Newsletter from 30/12/2015
IBC Preview #1
Since 1967, IBC has grown to become the most influential annual event for professionals engaged in the creation, management and delivery of electronic media, worldwide. Originally the International Broadcasting Convention, IBC has evolved from its technical broadcast roots and today it encompasses the whole breadth of media creation management and delivery, from online content to digital cinema, from automated workflows to high resolution capture and display. IBC remains the principal event for the industry, and it continues to go from strength to strength. It now attracts more than 55,000 attendees, drawn from more than 170 countries, each September in Amsterdam.
We currently have IBC Previews online of the following companies
Axon - Bluebell - Broadcast Solutions - Camerobot - Clear-Com - Guntermann & Drunck - IABM - Ikegami - Jünger Audio - MHz - NewTek - Roland - Sony
The previews will be maintained on a daily basis and the link IBC2015 will always show the growing number of featured companies in alphabetical order.
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MOBILE PRODUCTION
LeSEA S2
LeSEA Productions’ S2 production unit is on the road, fulfilling the company’s need for a high-definition mobile production unit to attract more sports clients. With its standard-definition truck facing fewer sports opportunities, the time was right for the company to make the leap. “We have had, and still do have, a standard-definition truck, and our business with that truck — especially in the world of sports — has been declining,” says Dave Musser, video production sales, LeSEA Productions. “In fact, in most of 2014, the only sports network that [took] our SD truck was ESPN 3 for streaming purposes. … Essentially, it seemed that the demand [for HD] is only getting stronger with the introduction of more Olympic sports being covered, and that’s the reason we went for it.”
TV2 Denmark Pushes the Boundaries of Live News Coverage With AVIWEST DMNG System
"The concept for 'The Challenge' was quite revolutionary, and so were the challenges. We needed a digital mobile news gathering solution that is compact and dependable at transmitting live video, while offering seamless control from our headquarters," said Morten Brandstrup, head of news technology, TV2 Denmark. "We chose AVIWEST's solutions because they are known for being reliable, portable, and easy to use, making it easy to stream live HD-quality video over 4G networks. Given the success we had with this on-the-go studio, we plan on using the AVIWEST systems for future press conferences, small studio set-ups, and multi-camera productions."
VSM goes 4K in the first 4K OB Van in China
2015 sees the start of a new era in China. China-based Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation is the first company in China that has a 4K OB Van available. The JSBC 4K is a 24 camera, double-side expansion, OB Van that works in full 4K and offers up to 29 workplaces. Entirely the OB works with 16 HD cameras, 4 4K cameras plus 4 wireless cameras. Coach builder ASGB and Sony China Professional Systems Group together with NDT Group, worked jointly together to develop a modern OB Van with state of the art 4K technology. This new OB Van enables JSBC for all future productions during and after the transition process to 4K. L-S-B Broadcast Technologies from Germany teamed with local partner NDT to implement VSM as the overall control system in JSBC 4K.
STUDIO PRODUCTION
Singapore’s MediaCorp installs Southeast Asia’s first studio automation solution from Vizrt
MediaCorp’s new Viz Mosart systems are the first Viz Mosart solutions to be deployed in Southeast Asia. They’ll serve as the perfect complement to the other Vizrt production products currently used in MediaCorp’s existing facilities including the Viz Engine real-time compositing engine and Viz Pilot template-based graphics system. The Viz Mosart software solution has been optimised to control each individual piece of control room technology directly to ensure a seamless and hassle-free production workflow. As part of the move to its new facility, MediaCorp has also upgraded much of its existing Vizrt production graphics platforms. The design and the implementation of the new technology and production systems is being supervised and executed by local systems integrator Qvest Media Pte. Ltd.
Get Set is building a 500m2 studio for the Abu Dhabi Sports Channel
The project has been a creative challenge which has put GET SET’s innovative mindset to the test with the company also working on a design project for beIN Sport Spain. The MEDIAPRO Portugal group company offers “key-in-hand” services for the TV industry providing creation, implementation and management of big TV studio project services for TV networks, shows and events both indoors and out. Some recent project highlights include the three sets designed for beIN Sport for the recent broadcast of the Gulf Cup (Saudi Arabia, November 2014), two studios in the stadi in Sydney and Newcastle for the Asian Cup (Australia, January 2015) and World Handball championships (Qatar, January 2015), in addition to projects for beIN Sport, where Get Set set up two outdoor studios in Doha and set decoration services.
