Newsletter from 25/06/2019
Milan-Cortina awarded the Olympic Winter Games 2026
Milan-Cortina, Italy, will host the Olympic Winter Games 2026. The decision was taken yesterday during the 134th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland. The other candidate in the ballot was Stockholm-Åre, Sweden.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “Congratulations to Milan-Cortina. We can look forward to outstanding and sustainable Olympic Winter Games in a traditional winter sports country. The passion and knowledge of Italian fans, together with experienced venue operators, will create the perfect atmosphere for the best athletes in the world. The Olympic Winter Games Milan-Cortina 2026 will feature iconic venues and beautiful settings, combining the attractions of a modern European metropolis with a classic Alpine environment.”
He added: “The new Candidature Process has demonstrated the success of Olympic Agenda 2020. We have lowered the cost and complexity of developing Games projects, which now serve the long-term development goals of the host communities and have sustainability and legacy at their hearts. This has led to a significantly reduced organisation budget and the use of 93 per cent existing or temporary competition venues. I also want to thank Stockholm-Åre for presenting an excellent candidature and being part of the Candidature Process for the Olympic Winter Games 2026.”
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MOBILE PRODUCTION
Global Production OB6
Global Production S.r.l. operates a fleet of 3 Outside Broadcast trucks equipped with the most advanced technology available for HD and UHD HDR productions providing services to some of the world’s leading sports and entertainment clients. In June Euro Media Group S.A. (EMG) has announced the acquisition of Global Production. his acquisition is part of the EMG’s strategy to consolidate its business in the very fragmented Italian market, as well as to expand its range of production capacities and services thus enabling the Group to better cover major events at a global level. EMG will rely on the experience and expertise of the current Global Production management team to continue developing the business with the support of the Group.
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PMTV Truck 1
Since 1989 PMTV has been a leader in providing Mobile Production Facilities, Television Crews and All Related Services. for Live Broadcast, Video Production and Streaming Events Worldwide. PMTV provides Mobile Production Facilities, Satellite Transmission, Live Streaming & Webcasting Solutions, TV Crews, Project Coordination & Technical Management, and All Relevant Solutions for Client Location Productions. Clients included Broadcast and Cable Networks, Fortune 500 Corporations, Pay Per View Syndication, Entertainment & Media Companies, Artist Management Firms, Independent Video Producers and TV Production Companies.
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2B Productions Group OBVan 09
For over 20 years in the Brazilian market with Multvídeo Productions, it offers extensive know-how in live broadcasting, as well as participating in major events such as the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Rock n'Rio, London Olympic Games and WSL Brazil Stage. 2B Productions Group is located in Miami, offers services in OB Vans Rental, and Project Solutions. The 2B, has built on its global reputation for supplying high-end HD equipment to a wide range of Broadcasters, Studios, Networks and Production Companies in the US. With the very latest in digital technology, our clients rely on the quality of our products. Whether a complete end-to-end production system, 2B delivers the best and most reliable service our industry can offer.
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STV Minsk Leverages Future-Ready OB Capability with Grass Valley Solutions Ahead of 2019 European Games
A long-standing Grass Valley customer, the Belarus national broadcaster – one of three across the country – has deployed six LDX 82 cameras, two LDX 86 HighSpeed cameras, a 2ME Kahuna 4800 production switcher, NVISION 8144 router and the K2 DynoS replay system. The broadcaster benefits from seamless integration with its main production facility, which houses Grass Valley infrastructure, cameras and production switchers. The newly implemented Grass Valley workflow also gives STV a future-ready OB unit that has a smooth transition path to 4K UHD when needed. rass Valley solutions have been chosen to form the core infrastructure and production capability of a brand new HD OB truck commissioned by Stolichnoe Televidenie (STV) Minsk. The project is part of the broadcaster’s wider migration to HD and preparation for the 2019 European Games, taking place in Minsk from June 21-30, which STV will support with equipment and broadcast services.
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STUDIO PRODUCTION
Robert Juliat Dalis provides a green answer for RTL TVI
RTL-TVI, a Belgian television station owned by the RTL Group, is the most popular television channel within French-speaking Belgium. Amongst its highlights is its coverage of Champions League football which it delivers from an exciting, versatile virtual studio in Brussels, filmed against a green screen background created by Zero Density. For the successful creation of this virtual studio, director of photography at RTL Belgium, Filipe dos Santos, searched for a high quality, low energy lighting solution which would allow him to create a green screen environment suitable for the high standards of broadcast and the exacting demands of a highly technical augmented reality system.
