Editor Javier de Martín editor@tmbroadcast.com Editor in chief Jesús Carrillo director@tmbroadcast.com Key account manager Cristina Feduchi international@tmbroadcast.com Creative Direction Mercedes González design@tmbroadcast.com Editorial staff press@tmbroadcast.com Administration Laura de Diego Marga Quevedo administration@tmbroadcast.com
Summary
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Editorial
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PAN SHOT
Inside F1
NBA Replay Centre
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Broadcast RF at London Marathon TM Broadcast International #22 Jun 2015
TM Broadcast International is a magazine published by Daró Media Group SL Centro Empresarial Tartessos Calle Pollensa 2, oficina 1 28290 Las Rozas (Madrid), Spain Phone +34 91 640 46 43
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Da Vinci Resolve at Digital Sprockets
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Test Zone
Canon C100 Mark II
Editorial
Japanese television NHK has decided by itself to produce the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 8K but reality is that 4K is not at homes. If we have learned something from 3D is that technology should be adapted to real user demand. If everybody is working in formats that spectators are not demanding we’d be losing lots of money. Do we really need to go further from the UHD? We don´t think so. UHD is very close to the capacities of the human eye. It is obviously that is very interesting to see a movie on a big screen at home, close to the cinema, and this is something we already have in UHD, but we think is much more interesting to focus on technologies such as HDR. The resolution comes a point where no longer makes sense to be bigger. Televisions are not going to have more size than the current one. But HDR gives the opportunity to see 15 real latitude stops on our TV screen. We really think that the war for resolution has no sense; but “more resolution” is a very powerful marketing argument, and after all, many brands live from selling television screens.
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Creative Technology expands Store of Riedel Communications Gear Creative Technology (CT) has expanded its supply of Riedel Communications' real-time video, audio, data, and communications solutions. Engineered to provide exceptional performance and flexibility even in the most demanding environments, the Riedel systems contribute to Creative Technology's ability to meet the communications and signal transport requirements of any sports, corporate, exhibition, or entertainment event. "Our success as a staging services provider is a direct result of our innovative application of the latest technology alongside the very best technical and operational personnel," said Dave Crump, CEO at CT for Europe and the Middle East. "We have been using Riedel equipment in the U.S. for some
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time, and this new investment underlines the confidence we have in Riedel gear and the critical role it plays in enabling our teams worldwide to provide high-quality, high-performing solutions tailored to the demands of the customer and event." CT has invested in multiple units of Riedel's MediorNet Compact PRO, a 50G media distribution network designed for small to midsized applications. Because the solution is compatible with all other MediorNet devices, it is fully scalable and can serve as a satellite stagebox in larger media network applications. Alongside the MediorNet investment, CT has also purchased C3 digital beltpack/master stations and headsets as the first phase of replacements and upgrades to its
European intercom infrastructure. The ergonomically shaped Performer C3 two-channel beltpack uses high-quality digital audio to provide noise- and hum-free signals. Extensive DSP signal processing provides perfect sidetone nulling and excellent intelligibility in applications with very high ambient noise levels. "Creative Technology supports many of the world's premier live events, and it's always exciting to see how the company leverages our equipment to make each production a success," said Thomas Riedel, CEO at Riedel Communications. "We look forward to further work with CT as it continues to extend its portfolio of Riedel solutions."
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LiveU at Broadcast Asia2015 LiveU will present a complete range of broadcast video devices and workflow solutions at BroadcastAsia2015, including the: - Recently launched LU200 ultrasmall transmission device, being presented for the first time in APAC. The LU200 offers a highly attractive price, performance and form-factor for live video transmission and opens new live coverage opportunities, enabling every field camera to be equipped with a bonding uplink unit. Weighing just over 500g (1lb), the LU200 is available in a pouch or camera-mount configuration, providing two builtin modems with powerful
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integrated antennas in a bonded solution suitable for any video professional. - MultiPoint, LiveU’s secondgeneration internal and crossorganizational IP video distribution service. The cloudbased service is seamlessly integrated into LiveU Central, LiveU’s cloud-based management and video distribution platform which enables fleets of units to be centrally controlled using geolocation capabilities, alongside a host of other management options. - Latest stage of LiveU’s collaboration with Panasonic, a cloud-based integrated camera
and live video uplink solution for P2 HD camcorders that connects directly to the LiveU Central management platform. - LU500, the ultimate combination of high-performance and portability for cellular uplink, and four-time award winner in 2014. The LU500 benefits from a small form-factor combined with exceptional functionality. Weighing approximately 1kg (2.2lbs), the unit is powered by LiveU’s new multi-processor, video encoding engine and fourth-generation patented bonding algorithms, with up to 13 network connections.
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Wohler Adds Minnetonka Audio's AudioTools Server to RadiantGrid® to Boost Audio-Processing Capabilities Wohler Technologies and Minnetonka Audio announced that Wohler's RadiantGrid® Intelligent Media Transformation Platform™ now includes Minnetonka Audio's AudioTools Server, an enterprise software system designed to solve and automate even the most sophisticated audio tasks. The integration gives RadiantGrid users additional access to Minnetonka's file-based audioprocessing options. Wohler's RadiantGrid technology leverages TrueGrid™ filebased processing to manage and accelerate the performance of multiple simultaneous tasks across multiple machines in a media transformation process that is simpler, faster, and dramatically more efficient than alternative solutions. The platform offers broadcasters a variety of powerful tools that boost the efficiency of file-based workflows for multiplatform media delivery. RadiantGrid's media-processing engine parallelizes complex audio processing alongside the video at unprecedented speeds. AudioTools Server has become the No. 1 enterprise-level platform for automated and unattended file-based audio processing and has helped broadcasters add audio analysis and management processes to their existing video-centric, file-based environments. AudioTools Server adds a full complement of audio-processing expertise and workflows including comprehensive file-based loudness control, Dolby E automation, movie adaptation, and more. "Our companies have been working together to combine our best-in-class technologies, and this integration is one result of that effort. By adding AudioTools Server to the RadiantGrid platform, we are giving our customers a larger selection of audio options that, in turn, gives them more control than ever over their audio, all in one place," said Craig Newbury, vice president of sales and marketing for Wohler Technologies. "Our technologies come together to create an integrated audio and video solution that's unique to our industry." "RadiantGrid's flexible file-based architecture is a perfect fit for AudioTools Server," said Markus Hintz, vice president of global sales and business development for Minnetonka Audio Software. "We are looking forward to solving even more complex real-world workflow issues together." TMBi - 10
Tim Felstead appointed Head of Product Marketing Quantel and Snell are delighted to announce that Tim Felstead has joined the company as Head of Product Marketing. In his new position, Tim Felstead will play a key role in ensuring that the Quantel and Snell product range is positioned and aligned with market requirements. He will also underpin the company’s marketing communications and sales operations with compelling collateral to ensure that the market is fully aware of the breadth and depth of the Quantel and Snell product offering. Tim Felstead has worked in the broadcast industry since 1991 in senior technical, sales and leadership roles with a number of organizations, including Thomson, Grass Valley and Harris. “I’ve been an admirer of Quantel and Snell for many years and I’m absolutely delighted to take up this fantastic opportunity to join the new company at this very exciting stage in its development,” said Felstead. “Quantel and Snell have got great products, great people and great ideas; the company has exciting plans going forward, and I’m looking forward to being part of what will be one of the industry’s great success stories.” “Tim has a wealth of experience and knowledge that will be invaluable as we ramp up our presence in the market, and his strategic thinking capabilities will play an important role in shaping the new company into a major international force in the broadcast market,” said Neil Maycock, VP Marketing, Quantel and Snell.
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Apantac expands TAHOMA Hybrid Multiviewer Family at InfoComm 2015 The TAHOMA DL family of Hybrid Multiviewers has been a flagship multi-image display processing solution of Apantac for many years. Apantac's customer base has requested a compact version of the Hybrid Multiviewer, and as a direct result of customer input and market research, InfoComm sees the launch of the cost-effective, and rack-mountable DL-2+2. The TAHOMA Hybrid DL-2+2 Multiviewer displays a mix of two multimedia and two video inputs on a single display. Multimedia inputs include: composite, component, VGA, DVI and HDMI. Video inputs include: composite, SD-SDI, HDSDI and 3G-SDI. Screen layouts can be freely arranged, and audio
meters, clocks, logos, and text can be added to the display surface for additional on-screen information. On-Screen audio meters can be displayed either as embedded audio from the HDMI/SDI sources or discrete analog/digital audio from external inputs. As with the entire family of
TAHOMA Hybrid Multiviewers, the DL-2+2 can be configured via the Apantac Director GUI. The open protocol and GPI/O ensures easy integration with all the popular control systems on the market. The DL-2+2 supports output resolutions up to 1920x1080/1080P.
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GatesAir appoints Incospec as Canadian Distribution Channel GatesAir has appointed Montrealbased Incospec Communications as its Canadian distribution channel effective immediately. Together, the two companies bring more than 130 years of combined RF expertise to the over-the-air TV and radio market across Canada, with an emphasis on delivering complete systems and guiding broadcasters through challenging transitions. Incospec was founded in 1978 with an emphasis on RF test and measurement within cable TV systems. The company’s focus later shifted to FM radio and UHF/VHF television, where its RF expertise proved valuable to broadcasters seeking innovative, cost-saving solutions that also paved the way for new higher quality, multichannel digital services. Given Incospec’s experience, GatesAir and its customers will benefit beyond having a knowledgeable partner with a deep understanding of the Canadian broadcast market; additionally, Incospec’s value-added services in systems design, commissioning and installation aligns strongly with GatesAir’s service-oriented approach to delivering turnkey TV and radio solutions.
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“Our focus moves well beyond sales into commissioning and integration of complex systems, with an emphasis on understanding customer needs and proposing the right equipment,” said Louis Sebastiani, director of products and projects, Incospec Communications. “GatesAir has outstanding brand recognition and a long tradition of excellence, and we are confident that Incospec’s inhouse and field capabilities, combined with our experienced sales and technical staff, will propel the Canadian TV and radio market forward. We are excited to work with an innovative organization that values quality, performance, reliability and efficiency.” Incospec Founder Mario Sebastiani notes that in addition to GatesAir’s portfolio of highefficiency Maxiva™ TV and Flexiva™ radio transmitters, Intraplex® transport solutions, and networked studio systems and consoles, the company’s forwardlooking strategies will help Incospec better serve customers in the unique Canadian market, where consolidation across traditional broadcast and Telco companies is common. This consolidation makes GatesAir’s initiatives in LTE Mobile TV delivery and the IP transition all
the more valuable for customers across Canada. “GatesAir’s innovative technology for offloading high-bandwidth TV content from LTE networks, and delivering it to handheld devices using the more efficient one-tomany broadcast model, is a concept of great interest to our customers,” said Mario Sebastiani. “And in an industry like radio where there is much consolidation, GatesAir’s ambitious efforts across IP contribution and distribution will help us cost-effectively transition broadcasters away from expensive delivery platforms.” “Incospec has a long history of building relationships with broadcasters based on outstanding customer service – a value that GatesAir emphatically shares,” said Joe Mack, vice president of sales, Americas, GatesAir. “Incospec’s experienced sales and service professionals, along with the trusted innovation and reliable products of GatesAir that our customers recall throughout our years as Harris Broadcast, combine to form a powerful partnership that will optimize TV and radio services across Canada – and prepare broadcasters, content distributors and media companies for a solid and sustainable future.”
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Triveni Digital CSO to speak at BroadcastAsia2015 Triveni Digital announced that its chief science officer and chair of ATSC's Technology and Standards Group (TG3), Dr. Richard Chernock, will speak at the BroadcastAsia2015 Conference. Chernock will present on "ATSC 3.0: Powering NextGeneration Broadcasting" on June 3 at 1:30 p.m. Later on the same day at 4:50 p.m., Chernock will also participate in a power panel on the future of DTT technologies. "BroadcastAsia brings together key stakeholders in the Asian television and broadcast markets, putting forth the perfect stage to discuss future standards such as ATSC 3.0 and technologies related to digital terrestrial television," said Chernock. "At the conference I am eager to discuss the current status of both, as well as what is in store for the future." Chernock's presentation on ATSC 3.0 will examine the current development timeline of the news standard while highlighting its various capabilities and benefits offered to broadcasters. The presentation will discuss major improvements in video encoding efficiency; increased configurability, scalability, and interoperability; as well as the possibility to deliver 4K broadcasts to mobile devices. Chernock will also participate on a power panel with industry experts to discuss the future of DTT technologies. Moderated by Amal Punchihewa, technical director at the ABU, the session will explore the current stage of existing DTT technologies, the enhancements and development plans for each, how DTT technology developments are expected to affect transport stream vs. IP delivery, and insights into future DTT technologies. As chairman of ATSC TG3, Chernock has been instrumental in the development of ATSC 3.0, ensuring that flexibility, scalability, interoperability, and adaptability are the keystones of the new DTV broadcast system. He is also chairman of the adhoc group specifying the inner architecture of the system, including the basic mechanisms for delivery and synchronization. As the CSO of Triveni Digital, Chernock is responsible for developing strategic directions for monitoring, content distribution, and metadata management for emerging digital television systems and infrastructures. Chernock has held many leadership positions within the ATSC, SCTE, and SMPTE standards committees, contributing to the creation of standards and recommended practices for DTV, metadata, and monitoring.
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ChyronHego at BroadcastAsia2015 At BroadcastAsia2015, ChyronHego will be exhibiting with partner Magna Systems & Engineering on stand 5C2-01, where it will showcase its Lyric64, Metacast®, and the all-new Studio MediaMaker™.
