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Program Overview

The HPA Tech Retreat is the pre-eminent gathering for individuals and companies engaged in the creation, management, and dissemination of content. Every year, over the course a week near Palm Springs, the HPA Tech Retreat brings together a world-class roster of well-known and emerging leaders in engineering, technology, creativity and business. At the HPA Tech Retreat, the most compelling topics facing the media and entertainment landscape today are presented, explored and debated.

During the HPA Tech Retreat, attendees and speakers can unplug from their day-to-day routine to meet and engage with the brightest minds in the industry. From 7:30 AM breakfast roundtables to late-night fire pit conversations, there is nowhere else to experience the kind of unbiased, unvarnished, and authentic discussion, deliberation, and debate between experts that happens throughout the Tech Retreat.

Participants—who have included Oscar winners, program leads from NASA, and up-and-coming tech mavens—take a forward-looking approach to trends and technologies of the content creation ecosystem while tackling issues of the present from fresh perspectives.

The HPA Tech Retreat is a limited attendance event, strictly capped at 600 guests, that consists of the main conference program, a Supersession, a half-day mini-conference with focus on a single topic, daily breakfast roundtables, and the curated innovation zone where companies present the absolute latest in technology.

View Schedule »

Tech Retreat Features

TR-X Monday

TR-X Monday: Everything You Thought You Knew About Artificial Intelligence in M&E and What You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know

This thing Artificial Intelligence (AI), what’s that all about and what does it really have to do with Media & Entertainment now and in the future? The 2nd annual TR-X session, held in conjunction with the 2018 HPA Tech Retreat, will explore what all the fuss is about and, perhaps, generate new questions and ideas about the role of AI and Machine Learning (ML) in the M&E ecosystem.

TR-X, held the day before the HPA Tech Retreat, brings together thought leaders and creatives for a deep dive into topics of particular interest to the community. Registration is independent of or in addition to the HPA Tech Retreat.

HPA Supersession

HPA Supersession: It’s Still Snowing and We’re Just Making Bigger and Better Snowmen

Really, we’re still in the era of snowflake workflows? So many choices across so many different workflows. Learn from the pros about how we are producing content across the widest spectrum of content creation – from spots to blockbusters. From live, streaming to fully synthetic films without any humans before the camera. Come learn about how many K’s are OK, how bright is bright and how HDR changes the game (or does it?). Will ACES ace this test? Is it always going to be like this? Come learn about what it takes to get all this complex content to audiences – because your career depends on it.

Main Program

HPA Tech Retreat Main Program

The HPA Tech Retreat Main Program features an array of high-powered conference sessions, more than 50 breakfast roundtables led by industry experts, and extensive networking opportunities. This is an incomparable opportunity to meet and engage with a world-class roster of well-known and emerging leaders in engineering, technology, creativity and business.

Innovation Zone

Innovation Zone

HPA invites individuals and companies to share new and innovative technology with the participants of the HPA Tech Retreat®. The Innovation Zone is where attendees can discover your company’s NEW technology in a space designed for learning and discovery. Bring your latest and greatest innovations that improve how the chain from acquisition to delivery is done.

View Speakers »

Look Who’s Talking…

We have over 100+ speakers, from around the world, sharing their insights and knowledge at this years Tech Retreat.

Adam Myhill

Adam Myhill

Unity
Alx Klive

Alx Klive

360 Designs
Andy Quested

Andy Marken

Marken Communications
Speaker - Andy Wilson

Andy Wilson

DPP

Bill Baggelaar

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Bill Bennett, ASC

American Society of Cinematographers
Bill Mandel

Bill Mandel

Samsung

Bruce Devlin

SMPTE

Cédric Lejeune

Workflowers
Cirina Catania

Cirina Catania

The Catania Group
HPA Speaker Avatar

Clyde Smith

Fox, NABA
Dave Siegler

Dave Siegler

Cox Media Group and Pearl TV

Del Parks

Sinclair Broadcast Group
Don Eklund

Don Eklund

Sony Pictures Entertainment
Ed Grogan

Ed Grogan

Department of Defense
Gary Demos

Gary Demos

Image Essence
Howard Lukk

Howard Lukk

SMPTE
Jesse Korosi

Jesse Korosi

Sim
Jim Burger

Jim Burger

Thompson Coburn LLP

Joachim Zell

Barco
John Vickery

John Vickery

John Vickery
Julián Fernández-Campón

Julián Fernández-Campón

Tedial
Kelly Mendelsohn

Kelly Mendelsohn

Revelations Entertainment
Larry O'Connor

Larry O’Connor

OWC
Lucas Wilson

Lucas Wilson

Supersphere

Mark Chiolis

Mobile TV Group

Mark Harrison

DPP

Mark Schubin

HPA Tech Retreat

Matthew Goldman

Sinclair Broadcast Group

Michael Chambliss

International Cinematographers Guild

Michelle Munson

Eluvio
Pat Griffis

Pat Griffis

Dolby Laboratories
Speaker - Pete Lude

Pete Ludé

Mission Rock Digital

Peter Putman

ROAM Consulting
Peter Wehner

Peter Wehner

Mobile TV Group
Richard Friedel

Richard Friedel

FOX TV
Speaker - Ronan Boitard

Ronan Boitard

Barco
Scott Daly

Scott Daly

Dolby Laboratories

Scott Rothenberg

NEP Group
Serban Simu

Serban Simu

Eluvio
Speaker - Skip Pizzi

Skip Pizzi

NAB
Steve Wong

Steve Wong

DXC Technology
HPA Speaker Avatar

Tony Davis

RealD
Wolfgang Ruppel

Wolfgang Ruppel

RheinMain University
Wolfgang Schram

Wolfgang Schram

PRG

Yves Bergquist

Entertainment Technology Center @ USC

Schedule

Tech Retreat 2018 Conference Program. New sessions are added every day, so check back often. Schedule is subject to change.

Monday, February 19 | HPA TRX

11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Registration Open (At the Santa Rosa Ballroom Foyer)
1:00 pm – 5:15 pm
HPA TR-X: Everything You Thought You Knew About Artificial Intelligence in M&E and What You Didn’t Know

HPA TR-X, held the day before the HPA Tech Retreat, brings together thought leaders and creatives for a deep dive into topics of particular interest to the community. Registration is independent of or in addition to the HPA Tech Retreat.

So, this thing Artificial Intelligence (AI), what’s that all about and what does it really have to do with Media & Entertainment now and in the future? The 2nd annual TR-X session, held in conjunction with the 2018 HPA Tech Retreat, will explore what all the fuss is about and, perhaps, generate new questions and ideas about the role of AI and Machine Learning (ML) in the M&E ecosystem.

The program will include stories about the essence of AI and ML and bleeding-edge discussions and opinions to assess the realities and fears related to the use of AI. The TR-X AI story will also explore the future of AI through examples of novel implementations, case studies, agents of change, and M&E oriented academic research.

Don’t be outsmarted by AI as it rushes into your workspace! This TR-X session is an important human learning opportunity for professionals early in their M&E careers and those who are well established. If you are in M&E, AI and ML will touch you – in fact, it probably already has and you may not realize it. Learn about it before it becomes a core business process – it’s still early!

1:00 pm – 1:15 pm
Opening and Welcome
  • Craig German, Senior Consultant – Global Media & Entertainment Practice, AWS Professional Services
  • Mark Chiolis, Director of Business Development, Mobile TV Group
1:15 pm – 1:45 pm
Keynote: Makeover or Takeover? Artificial Intelligence in Media & Entertainment

AI is here. Or maybe it’s just loud. One thing is clear: no technological development has created more buzz, hopes and utter intellectual mayhem than artificial intelligence. And why wouldn’t it? The ability to deploy ubiquitous machine intelligence to automate the 60% to 85% of enterprise tasks considered menial by human standards is finally within reach, and applications that were once the domain of science-fiction are now a reality. Well … Maybe. Possibly. Everything about AI is complicated, beginning with its definition. Which is why almost everything that you’ve heard about the topic is wrong. This keynote aims to set the record straight. A data scientist with years of experience in AI research and development will lift the veil on what it means for the industry. What is AI? What can we expect for it in media and entertainment? When? Which jobs will live, and which won’t? Will it help us take our stories higher?

  • Yves Bergquist, Project Director Data Analytics, USC/ETC
1:45 pm – 2:30 pm
Novel AI Implementations: Real World AI Case Studies

One common use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is to make sense of big data. It is also used as the driver of today’s AI agents found on smartphones and in the home. In this session, you will learn, from expert practitioners in the industry, how AI is used in ways you may not expect.

  • Paul Roberts, Senior Solutions Architect| Media & Entertainment | Amazon Web Services
  • Logan Ketchum, Director of Strategic Development, Veritone
  • Linda Smith, CEO, FaceCake
  • Greg Taieb, Senior Director, Localization Product Development, Deluxe Entertainment Services Group
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm
The Potential for Partnering with AI in the Creative Process

Recently, AI has created some surprisingly compelling content, including music, movie trailers, and interpretation of images. Some results are amazing. Other outcomes are maybe a bit bizarre. Opportunities to partner with AI in the creative process are sure to increase. In this session, you will hear a cutting-edge professor at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts speak about what AI does well today, as well as the future of using AI as another creative tool, and how “autonomous” the AI side of the partnership may become.

  • Norman Hollyn, Editor & Professor, USC School of Cinematic Arts
3:00 pm – 3:15 pm
Break
3:15 pm – 3:45 pm
The Technology Behind The New Assistant: The Role of AI in Media and Entertainment Workflows

Advances in AI are touching every aspect of media and entertainment, assisting artists, animators, TD’s and business decision makers who look for new ways to monetize content. This session will explore the leading edge of what is possible with AI from research that is in some cases just weeks old, from DCC to Post to Broadcast. Whether it’s creating people that never existed to knowing what content is in thousands of video streams per second, AI is changing what’s possible in ways that will surprise you.

  • Greg Estes, VP Developer Programs, NVIDIA
3:45 pm – 4:15 pm
Bleeding Edge M&E Research

AI research and development happens at academic institutions and in corporations. Pushing the technology, inventing new AI capabilities, and discovering new potential for efficiencies are all efforts that happen in a lab. Some of these results eventually see the light of day as products. Learn from researchers who are driving which AI discoveries are both found and sought after.

  • John Vickery, COO, Zeroth
  • Raja Sahi, CTO, Pixelogic Media
  • Phil Lelyveld, Program Lead, ETC
4:15 pm – 5:00 pm
AI Vision Panel: What Will Happen and When?

Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” Without a goal, without a vision, without a road map, advances are achieved by chance. Find out from this esteemed panel of artificial intelligence visionary experts where AI may be headed and how they envision the future of AI.

  • Moderator: Richard Welsh, CEO, Sundog Media Toolkit
  • Steve Cronan, CEO, 5th Kind
  • John Motz, CTO, GrayMeta
  • Rachel Payne, Founder, Prizma
  • Philip Hodgetts, President, Lumberjack System
5:00 pm – 5:15 pm
Wrap-up
  • Craig German, Senior Consultant – Global Media & Entertainment Practice, AWS Professional Services
  • Mark Chiolis, Director of Business Development, Mobile TV Group

Tuesday, February 20 | HPA Supersession

8:00 am – 6:30 pm
Registration Open (At the Santa Rosa Ballroom Foyer)
9:00 am – 4:45 pm
HPA Supersession: It’s Still Snowing and We’re Making Bigger and Better Snowmen

Really, we’re still in the era of snowflake workflows? So many choices across so many different workflows. Learn from the pros about how we are producing content across the widest spectrum of content creation – from spots to blockbusters. From live, streaming to fully synthetic films without any humans before the camera. Come learn about how many K’s are OK, how bright is bright and how HDR changes the game (or does it?). Will ACES ace this test? Is it always going to be like this? Come learn about what it takes to get all this complex content to audiences – because your career depends on it.

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Lunch
4:35 pm – 4:45 pm
What Just Happened? A review of the day by Jerry Pierce and Leon Silverman
4:45 pm – 8:00 pm
Innovation Zone with Cocktails (dedicated demo time)

Actus Digital, Adobe, AJA Video Systems, Ambidio, Aspera/IBM, ATTO Technology, Avid Technology, Blackmagic Design, Canon, CineCert, Cinnafilm, Cobalt Digital, Colorfront, Colour Intelligence, Dalet, Dolby Laboratories, Eizo, Elements/Syslink, FilmLight, Fortium, Frame.io, G&D (Guntermann & Drunck), GIC, Glookast, Grass Valley, GrayMeta, Hybrik, IHSE, Image Essence, Image Matters, Interra Systems, IRT (Institut für Rundfunktechnik), iXsystems, LizardFS, Lytro, Marquise Technologies, Microsoft, MTI Film, Netflix, Nevion, NexGuard/Kudelski Group, North American Broadcasters Association, Ownzones Media Network, Panasonic, Pixspan, Portrait Displays, Prime Focus Technologies, Quantum, Red Bee Media, Rohde & Schwarz, Signiant, Sohonet, Sony Electronics, SpectraCal, Spectra Logic, SRI International, Streambox, The Studio-B&H, Technicolor, Tektronix, Teledyne Lecroy, Thinklogical/Belden, Venera Technologies, Visible Light, Wasabi Technologies, and Western Digital

Wednesday, February 21 | Roundtables, Individual Sessions, Innovation Zone, Welcome Dinner

7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Registration Open (At the Santa Rosa Ballroom Foyer)
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast Roundtables
  1. OBID: Revolutionizing Audience Measurement and More, Chris Lennon, MediAnswers
  2. Testing IMF from the DPP, Andy Wilson, DPP
  3. The Users Perspective from IMF UG, Pierre-Anthony Lemieux , IMF UG
  4. NABA-IMF: The Route to Adoption, Clyde Smith, Fox, NABA
  5. Measuring What We Can See: 4K, HDR, WCG, Steve Holmes, Tektronix
  6. IP/PTP in Real-Time Production & Distribution, Karl Kuhn, Tektronix
  7. Evaluation of Pixel Representation, Ronan Boitard, Barco
  8. An Open-Source Software Foundation for the Content Creation Industry, Andy Maltz, AMPAS
  9. Data Security in Media Production and Archive Workflows, Jon Morgan, Object Matrix
  10. Hybrid Storage Workflows, Anthony Magliocco, EMTM
  11. ST 2110 and AES67: How Audio Fits Into Your IP Plant, Ken Tankel, Telos Alliance
  12. Production Security for Risk Reduction, Mathew Gilliat-Smith, Fortium
  13. Media Supply Chains, Simon Adler, SDVI
  14. HDR Single Master Live TV Production, Bill Feightner, Colorfront & Bob Hudelson, AJA Video
  15. Enterprise-Class Collaborative Editing with Adobe Premiere, Tom Mauro, Arvato Systems
  16. Light Field: Computational Cinematography Capture & Post, Buzz Hays, Lytro
  17. Object Storage: Aspera FASP Public & Private Cloud Options, John King, Aspera
  18. How AI Can Help Tell Better Film Stories: a Case Study, Yves Bergquist, ETC@USC
  19. OLED Update, Peter Putman, ROAM Consulting
  20. Riding the Public Cloud: Tales from the Media Maelstrom, Ian Hamilton, Signiant
  21. Simplifying International Versioning through Intelligent MAM, Chris Reynolds, Prime Focus
  22. Analytics & OBS: Mining Your “Data-Coin,” Martin Libich, HGST, a Western Digital company
8:30 am – 7:30 pm
Innovation Zone open for appointments

See program below for dedicated Innovation Zone hours

8:30 am – 8:45 am
Breathe
8:30 am – 8:45 am
Welcome
  • Seth Hallen, HPA
8:55 am – 9:15 am
Introduction & Technology Year in Review

Mark Schubin

9:15 am – 10:00 am
Washington Update

A lot has happened in the legislative/regulatory/legal world since last year. How does it affect you? Find out from our resident expert.

