TM Broadcast International 5, January 2014

Summary

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Editorial

06

PAN SHOT

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AVID EVERYWHERE

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Astel gives Turkey’s Kanal D studio a new panorama with Christie HD18K rear-pro and Spyder combination

ZOOM IN EVS SPORTS GETS PANORAMA READY FOR Sochi 2014

TEST AREA: Uplink Portatil LU70 the LiveU A live transmission system based, in general terms, on real time audio and video delivery trough mobile operators networks, which really attracts attention.

48 Staff

Editor Javier Martín Fernández editor@tmbroadcast.com Director Jesús Carrillo director@tmbroadcast.com Creative Direction Mercedes González design@tmbroadcast.com

Key account manager Cristina Feduchi Javier M. Gutiérrez international@tmbroadcast.com Administration Laura de Diego administration@tmbroadcast.com

Editorial In the next years, one of the key points in the audiovisual world it’s going to be the cloud storage. It’s not going to be an easy change due to the special features of our sector but it’s going to be very beneficial. One of the important aspects is the clear growth on the streaming and multiple device consumption. Another one is the globalization, the need of working more and more quickly without increasing the costs. We are already seeing good devices which can be used on cameras or on the shooting workflow, so that while shooting all it’s being uploaded to the cloud in order to validate it, edit the content or whatever is necessary. This type of ubiquitous storage systems make easier the work on a globalized world where there could be several countries involved on the same production, or shootings on very separated locations. We don’t have to talk about the advantages of exchanging contents, the possibility of ruling out the layers of storage in the production centres, and a long etc. Obviously there is some uneasiness because the cloud in not something “tangible” that could be linked to the idea of making the contents more accessible for piracy. However, it’s true this technology is now being used in IT environments where there is also very sensible information. In fact, that information can be more important than the best and more expensive Hollywood film.

Let’s overcome our fear and use the cloud.

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Update for Lawo’s sapphire and crystal radio on-air consoles: Loudness metering now integrated

With the brand new 4.2 software release, Lawo enables loudness metering for both crystal and sapphire radio consoles. The consoles deliver loudness metering data for their main meters that may be based on mono, stereo, 5.1 and 5.1+2 signals. In addition, the sapphire can display loudness metering for all input channels. In this case, the loudness metering is working in parallel to the channels’ regular PPMsusing metering elements in Lawo’s VisTool touch-screen software. Users can select Momentary, Short Term or Integrated mode for measurement. In addition, the software update includes a graphical fader element, which has been implemented in VisTool to enable fader value control directly by using the GUI. With version 4.2, Lawo is also taking the integratability of sapphire and crystal consoles to another level: now these consoles can act as Ember+ providers and consumers. As a provider, a console feeds channel parameters via the Ember+ protocol to 3rd party control sys-

Lawo Sapphire.

tems to enable remote control from external. A sapphire or crystal being a consumer enables the console to remote control other systems via Ember+. Ember+ is an openly available control protocol to be used on a wide range of hardware platforms, from basic micro controllers all the way up to powerful PCs. For more details please click here.

Furthermore, the software can now be conveniently activated also by hardware dongles. Thus it is possible to enable site-wide server-based licensing, move licenses from one PC to another, or implement licenses on virtual machines.

ZE-ONE

FOR-A introduces 4K extraction system, wins ‘BEST OF IBC’ award At IBC 2013, FOR-A debuted ZE-ONE, its new 4K extraction system for use with the FT-ONE 4K super slow motion camera. The solution allows FT-ONE users to frame and extract desired 4K image areas to capture the action for HD replays. ZE-ONE received a “Best of IBC” award.

Ideal for live sports production, the 4K extraction system provides operators with an intuitive touch-screen interface to frame and extract specified HD scenes at any size from 4K sources. ZE-ONE allows users to smoothly zoom in or out, and includes an embedded audio delay processor.

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Antenna Cyprus boosts channel playout efficiency and expandability with industry-leading Harmonic Spectrum™ Media Server Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), announced that Antenna Cyprus has upgraded its channel playout infrastructure with the installation of a Spectrum™ media server system at its Nicosia, Cyprus, broadcast facility. Supporting file-based operations while ensuring reliable and scalable playout, the Harmonic solution has allowed Antenna Cyprus to realize greater efficiency, from ingest to editing to archive, and to lay the foundation for a smooth migration to HD playout.

"We chose to upgrade to the Spectrum media server system because of its excellent reputation, as well as its robust capabilities and simple scalability," said Michael Dallas, technical director at Antenna Cyprus. "The server system enables us to accept and work with a variety of file types, which is increasingly important as more and more content — from commercials to sports coverage — is being delivered to our facilities via file transfer. The ease with which we can move files around our facility has brought real time savings to our operations. As we look toward HD playout and the launch of additional channels, we're confident the Harmonic system will best support fast and cost-effective expansion."

The Spectrum media server system, comprised of MediaDirector™ server controllers, MediaPort™ realtime video encoder/decoders, and MediaStore™ stoTMBi - 8

rage arrays, reflects Harmonic's expertise in broadcast media technologies, as well as the best practices of information technology.

Boasting wide format and wrapper support, along with open networking protocols that enable direct access to content by any file-based media application, the server system makes it easy for Antenna Cyprus to ingest file-based content, transfer media to the Avid® Media Composer® nonlinear editing system for editing, and play out programming and commercials in a streamlined end-to-end workflow.

As Antenna Cyprus evolves, the Harmonic solution will enable the broadcaster to scale channels, storage, bandwidth, and redundancy independently in smart, costeffective increments. The Spectrum system's modular design assures that such upgrades can be performed without interruption of regular playout operations.

"As the established market leader in media servers, Spectrum is the ideal platform for streamlining media production and broadcast operations, and implementing file-based workflows," said Liron Nitzan, regional sales manager for Cyprus at Harmonic. "The modular architecture of the Spectrum system enables broadcasters to realize efficient tapeless television operations while maintaining maximum reliability and flexibility."

Artel Video Systems welcomes Philip Dubs as Director of Broadcast Sales Artel Video S y s t e m s announced the appointment of Philip Dubs as its director of broadcast sales.

Dubs joins Artel with more than 30 years of experience in sales, operational, and management roles in the broadcast industry.

"We are excited to be adding Phil to the Artel team. His tremendous experience in both operational and sales roles will be heavily relied on as we focus on developing closer relationships with the broadcast industry," said Richard Dellacanonica, president of Artel. "As a well-respected member of the community, Dubs will be instrumental in showcasing the DigiLink platform to broadcasters and to help shape our product development effort to more closely align with their unique needs."

Prior to joining Artel, Dubs spent 12 years as vice president of sales for Pixelmetrix, a worldwide manufacturer of transport stream test equipment and digital storage servers.

Prior to Pixelmetrix, he was a founding member of GEMS International Television, and vice president of sales and marketing for Florida Video Systems. Dubs attended New York Institute of Technology for Electrical Engineering, and holds a Society of Broadcast Engineers CEV® Certification.

Dubs is active in the broadcast community as a member of the SBE, SMPTE, and NATAS (EMMY) Technical Committee.

"Evolving video standards, compression formats, and transport technologies are creating opportunities for companies like Artel to create new, cost-effective, and easy to deploy and support solutions that address these rapidly changing market requirements," said Dubs. "Joining Artel presents an exciting opportunity to use my experience managing a broadcasting station as well as selling test equipment to educate the industry on the tremendous capabilities of DigiLink and to help Artel to develop new solutions for broadcasters."

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Powerful video and audio branding with Crystal Vision's latest logo keyer Crystal Vision has released four new versions of its MultiLogo modular HD/SD logo keyer, designed to show three graphics on a screen at once. The new MultiLogo V132, MultiLogo V132 8G, MultiLogo V432 and MultiLogo V432 8G provide three layers of keying from a variety of internal and external sources, including a 4 GB or 8 GB video store which can hold up to 500 still or animated logos. Features appearing for the first time include extensive audio processing for elaborate video and audio branding (with four group audio handling, audio mixing with dipping and level adjustments, audio cross fading and external AES inputs and outputs), as well as partial presets for improved on air operation.

The new MultiLogos retain the powerful functionality of the company's previous range of logo keyers. These features include numerous key processing controls, look-ahead preview, clip recording and trimming, Quick Text, the ability to store and name 255 presets, relay bypass protection and the ability to lock the output to an analogue reference to avoid transmission problems. These 100mm x 266mm modules fit in Crystal Vision's standard frames, available in 2U, 1U and desk top box sizes – with the included MultiLogo Control Software making it easy to get graphics on the screen within a few minutes.

The new versions of MultiLogo include extensive features for playing out audio. These audio features make MultiLogo the perfect branding tool where elaborate audio control is required, making it ideal for any applications where both graphics and audio need to be added to a video signal – from a sound effect accompanying a graphic to a standard voiceover announcement.

With multi-group audio becoming more common, the new MultiLogo

can embed up to four audio groups (rather than the previous single group) into its video outputs. Audio mixing allows this output audio to be generated from a mix of the audio embedded on the video input and a voiceover or sound effect sourced from either the two internal audio stores (ideal for holding pre-determined audio that needs to be played out repeatedly) or from the external AES input which is available on the MultiLogo V432 and perfect for live voiceovers. The voiceover or sound effect can be faded in and out and have its level adjusted, while the main programme audio can be partially or fully dipped allowing it to be either mixed with or be replaced by the voiceover. Wav files containing Dolby E bypass the audio processing to avoid damage, with Dolby E cut in at the next frame boundary rather than being mixed in. There are even more audio features available on the MultiLogo V432 variant: audio can be taken from any of its four video inputs and mixed between them, while the video and audio can be cross faded together when cutting from one of the inputs to another. The V432 additionally provides two external AES outputs which can be used for audio monitoring.

Partial presets is the second big new feature and makes this version of MultiLogo ideal for on air operation. Presets allow engineers to perform complex events within a single remote instruction, with MultiLogo able to store 255 of these presets.

