The Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K with a massive 65mm image sensor and 17K resolution is now available for pre-order, priced at $29,995. Deliveries are set for later this year.

The Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K marks a step beyond the already impressive URSA 12K models. This camera is aimed squarely at high-end productions requiring extreme detail for large format screens or immersive environments – with a 65mm image sensor measuring 50,808×23,316mm and a resolution of 17,520×8,040 pixels (140MP per frame). Each pixel measures 2.8 microns, contributing to the camera’s reported 16 stops of dynamic range.

Physically, the URSA Cine 17K is nearly identical to its predecessor, the URSA Cine 12K, featuring the same magnesium alloy body with carbon fiber polycarbonate skin. The camera also supports interchangeable ARRI LPL and Hasselblad lens mounts, allowing flexibility in lens choices for different production needs.

Blackmagic’s emphasis on modularity is evident in the URSA Cine 17K. It comes equipped with an 8TB internal media module, providing four hours of 17K footage recording in RAW format. The camera also supports 10G Ethernet for uploads and direct access to files over a network, eliminating the need for transfers between devices. Dual CFexpress card slots offer additional flexibility for different types of media recording. The media can be transferred directly into DaVinci Resolve for real-time editing via high-speed Ethernet, reducing downtime between shoots.

Cloud and Streaming Integration

In an effort to modernize on-set workflows, the URSA Cine 17K introduces live streaming capabilities, allowing users to stream directly to clients or platforms via RTMP and SRT protocols. Whether connecting through Ethernet, high-speed Wi-Fi, or even mobile data, this camera can stream live from sets, making it ideal for remote monitoring.

For those working outdoors or in handheld configurations, the optional URSA Cine EVF offers a 1920×1080 OLED display with focus-assist tools, enhancing accuracy during filming. The camera’s extensive connectivity includes Lemo and Fischer connectors for lens motors and accessories, alongside 12G-SDI output, 10G Ethernet, and XLR audio inputs. The fold-out 5” HDR touchscreen provides essential monitoring options, while an additional touchscreen aids focus pullers or other crew members working on set.

Storage and Workflow Enhancements

Blackmagic’s new Cloud Store technology, built into the URSA Cine 17K, allows syncing of footage to Blackmagic Cloud. This feature simplifies on-set workflows. With high-speed networking and Blackmagic’s Media Dock, up to three cameras can be synchronized, providing faster access to recorded media and immediate availability for editing.

For proxy workflows, the camera creates H.264 files that upload quickly to Blackmagic Cloud, further enabling remote collaboration. This integration into the cloud and the ease of syncing media directly into DaVinci Resolve ensures a streamlined workflow from acquisition to post-production.

Pricing and Availability

The Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K is priced at $29,995, with an EVF package priced at $31,495. Both models are available for pre-order, with delivery scheduled for later this year. The camera will also be showcased at Blackmagic’s booth at the IBC 2024 in Amsterdam, providing attendees with a hands-on experience of this product.

Licensing and Compatibility

The URSA Cine 17K ships with DaVinci Resolve Studio, ensuring compatibility with the post-production suite right out of the box. Licensing for additional Blackmagic Cloud services is separate, though media recorded in Blackmagic RAW format seamlessly integrates into DaVinci Resolve without further conversion.

While Blackmagic is clearly excited about the potential of this camera, users should evaluate its features within the context of their own projects. Each new feature, from sensor size to post-production integration, should be thoroughly tested in the specific workflows you’re using.

Conclusion

The URSA Cine 17K is positioned as a premium tool for filmmakers and VFX professionals working on cutting-edge projects that demand the highest possible resolution. At nearly $30,000, it is a investment, but its feature set justifies the price for productions that require unparalleled image quality. Just make sure your data storage solution can handle the output—this camera will fill up your drives faster than you can say “post-production.”

Want to learn more? Check out the full specs and documentation on the Blackmagic Design website and the official product documentation.