Lyric64 At BroadcastAsia2015, ChyronHego will demonstrate Lyric64, a significant upcoming release that has been completely re-engineered in the 64-bit environment. Like its predecessor, Lyric64 offers a single powerful solution for graphics creation and playout, including point-and-click access to data using ChyronHego's Advanced Data Object technology. As a true 64-bit application, Lyric64 includes an all-new user interface that provides seamless usability and easy access to its rich and
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extensive feature set. In addition, Lyric64 is resolution-agnostic with full support for authoring and playout in nonstandard aspect ratios and resolutions of 4K and beyond. At the show, ChyronHego will showcase Lyric64 on the Mosaic platform to form an end-toend graphics creation and playout workflow solution.
Metacast® For more than 20 years, Metacast® has set the global standard for high-impact, reliable, efficient, and data-driven weather graphics. As a stand-alone system within a broadcasting operation or as a production tool in an integrated 24/7 newsroom environment, Metacast provides users with a complete graphics toolset for weather-driven news stories. At BroadcastAsia2015,
ChyronHego will showcase its latest version of Metacast with significant performance and usability enhancements to further streamline weather workflows.
NEW Studio MediaMaker™ At BroadcastAsia2015, ChyronHego will demonstrate Studio MediaMaker™, the company's all-new solution for streamlining broadcast production. Designed especially for smaller or nontraditional organizations, Studio MediaMaker automates the end-toend processes of broadcasting — from planning to production to filebased publishing of news content, and then through seamless links to ChyronHego graphics workflow solutions and other production resources.
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Estonia’s Radio goes digital: Lawo crystal and sapphire consoles networked via Nova 73 HD Having replaced the two formerly separate institutions Eesti Raadio and Eesti Televisioon in 2007, Estonian public broadcaster ERR (Eesti Rahvusringhääling) recently relocated five of its radio stations on its campus in Estland’s capital Tallinn to a new production complex. The move took place in several stages, moving the studios and installing Lawo equipment in its new premises for radio production, as well as for the networking the complete building. In addition to a central Nova73 HD router, ERR has also adopted five crystal and eight sapphire radio broadcast consoles. This has given dramatically increased flexibility and efficiency over the previous setup in the old building. With its new Lawo technology base, ERR has taken the step from analog into a completely digital environment. Vytautas Martinonis, Head of Radio Technical and Sound Recording Department, is very pleased with the results of this modernization: “After consulting with other radio stations all over Europe, we were in a position to define our requirements very precisely – and Lawo won the official tender due to the advanced technology and the price for both points it scored highest. Now we have efficiency and flexibility in our workflows we never had before.”
Conceptually, besides acting as central router for signal distribution, the Nova 73 HD handles the studio switching, and functions as talkback matrix. As master control system, ERR installed Virtual Studio Manager from L-S-B. In the main control room, a 12fader sapphire radio console is used as a broadcast mixer for the management of the five radio programs, and additionally will be configured for switching the scheduled studios. The studio complex is designed as a multipurpose studio for panel discussions, meetings and general recordings and, due to the
networked infrastructure, can be used by each program. The first station to go live from the new studio complex was Raadio 2. This involved three control rooms, each with a 16-fader Lawo sapphire console for production. The first of its programs was aired on 18 December, the date reflecting the birthday of radio in Estonia in 1926. The other stations – including Viker Raadio, Raadio 4 and Klassika – moved into the new studio complex between February and April in 2015. A fifth station, Radio Tallinn will soon join them using the main control room, and broadcast from there. Vytautas Martinonis raises another issue that is important to him: “Presently, we benefit from the redundancy, flexibility in configuration, efficient use of resources and facilities from the Lawo equipment. In the future, this solution will allow us to expand simply by integrating the installation into our IP infrastructure using the AES67 compatibility of its RAVENNA IP technology.”
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GatesAir prepares Rede VTV of Brazil for Digital Transition with Hybrid ISDB-T and Analog TV Network GatesAir is preparing Brazilian TV broadcaster Rede VTV, an affiliate of the SBT Network, for a full ISDBTb digital TV transition in advance of the country’s 2018 analog TV shutoff deadline. As part of a turnkey overthe-air solution, systems integration firm Foccus Digital is rolling out a single-frequency network (SFN) comprised of multiple high-efficiency GatesAir Maxiva™ UAX air-cooled UHF transmitters. The network today allows Rede VTV to serve both analog and digital TV viewers, with GatesAir enabling the multichannel opportunities of ISDBTb DTV at the lowest total of ownership. The GatesAir SFN solution synchronizes 31 transmitters of varying power levels (up to 50kW) from the coastal areas of Sao Paulo through the deep interior, with interoperability across satellite and IP microwave platforms for regional distribution. The flexible GatesAir SFN architecture enables Rede VTV to manage ASI, L-Band and IP input sources across the network—a significant operational benefit given the complex nature of managing many analog and digital signals across long distances. Cesar Donato, director of Foccus Digital, notes that GatesAir’s SFN architecture “simplified both the initial rollout and commissioning of the network,” which allowed Rede VTV get on the air quickly with the new transmitters. GatesAir’s approach eliminates the intensive transmitter software programming associated with competitive SFN solutions to remove signal overlap and interference network-wide. Though Brazil has set a national analog TV shutoff for 2018, the main Rede VTV coverage cities of Campinas and Santos will turn off analog programming in 2017. Therefore, Foccus Digital designed a turnkey system for hybrid analog and ISDBT programming to prepare them well in advance. The SFN design includes ERI filters and combiners to marry analog and digital signals in common antenna systems, as well as Selenio™ networking/encoding systems from Imagine Communications to support high-quality, multichannel DTV programming with outstanding bandwidth efficiency.
2015
Bridge Technologies ensures High-Quality Performance of Thailand’s TV5 IP Contribution Networks Royal Thai Army Radio and Television, producers of Thailand’s most popular broadcasting services TV5 and TV7, are using Bridge Technologies systems to achieve and maintain outstanding quality for new digital services. Spearheading Thailand’s digital transition, the broadcaster operates two of the country’s new digital terrestrial multiplexes serving more than 14 million viewers in 39 regions. Bridge Technologies monitoring probes provide detailed real-time analysis and monitoring of the multiplexes transmitted from TV5’s headquarters in Sanampao, Bangkok, over third-party contribution links to the regional uplink site. “To encourage customers away from analogue to an all-digital terrestrial service we have to guarantee a better quality of service,” Colonel Yosapon Meeprom, Director of Technical and Broadcasting Dept, Thai TV5, explained. “Because our multiplexes are carried over commercial links that we don’t directly control, we need enforceable SLAs, and for these we use technical metrics that the Bridgetech system precisely measures in real-time.” Use of third-party contribution and content distribution networks is becoming more common in the industry because it allows operators to increase geographic reach, competitiveness and efficiency. James Chance,
The GatesAir SFN network also enables a quick return on investment in part due to exceptionally low maintenance requirements. The ability to use a single set of spare parts across the entire network, along with the redundant, modular and hot-pluggable architecture of Maxiva UAX transmitters, will help Rede VTV maintain exceptionally low labor costs over the lifetime of the network.
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Grass Valley unveils EDIUS 8
Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, is launching EDIUS 8. The latest version of its editing platform designed for production and broadcast news. Version 8 features multiple new capabilities, including refreshed GUI, Canon XF-AVC support, a new workflow clip management tool, accelerated 4K H.264 playback and an aggressive development program to introduce many new creative tools over the coming months. “Speed and flexibility are critical for editing, and with EDIUS you can always be confident of being able to deal with virtually any type of content that comes your way,” said Mike Cronk, senior vice president of strategic marketing, Grass Valley. “With EDIUS 8 users will receive free updates and new functionality throughout; it’s a smart investment business-wise and creatively.” EDIUS offers best-in-class camera support to allow editors to concentrate on the story, not the technology. Plus, EDIUS 8 is the first nonlinear editing system to support Canon’s recently announced XF-AVC video format which is at the heart of the new 4K XC10 camcorder. EDIUS 8 also includes a new GV browser tool to manage video and still image content on your PC, prior to importing into EDIUS for editing. EDIUS delivers exceptional performance using Intel’s Quick Sync Video—providing editors with super-fast H.264 export capabilities—great for dealing with smartphone footage and repurposing for uploads to social media channels, including YouTube—and amazing playback, even when editing 4K material. EDIUS 8 will be available in two versions, EDIUS Pro and EDIUS Workgroup. EDIUS Pro is targeted at production professionals looking for flexible editing that offers speed and the ability to handle any file format with a range of creative tools. EDIUS Workgroup is aimed at collaborative news and sports editing for broadcasters, and can be fully integrated with the GV STRATUS video production and content management system, or other third-party media asset management tools and server offerings.
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France Télévisions deploys Nevion’s VideoIPath to manage nationwide IP contribution network Nevion announced that France Télévisions is using its VideoIPath media service and network management system to manage its nationwide IP contribution network. The French public broadcaster has more than 100 sites located around the country, which are all connected with links between 10 Mbits to more than 100 Mbits to enable real-time contribution. Nevion’s French partner, Euplink, handled the sale and installation. The system went live in February 2015.
France Televisions sets up close to 50,000 adhoc connections per year between its sites. With VideoIPath, France Télévisions staff can easily manage all of these connections, without the need for expert know-how. Crucially, given that many of the links have limited bandwidth, VideoIPath ensures that connections are never overprovisioned, thereby guaranteeing the quality of service for live contribution. In this deployment, VideoIPath is integrated with MPEG-2 and MPEG4 media edge-adapters from two separate thirdparty suppliers, managing not only their provisioning but also reporting their status back to the users in the form of alarms. “We wanted a proven out-of-the-box product that would simplify the management of our extended network. After extensive evaluation with the support of Euplink, we found that Nevion’s VideoIPath best met our requirements,” said Arnaud Kotlarczik, project director at France Télévisions. Emmanuel Girouard, project manager at France Télévisions added: “As well as the expected operational benefits, full control of our media transport was immediately at our fingertips, without the need for additional bespoke software development during the implementation process.”
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ENCO Amplifies DAD Radio automation functionality for music formats ENCO announces the release of Multi-Play mode, a new feature available in the latest DAD radio automation software suite that greatly enhances Live-Assist functionality within the on-air workflow for music station formats. At its core, Multi-Play mode enables more intuitive console integration and seamless manipulation of audio assets. The Live-Assist Presenter module, when configured with Multi-Play mode, effectively displays to the operator exactly what is playing during segues and makes layering audio effortless. This integration results in Multi-Play Presenter, giving operators a highly agile, logical and easy-to-follow workflow that allows the operator to sequence and layer multiple, simultaneous audio tracks. Multi-Play Presenter ramps up workflow efficiency by simplifying how operators air music segues with multiple shotgun liners, or mix music beds with multiple voiceovers on the fly. Additionally, operators have the creative freedom to play elements out of
scheduled order without having to re-arrange the playlist. Multi-Play Presenter also adds an intelligent console interface, which allows operators to control shows from console faders and bus keys with confidence. “We designed the new Multi-Play mode based on input from many
music stations that wanted more control and flexibility in their on-air interface,” said Ken Frommert, general manager, ENCO. “DAD version 15 with Multi-Play Presenter incorporates those demands and further enhances our software package to exceed the demands of the market.”
Radio Algérienne extends NETIA Radio-Assist™ deployment to boost efficiency, flexibility across all sites NETIA announced that Radio Algérienne is extending its installation of Radio-Assist™ radio automation software across 13 additional regional sites. Building on existing regional and national installations, this deployment of NETIA's Radio-Assist will not only help Radio Algérienne to streamline operations at each site, but also enable the radio broadcaster to standardize processes and improve communications across all of its stations in the future. The software already is familiar to staff at many of the regional
stations, and Radio Algérienne is taking advantage of extensive training by NETIA to ensure a smooth rollout of the software across additional sites. With options including a lightweight broadcast solution, Radio-Assist gives Radio Algérienne the mobility and flexibility necessary for such a major radio group. A public broadcaster focused on providing programming about Algeria, from the local to the international, Radio Algérienne operates dozens of channels across the country in multiple
languages (including Arabic and French). The broadcaster has been a NETIA software user since 2009, and today it relies on Radio-Assist for radio automation at 15 regional sites and five national sites (installed in 2011). The new RadioAssist installation, slated for completion by the end of 2015, will include deployments of the NETIA radio automation solution at 13 additional regional sites: Oum El Bouaghi, Blida, Bouira, Jijel, Sidi Bel Abbes, Guelma, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Boumerdes, El Tarf, Tipaza, Mila, Ain Defla, and Relizane. TMBi - 19
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Barco further boosts Corporate AV offering with Interactive Collaboration Platform for meeting and training rooms system’s intelligence proposes layouts to make sure the screen’s pixel estate is used optimally.
A modular and future-proof platform
Barco introduces an interactive collaboration platform that truly empowers all meeting attendants. This versatile solution not only allows them to share documents, images and videos rapidly and straightforwardly from any digital device – it also adds exciting new functionality to the collaboration mix, including moderation and layout selection. Powered by ease of use, this system is ideal for large meeting rooms, conference theaters, and training rooms. Collaboration in meeting and training rooms has evolved over the past couple of years. Most often in the past, just one person brought the content to present or discuss – either on paper, as a PowerPoint presentation, or in any other carrier – and the others would listen. But the introduction of a wide variety of mobile devices (including laptops, smartphones and tablets) has introduced a new challenge: now, every meeting participant brings his or her own content to the table. And might want to share it with the other attendees, in a quick and easy way. In other words, meeting room technology needs to be upgraded to the BYOD era.