With full presets it would be necessary to store a preset for every combination of logos that might ever be required. Partial presets allow the user to select just the individual control blocks that are to be saved and then recalled – making it possible to change just one variable and leave the others unchanged, particularly useful for those live on air. Any number of the following 18 variables can

be selected to form a partial preset: Save Ram 1, Save Ram 2, Save Ram 3, Save Ram 4, Save Ram 5, Save Ram 6, Save Key 1, Save Key 2, Save Key 3, Save Video Mixer, Save Audio 1, Save Audio 2, Save AES Input, Save Audio Mixer, Save ANC Output, Save Recorder, Save GPI and Save Engineering. This means that a preset can now be created which will simply fade a keyer up or down, or just change a logo – and that it is now possible to control all aspects of each layer’s operation (logo, position, transparency and so on) without affecting the other layers. The flexibility introduced by partial presets makes it easier for broadcast engineers to integrate MultiLogo into their existing control or automation systems: if a preset is set up with the exact variables required, it can simply be triggered from an automation system.

Finally, the latest MultiLogo also offers more control options than previous versions, with operation now additionally available from the REMIND-E Ethernet remote control panel and the frame's integrated control panel. The four new versions of MultiLogo are shipping now and replace the MultiLogo V131, V131 8G, V431 and V431 8G.

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Riedel sponsors innovative Monash University Formula SAEÂŽ team as it brings new racecar to worldwide competition Riedel Communications announced that it is sponsoring Monash Motorsport (MMS), a team of students from Australia's Monash University that each year designs, builds, tests, and races an openwheeled formula-style racecar in the renowned Formula SAEÂŽ (FSAE) series. Using two-way Motorola radios and headsets supplied by Riedel, MMS team spotters, engineers, and drivers communicate with one another to ensure safe and effective testing and racing of the team car.

"The radios provided by Riedel have been fantastic, and the reception is clear and crisp," said Areeb Hassan, business team leader and suspension engineer for MMS. "We haven't had a single issue with the gear and have had no need to contact Riedel for support, but the company has been very helpful and

Riedel - Australian Grand Prix 2013

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accommodating. We look forward to expanding our use of the communications system to enable the reception of valuable live telemetry data from the car and for competition updates during the Endurance Event."

MMS competes in the FSAE design competition, which includes more than 500 universities from around the world. The team is currently ranked No. 2 in the world and has won the FSAE Australasia Competition for the past four years.

Having completed their latest car, the M13, the team has been testing and validating their design in preparation for the Australasia competition in December as well as a series of high-profile races in the U.K. and Germany in 2014. MMS was an early pioneer of the use of aerodynamics in FSAE, with its 2002 car being one of the first cars in the

competition to feature wings. The M13 has been designed with a much more aggressive aerodynamics package, boasting some of the largest front and rear wings in the competition, as well as the use of an undertray. The team designed the M13 using CFD modeling and has physically validated it in the Monash Wind Tunnel, also located at Monash University in Melbourne.

"The MMS team is an innovative and inspiring group of students that has achieved remarkable results in the FSAE Series, and it's a pleasure to support their efforts by providing the reliable, high-quality communications equipment so critical in live test and race environments," said Cameron O'Neill, solutions manager at Riedel Communications. "We wish MMS the best of luck as the team takes its new M13 car into global competition."

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From features to Commercials, one constant for Koretz is Petrol Bags Whether cinematographer Eric Koretz is prepping for his recent feature Comet, directed by Sam Esmail, or commercials for Motorola and American Airlines, the one constant for him is Petrol Bags, part of Vitec Videocom, a Vitec Group company. “Often these shoots involve heavy traveling,” Koretz says.

“One thing I don’t have to worry

scout to shoot. For our location scouts and pre-planning, I would pack a fully built RED Epic camera into the bag. Sam and I would go into each location and plan out our shots, using this same camera we would later use to shoot the film. The Petrol Deca would allow me easy access to the camera, to take out and shoot as quickly as our ideas would

about is the condition of my equipment as we move — because it’s always packed in my Petrol Bags. I chose them because they are simply versatile, have unique features and are well built.”

Recently, the versatility of the Deca Dr. Bag (PC003) was important to Koretz for the feature Comet. “We shot all over Los Angeles,” he says. “And we had different equipment needs for every phase of production — from

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flow.” During production, Koretz carried the RED Epic in the Deca bag as they moved from location to location. “It allowed me to be mobile and ready to go, which is important in every production,” he says.

And Comet isn’t the only time Koretz felt he couldn’t be without a Petrol bag. “I frequently use a RED Epic and the Deca Dr. Bag, carried on a plane fully built,” he says. “When I’m on set or run-and-gun, I can just keep the camera in the bag and pop it out and be ready to shoot.”

The Deca Tripod Bag (PT701) has also come in handy with both scout and preplanning. Koretz simply fits a small tripod and monopod in it, “and I can throw in a few light stands, gels, and such for other projects,” he says. “I love the wheels and the backpack options. Versatility is a key feature that I look for in the bags that hold my gear, and the Deca tripod bag is the most versatile tripod bag out there.” Koretz also found the Deca Camera Bag (PA1000) invaluable on Comet. “My AC’s basically stuffed every screw, nut, bolt, tool and accessory into it — all compartmentalized,” he says.

“The bag lets me hold an incredible ruggedness. It’s a unique bag that I use on every shoot.” While shooting Comet, Koretz had two LED DMX controlled lights that he called on when he needed a trick color effect. “They were in the Petrol Lighting Case (#PL2003), of course,” he says. “The lightweight design and small footprint of this Petrol bag makes it easy to have nearby and ready to use without overextending.”

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Forbidden Technologies appoints Brian Boring as General Manager in North America Forbidden Te c h n o l o g i e s announced that it has named Brian Boring as its general manager of North American sales and strategic partnerships.

"We've built a strong reputation and following within the U.K. media and enterBrian Boring tainment industry, and now we're poised to expand into new markets throughout the world," said Greg Hirst, business development director, Forbidden Technologies. "Brian Boring's impressive rĂŠsumĂŠ includes business development acumen; knowledge of the broadcast, production, and post-production markets; and a keen understanding of production workflows, all of which make him the ideal person to expand our presence in North America."

Boring is a seasoned professional and business leader with expertise in technical workflow implementation consulting, sales management, business strategy, operations leadership, and enterprise technology solutions.

In addition to being a content producer, consultant, and company founder, he has held several high-level management positions. Most recently, Boring served as vice president of solution sales and technology services at MelroseMAC, an AppleÂŽ Authorized sales and service centre in Los Angeles, and MelroseTEC, the company's professional video and audio division. He has also served as vice president of sales at Wexler Video, at the time one of the largest media equipment and solutions companies in the world for production, post-production, and IT services.

"With more and more demand for efficient media workflows, Forbidden Technologies is primed for North American market penetration, and I'm excited for the opportunity to make it happen," Boring said. "Forbidden has the most powerful cloud-based video post-production platform available, and this is the future for enhanced production efficiencies."

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Viaccess-Orca deputy CEO Haggai Barel is speaker and featured panelist at OTTtv World Summit Viaccess-Orca, a global leader in the protection and enhancement of content services, announced today that its Deputy CEO Haggai Barel will be a speaker and featured panelist at the OTTtv World Summit in London.

During his presentation titled "Operator's Survival Guide: Show Me the Money" on Nov. 20 at 11:50 a.m., Barel will explore the steps operators should take to successfully monetize consumer demand for the over-the-top (OTT) content being delivered to an ever-growing variety of connected devices.

The presentation will include: - An understanding of what users expect and how service providers can meet those expectations - How to build services that excite today's empowered consumers - The link between user engagement and revenues - Relevant business models and their usage at each stage of the service - The role of multiscreen services as incentives to adopt premium service packages - Offering value-added services outside the operator's footprint "The wide range of content opportunities available to today's consumers provide both a challenge and an opportunity for the modern service provider," said Barel, who co-founded Orca Interactive Ltd. "The challenge is to maintain customers' loyalty in an ever-evolving market where a variety of new devices, fueled by broadband, offer access to a wealth of content. The opportunity is to bring those new choices onto existing service platforms to satisfy consumer demand and create new and exciting revenue opportunities."

On Nov. 20 at 12:10 p.m., Barel will also join a distinguished group of panelists exploring the steps operators should take to successfully monetize telco-OTT opportunities in a discussion titled "Build, Buy, or Partner: What is the route to telco monetization?". Barel and other panelists will discuss whether OTT is a threat or opportunity to core telcos, the impact of a fragmented OTT European market, and how operator partnerships can engage consumers over native OTT.

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Hayslett takes Sachtler Ace M on Tour with MUSE For alternative rock band MUSE’s 2nd Law World Tour, cinematographer Matt Hayslett needed to choose his equipment carefully in order to keep up with fast-paced life on the road. The Grammy-winning group, which has played for packed houses in its native England and throughout Europe, is currently touring North America. Some of MUSE’s most recent hits include “Survival,” the theme song for the London Summer Games, and “Madness,” the theme song for TBS/TNT’s March Madness, for which the group broke the record for Billboard’s longest #1

alternative airplay song. For its latest endeavor, MUSE selected Hayslett to film a documentary about life on tour. “The band really wanted to invite fans behind the scenes for the first time, at the height of their career,” Hayslett explains. “Since I’d shot the trailer and video material for their album release, with the blessing of Warner Bros. Records, they brought me in to do just that. For the world tour, I needed a tripod that could support a wide range of camera rigs and be able to keep up with our busy schedule. The Sachtler Ace M fluid head and tripod fit the

bill,” he says. Sachtler is part of Vitec Videocom, a Vitec Group company. In addition to capturing the behind-the-scenes footage, Hayslett shot the live visuals that the audience watches at the show. “There is nothing like seeing your videos on the big screen with an amazing performance and incredible lighting,” he comments.

In order to fulfill these multiple tasks, Hayslett became a one-manband, carrying his own gear. This meant that both weight and size were a real issue. “One of the things that intrigued me about the Ace M

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was the fact that it was compact, lightweight and had a true fluid head,” he says.

“It is the perfect size without losing the benefits of higher end tripods. I’m able to easily carry the tripod with the camera still attached from the stage into to the crowd, to backstage, and onto the bus.

Top Performance for impressive concert takes “The true fluid head gives me perfect camera movement without the jerkiness of the traditional lower end tripods,” he adds. “Because my camera setup changes constantly, from the Canon EOS-5D, to the RED Epic, to the Sony PMW-F3 and the Canon EOS-C300, I needed a tripod that could support this wide range and weight. Every rig that I have used has worked with the Ace, without any loss of performance. The range of counterbalance and drag adjustments makes the Ace M a no-brainer for this project.”

