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DEEPTO TV LAUNCHES WITH ADVANCED BROADCAST SOLUTIONS

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55 DEEPTO TV Launches in Bangladesh REGULARS 02 EDITOR’S WELCOME 03 NEWS New MediaCorp Campus Opens,

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Axon’s Cerebrum at Indonesia’s Metro TV, HK’s now TV selects BroadStream OASYS for Playout, GatesAir Delivers its First China-Standard Digital Radio Systems, 4K Fills the Skies Over Asia

48 FEATURES AND DEADLINES Our dates, rates and editorial features for 2016

FEATURES 11 ASIA-PACIFIC BROADCASTING UNION – DIGITAL BROADCASTING SYMPOSIUM Show Preview 16 ACQUISITION Kelvin Chew Shoots For Love with Sony's F55 Camera, BBC Natural History Goes Ultra HD, new products and accessories

20 SPORTSCASTING Golf Channel Thailand

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Scores 24/7 with PlayBox, World Surf League Japan Rides Streaming Wave with Blackmagic, NHK’s World-First 8K OB Vehicle, Seven Expands Australian Open Coverage, NEP Buys Mediatec Asia Pacific

24 NEWS OPERATIONS Avid Helps CNN Indonesia Create Production Workflow, Channel NewsAsia on Tata Sky in India, Ideal Group Launches Rental Service for Live News & Sport

28 MEDIA IN THE CLOUD SEA Broadcasters

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CONTENT+TECHNOLOGY: ISSN 1448-9554 PP:255003/06831 Broadcastpapers Pty Ltd (ABN 34 095 653 277) PO Box 259, Darlinghurst, NSW 1300 Australia www.broadcastpapers.com PUBLISHER: Phil Sandberg Tel +61 (0)2 4368 4569 Mob +61 (0)414 671 811 papers@broadcastpapers.com

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32 POST-PRODUCTION Film Digitisation, Restoration and Archiving Project launches in Tokyo, Togen Takes on Cintel Film Scanner, Cutting Edge Smashes Marvel Project with Sync’ed Render Farms, Autodesk Introduces Subs Options for Flame, DaVinci Resolve Makes the Grade for Japanese Rock Band

36 AUDIO Jünger Audio Delivers 5.1 Audio for The Voice Of China, New sonic gadgets from NAMM

40 RADIO Betar, GatesAir Bring HD Radio to Bangladesh, Mediacorp Celebrates 80 Years of Radio Broadcasting, Rebirth for Klotz Audio Technology, Lost Radio Content Now Found by Rewind Radio

44 CONTENT DELIVERY Confusion as Pakistan Postpones DTH Auction, Korea Telecom Picks Ericsson Encoders for 20 New HD Channels, Benchmark Integrates Monitoring for NXT Digital’s HITS Service, Kazi Group and Advanced Broadcast Solutions Launch Deepto TV in Bangladesh

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EDITOR’S WELCOME

Enabling Broadcaster AIMS for an IP Future

By Phil Sandberg IT’S AN OFTEN-HEARD REFRAIN, “The great thing about standards is there’s so many of them”, and if there was ever an environment that needed more continuity, certainty, interoperability and, yes, open standards, it is the world of Internet Protocol (IP).

the development of a standard approach to IP. AIMS also endorses an IP transition plan that includes support for SMPTE 2022-6, AES67 and VSF recommendations TR-03 and TR-04.

Enter the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS). Established in late 2015, this new, independent trade association’s mandate is to “bring IP solutions to market that offer complete interoperability, are based on open standards, and integrate seamlessly into media workflow environments to foster industry innovation and efficiency”.

Hopefully, this group will turn what has been the broadcast and media industry’s great disrupter into its greatest enabler. Time will tell.

Visit the alliance website at www.aimsalliance.org

Adam Buick is New C+T Sales Manager

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• Initiatives that facilitate the education and adoption of open standards

Manager of three of the last SMPTE Australia Exhibitions, he has a unique perspective on the broadcast and content creation industries. During this time, Adam has developed strong industry contacts and a good understanding of industry needs.

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Specifically, AIMS says it will prioritise three key strategies:

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Adam comes to us from Expertise Events and, over the past 13 years, has worked as an exhibition manager in partnership with eight distinct industries.

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According to the Alliance, as broadcasters and other media companies look to use IP workflows to speed and streamline the movement and management of increasingly complex content and adapt their businesses to better compete with other content options such as over-the-top (OTT), open standards are the key to protecting current investments and ensuring long-term interoperability.

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As we go into the New Year, Content+Technology is delighted to announce a new team member in the form of Adam Buick who has taken on the role of Advertising Sales Manager.

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The group’s efforts will be focused on promoting the adoption, standardisation, 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.

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The group has been formed by broadcast and media industry suppliers, including Grass Valley, Imagine Communications, Lawo, Snell Advanced Media and Nevion. Other members include Arista Networks, Cisco Systems Inc., EVS Broadcast Equipment SA and The Telos Alliance.

A number of solutions are already on the market to help media companies begin the transition by introducing IP components to an SDI workflow. AIMS is correct when it says the transition represents a significant investment and will not happen overnight.

• Facilitation of activities that accelerate the development of solutions that support these open standards

His collaborative and diligent focus on customer service and helping his clients achieve results – along with strong family ties in Australia and Southeast Asia – make him a valuable addition to the C+T team.

• Nurturing the creation of new standards by supporting standards bodies with participation and testing in real-world environments

You can contact Adam on +61(0)413 007 144 or via adam@broadcastpapers.com

Open standards work for the IP transition is already underway by the 74-member Video Services Forum (VSF), with the support of organisations such as SMPTE and the EBU. More than 30 broadcast equipment manufacturers are actively testing and validating the VSF’s approach today.

AIMS says it endorses the work of the VSF and will continue to lend support in

Thanks for Reading Phil Sandberg - Editor/Publisherpapers@broadcastpapers.com T: +61-(0)414671811

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NEWS + PEOPLE For the latest news visit www.content-technology.com

Singapore PM Opens New MediaCorp Campus its iconic Caldecott Broadcast Centre in Andrew Road, home to the multiplatform, multi-brand media company for the past 63 years, to its new home in one-north.

Dubbed Mediacorp Campus, the purpose-built 12-storey facility was officially opened by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong December 8, 2015. The 800,000 square foot building, designed by Maki and Associates and DP Architects, will house nearly all of Mediacorp’s 2800 staff in a single location. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art production and digital broadcast facilities which include: A digital-first integrated newsroom staffed by some 700 journalists producing for digital, television, radio and print. Three TV news studios designed by international award-winning design company Jago Design will beam news in four languages terrestrially, as well as Asia-wide (via Channel NewsAsia).

Four entertainment studios which are seamlessly integrated with back of house operations to facilitate the movement of large props and the quick turnaround of sets. One of these will be able to host live audiences of up to 500 people.

The Theatre at Mediacorp, a 1500-seat performing arts venue, the only one in the region of this scale that is broadcast-ready. It will welcome audiences to musicals and concerts presented by the company’s live entertainment arm, Vizpro International, as well as external players. Two restaurants and

one cafe will offer pre-show dining options.

The building’s interior is designed around an open plan office concept which provides for the best use of space and unprecedented opportunities to drive collaboration, knowledge sharing and creativity among staff. For its sustainability features, the building has been awarded BCA’s Green Mark Platinum rating.

Mediacorp Campus will also provide a more “open” environment for the public to interact with the company. This will be via public tours that offer glimpses into its production facilities including radio booths where our popular deejays work, as well as weekend events at a public park adjoining the building and atop a 50-step stairway.

During the official opening, Mediacorp unveiled a new logo after 15 years to represent the organisation as a window to the world and a reflection of life.

Visit www.mediacorp.sg

NEWS + PEOPLE

SINGAPORE-BASED MEDIACORP has begun a nine-month migration from

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Axon’s Cerebrum Takes Centre Stage at Metro TV

Hong Kong’s now TV selects BroadStream OASYS for Playout

METRO TV, INDONESIA’S FIRST 24 hour news channel, has installed Axon Digital Design’s Cerebrum monitoring and control software as part of a major upgrade of its High Definition news studio.

AUTOMATED PLAYOUT SPECIALIST, BroadStream Solutions, has announced that it is providing more than 20 OASYS playout channels to Hong Kong-based now TV, which uses advanced IPTV technology to deliver content to its customers. now TV was looking for a channel-in-a-box (CiaB) solution to replace its

Based in West Jakarta, the station chose Cerebrum because it provides a fully automated and seamless workflow and delivers significant cost savings by reducing downtime.

traditional master control playout system in time for the new playout services.

“The OASYS platform was just what we were looking for,” said Alan Chan, VP Broadcast Operations & Engineering, PCCW. “Not only does

Jaja Karjaya, Engineering Manager at Metro TV, says, “In conjunction with our systems integrator Magna Jaja Karjaya, Engineering Systems Engineering, we evaluated Manager at Metro TV with Nana Alamsyah of Magna Systems. several Network Monitoring System (NMS) solutions from different vendors to ascertain which one was right for us.

We chose Cerebrum because it delivered all our key requirements. These included stability, instantaneous response, ease of use, flexibility and the ability to monitor and control our existing equipment. Cerebrum also gives us the flexibility to increase the amount of third party equipment that we might want to monitor over time.”

Designed as an advanced and customisable monitoring and control system, Cerebrum links broadcast equipment from all major manufacturers using either SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) or third party protocols.

The system supports a wide range of devices including routers, production switchers, servers, audio desks, camera control units, receiver decoders, multiviewers and waveform monitors, and its advanced functionality and broad range of features simplifies multi device control onto one easy-to-use interface.

“As a 24-hour facility, we cannot afford to have any disruption to our On Air program,” Karjaya adds. “Installing Cerebrum has helped our engineering teams to narrow down any problems within our workflow and this has significantly reduced the amount of time it takes to find faults. The engineers can also remotely access the system to determine which piece of equipment is causing problems within the workflow.”

Metro TV currently operates one channel, but thanks to the flexibility of its Axon SynMC Master Control system which has been installed alongside Cerebrum, the station has plenty of scope for future expansion.

Visit www.axon.tv

it provide multi-channel playout of live and pre-recorded content with broadcast quality graphics from a single IT server; the system can also dynamically manage channel redundancy with 1:1, M:1 and/or M:N configurations with channel prioritization. For us this reliability and resilience were absolutely imperative in our purchasing decision.” now TV is using a single OASYS IT-based playout platform operating on industry standard IT hardware which is controlled via an intuitive user interface, to provide all the functionality that would previously require multiple legacy systems to deliver; including master control switchers, video servers, character generators, logo inserters, vision switchers and DVEs. The OASYS system, which was installed by BroadStream’s local distributor, Magna Systems, not only saves on investment and space, but also reduces time and resource spent on training and day-to-day operation.

After initially installing eight primary and four backup channels of OASYS for playout services with graphic inserts, now TV gradually expanded the system and now uses the OASYS platform for most of its new services with richer onscreen graphics; program title keying, dynamic scrolls and channel branding. now TV uses BroadStream’s OASYS Integrated Playout platform to playout over 20 channels.

“Upscaling BroadStream’s OASYS solution is incredibly straightforward.

You can literally plug & play to launch a new channel; plus OASYS has IP in/out capability which fits into our future plans for IP playout – we already have an IP infrastructure and are delivering content to our customers using IPTV technology,” Chan explained.

Visit www.broadstream.com

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GatesAir Delivers its First China-Standard Digital Radio Systems GATESAIR, THE PROVIDER OF WIRELESS, over-the-air content

regional broadcasters across China during the early planning and design phases, which the company expects will lead to additional projects based on SAPPRFT’s aggressive rollout plan. According to GatesAir, it is the only supplier outside of China to support China Digital Radio.

delivery solutions for radio and TV broadcasters, has delivered turnkey China Digital Radio (CDR) systems to the Guangdong Broadcast Bureau technical center in Guangzhou city, based in the Guangdong province.

The initial deployments include four GatesAir Flexiva high-efficiency transmitters to support the national roll-out of digital radio in China.

The GatesAir solution will support both IP and ASI transport to move audio and data to transmitter sites across the Internet and satellite networks, leveraging CDR versions of its Flexiva software-defined exciter and exclusive RTAC real-time adaptive correction system to optimise digital signal performance. The system additionally integrates GatesAir’s innovative hybrid crest factor reduction technology to increase power output, optimising signal coverage in the Guangdong province.

“The sophistication and quality of our China Digital Radio solution directly correlates with our extensive experience across all digital radio standards worldwide — a key factor in SAPPRFT’s selection of GatesAir as a trusted China Digital Radio supplier nationally,” said Rich Redmond, chief product officer, GatesAir. “The flexibility of the China Digital Radio standard—which includes hybrid FM/digital delivery, multicasting and wide-area IP networking—means that the future is wide open when it comes to the possibilities of digital radio in China. We are excited to be an integral part of this digital transition.”

China Digital Radio is an FM in-band, on-channel (IBOC) digital radio system capable of delivering a large multiplex of audio (analog FM and digital) and rich data services, including news, traffic and other local and national information. The Guangdong launch will initially support one channel of digital program audio, though the bandwidth-rich architecture and waveform flexibility of China Digital Radio supports in-band multichannel delivery —or multicasting — for as many as 12 channels.

GatesAir is working with the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the People’s Republic of China (SAPPRFT) – formerly known as the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) – and its Academy of Broadcasting Science as well as

China Digital Radio transmitter networks will mainly deploy 5kW, 10kW and 20kW models based on regional coverage needs. GatesAir delivered Flexiva FAX20 (20kW) transmitters to support the first deployments, which are now on the air. GatesAir delivered and commissioned the systems along with Cimax, a regional partner of GatesAir. Visit www.gatesair.com

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The AdsEdge is ENENSYS targeted Ad insertion server and splicer to enable broadcasters to more effectively monetise their content with the insertion of advertisement on a regional-basis.

Relying on SCTE35 cue messages, the AdsEdge offers an elegant means to generate additional revenue through the insertion of local content, such as adverts, news and weather forecasts, at the final stage of DTT delivery – at the transmitter site – within a DTT Single Frequency Network (SFN) or MFN environment.

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ASIAPACIFIC NEWS CHINA IMAX CORPORATION, IMAX China Holding Inc. and Hengdian Entertainment Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of the Chinese conglomerate Hengdian Group, have announced an agreement for five new IMAX theatres across China. The theatres will be installed in new construction projects, including one in a new complex in Fengxian, marking the first IMAX theatre in the Shanghai suburb.

“We expect to build 500 cinemas with 3500 screens as a part of our strategy to increase our dominance in China’s cinematic and cultural industries,” said Mr. Xu Tianfu, Chairman, Hengdian Entertainment Co. “With its powerful film slate of the biggest Hollywood and Chinese blockbusters coupled with its unsurpassed immersive format, we consider IMAX a competitive advantage that is beloved

by Chinese moviegoers

THAILAND

PAKISTAN

INTELSAT HAS ANNOUNCED that Next

ENHANCED DIGITAL TV SERVICES DEVELOPER EXSET is supplying the latest version of its Value Added Service DMS 4.0 technology to major Pakistan cable operator Cable Media Group.

Exset has successfully integrated the recently upgraded middleware with set-top boxes from Gospell that are to be deployed by CMG. DMS offers monetised services over and above video. DMS 4.0 enables subscription fees – and set-top box costs – to be kept low, a key ingredient in driving the migration to digital across the country.

NEWS + PEOPLE

CMG is based in Karachi with offices in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Multan and is expanding across an additional 40 cities.

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INDIA NTT COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION, the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group, has been granted a National Long Distance licence in India through NTT Communications India Network Services, a newly established Indian subsidiary. The licence enabled NTT Com to launch Indian domestic network services in December 2015.

The launch included IP-VPN and other reliable, high-quality connectivity services. NTT Com will combine its new network services with managed-hosting and cloud services currently offered by another NTT Com subsidiary, Netmagic Solutions, which owns nine data centers in India.

Step, the Thai multi-channel operator and distributor, is leveraging Intelsat’s satellite solutions on Horizons 2 at 85º E to launch a new Free-to-Air DTH platform in Thailand.

Under its multi-year agreement, Next Step is utilising Ku-band capacity on Horizons 2 to diversify its offerings – moving from content provider to platform operator through its new Freeview HD platform, a platform positioned to serve an addressable market of approximately 67 million people.

SINGAPORE HBO ASIA HAS ANNOUNCED a partnership with the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) to develop the drama production capabilities of the local media industry and talents.

Over a period of two years, HBO Asia will train local practitioners and aspiring individuals, and work with local production houses and talents to develop and produce content. HBO Asia will also leverage local production facilities or locations for future HBO Asia Original productions.

The first activity arising from the partnership was a training forum in December conducted

by HBO Asia and HBO’s Los Angeles-based Jay Roewe, Senior Vice President for West Coast Productions.

JAPAN EURONEWS AND HIKARI TV have announced that Euronews’ programmes will be available for the first time in Japan. Euronews will be part of Hikari TVs basic service with its English and French language services. The channel launches in Japan also see Euronews broadcast for the first time in HD. Several millions of subscribers to Hikari TV in Japan will be able to discover international news from a European perspective and follow Euronews lifestyle and business programmes, including regular reports about Japan.

KOREA BOOMERANG, THE GLOBAL KIDS’ BRAND and companion channel to Cartoon Network, has expanded its footprint in Asia with a Korean debut in 15 million households on major cable and IPTV platforms.

Boomerang is already widely available in Southeast Asia and in Australia. It is available in Korean and, in addition to timeless favourites from Warner Bros. Studios, will also feature a substantial amount of Korean content. Turner says it will continue to seek out opportunities to be a part of local animation projects. Turner recently announced the network’s biggest ever animation project in Korea called Beat Monsters, a new coproduction with Synergy Media and Studio Goindol.

PHILIPPINES OPERATOR OF THE LARGEST bouquet of panAsian channels, Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), along with content creation and distribution company Viva Communications and Filipino DTH satellite provider Cignal TV have partnered to launch Celestial Movies Pinoy (CM Pinoy) in the Philippines. CM Pinoy is the first fully localised Chinese movie channel in the Philippines. The channel is available exclusively on Cignal TV in its basic tier, reaching over 1 million subscribers.

Visit www.turner.com/asia-pacific

HONG KONG TVB HAS RELOCATED ITS PEARL CHANNEL, previously transmitted by TVB’s share of the multiplex capacity in the island’s Multi-Frequency-Network, to a SingleFrequency-Network multiplex. As a result, TVB has surrendered to the Hong Kong’s Communications Authority the 1.5 Mbps of transmission capacity in the MFN multiplex to which it was assigned as a temporary arrangement.

THE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY has released new research on subscription video on demand in Australia 2015. The country has seen In 2015, Australia saw the launch of new SVOD services, including Netflix, Presto TV and Stan.

Netflix accounts for the majority of SVOD services used in Australia. An estimated 2.5 million adult Australians (14 per cent) used Netflix Australia to stream TV shows or movies in the six months to June 2015. Amongst SVOD users, 78 per cent used Netflix Australia in the six months to June 2015, and 88 per cent in the past seven days prior to being surveyed (June 2015).

Visit www.acma.gov.au

NEW ZEALAND THE HOLLYWOOD POST ALLIANCE (HPA) The HPA Awards recognise individuals and companies for outstanding contributions made in the creation of feature films, television, commercials, and entertainment content enjoyed around the world.

The HPA Award for Outstanding Visual Effects – Feature Film went to the Weta Digital team lead by Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White and Matt Aitken

The completion of the Channel Relocation on 22 February, 2016, saw the existing simulcast arrangement on the Jade and HD Jade channels cease with the HD Jade channel renamed as the J5 channel, a general entertainment channel provided in highdefinition digital format.

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AUSTRALIA

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4K Fills the Skies Over Asia DISH HD ASIA, ONE OF ASIA’S LEADING DTH SATELLITE PAY-TV SERVICES, HAS SELECTED THE VIBE VS7000 HEVC ENCODER FROM THOMSON VIDEO NETWORKS TO DRIVE ITS NEW ULTRA HD 4K AND ALL-HEVC-HD SATELLITE SERVICE UPGRADE FOR DELIVERY OF MORE THAN 120 CHANNELS TO VIEWERS THROUGHOUT NORTHEAST ASIA. Powered by Thomson Video Networks’ MediaFlexOS operating system, ViBE VS7000 — combined with the NetProcessor 9030 multiplexer/scrambler, MediaFlexSUITE, and FUZE-1 4K playout system, this major system upgrade will deliver significant video quality improvements, as well as cost- and bandwidthsaving HEVC compression for the DISH HD platform.

“With this major system upgrade, we have moved away from MPEG-4 and are now a fully HEVC satellite DTH network, enjoying significant bandwidth efficiencies and savings through Thomson Video Networks’ ViBE VS7000,” said Wai Hoong Tham, director of networks and broadcast for DISH HD. “More importantly, as a satellite service, we saw that we could only meet our requirements for 1080i and statistical multiplexing with the VS7000, which has allowed us to deliver new channels to our subscribers. It was clear that Thomson Video Networks could deliver not only the best HEVC picture quality and highest channel density, but also the optimized satellite capacity and reduced OPEX we needed for a profitable and high-quality offering. Moreover, with its MediaFlexOS framework and unique FUZE-1 playout system, Thomson Video Networks offers a future-proof solution for advanced applications, such as ad insertion.”

Thomson Video Networks’ partner, Ideal Systems HK, provided systems integration and installation for the DISH HD service, which leverages powerful new HEVC features built into the latest version of the ViBE VS7000. These include an interlaced mode and statistical multiplexing for variable bit-rate encoding to enable increased compression performance for delivering 1080i video content.

Meanwhile, Harmonic and AsiaSat recently announced a partnership to launch a new Ultra HD (UHD) channel ‘4K-SAT2/HVN’, AsiaSat’s second free-to-air UHD channel on AsiaSat 4 at 122 degrees East for Asia-Pacific.

Launching on ‘4K-SAT2/HVN’ on March 1 will be 4K video content from Harmonic’s broad video library, as well as content from the new NASA TV UHD channel, in 2160p60 with HEVC Main 10 profile, utilising an end-to-end UHD video processing system from Harmonic.

“With the cost of UHD TV sets dropping dramatically over the past year, demand for UHD content in Asia is expected to grow exponentially in the next couple of years,” said Sabrina Cubbon, vice president, marketing & global accounts at AsiaSat. “Our partnership with Harmonic for this new channel ‘4K-SAT2/HVN,’ following the successful launch of our first UHD channel last year, enables the

Venkata Sai Media India Goes Digital with NAGRA anyCAST and OpenTV NAGRA HAS ANNOUNCED that it is enabling the launch of a new digital cable and high-speed broadband offering for Venkata Sai Media Private Limited (VSMPL), the largest cable TV service provider in the south of India.

NEWS + PEOPLE

Headquartered in the heart of the city of Hyderabad in the southernn Indian state of Telangana, Venkata Sai Media Private Limited covers both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states and has one million subscribers.

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NAGRA’s anyCAST content protection and OpenTV middleware technologies were selected by the operator in the context of the government-mandated transition to digital, to provide local cable operators in the state of Andhra Pradesh with access to a variety of digital TV services under the brand name “Media Vision” These will include 276 SD and 24 HD services with plans to introduce value added services like video-on-demand, home shopping and more.

This latest launch also marks the first commercial deployment of OpenTV middleware on a cable system in India.

Visit http://dtv.nagra.com

delivery of a choice of rich and compelling UHD content on AsiaSat 4, allowing us to demonstrate the superior quality via satellite of a linear Ultra HD channel in 2160p60 resolution.”

The UHD channels on AsiaSat 4’s UHD platform are available free-to-air across the satellite’s footprint, spanning from New Zealand to Pakistan and part of the Middle East and encompassing more than 50 countries and regions. Asian TV operators and home viewers with an AsiaSat 4 C-band antenna and a HEVC set-top box will be able to receive the free-to-air UHD channels in native UHD quality.

The new ‘4K-SAT2/HVN’ UHD channel deploys Harmonic’s MediaGrid shared storage system, a highly scalable, Ethernet-based shared storage system optimised for digital media workflows; Polaris playout management suite; Spectrum X advanced media server system, which brings new levels of efficiency, simplicity and reliability to broadcast playout workflows; and the Electra X3 UHD media processor, to enable full UHD channel production and transmission from the AsiaSat’s Tai Po Earth Station in Hong Kong.

Heinz Herrmann Joins Magna Systems as Group CEO AS THE CONVERGENCE media and telecommunications industries relentlessly marches on, Magna Systems and Engineering has appointed Dr. Heinz Herrmann as the company’s Group CEO. Herrmann earned accolades (L-R) Magna Systems and Engineering as an innovator and thought COO Matthew Clemesha, Executive leader in broadcasting and Chairman Robert Clemesha, CEO telecommunications having had Heinz Herrmann and Director of successful senior and “C” level roles Marketing David Clemesha with companies including SingTel Optus, Telecom NZ and Siemens.

Herrmann reports to Magna Systems Executive Chairman Robert Clemesha who said, “Heinz’s appointment is a real coup for Magna Systems and Engineering. As the broadcast and telecoms worlds converge, there are not many CEOs with experience in both industries and a track record in strategy as well as execution. I’m delighted to say that Heinz is one of that rare breed.”

The new appointment further bolsters Magna Systems’ continued growth in the broadcast, telecommunications, government and emergency services industries across the Asia Pacific region.

Herrmann added, “Magna Systems has had customers in broadcasting for nearly 50 years and well over a decade in the telco industry as a provider of microwave technology, playout centres, networks, satellite earth stations, managed turnkey solutions and more. The convergence of industries has changed what makes our customers successful. Magna’s agility to change with their customers has been a key factor in keeping them at the forefront of technology. I am humbled by the opportunity to lead Magna, building on this ethos and further expanding our solutions capabilities across Asia Pacific.”