  • Jim Burger, Thompson Coburn LLP
10:00 am – 10:15 am
Refreshment Break
10:15 am – 12:15 pm
IMF Central

This fast paced session on IMF will cover new developments in the use of IMF and the business driven benefits for those adopting its usage. The presentations will range from the creation of the first of a kind SMPTE Document, a SMPTE specification for IMF for broadcast applications, the business drivers for its application and then move on to real world experiences of organizations that are actively using IMF in daily workflows at Sony Pictures and Visual Data Media Services discussing the process of adoption and the benefits thereof. The last presentation will discuss how adopting IMF in media asset management systems maximizes efficiency and lowers costs of operations. The IMF Central session will close with a panel discussion and audience Q&A.

  • Coordinator: Clyde Smith, Fox, North American Broadcasters Association
10:15 am – 10:20 am
Introduction
  • Clyde Smith, Fox, North American Broadcasters Association
8:30 am – 8:45 am
SMPTE Specifications: What, Why, and How?

With the rapid pace of change in technology and businesses requirements, an agile method to rapidly deploy the latest technologies was needed. To address these emerging needs the SMPTE and the DPP have joined forces to create SMPTE Specifications. This presentation will discuss the need for specifications, the differences between them and SMPTE standards as well as the mechanisms for creating them. The presentation will highlight all details with examples from the first of the Specifications developed in collaboration with the DPP.

  • Howard Lukk, SMPTE
  • Bruce Devlin, SMPTE
8:30 am – 8:45 am
The Business Benefits of IMF for Broadcast and Online

Just as manufacturing and sales of goods changed when shipping containers enabled the easy movement of goods globally, media packaging and the internet have created a global media production and distribution system that we all need to service. Netflix and Amazon built markets on the shoulders of traditional global broadcast giants by taking a different approach to their businesses. Creating content with an global market first approach. So why are there hundreds of versions of Disney’s Frozen and 80 versions of the BBC’s Doctor Who 50th anniversary special? It’s down to local regulation and cultural differences. To fulfill these growing requirements we have to change the way we version programs. We need to see mastering as a new route to save storage, costs and time. In fact we will argue that one of the core enablers of the movement to a global broadcast system is what the creation of IMF for Broadcast and Online was really set up to achieve.

  • Andy Wilson, Digital Production Partnership (DPP)
  • Andy Quested, BBC
10:55 am – 11:20 am
Sony Pictures implementation of IMF

This presentation will describe Sony Pictures’ implementation of IMF and how this has benefitted their studio operations and will show the steps taken in a successful adoption and implementation. Topics covered will include a deep dive on how they had to change the business and their practices in order to implement IMF.

  • Bill Baggelaar and Greg Geier, Sony Pictures
11:20 am – 11:35 am
Empowerment of CPLs

IMF enables the standard interchange and automated creation of downstream distribution assets, resulting in simplified post-production transcodes and reduced storage requirements. This presentation will demonstrate the true potential of metadata in automating IMF flows utilizing examples based on hundreds of CPLs.

  • Tomasz Witkowski, Fishtank Cloud
11:35 am – 11:55 am
How Adopting IMF in MAM Systems Results in Greater Efficiency and Lower Costs

Adopting IMF in media asset management systems and deploying a true end-to-end workflows simplifies content distribution, reduces storage, maximizes efficiency and lowers costs. There are considerations, however, that need to be addressed at all levels. This presentation will utilize real world references and examples to discuss the guidelines that a new generation of media asset management (MAM) systems must follow to offer an IMF end-to-end workflow, including: leveraging IMF specifications, managing new version generation efficiently to ensure replication doesn’t occur until required, delivering content into an IMF specification seamlessly, and ingesting the IMF packages as they arrive and being able to generate new ones according to the SMPTE specifications, and much more.

  • Julián Fernández-Campón, Tedial
11:55 am – 12:10 pm
Panel Discussion and Q&A
  • All IMF Central Presenters and Mark Harrison, DPP
12:10 pm – 12:15 pm
Wrap-Up
  • Clyde Smith, Fox, North American Broadcasters Association
12:15 pm – 2:13 pm
Lunch (dedicated Innovation Zone time)
2:13 pm – 2:15 pm
Quiz answer & announcements
2:15 pm – 2:45 pm
Broadcasters Panel
  • Moderator: Matthew Goldman, Ericsson
  • Dave Siegler, Cox Media Group and Pearl TV
  • Rich Friedel, FOX & ATSC
  • Del Parks, Sinclair Broadcast Group
  • Skip Pizzi, NAB
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
CES Review

Once again, Pete Putman traveled to Las Vegas to see what’s new in the world of consumer electronics. Is CES getting to be too big? Have 4K TVs become disposable commodities? Do you really want to have conversations with your refrigerator? Are Amazon and Google the 800-pound gorillas in CE now? What was it like to experience The Great Power Failure of 2018? Are we starting to feel “Gadget Fatigue?” Are instant photo prints making a comeback? All of these questions will be answered (or cleverly ignored) in this presentation.

  • Peter Putman, ROAM Consulting
3:15 pm – 3:30 pm
Refreshment Break
3:30 pm – 5:45 pm
Advanced Cinema Technology Session

Higher frame rates, brighter brights, blacker blacks, maybe even direct-view cinema screens—movie theaters seem poised on possibly the greatest changes since the invention of projected movies. Are there issues that might prevent those changes? How might the industry deal with them? And might the changes apply to living rooms as well?

  • Coordinator: Pete Ludé, Mission Rock Digital
3:30 pm – 3:35 pm
Introduction
  • Pete Ludé, Mission Rock Digital
3:35 pm – 4:00 pm
Projecting the End of Projectors: The Birth of Direct-View Cinema Displays

Since the advent of movie theaters, projectors have evolved from carbon arc lamps, through xenon and high-pressure mercury, to fully digital projectors using laser illumination. But now a new approach is being explored–a direct-view emissive display using an array of millions of RGB LEDs. These giant LED displays hold the promise of extraordinary dynamic range and the ability to display a stunning picture even in moderate ambient light. This presentation will review the evolving technology that makes direct-view displays feasible for movie auditoria, as well as the challenges that face such a fundamental shift in motion-picture image technology. You will learn about the ground-breaking potential of these new screens, trends in microLED technology that may provide the key to affordable solutions, and requirements for DCI cinema, including innovative sound systems that don’t require acoustically-transparent screens.

  • Pete Ludé, Mission Rock Digital
4:00 pm – 4:25 pm
Evaluating difference of Quality of Experience between Projection and Direct Light Display Systems

The Quality of Experience from display systems is directly influenced by technical concepts such as speed (frame-rate), sharpness (resolution), contrast (bit-depth and dynamic range), pixelization, screen door effect etc. However, perceptual concepts such as “warmth” or “feeling” of images also plays a role. Such perception concept are hard to quantify and thus to reproduce across display technologies. This evaluation aims at studying the variations of artistic intent across projection and direct light display systems. Professional content is graded on both systems and a user study is conducted to evaluate the impact of technology on each grade.

  • Ronan Boitard, Barco
4:25 pm – 4:50 pm
Black Level Visibility as a Function of Ambient Illumination

One of the key new attributes of HDR imaging and displays is the ability to present many stops of shadow detail, and with the best systems, an absolutely pure black. The display performs at its best in a dark room since no illumination impinges the surface of the display, which would otherwise elevate the black level as a function of the display’s reflectivity. In addition, the viewer perform at their best, in terms of seeing the most shadow detail, when the region surrounding the display is also dark (assuming the field of view occupied by the display is greater than ~35 deg). While there certainly are important applications where a display is viewed in a dark surround, there are also many cases where brighter ambient light levels occur. Knowledgeable viewers know not to have the room illumination aim at the display, but even for those viewers the surround luminance will be increased. In order to understand the impact of the ambient illumination on contrast, shadow detail visibility, and further to guide ambient compensation algorithms, we performed a psychophysical study to assess the visual system’s ability to see detail as a function of the surround luminance. For the stimuli, we used a Gabor signal (a sinewave modulated by a Gaussian window) in order to probe the visual system’s best capability. For the display, we used a Pulsar display having a black level of 0.005 cd/m^2, but in order to study lower black levels such as occurring in the cinema, we placed a large 1.0 neutral density filter over the display to enable black levels as low 0.0005 cd/m^2. The surround luminances studies ranged from fully dark to 100 cd/m^ 2, and for each of these, thresholds were measured as a function of display mean luminance levels from .001 to 400 cd/m^2. The results are consistent with an existing surround effect visual model, which has basis in the cone photoreceptors. Of course, the results are also useful on their own sans model for pluge design, perceptual display performance assessment and tone-mapping applications.

  • Scott Daly, Dolby Laboratories
4:50 pm – 5:15 pm
Parametric Appearance Compensation

The key to consistent appearance is compensation for surround, brightness, colorfulness, and contrast. The way these have been implemented in test systems and where this all might lead will be described.

  • Gary Demos, Image Essence
4:25 pm – 4:50 pm
Creative Frame Rates in Practice: War Stories and Successes

In the past year, we gained a great deal of real-world experience with creative frame rates in delivered products, and there are many lessons that have been learned about how production is impacted, what creative artists are looking for, and how the look has been received by audiences. New test footage will be presented.

  • Tony Davis, RealD
  • Bill Bennett, ASC
5:40 pm – 5:45 pm
Q&A
5:45 pm – 6:00 pm
What Just Happened? A Review of the Day by Jerry Pierce & Leon Silverman
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Innovation Zone Open (dedicated demo time)
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Welcome Dinner

Thursday, February 22 | Roundtables, Individual Sessions, Innovation Zone

7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Registration Open (Desert Ballroom Foyer)
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast Roundtables
  1. OBID: Revolutionizing Audience Measurement and More, Chris Lennon, MediAnswers
  2. Testing IMF from the DPP, Andy Wilson, DPP
  3. The Users Perspective from IMF UG, Pierre-Anthony Lemieux , IMF UG
  4. NABA-IMF: The Route to Adoption, Clyde Smith, Fox, NABA
  5. Measuring What We Can See: 4K, HDR, WCG, Steve Holmes, Tektronix
  6. IP/PTP in Real-Time Production & Distribution, Karl Kuhn, Tektronix
  7. Washington Update follow-up, Jim Burger, Thompson Coburn
  8. Migrating Production Studios to Data Centers, Andrew Osmond, Aperi
  9. RealCV: AI Applied to Video Recognition, Reza Rassool, RealNetworks
  10. Building a DAM Team, Jeffrey Stansfield, Advantage Video Systems
  11. High Speed Motion Control for All Production Departments, Jason Shupe
  12. Data Security in Media Production and Archive Workflows, Jon Morgan, Object Matrix
  13. Tape or Disk for Long-Term Storage, Anthony Magliocco, EMTM
  14. ST 2110 and AES67: How Audio Fits Into Your IP Plant, Ken Tankel, Telos Alliance
  15. Cybercrime Is Worse; Here’s Help, Mathew Gilliat-Smith, Fortium
  16. Media Supply Chains, Simon Adler, SDVI
  17. Overcoming Cloud Migration Challenges, Peter Wharton, Happy Robotz
  18. HDR Conversion w/Perceptually Optimized Color Remapping, Bill F., Colorfront & Bob H., AJA
  19. Interfacing HDR Displays, Peter Putman, ROAM Consulting
  20. Enterprise-Class Collaborative Editing with Adobe Premiere, Tom Mauro, Arvato Systems
  21. M&E Cloud Storage: Best with a Domestic MAM, Roger Beck & Eric Thorne, Elements
  22. Light Field: Computational Cinematography Capture & Post, Buzz Hays, Lytro
  23. Aspera FASPstream; Not Just for Video, John King, Aspera, an IBM company
  24. Borg Orgs: What Automation Will Do to Production, Yves Bergquist, ETC@USC
  25. UHD & HDR: Experiences in the Field, Mark Chiolis & Peter Wehner, Mobile TV Group
  26. Better Transfer Decisions Powered by Live Cloud Transcoding, Ian Hamilton, Signiant
  27. Simplifying International Versioning through Intelligent MAM, Chris Reynolds, Prime Focus
  28. TCO on Private Hybrid Cloud, Stefaan Vervaet, Western Digital
8:30 am – 2:00 pm
Innovation Zone open for appointments.

See program below for dedicated Innovation Zone hours

8:30 am – 8:43 am
Breathe
8:43 am – 8:45 am
Quiz answer & announcements
8:45 am – 9:15 am
HDR Flavors
  • Moderator: Seth Hallen, Pixelogic and HPA
  • Don Eklund, Sony Pictures Entertainment
  • Pat Griffis, Dolby Laboratories
  • Bill Mandel, Samsung
  • Andy Quested, BBC
9:15 am – 9:55 am
Establishing Metadata Guidelines for Downstream Image Presentation Management on Consumer Displays

While increasingly rigorous color management frameworks enable filmmakers to communicate the look from set through final mastering, the downstream flow has yet to incorporate recommendations for aligning consumer displays to the program creator’s intent. What are the technical challenges? What is the value to stakeholders? Can the entertainment and CE industries work together to create a win-win solution? This panel proposes establishing a working group under SMPTE 2094 to explore metadata guidelines for downstream image presentation management.

  • Moderator: Michael Chambliss, International Cinematographers Guild
  • Steven Poster, ASC
  • Kelly Mendelsohn, Revelations Entertainment
  • Rob Hummel, Group 47
  • Bill Mandel, Samsung
  • Dan Rosen, Karl Storz Imaging
9:55 am – 10:30 am
ACES Update

Coordinator: Annie Chang, Universal

Joachim Zell, EFILM

Wolfgang Ruppel, RheinMain University of Applied Sciences

10:30 am – 10:45 am
Refreshment Break
10:45 am – 11:30 am
Remote and Mobile Production Panel

With a continuing appetite for content from viewers of all the major networks, as well as niche networks, streaming services, web, eGames/eSports, and venue and concert-tour events, the battle is on to make it possible to watch almost every sporting and entertainment event that takes place, all live as it is happening. Join these key members of the remote and mobile community talking about what’s new for this area and what the workflows are behind the content production and delivery in today’s fast-paced environments. Expect to hear about new REMI applications, IP workflows, AI, UHD/HDR, eGames, and eSports as well as getting a behind the scenes peek at how the 2017 U2 video was integrated into their concert-tour show.

  • Moderator: Mark Chiolis, MobileTV Group
  • Peter Wehner, Mobile TV Group
  • Scott Rothenberg, NEP Group
  • Wolfgang Schram, PRG/Nocturne
  • Tom Sahara, Turner Sports
  • John Vickery, Zeroth
11:30 am – Noon
VR and the Eclipse

With 44 satellite links and six million viewers, CNN’s coverage of the Great American Eclipse was the biggest live VR broadcast to date. Learn about synchronization, remote exposure control, moving-car- and helicopter-mounted rigs and other aspects of this unique achievement.

  • Alx Klive, 360 Designs
Noon – 1:58 pm
Lunch and Final Innovation Zone Time (dedicated demo time)
1:58 pm – 2:00 pm
Quiz answer & announcements
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Pixar’s Approach to Localization

Learn about the detailed, collaborative work that goes into the versioning of Pixar’s iconic movies: the creative decisions about what to version, the subtle nuances of tailoring each movie to the culture and customs of local territories, and the technical hurdles facing the industry’s most challenging version pipeline. This session should enlighten and enthrall with a dive into Pixar’s cinematic world.

