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The real highlight reel of the film industry? Producing superb viewing pleasure.

"Them."
That was the direct answer a stern-faced Ron Martin gave when asked by Khaleej Times which industry was giving them the trickiest situations in their business, while pointing at Universal Studios from his turf at the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory.
After he and everyone else burst into laughter, the company's vice-president and director made sure he was able to drive his point home.
"Look at how filmmaking has changed in the last 20 or 30 years from essentially a film-based analogue process in terms of distribution to digital capture, digital processing and digital distribution, all in broadcast and home video, cable satellite and over-the-top distribution."
Whew.
In short, it's nothing short of a painstaking process to deliver the best picture quality to viewers that are becoming more and more demanding.
"Viewer expectations have evolved well, they expect better quality," Martin points out during the private media tour.
An entertaining business
Statistics portal Statista, in a December report, said that entertainment in the United States is a huge business. The sector is predicted to shoot up to over $679 billion in value over the next four years.
Which means, even box-office bombs can proudly say it's part of this gargantuan industry.
So studios, in collaboration with the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory - the US' leading research and development facility on imaging solutions and systems - want to make sure you get every penny's worth with your film tickets.
The company also deals in other fields such as digital imaging and radiology, among many others.
"We work closely with companies that have international footprints, and we respond to the market in that sense," Martin said, counting Hollywood's biggest studios among its "friends".
Panasonic is also hot in Japan, Asia and Europe, and is taking a good look at South America and Africa, where Martin says "a lot of activity is happening".
From 4K to 8K to. infinity?
And while you've probably heard of 4K video technology - a "very mature market moving forward quickly - one of the latest display resolutions that promises to mesmerise your eyes while on the screen.
However, while this technology is already widely available in products from smartphones to TVs, Martin says the broadcast industry may take a while to deliver viewing pleasure in this format.
"Broadcasting in 4K - because of the [present] infrastructure - [will] probably [be] in another year or two," he said, adding that broadcasters in Europe and Japan are "rapidly moving" in that direction. Cable and satellite delivery, on the other hand, is ready, especially in the US.
The standards of 4K format, Martin adds, are presently being worked on by industry bodies.
And if you're still dissatisfied watching in 4K, 8K - double the size and quality of the already-impressive 4K - is in its own right making some noise already.
Not everything, however, seems meant for everyone or everything; 8K technology, while "very unique", may be more suitable for public environments such as sports parks and locations where massive digital displays are required. There's the rub on technology going too fast without everyone having the necessary instruments to play it with.
Oh, and by the way, there's also something called 16K QUHD out there, which is 16 times the stuff you're enjoying on your standard 1080p HD display. Theoretically, we could go on and on - 32K, 64K, 128K, even an in-between 5K. But is there really a need for it?
As far as 8K only is concerned Martin quips: "For the home, I don't think there's anything for it."
Japan's Sharp may beg to differ: at last year's Consumer Electronics Show, the company unveiled a rather peculiar 8K TV prototype. But don't worry about being left behind; if 4K content is still short in supply, what do you think about 8K then?
Furthermore, don't pout: Martin confirmed that you will be able to enjoy your films in high dynamic range imaging, as all studios are fully into it. He says that in 2016, all movies will be HDR-ready.
And for Martin, it's more than just a camera - it's all about giving excellence at any level, with viewer's tastes at the helm. Panasonic has been doing just with Universal Studios since 1993.
"We wish all [studios] would only use our cameras," he says. "[but] as in any environment, we work with our competitors for standards. and want to compete at a higher level."
Martin likened all of their stakeholders as a "rapidly-moving target" - and that they're more than happy to take aim at them.
"Our resources have to move in parallel with them - so we can hit them with our best shot."
alvin@khaleejtimes.com