Newsletter from 15/01/2013
A successful Start in to 2013
MOBILE PRODUCTION
TopVision HD Ü5.1
TopVision Telekommunikation GmbH is Germany’s leading TV production company and are a familiar sight at Germany’s largest sports event and are employed on a number of high-profile national and international assignments. Although sports coverage plays a major part of the company’s activities (Bundesliga, Champions League, Athletics, Tennis, Wintersports), the portfolio includes high profile concerts (New Years Concert, Salzburg Festival) and other shows and events (Live Earth, Scorpions). With its Ü1 3D TopVision is able to produce 3D alongside HD simulcasts. And with its Ü5.1 TopVision has set the standard for HD production. Besides Sky Germany, the client list includes ARD, ZDF, Sportcast, Plazamedia, Swiss Television, Austrian Television ORF, DFB, Infront, Kentaro, and Music Delight Concert. Outside of its native Germany, TopVision operates in countries as far apart as Japan, the USA, Korea, Greece, Russia and the United Kingdom.
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CamVan HD
CamVan HD is based in Maastricht in the Netherlands and is offering a compact six camera HD van for the recording of concerts and events but also for internet live streaming. CamVan HD was on location for the "90's Forever - The Ultimate Dance Experience". However CamVan HD is also realizing the live internet streams for Pecha Kucha events from Aachen or Maastricht or the opening of the Wielrennen in Maastricht or sessions from the local parliament in Limburg.
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New Year's Concert 2013
For the 8th time Imre Sereg was engaged by ORF to lead the technical production of the concert. This year he was there with Mediatec Broadcast’s HD1. The concert was recorded with 11 LDK-8000 cameras. The coverage of the special music effects during the concert was achieved with two Cerberus HD1200 cameras from Lux Media Plan (LMP) while the camera flights a were carried out with a CamCat-colibri, a rope camera running below the ceiling diagonally from the gallery right up to the organ left. Alpermann+Velte supported the production with a Rubidium series TC generator and inserter. For the transmission of the whole event to Japan a special setup with embedded discrete audio was implemented for NHK. It consisted of two (main and backup) Harris X85 video and audio platforms which were delivered from sono Studiotechnik.
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STUDIO PRODUCTION
WDR HD Central Production Gallery
Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR, West German Broadcasting)[1] is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD. As well as contributing to the output of national television channel Das Erste, WDR produces the regional television service WDR Fernsehen (formerly known as WDF and West3) and six regional radio networks. In its Central Production Gallery in Cologne WDR is magazines like "Titel, Thesen, Temperamente" or "plus +- minus", talk shows like "Hart aber Fair" but also the famous ARD Sportschau.
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Videohouse Studio 1
Videohouse manages 10 television studios in 4 locations. Every studio has its own characteristics offering a very wide range of possibilities, whether you are looking for a small space for an intimate studio debate or a studio with huge sets and excellent acoustics for many artists and a large audience. Videohouse has a studio that is right for every customer. Studios 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 are very strategically located on Luchthavenlaan in Vilvoorde near the Brussels ring road. Studio 5 is a blue key studio at the International Press Centre in Brussels. The Manhattan studio complex consists of 4 studios and is located near the centre of Leuven by the canal. Studio 1 has excellent acoustics and a surface area of 833m² (704m² of usable surface area), which includes a reception area, dressing rooms, production areas and catering. The studio can be linked to our permanent control unit, an OB truck or post-production facilities.
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TV3 Catalunya Imagina Studio 1
Televisió de Catalunya, S.A., is the company which manages the public television channels of Catalunya. It was created in 1983 with the aim of promoting the Catalan culture and language, and today is the main means of communication of Catalunya and the television of reference for the majority of its citizens. Televisió de Catalunya forms part of the Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals (Catalan Corporation of Audiovisual Media) the public communication entity that also groups the radio stations of Catalunya Radio which place us at the avant-garde of innovation and make possible the broadcasting of the public television and radio through new platforms. The central studios of Televisió de Catalunya are located in Sant Joan Despí, a town on the outskirts of Barcelona, the Catalan capital.
