Content+Technology ANZ September-October 2023

November 15-16, 2023

Royal Randwick Racecourse

Sydney Australia

CONTENT+TECHNOLOGY

ISSN 1448-9554 PP:255003/06831

Broadcastpapers Pty Ltd (ABN 34 095 653 277)

REGULARS

02 EDITOR’S WELCOME

04 NEWS+PEOPLE Ateme Powers Content Acquisition for Foxtel; Rise ANZ Cohorts for 2023 Mentoring; MuxIP Partners with AVC for FAST TVSchemes; Magna Partners with Open Broadcast Systems.

FEATURES

06 IBC2023

C+T Talks with IBC CEO Mike Crimp.

08 CAMERAS & LIGHTING

Videosys Wireless Workflows and Camera Control; Marshall NDI|HX3 POV Cameras; Motion Impossible’s Motion Control; BST Devices’ Camera Robotics; ACHTEL 9x7 Digital Cinema Camera Updated.

12 NEWS OPERATIONS

Seven Opens New Sydney News Studio;. CueTALK Cloud from CueScript; Seamless Storytelling from nxtedition.

14 SPORTSCASTING

Sky Racing Qld Hits the Track with Panasonic; Mapping Remote Production Workflows Onto Virtual Production by Kevin Parks, Senior Director, Field Engineering, Zixi; Chyron Showcases Innovation with a Focus on Sports.

18

MEDIA IN THE CLOUD

Dalet and Telstra Partner to Offer Cloudbased Media Services; MOG Integrates VVC/H.266 Into MAM4PRO; EditShare Boosts Performance and Connectivity; Elements’ Future of Storage and Workflows; NOA Unveils NOARecord 4.0; manifold CLOUD Set to Cover IBC; Velocix Unveils Hybrid-Cloud CDN.

30 INDUSTRY FOCUS

32 CLASSIFIEDS

21 POST-PRODUCTION

Blackmagic Invoked for Aussie Exorcist Movie; Boris FX Acquires SynthEyes 3D Camera-Tracking VFX Software; Projective Enhances Post-Production Workflows; Smode Free Real-Time Compositing Engine.

23 AUDIO, RADIO, PODCASTING

Radio New Zealand Charts Path Ahead; ALIVE 90.5FM Reaches Guinness Record; Calrec ImPulse1 IP Audio Processing and Routing Engine; Evertz Brings New Tools for Live Production; Media Realm Releases MetaRadio 2.0; Solid State Logic Gets Immersive with System T.

28 CONTENT DELIVERY

Dejero EnGo 3s Brings 4K/UHD Transmission; Magewell IP-based Production, Collaboration, and Live Streaming; Ateme Cloud-Native Raw Content Processing;Imagine SureFire Video Ad Server; Actus OTT and Remote Video Monitoring; Cloud Video Monitoring and Control from TAG and Techex; Ground Versus Cloud - a Hybrid Approach to Playout.

Cover

- Marianne Ottemann).

Sting in the Long Tale

By Phil Sandberg

I OFTEN SUBSCRIBE to the axiom that nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.

Now, I have no intention of opining about “the good old days” but there was something to be said for the long tail of the old time video store. A casualty of broadband and human laziness, its long tail - housed largely in the weekly rental section - did provide consumers with the experience of re/discovery of old gems, cult classics and genius ignored by the mainstream (and a lot of crap as well). The old time video store even gave consumers the chance to own such cinematic treasures by way of the ‘Ex-Rental’ bin.

Now it would seem that the video store’s online subs-based successors, those buckets of infinite entertainment choice in the cloud, are experiencing shrinkage in the tail. While some see accounting tricks in the works, it seems it is uneconomical to have 2 to 4 Gigabyte (on average) HD movie files sitting in your datacentre when nobody is watching them or can find them after spending half an evening spinning through carousels of new releases, trending titles and “because you watcheds”. Then there is the matter of residuals …

All global streamers have been docking their long tails as part of this trend, but they also face the pressure of having to produce hit shows to carry their entire catalogues - and with a choice of over-diluted franchises (Disney!), lame remakes and price hikes, viewers are showing little loyalty to platform brands and voting with their online feet.

According to Insights and consulting company Kantar, between April and June, 2023, there were 1.25 million cancellations of VoD services, up 100k on the previous three-month period, as consumers increasingly switched in and out of services.

At the same time, however, 1.62 million new VoD subscriptions were taken out between April and June 2023, an increase of 280k on the previous three-month period. This left VoD-enabled households

that have access to at least one video streaming service in Australia increasing to 6.24 million, up 114k, quarter on quarter, representing 62.6% of households. According to Kantar, “5% of new VoD services were Advertisingbased Video on Demand (AVoD) this quarter, up from 3% in Q1’23, as consumers look to lower-priced plans to find value, alongside an increase in those taking advantage of free trials.”

While these developments add momentum to the Free AdSupported TV (FAST) phenomenon, ad-supported services from the likes of Netflix, Disney, Binge, etc., will put revenue pressure on the BVOD offerings of traditional broadcasters.

Measurement agency, OzTAM, however, has announced VOZ Streaming, designed to make BVOD advertising inventory easier to buy in a privacy-first manner, and enable demographicallyfocused trading using a common OzTAM dataset. Using a single dataset, VOZ Streaming will enable advertisers to aggregate the scale of free-to-air BVOD (broadcaster video on demand) services while managing reach and frequency across participating platforms. VOZ Streaming will also empower advertisers to anticipate and incorporate co-viewing on connected TV sets in their planning and buying strategies - and perhaps that will fund a new home for the long tail.

Keep safe, and look after each other, Phil Sandberg – Editor/Publisher papers@broadcastpapers.com

+61(0)414671811

Pre-Sales Systems Architect

Are you looking for the next exciting challenge in your career?

We are an ASX listed distributor of premium products selling in the broadcast and postproduction markets and have an exciting presales systems architect role based in Sydney.

• Dynamic, progressive organisation

• Reputable and established business with a 36-year history

• Work as part of a Media Systems team with autonomy and flexibility

• Attractive salary package and benefits

The Role

The Pre-Sales Systems role is a varied position covering detailed design of new broadcast technology solutions, development of associated system documentation and assistance with project delivery and implementation requirements as a technical subject matter expert. Typical responsibilities will include:

• Translation of strategic tech requirements into detailed workable solutions.

• Provision of guidance on existing and suitable emerging technologies.

• Development of proofs of concept.

• Provision of project support during delivery and integration phases.

• Creation of design documentation, specifications and manuals.

The Pre-Sales Systems Architect is face-to-face with sales, technology and operations on a regular basis, so good communication skills and an approachable attitude are vital.

What we need:

We’re looking for background experience in broadcast technology architecture and IP infrastructure. The Pre-Sales Systems Architect will undertake a variety of assignments impacting the current and future capabilities of one of Australia’s high-profile distributors so a background in a similar contemporary broadcast tech domain would be an advantage.

We’re looking for a proven track record in the following:

• Translation of strategic tech requirements into detailed workable solutions

• Provision of guidance on existing and suitable emerging technologies

• Development of proofs of concept

• Provision of project support during delivery and integration phases

• Creation of design documentation, specifications and manuals

• Reporting on competitor market intelligence

And for you:

The successful candidate will be remunerated with an attractive salary package including a clearly defined bonus scheme. The company has a stable, friendly and dedicated workforce and a management team that will assist your success in this role.

In order to be considered you need to be a dynamic, capable and confident individual with exceptional communication skills. To apply please submit a covering letter and CV to dave@mullowayrec.com

SEE IT. LOVE IT.

REPLAY IT.

REPLAY FOR EVERYBODY, EVERYWHERE – EVEN IN THE CLOUD

Simplylive Slomo and RiMotion are easy-to-install replay solutions that can be implemented almost instantly in broadcast environments of any scale. They streamline traditional and modern workflows and provide real-time performance, even when working remotely or operating in the cloud.

Ateme Powers Content Acquisition for Foxtel

ATEME, THE PROVIDER OF video compression, delivery, and streaming solutions, and Foxtel have announced the deployment of a standards conversion service enabling Australians to enjoy TV content from around the world. The Foxtel-owned service, based on Ateme’s content acquisition and distribution solutions through the TITAN suite, acquires content from around the world and converts it to Australian TV standards nationwide via two data centres in Sydney. The fully IP-enabled platform is based on dual-site redundancy and offers the ability to

ingest any channel to simultaneously produce multiple streams in real-time, enable closed captioning, and deliver live video compression for the converged head-end for broadcast, DTH, and OTT. The scalable software-centred content acquisition and distribution solutions feed both Foxtel’s own and other TV services in Australia. “Acquiring international content and converting it to local standards can be a complex undertaking, given the varying video standards used worldwide, and different frame rates and resolutions add to the complexity,” said Matthew Carter, Head of

Rise ANZ Cohorts for 2023 Mentoring Schemes

RISE, THE ADVOCACY GROUP for gender diversity in the broadcast media technology sector, has announced the pairings for the third annual mentoring schemes in ANZ.

This year’s mentoring programmes cater to more participants than ever before and include a range of industry leaders from across the media and entertainment technology sectors.

Acceptance to the Rise programme provides members with entry to an exciting range of benefits including face-to-face networking events, workshops, and seminars, all over the course of a six-month programme. Additionally, each mentor-mentee match offers a minimum of 12 hours of personalised guidance through oneon-one sessions.

The ANZ Mentor and Mentees pairings for the

2023 Rise Programme are as follows:

• Grace Cunningham, Studio Operations Senior, PWC Australia will be mentored by Nina Walsh, Head of Business Development, APJ & Americas for Media & Entertainment, AWS

• Jessica Paynter, Audio & Communications Engineer, Gravity Media will be mentored by Olivia Grimshaw, Presales and Customer Success Manager APAC , Grass Valley

• Sharmaine Spencer, Community Radio Network Operations Coordinator and Team Leader, Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) will be mentored by Manda Hatter, Head of Operations, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

• Jennie Schiller, Associate Producer, Gravity Media will be mentored by Tanya Rai, Marketing

MuxIP Partners with AVC for FAST TV

MUXIP, a leading provider of automated solutions for ad-supported streaming, has announced that it has signed a reseller agreement with AVC Group, a global integrator and distributor of audio, radio and vision products, to deliver FASTHub for Pod FAST TV to its roster of content creation clients across Australia, New Zealand, Middle East, North Africa, India, and the Pacific Islands.

AVC Group has already created in-studio video streaming capabilities for many of its radio clients, and says it is poised to enable greater revenue realisation for station groups and their on-air personalities.

MuxIP’s FASTHub for Pod FAST TV product will enable global streaming distribution of vodcast and podcast content targeting the major streaming platforms and Smart TV OEMs, including Amazon Freevee, PlutoTV, Samsung TV Plus, Roku, TCL, Samsung TV Plus, and Tubi.

Broadcast Engineering and Projects at Foxtel. “We needed a solution that would simplify the task and facilitate closed captioning. Ateme’s full-IP solution met these needs, making our workflow simple, efficient, and scalable, while ensuring business continuity. It was a pleasure to work with their local team to deploy our future-proof content acquisition and distribution service.”

Visit ateme.com

Manager, Telstra Broadcast Services

• Penny He, Finance Manager, Deluxe APAC will be mentored by Trupti Patel, Head of Program Management, Telstra Broadcast Services

• Taylay Gillis, Multi Skilled Technical Operator, MKTG Sports + Entertainment Australia will be mentored by Monica Forlano, Head of AFL Studios, Australian Football League Sponsorship opportunities for the mentoring schemes and other Rise activities are still available. To find out more and to discuss how you can get involved, please contact Donna Smith, Managing Director at Rise, via donna@ risewib.com

Visit www.risewib.com

“As radio expands its streaming capabilities to also include a vision component, the FASTHub for Pod FAST TV product will deliver an entirely new platform for station groups, stations, and talent to extend their brands in powerful new ways,” said Simon Jackson, CEO of AVC Group. “The ability to deliver live and on-demand vodcasts into FAST is a programmer’s dream.”

MuxIP’s Pod FAST TV format enables podcasters/vodcasters to expand audiences and advertiser support beyond audio-only formats and deliver live capabilities for higher CPMs and higher engagement. Radio broadcasters have expanded into podcasting and vodcasting in recent years, and Spotify has worked to transition radio broadcasts into podcasts.

Visit https://www.avc-group.net and https://MuxIP.com

Magna Partners with Open Broadcast Systems

MAGNA SYSTEMS has signed a technology partnership agreement to represent Open Broadcast Systems across the Asia Pacific region. Open Broadcast Systems provides cutting-edge and end-to-end encoding and decoding software solutions for the broadcast industry.

Magna Systems & Engineering group CEO, Matthew Clemesha, said, “Open Broadcast Systems is revolutionising the provision of advanced broadcast technology, moving the industry towards a flexible, cost-efficient, software-driven future. Its cutting-edge and end-to-end encoding and decoding software is accelerating the delivery of premium content over IP, improving quality at the same time as reducing costs. Its products adapt to the pressures and challenges of the modern broadcast environment and can be developed and installed in extremely short timeframes, without

compromising on quality.”

As a result of the new agreement Magna will be selling Open Broadcast Systems’ full range of encoders and decoders which are able to deliver high quality, low-latency broadcast services, running as apps on standard IT hardware.

Open Broadcast Systems products are based entirely on commercialoff-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and so can be used in a wide variety of applications. They have native uncompressed IP (ST-2022-6 and ST-2110) support and high density. They are also used widely for major sports, news and channel transmissions.

Visit www.magnasys.tv

Introducing ATEM Mini Pro

The compact television studio that lets you create presentation videos and live streams!

Blackmagic Design is a leader in video for the television industry and now you can create your own streaming videos with ATEM Mini Pro. Simply connect HDMI camera s, computers or even microphone s Then push the buttons on the panel to switch video sources just like a professional broadcaster! You can even add titles, picture in picture overlays and mix audio! Then live stream to Zoom, Skype or YouTube!

Create Training and Educational Videos

ATEM Mini Pro includes everything you need. All the buttons are positioned on the front panel so i t’s very easy to lear n There are 4 HDMI video inputs for connecting cameras and computers, plus a USB output that looks like a webcam so you can connect to Zoom or Skype. ATEM Software Control for Mac and PC is also included, which allows access to more advanced “broadcas t” features!

