Content+Technology ANZ July-August 2014

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VOLUME 11 ISSUE 4 JULY/AUGUST 2014

MEDIA + PRODUCTION + MANAGEMENT + DELIVERY

www.content-technology.com

ABE2014 Australian Broadcast Exhibition

GLASGOW 2014

POST PRODUCTION

exhibition

ABE2014

ISSN 1448-9554

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Broadcast. Products. Solutions.

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Jakarta +62 8181 43923

Singapore +65 6282 3613

Sydney +61 2 9417 1111

Email sales@magnasys.tv 18/07/14 1:39 PM

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 4 JULY / AUGUST 2014

Also see C+T in PDF at www.content-technology.com

Cover Story – Broadcast Clicks with Broadband

8 REGULARS 02 EDITOR’S WELCOME 03 NEWS Videocraft OB Truck at C3 Presence, Brand New Media Opens Studio, Magna Launches Aerialtronics, SBS ON DEMAND Launches on HbbTV

45 CLASSIFIEDS AND EVENTS 46 INDUSTRY FOCUS 48 TIME SHIFTER Do Frenchmen Play Cricket?

24 FEATURES 10 ABE PREVIEW Exhibition Preview 18 ACQUISITION Sony 4K used for ‘Old School’, ‘Show Boy’, and ‘Grey Bull’, Fujinon Looks for Fireballs

22 SPORTSCASTING Akamai Helps SBS for

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World Cup Data, Glasgow 2014 Diaries Chapter 10, Ross Launches openTruck

28 NEWS OPERATIONS Choueifate Appointed Ten News Director, 99% TV Launches with Ross in India, Next-Gen News Ticker

30 POST-PRODUCTION Adobe CC 2014, Autodesk Smoke 2015, Microsoft Backs Wipster

32 MEDIA IN THE CLOUD Freeview CEO Liz Ross Discusses the HbbTV-enabled Freeview Plus EPG; Brightcove’s Mark Blair Explains How HbbTV Can Revolutionise Free-to-Air TV

36 AUDIO Business Award for Abe’s Audio, Direct Imports NZ Distributor for DPA, Amber Brings Dolby Atmos to Oz

38 RADIO Sonifex Acquires Innes Corp., New Lawo Crystal Mixing Console, Ampegon Green Tech

41 TRANSMISSION Imagine Expands Nine Network National Playout Center, KVM Matrix Switches in the Broadcast Environment

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CONTENT+TECHNOLOGY: ISSN 1448-9554 PP:255003/06831 Broadcastpapers Pty Ltd (ABN: 34 095 653 277) PO Box 259, Darlinghurst, NSW 1300 Australia www.broadcastpapers.com PUBLISHER: Phil Sandberg Tel: +61-(0)2-9211 8205 Fax: +61-(0)2-9211 8208 Mob: +61-(0)414-671-811 papers@broadcastpapers.com

SUB-EDITOR: Keith Ford PRODUCTION MANAGER: Lucy Salmon Tel: +61-(0)29211 8205 production@broadcastpapers.com DESIGN & LAYOUT: Wide Open Media Tel: +61-2-9690 2835 info@wideopenmedia.com.au PRINTING: Pegasus COPYRIGHT NOTICE: All material in Broadcastpapers’ Content+Technology Magazine is protected under

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EDITOR’S WELCOME

Free-to-Air Transmissions?

By Phil Sandberg MUCH OF THE DISCUSSION AROUND the future of television has focused on viewer habits, new devices, Gen Y, binge viewing, Internet disruption and the death of appointment TV, but what about the policy and budgetary agendas of Governments?

of the potential future demands on the spectrum used by DTT.”

The UK regulator Ofcom has issued a discussion paper around changes in that country’s use of the 700MHz (UHF) band and what it sees as an evolutionary path for what it calls FTV (Free-to-View) television.

a) Availability and take-up of superfast broadband: the UK Government’s current plans will make superfast broadband available to 95% of the population by 2017. This would need to be complemented by driving take-up of these services.