Deep insight for real fans Besides filming the band’s performances, there were also occasions when Hayslett went with the MUSE musicians on personal excursions, like car racing and sightseeing, “Being compact, the Ace M made it easy to move from location to location without being slowed down by bulk,” he says.

Prior to the tour, Hayslett had never used the Ace. “I typically shoot more studio-oriented projects, so I’ve always used the Sachtler Video 20 II. But when I saw the Ace M, it became a perfect match for this gig. I’ve used other lightweight tripods in the past and was always displeased by the performance — there were always trade-offs. Luckily, not with the Ace M! Knowing I have a tripod that can get the job done puts my mind at ease. That’s extremely important when you are trying to get shots that are in the moment and not repeatable.”

Matt Hayslett has worked as a DP on music videos, commercials, concert visuals and live shows. He is currently on tour through the United States with MUSE, which has proven to be a bona fide success. When Hayslett completes this feature film documentary, the band plans to enter it in various film festivals, and it will be available for broadcast early next year.

Telestream announces new integration with Blackmagic Design for program feed output from Wirecast Telestream®, announced the integration of Blackmagic Design’s Intensity and DeckLink high performance capture and playback devices with Wirecast Pro 5. This integration allows users to take a live Wirecast program feed and capture it to a Blackmagic Design product, for use in editing, effects or other broadcast design workflows. This enables even more flexible live streaming production workflows.

"Our customers have asked for a way to take an SDI program feed directly out of Wirecast," said Filippa Hasselstrom, director of desktop product marketing at Telestream. "We are pleased to announce this can now be accomplished as a result of the integration with Blackmagic Design using the Wirecast 5 Output SDK." "It’s very exciting to see Blackmagic Design’s desktop video products integrated with Wirecast,” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “Using Wirecast with Blackmagic’s DeckLink and Intensity products will give customers a high performance, seamless SDI streaming workflow."

Integration with DeckLink and Intensity products was enabled

by Wirecast’s new Output SDK, which was introduced with the release of Wirecast 5. This SDK provides hardware manufacturers the ability to easily integrate their products directly with Wirecast. For more information on the Wirecast Output SDK, contact partners@telestream.net.

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TSL products enhances control management of broadcast systems with intelligent technological solutions at CCW/HD WORLD 2013 TSL Products will showcase its intelligent TallyMan Control Systems alongside its full range of the Power Management family of products at CCW 2013 (Booth 1342).

main and secondary power supplies. MDU-14B-32A is a reliable four-way mains distribution unit at excellent value.

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“Both the TallyMan and Power Management families were designed based on our experience within the Systems Integration world to continue to simplify the control and management of small to large broadcast systems,” says Chris Exelby, Managing Director at TSL Products.

“We’re looking forward to presenting these powerful and intelligent technological solutions to CCW/HD World visitors. Both ranges allow users to spend less time managing their systems and more time creating dynamic content.”

The TallyMan is designed to efficiently coordinate critical infrastructure components, including routers, vision switchers, multiviewers and cameras from multiple vendors.

Capable of displaying a real-time overview of a TV facility, the system ensures that the creative team, talent and camera operators are aware of (and can instruct) relevant systems at pertinent times throughout the production. To help administer this system wide control, TallyMan offers two controllers – the TallyMan VP (Virtual Panel) and the hardware-based TallyMan TMCP (Control Panel). The virtual panel has a sleek, easy-to-use touch screen GUI and holds the power to address virtually limitless numbers of routers from different manufacturers, saving the installation of new panels and preserving the existing workflow. The new TallyMan Control Panels are available in 16, 32 and 48 button variations, and offer all the capabilities of the TallyMan Virtual Panel in a hardware-based form factor. Each button is a TFT screen that

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Chris Exelby

is capable of displaying 16 characters or customized bitmaps, providing system wide control of critical multi-vendor devices from a common platform.

Also on display will be TSL Products’ full range of basic and intelligent Power Management products. These power distribution units enable systems managers to monitor and control all rack-mounted equipment, remotely, from anywhere in the world and to manage power requirements whilst reducing overall costs. The MDU-12PMi, for example, provides complete visibility of the health of the rack, monitoring status and alerting if preset limits are exceeded The MDU Change Over products are designed to work in any system where reliable switching is needed between the

New to the US market, TSL Products will be introducing its Vertical Intelligent Power (VIP) distribution unit. The VIP provides all the power and functions of the company’s intelligent power distribution line in a vertical format. This innovative design not only maximizes rack space but streamlines the installation and configuration of rack-mounted equipment, offering users the option to mix and match between basic and intelligent power configurations to suit the specific application.

TSL will also demonstrate its smart power management dashboard, PsiMon, for use with its Power Management products. PsiMon is an SQL server-based system that allows users to monitor and control the power levels of a multitude of rack-mounted devices remotely, ranging from temperature and voltage to GPIs and equipment fuse status. The dashboard displays a dynamic bar graph that shows real-time alarm status and numerical readings for parameter values. Rapid faultlocation is achievable with a single mouse click, taking operators directly to the location of any fault and streamlining product maintenance.

PsiMon’s green Eco Power Mapping function allows system managers to dynamically switch power on and off for individual pieces of equipment, significantly reducing power consumption across a facility, as well as reducing the need for air conditioning in a rack room.

The system is also able to power down inactive equipment, to reducing a facility’s ever-increasing energy prices even further.

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Lawo honored with “Emmy Engineering Plaque”

Emmy 2013

At the ‘65thPrimetime Emmy Engineering Awards’, held in Los Angeles on October 23, 2013, Lawo was awardedthe Emmy Engineering Plaque. The award honors achievements that exhibit a high level of engineering and are important to the

progress of the industry. “I wish to thank all our partners and customers. They have always supported us and pushed us to develop products that better suit their needs and support their rapidly evolving workflow requirements. To me this cooperation is the key to Lawo’s success”, said Philipp Lawo, CEO of Lawo.

The Emmys jury acknowledgedthat as one of the original manufacturers of audio networking technologies, Lawo pioneered the use of telecommunication protocols such as ATM/SDH (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) and

now RAVENNA (real-time Audioover-IP technology), making it possible to distribute broadband audio in real time over WAN networks thousands of miles apart, with transfers at the speed of light andminimum latency at each end.

In bestowing the Emmy Engineering Plaque, the jury recognized that Lawo's breakthrough helped lead the way for audio networking and the creation of Lawo’s Nova series routing matrices.With their modular construction, dual star network topology and scalable routing capacity of up to 8,192x 8,192 cross points in a single frame, the Nova series audio routers are used successfully by broadcast engineers world-wide, providing them with maximum reliability, unparalleled flexibility and significantly enhanced workflows.

Vizrt set to acquire Mosart Medialab Mosart Medialab announced that its parent company, TV 2 Gruppen AS, has entered into an indicative nonbinding term sheet with Vizrt Ltd., a provider of real-time 3D graphics and asset management tools to the broadcast industry, by which Vizrt will acquire all issued shares of Mosart. The acquisition will bring the Mosart® automation system, which simplifies the many control tasks within the news production chain, into the Vizrt product portfolio.

"Mosart technology brings unique functionality to Vizrt's offering of workflow solutions, and our products already are very well integrated, thanks to past collaborative work to meet the specific requirements of our shared customers," said John Kjellevold, managing director at Mosart Medialab.

"Going forward as part of Vizrt, Mosart will gain the benefit of Vizrt's extensive international sales and support organization, as well as its strong reputation and its brand recognition. This will allow us to strengthen the value of Mosart automation for users in a broader range of markets."

John Kjellevold

Mosart automation enables just a few operators to master complex productions using an intuitive software interface. The Mosart system takes input from the newsroom computer system, controls systems and devices, and allows the operator to maintain control of both regular broadcasts and unpredictable breaking news events.

"I am excited about the possibilities this proposed transaction can bring to Vizrt and our customers," said Vizrt CEO Martin Burkhalter. "Mosart's technology is a perfect complement to our smart workflow solutions, and it will enhance our offering to broadcasters on a global scale. Vizrt continues to innovate, and with this acquisition we further strengthen our position as the dominant player in the broadcast software market. This transaction makes sense for us both strategically and financially. Mosart has shown strong growth, and we expect our due diligence to show the acquisition will be accretive."

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DVEO announces new products in Streaming Media West 2013 – including live media server with 8 HD-SDI Inputs, video warehouse with automatic archiving, IP video traffic shaping technology, and more Some of the products included in the show:

IP Video Traffic Shaping Technology for Alleviating Packet Loss, Video Freezes, Jitter, and Noise – DOZERbox IP IP DVEO's DOZERbox IP IP gateways enable IPTV operators, Over The Top (OTT) video providers, and broadcasters to improve video distribution over average quality internet backbones. Customers in the USA use Dozer technology to import video content from Greece, Iraq, Colombia, and Bangladesh – with no packet loss or video freezes, and lower latency.

Eight Channel HD-SDI Streamer, Encoder, and Live Media Distribution Server – MAGNUS Anytime HD-SDI The MAGNUS Anytime HD-SDI is a powerful multichannel (10 1080p, 20 720p, or 40 SD Channels) live H.264 encoder and live media distribution server/VOD (video on demand) server. It ingests and transcodes up to eight live HD-SDI inputs and adds wrappers such as HLS, RTMP, or RTSP. The system outputs the live streams and simultaneously stores the streams as VOD files. It delivers live or stored streams to over 500 simultaneous users.

Streaming media production professionals will use this system to feed HD-SDI from production trucks to production crew or to audiences via IP. It is an ideal distribution server for studios, stadiums, concert halls, cruise ships, etc. who rely on both live and resident content. It is also suitable for sending videos to

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iPads, iPhones, and other portable devices, and for building a CDN (content distribution network) or adding live content to a CDN.

Portable Dual Input SDI/HDSDI Live Streamer/Encoder with Touch Panel Control – MAMBA DIG/IP Only 12.25 inches long and 8.25 inches wide, the MAMBA DIG/IP is a portable SDI/HD-SDI live encoder/streamer with one or two HD-SDI inputs. The output is one HD and three SD H.264 streams with different profiles. In addition to an LCD touch screen for monitoring and simple controls, the compact encoder also features remote management from anywhere via the public internet. The MAMBA DIG/IP is ideal for electronic news gathering, corporate training, and streaming live video from events, concerts, and sporting events.

