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Blackmagic Jazzed in Japan 23
REGULARS 02 EDITOR’S WELCOME 04 NEWS SIS LIVE Expands Into APAC with Telstra, The QYOU Partners with China Entertainment Group, Wi-Fi Multicast Service for Japan Soccer Stadium, THVL Vietnam Upgrades with PlayBox, NTT Com Launches New Submarine Cable, Singapore’s YuuZoo Buys into Relativity Media.
48 EVENTS
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FEATURES 12 STANDARDS ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer Standard Approved, IEEE Standard Boosts Bandwidth for Cat5e and Cat6, New SMPTE President, DPP and NABA Promote Cyber Security.
14 TAKING STOCK Harmonic Announces Comcast Warrant Agreement, Vitec Acquires Wooden Camera, Pay-TV Innovation Forum Global Learnings.
16 ACQUISITION O Sing Pui Sparks Weeds
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on Fire with Sony, Ideal Expands Bonded Rental Service, Japan’s EXPO TV Builds 4K Broadcast Studio, Hanoi TV Sets Stage for HD, Lens Metadata, DoP Kei Takahashi and Blackmagic’s URSA Mini.
24 SPORTSCASTING Channel 5 Thailand’s Hitachi OB Truck, AsiaSat Takes on XTreme Video for ‘4K-SAT’ UHD, Echo Sports Network Chooses PlayBox, Korean Baseball Scores with Grass Valley, Commonwealth Games 2018 – the Gold Coast Diaries.
32 MEDIA IN THE CLOUD EditShare Helps Build Empire, Has Broadcast Storage Technology Reached an Inflection Point?, Cloud Without Compromise.
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POST-PRODUCTION Deluxe’s Iloura VFX for Deepwater Horizon, Emmy for Aussie Software, Korea's Unique Media Goes UHD/HDR with Mistika.
38 AUDIO Cedar Suppresses Noise for Justin Loh, Indonesia’s Indosiar TV Picks ClearCom, Manila’s WildSound Studios Opens Atmos Suite, The 141st AES Show.
42 RADIO HK Broadcasters Exit Digital Radio, Astro Radio Powers Studios with Lawo, Australian Radio Launches Streaming App.
44 CONTENT DELIVERY PCCW Selects Edgeware TV Server for 4K, Myanmar Radio and TV Picks Imagine, Bangladesh DTH Platform Selects Exset, GoChina Delivers OTT with Limelight, DVB-T/T2: Monitoring the Situation.
29 NEWS OPERATIONS SBS News Opens
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EDITOR’S WELCOME
On the Move with 5G Technology? By Phil Sandberg
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Also using the Olympics as a springboard, Japan’s NTT DoCoMo has launched field trials which will culminate in a full commercial launch in time for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games. 16:00
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North Asian countries will be early adopters of 5G technology and will use various international sporting fixtures to provide an impetus for rollout. Korea’s SK Telecom has launched a 5G pilot this year and will launch a large-scale trial for the 2018 Winter Olympics (staged in Korea) before a full commercial launch in 2020. Korea Telecom, meanwhile, will undertake a 5G pilot in 2017 with a soft launch in 2018 at the time of the Winter Olympics. It, too, is looking at a full commercial launch in 2020.
China Mobile, meanwhile, has started trials which will take in more than 100 cities and is aiming for a full commercial launch in 2020. The year 2020 is also significant as it is when the ITU expects to complete its 5G standardisation work and release its final specification (IMT-2020) for the new network topology. At IBC, Discovery Communications’ CTO John Honeycutt said the broadcaster will be studying VR and AR as it heads towards Eurosport’s coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
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2017 C+T DEADLINES AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND EDITION
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While some parts of the world may leapfrog 4G and go straight to 5G, some will remain in the 3G environment. Those who have recently rolled-out 4G may not have the appetite for an upgrade while they are still recouping their 4G investments. Then there is the issue of spectrum sales with telco operators baulking at the pre-2008 price expectations still held by various Governments. It seems inevitable there will, for many countries, be a “4G crunch point” for many years to come.
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Of course, while the 5G picture painted by IT and telco companies has a rosy inevitability about it, a global conquest by the technology is likely to take longer than many anticipate. In the case of 4G, for example, adoption over the last five years has seen its highest figures in Europe with regional coverage coming in at 95.6%. In Asia, the figure is 79.6% coverage, with the Americas coming in at 67.6%.
Phil Sandberg - Editor/Publisherpapers@broadcastpapers.com
“We had access to an early Microsoft Hololens, and when you put it on you can start to imagine walking up the street with a map in front of you, with 16:00
The technology is expected to allow the growing number of sensors to communicate with one another. Intel expects this number to hit 50 billion by 2020. This will drive the digitisation of every industry, from healthcare to manufacturing. Applied to the automotive sector, for example, it is thought that 5G will open up the car as a mobile venue for content consumption.
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European telcos, including Deutsche Telekom, Nokia, Telefonica and Vodafone, say they will begin conducting large-scale tests by 2018, with a launch in at least one city in each EU country by 2020. Before then, 5G will be demonstrated to the public at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and 2018 Glasgow-Berlin European Athletics Championships.
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restaurant menus and personal reminders all while you’re having a Facebook chat,” Honeycutt said. “From a content consumption and a utility perspective 5G is a big deal.”
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WHILE IP DOMINATED DISCUSSION at this year’s IBC, there was also much discussion around what is considered to be an equally transformative technology in the form of 5G mobile services.
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SIS LIVE Expands Into APAC with Telstra SIS LIVE HAS ANNOUNCED a partnership with Telstra to expand its connectivity network throughout the Asia Pacific region. The agreement gives SIS LIVE the ability to distribute critical media content across Asia via Telstra’s submarine fibre network and teleports in Hong Kong and Sydney. The partnership with Telstra will ensure SIS LIVE customers have additional high quality access to the vast Asia Pacific region.
recognised worldwide as a critical connectivity provider, and is a substantial expansion of our increasingly global connectivity coverage,” said David Meynell, Managing Director, SIS LIVE.
them a solid, dedicated path into Asia that complements the suite of services we already provide,” said John Bozza, SIS LIVE Commercial Director.
SIS LIVE’s combined fibre and satellite infrastructure is unrivalled in the UK market, and includes a managed fibre network that connects more than 100 sport and entertainment venues, which can now be linked to Telstra.
SIS LIVE’s ‘Anylive’ fibre network will be connected to Telstra’s London hub, which will carry content to the Sydney and Hong Kong teleports for uplinking to the AsiaSat 5 platform, which has a vast footprint that envelopes more than 53 countries.
“This is a significant milestone in our aim to be
“This is great news for our customers as it gives
Visit www.telstra.com and www.sislive.tv
The QYOU Partners with China Entertainment Group for ‘Best of YouTube’ INTERNET VIDEO CURATION COMPANY, The QYOU, has announced a milestone partnership with China Entertainment Group to distribute curated content to China’s leading online video platforms, including YouKu, Tencent, LeTV and Weibo. The deal marks The QYOU’s launch into the Chinese market. China Entertainment Group is a Sino-US media production and marketing company with regional headquarters in Los Angeles and Beijing. Founder, Coca Xie, has years of experience working in both Hollywood and Chinese entertainment markets. With curation performed by experienced Chinese video producers, plus translation into Mandarin and distribution via online video platforms, China
CORPORATE EVENTS
Entertainment Group is the perfect partner to localise The QYOU. This move provides Chinese audiences with new and undiscovered global content and brings new online video trends to the region. Commenting on the announcement, Coca Xie, the Founder of China Entertainment Group said, “Our goal is to understand our audiences preferences so that we can provide them with the most engaging and relevant content. Younger viewers are often dissatisfied with traditional TV services, which no longer cater to their viewing needs. Chinese millennial audiences thirst for western short-form content, often difficult to view inside China. Using The QYOU’s services enables us to
BREAKING
offer viewers a range of content at any time and on any device.” Bob Reid, VP of Business Development and Sales at The QYOU added, “Launching a ‘best of YouTube’ channel in China with China Entertainment Group is a win-win for everyone, from the distribution platforms like YouKu and Tencent who want views, to Chinese consumers who want access to a greater variety of content. The partnership is an opportunity for us to set trends in China by introducing the region to new online video formats and a curation of global content creators and themes that engage and can be shared with friends.” Visit www.qyoutv.com
NEWS
LIVE EVENTS
Daily Rental now available in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, China, India and Dubai
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LIVE SPORTS
www.idealsys.com 3
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First Commercial Wi-Fi Multicast Service for Japanese Soccer Stadium LTE BROADCAST PROVIDER, Expway, has announced that NTT Group has launched the first ever commercial Wi-Fi Multicast service for a Japanese soccer stadium at the NACK5 Stadium Omiya football (soccer) stadium in Saitama, Japan, home of the J.LEAGUE soccer club Omiya Ardija. Called Smart Stadium, the service was launched on September 25, 2016, and uses the Expway Wi-Fi Multicast solution. NTT Group plans to roll out Smart Stadium soon across multiple stadiums in Japan. Smart Stadium provides a new immersive watching experience synchronized with the game to over 15 thousand fans in the stadium, equipped with smartphones of any brand, and the Omiya Ardija app. The solution works on any access point. Fans can enjoy this new immersive experience, through three different channels. The first features the live broadcast from SKY PerfecTV. The second channel provides replays and highlights, while the third allows fans to follow their favourite players thanks to cameras on the field, the first service of its kind for a soccer game in Japan.
individual players and other innovative services such as allowing fans to receive coupons from nearby shops and restaurants. Also innovative are the digital signage screens across the stadium concourse, which allow fans to continue watching the game while walking around inside or outside the gates. NTT Data and NTT Data MSE developed the application on the top of the Wi-Fi Multicast Platform, and provided global system integration. The Expway Wi-Fi Multicast solution broadcasts content using Wi-Fi Access Points, simultaneously to thousands of devices, with no interruption of service and no video degradation, and with minimal bandwidth usage. Visit www.expway.com
The mobile app provides detailed information and stats about the game and
TVD (Momo) Selects Etere Enterprise MERP Etere recently announced that TVD (Momo), a joint venture between Thailand’s TV Direct Public Company Limited (TVD) and Taiwan’s Momo gallery has chosen Etere for playout of its four 24-hour TV shopping channels that sells a range of products marketed through various media such as TV home shopping, E-commerce and catalogue to viewers in Taiwan, China and Thailand. Etere manages the processes of ingest, automation, scheduling, transcoding, proxy browsing, video playout and video logging of TVD (Momo)’s four channels. The entire workflow is automated and streamlined with high
THVL Vietnam Upgrades with PlayBox Technology Neo
monitoring capabilities, enabling TVD (Momo) to deliver content quickly, save costs and to manage the different departments in a more integrated and streamlined manner. Etere’s installation for TVD (Momo) includes: Etere Database Management and User Rights; Etere Executive Scheduling; Etere Workflow; Etere Ingest; Etere SNMP Console; Etere Proxy Browsing, Basic Transcoding, Hires Player; Etere Media Manager; Etere TV Automation and Clone; Etere ETX; and Etere Memory. Visit www.etere.com and THVL 2 to advance from standard-definition into high-definition broadcasting. It includes two AirBox Neo servers, two TitleBox Neo channel branding modules and a ListBox Neo schedule creation and playlist editor.
THVL, ONE OF THE LARGEST television networks in Vietnam, has upgraded to
PlayBox Technology’s Neo channel branding and playout system. The system was designed and commissioned in partnership with the PlayBox Technology official reseller for Vietnam, Mediatech. THVL (www.thvl.vn) broadcasts to over a million viewers living in the 1480 square kilometre Vinh Long region of south western Vietnam. Its two channels cover a wide range of themes including news coverage, documentaries, cookery, creative arts, drama, sports, health, comedy and general entertainment. “THVL is the state-owned public-service television broadcaster for Vinh Long province,” says Mediatech Project Director Nguyen Tien Long. “The network has used PlayBox Technology AirBox successfully for many years on both its channels as the core of its channel branding, scheduling and playout infrastructure. This latest installation, at the network’s headquarters in Vinh Long City, enables THVL 1
“Automated character generation based on TitleBox Neo makes THVL’s output distinctive and highly attractive. The station’s operational staff find the entire Neo platform easy to work with. Their engineering colleagues recognise that PlayBox Technology Neo gives them the flexibility to introduce UHD services at any time in the future. THVL also appreciates the high quality after-sales support we are able to provide from our premises in Hanoi.” PlayBox Technology’s Neo series includes AirBox, ProductionAirBox Neo, AdBox Neo, CaptureBox Neo, EdgeBox Neo, ListBox Neo, TitleBox Neo, QCBox Neo, SafeBox Neo and TimeShiftBox Neo. These can be combined on a single server or multiple servers, and can be easily integrated with third-party hardware and software in practically any IP, HD-SDI or SD-SDI configuration. Many companies claim to be developing open IP interfacing. Visit www.mediatech.vn and www.playboxtechnology.com Broadsignal’s Gerald Travers, “OTT content owners can now adopt a variety of business models.”
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Metro TV Delivers the Multilingual Scoop ESTABLISHED IN 2000, Metro TV took nine months to build a TV network focused almost exclusively on news coverage from Indonesia alongside news from around the world in both Bahasa Indonesian and English languages. It is also the only station in Indonesia to offer Mandarin news and soap operas. Although most of Metro TV’s content is broadcast in standard definition, the station does offer high definition streaming via its online channel. Fast forward to 2016, and Metro TV continues to provide news content through its 53 transmission sites to millions of viewers across Indonesia. Metro TV has always invested in its workforce through constant training combined with the latest audio-visual equipment. The network went on a buying spree from 2012 up to 2015 by acquiring a line-up of Sony camcorders including the PMW-EX3, PMW-300K1, NX70P and NX30P, PVM1741 and PVM-A170 OLED monitors, as well as the entry-level XDS-1000 Professional Media Station. One of the biggest acquisitions made by Metro TV was the Sony MCS-8M switcher. It purchased 19 units to be housed in its growing fleet of SNG vehicles, OB vans and flyaway units. “The MCS-8M switcher is affordable, versatile and fast enough to deploy anytime, anywhere,” said Trisilo Nugroho, Metro TV’s Technical Operation Manager. “It also scored highly in many aspects, especially the built-in PiP feature (picture-in-picture) and its durability. Even with Indonesia’s high
Another key consideration when making the acquisitions was that all products were able to integrate with each other, and with Metro TV’s existing equipment. This made crew training simpler and more efficient. Besides acquiring Sony products, Metro TV is also progressively upgrading its productions to a file-based workflow using XDCAM, as it recognises that this will help accelerate its journey into a digital and HD era. “Investing in the future is a big step, added Trisilo. “We turned to Sony, not just for its quality products, but also its proven expertise in equipping a future-proof TV station. Sony and its dealer, Galva, provided crucial product insight and consultancy to make our decision for investing in the future a
temperature environment and humidity, the MCS-8M never gave us any
straightforward exercise.”
technical problems.”
Visit http://pro.sony-asia.com and www.metrotvnews.com
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ASIAPACIFIC NEWS CHINA IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS has extended
THAILAND
the broadcast facilities at Zhejiang Radio and Television Group (ZJTV), China’s fourth-largest television network. Among the broadcaster’s outputs is the playout operation for three channels on behalf of the Best One home shopping company. Local systems integrator Century Sage Scientific implemented the solution.
BANGKOK UNIVERSITY, one of the largest and most established private universities in Thailand, chooses Etere for its broadcast student training system. The installation simulates an actual broadcasting environment and comes fully equipped to interface a wide range of third-party devices.
ZJTV added a Platinum VX digital video router and the Selenio 6800+ core processing and distribution platform, as well as Selenio X100 Series infrastructure equipment.
The training system is used by students who are interested in joining the broadcast industry. The installation comprises a playout system with Etere ETX, Channel-in-a-box, Media Asset Management and archive system.
VIETNAM VIETNAMESE CULTURAL TELEVISION CHANNEL, NetViet – VTC10, launches
INDIA ERICSSON’S AVP 4000 compression platform is selected by Tata Sky, one of India’s leading Direct-to-Home (DTH) service providers. The solution addresses the operator’s requirement for an encoding platform that meets the complex video processing demands associated with HD content. The platform will transform Tata’s service offering, and enable the delivery of 200 additional channels by the end of 2016.
SINGAPORE TOGGLE ANNOUNCED IT WILL BE THE
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first to launch Celestial Tiger Entertainment’s Mandarin edutainment kids channel, ‘Miao Mi’. As Toggle Kids’ first Mandarin channel, Miao Mi complements the existing premium content on Toggle Kids, which includes Disney, Nickelodeon and Da Vinci, offering a more holistic and bilingual edutainment experience. The channel will be added to the existing Toggle Prime package at no additional cost.
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Toggle is available on devices ranging from smart TVs through to smart-phones and tablets. Toggle is also equipped with a parental lock function, allowing parents to manage and restrict other types of content their children can view.
a terrestrial digital broadcast in the US state of California, under the system of the television station Kaza TV – one of ten units with a maximum coverage of over six million subscribers. Under an agreement between the two parties, NetViet – VTC10 channel is located at digital channel 54.5, covering the entire state of California, mostly in Los Angeles and several neighbouring cities, serving overseas Vietnamese and foreign audiences. Its programmes are produced in Vietnamese with English subtitles and its broadcast framework is in line with time zones in Asia, Europe, and America.
MYANMAR THE MONNECT GROUP in partnership with Shwe Than Lwin Media, builds Myanmar’s latest broadcasting station including a main on-air studio, back-up studio, production studio, and main control room. At the heart of the facility is Klotz Communications’ 75th Graphite Two console, making it the 225th Graphite Two console to be installed. The console comes in sizes from four to 32 faders and its modular I/O structure allows the expansion of the console at any stage.
JAPAN TEKTRONIX ANNOUNCES THAT Japan Business Systems, Inc. (JBS) has launched a cloud-based automated video quality assurance service based on the Tektronix QCloud platform. The new Cloud VIDEO POST service allows broadcasters, video content creators and providers to add comprehensive quality control of file-based content to their workflow, with minimal upfront cost and unlimited scalability. JBS provides a range of IT and business services to corporations in segments such as finance and insurance, mass media and entertainment, manufacturing, healthcare, and telecommunications.
KOREA NAGRA HAS ANNOUNCED it has extended its content protection partnership with Korean satellite broadcaster, KT Skylife, to include NAGRA’s anyCAST CONNECT solution. NAGRA anyCAST CONNECT will allow the KT Skylife to secure the expansion of its 4K Ultra HD service and implement a flexible two-way content protection solution across multiple networks. KT Skylife launched its 4K Ultra HD offer to subscribers in June 2015. Today, its 24/7 satellite broadcast of five 4K Ultra HD channels sets KT Skylife with a comprehensive line-up of 4K Ultra HD channels.
PHILIPPINES CONAX ANNOUNCES THAT Filipino payTV operator, Cignal TV, is deploying Conax Cardless content protection technology to secure its next phases of growth. Cignal TV transmits 102 channels including free-toair, SD and HD channels to household and commercial venues nationwide. It also offers a mix of 12 audio channels and an on-demand service through pay-per-view channels.
AUSTRALIA ACCEDO ANNOUNCES A PARTNERSHIP with Telstra to support the development of the Telstra TV+ mobile app on iOS and Android. Telstra TV+ allows customers to search over 25,000 movies and TV shows through Stan, Presto, and BigPond Movies, and acts as a
NEW ZEALAND AN AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY
Conax’ Cardless technology will provide platform protection for Cignal’s new generations of SD, HD and hybrid set-topboxes, including middleware from Inview.
remote control for Telstra’s Roku powered
The AR/VR Garage will be the Oceania base of the US-based VR Society, with the aim of fuelling Auckland’s growing AR/VR community which includes game developers, screen and film producers, animators, educators and digital storytellers.
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(AR/VR) development facility, the AR/VR Garage, has been launched in Eden Terrace, streaming device, Telstra TV. Having worked Auckland. The commercially focused with Telstra for a number of years, including helping to launch its Telstra TV device last year, facility’s rapid development was helped by international relationships forged during Accedo continues to work closely with Telstra May’s Tripartite Economic Summit Auckland on new customer experience projects. 2016, and Techweek AKL 2016’s Magnify VR/ AR Pacific Summit.
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New Sales and Marketing Manager APAC at Calibre CALIBRE HAS APPOINTED PENG WU as Sales and Marketing Manager, APAC. Wu reports directly to Richard Laberge, Vice President, International Sales at Calibre. Based at Calibre’s global headquarters in Bradford, Yorkshire, UK, Wu joins Calibre from several years in the local manufacturing industry working in senior management where he acted as the service point between clients and suppliers. Tim Brooksbank, CEO, said the appointment results from Calibre’s increased presence in the Asia Pacific region and China in particular. “Wu’s great knowledge of Chinese business culture and international business skills will
PO S IT IO N
VACANT
Sales Director, Broadcast & Media International opportunity, based in Singapore.
Our client is a global organisation and a market leader in the provision of equipment, technology and groundbreaking solutions for the constantly-evolving broadcast and media industry. They are a customer-focused, privately held organisation with over 10 thousand employees around the world. We are now looking for a senior Sales Director for their regional headquarter based in Singapore (Hong Kong is also an option), to provide both strategic and tactical sales & marketing activities across the Asia Pacific region.
Brief overview of responsibilities:
• Management of sales activities and performance of the sales team • Reporting on market trends
• Leading a group of sales managers and pre-sales engineers • Planning and executing regional marketing activities and exhibitions • Providing regular reports and updates to Regional Headquarters and Munich head office
Required skills and experience includes:
• Experience in managing and marketing complex capital goods in the Asia Pacific region with specific experience in companies operating in the studio and/or broadcast industry • Solid technical knowledge in the areas of TV reproduction & storage systems, digital film distribution and/or encoding & multiplexing solutions • Demonstrated success in driving and achieving sales revenues and achieving financial targets
• Appropriate negotiation regional experience and advanced written & spoken English language skills
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• Ability to travel extensively
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Applications in the form of CV and cover letter to Linda Green, Head of Executive at EP Australia LPG@epaustralia.com.au or email to obtain a full position overview. (EP Australia is the leading specialist Recruitment & Executive Search Company for the broadcast, media & Entertainment industry in Australia.)
provide great support to the team in what is the fastest growing market for Calibre. In particular Calibre’s OEM programme provides Chinese LED screen manufacturers with access to HQUltra class leading LED scaling technology under the auspices of their own brand. Wu is the natural interface between those Chinese manufacturers and Calibre.” “The Asia Pacific region is transforming the way companies uses LED display technology. I look forward to helping supplier and manufacturing businesses unlock their potential and achieve more with the right processing, scaling and switching technology for LED video displays,” added Wu. Visit www.calibreuk.com
Teads Expands Sales Leadership Team in Asia Pacific TEADS IS EXPANDING in Asia Pacific with the hiring of Christian Guinot as SVP of APAC, and Yukihiko Imamura as Managing Director for Japan. Teads already has a significant presence in Japan and recently announced US$47 million in new debt financing to be used for further expansion into the Asian market. As the former President of MEC China, Guinot transformed MEC China into a digitalised organisation and accelerated its growth strategy while fostering key relationships benefitting Teads in the region. As Senior Vice President of APAC, Guinot will be responsible for developing Teads’ market openings, operations and integration across APAC, from India to Australia. Guinot will report into Bertrand Quesada , CEO and co-founder. With over 20 years of experience in the technology field, Imamura has a vast understanding of the advertising industry, most recently serving as Managing Director APAC for Kenshoo. Prior to Kenshoo, Imamura led the business development at Dentsu, building strategic partnerships with third party technologies. As Managing Director for Teads Japan, Imamura will be responsible for driving strategic relationships with Japan’s leading brands, advertising agencies and trading desks. Imamura will report into Christian Guinot. Visit www.teads.tv
BroadStream Solutions Continues Investment in Asia Pacific BROADSTREAM SOLUTIONS has seen continued growth in 2016 and recently committed additional resources to Asia Pacific with the appointment of a new sales executive and creation of a new engineering position in the region. New Regional Director, Kevin Dowd, will be based in Hong Kong and is responsible for managing the overall business in the region, and spearhead new growth as part of BroadStream’s overall commitment to the Asia Pacific market. Mr. Dowd brings a wealth of experience to BroadStream, having spent over 20 years developing the broadcast market in China and throughout the Asia Pacific region for key companies in the industry including Kasenna, RGB Networks, Viewcast Corporation, Haivision and most recently, as President of Asia, for Media Excel. “We are delighted about Kevin joining us”, says COO David Bowes. “He brings a totally new dimension to the team and his resume speaks for itself. Kevin is a key figure in the Asian broadcast market and has already started to make significant contributions and additions to our pipeline in this important market.” In addition to Dowd, BroadStream has also recruited a new sales engineer for the APAC region. This is a new position for the region and will be responsible for supporting the company’s existing customer base as well as new customers onboarding through Mr. Dowd’s leadership. “By strengthening our Asia Pacific base in both sales and engineering, we are increasing our commitment to the region and building a solid foundation for the future,” says President and CEO, Herbert Brenninkmeijer. “Our investments in people will continue and has already proven successful. BroadStream has achieved 170% growth in revenue year on year over the last twelve months, and we will see revenue double again in 2017." Visit http://broadstream.com
Myanmar Satellite Forum to Address Broadcast and Data Services THE CHALLENGES POSED by evolving broadcast and data services are among the topics due to be discussed by more than 20 satellite industry experts and luminaries as they descend on South East Asia for the third annual Myanmar Satellite Forum. The programme will focus on Myanmar’s needs to enhance both its social development as well as the requirements of government, business, and the broadcasting industry. Confirmed sponsors for the December forum include representatives from Arianespace, Eutelsat, Gilat, Intelsat, Newtec, SES and VT iDirect, while Advantech, APT, Asiasat, Amplus and Network Innovations are all among those already signed up as exhibitors for the event to be held in Yangon for the third consecutive year.
at Novotel Yangon Max on Wednesday the 7th of December, and presents an opportunity to meet and do business in one of Asia’s most exciting emerging markets. “Satellite connectivity provides the networks of Myanmar with the opportunity to make key advances in social and economic development, and events like this are crucial to that growth,” said Semir Hassanaly, Market Director, Cellular Backhaul and Trunking, at Newtec, who will speak on the Backhaul panel at the Forum. “The Myanmar Satellite Forum continues to be a key event in our calendar and we look forward to attending again this year, with backhaul and broadband connectivity high on our show agenda.”