Use Professional Video Effects

ATEM Mini Pro is really a professional broadcast switcher used by television stations. This means it has professional effects such as a DVE for picture in picture effects commonly used for commentating over a computer slide show. There are titles for presenter names, wipe effects for transitioning between sources and a green screen keyer for replacing backgrounds with graphics.

Live Stream Training and Conferences

ATEM Mini Pro has a built in hardware streaming engine for live streaming via its ethernet connection. This means you can live stream to YouTube, Facebook and Teams in much better quality and with perfectly smooth motion. You can even connect a hard disk or flash storage to the USB connection and record your stream for upload later!

Monitor all Video Inputs!

With so many cameras, computers and effects, things can get busy fast! ATEM Mini Pro features a “multiview” that lets you see all cameras, titles and program, plus streaming and recording status all on a single TV or monitor. There are even tally indicators to show when a camera is on air! Only ATEM Mini Pro is a true professional television studio in a small compact design!

ATEM Mini Pro $495

ATEM Mini Pro ISO $809

ATEM Mini Extreme ISO $2,119

IBC2023: Transforming Media, Changing Expectations

THE IBC SHOW IS BACK at the Amsterdam RAI from September 15-18, 2023. This year marks its second post-COVID edition and will feature 13 halls of exhibits, four days of conference sessions, forums, and free showfloor presentations. “We had a really good, solid return in 2022. We were one of the first shows back into the market, so some of the confidence around shows we built up, we had all the big players were there. They’re all back again, a bit bigger and a bit better,” says IBC CEO Mike Crimp. “For those who were there last year, probably the big change we made was to shorten down our paid-for conference into two really concentrated days of paid-for content. And then we had a number of stages that were on the show floor where you could get free content. That was hugely popular, really helped to bring people in and drive traffic. And I’m not exaggerating to say they were all packed every day.

“One of the key things in that, which you’ll see even more of this year, is our Accelerators programme, which I’ll describe as speed dating between vendors, broadcasters, content providers.

“In February each year, we have a meeting where people turn up or make a submission around whatever topic they think needs to be developed. For example, during the pandemic, that would have been remote production and lots of things around 5G.

“Between February and September, IBC Project manages those groups, really top brands all the way across

Hollywood, through Japan, through all the big American tech companies, to come up with a real-world solution. And that real-world solution is presented at IBC. Sometimes this is where we’ve got to and we’ve cracked it, but we haven’t made a product or project yet. And other times, going further than that.

“In fact, the 5G remote system that was first demoed, actually demoed, during IBC last year, was used at the Queen’s Funeral and the King’s Coronation, right across the centre of London, for the King’s Coronation, to be able to connect everyone, all the broadcasters, via 5G to one source. For the Queen’s Funeral, which was only a matter of a couple of weeks after IBC, the 5G system was used because there was a requirement to follow her coffin all the way from Scotland to London, and no way of setting up an infrastructure to do that, and 5G turned out to be the solution. So, there’s just one area.

“There were projects around Metaverse, around cloud, all the topics that you would expect. But, actually, rather than just discussing it, these are real keen and experienced tech people from different companies. Sometimes you might consider them rivals, sitting down and working out a tech solution. What I noticed from it was the real buzz they got from this collaboration and how to present it. So, you’ll see more of that across the stages. And then, well, we all know the main themes that you would expect to see. They’ll all be there, represented in that free content.”

Keynote Speaker - XR Pioneer Marco Tempest

IBC has unveiled creative technologist, illusionist and mixed reality innovator Marco Tempest as Keynote Speaker at the IBC2023 Conference. His free-to-attend session, ‘Virtual Production & the Metaverse: A Future Where Everyone Is Invited to Play’, is open to all show attendees. Tempest is a leading industry trailblazer and thought leader driving advances in future technologies, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) to pioneer new immersive experiences. He is a Creative Technologist at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Directors Fellow Alumni at MIT Media Lab; and Founder of the science, illusion and digital technology consortium magicLab.

In an inspiring and dynamic session, Tempest will combine generative AI, mixed reality, storytelling, gestural sensing and swarm robotics to provide a glimpse of a delightful, augmented future. The keynote will demonstrate live on stage how you can interact with new tech in a virtual world and how this new field can be accessible and equitable.

Tempest is speaking at 1pm on Saturday 16th September, in the Forum at the RAI Amsterdam, on the second day of the IBC2023 Conference. Visit https://show.ibc.org

BRIDGE LIVE

For when reliablilty is key. The IP Video Workflow Bridge: Now with JPEG XS I/O and RTMP Input.

Equipped with 12G-SDI I/O plus the power and flexibility to enable real time bidirectional encoding, decoding, and transcoding for critical UltraHD and HD workflows, BRIDGE LIVE is an essential part of any modern live video production toolkit.

A compact and robust 1RU form factor with redundant power supplies and a three year warranty means peace of mind even when dealing with the most demanding applications.

BRIDGE LIVE is the broadcast quality, low latency turnkey system for REMI, Synchronous Multi-Channel Video Contribution, Remote Collaboration, Direct to Audience Streaming, and Multi Bit Rate/Format Delivery.

IBC CEO, Mike Crimp.

IBC2023 Keynote Speaker, Marco Tempest.

Agile Broadcast are Australia’s DAB Specialists

Utilising our partnerships with leading suppliers, Agile specialise in DAB Headend Solutions.

• Multiplexers

• Audio encoders

• Performance monitors

• DAB and DTV Transmitters

• Tunnel break-in systems

CAMERAS & LIGHTING CAMERAS & LIGHTING

Videosys Wireless Workflows and Camera Control

VIDEOSYS BROADCAST, , the provider of camera control systems, RF links and camera backs for outside broadcast, will be showcasing its latest innovations in wireless and camera control technology at IBC 2023 with a range of products that are designed to streamline broadcast workflows and reduce rig times.

At IBC 2023 (stand 11.B47), Videosys will unveil new RCP panels that are specifically intended to control Media Edge Slomo cameras. Designed to set new standards in camera control, these panels integrate seamlessly into existing OB infrastructures and are fully compatible with various protocols for enhanced and multi camera manufacturers.

Videosys will also be showing its flagship Epsilon 4K Camera Control solution, an easy-to-operate, all-in-one solution that boasts a seamless wireless workflow chain. This agnostic solution simplifies Radio Camera installation by allowing multiple camera set-ups to be matched quickly and effectively, with minimum input from operators and vision mixers. Together with the AEON web interface, it offers an unparalleled user experience and enables efficient wireless

camera control and RF over fibre capabilities. Complementing its new products is the Videosys classic modular system that offers a comprehensive and integrated solution for video transmission, camera control and RF over fibre. This powerful solution allows media professionals to effortlessly transmit highquality video signals while simultaneously controlling cameras remotely, making it ideal for live events, sports coverage, and various other broadcasting applications.

To meet future requirements for wireless camera control, Videosys has been working on new developments that will also be unveiled at IBC. These include Sony FX9 Ethernet control and RXSME profile upload that enable efficient camera management, and integration of RXSME Ethernet with Panasonic/GV and TSL Tally 3.0. In addition, the AEON web interface and Black Magic control additions ensure a comprehensive range of options for camera control, while transmitter control via an IDU base unit streamlines operations and enhances efficiency, particularly at live events.

“Our Camera Control Upgrade Kit, which is

Marshall Adds NDI|HX3 POV Cameras

MARSHALL ELECTRONICS has added four new POV camera models, the CV570/CV574 Miniature Cameras and CV370/ CV374 Compact Cameras. These new camera models, which will be on display at IBC 2023 (Stand 2.A47), all feature low latency NDI|HX3 streaming as well as standard IP (HEVC) encoding with SRT and other common streaming codecs, along with a simultaneous HDMI output for traditional workflows.

The CV570 miniature and CV370 compact NDI|HX3 cameras both contain a new technology Sony sensor with larger pixels and

square pixel array that Marshall is implementing into all of its next-generation POV cameras this year. These will have resolutions of up to 1920x1080p (progressive), 1920x1080i (interlaced) and 1280x720p. Also, these cameras are designed with the same flexible features including interchangeable lenses, multiple broadcast and proAV frame rates, remote adjustability and very discreet and durable bodies made of lightweight aluminium alloy with rear I/O protection wings.

The step-up CV574 miniature and CV374 compact NDI|HX3 cameras both contain the same features

Motion Impossible Motion Control

MOTION IMPOSSIBLE, a specialist in robotic camera dollies and stabilisation solutions, will return to IBC in Amsterdam to showcase the latest in motion control.

The new AGITO modular robotic camera dolly will be the focal point of stand 12.G48, where the team will be demonstrating its new user-driven features that act as proof points to Motion Impossible’s commitment to innovation in its research and development. These features represent the next generation of motion control that makes the most complex camera control setups work as seamlessly as possible, whether it’s for significant sporting events, entertainment

also being shown for the first time at IBC 2023, is another exciting addition to our range,” says Colin Tomlin, Managing Director of VideoSys Broadcast. “By offering Ethernet control capabilities for new and old camera manufacturers, the upgrade kit brings new dimensions to motion control, providing limitless possibilities for creative shots.”

Videosys Broadcast will complete its IBC line up with a control system for small cameras that incorporates paint control, pan, and tilt functionalities.

Visit https://www.videosys.tv/

as aforementioned only with a new Sony 4K (UHD) sensor. All four cameras can be set to NDI|HX3, NDI|HX2 as well as standard IP with SRT and other common streaming codec settings, with a simultaneous HDMI output for traditional processing or switching equipment.

The CV570 (HD) and CV574 (UHD) use a miniature M12 lens mount and are built into an ultra-durable and lightweight body with dimensions of roughly 2 inches x 2 inches x 3.5 inches. The CV370 (HD) and CV374 (UHD) use a slightly larger aluminium alloy body with CS/C lens mount recommended for

and studio productions, or film and high-end television.

Alongside the new version of the AGITO, Motion Impossible will be introducing new firmware for the range that adds multi-path capability with AGITO Magtrax and supports up to three different routes to choose from on the fly. It will also show two new products as part of its technical showcase at IBC; AGITO Commander and AGITO Sonar.

AGITO Commander is the brand-new centralised software-based application and infrastructure that enables users to control up to three

longer throws and longer focal length lenses.

The new NDI|HX3 format requires slightly higher bandwidth than previous NDI|HX2, but much less than is required for full-NDI|HB. NDI|HX3 delivers similar low latency as full-NDI at less than 100ms end-to-end and has video quality performance closer to premium full-NDI lossless video quality. NDI|HX3 is a big step forward for NDI|HX while reducing the bandwidth requirements of full-NDI and delivering similar speeds while delivering the high quality of the camera source.

Visit http://www.marshall-usa.com/

different AGITOs in either Trax or SkyTrax configurations from a single command station. And AGITO Sonar enables camera operators to work safely beyond a line of sight or in environments with dynamic assets. It features built-in proximity detection and avoidance that stops the AGITO if there is a high probability of colliding with the talent or anything else in a studio. AGITO Sonar and AGITO Commander can be used together for non-line of sight operations using both forward and reverse full HD camera streams.

Visit https://motion-impossible.com/

Hybrid Powerhouse

Meet the next-generation HD and 4K platform in Live Production Switchers. The new Sony XVS-G1 with its hybrid architecture and all-new 4RU processor is designed to deliver high-speed realtime processing. And with its new web-based application you can now enjoy remote access to a powerhouse of features with a PC, laptop or tablet.

• 4 new control panels with 1 M/E or 2 M/E configurations and up to 16 or 24 source button layouts

• Up to 4M/E, 48 inputs and 24 outputs in HD/1080p mode or 2M/E, 24 inputs and 12 outputs in 4K(UHD) mode can be configured by adding optional I/O boards

• Optional graphics processing unit provides built-in clip player, 3D digital multi-effects, extra still logo keys and new multi-viewer functionality

• Up to 16 web browsers connected simultaneously for multi-menu, multi access setup or remote operation

For more information, please visit

XVS-G1 Switcher Processor

ICP-X1124/X1224 Control Panel

MRMC Cinebot Mini Camera Robot

MARK ROBERTS MOTION CONTROL (MRMC), a Nikon company, has announced the Cinebot Mini, a small, lightweight and versatile camera robot designed to enable operators to take charge of every shot. Debuting at IBC2023, Cinebot Mini has been engineered for simplicity, with a range of user-friendly, simple and portable features ideal for studio owners, content creators, grips, cinematographers and camera operators. The Cinebot Mini is a compact camera robot offering the ability to manually control and record camera positions, helping to make complex camera movements more accessible. Built to be highly portable, it allows for convenient transportation, setup and location work. It can also run up to eight hours on battery power, providing an extended period of operation without a main power source. In addition, the Cinebot Mini allows users to control the robot by hand, directly from a mobile device or via MRMC’s industry-leading Flair Software. Emphasising user-friendly control, the Cinebot Mini simplifies on-set operation for grips and Directors of Photography. It can handle a camera payload of up to 10kg and offers a 1.3m arm reach, allowing operators to shoot from a variety of angles and positions. For added flexibility, the Cinebot Mini comes with a track and pedestal option. This feature allows the robot to be used on an adjustable pedestal for height variation or equipped with a track for an additional axis of

movement, expanding creative opportunities.

“MRMC continues to develop the most innovative technologies to meet the evolving needs of the film and cinematography industries,” said Assaff Rawner, MRMC CEO. “It’s the ideal solution for professionals looking to record and replicate any movement manually made on set with maximum flexibility and ease of use to meet a wide variety of production requirements.”

Motion control is often seen as a specialised technical skill that allows for absolute control of the camera path. It can be used to create highprecision moves and repeat camera movements for visual effects purposes. Typically, motion control has been achieved using software to create keyframes that are then joined together to create a smooth camera path. This has been mostly seen in high-end work or high-budget productions. MRMC’s latest innovation integrates motion control with the familiarity and type of control that is used on everyday sets, using regular grip equipment. Cinematographers can

BST Devices’ Camera Robotics

BST DEVICES, a Swedish company specialising in advanced camera robotics, is exhibiting at IBC2023 (stand 7.A02) for the first time with its sister company, nxtedition. The camACE pan and tilt head, which achieves a high resolution and repeatability of 0.8 arc-seconds with zero backlash, making for precise on-air moves, will be demonstrated at IBC2023. Its direct drive servo design, only one moving part per axis and high damping, makes for virtually silent operation and very high reliability: suitable for critical operations like news studios.

