TV Tech - 0472 - April 2022

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BASEBALL IS BACK • FRANKEN FMS PART 2 • CLARIFYING CLOUD FOR MEDIA

immersive sound for sports p. 20

www.tvtech.com | April 2022

equipment guide

UAVs, camera support, lighting & batteries

Going Green M&E’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint gain traction

contents

April 2022 volumn 40, issue 4

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Getting Serious About Sustainability

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Can M&E reach zero carbon emissions by 2040?

By James Careless

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Baseball Is Back!

Networks upgrade tech; Is Apple TV+ deal a harbinger of things to come?

By Mark R. Smith

How the Pandemic Impacted Pro Audio Professional gear works its way down-market

By Frank Beacham

Cloud Awareness for Applications in Media

Analyzing the medium’s path from tape to data

By Karl Paulsen

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Equipment Guide

User reports: UAVs, camera support, lighting & batteries ARRI Shotoku Sachtler Anton/Bauer BB&S Frezzi Litepanels

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editor's note

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in the news

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people

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TV Sports in 2022: In Search of Immersive Sound It’s out there but not always easy to obtain

By Dennis Baxter

For more news analysis, trend reports and the latest product and tech information, visit www.tvtech.com.

twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | April 2022

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editor’s note Vol. 40 No. 04 | April 2022

WRAL’s Pete Sockett Honored With NAB’s Television Engineering Achievement Award Pete Sockett, director of engineering and operations for Capitol Broadcasting Co.’s TV stations will be recognized at the NAB Show this year with the 2022 NAB Engineering Award for TV. Sockett is responsible for leading and steering the technology needs of CBC and preparing for the coming trends affecting broadcasting.

During his career, Sockett has been instrumental in a total rebuild of CBC’s HD technical plant, the launch of the first nonlinear HD newsroom, development of workflows for IP-ENG, implementation of Mobile DTV and Mobile EAS, creation of the first 4K-HDR documentary produced at a local TV station, the launch of the first commercial, simulcast TV station using the ATSC 3.0 standard and the launch of local sports channel WNGT. Sockett sits on the board of directors for the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) and is the chair of the ATSC 3.0 Advanced Emergency Alerting Implementation Team. He has earned three Emmy Awards, Broadcasting & Cable’s Technology Leadership Award and an Edward R. Murrow award. He is a co-inventor of a patent for geolocation.

I had a chance to talk with Pete in advance of the show and anyone who knows Pete is well aware of how approachable and down to earth he is, which perhaps comes from his Canadian heritage.

Pete grew up in the Toronto area and started out as an auto mechanic. Dissatisfied with his employment situation, he decided to take some electrical engineering courses at a local technical college and after graduating, started out his broadcasting career with CTV, Canada’s largest privately held broadcast network.

From there he moved on to WWJ in Detroit and WBBM in Chicago Pete Sockett before settling in Raleigh, N.C. in 2003 to work for the Goodmon family, owners of Capitol Broadcasting Co. When he arrived at CBC, he was put in charge of operations at WRAL-TV but as time has gone on, his responsibilities have expanded to cover so much more, including OTT, DTV subchannels and college sports.

Jimmy Goodman—junior and senior—have been the driving force behind WRAL for decades and Pete says they’re always wanting to do “the next great thing.”

“And it’s basically been my job to get it done,” he said.

Pete describes himself as a “relatively average good engineer, not particularly genius by any means,” and attributes the technical success of WRAL’s expanding media services to his engineering colleagues.

“This award is for them,” he said.

WRAL was a pioneer in launching ATSC 1.0 in the 1990s and is on the frontlines of deploying ATSC 3.0, having launched an experimental NextGen TV service in 2016. WRAL ceased that 3.0 transmission in September 2019 as part of the FCC TV spectrum repack broadcasting. Five years later, in 2021, it launched 3.0 on WRAL, WRAZ and WARZ-CD with WUNC soon to join.

Pete is optimistic about the future of 3.0 and the opportunities it affords. While it’s still early in the process, Pete and his colleagues are dealing with a lot of moving parts and trying to figure out what the “killer apps” will be. He also hopes that the industry will widely embrace the standard.

“I really hope that everybody keeps working at it—across the industry, not just in small pockets,” he said. “The whole industry, in general, needs to pick up and run with it.”

Pete will be recognized along with Ashruf El-Dinary, senior vice president of Digital Platforms for Xperi, recipient of the Radio Engineering Achievement Award, by NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt during the “Hollywood’s ‘Binge Times’ OTT Battle and NAB Engineering Awards” session, Sunday, April 24 at 3 p.m.

Tom Butts Content Director tom.butts@futurenet.com

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in the news OPINION

update NextGen TV Test Demonstrates Successful 3.0 ATSC 3.0 handoff testing in a driving car between Handoff Between Detroit (WMYD) and Stations In Adjacent Lansing (WKAR) Markets.

For an in-vehicle ATSC 3.0 entertainment experience to remain uninterrupted as a car or truck travels from the coverage area of one station to another, there needs to be successful hand off between the two stations much as a cell phone network provides for calls to remain uninterrupted as people move from one cell to the next.

Last month, EW Scripps revealed details of a test conducted in November 2021 that demonstrated the viability of this handoff during a test involving a version of DigiCap’s DigiCaster 3.0 gateway installed at two participating television stations, WKAR TV, the Michigan State University public media station in East Lansing, and WMYD, The E.W. Scripps Company TV station in Detroit. In the test car, LG Electronics installed a system to receive and display ATSC 3.0 signals on a rear-seat entertainment TV. As the car travelled from the signal coverage of one TV station to the next, the handoff technology succeeded in keeping a steady TV signal on the receiver device.

Heartland Video Systems installed and configured servers and installed the DigiCasters at both stations.

Phil Kurz Deployments • Charleston, S.C.: WCBD (Nexstar), WCIV (Sinclair), WCSC (Gray), WGWG (Howard Stirk Holdings) and WTAT (Cunningham) • Flint, Mich.: WBSF (Cunningham), WEYI (Howard Stirk Holdings), WJRT (Allen Media Group), WNEM (Gray) and WSMH (Sinclair) • West Palm Beach, Fla.: WFLX (Gray/Scripps), WPBF (Hearst), WPEC and WWHB-CD (Sinclair) and WPTV-TV (Scripps)

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Where’s The NextGen TV Guerrilla Marketing?

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“novel or unconventional methods” to m I missing something? I “attract interest” in NextGen TV? haven’t seen any “guerrilla I still remember some local broadcast marketing” for NextGen TV. engineers showing up in the parking I’ll be the first to admit it’s lots of retailers like Best Buy when possible I may have simply blown by it in the transition from NTSC to DTV was my daily life as I attend to all the things happening to get the word normal people do. But I out about OTA HDTV. Now, don’t think that’s the case. I when I log onto YouTube to think I’d remember. relax for a moment, I get the If you’re unfamiliar virtual equivalent, sort of. I with guerilla marketing, see a link to a new video by Jay Conrad Levinson Antenna Man, “Reasons to popularized the concept Buy an ATSC 3.0 NextGen in 1984 with his book of TV Tuner Now,” pop up the same name. A quick among the selections Youonline search reveals it Tube has decided I’ll like. has sold 21 million copies Phil Kurz While I have no argusince then. ments with Antenna Man, his perspecGranted, NextGen TV might not be tive, which some might construe to be the best candidate for guerrilla marketing damning with faint praise, is just that: if seen from the point of view of giant his perspective. Where are the YouTube consumer electronics manufacturers like videos from local broadcasters about the LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony and now benefits of NextGen TV? Shouldn’t they Hisense, which will soon have more than be using this and other social media a combined 100 NextGen TV models on sites for their NextGen TV guerrilla the market in the United States. marketing?

But what about the core readers of How about broadcasters taking other TVTech—the call letter local stations steps locally—something tech giants that have deployed 3.0? They are relativelike Facebook, YouTube and Twitter ly small local businesses—yes, many are aren’t equipped to do—to promote owned by huge station groups but at least their shining new service on the ground most project a local, hometown presence. where viewers live?

Have they created, or are they planning to Since that NAB Show press confercreate, a grassroots buzz about NextGen ence of Harris Broadcast many years TV in their communities? ago when Jay Adrick made a dramatic Certainly, the Pearl TV consortium entrance to announce that a new OTA has a track record of committing big mobile service using ATSC 1.0 8 VSB bucks to a serious on-air NextGen TV was possible, I’ve seen the enthusiasm promotional effort where 3.0 has been of many in the broadcast engineering deployed and has tackled online promocommunity as they have looked for tion with its own website and resources ways to maintain the relevancy of OTA for local broadcasters to use on theirs. television.

Most recently, it made a nationwide push With the dawn of 3.0—a broadcast timed for the 2021 holiday season to edustandard built on OFDM—that enthucate consumers about NextGen TV and siasm has only grown. The brightest promote adoption as described by my broadcast engineering minds in the colleague George Winslow. world came together to create a blueBut what about the efforts of local print for digital television that can carry stations in their communities to promote the industry decades into the future. the benefits of NextGen TV on the Now it’s time for the brightest marketground with the people? Is anyone even ing minds to do their job on the ground thinking about how to use, in the words where people live. l of Investopedia author Adam Hayes,

environmental sustainability

Getting Serious About Sustainability Can M&E reach zero carbon emissions by 2040?

By James Careless

Getty Images

OTTAWA—Tech companies in the media and entertainment (M&E) industry are making their business and production practices more sustainable by reducing their impact on the environment and contributions to climate change.

“The video industry is taking the ‘green initiative’ seriously,” said Thierry Fautier, vice president of strategy for Harmonic. “It has set a target and is now working toward achieving its goals. We have seen operators targeting zero carbon emission by 2040. There is also a new industry forum called ‘Greening of Streaming’ (greeningofstreaming.org) that is addressing greener video delivery.”

This last sustainability effort is particularly important, as “video traffic represented an estimated 84% of all consumer IP traffic in 2021 (up from 79% in 2016) according to the Cisco Visual Networking Index,” said Alain Nochimowski, CTO at the OTT/TV platform solutions company Viaccess-Orca. “Fortunately, the industry is starting to understand that it will need to take proactive steps toward being greener.”