The platinum sponsor for the Forum is KBZ Gateway, whose CEO, Stephane Lamoureux, will participate in the panel titled, ‘What to expect from today’s advanced VSAT networks’.
The Myanmar Satellite Forum anticipates a keynote address from the Ministry of Information and from the Ministry of Transport & Communication’s Information Technology and Cyber Security Department, as well as panel discussions on the country’s connectivity deployments and provisions for enterprise networks.
Co-located with the CommuniCast Myanmar Exhibition, the Forum takes place
Visit www.myanmarsatelliteforum.com and www.communicastmyanmar.com
Riedel on Board with Sofia Express for Cambodia RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONS has continued its expansion into Southeast Asia through a new partnership with Cambodia’s Sofia Express. Led by Alain Guay, who has spent two decades working to help the country’s broadcasters address technology requirements, the company will offer Riedel products with a focus on bringing broadcasters, production companies, and infrastructure providers the benefits of the Artist Intercom, the MediorNet real-time media network, and Riedel SmartPanels. “Riedel is known worldwide for the reliability and versatility of its products,” Guay said. “Working together, we will bring Cambodia’s broadcasters valuable new options for signal routing and communications, in turn enabling them to realise more efficient and cost-effective productions.”
From its offices in Phnom Penh, Sofia Express offers sales, integration, and support for broadcast solutions, multimedia systems, television graphics systems, contribution and distribution solutions, and storage and archiving systems. The company will represent Riedel’s complete product portfolio. “Sofia Express has a long history and excellent reputation for supplying the right technologies for its customers’ needs,” said Cameron O’Neill, Director, Asia-Pacific, Riedel Communications. “Given the company’s technical expertise and its connection to local markets, we are confident MediorNet and other Riedel products will quickly become a critical part of many broadcast operations in Cambodia.” Visit www.riedel.net
MUSIC and Digitcontrol Partner for Thailand Distribution MUSIC RECENTLY ANNOUNCED the appointment of Digitcontrol as the exclusive Thailand distributor for its Lab Gruppen, Lake, Tannoy, Midas and Klark Teknik brands. Mr Thaweesak Thamsirisup, Managing Director of Vichai Group, commented. “We are delighted to welcome back Midas and Klark Teknik. We have previously worked with these world-leading brands and are honoured to be invited back to represent them.” “MUSIC is an innovator and a fast growing disruptor in the marketplace so we
are very excited to team up with them to deliver integrated audio solutions for our customers.” Added Thitikorn Sopchokchai, Director of Vichai Group. “We have a young and energetic sales team formed under the visionary leadership of Mr Chanan Koonlaboon to assist system integrators, dealers and rental companies with a complete range of product solutions so we will move fast in line with MUSIC.” Visit www.music-group.com
Euronews Opens Subsidiary in Singapore
Euronews Sales Singapore is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the integrated advertising network Euronews Sales SARL, based in Paris. The mission of the Singapore office will be to develop advertising and increase the distribution of Euronews. To meet this goal, Guillaume Canard-Duchêne has been appointed AsiaPacific Sales Director and Maxime Vandenbroucque has been appointed Asia-Pacific Distribution Manager. Guillaume Canard-Duchêne will be managing the Asia-Pacific Sales Department and heading up the subsidiary. He is responsible for creating and consolidating the sales strategy, with the aim of permanently establishing Euronews on the advertising market in the region, and increasing revenue. The priority targets are China and Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, the Southeast Asian countries and Australia. He is also in charge of leading and managing a network of seven sales
representatives based in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand. Previously at Eurosport Group, Guillaume, then based in Paris, headed up operations in Asia between 1996 and 2000, and from 2006 when he opened the Hong Kong office, and then the Tokyo office, which he managed until late 2010. Between 2011 and 2014, Guillaume was based in London, where he was Sales Director for the UK. Until he joined Euronews, he was in charge of Eurosport’s sales teams for western and southern Europe. Maxime Vandenbroucque is joining Euronews to take charge of developing linear and non-linear distribution with cable operators, IPTV, satellite TV providers and terrestrial broadcasters across the Asia-Pacific region. He will also lead a network of five local representatives based India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. Maxime Vandenbroucque, 27 years old, worked at TV5MONDE between 2014 and 2016 as Marketing Manager for the Asia-Pacific region. He also participated in regional development with cable operators and digital distribution businesses. Visit www.euronews.com
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TO REFLECT THE CHANNEL’S increased distribution to more than 23 million homes across the region and to drive further growth in Asia-Pacific, Euronews has taken a strategic decision to open a subsidiary in Singapore, its first sales office outside of Europe.
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NTT Com Launches 54 Tbps APAC Submarine Cable Network PROVIDING A BOOST to regional connectivity, NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com), the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group, has announced the launch of the Asia Pacific Gateway (APG), a high-bandwidth optical submarine cable network connecting regions and countries in the Asia. NTT Com has implemented the new service in partnership with major telecommunication carriers in each country. The APG is designed to increase data transmission capacity in the Asian region, improve connectivity between various regions and countries and improve redundancy by means of diverse routing. With a total length of 10,400 km, the APG network leverages 100Gbps optical transmission capabilities and digital coherent technology to deliver a capacity of more than 54 Tbps, the highest of any network in Asia. The cable routing avoids areas prone to earthquakes and typhoons, and has connectivity points in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. NTT Com has established two diverse landing points, one in the East and
New Caton Technology Offices for Shanghai, Hong Kong AS PART OF A REGIONAL EXPANSION programme, Caton Technology has moved to a new, larger office in Shanghai and opened a new branch office in Hong Kong. The new Shanghai facility provides increased space and resources for Caton’s dedicated work force. At the Shanghai office opening ceremony, Dorecast, a live broadcast service team used Caton’s LCP-300 4G transmitting systems and Caton's Live Cast Pro for real-time video transmission of the event via 3G/4G to Youtube Live and Facebook Live. Caton CEO, Ray Huang, said, “We are delighted that business growth in global has given us the ability to move to a new and larger office in Shanghai. Our goals are to create a favourable business environment for our employees and to further improve efficiency by consolidating our Shanghai office functions, both of which are essential as we expand our services to meet the demands of our customers who conduct business on
the other in the West of Japan for the APG and Pacific Crossing-1 (PC1) submarine cable which connects between Japan and the U.S. having diverse route such as north and south routes. The company has also implemented diverse landing points in Hong Kong and Singapore for the APG and for the Asia Submarine-Cable Express (ASE), which was launched in August 2012. This means NTT Com now operates totally diverse cable routes between the US West Coast and key economic hubs in Asia regions. Visit www.ntt.com a global scale, we can also take more opportunities to express our sincere appreciation for the continued support by our customers.” Jeffery Du, Senior Vice President of Caton's Shanghai branch and R&D department, said, "I welcome all the talented teams to this new and better office. As the head of R&D, this new office is providing us a better collaboration between engineers." Meanwhile, the opening of the Hong Kong branch office comes with the appointment of Dr. Karl So as Vice President, Business Development and Marketing; Rick Chan as Manager, Technical Service; and Kathy Ng as Manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications. The Hong Kong office details are: Caton Technology ( Asia ) Ltd., Room 09,3/F, Park Fook Industrial Building, 615-617 Tai Nan West Street, Cheung Sha Wan, Hong Kong SAR. Tel: +852 2889 1684. The Shanghai office details are: Caton Technology (Shanghai) Corp., Room 14E-H, Numerous Cities Building, No.818, Dong Fang Road, Pudong, Shanghai 20122, China. Tel: +86 21-5039 5100. Visit http://www.catontechnology.com
Telestream and Vizrt Announce OEM Agreement for APAC Region TELESTREAM, the provider of digital media tools and workflow solutions,
and Vizrt, the developer of real-time 3D graphics, studio automation, sports analysis, and asset management tools have announced an OEM agreement within the APAC region. The agreement enables the integration of Telestream’s Vantage media processing platform alongside Vizrt’s Viz One enterprise-class media asset management (MAM) system.
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Telestream Vantage is the foundation for a broad range of enterprise-class transcoding and workflow automation software products that allow content owners, producers, and distributors to quickly, easily and efficiently ingest, edit, transform, package, monetize, and distribute their media. Marketing Vantage and Viz One as an integrated solution provides users with best-in-breed MAM and content transcoding resources. Both products are market leaders in their respective categories and their combination in a single integrated system solution provides greater return on investment in terms of operating efficiency, cost, and scalability.
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Telestream Vantage offers a future proofed transcode solution for Vizrt – already the platform supports 4K formats and is HDR capable. Telestream is independent of companies that may compete with Vizrt, and its long-term development pathway for Vantage is guaranteed. A feature of both platforms is their open architectures and the ease with which they can be integrated alongside other third-party systems. Vizrt used the Vantage API to develop the integration between the two systems.
Currently the agreement applies to customers within the APAC region, although Telestream reports that both companies are investigating opportunities to extend it to other geographic regions. Already, the companies have received a strong positive response to the initiative. Telestream reports that it has secured a lucrative project in Bangkok with numerous other projects under negotiation. “Vantage is the ideal partner for Viz One in that it provides a proven, solid transcode solution that compliments our MAM technology without compromising any system features and functions,” commented Straker Coniglio, Vice President Media Asset Management APAC at Vizrt. “Furthermore, working with Telestream we have developed tight integration that can help our customers achieve more efficient workflows. Telestream has a great track record of catering to the needs of the broadcast industry that is easy for us to buy into.” “This is a win-win-win scenario for both companies, but most importantly for the customers,” commented Mark Wronski, Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Telestream. “We are two like-minded companies, each bringing to the party elegant technologies that add significant value to customers’ operations. The result is a customer-focused solution that is a really easy sell. We look forward to working together closely with our colleagues at Vizrt.” Visit www.vizrt.com and www.telestream.net
Singapore’s YuuZoo Buys One-Third of US-based Relativity Media
Headquartered in Singapore and listed on the SGX mainboard (SGX: AFC), YuuZoo has built a patented mobile and online technology platform offering localised, targeted social networking, e-commerce and gaming to consumers across all continents. Its reported revenues grew in the first half of 2016 with 242% year-on-year growth to SGD$81.5 million SGD (USD$58.6 million). “This deal has a tremendous fit where one plus one does truly equal 10,” said Thomas Zilliacus, Executive Chairman of YuuZoo. “YuuZoo has the ability and reach to deliver high quality programming to the smartphones, tablets, computers and TV screens of more 4 billion consumers. Relativity Media has a huge and growing library of world-class content in films, TV, sport, fashion and music. Through this deal, YuuZoo just became a full-service technology and content play. It is a game-changing deal for us and we couldn’t be more thrilled.” Relativity Media LLC is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, USA. It was founded in 2004 by Lynwood Spinks, and Ryan Kavanaugh – who still serves as CEO of the Company. The company has produced, distributed or structured financing for more than 200 motion pictures, generating more
World Broadcasting Unions Meet in Bali MEMBERS AND PARTICIPANTS of the World Broadcasting Unions recently concluded a successful one-day WBU Conference in Bali, Indonesia. The Conference was hosted by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) and the Indonesian public broadcasting service Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI). Major topics discussed included: • Public Service Media in the Digital Era: Responsible Practices including; content production (news and entertainment) media ethics, editorial independence, financial autonomy, and public accountability. • Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Media for Peace and Tolerance; by understanding the role of media in conflict prevention and resolution, strengthening human rights and democracy. • Sports Coverage in the Digital Age; new opportunities but old challenges of rights fees and outdated regulations and laws. • Low Cost Technologies for Radio & TV Broadcasting Services bringing the digital age to the developing world. • Saving Lives: Media on the Frontline of Climate Change and Disaster Prevention; the challenge for humanity in the 21st Century. According to Michael McEwen, Head, WBU Secretariat, “The WBU is proud to have held an event that could unite us all in furthering our industry’s goals of better serving our listeners and viewers. “Marshall McLuhan once quipped ‘the human family now exists under conditions of a global village.’ The WBU shares this view and remains committed to enhancing the coordination of national, regional and international efforts in establishing the best professional practices of our media services. This includes enlightening and informing our audiences in their local communities, but also in context of their region, country and the global world around them.” Visit www.worldbroadcastingunions.org
than USD$17 billion in worldwide box-office revenue and earning 60 Oscar nominations. The YuuZoo investment marks another milestone in Relativity’s comeback from bankruptcy after filing for Chapter 11 in July 2015. At the time, Relativity listed its assets at USD$560 million and liabilities at $1.18 billion. In March 2016, the company emerged from the bankruptcy and appointed a new president in the form of producer Dana Brunetti, whose credits include The Social Network, Fifty Shades of Grey and House of Cards. In addition to the studio, Relativity’s other key assets include Madvine, a major in-house marketing agency, the Netflix Rent-A-System, where fees are derived from “renting” Netflix Pay TV slots to third parties, and Relativity Music Group, a music producer. Relativity is also a player in film production and distribution in the world’s two largest markets, China and India. In China, it holds 90% of Skyland Entertainment, a joint-venture with Asian private-equity firm SAIF Partners and IDG China Media, the China-focused investment arm of Boston’s International Data Group, for the distribution of Relativity films and the production of films in China. In India, it holds 50% of Relativity BAU, a newly formed joint-venture with the Mittal family in India, to produce and distribute local language films in India. Relativity also holds a minority stake in Independent Sports, one of the largest sport agencies in the world managing professional athletes across the NFL, MLB and NBA. Visit www.yuuzoo.com www.yuucorp.com and http://relativitymedia.com
Hong Kong Reassigns 3G Spectrum HONG KONG’S Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) has announced that the spectrum handover among mobile network operators (“MNOs”) arising from the re-assignment of a total of 118.4 MHz of spectrum in the 1.9 – 2.2 GHz band (3G Spectrum) has been successfully completed. The term of assignment of the 3G Spectrum expired on 21 October 2016. In November 2013, the Communications Authority, after two rounds of public consultation, decided to offer, for the new term of assignment with effect from 22 October 2016, the right of first refusal to 69.2 MHz of the 3G Spectrum to the three incumbent assignees – Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT) Limited, Hutchison Telephone Company Limited (HTCL) and SmarTone Mobile Communications Limited (SmarTone). All three MNOs accepted the CA’s offer. The CA further decided to re-assign the remaining 49.2 MHz of the 3G Spectrum through auction. The auction was successfully completed in December 2014, and the spectrum concerned was assigned to HTCL, SmarTone and China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited. The re-assignment of the 118.4 MHz of the 3G Spectrum has fetched for the public coffer a total spectrum utilisation fee of HKD 6.9884 billion (USD$0.9 billion). The new term of assignment of the 3G Spectrum lasts for 15 years, to expire on 21 October 2031. In the meantime, the CA is consulting the industry and interested parties on the re-assignment arrangements for the 198.6 MHz of spectrum in the 900 and 1800 MHz bands upon the expiry of the existing assignments between 2020 and 2021. The CA conducted the first round of consultation in early 2016, and, taking into account the views received, the CA expects to launch the second round of consultation in early 2017, with a view to announcing its decisions on the reassignment arrangements by end 2017. Visit www.ofca.gov.hk
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SINGAPORE EXCHANGE LISTED YuuZoo Corporation Limited has announced it has signed an agreement to buy 33.3% of Relativity Media, one of the world’s largest independent movie studios and entertainment groups, with an option to increase its investment to a majority stake over the next 24 months. The deal is subject to approval from the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX).
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TECHNICAL STANDARDS www.content-technology.com/standards
ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer Standard Approved THE U.S. ADVANCED TELEVISION SYSTEMS COMMITTEE (ATSC) recently announced that the Physical Layer transmission system for ATSC 3.0 next-generation television broadcasting has been approved as a Final Standard, signalling that the standardisation process for the entire ATSC 3.0 process is nearing completion. ATSC members approved the ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer Candidate Standard through balloting completed recently. The ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer (ATSC A/322) offers far more flexibility, robustness and spectral efficiency than the current digital United States TV broadcast standard, which was approved by the Federal Communications Commission two decades ago. The new ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer allows television broadcasters to choose from a variety of transmission parameters so each station can tailor its signal to best serve its local market according to market and terrain. Key capabilities of the ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer include use of single frequency networks, multiple physical layer pipes, and channel bonding.
IEEE Standard Boosts Bandwidth for Cat5e and Cat6 THE ETHERNET ALLIANCE has hailed ratification of IEEE 802.3bz, Standard for Ethernet Amendment: Media Access Control Parameters, Physical Layers and Management Parameters for 2.5Gb/s and 5Gb/s operation. Enabling access layer bandwidth to evolve incrementally beyond 1Gb/s, it will help address emerging needs in a variety of settings and applications. Building upon the success of and laying out an upgrade path for 1000BASE-T, IEEE 802.3bz defines 2.5Gigabit and 5Gigabit BASE-T ethernet. It specifies ethernet media access control (MAC) parameters, physical layer specifications (PHYs), and management objects for balanced twisted pair transmission media found in structured cabling. Facilitating up to five times the speed without requiring expensive infrastructure changes, IEEE 802.3bz enables network bandwidth scaling. Visit www.ethernetalliance.org
AIMS Roadmap for IP Adoption Gets Official Nod from IABM THE ALLIANCE FOR IP MEDIA SOLUTIONS (AIMS) recently announced that its roadmap for the adoption of IP protocols for media applications has received the official endorsement of the IABM. This endorsement is indicative of the growing momentum for open, standards-based protocols that will enable the media and entertainment industry’s migration to a common off-the-shelf (COTS)-based network infrastructure for production and playout workflows.
TECHNICAL STANDARDS
“With over 450 suppliers to the media and entertainment industry in its membership, the IABM’s endorsement of the AIMS roadmap is significant,” said Mike Cronk, Chair of the AIMS board. “What we are seeing is a general alignment across the industry around one set of protocols for IP interoperability.”
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Peter White, CEO of IABM, added, “For a number of years now, the industry has needed a way forward to collaborate on IP interoperability. We are pleased to be standing alongside AIMS and wholeheartedly endorse the AIMS roadmap as the path that provides that way forward.” Open standards work for the IP transition is already underway by the 77-member Video Services Forum (VSF), with the support of organisations such as SMPTE and the EBU. AIMS endorses the work of the VSF and will continue to lend support in the development of a standard approach to IP. Visit http://aimsalliance.org
Selected technologies allow for data transmission with a wide range of guard intervals, forward error correction code lengths and code rates. Representing a major milestone for ATSC 3.0, final approval of the A/322 Physical Layer standard reflects the momentum behind next-gen TV. Work continues on the other elements of the suite of ATSC 3.0 standards. Earlier this year, the A/321 System Discovery and Signalling (colloquially called ‘the bootstrap’) part of the Physical Layer was standardised, and a number of other ATSC 3.0 standards are nearing the conclusion of the standardisation process. These Proposed and candidate standards will include video and audio compression, high dynamic range (HDR), wide colour gamut and immersive sound, closed captioning, advanced emergency alerting, security, companion devices, personalisation, applications and interactivity, watermarking and fingerprinting, and internet protocol delivery. Visit http://atsc.org
SMPTE Explores Next Generation Timecode THE SOCIETY OF Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) is hosting a series of Time Code Summits to gather user community feedback that will contribute to the creation of a new ‘Time Label’ standard. As the next-generation standard to SMPTE Time Code, widely viewed as one of the most important standards in the audio/video industry, the Time Label standard will address the emerging requirements of handling media across cinema, broadcast, theatrical, music recording, concert, live entertainment, and theme park markets. According to the Society, innovative media techniques such as higherframe-rate (HFR) video and media over internet protocol (IP) are testing the limits of the original SMPTE Time Code standard. It says the time has come to revise the standard to keep pace with new technologies and workflows. With a better understanding of how today’s professionals are using time code on a daily basis, SMPTE says it will be positioned to enable an efficient move into Time Labels. “If your job depends on time code, then you have something to gain by attending one of our Time Code Summits,” said Howard Lukk, Director of Engineering and Standards, SMPTE. “These meetings mark a significant step toward building a new version of what is arguably one of the most widely used SMPTE standards. They will play an essential role in ensuring that we receive the feedback from a broad range of users to create an improved standard that will stand the test of time. We encourage the user community to take advantage of this unique opportunity to contribute to the standards-creation process.” The first Time Code Summit was held on the 10th of October at the Linwood Dunn Theatre in Hollywood, California, while a second Summit took place on the 1st of November at BT Tower in London. A third Summit is planned for New York in November, with more locations under consideration. The Summits are hosted by Howard Lukk with support from the local SMPTE Sections. Visit www.smpte.org/timecode
TECHNICAL STANDARDS
Goldman New SMPTE President, Sugawara New APAC Governor governors for the 2017-2018 term. Matthew Goldman, senior vice president of technology, TV and media at Ericsson, will take office as the new SMPTE president on Jan. 1, 2017. Goldman, a SMPTE Fellow who has previously held SMPTE board roles including executive vice president, finance vice president, and Eastern Region Governor, will serve a two-year term as SMPTE president. He succeeds outgoing President Robert Seidel, vice president of engineering and advanced technology at CBS, who will continue to serve on the SMPTE Board of Governors as the Society’s past president. Other incoming SMPTE officers elected for the two-year 2017-2018 term include Patrick Griffis, vice president of technology at Dolby Laboratories and SMPTE education vice president, who will serve as executive vice president; Richard Welsh, CEO of Sundog Media Toolkit and a former SMPTE Governor, who has been newly elected by the membership to serve as education vice president; and Peter Wharton, vice president of technology and business development at BroadStream Solutions Inc., who will continue to serve as secretary/treasurer. Ten Governors, two of which are incumbents, were elected to serve in SMPTE Regions around the world. The re-elected Governors include Andrew G. Setos, CEO of Blackstar Engineering, who will continue to serve as a Governor for the Hollywood Region, and Douglas I. Sheer, CEO and chief analyst at DIS Consulting Corporation, who will again serve as a Governor of the New York Region. Masayuki Sugawara, executive engineer at NEC Corporation, will serve as an Asia-Pacific Region Governor. Sugawara was formerly Deputy Head of STRL with NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation. He will serve alongside fellow APC Governor John Maizels. Other newly elected Governors for the 2017 – 2018 Term include: • François Abbe, president and founder of Mesclado, will serve as a Governor for SMPTE’s Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Central and South America Regions.
• Brian Claypool, vice president of business development at Barco, will serve as a Central Region Governor. • Christopher Fetner, director of engineering and partnerships at Netflix, who has previously served as Governor-at-Large, will now serve as a Hollywood Region Governor.
New SMPTE President,
• George Hoover, chief technology officer at NEP Matthew Goldman. Group, will serve as an Eastern Region Governor. • Michal Koetter, vice president of digital media systems at Turner Broadcasting, will serve as a Southern Region Governor.