The camACE remote head can be paired with the Altitude lifting column and the silentTrack floor or ceiling rail system, enabling designers to utilise robotic cameras with complete freedom of movement for very quick and precise positioning. The system also supports payloads of up to 45kg, allowing for full studio cameras (complete with prompters) to be used. Camera movement is controlled from modular panels which provide intuitive access for programming and live operation. BST Devices says safety is inherent in the control system,

hand-hold the camera in various positions, and the robotic arm will record them. They can also push the track like a standard dolly, and this movement can be recorded and played back. The idea behind the Cinebot Mini is to make motion control available to any set with simpler, familiar control, a smaller footprint, and a price that makes it accessible to everyone, not just for bigger productions.

Delegates at IBC2023 will have the chance to control the robot and demo its capabilities using the MRMC Tracker app. The MRMC Motion Control Booth can be found in Hall 12, D20.

https://www.mrmoco.com/

ensuring the protection of equipment, operators and the surrounding environment –meeting all widely recognised safety standards for studio robotics.

“Our goal is to continue to push the boundaries of camera robotics,” said Peter Elmqvist, CEO at BST Devices. “IBC is a great opportunity to show our platform in action, delivering silent, fast, accurate and repeatable movements, ultimately empowering operators to capture stunning visuals and enhance storytelling.”

https://www.bstdevices.com/

THE TIFFEN COMPANY has added a new type of filter to its repertoire of imaging tools. For the first time filmmakers who use Signature lenses can add their Tiffen filters to the ARRI Magnetic Rear Filter Holder on each lens. Because Signature lenses feature the detachable Magnetic Rear Filter Holder, there is no change to the native lens required to use the new Tiffen Filters. Installation could not be easier and does not require a special technician. There are no tools and no worries.

Tiffen’s integral ring of 12 high power magnets on each filter ring perfectly line up with those on each Signature lens. The result is instant changeability and more creative options when it comes to strengths and varieties. It also means less weight than with heavy matte boxes and filter holders in front of the lens.

The simple-to-use magnetic rear-mount system opens the wide world of Tiffen filters. Cine professionals can choose from the large range of diffusion filter types—including Black Fog, Night Fog, Black Pro-Mist, Antique Black

Pearlescent, Antique Pearlescent, Antique Satin, Smoque, the array of Glimmerglass and many more. As with front-of-the-lens filters, Tiffen rear filters come in a choice of grades from 1/8 to 2.

There is a change to the way strengths are affected when using the rear mount system. As Jon Fauer ASC explains, “When mounted on the rear, you can use one filter strength, for example ¼, on your entire range of focal lengths. You do not have to change strengths depending on how wide or tight you are. This is different from when you add a filter to the front of the lens—where you probably use a heavier grade for wide angles (maybe ½ or 1) and a lighter grade for tighter angles (maybe ⅛ or ¼). Now, you only need one filter strength at the rear of each lens in a set.”

Like the rest of Tiffen’s filters, this new filter category is crafted in the USA with optical grade glass. To promote long life and image clarity, only Tiffen filters are manufactured using the exclusive Colorcore Technology

ACHTEL 9x7 Digital Cinema Camera Updated

AUSTRALIAN CAMERA DEVELOPER Achtel

Pty Limited has announced an update 5.1 of firmware and workflow software for ACHTEL 9x7 Digital Cinema Camera.

The ACHTEL 9×7 Digital Cinema Camera is designed specifically for VFX, VR, Giant Screen and IMAX Cinema productions.

According to founder Pawel Achyel, “It’s not here to replace Sony, ARRI or RED cameras. It is designed to replace an array of ten of them. “It is designed to deliver unprecedented levels of sharpness, not attainable with traditional digital cinema cameras in a small and manageable package. It features stateof-the-art Global Shutter, 4:3 aspect ratio, sensor featuring 65 Million photo-sites and

delivers uncompressed 16-bit RAW footage up to 11 GB/s – approximately 30 times more than other high-end digital cinema cameras.” Update 5.1 improvements include:

• State-of-the-art highlight reconstruction algorithm leveraging linear uncompressed RAW format that the camera captures, which improves dynamic range from 13 stops up to 15 ~ 16 stops;

• Flexible file name structure with ability to set templates; and

• Camera Profile (IDT) to LUT (.cube) converter allowing non-linear IDT in Davinci Resolve (to overcome Resolve’s limitation to linear 3x3 matrix IDTs only).

process that laminates the filter substrate between two parallel elements of optical glass, then grinds and polishes them to a precise tolerance of 1/10,000th of an inch flatness. For more details bit.ly/45tVLSP

be remotely updated for existing clients. Visit www.achtel.com/9x7

EVOLUTION OF KOMODO FEATURES ALL-NEW SENSOR TECHNOLOGY THAT MULTIPLES FRAME RATE AND DYNAMIC

RANGE

PERFORMANCE

WITHIN A NEW ADVANCED PLATFORM KOMODO-X features a completely overhauled sensor architecture, with updated pixel design and improvements in both detail and colour in shadows

KOMODO-X 6K ®

Magnetic Tiffen Filters for ARRI Lenses

NEWS OPERATIONS NEWS OPERTAIONS

Seven Opens New Sydney News Studio

AFTER 19 YEARS of broadcasting from Martin Place in the centre of Sydney, the Seven Network’s new state-of-the-art newsroom and studios were recently opened in South Eveleigh by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Seven’s new news and public affairs centre is part of a significant transformation of the network’s head office over the past two years. The high-tech facility, purpose-built across two floors of Seven’s head office at is the new home of the network’s Sydney and national news operations, including 7NEWS, Sunrise, The Morning Show, The Latest, 7NEWS Spotlight and 7NEWS.com.au, bringing together Seven’s Sydney-based broadcast and operational staff for the first time in four decades.

The world-leading studio space is five times larger than Martin Place and allows for permanent sets for all programs, with two complete control rooms and more than 40 square metres of LED screens.

Also attending the opening were the Premier of New South Wales, Christopher Minns; the NSW Minister for Roads and Minister for the Arts, John Graham; Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, Seven West Media Chairman, Kerry Stokes AC; and Seven West Media Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, James Warburton.

Seven West Media Chairman, Kerry Stokes AC, said: “Our new studio is state-of-the-art. It provides our people with the best they can have. It’s true to say that the news and current affairs we’ve built today is state of the art itself. But as good as it all is, it isn’t as good as the people we have who work here.

“We’re welcomed into the homes of Australians all around the country, every day and night. They tune us in because they like us. There’s a special bond and commitment we’ve developed, which has taken a long time.

“When we look at the future, we also look at 7plus, and 7plus is our future in a digital world. As we go forward, we need to have a gateway that allows us to continue to grow, and 7plus does that through BVOD. And that’s an important part of our future,” he said.

CEO James Warburton described the opening of the new studio as “... proof – and a celebration – of our commitment to news and public affairs.”

“We also want to acknowledge the Albanese Government’s commitment to legislate the prominence of local TV services on connected devices, to ensure that Australians can continue to easily find their local news services,” he said. “It is critical to the ongoing sustainability of trusted and local news.”

Seven’s Network Director of News and Public Affairs, Craig McPherson, said: “Television networks are shaped and defined by their news and public affairs content. They are the conduit to our communities. In news they are often, in the most trying of times, a vital source of information. Reliable, relentless, trusted, they

CueTALK Cloud from CueScript

CUESCRIPT is bringing the cloud to IBC 2023 with its CueTALK Cloud, allowing CueiT- and CueTALK-enabled devices to now communicate anywhere there is an internet connection.

CueTALK Cloud will be highlighted at IBC (Stand 11.D10).

This new cloud offering is designed to allow CueScripts’ prompting software CueiT- and CueTALK-enabled devices, which feature the

latest in IP connectivity, to communicate over WiFi. This brings an enhanced level of flexibility to users working in remote locations.

CueTALK Cloud can serve as a VPN replacement solution for customers who do not want to, or for whom it is not feasible to, connect a VPN service between remote prompting locations. This opens the door for accurate teleprompting anywhere there is an

are what Australians turn to when they need to

know.

“Every day, we produce 24 hours of news and public affairs nationally. That is about 8,800 hours a year. Delivering live and local news – for free – is part of our DNA.”

Visit https://www.sevenwestmedia.com.au

Internet connection and is great for prompting on-the-go. CueTALK Cloud allows controllers and prompt devices to be accessible via the cloud using a standard public internet connection. It is also designed to align CueiT to be more user-friendly and easily set up between local and remote applications.

Visit https://www.cuescript.tv/

[L-R] Seven West Media MD and CEO, James Warburton; Seven West Media Chairman, Kerry Stokes AC; and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Seamless Storytelling from nxtedition

INNOVATORS IN microservices-based production environments, nxtedition will showcase its fresh approach to storytelling at IBC2023. Visitors will see how nxtedition presents a completely integrated approach to live production and delivery, while allowing users to access third-party functionality like craft editing, and adding AI tools where appropriate. Sharing the nxtedition stand at IBC2023 is sister company BST Devices, a leader in advanced camera robotics. Adding studio automation into the solution makes the offering even more powerful for news and production.

nxtedition software solutions, running on COTS hardware or in the cloud, are widely used in newsrooms, where the challenge is to react quickly and accurately to stories as they develop. The technology provides all the support journalists and editors need, giving them powerful authoring and archive research tools, and automating repetitive tasks.

The platform offers a robust and user-friendly environment for production and delivery. However, recognising the necessity of incorporating specialised third-party software for specific needs, nxtedition presents an open framework for seamless integration through APIs. This encompasses an integration to industry-standard craft editing software Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, where rough cuts built inside nxt|edit can be sent as timelines to the editing platform.

Now nxtedition has extended this capability by embedding the OpenAI environment into the core software. Users are free to bring in artificial intelligence tools where appropriate,

boosting productivity and creativity without compromising editorial integrity. This includes Whisper, which can automatically transcribe all the speech to text in 180 languages for archives or rushes with no ongoing “cost per words” fee; the transcription is done on the nxt|engine GPU infrastructure. This feature also includes translation for not just subtitles but to create searchable metadata, making the resource much more valuable.

Like all external integrations, nxtedition provides an elegant and simple experience by hiding the complications of APIs from the user, seamlessly presenting searches and operations within the familiar interface. The virtual assets architecture means integrations with third-party software are secure, rugged, and fast, boosting productivity and creativity.

“What we do is make the storyteller’s life as simple and productive as possible,” said Adam Leah, creative director at nxtedition. “Every newsroom and production will have its own preferred ways of working, its own editorial practices and guidelines. Our software enables

them, whatever they are.”

“Being able to bring in GPT technology, for example, does not mean getting AI to write the stories,” he added. “But it does mean that it could challenge incorrect assumptions, suggest further lines of enquiry or simply generate the titles and descriptions of social posts. We want our users to tell their stories in their best possible voice.”

See nxtedition on stand 7.A02 at IBC2023, or find out more at https://nxtedition.com. Co-exhibiting on the nxtedition stand is BST Devices, https://bstdevices.com.

SPORTSCASTING SPORTSCASTING

Sky Racing Qld Hits the Track with Panasonic

Sky Racing Queensland broadcasts thousands of thoroughbred, greyhound and harness races each year taking Queensland racing to TAB venues, gaming apps, homes and international audiences.

RECENTLY, the company had a requirement to upgrade all of its OB facilities, including outside broadcast, production and speciality cameras. Having carried out a comprehensive assessment, evaluation and due diligence of available options, Sky Racing decided a range of Panasonic professional broadcast cameras, equipment and solutions would best meet its requirements.

As Mark Bonnici, Sky Racing Queensland’s Racing Outside Broadcast Manager, explained, “Our core business is to provide outside broadcast facilities for race meetings around Queensland. We also add hosts to most of our TAB Provincial and Metropolitan race days, both at the meetings and remotely and cover special events such as barrier draws and awards evenings. We have a diverse range of shooting requirements and our old fleet of cameras and copper-based infrastructure was ageing so we engaged with Mojo Media Solutions to start the evaluation process for replacement options. When all was said and done, we felt the level of technology, options and features with Panasonic professional broadcast cameras and their related solutions was far and away better than any other brand we tested.”

Sky Racing also took the new camera refresh as a catalyst to transition from copper/triax-based production to IP/fibre-based production. This, in turn, was part of the company’s wider plan to create a remote centralised production hub in Brisbane which would better enable it to take advantage of the costs, benefits and flexibility of an IP/fibre-based infrastructure.

Bonnici continued, “Moving to an IP/fibre-based workflow gives us improved human resources and equipment efficiencies by utilising ST-2110 and other IP-based workflows like SRT and NDI to centrally locate our core operations. This means we now only need to transport essential equipment and personnel to the race meetings.”

In total Sky Racing purchased multiple Panasonic AK-UC4000GSJ 4K studio cameras, AJ-CX4000GJ 4K field production camcorders with Videosys wireless backs, AW-UE100KEJ 4K premium PTZ cameras. They also plan to add ST-2110 enabled PTZ cameras in the Hub, enabling a true end-to-end digital workflow. After evaluating various camera brands and options we decided on Panasonic cameras because they provide wonderful picture quality, outstanding reliability, great value for money and Panasonic is able to offer a complete IP workflow across the studio cameras, field production cameras and PTZ cameras with standard Remote Operation Panels (ROPs).”

Sky Racing also evaluated Panasonic’s PanaPod

camera elevation units to potentially be paired with their AW-UE160W/K premium PTZ cameras in the future as Jamie Ford, Sky Racing’s Technical Operations Manager explained, “The shots from the AW-UE100KEJ and PanaPod were so smooth that we were getting calls from our Sydney office asking us just how we managed to get a camera jib and operator in such a small area! The PanaPod is compact and all the kit could all be controlled from the AW-RP150GJ controller and included foot pedals, which was particularly easy for our operators to manage. The ease of installation across the entire Panasonic workflow is very attractive to us. An OB environment can be unforgiving at the best of times; however, we could easily add these products into our workflow without any issues whatsoever.”

