lesommet_inbroadcast_201412

InMEDIA

InSTUDIO

InTEST

InSTUDIO

InMEDIA

26 34 42 44 60

Flyaways

By Philip Stevens

Intercoms

By David Kirk

Quality Tests

By Jim Evans

Newsrooms

By Michael Grotticelli

4K Acquisition

By Andy Stout

I N T E R N A T I O N A L N E W S

ISSUE 38 - DECEMBER 2014

IN THIS ISSUE...

InREPLY

John McGregor:

Sennheiser In

The Middle East

Page

24

InMEDIA

IP Evolution Of Live

Sports Production

Rado Toth, Streamstar

GLOBAL EDITION

FAST MOVING

SPORTS OBS

InSTUDIO

Innovation In

The Newsroom

Karen Walker,

Vitec Videocom

Page

32

InUSA

Stalled: Broadcast

Spectrum Auction

Michael Grotticelli

Page

55

Page

58

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 38 - DECEMBER 2014


InTHIS ISSUE

ISSUE 38 - DECEMBER 2014

| GLOBAL EDITION | WWW.INBROADCAST.COM

NEED TO CALL

+44(0) 28 90 610420

InNEWS

4 & 6

VISLINK

TOPS & TAILS

FORMULA E

COVERAGE

HILTRON

COMPLETES

AL ARAB

TELEPORT

InSTUDIO

40

I-MOVIX X10 UHD 4K

CAPTURES ACTION

InMEDIA

28

INEOQUEST DELIVER &

MONETISE MULTISCREEN

InREPLY

56

VSN CEO JORDI UTIEL

ON COMPLETE LINKS

Publisher

Phillip Izzard

pizzard@inbroadcast.com

Editor

Steven Preston

ed@inbroadcast.com

Assistant Editor

Brenda McNeill

brenda@inbroadcast.com

International Business

Development

Bryn Lister

blister@inbroadcast.com

Contributors:

David Colantuoni; Jim Evans; Simen K. Frostad;

Jesper Gawell; Michael Grotticelli; Ewan Johnston;

Martin Junek; David Kirk; Stuart Newton;

Philip Stevens; Andy Stout; Rado Toth; Karen Walker.

Cover Picture: Formula E is using Vislink’s Gigawave

HD remote broadcast link technology

3

InFORM

64

AJA IO XT ROCKS

AT CUT POST

InREVIEW

74

SMPTE RECOGNISES

INDUSTRY LUMINARIES

Produced by:

Le Sommet Limited

Offices B1-B2, Clara House, Dunmurry

Office Park, Co. Antrim, N.Ireland. BT17 0AA

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Email: inbroadcast@inbroadcast.com

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Complexity? It’s simple

The VB273 INTELLIGENT REDUNDANCY SWITCH provides the ultimate in uplink redundancy with multiple

layers of security. Total autonomous operation with extensive remote control capabilities.

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4

InNEWS

Vislink Tops & Tails Formula E

Vislink has provided extended series began.

motor racing and we’re thrilled and

live HD coverage of the second As part of Vislink’s involvement privileged to be a part of it,” said

Formula E race that took place in in Formula E, 40 race cars have Raj Kotecha, On-board Project

Malaysia.

been pre-loomed to accept wireless Director at Vislink.

For the second time, viewers cameras and transmitters. Formula Vislink’s Gigawave HD onboard

benefitted from the unique and E has the flexibility to make 20 cars

camera and H.264 video

immersive footage provided by onboard

‘live’ at any given time.

transmission systems will be used

cameras fitted into the nose “The Formula E Championship for all races in the fully electric

cone and rear rain light of each car. is an exciting step forward for Formula E Championship.

These mounting locations are

exclusive to the Formula E series

and provide broadcasters with two

previously unseen camera angles.

These two locations will also let

broadcasters deliver an existing and

consistent picture quality to viewers.

This latest development is the

result of Vislink working closely with

the FIA to ensure these new camera

mount positions were crash tested

and approved before the Formula E Formula E motorsport action

Panavision Rolls Out Primo 70 Lenses

Panavision’s Primo 70 lenses

optimised to work with large

sensor digital cameras were

exhibited at the 22nd edition of

the Camerimage International Film

Festival.

“Panavision Primo lenses have

set the standard for excellence

Primo 70 for large sensor cameras

in motion picture production

for 25 years,” says Kim Snyder,

Panavision’s President and CEO.

“Now, filmmakers can combine that

essential Primo character with the

larger sensors found in the latest

digital cameras.”

Panavision Primo 70s are hailed as

the most advanced cinema lenses

ever developed, and specifi cally

designed to work with today’s

larger sensors. The result is more

consistency from edge to edge and

sharper corners. The organic flavour,

pleasing bokeh, and gradual focus

roll-off that DoPs depend on have

been carefully maintained in the

Primo 70 series.

Panavision Primo 70 prime lenses

are available in eleven focal lengths:

27mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 65mm,

80mm, 100mm, 125mm, 150mm,

200mm and 250mm.

Super 70 zoom lenses are also

available in three sizes: 28-80mm,

70-185mm and 200-400mm.

Primo 70 lenses have been

tested in the field under realworld

production scenarios,

including two feature films and

several commercials.

The Primo 70 series of lenses

are available to rent from

Panavision worldwide.

FuseFX Opens

Finishing Facilities

USA/CAN: FuseFX has opened

full-scale production facilities

in New York and Vancouver.

FuseFX, New York, is currently

producing visual effects for the hit

NBC series ‘The Blacklist’ as well

as ‘POWERS’, a drama to debut

on the Sony PlayStation network.

FuseFX, British Columbia,

located in Vancouver’s Yaletown, is

currently servicing ‘Backstrom’ for

Fox and ‘The Returned’ for A&E.

Capabilities at both sites include

2D/3D visual effects, 3D animation,

compositing, finishing, matte

painting and pre-vis.

Encompass

DigitalGlue

USA: Encompass Digital Media

(Encompass) has chosen DigitalGlue

to provide a custom software

solution for its deployment of the

Harmonic Spectrum ChannelPort

integrated channel playout system

at its Stamford, Connecticut, facility.

ChannelPort speeds the costeffective

deployment of new SD

and HD television channels by

integrating branding and master

control switching with clip playback.

The DigitalGlue solution creates

port profiles that reduce operational

errors and increase reliability.

Russian Channel

On-Air With Aveco

CZE: Russia’s Shopping Live

channel is using Aveco’s ASTRA

Control Automation and Media

Asset Management system.

Shopping Live is a popular

teleshopping company serving

Russia’s consumers with a stateof-the-art

production system.

ASTRA manages Shopping Live’s

workfl ows by using placeholders

which enable shows to be scheduled

before all the content is available.

Resolution Independence

The power to work in HD and 4K from camera to post.

AJA futureproofs your workflow to grow, as you do. Work at HD resolution

and switch instantly to 4K at any time, using the same hardware.

CION TM

Science of the Beautiful TM

CION is the new 4K/UHD and 2K/HD

production camera from AJA. Unite

production and post by shooting directly

to edit-ready Apple ProRes 4444 at up to

4K 30fps, ProRes 422 at up to 4K 60fps, or

output AJA Raw at up to 4K 120fps.

Io 4K

Professional 4K and HD I/O

Io 4K offers a full set of professional video and

audio connectivity with support for 4K/UHD

devices and High Frame Rate workflows up to

50p/60p, all powered by Thunderbolt TM 2.

Hi5-4K

3G-SDI to HDMI Mini-Converter

Monitor your professional 4K workflow on

affordable UHD displays. Supporting High

Frame Rates up to 60fps, Hi5-4K is a single,

portable device

that converts

4K-SDI to HDMI

for low-cost, full

resolution 4K

monitoring

on set or in the

studio.

www.aja.com



6

InNEWS

Hiltron Completes Al Arab

Teleport

Hiltron has recently completed

work on a teleport for the Al

Arab News television station at the

World Trade Centre in the heart

of Bahrain’s capital city, Manama.

Launching this year, Al Arab News

is a privately owned Saudi channel

which aims to provide viewers

with accurate, unbiased news and

information from the region and

around the world.

The newly installed system

consists of seven fixed 2.4 metre

Ku band receive-antennas, a 3.7

metre C band fixed downlink plus a

motorised 3.7 metre receive-antenna

with a four-port C/Ku band feed.

Also incorporated are a Hiltron

HMAM motorised antenna mount

and Hiltron ACU antenna control

unit covering the whole receivable

SMPTE 2014 Addresses Challenges

SMPTE’s 2014 Annual Technical

Conference & Exhibition has

reported a record-setting paid

attendance.

Through presentations, debates,

panel discussions, and technology

exhibitions, the three-day event

brought attendees an array of expert

perspectives on the technologies,

formats, and standards on which

the industry’s future is being built.

“SMPTE 2014 demonstrated why

the Society’s technical conference

and exhibition has become the

premier annual event for motionimaging

and media technology,

production, operations, and the

allied arts and sciences,” said

Pat Griffis, SMPTE Education

Vice President.

“New display and acquisition

standards, distribution formats,

The Al Arab teleport in Manama, Bahrain

arc. All these receive-antennas

are being used for programme

contribution and feeds.

Two uplink installations are being

used for programme backhauling in

the 13 to 14.5 gigahertz extended

Ku band range. Each is equipped

with 3.7 metre motorised ASC Signal

business models, virtualisation

models, and ways of moving

content over IP are coming to the

forefront and having a real impact

on the industry.

By offering insight into these

and related advances, SMPTE

2014 empowers businesses and

antennas with Hiltron ACUs and a

tracking system

The system, which is protected by

full 1:1 redundancy, also includes

Newtec M6100 modulators, Work

upconverters and CPI 750W high

power amplifiers providing a

maximum EIRP of 72 dBW.

Paul Chapman, Barbara Lange, Chris Fetner, Wendy Aylsworth and Pat Griffis

individuals to take entertainment

media to the next level.”

SMPTE 2014 attracted

approximately 2,000 attendees

representing 31 countries including

the UK, Japan, Germany, Belgium,

China, South Korea, Hungary,

France, the US and Canada.

Vidpresso Powers

Key US Graphics

USA: Vidpresso has seen its

graphical display technology used

in the November television coverage

of three US state General Elections.

Throughout the day, KSL (Salt Lake

City), WFTV (Orlando), and KTVU

(San Francisco) used Vidpresso

software to display real-time graphics

and tickers based on political data.

Vidpresso says its innovative

software allowed the production

teams to create broadcast

graphics and tickers at a fraction of

the usual costs.

Nangu.TV Marks

Major Milestone

CZE: Nangu.TV is celebrating a major

milestone in its ten-year history.

The company has revealed that

more than 450,000 paid subscribers

using active devices including STBs,

mobile phones, tablets and PCs are

now connected to its media platform

The company’s end-to-end IPTV

and OTT platform allows ISPs, cable,

mobile and hospitality TV service

providers to deliver additional valueadd

features including: non-linear,

VoD, triple-screen, hybrid boxes,

web and mobile applications.

Rovi Buys

Fanhattan

USA: Rovi Corporation has bought

venture start-up Fanhattan.

Fanhattan pioneers innovative

ways to discover media and

entertainment on any screen, from

any source, through its cloudbased

Fan TV branded products.

Rovi says the acquisition

accelerates its vision to deliver nextgeneration

guidance and discovery

using advanced cloud, user interface

and hardware technologies.

Fan TV integrates different

sources such as linear television,

VOD, OTT video.

The Word is Out...

THE NEW PROMPTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY

Prompters with style, people with passion

UK: +44 (0)20 3757 8880 | US: +1 (203) 763 4030

www.cuescript.tv



8

InNEWS

Smoke & Mirrors Chooses

Platinum IP3 Router

Imagine Communications Platinum

IP3 routing technology has been

deployed in the new London

headquarters of international

post-production company Smoke

& Mirrors.

The installation is part of a

multimillion pound investment by

Smoke & Mirrors to move to a larger

facility that incorporates the latest

technology and workflows.

“We have a lot of experience

with Imagine Communications’

networking infrastructure and

primarily chose the Platinum IP3

router for its ability to handle frame

synchronisation, mux and demux, as

well as path to the IP future,” said

George Cook, Head of Engineering

at Smoke & Mirrors.

URSA Camera Software Updated

Blackmagic Design has released

a software update developed in

conjunction with cinematographers

that are using URSA cameras for

high end work.

Version 1.9.9 supports higher

frame rate recording of up to

80fps combined with menu control

of recording frames rates for

URSA cameras.

The record frame rate is not limited

by the video frame rate allowing

users to select the frame rate they

want, such as 24fps for a feature

film shoot, and then independently

select the recording rate from

5fps to 80fps.

The advantage of this is the URSA

camera can shoot slow motion

or fast motion shots but all the

recorded video files are always set

to the video rate so that camera

playback shows the clips as they

“The Platinum IP3 gives us all the

security we can wish for, particularly

with its built-in redundancy and the

ability to hot-swap components

for maintenance and expansion.

It is something we can rely on

now and build on as our future

requirements develop.”

The Platinum IP3 routing

and signal distribution solution

deployed at Smoke & Mirrors

allows for considerable expansion

on its initial 225 x 288, 3 Gb/s-ready

configuration.

Smoke & Mirrors is using fi bre

cabling extensively in the new

building, making the ability of

Platinum IP3 to handle both coax

and fibre connectivity an additional

operational benefit.

will play in a timeline.

The 1.9.9 update includes a new

CinemaDNG 12 bit RAW format that

uses 3:1 compression to allow RAW

files to be recorded in one third of

the size of uncompressed RAW files

allowing double the storage capacity

on the same sized CFast card.

Imagine Communications

Platinum IP3 Router

Smoke & Mirrors has operations

in New York and Shanghai, primarily

serving commercial producers

looking for visually stimulating and

contemporary creative work.

This new compressed RAW 3:1

format allows higher frames to be

recorded in the CFast cards, while

retaining all the advantages of

RAW recording.

Blackmagic Camera 1.9.9 also

includes in camera formatting

of CFast cards.

URSA software adds

more capabilities

Foo Fighters

Adopts Avid

USA: The creative teams behind

HBO documentary series Foo

Fighters Sonic Highways has

embraced Avid Everywhere.

The editing and sound teams

established a collaborative

post-production environment

with the Avid Artist Suite’s Avid

Media Composer | Software

and Avid Pro Tools | Software.

Directed by Foo Fighters frontman

Dave Grohl, the eight-part series

sees the band travel to legendary

music studios in cities across the US.

Fusion 7 Free

For Windows

GBR: Blackmagic Design has made

visual effects and motion graphics

software Fusion 7 available for free.

Previously, due to cost, access to

high-end visual effects tools such as

Fusion was more restricted to elite

Hollywood visual effects artists.

Blackmagic Design believes

this will revolutionise the

industry and consumers will

be able to watch dramatically

better shows in the future.

Fusion 7 for Windows can be

downloaded from the Blackmagic

Design website.

Sonnet Gains

Dante Approval

USA: Sonnet Technologies

has collaborated with Audinate

to certify compatibility of the

Dante PCIe-R sound card, with

Sonnet’s Thunderbolt 2-to-

PCIe card expansion chassis.

The Dante PCIe-R, also available as

the Focusrite RedNet PCIe Card, and

Yamaha’s Dante Accelerator PCIe-R

Soundcard, is now compatible with

Sonnet’s Echo Express products

(excluding the Echo Express SEL),

as well as the Sonnet xMac mini and

xMac Pro Servers.

www.sislive.tv

Innovative Satellite & Broadcast Products



10

InNEWS

Moldovian Broadcaster

Selects Snell

General Media Group, Moldova’s

largest private broadcaster with

three general channels plus a 24/7

news channel, has successfully

gone HD across all channels, using ability

Snell routing, infrastructure and

production switching systems.

The entire project was handled

by systems integrator Broadcast

Systems International, and

involved integrating multiple

separate operations into a

single new broadcast facility in

Moldova’s capital city, Chisinau,

with a complete new 1080i HD

infrastructure.

A Broadcast Systems International

spokesperson said: “We chose

Snell infrastructure and routing

technologies for this project

because they have proven to be both

AJA Takes CION Camera Orders

AJA Video Systems is accepting

orders for the new CION

production camera, with an

anticipated initial ship date by the

end of December.

AJA Video Systems President Nick

Rashby said: “We have recruited

an incredible team from all over

the world to help bring CION to

market. Demand has

been overwhelming

and we’ve decided to

start taking orders to

pre-allocate the many

cameras that we have

already assembled

in our Grass Valley

manufacturing facility,”

“The image quality,

functionality and

reliability of this

camera is absolutely

reliable and

cost-effective.

“The Kahuna

switcher’s

to

support three

control panels

from a single

mainframe not

only simplified

systems

integration and

reduced rack-space requirements,

but also makes excellent economic

sense in General Media Group’s

multi-studio facility.”

Broadcast Systems International

chose a single Kahuna 360

production switcher with three

3 M/E control panels to provide

all the switching needs for the

The Kahuna system at General Media Group Moldova

incredible. We are thrilled to finally

start accepting orders from our

CION resellers, and our supportive

customers will see that this camera

was worth the wait.

“Our engineering team has

been working tirelessly

to push the colour

Pre-order:

AJA’s CION camera

four channels.

Snell’s IQ Modular range was

selected for infrastructure, and

the broadcaster’s existing Snell

Sirius 600 multi-format router was

upgraded to HD and expanded

to128x128 as part of the project.

The Snell equipment was supplied

via regional partner, Romtek.

science on this camera, and the

picture is simply breath-taking.”

Claiming “unparalleled

connectivity” AJA say that the

CION is both ergonomic and

lightweight and is capable of

shooting at 4K/UltraHD and 2K/

HD resolutions direct to Apple

ProRes or AJA Raw.

CION offers in-camera

recording directly to

proven AJA Pak SSD

media in the Apple

ProRes family of codecs

– including 12-bit ProRes

444 – for pristine image

capture at up to 4K/60p.

It outputs AJA Raw

at up to 4K/120p,

with support already

announced by Adobe

and Colorfront.

NRK Selects

Sony XDCAM

NOR: NRK has invested in

Sony XDCAM cameras as

part of its transition to HD.

The cameras will be used to

produce national and regional

news and also for sports

and regional transmissions.

A total of around 130 cameras

will be rolled out to NRK offices.

The order includes 60 PXW-

X200s, 70 PXW-X500 CCD

sensor 1080p50 cameras.

NRK has also chosen to buy 15

CA-FB70 optical fibre adaptors with

camera control units.

Tedial Boosts

Oman TV MAM

OMA: Tedial has further

expanded its state-of-theart

MAM offering at Oman TV.

The expansion at the broadcaster’s

HD digital studio facility has enabled

the launch of its Oman TV Live

channel with the addition of increased

storage and MAM client licences.

The contract also includes a

12-month service level agreement

with an upgrade to the latest version

of Tedial’s Tarsys MAM system.

Oman TV currently broadcasts

three HD channels.

ADB Platform

For nc+ STB

POL: Polish satellite operator nc+ has

selected ADB’s set-top box software

and associated software integration

services to underpin its multiroom

and multi-screen strategy.

nc+, an ADB customer since

2006, chose ADB to create the

next generation product (line),

which began deployment this

month, becoming the first ADB

customer to go live with the Wi-Fi

satellite STB – the ADB-4740SF.

The device comes with a custom

HD user interface.

WWW.SIGNIANT.COM

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12

InNEWS

AXON’s Cerebrum Supports

Liaoning HD

Liaoning Radio and Television,

one of the first channels in

China, recently launched its HD

satellite broadcasts covering the

whole country.

The project included two HD

channels and one HD master control

system which were implemented

with AXON’s signal processing

equipment Synapse and, for the first

time in a provincial television station

in China, monitored and controlled

by AXON’s Cerebrum.

Cerebrum can control and monitor

thousands of devices supporting

the SNMP protocol, AXON’s ACP

protocol or Generic Devices protocol.

At Liaoning Cerebrum is used to

monitor the two large screens which

are used to display the signal flow

chart, the geographical locations,

Guangzhou Broadcasting Network

the real-time

monitoring

of the entire

broadcast

signal working

condition,

and the key

nodes in the

signal window.

Cerebrum

enables a

simple, clear

and intuitive

way of setting,

adjusting and fl agging up to the

operators any faults via an audible

and visual alarm.

The “hard & soft” control mode

adapts the Cerebrum hardware

control panel to customer functional

requirements – panel button colours

AXON Cerebrum at Liaoning Radio and Television

GZBN Chooses TSL Monitoring

Guangzhou Broadcasting

Network (GZBN), the

commercial television network

serving China’s Guangdong

province, has chosen a range of

TSL’s audio monitoring solutions to

equip its Broadcast Centre.

The equipment, which will

be installed by TSL Products’

Chinese partner Suntec Broadcast

Technology and systems integrator

Century Sage System includes 23

PAM2-MK2 multichannel audio

monitors, 28 SAM1-3GM studio

audio monitoring units and 23 MPA1-

3G MP series audio monitoring units.

Guangping He, Senior Engineer,

Vice Director of Play Out Centre,

GZBN, said: “We had used TSL

Products equipment in our previous

building, and it was the clear choice

again for our new Broadcast Centre.

and Chinese characters can

also be adjusted.

Part of the Cerebrum installation

was the configuration of a master

and a redundant server which

guarantees the long-term reliability

and security of Liaoning’s

“TSL always provide multifunctional

solutions, which are

essential in a complex environment

– for instance the SAM1 can monitor

and mix SDI audio, analogue and

AES audio at same time.

“This mixing and routing capability

means we do not need a separate

router and panel to manage the

different sources; the operator can

easily monitor different sources

using the solo mode in the SAM1.

“In addition the PAM2-MK2 can

monitor level meters and loudness

and video on LCD screens, while

also controlling 5.1 surround. This

flexibility in such high quality systems

is perfect for our requirements.”

The facility is scheduled to go live

at the end of the year.

GZBN operates a public channel

and six cable channels.

Sakhi TV Uses

Harmonic Kit

IND: Sakhi TV, India’s first womenfocused

channel, has gone live

using Harmonic infrastructure.

System integrator RGB

Broadcasting supplied the

complete solution including a

Spectrum ChannelPort integrated

channel playout system for ingest

and branded playout along with

the Ellipse 3100 contribution

encoder and ProView 7100

integrated receiver-decoder,

stream processor, and transcoder

for contribution applications.

Sakhi TV airs programmes aimed

at safeguarding the interests of

women across the globe.

Digigram Partners

With ATC Labs

FRA: ATC Labs will integrate

Digigram sound cards into its

Perceptual SoundMax line of audio

processors and ALCO Blue IP codec.

ATC Labs Perceptual SoundMax

audio processors provide signal

processing functionality for

broadcast or audio streaming.

The cards will also be built

into ATC Labs’ ALCO Blue

rackmount IP codecs and used

in conjunction with its ALCO

Professional line of integrated

IP audio SoftCodec solutions.

ATC Labs will recommend

Digigram sound interfaces.

HOT Warms

Up TerraBlock

ISR: Israel’s multi-channel

cable service provider HOT

has recently opted to equip a

new facility with a 16TB Facilis

TerraBlock shared storage system

and six Avid editorial suites.

HOT Israeli Entertainment

programming includes reality series,

dramas, comedies and the daily news

show ‘HOT Entertainment News.’

When audio

matters.

www.jungeraudio.com



14

InNEWS

OTS TV Upgrades OB Van

With Grass Valley Gear

Grass Valley, a Belden Brand,

has supplied OTS Novosibirsk,

a regional television company

in Russia, with a suite of HD

equipment for its OB van.

Grass Valley’s Russia and CIS

offi ce, with the support of local

system integrator OKNO-TV,

facilitated the upgrade, integrating

nine LDX Flex advanced imaging

cameras, XCU (eXchangeable

Control Unit) base stations,

Imagestore-Modular master control,

the Densite 3 Frame and NVISION

routing switchers into the OB van.

“Upgrading to HD helps us to

deliver the best viewing experience

possible, which is vital in our effort

to remain a leading provider of

sports coverage, like ice hockey,

Mistika Factor For

‘Marshland’ Post

ESP: Hailed as one of the best 2014

Spanish-language thrillers, the

award-winning film ‘La Isla Minima’

(Marshland) was post-produced

entirely in Mistika.

Directed by Alberto Rodríguez

the film has received several

accolades at the San Sebastian

International Film Festival where it

was recognised as the Best Film in

the Official Section.

It also won the Silver Concha

Award for Best Photography which

went to Alex Catalán.

Filmed using the ARRI Alexa, the

RAW footage was post-produced

in 3K using Mistika.

Colourist and Digital Effects

Supervisor Juan Ventura Pecellín

said that Mistika had enabled work

at resolutions of up to 7K for certain

intricate scenes.

in our area,” said

Vitaliy Morgunov,

General Director at

OTS Novosibirsk.

“We chose Grass Valley

equipment because it

offers the flexibility and

scalability to meet our

business needs today

and tomorrow for

coverage of the biggest

sport and entertainment

events in the Siberian

region – while offering

HD s ervices to our customers.”

Broadcast infrastructure for the

OB van includes the Densite 3 Frame,

which can simultaneously process

3G/HD/SD and analogue video, as

well as AES and analogue audio; the

Visualizer Audio

Analysis Suite V2

GBR: NUGEN Audio has launched

version 2 of its Visualizer audio

analysis suite and real-time

comparison toolset designed for

high-end audio professionals.

Visualizer provides audio

analysis for recording, mixing, and

mastering in a single tool which is

now available as a plug-in or as a

standalone version.

The standardised reference set

of professional tools is designed

to help audio engineers work

faster, avoid mistakes and repeat

past successes.

With version 2, Visualizer

features numerous user interface

enhancements in response to

customer input, and is now available

in a version supporting Avid Pro

Tools HDX as well as a standalone

configuration.

OTS Novosibirsk’s OB van

Imagestore-Modular master control

and branding processor (3 Gbps/

HD/SD); and NVISION multiformat

routing switchers that can mix

and match signal types within a

single frame.

Digital Film Tools

Supports OFX

USA: Digital Film Tools’ Composite

Suite Pro v2.0 and zMatte v4.0

plug-ins now support the OFX

plug-in format.

Composite Suite Pro provides all

that is needed to combine multiple

images by using compositing tricks

and techniques, colour correction,

blur, grain, matte manipulation,

lens distortion, lighting effects and

edge blending.

zMatte, which provides a fullfeatured

keyer, uses proprietary

matte extraction techniques to

quickly and simply creates mattes

with minimal parameters, even when

dealing with fine hair detail, smoke

or reflections.

Digital Film Tools say that software

such as the Foundry's Nuke visual

effects software and Sony Vegas

editing systems are qualified hosts.

