TM Broadcast International 33, May 2016

Editor Javier de Martín editor@tmbroadcast.com Editor in chief Jesús Carrillo director@tmbroadcast.com Key account managers Cristina Feduchi international@tmbroadcast.com Tamara Meuwese tamara.m@tmbroadcast.com Creative Direction Mercedes González design@tmbroadcast.com Editorial staff press@tmbroadcast.com Administration Laura de Diego Marga Quevedo administration@tmbroadcast.com

Summary

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Editorial

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TM Broadcast International is a magazine published by Daró Media Group SL Centro Empresarial Tartessos Calle Pollensa 2, oficina 1 28290 Las Rozas (Madrid), Spain Phone +34 91 640 46 43

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Best of NAB 2016

Looking for QC? Take a look at this ones.

170 TM Broadcast International #33 May 2016

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4K – UHD? 4K, UHD, has it arrived?

Is it closer? Will it arrive?

Editorial

We wrote this editorial just after the NABSHOW 2016 in order to leave a first impression of this important trade show. NAB always gives us market trends, we have seen very clear that this was the year in which IP definitely takes off probably because of its benefits of saving money in infrastructure with IP connectivity. This has been the reason for so many alliances between manufacturers in the previous weeks to NAB. We probably see at IBC how the brands are finishing their catalogs, products and ideas that we've seen in Las Vegas. We have also detected a growing interest in 360ยบ and drones. More companies, more exhibit space and the same visitors as in 2015.

But there has been more business this year, exhibitors have finished much happier than in 2015. The rest of 2016 is going to be so much more exciting.

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2016

New 4K-compatible high zoom ratio cine lens “FUJINON XK6x20” FUJIFILM Corporation has announced that it will release the “FUJINON XK6x20” (hereinafter “XK6x20”) as a new addition to the lineup of 4K-compatible digital cinema camera zoom lenses in late June. Equipped with a PL mount*2, the most common format for cinema cameras, the “XK6x20” is a standard zoom lens that delivers T3.5*1 brightness for the entire zoom range from 20mm to 120mm.

In recent years, the need for employing visual content that utilize mild bokeh created with high image quality and shallow depth-of-field lenses that are unique to cinema cameras has increased for shooting various scenes for commercials, concerts, documentaries and dramas.

Fujifilm released the “FUJINON Cine Lenses” compatible with digital cinema cameras in 2002. Since then, it has provided highresolution, high-quality lenses for digital cinema camera customers in various production sites in the

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cinema and broadcasting industries.

The “XK6x20” digital cinema camera zoom lens offers high optical performance compatible with 4K cameras and covers a wide focal length range from 20mm to 120mm. It also realizes T3.5 brightness throughout the entire zoom range. There is no T drop*3 and it offers comfortable operation. Various scenes can be shot with this single lens.

The “XK6x20” is equipped with a detachable drive unit for electric zooming and focusing that is a popular function with existing products. It also features

0.8mm gear pitch*4 for compatibility with standard cine accessories.

Fujinon lenses, offered by Fujifilm, are recognized for their advanced optical performance, contributing to latest imaging progress through their applications in the production of TV programs, movies and commercials throughout the world. Tapping into its optical, high-precision processing and assembly technologies that have been nurtured over the years, Fujifilm will continue to develop and supply cutting edge products that exceed the diverse needs of production requirements.

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2016

NBC Olympics Selects Lawo To Provide VSM Control System for Its Production of 2016 Olympic Games in Rio NBC Olympics has selected Lawo to provide VSM (Virtual Studio Manager) Broadcast Control and Monitoring solution for its production of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, which take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 - August 21. The production will also utilize Lawo’s innovative IP Commentary System. The announcement was made today by Timothy Canary, Vice President of Engineering, NBC Sports Group.

the International Broadcast Center in Rio, and for the NBC Olympics’ studios in Stamford, Conn. VSM will be the overall control system for NBC Olympics’ core routing and tally management, connecting to multiple 3rd party devices on an IP backbone, utilizing approximately 80 LBP hardware panels and 80 GUIbased VSM Panels accessed from various monitors and tablets provided throughout NBC Olympics’ various production facilities.

With the selection of Lawo’s VSM (Virtual Studio Manager) and its LCU, Lawo’s IP Commentary System, NBC Olympics will implement new, enhanced control flexibility at both the NBC Olympics production compound within

NBC Olympics will also deploy a Lawo audio-over-IP Commentary System along with several Lawo V_pro8 video processors to manage their coverage from Stamford.

The V__pro8s will receive video feeds from Rio, de-

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embed the audio and then insert into RAVENNA and MADI streams that will ultimately feed the Lawo LCU commentary system for up to 20 announce positions covering various sports. In addition, several venues in Rio will be connected to the NBC Olympics compound within the International Broadcast Center with Lawo’s V__remote4 units to provide connectivity and processing for network audio and video signals delivered via IPconnections from the remote sites.

“In going through the collaborative design process with NBC Olympics, it was critical that we had the ability to customize the overall system to support the workflows they wanted, while

also providing the flexibility to grow the system as technologies evolve in the future.

We’re pleased to have the opportunity to work with NBC Olympics from the design stage all the way through to implementation, and utilize a range of Lawo products and software to create an innovative remote production solution that addresses NBC Olympics’ objectives for these games and can also carry on into the future and continue to evolve and support new workflows.” stated Mark Whitman, Lawo Inc. Vice President of Sales.

“Lawo’s IP based Commentary System provides unprecedented flexibility, greatly simplifies the deployment time and provides a rich feature set for our announce systems,” says Timothy Canary, Vice President of Engineering at the NBC Sports Group headquarters in Stamford, CT. “The seamless integration of Lawo’s audio and video hardware, utilizing IP based audio combined with innovative software control provides NBC with a complete end to end solution.” “The Lawo VSM system gives us extensive control of not only our core signal routing, but also a wide range of third-party devices, allowing disparate systems to be operated from a unified control surface," said Lukas Zahas, Manager of Broadcast Technology, NBC Olympics. "The ability to fully customize interfaces enables intuitive control of complex and unique workflows, and ensures the system can adapt to our future needs.”

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2016

Ross Video and x.news Partner Up to Integrate Research and Intelligence Tools into Inception Ross Video announces their partnership with x.news to integrate their research and intelligence tools into Inception News, Ross’ browser based newsroom content and editorial system that places social media integration right into the center of news production.

Together Ross and x.news will provide a seamless solution for story research, as well as tracking from end-toend. x.news has been developed as a research module plug-in TMBi - 10

to Inception, embedded within its browser-based user interface. Journalists will now be given the ability to drag and drop content and projects between the two systems.

"Journalists need their workflow to be as simple and seamless as possible, and that is what we are setting out to achieve," said Andy Pongratz, CEO of x.news information technology, the company behind x.news.

"Ross’ Inception News is an important new player in the

newsroom system market, and we are very pleased to be working with them."

"The research capability of x.news will be an important addition for our customers," said Shawn Snider, Director of Inception at Ross Video.

"Working with trusted partners like x.news helps us to provide our users with more production power, flexibility, and a better user experience."

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2016

Enhancement of SRG SSR´s VICO Platform completed

Dimetis GmbH announces the successful rollout of the massive enhancement of the VICO Platform for the Schweizerische Rundfunkgesellschaft (SRG) project. Dimetis renewed the VICO Platform and further enhanced as a high available, distributed and scalable system based on Dimetis´ BOSS FILE TRANSFER Manager™. The modern HTML5 and JavaScript WebGUI architecture facilitates intuitive and simple operation for users without extensive technical background. The complex processes run in the background while users can TMBi - 12

focus on their core business.

Higher reliability and resiliency is achieved by improved high availability.

The container based activeactive failover handling moves processes automatically to other systems in the case of emergency. This leads to a significant push for security and capacity by the new setup and results in an improved overall performance. As an additional highlight, the embedded FTP Server solution supports now the end-to-end monitoring of incoming news from agencies. The data is sent

directly to the application by FTP Client. After the initial implementation at SRG in 2012, the VICO Platform has been continuously advanced.

The basis of the development, the BOSS FILE TRANSFER Manager™ integrates all interfaces to third party systems, e.g. a transcoder, MXF-FileChecker or Workflow-File Transfer, - to name only a few. Other basic functionalities are reading out metadata, the integration of active directory with LDAP and automatic transcoding of video files to in-house formats during ingest.

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2016

LiveU Adopts NewTek NDI for IP Production Workflow LiveU announced its adoption of NewTek’s open Network Device Interface (NDI™) standard for its LU2000 bonded video transceiver. The NDI-enabled LU2000 will be recognizable as a source by other NDIenabled devices and systems connected to a standard Ethernet local area network, exponentially increasing the number of video sources available for live production.

LiveU NDI integration enables broadcasters to receive their feeds over IP networks directly from the LiveU LU2000 bonded video transceiver, including automatic discovery of available feeds. This capability enables many new options that have not been possible with standard SDI connections without adding expensive additional hardware and complex routing.

With NDI, broadcasters can

now implement a remote production setup with multiple cameras equipped with LiveU field units that communicate back to the studio for true athome production. This reduces the amount of equipment staff has to transport and eliminates expensive onsite production costs. Back at home base, all NDI integrated equipment, such as the NewTek TriCaster multi-camera video production system, monitors, and graphic overlays all automatically recognize the available NDI channels and can consume the feeds without the challenge of having to include a matrix router, configuring that router, and all the analog SDI cables that would be needed.

This new standard for live production IP workflow is bidirectional and compatible with a large number of products from top manufacturers already

utilizing NewTek’s open standard allowing IP connectivity between devices and applications.

“IP workflow is the next revolution for the broadcasting industry and organizations need to be able to transition affordably and with partners that are here to stay. By incorporating the NDI-enabled LU2000 into their workflow, organizations can produce, integrate, and manage their video content more efficiently and costeffectively,” said LiveU Cofounder & COO, Avi Cohen.

“NewTek is a long-standing partner and we wholeheartedly support NDI as the IP standard. In fact, at NAB, we’ll be partnering with NewTek, Panasonic, and TWiT.tv to demonstrate the amazing capabilities of NDIenabled devices in an exclusive live studio in our booth.”

“We are confident that IP workflows will revolutionize video production,” said Michael Kornet, Executive Vice President of Business Development for NewTek. “LiveU is highly respected both at NewTek and within the industry. LiveU’s enthusiastic embrace of NDI best-of-breed products like the LU2000 will help make NDI the most widely adopted IP standard on the market that’s working and in the hands of customers today.”

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Imagine Communications Expands Capabilities of Multiscreen Ad Insertion Solution Imagine Communications expanded its marketleading xG AIM™ Ad Insertion for Multiscreen solution with the addition of Placement Opportunity Information Service (POIS), Ad Decision Router (ADR) and Ad Decision Service (ADS) functionality. The addition of these software-based modules expands the dynamic ad insertion capabilities of Imagine Communications’ comprehensive advertising management systems, which span the entire revenueenablement workflow — from proposal through fulfillment — and delivers to service providers a single, integrated solution designed to improve the precision of ad targeting and maximize the value of their ad inventories.

As the television viewing experience continues to evolve toward an anytime, any device model, content aggregators and distributors are challenged to supply consumers with relevant and timely ads regardless of when or on what device they are viewing video content. By strengthening and broadening the reach of its ad insertion ecosystem into nonlinear environments, Imagine Communications is better TMBi - 16

positioned to help video service providers deliver relevant ads in real-time across various stream types — including live, VOD and cloud DVR — and on subscribers’ preferred viewing devices.

Imagine Communications addresses the complexity of multiplatform advertising with the CloudXtream Dynamic Ad Insertion platform, which utilizes advanced adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming to deliver hyper-targeted ads to smartphones, PCs, tablets, connected TVs and virtually any other device that receives live or on-demand video programming. Fieldproven and among the most effective solutions available, Imagine Communication’s multiscreen advertising technology portfolio is further enhanced through the addition of the following functionality: Placement Opportunity Information Service. POIS works in conjunction with the xG AIM manifest manipulator

and third-party ad insertion systems to identify linear ad positions, alternate content events, slates and blackouts, while providing attributes and constraints for each placement opportunity. The scalable solution works with the Imagine Communications ADS and third-party ad decision servers and the Imagine Communications ADR and other ad decision routers to pre-fetch advertising placement opportunity information to spread the workload across large-scale operations.

Ad Decision Router. ADR manages ad decision request distribution across multiple ad decision services to pre-fetch ad and blackout decisions to support peak demand times and to place and distribute advertising. The system also manages protocol translation and the routing of placement opportunity requests, working in close conjunction with POIS and ADS. Ad Decision Service. ADS, a critical ad-targeting tool, creates opportunities for focusing ads at a national, regional or local level, as well as updating commercial messages to prevent them from becoming obsolete.

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SBS – Seoul Broadcasting System - selects TeamCast exciter to trial ATSC 3.0

This new terrestrial exciter designed by TeamCast, so called exTra3.0, is the unique real-time and stand-alone terrestrial TV exciter supporting this new broadcast technology dedicated to transmit UltraHD (4K) content.

This new standard is foreseen as revolutionary compared to its predecessor the ATSC 1.0, significantly adding key advantages for TV viewers such as higher quality content delivery, personalization and interactivity and more flexible usage (fixed, portable and mobile TV consuming).

The Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) company is one of the main TV broadcasters established in South-Korea. SBS operates TMBi - 18

one national-wide TV channel using more than 300 main transmitter stations. The company is at the fore-front of Ultra-HD activities with several terrestrial transmission trials already performed since the analogue TV switch-off in December 2012.

“We are proud to be selected by SBS to supply our exTra3.0 high-end ATSC 3.0 exciter. The exTra3.0 has been especially designed to meet Broadcaster’s demand for testing this new ATSC 3.0 technology during the standard finalization period that is foreseen to last until next quarter” says Eric PINSON, Business Unit Manager at TeamCast.

“This project is a concrete example of re-using and up-

grading an existing Digital TV Transmission system with our stand-alone exTra3.0 exciter.

This unique solution would allow any Broadcasters interested in evaluating this new technology to move forward in a very cost effective way and a very short time period!” adds Eric.

The exTra3.0 exciter is fully software upgradable and integrated some key features suitable to drive high-power transmitter such as Digital Adaptive Precorrection, to reach top class of RF signal performances, Automatic Gain Control (AGC) to smoothly adapt in real-time the radiated RF signal level and both Forward and Reflected power measurements.

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Australian Public Broadcaster SBS Streamlines Media Operation on Dalet Galaxy

Dalet Digital Media Systems has announced that Australia's Special Broadcasting Service Corporation (SBS) is centralizing its media operations on the Dalet Galaxy Media Asset Management (MAM) platform.

The vision will provide a unified infrastructure to facilitate greater content collaboration across all SBS departments, and orchestrate the program acquisition, preparation and distribution workflows under a single system.

systems, unifying assets. This will allow for greater collaboration across SBS, and make it easier for us to store, access and share our content, enabling us to do what we do best – telling important diverse stories. We were also looking for a more cost-efficient approach to preparation and distribution that will positively benefit the financial bottom line. We chose to work with Dalet to achieve this in what we are confident will be the beginning of a long term partnership.”

Noel Leslie, Chief Technology Officer for SBS said, “SBS made a strategic decision to bring our programming content under the management of a single MAM platform. The integrated solution consolidates a number of our existing

In total, SBS will implement dozens of different workflows and seamlessly integrate 10 different systems with Dalet.

The new streamlined architecture will bring SBS’s vast archives into the production workflow and provide embedded tools to

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conduct program preparation as well as emerging "new media" workflows from a single system. Thanks to the new Dalet Workflow Engine, task-based and complex processes such as assignments, escalation protocols and error management can be fully automated, orchestrating content flow from the moment it is received to its final destination in multiple languages and formats, with metadata intact. Key features like Dalet Work Orders track the progress of the work order in its entirety and provide employees access to real-time status data that serves both SBS technical and business decision needs.

“The sheer power and extensibility of the Dalet Galaxy MAM enterprise class platform to address multiple integrations and automate for media organizations is the key to SBS's decision to work with us on this significant project,” said Raoul Cospen, General Manager, Dalet Singapore. “Using the Dalet Galaxy platform, SBS was able to unify its infrastructure and now, with fewer components to juggle, decrease training efforts. This has the immediate effect of lowering total cost of ownership and ensuring that the return on investment has increased.”

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StreamGuys Expands Podcast Publishing, Monetization and Statistical Toolset for SGrecast Software StreamGuys will simplify podcast publishing, and enable advanced monetization opportunities for broadcasters, with the addition of new editing features and workflow enhancements in its SGrecast software. The new advances unify previously distinct podcast publishing steps in a cohesive interface, while integrating podcast distribution tightly with StreamGuys’ targeted advertising software, statistics and services.

SGrecast, a key innovation in the company’s larger SGsuite of SaaS tools, enables broadcasters to quickly and automatically turn linear programming into podcasts and side channels.

Using SGrecast, new content is available for download, distribution or rebroadcast within minutes of the first airing. Scaling seamlessly from single stations up to large broadcast groups, SGrecast’s multi-user support enables operators from multiple markets or stations to simultaneously manage their own podcasts from any networked location.

Foremost among the latest SGrecast enhancements are new features to monetize and track on-demand content through StreamGuys’ dynamic, targeted advertising ecosystem. URL parameters specifying the publisher’s ID, TMBi - 22

content genre and episode ID number can be appended to each podcast episode in an RSS feed. Enabling precise targeting of advertising campaigns, the publisher and genre parameters enable the selection and dynamic insertion of contentappropriate advertisements from StreamGuys’ third-party ad marketplace.

The episode ID parameter facilitates audience measurement and detailed usage tracking through StreamGuys’ powerful analytics and statistical toolset. Custom parameters can also be added by the broadcaster or publisher to support future ecosystem extensions and technologies.

Users only need to enter the parameters once for each feed. SGrecast automatically applies them to every future and past episode in the feed, minimizing turnaround time, manual effort and errors.

Combined with SGrecast’s newly-added ability to import existing RSS feeds from alternative sources, this efficiency enables broadcasters and publishers to apply parameters to entire podcast libraries – each containing anywhere from dozens to hundreds of episodes – with just a handful of clicks and keystrokes. For major broadcast networks with hundreds of podcast feeds such as Cox Media Group, a StreamGuys customer and SGrecast user, the savings in time and labor is immense.

Additional SGrecast enhancements include the integration of podcast file upload capabilities directly within the SGrecast interface, eliminating the need for separate software applications to transfer podcasts to the distribution server or service.

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Dante AV Networking World at InfoComm to Feature Two Training Tracks, Dante Certification

Audinate, creator of the industry-leading Dante™ media networking technology, will roll out a new format for the sixth annual Dante AV Networking World education event during InfoComm 2016.

The workshop, to be held on June 7th at the Treasure Island hotel in Las Vegas, will feature in-depth training with two separate tracks: one for attendees that are new to Dante, and another for more experienced Dante users.

Audinate will also introduce its new Dante certification program at the event.

Dante AV Networking World will give design consultants, system integrators, audio engineers and IT managers the tools and information they need to get the most out of Audinate’s revolutionary audio networking solution.

The free all-day conference will open with a general session for all attendees featuring the following presentations:

Brad Price, Sr. Product Manager, Audinate • Inside Dante Labs: Preview of New Dante Features by Aidan Williams, CTO, Audinate Following the joint general session, attendees will have the option of attending one of two tracks. Track 1 is designed for attendees that are new to Dante, and are looking for the basic foundation to get started.

This track will feature the following two sessions:

• Audio Networking Trends and Research, presented

by Roland Hemming, RH Consulting.

• Introduction to Dante, covering audio networking fundamentals, basic networking concepts, creating a small-scale Dante network, and using Dante Controller and Dante Virtual Soundcard.

• Unlocking the Power of Dante Via, presented by

• Intermediate Dante Concepts, covering topics

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such as Dante redundancy, clocking, latency, multicast and AES67.

Track 2 is geared toward attendees that are already using Dante, and are looking to create more advanced systems and learn best practices. This track will feature the following two sessions: • Intermediate Dante Concepts, covering topics such as Dante redundancy, clocking, latency, multicast and AES67.

• Advanced Dante Workshop, an interactive session covering advanced networking concepts, mixed use networks, networking best practices, and troubleshooting techniques.

All attendees will receive 4 InfoComm CTS RU credits.

In addition, attendees will

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have the opportunity to participate in Audinate’s new Dante Certification Program.

The Dante Certification program provides an easy way for design consultants, integrators and others to promote their proficiency to build, operate and support Dante networks of various sizes.

Co-sponsoring the Dante AV Networking World event are 40 of the AV industry’s leading audio brands, each showcasing Dante-enabled products in an extensive, hands-on demonstration room. These companies include: AKG, Allen & Heath,

AMK Innovations, Amphenol, Ashly Audio, Attero Tech, Audinate, Audio-Technica, AuviTran, Bosch, Bose Professional Systems, BSS, ClearOne, Crest Audio, dbx, Electro-Voice, Extron, Focusrite RedNet, Harman, Lectrosonics, Mackie, Media Vision, Nexo, Peavey Commercial Audio, Powersoft, RDL, RTS Intercom Systems, Rane, Renkus-Heinz, Sennheiser, Shure, Soundcraft, SoundTube Entertainment, Stewart Audio, Studer, Symetrix, TASCAM, Visionary Solutions, VUE Audiotechnik and Yamaha Commercial

2016

Audio. Media sponsors for the event include ProSoundWeb, Live Sound International, rAVe Publications and Sound & Communications.

The program runs from 9 am to 4:30 pm, and includes a catered lunch for all attendees and a hosted cocktail reception to conclude the day. Seating is limited, so register now to reserve your spot. To register, visit www.audinate.com/avnwinfocomm16.

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Neerav Shah, Digital Media Veteran, Joins Grass Valley as Senior Vice President , Strategic Marketing

Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, announces the appointment of Neerav D. Shah as the company’s new senior vice president, strategic marketing. Shah has more than 25 years of experience in product development, marketing, operations and business development. A creative strategist, Shah most recently held executive and senior leadership positions at ARRIS and Verimatrix, two companies with expertise in developing solutions to deliver and monetize multiplatform content—a growing priority for Grass Valley customers.

Shah and his team will be responsible for refining Grass Valley’s product strategy and market positioning to ensure alignment with the rapidly TMBi - 26

changing needs of the global broadcast community.

“The broadcast community is undergoing a substantial shift—both in the migration to IP infrastructures and in the need for content to be delivered to multiple platforms simultaneously,” said Marco Lopez, Grass Valley’s president. “Neerav’s expertise in these areas and his ability to navigate complex technology transitions will pay real, immediate dividends for our customers and enable us to meet the changing needs of our core market.”

Shah earned an MBA from Yale, where he specialized in Strategy and Product Development. Prior to that, he completed a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at Northwestern

University in Illinois as well as the Executive Management Program in Leadership, Innovation and Strategy at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.

Shah’s appointment coincides with the creation of a key new function within Grass Valley’s executive ranks. Michael Cronk will be leading an important product development initiative called Core Technology, which will ensure Grass Valley product interoperability and consistency across the portfolio. As vice president of core technology, Cronk will continue in his role as chairman of the board for the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), helping promote and advocate for widely supported, open standards for IP in broadcast.

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BCE purchases SAM’s Enterprise sQ for new RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg facility in Luxembourg SAM announces that Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE) has purchased SAM’s Enterprise sQ news and sports production system to bring content on air quickly for RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg, the national television channel of Luxembourg. The Enterprise sQ system will be tightly integrated with MBT MAM and playout automation. BCE will install the system in RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg’s new facilities in Luxembourg, which is scheduled to go live at the end of 2016.

With 30 years experience in professional broadcast services, BCE offers a comprehensive range of services in broadcast to deliver turnkey solutions. Its parent company, RTL Group, is the leading European entertainment network with interest in 57 TV channels and 31 radio stations. RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg broadcasts two TV channels in the country’s native language.

The new facility will enable RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg to

expand its operations and optimize its tapeless workflows more easily and efficiently, making use of the latest technologies.

Used by major media organizations around the world, Enterprise sQ delivers news and other content with next to zero turnaround time.

It offers a file-based workflow in SD and HD and is supplied as a combination of software and realtime hardware which delivers media for OTT, Web and TV broadcasting.

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2016

AJA System Test Lite Software Available For Free on the Apple Store Store for Mac OS X Users,” said Nick Rashby, AJA Video Systems. “It’s a really well designed piece of software, and very useful in any video workflow scenario.”

AJA System Test Lite Features: -- Drive Performance Finetuning—perform a speed test on any drive to get insight into the read-write performance and overall throughput of the system.

Using this information, refine drive speeds and performance to provide the bandwidth necessary to support your workflow.

AJA Video Systems released AJA System Test Lite, a version of the company’s speed test software, available today on the Apple Store. AJA System Test Lite is an Apple Store version of AJA’s free System Test cross-platform application for measuring and reporting system and storage performance.

AJA System Test Lite is a great way to test a storage system with a real world speed test. Designed with digital video and post production needs in mind, it emulates the writing and reading of video files to and from a hard disk, SSD, RAID, or NAS. AJA System Test Lite TMBi - 28

displays results in a simple, easy to read format, by either data rate or frame rate, including graphs that show performance over time. Users can specify resolutions, color spaces, bit depths, compression types and file container types to emulate a specific digital video production/post workflow, and do preliminary evaluation to see if their storage systems will support their workflows before practical testing begins.

“Our System Test software has proven to be incredibly popular for video professionals and we’re excited to offer a new version available through the Apple

-- Simple Interface—test results are displayed in a clear layout and pull-down menus allow for quick selection of the type of test to run, which drive to evaluate, the video size and frame rate as well as overall file size and any connected video device.

-- Detailed Results and Reporting—display results as MB/second or FPS with graphed displays to spot trends in performance; generate reports as text displays that can easily be copied into spreadsheets or third-party software for more detailed analysis and archiving.

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2016

DNF Works with CNN for Live Event Workflow DNF Controls has partnered with CNN on a one buttonpress solution for camera shading. This innovation is especially helpful during live news events.

Shading multiple cameras especially during fast-paced news coverage - is an intense, two-handed operation. Shifting focus from the controls to switch a router is a distraction. Recalling successful outcomes on other projects, CNN turned to DNF Controls for a one button-press solution. Using DNF’s GTP-32 Control Processor, a signal from the

Sony panel triggers the correct router crosspoint, instantly sending that camera’s video to the shading monitor.

“Turner encourages workplace innovation, and I was happy that together with DNF, we were able to develop a solution that eases operational workflow,” said Terry York, the CNN field engineer who worked directly with DNF’s Dan Fogel. “We're looking for opportunities to use this set-up across the organization," he added.

DNF’s GTP-32 Control

Processor is a flexible tool designed to deliver anything from simple to mission critical infrastructure solutions. It’s easily configured with a programmer-free, browserbased interface. Use it to scale, integrate and apply conditional operator control and monitoring over a wide range of broadcast and production equipment regardless of location - via GPI/O, Serial, Ethernet, TCP/IP, UDP, SNMP, HTTP, and SCTE protocols.

NABSHOW 2016

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NABSHOW 2016

The National Association of Broadcasters announced a preliminary registered attendance of 103,012 for the 2016 NAB Show. The exhibition featured 1,874 companies spanning 1,063,380 net square feet of exhibit space. The 2015 NAB Show final attendance was 103,119 with 26,319 international attendees. Total exhibit space was 1,013,554 net square feet. Exhibitors have told us that the quality of visitors has been much higher than in 2015.

"NAB Show demonstrated again its power as the preeminent destination to make headlines, launch innovative products and connect with key influencers in media, entertainment and technology," said NAB Executive Vice President of Communications Dennis Wharton. "We're thrilled with the tremendous feedback from attendees and exhibitors, and we are delighted that NAB Show continues to be a must-attend event for global content creators and distributors."

TOTAL REGISTERED ATTENDEES: 103,012 INTERNATIONAL ATTENDEES: 26,893 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: 187 NEWS MEDIA ATTENDEES: 1,608

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NABSHOW 2016

AJA VIDEO SYSTEMS

HELO - Streaming and Recording Appliance with H.264 Support HELO is AJA’s first standalone streaming product and offers a range of professional workflow options with both 3G-SDI and HDMI inputs and outputs, the power to handle up to 1080p recording formats and a simple web-based UI for easy configuration. It allows users to simultaneously stream video signals directly to Web TMBi - 32

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) while recording either to an SD card, USB drives or network-based storage, with dedicated record and stream buttons for easy operation.

“Producers who stream content in any setting often need a separate recording of the source to hand off to clients or editorial, and HELO makes this easy with the ability to simultaneously stream and also record to SD cards, USB drives or network

storage,” said Nick Rashby, President, AJA Video Systems. “This is a really great product, small and easily portable, that opens up a world of new streaming workflows to our customers in AV, live events, houses of worship, webcasting, corporate communications, production and post.”

HELO Features: • Stand-alone HD/SD H.264 streaming and recording.

NABSHOW 2016

• H.264 streaming and recording bitrates up to 20 Mbps, independently configurable.

• Up to 1080p60 recording/streaming for high-quality video delivery.

• 3G-SDI and HDMI inputs and outputs.

• Embedded audio support and dual RCA jacks for audio monitoring.

• USB, SD card and network

recording for flexible, scalable and inexpensive storage options.

• 5v-20v operation, and includes AJA DWP-U-R1 international power supply.

• Second USB port to configure static/dynamic IP address, or make firmware updates via a simple UI.

FS4 - Frame Synchronizer and Converter Supporting 4K/UltraHD and Multi- channel 2K/HD/SD Workflows

• Stream and record buttons for easy start/stop triggers or complete web browser based control.

FS4 offers unparalleled flexibility and offers two modes. Single-channel mode provides a full suite of video processing options for 4K/UltraHD with the ability to

• Small form factor for remote portability and desktop use.

NABSHOW 2016

AJA VIDEO SYSTEMS

up, down, cross-convert to and from a 2K/HD/SD input or output. Four-channel mode enables four channels of 2K/HD/SD simultaneous processing, offering multichannel density at a very reasonable cost per channel.

FS4 will be available for a US MSRP of $4995.00; significant price reductions of between $500-$1000 have also been announced for AJA’s FS family including: FS1, FS1-X, FS1-X-FRC and FS2.