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Interactive collaboration made easy To overcome these challenges, Barco is introducing its interactive collaboration platform for meeting and training rooms. This platform allows users to enrich the meeting with content from any digital device – not only laptops, smartphones and tablets, but also document cameras, networked sources, IP cameras, and more. The meeting participants have total freedom over what and how to share, making meetings ever more collaborative and engaging. The platform’s power not only lies in the range of devices supported – it also facilitates structuring in the collaboration mix. With an easy-touse touch-screen interface, a moderator selects which content is shown on the large screen. This is especially useful in large meeting rooms or training rooms, where a lot of people want to share their views at the same time. Moreover, the touch-screen interface can also be used to select the layout of one or two central screen(s). This allows the moderator to highlight certain content windows by making them larger than the others. The
Barco’s networked collaboration solution for meeting and training rooms is composed as a modular system. This means additional equipment and technology can be added at any time, making it an extremely future-proof system. At the heart of the system is Barco’s new NRC-200 networked room compositor. This device receives all input sources (up to 8), does the necessary processing, and can drive two screens of up to UHD (4k) resolution. Both screens are controlled by a user interface on a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) touch-enabled PC and can show completely independent content. Moreover, the solution consists of a ClickShare CSC system to connect laptops, tablets and smartphones. Optionally, AV-to-IP encoders can be added to connect nonnetworked sources. “This solution, featuring the new NRC-200, is a great addition to our meeting room collaboration offering,” says Romeo Baertsoen, VP Strategic Marketing Corporate AV at Barco. “It really focuses on the particular needs of large meeting rooms, training rooms and conference theaters, preparing them for the BYOD era. The system was first shown at the ISE 2015 tradeshow in Amsterdam, and responses were overwhelmingly positive. This has further convinced us that the market is hungry for the unique features we cover with this networked collaboration solution.”
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Pebble Beach Systems announces key new appointment for North America Sales Operation Beach Systems technology in North America, and a significant number of proof of concept deployments to manage, we are expanding rapidly and look forward to leveraging Luis’ knowledge and experience.”
Pebble Beach Systems announced the appointment of Luis Muñoz as Sales Engineer for its North American operation, Pebble Broadcast Systems. New appointment Luis Muñoz has been involved in the broadcast industry for many years, having initially pursued his career in operations at KJTV-TV in Lubbock TX, then at KTXA-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth. Building on that operational experience, he joined Sundance (latterly Avid) and spent over a decade working on the automation product line in roles including Field Engineer, Field Services Manager and Project Manager. He most recently held the position of Solutions Architect at Avid Technology.
He joins Pebble Broadcast Systems as Sales Engineer and will be focusing on strengthening the company’s growing presence in North America. General Manager at Pebble Broadcast Systems, Eric Openshaw, confirmed: “Luis joins the team at an exciting time. With a number of Tier One customers now adopting Pebble
Luis said: “Pebble Beach Systems deploys innovative technologies to offer a variety of automation solutions that are fit for customers ranging from small local broadcasters to large enterprise level operations, and users confirm that their systems have the flexibility to cater for a wide variety of workflows. I am very happy to be joining a forward-thinking organization that puts a strong emphasis on providing excellent customer support, and I look forward to being part of the company’s successful future!”
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BW Broadcast Transmitters for Nepal More than 8,500 people have died as a result of the recent backto-back earthquakes in Nepal. The devastating damage to their communications infrastructure has left the country paralyzed. First Response Radio are a non-profit making organization, who delivers critical information, via radio, to affected communities within 72 hours of disasters. On the 2nd May they sent out teams out Nepal to access the damage and see how best to get radio communications up and running again. In many areas radio communications is the only way to deliver vital information to the people. After liaising with other groups they targeted the districts most in needs, some only reachable by helicopter. Many radio stations are off air and others running a make–shift operation from tents. Within an hour of arriving in Dhunche, Mike Adam and the rest of the FRR team had Radio Rasuwa up and running including live interactive programming from a
table outside the station – which caused lots of community interest. The ‘Radio in a suitcase’ includes the BW Broadcast TX600V2 FM transmitter, allows FFR to get radio stations back on the air really quickly. Known worldwide for their amazing reliability and ease of use, BW Broadcast V2 FM transmitters are the natural choice for FRR to get stations back on air. "I wanted to buy a BW, they are my transmitter of choice - you have to pay more for good quality that won't let you down. That will always be our policy.” The included remote control allows the engineers to monitor and make adjustments to the equipment without needing to be on site. This is really useful in places like Nepal where areas are not easily accessible and the engineers have an overwhelming workload. BW Broadcast have also donated equipment to their Nepalese Distributor, Sushmit International, headed by Sushil Pokharel, who
Quantel and Snell at Broadcast Asia 2015 Transitioning to a more flexible and agile infrastructure Production infrastructures today need to transition from SDI to IP and be built from commodity hardware and media aware software to take advantage of the IT industry's huge R&D investment. We’ll be showing how it is possible to transition painlessly from today’s SDI world into the IP future with plug-in modules for Sirius 800 routers and Kahuna switchers and a hybrid SDI/IP control system with industry-standard interoperability guaranteed. This evolutionary approach enables current products to work across both worlds - eliminating the cost and disruption of a complete refit.
Increasing efficiency and output With audiences fragmenting and the number of media channels continuing to multiply, content creators and distributors need to deliver more with less to make the economics add up. The answer is more
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has been assisting Mike Adams to get station back on air as quickly as possible. Many of Sushil's team have been personally affected by these devastating earthquakes but have been working tirelessly to rebuild the radio communications that are so vital to people of Nepal.
intelligence and automation in the pipeline. Media aware monitoring has the potential to dramatically improve output quality while simultaneously lowering costs. The revolutionary Snell Media Biometrics technology makes media aware monitoring a practical proposition – for the first time automated monitoring allows playout centres to know that they are delivering the correct content across every channel – 100% certainty, 100% of the time, 100% automatically.
Telling compelling stories However efficient the operation is, it is great content that attracts and retains audiences. Quantel and Snell are showing a host of new developments at Broadcast Asia that enable content creators to tell compelling stories in new ways. Developments on show include: As the world looks to 4K, we will be showing Pablo Rio handling 4K 60p in realtime; and the new LiveTouch sports highlighting system with integrated editing, enabling more sophisticated and engaging sports coverage, more quickly and easily.
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NETIA Products at BroadcastAsia2015 At BroadcastAsia2015, NETIA will showcase its Media Assist software suite, which builds on the strengths of the company's acclaimed product portfolio to provide a complete solution for managing workflows from ingest through to delivery. The company will demonstrate how the new suite enables content owners and content producers — from radio broadcasters and television stations to organizations maintaining media archives — to access, retrieve, and share or distribute their digital assets to any platform. NETIA also will highlight the media management, editing, and delivery workflows possible with Media Assist modules designed for mobile devices.
NETIA Media Assist Software Suite The NETIA Media Assist software suite unites the unique functionality of NETIA's proven radio broadcast automation and media management products with a SQL
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database to provide a cross-mediaproduction asset management system with a full complement of dedicated tools. With this powerful new solution, users can manage all types of content, in any format, on any platform, from anywhere and at any time. New media-sharing features in Media Assist not only enable the publication or export of content or media assets to cross-media platforms, but also facilitate the sharing and exchange of content across multiple sites within a broadcast operation. To enable convenient use across a facility or organization, the Media Assist software suite provides both a richclient platform and a Web-based interface that can be displayed on a simple Internet browser. Both GUIs have been designed to assure effective ergonomics. The option of working through a browser-based interface allows journalists and reporters to go fully mobile while maintaining their ability
to access, search, edit, and repurpose content. Integrated audio and video editing tools enable such users to edit and deliver pieces from the field. NETIA has already released Media Assist modules engineered for smartphones and tablets, and the company will provide demonstrations of the modules' functionality throughout the show. Media Assist is based on a service-oriented architecture, so it offers all of the additional advantages of a client-server model of computing. Key benefits to operations include increased modularity, optimal scalability through the improvement or addition of services, third-party connectivity through a Web services API, and straightforward and cost-effective maintenance. New supervision and monitoring tools give users even greater flexibility and confidence in managing valuable media assets.
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2015
Diablo Digital's 128-Track Recording Solution for Fleetwood Mac Tour Features Sonnet Echo™ Express III-R and RackMac™ mini Sonnet Technologies announced that its Echo™ Express III-R Thunderbolt™ 2-to-PCI Express® (PCIe®) card expansion chassis and RackMac™ mini 1U enclosure for Apple® Mac® mini are driving a state-of-the-art Avid® Pro Tools® recording workflow for Fleetwood Mac's current "On With the Show" tour. Sonnet partner Diablo Digital created the custom sound mixing and recording solution for Clair Global, the world-renowned sound reinforcement provider serving as Fleetwood Mac's touring sound contractor. The second leg of the "On With the Show" tour began Jan. 16 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and will end June 30 in Leeds, U.K. Occupying only 3RU, Diablo Digital's custom solution for Clair Global is capable of recording 128 tracks of 32-bit, 96-kHz audio. The Avid Pro Tools audio recording and editing software runs on a Mac mini CPU, housed securely in the Sonnet RackMac mini enclosure. The Echo Express III-R provides PCIe card expansion for Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe cards via Thunderbolt 2 connectivity to the CPU, as well as housing the 7,200rpm hard drives that provide the digital media storage platform. "When Christine McVie rejoined the band last year, the show grew to become one of the largest productions on the current touring calendar," said Dave Coyle, Clair Global's monitor engineer for the Fleetwood Mac "On With the Show" tour. "We needed a Pro Tools solution that could reliably record at least 120 audio tracks and up to 12TB of material, with the ability to mix and record at the same time. And, of course, the solution had to be absolutely reliable and able to stand up to daily use and the rigors of touring. With the combination of Pro Tools running on the Mac mini and Sonnet's Thunderbolt 2
expansion chassis, Diablo Digital has provided exactly what we needed. The system not only delivers high sample rates and high track counts in a compact package, but it also provides rock-solid reliability." The Diablo Digital mixing and recording system enables the Clair Global team to record and archive all live Fleetwood Mac performances for later album production, as well as tour promotion. For instance, live tracks can be used to produce ring tones and support public relations efforts and promotional appearances by the band. The Sonnet and Pro Tools system provides another important function for the band, enabling it to perform a "virtual sound check." Every morning, Coyle is able to recall the previous evening's Pro Tools mix via the Echo Express III-R and play it back for band members, giving them a chance to adjust levels for the next performance. "It's a tremendously active time for live touring music events, and each production is bigger and more dazzling than the last. With Sonnet and Avid as our key technology partners, we were able to respond
to huge market demand for a compact, reliable recording solution that could support tours with at least 100 audio tracks," said Greg Price, who co-founded Diablo Digital along with Brad Madix. "Both separately and together, Brad and I have been working with Sonnet Technologies for many years, and we're sold on the top-quality craftsmanship and design of the Sonnet systems, which offer us the flexibility we need to provide customized solutions for a wide range of touring artists." "The performances on the current Fleetwood Mac tour are the quintessential example of the best of everything you'd hope to find in a live rock show — passion, energy, master-class musicianship, and an excellent sound system," said Greg LaPorte, vice president of sales and marketing, Sonnet Technologies. "The fact that Diablo Digital and Clair Global rely on our Echo Express III-R and RackMac mini to help provide bulletproof recording and mixing capabilities for such a demanding production, day in and day out, speaks volumes about the ruggedness, flexibility, reliability, and quality of Sonnet Technologies solutions." TMBi - 25
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Continued Strong Sales for Visionary Routing Platform from Imagine Communications Imagine Communications has supplied more than 50 Platinum™ IP3 multi-path routing switchers to European broadcasters and facilities in recent months. In particular, the router is becoming the de facto standard in many new and upgraded outside broadcast trucks throughout Europe. Platinum IP3 is the latest evolution in Imagine Communications’ innovative Platinum router technology. Like the rest of the acclaimed Platinum line, the enterprise-scale IP3 router integrates mixed-format video and audio routing, copper and fiber inputs and encoded signals such as AES and MADI audio, as well as multiviewers, frame synchronization and quality control. The Platinum IP3 control system helps enable hybrid SDN-IP infrastructures, offering a path to an all-IP future alongside traditional broadcast audio and video, making it an ideal platform for the transition to software-defined broadcast networks and workflows. Recent users include Dutch
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systems engineers Infostrada which has built the technical infrastructure for a major German reality show. Broadcasters SWR and Hessischer Rundfunk in Germany, Master Films in France and UK-based outside broadcast specialist CTV have also updated their facilities with the Platinum IP3. According to Fabio Bertini, owner and CTO of broadcast production company Telerecord, virtually every new outside broadcast truck built in Italy in the last year has featured a Platinum IP3.
IP3, though, is its ability to support a path to an all-IP future. Like all broadcast providers, we have to plan how we are going to make a smooth transition from baseband audio and video to IP. With the new Platinum control system, we can take it a step at a time, knowing the system will switch the signals whether they are on co-ax or Ethernet, and operationally nothing will change so we have no risks on location.”
“Designing and building an outside broadcast truck is a careful balance of practicalities, operational resilience and future proofing,” said Mr. Bertini. “Multipurpose trucks need completely different set-ups for each job, so the flexibility and ease of configuration of the router is vital. With the Platinum IP3 we can simply store configurations, and then recall them instantly, saving time and operator resources when we get on site.
“The Platinum IP3 router is designed to grow as the user’s requirements grow,” said Mathias Eckert, vice president, EMEA, Imagine Communications. “The router can expand to sizes of 2048 x 2048 and beyond, with signals of up to 3Gb/s video or 10 gigabit Ethernet. Most importantly, it can be reconfigured or expanded without even taking the router off air. That is a remarkable benefit for a broadcaster or transmission facility.”
“The real benefit of the Platinum
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2015
Distinguished SUNY Professor Develops Forscene Professional Certification Program Forbidden is teaming up with Steve Keeler, distinguished service professor at State University of New York (SUNY) to develop a textbook and certification program for using Forscene's postproduction tools. The textbook and program will initially enable students of SUNY's Cayuga Community College to become certified professional Forscene users with the goal of eventually offering the program nationally.
browser. The new textbook and the accompanying course will allow students to become certified in two areas — logging and editing — and will be suitable for use in a traditional classroom environment as well as in online instruction. "Professor Keeler was quick to recognise Forscene's potential to
change education and has been one of our most loyal advocates," said Jason Cowan, director of business development at Forbidden Technologies plc. "With his credentials and experience, he's the perfect person to create these new teaching tools. We're looking forward to when these courses will be widely available."
