or gift cards. According to the company, they have had more than 500,000 downloads.

See the full story here: http://www.etcentric.org/big-data-retailers-experiment-tracking-shoppers-in-store/

VES PUBLISHES ANALYSIS: THE STATE OF THE GLOBAL VFX INDUSTRY

Initial recommendations focus on improving business and financial management acumen among artists and facilities management through training programs and new standards and practices.

Co-authored by ETC@USC executive director and CEO Ken Williams (and co-founder of Sony Pictures Imageworks), and Carl Rosendahl, former president of PDI/Dreamworks and associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center, the VES findings are the result of a rigorous process, which incorporated input from more than three dozen industry representatives including artists, studio, business and labor leaders and facility executives, whose companies have operations in eight countries and 15 cities around the world, as well as data from several online surveys and published works.

Read the full story here: http://www.etcentric.org/ves-publishes-analysis-the-state-of-the-global-vfx-industry/

Read the white paper here: http://www.visualeffectssociety.com/The-State-of-the-Global-VFX-Industry-2013

Digital Asset Management for Customer Experience

[Philip Lelyveld comment: this short article discusses the importance, and the value, of asset management, and by extension, metadata.]

Here are three best practices to consider to help turn a DAM cost center into a DAM profit center:

1. Understand customers and their content consumption.  Who are the most valuable customers, what channels are they using to consume content, and what types of assets does your organization need to engage them?  This will help prioritize the content that will need to be created and delivered.
2. Ensure business processes help not hinder.  Who does the marketing team need to collaborate with to create targeted content?  How will the content be organized?  The most agile and responsive organizations have streamlined workflows and cross-organizational approval processes, a clearly defined taxonomy as well as automated metadata management.
3. Choose tools and technologies wisely.  Can web content managers author and publish content the day it is approved?  Does the organization’s DAM solution include dynamic renditions to support responsive design initiatives, automated video transcoding, and targeted content?  Using the right tools can help simplify complexity and reduce the number of asset versions required to meet business objectives.

See the full story here: http://damcoalition.com/damcoalitionexclusive/story/digital-asset-management-for-customer-experience?utm_source=DAM&utm_medium=MKT&utm_campaign=newsletter-DAM_Weekly_071613

Disruptions: Hollywood, or Silicon Valley: Where’s the Money?

“Hollywood and Silicon Valley really exist because of a few big successes,” Mr. Strebulaev said. “If you take a random movie, it loses money. Hollywood makes money from its big hits. The exact same is true with Silicon Valley; the average investment loses money.” He said both were considered “alternative investments.”

So which is a better investment — Hollywood or Silicon Valley? Here’s Mr. Strebulaev’s bottom line: If you want bigger wins, go with Silicon Valley, if you want more consistent, but smaller returns, pick Hollywood. But if you want to reliably make money, go with neither. “If you look at other markets, if you invest oil or steel, you will have a more consistent return on your investment.”

See the full story here: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/14/disruptions-hollywood-or-silicon-valley-wheres-the-money/?curator=MediaREDEF

NEW EYEGLASS TECHNOLOGIES CREATE A RANGE OF POSSIBILITIES

Adlens Variable Focus glasses ($40-$100) are liquid filled lenses that have variable-focus adjustable knobs on each side of the frame, allowing the user to change the pressure within the lens, which changes its power.

Read the full story here: http://www.etcentric.org/new-eyeglass-technologies-create-a-range-of-possibilities/#more-60631