Heinz Herrmann now works alongside Robert Clemesha, one of the industry’s longest serving and most respected professionals. Clemesha, who will continue to oversee the group’s strategic direction, concluded, “We need an energetic, experienced leader like Heinz to maintain high customer satisfaction while we’re expanding regionally and broadening our solutions capabilities. His understanding of our key converging industries will shape our strategy and his track record in execution will drive the company forward across Asia Pac.” Visit www.magnasys.tv

Michelle Guthrie Appointed New ABC Managing Director FORMER STAR TV AND GOOGLE SINGAPORE EXECUTIVE

executive role with Google.

Michelle Guthrie will succeed Mark Scott as the Managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in May 2016.

She began her career as a media lawyer in Sydney and has worked with a range of media companies in Australia and abroad, including Foxtel, BSkyB, and the Asian-based STAR television network. In 2007, she was appointed Managing Director for Providence Equity, a global investment firm focused on media, entertainment, communications and technology.

The Chairman of the ABC, James Spigelman, has announced Ms Guthrie’s appointment, saying she is ideally credentialed to lead Australia’s national broadcaster in the digital era.

“Michelle is an exceptional media professional with strong content, operational and board experience within internationally-respected media companies.

Michelle brings a unique local and global view to the role, having grown up in Sydney and worked at senior levels here and around the world. She brings to the ABC her business acumen, record in content-making across an array of platforms, a deep understanding of audience needs and corporate responsibility for promoting issues like diversity.”

Ms Guthrie will officially join the ABC in early April for a month-long handover with Mr Scott. Within the guidelines set by the Remuneration Tribunal, Ms Guthrie will receive a salary package of AUD$900,000 pa. As Managing Director, Ms Guthrie will retain ultimate responsibility for all editorial content, as specified in the ABC Act. Ms Guthrie has been based in Singapore in the past few years in a senior

She joined Google in 2011 and is currently the firm’s managing director for Agencies in the Asia-Pacific. Ms Guthrie has played a key role in the development of broadcasting channels and content strategies across a range of platforms, including STAR’s 24-hour news channel in India.

Ms Guthrie was also instrumental in setting up the Hong Kong office of Plan International to drive global donations for children’s development projects and programs in mainland China and other Asian nations.

Visit www.abc.net.au

EVS’ Stephane Jauroyou Moves to the Americas EVS ASIA HAS FAREWELLED Stephane Jauroyou with his move to company’s U.S. HQ as VP sales of North & Latin America.

“It’s with great pleasure that we announce Stephane Jauroyou’s new position in the Americas,” said Luc Doneux, EVP, chief commercial officer at EVS. “Stephane has been instrumental in guiding our growth in Asia Pacific, and we know that his strong understanding of television operations and of the sports and entertainment markets will be very valuable in leading our teams to reinforce our customer base and stregnthen market share in those regions.”

Jauroyou has 20 years’ experience in the media and entertainment industry, including an integral role at SeaChange (now XOR Media). He has focused on the Asian market for EVS since 2013, where he helped customers transform operations for enabling server-based playout, digital archive and most recently multiscreen delivery.

Jauroyou is based out of the EVS’ Burbank, California, office.

Visit www.evs.tv

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Miller Appoints Joseph White for Asia MILLER CAMERA SUPPORT EQUIPMENT, the producer of camera support solutions, has hired Joseph White as Regional Sales Manager, Asia and Africa. White will maintain and expand the presence of the Miller product lines within these regions.

White has a strong history in sales, most recently at leading retailer Harvey Norman Computers. As the Second in Charge Manager, he oversaw a team that managed merchandise, displays and large amounts of stock equipment.

He also cultivated local, new and emerging markets, as well as aided with marketing and promotion. White has worked with Tiffen International, a leading manufacturer of photographic filters, lens accessories, software and camera accessories for the consumer and professional imaging, and the motion picture and broadcast industries. His responsibilities included coordinating product demonstrations throughout Europe and Asia, along

with running workshops and training in those markets. He has also worked at Australian broadcast and film rental house Lemac as the Queensland Sales Manager.

White was first introduced to Miller at Channel 7 in Mackay, Australia, where, as a camera operator and, eventually, a production director, he worked with the company’s equipment on a daily basis.

He later moved to WIN TV, where he served as an advertising sales executive and, again, used Miller products.

Visit www.millertripods.com

Bloomberg Expands Asia Team DAVID SMITH HAS JOINED Bloomberg Media Group in the newly created role of Director of Sales for North Asia. Based in Hong Kong, David will lead Bloomberg Media’s sales strategy and initiatives across the group’s portfolio including the recently launched Asia edition of Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg Businessweek, Bloomberg Pursuits, Bloomberg Markets, Bloomberg Live, Bloomberg Radio and Bloomberg mobile.

David brings with him over 14 years of experience in media and advertising, most notably as regional director of integrated media solutions at The Economist Group. Over his 10 years at The Economist, David managed an integrated product portfolio across 10 markets in Asia and held several senior roles in sales, advertising and sponsorship.

Prior to joining The Economist Group, David led Time Magazine’s regional advertising sales, covering Hong Kong, Macau and Korea.

Meanwhile, Dan Molloy has joined Bloomberg Media Group as Commercial Director for Asia Pacific. Based in Hong Kong, Dan will lead Bloomberg Media Group’s strategic partnerships, distribution and marketing across all platforms, including web, mobile, television, digital video, radio, print magazines and live events in Asia.

Dan joins Bloomberg Media with over 17 years of experience in media and advertising, most recently as General Manager at Kaplan Hong Kong where he led its commercial operations, business development, marketing and customer acquisition. Prior to this, he was Global Executive Director at Dow Jones Multi-Media Asia Pacific, where he oversaw advertising and sponsorship strategies for the Wall Street Journal’s franchise of products and Dow Jones’ media properties worldwide. Dan also spent 10 years in Tokyo with Financial Times Limited in various senior management, commercial and advertising roles.

Visit www.bloombergmedia.com

Media Prima Streamlines Exec Positions MALAYSIAN INTEGRATED MEDIA INVESTMENT GROUP, Media Prima Berhad, has announced that Encik Ahmad Izham Omar, who has steered Media Prima Television Networks (MPTN) over the past several years as its Chief Executive Officer, will now focus on driving growth for the Group’s Content Division, Primeworks Studios (PWS). Since 2011, Ahmad Izham Omar has held the dual roles of both the Chief Executive Officer of MPTN and the Chief Executive Officer of PWS. Media Prima also announced that Datuk Kamal Khalid, who has served as Chief Operating Officer (Group Shared Services) since 2009, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer MPTN, succeeding Ahmad Izham effective 1 January 2016.

Amrin Awaluddin, Group Managing Director said, “Ahmad Izham has been instrumental in the achievements of MPTN and PWS as CEO of both subsidiaries. Content produced by PWS consistently enjoy high ratings and

is a key contributor in MPTN’s 42 percent viewership share. Seelan Paul has extensive experience in the radio industry and is one of the pioneers of MPRN when it was first established in 2005. His experience and expertise is required to lead the enlarged MPRN following its recent acquisitions and expansion in operations.”

Meanwhile, following Media Prima’s recent acquisition of several radio stations, Encik Seelan Paul will relinquish his role as the Chief Operating Officer of MPTN to fully concentrate on the Group’s enlarged Radio Networks (MPRN). He has been instrumental in growing MPRN to its current position and, since 2013, has also held dual roles by being both the Chief Executive Officer of Media Prima Radio Networks and the Chief Operating Officer of MPTN. Visit www.mediaprima.com.my

NEWS + PEOPLE

New Chairman for CASBAA Board of Directors

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CASBAA, ASIA’S LARGEST non-profit media association serving the

guiding the industry through rapidly changing markets, regulatory regimes

multi-channel audio-visual content creation and distribution industry, has announced the election of Sompan Charumalinda as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

and technological developments. For the past ten years he has served as

Khun Sompan is currently Executive Vice Chairman at True Visions Group, Thailand’s leading pay-TV operator. He has over 20 years of experience in

a member of CASBAA’s Board of Directors, actively promoting CASBAA’s members’ interests both in Thailand and across the region.

Visit www.casbaa.com

TECHNICAL STANDARDS www.content-technology.com/standards

DPP Launches Roadmap for 2016

DVB Approves Commercial Requirements for Next Phase of UHDTV

THE DIGITAL PRODUCTION PARTNERSHIP (DPP), the international

AT THE 81ST MEETING of the DVB Steering Board last November, the

standards body founded by UK broadcasters ITV, the BBC and Channel

Commercial Requirements for the next phase of Ultra High Definition Television were approved. The move makes way for the technical work on the specification to progress.

4, has launched a new programme of work for 2016. The DPP says 2016 will be its busiest year yet, with no less than ten major pieces of work.

That work is made up from current workstreams that will deliver in the first half of 2016, and several brand new projects.

The new projects are: • A Common Mastering Standard – The DPP will be taking part in and building on work others, such as the EBU, have been working to define an international mastering format for TV. • The Production Revolution – A major new report on production tools and technologies for the internet age – and how they can be used in producing content for both traditional and direct to internet distribution. It will include mobile production, low budget production, and production for OTT delivery – including Multi Channel Networks – as well as production for established broadcasters.

• Standards of Trust – The first wide-ranging survey of existing and new policies, standards and protocols that together could provide increased confidence in the reliability and security of digital services.

• 10 Things You Need to Know About Live IP Production – An

According to the DVB, UHDTV will bring higher technical quality and greater realism to television viewers. The path to UHDTV was set in the ITU in 2012 with a potential list of new features for future television (ITU-R BT.2020.) Since then, DVB has developed systems to allow appropriate features to be practically delivered to the public. A major milestone for television has now been reached with the agreement on the requirements for a ‘UHD-1 Phase 2' delivery format.

A key new feature of ‘DVB UHD-1 Phase 2' will be the capability to provide images with a high dynamic range (the difference between the blackest black and the whitest white in the image), termed HDR. Television sets of the future will allow higher peak screen brightnesses that can exploit the HDR. This is seen as a major potential gain in image quality, said to add ‘sparkle’ to the image.

Other new features that may be available for UHDTV in the same timetable such as ‘Next Generation Audio’ offering a number of new options for sound.

The DVB Technical Module will now translate the Commercial Requirements into a technical specification, which will be submitted to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) for standardisation. It is expected that the specification will be finalized in 2016. This could mean that the first DVB UHD-1 Phase 2 services, that include the HDR feature, would be available from 2017 onwards.

Visit www.dvb.org

introduction to the use of IP in Studio and Outside Broadcast production environments; it will help people understand distinctions between the use of IP, fibre and networks – and the future potential of ‘object based production’.

• A DPP Guide to Location Workflows – A best practice guide to working more effectively on location; the available tools, technologies and services.

These new pieces of work will build on a number of existing high impact projects that will all deliver in 2016: • Delivery Standards for UHD and HD commercials – Definition of a file delivery standard for UHD is nearing completion, as is an HD commercials standard. Implementation work will take place throughout 2016, and will include an update to the much-used DPP Producer’s Guide to File Delivery as well as best practice guidance on intentionally late programme delivery.

SMPTE Hires Howard Lukk as Director of Standards THE SOCIETY OF Motion Picture and Television Engineers has announced that Howard Lukk will be joining the SMPTE staff as the Society’s new director of standards. Over the coming 12 months, Lukk will transition into the position that has been held by Peter Symes for the past eight years. Symes will retire at the end of 2016.

A SMPTE Fellow, Lukk is a writer and director at independent film production and management company Pannon Entertainment, where he has been working on short films and providing technical consulting and education for clients. His last short film, “Emma,” was shot and finished in high-dynamic-range (HDR).

Lukk’s career highlights include Vice-President of Production Technology for The Walt Disney Studios and Director of Media Systems at Pixar.

Visit www.smpte.org

• North American Delivery Standard – The DPP is collaborating with the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) on a groundbreaking common file delivery standard for the United States, Canada and Mexico.

• International Exchange – This workstream focuses specifically on the needs of those engaged in international distribution – whether acquiring or sending content. It delivers early summer 2016.

• News Exchange – Common protocols for metadata captured in the field would make the exchange of News content much quicker and more effective. This workstream is set to deliver northern Spring 2016.

• Connectivity Report – Production and post production is constrained by the difficulty of finding affordable, fast and reliable connectivity.

This report looks at what it would take to improve the situation.

Visit www.digitalproductionpartnership.co.uk

MAXON Joins the Khronos Group MAXON, THE DEVELOPER OF professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions, has joined the Khronos Group industry consortium. By joining the Khronos Group, MAXON says it is reasserting its ongoing commitment to support the development of open standards that enable the authoring and acceleration of 3D graphics, games and media on a wide variety of platforms and devices.

The Khronos Group is a non-profit consortium, founded by leading manufacturers in the CG industry. Its goal is the development and deployment of uniform, open formats for the rendering and exchange of graphic and dynamic content, including libraries such as OpenGL, WebGL and the COLLADA format. For the past several years, MAXON Cinema 4D, the company’s 3D software application, has supported several of the formats and specifications defined by Khronos such as COLLADA and OpenGL. Visit www.maxon.net and www.khronos.org

PREVIEW 29 February – 3 March 2016, Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur

ABU Digital Broadcasting Symposium to Innovate, Connect THE ABU DIGITAL BROADCASTING SYMPOSIUM 2016, with the theme “Innovating Digital Connections”, has announced its conference topics addressing key areas in both radio and TV broadcasting.

The 2016 event will be held from 29-Feb to 3-Mar in Kuala Lumpur, and will comprise of an industry exhibition, international conference and focused workshops discussing evolving broadcast technology and content delivery.

The DBS2016 aims to stimulate thinking among delegates on the business and technology strategies that will safeguard and grow radio and television services in the highly competitive connected era and discuss the roadmap for providing effective integrated services to audiences.

The three-day conference will address the multiplatform delivery of radio and TV in the future, the software defined platforms, networks and services, the transformation in the broadcasting field, the immersive audio and television experiences, the emergence of OTT as a pay and FTA service and on how should the broadcasters embrace the ‘digital-first’ mind-set of younger audiences among others.

WorldDAB is the principal sponsor of the ABU Digital Broadcasting Symposium 2016. WorldDAB is the global industry forum responsible for defining the broadcasting standard The major sponsors this year are the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, EMC Corporation, MediaGeniX, Rohde & Schwarz, MediaGuru, the Korea Radio Promotion Association and Dolby.

Joan Warner, Vice President Asia Pacific WorldDAB and CEO Commercial Radio Australia, will deliver the industry keynote at the conference opening on 1 March on ‘How the powerful mix of talent and technology can future proof broadcasting’.

In addition to taking part in the conference and exhibition, WorldDAB will hold a workshop on 29 February with a line-up of international speakers.

They will share firsthand experience of the various phases of trialling, planning and rolling out DAB+ digital radio services in Europe, Asia Pacific and elsewhere.

Topics will include the integration of digital radio in connected cars and smart devices, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. The workshop will take a hands-on approach to helping broadcasters and regulators work together to plan the digitisation of radio, even before the digital switchover of TV is complete.

The 2016 symposium, with the theme ‘Innovating Digital Connections’, will showcase how the integration of media and communication technologies are helping to bring further innovation, improve efficiency, increase reach, create new revenue streams and drive development of creative content. This will bring more choice to the audience and benefits to the industry as a whole.

The symposium comprises a conference, workshops and an exhibition.

More than 60 speakers will be presenting at the conference and workshops sessions.

Visit www.abu.org.my/dbsymposium

Experience Aspera High-Speed Transfer and Workflow Automation JOIN THE ASPERA TEAM on booth #44 at ABU Digital Broadcasting Symposium 2016 to discover the latest innovations in the company’s Emmy award-winning, high-speed file transfer and automation solutions.

Using Files, organizations can store and readily access files and folders in

Schedule your meeting and see how Aspera’s comprehensive portfolio of high-speed file transfer and automation software enables broadcasters and media enterprises to deploy on-premise, cloud-based or hybrid infrastructures for complex media workflows.

the files are located - freeing collaboration from traditional boundaries

Aspera Files is a groundbreaking SaaS solution for sharing large files and data sets directly from cloud and on premise storage – located anywhere, to anywhere, with anyone. It unifies Aspera’s most advanced core technologies, features, and capabilities into a simple-to-use SaaS solution that helps businesses of any size – from the small organization to the global enterprise.

MEASAT – On High Beam

ABU 2015 PREVIEW

EXHIBITING AT THIS YEAR’S ABU DBS,

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the MEASAT group is a premium supplier of services to leading broadcasters, DirectTo-Home (DTH) platforms and telecom operators. With capacity across six (6) communication satellites, MEASAT provides satellite services to over 150 countries representing 80% of the world’s population across Asia, Middle East, Africa, Europe and Australia.

The MEASAT satellite fleet includes the state-of-the-art MEASAT-3,

multiple cloud-based and on-premises storage systems. Sharing among users is as easy as browsing or dragging-and-dropping - regardless of where among colleagues in both local and remote locations.

Files uses Aspera's FASPprotocol, which overcomes the limitations of other file-transfer technologies. By moving large data sets at maximum speed, reliably and securely –regardless of network conditions, physical distance between sites, and file size, type, or number –Aspera technology enables a new world of collaboration, sharing, and content delivery.

Email: apac_sales@asperasoft.com MEASAT-3a and MEASAT-3b satellites co-located at 91.5°E, supporting Asia’s premium DTH and video distribution neighborhood; MEASAT-2 at 148.0°E; and, MEASAT-5 at 119.5°E. In Africa, the AFRICASAT-1a satellite at 46.0°E provides satellite capacity across the African continent with connectivity to Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The MEASAT fleet will be further strengthened end 2017 / early 2018 with the addition of MEASAT-2a at 148.0°E. Working with a select group of world-class partners, MEASAT also provides a complete range of broadcast and telecommunications solutions.

Services include UHD/HD and SD video play-out, video turnaround, colocation, uplinking, broadband and IP termination services.

ABU 2016 PREVIEW

ENENSYS Presents DTT Network Optimisation and Regionalisation Solutions 2015 saw ENENSYS expand its portfolio with the launch of AdsEdge, addressing the problem of regional content insertion. AdsEdge supports the insertion of content, such as advertising spots, news and weather forecasts, at the final stage of signal distribution – at the transmitter site – within a DVB-T2 single frequency network.

including those covering multiple regions where only one region needs the warning. rEWS avoids the need for special receiver software by using a standard TV channel to deliver the warning message, replacing all TV channels in a region (or nationally) at the same time. Alerts are triggered by signalling in the broadcast transport stream, replacing the video and audio services on all channels with the EWS alert service.

This means all receivers will display the warning immediately. Alerts can be broadcast from selected transmitters only for regional coverage.

OneBeam – ENENSYS’ OneBeam system provides the ability to use a standard satellite DTH network to also distribute services to DTT (DVB-T, DVB-T2 or ISDB-T) transmitter sites.

Before OneBeam, two separate satellite networks have been required to deliver a content bouquet to DTH (DVB-S/S2) and DTT (DVB-T/T2) platforms because of incompatible signal formats and signalling. OneBeam enables a single satellite feed to be used to delivery services to both platforms, enabling very significant OPEX savings of satellite capacity.

Colin Prior, APAC Sales Manager, will be presenting at this year’s ABU-DBS conference. He will provide an overview of ENENSYS’ regionalisation and network optimisation possibilities, enabling OPEX cost savings as well as better ways to target and monetise content.

ENENSYS will also highlight its rEWS – Regional Early Warning System – solution.

This will include a detailed look at recently launched AdsEdge product, which offers an innovative approach to local video content management, allowing the insertion of advertising spots, local news, weather and more at the final stage of distribution just before transmission. Colin will also describe rEWS – ENENSYS’ Regional Early Warning System technology - precisely how it works and the inherent benefits it provides.

This is a technologically elegant and cost-effective system for DVB-T2 networks,

Email: sales@enensys.com or visit www.enesys.com

ADSEDGE IS BASED ON INDUSTRY STANDARD SCTE signalling enabling integration with existing systems.

Caton Technology Takes on IP Transmission • IVP3000: Integrated Video Processing platform • LiveCastPro: wireless 3G/4G/Wi-Fi mobile uplink system • NVE / NVD: Cost effective Network Video Encoding system • Live Video Over Internet transmission demonstration at booth level.

• Fast Files Transferring Technology demonstration Caton Technology Group is a U.S based high-tech enterprise, founded in 1996, a leading R&D and manufacturer with a focus on Broadcast video contribution and distribution and data transfer service over a cloud solution.

Caton provides an integrated video processing platform supporting multichannel, multi-format video encoding over open Internet IP transmission solution. The company has four subsidiaries in Asia – Singapore, Taiwan, Beijing and Shanghai.

With years of constant efforts and exploration, Caton Technology has made considerable progress in many aspects of technology, including:

• Real-time digital encoding solution for broadcast video contribution and distribution.

• Over public internet solution for TV broadcaster & Pay TV digital operators • 3G/4G LTE/Wi-Fi transmission solution for major outdoor newsgathering and independent video producers around the globe to broadcast live event.

• Streaming media solution for new media operator.

• Enterprise Big Data transfer technology.

• Next Generation Video Delivery Network (VDN) Caton Technology also provides its technology to the leading design manufacturers and developer partners across the professional video industry for integration into their product line-ups.

Email: sales.asia@catontechnology.com

ABU 2016 PREVIEW

ON ABU DBS BOOTH NO.11, Caton Technology Asia Pte Ltd will showcase its flagship products:

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ABU 2016 PREVIEW

CryptoGuard Showcases Smart Tools for Content Protection at ABU CRYPTOGUARD WAS ESTABLISHED in Sweden 2007. A few years later, 70% of all operators in Sweden were using our solution and we started our international expansion. In a few years CryptoGuard has become a well-known player in the content protection industry with 200 operators in 30 countries.

Smart solutions from RFS for Small to Large Transmission Sites RFS WILL FEATURE one example of the highly versatile super-turnstile product range in its’ ABU booth this year, an antenna design with broad applications globally.

The super-turnstile STA antenna

The company’s offerings include:

is a highly desirable solution for

• Unified head end for Broadcast, IPTV and DRM - The CryptoGuard head end can support CAS, IPTV and DRM in one unified solution. With one system you can administer all users, content and user devices. One content may be available on Set Top Boxes only, another content my be available on Set Top Boxes and Apple devices, then some content can be available also on Microsoft and Android. With a unified content protection system setting of even complex rules becomes easy.

UHF applications including gap

• Embedded Subscriber Management System (SMS) - The CrytoGuard unified head end also features a complete SMS so operators do not need to invest in a separate SMS.

an optional extra, and fits 80-

• Advanced STB Security - CryptoGuard is now launching the 3rd generation of Set Top Box Security. They are integrated with all major chip vendors for Set Top Boxes for increased security and support both smart cards based and cardless security. Hollywood studios have approved both solutions.

• DRM Solution - CryptoGuard supports the native DRM´s shipped with devices like Apple (FairPlay), Google (Widevine) and Microsoft (PlayReady).

These DRM’s are approved by Hollywood studios and free to use for operators and technology vendors, Using these DRM’s not just lower the cost of deploying OTT services but development also becomes easier.

CryptoGuard is the first content protection vendor to support all major native DRMs. During Session 3 of the ABU DBS, CryptoGuard will explain how operators can build an OTT system based on solutions approved by Hollywood studios without spending too much money on DRM, OTT solutions, transcoders and content delivery networks. Through a partnership with Apple, Microsoft and Google, CryptoGuard has been able to develop a unique solution in forefront of all CAS and DRM providers.

Visit www.cryptoguard.com

fill, infill and confined or small coverage areas. The STA2-LLP on display is the smallest of the collection at 1.3 metres in height.

A standard mounting bracket is 100NB galvanised pipe. RFS has a number of models available with gains ranging from 4.6 -12.5dBd and a variety of powers. Teamed with an RFS combiner, many stations can broadcast from this multi-channel antenna. The benefits of sharing infrastructure are worth exploring.

Readily available from stock, STA2-LLP and similar model antennas are easy to install on roof tops, poles, or transmission tower. The STA design provides a smart solution that does a lot very well.

STA antennas operate full band 470-862 MHz. The antenna broadcasts a horizontal polarisation with omni-directional radiation pattern with pattern ripple better than ±1.5dB across the band. The display antenna is a production model as shown and is ready to be deployed.

All STA antennas have a low wind load as the antenna is completely covered by a radome.

Contact barbara.thompson@rfsworld.com

On the Right Frequency with LS Telecom LS TELCOM IS A LEADING SUPPLIER of planning, coordination and optimisation solutions for digital and analogue broadcast networks. Its comprehensive product portfolio consists of:

ABU 2016 PREVIEW

• Multi-Standard Software Solutions, e.g. frequency engineering tools for digital broadcast services such as DVB-T/2, ISDB-T, ATSC, DAB/+, DRM/+ and analogue services such as FM radio, analogue TV, LF/MF and HF, such as the company’s CHIRplus_BC

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• Consulting Services and Training, e.g. assistance in Digital-Switch-Over Process, network design and planning, digital dividend strategies, bid planning and business case analysis, • Engineering Services, e.g. simple coverage plot calculations; solution of complex interference scenarios, design and optimisation of country-wide SFN networks.

• System integration • Airborne measurement system & services (using UAVs, unmanned aircraft vehicles) and containerized transmitter & generator housing solutions - via its subsidiary Colibrex.

Besides radio network planning, LS telcom offers turnkey software solutions and consultancy in frequency spectrum management. With successfully managed projects in more than 90 countries worldwide, LS telcom belongs to the leading forces in its markets.

LS telcom (280 employees) is headquartered in Lichtenau/Germany and present worldwide with subsidiaries in France, Canada, USA, UK, UAE, China and South Africa as well as representative offices in Hungary, and Oman.

Visit www.lstelcom.com

ABU 2016 PREVIEW

EMC Navigates Digital Transformation EMC will have a team of M&E specialists attending ABU 2016, and will also be offering a keynote presentation focused on the changing media landscape and an in-depth workshop demonstrating practical solutions and architectures for storage infrastructure supporting Ingest, Edit, MAM, Archive, Playout & OTT DURING SESSION 3, CHARLES SEVIOR, CTO EMC Emerging Technology Division, will present on the Digital Transformation of the Media Industry.