With its robust online education program, Cayuga Community College will be involved in the project and ultimately offer the course, but Keeler is working independently with Forbidden on the project development. As a result, Keeler will be able to make the course and associated materials available to other educational institutions in the U.S. "I could not have created our online video-editing course without Forscene," said Keeler, who first used Forscene in 2007 to create the United States' first online videoediting course at Cayuga Community College. "It's not only a revolutionary editing technology; it also represents a revolution in the instruction of video production. I look forward to taking Forscene and post-production education to the next level." Cayuga Community College offers associate degrees in media production, media communications, audio and music recording, and telecommunications technology. Since the college first offered Keeler's online video-editing class, Forscene has become an integral part of these degree programs. It provides a cost-effective, professional video post-production solution that allows both Keeler and his students to access, edit, and collaborate on video projects from anywhere through a standard Web
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2015
Imagine Communications achieves Ericsson Mediaroom Approval for SelenioNext , Selenio MCP Technologies Imagine Communications, announced that its SelenioNext™ live/multiscreen transcoder and Selenio Media Convergence Platform (MCP) Encoder have been approved for use with Ericsson Mediaroom Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platforms. These transcoding and encoding products bring exceptional reliability, density and cost-efficiency to IPTV and TV Everywhere deployments, and are now applicable to the global Ericsson Mediaroom ecosystem. “Our customers, partners and the industry as a whole require leaders that help them transform the way video is delivered, monetized and consumed, while providing a blueprint for the network architecture of the future,” said Charlie Vogt, CEO, Imagine Communications. “Ericsson Mediaroom is one of the largest middleware providers in the world, and this validation ensures the interoperability of Imagine
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Communications’ leading technologies, extending our footprint across the worldwide IPTV market.” SelenioNext and Selenio MCP are the latest Imagine Communications products to be Ericsson Mediaroom approved. Imagine Communications’ SelenioNext™ high-density adaptive bit rate (ABR) transcoding technology offers up to ten times the density and power saving than competitive solutions, replacing an entire headend of video processing in a single platform. Integrating multiple functions in a single COTS server platform, SelenioNext enables service providers to efficiently ingest precompressed services and transcode, package, encrypt and stream multiscreen, multi-device video. With this approval, Ericsson Mediaroom customers are now able to bring best in class video quality encoding of the Selenio MCP
ENC1 into their ecosystem. In addition to delivering an enhanced user experience for their customers via improving the overall video quality at the same datarate, they can rest assure that the Imagine Communications encoders and transcoders will work within their environment with this validation. A key component of Imagine Communications’ networking framework, the Selenio MCP is the platform of choice for media companies needing a multipurpose convergence solution to efficiently manage today’s baseband and hybrid operations, including baseband video/audio processing, compression and IP networking in a single space-saving platform. By providing the on-ramp and off-ramp for baseband over IP, the MCP acts as the bridge between these technologies, supporting the latest compression formats, while leveraging the high-quality video done in baseband.
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Nexidia announces Nexidia Illuminate, a new family of QC and compliance products built on Nexidia QC™ Technology Nexidia announced Nexidia Illuminate, a new product family that encompasses Nexidia QC™ and builds on the technology behind it. The technology allows broadcasters, content creators, caption creators, and post professionals to verify captions, video description, and language in media files. With Nexidia Illuminate, Nexidia will now offer three different software-based products targeted for different applications — Nexidia QC for quality control, Nexidia Comply for broadcast compliance, and Nexidia Align for caption alignment. Align is provided as an option for both Nexidia QC and Nexidia Comply. "With Nexidia Illuminate, we're offering products tailored specifically for the individual broadcast monitoring, compliance, and file-based QC markets, with more flexible pricing options to better suit each of those markets and individual customer needs. We're also expanding our partner integrations as we expand our customer base," said Drew Lanham, senior vice president and general manager, Nexidia Media and Entertainment Division. "Each of the Nexidia Illuminate products eases the burden on media organizations that are now responsible for delivering media in many different versions for their various content partners. They can now automate something that could previously only be done manually, not only relieving QC and compliance operators from the tedious work of checking these aspects of the media, but also reducing costs, increasing throughput, and improving quality." The Nexidia Illuminate products actually inspect the essence of the media to perform their analysis. In addition, the solutions can process media over 40 times faster than
real time using just a single processing core, and can run multiple files in parallel across all available cores. This capability means users can monitor more than 100 channels at a time from a single Nexidia Comply server, or QC tens of thousands of hours of media per day from a single Nexidia QC server. Besides Nexidia QC, the longestablished product on which Nexidia Illuminate is built, the new product family includes Nexidia Comply, applying Nexidia's patented audio analysis technology to enable automated compliance monitoring of closed-captioning and video description. Nexidia Comply is the first product available on the market that lets users perform compliance monitoring of captions and video description automatically, inspecting the essence itself to highlight problems with caption coverage, accuracy, and synchronicity. Nexidia Comply is integrated with market-leading monitoring solutions like Volicon Observer, giving users integrated reports showing the Nexidia results alongside other broadcast monitoring elements such as loudness. The third Nexidia Illuminate product, Nexidia Align, sold as an option for Nexidia QC or Nexidia Comply, provides automated caption-retiming action for live or framerate-converted captioned content. It is the first caption tool that can correct live caption-timing issues automatically, ensuring that captions are synchronized with the speech in repurposed content. By testing for and automatically repairing out-of-sync captions due to drift or other reasons, media organizations can avoid costly recaptioning or manual realignment. A caption review player allows users to review
reported caption errors and compare caption synchronization before and after the automated retiming. All three Nexidia Illuminate products are delivered as software that is installed on a Windows machine (including virtualization support). Nexidia Comply works in conjunction with Volicon Observer and other third-party monitoring solutions. Alternatively, customers can use Nexidia Comply's REST API to implement their own solution. Nexidia QC can work as a standalone solution and with existing integrations, including Telestream Vantage, AmberFin UQC, Aspera Orchestrator, and Evertz Mediator, and it can also be integrated into other third-party tools using Nexidia Comply's REST API. Nexidia Align also works as a standalone solution, as part of Nexidia QC via REST API, and accessed via the Nexidia Comply and Nexidia QC integrations listed above.
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Since F1 races occur from early March to late November, and take place on five continents, the varied climates of the locations, transport conditions, and harsh RF environments require a robust communications system which is capable to work at its optimum level in any weather condition whether it rains, extreme heat, extreme cold, or high humidity. Riedel and Formula One are working together since 1991 taking care of communications and transmission of all the data and signals.
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In addition to the entire equipment, up to 20 Riedel engineers are on site for each race. In every racing team there’s one of the Riedel crew that travels around with them, always the same people, they might be so close to work with them like a real team, they are even in the same hotel. All motor-racing team’s communications are handled through Riedel Artist Intercom mainframes and panels. Interfacing seamlessly with Motorola TETRA digital radio systems, engineers, crews, and driver have clear communications which can mean the difference between winning and losing. Some 1800 Motorola TETRA radios are used in every race. TETRA combines the advantages of analog trunked radio with those of digital mobile radio to provide optimal frequency usage, high transmission quality for speech and data, maximum security against eavesdropping, as well as flexible networking and connection management. Beyond that, the digital trunked radio system supports full duplex communication, GPS-positioning, and connection to the public telephone network. The system offers the option of operating different virtual channels, and it can leverage IP connectivity to support wide-area operation. Riedel provides the same digital radios for safety and for medical personnel, as well as for the safety car drivers. Safety is a primary concern at F1 and the ability to communicate with safety personnel positioned around large tracks is of vital importance. Artist Intercom matrix has been adopted by the sport’s governing body FIA. In addition, the Formula One Management (FOM) – which produces the world broadcast feed – and the F1 teams use Artist as the standard communication platform. It is deployed to connect the FIA stewards, the pit crews and
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the drivers. Signals are routed to a radio base station with three antennas (two receivers, one transmitter). The signals are then routed over RiLink global fibre service to its own data centre in
Frankfurt (which serves as the hub for its worldwide operations) supported by a NOC, also in Frankfurt, and maintained 24/7 all year round and then on to teams and broadcasters.
For video, Riedel’s MediorNet system leverages permanent and temporary fiber paths to provide feeds for FOM and FIA while also providing and routing HD CCTV feeds for multiple uses around the tracks and in viewing areas. There are also 22 CCTV cameras being used along the circuit. Via an MPLS (a high performance telecoms switching network) which runs on RiLink, teams can respond instantly; the delay is 300 milliseconds from overseas and just 10ms (tenth of second) in Europe, which is handy given that lap times are often decided by that amount. This RiLink Global Fibre Service provides bidirectional links between the race circuit and the broadcast station, allowing not only the transport of 3G/HD/SDSDI broadcast signals, but also return video feeds, fullduplex communications, VoIP
telephony, and IP data. Furthermore, RiLink provides higher bandwidth connections than regular satellite links, which directly translates into better video quality. RiLink’s latency is also significantly shorter and its transmission is completely independent of weather conditions. Various redundancy layers within the network provide maximum reliability and QoS for this real-time network. The rights-holding broadcaster, RTL Germany, transfers the international program signal and additional signals from their ENG Teams on location from all of the race venues to their play out centre in Cologne, Germany via RiLink. The move to IP connectivity for communications, video delivery, and file transfer requires a robust network. During off-peak hours when there is no signal transmission, RTL can use the
additional capacity for other purposes such as uncompressed file transfers to their archive in Cologne. The teams use different configurations of intercom equipment including 32, 64 and 128 port Artist mainframes with 40-50 control panels per team. That’s around 500 panels in total for each race. Approximate 1800 radios are used, about a hundred radios. FIA team rules this year permit only 60 crew on-site but up to 250 might be at the factory at home and even split over three continents at certain races. It’s not just pilots talking to its crew here; they also talk to people in their factories, to Italy in Ferrari case or Switzerland in the case of Sauber. The command centre is a single complete fly-away system. It’s a fully redundant unit with its own
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generator and contains routers with servers loaded with Riedel software, which pulls in all the information for FIA race control. Once it leaves the track just the fibre and the power cables are unplugged. All signals all communications are storage in each Grand Prix because FIA need to have the chance to see and review everything at the moment. “We record all the video from broadcasting and our own CCTV cameras, and also the data and telemetry. If something happened we´re capable to review it on real time and check different parameters. Even If the Race Director decides it, we can take a picture and send it for reviewing purposes as well for investigation. We provide about 60 Tb of storage
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in site”, said Dario Rossi,Head of Motorsport Division at Riedel Communications. About 10-14 km of fibre is installed and deinstalled for each Grand Prix. From this season on, they are using opticalCON MTP cable connector. That fibre is then split into specific channels for each of the race teams. Riedel Communications and Formula One host broadcaster RTL has, for the past six years, leveraged the Riedel RiLink Global Fiber Service to provide bidirectional links between the race circuits and the broadcast station in Cologne, Germany. In addition, Riedel’s Artist and MediorNet platforms are used for communications and signal acquisition and distribution at the
various race venues around the world. Bidirectional links from the race circuits to Cologne allows not only the transport of 3G/HD/SD-SDI broadcast signals, but also the return of video feeds, full-duplex communications, VoIP telephony, and IP data. Furthermore, RiLink provides higher bandwidth connections than regular satellite links, which directly translates into better video quality. RiLink’s latency is also significantly shorter and its transmission is completely independent of weather conditions. Various redundancy layers within the network provide maximum reliability and quality of service for this real-time network. RiLink leverages Riedel’s well-established hardware and manufacturing
capabilities along with proven expertise in software to provide custom solutions over Riedel’s globally available MPLS network, which RTL also uses for enterprise services such as exchange server connections, intranet, and intercom. “When it comes to broadcasting a first-class event such as Formula One, a strong and reliable partnership is an absolute must,” said Fritz Behringer, technical operations manager at Cologne Broadcasting Center GmbH, a part of RTL Media Group. “We have been working with Riedel’s RiLink for many years. As soon as the fiber cable is connected to our production unit, all systems wake up, connect to their hosts instantaneously, and start sending files or messages. Riedel is connecting the two worlds for us: broadcast and IT.”
additional capacity for other purposes such as file transfers to its archive in Cologne, which can be carried out automatically in managed workflows. While realtime transport of HD video uses compression in order to reduce bandwidth, these off-peak transfers happen uncompressed in their original quality. Sending uncompressed video is always the preferred choice in cases that
involve glossy, high-quality postproduction or when sending video material to archive. “Especially in surroundings like F1, RF-based communication is a challenge on its own. The combination of network connectivity, networked intercom and RF systems, and a strong support team gives us the headroom to react fast enough on
RTL transfers the international program video signal and additional signals from its electronic newsgathering teams on location at each of the race venues to its playoutcenter in Cologne. During off-peak hours when there is no signal transmission, RTL uses the
all contingencies and makes our productions so smooth,” Behringer said. “The systems also connect the drivers on the track with their pit crews and off-site engineers, providing drivers with up-to-date tactical advice and on-track support.” Riedel has been supplying communication systems to motor sports events for more than 25 years. Due to its experience and holistic approach, Riedel today serves all Formula One races worldwide, providing reliable communications solutions for many broadcasters such as RTL, for numerous Formula One teams, and for FIA, the governing body for world motor sports. TMBi - 35
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Beginning with the 2014-15 NBA regular season, the NBA launched its new state-of-the-art NBA Replay Center, based in Secaucus, N.J. The NBA Replay Center is fueled by a groundbreaking high-speed arena network to enhance the performance of NBA referees and to accelerate the replay review process. The new state-of-the art $15m
National Basketball Association Replay Center is being used an average of 1.6 times per game, with an average decision time of 43 seconds according to Joe Borgia, Senior Vice President, Replay and Operations NBA. The NBA Replay Center has enhanced the performance of NBA referees by allowing them to review multiple camera angles on one screen at the same time, ensuring they have the best angles to make conclusive calls when a play is reviewable. The facility is located in Secaucus, New Jersey. Outfitted with 20 replay stations and 94 television monitors, the NBA
The new state-ofthe art $15m National Basketball Association Replay Center is being used an average of 1.6 times per game, with an average decision time of 43 seconds Replay Center is directly connected to all 29 NBA arenas, streamlining the process of instant replay video
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review. A groundbreaking, highspeed arena network has accelerated the replay process while also enhancing the accuracy with which calls are made. When a play is eligible for review, feeds from multiple camera angles are available instantaneously to the NBA Replay Center at the same time and the best views are sent to the on-court referees to help them make the call. If necessary, the NBA Replay Center can provide additional camera angles from the television and in-arena networks at a moment’s notice to further assist the referees. Joe Borgia said: “I think it gives our referees a better comfort level that they are in total control. The only thing the Replay Centre controls is what video to send the referee and even then, the referee can ask for additional video or other video and we will give it to them. The Replay Centre provides a resource of video to the referee. “As technology grows you have to grow with it and the time came with fibre optic network and high definition and it just made sense at this time to put it all in one room. We have a lot more consistency now – the referee is now talking to 1 of 5 people instead of 1 of 40. The people under me are trained exclusively for instant replays rules so they can help referees with criteria. They are extremely good with video and working video. You have to grow with the world that’s out there and that’s the point where the Replay Centre made a lot of sense. “We have probably had 7 or 8 calls that were decided by 1/60th of a second on whether or not a ball had left a players fingertips before the clock hit 0:00, you would not see that as a human being.”