Corvid Powers

8K Pablo Rio

JPN: At InterBEE, AJA Video Systems

announced that Quantel is adopting

its Corvid 88 as the video I/O platform

for the Quantel Pablo Rio 8K colour

correction and finishing system.

Corvid 88 is the latest in AJA’s

family of products designed for

integration into solutions offered

by third-party developer partners.

Quantel hail the Pablo Rio system

as making 8K 60p post-production

practical as 8K moves out from

the laboratory into a real-world

production environment.

RT Software

4K Graphics

GBR: RT Software has

announced support of 4K UHD

in its overlay and sports analysis

real-time graphics products.

The solutions have already been

proven in transmission tests in the UK.

RT Software’s 4K solutions use

HP z820/840 workstations, AJA

or Bluefi sh video I/O boards and

nVidia Quadro k series GPUs and a

Windows or Linux operating system.

Video in, fill and key out and

composited video and graphics out

are all supported.

Group Examines

Power Demands

FRA: The CONVINcE project, a

consortium of 18 partners in fi ve

European countries, will address

the challenge of reducing the

carbon footprint of the ICT industry.

Thomson Video Networks will lead

the consortium, whose focus will be

on creating an end-to-end approach

for reducing the power consumption

in IP-based video networks.

With participants from France,

Finland, Romania, Sweden, and

Turkey, the 30-month CONVINcE

project is expected to run

for 30 months.

THE PROFESSIONAL CHOICE

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• Optional MADI or Dante interfaces

• Optional 2U XLR breakout panel

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16

InNEWS

Swiss Channel Adds Baselight

ONE System

Radio Television Suisse (RTS),

the French-language public

broadcaster in Switzerland, has

added a Baselight ONE system with

Slate control panel to handle its

in-house productions.

Headquartered in Geneva,

RTS produces a wide variety

of news, sport, entertainment

and documentary television

programming. RTS already has a

Baselight TWO system, installed

five years ago, which has proved

extremely effective in handling the

interoperability with their edit suites.

“With Baselight we can add a

new quality to our productions, a

cinematic look, while maintaining

the tight turnaround of episodic

television,” said Anne-Laure Sacher,

Calrec Marks Milestone In South Africa

Summa audio console, the

newest in its lineup of advanced

digital audio consoles.

Since July, Calrec has been

delivering Summa desks into the

US, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong,

Turkey, Italy, South Africa, South

Korea, and Kuwait. The most recent

two Summa sales were made to

SuperSport Outside Broadcast in

South Africa.

Having standardised its fleet

of large OB trucks on Calrec,

SuperSport is installing the two

Summa consoles to replace the

other audio desks in its smaller OB-7

and OB-8 units.

“OB vans are becoming more and

more sophisticated, and space is

always an issue, but perhaps even

more so in small units. They must

be able to deliver the same level of

quality as their larger counterparts

Colourist at RTS.

“Our new suite

adds even more

capacity, and

the Slate control

panel retains

the same high

standards we

are used to with

the Blackboard

2 panel on

our existing Baselight system. To

me, Blackboard control surfaces

are above all the others and have

the precision and ergonomic

convenience I expect.”

RTS recently used its

Baselight TWO and Blackboard

2 on ‘Specimen’, a renowned TV

magazine on psychology, and a

RTS has opted for a FilmLight Baselight ONE

plus Slate controller

in a smaller footprint,” said Johan

van Tonder, Technical Operations

Manager at SuperSport Outside

Broadcast. “We trust our entire

fleet of large trucks to Calrec,

and now that the Summa desk is

available, we can take advantage

of the Calrec benefits in our small

OB vans as well.”

new 6x50 minute drama series, ‘A

Livre Ouvert’.

This co-production between RTS

and France 2 was shot on ARRI

ALEXA and fi nished in-house at

RTS in Geneva.

RTS has five in-house colourists,

working on documentaries and

reportage as well as dramas.

Launched in September 2013

with a 180-channel capacity,

Summa is now also available in a

128-channel version.

The console uses Calrec’s

award-winning Bluefin2 technology

at its core, along with Hydra2

router technology.

Thembinkosi Nala of SuperSport at the Summa audio console

Sky Speeds

Italia Content

GBR: Sky Italia has improved

and simplified its workflow with

Akamai’s Media Delivery solutions.

With the combination of the leading

high-speed fi le transfer solutions

from Aspera, an IBM company, and

Akamai’s NetStorage cloud-based

storage platform, Sky has increased

file upload speed by up to 650%.

Since their launch in 2012, Sky Go

and Sky on Demand video content

services in Italy have over three

million combined active users.

Dolce Sport

Enterprise sQ

ROU: Dolce Sport TV channels

have purchased a Quantel

Enterprise sQ fast turnaround news

and sports production system.

The Enterprise sQ system

enables full HD editing to begin

the moment media ingest begins,

with edited packages ready to

go to air, web and mobile/tablet

the second they are completed.

Dolce Sport TV channels

are part of Telekom Romania

Communications which has over

1.4 million subscribers.

PWS Supports

NBA Games

MEX: As the Houston Rockets

and Minnesota Timberwolves

tipped off at the Mexico City Arena,

as part of NBA Global Games

Mexico City 2014, Professional

Wireless Systems (PWS) was

courtside to manage all wireless

frequencies throughout the game.

The goal was to provide

frequency coordination for all

wireless communications, enabling

multiple wireless frequencies to

be used without interference.

The PWS team coordinated

around 110 frequencies to ensure

clear signals.

Video compression

for the world’s most

Pioneering UHDTV, MPEG-2/4 and HEVC/H.265

www.ateme.com



18

InNEWS

SIS LIVE Delivers SNG Fleet

SIS LIVE has delivered six SNG these services to those already On board equipment includes

vehicles to Sky News, as the supplied to Sky, including camera HD, SDI, fibre and wireless camera

company further enhances its fast,

reliable coverage of breaking news

stories across the UK.

The compact HD trucks, equipped

with state of the art satellite

technology, are the latest in a

operators, satellite engineers and

satellite capacity.

Each truck carries SIS LIVE’s

DriveForce antenna which allows

it to be installed on a smaller 3.2T

vehicle, avoiding large vehicle speed

inputs, and the infrastructure for the

installation of future IP solutions.

The design and technology

enables a lone operator to

manage the whole broadcast and

transmission process.

series of satellite uplink systems

commissioned by Sky News.

As Sky News’ SNG provider

for many years, SIS LIVE is well

practised in offering the technology

and expertise necessary to enable

Sky News to capture and transmit

award-winning at-the-scene

news coverage, wherever and

whenever it happens.

SIS LIVE worked closely with

Sky News to develop six Mercedes

Benz Vito vehicles to meet its exact

requirements. SIS LIVE’s highly

capable support team will maintain

the bespoke fleet and provide

uplink/downlink services, adding

restrictions.

Two of the six SNG trucks

Sports Broadcaster

FOR-A Switchers

ARG: Broadcast sports production

company Torneos y Competencias

(TyC) is utilising a number of FOR-A

video production switchers.

The Argentine sports channel's

most recent purchase included five

HVS-100 switchers, as well as HVS-

390HS and HVS-300HS units.

TyC is using the HVS-100

switchers in several of its OB vans

and satellite flypacks.

FOR-A’s HVS-100 offers a wide

range of functions, including mixed

HD/SD input, frame synchronisation,

multi-viewer capability, a resizing

engine, 2.5D wipe effects, DVE and

keyer with chromakey.

The units, used at the soccer

World Cup in Brazil, are now

covering various sporting events

throughout Argentina.

LaunchPad

Touchscreen

USA: Reality Check Systems

(RCS) has released LaunchPad,

a customisable, interactive

solution designed to simplify

dynamic touchscreen analysis for

soccer broadcasts.

LaunchPad gives on-air talent

access to real-time analytics and

telestration tools to engage fans.

It boasts a user-friendly interface

that enables operators to call up

touchscreen graphics for analysis

of the desired league, team, player

or match in any language and

seamlessly transition between them.

Combining RCS proprietary

software with third-party hardware

and cloud data from domestic and

international soccer matches, the

LaunchPad solution is available in

a variety of configurations.

ChyronHego Scores

GoalRef Tech Deal

USA: ChyronHego has announced

a licensing agreement with

the Fraunhofer IIS for a sports

technology solution.

Under the agreement,

ChyronHego will bring to market

Fraunhofer's GoalRef system, a

Goal-Line Technology (GLT) solution

which is licensed by FIFA.

This innovative approach to GLT

that uses a magnetic field within the

goal and a specially designed ball

to indicate that the ball has crossed

the goal-line.

On detecting a goal, the system

indicates this visually and through

vibration to a wireless watch worn

by the referee.

As a licensee ChyronHego will

continue to develop the system for

replays of goal-line events.

LDX Cameras

For LANG AG

CAN: LANG AG is expanding

its broadcast equipment for

the rental market with a suite

of camera solutions from

Grass Valley, a Belden Brand.

Included in the suite are three

LDX Premiere advanced imaging

cameras, three XCU WorldCams

and one LDX HiSpeed (LDX HS)

3X super-slow-motion camera

along with the companion XCU

XtremeSpeed XF Fibre base station.

LANG AG is a significant player in

the staging and event market.

AVIWEST Opens

In Hong Kong

FRA/HKG: AVIWEST has opened

a new sales and services support

offi ce in Hong Kong to augment

the company’s growing business

in the Asia-Pacific region.

Frederic Parbey, APAC Manager at

AVIWEST, will oversee the AVIWEST

Asia operations from the facility.

AVIWEST say that Asia will also

soon have an expert support

engineering team, and that the

office will enable better pre-sales,

sales and service support for its

regional customers.

Clear-Com Replay

World Series

USA: Clear-Com intercom systems

have supported instant replay

communications for World Series

Major League Baseball games.

A Clear-Com HelixNet Digital

Networked Intercom with HKB-2X

user stations and HBP-2X beltpacks

supported communications for

the fi eld umpires, ballpark replay

technicians, the broadcast truck and

the scoreboard official in the ballpark.

The HelixNet HMS-4X base

stations are interfaced to VoICE2 IP

interfaces linked to an Eclipse HX

Digital Matrix.

Media Asset Management

for the connected world

Mediaflex ® delivers more content to

more devices on more platforms

Discover why some of the

world’s most prestigeous

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20

InNEWS

Red TX Upgrades Red I OB

Harman Studer Capability

Premier location recording including audience mics, into 56 sufficient Studer are brilliant

company, Red TX has upgraded tracks; today there can be 100 mic at support – they upgraded

its original Red I OB to give it 96kHz

capability.

Both Red I and Red II are equipped

with Harman Studer Vista 8

consoles, with 96 mic amp capacity

as standard; but by streamlining

their original recording truck, with

a new Studer SCore Live engine

and faster computer, the facility is

able to maintain its high profile live

event, film and television recording

facilities at the cutting edge.

Chief Engineer, Ollie Nesham

says the move was largely driven

by customer demand and that

both vehicles – while slightly

different in wheelbase – are similarly

confi gured and are now virtually

interchangeable. “We were getting

more call for projects in 96K.

“Every few years there is a call

for a greater number of inputs. Ten

years ago we could get everything,

amps and considerations such as

5.1 stems, Studer VistaMix etc, –

and the desk couldn’t handle it, so

we decided to act.”

“Although we are largely self-

Red TX OB truck receives upgrade

the computer in the desk and

provided a new Core.”

Other than the overdub area (fitted

on Red II) the two trucks are now

operationally identical.

ZEPLAY Replay Solution For Utah Jazz

Utah Jazz, an NBA franchise

based in Salt Lake City, is

using Tightrope Media Systems’

Replay Operator Daniel Leister uses

Tightrope’s ZEPLAY

ZEPLAY slo-mo instant replay

solution to trigger multiple angles

of game action at the team’s Energy

Solutions Arena.

“Game day entertainment is

very important to Jazz fans, and

seeing instant replays of key game

moments is one of their biggest

demands,” said Shawn Brown,

Director of Video Productions for

the Utah Jazz.

“While ZEPLAY is recording eight

angles of game action (four in,

four out), the operator can select

and output multiple angles of any

replay in just seven frames to

accelerate playback.

“Within a second or two following a

key play, our ZEPLAY operator can

queue and run a multi-angle replay,”

explained Brown. “That’s how fast

and easy it is to do.”

ZEPLAY is used during home

games as well as other sporting

events taking place at the venue

on giant YESCO LED display boards

inside the arena bowl.

Major advertisers sponsor the

replays for a particular quarter

during home games, making

ZEPLAY’s playback reliability crucial.

In the control room production

workfl ow, ZEPLAY interoperates

with Ross switching, graphics

and branding systems to display

advertiser’s logos.

Quicklink BGAN

HDR Integration

GBR: Quicklink’s latest hardware

encoders include full BGAN

HDR integration and control

directly from the encoder.

The integration is available on

The Quicklink Mini, 1U Encoder,

Merlin and the new Midi Backpack.

Users can control BGAN HDR

terminals directly from the encoder

GUI or via the remote interface

through any mobile or tablet device.

This allows users to request 256

Kbps, BGAN X-Stream, half and full

channel asymmetric and symmetric

BGAN HDR profiles.

Sennheiser's

Dante Card

GER: Sennheiser has announced

the availability of its Dante

card for the EM 9046 receiver.

This enables the Digital 9000

wireless microphone system to be

integrated into Dante audio-over-

IP networks. Internally, the card

features 16 audio inputs to send

the digital audio and command

signals over the Dante network.

Also available, as free downloads,

are Digital 9000 fi rmware version

3.0.3 and Wireless Systems

Manager 4.2 with a set of optimised

monitoring functions.

BB&S Debuts

LED Flyer Kit

USA: LDI Las Vegas marked

the US debut of the LED Flyer,

an LED boom light kit aimed at

video, cine and news production.

Manufactured in Denmark by

BB&S, the kit is for either handheld

boom deployment or fixed C-stand

use, the one-foot by one-foot by 2 1/2-

inch thick, softlight fixture facilitates

daylight to tungsten colour tweaking.

The soft-light diffusor creates an

omni-style light source with even

light distribution.

ADVERTISEMENT

Enhancing The In-Stadium

Sports Experience

Sports stadiums and audiences around the world are becoming more ‘connected’…

Stadium ambiance,

but fans expect more

The amount of technology that’s

installed within a modern sporting

arena ensures that a television

broadcast of any event is captivating

and immersive for the viewers at home.

However, if you look at the way that we

use technology to consume content –

on a smartphone or tablet – and how

we like to remain connected through

social media, you’d be forgiven for

not asking ‘why don’t we do more for

crowds inside the stadium?’

Whether watching from the comfort

of their own home or in a public place

showing the coverage, audiences

outside the stadium are the ones who

benefit from the broadcast technology

within the stadium. Today’s sports and

entertainment broadcasts are packed

with live replays, game statistics and

immersive analysis but only a limited

proportion of this is available to those

inside the arena on a ‘jumbotron’ or instadium

screens.

The ‘single seat experience’ inside

a stadium can leave something to

be desired – 32% of the crowd have

limited opportunities to watch replays,

15% aren’t able to see the statistics

and 9% miss live action because

they’re elsewhere in the stadium.

As an audience, we want to ensure

we’re connected at all times –

especially during important sporting

events. Not only do we want to be

connected, we want to share our

experience. Last year’s Super Bowl

between the Seattle Seahawks and

the Denver Broncos saw a huge 24.9

million tweets during the event. It’s

because of this that some young fans

are less tempted to attend a sports

game in person if there isn’t Wi-Fi

available inside the stadium. It’s so

important in fact, that during college

matches some students opt to leave at

half-time if they aren’t able to connect

to the internet and upload images in

order to share their experience at the

game.

By failing to extensively connect

stadiums and provide a more

broadcast-like experience to instadium

fans, arenas are putting

themselves in conflict with consumer

demand.

Raising The Game

What can sports clubs and content

owners add to their crowd’s in-stadium

experience? The FanCast solution

from EVS, the leading provider of live

video production systems, creates

a completely connected stadium.

Attendees of the game can now benefit

from the same immersive experience

that has, up until now, only been

provided through broadcasting. Now

this capability is available with the

added bonus of being right in the

middle of the action.

FanCast is a live video and

multimedia solution, which enables

the production and delivery of live

and near-live content. It allows fans

to gain access to more in-depth and

exclusive content through their smart

devices. The content can also be made

available on in-stadium screens and

jumbotrons.

Multiple in-stadium broadcast

cameras capture the live action from

the event while viewers at home only

benefit from one feed the director

chooses to use. What FanCast does

is take the unused feeds and utilise

them for exclusive content generation.

Clubs and content owners can take this

media, add their own branding and

distribute it straight to the app.

Adding this connectivity and

providing access to exclusive content

within the stadium not only creates

a richer experience for the butts-inseats

and helps retain and grow a fan

base, it also opens up new revenue

streams for arena and club owners. It

allows for the collection of important

customer data and as a result, clubs

are able to customise their offering

and improve merchandising revenues.

Providing access to exclusive content

gives rights-holders the opportunity to

monetise content that would otherwise

be wasted. Match-day revenues can

also be improved through up-sales

of tickets and concessions via in-app

ordering. This is before they even start

to benefit from the increased publicity

they will see through social media on

game day.

Stadium owners and sports clubs are

recognising the need to build on fan

loyalty and turn it into fan retention,

to take their emotion and generate

a return on it – what EVS calls the

‘Return on Emotion.’

Immersive Experience

EVS has a 20-year history providing

its customers with reliable and

innovative technology, enabling the

production of enriched, live video

programming. Used by everyone

from broadcasters and studios to

post-production facilities and content

owners, EVS’s solutions create more

efficient ways to produce content.

The FanCast stadium package

is comprised of the following

solutions and services under a single

comprehensive yet cost-effective

offering:

XT3 production server, with builtin

proxies and 4K zooming,

enables multiple channel input/

output and extended format range

selection;

IPDirector asset management

suite for instant management

and production of video clips and

highlights during live productions;

C-Cast cloud-based multimedia

distribution platform enabling

the aggregation of multi-angle

video, live streams and statistics

for instant delivery to multiple

connected screens within the

venue;

Advanced customer service

including training, installation and

extended technical support.

Game Moves

Stadiums and arenas can now make

sure all the excitement inside the

stadium is matched by the slow-motion

replays, tight close-ups and nearinstant

analysis that fans enjoy when

watching a broadcast at home.

With this new technology, club and

stadium owners – not to mention

sports broadcasters – can provide a

more immersive experience in sports

broadcasting. Going to watch a game

at the stadium should no longer be at

the expense of seeing the action from

a better angle or seeing analysis of a

replay or sharing the experience with

other fans and friends. Now having

been upgraded to a multimedia event

– the in-stadium experience just got

better.

- EVS FanCast adds game feeds to personal screens.

ANSWER THEIR DEMAND FOR MORE

Viewers want to do more, with more. Research shows that multi-screen viewing promotes network loyalty and leads to fan

retention. But the question is: how do you distribute exclusively compelling content into the hands your audience – quickly, easily

and in an engaging way?

C-Cast – Powering the demand for more

The EVS C-Cast Multimedia Distribution platform is helping broadcasters, stadiums and content owners capitalize on the

exploding multi-screen viewing trend.

C-Cast is a cloud-based solution that helps you turn all of the multi-camera recorded content from your EVS servers into

customized, multi-screen experiences — at top speed during live productions. And by integrating C-Cast with the mobile

application of your choice, you’ll be able to provide a complete package for audiences to actively access multi-angles,

stats and data, as well as engage with targeted promotions, advertising, social media and more.

Enriched. Live.

www.evs.com



InREPLY

Sennheiser In The Middle East

Sennheiser’s Middle East Business Development Manager

John McGregor, fields InBroadcast's questions on the

company’s products and solutions…

Installed Sound:

Sennheiser

ADN W system

24

InB: How is your company

adapting to meet customer

demands?

John McGregor: As we are

seeing the market growing and our

customer base getting larger and

spread across a larger geographic

area we have added to our staff

levels at our offi ce here in Dubai,

one of the reasons that I can

answer these questions. I am

actually the newest addition to

the Sennheiser Middle East office.

Obviously we are seeing an

increase in our Installed Sound

solutions going out to the market.

With our ADN system we had

massive interest, but we wanted

to make the system even easier to

work with. To this end we introduced

the ADN W (wireless) systems. By

going wireless with this system we

now have a conferencing system

that can be setup easily and

quickly and does not have to be

considered as a fixed install. All you

now need is a central unit that is

feeding out to all the desktop units

across the wireless network. All

of a sudden you can now create

a conference room in minutes but

still have the same functionality

of the wired predecessor.

We are also looking carefully at our

technical offerings to the broadcast

market, with a specifi c focus on

Neumann Studio Monitors promise accurate sound

Digital technology. Our Digital

9000 Series wireless microphone

system is now the benchmark for

all Digital Wireless systems on the

market. With restrictions in the RF

bandwidths available to users of

professional wireless technology,

thanks to Digital TV and 4G mobile

data networks we have had to look

at ways of allowing the same number

of channels to exist with a much

smaller window of frequencies.

Having witnessed the interest and

uptake of the Digital 9000 Series

we know that we have created a

product that the market was waiting

for and needed right now to keep

pace with developments in the

industry.

InB: What criteria are broadcasters

using to select products?

JMcG: Well with Sennheiser it is

fairly simple to answer that question.

They are looking for perfect sound.

The ethos behind Sennheiser is

all around the ‘Pursuit of Perfect

Sound’. We are known in the

industry for creating products that

not only offer amazing technical

breakthroughs but most importantly

always offer the best possible sound

capture, and now replay thanks to

the addition of the Neumann Studio

Monitors to our portfolio of products.

InB: Which territories are showing

particular activity?

JMcG: We are seeing a lot of activity

in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation

Council) specifi cally Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia & Qatar this year.

However we know that there will

be a lot of activity from the UAE &

Oman in the New Year. Beyond this

we are seeing an uptake in activity

in our Central Asian markets as well.

InB: Any product innovations

ahead that you can discuss?

JMcG: Well the latest innovation is

the addition of DANTE to our Digital

9000 Series. Now we have the ability

to link our systems to any DANTE

enabled networks, this allows for

great flexibility and integration with

existing digital networks that are

already deployed. Moving forward

we will begin to see the Digital

9000 technologies fi lter down to

other products. It will definitely be

an interesting future for wireless

technology.

InB: Can you describe some of

your recent deployments?

JMcG: We’ve had two large ADN

installs in the region this year. One

is going to a major International

hotel in Doha and the other is being

deployed in a prominent Bank in

Kuwait. We have also been thrilled

to see Al Jazeera specify our

Digital 9000 Series in the UK and

US offices.

Broadcast: Sennheiser’s

‘benchmark’ Digital 9000 system

InB: Thank you for taking the time

to answer our questions.



InMEDIA

Outside Broadcasts – On The Fly

Multicamera productions in ‘difficult’ remote or restricted locations are becoming

more practical with the advent of portable kit…

By Philip Stevens

Contributing Editor

26

Think of outside broadcasts

and massive trucks capable of

accommodating 40 cameras come

to mind. But the sight of smaller,

portable units that arrive on location

in flight cases is becoming more

commonplace as producers seek

to make programmes in extreme

or restricted conditions, but with

reduced budgets. Indeed, with

flyaway kits being used for an ever

wide range of projects, there are

few ‘typical’ fl yaway projects.

Global Coverage

“Recently, we have been

commissioned for a flyaway

in Bermuda covering a golf

tournament – and a hurricane as it

turned out, and another from the

roof of a building in San Francisco

for a corporate client at a downtown

location that could not be serviced

by a satellite uplink truck,” states

Robert C. Lamb, CEO, PSSI Global

Services/Strategic Television based

in Las Vegas.

Lamb explains that the encoder/

modulators employed are typically

now MPEG-4, and often the

company is using SSPBs for

amplifiers. He continues, “The

developments that have helped us

most have to do with the size of

the equipment itself. For us, that

mostly means the reduction in the

size and weight of the amplifiers,

and the viability of using a smaller

aperture antenna, when possible.

Currently, we are active in testing

IP applications.”

Robust Kit

With offi ces in India, Singapore,

Malaysia and the UK, Broadcast

Solutions (BS) is another company

well placed to provide services on

a global scale. “We use Sony HDC-

2500 and HDC-1500 Cameras, GVG

LDX-80 and LDK-8000, LDK-8300

SSM and Ikegami HL97A and Nac

II Ultra Motion Cameras,” explains

CEO, Saeed Izadi. “These are all

robust and work well in hot climates.”

BS also uses Grass Valley Vision

Mixers with four-ME Kayanne, three-

ME Kayak and Karrera. Other kit in

regularly deployed includes Harris

and ProBel routers, Evertz Glue

and processing, Lawo and Yamaha

Audio Mixers and EVS XT [3] and

EVS XT [2]+ units.

So, what future developments

would Izadi like to see in equipment

suitable for fl yaway applications?

“We are very much looking forward

to remote production in the true

sense. What do I mean by that ?

The only items we want to have

in the venue or stadium would be

cameras, lenses and tripods with

the camera operators, all other

production equipment and crew

being housed either in their home

countries or in their MCR. Much

equipment being offered currently

claims to be remote production or

venue production, but all seem to

suffer from latency issues that are

not acceptable for a live coverage.”

Wilkie TV rack-mount system

for Vodafone 4G launch

Betwixt And Between

Claire Wilkie, Managing Director of

London-based Wilkie TV, says her

company fi ts between high-end

broadcast events and someone

setting up a webcam to stream

a meeting: “Conferences and

seminars are a growing area. Often

these clients have rented a venue

for only a short time and require

streaming without having hours for

setup. Wheeling in a flyaway rack

allows us to be ready in an hour.”

Ben Harper, Wilkie’s Technical

Manager, emphasises that

equipment that fits best into flyaway

kits tends to be the miniature,

feature-filled products. “Blackmagic

Design has a good range of products

that fit well and, in fact, most of our

vision mixing is done via their kit.

They understand the requirements

of the modern broadcast and the

more features they integrate into a

SkySports F1 Pod: The inside of the Pod used for Formula One and created by

Gearhouse Broadcast

single piece of kit, the more we can

mop up wasted space and weight

in the rack.”

Harper reveals that one of the

company’s most exciting projects

was at London’s Trafalgar Square,

providing live production of the

Vodafone 4G Launch. “We replicated

the features of a traditional

broadcast OB truck in a single,

portable rack-mount system. The

production featured slow-motion

playback to provide a unique angle

of the day’s events.”