The current changing media landscape offers broadcasters the opportunities of increasing technological developments, digital services, IP delivery of content, HD and beyond. However, this progress is also associated with growing challenges. Does today’s scenario present itself as the opportune time for stakeholders to change their business strategies? Are the

current business models applicable or is change inevitable? This session explores several established and emerging business models enabling the stakeholders to empower in setting up their business plans and identifying new revenue streams.

EMC storage for the media and entertainment industry delivers a balance of high performance, scalability, and ease-of-use while minimizing costs over time.

An EMC Isilon storage cluster provides scale-out storage with a single namespace, eliminating proprietary silos of SAN and NAS storage and reducing complexity.

Every file of every project—from ingest to playout to long-term archive— can coexist effectively on the same file system as proxy media, mezzanine formats, and other assets. Plus, assets can be automatically migrated to the storage tier that best fits the access requirements (including private or public cloud services), greatly reducing TCO. The Isilon “Media Data Lake” approach also enables in-place analytics on media metadata. Analytics is growing quickly as an important aspect of asset management, and presents a huge opportunity to manage and monetize those assets. In-place analytics provides a wide range of benefits, from improving program planning and scheduling to improving ad inventory utilization and 1:1 marketing campaigns.

Live and Direct with Ideal Systems ABU DBS 2016 WILL SEE IDEAL SYSTEMS showcase their new live video acquisition equipment rental service launched late 2015, Ideal-Live, a one-stop service enabling live video capture and real-time transmission for travelling crew members within the Asia Pacific region.

The service removes the logistical complications and reduces the risk and cost associated with live video capture across regions within Asia Pacific.

Be it major sporting events or live breaking news, Ideal Live is positioned to streamline and support video professionals all at a moment’s notice offering “ready-to-go” solutions for their live video capturing needs.

Canadian manufacturer, Dejero, will be joining Ideal to discuss their suite of award-winning products including the Live+ Platform and bonded cellular technology in use within the Ideal Live rental service.

Ideal will feature iBroadcast, a flexible, comprehensive, scalable, end-toend, multi-vendor Network Management System (NMS) that is capable of monitoring and controlling your entire broadcast platform. iBroadcast offers real-time control of your entire broadcast operation and is deployed in many of the world’s leading broadcasters as their primary hypervision system. With instant notification system alerts and powerful root cause analysis, iBroadcast

will provide valuable insights into issues that may affect uptime and quality of service to customers.

Phabrix returns to ABU DBS with the official debut of their award-winning Qx for 4K/8K UHDTV in Asia Pacific. The Qx has already made headway in Europe and the US winning several “Best of Show” and “Game Changer” awards at both NAB and IBC and features the very latest in FPGA technology. Along with real-time eye display and a new intuitive user interface, the key differentiator is its ability to provide generation and analysis tools on signals with up to 48Gbps payloads offering video and audio support.

Additionally, digital workflow experts, Emotion Systems, will join Ideal’s booth to showcase their suite of audio tools for broadcast. Emotion provides scalable and automated file-based signal processing solutions to meet global compliance standards.

The Emotion toolset is integrated into many of the world’s leading broadcast facilities and can adapt to changing requirements whilst running at speeds faster than real-time ensuring maximum operational efficiency.

Join Ideal Systems at booth #49 & #50 or go to www.idealsys.com to get in touch.

MEDIAGENIX WILL BE PARTICIPATING in Session 9 of the ABU DBS, entitled “New generation scheduling tools open up VOD ad revenue streams to broadcasters - Bridging the gap between the ad sales model from the linear world and the jungle of opportunities in the on-demand universe”.

Active in the broadcasting business since 1993, Michel evolved from development through analysis to business consulting as the business evolved from single channel linear TV to multi-channel linear and on-demand services.

Subscription and pay-per-view on-demand services have exploded onto the scene. Linear broadcasters, who mainly rely on ad sales for their revenue, were taken aback at first, until telecom operators opened the doors for broadcasters to distribute their content on their infrastructure.

MediaGeniX delivers state-of-the-art software for radio and television channels since 1992. Its integrated software suite WHATS’On has developed into an advanced broadcast management solution. It is the backbone for broadcasters, ondemand service providers, and platform/telco operators worldwide as it includes long- and short-time scheduling, media and rights management and reporting.

With WHATS’On customers schedule content in line with strategic, editorial, budgetary, operational and regulatory requirements, and have the central hub they need to streamline workflows and optimize core processes.

This new alliance raises evident questions about the business models. Platform operators could pay for the content, linear broadcasters for the infrastructure, and viewers for the service. But why not rely on airing commercials, a business model that is so familiar to broadcasters? Broadcasters already have the people and processes in-house to sell commercial airtime space.

Michel Beke, SVP Product Strategy and co-founder of MediaGeniX NG will speak during the session. Designing robust media solutions that enable broadcasters to optimally run and develop their media business is Michel’s passion.

Over 1,700 channels and on-demand services are managed with WHATS’On, with 9,500+ users at more than 65 media networks, worldwide.

Email johan.vanmarcke@mediagenix.sg or visit www.mediagenix.sg

ABU 2016 PREVIEW

MediaGenix Bridges Gap Between Linear and On-Demand

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ACQUISITION www.content-technology.com/acquisition

Kelvin Chew Shoots For Love with Sony's F55 Camera THE SAM WILLOWS IS A SINGAPORE-BASED BAND whose star is on the rise both at home and internationally. Signed to Sony Music, the group recently released its second single For Love. The accompanying music video, portraying the love of a cancer-stricken mother for her daughter, has garnered over 250,000 views on the band’s official Vevo channel on YouTube.

The music video was shot with Sony’s PMW-F55 by producer and director of photography Kelvin Chew whose credits include the short films Halfway Home and Adrift for online retailer Freight Store, as well as Passengers, winner of the 2013 48-Hour Film Project (Singapore).

Q: What factors contributed in the decision to use the F55 for this music video?

KC: Multiple reasons; In terms of usability, the camera is easy to use. I am familiar with Sony cameras since I had previously used PMW-F5 together with the AXS-R5 4K RAW recorder on several occasions for multiple outputs including 2K, 4K, HD, etc. For this Sony production, we worked with two units of the F55 coupled with the R5 recorder.

The camera’s global shutter function make it the camera of choice as action sequences make up a large part of the film. Although there are smaller cameras available in the market, I felt there was good balance between image quality, size and weight while shooting with the F55. Overall, it was a good experience and the F55 worked well for what we wanted to do.

Director of Photography, Kelvin Chew.

or better. But I do note that we are shooting in 4K where images are already appearing sharper.

Interestingly, the lens does have a sort of its own character and definitely served well in contributing to the overall aesthetic of the music video. I am most impressed with how it controlled flares. Overall it was definitely a good first experience using Sony’s CineAlta lens.

Q: What format did you choose to shoot and why?

KC: We were shooting in RAW format so in terms of colour and contrast, everything was shot flat to begin with. But I think with the R5 and working with 16-bit file, it gives a lot of headroom for post-production where you can pull a lot out of the file without it breaking.

What I enjoy the most using Sony’s RAW format is that compared to other RAW formats, Sony’s format behaves a little more like shooting in ProRes. This is because in terms of post-production, I felt that the amount of strain put on the computer is much lower compared to other cameras. So in terms of ease, the workflow is quite streamlined using Sony’s RAW as compared with other brands of the same price category.

Q: What about post-production?

Kelvin Chew Shoots For Love with Sony's F55 Camera

Q: Did you use the camera in both indoor and outdoor settings for this music video?

KC: We did not have many outdoor scenes for this music video. It was mostly indoors in high contrast situations. The RAW files helped with the artist cutaway. The latitude it provided, helped to manage the large windows we had in that scene.

Q: What about shooting in low light settings?

KC: The low light control is quite good for the F55. Personally, I find that the sweet spot that you need to expose the file for F55 happens at a slightly higher point. So what I did for this shoot was to overexpose the files all by half a stop more. Without overexposing, you will still get a little bit of noise in the deepest black even though it has improved a lot compared to its predecessors.

Therefore, to remove the noise completely, you need to overexpose a little and the files will be nicely shaped for post-production.

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Q: Can you share with us the type of lens you used together with the F55?

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KC: As weight was a concern, the camera setup was pretty stripped down and we utilised Sony’s CineAlta lens. Noteworthy, it was my first time working with the lens and I was pretty amazed. For the price point, it delivered better compared to other brands of the same class where sharpness is either similar

KC: One of the considerations for this shoot was post-production. If you look at the end product, it was heavily colored and which is why I insisted to have the cameras come with the R5 recorder. I think the step up from using the R5 is quite big for post-production perspectives in terms of the amount you can push in the colors, and the additional information you can pull out from the file.

In terms of scale of production, this is considered a medium-sized production.

We didn’t have a huge arsenal of lighting gear but I was lighting the scene according to how much I know I can push in post-production so I guess the advantage of using the R5 gave me creative room to play around on-set.

Q: How would you rate the F55?

KC: I like it. There is a good balance between its price, ergonomic features and ease of use. Like its sibling F5, it is a versatile camera that I would use often in both commercial and narrative projects.

For someone who has never used a Sony camera, I think it may take them a while to familiarize or even figure out the right settings, as the terms used in the menu are very technical which users might not come across often. For me, I relied on Google initially to understand some of the terms as they are very specific. As such, I feel that the menu would be one area worth improving, for the ease of first-time users. However, for Sony users, the menu should feel right at home and operating the camera will feel intuitive right away.

Visit http://pro.sony-asia.com

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Canon XA35 and XA30 Video Cameras to its X-series, the XA35 and XA30. Designed for professionals and enthusiasts alike, the highly compact and lightweight models feature a newly developed HD CMOS Pro sensor, which provides higher sensitivity and improved low-light performance. Both cameras also include new Wide Dynamic Range (DR) and Highlight Priority settings.

Utilising Canon’s heritage in optical expertise and advanced technologies, the newly designed 1/2.84-type 2.91 megapixel HD CMOS Pro sensor has enhanced sensitivity with improved signal-to-noise ratio. As a result, images are crisp and clear, even in low-light environments. Lowlight shooting opportunities are further boosted by improved infrared performance, ideal for users capturing nocturnal wildlife or night-time documentaries.

The 20x zoom wide-angle lens offers a 26.8-576mm (35mm equivalent) focal range and employs Canon’s intelligent 5-axis Optical Image Stabilization System with Dynamic IS. The lens also features an 8 blade circular aperture to give enhanced ‘bokeh’.

The XA35 and XA30 features two new settings – Wide DR and Highlight

Cooke Optics Sets Out Roadmap for Lenses COOKE OPTICS HAS SET OUt a roadmap for delivery of its most recently announced and highly anticipated lenses, as well as an update about /i3, the latest and most ambitious version of its /i Technology metadata system.

The 65mm Macro and 135mm Anamorphic/i lenses are now shipping, while the 180mm and 300mm is shipping from January 2016. The first of two zoom lenses – the wide 35-140mm – will begin delivery by NAB 2016. A longer zoom is scheduled for the end of 2016.

Cooke is also on course for testing and delivery of /i3 (/i Cubed), the major new version of its /i Technology metadata system that provides detailed lens data to VFX and post-production teams. /i3 firmware now provides distortion mapping – not just a theoretical measurement of all lenses of a particular focal length, but of the specific lens in use.

Les Zellan, Chairman and Owner, Cooke Optics said, “Metadata is seen as crucial in other areas of content creation but has not been adopted as widely in acquisition up to now. We believe that /i3 is a significant technological advance that will make an enormous difference to VFX and post workflows.

The information that we are able to collect from the lens makes mapping so much more accurate, which will save a great deal of time and money in post.”

Visit www.cookeoptics.com

HD Encoder for Drones VITEC HAS UNVEILED THE MGW PICO TOUGH, its latest innovation in airborne encoding and streaming appliances. Said to be the world’s smallest dual-channel H.264 HD/SD encoding solution, weighing less than 400 grams, Vitec says the MGW Pico TOUGH sets a new standard of performance for manned and unmanned airborne platforms, military vehicles, and ground units. The MGW Pico TOUGH consumes less than seven watts of power for 1080p encoding with KLV/STANAG metadata.

MGW Pico TOUGH features simultaneous, low-latency streaming of two sources from HD-SDI and analog composite signals, JITC-compliant metadata processing AES encryption, forward error correction technology, real-time resolution scaling, and image cropping. The creditcard-sized, rugged enclosure uses MIL-DTL-38999 connectors and is certified for extreme environmental conditions.

MGW Pico TOUGH is available for immediate deployment as a turnkey appliance or as a PCB for integration into other systems.

Visit www.vitec.com

Priority. In Wide DR mode, the cameras are able to achieve 600% dynamic range, resulting in bright images with high contrast that retain detail in both highlight and shadow areas, without the need for post-production.

When using the High Priority settings, users are able to produce footage with more natural tones and richer colours, particularly in areas of high brightness1, perfect for scenes with bright skies and reflective surfaces.

Both models also feature slow and fast recording modes, supporting a range of shooting scenarios with interval recording options up to a maximum of 1200x normal speed.

The cameras also support high quality AVCHD (up to 28Mbps) and MP4 (up to 35Mbps) file formats and include dual SD card slots, providing instant back-up through simultaneous recording or the option for relay recording at longer events, ideal for wedding videographers.

Both the XA35 and XA30 are dual-band Wi-Fi enabled which allow remote control of the camera, wireless file transfer/upload and browser preview, all with the use of a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Visit www.canon.com.sg

4K Portable Zoom Lens from Canon CANON HAS ANNOUNCED the launch of the CJ20ex7.8B portabletype broadcast zoom lens, which offers a 20x zoom ratio with a focal-length range from 7.8 mm to 156 mm and supports use with 4K broadcast cameras employing 2/3-inch sensors. The new lens, features a compact, lightweight body design, makes possible the creation of high-resolution and high-impact 4K video content. This lens is ideal for indoor and outdoor location applications, from sporting events and news coverage, to dramas and documentaries.

Through optimal lens positioning and advanced levels of component and body assembly precision, the CJ20ex7.8B achieves high-quality 4K-resolution images from the centre to the peripheral areas of the image field. Delivering superior colour reproducibility the lens contributes to the creation of compelling video brimming with realism.Drawing on the advanced optical technologies cultivated by Canon, the new CJ20ex7.8B achieves a high level of optical performance enabling use with 4K broadcast cameras. Furthermore, featuring a compact, lightweight body design, the lens delivers exceptional mobility in response to the needs of the broadcast industry, facilitating shoulder-mounted shooting and convenient transport and setup.

The new CJ20ex7.8B includes a built-in 2x extender, which increases the lens focal range by two fold. Even when shooting at the 312 mm telephoto-end focal length, the lens delivers superior optical performance to support use with 4K broadcast cameras.

Visit www.canon.com.sg

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CANON HAS ANNOUNCED the addition of two handheld video cameras

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ACQUISITION

Seven-Inch Recording Field Monitor VIDEO DEVICES HAS ANNOUNCED that its PIX-E7 4K recording field monitor is now shipping worldwide. The seven-inch PIX-E7 is the largest model in the PIX-E Series, joining the five-inch PIX-E5 and PIX-E5H. The 4K-compatible PIX-E7 offers a full suite of precision monitoring tools, SDI and HDMI I/O, plus the ability to record all available Apple ProRes codecs, up to 4444 XQ 12-bit. The PIX-E7, like the PIX-E5 and PIX-E5H, is also compatible with the innovative, super-fast USB-based SpeedDrive — a custom-made enclosure that holds an industry standard mSATA solid-state drive. The monitor incorporates a “best-of-both-worlds” user interface that combines easy-to-access tactile buttons with an intuitive touch screen. The PIX-E7 also accepts external timecode via a BNC linear input connection, and features a second SDI In, and a general purpose input/output port for tally light and remote control workflows.

The PIX-E7 joins the rest of the PIX-E Series in providing monitoring tools such as TapZoom for focusing speed; false colours and zebras to help set exposure; guide markers for framing; and a range of scopes including waveform, histogram, and vectorscope. The PIX-E family of recording monitors also features several manufacturer-specific, standard lookup tables (LUTs). Custom LUTs may also be used via SD card or SpeedDrive.

Since the PIX-E Series was first introduced, Video Devices has released several feature enhancements through regular firmware updates. With the latest update (v1.20), the SDI Out on the PIX-E7 and PIX-E5 supports interlace (1080i) and PsF. Other recent updates include additional feature enhancements, such as: 6G-SDI to support 4K over a single SDI cable for cameras like the Blackmagic URSA. All three PIX-E models offer higher frame rate recording of 1080p 120fps via HDMI – suitable for capturing slow motion footage via HDMI, enhanced playback capabilities such as jog, shuttle, and FF/REW, 4:3 anamorphic desqueeze, 3:2 pulldown removal, external timecode, and the ability to enable or disable aLUT on an SDI

output.

Download the latest firmware v1.20 via http://www.videodevices.com/ support/downloads/pix-e5-firmware SpeedDrive, meanwhile, is an accessory designed for the PIX-E Series.

When connected to the rear of the monitor, the SpeedDrive’s USB 3.0 interface automatically switches to a SATA interface for recording continuous, high-data-rate 4K video. Users can then simply unplug it from the back of PIX-E7 and plug it into any USB computer port to transfer data at very fast USB 3.0 rates; no special card reader or docking station is needed.

Two SpeedDrive options are available: a 240GB SpeedDrive (mSATA drive in the sleek enclosure) or an enclosure-only version that allows the user to choose any approved, third-party 128GB to 1TB mSATA drive. interconnect for 12-channel HD/6-channel 4K recording.

Visit www.sounddevices.com and www.videodevices.com

Sony Expands Line of XDCAM HD 422 Shoulder Camcorders SONY’S LATEST ADDITION to its PXW series of shoulder mount camcorders, PXW-X400, delivers stronger network and wireless capabilities, improved weight balance, XAVC 50/60p recording and pool feed functions, giving electronic news-gathering (ENG) and field production professionals a versatile and high-performance tool.

When wireless LAN is unstable or unavailable, the new PXW-X400’s Ethernet interface enables direct connection to a network for file transfer, live streaming and control from a web browser. A near-field communications (NFC) feature gives users a one-touch link between the camcorder and a mobile device. A Content Browser Mobile application enables users to preview or remotely control camcorder settings and various menu functions.

The pool feed function (HD/SD SDI) allows recording of the SDI external

signal onto an SxS card, a useful function to record a distributed signal from another camera or player on-site without requiring a portable deck.

Redesigning the inner structure of PXW-X400’s body, Sony has drastically improved the weight balance and handling capabilities compared to its predecessor models. Combining the newly introduced manual lens with the well-balanced body resolves any front-heavy issues and dramatically reduces the load for users on the right-hand.

The PXW-X400’s “ONLINE button” lets users bypass a mobile device or the camcorder’s menu for direct on/off control over direct streaming transmission of AV signals from the PXW-X400 to assigned destinations, auto-uploading of proxy files to cloud services and FTP servers, and on/off control over Sony’s PWS-100RX1 network server while shooting.

Visit http://pro.sony-asia.com

New 16+ PAG Gold Mount Charger PAG NOW OFFERS a 4-position charger, in addition to its 2-position PL16, for charging PAGlink Gold Mount Li-Ion batteries.

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In 2014, PAG introduced the first Gold Mount batteries that can be linked to provide more power (12A) and longer run-times for cameras and other broadcast equipment; and the first that can be linked for more efficient charging.

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PAG’s new 4-position PL16+ simultaneous charger is the ideal workshop charger for broadcast organisations and rental facilities. It greatly reduces the number of chargers required to manage a large PAGlink Gold Mount battery inventory.

4 PAGlink 94Wh Li-Ion batteries can be fully-charged in less than 6 hours, 8 in less than 12 hours, and 16 in less than 24 hours. However, it is possible to charge a maximum of 32 batteries, 8 linked on each position, without user-

intervention.

The high-powered PL16+ charger uses the available current efficiently to fully-charge each battery in the fastest possible way, ensuring peak performance and a longer cycle life. The intelligent batteries manage their own charging safely, and can be left to top-up on the charger until required.

The batteries display their individual charge status on their built-in display so that you can easily see when they are ready. A single press of the display button inverts the display characters for legibility. Another useful feature of the charger is automatic recovery for deeply-discharged batteries.

The PL16+ is quiet, cool-running and compact. It features a tough steel case, and weighs only 3.5lbs (1.6kg), making it easy to transport and suitable for location use.

Visit www.paguk.com

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BBC Natural History Unit Goes Ultra HD for ‘Life Story’

By Keith Ford When producing nature documentaries there can be a tendency to revert to the familiar. It is easy to give the viewing public what it expects: lions, cheetahs, elephants, and monkeys, etc., all behaving in a manner that is recognisable and shot predominantly in the same way. Shaking up this formula with unexpected perspectives, both on a narrative and technical sense, is where Mike Gunton, Creative Director of the BBC Natural History Unit, puts his focus.

“That’s good, but the challenge of course is, those half a billion people always want to see something new. We’re constantly being forced into raising the bar –bigger stories, new stories, taking a different perspective all the time. That concept of newness is really what underpins virtually everything I think about with the audience and how to bring them new stories.”

The challenge becomes bringing something new to a ravenous audience that is well acquainted with natural history.

The way that Mike Gunton and his BBC Natural History Unit do this, particularly in their latest project, Life Story, is by utilising technical innovations to gain and convey a greater understanding of the subject.

A prime example of the innovative shooting taking place in Life Story is with the cheetahs. Cheetahs are a staple of nature documentaries where they showcase stunning speed and agility, yet the footage can often feel stale and tired. The shots have become predictable – a telephoto lens from distance tracking a cheetah as it stalks a gazelle then chases, often in slow motion. Life Story eschews convention by getting perilously close to the action, even during the all important chase.

“Kim Wolhuter, the cameraman, has spent about six months getting close to two young cheetahs so that they –and their mother – become habituated to his presence. They just think he’s a strange tree that walks around carrying a camera. That means that he can be with them all the time, and that was really important for Life Story, because we wanted to be able to get very close to a very important time in their lives,” said Gunton.

“Combined with that, Kim, in his hand, has an unusual camera. It’s a 4K camera with a gyroscopic mount, which means that he can run around on foot, and the picture will be held rock steady. The result is very, very clean, good pictures when the action starts.

“Specialist cameramen like Kim, and specialist cameras in the hands of enterprising cameramen like Kim, or special lenses, or other cameras that can do all sorts of things, allow us to get super close, and show these different viewpoints,” added Gunton.

When it came to another staple of the nature documentary, meerkats, getting close was never going to be an issue.

“Meerkats have this tendency of using people as lookouts because it’s very flat and if they can get a bit higher they can see if danger’s coming, so if you stand there for long enough, the meerkat will almost certainly stand on your head. So getting closer’s not a problem, the problem with them is, if you’ve ever seen them, they move like lightning. They’re going all over the place, and they’re tiny, so all the action happens six inches off the ground,” said Mike Gunton.

“We wanted to be able to show what’s going on from that perspective and we needed a different solution to get into their world. So we came up with Meerkam. Meerkam is a Steadicam turned upside down. The camera is flipped on so that it skims along about three inches above the ground, and the lens is about six inches above the ground - right in their eyeline. So it was perfect for us to be able to show what happens one day, when our young hero comes face to face with the meerkats’ mortal enemy, for the first time.”

Life Story was the first time that the BBC Natural History Unit shot one of its documentaries in ultra-high definition (UHD). Aside from the considerable increase in storage requirements, which reached approximately 300 terabytes for the 1800 hours of footage, UHD enabled a deeper narrative focus.

“Ultra-high definition has been a big breakthrough for us. Apart from anything else, the natural world is beautiful, and seeing the natural world in even greater definition is a lovely thing to do. But editorially it was quite interesting because the sensors have quite a shallow depth of field, and that allows you to pull your hero out of the background so that they can become centre stage,” said Gunton.

“UHD has other advantages for us as well as being able to generate enormous detail. We thought, ‘Could it do that detail with very, very small creatures?’ Because the tiniest creatures in the world, we never really see, yet if you look at them, in this kind of detail, they are utterly extraordinary and utterly beautiful.”

This is exemplified by the Maratus volans, or peacock jumping spider, which reaches just 5mm in body length. The added detail of UHD allowed Life Story to get close enough to capture the male’s vivid colours and extraordinary mating ritual without compromising image quality.

“Innovation can’t stop, you have to keep going, you have to continuously be searching for developing new technology, new techniques, new ways of telling the stories, new platforms, all to show as large and as wide-ranging an audience as possible, the wonders of the natural world,” concluded Mike Gunton.

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“THE BBC IS PROBABLY the world leader, and has been for about 60 years, in natural history. We made our name really through what we call these global, blockbuster series, like Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Africa, Life, and now Life Story. These are huge projects, these sell all over the world, 180 territories or more. They’re multimillion dollar businesses, and they are seen by enormous numbers of people; we think that Life and Planet Earth have been seen by about half a billion people,” explained Mike Gunton at the ASTRA 2015 Conference in Sydney.

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SPORTSCASTING Sport coverage worldwide

www.content-technology.com/sportscasting

Golf Channel Thailand Scores 24/7 with PlayBox Golf Channel Thailand has chosen channel branding and playout systems from PlayBox Technology as the core of a major upgrade to its studios in Bangkok. The project was coordinated by PlayBox Technology (AsiaPacific).

Golf Channel Thailand transmits a mix of golf-related programmes round the clock, every day of the year. These can be viewed via traditional broadcast channels or with a specific application for smart phones. The channel provides coverage of major tournaments as well as offering viewers the opportunity to become active players “We were looking for the most efficient possible way of combining live high definition broadcasting with automated content playout,” comments Jirapat Khamkaun, Golf Channel’s Head of Engineering & Operations.

“After researching the available solutions, we identified PlayBox Technology AirBox transmission servers and TitleBox channel branding as the logical choices. They are easy to operate, versatile and have an excellent reputation for reliability. Local support from the company’s office here in Bangkok was another major advantage, plus the easy scalability of the PlayBox Technology ecosystem if needed to expand our capabilities in the future.”

both in standard-definition and high-definition. Designed for 24/7 unattended operation, it can be connected easily to third-party devices.