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AURUS platinum for German public broadcasters’ media academy
Stage Tec, the Berlin-based manufacturer of professional audio technology, has upgraded the AURUS mixing system at German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF medienakademie to AURUS platinum. The console has 40 faders and is embedded in a NEXUS network with a router and four Base Devices. NEXUS has been equipped with the latest components, such as the RIF67 router interface for Ravenna and the powerful RMDQ audio DSP unit for resource-intensive productions. The ARD.ZDF medienakademie is a not-for-profit limited company and offers seminars for all specialisms in journalism and media production. There are also courses in technology, leadership, personal skills, communication and marketing – open to everyone. The training centres in Nuremberg and Hanover host over 2,400 seminars every year on around 600 topics.
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NEP completes construction of Netherlands data centre
The new data centre is set up in various phases, meaning there will eventually be more than 300 new 19-inch racks. These new racks come on top of more than 300 racks already in use by NEP in the Netherlands for its national and international managed services. “We secured a lot of new and big innovative projects both in the Netherlands and Europe and that’s when you really need rack space if you want to be able to continue to facilitate the growth of services,” said Johan Bakker, NEP The Netherlands infrastructure manager. The company’s data centres are linked to clients via the domestic fibre optic infrastructure and other data centres in the Netherlands. NEP also has direct fibre optic connections with the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX) and a large number of international data centres.
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SPORT EVENTS
The Production of the Alpine Ski World Championships in Åre for ORF
The Alpine World Championship in Åre has come to an end. Skiers, visitors and volunteers have lived and breathed the World Championships for weeks. The organization has done the same for years. Beyond all the races that have been raced, the medals that have been awarded, something else has taken place. Perhaps the thoughts have been thought before, maybe they have been awaken when being here. Thoughts of the real meaning of life, or rather, thoughts of what kind of life we want to live. Thoughts of where our children should grow up, of where our everyday lives should take place. Where life should be lived.
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transmisjelive livestreams for Polish FA with Blackmagic Design
Live production specialist, transmisjelive, produces all content for PZPN’s YouTube channel, Łączy nas piłka (The Ball Connects Us), including action from Poland’s national, women’s and youth teams as well as matches from Poland’s second league. “Our cameras give fans exclusive access to information and insights that traditional broadcasters cannot deliver, and the huge subscriber numbers on YouTube reflect that,” explains Artur Kuszel, producer at transmisjelive. For each event, transmisjelive deploys its Ultra HD OB system, which is built around an end to end Blackmagic Design workflow, including signal management through a Smart Videohub. Six URSA Broadcast camera signals are routed to an ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K switcher, where the team overlays graphics and adds slow motion replays into the program mix.
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Muroya widens World Championship lead with Kazan triumph
Occasional rain and changeable winds made for challenging conditions at the 92ndRed Bull Air Race, but the sun emerged for the Final 4, and it shone strongest on the 2017 World Champion Muroya. After defeating Qualifying winner Mika Brageot of France in the Round of 8, Muroya flew first in the Final 4, and served up a cool 1:03.496. Flying next, Šonka could manage only 1:04.238, and François Le Vot of France, who was in his first Final 4 since 2016, was plagued by penalties. It all came down to Hall, a three-time runner-up in the World Championship. Hall’s run did not disappoint. His first split time was barely behind Muroya, then at one point he slid to more than a half-second back, but somehow the Aussie made up ground, leaving the crowds breathless as he finished his run just 0.185 off the victorious Muroya.
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DTC Broadcast Nano HD RF deployed for Pyrenees skyrunning event
DTC Broadcast Nano HD transmitters were deployed to spectacular effect for coverage of the 13th L’Olla de Núria, a two-day “skyrunning” event on 8-9 June in the Spanish Pyrenees mountains. Skyrunning is an extreme sport of mountain running above 2,000 metres where the incline exceeds 30 percent and the climbing difficulty does not exceed II° grade. With a total course length of 21.5 kilometres, “The Olla” takes place only on mountain paths. For the more than 700 runners, 70 percent of the race takes place at or above 2700 metres above sea level - qualifying it as a skyrunning event - climbing to as high as 2913 metres in some portions. The cumulative elevation gain is 3880 metres.
SHOW EVENTS
disguise powers new workflow for The House of Dancing Water
The House of Dancing Water is the world’s largest water-based theatre production, produced by veteran Las Vegas show-maker Franco Dragone, responsible for some of the most prestigious spectacles in Las Vegas. The House of Dancing Water combines water stunts, acrobatics, aerial arts and theatre, and is considered one of the jewels in the entertainment crown in Macau, China. The show is performed in the tailor-made 2,000-seat ‘Dancing Water’ Theatre by a cast of nearly 100 international artists, and the behind-the-scenes team see an army of 160 technicians, production staff and scuba divers working tirelessly to make sure the twice-nightly show at the City of Dreams entertainment complex runs without a hitch.
