Editor Javier de Martín editor@tmbroadcast.com Editor in chief Jesús Carrillo director@tmbroadcast.com Key account managers Cristina Feduchi international@tmbroadcast.com Tamara Meuwese tamara.m@tmbroadcast.com Creative Direction Mercedes González design@tmbroadcast.com
Summary
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Editorial
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Editorial staff press@tmbroadcast.com
TV Globo – 4K and IP Olympics Interview with Jose Manuel Marino, sports Technology Director
BITAM SHOW Administration Laura de Diego Marga Quevedo administration@tmbroadcast.com
The fastest growing fair of Southern Europe
54 TM Broadcast International #36 August 2016
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
Published in Spain
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File Based QC: Challenges and solutions Test Zone: Teradek Beam and Cube 155
Editorial The Olympic Games should begin a couple of weeks after the publication of this TM Broadcast issue. During August, everybody in the broadcast market will be focusing on Rio the Janeiro, not just on the sports but also on all the stunning technology that will be used there. There are some rumors about an upcoming economic crisis in Brazil after the Olympics due to a financial bubble, but if this is true, we´ll see after the summer. Regarding broadcasting, 4K is going to be one of the biggest topics this summer. Unlike at the FIFA World Cup, in Rio they are going to use a much more mature technology with several prototypes, innovative workflows etc., typical for a main event like this. Unlike in 2014 the FIFA´s World Championship, 4K is going to be shot with 2/3” cameras in a real broadcast live production workflow, using lenses and OCP´s as usual but in a bigger image resolution, causing less problems than shooting with cinema Super 35mm cameras like they did in the past. These cameras are going to be used to record media for postproduction, archiving, etc. Another key issue is going to be the use of IP connectivity; this technology is changing all the rules in our industry. The currently use of IP in TV productions is just the tip of the iceberg, as it provides a cheaper GLUE and a much easier deployment on site using optical fiber and IT switchers to interconnect everything on a network architecture. This is the beginning of decentralized production, maybe the biggest subject in the upcoming years. TM Broadcast International strongly recommends its readers to take a look at AIMS (The Alliance for IP Media Solutions), where the future of IP is happening right now.
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ITV SPORT AND BEIN SPORT USED LIVEU TECHNOLOGY AT UEFA EURO 2016 Major broadcasters around the world have once again used LiveU’s technology to provide a 360 degree viewer experience of the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament. This includes both ITV Sport and beIN Sport, the latter via production company Medialuso, part of the Spanish Mediapro Group, who used units from across the company’s product portfolio to bring live images to their viewers from France. ITV Sport was the joint rights holders in the UK, along with the BBC, and split the live coverage of games with both covering the final. The broadcaster covered 51 games during the month-long competition around France from a studio in Paris. UEFA supplied 13 feeds from each game as the host broadcaster as well as around 30 crews also feeding back to the IBC in Paris. ITV Sport then had a crew following the England team, equipped with a LU500 portable transmission unit, and another crew that followed the other UK teams as well as the Republic of Ireland, also equipped with a LU500. The broadcaster also had unlimited LU-Smart smartphone licences using the LiveU GoPlan data plan package in case it needed them.
Productions, said, “LiveU was part of our armoury to ensure material could be received quickly to be edited as soon as possible. It was also a useful tool to report live, if required. It’s great for standups and other interviewstyle footage that enhanced our coverage. We had used LiveU successfully for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and purchased a server for our London hub. We were very happy with the support we received for our reporters as they had to pick up the LiveU technology and learn it quickly. Sports coverage is about being there and making the viewer feel part of the game and to do that getting material live or very quickly without much planning is essential.”
Roger Pearce, Technical Director, Sport, ITV Sport
Spanish production company Medialuso covered
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the whole event for beIN Sport with LiveU servers installed at beIN France and beIN HQ in Doha. Medialuso used 22 LiveU units from across the company’s portfolio, bringing together a huge range of coverage from all the French cities that hosted games and were the main headquarters of national teams. On average, they produced over 70 live feeds per day and for the final game they used 16 LiveU units sending feeds in parallel. Three of these were from motorcycles following the national teams of France and Portugal and also the match officials. The ITV Sport deal was overseen by LiveU’s UK partner Garland Partners Ltd. while Park 7 Tecnología in Spain worked with Medialuso.
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GLOBECAST PROVIDED MULTIPLE CONTRIBUTION SERVICES FOR UEFA EURO 2016 Globecast provided a range of contribution services for multiple broadcasters covering the UEFA Euro 2016 competition. Contested every four years, this year’s event – held in France - was the first time the tournament featured 24 teams from across Europe. Globecast provided a combination of SNG and contribution satellite services for an Italian broadcaster, managing all contribution between the IBC (International Broadcast Center) at Porte de Versailles and its dedicated outdoor studio near Paris’ iconic Eiffel tower. All contributions to and from the IBC were also being managed for a French and South African broadcaster. Globecast was also contracted to provide and operate a flyaway antenna on TMBi - 8
the rooftop of a Russian broadcaster’s outdoor studio and manage all contribution transmissions to Russia. To support its activities during Euro 2016, Globecast provided French, British, Italian and South African engineers – deployed locally in Paris at the individual broadcasters’ studios and/or at IBC – to deliver dedicated support to each customer during the month long competition taking place from 10 June-10 July 2016. In addition, Globecast provided live standup positions in Paris/St Denis (with a view of the Stade de France) and Marseilles (with a view of the city and stadium), throughout the competition to serve a number of international TV networks from China,
Ukraine, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Malaysia and France. Michele Gosetti, Director of the Contribution and Media Services at Globecast said, “It is a testament to our contribution expertise – whether technical or logistical – that so many of our customers have chosen Globecast to support their coverage of Euro 2016. We have extensive experience of handling contribution from multiple locations at the world’s greatest sporting events and operating in often challenging conditions. Our customers know that we can tailor services to meet their specific needs and that our support engineers have the know-how and language skills to fit seamlessly into their operations.”
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CHYRONHEGO ANNOUNCES KEY APPOINTMENT OF NEIL FOSTER AS COO AND CFO In support of ChyronHego's continued global growth, both organically and through acquisitions, the company today announced the appointment of Neil Foster as chief operating officer and chief financial officer. Foster brings to ChyronHego more than 25 years of executive experience in various strategic, operational, financial, and corporate development roles at the nexus of media, technology, and entertainment. Prior to joining ChyronHego, he served as executive vice president, operations, for Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), the $2 billion global developer and publisher of console video games. Previously, Foster held a number of roles in the recorded music business, including executive vice president, finance and operations, for the Columbia/Epic Label Group of Sony Music Entertainment, and co-president of Sony Music Entertainment Canada. Foster's early career included positions at McKinsey & Company Inc. and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Chartered Accountant accreditation from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, and a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Toronto. Foster also currently serves on the board of directors of SNAP Interactive Inc. (OTCQB: STVI), a developer and operator of dating software applications for social networking websites and mobile platforms. TMBi - 10
RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONS HIRES DAVE CAULWELL IN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ROLE FOR EASTERN U.S. To spur further growth momentum in North American markets, Riedel Communications has appointed Dave Caulwell to oversee business development for the Eastern U.S. Caulwell joins Riedel with 16 years of experience in all aspects of event technology and production, with a heavy background in video production. "Having served the production and live-event industries in key technical, operations, and management roles, Dave has a strong understanding of our potential customers' technical and business requirements," said Joyce Bente, President and CEO at Riedel North America. "In combination with his proven ability to build relationships and guide strategic growth, these strengths make Dave a valuable addition to our growing U.S. team." Caulwell most recently was Vice President of Production for TechniCom Audio & Visual, where he was responsible for the strategic direction and guidance of the production team, as well as securing new business. He earlier served as Technical Director for Alchemedia, where he planned and executed both live meetings and online training events. Before that, as Operations Manager at NEP's New Century Productions, Caulwell not only oversaw mobile production units serving major sports and entertainment broadcasters, but also negotiated key contract extensions and served on the integration team responsible for bringing new mobile production companies into the NEP family. Caulwell is based in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and reports to Ryhaan Williams, Riedel North America's Vice President of Sales for the Northeast, MidAtlantic, and Central Midwest regions.
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RADIO MAGIC IN ITALY UPGRADES ENCO DAD RADIO AUTOMATION already established communication between DAD and Radio Magic’s traffic and billing system, enabling operators to automatically import, merge and reconcile traffic files with playlists for a cleaner business operation.
Radio Magic, a two-station FM network broadcasting to three provinces in the Naples region of southern Italy, continues to find new efficiencies in its ENCO DAD radio automation platform – first installed in 1995 – that minimize the manual workload and costs of running a broadcast operation with a small staff. The latest upgrades for Radio Magic include the integration of new playlist creation and remote connectivity tools that further empower operators to manage music and TMBi - 12
advertising playout across both stations. Just last month, Radio Magic incorporated ENCO’s Ensemble Music Scheduler software, an integrated, feature-rich application that simplifies playlist scheduling and creation for broadcasters. Ensemble’s native intelligence provides Radio Magic operators with the flexibility to define groups, clocks and rules to more efficiently create, control and generate all Radio Magic playlists. The upgrade additionally tightens the
Radio Magic has also integrated new remote production and connectivity tools from ENCO’s enCloud suite, including the ENCO iDAD mobile app. Radio Magic added the iDADRemote app to multiple iPads for the purpose of inserting new music and advertising content, as well as voicetracking from any networked location, whether at the studio or a remote site. That content becomes immediately available in the DAD system for on-air playout or production purposes. According to Raffaele Barbieri, general manager for Radio Magic, Ensemble and enCloud continue ENCO’s tradition of evolving DAD with innovative yet easy-to-use tools that further enhance the value and robustness of the automated workflow. Barbieri added that ENCO’s technical support continues to impress nearly a quarter of a century on.
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DEJERO BRINGS CLOUD-MANAGED IP CONNECTIVITY AND WORKFLOW INTEROPERABILITY TO AMSTERDAM
format for previewing and use. Working together, Dejero and Grass Valley are simplifying the overall filebased workflow to meet the needs of news production.