  • Eric Pearson, Pixar
8:30 am – 8:45 am
Automation of Versioning

Coordinator: Rich Welsh, Sundog Media Toolkit

Henry Gu, GIC

Cédric Lejeune, Éclair

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm
Refreshment Break
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Understanding Blockchain for The Biz

If you’re not already involved with blockchain technology, you soon will be. Blockchain originally surfaced ten years ago as the underpinning of Bitcoin, the revolutionary cryptocurrency. But within the last two years, blockchain technology has been recognized as far more powerful than simply for payments. It can create a distributed ledger with the power to transform business operating models. Since it allows digital information to be distributed but not copied, blockchain technology has created the backbone of a new type of internet. Recently, blockchains have been implemented for many aspects of transactional processing in our media and entertainment business, in both production operations and consumer engagement. In this session, you will learn the basics of how a blockchain works, and how the Ethereum cryptocurrency has enabled secure tokens and “smart contracts” to (hopefully) simplify operations and remove the middle-man for many operations. We will review the business model of over two dozen new companies supplying blockchain-based solutions to the media and entertainment industry.

  • Pete Ludé, Mission Rock Digital
  • Steve Wong, DXC Technology
4:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Reinventing Digital Content Storage and Interchange with Decentralized Ledgers and Machine Learning

The media industry has experienced dramatic growth in OTT services and transformation of the direct-to-consumer business with a backdrop of massive innovation in cloud infrastructure, decentralized blockchain ledgers, and machine learning. Yet in spite of this renaissance, the industry is still largely reliant on an ad hoc supply chain and contracting, disparate storage, and a legacy distribution architecture. Key technical challenges, capabilities of the new technologies, new approaches that harness distributed ledgers, a scalable storage solution governed by the ledger, and machine learning techniques to drive significant reduction in media distribution costs and high quality distribution will be described as well as foundational concepts of blockchain technology: decentralized trust, zero knowledge proofs, and smart contracts, and advanced supervised learning techniques applied to optimize client request routing. Common workflows reinvented in this new decentralized platform and quantitative results for distribution quality will be shown.

  • Michelle Munson and Serban Simu, Eluvio
4:00 pm – 4:30 pm
The Project Budget War: Views from Both Sides and the In-Between

The project budget is set. The EP places attention (and budget) on talent, shooting, production deadline. Post production focuses on tools, workflow asset management and time. The panel explores solutions that can streamline and uncomplicate work flow to save assets, resources, deadlines and money. Panelists will discuss how the project team can recognize and take the proper steps to implement the right solution for every project that will satisfy everyone including accounting.

  • Moderator: Andy Marken, Marken Communications
  • Jeff Stansfield, Advantage Video Systems
  • Cirina Catania, The Catania Group
  • Larry O’Connor, OWC
  • Aaron Semmel, Semmelboomboom
5:15 pm – 5:45 pm
The Rise of eSports

An exploration of cultural and technological coalescence to help understand whether eSports are here to stay and where they fit in the entertainment economy.

  • Josh Rizzo
5:45 pm – 6:00 pm
What Just Happened? A Review of the Day by Jerry Pierce & Leon Silverman

Friday, February 23 | Roundtables, Individual Sessions, Post Retreat Treat

7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Registration Open (Desert Ballroom Foyer)
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast Roundtables
  • Media Function Virtualization: a New Business Model, Andrew Osmond, Aperi
  • Testing IMF from the DPP, Andy Wilson, DPP
  • The Users Perspective from IMF UG, Pierre-Anthony Lemieux, IMF UG
  • NABA-IMF: The Route to Adoption, Clyde Smith, Fox, NABA
  • Understanding Blockchain, Steve Wong, DXC Technology
  • 10th-Annual Steve Lampen Asks Questions of Merrill Weiss
  • Is the News Control Room Obsolete? Chris Lennon, MediAnswers
  • Media Ingest into the Cloud, Harsha Kanna, Microsoft
  • High Speed Motion Control for All Production Departments, Jason Shupe
  • Data Storage Analytics: What Is Going on in the Cloud? Anthony Magliocco, EMTM
  • Gadget Fatigue, Peter Putman, ROAM Consulting
  • Securing Your File and Stream Production Workflows with Aspera, John King, Aspera
  • The Schubin AI Project, Mark Chiolis, HPA/MTVG
  • Economics of Disk vs. Tape, Martin Libich, HGST, a Western Digital company
  • Don’t Burn Colorists’ Eyes with HDR, Cédric Lejeune, Éclair
  • What Impact Will AI/ML Have on QC? Ramon Breton, 3rd i QC
  • HDR Is the Wild West… Help! Terence Curren, Alpha Dogs
8:30 am – 8:43 am
Breathe
8:43 am – 8:45 am
Quiz answer & announcements
8:45 am – 9:15 am
Predicting Trends: Why We Get It Wrong and How to Get It Right

Consider the innovations brought by consumers to media in the last decade: binge-watching; mobile video; vertical video; captioned short form; live streaming. These new trends happened suddenly and en masse. All have had a direct impact on the media supply chain, reflecting the new reality that it’s consumers who are calling the shots. But did we professionals see these innovations coming? No. We occupied our conferences, trade shows and magazines with excitement over interactive TV, 3D, second screen, VR – none of which have had comparable impact. Looking at the evidence around innovation, why is trend prediction more important than ever, and what gets in the way of us getting it right? What would it take for us to guess better?

  • Mark Harrison, DPP
9:15 am – 9:45 am
SMPTE Update
  • Howard Lukk, SMPTE
9:45 am – 10:15 am
Detection of Modified Video
  • Ed Grogan, Department of Defense
10:15 am – 10:45 am
Immersion and the Singularity: The Fusion of AI, Social, Advertising, and Entertainment

Our industry traditionally views AI, Social, Advertising, Broadcast, and Online as distinct and separate technologies and challenges. And traditionally, they have been. But there is an ongoing, massive merging of all these threads into one, new stream of content and entertainment that will change how we all approach delivery and distribution. Explore current technology trends in AI, social, and advertising, and learn through case studies how audiences are built and maintained through these trends, and how that bleeds into and sometimes overtakes the traditional worlds of broadcast. Learn why that matters so much in the emerging worlds of 360/VR/AR/XR, and how these trends will accelerate the acceptance of these formats.

  • Lucas Wilson, Supersphere
10:45 am – 11:00 am
Refreshment Break (load up on treats before the post-retreat treat)
11:00 am – 11:30 am
Virtual Cinematography and Storytelling Engines

A unified procedural camera system for games, film-previsualization and virtual cinematography enables video game developers to create cinematic content rendered in real-time, bringing significant production efficiencies enabling more time and focus on the creative. Tools like this are also being used in the creation of photo-real and ready-to-consume stories.

  • Ramy Katrib, Digital Film Tree
  • Adam Myhill, Unity Technologies
  • Joachim Zell, EFILM
11:30 am – Noon
Perceptual Fatigue in Film, Broadcast and VR

As humans, we experience the world through five primary senses, but our perceptual bandwidth is merely a tiny fraction of the reception bandwidth, i.e. the amount of information our sensors objectively register. Based on a review of recent physiological and psychological studies, the paper provides new insight into human prioritization of the senses, relevant to AV production, and mechanisms behind throwing away salient information. The temporal grey-zone of perception is explained, and examples are given on how it may be used in creative and technical decision making while editing. Finally, the study details factors in the development of visual and auditory fatigue and discomfort.

  • Thomas Lund, Genelec
Noon – 12:30 pm
Where We Are Heading

In 20 years, we will not recognize the tools and techniques we will then be using to manipulate audio and video. Just as there are still people making saddles and horseshoes today, there will still be people using today’s equipment and techniques, but not many, and it will be a lot more expensive than the alternative new technology. The quality, consistency and reliability of the new way will make it impossible to resist for the vast majority of users. Economies of scale on the data side will make any box built for the audio-video professional expensive and unsupportable. Further, any application (even those required by broadcasters, Hollywood, and other audio-video producers), will be covered by specialized software. And the control architecture can be just as easily modified to manipulate/edit/process/distribute content for these audio-video applications.

  • Steve Lampen, Belden
OFFICIAL END OF 2018 HPA TECH RETREAT
12:30 pm – 1:00’ish
Post-Retreat Treat

“It Talks!” a Very Brief History of Voice Synthesis

Why did the HAL 9000 computer of the movie 2001: a Space Odyssey do what it did as it was losing its mind? In a 1975 opera about love between a talking computer and its creator, who played the talking computer? And what about that 10th-century pope?

  • Mark Schubin

Speakers

Below are bios submitted by some of our 2018 Tech Retreat speakers. We have many more exciting speakers listed on our schedule.

Adam Myhill

Adam Myhill

Unity

Adam Myhill

Adam Myhill has spent two decades in film and video game worlds, working as a Director of Photography and CG supervisor at Electronic Arts and Blackbird Interactive.

Using his experience on multiple titles and as a film DP on a number of feature length movies, Myhill created a ground-breaking procedural cinematic and in-game camera system called Cinemachine, which is now an integral part of Unity’s offering where he now works to empower creators.

He is also the designer of CineCast, an AI cinematography system for esports and any3D content which begs the question “How do you film something when you don’t know what’s going to happen next?”

He also holds a number of technology patents around virtual cameras and procedural cinematography.

Alx Klive

Alx Klive

360 Designs

Alx Klive

Alx Klive is Founder and CEO of 360 Designs – a Los Angeles based Live VR production and technology company – with a globally recognized reputation for broadcast quality live VR. With a focus on TV-like workflows, the company’s high-end Mini EYE cameras and StitchBox products have been snapped up by the likes of Google, MTV, PBS, CNN, Red Bull, Nvidia, AMD and BT Sport. On the production side, 360 Designs has produced numerous tent-pole events – such as the Oscars, SXSW, Champions League, a concert with Bee Gees’ legend Barry Gibb, and the 2017 Eclipse. The company consistently innovates – building the world’s first live streaming 6K VR drone, gyro stabilized remote 360 cameras, developed Lean Back VR™, and employs a creative approach that equals that of a high quality live TV production. As Executive Producer, Alx leads a team of talented professionals, pioneering the future of entertainment and ‘teleportation’.

Andy Quested

Andy Marken

Marken Communications

Andy Marken

Andy is Owner and President of Marken Communications Inc. a marketing and communications Consulting firm located in the San Francisco area since August 1977. The 30 year agency has been involved with a broad range of corporate and marketing activities. He is the author of more than 400 articles on management, marketing, communications, content production/distribution and a frequent speaker at management and marketing conferences. Experience includes strategic, market planning and execution with communications/Internet firms including AT&T and CERFnet as well as in storage, storage management and video solutions with firms including Philips, InterVideo, Ulead, OWCDigital, NewerTech, Sonic, Corel, Matsushita, Pinnacle, Dazzle, Cyberlink, Mountain Computer, Nikon, Plasmon, NTI, ADS Tech, Verbatim, Mitsubishi and Panasonic.

Speaker - Andy Wilson

Andy Wilson

DPP

Andy Wilson

With over 17 years of working on red button interactive television services, broadcast innovation, product management and digital rights for the BBC, Andy now leads the growth and delivery of the DPP. Andy’s previous BBC work included the migration of Engineering Teams to support new technologies and studios in MediaCity UK, New Broadcasting House, UHD broadcasts, supporting the 2012 London Olympics and running the industry skills programme for File Delivery.

Andy joined the DPP from his role as Partnership Lead for BBC Make it Digital, a year-long campaign to develop the coding and digital skills of audiences across the UK. He was also Head of Delivery for BBC micro:bit, ensuring 1 million children across the UK received a new computing device to help grow their engineering and digital skills. Andy led collaboration between 54 partners, to develop and deliver the BBC’s most ambitious education and technology initiative in 30 years. Andy has experience in developing big data services, powered by machine learning, through his work in developing audience measurement tools for television and online services.

Bill Baggelaar

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Bill Baggelaar

Bill Baggelaar is the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Sony Pictures Entertainment. He is responsible for the media technology strategy, along with research & development efforts into emerging technologies that will shape the future of cloud-based production, post-production and delivery of content.

Bill brings his extensive experience in production, visual effects and post-production along with his work collaborating with industry partners and internally across Sony in developing and implementing key technologies that have been instrumental, including IMF, 4K and HDR.

Baggelaar joined Sony Pictures in 2011, focusing his efforts on streamlining and advancing 4K workflows from on-set capture to post-production for film and TV. He led the studio’s transition to the file-based world of IMF (Interoperable Master Format) for UltraHD. He also headed the team at Sony Pictures to help develop the world’s first 4K video service, Sony’s “4K Video Unlimited”.

Bill is a member of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, The Television Academy and SMPTE.

Bill Bennett, ASC

American Society of Cinematographers

Bill Bennett, ASC

Bill Bennett, ASC has been a cinematographer for over 40 years, spending much of that time shooting television commercials the world over, for hundreds of major clients: Ford, Lexus, Coca Cola, Apple Computer, American Airlines, McDonalds, and Budweiser.

Additionally, over the years, Bill has worked on several feature films as a Cameraman, on either the First or Second Unit. Some titles include: Superman III, The Black Stallion Returns, Howard the Duck, To Live and Die in LA, Silverado, American Flyer, The Right Stuff (aerials), Less than Zero (aerials), Bugsy (miniatures), Waiting to Exhale (title sequence), Cocktail (aerials), Dante’s Peak, and Drive. He has also worked as 1st or 2nd unit Cameraman on the Television Series: 24, and The Fosters.

In 2004 Mr. Bennett had the great honor of being invited to join the very exclusive American Society of Cinematographers. He served as a Vice President and a member of the Board of Governors for the Society, for over 10 years.

Along with Ron Dexter, ASC in the early 80’s, Mr. Bennett co-invented a device at the request of Robert Dalva, the Director of The Black Stallion Returns, called the Terra-Flite. Designed to allow smooth camera movement over rough terrain, it pre-dated the invention of the Steadicam, and utilized then-new technologies they had to create: gyroscopic stabilization, remote follow-focus, video assist, and remote pan and tilt control.

Mr. Bennett was partner with Howard Preston in the design and creation of the Preston Cinema Systems Micro-Force Zoom Control, which has become an indispensable standard of the industry, used on every set around the world.

Mr. Bennett has long been an advisor to Arri in the design of their cameras, having great influence in the design of the 435 film camera, and more recently the Alexa and Alexa Mini digital cameras. He has over the years shot demonstration films for Arri and Zeiss,
for their many models of cameras and lenses.

Mr. Bennett is holds a USA Federal Aviation Administration Pilots License, with Commercial, Multi-engine, and Instrument ratings, with 2,880 hours logged flying time. He owns and flies a Beechcraft Bonanza A36 aircraft. He is a PADI certified Scuba diver with an Open Water rating.

Bill Mandel

Bill Mandel

Samsung

Bill Mandel

Bill Mandel is Vice President Industry Relations at Samsung Research America, representing Samsung in various industry groups on topics of HDR, workflow technologies and picture quality.