REAL COMPANIES, TANGIBLE ACTIONS Across the M&E industry, specific companies and organizations are taking tangible

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steps to make themselves and the industry as a whole more sustainable. They include video delivery provider Ateme, live video contribution tech provider Aviwest, SDVI and IBC, among many others.

Given the billions of daily viewers of streaming services, reducing its environmental impact is a gigantic task.

“The largest source of power consumption for video services is the device, followed by the network and then the data center,” Fautier said. “Some work has already been done on the device side with smart power management schemes deployed and regulations looking at limiting the display consumption. On the network side, the move to 5G is aimed at drastically reducing the watt-per-bit cost; reports show that cloud infrastructure is more power-efficient than a classical on-premises infrastructure approach.”

Harmonic is enhancing its video compression algorithms to reduce traffic levels on IP networks, thus cutting the amount of electricity needed to deliver video content.

“We are doing this by using AIbased encoding techniques such as content-aware encoding [CAE], dynamic frame-rate encoding [DFE] and dynamic resolution encoding [DRE] to improve legacy codecs;

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also AVC mostly but also HEVC,” said Fautier.

The company is also promoting new, more efficient codecs such as AV1 and VVC, plus the LCEVC (low complexity enhancement video encoding) “intermediate solution” that combines legacy equipment and new approaches “to enable a significant savings in bandwidth and processing power,” he said.

Use of the cloud is critical to meeting such goals. “Harmonic is 100% committed to cloud,” added Fautier. The company is also asking OTT content providers to consider using power-efficient multicasting in place of unicasting, bearing in mind that doing so would reduce delivery flexibility for consumers.

ONE STREAM FOR A MILLION REQUESTS Content delivery solutions provider Broadpeak says its multicast adaptive bitrate (MABR) distribution product is a practical way to address unicasting’s (one-toone) high network usage.

“Without multicast ABR, if a million people are streaming the same content at the same time, there are one million active connections requiring ad-hoc capacity throughout Yann Begassat, the netbusiness development work and manager for Broadpeak

environmental sustainability consuming power accordingly,” said Yann Begassat, Broadpeak’s business development manager. “With multicast ABR, there is only one stream to address the million requests, dramatically reducing capacity needs and energy consumption.”

SDVI’s Rally media supply chain management platform is helping users such as A&E Networks, Comcast, Discovery, Sky, ViacomCBS, and WarnerMedia manage their end-to-end video assets in a more efficient (and thus more sustainable) manner.

“For our part, we have committed to a new sustainability program that makes all usage of the Rally media supply chain optimization platform, going back to the beginning of 2021, completely carbon neutral,” said Chris Brahler, SDVI’s vice president of product. “The program will also ensure that all SDVI customers benefit from permanent, ongoing carbon offsets for all Rally platform usage, including all third-party media applications used as part of a Rally-managed supply chain.”

As of Jan. 1, 2022, SDVI is now reporting and offsetting the carbon footprint associated with providing the Rally platform service to its customers, including the operation of all third-party application services under Rally management.

As an affiliate of the French telecom giant Orange, Viaccess-Orca shares that company’s sustainability commitments in terms of carbon neutrality, tooling, and methodology, including achieving a net zero carbon footprint by 2040.

“We are also actively contributing to accelerating the move toward greener streaming in our product roadmap,” Nochimowski said.

“The NESTED [New vidEo STandards for Enhanced Delivery] project that we recently announced in partnership with a number of other vendors is a significant public first step in the direction of setting the standard for energy efficient streaming.”

On the vehicle side, global broadcast production company NEP Group has switched its U.K. fleet of OB trucks from diesel fuel to GD+ HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil). Supplied

by Green Biofuels, GD+ HVO is an ultra-low emission alternative fuel that can replace diesel fuel without having to modify truck engines. It’s made from 100% waste organic matter such as used cooking oils, fats and other agricultural wastes. By switching to GD+ HVO, NEP hopes to drop its fleet’s greenhouse emissions by 95%.

This move to GD+ HVO is part of NEP UK’s Project Earth Sustainability Initiatives.

“In addition to moving to HD+ HVO, NEP is eliminating single-use plastics in all of

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NEP Group has switched its U.K. fleet of OB trucks from diesel fuel to GD+ HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil).

our OB productions,” said Marie Ellis, NEP Groups’ head of marketing for the U.K. and Ireland. “We’re also providing our employees with branded reusable water bottles, using rechargeable lithium batteries in our RF audio equipment, boosting corporate recycling while reducing waste, cutting back on travel, and reducing our carbon footprint.’

MUCH MORE TO DO Despite the many actions the above companies are taking to become more sustainable,

“Regulators have to step up—similar to what’s been done before in the broadband industry—by incentivizing operators to deploy green networks.”

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THIERRY FAUTIER, VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGY FOR HARMONIC

all of them believe that there’s much more that can be done.

“One solution would be establishing a broadly accepted common standard for measuring and reporting on emissions,” Brahler said. “If every organization were to move in that direction, we could understand just how serious that situation is at the moment and what we’ll need to do collectively to move toward net zero as an industry.”

“While carbon offsets are one option for mitigating impact, reducing emissions in the first place should be our focus,” he added.

“You don’t have to offset what you don’t create. If every organization along the media supply chain were to take responsibility for their part in the content life cycle, rather than push the carbon bill downstream, it might be a more equitable way to solve the problem and, at some point, maintain carbon neutrality from end to end.”

To motivate media companies to become more sustainable sooner, “regulators have to step up—similar to what’s been done before in the broadband industry—by incentivizing operators to deploy green networks,” said Fautier. “We need to look at the end-to-end power dissipation, not at local optimization.

If encoding a video using two times more CPU will reduce the traffic by 20%, the overall power savings for millions of unicast sessions is no brainer.”

Two things are certain. First, the media companies are taking real action to address climate change by moving to more sustainable products and practices. Second, the clock is ticking on dealing with climate change now, to reduce its impact in years to come.

“The stakes are too high not to take action,” Brahler told TV Tech. “If we miss this opportunity, there is no real way back.” l

sports coverage

Baseball Is Back!

Networks upgrade tech; Is Apple TV+ deal a harbinger for things to come?

Justin Amash of Fox Sports lenses an interview conducted by reporter Ken Rosenthal with Adam Duvall of the Atlanta Braves during the 2021 World Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Amash is shooting on the Sony HDC-P50 with a custom Fujinon wide-angle lens.

By Mark R. Smith

BALTIMORE—After a contentious, monthslong lockout between its players and owners, Major League Baseball got back in the game last month with a new agreement. On the heels of that announcement came news of a new player in the 2022 lineup that’s joining MLB Network, Fox Sports and ESPN: Apple TV+.

The deal between MLB and Apple TV+ is the latest extension of what’s been happening in other sports leagues, such as ESPN exclusively carrying selected NHL games on ESPN+; it calls for Apple TV+ to carry two Friday night games under a similar arrangement.

While the reportedly $85 million, seven-year deal was light on details, it led to more discussion about how viewers consume live sports, and just how Apple will present the games.

Will it create its own infrastructure, with broadcast and production crews? Or stream via mlb.com?

The economics suggest that the overall setup may soon include a variety of sports programming. Today, however, all involved are just happy to see the 2022 season get underway.

Fox Sports

LEADING OFF As the lockout ended, MLB Network was preparing to roll out a key update at its headquarters in Secaucus, N.J.: the refresh of Studio 3, so named for George Herman “Babe” Ruth.

“Studio 3 has been a workhorse for us,” said

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Susan Stone, senior vice president, operations/ engineering for MLB Network. “It has seven distinct areas, including a spot for social media that we’ve turned into a demo area.”

That demo area, dubbed the “On Deck Circle,” features a 2.6mm LED floor in an appropriate 12-foot radius, with SemiLumen floor tiles and interactive touch capability. “It can present moving video, sponsor signage,” said Stone, “or anything we want.”

Other parts of the update include a media wall, dubbed “the Backstop,” which measures 23x13 feet, with 1.8mm SemiLumen tiles.

Other new features include a curved 1.9mm LED wall, called (of course) “the Curve,” which measures a whopping 30x11 feet; and a new second news desk fronted by a curved 2x9-foot LED screen. The latter two displays are flexible.

The engines for the four new screens in Studio 3 are revved by Avid’s Maestro 4K system.

“We’ll double down on drones, cinema cameras and all of the things that made the Field of Dreams Game special last year.”

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The additions were created by New York-based Clickspring Design and built by Dimensional Worldwide with equipment from GrantAV. In addition to Studio 3, MLB Network will continue to work with its colleagues at the Office of the the Commissioner on expanded use of Statcast 3D, which analyzes player movements and athletic abilities; and FieldVision, which uses tracking data and transforms it into a 3D experience.

COMING SOON So, how did Fox Sports monitor if and/or when the 2022 season was going to start, and how it will start getting set up at the various MLB ballparks?

“We didn’t really know what our schedule was going to look like if/when the players came back,” said Michael Davies, senior vice president, field and technical operations for Fox Sports. Still, “As we’ve worked on the tent poles [for the All-Star and Field of Dreams games], this preparation did not stop and kept its pace. No real changes there.”

Concerning new ways to capture content, which the major networks often present during signature events, Davies was noncommittal.

He did, however, hint at new approaches.

“It’s too early to tell,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of innovation with our dirt cams and

sports coverage mic-ing of players,” he said. “I think that the All-Star Game will, once again, be all about access. We do have some new things in store for the ‘Field of Dreams,’ but I don’t think we’ll be unveiling them until later.

“What I will say,” said Davies, “is that we’ll double down on drones, cinema cameras and all of the things that made the ‘Field of Dreams’ game special last year.”

This season MLB Network is unveiling a 30-foot wide video wall dubbed “the Curve,” as well as a new news desk, among other innovations in Studio 3.