At IBC2016, Dejero will be showcasing the latest enhancements to its LIVE+ Control management system that simplifies the task of broadcasting live from remote locations and transporting recorded content to broadcast facilities over bonded IP networks including cellular, Wi-Fi, Ethernet or satellite. The latest updates enhance monitoring, station administration, and reporting capabilities, displaying realtime analytics of network connection performance, and overall transmission quality for each Dejero transmitter. These updates to the Dejero LIVE+ Control management system go hand in hand with the recent release of version 4.0 of the company’s LIVE+ Core software that powers its TMBi - 14
industry leading mobile transmitters, servers, and smartphone and notebook apps. This major new software release is making its IBC debut this year and has added significant new capabilities to the LIVE+ platform of products including an enhanced congestion control algorithm and faster transport of files. In a related IBC2016 first, Dejero will also be showing off its collaboration with Grass Valley, which sees its LIVE+ Control embedded into the GV STRATUS video production and content management system. This allows users to move recorded clips from a LIVE+ Broadcast Server to the STRATUS Express server. Files are automatically transcoded to the desired
Visitors to IBC2016 will also see the first European demonstrations of the convenient SIM module and new modem module for LIVE+ EnGo, Dejero’s compact mobile transmitter with simplified connectivity options, expanded roaming solutions and enhanced carrier services. Ideal for broadcast journalists and news crews reporting from breaking news situations or live events from around the world, LIVE+ EnGo encodes IP video and bonds all available networks, including cellular, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and satellite, to deliver exceptional picture quality with extremely low latency. Earlier this year, Dejero joined the newly formed Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) which was created and is run by leading technology providers to encourage the adoption of open standards and interoperability as the broadcast and media industry transitions from SDI to IP.
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ARKENA AND AKAMAI PARTNER ON CONTENT DELIVERY TO BOOST MEDIA SERVICES By combining its live and on-demand media management services with the scale and reach of Akamai’s global CDN, Arkena will be able to offer clients a complete solution to deliver high-quality video across networks and connected devices. As part of the agreement, Arkena will also integrate Akamai’s global CDN services with its cloud-based OTT platform. The platform is designed to support media industry customers such as broadcasters, content owners and telecom operators. It will facilitate the fast and easy deployment of multiscreen OTT services, prioritizing video quality and ensuring customer satisfaction with Arkena’s full end-to-end services. Working together, Arkena and Akamai plan to help media companies provide video services with an optimized broadcast multiscreen quality of experience with a larger footprint. “Since the beginning, video quality and customer experience have been at the heart of Arkena”, says Ivan Dulguerian, Chief Marketing Officer at Arkena. “The OTT video market is growing rapidly worldwide and our partnership with Akamai will allow us to reach new territories and extend our footprint with best of breed quality for end users”. “We are delighted to partner with Arkena and help our joint customers to deliver their OTT video and other content at a high quality wherever and whenever users want,” explains Florence Hoppenot, Head of EMEA Channels & Alliances at Akamai.
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OB PIONEER TELEGENIC BOLSTERS 4K COVERAGE OF UEFA FINALS WITH BLUEBELL THROW-DOWN SDI LINKS
Bluebell Opticom Ltd. announced that pioneering outside broadcast company Telegenic have installed multiple sets of Bluebell field-deployable SDI interfaces to transmit high-quality, high-bandwidth signals over fibre. The Bluebell units recently drove 4K signal transport during Telegenic's coverage of the 2016 UEFA Europa League and Champions League finals. "We have long used Bluebell's rugged, field-proven fibre links on a host of high-end productions and regular events," said Sean Mulhern, director of engineering at Telegenic. "Not only do they provide the quality and reliability that's so critical to our operation, but they are competitively priced, and Bluebell always delivers promptly, no matter what our delivery requirements. In fact, with one recent order, Bluebell delivered five sets of links to our facility the same afternoon we placed the order! You can't beat that level of service." To bolster its coverage of the football finals, Telegenic installed four sets of Bluebell Quad 3G-SDI fibre interfaces and eight sets of BC323 converters. Ideal for transporting 4K signals, the Quad 3G four-channel multiplexers/demultiplexers take in 3G-SDI signals from up to four cameras, convert them to optical signals, and transmit them over standard SMPTE hybrid cable. Each signal within a fibre core has a different optical wavelength, enabling interference-free transmission over longer distances.
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WISYCOM SERVES UP CUSTOM RF SOLUTION TO ENSURE FAULT-FREE BROADCAST COVERAGE OF 2016 FRENCH OPEN
When the world’s best tennis players came together at the historic grounds of Stade Roland-Garros for the 2016 French Open, RF Transmission s.a. was given the daunting task of providing complete wireless coverage for this Grand Slam Championship. In order to ensure there were no double faults in signal coverage, RF Transmission s.a. took the court with Wisycom, designer and builder of the most sophisticated RF solutions for broadcast, film and live production. For the 15-day tournament, RF Transmission s.a. used a selection of Wisycom products including MRK960 wireless microphone receiver systems, MTH400 handheld transmitters, MTK952 dual transmitters, MPR50-IEM receivers, MAT288 diversity matrix combiners, MFL-TTRR and MFL-RRTT optical links, and LNNA and LNN1 wideband antennas. “We chose to use Wisycom because the company and its products are known for their high-quality and reliability,” says Bernard Scyeur, CEO of RF Transmission s.a. “The sensitivity, selectivity, RF power and flexibility of the TMBi - 18
systems made Wisycom the perfect choice. In addition, since the tournament takes place outdoors, the weather resistant and rugged features of Wisycom’s equipment were ideal.” The MRK960 and an MTH400 was used for the journalist, who was reporting all around the 400,000 square foot site of Roland Garros. The MTK952s and the MPR50-IEMs were used for the journalist’s IFBs, which were transmitted over the entire site. The MAT288 was used to select between the six zones where the journalist was interviewing the tennis players. Some other MRK960s, MTK952s and MPR50-IEMs were used as an extra TV set on the top of the “centre court”. The MFL was used where the wiring needed to keep a low profile and where quality could suffer no compromise. Alongside Wisycom, thirdparty equipment was integrated at some RF over fibre reception and transmission points. “The equipment had to be working fault-free from the first to the last day,” adds Scyeur. “We had a two-hour maintenance constraint, so
the overall reliability of the system had to be at the highest level possible. The confidence I had in Wisycom led me to choose them over other competitor products. The MTH400 is the only 100mW handheld with PushTo-Talk on the market and the MAT288 is simply the only solution of its kind. I have the utmost confidence when using Wisycom on a project of this size.” By using Wisycom equipment, Scyeur and his team were able to reduce the total number of antennas due to the receiver sensitivity, low noise of the MAT288 and 100mW transmission power of the MTH400. “Since the beginning of my relationship with Wisycom, I appreciate the ability to get in touch with all the different services and people, as well as the rapid reaction to emergencies and accuracy of the delivery dates given,” says Scyeur. “I did not need to call Wisycom during the installation as everything worked perfectly. After this experience, I plan to change items in my stock and replace them with Wisycom equipment.”
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ADVANTECH WIRELESS ANNOUNCES WIDESATTM HTS GEO/MEO/LEO WIDEBEAM SATELLITE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY TO BE INCORPORATED IN A-SAT-IITM AND FUTURE PRODUCTS Advantech Wireless announced WideSATTM, a new HTS GEO/MEO/LEO widebeam technology to increase density, versatility, and efficiency when utilizing wide transponders from 250MHz-2GHz for High Throughput Satellite data links. WideSATTM technology will be incorporated in Advantech Wireless’ awardwinning A-SAT-IITM multiwaveform satellite networking platform as well as future
products. "Our new WideSATTM technology has been designed specifically for better handling of the new HTS GEO/MEO/LEO widebeam transponders that can typically be 7-15 times larger than the traditional 36MHz GEO transponders. WideSATTM is planned to enhance our leading A-SATIITM multi-waveform satellite networking platform to
dramatically improve point to multipoint broadband applications. WideSATTM will also improve integration with Software Defined Networks (SDN), Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and integration with advanced terrestrial and wireless telecommunication infrastructures.” said Oscar Glottman, Advantech Wireless’ CMO for Satellite Networks.
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LCA PRESENTS NEW LED PRODUCTS AT IBC
LCA – Lights, Camera, Action are renowned for being a leading supplier of a wide range of film and TV lighting and grip, and work with some of the latest innovative lighting manufacturers from around the world. Cineo Lighting will exhibit the new colourtunable Cineo HSX at IBC 2016. HSX is a colourtunable soft source with the same powerful, accurate light output as the Cineo HS2 Remote Phosphor fixture. Cineo has leveraged its years of experience in solid-state lighting and material sciences to create a compact, 25,000 lumen fixture with the same beautiful colour rendering and extended deep-red spectrum as their Remote Phosphor line. HSX’s custom-designed CineoColorTM spectrum emits high quality, colouraccurate light that is TMBi - 20
completely tunable from 2700K-6500K, while Cineo’s ColorLockTM technology guarantees consistent output over the lifetime of the fixture with no colour shift or need for calibration. “We’ve leveraged the popular HS platform, with over 3,000 units sold, to provide the same exceptional Cineo color quality in a colour tunable, compact, high power studio fixture,” said Chuck Edwards, CTO of Cineo Lighting. “When developing the HSX, we wanted to add digital colour changing to the features and standards that users of our Remote Phosphor fixtures have come to appreciate. The HSX has the same footprint, optical power, weight, and even uses the same accessories as the HS Remote Phosphor series.” Cineo also recently announced the
DoubleDownTM warranty programme, which allows customers to double their warranty protection by registering their products at www.cineolighting.com/warra nty. Cineo will repair or replace registered Cineo fixtures at no charge for a total of four years from the original purchase date. �“We want to extend our confidence in the reliability of Cineo products to the customer,” said Rich Pierceall, CEO of Cineo Lighting. “We’re here to support your everyday use on every job, day in and day out.” LiteGear will be exhibiting the new Series 2, or S2 LiteMats at IBC on the LCA booth. Building on the success of the original LiteMat, with its thin ultra lightweight housing, soft and colour-correct Hybrid (bi-
color) output, and convenient mounting options, the S2 LiteMat takes things to the next level. “By far the number one request from existing LiteMat users was a widened Kelvin temperature range and increased brightness,” said Al DeMayo, President and Chief Executive Officer for LiteGear. “We’ve achieved both of those objectives with the new S2 along with the added bonus of 96 CRI.” LiteGear spent months working on the new Cinema emitters, or CineMitters™, specifically for improving the light output and colour quality of the LiteMat family. The end result was a Hybrid fixture with a lower CCT (correlated colour temperature) of 2600 degrees Kelvin allowing for candlelight or deep-tungsten, and 6000 degrees Kelvin on the other side of the spectrum. By-products of this investment in colour science included a higher CRI, an increase in lumen output and improved overall efficiency. S2 LiteMat is nearly 40 percent brighter than the original LiteMat and draws absolutely no additional power. Not only does this make for an incredible lumen to weight ratio, but it also means S2 LiteMat remains compatible with all of the existing LiteDimmers, LitePower power supplies and cables already on the market. Often this kind of advancement in colour temperature, CRI, and lumen output costs a small fortune, but the S2 LiteMat remains one of the most affordable, professional cinema lighting fixtures available. And while the new S2 includes many new features, it does not include an increase in price over previous LiteMats. LiteGear will also be showing the improved flexible LiteTile and the new range of LiteMat+. More information to come. Filmgear will be showing a range of new LED products for the motion picture and broadcast industries. More details to come.