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SSL C100 Streamlines Talk Shows for NBCUniversal's Stamford Media Center
“The Stamford Media Center is a re-design of a legitimate theater where the main studio room, backstage rooms and offices encompass the entire building, while the video and audio tech core are built into a permanently parked OB van,” says John T. Chow, manager of technology and digital media for Stamford Media Center. “We had installation limitations that were met by the C100 without compromising on console features and power. Additionally, support has always been great with SSL as far as responsiveness and knowledgeable people helping out. This is an important factor for keeping these boards going. Getting a great console at a good price is only half the equation. Getting ongoing support after the fact is paramount. SSL and the C100 solve this problem.”
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Pakistan’s Geo TV Upgrades to a High Definition Future
Geo Television Network (Geo TV) is Pakistan’s largest television broadcaster and has been bringing viewers the latest in news, entertainment, sports and youth programming for more than ten years. With five news stations in major cities throughout Pakistan and recent upgrades to their workflow, Geo TV is leading the country’s HD revolution. At the forefront of this upgrade is Afaq Ahmed, Chief Technology Officer at Geo News, a division of Geo TV. He’s been responsible for overhauling the broadcast infrastructure at Geo TV assisted by Blackmagic reseller Ion Audio Visual. At the center of the newly adopted HD workflow sits a variety of Blackmagic Design products, including several ATEM 2 M/E Production Switchers as well as an ATEM 1 M/E and ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Panel.
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SPORTS
twofour54 intaj Manages Broadcast Production of the Arabian Gulf Cup 2013 in Bahrain
twofour54 intaj and BSG were awarded the broadcast production of the 21st Arabian Gulf Cup and the opening and closing ceremonies by the event managers World Sport Group and the Bahrain Local Organising Committee, having successfully managed the organization and live broadcast of the previous Arabian Gulf Cup, hosted by Yemen in 2010. intaj is responsible for the management of broadcast production of the event, while BSG is providing the production equipment and crew. The Gulf Cup is the region’s premier football tournament and in 2013 fixtures take place at Bahrain’s National Stadium and Khalifa Sports City Stadium. intaj’s mix of technological innovation and high quality production are a good fit for the tournament. 37 HD cameras including a spider cam and ultra-motion camera is being installed at both locations to ensure all the excitement of the football is captured live and at the highest quality.
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Ski Jumping Wireless
HDwireless was responsible for the technical design and implementation of the wireless part of the live production of the ski jumping event in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The company used six mobile cameras: a Sony HDC-1500, a HDC-P1 and four HDC-2400. While the HDC-1500 was attached to a helicopter to transmit stadium shots, the other cameras provided images directly from the ski jumping hill, the service area, the springer camp, the landing area in the arena, and at the request of the director different shots of the spectators in the event area. For the wireless transmission HDwireless had setup a cellular ASI network with central receiving points from where the signal arrived at Topvision's HD OBVan via a fiber cable. Specially assigned radio frequencies by the Federal Network Agency protected the system against interference.
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BSI Kicks off 30th Anniversary Year with Busy January Schedule
BSI kicked off the month in Pasadena, California providing three RF camera systems and four proprietary MIC 1500 "Blue Steel" wireless microphones to ESPN for the Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl Game on New Year’s Day. Yesterday, BSI was in Miami providing ESPN with another three camera systems and five "Blue Steel" microphones for the BCS National Championship Game. On January 16, BSI will be in Scottsdale, Arizona for the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction. This is the second year in a row the company has been the RF vendor of choice for SPEED in their coverage of this year-long, four-event series. This year, BSI will be supporting the televised auction with six RF camera systems and six "Blue Steel" wireless microphones as well as numerous production communication systems.
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SHOWS
MAC Viper™ on Jennifer Lopez Russian Shows
In November of this year, American entertainer Jennifer Lopez gave performances in Moscow and St. Petersburg that won the hearts of Russians all over the country. Rental company Euroshow not only supplied all of the equipment for the concerts in both cities but gave lighting designer Sean Burke the chance to try out Martin Professional’s new MAC Viper Profile™.
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AC-ET Supplies Latest Green Hippo HD Media Servers for Cheryl Cole Tour
A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd’s Video division recently supplied a quantity of Green Hippo Hippotizer HD i7 media servers - running the latest Beta 3.2 software - to creative control and integration specialists, Fix8Group for immediate use on Cheryl Cole’s high-profile ‘A Million Lights’ UK arena tour. Video content for the tour was designed by Show Directors, Fatima Robinson and Beth Honan; and was produced by Helena Spencer at The Field.
