Newsletter from 30/12/2015
eSports on the Rise
eSports will see viewership levels of 313 million by 2020, up from 133 million this year. By comparison, 2020 will see eSports surpass the viewership levels of the NFL tournament, which had 220 million unique viewers in 2014, to move closer to the viewership figures of Formula 1 racing, which has over 400 million global viewers.
- eSports has slipped under the radar somewhat, with a huge underlying following engaging in the pastime via services such as Twitch, which sees 100 million unique visits a month. YouTube’s newly launched YouTube Gaming site, and the BBC’s decision to broadcast highlights from the recent League of Legends Quarter Finals at Wembley arena, shows the recognition eSports is now gaining from major corporations, as well as the media.
- Subscription revenues will reach almost $1 billion by 2020, with users showing a greater acceptance of sponsoring their favoured broadcasters.
- Advertising will contribute significantly to online eSports services, with revenues increasing by almost 250% from 2015 to 2020.
League of Legends Final 2015
On 31 October Riot's League of Legends World Championship Finals went down at a packed Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, and for the second time in three years, the Korean team SKT Telecom emerged as the best squad in the known universe. More than 25 million people watched online in addition to those in attendance at the sold-out event.
Read the report about the League of Legends Final in Berlin
MOBILE PRODUCTION
Videohouse HD one and HD two
Videohouse is a nationally and internationally operating service provider for television and multimedia projects. Videohouse has state-of-the-art facilities and highly customer-oriented experts who give every job that bit extra. Thanks to combined experience, a passion for the profession and flexible deployment, Videohouse has become a natural partner for broadcasters, producers and business. Videohouse is part of the Euro Media Group and is present in Belgium (Videohouse), France (Euro Media Télévision, SFP, Tatou, VCF), Germany (nobeo), The Netherlands (Cinevideogroup, United) and the United Kingdom (CTV). HD one and HD two are identical trailers and can handle up to 24 cameras.
Get the technical Specs of HD one here
Get the technical Specs of HD two here
Production Associates FlyPack
Production Associates (PA) is a group of highly trained production professionals with years of experience in the event, auto show, entertainment, film, television, tradeshow, and theme park production industries. PA employs the best creative thinkers, technical specialists and project managers to take your ideas and turn them into reality. With decades of creative experience in all of these arenas, the PA team has a unique point of view on taking the best of what's been done before and creating new, exciting and unique creative solutions. While most production companies are good at either the creative or the technical (but not both), PA is a true one-stop full service creative agency. In essence, PA bridges the gap between the creative and technical production within a collaborative processes.
Music Mix Mobile Goes Live with Lawo mc²56 Consoles
Music Mix Mobile (M3) announced at this year’s AES Exhibition in New York the purchase of Lawo mc²56 consoles for their state-of-the-art mobile recording trucks, one of which is based on the East Coast and the other in Los Angeles. The renowned Emmy Award winning company provides capture and broadcast services for a clientele that includes world class music and entertainment shows. The Lawo mc²56 consoles are fully redundant systems, both have 48 fader surfaces with redundant cores and Stageboxes, built-in 8,196 x 8,196 audio routing capabilities and offer RAVENNA/AES67 compliant operation.
STUDIO PRODUCTION
"Superkids": MMC Studios Provide Big Stage for the World’s Greatest Little Talents
A total of 10 cameras were used for the production. These cameras included 6 Grass Valley (GVG) LDK 8000 cameras on studio pedestals, one GVG LDK 8000 on a Supertechno 50 telescopic crane, 2 GVG LDK 8000 elites as wireless handheld cameras, and one GVG LDK 8000 elite wireless used as a Steadycam. The video signals were mixed on a GVG Kayenne XL (3.5 M/E) at MMC’s HD control room 13 (production format: 1080i/50). The playbacks were carried out via four channels on a Grass Valley Summit Server. One EVS XT2 was used for the highlight editing and Super SloMo. For the tapeless recording, the signals were transferred via eleven ingest channels to a central, mobile, and redundant server system.
VSM Delivers Fox Sports Ultimate Flexibility
LDM Audiovisual Systems BVBA (L-S-Bs exclusive local partner for the BeNeLux) working with UK system integrator Broadcast Networks worked closely with Fox Sports proposing VSM as it offered freedom of control to manage resources and allowed complete dynamic assignment of operational positions. Fox used VSM’s unique ‘Boxing’ functionality allowing any operational position within the playout centre to be assigned to any operational task. For example an operational position could be set up for any workflow task from selecting a playout channel to be controlled, QC operations, monitoring, editing or ingest. The user interface was designed to give a graphical representation of the facility so the operators could easily select their seat and assign the workflow offering ultimate flexibility of space and resource.