• Gary Mandle, senior product manager for Sony North America, will serve as a Western Region Governor. • François Vaillant, executive director of engineering and infrastructure at CBC/Radio-Canada, will serve as a Canadian Region Governor. Officers who were not up for re-election and who continue to serve on the SMPTE Board of Governors Executive Committee include SMPTE Standards Vice President Alan Lambshead, retired from Evertz; Finance Vice President Paul Michael Stechly of Applied Electronics Ltd.; and Membership Vice President William C. Miller of Miltag Media Technology, LLC. Governors who were not up for re-election and who continue on the SMPTE Board of Governors include Dan Burnett of Ericsson (Southern Region); Randy Conrod of Imagine Communications (Canadian Region); Bruce Devlin of Dalet (UK Region); John Ferder of CBS, Inc. (New York Region); Siegfried Foessel of Fraunhofer IIS (EMEA and Central and South America Region); Patricia Keighley of IMAX (Hollywood Region); John Luff of HD Consulting (Eastern Region); John Maizels of Entropy Enterprises and Productions (Asia-Pacific Region); and Mark Narveson of Artegis Law Group, LLP (Western Region). Governors-at-Large and directors of standards, education, and membership will be appointed by the Board of Governors at a later date. Further information about SMPTE leadership is available at www.smpte.org/board
Agama Technologies Joins RDK Community
DPP and NABA Unite to Promote Cyber Security
AGAMA TECHNOLOGIES HAS JOINED the Reference Design Kit (RDK)
THE DIGITAL PRODUCTION PARTNERSHIP (DPP) and the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) have recently published a joint document, ‘Broadcaster Cyber Security Requirements for Suppliers’, to assist manufacturers and suppliers in developing products aligning to modern cyber security standards, that are fit for integration into broadcaster facilities. The recommendations will be adopted by major UK Broadcasters.
community as a licensee. The integration with the RDK pre-integrated software solution will further broaden the applicability of Agama’s assurance and analytics solution to RDK powered set-top boxes. Analytics and automation based on large amounts of data are quickly becoming key tools for video service operators in order to drive operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Solutions based on data from client devices can support processes across an operator’s organisation, from technical operations and development, to service management and customer interactions. Agama’s client device monitoring and analytics solution processes real-time telemetry from many types of customer-premises equipment (CPE) such as STBs, phones, tablets and SmartTVs; and, it is integrated with most leading vendors of CPEs and players. As an RDK licensee, Agama is now in a position to further extend this footprint to the growing number of RDK-powered devices. The RDK software provides a common framework for powering CPEs from TV and internet service providers, including set-top boxes, gateways, and converged devices. The open RDK software solution enables TV and Internet service providers to standardise certain elements of a CPE software solution and also to easily customise the operator applications and user experiences across multiple devices. To date, more than 275 technology companies have joined the RDK community, including CE manufacturers, SoC vendors, software developers, system integrators, and TV service providers across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa. The RDK is administered by the RDK Management, LLC, a joint venture between leading pay TV providers. Visit www.agama.tv and http://rdkcentral.com
Broadcasters are now facing daily cyber assaults on their websites, IT infrastructure and systems. With this growing threat, the UK and US broadcasters have united to introduce a set of best practice requirements covering documentation and testing, authentication and security controls. The requirements were developed by the NABA Cyber Security group and supplemented by the DPP’s Cyber Security work stream (which includes representatives from BBC, BT Sport, Channel 4, Ericsson, Five, Sky and UKTV). They are available to download in a simple to follow format, and help to ensure that any services that meet the requirements will be safe to install and operate in a broadcast facility. The Broadcaster Cyber Security Requirements for Suppliers is the latest in a new series of DPP publications focusing on cyber security. This includes the ’10 Things You Need to Know About Cyber Security’ guide, and the DPP’s recently released ‘Supplier Security Checklist’ and supporting user guide. All publications are available to download from the DPP website. Visit www.digitalproductionpartnership.co.uk and www.nabanet.com
TECHNICAL STANDARDS
THE SOCIETY OF MOTION PICTURE AND TELEVISION ENGINEERS (SMPTE), has announced that its Membership has elected new officers and
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TAKING STOCK Moves in the business of content + technology
www.content-technology.com/mediabusiness
Harmonic Announces Comcast Warrant Agreement HARMONIC (NASDAQ: HLIT) recently announced it has entered into a
growth, and create value for our stockholders.”
warrant agreement with Comcast Corporation. The agreement provides Comcast with the opportunity to acquire shares of common stock of Harmonic based on specific CableOS and other Harmonic product sales and deployment milestones during the term of the warrant.
A warrant is a derivative that confers the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a security – normally an equity – at a certain price before expiration. The price at which the underlying security can be bought or sold is referred to as the exercise price or strike price. An American warrant can be exercised at any time on or before the expiration date, while European warrants can only be exercised on the expiration date.
“This agreement is a significant validation of our new product investment strategy,” said Patrick Harshman, Harmonic’s President and CEO. “We are well positioned to further strengthen our partnership with Comcast, drive new
Tessera Technologies to Acquire DTS TESSERA TECHNOLOGIES, INC., a developer of imaging and semiconductor packaging and bonding technologies, and DTS, Inc., have announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Tessera will acquire DTS for USD$42.50 per share, representing a 28% premium to DTS’ 30-day volume weighted average price as of the 19th of September, 2016. The all-cash transaction is valued at approximately USD$850 million. According to the companies, the transaction will combine market leading audio and imaging innovators with complementary products, technologies, customer channels and intellectual property assets to enable the creation of an expanded, integrated platform to invent the future of smart sight and sound. Upon completion of the acquisition, the combined company will be one of the world’s leading product and technology licensing companies, with over 450 engineers focused on developing next-generation imaging, audio and
Visit www.harmonicinc.com
semiconductor packaging technologies. In addition, the acquisition adds significant scale and diversifies revenue across end markets and customers. The combined company is forecasted to achieve pro forma 2016 revenue of approximately USD$450 million, nearly half of which will come from product licensing. The transaction will be immediately accretive to Tessera’s earnings per share and free cash flow. The combined company is expected to realise $15 million in annualised cost synergies within the first 12-18 months, and anticipates revenue synergies from the expansion of addressable markets and leveraging of complementary customer channels and technologies. Tessera intends to fund the acquisition with a combination of available cash and approximately $600 million of committed debt financing from RBC Capital Markets. The combined company will maintain a strong balance sheet with pro forma cash and investments of approximately $100 million. Visit www.tessera.com and www.dts.com
Vitec Acquires Wooden Camera for Consideration Up to $35 million THE VITEC GROUP has acquired Wooden Camera, a provider of camera accessories. Wooden Camera is based in Dallas, Texas, and is privately owned by its management team, Ryan and Elizabeth Schorman. Both will remain with the business post-acquisition. Wooden Camera will become part of Vitec’s broadcast division. The acquisition cites the opportunity to grow Wooden Camera through expanded distribution as part of Vitec’s global sales network. Also noted is the opportunity for Wooden Camera to benefit from Vitec’s manufacturing and product sourcing capabilities. As part of the acquisition, Vitec disclosed portions of Wooden Camera’s recent financial results along with the high-level deal terms. Wooden Camera generated an unaudited adjusted EBITDA of £1.9 million ($2.5 million) for the 2015 calendar year.
The upfront cash consideration is £15.3 million ($20.0 million), which is subject to post-closing adjustments. The deal also includes a potential earn out representing an additional £11.5 million ($15.0 million) of consideration. The earn out payments are based on Wooden Camera achieving “demanding” EBITDA targets for the financial periods thru the close of the 2018 calendar year. The 2018 EBITDA target is $7.3 million (this represents an almost tripling of 2015 EBITDA). Using the 2015 EBITDA disclosure, the upfront consideration values Wooden Camera at 8.0x 2015 EBITDA (not including the earn-out). The total consideration has the potential to value Wooden Camera at 17.5x 2015 EBITDA. Since more than 40% of the total potential deal value is in the form of an aggressive earn-out, it is more appropriate to focus on the implied valuation of the upfront consideration. Visit www.vitecgroup.com and www.woodencamera.com
Pay-TV Innovation Forum Releases Global Learnings from Industry NAGRA, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MTM, has published the global
TAKING STOCK
learnings from the Pay-TV Innovation Forum.
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The study confirms that industry participants believe that pay-TV, while still growing worldwide, has entered a period of significant change, creating both challenges and opportunities for pay-TV operators. 83% of executives state that competition is set to increase dramatically, as pay-TV companies, telcos and OTT service providers compete for subscribers. As a result, innovation is becoming more important for the pay-TV industry, with 82% of executives considering it to be one of the top three strategic priorities for the industry going forward, and 78% agreeing that in order to grow, service providers will have to innovate strongly over the next five years. Looking forward, executives cited strengthening their core pay-TV platform
by going beyond traditional services as their main area of opportunity by focusing on multiscreen/TV everywhere services (76%), new types of content (74%), and new content pricing and packaging strategies (73%). Just over half of executives also see opportunities in advance advertising and data (54%), as well as standalone OTT services (53%). Identifying opportunities for innovation globally, the research notes that many service providers have already started investing in new growth areas. North American providers, for example, see a significant commercial opportunity in new forms of content that appeal to millennials and generation-Z, such as digital-first short-form content, on-boarding of thirdparty OTT services, virtual reality and gaming. Visit https://dtv.nagra.com and www.mtmlondon.com
CASBAA 2016 2016
CASBAA 2016
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ACQUISITION www.content-technology.com/acquisition
O Sing Pui Sparks Weeds on Fire with Sony AS A RENOWNED CINEMATOGRAPHER and a member of the Hong Kong Directors’ Guild, and President of the Hong Kong Society of Cinematographers, O Sing Pui has directed and photographed several blockbusters. As a passionate and successful individual in the movie industry nominated for best cinematography at the Golden Horse Awards 2001 and Hong Kong Film Awards 2008, O has contributed to the scene by creating a new direction of cinematography. New Hong Kong filmmakers look up to him as a mentor who pioneered independent cinema by photographing milestone works including Bryan Chang’s ‘Before the Crescent’ and Fruit Chan’s ‘Made in Hong Kong’. Further, he has lensed Pang Hocheung’s first film ‘You Shoot, I Shoot’, ‘Heroes in Love’, directed by Wing Shya, Nicholas Tse, Stephen Fund and Vincci Cheuk, and the debut film of Derek Kwok, ‘The Pye Dog’. With his dedication, O recently co-produced 'Weeds on Fire', the winning project for the Higher Education Institutions Group of the First Feature Film Initiative (FFFI). Directed by Chan Chi-fat, Weeds on Fire is based on the success of Hong Kong’s first teenage baseball team in the 80s. Utilising Sony’s PMW-F55 as well as NEX-FS700R, O shared with us his experience with the cameras. Q: What format did you choose to shoot in, and how did you arrive at that choice? O Sing Pui: Although I had the option to film in 4K which was brilliant in terms of the resolution, I decided to film the movie in 2K for footage consistency. Not only does it save a significant amount of storage space, 2K footage was more appropriate for this movie which reflected Hong Kong in the 80s. Q: How would you describe the ease of use when handling the F55 and FS700R? O: I had no issues handling both F55 and FS700R. F55 was the main camera for this project. Although it is designed as small and lightweight, the camera body is sturdy and I did not fear that the camera will break apart when shooting action scenes. In terms of operability, I was extremely impressed by the intuitive one-touch interface and customisable user menu of the F55 which was pretty easy to manoeuvre. I prefer to have more options and F55 satisfied this area and aided me in my creative works as I do not have difficulties reaching my favourite settings.
O: I was awed that the quality of the footage met my expectation and I was confident during shooting that I did not have to check every shoot as we were pretty pressed for time. In addition, FS700R, with its superb dynamic range, supports raw file shooting and thus gives a great range to do colour grading. I felt that this was extremely useful for post-production. Q: Would you use these cameras again, whether for similar shooting situations or other shoots? O: Yes, definitely. The camera functions provided me with a lot of flexibility while shooting and serve the intended purpose for the movie. Although I had no time to review but I was confident that the footage F55 and FS700R will definitely match my expectation. Visit http://pro.sony-asia.com
A long-time user of Sony equipment, DSF found the workflow with Sony
VIETNAM NATIONAL STUDIO for Documentary Scientific Film (DSF),
the excellent build quality and reliable after-sales service, the workflow
DSF scored a first for Vietnam when it acquired Sony’s flagship F65 4K CineAlta camera to shoot tourism and nature-related films. The F65 is a camera inspired by some of the best directors of photography. With an 8K sensor, it is able to create 16-bit linear RAW output at 4K, 2K and 1080p. It records 60 frames per second 4K by 2K and 120 frames per second by 4K and 1K. It also offers a dynamic range that exceeds film. So what drew DSF to the F65?
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Q: Any other points about the cameras that you would like to highlight? For example, did you make any surprise discovery about the camera during the course of shooting?
Vietnam National Studio for Doco-Scientific Film Unveils First F65 a government-run facility situated in Hanoi, has almost exclusively used 35mm film. Fast forward to 2016, DSF, like many production houses and film companies around the world, is making the switch to the digital realm of 4K.
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Similarly, FS700R has a sophisticated ergonomic design and in my perspective, a better choice in terms of shooting action footage. I was also able to attach a wide range of lenses which gave me flexibility and aided me in creative expression.
“As we are shooting films that depict the beauty of Vietnam, it is only right to use the world’s best cameras. Another big draw of the F65 is the superb ‘filmic’ quality it produces, thanks to its super 35mm sensors,” Pham Thi Tuyet, General Director of DSF explained. “Our cameramen used the F65 with ease as it is very much designed and operates like a classic 35mm motion picture film camera, with far greater resolution, of course.”
products made the learning curve for their camera and tech crew easier. “We have been using Sony products for a long time, and beside integration between existing and new Sony products is almost seamless,” continued Pham. Besides the F65, DSF had earlier invested in two PMW-F55 4K CineAlta cameras. Unlike the F65, the F55 is small, light and modular, allowing DSF to build up the right configuration for each job or each shot. The fact that a government-run studio like DSF has invested in the top-of-the-line F65 and the F55 underscores Vietnam’s push to embrace innovation and technology. “DSF’s role is to portray Vietnam in the best possible way. We submit our films for European film festivals and we are very proud of our high-quality work,” added Pham. “With the cutting- edge technology from our latest Sony CineAlta cameras, DSF is confident of reaching new milestones in film production.” Visit http://pro.sony-asia.com
CASBAA 2016 2016
CASBAA 2016
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‘Luhan Reloaded:2016’ Concert Live Streamed with Blackmagic BLACKMAGIC DESIGN HAS ANNOUNCED that four URSA Mini 4K PL cameras and an ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K with the ATEM 1 M/E Broadcast panel were used by Guangzhou based Guangdong i-Mass Vision to provide a live feed of Chinese singer Luhan’s solo concert tour. The tour, named ‘Luhan Reloaded:2016’, was streamed exclusively by ME, a mobile live streaming app of China’s leading social entertainment platform, YY Inc. With the concert, fans were able to interact with the singer in real time on smartphones via the ME app during pre-show rehearsals and warm up, as well as during the show. The concert was also shot entirely on digital film cameras from Blackmagic Design. “Concert lighting tend to be complex, which brings you both extreme brightness and darkness at the same time. So we decided to use Blackmagic Design’s URSA Mini 4K digital film cameras for its wide dynamic range,” said Jiang Weizhong, Director of Guangdong i-Mass Vision. Four URSA Mini 4K PL cameras were used, with each equipped with a Blackmagic URSA Mini B4 mount. All cameras were set in film mode for the widest possible latitude. “Besides a much wider dynamic range, using the film camera for live production gives you another advantage because it includes an internal high quality recorder. This means even in live production
With the URSA Mini 4.6K shipping and more powerful features being added, which allow the ATEM switchers to remote control the camera, Jiang looks forward to exploring more possibilities with his Blackmagic Design solution. “We will also use the more powerful URSA Mini 4.6K camera in live productions and we believe its 15 stops of dynamic range can make sure more realistic lighting at the concert is presented to audience watching the show on TV or the internet.” Visit www.blackmagicdesign.com
Ventuz Announces Support of Stype Camera and Lens Tracking
ARRI IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE that development of the ALEXA SXT
STYPE KIT BY THE CROATIAN DEVELOPER, STYPE, is a tracking system
ARRI will now make good on its promise to provide upgrades to all ALEXA XT EV, ALEXA XT Plus and ALEXA XT Studio cameras shipped in 2015 and 2016. In addition to the originally promised upgrade program of a free-of-charge upgrade to SXT in Munich, ARRI has equipped its service stations in London, Los Angeles, New York, Beijing, Hong Kong and Mumbai to perform the upgrade. For those who received their XT camera before 2015, a paid-for upgrade option to a full SXT is also available. While keeping the sensor and user interface of the original ALEXA design, the capabilities of ALEXA SXT cameras (ALEXA SXT EV, ALEXA SXT Plus and ALEXA SXT Studio) have been extended. Equipped with the electronics and image processing of the ALEXA 65, SXT cameras can manage more recording formats and handle more processorintensive tasks such as calculating looks with 3D LUTs, or colour space conversions to Rec 2020, all in real time. The new ARRI look management offers a wide range of unique looks while making it easy to maintain and share the cinematographer’s intended look on set, in dailies and in editing. An optional mild noise reduction helps when shooting in low light. While all images recorded with ALEXA have been high dynamic range
that supports camera cranes and jibs, among them Stanton Jimmy, CamMate, MovieBird and Super Techno cranes. By integrating this system into their real-time graphics workflow, Ventuz widens its scope on virtual studio and augmented reality installations for news, sports, entertainment, and other broadcast scenarios. The Stype system allows production companies to repurpose existing camera supports for virtual and augmented uses with minimal effort. “We have been working intensely on giving Ventuz a firm standing in the virtual studio and augmented reality world”, said David Paniego, Product Marketing Manager of Ventuz Technology. “With Ventuz 5 we have added many functionalities to enhance workflows in this regard, especially when it comes to more realistic looks in 3D objects and HDR materials and effects. The integration of advanced camera tracking systems like Stype Kit shows our interest in these workflows, and presents Ventuz as one of the go-to graphic solutions for virtual and augmented projects.” Among these new developments for more realistic 3D real-time graphics are a live link between Ventuz and Cinema 4D, which allows the easy and dynamic integration of complex 3D models and animations into the real-time space. Additionally, Ventuz 5 features a revamped material and render engine, which allows users to get more sophisticated and realistic looks.
either a Rec 709 or Rec 2020 monitor.
“Finally, we can deliver Stype kit to some Ventuz users who were crying out for it. The integration was done remotely, and afterwards verified in our improvised studio in Zagreb. We are looking forward to giving Ventuz users the luxury of using a top notch tracking equipment for Virtual and Augmented reality projects,” said Stjepan Cajic, CEO of Stype.
Visit www.arri.com
Visit www.ventuz.com
since the camera’s introduction in 2010, it is now possible to also monitor in HDR. Four independent monitoring outputs provide the right
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Each of the URSA Mini 4K cameras output a 1080i50 feed via SDI. To colour match these cameras, each camera feed went through a Blackmagic Design’s HDLink Pro before entering the ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K switcher, controlled by the ATEM 1 M/E Broadcast Panel. “There are no white balance settings in digital film cameras as found in EFP cameras. However, using the HDLink Pro converters, we were able to apply a pre built LUT to each of the camera feeds for colour matching, which is a simpler solution.” Jiang explained.
ARRI Announces Completion of ALEXA SXT Development cameras (Super Xtended Technology) is completed.
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you get film quality footage from each camera, great for postproduction, without hanging an external recorder for each camera,” said Jiang.
image for each crew member, and each of the MON OUTs can output to
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Canon Launches EF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM
shot track-side, you’ll capture all of the action with the EF 70-300mm F/4-5.6
CANON RECENTLY INTRODUCED the EF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM – a
focal range, it allows you to capture portraits and fast-paced action, both in
IS II USM’s built-in Nano USM – a technology introduced with the EF-S 18 -135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM – offering fast focus acquisition and tracking speed combined with smooth, quiet operation. When combined with a versatile
telephoto lens replacing the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. The EF 70300mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM provides a 70-300mm focal range. Offering AF and optical technology suited for photography and movies, this lens is a welcome addition to any kit for users of the EOS System.
stills and movies. Nano USM makes the lens suitable for movie-makers, giving
Boasting a completely new optical design, the new system utilises one ultra-low dispersion (UD) lens element to reduce chromatic aberration, for sharp images with outstanding colour and contrast. When using the zoom, the lens’s four-stop Optical Image Stabilizer reduces camera shake and blur, minimising the need for a tripod and allowing you to shoot with longer shutter speeds and still achieve sharp shots. When pursuing the ultimate
distance, depth of field scale at various apertures, camera shake and focal
a natural look and feel to movies. The EF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM is the first Canon lens to feature an electronic Lens Information Display. The display modes include focus length. The display is useful for checking steadiness when you’re shooting at low-angles, while also allowing you to work out the 35mm equivalents when using APS-C and APS-H format EOS cameras. Visit www.canon.com.sg
Triptent Announces High-Speed Robic Camera System TRIPTENT RECENTLY INTRODUCED ROBIC, a robotic arm system designed for high-speed cinematography. Robic is a programmable camera arm that allows for precise, exact movement up to 168km/h to capture and follow motion in focus at 2,500 fps. The Robic system is now available for productions exclusively through Triptent, and is compatible with professional cameras including the Phantom HD, Flex 4K, Red Epic and the ARRI Alexa Mini. “Together with our longtime collaborator, director-technologist-inventor, Fernando Kocking, we decided to develop a custom solution allowing
Two of the robotic arms, together with the custom Robic software, are
our clients a way to create shots that we’ve never been able to capture
designed to control cameras, and two are designed to control objects.
before in-camera,” said Joe Masi, Founder at Triptent. ”With Robic the
The camera control arms can be used alone, or be programmed to follow
speed and clarity of the footage is incredible. We can follow the action in
the movements of an object mounted on another Robic arm for synced
real-time as it happens – a ballerina on pointe as she leaps into the air, a
capture. The system has also been designed so that camera arms can be
glass propelled by gravity as it crashes to the ground, the trajectory of a
controlled and programmed simply via a videogame controller.
baseball through the air.”
The Robic system is transportable and can be set up on a stage or on
The current Robic set-up includes four motion control arms, synchronised
location, and is already in use on commercial projects.
to capture a shot with precision even though it may just be a millisecond.
Visit www.triptent.com
Leader 4K HDR Option for LV7390 3G/HD/SD SDI Rasteriser LEADER ELECTRONICS EUROPE recently announced a new option for the Leader LV7390 4K-upgradable 3G/HD/SD SDI rasteriser. The LV7390-OP20 4K upgrade allows the LV7390 to support 4K/UHD programme production and post as well as 4x3G HD-SDI.
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Kevin Salvidge, Leader’s European Regional Development Manager said, ”HDR does not come in one universal standard so is a potential nightmare for producers who want to deploy this technology to improve the look and feel of their production.
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uses false colour to display areas of the image extending into HDR so can be used on non-HDR monitors. Potential issues can be identified without specialist technical experience. CINEZONE HDR reduces the need for retakes or additional hours in post-production. It allows producers to acquire content in HDR while ensuring content will not require additional re-working for standard dynamic range distribution. The CINEZONE HDR option also supports HD formats. Customers can purchase the 4K/HDR upgrade when their businesses require it without having to return the LV7390 to Leader or to an authorised service centre.
“ITU.BT2100 Hybrid Log Gamma was jointly developed by the BBC in the UK and NHK in Japan. It is a royalty-free open approach specifying the system parameters essential for extended image dynamic range television. These include system colorimetry, signal format and digital representation.
The Leader LV7390 is a compact 1U 3G/HD/SD-SDI rasteriser which
The upgrade includes high dynamic range measurement capabilities for the ITU.BT.2100 Hybrid Log Gamma, Dolby PQ and Sony SLOG-3 protocols. This capability plus a compact 1RU form-factor makes the LV7390 suitable for production environments that cannot accommodate a full size waveform monitor.
easy connection into 3G-SDI, HD-SDI and SD-SDI systems, the LV7390
Also included with the 4K HDR upgrade is Leader’s CINEZONE HDR. This
Visit http://leadereurope.com
can be used to measure up to four source channels simultaneously. It can be deployed for desktop or rack-mounted operation. Designed for incorporates full-resolution 3G/HD-SDI and DVI-I rasterised outputs which allow detailed video and audio parameters be checked on a separate monitor in full 1920 x 1080 HD resolution.
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Ideal Systems Expands Bonded Rental Service
camera positions for live events like sports, or news events such as elections. This is being repeated across the region. We recently delivered Dejero systems to broadcasters in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore,” said Fintan Mc Kiernan, CEO Ideal Systems, S.E.A. Region.
IDEAL SYSTEMS GROUP HAS ANNOUNCED it has expanded its coverage
The portable EnGo unit encodes the video live in the field and sends it live over bonded combinations of multiple 3G or 4G LTE, LAN, Wi-Fi and satellite together to create a secure IP connection between the remote camera crew and the Dejero virtual video switch in the cloud. Once in the cloud it can be routed live to the Broadcast Server at the broadcaster’s studios for output as HD-SDI into the production workflow, and can also be routed live in HD to social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube. “The Ideal-Live rental business has been growing steadily all year. A number of our rental customers have subsequently bought the Dejero IP newsgathering system and are now coming back to rent additional units to cover special events when they need more capacity, or to add additional
Mr Widi Kurniawan, Head of Engineering SBOTV, Indonesia added, “We see a lot of developments in media the industry specifically with live TV Broadcasting, so our need to deliver live events is increasing. We have experienced significant problems covering live broadcasts from some areas in Indonesia that are hard to access using SNG vehicles, so a reliable, lightweight and easy to transport device is more appropriate. We have found the answer to our problems by using Dejero, not just the technological advantage, but also commercially it is a budget friendly option for us.” Visit www.idealsys.com
Japan’s EXPO TV Builds 4K Broadcast Studio with Blackmagic
to travel easier around EXPO
BLACKMAGIC DESIGN RECENTLY ANNOUNCED that EXPO TV in
Yuki Sakanashi, from the
Osaka, Japan built a new 4K broadcast studio for EXPO TV, Osaka’s massive shopping and entertainment complex. In the studio, EXPO TV uses Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K, Teranex Mini, Teranex Express, Smart Videohub, Smart Videohub Clean Switch, SmartScope Duo 4K, HyperDeck Studio, Studio Converter, SmartView 4K, DeckLink SDI 4K, MultiView 16 and ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K.
technical department of Kansai
Shinji Noguchi, Mitsui Fudosan, the developer of EXPO CITY, explained. “The challenge in our development phase was how could we encourage customers to visit all parts of the facility, from restaurants, to theatres, through to retail stores. So we decided to build a dedicated broadcast station for the entire facility. We send beneficial information for customers in real time, such as event info from the shopping mall and congestion situations in entertainment facilities. We hope this leads our customers
around Blackmagic products
CITY and increase customer satisfaction, as well as being a unique offering not provided by our competitors.”
TV, a major broadcast station in Osaka, managed technical support for the build out of the new studio. Sakanashi said, “We decided to build our system since they give us the ability to move to 4K, plus Blackmagic makes each product work with others seamlessly. Blackmagic allowed us to build a high spec system without additional budget.” Visit www.blackmagicdesign.com
Hanoi Television Sets the Stage for High Definition
“The PXW-X320 was chosen as we wanted to increase our ENG coverage and lifestyle programmes and documentaries, said Ta Manh Quynh, Technical Manager at Hanoi Television. “Both purposes require a camera that is able to work fast and deliver outstanding image quality.”