Bruce Devlin

SMPTE

Bruce Devlin

Founder Mr MXF; Standards Vice President, SMPTE. Bruce Devlin is well known in the media industry for his work on files, compression and systems; particularly MXF and IMF. In the last 3 decades his presentations and Bruce’s Shorts videos have become a go-to resource for CFOs, CTOs and students wanting to figure out the business of technology. Bruce has designed everything from ASICs to algorithms to industrialisation processes. He tweets as @MrMXF, he wrote the book on MXF and is now responsible for international standardis activities at SMPTE. Bruce is an alumni of Queens’ College Cambridge UK fellow of the SMPTE and member of the DPP, IABM, The IET and IMIS recipient of SMPTE’s David Sarnoff Medal & the IMIS Achievement award recipient of numerous technology awards including Techncal Emmys passionate about makeing media technology accessible to everyone and a rider of bicycles (occasionally quickly).

Cédric Lejeune

Workflowers

Cédric Lejeune

Cedric started in 2000 as a visual effects assistant on Discreet Smoke, working on TribalX, a complex full CG/MoCap production for children and setting the network infrastructure in the small post-production facility.

In 2000 he becomes application engineer for Post Logic, a French VFX system reseller and supports a wide range of products: animation, infrastructure, effects, colour grading. He was in charge of the implementation of the first industrial digital intermediate pipeline at Éclair Laboratoires in 2002 and different setups in Paris and Europe.

In 2006 he starts his first company, Workflowers, to develop consulting and training services, accompanying film labs in the transition to digital and helping post-production to step into the cinema world. He specializes in digital cinema and video workflows, infrastructures and colour science. His work on online collaborative environment and content management tools have made him an expert of cloud technologies for media. Workflowers’ image processing tools are used by major studios in the world.

In 2015 he joins the European cinema group Ymagis to supervise the technology for post-production and mastering labs in the group (New York, London, Liège, Berlin, Barcelona, Paris). The integration of Eclair Laboratoires extends the delivery of content to broadcasters and OTT and gives an opportunity to develop a century old brand as an innovative one. He then assembled the technology and innovation team to create more efficient and global workflows across the group. He led the development of EclairColor, the HDR solution for cinema (www.eclaircolor.com).

In 2020, while continuing R&D efforts for EclairColor and developing HDR and HFR image technologies for the Chinese market, he reboots Workflowers to help media industries in their transition to a more sustainable model. With his team of media engineers, he helps studios in building and implementing organization and technical strategies with sustainability in mind. He Is a member of the EBU Sustainability group, the SMPTE Cloud Sustainability working group and a founding member of La Cartouch’Verte, an association to promote good environmental practices in animation movies production. With Workflowers he partners with Perfect Memory for the development of their semantic technology toolset for the movie studio environment.

Cedric is the co-head of the postproduction department at CST and is a member of VES, SMPTE and HPA.

Cirina Catania

Cirina Catania

The Catania Group

Cirina Catania

Cirina Catania, Founder/Lead Creative at The Catania Group and partner, Lumberjack System, is a member of the PGA, WGA, and IATSE-Local 600. She has worked as a tech evangelist, writer, director, supervising producer, cinematographer, post-producer, or marketing exec on over 130 film, television and new media projects for the big screen as well as for networks such as National Geographic, Discovery, etc. She is one of the co-founders and former director of the Sundance Film Festival and former Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at MGM-UA and United Artists. Cirina is based in LA, D.C. and Berlin when she is not on the road filming in the Amazon or other exotic locations. She is very proud of the fact that she has not yet contracted malaria and that, after all these years, she still loves her job!

HPA Speaker Avatar

Clyde Smith

Fox, NABA

Clyde Smith

Clyde Smith is chairman of the NABA working group on file-based formats, and Senior Vice President, Advanced Technology for FOX Network Engineering and Operations. He is a SMPTE Life Fellow, a recipient of the SMPTE Progress Medal, the David Sarnoff Medal, and Outstanding service award, Broadcasting and Cable’s Technology Leadership award, The Storage Industry Service Award and is an Honorary Member of the (IABM). His previous positions include SVP of global broadcast technology and SVP of Broadcast Engineering Research for Turner. He also worked for eight years, in Communications Design and Development Engineering at the Kennedy Space Center, supporting video, photo, voice and timing and countdown systems for 48 shuttle missions, three interplanetary missions and numerous other initiatives.

Dave Siegler

Dave Siegler

Cox Media Group and Pearl TV

Dave Siegler

Dave Siegler is Vice President of Technical Operations for Cox Media Group (CMG) at the company’s Atlanta, Ga. headquarters.

As Vice President of Technical Operations, Siegler is responsible for leading and growing the integrated media company through the rapidly changing technologies and consumer demands. Specifically, he manages CMG’s Technical Operations groups to integrate new technologies and processes across various platforms for CMG’s 14 broadcast television stations, one local cable television station and 57 radio stations.

Prior to his current position, Siegler was Cox’s Director of Broadcast Operations & Engineering for the company’s television operations in Charlotte, NC and served 13 years in various positions with Post-Newsweek Television Stations.

Dave is a Fellow Member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and is a recipient of Broadcasting & Cable’s Technology Leadership Award.

He serves as Chair of the ATSC 3.0 Personalization Interactivity & Interactivity Implementation Team, serves as Chair of NAB’s Television Technology Committee and is a member of the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, He sits on the Board of Directors of the ATSC and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Broadcast Technology Society.

Del Parks

Sinclair Broadcast Group

Del Parks

Delbert R. Parks, III is the Executive Vice President / Chief Technology Officer of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Del has been serving Sinclair since 1972 and has held various operations and engineering positions with Sinclair over the last 48 years. In his role, he supports the company’s current and future Engineering, Technical Operations, and Facilities for Sinclair.

 

Currently, he is responsible for the deployment of the new broadcast standard, the Next Generation Broadcast Platform, and co-leads Sinclair’s technical and operational integration of the twenty-one recently purchased FOX Regional Sports Networks, the Marquee Sports Network (Chicago Cubs), the Tennis Channel’s new IP digital facility in Los Angeles, and the transformation of the company’s media and broadcast operations as they migrate to the cloud and their future state.

Del is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel who has held various commands during his 26-year reserve career. Retiring in 1998 as the Battalion Commander of the 175th Infantry (5th Maryland), Maryland Army National Guard.

He is a member of the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers and in 2015 was honored as a SMPTE Fellow. In 2007, he was the recipient of Broadcasting and Cable’s Technology Leadership Award and is a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Baltimore Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and has been active in the scouting program for many years with his two Eagle Scout sons.

Favorite sayings: “Never suffer in silence” and “If you want something done…give it to someone who’s busy.”

 

Don Eklund

Don Eklund

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Don Eklund

Don Eklund has been a part of the development and launch of multiple consumer entertainment formats since starting his career at Sony. He developed the operation that launched DVD at Sony Pictures and went on to oversee the development of software tools and hardware systems which supported compression, authoring and quality control of Blu-ray. Don continues to participate in industry standards organizations and consortiums which focus on next generation entertainment, content security and delivery systems. He has been granted numerous patents on 3D, content security and content authoring.

Ed Grogan

Ed Grogan

Department of Defense

Ed Grogan

Edward T. Grogan received his BSEE and MSEE from Drexel University. He is now in his 43rd year working for the Department of Defense on advanced technologies. In the past he was one of the lead engineers within the DoD who helped define progressive HDTV as the format for DoD and industry. He is currently working in a field that he brought into the DoD, and adapted to government needs. In his off time he supports local community and school theatre productions by providing sound and video (now 4K HDR) to the education environment. He is a member of SMPTE, HPA and the Visual Effects Society.

Gary Demos

Gary Demos

Image Essence

Gary Demos

Gary has been a pioneer in the development of computer generated images for use in motion pictures, digital image processing, and image compression. He was a founder of Digital Productions (1982-1986), and was awarded an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Scientific and Engineering Award in 1984 along with John Whitney Jr. “For the Practical Simulation of Motion Picture Photograph By Means of Computer-Generated Images”. Gary also founded Whitney-Demos Productions (1986-1988), DemoGraFX (1988-2003), and Image Essence LLC (2005 to present). Gary Demos is the recipient of the AMPAS 2005 Gordon E. Sawyer Oscar for lifetime technical achievement. Gary is actively involved in the ASC Technology Committee and has worked on the AMPAS ACES project. Gary has presented numerous papers at SMPTE, given a SMPTE webinar, is a SMPTE Fellow, and received the 2012 SMPTE Digital Processing Medal. Gary is the inventor of one hundred patents.

Howard Lukk

Howard Lukk

SMPTE

Howard Lukk

Howard is Director of Engineering and Standards for the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). In this position he is working as a member of the staff responsible for maintaining the technical infrastructure for both the home office and the Standards Community.

He has worked before at NASA, DCI, Walt Disney Studios, Pixar and as a Chief Engineer at a Post Production Facility. He has worked on various live major Sporting and broadcast events, such as Woodstock 25th Anniversary, as a freelance engineer. He is also an Associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and holds patents in the area of stereoscopic and computational cinematography. When he does have a rare day off you can find him filling the time making films and music.

Jesse Korosi

Jesse Korosi

Sim

Jesse Korosi

As the Director of Workflow Services at Sim, the 2016 HPA Emerging Leader award winner & Studio Daily Top 50 award winner, Jesse currently oversees a global workflow and development team and provides technical-level management. Over the past 18 months, Jesse and his team have overseen the dailies/post production workflow on over 100 projects spanning the globe, collectively managing over 8 Petabytes of media. Aside from working on such notable jobs as Mr. Robot, Narcos, Fargo, and The Great Wall, Jesse counts creating Sims new client facing metadata aggregation/automated transcoding database Metabanq, as his greatest achievement.

Jesse has a lifelong love of filmmaking and has worked in many different on-set and post-production roles over the last decade including: 24 frame playback editing/compositing both on and off set, on-set visual effects editing, data management, dailies, offline/online editing, and final color. Jesse uses this wealth of knowledge to provide his clients with customized workflows, that are tailored to successfully meet their unique requirements and the specific needs of their projects.

Jim Burger

Jim Burger

Thompson Coburn LLP

Jim Burger

Jim is a partner in the Thompson Coburn Lobbying & Policy and Intellectual Property Groups. He has worked extensively on legal and policy issues arising from the intersection of digital technology, intellectual property, communications, and government regulation. Jim has represented the Computer Industry Group and other information technology entities in efforts to secure copy protection rules for DVDs, Blu-ray/UHD discs and digital music downloads. He advises technology clients on artificial intelligence IP issues. Jim has represented technology clients before the Administration, Congress, and the FCC in regard to the Digital TV Transition, the Broadcast Flag, and international agreements affecting U.S. intellectual property law. For the past three years Jim has taught Copyright Law at Georgetown Law School. Jim also served seven years as an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia Law School, where he taught Advanced Administrative Law.

Joachim Zell

Barco

Joachim Zell

For 12 years he served as VP of Technology and Imaging Science at EFILM/Deluxe, where he designed and monitored production workflows from onset production to the movie release. Previously he was VP of Advanced Technology at Technicolor Thomson in Burbank and before that he was Marketing Manager Americas at Grass Valley Thomson. During his time in London, Joachim worked as Product Manager, Digital Film Systems for Pandora Int. He supports SMPTE as Hollywood Section Manager and serves on the ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council DI team that has defined the ASC CDL standard. Joachim is an Associate Member of the American Society of Cinematographers. He also acts as Co-Chair of the ASC’s MITC Next-Generation Cinema Display committee and Co-Produces the ASC “Standard Evaluation Material V2” short. He holds the position of ACES Project Vice Chair at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences.

In February 2020, Joachim became a Board Member of the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA).

Joachim holds a Master’s Degree in Film and Television Engineering and has co-authored four image processing patents.

John Vickery

John Vickery

John Vickery

John Vickery

A Senior Digital Media Executive with over 25 years’ experience working in the Media and Entertainment industry with leading brands. John focuses on increasing value by launching new businesses and products, streamlining supply chain, and global operations and enhancing customer experiences. John has held a number of operational leadership roles including a global account lead, managing large global projects, P&L management and office / people management. John is currently a co-founder and the COO of Zeroth Industries, creating the future of digital media through AI powered virtual characters.

Julián Fernández-Campón

Julián Fernández-Campón

Tedial

Julián Fernández-Campón

Julián has been working in computer-related companies for 25 years. With a degree in Computer Science Engineer at the University of Málaga and a strong IT and Software Development background now is Chief Technology Officer at Tedial leading the transition over the last years to meet the new Challenges in the market with the adoption of the latest technologies in the Tedial Products, Solutions and Services and the enterprise transformation to DevOps.

Kelly Mendelsohn

Kelly Mendelsohn

Revelations Entertainment

Kelly Mendelsohn

Kelly Mendelsohn SVP Production; Revelations Entertainment, oversees all aspects of production for the company’s film, factual and scripted television departments. As SVP, she has worked on some of the company’s critically acclaimed projects including CBS’s Madam Secretary (currently in Season 4), the Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton film 5 Flights Up, 10 Items or Less, Levity, The C-Word, and the Emmy Award nominated documentary 16th Man. She also serves as Co-Executive Producer on Nat Geo’s Emmy-nominated series, The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (which was just renewed for season 3), Nat Geo’s The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman, and the Cooking Channel’s Food: Fact or Fiction(currently in Season 4). Mendelsohn has been with Revelations Entertainment for over 16 years. What sets Revelations apart from other production companies is the ability to fuse artistic integrity with technological innovation as well as their mission to reveal the truth. Academy award-winning actor Morgan Freeman and Emmy-nominated producer Lori McCreary lead Mendelsohn and the rest of the team in producing thought provoking entertainment that has universal appeal and soul. Prior to her production role, Mendelsohn oversaw finance and managed Digital Revelations, a division underneath Revelations Entertainment that was designed to explore the merging of entertainment and technology. While at Digital Revelations, Mendelsohn spearheaded The Open House live demo, appearing in Los Angeles, Cannes and Sun Valley, which was designed to educate the entertainment industry on how to protect content as it moves to an online platform. She is also a member of the Producers Guild of America and The Television Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Larry O'Connor

Larry O’Connor

OWC

Larry O’Connor

Larry O’Connor started Other World Computing while still in high school in 1988. Frustrated with the high cost and options for Apple memory expansion, he came to a better solution and started providing memory upgrades online initially as LRO Enterprises in his family’s barn in rural Illinois. A year later, the company moved from the barn and today OWC is one of the most respected suppliers of Apple product upgrades and accessories. O’Connor’s strategy has been to develop, produce and sell high-quality, reliable products under multiple brands – OWC, Macsales – through resellers and distributors. O’Connor’s vision for OWC is to be a self-sustainable organization that is a great place to work as well as a firm that develops professional-grade storage and add-in/add-on products backed by superior service and support. O’Connor graduated from Marquette University where he focused on business and computer science.

Lucas Wilson

Lucas Wilson

Supersphere

Lucas Wilson

Lucas Wilson is founder and executive producer at Supersphere, a content and technology shaping entertaining, immersive experiences globally, with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Singapore. Supersphere collaborates with industry-leading clients and partners including Disney, FOX, Jaunt, Grey Advertising, DirecTV, and others to create the ideal blend of technologies designed to build audience and connection. A media technology veteran always attracted to new technologies that build stronger bonds between audiences and the content they love, Lucas contributed over the years to early adoption of HD, 4K, DI, and theatrical 3D workflows in Hollywood.

Mark Chiolis

Mobile TV Group

Mark Chiolis

Mark Chiolis is the Director of Business Development for Mobile TV Group (MTVG), which provides facilities for over 4,000 live professional and college sports and entertainment events annually, with more than 35 mobile units, and dozens of remote Cloud Control facilities, based throughout the U.S.  MTVG has been leading the 4K/UHD/HDR/Cloud live event production with key broadcasters, networks and distribution companies.