AirBox supports MPEG1/2/H.264, HDV and DV streams from practically any production platform capable of providing AVI, MPEG, MXF, QuickTime or WMV content. Files from third-party broadcast content servers are natively supported.

“We have integrated AirBox HD and AirBox SD servers into Golf Channel Thailand’s central apparatus suite,” adds Nut Deesamer, Manager of the PlayBox Technology Service and Support Centre for Thailand. “These are linked via Ethernet with the master control room where the automation process is supervised. Each TitleBox is operated as an independent key and fill resource during live programme production. In automated playout mode, the TitleBoxes are utilised in a character generation role with AirBox handling transmission of scheduled content. The configuration we have provided enables Golf Channel to capture incoming content at the same time as playing to air.”

TitleBox delivers on-air graphics which can be controlled interactively.

Operators can preconfigure the templates to match their specific requirements, without need for subsequent manual adjustment. TitleBox provides total control during on-air session, including text selection, running speed and transitions. The TitleBox feature set includes horizontal crawling text, vertically rolling credits and messages, still and animated logo graphics, analogue and digital clocks, banner slideshows and chat text with automated horizontal or vertical scrolling. Additional creative facilities include pre-constructed graphic components, video resizing (from live source or file), window-style display and website content ingest.

AirBox is a content playout and streaming system capable of operating

Visit www.golfchannel.co.th and www.playboxtechnology.com

World Surf League Japan Rides Streaming Wave with Blackmagic BLACKMAGIC DESIGN HAS ANNOUNCED that the World Surf League Japan (WSL Japan) is using a Blackmagic ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K live production switcher, along with a number of other Blackmagic products, for the streaming and distribution of its surfing tournament worldwide.

World Surf League (WSL) is an international professional surf league with headquarters in California and regional offices in New York, Australia, France, South Africa, Brazil, Hawaii and Japan with WSL Japan. WSL holds professional surfing international tournaments, called the “Dream Tour,” where top surfers compete on some of the toughest waves in the world, and WSL Japan hosts 10 of the events each year. WSL Japan has been streaming the tournaments to a huge worldwide audience of avid surf fans since 2006.

SPORTSCASTING

“We were using SD equipment for streaming the tournaments, but we wanted to upgrade to HD to increase the entertainment value and have the best quality picture. The staff from the US office of WSL was already using Blackmagic and recommended the equipment for our HD upgrade,” said Jyunichi Ishimori, a technical manager of WSL Japan in charge of the streaming of the events.

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With the advice from WSL US, Ishimori chose the Blackmagic ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K switcher, Intensity Pro 4K capturew and playback card and several Mini Converters. “The ATEM switcher has many tools, such as Picture in Picture, and allows us to improve the image quality of our program.

It is easy to use, and I was able to learn how to use it on my own. It is also compact, so I can set up the system foreach tournament in only 30 minutes,” he said.

As the tournaments are held at different beaches, WSL Japan brings all the equipment they need for each event with them. The venues vary from the beach to the parking lot by the beach, and sometimes the set-up is housed in a truck, while other times it’s under a tent.

Once set up, WSL Japan live streams using two consumer cameras.

“As they are consumer cameras, they are not equipped with SDI connections.

We use Mini Converters Analog to SDI and HDMI to SDI to convert those connections to SDI and send video feeds to the ATEM switcher. Also we use the ATEM for keying the graphics from a PC to display the surfers’ names and scores on the screen. In addition, we use a simple replay system for judges to be able to recheck the surfers’ rides and decide their scores,” said Ishimori.

The program out of the ATEM is sent to a PC with an Intensity Pro 4K capture and playback device installed via HDMI, and the feed is then streamed using Wirecast. The tournament starts in the morning and lasts throughout the day, with WSL Japan streaming every moment.

Visit www.blackmagicdesign.com

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The 21st International Digital Multimedia & Entertainment Technology Exhibition & Conference

www.Broadcast-Asia.com

31 May - 3 June 2016

Level 4 & 5, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES, EXPERIENCING CONTENT Well-established and recognised, BroadcastAsia2016 is Asia’s must-attend international event for the pro-audio, film and broadcasting industries! Find out what’s hot in the industry – Cloud / IP Broadcasting, Digital Media Asset Management, OTT, TV Everywhere, Wireless Live Production and many others. Participate in the Post I Production Hub, hear from award-winning / well-known directors and experts; and meet up with industry peers at this networking platform.

BROADCAST

Meet over 600 leading global brand owners and solution providers…

and many others

Complete the online registration www.Broadcast-Asia.com/pre-registration to visit the exhibition. Register online early to participate in the Online Business Matching Programme.

Worldwide Associate:

Held concurrently with:

A Part of:

Hosted by:

Endorsed by:

CommunicAsia & EnterpriseIT incorporate:

Supported by:

Held in:

SPORTSCASTING

Organised by:

#BroadcastAsia2016

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SPORTSCASTING

Seven Expands Australian Open Coverage and Takes Tennis Mobile AUSTRALIA’S SEVEN NETWORK expanded its 7Tennis coverage of January’s Australian Open Series as part of a long-term strategy to deliver content to all Australians across connected devices.

Building on the Seven’s market-first multi-screen coverage of the 2015 Australian Open, Seven expanded its fully-integrated coverage across broadcast television, online and mobile with simultaneous streaming of up to 16 courts at the Open. Beyond the Australian Open, Seven also broadcast and streamed live Seven’s Summer of Tennis across television, online and mobile, including the Hopman Cup, the Brisbane International, Sydney International and the Kooyong Classic.

Both the Australian Open and Seven’s Summer of Tennis were available live on-air, online, on Apple IOS and Android smartphones and tablets. In addition, a new 7Tennis mobile app gave users access to over 2000 hours of live, exclusive and free tennis, catch-up and on-demand highlights.

7Tennis also expanded its presence on social media with new channels for 7Tennis on Facebook, 7Tennis on Twitter, 7Tennis on Instagram and 7Tennis on Apple News, 7Tennis on Yahoo7 and 7Tennis on Youtube.

7Tennis streamed matches on courts beyond Seven’s television coverage with up to 16 additional live streams of courts at the Open coupled with streams of press conferences and short-form VOD (video-on-demand) content including highlights and archival footage, photo galleries, a social wall with Twitter and Facebook, live scores and results from all matches, player profiles and exclusive produced content beyond Seven’s internationally recognised broadcast.

Commenting, Saul Shtein, Seven’s Head of Sport said: “We are delighted to be taking the lead in the delivery of sports beyond broadcast television.

The Australian Open is one of our biggest events and sets the framework for our year in sports. It is a year in sports like no other with our upcoming coverage of the Olympic Games in Rio and the introduction of new innovations in our coverage of the Australian Football League and our other major sports franchises.”

Visit www.sevenwestmedia.com.au

NEP Buys Mediatec Asia Pacific NEP GROUP – PARENT COMPANY OF NEP AUSTRALIA has acquired Mediatec Asia Pacific. Financial terms were not disclosed. The transaction will bring Mediatec Asia Pacific, based in Melbourne, into NEP’s worldwide network of brands and will extend NEP’s video display capabilities into Australia and other countries in the region.

“Mediatec Asia Pacific has an exceptional reputation for service in the Australian market. I am very pleased to have them join NEP as we continue to expand our international video display and live events business,” said NEP Group CEO Kevin Rabbitt. “Working with our NEP Australia operations and our other display companies around the world, Mediatec Asia Pacific will be able to offer significantly deeper resources and have the support they need to service their clients worldwide.”

Mediatec Asia Pacific will remain an independent operating entity, based in Melbourne, and will continue to be managed by Ben Claydon, Owen Davison and Steve Letch.

SPORTSCASTING

“Becoming a part of the NEP Worldwide Network is a great benefit to our clients, staff and partners,” said Mediatec Asia Pacific co-founder Owen Davison.

“We now have access to a much broader pool of resources, which will allow us to support our growth in-country and throughout the region. We look forward to working with the NEP team to continue to expand the business.”

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NHK’s World-First 8K OB Vehicle DELIVERED TO NHK BY IKEGAMI in September 2015 and touted as the world’s first 8K OB production vehicle, SHC-1 is designed to operate as a complete mobile 8K broadcast production facility capable of producing television of 8K picture quality, complete with 22.2 channel surround sound.

In March 2015, Ikegami introduced its SHK-810 fourth-generation 8K television camera that was developed in co-operation with Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK). This is about one tenth the size and weight of Ikegami’s first-generation 8K camera and offers significantly improved operability. The company’s efforts to develop 8K broadcast production equipment have focused on achieving extremely high resolution combined with Ikegami’s proven ability to deliver very wide dynamic image processing.

Ikegami also has long experience in producing mobile television production trucks, having produced more than 800 OB vehicles.

In Japan, the road map for 8K broadcasting announced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications specifies that trial broadcast transmissions will be conducted in 2016. Regular 8K broadcast services are planned to begin in 2018.

Many elements of 8K television production infrastructure are much larger in size, power consumption and number of cables than their HDTV equivalent.

This is because 8K broadcast production captures 16 times more image information than HDTV. Organising an 8K OB vehicle is therefore much more challenging than designing and producing traditional OB vehicles.

The vehicle’s specifications allow operation not only in Japan, but worldwide so it can be operated for global sporting events such as the Olympic Games.

It can be expanded to accommodate additional equipment as and when required.

OB system outline: • Vehicle size: 2495 (W) x 3330 (H) x 11,930 (D) (mm); (1000 mm (W) expandable when operating.

• Switcher: 16 inputs, 4 outputs 1 mix/effects.

• Router: 8K, 4K and HD (2K).

• DSK: 8K. • Camera: Up to 10 8K cameras (Ikegami SHV-8000, SHK-810).

The Mediatec Asia Pacific acquisition will also provide a broader range of solutions to the existing NEP Australia client base.

• Recorder: 8K recorder (up to 4 units).

“The addition of Mediatec Asia Pacific to the NEP Network in the Australian market offers a tremendous opportunity for our client base,” said Soames Treffry, President of NEP Australia. “Our clients have been asking us for video display for years and now by working collaboratively with our sister company, Mediatec, we will be able to provide these additional services to our clients.”

• Audio router: Supports MADI.

Visit www.nepinc.com

Visit www.ikegami.co.jp

• Slow-motion: 8K slow-motion player. Up to 4 units.

• Monitor for switcher: Main: 55-inch 8K monitor; Sub: 55-inch (with multiviewer).

• Additional video monitors: 32-inch and others.

SPORTSCASTING

JVC Unveils Camcorder with Built-In Score Overlay JVC PROFESSIONAL VIDEO HAS INTRODUCED the GY-HM200SP 4KCAM camcorder with embedded score panel graphics. Designed to enhance single-camera local sports coverage, the camera produces a real-time score overlay on recorded or streamed video output without the use of an external CG and production switcher.

The GY-HM200SP can receive score information directly from a mobile device connected wirelessly to the camera using an intuitive GUI. It will also be possible for the camera to interface directly to the sports venue’s own scoreboard controller through a wired or wireless interface.

The camera includes basic layouts to cover a wide variety of sports, but JVC will also be able to customise the overlay with the names and logos of teams.

According to Ian Scott, vice president of JVC’s U.S. Professional Video Division, “The new GY-HM200SP makes it easy for one person to

shoot the game, insert graphics, record, and stream the production live – all directly from the camera. For schools with limited equipment and personnel resources, this new camera provides an innovative and affordable solution for producing professional-quality, single-camera sports coverage.”

Beyond its built-in graphics overlay, the GYHM200SP includes all the professional features of the GY-HM200. It has a 1/2.3-inch BSI CMOS imager and integrated 12x zoom lens with optical image stabiliser and 24x dynamic zoom in HD mode. The camera records 4K Ultra HD, 4:2:2 Full HD (50 Mbps), and SD footage, and a new 70 Mbps mode records 4K footage in smaller, more manageable files on economical Class 10 SDHC/ SDXC memory cards.

The built-in HD streaming engine with Wi-Fi and 4G LTE connectivity allows live HD transmission directly from the GY-HM200SP to the ProHD Broadcaster server powered by Zixi, Wowza

Streaming Engine, other hardware decoders, and content delivery networks (CDNs) like Ustream and YouTube. Other features include dual XLR audio inputs with built-in phantom power that are mic/line switchable, an integrated handle with hot shoe and dedicated microphone mount, and SDI and HDMI video outputs.

Visit http://pro.jvc.com

COFDM Wireless HD Video System INTEGRATED MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGIES (IMT) has introduced the RF Central 58microLite HD Mini Kit. The new 58microLite Mini Kit brings its microLite technology to a larger customer base by providing an all-in-one kit.

The 58microLite HD Mini Kit is a highly portable professional-grade MPEG4 COFDM HD wireless camera transmission link capable of providing highquality video at distances over two miles, line of sight. Developed for the next generation of HD capable compact cameras, the 58microLite system is available in either licensed or unlicensed bands.

The new 58microLite is available à la carte or in preconfigured application specific kits. The kits are designed to give the operator the ability to set up quickly and to cover a wide area with long-range wireless transmission.

At the heart of the 58microLite HD Mini Kit is the microLite HD Transmitter.

Its size, weight and performance makes it suitable for UAV, sports, live newsgathering, reality-based programs, EFP/OB, point-of-view and any

type of live event coverage. The 58microLite HD Mini Kit comes in three camera mounting versions: the standard hot-shoe and optional Anton/ Bauer Gold Mount or V-Mount. It also features an easy-to-use user interface and 12 easily selected presets, making it simple to change channels and other operating parameters on the fly.

The 58microLite kit features a dual-diversity COFDM receiver that uses maximal-ratiocombining technology to enable the system to support Lineof-Sight (LOS) as well as Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) applications. It comes in an ultra-small, self-contained package perfect for discrete installations.

With no block down converters and complicated interconnects, the 58microLite has been adopted where quick, reliable and simple usage is required. It features MPEG-4/MPEG-2 auto-detect video and embedded audio decoding. This technology provides a highly reliable decode solution in demanding portable applications.

Visit www.imt-solutions.com

NHK Goes Mobile in the USA with Lawo JAPANESE BROADCASTER NHK has fielded a new OB truck in the US market fitted with Lawo technology and designed specifically to capture major US sports events and deliver a unique, high-quality audio experience to its viewers back home.

The new mobile unit is the first RAVENNA-based truck in the US, utilising Lawo’s newest dual-fader mc²56xt mixing console. The console provides a 64 fader surface in an audio booth with only 84 inches of linear space. It accommodates 288 DSP paths with 8,192 x 8,192 audio routing capability and three DALLIS I/O stageboxes in a redundant configuration.

In its current configuration the truck supports conventional stereo and surround mix capabilities and serves as a test bed for deployment of 22.2 surround mixing and monitoring. The on-board operations and engineering team elected to debut the new truck in a live broadcast of a baseball game between Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees that took place in

NHK’s Kazutaka Noda in the Japanese broadcaster’s US-based, Lawo-equipped OB truck.

September 2015 in New York. More recently the unit was been deployed for coverage of the 2015 major league baseball playoffs including the league championships and World Series.

Visit www.lawo.com

SPORTSCASTING

The RAVENNA technology fully supports AES67 and offers a proven solution for critical broadcasting operations. In addition, the truck is capable of up to 22.2 surround sound as a potential audio delivery format for the network. In a long-standing cooperative effort between NHK and Lawo, the two companies have been working together to develop the tools and practical applications needed to create an immersive audio experience with 3D surround audio and are committed to developing further technical innovations.

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All-Round Innovation.

CONTENT DELIVERY

SAM’s unique mix of experience and energy is complemented by a true belief in innovation.

It is fundamental to everything we do, and helps us deliver solutions that really make a difference to our customers.

Cost Innovation We understand the constant pressure media organizations face to reduce cost from their operations. That understanding is reflected in the development of solutions that maximize efficiency and productivity across the media production chain; including collaborative editing, color and finishing, extensive MAM, workflow automation and resource planning, uniquely intelligent Media Biometrics monitoring and control and comprehensive automated playout solutions.

TM

IP Innovation SAM is at the forefront of developments in IP, we offer products that work today in the SDI domain and allow expansion into the IP world without excessive risk or substantial upgrades. Our switchers, routers, infrastructure and playout systems are all available with IP interfaces supporting both uncompressed (SMPTE 2022-6 and VSF TR-03) and a range of compression formats, including VC-2. Familiar control interfaces provide hybrid SDI/IP operation.

CONTENT DELIVERY

SAM product sectors

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Color & Finishing

Editing, Storage & Replay

Production Switchers

Routers & Multiviewers

Modular Infrastructure & Conversion

CONTENT DELIVERY

If you want to go IP immediately, next year or 5 years from now, we have products and systems you can invest in with confidence.

Image Processing Innovation Our image processing technology is renowned the world over.

Offering a complete range of high quality format and framerate conversion that covers every need, from high-end drama to fast-action sports and corporate events. Developed and refined over many years, our patented conversion algorithms produce stunning results, even from the most challenging material.

4K/8K Innovation For us, UHDTV is all about enabling you to create more compelling content and deliver more immersive viewing experiences for your audiences. So whether you are producing a live sporting event, posting a TV drama, or finishing a feature film for theatrical release, SAM can help you take advantage of all that UHDTV has to offer – without blowing your budget.

The SAM Difference.

Media Processing Software

Asset & Workflow Management

Control & Monitoring

Our innovation can help you make a difference. Visit:

Playout

24/7 Worldwide Support

CONTENT DELIVERY

UHDTV is about enabling you to create more compelling content and deliver more immersive viewing experiences.

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NEWS OPERATIONS www.content-technology.com/newsoperations

Avid Helps CNN Indonesia Create Production Workflow AVID HAS ANNOUNCED that CNN Indonesia, the newly formed broadcast organization reaching 255 million people, recently embraced Avid Everywhere to launch a 24-hour TV channel in less than one year. Built on the Avid MediaCentral Platform, the new end-to-end broadcast workflow enables CNN Indonesia to unite six remote broadcast bureaus, quickly produce content under tight deadlines, and accelerate the delivery of breaking news.

and management,” said Johnny Yeung, technical director of PT Trans Media Corporation. “This saves a lot of time, and timeliness in our business makes all the difference between winning and losing. This is an achievement for us, and much credit goes to the hard work of Avid.”

Formed in 2015, CNN Indonesia broadcasts news bulletins on a 24/7 basis from its headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia. The station is a joint venture between Turner Broadcasting and Indonesia-based media group PT Trans Media Corporation.

CNN Indonesia is made up of six remote bureaus in cities across Indonesia, in addition to the main facility in Jakarta. In order to unite the production teams, CNN Indonesia implemented advanced media management solutions from the Avid Media Suite. An iNEWS newsroom management system is at the center of news content creation and distribution at CNN Indonesia, providing journalists, field reports, producers, and editors, with instant access to moment-by-moment status information, feeds, stories, and rundowns.

“News organizations like CNN Indonesia face intense competition from other networks, so it’s crucial to implement cutting-edge solutions that enable them to quickly produce and distribute breaking news to the widest possible audience,” stated Tom Cordiner, vice president of International Sales at Avid.

“By leveraging the power of Avid Everywhere, CNN Indonesia reporters in the field can access media assets back at the station, create complete packages by mixing the remote media with footage shot on location, and send back completed news packages for others connected to the central storage system to leverage—greatly accelerating production.”

Avid MediaCentral | UX, the cloud-based, web front-end to the Avid MediaCentral Platform, enables production teams in the field to easily access media, work on projects, and edit stories remotely using their laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. A fully centralized Interplay | Production media asset management system enables more than 100 reporters and producers spread across the country to easily collaborate, share media, and work on projects simultaneously. Media Composer | Cloud video editing software lets the remote bureaus retrieve data from the main facility in Jakarta, edit clips remotely, and send back completed news stories for broadcasting.

CNN Indonesia launched in August 2015 as a joint venture between Turner Broadcasting and Indonesia-based media group PT Trans Media Corporation.

The entire broadcast network needed to be up and running within one year, and the intense deadline required close collaboration with Avid Global Services experts.

To effectively store and archive the massive amount of media generated by the 24/7-production cycle, CNN Indonesia implemented cutting-edge media storage solutions from the Avid Storage Suite. All of their media is stored on a fully integrated and connected Avid shared storage system, enabling reporters, producers, and editors across the entire network to access, edit, and share media, regardless of their location.

“Avid offered a complete end-to-end turnkey solution with proven and trusted solutions which met the demanding needs of our news production

Visit www.avid.com

Ideal Group Launches Rental Service for Live News, Sport IDEAL GROUP HAS ANNOUNCED the launch of Ideal-Live, a new equipment rental service for professional mobile video gathering. The service has initially been offered through Ideal’s offices in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia and will be rolled out across the rest of Asia Pacific throughout 2016.

NEWS OPERATIONS

The new Ideal-Live service offers ready-to-go in-country solutions to news agencies and live sports production companies for a variety of live video gathering scenarios such as breaking news stories, high-profile sports events, and online streaming.

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Ideal is partnering with Canadian manufacturer, Dejero, for the Ideal-Live service using Dejero’s new LIVE+ EnGo bonded cellular transmitters with preinstalled cellular data SIM cards from multiple local mobile operators for immediate live broadcasting. Each EnGo is fitted with six SIM cards from multiple mobile network operators to ensure transmission resilience. The 3G and 4G/ LTE networks can be bonded with Ethernet or Wi-Fi for optimisation with a local wireless network infrastructure. The EnGo’s one-button start-up and automatic video input and format detection makes for quick deployment in the field while the patented Intelligent Connection Management (ICM) technology and proprietary Adaptive Bitrate Encoding provides enhanced signal resiliency and superior picture quality for the broadcaster. The EnGo transmitters have internal storage of up to 40 hours of HD recording, giving flexibility for storage of live video feeds for later use. Additional battery options will also be provided locally, making it easier for mobile camera crews to stay out in the field for longer and to travel with fewer restrictions imposed by airport authorities on the check-in of heavy battery equipment.

“Ideal-Live is a natural progression from our group’s system integration business. It will add a new offering to customers Ideal is already servicing in

the Asia Pacific region,” said Guillaume Mauffrey, Chief Operating Officer of Ideal Group.

Ideal’s new rental service includes the use of Dejero’s “LIVE+ Control” cloud management tool. Using LIVE+ Control enables the broadcaster to geolocate and remotely control transmitters, configure broadcast and cloud servers, view performance data, preview low-latency feeds, and route live or recorded content to playout and online delivery workflows.

Ideal will also be offering LIVE+ Broadcast Servers from Dejero as part of its rental offering. The broadcast server is used at the broadcaster’s production facility where it receives the video transmissions from EnGo transmitters on the field and provides the video signal to the on air broadcast system.

Fintan Mc Kiernan, CEO of Ideal Systems S.E.A. said, “We have completed a lot of testing of Ideal-Live over the last few months and already have a number of customers successfully using our Dejero equipment for mission critical live sports broadcasting events. To provision Ideal-Live in South East Asia necessitates getting reliable post-paid data SIMs from three mobile operators in each country; add to this the equipment transmitter rental, cloud management service and broadcast server, a production company would need a commercial billing relationship with upwards of twenty companies to provide the same level of service that it can get from Ideal.”

Visit www.idealsys.com

NEWS OPERATIONS

Etere Integrates ClassX for News Graphics Management

Dejero Enables BGAN-HDR and Bonding for Live Video Streaming DEJERO HAS RELEASED an update of its LIVE+ NewsBook software for Mac notebooks, enabling users to bond portable Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) terminals to produce a live stream greater than 1

ETERE INTEGRATES CLASSX for News Graphics Management Etere has announced a collaboration with ClassX to integrate ClassX MOS technology into Etere’s Nunzio’s end-to-end newsroom solution providing users with a single interface to manage dynamic newsroom needs.

Mbps of video. This newest Inmarsat L-band service provides additional

Etere Nunzio is the newsroom management component of Etere’s MERP which provides an all-in-one solution for multi-media planning and collaboration across different production units such as radio, TV or web departments, editorial driven workflow and metadata management.

locations

Nunzio’s fully automated capabilities includes a central collection point for incoming agency wires, which are immediately available for users. The newsroom management component of Etere MERP also features open standards and multiple integration paths to provide efficient cross-system operation. Nunzio also offers story templates for quick story creation and for accelerating story production. Etere’s rich text editor combines all elements (presenter, voiceover, mos, ecc.) of the story in one screen. The rich text editor prepares the text for the prompter and keeps track of the real story duration compared to the scheduled duration.

are available.

Internet connectivity and enables live video streaming from anywhere in the world covered by BGAN’s satellite network, including extremely remote where no other network connections Dejero’s LIVE+ NewsBook transforms a Mac notebook into a highly versatile “go-anywhere” video uplink solution. With the BGAN-

With the advanced graphics capabilities of ClassX MOS onboard, Etere Nunzio is able to advance its graphic management capabilities and tap into new technological advances such as:

HDR bonding feature, users can now send live video feeds, as well as

Real-Time Edits with ActiveX Plugin – Etere Nunzio-ClassX MOS integration uses the advanced ActiveX plugin which allows it to be accessed directly from Etere interface. This gives users the ability to navigate, pre-visualise and edit templates in real time.

LIVE+ NewsBook software automatically optimizes transmission

Social Media Integration – Etere Nunzio-ClassX MOS integration allows newsrooms to showcase social media postings and polls in real time.

This interactive environment is made possible with its integration with Spredfast streams and second screens through the app Parterre. Meanwhile, SocialPlayer integrates with the graphics playout and provides multiple connections, push notifications and instant updates.

3D Effects and Layouts – With the ClassX MOS integration, Etere Nunzio users are also able to apply 3D effects and hundreds of eye-catching layouts.

Modifications are made easy with a wide variety of template forms, predefined graphic animations, videos and images to choose from.

Visit www.etere.com

recorded and edited files, back to the broadcast facility by connecting multiple Explorer-710 terminals to the notebook via Ethernet. The settings when a High-Data-Rate (HDR) streaming connection is selected.