HANOI TELEVISION (HANOITV) is now buzzing with high definition
To support the production needs for its ENG and studio productions, HanoiTV also acquired the PXW-X200 camcorder. The only handheld camcorder with 1⁄2-inch Exmor CMOS sensors, the PXW-X200 delivers high sensitivity, low noise and wide dynamic range even in challenging lighting conditions. “We focused on Sony camcorders as they are already part of our XDCAM workflow and integrate well with other products and software in our post production studios,” added Ta.
excitement. Currently, it has two TV channels – Hanoi1 and Hanoi2 – and three radio channels – FM90Mhz, FM96.5Mhz and JOYFM 98.9Mhz. Like many broadcasters across Vietnam, HanoiTV, established in 1954, is making the move from analogue to HD and aims to convert to HD for its free-to-air TV channels by 2017. The official television network of Vietnam’s capital, HanoiTV caters to over seven million viewers. Thanks to its excellent signal strength, HanoiTV reaches viewers in provinces within a 100km radius of the city. As part of its HD upgrade, the broadcaster built a new building housing new studios capable of handling HD productions. Recently, HanoiTV has acquired Sony XDCAMTM camcorders. A long-term client of Sony, the broadcaster purchased 20 new Sony camcorders to produce a wide range of original content. Amongst the camcorders that HanoiTV has invested in were the PXW-X320 and PXW-X200 camcorders. As part of the XDCAMTM family, both camcorders offer performance and features for a wide range of shooting needs.
The new Sony camcorders will go a long way towards enhancing HanoiTV’s production range, and join a long list of current Sony products HanoiTV such as the PDW-530 and PMW-350 XDCAM camcorders, and DSR-400 DVCAM camera. “HanoiTV has a wide range of Sony products at and we’ve been very impressed with their build quality, performance and good after-sales service. That’s why we have continued to invest in Sony products,” Ta remarked. Visit http://pro.sony-asia.com
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area for its Ideal-Live mobile bonded IP transmitter rental service to include India, China, Dubai, Japan and Taiwan. The cloud enabled rental service, already up and running in South East Asia since the start of the year, is based on equipment from Canadian manufacturer Dejero. Ideal Systems will now stock Dejero’s EnGo portable bonded transmitters and their Broadcast Servers locally in all of its twelve offices across Asia for immediate rental.
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Lens Metadata – Saving Time and Money in Production and Post By Les Zellan Chairman and Owner, Cooke Optics. METADATA IS AN INVALUABLE SOURCE of information in the content creation industry, enabling people to search, find and manage content quickly and easily. However, while the value of metadata is a given for archiving, it is largely overlooked at the acquisition stage. While some metadata from the lens is currently used on set for monitoring levels, there is so much more it could do that could save significant time and money during production and post. Smart lenses can ‘talk’ to other pieces of camera equipment in order to automatically and instantly calibrate controls for that lens when you plug it in, saving prep time. In post, lens metadata can provide crucial information for complex VFX work, working with tracking software to solve scenes that would otherwise have to be solved manually. In addition, lens metadata detailing how footage was shot would be extremely useful for future reconstruction work. Cooke Optics – which has over 130 years of experience in lens development and a Scientific and Technical Academy Award among many other industry accolades – recognised this deficit in lens metadata capture around 17 years ago. It set out to create a metadata protocol that would provide the industry with a digital open standard to gather and share lens data, ensuring compatibility from acquisition to post-production. The result was /i (Intelligent) Technology. /i enables monitoring and transfer of key lens data including focus distance, depth of field, focal zoom position iris setting, horizontal field of view, entrance pupil position and inertial data for every frame shot. It also facilitates lens calibration, lens synchronisation and post-production analysis. On set, this means that Directors of Photography and ACs can have a continuous remote readout of the precise focus setting, T-stop and depth-offield from electronics inside the /i equipped lens, allowing them to see the actor in front of them and the focus setting on the lens without even having to turn their heads.
Users can digitally record vital lens settings accurately, frame-by-frame, all synced to timecode, instead of having to manually write down lens settings for every shot, eliminating human error. Digital cameras that are /i compatible can talk to /i lenses directly via contacts in the lens mount. The /i Technology provides the framework. The extent of camera data made available is the choice of the camera manufacturers via their software and hardware. By feeding this lens data to post-production teams, they can not only save time and cost but also ensure a better quality product because the digital data provided takes the guess work out of many of their processes – the VFX artists can create effects and 3D models that are more accurate, with much greater speed. Cooke created the /i system as an open protocol in an effort to unify lens and camera manufacturers and create an industry standard. Many leading camera, lens and post manufacturers have signed up as /i Technology Partners, including RED, Sony, Panavision, ARRI, Canon, Fujinon, Zeiss and Angenieux. In order to maximise the myriad benefits of lens and camera metadata, the industry needs to unite behind standard protocols so equipment can easily communicate across the set and into post. With the support of the /i Technology partner manufacturers, the industry can promote the uses and benefits of an acquisition-to-post workflow and also add more valuable metadata information that can benefit content further down the production chain. Visit www.cookeoptics.com
Marshall Electronics Enhances HD POV Cameras MARSHALL ELECTRONICS HAS ANNOUNCED new additions to its range of HD POV cameras. The new CV505 Mini Broadcast Camera and CV345 Compact Broadcast Camera utilise next generation chip sets, which in addition to improving on all aspects of video production, support audio input for capturing local sound at the camera level. The CV505 and CV345 utilise 2.5 megapixel sensors to capture HD colour images at high-speeds with improved low light capability, when compared with earlier models. The CV505 Mini Broadcast Camera is built around a 1/3-inch 2.5MP sensor, set in a 1.5-inch body with 3.7mm (interchangeable) lens. The CV345 Compact Broadcast Camera also features a 1/3-inch 2.5MP sensor, housed in a 2.5-inch body with CS/C lens mount and DC auto-iris. Both models offer flexibility in HD lens options to achieve a wide range of angle-of-view perspectives.
Bullseye for Miller with Arrow X MILLER FLUID HEADS, the developer of camera support solutions, recently launched its new arrow X Series of fluid heads – the Combo Live Pedestal Series.
ACQUISITION
The arrow X Series is Miller’s newest line of fluid heads and a continuation of its Arrow Series. Each fluid head features the brand new CB PLUS, a sequential counterbalance design, which takes traditional counterbalancing a step forward, resulting in repeatable, accurate and rapid setup. CB PLUS features eight large counterbalance steps, allowing the user to get to their needed position quickly and efficiently. The CB Plus switch adds a half step enabling counterbalance refinement.
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This new feature makes the arrow X Series suitable for ENG, EFP, Studio, field OB, or any other use where frequent and fast re-rigging is required. In addition to CB PLUS, the arrow X Series delivers several additional features such as the ability to remove the clamp stud to easily mount the head on flat base surfaces such as sliders. Where extra rigidity is required, a Mitchel Base
These next generation models support embedding audio on 3G/HD-SDI and HDMI feeds simultaneously when captured via 3.5mm TRS stereo input (2.5V supplied power). The ability to capture sound at the camera level, such as chatter between professional athletes, the crack of a baseball off the bat, or the ping of a golf ball off the tee, expands the potential use case scenarios of the Marshall Pro-Series POV Camera line. Visit www.mars-cam.com/
adaptor can be fitted. All arrow X models come with 120mm sliding plate travel to help quickly re-balance changing camera payloads. Precision ball bearing supported pan-tilt movements help deliver silky smooth starts and soft stop fluid actions. Precise floating pan-tilt calliper locks ensure bounce free on-off locking. The arrow X 3 boasts a payload range of 1-19 kg (2.2-41.8 lbs), 16 positions of counterbalance and 5+0 pan and tilt drag positions. It is designed for lighter cameras used in ENG, documentaries and EFP applications. The arrow X 5 has a wide payload range from 2-21 kg (4.4-46.2 lbs), 16 positions of counterbalance and 7+0 pan and tilt drag positions. It is designed for larger ENG and EFP applications, including documentaries, drama and television commercials. Finally, the arrow X 7 has a payload range from 6-25 kg (13.2-55.1 lbs), 16 positions of counterbalance and 7+0 pan and tilt drag positions. It is designed for heavier rigs, including in-studio and OB applications. Visit www.millertripods.com
ACQUISITION
DoP Kei Takahashi ‘Jazzed’ to Use Blackmagic URSA Mini on KUHANA! ‘KUHANA!’, THE RECENT FEATURE FILM directed by Japan-based Takehiko Hata, was shot with Blackmagic Design’s URSA Mini 4.6K and 4K cameras and graded with DaVinci Resolve. ‘KUHANA!’ is the directing debut of Takehiko Hata, who is also a writer, script writer, and theatre director. Hata has written a number of scripts for TV dramas, and is the author of a novel that been turned into a popular television show in Japan. Following this success, Hata wrote the original script for a drama series ‘Soshite Daremo Inakunatta (And then there were none)’, which was one of the summer of 2016’s most talked about dramas in Japan.
Hata picked Kei Takahashi of KID Inc., as his DoP, who has been director and DoP for many music videos, TV commercials, and concert videos. Takahashi used the URSA Mini 4.6K to shoot most of the film, while for some scenes which needed multiple cameras he used Blackmagic URSA Mini 4K and Production Camera 4K. The film had many outside location shoots, where they could not use much lighting due to the budget and scheduling issues. The URSA Mini 4.6K showed its best in those low light situations. Hata said, “One of my favourite scenes is the night scene at the bus stop. I could not put lighting there but the shot is well lit by just the light from the bus. I don’t like night shots that are bright as night. I like the shots from URSA Mini 4.6K which show natural darkness, yet everything I want the audience to see is visible.” Takahashi added, “There is also a scene in a warehouse which only has a bare light bulb and very slight external light from the window. It amazed me that the camera captured a lot of the details in the shots. There are many shades of black, and URSA Mini 4.6K gives me the ability to capture them. “I mainly set my ISO as 800 and in extreme low light conditions, I raised it to ISO 1600. Also with 15 stops of dynamic range, the shots still keep
ARRI Master Grips EXPANDING ITS RANGE of ECS (Electronic Control System) accessories, ARRI recently announced four new Master Grip handgrips, which offer fingertip control of ARRI and third-party cameras and lenses when shooting handheld. Combining camera stabilisation with lens and camera control, the Master Grips are available in four versions: right-side and left-side grips, with either a rocker for super-smooth zooming or a thumb wheel for iris or focus adjustments. The Master Grips provide full control of focus, iris and zoom settings on cine lenses, including adjustable motor speed, zoom response and motor limits. They also offer a comfortable way to control the integrated servo motors of ENG and EF lenses (from ALEXA Mini/AMIRA SUP 5.0 – initially only iris support for EF lenses). Mounted on tripod pan arms or studio pedestal heads, the Master Grips can be used as focus and zoom demands for multi-camera setups, such as when using the AMIRA in Multicam mode. Camera control functionality includes user button access and REC start/stop for ARRI and third-party cameras, with the latter requiring the LCUBE CUB-1 accessory, updated with CUB-1 SUP 2.0. The Master Grips are easy to set up either via the integrated touchscreen or physical buttons. A multilingual display allows menus and status to be read in English, Chinese, Spanish or German.
KUHANA! DoP Kei Takahashi [left] with Director Takehiko Hata.
colours even though it was shot in low light conditions. “I mostly handheld the camera and shot moving around on set. The URSA Mini itself is very light weight, and the only accessory I had was the Shoulder Mount Kit and the Viewfinder from Blackmagic. I didn’t need any extra rigs, so mobility was excellent. The Viewfinder makes it easy to find the focus point. I cannot find other view finders that are compact and support HD. The false colour feature is great, too. I tried to make my shot not get too hi key nor low key as I wanted to keep the range of colours for grading, so I used that feature a lot during shooting,” said Takahashi. Shooting was done mostly in ProRes HD, but sometimes in RAW depending on the situation. “With limited shooting schedule and budget, I had the pressure to keep the shooting as quick and effective as possible. During post-production, there were moments I felt I should have changed framing of some shots. But, Mr. Takahashi recorded those difficult shots in 4.6K resolution which saved a lot of the shots,” said Hata. “It is a nostalgic story, so I made the look less saturated. As a writer, I see TV dramas. I often feel that TV dramas are too well lit. It does not apply to this film. I am happy that I get natural brightness and tones. The atmosphere and feeling that I intended to bring in the shots are surely there,” Hata concluded. Visit www.blackmagicdesign.com and http://kuhana.jp
Accessories include: • LCUBE CUB-2 - A miniature signal converter that integrates the 12-pin Hirose ENG protocol into the LBUS ecosystem. It provides two options for iris control: auto-iris from the camera or manual iris from a Master Grip. • Handgrip Extensions - Available in three lengths (80mm/160mm/240mm) and featuring a lightweight 15mm tube design, these extensions include a solid steel ARRI rosette and cable clips. • Pan Arm Adapters - Clamp adapters of various sizes, allowing ARRI Master Grips to be used on all common pan arms, including Sachtler, O’Connor and Vinten. • Rod Mounting Adapter for AMIRA - The new Rod Mounting Bracket RMB-4 attaches to the top-right of the AMIRA body and holds a standard 15mm or 19mm rod. It provides a solid mount for lens motors while retaining free back-and-forth movement of the sliding shoulder pad, viewfinder and handle for optimised shoulder balance. • Master Grip Case and Cables - The purpose-designed case can safely hold a set of two Master Grips, three motors, handgrip extensions, LCUBE converters and cables. A new set of cables, in dedicated lengths and with angled connectors, provides optimised cabling solutions for the Master Grips. Visit www.arri.com
ACQUISITION
‘KUHANA’ is located in Kuwana City in Japan. It is the story of children, living in small town with a depopulation problem, playing in a jazz band after an ex-professional jazz musician comes to their school as a new teacher.
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SPORTSCASTING Sport coverage worldwide
www.content-technology.com/sportscasting
Channel 5 Thailand’s Hitachi OB Truck BASED IN THAILAND, national broadcaster, Royal Thai Army Television (Channel 5) has taken delivery of a multi-functional outside broadcast (OB) production vehicle which was designed, built and commissioned by Hitachi Kokusai Turkey. Hitachi worked closely with its local representative on the project, Bangkok-based P.S. & Sons (Thailand) Co, Ltd. Based on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, the vehicle combines a compact and lightweight construction with some of the region’s most advanced OB production capabilities. The OB truck supports five Hitachi SK-HD1200 multi format HDTV production cameras and a team of six production engineers. Designed and built at Hitachi’s Istanbul facility, the new OB truck is suitable for use as a small, flexible production vehicle covering a range of sporting, cultural and entertainment events throughout Thailand, supporting productions where a larger OB truck would be impractical or cost prohibitive. Starting with the standard Mercedes Sprinter, Hitachi implemented extensive modifications, installing stabilising jacks, thermal and acoustic insulation, onboard air-conditioning and a purpose designed ergonomic working environment for the six-person team. All cabling is stored on motorised drums within the vehicle, meaning set-up and break-down of events is swift and easy. Hitachi’s next challenge was to specify and integrate the latest production technology from trusted industry vendors. Alongside its production cameras, which are fitted with Canon lenses, the vehicle includes Ross vision switchers and 3G/HD-SDI routers, EVS slow-motion servers, Inscriber, Inscriber character generators, recorders from Panasonic, Sony and AJA, Blackmagic Design HDMI-SDI converters, a Yamaha digital audio mixer and audio gear from Sennheiser, Trilogy, Genelec and Tascam. The truck’s production workflow is suited to servicing a number of events including outside news broadcasts, sports events, drama productions, religious
festivals and national cultural events. “We were first attracted to Hitachi by the quality of its cameras, which we saw being operated at the Incheon Asian Games, but then we became aware of the fantastic OB centre of excellence that the company has developed in Istanbul,” said Mr.Sumneang Noipasri, Chief Engineer of Technical Division at Royal Thai Army Television (Channel 5). “Their ability to meet our production needs so completely with such a relatively small vehicle is a big help. And the cost saving generated by this innovative approach is a big bonus for us.” Hitachi Kokusai Turkey reports that it has many similar projects in production and that this small form factor, high engineering capability is proving popular, especially amongst Asia Pacific region broadcasters. “Each vehicle we produce is individually configured to meet the needs of its owner – in this case we have packed an enormous amount of production technology into a very compact vehicle,” commented Koji Yuzawa, General Manager of Hitachi Kokusai Turkey. “We see this approach becoming increasingly popular in many geographic regions and for broadcasters both large and small.”
Visit www.hitachi-kokusai.co.jp/global/en/index.html
SPORTSCASTING
Live Sports Streamer DAZN Gets Graphic with Reality Check
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LEADING UP TO ITS LAUNCH in August, DAZN enlisted media technology provider, Reality Check Systems (RCS), to create a graphics and data integration production solution for its new live sports streaming service.
each market, which are distributed to each live program feed. RCS and DAZN
Part of global sports media group, Perform, DAZN is available in Japan,
the streaming experience for sports fans, a process enhanced by RCS. They’ve
Germany, Austria, and Switzerland via multiple connected devices, including
devised a brilliant solution that allows us to bring customers tailored graphics
smart-TVs, smartphones, tablets and games consoles. The platform has the
with Opta’s world-renowned sports data about their favourite players, teams
ability to play, pause and rewind anytime with no commercial interruptions and
and competitions in their native languages.”
no long-term commitments. DAZN viewers can access live coverage of more
“OTT is the future of sports broadcasting, and DAZN is leading the
than 8000 sporting events a year from top European football leagues like the
transformation. A Netflix for sports, it’s revolutionising the fan experience
Premier League, to US sports such as MLB, NBA, NFL, plus motorsports, tennis,
making an unprecedented library of live content available at the sports fan’s
darts and more.
fingertips,” said Mike Ward, Managing Director EMEA, RCS. “As a company that
As a key technology partner, RCS designed and built the solution in
thrives on innovation, RCS is incredibly excited to partner with DAZN on such
collaboration with DAZN’s team using a combination of custom software and
a groundbreaking project, and we look forward to developing our partnership
industry-standard graphics hardware. Taking real-time data from Perform
further.”
Content brand, Opta, RCS’ Foundation data-management solution parses
Visit www.dazn.com, www.performgroup.com, www.realitychecksystems.com
relevant information and powers informative graphics templates tailored to
will continue collaborating to expand the solution’s capabilities as the service evolves. Jamie Rice, Chief Operating Officer at DAZN Japan said, “DAZN personalises
SPORTSCASTING
CONTROL COMMUNICATE
INTERCOMANDMEDIORNETCONTROL SMARTPANEL RSP-2318
RIEDEL widens its SMARTPANEL app portfolio with the new MEDIORNET CONTROL app. Switch video, audio or combine in macros… all while using your intercom.
www.riedel.net
SPORTSCASTING
TOGETHER IN ONE DEVICE
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SPORTSCASTING
AsiaSat Takes on XTreme Videofor ‘4K-SAT’ UHD Channel ‘4K-SAT’, THE ULTRA-HD CHANNEL operated by Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. (AsiaSat) will be broadcasting premium extreme and outdoor content from XTreme Video on AsiaSat 4. XTreme Video produces 4K content for extreme sports fans worldwide. Its UHD content on 4K-SAT will include the mountain biking series ‘MTB Insights’ and the freestyle motocross show ‘Masters of Dirt’. “The brilliance of 4K definition truly comes into its own when the subject matter is as visually captivating as extreme and outdoor programming. We’re committed to bringing the highest quality programming to audiences around the globe, via partnerships with platforms, broadcasters and partners like AsiaSat,” said Joe Nilsson, Senior Director of Business Development at XTreme Video. “XTreme Video offers exciting, adrenaline pumping programs that are very popular amongst viewers of all ages that are interested in extreme sports. We want to bring an immersive quality viewing experience to viewers via our platform on AsiaSat 4,” said Sabrina Cubbon, Vice President, Marketing and Global Accounts of AsiaSat. Visit www.x-tremevideo.com and www.asiasat.com
Echo Sports Network Chooses PlayBox Technology PLAYBOX TECHNOLOGY HAS ANNOUNCED it has been deployed by the Echo Sports Network (ESN) to power a new sports channel dedicated to promoting amateur sports. Based in Canberra, Australia, ESN offers sports teams and clubs the opportunity to promote themselves via media streaming solutions. ESN chose the PlayBox AirBox Neo channel-in-a-box (CiaB) from Redwood’s Technology Solutions because of its ease of use and maturity in the playout market. ESN is all about athletes and sports in Australia. It is geared toward less common or niche sports that don’t have access to the kind of media attention and funding other sports enjoy. “We needed a software solution we could use on our existing servers and something that was cost-effective to kick-off,” said Lyle Cameron from ESN. “We have ambitious growth plans and PlayBox has CloudAir, the
IP-based remote management system that we plan to introduce in the future.” Making innovative use of internet based technology and PlayBox’s advanced IP playout server, ESN is providing a mechanism for amateur sports to reach out to fans. Whether regular season games, finals series, or elite competition, fans can watch all the action on their platform of choice. The PlayBox AirBox Neo content playout system supports UHD, HD and SD in a single server. Features include streaming inputs HTTP, HTTP Secure, UDP, RTMP, MMS, MMSH, YouTube and RTMP streaming output for easy web streaming. AirBox Neo comes with a virtual output which supports multiple instances. AirBox Neo is designed for unattended operation. It can also be operated manually, including the ability to handle live-to-air throughput. Visit www.playboxtechnology.com and www.redwoodstech.com
Korean Baseball Hits it Out of the Park with Grass Valley FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, the Korean Baseball Organisation (KBO) has been relying on third-party broadcast feeds to review close plays and make judgement decisions. With little control or consistency in this process, KBO was looking for a way to improve and standardise its video replay process. After evaluating its options, KBO selected nine K2 Dyno Universe Replay Systems with K2 Summit 3G media servers from Grass Valley.
SPORTSCASTING
KBO worked closely with SAMA GVC, Grass Valley’s channel partner in Korea, for purchase, training and service. The systems have been installed in all nine KBO stadiums across Korea and are being operated from a single remote control centre in Seoul where baseball officials can review any plays as needed.
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“Until now, we’ve had to ask our broadcast partners to show us the replays so we can review close calls,” said Jongwan Lee, Team Manager of the SPOTV operations group in charge of KBO project management. “This often caused delays as we requested different views, speeds or angles. Now we can control the video feeds ourselves and use the slo-mo capability to get the necessary views.” With up to five games on any single day, KBO is able to manage all the video feeds with ease. Each K2 Summit media server can ingest 12 video feeds, including a multiviewer feed and multiple channels of video, which will be patched to the central control centre via an IP encoder/decoder. The central
control centre has access to the video sources from every stadium and can control all the feeds with fewer operators. The K2 Dyno Universe is available in a 4RU system with 24 channels or a 6RU system with 36 channels. Both systems are optimised for 6X or 4K operation and are fully 6X and 4K switchable, using the same number of operators to reduce OPEX. What’s more, the K2 Dyno is remarkably easy to learn and use. With an intuitive touchscreen interface, shuttle knob and Grass Valley T-bar, operators can create engaging replays and highlight packages or play action back for officiating review. Plus, sharing content is easy with the K2 media server infrastructure and increased content/ metadata integration, while K2 Dyno’s AnySpeed technology enables smooth playback. “KBO’s needs were very specific and the K2 Dyno Universe replay system combined with the K2 Summit servers is an ideal solution for the group,” said Andrew Thornton, Vice President of Sales, Asia Pacific, Grass Valley. “Working with our channel partner in the area, we’ve been able to supply the perfect replay system for KBO’s centralised solution that provides exactly what is needed in all nine stadiums at any given time. It’s going to be an exciting baseball season in Korea.” Visit www.grassvalley.com
SPORTSCASTING
The Gold Coast Diaries – Chapter 1 by Jeff Coleman SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 4 2016. QANTAS LOUNGE, MELBOURNE AIRPORT. Waiting to board QF880 to the Gold Coast, I review a section of the broadcast venue plan for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. It’s the second version our team will submit, and incorporates some fine tuning that occurred over the past six weeks while I was in Rio, working as technical manager on NEP’s turnkey Olympic Games broadcast for the Seven Network. My time since January has been split between the two events, and with other NEP colleagues now focused on the Paralympics it’s a good point for me to move onto the Gold Coast project full-time. I’ve had my eyes on Gold Coast 2018 almost since the beginning, being part of the team that put together the successful tender for the Host Broadcast contract. In fact, my first duty when I joined NEP last July was obtaining pricing for the specialty cameras and radio frequency equipment The GC2018 Host Broadcaster will deliver high definition, multi-camera television coverage of 11 days of sporting competition in April 2018, along with the Opening and Closing Ceremonies – with the Opening Ceremony also to be produced in ultra high definition 4K – a Commonwealth Games first. The Host Broadcaster will also design, build and operate the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), the nexus of all GC2018 broadcasting activity, to be located at the Gold Coast Exhibition and Convention Centre. Because our team is so experienced, with extensive multi-venue events to their credit, we’re tracking to plan, and in certain areas we’re ahead of schedule. Throughout the year we’ve been participating in GOLDOC (Gold Coast Games Organising Committee) venue operational planning sessions, as well as site surveys where possible. Close cooperation with the OC is key, and a big part of the reason things are humming eight months into our 27-month schedule. We know from previous Games that preparation gets the event off to the right start, and a core team of five commenced work immediately upon NEP
The afternoon will be spent catching up with the rest of the team and also evaluating expressions of interest in providing production vehicles and flyaway kits, including prime inventory such as large cameras, lenses, EVS record and replay channels, and audio requirements. Another priority is progressing camera system plans for the Aquatic Centre. The venue has no roof, which entails lighting and camera angle challenges. As the dive and swimming pools are adjacent to one another we’re modelling whether we can span both pools with a single, four-point camera system. As far as we’re aware this has never been done in an event like the Commonwealth Games. I wasn’t the only NEP team member working on both Rio and GC2018, and know everyone will be glad to focus on this project full-time. A number of critical decisions will be made in the coming months as we look to break the mould, develop new angles and make full use of technologies, while also keeping to a strict budget. Looking down on Coolangatta Beach as the plane descends, I look forward to checking into my hotel and then a swim in the Broadwater – whether
Australia winning the bid. By February we were sharing space at GOLDOC’s
I make it to Southport Aquatic Centre for my usual early morning coffee
offices in the Ashmore TAFE.
tomorrow is jet-lag dependent. On average, before Rio I was on the Gold
We moved into our office in Bundall in March. Our team currently numbers 21 between full-time local staff and those flying in and out from Sydney or Melbourne. Unusually for a Host Broadcast office, we’ll stay here as we grow, rather than re-locate closer to Games time, as Bundall is convenient to key places and can accommodate around 25 people. At operational
Coast every other week, depending on requirements. It’s likely I’ll spend three in every four weeks here this side of Christmas. My wife and son are used to me being away, however they are coming up in the school holidays to look at schools and places to live for 2017/18 – and we are all excited about that.
stage we’ll move into the IBC.