Mark is currently working to interface with customers and partners to develop and support MTVG’s entertainment, awards, corporate, concerts, egames, and esports events with current and new trucks, using both broadcast and cine workflows.

Prior to MTVG, Chiolis worked in marketing, business development, and sales for Grass Valley, Thomson, Technicolor, Philips, and BTS as well as at television stations KMUV, KRBK and KVIE.

Chiolis is an active board member of the HPA, an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers, member of the NAB Cine Consortium, member of the SciTech group at the Television Academy (Emmys), member of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), member of International Association of Aviation Photographers, past section manager of SMPTE, member of STE, SBE and California Broadcasters Association.

Mark Harrison

DPP

Mark Harrison

Mark began his career as an Historian at Cambridge University, before moving into the media industry. He spent many years as a Director, Producer and Executive Producer, and won numerous awards for his filmmaking, including an International Emmy and a BAFTA nomination.

Mark held senior roles within the independent production sector and the BBC. He was MD of an independent production company before being appointed BBC Head of Arts, and then Head of Multiplatform Production. He was subsequently Controller of Production for BBC North and leader of the BBC’s End-to-End Digital programme, before becoming Director of Transformation for BBC Design & Engineering.

In 2015 Mark became CEO of the DPP – the international network for media and technology, which he founded. Today the DPP has over 500 member companies from across the whole media supply chain – from global tech giants to broadcasters, and from media tech vendors to production companies. The DPP works with its member companies to generate strategic insight and create business opportunities.

Mark Schubin

HPA Tech Retreat

Mark Schubin

Multiple Emmy-award winning SMPTE Life Fellow Mark Schubin is the world’s greatest expert on the intersecting histories of media technology and opera. He helped create the hotel in-room movie business, the first live nationwide stereo simulcast network, the first live multi-language cinema subtitles, and what was probably the first HDR-to-SDR converter (though no one knew what HDR was at the time). He has worked on moving-image projects on all seven continents (including Antarctica), including news in Kazakhstan, cable TV in Hong Kong, and the television transmission system of Barbados. He also worked on the standardization of the VU meter. His bedroom was an official test site of the ATSC, his paper on aspect ratios was cited by the FCC, and his blog at SchubinCafe.com is archived by the Library of Congress. He once piloted the Fuji blimp and has been known to wear shoes.

Matthew Goldman

Sinclair Broadcast Group

Matthew Goldman

Matthew Goldman is Senior Director Media Engineering & Architecture at Sinclair Broadcast Group. He has been actively involved in the development of digital television systems for 30 years. In the 1990s, he was a prominent participant in the Moving Picture Experts Group where he helped create the MPEG-2 Systems standard, the baseline transport technology used in direct broadcast satellite, digital cable, and terrestrial broadcasting. He also served as project editor for the MPEG-2 DSM-CC standard, the control signaling used in video-on-demand systems, switched digital video, and for DTV data downloads and carousels. Mr. Goldman was a co-developer of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) standard. In the mid-2000s, he defined the broadcasting industry’s first compressed-domain program splicer. Four of his projects have been later recognized by Technology & Engineering Emmy® Awards. A technical paper on high dynamic range that he co-wrote received the Best Paper Award of the 2015 NAB Broadcast Engineering Conference. He is an author of the 2007 and 2017 editions of the NAB Engineering Handbook, and has been published in the IEEE Proceedings and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) Motion Imaging Journal. Mr. Goldman received bachelor (high honors) and master of sciences degrees in electrical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He holds six patents related to digital video transport. A SMPTE Fellow and former President, he is also a senior member of the IEEE, and an inductee of the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers.

Michael Chambliss

International Cinematographers Guild

Michael Chambliss

Michael Chambliss, the advanced production technology specialist for the International Cinematographers Guild (ICG), IATSE Local 600, focuses on the integration of new forms of programming and emerging production methods into the craft of cinematography and camera crew practices. He is active on the American Society of Cinematographers’ (ASC) Motion Imaging Technology Council (MITC) as well as being the ICG’s representative on the Entertainment Technology Center @ USC projects, NAB’s Cine Consortium Educational Subcommittee and additional industry forums.

Prior to shepherding the ICG’s technology initiatives, Michael was a principal of the commercial production company Chambliss-Wolff Films and a consultant for media technology investment groups. He worked as a director of photography and camera operator on commercials, motion pictures and television series for more than 20 years as well as earning a Peabody Award as the director/DP on the documentary “It Works.”

Michelle Munson

Eluvio

Michelle Munson

Michelle Munson is the co-founder and CEO of Eluvio and co-creator of the content fabric protocol, an open and decentralized Internet protocol for owner-controlled streaming, storage and monetization of digital content at scale. She leads the Berkeley based company and is co-inventor on 11 patents.

Michelle is an Emmy-award winning technologist who previously co-founded Aspera in 2004 and led the company as CEO until May 2017, including through acquisition by IBM in 2014. She co-invented the Aspera FASP™ transport technology.

Michelle is a recipient of the David Sarnoff Medal from the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE); the Charles Swartz Award from the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA); IABM’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year; and named one of the top 25 “People to Watch by TV Technology.

Michelle was inducted into the College of Engineering Hall of Fame at Kansas State University in 2021. She was also the 2019 Kansas State University Commencement Speaker for the College of Arts and Sciences and the 2006 Alumnus of the Year for the College of Engineering. She holds dual B.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from Kansas State University, where she was a Goldwater Scholar for achievement in Science and Mathematics. She was also a Fulbright Scholar at Cambridge University where she received a postgraduate diploma in Computer Science.

Pat Griffis

Pat Griffis

Dolby Laboratories

Pat Griffis

As Technology Vice President in the CTO Office at Dolby, Patrick Griffis is charged with helping define future technology strategy for the company which includes identifying and tracking key technical trends, performing technical due diligence, and supporting advanced technology initiatives for the company. He has been an active company spokesperson on the topic of next generation imaging and in particular, “better pixels” – a term he coined for High Dynamic Range plus Wide Color Gamut. Pat spent 10 years at Microsoft leading global digital media standards strategy, including standardization of Windows Media Video technology as an international SMPTE standard. Prior to Microsoft, Pat was at Panasonic in senior management positions, including Vice President of Strategic Product Development at Panasonic Broadcast where he drove Panasonic’s HDTV strategy for the US. Pat started his career at RCA, earning eight patents in TV product design. He currently serves as Executive VP of SMPTE.

Speaker - Pete Lude

Pete Ludé

Mission Rock Digital

Pete Ludé

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Peter Putman

ROAM Consulting

Peter Putman

Peter Putman is president of ROAM Consulting LLC in Doylestown, PA. A 44year veteran of the commercial AV and home theater industries, Pete has authored hundreds of columns, tutorials, and feature articles for 35 years on topics as diverse as display technology, digital video, RF and wireless signal propagation, and signal interfacing; all for a wide range of magazines and media outlets.

He has presented, instructed, and moderated panel discussions multiple times at major trade shows and technical conferences, among them SMPTE, the NAB West and East trade shows, the Hollywood Professional Association Technology Retreat, CEDIA Expo, and Integrated Systems Europe.

Pete taught seminars and workshops annually at the InfoComm trade show for 20+ years and a Senior Academy member of AVIXA University™ faculty. He was one of the first candidates to earn InfoComm’s Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) designation, and was also named InfoComm’s 2008 Educator of the Year.

Pete earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Seton Hall University and a Master of Science degree in Television and Film from Syracuse University. He has also been a licensed Amateur Radio operator for 51 years, and currently holds Extra Class callsign KT2B. Pete is a Life Member of SMPTE and recently authored an online course on the fundamentals of ultrahighdefinition television for the organization.

Peter Wehner

Peter Wehner

Mobile TV Group

Peter Wehner

Peter Wehner is the Director of Engineering for Mobile Television Group. His primary responsibilities are overseeing engineering for over 4000 live events a year with a fleet of 25 mobile units and advancing new technologies. Wehner is also an integral part in new mobile unit construction such as 39 FLEX which was the first purpose built 4K and high dynamic range mobile (HDR) unit built in the US. Mobile Television Group’s 39 FLEX has been used on many ground breaking 4K and HDR productions such as Fox college football, the Masters, and several NBA games. Prior to taking on the Director of Engineering role he was an Engineer in Charge for nine years and responsible for the early implementation of dual feed production at Mobile Television Group.

Richard Friedel

Richard Friedel

FOX TV

Richard Friedel

Richard Friedel is Executive Vice President of Engineering, Operations & Technology for Fox Television Stations, supporting 21st Century Fox’s twenty-eight local stations throughout the United States and overseeing their rollout of ATSC 3.0 Previously, Mr. Friedel headed Fox Network Engineering & Operations, responsible for their national and regional television businesses. Early in his time at Fox, he was a member of the team that launched Fox News Channel. Mr. Friedel is a fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and life member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers. He serves as President of the Video Services Forum, President of the North American Broadcasters Association and is the former Chairman of the Advanced Television Systems Committee. He was previously awarded a lifetime achievement Emmy by the National Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Speaker - Ronan Boitard

Ronan Boitard

Barco

Ronan Boitard

R. Boitard earned his M.Eng. degree in electrical engineering from the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) in 2009. In 2014, he was granted his Ph.D. degree from the University of Rennes 1 while working for Technicolor and IRISA (Institut de recherche en informatique et systèmes aléatoires) on High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology, more specifically, on video tone mapping and temporal coherency. He is presently Staff Scientist, Imaging at Barco\MTT Innovation in Vancouver supporting the deployment of Light Steering technology and the associated workflow.

Scott Daly

Scott Daly

Dolby Laboratories

Scott Daly

Scott Daly is a Senior Research Scientist for Dolby Laboratories working on fundamental perceptual issues and efforts to preserve artistic intent throughout the entire video path to reach the viewer. His background includes a BSEE degree from North Carolina State University, and an MS in Bioengineering from the University of Utah. Applying visual models towards digital video and displays, he has publications on spatiotemporal and motion imagery, cinema displays, audio-visual interactions, stereoscopic displays, and high dynamic range. Awards include the Otto Schade Award from SID in 2011 for Applied Perception and a team Emmy Award in ‘89-90 for a Video Transceiver used in a prominent international news event. He is currently a member of IEEE, SPIE, SMPTE, and SID.

Scott Rothenberg

NEP Group

Scott Rothenberg

Scott Rothenberg is NEP’s Senior Vice President of Program and Planning. Scott is responsible for setting up the project management office (PMO) for all of NEP’s global projects. Scott and the PMO team are responsible for putting into place the standards, tools and processes to implement and manage global projects and programs. Scott also continues to oversee NEP’s capital budgeting, equipment planning and coordination.

In his previous role as SVP of Technology and Asset Management, Scott focused on understanding and matching clients’ needs with NEP’s technical capabilities and capacity, working tirelessly across all of NEP’s divisions to ensure that the right equipment is always in the right place, we have the right technology for our clients’ needs —and that NEP is always working to develop technical solutions to meet emerging client needs.

Scott started with NEP in 1995 as a maintenance engineer after working as a freelance technician when he provided engineering and operational support for television crews and solving all manner of problems under the pressure of live television. Scott has been a member of three Emmy Award-winning NEP technical crews (twice for NASCAR and once for PokerDome) and won a CableACE Award in 1995 for his work on “Ripken’s 2131st Game” for HTS. Scott truly loves being a member of the NEP team and enjoys sharing the outstanding dedication and commitment with his extraordinary peers and colleagues.

Serban Simu

Serban Simu

Eluvio

Serban Simu

Serban is a technology innovator and hands-on engineering leader in all things “data”. Serban has a B.Sc. degree in Computer Science from the Universitatea Politehnica Bucuresti in Bucharest, Romania, and a Masters degree in Telecommunication Networks from Ecole Nationale Superieure des Telecommunications where he finished first in his class. He came to the United States in the late 1990’s to join Cisco Content Networking group, as a lead software engineer at Digital Fountain, and founded Aspera with Michelle Munson in 2004 where he led technology and product development for 13 years.

Speaker - Skip Pizzi

Skip Pizzi

NAB

Skip Pizzi

Skip Pizzi is Vice President, Technology Education and Outreach, at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in Washington, DC, USA. His career has spanned the radio, television and digital media industries, working for 13 years in production engineering and technical training at NPR, and for 11 years in content creation, media standards development and technical policy analysis at Microsoft. He also spent 7 years as an editor at Broadcast Engineering magazine, and has been a columnist for numerous other industry publications. He has authored, co-authored or edited several books, most recently A Broadcast Engineering Tutorial for Non-Engineers, 4th edition, and the NAB Engineering Handbook, 11th edition, both published by Focal Press.

Skip is a frequent speaker at media technology conferences around the world, and manages all of NAB’s technical education programs. He has also been involved with numerous media standardizations efforts, and currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC) Technology Group 3 (TG3)—which has developed the ATSC 3.0 standard—and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ultra HD Forum. In 2017, Skip was presented with the ATSC’s Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award. He is a graduate of Georgetown University, where he studied Fine Arts, International Economics and Electrical Engineering.

Steve Wong

Steve Wong

DXC Technology

Steve Wong

Steve is a technologist in the Cloud, Platforms & IT Outsourcing practice for DXC Technology (formerly known as Hewlett Packard Enterprise) and is a visiting lecturer at University of Southern California Marshall School of Business Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Steve was recognized with a 2007 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development for the Teranex Video Computer. Steve is a member of the Interactive Media Peer Group of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. In addition, Steve is a Hollywood Section SECRETARY/TREASURER of The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). Steve began his IT career in broadcasting working for Belo Broadcasting (Gannett) and Capital Cities ABC (Disney). For fun Steve enjoys screenwriting and producing independent movies and creating new media content.

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Tony Davis

RealD

Tony Davis

Tony Davis is a Senior Scientist at RealD where he works with an outstanding team to perfect the cinema experience from set to screen. Tony Davis has a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University, specializing in advanced signal acquisition and processing. After several years working as a Technical Staff Member for Los Alamos National Laboratory, Mr. Davis was Director of Engineering for a highly successful line of medical and industrial X-ray computed tomography systems at 3M. Later, he was the founder of Tessive, a company dedicated to improvement of temporal representation in motion picture cameras.

Wolfgang Ruppel

Wolfgang Ruppel

RheinMain University

Wolfgang Ruppel

Dr. Wolfgang Ruppel is a digital technology expert and consultant with more than 20 years of experience in broadcast and media. Dr. Ruppel’s recent work includes software development of enhanced Open Source IMF tools and workflow automation utilizing Framework for Interoperable Media Services (FIMS) and queuing software for digital transfers and post production workflows. Dr. Ruppel serves as a consultant to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences towards standardization of a new archival format based on IMF and ACES. Dr. Ruppel holds a professorship for Media Technology at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden, Germany since 2006. Prior to 2009, Dr. Ruppel served as Head of T-Systems Development of a Digital Cinema distribution platform. He has worked with leading media companies and studios across North America and Europe. Dr. Ruppel earned a Dipl.-Ing. degree in 1989 and a Dr.-Ing. degree in 1994 from the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany.

Wolfgang Schram

Wolfgang Schram

PRG

Wolfgang Schram

Wolfgang Schram is a Broadcast Engineer for PRG based in the PRG Los Angeles office. He is responsible for the design of new systems to support multiple video markets worldwide. With that task he is also accountable for video standards in the engineering department, as well as input with our LED inventory and collaboration on video operating procedures. Since the late 90s, Wolfgang worked as an Engineer in Germany for N-TV, Bahn TV and OB trucks such as Wige Media & Alfa Cam. Wolfgang in his travels to the US resided for 8 years in the United Kingdom working for XL Video, CTVOB, Telegenic and finally PRG.