In addition to BGAN, the LIVE+ NewsBook software bonds multiple cellular, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet connections to create an aggregated data path for the transmission of reliable high-quality, low-latency video.

Network Innovations, a leading provider of integrated satellite communications solutions, has worked with Dejero to offer LIVE+ NewsBook software for the new bonded HDR service offered via Explorer-710 BGAN HDR terminals. While Dejero leverages the bonded HDR service to provide a higher-quality picture, broadcasters are able to reduce satellite costs by using the more affordable asymmetrical HDR streaming service.

Visit www.dejero.com

Channel NewsAsia on Tata Sky in India

Channel NewsAsia International’s launch on Tata Sky will enable the channel to reach over 14 million households in India. The channel was established in March 1999 by MediaCorp, the leading media organisation headquartered in Singapore and is an English language Asian TV News channel. It is now available in over 58 million households across 27 territories in Asia.

“We are delighted to be entering the DTH market in India exclusively through Tata Sky,” said Mr Woon Chuk Chan, Vice President of Channel NewsAsia’s Distribution and Content Sales. “Over the years, we have devoted more resources to cover India, not only through the news, but through hard hitting investigative documentaries which have won international acclaim. India is key to the present and future of Asia. We believe we are well placed to understand, present and interpret how

India’s role in the global economy will depend on changes in its political and economic climate. But more importantly, the channel is about Asia, and helping to foster understanding and insight across Asia. We look forward to offer our unique, content to all viewers across the country through our partnership with Tata Sky,” Paolo Agostinelli, Chief Content & Business Development Officer at Tata Sky, added, “We have always believed in offering a wide range of global news content and are delighted to offer our subscribers the awardwinning Channel NewsAsia International. With a significant mix of both international and India-specific news, we are certain that our subscribers will continue to enjoy our latest addition to the news genre.”

With the introduction of Channel NewsAsia International, Tata Sky has now expanded its bouquet of news channels to 96, which include 14 English news channels, 22 Hindi news channels and 57 regional news channels.

Visit www.tatasky.com

NEWS OPERATIONS

TATA SKY, A LEADING DTH (Direct To Homes) player in India, has launched Channel NewsAsia International on its platform. The pan-Asian channel is now available to Tata Sky subscribers on channel number 535.

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MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT SEA Broadcasters Take on Etere MAM and Playout TV EDUKASI (TVE), THE INDONESIAN STATE TELEVISION CHANNEL owned by the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Pustekkom (Centre of Information Technology & Education Communication), has chosen Etere and MTX Technology. Etere broadcast solutions will help Pustekkom’s TV Edukasi (TVE) streamline its MAM, QC, archive and play out.

The solution provided includes: • Etere’s MTX, is developed by Etere to allow the incorporation of the Matrox video cards into Etere-based systems without using middleware to achieve tight integration on both ingest and playout.

• Etere MAM, a modular software solution that helps to index the information relative to the asset. Its exceptional versatility allows it to manage large numbers of assets which may be in the form of tapes, video files or other formats that is usually associated with large metadata.

• Etere Advanced QC, designed to provide a fully automated content analysis system which is able to verify and check file-based content prior to transmission or use. Etere Advanced QC is able detect a wide range of issues that may affect the compliance of media content.

• Etere Master-Clone system, built from two completely independent systems with an automation mode that elevate the reliability of systems.

The design of the system helps to prevent cross-system crash due to sync problems. Pustekkom will be armed with a main automation and one clone channel for for TV Edukasi (TVE). It will also be equipped with Axon Master Control.

• Etere Transcoder, a new encoding solution for file-based workflows which is able to cater to all major format conversions required in production, post-production, broadcast and distribution environments.

• Central Disk Archive and Archive on LTO library. Pustekkom will be equipped with Central Disk Archive and Archive on LTO library (40 slots) that allows easy search, preview and retrieval of any media for TV Edukasi (TVE).

MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT

• Etere loudness control, a versatile instrument used to correct common errors with volume control and helps broadcasters prevent fines due to transmission’s volume excesses. It is also able to perform a preliminary calculation of the output volume through the loudness statistics of any specific television day.

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Meanwhile, Indonesian state broadcaster TVRI has added an ingest station based on Etere’s MTX technology consisting of eight channels.

Etere Ingest software enables users to capture media from all common feeds into a cloud storage and apply to it any required workflow.

Etere MTX is a comprehensive playout automation system with a built-in video server which exploits Matrox’s architecture and the performance of dedicated hardware. Etere MTX provides TVRI with master control room automation, graphics, built-in video servers, programming including secondary events as logos, crawls, audio/video router switching and transitions, all these, under a fully redundant and flexible approach.

Etere MTX simplifies the overall TVRI system management, giving the broadcaster an SD/HD ingest and playout system with graphics and proxy file creation in real-time. The solution functions under a fully workflowbased way which the customer can customise to fit its needs.

Lastly, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh Television Station (HTV) has chosen to upgrade to a new ETERE MTX Channel-In-A-Box technology, in a complete Tapeless system.

HTV broadcasts four channels – entertainment channel HTV7, Kids channel HTV3, and information, propaganda-trend, official and analogdigital on HTV9 and HTV4. HTV also has several specific cable and digital television channels.

MTX was chosen for its ability to run HD and SD files back to back. Users will be able to use existing Seachange files with no conversion. HTV uses four MTX servers, with two ‘in’ and two ‘out’, connected to the Mediagrid storage.

The upgrade includes the expansion of file archives which ensures the easy storage of older files and enables users to build on their storage. HTV has also upgraded an HSM system that will now manage up to 500 LTO5 slots.

MTX also comes with Etere transcoders embedded software that gives HTV complete control of the station’s video assets. The transcoders check asset locations and ensure that devices use the correct paths to connect to devices.

Visit www.etere.com

Amazon Web Services Training Launched Across ASEAN, Hong Kong AS THE ONLY AUTHORISED AMAZON WEB SERVICES (AWS) training partner for Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, Bespoke Training Services has announced it is extending its technical AWS training programs across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and into Hong Kong.

“Thanks to increasing cloud adoption and the popularity of the AWS cloud offering, there is a real need for dedicated training resources and technical training experts for the ASEAN and Hong Kong region,” said Trent Rosenthal, CEO, Bespoke Training Services. “In response we are delivering our comprehensive schedule of AWS training courses and workshops, for AWS customers, partners and individual IT professionals.”

Cheo has been building a sales and operations team based in Singapore, and will lead business development activity across ASEAN and in Hong Kong.

Bespoke says organisations moving to or delivering services in the AWS cloud need to ensure their IT personnel are proficient with AWS products and services. Those companies looking to join or maintain their positions in the AWS Partner Network (APN) have training and certification requirements to meet. Bespoke says it provides support in the form of customised training packages to help AWS customers and partners achieve these goals.

“In the midst of running a full schedule of AWS training courses in Singapore and across Australia and New Zealand, we have been making investments in our organisation and its’ infrastructure to deliver AWS training in new territories,” said Rosenthal.

The AWS training curriculum from Bespoke Training Services is delivered

by AWS experts, and begins with introductory AWS Business or Technical Essentials courses. From there the training path follows specific job roles, with courses offered in three main streams: Architecting, Systems Operations and Developing. These courses match with AWS Certification streams, and are valuable building blocks as IT professionals prepare to achieve industry recognition for their skills and expertise. Specialty courses in big data solutions, security and preparing for AWS Certification are also available.

Working closely with CEO Rosenthal, enterprise IT training specialist Gilbert

Visit http://www.bespoketraining.com/asean-and-hong-kong

Bespoke’s extended regions now ensure coverage throughout Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines from January 2016.

MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & DAM

Quantum Excels with Xcellis

According to Geoff Stedman, Senior Vice President of StorNext Solutions with Quantum, Xcellis is a new storage system that fits into the high performance portion of a customer’s workflow.

“It’s optimised to run the StorNext file system as fast and efficiently as possible,” he says. “We’ve taken StorNext, which has traditionally been a SAN technology, and we’ve added some other capabilities around it so that you can have a combination of both SAN clients and LAN clients.

“This would be the system that a media company would use for their real time production needs, or when they need the highest possible throughput performance, the lowest frequency, any time they’re working with, say, edit applications or special effects applications, compositing, finishing applications, colouring, those sorts of applications that depend on real time performance, Xcellis would be the product that we would put into that part of the workflow.”

Xcellis also streamlines the hardware offering, doesn’t it?

“We had some hardware, but they didn’t really look like a family. They’re not really designed to work together. So you needed more components.

What we introduced with Xcellis is a new appliance called the Xcellis Workflow Director which replaces the metadata appliances and the gateway products all in a single box. We only sell these in pairs in case there’s a problem on one, the whole system will fail over to the other in a seamless way so that your users aren’t interrupted if there’s a hardware failure.

Then we have storage arrays but instead of requiring dedicated storage for metadata and then separate storage for user data, I’m able to combine both of those into a single array.

I can start with a system that’s as small as the two workflow directors and the single small array of storage, and then I can add just about any combination of discs that I want, whether I want a 12 drive, a 24 drive or 48 drive configuration or even a 56 drive which in a larger box – a 4 rack unit box – each one of these adds capacity and also adds some performance because they’ve got controllers in them. And then if all I needed was capacity, I can also replicate these units with simple JBODs to allow the system to grow out again in almost any direction. And so what I’m able to do is go from that very beginning, initial investment, and then simply by adding different types of storage arrays underneath this workflow director, I can grow the system in either performance attributes or in capacity attributes.

We also expanded the file system quite a bit so the Xcellis supports up to 10 billion files within a single system. That’s roughly double what we could support before.

Essentially the magic, the secret source that’s in the product is StorNext.

It’s a high speed file system, but it also has this unique data management capability that allows me to extend that file system that starts out on Xcellis at the primary tier and extend that down through other tiers of storage whether that be extended online with our object storage technology, or tape libraries or even the cloud products that we’ve introduced. StorNext can migrate data to these lower cost tiers when you

don’t need the data in your primary tier, but it does it all whilst still maintaining a single unified name space.”

The cloud products you mentioned. Can you expand on those?

“In the cloud products that we have we’ve utilised Amazon as the back end, so it’s writing to Amazon’s S3 or Glacier depending on which one you’re using.

Geoff Stedman, Senior Vice President, StorNext Solutions, Quantum

When we introduced our cloud products, we first started with a product called Q-Cloud Archives, which uses Amazon S3 as the actual storage repository. Q-Cloud evolved, uses Amazon Glacier as the storage repository, so it’s a much lower cost option for long term storage of content.

The nice thing is the way we’ve integrated it into StorNext. You as a customer do not need to set up your own Amazon account. You don’t need to go figure out what options you need. You don’t need to write any connectors. You simply tell StorNext use Q-Cloud vault - it’s basically three mouse clicks - you type in some credentials that we provide, you set a policy, and then that policy starts migrating content to the cloud.

The nice thing is when that content is moved or copied to the cloud from your main primary StorNext file system, you can still see that content.

You see it as if it was just another file in your file system. So, even when you have a mixed environment or you have some on-premise equipment and you have some off-premise equipment or you’re using off-site storage like Q-Cloud, you’re not losing visibility to your content. StorNext maintains your ability to see all of that content, even if some of it is actually up in Amazon.

Another Cloud feature that’s important for a lot of content companies is client side encryption which basically means you as the content owner maintain the keys for unlocking your content, not Amazon. And for a lot of customers, that was one thing they were waiting for – I’m okay using Amazon, but I want to hold the encryption keys. I don’t want Amazon to hold them. So now we’ve enabled that capability as well within the system.”

And you handle the billing as they’re accessing Amazon through StorNext?

“That’s right. They don’t have to set up an account with Amazon and they don’t have to go through the Amazon billing. What happens is they sign up for the service from us and we’re the front end. We’re kind of the store front - if you will – in front of Amazon. We tell people we’re using the Amazon because people tend to trust Amazon, but we make it so easy that people that are willing to pay us to integrate that into their StorNext environment. And so the relationship stays between the customer and Quantum, and we basically are reselling the Amazon storage as a service.

It’s on a monthly basis, based on amount consumed. So it’s a pay as you grow kind of model.”

Visit www.quantum.com

MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & DAM

Quantum recently upped the ante in throughput and capacity with the launch of its Xcellis high-performance shared workflow storage solution.

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MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT

Sonnet Launches Echo Thunderbolt 2 Dock SONNET TECHNOLOGIES is shipping its new Echo 15+ Thunderbolt 2 Dock, a full-featured, 16-port docking station for computers with Thunderbolt ports. Featuring an optical drive and an internal drive bay, the Echo 15+ offers users a central hub to connect any Mac or Windows computer with a Thunderbolt port to multiple peripheral devices.

Using the peripherals’ supplied cables, a user can plug up to 16 devices into the Echo 15+, including printers, keyboards, mice, cable modems, external hard drives and SSDs, displays, headphones, speakers, microphones, and Apple iOS devices. The user can instantly connect a computer to all of those devices simply by plugging it into the Echo 15+ using a single Thunderbolt cable (sold separately). The Echo 15+ offers a wide range of interfaces, including four for USB 3.0, two for 6Gb/s eSATA, one for FireWire 800, and one for Gigabit Ethernet, as well as two 3.5 millimeter audio inputs, two 3.5 millimeter audio outputs, and dual Thunderbolt 2 ports to support daisychaining of Thunderbolt peripherals. USB 3.0, audio input, and audio output ports are conveniently placed on both the front and back of the enclosure, enabling users to leave frequently used devices connected to the back ports.

In addition to its docking capabilities, the Echo 15+ offers customers their choice of a built-in 8x DVD±RW drive, a Blu-ray BD-ROM/8x DVD±RW drive with Blu-ray player software for OS X, or a Blu-ray burner 4x BD-R/8x DVD±RW drive. The Echo 15+ also provides space, mounting support, and 6Gb/s interfaces for one 3.5-inch or two 2.5-inch internal SATA drives. The

6Gb/s SATA interfaces deliver maximum performance to support a pair of SSDs at up to 750 MB/s or an HDD at its maximum speed.

For deployments in which the computer is located away from the workspace, such as when equipment is secured in a centralised machine room, the Echo 15+ at the user’s desktop can be connected via an optical Thunderbolt cable and Sonnet’s Thunderbolt 2 expansion systems.

The Echo 15+ Thunderbolt 2 Dock with DVD±RW Drive (part number ECHODK-DVD-0TB), the Echo 15+ Thunderbolt 2 Dock with Blu-ray Player (part number ECHO-DK-BD-0TB) and the Echo 15+ Thunderbolt 2 Dock with Bluray Burner (part number ECHO-DK-PRO-0TB) are now available.

Visit www.sonnettech.com

Telestream Upgrades Switch Cross-Platform Media Player & Inspection Tool TELESTREAM, THE PROVIDER of digital video tools and workflow solutions has announced the release of a major new version of its crossplatform media player and inspection tool, Switch. Switch Version 2.0 provides an effective and affordable visual QC tool for a wide range of broadcast production and post-production applications.

Brand new to Switch 2.0 is the Timeline feature, which gives users the ability to view the GOP structure of a video segment, highlighting the I, P, and B frames. As part of the new feature, users can also see the data rate information associated with the video.

The addition of viewing Vertical Ancillary (VANC) data on an external monitor is also new to Switch, allowing broadcasters to be able to view captions on multiple monitors.

MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT

Switch 2.0 incorporates a number of features that make the QC process faster and more intuitive. Included as part of Switch 2.0 is a new “Jump To” feature enabling users to move to a specific timecode, frame or time within the inspected video. Improved system performance results in significantly faster indexing of MXF files and an ability to read Windows Media files are also part of this release.

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Visit www.telestream.net/switch

High-capacity LTO Ultrium 7 Data Cartridge FUJIFILM HAS LAUNCHED its LTO Ultrium 7 Data Cartridge – LTO7.

Adhering to the 7th generation “LTO Ultrium standards” for magnetic tape media, the LTO7 will allow for backup and archive of large volumes of data, high-speed data transfer at 750 MB/sec. (300 MB/sec. for non-compressed data), and offer a storage capacity of 15.0 TB (6.0 TB for non-compressed data).

particle technology and “NANOCUBIC technology, expanding storage capacity to about 2.4 times that of LTO6 at 15.0 TB for compressed data and making data transfers approximately 1.9 times faster, reaching 750 MB/sec for compressed data

Recent technological developments have caused an exponential increase in the quantity of data generated worldwide. Such developments have included increases in data volume following the emergence of highdefinition 4K and 8K video. At the same time, “cold-data”, or data that is rarely accessed as time passes – is estimated to account for over 80% of all data. As the utilisation of accumulated big data rapidly increases, so does the need for reliable and cost effective long term storage of such data for future use.

In order to boost the product’s storage capacity, Fujifilm has achieved highprecision magnetic particle dispersion, has made the magnetic layers thinner, and has reduced minor defects for a better error rate. In this way, Fujifilm has successfully increased recording density by more than two times compared to LTO6. Furthermore, appropriate material design has allowed Fujifilm to boost reliability, durability and tracking performance, while at the same time making the tape layers thinner and improving storage capacity. Moreover, Fujifilm’s BaFe magnetic particles offer low variance in terms of magnetic properties, offering greater stability, and the ability to reliably store data for over thirty years has been verified.

With LTO7, Fujifilm has further developed its proprietary BaFe magnetic

Visit www.FUJIFILM.com.au

MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & DAM

New CalDigit USB-C Docks and Accessories CALDIGIT HAS UNVEILED two new USB Type-C docks, the CalDigit USB-C Dock and the CalDigit USB-C mini Dock. Both products feature USB 3.1 as well as a host of additional ports to expand USB-C enabled computers such as the new Macbook.

CalDigit has also announced two new USB-C adapters. The first of which is the USB-C to HDMI cable and the second is a USB-C to VGA cable. The final product CalDigit is announcing is the FASTA-6GU3 Plus PCIe Card that adds two USB 3.1 and two eSATA ports to desktop computers.

The CalDigit USB-C Dock enhances user connectivity by not only adding extra ports but also simultaneously charging the USB-C computer it is connected to.

Interfaces include: 2 x USB 3.1 Type-C; 3 x USB 3.1 Type-A; HDMI; Display Port; Gigabit Ethernet; Audio In and Out; and AC Power.

The dual display connectivity options of the CalDigit USB-C Dock allow users to connect two 4K monitors at the same time for 4K workflows. This will allow users to take advantage of professional grade 4K monitors for higher resolution workflows.

The device includes 2 x USB Type-C ports and 3 x USB Type-A ports, all of which are USB 3.1 for connecting the latest USB 3.1 devices. USB 3.1 is

backwards compatible, allowing users to connect USB 3.0 and 2.0 devices.

The CalDigit USB-C mini Dock, meanwhile, takes all the features of the CalDigit USB-C Dock and packs them into a smaller form-factor. The main difference between the CalDigit USB-C Dock and CalDigit USB-C mini Dock is that the USB-C Dock connects to AC mains power whereas the CalDigit mini Dock draws its power from the computer.

Interfaces include: 2 x USB 3.1 Type-C; 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A; HDMI; VGA; and Gigabit Ethernet.

The CalDigit USB-C mini Dock connects via the Type-C cable to computers and does not require an external power source. Users can connect their computer’s Type-C power cable to the CalDigit USB-C mini Dock in order to power their computer at the same time.

Visit www.caldigit.com

Bluefish444 Qualifies Accusys ExaSAN Storage BLUEFISH444, the manufacturer of uncompressed 4K/2K/HD/SD SDI video cards, has announced it has certified Accusys’ ExaSan Thunderbolt shared storage, AS16T2-Share, to provide content creators a better 4K workflow user experience across multiple Thunderbolt connected systems.

A storage area network is a crucial element that helps provide content creators with a more effective, high speed, and collaborative workflow.

Workstations using Bluefish444 SDI and HDMI video IO solutions have been qualified to work seamlessly with the Accusys ExaSAN AS16T2Share. Multiple editors, colour correctors and visual effects artists can access the same shared storage system simultaneously, while Bluefish444 Epoch | 4K Neutron and Epoch | Supernova provide high quality 4K/2K/

HD 12-bit and 10-bit SDI/HDMI video within supported professional video applications.

The A16T2-Share is a 16-bay rackmount storage array with four Thunderbolt host ports which allow four Thunderbolt computers to share the content distributed across 16 hard drives with a total capacity of 128TB, and may be further expanded to up to 512TB with the extra JBOD system. Users can configure A16T2-Share as a Storage Area Network (SAN) storage pool when integrated with SAN software, or partition the storage array into several storage volumes and benefit from the high performance Thunderbolt ports as direct attached storage with immense capacity.

Visit www.bluefish444.com and www.accusys.com.tw

FalconStor Unveils OpenStack Cinder Integration

OpenStack is a massively scalable, open source cloud operating system for public and private clouds. FalconStor technology drives reliable cloud data protection services to reduce costs and improve performance. With the combination of FreeStor and OpenStack, organisations can move data management operations to the cloud to deliver efficient replication, protection, disaster recovery and optimisation across their infrastructure.

Cinder virtualises pools of block storage devices while allowing end users to utilise this storage pool without the need for actually knowing where or on what type of device this storage resides. By providing an integration driver to Cinder, FreeStor’s unified data services, such as de-duplication and compression, replication, application-aware snapshots and mirroring, can be converged

and virtualised across all storage environments utilised within the OpenStack framework.

FreeStor’s horizontal architecture unlocks new storage-focused IT opportunities, allowing IT managers, MSPs and CSPs to maximise efficiencies and lower costs while taking advantage of cloud, hybrid cloud, flash storage and SoftwareDefined Storage. An “Intelligent Abstraction” approach delivers seamless access and unified data services across entire storage infrastructures without having to invest in new technology, or rip and replace existing platforms.

FalconStor’s Cinder driver enables access to FreeStor’s data services including support for application-aware snapshots, sync mirroring and replication. It will be submitted to OpenStack for ratification as part of the March Mitaka OpenStack release.

Visit http://freestor.net

MOG Technologies Partners with Scale Logic MOG TECHNOLOGIES, the provider of MXF and centralised ingest solutions, has announced a new partnership with Scale Logic, Inc. (SLI) a global, end-toend solutions company focused on storage and networking infrastructures.

SLI has developed strategic relationships around RAID, Scale-out NAS, SAN, and Archive technology that focus on logical solutions to complex storage needs, particularly in the media and entertainment industry.

MOG provides centralised ingest solutions able to increase the overall performance of production workflows while migrating for file-based

environments, ensuring high interoperability between systems and formats.

The mxfSPEEDRAIL product-line provides a full range of automated solutions for file-based ingest, SD-HD/SDI capture, digital delivery, real time playback, transcoding, and file conversion. mxfSPEEDRAIL and HyperFS can easily integrate while ensuring maximum efficiency from ingest into delivery and archiving. Both systems are scalable to the size of the organisation and customer needs.

Visit www.mog-technologies.com and www.scalelogicinc.com

MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & DAM

FALONSTOR SOFTWARE INC., a developer of software-defined storage solutions, has introduced an OpenStack Cinder Integration for its FreeStor intelligent software-defined platform.

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POST PRODUCTION www.content-technology.com/postproduction

Tokyo Laboratory Ltd, Prasad and RightSmith Launch Integrated Film Digitisation, Restoration and Archiving Project

handling the film material gently, to enable the preservation of images for generations to come.

PRASAD CORPORATION LTD (PRASAD), the provider of integrated post

Masaru Yabe, CEO of Togen said, “Our priority at Togen is to ensure the customer receives the highest quality of service. In addition to working on current digital motion picture film projects we also simultaneously focus on the restoration, archiving and preservation of aged film – to ensure this valuable cultural heritage is accessible for years to come. We are excited to be working alongside Prasad, world-class experts in this field, to useScanity HDR, as part of this process. This is a great opportunity for Togen to accelerate our archiving business in the Japanese market and beyond, into other territories as well.”

production services worldwide, Tokyo Laboratory Ltd (Togen), a market leader in Japanese film post production, and RightSmith K.K. (RightSmith), a provider of global archive and content management services, have together formed a strategic partnership to provide digitisation, restoration and archiving services for the Japanese market.

The new facility, operated by Togen in Tokyo, includes a state-of-the-art 4K Scanity HDR film scanner, which is the first of its kind to be available in Japan.

Manufactured in Germany by Digital Film Technology (DFT), a subsidiary of Prasad, the new scanner will manage even the most aged and damaged film stocks, transferring and preserving images for generations to come. The new facility will be managed and marketed by RightSmith, Prasad’s business partners for the Asia Pacific region. Aged film typically displays a number of issues – including shrinkage, bending, warping, buckling, poor splices, damaged or missing perforations, notched or broken edges. Scanity HDR has been designed to manage the issues present in the most delicate of films,

Scanity film scanners are installed in leading archives around the world including Library and Archives Canada, Slovak Film Institute, Australia’s National Film & Sound Archive, BBC, Disney, Malaysian National Film Development, Technicolor, National Library of Norway and many more.

Narendra Jawahrani, CEO of Prasad said, “Having worked on several international projects over the years, we understand how important it is to have a first-hand knowledge and understanding of the local market. We are delighted to be part of this project. Customers will be able to get the best possible outcome from their film using our Scanity HDR film scanner, and will also benefit from an expert service provided by Togen, one of the most prestigious film laboratories in Japan.”

Mica Imamura, Founder & CEO of RightSmith said, “This partnership is a happy marriage between state-of-the-art film digitization technology and highly optimised services for the Japanese customer. Our mission at RightSmith is to produce the best possible quality film ingest and managed services for both the Japanese and APAC regions. I’m thrilled to be a part of this strategic alliance and look forward to serving Japanese customer.”

Visit www.dft-film.com

Togen Also Takes on Cintel Film Scanner BLACKMAGIC DESIGN HAS ANNOUNCED that Tokyo Laboratory LTD (Togen) has installed its new Cintel Film Scanner, where it will be used to provide real time, Ultra HD digital film scanning and keycode telecine.

Togen range of services includes telecine, editing, colour grading and the latest DCP mastering, as well as traditional film service such as developing, timing and printing.