The paper does say, however, that a number of criteria that would need to be satisfied for a mass market move from DTT to IPTV to be realistically considered. These include:

The regulator sees two potential options for addressing those challenges, which it says are not mutually exclusive:

St. Petersburg

You can find the paper at http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/ consultations/700MHz/ftv/?utm_source=updates&utm_ medium=email&utm_campaign=ftv Let me know what you think.

 providing more channels and services over IP through hybrid/DTT products.

Thanks for Reading

 upgrading broadcast compression and transmission standards.

Phil Sandberg Editor/Publisher

According to the paper, “There is a debate emerging about the potential for internet protocol TV, or IPTV, potentially combined with satellite, to provide a potential long-term alternative to DTT delivery. This is because IP delivery is becoming more important as viewers use on-demand services and because

papers@broadcastpapers.com T: +61-(0)2-9211 8205

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Where these potential building blocks sit now in the context of the Coalition Government’s reshaping of the NBN remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that electromagnetic spectrum, like other Government assets, will come under increasing consideration as governments seek to bolster revenues in times of budget emergencies.

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“Based on our analysis of the market we believe that there are two key challenges for the free to view element of the DTT market: connectivity and improving picture quality.”

In an Australian context, the building blocks for a future transition from terrestrial to IP/satellite delivery were theoretically present in the VAST satellite service and the former Labor Government’s vision for the National Broadband Network. Indeed, marketing collateral was created under the previous NBN management promoting the network to terrestrial broadcasters as an alternative delivery platform.

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“Nevertheless,” the paper sates, “any fall in DTT penetration is, in our view, unlikely to be significant enough to undermine the policy goals achieved

by FTV, particularly since many viewers may in any case choose to switch to Freesat. Furthermore DTT stakeholders are able, either individually or collectively, to take various steps in order to prevent such a decline.

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Ofcom engaged consultancy firm Mediatique to consider the possible impact on DTT platform penetration of greater consumer demand for HD content.

They found that should this materialise, DTT penetration could fall following a change of use of the 700MHz band as a result of it having less choice of HD services than other TV platforms.

c) Quality of experience: significant work is likely to be needed to understand how to ensure networks are sufficiently capable and resilient to replicate the quality of experience currently delivered over broadcast networks.

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The regulatory body has released proposals to make the 700 MHz band available for mobile broadband from 2022, or possibly up to two years earlier. The proposals involve moving parts of DTT (temporarily allocated to support the transition to MPEG-4/DVB-T2 standards) and Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) services to other frequencies.

b) Take-up of IP capable consumer equipment: whilst falling prices will bring more IP capable equipment into households, there is likely to be a sizeable minority of people without IP capable equipment.

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It paints a future of free television being delivered via IPTV platforms and even moots the switch-off of Digital Terrestrial Television sometime after the year 2030.

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NEWS + PEOPLE For the latest news visit www.content-technology.com

Videocraft OB Truck Takes C3 Presence to New Level C3 PRESENCE is the C3 church’s biggest conference of the year, packing out the Sydney Entertainment Centre for four full days in April. C3’s vision facilities provider and OB partner was again Videocraft, but this year the conference had the added bonus of using Videocraft’s fully refurbished, ten seat IP-based OB truck.

C3 Church Post Production Supervisor and Technical Director, Simon Ashby, said, “Videocraft always provide a first class service but by using the new OB truck they really raised the bar in terms of production values. It was a very impressive week.”

Videocraft’s OB truck has undergone a significant refurbishment internally and externally with new air conditioning, racks, ergonomic production furniture and electrics throughout. The truck has the ability to be configured as either a mobile edit facility, EVS facility, or as an OB truck.

Videocraft NSW state manager, Andy Liell, explained, “We made a conscious effort to not just refurbish but to upgrade and future proof the truck for a variety of applications. As a result the truck can now also operate as a full mobile editing facility complete with Avid edit suites, Isis storage, Avid Interplay, and EVS servers, all of which can be tailored and customised to each client and project’s specifications.”