For the last 10 Years Wolfgang has been working in the music business as a touring Video Engineer. Some of his clients are Beyoncé, Drake, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Queen and Paul Rogers as well as U2 and Lionel Richie to name only a few.

In 2014 Wolfgang moved to Los Angeles and became a Chief Engineer for PRG Nocturne.

Since 2016 Wolfgang is Director of Video Engineering at PRG Los Angeles.

Yves Bergquist

Entertainment Technology Center @ USC

Yves Bergquist

Yves is an AI researcher and the director of the “AI in Media” Project at USC’s Entertainment Technology Center (ETC). A research center at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, ETC brings together all the Hollywood studios as well as large tech companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google. At the Center, Yves and his team use frontier AI methods to help media companies develop deep insights into their content, their audiences, and the cognitive relationship between the two. Yves is also the co-founder and CEO of Corto, an AI startup developing AI tools to make stories and audiences computable through the DNA analysis of narratives. Corto is in Private Beta with a dozen studios, advertising agencies, and global consumer brands.

Participating Companies

  1. 20th Century Fox
  2. 21st Century Fox
  3. 3 Ball Entertainment
  4. 360 Designs
  5. 3rd i QC
  6. 5th Kind
  7. AC Standard Media Consultants
  8. Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
  9. Acembly
  10. Actus
  11. Adobe Systems
  12. Adult Swim
  13. Advanced Systems Group, LLC
  14. Advantage Video Systems
  15. AJA Video Systems, Inc.
  16. Alpha Dogs, Inc.
  17. ALT Systems, Inc.
  18. Amazon- Amazon Studios
  19. Amazon Video
  20. Amazon Web Services
  21. Ambidio
  22. Aperi Corporation
  23. Apple Inc.
  24. Artisans PR
  25. Artistic Resources Corp.
  26. Arvato Systems North America
  27. Aspera, an IBM company
  28. Atavium
  29. ATTO Technology, Inc.
  30. Audio-Video Freelance
  31. Avalanche.io
  32. Aveco
  33. Avid Technology
  34. AWS Elemental
  35. B&H Photo, Video Pro Audio
  36. Barco
  37. BBC
  38. Beachwood Services, Inc.
  39. BeBop Technology
  40. Belden
  41. Blackmagic Design
  42. BLACKSTAR Engineering Inc.
  43. BoomBoomBooya, LLC
  44. Brightcove
  45. Broadband Testing
  46. Broadcast Engineer Consulting
  47. Brooklyn College
  48. Bubble Communications
  49. BYU Broadcasting
  50. Canon Inc.
  51. Captions, Inc.
  52. CBS Broadcasting Inc.
  53. CBS Network
  54. CBS Television Studios
  55. Cerberus Tech Ltd
  56. CHESA – Chesapeake Systems
  57. CineCert, LLC
  58. CineSys Inc
  59. CineSys Oceana
  60. Cinnafilm
  61. CNN
  62. Cobalt Digital Inc.
  63. Colorfront LLC
  64. Colour Intelligence
  65. Comcast NBCUniversal
  66. Company 3
  67. Conshimfee
  68. Cox Media Group
  69. Crown Media Family Networks
  70. CUNY TV
  71. Dalet Digital Media Systems
  72. Dcon Digital
  73. DDN Storage
  74. Dell EMC
  75. Deluxe Entertainment Services Group
  76. Deluxe Media
  77. Deluxe Technicolor Digital Cinema
  78. Department Of Defense
  79. Devoncroft Partners
  80. Di Factory Sp. z o.o. sp. k.
  81. Di’ Image
  82. Digital Cinema Engineering LLC
  83. Digital Media Consultant
  84. Digital Production Partnership Ltd
  85. Digital Storage Technology News
  86. Digital Video Norge Drift AS
  87. DigitalFilm Tree
  88. Discovery Communications
  89. Disney
  90. Diversified
  91. Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
  92. DreamWorks Animation
  93. DSR
  94. DXC Technology
  95. Eagle Hill Consulting
  96. EBU
  97. Eclair
  98. EFILM
  99. EIZO Inc
  100. Electronic Visualization Laboratory / University of Illinois at Chicago
  101. ELEMENTS
  102. Eluvio
  103. Encompass
  104. Encore AV
  105. Entertainment and Media Technology Marketing, Inc.
  106. Entertainment Technology Center @ USC
  107. Entropy Enterprises
  108. Ericsson
  109. ETCentric
  110. FaceCake Marketing Technologies, Inc.
  111. FEM Inc./ Prizma
  112. FilmLight
  113. FireFly Cinema
  114. Florical Systems
  115. Fortium Technologies
  116. Fox NE&O
  117. Frame.io
  118. Fraunhofer IIS
  119. G&D North America Inc.
  120. Genelec Oy
  121. GIC
  122. Globecast Americas
  123. Glookast
  124. Grass Valley USA, LLC
  125. GrayMeta
  126. Group 47, LLC
  127. G-Technology
  128. Happy Robotz LLC
  129. HBO, Inc.
  130. HDTVexpert.com / Sound & Communications
  131. HDVideoPro
  132. HGST, A Western Digital Company
  133. Homerun Ent
  134. Hybrik, Inc.
  135. IABM
  136. IBC
  137. IBM
  138. ICG Magazine
  139. Ignite
  140. IHSE USA, LLC
  141. Image Essence LLC
  142. Image Matters
  143. IMAGICA Corp.
  144. Imagine Communications
  145. IMAX Corporation
  146. Insight Media
  147. Institut fuer Rundfunktechnik GmbH
  148. International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600
  149. Interra Systems, Inc.
  150. iXsystems, Inc.
  151. IYUNO Media Group
  152. JB&A
  153. Joe Kane Productions
  154. JR Consulting
  155. Keio University
  156. Key Code Media
  157. Kintsugi Media Consulting Group
  158. Labodigital S.A. de C.V.
  159. Legendary Pictures
  160. Lenovo
  161. LG Electronics
  162. LizardFS Inc
  163. LumaForge Inc.
  164. Lumberjack System, Inc
  165. Lytro Inc
  166. MachIQ
  167. Marquise Technologies
  168. Marvel Studios
  169. MAX Post
  170. Media & Entertainment Services Alliance
  171. MediAnswers, LLC
  172. MediaSilo + Wiredrive
  173. Merrill Weiss Group LLC
  174. Microsoft
  175. MicroStrategy
  176. Mission Rock Digital LLC
  177. MKPE
  178. Mobile TV Group
  179. Motion Picture Solutions
  180. MovieLabs, Inc
  181. Moxion Ltd
  182. Mr MXF Ltd
  183. MTI Film LLC
  184. MTMP Solutions
  185. MVA Broadcast Consulting
  186. My Eye Media, LLC
  187. National Association of Broadcasters
  188. National TeleConsultants
  189. NBC Universal
  190. NEC Corporation
  191. NEP Group
  192. NET
  193. Net Insight
  194. Netflix, Inc.
  195. Nevion
  196. New Box Solutions
  197. New Media Technology
  198. Newbay Publishing
  199. NexGuard, Kudelski Group
  200. NFL Media
  201. Niceshoes LLC
  202. NTC
  203. NVIDIA, Inc.
  204. Object Matrix
  205. Ooyala
  206. Oracle
  207. Other World Computing / OWC
  208. Ownzones Media Network Inc
  209. Panasas
  210. Panasonic
  211. Panasonic Cinema Broadcast & Professsional Video
  212. Paramount Pictures
  213. PBS
  214. Perspective Media Group, Inc.
  215. Piksel
  216. Piper Digital
  217. PIX System
  218. Pixar
  219. Pixar Animation Studios
  220. Pixelogic Media LLC
  221. Pixelworks
  222. Pixspan, Inc.
  223. Pop
  224. Portrait Displays / SpectraCal
  225. postPerspective
  226. PRG
  227. Prima Lumina
  228. Prime Focus Technologies, Inc.
  229. Production Studios
  230. Quantum
  231. Quantum Corporation
  232. Real Networks
  233. RealD Inc.
  234. Red Bee Media
  235. Residential Systems
  236. Revelations Entertainment
  237. RFX Inc
  238. RheinMain University of Applied Sciences
  239. Riedel Communications
  240. ROAM Consulting L.L.C.
  241. Rohde & Schwarz
  242. Ross Video
  243. SAM: Snell Advanced Media
  244. Samsung Research America
  245. Sand Cherry Associates
  246. Sandflow Consulting LLC
  247. Scale Logic
  248. SDVI Corporation
  249. Signiant
  250. SIM Group
  251. Sim International
  252. Sinclair Broadcast Group
  253. Singularity Technology
  254. Skywalker Sound
  255. smoke & mirrors
  256. SMPTE
  257. Snell Advanced Media
  258. Sohonet, Inc.
  259. Sony
  260. Sony Corporation
  261. Sony Electronics, Inc.
  262. Sony Pictures Entertainment
  263. Sony Pictures Television
  264. Spectra Logic
  265. spencer.media
  266. SRI International
  267. SRI Sarnoff
  268. Starbreeze Studios
  269. Starz Entertainment, LLC
  270. Stereo D
  271. StorExcel
  272. Stratalux
  273. Streambox, Inc.
  274. Studio Daily
  275. Sundog Media Toolkit
  276. Supersphere
  277. Technicolor Digital Intermediates
  278. Technicolor PostWorks
  279. Technicolor, Inc.
  280. TechWatch
  281. TEDIAL
  282. Teklogic, Inc.
  283. Tektronix, Inc.
  284. Teledyne Lecroy
  285. Telestream
  286. Telstra Broadcast Services
  287. Teradici
  288. Testronic
  289. The Catania Group, Inc.
  290. The Digital Cinema Society
  291. The Foundation
  292. The Hollywood Reporter
  293. The Mill (Facility) Limited
  294. The Studio-B&H
  295. The Telos Alliance TV Solutions Group
  296. The Walt Disney Company
  297. Thinklogical, A Belden Brand
  298. Thompson Coburn LLP
  299. TMS Consulting, Inc
  300. TotenBleich Engineering
  301. TPT
  302. TSF
  303. Turner
  304. Turner Broadcasting Systems
  305. Turner Sports
  306. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
  307. Unity Technologies
  308. Universal Pictures
  309. University of Southern California
  310. Utah Scientific, Inc.
  311. Venera Technologies
  312. Veritone
  313. Video Clarity
  314. Video Gorillas
  315. Visible Light
  316. von Winning Art
  317. Walden Pond
  318. Walt Disney Studios
  319. Warner Bros.
  320. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
  321. Wasabi Technologies, Inc.
  322. Wavelet Consulting LLC
  323. Wazee Digital
  324. WCPMedia Services
  325. Western Digital Corporation
  326. WGBH Production Group
  327. Women of the American Revolution Association
  328. Xperi
  329. Xytech Systems Corp
  330. Zeroth Industries

Our Sponsors

Foundation Members

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Bronze Sponsors

Star & Event Sponsors

Contributing Sponsors

Innovation Zone

HPA invites individuals and companies to share new and innovative technology with the participants of the HPA Tech Retreat®. The Innovation Zone is where attendees can discover your company’s NEW technology in a space designed for learning and discovery. Bring your latest and greatest innovations that improve how the chain from acquisition to delivery is done.



  • All applications will be reviewed and vetted based on meeting the intent and focus of the Innovation Zone.
  • Approved participants that apply by 31 December will receive the early rate of $850 per Innovation Zone space.
  • Applications submitted and approved after 31 December will pay $950 per Innovation Zone space.

Space Information

Innovation Zone requirements:

Your demonstration must reflect technology that is innovative, game changing and important to entertainment markets including production, post production, broadcast, distribution, OTTs or related areas. It must provide the attendees with solution(s) that are unique and, if possible, demonstrate integrated workflows for distinctive services. Experimental products and new concepts or products are of particular interest. Start ups or creative solutions are most welcome.

You may bring secondary partners to be part of your space and demonstration if it fits within a complete solution that can differentiate the workflow or delivery process from what is available today.

Service companies and solutions providers who have unique, forward thinking offerings in production, post production, broadcast, distribution, OTT’s or a related area are invited to participate.

For the 2018 Tech Retreat, we are looking for innovations in these areas:
SMPTE 2110 and or ATSC 3.0 workflow components and integration
IMF integration – “IMF Row”
Technology that deliver high quality productions at an affordable price point
HDR, UHD for broadcast and distribution systems (including signal measurement)
VR and AR solutions for production, post and distribution
Cinema distribution technology
Distribution systems for digital outlets
Specialty aerial equipment
Video Space technology
Storage and media management with or without the cloud
Monitoring solutions from screen to projection
Gaming technology
AR for live sports

To apply, submit a description of what you would like to demonstrate for vetting purposes. Click here for the Application Form.


General Information:

The Innovation Zone is a meeting and networking area which will be open during conference hours as well as dedicated times, including a cocktail reception, two breaks per day, lunch time and prior to the Welcome Dinner. Refer to the program online (when available) for actual times.

No one is required to be with your demo during the entire time the Innovation Zone is open, except during the specific dedicated times listed in the Tech Retreat program. You are also free to make appointments during any open hours.

You may provide white papers and handouts describing the technology you will be showing as well as swag, because everyone loves free Stuff!

Related technologies will be placed in a workflow row that might define what a customer might be looking for to purchase or integrate.

We encourage Tech Retreat Innovation Zone participants to invite clients, other individuals within your company and interested industry professionals to register and visit you at the HPA Tech Retreat. However, please note that there are no guest passes to attend just the Innovation Zone. All attendees must be registered through the Tech Retreat registration site.


Innovation Zone Space Fees:

$850/space – until 31 December 2017 deadline for early application

$950/space – 1 January 2018 onward

Registration and additional services are not included in the Innovation Zone Space Fees.

Innovation Zone Space Fees are Non-Refundable.


Space Information:

The Innovation Zone is one large ballroom. You may apply for more than one space if you have more than one technology to present. An additional fee will apply and this space will be provided on an availability basis.

Each Innovation Zone space will include an 8′×10’ draped area, basic power (20 amp), wired or wireless internet (5 mbs), one table and two chairs. The table will be provided with a black linen cloth or you may use a tablecloth with your logo.

If you have something that requires a separate space, we may be able to provide this on a “limited engagement” basis. Please contact Vincent Maza or Max Ma at innovation.zone@hpaonline.com. Please note that an additional fee will apply.

You may include anything that will fit into the space except an exhibit booth, bar-type unit or anything that will block full view or limit accessibility to the spaces around you. A small cove for monitors, racks, and stands, if they don’t block a view, will most likely be permitted. If there’s a question about this, please contact Vincent Maza or Max Ma at innovation.zone@hpaonline.com.

Select additional furniture (e.g. high boy table, high stools) may be ordered through the hotel vendor, Encore.

A/V equipment may be ordered through the hotel vendor, Encore.

Internet service, whether hard line or WI-FI, in the Innovation Zone is separate from what HPA provides in the conference ballroom and a basic 5 mbs connection is included with each space. Any additional bandwidth must be ordered through the hotel vendor, Encore.

Links to all forms will be provided upon acceptance of your demo.

If your application is accepted you will be sent further information and be asked to register for the Tech Retreat and confirm your Innovation Zone space by submitting payment.

Confirmation of your space in the Innovation Zone is a commitment to have your demonstration set up from Tuesday through Thursday according to the times listed in the Program.