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“FS4 is the first frame synchronizer to market with this range of 4K/UltraHD conversion options that can also be easily switched to multi-channel mode with up to 4 channels of simultaneous processing for 2K/HD and SD workflows,” said Nick Rashby, President, AJA Video Systems. “It is endlessly extensible, and packs an incredible range of functionality and features into a very small 1RU footprint perfect for mobile production

trucks and small facilities— really any production or post scenario where multiple formats are being used.”

Key FS4 Features: • Support for two modes: Four independent channels of 2K/HD/SD or Singlechannel 4K/UltraHD frame–sync and conversion.

• 4K/UltraHD/2K/HD/SD video processing and up, down, cross-conversion.

• Full range of I/O options for

NABSHOW 2016

4K/UltraHD include Quad 1.5G; Dual 3G; and Quad 3G, 6G and 12G over a range of SDI and optional Fiber choices.

• SMPTE 2SI I/O support for 4K/UltraHD workflow options.

• Unprecedented fourchannel 2K/HD/SD video processing and conversion.

• 1RU frame offering space, power and cost efficiencies ideal for broadcast trucks,

post production or broadcast settings.

• Audio I/O processing with an incredible 272x272 matrix of audio possibilities; FS4 offers support for a flexible range of audio feeds from discrete AES to MADI and embedded SDI audio.

• Simple operation, a redesigned menu structure and quick access to features via front panel buttons or web UI.

KONA IP KONA IP is designed as a flexible platform that supports today’s SMPTE 2022-6 IPencapsulated uncompressed 3G-SDI, HD-SDI and SD-SDI video, audio and VANC data, and via future firmware updates and codec package offerings, will also support compressed codecs like J2K and advanced IP protocols including VSF TR-04, VSF TR-03 and more. KONA IP

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AJA VIDEO SYSTEMS

has already been adopted by many of the industry’s leading software and solutions companies.

KONA IP Features: • SMPTE 2022-6 support, offering uncompressed video and audio, with future support for other IP TMBi - 36

standards.

• HDMI output for local monitoring.

• Multi-channel input and/or output to read or send multiple IP-based encapsulated 3G-SDI, HDSDI and SD-SDI video streams to and from

software applications.

• Two 10GigE SFP cages for easy routing of video over IP and 10GigE networks.

• Support for major third-party NLE, compositing and streaming applications.

• Software compatibility with AJA Control Room and

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Control Panel software.

• Compatible with AJA’s widely adopted NTV2 SDK, for easy integration by AJA Developer Partners.

• 8-lane PCIe 2.0 video and audio desktop I/O card.

“Video pros using the latest Adobe tools have been able to count on AJA technology for years,” said Sue Skidmore, head of partner relations for professional video at Adobe. “With the KONA IP technology, AJA is pushing the industry forward today, and helping to build the platform for IP connected workflows in the future.”

“IP is a very exciting development for all of our customers, and offers an

array of options for simplifying workflows,” said David Colantuoni, Sr. Director of Product Management at Avid. “AJA’s KONA capture cards have been a reliable solution for video and audio I/O for many years for Avid Media Composer® and Pro Tools®, and we look forward to continued support of KONA IP as those customers migrate to IP-based workflows.”

New Mini-Converters and openGear®-Compatible Rack Cards “Building on the core functionality of our Hi5-4K and HDP2 Mini-Converters, and our family of openGearcompatible cards, we’ve

engineered these products with new features that address the growing demands of professionals in film, broadcast and AV, while also delivering the performance and reliability that our customers deserve at a cost-effective price point,” said Nick Rashby, President, AJA Video Systems.

Hi5-4K-Plus facilitates pristine image fidelity and HFR support up to 60p for 4K/UltraHD SDI to HDMI 2.0 conversion. It provides a simple monitoring connection from professional 4K devices using Quad 3G-SDI, Quad 1.5G-SDI or Dual 3G-SDI outputs to new displays with HDMI 2.0 inputs, for costeffective monitoring in film

NABSHOW 2016

AJA VIDEO SYSTEMS information with Mini-Config v2.15.0; 5-20VDC power; and a 5-year warranty.

and broadcast workflows.

Key features include: full support for HDMI 2.0 increased data rate of 18GBps; 4K/UltraHD 4:2:2/4:4:4 support at 50/59.94/60p over Quad 3GSDI, Quad 1.5G-SDI or Dual 3G-SDI; quadrant and 2SI support; unprecedented color fidelity; additional output controls and status with MiniConfig v2.15.0; 5-20VDC power; and a 5-year warranty.

HDP3 is a miniature 3G-SDI to DVI-D scan converter for converting and scaling HD source footage, including 1080p 60, for use on common DVI and HDMI display and projection TMBi - 38

devices in film, broadcast and AV. It offers motion adaptive de-interlacing, automatic output format and scaling adjustment, filtering, video to VESA frame rate conversion and 1 to 1 pixel mapping.

Feature highlights include: support for 3G-SDI (1080p50/59.94/60 formats) and HD/SD-SDI inputs; frame rate input adjustment for monitor compatibility; a high quality scaling engine and deinterlacer to automatically size 4:3 or 16:9 inputs to DVID monitors; 2-channel audio monitoring; looping output of the SDI input; a DVI output connector that also supports HDMI; additional input status

OG-2x4-DA-SDI is a compact, openGearcompatible re-clocking and distribution amplifier with dual 3G-SDI input support to 4 x 3G-SDI outputs each. It automatically detects and configures to the input video and can also be configured as a 1 x 8-channel distribution amplifier, allowing the same signals to be sent to multiple destinations simultaneously. Other features include: dual 1x4 3GSDI DA, enabling one 2RU OG-3-FR frame to hold 20 1x4 DAs; automatic cable equalizer and re-clocker bypass; automatic detection and re-clocking of 270Mb, 1.5Gb and 3Gb SDI data rates; advanced input jitter tolerance and low jitter reclocked outputs; excellent input/output return loss; “Input Present” and “Input SMPTE Lock” LEDs for each channel; hot-swap capabilities; and compatibility with any openGear frame, in addition to the AJA OG3-FR. OG-3G-AM is an openGearcompatible 8-channel SDI/AES audio embedder/ disembedder with support for 3G-SDI input and output up

NABSHOW 2016

to 1080p-60. The flexible rack mount card is compatible with any openGear frame and automatically detects and configures to the input video standard. Other features include: 4x AES BNC inputs, 4x AES BNC outputs, a 3GSDI input and 3G-SDI output; 3G/HD/SD-SDI audio disembedding, embedding or both in one card; selectable channel group mapping and channel pair to pass 3G-SDI

input audio or embed input AES audio; remote control with Mini-Config via USB connection to a host PC or Mac; local and remote modes; 10 position dip switch for local configuration; audio sample rate conversion to eliminate clicks and pops; 3G Level B support for Sony products; low latency; and flexible configuration to pass or drop non-audio HANC packets.

RovoControl Software for Controlling RovoCam Compact Block Cameras RovoControl offers efficient tools to control the complete features of AJA’s newly shipping RovoCam compact block camera for industrial, corporate, security, ProAV and broadcast. The UltraHD/HD capable RovoCam includes an integrated HDBaseT interface supporting uncompressed

NABSHOW 2016

AJA VIDEO SYSTEMS

video, power, stereo audio and RS-232 control over a single CAT 5e/6 cable at lengths of up to 100 meters.

RovoControl offers easy control of RovoCam’s key camera features with unique virtual PTZ control for HD workflows.

RovoControl v1.0 Software Features: • Zoom, focus and iris control.

• Electronic PTZ to move a 1080p box around an UltraHD frame for Region of Interest (ROI) Pan, Tilt, and Zoom extraction for HD workflows.

• Change resolution dynamically between UltraHD and HD options.

• Windows, Mac OS X and Linux cross-platform support.

Future RovoControl updates will continue to add additional features.

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“RovoCam opens up many new possibilities for high quality video capture where space and infrastructure limitations pose a challenge,” said Nick Rashby, President, AJA Video Systems. “With RovoControl software we’re offering easy control for RovoCam with unique features suitable for a range of applications from live events to broadcast, security and more.”

CION v1.3 Firmware with New Gamma Settings and New Pak1000 Promo for CION Purchases AJA released at NAB the new v1.3 firmware that was created based on customer feedback, and adds features that improve the CION imagery pipeline. AJA has also announced that CION purchases made after April 18, 2016 will qualify for a complimentary Pak1000 drive (US MSRP $1,495.00)

provided directly from AJA. CION v1.3 Firmware New Features: • Improved highlight handling and black detail in every gamma mode.

• New gamma naming conventions make the modes more closely aligned to industry standards.

New renamed gamma settings are now available in the CION menu and include new options for Standard, Expanded, Video and Cine modes.

“Our new firmware update and promo were created in direct response to community feedback. CION v1.3 offers a more gentle roll off of highlights, and a greater level of detail in the blacks, while the new promo makes the camera even more accessible to shooters looking to capture stunning footage,” said Nick Rashby,

NABSHOW 2016

President, AJA Video

commercial and industrial

Systems. “We’ve seen great

production community and

adoption of CION from the

we look forward to getting this

update into our customers’ hands.”

NABSHOW 2016

ATHENSA

NAKED Channel-in-a-Box ATHENSA announces AirBox 7, TitleBox 7 and CaptureBox 7. The established solutions which form the core of the world’s most renowned Channel-in-aBox platform, take user experience to another level.

Focused on visual enhancements, as well as solid technology performance, ATHENSA offers extremely flexible, modular and reliable solutions TMBi - 42

that allow full user-defined look that corresponds to any broadcast environment.

“NAKED is the new workspace environment for all ATHENSA solutions”, says Felix Castro, R&D Manager, ATHENSA. “The modern and powerful engine allows us to integrate all ATHENSA solutions into one unified workspace environment. This creates new user experience which allows quick setup, configurable presets and

faster work.”

Vassil Lefterov, CEO, ATHENSA, comments: “Naked reflects both the company vision for a simple, yet powerful and unique business model, as well as our vision of a state-of-the-art technology, made for the broadcaster of any TV channel - large or small. This is achieved through the development of one unified workspace environment which can easily be adjusted

NABSHOW 2016

to the needs of any broadcast expert in any broadcast facility. From ingest and playlist preparation to graphics generation and multiple channels management, NAKED helps customers focus on the task and not on the tools.”

AirBox 7, TitleBox 7 and CaptureBox 7 set the

grounds for the unified workspace environment provided by NAKED. All three solutions now feature new flexible and adjustable Graphical User Interface which increases one’s productivity by providing simplified processing and control. The quick deployment time and

optimized processing power usage, help starting a TV channel in a matter of minutes. In addition AirBox 7 natively supports 4K UHD video playout at 25 and 30 fps while TitleBox 7 delivers 4K CG and graphics for highly detailed viewer’s experience.

NABSHOW 2016

AVID

More Innovations to Usher in the Next Phase of Avid Everywhere These innovations solve the media industry’s most critical challenges, so that everyone (from individual artists and creative teams to the world’s largest media enterprises) can create, distribute, and manage content more efficiently and profitably using one single common platform.

“Three years ago, we unveiled Avid Everywhere, our sweeping, ambitious strategy to address the media industry’s most critical challenges,” said Avid Chairman, President, and CEO Louis Hernandez, Jr. “Since then, we have delivered a series of groundbreaking innovations TMBi - 44

that help media organizations and creative professionals work together as part of a unified global community.

Today, with an everexpanding platform and powerful new solutions, we are making content creation and distribution more efficient, powerful, and collaborative for everyone.”

With more than 32,000 users worldwide and a rapidly expanding partner ecosystem, the Avid MediaCentral Platform is the industry’s most open, extensible, and customizable common services foundation.

The platform provides a series of application suites, a marketplace, collaboration tools, flexible licensing and deployment options, resolution independence,

third-party connectivity, and more, offering the industry’s most open, flexible, and comprehensive solutions for content creation, management, and distribution.

NAB announcements include: • Next-generation intelligent media storage: Avid NEXIS™ is the industry’s first and only softwaredefined storage platform, and enables fully virtualized storage so media organizations can adjust storage capacity midproject, without disrupting workflows. Avid NEXIS delivers unrivaled media storage flexibility, scalability, and control for both Avidbased and third-party

NABSHOW 2016

workflows. It has been designed to serve the smallest production teams as powerfully as the largest media enterprises and is the only storage platform built with the flexibility to grow with customers at every stage of their business. • State-of-the-art graphics authoring for broadcast news and more: The new 4Designer graphics authoring software offers a

complete solution for creating captivating 2D and 3D motion graphics in a wide range of resolutions.

This feature-rich toolset provides broadcasters with the tools they need to create stunning real-time visual content for news, elections, sports events, weather segments, business reports, and more.

As the successor to the award-winning 3Designer,

4Designer offers more power, speed, and new features in a more modern interface, yet maintains the same workflows and compatibility with existing 3Designer templates. • Accelerated graphics production for sports: The new Avid Spark live sports enhancement telestration tool enables on-air commentators to draw and add graphics to a video in

NABSHOW 2016

AVID

real time, giving audiences better visual insight into key plays, game flow, and analysis. Designed for fast operation, Avid Spark provides feature-rich capabilities to accelerate and simplify graphics production. An easy-to-use touchscreen interface eliminates the need for a dedicated operator. Unlike traditional telestrators, Avid Spark allows users to draw graphics in both onscreen and in-field perspectives, ensuring a realistic viewing experience. Ideal for small to mid-size operations.

• Extended Avid Resolution Independence: Avid introduced the industry’s TMBi - 46

first end-to-end production workflow for the Panasonic AVC Ultra-LongG video format, including full integration with solutions across the Avid MediaCentral Platform.

• Expanded Connectivity Partner Program with new third-party integrations: Avid announced new innovations that help customers reduce the burden of making disparate technology work together so they can focus on creating great content.

The newly expanded Avid Connectivity Partner Program provides extensive new services, toolkits, and certification programs that help developers bring Avid-

certified solutions to market, while the new Avid Enterprise Marketplace helps media professionals and organizations immediately access solutions from a convenient centralized location.

• Open and interoperable IP workflows for the MediaCentral Platform: Avid announced its plan to accelerate the media industry’s transition to IP by supporting real time IP signals in the Avid MediaCentral Platform, delivering a unified platform environment for converged file-based and live signalbased media workflows. In technology presentations

NABSHOW 2016

Avid demonstrated at NAB native IP-based workflows as well as hybrid SDI/IP workflows that enable media companies to leverage standard IT infrastructure, while managing the transition to IP at their own pace.

Open and Interoperable IP Workflows for the MediaCentral Platform Avid MediaCentral is being extended to support emerging open technology standards for the delivery of professional audio and video streams over standard IP networks. Future updates to the Avid MediaCentral Platform will enable Avid

customers to orchestrate automated content flows that span all facets of media content creation and distribution, incorporating Avid tools and infrastructure as well as partner solutions from its growing ecosystem.

By integrating file-based workflows with live signalbased workflows, Avid aims to complete the digitization of the entire media value chain, enabling innovate new workflows while unlocking new levels of agility and efficiency.

Most large-scale media organizations continue to use specialized technologies, such as coaxial cabling and

SDI signals, to transport the large payloads of professional audio and video data in real time. In recent years however, rapid technological advancements have made it possible to pass professional audio and video signals over standard IP networks, and the industry is shifting away from purpose-built technologies like SDI. IP adoption will transition the industry to format-agnostic infrastructure while easing the migration to emerging image formats, including UHD and HDR. Next Generation of Intelligent Media Storage AvidŽ introduced at NAB the new Avid NEXIS™, the

NABSHOW 2016

AVID

industry’s first and only software-defined storage platform specifically designed for storing and managing media. Avid NEXIS enables fully virtualized storage so media organizations can adjust storage capacity midproject, without disrupting workflows. Powered by the Avid MediaCentral™ Platform, Avid NEXIS delivers unrivaled media storage flexibility, scalability, and control for both Avid-based and third-party workflows. It has been designed to serve the smallest production teams as powerfully as the TMBi - 48

largest media enterprises and is the only storage platform built with the flexibility to grow with customers at every stage of their business – fulfilling a key tenet of Avid Everywhere™.

Thanks to the openness of Avid Everywhere, Avid NEXIS works with all top media creation applications, including Media Composer®, Pro Tools®, Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, Grass Valley EDIUS, and many more. Production teams can quickly access a shared pool of virtualized

storage resources, which dramatically increases their efficiency.

The software-defined storage architecture of Avid NEXIS is what allows customers to select components that meet their current needs, and easily expand storage capacity and bandwidth as their business grows. Avid NEXIS is also the only scale-out storage solution that enables customers to dynamically tune the system to ensure that high-priority workflows always have the capacity,

NABSHOW 2016

performance and data protection levels they require.

Customers can give critical projects maximum performance, while throttling back on less critical workflows. This ability lets teams react quickly to changes, adjusting performance and protection levels to match the needs of a project at any stage in the workflow.

The unique modularity of Avid NEXIS enables teams to mix and match storage engines and elastically scale capacity from as little as 20 TB to over 1.4 PB in a single system, without any interruption in service or down time. All Avid NEXIS

systems are powered by the Avid NEXIS | FS file system, so customers experience consistent performance, reliability, and protection, regardless of configuration size.

The Avid NEXIS family includes several new storage engine options, designed to meet any scalability and density requirement. As the newest Avid shared storage solution, Avid NEXIS provides an easy transition path for existing users of Avid ISIS and Avid Unity shared storage solutions.

• Avid NEXIS | E4—Highdensity integrated storage engine

• Avid NEXIS | E2—Smallfootprint integrated storage engine • System Director Appliance—Increases Avid NEXIS scale and redundancy • Media Pack—Pack of 10 drives with 20 TB or 60 TB of storage • Redundant Controller— High-availability option for Avid NEXIS systems • Avid NEXIS | PRO— Professional-class integrated storage engine (successor to ISIS | 1000, providing an easy upgrade path for ISIS | 1000 customers)

NABSHOW 2016

BARIX

SoundScape SoundScape is a complete solution to manage and distribute audio over IP networks. With SoundScape, service providers now have a single, centralized solution for content delivery and networkwide monitoring and management, instead of requiring different platforms.

The SoundScape solution brings together a central management software portal with corresponding audio playout devices. Users with administrative access can TMBi - 50

create and schedule playlists featuring music, ads and promos from the head office, and additionally configure and update player devices across the network. At the playout locations, Barix devices deliver high-quality audio content to speaker systems, with targeted advertisements seamlessly fading in and out of music streams.

that wish to schedule special playlists for specific times or events. In addition, the ability to monitor network-wide player status, push software updates, and assign players to specific groups gives service providers the most comprehensive and flexible in-store radio solution available today in retail, hospitality and educational environments.

The ability to switch between live and stored content provides flexible playout options for customers

KEY FEATURES • Centralized management software (monthly subscription fee)

NABSHOW 2016

seamless fade-in/out • Seamless switching between live streams, stored playlists • Alarm generation, network reporting for monitoring and troubleshooting APPLICATIONS • Single-location playout (clubs, small shops and offices) • Large campuses, transportation centers (universities, airports) • Multi-location networks (retail, hotel chains)

• Reliable audio players with high-quality music

reproduction • Dynamic ad insertions with

• Anywhere background music, targeted advertising is desired for entertainment, information

NABSHOW 2016

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN

New Blackmagic Duplicator 4K Blackmagic Design announced at NAB the new Blackmagic Duplicator 4K, which allows delivery of Ultra HD content to consumers by recording files onto inexpensive SD cards that can be distributed to customers the moment an event is finished. Featuring 25 built in SD card recorders, multi rate 12G-SDI connections and a realtime H.265 encoder, Blackmagic Duplicator 4K is the best way to deliver Ultra HD content that customers can actually view on their 4K televisions and Windows 10 computers today.

The Blackmagic Duplicator 4K encodes video using H.265, which is the new standard for Ultra HD

TMBi - 52

delivery, and saves files in an open file format on to standard SD cards. The built in realtime H.265 hardware encoder gives customers incredible looking Ultra HD video, even at high frame rates up to 2160p60. The H.265 video looks better than the older H.264 standard, and the files are small with data rates low so content can play back from standard SD card media. With H.265, Ultra HD content is not much larger in file size than a HD file would be in the older H.264 standard. Featuring 25 SD card recorders miniaturized into a single rack unit, the Blackmagic Duplicator 4K uses standard, common SD cards that are readily available, super thin, inexpensive and very fast.

Cards can be used for SD, HD and Ultra HD video up to

2160p60 and are compatible with Windows 10 computers.

With the addition of a USB adapter, SD cards can even be plugged directly into most consumer Ultra HD televisions for immediate playback of the video. The built in H.265 encoder is so efficient that a one hour Ultra HD program can easily fit onto a very inexpensive 8GB SD card. SD cards are also easy to label and completely re-usable so customers can reformat unsold cards and record over them again at their next event. Unlike proprietary disc based formats like Blu-Ray, customers don’t have to buy a slow and expensive player.

Blackmagic uplicator 4K is the easiest, most compatible and cost effective way to distribute Ultra HD content to consumers today.

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The front panel controls are designed to make duplicating content as easy as possible and feature 6 large illuminated buttons for record, stop, lock, append, menu and remote. The lock button prevents accidental interruption of recording during an event, and the append record button seamlessly combines recordings from different parts of an event into a single

file. This revolutionary new append recording feature is perfect for events that have natural breaks, like weddings with a ceremony and reception in different locations. Append recording makes it easier for consumers to watch the final program because they only have to play back a single movie file. The Blackmagic Duplicator 4K features advanced, multi rate 12G-SDI

connections that can record all SD, HD and Ultra HD formats up to 2160p60. For larger events, multiple duplicators can be stacked using the SDI loop thru and RS-422 deck control. This lets customers encode and duplicate to an unlimited number of SD cards in realtime. When recording is started or stopped on the first duplicator, the others automatically follow. There is

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BLACKMAGIC DESIGN

from the production area so that cards can be handed to customers for quick sale.

URSA Studio Viewfinder The new Blackmagic URSA Studio Viewfinder is a high resolution 7� studio viewfinder with variable tension mounting points, tally, external controls and more that turns Blackmagic URSA Mini into a true professional studio camera.

also an optical fiber SFP socket for adding an optional SMPTE compatible optical fiber SDI module when working in larger venues with TMBi - 54

long distances between equipment. Adding optical fiber SDI directly into the duplicators could be very useful when duplicators are set up close to the merchandising stands away

The Blackmagic URSA Studio Viewfinder features a large 7� high resolution screen and is perfect for camera operators working on live events at which they need to stand behind the camera and capture the action for hours on end. The all metal design is durable and features the highest quality variable tension

NABSHOW 2016

mounting points available, as well as an articulated arm so the viewfinder can be raised, lowered, moved forward and backward. These mounting points can be set for the perfect amount of resistance so that customers can pan and tilt the viewfinder to whatever position they need. This means camera operators can use the large viewfinder handles to move the camera completely independently of the viewfinder itself. This gives camera operators the ability to look directly into the viewfinder while the camera moves to follow the action. The large RGB tally light on the rear of the monitor lights up red when the camera is on-air and orange for ISO recording. In addition, it includes customizable clip-on numbers that can be inserted for easy camera identification from up to 20 feet away.

When shooting a live event, it’s important to have physical buttons to quickly adjust settings on the fly. The

NABSHOW 2016

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN

Blackmagic URSA Studio Viewfinder features a physical dial, knobs and three customizable function buttons that let camera operators quickly adjust brightness, contrast, and peaking without having to hunt through menus while live on air. The customizable function buttons can be used for zoom, false color, edge focus detection, loading 3D LUTs and more.

The Blackmagic URSA Studio Viewfinder displays frame guides that can show the location of a lower third, graphic, logo or ticker so camera operators can accurately compose and frame shots. In addition to TMBi - 56

viewing the built in camera HDTV, 4:3, 2.4:1, 2.39:1, 1.85:1 and thirds frame guides, customers can also create up to three black or white custom cursors that can have variable height, width and position, making it easy to match the location for all the graphics that will be added live or during later broadcast.

When attached to URSA Mini, the camera sends information via the SDI connection to the viewfinder so customers can see the critical information they need such as recording status, camera settings, battery life and more while shooting. The

base of the viewfinder also features a standard V-lock bracket for mounting and detaching the monitor to the URSA Mini handle so it can be quickly set up and repositioned in seconds.

New Blackmagic 3G-SDI Arduino Shield Building custom solutions for controlling cameras via SDI connections is difficult and requires high speed digital design skills. This means it’s quite difficult for broadcast engineers who want to integrate Blackmagic Design’s cameras into their own custom systems because they would need to

build SDI based hardware to do remote control of those cameras using the Blackmagic Camera SDI Control Protocol. To solve this problem Blackmagic Design has created a new SDI expansion board for Arduino micro controllers called the Blackmagic 3GSDI Arduino Shield to make it easier for broadcast engineers and technicians to create custom control solutions for Blackmagic Design cameras. Arduino is a popular open-source electronics prototyping platform based on easy to use hardware and software.

Similar to Raspberry Pi, which is more targeted at software engineers, Arduino is often the choice for hardware developers and is designed as a simpler, more flexible and lower cost way build all kinds of custom projects.

Expansion boards are called “shields” in the Arduino world and Blackmagic Design decided to take advantage of this standardized expansion capability to build its Blackmagic 3G-SDI Arduino Shield interface card.

Blackmagic Design has also written some sample

code that shows how the Arduino communicates with the Blackmagic 3G-SDI Arduino Shield, and how the shield will then send the camera control commands to the camera.

The Blackmagic 3G-SDI Arduino Shield is a simple expansion board or “shield” that includes 1 SDI input and 1 SDI output. The SDI input allows any video source to be connected, and the SDI output is connected to the camera and has camera control protocol commands embedded into it. The Blackmagic 3G-SDI Arduino Shield is very easy to use by a software developer, as they just look up the camera control commands they want to use in the instruction manual and then add them to Arduino software code that sends them to the Blackmagic 3GSDI Arduino Shield to be inserted into the SDI link.

The Blackmagic SDI Control Protocol uses the blanking space in an SDI data stream to send commands for things such as camera and lens control, color correction, program return, tally, talkback and

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BLACKMAGIC DESIGN

more over SDI cables so customers don't have to deploy additional, expensive equipment and run extra cables. The protocol is well documented by Blackmagic Design in product manuals and is now also being supported by third party manufacturers. The Blackmagic SDI Control Protocol is built into Blackmagic cameras, ATEM switchers, DeckLink cards, Video Assist, and viewfinder products. For example, customers could build a simple controller with a TMBi - 58

joystick on top of the SDI shield that sends camera control commands to adjust things like focus or iris. The possibilities are endless and customers now have an easy way to create completely customized solutions for use with Blackmagic cameras, switchers, cards and more.

Video Assist 4K Blackmagic Video Assist 4K features a bright, high resolution 7 inch monitor for checking focus and framing, two high speed recorders for non-stop HD and Ultra HD

recording, two extremely high quality XLR microphone inputs for professional audio recording, a built in speaker and more. Video Assist 4K it works with every type of camera from DSLRs to older tape based camcorders, and even the latest digital film cameras. Blackmagic Video Assist 4K features two built in high speed UHS-II recorders that work with the latest high performance SD cards, making them fast enough to record Ultra HD video up to 2160p30 on widely available, inexpensive SD cards. Files

NABSHOW 2016

are saved as broadcast quality 10-bit 4:2:2 video in either ProRes or DNxHD formats, making them compatible with all popular editing software, like DaVinci Resolve, so you can start editing immediately without having to transcode or convert files. Recording can be triggered to start and stop using LANC or over HDMI or SDI from the camera. With two built in recorders, customers get nonstop recording because when one card is full it automatically continues onto the next. The new high speed SD cards are compatible with existing SD card readers so they can be

mounted directly on a computer for cloning and backup using the included DaVinci Resolve software.

Durable and lightweight, the Blackmagic Video Assist 4K features a bright, 7 inch high resolution 1920 x 1200 monitor and touchscreen with a wide 135Âş viewing angle.

The extra resolution of the screen lets customers view 16:9 sources and see critical status information without covering the image. The display is also a touchscreen that lets customers use simple tap and swipe gestures to display camera information, change settings and evaluate audio and video

levels. Blackmagic Video Assist 4K features an elegant heads up display overlay that lets customers keep their eyes on the shot while viewing the current input frame rate, histogram, audio meters, timecode and more.

For power, Blackmagic Video Assist 4K features two standard LP-E6 battery slots that allow hot swapping of batteries while in use, and it can be powered using the 12V DC input. The batteries are discharged serially, so only 1 is used at a time.

When there’s power, the batteries are charged in parallel, which saves time when recharging.

NABSHOW 2016

BLUEFISH444 Bluefish444 recently exhibited a wide variety of SDI workflow solutions at NAB Show 2016, including VR, 4K HDR Post and MultiChannel live production.

To demonstrate the breadth and diversity of Bluefish444 video cards, Bluefish444 showcased end to end SDI video workflows using software products from our technology partners including Adobe, AVID, Assimilate, The Foundry, Drastic Technologies, and our own Fluid ingeSTore software to capture, create, edit, stitch, correct and finish 4K/2K/HDR and VR workflows, all powered by Bluefish444 SDI/HDMI hardware.

4K 60P workflows have now arrived for Bluefish444 customers on the MAC OS X platform through both PCIe and Thunderbolt connectivity.

Supported by Bluefish444 Epoch | 4K Neutron TURBO, and Epoch | 4K Supernova S+ TURBO cards, we enable high bandwidth 4K editing and content creation with software such as Adobe Premiere Pro CC, AVID Media Composer, and Assimilate SCRATCH. Bluefish444 brought together some of the TMBi - 60

industry’s best VR tools from cameras and rigs right through to the VR headset.

Live multi-camera 360 degree video capture with Bluefish ingeSTore, VR stitching, correction and rendering tools from The Foundry, and VR grading / finishing / review from Assimilate Scratch all powered by Bluefish444 SDI / HDMI. We were also excited to announce upcoming VR support in Adobe Premiere Pro due in the next release of Adobe Creative Cloud.