The post 17K Camera from Blackmagic Design on Preorder first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

World VFX Day will now be celebrated annually on 8 December around the world to recognise the achievements and contributions of the VFX community in the world of entertainment and beyond. The event was created in 2023 by a group of VFX studios, organisations and professionals to raise the profile of the VFX industry, promote unity and contribute to greater overall global recognition.

There will be live streamed talks, talks and panel discussions throughout the day from Victor Preez, Ian Failes in conversation with Joans Ussing (Space Office FX) and Paul Franklin (Dneg), the Ocean Tools from Important Looking PIrates, Unnreal in use at Framestore, Virtual Production Showcases and many more topics around the “human” side of VFX.

If you are in Munich (or Bavaria), you can watch the short presentations from all over the world live in the HFF cinema during the day from 9 am to 7 pm and in the evening from 7 pm there will be a get-together with VFX artists from Munich – snacks and drinks will be provided. Click here to register for free – please forward!

https://anmeldung.hff-muc.de/vfx/worldfvxday2023/

For everyone else, here is the livestream, which starts from Hugo’s Desk.

The contributors to ‘World VFX Day’ are ready: Framestore, DNEG, Ghost VFX, MPC, Pixomondo, ILM, Mavericks, Moonraker, WētāFX, Untold Studios, Cinesite, beloFX, Milk FX, Blue Bolt, Afro VFX, Territory Studio, Important Looking Pirates, Jellyfish Pictures, Firebrand VFX, Access VFX, View Conference, FMX – Film & Media Exchange, Escape Studios, The Rookies, NextGen Skills Academy, Foundry, Corridor Digital, Befores and Afters, Humans of VFX and more – it’s going to grow, we reckon!

Why 8 December? It’s a tribute to the birthday of George Méliès, a filmmaker who was one of the most prolific early pioneers of visual effects.

The post WorldVFXDay 2023 im Livestream! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

As the highest-priced device in the Seiren V2 series, the Seiren V2 Pro has the most built-in controls – three in total. The functionality of the microphone mute button is self-explanatory: once pressed, the microphone is muted and ignores all sounds – press it a second time and the device resumes audio operation.

Nice: A red or green light, in the form of a microphone symbol, indicates whether the recording function is switched on or off. Below this is the volume control for the headphones. Finally, the microphone amplifier control (gain) can be used to regulate how sensitively the microphone records; it is advisable to adjust the gain here to keep unwanted background noise out of the audio recording or to avoid audio clipping and peaking.

Setup & basics

As mentioned, the Seiren V2 Pro is advertised as a professional USB microphone for streamers. According to the product description, the device has a dynamic 30 mm capsule and captures a frequency range from 20 Hz up to and including 20 kHz. For further information on the technical specifications, it is worth taking a look at the Razer website.

The microphone can be set up in a matter of seconds. Once the device has been removed from the outer packaging, the microphone is screwed into the stand supplied. The actual microphone sits in a U-shaped holder, with locking screws on the left and right of the microphone housing; these are used to lock the device in place. As the Seiren V2 Pro has a cardioid polar pattern, it is advisable to orientate it so that the upper part of the microphone points directly at the speaker. This ensures that the speaker’s voice is optimally recorded.

The microphone is connected to the computer via a standard type C to type A USB cable. With our test setup, a Windows PC, the microphone was automatically recognised by the system once plugged in. Only a pop-up message prompted us to restart the PC. If you have defined the microphone as a playback device, you will need to plug in your headphones via the 3.5 mm connection – assuming you still want to hear what sound your device is emitting; this is located on the back of the device, i.e. on the opposite side of the device to the built-in rotary controls and the mute button.

The Razer Synapse app

As we pointed out in our last Razer device tests for the Razer Orochi mouse (p. 51) and Razer Productivity (p. 61) in DP 04:22, any Razer hardware can be paired with the company’s own Synapse software. This is convenient for those users who already have a whole fleet of Razer devices and want to keep track of the different devices and save device settings in the cloud.

There are several selection options in the Synapse header bar – including the item: Streaming. If you select this, you will find the options “Micro” and “Stream Mixer”.
In the Micro menu item, the input and output volume can be adjusted – but different sampling rates can also be set up: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz and 96 kHz. In addition, the high-pass filter and analogue amplifier limiter can be switched on and off.