“We were looking for a successor to our current telecine system,” said Naoki Moriizumi, manager in the Digital Process Group of Togen. “Cintel is capable of scanning in real time, as well as capturing both images and audio so we can use it like a telecine system. Furthermore, we use DaVinci Resolve Studio as a grading system, so we know that we will be able to work efficiently using both Cintel and Resolve.”

POST PRODUCTION

“It is good that Cintel supports three perforations,” said Togen colorist Yasuhiro Matsumoto. “These days, filming with three perforations is widely used for DI and TV commercials. Regular film uses four perforation shooting, with those shot on film but delivered digitally using three perforations shooting. And it is a great that Cintel can be synchronised to flash a light source in the center of a flame, even though it keeps running while scanning.

Also, there is no distortion as films are kept as flat at scanning. It is great to be able to get 4K/30P scanning in real time with this price range.”

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“It is also easy to scan using Cintel. It’s safely designed, so that even if you make mistake in loading a film, you get an error and the film doesn’t get any tension so you don’t have to worry about damaging your negatives,” said Matsumoto.

“One of our film services is developing negatives,” said Katsuji Nishino, general manager in the Image Media Department at Togen. “We use an HD telecine system to check developed films. Usually films are brought in at night, and we deliver developed films the following evening. In the past,

we’ve had to stop telecine jobs for film checks, which is not efficient. So, we began looking for equipment with HD quality for checking negatives, and saw the Cintel Film Scanner at Inter BEE last year. With Cintel, we can check images with the HD monitor while scanning.”

The team at Togen also appreciate the keycode telecine, which they use to create video with keycode burnt in for offline material.

“Currently we capture tape which we did with HD telecine, and burn in keycode using Resolve, and then export it as QT file for offline editing. The workflow will be improved drastically using Cintel Film Scanner, as we can capture images into Resolve directly,” concluded Nishino.

Visit www.blackmagicdesign.com

POST PRODUCTION

Autodesk Introduces Subscription Options for Flame AUTODESK HAS ANNOUNCED new Desktop Subscription options for Autodesk Flame software. Autodesk also announced Flame support for OS X as part of the Autodesk Flame Extension 2 release, available late November 2015. Autodesk Flare and Autodesk Flame Assist software are now available as standalone products with monthly subscription prices.

With these changes, Autodesk is evolving the entire Flame Family to meet the needs of a growing base of creative professionals including freelancers and smaller facilities that need access to powerful 3D visual effects and finishing tools to tackle tough jobs. The new subscription offerings provide a lower cost for facilities expanding their creative capabilities and for smaller studios and individual freelancers who work on a project basis.

Autodesk plans to continue to sell perpetual licenses of Flame Family.

Autodesk has also announced the upcoming Flame Family 2016 Extension 2 releas. It brings new format support and stunning performance gains in colour grading workflows. Lustre Reactor brings new GPU acceleration to

Boris FX Releases Boris Continuum Complete 10 for Avid BORIS FX, A LEADING DEVELOPER in VFX and workflow solutions for film and video, announced Boris Continuum Complete (BCC) 10 for Avid. The recent merger between Boris FX and Imagineer Systems, the developer of mocha Planar Tracking tools, brings the two development teams together for the largest release in the company’s history – delivering new tools for advanced visual effects, title design, digital beauty work, and image restoration to the Avid timeline.

Among the most anticipated features, BCC 10 for Avid includes: integrated mocha technology for planar motion tracking and masking; BCC Beauty Studio, a skin smoothing and retouching plugin; and BCC Title Studio, Boris FX’s next generation 3D titling and motion graphics tool.

“BCC 10 builds on our company history of developing advanced and accelerated 3D titling, effects, and finishing tools,” explains Boris Yamnitsky, president and founder of Boris FX. “The addition of Title Studio, Beauty Studio, mocha, new filters, and new transitions makes this our largest release to date and we are excited about early customer response. Beta testers from the Avid editing community have given us excellent feedback and we look forward to delivering BCC 10 for Adobe, Apple, Resolve, and more hosts very soon.”

BCC 10 for Avid draws upon the strength of past releases to deliver the most comprehensive plug-in package for Avid editors and also includes new filters, new transitions, and a new subscription/rental option.

Visit www.borisfx.com

colour grading workflows and significantly improves performance when using blur, keying and softness controls for both preview and rendering operations.

Other enhancements in Lustre include 32-bit floating point GPU rendering locally, via Shot Reactor and when using Autodesk background rendering software; performance enhancements when working with Open EXR source media with embedded mattes; UI support for high DPI monitors (4K); and new Print View and Print LUT support when using AJA SDI output.

Visit http://www.autodesk.com

Red Giant Releases Trapcode Suite 13 RED GIANT HAS ANNOUNCED the release of Trapcode Suite 13, an upgrade to the their tools for creating motion graphics and visual effects in Adobe After Effects. In addition to major updates to Trapcode Particular, Shine, and Mir, the release introduces Trapcode Tao, a brand new plugin for generating 3D geometries along a path. The update also includes new features in Trapcode Form, Sound Keys and Starglow.

With tools to generate complex procedural 3D geometries using built-in auto paths, mask shapes and the motion from 3D lights, Trapcode Tao brings new depth to motion graphics projects. Thanks to GPU acceleration, processintensive graphics and effects, like image-based lighting, reflection maps and ambient occlusion, all render at incredible speeds.

Offering a more creative and intuitive way to build and customise particle effects, Trapcode Particular’s new Effects Builder lets artists drag and drop blocks of particle behaviours and styles, and includes a built-in instant preview window for immediate feedback. In addition to the massive library of Sprites, users can choose from more than 130 new presets to help kick off any project.

With Trapcode Shine’s new ability to link to an After Effects 3D light, users can generate 3D camera-aware light rays. Shine’s new Fractal Noise tools enable users to add smoky, volumetric lighting to their motion graphics and visual effects. These Fractal Noise tools include masking and Parallax that simulate depth and organic behaviour within the light.

Also getting a major upgrade, Trapcode Mir 2 adds a number of new ways to create and customise dynamic 3D surfaces, such as the ability to spiralise the mesh or deform the surface with spiral rotations. Create seamless looping fractal-based backgrounds, add a second-pass wireframe to create grid overlays on terrains and other surfaces, and choose between quad or triangle-based polygons for a surface.

Visit www.redgiant.com

POST PRODUCTION

“The changes we are making allow us to continue to provide our Flame users with the tools they need to grow and transform their businesses, now and in the future, as well as to ensure that our business continues to serve them. With the new Flame business model, it’s never been easier for artists and studios to access these powerful tools they need for the high-end finishing their customers demand,” shared Marc Stevens, vice president, Film & TV, Autodesk.

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POST PRODUCTION

Cutting Edge Smashes Marvel Project with Sync’ed Render Farms AUSTRALIAN POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY CUTTING EDGE has built a string of studios that employs over 150 artists and reaches from Brisbane to Sydney. When it came to PlayStation Network’s first scripted show, Powers, based on Marvel’s graphic novels, what they couldn’t do was run all render requests off a single dispatcher, and the minutes kept adding up.

Cutting Edge had two big VFX studios, but two times the resources didn’t mean two times the efficiency, especially when the farms didn’t talk to each other.

To create that bridge, the team invested in PipelineFX’s Qube!, a render farm management tool tailored to the needs of big VFX projects.

Qube! can be quickly integrated into any production workflow. Smart Farming delivers intelligence to production pipelines by providing business-critical insight into render pipelines, maximising investment in rendering infrastructure and automating manual processes. Qube! works with all leading content creation applications and is cross-platform with all software components available on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X operating systems.

Plans to link the farms in Brisbane and Sydney started with a test which put render farm managers against each other in a multi-site battle, using both live and offsite workers. This became the proving ground for key needs like: global log files tracking, scripting, platform compatibility and project mirroring. After tests totaling 10,000 jobs, Qube! was declared the winner because of how well it could handle the logs.

“With other render management tools, reading log files for machines that aren’t local was problematic, and reading log files is an incredibly important part of seeing what’s going on and troubleshooting,” said Rangi Sutton, VFX Supervisor at Cutting Edge. “Our TDs and support crew can now dial up logs for a given job through GUIs or the command line tools supplied on any workstation. It’s the only way to see how everything’s going across the sites.”

By running off a single dispatcher, artists can submit jobs onsite or remotely through VPN and get access to the power of two farms. With this single point of control, Cutting Edge can now count the software licences for applications like NUKE for all users over the group. Previously, licence allocations needed to be

predefined between Sydney and Brisbane. During the day the farms consist of dedicated slave units, but after 7pm, all idle workstations join the pool, offering a 20-30% boost in rendering power every night.

Another key feature that drew the team was Qube!’s native compatibility with OSX and Linux, and the Unix-like design.

“We already have in-house tools to manage our environment for our major applications; Maya, C4D, NUKE, Houdini,” added Sutton, “so, we can control the specifics of the software used per project and even per shot. While Qube provides a lot of built-in job types that would help smaller studios kick things off, they don’t get in our way when we choose to ignore them. Essentially, the way we initialise a session at the workstation on the terminal, is exactly the same as what happens on the render farm. We don’t run into new sets of problems for farm-rendered jobs such as user permissions or application versions.”

Running simulations in Houdini proved to be another source of time-savings thanks to per-frame dependencies. In the past, the team found their system was dependent on stages completing before the render could move on. With Qube! that all changed.

“Now we can send stages to the Supervisor and tell Qube! how to perform the operations: pre-processing, simulations, post-processing, followed by rendering,” said Sutton. “We can configure the granularity of these dependencies; simulations will require all the pre-processed geometry to be available before commencing, whereas a Mantra render need only wait for all the geometry for its given frame.

“Using the Qube! Python API, we can describe all these stages from inside of Houdini’s Python interpreter, and submit the whole dependency tree in one go,” said Sutton. “Retakes of big effects scenes can be re-simulated and re-rendered through on a single-button click, without any unnecessary idle render nodes or wrangler intervention.”

In the near future, Cutting Edge will also be able to do something that was impossible before: track farm data for every project.

“We had access to resource tracking – how long a crew has been working on individual shots, different storage stats – but never a stat like comparing CPU cycles against project size. With 50,000 render jobs over the last six months, it’s the aggregate data that Qube! is recording in its data warehouse that will help us make a lot of important strategic decisions. Now we can apply cost-accounting to the render usage, as well as make software license decisions based on the actual usage over time,” concluded Sutton.

Visit www.pipelinefx.com and www.cuttingedge.com.au

DaVinci Resolve Makes the Grade for Japanese Rock Band MAN WITH A MISSION is a Japanese rock band that has had four top 10 singles and four top five albums since its debut in 2012. The band’s hit single, “DIVE,” is the theme song for one of this year’s most popular films, “Shinjuku Swan.” The video, graded with Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve Studio, was composed of shots of the band performing along with scenes involving the film’s lead actor. These were shot in a cold concrete building, using strong light from multiple angles in a dark environment.

Motoki Tanaka, a colourist from Tokyo based post-production company L’espace Vision, graded the video. Tanaka said: “I created several different looks and let the director and the DP choose the best look from those options. The video is lit beautifully throughout, so I added some colours in the highlights and the black, and also added radiance to the highlights to show the lighting more effectively.

“For the actor’s shots, I used DaVinci Resolve’s luminance to pick out highlights on the face, to provide a sharper look. Using luminance only allows me to extract a key as long as some light hits the face.

I created shading on the face by extending or contracting the range of luminance.”

One of Tanaka’s favorite features in DaVinci Resolve is the ability to sort shots in the timeline in order of source timecode.

“By rearranging the timeline Mission completed: Colourist Motoki Tanaka. using source timecode, I can see similar shots placed close together, such as a group of the band’s performance shots and a group of the actor’s shots.

It allowed me to proceed with grading more effectively.”

Visit www.blackmagicdesign.com

AudioDenoise Plugin for Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro POST PRODUCTION

AUDIODENOISE BY CRUMPLEPOP is a plugin that automatically removes

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hiss and background noise from audio tracks inside Final Cut Pro X and Premiere Pro.

works automatically. There is no need to painstakingly select noise regions first. AudioDenoise analyses the audio in your video, identifies the unwanted noise, and removes it.

Designed specifically for video editors, AudioDenoise by CrumplePop automatically cleans up audio tracks, removes microphone hiss, fan noise, and room noise with easy drag and drop functionality.

Freeing up video editors from hours of tweaking audio tracks, users simply drag AudioDenoise onto their audio, and it instantly removes background hiss. There is exactly one control – a “Strength” slider that lets users fine-tune.

At the heart of AudioDenoise is a powerful noise removal algorithm which

Visit https://fxfactory.com

POST PRODUCTION

Forscene Boosts Editing and Collaborative Capabilities The ability to import Avid AAF files — and autoconform timelines based on this data — is one of the release's new features. Long-form broadcast clients often log and create rough cuts in Forscene and then move to Avid to complete their edits. This new feature means that clients can now move seamlessly between Avid and Forscene at any point during the offline edit.

during playback — and to easily toggle between this multidisplay grid view and the usual top-down view of video layers • The option to publish audio-only clips in a variety of formats • Faster publishing for video content with added graphics and overlays Visit www.forscene.com

New Core Algorithm for V-Ray 3.3 for 3ds Max CHAOS GROUP HAS RELEASED A FREE UPGRADE to V-Ray for 3ds Max. The update is said to feature 20-50% faster rendering for most scenes and introduces a new variance-based adaptive sampler (VBAS) for more uniform noise distribution, faster setup, and improved imagery for VR, VFX, and arch-viz workflows.

In one scenario, clients can use the feature to make Avid sequences available for review by parties in different locations. Rather than exporting a QuickTime clip from Avid and then importing it into Forscene, clients can now make the actual Avid timeline available in Forscene.

Variance-Based Adaptive Sampling provides:

In another example, the feature allows production and post teams to collaborate on cuts. Once an editor has refined a sequence created in Forscene, he or she can recreate the Avid timeline in Forscene for the production team to continue working on it.

• Improved alpha channel sampling – especially in scenes with depth of field and motion blur

Other additions to Forscene's feature list include: • Support for up to 12 active video tracks and 24 audio tracks on the timeline • The unique ability to concurrently see all video tracks in a sequence

Autodesk 3ds Max 2016 Extension 2 AUTODESK HAS LAUNCHED Autodesk 3ds Max 2016 Extension 2 for 3D modelling, animation and rendering. Building on 3ds Max 2016 and Extension 1 releases unveiled earlier in 2015, Extension 2 expands the software’s capabilities with new tools and workflow improvements that simplify and accelerate the creation of 3D assets for design visualization and content creation professionals.

New features in 3ds Max 2016: Extension 2, include: • Max Creation Graph Enhancements: Create, manipulate and use shapes and splines with new nodes; import bitmaps and simulation data like CSV or Open VDB files; and more.

• One-Click Print Studio Access: Launch Autodesk Print Studio and export 3ds Max files for 3D printing in one swift click.

• Simple Simulation Data Import: Import and animate accurate simulation data, and visualize how it changes over time with 3ds Max lighting and rendering tools.

• Text and Shape Map: Use objects as a mask to create custom decals, graffiti and other text -based graphics on the fly without leaving 3ds Max. • Text Tool Improvements: Font names are now displayed in the font type, making it faster to find fonts when using Text Tool to apply textures, animations and effects to text.

• Texture Object Mask: Easily and accurately create, place and animate multiple materials, and use any shape to control the application of materials to an object.

Autodesk is also celebrating the 25th anniversary of 3ds Max. Artists are encouraged to share their 3ds Max memories and celebrate 25 years of great work created with the software. Visit area.autodesk. com/25yearsofmax.

Visit www.autodesk.com/products/3dsmax

• Better sampling of dark areas and faster sampling of overbright areas • More consistent noise detection • Final image quality is less dependent on materials and lights settings

• Works in bucket and progressive rendering modes In addition, V-Ray 3.3 for 3ds Max includes over 25 new features and updates. New features include: • New Global Defaults – Variance-based adaptive sampler enabled by default; Automatic sampling of lights and materials – removing the need to set subdivisions manually.

• Ray Traced Rounded Corners – Perfectly smooth edges at render time with no additional modeling (based on licensed technology from NVIDIA); Advanced edge detection with support for concave and convex surfaces simultaneously; Works with separate objects, VRayProxy objects, displaced objects, etc.

• New Sky Model and Aerial Perspective – Hosek sky model to simulate more natural looking skies; Ground color option for VRaySun and VRaySky; Aerial perspective for efficient and realistic atmospheric depth.

• Triplanar Mapping – Fast, seamless textures without UVs; Control over edge blending and texture parameters, including randomization; Works on procedural geometry.

• Improved V-Ray Clipper with Render-Time Booleans – Supports cutaways using any arbitrary mesh.

• Stochastic Flakes – Ultra-realistic materials with sparkle effects like snow, sand, and car paints.

Updated Features include: • Global Illumination – More robust handling of reflective GI caustics, better light propagation, and more natural illumination of interior scenes; Distributed light cache for faster calculations with distributed rendering.

• GPU Rendering – More texture nodes – MultiTexture, VRayMultiSubTex, ColorCorrection, etc.; Proxy objects with hair and particles; VRayFur and VRayPlane objects; Light include/exclude lists.

• Progressive Sampler – Dynamic noise threshold leads to more uniform noise distribution; Improved sub-pixel filtering; Improved CPU utilisation.

• Volume Rendering – Faster volume rendering with probabilistic sampling.

• Geometry – Faster rendering of proxy objects and instances.

V-Ray 3.3 for 3ds Max is a free update for all V-Ray 3.0 customers.

Visit www.chaosgroup.com

POST PRODUCTION

A NEW ITERATION OF FORBIDDEN'S professional video editing software, Forscene, has been released which enables new Avid workflows and increases efficiencies on multitrack productions.

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AUDIO Digital soundwaves

www.content-technology.com/audio

Jünger Audio Delivers 5.1 Audio for The Voice Of China THE AUDIO PRODUCTION TEAM BEHIND THE VOICE OF CHINA, one of the most successful music shows on Chinese television, has been using Jünger Audio loudness control and audio processing equipment to ensure the quality of broadcasts transmitted in 5.1 surround sound.

Screened by Zhejiang Satellite TV, The Voice of China recently completed its fourth series – the most popular and most widely watched to date. Based on the same concept as NBC’s The Voice, the show features four judges/coaches who used blind auditions to identify teams of singers they wanted to work with during the series. Series Four was hosted by Hua Shao, who has been hosting the programme since its inception in 2012, while this year’s coaches were Na Ying, Wang Feng, Harlem Yu and Jay Chou.

Chief audio engineer for the show’s 5.1 surround sound production was Mr. Lou Wei from CTPC Studio, a division of CCTV. Working on behalf of Dolby China and the production company responsible for The Voice of China, Mr Lou has been looking after 5.1 surround sound and broadcasting since the first series.

Lou Wei (Right) with Voice of China engineer.

In China, the format most widely used for surround sound production is Dolby E. However, Dolby Lab’s decision to stop making hardware products to monitor this format left a gap in the market that Jünger Audio – with the backing of Dolby – was only too happy to fill. Its D*AP8 Codec Edition units now incorporate a Dolby decoder as standard, along with a choice of optional encoders, so that broadcast engineers in post-production, DVD and DTV facilities can check the quality of Dolby E, Dolby Digital or Dolby Digitalencoded audio prior to transmission.

Mr. Zhang Yan, Technical Director of Dolby International Services (Beijing) Co., Ltd, says: “After a long period of evaluation and testing, we discovered that the features and specifications of Jünger Audio’s D*AP8 processors, in particular the D*AP8 MAP Monitoring Processors, matched Dolby E productions very well. They support HDSDI embedding and de-embedding, as well as Dolby codecs, which is important because most of video equipment that works with Dolby E also supports HD-SDI, rather than the AES interface.”

Mr. Zhang Yan adds that Jünger Audio’s products provided various interface options, flexible routing and comprehensive features.

“Also, thanks to the ability to customise settings, one Jünger Audio processor can work for many different requirements,” he says.

For The Voice of China, Mr. Zhang Yan and Mr. Lou Wei specified a selection of Jünger Audio equipment, including two D*AP8 TAP EDITION audio processors, which were installed in the transmission chain and used for Dolby E encoding.

Also chosen were two D*AP8 MAP EDITION audio devices incorporating a comprehensive Dolby toolkit including metadata emulation, along with full loudness metering and logging capabilities. These multichannel monitoring units were installed in the programme chain and used for Dolby decoding and metadata emulation. A third D*AP8 MAP was used for Dolby metadata emulation during the music pre-mix sessions, and a 2-channel D*AP4 VAP Voice Audio Processor was used for all vocal balancing and processing, including commentary from the judges and hosts and the singers’ speeches.

AUDIO

Although the finale of The Voice of China is broadcast live from the Beijing Olympic Centre (The Bird’s Nest), all earlier episodes are pre-recorded and post produced by Zhejiang TV’s production staff in conjunction with Mr. Lou and his team. A Jünger Audio Level Magic Plug-In was used at this stage to guarantee overall audio quality and ensure consistent loudness values across the entire 5.1 audio chain.

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Commenting on the choice of Jünger Audio technology, Mr. Lou says: “The leveller feature on the Level Magic Plug In is very useful. It can easily process loudness and dynamic range for vocal signals to ensure the quality of the live shows, while still keeping the workflow moving at a fast pace.”

Nicholas Zhang, Dolby China, with Li Guan Rong.

Mr. Wu Xiao Dong, Director of the Audio Department at the Zhejiang TV Group Production Centre, adds that there is currently great demand for 5.1 surround sound from the ZJTV Group and that Jünger Audio equipment is proving valuable in helping to meet this demand.

“Jünger Audio is one of the few manufacturers that supports all Dolby codec hardware solutions, along with specific voice processing and auto up/down mix features,” he says. “The real benefit these units bring to our productions is the ability to tackle Dolby E encoding, Dolby metadata emulation, loudness and vocal voice processing.

“This year’s The Voice of China season finale was broadcast live in 5.1 and we used a selection of Jünger Audio units to ensure that we provided a great experience for audiences at home. The units all worked well and we were very happy with their performance.”

Mr. Wu Xiao Dong adds that the Zhejiang Radio and TV Group Production Centre is no newcomer to Jünger Audio technology, having been using company’s products since 2011.

“Jünger Audio has been excellent at providing us with technical training, technical support and even product loan,” he says. “We are about to increase our stock of the company’s products because we’ve recently ordered a number of Jünger Audio units, including Dolby codec products for up/ downmixing, for our newly built International TV and Film Production Centre.

In the future I can see there being more demand for Jünger Audio products as 5.1 surround sound programme production increases.”

Visit www.jungeraudio.com

AUDIO

Skywalker Sound Awakens New Force in Studio Monitors MEYER SOUND HAS INTRODUCED AMIE — the first studio monitor from the company in more than two decades. Developed to meet the demanding needs of Skywalker Sound, Meyer says Amie brings “a level of clarity professionals can trust, making it ideal for critical production environments where accurate translation to larger systems is imperative”.

Tasked by Skywalker Sound to create a new studio monitor with precision translation, exceptional power, and a great price point, Meyer Sound has created a product that brings tremendous accuracy for everything from the intricate details of dialogue to dynamic music tracks to explosive action sequences.

Designed as a linear sound system to reproduce every sonic element with

utmost accuracy and consistency, Amie extends the exceptional translation of the Meyer Sound Acheron screen channel line to studio monitoring.

Amie features an innovative waveguide design that offers exceptionally uniform coverage and precision imaging. With its extremely flat frequency and phase response and low distortion, Amie allows sound professionals to listen for long periods of time without the typical strain and fatigue.

Built in Berkeley, Calif. with the highest quality materials and Meyer Sound’s quality control, Amie is designed for film, broadcast or gaming post-production.

Visit www.meyersound.com

RTW Supports New EBU Loudness Specs

With the updates, the main EBU Loudness Recommendation (EBU R 128) stays unchanged, but the supplement dealing with short-form content has been simplified. In the previous version, users could use either a maximum Momentary or a maximum Short-term loudness measurement as a parameter to characterise and control the loudness of commercials,

Clear-Com Updates HelixNet Partyline Platform CLEAR-COM HAS ANNOUNCED that its HelixNet Version 3.0, a softwareonly update to its HelixNet digital network partyline platform is now shipping. The new version unlocks the overall capacity of the HelixNet system allowing it a six-fold expansion for supporting more communication channels and more users during live productions.

The HelixNet multiplies its basic channel count by three, with a new offering of 12 channels per HMS-4X Main Station. In the previous version, users had to link three HMS-4X Stations together in order to achieve the same number of channels. This capability brings greater capacity and flexibility to larger productions requiring more distinctive talk groups. Furthermore, an additional 12 channels can be added simply by purchasing a licence, effectively enabling a single HMS-4X to provide a total of 24 channels.

In order to support this expanded channel count, any combination of HelixNet Main Stations or Remote Stations (HRM) can be configured to function as expansion key stations. With multiple devices acting as one system, users are able to address all users on HelixNet with a single headset/ mic/loudspeaker. Pressing the “All Talk” key gives access to all channels in a linked and expanded system.

HelixNet 3.0 also features a free browser-based software tool, called Core Configuration Manager (CCM). This enables easy online set-up and configuration of all HelixNet devices via the latest versions of all major browsers on Mac, PC and tablet platforms. CCM offers visual representation of all connected devices and functions, and the save/restore function allows easy duplication of systems. All configurations can be edited via the CCM software or via the traditional menu system on the HelixNet Main Station.

Visit www.clearcom.com

promos, etc. In the new version, only the short-term measurement is required.

The ‘EBU Mode’ Loudness Metering specification (EBU Tech 3341) has been updated with new minimum compliance requirements, and various clarifications. The complementary EBU Loudness test set has been extended with 15 new test signals.