At NAB Show 2016, Bluefish444 released a significant functionality update to the popular ingeSTore multi-channel capture software. IngeSTore is Bluefish444’s free multichannel ingest software compatible with all Bluefish444 video cards. It captures multiple simultaneous channels of SD/HD/3G SDI to popular media files for archive, edit, encoding or analysis.

IngeSTore drives efficiency in the digitization workflow by enabling multiple simultaneous recordings from VTR’s, camera’s and any other SDI source.

The update to the ingeSTore software adds important new functionality

including additional CODEC upgrade options and “EditWhile-Record” functionality; both commonly requested features from Bluefish444 customers. The additional CODEC options available in ingeSTore v1.1.0.0 include MPEG, XDCAM, Cineform, Jpeg 2000, AVCi and more.

The DV, DVCPro, and DVCPro HD CODEC’s will be made available free to Bluefish444 customers in this update to ingeSTore software.

The much anticipated “EditWhile-Record” functionality allows editors using popular NLE’s to access captured files while they are still being recorded to disk. This feature is used heavily in live broadcast video workflows

NABSHOW 2016

and in time critical environments when media needs to be accessed while live recordings continue.

NAB Show 2016 showcased the forthcoming support for intoPIX TICO lightweight compression in the Bluefish444 SDK (Software Development Kit).

Bluefish444 showed how TICO lightweight compression enables 4K 60FPS video to be transported over a single 3G SDI link, normally requiring Quad Link 3G SDI for uncompressed

video. The Epoch | 4K Neutron, Epoch | 4K Supernova and Epoch | 4K Supernova S+ ranges will benefit from the TICO support provided by the Bluefish444 SDK and available in Q2/Q3 2016 timeframe.

Bluefish444 have launched our new website at

www.bluefish444.com, where you can keep up to date with all of our latest news, user stories and software downloads and updates.

Make sure to watch our latest video in which Bluefish444 Managing Director, Craige Mott, explains how Bluefish444 can best maintain your SDI acquisition, preview and mastering quality, through The Bluefish444 Advantage.

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NABSHOW 2016

CALREC

New Brio Brio is the most powerful and compact digital broadcast audio console in its class. Brio’s comprehensive broadcast feature set supports a wider breadth of broadcasters, while retaining the same market-leading levels of quality and customer support for which Calrec is renowned.

The smallest in Calrec’s Bluefin2 family, Brio’s control surface is unlike any other console. At only 892mm wide, the 36 dual-layer fader surface provides more faders TMBi - 62

in a given footprint than any other audio console.

Based on Calrec’s 20 years of digital development, Brio’s uncluttered, compact, and configurable surface gives instant access to a large number of audio paths, whilst an intuitive 15.6-inch HD touchscreen UI provides quick access to more indepth control. A bank of illuminating hardware rotary controls gives fast and precise control over parameters displayed in the touchscreen UI. “Brio provides something

unique at this price-point — a mixing console completely focused on the needs of broadcasters and broadcast infrastructures,” said Calrec Vice President of Sales Dave Letson. “This amount of scalable and managed I/O, comprehensive monitoring, surround sound, and high bus quantities provides a degree of dedicated broadcast functionality that has never been available at this level.

“As the market calls for more and more audio mixes to support online content, smaller consoles that possess pure live-broadcast

NABSHOW 2016

features are increasingly desirable. Products in this sector have traditionally had basic capabilities and are not ideally suited to broadcast environments. Brio is the first application-specific alternative for broadcasters who operate in this environment and provides dedicated broadcast features at a very aggressive price point.

“Brio’s compact size means it is extremely portable and quick to install, making it ideal as a general-purpose workhorse that users can deploy as and when needed and its connectivity with other Hydra2-compatible equipment makes it even more versatile.”

Brio is entirely selfcontained, with analogue and digital I/O and GPIO built into the surface. Additional expansion I/O slots allow for further I/O integration, while fitting an available Hydra2 module makes it possible to connect to and share audio over Calrec’s Hydra2 network.

Connecting to Hydra2 allows broadcasters to take advantage of Hydra2’s sophisticated management facilities for network-wide

control, including interfacing with multiple video- and audio-over-IP networks such as SMPTE 2022, Dante, AES67, Ravenna, and SoundGrid. Multiformat support protects the system against any future formats that emerge and allows the console to sit on multiple networks simultaneously if desired.

Standard broadcast-specific features include: - 64 mono-equivalent legs that can be assigned as mono, stereo, or 5.1 input channels - 36 mono-equivalent legs that can be assigned as mono, stereo, or 5.1 mains or groups (maximum of 4 mains and 8 groups) - 24 mono-equivalent legs that can be assigned as mono or stereo auxes (maximum of 24 auxes) - 64 direct or mix-minus outputs, with AutoMinus and Off-Air Conference - Comprehensive surround and downmixing facilities - Complete integrated loudness metering - AutoFaders and AutoMixers - Integration with remote

control and production automation systems via CSCP, SW-P-08, EMBER, and GPIO remote control functionality - EQ and dynamics on every channel, group, and main RP1 Remote production offers the ability to capture a broader range of live events, such as sports, news or regional music festivals.

Broadcasters cannot always justify the time or expense of sending a dedicated outside broadcast truck and a team of skilled on-site operators for these niche events, but they must always ensure the same high broadcast standards are met.

Calrec’s new RP1 remote production engine is a 2U core that contains integrated, FPGA-based DSP, which enables a console surface at another facility to control all mixing functionality. The RP1 core manages all the processing for IFB routing and remote monitor mixes, and it does so locally with no latency. This level of integration and remote control makes it simple for any remote mix engineer to set up IFB mixes and TMBi - 63

NABSHOW 2016

CALREC eradicates any delay for remote listeners or presenters.

consoles and controlled as if they were physically located at the facility; it’s seamless!

The RP1 core quickly embeds audio into existing video-transport mechanisms, while its modular I/O backbone accepts any of Calrec’s I/O cards. This versatility means the RP1 can connect via analogue, AES, MADI, SDI, and the latest AoIP solutions from AES67, Ravenna, Dante, and SMPTE 2022.

“Remote broadcasting using the RP1 means fewer resources are needed on site.

Controlling audio from a remote console saves money on setup time, crew, logistics, and equipment. It is simple to set up and very easy to use.

It also enables broadcasters to cover a greater number of specialised events, such as regional or college sports and smaller entertainment events, at significantly reduced cost, making it possible to maintain an increasingly wide range of content.”

“All these remote I/O resources appear to the main audio mixer like any other local I/O box which means there is no operator learning curve,” said Dave Letson, Calrec’s vice president of sales. “This is a high-end broadcast mixing system in a 2U rackmount box, with the control surface in a physically remote location.

“The RP1 core allows remote sources to be patched to studio-based

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In addition, the RP1 core allows broadcasters to create very low-cost Hydra2 networks for all audio routing requirements. The RP1 provides connectivity to any Calrec Hydra2 I/O box, including Calrec’s ultracompact Fieldbox and H2Hub, providing a cost-

effective way to adapt to the requirements of any situation.

Such connectivity gives broadcasters access to Hydra2’s inherent management features, such as port protection, alias files, and access rights.

More ways to connect to Calrec “We’re drawing a line in the sand with these products,” said Dave Letson, Calrec’s vice president of sales. “We had held back on publically stating Calrec’s formal direction on AoIP until we had properly assessed the market and talked to our customers.

We strongly feel that it is not the role of a manufacturer to dictate which route to take, but to facilitate the broadcasters’ choices.

“Calrec’s customers can now interface with multiple protocols at the same time.

For example, a signal can be received via AES67 and then sent out via SMPTE 2022,

NABSHOW 2016

AVB, Ravenna, Dante, or AES67. Signal-processing takes place via modular cards or 1U boxes.

“Each signal also benefits from the management facilities inherent in Hydra2.

This benefit is especially powerful in remote environments where multiple trucks are connected. It means that different units can operate across multiple formats in the field, and Calrec always has them covered.”

Each element of Calrec’s protocol range redundantly connects to Hydra2 and appears like any other I/O resource on the Hydra2 network. Hydra2’s integral suite of management tools provides additional benefits to allow remote configuration patching, port protection,

alias files, virtual patchbays, and access rights.

The AES67/Ravenna and AVB interfaces are a 1U box that can transport 256 channels of audio on a single connection. A second expansion card provides the unit with 512 channels of audio — one of the highestbandwidth connections available for either protocol.

The box is so versatile that it can even accommodate one of each card, allowing simultaneous operation of multiple formats.

The SMPTE 2022 modular I/O card has a 10GB port that can receive up to four SD, HD, or 3G video streams, deembedding 16 audio channels from each. Each video stream may be retransmitted intact or with new embedded audio. A

secondary 10GB port provides for hitless switching, as defined by SMPTE 20227.

Calrec’s existing Dante modular I/O card, launched at IBC 2014, utilises Audinate’s Brooklyn II card and now offers AES67 support as standard. This combination allows access to up to 64 bidirectional channels in either protocol.

Offering this range of interfaces reinforces Calrec’s stance in the ongoing debate surrounding the future of audio transport protocols.

Having a suite of solutions to choose from means broadcasters can be confident that they’ll have Calrec’s support no matter which combination of formats they use — both now and in the future.

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NABSHOW 2016

CLEAR-COM NEW DX410 WIRELESS INTERCOM SYSTEM Clear-Com® presented the all-new DX410 two-channel 2.4 GHz digital wireless intercom system at NAB 2016. Featuring 7 kHz wideband audio for exceptional audio clarity, it is the first DX Series wireless intercom system to offer this level of audio frequency range. Highly durable and light-weight, the DX410 beltpack and All-in-One wireless headset are designed to withstand long periods of usage and tough production environments.

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“We are excited to bring the DX410 to NAB,” said Craig Fredrickson, Product Manager at Clear-Com. “Ideal for live events and productions, the DX410 is truly an exceptional digital wireless system in terms of range, reliability, sound quality and comfort for the size of the system.”

Each BS410 base station can support up to 15 registered BP410 wireless beltpacks and/or WH410 Allin-One wireless headsets. In a single-channel operation, any four beltpack users can engage in simultaneous, full-

duplex (talk-listen) communication, while three users may be in full-duplex mode in a dual-channel operation. DX410 also features 2-wire and 4-wire bridging and 2-wire autonulling. The bridging capability allows the option for combining the 2-wire and 4-wire ports together on either channel A or B, allowing operators to use a 4wire out to send all the audio to a mixer, matrix intercom or other audio source. 2-wire auto-nulling enables fast and accurate integration with Clear-Com or TW wired partyline systems.

NABSHOW 2016

The high quality 7 kHz wideband audio expands audio range and increases intelligibility in high RF environments so that even soft whispers can be heard clearly. With an upgraded radio and a lost packet concealment capability, the DX410 delivers an improved experience in performance, range and sound.

The BP410 and WH410 have rugged, reinforced casings and long-lasting keypads with no mechanical switch, proven to withstand harsh production environments. The same fastcharging Li-Ion battery for the BP410 and WH410 only takes 2.5 hours to provide up to 12 hours of battery life.

The DX410 uses a frequency hopping system (FHSS), and offers spectrumfriendly and Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH) modes, to avoid interference with Wi-Fi, while operating in

the 2.4GHz band means that DX410 does not require radio licensing for use.

FREESPEAK II速 BASE STATION Clear-Com速 announces its launch of the new FreeSpeak II速 Base Station known as the FreeSpeak II-Base2. It is versatile, easy-to-use and supports multiple frequencies on the same base station.

This introduction follows the timely releases of the complementary 1.9GHz and 2.4GHz band wireless intercom beltpacks and transceiver antenna modules that are in use today in many productions around the world.

The new FreeSpeak II-Base2 offers three different modes: Base Station for digital signal transmission; a headset master station for operators to communicate with anyone wired or wireless on the system; and an intuitive menu user interface for configuring setup and making real-time

system changes. The new FreeSpeak II-Base2 is expanded to support up to 25 full-duplex wireless beltpacks and cover a large production area with 10 distributedantenna transceivers and two transceiver splitters spanning up to 3,200 feet away from the base station.

Similar to its predecessor, the new FreeSpeak II-Base2 can provide wireless communication coverage in the 1.9GHz and 2.4GHz frequency bands. This is advantageous in productions where the RF space may be crowded with 2.4GHz or WiFi devices, and the 1.9GHz could be utilized for production. In addition to serving as a base station for signal transmission, it can also operate as a headset master station for any user operator to make and receive calls and talk with anyone on the system using the four OLED displays with individual TMBi - 67

NABSHOW 2016

CLEAR-COM call and talk keys. Multiple 2wire and 4-wire ports are also available to connect with any industry-standard analog partyline and 4-wire audio devices, respectively.

The Base Station’s intuitive cascade menu structure makes it easy to program the entire system, including the beltpack assignments.

Configuration and monitoring is also available through the real-time Core Configuration Manager (CCM) browserbased tool, which is also used for setting up HelixNet Version 3.0. “The new

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FreeSpeak II-Base2 perfectly complements this wireless intercom family by enhancing the entire system with an expanded functionality, improved interfacing and ease of use through real-time browser configuration and monitoring,” said Craig Fredrickson, Product Manager of Clear-Com. HELIXNET 3.0 The new version, which is now shipping, unlocks the full power and capacity of the HelixNet system; allowing current HelixNet operators to

achieve a six-fold expansion in supporting more communication channels in live and recorded productions. “We are extremely proud to be showing HelixNet 3.0 at NAB 2016,” said John Wyckoff, Product Manager at ClearCom. “The expanded capacity and simplified control functions create a whole new world of possibilities on this digital network partyline platform.”

HelixNet 3.0 expands the system channel capacity of a single Main Station to 12 PL channels as an out-of-the-box standard configuration. For productions needing more communication links and customization, HelixNet can be expanded to a 24 PL channel system with a simple purchase of a firmware license.

NABSHOW 2016

HelixNet 3.0 is also highly customizable. In standard partyline systems, individual users need to accept the default user setting for all users. With Version 3.0, every user device has the ability to assign a role. A role is simply a label for a predefined configuration including channel assignment and audio parameters for a particular workflow. The number of roles is virtually unlimited, and a role could be used by many devices in a workgroup, or a unique role could be assigned to an individual. Roles can be bypassed for independent device programming if desired.

allows the RMK (Remote Mic Kill) feature to affect ALL channels, not just the selected ones (as in previous versions.)

An added feature is the ability to stack and/or expand Main Stations with Remote Stations or Remote Stations with Remote Stations allowing Stations to act as one user position when it comes to addressing all channels. A single headset or microphone could command an entire multiple-device HelixNet system. It also

PIC-4744 IFB ROUTER

HelixNet 3.0 comes with a free browser-based software tool called Core Configuration Manager (CCM). This tool makes it easy to setup and configure all HelixNet devices online using the latest, most popular browsers running on Mac, PC and tablet platforms.

The CCM displays and controls all connected devices, network settings and audio parameter functions on the screen, while the save/restore function allows quick duplication of systems.

The PIC-4744 is a powerful complement to Clear-Com partyline intercom systems, seamlessly integrating with both the Encore partyline and HelixNet digital networked partyline systems. The PIC4744 builds upon four generations of IFB routers from Clear-Com. With an

integrated four-channel source and destination matrix the PIC-4744 allows users to effectively support multichannel IFB requirements.

Designed for both broadcast studio and remote production applications, the PIC-4744 IFB Router simplifies IFB management and reliable operation, with multi-channel source assignment capabilities, front panel local monitoring, selectable powering of the IFB outputs and the very latest in audio components that, with the ‘Clear-Com sound’, provide the best sounding IFB router ever produced.

Like Clear-Com’s previous IFB models, the PIC-4744 and companion MA-704/AX704 IFB Control Stations are easily powered by any of the Encore Series power supplies or main stations and can be packaged with Clear-Com hard-wired IFB receivers and/or wireless IFB systems.

It is also compatible with all previous versions of the Encore Series of IFB products.

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NABSHOW 2016

COBALT DIGITAL Compact Routers for the openGear® Platform Cobalt Digital announced at NAB the debut of the 9941 Series, a range of compact routers for the openGear® platform — the only such cards available for the openGear terminal gear system. The 3G/HD/SDSDI/ASI/MADI versions of these modular router cards range in size from 12 x 12 or 24 x 24 square to a 12 x 4 asymmetrical I/O configuration. A 12 x 4 12GSDI version is also available.

In keeping with Cobalt’s tradition of offering an assortment of compatible rear I/O modules, customers can select their preferred type of coax connector — BNC, HDBNC, or DIN — to meet the required channel density.

The router cards have a builtin Ethernet port and multiple serial and GPI/O ports for physical control and monitoring. Meanwhile, support for Cobalt’s easy-touse JSON-based ReFLEX, SNMP, and third-party router protocols allow for easy integration with A/V control and automation systems such as those from AMX and Crestron. Native GUI options include an integrated HTML-5 Web server and support for TMBi - 70

the DashBoard™ control system, allowing users to design custom control panels that provide the most intuitive remote control and monitoring interfaces possible. The 9941 router card will be integrated with PESA’s CATTRAX control system, which will simplify operation and statuschecking by allowing customers to use PESA’s standard relegendable or source-per-crosspoint control panels.

The routers are built on a state-of-the-art FPGA platform and have integrated frame and line syncs. This design enables Cobalt engineers to add advanced processing features such as +CS, a clean and quiet switch option that provides perfect video and audio switches between asynchronous sources. Much of the extensive library of FPGA-based features for which Cobalt is known will be made available as licenses

NABSHOW 2016

for this router series, including +QC Quality Check audio/video/metadatamonitoring technology.

The 24 x 24 router configuration works well as an add-on to the 9970-QS series of quint-split multiviewers. Together they can turn four cascading modules into a dynamically reconfigurable, nonblocking 20 x 4 multiviewer, with configurations of four independent 5 x 1 multiviewers all the way up to a 17-window system — or any number of intermediate cascade combinations.

“Cobalt’s 9941 router cards provide multiple signal and control I/O options and can accommodate multiple markets and applications for maximum versatility,” said Bob McAlpine, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Cobalt Digital.

“As the only routing switcher card available for openGear use, this solution will achieve dominance within a welldefined and established worldwide customer base.”

New openGear® Fiber Cards The 9410DA Series of 3G/HD/SD-SDI single-

channel, dual-channel, and transceiver fiber cards provides up to 40 channels of 3G/HD/SD-SDI extension in just two rack units. Even with such high signal density, the 9410DA card modules include several distribution amplifier outputs on both the transmit and receive sides of the link. Up to 10 flexibly sourced coaxial DA outputs are available per card.

Because of the cards’ highdensity, low-power design, and high-density split rear module users can install up to 20 cards in a frame — providing 40 channels of EO conversion and up to 180 coaxial DA outputs. Excellent receive performance allows coaxial receive EQ for 1694A cable at lengths of up to 120 meters for 3G and 160 meters for HD. Full status and control access is available locally or across a standard Ethernet network via DashBoard™ or Cobalt’s remote control panel.

The 9415DA-SFP Series of configurable dual-path transport cards are equipped with an external SFP cage on the rear module. This arrangement allows the user to pull the openGear card out from the front of the chassis while keeping the SFP and

cabling in place. The user can also hot-swap the SFP module from the rear for maintenance or to repurpose the card for different signal types. This flexible SFP design supports 3G/HD/SDSDI single-channel, dualchannel, and transceiver modes. It can also be configured for dual CVBS/composite analog transport, HDMI transport, or MADI extension. Assignable distribution amplifier outputs are standard on both EO and OE cards.

“The openGear platform has become an industry standard across a diverse range of markets for an untold number of applications, and I’m happy to say that more and more customers are standardizing on Cobalt’s openGear offerings,” said Bob McAlpine, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Cobalt Digital. “As a founding partner of the openGear platform, Cobalt is committed to expanding our openGear lineup continually to ensure those customers and others have all the options they need for nearly any conceivable application or topography.”

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NABSHOW 2016

CUESCRIPT At NAB 2016, CueScript presented the CueiT range of prompting software for the first time in the US. The new CSF10 prompter system, designed for use with jibs and cranes. The development team behind the CueiT prompting software boasts many collective years of hands-on prompting experience and a deep understanding of what it is to be a prompt operator. This experience is borne out in the intuitive feature set, which includes: • Ribbon menu style, making all features viewable and accessible, without impeding the view of the script and run order • Quick commands and features that can be accessed from multiple locations within the programme for convenience and ease of use • Markers to enable the operator to create TMBi - 72

NABSHOW 2016

their own sub-run order and pinpoint positions to instantly navigate to within the script, either on their edit screen and/or the prompt output • No separate configuration menu; all features are to hand without needing to come out of prompt mode The software is Unicode compliant with multi-language and full bi-directional ability within a script. It is available in three versions: CueiT premier for the entry level market, CueiT Production and CueiT News.

The new CSF10 is a lightweight yet fully featured prompting system designed for use with jibs and cranes.

It can be used with a collapsible hood and prompter glass or as a straight reading system without any additional hardware, and features a 2000nit screen that is easy to read even in bright daylight conditions. The mounting system is rock solid, giving crane and jib operators the assurance of no movement or wobble at the end of a camera move. The system also features intelligent

Cuelights that are automatically switched to either direction by a built-in motion sensor known as an ‘accelerometer’.

In addition, CueScript will demonstrate the nextgeneration in talent monitors with the CSTM24. This 24” HD-SDI talent monitor weighing in at 4.5 kgs features a double arm mounting system with no restriction to the camera support, either manual or robotic.

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NABSHOW 2016

DEJERO

LIVE+ EnGo Ideal for broadcast journalists and news crews reporting from breaking news situations or live events from around the world, LIVE+ EnGo encodes IP video and bonds all available networks, including cellular, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and satellite, to deliver exceptional picture quality with extremely low latency. With Intelligent Connection Management technology that adapts to network congestion in realtime, EnGo reliably transports video across the most challenging network conditions.

The new user-changeable SIM module allows a field operator to quickly and easily switch the SIMs in an EnGo TMBi - 74

to match the local cellular network environment.

Dejero’s carrier services offering has also been expanded to include global roaming packages while abroad, including SIM activation, data plans, streamlined billing, and renowned 24/7 support.

Dejero’s LIVE+ Control cloud management system gives studio technicians the ability to geolocate, monitor performance, and remotely control transmitters from a web browser. They can also preview incoming feeds and route both live and recorded content to on-air playout and online distribution workflows.

Cloud-Based Management System “LIVE+ Control is a

powerful operational tool to centrally and remotely manage a broadcaster’s contribution assets,” said Brian Cram, CEO at Dejero.

“With the latest update, we’ve added to the management, monitoring, and routing capabilities to provide users with even greater insights into the usage and performance of their field transmitters.”

LIVE+ Control simplifies the workflows of going live from remote locations and transporting recorded content to the broadcast facility over bonded IP networks including cellular, Wi-Fi, Ethernet or satellite. The simple-to-use web interface allows operators to quickly identify, geolocate, and remotely control transmitters, configure on-premises and cloud

NABSHOW 2016

servers, monitor both the mix and the health of the IP network connections, and route content to SDI or online playout workflows.

The latest update enhances monitoring and reporting capabilities, displaying realtime analytics of network connection performance and overall transmission quality for each Dejero transmitter.

This information allows operators in the broadcast facility to assess the shot and optimize transmitter settings before beginning the remote broadcast. Combined with geolocation information, the success of historic shots from specific locations can also be reviewed to help plan future shots.

Users can now define, filter, and save specific reports, aggregating transmitter details and usage for historical live streams, recorded clips, and file transfers to understand utilization patterns by hour, day, month or year. Reports can be customized to focus on specific transmitters and timeframes, providing stations and groups with the level of detail they require.

Dejero has collaborated with Grass Valley to embed

LIVE+ Control into the GV STRATUS video production and content management system. This allows users to move recorded clips from a LIVE+ Broadcast Server to the STRATUS Express server. Files are automatically transcoded to the desired format for previewing and use. Working together, Dejero and Grass Valley are simplifying the overall filebased workflow to meet the needs of news production.

LIVE+ Core 4.0 Version 4.0 adds significant new capabilities to the LIVE+ platform of products including closed captioning, an enhanced congestion control algorithm, and faster transport of files.

With closed captioning now required in many markets for live, near-live, and prerecorded on-air and online content, LIVE+ Core 4.0 supports HD-SDI and SD-SDI feeds carrying CEA-708-B closed captioning. Closed captioning streams fed to a LIVE+ Transceiver, VSET or GoBox at one location can be transported over IP networks and output to a LIVE+ Broadcast Server or Transceiver at another location. The feature is also

compatible with LIVE+ Multipoint streams when simultaneously sharing live content amongst broadcast stations.

Version 4.0 features an enhanced congestion control algorithm that responds and adapts to changes in throughput across IP networks, while quickly responding to loss in bandwidth. This provides more stable and reliable throughput on congested or constrained satellite networks and Ethernet links. The maximum transport bandwidth has also been increased to 30 Mbps making it much faster to transfer recorded video and other files from the field to the broadcast facility, helping news crews and video professionals meet their deadlines. Also with this update, LIVE+ Core supports the new user-changeable SIM module available for LIVE+ EnGo transmitters, integration with GV STRATUS video production and content management system, and adds real-time analytics that appear in LIVE+ Control.

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NABSHOW 2016

DIELECTRIC Dielectric Strengthens VHF Portfolio for Impending TV Spectrum Repack New broadband antenna, tunable filter bring higher efficiency, greater flexibility to broadcasters transitioning from UHF and/or sharing RF plants Dielectric has innovated a new broadband TV delivery system that provides a tunable, bandwidth-efficient option to high-band VHF broadcasters. The complete system, presented at the 2016 NAB Show includes a new slotted, sidemount antenna and compact RF filter to support single- and multi-channel TV operations.

Engineered for flexibility across Channels 7-13, the low-power solution is ideal for UHF broadcasters transitioning to high-band VHF as part of the TV spectrum repack, the multiyear government initiative that will free existing UHF spectrum for other wireless communications needs. The system also gives VHF broadcasters that share transmission sites a more cost-friendly, operationally efficient way to multiplex more than one channel through the same RF infrastructure. The new antenna and filter introduce key Dielectric innovations for VHF that retain the company’s trademark engineering quality, which accentuates longevity and TMBi - 76

reliability at an affordable cost for the over-the-air broadcaster. These innovations include a stripline slot design for the new TLSV-BB Series antenna, which simplifies frequency tuning across the high VHF band. This broadband approach eliminates manufacturing costs associated with the production of frequencyspecific antennas and establishes a foundation to support two or more VHF broadcasters from a shared site. “Historically, VHF antennas were either large dipole arrays or panel antennas, while slotted antennas have mostly offered narrowband designs,” said John Schadler, VP of Engineering, Dielectric. “We have extended the more efficient slotted UHF antenna design pioneered by Dielectric to VHF, and innovated new techniques to evolve stripline technology into a broadband system.

This ensures we can accommodate every channel in the high VHF band from a common design.”

NABSHOW 2016

Broadcasters sharing sites or transmitting more than one VHF channel can amplify that efficiency through Dielectric’s new MT6E6-4K Tunable VHF Filter. The MT6E6-4K introduces a compensated resonator design that cleanly filters one or more channels through the same architecture. This design effortlessly adapts to environmental changes such as temperature and humidity, ensuring that harsh conditions do not adversely affect channel tuning as signals move through the RF filtering process. A compact, “folded” design returns precious real estate inside to broadcasters inside the RF plant, with flexible options for floor, ceiling or cabinet-mounted installations.

Dielectric Introduces Innovative Auxiliary UHF Antenna for TV Spectrum Repack This economical, off-the-shelf auxiliary antenna is well-suited to high-power UHF applications from channels 14 to 51, including the emerging ATSC 3.0 standard and 4K UHD TV. With its reliable streamlined design for side mounting on existing structures, this broadband antenna reduces wind-load by 75%, making it an economically compelling alternative to more costly, complex panel antennas. While broadband typically implies panel type antennas, the TFU-WB Series, or

WB Antenna, has several advantages over panel antennas. It is more efficient, with lower windload and a slot cavity design, compared to panel designs, which are larger, more expensive antennas with elaborate feed systems and greater wind-load.

Reduced wind-load can result in lower, if any, tower reinforcement costs. Along with its lower weight, the antenna’s design benefits overall aerodynamic efficiency and tower load capacity. The WB Antenna is ideal for broadcasters needing an off-the-shelf solution for quick installation of an auxiliary antenna while their main TV tower equipment is modified, relocated or replaced during the TV spectrum repack. As a result of this complex DTV industry transition, many U.S. stations must relocate their channels down to the lower end of the UHF spectrum to free higher UHF frequencies for wireless services. For broadcasters that plan to relocate to lower UHF channels—or to co-locate with other stations on a single UHF antenna—the WB Antenna offers many operational advantages. As a broadband antenna, it can transmit multiple, combined channels simultaneously. It has a rating of 20kW per 8-bay section, and when two or three sections are stacked, it can accommodate input powers of 40kW per 16-bay and 60kW per 24-bay sections, respectively.

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NABSHOW 2016

DPA MICROPHONES d:facto™ Handheld Microphone Makes North American Debut at NAB 2016 Already the vocal microphone of choice for artists such as Sting and Stevie Wonder, the new version has an extremely

linear frequency response compared to the original d:facto™ Vocal Microphone, which features a boost at 12kHz. The new d:facto™ is for sound engineers who prefer a truly uncolored sound, giving them free range to EQ as much or as little as they see fit. Featuring a new capsule with an isolationoptimized supercardioid polar pattern that is specifically designed to augment the human vocal range, the d:facto™ Linear Vocal Microphone combines the very best of cardioid and supercardioid directional characteristics, just like the original d:facto™ Vocal Microphone. This ensures complete focus on the sound source with minimal bleed, delivering exceptionally natural sound, high separation and SPL handling up to 160 dB. “We are excited to introduce the d:facto™ Linear Vocal Microphone to the North American market at this year’s NAB show,” says James Capparelle, Marketing Manager, USA for DPA Microphones. “The addition of the linear capsule to the d:facto™ line will provide even more opportunities for engineers to attain the quality

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sound they’re looking for. The d:facto™ has become the goto choice for many industry professionals.”

DPA’s d:facto™ range is entirely modular and this latest version is no exception.

The capsule can be removed and replaced with any other d:facto™ capsule to suit different recording or performance requirements.

