Fraunhofer IIS Department Moving Picture Technologies Introduces New Tools for IMF Workflows and New Developments for Light-Field Technology at IBC 2016

The Fraunhofer IIS Department Moving Picture Technologies, the leading provider of future-oriented solutions for enhanced digital media workflows, will introduce and demonstrate its latest innovations for production professionals across digital cinema, broadcast and multimedia workflows to stay competitive in the evolving media landscape.

Fraunhofer IIS Department Moving Picture Technologies will showcase the latest advances for cost-efficient, future-proof, secure and standards compliant solutions. These solutions free any workflow to bring new, creative possibilities and immersive viewing experiences that today’s consumers demand and expect.

 IBC 2016 highlights include:

IMF Workflows with easyDCP Software Suite

With more than 1,500 licensees worldwide, Fraunhofer IIS’ easyDCP Software Suite is the leading solution for creation, playback and quality control of Digital Cinema Packages (DCP) and Interoperable Master Format Packages (IMP), both based on ISO and SMPTE standards.  

At IBC 2016, Fraunhofer IIS will unveil:

• Timeline-based user interface: Users can now arrange and edit input materials in a timeline-based user interface to compose an IMP or DCP. Unlike other industry solutions, no separate editing tool is necessary to conform the material before importing it into easyDCP. This enables a streamlined workflow that saves time and money.
• Support for markers: easyDCP will support markers that indicate certain events along the editing timeline. For example, inside an IMF workflow for broadcast and streaming, the editor can mark commercial blacks or credits for automated processing down the line. In a DCP workflow, markers in a DCP can indicate intermissions or automatically trigger a change in lighting within the theater management system at the first frame of the end credits.
• High Dynamic Range (HDR) support for IMF: easyDCP now brings support for HDR and Wide Color Gamut (WCG) workflows. HDR/WCG is the future of UHDTV, with a growing number of adopters including consumer electronics manufacturers and OTT services. easyDCP is ready to process high-end content for the future of television.
• Automatic quality assurance: A new set of quality control features, integrated in easyDCP, will be shown, in order to ensure accuracy of input materials and encoded IMPs and DCPs. An automatically generated report contains information about image quality, as well as results of a variety of other quality control checks, such as subtitles and audio, that can be applied during media processing. A red or green light gives the user a quick indication on whether or not issues were detected.

Fraunhofer’s easyDCP optimizes IMF workflows, providing the tools and functionalities professionals need to take advantage of this universal exchange format. The IMF provides flexibility in handling multiple versions of content. Little to no redundancy is created when adding dubbed or subtitled versions. This significantly reduces storage space and encoding time. Well-defined metadata in IMPs, along with transcoding rules from Output Profile Lists (OPL), allow for automatic creation of distribution formats like H.264 or Quicktime, to fit the specific device or screen. This is key for cost and time-efficient distribution workflows.

Lici® Codec to Transfer Visually Lossless 4k/60Hz as a Mezzanine Codec

The implementation of Fraunhofer IIS’ Lici® codec within keyboard/video/mouse (KVM) solutions will be showcased with partner IHSE GmbH. Lici® offers a cost-effective transmission solution for remotely used monitors in professional image and movie production environments so a lower cost wire or fiber infrastructure can be used. Ideal also for use in cameras and other multimedia applications, Lici® reduces image data streams bandwidth while maintaining resolution and dynamic range enhancements. The result is visually lossless transfer of 2K, 4K and 8K content for 30 Hz and 60 Hz. Additionally, Lici® is perfect for use with HDR monitors due to its 12 bit color depth capability. Lici® can be easily implemented into existing or new systems.

New to this year’s show, Fraunhofer IIS will provide a new demo showcasing the lossless transfer of video data in 4k/60 Hz for remote monitors.

Trends on Light-Field Technology

Fraunhofer IIS will discuss the latest traction and current creative possibilities for its Light-Field Technology. This includes the considerations and future for virtual reality (VR).

Light-Field Technology enables special effects previously only possible with CGI and multiple reshoots, such as the Matrix bullet effect, refocusing or virtual camera movements. For next-generation cinematic movies and VR, 3D and depth processing via Light-Field Technology enables a more immersive viewing experience. This can be realized in a single shot through a multi-camera array similar to those used for VR, by subsequent image analysis and processing. Fraunhofer will also discuss audio-wave field processing and its role for VR.

Conference Session Light Field Cameras: Technology that is Indistinguishable from Magic?

Dr. Siegfried Foessel, head of the Department Moving Picture Technologies at Fraunhofer IIS, SMPTE governor and president of the FKTG, will hold a tutorial on the subject of Light-Field Technology, including its implications for workflows and post production, at the Big Screen Experience Theater.  The session, Light Field Cameras: Technology that is Indistinguishable from Magic?, will be held September 10 from 9:30AM to 10:30AM.