SMPTE Hollywood Section to Explore the Future of Immersive VR at June Meeting

LOS ANGELES — June 13, 2019 — The Hollywood Section of SMPTE^®, the organization defining the future of storytelling, will explore the advent of fully immersive virtual reality at its monthly meeting, Wednesday, June 19, at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles.

Star Trek introduced science fiction fans to the “holodeck,” an imaginary virtual reality (VR) system that allowed people to enter incredibly lifelike holographic environments. Now, some technologists and engineers are attempting to make the holodeck a reality. The Immersive Digital Reality Alliance (IDEA) is a non-profit alliance of innovators promoting the development of an end-to-end ecosystem for the capture, distribution and display of immersive media.

At its June meeting, SMPTE Hollywood will host a panel discussion by representatives of companies that are founding members of IDEA. They will discuss their plans for building holodeck-like technologies and share their vision for the future of immersive media. The event will include a live demonstration of the world’s first holographic desktop display from Looking Glass Factory.

Panelists will include:

• Ryan Damm, CEO and founder of Visby
• Dr. Arianne Hinds, PhD, principal architect/video and standards strategy at Cablelabs
• Jon Karafin, CEO and founder of Light Field Lab
• Andrew Cochrane, award-winning VR and immersive experience director

Anthony Magliocco, vice president/business development at Entertainment and Media Technology Marketing, is producing the meeting.

What:    SMPTE Hollywood Section, June Meeting

Topic:    Building Truly Immersive Experiences: Are You Ready for the Holodeck?

When:    Wednesday, June 19, 2019, 6:30 p.m. — Reception 7:30 p.m. — Presentation and Panel Discussion
Please arrive prior to the meeting start time; late arrivals may not be accommodated.

Where:    Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Linwood Dunn Theater, 1313 Vine St., Los Angeles, CA 90028

Register:   https://www.eventbrite.com/e/building-truly-immersive-experiences-are-you-ready-for-the-holodeck-tickets-62681522120

SMPTE meetings are FREE. Non-members are welcome.

About the Immersive Digital Experiences Alliance (IDEA)

Immersive Digital Experiences Alliance, a 501c6, not for profit corporation, was formed with the goal of creating a suite of royalty-free specifications that address all immersive media formats, including emerging light field technology. Founding members created IDEA to serve as an alliance of like-minded technology, infrastructure, and creative innovators working to facilitate the development of an end-to-end ecosystem for the capture, distribution, and display of immersive media.https://immersivealliance.org/

About Looking Glass Factory

Looking Glass Factory is a company dedicated to building the holographic future, starting with a new class of holographic displays that bring living pieces of 3D digital space into the real world for groups of people without VR or AR headgear. In the summer of 2018, the company launched the Looking Glass®, the world’s first desktop holographic display for 3D creators, with thousands shipped to date. Founded in 2014 by Shawn Frayne and Alex Hornstein, the company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, with an R&D and production lab in Hong Kong. Looking Glass Factory is backed by Foundry Group, Uncork Capital, Lux Capital, SOSV, and numerous angel investors that co-founded companies such as Vimeo and Makerbot. For more information, visit www.lookingglassfactory.com

About the SMPTE^® Hollywood Section

The Hollywood Section of SMPTE® was initially organized as the West Coast Section in 1928. Today, as its own SMPTE Region, it encompasses more than 1,200 SMPTE Members with a common interest in motion-imaging technology in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Hollywood Section offers free meetings monthly that are open to SMPTE Members and non-members alike. Information about meetings is posted on the Section website at www.smpte.org/hollywood.

About SMPTE®
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers®, or SMPTE, is defining the future of storytelling. The Society’s mission is to enable the technical framework that allows the global professional community to make media for artistic, educational, and entertainment purposes and to distribute that content for the benefit and enjoyment of people worldwide. As a global volunteer-driven society of technologists, developers, and creatives, SMPTE is engaged in driving the quality and evolution of motion pictures, television, and professional media. The Society sets industry standards that help businesses maximize their markets more cost-effectively, provides relevant education that supports members’ career growth, and fosters an engaged and diverse membership community.

Information on joining SMPTE is available at smpte.org/join.

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