Newsletter from 31/10/2013
Classic & Rock - Beach & Air
MOBILE PRODUCTION
TNDV Amplifies Production Quality for ‘Won & Done’ on MavTV
Won & Done producer/director Ray Iddings works closest with TNDV on the shoots. He notes that the team provides remarkable consistency from location to location, and stresses that the season two broadcasts simply look and sound better. “The first season was shot ENG-style, and I’d have to walk up to each camera to view the screens and make adjustments. There is no nuance in that situation, and television is all about nuance. Everything goes to disc, and it takes a day and a half to adjust files once we take it to post,” said Iddings. “TNDV instead puts all of this content on Aja Ki-Pro recorders, and within a few hours our editors are ready to cut a show. So having TNDV on site not only improves the quality, but helps us work far more efficiently.”
Read more ...
Red TX Captures Stephen Lawrence’s Tribute Concert
Artists including Rita Ora, Beverley Knight and Jessie J were joined by Emeli Sande, Ellie Goulding and Ed Sheeran for the concert, which was held to mark the 20th anniversary of Stephen’s death in southeast London. Red TX was commissioned to handle the broadcast audio by Paul Dugdale, who was directing the project on behalf of ACME TV. Dugdale previously worked with Red TX during the summer when the company recorded The Rolling Stones in Hyde Park. For the Unity concert, which was broadcast on BBC 2, red TX used its main Red 1 outside broadcast vehicle, with engineers Tim Summerhayes and Ollie Nesham at the controls.
Read more ...
Serail: Mozart's Masterpiece at Hangar-7
ServusTV broadcast the two-and-a-half-hour performance, which was recorded using 16 cameras, two steadicams and a cable cam system, both terrestrially and via satellite. The event was also streamed live on the internet. In addition, public screenings were held in Salzburg, Linz and Vienna, and viewers were also able to follow this modern production of Mozart’s work in 19 countries via UnitelClassica. Audio was provided by German production company TVN MOBILE PRODUCTION GmbH as the cooperation partner of Euro TV Production GmbH. A Digital 9000 wireless microphone system from audio specialist Sennheiser was used to transmit the voices of stars such as Desirée Rancatore and Tobias Moretti.
Read more ...
Global Television Wins 2014 G20 Summit Host Broadcaster Contract
Global will work in partnership with SBS to produce content for the Host Broadcast feed, contributing newsgathering, international news resources, production and editorial expertise. SBS has more than 30 years of unique multicultural and multilingual broadcasting experience. SBS broadcasts more than 25 international television news programs each day, and 74 language programs across three radio networks – more than any other broadcaster worldwide. Global Television will provide technical design, build and operational services – including equipment, satellite facilities and crew. A combination of traditional and emerging broadcasting technologies, such as 4G web streaming services, will be used to maximise the coverage.
Read more ...
CAMERON | PACE 3D Units now with Dome Productions for HD
Dome Productions has purchased CAMERON PACE Group’s quartet of 3D mobile units and will convert them to 2D HD production trucks. The deal signals CPG’s official exit — at least for now — from live 3D remote production and adds four HD trucks to Dome’s rapidly growing fleet in Canada. “We made the decision that we are not going to go into the 2D-mobile-unit business with these trucks,” says CPG Co-Chairman/CEO Vince Pace. “But we are going to continue to innovate products and support the industry with different types of technology.” The sale covers four trucks: the 53-ft. double-expando and 48-ft. single-expando ShadowCaster units and a pair of 48-ft. straight trucks that will serve as B units at Dome.
Read more ...
STUDIO PRODUCTION
FOX Sports at MediArena Amsterdam
Fox Sports is the umbrella brand for the new sports television network in the Netherlands. It’s operated by Eredivisie Media & Marketing, a Dutch media venture owned by Fox International Channels (51% stake since August 2012), Endemol, the Dutch top-tier football league, Eredivisie, and the Dutch football association KNVB. The sports network currently offers two premium television services: Fox Sports Eredivisie and Fox Sports International. Fox Sports Eredivisie, which has been on air since 1 August 2013, holds the exclusive rights for live coverage of the Eredivisie, Eerste divisie (second-highest division) and KNVB Beker (the national cup competition). Its programmes are broadcast on three separate channels. Fox Sports International, launched on 17 August 2013, offers live coverage of Europe’s most-watched international football, such as UEFA Europa League, England’s Premier League and Italy’s Serie A.