Danmon Sells First Optocore M12/M8 MADI Bridges to Biovisjon
Optocore has sold the first of its powerful new M8 and M12 MADI bridges to Biovisjon, one of Norway's leading subtitling, dubbing and one stop ‘open platform’ television production facilities. The installation at its studios in Nydalen, which gives them a vast MADI routing I/O (of around 700 x 500 channels), was carried out by Danmon Norway as part of an upgrade to continue servicing broadcasters such as Norwegian TV channel NRK, TV2 and TV Norge, as well as companies requiring content for TV, video, Web, IP-TV or other media. Since Danmon and Biovisjon each boast more than 25 years’ experience — with a relationship between the two companies existing for much of that time — they were eager to explore all possibilities. And the investment proved to be a ringing endorsement of the MADI standard.
SPORT EVENTS
Canoe Slalom WC London sees the use of videoReferee® for judging the tournament
During the Canoe Slalom World Championships, which took place in London at the Lee Valley Olympic Course this September, World Canoe Slalom Association ICF used the videoReferee® system to support the judges during the tournament. The 12 channel videoReferee video judging system offered reliable and safe decisions during the tournament with 55 countries participating and thousands of visitors on site and at home. During the Olympic Games 2016 in Brazil videoReferee® will also be the video judging tool for the Canoe Slalom tournaments. For the first time videoReferee® was used as the main judging system during a Canoe Slalom World Championship. The event took place at Lee Valley White Water Centre at the outskirts of London. On the race track that was used for the 2012 Olympics 300 athletes from 55 countries were fighting for medals and positions. The videoReferee® system enabled the judges to provide fast and reliable decisions.
Squash's World Tour: All Angles Covered
Squash is one of the fastest ball games on the planet, but with all of the action taking place in an enclosed rectangular court, capturing the action for broadcast can be challenging. MOOV’s Nev Appleton tells us how they tackle coverage for the PSA World Tour. With more than 400 matches between the world’s top players, The Professional Squash Association (PSA)’s World Tour brings the excitement and drama of the sport to live audiences across the globe. Sports production company MOOV has delivered bespoke onscreen graphics for the PSA World Tour for several years, and for the 2015-2017 tour have been in charge of full live OB production responsibilities.
ACTA Medya provides live TV coverage of the Istanbul Marathon
The live transmission of the 37th Intercontinental Vodafone Istanbul Marathon was carried out by ACTA Medya in co-operation with Mediapro Turkey. Three helicopters, two Cineflex cameras, three Motocycles and wireless RF systems were used during the broadcast that was live on TRT HD and TRT Spor. A 6-camera production room at the start of the marathon and a 10-camera production room at the Finish were part of the logistics for the live transmission. In addition, six DSNGs (two cameras) located at different points in Istanbul helped provide comprehensive coverage of the race. During the 3,5 hours of transmission, the excitement of the marathon and the spectacular views of Istanbul were reflected in the television broadcast. The production was provided to TRT as a turn key solution, including the graphics, broadcast systems and satellite coordination.
SHOW EVENTS
Solotech Employs Grass Valley Solutions to Produce Rush R40 Tour
With more than 40 million albums sold in the past 40 years and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2013, Rush has established itself as one of the world’s most recognized rock bands. The R40 Tour, staged throughout the summer of 2015, marked the band’s 40th anniversary and gave fans a chance to see the group live. Solotech, a Canadian event producer dedicated to leveraging state-of-the-art equipment to create memorable performances, used a number of solutions from Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, to produce the Rush R40 Tour. For this event, Solotech selected the Karrera K-Frame S-series switcher and K2 Solo 3G HD/SD server for the ease of use, versatility and ability to double the number of M/Es compared to the competition.
Nearly 400 Robe fixtures Catch the Beat at 2015 Amsterdam Music Festival
Two days of absolutely banging dance vibes from some of the biggest EDM artists on the planet including Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, Hardwell, Tiesto, Alesso, rising star Martin Garrix and many, many more … pulled thousands of music fans into the Amsterdam Arena for the 2015 Amsterdam Music Festival (AMF). This topped off the five day annual Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) which featured with 350 individual sub-events across 80 venues and clubs in the city. Lighting for this hi-energy extravaganza was designed by André Beekmans of The Art of Light; leading in creative light design practice in the Netherlands, working closely with scenic designers 250K for organisers Alda events. André has been involved since the first AMF. This third edition of the event was also recorded for future broadcast and live streamed over the internet, all of which needed to be taken into consideration when lighting the shows.
Clay Paky lights the spectacular RadioItaliaLive show
The fourth edition of the RadioItaliaLive concert took place in Piazza Duomo in Milan. The long-awaited musical event organized by Radio e Video Italia SoloMusicaItaliana went back on stage with a lavish line-up. The general event production team, led by Gaetano Notaro, started taking its first steps in December last year. Together with the publisher Mario Volanti, Notaro put the Lighting Designer & Director Giancarlo Toscani in charge of a significant portion of the event once again. The concert showcased both extremely famous and less famous artists, all with very different personalities. Toscani counted on New Light, Gianpaolo Bruzzese's lighting service company associated with PRG Alliance, to provide innovative, exclusive equipment.