Front and Center: Live At The Iridium Adopts Avid Everywhere to Bring Star Performances to Life
Avid announced that the famed Iridium Club in New York City’s Times Square, has embraced Avid Everywhere™ to help maintain the club’s intimate musical experience for one of the most critically-acclaimed live music shows on US television, public television's Front and Center: Live At TheIridium. The Iridium implemented an integrated, end-to-end workflow powered by the Avid MediaCentral Platform, with Avid Artist Suite creative tools for live sound production, and audio and video editing. The Iridium crew realized that their old analog system was unable to meet the requirements for the Front and Center show, as well as the ever-expanding needs of their regular night shows. Rather than renting a system every time they had a shoot, the crew decided to explore the idea of replacing their system with a digital one that could handle their requirements.
SPORTS
Panorama at FINA World Championships in Kazan
Around 2,700 athletes representing 190 countries are competing in Kazan. They will compete for 75 sets of medals – an unprecedented number for FINA World Championships – in six disciplines: diving, swimming, synchronized swimming, water polo, open water swimming and high diving. Swimming and synchronized swimming events will be held in the pools constructed for that purpose within the Kazan Arena football stadium. Three other venues will be used for the Championships: the Aquatics Palace for the diving events, the temporary Water Polo Arena and the open water and high diving venue at the Kazanka River in front of the Kremlin. Two towers have been installed at the Kazanka River embankment, the High Diving tower and a 20-metre TV tower opposite of it.
LMC Gear at the European Games in Baku
Host broadcaster ISB chose LMC to produce the Mountain Bike, Beach Volleyball and Beach Soccer venue. The 30+ camera production at the Mountain Bike Venue was directed by Felix Marggraff using lots of special gear provided by ABC, Greece who also supplied their HD1 Expando OB truck. 2 LIVE drones delivered stunning aerial coverage of the huge action area in Baku´s outback. Multiple On-Bike cameras provided some great POV action from inside the ropes. LMC deployed an Antelope MkIIs UltraSlowMotion as well was ISB´s Polecam equipped with an Antelope PICO V2 UltraSlowMotion Camera shooting at 350 frames per second.
Riedel Gear Drives Comms and Signal Transport for Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour in Madrid
Amid the high-flying tricks of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour stop at Madrid's Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, Riedel Communications equipment provided the communications and signal management capabilities critical to an exciting, well-coordinated Freestyle Motocross event. On July 10, as more than 23,000 fans looked on, top professional freestyle riders impressed the fans with their tricks. The Red Bull production team used Riedel's Artist digital matrix intercom systems and MediorNet real-time signal distribution and management platform to produce and bring the spectacular live event to the world.
SHOWS
France Celebrated “Bastille Day” Under the Eiffel Tower – With Lawo mc²36 Consoles
More than 400,000 spectators gathered on Paris’ Champs de Mars for the 14th July La Fête Nationale (Bastille Day) public holiday. Marking the culmination of the French Revolution in 1789, and signaling the rise of France as a nation, the crowd assembled at the foot of the Eiffel Tower for a performance of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” by 250 musicians from the National Orchestra of France and of the Radio France Choir. TV viewers and radio listeners in France and beyond joined the assembled tourists and local residents to listen to the music and watch the firework display that followed.
Grateful Dead Landmark event features Robe BMFLs
A milestone in music history took place at Soldier Field in Chicago as legendary US ‘jam’ band The Grateful Dead celebrated their 50th anniversary with the three final ‘Fare Thee Well’ shows, produced by Paul Shapiro over the 4th of July holiday weekend, playing to record crowds of 70,000 each night. This followed two gigs the previous weekend, each pulling capacity audiences of 65,000, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Lighting was designed and directed by the band’s long term LD Candace Brightman, who started with them in 1972. Paul Hoffman of Pulse Lighting LLC provided programming, equipment selection and moral support. The pair have collaborated on the Grateful Dead since 2004.
Elation Lights Pop Rocker R5’s “Sometime Last Night” Tour
It’s not hard to imagine American pop rock band R5 topping the charts sometime soon. With a style of feel good music that has struck a chord with fans across the U.S., R5 is out on their “Sometime Last Night” tour using an Elation Professional rig of Cuepix Panels, Rayzor Q7 LED moving heads and Platinum Beam Extremes. Made up of four siblings and a best friend, R5 hit the road in Florida in early July and are making their way across the country on a 7-week summer leg in support of their new “Sometime Last Night” release.