For the C3 conference, the truck was configured around an MVS8000G vision switcher, 16 channels of EVS, 11 cameras with 4 CCU positions and incorporated the production’s web streaming requirements.

Andy Liell continued, “The truck has been designed to have smart, ITcentric connectivity to all the kit that hooks into it. This year’s C3 Presence was Videocraft’s third and most the complex to date. For example, we needed to build an external control room inside the Qantas Credit Union Arena loading dock, catering for two vision switcher positions, producer positions, multiview and five graphics positions. Connectivity to this area was largely over Ethernet, significantly reducing the deployment time.

Another example is our use of the Sony NXL-IP55 live production unit which enabled us to connect the truck to two Ross Furio robotic camera systems and a Steadicam wireless link in the arena with full tally, intercom, camera control and return video configuration over a single Ethernet cable. The connectivity has been designed to easily expand the truck’s capabilities by adding standard site sheds for additional EVS, CCU, vision mixing or audio facilities. This easy expansion and smart connectivity is all based around the latest in IP and fibre technology, which in turn means there is no longer a need for lots of heavy baseband cabling allowing faster deployment and more flexibility.”

Videocraft also supplied and installed an Avid Isis 5000 as the central storage hub for the four onsite video editors ensuring seamless integration between the Isis and EVS and allowing the editors to work on their content almost instantaneously.

Visit www.videocraft.com.au

Ross Gives Remote Church-Members a Front Row Seat INFLUENCERS CHURCH has a growing congregation spread across four campuses and two countries: three in Adelaide, Australia, and one in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States. The Church uses Ross Video’s Carbonite Production Switcher to cut live video to its I-Mag screens and give every member of the congregation in its 3000-seat main auditorium in the Adelaide suburb of Paradise, a front-row experience. Carbonite is also used to stream live video to the Church’s other campuses in Australia and the United States, and enable the congregations to share live moments with each other despite being in different campuses and countries.

“In 2013, we were planning to move from an outside-broadcast truck to a studio install. I went through a lengthy selection process, but was disappointed with the lack of support I received from many vendors,” said Tristan Hebart, TV and Production Technician at Influencers Church. “I was

tralia Sell, Integrate and mplete range of Evertz Products

impressed by Ross Video, though, and its products and services. Carbonite’s flexibility, for example, gave us the ability to expand what we do, and its extensive features and options meant I could buy one switcher rather multiple different pieces of equipment.”

The Carbonite switcher enables Influencers Church to create custom panels and switch the live stream feeds being sent to the different campuses. The Church also uses the Carbonite to deliver integrated systems, such as lower thirds, and do a live cut for DVDs that are sold straight after the service.

Being able to map tally to the auxiliaries, as well as program and preview buses helps show operators when they are live and when they’re being recorded by triggering two different coloured tallies.

Visit www.rossvideo.com

Let us help you catch the moments in live productions Book your Evertz Dreamcatcher hands-on experience now!

We have the equipment and factory trained staff ready to assist you....

AUSTRALIA Pty Ltd

NEWS + PEOPLE

Its all about strong local support!

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STUDIOTECH AUSTRALIA UNIT 18 / 7 SEFTON ROAD THORNLEIGH NSW 2120 Phone: +61 2 8911 5020 Fax: +61 2 8088 7803

info@studiotechau.com www.studiotechau.com

The new Blackmagic Studio Camera has optical fiber, talkback, tally and massive 10” viewfinder!

The Blackmagic Studio Camera is the world’s most advanced broadcast camera for live, multi camera production! It features an incredibly tough, lightweight machined magnesium design with a massive 10” viewfinder, 4 hour battery, talkback, tally indicators, phantom powered microphone ports and built in optical fiber and SDI connections. That’s a fully self contained, broadcast grade, live camera solution!

