At NAB 2005 this week, THX Ltd., a leading provider of technologies, certification programs and quality assurance standards for the entertainment industry, and Microsoft Corp. announced the establishment of the THX Best Practices Laboratory for Windows Media, a unique facility that will offer the Hollywood community an environment to objectively evaluate Windows Media technologies for professional post-production and consumer applications.
The THX Best Practices Laboratory for Windows Media will be an independent venue through which companies and individuals can learn about advanced digital content workflow and solutions available for the creation and distribution of content in the Windows Media Format as well as VC-1, the proposed Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) standard based on Microsoft® Windows Media Video 9. Free in-depth, hands-on demonstrations and workshops will be offered on topics including encoding, authoring, digital asset management, digital rights management and related areas. Participating companies also may hold customer meetings and events at the Lab. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has joined as a founding sponsor of the THX Best Practices Laboratory, providing necessary IT infrastructure based on its industry-leading 64-bit chip architectures.
This unique facility will be housed at Raleigh Studios in
Hollywood, Calif. Established in 1915, Raleigh Studios is the largest independent studio facility in Hollywood, and is a hub of television, feature film and music video production.
The Lab will be a not-for-profit organization funded principally by corporate memberships. THX, Microsoft and AMD will serve as founding members, with THX overseeing the technical aspects of the facility and providing guidance on post-production work, including audio and video compression using the Windows Media platform. Microsoft, AMD and other prospective partners will outfit the Lab with their products and applications. As part of its outreach efforts, the Lab also will work with leading industry-related educational institutions and organizations to coordinate affordable access to lab equipment and training programs for students and emerging independent artists.
The Lab’s educational sessions will cover the use of Windows Media across the digital production chain, from video compression using Windows Media Video to decoding content on PCs and consumer electronics products. The Lab’s facilities will include editorial, authoring and compression suites, meeting rooms, and a digital living room showcase that will feature a wide variety of Windows Media-enabled devices demonstrating future consumer media use. In addition, the Chaplin Theater at Raleigh Studios will be available for screenings projected digitally in Windows Media using THX Certified systems.
Companies interested in participating are encouraged to contact the THX Best Practices Laboratory for Windows Media at [email protected] or visit www.thx.com for more information.