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NEP ACQUIRES DANISH OB FIRM DBLUX NEP Group Inc. (‘NEP’) announced that it has acquired the assets of Danish Outside Broadcasting firm DBlux, based in Aalborg, Denmark. The acquisition will add three mobile units, an ENG truck, and a studio control room to NEP’s worldwide resources. DBlux is currently the leading provider of OB services in Denmark. The acquisition will allow NEP to provide a deeper inventory of production resources to clients in Denmark and throughout Scandinavia. DBlux has provided OB, TV, sound, lighting and AV productions to clients throughout Scandinavia for more than 20 years. DBlux specializes in live broadcasts of sporting events and news coverage, and they are the largest supplier in Denmark of live transmissions to several national TV channels. “We look forward to bringing the DBlux team onboard to assist with our production support in the Nordic region,” said Paul Henriksen, President of NEP Broadcast Services Europe. “The DBlux team shares the same commitment to client success as we do in NEP, and the additional staff and equipment based in Denmark will be a significant benefit to our clients.” DBlux will operate as NEP Denmark from the current facility in Aalborg, and will maintain its current staff. The Managing Director for NEP Denmark will be Mats Berggren, and daily operations will, as before, be led by Henrik Borup who will work in close cooperation with NEP Sweden.
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ARGOSY APPOINTS DANIEL HINTON TO STRENGTHEN EUROPEAN SALES OPERATIONS Argosy has announced the appointment of Daniel Hinton to the position of Regional Sales Manager, Europe. Hinton will be responsible for supporting Argosy’s broadcast and pro-AV customers in Europe and driving the company’s plans to grow its business across this region. Hinton started his role at Argosy on 11 July 2016. Hinton comes to Argosy with a wealth of experience in broadcast equipment sales and business development, most recently with ATEN, the Taiwanese-based management solution and connectivity specialist. At ATEN, Hinton was responsible for working with distributors, resellers and end users to specify solutions in KVM, power management and audio visual marketplaces as well as growing their customer base. ATEN has previously supplied products to Argosy giving Hinton the advantage of
understanding the business. Hinton will add specialist knowledge of KVM extender technology and intelligent mains distribution units (MDU’s), which Argosy will be showcasing at IBC 2016 in Amsterdam as the company moves to focus on its ‘intelligent’ technology. Argosy has recently stepped beyond the provision of fixed installation video distribution products after a successful integration into IEWC’s Broadcast & Communications Division. Argosy has transformed its business from a ‘passive technology’ infrastructure vendor to an active player in both the broadcast market and adjacent vertical markets such as proAV.
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MEDIABURST CHOOSES ROSS VIDEO TO SUPPORT WIMBLEDON COVERAGE Commenting on the Wimbledon set-up, Fernando Costa, Mediaburst’s Production Manager, highlighted the importance of flexibility in a live production environment like Wimbledon. “I travel all over the world covering all different kinds of sports for channels like beIN Sports and for the host broadcasters. Regardless of the sport or venue, time and space are usually always tight and we need proven, road-tested solutions that we know will deliver. The Carbonite switcher has been extremely easy to use and live with and that’s exactly what we want in an environment like this – no fuss, no drama and plenty of production power!” For the tennis coverage, Mediaburst chose a 2ME Carbonite Black (3X panel) to
ensure they had enough headroom to manage the complexities of the tournament. “We’re really pleased with the way the Carbonite has performed; our team members with experience of switchers from
other manufacturers have been very impressed at the performance of the Carbonite given it’s compact size, and we can see why so many content creators favour it in an outside broadcast environment”.
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‘EGRIPMENT XTREME T10 ENCODED’ FOR THE IBC HQ STUDIO FOR GERMAN ARD & ZDF The Xtreme T10 Encoded telescopic crane plays the key role in the German broadcaster ARD & ZDF within their camera and graphic concept for the presentation of Augmented Reality in the daily live broadcast from the UEFA Euro 2016 in Paris, France. Egripment delivers the full service of a rental of the crane as well as the calibration service and onsite operation of a fully encoded Egripment Xtreme T10. The crane delivers superior real time tracking data in combination with the Vizrt Render Engines, provided and operated by one of the leading companies of international sports graphics ‘deltatre’. The tracking solutions of the Egripment Xtreme T10 ensures, that all obtained data from the crane, as well as the lens information and deformation data is delivered in a simple data stream for TMBi - 24
deltatre’s render engines running the latest VIZRT Virtual Studio with Tracking Hub. The tracking protocol further simplifies the redundancy for of the Datastream in case of an unlikely event of a render engines failure and seamless switch over to the backup system, as all data is delivered as fully processed protocol to available engines within the network. The Egripment Xtreme T10 uses a so called mechanical tracking, operating independently from any visual targeting or such. Therefore, the operation of the crane is identical and at the same as flexible as a normal crane operation, used in a nonAugmented Reality application. Prior to the studio installation at the Euro 2016 IBC in Paris, the technicians and engineers of both, deltatre as well the TV Broadcaster tested the
performance of the Egripment setup and service in depth and were impressed by the simple workflow and quality which the setup delivers. The Xtreme T10 is one of the latest products of Egripment, utilized with an additional encoder package with tracking interface as well as the well-known 306 Encoded Remote Head. One major advantage of the Xtreme T10 is its maximum arm reach of 7.50 m (24.6ft), in relation to the compact overall operational length of only 9.70 m (31.7ft). This ensures that the crane arm can reach almost every spot within the studio, delivering maximum flexibility, at a minimum footprint and demand for operational space. Thanks to the ultrastiff carbon fibre design, the arm swings as solid as a rock, with a minimum of weight.
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BRIAN OLSON JOINS NEWTEK AS VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT NewTek announced that Brian Olson has joined the company as vice president of Product Management. As a key member of the management team, Olson will lead strategic development for new and existing product lines to guide and design the next generation of products transforming the video industry. “As NewTek looks to help redefine IP video and push the limits of current live production system technologies, we are truly excited to have Brian on board to help bridge sales, engineering and marketing,” said Dr. Andrew Cross, NewTek president and CTO. “With extensive industry knowledge, Brian will be a key member of our team.” Prior to joining NewTek, Olson was the director of
of real-time 3D motion graphics systems. Olson was also the driving force behind Ross’ entry into the virtual set and augmented reality space, culminating in the creation of the Ross Virtual Solutions group.
Marketing Product Management and Business Development at Ross Video for XPression, the groundbreaking graphics system that has achieved broad industry recognition and continues to be a dominant force in transforming motion graphics today. In this role he was responsible for global product strategy, product marketing, and business development for the XPression product line
“I’ve always admired NewTek over the years for their innovative products, but the leadership position that NewTek has taken with respect to IP video is really impressive. With NDI, NewTek has a fully functional IP video ecosystem that’s available today,” said Olson. “I really feel like I’ve come full circle joining NewTek, as I worked with the company’s founders on the first Video Toaster demo reel way back when. I’m really thrilled to be working with such a pioneering team at such a transformational time in the industry.”
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LAWO DRIVES REMOTE TV PRODUCTION WITH F1 broadcast center operated by CBC (Cologne Broadcast Center) in Cologne rather than setting up a mobile facility at each track. Additionally, H.264 video compression is being used for signal transport to exploit the available bandwidth for transmission most efficiently.
Formula One ranks among the most exciting and appealing of international racing sports and demands that its television coverage keeps pace. With diverse broadcast requirements dictated by the variety of its courses and widely spread race locations, it is the perfect setting for some precision engineering from German technology company Lawo. As an essential part of F1’s international profile, television airtime is considerably more extensive than a series of two-hour races spread across nine months of the year might suggest. Prior to the Sunday race, two days are devoted to free practice, followed by a day of qualifying. The outcome of three qualifying sessions determines the starting grid positions for the race on day three. F1 fans want to see all of the practice action and the qualifying, as well as gaining insights from behind the scenes. TMBi - 26
All aspects of a race are broadcast live – including full coverage of night races in Singapore and Bahrain – with the drivers and mechanics using practice sessions to experiment with different setups for their cars, while strategists study options and alternatives. They first put everything they have learned into a fastest possible qualifying lap before taking on the full duration of the race. The devotion of F1 fans is such that they will watch all of this play out, and hang on every word of the commentary teams – often former F1 drivers themselves. For TV broadcasting, the 2016 season has brought something altogether new – remote production. Taking on TV production for Germany the 25th year, German station RTL aims to simultaneously reduce costs while advancing production quality. Key to this is locating the production control at the
With an MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) network linking the race venue to the CBC facility, all live video and audio signals are delivered and made available in the control room in Cologne. This is achieved by using a Lawo Nova17 router and DSP engine plus an IFB mixer (all remotely controlled from Cologne), along with a Riedel intercom system. File gathering and network control run in parallel using the same MPLS transfer. Production of the live races and accompanying coverage is managed using a touchscreen remote control for the IFB mixer, as well as a Lawo mc² audio mixing console in the CBC production control room. “Onlocation” production support comes from a video server with replay functionality. For checking the viability of the remote production concept, RTL hosted a test broadcast under real-world conditions. All the signals were sent around the globe once and the staff involved ran through all workflows to
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ensure that despite the considerable distances the interaction between control room and cameras and among the broadcast team did not suffer from delay issues. With two months to go before the first race, the equipment was set up at _wige’s headquarters, the “on-site” production partner of RTL and CBC. This general rehearsal included testing the fiber connection to the control rooms at CBC. Essential to the remote production was the lowlatency IFB mixer setup, running on a Nova17 router
and operated with two VisTool panels – one on-site for setup and testing and the second for the Sound Supervisor in Cologne to manage the EQ, dynamics, dimming, and other processing. In case of a failure of the MPLS network, VisTool provides fader access to provide a simple emergency mix. Usually the Nova17 is remotely controlled from the Lawo mc²90 audio console at the audio control room in Cologne, with virtual GPIs flying over the network to the racetrack. This setup provides a perfect lowlatency audio mix for
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presenter, reporter and two interviewees in the pit lane or paddock, and two race commentators. A VSM (Virtual Studio Manager) system on-site controls all routings in the local SDI router, the Nova17 and Lawo V__pro8 processor, which is used for video and audio. The new production operation went live-to-air from the first race of the season at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit. Having visited the Middle East, China, Russia, Europe, and North America, the remote setup has proved itself both capable and reliable throughout.