Full Size HD Viewfinder The Blackmagic Studio Camera includes the world’s largest viewfinder built in! The massive 10” high resolution screen has a super wide viewing angle and extremely high brightness so you can see your images with amazing detail even in bright daylight! This professional grade viewfinder makes it easy to frame, focus, change iris settings and make subtle adjustments with full confidence even when you’re live on air!

Optical Fiber and 6G-SDI Connections Connect Blackmagic Studio Camera to your live production switcher with optical fiber cables connected to the built in fiber port or use regular 6G-SDI BNC video cables! The video connections are bi-directional and carry HD or Ultra HD video with talkback, tally, embedded audio and even camera remote control. With standard, low cost fiber optic cable, you can connect to your cameras over massive distances!

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Talkback and Tally The Blackmagic Studio Camera features built in talkback using general aviation headsets, so you get better noise cancelling and comfort at a much lower cost! You also get built-in tally lights that illuminate automatically when your camera is live so your cast and crew can easily see which cameras are on air! Talkback and tally signals are embedded in the return video connection to the camera, so you don’t have to run separate cables!

Micro Four Thirds Lens Mount The active Micro Four Thirds lens mount is compatible with an incredibly wide range of lenses and adapters. You can use your existing photo lenses for smaller setups and fixed camera use, or connect incredible broadcast ENG lenses via a B4 lens adapter.

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NEWS + PEOPLE

Brand New Media Opens Brand New Studios BRAND NEW MEDIA (BNM) has announced the opening of its Sydney-based

“Brand New Studios is an in-house creative space whereby we can develop end-to- end content solutions for clients and enable brands to become broadcasters. The company has experienced rapid growth in the last two years, and the new facility in Sydney opens the door to content creation on location,” said Perry Smith, CEO of Brand New Studios.

clients can shoot, post produce, and distribute content across all screens. BNS has creative development and production staff, a green screen curtain, infinity cyclorama, HD single and multi-camera facilitation, prerecorded, live-to-air and on-location broadcast capabilities, post-production creative services, and dry hire production.

The new facility was designed by Alex Diego from Rising Concepts, and

Visit www.brandnewmedia.com.au

production studios in McMahons Point, Sydney. The facility has full-service creative development and production capabilities. BNM extends its global offering through the expansion of brand new studios (BNS), supplying creative end-to-end content solutions, strategy, production, design, and distribution.

Clients include brands and other creative, design, and digital agencies.

Nick Critelli Joins Quinto

products in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania According to Nick, “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity

QUINTO COMMUNICATIONS has announced the appointment of Nick Critelli as Sales and Marketing Executive for Quinto’s range of professional video products and services.

Based in Melbourne, Nick joins Quinto with an impressive record of sales and marketing experience at a senior level within the industry. More recently, this has included the sales and distribution of JVC Professional

to work with Quinto Communications and once again represent the JVC Professional brand as well as the many other leading edge products that Quinto promote. I have known the Quinto team for many years now and am truly excited to be part of their impressive team.”

For further information, email sales@quinto.com.au

Mid-Sized Production Switchers

NEWS + PEOPLE

Carbonite Carbonite has become has thebecome Mid-Size Production the Mid-Size Switcher ofProduction choice for many Switcher producers thanks of choice to its amazing forcapabilities many producers and thanks to i easeease of use. of We use. have now We added have newnow uniqueadded features -new MiniMEs™ unique and MultiScreen™. features - MiniMEs™ and MultiScreen™.

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Magna Takes Flight with Aerialtronics Australasia IAN FELLOWS, one of the broadcast industry’s longest serving and most experienced professionals, has joined Magna Systems and Engineering as the company launches its newest venture, Aerialtronics Australasia.

Aerialtronics Australasia will focus on the sales and promotion of the highly acclaimed Altura series of unmanned aircraft systems, particularly in the areas of outside broadcasts and live events, police and security services and tower inspection across the Asia Pacific.

