Newsletter from 12/11/2019
"Catch me if you can"
On November 13, the time has come to sign up for the Wings for Life World Run 2020. What happens when well over 100,000 people across the globe walk, run, and roll in wheelchairs at the same time for a great cause? Personal goals are reached, lifetime friendships are made and the world comes closer to finding a cure for spinal cord injury. The chase-based format is perfect for all levels of participation, everyone feels the excitement, and each person makes a difference. Registration opens November 13!
Unlike a traditional race, the Wings for Life World Run finish line is mobile - and BEHIND the participants. The iconic Catcher Car starts its engine 30 minutes after the run begins, chasing down the runners one by one until the very last remains. Whether participants are looking to spend a fun day with friends or aiming to achieve high performance, the thrill of trying to stay ahead of the Catcher Car often motivates them to achieve more than they imagined.
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MOBILE PRODUCTION
NEP SS8
Whether it’s right in your backyard or halfway around the world, we’re ready to roll. With more than 195 HD OB trucks/mobile units worldwide, a full line of support and specialty units, and an in-house integration team that specializes in building custom solutions, we’re ready for coverage of any event, large or small. With NEP, clients tap into unmatched, innovative, dedicated talent. We provide complete support through our seasoned, global team of engineering and technical experts, including: Broadcast Engineers, Communications Specialists, Fiber Specialists & Fabricators, Mechanical Engineers, Systems Design Engineers, Integration Specialists and more.
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NEP The Netherlands UHD2
The spacious UHD 2 currently works with 24 UHD cameras and provides 27 workplaces. The trailer comes as a double-expando (one large expansion spanning the full length of the trailer) and offers over 45 m2 of working space plus VIP accommodation with extra-large UHD screens. Workspace and workplace concepts emphasis on flexibility and maximum leverage of equipment and workforce, therefore slomo, graphics or editor positions can be assigned to different desks individually. The OB Truck as a whole is designed for the largest productions and excels with a large variety of monitors in the production area (5x 48”, 1x 30” and 4x 24” and 4x 23”) and comprises 8x slomo desks with access to 6x EVS XT4 servers. For video switching and management NEP opted for Grass Valley LDX 86N cameras and Karrera video switchers, for both production areas. Riedel’s MicroN platform provides flexible video switching, multiviewing and digital glue options; a proven concept that Broadcast Solutions has already deployed in several OB Trucks priory developed.
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Uppercut VW Crafter 35
Uppercut Broadcast GmbH, a division of the Austria-based Uppercut Group, has adopted Riedel's Artist digital matrix intercom and MediorNet real-time signal transport, processing, and routing technology for its two new OB trucks. These two smaller-footprint trucks are capable of covering events that larger OB trucks simply could not access. By leveraging the scalability of Riedel technology, they can operate independently or combined, connected with a single fiber optic cable. Uppercut Group is a family-run group of companies that provides services ranging from marketing to advanced media throughout Austria and the surrounding countries. Events covered by Uppercut Broadcast include Golden League Volleyball, Champions League Volleyball, and Field Hockey tournaments, as well as Opera in Erl and ORF 3's Politics Live.
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Imagine Communications Updates Core Truck Technology for NEP Belgium
Imagine Communications has delivered core technology for a major refresh of an outside broadcast truck for NEP Belgium. As well as providing state-of-the-art and future-proofed solutions, a key part of the challenge was the very tight timescale allocated to complete the refurbishment. Imagine Communications was able to deliver on the tough timetable with the support of its Belgian dealer and partner, VP Media Solutions. “Our Unit 14 still had many kilometres in it, but with a technology platform that was life-expired,” said Geert Thoelen, transitions manager at NEP Belgium. “We wanted a solution that would fit into the existing space, would give us all the functionality we need today, and be ready for the future, including increasing use of IP connectivity. And we could really only take the truck off the road for little more than a month earlier this year, so our partner had to be capable of moving swiftly to install and commission.”
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TNDV Television Relies on TSL Products to Upgrade its Broadcast Workflow
For large music festivals, TNDV needs to be able to hand off camera feeds to DJs and touring video crews, and TSL’s TM1 MK2+ helps to effortlessly return tally data from guest switchers via IP. This same workflow applies to its sports projects in that it can provide various camera feeds to the in-house production, the sporting league and the broadcasters covering the event. “The TM1 MK2+ was the most modern, compatible, expandable, compact and easiest to use of all the systems we were considering,” says Andrew Humphries, Director of Engineering at TNDV Television. “It has helped us simplify our workflow and amplify our professionalism beyond what we could have imagined.”