The high-pass filter ensures that low-frequency noises (e.g. your caretaker’s leaf blower making green spaces unsafe outside your home office or the humming of your computer cooling system) are filtered out. Clipping, peaking or speech distortion can be controlled by using the “Analogue gain limiter” slider to prevent distortion when screeching into the microphone, for example.

Synapse app in practice

To be honest, it has to be said: With the Razer Orochi, which I use for my editorial setup, I have so far deliberately avoided Synapse. However, the stream mixer built into Synapse offers useful convenience functions, especially for streamers; here, several input and output levels of different sources can be regulated independently of each other (output side: stream, playback; input side: headphones, system, music, game, voice chat, browser, sound effects, microphone. Other applications can be set up individually for the separate input). In practical terms, this means that the sound output can be set up so that viewers of your stream only hear what you want them to hear.

For example, you can play background music for your viewers but mute it on your own headphones. Or you can listen to gangster metal or your favourite podcast during a low-tension video call, while your colleagues are already spilling unasked gossip from their private lives. YouTuber Senpai Gaming compares the Stream Mixer with the Wavelink software from competitor Elgato. The comparison is worthwhile here.

Conclusion

The foolproof cabling via USB, the high-quality looking device casing, the satisfying audio recordings during our test and the streaming software included: all on the plus side. On the downside, the recorded typing noises (whether on the keyboard or tabletop), which the Seiren V2 Pro picks up no matter how much I tweak the knobs and software settings, are emblazoned thick and bold. In other words, I was pleasantly surprised by the Seiren V2 Pro during my first microphone test drive; it remains to be seen whether the flagship model of the Seiren V2 series can hold its own against competing devices in future microphone tests. By the way: If any audio experts can offer me tips and tricks on how to filter keyboard clatter from audio recordings, please send an e-mail to info@digitalproduction.com!

Key data

Price: 159.99 euros (RRP)
One-year limited product warranty

Included in the scope of delivery: Razer Seiren V2 Pro, stand, USB cable (type C to type A), windscreen

Technical specifications
Required power: 5V/350 mA
Sampling rate: 96 kHz
Bit rate: 24 bit
Capsule: 30 mm dynamic microphone
Polar pattern: Cardioid microphone
Frequency range: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Sensitivity: -34 dB
Maximum sound pressure level: 120 dB
Signal-to-noise ratio: 105 dB (A-weighting)

The post Plug and Play and Palaver? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

Motion Spell is the exclusive commercial licensor of the GPAC Open-Source Software – a software project centered around data packaging. “GPAC Project on Advanced Content” is a software offering a modular multimedia framework for packaging, streaming, inspecting and playing content; it provides tools for processing media content.

Romain is an alumnus of Grenoble INP (École nationale supérieure d’informatique et de mathématiques appliquées), where he graduated with a Master’s degree in Computer Science. Romain
He is a self-proclaimed Open-Source Evangelist, Video Streaming & Broadcast Technology Entrepreneur and Advocate for Open Standards. His career began in 2009, when he joined Télécom ParisTech as a Research Engineer, where he accompanied experts on standardization in the media industry – and started building GPAC. By 2012, Romain switched to VideoStitch (renamed to Orah in 2017).

DP: Give me the sales pitch for GPAC!

Romain Bouqueau: GPAC is an open-source software. I would even go so far and say GPAC is not a software – but a project. A project focused on packaging. The majority of GPAC’s development is based on the ISOBM FF (ISO base media file format). ISOBMFF was developed in the nineties by Apple. Apple was one of these companies pioneering many media creation techno­logies, like Quick Time VR. The end of the nineties was a central period for the arts and creativity, when Second Life was a thing, for example – it was the Dotcom era. Back then, ISOBMFF was not ready yet, but the vision was promising. And that’s when both ISOBMFF and GPAC were born.
ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, had already MPEG for moving pictures. ISO wanted to move away from 2D-TV stuff, to something more accessible and interactive. They were unsure, but created a set of standards in the process, that people know today as MPEG-4.

