Post Magazine

December 2015

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www.postmagazine.com 41 POST DECEMBER 2015 OUTLOOK ACQUISITION O very year has its share of new technology topics, and 2015 was no exception. This year, High Dynamic Range (HDR) came into its own, and it will continue to shape trends in the professional production and consumer electronics markets throughout 2016. HDR is an expansion of the differ- ence between black and white light outputs that we see from a monitor or TV replicating the most realistic and natural viewing experience; that of hu- man perception. While our eyes are fully equipped to see high dynamic range along with wide color gamuts, until recently, production tools had not been able to seamlessly replicate that same experience for the viewer. Pro camera technologies that are HDR-capable, like Sony's F55 or F65 cameras, have been around for a while, but until recently, it's been impossible to view an HDR image as it was originally captured. The best you could hope for was to archive the raw content and wait for the display technology to catch up. However, Sony is offering a solution that allows direct viewing at full range with- out the need to make any conversion LUTs or changes to the native image with its BVM-X300 4K OLED reference monitor. The complete redesign of our OLED panel lets the monitor display im- ages at extreme brightness levels while keeping blacks where they should be. The monitor can output higher brightness, higher contrast, full 4K reso- lution and even display up to 80 percent of the new ITU-R BT2020 color gamut. When editing, grading and conforming data and content, the BVM-X300 can be paired with and used as part of the post workflow process and, ultimately, addresses many issues that previously required work-arounds. HDR goes beyond the current limits of today's TV system. Bright areas that are typically clipped in conventional Stan- dard Dynamic Range now retain their true details and highlights in High Dy- namic Range, giving producers access to a broader creative range and new levels of realism and expressiveness. Of course, all the work being done with HDR on the professional produc- tion side has one ultimate goal: to give consumers the best possible viewing experience. Many televisions today, including Sony's newest Bravia models, are HDR-capable, and streaming video service providers Amazon and Netflix are delivering HDR content. As we head into 2016, new produc- tion technologies like the BVM-X300 will be even more important as HDR allows new forms of creative expression and viewing experiences. amera manufacturers like JVC acknowledge that smartphones are changing the way media con- tent is produced. More video content is being produced and shared online via social media, but most of it is not pro- fessional quality. Despite the occasional primetime experiment, such as the "Connection Lost" episode of Modern Family from earlier this year that was shot almost entirely using iPhones and iPads, smartphone video capabilities are very limited by professional standards. A reporter may use a smartphone as a last resort to get footage of a break- ing news event, but it's certainly not the preferred tool for producing live reports from the field. And filmmakers looking to share their stories on the big screen are looking for better imagers, larger lenses, more extensive audio options and built-in tools to make sure the imag- es they shoot are the best they can be. The future is 4K and the future is here. It's just not entirely here. Primarily, we are still living in an HD production world — and surprisingly, many consum- ers even watch TV programming in SD. US broadcasters have yet to adopt a 4K broadcast standard, and very little actu- al 4K content is available for consumers. Still, UHD/4K set sales are growing, and many content creators want to produce in 4K and downconvert for distribution now. At JVC, we're excited about 4K. In 2014, we launched our 4KCAM cam- era line. Equipped with an MFT lens mount, the flagship GY-LS300 Super 35 handheld camera features our exclusive Variable Scan Mapping technology that allows you to shoot with almost any lens in your kit. Use a third-party lens adapt- er to connect your lens to the camera, then it's easy to electronically adjust the active area of our proprietary Super 35 CMOS sensor. This same technology allowed us to invent Prime Zoom, which provides 2.3x maximum zoom in HD or 1.25x maximum zoom in 4K using fixed-focal (prime) lenses. You can use the camera's zoom rocker to zoom in and out with a lens that's not designed to zoom — and without losing resolution or depth of field. You can even use Prime Zoom as a lens extender for zoom lenses. The future is 4K — and maybe even 8K down the road — but for now, we're living in a multi-resolution world. Viewer habits have changed with technology. Consumers can access content through so many platforms — broadcast, cable, online, OTT and more. Content providers need to deliver content in a variety of formats to reach everything from traditional TVs to portable devices. BY GARY MANDLE SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER SONY ELECTRONICS PARK RIDGE, NJ WWW.PRO.SONY.COM BY LARRY LIBRACH SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT JVC PROFESSIONAL VIDEO WAYNE, NJ PRO.JVC.COM ENDING THE YEAR ON A HIGH (DYNAMIC RANGE) THE FUTURE IS 4K E C

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