The new company will be headed up by

current Magna Systems Director of Marketing David Clemesha, who moves into the new role. Fellows joins Magna Systems as its new Head of Marketing, boasting a long broadcast media career that has included success in all areas of operational management, digital technology, sales, and marketing.

Previously Fellows enjoyed engineering, sales and marketing roles at Network Ten, Sony, NDS, General Dynamics Mediaware, and Tandberg Television, with his most recent position at Gencom Technology.

Fellows said, “Magna Systems and Engineering is one of most experienced companies in the broadcast industry. Their passion and desire to be forward thinking and ahead of the curve is very impressive and I am delighted to now be part of their team.”

Visit www.magnasys.tv

L-S-B Appoints PAT for VSM in Australia L-S-B BROADCAST TECHNOLOGIES, provider of the VSM Broadcast

our market expansion strategy.”

Control and Monitoring System, has appointed PAT, Professional Audio & Television, as its exclusive distributor for Australia. For several years, L-S-B has teamed with PAT in the Australian market.

L-S-B Managing Director, Wilfried Luff, said, “For many years, PAT has been already realised many major projects and we are convinced that our positive and successful partnership will be lifted to the next level with our further mutual commitment.”

Visit www.proaudiotv.com.au

NEWS + PEOPLE

Patrick Salloch, Managing Director at PAT, said, “For the last four years we have distributed VSM and have accomplished various large and prestigious projects with the technology. As PAT is concentrating more and more on the TV-market, we are considering L-S-B and its VSM system as an integral part of

an important partner in the Australian broadcast market. Together we have

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NEWS + PEOPLE

SBS ON DEMAND Launches in Beta on HbbTV Enabled TVs

By Keith Ford

SBS’s dedicated catch-up viewing service, SBS ON DEMAND, will now be available to the public in beta via HbbTV enabled televisions, which are launching in Australia in coming months.

“WE’VE BEEN LOOKING at this for probably 18 months or more now,” said Trevor Long, Manager of Technology, Strategy, Innovation at SBS “I started in December 2012, and I think it was even that very month that we starting talking HbbTV. I started looking into what it was, going through the process, presenting it to the board and getting the agreement to actually move forward with it.

I honestly believe it’s the biggest evolution in television in a very long time because of what it can potentially do to bring together information, let alone IP TV and streamed content, into the free to air experience.”

Users with new HbbTV-enabled televisions that are connected to the Internet will see a ‘Red Button’ appear on screen when tuning intoSBS ONE, SBS2, and NITV. Pressing the red button on the remote control will then launch the new SBS ON DEMAND application on the television screen and allow viewers to access to the range of content on offer from SBS. “What we’ve launched today is, in my opinion, probably the minimum that we would offer, which is a replication of all of our on demand content now accessible to someone who has a brand new HbbTV enabled television, which is connected to the internet and they’re viewing SBS,” explains Long. “So if you happen to have, in this example, one of those new Panasonics which is HbbTV enabled, you’d connect to the internet and you’d tune into SBS today, you’ll get a red button appear on the screen and it’s so simple. You just press the red button and then from there you can browse our on demand catalogue, press a button and play stuff right there on your big screen.”

NEWS + PEOPLE

The red button will appear whenever the user tunes into an SBS channel, making the viewer aware that they have the option, before disappearing from the screen. The functions of pressing the button will still be active for as long as the viewer is watching SBS. Crucially, while the red button will be delivered via the broadcast signal, it will only show up for users with an HbbTV enabled set.

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“Once FreeviewPlus is launched and we’re all well into the fray, there’s an even better way of doing it, which is we actually deliver the physical red button that you see, the logo, the wording, we deliver that actually over the air, so we deliver that to you as part of the broadcast stream,” added Trevor. “The critical thing about that is it means that we can deliver a red button to a HbbTV enabled television and if they haven’t connected to the internet, when they press the red button, we can give them a message that

encourages them to connect to the internet and kind of tease them with the wealth of content that will be available to them if they simply plug it in or connect to a Wi-Fi network. So I think that will be great for driving the connectivity of TVs and really letting people know the content that is available.”

