Newsletter from 27/04/2012
Towards UEFA EURO 2012 and the London Olympics
MOBILE PRODUCTION
Touring Video TV-4HD
Touring Video in Burbank, CA is a private company. it was established in 1989 and incorporated in California. At NAB 2012 Touring Video introduced its new TV-4HD truck with equipment from Riedel, Stagetec, Sony and Harris. “Harris provides the infrastructure that brings everything together in the mobile production environment,” said Doug Armstrong, president, Touring Video. “They offer a wide spectrum of dependable and rugged products to withstand the hardships of the road. Everything works seamlessly together, from routers and multiviewers to signal processing and test.”
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dutchView DV8 HD
As one of the biggest media facility companies in the Netherlands, dutchView invest in new technologies to make sustainable productions possible. To provide recordings for tv, radio and the Internet, dutchView runs 14 studio’s in Amsterdam and Hilversum and a fleet of three Music vans and six outside broadcast vans. Depending on the request of the client, dutchView offers these services individually as well as integrated. dutchView facilitates a large number of companies in the broadcasting industry including a growing number of companies in the non-broadcasting industry.
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VRT HD02
The Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (Flemish Radio and Television Network Organization), or VRT, is a publicly funded broadcaster of radio and television in Flanders (northern part of Belgium). From 1960 until 1991 VRT was called BRT (Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep). It is the successor of NIR (Belgisch Nationaal Instituut voor Radio-omroep), which was responsible for radio and television broadcasts from 1930 (and since 1953 for TV) until 1960. Politicians thought the name was no longer appropriate. BRT was only broadcasting Dutch language programs whereas RTBF was only broadcasting French language programs. That is why in 1991 the name BRTN (Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep Nederlandstalige Uitzendingen) was introduced. When the statute of BRTN changed in 1998 the name was changed to VRT.
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Niles Media Group: Sports OB Truck with Riedel Artist Intercom and RockNet
Niles Media Group is specialized in remote sports television production. The company is comprised of Kansas City media professionals who were formerly the Founders of Metro Sports and now have created a production company that produces over 400 live events per year for television, cable, and web. At the heart of the communications system is an Artist 128 mainframe. Based on a true network approach, Artist matrix systems are easily expandable accordingly to the user's needs and offer up to 1,024x1,024 non-blocking ports. A total of ten Artist 1100 series OLED key panels are installed in the truck. Furthermore Niles Media uses two Artist CCP-1116 commentary control panels. The CCP-1116 combines two commentator units with a freely assignable Artist 1100 series OLED desktop panel in a single unit. With the CCP-1116 the connection to the matrix is established via a single cable making installation a lot more effortless and easy.
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Camp Digital Is On the Move With Soundcraft Vi4 Console
Camp Digital specializes in music and entertainment events for television, home video and non-traditional media including the Internet, tablets and wireless devices. The company’s five partners have more than 100 years of combined experience in TV and video production. “Our concept with the Thunderbolt HD truck, as has been the company’s philosophy all along, is to be able to get in and out of spaces that a tractor trailer can’t, provide the highest HD production quality and still be budget conscious,” said Tom Gregory, vice president of Camp Digital. “This gives us the ability to do jobs that other production trucks can’t touch. Add to that the fact that we’re extremely sensitive to today’s production budgets, we think we’re a great solution for a broad range of clients and productions.”
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IMT Introduces Modular Mobile Platform (MMRP) ENG Vehicle
With the design for its MMRP ENG vehicles, IMT focuses on providing broadcasters with a variety of options and configurations for on-the-run applications in a flexible, cost-effective and turnkey package. Among the company’s recently customized vehicles are Chevrolet Suburbans, Tahoes, Trailblazers, HHRs, Ford Explorers, Expeditions and even an Audi Q7 and Buick Enclave. IMT has customized the vehicles for media outlets around the country, including broadcasters in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and New York. “After successfully introducing the Ford Transit Connect as an ENG news vehicle, we started receiving numerous inquiries about whether we could customize vehicles broadcasters already owned,” says Integrated Microwave Technologies Divisional Chief Executive Stephen Shpock. “Our engineers worked out the logistics and we are now rolling out customized MMRP vehicles for broadcasters in markets all over the country.”
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STUDIO PRODUCTION
Manhattan Center Upgrades to HD Production
The upgrade of Manhattan Center included a variety of Grass Valley solutions and technologies, including a Trinix™ 256x256 HD router, a Jupiter™ AccuSwitch router and facility control system, an assortment of nine LCD Jupiter control panels added to their existing control panel inventory and a variety of GeckoFlex frames and modules including AES audio DA’s, video DA’s, HD electrical to fiber converters, fiber to HD electrical converters, optical transmitters, optical receiver and spare power supplies. The upgrade also included on-site commissioning of the routing system by Grass Valley Global Services. With the upgrade now complete, Manhattan Center has the capability to use its new control room to shoot in the Hammerstein Ballroom to do concerts, corporate events, boxing, or any other live-to-air type of HD programming.