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If necessary, the NBA Replay Center can provide additional camera angles from the television and in-arena networks at a moment’s notice to further assist the referees.
The NBA Replay Center serves as the primary hub for all reviewable video. When one of the 15 replay circumstances (“triggers�) occurs during an NBA game, oncourt officials are able to review the play in question by communicating directly with the NBA Replay Center. The referee crew chief on the court makes the final call. Each day of the NBA season, three onsite Replay Managers oversee the operations of the NBA Replay Center. Each game has a dedicated Replay Operator monitoring triggers and referee signals for all reviewable situations. Zoom functions, split screens and additional angles further enhance the replay process and improve the likelihood and timeliness of correct calls.
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Here is a look at the NBA Replay Center:
300 billion: The facility has the capacity of taking multiple, simultaneous HD video streams and photos at speeds of up to 300 billion bits of information per second (300 Gbps). 31,500: The total number of hours of video that the NBA Replay Center is projected to review over a season is 31,500.
560: On a busy night, the NBA Replay Center will bring in over 28 terabytes of video or the equivalent of 560 double-sided Blu-Ray DVDs. 94: The Secaucus facility is equipped with 94 monitors. 66: The capacity of the new network is more than 66 times the previous network with enough capacity to download the entire digitized content of the Library of Congress – more than 158 million items – in just over 30 minutes.
32: Among the 94 monitors, the NBA Replay Center features 32 touch screen monitors. 29: All 29 NBA arenas are connected to the NBA Replay Center in Secaucus, N.J. 20: The NBA Replay Center features 20 replay stations, including 17 Replay Operator stations and three Replay Manager stations. 15: The Secaucus facility has the capability of reviewing the maximum number of 15 NBA games scheduled on a single day; each game is assigned its own Replay Operator.
15: NBA referees consult with the NBA Replay Center based on 15 instant replay triggers (triggers: circumstances within the game that allow instant replay review). 3: The NBA Replay Center is supervised by three highly trained Replay Managers, who will oversee the night’s operation and help provide the necessary data for the referees to make the proper call. At least one of these Replay Managers will be onsite each night, with the possibility of all three being onsite based on the number of games on the schedule.
1: The crew chief will make the final decision on any play that is reviewed.
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When the 2015 London Marathon kicked off on Sunday 26th April, more than 38,000 participants crossed the starting line, making it the biggest in the event's 35-year history. For the second year in a row, Broadcast RF was there with Vislink equipment to provide continuous live coverage of all 26.2 gruelling miles from Blackheath to The Mall. To ensure top class coverage of every step of the course throughout the day, Broadcast RF and AMP Visual were relied upon by CTV OB (Outside Broadcast) and BBC Sport to provide the wireless live feeds for the event, which was viewed by a global audience of millions across 196 countries. The outside broadcast operation used a combination of fixed cameras at six OB stations, Vislink L1700 transmitters on mobile cameras, two helicopters and a fixed aircraft downlink from 22,000 feet, all linked to a central receive system at a master OB station positioned at Canada Gate. “It was incredible to witness the dedication and organisation of Broadcast RF, AMP Visual and CTV OB throughout the days of hard work that went on behind the scenes. Vislink equipment was integral to the event coverage and is relied upon to maintain our customer’s professional reputation,” said Robert King, Regional Sales Manager for Vislink. Broadcast RF utilised Vislink’s 2GHz L1700 wireless cameramounted transmitters, on five motorbikes that followed the route. Frequency spectrum is in short supply at the marathon, so Broadcast RF chose the L1700 for the MPEG4/H.264 video encoding that provides an excellent picture quality over the limited bandwidth. The L1700 is also lightweight and compact, making it perfect for mobile cameras where space and weight constraints are important
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factors. Vislink’s proprietary Deep Time Interleaving technology enhanced the robustness of the coverage, with its advanced system of error correction designed to cope seamlessly with interruptions to the link path that inevitably occur with this type of event coverage. Stationary cameras at the OB station were complimented with hand-held radio cameras using Vislink L1700s, which allowed cameramen to get down next to the runners and do interviews with fun runners, charity runners and celebrities alike. Two helicopter cameras were also deployed along the route, transmitting video feeds to a fixed wing aircraft circling the route at 22,000 feet. Two RF downlinks delivered the video from the aircraft at 3GHz via Vislink’s proprietary 24MHz wide LMS-T modulation scheme to a customised diversity receiver system at the master OB TV compound. “With millions of eyes worldwide tuned into the event, it’s important that the operation runs smoothly,” said Chris Brandrick, Sales Director at Broadcast RF. “Having Vislink as an RF equipment supplier allowed us to build a customised solution for this event. We know that all equipment is compatible with the receiver facility, are in the bandwidth and frequency required, and offers the compression schemes needed to transmit quality images over the congested spectrum. We are always judged on our last performance and our reputation relies on having top quality equipment solutions, to ensure repeat business.” Ashley Dove, VP of Solutions for Vislink, noted, “We have worked with Broadcast RF for many years on a variety of events, and it was very exciting seeing their live coverage of the London Marathon. Vislink was pleased to work with the Broadcast RF Project Manager and engineering team to develop
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and support the best possible solution to ensure not a minute of the race was missed.”
INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS BRANDRICK, SALES DIRECTOR AT BROADCAST RF Wich was the biggest challenge?
The London Marathon is a challenging course over a difficult RF terrain in the city of London. One of the biggest challenges is the large spread of the camera bikes across the course, we could have one bike at the start of the race in Blackheath and the other bike at the end of the course in the Mall at any one time. This made it difficult for us to position the relay aircraft to receive all the feeds from
all of the bikes cleanly and without interference in the very frequency congested and built up environment of London. The weather was also a challenge for us, as there was a delay with the helicopters taking off in the morning of the race. This meant we had no cover shots in the early part of the race when the bikes went through the tunnels along the course. This was quickly rectified when the clouds cleared
and the helicopters were able to take off and film the race from the air. How many cameras and OB´s were on the course? We used five camera bikes and two aerial camera helicopters, with a relay aircraft for receiving and retransmitting all signals to the main OB. To downlink the signals to the main OB compound in Canada
Gate, we multiplexed all incoming signals from the ground into two downlinks from the relay aircraft. There was six other OB vans around London filming the various sections of the race, each had at least one RF camera and a few cabled cameras. Canada Gate, which was the main OB, has a SteadiCam for the finish line as well as a super slow motion camera, all of them linked with RF and in HD.�
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NABSHOW 2015
The Biggest (II) The National Association of Broadcasters announced preliminary registered attendance of 103,042 for the 2015 NAB Show, the world's largest annual convention covering filmed entertainment and the development, management and delivery of content across all mediums. The exhibition featured 1,789 companies spanning 1,015,000 net square feet of exhibit space. In this issue we continue delivering information about the biggest broadcast show in the world.
TOTAL REGISTERED ATTENDEES: 103,042
INTERNATIONAL ATTENDEES: 26,489
COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: 164 TOTAL NUMBER OF EXHIBITORS: 1,726 MORE THAN $20.7 BILLION IN PURCHASING POWER REPRESENTED ON SITE
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NABSHOW 2015
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NABSHOW 2015
COBALT DIGITAL 9000/CC control panel. - The 9940-4x1-CS clean and quiet bypass router provides glitchless audio and video switching with a relay-protected output and GPI/O for monitoring and control.
At the 2015 NAB Show, Cobalt Digital highlighted 27 advancements in processing and convergence products across three of its primary product platforms — the openGear®-compatible 2-RU highcapacity Modular Terminal Gear System, the Blue Box Group™ BBG-1000 line of 1-RU rack-mountable stand-alone systems, and the original Blue Box Group series of miniature throwdown converters. In various combinations, these products formulate many solutions required by broadcasters and content producers every day. New Cobalt Digital Products at the 2015 NAB Show:
New openGear®Compatible Cards Cobalt Digital continually works to expand its already extensive product line. That includes building upon key product families to make them increasingly cost-effective, and space- and power-efficient. Examples of Cobalt Digital’s evolutionary steps forward include: - openGear®-Compatible Modular Terminal Gear System
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- The 9922-2FS dual-channel 3G/HD/SD-SDI framesync with audio and video processing features and a high-density footprint, allowing for 20 paths of signal synchronization in 2 RU. - The 9960-TG2-REF1 dual-channel 3G/HD/SD-SDI test signal generator with “bouncing box” motion patterns, bi/tri-level sync output, and ancillary timecode generator. - The 9980-CSC 3G/HD/SD-SDI color space converter that supports real-time RGB color correction for 1080p60 signals. The converter can be controlled over Ethernet with the popular OGCP-
Cobalt Digital is also bringing easy-to-use ancillary data tools to market with the 9950-EMDE-ANC data embedder/de-embedder and 9978-ANC-MON ancillary data monitor for end-to-end data transmission workflows.
Blue Box Group™ BBG1000 Series Each of the new products being launched for the openGear®-compliant platform will also be available in the popular BBG-1000 series, a line of desktop stand-alone enclosures that have front-panel controls and can be rack-mounted to provide up to three systems in 1 RU. Each box in the series supports the openGear DashBoard™ control and monitoring application, as well as Web GUI control and monitoring via an integrated HTML5 Web server.
NABSHOW 2015
ELEMENTAL Elemental Accelerates Software-Defined Video Momentum The company showcased new products and capabilities and integration with numerous industry partners on the show floor, including Akamai, BrightSign, Cisco, EMC Isilon, Google Widevine, IBM, RED Digital Cinema, Red Bull Media House, Spideo and Zixi: Unified Infrastructure – Software-defined video solutions that allow operators to implement video infrastructure in a unified headend, to support both traditional broadcast and multiscreen content delivery in a single architecture. This approach offers operational efficiencies for video distribution that fixed hardware infrastructure simply cannot match. Linear Video Delivery – Through integrated high-quality encoding, statistical multiplexing and advanced system management, operators are able to extract more bandwidth capacity from their networks, ensure end-to-end redundancy and reduce total cost of ownership for linear video workflows. 4K and Ultra HD – Real-time 10 bit 4Kp60 HEVC encoding generated from a single RU appliance and on demand origination of filebased 4K workflows will be featured as well as live 4K streaming content to Samsung Smart TVs in the MPEG-DASH format over the Akamai CDN. Multiscreen Monetization – Content-aware ad insertion and replacement, just-in-time packaging, just-in- time DRM, live-to-VOD and other time-shifted TV services allow video distributors to realize new revenue opportunities.
Virtualization and Cloud Services – See how software-defined video solutions help operators rapidly deploy new services and reduce capital and operating expenses with virtual machine or cloud infrastructure that dynamically scales up with demand. High Availability – Redundancy for individual encoding, statmux, origin and management nodes, as well as redundancy for content inputs and outputs will be shown in appliance, virtualized and cloud-based deployments. Seamless failover across all functions provides complete peace of mind for operators.
THX Digital Cinema HD Video Encoder Quality Certification Elemental Technologies announced at NAB that it has received THX certification for both its leading live and file-based video compression encoding products, which signify a major achievement of the highest performance and quality standards in digital video. The THX Digital Cinema HD Video Encoder Certification Program involves rigorous testing that employs sophisticated, stateof-the-art digital picture quality analyzer and viewer verification, where THX experts validate video output of a professional grade encoder. THX tested Elemental® Live and Elemental® Server in an environment where content was created in real-time to evaluate and compare to original source material. The THX Digital Cinema HD Video Encoder Certification program tests 46 critical data points in six major categories using evalua-
tion test materials to produce a score that objectively assesses picture quality. THX engineers perform picture quality analysis and expert viewer verification testing, which results in an overall score on a scale of 0100. Eligible certifications require a score above 90, which is considered “THX Excellent Quality.” Elemental’s H.264 video encoder is the first and only to pass using realtime encoding. “Elemental recognizes THX as the industry benchmark for rigorous, unbiased testing and is extremely proud to have attained this certification,” said Aslam Khader, chief product officer at Elemental. “As the video industry continues to evolve, it is important to maintain the highest performance and quality standards and continue to create premium solutions for video delivery, particularly for real-time encoding applications for linear television services.”