Curiously, the ISOBMFF is something Apple gave away as a royalty free technology. Apple was a pioneer in that sense. Hence, Apple made ISOBMFF royalty free for ISO. As a consequence, ISO developed MPEG-4 inside ISOBMFF. This base media file format contains everything media related. GPAC is specialized in this.
So, GPAC started as a startup in New York City during the dotcom era. A few years later, by a conjunction of factors, GPAC became open source. That’s where our story begins.

DP: What conjunction of factors led to GPAC becoming open source?

Romain Bouqueau: The dotcom era ended. The economic crisis crushed many startups. The company where GPAC was initially developed collapsed; it was called AVIPIX, LLC and was based in New York City. But the software was very promising. Actually, some of the users based at Télécom ParisTech, the prestigious engineering school attached to the historic national telecom operator France Telecom, contacted the developers behind the software and said: “We would be interested in using your software as a research platform.”

Télécom ParisTech had issues losing control over the IP of some software they had produced. Free Software Licenses were still quite novel at the time. Those students had IP issues with their own code. You have to know: They had an equivalent code inside the university. They said: “We don’t want this to happen again. So, we would like it to be open sourced with a GNU General Public License – to make sure we can always use our own codes, and further develop it.

DP: How did you become involved with GPAC personally?
Romain Bouqueau: I was really interested in the free software movement. I was a musician. I’ve spent 10 years at the national ­music school C.R.R. Nice, and was very passionate about classical and organic music.
In parallel, when I was 12, we got a computer at home. I knew that these computers were programmable. About a year later, my father offered me a book about the C programming languages. Honestly, this was out of reach for a 12-year-old with no one to help. But that’s when the idea started to infuse. Then some students from the local university came home with a set of floppy disks containing the Linux operating system and the GCC Compiler. That’s how I learned about the Free Software movement.

Years later, after a BSc in Physical Sciences at Grenoble INP (École nationale supérieure d’informatique et de mathématiques appliquées), I shifted to Applied Mathe­matics and Computer Science. My wish was to work on audio signal processing. But at that time, I was located in a small city and my only option was to take this internship at Allegro DVT, a company doing video streaming (Romain worked there from 2005 until 2009. Editor’s note). That’s how I came from audio to video. Then, within this company, we did IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) – it was sort of the beginning of IP-related stuff with video. Back then, the company was a really small startup that is now part of ATEME (which is a company focused on software for video compression. Editor’s note).

GPAC was developed at Télécom ParisTech. I started contributing to GPAC there (Romain was a research engineer at Télécom ParisTech for three years, from 2009 until 2012. Editor’s note). And with digital video, they not only wanted to introduce the digital aspect, but also interactivity – via audience feedback for your content, for example. At the time, we were using GPAC for that. This was really complex, since the networks were not on IPs, but on hybrids between something that would be like 2G Edge or 3G using broadcast
channels.

There was a project about enriching radio when moving the transmission to digital. This project was using GPAC. I knew it was free software. One day, while struggling with the technology, we discovered the project was maintained at Télécom ParisTech. We invited two researchers for a training – one of them was the founder of Avipix, Jean Le Feuvre. When I met this guy, that’s when the story started. They proposed me a grant to work on GPAC. So, I started to work as a professional open-source developer, and then, three ­years later, I set up my company Motion Spell.

DP: What led you to the founding of Motion Spell?
Romain Bouqueau: Before 2008, GPAC had a strong focus on creative technologies such as 3D, scene rendering with BIFS and SVG. GPAC can manipulate a lot of objects in a way similar to a browser. We had a wide audience. Those were researchers, students and PhDs, video enthusiasts, but mainly ­pirates… these pirates became CTOs or founders of today’s digital video industry.

GPAC was an open-source project funded by a public entity. There was not enough money there, so we were pushed to look for partnerships with industrial partners. How­ever, our employer was slow and therefore inefficient to close deals. That’s how GPAC came to focus on OTT trends. And that’s why I decided to launch a licensing offer with professional services for the commercial users of GPAC.