An optional battery belt pack is available for video shoots in the field. Optional versions are available for a single HDMI input or 4 analog (composite) inputs, instead of SDI/HD-SDI inputs.

Multichannel Video Warehouse with Automatic Archiving – VidBak The VidBak encodes uploaded video and audio files into online streaming formats. It archives 100,000+ streams and serves them on demand within schools, universities, corporations, institutions, cruise ships, etc. The remotely manageable system can also encrypt videos for content protection. The easy to use GUI allows self directed searches and quick meta data based searches. Users can self-categorize videos in multiple categories.

The VidBak runs on a Windows®

server with external storage arrays.

80 Channel Adaptive Optimized Transcoder for Mobile and OTT – MultiStreamer Brutus IV IP/IP: TELCO The broadcast quality MultiStreamer Brutus IV IP/IP: TELCO is a real time transcoder, streamer and scaler. It transcodes up to 80 SD streams, or 40 720p HD streams, or 20 1080i/p HD streams from MPEG-2 to H.264 or viceversa. Built on a dependable 4 x 8 Core Intel® Sandy Bridge CPU, the system is suitable for IPTV, OTT, mobile TV, broadcast, and Telco TV, or as a transcoder/reformatter for RTSP IP Cameras. The Brutus supports Flash, HLS, RTMP, HTTP, Smooth, and Live streaming and works well with Wowza®, Adobe® Flash® and RealNetworks® Servers. Audio support includes AAC, Ogg Vorbis, MPEG-1 Layer II, optional MP3, and/or optional "SurCode for Dolby Digital" AC-3.

Live Ingest Stand Alone VOD Server and Live Media Distributor – Reality Anytime IP IP: TELCO Recommended for small to midsized IPTV distribution, multiscreen content delivery, and stadiums, universities, and other public venues, the Reality Anytime IP IP Telco serves over 500 live and/or recorded streams on an on-demand basis to over 1,000 simultaneous users. It can support even more users with optional Intel® solid-state drives. It ingests "pre groomed" (pre formatted) live streams, then adds wrappers and protocols that are needed by today's mobile devices, set top boxes, and OTT equipped televisions.

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MediorNet MN-ST-AL2 for STUDER

Riedel products at CCW 2013 Integrated AVB Control Panel for Artist Digital Matrix Intercom The CPX-AVB provides the next generation of AVB interfacing for Riedel Artist digital matrix intercom control panels. The CPX-AVB is a dedicated card that fits in the expansion slot of the Artist 1100 series OLED control panels. The card turns the control panel into an AVBenabled device, in turn making the panel's ports available within the entire AVB network. The expansion card converts two Artist ports to the AVB network and vice versa.

To enable further signal integration, Riedel offers a comprehensive suite of AVB-enabled interfaces for

its Artist intercom platform. In addition to the existing Connect AVB x8 panel interface, the Connect AVB C8 offers eight AES connections on BNC. The device supports both bidirectional AES for intercom panels and unidirectional transport for broadcast AES. The Connect AVB A8 provides eight analog inputs and outputs on RJ45 connectors.

Riedel's AVB Manager offers full AVB network management and features systemwide control of all AVB components.

MediorNet Now to Support Studer Consoles The MN-ST-AL-2 card provides two ports, each with redundant interfaces, for connecting Studer mixing

consoles via the Studer A-Link protocol. In this way, the consoles become an integrated part of the entire signal distribution infrastructure. Users can gain up to 384 channels per connection and realize significant savings in cabling and maintenance costs while reaping the benefits of MediorNet's unparalleled flexibility and signal quality. Routing of the audio stream is handled by the user-friendly MediorWorks control and management software via drag-and-drop programming, which makes last-minute changes easy and intuitive. Additional routing adjustments can be performed via Pro-Bel commands or the new EMBER+ remote control protocol in MediorNet.

AVB Module for Keypanels

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Anton/Bauer shines a spotlight on mobile power at SATIS 2013 Anton/Bauer® will have several of its mobile power solutions for the broadcast industry on display at the Vitec Videocom stand (#B19) during SATIS 2013. The company will highlight its DIONIC® HC, HCX, HD and CINE VCLX batteries, as well as a variety of the company’s innovative Gold Mount® solutions and chargers.

“As one of the premier broadcast shows in France, we look forward to sharing our mobile power solutions with SATIS attendees each year,” says Graham Sharp vice president of product management, Vitec Videocom. “Our products are fieldproven sources of durable, reliable power, designed to work alongside the top camera equipment in the marketplace. We look forward to meeting attendees and assessing their power needs.”

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DIONIC HC, HCX and HD Part of Anton/Bauer’s Logic Series® of batteries, the DIONIC HC, HCX and HD offers 91Wh, 124Wh and 183Wh respectively.

The HC and HCX are suitable for powering high-current applications in a lightweight package and can be easily transported as carry-on luggage without restrictions, making them ideal for shooting on location.

At 3.4 lbs., the DIONIC HD still weighs 40 percent less than a NiCad or NiMH battery. Working closely with leading cell manufacturers, this series of batteries incorporates high-capacity cells, offering up to 10 amps of power draw.

CINE VCLX Honored earlier this year with a Scientific and Engineering Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (A.M.P.A.S®),

Anton/Bauer’s CINE VCLX provides ultimate power performance, extended run-times and flexibility for cinema professionals. Solving a common production dilemma, the CINE VCLX series allows users to not only power cameras, but also the supplementary equipment, such as lighting, required for production. Thanks to the safety and high-power-draw performance of the battery’s NickelMetal Hydride (Ni-MH) cell chemistry technology; this one solution can handle the specific needs of 24V film, 14V video and 28V digital cinema equipment, plus all accessories.

All of Anton/Bauer’s batteries on display at the show also feature a RealTime® LCD that accurately displays remaining run-time and a visual LED warning indicator, which is activated when 15 minutes of runtime remain.

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Viaccess-Orca names Chem Assayag EVP, Sales Viaccess-Orca announced that Chem Assayag has joined the company as its new EVP, sales. Assayag takes up responsibility for global sales strategy and business development, driving business in new markets, managing the expansion of the sales force, and feeding into the product development process.

"With the introduction of our latest comprehensive range of products, the company is poised to rapidly expand its client base throughout the world," said François Moreau de Saint Martin, CEO at Viaccess-Orca.

"Chem's combination of expertise and experience in helping companies grow in the digital space, especially with his knowledge of multiscreen and crossplatform content distribution, makes him the perfect person to help us achieve our goals."

Assayag has strong experience in the world of digital television and content services.

During his tenure at OpenTV, the worldwide leader in interactive television, he managed operations in Europe and the Middle East, growing revenues to 60 million Euros in the company's largest business region.

He also led the worldwide sales, marketing, and business development functions for the MediaHighwayÂŽ product line at NDS (now part of Cisco Systems). In the late 2000s he was also a key figure in Europe's developing mobile TV and mobile broadcast industry, leading Qualcomm's MediaFLO division in the region.

2013

Harmonic strengthens sales team with two new senior management appointments Harmonic announced the appointments of Frank Montalto as the company's regional vice president for North American cable and telco and Spencer Hodson as the company's vice president of sales strategy, operations, and enablement.

"Both Spencer and Frank have industry experience that is essential for implementing our strategy for driving additional revenue opportunities within the broadcast, cable, satellite, telco, and media markets," said George Stromeyer, senior vice president, worldwide sales at Harmonic. "Frank has demonstrated the ability to generate creative strategies for the successful and significant scaling of businesses, and he is known as a highly effective leader in driving that growth. Spencer brings energy, critical thinking, and a breadth of business understanding to his role at Harmonic. He will be a strong partner and advocate for the worldwide sales organization as we embark on a new growth phase."

Montalto joins Harmonic following a 15-year tenure at Cisco Systems, where he honed his sales and sales management expertise first in the enterprise market and then in the service provider industry. His experience extends across IT networks including data and video infrastructure, and across channel management and sales to both cable and telco operators. Most recently, Montalto served as director of sales operations at Cisco for the North American MSO segment, leading a sales and presales team in building relationships with cable and telco operators.

Hodson most recently served as director of sales strategy and operations for Cisco's worldwide information security business. He spent more than 15 years with the com-

Frank Montalto.

pany, most of that time in the service provider business, and he held key roles in strategy consulting, business development, field operations, and global field programs.

Prior to his tenure at Cisco, Hodson served in product marketing and sales roles at Bell Canada and AT&T, respectively.

Spencer Hodson.

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Indian Channel Vendhar TV chooses Snell multi-format production switchers Snell today announced that Vendhar TV, an upcoming Tamil-language general entertainment channel serving India's Chennai region, has deployed two Snell Kahuna multi-format production switchers to drive its news and entertainment programming. Currently in a testing phase, Vendhar TV is scheduled to launch in a few weeks.

"When designing a studio that could meet our requirements well into the future, we knew we were making the right choice with the Snell switchers," said P. Azhagudurai, technical manager, Vendhar TV. "Kahuna's performance, along with its ability to support multiple input and output formats, and powerful features for chroma keys, macros, and effects, really set it apart from the other switchers we evaluated."

Vendhar TV installed a two-M/E Kahuna switcher in its news studio to support its four daily 30-minute news bulletins, together with a one-M/E switcher in the program studio for live production and postproduction of a wide range of entertainment programs. Although the channel will be initially uplinking an SD signal, the broadcast facility features an allHD workflow that will support HD broadcasting in the future. With Kahuna, the channel can leverage existing SD content sources as it makes a gradual migration to full HD production.

"Vendhar TV is an exciting new example of how the Indian broadcast market is rapidly evolving to reflect a widely diverse audience and deliver tailored content to many different groups of viewers," said Amit Daftary, regional head, Middle East and South Asia at Snell. "Our switchers provide the perfect platform upon which Vendhar TV can build an operation that will serve its needs now and into the future as the broadcasting landscape continues to grow and change."