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NABSHOW 2015
FUJINON NEW PORTABLE ZOOM WITH 4K OPTICAL PERFORMANCE FOR BROADCAST CAMERAS At NAB, the Optical Devices Division of FUJIFILM North America introduced the UA22x8, the company’s first portable zoom lens with optical performance compatible with 4K 2/3-inch broadcast cameras. The UA22x8 zooms will be available by August of this year. This marks the second lens introduction in the 4K Ultra HD Series for broadcast applications. The first was the UA80X9 field lens, introduced yesterday, April 8th. With a compact and lightweight design, a 22× zoom ratio and a focal length from 8mm in wide angle to 176mm in telephoto, the UA22x8 excels in capturing a broad range of applications, including live sports, program production and news reporting. Both the UA80x9 and the UA22x8 will be available by August of this year. “Our Premier PL 4K+ cine lenses and Cabrio cine/ENG-Style lenses have been used extensively for sports and entertainment productions thus far, but on cameras with a PL mount,” said Thom Calabro, director of Marketing and Product Development for the Optical Division of FUJIFILM. “There are focal length limitations there, but with the new 4K Ultra HD Series when coupled with 4K 2/3-inch cameras, these lenses produce the same focal length range DP’s and camera operators have come to expect with HD, but at a much higher resolution.” Utilizing cutting-edge optical simulation technology, the UA22x8 achieves both its 22x zoom and advanced optical performance. Its
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floating focus system controls multiple lens groups according to the shooting distance and delivers high image quality and high contrast images from close-up to infinity. It comes standard with a 16-bit encoder capable of high-resolution output of lens data, such as zoom and focal position information. Zoom and focus position data is divided in 16-bit resolution and output as electric signals. This lens can also be linked with other systems like virtual studio systems when combining CG images with live action footage.
WORLD’S FIRST LAUNCH OF FUJINON 4K ZOOMS FOR 2/3-INCH BROADCAST APPLICATIONS Designed for a 2/3-inch sensor, the new UA80X9, the first field lens in the series, has an 80x zoom and optical image stabilization, making it ideal for coverage of large-scale live events, such as concerts and sports. In addition to its advanced optical performance, the lens covers focal lengths ranging from 9mm in wide angle to 720mm in telephoto. The UA80x9 size and weight is similar to the popular
NABSHOW 2015
equipment that has the same ‘look and feel’ capabilities of HD, but with a premium picture quality.” said Thom Calabro, director of Marketing and Product Development for the Optical Division of FUJIFILM. Designed using the latest proprietary optical simulation software, the UA80x9 offers exceptional optical performance in the center of the image through to the corners of the frame. The digital servo’s 16-bit encoding assures operators that all lens data output—including the position of the zoom, iris, and focus—is extremely accurate. It can be linked with other systems, such as a virtual studio system for combining CG images with live action. Fujifilm’s proprietary multi-layer coating processing “High Transmittance Electron Beam Coating” (HT-EBC) is applied to the lens for enhanced transmission and color reproduction. The lens also features the company’s unique “optical stabilization mechanism” as standard, which provides optimum adjustment to image shakes caused by vibration and wind. This makes the lens well suited for any application where the camera operator must maintain a rock-steady close up shot for long periods, such as sporting events, houses of worship, corporate presentations, or concerts. XA99x7.4 field lens. The lens will be available by August of this year. “Our Premier PL 4K+ cine lenses and Cabrio cine/ENG-Style lenses have experienced a significant boon in popularity. Given the projected growth of 4K production, we needed to extend that 4K optical performance to our customers working with 2/3-inch broadcast cameras for sports and entertainment productions. This lens delivers 4K video with the same focal lengths currently being used on those type of productions. 4K UltraHD productions can now be produced with
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NABSHOW 2015
NETIA At the 2015 NAB Show, NETIA showcased its new Media Assist software suite, which builds on the strengths of the company’s acclaimed product portfolio to provide a complete solution for managing workflows from ingest through to delivery. The company demonstrated how the new suite enables content owners and content producers, from radio broadcasters and television stations to organizations maintaining media archives, to access, retrieve, and share or distribute their digital assets to any platform..
NEW: NETIA Media Assist Software Suite The NETIA Media Assist software suite unites the unique functionality of NETIA’s proven radio broadcast automation and media management products with a SQL database to provide a cross-media-production asset management system with a full complement of dedicated
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tools. With this powerful new solution, users can manage all types of content, in any format, on any platform, from anywhere and at any time. New media sharing features in Media Assist not only enable the publication or export of content or media assets to cross-media platforms, but also facilitate the sharing and exchange of content across multiple sites within a broadcast operation. To enable convenient use across a facility or organization, the Media Assist software suite provides both a rich-client platform and a Web-based interface that can be displayed on a simple Internet browser. Both GUIs have been designed to assure effective ergonomics. The option of working through a browser-based interface allows journalists and reporters to go fully mobile while maintaining their ability
to access, search, edit, and repurpose content. Integrated audio and video editing tools enable such users to edit and deliver pieces from the field. NETIA has already released Media Assist modules engineered for smartphones and tablets, and the company will provide demonstrations of the modules’ functionality throughout the show. Media Assist is based on a service-oriented architecture (SOA), so it offers all of the additional advantages of a client-server model of computing. Key benefits to opertions include increased modularity, optimal scalability through the improvement or addition of services, third-party connectivity through a Web services API, and straightforward and cost-effective maintenance. New supervision and monitoring tools give users even greater flexibility and confidence in managing valuable media assets.
NABSHOW 2015
PEBBLE BEACH SYSTEMS New automation and integrated channel projects and commences cloud based virtualization trials as part of major R&D initiative Paul Hatcher, Director of New Technology at Pebble Beach Systems, explains “We are currently engaged with a tier one European service provider to evaluate automation and playout in a virtualized environment, with a solution which deploys our Marina automation and Dolphin integrated channel technology. As new software architectures provide more flexible ways of building and operating playout systems, hardware virtualization promises unprecedented flexibility when deploying and maintaining them. Once playout in a virtual environment is proven, cloud-based playout will become feasible, enabling us to offer lower cost solutions that operate entirely on a standard IT platform.” The company also announced a very good quarter for sales, having secured substantial contracts across the US, Europe and the Middle East. One highlight is a Tier 1 US cable network which ordered a Disaster Recovery system consisting of 9 HD channels hosted on the Pebble Beach Systems Dolphin integrated channel device under the control of a Marina automation system. In addition to controlling the Dolphins, the system with interface to a Masstech archive, Grass Valley Vertigo graphics, and will also be inserting SCTE-104 ad insertion triggers and captions into the output. Operation and monitoring of low resolution proxy streams will be carried out via a client which will run remotely from the main installation.
Eric Openshaw, General Manager for North America confirms “We’re excited about implementing this solution in 2015, and this deal further strengthens the company’s presence in the US market, adding to our growing portfolio of reference sites across the continent.”
Major US Broadcaster selects Pebble Beach Systems Marina Pebble Broadcast Systems announced at NAB 2015 that it has secured a contract to supply a substantial automation system to one of the largest over-the-air television station groups in the US, replacing its legacy Sundance automation system. The Marina automation solution will be able to control up to 22 channels for this major broadcaster, and is to be supplied via systems integration and technology provider DigitalGlue for an on-air date of June 2015. Combining architectural flexibility with exceptional resiliency, Marina is designed to meet and anticipate the evolving needs of today’s media
environment. Each operator can control a high density of channels, and configurable desktop layouts via user rights logins which mean that operational practices can be streamlined, and errors minimized. The system is designed to deliver flawless control of a wide variety of channel types in any combination, whether live and unpredictable content, regional opt-outs, simulcast, or simple clip-based channels. Continuous media validation, context-based playout rules, high resolution media viewing, and the concise 'Summary Cell' status view, all combine to safeguard playout and simplify the operator's role. This installation will interface to the existing Grass Valley K2 server, in addition to Isilon storage, a Front Porch archive and the Myers ProTrack traffic system. In addition to driving the existing hardware, Marina will also be automating 2 new channels which are to be hosted on Harmonic Spectrum ChannelPort integrated channel devices.
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NABSHOW 2015
SGL NEW INTEGRATION WITH ASPERA PROVIDING CLOUD-BASED STORAGE AND DISASTER RECOVERY WORKFLOWS SGL announced its integration with high-speed file transfer software provider Aspera. Using the latest version of SGL’s FlashNet archive solution, broadcasters and content owners can now transfer media to a private or commercial cloud at a guaranteed speed benefitting from an additional means of storage and disaster recovery workflows. Aspera provides a breakthrough
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transport technology that fully utilises available network bandwidth, transfers data at maximum speed and scales up as required with no theoretical limit. The SGL integration with Aspera means that broadcasters and content owners can quickly and easily transfer material directly to the cloud from their MAM system using SGL FlashNet. FlashNet’s rules-based implementation provides fully-automated data duplication across multiple storage layers and locations. Using the latest version of FlashNet operators can create additional rules that send material directly to the cloud.
The FlashNet archive is able to track and record exactly where material is at any given time regardless of long-term storage method. Douglas Wynn, SGL’s VP Sales Americas, explains, “Using the cloud for disaster recovery purposes provides a secure and costeffective place for material that’s only likely to be restored in the event of a catastrophic failure. We’re delighted to announce this integration with Aspera further highlighting FlashNet’s scalability, resilience, flexibility and adaptability.”
NABSHOW 2015
SHOTOKU BROADCAST SYSTEMS pact and lightweight pneumatic pedestal capable of supporting camera payloads of up to 121 lbs. (55 kg.), and ranges from 26.2” (665mm) to 58.5” (1,485mm) in height. It is suitable for multi-location use such as OB, studio or event production. The robust modular design allows simple transportation of the TP500 between locations, without compromising its ability to provide a stable platform for camera operators. In addition, the TP500’s integrated inflation pump offers flexibility and freedom, regardless of the broadcast location. The pedestal is ideally paired with Shotoku’s SX300 and SH100/120 pan & tilt heads for optimal performance. Click here to view video.
SmartTrack ‘smart’ rail camera system
70th Anniversary with New Pedestal and ‘Smart’ Rail Camera System Shotoku Broadcast Systems marked its 70th Anniversary at this year’s 2015 NAB Show with a celebration in its Booth. The company also officially launched its new
TP500 compact and lightweight pneumatic pedestal as well as showcased its well-received SmartTrack ‘smart’ rail camera system that addresses the demands of daily TV studio use.
TP500 pneumatic pedestal Shotoku’s new TP500 is a com-
At this year’s NAB, Shotoku highlights its new SmartTrack system, a fully integrated product based on the core track-based technology of MAT, Germany. In combination with Shotoku pan & tilt heads and control systems the MAT system is turned into the perfect solution for TV studio use, day after day. It is highly adaptable, supporting floor or ceiling operation and a range of height column configurations, in both upright and inverted modes. The high quality engineering of the MAT and Shotoku systems ensure that the system is robust and stable, designed for long-term use in demanding applications such as 24/7 news or TV.
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NABSHOW 2015
TEDIAL Tedial has unleashed Tedial Evolution™, an enhanced version of their Media IT platform, at NAB 2015. Tedial Evolution significantly extends MAM functionality with advanced search/indexing tools, new services to surf/explore archives, and improved integration between archive and workflows engines to reinforce a collaborative environment. “Since 2001, Tedial’s MAM and media IT solutions have helped broadcasters and media companies worldwide improve efficiency, enhance productivity and optimize creativity,” explains Jay Batista, Tedial general manager, US operations. “We are proud to introduce Tedial Evolution™ at NAB, THE next generation MAM that takes media management to a whole new level. Evolution provides a business platform that marries logistics planning and media preparation into a complete supply chain, enabling customers to grow their businesses even as the business of media consumption evolves at an unprecedented speed. That’s why smart media professionals choose Tedial.”
Introducing Tedial Evolution™ NEW GUI Tedial Evolution offers a completely new user experience designed to speed both manual and automated workflows. Built on the solid, tried and trusted Tarsys MAM platform, the new HTML5 User interface keeps frequently used tools on the screen for improved performance. True multi-screen (Smartphone, Tablet, etc.) and multi-platform (IOS, Android, Windows, etc.) operations allow users to manage tasks, validate media or monitor workflows status from mobile devices.
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The interface is fully customizable for individual preferences or work assignments, including different metadata views and screen configurations, with an integrated activity monitor and unified view of archives, workflows and business processes. And the new interface features a configurable ”logging” board with shortcuts for actions and actors, specially designed for sports and live events.
NEW Tarsys Search/Indexing Engine The Tarsys Search/Indexing engine has been extended to organize/search collections and other object related entities, to indexing very large databases via shared indexes, and to automatically tag descriptive metadata based on scoring of texts using stop words. The system now autocompletes user keyword inputs and generates suggestions for every entry as it is typed! It offers new methods to surf the MAM through “departments” using an “Amazon.com style” facets category and/or group entities. The system can also auto-tag, relating assets based on most relevant tags.
True Object Relational Database Harnessing the power of a true Object Relational Database, a new set of tools provides a service to manage group entities, a multi-level classification schema (collections, albums, series, projects, rights, delivery packages, etc.) based on dynamic, changing relations. Employing the power of a real Object Relational Database, entities are logged as assets, which can now be a repository for all shared information. Assets are categorized
as members of multiple entities, according to the user needs.
EXPANDED Tarsys Mediaset All information related to an asset can be explored from the Mediaset view including Metadata, media files, attached documents, logical versions, processing or delivery orders. Moreover, related assets (physical versions, promos, parts) and entities can be explored from the original master asset wherever they are located or associated. And as part of Tedial’s evolution to support DAM operations, full audio support is now available in the basic Tarsys MAM. Tedial Evolution offers tight Integration with Rights management systems to ensure media is Rights aware.
Extended Business Process Management Services Business Process Management services have been extended to reinforce collaboration, allowing several users to work with the same asset. New collaborative processes can be defined using an extended library of foundation workflows and activities.