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2016
GLOBAL VOIP SPECIALIST ADVANTECH JOINS AIMS Speaking on the occasion of the company’s affiliation with AIMS, Senior Director of Video Solutions, David Lin stated, “We are excited to join the AIMS alliance and fully support its goals. Advantech is a pioneer in IP-based innovative solutions for the broadcast industry. Becoming an active member of AIMS will allow us to further collaborate with the industry’s top engineers, technologists and visionaries on openstandard solutions that streamline customer transition to a virtualized IP environment.” AIMS’ efforts are focused on promoting the adoption, standardization, development and refinement of open protocols for media over IP, with an initial emphasis on VSF TR-03 and TR-04, SMPTE 2022-6 and AES67. Broadcasters and other media companies are seeking to leverage IP to TMBi - 28
increase the flexibility of their networks, help streamline workflows and improve agility to better compete in a rapidly evolving ecosystem. Open standards are the key to protecting current investments and ensuring long-term interoperability. Open standards work for the IP transition is already underway by the 77-member Video Services Forum (VSF), with the support of organizations such as SMPTE and the EBU. AIMS endorses the work of the VSF and will continue to lend support in the development of a standard approach to IP; more than 30 broadcast equipment suppliers and broadcasters were involved in the development of VSF TR03 and companies are actively testing and validating it today. AIMS provides specific guidance in its bylaws to its
members and to the media industry via the AIMS Roadmap. The organization endorses an IP transition plan that includes support for SMPTE 2022-6, AES67 and VSF recommendations TR-03 and TR-04. A number of solutions are already on the market to help media companies begin the transition by introducing IP components to an SDI workflow. The transition represents a significant investment and will not happen overnight. An open standards approach allows media companies to implement the technology over time and transition at the pace that makes sense for their businesses. Membership in AIMS is available to all individuals and companies that support open standards and share a commitment to the group’s founding principles.
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2016
WAZEE DIGITAL AND VISUAL DATA FORM GLOBAL MEDIA DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIC ALLIANCE Wazee Digital announced a strategic alliance with Visual Data Media Services, a global provider of digital content management and delivery. This relationship enables Wazee Digital to offer a complete content management and distribution service to their customers, powered by their platform, Wazee Digital Core. As technical partner, Visual Data Media Services will provide a range of services including video encoding, QC, digital package creation and delivery.
The partnership provides Wazee Digital’s customers access to leading consumer platforms such as Amazon, Google Play, Netflix and iTunes. By combining forces Wazee Digital and Visual Data are delivering a worldclass solution that provides a seamless end-to-end digital asset management solution, covering everything from metadata transformation, monetization, to delivery. “Simply put, this thoughtful alliance allows us to expand our distribution services offering to Wazee Digital
customers, enabling us to remain focused on strengthening and innovating within the key areas of our business, Wazee Digital Core, Licensing, and Live Event Services,” said Harris Morris, Chairman and CEO of Wazee Digital. “Visual Data’s expertise in the distribution space exceeds the expectations and requirements of our clients, and now managing highvolume packaging workflows with Wazee Digital is easier and simpler than ever before.”
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2016
THEPLATFORM POWERS HAYU – THE NEW SVOD SERVICE FROM NBCUNIVERSAL INTERNATIONAL thePlatform announced that its online video platform mpx is the technology behind hayu. A next-generation subscription video-ondemand (SVOD) reality service from NBCUniversal International (NBCUI), hayu features top-quality reality programmes in a streaming service that is fully integrated with social media. The subscription service was launched on March 1 in the UK and Ireland and on March 22 in Australia. hayu provides fans of the reality genre a premium monthly subscription service for £3.99/€4.99/$5.99 (respectively in each of the UK, Ireland and Australia) across online streaming platforms and connected devices including mobile, tablet, laptop and connected TV. The first all-reality OTT service of its kind, hayu includes over 3,000 episodes of reality content. 500+ episodes will be added each year, the majority of which will debut on the service on the same day as they premiere in the US. The exciting collection of box sets available on the app means that all reality fans can catch up on their favourite series right from the beginning. As a single source for top reality content, hayu features Keeping Up with the Kardashians and its spin-offs, along with The Real TMBi - 30
Housewives, Million Dollar Listing and Top Chef franchises, I Am Cait, Made in Chelsea, Flipping Out, Shahs of Sunset and The Millionaire Matchmaker – among many, many others – including series never seen before in the UK, Ireland and Australia. hayu uses thePlatform’s cloud-based mpx video publishing system to deliver on-demand and live streaming video services and commerce. mpx provides centralised video uploads, easy workflow management, metadata management, subscriber management, transactions, viewing rights enforcement, and automated publishing across devices and video players. mpx enables hayu with a range of SVOD innovations including full integration with social media where viewers can share short-form snippets of content from their social media accounts whilst giving
instant access to the social media accounts of the world’s most famous reality stars. Additionally, newsfeeds from multiple sources covering the shows and talent featured on hayu are fully integrated into the service. “The successful launch of hayu in the UK, Ireland and Australia shows the next step in thePlatform’s on-going commitment to support NBCUniversal International’s aim to reach wider audiences with superbly curated content on a robust online video platform,” said Matt McConnell, General Manager and Senior Vice President Comcast Wholesale. “Together with NBCUniversal’s streaming comedy service Seeso, launched in the US in January and also powered by thePlatform’s mpx, the bar is set high for providing great content to true fans to consume wherever and whenever they want.”
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2016
TF1 GAMESHOW USES QUICKLINK TX MULTI AS PREFERRED SKYPE SOLUTION “Cinq à sept avec Arthur” (5 à 7) is a daily news show broadcasting on Europe’s biggest TV channel, TF1. The Quicklink TX Multi allowed viewers to call in through Skype and have the chance to win prizes live on air. The solution was provided by Alternative Developpement, an IT broadcast solutions company specialising in the development of Entertainment and TV Gameshows. The TX Multi solution allowed TF1 to introduce 12 viewers spread
throughout France in order to interact with the presenter in the studio. Aurélien Collet, Operation & Coordination Manager of ADTV explains: “For live transmission we must rely on robust and proven hardware, so that’s one of the main reasons that we chose Quickink” The TX Multi allowed Alternative Developpement to receive studio-grade quality video/audio transmission, helping them achieve a successful and issue free live program. As a result,
Alternative Developpement are looking to implement the Quicklink TX in other projects in the near future.
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2016
FACEBOOK 2016 F8 DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE PRODUCED LIVE WITH CLEAR-COM FNTECH, a full service production technology company based in Fountain Valley, CA, provided live production services to this year’s Facebook ‘F8’ Developers Conference at the Fort Mason Buildings in San Francisco. FNTECH relied on a Clear-Com intercom network, consisting of the Eclipse HX digital matrix, HelixNet digital network partyline, LQ IP gateways and the FreeSpeak II wireless intercom—all connected over an IP backbone. Held on April 12-13, 2016, the event was widely broadcasted to Facebook applications developers worldwide. The two-day F8 conference was produced across six separate TV studio-style theater locations situated in different buildings. Switching between these studios live required an extensive and reliable TMBi - 32
intercom system, plus the ability to create custom talk groups as required to coordinate the multi-room broadcast and link it to a nearby satellite truck. “This is the third year we have produced the Facebook developers conference,” said Jeremy Muir, FNTECH’s CEO. “To keep up with the growing complexity of this event, we invested heavily in cutting-edge Clear-Com intercoms this year. When it came time to prepare for F8, we worked closely with Kari Eythorsson, Clear-Com’s Southwest USA Regional Sales Manager, to map out which mix of wired and wireless equipment would work best for us.” In order for the production and event crews to communicate seamlessly during the conference, FNTECH deployed an Eclipse HX digital matrix intercom to connect all six
theaters over an IP backbone. “Within this network, we created a ‘global’ partyline for all directors to communicate using eight wired V-Series rotary keypanels, as well as providing point-to-point paths for the Master Control Video Director to communicate with each location individually,” said Jon Johannsen, FNTECH’s Intercom Technician. “This intercom network had an Eclipse HXDelta frame and integrated FreeSpeak II wireless solution comprising a 10antenna scheme to support 17 wireless beltpacks, in order to provide complete wireless intercom coverage throughout the multiple buildings used for the show at the Fort Mason campus.” FNTECH also used the FreeSpeak II systems to connect a director with two roaming ENG camera crews who moved between the theaters.
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In addition, the FreeSpeak II and HelixNet systems performed in tandem to serve as the partyline system for producing the keynote speech by Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. A total of 12 fourwire and two-wire interface paths into the HelixNet ensured that there were sufficient paths for both partyline and point-to-point routing between the ClearCom wired and wireless intercom systems. “FreeSpeak II’s reliable, complete wireless coverage of the entire venue allowed our producers to roam freely
throughout the event communicating easily with each other and the keynote from any location,” said Johannsen. “A pair of LQ IP was also tied into the Delta frame to distribute the ‘global’ partyline to the satellite uplink truck.” Despite the demands of coordinating the F8 conference’s six broadcast origination theaters, the Clear-Com intercoms performed without a hitch. “Guaranteed reliability was particularly important to us, given that we didn’t have time to perform a ‘dry run’ of the intercoms before the
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conference began,” added Muir. “We needed them to work flawlessly, which is what they did.” “F8 had a relatively complex setup given the live broadcast component across multiple locations,” said Kari Eythorsson. “Working closely with the FNTECH’s technical team beforehand allowed us to understand the demands of their client and hence their communication challenges this year. We were very happy to support them in this process and pleased that FNTECH had another successful F8 event in the end.”
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2016
SECURED PLAYER FROM INSIDE SECURE SELECTED FOR SKY DEUTSCHLAND’S SKY ONLINE APPLICATION INSIDE Secure announced that its advanced secured player technology has been selected by Sky Deutschland, the pay-TV market leader in Germany and Austria, for the new Sky Online streaming service for the fourth generation of Apple TV. INSIDE Secure secured players solutions are fully approved by movie studios and other content owners. INSIDE Secure’s secured players include the technology components of media players, DRM, and software protection, and work seamlessly to guarantee the robustness of a secured playback while maximizing the user experience. Its DRM component supports all mainstream DRM schemes including Microsoft PlayReady, Google Widevine and Verimatrix ViewRight® Web, which enables a wide range of media distribution ecosystems. The extension of Sky Deutschland’s Sky Online offering to Apple TV allows consumers to watch Sky’s most popular content including blockbuster movies shortly after cinema, hit series, kids programmes, documentaries as well as live sports on the widest choices of screens and devices available.