Also, using DPA’s flexible adapter system, the microphone can be transformed from a wired version with a handle to a handheld wireless microphone, capable of seamless integration with all leading wireless solutions including Sennheiser, Shure, Sony, Wisycom, Lectrosonics and Line6.

Available separately or as two different kits with a d:screet™ microphone, the new GM1600 Gooseneck is compatible with DPA’s entire extensive range of instrument-mounting clips, which are specifically designed to never blemish or scratch the instrument. By choosing the right clip for a particular instrument, musicians and sound engineers can decide on the correct placement to achieve

NABSHOW 2016

the desired timbre.

When used with the d:screet™ 4061 Omnidirectional Lo-Sensitivity microphone, this versatile 15.3cm (6in) gooseneck provides stable and repeatable positioning for

close miking instruments in studio and live environments.

When used with the d:screet™ 4060 Omnidirectional Hi-Sensitivity microphone, which is designed for softer sound levels or for picking up

ambient sound, it is ideal as a plant mic in a concealed application for film sound recordists who want clean, detailed and natural sound, even when the microphone is not pointing directly at the sound source.

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NABSHOW 2016

ENCO Media Operations Manager - MOM MOM (Media Operations Manager) is a complete automated playout system that brings automatic ingest, media asset management, graphics, and playout automation together into one platform. Leveraging the powerful engine, configurable front-end layout and ease of use of ENCO’s awardwinning DAD radio automation, MOM allows a single operator to ingest, schedule, edit and playout

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media from the same system, unifying all media workflow operations within one workstation. This includes ENCO’s fourth-generation OnAir user interface to manage log changes, and enable manual playback and live insertion control as needed.

interfaces that provide connectivity to legacy and networked components.

Furthermore, direct integration with traffic and billing software tightens communication between business and technical operations, including ad sales and scheduling.

MOM goes one step further than today’s leading automation systems by offering direct integration to production-oriented systems.

This is made possible through a carefully developed set of GPI, serial or IP

At the ingest point, the feature-rich platform provides multi-format media players to transcode assets on the fly.

Once content is ingested, MOM provides drag and drop scheduling and a multitude of intuitive graphic overlay tools

NABSHOW 2016

for previewing, trimming, cueing and transition control.

Reliable media playout is enhanced through native codec support, up/down/cross conversion (based on output resolution), and support for four independent program outputs, each configurable for SD, HD and UHD resolutions.

On the back end, as-run logging provides confirmation of programs, advertising and other video and audio content.

Visual Radio System Visual Radio gives broadcasters a comprehensive content acquisition and production system for the scheduling and delivery of synchronized video and audio, with targeted advertising support.

Broadcasters can cleanly deliver and monetize radio programming online, broadening reach as audiences change how they perceive and consume broadcast radio.

Visual Radio’s operational flexibility is especially important for radio broadcasters familiarizing themselves with video production workflows.

ENCO’s Visual Radio solution

delivers music videos, program audio and interstitials (targeted ads, promos). ENCO’s familiar Presenter interface eliminates the need to learn new software and manage multiple content libraries.

Instead, customers benefit from an intuitive live-assist application to suit each operator’s preferred balance of manual and automated control.

A Visual Radio exhibit at the ENCO booth will demonstrate how operators can create a manual or automated workflow to seamlessly deliver high-quality, professional video feeds. The demonstration will also accentuate the quick learning curve for live camera switching; and the display of graphical elements including lower-thirds, network bugs, social media feeds and breaking news crawls.

“ENCO’s Visual Radio solution represents the first true platform to tightly integrate all hardware and software required to produce a television-like experience for radio audiences,” said Ken Frommert, general manager, ENCO. “We’re making it easier and cost-

efficient for our customers to migrate away from lowerquality webcasting platforms.

While there is plenty of freedom for manual operation as desired, Visual Radio acts as the director in your studio when used in a fully automated fashion.”

ENCO’s solution offers builtin intelligence that eliminates some of the more complex tasks traditionally associated with high-end, studio-based video production. For example, voice-controlled camera application will switch between hosts and guests during live radio programming, triggered though recognition of “hot” microphones. Operators can additionally create custom rules to display all camera feeds at once, and assign dedicated graphical overlays to frame each shot. Tighter integration with graphics software further simplifies the user experience, including the management and integration of live social media feeds, visual effects and transitions.

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NABSHOW 2016

FAYTEQ

fayteq announces release of tool for automated object removal in videos and presents easy matchmoving plugin for After Effects.

For the first time, the German video technology startup fayteq exhibited at NAB Show in Las Vegas. The company’s booth was located at exactly the right spot in the Plugin Pavilion next to aescripts + aeplugins, Digital Anarchy, GenArts and Re:Vision Effects. fayteq welcomed more than 1.000 visitors for chatting and presenting the fayIN plugin TMBi - 82

for easy matchmoving in After Effects. Every hour they hosted a live demo with various new exemplary footage and inspirational relevant use-cases.

Besides exhibiting at NABShow, fayteq representatives also attended the surrounding events like SuperMeet and MediaMotion Ball. At SuperMeet they presented the products in front of post-

production experts. As sponsor of the event fayteq raffled out five fayIN licenses.

“SuperMeet was a great experience for us. We had many factual discussions with cool people there”, said Jürgen Reinlein, Head of Marketing & Sales at fayteq.

“We take a lot of great feedback, inspiration and suggestions home with us.”

NABSHOW 2016

“We used NAB Show as an opportunity to start the presale for fayOUT – the tool for automated object removal from video content. The release of the software is scheduled for end of 2016.

Users can still address their wishes and expectations regarding the tool at fayout@fayteq.com,“ said Jürgen Reinlein. Video editors can now preorder the fayOUT software at www.fayteq.com/fayout.“ At their booth in the Plugin Pavilion, fayteq hosted a

draw with some great prizes including vouchers for online video editing courses with

Larry Jordan, vouchers for iTunes and Google Playstore, and the Samsung Smart TV.

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NABSHOW 2016

FILMLIGHT FilmLight adds free Mac app for on-set colour decisions Prelight’s simple-to-operate interface makes it a breeze to check how shots appear with looks or LUTs applied, and to import or add grading decisions that can be passed downstream. Images can be imported from almost any camera, and graded references exported in almost any format.

“What makes Prelight special is that it incorporates the full Truelight Colour Space technology you find in other FilmLight products.” said Peter Postma, Managing Director, FilmLight Americas.

“So regardless of the camera, whether RAW or monitoring output, whether HDR or laptop screen, looks are applied consistently and grading decisions remain relevant even for final delivery.”

Prelight complements the FilmLight products FLIP and Daylight, which already provide full on-set and nearset grading capabilities. Many directors, working with a colourist early on or not, would just like more control over how the shot is going to look, and to be able to TMBi - 84

communicate that easily and visually to post-production.

The creative team can enhance the grade with simple but familiar tools, to create new reference stills as well as 3D LUTs or BLG (Baselight Linked Grade) files. With the render-free BLG workflow, the grades are non-destructive too: additional BLG metadata is created and attached to the stills. And the free licence for Baselight for Avid or NUKE, which makes it free to read and render BLG files, makes this workflow available to productions on any budget.

An extended licence can be purchased so that when these files arrive in the Baselight post house, or on a

Daylight system for near-set dailies, the metadata is attached automatically and the BLG file becomes the basis of the grade, which can then be refined right up to the moment the deliverables are created. The additional licence also includes enhanced logging and monitoring capabilities.

As well as fitting in naturally with the BLG workflow, Prelight can fit into any postproduction workflow because of the ability to export standard ASC CDL lists and third-party formatted 3D LUTs. Integration with cameras, such as the ARRI Alexa SXT, means that Prelight can simplify the colour workflow

NABSHOW 2016

dramatically by enabling fully automated metadata support all the way from the start of the production chain. Prelight can also interface to the majority of professional LUT boxes or monitors for realtime viewing.

“The production and postproduction community is looking for ways to customise their workflows to guarantee the best scope for creativity,” Postma added. “Prelight is another exciting option to give simple but direct and reliable control. We are happy to offer the core features of Prelight, including the full grading and LUT toolkit, free, with very low cost options for connectivity and advanced metadata export.”

FilmLight and Avid launch ‘Professional Colour’ bundle for editors at NAB 2016 FilmLight announced at NAB a new collaboration with longstanding collaborator, Avid®. FilmLight first showed Baselight Editions on Avid Media Composer® at NAB2012 and since then the two companies have worked closely to improve interoperability between their products, helping editors and

colourists to tell great stories through beautiful images.

This new venture is yet another example of FilmLight’s commitment to providing solutions that address the growing demands for perfect colour control throughout the professional post workflow.

The Professional Colour bundle brings together Baselight for Avid – which delivers the world’s most powerful colour grading toolset – with the industry’s preeminent editing system Avid Media Composer in one single package. Immediately available on Mac or Windows for $1,799*, the bundle makes it even easier for editors to increase their finishing capabilities, directly within their NLE system.

“Through Avid Everywhere and the MediaCentral Platform, Avid provides the most open, extensible and flexible media environment that integrates with technology from Avid and other providers,” said Avid �Vice President & Chief Product Officer, Dana Ruzicka. “By working closely with FilmLight, we’re delivering seamless, collaborative workflows that

enable creative professionals to work more efficiently and focus on telling great stories.”

Baselight for Avid is a realtime plugin, so colour corrections can be played directly on the Avid timeline. It provides unlimited primary and secondary grades in a single layer, including mattes, automatic object tracking and full keyframe animation.

As well as using modified AAF files to exchange grades, Baselight for Avid shares the same BLG colour metadata as all systems in the FilmLight range, so projects can be transferred and shared between on-set, near-set and the grading suite without rendering, and with the latest grade always available in editorial for a powerful and fast workflow.

The BLG format carries sophisticated grading data including secondary colour correction, shapes and tracked objects. And, as the grade metadata is fully modifiable throughout the process, workflow efficiency is greatly improved as corrections and last minute changes can be made directly in Media Composer, with no need to return to the full Baselight suite.

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NABSHOW 2016

GATESAIR

New High-Power Maxiva Air-Cooled UHF Transmitters The new transmitters extend the UAXT range, introduced in late 2014, to higher power levels not previously available in aircooled transmitters. This gives UHF broadcasters the improved power efficiency and greater modularity of GatesAir’s advanced PowerSmart® transmitter designs, including the thirdgeneration PowerSmart Plus architecture along with the simplicity of air-cooled operation.

The UAXT with advanced PowerSmart designs provide the convenience of air cooling at higher power levels. This offers a clear operational value proposition for broadcasters unable to support liquid-cooling architectures for high-power TV due to the remote location of, or limited real estate within, the RF plant. With GatesAir’s broadband amplification at the core of the transmitters, broadcasters are assured a smaller footprint for cleaner installation in spacechallenged RF plants.

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NABSHOW 2016

The market-leading efficiency gains of the highpower UAXT design deliver 10.8 kW (UAXT-12) and 14.4 kW (UAXT-16) of pre-filter ATSC power to the broadcaster, outperforming the competition by more than 20 percent.

transmitters also integrate more advanced IP connectivity to help broadcasters more flexibly adapt to IP transport capabilities within advanced DTV standards like DVB-T2, ISDB-Tb, and looking forward, ATSC 3.0.”

“In anticipation of the Spectrum Repack, broadcasters are reevaluating their transmission systems and how they might be affected upon moving to a new channel and/or entering into a channel-sharing plan with another TV station,” said Rich Redmond, Chief Product Officer, GatesAir. “These two new UAXT configurations deliver marketleading transmitter efficiency with simplified maintenance and operation—all very significant benefits for broadcasters facing new challenges associated with channel relocation. These

The new Maxiva UAXT-12 and UAXT-16 transmitters join a growing UAXT product line that offers six power levels from 1kW to 14kW for low-to-medium power needs.

As with all Maxiva transmitters, the new UAXT models offer unparalleled modularity to simplify field maintenance with hotswappable power amplifiers and supplies, and minimize spare parts.

New Flexiva™ LX Transmitter Range at 2016 NAB Show Flexiva LX transmitters give FM broadcasters a budget-

friendly option for upgrading to a more efficient transmitter design that boasts extensive capabilities, and replaces multiple separate boxes. The Flexiva LX offers a streamlined design focusing on FM analog broadcasts—a design attribute that lowers costs for the broadcaster— and retains the pertinent technologies that contribute to exceptional audio quality, high performance and operational efficiency found in all GatesAir Flexiva transmitters. On the quality side, the Flexiva LX surpasses competitively priced analog-only FM transmitters via its digitally modulated exciter.

“GatesAir has offered digitally modulated FM exciters in its analog transmitters for more than 20 years, which is a top reason why so many FM broadcasters worldwide rely

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NABSHOW 2016

GATESAIR

on our transmitters to maximize their coverage and to help them achieve the best possible sound quality for their listeners,� said Rich Redmond, chief product officer, GatesAir. “The Flexiva LX proves that providing a major market sound for translators, low-power FMs and small market stations does not have to be expensive.�

Quality and performance is further enhanced through an integrated, powerful multiband digital audio processor with composite clipping and dynamic RDS. The latter eliminates the need for external systems to transmit dynamicallychanging data related to song title, artist and other information. Flexiva LX is ideally suited for translator applications with built-in FSK ID systems, and an optional slide-in, DSP-based rebroadcast receiver card.

Built-in web-based control,

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accessible via IP connectivity, gives engineers an option for monitoring and management of transmitter parameters from any networked location.

This is especially useful for broadcasters managing many transmitters across large transmitter networks, including single-frequency networks in U.S. markets; and international transmitter networks, where broadcasters manage multiple sites with many lowpower and gap filler transmitters for national and regional coverage.

Like all Flexiva transmitters, the Flexiva LX Series incorporates the latest highefficiency technologies to reduce size, energy consumption and maintenance responsibilities.

The compact 2RU footprint, which leverages high-density transistors and broadband amplification to reduce size and parts, fits comfortably into any transmitter building

or enclosure, eliminating concerns for broadcasters with minimal RF plant real estate. Hot swappable power supplies simplify maintenance, allowing engineers to quickly service transmitters without affecting on-air performance.

New PowerSmart Plus transmitter architecture, software-defined exciters will accelerate return on investment for broadcasters adapting to TV repack, ATSC 3.0-driven changes In anticipation of the TV spectrum repack and ATSC 3.0, GatesAir unveiled its next-generation solutions for the RF plant at the 2016 NAB Show. The demonstration showcased advances in transmitter and exciter technology, as well as multichannel signal monitoring that help drive efficiency and performance in the RF plant to powerful new heights.

NABSHOW 2016

footprint. GatesAir customers can order new Maxiva UHF transmitters with either PowerSmart Plus or PowerSmart 3D. Both design architectures provide the benefits of wideband amplification (fewer spare parts, simplified maintenance and modulation adjustments) that can further lower overall total cost of ownership, and accelerate ROI.

GatesAir’s innovations in RF plant efficiency go back decades, but made an especially big leap with the integration of 50-volt LDMOS technology in its PowerSmart® transmitter architecture, introduced nearly 10 years ago. The company has continued to make annual advances in transmitter efficiency, with the latest big leap three years ago via PowerSmart 3D. Powered by true broadband amplification, PowerSmart 3D can increase AC to RF efficiencies for ATSC operations from nearly 30 percent to approximately 40 percent, and reduced power consumption by up to 50 percent.

Designed for the green economy, PowerSmart Plus can raise AC to RF efficiencies up to industryhigh levels of 50 percent ATSC. At this level, GatesAir Maxiva™ ULXT liquid-cooled and UAXT air-cooled TV UHF transmitters can operate with 20 percent more efficiency than the leading competitive offerings; and 170 percent more than legacy air-cooled UHF transmitters in operation today, without performance compromises.

PowerSmart Plus achieves its latest efficiency gains through newly available, nextgeneration LDMOS power amplifiers that additionally further reduce power consumption and transmitter

“PowerSmart Plus goes above and beyond the efficiency attained by GatesAir’s previous energysaving technologies,” said Rich Redmond, chief product officer, GatesAir. “This higher level of efficiency translates directly into less energy consumption, resulting in much lower power bills for our customers. Along with our software-defined Maxiva exciters, TV broadcasters now have the industry’s highest-efficiency, highestperformance over-the-air solution for today and tomorrow’s opportunities.”

These opportunities include ATSC 3.0, which continues to gain steam as a nextgeneration TV standard in the US and some international regions.

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NABSHOW 2016

GB LABS

GB Labs Adopts NewTek NDI for IP Production Workflow GB Labs announced at NAB its adoption of NewTek’s open Network Device Interface (NDI™) standard for IP-based production workflows for its range of high speed, media specific storage. With NDI enabled, their Space product range will be recognizable as a source by other NDI-enabled devices and systems connected to a standard Ethernet local area network, exponentially increasing the number of video sources available for live production.

GB Labs’s Space storage range with NDI integrates seamlessly with NewTek’s TriCaster multi-camera video production systems. This allows production directors to pull from multiple data sources at speeds of up to 9,000MB/sec making this the World’s fastest NAS on the market. GB Labs’ storage has feature rich workflow tools built in to its Core operating system making for a compelling workflow.

This new standard for live production IP workflow is bidirectional and backwards TMBi - 90

compatible with a large number of devices from top manufacturers already utilizing NewTek’s open protocol allowing IP connectivity between devices. GB Labs’s Space storage range will be part of the NewTek Developer Network, the industry’s largest ecosystem of IPenabled products using the same standard.

“The broadcast industry has been shouting out for an IP workflow solution’” said Ben Pearce, Vice President of GB Labs. “GB Labs are delighted to be involved with NewTek’s NDI Developer Network as they lead the way in IP workflow solutions.”

“IP workflows look to revolutionize video production,” said Michael Kornet, executive vice president of Business Development for NewTek. “GB Labs is highly respected both at NewTek and within the industry. By GB Labs enthusiastically embracing NDI, best-of-breed products like Space will help make NDI the most widely adopted IP standard on the market that’s working and in the hands of customers today.”

NDI is now available as a royalty free software developer kit (SDK) for any company looking to establish IP workflows within their organization, or in production tools and systems they manufacture.

GB Labs and DFT Combine Forces for Ultimate 4K Film Scanning Digital Film Technology (DFT) has been at the forefront of film scanning technology for over 75 years providing solutions for film

NABSHOW 2016

post production, archive and restoration markets with a range of high quality, leading edge products and services.

Their film scanning process requires powerful media storage, which is traditionally achieved using Storage Area Network (SAN) solutions.

Working closely with GB Labs, an alternative solution, Network Attached Storage (NAS) is now available for the first time on Scanity HDR. Film scanning to modern file formats such as 2K and 4K DPX puts media storage

through its paces. Consistent and extreme performance is required to ensure files are ingested without any corruption or dropped frames.

The choice of suitable storage has been limited predominantly to traditional SAN solutions, but now, with the availability of GB Labs’ new system, customers can choose between two alternatives – either traditional SAN or latest NAS. Traditionally, DFT had recommended Storage Area Network (SAN) solutions to their clients, as the only option able to handle the massive data streams needed by their Scanity HDR product.

However, the new range of NAS solutions from GB Labs offers a solution which is easier to install, set up and implement. The solutions are very fast and can work with third party applications without the need for expensive client software licences.

GB Labs’ NAS range of Space media storage represents 15 years of storage innovation in the media industry. They are renowned for pushing the

boundaries of storage innovation where others have failed. The Space storage range empowers creative workflows worldwide and GB Labs provide solutions to some of the best-known names in media and entertainment.

DFT’s Scanity HDR can output huge 16 bit file sizes in either 4K TIFF or DPX whilst scanning. Following extensive testing, GB Labs’ Space SSD solution is an ideal match for Scanity HDR, and is capable of speeds of up to 9,000Mbytes/sec, more than enough to make Scanity HDR run at its optimum performance. What is more, if additional capacity or performance for a project is required, the SSD is easily expandable and further performance is quickly achievable by adding GB Labs HyperSpace product.

Because Space SDD is compact, it can be housed within the Scanity HDR casing, and can be purchased together as a turnkey solution from DFT if required.

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NABSHOW 2016

GRASS VALLEY

New LDX 86N Native 4K Camera Series Demand for visually rich 4K UHD content is increasing and Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, is meeting that need with the newest range of its highly successful LDX 86 Series of cameras that enables users to capture content in native 4K—the LDX 86N Series. In fact, the LDX 86N Series complements the LDX 86 Series, providing the industry’s most versatile approach to satisfying 4K demand without TMBi - 92

compromising its performance in 3G/HD applications.

Built using Grass Valley’s newest UHD 2/3” imagers, the LDX 86N provides the best possible native 4K resolution in true 16:9 aspect ratio, using lenses intended for broadcast with no cropping or zooming effects.

The cameras are ideally suited for outside broadcasting as well as live and studio productions, giving broadcasters the advantage of selecting between the highest image resolution with

native 4K or switching to native 3G/HD for all applications where uncompromised 3G/HD performance is required.

“The ability of the LDX 86N to capture either native 4K or native 3G/HD without having to change cameras is unique and a competitive advantage for users,” said Mike Cronk, senior vice president of strategic marketing. “The real key to success today is flexibility—having the option to capture what you need as it changes from job to job with a single solution can

NABSHOW 2016

make all the difference and increase the number of productions you’re able to accommodate.”

Each camera uses three next-generation native 4K XensiumHAWK CMOS imagers that support full native 3840x2160 4K resolution and offer a unique pixel technology called DPMUltra (dynamic pixel management). With DPMUltra, the camera also provides native 1920x1080 HD acquisition inside the imager without the intrinsic downsides of 4K acquisition, such as rolling shutter and decreased sensitivity.

The new LDX 86N system cameras work with the XCU XF fiber base stations and XF Transmission adapters. The LDX 86N Series will be available in multiple configurations that are easily switchable with software licenses. The series includes: • LDX 86N HiSpeed 1X/3X

HD super slow-motion camera • LDX 86N XtremeSpeed 1X/3X/6X HD and 1X/3X 3G super slow-motion camera • LDX 86N WorldCam for 3G/HD content in 1080i/720p/1080PsF/1080p • LDX 86N 4K with all the features of the WorldCam plus 3840x2160 UHD • LDX 86N Universe offers universal format support with switchable 1X/3X/6X HD, 1X/3X 3G and 1X 4K single speed capture Any camera in the range can be upgraded easily to the next level of functionality, all the way up to the LDX 86N Universe, through the popular GV-eLicense program.

New GV Korona Production Switcher to Deliver HighEnd Performance with a Compact Footprint The all-new GV Korona offers the same robust

feature set as the Kayenne and Karrera Video Production Center switchers, but does so with a smaller, space-efficient control surface. Available in 1 and 2 M/E (stripe) panels, GV Korona is packaged with the compact K-Frame S-series video processing engine, though it is compatible with all Grass Valley K-Frames for unlimited flexibility in video production. Additionally, the K-Frame S-series frame is compatible with all larger Kayenne and Karrera panels should the need arise.

The new GV Korona KFrame S-series supports multiple HD formats, and can easily be upgraded to 3G/4K with a software license. The GV Korona 2 stripe panel supports 20 assignable buttons on each M/E row as well as an innovative touchscreen in the transition area. GV Korona also boasts the largest I/O matrix for a small switcher frame (80x48), with optional IP SMPTE ST 2022-6 I/O. “Broadcasters around the world see Grass Valley switchers as the ‘gold standard,’ and GV Korona builds on that reputation by bringing a much needed compact option to professionals who work in TMBi - 93

NABSHOW 2016

GRASS VALLEY

mobile units or small studios,” explained Mike Cronk, senior vice president of strategic marketing, Grass Valley. “The advantage to operators is, there’s no new training required—once they know how to use any one of our switchers, they know how to use them all.”

GV Korona’s surface features a built-in touchscreen interface that enables operators to work quickly and intuitively to produce compelling content for a variety of applications. It also boasts a menu integrated into the panel, and uses the same OLED and color technologies as the larger Grass Valley panels.

Whether for a small truck or studio, a flypack or even as a TMBi - 94

back bench control surface in a larger truck, users can mix and match any Grass Valley switcher panel with any Grass Valley switcher frame for cost-effective repurposing.

In addition, shows previously built on Kayenne or Karrera switchers are compatible and can be imported easily into a GV Korona switcher. “Now broadcasters have access to Grass Valley’s legendary performance and creative power in a switcher that comes at a lower price point with a smaller footprint,” added Cronk.

Grass Valley and Cisco Collaborate on Integrated Solutions for Broadcast Global strategic alliance Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, has entered into a

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Cisco to develop IP workflow solutions for broadcast that will improve customers’ business agility. The MOU creates an environment for widespread collaboration between the two companies, covering IP networking, virtualized computation and security solutions. Of particular note is the more immediate plan to develop a solution that combines the strengths of Grass Valley’s Broadcast Data Center architecture with Cisco Media Blueprint solutions comprising IP-based, virtualized, and media-aware network infrastructure and applications based on open IP standards.

NABSHOW 2016

“These are changing times, and broadcasters are looking for solutions that are powerful, yet interoperable and affordable,” said Mike Cronk, senior vice president of strategic marketing, Grass Valley. “Working closely with Cisco to develop IP solutions, especially ones that rely on the new virtualized network core, will provide our customers with enormous benefits as they look to improve their existing workflows or build new greenfield sites that help them take advantage of new business models and distribution schemes.”

“Together, we intend to enable the shift from proprietary appliances to open IP networking, helping broadcasters gain the benefits of a virtualized, media-aware network,” said Steve Steinhilber, vice

president, Vertical Partner Ecosystems, Cisco.

“Combining the Cisco Media Blueprint technologies and applications with the Grass Valley top-tier broadcast and production solutions, we can help broadcasters efficiently scale video production to deliver new content experiences faster, and drive revenue.”

Grass Valley and Sony Collaborate to Advance the Cause of Common IP Standards for Broadcast In order to foster better interoperability across the industry and ensure a pathway for customers to a standards-based approach, Grass Valley plans to implement an IP-to-IP gateway card compatible with its innovative GV Node Real Time IP Processing and Edge Routing platform. This card will ensure compatibility

between Sony’s Networked Media Interface (NMI) and Low Latency Video Codec (LLVC) technologies and systems based on standards supported by the AIMS roadmap.

“Sony is a technology leader in our industry and we are extremely pleased to work with them towards a standards-based approach to IP while improving interoperability between Grass Valley AIMS-based systems and Sony NMIbased systems,” said Marco Lopez, president of Grass Valley.

Another result of this collaboration is Sony’s participation in the AIMS initiative to promote the adoption of widely supported, open standards to enable IPbased interoperability and further industry migration to IP-based platforms. Grass Valley is a founding member of AIMS, which launched in December to promote and advocate for widely accepted, open IP standards that will lead to assured interoperability for devices based on industry standards such as SMPTE ST 2022-6 and TR-03 and TR-04, proposed by VSF and AES67.

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NABSHOW 2016

HITACHI KOKUSAI

Hitachi Kokusai provided working demonstrations and insightful discussions of the latest developments in leading-edge topics, including 8K acquisition and IP-based production infrastructure.

“Hitachi Kokusai is fully committed to the Americas’ HD and UHD television production market and now, more than ever before, we are prepared to quickly adopt new, developing standards and technologies that will significantly improve our customer’s ROI, workflow and profitability,” said Hitachi Kokusai Electric America’s new CEO, Mr. Hiroaki Ohashi.

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The centerpiece of Hitachi Kokusai’s 8K showcase will be fully-working demonstrations of the SKUHD8060 Super Hi-Vision camera. The world’s first dockable 8K camera, the SKUHD8060 is Hitachi Kokusai’s fourth-generation 8K production solution and is ideal for studio and outside broadcast (OB) applications.

Developed in conjunction with Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), the SKUHD8060 will be shown in the Hitachi Kokusai booth.

Hitachi Kokusai’s multi-year development of advanced 8K cameras has been and will continue supporting NHK’s plans to deliver Super Hi-

Vision broadcasts.

The SK-UHD8060 is a complete 8K television production system, featuring a Super 35mm CMOS sensor with 7,680 x 4,320 pixel resolution, PL-mount lens, and on-board recording capabilities. Designed to support the latest advances in High Dynamic Range (HDR), Wide Color Gamut (WCG) and High Frame Rate (HFR) standards and technologies, the camera conforms to Japan’s ARIB specifications while delivering 16 times the picture information of HDTV. Adding to the camera’s flexibility, the SK-UHD8060 can simultaneously output

NABSHOW 2016

multiple television standards including 8K, 4K/UHD, 1080p, 1080i and 720p.

An 8K RAW recorder can be docked to the camera for field production or used independently of the camera head to provide store-andforward, real-time recording and playback with its own control unit, offering a remote acquisition workflow not previously available with any other 8K camera system. A 12-inch, 4K viewfinder simplifies 8K focusing and viewing.

Hitachi Kokusai is also wellpositioned to play a key role as the broadcast industry transitions from baseband video infrastructures to IP-

based workflows, including through its work with IP infrastructure vendor Evertz as a founding member in the ASPEN Community. IP-based demonstrations will include Hitachi Kokusai’s cameras paired with the MD8000 IP transport platform from Media

Links. In this demonstration, 4K video captured by Hitachi Kokusai’s cameras were encapsulated into uncompressed IP streams and delivered over fiber connectivity to the Media Links booth.

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NABSHOW 2016

IMAGE MATTERS

Image Matters unveils ORIGAMI Module and Carrier board

Consequently HEVC does not constitute an ideal option for studio quality video transport.

HD, 4K and 8K resolution HD resolution has been massively adopted over the last 15 years. Higher resolution of 4K was originally driven by digital cinema, but it became also a new TV broadcast. A next step after the 4K is UHDTV-2 (8K). 8K at 120 frames per second was originally developed by NHK, the Japanese public television, becoming an ITU standard in 2012. The 8K is emerging namely with the Japanese effort in the road of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. This very demanding resolution of 7680x4320 is 16 times larger than HD image (33 million pixels/frame).

Current Studio infrastructure Studio infrastructures for video signal transport are still mostly based on HD-SDI (1.5 Gbps) and 3G-SDI (3 Gbps) coaxial cables. 12G-SDI to carry 4K in a single interface is just starting to be adopted.

Transition toward video transport over IP is also starting. Only some pioneers TMBi - 98

have already switched toward full IP infrastructure.