The Right Flight

At the other end of the production

scale, Gearhouse Broadcast is

heavily involved in motor racing’s

key event – Formula One. “We make

sure each piece of equipment in the

pod is vital to the overall production

and always pay attention to the

weight of all the kit,” explains

Chief Operating Officer, Kevin

Moorhouse. “Connectivity between

the Pods and to the paddock and

pit lane is all fibre to ensure we keep

the weight of cable to a minimum.”

Moorhouse sees the introduction

of hybrid routing equipment as a

significant development. “This again

gives us more functionality from one

piece of equipment, reducing the

amount of equipment and internal

wiring needed. OBPod has been

designed around the Miranda Hybrid

RTR which brings down weight and

increases flexibility.”

“The LAWO V__pro 8 is another

great example. It offers eight HD

inputs and outputs and can embed,

de-embed, frame sync, X convert

and colour correct – all in a 1RU

box. This is the sort of equipment

that makes our lives so much easier.”

Flyaway Football

German broadcast systems

integrator, sono Studiotechnik,

provided one of its revolutionary

new fl yaway production facilities

based on Imagine Communications

technology for the 2013

Confederations Cup. At this year’s

World Cup, this technology was

scaled up to a national level and

used at 12 different locations in

Brazil to provide broadcast facilities.

Supporting each flyaway facility

was Imagine Communication’s

Platinum IP3 router – the fi rst to

accommodate separate video,

audio and data paths within the

same frame. It’s also the first signal

router that can scale to multi-frame

confi gurations for broadcast and

media operations using a common

architecture, simplifying installations

and eliminating costs associated

with external components and

complex cabling. The intelligent

architecture maximises on-air

security, with a new approach to

audio, video and multi-viewer signal

protection based on redundant

crosspoints and integrated

routing designs.

Cargo: Gearhouse Broadcast

built SkySports pods

Maintaining Comms

With the pervasive nature of

wireless in fl yaway environments,

comms specialist Trilogy has

seen an increasing demand for

seamless integration of intercom

with smartphones and tablets.

“We are leading the way with apps

that enable mobile devices to fully

participate in the talkback and

intercom system, reducing costs

CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

From a camera battery to an OB

truck and everything in between

Broadcast.

Systems.

Equipment sales: 020 7871 0700

Systems: 0113 238 3494

www.wtsbroadcast.com

Broadcast equipment sales | Studio integration | OB vehicle manufacture



InMEDIA

Delivering & Monetising Multiscreen

Services – Now And In The Future

Delivering multiscreen services brings complexities never faced in the video world before…

By Stuart Newton

VP of Corporate Strategy,

IneoQuest

28

With different video assets,

protocols, delivery

infrastructures, encoding,

encryption, locations and the

exponentially growing intricacies

of video-capable devices, there

is a web of complexity that is

incredibly difficult to plan for. Thus,

it is essential to have a strategy

for rolling out multiscreen services.

Fortunately, there are guiding

principles from the past to help

manage multiscreen deployments

today while planning for future

expansion.

Today, consumers want to

watch video whenever they want,

wherever they are, and on whichever

device they choose to use. The

trend of devices being used also

varies dramatically throughout

the day. As a result, the delivery

network is shifting and creating a

number of challenges that soon

become obvious:

• There is no complete visibility into

the video services – many parts

of the delivery infrastructure are

provided by different companies;

• There are many uncorrelated data

sources, which will use their own

formats for data presentation and

database access;

• Lots of technological change:

adaptive streaming, content

delivery networks, protocols,

cloud methodologies, 4K/HEVC,

etc;

• The lack of control and visibility

is fuelling churn-management

issues, as major issues can’t

be resolved quickly, and

abandonment trends are hard to

diagnose;

• The lack of behavioural visibility

restricts monetisation potential

through the inability to accurately

target new services and

advertising.

The net result of all this is a repeat

of many of the issues that created

upset customers and internal finger

pointing in the early days of video

over IP. However, the problem is

severely compounded today due to

the infrastructure segments being

owned by separate companies, the

move to adaptive streaming with

multiple protocols and increased

network load, and the enormous

increase in uncontrolled end

devices. It is therefore essential to

get this under control and build a

solid foundation before additional

technology steps complicate the

issue further.

Diagram 1 shows a broader view

of the delivery infrastructure today

with the different networks showing

possible paths for the video. The

green arrows indicate recommended

operational monitoring points in

the end-to-end chain to check for

video or protocol consistency. The

purple arrows indicate the ability

to collect behavioural analytics for

usage analysis (e.g. which video,

when, where, on which kind of

network/device/OS).

The operational analytics provide

a method of pinpointing where the

video is going wrong in the endto-end

chain, and the behavioural

analytics provide additional

monetisation intelligence for better

targeting of services and advertising.

If the two are combined, then we

start to enable more advanced

churn management through

abandonment analysis by crossreferencing

behavioural analytics

to operational analytics.

In multiscreen deployments,

depending on the infrastructure, it

is possible to derive behavioural

analytics from several points in

the network. In the above diagram,

the behavioural analytics can be

obtained by monitoring on the

network side at the caching nodes,

or further downstream, such

as the ingress to a mobile core

or Wi-Fi cloud.

This is because the full unicast

adaptive sessions are only visible

after the last caching point in the

network. The behavioural analytics

can also be obtained by monitoring

at the end device player, whether a

tablet, smart TV/STB, smartphone,

games console, or another device,

which can provide additional

information from the player that may

be useful e.g. decoding problems.

Monitoring intra-CDN can provide

operational analytics for intra-CDN

Diagram 1: Operational and behavioural aspects of video delivery

infrastructure analytics

issues, but will only see the requests

for video that the caches do not

already possess.

Having the ability to combine

the independent network and

device data in real-time into a

unified analytics system allows the

operations and big data teams to

focus on using KPI information for

service assurance and monetisation,

rather than trying to understand

the data in the first place. The

data can then be combined into

simplified, actionable analytics for

rapid response to customer issues.

This creates improved satisfaction,

generating more viewers and

more revenue (via pay per view

or advertising). The analytics also

allow for better tuning of the content

and loading on the networks so

bandwidth isn’t wasted and peak

loading can be more accurately

predicted and controlled.

By combining operational and

behavioural analytics, Video Service

Providers (VSPs) have a complete

view into network and subscriber

behaviour, providing a clear picture

of exactly what’s happening within

their networks. In making this

correlation, VSPs can identify

opportunities for monetising their

video services.

There are several pragmatic

steps that can be taken to deliver

and monetise multiscreen video

services, including:

Assure the video quality and

understand your subscribers – video

should be monitored at all locations

necessary to ensure delivery;

Optimise the content and

delivery – leverage operational and

behavioural analytics to tune the

content delivery and infrastructure to

cater for different devices and peak

loading. Build a solid foundation

ready for an increase in subscribers,

and prepare for additional change

through technology advances;

Personalise and grow your

returns – leverage behavioural

data and abandonment rates for

content and advertising to fine-tune

recommendations and services,

and to generate more content

from advertising.

Many of these steps are possible

and will help fine tune services

and advertising for subscribers.

By learning from the past and

leveraging these methodologies,

a solid foundation can be built for

future multiscreen services and to

prepare for the volume of video that

is predicted to consume the mobile

infrastructure.

Diagram 2: Video analytics overview



InMEDIA

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and the need to carry multiple

devices,” explains Sales Director,

Ewan Johnston.

Compactness of equipment

means there are opportunities

for sound mixers to double up as

audio routers. “A sound mixer with

a madi interface linked directly into

a comms system could be used to

replace some of the functionality of

an audio router.”

Johnson adds: “The modern

take on a ‘flyaway’ kit would be the

use of the BBC R&D Stagebox at

Glastonbury, allowing the comms

to be integrated with the studio

systems in London. This required

us to develop a direct link from

Stagebox to the Trilogy IP matrices,

without the requirement for a

base station.”

Panasonic’s compact

AW-HS50 Vision switcher

Making The Switch

Panasonic’s Series 50 Production

Unit is well suited for flyaway packs.

The sub-compact, multi-format live

HD/SD AW-HS50 switcher provides

10-bit processing, four HD/SD-SDI

inputs and one HD DVI-D input, as

well as a chromakeyer, aux bus and

1080/29.94PsF support.

The built-in MultiViewer allows

users to view four, nine, or 10 images

on a single display – significantly

reducing the cost, size and weight

of a complete HD production system.

Other functions include dedicated

hardware for picture-in-picture with

dissolve transitions, switchable upconversion,

colour correction, auto

or manual video transitions, 13 wipe

patterns and frame memories.

The accompanying AW-RP50

Remote Camera Controller can

control up to 100 AW-HE50 or AW-

HE120 series cameras via IP control

and up to five cameras and pan-tilt

heads using RS-422 serial control.

The half-rack-width RP50

connects to the HS50 switcher via

IP for synchronised use at a distance

or by a single local operator.

Studio-In-A-Box

TriCaster ‘studio-in-a-box’

eliminates the need to carry loads of

specialised equipment and requires

just one operator. It is available in

four and eight camera input, rack

mountable models with a wide array

of I/O possibilities.

“It’s far more than a camera switcher,

with built-in audio mixing, graphics

and titles, effects and transitions,

integrated digital media players,

animation buffers, mix and effects

buses, virtual sets, full proc amp

controls, ISO recording capability,

and much more,” reports Chris

Waddington, NewTek’s Director of

Sales East, EMEA.

NewTek has launched the

TriCaster Mini that, according to

Waddington, has great potential to

be a real game changer for OBs.

“The Mini is an ultra-portable, all-

HDMI, four camera input device with

nearly all the functionality of our rack

mountable TriCasters. Weighing only

nine pounds, the Mini is the size of

a lunch box that easily fi ts into a

backpack that can be placed in a

plane’s overhead bin.”

No Limitations

Brian Clark, Commercial and

Technical Projects Director,

NEP Visions, says: “Production

personnel need to concentrate

on capturing and telling the story,

not on the thought of using a

flypack or its perceived limitations.

However, larger flypack operations

demand a level of redundancy just

like OB trucks.”

Clark believes that lightweight

designs for monitors and multiviewers

combined with aerospace

technology in desks have provided a

move forward: “Also, the increasing

use of fi bre cable to reduce the

heavy copper cable. And frames

for equipment are getting smaller,

lighter and more reliable.

“There is also a move towards

more remote production, where we

supply the core kit to capture on

location, while most production staff

remain back at base operating the

equipment remotely, saving costs

on flights or hotels.”

EQUIPMENT RENTAL MANAGEMENT

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29

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NEP Visions flyaway pack for Wimbledon Court 12 coverage



InMEDIA

30

HDstream: ‘San Rocco Live 2014’

HDstream, a small production company located in the town of Montescaglioso, near Matera,

in Southern Italy employs Blackmagic Design to capture live events…

Founded by two young

videomakers, Giuseppe

Scocuzza and Nicola Pietrocola,

both of whom share a passion for

producing live content, HDstream

has for several years been

broadcasting the annual festivities

celebrating the life of Saint Rocco,

the patron saint of their hometown.

The one-day production, called

San Rocco Live 2014, involves

raising awareness of this fascinating

historical celebration, which is

deeply rooted in the local traditions

of the Matera region.

In the lead up to San Rocco Live,

HDstream made the decision to

upgrade its production suite, and

chose a number of key workfl ow

components, including an ATEM

Television Studio production

switcher from Blackmagic Design

with the specific aim of enhancing

the live production.

“For a small operation like

ourselves, keeping costs down

is absolutely essential, however

ensuring the production value

remains as high as possible is also

just as important,” reveals Giuseppe

Scocuzza, partner at HDstream.

On the day, a small production

team of nine, including two directors,

five camera operators and two

presenters, covered an extended

route of four kilometres, filming the

entire procession. Giuseppe and

his partner had to carefully plan for

and prepare every aspect of this

production to ensure there were no

surprises. With the large crowds of

spectators lining the route, it made

positioning the cameras quite a

challenge, according to Scocuzza.

Production Chain

A mixture of HD-SDI and HDMI

based camera chains were used

in the production, including three

HDMI based cameras, connected

to the switcher using a series of

Blackmagic Mini Converter HDMI

Saint Rocco is carried through Montescaglioso

to SDI, and a fourth HD-SDI camera.

A fi fth input on the switcher was

used to supply the video director

with graphics via HMDI, including

lower thirds and stings. The mixed

programme feed was converted to

H.264, captured in real-time on the

PC using Blackmagic’s Decklink

Mini Recorder and then streamed

using software from Wirecast.

“We chose ATEM Television Studio

because it gave us not only a built

in MultiView but also the ability to

encode our programme mix straight

to H.264 for streaming purposes,”

says Scocuzza.

“The MultiView meant that we

could keep a tab on all the events

as they unfolded, ensuring that

we were able to package together

the very best programme. Without

it we simply wouldn’t have been

able to make the most of all our

camera positions, and we’d have

run the risk of capturing repetitive

shots across multiple cameras,

reducing the number of usable feeds

available to us.”

Feed Switch

Another feature of the new setup

that proved to be essential was the

ability to manage audio in addition

to video through

the Blackmagic

switcher. “On a live

production of this

scale, with a central

role being played

by marching bands,

audio needs to be as

natural as possible,”

adds Scocuzza.

“The ATEM

Television Studio

allowed us to use a single

SDI connection for video and

audio signals.

“In the past we would have

deployed a second cable run for

our ambient microphones and that

often had a detrimental impact

on the quality of audio that we

could capture.”

Not only was coverage of the

celebrations broadcast live on

television by a number of regional

broadcasters and streamed online,

highlights of the procession were

also played out on several big

screens located around the streets

of Montescaglioso.

“The first big screen was in close

proximity to the video production

desk, and so we took a VGA output

from a PC straight into the screen,

while Wirecast enabled us to supply

a clean video output to the second

of our two big screens, using the

live streaming feed.

“Thanks to Blackmagic Design we

have been able to step up our game

another level,” concluded Scocuzza.

“Giving us the features we needed,

we were able to produce a really

professional looking show, which

was suitable for broadcast

transmission and streaming.”

Blackmagic Design’s ATEM Television Studio switcher

user interface



InMEDIA

32

The IP Evolution Of Live Sports Production

Increasing demand for high quality multi-camera content...

By Rado Toth

CEO, STREAMSTAR

We are living in exciting times

for sports broadcasting, with

new technology able to reach a

wider fan base and offer coverage

of a greater variety of sports than

ever before.

There’s increasing demand for

multi-camera live productions of

the highest quality from both club

owners and fans alike, while support

for lesser known sporting events

is experiencing unprecedented

attention. At the same time, TV

as we know it is becoming more

computer-based, offering more

user interaction via touchscreen

tablets and mobile phones, either

as a replacement for, or alongside

traditional TV viewing.

With such second screens

growing in both size and demand,

there has never been a better

opportunity for sports broadcasters

and rights holders to produce

compelling live streaming content for

multi-screens. Therefore, keeping

in mind ever tightening production

budgets, it is vital for broadcasters

to implement recording and

streaming systems that are both

cost effective and proficient to

deliver a seamless workflow, while

still retaining quality across every

level of sports programming.

Driving Demand

Much of the upscaling of demand in

the sports market has been driven

by an increase in the use of IPbased

broadcast contribution and

distribution systems, which offer

end-to-end fi le-based workfl ows

that make it easy to provide

streaming coverage to a variety

of Web devices. Content can be

accessed anywhere and at any

time there is an internet connection.

Systems like these offer a disruptive

change for sports broadcasting,

yet also an opportunity to new

media companies.

The standard for multi-camera

live sport productions remains the

OB truck route to transmission,

with the signal pushed to an

encoder and Web streams for

online delivery. However the use

of such infrastructure raises many

issues, not the least being that the

substantial levels of technicallyskilled

personnel to support it can

only be commanded with access

to larger budgets. In contrast,

STREAMSTAR’s WEBCAST family

of live production solutions, ranging

from affordable hardware that runs

on an ordinary PC to dedicated

workstations with touchscreens,

enable anyone to easily produce and

stream professional multi-camera

video productions.

Just the act of sending a SNG truck

or fl ypacks to multiple locations

across the globe – to cover a home

team on an international tournament

for example – requires substantial

investment. As well as the cost of

organising satellite uplinks, there

are extra considerations to take into

account, such as permits, security,

parking and crew accommodation.

These considerations, as well as

local engineering issues, can put

unsustainable pressures on a tightlybudgeted

production.

If broadcasters instead choose

to go down a purely IP-based route,

video streams from IP-connected

cameras based anywhere in the

world can be sent via the internet

back to the MCR at broadcaster

HQ, which allows for a far more

flexible and cost-effective localised

setup. Integrated communications

systems over IP also ensures that

onsite camera control remains in the

hands of the offsite production team.

Our systems, for example, can

accept four unique simultaneous

IP video stream inputs, as well

Increasing demand for high quality multi-camera content

as additional HD-SDI cameras

and HDMI/DVI inputs for stills,

graphics and external feeds such

as score generators. The system

itself switches the camera inputs

as required; it also offers automated

preset modes such as crossfades

and transitions, as well as applying

downstream key graphics such as

lower thirds overlays and logos.

With systems like this, you have

production control in a box, able

to be sited anywhere with an

internet connection.

Similarly, expensive onsite instant

replay and slow-motion systems are

no longer the preserve of the major

sports broadcasters; IP-based

systems like ours can automatically

create such functionality using the

streams from each camera, quickly

and easily applied to the WEBCAST

by one operator. Content providers

should be able to further monetise

such content by adding unobtrusive

commercial overlays and logos to

generate additional revenue through

onscreen advertising.

When it comes to output for

streaming, a system based on

Video over IP is already ahead of

the game. Our systems go one

step further, offering on-board

H.264 encoding and a multitude of

streaming profiles for popular CDNs,

so that broadcasters are able to use

the highest quality HD streaming

content instantly in a live programme,

at up to 1080p @ 50/60fps and data

rate of up to 10 Mbps.

Scheduled Streaming

Another key issue facing today’s

global coverage of sports is the

time difference. Advertisers want

broadcasts to take place at prime

time with maximum viewer capture,

which is not always possible when

the sporting contest is taking place

halfway across the world. With

stream recording and integrated

media management, today’s IPbased

systems are able to schedule

playlists of edited material for

broadcast at any time; it’s also

very easy to stream highlights

from recorded replays during

a sports event break and prerecorded

interviews to enhance a

live webcast.

All of this can be done at a

fraction of the cost of traditional

OB broadcasting, allowing for any

size of sports fixture, in almost any

location, to be broadcast online.

Sports Portal

One of STREAMSTAR’s high profile

customers, Huste.tv, is the biggest

online sports portal in Slovakia,

which is owned by one of the

country’s largest TV stations. It has

12 production teams with a high-end

logistics process covering several

major leagues in central Eastern

Europe. We collaborated with the

team and designed, equipped

and built the entire infrastructure

system, which has helped produce

over 5,000 live events for the portal

over the last three years.

I’m not saying live streaming will

totally replace traditional sports

broadcasting; rather I foresee

there will be greater segregation

of the broadcast market. We are

confident of an increasing demand

for streaming technology, changing

the way productions are transferred

and offering endless possibilities for

multi-camera productions broadcast

to an IP network.



InSTUDIO

Intercom Systems And Talkbacks

One often overlooked area that is vital for efficient and effective broadcast

production co-ordination is the communications system…

34

By David Kirk

Contributing Editor

Intercoms and talkbacks are

two elements of programme

production every broadcast takes

for granted until something goes

wrong. If number 1 cameraman falls

out of his tree, a calm and quick

word from the director ensure

numbers 2 and 3 cameramen take

over. What must never fail is the

comms system itself. Lose that and

the product team collapses into

a leaderless troupe of individuals

waiting for their lifeline to be

reconnected.

Comms is a product category

production studios and mobile

production crews need to take very

seriously. Quite a lot has happened

in intercoms and talkbacks since

I last surveyed the subject for

InBroadcast 12 months ago.

Audio Ltd’s CX2-S is a twin

channel, true diversity receiver

that fits into most professional

Sony slot-in cameras. It has two

diversity receivers which can be

linked to separate transmitters

via a seven-pin binder connector

allowing one or both channels to be

fed from the receiver head. Intended

for ENG crews and documentary

makers, the CX2-S has 80 MHz

switching bandwidth. Up to 10

different frequency tables can be

preset. Within each table, individual

frequencies can be manually

selected using the OLED menu

displays. It is also equipped with

a digitally controlled tracking fi lter

that automatically tracks the chosen

frequency table.

Axon has enhanced its Cerebrum

monitoring and

control software

Cerebrum

to perform

RTS intercom

control. The

integration of

the RTS protocol

is claimed to

allow easier

set up and a

better graphical

interface for

controlling and

monitoring the intercom systems.

Amongst the first users is ITN

News channel.

Broadcast Bionics Phonebox

4 call management system

incorporates social media tools

including the ability to listen to an

account with all audience interaction

delivered into one place. The

presenter can hear the voice of

guests, artists and commentators

automatically discovered by Smart

Queues linked to the playout system

or defined by location.

Quick Queues provides fact

connection to breaking events,

trending topics and news stories.

Social mixer allows the presenter

to curate, filter, search and analyse

messages, collaborating between

hosts, producers and screening

staff. Social Transmitter delivers

content across mobile, web and

visualisation platforms.

Clear-Com’s LINQ broadcast

communication interfaces allow

Broadcast Bionics Phonebox 4 call management system

connection of a two-wire party line

with call signalling and four-wire

audio over LAN, WAN or IP. Clear-

Com and RTS TW compatible,

the LINQ-4W2 can be connected

with devices such as the analogue

ports of any matrix intercom system,

analogue telephone circuits, twoway

radio gateways and audio

consoles. A maximum of six

LINQ IP interfaces can be linked

together in any two-wire or fourwire

combination. LINQ uses the

Opus open-source audio codec.

Bitrate, bandwidth, and delay can

be changed quickly with introducing

and discontinuity in the audio. As a

low audio latency communication

link, LINQ can be used for intercom

conversation, networked music

performances and for audio signals

transport between different facilities.

Channels from any of the six devices

in the network can be linked to

create common virtual party lines.

A web-based interface is used

to configure, control and monitor

devices within a linked group.

Audio Ltd’s CX2-S diversity receiver

CTP Talkback24 is a 24-square matrix

four-wire talkback system


Gemini & Messenger Intercom...

Class leading audio quality with IP connectivity

• Full access distributed matrix architecture

• Scalable from 8 to many hundreds of ports

• Ultra resilient redundant ring system

• Industry standard IP connectivity

• Wide choice of traditional & touch-screen panels

+44 (0)1264 384045

broadcastsales@trilogycomms.com

For more information on Intercoms or Master Reference Generators...www.trilogycomms.com

TNG-200

RSP-2318

STX-200

'

www.riedel.net



36

InSTUDIO

Intercom Systems And Talkbacks Cont.

CTP’s Talkback24 is a 24-square

matrix four-wire talkback system.

PC programmable, it can be used in

conjunction with the CT600 camera

talkback switcher to bring the port

count up to 30. All panels include

a volume control for each key. The

1U T12 panel has 12 keys and 12

volume controls. The newer DT12

2RU panel has all the T12’s facilities

plus six character OLED labeling on

each key. The DT12 can be supplied

with either a headphone jack or a

fi ve-pin XLR headset connector.

The T6 is a six-key desktop panel

including six character OLED

destination/source labelling plus

talk and incoming audio indication.

The system is based around a

1U mainframe.

Delec’s new RIF2 radio interface

combines the company’s Oratis

components and Kenwood Nexedge

radio equipment as the basis of a

new communication system with

individual addressing of each

handset. Delec has also developed

a new optical-fibre converter for its

Oratis product family allowing longer

links between subscriber panels and

the oratis matrix frame.

Glensound Cub two-input,

two-output digital mixer

Glensound’s Cub is a two-input,

two-output digital mixer with a

USB audio interface for devices

such as the Apple iPhone. The

iPhone connects to the Cub via

a top panel mounted A type USB

plug. An Apple Lightning interface

lead is included plus a mini USB

for connection to laptops and PCs.

The Cub is plug-and-play as a USB

audio class 1 device. Further modes

can be enabled by using ASIO or

USB audio class 2 drivers.

The interface allows integration

into IP codec apps such as Luci

Live or can be used as a recording

interface into apps such as

Steinberg Cubasis. The Cub can

also be used with audio test and

measurement apps and with the

RTS Omneo intercom app. The two

inputs on the Cub itself are mic/

line/48-volt phantom switchable and

include microphone preamplifiers.

Each input is individually switchable

between two local XLR outputs or

to both. This allows the CUB to be

configured as a stereo device or to

work in a twin mono mode. The input

on/off buttons can be configured for

multiple operational modes.

Raycom’s RTB6211D is an

analogue/digital full-duplex

intercom base station designed

for outside broadcast, studio and

theatre use. Housed in

1U, 19” zinc plated steel

rack, it includes an internal

duplexer for single antenna

use. Two channels

can co-exist in a

single 12.5 kHz

space with Kenwood

NEXEDGE handsets

Raycom RTB6211D full-duplex intercom base station

Riedel Communications’ RSP-

2318 1U control panel includes three

multitouch colour displays; stereo

audio; a multilingual character set,

and 18 control keys. These features

make Riedel’s new Smartpanel a

powerful user interface that can

be further expanded through the

use of apps. Riedel’s first app turns

the RSP-2318 into an intercom

controller. Offering AES67 and

AVB connectivity as standard, and

optionally AES3 over CAT/coax, it

has exchangeable headset

connectors for mono

or stereo applications,

an integrated power

supply, individual volume

controls for each key, two

USB ports, two Ethernet

connectors, GPIO, audio

I/O, an option slot, a removable

gooseneck microphone, an SD card

slot, and an HDMI output. The RSP-

2318 can be used with all Riedel

intercom systems, including the

Artist, Tango, and Performer.

RTS OEI-2 allows users of

the company’s communications

equipment to update to the RTS

OMNEO media networking system.

OMNEO is designed to simplify the

transportation of audio signals as

well as system control. It allows

integration into networks of two to

10,000 cooperating devices under

common control.

Sonifex introduced at IBC this

year the DHY-04 and DHY-04G

telephone hybrids. Both have AES/

EBU and analogue autosensing

inputs and outputs together with

an Ethernet port for control and

configuration. The DHY-04 is a

redesign of the existing DHY-03 with

76 dB typical line balance rejection.