There are currently no firm plans in place from SBS for the future of their HbbTV service, with much relying on the outcome of the beta. For now the focus is on making sure the initial offering is up to scratch before looking further towards the future.

“There will be bugs, probably no doubt, but we’ll work through those. Once FreeviewPlus launches, which is an industry wide combined EPG and catch up service, we’ll be at a point where we should have a greater confidence in the product,” said Long. “Outside of FreeviewPlus and what it offers, and SBS on demand, we don’t have any plans to do anything different.”

“For HbbTV, we use MPEG-DASH, and deliver two bit rates via the stream (1000kbps and 1500kbps). The video format is 360p. We use Akamai for our CDN, we use The Platform for our VMS, and for encoding we utilise Digital Rapids,” said Long. “Our Broadcast engineering team have worked tirelessly to implement a Seachange solution for our Service Information (SI) and Program Specific Information (PSI) needs related to implementing HbbTV, and of course we’ve had to make some changes to our workflows and Pilat IBMS systems to help feed program data out also.

Accedo, a global leader in TV application solutions, also assisted SBS in the launch of SBS ON DEMAND for HbbTV.

Marshall Heald, SBS Chief Digital Officer, said, “Today’s launch of the SBS ON DEMAND application for HbbTV-enabled TVs is yet another example of SBS continuing to lead the way in offering viewers access to their favourite shows across the very latest devices and technology.

We’re releasing the app in beta to elicit feedback from audiences to help us make further enhancements and improvements to the product during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and ahead of the Tour de France next month. Early-adopters of this new technology will be able to provide us with valuable feedback to maximise the SBS ON DEMAND experience.

“Accedo has been a strong partner for many years, and they continue to provide valuable services to SBS in our quest to provide our audiences with access to SBS’s unique content, where and when they want it.”

Matt Kossatz, VP Australia and New Zealand, Accedo, said, “SBS is an extremely forwardlooking media organisation, which shares our passion and enthusiasm. We’re extremely excited to be behind the successful design, development and deployment of Australia’s first HbbTV catchup TV application. We are especially pleased to once again help SBS pave the way in this space and we look forward to continuing to work closely with them to roll out more SBS content and features in the coming months.”

Currently Panasonic has HbbTV-enabled televisions on sale in Australia with sets from manufacturers including Sony, LG, Samsung, TCL, and others becoming available in coming months.

Visit www.sbs.com.au

ABE2014 PREVIEW Australian Broadcast Exhibition

August 5-7 2014 Novotel Manly Pacific Hotel, Sydney

Looking to the Future of DTTB at the Free TV Australia Seminar

By Keith Ford Coinciding with the Australian Broadcasting Exhibition (ABE) 2014 is the Free TV Australia Engineering Seminar. Director of Engineering for Free TV Australia, Roger Bunch, and Chair of the Free TV Engineering Committee, Jeff Yeates (Network TEN), spoke about the main focal points of the seminar, which is operating under the title of ‘Looking to the Future of DTTB’. The topics include broadcasting spectrum, contribution and distribution, TV content and production workflow, coding technologies, consumer electronics, and content quality.

ONE OF THE CORE TECHNOLOGIES being discussed at the seminar will be DVB-T2.

Following the recent migration to digital only broadcasting in Australia, which utilises the DVB-T standard, there will be a discussion on the benefits of DVB-T2 and the feasibility of migrating to the newer standard.

“Like most technologies, there is a lot of publicity about DVB-T2, but unfortunately, globally, there haven’t been to date many implementations. And there are few implementations that have been well documented on how DVB-T2 has been rolled out. “So what we are looking for at this seminar and also in the exhibition of the products, is how we can tie the end-to-end system together for DVB-T2 transmissions and visualise or get hard facts about what the development needs with the migration to T2.