Vendhar TV

CRP MEDIOS Y ENTRETENIMIENTO SAC Radio upgrades Key Broadcast Equipment with IDC’s STAR Pro Audio Solution In a strategic move to bring the most comprehensive radio options to over 30 million Peruvian listeners, International Datacasting Corporation (TSX: IDC) is pleased to announce that CRP MEDIOS Y ENTRETENIMIENTO SAC will upgrade its network across Peru using IDC’s STAR Pro AudioTM Receivers. IDC’s STAR system offers a technological leap forward by saving up to 60% in satellite bandwidth costs. STAR is the modern replacement for IDC’s market-leading ABR professional audio system, which is still being used to deliver content to tens of thousands of transmitter sites across the world.

CRP MEDIOS Y ENTRETENIMIENTO SAC is a longterm IDC customer, and offers a wide variety of targeted music stations, as well as the ability to advertise locally in major cities. These highly popular stations enjoy a diverse audience who tune in daily for entertainment that reflects a contemporary Latin American market. CRP MEDIOS Y ENTRETENIMIENTO SAC plans to deploy IDC’s STAR in a multi-phase approach that will work in tandem with the ABR platform until all systems are in place, allowing for a seamless transition.

“Yet again, IDC brings an exciting new solution to our family of stations that not only translates to savings for CRP MEDIOS Y ENTRETENIMIENTO SAC, but also enables growth. As a result of

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our experience with IDC, we know the technology and the quality of the equipment will give us outstanding performance,” said Manual Soto, COO for CRP MEDIOS Y ENTRETENIMIENTO SAC. “With IDC, we appreciate knowing that we will always have the best technology and service available for many years to come.”

The STAR Pro Audio Receivers are the latest example of IDC’s 20-year commitment to engineer long lasting, highly reliable audio receiver products that support the customer’s satellite distribution needs well in to the future. Its range is designed specifically for the distribution of audio programming over satellite, IP and ASI radio broadcasting networks.

This efficient and reliable infrastructure supports the mission of IDC to deliver the highest broadcast quality as well as outstanding value for its customers.

“Our long-standing relationship with CRP MEDIOS Y ENTRETENIMIENTO SAC truly reflects our dedication to the advancement of the radio industry in Latin America,” said Doug Lowther, President and CEO of IDC. “We are confident that the STAR solution will provide an excellent upgrade that streamlines services, while lowering costs for CRP MEDIOS Y ENTRETENIMIENTO SAC.”

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Calrec announces major software upgrade with new suite of features Calrec Audio has released a major software upgrade for its Bluefin2 range of consoles. The Apollo and Artemis platforms now include a new suite of features and enhancements that provide additional functionality tailored to the changing dynamics of modern broadcast.

"Calrec prides itself on its close working relationship with all its customers. Through conversation and feedback, we constantly update our products to suit the needs of the ever-evolving broadcast environment," said Henry Goodman, head of sales and marketing at Calrec.

"Further to this, it is imperative that we hear from those who use our consoles on a daily basis as their input allows us to create more streamlined working methods for them.

It is because of these conversations and regular feature releases that Calrec finds itself in the privileged market-leading position it holds today."

A major new feature is designed to protect Hydra2 sources and destinations when they are being addressed by multiple users across a network. Any user receiving a source can control mic gain, phantom power (48v), or SRC using their own input controls, but they are protected against making accidental changes that may affect the other users also receiving that same source.

Users with connections to a Hydra2 destination are protected against other users' unintentional changes to their connections. This protection scheme applies to direct control of sources and destinations, as well as bulk changes made through memory recalls.

The Mic Open Systems feature is used to control external devices relative to the on-air status of a signal source. Mic Open Systems can cut or dim the feed to a loudspeaker to avoid feedback or control relays for switching purposes, such as tur-

29 Apollo 0861 faders

ning on "on air" lights. There are five Mic Open Systems available on the console.

The latest software also includes loudness meters to monitor and regulate average loudness levels over the duration of a program.

Operators can freely assign 16 loudness meters to any source or output, and these meters can be assigned to the console's meter upstand.

The new release also features Input 1 and 2 linking, which links the separate trim controls on each input.

This capability allows users to adjust both Input 1 and Input 2 simultaneously, maintaining any offset between them.

The Replay feature allows easy switching between inputs 1 and 2 for a predetermined set of paths. This provides a quick way to play back multitrack content over the same fader paths used for recording, sometimes referred to as a virtual soundcheck. This is achieved by patching each live audio source to a path's input 1 and the corresponding recording device output to the path's input 2. All paths being used with the multitrack recorder are then added to the Replay Set, allowing their inputs to be switched between input 1 and 2 with a single button press.

Another addition to the software, User Configurable Mode Layouts

are stored arrangements of modes on the surface panels. This feature is very useful if the arrangement of the surface layout has been altered and the user needs to get back to a familiar state quickly. With this new feature, the layout can now be configured, stored, and recalled to the user's specification at the touch of a button.

Rounding out the major enhancements is AWACS Messaging over SNMP, which allows broadcast facilities to manage Calrec warning messages from a central location along with other manufacturers' equipment.

Additional features include: - Salvos — source-to-destination routing lists to allow en masse patching of I/O - An option for opening a fader to cancel its latched PFL - The ability to disable creation and editing of VCA groups, thus preventing accidental changes - The ability to disable CSCP mixer remote control on a per-path basis - An automixer disable function that allows users to disable an automixer easily without having to switch out every channel - Enhanced compressor control features - Cut indicators for each leg of a path on meters

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Matrox Convert DVI Plus helps all-news channel bring local stories to air Debuting in 1982 as Cablevision News, News 12 Connecticut is the exclusive 24-hour local news channel serving southwestern Connecticut. Today, it is one of seven regional cable news television channels offered by News 12 Networks in the New York metropolitan area. The entire network broadcasts individually in each of its seven regions, 24-hour-per-day local news to more than 3.5 million cable households in the tri-state area and offers Spanish services in some regions.

Based in Norwalk, Connecticut, News 12 Connecticut reaches Optimum subscribers in 13 communities in Fairfield County, as well as the municipalities of Milford, Woodbridge, and Orange in New Haven County. The channel recently launched two innovative projects: the first involves driving social media content to air while the second involves broadcasting remote weather cameras. Although very different, both initiatives require taking video from a PC and incorporating it into daily broadcasts. Matrox Convert DVI Plus, a DVI to HD-SDI scan converter with Genlock, provides News 12 with a cost-effective solution to get a computer signal converted into a format that can easily be integrated into their daily production.

Travis Machacek, Studio Operations Manager, explains more about the social media project, “We developed a custom web application that lets us aggregate incoming social media content into a playlist.

After a producer builds a playlist of comments and/or photos, he puts the playlist into “air” mode, which formats the content into a particular look that is stylized to match our station’s graphical design. We use Matrox Convert DVI Plus to convert

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from the on-air feed seen by the viewers.

the DVI signal from the PC that is running the web application to an HD-SDI feed that can be broadcast through our production switcher in the control room.” The on-set anchors interact directly with viewers via social media as opposed to having the comments and photos go through several steps before being “air ready”. By taking a converted feed from a laptop on set, an anchor can, on the fly, choose a region of interest of what they want to share, making for a much more immediate interaction with the audience. “We find this to be a very quick and costeffective way to get content out to viewers,” adds Machacek.

Although News 12 Connecticut’s primary need is to convert a DVI signal to HD-SDI, it is also important to their social media application that Matrox Convert DVI Plus lets them select and expand a particular region of the screen that they want to scale out to the production switcher. This permits the removal of the navigation buttons and the web address box on the web browser

News 12 Connecticut also uses the Matrox converter to broadcast remote weather cameras. The station has a series of IP cameras installed at various locations throughout their viewing area. The cameras broadcast live network streams of video that are fed back to a server at the station over the internet. The software application on the server that receives the feeds allows them to view each camera full screen on the server. Matrox Convert DVI Plus converts the DVI output of the server to an HD-SDI feed that can be taken live to air via the production switcher in the control room. They also split this HD-SDI feed into their weather graphics computer to be used in the meteorologist’s presentation during the weather segments.

“Matrox Convert DVI Plus is proving to be a valuable asset to getting additional weather content on the air via our converted weather cameras.

As a 24-hour local news station, we can now give our viewers a live look at the weather in their community multiple times an hour, every day of the week,” comments Machacek. In addition to their field crews, the channel uses the cameras to supplement severe weather coverage – like when Hurricane Sandy battered the US East Coast in 2012. “We rely upon the Matrox gear in conjunction with the cameras to tell the complete weather story,” continues Machacek.

News 12 Connecticut plans to use the Matrox Convert DVI Plus for social media, weather cameras, and anything else where capturing a section of a computer interface for broadcast helps tell a story.

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wTVision keeps dribbling in Live Basketball broadcasts the graphics coverage, using Basketball Slides that receives information from the database and displays it through any kind of on-air graphics by controlling the graphic engine. wTVision also integrates its product with the official scoreboards, providing the time of each quarter and the shot clock, in realtime, through graphics.

Working for ESPN Brasil, in October, wTVision covered the Chicago Bulls vs Washington Wizards game (Official NBA Global Games 2013), the first NBA game held in South America, Brazil.

This service included the integration of the NBA official statistics, the official ESPN USA graphics branding implementation and the operational service, made by two operators.

wTVision’s portfolio also includes projects such as FIBA Africa Championship Women, Arab Basketball Championship, EuroCup, FIBA Asia Championship, Ethias League, Liga ACB, FIBA Road to WorldCup, among others.

wTVision has a vast experience providing graphics services for basketball competitions. In Spain and France the company is providing graphics services for the matches, played in these countries of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague.

In Spain wTVision’s team takes care of the data gathering using Basketball Stats application, a dedicated scouting system that allows operators to collect a wide range of

information on a match, while in France wTVision is integrating the official results from Euroleague.

In both countries wTVision makes

Communication Specialists leverages Riedel Gear and expertise for RecordBreaking London Cycling Event Riedel Communications announced that it supplied an Artist digital matrix intercom system and terrestrial trunked digital radio (TETRA) infrastructure to Communication Specialists Ltd. (CSL) to enable communications throughout a series of professional and amateur cycling events that included 65,000 riders over a single weekend in August. The Riedel equipment facilitated reliable integrated radio communications over 100 miles of roads, from central London to the Surrey countryside.

"Riedel is a tremendously professional company that offers planning, preparation, and delivery that is second to none, and the company's technical team on the ground works magic in ensuring that installed sys-

tems perform optimally at all times," said Steve Napier, project manager at Communication Specialists Ltd. "We really enjoyed joining forces with Riedel for the event and look forward to working together again."

