DIGITAL PRODUCTION IN THE NETWORKED AV/IT ERA MPEG ...

MPEG IMX FAMILYMPEG IMX IN ACTIONSHOOTING WITH CONFIDENCESHOPPING WITH MPEG IMXQuality considerations are important in the Austrianbroadcast market. It was the superior image and soundquality offered by MPEG IMX that motivated ORF tobecome an early adopter of the format, and also assistedin the development of the first Sony MPEG IMXcamcorder.ORF made the strategic decision to adopt MPEGIMX as its preferred production format in April 2000.At that time, the MSW-900P camcorder was still inprototype form. What followed was a period of intensivedevelopment co-operation between the twoorganisations to bring the camcorder’s performancecharacteristics in line with ORF’s requirements.The MSW-900P is widescreen switchable and offersenhanced picture quality and multi-generation performancefor those broadcasters that have requesteda 50 Mb/s solution. It features an extensive set-upmenu with an ability to save all the individual parametersettings to Memory Stick, the revolutionary IC Recordingmedia developed by Sony. This allows a cameramanto pick up the camcorder and install his preferredsettings in a matter of seconds.Another operator-focused feature of the MSW-900Pis a ‘loop recording’ feature. This captures sound andpicture for an eight-second period before the recordbutton is pushed and retains this in a buffer – in thesame way as Digital Betacam. With this facility, theoperator can be sure of shooting the pictures he wants.Options include SDI output and composite inputrecording. A metadata recording capability is important,since this is rapidly becoming the internationalstandard for archiving and browsing infrastructures.ORF has purchased a fleet of 33 MSW-900P camcordersas part of a phased introduction strategy forMPEG IMX. They have also invested in over 350 MPEGIMX studio player/recorders and 170 office viewers,which are to be found throughout their broadcast operationswhere they replace the existing machines.Ideal World, the UK-based channel – digital satellite(635) and NTL cable (855), first reached the airwavesin April 2000. Within a year, however, disaster struck –the premises were almost entirely destroyed by fire.“We managed to temporarily refurbish the studioand chopped the cables at the point where theyentered the former central technical area (CTA)” saysChief Engineer Anthony Cwik.The enforced rebuild provided an opportunity toreview both equipment and workflows at Ideal World.“We were using Digital Betacam format throughout”says Cwik. “But for the new building we decided toback the MPEG IMX format. What clinched it for MPEGIMX was the picture quality and the fact that it canreplay Digital Betacam tapes. It's also very keenlypriced and the low tape speed during recordingreduces the media cost.”Buffering with MAV-555A major impact on workflow was the decision to installtwo Sony MAV-555 multiple access digital diskrecorders. These facilitate playout with MPEG IMX tapebackup between 1 am to 9 am, using highlights fromthe daily 16 hours of live broadcasts.“Each of the MAV-555 machines, which featureVTR-style control panels instead of the usual mouseand keyboard, are configured for two inputs and twooutputs to allow one playlist to air while another isbeing compiled,” says Cwik. “A two-machine style cutcan also be made between ports during transmission.”Effectively the MAV-555 machines act like giantbuffers, with footage being replaced over a two-daycycle alongside 30 or 40 resident stings and idents.Footage is archived onto tape for up to three months,allowing popular items to be re-run later.“We entrusted a 30 hour playlist over Christmas tothe MAV-555 and it has proved to be absolutely rocksolid,” says Cwik.6