Vitec Imaging Solutions, a Division of The Vitec Group plc (“Vitec”), a globalprovider of products and solutions to the Broadcast and Photography markets, is pleased to announce that on 23 January 2019 it acquired Syrp Limited (“Syrp”),a New Zealand based slider and motion control company.

Syrp designs and develops motorised camera sliders as well as motion control hardware and software that enables independent content creators to remotely control their camera equipment, allowing for the capture and smooth tracking of shots for video, time-lapse and hyper-lapse imagery.

The acquisition of Syrp adds electronics and software features that control cameras to Vitec’s current product portfolio. Syrp will be integrated into Vitec’sImaging Solutions Division, which will commercialise the brand’s innovativeproduct offering to content creators worldwide. This will facilitate easy access to Syrp sliders and motion controls, as the perfect complements to Manfrotto andGitzo’s tripods and heads.

Founded in 2012 by two skilled videographers, Syrp has been dedicated to empowering independent filmmakers and photographers to explore new creative possibilities in dynamic photography and filmmaking. This commitment isperfectly aligned with Vitec’s purpose to provide innovative solutions for capturing and sharing exceptional content.

Syrp’s brand and products will benefit from Vitec Imaging Solutions globaldistribution network, with its highly efficient customer service, logistics, and integrated shipping capabilities. The brand will also receive the added support ofVitec’s integrated marketing campaigns and social media presence.

With the acquisition of Syrp, Vitec will expand its ability to provide customers with innovative solutions for the creation of exceptional time-lapses and hyper-lapses thus matching the growing demand for engaging digital and social media dynamic content.

Going forward, Syrp’s New Zealand facility will become Vitec’s R&D center of excellence for mechatronic and motion control products.

Bad news.

"Seeds piracy is crime"

http://www.grandespe.com.br/restrito/upload/noticias/163.png

old stuff

Ambarella, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMBA) a leading developer of high-resolution video processing and computer vision semiconductors, today introduced the CV25 camera System-on-Chip (SoC), the latest in the CVflow family, combining advanced image processing, high-resolution video encoding and CVflow computer vision processing in a single, extremely low power design. The CV25’s CVflow architecture provides the Deep Neural Network (DNN) processing required for the next generation of affordable and intelligent home monitoring, professional surveillance, and aftermarket automotive solutions, including smart dash-cameras, Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS), and electronic mirrors.

“CV25 brings computer vision at the edge into the mainstream,” said Fermi Wang, President and CEO of Ambarella. “With this new SoC, we are sharply focused on reducing our customer’s overall system cost for delivery of significant computer vision performance, high-quality image processing and advanced cyber-security features at very low power. CV25-based cameras are capable of performing Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the edge, allowing features like facial recognition to happen in real-time on the device, rather than in the cloud.”

AI applications enabled at the edge include person recognition and the ability to distinguish between pets, persons, and vehicles. In smart video doorbells, CV25 can automatically recognize familiar faces approaching the front door, flag unknown persons, and alert the homeowner when a package is delivered. In driver monitoring systems, it can detect a driver’s drowsiness or level of distraction by monitoring their eyes and facial expressions.

CV25 delivers efficient video encoding in both AVC and HEVC formats with very low bitrates to minimize cloud storage costs. A high-performance Image Signal Processor (ISP) delivers outstanding imaging in low light conditions, and High Dynamic Range (HDR) processing extracts maximum image detail in high-contrast scenes. It includes a full suite of advanced cyber-security features to protect against hacking including secure boot, TrustZone™, and I/O virtualization. Based on 10nm ultra-low power process technology, the CV25 chip is optimized for wire-free camera applications that require long battery life and small form factors.

As part of the CVflow family, the CV25 chip shares a common SDK, Computer Vision (CV) tools, ISP, and cyber-security features with the existing CV22 and CV2 SoCs, allowing multiple price-performance options. Ambarella’s complete set of CV tools helps customers easily port their own neural networks onto CV25. The set includes a compiler, debugger, and support for industry-standard machine learning frameworks such as Caffe™ and TensorFlow™, with extensive guidelines for Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) performance optimizations.

