The Fooball Carnival is ON

AMP VISUAL TV is Off to Brazil to Help Broadcast the 2014 FIFA World Cup

AMP VISUAL TV is one of the four service providers, and the only one from France, covering the footballing event of the year, providing broadcasts from three stadiums: Sao Paulo, with the opening ceremony and first match, Porto Alegre and Fortaleza. As a broadcasting partner to Host Broadcast Services (HBS) for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Sony is responsible for covering all of the HD needs for each of the Brazilian sites. HBS and Sony took great care when choosing their service providers from a selection of the very best, and AMP VISUAL TV was chosen for the quality of its equipment and teams, and its track record at major events.

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Globecast Provides Multiple Services for the D-Day 70th Anniversary Commemoration

2014 saw the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day landings and Globecast is pleased to announce that it provided both ad-hoc services as well as international coverage for the host broadcaster for June 6th. The Allied landings – one of the most significant events of WW2 – were commemorated in France. Across Normandie there’s a huge range of additional events that have been organised to ensure that the events of 70 years ago live long in the memory.

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Orienteering Championship Broadcast Live with ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K

A live production workflow featuring the ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K was used to broadcast the 2014 10MILA, one of Europe’s biggest and most watched orienteering competitions. Organizers Tiomilakavlen Association challenged production company TVPRO with improving the experience for participants and spectators alike. Now in its 50th year, the competition followed multi person teams through day and night relays as they attempted to navigate to different locations in unfamiliar terrain.

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Robe Has the X-Factor in the Czech & Slovak Republics

Robe moving lights once again proved they had ‘that special something’ for the X-Factor – this time the final of the Czech and Slovak edition of the popular talent competition reality TV show, which was staged at the Incheba Expo Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Lighting and Visuals Designers were Michal Schmidt and Tomáš Lecký, and the lighting equipment included 56 x Robe ROBIN Pointes, 22 x ColorSpot 700E ATs and 20 x ColorSpot 1200E ATs, the supply of which was supported by Slovakian rental company Showservice, based in Bratislava.

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Philips Selecon Provides 'Amazing' LED Upgrade for Prime Time TV Studio Red Pepper

Award-winning set designer Michael Gill recently worked alongside lighting designers Joshua Cutts and Francois van der Merwe on South African TV studio Red Pepper's ambitious upgrade project, specifying the remarkable LED technology of Philips Selecon Studio Panels, SPX Zoomspot and PLcyc1 luminaires for three new prime time game shows. Red Pepper's CEO Cecil Barry and facilities manager Marius Maritz joined forces with Gill, Cutts and van der Merwe to come up with a revolutionised set design and optimised LED lighting rig, including 14 x Philips Selecon Studio Panels, 6 x Philips Selecon PLcyc1 luminaires and 8 x Philips Selecon SPX Zoomspot luminaires, supplied by DWR Distribution, for their studios in Linden, Melville and Braamfontein.

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New RTL Netherlands News Studio Went Live With Orad Virtual Backdrop

RTL uses the Orad ProSet system to key the very high-resolution content over the three virtual panels, which are strategically located along the back of the real studio. The ProSet system extracts camera and lens parameters from each of the five studio cameras, flawlessly matching keyed graphics to the panels. To ensure graphics and video are always sharp, Orad’s high-quality Infuse internal chroma-keyer is used for keying. Augmented reality elements are also generated by ProSet, allowing RTL to create an even more appealing studio look.

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Let the Football Carnival Begin

Brazil got off to a winning start in their World Cup opener against Croatia. Their 3-1 win sets them up perfectly ahead of the tournament they are favourites for, but were they as up to scratch as the scoreline suggests? The International Broadcast Centre (IBC) was alive with activity as broadcasters shared the first moments of the month-long carnival of football with their audiences. At kick-off everyone at the IBC was ready and prepared to deliver. The live television coverage of the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ between hosts Brazil and Croatia attracted record audiences for the year in Europe.