When I entered the team as a professional developer, I said: “There are two things. One, I think, is that we have the potential to raise our audience. And two, we should focus on securing some funding.” I said that, because university was not a place where we could get a substantial amount of money, which we would need as a starting-off point to do things. We required more money, since we required more servers for testing our software – and we needed more devices. In those days, mobile devices were arriving on the market. Consequently, we were in dire need of some funding, but the university was not sufficient.

Universities do not provide a good structure to handle commercial deals. They don’t provide the support, they’re really slow negotiators, and the same applies to legal affairs; sometimes it takes months to get feedback. Because of that, we needed something smaller, faster – something more appropriate for commercial users. Also, I wanted to build it cooperatively, so that the people contributing to the open-source software would get proper compensation.

Our developments were based on the MPEG-4 technology, but we were also ­contributing to GPAC. At some point, we said: “Okay, the MPEG-4 wave is fading. Everybody is using H.264 as a video codec. Everybody is using AAC as an audio codec. Everybody started using MP4 and frag­mented MP4 with MPEG-DASH.“ We could see the convergence of it, and its great ­success. We felt there would be a new technology generation for streaming content over IP networks – that would be unidirectional. That would be what we call OTT today.

DP: GPAC consists of two toolboxes: Multimedia Packagers (MP4Box) and Multimedia Player (MP4Client).
How does this work?
Romain Bouqueau: When developing new technology, you need to be end-to-end. If there is a new technology, and you build an encoder for it. If you have a technology that is on the decoding side, you need an encoder to get some streams. We at Motion Spell are focused a lot on R&D, the standardization, and deployment-ready implementation.

If we wanted GPAC to be self-sufficient, we needed to have the packaging and the playback. Now, we have all of this. It’s integrated into one big piece of software. It consists of media blocks that get connected to one another. For example, a media block will ask a player for displaying or rendering. That’s the media pipeline. It enables you to stream content or play it back.

DP: In 2003, GPAC was made available as open-source. What milestones did GPAC go through since then?
Romain Bouqueau: Open-sourcing was perhaps the biggest milestone. After that, it got rapidly adapted as the recommended MP4Muxer of the x264 video encoder. This was important, because x264 was a huge success and it broadened our audience.

Around 2010, support for the OTT streaming technologies HLS and MPEG-DASH emerged. That’s what happened prior to founding my company, Motion Spell (which was founded in 2012. Editor’s note).
GPAC is pretty big. It’s 20 years of development, it’s around $20 million put in development over those years. It consists of a million lines of code. You have to make GPAC right, because otherwise, the maintenance becomes a burden.

In 2020, there was another milestone, when we, as Motion Spell, moved from our “set of tools with different functions” to a “set of modules”. Now, you’re just plugging modules together. People used to utilize
our packager, which was called MP4 box – that’s our main tool. But we are continuously moving away from the “single application model”.

In its most current iteration, GPAC allows you to have graphs. Let’s say you want a special effect. You can say: “I want this type of input. I want this special effect.” GPAC is putting all the bricks together. It’s inferring: “What are the missing bricks?”, and will make you different proposals as a consequence. But if you, as the user, are unhappy with GPAC’s solution, you can change the command line to your wish.

Regarding scripting, this is something we have extensively reworked for GPAC 2.0. It enables you to use scripting for everything – using Javascript, Python, and soon other languages like Go or C#. That allows the user to change the signal processing without dealing with the GPAC‘s code. The signal could be connected to effects or animations – but also streaming formats, or VR-related applications. As a result, there are a lot of different use cases.

DP: After an 18-month transition with Netflix, for the integration of GPAC Open-Source Software into Netflix’s worldwide content operations, the process finally succeeded. What was that like?
Romain Bouqueau: You have to know: There are many GPAC contributors! It used to be a packager for YouTube before Google did their own packaging. There were many projects and businesses build on top of GPAC. I think that’s part of the reason why Netflix wanted to use it. After some discussion and testing in tandem with Netflix, they said: “Okay, we’re going to deploy GPAC.” That’s when the 18-month phase started.