CV25 SoC Key Features:

• CVflow architecture with CNN/deep learning support
• 4Kp30 AVC and HEVC encoding with multi-stream support
• Quad-core 1 GHz Arm®Cortex®-A53 processor with NEON DSP extensions and FPU
• Advanced security features including OTP for secure boot, Trust Zone, and IO virtualization
• Real-time hardware-accelerated 360-degree dewarping and Lens Distortion Correction (LDC)
• Multi-channel ISP with up to 480 MPixels/s input pixel rate
• Multi-exposure HDR and Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) processing, with LED flicker mitigation
• SmartAVC™ and SmartHEVC™ intelligent rate control for lowest bitrates in security applications
• Triple-sensor video input with high-speed SLVS/MIPI CSI-2/LVCMOS interfaces
• Rich set of interfaces includes Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0 host and device, dual SD card controllers with SDXC support, HDMI v2.0, and MIPI DSI/CSI-2 output
• Support for DDR4/LPDDR4/LPDDR4x
• 10nm process technology
• 13x13mm 0.65-pitch BGA

The URL for the related image is https://www.ambarella.com/about/news-events/press-images/CV25-press-image.

CV25 will be demonstrated during CES 2019. To book an appointment for a demonstration, please contact Ambarella.

Canon Europe, a world leader in digital imaging solutions, announces the release of its new camera API package, offering a range of resources to developers. The combined EOS Digital software development kit (SDK) and all-new Camera Control API (CCAPI) create unique opportunities for developers and software engineers to take advantage of select Canon cameras and lenses, launching with the PowerShot SX70 HS.

Many developers have already benefited from Canon SDKs, enabling them to integrate Canon cameras and lenses in their solutions and control them remotely, wired via USB. Such applications include photo booths, robotic / automated units, event photography and recording, mass portrait / passport and photogrammetry systems.

The EDSDK benefits will allow users to control Canon cameras remotely from a Mac or PC and use the same code across all compatible Canon cameras. To take advantage of multi-platform support on select models[1] for fast development, the new CCAPI features an agnostic operating system, allowing wireless usage in any environment, such as Windows, Mac, Android, iOS or Linux.

Key EDSDK/CCAPI functions include:

• Detecting, connecting/disconnecting the camera
• Checking and changing camera settings, including time
• Remote shooting
• Downloading/erasing images, formatting cards

"We are delighted to be expanding our EOS Digital SDK to the PowerShot series[2] and provide a tool that enables control of the camera and its power zoom remotely", said Yuko Tanaka, ITCG Product Marketing Director. "In addition, the new Camera Control API is based on Internet Protocol, making it compatible with all operating systems".

The PowerShot SX70 HS is Canon latest premium bridge camera, that delivers a truly portable and versatile shooting experience. The camera features a powerful 65x optical fixed lens zoom, equivalent to a 21--1365mm focal length. It also has DSLR-style looks and handling, a 7.5cm Vari-Angle LCD screen, 20.3 Megapixel sensor and 4K Ultra High Definition video. The PowerShot SX70 HS is an ideal all-in-one camera, capable of handling all types of shooting scenario, without the need to carry multiple lenses.

Camera API Package Availability

The camera API package is a release driven by business users' feedback and is part of Canon's commitment to deliver convenient solutions to developers and integrators. The EOS Digital SDK is available for immediate download at www.didp.canon-europa.com.

The Camera Control API will be available from March 2019 via the Canon developer's website.

For more information on the Canon PowerShot SX70 HS, please visit:
https://www.canon-europe.com/cameras/powershot-sx70-hs/

The new Arm Mali-C52 and Mali-C32 apply over twenty-five processing steps to each pixel, of which three critical ones deliver key differentiation in terms of image output quality. These include high-dynamic range (HDR), noise reduction and color management. By incorporating Arm’s market-leading Iridix technology and other industry-leading algorithms for noise and color management, Mali-C52 and Mali-C32 ISPs efficiently deliver all three at high resolution and in real-time (e.g. 4k resolution at 60fps).