For all the pressure and time away from home that go with this job, more
Having just returned from Rio and doing my best with jet-lag, I’ve
than anything I feel privileged. It’s a dream to work on one of the world’s
scheduled my first meeting for 11am tomorrow with John Galea and Mark
premier broadcast events alongside colleagues I know and trust, and
Corser, our coordinating venue technical managers, and commentary
who are best-of-the-best at what they do, and to have my family here for
systems manager, Andrew Angeli. We’ll be discussing telecoms circuits
support.
for many of the 23 venues on the Gold Coast, including the IBC and Commonwealth Games Village. In May I’d drafted the initial telecom services document. While I’ve been away Andrew has overhauled the schematics, and we’re about to test various commentary systems with a
Jeff Coleman is Head of Engineering and Technical Operations for NEP Australia, Host Broadcaster of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. This is the first in a series of reports for Content+Technology in which Jeff will outline the
view to signing off on one as soon as possible. This is one element that
26-month project’s objectives and milestones. The GC2018 Host Broadcaster
will help us finalise our proposed rate card to GOLDOC, so broadcast
– led by NEP Host Broadcast with support of production partners Seven
rights holders will know the pricing structure for space in the IBC, options
Network and Sunset+Vine – will deliver the television and digital broadcast to
for customising their respective spaces, and the broadcast, satellite and
rights-holding broadcasters around the world – all up some 1,100 hours of live
internet services needed to facilitate their coverage of the Games.
television.
SPORTSCASTING
that will be required.
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SPORTSCASTING
Sony’s High-Frame-Rate Tech for 4K Sport SONY HAS INTRODUCED two new technologies that allow professionals to incorporate high dynamic range (HDR) and high-frame-rate (HFR) content into a 4K live sports production workflow. Sony’s HDC-P43 point of view (POV) camera, which uses the same imager and camera circuitry as the HDC-4300, supports 4K HDR and HFR. Lightweight (2.0kg; camera body only) and compact (119 W x 140 H x 212 D mm), the POV camera can be mounted in positions where HD POV cameras are now used – crane, rail, goalpost – to capture action shots from unique angles with up to 8x HD or 2x 4K. In addition, Sony’s HDRC-4000 HDR production converter unit, designed for simultaneous live 4K HDR and HD SDR content production workflows, eliminates the need for independent workflows on the same event and effectively reduces production time and costs. Live sports productions need to handle a variety of sources easily and efficiently, from HD and 4K to HDR and HFR formats. These new technologies resolve many of the challenges traditionally associated with live production, adding new story-telling tools alongside maximum production value.” Based on Sony’s recommended S-Log3 and BT.2020 production workflow for 4K HDR live production, the unit is able to do real-time conversions to the appropriate delivery formats for various applications (broadcast, OTT, public viewing), as well as formats for input (OETF/EOTF, colour space, HDR/SDR and resolution), including conventional HD content production and video signals, without compromising picture quality. Using a specialised algorithm, the HDRC-4000 can ensure accurate format conversion of content produced in S-Log3 and BT.2020, to match the required distribution format and delivers creators’ intention to audience as it is. Its compact 1.5U body can support two-channel conversion as well. The solution enables broadcasters and productions to enjoy HDR image production as well as conventional 4K SDR and HD production. A typical SR Live for HDR sports production workflow is configured with a 4K/HD live camera system (e.g. HDC-4800, HDC-4300 or HDC-P43 with S-Log3) alongside Sony’s award winning BVM-X300 for HDR monitoring. Now, the addition of the HDRC-4000 ensures a perfect EOTF conversion that retains the original image quality intended by production. Sony’s HDC-P43 is equipped with a three-chip, 2/3 inch 4K image sensor and can deliver 2x slow-motion at 4K, and 8x super-slow motion in HD in conjunction with a 4K live server. The new camera complements Sony’s
Sony’s HDC-P43 POV camera.
current line of sports production technologies – the HDC-4300 or HDC4800 4K/HD live camera systems and the PWS-4500 4K live server. Further, Sony’s Share Play feature that is incorporated into its latest sports production technologies, allows a single operator to control editing and output of slowmotion highlights with file-sharing capabilities over a single network (10G or faster), linking a Sony 4K live camera system with a video server. The latest POV camera also features a built-in fibre adaptor, offering all the interface functions necessary for live production and studio shooting – tally signal, return image, and teleprompter output – by connecting with Sony’s BPU-4000, BPU-4500 baseband processor unit or HDCU-4300 camera control unit. Using single-mode fibre cable, the connection distance between the camera head and baseband processor can be extended up to five kilometres. This increases efficiency when there is a significant distance between the stadium and OB truck, or when shooting overhead views of a playing field. Sony’s HDC-P43 is HDR and HFR ready, supporting ITU-R BT.2020 colour space and S-Log3 for high brightness and high contrast imagery. The latest POV camera is also highly configurable using optional software licenses, available for 4K and HFR capture. This allows for a customisable solution for HD, 4K, HDR, and HFR live productions. For 4K/HD live production needs, Sony’s growing line-up of products – camera systems, servers, switchers, monitors, pro audio, archive systems, and more – enables broadcasters and producers to configure powerful HD and 4K HDR and HFR capable systems, to meet a wide variety of applications and budgets. Visit http://pro.sony-asia.com
SPORTSCASTING
Lawo-equipped CCTV OB Van ready for production
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COMBINING TWO AMBITIONS in one project, China Central Television (CCTV) has put a new audio OB van into service, simultaneously raising its sound production values and field testing the latest Lawo broadcast technologies.
mc²66, which will be used to broadcast the conference of G20 in Hangzhou Zhejiang Province, China on 4th – 5th September 2016. These have paved the way for the selection of a 32-fader Lawo mc²56 mixing console for the new audio-only OB vehicle.
With 45 TV and radio channels and an audience of more than one billion, the Chinese state broadcaster is in a commanding position with its news, documentary, comedy, entertainment, drama and sports programming. The OB van build is being co-ordinated by main contractor NDT, to serve both sports events and live music concerts.
This first use of an mc²56 console, using a core with 8192x8192 capacity and 288 DSP channels and RAVENNA/AES67 compatible interfaces, is accompanied by a local Lawo DALLIS stagebox and a further DALLIS stagebox that can be used remotely from the vehicle. Together, these elements will give CCTV a hybrid audio OB van using both MADI and IP connectivity, with full operational redundancy and high-quality sound. It will also integrate Waves SoundGrid, to allow the use of a wide selection of plug-ins.
CCTV has been using Lawo mixing consoles since 2008, and is very satisfied with their stability and reliability in mission critical on-air broadcast and sports production environments, and also their ease of operation. There are presently four 400-sq-m production studios and three news studios using Lawo mc²66 audio mixing consoles at CCTV’s iconic headquarters in Beijing as well as one EFP system with another
The OB van project began in January 2016, the order was placed with Lawo in June, and was completed in July. Visit www.lawo.com
NEWS OPERATIONS www.content-technology.com/newsoperations
SBS News Opens Window on the World with Panasonic USING PANASONIC TECHNOLOGY, Australia’s SBS TV has enhanced the delivery of its flagship SBS World News broadcast, with the Sydney news production studio now featuring a large format LED screen to display high-resolution graphics during broadcasts. Digital content ranges from maps and weather, to finance and property reports, through to displaying breaking news. SBS’s mission is to provide multilingual, multicultural and indigenous radio, television and digital media services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians while reflecting Australia’s cultural diversity. The new LED display complements the studio’s full High Definition (HD) upgrade, with a 1920 x 1080 resolution as well as a 1.4mm pixel pitch to support extra fine detail. The screen spans an impressive 2.8 x 1.6 metres, and is able to provide up to 800nits of brightness, which can be adjusted to suit the broadcaster’s requirements. The installed solution is the first Panasonic full HD LED display of its kind to be installed in Australia. Noel Leslie, Chief Technology Officer at SBS said, “The previous 3 x 3 interactive news screen wall became outdated and no longer serviced the needs of our news production. The new LED display provides SBS with significantly enhanced technology to further integrate interactive motion graphics and high resolution images in the news and current affairs offering for our audiences.” SBS required a solution to produce map graphics and showcase real or moving images on screen to support its news reporting, which the screen is able to deliver seamlessly in full HD. The new screen is already in operation and is used in a variety of news and current affairs programming. This includes the 6.30pm weekday edition of SBS World News hosted by Anton Enus and Janice Petersen, and the SBS World News Late Edition. Ricardo Goncalves delivers most of his finance report standing in front of the screen. The screen also seen on Monday night’s football wrap-up ‘The World Game’, and is also being used for social media interaction for National Indigenous Television’s (NITV), ‘The Point’. Panasonic worked closely with SBS to manage the entire process, from initial consultation, to reviewing and testing potential solutions within the studio,
through to the final installation. The system is backed up by a support and maintenance agreement and component warranty, with annual reviews designed to keep the panel looking exceptional and well-maintained. The display has a slim footprint and has been installed as a free-standing structure suitable for the studio installation where space is limited. All components can be serviced from the front, and because it is comprised of smaller LED modules, individual sections can be replaced within seconds, all while the screen is still operating. These modules are attached to the front of a magnetic frame, meaning there is no need to install expensive customised brackets. Grant Stewart, National Manager, Professional Services at Panasonic, said, “We’re very proud to support SBS and the SBS World News broadcast with the latest in LED technology. SBS provides a respected service to millions of Australian viewers, and our screen is designed to complement this with reliable and flexible operation for many years to come.” Visit http://www.panasonic.com/sg/business.html
Thai Public Broadcasting Delivers the News with AVIWEST AVIWEST HAS ANNOUNCED that Thai Public Broadcasting
transmit live or recorded video over bonded cellular networks while
Service (TPBS) has chosen AVIWEST’s DMNG RACK180 advanced hybrid
driving, in bad weather, and despite congested network conditions.
distribution platform, and QUAD wideband antennas to improve video quality and lower distribution costs for live breaking news. Residing in TPBS’s digital cellular newsgathering (DCNG) van, the AVIWEST equipment allows TPBS to transmit live SD and HD video content via
AVIWEST’s DMNG StreamHub enables reception of multiple concurrent incoming streams from the DMNG PRO, DMNG RACK, DMNG Laptop encoders, and DMNG APP smartphone applications (Android and iOS), as well as from third-party IP streaming equipment. The application features
cellular bonded 3G/4G networks, all while maintaining exceptional signal
a web-based user interface that enables control of a fleet of remote
quality. The newsgathering van was designed by Thai company, Strong
encoders and transmitters, and optimises the monitoring of the video
Brothers 1961 Limited.
transmissions with features, such as video thumbnails, statistics, dynamic
Housed in a 1RU chassis, the DMNG RACK180 easily integrates into
bit rate, and latency control.
newsgathering vehicles. The advanced contribution video encoder
“Our equipment is deployed by a number of leading broadcasters in
features a combination of hardware and software, including eight 3G/4G internal modems and two USB interfaces, plus a built-in Wi-Fi modem. In addition, the DMNG RACK180 includes eight MCX antenna connectors that are used with AVIWEST’s QUAD wideband external cellular antenna arrays. Leveraging AVIWEST SafeStreams technology and an intelligent bonding
the Asia-Pacific region for breaking news and live events coverage,” said Frederic Parbey, APAC Director of Sales at AVIWEST. “As broadcasters look to deploy digital mobile newsgathering systems with high reliability, mobility, and low power consumption, AVIWEST offers all of this and
stack, the DMNG RACK180 guarantees delivery of TPBS live transmissions
more.”
for a range of newsgathering scenarios, enabling the broadcaster to
Visit www.thaipbs.or.th and www.aviwest.com
NEWS OPERATIONS
contribution video encoder, DMNG StreamHub receiver, decoder, and
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NEWS OPERATIONS
Eagle Casts an Eye on Mongolian Election with AVIWEST AVIWEST RECENTLY ANNOUNCED that Mongolia-based Eagle News used its DMNG PRO180-RA video uplink system during this year’s Mongolian parliamentary election. Using the DMNG PRO180-RA system, Eagle News successfully broadcast live HD video of the event over 3G/4G cellular wireless networks with minimal delay. “During the election, speed and efficiency were critical from a broadcast perspective. Our viewers wanted to be kept abreast of the results in real time,” said G. Baterdene, Chief Engineer at Eagle News. “AVIWEST’s DMNG PRO180-RA is a lightweight, compact, and dockable solution that made it easy for our news crew to move between various venues and stream live high-quality HD video. At the end of the day our viewers felt like they were in the heart of the action during the parliamentary voting process.” Eagle News travelled to 10 different election voting centres throughout the city of Ulaanbaatar, transmitting an up-close look at the Mongolian voting process. After the election was over, near midnight, the first results were announced by the Mongolian election agency. Leveraging AVIWEST’s DMNG PRO180-RA system, Eagle News crews provided live coverage of the results, giving viewers immediate access to information.
detect real-time network capabilities especially useful during the election. Through a touch-screen interface, the broadcaster could easily configure and operate the system, as well as communicate with the studio through the IFB return channel.
The DMNG PRO180-RA features eight 3G/4G internal modems with an internal high-efficiency custom antenna array, a built-in Wi-Fi modem, and two best-in-class H.264 video encoders, allowing Eagle News to stream live HD video without latency. Weighing about 1kg, the portable system can be easily connected to any professional camera and mounted via V-Mount, Gold Mount, or PAG plates.
“Broadcasting live from 10 different areas of a major metropolitan city can be challenging due to the unpredictability of 3G/4G cellular wireless networks. With the elections being live, Eagle News couldn’t afford to miss out on a second of coverage,” said Frederic Parbey, APAC Director of Sales at AVIWEST. “The DMNG PRO-180-RA system was the perfect solution for Eagle News, ensuring the broadcaster could reliably transmit results to viewers in real time, with high video quality, without having to worry about the environment, weather, or network conditions.”
Eagle News found the DMNG PRO180-RA system’s ability to automatically
Visit www.aviwest.com
Landmark Victory for Infinity and Taiwan 4K THE 2016 GENERAL ELECTIONS in Taiwan was a landmark event in more ways than one. First, it saw the country’s first female president elected. Second, the historic occasion was recorded in 4K via Taiwan’s first ever 4K OB van. Owned and operated by Infinity Multimedia Production (Infinity), the independent production house specialises in providing services to TV stations as well as events companies and corporate customers, the 4K OB van heralds a new era in broadcasting for Taiwan. It is also a sterling endorsement of the deep collaboration between Infinity and Sony. Infinity gave the green light for the 4K OB van in May 2015. This provided a very short window for its crew to design and equip the van, much less train them to handle the high-tech equipment onboard. Plus there were test trials to consider before 4K could be implemented.
NEWS OPERATIONS
Drawing on Sony’s experience in designing and outfitting OB vans for
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broadcasters, Professional Solutions Taiwan (PST) worked closely with
and BVM-X300 4K Trimaster ELTM OLED master monitor.
Infinity to understand their diverse production needs to deliver a future-
Taking centre stage was the PMW-F55 CineAltaTM 4K HD camera. Dubbed
forward solution in record time.
as the cinematographer’s dream camera, the F55 delivers gorgeous, super-
“Working with Professional Solutions Taiwan right from the design stage
sampled HD, 2K and 4K images.
really paid off,” explained Lin Jiawei, Vice President of Infinity Multimedia
“To bring out the best in the F55, we teamed it up with the CA4000
Production. “PST brought in their technical engineers from HQ and even
camera adaptor. Together, they provide a wider dynamic range, colour
provided technical trainings for our crew. This helped tremendously in
gamut, high sensitivity and high-speed recording – features that are vital
shortening our learning curve for 4K.”
for us to push our creative vision, especially for concerts and live events,”
“Infinity’s first ever 4K OB van truly underscores Sony’s commitment to
said Lin.
understand the needs of our clients and deliver not just high quality
Another critical aspect for Infinity when it came to selecting its 4K partner
products, but superior consultancy and training support too,” added Kao
was the XAVCTM recording format created by Sony. “We found XAVCTM to
Chengnan, Head of Content Creation Sales and Marketing Department at
be an efficient compression format. Although the file size is far larger than
PST.
HD MPEG GOP 50Mbps, it produces significant improvements in picture
Infinity pulled out all the stops to ensure 4K output throughout its
quality, especially with the relatively large capacity of the 4K images,” Lin
workflow for the OB van by installing an array of Sony products including
concluded.
MVS-7000X 4K switcher, PWS-4400 4K/HD multi-port A/V storage unit,
Visit http://infinitymediaproduction.com and https://pro.sony-asia.com
NEWS OPERATIONS
NEWSMAKER SYSTEMS has announced support for software-driven IP workflows using NewTek’s Network Device Interface (NDI). Joining the industry’s IP ecosystem of products and the expanding number of companies enabling IP-based customer workflows, NewsMaker Systems will integrate NDI into its products and take advantage of sources made available within the pool of sources and media connected by other NDIenabled applications, and devices connected to a standard ethernet LAN. At the recent IBC Show, NewTek and NewsMaker demonstrated IP interoperability between NDI-enabled applications and devices located at NewTek’s and NewsMaker’s stands using the venue’s standard ethernet infrastructure. NewTek’s royalty free NDI technology allows video and audio sources to be shared bi-directionally across an IP network. NewsMaker is a real-time bridge between MOS-enabled newsroom computer systems and NewTek TriCaster multi-camera video production systems. It now adds the recently announced NewTek IP series of software-driven, modular and scalable components with virtually limitless access to video sources and video mixing options. NewsMaker monitors media assets created for playout in the TriCaster and the NewTek IP Series, and sends them based on the news rundown order. NewsMaker can also control the TriCaster and NewTek IP Series, with complete command over all live operations, including switcher transitions and effects, graphics, audio with IFB, video clips, routing, camera control and virtual sets. “The number of sources required to make a competitive newscast are always increasing,” says Dean L. Kolkey, President, NewsMaker Systems. “Now with NDI, an unrestricted number of inputs and outputs allow our news customers to add more graphics, studio cameras, remotes, and other show elements for their broadcasts. NDI-based workflows create entirely new production possibilities for newsrooms, no longer constrained by the physical limits of traditional production equipment. The fast paced newscasts of the future will be changed forever with NDI.”
Visit http://newtek.com/ndi
Etere Nunzio Newsroom Supports Social and E-paper Publication ETERE NUNZIO NEWSROOM is integrated with built-in connectivity to websites and social media platforms including Facebook, LinkedIn, twitter and Youtube. The controls of Nunzio allow producers to create, edit, and publish content to websites and social media platforms directly from Nunzio. Additionally, an all-new E-paper feature provides broadcasters with the option of a digital publication that is optimised for reading on mobile and tablet devices. This is a free upgrade for all Etere Nunzio users. Etere future-proofs your investments with myriad publishing options, ensuring full flexibility and the best returns. Etere Nunzio is a solution that performs all jobs within a newsroom with increased efficiency and control. Nunzio offers full NRCS capabilities to manage the entire tapeless workflow of a newsroom, from planning of news stories to the control of on-air playback. Nunzio enables development of a story from the initial idea to broadcast. It leverages Etere workflow capabilities and offers integration in the existing IT and production environment. Nunzio relies on an Etere MAM database and uses the Etere Media Management engine for transfers and federate integration of multisite systems.
Visit www.etere.com
Want cloud-managed IP connectivity from virtually anywhere? Find out more at IBC.
Visit us at NAB New York
Booth 1015
NEWS OPERATIONS
NDI-based Workflows Create New Possibilities for Newsrooms
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MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & DAM Building an Empire: EditShare Provides the Building Blocks for Empire Post EMPIRE POST IS THE BRAINCHILD of Digby Hogan. Between the seven creative minds working for Empire and the high-level projects it takes on, the Australian-based post production house
form, high-resolution projects.
is known for putting its all into every step. Between projects for PayPal,
Also playing into their future is the EditShare Flow media asset management.
Vodafone, Subway, Google and more, its repertoire is reminiscent of Digby’s
For long-form projects, Flow provides an efficient way to manage editorial
initial thought when founding the company; “I want to build an empire.”
review, asset tracking, and if needs be, complex transcoding. Flow will
Digby began his career as a freelance offline editor with skills in 2D motion
also provide proxy video files – smaller file sizes of 4k content – to allow
graphics and animation. He worked on everything from commercials to
an efficient and storage-friendly workflow for the large-scale data/format
feature films, and from his work, an idea was born. He wanted to bring his
intensive projects. By future-proofing Empire with EditShare XStream and
passion to life in the form of a post production company that specialised
Flow, the team can continue to expand the company without stopping to
in commercials, music videos and online content, so he took on projects
upgrade the infrastructure.
specifically of this nature. Empire started with two team members working from a dining room table
Advice and a Helping Hand from Experts
into the night. They took on spots for clients throughout Australia and the
Empire approached Digistor, a well-known network and storage infrastructure
world, and when the demand for work picked up speed, Digby had to choose between expanding Empire, or limit the work intake. The answer was obvious. The two-man team moved to a small office in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane for Empire’s first 18 months, then moved to a larger office in the same area, adding more team members.
their requirements, it was determined that EditShare was the ‘most effective fit’. Andrew Hogan from Digistor noted, “We already hoped EditShare would work as a solution for Empire before our tech guys gave it their blessing. This
It wasn’t long before Digby and the Empire team needed to implement a
was based on prior experience with the product for Digby, and me knowing EditShare provides one of the best support services from the vendors we deal
Many of Empire’s projects came with ultra-high resolution, high-bandwidth
with. We could be confident knowing it was a solution that would work today
demands. A traditional storage platform couldn’t handle the throughput
and be scalable for future requirements.”
requirements. Stability was top of the list for platform needs. Familiar with
MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & DAM
heading in the right direction. After discussions with tech support regarding
An Empire Needs Infrastructure hardware platform that would support the growing client project demands.
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reseller and systems integrator, for guidance and affirmation that they were
EditShare, Digby investigated EditShare’s new line of XStream Shared Storage
Working with the All-Stars
platforms and landed on a 64TB XStream as the cornerstone of the Empire
With a history of outstanding work long before Empire, influential agencies
facility.
and brands from around the world reached out to Empire for creative work.
“EditShare supported the 10-gigabit workflow, which is ideal for our eight
The team recently worked with the Jack Morton creative agency to do a high-
workstations,” Digby says. “We have a full sound suite, online and offline
impact project for Google which was hosting a company conference in Las
editorial, grading, motion graphics and visual effects workstations. From this
Vegas. The project featured many 3D elements and took about eight weeks to
one platform, we can store and manage the media for all of our systems.”
complete. The content needed to be projected on one of the largest screens
The EditShare XStream’s open platform is especially helpful for the Empire
the team had ever encountered, measuring 27 by 6 metres with a resolution
team as they work in a handful of different editing programs, including
of over 7,000 by 2,000 live pixels. For data safety, Empire used EditShare as its
Avid, Final Cut and Adobe Premiere Pro, and need an NLE-agnostic platform
main back-up system.
to manage files and collaboration across projects. This is possible using EditShare’s project sharing capabilities. One team member could be working on a project in Final Cut on one computer, while another works on the same project in Avid on another computer. EditShare governs the access to project files, ensuring no editor ever overwrites another’s work without permission, while giving the team the freedom to see work in progress and collaborate on content development. Most importantly, implementing the EditShare XStream means the Empire team is also setting itself up for future success. The connected, secure
Creating a Lasting Empire Empire has big plans for the future, including both long- and short-form projects. Thanks to the infrastructure that is now in place the team will be able to continue on the path to success. “I always say that you’re only as good as your last gig,” Digby says. “We put our all into each project at Empire Post because we really care and love what we do. The tools we use, like EditShare, allow us to focus on our creativity without
workflow and stable platform provides more than enough space to store all
worrying about the mechanics of it all, and we’re thankful for that.”
of their files, and when the time comes, support multiple, simultaneous long-
Visit www.theempirepost.com and www.editshare.com
MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & DAM
Has Broadcast Storage Technology Reached an Inflection Point? by Paul Bruton, Solutions Director – Content and Big Data, Hitachi Data Systems HISTORICALLY THERE HAS BEEN a trade-off between cost and performance when it comes to storing broadcast media. Things are fast for storing media assets. With digitisation now a foregone fact, costs of storing media indefinitely are now escalating beyond the alternative tape drive option with its current LTO 6 and 7 based platforms. With most Australian media companies using early LTO or pre-LTO tape technology, now is the time to consider moving to object storage. Doing so will avoid the massive migration costs that come with each five-to-seven-year cycle in tape drive upgrades, which continues to be a significant barrier to innovation and preservation of media assets. Object storage has now matured as a technology, with density of hard drives now capable of delivering the commercial footprints we are used to with tape-based solutions. The cost of the technology has now dropped to where we see an inflection point in media organisations’ approach to media
What about the Cloud? Moving data to, from, and between cloud solutions is fast becoming a competitive necessity. To avoid being locked into one cloud service provider, you need peace of mind that you can extract and migrate information easily and cost effectively to alternative options. With cloud now becoming a real option for many components within media workflows and applications, being built to take advantage of cloud technology needs to also be built with this new option in mind. We have developed our solutions with the ability to transparently move data to, from, and between cloud solutions, which removes the need to invest in infrastructure at all. HDS continues with its philosophy of openness support – a REST-based http interface that works with a variety of http dialects, de-facto standards such as Amazon’s S3 API, and more recent options like Openstack’s Swift RESTful API.
storage upgrades.