Sky Racing’s new AKUC4000GSJ studio cameras feature a large 4K sensor with high-speed output in HD mode which the company uses to simultaneously output 4K via 12G-SDI and HD knowing that when required the IP/12G/3G Interface Kit AK-NP600G – an optional accessory – can be equipped for ST-2110 support.

The new AK-HRP1010 ROPs are paired with the AK-UC4000GSJ 4K studio cameras and 4K premium PTZ cameras for control and paint. When paired with the AJ-CX4000 4K field production camcorders the AK-HRP1010GJ run remotely via a Videosys/DTC wireless back, so they control and paint the AJ-CX4000 cameras just like they are studio cameras, but with the seamless freedom of being completely wireless.

Sky Racing have also combined the AKUC4000GSJ 4K studio cameras and AJCX4000GJ 4K field production cameras with their AW-UE100 premium PTZ cameras to open up a range of shots that were not possible before.

Bonnici said, “The Panasonic studio and field production cameras combined with the premium PTZ cameras have enabled the team to get more creative with the shot selection without having to sacrifice on the picture

quality or video performance.

The combination of these cameras with IP control also gives us the flexibility to address all of our shooting requirements, both local and remote, so we can decide which configuration best suits the activity of the day. Our ROP setup gives us the freedom to move operators with the AJ-CX4000GJ camera virtually anywhere at any time during an event. The wireless connection via the Videosys backs means there is constant connection so the cameras can be colour adjusted while the operator is moving or setting up for the next shot.”

Ford added, “One feature of the AK-UCU600ESJ CCUs for the AK-UC4000GSJ studio cameras that stood out for us is that we could simultaneously get 4K, HD and high-speed outputs and thus easily provide feeds for our various requirements. This allowed us to have super slow motion and standard HD workflows from the same CCU at the same time with spectacular results and all without the need for external conversion, which was a real game changer for us.”

Visit https://oc.connect.panasonic.com/

Mapping Remote Production Workflows Onto Virtual Production

By Kevin Parks, Senior Director, Field Engineering, Zixi

AS A CONSEQUENCE of the response to the pandemic, several technologies that were slowly being introduced into the video industry saw rapid acceleration in their adoption. Two in particular, remote production and virtual production, were direct beneficiaries of the urgent requirement to find new methods of working that did not mandate moving people around between lockdown bubbles.

Necessity not only proved to be the mother of invention, but the pragmatic need to get productions up and running again swiftly steamrollered any of the objections that the industry had to the deployment of these new techniques. The remote production of sports content in particular saw an acceleration that is estimated shaved anywhere between three to seven years over its rollout in a non-pandemic timeline.

It is an innovation that has stuck too, with the economics of remote production and reduced costs in fuel, catering, equipment, transportation and more proving compelling. So, even though trucks and broadcast teams have started returning to high profile events, there are definitely less of them on-site than before even at the Tier One level. The consequence of remote has seen broadcasters and rights holders able to do more with less, expanding the coverage of existing contracts while also exploring niche sports and, for example, being able to surf the rising wave of interest in women’s sports in particular.

The same progress from grudging acceptance to mainstream ubiquity can be observed in the recent history of virtual production. LED volumes pre-pandemic were extremely high-end spaces and few and far between, and while even then they were starting to revolutionise the need for location filming, multiple productions still had to travel, sometimes intercontinentally, to access the top end stages. These spaces have proliferated wildly since as the technology used in virtual production has forged ahead at an extreme pace on all fronts, whether that is in software, screen technology, camera tracking, lighting or elsewhere. As with remote production, they have both expanded and diversified, with the

volumes being built and opened around the world now serving a far more diverse market than simply the rarefied high-end productions that made their reputation.

To date, both remote and virtual production have followed entirely different evolutionary paths. But there is definite potential crossover there and a chance to bring the lessons that have been learned in the live events and sports production space into the virtual production arena. Cameras still have to travel Because in part they are anchored to physical objects in the shape of lenses, the virtualisation of cameras in sports arenas has yet to take place. There have been plenty of experiments in capturing large pictures of an entire playing area at, for example 8K resolution and then flying virtual HD cameras around within it, but the results have not yet reached what can be achieved with a physical camera and lens combo.

As a result, although a lot of equipment that used to be crammed into OB vehicles and sent to each individual venue such as switchers, servers, slo-mo equipment, graphics and more can now be kept at a centralised hub, the cameras still must make the journey. The operators, however, do not, in all cases, have to.

One of the big trends we are seeing in sports production at the moment is a rise in the use of remotely operated PTZ cameras. As these units have gotten better and better — some of the newer models have all the same electronics as their conventional broadcast counterparts — they can be installed in stadia with

little or no seat kill and are driven by remote operators (even, in some cases, by AI). And the work that has been done on remote production means that those operators do not have to be within 100 miles of the stadium.

In fact, why stop at 100 miles? At Zixi we have been involved in many remote productions of sports and live events where the camera chain is stretched to 1000s of miles and reaches across continents. And thanks to the optimisation that has gone into software such as the Zixi Protocol we estimate that roundtrip latency now is reliably in the order of 200 milliseconds. In short, a good percentage of the camera operators can now be located back at the production hub along with the EVS operators, vision mixers, and reliably and precisely control the units with the same degree of finesse as if they were located in an OB truck in the stadium parking lot.

Porting remote workflows

Remote production workflows such as this have been battle tested in live sports, possibly one of the most demanding environments in the industry. They are proven, they have bulletproof reliability, and they are ripe and ready to be used in other fields. Virtual production is an obvious candidate, meaning that camera operators no longer need to be part of the physical on-set process, further cutting costs and adding flexibility. Its use needs not be confined mainly to PTZ cameras in this case either, with multiple recent innovations in robotic control providing a plethora of different remotely

controlled motion options to mount camera heads on. What’s more, these set-ups also provide the useful function of trackability, allowing for the exact repeated moves that are an integral part of many VFX shoots.

With only a 200-millisecond roundtrip latency to contend with, there is actually no need for the camera operators to be on-set anymore. Following the sports model, they can even be situated in centralised production hubs working on more than one project in a single ‘shift’.

We are seeing increasing automation in virtual production — actually, production of all kinds — and it’s not hard to see a future where the talent turns up to an almost fully automated virtual production facility with everything from virtual sets to camera moves pre-loaded in advance and ready to run. However, there is always going to be the need for flexibility, whether that’s now in a live sports environment to cover something unexpected happening off pitch for example, or in the future to accommodate a rapidly evolving and iterating drama in a LED volume. And that is when a camera operator will need to be able to jump into the project and reliably take control from wherever they are in the world.

Remote production and virtual production might have followed separate paths up until now, but some of the crossover between them could mean that another period of rapid technological change is coming up.

Visit https://zixi.com/

Chyron Showcases Innovation with a Focus on Sports

CHYRON HAS ANNOUNCED that its focus on sports solutions at IBC2023 will feature innovations across its product line, most notably within PRIME — Chyron’s powerhouse software platform supporting CG graphics, video walls, touch screens, venue control, clips, branding, and software-based switching — and within the award-winning Chyron LIVE all-in-one, cloud-native live video production platform. Exhibiting on Stand 7.A45 during IBC2023, Chyron says it will demonstrate fresh functionality and added efficiencies that enable broadcasters and other live content producers to deliver more engaging live sports coverage more quickly than ever.

“Chyron is highly customercentric, and development is driven by some of the most demanding sports broadcasts on the planet,” said Carol Bettencourt, vice president of marketing at Chyron. “By simplifying essential tasks and streamlining critical workflows, we’re giving operators more flexibility and freedom in crafting stories and experiences that resonate with fans. We look forward to showcasing these innovations at IBC2023.”

Superior Control and Data Management with PRIME:

With its robust and unique data management and display capabilities across all data formats and sources, including scoreboards, stats providers, and tracking technologies, PRIME offers enhanced functionality tailored to the requirements of venues and sports broadcast workflows.

The PRIME 4.7 release introduced a powerful data table resource

that makes it easier for sports networks and leagues to leverage large data sets to tell the story of a sporting event, significantly reducing the time needed to create league tables, team rosters, or dynamic player highlight templates. New additions to PRIME’s control panel creation toolbox enable users to make simplified playout interfaces, in turn revving up operations in the production truck or control room. New appearance and layout properties provide simple formatting of button size, position, and visuals, while a new base scene control resource enhances a designer’s experience for customising control when working with parent scene graphics. New shortcut keys for common sports operations, such as transferring or clearing all graphics from program to preview, add further efficiency to playout.

Innovations around data continue in the PRIME 4.8 release. Because industry-leading data providers such as Genius Sports and Sportradar have adopted JSON as the data format of choice for their data-connection APIs, JavaScript is becoming the scripting language of choice to parse, evaluate, and access data in live graphics. With its brand-new JavaScript Effect & Resource tool, PRIME 4.8 gives users an intuitive interface with which to import and edit scripts entirely within the platform — and effortlessly apply them as parameters at the object, scene, project, and application level. Accompanying the new JavaScript tools is a host of new settings for scripting sandboxing security.

PRIME’s new auto-follow features

help designers to create complex graphics that adapt to varying stats, and a new virtual group effect binds separate scene object positions together for a one-time design of table graphics with changing rows and columns. Further enhancements include a date/time count-up mode and tools for determining the overlap of layer masks across back-toback scenes. For automated productions driven by external updates or by Chyron’s Intelligent Interface (II) protocol, new message ranges in PRIME save hours of time by eliminating the need to design hundreds of graphics variations. Instead, designers create a single playout recall range that references a parent scene template. For playout operators, the Replaceable Panel provides rapid edit access to text, images, and style values — and control over external updates and databindings. Support for multiple graphic subfolders makes it easy for broadcasters to drive a variety of sports productions from a single project, using identical numeric recalls for playout on every show.

Efficient, Unified Video Production with Chyron LIVE: For live production from anywhere and within any budget, Chyron LIVE delivers multiviewer touch vision mixing, broadcast-grade animated Chyron graphics, audio control, and illustrated replay, all accessible from an HTML browser by a single operator or a distributed team.

Chyron LIVE 1.5 will make its debut at IBC2023, featuring additional user control over the cloud environment and new sports-

specific features. These new capabilities build on the power of LIVE 1.4, which introduced an AI-based instant replay tool that enhances production crews’ ability to create replay clips from live feeds. When the algorithm watches the camera inputs and recognises an interesting play, the platform generates a replay clip around that point of interest. For greater control and flexibility, users can manually adjust the start point of the AI-generated clip. This tool is especially powerful for productions with a single operator or few staff, who can effortlessly generate broadcast-grade replays while handling their other tasks. An automatic replay transition effect and improvements to video telestration in LIVE 1.4 also make the management of telestration effects much more intuitive, allowing operators to adjust the pathing keyframes and effect duration and to delete specific effects from a saved clip without starting over. Live demos on Chyron’s IBC2023 stand will showcase these new capabilities in action.

Immersive Storytelling with the Chyron Portfolio: At IBC2023 Chyron will showcase other key products rounding out the company’s offering for sports. PRIME Video Walls supports any aspect ratio and pixel count, while PRIME Click Effects provides legendary venue control capabilities that make it easy to drive graphics to any in-studio or in-stadium display. Broadcasters, sports teams, and leagues can further enhance their storytelling capabilities with PAINT illustrated replay, as well as Virtual Placement for on-field virtual markers (down and distance, offsides) or virtual, regionalised advertising on the field, around the pitch, or on virtual billboards. Addressing increasing demand for cloud workflows, Chyron works closely with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop and leverage cloud-native efficiencies. Chyron LIVE is platformed in an AWS environment, with other Chyron products available in the cloud as well.

Visit https://www.chyronhego.com/

Telstra Broadcast Services (TBS) AMPPs Up Media Production with Grass Valley

By Carl Petch, CTO and Head of Solutions, Telstra Broadcast Services

Telstra Broadcast Services (TBS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telstra Group Limited, Australia’s largest telecommunications company. We are a global media and managed services business that provides media and broadcasting solutions with facilities all around the world including APAC, EMEA and the Americas.

AS OUR MEDIA CUSTOMERS become increasingly global, they need to distribute content to and from different parts of the world to other broadcasters or intermediaries. To achieve this, TBS relies primarily on our global media networks, our fibre, internet and our Points of Presence (PoPs) around the world. We also have access to Telstra’s subsea cable network where we can deliver contribution and distribution services for all our products, but most recently for our new Media Production Platform (MPP).

Media Production Platform (MPP)

MPP is a cloud-based platform powered by GV AMPP®. This platform gives users the ability to control any broadcast workflow remotely through a web browser and the public internet. With MPP, we are aligning our facilities and our end-to-end media networks to provide infrastructure as a service. Thanks to the platform’s maturity, we orchestrate feeds from different locations using our media networks into the public cloud or into our on-prem facilities. We let the end-toend workflow decide where the workloads go. If it’s near one of our facilities where we have 24/7 support and where we need to go back to that facility anyway, then we will put it on the premise. If it’s a shortterm event and/or isn’t near a facility, it makes more sense to send it to the public cloud and use the virtualized infrastructure to do the signal conversion.

TBS has a long history with Alchemist from Grass Valley®, and the fact that it can be on-premise or in the cloud means that we now have the same product, with the same usability in hardware and in software with the surrounding platform. As the orchestration between the two environments improves, the solution becomes more and more powerful.

By combining on-prem signal conversion with the cloud-native software, we can give customers content in different formats.

With MPP, we can localize major sporting events. Rather than go from the venue back through our facility and then into the cloud, we can go directly from the venue into our public cloud instance where we then use GV AMPP to do the time-based conversion, format conversion, or even HDR to SDR.

For example, we aggregate numerous sporting events in our US facility, but we need to reformat it to supply it to European networks. We use an onprem conversion with motion compensation. This way, we’re able to convert it at our facility and then push it out over the network for global distribution of that product.

What’s Next?

As a managed media network provider, our operation is multi-site from a physical on-prem perspective and multi-region from a cloud perspective, so the crucial next step will be to have them joined together in the orchestration layer so we can send signals from on-prem into the cloud and back and forth using a mixture of compressed and uncompressed formats.

