SMPTE brings UHD ecosystem seminar series to the UK

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineershas launched its 2015 Section Seminar series. The topic of the 2015 seminar series is Navigating the Ultra High Definition (UHD) Ecosystem and will begin its worldwide journey with the SMPTE UK Section in London and Salford.

The London seminar takes place on Monday 9 February at EEF’s Broadway House in Westminster. The Salford event will be held on Wednesday 11 February at BBC MediaCity Quay House and is offered free to SMPTE members courtesy of the BBC Academy. This is the third consecutive year that the BBC Academy has sponsored the Seminar locally in Salford.

“Since the section was reformed in 2012 we have brought the Seminar to the UK,” said Peter Weitzel, SMPTE UK Section Hon Secretary and Treasurer. “We are proud to be the first section to present this year’s topic, helping to shape the content for the rest of the Society.”

The seminar will touch on the potential impact of new and emerging UHD standards — from SMPTE and other organisations. Attendees will learn about UHD related technologies and the impact they are beginning to have on professional content creation facilities. Experts will lead this day-long interactive experience designed to give participants an overview of today’s vision of the UHD ecosystem, the ways in which these technologies will affect both the broadcasting and cinema industries, and potential impact on viewer engagement.

“SMPTE is looking at the entire UHD ecosystem including higher frame rates (HFR), wide colour gamut, pixel density, high dynamic range (HDR), peak brightness and immersive audio. Our standards group recently published its second Study Group Report on the UHD ecosystem,” said Richard Welsh, SMPTE Governor for the EMEA and Central & South America Region and CEO at Sundog Media Toolkit. “Confirming that SMPTE is leading the way in practical implementation of UHD throughout the production and distribution chain, its first HDR standard, ST 2084, was published in September 2014 and work toward standards that address colour gamut and distribution is underway.”

Further details and registration can be found at https://www.smpte.org/sections/united-kingdom.