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THX Announces A 3D Content Certification Program

(August 8, 2010) THX has teamed with Blufocus to offer the industry’s first and only 3D certification for Blu-ray movies and broadcast programs. Based on HD Guru’s observations of some of the early content on DirecTV’s N3D channel, the new program is a welcome boost for the home 3D experience.

The THX-Blufocus Certification program will cover all aspects of 3D production including on-screen characters, graphics, subtitles as well as audio and authoring quality assurance.

This timely move by THX will set the bar for quality 3D and we look forward to evaluating soon the first  THX-Blufocus Certified 3D Blu-ray movie release.

Below is THX’s press release.

THX PARTNERS WITH BLUFOCUS TO DEVELOP BEST PRACTICES FOR 3D POST-PRODUCTION AND AUTHORING

THX-BluFocus Certification Sets Guidelines and Testing Procedures for Evaluating 3D Audio-Video Quality, Disc Interoperability and the Physiological Effects of 3D

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., August 9, 2010— THX Ltd. has teamed with BluFocus, a quality assurance and advanced testing facility for the home entertainment industry, to build an ecosystem of services to address the technical challenges of 3D post-production. THX®-BluFocus 3D certification sets authoring and production guidelines and testing procedures for evaluating 3D Audio-Video quality, 3D Blu-ray disc and player Interoperability, and the physiological effects of 3D on home viewers.

“The long-term success of 3D in the home depends heavily on content producers and consumer electronics manufacturers delivering a comfortable and compelling experience for today’s first wave of consumer adopters,” said Rick Dean, senior vice president at THX. “Our partnership with BluFocus complements the work THX is doing with leading HDTV manufacturers and other industry organizations to drive standards for 3D visual quality and usability.”

One of the biggest reported concerns among consumers is experiencing fatigue from 3D video and glasses. THX and BluFocus are researching root causes of viewer fatigue to better understand the physiological effects of 3D. The goal is to work closely with content producers to implement best practices and guidelines for all 3D elements, including onscreen characters, objects, graphics and subtitles. THX-BluFocus certification also evaluates how 2D-to-3D conversion adds depth to the picture, and whether this added depth causes any creative errors or flaws that deviate from the storyline or may cause fatigue.

“The added dimension of 3D brings with it more technical challenges than traditional 2D post-production and authoring, and requires m…

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Vuvuzelas Storm BP Headquarters in Protest of Gulf Oil Spill [VIDEO]

This Tuesday at noon, a group of volunteers toting vuvuzelas gathered outside of BP’s International Headquarters in London and sounded their barbaric yelps in protest of the way the company is handling the oil spill in the Gulf.

We’ve been covering this campaign since the very beginning — ever since Adam Quirk, a web video producer from Brooklyn and the co-founder of Wreck & Salvage art video collective, launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to buy vuvuzelas and enlist Craigslist volunteers to his cause.

At first Quirk was only aiming to raise $2,000 — a goal he surpassed in less than two days. After gaining some media attention, he received aid from some heavy-hitters in the social media world, including Ben Huh of The Cheezburger Network, who pledged $1,000. Babelgum furnished an additional $2,000, sent camera crews to London to cover the event and interview organizers and the people behin…

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The iChatr App Brings Chatroulette-Style Mischief to Your iPhone 4 [IPhone Apps]

The iChatr iPhone app is as exciting as it is terrifying. Why? Because it’s basically Chatroulette for your iPhone. More »

IPhone – Handhelds – Smartphones – iPhone 4 – Wallpapers and Themes

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Israeli Soldiers Dance to Kesha’s “Tik Tok,” Face Reprimands [VIDEO]

Behold, the hottest viral craze around: Soldiers dancing to pop tunes during wartime. This time around, a group of Israeli soldiers break out into a spontaneous dance number in the streets of Hebron to Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok.”

Although the video quickly went viral, it was taken off YouTube by the original uploader yesterday after media outlets started picking up the vid and contacting the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson’s unit, according to Israel News. The video is now back up on YouTube, but the six soldiers involved in the dance are facing disciplinary hearings.

Reviews are mixed across the blogosphere — most people find the vid funny, a little levity amidst a lot of turmoil. Others think the men were grossly overstepping their bounds. (Just take a look at the title someone added to the vid…) As you may recall, the now-famous viral video featuring U.S. soldiers dancing to Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” was a-OK with the military. What do you think makes this incarnation different? The fact that the men were dancing in Hebron, a very holy — and turbulent — place, or that they were on duty?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

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