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PESA PROVIDES SUPPORT IN RIO AT INTERNATIONAL BROADCAST CENTER PESA will have customer service personnel assigned to the International Broadcast Center (IBC) in Rio de Janeiro to support the setup and configuration of PESA’s Cheetah 864XR digital video routing switcher for use during the Summer Games in Brazil. The Games begin Aug. 5 and will be played in 32 venues in Rio de Janeiro, as well as five co-host cities for football matches. The Cheetah router is an integral part of the system that provides live and prerecorded video feeds from every venue for local distribution, as well as satellite feeds to the United States. Populated with 800x800 BNC connections and 64x64 fiber connections, the router will be controlled through a Lawo VSM control and monitoring solution. In addition to the Cheetah 864XR, a separate PESA router will be used in a mobile production truck that will be responsible for golf coverage during the Games. After the initial setup and configuration of the digital video router, PESA customer service personnel will be on hand to assist other customers, including the Korean Broadcast System (KBS) and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Designed for 24/7 routing requirements, PESA’s Cheetah 864XR supports a full range of digital video signals and broadcast standards. Its modular architecture provides the infrastructure requirements of I/O connectivity, power, and cooling, with the flexibility to accommodate a wide range of customer needs. The Cheetah product line is available in configurations from 64x64 to 1152x1152.
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2016
BARIX IP AUDIO SOLUTION PROVIDES RELIABLE STL BACKUP FOR KQED PUBLIC RADIO When San Francisco-based KQED Public Radio sought a dependable STL solution as a backup to the unreliable communication links connecting their Sacramento transmitter, the station selected Barix Exstreamer IP audio encoder/decoders. That decision proved invaluable when the Barix system kept KQED on the air during a nearly week-long outage of the station’s primary and secondary Sacramento connections. KQED-FM is an NPR member station owned by KQED Inc., which offers television, radio, Internet and education services for the greater San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. KQED-FM is the most listened-to public radio station in the U.S., and consistently ranks in the top five of all San Francisco radio outlets. KQED Public Radio has transmitters in San Francisco, where it is heard on 88.5 FM, and in Sacramento, where it broadcasts on 89.3 FM under the call letters KQEI. KQED first explored Barix IP audio solutions to overcome issues with the reliability of the existing primary and backup links between their studio and the Sacramento transmitter site, both of which depended on aging infrastructure from the same telecommunications provider. The T1 connection
that served as KQED’s primary STL failed frequently, and in some cases, the backup ISDN connection would go down at the same time. The station implemented an STL solution based on Barix Exstreamer 500 units, distributed in the U.S. by LineQ. Linked to the Exstreamer 500 in KQED’s San Francisco studio through a wireless Internet service provider, the Barix unit in Sacramento is connected to a Titus Technological Laboratories 3DRX audio switcher for automated failover. When the AES input signal from the T1 fails, the 3DRX switches the transmitter’s source to the analog feed from the Barix device after a preprogrammed delay. If an ISDN connection can subsequently be established manually from the studio, the
3DRX will then switch to the ISDN audio. KQED configured the Exstreamer 500s for 16-bit, 32kHz PCM audio, with a relay output used to drive an alarm annunciator for alerts. KQED also took advantage of the Barix units for monitoring purposes, leveraging the Exstreamer’s stereo channels for confidence return of both FM and HD Radio signals. The Barix equipment was put to the test at the end of 2015, when KQED’s T1 and ISDN-based links were both knocked out by telecommunications cable failures between the two sites. The Barix IP audio STL solution kept KQED’s broadcasts available to Sacramento listeners until the T1 and ISDN connections were fixed several days later. TMBi - 35
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2016
LAWO RƎLAY VIRTUAL RADIO MIXER NOW SHIPPING
RƎLAY is virtual mixing software that’s designed to make maximum use of today’s powerful laptop and desktop PCs. Taking advantage of computer virtualization technology adapted from the IT industry enables RƎLAY users to pack an entire studio’s worth of broadcast gear onto a single PC. “You should have seen engineers’ eyes light up when they saw RƎLAY,” comments Lawo Radio marketing specialist Clark Novak. “The moment they realized that not just mixing, but other hardware like audio processors, phone systems, codecs and more could be replaced with software that all runs on a single PC, they TMBi - 36
began thinking of ways to simplify studios and cut costs using virtualization. It wouldn’t surprise me if all radio studios were built this way one day.” RƎLAY software lets engineers replace physical consoles, and entire racks of accessory gear, using a single desktop or laptop PC — with significant cost savings. With RƎLAY, all mixing is done natively on a standard Windows® laptop or PC. Its intuitive multi-touch interface gives talents a familiar way to mix audio; behind the scenes, software apps from RƎLAY partners supply virtualized codecs, phone hybrids, audio processors, cross-point routers, streaming encoders and other broadcast tools that
run entirely in software, interfacing with the mixer via standard WDM or ASIO interfaces. RƎLAY is perfect for graband-go remote kits, field journalists, fast setup of onlocation studios, webcasting, a replacement for aging studio hardware, or as a permanent personal studio at home. Bundles include RƎLAY VRX4 and VRX8 (4and 8-fader mixer) software, paired with a compact Lawo OnAir 4 audio interface to supply mic, line, AES3 and RAVENNA / AES67 I/O. A heavy-duty RƎLAY backback with space for a laptop and other on-air accessories like mics and headphones is also included.
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BEZ SERVERS WITH EUROPEAN PRESENCE. THE AMERICAN TURNKEY SOLUTION WILL BE ASSEMBLED AND INSTALLED IN BULGARIA AND TURKEY. Due to the increased interest in the BEZ broadcasting servers, ATHENSA created a hardware department to serve all Business partners who are currently unable to provide their own line of servers or tested configurations to end-users. In addition to the USA and Latin America, BEZ are now assembled in Sofia, Bulgaria, and Istanbul, Turkey. BEZ is a solution that delivers a TV channel in a single server and is only available to certified ATHENSA Business Partners. BEZ integrates all the elements needed to keep a channel on-air by combining automation, playout, interactive graphics, and ingest within one server. BEZ models can provide SDI or IP streaming connectivity for broadcast and cable TV as well as other applications. A single input port is shared between the playout engine for Live pass through, and the ingest engine for recording at the same time. BEZ run on ClearPath Libra, Supermicro, and HP configurations, and are powered by ATHENSA state of the art technology. Available in UHD/HD/SD-SDI or IP streaming, ATHENSA playout and branding solutions are the obvious
choice for organizations of any size – large or small. Their modular nature and agile performance make them perfect for disaster recovery, multi-playout remote control and monitoring, Ad Insertion, Scheduling, and so much more. BEZ are assembled at the ATHENSA Tech Labs by broadcast professionals with over a decade of experience. In addition, those professionals are able to manage your project from the idea to the execution, while providing the necessary training and after sales support. BEZ work perfectly with TULIX to provide the next generation streaming capabilities. For large workflows, BEZ servers are easily integrated with MAM systems, such as APACE and ISID, and different NRCS systems.
2016
CRESTRON LAUNCHES NEW EMEA TRAINING COURSES FOR 2016 Crestron has today announced a deluge of brand new and exciting training courses throughout the second half of 2016. Starting this month eight new courses will be running throughout the EMEA alongside established training activity in order to support the growing network of Crestron dealers and programmers. The courses include: • Online Primer – (to replace 101 & toolbox) • CTI-Tech • New DMC-E-4K • DMC-Streaming • DSP Training • New CTI-Fusion-P • Simp# and Simpl# Pro certification • Pyng System Design Neil Walton, Training Manager at Crestron EMEA, said; ‘We are dedicated to providing all the knowledge and understanding required to implement our systems successfully. Training is a very important part of our brand focus and we will continue to ensure we offer the very best to our dealers and programmers. The courses will be run by Crestron’s team of trainers across the regions and booking can be done through the training page at https://www.crestron.eu/Main/Trai ning/TrainingRegistrations.aspx
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2016
SOUND DEVICES, LLC, AND AMBIENT RECORDING COLLABORATION OFFERS WIRELESS CONTROL Sound Devices, LLC, and Ambient Recording GmbH announce that their products can now seamlessly work together to provide wireless remote control and enhanced workflow functionality for 6Series Mixer/Recorders. With its latest firmware updates, Sound Devices’ 6-Series mixer/recorders and Ambient Recording’s ACN Network System can deliver powerful remote transport control, metadata editing, and timecode functionality. All Sound Devices 6-Series mixer/recorders (633, 664, and 688) can be remote controlled by Ambient Recording’s Master Lockit Web interface, while ingesting critical metadata into the ACN Network System. This collaboration fully integrates Sound Devices’ 6Series products into the ACN with continuous jam and zero-drift timecode. The new Remote tab in the Master
Lockit web interface provides wireless control of the most important mixer/recorder functions, including record start/stop, track naming, track arming, metadata entry for the current and upcoming clip, and more. Audio professionals may control any 6-Series by directly connecting the Ambient ACNML Master Lockit to the mixer’s USB port, or through the USB keyboard port on a Sound Device’s optional 6Series accessory, the CL-12 linear fader controller. “Sound Devices relationship with Ambient Recording continues to evolve as we work together to provide the very best audio tools for Production Sound professionals,” said Paul Isaacs, Director of Project Management and Design, Sound Devices, LLC. “By adding wireless remote capabilities, our 6-Series users can now control, edit
metadata, and manage timecode using any smartphone, tablet or computer, offering greater convenience and workflow functionality on-set or in the field.” Sound Devices 6-Series mixer/recorders offer a full range of audio solutions with varying capabilities. With 12 inputs and 8 output buses, the 688 is a portable audio powerhouse that incorporates a multi-channel mixer, two powerful automixers, and a 16-track recorder. It also seamlessly integrates with the optional SL-6 powering and wireless system. The 664 is one of the flagship products in Sound Devices’ line of field production mixers. It has 12 analog inputs, four output buses, and records these 16 tracks to both CF and SD cards. The 633 is a compact, six-input mixer with integrated 10-track recorder and quad-powering capabilities with PowerSafe™ for all-day performance. The Master Lockit is the control center of the ACN timecode and metadata network. Acting as the network central hub, it enables remote control of all ACN units on set via browser on any WiFi capable device. In addition, it collects all metadata from script, continuity, and professional cameras for delivery and use by DITs and post production.
