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Introduction
to IBC 2004
|
About
the Exhibition
The IBC Exhibition will take place at the Amsterdam RAI from 10 - 14 September
2004.
Featuring over 1,000 companies it will showcase the latest technology and
foremost business ideas in broadcasting and media.
The exhibition is internationally renowned for being run by the industry for
the industry and offers unparalleled expertise and opportunities in the fields
of content creation, management and delivery.
Training Zone
Back for 2004!
You can expect the IBC Training Zone to be even bigger and better at IBC2004.
We've once again teamed up with UK training company Corps Business to offer
you free hands-on training on all the hottest new products. Here you will
be able to take your time and really get to grips with all the latest features
and techniques, away from the sales environment of the stands.
This year we are also introducing more technical based, tutorial-style sessions,
and again these are completely free of charge for all exhibition visitors.
Conference Themes for 2004
The IBC2004 Conference
will feature five major themes over five days. These themes are designed to
allow you to focus your conference activity, with the aim of giving you more
time to select other topics from our comprehensive programme and also allow
plenty of time for you to investigate the associated and supporting technology
on the exhibition floor.
To see programme click here
D-Cinema
at IBC2004
D-Cinema is back at IBC. Following the success at IBC2003, this year the initiative
will address the business.
The initiative includes a D-Cinema Conference theme day on Monday 13th September
covering business issues around the World from financial models to current
international trends. It will include an insight into both D & E-Cinema
propositions. What are the business models? Who is taking the first steps?
Why and where is money being made?
The Conference is complemented by the 1700-seat RAI Auditorium, transformed
into a top class electronic cinema with state of the art digital projection
and surround sound, the World's major players offering solutions, applications
and equipment demonstrations.
Whether your interest is Exhibition, Distribution, Advertising, Program Making,
Manufacturing or Systems Integration or you are looking for partners to exploit
the opportunities that D-Cinema creates, this is for you.
Satisfying the D-Cinema marketplace involves the integration of systems with
conventional movie display in cinemas, alternative content and alternative
venues. No one manufacturer can satisfy the future needs of the cinema and
the insatiable desire of consumers to be entertained. IBC offers unique networking
and business opportunities for attendees.
D-Cinema at IBC2004 will show practical options, discuss the issues with industry
experts and help move forward innovative ideas to implementing financially
viable market possibilities.
To participate in the D-Cinema in the Auditorium as an individual, manufacturer,
consortium or program maker to demonstrate equipment, processes and applications
from the entire chain of D and E-Cinema, please contact Janet West JanetWest@compuserve.com
who is co-ordinating the time schedule and consortiums in the D-Cinema. Janet
is ready to discuss any of your unique ideas to help you put your company
on the D-Cinema map, including using the Auditorium for corporate hospitality.
D-Cinema Delight
The various D-Cinema events at IBC2003 enjoyed excellent attendance over the
four days, much to the delight of the participants.
It was extremely clear to anyone attending the Monday conference that progress
was really being made across the board. There are already many companies and
organisations deeply involved in the business and some of them are already
making money. Seasoned conference watchers commented that the DCI really appears
to be making very positive steps towards defining the technical requirements
of the Hollywood studios and Chuck Goldwater's keynote was full of optimism
about the progress, whilst stating that there would be no rush to roll out
the product until the technology was fully developed. John Fithian from the
National Association of Theater Owners echoed that sentiment and told us once
again that the burden would need to be carried by the distributors but he
confirmed that discussions were moving forward very positively. Wendy Aylsworth
from Warner Bros emphasised how important it was to get the format right,
given that this was a unique opportunity and she revealed that her company's
preference was to use JPEG2000 as the compression scheme. If this was to be
the high-end solution, there is now recognition that 2K projection or less
has its place according to content and location.
The overwhelming message was that D-Cinema is coming but nobody knows for
certain when. There are no "ifs" any more and one part of the process
where digital technology has started to become the norm is the intermediate
stage. We saw many demonstrations of the extraordinary power of digital processing
which can dramatically shorten the time spent shooting the original scenes
as well as improving the end result. We saw distinguished cinematographers
from all over the world show us how much control they have over the captured
image. Whilst there may still be a debate about the quality of HD acquisition
and digital projection, most agreed with Steven Poster that Digital Intermediate
will be ubiquitous within the next two years or so.
We also heard fascinating tales about the use of digital in India and China
where the size of the countries and the low technical standards of the average
cinema make it a natural for digital. The need for local and alternative content
is strongly supported by many European organisations and digital distribution
is seen as the natural answer to gaining a wider audience for minority films.
Commercials, sport and live concerts are also benefiting from the installation
of digital projection as demonstrated the Monday before IBC with the David
Bowie concert from London.
The EDCF session on Tuesday produced a moment that really emphasised the value
of having these meetings and the other D-Cinema events at IBC. The many European
initiatives had been outlined and the session was into the constitutional
issues and open to the floor for comment. A question from the BBC prompted
Jan van Dommelen, the new president of UNIC (Union International des Cinemas)
to remark that the EDCF should work more closely with UNIC and suggested that
the next meeting should be held at the same time as their own at the Cannes
Film Festival. With UNIC and NATO already working closely together, the emphasis
is now firmly on removing those barriers to success.
Interactive TV Zone
Following the success of the iTV/Digital Lifestyles Lounge at IBC2003, they
are now planning a similar concept to be known as the Interactive TV Zone
(iTV Zone) at IBC2004 and are once again giving exhibitors the chance to become
involved. The iTV Zone will be located in Hall 3.
The aim of the Interactive TV Zone is to highlight some of the latest
and most compelling technology and applications that exist today in an informal
and engaging 'consumer' environment, with a strong inclination on revenue
generation. Here, visitors can have some hands-on time with the latest
home technology, hear what the key players have to say and get the lowdown
on the hottest new products.
To check out who is exhibiting at IBC 2004 go to: http://www.ibc.org/
