Futureproofing (for viewing) the next Trek TV series

[Relayer1]

They'd be better expending their energy removing as much current design / fashion as possible.

Quality of recording suffers from diminishing returns - videotape was OK, DVD was a great improvement. Bluray is a noticable but smaller improvement. The next step forward will be a smaller improvement still and so on as we inch interminably towards perfection.

I doubt I'll bother with whatever comes after Bluray...

[AviTrek]

Why 4K TVs are stupid.

Until we start sitting even closer to TVs or have even larger TVs there is no benefit for anything over 1080p.

[Lord Garth]

mos6507 wrote:

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History doesn't necessarily repeat, but it rhymes.

Who am I to argue with Mark Twain?

[KamenRiderBlade]

I can understand why recording with a Red camera is done now for alot of movies / small projects.

Having everything in uber high quality allows for future re-releases into whatever new common format is necessary.

It's a nice future-proofing tool.

As far as the whole 1080p deal, I honestly can't see the public transitioning to whatever new standard the TV conglomorates are trying to propose this soon.

Things like UHD takes alot of time to get a consensus on between all the tech companies. It takes even longer for adoption.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-h...ion_television

Look how long it took for the masses to go to 720/1080p HD TV's.

How many years did SD TV's reign supreme in terms of number of people using that format TV. Pretty much since the beggining of TV.

Only in the mid to late 2000-2010's did HDTV start ruling.

HDTV started getting it's act together around the early 1990's.

The fact that it took that long just to transition off of one standard.

The public is also usually weary of any major format changes.

It's always a long process to get the masses converted onto new standards.

[T'Girl]

My Name Is Legion wrote:

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There's a movie coming out next year. A television series is not required.

Yes, why have four seasons of Star Trek, with a combined fifty to eighty episodes, when we can have a single semi-trek summer movie with lots of action and explosions in the same time period.

Who wants one of those icky TV series?

USS Excelsior wrote:

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Wouldn't it be cool, when CGI becomes so sophisticated that they can make new episodes that look like real TV including the actors.

I'm not sure. Would I really be able to get into the nuance of the way some programmer created a CGI character, the way I get into the way Avery Brooks created Benjamin Lafayette Sisko?

[jefferiestubes8]

Relayer1 wrote:

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The next step forward will be a smaller improvement still and so on as we inch interminably towards perfection.

I doubt I'll bother with whatever comes after Bluray...

Does black and white standard definition video from old TV shows work still to tell stories? yes. Does it look great on a 60" HDTV or projected to 100" ? No.
TOS still works on DVD on a 13" color TV. The stories still hold you. The transition to high definition as a standard has taken time.
The idea of 4k UHDTVs starts at 60" really. The idea of 8k UHDTVs are wall-sized like in Back to the Future II. With that much resolution it's not just about being able to get close but about how big you can make your screen display without necessarily using a projected light image onto a screen from across a room.

KamenRiderBlade wrote:

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Things like UHD takes alot of time to get a consensus on between all the tech companies. It takes even longer for adoption.

This thread deals with how producers (not the TV buying public now or in 5 years) will plan for shooting the next Trek TV series in a 2-10 years so as to not have major issues in 20-50 years with acceptance and the most milking of their Trek franchise cash cow. Yes 4k probably will take 15 years and never fully catch on. The idea is futureproofing a franchise so a TNG-R project never has to happen with the next TV series being shot.

ENT season 4 is locked into 1080p as the resolution. Down the road this might hurt TPTB from doing a ENT-R to 4k/8k project as only seasons 1-3 were shot on 35mm film. While the series is not the most liked it was at least framed for 16:9 ratio and season 3 looked damn good for a 2003-2004 scifi TV series.

[David F. Weisma]

Like the phoenix, Trek may periodically have to die and be reborn from the ashes. Remember the time between TOS and anything else besides maybe an occasional movie.

[The Mirrorball Man]

You can't "future-proof" art. If you could, every work of art would be able to stand the test of time because we'd know exactly what to do to insure that they do.