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2016
DIGITAL MEDIA TEAM SEES DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY OF CONTENT CREATION WORKFLOW, MEETING DEMAND FOR ACCESS TO GAME CONTENT Quantum Corp. announced that the University of Notre Dame's Fighting Irish Media has deployed a workflow storage system powered by StorNextÂŽ to increase its speed and productivity in creating athletics-focused video features, live game webcasts, highlights, coaches' shows and documentary-style filmed entertainment, as well as a growing volume of educational content. The efficient, collaborative Quantum storage platform enables the Fighting Irish Media team to produce event highlights within minutes of a sports event's conclusion. The new workflow also has improved overall editing productivity by 50 percent.
Meeting Fighting Irish Fan Demand Fighting Irish Media covers 26 teams ranging from football and basketball to swimming, fencing, tennis, golf and lacrosse. In addition to streaming 125-130 athletic events a year, posting over 1,000 short-form videos on a variety of platforms and creating TV shows and features, the Fighting Irish Media team supports content creation and distribution for the broader Notre Dame educational and faith mission. For its athletics coverage,
the team previously had sent cameras out to events, brought footage back, copied it to removable drives and then edited, transcoded and distributed finished clips. The process often took hours. Realizing that it was missing a valuable opportunity to connect with fans and address their desire for more timely content, the team undertook an upgrade that would help it to create and distribute content more quickly.
and CatDV, an asset management system. Live feeds are brought into the shared storage environment via Telestream Pipeline, and, as this content is ingested, the Quantum system enables multiple editors to work simultaneously on the same media and create finished clips for distribution. SAN performance via single-mode fiber to the desktops ensures rapid access to content and speeds completion of projects.
Building an Efficient Collaborative Workflow With Quantum Storage
The scalable nature of the StorNext-powered solution will make it easy for the Fighting Irish Media team to accommodate the increasing demand for sports and educational content, as well as the inevitable increase in content resolution and file sizes.
The new environment now supporting Fighting Irish Media's production workflow includes the Quantum storage platform integrated with Telestream Pipeline, Adobe Creative Cloud 2015
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Globo is the main TV Station in Brasil and also one of the most important in America. Tv Globo is going to take a leading role in the 2016 Olympic Games, with an unprecedented technical deployment. A big issue will be the new 4K and IP OB Van. We´ve interviewed Jose Manuel Marino, Sports Technology Director at TV Globo.
How is going to be involved TV Globo in this Olimpyc Games? JMM: For the first time in history, the Olympic Games will take place in South America, in Rio de Janeiro,
the city where Globo was born in 1965 and where it has extensive sports production assets. So we approach the Games both with excitement and a deep sense of responsibility, as we now can use these production assets
to bring our viewers the best Olympic coverage ever. We have made plans to cover in detail those sports where Brazilian teams have traditionally shown good performance, as well as those where Brazilian
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athletes have a great chance to be in the podium. We will have OB Vans at 5 different arenas, and a number of commentary and live mixed zone positions at competition venues, so as to be as close to the athletes as possible, to capture the emotion and the atmosphere of the games. We will have an 800m2 newsroom at the IBC, where we will present the games directly from our three storey high glass studio built in the heart of the Olympic Park, where new display technologies and augmented TMBi - 42
We will have OB Vans at 5 different arenas, and a number of commentary and live mixed zone positions at competition venues, so as to be as close to the athletes as possible, to capture the emotion and the atmosphere of the games. reality graphics will be used by our sports experts and presenters so as to better explain game tactics and athletes' performances. A total of 26 ENG Crews will
cover just Sports, making sure that all the action around the games is delivered to our viewers. In terms of programming, these will be the Olympic Games with the
greatest quantity of live coverage ever, throughout the day. We wish these Games to be forever in the memories of those who will watch through Globo’s coverage. In total, two thousand experienced Globo professionals, reporters, producers, technicians, will be devoted to this tremendous task.
Why an IP OB Van? What are the benefits? JMM: TV Production techniques are constantly evolving, and picture quality is a moving target. HD has been the standard for many years, and is now being replaced by 4K, which is fast
It would not be possible for us to build an OB Van of this size and production power without the use of IP interconnectivity. evolving to 4K HDR, and there is already 8K in the horizon. By adopting an IP interconnectivity standard, we are prepared for 4K, 4K HDR, and beyond. To Globo, which has always been a pioneer
and producer of high quality content, this is an absolute must. Of course there are the other benefits of being able to realize an OB Van which is manageable in terms of cabling complexity, physical space and total weight. It would not be possible for us to build an OB Van of this size and production power without the use of IP interconnectivity.
What about 4K? The images are going to be capture or recorded in this resolution? JMM: The new 4K OB Van (UM7) will be able to capture, produce and record in 4K. The cameras are a
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combination of Sony’s brand new HDC-4300 (4K, normal speed, 3 chip cameras) and HDC-4800 (4K, super slow motion, single chip cameras). There is also Sony’s F65 and iMovix's 4K hyper slow cameras. All lenses are either 4K or PL, and the replay servers are also capable of recording and playing back in 4K. There are two XVS-8000 Production Switchers, equipped for IP connectivity, so we can make two different productions of a show simultaneously. We have such need when we do live sports productions in cooperation with our parent TMBi - 44
Pay-TV company.
Do these technologies change the way we work in live sports? JMM: Of course they do. I can give you two exemples: (i) the new one-chip super slow cameras will give cinematographers and directors much more creative power and the capability to change the photography of the game, adding drama and motion to it, but this will require a new learning curve, a great deal of experimentation, so as to better explore such
capabilities; (ii) by using 4K HDR, we can finally ovecome the problem with sun and shadow inside the arena, and provide an exceptional viewing experience to our audience. But we will have to learn new techniques, learn how to work with S-LOG, learn how to produce workflows that are good both for live and for archival purposes. And this is all very exciting.
And after the Olimpyc Games, will be there more projects in IP and 4K for TV Globo?
JMM: TV Globo has been involved with 4K for some time. We already have made drama productions, miniseries type, in 4K, and 4K HDR. And we are now producing regular drama productions using 4K. IP is very recent, and the UM7 project was our first delivery of such technology. But now that it is up and running, we see other projects further down the line, especially in studios and lines room renovation projects. These will be upgraded from SDI to IP interconnectivity, so as to be able to handle 4K signals, and beyond.
Do you think this is going to be an standard for live sports production? JMM: We are convinced that this is the way to go. Given the conversations we have had with other industry players, both manufacturers and final users such as ourselves, we see that we share a common vision about this technology. If you are thinking of building a new OB Van today, you should really consider building it in IP, 4K HDR ready. And choose the cameras and lenses carefully, as these will be the elements
If you are thinking of building a new OB Van today, you should really consider building it in IP, 4K HDR ready. And choose the cameras and lenses carefully. that differentiate you from your competitors. TMBi - 45
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The fastest growing fair of Southern Europe BITAM Show started in 2013 with the purpose of becoming a benchmark of the audio-visual industry in Spain. Based on a more and more transversal structure of the ecosystem, not just composed of traditional companies, hence the name BITAM (Broadcast, IT, Audio, Media). Two other spaces have been created along with BITAM: MAMTV, dedicated to the purchase and sale of audiovisual content; and Be Screen, focused on the digital signage market and AV installation. For MAMTV it is its second edition, thanks to its great of success last year. For Be Screen it is its debut this year 2016. Visitors can access all areas using their accreditation for BITAM Show.
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The fairs philosophy is very clear: USIBILITY. BITAMSHOW is an eminently pragmatic event, turnkey and content of costs. A format born with its own unique style in which we haven’t replicated proposals on a smaller scale as in other fairs. It has sought to create a space designed for the Spanish market and southern Europe, where we live a different setting from other countries. The idea is to gather companies and an important number of interesting visitors, at real prices and with all the necessary, a turnkey solution. So to amortize the expense for any company, either small or large, is extremely simple, like its assembly and organization. This is why all stands have the same format, the only thing that varies are the squared meters. BITAM is a very business oriented fair, clearly to generate business. It was the editorial Daró Media Group (owner of TM Broadcast and TM Broadcast International) that planted the seed for this fair in 2013.
GROWTH BITAM debuted in 2013 in the ¨Hotel Auditorium¨ of Madrid, the place where the gala of the Goya Awards are being held every year among other important events. This approach of the editorial Daró Media Group surprised everyone, especially being in TMBi - 48
times of economic crisis. But it was precisely to provide a catalyst for the industry. Many companies understood the concept of the fair featuring a total of 46 stands, 67 participating companies and 2,724 visitors from over 9 countries. In 2014 these figures increased significantly, so in 2015 the fair moved to ¨El Pabellón de Cristal¨, a total of 119 companies over 80 stands exposed here and were visited by 4,772 visitors from over 12 countries, doubling in number of attendees previous years. The numbers that are being considered for this year will far exceed those of 2015.
PABELLÓN
DE
CRISTAL
As said, in its third edition the fair was held in ¨El Pabellón de Cristal de la Casa de Campo¨ of Madrid, where it has been established, offering this year a total of 10.000 m2 floor space for exhibition. The advantages of this location are many being it an open space with good facilities and access for logistics. It is located at a short distance from the center of Madrid, between the Calle 30 and the M-40, with several metro stations and bus stops. This, together with the 2,000 free parking spaces, guarantees a good visitors flow and the assurance of easy access. TMBi - 49
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ONE2ONE APPLICATION A must of BITAM, an application very easy-of-use, designed to organize appointments between customers and exhibitors through the web
(www.bitamshow.com). It is the proper organization that puts into contact the two parties through a simple form, preparing a trade agenda has never been this simple. The application will be available for all three spaces: BITAM, MAMTV and Be Screen.
CONFERENCES Parallel to the fair a series of conferences and round table discussions and toplevel speakers will address the really interesting problems first-hand. We are already working on the agenda for this year, which will be very representative. However, the conferences will take place in two areas, one of them will be covered by the organization, and the other will be available for those companies wishing to do a presentation, a conference or similar. It also should be noted that there are several private rooms available inside the Crystal Pavilion for demos, as well as different sponsorship proposals.
MAMTV SHOW 2016 After last years’ success Daró Media Group will organize again MAMTV, the international fair of production and distribution of audiovisual content. MAMTV will be held on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th of November simultaneously and in the same area as BITAM Show. Due to its strategic location, MAMTV will consolidate and become a gateway between the Spanish market and other European countries. The show also will increment its recognition as a meeting point to increase the link TMBi - 52
have access to this year. This is an area dedicated to Digital Signage with an international call for the display and dynamic advertising market, touching everything related to Corporate, Retail, Educational, Integration Systems and Horeca.
primarily with Latin American and US companies which important point in common is the Spanish language. Spanish is spoken in 21 countries with over 559 million speakers, one of the rising stars worldwide, as many have commented; the Spanish language is our common wealth. When an audio-visual production is produced in Spanish, the distribution territory has an
amazing potential which sometimes is taken for granted. Nowadays the new technologies, the distribution platforms and the face markets such as NATPE and MAMTV itself are tools that favor further expansion in the markets.