GV AMPP - the Fast-Track to ‘Go Live’

“GV AMPP is a product provided by Grass Valley, which allows clients to do production in the cloud,” says Pippa Windus, Broadcast Operations Centre Team, Telstra Broadcast Services “The benefit for any client would be that they don’t have to spend money on having hardware that they may only use 20% of the time. It means someone else owns that infrastructure, and they don’t have that expense.”

“I’m really quite excited to bring on Grass Valley AMPP,” adds Angus Stuart, Business Development Executive - APAC, Telstra Broadcast Services. “It’s a solution that we can stand up anywhere in the world for a multitude of different customers. With very little lead time, the ability for us to just deploy a new feature with the click of a button is really just so powerful.”

“To achieve that,” says Olivia Grimshaw, Customer Success Manager, Oceania & SE Asia, Grass Valley, “We’ve got a lightweight technology stack, and a simple operational training program. And this enables our customers to fast track their ‘go live’.”

“The partnership between Grass Valley and TBS is really the ultimate solution for our customers,” adds Evan Boyd, VP Sales & Solutions Design - APAC, Grass Valley. “It’s the combination of connectivity solutions from Telstra Broadcast Services. Stacked on top of that is the Agile Media Processing Platform (AMPP) provided by Grass Valley. It really allows our customers to solve the biggest challenge that they’re facing in the media industry today, which is really about how do I achieve a greater yield per asset? How do I produce more content at higher quality, at a lower cost, and receive more revenue per asset that I make?”

“We are taking a lot of that live pain away,” says TBS’ Angus Stuart. “The nuances of dealing with live sport, with dealing with on air changes, with dealing with new codes coming on that change their specifications at a moment’s notice, and you have a week to have it ready and on air.

“The only kit that they need on site is a computer, and sometimes a microphone if they want to do some commentary, and that’s about it.”

We have also started the journey to integrate our contribution and distribution product to feed signals directly into AMPP, allowing us to provide broadcast customers with a full end-to-end solution.

What we like about the public cloud environment is that it offers us the flexibility to choose how we distribute the workloads and manage costs, which is important to us as a managed service provider and our customers. This flexibility enables us to optimize the commercial arrangements, without affecting where we put the workload.

Visit www.grassvalley.com and https://telstra.com/broadcastservices

MEDIA IN THE CLOUD MEDIA IN THE CLOUD

Dalet and Telstra Partner to Offer Cloud-based Media Services

DALET, A LEADING TECHNOLOGY and service provider for media-rich organisations, and Telstra Broadcast Services (TBS), a leading provider of end-to-end broadcast and mediarelated services, have entered into a strategic partnership that combines Dalet’s media workflow solutions with TBS’ infrastructure and operations teams to accelerate the digital transformation of media workflows across the Asia Pacific region. The strategic partnership offers customers premium cloudfirst production platforms and services with end-to-end playout and streaming solutions underpinned by Dalet Flex.

“In today’s changing environment, where the needs of media organisations are in constant evolution, collaborating with partners such as Telstra Broadcast Services is a key enabler to success,” states Ren Middleton, VP – Sales –Asia Pacific, Dalet. “Our customers tell us that agility is key to their business, so onboarding the right technology quickly enables them to accelerate their time to market. Partnering with TBS will enable us to deliver solutions to our joint

MOG Integrates VVC/H.266

MOG TECHNOLOGIES, the provider of end-to-end solutions for professional media, has announced the full integration of the MainConcept VVC/H.266 SDK into its MAM4PRO cloud media production platform.

MAM4PRO, MOG’s comprehensive native-cloud media production platform, offers innovative features designed to transform media production workflows, including AI-driven object recognition and metadata enhancement, production and orchestration, collaborative remote production, and comprehensive broadcast operations. Now, MAM4PRO can be fully deployed in a multi-cloud environment.

The integration of the MainConcept VVC/H.266 SDK into the MAM4PRO platform showcases the

customers with the velocity and efficiency they expect.”

Dalet’s media workflow solutions, which are available as a subscription, enable customers to monetise archival content, automate supply chains and packaging, compliance editorial and delivery. Dalet Flex’s award-winning MAM and orchestration engine eliminate siloed productions that hinder collaboration and automate intelligent workflows that solve operational challenges, enabling media companies to achieve their business goals.

With a dedicated team of media industry professionals and 24/7 operations support, Telstra Broadcast Services offers customers agile project delivery, high-performance media networks, cloud migration, and managed services.

Dalet and TBS have a long-standing relationship with enterprise projects that have transformed sports, OTT and broadcast organisations

Into MAM4PRO

long-lasting, innovative partnership between MOG Technologies and MainConcept, a leading provider of video and audio codecs to the production, streaming and broadcast industries. This successful collaboration has led to MOG being the first company to enable VVC in a native-cloud media production environment.

The VVC/H.266 technology delivers unprecedented compression improvements of up to 40%, facilitating more efficient broadcast and OTT. This advancement not only accommodates the continuous evolution of digital video delivery but also promotes costeffective and productive production workflows.

The VVC codec, engineered with an eye towards the future, offers robust flexibility in handling

EditShare Boosts Performance and Connectivity

EDITSHARE (Stand 7.A35) will launch what it says is a significant raft of technology upgrades and new functionality at IBC2023. In addition to the new user interface, EditShare One, announced in July, the company is adding NVMe capabilities to provide ultimate performance in intensive workloads, and Swift Link, bringing up to 10x improvement in performance between remote workstations and EFS systems that are located on-prem or in FLEX cloud environments. Large and busy facilities place heavy demands on storage systems, particularly when content is in demand by multiple users. To provide a very high-performance cache in this sort of environment, EditShare now offers the ability to use NVMe (non-volatile memory express) solidstate storage.

Based on the latest Gen11 platform from HPE, the NVMe module has 24 drives per node, with user-

selectable capacities. EFS supports multiple nodes, so users are free to construct the storage architecture that best meets their business and productivity requirements. This new platform gives systems architects extremely high levels of performance, without sacrificing the protection and reliability that is central to the EditShare approach.

Users now routinely expect EFS storage architectures that bridge multiple facilities and link to the cloud, but also offer access from remote locations and for creators working at home. Swift Link provides a massive speed boost for remote clients connecting over a VPN or other high latency connection – boosting throughput by as much as 10 times.

Users at home or on a remote location connected via VPN can preview and edit both proxies and high-res media, just by using

including the Australian Football League.

“We are thrilled to enter into this strategic partnership with Dalet, combining their bestin-market media workflow solutions with Telstra Broadcast Services’ state-of-the-art infrastructure and operations teams,” said Karen Clark, Head of APAC at Telstra Broadcast Services. “This collaboration will accelerate the

digital transformation of media workflows in the Asia Pacific region, offering our customers premium cloud-first production platforms and services. By leveraging Dalet Flex and our managed services, we aim to deliver solutions that enable our joint customers to achieve their business goals with greater velocity and efficiency.”

Visit https://www.dalet.com and https://telstra.com/broadcastservices/

diverse resolutions. While 8K-optimised, it efficiently manages 4K and lower resolutions, ensuring media production can easily adapt to upcoming advancements in video quality and resolution demands.

Seamless integration of the VVC/H.266 codec with future-proof technologies, such as cloud deep archive, enables long-term cloud storage of media with minimal space requirements, courtesy of VVC’s efficient compression. This accessible stored footage can be used for future broadcasts or repurposed content, providing a cost-effective solution for media archiving. This integration will be available to experience live at the IBC Show, at Hall 2, Booth #2.A32. https://www.mog-technologies.com/

EditShare Connect, with built-in Swift Link and its automatic latency detection. EFS optimises the connection around the network latency, delivering much more flexibility for remote users without changing the equipment they use or the way they work. The user doesn’t need to know that they are on a high-latency connection, EditShare Connect will determine that for them and make adjustments accordingly.

EditShare continues to achieve the highest possible security levels. The new release now ships with Ubuntu 2020, and is beginning to introduce SAML (security assertion markup language) within the SSO (single sign-on) authentication for externally-facing FLOW applications. Together, these provide practical and effective protection against cyber-security attacks.

Visit https://www.editshare.com/

Elements’ Future of Storage and Workflows

MEDIA STORAGE SPECIALIST Elements (IBC2023 Stand 7.B25) has announced enhancements to its platform, which it says, bring a complete 360° approach to media workflows.

The Elements platform embraces on-premise, cloud, and hybrid environments, delivering the flexibility for creative teams. It is compatible with most major cloud providers, and integrated tools make uploads even faster, with automated proxy generation for fast access. Users can create and mount cloud workspaces on their workstation to seamlessly work in the cloud with all creative applications. The user management tools simplify administration tasks for creative teams, giving them great accessibility while

NOA Unveils NOARecord 4.0

AV DIGITISING and archiving specialist NOA GmbH has announced the launch of NOA Record 4.0 for IBC2023 (Booth 7.C18), during which the company will put the spotlight on its latest version of the multi-stream digitisation and transcription software for analogue and digital audio legacy sources with comprehensive transfer quality control.

Version 4.0 — an offshoot of NOARecord 3.0 — offers a host of new, innovative features designed to maximise archiving operations. With a QC-based ingest system able to digitise audio archives, Record 4.0 allows users to benefit from parallelisation. This means that while previously, users needed to listen to each

keeping content secure.

Elements hybrid architectures provide low latency, seamless synchronisation, allowing for easy ingest to cloud workflows. Camera storage device content is automatically checksum validated as it is ingested, so it is ready for immediate cloud editing with Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Workflows incorporate comprehensive review and approval features including comments, annotations, and secure share links, all built into the Elements Media Library.

IBC2023 also sees a new version of the company’s Bolt media storage. Speed and resilience are guaranteed by the all-NVMe

architecture, and each Bolt is capable of storing 600TB in just 2U. Internal backplanes running at 70 Gb/s ensure high throughput, at 4K, 8K, and beyond.

The IBC showcase will also focus on AI developments, including on-premise object detection, which allows users to remain in control of the content while enjoying all the benefits of intelligent automated metadata. The Elements solution is a double win: you train your own AI models using an intuitive visual interface, with the AI engines providing tagging and facial logo, as well as object recognition, for richly enhanced metadata.

Visit https://elements.tv/ibc2023/

tape, they can now run multiple lines in parallel (typically four) and leave the listening task for the NOA analysis engine to manage, which will consequently present the operator with specific information regarding potential issues and problem zones. NOARecord 4.0 is suitable for use in various applications, including the digitisation of legacy archives that consist of vinyl, 78s, cassette tapes, Mini-DISCs, DAT and ¼-inch formats. The system comes either paired with a PICO system or bundled with NOA jobDB or NOA MediARC. In addition, Record 4.0 features include optimal transfer quality control of analogue and digital audio transfers. For example, for audio ¼-inch

manifold CLOUD Set to Cover IBC

MANIFOLD TECHNOLOGIES, the provider of service-oriented software solutions for Tier-1 live productions, is introducing manifold CLOUD to the European market at IBC 2023. manifold CLOUD, initially presented at NAB 2023, provides users with access to an ondemand pool of configurable live production functionality through a single sign-on web UI. manifold CLOUD can handle the most demanding live sports, entertainment and news productions while providing the benefits of scalability, resiliency, quick deployment, and unified control. manifold CLOUD will be demonstrated at IBC in stand 9.C01 (arkona

technologies).

Designed to run on COTS FPGA acceleration cards from multiple manufacturers, manifold CLOUD services include compression, multiviewing, routing, up/down/cross conversion, audio/video mixing, colour correction, colour space conversion, and more. Services are quickly created and configured on-demand within a private cloud environment and automatically assigned to an accelerator card. Services are grouped in clusters that can operate simultaneously – each supporting an individual cluster, such as a sports event or

Velocix Unveils Hybrid-Cloud CDN

VELOCIX, the carrier-grade cloud TV software provider, will showcase its newest Hybrid-cloud CDN application at IBC 2023 (booth 5.C10), which enables video service providers to seamlessly combine elastic, cloud delivery with ultra cost-efficient on-premises streaming.

Hybrid-cloud CDN’s cloud-native and platformagnostic architecture allows pay TV providers to choose the most suitable deployment environments for Velocix’s software, including private, public, and edge-cloud frameworks.

Cloud-hosted software instances operate in

concert with Velocix’s high-performance onpremises CDN caches to create a more flexible and cost-effective end-to-end content delivery architecture.

The on-premises caches provide peak cost efficiency, while cloud caches offer elastic delivery capacity to enable rapid service scale-outs and support for unpredictable traffic spikes. When employed together, the combination of cloud and on-premises resources boosts energy, space, and operational efficiency.

tape, the system makes use of azimuth control assistance via a software function. It also analyses tape quality via tape light barrier (cuts, splices, leader tape). For DAT, NOARecord 4.0 implements BLER analysis and for CD it uses C2 analysis. Also new with NOARecord 4.0 is the usage of lane management to display several analysis functions simultaneously.

With NOARecord 4.0, technicians benefit from reduced OPEX, improved quality assessment though algorithmic analysis of the signal as well as transfer quality control at its best. Quicker assessment of quality results in faster workflow times and fast throughput.

Visit https://www.noa-archive.com/

news show. In the event of a hardware or link failure, services are automatically restored on another accelerator card for maximum resiliency.

manifold CLOUD offers all the benefits of cloud while retaining the performance of Tier 1 live productions – such as scalability, commodity hardware, automatic provisioning, resiliency, and efficiency, while supporting large, live uncompressed workflows with subframe latency and with 90% less power consumption than CPU solutions.

https://www.manifoldtech.tv/

Intelligent management software proactively spins-up and spins-down cloud capacity according to real-time streaming traffic demands, while ensuring that the quality of experience and overall platform resilience are optimised.

In addition to its Hybrid-cloud CDN, Velocix will also highlight its new Edge-cloud CDN and Hybrid-cloud Origin, along with its multi-CDN switching and video analytics solutions at the IBC 2023 exhibition.

Visit https://www.velocix.com/

Blackmagic Invoked for Aussie Exorcist Movie

page along with the Fairlight Desktop Audio Editor and Fairlight Desktop Console. Knop explained how Fairlight products helped him complete the film.

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN has announced that new Australian horror film “Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism” was completed using DaVinci Resolve Studio for colour correction, editing, visual effects (VFX) work and audio editing. This included extensive use of the DaVinci Neural Engine’s AI features, Fairlight Desktop Audio Editor console, DaVinci Resolve Mini Panels and DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor keyboard.

“Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism” was directed by Nick Kozakis and included Supervising Sound Editor Benni Knop and Colourist Timothy Whiting. The film was shot in regional Victoria, Australia against the stunning landscape of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs over 24 days.

“Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism” is a terrifying look at a woman, played by Georgia Eyers, who is tormented between science and faith. After being pushed by her husband, played by Dan Ewing, to seek treatment from a group of religious zealots, a ruthless exorcist, played by Tim Pocock attempts to save her soul by putting her through hell.

The film cycles between well lit, relaxing locations to frightening and fog shrouded wilderness and dramatic ritualistic violence. The look, feel and pacing of the film was essential for its success, and to ensure their vision was captured correctly the filmmakers decided to use DaVinci Resolve Studio.

DaVinci Resolve Studio was used for colour correction, editing, audio editing with the Fairlight

page and VFX work using the Fusion page.

“With Resolve, having all of the post features in a single program was a lifesaver. Most of us working on the film’s post production have been working with Resolve for years, and it’s amazing how every year it keeps improving, all while giving customers the updates for free,” Whiting said.

DaVinci Neural Engine’s AI features were used throughout the post production process.

DaVinci Neural Engine uses state of the art deep neural networks and machine learning, along with AI to power features such as facial recognition, object detection, smart reframing, speed warp retiming, super scale upscaling, auto colour and colour matching.

Some of the DaVinci Neural Engine’s AI features that were used with the film were Magic Mask, which removed the necessity for intricate rotoscoping and keying, Speed Warp for slow motion effects, and Object Removal for covering up moving objects in an otherwise static shot.

Whiting explained, “We used the Magic Mask a lot. Things like automatically roto-ing a bible on a table to brighten and reveal it, or automatically generating hold out mattes on foreground moving vehicles in order to remove vehicles behind them. One day we lost light, so the Magic Mask was used to select the actors’ faces and brighten them up. In another scene we were hours

from the city and any rental house, shooting outside by a lake. In a freak moment the wind caught some black material and blew it into the camera, knocking it over and smashing most of our ND filters. Due to both lost time, weather changes and lack of NDs, we had exposure issues in the scene. We used Magic Mask to select the actors and change the exposure of foreground and background elements.”

The Object Removal was particularly helpful to Whiting to remove facial blemishes and objects like drones and non period cars. The feature allowed him to detect and track objects in a shot without manual rotoscoping. This allowed the filmmakers to isolate difficult to mask elements for colour grading and other effects.

“Shooting on location in country Victoria created its own challenges that we had to manage in post, including changing light and weather conditions, errant cars and people in frame, as well as in unexpected plague of insects. Without Resolve’s Object Removal and object tracking, we would have lost many hours dealing with repetitive tasks instead of creativity,” said Whiting. “Resolve’s AI seriously saved us days of work and I was able to show Nick and DP Carl Allison what fixes were possible on set, so we knew we had what we needed in the edit bay.”

ADR recording, as well as sound editing for the entire film, was undertaken by Knop, who used DaVinci Resolve Studio’s Fairlight

“We used Fairlight for sound editing the whole film and it was incredible,” he said. “The Fairlight Desktop Audio Editor was so quick to move around the film and edit clips; it was less fatiguing on my hands than using a mouse and keyboard and it was also way more fun! I also used the Fairlight Desktop Console for mixing the film and with its 12 faders I had all the control I needed.”

Knop continued, “I love Fairlight’s clip effects. Being able to add VST straight onto each individual clip, including things like iZotope RX for cleaning dialogue, EQing the clip, adding or reducing clip gain, and I could also do anything with the Fairlight Desktop Audio Editor. I also love the ADR features in Fairlight. The fact that it’s built in natively and so easy to use. Cueing up your ADR and having the dialogue script on the screen with cues makers for the actor is just amazing.

“Fairlight has progressed into an amazing DAW so quickly, and even since we finished this film the upgrades have been mind blowing with the new AI noise reduction and vector based automation. The team at Blackmagic Design listens to their users and are constantly pushing the boundaries. They are adding things we didn’t know we needed, but also taking our feedback on board.”

“Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism” is available in North America on Tubi and is one of Australia’s first ever Tubi Originals. The film premiered at the 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival. The film has also been picked up by XYZ Films for release in Canada with Elevation Pictures and picked up in ANZ by Umbrella Entertainment. Follow @eastfieldexorcismmovie on Instagram for updates on the film. Visit www.blackmagicdesign.com

Boris FX Acquires SynthEyes 3D Camera-Tracking VFX Software

BORIS FX, the developer of visual effects plugins and applications, has announced the acquisition of SynthEyes from Andersson Technologies LLC.

SynthEyes’ standalone 3D tracking application allows VFX artists to perform complex 3D set extensions, place CG characters into scenes, and animate them using motion capture. Over its twenty-year history, SynthEyes has been used on blockbusters, including Black Panther, The Guardians of the Galaxy series, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Pan’s Labyrinth, and King Kong, as well as beloved episodics such as Foundation, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Fringe, and Lost.

The Boris FX Suite offers an end-to-end solution with creative editing, audio, visual effects, planar tracking, motion design, and compositing tools. It features

industry-leading products Sapphire, Continuum, Mocha Pro, Silhouette, Optics, CrumplePop, and now SynthEyes.

“I’m fascinated by the technical sophistication and precision with which Dr. Russell Andersson approached one of the most challenging problems in modern post-production: the 3D camera solve,” states Boris Yamnisky, CEO and founder of Boris FX.

“SynthEyes’ speed and accuracy, object tracking, and ability to deal with complex lens distortions make it a perfect complement to the Boris FX Suite. Thousands of our users worldwide will now benefit from this remarkable technology in their daily work.”

“After twenty years of serving the broad visual effect community, I’m excited to start this new chapter under the trusted Boris FX brand,” comments Dr. Andersson,

creator and founder of SynthEyes (Andersson Technologies LLC). “Many of our artists already rely on Boris FX products to help tackle both visible and invisible visual effects. I cannot wait to push SynthEyes forward with our combined, expert development team.”

Dr. Andersson will remain in his

Projective Enhances Post-Production Workflows

PROJECTIVE TECHNOLOGY, a software provider that brings structure to postproduction workflows for broadcasters, creative agencies and post-production facilities worldwide, is returning to the IBC Show to showcase its latest innovations within its flagship product, Strawberry.

Featuring an intuitive user experience that reduces administrative tasks for both IT and creative teams and enables effortless collaboration and post-production at scale, whether on- or off-premises, hybrid, or even in a global multi-site environment, Strawberry includes a new integration with the LucidLink low-latency remote working platform that enables users to move their creative services to the cloud.

At IBC 2023 (Hall 7 — 7.C25), Projective and

its partner x-dream-distribution GmbH will showcase the following offerings:

Strawberry Cloud: an industry game changer – Projective’s unique collaboration with LucidLink enables Strawberry users to run their post-production projects in a cloudfirst configuration. The powerful integration brings the best of both worlds: the structure, security, and versatility of Strawberry with the low latency content portability of LucidLink. The solution empowers post-production teams to collaborate seamlessly in the cloud, securely, on the same content and in real-time. Strawberry Skies: A hybrid cloud infrastructure that extends Strawberry’s collaboration tools to anywhere in the world. Remote editing, review/approval, and project work moves beyond the walls of the facility

Smode Free Real-Time Compositing Engine

SMODE TECH, the developer of real-time compositing and media server platform SMODE, has announced the release of a free SMODE version, called Smode Community.

Smode Community is a free software licence for non-commercial use, designed to give everyone access to SMODE’s tools and allowing enthusiasts to explore and express their creativity in real-time.

“One of our goals in Smode Tech is creative accomplishment and excellence,” says Francis Maes, CEO of Smode Tech. “We strongly believe that art matters and with Smode Community we are committed to help the next generation of talented artists and creators while making sure that everyone has the tools they need to express their creativity.”

Smode Community is a free real-time compositing engine and it is fully usable without any advertisements, no user data tracking, and no obligations of any kind. It also

comes without any watermarks, and supports up to Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080). The free software licence boasts a wide range of visual effects and tools as well as an intuitive and user-friendly layer-based interface.

Smode Tech’s free software has Full HD input and output, Full HD content and video export, comprehensive real-time 2D/3D compositing features and extensive real-time 2D/3D video mapping and stage simulation features. Smode Community supports ISD and ShaderToy shaders, Python scripting, MIDI, OSC and Spout among others, it also has a complete set of linear and non-linear animation features.

The free software caters to a wide range of users, making it accessible and valuable for creatives. Beginners seeking to explore art creation, students can leverage its capabilities to learn and get their start in the live event industry, while VJ’s can utilise it for small events, asset creating and live mixing. On the

leadership role as Boris FX seeks to develop and sell SynthEyes 3D camera-solving tracking tools as its own application and leverage the 3D technology across its product brands. Boris FX will be on the Dell IBC booth (Hall 7.A60) showcasing SynthEyes.

Visit www.borisfx.com

while maintaining perfect sync.

Strawberry Multi-site: A system that unifies production environments across multiple locations, providing a single, cohesive experience between production islands. Project structure, access control, and metadata can all be standardised globally. Osiris: A lightweight client software that offers Avid-style bin locking for both Windows and macOS clients, allowing users to work seamlessly on nearly any storage system.

Strawberry On-site: An innovative framework for automating creative projects, enabling production facilities to do more with less, empowering collaboration, improving content security, and accelerating project turnaround. Visit https://projective.io/

professional side, motion designers will benefit from its ability to avoid rendering time, create assets and schools can take advantage of Smode Community’s features to enrich their educational initiatives.

In addition, as part of an environmental commitment, Smode Tech has decided to donate 1% of its total income to Team for the Planet (TFTP), an initiative dedicated to reducing CO2 emissions by investing in innovative, eco-friendly and open-source solutions that are making a tangible impact on the fight against climate change.

“Giving back is always at the heart of what we do. This is why we contribute to an initiative that is actively fighting climate change and aim to empower up-and-coming creatives worldwide with Smode Community,” says Francis Maes.

Visit www.smode.io

Radio New Zealand Charts Path Ahead

FOLLOWING AN INCREASE In funding and the scrapping of a merger with TVNZ, Radio New Zealand says it has been “… busy planning for the future.”

The RNZ Board recently approved the organisation’s new Statement of Intent for the next four years, formalising its vision, purpose, attitudes and strategic objectives. An independent report into RNZ’s editorial procedures was also recently released, and work has already begun on the implementation of the report’s recommendations.

In its Statement of Intent, RNZ has outlined ten “challenges and opportunities” for its operating environment. They include:

A revival of a Charter review sidelined during the now-abandoned merger process with TVNZ.

According to RNZ, “If revived this presents an opportunity to reflect some of the good work done on the project and the original select committee process; to modernise and make the Charter more relevant.”

Climate Change, which the organisations says “… stands out as the most significant factor in future planning due to its potential to affect all spheres of human activity. One of RNZ’s key roles is to be a lifeline utility – we provide trusted information which helps keep people safe. The increasing intensity of weather events has thrown this into stark relief. Traditional forms of delivery

like AM have shone but it is expensive to maintain and requires long-term investment. Moreover, we have a key journalistic role to play in detailing climate change’s impact on society.” The broadcaster says it aims to maintain ‘always on’ services with AM, FM, shortwave and rnz. co.nz available 99% of the time.

Trust in Media – According to RNZ, “Public trust in media organisations and political institutions is declining around the world. It is crucial that RNZ prizes and demonstrably upholds editorial independence and freedom from partisan influences so we can deliver

trusted, accurate, and independent news and current affairs.”

Audience Shifts – The NZ public broadcaster says, “Live radio listening is weakening in line with international trends, especially with younger people. Audiences expect content to be delivered across multiple platforms. In addition, our population mix continues to change.” To address this challenge, RNZ says it needs to “… strike the right investment balance” to maximise the benefit of both traditional and digital platforms.

Changing Media Landscape – with digital disruption and multi-national platforms driving contraction and consolidation, and commercial media organisations finding it increasingly difficult to

ALIVE 90.5FM Reaches Guinness Record

RADIO ALIVE is an Australian community radio station based in the suburb Baulkham Hills, from where it serves the Hills District and parts of Greater Western Sydney. In June, Mario Bekes, one of the station’s most popular presenters, performed the longest uninterrupted radio show in history for a total of 55 hours 26 minutes, which has now even been recognised by the Guinness Book of Records.

The challenge included conditions such as Mario and his guests could not be interrupted by any outside music, announcements or phone calls. In Mario Bekes’ own words, “it was a strange, unconventional programme, but the important thing is that the goal was achieved.”

The entire programme was conducted from the main studio of Radio Alive 90.5FM where

fund local content, RNZ says its “… independent, non-commercial and inherently local focus” means it can maintain partnerships to produce and share content, ensuring more “diverse and valued local content.”

RNZ says it will look to embed Te Tiriti O Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) within the organisation through the development of a new Rautaki Māori (Māori strategy). Retaining, Supporting and Developing Kaimahi (staff). Funding – the taxpayer funded broadcaster says with the recent boost it can look to the future with more certainty, but will continue to focus on managing costs. RNZ says its aim is a positive Ebitda with cost efficiencies to result in 85% or more of expenditure incurred through production and distribution of content.

Technological Developments –According to RNZ, “Over the coming decade, new technology will again disrupt media production, distribution, discovery and consumption. AI, for example, is already raising difficult questions, not only for traditional outlets, and it could create dramatic changes in the world of search and advertising. It makes it more

all signals and microphones are managed by an AEQ CAPITOL digital audio console, selected by the station’s technical management for its high audio quality, robustness and easy operation. The installation and configuration of the system was carried out by AEQ’s local partner in the country, Broadcast Components.

AEQ CAPITOL IP is an 8-fader fixed configuration Digital Audio mixing console. In CAPITOL IP the implementation of IP connectivity is based on a single module of 16 input and 16 output channels, incorporated in its core. One of the main features of AEQ CAPITOL IP is the wide input capacity available: 4 mic/line, 12 analogue, 4 digital stereo AES/EBU (AES3),

important that RNZ invests in understanding audiences and providing trusted content. Misinformation and disinformation need strong foes.”