And technology doesn't help. If people were so interested in seeing entertainement in 3D and with an unlimited frame rate, they would no longer watch movies and spend their time in the theater instead.

[jefferiestubes8]

jefferiestubes8 wrote:

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2

another thing is a CGI likeness of all the principle cast for creating stunt shots with CGI dolls and the actor's likeness. I think each actor would be face scanned during the first season after the pilot for use whenever needed

This article shows how far the technology has come. Even for merchandising and CGI in the show:
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2012/12/1...l-has-arrived/

[MacLeod]

David F. Weisma wrote:

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Like the phoenix, Trek may periodically have to die and be reborn from the ashes. Remember the time between TOS and anything else besides maybe an occasional movie.

Sometimes a rest can be good thing. Look at DW which aside from a single TV movie hada 16 year break.

[RAMA]

I dont see 4k happening, and 4k tv may never become [practical even though it's technically possible (and the equipment exists to show it). I would think futureproffing would amount to a consistent and backed up cgi library as well as it being filmed in 2k.

[jefferiestubes8]

RAMA wrote:

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I dont see 4k happening, and 4k tv may never become [practical even though it's technically possible (and the equipment exists to show it). I would think futureproffing would amount to a consistent and backed up cgi library as well as it being filmed in 2k.

RAMA let's look a little into the future rather than just the next couple of years. CBS will want to be able to sell the next Trek TV series for years to come. By futureproofing it with the future trends in technology.
news in January 2013:

The Japanese government plans to launch commercial broadcasting in 4K resolution in mid-2014 and start test broadcasting in 8K resolution sometimes in 2016.

Japan's ministry of internal affairs and communications plans to establish the first broadcasting in 4K UHD resolution by the middle of the world’s football cup 2014. Those who are fond of soccer and own 4K UHDTVs will be able to enjoy the game in ultra-detailed and pristine quality. The government has specifically brought 4K broadcasting forward by around two years. The service will begin from communications satellites, followed by satellite broadcasting and ground digital broadcasting,

Eutelsat Communications earlier in January announced it is launching a dedicated demonstration ultra HD channel for Europe on the Eutelsat 10A satellite. The first transmissions of content filmed in 4K have started earlier this month.

January 2013...

The new channel will operate in progressive mode at 50fps. It will be encoded in MPEG-4 and transmitted at 40Mb/s in four quad HD streams. Eutelsat is partnering with Ateme, a video compression solution provider to the broadcast industry, for the transmissions that will be uplinked to the Eutelsat 10A satellite from its teleport in Rambouillet, near Paris.

Japanese Government to Launch 4K UHDTV Broadcasting in 2014.

For Japanese viewers, that future could start in July 2014 according to the Asahi newspaper, in time for the final match of the 2014 football World Cup which is set to take place in Brazil.

According to Futuresource Consulting, Broadcasters and Pay TV operators are already trialling the technology due to the need to continue innovation and maintain competitiveness. TV Globo in Brazil are very proactive in evaluating 4K thanks to the 2016 Olympics and Futuresource Consulting quoted DirecTV, Sky, Comcast, Canal + and SES Astra as all looking at the technology. In fact, a few operators are expected to launch 4K channels in 2014.

source
I can see 4k broadcasts in digital cinemas in North America of the 2014 world cup soccer. Soccer fans will pay $ for this. A daily ticket or perhaps a ticket for the week to see it in 4k.

Actually rather an interesting mention as other than Netflix, Amazon Instant Streaming, and Hulu Plus trying 4K by 2015 I can see DirectTV or Dish Satellite in North American having 4K broadcasts. If they make a deal with CBS for content we may see the next Trek series broadcast in 4k in 2017 via satellite dish subscription under a premium 4k channel subscription. I don't see cable TV moving to 4k anytime in the next 5 years but satellite TV maybe in North America.

For Trek since medium and high level feature films are being mastered in 4k already now I would think in 4-5 years that a Trek TV series would be shot and mastered in 4k looking down the road.