Moreover, IP transport still request a lot of standardization and interoperability efforts.

Video Compression Practically, broadcasting of high bandwidth and storage of big volumes of 4K or 8K video require good, visually lossless and effective video codecs. There are multiple candidates: JPEG 2000, TICO, HEVC… High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is a new standard for beyond HD video. But HEVC targets mainly broadcasting and distribution of content at very low bitrate to consumer.

HEVC is based on DCT transform which makes it subject to rapid video quality degradation over successive encoding-decoding cycles.

For the last 10 years, JPEG 2000 has been commonly used in studio for HD contribution over IP. It preserves image quality and offers a low latency while keeping an affordable codec prices. JPEG 2000 in 2K and 4K resolutions is also used for Digital Cinema. It delivers a pristine quality to the highly demanding cinema audience.

JPEG 2000 and TICO compression schemes as intra-frame codecs based on wavelet transform have been specifically designed as alternative to uncompressed for live production over IP or over SDI. Used as “mezzanine” compression, they are visually lossless, low latency and robust to multiple cycles of encoding and decoding without degradation, which is necessary for the production workflows.

Video Transport infrastructure 8K60p video requires a

NABSHOW 2016

minimum of 48 Gbit/s.

Current SDI and Ethernet practices or standards are not able to handle 8K. Today, the only way to transport uncompressed 8K video is to use multiple SDI cables in parallel or to use expensive 40 Gbps or 100 Gbps Ethernet network connections.

On top, 8K coding is usually solved by multiple HD equipment with independent HD codecs, SDI and network connections. No 8K interface based on mezzanine codecs are being proposed today.

With light compression ratio, TICO can offer a way to carry 8K over a single 12Gbit/s SDI cable or over a 10GEthernet port. With slightly higher compression ratio, JPEG2000 can enable to carry multiple 8K streams and to use currently installed studio infrastructure based on 3G-SDI or 1GEthernet.

The ideal connectivity To be future proof, manufacturers have to create devices supporting HD-SDI, 3G-SDI, 6G-SDI and 12GSDI and ready for the upcoming 24G-SDI as well as

interfacing with 10GEthernet, 4x10GEthernet and to be prepared to address 25 GEthernet, 4x25GEthernet and 100 GEthernet.

These devices have also to integrate light compression codec such as TICO, or studio quality strong codec like JPEG 2000 and, if addressing, the distribution to end-viewer MPEG2, MPEGAVC and HEVC codecs.

On top these interface have to integrate transport format wrapper like SMPTE 2022, TR01, TR03 or, for file based workflow IMF, DCP‌ A first step in that direction is provided by Image Matters through an innovative Ecosystems around its ORIGAMI Module.

Hardware Accelerated Video Ecosystem With ORIGAMI, Image Matters offers innovating cutting-edge technology for video transmission over highspeed networks and SDI infrastructure, easing the access to single links connection for 4K and 8K formats at high frames rates.

Grouping an extensive experiences in image

compression, video interfacing, network management and electronic board design, together with multiple partners from all around the world, Image Matters introduced at this NAB the ORIGAMI Hardware Accelerated Video Ecosystem.

Based on a modular architecture and provided with powerful tools, ORIGAMI empowers OEMs with an easy access to current and future video infrastructure needs. ORIGAMI product range includes processing modules build around powerful Xilinx™ FPGAs and application oriented carrier boards. The module is populated with pre-validated IP-Cores to interface SDI and Ethernet signals and to process video streams including TICO, JPEG 2000 and HEVC compression kernels as well as SMPTE 2022 and TR03 wrappers.

Each module is able to process 4K60p in JPEG 2000 and 8K 60p in TICO. TMBi - 99

NABSHOW 2016

LAWO

New V__matrix Virtualized Broadcast Ecosystem with Software-Defined Functionality The V__matrix is a software-defined IP core routing and processing platform based on data center principles of flexibility, fabric computing and COTS economics. Designed to provide a completely virtualized real-time production infrastructure, V__matrix leverages multiple cores connected to a highcapacity COTS switch with redundant 10GE and 40GE connections to form a distributed IP routing and processing matrix with frameaccurate, clean switching just like a legacy baseband matrix.

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Employing generic high capacity core processing blades, software-defined Virtual Modules can be loaded to create any required functionality, enabling entire workflows to be remapped in minutes as requirements change from production to production. Core processing blades are housed in 1, 2 or 3 RU frames, with physical connectivity to legacy SDI equipment provided through optional V__matrix I/O cards with Lawo’s VSM Broadcast Control and Monitoring system serves as the control layer. The system enables the switching and routing of signals both in the IP and SDI domains and includes the Lawo SDN Control for video routing with frame-accurate

clean switching in the IP domain, as well as control and monitoring for existing legacy SDI infrastructure and 3rd party IP equipment.

As a completely IP-based platform, V__matrix can be deployed anywhere—in an OB truck, a TV studio or a broadcast operation center to create a virtualized core infrastructure for live production. Since the capabilities of the system and the functionality of the signal chains are not defined by physical connectivity of hardware modules, routing and processing can either be decentralized and spread over one or more facilities or centralized in a fixed facility or OB truck. The V__matrix function-agnostic core

NABSHOW 2016

processing hardware allows an operator to build complex workflows by simply loading and running the appropriate Virtual Modules, which can be changed on-the-fly during runtime as production demands change. By cascading multiple Virtual Modules together, the V__matrix can be scaled linearly up to thousands of SDI I/O and audio/video processing functions for unparalleled flexibility, versatility and cost-efficiency.

According to Lawo President and CEO Philipp Lawo, “V__matrix delivers a truly future-proof core infrastructure based on open standards with significantly less rack-space, less power consumption and fewer

restrictions for the broadcast operation. We are very excited to be able to offer the ability to transform any broadcast installation into a flexible, future-proof production facility, addressing a wide range of workflows and supporting the transition to a totally IP-based environment.”

V__matrix is fully based on open standards in-line with the AIMS roadmap: SMPTE 2022-6/-7, VSF TR-03/04, AES67 plus SMPTE VC-2 and Ember+ and ensures the customer’s transition to a total IP-based broadcast environment.

New RƎLAY Virtual Radio Mixer “When we introduced the

idea of virtualized radio to broadcasters, they understood the benefits immediately,” says Michael Dosch, Director of Virtual Radio Products. “Just look at your smartphone: nearly everything you want to do can be accomplished using an ‘app’. Why shouldn’t radio also benefit from this approach?”

“Broadcasters can now run the equivalent of an entire radio studio’s worth of equipment on a laptop,” notes Dosch. “Not only mixing, but voice processing, codecs, phone systems and much more. Best of all, this software approach reduces the price of obtaining all these tools to a fraction of that of their hardware TMBi - 101

NABSHOW 2016

LAWO counterparts. That’s what the RƎLAY Virtual Radio Mixer is all about: giving radio the power to do more, and spend less.”

“RƎLAY isn’t just a console remote-control. Those are cool, but they’re very limited,” says Lawo Radio Marketing specialist Clark Novak.

“RƎLAY is different — it’s a software-defined radio mixer, which means you can easily add to its capabilities. Want voice processing? Just plug in a software module.

Declipping? Plug that in, too.

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Need to do a remote over IP? Plug in codec software. Take phone callers, using a multiline VoIP plugin. Best of all, mixing and additional tools are all controlled within an intuitive, multi-touch onscreen GUI. Just try that with any traditional mixing console!”

Thanks to technology adapted from the IT industry, the RƎLAY Virtual Radio Mixer is highly portable and space-efficient; suitable for a number of different on-air tasks.

Novak notes that “RƎLAY lets you replace a physical console and entire racks of accessory gear using a single laptop — with truly astonishing cost savings.

RƎLAY is perfect for graband-go remote kits, field journalists, fast setup of onlocation studios, webcasting, a replacement for aging studio hardware, or as a permanent personal studio at home.”

RƎLAY Virtual Radio Mixer bundles will include the RƎLAY VRX4 and VRX8 (4-

NABSHOW 2016

and 8-fader mixer) software, a compact Lawo On-Air 4 audio interface equipped with mic, line, AES3 and RAVENNA / AES67 I/O, and a heavy-duty RƎLAY backback with space for a laptop and other on-air accessories like mics and headphones. theWALL Multiviewer Control Software now Supporting Cobalt Quint-Split Multiviewer Cobalt’s Quint-Split system is the newest addition to the list of multiviewer systems currently supported. In addition, Lawo’s smart control system supports the Imagine Platinum SX Hybrid Pros system and Lawo states that more multiviewer systems are slated for support in the near future, making theWALL’s innovative smart control

solutions available to a wider range of users. theWALL is the ideal solution for operators and EICs to configure monitor walls in OBs or studios. In the frantic live production environment with its demands for fast changing production and workflow setups, theWALL enables changing of monitor wall layouts fast and on-thefly. With theWALL, users can intuitively configure any monitor wall, route signals, change mosaic layouts or save and load user presets – all done with an easy-to-use and cost-effective application, saving hours of downtime previously required for complex configuration changes.

Instead of learning several specific multiviewer software interfaces, or asking the EIC to change a layout, users of

theWALL can change all kinds of multiviewers with just one tool. theWALL with its elaborate reformatting algorithms talks directly to multiviewer hardware and enables easy access through a touchscreen optimized GUI for mobile control. As an HTML5 application, theWALL can be operated from anywhere, utilizing a broad range of devices and operating systems. Most functions are comfortably operable via drag-and-drop, and changes will be stored in a user-managed environment or, if required, can be hosted in the cloud. theWALL makes it possible to swap productions from one OB to another, using preferred multiviewer setups in any control room, introducing a new level of efficiency and usability.

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NABSHOW 2016

LIVEU LiveU Solo LiveU unveiled at NAB its new plug-and-play live streaming bonded solution for the online media market, LiveU Solo.

LiveU Solo allows users to live-stream seamlessly into any web streaming workflow by connecting automatically to popular content delivery networks such as YouTube Live and Wowza Streaming Cloud™. Solo is simple to manage and control remotely

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via a web interface or smart device.

LiveU also showcased its full range of live video acquisition, management and distribution solutions over IP, including: • LiveU’s LU200 ultra-small portable transmission unit and LU200e, the most costeffective video encoder on the market, enabling streaming for web distribution, point to point, and point to multi-point for a

fraction of the cost of other solutions; • LiveU Central, cloud-based management and video distribution system, enabling fleets of units to be centrally controlled using geolocation capabilities; • LiveU’s new, enhanced version of MultiPoint, internal and crossorganizational professional video distribution service, enabling the sharing of high-quality live video

NABSHOW 2016

between multiple broadcast facilities over the public Internet; • LU-Smart mobile app, bringing bonded transmission to mobile

phones & tablets; • LiveU’s next generation hybrid ENG vehicle solution, increasing network reception for resilient live HD video transmission on-

the-go while wirelessly connecting any LiveU pack to a LiveU Xtender antenna solution and satellite with distances of over 1,000 feet within line of sight.

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NABSHOW 2016

LYNX TECHNIK Testor |lite, Handheld Test Signal Generator Testor | lite is a powerful, multi-standard (SD/HD/3G 4:2:2, dual link), compact, portable, battery powered and simple to operate test signal generator that is used by broadcasters, field engineers, and post production facilities around the globe to troubleshoot and monitor video and audio signals. LYNX Technik has enhanced Testor | lite with two key features: a genlock input, and independent text overlay for each output.

The SYNC BNC connector of the Testor | lite can now be configured to either work as a sync output or reference input. When configured as a reference input, the Testor | lite can be locked to an external video reference signal. This results in the generated video test signals being in-sync with the reference signal. The genlock input also includes cross lock capability.

The second feature that enhances the Testor | lite is the addition of independent text overlay for each output.

Each test pattern output (2 are provided) can be configured to support a TMBi - 106

variety of overlays, including user-defined scrolling or static text. The new feature allows the user to create separate text-overlays for each output. This is ideal for when users are testing separate video links, providing them the ability use the overlay feature to accurately identify each signal.

LYNX Technik Packs Fully Featured Broadcast Frame Synchronizer Performance into yellobrik Solution The new yellobrik (model: PVD 1800) offers a high quality feature set derived from LYNX Technik’s renowned Series 5000 rack & card frame synchronizers.

The Series 5000 solutions

NABSHOW 2016

are considered to be some of the most versatile and robust frame synchronizers on the market today. The flexible architecture of the PVD is unique to the marketplace in that it offers full broadcast performance & features in a brick-style modular solution, at a competitive price-point.

This combination makes it ideal for demanding studio & outside broadcast applications, post production, as well as professional audio video. The PVD 1800 can be used as a standalone module to address a specific purpose, or integrated into a larger system design with yellobrik racks for more advanced environments.

Regardless of the application, the PVD 1800, with its full range of performance, is available at a fraction of the cost of current frame synchronizers on the market.

The PVD 1800 auto-detects virtually all 3G/HD/SD SDI sources including 3G-SDI Level A and B Dual Link formats. An optional fiber optic I/O that can be configured to automatically switch between the electrical and optical input if a signal loss is detected. It offers state of the art audio synchronization resulting in

pristine audio quality that is free of pops and clicks.

One of more sophisticated features of the PVD 1800 is its cross-lock capability, a function that converts a mismatched SDI output to match its connected reference signal. This is ideal for any application involving SDI feeds with frequencies that are different to the connected reference. It also offers 30 frames of programmable timing delay with frame, line and pixel adjustments.

MADI Fiber to MADI Coax Converters MADI (Multichannel Audio Digital Interface) is a bidirectional protocol that transmits multi-channel audio over coax or fiber optic lines.

MADI is commonly used on today's digital multi-track recorders, digital live sound mixers, and digital performance systems that utilize multi-track technology.

fiber models, and up to 40 Km (24.8 miles) with the CWDM fiber model.

These compact and costeffective modules are designed to convert up to 64 audio channels bidirectionally (64 IN and 64 OUT) between MADI Optical and MADI Coaxial (electrical) formats.

The three new models include: - Bi-Directional MADI Optical to Coax Converter / Transceiver Pair (Model No. OBD 1210) - MADI Optical to Coax Converter Transceiver that combines a fiber transmitter and receiver in a single package (Model No. OTR 1210 / OTR 1210 MM - multimode) - MADI Optical to Coax Converter / Transceiver for CWDM wavelengths (Model No. OTR 1240)

LYNX Technik’s three new yellobriks for MADI allow for the transmission and extension of audio over long distances. They perform very long cable runs in real-time with zero degradation of signal quality – up to 10 Km (6.2 miles) with the standard TMBi - 107

NABSHOW 2016

MASSTECH

Masstech Spot and Program Aggregation Solutions Add Support for Latest PitchBlue Enhancements Masstech has enhanced the company’s advertising and syndicated program aggregation system with support for the latest advances in Vigor Systems’ PitchBlue content distribution service. Streamlining television station operations, Masstech’s Spot and Program Aggregation solution automates the ingesting, transcoding and movement of syndicated programming received from content distributors. The most costeffective such system on the market, Masstech delivers unmatched ROI by combining exceptional priceTMBi - 108

performance value with ongoing operational savings.

Formerly known as CatchBlue, Masstech’s aggregation solution tightly integrates all of the critical functionality for transforming incoming media and metadata to local technical requirements, and for integrating that content with the station’s traffic system.

Interfacing seamlessly with third-party traffic, automation and playout systems, Masstech’s efficient workflow automation reduces turnaround time and costs while eliminating manual errors.

The new software release adds support for recent technology upgrades in PitchBlue, North America’s largest syndicated program

delivery service. PitchBlue currently has a footprint of 1,500 television stations and distributes media from leading content owners including CBS, WB, Sony and 20th Television (the syndication arm of 20th Century Fox Television). The Masstech update addresses PitchBlue enhancements including support for 720p video, AAC-LC audio compression, and Active Format Description (AFD) metadata for aspect ratio management. Of particular interest to stations with standard definition (SD) channels, Masstech aggregation solutions respect and utilize content-embedded AFD codes when downconverting PitchBluedelivered media from HD to SD.

NABSHOW 2016

“We are pleased to be working with Masstech to address the evolving needs of our stations with the enhanced PitchBlue platform, including AFD-optimized down-conversion,” said Ira Goldstone, Executive Engineer at Fox Networks Engineering & Operations.

managed media archives.

Users can archive, restore and flatten content simply by dragging and dropping it between their Media Composer and the Masstech Portal, eliminating manual steps and workflow obstacles that distract from creativity.

Portal for Avid Streamlines the Path between Editing and Archives

“Avid customers worldwide have long enjoyed the benefits of our deep and flexible integration with enterprise solutions such as Interplay® | Production,” said Savva Mueller, Director of Product Management at Masstech. “Our new Masstech Portal for Avid extends our integration to standalone Media Composer systems and continues our focus on further enhancing the user experience. It gives creative end-users an intuitive archive gateway that works seamlessly with their familiar editing interface while providing powerful, timesaving feedback. The Portal shields editors from the technical details of the archive, letting them focus on creating great content.”

Portal for Avid® is new software offering that streamlines media interchange between Avid’s Media Composer® editing systems and Masstech-

Avid sequences and master clips are archived easily by dragging and dropping them from the Media Composer interface into the Masstech Portal. Valuable metadata is

“Stations looking for a new content aggregation and transcoding system to support the latest evolution of PitchBlue need look no further than Masstech,” said Mike Palmer, Vice President of Business Strategy at Masstech. “Our spot and program aggregation solution offers the features they need along with efficient automation, all at an attractive price point.

Broadcasters everywhere trust our solutions to manage critical on-air content, and we’re thrilled to extend their capabilities with these enhancements.”

preserved, with customizable mapping between Avid and the Masstech media management system. In addition to job status monitoring, the Portal also provides immediate notification of issues such as unrendered effects and offline media in the Avid sequence that would impede the archiving process – giving users valuable feedback not possible in typical, hot-folder based workflows.

Finding and restoring archived media is equally intuitive. After searching the archive directly in the Masstech Portal, editors simply drag and drop the assets they want to restore into Media Composer. Users can perform complete or partial restorations of archived assets, and choose to retrieve the original highresolution media or low-res proxies. Masstech’s archive management engine automatically retrieves the content from whichever storage tier it resides on, whether online, nearline or deep storage such as an LTO tape library – completely transparently to the user.

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NABSHOW 2016

NEWTEK TalkShow VS 4000 Multi-Channel Video Calling System NewTek™ announced at NAB NewTek TalkShow VS 4000, the only professional, multi-channel video calling production system for both SDI and IP workflows, designed exclusively for conducting multiple live, production-ready Skype video calls simultaneously. NewTek TalkShow VS 4000 integrates multi-channel video calling to enable instant connection and live interaction with any combination or sequence of contacts in the world you can reach online via Skype, to facilitate compelling conversation and in-depth discussion between multiple remote guests in real time regardless of location.

TalkShow VS 4000 takes advantage of the newly released Skype TX 4 from Microsoft. More flexible and scalable than its predecessor, Skype TX 4 offers broadcasters and media partners the ability to integrate multiple studiograde Skype video calls into the broadcasting workflow.

“Incorporating multiple remote video guests into a production typically required broadcasters and media TMBi - 110

organisations to consume valuable time, effort and resources coordinating the travel or technology,” said Dr. Andrew Cross, president and CTO for NewTek. “With NewTek TalkShow VS 4000, they can integrate Skype video calls with any

combination of contacts they can reach online, simultaneously or in sequence, for compelling live conversation, expert analysis, real-time commentary and indepth discussion—in distraction-free, broadcastquality HD.”

NABSHOW 2016

“Reducing the control room footprint, saving costs and finding better ways for broadcasters and media partners to interact with their audiences are common goals we set with NewTek,” said Eugene Ho, partner director of Product Management for

Skype. “We met these goals with Skype TX 4, in combination with the NewTek TalkShow VS 4000, a flexible and scalable solution that offers the ability to stream multiple studio-grade Skype video calls simultaneously.

This makes it even easier for

broadcasters to interact in real-time with over 300 million Skype users wherever they are, with whatever device they choose.” TalkShow VS 4000 is a facility-class, 1RU rack mountable hardware unit with 4-in, 4-out industrystandard I/O for integration into SDI workflows and IP video workflows via NDI™, NewTek’s groundbreaking Network Device Interface technology. It features standalone call control and production control interfaces for independent call management and technical configuration.

Comprehensive, behind-thescenes video, audio, communication and monitoring capabilities are included. Additionally, bundled with TalkShow VS 4000 is NewTek’s Webserver app for remote viewing of NDI sources from a web browser of any networked device, including iOS and Android devices. Skype TX 4 is optimised to minimise distractions so producers can focus on great interviews with clean, full-resolution HD video. TalkShow VS 4000 adds functionality comparable to what professional broadcasters are familiar and comfortable with like proc amp, white balance, TMBi - 111

NABSHOW 2016

NEWTEK

advanced colour configuration and automatic colour correction, gain, graphic equaliser, compressor/limiter and noise gate controls. TalkShow VS 4000 helps broadcasters and media organisations achieve direct access to expertise so viewers will turn to them for information, which grows viewership, which grows business. The immediacy of expertise makes them a credible, reliable, trusted source that is quoted and credited.

Connect Pro Tool Bridges IP And SDI Workflows NewTek™ announced Connect Pro, a multi-purpose software tool designed to TMBi - 112

seamlessly connect IP video formats of new and existing video production hardware and software to work together. NewTek Connect Pro provides a simple, affordable bridge for producers and facilities transitioning to IP-based video production workflows that both minimises expenses, and maximises opportunities. Bringing together IP video standards including NDI and support for streaming IP formats found in cameras from JVC, Panasonic, PTZ Optics, Sony, and Vaddio, users can take advantage of a true endto-end IP live production workflow. Further, combining these IP video sources with

SDI capture cards, customers can expand production capabilities as needs develop and grow. With announced support of ASPEN and SMPTE 2022, users can build production workflows with confidence regardless of format. NewTek Connect Pro transforms a host computer into a multi-channel video converter for stored media playback, local webcams, or video signals from compatible sources. NewTek Connect Pro also includes NDI Connect Webserver. This additional application distributes video sources to the web browser of any suitable device on the network. Remote viewers can each select up to 16 different

NABSHOW 2016

video sources, displaying them in a web browser in a variety of convenient layouts.

“IP-based workflows promise to connect all devices together on a single IP fabric to allow the best technologies to be used together.

Competing standards, different devices, and different formats potentially make fulfilling the promise of IP interoperability very difficult,” said Dr. Andrew Cross, president and CTO for NewTek. “NewTek Connect Pro solves the problem of IP interoperability by being the glue that ties devices together and allows people to work with the best tools for a particular situation. It also provides a bridge from tools that they have today to the IP technologies of tomorrow.”

• Up to four input or output channels, independently configurable with built-in standards conversion

Once installed, NewTek Connect Pro provides any production workflow up to four video sources as inputs or outputs. Access the I/O of any cameras, decks, and devices connected via compatible capture cards, serve up stored media files for live playback, or increase camera count with local webcams. Tally and AutoPlay functions are also supported via NDI. NDI Connect Pro Highlights:

• Support for a range of capture devices from vendors that include AJA, Blackmagic Design, Bluefish444, DELTACAST, Magewell, Matrox, Teradek and others; DirectShow devices, webcams, desktop computer capture, and more

solutions, including those from NewTek, VizRT, Chyron, BrainStorm, Broadcast Pix, and hundreds more • High-quality still image grab from any source, with motion adaptive deinterlacing

• Support for Key + Fill pairing on input and output

• NDI Connect Webserver for remote viewing of NDI sources from the web browser of any networked device, including iOS and Android devices

• Support for common IP cameras including models from Panasonic, JVC, Vaddio, PTZ Optics, and Sony

• Fully configurable colour correction settings, including white balance, proc amp controls and automatic colour correction

• Links common IP standards including NDI, ASPEN and other SMPTE 2022 integrations

• Integrated Waveform and Vectorscope for real-time signal monitoring and adjustment

• Built-in media playback for video files and still images (including alpha channel) provided

• Full field-rate multi-view monitoring, with supplemental NDI program return monitor, selectable layouts, support for dual-monitor workspaces, and configurable graticule overlays, including VU meters, title safe, 4:3 safe, alpha channel checkerboard and center cross.

• Support for common computer system audio and sound sources, including professional audio cards, AES67, and Dante • 8-channel audio, with perchannel level control and headphone monitoring • Integration between hundreds of software

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NABSHOW 2016

OPENHEADEND OpenHeadend meets growing success in Europe.

Eliminating the needs for costly, space-consuming and task-specific equipment, the company’s groundbreaking solution combines many features and runs several processes within a single commodity hardware. Its IPbased architecture allows for the reception and processing of Transport Streams without using expensive broadcastspecific connectivity, making it particularly cost-effective.

Boasting superior flexibility and modularity, this powerful solution revolutionizes monitoring operations and streamlines multi-platform distribution while allowing broadcasters to easily activate additional modules to sustain their growing business. That is why a large number of customers awarded OpenHeadend major extensions.

“These encouraging results are the fruit of long-term relationships and a superb process of exchange with our clients, with the main objective being to forge bonds of trust and establish lasting connections through which every party finds success”, said OpenHeadend VP Sales, Arnaud Blandin.

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France Télévisions, the largest public broadcasting group in France, first called on OpenHeadend’s expertise in 2011 to carry out cutting edge experiments to demonstrate the full potential of HbbTV. More recently, France Télévisions selected OpenHeadend for two key projects: to compensate contribution network latency for comfortable TV viewing and to feed its new catch-up TV service. “Working with OpenHeadend is very rewarding,” said Arnaud Drillon, Project and Technical Manager at France Télévisions Digital Editions.

“Besides being flexible and robust, OpenHeadend productivity-enhancing

solution easily integrates into ‘video factories’ such as ours and facilitates daily operations thanks to fully automated processes. Teams always support our multiscreen development strategies by being reactive and willing to adapt their solution to our specific requirements.”

Trace, a leading brand and multimedia group operating TV channels, digital platforms, FM radios and mobile services, first turned to OpenHeadend for a logging solution. “We were originally just looking for a reliable way to log post broadcast digital content but once we had the OpenHeadend platform in the

NABSHOW 2016

facility and started to learn the full capabilities of the product, it became a central part of our workflow,” declared Emmanuel Aldeguer, CTO at Trace.

Today, OpenHeadend provides Trace with a costeffective and space-saving solution to log content, operate its catch-up TV service and improve playout security. “OpenHeadend provided us with an incredibly flexible, versatile and powerful solution for about one-tenth of the market price.

It minimizes the day-to-day work needed to operate our catch-up services and greatly improved On-Air security thanks to frame-accurate errors detection combined with immediate and transparent switching to backup playlists.”

France 24, the France Medias Monde Group news channel reaching over 315 million households on all five continents, relies on OpenHeadend splicing solution to replace advertising breaks by alternative content, seamlessly and without compromising quality. A single standard server equipped with the OpenHeadend software allows the broadcaster to

automate all of its splicing operations. “Classical splicing methods imply the use of SCTE cue tones. And we neither wanted to go through any additional step nor to modify streams or have to make major headend infrastructure changes,” declared Yvan Denys, Director of Engineering at France 24. “OpenHeadend provided us with a simple, automated and highly-costeffective headend, which proved to be the perfect choice as it automates the whole process and combines frame-accurate image recognition with advanced matrix switching, resulting in seamless and transparent splicing without affecting picture quality. ” AlterPoP, a major playout provider delivering fully managed services to broadcasters, has chosen the OpenHeadend solution to playout and orchestrates the distribution of more than 50 channels on multiple platforms including Terrestrial, Satellite, DTT, IPTV and OTT. “Where we had an IRD, an encoder, a video grid, a multiplexer and more, we now just need a single commodity hardware equipped with the

OpenHeadend solution to manage the ingest, encoding and full distribution of a channel. Space savings are impressive, not to mention CAPEX and OPEX savings,” said Dimitri Vrignaud, COO at AlterPoP. “Thanks to its versatility and modularity, we can implement the workflow that best suits our customers’ needs. For each project, we can purchase only the necessary OpenHeadend features. This not only enables us to be costeffective but also to be flexible as we can easily add a feature if our customers’ needs evolve.”

“Thanks to this wind of renewals and to numerous new wins, we are ecstatic to see that our high-quality products and services benefit from a high-level of trust and confidence in the industry.

Our solution has proven to be the cost-effective, flexible, versatile and reliable solution that many broadcasters and content producers are looking for. We will continue to set our sights on future innovation as it helps customers meet the challenges of a new media world head on’, added OpenHeadend CTO, Christophe Massiot.

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QLIGENT

Qligent Applies Cloud Monitoring Platform to Changing Over-The-Air TV Landscape Qligent has a message for North America broadcasters facing repack: Be prepared to understand the impact that UHF channel sharing or moving to VHF will have on your headend distribution, signal throughput and program quality.

“The FCC-driven spectrum auction may take another 20 RF channels from TV broadcasters, which would leave only 17 UHF and 12 VHF DTV channels,” said Ted Korte, COO, Qligent. “That compression will invite congestion, particularly in large to major markets. In many cases, broadcasters remaining in the UHF spectrum will share the same 6MHz RF channel they use today. Until ATSC 3.0 migration happens, that means two broadcasters sharing 19MB of over-the-air bandwidth for HD/SD channel delivery, using MPEG-2 compression.”

Broadcasters will have similar challenges moving from UHF to VHF, which will present significant TMBi - 116

infrastructure changes around transmitters and antennas. Both the UHF channel-sharing and UHF-toVHF scenarios require establishing a headend strategy for bitrate optimization, distribution,

coverage, and uptime to deliver the best possible quality of experience.

Vision’s pay-as-you-go OPEX model is an attractive option for broadcasters in channel-sharing scenarios,

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programming strategies and technology transitions—both of which may include infrastructure changes associated with ATSC 3.0 readiness.

whether deployed via a selfhosted or monitoring-as-aservice (MaaS) configuration.