Metadata Matters
Furthermore, the benefits of selecting object storage based platforms
We all know how much data there is. Not only content, but metadata, social information and other forms of unstructured information are becoming more necessary for differentiation than ever before. In fact many organisations now see metadata becoming more valuable than the data itself over its lifetime – which for most media, this lifetime is now considered forever.
deliver all the benefits that the technology brings to the equation. This includes sophisticated data protection and content preservation technologies such as configurable data and metadata protection levels, object versioning and change tracking, geographic dispersion of data with seamless application failover, and many others. Object storage solutions also include a variety of features designed to protect the integrity, provide privacy, and ensure the availability and security of stored data. One of the most significant capabilities that object storage based technology brings to the total cost of ownership debate is the ability to transparently move to new media, effectively future-proofing your investment beyond traditional hard drives. Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) is driving adoption of technology within the greater marketplace through research and development in next generation media types. As part of the Hitachi group of companies, we have considerable access to research and development across the organisation’s consumer media and electronics divisions. This places HDS and our customers in an optimum position to add their voice and drive the direction Hitachi will take in digital solutions for the media and broadcast industry.
Metadata brings structure to unstructured content. It enables the capability to build massive media repositories by providing a means for faster and more accurate access of content. Custom metadata gives storage managers the meaningful information they need to efficiently, and intelligently, process data and apply the right object policies to meet their business, governance and protection requirements. HDS structured custom metadata and multiple custom metadata annotations take this capability to the next level by helping yield better analytic results and facilitating content sharing among applications.
Big Data, Big Storage Storage space and data centre footprints continue to be a source of cost for most organisations. By the end of this year, HDS predicts the ability to have 1PB of raw storage capacity within four rack units. Combining this dense storage footprint with existing de-duplication and compression capabilities will fundamentally change the cost dynamics of object storage versus traditional tape based solutions – have we reached the inflection point?
Object Matrix Enhances HSM and Hybrid Cloud Storage with Spectra Logic OBJECT MATRIX IS INTEGRATING its MatrixStore object storage platform with Spectra Logic’s Spectra BlackPearl Deep Storage Gateway using the BlackPearl Software Developer Kit. BlackPearl provides a single interface to tape and disk using cloud protocols. Object Matrix will integrate BlackPearl into its ‘move2’ application, which provides HSM functionality between MatrixStore and third-party storage solutions. “Working with Spectra Logic’s BlackPearl enables us to deliver an integrated and automated archive solution that combines the benefits of disk and LTO archive media. Adding BlackPearl to the move2 ecosystem will provide our customers with added choice and flexibility when implementing archive strategies,” stated Nick Pearce, Co-founder of Object Matrix.
hub handling multiple workflows while satisfying numerous business requirements. The combination of intelligent near-line storage from Object Matrix with scalable LTO technology from Spectra Logic, provides organisations with flexibility to move content through tiers of storage with minimal management overhead.
MatrixStore object storage is deployed globally as a centralised near-line
Visit http://object-matrix.com and www.spectralogic.com
“Customers employing a combination of Spectra’s BlackPearl Deep Storage Gateway with Object Matrix, are able to leverage various storage tiers, such as tape, disk, on premise or public cloud, all while using cloud protocols,” said Matt Starr, CTO, Spectra Logic. “Both products utilise object storage and are built to meet the needs of various workflows and budgets, while providing the ability to scale and accommodate future growth.”
MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & DAM
aligning to make object storage a serious challenger worthy of consideration
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MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & DAM
Cloud Without Compromise by Dave Frederick, Senior Director of Media & Entertainment, Quantum. THE EVOLUTION OF MEDIA CONSUMPTION across multiple mediums
outlets. It also offers
has fuelled an increase in the volume and variety of files media companies must handle. Seeking a scalable and economical solution for storing this content, most media companies have embraced cloud storage.
benefits for remote
While many small and mid-sized production companies have already
members to perform
implemented the cloud for content storage, they are now starting to migrate
editing tasks for
production tasks – often key elements of their end-to-end workflows – to the
live events without
cloud. Such companies are using public cloud services, private cloud located
being onsite. This
on premises or at a data centre, or a combination of the two.
also reduces costs
The Move into the Cloud Today the cloud provides both storage and compute resources optimised for media, and a growing array of cloud-based applications that support onpremise production workflow. For those media companies with staff working
production workflows, as it allows team
associated with travel and equipment transport and setup. Further areas of
across multiple facilities – with content moving via WAN-accelerated transfer
production are moving to the cloud as popular production applications
or a similar mechanism – and also connected to a private cloud, it’s become
evolve to span cloud and ground, providing cost savings or reducing time to
commonplace to ingest content and push it to the cloud where it is accessible
delivery, or both. The automation of ingest and delivery processes supports a
by the entire creative team.
seamless workflow and allows media companies to maintain the feel of a local
Through integration of the private cloud with a company’s storage system,
production model. Advanced transcoding and streaming engines deliver the
media companies can manage content across both online storage and more
speed necessary for real-time production workflows. A workflow automation
affordable near-line and cloud storage, employing a policy-based software
system manages and synchronises all assets and content, whether on premise
layer to align their cloud-based resources to specific parts of overall workflows.
or in the private cloud.
A cloud-enabled media asset management system adds further sophistication to this approach, making media available where and when it is needed. Encryption in transit and at rest ensures ongoing security. By preserving and leveraging content metadata and file information, advanced MAM systems can facilitate metadata-powered searches, analysis, and tracking in the cloud.
Long-Term Data Vault Once early concerns over security and the cloud were overcome, media companies started to use the public cloud as a flexible and scalable way to
Security and the Cloud Security in the cloud has not proved to be a significant issue. One concern raised with public cloud storage has been multi-tenant use and the possibility of others hacking into content. At this point, large public cloud service providers have established formidable security measures. Although media companies have more control over private cloud hosted on site, this type of storage is vulnerable to the same kinds of breaches as other locally hosted
extend data protection and disaster recovery to an offsite target. Using this
systems and requires the same attention to security.
approach, companies can replicate and store media files in multiple geographic
The security of content moving to and from the cloud is another concern that
locations, often in a pay-as-you-go model that yields appealing operating
has largely been alleviated through ongoing advances in cloud technology.
expense savings over capital expenses. As a result, the public cloud now serves
Client-side encryption with user key management and SSL encryption of data
as a cost-effective backup medium. While the cloud as a long-term data vault doesn’t necessarily provide fast access to content, it makes it feasible to store the massive volumes of content that companies need to maintain, such as footage from every hole during every
in flight, combined with encryption support of applications used on the ground and in the cloud have provided what most companies consider an appropriate level of content security.
round of a golf tournament, even though they rarely need access to it. For
Another key benefit of storing media content on cloud services is that the task
content that may become a valuable part of production down the road, long-
of migrating that content to the appropriate format for long-term preservation
term off-site storage in the cloud is ideal.
becomes the responsibility of the provider. Rather than undergo the painful
MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & DAM
migration of a large data archive on a RAID array or tape library to a new format
34
Transcoding
and/or storage medium, content owners can let the cloud service provider
Processing in the cloud also is becoming common, largely because of how it
ensure ongoing data protection and availability. Given this responsibility, the
supports and streamlines content-monetisation workflows. By maintaining
larger cloud service providers implement their own backup systems to be sure
content in the cloud and transcoding according to the disparate requirements
they can meet their obligations to customers.
of various targets, media companies can deliver content quickly and easily. The burden of supplying infrastructure, power and adequate compute resources falls on the cloud service provider. A similar cloud-based media-processing workflow is being used in the broadcast realm for distribution of content to affiliates for broadcast to air.
Creative Gains and Cost Savings, Without Compromise Modern media facilities are moving forward in establishing secure, costeffective and flexible production workflows spanning ground and cloud. In doing so, they are realising the agility and efficiency needed to work effectively
Proxy Editing of Lower-Resolution Multiplatform Content
with more content, and a greater variety of it, and to deliver finished content
Companies with geographically dispersed production teams use cloud storage
faster. The cloud affords media companies an economical and scalable means
to make content accessible to all team members. This model is proving useful
of enabling flexible access to content and key production applications, while
for creation of lower-resolution content targeted to digital and social media
reducing on-the-ground infrastructure, operation and maintenance costs.
POST PRODUCTION www.content-technology.com/postproduction
Deluxe’s Iloura Heightens Intensity in Deepwater Horizon ON APRIL 20TH, 2010, one of the world’s largest man-made disasters occurred on the Deepwater Horizon – the ultra-deepwater offshore oil-rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Deepwater Horizon from Summit Entertainment and Participant Media, honours the brave men and women whose heroism would save many on board, and change everyone’s lives forever. Deluxe’s IIloura was tapped to heighten realism in many of the film’s high action sequences, adding digital mud, fire and smoke. To ensure continuity across shots and deliver visual effects, the Iloura team, led by VFX Supervisor Jason Billington, collaborated closely with lead vendor ILM (Disney’s Industrial Light and Magic) and VFX Supervisor, Craig Hammack. Iloura’s most significant contribution to the film was the creation of the massive engine explosion that ignites the rig fire. When workers hit a methane pocket while drilling for oil, the gas travels up the pipes and fills the engine room, seeping into the engine that ultimately explodes. To achieve optimal dramatic impact, Iloura designed and created a full CG engine interior. Artists digitally built, then animated the engine as well as a CG version of the engine room that is engulfed by fire. Artists also added CG flames, embers, mud, explosions and fireballs to various plates, expertly blending shots containing practical and digital elements. ”Creating realistic CG that matches in-camera mud was an exciting challenge. We had to be able to make adjustments as shots evolved, and realistically create other environmental effects. The sheer volume of work kept us on our toes, but we’re well equipped to handle any challenge. ILM was an excellent partner, happy to share reference footage and assets that we integrated with our pipeline,” said Billington.
Beyond the challenges of matching CG and in-camera elements, Iloura completed a significant volume of shots requiring atmospheric effects. To manage and execute these shots, lloura built a new fire ember pipeline for faster iteration. Additional Iloura work includes the generator room ceiling collapse, CG set extensions and CG ocean enhancements. Iloura also made significant pipeline adjustments to integrate ILM’s data-heavy oil-rig asset, resulting in final renders and composites that blended seamlessly with shots by ILM. Approximately 125 Iloura artists worked on Deepwater Horizon across its Sydney and Melbourne studios. The film was coloured by Stefan Sonnenfeld at Deluxe’s Company 3. Visit www.bydeluxe.com
Emmy for Aussie Software Revolutionising Film and TV Production Australia-based duo, Shruti Patel and Jason ‘JJ’ Jamieson, are the recipients of an Engineering Emmy Award bestowed by America’s National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The Award is for engineering developments that have a revolutionary impact on the transmission, recording or reception of television. Ms Patel said the software delivers massive time and cost savings to major production companies around the globe, saying, “Group It For Me! automates the grouping and multigrouping processes in the post production workflow. These processes are an integral part of postproduction and previously took Assistant Editors hours of monotonous keystroking to complete. “Because of the volume of work involved in grouping there was the
Unique Media Creates UHD and HDR Content For Korea With Mistika SPANISH DEVELOPER SGO recently announced that Unique Media has purchased its flagship product, Mistika Ultima, to expand its current business range from television programs to cinema and commercial productions. Based in Seoul, South Korea, Unique Media specialises in creating documentaries, current-affairs and cultural programs, as well as entertainment, commercials, corporate broadcasting and event productions. For over seven years, the post production house has worked closely in partnership with Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) the national public broadcaster of South Korea to produce programs that promote successful small and medium sized enterprises based in the country. For the past 13 years, colour grading for TV production has become an essential part of Unique Media’s offering. Through its HDR functionalities, Unique Media will be able to offer colour grading for movies and the development of short-form virtual reality (VR) content. It will also be able to
potential for human error. Group It For Me! eliminates the possibility for mistakes, and speeds up the editing process exponentially. A task that could take days is now completed in seconds. It’s a game changer for those producing film and television projects using multi-camera setups, and we are delighted to receive recognition through an Engineering Emmy,” Ms Patel added. JJ said he knows first-hand how tedious the grouping and multi-grouping is, having worked as an Assistant Editor in Hollywood, South America, Europe and Australia. “This software is all about making life easier and freeing up precious time in deadline-driven environment,” he said. “I’ve worked on everything from documentaries to feature-length films, television dramas and reality TV. There is not one instance in which you couldn’t use Group It For Me! to speed up post-production.” Visit www.groupitforme.com up-scale existing HD material to UHD using the Mistika software, and create new HDR content for UHD. Mistika has been developed to offer broadcasters advanced editing, VFX, colour grading, text, paint, audio, S3D, complete finishing in a scalable, truly interactive, real-time, and totally resolution-independent post production system. “Thanks to Mistika, Unique Media is more competitive in Korea’s fast-growing new media market. Among lots of post productions, we’ve been satisfying the complicated and sensitive demands of broadcasters ahead of the competition, and they now have greater expectations of us. I also have some great expectations of Mistika,” comments Minyoung Kim, Mistika Operator at Unique Media. “Major broadcasters in Korea will seriously start distributing content in UHD from February 2017,” comments Jihyung Kang from the SGO team in Korea. “Mistika plays an important role in making sure Unique Media continues to produce superior images for high quality projects and finishing UHD/HDR productions ahead of its peers. By utilising SGO creative technology they are able to broaden their offerings and stay one step ahead of the pack.” Visit www.sgo.es
POST PRODUCTION
GROUP IT FOR ME! developers have been recognised for their world-first software that shaves hours off film and television production.
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POST PRODUCTION
Sony Expands TRIMASTER EL OLED Monitor Line-Up SONY RECENTLY INTRODUCED its 17-inch BVM-E171 and 25-inch BVM-E251 TRIMASTER EL OLED HD master monitors – successors to its BVM-E series professional OLED monitors. Replacing the current BVM-E170A and BVM-E250A monitors, the new HD master monitors are targeted at the content creation sphere including broadcast, post-production and rental houses, as well as for research and development purpose for government, enterprise and laboratory. Maintaining most of the existing superb features and supporting formats that Sony’s BVM-E series possess, the latest HD monitors are enhanced with the following new features:
Flicker-Free Mode The OLED panel of the new HD monitors possesses quick response and scan-driving performance, delivering picture quality with virtually no motion blur. To eliminate possible flicker especially in case the low frequency signal is displayed (24p, 24PsF 50i and so on), the BVM-E171 and BVM-E251 are equipped with flicker-free mode.
ITU-R BT.2020 Colour Space As the content creation market embraces 4K production, the new HD monitors will support ITU-R BT.2020 colour space, the broadcasting standard for Ultra HD, for accurate colour reproduction. Sony’s BVM-E171
The monitors are enhanced to include S-Gamut/S-Gamut3 and S-Gamut3. cine. Further, they are also equipped with S-Log 3 and S-Log2 in SDR. The new S-Log 3 (SDR) feature can display up to approximately 1500% by contrast adjustment in the range of 250cd/m2.
Compact and Lightweight Notably, the BVM-E171 monitor is resized for better handling on-site. The new 17-inch monitor is shorter in dimension and lighter in weight, ideal to be fitted in 6RU racks in OB trucks.
Enhanced Inputs and Accessories The BVM-E251 monitor is enhanced to include DC 24V inputs apart from AC power input. In addition, optional accessories for both monitors include a new controller, BKM-17R, and a new extension cable, SMF-17R20. Sony’s BVM-E171 and BVM-E251 will be available from January 2017. Visit http://pro.sony-asia.com
HD/3G SDI. Each HD BNC connector is bi-directional enabling numerous
BLUEFISH444 HAS introduced the KRONOS range of video and audio I/O cards. The new line extends the feature set of Bluefish444’s Epoch video cards, which support up to 4K 60fps workflows. KRONOS is developed for additional workflows requiring Ultra HD up to 8K, high frame rates up to 120fps, high dynamic range and video over IP.
cages in addition to two HD BNC connectors for SD/HD/3G SDI I/O. The
KRONOS adds video processing technologies including resolution scaling, video interlace and de-interlace, hardware CODEC support, SDI to IP and IP to SDI conversion, and continues to offer the 12-bit colour space conversion and low-latency capabilities of Epoch.
All KRONOS cards will have an eight-lane Gen-3 PCIe interface to achieve
AJA Ki Pro v2.0 Firmware Supports Avid DNxHD AJA VIDEO SYSTEMS has announced Ki Pro Ultra v2.0 firmware adding support for Avid DNxHD to the portable file-based 4K/ UltraHD/2K/HD record and playback device. Users can now record and playback Avid DNxHD files, expanding video and audio production workflows. Ki Pro Ultra v2.0 software now supports: • Avid DNxHD codecs. • DNxHD 220x. • DNxHD 145. • DNxHD 36 (only supported for 1080p formats). The addition of Avid DNxHD .mov support ensures compatibility
POST PRODUCTION
Enhanced Options of Colour Space and EOTFs
Bluefish444 Announces New Kronos Range
KRONOS will offer the choice of SDI I/O connectivity with the KRONOS ēlektron featuring eight high density BNC connectors capable of SD/
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and BVM-E251 are ideal for critical colour evaluation in 4K cinema and live productions. Further, the HD monitor is a viable solution for broadcasters who utilise 4K/HD simultaneous broadcasting systems, realising superb picture quality while resolving cost and space constraints.
between files recorded by AJA’s Ki Pro Rack, Ki Pro Mini and now Ki Pro Ultra products for Avid workflows. MXF OP-1A wrapper versions of these codecs will be added in an upcoming firmware update. Ki Pro Ultra v2.0 firmware will be a free software download. Visit www.aja.com
configuration options. The KRONOS optikós offers future proofing connectivity with three SFP+ SFP+ cages on KRONOS optikós provide limitless connectivity options exposing greater than 3G SDI, IP connectivity across 10Gb ethernet, and flexibility to choose from numerous physical interfaces.
full duplex DMA. KRONOS will provide access to high bandwidth UHD, high frame rate and high dynamic range video I/O and processing, across traditional SDI and also emerging IP standards such as SMPTE 2022. Visit www.bluefish444.com
Colorfront Updates Transkoder COLORFRONT RECENTLY SHOWCASED how its Transkoder 2016 continues its technological advances by streamlining delivery of the diverse formats in ultra high definition (UHD) and high dynamic range (HDR) production. The latest updates combine to make Transkoder 2016 HDR mastering and HDR QC systems capable of covering a range of delivery formats including Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG 1.2 – conforming to the latest SMPTE 2094-xx delivery standards, along with metadata management on HDR and WCG colour transforms, plus support for the newest camera and latest production mezzanine formats. Running on Supermicro and HP workstations, Transkoder leverages AJA’s Corvid 88 I/O card to support multiple independent HD-SDI outputs, including 8K dual-green and 16x SDI 8K output, dual independent UHD video outputs, or simultaneous real-time views of UHD HDR and HD HDR/ SDR masters in a variety of formats and colour spaces. Transkoder includes the capability to read, de-Bayer, process and review 8K RAW media, from 8K cameras such as RED Helium and Panavision Millennium Digital XL, and to encode mezzanine and broadcast deliverables, including support for Panasonic’s 8K Super Hi-Vision P2 recorder. Transkoder provides support for all digital cinematography camera formats from ARRI, Sony, Panasonic, Canon, RED, Panavision and Phantom. Visit www.colorfront.com
POST PRODUCTION
Bluefish444 Support for Avid Media Composer BLUEFISH444 CONTINUE to develop and enhance support for AVID Media
• 4K/2K/HD/SD HDMI preview with Epoch|4K Neutron.
Composer editing software enabling advanced SDI/HDMI video input/output with Epoch|4K Neutron Turbo, the Epoch|4K Neutron range, and Epoch|4K Supernova/S+ range of video cards.
• High frame rate 50/59/60fps support at 4K/2K/HD. • 48fps support at 4K/2K.
• 4K/2K/HD/SD video modes.
Bluefish444 4K SDI/HDMI support for Windows and Mac OS X Avid Media Composer 8.6 is available now and will be enhanced with future feature and performance updates.
• 3G/1.5G/SD SDI input and output.
Visit www.bluefish444.com
Leader 4K HDR Option for LV7390 3G/HD/SD SDI Rasteriser LEADER ELECTRONICS EUROPE recently announced a new option for the Leader LV7390 4K-upgradable 3G/HD/SD SDI rasteriser. The new LV7390-OP20 4K upgrade allows the LV7390 to support 4K/UHD programme production and post as well as 4x3G HD-SDI. Also included with the 4K HDR upgrade is Leader’s CINEZONE HDR. This uses false colour to display areas of the image extending into HDR so can be used on non-HDR monitors. Potential issues can be identified quickly without specialist technical experience. CINEZONE HDR reduces the need for re-takes or additional hours in post-production. It allows producers to acquire content in HDR while ensuring content will not require re-working for standard dynamic range distribution. The CINEZONE HDR option also supports HD formats.
Elements Provides Xcellis Users a GATEWAY to Avid
ELEMENTS HAS ANNOUNCED its Elements GATEWAY as a virtually
embedded application in Quantum Xcellis. The development connects between Avid workstations and Quantum’s StorNext file system, including its archive storage tiers, providing Quantum’s post-production and broadcast customers the ability to share files across the entire facility and across all platforms – including Avid Media Composer and with native Avid Project Sharing and Avid Bin-locking support. Elements leverages the Xcellis system’s ability to support embedded applications to make their technology available to customers working with Avid workstations mixed into their heterogeneous environments. Elements GATEWAY also provides users with the option to enable Elements’ range of workflow enhancement tools, including the Media Library. Equipped with a full-text search engine, a file manager and task management tool for customised workflow automation, the web-based Media Library caters to all steps of a digital post-production workflow and offers features that simplify and streamline everyday tasks and approval processes.
Visit www.elements.tv
Blackmagic Announces DaVinci Resolve 12.5.2 DaVinci Resolve 12.5.2 update adds support for additional metadata embedded into RAW files from URSA Mini cameras running the new URSA Mini camera operating software. This provides URSA Mini customers a completely new ‘slate’ that uses tap and swipe gestures along with predictive data entry, and a dictionary of commonly used shooting terminology to make entering metadata faster. DaVinci Resolve 12.5.2 also adds support for Fusion Connect for Linux. Fusion Connect lets editors and colourists send a clip or a stack of clips from their timeline to Fusion. This creates a linked connection between Fusion and DaVinci Resolve so that when visual effects are added and rendered in Fusion, the results automatically show up in the DaVinci Resolve timeline. Fusion Connect also supports versioning, so artists can create different versions of a shot and view them in context of the entire program in the DaVinci Resolve timeline.