MLB Network

BACK TO SCHOOL Phil Orlins, vice president, production for ESPN, said the network’s innovation is “directed more toward MLB, with some also directed toward college” and that new technology “has more to do with information, data, screen layout,” etc., “as they are with cameras.”

Meg Aronowitz, vice president, noting that the network carries 2,000 college baseball and softball games every season, elaborated about ESPN’s extensive schedule. The hubs for its productions are the control rooms, with the spokes the fiber connections to the network’s facilities in Bristol, Conn.; Charlotte, N.C.; and The Woodlands (Houston).

As for the tech setup required when various conferences and many colleges are involved, Aronowitz discussed “The School Project,” which consists of 29 Southeast Conference (SEC) and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) institutions that operate and staff their own control rooms as ESPN’s partners. “That’s where the bulk of our programming originates.”

Typical game coverage consists of five-camera coverage, with operators stationed at the traditional spots: high home, high first, centerfield, low first and low third (compared to sev-

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en or eight locations for a typical MLB regional sports net presentation), with the cameras of choice being Sony 1500s to 2500s (and perhaps 4300s for super slo-mo), and various Ikegamis and Canon lenses.

“We throw more resources at the bigger games,” she said, noting that the equipment roster is most often rounded out with Ross Xpressions for graphics, Evertz DreamCatcher replay systems and routers, and Clear-Com and Riedel for comms.

TELLING STORIES Still, control room technology “can vary depending on the school, but most are multi-million dollar facilities equipped for major network productions,” Aronowitz said. For SEC and ACC broadcasts, trucks aren’t needed, but can be on other occasions. “That’s when

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a truck would be brought in from NEP, Game Creek or F&F. Or there could be a REMI setup when the network only does camera feeds or maybe just a sprinter van,” she said.

While college baseball is decidedly a lower-budget affair, there are still many similarities with MLB broadcasts, Aronowitz added.

That said, the college game also offers greater possibilities: ESPN just aired a softball tournament in Florida that included 40 games, with four games from four fields often aired simultaneously, with 20 on the various ESPN networks; the other half streamed via ESPN+.

“We didn’t have that option pre-ESPN+,” Aronowitz said. “We feel that there are a thousand ways to tell a story. Between Phil and I, we make the best decisions with the resources we have to get as many games on the air as possible.” l

media tech

How the Pandemic Impacted Pro Audio Professional gear works its way down-market

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t is often difficult to see the scope of major change For example, MSE Audio’s SolidDrive brand offers variwhen one is living through it. As professional video ous products to transform rigid and semi-rigid surfaces— continues its rapid pace toward smaller, better quality including drywall, glass and wood—into audio reproducers. and cheaper production gear, pro audio has expanded Clark Synthesis, another transducer manufacturer, makes even further—at a similar lightning-speed pace. devices designed to drive large surfaces, such as seats and Though audio has always been thought of as the stepfloors. These are calibrated to add the tactile sense that is child of video, professionals know that the quality and missing from music and movie soundtracks. The compacreative production of sound is every bit as important as ny even makes underwater speakers developed to deliver the image quality of video. Perhaps even more so in this audio to swimming pools. new era of compelling immersive, surround sound.

On the production side of pro audio, Tascam has broken Not only did the pandemic accelerate the trend of movnew ground in size and functionality with its Portacapture EXPERTISE ing audio production away from the studio to the home and X8, a six-channel handheld audio device with more features Frank Beacham office, it also necessitated the training of a new group of than ever before available in a small, one-pound portable sound producers— creative people who previously dependrecorder. The recorder uses a new launcher icon system ed on engineers for their work suddenly had to learn recording skills on with a 3.5-inch color touch panel that allows smooth navigation to setheir own. These two years of relative isolation caused a sea change in lect the best audio settings for a range of audio applications, including the ways we record, produce and reproduce sound. basic multitrack recording, podcasting, music, voice (interviews, vlog), field recording and ASMR. The recorder, with premium dual AD converters, provides a preset PRO TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MASSES level setting to achieve a wide dynamic range and 32-bit float point As computers got more powerful and networking more reliable, recording technology. The result is simple-to-make recordings with audio production tools got even better, cheaper and simpler to use by uncompromised audio quality—even with incorrect levels. The days the masses. Software replaced hardware and became almost indistinof riding gain are over with this recorder, since any amateur can get guishable in quality from the best vintage audio components of an perfect results. earlier era.

Audio advancements came in several key areas—ranging from advanced recording techniques to “invisible” immersive sound installaTascam Presonus tions for reproducing sonic images. Virtually no area of audio reproPortacapture Revelator duction escaped this rapid change during the pandemic.

X8 Dynamic USB Back in 1971, when the first four-channel quad sound systems were microphone introduced for home use, installations included four huge loudspeakers—one in each corner of the room. The sheer bulk of the gear was an Achilles heel that caused quad technology to fail commercially. Jac Holzman, one of the fathers of the quad movement, recalled that women, in particular didn’t like seeing all that gear in their living spaces.

That is no longer the case.

Today, hidden audio transducers can MSE Audio’s be used to generate invisible immerSolidDrive sive sound just about anywhere in a home or commercial environment. Such technology has been around for decades, installed mostly in military, theme park and commercial industries.

Now, many manufacturers have introduced lower-cost “invisible” audio systems that work anywhere, including whole-house audio, home theater and “butt shaker” gaming systems.

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media tech

These two years of relative isolation caused a sea change in the ways we record, produce and reproduce sound.

CAPTURING SOUND The pandemic has also had a major effect on microphones. As recordings have rapidly moved from well-treated recording studios to non-treated home and location venues, dynamic microphones have become more desirable. This is because lower-level dynamic mics tend to reject background noise and sound better in poor acoustic conditions than far more sensitive condensers.

During the pandemic, sales soared for Shure’s SM7B, a popular radio, podcast and vocal mic that works well in just about any sonic environment. As a result of the dramatically increased sales, a slew of similar competitor dynamic microphones have been introduced to compete with the 7B. Many choices of dynamic “podcast” mics are now available, designed mainly for spoken word recording.

Another major new microphone trend is the integration of software production tools into the microphone

Apogee HypeMIC

itself. An example of this is the new Presonus Revelator Dynamic USB microphone, which adds customizable software presets to further polish the voice.

The mic even has a built-in mixer which allows the user to blend the voice with audio from other applications—like Zoom calls—and quickly build the preferred monitor, stream or podcast output. Apogee’s HypeMIC is a USB mic with built-in analog compression, allowing broadcast-quality recording of voice-overs, podcasts or music instruments without processing on iOS devices and laptops.

Finally, with the increased popularity of audio production, distribution outlets have dramatically increased. Smart speakers in the home, mobile smartphones and podcasting are leading the explosion in audio popularity. Clubhouse, a fast growing internet platform with more than 10 million users, is attempting to create social audio. All audio content on Clubhouse is live, designed to significantly lower the entry barrier and encourage more people to speak up and voice their opinions.

Back when I covered the MIT Media Lab under Nicholas Negroponte in the 1990s, he famously said consumers have more “ear time” than “eye time.” Because of this, he predicted an explosion of audio-only content made by the masses. He was dead-on correct and we have reached that point today.

Audio recording now is almost as popular as the old family photo snapshot. The pandemic has propelled production in ways we do not yet fully understand. l

Frank Beacham is a writer based in New York.

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broadcast technology

‘Franken FMs:’ A Look at the Marriage of Radio and TV Time will tell as to whether or not they will proliferate and what will be the FCC’s response

By James O’Neal Part 2 of 2

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n part 1, we looked at the recent development of a “new breed” of Ch. 6 “Franken FM” TV/radio operations, with several members of ATSC discussing the validity and usefulness of these hybrid facilities that began popping up last year.

This time, we look at the engineering side of the “May/December” marriage of broadcasting that’s been around for such a short time that the “new” hasn’t even begun to wear off alongside one that’s existed for close to nine decades.

This is, of course, the combining of an ATSC 3.0 signal with an analog FM audio transmission.

Jampro Antennas

HYBRID CONFIGURATION The first station to try out the technology was Venture Technologies’ San Jose, Calif. Station, KBKF-LD, which began airing “second-gen” Franken signals last spring via an FCC Special Temporary Authority (STA) arrangement.

This initial hybrid configuration was actually the creation of two RF technology companies, SYES (System Engineering Solutions) and Com-Tech. SYES’s vice president of sales for the Americas, Alessandro Annoni, provided a short history of the project.

“We worked together on this low VHF TV/FM combiner, beginning back in the late spring of 2020,” he said. “We designed a low-V transmitter working with a specific modulation/bandwidth and distortion, and a hybrid filter to avoid any type of interference or intermodulation.

The amazing tech team of Venture Technologies, Daniel Bisset and Will Brownlie helped us to get this new system working in San Jose, back in February 2021.”

Jampro Antennas has also been working with LPTV Ch. 6 licensees to move to this new digital/analog broadcasting platform, with the company’s president, Alex Perchevitch, noting that while some amount of engineering effort was necessary to get the technology to the point where it could serve as a “proof of concept,” his company had earlier assisted analog Ch. 6 stations in delivering “standalone” FM radio services on 87.75 MHz.

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“We were approached by a well-known consulting group on how to combine the FM audio with the Ch. 6 [video], and used modified diplexers similar to those we have produced since the 1960s for analog TV stations of various power levels,” he recalled.

Perchevitch said that his company’s recent grafting of 3.0 DTV with analog FM required the use of a modified Jampro VHF mask filter and some reworking the FM side of the operation to achieve a happy marriage. However, his company had a lot of experience working with installations involving the combining of multiple FM signals into a common antenna.

“This was not a new endeavor for us or one that required development of a new product group,” said Perchevitch. “We often supply FM combiners for frequency spacings as close as 400 kHz and this experience and product group provided the [expertise] and product to use for this hybrid TV/FM application.”

Even so, the initial assembly of a hybrid 3.0 DTV/analog FM Ch. 6 station did not exactly follow a “plug and play” script.

“We spent several months re-developing the filter technology to meet the requirements,” said Perchevitch. “Certainly, any time you are trying to combine frequencies which are so closely spaced and achieve high isolation with low insertion loss, it is a challenge.”