It is automatic in operation, with

auto answer, auto disconnect and

auto ducking, adapting to varying

line conditions with fully adaptive

echo cancellation. The DHY-04

has all the features of the DHY-

03 plus four front-panel speeddial

buttons for dialling internally

preset phone numbers. It also has

a redial button for redialling the last

number. The audio input is autosensing

(combined analogue or

AES/EBU XLR) accepting sample

rates up to 24 bit 96 kHz. Output is

configurable as analogue or AES/

EBU. An Ethernet port is provided

for remote configuration via a web

browser GUI. This also allows

remote dialling, line hold control and

the ability to generate SNMP traps

for SNMP management systems.

Additionally the DHY-04 has DTMF

dial tone recognition for reporter

remote access. A journalist can dial

into the unit which can recognise a

pre-programmed DTMF numeric

password to connect the journalist

on-air. The DHY-04G is a digital

GSM hybrid which has all features

of the DHY-04 but uses a quadband

2G/GSM cellular connection

instead of an analogue POTS line,

converting the GSM call to the

four-wire audio signal to and from

a connected mixing console.

At IBC Trilogy demonstrated

integration of its Gemini distributed

matrix intercom with L-S-B’s Virtual

Studio Manager via the Ember+

protocol. Gemini is a non-blocking

matrix with integrated IP connectivity

in each unit plus a range of IP panels.

Also demonstrated was Messenger,

a matrix-based intercom bridging

Riedel’s RSP-2318 Smartpanel offers a powerful user interface

the gap between two-wire partyline

systems and the cost and

complexity of high-end professional

systems. Trilogy’s Mentor XL master

reference generator now includes

a GPS option board that enables

operation with traditional active GPS

antennas, while also allowing users

to exploit the latest developments

The DHY-04G uses a quad-band

2G/GSM cellular connection

converting the GSM call to the fourwire

audio signal

in ‘smart antennas’.

Wood & Douglas’ dVMo-HD

system enables existing dVMo users

to upgrade their present systems

with small external hardware

modules to give HD capability.

The HD TX and RX modules will

use a transport stream system

interface to provide integration with

the range of W&D dVMo system

components. New customers can

select dVMo TX and RX modules

with the HD interface embedded in

the enclosures. IP and RS-232 ports

are also supplied for configuration

and monitoring. Future optional

upgrades (requiring a reverse

telemetry link to the transmitter)

include local recording of stills

or video clips at the transmitter,

enabling slow download of these

stored images over the in-built IP

interface, and remotely-controllable

module setup parameters.

Zaxcom TRX900CL sends two channels

of audio and timecode from sound

bag to camera

Zaxcom’s TRX900CL is a

dedicated stereo camera link

transmitter for sending two channels

of audio and timecode from sound

bag to camera. It has built-in

backup recording with timecode

and the ability to send and receive

timecode, IFB audio and remote

control commands via ZaxNet or a

dedicated Zaxcom IFB transmitter.

The camera link uses companderfree

digital audio transmission,

fully encrypted to eliminate the

possibility of production audio

interception or theft. An internal

timecode-referenced audio recorder

backs up all wireless transmissions

on a removable microSD card to

eliminate the danger of audio loss

due to interference or signal dropout.

The Camera Link is powered

externally and consumes 2.16 watts.

Zaxcom has also introduced

NeverClip added to some models

in its product line. This uses two

analogue to digital converters per

transmitter or recorder to deliver 123

dB of dynamic range. This feature

is now standard on ZFR200 and

ZFR300 miniature audio recorders

and is available as an option on

TRX900LT and TRX900LA digital

recording wireless transmitters.

NeverClip can also be found on the

Nomad and Maxx mixer/recorders

and the TRX742 transmitter.



37



38

InSTUDIO

The Show Must Go On With Seamless

Coverage And Reliable Scalability

In a business where most of their fed back over fibre optic cable, no

work is done outdoors, it’s no obstacle is unmanageable.

surprise that maintaining reliable

and robust signals across large,

geographically diverse events

drives how Broadcast Sports, Inc.

(BSI) prepares for events week to

week.

The company provides wireless

audio, video and communications

technology and support for live

broadcasts of golf, motor racing,

horseracing, rugby, football,

marathons, parades, sailing, surfing

and skiing competitions and a

plethora of other events.

BSI’s Intelligent Diversity Receive

System uses proprietary technology

Certain environments regularly

present challenging conditions that

BSI has become adept at handling.

For many years, the company has

provided wireless technology to

ESPN for the Winter X Games. As

an event that takes place primarily

on the side of a mountain, it’s one

where deploying wireless equipment

is extremely beneficial. It’s also one

where BSI’s team of technicians

must take special precautions

to ensure that their equipment

is still fully functional. One of the

simplest things the team does

is to store and prepare all of the

developed and manufactured inhouse

at BSI to connect a network of at or near the external temperature.

camera equipment in temperatures

BSI at Winter X Games (Picture courtesy of Broadcast Sports, Inc.)

receive sites throughout the desired

coverage area of a given event,

enabling the operation of various

wireless components. The system

is customised by the BSI team

based on the breadth of coverage

needed, attributes of the location,

obstructions that may inhibit signal

quality, and components that will

operate on the system. By deploying

small receive sites capable of

providing locally diverse reception

This prevents condensation from

building up and freezing on the

camera lenses which occurs when

constantly moving between warm

and cold environments. When the

network broadcasts go live, BSI’s

technology and RF infrastructure

allow the camera operators to

travel freely around the event with

flexibility and control.

“Our teams take great pains

to ensure that every show goes

smoothly,” said Peter Larsson, BSI’s

General Manager. “We can’t control

the landscape or what Mother

Nature will send our way but we

have strict quality control standards

in place that mitigate the effects

and unique challenges of the venue

on event day. After more than 30

years in the business, we’ve seen

our share of location and weatherrelated

issues so we are always

prepared for the worst.”

When the broadcast environment

presents challenges that can’t be

addressed with simple precautions,

BSI takes preparation to the next

level by incorporating advanced

solutions into their technology

and designing equipment that

can withstand or neutralise these

hazards. That, combined with great

communication between technicians

and operators, is the key to keeping

everything running smoothly.

Re-Inventing The Sports Broadcast Instant Replay

Where would sports

broadcasting be without the

instant replay? The instant replay

as a concept dates back to the very

early days of sports broadcasting,

and today it is difficult to imagine

watching a match or game

without it.

Of course, the technology has

come a long way since the early

1950s, when sports broadcasters

first began to experiment with replay

techniques. In one growing trend,

broadcasters around the world are

adding increasingly sophisticated

enhancements to their traditional

replays for live sports coverage.

Instant replays are a fantastic tool

for enhanced storytelling, but let’s

be honest – enhancements like

slower-than-real-time presentation

and new camera angles are little

more than window-dressing for the

same action, played over and over

By Jesper Gawell

Chief Marketing Officer, ChyronHego

again. Clearly, there is plenty of room

for improvement.

Today’s sports viewers are

also becoming more and more

sophisticated, and they’re very

open to taking in and understanding

multiple layers of information through

enhanced broadcast graphics.

Live graphics heighten the

experience during live action

and virtual graphics boost the

sportscasters’ storytelling ability.

Now, we’re seeing the next logical

step with graphics and telestration

becoming more widespread for

enhancing the instant replay.

Traditionally, advanced telestration

and analysis were reserved for

half-time and post-game shows

because the workflows to prepare

the sequences were simply too timeconsuming.

This has all changed

with tools such as ChyronHego

Paint, which was designed to make

advanced telestration fast to create

and easy for anyone on the sports

production team to use.

As a result, broadcasters

worldwide are using ChyronHego

Paint in their live broadcasts. The

real game-changer is that they’re

using Paint to touch up and illustrate

replays during the live match, not

just the half-time show.

With advanced built-in features

such as calibration-free camera

tracking, chromakeying, and a

unique keyframing interface, Paint

enables users to tie graphics to the

pitch, highlight players, and add

graphics that follows players, faster

ChyronHego Paint makes for fast advanced telestration

and easier than any previous method.

“It’s all about enhancing the

storytelling with stunning visuals.

With ChyronHego Paint, users can

get advanced telestration on air as

a second or third replay during the

live production,” comments Mark

Bowden, Senior Product Manager,

ChyronHego. “With input from our

customers such as Sky Sports

U.K., we’ve continued to develop

Paint to be even faster and offer

a better workflow. With Paint, our

customers are re-inventing the

instant replay by adding powerful

new visual effects.”



40

InSTUDIO

I-MOVIX X10 UHD 4K

Captures Sports Action

Ultra slow motion coverage of sports events is moving to a different plane with recent 4K trials…

Broadcasting history was

recently made when Sky

Sports pioneered full end-to-end

production in 4K during The 2014

Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and Dorna

Sports deployed a 4K continuous

super slow motion trial at the

German MotoGP motorcycle race.

Ryder Cup

The biannual US versus Europe

golf tournament was chosen as

the arena to test 4K ultra slow

motion replays provided by the

I-MOVIX X10 UHD.

Sky Sports covered the entire

week’s action at The Ryder Cup

as a full production trial for 4K

broadcasting.

The trial involved saw ten 4K

cameras and industry-leading

production servers deployed. Hire

company Fletcher London provided

the I-MOVIX X10 UHD ultra-motion

system, running during the entire

event at 500fps to capture the action

at the club head and in the crowd.

For this UHD trial, the I-MOVIX

X10 UHD system was tested with

the DreamCatcher solution from

Evertz and with the FUJINON’s 4K

Cine lens, Premier PL 75-400mm

Cine Zoom (HK5.3X75). Chrosziel

provided the FUJINON servos.

Sky Sports Director of Operations

Keith Lane said: “The 2014 Ryder

Cup gave Sky Sports the opportunity

to produce a comprehensive trial

production at Gleneagles with the

same challenges that a big event

golf tournament would give.

“Using a range of UHD cameras

and lenses, we were able to cover

the production on several holes. The

4K coverage trial for Ryder Cup golf tournament

I-MOVIX camera that was located

on the fi rst tee, produced some

excellent hi-motion UHD replay

images of the players teeing off at

the start of each round as well as

giving replays of crowd reaction.

Used extensively for replays and

teases and highlights, the I-MOVIX

X10 UHD camera proved to be good

value for the production team.”

Fletcher London Manager &

Chief Engineer Haydn Parnell said

it was the first time the UK branch

had the opportunity to experiment

with the system: “The setup was

quick and simple – the X10 UHD

system is configured in 4K ultra slow

motion mode thanks to a simple

switch on the OCP.

“We had the best available 4K

monitors on the truck and we were

blown away by the image quality,

which was beyond what I was

expecting. The I-MOVIX system

matches perfectly the quality of

the other 4K cameras we were

using, and it produces beautiful

and stunning shots.”

MotoGP

Hailed as the world-fi rst use of 4K

continuous super motion, the eni

Motorrad Grand Prix in Germany,

saw I-MOVIX’s X10 UHD used in a

variety of innovative ways to explore

the system’s potential in both 4K

and HD coverage.

Exclusive MotoGP television

rights holder Dorna Sports used an

X10 UHD system in 4K high speed

modes at 500, 750 and 1,000 fps,

and in 4K 2x super slow motion

delivering a continuous 2160p

feed at 100 fps.

4K live super slow motion at the German MotoGP

The demonstration of the 4K

capture in continuous super slow

motion is a world first, the X10 UHD

being the only system capable of

doing this live. During the event,

Dorna Sports also pioneered

continuous 10x super slow motion

in 1080 HD at 500fps.

The I-MOVIX X10 UHD system

was tested in two configurations:

with the new FUJINON’s 4K Cine

lens, Premier PL 25-300mm Cabrio

Cine Zoom (ZK12x25) and with an

XA99x8.4 BESM big box lens and

IBE HDx35 adapter. The Austrian

cmotion provided lens motorisation

with its new broadcast camin system,

and EVS supplied its XT3 production

server and Epsio Zoom solution.

“The image quality of the high

frame-rate 4K shots was astonishing

and a real breakthrough. High

frame-rate 4K footage provides

image detail and sharpness you

can’t get any other way,

and it’s clearly a must

for capturing new levels

of detail in fast-moving

sports action such as

motorcycle racing,”

said Manel Arroyo,

Managing Director at

Dorna Sports S.L.

Commenting on the

MotoGP deployment

I-MOVIX CEO Laurent

Renard said: “This was

a particularly exciting

event not only because

it marked two broadcast

firsts, but also because

Dorna Sports really

explored a lot of the

creative potential of

4K and HD ultra slow

motion in a range of

different ways.

“The gorgeous and dramatic

images the X10 UHD produces can

be used to bring unprecedented

richness and sophistication to live

sports production.”

The Dorna Sports production team

tested X10 UHD, combined with

an EVS XT3 server and the EVS

Epsio zoom solution to explore yet

another creative way to use 4K ultra

motion in both high frame-rate and

continuous modes.

Zooming in 4K was used to show

very close details on the bikes, or

reframe when a crash happened.

The combination of the X10 UHD

and the Digital HD extraction is

also a very attractive proposition

for HD productions, either to

provide exceptionally beautiful and

detailed downscaled HD pictures,

or for zooming in without losing HD

image quality.

I-MOVIX X10 UHD

Combining the core X10 ultramotion

technology with Vision

Research’s Phantom Flex4K

camera, I-MOVIX’s X10 UHD

Camera system supports operation

in a range of modes.

For very high-frame rate ultraslow

motion in 4K sports coverage,

the system operates in USM

mode to deliver instant replays of

up to 1,000fps.

For continuous non-stop

recording, SSM mode delivers up

to 120fps at 4Kp60.

When operating in HD resolutions

(1080p or 1080i) X10 UHD offers up

to 600fps in continuous SSM mode,

and up to 2,000fps in USM mode.



InSTUDIO

IP Intercoms Ring

Around Loud & Clear

While it lacks the sex appeal

of some of the latest video

technologies, intercom and talkback

are still vital to the production of

high quality broadcast content.

Trilogy intercom technology

is currently in use in more than

70 countries, so we have a

pretty comprehensive view of

current market requirements and

longer-term trends.

Demand is always strong

for quality, reliability and costeffectiveness.

Trilogy systems that

are more than 15 years old are still in

daily live production use, so we are

confident in our reliability and value

for money. However, customers are

also looking for new benefits and

capabilities; the ability to readily

integrate with other systems; and

easy overall management. This

is where our current Gemini and

Messenger products come into

their own. They offer state-of-theart

capabilities while seamlessly

integrating with legacy technologies.

For example, Version 5 of our

software provides tight integration

to industry standards such as

Ember + as well as new capabilities

that support the widest range

of platforms.

It’s vital to continue the evolution

of new intercom approaches

that can take advantage of new

developments. One good example

is the advent of IP. There are

numerous benefits to IP-based

intercom systems, both for highend

applications using our Gemini

distributed matrix intercom and

smaller, more straightforward

applications where our entrylevel

Messenger system fi ts the

bill. The challenge is to educate

the marketplace as to how these

systems can future-proof their

comms systems at either end of

the broadcast scale.

Trilogy is well-placed to do so.

Although IP is the current rage, we

By Ewan Johnston

Sales Director,

Trilogy Communications

pioneered and launched the fi rst

Voice over IP intercom system

back in 1999. We’ve continued to

develop new ways to incorporate

IP technology, most recently to

enable users to control their comms

systems from virtually any device,

including PC, tablet and mobile

devices, which has introduced

levels of flexibility and portability

previously unheard of. One of the

beauties of the broad acceptance

of IP is that, when coupled with

our existing experience, it greatly

accelerates the development of

market-leading products.

A recent example of this is the

seamless integration between our

Gemini IP intercom system and

the BBC R&D’s camera-mounted

Stagebox device, which enables

programme makers to link multiple

cameras and move HD content over

a standards-based IP network. The

introduction of Stagebox marked

a major advance with its ability to

connect cameras, microphones,

feeds and tallies directly to the

editing process. Trilogy is doing its

part by enabling talkback to travel

via Stagebox onto a WAN and feed

directly, as native IP, into a Gemini

intercom matrix.

The industry is rapidly moving to

open standards to enable customers

to avoid vendor lock- in. Trilogy’s

philosophy matches this trend and

our current and future products will

enable our customers to exploit the

benefits open standards can bring

to their environment in terms of

fl exibility, management and ease

of integration. This is not just idle

chatter. There are real solutions

already in place using technologies

such as SIP to extend intercom use

to new users and new market areas.

We’ve been at the forefront of

IP-based advances in intercom

systems for more than 15 years, so

in terms of intercom, IP-based or

otherwise, we’re safe as houses.

We

Heard

You

FreeSpeak II

Wireless Intercom

Loaded with more to offer

than ever before.

performance of this professional 1.9GHz wireless

new, rugged and improved Digital Wireless Beltpack

and Transceiver/Antenna System. You can hear every

digital “Clear-Com Sound.” New innovative intercom

makes it the highest performing wireless option for

your team.

41

Trilogy Gemini operator keypanel

Copyright © 2014. Clear-Com, LLC. All rights reserved. ® Clear-Com is a registered trademarks of HM Electronics, Inc.



InTEST

QA: Testing, Testing

InBroadcast checks out the latest developments

In vision, sound and network analysis…

42

Anritsu’s MT1100A Network

Master Flex is a portable

transport tester for optical networks

which can measure client signals

at data rates up to 100Gb/s and

which is suitable for testing the

next generation of 400Gb/s network

equipment. Anritsu has also

introduced a number of upgrades

to the MT1000A, including support

for high-speed Fibre Channel and

enhanced Ethernet testing.

Jonathan Borrill, Director of

Marketing at Anritsu (EMEA), says,

“The new MT1100A is the world’s first

true field portable transport network

tester to be able to generate the

Ethernet and SDH/SONET client

signals needed for testing the traffic

carried on OTN circuits at speeds

up to 100Gb/s. As a result, OTN

evaluations can be performed in

a near-to-live test environment to

easily troubleshoot and test the

causes of communications error on

OTN, Ethernet, SDH/SONET and

Fibre Channel networks.”

DK-Technologies has added

loudness automation to its T7

By Jim Evans

Contributing Editor

Denmark’s DK-Technologies has

once again upped the functionality

of their competitive DK T7 audio,

loudness and logging meter, by

adding Loudness Automation.

Based on SMPTE timecode, DK

T7 is now capable of instantly

recalculating the Integrated

Loudness value up to four hours

back in time. This means no more

reruns to hit your loudness target

value – Loudness Automation is a

free of charge update for existing

and future users.

The recent update also adds

USB mouse operation to the Multi

touch screen DK T7, allowing for

fast and easy on screen access or

operation using the HDMI external

monitor output. Extra tweaks have

been added, including headphone

volume control and more screen

setup functions.

Uffe Kjems, Product Marketing

Director for DK-Technologies,

says: “Every Engineer working with

loudness knows about the tedious

process of hitting the Loudness

measure bulls eye, and I know that

they will appreciate the Loudness

Automation feature as a real time

saver. This adds yet another cool

and practical feature to the DK T7

at no additional cost and simply

makes DK T7 the strongest and

most competitive Loudness meters

around, let alone affordable.”

IneoQuest Technologies’ AMP

for Adaptive Streaming solution

provides video service providers

(VSPs) with deep viewership

analytics in order to increase

monetisation of their services

and enhance viewer experience.

In September, AMP for Adaptive

Streaming was honoured by the

2014 Diamond Technology Review

Programme with one judge stating,

“[AMP for Adaptive Streaming] is a

fi rst of its kind that fi nally allows

operators the needed visibility into

the quality and geolocations of OTT

content consumption.”

Joel Daly, Senior Director, Product

Management and Marketing

at IneoQuest, says: “As the

volume of video consumed on

connected devices continues to

increase, providers must have a

strategy in place to successfully

manage multiscreen deployments.

IneoQuest’s solutions help with this

preparation by allowing providers

to assure video quality, understand

subscribers, optimise content and

delivery and grow returns.”

New to the European market from

Lynx Technik is the Testor | Lite 3G,

a cost- effective, compact, hand

IneoQuest AMP provides viewership analytics

held touch-screen multi-format

test signal generator. Designed to

address the demands of testing

multi-format digital infrastructures,

the new Testor | Lite 3G is offered at

a low cost and boasts “a multitude

of useful features,” making it a

suitable accompaniment for a field

engineer’s portable toolkit.

Nevion has introduced a new

easy-to-use and powerful media

network monitoring solution

that even non-expert users can

operate. The solution is designed

to simplify day-to-day operations,

monitor compliance with Service

Level Agreements (SLAs), as well

as rapidly identify and resolve the

root-causes of any issues in the

network. This means potential

service-affecting issues can be

proactively addressed before they

escalate, thereby saving the costs

associated with the

loss of signals.

The new integrated

solution incorporates

Nevion’s VideoIPath

network management

software with network

monitoring probes from

the nSure product family,

including the flagship TNS4200

solution. It offers complete end-toend

monitoring without the need

for costly and time-consuming

integration. The system can also

collect monitoring data from other

equipment, whether from Nevion

or third parties, that are part of the

transport chain.

BW Broadcast has increased

its stock of Prism Sound audio

test equipment by investing in

two more dScope Series III Digital

Audio Analysers, bringing the total

number of units it owns to nine.

“To support our growth, we have

recently taken on new staff in all

departments,” Founder Scott Incz

says. “We have also increased

production to meet demand and

this has resulted in an expansion

of our product test facilities so that

we can maintain high standards of

quality control.” Incz says that Prism

Sound’s dScope

Series III has played

a pivotal role at BW

Broadcast since the

company acquired

its first analyser

10 years ago.

BW Broadcast is

using its latest Prism

Sound dScope units

in two new, state-of-

Lynx Technik Testor | Lite 3G

the-art Automated Test Equipment

systems, which are quality checking

its range of transmitters, receivers

and digital audio processors.

When electronica 2014 opened

its doors in Munich, Rohde &

Schwarz used the home advantage

to showcase its extensive portfolio

of test and measurement equipment.

High measurement speeds are

crucial for production testing

of wireless communications

components. Rohde & Schwarz has

developed two new instruments that

The Rohde & Schwarz SGT100A and R&S FPS

deliver the required speed.

The R&S SGT100A claims to be

the smallest and fastest vector

signal generator up to 6 GHz. It

includes an integrated baseband

generator with up to 160 MHz

bandwidth. The compact R&S

FPS signal and spectrum analyser

has an upper frequency limit of

4, 7, 13, 30 or 40 GHz and an

analysis bandwidth up to 160

MHz. It offers test applications for

all of the key mobile and wireless

standards. The R&S SGT100A

and R&S FPS can be combined to

generate and demodulate even IEEE

802.11ac WLAN signals. Together,

they achieve extremely short

measurement times when testing

RF components such as the output

amplifiers used in mobile phones.

When Deutsche Welle, Germany’s

RTW TM9 TouchMonitor meters

selected by Deutsche Welle




InTEST

QA: Testing, Testing Cont.

premier international broadcaster

and a member of the ARD network

of German public broadcasters,

sought to make its programming

compliant with the EBU-R128

loudness mandate, it turned to RTW

and the company’s TouchMonitor

line of audio meters, to make the

transition. With their ability to offer

intuitive, precise monitoring, along

with their ease of installation, RTW’s

TM3, TM7 and TM9 TouchMonitor

Tektronix RSA306 USB based spectrum

analyser and SignalVu-PC software

meters were chosen for the job.

Tektronix has introduced a

spectrum analyser based on USB

architecture. The RSA306 sets a

new price/performance threshold for

spectrum analysers and features a

broad 9 kHz to 6.2 GHz frequency

range, 40 MHz real-time bandwidth

and weighs in at just 1.2 pounds.

When used with Tektronix SignalVu-

PC software, it offers advanced

analysis capabilities for such

applications as budget-conscious

research and development,

mobile radio network installation,

interference hunting and university

level lab classes.

The RSA306 is Tektronix’ first

USB spectrum analyser and will be

joined by similar instruments taking

advantage of the availability of

affordable desktop computers

and laptops with sufficient

processing power to handle

complex test and measurement

analysis along with highspeed

USB 3.0 interfaces. At

its introductory price point,

the RSA306 is a fraction of

the cost of a conventional

spectrum analyser while

offering comparable or even

superior sensitivity, accuracy

and dynamic range.

Telestream has announced a

Microsoft Windows-compatible

version of Switch – a multiformat

media player that “provides

professionals with everything they

need to play, inspect, and correct

their media in one, easy-to-use

professional tool”. Already available

for Mac OS X, Switch version 1.5

was demonstrated at IBC.

“With the release of version Switch

1.5 we will have a multi-platform

tool that should reside on every

media professional’s desktop,” says

Barbara DeHart, Vice President of

Desktop Business at Telestream.

“Switch gives anyone dealing with the

production, distribution, packaging,

or QC of content everything they

need to play it, check it and switch it.”

Triveni Digital has released

the StreamScope MT-50 HDT, an

optimised version of

the company’s real-time

DTV transport stream analysis

and troubleshooting tool. The

StreamScope MT-50 HDT brings

increased efficiency, ease of

use, and quality control to cable

operators by providing them with an

intuitive touch-screen HD interface.

“Improvements to the

StreamScope platform have been

designed to assist cable operators

that are transitioning toward a

higher performance networking

infrastructure and need advanced

monitoring and analysis tools,” said

Ralph Bachofen, Vice President of

Sales and Marketing at Triveni Digital.

Video Clarity has confirmed that

its RTM real-time audio and video

monitoring solution and ClearView

line of video quality analysers

now provide built-in decoding

of Dolby Digital audio in SDI or

IP video streams and fi les. With

this new capability, both the RTM

and ClearView systems offer an

efficient and cost-effective method

for media enterprises to run critical

test parameters on all channels and

devices carrying Dolby Digital audio.

“Audio testing has become

a critical component in the

programme distribution chain. By

providing a built-in Dolby Digital

decoding feature in ClearView

and RTM, we’re able to offer our

customers an even more complete

and robust set of test functions,”

says Blake Homan, President and

Founder of Video Clarity. “This is

a needed capability in practically

any quality testing environment,

whether it’s for a TV operator or a

broadcast processor manufacturer.

It’s the latest example of how we are

continually and incrementally adding

the features and enhancements that

our users need.”

Telestream’s Switch

for Windows

43

InSTUDIO

Monitor Control For NTP Technology AX32 & DX32

The NTP Technology DAD

technical sales team recently

headed to Paris and Cologne to

demonstrate the latest versions of

the AX32 analogue/digital/analogue

audio interface and DX32 digital

audio matrix.

Meanwhile in Tokyo, NTP

Technology’s Jun Yamasaki

promoted the AX32 and DX32 as

well as the Penta 720 and Penta

721 to Inter BEE visitors on the TAC

System stand.

Centrepiece of all three

demonstrations was the AX32

analogue/digital/analogue converter

with expanded control facilities, plus

the DX32 digital audio matrix. Full

control of both units is now possible

via the Avid EUCON 3 protocol

directly from Avid Artist, S6, MC

Pro and 5-MC control surface s.