Users can download the latest firmware for free by logging onto RTW’s website at http://www.rtw.com/nc/en/download/manuals-software.html

Upmix Unit with Loudness Compliance DSPECIALISTS DIGITALE AUDIO-UND MESSSYSTEME GMBH, a provider of development services and products for digital audio signal processing has announced a new software release with improvements for its upmix unit ISOSTEM. Taking European Broadcast Union (EBU) program loudness standards into account, the ISOSTEM upmix and downmix functions guarantee that the program loudness of the original signal, adjusted according to the EBU R128, is maintained without any impairment to the well-known.

The latency is 40ms as in previous versions. Additional improvements have been integrated into this release, too. It is now available for download on the website.

ISOSTEM is an upmix system that generates a fully adequate surround sound from stereo signals in realtime and is therefore suited for use in broadcasting, studios and post production. It is fully compatible with stereo, delivering a surround stem that downmixes exactly to the original stereo.

Visit www.isostem.de/upmix/downloads

AUDIO

RTW HAS ANNOUNCED that all recently published updates to R128

by EBU are supported by the company’s Touchmonitor instruments, its flagship SurroundControl 31900 and 31960 series and all software products that perform loudness measurements.

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AUDIO

Customisable Audio Analyser DK-TECHNOLOGIES HAS LAUNCHED a new concept where customers can create and build their own analyser by choosing the functions they want installed in the device, a new hardware platform called DK T7M++.

The new DK T7M++ hardware platform is available both as a desktop version and a rack mount version. Users can order the unit to cater for their needs without purchasing all the software applications immediately and can add more functions to the unit later without purchasing more hardware.

DK-Technologies says it has created a wide range of software applications from which users can purchase functionalities to install right away to suit their workflows on a daily basis. Functionalities can be added on the fly when needed.

The range of software applications includes: Analogue Enable Option; AES Enable Option; SDI Enable Option; MADI; Ravenna; Memory Extended; Waveform; Waveform Extended; LipSync; Starfish Surround, 5.1-7.1; Atmos Surround; Loudness Extended; Spectrum Analyser; Automation; Time Module; Audio Extended; Advanced Logging Option; LipSync Auto Align; and Network Option.

BAE Audio Ships New Compressor/Limiter BAE AUDIO HAS ANNOUNCED that its new 10DCF Compressor is shipping and features Carnhill and Jensen transformers, and all discrete circuitry while adding a brand new, inductor-based bypass filter.

The new bypass filter delivers increased flexibility while recording low frequency ranged instruments, and engages at 50, 80, 160 and 300Hz – suitable for users who want to compress a broad frequency range while leaving lower frequencies uncompressed. The 10DCF units are also stereo linkable, making them the perfect complement for the output stage of a mixer.

The 10DCF also features a useful range of features on its front panel, including Elma stepped switches for each control, BAE Audio’s trademark Marconi knobs, and a gastank style analogue meter. The combination of these elements provides users with accurate visual and tactile reference points as they adjust and shape their sounds. The metering on the 10DCF incorporates a sleek and simple design, with easy to read white lettering set against a black background in a rugged gastank style encasement.

Visit www.baeaudio.com/products/10dcf

Visit www.dk-technologies.com

Avid Pro Tools Update Accelerates Audio Editing AVID HAS ANNOUNCED a new software update for its industry-

Track Bounce – typically used for making final output renders or stems

standard digital audio software, Avid Pro Tools, available to Pro Tools 12 customers with Avid All Access plans.

of tracks for archiving or workflows involving moving audio files to

The new Avid Pro Tools update focuses on the Track Freeze feature designed to manage, simplify and speed up processor-intensive sessions, and better facilitate collaborative workflows. The improvements build on the previous Pro Tools 12.3 Commit and Track Bounce workflows, enabling audio professionals to work more efficiently and easily prepare projects for mixing, collaborating with others or final delivery.

Between Freeze, Commit, and Track Bounce in Pro Tools 12.4, users have a number of tools to suit any situation and workflow that arises.

These include: Track Freeze – a way to quickly free up DSP resources on the fly to keep the creative process moving, and jump back to make a quick tweak if needed.

Track Commit – another great way to free up DSP resources, but users can also edit and make changes to the newly created clip, and choose what happens to the original track.

other software platforms.

The new Pro Tools 12.4 update is free of charge to Pro Tools 12 customers with current Avid All Access upgrade plans. New Pro Tools 12 perpetual licenses include a renewable one-year All Access plan that gives customers access to the latest upgrades as well as a new bundle of creative plug-ins for the whole year. All Access plans also come with subscription licenses and are available for the term of the subscription. Existing customers with older versions of Pro Tools can purchase an All Access annual upgrade plan.

The Annual Upgrade Plan for Pro Tools | HD systems includes upgrades, access to the HD plug-in bundle and standard support for one year. All new Pro Tools | HDX and HD Native systems come bundled with this plan, which can be renewed each year thereafter.

Visit www.avid.com

New from NUGEN at NAMM NUGEN AUDIO ANNOUNCED new updates and feature enhancements to

often results from the codec conversions required to deliver audio to online

its high-end mix and mastering tools, including SEQ-ST, a linear phase spline EQ with powerful sonic sculpting and EQ matching, stereo midside operation, and automated spectrum analysis.

platforms. NUGEN Audio introduced ISL 2st in response to demand for a

SEQ-ST allows audio to be massaged and corrected with very high resolution that is not possible using a traditional parametric interface. A new filtermorphing feature allows fluid morphing between two sets of filter curves under full user control.

AUDIO

Also new is MasterCheck, an audio plug-in designed to facilitate mix and mastering for loudness-normalised playout, which is now standard on iTunes, Spotify, DAB, and many other online platforms. MasterCheck reveals how the consumer will hear audio on these and other music platforms by using internationally recognised loudness, dynamics, and true-peak standards.

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ISL 2st, meanwhile, provides true-peak compliance, essential in preparing all audio for loudness normalisation because it prevents the distortion that

highly robust, transparent true-peak limiter. ISL 2st is a stereo-only version of NUGEN Audio’s ISL 2 solution. ISL 2st DSP is also now available for Avid Pro Tools HDX users.

NUGEN also announced an update to its Visualizer Audio Analysis Solution, the company’s audio-analysis plug-in and stand-alone metering system. The latest version of Visualizer includes a new comparison mode, a significant upgrade to the Lissajous view, and numerous fine-tuning improvements, further enhancing intuitive operation and allowing rapid adjustment to achieve a perfectly optimized visualization for the task at hand.

Visit www.nugenaudio.com

AUDIO

Solid State Recorder with Mic Preamps

TASCAM HAS ANNOUNCED has announced the SD-20M, a simple-

• RCA stereo line inputs and outputs

to-use solid-state recorder in a 1U rackmount size that includes a pair of microphone pre-amps with phantom power for direct microphone recording. Both the mic inputs and line inputs can be recorded simultaneously in four-channel mode. The dual recording mode captures a copy of the user’s audio at a lower level, as insurance against distorted takes.

• WAV or MP3 recording formats supported

The SD-20M includes a battery backup system – AA batteries can keep recording for hours in case of power loss. A wired remote or footswitch can be attached to control recording and playback. Variable speed playback allows the playback to be changed without affecting the pitch TASCAM SD-20M features include: • Four-channel solid-state recorder • Two microphone inputs with phantom power on XLR – 1/4" combo jacks

• AA battery backup – keeps recording even after power loss • SDXC media slot supports up to 128GB cards • File divide feature • Dual recording function records a copy of your audio at a lower level for a distortion-proof safety track • Variable speed playback changes speed without changing the pitch • 1/4" stereo headphone output • Remote jack for wired or footswitch control The SD-20M will be available from May, 2016.

Visit www.tascam.com

CEDAR Announces Cambridge V10 CEDAR AUDIO HAS ANNOUNCED the availability of CEDAR Cambridge V10, which adds new modules, new power and additional versatility to the company’s flagship audio restoration and speech enhancement system.

videos to run alongside audio files, which is a boon for post-

New features include:

CODECs, so the decoupling of the audio and video makes it possible

but only require a low-resolution reference video. This combination of hi-res audio and lo-res video is not provided by common video to choose appropriate formats for each.

Other additions include extended Hot Keys, improvements in the batch processor, and improved layouts to facilitate internationalisation.

Software upgrades to both the core system and to existing licensed

• Retouch 7 – Available on CEDAR Studio 7 and CEDAR for Pyramix, Retouch 7 is now available on CEDAR Cambridge. With its Cleanse and History processes (the latter of which allows users to restore any area of the audio file to any point in its processing history, from the moment it is opened to its current state) it provides a quick and easy spectral editor.

modules are provided free of additional charge to existing users. A full

• DNS One with Learn provides noise suppression with instant results.

Its Learn capability is able to obtain optimal results at the press of just a single button, and adapts to changes in the background so that the process can be left to suppress the noise while users deal with other tasks.

drive (SSD) in addition to the conventional 2TB hard disk drive

Other new features include:

Both are shipped with Windows 10 Pro 64-bit operating system

• History Sessions – Many software packages create a history trail as you use them, and then allow you to step backward and forward through this should you wish to return to a previous state. CEDAR Cambridge V10 takes this concept an important step further. When you save a session, it not only saves the current state of the audio but also the complete Undo/Redo stack so that you can later reload the session and step back all the way to the first time that the audio was loaded should you need to do so.

• Attaching video files – CEDAR Cambridge V10 allows users to load

set of OS and hardware upgrade options are also offered.

CEDAR Audio has also announced two new versions of its CEDAR Cambridge Series IV host systems. Designed to provide fast booting, loading and response, these now include a 256GB solid-state boot provided for audio storage. As before, two versions are offered – an 8-core system for standard use and an expanded 16-core version for users taking full advantage of the system’s server capabilities. and supplied with the new Quiet Pro keyboard that combines quiet operation with three USB ports that allow users to load or stream audio through CEDAR Cambridge V10 from USB drives and memory sticks plugged directly into the keyboard.

CEDAR Cambridge Series IV host systems running Windows 10 Pro will support CEDAR Cambridge V8 and V9 software as well as the current V10 system. Earlier versions are not supported.

Visit www.cedaraudio.com

AUDIO

• FNR, an automated noise reduction system for speech. It has been designed for audio with very poor signal/noise ratios and is suitable for audio forensic and security users, as well as post and broadcast when there is simply no other way to reveal the wanted speech in interviews and news reports recorded in challenging environments.

production engineers who need to process high-resolution audio,

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RADIO The original broadcast media

www.content-technology.com/radio

Betar, GatesAir Bring HD Radio to Bangladesh GatesAir, the provider of wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio and TV broadcasters, will turn on the first two HD Radio stations in South Asia in early 2016 for Betar, the national government broadcaster for Bangladesh.

UPON EVALUATING DIGITAL RADIO STANDARDS, Betar chose HD Radio due to its “exceptional audio quality and multichannel opportunities”, and selected GatesAir due to its leadership and innovation for HD Radio in the Americas and internationally. Betar, additionally, chose GatesAir for its ability to provide a turnkey, lowmaintenance over-the-air solution under a tight deadline, as well as local sales and support.

“Dhaka is considered the tenth largest city in the world, with a population of more than 18 million in the greater region,” said Mr. Md. Abul Bashar Patwary, project director, Betar Engineering. “We therefore required a highly reliable, easily serviceable over-the-air delivery platform to ensure consistently strong coverage across the entire region. GatesAir’s ability to provide a reliable, US-made platform in a timely manner is helping us get on the air faster — and on the leading edge of digital radio.”

GatesAir worked closely with Betar across site planning and system design, including all transmission, antenna, monitoring and peripheral equipment.

Along with the Flexiva transmitters, the complete solution includes a GatesAir Exgine4 HD Radio platform featuring a FlexStar HDI-200 Importer and HDE-200 Exporter at the studio. In addition to program audio, this architecture allows Betar to deliver program-associated data services (logos, station ID information, artist/song title details) over a single stream to the transmitter — with plenty of bandwidth to add more program channels in the future. Signal coverage is strengthened through a higher-than-usual FM tower for Betar (250 feet as opposed to 200) and a panel antenna — the first of its kind deployed in Bangladesh.

Betar also took advantage of training opportunities and ongoing local support provided through GatesAir. Betar representatives travelled to GatesAir’s Quincy, Illinois, manufacturing centre to receive training on the entire system, while GatesAir and local partner Resources-21 Limited

Jhonny Maroun of GatesAir (seated, right) with the Betar engineering and management team at the signing of the agreement

will ensure Betar engineers are supported through the installation and commissioning process — and for years following the stations’ launch.

“GatesAir worked closely with the Betar team to ensure the end-to-end system is specified to their exact needs in a very challenging operating environment,” said Jhonny Maroun, regional sales manager for the Middle East and South Asia (MESA), GatesAir. “We are honoured to be working with Betar in this historical project.”

Visit www.gatesair.com

Mediacorp Celebrates 80 Years of Radio Broadcasting SINGAPORE’S MEDIACORP is marking 80 years of radio broadcasting in 2016. Back in June 1936, Radio transmission began in Singapore with one radio station operating from a government building in Empress Place.

From a single station, Mediacorp today has a network of 13 FM stations that broadcast mainly in the four national languages. Mediacorp’s radio stations play an integral role in the lives of Singaporeans reaching out to more than 80% of the population. On average, each Mediacorp radio listener spends more three hours a day tuning in to their favourite stations.

To celebrate the occasion, Mediacorp has planned a series of activities to engage its listeners, advertisers and the community. As well as a Series of concerts, Mediacorp Radio 80 celebration highlights include:

RADIO

• Voice of Radio (寻找星声音). Singapore’s top three radio stations – LOVE 97.2FM, YES 933 and Capital 95.8FM – will launch a search for the next generation of Chinese-speaking radio talents. Winners will be offered a deejay contract with Mediacorp.

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• Radio Gives Back. An initiative launched in 2011 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of radio broadcasting in Singapore, makes a comeback. In reprising this CSR activity, Mediacorp will adopt 80 needy families and provide them with household necessities for an entire year, supported by sponsoring partners, Daikin Airconditioning (Singapore), Chan Brothers Travel and Harvey Norman.

• Radio 80 Exhibition. An exhibition on 80 Years of Radio in Singapore will be presented at the National Museum of Singapore, in collaboration with the Singapore HeritageFest 2016. This exhibition will focus on the importance of radio in bringing communities together, and its influence on cultural identity.

• TV sitcom. A 13-part comedy about a fictional radio station will screen on Mediacorp’s Channel 5. As well as a bunch of talented, eccentric deejays, there will be cameo appearances by popular local radio personalities.

• An update of MeRadio. Mediacorp’s radio app, which reaches over 500,000 visitors monthly, will see a refresh by introducing a better interface for accessing all of Mediacorp’s 13 radio stations and new features to enhance listeners’ experience.

Ms Debra Soon, Head, Family (English) and Premier Segments and Chair of Mediacorp’s Radio 80 Committee said, “People love radio for its personal and portable nature. Our radio stations have thrived by focusing on listeners, and remaining informative and entertaining. In a disruptive media landscape, we will continue to adapt, so look forward to more innovations from us, to take radio beyond 80 years.”

Visit www.mediacorp.sg

RADIO

Rebirth for Klotz Audio Technology

Lost Radio Content Now Found by Rewind Radio

THE KLOTZ AUDIO BRAND HAS BEEN REBORN with the assets of Qphonics (formerly Klotz Digital) being purchased by Klotz Communications from the former Qphonics’ insolvency lawyers.

Klotz Communications was founded in January 2015 by original Klotz Digital founder Thomas Klotz with partner Andre Sauer. The company offers a complete suite of consoles and routers to serve the radio industry, from small stand-alone consoles to large, complex broadcast centres.

According to the pair, buying back the assets of Qphonics “… closes the loop on what Klotz Communications set out to achieve, which is to help existing users of the VADIS platform to extend the product’s lifecycle and the investment they made in Klotz Digital, and at the same time provide a safe upgrade path to the next generation of products and technology.”

Klotz Communications is now the sole owner of all intellectual property, including hardware and software, and controls all licensing, maintenance and upgrades for the VADIS platform worldwide. The buy-back also gives the company access to a warehouse of spare parts, console surface modules, and critical elements such as PSUs and controller modules for Vadis frames of various generations.

“Over the last 12 months we have contacted many of the long-term Vadis users and found that most systems are still in use 14-plus years after they were installed, despite the corporate changes at Klotz Digital/Qphonics, and the lack of support that resulted from those changes,” commented Thomas Klotz. “In conversations with endusers we learned that the hardware was rock solid and hadn’t failed on them over all these years. What we also learned was that users were hesitant to change their system as research showed that other systems couldn’t replicate the flexibility and adaptability to a station’s workflow like a VADIS

OVER 1 MILLION HOURS OF RADIO CONTENT is broadcast daily around the world. A new online product, Rewind Radio (www.RewindRadio.com), has been launched to help radio stations make their audio content more searchable and shareable, quickly and simply.

The online platform allows listeners and/or station producers to create a clip just seconds after audio has gone to air, and share it with listeners.

The Australian invention is the brainchild of IT entrepreneur and former radio broadcaster Anthony Gherghetta, who came up with the idea three years ago and has been developing the product since then.

“There is so much radio content broadcast everyday and most of this content disappears the second it leaves the transmitter. Rewind Radio is designed to capture ‘radio moments’ that can be stored forever and easily shared on social media.”

Rewind Radio company chairman Steve Ahern says the invention fills a muchneeded gap in radio industry workflow.

“My company, AMT, works with stations all over the world to make their workflow more efficient, but there was always a gap – how to allow producers or listeners to immediately retrieve audio that just went to air, then listen again and share it.

“When Anthony came to me with his idea, I could see it filled that gap perfectly, so I invested in the company to bring the product to market.”

When stations take out an account with Rewind Radio, the platform ingests a station’s broadcast stream and from then on is ‘always listening.’ They can make the feed public or restrict it only to staff. When a producer or listener wants to make a clip and share it, the service has the audio ready to go and can create a clip in seconds with as few as four mouse clicks.

system can, so there was a real pull for Klotz Communications to buy back what was lost under unfortunate circumstances five years ago.”

In addition to the renewed VADIS support, Klotz Communications has also launched the Touchstone controller and the Broadcast Productivity Suite of software applications specifically targeted at the radio market. A new console surface, DC3, is scheduled for release in 2016.

As well as moving to bigger facilities, the company has established regional support offices in China, Singapore, Germany and the USA to be closer to the market and support the existing systems.

Users of the VADIS platform, including DC2, AEON, and XENON consoles, are encouraged to contact Klotz Communications at info@ klotzcommunications.com to discuss immediate service and support requirements.

Visit www.klotzcommunications.com

A range of stations around the world, including BFM Malaysia, Radio Romania and 2SER FM Sydney, have been using the service in beta-test mode for some months and are pleased with the results Ahern says, “Stations using Rewind Radio tell us that it is perfect for sharing quick turn-around audio. Podcasts and audio downloads are useful for long form content, but there are lots of short grabs and interviews that never make it to a station’s webpage, social media or podcast feed because they take too much work to edit. Rewind Radio streamlines that process.

“One broadcaster told me his manager was always asking him to put up more content on the station’s social media feeds during the show, but he couldn’t figure how to do it easily and quickly. Rewind Radio solved that problem for Rewind Radio offers broadcasters a range of audio catch up services for a small monthly fee.”

Rewind Radio partnerships director Daniel Laforest said, “Small regional stations particularly like the product because they don’t have lots of staff allocated to production. Rewind Radio lets them create and share clips quickly while they are still on air and brings rich content to their social media feeds.”

Broadcasters can go to the www.rewindradio.com website to try out the service, and contact Daniel Laforest daniel@rewindradio.com for a quote on professional usage.

RADIO

New console surface from a new Klotz, the DC3 is scheduled for release in 2016.

Another problem with audio on the internet is that it is difficult for search engines to index. Rewind Radio now makes radio content more searchable, and stations using the service have found that their online audio presence has increased after using it.

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RADIO

WinMedia Pushes Media Convergence with Radiovision WINMEDIA, the developer of automation and content management software solutions for media organisations, has announced the launch of a new concept called “Radiovision”.

Not to be confused with “Visual Radio”, WinMedia says the two concepts are quite different.

Where Visual Radio is a combination of automatic camera switching, video playlist following the radio playlist with graphic overlays in real time, Radiovision allows DJs to directly control video playlists, using WinMedia intuitive On-Air interface.

So far, because of high latency resulting in insufficient reactivity when trying to mix a video playlist, DJs had to work with an audio playlist controlling a slave video programming.

A single and unique playlist is prepared and broadcasted. Audio coming from the video card arrives to the console combined with

microphones sources, before being sent to a 4K-production switcher for mixing and synchronisation with the video and camera signals.

The switcher delivers highquality video masters, which are immediately sent to WinMedia Logger for immediate IPTV and streaming distribution.

According to WinMedia, as younger generations are consuming media on mobile and screen devices and prefer watching content than merely listening to it, radio stations need to complement their offering.

In this respect, Visual Radio has been a first step toward media convergence.

Now, with Radiovision, WinMedia says radio stations can grow their audience without having to feed and operate separate workflows.

WinMedia Radiovision is already in use having been installed at Radio Nord Martinique in the Caribbean since the end of 2015.

Visit www.winmedia.org

HTML5 Player with Nielsen Audience Measurement StreamGuys, the content delivery network and streaming media provider, has integrated SGplayer, its HTML5 multimedia player, with Nielsen to enhance online audience measurement for radio broadcasters. Nielsen’s certification of the technology as a “Nielsen SDK-enabled player” confirms that SGplayer will send pertinent end-user events to Nielsen to help provide detailed insights into listener demographics.

technologies delivers the authenticity in digital media reporting that has long been a challenge for broadcasters,” said Jason Osburn, executive vice president, StreamGuys. “As delivered through the trusted voice of Nielsen, advertisers are assured a thorough measurement platform that delivers reliable demographics.”

The client-side analytics delivered through SGplayer provide a unique perspective on the user experience, which is invaluable to the content provider.

This integration of Nielsen’s SDK means that Nielsen subscribers can unify analytics across multiple vendors and platforms.

SGplayer is a cloud-based HTML5 player with rollback Flash capability that delivers rich metadata (album art, artist, song and more), dynamic ad insertion, and multiple streams over a single SaaS platform, ensuring a high-quality audience experience across all web browsers and mobile devices. SGplayer’s compatibility across all consumer devices assures that Nielsen receives metrics from the widest online audience possible.

“Nielsen’s integration with SGplayer and other innovative broadcast

Visit www.streamguys.com

Lawo Sapphire Compact Mixing Desk UNVEILED AT IBC 2015, Lawo’s sapphire compact mixing desk is now shipping. Providing a new, small mixing surface with either eight or twelve motorised faders, sapphire compact is equipped with VisTool 5.0 software for extended visualisation and control and with new features designed to help simplify the workflow of even the most complex radio programming. Sapphire compact is suited to quick-moving, interactive news and call-in shows.

RADIO

Autogain, for example, is designed for multiple-mic talk shows and news programs; with the push of a single button, Autogain adaptively optimizes the dynamic range of all active microphone preamps, turning microphone chaos into a smooth, even mix of voices.

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Another Lawo development, Automix, is an

exclusive, intelligent DSP algorithm which gives presenters the power to create radio shows virtually hands-free. Automix works by intelligently riding the gain of any combination of mono and stereo input signals to produce error-free mixes — freeing talent to prepare for what’s next.

Another feature present in sapphire compact is a unique “layering” capability, which enables the console to manage a live broadcast while, at the same time, performing alternate tasks such as voice tracking, phone call editing, and even light production.

Sapphire compact is available in both desktop and flush-mount styles. A powerful, compact 1RU mixing engine includes a full suite of sophisticated signal processing functions, along with analog and digital I/O, plus AoIP and baseband connections.

Sapphire compact comes with VisTool screen building application software, designed to easily create custom status displays, tablet and touchscreen based button panels and even mixing console controllers. VisTool also serves to capture and manage snapshots and offers sophisticated rights management functionality. The new 5.0 version adds GUI elements including the ability to place web page objects on custom panels. It also provides integration to more devices via the Ember+ control protocol while a new logic engine enables rules-based decisions and actions.

Visit www.lawo.com

CONTENT DELIVERY Terrestrial, Mobile, Broadband

www.content-technology.com/delivery

Confusion as Pakistan Postpones DTH Auction THE PAKISTAN ELECTRONIC MEDIA REGULATORY AUTHORITY

resolved that all possible measures shall be taken to ensure transparency.”

(PEMRA) postponed bidding for the granting of new Direct to Home (DTH) Broadcasting Licences which was scheduled to be held on Monday, December 7, 2015. The move left application funds frozen and investors confused with PEMRA citing the appointment of a new Chairman, Mr. Absar Alam, as the reason behind the delay.

Up for grabs were three licences for Direct-To-Home distribution services,

At his first meeting as Chairman on December 01, 2015, Mr Alam said that he had hardly a spent few hours in the post but was being asked to follow the bidding time line of December 7, 2015 for the DTH licences in what was the biggest and most significant project of PEMRA’s history, a project involving “multi-million dollars of investments and revenues”.

PEMRA. The variable fee was to be waived for the initial three years licence.

According to a PEMRA statement, Mr Alam asked, “… how he can be able to take any decision/position on such an important and significant project unless he does not know or is briefed about the project, its committee, criteria, procedures, guidelines and other important legal matters.”

each with a base price of Pak Rs. 200 million (USD$1.9 million), an annual variable licence fee of 2% of the gross revenue generated from DTH service and a fixed annual fee of PKR 10 Million (USD$96,000) paid to Under the terms of the DTH Licences, the Licencees would have been authorised to establish and operate a DTH Distribution Service by uplinking from within Pakistan and uplink eligible television channels/FM radio transmissions to a designated satellite (preferably Pakistani) for direct distribution to individual subscribers across Pakistan. Licencees could relay 20 thematic channels or as many as determined by the Authority “from time to time”. The Licences were to be valid for a period of 15 years, on

In order to “address these issues and to eschew foreseeable legal complications”, Mr Alam requested that the scheduled bidding be delayed to “… fully understand the project.”

a non-exclusive basis, with Licencees being able to apply for renewal of

According to PEMRA, the matter was also discussed with law experts present in the meeting. The Authority has called for a detailed working paper to be prepared for its consideration, “… keeping in view all legal aspects and security issues regarding the DTH project.”