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The London Studio Chooses Sony Professional for Studio 3 HD Upgrade
The London Studios chose Sony as its technology partner for the latest phase of its planned replacement programme, which will see all six studios go fully-HD by 2014, following an extensive technology audit and has standardised its HD studio acquisition with Sony HDC-1500 cameras. The latest round of investment will bring The London Studios’ pool of HDC-1500 cameras to over 30 units in total across the facility which can move between individual studios as required. Chris Cook, Director of Engineering Support, The London Studios commented: “The London Studios has a long standing relationship with Sony Professional which extends beyond simply supplying cameras and production technology. We have worked very closely with Sony throughout the facilities HD upgrade and this latest round of investment is no different. The ongoing support and training which comes as part of the solution enables us to get the most from the technology and means we will continue to produce a wide range of high-quality HD programming for major UK broadcasters.”
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Beau Raymond Chooses Genelec Active Monitoring for His New Studio Facility
Beau Raymond knows sound. Having served as the engineer or producer for a wide range of artists (Joss Stone, Motley Crüe, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Devendra Banhart, Little Joy, members of the Black Crowes, Bert Jansch, the Neptunes), and working alongside production legends (Joe Chiccarelli, Rick Rubin, Rich Costey, Pat Leonard, Bob Rock), he’s now taken his substantial experience in Los Angeles studios and migrated it to indie music hub Portland, Oregon. There he opened his 2,500-square-foot Family Farm studio in 2011. For monitoring, he turned to Active Monitors from Genelec, the world’s longstanding pioneer in active monitoring. The 6,000-square-foot building also houses a lounge and a spacious apartment for visiting recording artists. The studio has already done sessions with the Dandy Warhols, the Jayhawks and the Portland Cello Project.
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SPORTS
Olympic Games 2012: Rowing
The Rowing competition at the London 2012 Games will feature extraordinary displays of power and passion on the world-class waters at Eton Dorney. The venue is a 2,200m, eight-lane rowing course with a separate return lane constructed to international standards. It is set in a 400-acre park with a nature conservation area. In 2006, it hosted the Rowing World Championships, with high praise from both competitors and spectators. The venue’s existing facilities have been enhanced for athlete warm-up and Canoe Sprint events during the Games. These works included the installation of a new 50m-span bridge over a widened entrance to the return lake for vehicles and pedestrians. A cut-through between the competition lake and the return lake, and a new bridge over this cut-through area have also been constructed. The new cut-through enables rowers to move between the rowing course and return lake.
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Harris and Dega Broadcast Provide Cutting-Edge Technology to BBC for London Olympics
Harris will supply a range of technology for the BBC Production Centre onsite at the Summer Games, including the Selenio™ media convergence platform and the new Harris® HView™ SX Pro multi-display management solution. The complete Harris infrastructure solution will provide mission-critical broadcast services for a global viewing audience of many millions. To help support it through the critical period leading up to the games, BBC has brought together an expert team of systems designers and integrators in which Dega Broadcast Systems is playing a leading role. In turn, Dega has designed a broadcast production workflow that incorporates system components from a single technology vendor, Harris, to simplify systems integration and product support.
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Ericsson to Provide Video Contribution and Distribution for NBC Olympics' of the London Games
The Ericsson solution is helping to deliver NBC Olympics’ HD content across both contribution and distribution feeds to ensure the highest picture quality from the Olympic venues to millions of viewers in the United States. Ericsson is providing a range of products including MPEG-4 AVC encoders, professional receivers, multiplexers and satellite modulators as well as a team of support engineers in both London and New York. These engineers will assist in equipment/system set-up, maintenance and troubleshooting ensuring no great sporting moments are lost in transmission. “The Games are the biggest sporting event in the world, and as a result viewers expect coverage to be of the highest quality,” said Staffan Pehrson. “Live events like this create TV memories and I’m sure that the team at NBC Olympics will raise the bar again this summer. We are proud to provide solutions that allow NBC Olympics to bring U.S. viewers closer to the action and give them the best seat in the house.”
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Media Links MD8000 Equipment @ UEFA EURO 2012
2012 is a major year for sports competitions, and one of the largest in terms of television viewers kicks off in June - the UEFA EURO2012™ Poland and the Ukraine are the host countries this year and will be welcoming matches at stadia as far apart as Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, and Gdansk on the Baltic shores of Poland. All the 8 stadia will be linked to the International Broadcasting Centre in Warsaw using Media Links MD8000 equipment. The links are fibre based, and are being provided by UEFA National Telecommunications Partners Telecom Polska and UkrTelecom. 8 stadia plus the IBC will be linked, with the host broadcaster UEFA providing pictures and sound from each venue, routed via the IBC for onward transmission to the many millions around the world who will watch the tournament.