Customers can purchase the 4K/HDR upgrade when their businesses require it without having to return the LV7390 to Leader or authorised service centres. The Leader LV7390 is a compact 1U 3G/HD/SD-SDI rasteriser which can be used to measure up to four source channels simultaneously. It can be deployed for desktop or rack-mounted operation. The LV7390 incorporates full-resolution 3G/HD-SDI and DVI-I rasterised outputs which allow detailed video and audio parameters be checked on a separate monitor in HD resolution. The LV7390 can be configured by the operator to display waveform, vector, picture, audio and SDI status. Display layout is customisable from a range of available settings including individual full screen or user-defined combinations. These settings can be configured from the front panel or via a USB pointing device and saved for recall. 60 user-definable presets are accessible, and a reference marker can be placed at any position on the rasterised image. Visit www.leadereurope.com
Audio Network Brings Music to Adobe Premiere Pro CC AUDIO NETWORK, the independent music company delivering authentic and creative music solutions to global content creators in every industry, recently announced that Adobe Premiere Pro CC users will benefit from a new integrated panel providing direct access to its catalog of over 100,000 tracks. The solution enables editors to find and purchase music without leaving the Adobe Premiere Pro CC editing environment. Users will have access to Audio Network’s catalogue of high quality original music, made in collaboration with the world’s best composers, artists, musicians and studios. Users can audition tracks in their edit with unlimited trial MP3 tracks downloaded to their bin. Once they find the content they want, the full-quality licensed WAV track replaces the MP3.The new integration panel demonstrates Audio Network’s commitment to ease of use for Adobe Premiere Pro CC users, making it easy to select and edit tracks with no interruptions to their workflow. Visit http://au.audionetwork.com
Other new features include: • Ability to filter timeline on colour page based on clips that have OFX applied. • Support for up to 24 audio channels on the Edit and Deliver page. • Support for manually enabling and disabling GPUs in preferences. • Support for display name on ALE export. • Support for apply grade and append node graph in the main menu. • Ability to clear tracking data for the current Power Window. • Support for OpenCL on Nvidia cards on Microsoft Windows. • Ability to copy local grades to remote. • Additional utility functions in DCTLs. • Support for date created and data modified for time-lines when using smart bins. Visit www.blackmagicdesign.com
POST PRODUCTION
Bluefish444 Open IO support for Avid Media Composer 8.6 includes:
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AUDIO Digital soundwaves
www.content-technology.com/audio
Cedar Suppresses Noise for Sound Recordist Justin Loh JUSTIN LOH IS A PROFESSIONAL SOUND RECORDIST with an extensive portfolio ranging from dramas to feature films, and from studio sound to TV commercials, with a client list that includes HBO, the Discovery Channel, ESPN, Fox Networks, and Mediacorp. His most recent project is the Singapore feature film ‘Apprentice’ which premiered in cinemas on 30 June 2016. He recently undertook his first project using a CEDAR DNS 2 dialogue noise suppressor. “I was on a 12-day drama shoot”, he said, “and on one of the nights the production team were using a Honda portable generator. Those things are pretty noisy, and while the gaffer did his best to move it as far away from the shoot as possible, this was only about 30 metres because of limitations in the power cables. I felt that this was an excellent opportunity to ‘push’ the DNS 2. Using a CMIT5 shotgun microphone, I dialled in around 4db of suppression and it worked very well. Great stuff!” “Elsewhere, during an interview job, there were computer servers in the room and the fan noise was considerable. A simple 3dB down on the DNS 2 was all it took to eliminate it. It’s so good!” Joel Chia of CEDAR’s Singaporean distributor, CDA Pro-Audio added, “Location sound recordists may feel that offering an additional piece of hardware that eliminates background noise is a double-edged sword – either a magic box that allows them to solve all manner of audio problems, or something that encourages lazy industry practices such as bad location choices and poor mic positioning. There’s also the question of when noise suppression should be left to post, and when it’s appropriate to use it on location. These are genuine concerns within the location sound industry in Singapore, but the beauty of the DNS 2 is that you are able to input a single channel and output both the processed and unprocessed audio to
the recorder, which adds options for both the recordist and the audio post engineer. Either way, if noise is a problem that has to be suppressed or eliminated, there’s no better solution than the DNS 2. It’s also surprisingly affordable, which places it within the reach of many people, not just location sound recordists but also studios, live broadcasters, smaller venues, and freelance production people.” Apart from location recording, Loh was the mixdown engineer for both Coldplay’s and Robbie Williams’ concerts in Singapore. With 18 years of audio experience, he is also an adjunct lecturer at the Lasalle School Of The Arts. Visit www.cedaraudio.com and www.cda-proaudio.com
Indonesia’s Indosiar TV Ends Interference with Clear-Com PT. INDOSIAR VISUAL MANDRI (Indosiar TV), an Indonesian analogue PAL TV station that broadcasts throughout the country on UHF, has resolved longstanding interference issues with its wireless intercom system by upgrading to Clear-Com’s FreeSpeak II wireless intercoms. The new FreeSpeak II intercom system has been installed in Indosiar’s studio complex in Daan Magot, West Jakarta. Established in 1994, Indosiar TV is known for its popular lineup of children’s, cultural, entertainment, and sports programming. This national UHF TV channel also broadcasts in the digital DVB-T2 1080i format over the air, and via satellite on Palapa D.
Kristanta. “It allows our crews to keep going without having to replace or
“The FreeSpeak II’s ability to transmit in the 1.9GHz band means that we no longer have to worry about interference from 2.4GHz wireless microphones and in-ear monitors,” said Indosiar TV spokesperson Agapitus Kristanta. “In the past, operating in 2.4GHz caused real problems for our legacy wireless intercom system. Although it worked reliably, interference issues have cropped up in recent years as other 2.4GHz devices have been deployed at Indosiar TV, disrupting vital intercom communications during productions.”
times, no matter where they may be in the show’s production space.
With its support of digital intercom transmissions in both the 1.9GHz and 2.4GHz bands, Clear-Com’s FreeSpeak II wireless intercom helps resolves communications conflicts for producers who must use many wireless devices. These producers also like FreeSpeak II’s ability to expand its wireless coverage footprint by simply adding more antenna transceivers to the system’s coverage boundary.
provides us with excellent service and support. Having since installed the
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Users like Indosiar TV also choose the FreeSpeak II intercom system for the small size, flexibility, and long-life of its wireless programmable beltpacks.
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“The beltpack’s built-in LED flashlight is very useful in dark areas, while the unit’s 18-hour battery life is great for a full day’s recording,” added
recharge the batteries during the production.” All of these features made FreeSpeak II the choice for Indosiar TV, with this wireless intercom system demonstrating its usefulness in many programs. In particular, Indosiar TV is producing a live talent search variety show that requires fast, accurate communications between all of its crew members on the floor and in master control. The FreeSpeak II has proven to be the right solution for the job, allowing station staff to speak to each other at all “We are happy to have adopted the FreeSpeak II system throughout our studio complex in Daan Mogot,” Kristanta continued. “In fact, we have been working with Clear-Com intercoms for years, and we are very satisfied with their ruggedness and quality. Naturally it made sense to consider the FreeSpeak II system when it was introduced to us by our local Clear-Com equipment dealer, PT. Afandi Chandraputra, who consistently FreeSpeak II, we are certain we made the right decision for many years to come.” “Clear-Com is very happy to help a long-time customer like Indosiar TV get even more out of their intercom systems, by upgrading to FreeSpeak II,” said Hans Chia, Clear-Com’s Regional Sales Manager for Southeast Asia. “We also appreciate Indosiar TV’s long-standing loyalty and belief in us, and our solutions.” Visit www.clearcom.com
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Manila’s WildSound Studios Opens Atmos Mixing Suite ESTABLISHED PHILIPPINES-BASED sound and location recording company, WildSound Studios, recently completed a Dolby Atmos audio mixing studio courtesy of the Walters-Storyk Design Group.
banks, while the mixing desk features an Avid Icon D-Control ES 32-fader
Company owners, Mike Idioma and Tony Tuviera found an ideal space in Quezon City’s Sampaguita Pictures Compound, and reached out to WSDG to create a state-of-the-art mixing theatre for their film and video production clients.
mixing area sweet spot.
WSDG Brazil partner, Renato Cipriano, met with Mike Idioma to discuss the new studio – a 60m² mixing room with a 3.4m high ceiling. The WildSound team envisioned a spacious mixing theatre with a large screen, multi format projection, an expansive mixing console, comfortable seating, and of course, impeccable acoustics.
credits include numerous award-winning films,” remarked Cipriano.
Seven banks of Dolby-certified, Atmos speakers are set in groupings of four each on the side and rear walls and two ceiling mounted quartet
console and a 240-inch perforated screen. The red fabric client couch was set on a 8cm high platform in front of the console and well within the
“WildSound is considered as one of the Philippines’ most creative and technically advanced sound recording and mixing companies, and their “This new Dolby Atmos Mixing Suite represents an important step in their continuing growth. WSDG is delighted to have helped create this impeccable room, and we are currently developing TVJ Stage, a second film mixing suite to accommodate their growing client base.” Visit https://wsdg.com and http://wildsoundstudiosph.com
Calrec and JAA.S Form New Partnership CALREC AUDIO HAS ANNOUNCED JAA Systems Sdn Bhd (JAA.S) as its
“Historically Calrec has not been as well-known in Southeast Asia, but
exclusive distributor for Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Headed by
with the recent addition of the Brio console to its range, we aim to
David Chan, JAA.S has a proven track record in audio-mixing consoles for
provide broadcasters with the same high-end feature sets and networking
broadcast and is very well-respected in the region. With more than a decade
capabilities Calrec is renowned for.”
of experience in the industry, JAA.S will spearhead sales and support from its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. “It is an honour to work with a manufacturer with the kind of heritage Calrec has. Calrec is at the forefront of technology and has enjoyed success in many regions around the globe,” said Chan, Director at JAA.S. “We aim to make Calrec just as successful in this territory, too.
“I am very excited about this new relationship,” said Anthony Harrison, International Sales Manager for Calrec. “David’s team of experienced engineers means broadcasters in the region can be confident they’ll get a level of support equal to the quality of their consoles.” Visit www.jaasys.com and http://calrec.com
calrec.com/brio
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10/08/2016 17:55
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Slogan created by: Name: Tim Jacobs Job title: Technical Director Company: NBC Universal
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Immersed in Audio – The 141st AES Show THE AUDIO ENGINEERING SOCIETY’S 141st AES show in Los Angeles offered a plethora of newly released technology, more than ample conferences and seminars, and a largish glimpse of where audio is heading. We’ll report much of the equipment shortly, but first we’ll recap on some of the events held at the show. The AES67 standard received more than a workout with the live sound gang with the ‘AES67: Audio Networking Today & Tomorrow’ expert panel discussing audio networking and offerings from TC Electronic, QSC, Bosch, and Yamaha. All things Dante, AES67, and even the open source, layer-2 only AVB (AudioVideo Bridging) were discussed, reflecting the entire broadcast industry’s move toward IP-based transport of any and all files via existing ethernet networks. The ‘Life in the Hotseat – Audio Production for Live Global Telecast Events’ included a star panel of engineers, producers and RF specialists discussing their experiences working on major awards telecasts and sporting events, while offering their experiences working on some of the world’s most technically advanced audio productions. Alongside there were numerous panels and lectures on mixing and mastering for formats ranging from vinyl, to the gaming industry, through to Dolby Atmos and world-wide broadcasting. Even Dave Smith of Sequential Circuits fame made a welcome appearance. The father of the MIDI protocol openly discussed the evolution and impact of synthesis, along with his legacy of MIDI – All more than one could possibly fit into a calendar over the four-day AES extravaganza. Interesting for many was the Society’s inaugural two-day conference on ‘Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality’ which very much encompassed the conference’s theme of ‘Immersed in Audio’. According to all reports the VR/ AR conference was literally standing room only. This rapidly growing field has captured plenty of attention as the industry looks to further facets of contemporary and future entertainment. The ‘Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality’ conference included a two-day program of technical papers, workshops, tutorials and a manufacturer’s expo. Sponsoring manufacturers included Audiokinetic, Dolby, DTS, Dysonics, Gaudio, Nokia, Occulus, Sennheiser, Source Sound and VisiSonics. Andres Mayo, conference Co-Chair stated that George Lucas had once asserted that audio represents 50% of the motion-picture experience. It would be somewhat refreshing to see virtual and augmented reality audio production gleaning 50% of budgets in the not-sodistant future.
The Hard Stuff All the usual suspects were displaying further inroads in the world of analogue to digital conversion. Apogee used the AES show to introduce its new Element Series, along with a Dante network option card for its flagship Symphony I/O MkII interface. The range comprises three Thunderbolt I/O boxes for Mac: Element 24 (10-in/12-out), Element 46 (12-in/14-out) and Element 88 (16-in/16-out). The Elements interfaces use Apogee’s Thunderbolt driver for a 1.41ms round-trip latency when using DAWs such as Logic Pro X.
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Focusrite was outing its full range of audio network solutions, but also announcing products never before seen at AES. These included RedNet A16R: 16 channels of Dante-networked A>D and D>A conversion, RedNet PCIeR Card: RedNet PCI Express card with network redundancy, enabling ultra-low latency audio and full track count for Dante audio-over-IP networks, Red 4Pre: 58-in/64-out Thunderbolt 2 and Pro Tools HD compatible audio interface, with Dante network audio connectivity. Focusrite also launched the Clarett OctoPre, which includes eight of the Clarett range’s ‘Air’ mic preamps.
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Crane Song announced that its entire line of digital hardware products have been updated to take advantage of the company’s proprietary 5th generation D>A technology (Quantum DAC). With its AES debut, the Egret eight-channel
D>A converter/summing mixer joins the Avocet monitor controller, the HEDD 192 AD/DA converter, and Solaris stand-alone D>A converter to complete the line up of Crane Song products equipped with the Quantum DAC technology. The Quantum DAC uses a 32-bit converter and asynchronous sample rate conversion for jitter reduction with up sampling to 211kHz. With jitter less than 1pS, the company claims the Quantum DAC has the lowest published jitter values in the industry. Avid introduced Pro Tools|MTRX, an audio interface for Pro Tools|HDX and HD Native. Developed by Digital Audio Denmark, Pro Tools|MTRX supplies Pro Tools users the sonic quality of DAD’s A>D and D>A converters, along with flexible monitoring, I/O, and routing capabilities. The interface also integrates with Pro Tools|S6 and Pro Tools|S3 control surfaces. Synthax (RME) was featuring the ADI-2 Pro high-end AD/DA converter, which is aimed at both mastering and measurement applications. The ADI-2 Pro includes servo-balanced analogue inputs on combo XLR/TRS jacks, two separate balanced and unbalanced outputs on XLR and TRS connectors, two ‘Extreme Power’ headphone outputs, optical SPDIF I/O that also recognises ADAT format, plus coaxial SPDIF (RCA) and AES I/O (XLR) via an included breakout cable. Remarkably, the unit supports sampling frequencies of up to 768kHz. ‘Out of the box’ mixing certainly didn’t go unnoticed at AES 20126, with Cadac launching an addition to its CDC series of digital consoles. The CDC seven follows on from the flagship CDC eight and medium-format CDC six, providing all the power and 'operational simplicity' of the CDC six with the enhanced production capabilities of an expanded dual 23.5-inch 16:9 hi-definition touch screen and 36-fader control surface. The CDC seven doubles up on both the large-format LCD touchscreen, with its associated encoders, and the physical fader count – expanding the number of inputs to 96. The console also retains the CDC six’s 56 busses – 48 of them configurable. API strengthened its lineup of large-format recording and mixing consoles with the Legacy AXS. The console maintains API's commitment to an all-analogue signal path with an 'expanded and powerful feature set’. Console frames range from 32 to 80 channels, with each channel offering dual input capability and access to two API 200 Series module slots. One key aspect of the design is a return to the traditional 1.5-inch module standard, allowing for the use of API 500 Series equalisers on a per-channel basis. The console also features a centre section that includes six automated stereo returns with motorised faders, 5.1 surround monitoring and a built-in 2500C stereo bus compressor. Solid State Logic revealed Nucleus², an update of its DAW controller, audio interface and studio monitoring hub. Nucleus² responds to customer demand with the introduction of talkback, main/mini monitor switching, a change to Dante connectivity, and a superlative white finish. The USB soundcard in Nucleus has been replaced with an SSL Dante ‘Network I/O’ audio interface. Nucleus² has an inbuilt network switch with two ethernet ports – one for the computer and the other for adding Dante devices. JoeCo’s BlueBox Workstation Interface Recorder range made its debut with two models: the BBWR24MP and the BBWR08MP, the former providing 24 channels of switchable mic/line inputs and the latter providing eight channels of mic/line input and 16 channels of dedicated balanced line inputs. In a studio environment, the BlueBox can be used as a low latency audio interface providing a 24-channels at 24-bit/96kHz both to and from a workstation while simultaneously utilising the on-board recording function as a backup device. For live work the unit’s in-built mic preamps can be used as a stand-alone, multi-channel audio acquisition recorder while relegating interface features to a computer for backup recordings.
AUDIO
The Soft Stuff Software was as plentiful as the hard variety, with CEDAR Audio announcing CEDAR Cambridge v11, which includes new forensic audio enhancement, dialogue noise suppression and restoration modules to complement nearly 30 already developed processes. Astro Spatial Audio’s SARA audio rendering engine was on display, offering an immersive 3D audio tool to deliver a 3D audio and room acoustic experience. It’s aimed toward performing arts facilities such as theatres, opera houses, concert venues, theme parks and worship spaces. iZotope introduced Neutron, a mixing assist plug-in that apparently simplifies the mixing process. Neutron combines analysis and metering with audio processing to ‘help deliver focus and clarity in mixes’. The analysis intelligence within Neutron allows a ‘Track Assistant’ to automatically detect instruments, recommend the placement of EQ nodes, and set optimal settings for other modules within the plugin. Then, Neutron’s ‘Masking Mete’r allows you to visually identify and fix perceptual frequency collisions between instruments. Audionamix announced planning for the ADX Speech Volume Control (SVC) plug-in. The plug-in is planned to provide independent volume level control over both speech and background elements within a mono or stereo mix. Users will be able to lower the level of background noise within production audio, or boost dialogue levels without requiring access to stems or a multi-track session.
Immersed in IP As with the broadcasting industry overall, audio is making further advances within the IP realm. Yamaha announced its intention to update its Dante enabled products to support AES67. This will allow Yamaha products equipped with Dante networking capability to communicate with Ravenna and other audio networks via AES67. Yamaha plans to successively update Dante equipped products with device and Dante firmware updates, beginning with the CL/QL series digital mixing consoles and R series I/O racks. Thunderbolt, SoundGrid, and Pro Tools HD formed the three options available to Apogee’s Symphony I/O Mk II users. Apogee announced a Dante option card which will enable the converter’s channels to be placed on an audio-over-IP network of up to 64 I/O at 48kHz. The card uses Audinate’s Dante Brooklyn II module.
Millennia’s DA-296 Gōzowta Dante to analogue convertor made its debut at AES, making it the fourth Millennia/Dante product in the lineup which includes the Dante-D and Dante-R bundles for the HV-3D/8, HV-3D/4 and HV-3R eight channel mic preamps. Lynx Studio Technology introduced the LT-DANTE LSlot interface for its Aurora and Hilo converters. The LT-DANTE is a Dante-enabled expansion card for audio networking that connects Hilo and Aurora with other Dante-enabled products over ethernet. At the same time that the LT-DANTE is released, Lynx is introducing several converter models using the same interface. These include the Hilo-DT, Aurora 8-DT and Aurora 16-DT models. In addition, any existing Hilo or Aurora owner can implement an LT-DANTE to their converter by upgrading firmware.
Monitoring Ocean Way Audio unveiled its new HiRes3.5 Studio Reference Monitor, also known as HR3.5. The HR3.5 is based on the HR4 monitor first shown at the AES 2015. The HR3.5 is a larger free-standing or soffit-mounting version, delivering a frequency response of 20Hz to 22kHz with an SPL rating of 120db. The HR3.5 units incorporates an integrated two-way dual-horn system with one-inch HF and eight-inch MF drivers, and are mechanically time-aligned with twin 12-inch sub-bass drivers per channel. Three built-in amplifiers power this speaker, which features analogue and digital inputs, 96kHz/24-bit sampling, and a tri-amped 3,400 watts per channel (gosh!). The system delivers accurately matched and detailed imaging with OWA’s signature wide 100x40° horizontal and vertical dispersion for a massive sweet-spot across the listening environment. Danish pro audio companies, Digital Audio Denmark (DAD) and Dynaudio, announced a joint force in taking professional monitoring to the ‘next level’. Dynaudio’s PRO division is renown for high-end monitoring. Similarly, DAD is a standard in audio routing and distribution, which taps naturally into complex monitoring setups, spanning surround formats and 3D audio. Information is thin on the ground, apart from the announcement. All that’s known is the two companies plan to develop a high-end monitoring systems for music, mastering, film, post and broadcast production, the results appearing ‘during 2017’.
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RADIO The original broadcast media
www.content-technology.com/radio
Hong Kong Broadcasters Exit Digital Radio RADIO TELEVISION HONG KONG (RTHK) is the Special Administrative Region’s ‘last man standing’ in Digital Audio Broadcasting following moves by both Digital Broadcasting Corporation Hong Kong Limited (DBC) and Metro Broadcast Corporation Limited to surrender their DAB licences after their respective services struggled to attract sufficient return on investment. On the 8th of August, 2016, DBC submitted an application to Hong Kong’s Chief Executive in Council for the surrender of its DAB licence. On the 11th of August, 2016, DBC also applied to the HK Communications Authority for approval to allow it to deviate from various programming requirements under its DAB licence with effect from the 8th of September, 2016, until the date on which the termination of its DAB licence was approved by the CE in Council takes effect. DBC proposed to broadcast from the 8th of September, 2016 onwards, repeated programmes and music on its three non-music channels and would not broadcast APIs and the CA’s publicity materials on all of the seven channels. On the 12th of September, 2016, Metro followed suit by submitting an application to the CE in Council for the surrender of its DAB licence. That same day, Metro applied for the CA’s approval for it to deviate from various programming requirements under its DAB licence with effect from the 13th of October, 2016, until the date on which the termination of its DAB licence takes effect. Metro proposed to simulcast from the 13th of October, 2016 onwards, its FM channels on its two DAB channels (Metro Finance Digital and Metro Life
Digital), with the remaining DAB channel (Metro Music Digital) broadcasting music 24 hours a day. The withdrawal of DAB services by DBC and Metro follows that of Phoenix U Radio which halted operations in September 2015, leaving RTHK as the sole remaining member of the original DAB+ consortium. The first stage of broadcasting channels in DAB+ in Hong Kong started in August 2011, with the consortium broadcasting 18 channels via a network of seven hilltop sites around the Territory. The services were broadcast via DAB+ on Mux 11C (220.352 MHz) in VHF Band III. In considering the applications of DBC and Metro, the Communications Authority noted that the two licensees had already applied to the CE in Council for the termination of their respective DAB licences and were in the process of winding down their DAB operation. Pending the CE in Council’s decisions, the CA considered that both licensees might not have the required manpower and resources to maintain full-fledged DAB services and said the current arrangements represented the best endeavours by the two licensees to enable the listening public to continue to have access to DAB services during the interim period. Given the circumstances surrounding DBC and Metro, the CA considered that there was a case for them to deviate from the relevant requirements during the interim period and approved their applications.
Visit www.coms-auth.hk
Astro Radio Powers 10 Studios with Lawo Virtual Radio Consoles ASTRO RADIO DELIVERS NEWS AND TRAFFIC to more than 12 million listeners in Malaysia every week. Its journalists produce 90 news broadcasts in four languages every day, making Astro a non-stop operation. With a mandate to update and expand its facilities – and plan for the future – Astro Radio chose Lawo Virtual Radio Consoles for its new studios. “We’re seeing more and more broadcasters interested in Virtual Consoles,” said Michael Dosch, Director of Virtual Radio Projects for Lawo. “They’ve watched the IT world gain cost benefits from virtualisation, and they realise they can also save money and gain flexibility by upgrading from physical consoles and peripherals to a virtual studio infrastructure. In fact, some broadcasters are telling us they can save thousands by building a Virtual Radio environment.”
Each Compact Engine powers two studios. The Virtual Console software runs
Astro Radio’s Lawo system is comprised of DSP-based Compact Engines, which
on the same touchscreen PCs used for audio delivery, significantly lowering
mix audio and provide I/O, and touchscreen Virtual Consoles powered by Lawo
equipment costs. The Virtual Console is designed to replace and reduce the
VisTool software. A Lawo Nova 29 router bridges the new system with Astro’s legacy routing gear. Using touchscreen controls, Astro Radio’s operators can route and combine inputs from external sources, mix audio, record and edit interviews, then send their productions to air – all without touching a single physical fader.
cost of purchasing and maintaining a physical broadcast console. Not only is Astro Radio able to run 10 studios on five Compact Engines, it has saved on the purchase of a separate PC for virtual consoles in each news studio.
Visit www.lawo.com
Tibet Radio Broadcasts with Lawo LAWO HAS REPORTED ITS FIRST PROJECT for the Tibet People’s Radio
May, and the aim of networking all of the broadcaster’s on-air studios and dubbing
With a Nova 73 HD router core providing 8192 x 8192 cross-points and providing the hub of the installation, Infomedia is to equip eight of People’s Radio’s on-air studios with a 12-fader Lawo sapphire mixing desk each, and its 12 dubbing studios with eight-fader Lawo crystal mixing desks. Both the sapphire and crystal consoles support 32 DSP channels.
studio using a single, central router.
Visit www.lawo.com
Station in Lhasa. With Chinese system integrator, Infomedia Digital Technology, serving as the project’s main contractor, the project began in January 2016. This
RADIO
was followed by an extensive order for Lawo mixing and routing technology in
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RADIO
Digigram Introduces blu
Australian Radio Unites to Launch Streaming App
DIGIGRAM HAS UNVEILED ‘blu by Digigram’, a suite of cloud-based
AUSTRALIA’S COMMERCIAL RADIO INDUSTRY has joined forces with the
services including management of content contribution from journalists, expert voice talents, and remote presenters, as well as live user-generated content from the qualified broadcast or web radio audience. A centralised web service designed for the professional broadcast environment, blu by Digigram makes it easy for virtually any authorised user to establish a high-quality bidirectional communication with any remote contributor with
ABC and SBS to launch the country’s first mobile app. The app will allow listeners to live stream more than 250 Australian radio stations.
Industry body, Commercial Radio Australia, announced the new RadioApp at October’s National Radio Conference in Melbourne, as part of a strategy to enable listening on tablets, smartphones and computers.
internet access.
RadioApp will launch in late November and will include the following features:
The new protocol-agnostic contribution platform features the blu
• Listen live to Australian commercial, ABC and SBS radio stations.
by Digigram software as a service (SaaS) and the blu Connect studio
• Search to find radio stations by genre, name and location.
interface. Together these elements facilitate instant and secure IP
• Geo-location technology will recommend local stations by default.
audio contribution over the cloud or via traditional real-time modes of communication (phone or IP codecs), along with optional cloud-based
• Wake up to and doze off to nominated station with a built-in alarm and sleep-timer.
audio processing and media recording.
• View ‘just played’ music playlists and purchase songs from the playlist.