The latter option, branded as Qligent’s Oversight MaaS platform, removes the monitoring onus from TV stations while ensuring

broadcasters remain compliant with service-level agreements. Qligent’s 24/7 team of skilled experts support all QoS and QoErelated monitoring tasks offsite, freeing broadcasters to focus on multichannel

“The ATSC 3.0 standard will bring greater spectral efficiencies to broadcasters via increased bandwidth in the area of 25MB, and the latest compression technology—both of which will be of great appeal to broadcasters in channelsharing agreements,” said Korte. “There will certainly be a gap between the end of the repack process—expected to take a minimum of three years—and any transition to ATSC 3.0. However, that migration will require infrastructure changes to support ATSC 3.0’s native IP transport and connectivity, and the various new business opportunities like 4K delivery, targeted advertising, secondscreen experiences and mobile broadcasting that will come with the transition. As a cloud-based platform with native IP layer monitoring, Vision is ideally suited to help broadcasters seamlessly adapt to changing these broadcast environments.”

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QLIGENT Qligent Expands Scalability of Multiplatform TV Monitoring in the Cloud Introduced in 2014, Vision’s flexible approach to multiplatform TV monitoring has caught on with broadcasters and MVPDs globally. In the past 12 months, Qligent has deployed more than 3000 networked probes worldwide for major broadcasters including RT (Russia Today) and 1+1 Media Group. Each probe monitors 10 to 250 streams of programming across terrestrial, cable, satellite, OTT and other delivery platforms, which means Vision today enables the remote monitoring, analysis and troubleshooting of more than 30,000 program streams

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across six continents.

This early success has empowered Qligent to invest in Vision’s continued development based on industry trends and customer requests. Qligent’s flexible model for Vision offers both an on-premises option and deployment via its Oversight managed service, the industry’s first monitoring-asa-service (MaaS) platform.

The latter option offers a payas-you-go model that can additionally fill resource and skillset gaps for customers as needed.

“Smaller and smaller probe footprints along with cloudbased scale has enabled huge deployments more efficiently than ever thought possible,” said Ted Korte,

COO, Qligent, “Qligent remains the only monitoring and analysis supplier that can effectively deploy these systems as both a SaaS and MaaS platform, depending on the customer’s needs and goals.”

Among the new scalability features for Vision include the introduction of Qligent’s Virtual Probes, which can analyze IP-based streams from anywhere in the field; and present that data on a centralized Vision dashboard in the cloud. Benefits include a simple monthly fee, with installation and configuration achieved remotely in one day or less. Qligent’s Virtual Probes eliminate travel expenses and onsite commissioning, and since

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they are virtual they can quickly be relocated to a new server anywhere in the world.

This provides a unique benefit for monitoring onetime events like sports and live special broadcasts, enabling users to rent a virtual server or cloud, and avoid the labor associated with setup and teardown.

Qligent Amplifies Visualization Options for Multiplatform TV Monitoring in the Cloud First introduced in 2014, Vision’s flexible approach to multiplatform TV monitoring has caught on with

broadcasters and MVPD’s globally. In the past 12 months, Qligent has deployed several thousand of its networked monitoring probes across six continents. This level of scale has driven requirements for a much stronger and intuitive level of visualization, allowing monitoring staff to make sense of the rich and diverse amount of data collected.

Ted Korte, COO of Qligent, notes that the new visualization enhancements further strengthen Qligent’s “mile wide, inch deep” approach to wide-scale QoS and QoE monitoring of TV

services.

“Our new visualization features for Vision are, to a strong degree, based on customer requests and industry trends we see taking shape as more broadcasters transition to cloud services,” said Korte. “Considering the scale of which we can deploy Vision systems in on-premise, cloud and managed service configurations, we intend to continue down the path of IoT-based probe deployment to shrink the cost of data collection, and grow our contribution to big data and analytics ecosystems.

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RED DIGITAL CINEMA

AVID DNXHR AND DNXHD IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR DSMC2 CAMERAS RED Digital Cinema announced that DSMC2™ cameras – WEAPON®, SCARLET-W and RED RAVEN™ - can now shoot in Avid DNxHR® and DNxHD® recording formats via free firmware update. This update includes the ability to shoot REDCODE RAW (R3D®) simultaneously alongside Avid DNxHR/HD and delivers yet another powerful and intuitive workflow option to professionals shooting on RED. In addition to Avid, RED announced a selection of highly anticipated accessories including: • DSMC2 Side Handle: An ergonomic handle with navigation wheel and customizable settings that is ideal for compact handheld configurations.

• DSMC2 Jetpack-SDI Expander: An I/O expander designed for aerials, gimbals, and other lightweight/remote configurations with SDI connections.

• DSMC2 V-Lock Battery TMBi - 120

Module: Pairs with a variety of expanders to power via V-Lock batteries.

• RED PRO Touch 7.0" LCD: Designed for off-camera configurations and offers camera control plus a highdefinition experience for recording and viewing

footage.

Also available on RED.com today are samples of RED’s proprietary R3D file format.

The samples files found at http://www.red.com/sampler3d-files will showcase R3D’s flexibility when paired with industry-standard post-

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production suites for editing, VFX, conforming, and grading.

These announcements came during NAB where RED have also been highlighting the latest software and accessories from a variety of 3rd party partners including:

Acecore Technologies, DJI, FOOLCOLOR, Frame IO, Freefly, Gates Underwater, Gyro-Stabilized Systems, Intuitive Aerial, Kippertie, Motorized Precision, Nauticam, NextVR, OFFHOLLYWOOD, RT Motion, Shotover, and

Wooden Camera.

Collectively these accessories unlock the creative power of RED camera systems and give operators the flexibility to create the perfect configuration for any shoot.

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RENEWED VISION New Dynamic Video Scoreboard Software ProPresenter Scoreboard’s advanced, multi-region presentation capabilities enable users to fully capitalize on the display flexibility of the modern LED scoreboards now proliferating in venues from high school athletic fields to college and professional sports arenas.

Multiple, independentlycontrolled areas of the screen integrate scores, live video feeds, pre-recorded video, rotating advertisements, player profiles, dynamic statistics, externally-sourced data and more into immersive visual productions that engage audiences and drive revenue.

“Scoreboard presentation is a natural extension of our proven ability to flexibly combine video, graphics, text and external data feeds into high-quality, captivating displays,” said Brad Weston, president of Renewed Vision.

“ProPresenter Scoreboard builds on that deep experience while addressing the unique operational needs of the sports market, providing venues with a robust, cost-effective solution that makes their scoreboard TMBi - 122

an even more integral part of their revenue generation and fan entertainment experience.”

For stadiums and gymnasiums that host a variety of sports, ProPresenter Scoreboard enables users to easily switch between template-based output layouts optimized for the specific score presentation needs of football, baseball, soccer, lacrosse and more. Operators can also change display layouts on-the-fly during an

event to emphasize different visual elements, such as dedicating more of the screen to advertisements or live entertainment during halftime.

The dynamic ad capability of Scoreboard, and ability to rotate any number of ads during games and events, further accelerates return on investment for the customer.

Like all Renewed Vision products, ProPresenter Scoreboard was designed to be exceptionally easy to use, with an intuitive software interface that can be quickly

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learned by volunteer, student and part-time operators.

Dedicated scoring interfaces, tailored for each sport, accelerate and simplify the process of accurately entering scoring information and game data. ProPresenter Scoreboard also integrates easily with a wide range of third-party, external scoreboard controllers, enabling the use of traditional, tactile scorekeeping and clock management methods while creating compelling visual displays of all data feeds provided by the control console. Further enhancing operational flexibility, the software’s built-in web server allows users to update scores remotely from field level or anywhere in the venue using a tablet, mobile phone or laptop.

ProPresenter Scoreboard’s dynamic advertising capabilities increase revenue opportunities and the effectiveness of sponsor messages far beyond those of traditional, non-video scoreboards.

An unlimited number of advertising zones can be defined in the scoreboard layout, each automatically rotating between multiple

images, animations and video ads at user-defined intervals.

The resulting revenue potential enables venues to quickly recoup their investment in both the software and the scoreboard itself, while the dynamic nature of the advertising can lead to greater audience retention, maximizing sponsor satisfaction. Comprehensive reports can be exported to provide advertisers with detailed metrics including impressions and total display time.

Costing a fraction of the price of existing scoreboard solutions, the software is affordable enough for high schools yet powerful and flexible enough for professional stadiums and arenas.

ProPresenter Scoreboard further entrenches Renewed Vision’s presence in the sports venue market, where the company’s solutions have provided engaging live media experiences at a wide variety of international and regional athletic events.

RV adopts NewTek NDI for IP Production Workflow Renewed Vision announced at NAB its adoption of NewTek’s open Network

Device Interface (NDI™) standard for IP-based production workflows for its ProPresenter media presentation and CG application. With NDI enabled, ProPresenter will be recognizable as a source by other NDI-enabled devices and systems connected to a standard Ethernet local area network, exponentially increasing the number of video sources available for live production.

NDI support will be included with the optional SDI module, which will be renamed the “SDI/NDI” module for both the Mac and Windows version of ProPresenter 6 by the end of April.

This new standard for live production IP workflow is bidirectional and backwards compatible with a large number of devices from top manufacturers already utilizing NewTek’s open protocol, allowing IP connectivity between devices. ProPresenter will be part of the NewTek Developer Network, the industry’s largest ecosystem of IPenabled products using the same standard.

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RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONS

New ESP-2324 Expansion Smartpanel At the 2016 NAB Show, Riedel Communications introduced the new ESP2324 Expansion Smartpanel for the company’s RSP-2318 Smartpanel. When connected to an RSP-2318 Smartpanel, the compact new expansion keypanel provides an additional 24 keys and four high-resolution multitouch color displays that are easy to read even at wide angles and in bright sunlight.

“Our Smartpanel user interface is designed to enable a new degree of flexibility in building the communications solutions that professional production and broadcast operations require, and the new ESP2324 Expansion Smartpanel very simply adds further versatility and scalability to this system,” said Jake Dodson, director of product management at Riedel TMBi - 124

Communications.

The combination of the RSP-2318 Smartpanel and just one ESP-2324 expansion keypanel gives users a total of 42 keys and seven displays in just 2 RU, which is the highest density on the intercom market. Because as many as four ESP-2324 Expansion Smartpanels are supported by Riedel’s RSP2318 intercom app, users have the ability to extend their Smartpanel configurations to include up to 19 displays and 114 keys.

DB Video Builds Innovative OB Van on Riedel Communications’ MediorNet Real-Time Media Network Looking to design and build an OB van that would support an entirely new mobile broadcasting experience for productions of all sizes, Belgium’s DB Video called on Riedel Communications and

the company’s MediorNet real-time media network.

Working with Riedel and coach builder Moeyersons, DB Video used MediorNet systems to create a relatively small yet robust expandable truck (dubbed Unit 10) that boasts future-proof broadcast technology and a unique cloud model for signal routing.

“While standing at the intersection of ‘classic’ OBvan building and the introduction of IP-based broadcasting, we had to make critical and challenging decisions about how to invest in and deploy new technology,” said Dimitri Beyaert, CEO and founder of DB Video. “We thought about the future of the mobile TV facility and determined that Riedel’s expertise and equipment could help us make this vision a reality.”

To create a future-proof truck with a space-saving yet

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spacious-feeling environment, DB Video worked with Moeyersons to design from scratch a complete OB van measuring just 11.65 meters long by 2.293 meters wide when closed. The company worked with a team from Riedel Communications, already one of its primary and trusted suppliers, to ensure the unit’s routing and signal transport systems could support production of largerscale broadcast television programs. The Riedel equipment proved ideal for an OB van designed with much more work space and much less rack space than is typical in a mobile unit.

Deployed in a fully redundant configuration built on a 10 Gbit/s fiber network, 18 MicroN 80G media distribution network devices, two MetroN core routers, and four MediorNet external stageboxes combine to serve as a decentralized matrix that

transform the OB van into a cloud truck, with router elements situated in the ideal physical location for any given production or workflow.

DB Video expanded the matrix through the interconnection of a router and Riedel Artist digital matrix intercom system. All MicroN units installed in the van feature a MADI connection, and all I/O in the cloud includes embedding and deembedding options, multiviewing capabilities, SMPTE2022-6 support, video format conversion, and timecode insertion.

serving as a complete production facility at the company’s headquarters.

DB Video also has deployed Riedel’s MediorNet Compact Pro systems to create remote hubs that allow extra cameras to be connected to the OB van through a simple fiber connection. This capability helps the company to take on large-scale productions when the truck is in the field or when it is

UN Climate Change Conference Relies on Riedel AV Infrastructure for Comms and Signal Distribution

“With its innovative routing system and its space-saving design, Unit 10 represents a significant advance in mobile production and broadcasting,” said Peter Robberechts, sales manager for Belgium at Riedel Communications. “As the industry continues to evolve, this forward-looking model will give DB Video exceptional agility and flexibility that will help the company to distinguish its services in a highly competitive marketplace.”

When world leaders gathered for the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) held last December outside Paris, Riedel Communications TMBi - 125

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RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONS

equipment enabled critical real-time distribution of video, audio, and intercom signals between sites spread across several thousand square kilometers. Using Riedel’s MediorNet real-time media network, RockNet real-time and low-latency digital audio network, and Artist digital matrix intercom system, AV France provided the backbone supporting TMBi - 126

communications and signal distribution over an extensive audiovisual infrastructure spanning multiple locations.

“The MediorNet solution’s native signal processing capabilities, which include audio embedding/deembedding, frame store, frame sync, timecode inserts, and signal generators, greatly simplified our operations during COP 21,” said AV

France’s technical director, Dominique Cerveau. “The combination of transportation, routing, and signal processing enabled by the Riedel gear, as well as the ability to have video, audio, and intercom in a single realtime network, were extremely valuable in carrying out this major project.”

Focused on reaching a global agreement to curb the

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acceleration of climate change, COP 21 negotiated the Paris Agreement, the text of which represented a consensus of the 196 international delegations in attendance. Throughout the conference, deployment of the fiber-based MediorNet network in a combination of ring and star topologies connected the event nerve center located in the heart of Le Bourget, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, with other critical sites.

Connecting the two plenary rooms, the main press conference rooms, and their respective OB vans, the MediorNet network provided

points of presence on multiple remote sites including DSNG vehicles, multiple meeting rooms, television studios, webcast facilities, closed-circuit TV distribution, and others. A CWDM optical multiplexing scheme was implemented to limit the number of optical fibers in the field. Riedel RockNet audio interfaces were fed into the MediorNet network at key sites requiring extra audio channels, and the direct connection of the Artist intercom system to the MediorNet interfaces. In turn, the optical network ensured clear, reliable communications via intercom key panels at each point of

remote presence.

“The combination of our fiber-based MediorNet network with the RockNet network and Artist intercom system offers users unparalleled flexibility in establishing a robust and reliable communications and signal transport infrastructure tailored to their requirements,” said Franck Berger, international sales manager for France at Riedel Communications. “Working with our systems, AV France was able to address the unique audiovisual requirements of a landmark U.N. conference.”

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ROSS VIDEO New ACID Cameras and Carbonite UltrachromeHR Unique new ACID camera systems and a stand-alone chroma key system are being announced that set a new standard for finely etched imagery. They have been designed by Ross to enhance and improve the creative control of the

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production look, with emphasis on virtual environments. These new cameras provide the very best image compositing from chroma key sets and capture astonishing images in any environment, while Carbonite

UltrachromeHR incorporates patented and patent pending signal processing technologies designed to generate high-resolution key edges from chroma channel information.

ACID cameras include a unique new signal format developed by Ross to overcome the difficulties of creating good chroma keys.

These cameras output standard SMPTE 4:2:2 video signals for use in any production, but in addition output a special 0:4:4 full

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bandwidth color signal that is combined with the primary output within the new Carbonite UltrachromeHR system to generate a full resolution 4:4:4 signal, perfect for developing high resolution key edges.

The ACID H200 has the highest resolution and performance specification of any 1080P camera system from any manufacturer.

The ACID Z50 is a moderately priced performer for slightly less demanding applications and fits well into mid range production systems. It teams up perfectly with Ross camera robotics for higher end legislative, corporate,

and House of Worship applications.

Like all Ross products, ACID cameras embrace DashBoard control. All camera operation, setup and shading can be performed from DashBoard panels including the transfer and recall of scene files from one ACID camera to another.

ACID cameras are game changers and Ross is the company who is changing the game.

With this exciting new product introduction Ross now offers a complete video production solution from capture to final

output. ACID cameras not only produce spectacular video images in normal studio production, but they turn virtual production into compelling virtual reality.

Based on the Carbonite Black production platform, Carbonite UltrachromeHR is a multichannel chroma key processor designed to meet the challenging key requirements of multi-camera virtual environments.

UltraChrome keying has been employed in Ross production switchers for several years and is highly regarded for its excellent performance. However, the recent rapid deployment of virtual sets has escalated the need for even higher quality

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ROSS VIDEO chroma key performance as well as dynamic responsiveness to lighting conditions in much larger green screen sets. In response to the growing demand, this new design incorporates unique features that permit the automatic generation of truly excellent key composition with little or no operator intervention.

While this new chroma keyer will produce spectacular results from standard HD-SDI video inputs, the subtle refinements of key edges can be greatly improved when used in combination with the new Ross ACID camera systems.

These cameras output a second signal that contains full resolution chroma information that is not available in standard 4:2:2 signals. Carbonite UltrachromeHR accepts this special full resolution chroma signal and internally combines it with the standard video input to produce highresolution key edges that are simply not possible from standard video inputs.

Carbonite UltrachromeHR includes up to four highresolution chroma keyers, each with full control of delay management, fill color TMBi - 130

temperature for scene matching, foreground key and fill, internal storage for animated graphics, and much more.

so connecting those unreferenced sources is simple. For outputs there are 5 SDI and one HDMI, all completely assignable.

Carbonite UltrachromeHR, combined with Ross ACID camera systems, Ross Robotics, Ross XPression Motion Graphics and Ross Virtual Solutions provide a complete turnkey system from a single supplier that provides unprecedented quality and performance.

Carbonite Black Solo features a powerful single ME with 4 full featured keyers, a transition keyer for DVE and Media wipes, and 2 UltraChrome chroma keyers.

In addition, there are 2 MiniME’s that are perfect for use in small event production and for secondary produced outputs. Each MiniME has two keyers of its own, providing Solo with 8 key layers in total – extremely powerful for a small switcher.

Solo includes a fully configurable MultiViewer as well as four channels of MediaStore for animated graphics or stills. There is also a digital audio output for the playback of audio with animations.

New Compact Production Switcher – Carbonite Black Solo Carbonite Black Solo is packed full of the features that Carbonite users love and use everyday. It is a compact switcher with 9 inputs and 6 outputs, specifically designed to meet the needs of smaller productions. On the input side Solo has 6 SD/HD-SDI connections and 3 HDMI inputs, and there are 6 floating frame synchronizers with format converters that can be assigned to any input,

Carbonite Black Solo comes bundled with XPression Live CG software which provides the ability to

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create and push static graphics like lower thirds, over the shoulder boxes and slates directly into Solo’s internal MediaStores via Ethernet from a customer supplied computer.

Carbonite Black Solo has all of the desirable production features found in the larger Carbonite switchers, including full DashBoard control integration, ViewControl touch screen visual control, and RossTalk protocol. There are also Camera Robotics, Video Server, and Audio Mixer control interfaces.

There are three versions of Solo available. The first is the beautifully styled, all-Inone with combined control panel and electronic processing, offering maximum portability. The second, the rack mount electronic frame with soft control panel is the most cost effective. And the third, a control panel plus separate electronic frame is for installations where it is desirable to separate operation from electronics.

New Carbonite Black Plus The new Carbonite Black Plus is a signal processing marvel. In this newest version

all 36 inputs come equipped with Frame Synchronizers, Format converters, Color Correction and Proc amps, easily handling a wide variety of input signal challenges. In addition to this, Carbonite Black Plus provides Proc amps, Color Correction and Format Conversion on 12 of its 25 outputs. This is perfect functionality for matching on set displays and outputting multiple formats. Carbonite Black Plus also adds dramatically more monitoring capability. With this new processing engine there are a total of 5 MultiViewers with up to 16 configurable windows each. This provides 80 windows in total, making it possible to monitor every aspect of a production. All 36 inputs, 22 outputs, the media stores, three MEs and four MiniMEs and aux buses can be monitored – a simply huge advantage! The processing engine includes three new outputs dedicated to MultiViewers, so that main outputs aren’t sacrificed for monitoring.

Of course these new Carbonite Black Plus features are in addition to the 3 full ME’s and 4 MiniME’s, simple 4K production, 1080P 3G, and much - much more found

on the existing Carbonite Black processing engine.

There is more good news about Carbonite as well. All sixteen input Carbonite models now get 2 more inputs for free. As of NAB, any Carbonite systems ordered with 16 inputs will now be shipped with 18 active inputs and existing Carbonite customers will have these extra 2 inputs unlocked with version 12 software.

Another bonus for all Carbonite customers is that XPression Live CG software is now included with every Carbonite production switcher, providing the ability to design and push static graphics directly to Carbonite’s MediaStores via Ethernet from a customer supplied Windows computer.

New Production Features for Acuity Production Switchers Version 4.0 further expands the capabilities of the MultiFeed functionality with added Split ME controls. Now it is possible to set up an Acuity ME as two MEs with up to eight keyer assignments. The extensive configurability enabled by these features permits Acuity TMBi - 131

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ROSS VIDEO

to fit into an even greater number of production environments and workflows.

A fully loaded 8 ME machine can now be configured as a massive 16 ME system – or of course a full 4 ME UHD (4K) switcher. Add to that new warp effects and lighting engines to build even more sophisticated looks, and you can be sure that whatever your production goals are – Acuity will provide the tools to meet them. In a collaborative effort with Evertz, Acuity can now be equipped with IP (10G) I/O signal management. The new Acuity IPBlades work with ASPEN and SMPTE 2022-6 Protocols and also provide standard SDI connections. These new IP I/O cards can coexist with standard Acuity I/O cards permitting hybrid IP/SDI system configurations.

Acuity DoubleDown Panels are designed to accelerate operation in live environments for those large I/O systems in sport and other fast paced TMBi - 132

productions where shift functions to access mapped sources are undesirable.

DoubleDown bus models are a premium option that doubles the number of key/aux bus assignment buttons for every ME row.

This greatly reduces or eliminates the need for shifts entirely.

First Modular 12G-SDI Distribution Amplifier in Collaboration with MACOM and Amphenol Three-Way Collaboration Enables the Industry’s First 12G-SDI Modular Platform with a Passive Rear Interface Ross Video today announced in collaboration with Amphenol and MACOM, a new series of 12G-SDI modular distribution solutions.

This solution would not have been possible without utilizing MACOM’s 12G SDI chipset and Amphenol’s latest 12G connectors. This three-way collaboration enables the next generation modular

signal processing products to support fully SMPTE compliant single link interfaces for 4K video support.

Through the collaboration with Amphenol and MACOM, Ross Video can now offer customers a family of 12GSDI distribution solutions for their openGear modular platform, featuring a rear interface panel with no active components. This gives customers the ability to remove and replace cards in the frame without needing to disconnect cables from the rear panel. Ross Video’s openGear platform, which received a Technical Emmy at the 67th annual Technology & Engineering Emmy awards, was designed to provide the broadcast industry with an open and universal platform for signal processing cards.

Ross Video recognized that the challenge with a modular platform is maintaining the

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expectation that the all active components reside on the front removable card with no active components in the frame or on the rear connecting module nor is it acceptable to directly connect cables to the front module. By implementing the unique solution co-developed with MACOM and Amphenol, Ross Video was able to achieve maximum performance by keeping critical components as close as possible to the cable interface without passing through any intermediate connections.

“This challenge was insurmountable with currently available technology. Ross Video is pleased to have great technology partners in MACOM and Amphenol, who through an excellent working relationship are jointly able to overcome these challenges and deliver cutting-edge 12GSDI solutions for delivery of 4K / UHD. The challenge of getting 12G-SDI into a modular platform, without requiring active components on the rear of the frame, has now be solved,” said Eric Goodmurphy, Director of Infrastructure at Ross Video.

“It has been an exciting

opportunity to collaborate with the visionary team from Ross Video and MACOM in developing an interconnect solution that combines our latest technologies for the broadcast market, HD-BNC and HD-AFI, to meet the challenges involved with single port 12G transmission.” said Hardik Parikh, National Program Manager at Amphenol RF. OverDrive Express - Entry Level Automated Production Control Ross Video announce at NAB the release of OverDrive Express, the first scalable, entry level Automated Production Control (APC) system in the world.

“OverDrive is the number 1 APC system available and has permitted hundreds of customers to automate their entire control rooms by integrating with newsroom computer systems, production switchers, graphics, servers, audio mixers, robotics and many other devices from one user interface” said Scott Bowditch, Marketing Product Manager for the OverDrive range. “OverDrive Express introduces this technology to a variety of user groups by offering an entry level,

scalable system that can grow with the needs of any organization.”

OverDrive is well known for extensive integration with more than 200 devices from countless manufacturers and as such, can integrate into almost any existing control room. The system integrates with Ross Carbonite switchers, but can also be used without a switcher as a device controller and sequencing engine with Rundown Control for smaller scale playout. An OverDrive Express system consists of modular software that offers options for device control ports and plug-ins to enable various workflows to meet the specific needs of diverse environments. Operations that start with OverDrive Express can easily expand to a full-scale OverDrive APC system over time as requirements change.

“Ross is committed to make OverDrive accessible to more customers” continued Bowditch. “OverDrive Express is ideal for sports stadium, faith-based, institutional and educational, corporate and small-scale or budget sensitive news applications. We are very excited to show it off at NAB.” TMBi - 133

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SAM

Kula The new Kula switcher combines a powerful feature set with a market leading price point, while easy installation and set-up means operators can work quickly and efficiently, focusing on high value creative tasks. Ideal for multiple applications, from live events (flyaway packs, OB vehicles), broadcast production, sports and house of worship to entertainment and conference/events, Kula has been designed to meet a wide range of production needs.

Capable of handling 4K/1080p/HD and SD in 1M/E and 2M/E versions, Kula can handle multiple formats making it both future-proof and adaptable for today’s production environment. The 2M/E HD/SD version can be switched to 1M/E 4K

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mode, allowing users to benefit from higher production values.

Kula provides a choice of three easy to operate control panels for maximum flexibility and these are in turn expandable with additional control modules from the Kahuna Range. Kula also delivers up to five key layers per M/E, 20 channels of DVE and floating/auxiliary keying resources and up to 36 inputs and 18 assignable outputs, plus an extensive internal clip and still store to guarantee high impact productions.

Tim Felstead, Head of Product Marketing at SAM, said, “Today’s broadcasters face a situation that can only be described as challenging; content is being captured and delivered in a wider range of formats than ever before and all of it within the same production workflow. Kula

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SAM addresses this need by drawing on the heritage of Kahuna – namely its ability to handle any format. Added to this, we’re seeing content creation explode beyond the traditional broadcast sphere, so there are a growing number of organizations that want to benefit from high production values in order to achieve the flexibility and onscreen result they desire.

Kula is an ideal solution for any of these applications, offering market-leading features at a remarkable price point.”

With world-class products across the media playout and production chain, SAM delivers a true 4K ecosystem for customers to succeed in this fast changing era SAM is positioned to lay the foundation of the future’s broadcast workflows by delivering groundbreaking 4K and HDR live production and playout technologies. This is evidenced by its market success around the world, including working with production company Timeline to launch the first 4K/UHD channel in the UK for BT Sport’s Ultra HD channel.

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playout sale to Rogers Media also clearly bears this out as well as its work with MediaPro in Spain to produce the famous El Clasico soccer match in 4K. Rob Rowe, General Manager, Live Production and Infrastructure, commented: “Our customers are faced with increasing consumer demand for more content and higher quality TV experiences, and our mission is to help them overcome this challenge while giving them the chance to distinguish themselves from the competition. More specifically, what we’re seeing is sports coverage really pushing the 4K market, and our recent announcement with Rogers Media is a prime example of this.”

Earlier this year, SAM inked a deal with Rogers Media to provide it with a range of leading technology for its new, market-defining 4K service. The announced programming package to be delivered includes over 100 live sports events, featuring every Toronto Blue Jays baseball home game and more than 20 NHL games.

SAM provided a Kahuna 9600 switcher – featuring a

16 input A/B cut buss — for the MCR alongside Morpheus automation and ICE Channelin-a-Box (CiaB) units. Rogers Media has also installed main and backup 4K sQ servers in addition to a range of SAM infrastructure products. This project marks the most comprehensive rollout of SAM 4K technology to date.

Having announced its intention to pioneer 4K, Rogers began a period of broad market research to evaluate playout options, followed by a series of technical trials. This included a visit to BT Sport in London, a broadcaster that is leading the way with 4K in Europe via its newly launched Ultra HD channel. BT Sport’s production partner Timeline TV installed SAM 4K technology in its new OB truck, which was deployed last year to service Ultra HD. Tim Felstead, Head of Product Marketing, commented “We are in a unique position as our playout and production technologies benefit directly from our post production experience in the 4K and now 8K markets, as well as HDR. We’re fully aware that neither 4K nor 4K with HDR are going to be rolled out

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universally tomorrow. But the Rogers deal and our work with Timeline and MediaPro are great examples of broadcasters and production companies announcing their determination to make 4K a reality and showing the industry that image quality is highly valued and can offer tangible commercial benefits, especially when combined with HDR.�

12 months for playout sales winning business to provide over 140 new services globally The last 12 months have proved highly successful again for SAM as it announces double-digit percentage growth in playout technology sales for the second year running. Its technologies are being used

to launch over 140 new services globally, predominantly driven by deployments of its Morpheus playout automation and ICE CiaB products.

Neil Maycock, EVP of SAM, says, “The year has been very exciting with the launch of SAM at IBC, our involvement in several world firsts for 4K live events, TMBi - 137

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SAM

including our technology being used in the development and market debut of the UK’s first 4K channel, and now confirmation of our playout sales success globally. We have developed a good reputation, backed up by this global sales growth, in the playout arena via Morpheus and ICE. We are already seeing this continue across 2016 and alongside our development strategy we expect another year of strong growth.”

The last 12 months has seen significant developments with SAM’s CiaB technology with the launch of the software-only version of its ICE CiaB product ICE SDC (Software Defined Channel). This is designed for customers who want to move to a virtualized playout operation with SAM now expressing considerable interest in the product.