ABE 2014 PREVIEW

“Now that has implications, not only for spectrum planning, but even has implications for the way we have ancillary data now in a digital environment, to the video and audio, and how we actually migrate that and make it backward compatible. We imagine in the future, from a viewer’s perspective, that they might have dual tuners so that we can migrate at some point in time, whenever that might occur.”

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“We know what T2 can bring us,” added Jeff Yeates, Technology, Consultant at Network 10 “It can bring us spectrum efficiency, it can bring us ultra-high definition TV (UHDTV), more services, more HD. It really is a whole lot of things, but until we actually get enough information on how it can be deployed or how it is going to be deployed, it’s very difficult to say what model we are going to use in the future, but we are excited by the technology.

“We are focusing on T2 and 4K, while remembering the broadcaster has to carry this around the plant and they have to distribute it and contribute it, get content in. There’s a number of papers in there that talk about that sort of technology, and the advancement of IT and how that can help in those regards as well.”

Along with DVB-T2 and UHDTV, which will also be looked at in terms of production and workflow concerns involved in producing 4K content, the seminar is also looking at higher frequencies for ENG and OB, as well as IP in broadcasting.

“What’s emerging are new technologies for links and for contribution systems, particularly at very high frequencies. The most recent has been optical links where we are operating at wavelengths that are very high. However I don’t really see us in the short-term going to those techniques. But I do see that there is pressure on lower frequency bands for any use of fixed links because of the growth in mobile spectrum usage. And this is the same for satellite and we are seeing a progression up the frequency ranges of both,” said Bunch.

“The other issue with respect to content contribution/distribution is how efficient have IP delivery systems become. We have to look at these. They have been deficient in some areas in the past and from my observation still have a few elements to include in their end-toend system performance. Speaking specifically of latency between audio and video.”

“In my opinion it is like everything, you start with islands of equipment where IP is used in a one-off application direction and then you start growing it out so that you can get the whole plant to go over IP,” expanded Yeates.

Register for ABE2014 at www.abeshow.tv

Tied into many of the topics at the Free TV seminar is that they need to be deployed throughout the entire broadcast chain, not merely in one area. Truly end-to-end solutions are necessary, and coding technology is no different. HEVC has been the focus of a lot of attention, but it is imperative that the new technology is fully understood before overhauling large swathes of equipment.

“There’s a lot of publicity about HEVC and we’ve read a lot of the papers,” said Bunch.

“However as yet we have not seen the papers that describe the methodologies used to assess video quality. We’ve heard very little also about the audio characteristics, things like latency.

We would like to see demonstrations of the material and also of the content that has been assessed to date.

“But don’t underestimate, MPEG-4 is used significantly, not in our end broadcast because MPEG-2 is our standard in that stage and receivers, but all cable companies use MPEG-4 and most of your streaming devices are MPEG4,” added Yeates. “It is the codec of choice and the interesting part is that we have found that the advancements they made in MPEG-4 was able to advance the efficiency of MPEG2. So it’s not like we haven’t gained from that technology at all. The case is if you are going to go to a new standard now, would you just go to MPEG-4 or would you leapfrog it to HEVC?” A number of other topics will be covered in detail during the seminar, including 4K production and workflow, consumer electronics advancements from 4K DTV receivers to tuners for tablets, and maintaining quality in an OTT and IP environment.

ABE 2014 PREVIEW

ABE2014 Exhibition Highlights AMBER TECHNOLOGY

4k work flow in vision switchers)

Unit 1, 2 Daydream Street Warriewood NSW 2102 Tel: 1800 251 367 sales@ambertech.com.au

Avid personnel will include: Dr Peter Thomas (presenting paper Design Criteria and Best Practices for file-based Systems in Broadcast), and Pip Warren

www.ambertech.com.au

EVS personnel attending include Adam McLeod (presenting paper OTT and 2nd Screen options for Broadcasters and Media partners).