PRODUCTS
Grass Valley Helps TV Liberal Make the Switch from SD to HD
TV Liberal, an affiliate of the Brazilian network TV Globo, is making the switch from standard definition (SD) to high definition (HD) with a new suite of products from Grass Valley, a Belden Brand. The transition to HD will enable TV Liberal to quickly and efficiently deliver high-quality live productions, breaking news coverage and other timely information to its viewers. TV Liberal’s upgrade includes improvements to its infrastructure and playout capacity to meet the growing demands of the station and TV Globo. In addition, the new equipment will help streamline its news and live production capabilities with a system designed to grow as their business needs change.
Riedel Artist and Acrobat Intercom Systems at Telstra Experience Centre
As Australian telecommunications and media giant Telstra shows the latest customer-oriented technologies at the Telstra Experience Centre (TEC) in Sydney, the TEC production team depends on Riedel Communications to help ensure a smooth production for both live presentations and event broadcasts. Two Riedel Artist digital intercom matrices and an Acrobat digital wireless intercom system together support flexible and seamless communications across the TEC's 300-seat theater and Telstra's new broadcast studio. The TEC combines advanced telecommunication networks with the latest products and services to show how technology can help businesses improve productivity and better connect with customers and employees around the country or across the world. Within the facility's theater, one Artist digital matrix intercom system facilitates production team communications during presentations from Telstra partners and during Telstra's internal staff and shareholder events. The theater's Artist matrix is linked via fiber to a second Artist matrix installed in the broadcast studio, which is managed by Telstra's broadcasting subsidiary, Chief Entertainment.
The global AV Alliance network
When 75 of the world's leading event technology services providers unite to form the world’s most comprehensive event technology network, the resultant formidable force in the event industry generates unlimited opportunities to share knowledge and stimulate industry growth through engagement between its members. The global AV Alliance network was originally formed to facilitate project requirements for clients through a network of regional representatives. The idea was to create an alliance of AV providers which could be relied on to service each other’s clients with the same high standards, across the globe. All members are independently managed companies, are among the leading providers within their respective regions and are committed to providing a consistently high delivery level. The AVA membership has grown to 75 companies which serve 102 locations around the world – which equates to a massive 5,733 employees involved in a massive count of 100,248 projects per year.
4K / 8K ARISING
V-Nova’s PERSEUS powers first UltraHD broadcast of “El Clásico”
V-Nova Ltd., a leading provider of video compression solutions, announced today that its innovative PERSEUS technology was deployed by Mediapro’s Overon for visually lossless contribution of the November 21 “El Clásico” match between Real Madrid and Barcelona played at the Santiago Bernabau stadium in Madrid, Spain. The PERSEUS-powered contribution link was a critical part of this first ever Ultra HD transmission of the “El Clásico” match, which was broadcasted on the Canal+ “Liga” channel via Telefonica’s Movistar+ Fibre-to-the-Home (“FTTH”) service. The Mediapro managed project saw Ultra HD live footage encoded at the stadium by a V-Nova PERSEUS-powered “P.Link” solution and contributed visually lossless content with ultra low latency at 240 Mbps over a 1 Gbps telco fiber connection to the Movistar Master Control Room (MCR) in Madrid. At the MCR, a “P.Link” server decoded the signal, which was then distributed to Canal+ Liga viewers in Spain.
Harmonic Announces the Availability of NASA TV UHD
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), a worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure, today announced that NASA TV UHD, the first consumer Ultra HD (UHD) channel in North America, is now available. Leveraging an end-to-end UHD delivery system from Harmonic, NASA's ambient video channel provides consumers with a wide array of out-of-this-world linear 2160p60 video content, capturing the breathtaking beauty of the space program. Transmitted in the clear via the SES AMC-18C satellite, NASA TV UHD is remotely produced by Harmonic and jointly operated with NASA. Harmonic is currently in discussions with pay-TV operators to carry the channel on their satellite DTH, cable and optical networks. Tests are underway to enable consumption on a wide range of television and IP-connected devices. The channel will also be available for OTT streaming at a later date, to be determined.
The Opening of the Holy Door captured in Sony 4K Ultra HD
The Centro Televisivo Vaticano (CTV — Vatican Television Centre) has announced a major overhaul of the equipment used for its live footage capture. By this autumn, their OB-8 OB truck will be fully kitted out with 4K technology and will feature eight Sony HDC-4300 cameras, a 4K PWS-4400 server and a 4K MVS-7000X switcher. The mobile unit will be unveiled on 8 December 2015 at a truly unique occasion: the opening ceremony of the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, which will mark the start of the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. The event will be filmed in 4K Ultra HD and High Dynamic Range (HDR), delivering an immersive experience. HDR is all about trying to capture, deliver and display images in a way that is as close to the performance of the human eye as possible.