The Mali-C52 can be configured for two different optimizations - image quality or area. This flexibility allows our silicon partners to use the same IP and software across a range of products and use cases. The Mali-C32 is optimized specifically for area in lower-power, cost-sensitive embedded vision devices such as entry-level access control or hobby drones.

Both ISPs are a complete solution as Arm delivers the hardware IP along with ISP software drivers, including the 3A libraries (auto-exposure, auto-white balance, auto-focus) and the calibration and tuning tools.

Full PR at https://www.arm.com/company/news/2019/01/a-sharper-digital-eye-for-intelligent-devices

Atomos Limited, a global video technology company has commenced trading on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) following the completion of an Initial Public Offering (IPO) which raised $6m through the issue of 14,634,146 new shares at $0.41 per share. At the IPO issue price Atomos has a market capitalisation of $62.2m.

Atomos will use the funds from the IPO to support the company’s global growth strategy, including expansion into adjacent growth segments of social and entertainment, as well as the launch and deployment of new products from its newly developed platform as showcased in the recently released Ninja V. After R&D investment of $39m in this platform, Atomos intends to utilise this development and double its product range over the next 12-24 months.

Atomos lists on the ASX having achieved revenue of $35.6 million in FY18, with 49% of its sales in the USA, 30% in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and 21% in Asia. For FY19 the Company has provided pro forma forecast revenue of $42.2 million at a projected gross margin of 47%.

CEO Jeromy Young, who co-founded the Company, said the IPO and ASX listing was a key step in continuing to grow Atomos presence in the burgeoning video content creation market.

“We’ve spent many years investing in silicon and software technology development to give Atomos an advanced offering with proprietary processing and trade secrets that underpin our product line,” he said.

“This technology, combined with our established brand and outstanding key relationships, place Atomos in an ideal position for continued growth. I’m extremely proud to be able to share the growth in value of the business with external investors as well as with the employees that are building the company together.”

Joining Young on the board of directors is former WH Smith Strategy Director and Henslow founder Chris Tait, Chairman of Seek Limited and Costa Group Neil Chatfield and Imagination Technologies founder Sir Hossein Yassaie. Morgans Corporate Limited and Henslow Pty Limited were Joint Lead Managers and Underwriters for the IPO.

Rumors are that some big sharks also think about buying Atomos and IPO can help to do it slowly and steadily, while having good valuation and lot of info.

We would like to announce and confirm that there are no issues with Irix lenses, as regards their general operation for the Canon EF mount in their current line-up when used on the Canon EOS R camera, and as released by the Canon Corporation via their Canon EOS R Adapter (Canon EF to Canon EOS R mount).

Thanks to this, it is possible to control the aperture from the camera, information about the distance transmitted to which the lens is focused, and to save full information about the exposure parameters in the EXIF format.

Compatible Irix lenses:

• Irix 11mm f/4
• Irix 15mm f/2.4
• Irix 150mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro

Investments required in the new generation of chips are so large that we can see such strange mergers.

Even stranger is that NVidia can actually merge after this with that will remain from AMD.

It seems like wrong decision to make paywall being inside extremely competitive area had been final straw.

This year we will introduce new faces and new voices: an expanded family devoted to studying and sharing the craft of photography. The digital photography industry continues to evolve (like everything else). Just as we have always done, we will continue to provide you with rigorous product reviews, compelling interviews with photographers from all over the world and videos that teach the latest in software and technology that will help elevate your photos from SD card to print.

https://luminous-landscape.com/

Corel Corporation announced that it has acquired the Parallels business, a global leader in cross-platform solutions best known for its #1-selling software for running Windows on Mac. Corel now offers the complete Parallels product line, including Parallels Desktop for Mac, Parallels Toolbox for Windows and Mac, Parallels Access, Parallels Mac Management for Microsoft SCCM, and Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) as part of its industry-leading software portfolio. Financial details were not disclosed.