BE SCREEN Be Screen is the third space where the visitors will
With the same philosophy as BITAM and MAMTV, Be Screen is born as a based on return of investment event for exhibitors. The reason why we include this issue is very simple, the pure audio visual installation is more and more being mixed with Broadcast, as happens with the content market. Therefore, in a market such as the Spanish one, a transversal fair that will merge those issues and ecosystems was really necessary. And also because there are many businesses and visitors with interests in these three markets.
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Working in a file-based workflow environment, broadcasters and postproduction houses come into contact with a large amount of digital assets. Obviously, efficiency is a top priority, but so is quality. Today’s television and cinema viewers expect an extremely high quality of video and audio during their entertainment experience, especially with Ultra HD and 4K on the horizon. To assure top-notch quality of assets, broadcasters need an automated, file-based QC solution that is flexible, scalable, and reliable, offering advanced capabilities such as analytics, broad format support, and ease of use.
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By Penny Westlake, Director Sales and Channel Management EU at Interra Systems
This article will explore a few of the common challenges that broadcast and post-production operators encounter during the QC process, providing insight into the key features one should look for in an automated, file-based QC system. A real-world case study of Roundtable Films will shed light on how post-production houses are using Interra Systems’ BATON™ to simplify the creation of high-res content, including 4K and DPX, for film, documentary, and TV series projects.
COMMON QC CHALLENGES The auto QC process is fast, efficient, consistent, and reliable. When coupled with a manual review process on random and/or erroneous digitized content, broadcasters and post-production houses can achieve higher levels of productivity with optimized results. Of course, that is not to say that they do not still face challenges. There are mostly four types of checks that are done as part of a quality checking process on digitized files: checking the compliance of the generated content, timecodes, and metadata; the baseband quality in audio and video; and encoding/transcoding errors, if content is compressed. Compliance and metadata checking is a rather straightforward process. The real complexity comes TMBi - 56
The auto QC process is fast, efficient, consistent, and reliable. When coupled with a manual review process on random and/or erroneous digitized content, broadcasters and post-production houses can achieve higher levels of productivity with optimized results.
with ensuring that baseband quality of the digitized content is above the defined and agreed upon threshold level. Video issues can manifest themselves in different ways, and each one of them requires deep R&D to be detected reliably and accurately. Fortunately, there are tools to correct these errors.
THE SOLUTION: BATON™ AUTOMATED, FILE-BASED QC Interra Systems’ BATON automated, filebased QC solution meets all of the industry’s crucial requirements for checking the quality of content in SD, HD, UHD/4K, and mixed workflows, providing comprehensive checks, scalability, support for wide range of media formats, and an intuitive web-based interface that simplifies quality control operations. Choosing a file-based QC system that offers a full range of checks is highly important. BATON provides the most complete checks covering standards compliance, regulatory checks, and baseband checks in the industry, including TMBi - 57
PSE/flashiness checks. Recently, support was added to the system for text detection (including language) and recognition of burnt-in subtitles, audio language detection, detection of new audio quality noises, as well as support for the latest loudness ITU-R BS.1770 specification. In addition, BATON supports new image formats like TIFF/Targa, enhanced closed captions, and updates to DPP/ARD_ZDF compliance support. As broadcasters and other content providers eventually migrate to 4K distribution, the system offers unmatched 4K content verification speed. Another critical requirement for today’s broadcast and post-production operators is assuring that their file-based
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Compliance and metadata checking is a rather straightforward process. The real complexity comes with ensuring that baseband quality of the digitized content is above the defined and agreed upon threshold level. Video issues can manifest themselves in different ways. content meets various delivery criteria. BATON ensures ease of deployment with pre-configured test plans for DPP, Netflix, CableLabs, and a full list of delivery standards. Efficiency is also vital. Through the system’s rich, content-aware, rule-based smart folders, BATON guarantees efficient content
verification workflows. The latest version of BATON features a user interface with revamped functionality across smart folders, manual scheduling, test plans, reports, and more, streamlining the user experience and increasing flexibility. One of the unique benefits that BATON offers compared
with other systems on the market is its scalable architecture, which lets users expand their farm as their QC needs grow. BATON’s high availability and responsive technical support team ensures that the system continues running in the enterprise environment even if one of the hardware components is down. Seamless integration with media servers, transcoders, MAM archiving, and workflow solutions speeds up the deployment of BATON in broadcast and postproduction facilities. For broadcasters wanting additional advanced features, like workflow QC, data analytics, and a centralized management console,
BATON+ can be added to the pre-existing ecosystem. Since the majority of broadcasters and postproduction houses are utilizing a mix of automated and manual QC processes, they need a solution that allows easy manual intervention, if needed. BATON provides a userfriendly and stand-alone media player interface with support for complete manual review flow.
REAL-WORLD USER STORY Recently, Roundtable Films, an independent postproduction company in London, deployed BATON for film, documentary, short form,
and TV series projects. There are several reasons that Roundtable Films chose BATON for its QC needs. Facing an increased workload, Roundtable Films had moved into a spacious Gothic Victorian building to accommodate more suites. During the migration, the company installed two fulltime grade and online suites along with sound and offline suites. The company’s increase in finishing work combined with the industry’s ever-evolving requirements for file-based QC made it critical that Roundtable choose a solution that offers the confidence to deliver right the first time. Since Roundtable Films works with multiple formats TMBi - 59
and top-quality, highresolution images, the company wanted a product that offered a wide range of capabilities beyond being DPP compliant, such as resolution independence and the ability to cover various deliverables like 4K Digital Cinema and UHDTV. Scalability and flexibility, from an integration perspective, also factored into the decision. After spending time investigating the various products available on the market, BATON was the obvious choice, providing high reliability and meeting all of their complex requirements. BATON ensures the integrity of Roundtable Films’ content across the entire postproduction process, from ingest to editing, color grading, and archiving. Using the automated, file-based QC system, Roundtable Films can guarantee the quality of any high-resolution content, including Digital Cinema, 4K, DPX, and UHD files. BATON offers seamless integration with media servers, transcoders, MAM archiving, and workflow solutions through its easy-touse Web-services based APIs, allowing Roundtable Films to continue using existing third-party hardware which led to a trouble-free installation. Through BATON’s scalable architecture, Roundtable Films will find it TMBi - 60
Efficiency is also vital. Through the system’s rich, content-aware, rule-based smart folders, BATON guarantees efficient content verification workflows.
easy to expand in the future, as its QC needs grow. In particular, the post-production company loves the ability to offer cloud-based automated QC to all of its clients so they can QC material from anywhere in the world. As Roundtable Films continues to increase the size of its operations, BATON gives them the confidence that everything is correct. In a filebased world, it often saves time and expense to perform QC checks at every stage of the workflow.
CONCLUSION Automation has become a vital part of the production and post-production environment. As high-res formats such as 4K are used more and more, it will become even more essential for companies to deploy a trusted solution for their file-based QC needs, as demonstrated by the deployment of BATON by Roundtable Films. By choosing a highly reliable, flexible, and scalable QC solution that automates file-based workflows, broadcasters and post-production houses can set the bar for premium quality content and efficiency. TMBi - 61
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TEST AREA
GADGETS TO PLAY WITH
Lab testing performed by Pablo MartĂnez In this issue of TM Broadcast, we shall be analysing several Teradek devices. Teradek is a Research & Development company founded in the US back in 2009 that boasts a variety of products for video transmission, encoded over Wi-Fi, Ethernet and 3G/4G networks in their catalogue. These products can be found on the market, endorsed by a constant innovation system and with full support from the manufacturer; something that leads to them being widely used and accepted by broadcasting professionals. Moncada y Lorenzo lent us two devices to conduct this lab testing. The first was the Teradek Beam, which basically offers us a point-to-point link between the camera and
the receiver over Wi-Fi. The Beam provides us with a feasible and efficient alternative to the costly COFDM link systems we are so used to (commonly used thanks to the robust signal and for making the most of reflections to broadcast). The Beam is also extremely good value for money compared to other products we find on the market with the same working philosophy. The second device we analysed was the Teradek Cube (in our case the 155 model), an H.264 encoder that permits high-speed video transmission over Wi-Fi or Ethernet LAN (without any added external elements). All in all, I think it is a great device in a truly small package. TMBi - 63
TEST AREA
LET’S LEARN ABOUT THE DIFFERENT MODELS Teradek Beam: This pointto-point system consists of a receiver and a transmitter with Gold or V mounts for cameras and a very restrained consumption, which does not significantly affect the autonomy of the camera/transmitter set. Its main features are: Video - High-performance
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SD/HD/3G-SDI transmission over Wi-Fi or Ethernet LAN (IP) - H.264 encoding/decoding engine: Baseline profile level 4.2 with de-interlacing
SDI/HD-SDI/3G-SDI supported for PAL, NTSC and full HD video - Supports DTV Standards SMPTE 244, BT601 (NTSC): 525i59.94
- Full HD encoding up to 1920x1080p60
IEC61179-5, BT601 (PAL): 625i50 o
- Streaming server function on both Beam TX and Beam RX
SMPTE 296M: 720p23.98, 720p24, 720p25, 720p30, 720p50, 720p59.94, 720p60
- Very low encode/decode end-to-end latency in 1080i59.94 HD: 70ms ~ 80ms - Single video stream + stereo audio
SMPTE 274M: 1080i50, 1080i59.94, 1080i60, 1080PsF23.98,1080PsF24 , 1080PsF25, 1080PsF29.97,
TEST AREA
1080PsF30, 1080p23.98, 1080p24, 1080p25, 1080p29.97, 1080p30, 1080p50, 1080p59.94, 1080p60 - Supported bitrates: 100kbps - 30Mbps over Wireless, 50Mbps over Ethernet - Error resiliency: Variable GOP size, random intrarefresh, contiguous intrarefresh, I-frame control Audio - SD/HD/3G-SDI embedded audio - Mini-stereo phone jack in and out for analog stereo audio - Analog stereo audio: 48kHz sampling with 16 bit ADC - Wireless IFB audio from TX to RX and from RX to TX with 8kHz sampling and 16bit ADC Network - Wireless Output for Audio/Video: Supporting IEEE 802.11n/5GHz - Wide radio coverage up to 800 m (2,500 ft) with 12 Mbps at line of sight - Ethernet port for
