Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1399888
j u ly • a u g u s t • s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 1 c g w 5 V I E W P O I N T challenge here — not insurmountable, but one that requires a para- digm shi in mindset, workflow, and attitude. On-set Decisions, Wrangling & Data Delivery As more and more turn to virtual production as a means of media creation, the question begs: How do you get all of the data from on set into post-production in a cohesive way? Decisions and changes made in virtual production environments are not easily propagated. They have to be tracked and replicated elsewhere, leading to a lack of data continuity and decision-making. To solve this, we turn to a Timeline of Truth: the idea that once you have a way to persist creative decisions and production data, as well as visualizing that data objectively, there must be a single reference point for everything. All of these decisions and data must be conformed to a Timeline of Truth, underpinned by sequence-level access to that data and decisions. It's an idea that Foundry has been brewing for a while, and the core concept hasn't changed — but the importance of it has. Lens metadata, for example, is particularly sought-aer, especially when you need to re-create assets in post. Whether it's on-set comp or later on, you need all this data in order to re-create and re-generate your scenes, and at the moment none of that exists. Outlook on Virtual Production Among other hurdles like timing, synchronization, and latency, virtual production has some way to go before it's a foolproof part of the production process. Whether the novel technology is here to stay or not is anyone's guess, but crucially, virtual production is a key factor in driving the direction of the industry. The lessons we'll learn from solving the above challenges — from real-time compositing and producing assets faster, to logistics around on-set setup — will underscore further change and innovation for VFX and animation. At Foundry, we're very excited about the Timeline of Truth con- cept, for instance, and what it means for capturing more data on set. More data means better pictures, giving directors a greater idea of what they've just captured and making the creative process much more cohesive. It's a focus area for us over the coming years, despite what may come of virtual production as a trend. Even if it's just a flash in a pan, what we get out of the teething process certainly won't be. Dan Ring is head of research at Foundry. For more technical information on various topics, visit Foundry's Insights Hub at https://bit.ly/ insightslightfields. Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry's research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, has released its newest gaming market study regarding the PC gaming hardware market, which consists of personal computers, upgrades, and peripherals used for gaming. The PC gaming hardware market both flourished and suffered during the past year. It flourished financially, however not in a way most would hope. Because of supply problems, a large portion of the consumer spending did not make it back to manufacturers, with an abnormal amount going to resellers, which charged inordinately high prices for PC components. This phenomenon leads to how it suffered. Gamers with average budgets could not always get what they needed, and new entrants sometimes put off, or even worse, abandoned, the platform or hobby adoption. New entrants are very important to the long-term health of any gaming platform. A stark warning to hardware compa- nies in the PC gaming space that long-term growth is dependent on having products available and priced within reach of mass-market consumers. Also, a warning that total dependency on imported products and just-in-time inventory systems can be a weakness during market anomalies like the COVID pandemic. But help is on the way. "PC gaming hardware companies are reviewing their just-in-time strategies and beginning to adopt just- in-case inventory levels. As a result, we expect inventory and sales of high-end products to grow dramatically in the coming years. Additionally, ultrawide and 4K+ displays are now available at big box stores and online for historically low prices. This helps drive CPU and GPU demand, full builds, and accessory sales to gamers," says Ted Pollak, senior analyst for the game tech industry. Jon Peddie, president of JPR, added, "Pent-up demand resulting from anomalously high prices will be satisfied in the coming years. High-end graphics cards (add-in boards) maintain MSRP well and can be sold as mid-range products for years aer production. This may encourage manufacturers to aggressively stock high-end inventory levels to prevent what we saw happen since COVID-19 lockdowns were initiated." "The Worldwide PC Gaming Hardware Market" report series by Jon Peddie Research, which covers 33 countries, notebooks, desk- tops, DIY, and accessories, comes in three versions: entry-level, mid- range, and high-end, with a subscription price of $27,500 including a global summary. Subscribers receive all reports twice a year. Reports are also available by segment at $8,250 per issuance. PC GAMING HARDWARE MARKET SET TO RECOVER FROM SUPPLY PROBLEMS HIGH-END PC GAMING HARDWARE SEGMENT 5-YEAR FORECAST 20.38% CAGR FROM 2020 S P O T L I G H T