November, 2015), PEMRA stated 10 applications had been received from

PEMRA expressed its “… resolve to complete the DTH process at the earliest without compromising on law in a transparent and fair manner. It was

licences 36 months before the end of the licence period.

As of the deadline for submission of applications for the DTH licences (6th prospective applicants.

According to the Authority, “Further decision in the matter shall be taken in its next meeting.” No date had been set as of time of going to press.

Visit www.pemra.gov.pk

Korea Telecom Picks Ericsson Encoders for 20 New HD Channels AS COMPETITION IN THE KOREAN VIDEO MARKET intensifies, Korea Telecom (KT), the nation’s largest IPTV operator, has chosen Ericsson’s AVP 400 MPEG-4 HD system encoders to enable 20 new HD channels over the next three years.

Ericsson’s AVP 4000 MPEG-4 HD system encoders are designed to meet the needs of IPTV, cable, satellite and transmission. The Ericsson AVP 4000 is powered by the company’s first proprietary programmable video processing chip. The solution also includes Ericsson nCompass; a platform

that enables service providers fully automated failure detection and switching, equipment configuration and scheduling from a single view.

The installation of the Ericsson AVP 4000 encoders, which are used by more than 80 percent of the Korean IPTV Head End market, will reduce KT’s encoding delay to less than 700ms. This future-proofed solution will also enable KT to deliver further future upgrades, including a pathway to UHDTV. Visit www.ericsson.com

Benchmark Integrates Monitoring for NXT Digital’s HITS Service NXT DIGITAL HAS CHOSEN Benchmark Broadcast Systems for the

and any deviations are immediately brought to the attention of the operators

integration and commissioning of the End-to-End Monitoring System for their recently launched HITS service. The system installed by Benchmark includes:

through visual, audio and email alerts. There is also a talkback intercom

The Penalty Box solution gives a complete visual capability for operators to see signals that are having issues like video missing, audio missing, video

• Monitoring of ten TV and five radio channels broadcast from the facility

freeze, silent, or black. This helps them to drill down to the source of the

• The system has been designed with ease of use and 24×7 operations as the primary considerations while meeting the capacity required for the monitoring. Appropriate redundancy has been built-in to the design to ensure high availability.

problem and fix the root cause quickly.

The splitters, analysers and multiviewers used in the facility are linked through network switches and use a Network Management System as the backbone of the solution. This enables constant checking of all parameters

All the audio monitoring solutions in the implementation are capable of monitoring mono, stereo, or Dolby 5.1 audio across the facility. These units also support multiple audio channels in the same embedded signal and can also be listened to as separate audio channels.

Visit www.benchmarkbroadcast.com

CONTENT DELIVERY

• Sources and Off-air monitoring of more than 500 Free to Air and Pay TV channels

system linking the major operational areas of the facility.

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CONTENT DELIVERY

Bangladesh’s Deepto TV Launches with Advanced Broadcast Solutions

By Phil Sandberg

It is a rare media business that goes from launch to top of the national ratings in just two months, but that’s exactly what Bangladesh’s Deepto TV has done, powered by a combination of HD programme content and a technology platform designed and implemented in conjunction with systems integrator Advanced Broadcast Solutions.

Shooting on the set of Deepto TV drama Oporajita

LAUNCHED ON CABLE AND SATELLITE in November 2015 with a name that loosely translates as “the light or birth”, Deepto TV is the vision of Mr Kazi Zahedul Hasan who, as well as being head of Kazi Media and the Kazi Farms Group, is a Harvard-qualified architect/engineer.

Such was Mr Hasan’s involvement in the project that he was even responsible for architectural design of the new station’s headquarters in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka.

Deepto TV CAR

Kazi Media’s original business plan for Deepto TV was for a 24-hour news channel but it was felt that, with a plethora of regional and international news outlets already available in the Bangladesh market, a better focus would be that of unique programme content.

To that end, the company invested in multiple programme studios at Deepto TV headquarters and other studio sites with a total of four drama and series sound stages constructed. In addition, two studios for programmes such as news briefs, talk shows, and morning programs were constructed at the station’s HQ. Hitting the ground running, the station spent over a year prior to launch producing original drama series, including Aparajita (Undefeated), Palki (Palanquin), and Khujey Phiri Takey (He Returned to Find). The station also worked on dubbing Turkish production Sultan Suleyman into Bangla and complemented its offerings with daily news, talk shows, and morning show programmes, as well as cartoons and other family content. Kazi Media has also commissioned several documentaries on Bangladesh which will launch on Deepto TV. Over a period of three years, Advanced Broadcast Solutions Asia and Managing Director Dennis Breckenridge consulted with Kazi Media on everything from equipment selection to building design and construction, equipment supply, and integration.

CONTENT DELIVERY

According to Breckenridge, the relationship with Kazi Media has been a unique one. He says the holistic approach of business consulting, technical advisory, facility advisory and, finally, supply and install helped the station launch with minimal technical challenges.

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Designed by CEO Mr Kazi Zahedul Hasan, Deepto TV’s Dhaka headquarters

we had designed it with three studios - two big programme studios and a news studio. [Mr Hasan] basically ended up changing one of the studios to a very intricate set for a series and building additional studios. So, there was actually an additional two studios built in order to accommodate the drama and series type of programming in addition to entertainment type of programming and a bit of news.”

The Deepto TV site includes:

“Originally,” says the ABS Asia MD, “they thought they would be a news channel and about midway through, looking at the market and income possibilities, decided to change it to more of a mixture, doing very specific dramas and series for the Bangladesh market. It was an interesting process as we went through the whole job, continuously changing and trying to adjust the business model, the equipment, everything to meet that growing need.

- Grass Valley Stratus (SAN & K2) for News and MAM

In the technology, we certainly had to adapt. It was very much focussed on large newsgathering and kind of 24-hour news type of operation. Originally,

- Autoscript prompters

- GV LDX cameras for TV production - Sony Cameras for ENG and Drama production - GV Karrera and GV Director for Production Switchers - GV Glue and routing - Jimmy Jib

CONTENT DELIVERY The news is done using OCTOPUS for their NRCS and then most of the editing is done inside of Stratus. They use the low-res workflow in Stratus with EDIUS to do that. So, there’s 25 seats of news editing and then the 15 edit suites are just programme editing, promo editing and the drama series.”

On the audio side, Yamaha mixers are used with Dante used throughout making the facility’s audio infrastructure almost entirely IP based.

Deepto TV ingest

“One of the reasons for that is,” says Dennis Breckenridge, “one of the Production Control Rooms (PCRs) has pretty high amp so 2ME or 3ME Carrera switcher, large mixer, and then the other PCR has all the normal playout facilities, but it has a GV director, so a small-scale switcher, eight inputs, smaller audio console and the rationale of doing all the IP is we were able to basically make it so they could run from either one of the PCRs. If it was election time or something like that and they needed heavy capabilities, then they utilise the primary PCR. Normally, that would be used for their program suite, so game shows and other types of normal programming. It was done in an effort to try to minimise the cost rather than building out very high end, very expensive PCRs everywhere.

All the KVM, all the monitoring is all done over IP. The audio is done over IP. Obviously, the control network for all the devices is all over IP and then the news suite, there’s no baseband, it’s all purely file-based.

So, outside of your normal camera cables and things like that, the amount of traditional video cabling, size of router for a large broadcast facility is very, very minimal, actually.”

While the focus of Deepto TV did evolve away from that of a news channel, the station equipped with a full complement of newsgathering systems, including standard ENG packages with Sony cameras. Using small bureaus in various locations, news stories are given rough edits in the field and sent back to Deepto HQ via IP. These are then finished within the low res work flow.

On the drama production side, Deepto has four primary dramas in production with shooting undertaken from every day to every two or three days. A rapid turnaround schedule sees editing done within EDIUS with finishing completed in Autodesk’s Smoke and Flame.

COOPERATIVE PHILOSOPHY Deepto TV Master Control

While it would be standard practice in many integration projects for SIs come in with large teams and spend 6-12 months on site to install and handover systems, Dennis Breckenridge says Advanced Broadcast Solutions sees its role in projects such as Deepto TV as one where it is supporting, not dictating to the client. Taking advantage of a growing technical expertise in Bangladesh, ABS supplied oversight and design in the installation and worked with Kazi Media staff to integrate all the systems together. This not only saved on labour and manpower costs, but also left behind an in-house knowledge bank of staff familiar with every system.

“It was very much a team effort between the two groups,” says Breckenridge, “which has its challenges. How to label, how to do all those type of things to make sure that it’s easy to maintain in the future so those were things that we were teaching them and I think it was good. Sometimes, if you just come in and do everything for somebody, they’re too scared to pull out a wire or plug in anything and I feel like they feel comfortable and they own the facility versus feeling like somebody should come in and do everything for them.

- Vinten tripods - Sennheiser audio mics - Yamaha GL series mixers (to exploit audio over IP vs traditional wiring) - GV Dyno Replay - Octopus News Room Control system (NRCS) “All programs are done in HD,” says Breckenridge. “Some of the drama is actually being shot in 4K so they’re definitely on the high definition side.

It’s Grass Valley LDX cameras for the programme studio and news, it’s mostly Sony cameras for the drama and ENG..

It’s a lot of Grass Valley here and there, so there’s Karrera switchers, there’s Stratus for the news and playout and MAM system, there’s a GV Director switcher they’re using for news and then 15 edit suites using EDIUS editing software.

Having successfully launched and hit the number one spot with audiences, how does Breckenridge rate Deepto TVs new facility?

“Overall, the quality of equipment and capabilities are, in the end, as capable as any of the other facilities, even in Singapore or anywhere like that. The operation of it as far as workflows in the region, I think is quite good. The level of IP use or file-based workflows used is I think a bit more advanced than a lot of facilities. Obviously, it’s a green field, so it’s a bit easier, but I think they really embraced that, which was good. The style of the building and the operations and the dramas, even the sets and everything that Kazi have constructed are far above what I’ve seen almost anywhere in the region. So, I think his vision was to really create high quality, very unique product and that’s reflected in both the facility and the choices in equipment that he used in that process.”

Visit www.deepto.tv and www.advancedbroadcastsolutions.asia

CONTENT DELIVERY

Staff meeting in the Deepto TV News Room

So, the philosophy I have is our goal is not to just kind of come in here and take over, if you will, or tell them what they’re going to do, but it really is an interaction and the fact that the CEO was so involved and participating in the process and supporting the process and wanting to know how to make efficiencies, what type of things could make a difference and willing to spend the money where it mattered and working together to find savings where it wasn’t necessarily critical, I think that that would not be typical.”

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CONTENT DELIVERY

HCS Hybrid Connector RADIO FREQUENCY SYSTEMS (RFS), the global wireless and broadcast infrastructure specialist, has introduced what it says is the industry’s first Hybrid Connector System (HCS) for Fibre-to-the-Antenna (FTTA) applications, expanding its portfolio of connector options to suit any site architecture.

The new product offers a plug-and-play solution for FTTA deployments by combining fibre optic and power leads within the same robust, outdoorrated enclosure to enable a faster, more reliable deployment.

Designed for use with RFS’ HYBRIFLEX hybrid cables, the HCS offers a plug-and-play “coax-like” solution for FTTA similar to what a traditional coaxial cable solution does for RF systems, and is the only hybrid connector on the market, combining DC power and fibre optics in one connector.

Traditional solutions have the DC going straight to the RRH and the fibre breakout being handled separately at the top of the tower. With the HCS only one connection point is needed between the riser cable the jumper cable, both featuring an HCS interface. This single connection point reduces installation time and expense, and drastically reduces the chances of fibre contamination in the field from dirt and other outside elements, offering a very reliable solution. The use of HCS greatly increases the system reliability, since the contents (fibre and DC) are protected by RFS’ robust aluminium armour that goes straight into the back of the HCS, thus eliminating chances of damage at the top of the tower – a recurring (and expensive) issue with FTTA deployments.

Visit www.rfsworld.com

DEV Systemtechnik Redundancy Switch DEV SYSTEMTECHNIK HAS INTRODUCED the DEV 1953 Universal Switch Chassis, which extends the company’s Universal Switch product line to now offer broadcasters a higher capacity solution designed to make network resiliency and redundancy easier for larger network applications.

DEVs two Universal Switch solutions eliminate single points of failure and enabling the highest uptime for network operations. The Universal Switch Chassis DEV 1953 offers 16 Slots for large RF transmission applications, in a 3 RU footprint. It complements the Universal Switch Chassis DEV 1951, a 1 RU solution with 2 Slots, designed for small RF transmission applications.

DEV Redundancy Switches were developed for professional use in cable headend, broadcast and satellite applications. They offer flexibility in 1RU or in 3RU with a large variety of modules tailored for unique applications. Functions available include A/B or Transfer Switching, Splitter/Combiner for CATV, L-Band, Ethernet, ASI/SDI or E1/T1 signals, Optical Switching (optical inputs and optical outputs), Automatic Switching via RF Sensing, Time Based Switching, and Automatic Switch Back.

A Customer Protocol Handler (CPH) makes integration easy and the DEV Web Interface facilitates operation. DEV Redundancy Switches are fieldupgradeable without any disruption of service.

Visit www.dev-systemtechnik.com

Exset Powers Value-Add Services in Emerging Markets EXSET, PIONEERS OF TV ECOSYSTEMS for enhanced digital TV services, has announced the launch of DMS 4.0, the latest version of its middleware.

Designed specifically for emerging markets to power monetised services over and above video, the system thereby enables subscription fees to be kept low.

DMS 4.0 powers a range of services on very low-cost STBs, now including fully integrated EPG ad-insertion, allowing operators and content providers to reach a new audience as soon as users turn on their TV. The second key development is an Interactive Blue Button Ad Service; when instructed, pressing the blue button on a banner ad results in complete advert detail being revealed.

Additionally, DMS supports Push VoD, allowing operators to pre-load their most popular content to the viewer’s set-top box. USB-based PVR capabilities, meanwhile, mean viewers can record content on a simple USB stick connected to the set-top. ‘Red Button’ interactivity provides additional

magazine services (weather, news, and sports, for example) at the touch of a button on the remote, or open up additional video from a programme stream.

DMS is a business and technology model that allows operators to provide value-added services via broadcast networks – including cable – in emerging markets, creating essential monetisation paths over and above subscriber fees. Subscription rates have to be kept to a minimum to drive penetration in these markets, but ARPU must also be driven upwards. DMS is already deployed by multiple operators across Asia, including CMG in Pakistan and One TV in Cambodia, allowing them to offer value-add services to TV sets over and above video and audio. Exset is also working with a range of receiver providers including Gospell, Newland and Atmaca Elektronik in Turkey.

Visit www.exset.com

Cloud-Based Video Solutions for Microsoft Azure HAIVISION, THE DEVELOPER OF VIDEO STREAMING and media

CONTENT DELIVERY

management solutions, has announced the availability of the Haivision Media Gateway on Microsoft Azure, giving enterprises and broadcasters a flexible and cost-effective solution for transporting high quality video for live events, broadcast backhaul and distribution.

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With Haivision Media Gateway on Azure, organizations can utilise the benefits of the cloud to scale their live video workflows with minimal IT intervention. The solution provides ease of set-up and commissioning, without putting a strain on the network at the source location, bringing a welcome alternative to the long lead times, prohibitive costs and scheduling challenges associated with satellite and MPLS networks.

Broadcast and enterprise customers can use Haivision Media Gateway in the cloud for: • Transporting high quality live video using Internet connections: Powered

by Haivision’s fundamental video transport technology – SRT – the

Haivision Media Gateway enables customers to use low cost, readily available public Internet connections to transport secure, live, HD video to and from multiple locations around the world. The Haivision Media Gateway with SRT also features different options to easily manage firewall traversal.

• Enterprise video distribution: With Haivision Media Gateway, organisations can now easily distribute live events from remote sites like hotels and satellite offices, by sending a single stream to the cloud before being distributed to multiple facilities or redistribution points with low latency.

• Broadcast backhaul and distribution: Organisations can use the Haivision Media Gateway as a video network bridge to transport video between studio environments. For broadcasters, this means an easier way to backhaul video to a centralised production venue before being distributed to remote affiliates.

Visit www.haivision.com

CONTENT DELIVERY

AJA Mini-Converters AJA VIDEO SYSTEMS has released new Mini-Converters including the HB-T-SDI, HB-R-SDI, ROI-HDMI and HD10MD4. The Mini-Converters give users additional options for extending SDI signals and easily incorporating computer files into video production.

Key features of these new MiniConverters include: • HB-T-SDI and HB-R-SDI extend 3G-SDI signals over Ethernet cable, utilising the industry standard HDBaseT protocol. Bi-directional IR and RS-232 for device control is also supported, making these Mini-Converters ideal in a variety of scenarios including: fixed installation AV, digital signage, live events, post production, network, studio environments and on set. These can also be mixed and matched with AJA’s HDMI-based HDBaseT Mini-Converters, allowing customised video I/O on either end of the Ethernet connection.

• ROI-HDMI offers real time region-of-interest scaling and SDI video output from HDMI computer outputs, allowing users to properly incorporate computer signals into the video world without sacrificing budget or space.

Users interactively select a region-of-interest on screen from the incoming HDMI signal and control how that region is scaled to the output resolution using AJA’s scaling algorithms for a high quality image. ROI-HDMI joins the growing family of AJA ROI converters, which also offer DVI and DisplayPort connections.

• HD10MD4 is a miniature digital downconverter for converting HD-SDI video to standard definition SDI and analog component/composite video.

The HD10MD4 uses a full 10-bit data path and multi-point interpolation to produce broadcast quality downconverted video. In addition, the HD10MD4 converts either 1080p24 or 1080p24sf to 59.94 Hz output video using the standard 3:2 pulldown technique. The output can be formatted for either 4:3 or 16:9 standard definition monitors. Four-channel input embedded HD-SDI audio is passed to the SDI output. A mini-USB jack allows configuration and control from the free Mini-Config application for Mac or PC. Visit www.aja.com

Telestream’s Episode 7 TELESTREAM, THE LEADING PROVIDER of digital video tools and workflow solutions today announced that the latest version of its Episode video encoding software is now available. Unveiled at IBC 2015, Episode 7.0 now features bigger performance gains, added format support, and easier to use features.

New features in Episode 7.0 include: • 64-bit technology support provides faster encodes and better memory allocation for large jobs • Added format support including JPEG2000, DNxHD, DNxHR, and DVCPro HD • New Audio Channel Configurator enables mapping to standard input/ output formats or customised audio channel layouts • 4K video support including R3D ingest and HEVC presets Episode’s new 64-bit native transcoding engine is designed for the entire production workflow – maintaining high quality files from the camera to edit and all the way to final delivery. With the ability to scale from a single seat to a cluster of cross-platform workstations, Episode 7.0 provides the most affordable and fastest possible encode speed for workgroups. Thanks to its Split-and-Stitch capability, even large files can be transcoded quickly, utilising multiple cores on a single machine or multiple machines in a larger cluster.

Visit www.telestream.net

Hiltron SORBAS SatCom Family

The HCS-Core element of SORBAS is available in 2U high full-rack-width and half-rack-width versions. The full-rack-width model can accommodate up to 16 modules and is Hiltron’s largest and most versatile satcom controller to date. The current range of cards includes a monitor, control and power supply for fibre optic devices, a fibre-optic switch, LNB redundancy systems for C band and Ku band, HPA redundancy control, redundancy for DVB MPEG encoders/modulators/IRDs and a generic monitoring and control module.

The Hiltron HACU is designed to control three-axis motorised antennas. The antenna control unit and associated motor-control electronics are contained in an IP65-rated weatherproof outdoor housing with a hinged front access port secured by dual key screws. The HACU can be operated from a PC running a graphic user interface compatible with standard web browsers. The control GUI displays all the information required to set and maintain azimuth, elevation and polarisation, including current and target positions plus a database of potential accessible satellites.

Hiltron’s HMAM is a high-precision motorised satellite antenna mount

designed for two-way VSAT communication or receive-only downlink applications. It can be used for a wide range of applications including broadcast and telecommunication downlinks. An optional motorised feed changer allows the head to be moved quickly to a new position for switching between frequency bands. HMAM comes complete with professional-grade drives for azimuth and elevation plus a high-accuracy polarisation drive.

The combined head and drive form a three-axis motorised mount with 180 degrees of azimuth adjustment, 90 degrees of elevation adjustment range and fully adjustable polarisation.

The Hiltron HDCU-E is a combined ice-sensing and dish heating controller for use with large satellite antennas. It is capable of handling up to 450 kilowatts of power across multiple heating groups. Each group is divided into three independently-controlled heater arrays. Each array in turn feeds up to three antenna heater circuits. A four-group configuration, for example, allows control of 12 arrays addressing a total of 36 heating circuits. This modular control approach permits easy configuration of parameters such as antenna size, number of heater pads and the power requirement of each pad. Snow detection is via a reflective sensor with a polarising filter. Each heater circuit is individually supervised and controlled via user-adjustable minimum and maximum thresholds. Sequential switch-on is performed within the controller to prevent rapid changes in current load when the antenna heating process is activated or deactivated. Sequence timing is user-configurable Visit www.hiltron.de

CONTENT DELIVERY

NEW FROM HILTRON COMMUNICATIONS, SORBAS is a complete family of products designed to form the heart of customised satellite communication systems. These include Hiltron’s HMCS monitoring and control software, HCS universal control unit, HSACU satellite antenna control unit, HMAM three-axis motorised satellite antenna mount and HDCU de-icing control unit.

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ASIA

+ANZ

MEDIA PRODUCTION + MANAGEMENT + DELIVERY As well as the features below, EVERY ISSUE of Content+Technology contains features on the following:

C+T AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND FEATURES + DEADLINES 2014  Image Acquisition  Media in the Cloud  Content Transmission & Delivery  News Operations  Sportscasting  Post-Production & VFX

 Digital Asset Management  Audio  Radio

 Signal Distribution  Command & Control – Automation, Monitoring, Systems Management.

C+T AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND FEATURES + DEADLINES 2016 ISSUE

EDITORIAL + AD DEADLINES

February

Mar-April

May-June

July-Aug

Editorial Submissions: 22-01-16 Ad Bookings:

29-01-16

Ad Artwork:

05-02-16

Editorial Submissions: 10-03-16 Ad Bookings:

17-03-16

Ad Artwork:

24-03-16

Editorial Submissions: 19-05-16 Ad Bookings:

26-05-16

Ad Artwork:

09-06-16

Editorial Submissions: 06-07-16

Sept-Oct

Ad Bookings:

13-07-16

Ad Artwork:

20-07-16

Editorial Submissions: 08-08-16

Nov-Dec

Ad Bookings:

15-08-16

Ad Artwork:

22-08-16

Editorial Submissions: 14-10-16 Ad Bookings:

21-10-16

Ad Artwork:

28-10-16

PUBLICATION DATE

PRODUCT ROUND-UP

SHOW COVERAGE

2nd Week February

+ Broadband & HbbTV + Multi-screen Delivery + Social Media

+ Preview: SporTel Asia 2016 (March 15-17, Singapore) +R eview: CES 2016

4th Week March

+ Digital Asset Management Solutions + Content Delivery – RF, Fibre, Wireless and more.

+P review: NABshow16 (April 18 – 21)

3rd Week June

+S ports Production Solutions +D rones & UAVs +O TT/IPTV/VOD Solutions +S ports Club Media Directory – Bonus Supplement

+P review + Official Guide: Sportscasting, News & Live Production 2016 (June 22-23, Etihad Stadium, Melbourne)

4th Week July

+ 4K Acquisition & Delivery Solutions + IP-based Production + Content Security

+P review + Official Guide: ABE – Australian Broadcast Exhibition (August 9-11, Sydney)

4th Week August

+ ENG/Newsroom Systems + Compression, Encoding, Transcoding Solutions

+P review: IBC Amsterdam Sept 9–13 +P review: National Radio Conference (7-8 October, Melbourne)

2nd Week November

+C hannel-in-a-Box Solutions +C able & Satellite Delivery

C+T ASIA FEATURES + DEADLINES 2016 ISSUE

EDITORIAL + AD DEADLINES

Mar-April

Editorial Submissions: 15-01-16

May-June

Aug-Sept

Oct-Nov

Ad Bookings:

22-01-16

Ad Artwork:

25-01-16

Editorial Submissions: 29-04-16 Ad Bookings:

06-05-16

Ad Artwork:

13-05-16

Editorial Submissions: 22-07-16 Ad Bookings:

29-07-16

Ad Artwork:

05-08-16

Editorial Submissions: 30-09-16 Ad Bookings:

03-10-16

Ad Artwork:

10-10-16

PUBLICATION DATE

PRODUCT ROUND-UP

SHOW COVERAGE

3rd Week February

+H DTV & Beyond +B roadband & HbbTV +C loud Technologies +M ulti-screen Delivery +C ontent Delivery – RF, Fibre, Wireless and more.

+ Preview: ABU Digital Broadcast Symposium (Feb 29-Mar 3, Kuala Lumpur) + Preview: SporTel Asia 2016 (March 15-17, Singapore)

3rd Week May

+C hannel-in-a-Box Solutions +O TT/IPTV/VOD Solutions +S ports Production Solutions +S ocial Media

+ Preview: BroadcastAsia/ CommunicAsia 2016 (May 31-June 3, Singapore)

3rd Week August

+L oudness Solutions +C loud Solutions +C ontent Security +C ompression, Encoding, Transcoding Solutions

+ Preview: BIRTV (August 24-27, Beijing) + Preview: Broadcast Indonesia (Aug 31-Sept 3, Jakarta) + Preview: IBC Amsterdam (September 9-13)

3rd Week October

+ Cable & Satellite Delivery + Digital Asset Management Solutions + OTT/IPTV/HbbTV Solutions + Multi-screen Delivery

+ Preview: CASBAA (Cable& Satellite Broadcasting Assoc of Asia) +P review: InterBEE, Japan

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