Staff within the studio simply connect to the blu by Digigram web
The app is being developed by All in Media (AIM), which has created a range of mobile apps for customers across Europe and Australia, including Southern Cross Austereo, the ABC, Bauer Media and Nova Entertainment.
platform and use its contacts interface to launch a full duplex contribution link between a remote correspondent and the blu Connect interface in the studio. Contributors accept the communication by clicking on the link sent by email or SMS to their PC or Android smartphones. In addition to providing users on both sides of the link with audio controls, the web platform offers tools with which the editorial team can manage the contributor community and enrich
Visit www.commercialradio.com.au and http://thisisaim.com
Podcasting With TASCAM MiNiSTUDIO Interfaces
recorded media with additional contextual metadata.
THE TASCAM MINISTUDIO Personal US-32 is an affordable solution for
The blu Connect broadcast-grade audio/data interface features AES/
internet broadcasting. The MiNiSTUDIO Creator US-42 has all the podcasting features of the MiNiSTUDIO Personal and adds features aimed toward advanced audio and video production.
EBU, AES67, and high-quality analogue I/O. The system automatically connects to the blu by Digigram service over an encrypted connection, and contributions links are generated without the need for network/IT knowledge. Visit www.digigram.com
Both TASCAM MiNiSTUDIOs provide recording up to 24-bit, 96kHz with Windows and Mac computers. The interfaces connect via USB 2.0 and can be USB bus-powered. They also connect to iOS devices using an Apple Camera Kit. Both are compatible with all major DAWs and work with all major streaming software and services.
Lawo and AVT Put Callers On-Air via Ember+ and AES67
TASCAM MiNiSTUDIOs also enable the addition of sound effects on-
BROADCASTERS CAN NOW CONNECT the line of AVT broadcast hybrids and
MiNiSTUDIO’s Broadcast mode. This ensures you are hearing everything
talkshow systems to their Lawo radio consoles using an all-AoIP audio and control
your audience hears.
path, thanks to AVT’s addition of AES67 and Ember+ to its VoIP, ISDN and POTS
The TASCAM MiNiSTUDIO Personal US-32 features a built-in
from the Mac or PC. Three sounds are included, but can be replaced with .WAV or .mp3 files. A Voice Effects feature lets you alter the sound of singing or speech, and an illuminated On-Air button confirms you’re live on the air and busses audio to and from the computer by way of the
microphone and a combo XLR mic/balanced 1/4-inch TRS line input with mic preamp and 48V phantom power. A 1/8-inch input can
Ember+ is an open-source control developed by Lawo and made available
connect to a smartphone, tablet, or other consumer audio device so you
to manufacturers free of charge. Combining Ember+ with AES67 networking
can fly in prerecorded music and dialog.
creates a complete AoIP audio and control solution for professional broadcast
The MiNiSTUDIO Creator US-42 extends the features of the MiNiSTUDIO
hardware and software devices. “An all-IP connection means even tighter integration between AVT phone systems and Lawo radio consoles,” said Lawo’s Stephen Türkay, Senior Product Manager, Radio OnAir. “Even though Lawo uses RAVENNA AoIP, and
Personal by adding a set of tools for producing, as well as broadcasting podcasts. Instead of the built-in mic, the MiNiSTUDIO Creator adds a second XLR/TRS mic input for external microphones. In addition to headphone outputs, the MiNiSTUDIO Creator offers stereo RCA line outputs with level controls for connection to powered monitors. In addition to supporting the Broadcast mode of the MiNiSTUDIO
AVT is equipped with Dante networking, AES67 is the common language
Personal US-32, the US-42 can be switched into ‘Creator’ mode. In this
both can speak. System setup is easier, thanks to the direct AoIP connection
mode, the MiNiSTUDIO Creator behaves like most USB audio interfaces
between AVT and Lawo equipment.” Visit www.lawo.com and www.avt-nbg.de
– recommended for production with a DAW or video editing software. Visit www.tascam.com
RADIO
phone products.
the-fly, thanks to three self-lighting PON pads that trigger audio files
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CONTENT DELIVERY Terrestrial, Mobile, Broadband
www.content-technology.com/delivery
PCCW Selects Edgeware TV Delivery Server for 4K Content EDGEWARE HAS BEEN SELECTED by Hong Kong’s PCCW to deliver 4K VoD content to its pay-TV service, Now TV, and Now Player app, as well as HD content to ViuTV’s mobile OTT service. ViuTV is a free TV service provided by PCCW in Hong Kong. The content streams are being delivered simultaneously over a single dedicated delivery network using Edgeware’s TV Delivery Server technology.
PCCW, said, “Our viewers’ experience is paramount, especially for livestreamed content. IP-delivered content should be in sync with the same content being broadcast traditionally. By using Edgeware’s Delivery Server platform we can limit any delays, even when distributing 4K content.”
According to Edgeware, by deploying server hardware designed solely for the delivery of TV services rather than generic cache servers modified for video, PCCW can deliver 4K content with no additional resources or power, giving audiences an ‘amazing TV experience with no glitches, no buffering and no delays’.
Edgeware’s TV Delivery Server features a scalable three-layer architecture designed to let operators deliver services without the delays sometimes associated with IP-delivered TV. The solution lets PCCW benefit from low-latency and cost effective scalability while also giving insights into the viewing experience and network performance using Edgeware’s built-in analytics.
Keith Huang, VP Product Management, Technology and Operations at
Visit www.pccw.com and www.edgeware.tv
UK Arirang TV Selects Globecast for HD Channel Launch
InfoSat-Laos Launches Direct to Home
GLOBECAST HAS BEEN SELECTED by Arirang TV to launch its new HD
THAICOM HAS ANNOUNCED it has signed a contract with InfoSat-Laos
channel on Sky’s satellite platform in the UK and Ireland. Arirang TV is a Seoul-based public service broadcaster providing a mix of English language news, cultural programs, educational shows and documentaries, and is the first Korean channel available to Sky viewers. On top of the ground services and satellite capacity, Globecast provided Arirang TV with assistance and guidance to gain a European Broadcasting License, liaised with the UK satellite platforms Sky and Freesat, and worked with PRS for Music regarding the channel’s music licensing.
Satellite TV on THAICOM 8 for the launch of its DTH platform on the THAICOM 8 satellite. InfoSat-Laos has signed a multi-year transponder agreement for Ku-band capacity on THAICOM 8. The deal emphasises Thaicom’s ASEAN Economic Community strategy and commitment to providing the region with satellite services. InfoSat-Laos builds the DTH platform to satisfy the increasing demand of Ku-band in Laos. The platform has more than 15 channels available in both SD and HD formats.
Leo Park, Senior Manager Satellite Distribution and Marketing at Arirang TV, said, “This is a major milestone for Arirang TV, and we’re delighted to bring our programmes to a new British audience. We chose Globecast to deliver our content because of its reputation, network reach and strong relationships with platforms like Sky.”
“THAICOM 8 supports the continued high demand for Ku-band capacity of the broadcasting industry in Asia and Africa as it transitions from standard definition to high definition and ultra-high definition”, said Patompob Suwansiri, CCO, Thaicom. “We are delighted to be able to support InfoSatLaos’ business strategy. With its high signal-strength, THAICOM 8 is optimised to provide state-of-the-art TV broadcast services in Laos.”
Visit www.globecast.com and www.arirang.com
Visit www.thaicom.net
Myanmar Radio and TV Powers Entertainment Channel with Imagine Communications IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS HAS DEPLOYED its Versio integrated playout solution to support the launch of a new channel for Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV), the MRTV Entertainment Channel.
DVB-T2 across the country. Since the 2015 General Elections, Myanmar has been carrying out media reforms, which include the transformation of stateowned broadcasting into public service broadcasting.
To speed deployment and reduce the need for complex maintenance, MRTV Entertainment Channel deployed Imagine Communications’ Versio, which combines automation, branding, graphics, file server, storage and master control capabilities in an integrated environment. Versio has simplified the creation and management of the MRTV Entertainment Channel and enables the company to extend its brand and content.
“The deployment would have taken longer to implement using traditional solutions, such as separate automation, servers, master control and graphics,” explained Joe Khodeir, Senior Vice President Asia Pacific at Imagine. “Versio comes in a single, powerful and highly reliable package which means fewer spares, less cabling and less maintenance requirements for the MRTV Entertainment Channel engineering team.”
The MRTV Entertainment Channel is broadcast on Digital Terrestrial on
Visit www.imaginecommunications.com
CONTENT DELIVERY
First Bangladesh DTH Platform Selects Exset
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BANGLADESH’S FIRST DTH PLATFORM has selected Exset in order to create and deploy value-add news and dynamic advertising services. Launched in April this year, RealVU is owned and operated by Beximco Communications Limited. RealVu has licensed Exset’s CAS 4.0 and DMS 5.0 to power services initially, including dynamic advertising and local news/listings information. The operator also has plans for a NVOD service, which can be accessed via the
EPG, as well as a dongle-based PVR. Subscribers pay a low cost monthly subscription for the DTH service, which launched with 105 channels including five in HD. Initially the service rollout was being handled by local partners in Dhaka, Sylhet and Chittagong. That is being expanded across the country and is backed up with 24/7 customer care capabilities. Visit www.exset.com
CONTENT DELIVERY
GatesAir Announces Digital TV and FM Radio Wins in Vietnam GATESAIR HAS ANNOUNCED three important wins in Vietnam that signify the over-the-air TV and radio transformation taking shape across the AsiaPacific region. An early adopter of DVB-T2 digital television, national broadcaster Vietnam Television (VTV) recently placed two orders for transmitter network expansions. The first project comprises four GatesAir Maxiva UHF solid-state high-efficiency transmitters – three ULXT liquid-cooled models and one UAXT air-cooled model – for unspecified VTV channels. The second project is specific to VTV5, a specialty channel serving ethnic minority communities. That project comprises two Maxiva ULXT liquid-cooled transmitters. On the radio side, Vietnam is investing in existing FM infrastructure with
improvement and expansion projects. Voice of Vietnam (VOV), the national radio broadcaster, recently ordered five Flexiva air-cooled solid-state transmitters – two 5kW and three 10kW models – for VOV4, which serves as the broadcaster’s ethnic languages channel. All three projects include turnkey equipment, installation and commissioning services to ensure a unified process. “As Vietnam moves toward its 2020 target to complete its national DVB-T2 network rollout, we are working closely with our regional channel partner, Broadcast Information Development Corporation – Joint Stock Company, to accelerate transmission system expansion projects for VTV,” said Darren Frearson, Vice President of Sales, EMEA and APAC for GatesAir.”
Visit www.gatesair.com
Turner APAC Boosts Ad Engagement with Imagine Communications IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS has installed its Landmark Sales, Rights & Scheduling system at Turner Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong. The deployment puts all Turner’s planning and campaign management in a single solution, helping eliminate bottlenecks and the need to transfer data between systems. The implementation of Landmark creates transparency across the whole planning, scheduling and sales process, including advertising spot placement on both linear and nonlinear platforms. The result is that Turner can interact with its audience more effectively, providing the right content at the right time and with the most appropriate advertising, thus helping to increase revenue opportunities and enhance viewer engagement. Turner’s preferred workflow begins with schedule planning, defining program formats, commercial breaks and other information to be input at the start. By
consolidating all processes in a single system, all users can see and work on plans as they develop. Landmark eliminates sequential workflows, allowing teams to work in parallel. For the commercial sales team, Landmark clearly identifies available advertising inventory, and enables it to be sold much closer to transmission time, helping maximise revenue opportunities and ensuring the requirements of advertisers are best met. Turner uses a combination of the Landmark Sales AutoBook engine to automatically manage impression-based campaigns, as well as linebased booking to meet the requirements of the buying community. Appropriate advertising can also increase audience engagement. The integrated solution provides detailed management reporting and analytics, helping the business gauge success of campaigns and direct future scheduling.
Visit www.imaginecommunications.com
Limelight Helps GoChina Deliver OTT to Millions LIMELIGHT NETWORKS HAS ANNOUNCED that GoChina TV is leveraging
account management team also provided a superior on-boarding and support
Limelight Video Delivery Services to provide their Mandarin-language over-
experience. It was easy to get started, and we had no disruption to our services or
the-top (OTT) video service to millions of subscribers worldwide.
our viewers’ experience along the way.”
GoChina TV is now using Limelight’s Content Delivery Network (CDN) to handle
“GoChina TV needs to provide a consistent, flawless video experience at all times,”
increasing demand for broadcast quality video on any device from more than two
said Jaheer Abbas, Southeast Asia Regional Sales Director at Limelight Networks.
million subscribers. As operations expand, GoChina TV can continue to provide a
“The bandwidth and reach of Limelight’s CDN ensures that GoChina TV can meet
high quality, consistent video experience for customers.
unpredictable demand at any time regardless of locations and devices used. The
“The performance of Limelight’s platform was superior to the other CDNs that
end result is an exceptional viewing experience for customers.”
we’ve tried,” said John Yin, CEO at GoChina TV. “Limelight’s local technical and
Visit www.limelight.com and www.gochinatv.com
MegaVision and Converge ICT Leverage Calix to Make Leap to Fibre CALIX RECENTLY ANNOUNCED cable operators, Cemerland Multimedia
MegaVision, based in Bandung, has also transformed its network, moving away
(MegaVision) in Indonesia, and Converge ICT (CICT) in the Philippines,
from legacy DOCSIS products to GPON using the combined the Calix 801G
are leveraging Calix GPON solutions as they transform portions of their
GigaPoint and E7-2 solution. Working with Calix Channel Partner, Twoway
networks to fibre. Both operators are examples of a trend among cable
Communications to implement this network modernisation project, MegaVision
operators globally who are making the leap to fibre to meet rising
is well underway with Phase 1 of this project – a doubling of broadband speeds
subscriber demand for ultra-high-speed broadband services.
available in their subscriber service packages.
experience and more responsive subscriber care as a result of its network transformation to Calix-based GPON technology. Through the assistance of Calix Channel Partner Tel-trade Communication and Development Inc., CICT is utilising the Calix 813G GigaHub and E7-2 Modular Access System to ready the network for the roll out, including television and high-speed internet with speeds up to 100Mbps in several cities in northern Luzon. CICT is also utilising
“In a short time, the Calix fibre solutions have already enabled MegaVision to greatly enhance our subscriber service offering,” said Vincent Lu, Chairman of MegaVision. “With fibre in place, we have the foundation in place to continue to introduce faster speeds and more advanced broadband services as our subscribers’ needs change. We have already seen new efficiencies in our internal operations through the fibre network, which results in an improved
Calix Open Link Cable software to emulate the OSS interfaces that are used by
experience and more positive feedback from our subscribers.”
DOCSIS products to integrate GPON into their existing back-office operations.
Visit https://www.calix.com
CONTENT DELIVERY
In the Philippines, Manila-based CICT has already seen an enhanced subscriber
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CONTENT DELIVERY
DVB-T/T2: Monitoring the Situation Simen Frostad, Chairman, Bridge Technologies WITH DVB-T2 HAVING BEEN TRIALLED, adopted or deployed in over 150 countries around the world, there seems little doubt that it’s likely to become pervasive. That’s no surprise, as its benefits and advantages are demonstrably compelling. Getting to where we are, however, hasn’t been easy in the face of political resistance and financial pressures – and there are still countries who have yet to make the commitment. DVB-T/T2 presents broadcasters with both opportunities and challenges. The complexity of services that can be offered, for example, can give rise to sophisticated, imaginative consumer offerings, and thus create the opportunity for competitive differentiation and advantage. Managing that complexity can, inevitably, bring with it challenges – not least in managing and optimising Quality of Service, something that is not made easier by what can sometimes look like a progressive de-skilling of the industry. It goes without saying that good planning and implementation of the infrastructure and workflows for tackling this complexity have direct benefits for service quality, results in less subscriber churn, and delivers a more successful business. This is particularly true for the network monitoring that is a fundamental element of QoS (Quality of Service). An efficient and comprehensive monitoring operation is the only way a service provider can be sure of delivering high standards of service and resolving problems quickly and cost-effectively. This means choosing the right monitoring technology, but it also means using it in the right way, so that engineering and maintenance staff understand how to make the best use of the tools at their disposal.
VB252 dual input DVB-T/T2 input interface module, it can enable monitoring of up to 50 IP multicasts, thus monitoring IP network distribution together with DVB-T/T2 transmissions. It is even possible to equip the monitoring chassis with a VB272 satellite interface module,
Dispersed Networks A highly dispersed network will always present challenges – and not all of these can be addressed by ‘fixed install’ monitoring solutions. There is also a real need for a monitoring solution that a network engineer can take with him on the road – and it was that thinking that led us to introduce Nomad at IBC this year. Truly portable, it recognises the increasingly mobile nature of the network engineer. And yet, it delivers all the functionality of the VB252 probe. I talked earlier about what sometimes seems like the de-skilling of the broadcast industry – at least so far as network management is concerned. Broadcast operators today are struggling, like so many other technical organisations, to acquire and hold on to skilled engineering personnel.
Not Difficult Network monitoring isn’t so very hard to do from the air-conditioned security of an operations centre. If only that were the only place where monitoring was necessary. Unfortunately, it isn’t. Take Scandinavia for example. It’s a collection of countries that are characterised by a terrain – not to mention the climate – that provide significant challenges, and where many consumers are geographically remote from the main centres of population. Sound familiar? In many locations, Scandinavia features high mountains and deep valleys, and for most of the year, the weather means they are wholly inaccessible. Even in the summer months, access via helicopter is the only feasible way of reaching them. Yet, if those remote populations are to be reachable by broadcasters, appropriate infrastructure provision needs to be made. The Tryvann transmission tower located on the outskirts of Oslo is one of the more convenient – but still far from easy to reach. There are towers that can take two days to reach via land. The implication of this, of course – and it is at least as applicable to remote regions that are more characterised by excesses of sunshine than excesses of snow – is that equipment installed in such facilities needs to be rugged and reliable if regular maintenance visits are to be avoided. Mostly, it needs to be capable of operating in extremes of temperature.
CONTENT DELIVERY
A key design consideration, especially in environments that are subject to very high temperatures, and where the equipment is installed in what is often a tightly confined space, is low power consumption, which results in lower operating temperatures. This, of course, maximises the reliability of electronic components.
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Probes are a case in point. In the optimum DVB-T/T2 infrastructure, probes are deployed throughout the network in order to monitor network performance and, especially, reliability. Take the Bridge Technologies VB120 Broadcast Probe. Custom-designed and built to telco-grade standards for maximum reliability and minimum maintenance, it consumes less than 12W of power. The VB120 offers costeffective and powerful monitoring in any broadcast operation involving most commonly available signal formats, including IP unicasts and multicasts, OTT/ ABR streams as well as a whole range of RF formats. Combining it with the
A generic DVB-T/T2 system diagram with monitoring points identified.
Skilled engineers are in demand, and this drives costs up as well as increasing the risk of losing them to the competition. It is not uncommon to have to re-train the whole networks operations centre on an annual basis because of key resources having been promoted upwards internally or having left the organisation altogether. That challenge is only exacerbated when new technologies such as DVB-T/T2 come into play. That scenario lies behind our design approach to Nomad. Yes, it is powerful and highly capable – but, in line with Bridge Technologies’ product design philosophy, it makes the complex, simple. The user does not need in-depth understanding of how IP networks operate in order to derive substantial benefit from it. The Nomad user interface is via our MediaWindow visualisation technology, which allows complex structures and data to be readily understood by non-expert users. MediaWindow is implemented across Bridge’s complete range of probes, meaning for example, that an engineer who is familiar with the VB252 will feel very much at ease with Nomad. Deploying complex DVB-T/T2 networks, and ensuring minimum operational problems, is certainly challenging, and never more so than in difficult, demanding geographies – but it doesn’t have to be hard. The necessary technologies and tools are out there. Visit www.bridgetech.tv
CONTENT DELIVERY
ASIA
2016
DVB Comes To Bangkok 29 November - 1 December Conference + Exhibition
A conference not to be missed – concentrating on the region’s digital TV needs, offering guidance on the transition to HD and UHD with emerging HDR and HFR, plus much more. Joining DVB experts will be speakers from ABU, Akamai, b<>com, Cisco, Dolby, EBU, Enensys, Ericsson, ESA, Harmonic, HHI, Multichoice, NBTC, NHK, Rohde & Schwarz, SAT-IP Alliance, Samsung, Sony and TU Braunschweig sharing their strategies for today’s changing media landscape. Lunches, coffee breaks and a special dinner provide the ideal opportunity to network, meet other delegates, exchange ideas and explore new horizons.
www.dvbasia.org
CONTENT DELIVERY
Visit the DVB Asia website for information on the conference program, DVB-T2 Masterclass and registration.
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CLASSIFIEDS + EVENTS
ASIA
+ANZ
C+T AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND FEATURES + DEADLINES 2017 ISSUE
EDITORIAL + AD DEADLINES
February
Mar-April
May-June
July-Aug
Sept-Oct
Nov-Dec
Editorial Submissions: 23-01-17 Ad Bookings:
30-01-17
Ad Artwork:
06-02-17
Editorial Submissions: 15-03-17 Ad Bookings:
22-03-17
Ad Artwork:
31-03-17
Editorial Submissions: 09-05-17 Ad Bookings:
16-05-17
Ad Artwork:
31-05-17
Editorial Submissions: 16-06-17 Ad Bookings:
23-06-17
Ad Artwork:
30-06-17
Editorial Submissions: 14-08-17 Ad Bookings:
21-08-17
Ad Artwork:
28-08-17
Editorial Submissions: 17-10-17 Ad Bookings:
23-10-17
Ad Artwork:
01-11-17
PUBLICATION DATE
PRODUCT ROUND-UP
SHOW COVERAGE
2nd Week February
+ Broadband & HbbTV + Multi-screen Delivery + Social Media + Studio/Facilities Directory
+ Review: CES 2017
1st Week April
+ Digital Asset Management Solutions + Content Delivery – RF, Fibre, Wireless and more.
+ Preview: NABshow17 (April 22-27, Las Vegas)
1st Week June
+S ports Production Solutions +D rones & UAVs +O TT/IPTV/VOD Solutions
+R eview: NABshow17
1st Week July
+4 K Acquisition & Delivery Solutions + I P-based Production +C ontent Security
+P review: SMPTE Australia 2017 (July18-21. Sydney)
1st Week September
+ ENG/Newsroom Systems + Compression, Encoding, Transcoding Solutions + Radio Technology
+P review: IBC Amsterdam (Sept 15-19) +P review: National Radio Conference (13-14 October, Melbourne)
2nd Week November
+C hannel-in-a-Box Solutions +C able & Satellite Delivery +E ducation & Training
C+T ASIA FEATURES + DEADLINES 2017 ISSUE
EDITORIAL + AD DEADLINES
Mar-April
Editorial Submissions: 06-02-17
May-June
Aug-Sept
Oct-Nov
Ad Bookings:
13-02-17
Ad Artwork:
20-02-17
Editorial Submissions: 10-04-17 Ad Bookings:
10-04-17
Ad Artwork:
17-04-17
Editorial Submissions: 25-07-17 Ad Bookings:
01-08-17
Ad Artwork:
08-08-17
Editorial Submissions: 29-09-17 Ad Bookings:
02-10-17
Ad Artwork:
09-10-17
PUBLICATION DATE
PRODUCT ROUND-UP
4th Week February
+ HDTV & Beyond + Broadband & HbbTV + Cloud Technologies + Digital Asset Management Solutions + Content Delivery – RF, Fibre, Wireless and more.
+ Preview: ABU Digital Broadcast Symposium (March 6-9, Kuala Lumpur) + Preview: NABshow17 (April 22-27, Las Vegas)
2nd Week May
+ Channel-in-a-Box Solutions + OTT/IPTV/VOD Solutions + Sports Production Solutions + Social Media
+P review: BroadcastAsia/ CommunicAsia 2017 (May 23-25, Singapore)
3rd Week August
+ Loudness Solutions + Cloud Solutions + Content Security + Compression, Encoding, Transcoding Solutions
+P review: BIRTV (Beijing, China) +P review: IBC Amsterdam (Sept 15-19)
3rd Week October
+ Cable & Satellite Delivery + Digital Asset Management Solutions + OTT/IPTV/HbbTV Solutions + Multi-screen Delivery
+P review: CASBAA (Cable& Satellite Broadcasting Assoc of Asia) + Preview: Broadcast Indonesia (Oct 25-27)
Advertiser Index PUBLISHING ADVERTISING CONTACTS PUBLISHING ++ ADVERTISING CONTACTS Brainstorm……………………………….31 Advanced Broadcast Solutions….5
PUBLISHER: PHIL SANDBERG ABU Digital papers@broadcastpapers.com +61 (0)414 671 811 or +61-2-9211 8205.
CLASSIFIEDS + EVENTS
Symposium............... IBC
48
Advertiser Index ABU DBS2015 ………………………… IBC Advanced Broadcast Solutions …… 5
SHOW COVERAGE
Calrec………………………………..39 CASBAA…………………………………..19
EMC………………………………………..OBC
For artwork Ideal Systems………………………………3
ADVERTISING ADAM BUICK specifications CO-FOUNDER:MANAGER: LUCY SALMON Dejero……………………………………13 HSE GmbH Asia Pacific……………4 For artwork specifications visit visit adam@broadcastpapers.com production@broadcastpapers.com DVB Asia…………………………………..33 LiveU……………………………………….9 www.content-technology.com www.content-technology.com or +61 (0)413 007 144 +61-2-9211 8205.
Calrec………………………………………… 39
Ideal Systems ……………………………… 3
Comrex ……………………………………… 41
IHSE …………………………………………… 4
DVB Asia …………………………………… 47
Magna Systems & Engineering……IFC
EMC …………………………………………OBC
Mediaproxy…………………………………17
NAB Shanghai………………………………19 Riedel ………………………………………… 25 Snell Advanced Media (S-A-M) …… 15
DIGITISE, DIGITALISE & DOMINATE