Corel plans significant investment into the Parallels business and sees exceptional opportunities for growth by leveraging the strengths of both companies’ extensive customer bases, robust partner networks, and globally known brands. Together, Corel® and Parallels® deliver applications and services that empower users across their favorite platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chromebooks, Linux, Raspberry Pi, and the cloud.

“We’re excited to welcome our new Parallels employees to Corel’s global organization. From our highly complementary product portfolios to our shared business models and strategies, Corel and Parallels are a great fit. Thanks to the combined power of our technologies and teams, we see tremendous opportunities to drive continued growth and success for our businesses and, most importantly, our customers,” said Patrick Nichols, CEO of Corel.

“Parallels and Corel share a common vision, market leadership, and passion for innovation. We look forward to continuing to serve our customers and partners with best-in-class software as part of Corel,” said Jack Zubarev, CEO of Parallels.

“As part of Corel, Parallels is joining an impressive collection of industry leading brands, including CorelDRAW, WinZip, ClearSlide, and MindManager. One of Vector’s most successful investments, Corel has delivered an exceptional platform for acquisitions. We congratulate the Corel management team and look forward to working with them to achieve the company’s next phase of growth,” said Rob Amen, Managing Director, Vector Capital.

Parallels makes it simple for customers to use and access the applications and files they need on any device or operating system. Parallels helps businesses and individuals securely and productively use their favorite devices and preferred technology, whether it’s Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chromebook, Linux, Raspberry Pi, or the Cloud. Parallels solutions enable seamless delivery of virtual desktops and applications to any device; running Windows on a Mac; Mac management with Microsoft SCCM; remote access to PCs and Mac computers from any device; and deliver time savings by simplifying tedious common PC and Mac tasks down to just one click. For more information, please visit parallels.com/about.

DJI Launches DJI Pro Website for Professional Cinematographers and Filmmakers

DJI, the world’s leader in creative camera technology, today launched the new DJI Pro website https://pro.dji.com. Since the introduction of the Z15 three-axis aerial gimbal in 2014, DJI has been committed to providing reliable and easy-to-use tools for creative visionaries. The DJI Pro website continues that commitment, providing a comprehensive user experience for cinematographers and filmmakers around the world.

“Since the creation of the first Phantom to the Inspire and Ronin series, DJI has been dedicated to creating intuitive tools for every level of filmmaker,” said Ti Xie, Public Relations Director at DJI. “With the launch of the DJI Pro website, we now have a dedicated location where customers can learn about the application of our professional products and we also provide a learning-based platform for users to receive the latest information. We will continue to make more reliable, industry-leading tools for our growing customer base.”

DJI Pro is dedicated to professionals using DJI’s advanced aerial and gimbal technologies, such as the Inspire and the Ronin series. The new website consists of five categories:

Product Information: Explore DJI products.

DJI Masters Program: Learn from professional cinematographers with unique insights into the industry as well as the innovative imaging technology they use. Watch the DJI Master film on the pioneer of aerial photography and film-maker Yann Arthus-Bertrand, learn how Claudio Miranda, or Rodney Charters use the DJI Pro line.

• Showcase：Find out how DJI products are being used on film sets.
• Education: Learn about how to setup and use each product.
• Events: Get the latest info on DJI, local events, workshops and more.

