What We Learned at the SMPTE 2013 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

摘要

I am just back from the SMPTE 2013 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition where we broke record with an overall attendance of more than 2,000 delegates. One major highlight of the week's events was the "Next Generation Imaging Formats" symposium, which was all the rage. With all the industry focused on this topic, we believed it was important to provide a forum that brings the experts together to cut through the hype to get to the core of the matter. Following on the excellent IBC conference session produced by Standards Vice President Hans Hoffmann in September on "Beyond UHDTV," this year's SMPTE Symposium, with NAB's Skip Pizzi as program chair, provided an even deeper dive into this concept, asking the question of whether it is better resolution, i.e., more pixels, we are after or faster and better pixels, i.e., higher dynamic range, frame rates, etc. The overwhelming response from attendees was that faster and better pixels are more desirable. This year, we added a few new bits to the conference, including a complementary business track and a demo room where we brought together the largest concentration of 4K displays into a single room, thanks to our partner, Chris Chinnock of InsightMedia. It was very rewarding to see so many people networking during the breaks as they discussed what they just heard in the sessions. And that is what SMPTE does! As the debates continue, the Society is there to help cut to the core of the technology.