WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Oct. 8, 2020 — SMPTE® today unveiled the program for SMPTE 2020: “Game On”, an interactive and immersive remote technical conference experience extending from Nov. 10 to 12. Throughout the three-day conference experience, attendees can join live technical presentations, practical hands-on training, keynote presentations, partner programming, product and technology demonstrations, moderated roundtable discussions, and virtual panels, with continual access to a host of on-demand content. This year’s event also will feature one full day focused on the convergence of esports/gaming and media technology and the unique requirements of the thriving esports industry.
“SMPTE 2020 attendees may be surprised at how easy it is to access the same great quality and density of peer-reviewed technical content, as well as keynotes and other presentations, they would see at an in-person conference,” said Kylee Peña of Netflix, who serves as SMPTE 2020 Program Committee co-chair along with media tech innovator Chris Witmayer. “People often look at virtual events and assume they don’t offer the value of a traditional conference, but the SMPTE 2020 format actually gives attendees many more options for taking in amazing content and social events. In reality, this year’s conference will be much more accessible than if we hosted the event in downtown Los Angeles.”
Connecting With SMPTE Colleagues
The SMPTE 2020 conference experience is designed to give attendees flexibility in making new connections and in exploring the technologies and business models shaping the future of media and entertainment. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with other attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers through private meetings, the “Ask an Expert” portal, the annual Awards Gala and Fellows Induction, social hours, networking events, and even trivia and esports competitions. The HPA Women in Post is a returning partner this year and will host its Women in Technology Luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 12, in an online format.
Technical Sessions and Training
More than 80 presentations will address current media technologies as well as future advances in content creation, images and sound, and the allied arts and sciences. Academics, students, engineers, creatives, and executives from across the industry will cover topics ranging from color and compression to workflows, metadata, and new business models. The full SMPTE 2020 program is available at 2020.smpte.org/home/program.
Experts from the Audio Engineering Society (AES) will offer a program that examines the impact of changes over the past year on future audio workflows, with state-of-the-art case studies adding further perspective to the discussion. The popular SMPTE Storytellers sessions are also back this year, giving SMPTE 2020 attendees the chance to join members of the SMPTE community who work in the motion-imaging field for a motivational, inspiring, and educational look back at their professional and personal experiences.
New Additions and Opportunities
The Core Concept sessions included in this year’s program are designed to provide foundational content and a refresher for attendees at all levels so they can get the most out of the technical sessions scheduled for later in the program. A new series of specialized content tracks will feature experts from industry organizations including AIMS, IDEA, and the 8K Association. The Society also has added Poster sessions to offer a high-level view of various topics within a condensed format.
New Standards sessions at SMPTE 2020 will update attendees on recent activity within the SMPTE standards community, highlighting several important projects and the outlook for SMPTE standards going forward. Also new at SMPTE 2020 are Executive Sessions designed to provide insights into digital natives’ views of the industry and on the impact of disruptive technology and supply chain advances. In addition, practical training will give attendees an introduction to Agile Project Management and offer further perspective through critical case studies and lessons learned.
SMPTE 2020 will be live around the clock this year, with a new APAC program offering time-zone-friendly discussion and networking opportunities for attendees living or working in the Asia-Pacific region. The extended schedule will include roundtable discussions and a series of technical sessions with live Q&A periods and a unique themed track hosted by the 8K Association. Events will begin at 09:00 JST on both Nov. 10 and 11, and further details will be available within the conference program.
“As people move deeper into the film and television industry, especially on the technical side, they really need a network of colleagues they can call upon to help them solve different issues,” added Peña. “SMPTE conferences — and especially this year’s remote event — are a great way to build that network and find people to put in your corner. It’s a pathway toward creating your own professional community.”
For attendees everywhere, on-demand access to recorded presentations, exhibitor videos and product guides, and other resources will ensure they can take full advantage of all SMPTE 2020 has to offer.
Esports Extravaganza
The final day of SMPTE 2020 will be dedicated to esports, beginning with a look at “The Heart and Spirit of Esports” and then moving into the architecture supporting competitive esports events. Following a session on real-world experiences supporting such competitions, SMPTE will host an esports team from RIT Esports of the U.S. and the professional team, Team Liquid, of the Netherlands.
Further information about SMPTE 2020 is available at 2020.smpte.org/ along with the official event trailer here, which offers a sneak peek at the virtual conference environment.
The Society is offering a $10 student rate and reduced rate for educators along with other special pricing discounts intended to ensure interested students and professionals worldwide have the means to attend and connect with their peers. SMPTE members interested in subsidizing attendance can do so through the new Pay It Forward package.
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About SMPTE®
SMPTE is the global society of media professionals, technologists, and engineers working in the digital entertainment industry. The Society fosters a diverse and engaged membership from both the technology and creative communities, delivering vast educational offerings, technical conferences and exhibitions, the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, and access to a rich network of colleagues essential to their career success. As an internationally recognized standards organization, SMPTE also provides a vital technical framework of engineering standards and guidelines that allow the seamless creation, management, and delivery of media for art, entertainment, and education worldwide.
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Link to Word Doc: www.wallstcom.com/SMPTE/201008SMPTE-SMPTE_2020_Program.docx
Link to Video: https://youtu.be/R7fMLnSjkA0
Video Caption: Link to Official SMPTE 2020 Event Trailer