To learn more about DJI’s professional products, please visit http://pro.dji.com

Coverage: Our new US team, Josh and Bernardo

• 60MP 4.6FPS@16bit
• 60MP 12FPS@14bit
• 8k30P@12bit
• 8K60p@10bit
• 4k60p@12bit
• FHD 300P@10bit

Sensor 2 - 36MP CMOS FF

• 36MP 10FPS@16bit
• 36MP 60FPS@10bit
• on-chip PDAF

Both offer

• Weighted pixel binning for less aliasing
• Dual-gain ADC mode (aka dual ISO) improve the dynamic range by almost 2 stops at high ISO. 1/2 sensor speed if use it.
• Digital Overlap HDR

via sonyalpharumors

Corrected issue of autofocus (AF) function not operating correctly when using the “H-ES200” and “H-ES50200” interchangeable lens produced by Panasonic.

https://cs.olympus-imaging.jp/en/support/imsg/digicamera/download/software/firm/e1/

DECEMBER 17, 2018 – JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of an update to JESD235 High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) DRAM standard. HBM DRAM is used in Graphics, High Performance Computing, Server, Networking and Client applications where peak bandwidth, bandwidth per watt, and capacity per area are valued metrics to a solution’s success in the market. The standard was developed and updated with support from leading GPU and CPU developers to extend the system bandwidth growth curve beyond levels supported by traditional discrete packaged memory. JESD235B is available for download from the JEDEC website.

JEDEC standard JESD235B for HBM leverages Wide I/O and TSV technologies to support densities up to 24 GB per device at speeds up to 307 GB/s. This bandwidth is delivered across a 1024-bit wide device interface that is divided into 8 independent channels on each DRAM stack. The standard can support 2-high, 4-high, 8-high, and 12-high TSV stacks of DRAM at full bandwidth to allow systems flexibility on capacity requirements from 1 GB – 24 GB per stack.

This update extends the per pin bandwidth to 2.4 Gbps, adds a new footprint option to accommodate the 16 Gb-layer and 12-high configurations for higher density components, and updates the MISR polynomial options for these new configurations. Additional clarifications are provided throughout the document to address test features and compatibility across generations of HBM components.

GoPro, Inc. (NASDAQ: GPRO) today announced that it plans to move most of its US-bound camera production out of China by the summer of 2019 to mitigate the potential impact of inclusion on any new tariff lists. International-bound camera production will remain in China.

"Today's geopolitical business environment requires agility, and we're proactively addressing tariff concerns by moving most of our US-bound camera production out of China," said Brian McGee, Executive Vice President and CFO of GoPro. "We believe this diversified approach to production can benefit our business regardless of tariff implications."

McGee added, "It's important to note that we own our own production equipment while our manufacturing partner provides the facilities, so we expect to make this move at a relatively low cost."

GoPro will be showcasing its HERO7 line of cameras, including the best-selling $399 HERO7 Black camera, at CES in Las Vegas from January 8 – 11, 2019.

Adobe Stock ‘s giveaway program rewards successful contributors and encourages you to take your work to the next level using Adobe’s Creative Cloud apps. You don’t have to apply to benefit from this offer. We will notify you if you qualify by sending a redemption code for Creative Cloud via email. There are two different software plans you can be awarded:

• To receive a 1- year subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan, be among the first 20,000 Adobe Stock Contributors to upload at least 300 accepted assets or earn $500 (USD) in royalties for the period Jan 1-Dec 31, 2018. To qualify, you must maintain at least a 50% acceptance rate of your submitted content.
• To receive a 1- year subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan, be among the first 2,000 Adobe Stock Contributors to upload at least 300 accepted video assets or earn $500 (USD) in royalties from videos for the period Jan 1- Dec 31, 2018. To qualify, you must maintain at least a 50% acceptance rate of your submitted content.

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/creative-cloud-giveaway-FAQ.html

The 8K format will host a resolution of 7,680 by 4,320 pixels, which is 16 times as sharp as current HD TVs and offers resolutions of around 2MP. This is approximately the equivalent of a 32 megapixel photo. A new high-resolution tv format that is 16x sharper than today's HDTV has been approved. A new high-resolution tv format that is 16x sharper than today's HDTV has been approved.