As mentioned above, while your Innovation Zone demo does not need to be staffed at all times, there are specific times within the program during which Innovation Zone Staff is required to be present. All persons staffing your demo MUST have a valid and individual registration for the event. Those wishing to attend the HPA Tech Retreat conference program may register for the HPA Tech Retreat Full Conference package or for a Daily Registration package (for day(s) attending). Those who will ONLY be attending the Innovation Zone can register for an “Innovation Zone Tech” package (up to 2 Tech registrations permitted per Innovation Zone space). HPA Tech Retreat registrations may be purchased now (Early Bird Pricing is available through 31 December 2017). Innovation Zone Tech registration instructions will be provided upon approval of your demo. Please note that as the Innovation Zone is a part of the HPA Tech Retreat conference experience, there is NO separate registration for the Innovation Zone. Access to the Innovation Zone is ONLY granted with an HPA Tech Retreat registration or an Innovation Zone Tech registration.

Please contact events@hpaonline.com with any registration-related questions.

The HPA Tech Retreat has a number of Press attending. Press are requested to respect your wishes to be off-the-record or enter into an NDA, but you will need to arrange this directly with them. It is not required as part of HPA issuing a Press Pass.

Innovation Zone Participants

  • 20th Century Fox
  • 21st Century Fox
  • 3 Ball Entertainment
  • 360 Designs
  • 3rd i QC
  • 5th Kind
  • AC Standard Media Consultants
  • Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
  • Acembly
  • Actus
  • Adobe Systems
  • Adult Swim
  • Advanced Systems Group, LLC
  • Advantage Video Systems
  • AJA Video Systems, Inc.
  • Alpha Dogs, Inc.
  • ALT Systems, Inc.
  • Amazon- Amazon Studios
  • Amazon Video
  • Amazon Web Services
  • Ambidio
  • Aperi Corporation
  • Apple Inc.
  • Artisans PR
  • Artistic Resources Corp.
  • Arvato Systems North America
  • Aspera, an IBM company
  • Atavium
  • ATTO Technology, Inc.
  • Audio-Video Freelance
  • Avalanche.io
  • Aveco
  • Avid Technology
  • AWS Elemental
  • B&H Photo, Video Pro Audio
  • Barco
  • BBC
  • Beachwood Services, Inc.
  • BeBop Technology
  • Belden
  • Blackmagic Design
  • BLACKSTAR Engineering Inc.
  • BoomBoomBooya, LLC
  • Brightcove
  • Broadband Testing
  • Broadcast Engineer Consulting
  • Brooklyn College
  • Bubble Communications
  • BYU Broadcasting
  • Canon Inc.
  • Captions, Inc.
  • CBS Broadcasting Inc.
  • CBS Network
  • CBS Television Studios
  • Cerberus Tech Ltd
  • CHESA – Chesapeake Systems
  • CineCert, LLC
  • CineSys Inc
  • CineSys Oceana
  • Cinnafilm
  • CNN
  • Cobalt Digital Inc.
  • Colorfront LLC
  • Colour Intelligence
  • Comcast NBCUniversal
  • Company 3
  • Conshimfee
  • Cox Media Group
  • Crown Media Family Networks
  • CUNY TV
  • Dalet Digital Media Systems
  • Dcon Digital
  • DDN Storage
  • Dell EMC
  • Deluxe Entertainment Services Group
  • Deluxe Media
  • Deluxe Technicolor Digital Cinema
  • Department Of Defense
  • Devoncroft Partners
  • Di Factory Sp. z o.o. sp. k.
  • Di’ Image
  • Digital Cinema Engineering LLC
  • Digital Media Consultant
  • Digital Production Partnership Ltd
  • Digital Storage Technology News
  • Digital Video Norge Drift AS
  • DigitalFilm Tree
  • Discovery Communications
  • Disney
  • Diversified
  • Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
  • DreamWorks Animation
  • DSR
  • DXC Technology
  • Eagle Hill Consulting
  • EBU
  • Eclair
  • EFILM
  • EIZO Inc
  • Electronic Visualization Laboratory / University of Illinois at Chicago
  • ELEMENTS
  • Eluvio
  • Encompass
  • Encore AV
  • Entertainment and Media Technology Marketing, Inc.
  • Entertainment Technology Center @ USC
  • Entropy Enterprises
  • Ericsson
  • ETCentric
  • FaceCake Marketing Technologies, Inc.
  • FEM Inc./ Prizma
    • FilmLight
  • FireFly Cinema
  • Florical Systems
  • Fortium Technologies
  • Fox NE&O
  • Frame.io
  • Fraunhofer IIS
  • G&D North America Inc.
  • Genelec Oy
  • GIC
  • Globecast Americas
  • Glookast
  • Grass Valley USA, LLC
  • GrayMeta
  • Group 47, LLC
  • G-Technology
  • Happy Robotz LLC
  • HBO, Inc.
  • HDTVexpert.com / Sound & Communications
  • HDVideoPro
  • HGST, A Western Digital Company
  • Homerun Ent
  • Hybrik, Inc.
  • IABM
  • IBC
  • IBM
  • ICG Magazine
  • Ignite
  • IHSE USA, LLC
  • Image Essence LLC
  • Image Matters
  • IMAGICA Corp.
  • Imagine Communications
  • IMAX Corporation
  • Insight Media
  • Institut fuer Rundfunktechnik GmbH
  • International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600
  • Interra Systems, Inc.
  • iXsystems, Inc.
  • IYUNO Media Group
  • JB&A
  • Joe Kane Productions
  • JR Consulting
  • Keio University
  • Key Code Media
  • Kintsugi Media Consulting Group
  • Labodigital S.A. de C.V.
  • Legendary Pictures
  • Lenovo
  • LG Electronics
  • LizardFS Inc
  • LumaForge Inc.
  • Lumberjack System, Inc
  • Lytro Inc
  • MachIQ
  • Marquise Technologies
  • Marvel Studios
  • MAX Post
  • Media & Entertainment Services Alliance
  • MediAnswers, LLC
  • MediaSilo + Wiredrive
  • Merrill Weiss Group LLC
  • Microsoft
  • MicroStrategy
  • Mission Rock Digital LLC
  • MKPE
  • Mobile TV Group
  • Motion Picture Solutions
  • MovieLabs, Inc
  • Moxion Ltd
  • Mr MXF Ltd
  • MTI Film LLC
  • MTMP Solutions
  • MVA Broadcast Consulting
  • My Eye Media, LLC
  • National Association of Broadcasters
  • National TeleConsultants
  • NBC Universal
  • NEC Corporation
  • NEP Group
  • NET
  • Net Insight
  • Netflix, Inc.
  • Nevion
  • New Box Solutions
  • New Media Technology
  • Newbay Publishing
  • NexGuard, Kudelski Group
  • NFL Media
  • Niceshoes LLC
  • NTC
  • NVIDIA, Inc.
  • Object Matrix
  • Ooyala
  • Oracle
  • Other World Computing / OWC
  • Ownzones Media Network Inc
  • Panasas
  • Panasonic
  • Panasonic Cinema Broadcast & Professsional Video
  • Paramount Pictures
  • PBS
  • Perspective Media Group, Inc.
  • Piksel
  • Piper Digital
  • PIX System
  • Pixar
  • Pixar Animation Studios
  • Pixelogic Media LLC
  • Pixelworks
  • Pixspan, Inc.
  • Pop
  • Portrait Displays / SpectraCal
  • postPerspective
  • PRG
  • Prima Lumina
  • Prime Focus Technologies, Inc.
  • Production Studios
  • Quantum
  • Quantum Corporation
  • Real Networks
  • RealD Inc.
  • Red Bee Media
  • Residential Systems
  • Revelations Entertainment
  • RFX Inc
  • RheinMain University of Applied Sciences
  • Riedel Communications
  • ROAM Consulting L.L.C.
  • Rohde & Schwarz
  • Ross Video
  • SAM: Snell Advanced Media
  • Samsung Research America
  • Sand Cherry Associates
  • Sandflow Consulting LLC
  • Scale Logic
  • SDVI Corporation
  • Signiant
  • SIM Group
  • Sim International
  • Sinclair Broadcast Group
  • Singularity Technology
  • Skywalker Sound
  • smoke & mirrors
  • SMPTE
  • Snell Advanced Media
  • Sohonet, Inc.
  • Sony
  • Sony Corporation
  • Sony Electronics, Inc.
  • Sony Pictures Entertainment
  • Sony Pictures Television
  • Spectra Logic
  • spencer.media
  • SRI International
  • SRI Sarnoff
  • Starbreeze Studios
  • Starz Entertainment, LLC
  • Stereo D
  • StorExcel
  • Stratalux
  • Streambox, Inc.
  • Studio Daily
  • Sundog Media Toolkit
  • Supersphere
  • Technicolor Digital Intermediates
  • Technicolor PostWorks
  • Technicolor, Inc.
  • TechWatch
  • TEDIAL
  • Teklogic, Inc.
  • Tektronix, Inc.
  • Teledyne Lecroy
  • Telestream
  • Telstra Broadcast Services
  • Teradici
  • Testronic
  • The Catania Group, Inc.
  • The Digital Cinema Society
  • The Foundation
  • The Hollywood Reporter
  • The Mill (Facility) Limited
  • The Studio-B&H
  • The Telos Alliance TV Solutions Group
  • The Walt Disney Company
  • Thinklogical, A Belden Brand
  • Thompson Coburn LLP
  • TMS Consulting, Inc
  • TotenBleich Engineering
  • TPT
  • TSF
  • Turner
  • Turner Broadcasting Systems
  • Turner Sports
  • Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
  • Unity Technologies
  • Universal Pictures
  • University of Southern California
  • Utah Scientific, Inc.
  • Venera Technologies
  • Veritone
  • Video Clarity
  • Video Gorillas
  • Visible Light
  • von Winning Art
  • Walden Pond
  • Walt Disney Studios
  • Warner Bros.
  • Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
  • Wasabi Technologies, Inc.
  • Wavelet Consulting LLC
  • Wazee Digital
  • WCPMedia Services
  • Western Digital Corporation
  • WGBH Production Group
  • Women of the American Revolution Association
  • Xperi
  • Xytech Systems Corp
  • Zeroth Industries

Innovation Zone Schedule

Monday, 19 February

  • 8:00 am – 5:15 pm

    Load in of equipment to the hotel

  • 3:30 pm – 7:30 pm

    Innovation Zone opens for set up


Tuesday, 20 February

  • 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

    Final time for arrival and set up of demos at the hotel

  • 2:30 pm

    Set up of demos must be complete

  • 4:45 pm – 8:00 pm

    Innovation Zone Cocktail Reception


Wednesday, 21 February

  • 7:30 am – 7:30 pm

    Innovation Zone is open

  • 10:00 – 10:15 am

    Break in Innovation Zone

  • 12:15 – 2:13 pm

    Innovation Zone will be open during lunch

  • 3:15 – 3:30 pm

    Break in Innovation Zone

  • 6:15 – 7:30 pm

    Cash Bar in Innovation Zone


Thursday, 22 February

  • 7:30 am – 1:58 pm

    Innovation Zone open

  • 10:30 – 10:45 am

    Break in Innovation Zone

  • 12:00 – 1:58 pm

    Innovation Zone will be open during lunch

  • After lunch

    Break-down and move out of Innovation Zone

  • 7:00 pm

    All equipment must be out of the Innovation Zone


Friday, 23 February

  • 8:45 am – 12:30

    Tech Retreat Sessions

  • 2:00 pm

    Equipment must have been shipped out from the hotel

    If anything is left until Monday, arrangements must be made directly with the hotel for storage and a fee may be charged.

Call for Proposals

The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has opened the call for proposals for the 2018 HPA Tech Retreat.® Key portions of the programming – the main program and the breakfast roundtables – are determined via this call for proposals. The HPA Tech Retreat will take place February 19-23 2018 at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, CA (Palm Springs area), a new venue for the event. Now in its 23rd year, the event in Palm Springs attracts a wide array of distinguished attendees and speakers and engages leaders from every facet of the content ecosystem. It is one of the most important annual events for individuals and companies engaged in the creation, management, and dissemination of content in the dynamic landscape of distribution environments.

HPA Tech Retreat Attendees

HPA Tech Retreat Table Discussion

Main Program - Submission Deadline October 27 2017

Call for Proposals: Main Program

The main program presentations, which are strictly reserved for marketing-free content, take place Wednesday February 21 through Friday February 23, after TR-X (Tech Retreat eXtra) and the supersession on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. According to program maestro Mark Schubin, “For the main program, ANYTHING related to moving images and associated sounds [is fair game], including (but not limited to) alternative content for cinema, bit-rate reduction, contrast-sensitivity, digital rights management, energy use for HDR TV sets, forensic analysis, gigapixel imaging, higher frame rates, immersive sound, just-valuable-differences, kleptomania in distribution, long GOPs in an era of rapid changes, multi-language subtitling, near-field communications, open-source processing, psychophysics, quantum entanglement for zero latency, reclining seats in cinemas, soundfields, terabit transmission, ultra-high-whatever, virtual reality, wider color gamut, x-rays in 8K, young interpupilary distances, and zoom lenses for 32K imaging. So are haptic, olfactory, and gustatory applications.” With this far-ranging call, “from scene to seen and gear to ear,” the main program is sure to be as inventive, intriguing, and leading edge as in previous years.

Proposals for main program presentations are short and informal and must be submitted by the proposed presenter. Schubin notes, “A sentence or two is usually sufficient and if those few sentences are of interest, submitters will be contacted.” Presentations in the main program are typically of half-hour duration, including set-up and Q&A (if any). Longer or shorter presentations can sometimes be accommodated. Panels are typically longer, and submissions for panels should include the panelists and moderator (arranging panelists and moderators is the presenter’s responsibility).

The deadline to submit main program proposals is the end of the day on Friday, October 27 2017. Proposals should be sent directly to Mark Schubin at tvmark@earthlink.net. In the event a submission is not promptly acknowledged, submitters should contact Mr. Schubin to confirm receipt. Decisions are expected by the beginning of December.

Breakfast Roundtables

Call for Proposals: Breakfast Roundtables

Breakfast roundtables begin at 7:30 AM on four mornings during the retreat, Wednesday to Friday. Schubin notes, “The breakfast roundtables can include marketing information, and table moderators are free to teach, preach, inquire, ask, call-to-task, sell, or do anything else that keeps conversation flowing for an hour.” The HPA Tech Retreat roundtables are a popular part of the Tech Retreat, and offer attendees and experts the chance to dig in and converse on important topics.

There is no vetting process for breakfast roundtables. No retreat registration discount is conveyed by moderating a breakfast roundtable, and all breakfast roundtable moderators must be registered for the retreat. Proposals for breakfast roundtables may only be submitted by their proposed moderators to Mark Schubin at tvmark@earthlink.net. Opportunities to present a breakfast roundtable are competitive, and spots fill quickly. Even though there is no deadline, once the maximum number of tables is reached (32 per day), no more can be accepted. Wednesday and Thursday typically fill to the limit; Friday often doesn’t. Proposals should include the desired day(s) and the desired topic(s).

Further details for the 2018 HPA Tech Retreat will be announced in the coming weeks, including supersession topics, TR-X focus, and Innovation Zone details, as well as seminars and meetings held in advance of the Tech Retreat.

For more information about the 2018 HPA Tech Retreat, visit www.hpaonline.com or call +1 213 614 0860. For sponsorship information, please contact Joyce Cataldo at events@hpaonline.com.

Pricing

Pricing information subject to change.

Attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. Registration fees for the Tech Retreat do not include hotel accommodations.