To aid its customers in the migration to IP operations, SAM also revealed ICE IP. This incarnation of ICE provides customers with a path to IP playout, without sacrificing any of the functionality or performance TMBi - 138

that has established ICE as the market-leading CiaB system. With the expansion of the implementation of MAM and workflow technology Momentum across the SAM range – expedited by the recentlyannounced purchase of technology partner Mantrics – the future holds tremendous promise.

Maycock says, “We live in a rapidly evolving world when it comes to both monetization patterns for our customers and also across backend playout technologies. We are already involved in trials with customers with ICE SDC and we expect these to grow in number and scale across 2016. In many ways it’s the same with ICE IP as we work with existing and potential customers, exploring IP playout strategies. With the announcement of AIMS and our involvement with that, we expect to back this up with multiple IP developments across the next year.”

News Solution With a built in ingest function, video streams can be captured directly on cards from all the most popular camera formats, including the

XDCAM and the P2. Users can then select shots, review edits, build simple sequences, and add voiceovers and other effects to tell a complete story. Content can be posted immediately or passed to craft editors for extra post work.

3rd Party Integration: The News Solution includes a plugin for Adobe Premier with the ability to search all clips in the system, edit with the full set of Adobe features, and then deliver them back to the online platforms and broadcast.

For playout, the News Solution can be hosted inside the NRCS and is compatible with all of these systems including iNews, Octopus, ENPS and Open Media.

Remote production is crucial, and the News Solution benefits from a new editing timeline that gives desktop, laptop and tablet users access to live and recorded content to build their stories — now with timeline editing and voiceover capabilities. Finished sequences can be published immediately to social media, web and TV, and projects can be opened and repurposed

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by other users. For greater versatility, the adaptive streaming feature means that mobile connections of 3G and above allows the user full editing capabilities while at the same time supporting any number of users, making it a truly collaborative tool.

Neil Maycock, EVP Marketing at SAM commented, “The news editing business is a fast moving space. With our new News Solution, SAM has taken a leap ahead of the market to provide the fastest turnaround editing and publishing system today. It allows our customers to publish to any platform or multiple platforms concurrently, faster than any other product, without compromising on editorial function or quality.”

Said Bacho joins SAM as Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer SAM announce at NAB that Said Bacho has joined the company as Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer, effective immediately.

A well-connected and respected broadcast media industry executive, Said’s

career has been focused on strengthening business in developed and emerging markets in EMEA, as well as delivering sustained profitable growth and developing new accounts and channel partners across live production, production, editing and finishing, playout and delivery, infrastructure and image processing environments.

"Said brings a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to SAM and will play a key role in continuing the transformation of our organization," said Tim Thorsteinson, CEO. "Said is a leading figure in the industry and will bring valuable market insights to SAM." Having previously worked with Grass Valley and Harris Broadcast (now Imagine Communications and GatesAir), Said has unrivalled knowledge of more than 30 countries across Eurasia, North Africa, the Gulf, CIS and Indian subcontinent.

"I’m really looking forward to working with SAM," said Bacho. "The considerable new product launches we are witnessing at NAB, combined

with the recent changes in senior leadership, together with the commitment from the Board, are inspiring. This is a great time to be joining SAM.” Prior to Harris, Said managed Pinnacle Systems / Avid business in MENA from 2000 to 2005, and worked at TekVideo and Future Television in sales and technical management roles respectively from 1993 to 2000.

Said completed the Executive Education Program at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, US and holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (BEE) from the American University of Beirut.

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SGL

FLASHNET INFINITY The FlashNet Infinity dashboard provides predefined widgets to search, monitor and analyse archived and restored content and system health as well as admin tools to define user accessibility. Dashboard tools can be configured according to station or operator preference, providing a TMBi - 140

tailored overview of archive activity within the facility relevant to the user, a key feature of the FlashNet Infinity system.

The SGL FlashNet Infinity dashboard is simple to navigate with visually pleasing data analysis and reports. Detailed health checks provide key benefits.

Users can easily check

throughput relating to the number of current or completed jobs defined by asset, department or system for any time period. These trend analyses can be used for projecting future capacity and throughput requirements..

FlashNet Infinity provides small broadcasters that don’t have a MAM system with

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basic management tools that allow them to see what’s in the archive or stored on a certain disc so that they can archive material on the disc, or restore material in the archive, viewing a low res copy on the FlashNet Infinity dashboard.

SGL UNVEILD SONY Ci INTEGRATION AT NAB 2016 SGL announced its support for Ci Sony’s professional media cloud platform at NAB 2016. The integration between SGL FlashNet and Sony Ci enables broadcasters and content owners to quickly and securely transfer material directly to the cloud from their MAM system via SGL FlashNet, providing redundant cloud storage, disaster recovery options and the ability to access content from anywhere. Sony’s Ci platform provides enterprisegrade workflow collaboration and media management built on top of AWS. In addition to securely and cost effectively storing content in the cloud, Ci extends an archive’s value by creating adaptive bitrate proxies, indexing the content and making it securely and globally available via web browser or API integration.

Every asset archived in Ci via FlashNet is registered with a Sony global unique identifier (SGUID) that is consistently referred to by all systems associated with it, enabling major broadcasters and media providers to manage and share assets globally.

When an archive request is executed, SGL FlashNet submits it to Ci and, in return, receives confirmation together with the SGUID. When a request is made to restore the asset, the initiator refers to the standard FlashNet UID. FlashNet handles the translation behind the scenes and manages the restoration directly with Ci using REST APIs. “This collaboration opens new opportunities for our customers to achieve a truly seamless hybrid workflow combining on premise and cloud archiving,” said David Rosen, Vice President of Business Development with Sony Professional Solutions Americas. “SGL’s FlashNet and Sony’s Ci is a great combination that allows media enterprises to safeguard their assets in a way that makes sense for

their individual requirements.”

Lee Sheppard, SGL’s Director of Product Management explained, “Sony Ci offers a whole additional level of cloudbased asset management to standard cloud-storage solutions. The enterprise-level project coordination and sharing, editing tools and the global reach of the solution adds a whole dimension to global asset management workflows.”

AVID ALLIANCE PARTNERSHIP AND AVID CERTIFICATION SGL has announced that it has been selected as an Avid® Alliance Partner. As a result, SGL is now a key technology partner further validating its technical expertise. SGL’s Avid certification, which is only available to Avid Alliance Partners, is granted to thirdparties that can prove a high technical standard and seamless integration within the Avid MediaCentral™ Platform. Avid and SGL have held a strong alliance for many years, and this latest announcement further highlights SGL’s dedication to providing open system architecture that delivers a TMBi - 141

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SGL fully accessible, high-quality content storage management system.

Alan Hoff, vice president, Market Solutions at Avid explains, “We’re committed to working with solutions partners to provide innovative technologies and outstanding interoperability for both our users and to the digital media industry. We are pleased to welcome SGL as an Avid Alliance Partner. Our many

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joint customers will benefit from the certified integration of SGL’s FlashNet archive content management system and Avid solutions across the MediaCentral™ Platform to facilitate their archive and retrieval workflows.”

Lee Sheppard, SGL’s Director of Product Management adds, “Avid’s certification process is important as customers know that suppliers are working

together to ensure a very high standard of technical integration. The partnership greatly reduces the risks of problems when products are upgraded as careful testing has already been completed.

It also gives assurance that key improvements to either product are being communicated to each manufacturer so that integration is always optimised.”

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AVID® INTERPLAY® WEB SERVICES PLUG-IN WITH PARTIAL FILE RESTORE AT NAB 2016 Powered by Glookast, a leading developer of tools that solve challenging media production issues, the partial file restore functionality is a key feature as it enables editors to easily select and restore elements of a clip directly from the archive in high resolution. Prior to this, partial file restore functionality could only be achieved using the full Avid Interplay | Archive system.

Glookast’s Glooport media|retriever powers the partial file restore element of the workflow, allowing editors to partially retrieve media from the archive rather than fully restoring entire assets.

This means, for example, that an editor can archive a highres version of an Avid asset via SGL’s Avid Interplay Web

Services plug-in keeping a proxy online within the Avid system. If they want to restore only a portion of that proxy, Glookast’s Glooport media|retriever provides the capacity to carry out the partial restore of the archived assets so that editor only restores the portions required.

Partial File Restore powered by Glookast is a unique feature of SGL’s Avid Interplay Web Services solution. SGL’s support for Avid Interplay Web Services means that customers can use the archive capabilities that they currently require, but can employ Avid Interplay | Archive at any time in the future without the need to rearchive any content.

Edel Garcia, Glookast Partner and Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing explains, “SGL has a long tradition of providing

innovative and robust archive workflows. We are very pleased to be partnering with them, providing partial file retrieval capabilities to their Avid Interplay Production Web Services plug-in archive and restore workflows. We look forward to continuing to work together, delivering innovation and efficiencies to the media industry.”

Lee Sheppard, SGL’s Director of Product Management explains, “Using SGL’s Avid Interplay Web Services plug-in with Partial File Restore, powered by Glookast the editor can restore just the clips that they need in high resolution, saving bandwidth and space on expensive production storage. SGL’s FlashNet archive management system helps win the never ending race between file sizes and the available technology to store these files.”

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SUITCASE TV Suitcase TV showcased a standalone version of its tried and trusted storage platform MediaStor at NAB 2016. Demonstrated for the first time in the US, MediaStor aggregates multiple storage servers into a single unified structure and includes optional HSM functionality to enable a range of storage levels from ultrafast SSD-based RAID down to LTO data tape. Designed specifically for broadcast media operations, MediaStor provides tracking and auditing of file histories as well as powerful metadata handling capabilities to empower even the most complex of broadcast workflows.

MediaStor also now includes support for archiving to spinning disk using new SMR disk technology combined with MAID architectures.

This provides a more flexible, fast access storage solution. The new MediaStor Archive enclosure provides up to 128TB of usable storage in a 1RU enclosed with an idle power consumption of only 10W. Additional enclosures can easily be added as storage requirements increase.

In addition to managing storage, every MediaStor server can offer resources to perform media related tasks. Unlike other storage platforms, which may be built upon proprietary or Linux based operating systems, MediaStor is built upon Microsoft Windows, significantly simplifying TMBi - 144

integrations with third-party processing and file transfer software.

Suitcase TV’s award-winning iphrame Vision Remote centralised production system is also being shown for the first time in the US. Part of the iphrame suite, iphrame Vision Remote is a range of software based solutions that enable combined SDI and IP-based operations. The solution facilitates centralised outside broadcast and live events production and enables broadcasters to significantly reduce their costs by allowing key personnel to operate the system from virtually any location where there is an internet connection. Additional cost savings can be achieved due to reduced travel and transport costs of personnel and equipment. Only the cameras and associated technical teams need to be deployed on-site.

Throughout NAB Suitcase TV is highlighting its support for the Advanced Media Workflow Associations’ (AMWA) NMI project.

Launched as a long-term initiative to support the industry's move towards IP-based systems, NMI brings together broadcasters that share a vision to adopt IP infrastructures and industry suppliers who wish to provide interoperability. The continued goal of AMWA’s NMI is to solve important business problems and to help media companies achieve business agility and flexibility.

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TIGHTROPE MEDIA SYSTEMS Next-Generation of Cablecast Flex Video Servers Tightrope Media Systems used the 2016 NAB Show as the launch pad for Cablecast Flex, a new generation of multi-format video servers in the popular Cablecast broadcast automation family.

Cablecast Flex servers combine the proven reliability and rich feature set of Tightrope’s earlier Cablecast SX series with higher channel density, flexible configurability and increased performance.

The Cablecast Flex platform also provides a powerful foundation for future Cablecast automation software enhancements.

Cablecast Flex Servers are available in two models, the Cablecast Flex 4 and the Cablecast Flex Lite. The Cablecast Flex 4 server features four channels that can be flexibly configured as either inputs or outputs. Ideal for customers with multiple channels – such as PEG operators with public, education and government access offerings – this increased channel density reduces equipment requirements, lowering both initial and operational costs.

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The Cablecast Flex Lite features one input channel and one output channel.

Users can change the input and output configuration through software controls, future-proofing the servers as customers’ needs and channel line-ups evolve. The configuration flexibility of the Cablecast Flex line also extends to the servers’ built-in storage, enabling customers to match the systems’ internal capacity to their needs.

Cablecast Flex 4 servers will be available with 16TB or 32TB of useable content storage configured as RAID5 for performance and fault tolerance. An additional model without an internal drive array will be offered soon for customers who prefer to connect an external storage system through a Fiber Channel or iSCSI interface.

Cablecast Flex servers include all of the powerful features and benefits that

have delighted users of the preceding Cablecast SX series, delivering networkclass reliability and comprehensive functionality in an affordable package.

Multi-format playout enables media files encoded in MPEG2, H.264, DVCPro, ProRes and other formats to be played directly to air, with no transcoding required.

Integrated live input encoding, channel branding and HD/SD up- and downconversion can be controlled easily through Cablecast’s intuitive software while minimizing the need for costly and cumbersome external equipment.

Cablecast Flex servers are driven by Cablecast broadcast automation software, providing a simple graphical, web-based user interface for automated playout scheduling, bulletin board promotion, reporting and online publishing. The Cablecast software can

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efficiently manage multiple Cablecast Flex (playout and recording), Cablecast Pro VOD (Video on Demand publishing) and Cablecast Live (live streaming) servers, or can be used standalone to control third-party video decks and routing switchers.

Cablecast 6.1 Software Building on the customer acclaim and momentum of the recent Cablecast 6.0 release, version 6.1 adds features that address evolving audience viewing habits across smartphones and tablets, along with open APIs that maximize front-end presentation flexibility for Community TV station web developers.

Cablecast customers report that version 6.0’s powerful Video on Demand (VOD) publishing has emerged as a very popular feature with Community TV viewers, and the new VOD Chaptering capabilities in version 6.1 expand Cablecast’s powerful VOD experience. The VOD Chaptering application provides new functions that allow users to insert chapter markers at important points in the content, along with searchable descriptions of the marked events. Viewers

watching the VOD version of a program can jump directly to a section of interest, such as a council meeting agenda item or a scoring play in a sporting event.

Sophisticated and streamlined web content delivery was already one of the strongest selling points of Cablecast. Extending the modernized site redesign introduced in Cablecast 6.0, Tightrope further improves content presentation while simplifying program discovery for viewers. VOD programming and live streams are accessible to audiences through the new Cablecast Public Site, which provides an elegant front-end layout of a TV station’s schedule, live streams, VOD content and programming highlights. Category names are customizable and galleries can be updated dynamically based on customer-defined search criteria, increasing the flexibility and freshness of how programming is presented without ongoing manual effort.

For customers with multiple channels, the site now allows viewers to switch between channels – for example, from public access to education –

providing faster access to targeted live and VOD content. Behind the scenes, the Cablecast Reflect cloudbased service continues to offer customers the ability to deliver Cablecast’s adaptive bit rate, H.264 streams to a virtually unlimited number of viewers while conserving station network bandwidth.

Each Cablecast system comes standard with the Cablecast Public Site, a ready-to-use website that stations can serve as a standalone web portal, or integrate into existing websites. Since all Cablecast 6.1 functionality is now built on open-source APIs, web developers have unlimited freedom to incorporate Cablecast web display features and custom applications into their own websites.

Further easing operational management, Cablecast 6.1 features an overhauled reporting engine, including an updated user interface and new functionality. A new ‘First Run’ report lists all content that ran for the first time during a specified period for one or more channels, helping stations comply with franchise authority reporting requirements.

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TRANSMEDIA DYNAMICS TransMedia Dynamics (TMD) partners Broadcastream Solutions

channel playout system to a complex, multi-channel broadcast solution.

BroadStream Solutions Inc. has partnered with TransMedia Dynamics (TMD) to jointly deliver integrated playout and media management solutions to new and established customers worldwide.

BroadStream’s OASYS Integrated Playout solution will incorporate TMD’s flexible and robust MAM system to provide customers with a tightly integrated content and workflow orchestration solution.

Paragon+ is powered by TMD’s fully virtualized Mediaflex®-UMS MAM platform, which delivers all the benefits of a service-oriented architecture, providing a simple and scalable software defined workflow orchestration approach to content management. The Mediaflex-UMS virtualization means that it can run and scale flexibly as an on premise, hybrid, or cloud-based system.The integration of the Paragon+ and OASYS technologies will enable users to seamlessly search, select, and send content to a playlist without the need for external devices or processes.

BroadStream President & CEO Herbert Brenninkmeijer said, “TMD is the acknowledged leader in its service-oriented approach to content and workflow orchestration. Together we can create demonstrable operational efficiency through close integration. TMD is a great company to work with, and I am delighted with this collaboration and that our end-users will soon benefit from the best that our combined technologies have to offer.”

BroadStream’s OASYS delivers truly integrated and seamless playout from a single server and expands the capabilities of Channel in a Box. As a result it delivers a highly resilient solution that is both agile and scalable to meet the most demanding channel requirements from a simple, single TMBi - 148

TMD CEO Tony Taylor said, “BroadStream’s OASYS is renowned as a multipurpose, unified, content delivery platform that delivers truly integrated playout on a single server. We are thrilled to be working with such a world class company and to be able to add OASYS Playout to the list of Media Services available from our Madiaflex-UMS platform.

I’ve no doubt that our combined MAM and playout solutions will be a prime driver in the move to intelligent, software defined automated workflows.”

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TRANSVIDEO Transvideo Starlite RF The StarliteRF, widely promoted at major events over the last few months is now being delivered with the TitanHD2 transmitter and soon with new additional receiver TitanRx2. StarliteRF is a 5” 3G-SDI touch-screen OLED wireless monitorrecorder with built-in receiver and can work in multi-cam environments. It has great versatility and has the possibility to be used in very many different ways. With a range of 600 feet /200 metres (LOS) it can be used for monitoring and recording aerial shots from drones. It can also serve as a program feed monitor for a Steadicam®, or other camera rigs or gimbals. The TitanHD2 wireless system has proven to be interference free in working television studio environments, and will work with up to 3 receivers Rx2.

Small, lightweight, and totally free of cables, it is a director’s monitor to follow what’s being shot on set and to work with the actors.

Focus pullers will find it invaluable for mounting on ARRI’s Wireless Compact Unit WCU-4 or Preston's hand units.

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Transvideo Stargate The Transvideo Stargate is a new generation, 7” highend monitor-recorder with a 3G HD/SD 1920 x 1080 full HD display, a bright screen and compatible with 4K SDI signal. It features fast path processing with immediate display capability, and no latency. The camera output is directly available without any introduced delay, increasingly important in many shooting situations.

With its intuitive interface it is invaluable for all types of production - cinematography, broadcast, both indoor and outdoor productions. It has the ability to record dailies (H264 -> MP4/MKV) on SD cards, and has built in tools: Job-Oriented Views, Focus Helper, Peaking, Markers, 3D LUTS, Zoom and Tally.

If you require a video feed from a 7” FHD monitor, it’s possible to use the new additional receiver Rx2 on

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this monitor. Focus puller Benjamin Tubb said recently: “A monitor like that, with 1080p, daylight viewing, and no delay is going to be the best focus monitor out there.�

Transvideo StarliteHD5 ARRI Transvideo has collaborated with ARRI to adapt the Transvideo StarliteHD monitor to control the ARRI ALEXA Mini and the ARRI AMIRA cameras. ARRI has released software SUP 4.0 for Alexa Mini and Amira, with huge enhancement to the monitor interface and functionalities. In addition a new build 132a for the monitor will be available for free download shortly on www.transvideo.eu/s upport TMBi - 151

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VENTUZ – MOLDEN MEDIA At NAB 2016, Molden Media introduced a new realtime graphics solution for online TV and streaming from its partner singular.live. The singular.live platform gives broadcasters the opportunity to leverage the full potential of their live productions on the internet with data driven real-time graphics. Since 2011, the widely recognized Devoncroft Reports have ranked multi-platform delivery as the top priority topic for broadcasters. Yet, new products to address this issue have been few and far between. At NAB 2016, Molden Media showcased Singular, a solution for realtime graphics and multiplatform delivery. Singular serves as a graphics platform for media on web-enabled devices of any kind, such as smartphones, tablets, PCs and many more. The solution has been developed by the company singular.live.

“Singular was welcomed with a lot of enthusiasm by many customers”, explained Thomas Molden, CEO of Molden Media. “Although the tool is still in development, we have been reassured of the potential that Singular has as the market becomes more TMBi - 152

and more diversified. We have been highly motivated by the customers’ feedback and strongly believe that this

is the perfect time our product.”

Molden Media was also

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…” was installed on the booth, in which visitors could participate. Hostesses also spread the game across the show floor on iPads with an app based on the voting and poll system LivEngage. While M2Control managed all incoming and outgoing data, Ventuz was used to visualize rankings and leaderboards on a screen at the booth.

“With this wide variety of installations we have been able to demonstrate the many use cases for our playout and control solution M2Control”, said Molden. “The goal of the solution is to allow networks to utilize many different products to best meet the specific requirements at hand, while maintaining full control over every aspect of the workflow.”

present on the booth of Ventuz Technology to show streamlined graphics workflows for shopping

channels and other live productions. As an additional treat, a community game called “What’s Better Than

Ventuz also showed live production graphics workflows for news, sports and shopping channels.

M2Control also offers connections to database and automation systems, through which the two companies are able to display a complete live production workflow that is flexible and can be easily adapted to specific requirements.

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I NTERRA S YSTEMS Automated, File-based QC: Challenges, Solutions, and a Real-World Success Story

By Penny Westlake, Director Sales and Channel Management EU at Interra Systems Working in a file-based workflow environment, broadcasters and postproduction houses come into contact with a large amount of digital assets. Obviously, efficiency is a top priority, but so is quality. Today’s television and cinema viewers expect an extremely high quality of video and audio during their entertainment experience, especially with Ultra HD and 4K on the horizon. To assure topnotch quality of assets, broadcasters need an automated, file-based QC solution that is flexible, scalable, and reliable, offering advanced capabilities such as analytics, broad format support, and ease of use.

This article will explore a few of the common challenges that broadcast and post-production operators encounter during the QC process, providing insight into the key features one should look for in an automated, filebased QC system. A real-world case study of Roundtable Films will shed light on how postTMB . 156

production houses are using Interra Systems’ BATON™ to simplify the creation of high-res content, including 4K and DPX, for film, documentary, and TV series projects.

Common QC Challenges The auto QC process is fast, efficient, consistent, and reliable. When coupled with a manual review process on random and/or erroneous digitized content, broadcasters and post-production houses can achieve higher levels of productivity with optimized results. Of course, that is not to say that they do not still face challenges.

There are mostly four types of checks that are done as part of a quality checking process on digitized files: checking the compliance of the generated content, timecodes, and metadata; the baseband quality in audio and video; and encoding/transcoding errors, if content is compressed.

Compliance and metadata checking is a rather

straightforward process. The real complexity comes with ensuring that baseband quality of the digitized content is above the defined and agreed upon threshold level. Video issues can manifest themselves in different ways, and each one of them requires deep R&D to be detected reliably and accurately. Fortunately, there are tools to correct these errors.

BATON™ Automated, Filebased QC Interra Systems’ BATON automated, file-based QC solution meets all of the industry’s crucial requirements for checking the quality of content in SD, HD, UHD/4K, and mixed workflows, providing comprehensive checks, scalability, support for wide range of media formats, and an intuitive web-based interface that simplifies quality control operations.

Choosing a file-based QC system that offers a full range of checks is highly important.

BATON provides the most

complete checks covering standards compliance, regulatory checks, and baseband checks in the industry, including PSE/flashiness checks.

Recently, support was added to the system for text detection (including language) and recognition of burnt-in subtitles, audio language detection, detection of new audio quality noises, as well as support for the latest loudness ITU-R BS.1770 specification. In addition, BATON supports new image formats like TIFF/Targa, enhanced closed captions, and updates to DPP/ARD_ZDF compliance support. As broadcasters and other content providers eventually migrate to 4K distribution, the system offers unmatched 4K content verification speed.

Another critical requirement for today’s broadcast and postproduction operators is assuring that their file-based content meets various delivery criteria. BATON ensures ease

of deployment with preconfigured test plans for DPP, Netflix, CableLabs, and a full list of delivery standards.

Efficiency is also vital. Through the system’s rich, contentaware, rule-based smart folders, BATON guarantees efficient content verification workflows. The latest version of BATON features a user interface with revamped functionality across smart folders, manual scheduling, test plans, reports, and more, streamlining the user experience and increasing flexibility.

One of the unique benefits that BATON offers compared with other systems on the market is its scalable architecture, which lets users expand their farm as their QC needs grow. BATON’s high availability and responsive technical support team ensures that the system continues running in the enterprise environment even if one of the

hardware components is down.

Seamless integration with media servers, transcoders, MAM archiving, and workflow solutions speeds up the deployment of BATON in broadcast and post-production facilities. For broadcasters wanting additional advanced features, like workflow QC, data analytics, and a centralized management console, BATON+ can be added to the pre-existing ecosystem.

Since the majority of broadcasters and postproduction houses are utilizing a mix of automated and manual QC processes, they need a solution that allows easy manual intervention, if needed.

BATON provides a user-friendly and stand-alone media player interface with support for complete manual review flow.

QUALES QUALES is a software that will help broadcasters, production

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companies and any company dealing with audiovisual contents; have the ability to evaluate the quality and integrity of the contents.

QUALES runs on any Windows system (or Virtual Machine environments) and it is installed just running a simple windows installer.

When customers purchase QUALES (as standalone product) they are provided with: - Latest version available: via download link - License dongle: physical USB license key - User Manuals, quick start guide, and other support documents via download link.

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application, thus being accessible through any computer on the same network

(or even from remote locations) and by many different users at the same time.

Quality Check operations are quite CPU intensive tasks, since video and audio need to be decoded, and then analyzed (pixel by pixel in case of video).

That is why, QUALES is a modular system, where the QC tasks can be shared among multiple machines (or servers) in the same environment, thus doing a workload share and load balancing in different servers. This makes QUALES the ideal system to adapt to growing and changing workflows. Each and every of the different servers where QC tasks run, are what we call NODES. Many of the current and potential customers of the product usually have huge amount of contents to analyze.

That is why the product is also scalable in number of files that can be analyzed simultaneously.

QUALES will allow adaptation to

the customers’ needs and by acquiring more POINTS, the users will be able to analyze a growing number of files simultaneously. One additional FILE to analyze in parallel, will mean one additional POINT to be acquired by the customers.

As new formats and regulations come, QUALES needs to be estate of the art application, so new features, new checks, and new parameters will be added progressively.

QUALES adapts perfectly to any audiovisual workflow just by pointing to different watchfolders in local or networked machines.

How it works As explained, QUALES is a software application that runs on any Windows system. The customers will only purchase the software, and install on any

server. So, no hardware is supplied from QUALES. The system is based on QC Projects, being QC projects organized according to the customers’ criteria. Thus, one QC project could be to analyze all files coming in from ingest, another project could be just analyzing content after Editing and Transcoding, or previous to playout, or just simply projects could be organized by customers or content providers. That is, this is absolutely seamless to QUALES, and customers have all flexibility to create unlimited QC projects.

The system will analyze all files in specific projects and provide a report according to the different events and severity levels.

In the project view, the user will always have information

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about the status of the project, and the events (violations) found in each and every project according to the project configuration.

QUALES’ goal was to make a very easy to use, intuitive and visual application, thus minimizing the time required for QC project configurations, which can become critical, especially with changing and growing workflows. Also, it is quite important that workflow operators are not always video engineering experts, so the system needed to be easy and click-based application.

That is why the product was designed so with a few mouse clicks the operator can create a valid QC Project, by following TMBi - 160

the steps and choosing the right parameters.

In the QC Project configuration, the user will choose what files or watch folders to analyze what parameters to analyze and what violations should reported in the events. These violations will have different levels of severity (logging, warning and critical) according to user´s criteria.

Once the user selects all parameters and thresholds to analyze, the user will select what to see in the reports that will be generated once the analysis is finished being even able to send the reports in PDF format by email to selected users.

Once the Project is configured, the user should run the project, and the system will automatically analyze all files in the selected watchfolder or the selected files, providing real time information about the events that are found according to the user configuration.

Reports are provided at Project level and at File level, so the user can access an HTML report in the same application or generate a PDF file.

Sometimes, the user needs to go deeper in the analysis, or does not really know what the problems in the files may be.

That is why QUALES provides a detailed analysis, where the user will be able to see the complete file, thumbnails,

frames, and even a graphical representation of the different parameters throughout the complete file, showing the evolution of each and every parameter being analyzed.

The user can select individual parameters to display in the graphical timeline, and access the events just by using the event view.

product that represents a significant leap forward for filebased quality control.

- Integrated Frame-Accurate Player

Key features Aurora is significantly ahead of other products in its class in several critical areas:

Aurora is an automated filebased QC tool that easily integrates into production workflows and consistently delivers dependable results. By eliminating false positives and utilizing a high degree of correlation to human audio and visual perception, Aurora ensures that test reports highlight just the key issues, not hundreds of irrelevant nonissues. The unique Aurora architecture and advanced use of both CPUs and GPUs ensures concurrent analysis of more file types at faster speeds than alternative solutions.

Aurora is available with

- Unparalleled, scalable speed - Faster than real-time 4K analysis

The user will also be able to access specific frames just by clicking on the graph, thus displaying the corresponding frame.

- Enhanced Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) support

T EKTRONIX

- QC report analytics

Aurora is the new generation of automated file-based QC

- Integrated Audio Loudness Correction

- Configurable automated workflows

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configurable CPU allocation and 3 levels of product for different grades of hardware utilization, providing an upgrade path for increased performance in the future.

Constant feedback from customers, integrators and partners helped design the new Aurora user interface, making configuration, operation and review easy to learn, quick to adopt and practical across a variety of ingest, production, and distribution environments.

Aurora delivers analysis speed and accuracy Aurora is the new generation of file-based QC solution from Tektronix fully implemented in a 64-bit architecture, enabling TMBi - 162

broad use of available CPU processing power and GPU acceleration to deliver unrivaled QC analysis speed and accuracy, and automated corrective actions. Aurora guarantees QC capacity by reserving CPU and CUDA GPU capacity so that the system does not to overload itself.

Aurora doesn’t slow down as the system loads up, with the first file analyzed just as fast as that same file with hundreds of other concurrent jobs in progress.

