Newsletter from 28/01/2020
10 YearsLive-Production.TV – the 10 most visited oB Trucks in January 2020
- NVP OB6 UHD HDR
- TVN UE6 HDR
- TV Skyline Ü8 HD
- SBS UHD 4K OBVan
- 1+1 media OBVan HD2
- LvLiang 4K OBVan
- AMPVISUAL TV Millenium Signature 12
- Weifang HD OB-2
- AMPVISUALTV Ixi 1 Live
- PMTV Truck 1 Native 4K
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MOBILE PRODUCTION
Mobile TV Group is leading an IP revolution with its new FLEX series mobile units, featuring Calrec audio consoles
2019 was a busy 25th anniversary year for Mobile TV Group, which remained true to its progressive and tech-savvy approach by launching two new mobile units into its 41-strong fleet. This initiative broke into new territory, creating the world’s first entirely SMPTE 2110 uncompressed IP-based mobile TV broadcast unit – ‘45 FLEX’ – with mobile unit ‘46 FLEX’ launching shortly after, and mobile unit 47 FLEX set to launch in Q1 of 2020. The new dual-trailer units’ infrastructures are both based around the Grass Valley Kayenne K-Frame X IP switcher, an Evertz 384-port EXE 2.0 IP router and an Evertz Magnum control system, to offer 1080p capacity that would require at least a 3000x3000 baseband router. For audio, the new mobile units use Calrec’s Artemis digital broadcast consoles with audio-over-IP capabilities.
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Cornerstone Technologies Builds Live Events Growth with Ross Video
In 2016, Cornerstone invested in a 53-foot truck to support the company’s burgeoning schedule of events requiring video production. “It was certainly a big investment for us”, comments Endicott, “but we felt ready to move beyond the flypacks that we had traditionally been using. We wanted to build something that would respond to the ambitions of our customers and enable us to offer first class production facilities, anywhere from LA to Orlando”. Cornerstone’s first taste of Ross came at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas, thanks to an introduction from RIA Corporation, a Ross Video Platinum partner in the Western US/Rocky Mountain area that specializes in event production, corporate events and content for houses of worship. “We’ve worked with Ross for years”, notes Dave Roberts, RIA’s CEO. “We’ve always promoted Ross because of the comprehensive range of solutions and the company’s infamous customer service, so when Cornerstone approached us about their truck, we knew Ross would be an ideal choice. Matt Endicott certainly appreciated Ross Video’s approach during their NAB meeting. “We spent a lot of time at that show meeting the major industry vendors, and we were extremely impressed by the welcome we received from the Ross team and by the discussions we had about our truck; no smoke and mirrors – just straight answers to straight questions. That works for us!”
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AJA Gear Helps Freelance Technical Director Lutz Conneus Adapt to Client AV Demands
When German Public Broadcaster ARD wanted to create a parallel feed of its live programming for Facebook Live, it called in Conneus for an assist. Having worked with the AJA HELO on previous projects, he introduced the device into the workflow two years ago and it’s been going strong ever since. The setup consists of several cameras and incoming signals that are run through on-site servers and a router as a single HD output to HELO which then streams through to Facebook Live, Periscope and YouTube using streaming service ContentFlow. “ARD tried other solutions prior to HELO but found the HELO UI to be much faster and more efficient, and has been impressed by the overall experience. It’s been a game changer for their workflow, because it’s so easy to use that even the social media reporters are able to access and use the web GUI to start and stop streaming,” Conneus shared.
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SPORT EVENTS
TRACKING SKIING’S STRONGEST ATHLETES ACROSS SAALBACH’S SUMMITS
Every January, the world’s best cross-country skiers head to Saalbach Hinterglemm to tackle Austria’s biggest and toughest touring race. This year, 1,200 competitors from 24 countries took on the Mountain Attack challenge, a series of events including a marathon ‘vertical race’, with a course up and over three mountain summits across the Austrian Alps. It’s not only the athletes that face a tough endeavour. Keeping spectators up to date with the competitors as they race is the responsibility of live production specialist, Mediahaus. “As well as a giant screen in the race finish area, there’s a livestream running on a mobile provider’s IPTV platform, and some broadcasters will take shorter live clips and highlight packages for their sports programming,” begins Mediahaus’ CEO, Wolfgang Angermüller. “The race lasts for several hours from daytime into the night, so you’re not only working to track competitors across tricky terrain, but you can also have to adjust to changing lighting and weather conditions constantly.”
Riedel Partners With German Racing and German Tote
As an integrator of innovative technologies, Riedel will enable state-of-the-art production and program formats, assuming responsibility for all aspects of video production in close cooperation with its partners and content agencies. To this end, Riedel developed a comprehensive, IP-based premium service for horse race production. A central element of this new technical infrastructure is the Riedel Atmosphere Media Cloud, which combines digital content management and internal production systems in a single OTT platform. The powerful and intuitive platform enables convenient management of all data, graphics content, and video streams, as well as direct playout for live streams on social media outlets.
Sainz holds off car rivals for third Dakar Rally title in Saudi Arabia
Carlos Sainz held his nerve on the final stage of the 2020 Dakar Rally for his third title after 7,500km of the world's most fearsome offroad race, while Ignacio Casale and Andrey Karginov also won at the maiden Saudi Arabia staging. -Sainz and navigator Lucas Cruz finished sixth on the day to put them 6m 21s ahead of Toyota driver Al-Attiyah and seal a third Dakar title after Sainz's 2010 and 2018 wins. - El Matador revealed: "It makes the victory even nicer when the battle is so tough. On top of that I win in a third different car - I'm very proud of that." - Frenchman Peterhansel could not add to his record 13 Dakar titles, but he did claim a podium behind team-mate Sainz thanks to four stage wins in his MINI Buggy.