Read more ...
HARMAN Enhances Coke Studio at MTV’s Live Performances
The Coke Studio at MTV India is a premier platform for showcasing a fusion of India’s best musical talent. Now in its third season, the popular television broadcast events bring together the country’s top independent, classical, folk and popular artists and their creative energies into one entertaining series. Sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company, the show invites musicians from different genres to jam together while recording the resulting collaboration on the spot. The series has gained massive popularity with more than 40 million viewers in the second season alone. This year, the season has pushed the envelope by providing leading-edge music that features world-renowned composer AR Rahman with top artists like Sivamani, Amit Trivedi, Clinton Cerejo and others for listeners across the globe. The iconic AR Rahman is a global endorsee for HARMAN’s JBL brand, and Sivamani is an AKG endorsee.
Read more ...
EVS Digital Workflow Powers beIN SPORT Channels in France
Al Jazeera acquired the rights in France to UEFA EURO 2012 and EURO 2016, along with rights to France’s top-tier Ligue 1, the UEFA Champions League, premier leagues in Germany, Italy and Spain, and other high-profile and popular European sports teams and events – including the London 2012 Olympics. Having recently secured the rights to the NBA, Al Jazeera set out to create the most prestigious sports channels in France. Available via fibre, cable and satellite, the three new HD channels - beIN SPORT 1, beIN SPORT 2 and beIN SPORT MAX - launched in summer 2012 and immediately began broadcasting top live sports as well as magazine-style shows and in-depth sports news programming. beIN SPORT has already surpassed the one million subscribers milestone since launching.
Read more ...
SPORTS
A New Highlight in the Sports Calendar: Beach Volleyball by SKY Germany
Once in a year Timmendorfer Strand is becoming the Wimbledon for beach volleyball. This was also true this year when for the 21th time the German SMART beach volleyball championships were played. For the finale of the SMART beach volleyball tour Timmendorfer Strand was transformed into a meeting place for the beach volleyball fans from all across Germany. Only here AMBION was setting up the Ahmann-Hager arena with more than 5,000 seats. Only here the Olympic champions have their own parking space right next to the arena. Only here the spirit is better than at the Copacabana. The event “picked up” spectators in front of the TV with new perspectives, other points of view and never seen before camera movements. SKY took the chance to present beach volleyball completely detached from our “learned viewing habits” and opened a new window to the presentation of event sports on TV.
Read more ...
Broadcasting Every Arrow
The Winter and Summer Olympics are not only a chance for world records to be broken, but also offer a global platform for sports that otherwise rarely make the ‘mainstream’ headlines. But all of these niche sports, from wrestling to tae kwon-do have active, established sporting calendars including World Championships, World Cup events and international tours. If promoted correctly, these events can harness spectators whose interest has been piqued and convert them into longterm, active fans. The challenge is how to maximize event broadcasts, whilst working within tight budget constraints. Hit The Roof is a Swiss video production consultancy, which specializes in exactly this. “We know that not every sport has the budget of Formula 1 or the UK’s Premier League, so we work with sporting bodies to build reliable flyaway kits for live production, that stand up to grueling touring schedules and produce high quality, engaging footage ready for national and pan region sports broadcasters,” explains Cédric Roger, director, Hit the Roof.
Read more ...
Georges Bertellotti Golden Podium Awards 2013
The 2013 Golden Podium Awards Ceremony were BROADCAST LIVE on the channel SPORT 365 with the help of the AMPVISUAL HD OBVan Extender 1. The Golden Podium Awards were created in 1991 by Georges Bertellotti and supported by the International Olympic Committee since its inception. This international competition highlights the best sports images of the year by rewarding TV sports directors. The Jury, composed of key figures of sports and media, met in Monaco during SPORTEL to select the sequences that capture the beauty of sports through emotion and creativity. The best sequences were screened during the Golden Podium Awards Ceremony on Tuesday 15 october 2013 in the presence of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and many sport personnalities and olympic champions.
Read more ...