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STUDIO PRODUCTION
VANTEC to Provide ETIC Virtual +AR+MOCAP Studio
The studio was opened on 25/9/2019, the 25th anniversary of EPI, a vocational school founded by ETIC, in a ceremony attended by the Secretary of State for Education, Dr. João Costa. The studio has 3 studio cameras, all with full tracking movement, including a 4 meter crane. Studio camera tracking affects the entire virtual set, including the virtual characters while motion capture data affects only the characters, allowing them to move in real time within the virtual scene, and calculated by the same engines. The control room is complemented by a Ross video switcher and Xpression character generator also integrated by VANTeC in partnership with Datos Media.The project was successfully completed, with the new system in place on time, and the success of the deployment was due to the hard work and cooperation between the ETIC and VANTeC teams as well as Pixotope, Xsens and Stype.
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Weigel Broadcasting Co. Relies on Cobalt Digital Processing for EAS Insertion, CALM Compliance
Weigel has deployed dozens of 9922-FS-DSP cards, which offer a combination of rich broadcast connectivity and flexible microservices that make them cost effective options for many applications. The +EAS option allows Weigel to key EAS text crawls into active video and insert station logos. Some stations also add the +TTS option, which provides Text-To-Speech conversion of EAS text. The 9922-FS-DSP also assists with compliance with the CALM Act, which requires commercials to be broadcast at the same volume as programming. Walker said a simple addition of a microservice for the 9922-FS-DSP makes it easy for Weigel to maintain CALM compliance for new digital subchannels and other broadcast properties.
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Minnesota House of Representatives Modernizes Live Streams with AJA HELO
Looking to enhance the accessibility and quality of each stream, House Public Information Services Engineering Director Michael Simonds recently modernized the agency’s workflow, bringing streaming in house and upgrading image quality from SD to HD. “HD is everywhere now, and before using HELO, our feeds were downconverted from 1080i and streamed in SD to our website using a third-party service. That level of quality just wasn’t cutting it anymore, especially for the cost, but fortunately technology like HELO has made it easy and affordable to stream HD content to better cater to audience viewing habits,” shared Simonds. “With HELO, we can live stream high quality content straight to YouTube, so anyone who is interested in meetings or debates on important issues can open up the YouTube app, find the stream they want to view and tune in directly from their computers, phones or other portable devices; it’s improved the viewer experience and saved us a ton on streaming costs.”
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SPORT EVENTS
Riedel at the Pan American Games 2019 in Lima
As the world’s third-largest international multisport events, the 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games saw a combined total of 9,500 athletes from 41 nations participating in 419 events across 39 sports. Riedel was the official audio/video partner for this year’s games, supplying all signal distribution systems and intercom communications for a record 42 competition venues and three noncompetition venues. This included the real-time transport of baseband HD production signals for events such as weightlifting, rhythmic gymnastics, archery, handball, marathon, 20-kilometer and 50-kilometer walk races, racquetball, and water polo. “We shipped 22 40-foot sea freight containers full of our equipment to Peru — plus multiple airfreight shipments — which shows the immense scope of this project,” said Marc Schneider, Director of Global Events for Riedel Communications.
Ineos 159 Challenge Marathon Run with Eliud Kipchoge Uses LiveU to Create Dynamic Production Gallery for Documentary
The event took place in Vienna, Austria, with Kipchoge running a time almost two minutes faster than previously run. In the build-up to the event, LiveU’s long-time Austrian partner, ETAS High-Tech Systems GmbH, was contracted by Austrian production company Filmhaus Wien, who in turn was working with Ridley Scott Creative Group, Amsterdam, to provide technical assistance in the production of a documentary about the event. The challenge was to create an OB truck-based production gallery to allow real-time camera feed monitoring and control. ETAS hired and prepared the production OB truck.15 ARRI Alexa-equipped camera crews were deployed around the course, linked to 15 LiveU LU600 HEVC portable transmission units. In the truck there were five quad servers with IFB for wired and wireless intercom. There were three 4K quad multiviewer screens. ETAS also provided the camera crews with LiveU training.
FIFA announces next editions of FIFA eNations Cup™ and FIFA eClub World Cup™
The two events will be part of the nine-month competitive Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup™ 2020 which will also feature an increased number of tournaments to give even more competitors a path to the competition, and subsequently the amount of eSports broadcast content fans can enjoy. Players and teams can look forward to competing for a prize pool of at least $3 million across the EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series tournaments. To qualify for the FIFA eWorld Cup, competitors must earn enough EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series Ranking Points through their performances at marquee live events, which players can qualify for through online competitions. The top 128 (64 per platform) in the Global Series Rankings on FIFA.gg will get one more opportunity to earn points at the EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series Playoffs.