“The AX32 has proved a highly

successful successor to the

24-channel AX24,” commented

Sales Director Mikael Vest. “With its

optional microphone preamplifiers,

the AX32 fully justifi es our claim

that it is the quietest and most

transparent studio front end on the

professional audio market.

“The latest version of the AX32

delivers improved efficiency both in

live recording and post-production.

Monitor control is made via our

DADman software using the Avid

EUCON protocol. The software

can be preconfigured by the user

or administrator to allow a variety

of input and output combinations.

Full control of the AX32 and DX32

is then provided.

“Matrix settings, signal levels,

summing, talkback, cue mix, folddown

and mix-down functions

can be selected or adjusted direct

from the Avid control

surface. Control room

monitors, individual

monitoring, cues,

stems and signal

inserts can all be

managed flexibly,

quickly and easily.

All audio formats

can be configured,

including 5.1 to 9.1

surround with up to

32 channels. The AX32 and DX32

can also be controlled directly from

our DADman software.”

Housed in a compact 2U chassis,

the AX32 is designed for use in nocompromise

audio recording and

mixing as well as post-production.

Large multi-microphone arrays can

be accommodated without the need

to transport a second processor.

Up to 48 microphone feeds can be

connected back to the control room

along a single Cat 5 cable via fully

transparent and uncompressed IP

Ethernet. The optional microphone

preamplifier provides up to 72

decibels of gain, 123 dB dynamic

NTP Technology AX32 and DX32

range and an equivalent noise floor

of -133 dB. The AX32 comes as

standard with an interface for Avid

Pro Tools and eight AES/EBU and

MADI inputs and outputs. It can

optionally be fi tted with a Dante

IP audio interface and two optical

MADI interfaces.

The DX32 is a digital audio bridge

and router interface designed for

applications such as multi-room

recording studios, post-production

facilities and audio distribution

installations.

It allows all digital input and output

routing to be managed within a single

unit or a combination of units.



InSTUDIO

HD Production Causes Studio Rethink

Reduced cost, limited manpower and the inherent flexibility to seamlessly change environments easily,

are all driving forward the design of today’s video production and local broadcast news studios…


Contributing Editor

44

Studio changes include

automated production

technology to allow a single person

to operate an entire newscast,

either in an adjacent control or one

remotely located and controlled

over fibre or IP cabling.

Keeping It Affordable

An ongoing trend in studio cameras

continues to be smaller, faster and

ever-higher resolutions. For news

that means the highest quality highdefi

nition in a camera that costs

around US$6,000. Fully outfi tted

with a studio confi guration it will

run about US$10,000 per camera

(with teleprompter, viewfinder, hand

controls and tally light). That’s

compared to just a few years ago

when the same three-camera setup

would cost around US$100,000.

There are still some larger studios

that are including larger broadcast

cameras, capable of up to 1080p/60

resolutions (though they are not

currently producing in that format),

but these purchases are getting

fewer and fewer in number as the

image quality of the smaller cameras,

using CMOS sensors to reduce cost

has increased significantly. Mostly,

they are being installed at the

major sports leagues and network

news production facilities. Local

TV stations continue to keep it as

simple and affordable as possible.

The lighting fixture requirements

for HD studios has got cooler,

smaller and more brilliant; making

for better working conditions for onair

talent and reduced power costs.

New technologies like fluorescents,

LED and even micro plasma are

now commonplace in the studio.

Litepanels, for example, offers its

Sola 12 and Inca 12 LED Fresnels,

which have an output similar to a

HD cameras in studio configuration

traditional 2K, but only draw 346

Watts. As LED products get more

powerful and the mechanical

engineering gets more sophisticated,

we’re going to see even bigger

fixtures with super-low power draws

that are going to redefine lighting.

LED lighting is also being used

in creative ways to help enhance

different areas of a set with

alternating colours that help set

the mood for different stories. This

also allows the on-air talent to walk

around a set while on air and bring

the viewer closer to the studio. The

goal is always to make viewers feel

at home and comfortable, like they

were sitting in their living room.

Another company called Zylight

also offers a full line of portable

and studio LED lights that have

become popular.

Another lighting technology with

potential is micro plasma. With over

30 patents, Zacuto has developed

its PlaZma Light, which provides a

substantial amount of light coming

from a small, flat source.

Studio lighting – cooler, smaller and

more brilliant

Design Flexibility

The use of virtual set technology,

once popular with broadcasters,

has now lost favour for local news,

due to its complicated set up, and

high processing power needed to

run such systems. Instead studios

are installing off-the-shelf flat panel

displays that can be mounted in a

variety of ways and add colour and

graphics capabilities while allowing

the anchor to roam around a set.

Others are using rear-projection

cubes mounted in a monitor wall

configuration. This allows the

producers to change the backdrop

without having to build a new “hard”

Many studios now are fully automated to enhance production

values and save money

set for every newscast.

News studios looking for the “cool

factor” are installing large touch

screen plasma and LED displays

that allow an on-air reporter to

swipe the screen and move on to

the next image. Both CNN and Fox

News use such technology in their

main New York studios. The images

shown on these flat-panel displays

could be live video, a Google map

or a still image.

One or two operators do the

same job that used to require six

or seven to run studios. Automated

production systems from Grass

Valley (Ignite), Ross Video (OverDrive)

and others allow a single operator

to sit at a keyboard and manage

a rundown, even for live breaking

news. Hundreds of stations in the

US and Canada that produce news

have adopted this type of solution,

due to the inherent benefits it brings

to all types of production.

Those benefits include doing more

with less as well as “consistency”

in a newscast and an improved

on-air look,” said Ed Casaccia,

Senior Director of News Product

Line, Grass Valley. The company

has sold more than 100 of its

Ignite automated news production

systems throughout North America.

The latest station installation being

WNCT, the Greenville/New Bern/

Washington, NC.

Newscast production Grass Valley

Ignite

“It doesn’t matter who is at the

helm, the newscast always looks

the way it is intended to look. In

addition, Ignite provides the ability to

automatically repurpose newscast

content for both streaming and VOD

digital delivery when combined

with the GV STRATUS production

workflow system.”

Using the Ignite system, a library of

templates is created representing all

the combinations of devices, shots,

effects, and mixes involved in the

production of a given programme.

These templates include all of the

command syntax necessary to

control the various components

on the production. Working with

an ActiveX plug-in within the

newsroom computer system, the

director/operator associates the

appropriate template(s) with each

line in the running order. These

templated combinations of events

are triggered by the director/

operator at the specific desired point

within the live production, with any

changes made by the producer in

the newsroom computer system

running order dynamically updating

the overall event list.

Among the latest features is the

real-time control of the company’s

GV Director GPU-based switcher:

“ On-air talent is also doing more,”

Casaccia said, “being given the

tools to control camera angles and

graphics from the palm of their hand,

or from an Apple iPad or similar IPbased

interface. This technology

allows the reporter to walk around

the set while they present a story.”

Sinclair Broadcast Group, the

largest independent station owner

in the US, has committed its

stations’ newscast production to the

Ross Video Overdrive automated

production control system and

Telemetrics’ pan/tilt/zoom systems.




InSTUDIO

46

HD Production Causes Studio Rethink Cont.

The broadcaster owns and

operates, programmes or provides

sales services to 58 television

stations in 35 markets. Sinclair’s

television group is affiliated with all

major networks and reaches about

22% of all US television households.

There are approximately 220 Ross

Video OverDrive installations in the

US, according to Scott Bowditch,

Marketing Product Manager for the

OverDrive product line.

“Automated Production Control

(APC) allows the production facility

to create more complex and more

consistent newscasts while reducing

the frequency and severity of on-air

errors,” Bowditch said.

“The bulk of the tasks of creating

a newscast are undertaken in preproduction

rather than execution,

meaning that the user and the

system are given the luxury of

verifying that things are done

correctly prior to going on-air.”

The OverDrive system takes

the rundown from the Newsroom

Computer System (NRCS) using

MOS protocol and creates its own

production rundown. The OverDrive

system then takes control of various

production devices – Production

Switcher, Video Servers, Graphics,

Robotic Cameras, Audio Mixing, etc.

– and puts them into a single GUI.

OverDrive has the ability to control

over 200 devices made by countless

manufacturers using numerous

different control protocols. This

means that coordination of these

devices is managed by the system

rather than needing to manage

the execution with numerous

sets of hands.

He added that OverDrive also

allows for “partial” or “semi”

automation. Individual devices can

be run manually – audio mixing in

the case of live music for instance

– while the rest of the production

remains automated. There are

two new features of OverDrive:

There’s a new HTML5 NRCS plugin

(moving away from the traditional

ActiveX workflow). This is important,

Bowditch said, because ActiveX

is no longer supported. The new

plugin makes coding a newscast

much faster and simpler than ever

before. Another new feature is

called Caprica, which, for the first

time, allows OverDrive to control

production switchers made by

companies other than Ross.

Remote Production

And these days the control room

does not necessarily have to be in

the same building as the studio. A

control room located two blocks

away is driving robotic camera

systems at WABC-TV in New York,

over a fibre connection.

This includes three box-style

HD cameras mounted on three

unmanned robotic pedestals.

Various types of camera control

automation software, from

companies like Telemetrics,

allows operators to work with a

touchscreen or a mouse and a

virtual joystick to have full control

Overhead camera tracks provide a unique POV in the studio

of up to eight cameras including

storing up to 16 presets. Additional

features include the ability to adjust

CCU settings with automatic GUI

indicators, direct serial control that

complements the existing Device

Server-Ethernet control system

configuration and the availability of

XY axis control slider bars.

“These types of solutions bring

more creativity in camera movement

and overall improved production

capabilities to any newscast, no

matter how small in size or the

market they are broadcasting in,”

said Anthony E Cuomo, President

of Telemetrics, adding that his

company has installed systems for

NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jimmy

Fallon” and ABC’s “The View”,

both originating from studios in

New York City.

“We believe all the new studios are

going automation worldwide. What

we are seeing is more of them going

with camera track systems and for

the fi rst time overhead mounted

track systems with elevation

(a combination of Telemetrics’

TeleGlide and Televator systems)

which we pioneered in developing.”

At the end of the day, the trend in

TV news studio technology is finding

that right mix of providing the most

flexibility at a cost-effective price.

In today’s current tough economy,

broadcasters are being asked to

create more programmes with the

same resources and studio space.

They also have to keep viewers’

interest in a multichannel world

filled with an increasing variety

of on-air looks and capabilities.

That’s why embracing new robotic

or automated technology and

refreshing a station’s on-air look

with creative studio space design

is critical to staying competitive.

Atomos Ships 4K Shogun Monitor/Recorder

At CCW in New York, Atomos

announced that its new Shogun

is shipping and unveiled a bundle

offer on the purchase of a Ninja Star.

Atomos demonstrated the

powerful feature set of the award

winning 4K Shogun and confirmed

it has completed its first production

run. Atomos also announced that up

to December 31, 2014 customers

will receive 50% off the usual price

of the Atomos 64GB CFast card

when purchased with a Ninja Star.

The Atomos Shogun 4K/HD monitor/recorder

“The wait is over for thousands of

video professionals.” said Jeromy

Young CEO and Co-Founder of

Atomos. “Having been at the factory

personally to oversee the production

and testing of our first Shogun units,

I can assure the world that the final

product will exceed already high

expectations.”

The Atomos Shogun claims a

number of world firsts in the 4K/HD

monitor/recorder space including:

First 4K/HD monitor/recorder

with 12G SDI & 4K

HDMI connections;

First 4K/HD monitor/

recorder with SDI to

HDMI & HDMI to

SDI conversion;


recorder with a

truly pro monitor

pixel density in

excess of 300ppi;


recorder with balanced

XLR audio in/out.

Outside of the

feature list however, the user

interface powered by AtomOS6

is the jewel in the crown. With

every feature one touch away, new

monitoring features like 2:1 zoom

and a host of layout improvements

designed to make camera setup,

shot setup and work in postproduction

easier, Atomos reckon

that the Shogun will be the “go-to”

product for modern day filmmakers.

Announced earlier this year

the Atomos Shogun implements

ProRes standards. Recording all

content to 4:2:2 10-bit, gives the

user the choice of HQ/422/LT bit

rates, the ability to create Favourite/

Reject XML file markers and is not

restricted by fi le size limits in the

recording (e.g. 4GB or 2.5min).

Shogun features a stunning

1920×1200 SuperAtom IPS 7”

touchscreen at 325 PPI and 178

degree viewing. 400nit brightness

and multi-frequency (48/50/60Hz)

operation, depending on video input,

gives super-smooth monitoring and

playback. The Shogun also has

“The wait is over,” says Atomos

CEO Jeromy Young

genlock-in for synced recording

and playout. The included Lemo

breakout cable for XLR Audio gives

balanced audio, mic and Phantom

power, taking the Shogun to the

highest level of audio capability.

Also Atomos has announced a

seasonal offer for the Ninja Star,

the world’s smallest Apple ProRes

recorder. Up to December 31st 2014

customers will receive 50% off the

usual price of the Atomos 64GB

CFast card when purchased with a

Ninja Star. Now even better value the

Atomos CFast 1.0 cards are perfect

for HD recording or applications

where the faster speeds of CFast

2.0 are not required.



Supplying TV channels with a complete, end-to-end

newsroom software solution for over 15 years.

octopus-news.com

47



48

InSTUDIO

BCE Produces Commercials For Lalux

Following the commercial

produced in 2011, Lalux

Assurances asked BCE to produce

two new video clips to promote their

“Lalux easy-protect” product.

This time BCE teamed up with

Wonderlandmovies (Germany) to

create a viral web campaign giving

the possibility for the viewer to

personify the main characters.

As one of the leading insurers in

Luxembourg, Lalux Assurances has

produced many commercials with

BCE, this time the company wanted

to produce two new clips, but with

a viral twist.

Keeping the fi lming method of

the first episode promoting “easyprotect”

in 2011, BCE produced the

clips using a first person point of

view with the viewer seeing through

the eyes of the protagonist.

The new scenario and idea, by

Thomas Neunreither (Is it true what

they say about Luxembourg / La

bourse de Luxembourg Anniversary)

with the viral web campaign led the

BCE helmet camera – the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera is used with Zeiss Cinemizer glasses

production team to create a new

filming helmet.

less than two kilos and allows face, and special spaces for the text partnership with Wonderlandmovies

Fully engineered by BCE, the immersive productions.

in the video clips. Connecting to made a real difference for the

helmet has a Blackmagic Pocket The second part of the advertising the website www.easydate.lu, the final project. In less than three

Cinema Camera in front of the campaign is centred on the viral viewers can create their own video months the campaign was

helmet with Zeiss Cinemizer glasses twist. Wonderlandmovies, a and send it to their friends using produced and the viral mechanism

directly connected to the camera Germany based company, created email or social networks.

developed,” commented Xavier

which allows the cameraman to a system that allows the viewers to “It was great to work again Thillen, Head of Production and

see exactly what the viewer will upload their photo and name and with Lalux Assurances and the Postproduction at BCE.

see. This innovative system weighs make it appear directly on the actors Lalux easy-protect products, the

The Duke Of Burgundy: Cinematic Heritage

Peter Strickland follows up his

festival hit Berberian Sound

Studio with a dark melodrama.

Lensed by Nic Knowland and

featuring Sidse Babett Knudsen

(Borgen) and Chiara D’Anna, The

Duke of Burgundy is about an

intimate relationship between a

woman who studies moths and

butterflies and her housekeeper.

Colourist Greg Fisher of Company

3 London was tasked with crafting a

rich immersive sensory experience

using DaVinci Resolve. “The Duke

of Burgundy is a film that examines

power and sensitivity, exploring

the lengths to which a person

can push her lover. Although the

time and location are not tightly

defined, the film appears distinctly

European,” says Fisher.

“I wanted the grade to fit tonally

with the design and sound illustrating

the world inhabited by the couple.

Although the palette is quite natural

and filmic, it is not completely

normal. We pushed a little colour

into areas of the exposure to find

contrast and create a sense of

escapism from the everyday.”

Due to the very dark nature of the

film, there were several challenges

that Fisher had to overcome during

the grade. “There are a number of

night scenes, some of which were

shot at night, and some of which

are day for night shots. Thankfully

the dynamic range of the Alexa

preserves detail in the highlights

well, which allowed us to bring

down the exposure a number of

stops during the digital intermediate,

pulling detail out of the highlights.”

“In certain scenes, we were trying

to darken to a point where it was

only just possible for the audience

to discern what was happening. The

idea being that you might squint

and search out specific details

in a scene, like you would when

trying to navigate your way around

an environment in near darkness.

The film has a late summer, early

autumn feel throughout, however

not everything was shot during that

period so we had to make sure

everything was consistent in terms

of both the look and feel.”

Developing the feature’s very

distinctive look proved to be an

intuitive process: “We didn’t discuss

many visual references at the outset,

nor did we force the grade in any

specifi c direction. Watching the

offline, hearing the sound design,

looking at the production design

and listening to the wonderful music

written by Cat’s Eyes all helped in

developing the film’s colour palette

in quite a natural way.”

“The log grading options within

DaVinci Resolve were really helpful

The Duke of Burgundy graded on DaVinci Resolve

during the DI as I was able to quickly

shape the curve far more precisely

than if I’d hand drawn the custom

curves myself,” concludes Fischer.

“We also needed to track a lot of

windows, especially on the day for

night shots and Resolve’s shape

tracker made this a fairly quick and

painless process,” he said.

MASTERING MEDIA

WORKFLOW

Enabling Media Organizations to Maximize the Value of

Assets by Providing Software-Based Solutions to Better

Create, Manage & Distribute Content



50

InSTUDIO

ARD ‘Tagesschau’ studio

VSM System Controls ARD News Studio

The fi rst transmission from the studio automation,

new ARD ‘Tagesschau’ studio servers as well as

(Germany’s most prominent news

programme) took place after

the tally system.

The system was

conversion and modernisation work installed and

that had taken a number of months.

The studio sets new standards

confi gured in situ

by MCI Hamburg.

in audio-visual communication

of information – with the most

impressive feature being the

18-metre wide back projection

wall onto which video material can

be projected in real-time during

the programmes.

This modernisation also included

converting the whole production to

HD quality. A key component of the

new technology is L-S-B Broadcast

Technologies’ VSM System, which

assumes control of several tasks in

The ARD-

the new studio complex.

One of the two ARD control rooms

VSM is the centralised control

system for video and audio routers

and interfaces, IMDs and UMDs,

complex consists

of a large studio

and two control

rooms and the

VSM controls all

the background

switching,

including both

on-air switching

and the tally

in addition to

switching the audio

and video routers.

The VSM also

controls all the signal routing in

case of critical equipment failure.

Particular importance was

attached to the system’s

redundancy, whereby VSM

controls the redundancy

switchover between the

two control rooms.

For each control room

an Evertz (288x288

frame) video router is

in use. More than 130

Penta displays (control

of the input switching

and screensaver on/off

through VSM) as well as

24 multiviewers, whose UMDs and

IMDs are controlled by the VSM,

are available.

With regards to video the VSM

system controls one Sony MVS 7000

production switcher in each control

room and has access to, amongst

other things, Tally, Label or aux-bus

routing. In the case of the Stagetec

Nexus audio routers and mixers

VSM has direct access to DSP

parameters adjusting microphone

input equalisers and switching

crosspoints via the Gadget Server

5 which is incorporated in the VSM

system. The Lynx modular system

is also connected via VSM and all

frame synchroniser parameters are

available to the VSM.

The VSM’s vLayer function

enables the Mosart automation to

have full access to controlling the

video routers. VSM is also used for

layout design and labelling of the

24 multiviewers.

The news presenters’ controls

have been made especially for this

particular studio. They are built into

the desk for the presenters’ use and

are controlled by means of 14 VSM

GPI units (19”). They also include

special foot switches for the studio

presenters to preselect the material

to be run in the programme.

ABC TV Melbourne Installs Lawo Console Solutions

Australian national public

broadcaster ABC has taken

delivery of two Lawo mc² consoles

– one Lawo mc²90 and one mc²56 –

for its ABC TV studios in Elsternwick,

Melbourne.

Supply, configuration, installation

and commissioning was carried

out by Lawo’s Australian partner

Professional Audio & Television (PAT).

The system, which was

commissioned recently, consists

of one Lawo mc²90 console with

105 faders and a Lawo 48 fader

mc²56 console system. Lawo’s

mc²90 flagship console core was

supplied with 27 MADI ports, 96

AES3 inputs and outputs, eight DSP

cards including a redundant standby

card, fully redundant controller

cards and power supplies.

Two local DALLIS frames in Control

Room 31 provided access to all

local Control Room I/O, while being

connected to the main console core

in DCAR via MADI. Six mobile stage

boxes with fully redundant DALLIS

frames – each with 48 Mic inputs, 16

Line outputs, four AES3 I/O, as well

as four serial ports – offer maximum

flexibility by easily adding additional

resources to the console’s MADI

fibre infrastructure.

In addition to two local DALLIS

I/O frames in Control Room

33, the mc²56 NOVA73 HD core

was equipped with 18 MADI

ports, 64 AES3 I/O channels

and five DSP cards including a

redundant DSP card.

Both console systems provide the

operators with access to hundreds

of VST plugins via two Lawo’s plugin

servers located in DCAR, and one

of each connected to the consoles

MADI infrastructure.

PAT worked closely with the Lawo

project team in Germany to firstly

deliver the mc²56 MKII console in

August 2014, for ABC’s studio 33.

Due to tight project dea dlines, while

Lawo was building and testing the

new mc²56 system in Germany, PAT

supplied ABC with a comprehensive

fibre network throughout the entire

facility to accommodate the

new Lawo system and provide

maximum flexibility.

Managing Director of PAT Patrick

Salloch commented: “We had to

accommodate TV production

schedules while performing this

major upgrade of the audio facilities

and it was imperative that the PAT

project team worked extremely close

with Lawo in Germany to assure all

timelines were met precisely.”

Once the mc²56 system had been

installed and commissioned, PAT’s

focus shifted to the install of the

mc²90 from mid-September. As the

console was delivered in various

sections due to its size, specialised

ABC’s Lawo mc²90

Lawo factory engineers assembled

and commissioned the 3.2m console

in October this year.

Lawo’s CEO and President

Philipp Lawo said: “We are

delighted to have supplied the

ABC with Lawo’s proven cutting

edge mc²90 and mc²56 television

production consoles.

“In cooperation with our Australian

partner PAT we are looking forward

to servicing the ABC in their future

broadcasting needs.”



51



52

InSTUDIO

LiveU Launches Cloud-Based Video

Community Network Platform

LiveU, a leader in portable live the world, LiveU

video acquisition, contribution Community enables

and management solutions, has

launched the LiveU Community

platform, a cloud-based network

connecting freelancers, production

houses and other service providers

with hundreds of top broadcasters

around the world.

Using its own management

technology, LiveU has created an

online news exchange platform,

making it simpler and cheaper

for LiveU customers to offer or

request newsgathering services

for breaking news and events

anywhere, at any time.

LiveU Community is a reflection

of LiveU’s strategy to offer valueadded

services to its customers,

enabled by its cloud-based central

management platform, LiveU

Central. Once the connection is

LiveU broadcasters to

find LiveU-equipped

professionals in any

geographic location

and create unique

content at a significantly

reduced cost, and much

faster, than sending

their own news crew

or using satellite or

microwave equipment.

LiveU CEO Samuel

Wasserman said: “Using

our technology, we’re

proud to have created

an effective platform with

hundreds of customers

that serves as a bridge

between broadcasters

and the freelance video

The LiveU Community platform networks producers

community. The LiveU

made between the broadcaster

and the service provider, the

content can be transmitted and

managed centrally.

With the LiveU Community, LiveU

uplink devices can transmit to any

LiveU server, essentially allowing

the broadcaster to use any service

provider’s unit as one of their own.

Leveraging the massive deployment

of LiveU units and servers around

Community platform is a real

innovation in its field, opening

a whole range of options for our

customers to connect to one another

and acquire valuable content when

they need it. We’ve had great

feedback so far with new members

signing up every day.”

“The LiveU Community opens a

whole new door for potential clients.

Providing live content as a freelancer

is so much easier and affordable

with LiveU technology and the

Community gives us the platform

to access the largest broadcasters,”

said Terje Næss, Press Photographer,

Næss Multimedia AS.

Wasserman continued: “It’s a

win-win solution for the industry.

Broadcasters can obtain content that

financially or logistically would have

been prohibitive, and freelancers

and service providers have greater

access to the world’s media. LiveU

Community reflects our long-term

strategy to enhance our offering with

new value-added services.”

LiveU owns the patent for cellular

bonding for remote news gathering

in the US and other countries. All

LiveU products are based on

this fourth-generation patented

technology.

Riedel Communications Introduces Tango

The introduction of the Tango

at IBC2014 represented a

significant new direction for Riedel

Communications.

Our first network-based and

extensible platform supports AES67

and AVB standards, this new product

reflects the move from a hardwarefocused

company towards more

software solutions. While we remain

committed to our existing product

portfolio, this change will allow us

to offer even more fl exible, open

platform solutions that deliver a host

of additional benefi ts. By running

different Riedel software solutions

on the same hardware, users can

reduce operational costs, augment

their workflow efficiency, and create

more networking opportunities.

Together, these benefits make for

more powerful production and

delivery environments.

We have always considered the

networked approach to signal

distribution to be the most desirable

option for today’s broadcasters,

and in the case of Tango, we’re

providing a networked platform

that can be turned into a flexible,

cutting-edge solution for a variety

of communications scenarios.

We introduced Tango with its own

dedicated intercom application, “My

First Riedel”. This powerful entry level

application turns the Tango platform

into an efficient intercom system

that users can tailor according to

their needs, offering a matrix size

of 40 x 80. The asymmetric 40 x

80 matrix size is another Riedel

innovation, and it allows for a

standard premium-quality stereo

audio connection to panels. As we

move forward in development we

will release additional applications

with more features, thus allowing

the networked platform to be

integrated according to users’

specific requirements.

As an exceptionally flexible

platform, Tango accommodates not

only the particular requirements of

each user, but also the current and

future standards used in broadcast,

theatre, and live-event environments

– particularly live sports production

and broadcasting.

The Tango platform itself is

equipped with a high-resolution,

full-colour thin-film-transistor

display that ensures readability

at all times. The unit’s front-panel

controls simplify the recall of presets

and adjustment of audio levels.

Along with powerful processing

capabilities, the Tango features two

integrated Riedel Digital Partylines,

two AES67 and AVB-compatible

ports, two Ethernet ports, one

option slot, and redundant power

supplies. The 1.5-RU system is fully

compatible with all of our current

and legacy intercom panels.