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SHOWS
Clay Paky Sharpys Help Give Dynamic Look to NBA All-Star Game Halftime Show
Pro sports leagues and their fans demand spectacular halftime shows these days, and the 2012 NBA All-Star Game Halftime Show was no exception. Lighting designer Otis Howard got some assistance from 30 Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures, which lent their unique look to high-octane performances by Pitbull, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo and Nicki Minaj. Mixed in with lasers and a large lighting complement the Sharpys really stood out, Howard reports. “They delivered a lot of bang for the buck. We had 20 on stage and created a lot of different looks with them, including grouping them in clusters to create a helix like you get with helicopter blades. We put the additional 10 fixtures under a four-foot high plexiglass disk that was rolled out for Neo. Nothing else moves that quickly.”
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Billy Ocean Makes Waves with Robe in Sri Lanka
The concert was staged in the Exhibition and Convention Centre in Colombo, and attended by a sold out audience of around 6000. Lighting designers Mohamed Hussain and Mohamed Maznavi of MOS Sound & Light (MOS) based in Colombo Sri Lanka utilised 120 Robe moving lights – including 64 Robe ROBIN 600 LEDWashes – in their lighting rig for a recent show by Grammy Award winning singing superstar, Billy Ocean. The Mohameds and MOS were engaged for the show by promoters Gold FM radio channel to produce a spectacular visual design befitting the profile and occasion of the event, and meeting the international standards demanded by the artist.
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W-DMX™ on Vangelis Concert in Doha
The venue, the largest amphitheatre in the Middle East, played centre stage for a special concert by the Oscar-winning Greek composer Vangelis. A&O Technology implemented a spectacular light show by the late esteemed lighting architect Gert Hof for the special concert. A&O was responsible as general contractor for the lighting and pyrotechnics including the provision of electrical power, control and programming for the light show. Only ten days had been assigned to put together a multimedia show in which at times over 350 high-powered searchlights, a variety of lighting systems, fireworks and video projection were employed simultaneously. The central section of the giant screen erected on the seaward side of the amphitheatre formed a giant arch that opened to reveal not only the sailing vessels out in the Persian Gulf but also a giant barge armed with no fewer than 90 xenon searchlights to create a blazing island of light in the ocean.
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PRODUCTS
GVS Introduces 4K VTR
GVS introduces the new 4K family of Uncompressed and Compressed ProRes format support with GVS9000 VTR 4K. GVS9000 VTR 4K delivers required uncompressed recording speeds at a rate of 10Gbit/s real-time record and playback with 4K resolution at 3840x2160 and 4096x2160. With the number of 4K cameras that have been debuted this year, GVS will shortly be announcing 4K support that can capture pixel-to-pixel exact color matching and custom LUT support that can be loaded for workflow enhancement. The ease of connectivity and the speed of GVS9000 VTR’s shared media allows for simplistic recording in the field or studio environment, with the media easily shared to editor, without huge investment in infrastructure for high speed storage media to support this uncompressed 4K workflow.
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Intercom Goes Real-Time Ethernet with Riedel AVB Solutions
Connecting intercom panels over an Ethernet-based LAN environment has been the dream of many system planers. But issues inherent to IP like latency, reliability and missing synchronization prevented them from doing so. Riedel’s AVB product line overcomes these issues and provides a real-time communication solution fulfilling the demands of professional intercom users. Based on official IEEE next generation Ethernet standards like 802.1Qav, P802.1Qat and P802.1AS, AVB allows risk-free utilization of AVB compliant facility or enterprise LAN infrastructure for intercom applications. This allows for new approaches in system and facility design providing significant savings in infrastructure investments. Intercom applications for Riedel’s AVB products feature matrix-to-control panel connections via LAN, audio distribution via LAN, matrix-to-matrix trunking connections via LAN and distribution of digital partylines via LAN.
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Clear-Com Introduced Tempest2400 Masterbelt
The Tempest2400 MasterBelt provides mobile broadcasters the ability to coordinate and communicate hands-free within the form of a Tempest2400 BeltStation. The MasterBelt can be paired with any standard Tempest2400 CP-222 two-channel BeltStation to create a full-featured two-channel system in the 2.4 GHz band. The MasterBelt itself also functions as a BeltStation allowing up to six full-duplex wireless users to be in communications. Designed to be comfortable, rugged and robust, the MasterBelt Station and all Tempest BeltStations can operate in harsh weather conditions and are protected by a durable, weather-resistant ABS co-polymer blend with a high performance polyurethane overmold. The MasterBelt is provided with a rechargeable Li-Polymer battery capable of up to eight hours of operation or can be powered by three Standard AA Alkaline batteries as backup, providing four hours of operations.