[AviTrek]

jefferiestubes8 wrote:

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RAMA let's look a little into the future rather than just the next couple of years. CBS will want to be able to sell the next Trek TV series for years to come. By futureproofing it with the future trends in technology.
news in January 2013:

January 2013...
Japanese Government to Launch 4K UHDTV Broadcasting in 2014.

source
I can see 4k broadcasts in digital cinemas in North America of the 2014 world cup soccer. Soccer fans will pay $ for this. A daily ticket or perhaps a ticket for the week to see it in 4k.

Actually rather an interesting mention as other than Netflix, Amazon Instant Streaming, and Hulu Plus trying 4K by 2015 I can see DirectTV or Dish Satellite in North American having 4K broadcasts. If they make a deal with CBS for content we may see the next Trek series broadcast in 4k in 2017 via satellite dish subscription under a premium 4k channel subscription. I don't see cable TV moving to 4k anytime in the next 5 years but satellite TV maybe in North America.

For Trek since medium and high level feature films are being mastered in 4k already now I would think in 4-5 years that a Trek TV series would be shot and mastered in 4k looking down the road.

4K is not some magical better resolution. At TV sizes people have at home and the distance they sit from the TV 1080 is already at or past the maximum resolution a human eye can see. The only reason 4k may make sense for theaters is because the screen is larger. Fast forwarding 10 years doesn't change the human eye, and fans going to a theater is more about the communal experience than a magical 4k improved quality.

[jefferiestubes8]

How to create 4K content for new Ultra HD TVs was addressed Tuesday at the Hollywood Post Alliance Tech Retreat.

Sony Pictures Television plans to shoot between three and five pilots in 4K this season.



“My guess is we’ll be doing half a dozen shows in 4K if they are picked up,” SPT senior vp technical operations Phil Squyres said Tuesday at the Hollywood Post Alliance Tech Retreat at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells. He reported that directors of photography on the programs -- a mix of half-hour comedies and one-hour dramas -- had either selected or were exploring the use of various 4K cameras, including Sony’s F65 and new F55.



SPT series that have already used 4K photography are the canceled CBS drama Made in Jersey, which was shot with the F65, and FX’s drama Justified, which is shot with the Red Epic camera.
The F65 is also used on the half-hour comedy Save Me for NBC and one-hour drama Masters of Sex for Showtime, as well as Michael J. Fox’s half-hour comedy pilot for NBC. All three are also posted in 4K at Sony Pictures’ post facility Colorworks, which is based on its Culver City lot.


To grow its 4K library, Sony has additionally started to remaster Breaking Bad, a film-based series, in the higher-resolution format. Plans are for additional titles to follow.
Squyres noted that a reason to consider 4K post for new projects is that “remastering costs twice as much, because you are doing the work twice.”

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...l-shoot-422464

The next Trek TV series will be shot in 4k. It's the wise business decision for legacy archival.

Bill Baggelaar is the senior vice president of technology at Colorworks.

“Production should shoot and finish in 4K… to have an asset they can store that has long-term viability,” he said. “Even if you’re not going to produce in 4K today, you can shoot in 4K and produce in 4K down the road.”

Baggelaar said 4K was a consideration from the outset when Colorworks started finishing TV shows because the 4K workflow was in place for doing theatricals. However, the primary deliverable for TV is HD, he said.

“We didn’t want to jeopardize the HD product by producing in 4K,” he said. “We’re able to look at HD, produce in HD, but we’re looking at 4K in the background.”

http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/...duction/217847

[jefferiestubes8]

Netflix announces intentions of 4k resolution streaming of a series.

we expect to be delivering 4K within a year or two with at least some movies and then over time become an important source of 4K. 4K will likely be streamed first before it goes anywhere else. To that point, our own original House of Cards was shot in 4K. It's being mastered in full HD, but the raw footage, or a good chunk of it, was shot in 4K, and we hope to have some House of Cards 4K encodes later this year.

http://mobile.theverge.com/2013/3/14...-a-year-or-two

That is by 2015. Further reason why Trek will shoot and master in 4k for futureproofing.