We created our new Pulse

software to facilitate configuration

of the Tango platform and the apps

integrated with it. The software

allows users to access, set up, and

control any aspect and function

of the platform and its installed

applications, including the “My

First Riedel” intercom application.

We’ve made programming easy

by providing drag-and-drop

functionality and 3D views.

The Tango platform provides

convenient and cost-effective

access to advanced intercom

technology, and we believe that

it will change the way the market

approaches intercom system

selection and implementation.

Riedel’s Tango TNG-200



54

InSTUDIO

Ross Video Acuity Climbs The Rankings

With Live 4K Tennis Production

The ATP World Tour Finals at

London’s O2 arena provided a

thrilling fi nale to the men’s 2014

tennis season, with the sport’s top

ranking players – including Murray,

Federer and Djokavic – battling to

end their competitive year on a high.

As part of this year’s event,

Ross Video was invited to partner

with Gearhouse Broadcast, one

of Europe’s leading system

integration companies, to provide

live 4K productions throughout

the tournament.

With Hitachi already on board

providing four 4K cameras,

Gearhouse Broadcast needed a

production switcher for the weeklong

event, and Ross Video’s latest

Acuity switcher represented the

perfect doubles partner.

Launched earlier this year at NAB,

the Acuity is Ross Video’s flagship

switcher and offers a compelling

blend of performance, fl exibility

and aesthetic design. Capable

of switching SD, HD, 3G and 4K

content, the Acuity

looks set to become

one of Ross Video’s most

successful products

and has consistently

proven itself during a

series of 4K technology

demonstrations this year.

Simon Brooke, who

had been working with

Gearhouse Broadcast

and the Acuity switcher

during the tennis event,

noted: “What can I

say about the Acuity?

Flexible, powerful and it

looks great too!”

Andy Newham, Ross

Video’s Business

Development Manager

for Switchers in EMEA,

was delighted with the

performance of the

Acuity: “This event has

provided the ideal opportunity for

us to demonstrate the power and

performance of Acuity at the highest

Simon Brooke switching a live match with the Ross Video Acuity

level of live 4K sport production.

“Live production is always a

demanding environment, especially

when it comes to sport, and Acuity

has met all of the challenges faced

this week with ease.”

Cavena is a leading manufacturer of subtitling systems,

with a worldwide base of installed systems operating

24/7. Cavena provides state of the art subtitling

solutions for everyone, from the free-lance

subtitle translator to the multiple channel

playout-centre. The Cavena subtitling

systems are language independent and

subtitles can be edited and transmitted

in any language including more

complex languages such as

Chinese, Japanese etc.

Cavena subtitling systems are

built on standard computers.

Cavena Image Products AB, Nytorpsv. 26, 183 71 Täby, Sweden Tel: +46 8 544 70980 Mob: +46 708 771633 www.cavena.com



InSTUDIO

Technology In The Newsroom –

Why Innovation Matters

Newsroom technology has helped streamline the operations and rationalise the studio environment…

By Karen Walker

Product Director at Vitec Videocom

The newsroom has developed

and evolved over the last few

years into a lean, cost-effective and

efficient operation. This change has

been supported by advances in

technology and a move towards

more automation throughout the

newsroom systems.

As much as the environment has

changed, four key features have

remained the same; accuracy,

reliability, quality and performance.

Directors, producers, camera

operators, and even the talent, need

to be able to rely on the technology

and equipment in order to execute

their roles, so much so that kit

with these features is considered

standard. Vitec Videocom brands

Vinten, Autoscript and Vinten

Radamec have a long history

in providing solutions for the

newsroom environment.

Camera Supports

Some of the most essential

pieces of technology in the studio

environment are the support

equipment, such as the pedestal.

The most popular pedestals

combine balance with impressive

height ranges in order to deliver a

better range of shots – with smooth

XY motion and intuitive steering

for tracking shots. Working in

collaboration with an appropriate

pan and tilt head, these pedestals

ensure camera operators can

perform a myriad of tasks with

minimal effort – positioning,

tracking, raising, lowering, panning

and tilting – and can capture a wider

range of shots that make for more

compelling programming.

The role of this supporting

equipment, like the pedestal, is

to complement the camera’s

performance. Vinten’s full range

of products incorporates the

company’s renowned Perfect

Balance technology that ensures

no matter what the camera size or

payload, performance is guaranteed.

Vinten also supports the

increasing use of augmented

reality in the studio environment –

particularly for large events such

as elections. The aim of such a

system is to seamlessly composite

an image of a real background with

a computer generated view of a 3D

model, so that it appears physically

real. This requires highly accurate

pan and tilt positional information

for the camera, which is typically

provided by encoded heads such

as the Vinten i-Series.

This high level of precise tracking

is also incorporated into Vinten

Radamec’s Quattro SE manually

operated pedestals. This range is

ideal for use in a virtual studio, as

the high quality precision encoders

have been integrated within the

pedestal’s wheels and column to

ensure the tracking is accurate and

on target for every shot, a crucial

requirement for the augmented

reality environment.

Around The Camera

Another crucial element of the

newsroom ecosystem is the

prompting solution. The Enhanced

Prompting Information Centre

(E.P.I.C.) from Autoscript is an

excellent example of an all-in-one

prompter display and on-air talent

monitor that provides a simplifi ed,

power effi cient, fl exible solution.

Operating in live broadcasts, it is

vital that the prompting software

ensures that the operator’s job is as

easy and stress free as possible. In

Vinten Radamec’s Advanced Positioning System (APS) uses passive targets

Vitec Videocom Autoscript WinPlus offers live script updates to iOS devices

addition to the WinPlus Newsroom

prompting system that operates

to the highest standard in the

newsroom, Autoscript recently

launched an iOS-based prompting

system, WinPlus Remote, that

enables talent in the field to receive

the most up to date scripts on an

iPad or iPhone, regardless of where

they are in the world.

On the studio side, the WinPlus

software, present in many

newsrooms across the world, now

includes Twitter integration, which

allows producers or prompting

operators to set up automatic tweets

based on the content of the script

from the prompting system.

Increasing Automation

Over the last few years the use

of IP-based solutions has been

one of the biggest developments

in newsroom camera support

automation. While manual support

still features strongly in the

newsroom environment, robotics

opens up further operational

opportunities, particularly for news

broadcasters operating around

the clock schedules. Networked

systems offer much greater

flexibility, enabling studios to

choose best of breed solutions for

each aspect of the robotic system.

As a result, robotics solutions

are increasingly using standard

commodity IT components, such

as switches and Ethernet cables,

to deliver performance, reliability

and cost-effectiveness.

One of the core benefits for

newsrooms is that broadcasters’

IT teams are already familiar with

the technology, so it can be installed

in advance of a manufacturer fitting

the robotics system. Now with

smart interfaces, connecting the

robotics to the studio systems is

comparatively simple. A case in

point is Vinten Radamec’s Intelligent

Control Engineering (ICE) platform

that enables premium motion control

within IP based studio automation

systems. ICE allows broadcasters

to simplify their robotic solution,

while still delivering perfect control

and accuracy.

Other developments in automation

are bringing even greater benefit to

the newsroom. Vinten Radamec’s

Advanced Positioning System (APS),

for example, is a completely new

concept in pedestal positioning

giving unrivalled positional accuracy

and operational flexibility to studios.

Rather than relying on a floor target

or tile for navigation and positioning,

it detects unobtrusive, passive

retro-reflective targets placed in the

studio environment using a scanning

laser-based measurement system.

It can therefore easily adapt to an

often-changing studio environment,

allowing operators to free up

valuable studio fl oor space and

removes the need of the operational

overheads associated with targeting

pedestals using a floor target.

As the broadcast industry and

the newsroom continues to evolve

there will be increasing pressure

on decision-makers to ensure

the reliability and profi tability of

operations. As a result, the role of

the technology solutions around the

camera should adapt at the same

rate, using innovation to ensure

its usefulness, appropriateness

and effectiveness in the

broadcast ecosystem.

55



InREPLY

VSN Forges Complete Broadcast Links

VSN’s CEO and President Jordi Utiel discusses the latest

breakthroughs, developing trends and international successes

in advanced broadcast infrastructure technology that his

company has achieved during 2014…

56

InBroadcast: How is your

company adapting to meet

customer demands?

Jordi Utiel: At VSN we are committed

with our customers’ needs and

we continuously implement their

demands in our solutions, improving

our product features and adapting

them to our clients situation,

budget and strategy for the future.

In that sense, I can proudly say that

our sales, operations and support

teams are close to the clients,

always keeping all communication

channels open and responsive. Our

team has always an eye on the latest

developments of the market, in order

to identify and anticipate in which

direction customer’s needs will go in

the near future so we can offer them

solutions that accurately meet their

demands. Our market knowledge

is nurtured from listening to our

clients and our R&D is continuously

working towards anticipating what

the industry will need in the next 12

to 18 months.

InB: What criteria are broadcasters

using to select products?

JU: First, producing and distributing

contents at any time, and from any

place, is the key to success for

the broadcast industry. The need

for more effi cient workfl ows in a

cost effective way is one of the

broadcasters’ main concerns. The

industry has changed a lot in the

past years and it was hard to see a

VSNEXPLORER MAM

business model for most of them in

the newest environments. However,

there is light at the end of the tunnel,

and those changes are converging

into a much more efficient way of

producing and distributing contents,

and a wide range of possibilities

to reach a larger audience

in a wide range of channels.

Secondly, Multimedia production

environments together with the

latest features in streaming and

other technologies (like the cloud)

call for a reduced complexity in

producing and distributing contents,

something that is highly boosted by

open standard formats and solutions,

in contrast of closed systems

that can only be updated and

integrated by a single manufacturer

or developer. At VSN we believe

every client should have the right

to choose not just a manufacturer

but what suits best its needs.

In conclusion, broadcasters

demand easy-to-use and intuitive

products and technology to help

them stop worrying about the

technical details and start focusing

on what they do best: create and

distribute high-quality contents.

InB: Which territories are showing

particular activity?

JU: VSN’s international expansion

strategy is giving great results.

Our offices in Miami, Santiago de

Chile, Hong Kong and Dubai are

thriving with important projects

that are consolidating

VSN’s presence in South

America, Middle East and

Asia. We are doing our best

to provide our clients in this areas

of interest with the best technology

and latest broadcast solutions. And

we are proud to say that the market

is responding very positively.

InB: Any product innovations

ahead that you can discuss?

JU: VSNEXPLORER, our Media &

Business Process Management

solution is incorporating the

most exciting technologies and

features to help our clients to

adapt to the increasing complexity

of the broadcast market.

This is why this year we have

developed VSNEXPLORER

PAM, focused on production and

post-production environments;

VSNEXPLORER MAM, that offers

all the necessary tools for the

complete management of the media

lifecycle, such as advanced and

automatic cataloguing tools, and,

VSNEXPLORER BPM, adding an

orchestration layer which enables the

user to define business processes

in a simple and customisable way,

dramatically increasing the system’s

potential and flexibility. Not to forget

our News & Live Production tools for

journalists, and our MCR Automation

& Distribution, whose functionalities

keep growing year after year.

Our roadmap is full of new and

exciting features that we will be

releasing next year (we have just

released and advanced OCR tool), I

VSNEXPLORER MAM

can’t say much more about

it, but all our efforts are

aligned with our mission of enabling

our client to create and distribute

its content, from anywhere to any

platform at any time.

InB: Can you describe some of

your recent deployments?

JU: 2014 has been a great year for

VSN, in terms of sales, projects

and international events. We have

consolidated our presence in Brazil

with six installations (Cançao

Nova, Fish TV, Rede Minas, Rede

Massa, TVE Do Bahia and TV

Educativa do Porto Alegre) and

we have important projects in

Saudi Arabia (Saudia Airlines, who

uses our MAM, VSNEXPLORER,

for managing its audiovisual

contents), and Jordan (Roya TV).

Among others we have also

deployed the Asia-Pacifi c region,

where TVB Hong Kong uses a

fully redundant VSN system,

from the playout to the network

electronics, and Amarin TV and

Spring News from Thailand

have installed our technology

with an end-to-end solution.

These are only a few of our

growing list of clients, more than

1000 that rely on us year after year.

2014 has been extraordinary and

we are eager to keep it up and to

extend our reach even further.

InB: Thank you for taking time to

answer our questions.



57



InUSA

58

Broadcast Spectrum

Auction Delay

It seems the National Association

of Broadcasters (NAB), the

lobbying trade organisation for

broadcasters in the US, is more

powerful than many of us might

think. But, is the NAB doing right

by its members by exhorting them

not to participate in the upcoming

auction of broadcaster channels

for other wireless communication

uses?

For the past three years (at least)

the industry has been debating the

merits of a government auction of the

airwaves now used by broadcasters

to mobile phone companies and

others. Now, thanks to an intense

lobbying effort by the NAB, and

more than a few lawsuits to stop

it, the Federal Communications

Commission (FCC), responsible for


Contributing Editor

Transmission spectrum channel usage

Auction delay: Federal

Communications Commission

hosting the auctions, said it would

delay the proceedings another six

months, until 2016.

The auction was supposed

to begin in mid-2015 and bring

several billion dollars (some say as

“

…Many have

called it the

largest and most

complicated sale of

airwaves that the

commission has

ever attempted.

”

much as the preliminary estimate

is that the auction could bring in

US$45 billion) to the government’s

coffers. Proceeds from the auction

are expected to contribute heavily

to the cost of a planned US$7

billion nationwide public safety

communications network. Many

have called it the largest and most

complicated sale of airwaves that

the commission has ever attempted.

After an extensive marketing and

promotion campaign run by the NAB

to keep stations from “getting out of

the business of broadcasting,” the

commission said it needs more time

to attract more television stations to

participate. To be successful, some

broadcasters must agree to give up

their assigned channel or move their

signals to new frequencies on the

wireless spectrum in exchange for a

portion of the proceeds of their sale.

Mobile Spectrum

Broadcast stations that do not

participate in the auction could

have their spot on the broadcast

spectrum moved anyway (also

known as “repacking of channels”)

to help create contiguous blocks

of airwaves for sale to mobile

phone companies.

Thanks in part to the NAB’s efforts,

most broadcast stations affi liated

with the four major networks are

not expected to participate in the

auction, and the trade association

said in its lawsuit challenging the

sale that the initial rules laid out

by the commission would cause

some stations to lose some of their

coverage area and viewers.

Gary Epstein, the Chairman of the

commission’s Incentive Auction Task

Force, wrote in a blog post on the

FCC website, that “given the reality

of [the] schedule, the complexity

of designing and implementing the

auction, and the need for all auction

participants to have certainty well

in advance of the auction, we now

anticipate accepting applications for

the auction in the fall of 2015 and

starting the auction in early 2016”.

Of course, Dennis Wharton,

Executive Vice President for

communications of the broadcasters’

association, said, in a statement,

that it was not responsible for the

delay. He told the New York Times,

“it’s more important to get the auction

done right than right now. Given its

complexity, there is good reason

Congress gave the FCC 10 years

to complete the proceeding”.

Wharton has also told the Wall

Street Journal: “It seems a stretch to

suggest that a large market ABC or

CBS affiliate will go out of business

just so a wireless company can have

more spectrum.”

Auction Proposal

It’s generally acknowledged that

the commission could vote by

the end of this year to release for

public comment a proposal for

how the auctions will be held. The

agency will also soon release for

comment a proposal to set aside

one vacant television channel in

each market for use by unlicensed

products (wireless routers, wireless

microphones, and some medial

Funding public safety

communications

telemetry devices).

Indeed, it might be time for many

to see the writing on the wall. Overthe-air

terrestrial video delivery is a

fading relic of a bygone era. The

Internet is a far more efficient way to

serve subscribers. If the FCC does

not get the participation it needs

to fulfil its financial goals with the

auction, it could begin to mandate

certain terms to make them comply,

which virtually every broadcaster is

against. It’s better to have a choice.

So, the NAB is telling stations not

to take the money and run, but in

some cases, the group might not

be giving the right advice to its

member stations.

The Wall Street Journal reported

that a station in Detroit, Michigan,

WADL-TV might be able to sell its

spectrum for about US$170 million.

Given the state of the economy in

Detroit, that sum has got to be many

times more valuable than the very

land the station sits on. Stations

in larger markets, like Los Angeles,

could get close to US$600 million

(per station).

“It might be time to take the chips

off the table,” Kevin Adell, CEO and

Owner at WADL-TV, an independent

station, told the Wall Street Journal.

The NAB should understand he,

and others like him, might have the

right idea.



InMEDIA

2014 ‘The Year Of 4K’

While the mass market still remains elusive, in many respects 2014 has been the year of 4K…

By Andy Stout

Contributing Editor

60

Both NAB and IBC were

dominated by news of new

camera models and other 4K kit

filling all the remaining niches

further down the production

pipeline, while several large-scale

high profile test transmissions from

multi-day events underscored the

successful work done on individual

matches and concerts over recent

years.

Indeed, within the rather rarefied

walls of tradeshow halls 4K seems

to be a done deal.

All major manufacturers now

have a 4K camera chain in place,

even Panasonic whose VariCam

35 astonishingly enough made

it the company’s fi rst foray into

the 4K field when it eventually

shipped in October.

A new super 35mm MOS

image sensor is embedded in

one of two usefully modular and

thus detachable heads, while the

recording module uses Panasonic’s

AVC-ULTRA codecs for internal 4K,

UHD, 2K, and HD recording. The

camera also provides 14 stops

of dynamic range, and features a

standard PL lens mount, while a

new expressP2 card provides 72

minutes recording time in 4K/25p.

The VariCam 35 has a 35mm 4K

sensor with a PL mount, while the

VariCam HS is a 2/3” HD sensor

with a B4 mount and the ability to

capture at 240fps.

The last is interesting. The shallow

depth of field you get with PL lenses

is not good for sports or even light

entertainment as the shallow depth

of field makes focusing problematic –

an issue that can be cruelly exposed

at 4K resolutions. B4-mount

Blackmagic Design’s URSA 4K

features an upgradeable sensor

lenses allow users to zoom in as

they would an HD camera, while

a 100x zoom lens for a 2/3-inch

camera – common in large sports

stadia – is a lot smaller and lighter

than a 100x lens for a large sensor

camera would be.

While the pricing of the VariCam

puts it at the top end along with

the ARRI Alexa and the Sony

F65, there is plenty of activity

below this level with an increasing

concentration on sport broadcast.

Hitachi also belatedly entered the

fray this autumn, launching its SK-

UHD4000 camera which uses four

2/3-inch MOS sensors to produce

its 4K images, and must have done

something right as Gearhouse

Crowdfunded range – AXIOM beta

Broadcast immediately snapped

up the complete fi rst production

run of 50 units.

Most manufacturers favour a

pragmatic approach. “For our

productions we use large sensor

cameras for 4K acquisition,” says

Sony’s Norbert Paquet. “The

benefi t of these is the improved

dynamic range, precision colour

reproduction and shallow depth of

field. Combined, these are perfect

for the customers in the “non-sport”

business. For sports applications,

we developed a 2/3’’ lens adapter

that can easily adapt

traditional HD lenses

and benefit from

the wide zoom

coverage they offer.”

New 4K units are

coming to market

almost every day. The

day this feature was

filed JVC announced its

new 4KCAM product

line, which should

ship next spring and

comprises three new

professional handheld

camcorders, including

a palm-sized unit, and

AJA’s CION offers ‘edit-ready’ Apple ProRes 4444 output

a remote head camera system.

There is even a crowdfunded

camera on the way, the AXIOM Beta,

which developer apertus° hopes to

release to backers in the spring. It

is an OpenSource project and, as

Dan Mulligan, MD at Rogue Element

films explains, that implies a certain

degree of home-brew ethos.

“You will be able to tweak and

tune the camera to your desires,”

he says. “The companies are asking

what voltage inputs you would like

so you can affect your ISO settings

and other factors. With open fi le

formats and capturing capabilities

you can then create your processing

paths and develop your digital film

neg exactly how you wish.”

Workflows

Exactly where the industry is

though in the great 4K project is,

of course, far more complex than

just assessing the rude health of

the camera side of the equation.

Despite some extremely high profile

projects – notably in live sports

with the Commonwealth

Games and the FIFA

World Cup – the workfl ow

aspects of 4K production

can still be considered to be

under development.

It’s fair to say that

Sony probably has more

experience than most in this

side of things, the company’s

Norbert Paquet estimating that it

has around 30 live camera chains

in operation in Europe.

“The most difficult point currently

is the infrastructure impact of 4K,”

he says. “With four times more data

to carry over an OB Truck, you need

to use four times as many cables,

sources or destinations, but with

limited resources. In this area Sony

is working on the Network Media

Interface which is to be launched

at the end of 2015. This technology

will enable our customers to move

from SDI to IP and so carry a 4K Live

signal over a single gigabit Ethernet

link instead of 4x BNC cables.”

Post is not the problem. Yes,

4K post production needs more

resource, but the industry as a whole

is very used to that from the movie

side of things and the workflows

are understood and robust. “We

had to overcome storage and

pipeline issues due to the greatly

increased volume of data that 4K

represents when compared to HD,”

says Peter Hampden, Managing

Director, LipSync Post. “With our

experience in feature films, many of

which have long 4K sequences or

are even entirely posted at 4K, we

addressed these issues in 2011 and

have created a proven workflow.”

Post also contributes a workable

and established standard in

the shape of the 4K DCI spec.

Elsewhere there is a fair degree of

confusion surrounding standards,

none of which has been helped by

a muddying of the waters on the

consumer side of things and early

sets not playing current streams

The GY-HM170 is part of JVC’s revamped range

and loading apps that rely on HEVC

chipsets, for example.

However, AJA Video Systems’

Product Marketing Manager,

Bryce Button is amongst those

that feels that standardisation is

naturally coalescing out of evolving

working practices.

“We believe there is a fair amount

of standardisation already,” he says.

“The primary workflows involve either

a Raw path from the particular

camera being utilised and the tools

needed for the debayering and file

creation from its output, to ProRes




InMEDIA

62

2014 ‘The Year Of 4K’ Cont.

workfl ows as supported by AJA,

ARRI and others.”

Broader View

The question is, as ever, who will

be watching; a question that has

an added impetus following the

failure of the ‘build it and they

will come’ reasoning that shakily

underpinned stereo 3D.

Mention 4K in almost any context

and somewhere, not long afterwards,

IP tends to crop up. The sense

throughout the industry is not that

4K over satellite or even DTT is

impossible, just very challenging,

and that even though we have seen

test transmissions take place a lot

more work will have to

be done on optimising

the HEVC codec

in particular. But

even IP distribution

Panasonic VaricamHS

up to 240fps

Today’s video professionals are

faced with a challenging media

landscape of new formats, fewer

resources, and tighter budgets.

File-based workflows are

increasing project complexity,

huge high-resolution files are

choking infrastructure, and the high

number of disparate media formats

is slowing down productivity.

Also, as talent becomes more

expensive in major media hubs, and

tax breaks are luring production

to different locations, demand

is growing for flexible, remote

collaboration. And commoditised

creative tools are lowering the

barrier to entry for lower cost

service providers, crowding the

market and reducing margins in

traditional post-production services.

All of these factors lead us to where

we are today, in a world where the

volume of content creation has

dramatically increased, and so too

have resolution specifications.

I’m constantly being asked if 4K

is here to stay. It’s true that the

difference in resolution between

will be a challenge. Streaming 4K

requires a 15.4Mbps connection,

whereas as of October 2014 it

is impossible to find a country

in the Netflix ISP Speed report

which sustains a throughput

of even 4Mbps.

That said, there is widespread,

even bullish, optimism regarding a

mass market rollout of the format.

“A recent study predicts that

around 48 million screens will be

4K by 2018,” says Paquet. “This

does not take into account the

already existing 15,000 cinemas

over the world benefiting from Sony

4K Digital Cinema projectors. We

can consider 4K to be an

existing market that will

undoubtedly continue to

grow in 2015.”

A quick

industry straw

poll reveals late

2015/2016 to

be the favoured

time for when 4K

will really kick off,

with the Olympic

movement

and Rio 2016

presumably

HD and 4K may be less visible

than the difference between SD

and HD. However, with its higher

frame rates, wider colour gamut,

and increased dynamic range, 4K

represents a substantial next step in

the evolution of digital media.

Even if today’s

deliverable is still

HD, working in

4K can produce

a higher-quality

result. Perhaps

more importantly,

productions

working in 4K are

effectively “future

proofing” the

investment and

extending the

media’s shelf

life. With 4K

functioning as the driver.

“Broadcast is challenged by 4K

distribution but I am not sure you

can ever pause customer demand,”

says Simon Westland, Sales Director

at Blackmagic Design EMEA. “It’s

up to everyone to respond to this

demand. Many of the UltraHD

products that we’ve delivered over

the past 18 months are priced at

less than their HD predecessor, so

technology is not a barrier.”

Also, by the time we get to the

Olympics the dust should have

settled over the debate instigated

by the EBU in its TR 028 policy

Meeting The Challenge Of 4K Acquisition And Workflows

By David Colantuoni

Senior Director,

Product Management, Avid

Avid Media Composer: ‘resolution independence’

4K sport coverage of the FIFA World Cup

televisions breaking the $2,000

barrier, the value of 4K masters will

only increase.

However, professionals struggle

to manage the huge files and data

rates of 4K without spending a

fortune on infrastructure. To tackle

these challenges, at IBC2014 Avid

introduced an update for Media

Composer | Software that allows

video professionals to acquire,

manage, edit, and deliver 4K

media faster and more effi ciently

than ever, leveraging their existing

infrastructure.

statement over whether the industry

as a whole should be pursuing UHD

Phase 1 or whether it would be best

to wait for Phase 2. Not only did the

organisation state that by focusing

on increased resolution alone the

industry is missing an important

opportunity, but it went as far as

saying that 4K will be of “limited

success” in broadcasting.

“The EBU has a valid point. It’s not

all about the resolution race, but

they might need to shout louder

before it’s too late!” concludes Liam

Laminman, Managing Director at

Trickbox TV.

The solution centres on Avid

Resolution Independence, coupled

with native media support and

DNxHR encoding: seamless endto-end

workflows, fast and efficient,

delivering 4K beauty without

the bandwidth.

Media Composer offers the most

complete and flexible end-to-end

workflow for file-based editing of

any resolution, helping content

creators deliver higher quality

content in more collaborative,

powerful, and efficient ways.

As Resolution Independence

expands to the MediaCentral

Platform and Media

Composer | Cloud,

professionals will gain

increasing value from Avid

Everywhere, our vision for the

future of the media industry.

