Newsletter from 28/01/2014
First HD OBVan in Lebanon - First Mobile Studio in France
MOBILE PRODUCTION
Hedgehog HD1
Broadcast production company Hedgehog has built the first high definition outside broadcast truck in the Lebanon. The new truck is designed to cover the complete range of sporting and cultural events, and is equipped with 14 Grass Valley cameras and a sophisticated 240-channel Calrec digital audio console. In addition Hedgehog offers a comprehensive array of innovative Production and post-production solutions to production houses and advertising agencies as well as Television and Satellite channels in Lebanon and the Arab world.
Get the specs of Hedgehog HD1 here
2PROD Mobile Studio
2Prod offer technical assets and professional know-how to ensure capture, editing, transmission and HF connection worldwide for the coverage of live events. Just about a year ago, 2Prod completed the integration of a production truck with an integrated studio, completing their service offer with a fully equipped mobile TV studio. The production studio includes five workstations, one to control the cameras, one for the audio control, and one for the production and the assistant of production. The 21 sqm dedicated to the television studio is divided in two distinct spaces. The studio spots a long table for the onscreen team, surrounded by polarized glass.
Get the specs of 2PROD Mobile Studio here
NEP Finalizes Acquisition of Global Television
With the acquisition, NEP adds Global Television’s top-tier fleet of outside broadcast and studio facilities to its worldwide pool of resources — raising NEP’s total facilities to more than 70 high-definition (HD) units; several HD flypacks; studios in Los Angeles, New York, London, Cardiff, Sydney, and Melbourne; thousands of plasma, LED, and projection video display solutions; and a large team of industry-leading engineering and technical experts.
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TopVision on High Demand
Already at the end of November TopVision’s latest addition to its OBVan fleet, the HD Ü2, started to cover the Luge World Cups in Innsbruck-Igls (23+24 Nov) and Winterberg (30 Nov+01 Dec). From Winterberg HD Ü2 proceeded to Schruns/Tschaguns in the Montafon Mountains for the FIS Snowboard World Cup on 05 + 06 December. HD Ü2 moved on to Titisee in the Black Forrest to cover the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup from 13 – 15 December. Here TopVision’s brand new Ikegami HiMotion II+ was integrated in the camera set-up.
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STUDIO PRODUCTION
Robe Provides Gourmet Lighting for MasterChef France
Top French TV Lighting Designer David Seligmann-Forest for Lite4life again specified Robe products to light the popular reality TV show MasterChef France, series 4 of which was recorded at the La Plaine Studios (Euro Media France), St Denis, Paris, and broadcast on the TF1 network. Seligman-Forest has lit all four series of MasterChef France for producers Shine France. The MasterChef franchise is the world’s best loved TV gastronomic phenomena - and he has used more and more Robe lights over the years on this and all his other work. Robe is definitely his moving light of choice.
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Painting With Light Sings That Song!
Lighting & Visual Designer Luc Peumans of Genk, Belgium based creative practice Painting With Light designed lighting and visuals for the new series of popular TV music quiz show "Sing That Song" which was recorded at Londerzeel Studios and broadcast weekly on national TV channel, een. Recorded in front of a live audience and presented by Peter Van de Veire, two teams comprising a piano-playing captain and two singers – some very well known – battled it out with their musical knowledge, improvisational skills and talent. The overall stage design followed an international Sing That Song format with two pianos centre-stage and six screens upstage which displayed song titles – then performed by the teams.
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SPORTS
Bexel Makes Significant Product Acquisitions from Grass Valley
Bexel’s purchase from Grass Valley includes cameras and production centers. The company has purchased 28 LDX Premiere Cameras and two Kayenne Video Production Center switchers with 3G K-FRAMES. The LDX cameras combined with the flexible XCUs have the capability to run both fiber and triax, highly desirable in complex location production. The cameras are equipped with new Xensium FT imagers, which provide the highest quality images available for the broadcast of sports and entertainment content. Bexel also has taken delivery of two Kayenne switchers with 3G K-FRAMES for fly-pack deployment. Because of their flexibility, the units can be configured from 1 M/E to 5 M/E use with one or more control panels attached to each frame.
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Elemental Video Processing Selected by Channel One for Sochi 2014 Winter Games
Channel One is Russia’s largest broadcaster and the primary content distributor for the host country of the Games. Broadcasting across Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Channel One offers programming free of charge to an estimated 250 million viewers around the clock, 365 days a year. Elemental® Live systems will be used by Channel One in Russia to stream the Sochi 2014 Olympics. In a system delivered by Open Technologies, one of the country’s leading IT suppliers, Elemental systems will process nine channels of Channel One Olympics programming for delivery of high-quality video over IP networks to multiple devices.
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Dejero Products and Services at the Sochi Winter Games
Beginning Feb. 5, Dejero is providing customers that signed up for Sochi support services access to two private, fully licensed Wi-Fi hotspots. The first, overlooking the Sochi Games Park, offers an excellent backdrop for live shots and other video coverage from the heart of the Games' facilities for ice events. The other hotspot provides a panoramic view of the central square in the village of Krasnaya Polyana, the base location for alpine events. The private Wi-Fi links at both locations will assure strong and reliable uplink connectivity for broadcasters to transmit high-quality, low-latency HD and SD video, even as local cell networks become crowded with traffic.
