On October
23, 2001 the Far West RTTC sponsored a breakfast roundtable and panel discussion devoted
to the subject of digital cinema. The two-hour event, held in Beverly Hills, California,
was organized and presented by the Digital Coast Roundtable (DCR), a non-profit
organization established in 1998 to support the growth of emerging technology and digital
media companies in the southern California region, from San Diego to Santa Barbara. The
roundtable provided an opportunity for Far West RTTC to showcase several "Hot
Technologies" available for commercialization from NASA Ames Research Center.
Ken Dozier, Executive Director of the Far West RTTC,
presented information on three Ames technologies to approximately 30 roundtable attendees.
The highlighted technologies included DCTune, Digital Video Quality and Spatial Standard
Observer. These are the same three technologies that the Far West RTTC showcased at the
hugely successful Technology Transfer Workshop for Hawaii's Film Industry held in Kapolei,
Hawaii in July 2001.
Several key industry representatives were at the breakfast
roundtable to hear about NASA technologies available for commercial use. These included
the Executive Director of Digital Cinema for Boeing Satellite Systems, a Principal of
Microsoft's Media and Entertainment Group, a Senior VP of Corporate Development for Sony
Pictures Entertainment, the CEO of Holywood Software, Inc. and the Editor-in-Chief of The
Hollywood Reporter.
According to Dozier, "This was a unique opportunity
for NASA to showcase its technologies to the leaders of the new digital cinema industry.
It was well received and we look forward to further developing the business relationships
that we initiated at this event."
The breakfast roundtable also featured a panel discussion
and presentations on the current state and future of digital cinema. The event "was
met with enthusiasm, vigorous interaction and suggested a bright future for yet another
convergence of technology and entertainment" according to Bob Dowling,
Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of The Hollywood Reporter and DCR board member.