With Avid Resolution

Independence and DNxHR

encoding, 4K material and

beyond can be edited and

mastered directly from

Media Composer.

This means video

professionals can reduce

time-consuming, non-billable

transcoding tasks, spend more

time on creative storytelling,

and deliver projects on time

and on budget, while futureproofing

for the next resolution

revolution.



InFORM

Documentary Editors Rock ‘Filmage’

Post-Production With AJA Io XT

‘Filmage: The Story of DESCENDENTS/ALL’ began as a passion project,

but quickly evolved into a full-fledged documentary production…

64

The post-production relied on

a laptop, Avid Media Composer

software, an AJA Io XT, LCD monitor

and two smaller Asus monitors

group of creatives working

A at Dallas-based post house

CharlieUniformTango (CUT)

spent four years on the in-depth

documentary project. The fi lm’s

directors Deedle LaCour and

Matt Riggle, along with editors

Justin Wilson and James Rayburn,

combined a love for old-school

punk music with filmmaking chops

to deliver an indie flick that recounts

the history and influence of punk

rock legends the Descendents.

The fi lm features a compilation

of present-day interviews with

band members and industry

influencers, fan video submissions

and archived tour media. Editorial

for the film required a portable and

flexible workflow, for which Rayburn

turned to AJA’s Io XT Thunderboltenabled

professional video device

for on-the-go I/O.

The production team amassed

more than 50 captured segments,

on top of hours of fan content and

never-before-seen tour photos,

videos and memorabilia. Tasked

with weaving such a large volume

of formats and frame rates together,

achieving the right balance between

new and old footage proved

daunting. Knowing the team would

spend time cutting the film between

his office and home, often working

nights and weekends, Rayburn set

out in search of a portable workflow

solution to simplify the job, and

ultimately turned to AJA’s Io XT.

Throughout post, Rayburn

churned through hours of footage,

relying on a laptop, Avid Media

Composer, an AJA Io XT, LCD

monitor and two smaller Asus

monitors for editorial. The laptop

drove the Asus monitors, sending

The band perform on stage

a video signal through the Io XT,

so that the edit could be reviewed

in real-time.

Once Rayburn fi nished cutting

the fi lm, the fi lmmakers enlisted

the expertise of Filmworkers Club

colourist Mathew McClain to

preserve and enhance the picture

quality. Throughout finishing, KONA

LHe Plus cards were used.

Rayburn said: “I’m not used to

the high level of deliverables for a

film like this, so when we finished

it in Avid, we had distributors come

to us with several different format

requirements for the audio channels

and digital files, so having the KONA

LHe Plus for output to HDCam

SR tape was a tremendous asset

come delivery.”

Recognition

‘Filmage: The Story of

DESCENDENTS/ALL’ premiered

in 2013, and gained recognition

from film festivals around the

world including IN-EDIT (Chile),

Melbourne International Film

Festival (Australia), CGGB (New

York), LEEDS International Film

Festival (England) and NXNE

(Canada). The documentary also

recently made its Los Angeles

theatrical and VOD debut in

September 2014.

Technology

“Filmage” wasn’t Rayburn’s fi rst

experience with AJA technology,

as he’s worked with a wide range

of AJA gear during his tenure at

CharlieUniformTango, including

the T-TAP compact, lightweight

Thunderbolt-powered video output

device, KONA family of capture and

playback cards, and a handful of

Mini-Converters, including the Hi5.

While recently working in Berlin

on a commercial project for Jeep,

he used a T-TAP for broadcast

quality output. “The T-TAP was

awesome; it’s amazing how one

little box transformed a hotel room

into a full-blown Avid edit suite

by linking a laptop, Mac Pro and

two standard monitors. It gave

me quick and effi cient broadcast

video for monitoring the cut,”

concluded Rayburn.

Band memorabilia

Dave Grohl gives an interview

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Understand each test or reported

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Review QC issues with our frame-

control for smooth scrubbing.

More Visualization

Review with audio waveforms and

Fast QC Analysis

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Use the Review Bar to rapidly

jump the display between

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including third party integration

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Use our QC Analytics plug-in to

review multiple QC Reports and

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66

InFORM

Creating Powerful Images with Anton/Bauer

Whether it is fi lm or fashion, or when shooting in a

corporate or commercial, studio environment. They

experienced Director of are ideally suited to those

Photography Jack Shelbourn has

an impressive show reel spanning

a multitude of genres.

Shelbourn’s portfolio of kit

includes a range of essential

camera support equipment such

as Anton/Bauer batteries. The first

opportunity for Shelbourn to use the

batteries was when he acquired his

Sony FS700 and needed to power

a wireless monitor. When ordering

the monitor, Shelbourn selected

the batteries to go with it and was

impressed by both their longevity

and how fast they charged.

Shelbourn explained: “I have

been using Anton/Bauer batteries

for more than two years now, having

projects where I have

multiple monitors on set

for clients and I also use

them when powering

larger cameras, such as

the ARRI Alexa. I tend to

use Anton/Bauer’s Hot

Swap mount so I can

mount two fully charged

batteries simultaneously

and then ‘hot swap’ them

for perpetual power.”

Another recent project

involved a TV commercial

filmed in The Monkey

Shop store. The Anton/

Bauer batteries were used

to power a whole host

read about the use of them on Shane of equipment, including

Anton Bauer batteries are a key part of Shelbourn’s camera support equipment

Hurlbut ASC’s blog. Shane is a DOP three monitors for on

I really admire and I used to look at

his blog a lot when I first started out

in the film industry. I mainly use the

Anton/Bauer DIONIC HC batteries,

the five battery and charger kit, as

I can always maximise power by

having four charging and one on

the camera. It’s a great kit.

“I have worked with them on a

multitude of commercial shoots,

camera, the director and the clients,

as well as an external recorder

on the camera.

The director on the shoot, Gabriel

Henrique Gonzalez, had recently

broken his leg, which brought a

further challenge in terms of space

and the requirement to power an

additional monitor.

Shelbourn says: “I have never

had one fail and they are extremely

long lasting. I use them to power

monitors, lights and camera systems.

They can deal with all of these and

last for hours. The batteries have

become a key part of my camera

support equipment – I can relax,

I never worry about power when

I have Anton/Bauer’s on set, and

my camera assistants enjoy using

them as well.”

The DOPs forthcoming projects

in the pipeline include everything

from music videos, to corporate

and commercial advertisements.

Whatever the project, Shelbourn’s

talent, experience and equipment

will help him to capture those

vital shots and bring his clients’

vision to life.

IP Contribution Is The Winner In Sports Coverage

Sports production has a special

place in the programme mix for

any broadcaster.

Sports events are among the most

compelling for large sections of the

audience, and they are accompanied

by a high peak of expectation and

excitement. A sports event occurs

at a defined time, and the outcome

is uncertain, so topicality is a key

component of the value proposition

for broadcasters.

Keen sports followers choose

to watch the event live whenever

possible, rather than see the

highlights later when the result is

already known.

All this means that broadcasters

and rights holders understand the

‘premium’ nature of most sports

coverage, and do everything they

can to maximise its perceived value

to the audience. Sports coverage is

a rich field for the latest innovations

in graphics, virtual visuals, camera

technology, and presentation styles.

Sports events are usually the first

By Simen K. Frostad

Chairman, Bridge Technologies

type of programming broadcasters

choose when introducing new

formats such as 3D or 4K.

There are also unique demands

on the broadcaster or production

company. Sports events don’t take

place in the studio, close to all the

production facilities and supporting

infrastructure. The pictures have

to be transported direct from the

venue, and this adds another layer

of complication to the operation.

Sports production now makes

widespread use of IP-based

contribution links, and while the

cost advantages of this method

are obvious, IP links require close

monitoring to ensure that signal

quality is maintained.

Monitoring typically takes place at

all the handover points so that the

integrity of the signal can be verified

and documented as it passes

through each stage of the chain. One

of the largest sports contribution

operations in Scandinavia, uses IP

contribution links for horse-racing,

football, ice hockey and many

other sports, and to maintain the

required quality standards the

infrastructure incorporates a huge

deployment of Bridge Technologies

monitoring probes.

But the advantages of IP

contribution are not just limited

to cost benefits: highly redundant

IP links can guarantee that the

broadcaster can provide a very

high SLA and better redundancy

than can be obtained with traditional

ATM links or even a satellite uplink.

Sports also have the need for

ultra-low latency and glitch-free

pictures, so it’s vital to maintain

the highest image quality through

the contribution links.

It’s easy to see why if you take the

example of a sport like ice hockey:

the puck is extremely fast-moving,

very small, and not brightly coloured.

It’s very difficult to see especially

with very high bandwidths and low

compression rates, where it can be

lost into the background.

To cater for that kind of fastaction

sport you require higher

bandwidth, and higher bandwidth

demands even better links, and

quality can only be guaranteed with

very comprehensive and watchful

monitoring.

Action sports require high bandwidth, low-latency and careful monitoring



67



68

InFORM

Digigram & KALRAY

In HEVC Partnership

The High Efficiency Video Coding integrated by Digigram into new IPbased

products and solutions that

(HEVC) standard coming into

widespread use is proving to be a

disruptive advance in compression

techniques and standards.

This successor to H.264/AVC

enables a bit rate reduction of

up to 50% in video transmission,

offer efficient high-density HEVC HD

and Ultra HD (4K) video encoding

in broadcast and OTT applications

including point-to-point contribution

for live 4K and IPTV/OTT distribution.

In doubling the potential

presenting valuable new compression ratio compared with

opportunities for broadcasters and

other content providers.

Digigram has enhanced its all-IP

video product line to address these

new opportunities, demonstrating

best-in-class density and power

consumption for live HEVC

encoding. At IBC2014 the company

showcased a prototype capable

of encoding one UHD (4Kp30) or

four HD (1080p30) formats in a

single 1U rack.

To achieve this feat, Digigram

partnered with KALRAY, a

developer and manufacturer of

many core processors, to create

high-quality, high-density real-time

HEVC video encoder solutions

based on KALRAY’s massively

parallel Multi Purpose Processor

Array (MPPA) chip.

earlier standards, HEVC can be used

to provide the same level of video

quality at a signifi cantly lower bit

rate, in turn enabling IPTV providers

to address new customers whose

available ISP bitrate would not allow

reception of HD content with H.264/

AVC. With the ability to provide the

same perceived video quality at a

lower bit rate, OTT content providers

also can reduce the cost of CDN

delivery and, in turn, lower OPEX.

Alternatively, HEVC can be used

to support much higher video quality

without a jump in bit rate. This

capability not only affords greater

fl exibility in working with higherresolution

content, but also makes

a variety of video transmission

scenarios much more affordable.

Applications enabled by HEVC

The resulting

technology is

being

AQILIM *FIT/LE Video Encoder

HEVC deal: CEOs Eric Baissus (KALRAY) with Philippe Delacroix (Digigram)

include contribution of live 4K

content from remote locations to

the studio, as well as delivery of 4K

UHD content to the home as part of

premium subscriptions.

Since its acquisition of Ecrin

Video & Broadcast in 2011, the

company has produced two lines

of H.264/AVC encoders for live

video streaming. The AQILIM

range of software-based solutions

is dedicated to OTT

applications,

and the

AQORD range of hardware-based

encoders is dedicated to point-topoint

contribution.

Digigram has leveraged this

strong H.264/AVC background

in collaborating with KALRAY

to develop the company’s first

HEVC encoder.

Digigram’s expertise in video

quality metrics, encoding, and live

streaming complements KALRAY’s

expertise in parallel processing

programming on MPPA, taking

full advantage of both the MPPA’s

unique parallel architecture and

its video-optimised instruction set

to bring a game-changing video

encoding offering to market.

GatesAir Transitions WRLY-LP To Intelligent IP Networking Solution

GatesAir has transitioned a

low-power FM station in

North Carolina to an IP transport

architecture for studio-totransmitter

link (STL) connectivity.

With the GatesAir Intraplex IP

Link as a foundation, the intelligent

networking solution solved the

challenge of efficiently moving

programme audio and data over

a studio-to-transmitter path that

offered no line of sight for traditional

fixed RF STL connections.

WRLY-LP in Raleigh made the

switch following its studio relocation

to more accessible commercial

space, creating a greater distance to

the transmitter facility. Unlike higher

power stations, low-power stations

typically do not transmit signals off

high towers, making RF STL links

impractical. Transitioning to IP

proved the most budget-friendly

option for the station.

WRLY selected the IP Link

based on its feature-to-price ratio,

including support for the emerging

Ogg Opus audio codec. GatesAir

was the first broadcast codec

adopter of Ogg Opus audio coding,

which incorporates technology from

the Skype-developed, speechoriented

SILK codec and CELT, a

low-latency, next-generation music

codec. Broadcasters benefit from

Opus’ combined strengths of highquality

audio and very low delay,

which distinguishes it from audio

codecs that excel in one area but

fall short in the other.

“I’m very budget-constrained as

a low-power station. IP was readily

available, more cost-efficient than

an enterprise T1 solution, and

eliminated the challenges of erecting

rooftop structures in a commercial

zone,” said Steven White, owner of

WRLY-LP. “I was an early adopter

of voice over IP technology, and

had been monitoring the capabilities

of Opus from an audio quality

perspective. Much of our music

library has been encoded in highend

formats, so I needed a codec

that wouldn’t over-compress the

audio and develop artefacts in the

stream. GatesAir was the only codec

supplier that built Opus into the

feature set, and since there was no

extra expense for Opus, the overall

costs remained low. The flexibility of

the IP Link and its software-driven

features struck the right balance of

features, cost and quality.”

WRLY is also benefiting from

built-in redundancy that shares

IP packets across a dual-path

stream. Called Dynamic Stream

Splicing, this IP Link feature allows

the primary stream to borrow data

from the secondary stream in the

event of dropped packets en route

to the transmitter.

“The IP Link provides excellent

statistical information that show if,

and where, packets have dropped,”

said White. “The dual-path

architecture of the IP Link ensures

that instances of dropped packets

that make it through are very, very

rare, and never noticeable on the

air. The reliability is exceptional.”

GatesAir Intraplex IP Link supports

the Ogg Opus audio codec



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69

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InFORM

Globecast Partners With WinMedia

Integration between Globecast delivery platforms and WinMedia solutions promises seamless

production, playout and media management for satellite TV…

WinMedia, a provider of

automation and content

management software solutions

for broadcasters, and Globecast, a

leading-edge content contribution,

preparation and distribution

company, have signed a

partnership agreement to integrate

and distribute their state-of-the-art

technologies.

The tools to prepare, plan and

playout the content encompassed

in WinMedia solutions have been

combined with the Globecast’s

powerful satellite delivery platform.

Six leading TV channels in North

and West Africa already benefit

from this cost-effective endto-end

package.

The deployed solutions feature a

vast array of WinMedia Traffic tools

for ingest and scheduling, which

is installed in the broadcasters’

premises, as well as a WinMedia

Playout system, set up in

Globecast’s technical operation

centre in Paris.

Wenping Jiang, Product Managers

at Globecast, says: “This innovative

remotely controlled solution enables

broadcasters to run their channel

playout operations from their own

premises, controlling costs and

enabling them to be completely

hands-on with their channel. We

have a unique combination of

network reach and satellite capacity,

which combined with WinMedia

solutions means we can offer our

broadcasters of all sizes a onestop

offering that covers content

preparation, management as well

as local and global delivery.”

WinMedia Europe CEO Pascal

Cima adds: “Thanks to WinMedia TV

comprehensive suite, broadcasters

quickly prepare and preview their

playlists, add any number of upper/

lower third graphics using the

intuitive WinPublish module and

send their programming to the fully

redundant playout system in Paris.”

Each playout server can

simultaneously broadcast up

to four different channels in HD

and/or SD formats along with

the relevant CGs that project the

style and individual look of each

programme and channel. From there,

the channels are sent via satellite

to a Globecast’s teleport for uplink

onto the satellite platform.

70

JoeCo’s ‘Outside Broadcast Rig In Your Backpack’

JoeCo has recently raised the

bar for location sound recording

devices by releasing the BlackBox

BBR1MP Recorder.

This latest 24-channel addition

to the company’s award-winning

multi-channel recorder series

includes 24 high-quality, in-house

developed microphone preamps,

operating at up to 24bit/96kHz,

which are integrated into the unit’s

compact 1U housing.

Adding a USB hard drive delivers

a full-blown audio acquisition

system that, quite literally, fits into

a backpack or hand luggage. It’s a

practical solution for reliable audio

acquisition in far-flung destinations,

or for sessions where available

space is at a premium.

The BBR1MP Recorder was

developed following feedback from

broadcast engineers and location

sound recordists around the world,

with a range of “must have” features

gracing its wishlist.

“Over the years, we’ve found that

customers are seeking increasingly

compact, complete solutions to meet

their multi-track audio acquisition

needs, without compromising

on quality or functionality” says

JoeCo’s Joe Bull. “Deciding on

what to implement has therefore

been crucial to the potential

success of the product. Integrating

24 mic preamps into our standard

1U housing is a ‘first’, and was a

massive challenge. However, we are

really pleased with the results. The

BBR1MP is also our first ‘modular’

system, with user installable Dante

and MADI interface cards available

as options adding 24 channels of

Dante or MADI i/o to the unit.”

Joe continues: “We’ve

implemented a number of

connection options for fl exibility

including individually switchable

mic/line inputs, balanced outputs,

video, timecode and word

clock sync inputs.

“Microphones can be directly

connected to the BBR1MP Recorder

via tails from the rear D-Sub

connectors, or via an optional 2U

breakout panel with XLR connectors.

The unit is also fully controllable via

JoeCoRemote for iPad, enabling

you to set up individual mic pre

channel parameters – level, mic/

line, phantom power, hi-pass filter,

soft limiter and phase reverse.

“The JoeCoRemote hardware

interface is supplied with the unit.

Levels are displayed on highresolution

meters and a monitor

mix can be created and adjusted

using expandable channel strips

with graphic faders, pan, solo, mute

and other parameter controls.

“There’s also provision for creating

a simultaneous stereo mixdown

while recording, which has several

advantages on location. The

implementation of two independent

headphone sockets (on the front and

rear) caters simultaneously for the

engineer monitoring the headphone

mix, solo, PFL etc, while offering the

producer a headphone mix only.”

Like all BlackBox Recorders, the

BBR1MP records audio direct to

external USB2/3 drive in Broadcast

WAV format for instant ingest into

post production. Full support for

iXML data is also provided.

The unit will run off a 12V power

source. Unused channels and

features can be disabled in order to

preserve battery life on location.

JoeCo BlackBox BBR1MP Recorder bundle



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71

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InFORM

PROVYS Scores In Romania

By Martin Junek

Commercial Director, PROVYS

72

Dolce Sport, the sports channel

network of Telekom Romania

which runs fi ve sports channels

24/7, has recently been involved

in a different kind of tournament

– a competition to fi nd a media

management system for its

new operations headquarters in

Bucharest.

The winners were a number of top

names in the broadcasting industry

all pulling together as Studiotech

Poland. Famous names on the team

included Ross with their studio

equipment such as production

switchers, robotic camera systems,

etc.; Aveco who supplied their

playout automation and ingest

stations; and finally, keeping goal,

PROVYS with their advanced

Broadcast Management System.

The PROVYS contribution

to the game consisted of the

following advantages:

• PROVYS on-line interface with

playout automation giving the

operators the chance to make

last minute changes in the

programme;

• Easy promotion and

advertisement booking directly

into the schedule;

• Content control in all media

servers, including production,

archive and playout, providing

PROVYS operators with up-tothe-minute

content information,

and with the facility to move, copy

and/or erase the content;

• Based on the created programme

schedule, PROVYS creates the

ingest task lists for the ingest

stations be they live or off-line;

• Automatic sourcing and

processing of the as-run log;

• Using PROVYS, a small team of

only six operators manage and

control all traffic aspects of the

broadcast network.

Broadcast content includes large

amounts of live feeds supplemented

by its own production in the form

of sports news and analysis.

Broadcasting of live feeds of various

sports events with commentary

in the Romanian language is the

Dolce Sport runs five sports channels 24/7

absolute priority of Dolce Sport’s

operations. Sports channels

represent a considerable challenge

for planning systems compared to

common commercial TVs airing live

events only occasionally.

PROVYS innovative solutions

allow sports TV planners to be

more precise, effective and exercise

more control over broadcasting

itself. PROVYS Broadcast Planning

facilitates the preparation of

transmission plans months before

the exact information about sports

events is available. Each league in

each sport is created as a series with

generic episodes (e.g. matches) that

can be inserted into the long-term

plan directly from the programme list

using a simple drag and drop feature.

Later the details of these “generic

episodes” are automatically filled

in upon the arrival of more specific

information to the programme list.

The implementation schedule

was extremely tight and could

not have been completed on time

without the excellent cooperation of

the engineers at Dolce Sport who

refereed the installation game with

great skill and expertise.

Telekom Romania and its ultimate

parent Deutsche Telekom can be

sure that the marathon of long term

development and their TV network

expansion will be a walk in the park

with PROVYS.

InFOCUS

Zylight F8 LED Delivers On Oregon Trail Production

Ken Willinger, SOC, has been

a cinematographer for more

than 30 years. After starting his

career in news and documentaries,

the Boston-based shooter now

concentrates on corporate,

commercial and narrative fi lms.

One of his latest productions,

Brothers on the Trail, took him to

the Wyoming wilderness.

The four-day shoot in early

October was based around Register

Cliff in Wyoming, a key navigational

landmark during the 1800s for

emigrants heading west that is

now on the US National Register

of Historic Places.

Shooting on location, as opposed

to a soundstage, was considered

essential to the project. “The director

really wanted to capture the reality

of where this story takes place,”

Willinger explained. “The images

were stunning, and there was no

way to replicate that in the studio.”

An internal production for Scottish

Rite Freemasonry, the short fi lm

takes place on the Oregon Trail

in the mid-1800s. The western

emphasises the importance of

keeping a pledge by sharing the

story about two travellers who

meet and make a promise to

each other. It is the fi fth short in

a series that Willinger has shot

for the Freemasons with his RED

EPIC DRAGON. The 5K footage

will be down-converted to HD for

the final cut.

Willinger was pleased to find a

daylight-balanced Zylight F8 LED

Fresnel as part of the grip and

electric package for the shoot.

He had seen the F8 at the 2014

NAB Show, but this was his fi rst

opportunity to use one.

Reluctant to adopt LED because

he felt the early instruments were

harsh and had colour issues, he

says: “It took a while for me to trust

the LED look. Now, I’m happy to

use it and I’m really glad we had

the Zylight on the set.”

A full complement of large, very

high-powered lighting instruments

were on hand for primary lighting

duties – but Willinger said the more

portable F8 was very valuable as an

edge light and as a fill for moonlight

during evening campfire shots.

Available in daylight (5600K) or

tungsten (3200K), the F8 has a

high CRI and maintains single

shadow traditional Fresnel beam

shaping through an eight-inch

SCHOTT glass lens.

With a patented focusing system

for spot and flood operations,

the fully dimmable F8 offers

an adjustable beam spread

(16-70 degrees).

Its LED engine with quantum dot

technology draws only 100 watts,

but has close to the light output of

a traditional 1000-watt Fresnel.

Cinematographer Ken Willinger, SOC (left) on the Wyoming shoot



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73



InREVIEW

74

Motion-Imaging Luminaries

Honoured By SMPTE

SMPTE has conferred its

top honours to Leonardo

Chiariglione, George Lucas, John

Logie Baird, and Ioan Allen at

its 2014 honours and awards

ceremony.

Chiariglione and Lucas were given

the Society’s highest accolade, the

status of Honorary Membership;

Baird (1888-1946) was added to

the Society’s Honour Roll; and Allen

was awarded the Progress Medal.

Barbara Lange, George Lucas, Wendy Aylsworth

Held in the Loews Hollywood

Hotel in conjunction with the SMPTE

2014 Annual Technical Conference &

Exhibition, the ceremony and dinner

recognised pioneers from across

the motion-imaging industry. The

evening event was hosted by awardwinning

television and radio news

anchor Frank Mottek and sponsored

by IMAX, with support from TV Pro

Gear, Canon, EIKI, and voice talent

Deborah Alexander.

SMPTE President Wendy

Aylsworth said: “Honouring leading

figures such as John Logie Baird,

Leonardo Chiariglione, George

Lucas, Ioan Allen, and many

other industry luminaries, the

Honours & Awards Ceremony this

year showcased motion-imaging

innovation spanning nearly a century.

“The remarkable technical

achievements of these honourees

and award winners are both

humbling and inspiring, and this

year’s event gave us a rare and

wonderful look at the minds and

personalities behind the evolution

of film and television.”

Honorary Members

The Honorary Memberships

conferred upon Chiariglione and

Lucas recognise individuals who

have performed eminent service in

the advancement of engineering in

motion pictures, television, or the

allied arts and sciences.

Matthew Goldman, SMPTE

Finance Vice President and Senior

Vice President of TV compression

technology at Ericsson, accepted

Honorary Membership on behalf

of Chiariglione, who is generally

considered to be the driving

force behind the development of

the MPEG set of standards that

underpin today’s many digital

moving-pictures applications.

His constant push for a simple,

standardised moving-pictures

toolbox began in 1988 with the

founding of the ISO Moving Pictures

Experts Group (MPEG). Chiariglione

has forcefully maintained focus on

timely standardisation, technical

simplicity, and efficiency. The wide

adoption of MPEG-2 to MPEG-4, in

particular, is apt testimony to the

contribution Chiariglione and the

MPEG group has made to date.

In addition to serving as writer,

director, and producer for iconic

American films, Lucas has pioneered

adoption of new technologies for

motion picture production and

exhibition. In 1975, he founded

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM),

which has not only produced visual

effects for nearly 300 films, but also

invented the OpenEXR file format

to support high dynamic range

(HDR) imaging. The animation

studio Pixar was founded as the

Graphix Group of Lucasfilm in

1979, and sound company THX

was co-founded by Lucas in 1983

to advance the quality of theatrical

sound systems. Released in 2002,

‘Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of

the Clones’ was the first major

Hollywood feature to be captured

digitally, on 24p high-definition (HD)

video cameras.

Accepting his award at the SMPTE

ceremony, Lucas said: “I owe it to a

lot of people, a lot of engineers, a lot

of talent who immediately said, ‘Well,

we can’t do that; it’s impossible,’

and I said, ‘Go do it anyway.’ They

came through for me, almost every

single time, and we pushed the

envelope. Art is basically technology,

and all art and all artists bump up

against that technology ceiling.