Representing the U.K.'s largest ever mass-participation cycling event, amateur riders completed the 100mile challenge on the same closed roads covered by the event's professional racers, with the added incentive of raising money for good causes. The best action of the day was broadcast live on TV in the U.K. and internationally to an audience of millions.

In delivering a complete communications system that supported diverse race elements ranging from organization to security to production, CSL selected and constructed seven antenna sites — including one at BT Tower — throughout the route, as well as a 3G backup. Working alongside CSL technicians, the Riedel team specified, installed, and supported a digital radio backbone including the Artist intercom system and more than 1,200 TETRA radios and accessories. The resulting solution covered 11 zones extending into the countryside.

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Avid ISIS 5000 with Management Controls

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A vision for the future of the media industry THE

MEDIA INDUSTRY

IS FACING A PERIOD OF UNPRECEDENTED CHANGE From the way media is produced and managed to the methods used to protect, optimize, distribute, and analyze content, every part of the value chain is being affected. These changes have created enormous pressures—and opportunities—for media organizations and creative professionals. The market forces behind these challenges can be categorized around three key industry pain points: The accelerated digitization of the media value chain Technology has enabled almost every aspect of how we live to become increasingly digitized. It is not surprising that the social desire to connect more directly, efficiently, and powerfully is also impacting the media industry. But the acceleration of this seemingly obvious digitization trend is having a massive impact on the media industry and fundamentally altering

the value chain that has been in place for decades. At its simplest, the creative side of the value chain is fusing with the business (or monetization) side, causing the two previously separate components to be inexorably linked, and providing the opportunity for a more interactive, powerful, and efficient connection at every step from creation to consumption.

This opportunity to connect the idea to create a piece of content for the enjoyment of another human, digitally and more directly, is providing new challenges never before faced by the industry. Organizations are under intense pressure to connect and automate their entire creation to-consumption workflow—yet current technology solutions have stubbornly remained highly siloed,

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and road maps are increasingly disconnected from the most urgent industry needs. At the same time, digitization has lowered the barrier to creating content, and therefore increased competition for advertising and audience share. As a result, the need for seamless, integrated workflows is greater than ever. This is not just a matter of business efficiency; there is significant risk that those who do not adapt may not have a long-term role in the media chain.

The “consumerization” of content creation and distribution Gone are the days when content creators had the ability to dictate when, where, and how consumers enjoyed media.

Not only are today’s consumers more sophisticated than ever; they’re empowered to create and consume content anywhere, anytime, through any device and any format.

This consumerization has increased the cost and complexity of monetizing assets, as multiple formats, distribution channels, and devices have proliferated. Technology has also enabled content customization, tailored delivery models, and created more sophisticated consumer analytics. As a result of all these factors, there is now intense competition for share of the consumer’s wallet and viewership. At the same time, it is now possible to understand consumption patterns, profiles, and preferences, allowing an increased opportunity to monetize digital assets in ways that previously could only have been imagined.

Relentless pressure for operational efficiency Across the media industry, unrelenting cost pressures combined with drive for topline revenue growth are making a significant impact on spending priorities. While some IT budgets are growing slightly, strategic investment priorities are reorganizing away from creative solutions and towards solving the challenge of monetizing, protecting, repurposing, and optimizing content. Organizations are facing

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increasing technical and monetization complexity in the creation, protection, and distribution of high-quality, branded media assets—and looking for innovative ways to solve these issues. Technology integration, vendor management, and interoperability challenges have made already-limited flexibility, agility, and innovation even more difficult. The need for innovative thinking in the industry is obvious.

MARKET FORCES

AT

WORK

The proliferation of digital media has created great demand for systems to manage an ever- increasing flow of content.

- Frost and Sullivan According to a survey of 800 end-user IT organizations, software for management of images and video is the fastest-growing segment of the content management market.

- Gartner Global spending on entertainment and media is forecasted to rise at a 5.7% CAGR to $2.1 trillion in 2016. —PwC These combined pressures have dramatically altered the media industry value chain. In years past, organizations utilized a linear value chain in which content moved through pre-production, production, postproduction, distribution, and delivery—with predetermined handoffs occurring between each process. In today’s world, the previously linear value chain has fused to create a fluid, interactive, and multi-dimensional process in which digital assets can be controlled all the way from concept to consumption.

In addition to changes in the traditional value chain, digital technology is creating fascinating opportunities for measuring and analyzing content.

Organizations now have the opportunity to use metadata analytics to examine why, when, and how consumers enjoy media. By incorporating immediate feedback into the content creation process, producers can tailor their output to consumer needs, likes, and trends. With all of the challenges and opportunities in today’s environment, what can media organizations do to win?

HOW TO WIN IN TODAY’S ENVIRONMENT An organization’s ability to succeed depends upon how aggressively it can adapt to the new realities of its business. Many organizations are struggling not only with the tools to execute their strategic initiatives, but also with the organizational structure itself— which is steeped in a traditional siloed view of con-

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tent creation and distribution. The challenges created by the accelerated digitization of media assets, the “consumerization” of content creation and distribution, and relentless pressure for operational efficiency have resulted in five specific needs for media organizations: Integrate the Content Creation and Monetization Processes In the new digital landscape, the content creation and monetization processes are linked. The cost pressures and opportunity to optimize and tailor delivery with increased interaction, puts a premium on a single integrated solution that is more efficient, powerful, and flexible across the entire workflow. The core challenge for media organizations is to align their creative and business teams to act as one and to have the technology tools to enable strategic execution across the enterprise.

DELIVER HIGHER QUALITY, INSPIRING CONTENT While the value chain is changing, one thing remains clear – content is still king. In a market that is evolving rapidly and experimenting with new ways to engage audiences, high-quality content—with a great image and audio experience—is the strongest driver of audience

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engagement. To motivate increasingly sophisticated consumers to act, studios, channel programmers and broadcasters need to produce high-quality content that is created, finished, and distributed through professional production, asset, and workflow management systems.

INDUSTRY RESEARCH AND O VUM

FROM

AVID

Avid recently commissioned a global study conducted by leading research firm Ovum. Seeking insights from both media organizations and consumers, the goal was to help our community understand, anticipate, and capture the opportunity of the unprecedented changes taking place in our industry. Results showed that while the value chain is changing, one thing remains clear— content is still king. 65% of consumers identify the visual and audio experience as a key driver of enjoyment. In addition, the research shows there is profit in media archives, if organizations can employ the right metadata strategy. 37% of consumers would pay to watch archived episodes of their favorite shows. However, although media producers believe they could monetize as much as 33% of their archives to take advantage of consumers’ willingness to pay, they say most of that material is

currently inaccessible.

everywhere.

EMBRACE SEAMLESS COLLABORATIVE WORKFLOWS

To take full advantage, media organizations need solutions that will allow them to efficiently and easily respond to a broad range of content creation and distribution demands with a single integrated platform.

Just as consumers are no longer constrained by how and when they consume content, media organizations are no longer limited to working within the walls of their facility.

Media professionals should have the tools that enable them to create, share, protect, optimize, and distribute content collaboratively from everywhere. And while cloud-enabled technology is an excellent tool, organizations should have the choice to tailor the environment in ways that work best for them—not dictated by a particular vendor. Constant and real-time connectivity now allow for distributed and complex workflow environments to be available

PROTECT AND OPTIMIZE MEDIA ASSET VALUE The intense changes to the business model require media organizations and professionals to get more out of each asset quickly and less expensively. This underscores the need for organizations with complicated business environments to rapidly create, access, distribute, and monetize content at lower cost.

To do this effectively, they need to ensure that assets are protected,

are immediately available when needed, and can be repurposed easily and efficiently. Multiple siloed vendors following the traditional value chain are not only putting media organizations out of touch with consumers; this practice is also siphoning critical capital in areas such as integration and interoperability, in ways that still don’t match the needs of today’s environment.

PARTNER WITH INDUSTRY EXPERTS In order to credibly solve current and future challenges and stay on the forefront of industry innovation, media organizations need technology partners who offer deep industry expertise; who have a proven and trusted history of solving the industry’s most complex problems; and who have a long-term history of investing in the industry.

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LEADING THE INDUSTRY FIGHT With so many unprecedented changes at play, the media industry needs a leader to step forward and provide direction. Avid is uniquely positioned to assume this role. With over 25 years of experience working with the most successful media organizations and creative professionals in the world, Avid has a unique perspective for what the industry requires. Only Avid combines the openness, flexibility, cuttingedge innovation, and comprehensiveness needed to spearhead the media industry’s fight to overcome

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the extraordinary challenges we are all facing. To that end, we are presenting a strategic vision that will help the industry navigate through these tumultuous times. It’s not just a vision for Avid—it’s a vision for the entire media industry. And we want everyone to join the cause.

AVID EVERYWHERE,

IT

ALL BEGINS WITH AN IDEA Imagine a world where anyone with a creative idea can conceptualize, produce, monetize, and distribute their work for the enjoyment

and pleasure of others, and be rewarded by the global community for the assets they’ve created.

Where they can share a common platform that connects the creation and consumption pieces of the value chain fused together into a single integrated framework that flexibly adjusts for their needs.

“Avid Everywhere” is our vision for facilitating this process—for connecting creative professionals and media organizations with their audiences in a more powerful, efficient, collaborative, and profitable way. To make Avid Everywhere a reality, we plan to develop the most fluid end-to-end, distributed media

production environment in the industry, a comprehensive ecosystem that encompasses every aspect of the new digital media value chain.

It will start with a common services platform—providing the underlying media services, connectivity, and orchestration capabilities to support the entire media value chain. The platform facilitates an open and extensible environment that integrates with technology from Avid as well as other providers.

Content creators and distributors gain the ability to produce, manage, deliver, and monetize media that adheres to a common set of standards, regardless of the vendor and

tools they choose to use at each step of the way.

easier than ever to archive and retrieve media.

Building on the common services platform will be a suite of modular applications. Avid today provides industry-leading applications for sharing, collaborating, managing, and customizing creative assets within the production workflow. Moving forward, we will extend this to include monetization tools—applications that will allow content creators to protect, encrypt, reformat, distribute, and repurpose finished assets to maximize their value, tying together media creation and monetization across the value chain.