Inasmuch as the technology for combining closely spaced dissimilar RF signals has been available for some time now, one might naturally ask why such hybrid DTV/analog FM

operations were not attempted by Ch. 6 licensees much sooner—perhaps coincident with the start of ATSC 1.0 broadcasting?

Actually, at least one full-power Ch. 6 station experimented with such a mixed transmission mode, but the results were less than satisfactory and the FCC refused to sanction it.

As explained Mark Aitken senior vice president of advanced technology for Sinclair, the reason for the failure of 1.0/FM pairing is simple. “ATSC 1.0 really precluded bifurcating spectrum occupancy,” he said. “As soon as you tried to shorten the bandwidth of the1.0 signal, you broke it; 3.0 is a different story.”

THE BEGINNING OF A TSUNAMI? Could the apparent success of KBKF-LD and the other “second-gen” Frankens now on the air lead to the adoption of this hybrid mode of broadcasting by full power Ch. 6 operations?

Perchevitch was asked if he saw any barriers that would preclude these Ch. 6 stations from airing dual-audience broadcasts.

“It’s certainly possible,” he responded. “And we believe it’s very possible that there will be more hybrid Ch.6 stations in the future.”

Perchevitch views this new breed of hybrid stations with optimism, as they squeeze additional utility of their 6-MHz chunks of spectrum, and added that he was not at all surprised at their rapid emergence.

“Lower power broadcasters and the consultants serving that industry have always been very creative in seeking ways to be competitive

Keeping signals close in frequency from interfering with each other is essential in creating a hybrid ATSC 3.0/analog FM signal. It’s relatively easy to accomplish with today’s filters, combiners and computer modeling.

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broadcast technology and generate revenue,” he said. “The use of CPOL [circular polarization] and EPOL [elliptical polarization] by LPTVs is a great example. Long before large numbers of full-power stations broadcast signals with EPOL or CPOL, LPTVs often were operating with elliptical or circular polarization. Franken FMs are all about addressing radios and the revenue from radio listeners, something [mainstream] TV to date has not been able to capitalize on.”

Bill Harland, vice president of marketing at Electronics Research, Inc. , was also not surprised with the launching of what might be the vanguard of a common broadcasting practice.

“There are a number of Ch. 6 LPTV stations in the U.S. that have been operating in major markets as FM stations for many years,” said Harland. “These are established facilities with significant listenership and the FCC rules do not specifically prohibit offering these ancillary services.”

On the other hand, Keith Pelletier, vice president and GM of Dielectric, did express some surprise at the suddenness of the arrival of “second-gen” Frankens. “It certainly caught me off guard,” he said, explaining that “the business model seems to be targeted for older vehicle re-

“There are a number of Ch. 6 LPTV stations in the U.S. that have been operating in major markets as FM stations for many years.”

ALEX PERCHEVITCH, JAMPRO

ceivers. In the future, as the older receivers get replaced it will be important to have a receiver that will go below 88 MHz, and not just vehicle receivers. Also, it will be an all-digital world at some point I would think, so analog services even in the FM world may go away.”

Nonetheless, Dielectric is ready to supply Ch. 6 TV stations with the technology needed to add analog FM if they desire to do so.

“Our sales team has been approached by multiple license holders,” said Pelletier. “We have manufactured two antennas to date and

have discussed multiple more deployments that should happen in 2022.”

He added that while the antenna portion of such a 3.0/FM installation wasn’t especially challenging, the combiner was a somewhat different story. “In contrast to the antenna, the combiner needed more simulation work as well as development in the lab,” he continued. “This work was done using circuit simulation tools, HFSS (3D electromagnetic simulation software), and finally a prototype was manufactured to prove out the system.”

ERI’s Harland noted too that such combining of dissimilar signals was not especially challenging. “ERI manufactures filters and diplexers that could be adapted for this application and we would design and manufacture the components required for a transmitter supplier to build systems for this application.”

At this point, the technology is in place, as are operators and their audiences, so only time will tell as to whether or not these Ch. 6 hybrid DTV/FM stations will proliferate, and whether the FCC will sanction their operations beyond STAs by moving the matter to the next rung and taking the necessary steps to codify their existence and operating practices. l

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inside audio

TV Sports in 2022: In Search of Immersive Sound It’s out there but not always easy to obtain

Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images

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Maria Therese Tviberg of Norway competes during the alpine rying to get beyond all the hype you read about skiing mixed team parallel event of Beijing 2022 Winter immersive sound, I spent several months preparOlympics. ing to listen to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and Super Bowl LVI in immersive in my home I hooked up my soundbar directly to my Roku Ultra and in Decatur Ala. I confirmed that NBC Sports produced 5.1.4 hooked the 4K output from the soundbar to my Sony 4K Channel Immersive Sound, but it is still difficult to get television. immersive sound into the home.

After 10 minutes of fiddling with menus and remotes I In an ideal digital world, you would be able to hook up was able to get sound through the system. Although the your digital antenna to an ATSC 3.0 tuner and receive a sound was better than my Vizio surround sound soundbar, UHD video signal and immersive Dolby Atmos sound from I was not convinced that I had immersive sound. Initially your regional terrestrial television provider. I am about 35 I was suspect of the HDMI interfaces and contacted Neal EXPERTISE miles from the antenna and have good terrestrial reception, Roberts, senior manager, Broadcast Partnerships at Dolby Dennis Baxter but Huntsville Ala. is not an ATSC 3.0 market yet. There are Laboratories (Neal has since moved on to HBO Max). nearly 50 markets in the United States that transmit ATSC Neal told me that regardless of the version of HDMI, 3.0 with Dolby Atmos as the immersive audio standard but no luck with consumers will always have audio and with later versions supporting my trusty digital antenna. more capabilities.

My Roku Ultra streaming device said it is capable of Dolby Atmos so “The connection is controlled by the sophisticated handshaking I searched out satellite, cable and streaming services and continued my between source and sync devices that HDMI supports,” Neal said. “This quest for immersive sound. NBC delivered 4K UHD with Dolby Atmos ranges from stereo at minimum, to 5.1 channels of decoded PCM audio, sound for the 2022 Winter Olympics coverage to customers through to an encoded DD+ bitstream that includes Dolby Atmos, to decoded distribution partners including Comcast, Verizon, fuboTV, YouTubeTV audio and metadata [known as “MAT”]. For example, a new set-top box and Prime. Comcast and Verizon did not offer service in my area and connected to a legacy soundbar/AVR might produce a stereo or a 5.1 Direct was only interested in selling me their biggest package and no channel surround sound experience, while that same HDMI signal conone could tell me if the Dish Hopper delivers immersive sound. With a nected to a newer soundbar or AVR would be capable of reproducing a $69 a month contract minimum, satellite or cable was out of the quesDolby Atmos experience.” tion for this experiment.

So it seems that it is possible to deliver immersive sound to the consumer, but I question the depth of immersive experience since it was difficult to hear much sound above me.

‘SOPHISTICATED HANDSHAKING’ While I searched for a service provider I spent half a year’s earnings from my TV Tech writing commission and bought a high-end Yamaha THE RIGHT SOUND FOR THE RIGHT SPORTS Soundbar with Dolby Atmos and 49 speakers firing in all directions.

Now is the time to consider the consumers and how-to best cre-

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inside audio

I think the 2022 Winter Olympics proved that the infrastructure for producing and delivering immersive sound is working itself out. ate an effective soundfield over soundbars. Up-firing soundbars need something to up-fire. Birds and aircraft belong in the height channel, but I question how much ambiance and atmosphere should be directed into the height channel. Clearly the most popular American sport— football—does not offer any sports sound that logically should be in the height channels except the PA and atmosphere.

However, there is a large reservoir of activities, such as many winter sports, that benefit from an aggressive vertical enhancement. For example, with ski jumping, simply by placing the last microphones on the jump in the height channels it gives a clear aural impression of lifting off. Elevating sounds is a significant aspect of immersive sound and sports struggles with what sounds should be elevated into the height channels. My upcoming book shares more than 50 case studies on immersive sound production for sports.

I think the 2022 Winter Olympics proved that the infrastructure for producing and delivering immersive sound is working itself out, but significantly I think audio producers must consider advanced immersive sound production practices and create an immersive sound experi-

ence beyond atmospheric embellishments.

In 2016, I presented the concept of “Front Soundfield Reinforcement” which coalesces the front vertical soundfield into a cohesive aural pallet. Contemporary immersive sound production is typically horizontal layers with a surround layer at ear level and another height layer with usually four channels of sound. If you contemplate vertical layers where the front left, right and the height channels collectively reinforce the front soundfield, then the concept of Front Soundfield Reinforcement seems like a logical solution for soundbar reproduction.

Basketball clearly demonstrates the benefits of Front Soundfield Reinforcement. Basketball uses a camera under each basket which visually has significant vertical dimension. By placing microphones by the net and on the floor and routing the net microphones into the height channels, the illusion of being under the basket is complete because the net sounds are heard above the listener.

When I reflect on the state of immersive sound production I accept that perhaps atmospheric embellishments are enough for the average sports consumer, but I think an enhanced and entertaining experience is necessary to engage an audience that seems to have lost its appetite for TV sports. Listen Up. l

Dennis Baxter has contributed to hundreds of live events including sound design for nine Olympic Games. He has earned multiple Emmy awards and is the author of “A Practical Guide to Television Sound Engineering.” His current book about immersive sound practices and production will be available in May. He can be reached at dbaxter@ dennisbaxtersound.com or at www.dennisbaxtersound.com

cloudspotter’s journal

Cloud Awareness for Applications in Media Analyzing the medium’s path from tape to data

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loud services for media things really work.” applications take on a That’s a perfectly valid statediffering set of concerns ment which reminds potential compared to the more media users that the cloud has a routinely deployed data-cloud purpose; and that the success of a services and applications. For cloud deployment depends a great example, if you’re the accounting deal on choosing the right purpose. department chances are cloud-like That statement, “lack of insight services are integrated into the or misconception,” will be further bookkeeping functions. In a similar amplified in this Cloudspotter’s way, HR may use record-keeping Journal.