Robe Helps Deliver Spectacular LOL OC in Paris
Creative lighting artist / designer LeRoy Bennett utilised 91 x Robe BMFL WashBeam high powered moving lights – nine working in conjunction with RoboSpot remote operation systems – to help deliver a stunning Opening Ceremony (OC) complete with holographic projection effects, for the Riot Games’ 2019 League of Legends World Championship Finals, staged at the Accor Arena in Paris, France. Roy collaborated closely with the creative team from Riot Games and Possible Productions who briefed him on the look and style of lighting that they wanted to achieve for the in-the-round OC show. It energised an arena packed with eSports fans ready for a thrilling seat-edge final. Drawing on his vast previous experience of working with Kaleida Holonet screens, projection and multi-layered imagery shows, Roy knew he needed mega-bright moving lights with super-accurate shutters – and the BMFL WashBeam was his fixture of choice.
SHOW EVENTS
Memories of NYE with Maroon 5
Anyone enjoying Maroon 5’s New Year’s Eve special shows at Mandalay Bay Arena in Las Vegas this year will have witnessed the cool and elegant geometric lines of Brian Jenkins’ production and lighting design … for which he also utilized over 200 Robe moving lights. The band have frequently played this slot – December 30-31 – at this venue in recent years, and the objective is to present a completely new and fresh visuality for the occasion which is different from any of their touring shows. This year the New Year shows were ahead of an upcoming album release and 2020 world tour. Brian had wanted to “go geometric” as a design concept for some time, and this presented him with the perfect opportunity, together with the relative luxury of two days for the get-in and set up.
Claypaky Lighting Fixtures Help Unveil Ferrari’s F8 Tributo at Gala Event in Sydney, Australia
The glittering evening marked the first Australian appearance for the new, half-million dollar mid-engined supercar. It has been called the pinnacle of Italian excellence, and its V8 engine seen as the epitome of sportiness and driving pleasure. More than 300 guests gathered at Sydney’s White Bay passenger terminal for an immersive Ferrari experience. The 2,000-square meter space was filled with classic cars in Ferrari’s iconic shade of red and speeches paid homage to the luxury brand’s history and the debut of “the best 8-cylinder in the world.”
Rammstein goes large with L-Acoustics and SSE
SSE mounts world’s biggest AVB network for iconic band’s first ever stadium tour. Germany’s Rammstein, icons of Neue Deutsche Härte style rock, have recently launched their first ever stadium tour, mounting 34 dates across 17 European countries, and announcing an additional round of 27 European stadium dates for 2020. This epic run of larger-than-life Rammstein shows supports the release of the band’s untitled seventh studio album - the first since 2009’s Liebe ist für alle da. To cover the massive crowds, and rival the monumental pyrotechnics, an L-Acoustics K Series PA system w11as provided by SSE Hire, whose parent company Solotech supplied the video systems.
30 Seconds To Mars Enter a New Age with Avolites
The design theme took inspiration from the artist James Turrell (both Campbell and Jared Leto are fans of his work). Campbell went for a ‘digital’ aesthetic and used strong linear designs to surround the band to create a ‘cage’ effect. The dynamic of the design came from the video content, so it was vital he had a media server that could deliver powerful processing but was also light and portable for travelling (in planes and speed boats for the Mars Island shows). Campbell’s first choice was the Avolites Ai Q3 Media server, a sleek and compact server with two HD outputs and one 4K output to give him the processing power he needed but also the portability. Campbell also opted for two Avolites Sapphire Touches for control of both the lighting and video. The Sapphires distinctive dual screens provided the perfect workspaces for media playback and lighting control. There was also a secondary Quartz side of stage for focusing and set up. The performances ran to timecode which added to the digital effect.
PRODUCTS
Genelec Smart IP opens up ‘world of possibilities’ for new G Livelab live venue
Housed in a striking red brick building which was formerly the boiler house of the Frenckell
paper mill in the heart of the city, the venue hosts up to 250 people and offers a hugely varied
programme including jazz, folk, world music, pop/rock, chamber music, electronic music and
more. Akukon Oy designed the acoustics, electroacoustics, lighting, sound, video,
communication systems and basic IT structure as well as the rigging systems, as they did for
Helsinki, and leading Nordic AV integrator, Bright – another key member of the Helsinki team
– brought Akukon’s vision to life.
RTS launches BTR-30N UHF/VHF wireless intercom system
Providing 25 kHz of modulated bandwidth, the BTR-30N allows more users per channel in the VHF spectrum, along with a reduced footprint in the UHF band. The base station supports up to four TR-30N or TR-32N beltpacks when operating in full-duplex mode; an almost unlimited number of beltpacks may be used with a base station if the beltpacks are used in half-duplex mode. The system allows the beltpack operator to choose between two separate audio channels of communication, with the base station tracking the beltpack selection. This allows the user the flexibility to create a party line and a private line within the same beltpack. The units perform reliably at line-of-sight distances of 300 feet, and the effective operating range can be extended even further using available antenna systems from RTS.
Complete NETRON™ data distribution range from Obsidian Control Systems now shipping
NETRON offers smart solutions for professional lighting and AV markets. Developed with the user in mind, NETRON products combine tough hardware with smart software for fast setup and solid performance. Rugged and reliable, all NETRON products are easy to configure, through either the internal OLED screen and encoder or the integrated, modern web menu system, which works from PC, MAC and any mobile device. With increasing fixture counts and continuous growth in the number of Universes used on a show, the need for reliable data distribution has never been greater. Obsidian Control Systems has designed NETRON to be the perfect solution at an amazing value.