Japanese broadcaster NHK has developed three cameras able to film in this Super Hi-Vision resolution at 120 frames per second.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19370582

• company filed for bankruptcy
• their CEO had some strange car accident after that he just left with nice compensation
• company shares are delisted from German stock exchange

For me it looks like big organized scam, perfectly executed with support (and may be sponsorship!) of all major photo media.

Legacy media files are compatible with macOS Mojave, but they won't be with future macOS releases. Legacy media can include footage recorded with cameras like Sony HDCAM-SR cameras, footage from GoPro cameras recorded in the CineForm format, video files in the Avid DNxHD/DNxHR format created with software, footage shot with many other older cameras, or files modified with older software.

While your Mac is running macOS High Sierra or macOS Mojave, follow the steps in this article to back up your Final Cut Pro libraries, and complete and update projects that contain legacy media.

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT209000

As OS being ported to proprietary and closed ARM64 LSIs Apple need to drop support for most codecs as well as minimize support for existing and new codecs for their software.

Big move is expected to happen in next 2-3 years with most professionals abandoning Mac OS X ecosystem and Apple focusing on premium segment of the market with 3-4 waves of 20-35% price increases that will follow each 6 months.

• Exhibition topic - https://show.ibc.org/

• Our channel with much more detailed coverage - https://t.me/personal_view

Canon will have a few cinema and broadcast announcements ahead of the show.

Apple ProRes is a codec technology developed by Apple for high-quality, high-performance editing. It is one of the most popular codecs in professional post-production and is widely used for acquisition, production, delivery, and archive. Adobe has worked with Apple to provide ProRes export to post-production professionals using Premiere Pro and After Effects. Support for ProRes on macOS and Windows helps streamline video production and simplifies final output, including server-based remote rendering with Adobe Media Encoder.

The Photography Show returns to the NEC for its sixth year from 16-19 March 2019, alongside The Video Show.

Aimed at everyone from enthusiastic amateurs to seasoned professionals, The Photography Show puts the latest kit from the leading brands under the spotlight alongside demonstrations and inspirational talks and masterclasses from experts. There are also numerous opportunities for show visitors to practice skills and put the tech through its paces, whatever their age, gender or ability.

The Photography Show is endorsed by a number of key associations, including the Association of Photographers, the Master Photographers Association, the Royal Photographic Society, the British Institute of Professional Photography, the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain, The Societies and the Disabled Photographers' Society.

The GMAX4651 is a really unique addition to our GMAX series, outperforming existing CCD solutions on all performance levels,” commented Wim Wuyts, Chief Commercial Officer of Gpixel. “It combines the dual gain HDR used in our successful GSENSE sensors, with excellent global shutter pixel technology and unprecedented frame rates. All together this will set a new industry standard for high-end industrial inspection and the video industry

The accurate exposure is the key of capturing high-quality photos in computational photography, especially for mobile phones that are limited by sizes of camera modules. Inspired by luminosity masks usually applied by professional photographers, in this paper, we develop a novel algorithm for learning local exposures with deep reinforcement adversarial learning. To be specific, we segment an image into sub-images that can reflect variations of dynamic range exposures according to raw low-level features. Based on these sub-images, a local exposure for each sub-image is automatically learned by virtue of policy network sequentially while the reward of learning is globally designed for striking a balance of overall exposures. The aesthetic evaluation function is approximated by discriminator in generative adversarial networks. The reinforcement learning and the adversarial learning are trained collaboratively by asynchronous deterministic policy gradient and generative loss approximation. To further simply the algorithmic architecture, we also prove the feasibility of leveraging the discriminator as the value function. Further more, we employ each local exposure to retouch the raw input image respectively, thus delivering multiple retouched images under different exposures which are fused with exposure blending. The extensive experiments verify that our algorithms are superior to state-of-the-art methods in terms of quantitative accuracy and visual illustration.

Paper https://papers.nips.cc/paper/7484-deepexposure-learning-to-expose-photos-with-asynchronously-reinforced-adversarial-learning.pdf