“Fortunately, I had a lot of people

around me. I could say, ‘I want to

go there. See how you can make

that happen because I need to

go there for my story.’“ Following

reflections on his past achievements,

Lucas concluded his speech by

restating the influence of SMPTE

throughout his career, saying, “I’ve

lived with SMPTE my whole life, and

it’s a great honour to be part of the

organisation.”

Roll Of Honour

Peter Weitzel, Secretary/Treasurer

of the SMPTE UK Section, accepted

the SMPTE Honour Roll award on

behalf of Baird’s family by reading an

acceptance letter from Baird’s son.

Conferred posthumously, the

award recognises individuals

who were not awarded Honorary

Membership during their lifetimes

but whose contributions would

have been sufficient to warrant

such an honour.

Baird’s accomplishments include

the first live television demonstration

(1925), the first publicly shown colour

television system (1928), and the

first fully electronic colour television

picture tube, adopted a year later

by the BBC. Baird continued to

develop new technology throughout

Dolby SVP Ioan Allen

his life, including a mechanical

colour system in 1939 (adopted by

CBS/RCA); a 500-line 3D system

in 1941; and an electronic 600-

line colour display in 1944. Baird

lobbied for post-war standardisation

of his 1,000-line electronic colour

television system.

Progress Medal

The Progress Medal, SMPTE’s

highest medal award, was

presented to Ioan Allen, who is

Senior Vice President at Dolby,

in recognition of his outstanding

technical contributions to the

progress of engineering phases of

the motion picture, television, or

motion-imaging industries.

His innovations in sound research

and development programs at Dolby

Laboratories include Dolby Stereo,

Dolby Spectral Recording (Dolby SR),

and Dolby Digital; he also has made

ongoing contributions to worldwide

standards organisations.

George Lucas (Pictures courtesy of SMPTE: Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging.)

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InTECH

iZotope Releases Iris 2 Sample-Based Synthesiser

iZotope, Inc has released the

newest version of their samplebased

synthesiser, Iris.

Iris 2 is a visual instrument that

combines the power of a sampler

with the flexibility of a modular synth.

New features include a robust

iZotope’s Iris 2 visual instrument user interface

modulation system, sample pools

that can load both samples and

classic oscillator waveforms, a

completely redesigned interface

with extensive visualisations

and metering, enhanced effects

and fi lters, and fresh patches to

inspire creativity.

Iris 2 is built so that new sounds

can be discovered right out of

the box, including soaring leads,

growling basses, classic synths, and

percussive effects. More than 350

patches with intuitive controls are

included, so that users can

easily produce and perform

music that they have

tweaked and customised.

“After listening carefully to

feedback from hundreds of

musicians, producers, and

sound designers, it became

clear that Iris is a one of-akind

tool in their craft,” says

iZotope Product Manager

Bradford Swanson. “We’ve

designed Iris 2 to help

inspire musicians with

new possibilities and

sounds that are easy to

access and tweak, but still

totally unique.”

The core of Iris 2’s

creative engine is the

ability to layer samples. Endless

combinations can be made by

mixing a built-in collection of

analogue oscillator waveforms, an

11 GB sound library of samples, and

users’ own audio files.

Dynamic tremolo effects,

expressive vibratos, and radical

filter sweeps can be achieved

through up to five adjustable curve

ADSR envelopes, as well as fi ve

LFOs with dozens of morphing

wavetable options.

Iris 2 is rounded out with multiple

effects, like eight distortions, a

classic synth chorus, digital and

analogue delay options, and a warm

plate reverb emulation.

iZotope’s award winning spectral

filtering technology contributes to

the Iris experience.

Users can visualise and edit their

sound with incredible precision by

drawing, selecting, and isolating

sonic components from each

sample layer.

76

FreeSpeak II – High Performing

Wireless Intercom Technology

II’s ground-breaking design and continuous, clear communication select the optimal wireless signal.

technology makes it a high even in RF hostile settings and The system can also withstand

performing wireless intercom eliminates the need for frequency frequent usage in harsh

option.

It can be tailored for applications

of any magnitude and complexity,

and within varying environments.

The wireless solution also delivers

quality audio, innovative features

and beneficial capabilities that

increase productivity.

FreeSpeak II enables users to

collaborate effectively despite

challenging work conditions, such

as RF interference and poor weather.

In spaces saturated with 2.4 GHz

devices, many wireless intercoms

suffer from audio fading and

coordination.

FreeSpeak II’s new active

antennas and wireless beltpacks

are built with state-of-the-art

technology that enhances reliable

wireless connections. Active

antennas utilise separate data and

audio channels in DECT6 to create a

dependable link between beltpacks

and the base station or Eclipse HX

matrices. Beltpacks possess cellular

auto-roaming technology, allowing

them to scan and

Clear-Com’s

environments. The beltpack is IP-65

rated, which means that it is water

and dust resistance for demanding

outdoor and indoor use. The

beltpack’s rugged exterior housing

is constructed with polycarbonate

plastic and thermoplastic elastomer

over mould, making it highly durable.

In addition, FreeSpeak II is

scalable for varying applications.

With FreeSpeak II, people can

easily add beltpack users as

their team grows. They can also

extend communication across large

workspaces. As a standalone base

connection loss since they compete scalable

station, the system can support 20

for the same frequency spectrum. FreeSpeak II

full-duplex wireless beltpacks.

system

FreeSpeak II operates in multiple

This is the preferred option for

license-free DECT bands from

1.897-1.933GHz. Thus, it enables

smaller applications. It can also be

scaled for mid-to-large installations.

By implementing it as an integrated

solution within Eclipse HX matrices,

known as FreeSpeak II Integra, up

to 50 full-duplex wireless beltpack

can be used simultaneously.

Moreover, the system’s wireless

coverage can be expanded with

locally-powered active antennas.

Antennas can be positioned up

to 3,200 ft away, or 800 ft away

when centrally powered from the

base station. Five way antenna

splitters and up to 10 antennas

can be installed to create a wide

coverage zone.

Users also benefit from FreeSpeak

II’s high quality audio, ease-of-use

and advanced features. The system

delivers superior digital ‘Clear-Com

Sound’ for clear intelligibility. The

intuitive design of the beltpack

makes it simple for users to navigate

the interface and customise settings.

Beltpacks offer fi ve channels to

enable effi cient management of

workflows. And innovations such

as “Listen Again” message replay

as well as battery health, RF

status and antenna link monitoring

add convenience. By delivering

flexibility, simplicity and high

performance, FreeSpeak II provides

a remarkable communication

experience and empowers users

to accomplish more.



InTECH

Evolution Kit: ‘A Versatile & Affordable

Combo Package’

The Evolution kit in Pro Combo the medical world. He was the first

configuration includes one user of the Alpha 200. Owning most

Alpha 200, one Joker Bug 200 of the K5600 products, he gives

Evolution and accessories: lenses, his impressions about this new

light bank, Focal Spot.

fixture: “Versatile, lightweight and

Both fixtures are designed to use affordable. These are really the three

either a 5600K or 3200K bulb newly adjectives that come to my mind

developed by Havells-Sylvania. when someone asks me what I think

The Joker Bug 200 Evolution has about the new Alpha 200.

been redesigned to accept this “In the Fresnel confi guration, it

new bulb and makes use of all produces the hard and high quality

the existing accessories of the light distinctive of the Fresnels. Its

Joker family, including Lightbanks, powerful beam, lightweight and

Lanterns, Softubes.

low power consumption allows

The Alpha 200 is the newest me to place the Alpha 200 almost

member of the Alpha line. anywhere I want to: for instance,

Configured with a removable you can line up five or six on a 10

Fresnel lens which produces the metre-length, without any problem.

classic light quality expected of Focusing the light is very simple

Fresnels, it can also be used in an and the system is practical. It allows

Open Face mode to create hard and me to vary the power without the

crisp shadows. The quick and easy use of a dimmer.

set-up of the Focal Spot turns the “The Open Face configuration is

Alpha 200W into a precise profile the most efficient solution I know

light for projecting gobos.

for anyone who needs to light

Olivier Madar is a videographer widely and homogeneously. With

specialised in corporate fi lms for the aluminium reflector, the Alpha

The K5600 Alpha 200 in action

200 beam is less wide than the one

produced by the bigger Alphas and

their Quartz reflectors.

“But it’s enough to make the

Alpha 200 the perfect tool for green

screens, especially when distance

between the screen and the light

source is extremely reduced. The

angle is very wide, around 160

degree, which allows the user to

evenly light tight spaces.

“Even though it is small and

lightweight, the Alpha 200 is

powerful! It’s perfect for stage

lighting and with the Focal Spot, I

gladly compare it to a 750W tungsten

Source four, without the excess

weight and the overheating.”

77



UPCOMING

ISSUES

Submissions to:

news@inbroadcast.com

FEBRUARY 2015

SUBMISSIONS BY 16th JANUARY

FEATURES INCLUDE:

Systems Integration Part I

Video and Monitoring

Batteries and Mobile Power

CABSAT 2015

BVE 2015

American Column

MARCH 2015

SUBMISSIONS BY 13th FEBRUARY

FEATURES INCLUDE:

Network ,Cable, IP and Satellite

4k and Beyond

Systems Integration Part II

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www.inbroadcast.com

LIST OF DISPLAY ADVERTISERS

78

Adder Technologies 67 www.adder.com

AJA Video Systems 5 www.aja.com

Appear TV 71 www.appeartv.com

Aspera 13 www.asperasoft.com

Ateme 17 www.ateme.com

Audio Ltd 37 www.audioltd.com

Aveco 51 www.aveco.com

Blueshape 69 www.blueshape.net

Bridge Technologies 3 www.bridgetech.tv

Broadcast Centre Europe 1 www.bce.lu

Broadcast Pix 31 www.broadcastpix.com

Bryant Unlimited 51 www.bryant-unlimited.co.uk

BSI 57 www.broadcastsportsinc.com

Canford Audio 71 www.canford.co.uk

Cavena Image Products 54 www.cavena.se

Clear-Com 41 www.clearcom.com

CueScript 7 www.cuescript.tv

Current RMS 29 www.current-rms.com

Dalet 49 www.dalet.com

Danmon Systems Group 9 www.danmonsystems.com

dB Broadcast 20 www.dbbroadcast.co.uk

Digimetrics 65 www.digi-metrics.com

EVS 23 www.evs.com

Fujinon 33 www.fujifilm.eu

Gates Air Inside Front www.gatesair.com

Gearhouse Broadcast 6 www.gearhousebroadcast.com

Glidecam 59 www.glidecam.com

Hybrid 45 www.hybridtv.tv

Jeremy Dawes

Recruitment Services 51 www.jeremydawes.co.uk

JoeCo 14 www.joeco.co.uk

Junger 12 www.junger-audio.com

K5600 Lighting 69 www.k5600lighting.com

Merging 67 www.merging.com

NABShow 75 www.nabshow.com

NTP 47 www.ntp.dk

Octopus 47 www.octopus-news.com

PlayBox NEWSLETTER www.playbox.tv

Provys 10 www.provys.com

Red Digital Cinema 21 www.red.com

Riedel 35 www.riedel.net

Sennheiser 25 www.sennheiser.com

Shotoku 77 www.shotoku.co.uk

Signiant 11 www.signiant.com

SISLive 8 www.sislive.tv

Tedial 16 www.tedial.com

Tightrope Media Systems 15 www.trms.com

Time Code Systems 37 www.timecodebuddy.com

TMD 18 www.tmd.tv

Tools on Air 19 www.toolsonair.com

Trilogy Broadcast 34 www.trilogycomms.com

True Lens Services 30 www.truelens.co.uk

Video Clarity 4 www.videoclarity.com

Vision Research 73 www.visionresearch.com

Vislink 61 www.vislink.com

Vitech GmbH 73 www.vitec.com

Volicon 63 www.volicon.com

VSN 57 www.vsn-tv.com

WTS Broadcast 27 www.wtsgroupofcompanies.com

Xytech 53 www.xytechsystems.com

EdgeBox by PlayBox Technology

EdgeBox by PlayBox Technology

Fully Redundant Automatic Remote Playout Anywhere in the World via Internet

EdgeBox makes delivering a TV station, complete with local branding and content, to anywher e in the world an economic reality –

even for small audiences. EdgeBox enables the whole operation to be run from an established broadcast centre, at a cost that makes

sense.

PlayBox Technology’s ability to offer complete, reliable broadcast workflows at IT prices is an essential part of EdgeBox. EdgeBox

provides a tapeless file-based operation that has two parts: one integrated with the broadcast centre and the other at the remote site.

At the broadcast centre it is fully integrated into the current or preferred systems including traffic, storage, MAM, ingest, transcoding

and file transfer systems, or PlayBox Technology can provide these. This connects to the new remote EdgeBox site’s playout

equipment via the public internet – making a huge cost saving over the traditional dedicated fibre or satellite links.

Workflow

The workflow is highly automated and is designed to provide easy, familiar playout operation. Proceedings start with daily playlists

created in the broadcast centre’s traffic system, which is integrated with MAM, being sent to the remote EdgeBox. There it checks for

the required media and generates a list of missing items that’s sent back to the MAM that then generates requests for the media and

subtitle files required for playout. Aspects such as ingest requests, the correct TV format, SD or HD, transcoding, etc, are automatically

handled and the required material is sent to the remote. Remote playout then proceeds in the normal way, running from the playlist.

Also reports, including ‘as run logs’, are returned to the broadcast centre and finally the EdgeBox playout servers are purged of old

material.

EdgeBox enables all the features of normal local operation such as the inclusion of subtitles. Subtitle files can be produced in the

normal way. Then SubtitleBox, installed on each EdgeBox server, accepts and checks the files and automatically delivers open subtitles

during transmission. PlayBox SubtitlePlus DVB supports DVB subtitles. Multilingual channels are also supported. Operations are

monitored with SNMP sending server status alarms. EdgeBox servers are also connected to VPN for access from anywhere. Local

monitoring can be added if required.

Remote Media Format

The media format used at the remote location can be decided on a number of factors such as the amount of new media per day, the bit

rate chosen for playout and the available internet capacity. MPEG2 IBP at 10Mbps is often chosen, however H.264 at 4Mbps or less is

also chosen as a very good alternative. The chosen bit rate is the customer’s choice.

Your EdgeBox

No two EdgeBoxes are alike. Every broadcaster has its own requirements and PlayBox Technology can design, supply and install each

system according to customers’ needs. Integration with the existing broadcast systems is essential. One focus is format compatibility

where, for the cleanest operation, EdgeBox must be able to work directly with the existing ‘house’ formats – one of the areas where

PlayBox Technology excels.

Customers may consider:

On-air presentation

Graphics makes a big impact on the look of the station. EdgeBox provide basic branding with one of a number of logos presented on

the screen at any time. A far wider range of graphics is available when TitleBox is included within the EdgeBox server. This offers

animated logos and multi-layered 2D and 3D graphics, character generation, and interactive graphics for SMS to screen, voting,

gaming, crawls etc. TitleBox can be scheduled from the traffic system while projects and templates are created with TitleBox

Preparation at the broadcast centre.

Enhanced internet performance

A number of steps ensure fast and secure operation over the internet and so each end of the connection includes a file transfer server

and a firewall. The transfer speed can be assisted with a file transfer agent and its reliability enhanced with the use of multiple internet

paths and data checks. For complete privacy the firewall needs to be quite separate from any others used by the broadcaster.

More reliability

EdgeBox benefits from the inherently reliability of PlayBox Technology products. Depending on needs and budget, two

EdgeBox servers can provide full redundancy with automatic switchover should one fail. In addition the servers have triple

redundant PSUs.

A further measure is to design-in no single point of failure so, for example, even with the loss of internet, FTP server or firewall

playout can continue. Operational planning can add to this with, say, the next seven days of media always stored on the remote

SAMPLE WORKFLOW

EdgeBox

Fully Automated Remote Redundant Playout

with SNMP, VPN and Video and Audio Remote Monitoring

Programme

Schedules

AD Sales

SNMP, VPN &

Media Monitoring

MCR or DR Centre

TraficBox or

Traffic System

Billing

FILE TRANSFER

SERVER

Firewall

SNMP, VPN &

Media Monitor

Firewall

Network IP

SDI

Internet

Video and Audio

RS 232/422

As Run Logs

Daily Playlist

PUBLIC

INTERNET

Media Files

TRANSCODING

Missing Items

List

Daily Playlist As Run Logs Media Files Missing Items List

FILE TRANSFER

SERVER

EdgeBox/TitleBox

Server - Main

TX

Firewall

Slingbox x 3

Smart Switch

and Glue

Capture

List

METUS MAM or

MAM and STORAGE

Server

CaptureBox

Hi Bit Rate

Files

EdgeBox/TitleBox

Server - Redundant

Daily Playlist As Run Logs Media Files Missing Items List

VTR

Remote Playout Centre

Local Content and QC

Provision can be made to ingest local commercials and some content at the remote site. This can be forwarded to the broadcast centre

for editing and quality control and the result delivered back to the remote site.

Compliance Recording

This is mandatory in many countries and provides important evidence in programme or advertising disputes. It is also a good aid for

fault finding with remote playout systems. CaptureBox Compliance can record 30, 60, 90 or more days with time stamp at low bit rate.

These files are recorded in one hour blocks that are easily retrievable over the internet for viewing.

Installation and Training

PlayBox Technology’s Broadcast Systems Division is experienced in installing, setting up, testing and commissioning the EdgeBox

systems and integrating them with broadcast centres. PlayBox Technology staff are experienced in working with broadcast and IT

engineers as both competences are required for a successful project.

On-site training is available for both operators and engineers at customers’ operational centres and any other monitoring centre or

disaster recovery site. Training is also available at the PlayBox Technology R&D Centre. Training contributes to reliability and is

recommended for broadcast centre staff. Head-end staff need only basic training as it is unusual that any action will be required from

them.

Remote and Local Support

PlayBox Technology has one of the most advanced remote support systems. Each PlayBox module has a PlayBox Doctor that is a very

powerful aid to fault finding most problems remotely. As EdgeBox systems are installed in remote locations and connected to internet,

PlayBox Technology can, with authorisation, log on remotely, and quickly find and resolve any problem.

PlayBox Technology has 15 Country Offices and over 100 dealers and system integrators in 120 countries worldwide. Most dealers are

factory trained by PlayBox Technology and well able to support system in their regions.

AdBox by PlayBox Technology

AdBox by PlayBox Technology

Seamless Ad Insertion

PlayBox Technology AdBox enables content owners to maximise their business potential by targeting advertisements for

specific audiences with ad insertion and Digital Programme Insertion (DPI) in both SD and HD, in either SDI or DVB (ASI/IP).

AdBox performs basic cost-effective digital ad insertion and can easily be scaled to meet the next-generation of targeted

advertising solutions that are driving the revolution in today’s television advertising.

AdBox is based on PlayBox Technology AirBox, the industry's most advanced channel-in-a-box technology, delivering the

power and scalability to meet the demands of today's rapidly changing advertising environment, and giving a quick return

on investment by providing the solution you want, at your price.

AdBox can be installed locally or remotely at the headend and monitored and controlled via the internet. If required, many

hundreds of hours of ad insertion and DPI can be scheduled and an entire stand-alone solution can be provided, or

alternatively it can be integrated into the content owner’s current workflows and systems.

In addition to ad insertion and DPI, AdBox can include graphics capabilities ranging from simple logo insertion to full CG and

interactive graphics insertion - using TitleBox to enable a complete and very powerful local branding solution including

SMS2TV.

AdBox can be integrated into clients’ traffic systems to enable traffic and billing to provide the complete one-box solution

that includes automation, video server and switching.

AdBox works by receiving a GPI or Cue Tone trigger for the start of commercial break or programme insertion. Other trigger

sources can also be handled via GPI or Cue Tone from an external cue decoder. Once the trigger is received the scheduled

advert break or programme is switched from the live feed and played to air. After a scheduled period, or on receiving a

second trigger, AdBox returns to the live programme feed.

AdBox will only insert advert breaks or programmes during predefined or scheduled periods. It can also auto-fill any periods

that have no defined adverts or programmes.

Options

IP Switch

PlayBox Technology IP Switch is a cost-effective UDP IP switch. It uses commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) IT hardware for single

or multiple AdBox systems where multiple inputs and/or output routing / switching is required. IP Switch can be installed in

AdBox or installed in a separate server in multiple AdBox installations.

Universal Matrix Controller (UMC)

PlayBox Technology Universal Matrix Controller (UMC) provides central control for routers / matrices that enable multiple

AdBox installations to centrally control the switching for ad insertion and DPI. UMC is fully integrated with AdBox as well as

installations containing AirBox, CaptureBox and Multi-Backup Manager (MBM).

Bypass Relay and GPI I/O Card

PlayBox Technology Bypass Relay and GPI I/O Card is a cost-effective hardware solution designed and manufactured by

PlayBox Technology to work with AdBox. It provides a simple GPI I/O interface with third-party cue decoders, as well as a

relay bypass in case of system or power failure.

The bypass section has four BNC connectors and supports composite, SD-SDI, HD-SDI for full input-to-output isolation

during bypass. Bypass is automatic during power failure or can be controlled remotely by serial protocol or COM API, and has

a watchdog with a controllable timer. The GPI I/O section allows the easy connection of external cue decoders to AdBox and

SAMPLE WORKFLOWS

SDI with Internal Switch

Satellite

Receiver

External Trigger

(Optional)

SDI

Embedded Audio Cue Tone

GPI / Cue Tone

AdBox

Advert Insertion

/ DPI Server

SDI

Encoder

IP / ASI

MUXER

IP with Internal Switch

Satellite

Receiver

External Trigger

(Optional)

IP TS

Cue Tone (Optional)

GPI / Cue Tone

AdBox

Advert Insertion

/ DPI Server

IP

MUXER

SDI with Redundancy, UMC and External Matrix

Satellite

Receiver

External Trigger

(Optional)

SDI

AdBox

Advert Insertion

/ DPI Server

SDI

Matrix Control

Matrix

Switcher

UMC

SDI

Encoder

IP / ASI

Legend

MUXER

SDI

GPI / Cue Tone

AdBox

Redundant

N+1 and N+N

Matrix Control

SDI

IP

GPI / Cue Tone

Matrix Control

IP with Redundancy and External IP Switch

Satellite

Receiver

External Trigger

(Optional)

GPI / Cue Tone

GPI / Cue Tone

IP

AdBox

Advert Insertion

/ DPI Server

AdBox

Redundant

N+1 and N+N

IP

IP

IP Switch

IP

MUXER

MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT

Complete your workflow with PlayBox Media Asset Management

Key Features

* Scalable – From a Single Channel to a

Multi-Channel Turn-Key Broadcast

Centre PlayBox MAM organises your

digital library. Content can be searched,

browsed and distributed easily

anywhere within your broadcast

workflow.

* Cost effective – end to end digital

tapeless workflow.

* Unlimited metadata – Add metadata

at the point of ingest. User

configurable metadata fields let you

choose a flexible way of assets

management.

* User Security – Sophisticated

security features prevent unauthorized

access to the media files. Active

directory integration provides added security, different user group access rights can be assigned to ensure the

correct use of media assets.

* Transcoding Engine – Built-in multi profile transcode engine provides ability to create automatic Proxy files

and various other formats suitable for broadcast requirements.

* User friendly – Personalised workspace layouts, familiar folder structures and search functions provide fast

and easy access to your assets.

* Web interface – Access your content anytime

anywhere from a PC or MAC. Upload media remotely

and edit metadata via simple user interface.

* Post production integration – Your library is

accessible in your editing suites with Integration for your

editing software such as Final Cut, Sony Vegas, Edius

(optional).

* Advanced Media viewer – A multifunctional viewer

allowing users to edit metadata, set markers and add

notes. Audio and video censorship. Story board and clip

creation all from within the viewer window.

Workflow

PlayBox MAM

PlayBox MAM sits at the heart of the broadcast structure providing organized access to the most important asset

any broadcaster has, it's content. PlayBox MAM makes your content viewable and deliverable to any area of your

organisation, speeding up workflows and delivering considerable time and cost savings over traditional

broadcast structures.

Playout Automation

PlayBox Technology broadcast automation systems support all existing I/O interfaces, all video and audio

standards, graphics and compression formats. PlayBox Technology systems can be personalized to fulfill a wide

range of extraordinary workflow requirements. The automation system has a scalable and modular architecture

that enables broadcasters to configure their systems with dynamic interfaces, as well as intelligent and

customizable 'rules' that meet precise workflow requirements and eliminate repetitive and labour-intensive

functions.

Interactive CG, Graphics and Channel Branding

PlayBox Technology developed TitleBox, an interactive character generator and graphics system that can create,

display and control fascinating multi-zone screens with rolls, crawls, animations, clocks, station logos and more. Its

unprecedented level of interactive control over the on-air CG objects turns TitleBox into a powerful tool, ideally

suited for channel branding, music channels, live entertainment programmes, presentations, sports events titling,

PlayBox Technology is the #1 International 'TV Channel in a Box' manufacturer with Interactive CG & Graphics,

MAM, Traffic and News Room available SD, HD and DVB(ASI/IP). PlayBox Technology has innovative and

scalable solutions to fit your workflow and offer you the solution you want at your price. From a Single Channel

Playout Server to a Multi-Channel Turn-Key Broadcast Centre, please contact PlayBox Technology.

With 12,500+ Playout and Branding Channels in over 120 Countries Powered byPlayBox Technology the

chances are you will have experienced our solutions for yourself. PlayBox Technology offer solutions at

breakthrough pricing levels while maintaining the highest levels of Reliability, Flexibility and Support.

PlayBox Technology is an international Communications and Information Technology Company Serving the

Broadcast and Corporate Markets Worldwide. PlayBox Technology is dedicated to the Research, Design,

Development and Provision of Broadcasting Products, Systems, Solutions and Ser vices.

PlayBox Technology has Solutions for Start-Up TV Channels, Remote Playout TV Channels, DVB (ASI/IP) TV

Channels, Ad Insertion, Interactive TV, Music Channels, Film Channels, Disaster Recovery, Satellite Broadcasters,

IPTV, SMS2TV, Internet TV, Webcasters as well as Local, Regional, National and International Broadcasters.

General Sales Contacts: sales.uk@playbox.tv • Website: www.playbox.tv

• PlayBox UK +44 1707 66 44 44 • PlayBox Bulgaria +359 2 9703050 • PlayBox Romania +4 031106 5115

• PlayBox Turkey +90 216 3379402 • PlayBox Adria +381 600 245 901 • PlayBox Albania +355 44 80 45 52

• PlayBox USA +1 404 424 9283 • PlayBox Asia Pacific +603 7954 3400 z• PlayBox India +91 9811913333

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