Broad codec and wrapper support As a result of constant participation in key standards bodies (EBU, DPP, SMPTE,

AMWA, FIMS) Aurora always has the latest codes and wrappers with new updates arriving often. This means that Aurora can test almost any file including HLS/HSS/HDS/DASH and CableLabs intermediate ABR playlist file sets as well as IMF files, the master format agreed on by major motion picture studios.

Modern user interface Aurora has a modern user interface with a consistent information layout, with the ability to modify the theme/colors and display different language scripts in both the user interface and QC reports. Current support

includes English, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese.

Aurora provides Help files for every test accessed with a click from test templates or reports, providing an explanation of each individual test, how the test is performed, recommended correction(s), and where to in the workflow may be the best location to perform the fix.

QC report analytics Aurora is the first file-based QC product that has an optional QC Analytics plug-in to enable media organizations to analyze results of multiple QC Reports and search across reports for specific criteria. Aurora can identify QC artifact trends and

compare results from QC undertaken at different stages in the workflow, pipeline issues and trends or identify vendors for KPI and SLA verification.

Easy-to-use QC reports and Frame-Accurate Playout Aurora job reports are a single easy-to-read page displaying all of the metadata in one location followed by an interactive error summary including frame-accurate playout of each error, using the integrated Hydra Player. The report is consistent in look and content whether using a Web browser or PDF.

V ENERA T ECHNOLOGIES Venera Technologies’ flag ship file-based QC software, Pulsar, with extensive support for all video audio formats and broad range of QC checks, improves operational efficiency in filebased workflows by automating content QC processes. Its innovative Pulsar Pay-Per-Use on-premise solution brings QC capability to organizations of any size. Pulsar, with its 6x real time performance and advance detection features, ensures consistent content quality throughout the workflow and is the chosen QC tool, on-premise,

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or in cloud, for some of the largest Media companies worldwide.

Pulsar Automated FileBased QC Pulsar automated-file based QC software, an award-winning flagship product from Venera Technologies, is the answer many media organizations are looking for to help with their digital content verifications and correction.

With support for all major video/audio codecs and formats (SD, HD, 4K, IMF, DCP, HLS, Smooth Streaming, and DASH), 6x real-time HD performance (fastest in the Industry), and easy to use interface, Pulsar is a perfect fit for Post Production houses, Broadcasters, OTT operators, and anyone dealing with digital TMBi - 164

content. Pulsar is integrated with some of the best known media tools, such as Telestream’s Vantage, Aspera’s Orchestrator, and Evertz’s Mediator.

With emphasis on staying focused on customer needs, Venera prides itself in being a nimble company who pays close attention to supporting its customers. As a result, Venera maintains a great reputation as a very technically capable company who is also quite responsive to its customers.

This has also resulted in a solution like Pulsar which the customers consider not only very advanced, but also very easy to use and operate.

With support for an extensive set of container/video/audio

checks, Pulsar provides a comprehensive capability to detect artifacts.

From the container perspective, Pulsar can detect all major file formats, from popular ones such as MXF, MP4, and MPEG-2 TS, to the most advance formats such as IMF, DCP, HLS, and MPEGDASH. It can perform conformance checks, look for timecode discontinuity, or verify the number of streams in the file, to an extensive list of MXF, Transport Stream, or QuickTime specific checks.

Pulsar supports all major video codecs from the traditional MPEG-2, H.264, and ProRes to the latest H.265, and JPEG-2000. All video parameters, such as chroma

format, scan mode, display aspect ratio, pixel aspect ratio, GOP level parameters, and picture level parameters can be verified. Detailed video quality checks such as black frames, blockiness, combing, cadence, digital hits, color bars, and freeze frame, are just a subset of all the checks that can be performed. Given the importance given worldwide to detection of Photosensitive Epilepsy (PSE), Venera is very pleased to offer the Harding PSE check in Pulsar, which is based on the industry standard Cambridge Research Systems Harding FPA algorithm.

All major audio codecs, from PCM, MPEG-1/2, AES3, to Dolby Digital, Dolby E or WMA, are also supported by Pulsar

and Venera continues to add new codecs as they become prevalent in the industry.

Pulsar allows the user to define the proper audio channel configurations for the analysis as well as perform checks on audio drops, silence, and mute; detect dual mono, or clipping; or measure true peak and sample peak. Pulsar can verify the audio loudness and has the ability to correct loudness to meet the user requirements.

This feature can help media companies adhere to and comply with government regulations and standards that dictate loudness levels and have negative financial impacts should a media company fail the guidelines.

Additionally, Pulsar is certified

by Nielsen Holding Inc. to detect Nielsen watermarks which are discretely embedded in media files and intended to measure viewership statistics.

Pulsar can also detect and verify presence of Close Caption (608/708) within a file. Similar to loudness, this is a serious compliance matter, mandated by various government regulations worldwide.

With its integrated player, Pulsar provides the User with the capability to not only view the error in the report, but also navigate to the exact spot in the file and visually inspect the issue.

Multiple Pulsar editions

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ensure Pulsar is suitable for any size organization (as well as individuals). Notably, Venera not only provides the traditional software permanent ownership model (perpetual license), but it also provides a unique and innovative edition, called Pulsar PPU (Pay-Per-Use).

professional tool to QC their filebased content.

Installed within the user’s facility, Pulsar PPU provides the flexibility of a “Software as a Service” solution and the security of a dedicated on-site system. Pulsar PPU provides the same comprehensive audio/video/container analysis capabilities of Pulsar but the user will only pay for what they use! Pulsar PPU has been beneficial for, and very well received by, many boutique Post houses where the quality of the content they process is as critical as some bigger facilities and they can now use a similar

With the recent announcement of its cloudbased QC offering, Venera provides a unique hosted service that allows users to make use of advanced Pulsar QC capabilities without the need for the installation of Pulsar on their infrastructure. Pulsar Cloud is currently available on Amazon Cloud (AWS) and can be used via API by the customers while the required infrastructure to perform the QC task will be automatically provisioned and maintained by Venera.

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It proves the power of Pulsar in not only providing value to large broadcast customers, but also meeting the technical needs of smaller entities within their budget.

Users can select from and subscribe to a wide range of available usage based packages. This flexibility and instant access, allows users to start using the Pulsar QC immediately for all of their cloud based assets without worrying about any infrastructure issues on Cloud.

And with a long list of precanned templates (test plans) based on specifications from CableLabs, DVB, Netflix, iTunes, DPP, and others, Pulsar simplifies the QC process for the content that needs to be submitted based on those specifications.

Pulsar is in use in many large broadcast and media organizations, worldwide. For example, Encompass Digital Media, one of the major content delivery organizations in the US,

has been a Pulsar user for many years. They have deployed Pulsar to assist their existing QC operations to help detect and report video/audio artifacts.

Pulsar’s extensive support and tremendous speed for analysis of Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) files has been part of the reasons that some of the prominent OTT operators in the Northern America have chosen Pulsar for their QC needs.

Major League Baseball Advanced Media division, which does extensive delivery of OTT content for its partners, chose Pulsar to handle the QC of the large volume of content it delivers daily. For its Shomi service, a ‘Netflix-like’ service in Canada, Rogers Media chose Pulsar for QC verification of its large VOD content. Adstream, world’s leading advertising digital asset management, workflow and Distribution Company, also uses Pulsar to verify the structure and quality of the advertisement at its various facilities worldwide.

“Pulsar is a strategic fit for the large-scale content QC requirements of many major broadcast operations,” said Fereidoon Khosravi, senior vice president of business development – Americas, at Venera. “We are very pleased to be a technology partner to these broadcasters and to

support their Pulsar installation as an integral part of their filebased workflow. We take pride not only in the advanced features and great performance of our Pulsar product, which is being increasingly recognized worldwide, but also in the quality of support and responsiveness we provide to all of our customers, which brings them back to us when they choose to expand their operations”.

V IDEOMENTHE The French-based software distributor and publisher specializing in media files, has chosen to distribute BATON, from Interra Systems, and also to integrate it within Eolementhe, its platform for creating media-file workflows in the cloud.

A number of years ago, when manual QC switched to being mostly automated, broadcasters and postproduction houses significantly reduced the amount of time it takes to check content quality.

Today, most of the broadcasters integrate automated QC into their workflow. It’s also true that most of these solutions are saving companies time, but how many really ensure that premium content quality, efficiency, flexibility, scalability and ease of use are built into

the same solution? This was the question asked by Videomenthe 8 years ago, when the French-based company was launched with the goal of offering premium software solutions for media processing.

Videomenthe looked at the different QC solutions available and listened to the needs of its broadcast, post-production and media facilities customers and finally concluded an exclusive agreement with Interra Systems to develop their presence on the French market. Videomenthe not only distributes Interra Systems solutions but also offers a range of services for installation, configuration and training to help broadcasters to enhance their use of BATON. Quality Control is one of the critical factors for success Interra Systems’ BATON automated file-based QC solution improves efficiencies across the entire content lifecycle, from ingest to editing, transcoding, playout and archive, providing comprehensive checks for media files. BATON also offers a high availability feature to guarantee business continuity even if some of the hardware components break down, making this solution essential for all media owners. The system also includes support for audio language and text TMBi - 167

detection as well as recognition of burnt-in subtitles, audio quality noises, and the latest loudness specification. In addition, BATON supports new image formats, enhanced closed captions and compliance updates to DPP/ARD_ZDF as well as AS-10.

Despite the industry wide migration to automated workflows, manual QC hasn’t totally vanished. Most broadcasters and postproduction houses rely on a mix of automated and manual QC processes. Choosing an automated, file-based QC solution, with the option for manual intervention when needed, is critical. Through its user-friendly stand-alone media player interface, BATON also offers support for complete manual review flow.

With BATON, broadcasters and post-production houses can easily meet the various delivery criteria of file-based content, with pre-configured test plans for a full list of delivery standards. Whether they’re checking SD, HD, UHD/4K content, or a mix of all formats, BATON meets all of broadcasters’ needs, offering unmatched 4K content verification speed.

A powerful tool for simplified preparation and delivery of file-based media Muriel Le Bellac, Videomenthe’s CEO says of this TMBi - 168

QC system: “It is surely the most powerful and complete QC solution available on the market. That’s why we don’t hesitate to recommend it to our clients”. For instance, Hiventy as well as VDM, providers of broadcast services, needed a reliable state-of-the-art QC solution. Hiventy covers all cinema and broadcast media fields: post-production, restoration, subtitling and dubbing; all formats distribution.

As for VDM, the company provides all work of video laboratory. Hiventy and VDM, was named Netflix Preferred Vendor and for these leading broadcast companies, providing high-end services for demanding clients is critical. So, Videomenthe suggested the use of BATON, to guarantee the accurate delivery of premium contents. Cedric Cochennec, Hiventy’s COO, explains: “We have to deal with a huge quantity of files, and a lot of media formats and standards as well. Our clients can be VOD platforms, on-line app stores, film festivals and so on. So we needed automatic QC solutions to improve the preparation and the delivery of file-based media.”

He continues: “Furthermore, Videomenthe handled the entire deployment of the solution, from the installation to the training of our staff.”

This automated QC allows companies to save time and expense by performing quality

checks at every stage of their workflow. By providing the most complete standards compliance, regulatory and baseband checks in the industry, including PSE/flashiness checks, BATON measurably speeds up QC operations. Baton also offers integration with a wide array of architectures: media servers, transcoders, MAM archives and workflow solutions through its easy-to-use web-servicebased APIs. Videomenthe offers BATON as part of its Eolementhe solution, to create and automate workflows “As media formats and standards are evolving, it’s imperative to recommend an automated, file-based QC system that offers flexibility.

Also, in broadcast and postproduction environments, acquiring a growing amount of file-based content is a common challenge and the QC process needs to be able to scale”, Muriel Le Bellac, Videomenthe’s founder, explains.

Understanding these new challenges, the French-based company not only distributes BATON, but also offers this QC system via Eolementhe, its cloud-based portal for creating media files workflow.

Videomenthe, as a distributor of transcoding, quality control, audio loudness correction, subtitling solutions and more,

has great experience in streamlining these processes and now makes them available via a single portal. Eolementhe is particularly designed for special events, specific projects, archive management, content validation etc., allowing users to level out peaks in workload.

Whether they’re working out of office, in a lab, at HQ or wherever it may be, users can retrieve their media, processed in accordance with their own workflow model. Its user-friendly interface promotes intuitive workflow design for automated processing of media files, facilitating their delivery via all types of platforms. Muriel Le Bellac explains Videomenthe’s

strategic vision in offering BATON via its portal: “We decided to offer Interra Systems’ BATON solution via Eolementhe, because we see it as a key solution for Quality Control in our industry. Offering BATON as part of our Eolementhe services provides real added value: clients who can’t usually afford the cost of a BATON farm, or who have specific projects to outsource, can now integrate this QC solution into their workflow”.

To save time, users do trust in their QC solutions and use them with their eyes closed, because of the large quantity of files they have to process. Thus,

BATON is the perfect tool for ensuring content readiness.

Used within Eolementhe’s portal, it also permits companies and freelancers to integrate this QC system into a process of automated workflow.

“We have built a strong partnership together, Interra Systems trusts us and our clients see the benefits, because we are very reactive. In addition, Interra Systems is still enhancing its product line, by continuously releasing new features and enhancements: this company has a great capacity for innovation,” Muriel Le Bellac concludes.

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4K, WCG, HDR, HFR, UHD-1 Phase I and II, UHD-2.

These terms are normally confusing and we shall address them in the following lines.

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TXT:

Vicente Pla Ferri Consulting and Project Engineer DELATORRE® Consultoría e Ingeniería vpla@delatorreonline.com

Jorge de la Torre Sánchez-Bravo Managing Director DELATORRE® Consultoría e Ingeniería jorge@delatorreonline.com

1

I NTRODUCTION 4K, UHD, has it arrived?

Is it closer? Will it arrive? It is certainly a reality but its degree of penetration depends on the perspective of each of the following: - Display and TV Manufacturers: yes, it's here (4K), and integrated in televisions. We have a selection of TVs with high dynamic range (HDR); and it has been showcased at the last CES show.

- Platforms, access and OTT service providers: it is almost there. We are still refining the flows of contents, improving the capillarity of the network to increase the number of high-speed accesses in order to provide enough broadband, preparing for the adaptation of internal

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infrastructures, so that investing in them is feasible in business models. We have pilots, tests on how to adapt networks and needs to ensure quality in UHD experiences. We also work to acquire contents and rights to make de difference with UHD contents.

- Broadcasters: until we have DVB-T2 broadcasting, we do not consider it to be for large open audiences. For now, it is only available through OTT platforms. So, we will wait and see, but there is still a long way to go. 4K is at its early stages, and 4K with HDR and 8K are queued to stand in.

Our infrastructures are large and every new technological implementation requires extensive work and investment for both flow and volume of content

management. Furthermore, updating infrastructures towards high definition has only partly been completed.

The last changes in legislation and regulation would have been a good chance to lay the groundwork for this technological shift, which other neighboring countries have already envisaged.

Satellite is the only one available at the moment for large population coverage in UHD, with reasonable broadcasting costs. Those operating with it have better chances of reaching large audiences.

- Content creators and producers: 4K is fascinating; high dynamic range (HDR) even more, and surround sound is very appealing. We have first-generation means of production, with promising

developments and initiatives; the time to market is shorter than with earlier technologies, but with considerable investment efforts. This all makes us particularly cautious because hasty decisions can condition adaptation to future needs, when demand for production is higher and UHD content management models are more consolidated and efficient.

Image 1

There are many initiatives in content creation. Many of them (documentaries, film releases, musical shows, etc.) have an extra value in UHD for new created ones, and give a new life to those that are not new but are changed to UHD. Advertising and digital signage are also interestingly requesting UHD content.

The challenges and risks faced by each of the stakeholders involved in this first phase manage to gather valuable experience, which is a guaranteed value for professionals and companies.

Image 2

WHAT IS

vertically) the resolution of high definition television. But this has only just begun. In the next few years resolution will be increased to 8K (Image 1).

4K is in fact nothing less than doubling the system's 2K resolution (both horizontally and vertically), used in films. By extension, 4K is also used in the world of television to refer to doubling (both horizontally and

What will we get in our homes? The fact is that if we do not increase the screen's size, very little. The good thing about the system is that we can have larger screens with the same pixel size, and this means that the optimum viewing distance is smaller than in the case of

2

B UT , 4K?

standard definition or high definition (Image 2).

From an artistic point of view, reducing by half the distance to the screen and the screen size means that it will be impossible for the viewer to pay attention to everything that is happening in the screen at the same time and, therefore, the viewing of audiovisual material will be more subjective. In other words, it brings home the cinema experience.

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From a technical point of view, this increase in resolution and wider viewing angle is going to need a number of tools that make up the Ultra High Definition (UHD) standard.

3

UHD 3.1.-Introduction

4K technology allows an increase in screen pixel density with regard to HDTV, but it is not a standard tool for signal transmission. The current scenario for the introduction of Ultra High Definition is divided into several stages and there is still a lot to be standardized (Image 3).

Image 3

At the moment, for phase 1, 3840x2160 resolution and progressive scanning has been chosen, using ITU-BT.709 color space, used already for high definition.

But the UHD concept goes much further and must stand on these 4 pillars: 1. Increase of screen resolution 2. High frame rate.

3. Wide range of available colors.

4. High dynamic range (Image 4).

3.2.- Increase of screen resolution (UHD) As shown in the graph, an increase in screen resolution only makes sense when we TMBi - 174

Image 4

refer to large format screens.

2160p resolution is already available for screens of more than 65" (Image 5).

Now, we are talking about UHD-1 Phase 1, which is only an increase in resolution of HD

signals. The main disadvantage is that it does not exploit the full potential of UHD, but it does provide an interesting advantage in these periods of transition: it allows 4K shooting, without any conversion, rebalancing shots in post-

Taking into account the bandwidths that are being used, doubling the number of frames per second in base band would mean to double the bit rate (that had already grown fourfold when changing from HD to 4K).

As shown in the Table 1 (next page), numbers are surprising.

In the following publications we will address the different possibilities used to base a 4K production infrastructure on IP..

Image 5

Image 6

production with no loss of resolution.

However, work with UHD has shown that, in order to improve sharpness and realism in images, increasing the spatial resolution of images is not enough; temporal resolution also needs to be increased. The reason is that if we have more spatial resolution in the screen, blurs and blurred images due to movement become more perceptible.

One solution is to increase the shutter speed, but we then loose brightness and at the same time, images with fast movement show a strobe-like effect.

3.3.-High frame rate (HFR) The High Frame Rate (HFR) is a solution to increase temporal resolution: To double the number of frames per second.

(Image 6).

3.4.-Wide color gamut (WCG) Another advantage of UHD is the introduction of a wide color gamut with regard to HDTV. ITU-R BT.2020 used 10 or 12 quantization bits, which enables color gradation with no leaps, and it considerably extends the range of colors that can be represented (Image 7).

3.5.-High dynamic range (HDR) Undoubtedly the major quality leap is the introduction of screens with high dynamic range. If both SDTV and HDTV were designed for screens with 102 cd/m2 (LDR) brightness, the new OLED or TFT screens, backlit with laser light, will be able to offer up to 104 cd/m2 (HDR); this brightness will allow the reproduction of the dynamic range offered by our retina (our eye's sensor). However, our visual system goes much further and, through chemical mechanisms used to adapt to TMBi - 175

UHDTV1 / 4K

UHDTV2 / 8K

Lines

PĂ­xels

UHD2 7680 4320

8K 8192

UHD1 3840 2160

4K 4096

Frames por segundo

10b 4:2:0 (Gbps)

10b 4:2:2 (Gbps)

10b 4:4:4 (Gbps)

12b 4:2:0 (Gbps)

12b 4:2:2 (Gbps)

12b 4:4:4 (Gbps)

120

60

80

120

72

95.5

144

60

30

40

60

36

48

72

50

25

33

50

30

40

60

30

25

20

30

18

24

36

25

12.4

16.6

25

15

20

30

24

12

16

24

14.4

19

29

120

15

20

30

18

23

36

60

7.5

10

15

9

12

18

50

6

8

12

7.5

10

15

30

3.7

5

7.5

4.5

6

9

25

3.1

4.2

6.2

3.7

5

7.5

24

3

4

6

3.6

4.8

7.2

Table 1

darkness/light and the iris (the eye's diaphragm), is able to capture from 10-6 to 108 cd/m2 (Image 8).

The sensors that are currently being used by cameras are able to capture dynamic ranges of about 14 fstops. The problem arises when it has to be displayed in a screen with low dynamic range, such as the current ones. We still work with the gamma curve of the cathode ray tube and the only way to show the lights and shadows that are captured by the cathode ray tube in detail is to compress the dynamic range before it is displayed (in photographs the difference between a shot done with a low dynamic range sensor and one TMBi - 176

Image 7

opto-electrical transfer function curves (OETF), designed for screens with 10.000 cd/m2 (Image 10, next page).

As shown in the graph, there are currently different proposed OETF curves, led by different groups: Dolby, Tecnicolor, BBC, etc.

3.7.-Immersive sound Image 8

Image 9

done with a high compressed dynamic range can be seen) (Imagen 9).

In recent years, screen brightness has continued to grow, but contrary to the impression given, this has not allowed an increase of highlight detail. Information was not included in the signal and, therefore, we have only had brighter whites.

High dynamic range is intended for screens to be able to reproduce the same dynamic range that we are able to perceive through our retina. In this way, details collected by sensors of high quality cameras will reach viewers. In order to carry out this process it is essential to replace the color space and gamma curves designed for LDR, by the space color BT.2020 and its relevant

When it comes to sound, changes are also substantial.

Surround sound is defined in a new dimension and we now can also see loudspeakers that are placed above the viewer's head to reproduce different environments, making it more immersive.

We see new speaker set ups, like those seen in the graph, which undoubtedly show the need to introduce new mixing techniques. Think about mixing 22.2 channels. At home we do not have 24 loudspeakers, so how would we hear it then? The answer to this question is "sound from an object oriented approach", through which properties are added to the objects included in the sound scene so that the viewer's processor is able to customize sound according to the available loudspeakers.

Dialogues, background music, ambiences, etc. are still mixed by following the traditional track notion. (Image 11).

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Image 10

power, for example, with 1080p signal quadrants (as shown in the picture) or each of the 4 neighboring pixels through one of the 4 interfaces (Image 12).

To be clear, we are sending 4K through 4 3G-SDI signals, which enables us to use tri-level synchronisms that are normally used in high definition systems.

But if we want to generate 4K reference signals, we need to have a generator that is able to generate them through Quad3G SDI (like Tektronix TG8000) and monitoring equipment and tools that are ample enough to process simultaneously 4 3GSDI inputs, reconstituting the 4K signal as waveform, vectorscope, synchrony settings, audio-video delay, etc. (for example, Tektronix WFM8300). Another aspect to be considered when measuring 4K is its capacity to measure the delay between the different Quad-3G SDI links, because in excess the 4-signal receiver will not be able to reconstitute it.

4 Image 11

DO

WE

RELIVE WHAT HAPPENED WITH

3.8.-Synchronism and references In an upcoming release we will explain the use of IP synchronization techniques.

Successful 4K live broadcasting facilities are based for now in Quad-3G-SDI. In this time of TMBi - 178

transition, we need to be able to reuse, as best as possible, the current facilities and technologies to help with the change.

Therefore, the easiest way to transmit 4K through 3G-SDI is through 4 cables to share out

HD? We all remember and experienced the advent of high definition, that surpassed standard definition, but with similar models to HD exploitation. Main challenges were mainly related to

bandwidth and processing electronic signals. They were all solved by the new standards, manufacturers and users.

Spatial resolution also enabled new image codes to be introduced by creators, and it helped us to get used to multichannel audio surround sound 5.1.

High definition, also in 1080 50p/60p, with higher temporal resolution, which we were waiting for, will extend its scope of application. But most of the high definition systems that have been set up in the last 3 or 4 years are able to work in 50p/60p, 3G-SDI, or can be easily updated. Production, contribution and broadcasting is mainly done in 1080i (25 frames per second, 50 frames with interlaced scanning), except in 720p (50/60 frames per second, progressive scanning).

UHD content is first reaching payment platforms, as they try

to create differential value for customers. Therefore, premium channels and ondemand offer will be used to approach users. TV manufacturers are also active in UHD content promotion, as they are eager to provide the new generations of market products with added value, and they promote and foster this offer through their application portals of access to UHD content.

While the rollout of infrastructures continues for UHD to be accessible to most users, there are other incentives regarding UHD content production: increasing its temporary duration, improving its value in the future and subjective perception of better quality of contents produced in UHD but distributed in HD, as happened in HD productions distributed in standard definition. Original definition and resolution is

Image 12

higher, enabling scaled image techniques and HD framing on UHD images.

High dynamic range (HDR) involves a substantial improvement in experience. It is being compared to the arrival of color, which many of us hardly remember from childhood. The sentence “UHD does not only mean more pixels, but better pixels” is obvious and there has been progress towards standardization of CES. Included in UHD-1 phase 2, many are asking for HDR in high definition to be included.

This would give a new life to high definition, as this improvement is indeed noticeable in home televisions of average size, that is, 1080 and between 40” and 50”, which according to the chart, are not distinguishable from 1080p to 2160p at a viewing distance of 4-5 meters.

This is where another question comes up: Do we really need 4K in our homes?

Especially if we take into account that in TVs with less than 60”, no appreciable difference is found in the perception of resolution. What about 4K with HDR? Would HD with HDR be enough? What will happen with 4K? Mainly taking into account that 8K is already on the verge of the foreseeable demand of household consumption. It is a difficult question to answer.

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5

D OES

There are three specifications that cover the different parts of the ecosystem: consumer, distribution and content devices.

THE

INDUSTRY MANAGE TO

AGREE ?

For the time being, some issues remain unresolved but early in the year, UHD-Alliance published its specifications to obtain the ULTRAHDTM

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5.1.-Devices PREMIUM seal, which sets out the minimum standards for viewers to enjoy the Ultra High Definition experience from their homes.

The display equipment has to meet or exceed the following specifications: - Resolution: 3840Ă—2160

- Color depth: 10-bit - Color palette (Wide Color Gamut) - Based in ITU-BT.2020 - The screen has to show at least 90% of P3 colors - High dynamic range; - SMPTE ST2084 EOTF

- In that regarding levels of white and black, one of the following options: - More than 1000 cd/m2 in white peaks of 0.05 cd/m2 for black level.

- More than 540 cd/m2 in white peaks of 0.0005 cd/m2 for black level.

5.2.-Distribution Whatever the distribution channel may be, it must allow:: - Resolution: 3840Ă—2160 - Color depth: minimum 10-bit - Color representation ITUBT.2020 - High dynamic range: SMPTE ST2084 EOTF 5.3.-Content Master must have the same specifications as the distribution channel and the same is recommended for the display screen: : - It must show 100% of P3 colors - White peaks: More than 1000 cd/m2.

- Black level: Less than 0.03 cd/m2.

6

A CCESS UHD

TO

CONTENT Broadband (FTTH), satellite and DVB-T2 grant access to UHD content. Broadband is having a significant rollout, as operators are increasing their networks and population coverage, with access to better packages of services, among which we find, especially, entertainment content. Telco operators have their own portals with linear and ondemand content, and they work to continuously improve its attractiveness to users. UHD content will be an added value for payment services. Likewise, through the Internet service that they offer, they provide access to a larger offer of niche and non-traditional content providers (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), and OTT platforms, with offers that compete with their own service (Wuaki, Netflix, Filmin, etc.), and others with lower capacity but niche content, that do not manage networks. The use of user’s access to network creates differences and discussions among operators and service providers, which affect users, despite the fact that they are the ones paying for the services.

The TV manufactures mentioned before have their

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particularities and are willing to provide users with access to 4K content, with added value towards their products. They work together with content providers and OTT platforms.

Satellite offers the best possible coverage, the fastest service and efforts to install home aerials so that signal can be received. The starting point

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is users within payment satellite platforms.

As for DVB-T2 and HEVC (H.265), changes in the current regulations would help technological evolution to take place. This scenario should have been created when the last changes were introduced in legislation, in order to provide access to these innovations.

In this context, the core change is linked to the possibility of access to ondemand content, where telco operators and own and external platforms of OTT services have created a new scenario, with innovative business models, where new consumption profiles have been created and have in fact consolidated. In this context, UHD Premium content

offer, such as football, cinema or series is very much appreciated among users.

Communication and training strategies aimed at informing the public on the benefits of UHD, so that it can be enjoyed by them at home, as well as first experiences, will be important to attract their attention. High quality and

attractive content, and easiness of access are essential for it to be successful. We have to take into account this context of nontraditional new actors, which want to become more and more important within a sector that used to be limitative. We should see this as an opportunity.

Within the process of technology, the final stages have advanced: televisions, broadband, and satellite, decoders; but as we get close to the origin of content, we need technology to be increasingly efficient and capable. The industry has been able to open up a debate on standard creation and technology development, to achieve the necessary efficiency within production and coding.

The development of UHD in the next few years will clarify our doubts as to what formats will become popular in phase 3: will we have 8K in our homes?

It is difficult to know. We will have 8K UHD production, as has been promised for the 2020 Olympic Games of Tokyo, and this is good news, but it does not guarantee that 4K content and HD will have a better technical quality basis.

C ONCLUSION 7

At this juncture, nothing is final; it will all depend on the situation, as it is just beginning.

The arrival of UHD is taking high definition patterns, with shorter times in technological development.

HDR will provide "better pixels" as to show an exceptional and desirable image.

Standardization is on its way, but the pilots, prototypes and devices that are already available still appeal for caution in future live productions.

The possibilities of access to content are larger than ever.

Satellite and broadband (FTTH) are already able to deliver 4K content. In terrestrial broadcasting, changes in the existing regulation towards a strategic vision for the future would be useful to stimulate the sector and create opportunities, incorporating DVB-T2 and HEVC (H.265).

The offer in Premium channels and payment content will be the main consumption channel and main driver for the creation of new content. In this context, telco change to become starring actors.

We need good stories to tell and interesting events to broadcast. It is then when technology plays its role and provides it experience to enjoy them in an enriched way. Let us be realistic, for the general public, technology itself is not attractive.

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