PURE LIVE 2015 will be ready for IBC
On 200 pages we will show new HD/UHD OBVans (including a technical synopsis of each truck) and Studios. Supported by latest developments in live production and comprehensive case studies as well as portraits of international system integrators, rental facilities and production houses worldwide. We’ll present how to distribute and display entertainment, sports and event productions on any platform around the world. Aerial filming, slow/ultra motion production, technical management and engineering support, set design and construction – in short: all you need for a perfect live production you will find in PURE LIVE 2015. All this will be topped off with reports on exceptional live-productions in sports and entertainment highlighting our areas of focus: video, audio and lighting.
PRODUCTS
ArrowData and TVU Networks Partner to Deliver Drone-flying Service with Live Video Transmission
ArrowData has received a special waiver from the FAA to operate drones for electronic newsgathering or AeroJournalism – the first and only such FAA 333 waver provided to a private company. By combining ArrowData’s drone piloting expertise and TVU’s award-winning mobile cellular IP technology, broadcasters can now deliver news coverage from unique vantage points not possible from traditional ground level camera views. In addition, broadcasters can easily incorporate the AeroJournalism service into their current video acquisition workflow since the drone flying and live video transmission is handled together. “This partnership gives us a tremendous advantage in this emerging industry,” said James Fleitz, Vice President of ArrowData in Las Vegas. “We provide the dynamic shots from drones, and TVU is the perfect answer for transmitting that video.”
Stagelight AG Switzerland is the first to experience the magic of Merlin from Robert Juliat
“It was time to replace our old, big followspots, so we were looking around for a good alternative and found Robert Juliat’s new Merlin,” says Stagelight’s Managing Director, Peter Lemmenmeier. “We decided on Merlin because of its excellent new technology: the newly developed integrated PSU with the 2500W HMI arc lamp provide great brightness; the zoom range from 3° to 12°allows an extremely wide spectrum from 30m to 100m; and, finally, the low consumption of electricity with the 16A connector is really good and convenient. There is nothing similar on the market.” The brand-new Merlin followspots arrived in time for the busy Swiss Festival season and have been put to full-time use from the day they arrived.
The GAFFGUN-(R)Evolution
With the new GAFFGUN the troublesome crawling on the floor to fix cables with tape to the floor will be over. With up to 6 audio or video cables strayed on the floor you can easily have a relaxed walk and the GAFFGUN will center and lock the cables into position and fix them with quality tape to the floor; or just simply put down warning or dancefloor tapes and more! SOMMER CABLE is the exclusive GAFFGUN distributor for cable and event technology in Germany, France and Russia, as well as the master distributor for the European market.
4K/8K ARISING
High Dynamic Range Takes the IBC2015 Conference Prize
Drawn from the technical papers section, the IBC Conference Prize is awarded by the team of peer reviewers to the contribution which both advances the industry’s knowledge and does so in the most clear and informative way. The BBC paper looks at how high dynamic range (HDR) video can be delivered and displayed while remaining compatible with conventional systems. “This year’s winner describes a novel solution that could fundamentally influence how we perceive tomorrow’s ultra-high definition video,” said Dr Nick Lodge, chair of the technical papers committee. “In their very clear paper, Andrew and Tim explain how they brought together theory in engineering and visual psychology, along with practical experiments, to arrive at a high quality, flexible representation of high dynamic range video. This is creative technology at its very best.”
‘Ultra HD investment hitting new highs’
Ultra HD programming is expected to see strong take-up rates globally, with failure to invest now will mean a failure to tap into its growing premium revenues, according to Alan Crisp, Analyst at satellite industry market research and consulting services firm NSR. Writing in NSR’s ‘Bottom Line’ Blog, Crisp says that despite continuing concerns about OTT threatening the future growth of Linear TV (which are for the most part unwarranted), Ultra HD, with its premium nature, is being seen as a fresh way to grow DTH, Cable and IPTV businesses further worldwide.
Roaring Ultra HD sector to gloss over declining overall TV sales
Flying in the face of an expected 2% dip in overall sales of all TV screens, the Ultra HD 4KTV market is set to smash the 30 million shipment barrier by the end of 2015, says Futuresource Consulting. According to the analyst's worldwide TV market report, the global TV market has hit a temporary turning point after sales rose 3% in 2014 to reach 235 million units, with a trading value up to $94 billion. The report anticipates that trade value globally in 2015 will fall by the same margin to $91 billion, due mainly to a continued depressed market in China as well Russia's economic issues. Futuresource notes that economic uncertainty is continuing to affect many markets in Europe, contributing to expected declines in many countries across the continent.