Red Bull Air Race World Championship Returns in 2014
“We’re delighted to announce that the new Red Bull Air Race World Championship will be launched on February 28th in Abu Dhabi (UAE),” said Erich Wolf, CEO Red Bull Air Race GmbH. “We’ve all worked very hard over the last three years fine-tuning some of the safety aspects and bring the sport to a new level. We never took our eye off the target and neither have these fantastic pilots or the great fans around the world. Their interest in the sport remained unbelievably high during these past few years. We can’t wait to get back in the air in February 2014.” The series will be back with the defending World Champion in the 12-pilot field after it took a three-year break to improve safety and reorganize. There will be a number of technical improvements, including standard engines and propellers for all pilots, changes to the lightweight nylon pylon material to make them even easier to burst apart if they are clipped by plane wings and raising the height of the pylons that the pilots pass through from 20 to 25 meters.
Read more ...
XL Events Captures The Action at Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series
When the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series visited Wales for the UK leg of their global cliff diving championship, XL Events was on hand to ensure all the action was captured for the crowds of excited spectators. With competitors diving from a height of 27 metres from the top of the Pembrokeshire cliffs, XL Events needed to ensure that spectators in both of the cliff viewing areas had an excellent view of the 14 divers from 9 different countries. To achieve this, XL Events installed 2 Lighthouse R7 LED screens, one at the top and one at the bottom of the cliffs, and each measuring 5 x 3 metres. The content for the screens was provided by 2 of XL Events’ HD cameras – one Sony HXC-100, and one HDC-3300 super slo-mo camera to show the divers’ intricate turns in the action replays. Replays were controlled by an EVS S-LSM XT2 live HD production server managed by Jonathan Camacho.
Read more ...
SHOWS
Clay Paky Fixtures Accompany Bruno Mars Around the World
“We were tasked with creating a world for Bruno and his band to inhabit,” says lighting designer Cory FitzGerald who codesigned the tour with Roy Bennett. “Bruno has a lot of sounds and pushes past a lot of genres, so he needed an environment that would accommodate all his music. The lighting fixtures help a lot with that. We have 42 Sharpy Washes and about 80 Sharpy beams and we’re very happy with the rig.” VER supplied the tour’s gear. FitzGerald also made room for a number of Sharpys in the rig. “I can’t remember the last time I did a show without them,” he says. “They’re well established and high powered. With prism, frost and gobos I can get a lot of looks out of them. I have them everywhere on the show: overhead, on the back wall of light, on the floor. We even have 14 gold Sharpys on the deck.”
Read more ...
McFly Makes a Robe Pointe of Celebrating 10 Years at the Royal Albert Hall
Chart topping, award winning and enduringly popular UK pop rockers McFly celebrated 10 years at the forefront of the music industry with great panache and some help from Robe’s latest technology … in four sold-out shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The RAH’s Lighting department were appointed as lighting contractors and Senior Technical Manager Ollie Jeffery contacted award winning international Lighting Designer Tim Routledge to create a design using their own extensive house rig - featuring 130 moving lights - plus a large quantity of ‘specials’ including 24 x Robe ROBIN Pointes and 40 x Robe ROBIN LEDBeam 100s.
Read more ...
Bringing Coachella 2013 to Life
Fans making the trek to the 14th annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival arrive with high expectations, not least of which is that they’ll be fully immersed in musical performances that inspire all their senses. That expectation levies tremendous pressure on the musicians and crew that put their reputations on the line as soon as the first note sounds. The roster of talent at Coachella 2013 was dotted with seasoned acts the likes of Sigur Rós, New Order, Blur, Dead Can Dance, Jurassic 5, Social Distortion, Dinosaur Jr., Descendents, and Violent Femmes, as well as solid newcomers like Band of Horses, Franz Ferdinand, The Postal Service, and Of Monsters and Men. These bands delivered critically acclaimed performances that thrilled the thousands of fans that packed the venue over two weekends.
Read more ...
PRODUCTS
Successful OMNEO Premiere at the CHIO Aachen
The Concours Hippique International Officiel (CHIO) in Aachen is the most prestigious riding tournament in Europe. This year’s event, which ran from 21 to 30 June, drew over 360,000 spectators to the various competition venues to see some 350 riders in action. The tournament, with over 2.6 million euro in prize money on offer, was broadcast in more than 140 different countries. This year, a communications system based on OMNEO network technology was used there for the first time. This performed two tasks: on the one hand, the company charged with responsibility for the sound reinforcement, EMD of Oldenburg, employed it for the supervision and control of the sound reinforcement system. On the other, Amptown System Company used the OMNEO network to assure communications between all the staff.
Read more ...
