SMPTE Forum Registration Opens

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), has opened registration for its 2015 forum 'Entertainment Technology in the Internet Age: A European Perspective'.

Produced in partnership with the Fernseh- und Kinotechnische Gesellschaft (FKTG), with collaboration from the EBU's Technology and Innovation department, the SMPTE Forum 2015 will take place 7-8 May at the Fraunhofer Forum in Berlin.

"The SMPTE Forum 2015 will explore the extensive impact of broadband media delivery on Europe's studios, post houses, broadcast facilities, media service providers, and solution vendors," said Dr. Hans Hoffmann, head of media fundamentals and production at the EBU, former SMPTE standards vice president, and conference program chair of the SMPTE Forum 2015.

"As larger audiences consume Internet-delivered media on screens ranging from the home theater to computers, tablets, and other mobile devices, new creative tools and new media technologies will be needed to create appealing content that addresses these new viewing platforms and devices. We are delighted to join with FKTG in examining the technical opportunities and challenges that this monumental shift in media consumption habits presents to the industry."

The forum will examine topics such as EU policy, net neutrality, copyright, and mining 'big data', as well as how connectivity, bandwidth and media technology improvements can influence media production and distribution across platforms.

Programme highlights include a keynote presentation by Chris Fetner, director of global content partners operations at Netflix, who will speak on the supply chain impact of Internet distribution. A discussion on the vision of the European Commission for Internet streaming and on the EU regulatory environment will follow.

There will also be a keynote on Internet entertainment in Europe, as well as sessions examining creation and distribution of entertainment content for the Web, the potential normalisation of OTT services as premium content providers, the future of hybrid broadcast broadband TV (HbbTV), second screen in the home and beyond, and social media as entertainment media.

"Chris delivered the opening keynote at the SMPTE 2014 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition to a standing-room-only crowd and earned rave reviews, and we expect no less at the SMPTE Forum 2015," said Pat Griffis, SMPTE education vice president and executive director of technology strategy in the office of the CTO at Dolby Laboratories. "With its expansion into Europe and other new markets over the past several years, Netflix has become an industry disrupter on an international scale. Chris is positioned to shed light on Netflix's activities in Europe, as well as the factors shaping the company's technology decision-making."

The schedule will feature nearly a dozen sessions, including 'Second Screen in the Home and Beyond: US Versus EU Perspective', which will discuss the use of PCs, tablets and other handheld devices to control or complement the main-screen home viewing experience.

'EU and U.S. Regulatory Environment: A Boost or Bust for Internet Entertainment?' will examine the European approach to regulating Internet traffic management and content. 'Sport in your Pocket. Delivering to Fans, Anywhere, Anytime Over the Web' will explore the delivery of sports content to consumers via the Internet.

'Tools of the Trade: Translating Traditional Content for the Web' will focus on the importance of efficient compression techniques and evolving infrastructures in enabling the Internet to support video delivery. 'Virtual Reality Entertainment via Web: An Idea Whose Time Is Here?' will look at new possibilities for creating immersive virtual and augmented realities, as well as the opportunities and challenges involved.

The registration and preliminary program information for the SMPTE Forum 2015 are available at www.smpte.org/forum2015.

(IT/JP)