EXPERTISE applications which may also be Media applications require Karl Paulsen cloud-data related. differing considerations from These examples are effectively data-cloud applications; and may framed as “data-cloud” services which likerequire both proper guidance and the balancly work on “structured data” i.e., organized, ing of choices when considering media related predictable, spreadsheet-like applications with cloud services, as is simplified in Fig. 1. consistent occurrences. Data-cloud services employ common methodologies for storing RELEVANT PERCEPTIONS near-term and long-term information, as pure There are some relevant user perceptions data. that become more obvious as media-cloud However, using a cloud service for media implementations take shape. In resolve, users applications brings a vocabulary of differing should be pragmatic about what moves to the methodologies, unstructured data, storage, cloud—that is the “what, why, and what for” high- and low-level compute processes, and needs a relative definition for each cloud-servastly different cost-of-use or egress paramvices expectation. eters. Determining the proper use sets raises You probably shouldn’t put “everything” in considerations such as applicability, cost modthe cloud as an abundance of marketeering sugeling, availability, and feasibility. gests. Nonetheless, there are some great values This month’s topic focuses on “media and and some not-so-good values in using the cloud entertainment” applications. Cloud-data for media services (at least for the time being). services will not be addressed, except for one This good/not-so-good perspective is exemplicommon component. Security must continually fied by a “cost-to-benefit” or the “total cost of be paid attention to irrespective of the data or ownership” (TCO) analysis. cloud applications served.

On the positive side of cloud, efficiency may well be the better explanation for going

cloud rather than valuing an expected savings in capital costs by itself. Efficiencies include staff reductions, time to market (speed), and elasticity. Certainly efficiency is a well-phrased hypothesis, so study both the purpose and the value propositions carefully when choosing the services cloud can provide.

ON-PREM NECESSITIES In an overall media system, requirements for “ground-based” activities will remain. Studio cameras require lenses and controls “on the ground.” However, there are current products, and more being developed, that do an incredible job at automating or managing the resultant camera images wirelessly, autonomously, and globally. Such cloud-based factors change the efficiency model in a positive way, reducing operational expenses, including time, by orders of magnitude.

Visual effects (VFX) production still depend on several non-cloud activities, most of which require some elements be housed, operated, or managed “on-prem.” However, recent advancements have pushed cloud-based tech forward for VFX professionals, rounding out the ecosystem appropriately. Cloud solutions for boutiques don’t necessarily need cash for storage hardware or render-servers; they can now integrate some services into a cloud solution.

Users now simply add or subtract cloud services faster and smoother without tying up costly capital, shifting to an OpEx model only for those temporary services they may need.

ELASTIC, HYBRID, VIRTUAL There are still layers to this onion that remain unpeeled. Certain “applications” become defining elements for a “hybrid-cloud model.”

A recent HPA-TR conference panelist reminded us that “hybrid models are becoming the norm rather than the exception for media production.”

Virtualization and VDI-technologies have changed how cloud supports work for end users.

5G transports now reach “direct-to-cloud,”

CLOUD REALITY Users, owners, and promoters of cloud should all recognize that “cloud reality is important.”

Google the term “cloud reality” and most likely you’ll get a plethora of real estate agencies, property listings, and virtual headwear—these are not what we mean when applying the term “cloud reality” to media-related services.

Probably the better of the many renderings of cloud reality is stated by Cloudeon (www. cloudeon.com/what-we-do) which says, “As with most new technology or new ways of thinking, Cloud adoption often suffers from lack of proper insight or misconceptions of the way

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Fig. 1: The balancing act of value and functionality (L) plus the swinging between on-premises, hybrid, or in the cloud.

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cloudspotter’s journal

Fig. 2: Depiction of a zero trust security model, known also as ZTNA (zero trust network architecture).

taking certain ground-based components out of the equation.

Remote vs. local should be carefully weighed from a cost/management perspective.

Another cloud-enabler is elasticity, i.e., allowing for expanding or shrinking capacity without impacting space or utilities.

However, some percentage of your hardware should remain closely accessible, especially when external conditions change daily operating models in a negative way. Cloud egress costs can potentially overtake any local storage costs, be aware of that usage element.

EFFICIENCY, TIME SAVINGS, STAFFING Producers and technical administrators must look fully and completely at all cloud costs. Reflecting that “[cloud uses] may be efficient and save time, but it will not save you money” (per Renard Jenkins, senior VP for Warner Bros Entertainment/WarnerMedia) and may become a moving target. Just because you’ve moved a portion of your operations “to the cloud” doesn’t mean you’ve necessarily answered the long-term questions.

Supporting a full or hybrid cloud model requires different staffing expertise be added into your operations. Some expound that cloud may “slash your IT costs” and “boost performance” while adding the “potential for innovation” and “developing new capabilities.” Cloud is an evolving, and different breed of solution sets that still likely require additional internal or external administrative practices. For some operations this means new personnel, more training or a differing focus on the labor pool.

TRUST NOTHING, VERIFY EVERYTHING The last of these observations is security. Palo Alto Networks states that “legacy network architectures no longer work in today’s cloud-enabled world.” This elevates the prospect of “zero-trust,” an element in the overall ecosystem that is continually expanding (Fig. 2).

The likelihood of a damaging experience working in or around a cloud-environment suggests that you “trust nothing, verify everything,” adding another dimension to workflows, especially hybrid ground/cloud environments.

Zero trust network architectures (ZTNA) is about assurance, reliability, and protection of resources, i.e., services, workflows, accounts, servers, and assets; a practice and not just the physicality of protecting network segments.

Cloud providers have an arsenal of protective security methodologies once “in” their cloud. Authentication and monitoring are where the complications are, especially the issues of cloud egress, usually via an external or third party service provider. Don’t ever assume someone else is watching out for your security!

In summary, many issues and practices were exposed in this fundamental overview of cloud-based systems for media applications. If nothing else, being aware is probably the best overall recommendation you can take away from this brief introduction. l

equipment guide | UAVs, camera support, lighting & batteries

Designing Tomorrow’s TV Studio From the Ground Up With ARRI USER REPORT

TORONTO—Recent advancements in lighting technology have changed the production world for the better—but it’s not just because of the convenience, efficiency and control afforded by LED. As with every great idea, LED technology requires implementation that adapts the breakthrough for use as a day-today tool.

One recent assignment that brought this home to me was when I had the opportunity to design the lighting for a brandnew state-of-the-art television studio for Rogers Communications in Toronto.

FROM THE GROUND UP The studio was designed from the ground up to house a range of sports coverage led by the venerable “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcasts. The design of the facility needed to be flexible for a range of applications so that the latest lighting and camera tools could combine with visual reality set extensions, augmented reality and 3D capabilities, resulting in dynamic, immersive content and a great viewing experience.

Of course, there’s a ton of brand-new lighting technology involved, along with numerous video walls, and there’s LED lighting in the desks and in the walls. “The Cove” is a 50-foot floor-to-ceiling LED wall, one of a number of video walls used for a wide array of applications— stats, players, sponsorship, etc.

With 13 cameras working at times, I needed dependable LED

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April 2022 | www.tvtech.com |

Credit: Sportsnet

By James Downey Lighting Director Fullerton Productions

James Downey turned to ARRI lighting technologies when designing a new TV studio for Sportsnet in Toronto.

lighting for the sets and talent.

ARRI lighting tools played a crucial role, especially the ARRI L-Series and SkyPanel instruments.

There’s a kind of magic, happy spot between lighting, video and internal LED lights where the cameras like to be. You need to find the “sweet spot,” and my lights can’t be a hindrance to that.

That’s what’s great about ARRI lighting—I can set it to 4700 degrees Kelvin, and with a little bit of plus green or minus green, I can find that magical combination—the lights can be dependably matched to exactly where we need to be.

THE COLOR OF SPORTS Color is especially important when dealing with dozens of big-money sports teams that very carefully manage their branding. The studio includes a lighting board with presets that twitter.com/tvtechnology

can light the sets with any one of 60-plus colors that represent one of 30-some hockey teams or 30 professional baseball teams. That effect can be adjusted with LED accentuation that backlights the talent from the in-set sources.

Rather than a single look that remains steady for the duration of the show, different looks can be drawn up for different shows—or even within the same show.

Environmental stewardship is important to Rogers. Replacing a fixture with something that uses 60% less electricity and produces 60% less heat that must be cooled down later translates to a massive amount of savings. It’s also nice for the talent to feel more comfortable. It’s a win-win.

ARRI’s long experience and deep understanding of real-world concerns make their LED fixtures superior—dependable, versatile, easy to use. I put ARRI lighting into studios, because if I have the option, that’s what I rent.

I want to give the client what I would want because I never want them to have to call me about a problem.

I feel comfortable knowing the weight of the ARRI team is behind me—the product is just built right. I’ve always loved what ARRI lighting products show the camera: We all see the beautiful richness that comes from the SkyPanel—whether it’s crisp daylight or warm tungsten—and there’s no compromise. l Lighting director James Downey has worked on lighting design and implementation of more than two dozen studios for Rogers Communications and on such productions as the Super Bowl, the Genie and Gemini Awards, and the William and Kate Royal Wedding. He can be reached by email at fullertonproductions@me.com.

For more information visit www.arri.com.

equipment guide | UAVs, camera support, lighting & batteries

Shotoku’s SX260 System Helps Centergy Studios Put It All Together USER REPORT

By David Mook MBA, PMP/President & Executive Director Centergy Studios

ATLANTA—Centergy Studios is a full-service video production facility with the Centergy Group project management consulting firm. We started shooting TV and feature films in Atlanta in 2006 and opened our studio in Key West, Fla. about a year ago.

I founded Centergy Group in 2000 and today serve as president and executive project manager. I’m proud that we’ve earned the reputation for “putting it all together” and have turned our clients’ most complex and critical initiatives into successful realities through our no-nonsense and pragmatic approach to planning and implementation.

Our many and varied menu of services includes pre-production, video capture, post-production, and platform delivery, and our projects run the gamut from live broadcasts to large conference productions, corporate events, live content, on-demand implementations, festivals and concerts, training scenarios—you name it, we’ll film it.

