SMPTE, FKTG Release Details on Forum 2015, Entertainment Technology in the Internet Age: A European Perspective

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Wed, 09/10/2014 - 16:26 -- Nick Dager

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers today announced details for the SMPTE Forum 2015 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 is scheduled for May 7-8, 2015, at the Fraunhofer-Forum in Berlin.

Factors as wide as EU policy, net neutrality, copyright, and mining big data are shaping the possibilities in the complex European market and redefining how the industry engages its audience. The SMPTE Forum 2015 will examine these topics, and how connectivity, bandwidth, and media technology improvements will impact media production and distribution across all platforms, from cinema and broadcast to mobile and interactive new media technologies. 

"The overwhelming success of the SMPTE Entertainment Technology in the Internet Age conferences in 2012 and 2013, co-produced with Stanford University, demonstrated the tremendous interest in this topic. We are delighted to join with FKTG to address many of the same compelling questions from a European perspective in the SMPTE Forum 2015," 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. "Broadband delivery of media is going to significantly impact Europe's studios, post houses, broadcaster facilities, media service providers, and solution vendors. New creative tools need to be developed and new media technologies are needed to create content that is attractive to the various end consumers' platforms, from the big screen in the home to tablets or mobile devices. We look forward to discussing the technical opportunities and challenges that face the industry, with attention to European interests."

Chris Fetner, director of global content partners operations at Netflix, will give a keynote on the supply chain impact of Internet distribution, followed by discussions on the vision of the European Commission for Internet streaming and on the EU regulatory environment. The SMPTE Forum will also include a keynote on the state of Internet entertainment in Europe, and continue with sessions that examine creation and distribution of entertainment content for the Web, the potential normalization of over-the-top services as premium content providers, the future of hybrid broadcast broadband TV, second screen in the home and beyond, and social media as entertainment media. Sessions will then delve into live sports delivery over the Web; provision of accessible, immersive, and personalized audio for broadcast and online; translation of traditional content for the Web; preservation of artistic intent; and virtual reality entertainment on the Web.

These and many more topics will be discussed as the SMPTE Forum 2015 explores Internet entertainment technologies and looks ahead at the new world of Web media. The program is being developed for engineers, creatives, and researchers focused on the future of media over the Internet.

The preliminary program and further details about the SMPTE Forum 2015 are available at www.smpte.org/forum2015/program and www.fktg.org.