Collaboration – In response to “forces at play in the wider market” RNZ says collaboration will become more important. “We have an opportunity to work closely, where it makes sense, with other media outlets, creators and funders to ensure our media system is strong and reflective of Aotearoa.”

RNZ’s Chief Executive and Editorin-Chief Paul Thompson says while there is a large programme of work to be delivered, RNZ is in a strong position for the future.

“The increased funding is already making a difference to our dayto-day operations as we have projects underway to improve areas of our organisation that had been under-resourced, such as technology,” he said. “We know that with more funding, comes increased expectations and our new vision and strategy documents mirror that. We’ll be working to better understand the diverse audiences of Aotearoa and how to serve them.”

Visit https://www.rnz.co.nz/

2 digital stereo USB, 2 optional telephone lines, and extra digital multichannel audio links; 16 AoIP channels over two ethernet connectors or 64 MADI channels input over optical fibre.

Visit www.alive905.com.au www.aeq.eu and

Calrec ImPulse1 IP Audio Processing and Routing Engine

MAKING ITS IBC DEBUT this year

(Stand 8.D60) is Calrec’s ImPulse1 IP audio processing and routing engine, an ST2110 solution for single console scenarios, joining the multi-console, ImPulse.

ImPulse1 is a compact 1U solution with an optional second core for redundancy and a new, 128 input channel DSP pack.

With the introduction of ImPulse1, Calrec is offering a range of options to suit any size installation. It works with Argo Q and Argo S control surfaces, and/or Calrec Assist, a browserbased GUI, ideally suited to remote working, multi operator and/or headless operation. Cores with smaller DSP licences can be offered without hardware redundancy. ImPulse1 is designed for small to medium single mixer applications and is offered with an all-new DSP licence of 128 input channels without compromising its ST2110 capability. With a small overall form-factor, it’s suitable for compact installation sites, such as OB and fly pack applications. It has DSP options ranging from 128 to 384 input channels and benefits from the DSP features from the larger ImPulse core.

Also on Show will be Calrec’s Argo audio mixing control platform with both the Argo Q and Argo S. Argo is fully modular with interchangeable hardware panels and uses Calrec’s time-served Assist UI at its core. This means that whether you are working on physical hardware panels or on a remote GUI, the user interface is both familiar and easy to drive. Its modular panel system encourages broadcasters to adapt surface hardware to meet their unique requirements. It means the desk can easily be split for sub mixing or mixing

TYPE R FOR RADIO

in other locations. Argo comes in two sizes with two mid-level rows of interchangeable panels on the larger Argo Q model, and one mid-level row on the compact Argo S model. With an expanded version of ImPulse at its core, Argo customers benefit from thousands of DSP paths. Calrec has also introduced a comprehensive system of user templates to instantly change the hardware user interface to meet changing requirements and user preferences.

Meanwhile, the ImPulse DSP engine has native SMPTE 2110 connectivity, allowing up to four large consoles on one core. It’s compatible with the Calrec Assist web interface as well as Calrec’s Apollo and Artemis consoles to provide a simple upgrade path for existing Calrec customers moving to an IP domain. It provides 3D immersive path widths and panning for nextgeneration audio with height and 3D pan controls, flexible panning and downmixing built-in.

The building blocks for your station

Type R is a modular, expandable, IP-based mixing system, using standard networking hardware and soft panels which can be tailored to operator needs. It’s flexible IP core enables broadcasters to benefit from virtual working practices and automated broadcast workflows

Calrec’s 2U RP1 remote production unit allows control rooms to mix feeds from multiple remote venues. An extended DSP licence has been offered as an optional upgrade path for existing RP1 customers and optional with new units. This will increase the number of virtual control faders to 72 and the DSP to: 96 mono equivalent channel paths; 24 Aux send paths; and 96 Direct outputs.

Also on show, Brio is a plugand-play broadcast console which slots into any broadcast workflow and has comprehensive built-in I/O. It is loaded with dynamics and delay on every path, has a huge internal router, multiple monitor outputs and is expandable. Calrec’s Brio 36 Duet comes with internal Hydra2 connectivity, built-in IO

and 96 input processing paths as standard. The Brio 36 Medley package includes everything on a Brio Duet plus a Dante 64 card or MADI I/O module, and an external Br.IO box with 24 mic/line inputs, 16 analogue outputs and 8 AES I/O.

Calrec’s Type R is a modular, expandable IP mixing system that comes in two forms: Type R for TV and Type R for Radio. Type R for TV is designed to allow customers to take advantage of distributed production and flexible workflows with up to three independent mixers able to hang off one system core. Its three hardware and soft panels can create a variety of system types. It ties in with Calrec’s Assist for mixing in the cloud and integrates with station automation systems like Ross Overdrive, Sony ELC and Grass Valley Ignite.

Type R for Radio is a modular, expandable, IP-based radio system from Calrec Audio. It utilises standard networking hardware (AES67 compatible) and soft panels that can be tailored to operator needs. It has a simple 2U core with integrated I/O resources.

Lastly, Calrec’s Artemis console is designed for live and broadcast applications. It features a large number of inputs and outputs as well as advanced routing and processing capabilities. It can sit on an IP network with Calrec’s ImPulse IP core to provide a simple upgrade path for existing Calrec customers moving to an IP domain, or on a proprietary network with Hydra2, or a combination of the two using Gateway.

Visit https://www.calrec.com/ and https://www.d2n.com.au/

Evertz Brings New Tools for Live Production

AT IBC 2023 (1.B79) Evertz will be highlighting Studer Audio, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Since acquiring Studer in 2021, Evertz has integrated the brand’s Vista digital mixing consoles into its own Software Defined Video Networking (SDVN) platform. These acclaimed consoles now support SMPTE ST 2110, making them an important addition to Evertz’ live production workflows, which are leading the industry’s transition to IP.

Evertz has also brought all the power of Studer Vista to its DreamCatcher BRAVO Studio virtual production control suite, which allows users to quickly and easily produce high-quality live content at a lower cost. The introduction of Vista BRAVO provides virtual access to a full mixing console featuring all the enhanced audio capabilities for which Studer is famous.

Another innovation to the Studer Vista range is the expanded Vista control using the Evertz VUE Intelligent User Interface. Now

offering over 2000 bidirectional controls, the combination of Vista and VUE has created the ideal tool for multiple small production suites and remote productions.

New to the Studer Vista console range is the Video PFL (Pre-Fade-Listen) feature that maximises the power of Evertz’s MAGNUM OS orchestration, monitoring and analysis software. With Video PFL, audio operators can select an input to pre-fade while listening to the audio and seeing the accompanying video for that channel on the multiviewer in the audio control room. By allowing the video to follow the audio, Evertz gives engineers a visual representation of the audio on the PFL, thus ensuring that the right source is always selected.

Alongside its Live Media Production solutions for audio, Evertz will also show other developments to BRAVO Studio. These include the new ‘Highlight Factory’, where clips and stories are automatically created using AI

Media Realm Releases MetaRadio 2.0

MEDIA REALM has announced the release of MetaRadio 2.0. With MetaRadio 2.0, radio broadcasters can send live Now Playing data to a variety of platforms, including RDS RadioText+ Encoders, Digital Radio, WordPress, Streaming Servers, Websites, Mobile Apps, and more.

MetaRadio connects to over 30 different radio automation systems, and over 39 different output systems. MetaRadio also supports receiving data from unique sources, such as audio fingerprinting providers, and syndication providers – this allows stations to continue providing metadata to listeners, even when you don’t have the data available in your local automation system.

MetaRadio 2.0 contains a number of major new features, including:

• New web-based configuration app, including a significantly enhanced setup experience, and easier ways to view, manage, and use your metadata.

• Ability to merge metadata between multiple systems – for example, taking an external programme guide feed and sending it to RDS alongside your Now Playing song data, or merging Satellite now playing data during select hours, and local automation system data during other hours.

• System scheduling, allowing you to enable/ disable inputs at set times during the week.

• New options to include sponsor/advertiser/ promotional messages in between song messages.

MetaRadio is developed by Media Realm, a

Solid State Logic Gets Immersive with System T

SOLID STATE LOGIC will demonstrate its System T immersive audio production toolkit for sports and entertainment, as well as the latest decentralised and remote workflows for live-to-airbroadcast at IBC 23 (stand 8.B81).

Solid State Logic has developed an immersive/NGA production tool kit for its AoIP native broadcast audio production platform, System T. Offering object and channelbased immersive production, delivered through specifically designed workflows, System T makes producing next-generation content simple and effective.

Using System T’s flagship S500m large-format modular console, paired with a 5.1.4 monitoring system, SSL will demonstrate the latest features of its immersive audio production toolkit for live-to-air broadcast and music production applications at IBC 23. The System T immersive

production toolkit features:

• Object and channel-based immersive workflows

• Immersive channel and bus formats with integrated XYZ and rotational Theta 3D panning

• Full monitoring section including formats up to 9.1.6

• Control of the Dolby Atmos Music Panner Plug-In

• Intelligent immersive up/ downmixing functionality

• A comprehensive range of immersive effects including delay, dynamics, EQ, modulation and more — all in up to 7.1.4 channel formats.

• 360° transcoder with A-B conversion for Sennheiser AMBEO VR format

• Binaural 3D encoder with input formats from 4.0 to 7.1.4

• Full immersive production capabilities for both on and offprem workflows.

technology, and published to Ease Live where users can pick their own highlights. The ‘Highlight Factory’ is an additional co-pilot for BRAVO Studio that uses advanced datadriven features to help automate and simplify production workflows.

Visit https://www.evertz.com/

small software development company based in Sydney, Australia, with a focus on the radio industry. Media Realm first released MetaRadio in 2016, and since then it has been used by hundreds of radio broadcasters worldwide. Media Realm also provides powerful Radio Websites to stations, including 45 Community Radio Stations in Australia in partnership with the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA).

MetaRadio 2.0 is a free upgrade for all existing licensees. Stations can also take advantage of a free trial to see for themselves how MetaRadio can work for them.

Visit https://www.mediarealm.com.au/

• Distributed and Decentralised Production

As demand for distributed and decentralised production models accelerates, System T’s unique remote connectivity architecture provides all the tools necessary. Networked surfaces, software, I/O interfaces and processing engines with transport, discovery, connection, control, and security layers are the building blocks of System T. Remote capabilities are flexible to cater to a range of workflows and connections. Remote across a facility, remote across a city, remote across a continent. Distributed and decentralised, providing true collaborative workflows, System T scales to agile production requirements from home, the studio and the venue.

Solid State Logic has successfully completed a proof-of-concept initiative for running Tempest

Engine DSP in virtualised and public cloud environments. The virtual engine can be used with any System T surface or software control instance.

Available in a range of sizes from 16 to 48 faders, SSL’s compact S300 surface will also be in attendance at IBC23. A control solution for small to medium broadcasters and OB providers, or as a backup console for larger facilities, the S300 range offers value whilst delivering the full feature set of System T. S300 provides the same graphical user interface and DSP capacity options as the larger S500 models for a unified operator experience across the range. Visit https://www.solidstatelogic. com/events/ibc-2023

Dejero EnGo 3s Brings 4K/UHD Transmission

DEJERO WILL INTRODUCE the EnGo 3s mobile video transmitter to visitors at IBC 2023 (stand 2.B51) . As well as the same features of the EnGo 3, including native 5G modems and built-in GateWay Mode for wireless internet broadband connectivity; it also offers 12G-SDI and HDMI connectors.

Because 12G-SDI can deliver eight times the bandwidth of HD-SDI, users have the ability to handle high frame rate and live 4K/UHD signals, over a single cable.

“Transmitting a video format using one cable instead of four means there are fewer points of failure in the signal chain,” says Matt Scully, director of product management at Dejero. “It is particularly useful when space is at a premium, for example a mobile production vehicle/OB truck, or temporary studio. Fewer cables amount to less weight and potentially smaller routers and other components, which translate to a more ergonomic workspace and equipment flexibility.”

Similar to the existing EnGo 3 and 3x mobile transmitters, the EnGo 3s features Gateway Mode which provides wireless broadband internet connectivity in the field to enable mobile teams to reliably, securely and quickly transfer large files, access MAM and newsroom systems, and publish content to social media. GateWay Mode also provides general internet

access to resources for field research, access to cloud-based services and also serves as a highbandwidth access point for devices.

The EnGo 3s also streamlines communication and workflow between the field and station or post-production facility. This is essential for mobile news teams that work to tight deadlines, as well as film crews working from remote sets; instead of losing time searching for an internet hotspot, or depending on mobile hotspot devices with just a single connection, they can count on an ultra-reliable, multi-network fast connection of up to 500 Mbps.

Designed with RF and 4×4 MIMO antenna architecture, the EnGo 3 range unlocks the full potential of 5G connections and ensures optimal antenna isolation. The built-in modems support a broad range of cellular bands to enhance 5G performance, supporting additional bands used by carriers in the US, Canada, Australia, China, Korea, and Latin America.

Dejero’s Smart Blending Technology powers the EnGo 3 mobile transmitter range by simultaneously blending together multiple wired (broadband/fibre) and wireless (3G/4G/5G, Wi-Fi, satellite) connectivity from multiple providers to provide a ‘network of networks’.

https://www.dejero.com/

IP-based Production, Collaboration, and Live Streaming

MAGEWELL IS HEADING to the IBC 2023 exhibition with a wide range of new and updated solutions that make IP-based production, remote collaboration, and live streaming easier and more cost-effective for everyone from independent producers to large media enterprises. Exhibiting in stand 7.A44, the company will demonstrate innovations across its IP conversion, streaming, and video capture portfolios that seamlessly bridge signals, software, streams, and screens.

Highlighted demonstrations will include:

Centralised Management - Magewell’s secondgeneration device and stream management software, Control Hub, makes it easy for integrators, administrators, and IT staff to centrally configure and control multiple Magewell streaming and IP video conversion solutions. The successor to the earlier Magewell Cloud platform, Control Hub features an enhanced device management interface and expanded stream conversion capabilities. Flexibly deployable on-premises or in the cloud, Control Hub lets users manage multiple encoders and decoders across disparate

locations through an intuitive, browser-based interface. Users can remotely configure device parameters, monitor device status, trigger operational functions, and perform batch firmware upgrades. Control Hub also lets users convert streams between multiple protocols with an exceptionally flexible stream routing architecture.