The final component of Avid Everywhere is the market place. Our vision is to give media creators the ability to monetize finished assets, broker talent, and collaborate on projects through both a public and private market place—all empowered by the common services platform, with full access control, encryption, security, and authentication tools.

To gain entry to the platform, Avid Everywhere will provide a comprehensive access layer—a common interface across web, mobile, and desktop devices, that enables anyone participating in the media value chain to access the right content, workflows, and applications— everywhere at anytime. Avid’s industry-leading creative tools for editing and mixing are also a key part of Avid Everywhere. Taking advantage of the common services and media management modules across the value chain, including remote collaboration, media access, digital rights management, and more, content creators can focus on creating, while the heavy lifting is done behind the scenes.

When ingesting media, robust metadata tagging and management, are critical to realizing full asset potential across the value chain. In close collaboration with our customer community, Avid intends to lead the creation of a new industry-standard metadata tracking system, where metadata will be generated algorithmically and provide a significantly greater level of detail, making it possible to take a flexible and adaptable view of assets at any stage of the lifecycle.

Avid Everywhere’s media repository solutions combine highly optimized production storage with open storage and tape libraries, making it

The unprecedented pace of change facing the media industry is putting tremendous pressure on business models. An organization’s ability to succeed depends upon how effectively they can work within the new media industry value chain.

The Avid Everywhere vision applies our unique experience with the world’s most successful media organizations to understand the industry’s current and future business challenges and anticipate the new technologies, workflows, and standards that will drive our community forward to success.

Further, with so much of the technology at the core of Avid Everywhere already developed and in use, this vision represents a natural extension of our openness and cutting-edge innovation, not a departure. Unlike companies that merely devote a portion of their focus to audio and video technology, Avid is exclusively dedicated to solving the strategic needs of media professionals, and we are continually evaluating the changes affecting our industry as the new media value chain rapidly evolves. At the end of the day, Avid is committed to growing, strengthening, and empowering the world’s largest community of creative professionals by giving them everything they need to achieve personal and professional success, both now and in the future.

We encourage you to join us, get involved in what we’re doing, and be a part of shaping the industry’s future.

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Astel Elektronik has completed the redesign of a news studio for Turkey’s Kanal D at the Doğan TV Center in Istanbul— specifying three Christie® Roadster HD18K 3-chip DLP® projectors and a Christie Spyder 344 4-in/4-out multi-screen processor. Kanal D forms part of the country’s most famous media organisation, Doğan Group, owned by Turkish media tycoon Aydin Doğan.

The station wanted to redeploy the existing plasma screen and replace it with a back projection solution — using a 1.5m (high) x 7.8m (wide) screen in 5.1 aspect ratio. This would coincide with the start of the new season of the morning special

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news programme, İrfan Degirmenci ile Gunaydin, presented by Irfan Degirmenci between 7am and9am.

This meant optimising the limited rear space available in the corner of the studio, where the display would be sited.

choice for projection is always Christie — their products have quality assurance and generally respond to our needs. And in this partnership Astel plays an important role, ensuring that this efficiency is maintained.”

Having sold displays and Christie projectors to the broadcasters for more than a decade, Astel were automatically brought in to carry out the work, on the basis of their long trading partnership and Doğan Group’s reliance on Christie quality and Astel’s support. Hakan Tumer, Head of the Technical Group at Dogan TV Holding, stated, “Our first

One of the biggest challenges facing the technical team were the tight time scales, since the project needed to be completed by September 5th 2012 — necessitating a 24/7 work schedule (including set-ups). Having determined the requirements, Astel’s engineers decided that the best solution would be offered by three Christie

Roadster HD18K’s in combination with a custom Stewart screen.

However, before this solution was adopted, tests needed to be carried out to ascertain colour matching and colour temperature set up, which was vital for camera use. However, thanks to the Christie 3-chip DLP technology, there were no compatibility issues.

Astel’s Yılmaz Kayabaş, Director of Technical Services, also stressed that the built in projector software, LiteLOC™ (light output control technology), also proved extremely effective for brightness uniformity settings. “This software will also be used throughout the life of each lamp to maintain a consistent light output, which is only available when using Xenon lamps,” he said.

Although the screen concept was initially to have been curved, the producer and director of the show later modified the design into a twosection straight screen with an angle of 110 degrees at the intersection point. The shorter section measures 2.8 metres by 1.5 metres high and the longer one is more than 5 metres in length, which required edge-blending. However, according to

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Kayabaş, the biggest challenge was matching the content at the intersection without edge-blending. A further challenge was the placement of the projectors themselves.

“We had a very limited time to order, deliver and install, so we could not use a rear-pro mirror sys-

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tem,” he continued. “Instead we used fixed lenses which have less lens shift values without the zoom option. We were aware of possible hot spot issues, so we placed the projectors three metres high, using a custom designed installation rig which offered the possibility of adjusting the height and angle of the

projector, and lined them up to the screen at about 45°vertically.

“Thanks to the projectors’ Christie Twist™ software everything became easy and it enabled us to take care of all the image warping, edge-blending and masking. Once we had the Twist working, it was just a case of installing the Spyder processor.”

The screen will display special content — generally wide-angled views of the Bosphorus (in different weather conditions), with Irfan Degirmenci sitting in front. Using two professional HD cameras to gain high resolution, the images are being overlapped in Spyder, which scales the image to fit the 5:1 aspect ratio display. Meanwhile, in order to be able to start two camera videos simultaneously, Astel’s technical department is writing a new software programme. The processor itself takes feeds from HD-SDI and several SDI signal sources, with the background image composed from

the HD-SDI signal, and the three Roadster HD18Ks fed through the processor’s DVI outputs. The SDI signals are also used to open smaller windows at particular places on the overall canvas.

Hakan Tumer expressed his delight with the back-up provided by Astel Elektronik, “For the Irfan Değirmenci morning programme they supported us with their technical knowledge and experience so that we achieved our aim of making the audience feel that the news is being broadcast from the Bosphorus. In spite of the tight insta-

llation schedule, Astel worked sensitively to achieve the difficult blend, twist and warp characteristic to optimise the unusual Stewart screen configuration with its unbalanced intersection.”

In addition to Kanal D, the Doğan Group TV channels include CNN Türk, while DSmart is the Group’s digital platform, providing access to all existing channels broadcast via the Turksat satellite. The Group also owns various newspapers and print media.

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EVS has delivered its latest instalment for Panorama’s live production workflow in time for the Sochi 2014 games. The Russian TV production company has undergone a huge technology overhaul in the last two years, with EVS at the heart of its workflow. EVS Sports solutions power its fleet of 12 HD OB vans and its multi-site Media Office. A total of 524 interconnected HD channels give Panorama one of the most advanced live production workflows to date.

Panorama (ANO Sports Broadcasting) began its mission to set up a modern broadcasting complex two years ago. In the first development phase in October 2011, EVS was selected to equip its new fleet of 12 OB units in a multi-million deal. EVS XT3 servers and IPDirector PAM suites power each of the trucks, enabling multi-cam ingest, playlist management and live slow motion and hyper slow motion replays.

The most recent phase saw Panorama deploy EVS technology for the ingest, storage and playout of content at its Media Office. The multi-site production platform speeds up the creation of advanced highlights packages, provides media and metadata access to customers and produces content for the russiasport.ru website.

The production platform is composed of three clusters, Large Mobile Office (LMO), Small Mobile Office (SMO), both of which can be deployed at venues or IBCs anywhere in the world and are used for ingest, editing and playout. The third part, Moscow Logging System (MSC), is used for logging and remote editing and always based in Moscow. The Media Office is equipped with IPWeb, which means anyone connected to the web can browse content stored on the LMO’s nearline storage. By enabling remote browsing, it’s possible for teams to search for media from a distance,

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making the workflow even more efficient.

“By putting EVS technology at the core of Panorama’s state-of-the-art facilities means we’ve given them a fully integrated live production workflow which will raise the standards in the Russian broadcast industry,” said Luc Doneux, evp EVS Sports.

“This was a project on a massive scale, so having that connectivity between facilities gives the Panorama team easy and reliable access to media content.”

A significant portion of Panorama’s wide range of EVS Sports solutions have already been installed during The XXVII World Summer University Games in Kazan. The 56 XT3 live production servers for the OB fleet and a network of 19 XS studio production servers in the Media Office support over 500 HD channels that easily interconnect, creating a single giant network.

“Panorama has acquired the media rights for several high-profile sporting events, including the Sochi 2014 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games. Therefore, they needed a zero-fail workflow that can cope with even in the toughest of climates, where its speed and reliability never faltered; which is exactly what we can give them,” Doneux continued.

PANORAMA

WORKFLOW

HD OB fleet

Three 24-camera OB vans equipped with: - Seven eight-channel XT3 servers for multi-camera ingest and control of clips and playlist management as well as live slow motion and hyper slow motion replays - IPDirector production asset management suite for scheduling incoming feeds, live logging, browsing and file transfer

- IPEdit, the timeline editing module of IPDirector, for live editing Four 16-camera OB vans equipped with: - Five eight-channel XT3 servers - IPDirector PAM, including IPEdit Five 10-camera OB vans equipped with: - Three eight-channel XT3 servers Panorama’s Media Office

- Fifteen XS studio production servers – allowing the system to record up to 60 feeds simultaneously – and an additional four XS servers for playout - XStoreSAN storage – for hi-res content either in nearline storage for archiving or high performance online storage for direct media ingest - IPDirector production asset management suite – for playout and integration with Octopus’ newsroom system, where users can browse content of the database thanks to the MOS ActiveX plugin,

attach it to stories and create placeholders as well as receiving playout statuses back from IPDirector - IPBrowse application, which allows journalists and assistant producers to swiftly search for relevant material on the nearline storage from their desktop - IPWeb application, which enables anyone that is connected to the Web to browse content and associated metadata stored on the nearline storage - Xedio CleanEdit for on-the-fly nonlinear editing of video footage to produce storyboards - IPLink plug-in importer for the Final Cut Pro edit suites, which gives editors instant access and search capabilities to all media and metadata within the IPDirector PAM suites All editing applications have direct access to streams coming from XS servers so editing can begin as soon as the ingest starts.