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EUROVISION Mounts Biggest Ever Broadcast Operation at 2014 World Cup

HD signals of all 64 games from 12 different stadiums around the country will be distributed to rightsholders throughout the month-long event. For the first time, 3 games including the final will be broadcast in 4K resolution, or ultra-high definition, using EUROVISION's global network. EUROVISION is also assisting broadcasters to deliver match commentary to millions of viewers worldwide by providing data lines via satellite. Content will also be carried via EUROVISION's fibre optic FiNE network in which 10 GB/s circuits will carry over 120 video services from the various venues to the rightsholders and over 30 return feeds in addition to other data and control circuits.

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Goal-line Technology in the Spotlight at Maracana

Members of the media from around the world had an opportunity to see the GoalControl-4D technology in action, including wearing the referee watch to receive the indication of “Goal” or “No Goal”, which is immediately confirmed within one second as part of the requirements of the International Football Association Board (The IFAB) who approved the principle of GLT in July 2012. The GoalControl-4D system is equipped with 14 high-speed cameras located around the pitch, with seven cameras focussing on each goalmouth.

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Keeping Things Under Control

Despite all the screens showing the matches there is little time to enjoy the finer points of the FIFA World Cup™ action when you are working in the Production Control Room (PCR). Instead the focus is on overseeing the distribution of incoming and outgoing feeds as well as ensuring the smooth flow of material exchange inside the IBC. Other duties of PCR staff include checking that the player profile material used to create the line-ups for each match is good for insertion and creating the countdown slates for the EBIF Show.

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deltatre: A Team of 100 to Reach the Final in Brazil

With a comprehensive set of digital, media and broadcast services as well as on-venue operations, deltatre will be working from Brazil as well as from its headquarters in Turin to enable the most advanced coverage of the tournament. In addition to the redesign and development of the Federation’s primary digital communication property, www.fifa.com/worldcup, deltatre is also providing the football’s governing body with Results System and TV Graphics services for the live coverage of all matches for audiences around the globe.

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Visiware Drives World Cup 2014 2nd Screen TV-Mobile Viewing

Visiware's Sync2TV platform is powering the companion mobile apps for 2nd screen experiences for World Cup 2014 with some of the leading global sports TV organizations, including Televisa (Mexico), L’Equipe (France), and a leading US sports network. Visiware’s Sync2TV will enable interactive engagement for all World Cup 2014 matches on iOS devices, Android devices, and on the web. Visiware’s Sync2TV is the most deployed 2nd screen solution with a total of 2500 shows/games in 26 countries.

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IBC: THE 13TH VENUE

With all the action starting to begin at the 12 venues around Brazil it can be easy to forget that a large percentage of MRLs covering the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ will spend the duration of the event at the International Broadcast Centre (IBC). So how do they follow the games and enjoy that magic FIFA World Cup™ atmosphere? The answer to that question is the IBC Viewing Area. Located between Halls 3 and 4, the IBC Viewing Area is equipped with two large screens, seating for 60 and standing room for many more.

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Robe Pointes Take Intergalactic Trip for A Marte Cabaret

A Marte Cabaret (A Mars Cabaret) is a full-on intergalactic party, action packed with humour, eroticism and fun – in a secret place that’s full of mad characters and idiosyncrasies where humans can explore fantasies and crazy ideas without inhibitions. Produced by Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar – responsible for the long running eponymous musical and numerous other shows along Gran Via Madrid’s main theatrical artery AKA ‘Spanish Broadway’  – this show staged at the off Gran Via Rialto Theatre, and has been lit by award-winning Lighting Designer Felipe Ramos.

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The Clay Paky Sharpy is ‘Landmark’ Fixture for Dutch Dance Event ‘Qapital’

“Our in-house stage designer Tamil van Draanen created a centre stage in the Ziggo Dome, inspired by the architecture of Paris’ Eiffel Tower,” explains Rietveld. “It was a creative decision to design a show that did not include the use of video/ LED-walls. In this way we were able to keep the focus on the artists performing at the center of the structure. Challenging, but ultimately better for the overall experience.” Rietveld enlisted the help of 68 x Clay Paky Sharpys from Dutch rental house Rent-All, to create fierce light architecture that mirrored the show’s giant structural set.