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“No limitations”
Viva Forever!, the musical based on the songs of the Spice Girls, had recently its World Premiere in London's West End. Jennifer Saunders has penned a dramatic narrative that demands the broadest pallet in terms of look and design. Sets range from a TV talent show with all its accompanying signature lighting and ambiance, a houseboat and on to a rather exotic looking Spain that provides the backdrop for the Salsa driven “Spice Up Your Life”. For lighting designer Howard Harrison, it has provided a glorious opportunity to juxtapose almost every conceivable genre of performance lighting in one show. Choosing to use two grandMA2 full-size consoles to program the lights and AV elements was a first for him.
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PRODUCTS
Salzbrenner Stagetec Mediagroup at ISE 2013
For the first time in the company’s history German manufacturer and system integrator for professional audio and communications technology SALZBRENNER STAGETEC MEDIAGROUP will exhibit at 10th Integrated Systems Europe (ISE). The MEDIAGROUP and their branch DELEC can be found at booth N240 at hall 8. The ISE takes place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from January 29 to 31.
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EBU Recommends Sony's PMW-150 and PMW-200 CamCorders for HD Broadcast Production
The EBU reports give production teams and broadcasters across Europe the confidence to use either camcorder for mainstream HD programme making. The PMW-200 and PMW-150 join a long list of Sony products to meet the EBU standards for long-form broadcast production, and with the shoulder mounted XDCAM HD422 PMW-500, are part of a family of products suitable for a wide range of HD applications. Since their launch earlier in 2012, both camcorders have been in high demand with customers looking for high quality 4:2:2 50Mbps recording in a handheld body. They are the direct descendants of Sony’s well known PMW-EX1R and PMW-EX3. With an established workflow, flexible recording media options, familiar operation and unique features like the PMW-200’s ½ Exmor CMOS sensors, both camcorders enhance broadcast HD production.
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Jünger Audio Increases its Presence at TVE In Spain
TVE has been using Jünger Audio technology since 2003, but during 2012 it actively embraced High Definition broadcasting and as a result upgraded its Jünger Audio B40 and B46 processors to incorporate SDI boards, thus making them more compatible with its existing Dolby products. TVE has also invested in an additional nine Jünger Audio frame-based C8000 systems, bringing the total number of C8000 systems in use at its broadcast facilities to 35. The new equipment is primarily being used for play-out and for the editors’ rooms at TVE’s Torrespaña broadcast tower in Barcelona. A number of systems have also been installed in TVE’s production centre in San Cugat del Vallés, Barcelona.
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Thorsteinson Replaces Andreoli
Grass Valley announced the appointment of Tim Thorsteinson as President and CEO, effective immediately. Ideally suited to lead Grass Valley through the next phase of its evolution, Tim has held numerous senior roles in the broadcast technology industry, including the President and CEO of Grass Valley, President of the Broadcast Communications division of Harris Corp., and President and CEO of Leitch. Most recently Tim was President and CEO of Enablence Technologies Inc. Having led the successful acquisition and carve out of Grass Valley from Technicolor two years ago, Alain Andreoli has stepped down and will leave the business at the end of January.
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3D/4K Arising
Kraftwerk Relies on WATCHOUT for Stereoscopic 3D and Live Interactivity
Several upcoming Kraftwerk concerts will incorporate Stereoscopic 3D effects as well as 3D sound. Kraftwerk's first performance in Düsseldorf, Germany since 1991, performances called 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 are taking place at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen Museum,first from January 11 - 13, then 16 - 20. Like the MoMA shows, Kraftwerk will play one album per date and will be accompanied by 3D visuals, which actually involve audiences. Running alongside the performance programme, a photo exhibition, Kraftwerk, runs from January 11 at the Forum Nordrhein-Westfalen Museum. In London, Kraftwerk will perform at Tate Modern's cavernous Turbine Hall for eight nights, first from February 6-9, then 11-14, and are their first liveLondon performances since 2004. The band will perform one studio album in full on each night and combine it with visual backdrops, including interactive 3D projections and animation.
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