Our client list includes top tier news and sports broadcasters, financial institutions, telecommunications companies, government environmental regulatory organizations, and many more.

THE SX260 HEAD SYSTEM We recently needed to add a pan and tilt head/tripod combination to our studio operations.

We’re happy to say that Shotoku Broadcast Systems was recommended to us and we couldn’t be

happier with the results. Shotoku provided an SX260 head system, one of the company’s latest models, which sits on a TTM1002C 2-stage carbon fiber tripod.

The SX260 incorporates bestin-class features and performance, and even though it is one of the lightest on the market at this level of payload (up to a maximum of 55 lbs.), it’s robust, reliable, and the performance is flawless.

The Shotoku Truebalance system delivers perfect counterbalance and is remarkably easy to adjust from one end of the range to the other with an intuitive display to indicate the current setting within the balance range.

The drag system uses Shotoku’s Viscam system but combines the ease and speed of selection of the best-known stepped systems with the fine-tuning and on-shot adjustment of a continuously variable design.

THE TTM1002C TRIPOD We partnered the SX260 system with Shotoku’s TTM1002C carbon fiber tripod. It’s lightweight and rigid, and features fiber tube construction. We’re using it in our studios but are confident that its exceptional performance would stand up in the field when needed there. The tripod is outfitted with oneclick leg clamps for quick setup and teardown. We also took advantage of Shotoku’s floor and mid-spreader options and a second pan bar.

Setup was a breeze. The gear came with clearly defined instructions and there was no training necessary—we could assemble it and jump right into operations without any assistance. The configuration is very stable, well balanced, and holds the camera and teleprompter

David Mook at Centergy chose the Shotoku SX 260 head system and a TTM1002C 2-Stage Carbon Fiber tripod for new studio operations in Key West Florida.

system very well. This allows us to concentrate on our work because we never have to worry about the equipment’s performance.

We’re a growing company and look forward to further expansion in the future. When we have a need for another pan/tilt tripod, Shotoku will be our first choice. l

David Mook, MBA, PMP, founded Centergy Group in 2000 and serves as president & executive director of project management.

He can be reached at: dmook@ centergygroup.com For more information on the Shotoku SX 260 head system, Shotoku TTM1002C 2-Stage Carbon Fiber tripod and other products, visit www.shotoku.co.uk.

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equipment guide | UAVs, camera support, lighting & batteries

Sachtler’s aktiv14T Keeps Things Level During ‘GMA’ Oregon Shoot USER REPORT

By Geoff Nelson Lighting Cameraman/DP Full Nelson Video

SEATTLE—As the tourist locomotive in Seaside, Ore. blew its whistle and brought its steam engine to life, I was using the Sachtler aktiv14T head for the first time, documenting Oregon coast life for ABC News and a series on “Good Morning America” called “Rise and Shine.” We were on the first day of the shoot, with two crews tasked with profiling fun and interesting things to do in Oregon.

The train pulled away from the station and my hand instinctively reached underneath my tripod head to loosen the knob and level my Sony z750 XDCAM, but I wasn’t using my older Sachtler 18. I had the new aktiv14T, which meant that with one quick release of the aktiv series SpeedLevel, I was “bubbled up” in no time, capturing some great sequences of the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad locomotive leaving the station.

Then I spent the rest of the day on the beautiful Oregon coast shooting b-roll with my aktiv14T and flowtech100 tripod. The ease of use and speed of the Aktiv series leveling system was really fun, especially in a setting where finding great shots was easy.

Throughout the long day—and profiling a second winery that also included some “run and gun” interviews—I was really impressed with the weight of the aktiv14T, especially when paired with my flowtech100. Moving around quickly was so much easier with a lightweight system that was quick to set up.

By this time, on the second day, my tripod instincts were reconditioned, and I was really enjoying how fast the 14T was leveling up for different scenarios.

GOING LIVE Our third and final day meant live shots for GMA, fronting the stories we’d shot. We set up along a lookout point with the Columbia River Gorge in the background, and with the rising sun making a perfect entrance as our segment, went live on ABC. I was again using my Sony Z750, Fujinon 23x HD lens, SmallHD monitor, and Anton/Bauer Titon 240 battery, a fairly heavy setup that the aktiv14T handled without an issue. We wrapped our live hits after a couple hours and the production moved

on to Alaska and elsewhere.

My experience with the aktiv14T went beyond what I expected. My favorite feature is SpeedLevel—which will change the way you work as a camera operator—and I was impressed with the weight capacity of the 14T as it handled all the camera setups and accessories I could throw at it.

I think the three fast-paced days we spent with ABC and GMA were the perfect “trial by fire” for what I was used to in terms of tripod systems and the new aktiv14T. For someone who’s been using Sachtler support for 24 years, the aktiv series was a fun and efficient way to usher in a new way of shooting and new era of tripod head technology. l Geoff Nelson is a lighting cameraman at Full Nelson Video, Inc. and has won many awards including Emmys and NPPA Photographer of the Year titles. He can be reached at seattletvcrew@comcast.net.

For more information on Sachtler camera support systems, visit www.sachtler.com.

SIMPLIFIED LEVELING Our shoot soon moved inland and the next morning required a three-camera setup at a winery, interviewing the local NBA celebrities that invested and brought the label to some prominence. My main camera for this was my Sony FX9 with a 70-200mm lens. I was also running a 7-inch SmallHD monitor and an Anton/Bauer Titon 240 battery.

The aktiv handled the weight with ease and finding the right amount of drag for the movement I needed between iso shots of three guests was easy. Even in the blazing mid-day June sun, the illuminated prism bubble was easy to read as we leveled up our cameras, doing final checks before we rolled.

One simple push of the prism bubble and it lit up with a pleasing blue color that was visible from the top and side, depending on how high the camera was positioned.

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During an assignment for `GMA’ about fun things to do in Oregon, Geoff Nelson relied on the Sachtler aktiv14T head to keep his cameras level and steady throughout a three-day shoot that ended with this live shot.

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equipment guide | UAVs, camera support, lighting & batteries

TaylorVision Powers TV Productions With Anton/Bauer Batteries USER REPORT

By Bruce Taylor Cinematographer/DP TaylorVision Productions

NEW YORK—I began my career as a DP in 1981 at a small startup in the snowy Northeast, called the “Entertainment and Sports Programming Network,” or ESPN. As I gained more experience under my belt, I became more involved with equipment purchases for ESPN’s camera department. We traveled with the smallest crews imaginable to the largest sporting events in the world—to call them “skeleton crews” would be an understatement. We had a cameraman, audio tech, and gaffer all rolled into one position.

What we carried was carefully thought out—it had to be compact, simple, and reliable because in live sports coverage, there are no second takes. The last thing we wanted to worry about was power.

Early on, our Ikegami HL79 cameras and separate VTRs were powered by a company that powered film cameras. As the airlines began restricting what types of batteries were allowed onboard, newer solutions became available. We needed to reconsider what we traveled with, and Anton/Bauer was gaining traction in the industry. They paid a visit to show us their innovative products, and from that moment forward, ESPN has exclusively relied on Anton/Bauer.

POWERING A NEW COMPANY In 1997, I left ESPN to form TaylorVision Productions. I had many decisions to make when

Bruce Taylor’s firm TaylorVision uses Anton/Bauer batteries for cameras, lights and other gear in its video production work for such networks as Fox Sports, NFL Network, Disney and ESPN.

considering what equipment I should buy—Sony or Ikegami, Sennheiser or Lectrosonics, OConnor or Sachtler, ARRI or Mole Richardson, but the one no-brainer was Anton/Bauer batteries.

I remember while covering an NFL game in New England, we were informed that a fire had started after a small explosion in a studio near the media center during halftime. When the fire was extinguished, and we were allowed back in, we discovered two things: An off-brand battery blew up on its charger, and our cameras were covered in firefighting foam.

This could have been catastrophic, and the incident prompted an immediate investigation that led to a temporary ban on charging all camera batteries indoors at the stadium.

Eventually Anton/Bauer batteries were given the all-clear and were allowed inside again.

ONE CONSTANT Equipment manufacturers come

and go, but the one constant in my 41-year career has been Anton/ Bauer. The camera that I’m using the most these days is my Sony VENICE, and anyone that has shot with one knows how power-hungry they are.

Besides powering the camera, I’m often running wireless follow-focus and iris motors, a Teradek wireless video transmitter, and a SmallHD on-board monitor, all off the same Titan 150 battery. I put that load on in confidence, knowing exactly how long the battery will last, to the minute.

My clients now include most broadcast and cable networks, including Fox Sports, NFL Network, Disney and ESPN. Lately we’ve been shooting some very high-profile shows, including documentary films, the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World, and branded content for advertisers such as Smirnoff, Coors, Ram trucks, Papa John, Coca-Cola and Snickers.

We rely heavily on Anton/ Bauer to power a multitude of

equipment on set and in the field. The Titon 150s aren’t a one-trick pony either; I often use them to power my Litepanels Astra and Gemini lighting, and our producers and directors have even used them to charge their cellphones directly from the battery via the USB port.

In short, Anton/Bauer is constantly on the cutting edge of new technology. Their batteries have long been the industry standard. They charge quickly, are rugged, safe, reliable and IATA travel-certified. I don’t know what more you can ask for in a battery. I’m a lifelong user, and a big-time fan. l After working at ESPN for many years, Bruce Taylor started his own company TaylorVision Productions in 1997. More information is available at www.TaylorVisionHD.com; he can be reached at TaylorVision@ cox.net or at 203-671-5500.

More information on Anton/ Bauer batteries is available at www.antonbauer.com.

twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | April 2022

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equipment guide | UAVs, camera support, lighting & batteries

buyers briefs

LIGHTING & CAMERA SUPPORT Lupo Movielight300 PRO Dual Color Movielight from Lupo is the company’s first release in the “Bowens Mount” form factor.

