#433

Curated links of news, reviews, thoughts, career advice, and humor

for professional Video / Film Colorists & Finishers. Delivered Sundays.
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The Coronavirus is on everyone's mind this week. This is especially true if you plan on heading to Las Vegas for the annual NAB trade show - just 7 Sundays away.

Industry trade shows have been canceled in San Francisco, Japan, and Italy. Local to Tao HQ, one dot com conference of 3,000 people got canceled in Orlando - taking place this week.

If you're like me you'll want to keep an eye on the COVID-19 GIS map for tracking its spread and fatality rate (I'm keeping my eye on countries most likely to mirror the US healthcare response).

So what's the deal with NAB 2020 conference? Will it go forward?

In the Craft section I've linked to NAB's official Coronavirus status page. It's informative. It's also the place to see if they're canceling the show. Don't rely on rumor. That page is straight from the horse's mouth.

As of Feb. 29: NAB 2020 is a GO.

But the situation is fluid, so keep an ear open in case things change.

From a health standpoint, assuming the Coronavirus stays its current course, I'm fine with this decision. A fresh report indicates this virus' fatality rate is in line with a normal to severe flu season in Western countries. In recent years I've taken many precautions when traveling by air - especially to avoid surface-borne transmission. I'll keep doing that.

I'll also probably forgo the handshake and substitute the fist bump while in Vegas.

Of course, everyone needs to make their own decisions. As our domestic health professionals finally get an up-close look at this strain, we should be getting much better data in the next few weeks.

Assuming NAB doesn't lose a ton of major vendors unwilling (or unable) to fly internationally, or the Feds don't request they shut down - I'm cautiously optimistic and keeping the planning on-track.

Enjoy this week's Newsletter! I'll see you next Sunday.

Happy Grading!

(and remember - if you have a story that's a fit for this Newsletter, hit reply or email it to 'newsletter@taoofcolor.com'! Include a quick reason for the suggested link.)

- Patrick Inhofer
Colorist | Publisher | Coach

With 3,000 nits peak luminance, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 2,000+ LED zones, and professional 12Gbps SDI inputs the XM310K is exceptionally well suited for Dolby Vision mastering applications.

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Featuring the work of creative craftsmen, the theory of color, and industry news. Learn practical workflows, useful theories, and actionable insights from existing (and emerging) leaders and teachers in our industry.

The Director of Shazam! used Twitter to explain the 2D > 3D conversion process and how limitations forced certain creative decisions. It's a bit of a strange read as he acknowledges the work of the conversion artists (who deserve being recognized) while not being a fan of the process.

(video) "Why aren't we blue?" That's the question answered in this Dutch video. It starts with the fundamentals of light absorption and reflection, then moves in an area of color you may not be aware of - before finally answering the question asked. English speakers, turn on the Auto Translation Closed Captioning which works surprisingly well. (via Robert Busschots)

This article about digital media complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) goes through the fundamental considerations of closed captions and descriptive audio. Useful to know if you're ever required to deal with (or deliver) these assets.

Are you going to NAB and wondering if the Coronavirus flu strain is impacting the show? Click on and bookmark this page to get the latest information.

Because information is power, I'm linking to this CDC resource guide with 5 simple facts to guide your decision-making about the domestic risk of exposure, and how to reduce the risk even further.

We've spent the last 3 years designing a shared storage device for color, editorial and VFX workflows. We call it the Jellyfish. With an integrated database server, it's perfect for Resolve's groundbreaking Collaborative Workflow.

It can now be purchased on apple.com.

Jellyfish Shared Storage Systems start at under $10,000.

Our craft keeps changing. And growing. Learn about updates to your favorite software. Discover new tools to help you work faster or more creatively. Build your toolchest with new techniques and approaches.

Are you steeped in ACES workflows? If so, you'll find this discussion about the Common LUT Format (CLF) interesting - as the Academy prepares for the next iteration of ACES.

Thank you Toolfarm for putting together this pithy list of point upgrades - which includes many tools that readers of this Newsletter are likely to use.

Do you know when (and how) to optimize media in DaVinci Resolve? Or enable caching and proxy modes? If the answer is no to any of these then click through and a friend of the Tao, Jason Bowdach, will get you up to speed so you can... um... up your speed.

The developer of this Mac-only plugin reached out to me. Reading through the website, it looks to have a few interesting ideas. I'm linking to the articles page, where the devs delve deep into their operating philosophy on film grain emulation. Feel free to dig around. I haven't installed this tool yet but it looks interesting enough to share.

A quick overview of Filmlight's new API. Examples of it in action are sparse but I'm sure a few of my readers are very excited about this development.

If you're on Windows and use Adobe Creative tools then you may want to grab this free, nifty utility (that does just what the headline says).

Are you moving to or on a PC rig and having trouble configuring your network so you can see network attached storage? This article might help.

These stories are from MixingLight.com's membership Library. It's a color grading website (Tao Of Color is co-Owner). Do you want to read a story listed here but not a member? Sign up for a free 7-Day Test Drive. There's also a free Resolve 14 Course and color correction Practice Projects.

Take a deep dive into 'Screen', an affordable, color managed video player for the Mac from Video Village (the makers of Lattice).

(video) Your humble Newsletter Editor goes long form, merging two topics I've been tackling recently in the grading suite: Fixed node trees in DaVinci Resolve and the Color Space Transform ResolveFX plugin (with honorable mentions of the Stream Deck XL and Mac Pro).

(podcast) Trying to understand the value of pro video displays? Want to know the differences (and trade-offs) between the technologies? Listen on...

Want to see what we're all about?

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Stay updated on the latest hardware that's shipping - because the craft of color grading isn't just about software. Plus, keep an eye on future equipment trends and hardware odds-and-ends.

Do you need more PCIe 3.0 slots than ships in the new New Mac Pro? This enclosure may be your ticket. But definitely check out the benchmarks (and analysis) - they are interesting and will help you decide if it's worth the expense.

This article has direct download links of the PDFs. They are both very detailed and I learned a few things about these products that I didn't know before.

Friend of the Tao Scott Simmons reviews this hardware controller, "The Loupedeck CT integration with Adobe Premiere Pro . . . goes way beyond emulating keyboard shortcuts."

"In barely seven years, 4K TV has evolved from high-end niche product to not just mainstream proposition but in fact to the low end of the TV market." Great factoid from this article? The first 4K panel was released in 2013 at $24,999. Today? You can buy one for $249.99. Talk about an increase in consumer buying power!

Random thoughts, tidbits, and fun stuff that caught my attention this week. Maybe it's color grading related. Maybe not. Ya got'ta read to the end of the Newsletter to find out.

For most digital video colorists, a new Mac Pro in the $12k - $20k range should suit their needs for several years. But what kind of tasks are you performing where a tricked out 28-core dual Vega Duo makes financial sense? For the right person, this review is fun.