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SHOWS
Clay Paky Sharpy Washes are ALIVE for Jessie J’s Tour
Cheeky British singer Jessie J has been ‘doing it like a dude’ on her first arena tour of the UK, with a bright and visually striking show created by lighting designer Vince Foster, which featured a large number of Clay Paky Sharpys and Sharpy Washes. Every moment of Jessie J’s fast-paced UK arena show ‘ALIVE’ was packed with stunning lighting, video, special effects. Foster works in synchronicity with Jessie herself, to deliver a sleek set and lighting concept, that complements Paul Caslin’s clever mix of video production ensuring that ALIVE is uncompromisingly stimulating and hugely uplifting.
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JLS Exit on A High Note with HSL
Hugely successful UK pop band JLS completed their final tour just before Christmas complete with a bold and vibrant lighting and visuals design by Dave Lee and lighting equipment for the tour supplied by HSL to live producers, Production North. As the four members of JLS – JB Gill, Marvin Humes, Aston Merrygold and Ortisé Williams – are moving on to pursue solo careers and new projects five years after bursting onto the music scene as runners up on the 2008 X-Factor series. Since then they have had numerous number one hits, completed four major tours and sold over 10 million records worldwide. Both HSL – where the account was Project Managed by Mike Oates - and Dave Lee have been involved right from the start of JLS’s meteoric career, seeing the band grow and develop into a pop-tastic tour de force that has entertained audiences everywhere.
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A&O Creative Celebrates the End of the Year with Three Spectacular International Events
With three spectacular events, A&O Technology in the role of general contractor, along with its in-house creative department under the leadership of the lighting designer Jerry P. Appelt, was able to close out the year 2013 in style and hit the ground running in 2014. At the end of November, the lighting specialist bathed the Burj Khalifa in light to mark the announcement that the city had been chosen to host Expo 2020. On 18 December, a magnificent light show in Doha followed to mark National Day 2013, and a further superb lighting spectacle that included a record-breaking firework display on 31 December at the Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai heralded the advent of 2014.
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PRODUCTS
HD2line Pro´s Big Move
sonoVTS has acquired the HD2line Pro range of world leading video monitors from Penta Studiotechnik. The HD2Line Pro picture monitors incorporate the one of the most advanced signal display technologies in the world and have gained a reputation amongst many of most discerning global broadcast engineering authorities for the accuracy of their colour and picture reproduction. Based in Munich, Germany, sonoVTS will apply its considerable expertise and experience to its investment and will continue the development of the HD2Line Pro range, specifically addressing the increasingly more diverse signal formats for 2K and 4K high definition video signals and beyond.
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Sony Launches New Pay-As-You-Go Software Licenses
Up until now HDC Series camera users were required to buy long-term software licenses for shooting in different formats. In many instances this saw users tied to long-lasting agreements and acted as a barrier to the adoption of varied formats. However, this new licensing model will allow users to purchase short term license keys that will enable them to switch easily between formats without becoming tied to long-term expensive licenses. The three new agreements for the HDC- 1700, HDC-2400, HDC-2400DF and HDC-2570 cover varying time frames – Permanent, 30 days and 7 days – allowing producers to purchase the specific licenses required for individual productions. Due to the nature of the licenses, it then shifts the licensing costs from a capital expenditure (Capex) to an operational expenditure (Opex).
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High End Systems appoints AED Distribution as European Master Distributor
After the successful introduction of the HOG4 platform in 2012-2013, High End Systems decided to further professionalize the sales of High End products in Europe through the concept of Master Distribution. AED Distribution, who has been Master Distributor for High End Systems in the BeNeLux, France and the UK in 2013, was appointed as European Master Distributor. The European partnership includes all EU countries, incl. Russia, Turkey and Ukraine but with the exception of the Scandinavian Countries, Portugal, Italy, and Greece.
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3D/4K ARISING
EVS to Showcase Cutting-Edge Solutions for Enriched Content Production
EVS’ new 4K XT3 server provides content owners with full 4K support for Ultra-HD recording and replay, giving them increased flexibility and making their workflow 100% future-proof. Along with its Epsio Zoom, it also offers unique 4K zooming capabilities. The 4K XT3 can be configured to work in either one in/one out, one in/two out or two in/one out, meaning a single XT3 can continuously record two UHD cameras while providing 4K instant replays and highlights.
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Japan’s NHK Tests 8K
Japan’s NHK has successfully broadcast long-distance DTT signals for its Super Hi-Vision 8K format, sending huge amounts of data over UHF airwaves, but despite this test, it’s unclear if many Japanese will be watching 8K TV by the time Tokyo hosts the Olympics Games in 2020. The public broadcaster’s Science & Technology Research Laboratories conducted the test from its bureau in Hitoyoshi, southern Japan, and managed to send the 8K Ultra High HD TV signal to a receiving station 27 kilometres away using a single UHF channel.
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Dolby Labs: ‘Glasses Free’ 3D Later this Year
Dolby said that nine TV manufacturers, including Sharp, showcased Dolby’s ‘glasses free’ 3D solution at CES in Las Vegas two weeks ago, and that Dolby expected to see TVs shipping with the technology by the end of this year. Dolby also explained the progress being made in Dolby Vision, unveiled two weeks ago at CES in Las Vegas. Dolby Vision, says the company, is an end-to-end video technology that offers more realistic, subtle distinctions in colour and brighter highlights while also delivering improved shadow details. It focuses on the quality of image each pixel represents and is not dependent on the number of pixels. This means that 2K and 4K displays can each be significantly enhanced.
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