NABSHOW 2015
TVLOGIC 12 New Displays at NAB 2015 TvLogic launched a total of 12 new models at NAB 2015. Included in the lineup are a 31.1” 4K monitor, a 17” broadcast model, a new studio wall monitor series comprised of six sizes from 17” to 55”, and a rack monitor range offering four configurations. The new displays are on exhibit in Booth C 7533 at NAB.
SDI), plus an HDMI and DVI input. The LVM-170A includes wide viewing angle and standard Rec. 709 color gamut, and TVLogic’s own color calibration utility support.
Studio Wall Monitor Series – 6 Sizes
Introducing TVLogic’s latest 4K reference display! The 31.1” monitor features 4096x2160 resolution with a high contrast ratio of 1450:1, and supports 4-SDI and 4-HDMI inputs as well as an HDMI 1-channel input. The LUM-310A provides wide color gamut up to DCI, true 10bit, includes 3D LUT support for precise color reproduction, 2-sample interleave division, HD 1:1 or full-screen upscaling function and TVLogic’s own color calibration utility support.
Ranging in sizes from 17.3” to 55” (SWM-170A, SWM-240A, SWM-320A, SWM-420A, SWM-460A, SWM-550A), TVLogic’s new Studio Wall Monitor series provides the broadcast market with six highly accurate and versatile models, featuring Rec.709 color gamut, wide viewing angles, support for 2 SDI inputs and outputs, plus one HDMI and one DVI, OSD buttons on the side and an optional SFP optical module. These new SWM series monitors are fully compatible with free ‘Observer’ software for remote control and management. As with all TVLogic monitors, color calibration utility support is included.
LVM-170A Broadcast Monitor
Rack Monitor Series – 4 configurations
Building on its popular LVM broadcast monitor series, TVLogic debuts the LVM-170A 17.3” full HD model with 1920x1080 resolution. Designed for multiple applications, the display features three analog SDI inputs and outputs, two SDI inputs and one SDI output (SD, HD, 3G-
Configurations run the gamut in TVLogic’s new Rack Monitor series to suit any monitoring application. Choose from two – 7” or 9” units, or three-5.6”, or four3.4”, all feature 16.7M color depth and appropriate resolution levels and contrast ratio to maximize quality for each size.
LUM-310A Ultra HighDefinition Monitor
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NABSHOW 2015
VOLICON NEW Archiver for the Media Intelligence Platform® Addressing broadcasters’ need for convenient, cost-effective longterm storage of aired content, Volicon has introduced a new Archiver option for the company’s Observer Media Intelligence Platform®. Providing multiple simultaneous users with random access to an indexed store of full-resolution, high-bit-rate (long-GOP H.264, 9-15 Mbps) content, as well as lowresolution proxies, this option makes programming, promos, and advertisements readily available for use cases ranging from ad verification to repurposing. When years of online storage are required, the Archiver option offers a scalable,
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high-performance, low-cost alternative to the expensive systems typically implemented for long-term archives. Because it features both baseband (SDI) and transport stream (TS) interfaces and is compatible with any application, the module can be deployed easily in virtually any broadcast environment.
video), complemented by frameaccurate data, on a monitor wall or other display. In addition to enabling users to keep their eyes and ears on every channel, the option makes it easy to identify and look past audio and video impairments to examine the integrity of metadata.
Enhanced Multiviewer for Added Monitoring Convenience
OTT
Volicon’s enhanced Multiviewer option for the Media Intelligence Platform® unites the Observer® platform’s recording capability with multiviewer functionality to give users access to multiple live or recorded programs (audio and
Volicon’s OTT offering provides networks, video service providers, and broadcasters with a solution for logging (recording) and monitoring the over-the-top (OTT) A/V services that stream content to computers, tablets, and smartphones. With the same suite of tools already proven for set-top box (STB) and transport
NABSHOW 2015
stream (TS) monitoring, the solution offers a complete, cost-effective quality monitoring and/or compliance logging solution for multiplatform media delivery. Users can ensure that video-on-demand (VOD) and linear services are available 24/7 at optimal quality, validate service level agreements (SLAs) with content delivery networks (CDNs) using pixel-level verification of cloud delivery and playback, confirm the presence of captioning, and determine that specialized apps are providing optimal quality of experience. In addition to providing a true recording of services, the system facilitates remote streaming and review, as well as indepth analysis of both unencrypted and encrypted content.
casters capture media from a variety of sources and quickly produce and deliver compelling content to viewers via on-air broadcast, as well as digital and social media platforms. Together, Capture and Share facilitate the capture, extraction, processing, and distribution of content in the appropriate format for virtually any target outlet and
device. In a fresh approach to multiplatform content creation and delivery, these applications leverage the Media Intelligence Platform’s unique content-recording capabilities and intuitive user interface to provide a much faster and more cost-effective model than is possible with conventional recording, editing, and packaging solutions.
Capture and Share The Capture and Share applications for Volicon’s Media Intelligence PlatformŽ help broad-
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At Cannes, audio specialist Sennheiser presented its AVX wireless microphone systems for video cameras that ensure totally stress-free audio capture. The compact AVX receiver plugs directly into the XLR of a camera, where it automatically pairs with the microphone and switches on when the camera does. The system automatically adjusts the correct audio levels and transmits using a specially protected link in the license-free 1.9 GHz range. Setting up and recording high-quality audio for video has never been faster or more convenient.
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“Whether you’re a journalist compiling a show report, a professional videographer filming a documentary or an in-house marketing specialist making a product video – AVX gives you the room to concentrate on your creative work”, says Sven Boetcher, Portfolio Manager Broadcast & Media at Sennheiser. “No licensing is required, the system automatically selects a suitable transmission frequency and also makes all necessary settings – that’s true ease of use.” AVX comes in ready-to-use systems that contain everything required to immediately go live. Alternatively, tailor-made systems can be put together from a wide choice of individual components.
EASE
OF USE RIGHT
FROM THE START Convenience starts with not having to register the system or pay for its use: AVX operates in the license-free 1.9 GHz frequency range, which can be used in many countries worldwide. The convenience continues in operation: the plug-on receiver automatically switches on with the phantom powering of the camera, and automatically pairs with the transmitter. The system immediately sets the correct audio level, perfectly matching it to the camera’s input sensitivity, selects a free frequency – and is ready for the job at hand. If a source of interference appears, AVX will inaudibly shift to a new frequency.
RANGE
ON DEMAND
AVX is equipped with adaptive transmitting power, meaning that the system always uses the power that is required to maintain a reliable connection between the microphone and the camera receiver. This not only ensures a
stable link, it also reduces battery power consumption – as does the automatic on/off function.
CLEVER
ENERGY
AVX –
OVERVIEW OF
SYSTEMS AND INDIVIDUAL UNITS
MANAGEMENT
COMPLETE SYSTEMS
The AVX receiver and transmitter are powered by special lithium-ion batteries, which can be recharged via a USB port. To avoid nasty surprises when filming for a long time, the transmitters display the amount of battery life remaining.
• AVX-835 SET: Handheld Mic Set with MMD 835-1 microphone head
DSLR ACCESSORIES
• AVX-COMBO SET: Interview Set – USA only
INCLUDED For DSLRs with a jack audio input, the AVX systems include an XLR-3/mini-jack adapter cable and the mounting accessories needed to attach the receiver to the camera hotshoe.
READY-TO-USE
SETS
OR INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS AVX is available in three different sets: with a handheld transmitter (evolution microphone head), with a bodypack transmitter and ME 2 clip-on microphone and in a special professional version with a bodypack transmitter and an MKE 2 clip-on microphone, the benchmark product for film and TV productions. For the USA, a special combo pack is issued, which includes both a bodypack and a handheld. The microphone head is an MMD 42, the capsule of Sennheiser’s longstanding MD 42 reporter’s microphone. All system components plus additional items such as a handheld transmitter with on/off switch are available separately so that users can put together their own tailor-made AVX systems.
• AVX-ME 2 SET: Lavalier Set incl. ME 2 lavalier micro-phone • AVX-MKE 2 SET: Lavalier Set incl. MKE 2 lavalier microphone
INDIVIDUAL UNITS TO CREATE AVX SETS • EKP AVX: Plug-on receiver • SK AVX: Bodypack transmitter • SKM AVX-835: Handheld transmitter, incl. MMD 835-1 • SKM AVX-835S: Handheld transmitter, Mute switch, incl. MMD 835-1
COUNTRY VERSIONS Versions for • USA • EMEA, India, Indonesia • UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia • Australia • Latin America • Japan • Taiwan • Brazil
DELIVERY INCLUDES AVX-835 SET Handheld Mic Set Includes EKP AVX plug-on receiver, SKM AVX-835 handheld transmitter, MMD 835-1 microphone head, rechargeable battery packs for receiver and transmitter, XLR to mini-jack cable,
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hot shoe mount, USB charging unit, USB charging cable, belt clip, microphone clamp, pouch AVX-ME 2 SET Lavalier Set Includes EKP AVX plug-on receiver, SK AVX bodypack transmitter, ME 2 lavalier microphone, rechargeable battery packs for the receiver and transmitter, XLR to mini-jack cable, hot shoe mount, USB charging unit, USB charging cable, beltclip, microphone clip, pouch AVX-MKE 2 SET Lavalier Set Includes EKP AVX plug-on receiver, SK AVX bodypack transmitter, MKE 2 lavalier microphone, rechargeable battery packs for the receiver and transmitter, XLR to mini-jack cable, hot shoe mount, USB charging unit, USB charging cable, beltclip, microphone clip, pouch AVX-COMBO SET Interview Set Includes EKP AVX plug-on receiver, SK AVX bodypack transmitter, ME 2 lavalier microphone, SKM AVX-835 handheld transmitter, MMD 42 microphone head, rechargeable battery packs for the receiver and transmitters, XLR to mini-jack cable, hot shoe mount, USB charging unit, USB charging cable, beltclip, microphone clamp, microphone clip, pouch EKP AVX camera plug-on receiver Comes complete with rechargeable battery pack, hot shoe mount, beltclip, XLR to mini-jack cable USB charging unit and USB charging cable SK AVX bodypack transmitter Comes complete with rechargeable battery pack and pouch SKM AVX-835 handheld transmitter Comes complete with MMD 835-1 microphone head, rechargeable battery pack, microphone clamp and pouch SKM AVX-835S handheld transmitter with mute switch Comes complete with MMD 835-1 microphone head, rechargeable battery pack, microphone clamp and pouch Rechargeable battery packs BA 10 Rechargeable battery pack for SKM AVX-835 and SKM AVX-835S BA 30 Rechargeable battery pack for SK AVX BA 20 Rechargeable battery pack for EKP AVX
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Benjamín Fernández, director and colorist at Mexico City based facility Digital Sprockets is well versed in the industry’s oldest and newest technologies. Starting his career in the early 1990s, Benjamin worked with film extensively to produce commercials and corporate videos. In order to make the old new again as well as make the new shine to perfection, Benjamín made the leap to digital in 2000, combining his knowledge of film with digital to master the facility’s growing list of restoration projects. Helping him tackle both new and old projects was Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve.
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THE REVOLUTION WILL BE COLORIZED Recently, Benjamín and the Digital Sprockets team color graded the societally charged independent film, “El Fuego Inolvidable” (or, “The Unforgettable Fire”), released in theaters in September 2014. Directed by Fernando Benítez Ontiveros, “El Fuego Inolvidable” tells the story of a group of young people in Mexico who wish to drive change in their country. Touching on the controversies of youth, government and education in the midst of Mexico’s bicentennial, a celebration of Mexico’s independence, “El Fuego Inolvidable” depicts violence, friendship, innocence and hope. But, as in any movie, acting and directing alone does not necessarily transcend the film itself. It took precise color grading using DaVinci Resolve in collaboration with these elements to make the piece truly unforgettable. “This film has many different looks depending on the moods and the situations the characters are in,” Benjamín explained. “When everything is fine, the scene is nice and colorful. But when there are conflicts, or when the characters find themselves in trouble, the viewer can perceive this through the saturation, and often a little bit of a violet hue.” According to Benjamín, for director Fernando Benítez Ontiveros, the goal was to have different color themes for the various moods and situations the characters were confronting. As scenes change and the story progresses, viewers can almost guess where things are going as the film’s color would quite literally set the scene. Benjamín commented, “Resolve’s nodes and window functions are excellent, as they allowed me to
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isolate areas that needed more attention. Color grading is crucial to the way the film looks, as there are changes according to the film’s storyline. There is a big difference when you take the time to grade.” Touching the hearts of viewers throughout Mexico and beyond, “El Fuego Inolvidable” lives up to its director’s high demands, and has even been honored by being shortlisted for an Ariel Award, the equivalent of the Oscars in Mexico, in the “Best New Films” category. But more than giving films the tone and look they need to tell a story through color grading, Digital Sprockets gives archived films new life in Mexico. An expert in telecine,
Benjamín uses a number of Blackmagic Design products to help with this time traveling task.