EMF, with A.S.O. and France Télévisions, Scores World First on Paris-Tours Cycle Race
Continuing their long tradition of innovation in cycle racing coverage Euro Media France (the pioneering leader in wireless broadcasting), A.S.O. (organisers of the Paris-Tours Race) and France Télévisions (in charge of signal distribution), made history last October 13, by deploying the world’s first wireless sensor solution that enables riders to be geolocated in real time. Paris-Tours, the final race of the French season, has always been used by A.S.O, France Télévisions and Euro Media France as a testing ground for the latest innovations in cycle race broadcasting. After the world's first wireless digital broadcasts in 2005, HD production in 2006 and 3D in 2009, the 2013 edition of the Paris-Tours event was the first time in-race rider geolocation has been tested.
Read more ...
Hedgehog Outfits Lebanon's First HD OBVan With Calrec Console
Calrec Audio has sold its first console in Lebanon to Beirut-based production company Hedgehog for use in the country's first high-definition outside broadcast (OB) truck. An Artemis Light console was installed into Hedgehog's first OB truck to complement the HD video with high-quality audio for all its mobile TV production projects, including live television shows, sports, and entertainment events, many for broadcasting giant MBC. Hedgehog installed a 32-fader Calrec Artemis Light console in a 40-fader frame into its 14-meter expandable truck, which can handle up to 14 HD cameras and houses a full production setup to meet the demand for HD television production in Lebanon. The Artemis Light manages 240 fully featured DSP channels, and the unique surround spill controls make it easy to create 5.1 mixes.
Read more ...
3D/4K Arising
Elemental Achieves World’s First Real-time 4K HEVC Transmission
Elemental Technologies, a leading supplier of video solutions for multiscreen content delivery, announced it successfully supported the world’s first real-time 4K Ultra HD high-efficiency video coding (H.265 / HEVC) transmission Sunday when it streamed the Osaka Marathon. K-Opticom Corporation, a comprehensive telecommunications operator, pioneered the workflow for the historic event and used Elemental video processing to deliver live coverage of the eight-plus-hour race. Elemental will showcase a real-time 4K HEVC demonstration in the CTCSP booth (Hall 8, Booth 8301) at Inter BEE in Tokyo, Japan, November 13-15
Read more ...
Peter Gabriel to Get the 4K Treatment with Sony
Currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of his landmark multi-platinum album So, Peter Gabriel brought his ‘Back To Front: So LIVE’ tour back to the UK, with two dates at The O2 on the 21st and 22nd of October 2013. In keeping with Sony’s vision to provide products that help capture the emotional intent of the artist and immerse viewers in the action, the company worked with two production companies - Done & Dusted Productions and ERP Productions - and facilities company CTV to plan and support the ten-camera Sony PMW-F55 shoot. The full workflow includes the supply of R5 and SR-R1000 recorders, as well as technical consultancy and support to record the two day shoot. Eight of Sony’s highly popular PMW-F55 35mm 4K cameras were used to capture the first night of the tour, and an extended ten camera production took place on the second night.
Read more ...
SuperZoom Enhances UEFA Champions League
With the UEFA Champions League match Schalke vs. Chelsea Sky Germany has demonstrated its pioneering credentials once again. Together with the production company TopVision Sky Germany integrated a 4K SuperZoom solution into the HD live signal workflow. The 4K SuperZoom application consisted of a Sony F55 camera and an EVS XT3 server in combination with an AJA Corvid. The RCP for the Sony F55 was operated as any other RCP on board of the TopVision HD Ü5.1 OBVan. The 4K SuperZoom solution delivers brilliant sharp close-ups that provide innovative, detailed pictures – particularly rewarding when it comes to debatable referee decisions! Thanks to the high resolution of the 4K format, image details can be selected for demonstration purposes and played back in full HD resolution. That means that the viewers at home see much more than the referee on the pitch.
Read more ...
BTV Post Completes World's First 4K Digital Cinema Frame Rate Conversion
Stadium rockers Muse recorded their concert in Rome's Olympic stadium in July this year in breathtaking 4K. Serpent Productions recorded the gig in both HD and 4K simultaneously using Sony F55 cameras. The decision to post-produce a 4K cinema version rested on whether it was at last possible to get a high enough quality standards conversion at a low frame rate and in 4K. BTV Post successfully managed both using Snell's new Alchemist OD file-based standards conversion platform to convert the concert with stunning results. Alchemist OD was used for the entire conversion, which dovetailed seamlessly with BTV's 4K Mistika post-production pipeline.
Read more ...