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SGM G-Spot Delivers for Tiësto

Tiësto, arguably the greatest DJ of the decade, recently headlined the exclusive EDM Copenhagen electronic festival, presented by Arive on the terrace of the luxurious Stay Apartment Hotel in the Danish capital. For this nine-hour event (running from afternoon to midnight), packed with a strong lineup of DJs and live acts, production manager and show designer Christian Byriel from CeeBRIGHTER had some specific venue challenges to overcome. “Though being challenged with large window façades, an unusual location and an outdoor venue from daylight to dusk, I feel I achieved my vision and maintained the aesthetic look required by the customer,” he says. It became apparent to him that the G-Spot was to play a large role in his achievement.

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ORF Offers Austrian Viewers Unprecedented In-Game Analysis

Austrian national broadcaster ORF (Österreichischer Rundfunk) will use Viz Libero, Vizrt’s sports analysis system, for the World Cup in Brazil. ORF operates four TV channels and several radio programs throughout Austria. ORF employs a team of experts who comb the football content to find the best scenes to analyze in Viz Libero. A close cooperation is fostered between the experts, the journalists and the Viz Libero operator – who is provided by Austrian sports graphic company On Air Media Solutions Gmbh – to deliver high-end sports analysis to viewers.

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SP Telefilm to Use Grass Valley Live Production Solutions

São Paulo production company SP Telefilm will provide broadcast services to TV Azteca, one of the largest television network in Mexico, to broadcast the games of the Mexican national team in Brazil during the FIFA 2014 World Cup using live production solutions from Grass Valley, a Belden Brand. SP Telefilm, referred to the project by International Media Services Inc., will use its HD OB van to transmit the games via satellite from Santos in the state of São Paulo and from the cities where the games will take place. The SP Telefilm mobile unit is equipped with a Grass Valley Kayenne Video Production Center switcher with 48 inputs, nine LDK 4000 Elite single format HD cameras, one LDK 8300 Live 1X/2X/3X Super SloMo camera, three 4-channel K2 Dyno Replay Systems and a Concerto multiformat routing switcher.

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Sennheiser Microphone Technology Set to Feature in Brazil

When national football teams from all over the world line up to compete for victory in Brazil, several hundred million TV viewers will be watching live and many will be more than happy to stay up all night in order to follow the action. During the tournament, the production company Host Broadcast Services (HBS) will be using wireless and wired microphones from Sennheiser, including the new Esfera surround microphone system, to capture the stadium atmosphere as realistically as possible and to provide the matches with thrilling commentaries and pitchside reports.

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First Ever UHDTV 4K Transmission With DVB-S2X

The extensions to the DVB-S2 standard, a new specification developed by DVB including Newtec, called DVB-S2X, will be instrumental for the satellite industry to keep pace with demands for new features and increased efficiency. Published only in February 2014, DVB-S2X reaches efficiency gains over DVB-S2 of up to 51% for professional applications and up to 20% for DTH. This new standard is much needed as the growing consumption of video and data continues to squeeze bandwidth. The demonstration will be displayed in 4K UHDTV at CommunicAsia in Singapore at MEASAT’s booth (Level 1 T3-01). The feed will be uplinked via MEASAT’s teleport in Cyberjaya, Kuala Lumpur, and delivered live via MEASAT-3 satellite in C-Band, using Newtec’s new DVB-S2X modulation equipment.

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Broadcom Enables Ultra HD Broadcast of 2014 World Cup Games

Broadcom Corporation announced it has enabled live Ultra HD satellite broadcast of the 2014 World Cup in collaboration with Globosat, a multichannel cable and satellite TV service in Brazil, and Elemental, a leading supplier of software-defined video solutions for multiscreen content delivery. The special live broadcast of three matches of the World Cup (including the final), made available by Globosat to selected subscribers and Pay-TV operators in Brazil, demonstrates growing interest in Ultra HD technology, which can deliver 4X the resolution of traditional 1080p60 HD displays.

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World Cup is the Global Test of 4K Streaming

The FIFA World Cup runs through July 13 and millions of people around the globe will stream the games, highlights and even replays over the Internet. Cisco, Sony, Akamai and anyone who is anyone in the content production, distribution and delivery food chain will be watching with extreme interest … just to see how well the global Internet performs. It was widely discussed at the recent BroadbandTV conference because the IP broadcast of the event should generate more than 4.3EB. That’s about 3X the monthly IP traffic generated by Brazil (an Exabyte is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 Bytes and the volume generated will be roughly equal to all of the words ever spoken by humans).

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