It’s important to understand that Netflix is a metrics-driven company, which makes them a bit of an outlier on the streaming market – in my opinion. If Netflix notices an increase in re-buffering or users jumping off watching the episode of a show right in the middle, they can infer an underlying problem. The same applies to when the metrics improve. A better packager will result in better caching, less latency, and reduced loading times.

For Motion Spell, as an open-source business, we’re here to help. Netflix saw GPAC as a good fit; if Netflix has questions, we provide professional services. GPAC allows Netflix to be flexible. For example, Netflix just announced a few days ago they would stream their first live-show (see the news item by Jenny Priestley at tvbeurope.com: is.gd/NetflixLiveStreaming. Editor’s note).

If there are constraints with the open-source license, you can buy the commercial license. The open-source version comes with­out any licensing fees. The important thing is: Depending on the quality of a client’s packaging, the distribution comes with attached costs. If the packaging is not sufficient, the client is distributing more bits than needed. For a company at the scale of Netflix, distributing less bits means saving costs.

DP: What are some of the major pain points with GPAC right now?
Romain Bouqueau: There is going to be a new release, which will have Dolby Vision support. Otherwise, GPAC is really stable. There are few issues. We use our resources for writing code efficient. It’s all battle-tested. I encourage users to test it.
On the packaging side, there is ProRes and HDR stuff. We have good support for metadata, where ISOBMFF is not the main format for production, but alternatives like IMF. For companies with limited scale and resources, it makes perfect sense to go back to ISOBMFF, which allows them to use the same platform for dealing with their content and distribution. For example, if a client is storing content using ProRes, they can use GPAC to enable ProRes; they can leverage the metadata (like GPAC’s capabilities of annotating content). You can use GPAC to prepare your content for streaming. Button line is: You can re-use components between different workflows. As I said, I think that makes sense for smaller businesses.

DP: Motion Spell also provides consulting for Netflix’s R&D division, right?
Romain Bouqueau: Yes. When people have problems, they report this via Netflix backtracker, so that we can investigate cooperatively. Having said that, the big problems are already solved.
Netflix has so many different users, so many metrics, so many end devices, so many different versions of its content. For us at Motion Spell, it allows us to see many different cases at the same place. This is not about issues raised by different users over a long time period. Smaller businesses than Netflix struggle with the multiplication of contents and devices.

Most companies use GPAC, but they rarely talk about it publicly. A few days before our press release was published, announcing our collaboration with Netflix, Facebook made an announcement – about Instagram facing infrastructural problems. Those problems prevented users from uploading videos. The issue behind this is a scaling issue on the infrastructure. Facing that problem, Facebook was able to reduce the computing needs by 94 percent. What they did is: Instead of transcoding everything, they used the GPAC packager. Facebook communicated this via its tech blog openly (read at: is.gd/InstagramEncoding, blog article by Software Engineering Manager Ryan Peterman and Software Engineer Haixia Shi. Editor’s note).
In order to maintain GPAC and add features, we need 5 percent of 14 million every year, which is 700,000 US-Dollars needed every year. That’s a lot of money – but that’s just for infrastructure. We don’t finance ourselves through advertisements. The money comes from somewhere else. To give you an example: There are prominent people from universities supporting GPAC’s research, It’s Motion Spell’s job to secure commercial users and shed light on its benefits (to learn how costs are estimate for GPAC: is.gd/GPAC_CostCalculator. Editor’s note).
In general, there is less funding in this type of technology, as compared to others. Most companies simply conceive of GPAC as open-source infrastructure not in need of any support. Having said that: A small number of companies understands the importance of this and contributes.

DP: If GPAC and Motion Spell are off your mind – what do you enjoy watching on Netflix, Romain?
Romain Bouqueau: I really like the Bander­snatch episode of Black Mirror. It’s an interactive episode, which excites me as a technologist. It was released in December 2018.