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TEST AREA

THE BACKPACK In this new presentation of TMBROADCAST INTERNATIONAL, we are going to analyze the “The backpack”, a live transmission system based, in general terms, on real time audio and video delivery trough mobile operators networks, which really attracts attention. We will explain the system in detail later. Luckily and thanks to TMBROADCAST, I have been able to analyze several equipments with this system, even the first units sold in Spain. I was already fascinated at that time by the infinite possibilities that were appearing in our line of work and today I am fully convinced of its usefulness. With all the operators of phones investing on the 4G LTE standard and improving the average speed of access, the live transmission with these type of systems is at its peak.

Test bench made by Pablo Martínez

The backpack we are analyzing is from the company LiveU, specifically the LU70 model, “The first class” of this generation of LU systems. As one of the slogans of the company says, the premise of the system is the live transmission “Any time, any place”. Being honest, although there are many sceptics within this world, the implementation of this transmission system nowadays due to its reliability, mobility and cost, it’s going to progressively replace the transmission model that we know today for the electronic news-gathering. Everything on the market has its moment and place and now, because we have to reduce costs without losing quality due to the economic situation we are living, this is one of the systems with the best future without a doubt. After these reflections we are directly going to explain in detail the LU70.

FI or a LAN. The system adds all the upstream channels in order to create just one virtual channel equal to the sum of all of them. It divides the

stream in substreams and by using a load balancer it adjusts and addresses them regarding the bandwidth of each upstream channel.

The components of the system are divided in two: Transmitter: the LU70 has 7 SIM cards and can be connected to WI-

Modem

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TEST AREA

Receiver: in the broadcast sector, it’s a PC connected to a public IP in which a LiveU application (LU1000) is installed. This application adds all the substreams to just one stream and outputs its trough SDI or by directly integrating it with the FME or WME.

IT’S

GOING TO PROGRESSIVELY REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION MODEL THAT WE KNOW TODAY FOR THE ELECTRONIC NEWS - GATHERING .

KNOWING THE TRANSMITTER

SIGNAL RECEPTION

The LU70 is basically a small and powerful computer with a strong integration and excellent qualities regarding the prime components. It offers the possibility of inserting up to 7 different cards of telephone operators. It has the best processing modem with built-in antennas of the market and this makes the difference when doing a live programme. A great power of discrimination, even with a lot of noise, is basic for these type of transmissions which are done by dynamically balancing the audio/video signal and transmitting the resultant packages trough the independent 3G/4G/WiFi/WiMax /Lan connections. Thanks to this process, high quality and low lag time signals are obtained in live programmes.

This is also a very interesting point regarding the final evaluation of the LU70. The usual receiver we are used to has been substituted by a desktop PC which will be used as a server.

The technical specifications are detailed below. On that PC the LiveU (LU1000) programme has to be installed. This programme decodes the communication protocols RTP/RTCP, MPEG2-TS and signal reception and provides us the output assignation to which we are going to send the signal through the video card (we used a blackmagic card with HD/SD-SDI output), at the same time it enables to down converter the signal, as well as to do the necessary adaption and use the remote control for all the useful parameters of the LU70.

The LU70 supports from CIF up to 1080i HD. The video is encoded using H.264 high profile and is transmitted afterwards to the studio. It can include SDI or HD video inputs and analogue inputs (anyone) together with the DV IEEE 1394 firewire.

At the studio the application of LU1000 accepts multiple simultaneous outputs, both SDI or analogue.

The LU70 includes an option to set up double modules for SIM cards, so that it enables the user to change from the Spanish mobile network to local networks of another country when the unit is moving. This minimizes the high cost of the data roaming.

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EVALUATING ITS POTENTIAL We are going to evaluate what “The backpack” can offer us.

Being realistic what I can’t stop doing is comparing the signal of a live news programme with a ground station and also with the LU70. Using as a source a professional video camera with SDI signal and embedded audio we transmitted the signal to a distributor and feed both a ground sta-

The following are the most important characteristics of the LU70: Touch screen for the adjustment control and video input display.

CHARACTERISTICS

These substreams are then addressed to a public IP where the server is located (receiver).

Double module for 14 cards (double card holder for the modem, used in groups of 7) Analogue input, HD/SD-SDI Reference input DV IEEE 1394 firewire input Resolution: 1080i50/60, 720p50/60, 720p25/30, D1, Half D1, CIF Video formats: HD/SD-SDI, PAL / NTSC (SMPTE 259M, 292, 296M), DV25, DV50, DV100, DVCAM, DVCPRO/50/100;future HDV; HDMI 1.3, full A/V with auto detection Video codec: H.264 AVC high profile; supports 4:2:2 color space; over 10Mbps Audio codec: LC/HEv2 AAC Communication and transmission protocol: RTP/RTCP, MPEG2-TS Networks accepted: 4G LTE / 3G, Wi-Fi, WiMax, Dual-Ethernet, Dual-Satellite (BGAN) File transfer through FTP for sending the recorded material from any place IFB (return channel of audio n-1) Store & Forward (storage and transmission) in the local unit.

Possibility of multiple point transmission (several active receivers) Built-in battery with an autonomy transmission of 1.5h constants.

TEST AREA

Receiver LU1000

the ground stations. The audio return channel IFB, used to monitor the synchrony of the orders with the reporter was perfect. The truth is with this system we avoid the situation problems of ground stations and licenses and we gain agility for this type of live news.

tion and the LU70. The work parameters for the satellite transmission were done on Hispasat 1D a 6MHz. In the LU70, the coverage levels provided by the different telephone suppliers of the 7 cards were 62%, all of them with 3G data connection.

The live programme was done on a very crowded entrance of a shop-

ping centre. The duration of the testlive segment was of 15 minutes. The result of this first test was overwhelming. The delay was always of 1.3 seconds with the same quality in the measures both for video and audio (measurement on the waveform monitor and on the audio analyzer) compared to the one delivered by

In a second test we forced the equipment to perform its best. The goal was to broadcast a demonstration (the front) during the entire route, because we had two units that were covering the beginning and the end. “The backpack” had to broadcast the blind spots between these two units. In the demonstration were approximately 80,000 people, almost everyone today has a mobile phone with Internet connection which was connected to the same nodes as our “Backpack” which could block the data lines. We switch on “the backpack” 15 minutes before the beginning of the demonstration once we were placed at the front. The readings of the operator cards were hinting the nearby nodes will get blocked soon. From the three operators of phones that were providing (in this case) coverage to “the backpack”, one was bloc-

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CHARACTERISTICS

TEST AREA

ked and the other two had 42% of capacity. The follow-up of the front part of the demonstration was done with a transmission of forced quality at D1 (PAL 720x576) with a delay ratio of 1.54 seconds, without any type of image cut from beginning to end. In order to evaluate the connectivity in this complicated environment we placed “the backpack” at a high point near the end of the demonstration and waited until the end of it. The signal was constant but the transmission delay was of 5.75 seconds. I have to mention that on the last part of the live programme, the nodes of two operators were totally blocked and they couldn’t use their mobile phones unless they configured the GSM only mode. Also “the backpack” maintained its constant transmission ratio. It is a great advance in an environment and live situation that with the traditional transmission would have been very much complicated (location of ground station, wiring to the camera, etc.). It is true that in this live situation if we hadn’t been on a high spot above the demonstrators (as happened to us when we were going to

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T HE

DELAY WAS ALWAYS OF 1.3 SECONDS WITH THE SAME QUALITY IN THE MEASURES BOTH FOR VIDEO AND AUDIO ( MEA SUREMENT ON THE WAVEFORM MONI TOR AND ON THE AUDIO ANALYZER ) COMPARED TO THE ONE DELIVERED BY THE GROUND STA TIONS this location) we couldn’t have transmitted due to the saturation of the nodes. Test passed with an A by

Minimum characteristics of the server PC to support the LU1000: CPU: Core i3 3210 or E31220 RAM: 4GB Two slots PCIe HDD: 500 GB BlackMagic Deck-link card It will also be necessary a minimum Internet connection of 5Mbps for downloads, 1Mbps for uploads and the opening of two exclusive traffic UDP and TCP.

prioritizing the location and the speed in transmissions for news events which require a high degree of concentration.

WHAT WE MISS Although it’s a decision of the manufacturer, I miss the direct integration of a power system in “the backpack” based on the main battery brands for professional video cameras. Also the possibility of changing them immediately in order to reduce the worries when broadcasting live programmes where there is a change of location of long duration. In the test of the demonstration that we have explained before we ended the programme as the autonomy was reaching its end. It lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Regarding the signal amplification for the telephone networks for “the backpack”, LiveU presents an external antenna option known as “LU-Xtender” (it is placed on a tripod or on the roof of a car). It’s very comfortable for live stationary situa-

TEST AREA

tions but not useful for live programmes in movement. It would be interesting to have a portable external antenna attached directly to “the backpack” with an extender arm for gaining height in complicated situations of mobile coverage.

I also miss an audio meter on the screen of preliminaries of the LU70, for controlling the levels.

From my point of view, the inclusion of just one IFB channel in this type of systems has always surprised me because the communication is essential in every live programme, like the communication from the production centre with the camera operator and the reporter that is working live. Why they haven’t included everything in the same system? This way it would become a completely independent solution including the communications.

Options.

I

HAVE TO MENTION THAT ON THE LAST PART OF THE LIVE PROGRAMME , THE NODES OF TWO OPERATORS WERE TOTALLY BLOCKED AND THEY COULDN ’ T USE THEIR MOBILE PHONES UNLESS THEY CONFIGURED THE GSM ONLY MODE

CONCLUSION It has been one of the best products for live news transmissions (this is my case) that I have been able to test this year. As I have said before I am pleasantly surprised.

During this test bench I haven’t had any kind of problem with the system. It has a friendly user and intuitive software. We have to remember these type of systems open new ways for quality broadcasts, always using the “Ka” band.

Qualities.

The launching of this portable transmission system based on transmissions that take profit from the mobile networks it’s already an effective reality that will continually gain ground to the traditional transmissions for these type of events. It provides the immediacy that is needed in this line of work. It is also the logical evolution in this new era of communications that we are living, even the reduction of effective costs is an advance very demanded nowadays.

I want to thank Parck7 for lending us the system LU70 and to José Martin for the help during this test bench, as well as to IB3TV for letting us use the facilities, without them we couldn’t have made the most of these equipments.

Mobile networks.

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