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NewTek Unveils Next-Generation TriCaster Family
“With 28% of the global online population watching video on mobile phones and video accounting for 40% of all Internet traffic, the industry has reached a point where professionals need tools with capabilities that far exceed most traditional video production systems,” said Andrew Cross, NewTek CTO. “We’ve reengineered our TriCaster line from the ground up to help video producers move beyond the confines of traditional equipment, and keep pace with the dramatic shift in consumer viewing habits. Using a TriCaster, people can deliver content with unprecedented speed, to larger audiences, on virtually any device or popular social media site—and with even greater HD network-quality production values. The video producers of today are becoming the media publishers of tomorrow—and with our new TriCaster line, we’re helping them embrace this change head on.”
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Turner Sports utilizes EVS XS and XT3 HD Servers at the heart of new Central Feeds System
With 5,400 live US sports events every year and 27,000 hours of content to collate, edit and broadcast, Turner Sports has a big responsibility to provide quality content to its many media outlet partners. The company seamlessly broadcasts live sports for multiple TV channels such as TNT and TBS, including coverage for the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), while creating and contributing content for new media partners such as PGA.com, NBA.com and NASCAR.COM. Turner selected EVS as the server backbone of the new system, comprising seven EVS XS ingest servers with 28 inputs, four XT3 playout servers with 16 inputs, 16 XTAccess servers and 10 IPDirector suites. The dedicated ingest/playout network records content locally. At the same time, HD content is streamed close to real time through XTAccess servers to create multiple high-resolution copies on redundant SAN systems, as well as proxies for logging. With EVS’ live network, Turner can get their content to air even in the event of a catastrophic failure in the SAN network or third-party equipment.
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3D ARISING
3ality Technica Raises the Bar on Smart 3D Production Technology
“2012 is coming together as a banner year for 3ality Technica, as we continue the art of perfection and efficiency in our 3D production systems. We are delivering some of the smartest systems the industry has known, which are being utilized by Hollywood’s greatest filmmakers and the world’s leading broadcasters. Our systems are setting new standards in the broadcast industry, saving on production time and cost. These are systems that will remain in a technological leadership position for many years to come. They are ahead of their time and ahead of the competition. In fact, these are systems our competition would like to be building but are only talking about,” said Steve Schklair, CEO of 3ality Technica. The company will showcase its proprietary software applications including IntelleCam™, IntelleCal™, and IntelleMatte™. Coupled with 3ality Technica’s sophisticated hardware, these applications fully automate the hardware, giving DPs and live sports broadcasters smart technology that eliminates setup time and production costs.
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Eurosport to Bring 3D Olympics to Sky Homes
The TF1-owned broadcaster plans more than 100 hours of the games in the 3D format. Eurosport 3D coverage will be carried on the Sky 3D channel. Jean Thierry Augustin, Eurosport’s managing director of rights acquisition, distribution & development said: “Eurosport has been innovating to provide fans with the best live sports experience for many years. This opportunity to present the London 2012 Olympics in 3D to Sky customers will give British fans an unforgettable experience of their “home” Games and the international sporting heroes it will generate.” Currently 250,000 homes take the Sky 3D channel, although free to top tier customers they must first contact Sky customer services, but for the duration of the games the channel will be opened up to all five million homes with the Sky HD+ receiver. A suitably equipped 3DTV will be required to view the pictures correctly.
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Thales Angénieux 3D Lens Package Field Tested for Success
“More and more, directors and DPs are discussing the option of shooting a film in 3D either as a first run or as a re-release in 3D,” said Dominique Rouchon, International Sales Director, Thales Angénieux. “The Optimo 3D Ready Package can help make the technical decision easier and faster because it provides a field tested solution for lensing a 3D project.” The Optimo 3D Ready Lens Package includes Optimo DP lenses that are calibrated and factory optimized with features like easily adjustable tracking, harmonized focus marks between the two lenses, and like optical qualities to help acquire significantly improved 3D picture quality. 3D productions further benefit from flexibility of a compact, lightweight zoom lens and its ability to instantly and precisely change focal length without the need to dismantle a rig for frequent lens changes.
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EXHIBITIONS
NAB Show: The Final Numbers
NAB reported an uptick in exhibitor participation and an almost 10 percent increase in size. The event comprised 1,600 exhibitors spanning 815,000 net square feet of exhibit space, up from 1,550 exhibitors occupying 745,000 net square feet in 2011.
TOTAL REGISTERED ATTENDEES: 92,112
INTERNATIONAL ATTENDEES: 24,928
COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: 151
NEWS MEDIA ATTENDEES: 1,652
The 2011 NAB Show final attendance was 91,932.
Please find our 113 news on NAB 2012 here