Silicon Graphics Inc is getting into the fun-and-games end of the business in a big way and has formed a joint venture with Industrial Light & Magic, a division of George Lucas’s Lucas Digital Ltd special effects production company: the new venture will create digital imagery for the entertainment industry. JEDI, the Joint Environment for Digital Imaging, will be based at the offices of Industrial Light in San Rafael, and will combine proprietary digital scanning and film recording technology with an advanced digital production facility, serving the film television, commercial and attraction industries. The aim is to make Industrial Light & Magic’s imagery to become more affordable to the entertainment industry, Star Wars creator Lucas says. The Joint Environment will be linked through digital tie-lines to facilities in Los Angeles and Hollywood and can be delivered via satellite throughout the world so that Industrial Light can deliver broadcast-quality images directly to clients, without distortions of cable transmission.