HPA Tech Retreat Event
19 February – 23 February 2018
at JW Marriott

(All listed times subject to change)

Registration Options Early Registration through 12/31/2017 Regular Registration through 2/10/2018 or full Onsite Registration (From Feb. 11 Space Permitting)
Full Conference Registration (Tues-Fri)
HPA & SMPTE Members $1,395 $1,495 $1,700
Non Members $1,595 $1,695 $1,925
Tech Retreat Speakers, Panel Moderators and Panelists $825 (Receive day of free) $825 (Receive day of free) $825
Credentialed Press Registration
Credentialed Press No Charge No Charge No Charge

 

Separate Registrations By Day

Monday, 19 February 2018 – TR-X
Monday seminars are NOT included in full conference registration.
Registration Options Early Registration through 12/31/2017 Regular Registration through 2/10/2018 or full Onsite Registration (From Feb. 11 Space Permitting)
TR-X Seminar
HPA & SMPTE Members $325 $350 $375
Non Members $425 $450 $475
 

Tuesday, 20 February 2018

One Day Registration (Tues Supersession)
HPA & SMPTE Members $595 $625 $695
Non Members $695 $725 $795
Innovation Zone Cocktail Reception ONLY (Tues)
HPA & SMPTE Members $140 $140 $165
Non Members $165 $165 $195
 

Wednesday, 21 February – Thursday, 22 February 2018

One Day Registration (Weds or Thurs Tech Retreat)
HPA & SMPTE Members $595 $625 $695
Non Members $695 $725 $795
Welcome Dinner GUEST TICKET (Wed)
Guest Ticket $125
Non Members $695 $725 $795
 

Friday, 23 February 2018

One-Day Tech Retreat Registration
HPA & SMPTE Members $325 $350 $375
Non Members $425 $450 $475

 

Innovation Zone

Conference registration is required to participate in the Innovation Zone. Visitors must be registered for the Full Tech Retreat or for the Tuesday Evening Innovation Zone Cocktail Reception. There are no complimentary passes. Innovation Zone is limited to two tech registrants per space for accepted companies.

Early Registration through 12/31/2017 Regular Registration starting 1/1/2018 Onsite Registration (From Feb. 11 Space Permitting)
Innovation Zone Space
Innovation Zone Space $850 $950 NA
Tech Retreat Speakers, Panel Moderators and Panelists $825 (Receive day of free) $825 (Receive day of free) $825
Innovation Zone Tech Registration
Innovation Zone Tech $900 $900 $925
Innovation Zone Space Fees are Non-Refundable.

Online registration ends 17 February 2018 OR when the event is full. Please be advised that space is limited and always sells out.

You may pay by credit card or check in U.S. dollars only. If paying by check, your payment MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 22 JANUARY 2018 in order to confirm your registration. As this event will sell out, we may not be able to hold a registration which is not paid for by the deadline. If there are circumstances which prevent you from doing this, please contact our office. See registration form for complete payment information.

Refund Policy for Tech Retreat Conference and Monday seminars:

You may cancel your registration online by clicking the link in your confirmation email to View or Edit your registration. Cancellations made by 29 January 2018 will be refunded, less a 10% cancellation fee. In addition, a $35 administrative fee will be charged for any refunds made to registrations paid by check.

NO REFUNDS FOR CANCELLATIONS AFTER 29 January 2018. However, you may transfer a registration to another individual. No fee will be charged for transferred registrations provided the new registrant is of the same registration type (Member or Non-Member). If the new registrant is of a different registration type, the different in price will apply.

For questions or additional information contact: HPA at mma@hpaonline.com or 818-273-1482.

Location

The HPA Tech Retreat will take place February 19-23 2018 at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, CA (Palm Springs area), a new venue for the event.

Elegance and impeccable service are the hallmarks of JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa. This luxury hotel showcases sophisticated accommodations and an incomparable location in the Coachella Valley, near Palm Springs. Beautifully manicured resort grounds feature waterways that can be traversed by gondolas, as well as a flamingo island, two golf courses and a serene spa. Settle in to your intuitively designed room or suite, which offers plush bedding, a marble bathroom and a balcony with awe-inspiring views. Dine at one of their excellent restaurants, which offer everything from California cuisine to Japanese fare.

JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa - Exterior Aerial View
JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa - Room Interior
JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa - Close-Up of Lake

Attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. Registration fees for the Tech Retreat do not include hotel accommodations.


Event Hotel

JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa
74-855 Country Club Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92260
http://www.marriott.com
Main Telephone: 1-760-341-2211

JW Marriott Reservations

HPA has arranged a room block with a discounted rate of $229 for Tech Retreat attendees and you must make your reservations using the link provided to get the discounted rate.

  • Group Rate: $229
  • Cutoff Date – February 5, 2018 (Or when rooms are sold out)

Note: If there are any room nights that are not available at the discounted rate (due to being sold-out), please call the hotel directly and the agent will give you the best available rate. Call: 1-888-236-2427, they are available 24 hours a day. Make sure you let them know you are attending the HPA Tech Retreat.

Resort Fee

Resort room rates are subject to a $1.00 Resort charge* applicable state and local taxes (currently 9%), Riverside County Tourism Business Improvement District Assessment (currently 2%), in addition to a 1% Tourism Marketing District, and a California Tourism Fee of $.85 and per room, per night, in effect at the time of check-in. The resort charge, taxes and fees are subject to change.

*Resort charge includes: Overnight Self-Parking, Guest Room High Speed Wi-Fi Internet Access, Local & Long Distance Domestic phone calls, Use of Fitness Center, Spa Fitness Center Class or Activity, The Greens – 18-hole putting course, Daily Golf Range Usage, All Lawn Games at the Tennis Center, One hour of Hard Court & Racquet Rental, Golf Bag Storage at the Resort and Welcome Blue Star Lounge Citrus Cool, 4-6pm Daily.

Individual Reservation Cancellations

To avoid a one night’s room and tax charge, reservations must be canceled at least three (3) days prior to scheduled arrival.


Additional Room Blocks at Off-Site Locations

The HPA is happy to offer a discounted room rate for Tech Retreat attendees at these additional hotels. Please note that there is a high demand for rooms during this time, so book early to secure your room. See below for hotel options and reservation information.

Fairfield Inn & Suites
74-764 Technology Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92211
+1 760-636-1300


Directions & Transportation

JW Marriott is located 13 miles from Palm Springs International Airport, 137 miles from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), 83 miles from Ontario Airport, 134 miles from Burbank Airport and 120 miles east of Los Angeles if driving. For driving directions, please click here. Or, For those of you who use GPS or Google Earth, the coordinates: 33.754801 North, 116.361223 West.

Shuttle Companies

Taxi Companies

  • Yellow Cab of the Desert
    760-340-8294
  • Uber
    Uber.com
  • American Cab
    760-300-000
  • Desert City Cab
    760-328-3000

There are also a large number of limo, town car and private shuttle options. The full listing of available ground transportation from the airport can be found here.


For More Local Area Information, Please Click Here.

FAQ

1. What is the HPA Tech Retreat?

FAQ

The HPA Tech Retreat began as an informal gathering, in the Palm Springs area, of the top industry-engineering, technical, and creative talent, as well as strategic business leaders focused on technology, from all aspects of digital-cinema, post-production, film, television, video, and related technologies for the exchange of information. In addition to providing updates on the latest technologies, it exposes those working in one aspect of the field to relevant activity in other areas.

2. How did it start?

The International Teleproduction Society (ITS, later the Association of Imaging Technology and Sound) offered a Presidents Retreat to allow chief executives of its member companies to combine a vacation with some information exchange. In 1995, the idea was extended to engineers with a Technology Retreat, which rapidly became more information and less vacation. In its current form, the retreat’s technology exchange sessions begin at 7:30 am and continue into the night; vacation days (if any) are best planned before or after the event. After ITS ceased operations in 2001, the HPA began sponsoring the Tech Retreat.

3. What does “all aspects” mean?

All aspects: academics, archivists, broadcasters, cable-TV system operators, cinematographers, computer and software makers, consultants, consumer-electronics manufacturers, digital rights managers, directors, display designers, editors, equipment-rental houses, forensic investigators, government officials, historians, Hollywood studios, intelligence analysts, interactive gamers, journalists, lawyers, lens manufacturers, licensing pools, the military, networks, producers, production facilities, professional-equipment manufacturers, post-production facilities, satellite-system operators, semiconductor manufacturers, sound mixers and editors, standards organizations, telephone companies, theater owners, venture capitalists, and vision scientists are among those who have been there or sent representatives.

There have been representatives of MPEG the Moving Picture Experts Group and MPEG the Motion Picture Editors Guild, NATO the National Association of Theater Owners and NATO the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. To add to the alphabet soup, AAF, AMPAS, ASC, ATSC, BBC, CEA, CEDIA, CPTWG, DCI, DoD, FCC, MPAA, NAB, NABA, NIMA, NSA, SMPTE, and USC have all been officially represented. So have ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS, UPN, and the WB among broadcast networks; Sinclair and Tribune among other broadcast-station owners; Columbia/Tri-Star/Sony, Disney, Fox, Paramount, and Universal among Hollywood studios; Adobe, Apple, IBM, Intel, and Microsoft among others from the computer industry. People attending the retreat have also come from all over the world.

4. What does “top engineering and technical talent” mean?

An attendee once commented that there were more SMPTE Fellows at the retreat than he’d seen at the last SMPTE conference. There are also plenty of Emmy-award winners and Ph.D.s. Creators of some of the basic technologies used daily in television and video — SDI, non-linear editing in a computer, the 1080-line standard for HDTV, etc. — often attend the retreat.

Many of the attendees have CTO, vp-engineering, or director of technology titles. Others work on blockbuster movies (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, etc.) and top-rated TV shows (N.Y.P.D. Blue, Sesame Street, etc.). Thanks to the informal nature of the retreat, it’s not easy to tell, and everyone is welcome to attend.

The unofficial motto of the HPA Tech Retreat is “Someone Will Be There Who Knows the Answer.”

5. What does “informal” mean?

It’s not a typical technical conference. There are no droning introductions listing a presenter’s academic credentials. In fact, there are no introductions at all beyond name and affiliation.

Presenters may wear — or not wear (subject to local laws regarding public nudity) — anything they would care to. Shorts and T-shirts are fine; so are bathrobes and bathing suits. No questions are off limits, though answers are up the questioned.

6. What does “exchange information” mean?

The retreat is divided into several categories: pre-retreat seminars and events, the main program, breakfast roundtables, the demo area, the quizzes, and the softball challenge. There are also meals and breaks that are useful for networking.

7. What is the main program?

The main program is devoted largely to what are considered hot issues of the time. Past retreats have dealt with videotape format wars, the introduction of HDTV, interlaced and progressive scanning, large-format digital cinematography, competing bit-rate-reduction technologies, surround sound mixing, new consumer disk technologies, fiber-optic interconnections, display technologies, computer-assisted sound editing, and the introduction of digital cinema.

Then there are unique presentations: past retreats have included a description of a new targeted-commercials production and distribution system, an analysis of cabling that explained why neat and regular cable ties may be worse for signal quality than a mess, a description of do-it-yourself global transmission paths, a demonstration of the use of stereoscopic imagery to determine key-overlay positioning, etc. Much of the main program is invited; the rest is drawn from submissions.

The main program is run precisely by the clock. The slot for each presentation includes set-up and questions-&-answers, and speakers have sometimes been cut off in mid-sentence. Similarly, the program starts and returns from breaks at exactly the listed times.

8. How long are presentations in the main program?

They are probably a little shorter than they should be. Individual presentations typically last between 10 and 45 minutes. Panels typically run from 20 to 90 minutes. There is no fixed time period, but shorter presentations can more easily be squeezed in.

9. How does one get to present on the main program?

Look for the Call for Proposals. Be aware that each year there are more submissions than can be accommodated and that a particular retreat’s hot issues may help determine which submissions are accepted. Those wishing to make presentations should also consider breakfast roundtables and the demo area. Presentations in the main program, the breakfast roundtables, and the demo area are not mutually exclusive.

10. What are the breakfast roundtables?

Strangely (as they start at 7:30 am), they are one of the most popular aspects of the retreat. One year, an attendee who dislocated his shoulder during the softball game checked himself out of the hospital in time to make it to the breakfast roundtables.

These are literally round tables at which people eat breakfast. Each table has a number, and the numbers correspond to a list of topics and moderators posted at the entrance to the room and printed in the retreat program. Most attendees choose a table because it has a topic or moderator of interest, but others might choose one because of someone else sitting there or simply because there are seats available.

Moderators may choose any topic and may run the roundtables as they see fit. They may present information, gather information from those at the table, or simply moderate arguments between others. Popular tables might end up surrounded by layers of attendees (one year a metadata roundtable was surrounded four deep); others might have only a few. There are no restrictions on topics other than length (so they may be printed; long topic titles will be abridged). There are no restrictions on moderators other than being registered at the retreat. All requests to moderate tables are accepted; if another moderator has chosen the same or a similar topic, the moderators will be informed so they may consider combining their tables.

There are breakfast roundtables held on Wednesday through Friday mornings of the retreat, and a moderator may choose to have tables at either or all, and if more than one, on the same or different topics. A single company or organization is welcome to provide moderators for as many roundtables as it would like.

Once a roundtable is confirmed, it must be moderated, even if someone else seems to have a more attractive topic. Topics and moderators, however, may be changed. The two drawbacks to moderating a roundtable are that it starts at 7:30 am and that moderators can’t attend other roundtables on the same day.

11. What is the Innovation Zone?

It is an area where new technologies or applications are demonstrated. At some early retreats, demonstrations were proposed by the retreat, and manufacturers were solicited to provide the necessary equipment. More recently, demonstrators have self-selected what they plan to demonstrate, but it must be new technology or applications.

The Innovation Zone is not a trade show. The retreat will provide table(s), chair(s), power, and security. No “booths” are permitted. No corporate signage is permitted; the retreat will provide a simple paper sign with the name of each demonstrator’s company or organization. Information about the technology or application, however, is always appreciated. White papers are encouraged. Relevant product literature is fine.

Demonstrators are encouraged to join forces to show systems. At past retreats, personnel from competitive manufacturers have helped set-up each other’s demonstrations.

Many popular products were first introduced at the HPA Tech Retreat, including Panasonic’s Varicam and Sony’s HDCAM SR. Other innovations shown at the retreat have yet to make it to mass manufacture, including a 72-frame-per-second HDTV camera and a system for automatically converging and color balancing multiple projectors forming a single image. Some are one of a kind, like a tiny Lucas Digital (ILM) camera-attitude sensor used in Star Wars: Episode 3.

A slot in the main program at the end of the first day is reserved for demo introductions. Each demonstrator is allowed a very brief period (about a minute) to introduce the demonstration. That is followed by the first scheduled demo session, which includes a cocktail reception for attendees and their registered guests. There is another scheduled demo session at the end of the last day. In between, attendees may schedule demos at mutually convenient times.

12. What are the quizzes?

A quiz relating to television technology is posted at the registration table at the beginning of each session. A bowl is also provided there for answers. The first quiz is relatively easy, and there are multiple winners. Quizzes get progressively harder.
One year, participants were asked to derive the NTSC color subcarrier from scratch. Another quiz asked for the next number in these series: 51, 25, 19, 13, 8, 6 and …21, 16, 11, 8, 6.

Those entering are welcome to consult others, reference books, or the Internet. Past prizes have included glow-in-the-dark statues of the patron saint of television and plush teddy-bear TV remote controls.

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