Terminology mentioned

An overview of the most important abbreviations and technical terms mentioned during the interview. Source: Wikipedia.org

2G: Is the short notation for second-generation cellular network, a group of technology standards employed for cellular networks.

3G: Is the third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology. It is the upgrade over 2G, 2.5G, GPRS and 2.75G EDGE networks, offering faster data transfer, and better voice quality.
Advanced Audio Coding (AAC): Is an audio coding standard for lossy digital audio compression. Designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC generally achieves higher sound quality than MP3 encoders at the same bit rate.

C Programming Language: Is a general-purpose programming language created by computer scientist Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie.

Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP, also known as MPEG-DASH: Is an adaptive bitrate streaming technique that enables high quality streaming of media content over the Internet delivered from conventional HTTP web servers.

FFmpeg: Is a free and open-source software project consisting of a suite of libraries and programs for handling video, audio, and other multimedia files and streams.

GNU General Public License: Is a series of free software licenses that guarantee end users the freedom to run, study, share, and modify software.

H.264/MPEG-4 AVC: Is a video compression standard based on block-oriented, motion-compensated coding
HTTP Live Streaming, also known as HLS: Is an HTTP-based adaptive bitrate streaming communications protocol developed by Apple and released in 2009. Support for the protocol is widespread in media players, web browsers, mobile devices, and streaming media servers.

IPTV (Internet Protocol Television): Describes the delivery of television content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This is in contrast to delivery through traditional terrestrial, satellite, and cable television formats.
IMF file format: Is an audio file format created by id Software for the AdLib sound card for use in their video games. The default filename extension is also “imf”. The abbreviation stands for “id music file” or “id’s music format”.

ISOBMFF (ISO base media file format): Is a container file format that defines a general structure for files that contain time-based multimedia data such as video and audio.

Over-the-top (OTT): Is a media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite tele­vision platforms.

MP4: Is a digital multimedia container format most commonly used to store video and audio, but it can also be used to store other data such as subtitles and still images. It allows streaming over the Internet.

MPEG (Moving Pictures Experts Group): Is an alliance of working groups setting standards for media coding (e.g.: compression coding of audio, video, graphics, and genomic data; and transmission and file formats).

MPEG-4: Is a group of international standards for the compression of digital audio and visual data, multimedia systems, and file storage formats.

Multiplexing, also known as Muxing: Is a method by which multiple analog or digital signals are combined into one signal over a shared medium.

Quick Time VR: Is an image file format developed by Apple for QuickTime.

The post Video Packaging Unveiled: Netflix goes GPAC first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: The VFX service provider Redefine (own spelling: ReDefine) has released a VFX breakdown for the streaming series Halo – including sci-fi-tastic battles in the air, on the ground and in the first-person perspective.

In toto: As in the original game, the Halo series tells the story of the armed conflict between humans and an alien civilisation called the Covenant. In terms of dramaturgy, Halo draws its viewers in with a mixture of action and drama. The series is set in a speculative 26th century. The protagonist is John-117, aka Master Chief, the iconic hero from the video game series. The series adaptation of the popular first-person shooter games can be viewed on the streaming service Paramount .

About Redefine: The VFX house Redefine is based in Canada; the company has three locations: in Montreal, London and Mumbai. Redefine’s portfolio includes the Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi (with Ewan McGregor), the actioner Ambulance by director Michael Bay, and the slasher remake Scream by directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The VFX experts are currently working on the sequel Scream VI and the Disney streaming series American Born Chinese. To the website of Redefine.

Click further: In the past, Digital Production has repeatedly reported on the spacey visual effects of Halo; we present them below:

• 2.08.2022: The Master Chief in Beast Mode: MPC not only plays Halo, but also means series streaming. Does John-117 pull the aliens’ teeth?
• 18.10.2022: VFX Supervisor Patrick David and VFX Producer Nancy Heller chat about Alien Concept Design.
• 24.11.2022: Rodeo FX blows up the Madrigal Tower! A colossal series entry for the Master Chief from the Halo series.

ReDefine | Halo VFX Breakdown

The post Halo | VFX Breakdown first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.