CULTURAL EVENTS
Venice Biennale 2019
«The title of this Exhibition could be interpreted as a sort of curse – stated President Paolo Baratta - where the expression “interesting times” evokes the idea of challenging or even “menacing” times, but it could also simply be an invitation to always see and consider the course of human events in their complexity, an invitation, thus, that appears to be particularly important in times when, too often, oversimplification seems to prevail, generated by conformism or fear. And I believe that an exhibition of art is worth our attention, first and foremost, if it intends to present us with art and artists as a decisive challenge to all oversimplifying attitudes.» The monumental sculpture Building Bridges was installed in a basin adjacent to the entrance of the Arsenale, in the Castello District of Venice. Building Bridges is composed of six pairs of monumental hands 15 metres high and 20 metres wide – individually titled ‘Help’, ‘Love’, ‘Friendship’, ‘Faith’, ‘Wisdom’ and ‘Hope’. The installation engages with the history of Venice as a meeting point of international history and culture.
The Largest Stage Tec NEXUS Network and 12 Mixing Consoles in Use in China
In Beijing at the beginning of October, the largest NEXUS network ever built by the Berlin-based manufacturer Stage Tec was used to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China: 58 Base Devices, 12 STAR routers and 12 mixing consoles. A parade, procession and gala event were broadcast nationwide by CCTV. Worldwide distribution was handled by CGTN Global Television Network (formerly CCTV International). "CCTV has been one of Stage Tec's largest customers for audio consoles and NEXUS networks since 2007 and is very pleased with their reliability and redundancy capabilities, which are particularly important for live broadcasts," explains Zeng Dong, Managing Director of Stagetec Media Technology. "The audio quality and features of the mixing consoles are also convincing. And the possibilities offered by NEXUS in terms of network size and format conversion were clearly demonstrated at the celebrations marking China's 70th anniversary." For sound reinforcement and recording, a huge NEXUS network with three routers and 33 Base Devices as signal distributors was installed. The sounds of the various events were input via 592 TrueMatch microphone converters.
New York’s Metropolitan Opera Chooses Elation Artiste Monet™
As one of the world’s premiere opera companies, the Metropolitan Opera demands exacting specifications with stage facilities that continue to be updated technically. The Met’s resident lighting designer, John Froelich, was instrumental in choosing the Artiste Monet and cited three main reasons for its choice. “The output of the LED source was very bright,” he said, noting that in testing it was the brightest fixture available. Secondly, “The native color of the LED engine was the most appealing to me. Most LED profiles that were tested had a slight green bias that was really hard to manage quickly from a creative standpoint. In a large, fast-paced repertory environment like ours it was such a great thing to find a source that was so artistically appealing.”
PRODUCTS
NewTek TriCaster® Mini Brings UHD Digital Media Production and Streaming to Schools, Businesses, and Professional AV
The plug-and-play setup of TriCaster Mini allows new video producers to get started quickly, and easily work their way up to creating more sophisticated programs, in resolutions up to 4K, for delivery to all of today’s screens. Its small size and light weight allows storytellers to take it anywhere, set up and get started in minutes. Also included are hundreds of entry-level and advanced production tools like built-in virtual sets, amazing animated transition effects, replay for sporting events, streaming, recording, projecting, one-touch social media publishing, and much more. “Everyone has amazing stories to tell, and video is the most powerful way to deliver your message. That’s why we strive to make it fun and exciting to create,” said Dr. Andrew Cross, president of R&D for Vizrt Group, parent brand of NewTek and NDI®. “Whether you’re a student, a corporate communications manager, or a seasoned video professional, TriCaster Mini has everything to get you going and make broadcast quality shows you can stream to all your favorite social media outlets.”
Riedel’s Bolero Wireless Intercom on Stage at Sadler’s Wells Theatre
Bolero covers the spacious theatre with only four antennas. One is located at the side of the stage, with another in the auditorium and the third on the fly floor, which also covers all the dressing room corridors and backstage studios. The fourth antenna uses the IT department infrastructure and covers the cafeteria and the entire Lilian Baylis Studio. The setup also provides coverage for all basement areas including technical offices, dressing rooms, and the orchestra pit, and even provides full coverage in the Sadler’s Wells Studios — despite the studios’ separation from the antennas by several concrete walls. “The Sadler’s Wells team has taken full advantage of Bolero’s customizability and has fully tailored the system to the theatre’s needs,” said Nacho Lee, UK Sales Manager at Riedel Communications.
Straight to air with XDCAM air
XDCAM air opens up a world of exciting new production possibilities, enabling a secure, seamless wireless workflow from shooting to studio. Build stories fast, with direct access from the studio to files on camcorders or smartphones out in the field. Use XDCAM air as a standalone system – or integrate it seamlessly with your studio-based workflows to create compelling content, quicker and more cost efficiently than ever before. XDCAM air automatically uploads proxy footage to the cloud from multiple camera operators in the field, so editing can start immediately. Uploaded content can be accessed securely from any location.