audio/video transmission: Ethernet LAN (10/100 BASE-TX, Cat.5e UTP cable) - 1 TX to 1 RX connection or 1 TX to 4 RX connections on wireless mode - One to one connection & one-to-many connection on the Ethernet LAN mode - Multi-casting and simulcast modes to both the Beam RX and software decoder on PC - RTSP streaming server or MPEG-TS streaming device over Wi-Fi or LAN port on the Beam TX - RTSP streaming relay server over LAN port on the Beam RX User Interface - Internet Explorer/Chrome web browser for changing system configurations or firmware upgrade - USB for firmware upgrade - OLED front screen for configuration and status information - RS-422 serial port for relaying bidirectional external control signals
As we can see from its features, the Beam uses an IP transmission system as a link between the Rx and the Tx, encoding the video on an H.264 workflow. The main WiFi link works on the 5 GHz bandwidth but is capable of reaching a transmission speed of up to 15 Mbps between the Tx and Rx. As an alternative in areas where the external constraints limit the use of point-to-point over Wi-Fi (far away points without direct view with walls or screens that do not allow establishing a Wi-Fi connection), we have the possibility of connecting the Tx and the Rx with a cable. By connecting them through a UTP cable, we can receive the signal from our camera with a maximum transmission speed of 50 Mbps. The Beam comes preconfigured for point-topoint transmission over Wi-Fi, so the pairing process between the Tx and the Rx could not be simpler: the Tx generates a Wi-Fi access point (by default called TeradekBeam_xx), which the Rx connects to and establishes bidirectional communication. The Beam also offers us the possibility of multi-casting. We can transmit from the Tx to four Rx without compromising quality or increasing latency. The configuration menu is straightforward and intuitive. We can configure it from the very Tx or Rx through the TMBi - 65
TEST AREA
menu buttons and its screen, or by connecting via Ethernet or Wi-Fi using a web interface on a computer. Each unit uses three antennas integrated into the system through SMA connections to establish the Wi-Fi connection. This enables us, if need be, to use external antennas on the Beam Rx that will provide us with better gains (albeit it does not offer any more radio coverage). The Beam is robust in its construction, but we must bear in mind that it is not waterproof, so it is convenient to protect it if we are working in the rain. Teradek Cube 155: In this laboratory testing, we also analysed a Teradek Cube 155 unit. A small H.264 signal encoder with a compact aluminium chassis that uses RTP, RTSP, RTP over HTTP and MPEG-TS (optional) transport protocols, allowing for live web streaming, pointto-point over the Internet and to iOS and Android devices. It transmits to video platforms such as Livestream, Ustream, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, Wowza servers or your own CDN through RTMP. It has an OLED screen that allows navigating and configuring it at the touch of a button. It also informs us of the transmission status and the LEDs down the side indicate that the Cube is working properly. It has an internal Li-ion battery that will ideally give us up to 2 hours
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of security margin in the event of a power failure, as well as a power source we can connect a camera battery to (with the proper cable connector) and a Wi-Fi access point, which will allow us to control the Cube from mobile devices, among other things. The most highlighted features are: VIDEO INPUTS - HD-SDI, SD-SDI: BNC SUPPORTED RESOLUTIONS 1080i 50/59.94/60 1080p 23.98/24/25/30 1080PsF 23.98/24/25 720p 50/59.94/60
VIDEO CODEC - Compression Algorithm: Baseline, Main and High Profile H.264 - Main and Baseline profiles - Bit Rate: 250 Kbps to 10 Mbps - Built in Video Scaler and Deinterlacer VIDEO STREAMING SUPPORT - Network Protocols: TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP, DHCP, NTP, SSL, IGMP - Transport Protocols: RTP, RTSP, RTP over HTTP, MPEG-TS/Zixi (Optional paid license) AUDIO
576i
- Audio Compression: AACLC, MPEG Layer 2
480i
- Embedded Audio Input
TEST AREA
manufacturer with its features and its low latency, 2 frames).
- Analog Line or Mic in, adjustable gain - Headphone output, adjustable volume PHYSICAL
Power - 2 Pin Lemo Power input - Internal Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery - USB Charging
- Dimensions: 2.5"W x 3.5"D x.9"H
- Nominal Power Consumption: 3W
- Weight: 8oz
- Nominal Power Consumption while Charging: up to 10W
INTERFACES - Feature-rich WebUI for configuration and control
- Auxiliary Power Input: 6-28V DC
- OLED LCD Display with joystick Navigation buttons
FIELD TESTS
- On/Off and Reset Switch Micro SD - Powered USB 2.0 host port NETWORK - Ethernet: 10/100BASE-T - Wi-Fi: Dual Band 802.11 a/b/g/n MiMO
Teradeck Beam: The first thing that catches my attention is the finish of the entire set. Both the Rx and the Tx have the same overall robust design, so I am eager to test it (above all for the 800 m of transmission distance promised by the
We assembled the transmitter on an ENG camera. We had absolutely no problem in working with it since the Beam Tx is so lightweight (695 g). We placed the Rx on the sunroof of our building (we have a horizon line with direct view at 900 m). We powered the two systems up (this took approximately 50 seconds). The communication between the Tx and Rx was established almost immediately. We configured the transmission speed at 12 Mbps (an average that I consider appropriate compared to commonly used ones at 6 MBps) and a video entry in HD-SDI format. We begin walking in a straight line and with direct view between the Tx and Rx, constantly monitoring reception and taking samples of the quality of the signal every 100 metres. The results revealed that there were no signal problems up to just over 600 metres. From then on, the signal became unstable (the loss of signal in the receiver showed up as an image freeze, something we need to thank the manufacturer for because we do not get the typical black screen or receiver bars). At this point, we changed the video entry to SD-SDI to assess whether the lesser need of compression translated into a higher TMBi - 67
TEST AREA
distance and hey presto, we managed to reach approximately 100 metres further than with the HD-SDI format with no signal degradation whatsoever. In short, the ideal maximum distance offered by the manufacturer was very close to the tests carried out in real environments. We also have to bear in mind that the conditions in which we conducted this section of tests was by no means free from magnetic or electric interferences, and I must admit, we were pleasantly surprised with this result. Going back to the distance tests, the next natural step was to go a building with it, using the same configuration and the same position of the Beam Rx on the sunroof. The perimeter terrace tests without direct view yielded distances of 200 m. Once inside the building everything went smooth until we got to the second floor (the receiver was located on the third floor and we had several considerable layers of concrete and insulating material between us). There must have been about 70 metres distance, a perfect result for this point-to-point transmission system. As far as latency is concerned, the manufacturer speaks about 2 frames and to check this, we assembled an analyser on the Beam Rx output, which yielded 2.8 frames, something fully assumable in TMBi - 68
our possible transmissions. Now that we had started and knowing that it was not its primary use -or secondary for that matter-, we wanted to check the distance and quality we would get by connecting the Rx and Tx over Ethernet. We assembled a switch where we connected the Rx and the Tx. We assigned IP addresses and configured them according to the instruction manual, save that we increased the transmission speed to 20 Mbps (always in HD-SDI). A 150 metre Cat 5 network cable did not have the slightest fault and the signal and system behaviour were second to none. Lastly, and making the most of the possibility of transmitting via RTSP or MPEG-TS, we configured the Beam Tx so as to activate it
as a encapsulated server to TS2UDP, Frame Encoding in Coding Mode, and we assigned an IP to our destination with VLC installed on it. We pressed Submit. This generated a perfect signal with a delay that was almost imperceptible on the VLC player. Teradeck Beam: We have a Cube 155 in our hands, so we shall focus on the idea of making the most of its transmission potential to the Internet, as promised by the manufacturer. Initially, and because of its small size, the first question I had before starting the field test was regarding the capacity of this small device to dissipate temperature in constant work (stress test). So, we conducted a first local test by configuring the unit as “encoder to VLC� and kept a
TEST AREA
constant HD-SDI content transmission for 24 hours. We placed two temperature sensors with sampling spaced out in time every 4 hours and ensured a constant environment temperature of 24º C. Despite the small size of the Cube, and thanks to its construction -discrete elements and aluminium case-, the heat dissipation was exceptional, with variations of just +/- 10 degrees in all the temperature samples we took. As a field test and making the most of an event in which we had access to a 10/100 Ethernet network and an HDSDI signal, we decided to retransmit this on live streaming on YouTube, using the Cube, because, given its theoretical simplicity, nothing else was needed. The configuration and the time necessary for such transmission were spectacular. The Cube provides the settings for a YouTube Live event by default. In “Stream Setting” -> “Live internet streaming” we found that “YouTube Live” had been preconfigured. It only asked us to login into our YouTube account and after a couple of confirmations, we were on air. Even so, we chose to do it manually, so that we could send the video stream to YouTube or any other server on rtmp. protocol. First, we activated a live streaming on
our YouTube channel. We obtained the server’s URL and the name of the live stream on the encoder’s configuration tab, and that was just about it. We connected to the Cube and configured it with Teradek’s control software, in the "Stream Settings" tab, RTMP mode, and all we had to do was copy the data from our YouTube channel: Server to Server Primary URL and the name of the video stream. In our case, also we activated the Adaptive Bitrate, AutoReconnect and AutoStart. As you can see, it only took us 2 minutes to transmit. The interesting thing is that it saves the settings, so for future transmissions from the same YouTube channel, all you need to do is plug it in and begin to transmit. If you do not want to work with the menus on the Cube’s screen, you can configure it using the traditional connection via Ethernet or Wi-Fi from a computer by installing the “TERAcentral” software (this will give you a video preview and complete access to the configuration menus). In our case, and for convenience purposes only, we used an iOS device with Teradek installed on it and connected to the Wi-Fi offered by the Cube, to change all the necessary parameters.
CONCLUSION Realistically, I did not expect such a good performance from the Teradek Beam and the Teradek Cube, but more so of the Beam. There are many brands on the market that offer panaceas in distances for wireless links on Wi-Fi networks, but their real everyday results tend to disappoint us enormously. This is not the case with Beam. In the past few days, where I have been able to test it thoroughly, I have found that it works perfectly, as you could expect from a product with these qualities. As for the Teradek Cube, it is one of the greatest revelations for its simplicity and working power. If you are thinking, for instance, about making transmissions via streaming with the Cube, you will find the perfect partner for this function and many others. All in all, we have two products with an excellent value for money for the market in which they move. The manufacturer also offers regular free updates and a support database where you can have a look at the manuals and be surprised with the possibilities they offer. Lastly, I would like to thank Beatriz de Moncada y Lorenzo for lending me these two little gadgets to conduct this laboratory testing, my colleague Trías for all his help and the IB3TV for letting me use their facilities. TMBi - 69