Survey Demonstrates That Organizations Are Betting on Emerging Technologies – From Artificial Intelligence to Virtual Reality, Streaming, and Better Pixels

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — June 7, 2018 — SMPTE, the organization whose standards work has supported a century of advances in entertainment technology, has released the results of the SMPTE 2018 Innovation and Technology in Media Entertainment Survey, part of the Society’s ongoing work to provide insight into the critical issues that are transforming the media and entertainment (M&E) technology industry. The survey examined artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), immersive media, professional media over managed IP networks, and the Better Pixels Project.

“The M&E sector has always been at the forefront in adopting technologies that have a dramatic impact on consumers’ relationship with content,” said SMPTE Executive Director Barbara Lange. “The SMPTE 2018 Innovation and Technology in Media Entertainment Survey confirms this understanding, describing an industry that is ready to explore how new technologies change the way storytellers connect with audiences. Survey results also convey that the M&E sector is investing in emerging technology that will further transform the way content is created, distributed, and consumed.”

The SMPTE survey drew more than 200 responses from engineers, managers, directors, and C-suite executives whose organizations operate in the postproduction, production, R&D, distribution, preproduction, and consumption industries. Respondents reported having substantial expertise in engineering, postproduction, R&D, and production, and more than 70 percent indicated that they have more than 20 years in the industry. Nearly a third of respondents’ companies have 20 or fewer employees, and 60 percent have 500 or fewer employees. Almost 80 percent of these companies do business in North America; 50 percent in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region (EMEA); 43 percent in Asia-Pacific; and 36 percent in Latin America.

The survey results highlight the importance of engaging with technologists in emerging areas of innovation to build new business relationships and the value of developing technical standards and workflow conventions that ensure the industry can effectively absorb new technologies into its operations.

An overview of the survey results will be presented by SMPTE Director of Standards Development Thomas Bause Mason at the 24 EBU Technical Assembly in Manchester, U.K., on Friday, June 8. A complete summary of the survey results is available from SMPTE as a white paper, available at smpte.org/2018survey. Further information about SMPTE is available at smpte.org.

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About SMPTE

For more than a century, the people of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, or SMPTE (pronounced “simp-tee”), have sorted out the details of many significant advances in media and entertainment technology, from the introduction of “talkies” and color television to HD and UHD (4K, 8K) TV. Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has received an Oscar and multiple Emmy Awards for its work in advancing moving-imagery engineering across the industry. SMPTE has developed thousands of standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines, more than 800 of which are currently in force today. SMPTE Time Code™ and the ubiquitous SMPTE Color Bars™ are just two examples of SMPTE’s notable work. As it enters its second century, SMPTE is shaping the next generation of standards and providing education for the industry to ensure interoperability as the industry evolves further into IT- and IP-based workflows.

SMPTE is a global professional association of technologists and creatives who drive the quality and evolution of motion imaging. Its membership today includes more than 7,000 members: motion-imaging executives, creatives, technologists, researchers, and students who volunteer their time and expertise to SMPTE’s standards development and educational initiatives. A partnership with the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) connects SMPTE and its membership with the businesses and individuals who support the creation and finishing of media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at smpte.org/join.

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Photo Caption: A complete summary of the survey results is available from SMPTE as a white paper.