Stephan Kappel has been appointed as the new head of customer support and professional services for Harris Broadcast Communications’ Europe and Africa (EA) operation. As part of his new mandate, Kappel will be bringing the existing customer services organization to a new level, with a particular focus on customer satisfaction and a wider goal of strengthening the existing professional services organization across the recently formed EA business region.

France’s leading broadcast facility provider, Euro Media France (EMF), has become the most recent operator to install a new Studer Vista 9 digital console into one of its OB vehicles. Their XL2 mid-range HD truck is one of a fleet of 22 OB’s, which have been amalgamated under the EMF umbrella since the merger of subsidiaries EMT, SFP and VCF at the beginning of this year, and one of six HD-equipped vehicles. The 13.6-metre truck supports up to 24 cameras and incorporates a VTR area, monitor stack, production area—and now a top specification audio mixing front end.

Inertia Unlimited's exclusive X-Mo camera and Telecast Fiber Systems' CopperHead™ 3400 camera-mounted fiber optic transceiver teamed up to offer unprecedented slow motion capabilities for FOX Sports' coverage of the just-completed World Series of Baseball. The World Series marked the official launch of the X-Mo/CopperHead 3400 combination, which leverages fiber's light weight and high-bandwidth multiplexing capabilities to deliver the highest-quality slow-motion playback to sports viewers.

•„ Russian broadcasting supplier Okno TV conducted its fifth technical seminar series in mid-October
•„ Attendees voted the RTS/TELEX session the best
•„ Subjects covered included trends and new products in the broadcasting market

Paramount UK Partnership has extended its contract with Arqiva for the provision of uplink and satellite capacity for three Comedy Central channels on the UK BSkyB platform. It has also added a fourth channel to the bouquet which sees Arqiva distribute Comedy Central Extra to subscribers in Ireland. As part of the contract Arqiva is also providing a Remote Playout and Distribution based Disaster Recovery system.

The IABM (International Association of Broadcasting Manufacturers) announced the appointment of Roger Crumpton as director of education, employment, and training. The appointment coincides with the launch of the IABM's new training academy designed to address the worldwide shortage of qualified broadcast engineers and technicians.

Three major additions to the Polecam product range make their first British exhibition appearance at BVE 2011 in London's Earls Court, 15-17 February. Exhibiting on stand B10, Polecam will introduce to UK broadcasters and programme-makers the 3D-Head and two lenses designed specifically for use with broadcast-quality ultra-compact HD cameras. An enhanced version of the industry-standard Polecam truly-portable production rig will make its world-first appearance.

OConnor, a Vitec Group, announces that cinematographer James Bagdonas ASC has chosen OConnor fluid heads to support the new season of Modern Family. OConnor’s stability and high performance allows the show’s operators to capture those on-the-fly moments key to the mockumentary style of the production.

For those in need of a high quality, cost effective entry level high definition monitor, ikan proudly introduces the VH7. The ikan line of HD monitors is all about connections and the VH7 is no exception. Equipped with an HDMI, VGA, and 2 COMPOSITE INPUTS, ikan’s VH7 will exceed the expectations of even the most demanding users. This 7 inch monitor boasts a sparkling resolution of 1024x600 with both 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios, and can be powered with the provided AC107 DV battery plate for use with your of choice of Sony, Canon, or Panasonic style batteries. The new VH7, a complete out-of-the-box self powered HDSLR field monitoring solution… from ikan.

The TDF Group is launching its TDF 3.0 project "Transcending Digital Frontiers". Its ambition is to transform and enrich the nature of the offers in broadcast, multimedia and telecommunications through innovative network solutions.

NAC Image Technology Inc. has been selected to receive an Emmy award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for the 2009/2010 Technical Engineering Awards. The Emmy is awarded for work in “HD Super Slow Motion Systems for acquisition, recording, and playback in Broadcast, Entertainment and Sports Productions.” The award is in recognition of NAC’s innovations in sports broadcasting and further acknowledges leadership position of NAC Image Technology Inc. in the development of super slow motion digital camera systems.

Clear-Com®, a global leader in mission-critical voice communication systems, proudly announces that the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is awarding the company and product inventor, Charlie Butten, each a Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award, for the creation of the Belt Pack: Distributed Amplifier Systems in Live Production. The awards highlight Clear-Com’s continuing mission to deliver innovative intercom solutions for critical communications.

MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems, a premier provider of fiber optic-based video and audio transport and routing solutions for broadcast and pro A/V applications, will be making its debut in the RF Fiber transport space with the introduction of its new MultiDyne SatLink SL-2150 Satellite Fiber Optic Link at this year’s GV Expo 2010 (Booth 552) in Washington, D.C. With the new SatLink SL-2150, satellite dishes can connect with distant control rooms, network operation centers or broadcast head ends.

Arqiva has supported the launch of an independent website promoting live alternative content to cinemas. The new website, LiveCinemaEvents.com, allows rights holders to publish details of their available events and for cinemas to express an interest in screening them. LiveCinemaEvents.com will carry the details of a wide range of sports, arts and entertainment content from all around the world.

Several stadiums in the United States have opted to expand the use of EVS Technology on their premises in 2010, while others have upgraded their existing system.