STANDING OF T IME
THE
TEST
With UHD no longer on the horizon but rather on our doorsteps (in the form of a cardboard box containing a brand new UHDTV), older movies don’t stand a chance without the help of experts to take them into the digital age. Otherwise, if left in their physical state of film without being digitized, their odds for being seen are slim to none. Every day, Benjamín deals with 35mm filmstrips that need to
be converted to and restored in HD, often requiring intense cleaning and fixing up. Without someone to do such work, Benjamín said, “These films are simply forgotten.” “I have a couple of clients who have a lot of titles here in Mexico, and they need to transfer all of those films into HD and restore them because if they don’t, they can’t sell the rights to air on television or video on demand platforms.” He continued, “So, they are transferring these films into very high quality HD so they can not only keep them alive but continue to profit from them.” An extensive process, Digital Sprockets has digital restoration down to a science. According to Benjamín, they digitize an entire
film using the Cintel Millennium II HD datacine, a DaVinci system, and Cintel Image Mill running Cintel’s Grace for grain and noise reduction. Everything is then transferred in full HD, 24p at 444, RGB, DPX into Blackmagic DeckLink 4K Extreme captured with the Media Express to create the DPX sequence. From there, depending on if the client simply wants the digital sequence or the complete process done, Benjamín either transfers the file to a hard drive for send off or continues into post. “Once I get the DPX sequences into the computer, I put it through the automatic sync up detection for each roll and press that timeline on Resolve,” explained Benjamín of
the process for clients who want the complete end to end service. “The noise reduction and dust removal tools are extremely handy in our workflow. Often times, I send just the portions that need special cleaning to the Revival workstation where my colleague Juan works. He takes the small amount of frames or seconds to clean, then fixes that part and sends me back the clean portions. When it comes to grading this newly digitized footage, getting the details perfect is so important because I’m transferring these old movies to HD.” He concludes, “The sequence then goes back into Resolve where I edit the clips, and then we sync the audio. After that is exporting to
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Apple ProRes 444 in HD, or whatever the client’s format of choice.”
REDISCOVERING CLASSIC BEAUTY WITH THE HELP OF DAVINCI RESOLVE By being able to clean the physical imperfections off of the filmstrips he works with, Benjamín said they are able to make movies look better today than they did when they were initially released. Color grading and enhancing these films with DaVinci Resolve doesn’t hurt either. Benjamín also added, “DaVinci Resolve helps me a lot with the old films because I can transfer them with the best light. We’re trying to get everything out of the negative, and I do the final grading on Resolve because it’s more flexible than any other option, while still being extremely cost effective.” While one might assume that with today’s advanced camera technologies, new footage would have more information and details accessible to colorists for beautifying in post. But for Benjamín, and particularly in Mexico where productions are either in the high or low end camp when it comes to cameras, 35mm film is where it’s at. “I love film, I love transferring negative very much because it has a lot of flexibility, and it has a lot of information on it. You can bring back the blacks and the shadows and all the other details in film. Many times you hear these old Mexican films are poorly shot and produced, but I get the original negatives and I can see that this is not the case. You can see the quality of the production of these movies, and they have some nice musical numbers too!”
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THE POWER IN P OST
OF
SIGHT
In addition to working in post on brand new films as well as restoring very old ones, Digital Sprockets also makes completely new films out of old footage. Case in point, “El Poder en la Mirada,” which
translates literally to “The Power of Sight,” a three part movie created entirely from archived material. Though Benjamín will not be editing the new film, he strongly advised the director and editor to cut using DaVinci Resolve’s new editing tools. Benjamín reported, “I work with Resolve, so when I heard they’d be
using a different editor, I said, ‘No, no, no.’ They were going to do some zooms and panning and some other visual elements for the material and I told them, ‘That will be a mess to import if you do not do it with Resolve.’” He explained that because of their plans to simulate fast camera movements on the old archived material, it would be difficult for him to import the footage without any glitches. By using DaVinci Resolve’s editing features, the files would open perfectly on Benjamín’s system, and he would have all of the information he needed right there without any imperfections. He continued, “It’s perfect. For instance, we work with an audio studio, where they clean and remaster the sound for five feature length movies. I send them my reference clip, sync to it and they send me the WAVs to sync back to the DPX sequence and it just syncs perfectly. I just drop it and that’s it. It’s ready! And because I also use Resolve for grading, I really don’t need to use any other tool.” Not only does DaVinci Resolve fit perfectly into the Digital Sprockets
workflow with little to no issues, Benjamín also benefits from the speed at which it operates. “When it comes to editing, DaVinci Resolve is very good, it’s very fast. I’m used to real time editing, I’m not used to waiting for something to render. Plus, Resolve is much more powerful than any other tool out there, not to mention easy to learn.”
TOOLS OF THE TRADE: THEN, NOW AND IN THE F UTURE Digital Sprockets has had a stake in the game since 1994, and it’s clear they’re not going anywhere any time soon. Just like the films Benjamín and his colleagues restore, the Mexico City facility has
found and likely will always find a way to stay current. By investing in the right tools, like those from Blackmagic Design, they have been able to do just that. “All of our Blackmagic equipment makes a huge difference in the work we do at Digital Sprockets. The DeckLink, our Cintel Scanner, Media Express…they all work so well, and the price and quality are just amazing,” said Benjamín. “And I just love transferring these old movies a lot. We just finished one, a 1953 comedy/musical that I liked that very much. We also just finished converting ‘Deseada’ from black and white nitrate negatives, which was shot at Chichen Itza and stars Dolores del Río.” At the heart of it all is DaVinci Resolve. Necessary to the Digital Sprockets workflow, it allows them to paint the right picture for any given project with its tried and true color grading tools, while its editing features mean a seamless workflow throughout the entire post process. As Benjamín put it, “It’s where we finish, where we grade and where we export. It’s essential in our workflow.”
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High quality and cost-effective We have tried the Canon C100's upgraded model. We can see that we are heading towards cameras designed for content creators, and not for experts in the underlying technologies. Dialogues on technical content between the photography director, the editor, the illuminator, etc. are shifting towards high-budget productions. The Canon C100 Mark II is increasingly similar to that dictated by common sense. If I had to acquire and work with only one video camera, taking into account that our job market demands competitive prices and high standards, this would be my choice.
Txt: Álvaro Bernal We arrived to Falco Films, where we were lent the C100 along with a Canon 35 T 1.5 Cine Prime lens with exceptional performance. Once there, they showed us the first differences with regard to the C100 Mark I and we were able to test all types of lenses. To be honest, they are always at the cutting edge. Ergonomics has not changed. It is still a camera designed for camera operators and
video-makers who believe that "less is more". Its weight is reasonable – optics make the huge difference in weight – and as could not be otherwise, so does final image quality. I will say this a thousand times, Canon's C series works by holding the video camera up to your eye, as if it were a camera, which gives an excellent point of stabilization when shooting handheld. The first two positive surprises that we find
are its viewfinder and screen. 0.45" 1.23 MP viewfinder. This initially doesn't really speak to me. But then, I take off my glasses, I adjust the magnify focus mode, I adjust the red peaking to low intensity (not too high or we will scratch the lens due to overconfidence) and it is at this point when I say "now, now it feels right". To put it bluntly: There will always be better viewfinders, and much more expen-
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sive ones, but this one will give you no problem in day-to-day work, not even in adverse lighting conditions. The previous model, the C100 Mark I was "a bit under power" but you were still able to work properly with it. The large-size eyecup also avoids parasitic light from going through. The screen maintains its dimensions: 8.8 cm diagonal screen. 1.23MP OLED. Once again numbers. Vision is really good and, best of all: the monitor is articulated and can be rotated in every direction. Yes, also when shooting "selfies". But what I ask myself is when are manufacturers going to design cameras of this size with bigger screens but maintaining full quality? (Blackmagic Ursa is a different matter). It's surprising to have smartphones with 5 or more inches and high resolution. Including these screens in such small devices has proven to be a daunting task. The next surprising thing is how to display in smartphones high-quality content without interruptions. For the time being, the WIFI experience in video cameras is not satisfactory. It will certainly end up being so, we are just very impatient. The monitor of the C100 Mark II has menu buttons and a joystick, which is extremely useful. This is really handy if we want to adjust parameters when the camera is fixed to a tripod and while previewing the video recordings. We also have a joystick next to the "rec" button with which to adjust shooting parameters without having to take off the eye from neither the viewfinder nor the finger from the "rec" button. Still on the subject of ergonomics, we still believe that people involved in shooting have participated in the design of this camera. In other cases, it looks as if designers were engineers that have no connection with this industry. 17 shortcuts to all key functions, conveniently positioned buttons and with the right
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I will say this a thousand times, Canon's C series works by holding the video camera up to your eye, as if it were a camera, which gives an excellent point of stabilization when shooting handheld. The first two positive surprises that we find are its viewfinder and screen. size, even with light gloves, but as I say, from the joystick everything is quickly handled. ND filters (4 lenses of off, 2, 4 and 6 stops) are perfectly at hand. The iris is located where it is useful when working with autofocus lenses, right over the "rec" button, so you don't even need to move your finger. It is certainly possible to adjust iris and focus without losing stabilization. It has the same top handle with XLR inputs and regular manual controls, as well as a stereo mic in the front of the handle, but it also now has an internal microphone outside the handle, located in the body, which is very useful if you want audio reference or if you want to lighten the camera.
WELL,
WE NOW COME
TO SENSORS , CODECS , CURVES ...
8.3 MP sensor, Super 35 CMOS size and HD signal. Ok, and what about its performance? Are there any significant improvements? Yes: a new DIGIC 4 DV which clearly reduces moirĂŠ and aliasing. So, we don't have to struggle with these two problems anymore. With regard to the sensor, as obvious as it may seem, I have to mention two things. Firstly, no 4K recording sys-
tem has been included in any of the external ports, it's not intended for that. If that's what you need, it is clear that this is not your camera. 4k market is ambiguous, the range of cameras with 4k includes even mini-cameras such as Go-Pro or Action Cam, but most of us as professionals don't have 4k recording requests in the bulk of the sector: reports, interviews, corporate events, events, concerts, etc. Current demand is of film aesthetics, lightweight equipment, low costs and little light solutions (there is almost always little light, almost always). 4K mode will be left to work in large productions, especially long-lasting ones, such as cinema films, documentaries with production budget or stock images. There is currently the paradox that in drones we do record in 4K, mostly for small sequences and even when the final project is HD, those general shots of high resolution add a great deal at a low cost. Secondly, if you come from 5D Mark II and III and these cameras are new to you, you have to know that the crop factor with 35 EF lenses is of 1.5 (approx. Canon indicates 1.53). Once again, we have to say that this is neither a good nor a bad thing. When mixing different formats, we need to be aware of the achievable result. With this
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C100 and a 24-105mm f4 we have a 37-160mm coverage, which is always appreciated, unless you are among those who consider that nothing beats a real 21 mm focal when including in a shot a table with four people gathered around it in a small room, and enjoying the aesthetic trapping of having the people on the sides distorted and the ones closer to the camera looking gigantic. This said if you have the chance, try out the C100 Mark II with a 17 mm Canon shift lens (real coverage of about 26mm) and
you'll see how things take a turn for the better. ISO goes from 320 to 102.400. I'm sorry but that doesn't really speak to me. What I do is increment the ISO while maintaining the same aperture to avoid changes in quality (a 50 lens of f 1.4 is not the same as a f 5.6), I use filters, and try out different situations with contrast and amount of light. In general, worst images in cameras are due to poor light and low contrast. In a dimly-lit room, if we introduce a
4K mode will be left to work in large productions, especially long-lasting ones, such as cinema films, documentaries with production budget or stock images.
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small point of light with a basic LED, perception will be totally different. These are the details that make the difference when working with low budget. Codecs (always so annoying...) AVCHD up to 28 Mbps and MP4 up to 35 Mbps. In either cases, 50 p or 60p you can change to NTSC mode, (it can be useful when you need the maximum number of frames to slow down). With a 32 GB SD card you'll have for two hours. Problems with codecs are exhaus-
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ting. Take a look at some good videos recorded with this camera and these codecs, and if you like them ask yourself: why am I you not achieving such results? They all use Canon Log Gamma and Wide Dynamic Range and they all are careful with framing, direct and indirect light, etc. If you want more from codec 4:2:2, you can use the output HDMI and an external recorder. The Atomos Ninja Star is one more gadget to carry but can be really useful. 500 euros in April 2015 separate you from a brilliant 4:2:2. For those 500 euros you'll have a recorder and cards for 80 minutes recording, plus it is also a player, and you will just be carrying 250 g more. In concluding, I should like to insist on the idea of shooting with the best codec, 35 MP4 and using an extended LOG curve and dynamic range. Most of the times you should work using these. When working with a camera similar to this one it is important to get the best out of it, regardless of the type of work we are doing. Define yourself as a professional and give your clients the best. Cost is the same but you'll be worth more within your market. Another aspect to be noted is the autofocus system. Quite surprising. I've heard the older generation say that they don't feel comfortable about the fact that technology makes things easier, and they tend to cling to those times when it hasn't worked as they'd like it to. I have even heard them say that using the autofocus system is not at all professional... For those of you who don't attach any importance to it, I'll tell you a bit about it. The Dual Pixel system can be set in the menu, assigning its function to the button next to "rec". It works when pressing the button and stops working when pressing it again. It covers up the central area of the viewfinder, more or less a 20%. If this area is selected, the autofocus will be on. It has such gentleness
I think this C100 model works economic and consistently with Canon's L Lens series or even with the medium-sized series.
that every time I give it a try, it works better than those who are quick at focusing, but in a controlled way, enabling jerk-free focusing. Whenever you want to stop it, you just press the button one more time. Obviously you can work with the lens focus at any time. Drawbacks? I think the size of the area of action should be customizable and so should the movement of this area along the screen. I'm sure that soon cameras will have a pressing focus assistant in the focusing area, just as consumer cameras and mobile phones have had for a long time now, but such
assistant will be as accurate as the C100. Finally, a word about lenses and the C100 Mark II. I am among those who consider that it is positive to find the right balance. If you're always looking for top lens and codec quality then the C300 is your best option. With Prime lenses the result is excellent, but I think this C100 model works economic and consistently with Canon's L Lens series or even with the mediumsized series. You have the midrange fixed-focus lenses, like the 35 mm that covers up more or less a 50 mm field in f2 and stabilized, or the macro 100 mm, stabilized as well, which becomes 135 mm and gives an impressive aesthetics experience in general shots of people. With a 24 – 105mm, as mentioned before, you'll have 37 – 160mm, so adaptable that you will be able to forget about changing lenses. I think this Mark II version of the C100 model is a clear example of high quality production at a reasonable price.
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