For the latest run of House of Blues dates in May, Ledesma supplemented the house
For the latest run of House of Blues dates in May, Ledesma supplemented the house lighting system with a multitude of gear that included Elation Professional SEVEN Batten™ color-changing LED battens, Arena Par Zoom™ LED Par lights, and Protron Eclypse™ hybrid LED luminaires, along with upstage LED video screens made up of Elation EVHD™ panels. Innovative Concert Lighting supplies the gear for Santana’s shows at the House of Blues. Video strips left and right of a center screen are made up of high-definition EVHD3™ LED video panels, two strips of four panels on each side. The backdrop panels are 3.9mm pixel pitch, black-face LED display panels with a modular front maintenance construction that makes them easy to service.
The Empire Strips Back in America
The show has stormed its way into intergalactic reviews and delighted audiences since it launched at the Vanguard Theatre in Sydney in 2011. A colourful, highly visual action-packed performance offering up an array of elaborate body costumes including alien creatures, a fully robotic remote controlled R2-D2 and a life-size Jabba the Hutt operated by four puppeteers. Peter has been involved with the show for the last four years, taking over from original lighting designer Ross Graham. Since then, it has evolved into the performance spectacle it is today including brand new acts and songs, and in 2018, a complete refresh of the lighting rig!
PRODUCTS
Sony Introduces Simple Live Streaming with New Proposition For HXR-NX80 and PXW-Z90 Camcorders via Free Firmware Upgrade
Sony’s announced that its palm-sized 4K HDR professional camcorders, HXR-NX80 and PXW-Z90, will receive additional workflow flexibility via a free firmware upgrade. Introducing a new proposition for users to streamline the process of acquiring live content,the camcorders will be enhanced with Simple Live Streaming - providing opportunities for content creators to shoot wherever and however they want. “In today’s live environment, video content is evolving quickly as an essential tool to connect with audiences,” said Norbert Paquet, Head of Product Management for Sony Professional Solutions. “The introduction of Simple Live Streaming for HXR-NX80 and PXW-Z90 streamlines the overall workflow, from shooting to live distribution. Equipped with Simple Live Streaming, the camcorders will have online sharing features, further empowering content creators to Go Make Tomorrow and concentrate on what they do best – storytelling on the go.”
MOG Integrates NewTek NDI® into mxfSPEEDRAIL
MOG Technologies, the worldwide supplier of end-to-end solutions for professional media, today announces full support on NewTek’s NDI®, the most widely adopted and used IP technology in the world for transporting video, audio and metadata over standard 1Gb. Ethernet networks. The integration means that MOG’s central ingest solution can now support NDI input/output for recording and live production with mxfSPEEDRAIL’s new mediaNDI, a software application specifically designed to support NDI video gateway to record four streams of NDI in Avid, OP1a, QT, MP4, XDCAM, XDCAM EX, XAVC, FLV, HLS, MPEG-DASH, WebM, MPEG-DASH WebM, MPEG-TS, Matroska, and IMF formats. The solution guarantees the most efficient streaming video production possible, with no need for satellite trucks or RF infrastructures.
Ross Video Powers Paperlyte at E3 2019
Ross Video production equipment, including the Carbonite Ultra production switcher and XPression graphics platform, powered multiple stages of last week’s E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) event for Paperlyte Films, production partner for major esports and gaming clients such as Twitch, Facebook Gaming and Ubisoft. “We’ve had a very positive experience so far integrating the Carbonite Ultra production switcher into our production environments,” notes Bryce Richardson, Executive Producer at Paperlyte Films. “We often operate with limited space, setup time and highly technical shows and the Carbonite Ultra switcher helps us deliver on all fronts.”
4K / 8K ARISING
ES Broadcast reveals large investment in Panasonic 4K cameras
The cameras are widely used for capturing 4K images in live sports production and high-end event broadcasting, especially for HDR productions, as they simultaneously output HDR and SDR. Other features of the AK-UC4000 include a high speed 2x, 3x or 4x output at 1080p for high-quality slow motion capture. Warren Taggart, managing director of ES Broadcast Hire (pictured above), said: “With the acquisition of these Panasonic channels, we are now even better equipped to meet the full range of budgetary and technological requirements. We expect high demand not only from the continent, where Panasonic already has large market share, but also in the UK, where we are seeing customers in live events and other fields opt for Panasonic solutions.”
EBU T&I Award goes to pioneering all-IP OB truck
This year’s EBU Technology & Innovation Award recognizes the development of Europe’s first all-IP UHD Outside Broadcast vehicle. The truck was commissioned by tpc, which is a subsidiary of the Swiss public service media organization SRG SSR. The award was presented to tpc’s CEO Detlef Sold today at the EBU Technical Assembly in Cavtat, Croatia. The EBU Award is now in its fourth year and is given in recognition of technology contributions that “make a difference and create value” in broadcasting. UHD1, as the new OB truck is known, has allowed tpc and its clients – including SRG SSR – to put IP-based production to the test. Importantly, the truck is designed to use equipment that complies to open standards like SMPTE ST 2110.