Pro Convert Audio DX - Magewell’s Pro Convert Audio DX multi-format IP audio encoder, decoder and capture device will make its IBC debut. The company’s first solution with integrated support for Dante audio networking, the new hardware lets users easily convert audio between Dante, NDI, and SRT while seamlessly bridging analogue audio, software, and IP networks. It can also encode analogue audio into Dante, NDI or SRT streams as an ‘on-ramp’ to IP networks, plus decode IP audio streams in any of these formats and protocols for analogue output.

New Eco Capture Models - Magewell will showcase two just-announced models in its Eco Capture family of ultra-compact, power-efficient M.2 video capture cards. The new cards capture 4K video up to 4096×2160 (including 3840×2160

Ultra HD) at frame rates up to 60fps, with higher frame rates available at lower resolutions. The Eco Capture HDMI 4K Plus M.2 features an HDMI 2.0 interface, while the Eco Capture 12G SDI 4K Plus M.2 flexibly supports single-link 12G-SDI or quad-link 3G-SDI connectivity. Ideal for use in small, portable or embedded systems where full-sized PCIe slots are not available, the cards feature an M.2 connector and measure only 22x80mm.

Ultra Encode AIO - Magewell will also demonstrate new enhancements in its Ultra Encode AIO advanced live media encoder. Ideal for applications from live streaming to IP-based production, Magewell’s Ultra Encode AIO builds on the flexibility of standard Ultra Encode models with new features including HDMI and SDI input connectivity in a single unit; 4K (30fps) encoding and streaming from the HDMI input; simultaneous multi-protocol streaming; file recording and more. It can encode H.264, H.265 (HEVC), NDI|HX 2 and NDI|HX 3, and supports protocols including RTMP, SRT, HLS, TVU’s ISSP technology and more.

https://www.magewell.com/

Ground Versus Cloud - a Hybrid Approach to Playout

By Brendon Mills, General Manager, Playout & Networking, Imagine Communications

THERE ARE SEVERAL roadblocks on the path to a fully cloud-based infrastructure that will leave the broadcast industry in a transitional phase for years to come.

With traditional on-premises video playout, dedicated software and hardware — servers, storage devices, controllers, and other equipment — are installed and maintained within a broadcaster’s facility. These components handle the various aspects of content playout, including ingest, storage, merging multiple video feeds into a single stream, ad insertion, scheduling, encoding, and transmitting media content via terrestrial, satellite, or the internet. The entire playout workflow, from content preparation to transmission, requires an extensive physical infrastructure and a large team of dedicated staff to operate it.

Conversely, with cloud playout, the functions traditionally performed by physical hardware are virtualised and hosted in the cloud on platforms like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud. By leveraging the cloud, broadcasters can streamline their playout workflows, reduce infrastructure costs, and scale operations to accommodate changing demands — all while enjoying the benefits of remote collaboration, enhanced accessibility to content from multiple locations, and greater efficiency in content generation.

Cloud-Based Playout has its Drawbacks

With the introduction of cloud technology, it’s easy to see why many in the broadcast industry assumed that playout would quickly transition to the cloud and render on-premises systems obsolete. However, while cloud-based playout systems offer numerous advantages over their groundbased counterparts, they aren’t without their drawbacks. One area of concern is the increased latency associated with cloud-based operations. Transmitting data over networks introduces latency, as does processing at remote cloud servers, encoding and decoding processes, and the monitoring and feedback loop. For broadcasters that require seamless live feeds, even a delay of a fraction of a second is considered unacceptable.

Another issue is cloud-based playout systems rely heavily

on stable and reliable internet connectivity. Any disruptions in the internet connection can impact the ability to access and control playout operations, especially in regions with unreliable internet infrastructure, this dependency introduces a level of vulnerability. Also, cloud-based playout systems often come with predefined features and configurations, which limit the level of control and customisation that broadcasters have over their playout workflows. While cloud playout reduces infrastructure costs, it introduces other costs — e.g., cloud service subscriptions and data transfers. Video content, especially in high resolutions like 4K, requires a substantial amount of data for transmission — a typical compressed channel operates at 15Mbps. To meet broadcasters’ standards for delivery without interruptions or glitches, service providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure have to provide a flawless data pipeline, which comes with a hefty price tag. Finally, most cloud playout offerings are based on OPEXoriented subscriptions or SaaS cost structures. While it is possible to procure and capitalise the software licences for cloud infrastructure, the compute, storage, and ingress/egress charges for cloud services are an ongoing, costly expense, especially for UHD content. On-premise infrastructure commercial terms are much easier to capitalise, and the software licences tend to be perpetual as opposed to subscription or SaaS. In times of global economic stress, broadcasters can feel more comfortable with capitalising infrastructure costs and limiting ongoing OPEX charges.

Taking the Best from Both Worlds

For cloud playout, the technology to replicate the requirements of on-premise systems is still evolving. So, instead of trying to make the switch to a completely cloud-based infrastructure now, Imagine Communications recommends broadcasters take a hybrid approach that combines on-premise equipment for essential channels and cloud technology for less complex operations. Enabling a gradual transition from one operational world to the next, this concept allows broadcasters to optimise their existing capital investments in on-premise infrastructure —

taking advantage of the low latency, high reliability, and full operational control provided by ground playout. At the same time, they can leverage benefits provided by cloud technology, including lowering the costs of disaster recovery. To ensure seamless continuity in the event of equipment failure, broadcasters operate channels with a backup channel running simultaneously. If a failure occurs, the feed is instantly switched to the backup without any noticeable interruption or loss of video frames. When conducted onpremise, such recovery measures necessitate duplicate investments. By leveraging the cloud, however, broadcasters can establish and operate the back channel at a reduced cost while maintaining necessary redundancy.

Imagine goes one step beyond traditional disaster recovery by enabling pooled backup channels via the Aviator Orchestrator unified management platform and its multi-site capabilities. The ability to pool backup channels lowers the cost of licenses and hardware requirements typically used by traditional disaster recovery. This pooled backup feature is unique to Imagine and offers a cost-effective way to enable hybrid playout disaster recovery.

For free ad-supported streaming television (FAST), the headlinemaking acronym of the past few years, the cloud offers flexibility in content delivery that surpasses on-premise systems. With cloudbased systems, all files — including pre-recorded shows and other content — are stored in the cloud, enabling playback directly from the cloud itself. FAST channels can function autonomously with minimal playout monitoring — only requiring sporadic checks — and allow broadcasters to extend their audience reach and increase revenue through additional advertising opportunities.

Cloud-based playout systems also offer broadcasters the opportunity to explore innovative channel concepts and specialised content delivery to provide a more tailored viewing experience. For instance, during major events like the Olympics, broadcasters can create pop-up channels that offer alternative camera views. These channels can be set up quickly in the cloud and have a

predetermined lifespan. Once the designated period is over, the channel can be deactivated. Additionally, broadcasters can create thematic channels that focus on specific content genres, providing a dedicated platform for viewers interested in a particular subject.

Eventually, the broadcast industry will transition to a fully cloudbased playout infrastructure — the pieces are already starting to fall into place. The cost of data transmission is decreasing rapidly and that will continue. In recent years, technological advancements like adaptive bitrate streaming, advanced video transcoding and compression algorithms, faster and more stable network connections, and more have made significant progress in meeting the broadcast industry’s requirements for flawless video playback. However, the stage between on-premises and fully cloud-based systems is still likely to persist for the next five to 10 years.

One reason for this is that the on-premises solutions already purchased by broadcasters have lifespans that can range up to 15 years, and the gradual depreciation of these existing investments needs to be taken into consideration. Financially, it isn’t practical for broadcasters to simply abandon this equipment overnight when it still meets their needs. It will take time for cloudbased technology to catch up to and align with the full capabilities offered by today’s on-premises solutions. Latency issues alone will require significant technological advancements to overcome. In the meantime, adopting a hybrid approach allows broadcasters to leverage the benefits of both on-premises and cloud solutions, optimising their operations and paving the way for the future of television broadcasting.

Visit https:// imaginecommunications.com/

Cloud-Native Raw Content Processing

ATEME, the provider of video compression, delivery, and streaming solutions, has introduced cloud-native bridge functionality for raw content processing. This addition to its TITAN universal gateway empowers content owners and broadcasters with unparalleled flexibility.

The bridge functionality enables raw video content processing in the cloud, transforming traditional hardware-centric workflows to enable occasional-use scenarios. This caters to the needs of content providers broadcasting one-off events across countries — for example,

international sports competitions. The feature can also run on Ateme’s SaaS solution, Ateme+. Introducing the possibility of software baseband processing, the bridge functionality also offers superior video performance and extended international reach with full software-based watermarking insertion and premium frame rate conversion based on motion compensation. This capability is crucial for transmitting major international sporting events — such as the forthcoming international events in Paris — across countries using different frame rates.

Imagine SureFire Video Ad Server Now on AWS

IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS, the provider of advertising and media software and solutions, has announced that its SureFire video ad server is now available in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Solutions Library. A broadcast-quality ad decisioning solution for OTT, SureFire leverages an advanced set of broadcast rules and audience data across CTV, FAST, AVOD, and addressable linear platforms, enabling media companies to sell and fulfil campaigns across their entire audience and deliver a consistent, quality experience for both viewers and advertisers. The AWS Solutions Library enables customers to easily browse curated solutions built by AWS and AWS Partners for a broad range of industry and

technology use cases. Whether organisations prefer off-the-shelf deployments or customisable architectures, the AWS Solutions Library enables fast discovery of AWS-vetted solutions and guidance that help rapidly address relevant business challenges.

SureFire operates as a managed cloud service on AWS, so it has flexibility and scale to meet the needs of any media company. Autoscaling enables SureFire to support millions of concurrent viewers, with sub-100ms response times and six 9s reliability even under heavy load. It uses the advertising industry-standard VAST and VMAP protocols to communicate broadcastquality dynamic ad insertion instructions with

OTT and Remote Video Monitoring

ACTUS DIGITAL, the solutions provider for compliance logging and intelligent broadcast and OTT monitoring, is introducing two new products along with enhancements to its Intelligent Monitoring Platform.

Actus Digital will showcase its entire product range at IBC 2023, which includes: compliance logging, technical monitoring for Quality Assurance, browser-based multiviewer, advanced clip editing and exporting to social and OTT, AIbased workflows such as automatic ad detection for competitive

analysis, advanced searching based on speech to text and translation for news monitoring, rating analysis options, and more. Automation is a major part of the Actus system. According to the company, its new OTT Monitoring solution, OTT StreamWatch is a game changer for OTT quality assurance. In addition to 24/7 quality assurance, it provides compliance logging, OTT stream monitoring, and aircheck recording of native HLS and other OTT ABR streams. It can be deployed as a stand-alone solution or as part of the Actus

Incorporating the feature with support for JPEG-XS or NDI confirms software as a viable option for ultra-low latency connection, offering service providers the flexibility of switching easily between different encoding methods, for smooth and efficient video delivery.

Ateme’s TITAN contribution solution featuring the bridge functionality will be shown at IBC 2023 in Amsterdam from September 15th to 18th in hall 1, booth D33.

Visit https://www.ateme.com/

AWS Elemental MediaTailor.

Earlier this year, SureFire successfully completed the AWS Foundational Technical Review (FTR), which was part of the technical compliance step required for launch in the AWS Solutions Library. The AWS FTR is an added layer of clear understanding around technical and security evaluation, which in turn allows the products to be sold and supported in AWS Marketplace, a digital catalogue with thousands of software listings from independent software vendors that make it easy to find, test, buy, and deploy software that runs on AWS.

Visit https://www.imaginecommunications.

Intelligent Monitoring Platform –providing customers with a central interface. OTT StreamWatch makes it possible to monitor FAST, IPTV, and OTT streaming channels throughout the entire workflow. Also at IBC 2023 is Remote Video Monitoring (RVM) within the Actus Intelligent Monitoring Platform. Designed as a quality assurance solution for multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), the Actus RVM allows MVPDs to gain real-time insights into their viewers’ quality of service (QoS) and verify local ad insertion and timing.

Cloud Video Monitoring and Control from TAG and Techex

TAG VIDEO SYSTEMS, the provider of software-based, IP, end-to-end monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualisation solutions has partnered with Techex, a leading cloud and IP video specialist, to deliver an advanced cloud video control, monitoring, and visualisation solution for major broadcasting and media companies.

According to the two companies, this strategic collaboration combines each of their bestof-breed solutions integrated into existing environments and capable of transporting video and monitoring streams at every point

in the delivery chain. They say it also features a superior level of data analysis for a scalable, reliable solution offered with flexible licensing options.

tx edge by Techex is a feature-rich software gateway built to fit into Infrastructure as Code (IaC) cloud workflows. tx edge moves video into, out and around the cloud providing leading broadcasters the tight control they require delivering live video while also collecting data related to packet arrival times at the protocol level. Integration into TAG’s Realtime Media Performance platform enhances tx edge’s

ETR 290 and IP-level stream monitoring capabilities, offering a higher level of comprehensive content and probing visualisation tools. Together, tx edge and TAG’s Realtime Media Performance platform support and enable flexible migration between various workflows, including hybrid, fullycloud, or fully on-premises.

TAG and Techex say this combination illustrates the benefits of interoperability by delivering an all-in-one transport, visualisation, error detection, alerting, and multiviewing solution. The engine to TAG’s solution includes its cloud-

MVPDs can remotely connect to STBs at head ends, and hub sites can examine one channel at a time or the entire channel lineup via multiviewer monitoring and proactive QoS alerts. When Actus RVM is deployed at multiple probe points and/or in multiple locations, it shows how widespread an issue is and pinpoints the exact location it entered the video distribution workflow. This allows operators to rapidly identify, diagnose, and resolve QoS problems without costly truck rolls.

Visit http://actusdigital.com/

capable MultiChannel Monitoring (MCM) system and enables broadcasters to visualise content flowing through tx edge instances with continuous content-level actionable and meaningful probe monitoring of over 550 events, while reducing the complexity of managing video contribution, playout, and distribution workflows.

Both Techex and TAG Video Systems will be demonstrating their software at IBC 2023, with Techex on stand 3.C55 and TAG Video Systems on stand 1.C15.

Visit https://tagvs.com/