Popular for many years in lighting for still photography, Bowens Mount has become increasingly popular for shooting video, offering great flexibility with hundreds of modifiers available from other companies that can be snapped onto the standard mount. Movielight features an open face COB design which comes with a standard high-quality parabolic reflector.

Unlike other similar devices Movielight offers an integrated all-in-one design, rather than having an external ballast/control unit, with

high light output (up to 40,000 Lux at 1m) and an affordable price point (under $1,000). z For more information visit https://lupo.it/en/.

Quasar Science Double Rainbow Kino Flo RDM for LED Fixtures

Quasar Science Double Rainbow tubular LED lights create realistic lighting and lifelike animation with two rows of up to 48 individually controllable pixels. The low-profile shape enables high-quality white light and saturated color in any space. Rainbow fixtures feature Quasar’s RGBX Spectral Science Color Engine (RGBX SSCE) that uses more than one quintillion diode combinations to produce over one billion unique colors.

Industry-standard wired and wireless protocols, including DMX, CRMX, W-DMX, Bluetooth, sACN and Art-Net, are built-in together with an Ethernet Node and Network Switch, providing advanced networking architecture with no need for additional data boxes.

Kino Flo Lighting Systems has upgraded its lighting firmware with Remote Device Management (RDM), crossfade and expanded 16-bit options. The new RDM feature makes it easier for light board operators to communicate with and control Kino LEDs when running them remotely with DMX. The RDM protocol allows two-way communication between fixtures and a DMX lighting console or computer app. Fixture DMX personalities and other settings can be remotely configured and monitored—no manual selection required.

Kino LEDs were also recently upgraded with proprietary camera Look-Up Tables (LUTs) so users can map their lights onto a camera’s unique color sensitivity curve.

z For more information visit www.quasarscience.com.

z For more information visit www.kinoflo.com.

OConnor Ultimate 1040 System The OConnor Ultimate 1040 System is constructed of high-performance magnesium and aluminum alloys with stainless steel wide tilt bearings for extra stability for payloads from zero to 45 lbs. The fluid head offers stepless, ultra-smooth pan and tilt fluid drag, custom designed to provide control and stability and the patented OConnor Sinusoidal Counterbalance system provides true, accurate

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balance at any point in the tilt range. The counterbalance can drop all the way to zero. The OConnor edition flowtech100 tripod provides incredibly fast, lightweight and easy-to-setup camera support with revolutionary quick release brakes and rubber feet for speed with stability. z For more information visit www.ocon.com.

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equipment guide | UAVs, camera support, lighting & batteries

Lighting New TV Studios With BB&S Compact Fresnel Lights USER REPORT

By Scott Kepley Lighting Designer Owner/Principal RE/LIGHT

LOS ANGELES—The first time I used BB&S lighting was while working as a lighting designer in 2012 for the PAC-12 Network in San Francisco. I took to it immediately and soon used the ForceV along with the Area 48 on projects for the Los Angeles Lakers, TWC Studio in El Segundo, KTTV in Los Angeles, as well as KGO and Al Jazeera America studios in San Francisco.

In March of 2020, I decided to focus on my own company, RE/LIGHT. Great timing, right?

As you can imagine, business was extremely slow at first, but in 2021 it picked up. While on a corporate production for a large studio set, I was introduced to the new BB&S Compact Fresnel Lights (CFL), which we used mainly for backlights and scenic highlights. It was enough to give me confidence in the CFLs on my next project.

that is what led me to specify BB&S lighting for talent on my next project.

NEW SETS FOR KXTV I’ve been lighting new sets for KXTV in Sacramento for the past few months and have specified the Area 48 Studio for soft base light, the CFL for key lights, and CBLs for back lights. Knowing all of the lights are going to color match before I turn anything on helps me stay focused on optimizing the on-camera image.

Ultimately, making the most of every budget is just a reality of the job. Being able to find all the talent light I need in one place, and at a price point that allows me to use what I need makes it much easier for my clients to move forward with their projects.

What I also appreciate about BB&S is their very personal approach to customer service, the eagerness to get feedback on their equipment, and a willingness to work with

me and other lighting designers to improve the equipment, or even create new equipment based on new requirements.

I have been on many calls where, if in doubt, we just phone into their Denmark headquarters to solve an issue; I don’t know of any other company I could do that with.

It’s fantastic to have that kind of support and relationship with the company that makes the tools I rely on to do the work I love l Scott Kepley, the owner/principal at RE/ LIGHT (www.relightld.com) based in Charleston, SC, is a broadcast and entertainment lighting designer, lighting director, consultant, and creative problem solver. He can be reached at sdkepley@relightld.com.

More information about BB&S Lighting, which is headquartered in Copenhagen with its U.S. office in Los Angeles, is available at 1-800820-6610, www.bbslighting.com and info@bbslighting.com.

CFL FOR KPNX The challenge was to replace all of the struggling first-generation LED lighting equipment at Tegna’s KPNX in Phoenix and create a new look to air by the end of 2021.

The project was originally slated for earlier in the year, but was delayed because of other manufacturers’ inability to deliver equipment due to supply chain issues.

This forced me to rethink my original design and specifications so I called Toby Sali at BB&S, who suggested the new Compact Fresnels. Having used them already, I was confident they’d work, and thankfully they were delivered to the job site on time for installation. BB&S’s ability to deliver when others could not was a life-saver.

I was impressed again with the output and quality of light from the CFL, especially given its small size. After everything was hung and focused, the talent immediately looked great on camera. The ability to get high output, with adjustable focus from 11 degrees to 52 degrees, in a small lightweight fixture that costs under $1,000 was a game changer. And

Scott Kepley explains why he chose new lighting from BB&S Lighting for new broadcast studios. twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | April 2022

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equipment guide | UAVs, camera support, lighting & batteries

Lighting and Powering Local Cable News With Frezzi Lighting

By Robin Sanders Freelance Cameraman/Editor/Associate Producer Cameraman Spectrum News/NY1, Spectrum News Network, Spectrum Digital

NEW YORK—I’m a long-time user of Frezzi batteries and lights. In fact, I pushed NY1 News to switch over to Frezzi camera batteries many years ago. After NY1 was integrated into Spectrum News, our Long Form department bought a number of FB-100 batteries to power our Sony FS7-M2 cameras and at least six Frezzi HMI Skylight kits for remote entertainment and Broadway-show interviews.

More recently I bought a number of camera batteries and chargers for our east and west coast operations—four camera batteries and two chargers for each coast. Even though I have no trouble flying the Frezzi FB100 Lithium Ion batteries, it just makes life easier to not have to wrap them up in plastic and carry them with me on the plane since I fly between Newark and LAX 3-4 times a month.

SMALL BUT POWERFUL Also, to make traveling and hauling lights easier, I bought two Frezzi 3-light kits, one for each coast. These Frezzi LCL-180 led video lights are small with builtin batteries (Photo 1). They can be placed on the included light stands or mounted onto your camera. They’re dimmable and have variable color temperature and as small as they are, they’re powerful and easy to charge.

Photo 2 is a freeze frame of an interview with author Allison Pataki, daughter of former New York Governor George Pataki. A lot of outdoor window light hit the left side of her face so we needed

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Photo 1: These two Frezzi 3-light kits—one for each coast—are small but powerful.

to off-set that with enough light, about 4900 K color temperature.

It was easy with these LCL-180’s: Having white balanced for 4900 K you’ll notice that the lamp over her right shoulder looked a little amber, probably about 2600 K, just what we were looking for.

The biggest advantage of the LCL-180 3-light kit is that Frezzi has packed a lot of portable power in a small case. Three light stands and 3 LCL-180 lights are so lightweight and easy to carry that we recently climbed Mt. Baldy in Southern California to conduct an interview in a cabin a mile-and-ahalf up the mountain.

I had to carry a large camera and a Miller tripod, which were both heavy, especially given the treacherous conditions on the trail with mud, snow and ice. I also threw the Frezzi light kit over my shoulder on top of everything else and I couldn’t believe how light it was.

The lights were also necessary for the Pataki interview because twitter.com/tvtechnology

we had to off-set outdoor light coming through big windows. So we put the windows behind the subject and lit her up so well that the background wasn’t washed out—the trees and snow in the background looked great. The goal is even lighting, and that was easily achieved with these very portable LCL-180 lights.

NO MIC SHADOWS You’ll also notice in Photo #1 that the camera on the left has the Frezzi Pro Light, which I use for red carpet interviews. It taps right out of the Frezzi camera battery and positions high on the camera,

Frezzi LCL-180s were used to light an interview with author Allison Pataki, daughter of former New York Governor Pataki.

with no camera-mic shadows. It also makes a nice fill light when using the LCL-180’s in a 3-point lighting configuration. I’m looking forward to using the LCL-180 on-board the camera as well—it will be nice to be able to match the color temperature of the bright red carpet lights behind us.

Finally, I really like the 2-port Frezzi FLC-2AP and FLC-2AV chargers—they’re very portable and I try not to go anywhere without them. I always go to the Frezzi factory to buy my equipment and the service is so good and everyone is so friendly that they make me feel like I’m part of the family. l Robin Sanders is a freelance cameraman/editor/associate producer cameraman at Spectrum News/ NY1, Spectrum New Network, and Spectrum Digital. He can be reached at 646-234-8341 and at robin.sanderssr@icloud.com.

For more information, visit www.frezzi.com.

equipment guide | UAVs, camera support, lighting & batteries buyers briefs

UAVs

DJI Mavic 3 Cine

Autel Robotics EVO Lite+ The EVO Lite+ is for high-end professional aerial drone users engaged in stationary and moving cinematography. Equipped with a 1-inch CMOS image sensor, it offers 6K resolution for cinematic shooting, and with Autel Robotics’ self-developed intelligent moonlight algorithm, the EVO Lite+ can capture crisp, vibrant details at night with low noise—even when the ISO is cranked up high. It offers an adjustable aperture from f/2.8-f/11, allowing users to alter exposure and depth of field in imaginative ways that show off a unique artistic style.

With 40 minutes of battery life, level 7 wind resistance, and an ultrawide angle obstacle avoidance system, the EVO Lite+ empowers creativity while ensuring flight safety. The new Autel Sky app injects additional functions to produce unlimited inspiration for creators. z For more information visit www.autelrobotics.com

Parrot/Verizon Parrot ANAFI Ai Powered by Verizon 4G LTE Drone Solution Parrot ANAFI Ai is the first off-the-shelf drone with Verizon 4G LTE connectivity. The compact professional drone features omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, 4K video, 48 MP imaging, up to 32 minutes of flight time and autonomous one-click flight plan creation. As part of the Verizon Skyward Connected Drone Solution, Parrot ANAFI Ai allows Skyward subscribers to process aerial imagery faster than has previously been possible with off-the-shelf drones.

This includes mid-flight and direct data transfer to begin processing imagery into 2D orthomosaic maps and 3D models while Parrot ANAFI Ai is still in the air.

Mavic 3 Cine is DJI’s most comprehensive improvement to the world’s most popular drone series in three years.

These improvements include a better sensor, a 4/3-inch CMOS Hasselblad camera and 28x hybrid zoom camera, omnidirectional obstacle sensors with a maximum 200-meter range, redesigned batteries, longer flight times and smarter flight modes. Upgraded hardware and software can process 5.1K video at 50fps in supple and nuanced color with heightened low-light sensitivity, and supports 4K/120fps for higher-quality results for slow-motion footage. The enhanced Mavic 3 Cine edition offers Apple ProRes 422 HQ encoding for a maximum data rate of 3,772 Mbps; to handle the large amounts of data from the ProRes codec and high-frame-rate videos, Mavic 3 Cine comes with a built-in 1TB SSD. The new DJI 10Gbps Lightspeed Data Cable helps transfer large data files rapidly. z For more information visit www.dji.com/mavic-3.

z For more information visit www.skyward.io/parrot-anafi-ai.

twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | April 2022

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equipment guide | UAVs, camera support, lighting & batteries

‘Run N’ Gun’ Shooting With Litepanels Astra for Speed and Quality USER REPORT

By Joey Ybarra Freelance Network News Photographer

LOS ANGELES –As a network news photographer, I have found the Astra 6X light panels are small but mighty—punchy, compact and versatile. I’ve been working with a pair of them for nearly three years now in the fast-paced and demanding environment of network news. For a solo run ‘n’ gun shooter, speed is everything and these panels not only keep up, they refuse to compromise on the quality of light.

I got my hands on these lights for the first time in Washington, D.C. where I was running through the halls of the Capitol as a freelance photographer, collecting soundbites from members of Congress and going live in the rotunda with the magnificent dome over the shoulder of a national correspondent.

I have since moved to Los Angeles where the odds are in favor of the sun. A good amount of my shoots happen in the afternoon, fully exposed to the elements, and that burning ball in the sky is very unforgiving.

These lights are bright enough to compete, yet easy enough on the eyes to keep talent from squinting on live TV.

THE RIGHT LIGHT FOR THE LIGHT The lights are available in three versions: daylight, bi-color, and bi-focus, with daylight being the brightest of the three. Many of my colleagues run with bi-focus, which offers the ability to adjust the beam angle from 15 to 45 degrees, which is very useful on bright days. I opted for bi-color to give myself more versatility with indoor shoots and early morning live shots. The rising sun brings a couple of challenges for brightness and color temperature and being able to adjust both on the fly—from the dial or via the Bluetooth app—is a dream.

I would gladly find a place for all three versions, but space is a premium in my work vehicle. I drive a compact SUV, so every piece of gear that goes in has to count. These small, lightweight panels make them easy to carry and store.

As I was writing this piece, I was actually sitting in my car waiting for the location of a live shot to be confirmed before I unloaded my

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Joey Ybarra uses LitePanels Astra in his high-pressure work as a multimedia journalist because they offer mobility, quick setup and high-quality lighting for live TV.

gear. When I got the call I was ready to go in 15 minutes and the shot went to air 10 minutes later; the producer, sound tech, and even security commented on the speed. My panels are equipped with a gold mount adapter and there’s hardly any setup time compared to other lights I have in my garage. It’s almost as if they built these lights for someone on the go like me.

There is also more to be said about the versatility of the Astra 6X. My shoots can go from a sit down interview, to a handheld walk and talk, or to a live shot in a matter of several hours. But it’s not a problem with these lights; I’ve had them flying on a C-Stand and could bust them down within seconds to be handheld with ease.

MOBILE AND TOUGH There are also several choices for modifiers,

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including barn doors and egg crates. I like to combine these lights with Snapbags for diffusion and this adds little to no weight with significant results. Like the name implies, they literally snap on, which helps even more with setup time.

Litepanels has crafted a light that has become an industry standard. It’s tough enough for travel and mobile enough for an everyday carry. The Astra 6X has earned its place in my kit, and the pair I bought is worth every penny. l Joey Ybarra is a freelance network news photographer with 13 years of experience in broadcast journalism. He can be reached at jowiitv@gmail.com More information on Litepanels’ Astra 6X is available at www.litepanels.com.

equipment guide | UAVs, camera support, lighting & batteries buyers briefs

CAMERA SUPPORT

Miller Camera Support Equipment ArtX Naked Head

Rushworks PTX Model 3 PRO The RUSHWORKS PTX Model 3 PRO combines the best features of its previous models into a sleek, powerful and whisper-quiet precision robotic head that’s a great platform for any camera or camcorder. It’s designed to support any Blackmagic Design camera with a variety of lenses, from the URSA family to the new Studio Camera 4K. It’s also great with other large form factor cameras suchy as Canon C models, Lumix Box Cinema, Red, Arri, and the Sony FX line. It’s controlled by VISCA over IP, and the BABYZOOMER option provides control of zoom, iris or focus on virtually any manual zoom lens.

The ArtX 3, 5 and 7 heads are derived from CompassX but tweaked to suit cinematographers with flexibility being a high design priority. To achieve this, Miller stripped down the head, calling it the “ArtX Naked Head,” so the user can customize it. The ArtX 3 can handle a payload of up to 8 kg., the ArtX 5 up to 10 kg. and the ArtX 7 up to 14 kg. Key features include: Manfrotto camera plate compatible if using 1278 Versa base plate; clawball tripod attachment can be 75mm, 100mm, 150mm or Mitchell; it can use almost any Miller pan handle and Arri compatible accessory mount; 15+0 CB Plus selectable counterbalance positions and illuminated bubble level. Precise floating pan-tilt calliper locks ensure bounce-free on-off performance and robust construction for rugged outdoor shooting conditions. z For more information visit www.millertripods.com.

z For more information visit https://rushworks.tv.

products & services marketplace

twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | April 2022

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people on the move For possible inclusion, send information to tvtech@futurenet.com with People News in the subject line.

ANDREW CROSS

BINA ROY

ROB WEISBORD

SAHAND SEPEHRNIA

CEO Grass Valley

Vice President, General Manager, Multicast Networks Nexstar Media

COO/President of Broadcast Sinclair Broadcast Group

Senior Vice President, Streaming CBS Stations

Nexstar Media has promoted Bina Roy to vice president and general manager of its multicast networks.

In her new role, Roy is responsible for business development and affiliate partnerships with more than 15 networks providing programming across the company’s portfolio of more than 600 subchannels. She will also oversee efforts to maximize the use of Nexstar’s broadcast spectrum in 116 television markets across the country.

Sinclair Broadcast Group has appointed Rob Weisbord Chief Operating Officer of the corporation and President of Broadcast.

As COO, Weisbord will lead operations for the company and its owned/operated television stations, 21 regional sports network brands, national networks including Tennis Channel and Stadium, multicast networks and all digital and streaming platforms.

Weisbord will report to Chris Ripley, President/CEO.

Sahand Sepehrnia has been named senior vice president of streaming for CBS Stations.

Sepehrnia will oversee the dayto-day and long-term strategic vision for the programming, production, editorial and operational functions at CBS News and Stations’ 13 local streaming channels. Sepehrnia was formerly with Disney, where he had been executive director, content strategy and analysis, ABC Owned Television Stations since 2019.

ERIC HUTTO

KRIS KOCH

BEN DIAZ

Chief Executive Officer Diversified

Business Development Director, Broadcast Network & Media Production Clear-Com

Senior Product Manager ARRI Lighting

Dr. Andrew Cross has been named CEO of Grass Valley. Cross was most recently President of Global R&D for Vizrt Group and prior to that, CEO of NewTek until it was acquired by Vizrt Group in 2019.

Cross will primarily focus on the company’s GV Media Universe, “a digitally connected community that enables media companies to combine on-premise, hybrid and public cloud technologies to build live production environments while adapting to future demands.”

CATHERINE GONZALEZ PACK Senior Vice President Operations LTN Global Catherine Gonzalez Pack has been named senior vice president of operations by LTN Global. Gonzalez-Pack has more than 20 years of broadcast operations experience.

In her last role, she led sports and special events operations at DirecTV and AT&T. Coming to LTN, Gonzalez Pack will help the company deepen its commitment and focus on delivering customer-centric solutions, support and operational excellence.

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Diversified has appointed Eric Hutto as its Chief Executive Officer.

Hutto, who was most recently president and chief operating officer of Unisys, succeeds Diversified Founder Fred D’Alessandro, who will transition from CEO to Executive Chairman. In addition to his more than 20 years of executive-level experience in IT services and consulting, Hutto has led the charge in organizational transformation and exponential growth for a number of companies. twitter.com/tvtechnology

Clear-Com has promoted Kris Koch to Business Development Director, Broadcast Network & Media Production for Clear-Com. In this new role, Kris will be the acting sales lead for major U.S. broadcast networks, as well as the main point of contact for national U.S. broadcast systems integrators. Koch has held several senior sales and engineering positions within the broadcast and live events sector.

ARRI Lighting has hired Ben Díaz as the company’s senior product manager to focus on the development of LED lighting fixtures and accessories. Díaz will use his expertise in market research and user-centric design to support users of the current lighting portfolio and create new ARRI fixtures together with the R&D department. With more than 15 years of experience in the industry, Díaz is a lighting designer, director of photography and educator.

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