++ Brainstorm – Real-time interactive 3D graphics and virtual set solutions for broadcast, feature film production and realtime graphics presentations. ++ Snell ICE and Momentum – Momentum tackles the movement, manipulation and repurposing of media that is required for multi-platform content delivery. ICE leads the field in “Channel-in-a-box” solutions for automated playout. ++ Silvus Technologies – With the performance of conventional microwave but in an IP Radio that also forms fluid self-healing peer-to-peer connections between radios, the Silvus Streamcaster offers a whole new approach to ENG and video contribution. ++ Avid Technology – get a jumpstart on editing with Media | Director – a media ingest module for the Media Suite that speeds up file-based workflow. ++ EVS MXF Solutions – OpenCube offers a range of hardware and software solutions dedicated to tape ingest and MXF (SMPTE compliant) file mastering applications. The EVS C-Cast platform has been instrumental in delivering OTT services from the recent Soccer World Cup. ++ Teradek – Video encoding and delivery solutions: Bolt Pro 2000 – zero latency HD over extended ranges; Bond Pro – cost effective and highly efficient bonded cellular; Cube Pro – high quality low latency H.264 over Wi-Fi, cell and Silvus MESH Radios; and CORE – fleetwide management of remote field encoders. ++ Axel Video – Media management software.

Simply point axle at the required media files and it automatically creates low-bandwidth proxies for access from any web browser.

Using the simple browser interface, it’s easy to search, comment, mark, approve and annotate assets from any location.

Visitors to ABE will also be able to view a wide variety of best-in-class products and accessories from Telestream, Neutrik, Nugen Audio, TC Electronics, DPA Microphones, Vinten, Canare, Avid Audio and Vandamme.

ERICSSON Level 8, Building C, 11 Talavera Rd, Macquarie Park NSW 2113 Tel: 02 9111 4017 Email: tvsupportanz@ericsson.com www.ericsson.com/television Matthew Goldman, SVP TV Compression Technology, Ericsson, will be updating attendees of the Free TV Engineering Conference on HEVC, particularly on Directto-Home and the new Range Extensions for Contribution & Distribution.

High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is the next generation of standardized codec technology. It is set to revolutionize the entertainment television/video world with a potential 50% bitrate saving over Advanced Video Coding (AVC, or H.264/MPEG-4 AVC) or four times the efficiency of MPEG-2 Video.

HEVC implementations already have started to be deployed over mobile networks and over the internet (“over-the-top”), and will be deployed increasingly into the marketplace over the next several years. This presentation gives an update on the state of the industry with regard to HEVC and the challenges to deployment that the industry faces.

Gencom’s offices include a comprehensive design centre and factory in Auckland, a regional Asia Pacific office and factory in Singapore, a Sydney based operation offering engineering design and support workshops.

Gencom also has offices in Wellington, Johannesburg and London UK. Gencom can integrate current equipment or construct a complete new facility. Areas of expertise include the design, construction and project management of studios and control rooms, complete television and radio stations, play-out centres, IPTV solutions, hospital / medical training facilities, streaming and web based solutions, head-ends for cable and satellite, outside broadcast and SNG vehicles, specialised medical vehicles and hospital and medical Installations, linking systems and telecommunications, digital signage and AV and multimedia.

Gencom Technology also specialises in the distribution and sale of products from leading manufacturers and offers a complete range of services covering the total integration of media technology system solutions.

These services include; consultation and budgeting, engineering design and resources, project management, system integration, installation services, logistics, commissioning, documentation, training and on-going support.

GRASS VALLEY

Mr Goldman will also present What Makes Ultra-HD an Immersive Viewing Experience and Where the Industry is Heading.

This seminar will explore what really matters from a viewer’s perspective including higher frame rates, expanded dynamic range, wider color space, and deeper sample bit depth.

Unit 8, 372 Eastern Valley Way Chatswood NSW 2067 Tel: +61 2 8765 4670

GENCOM TECHNOLOGY

Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, will exhibit its comprehensive and innovative technologies on Stand 1 at the Australian Broadcast Exhibition.

Unit 5, 277-283 Lane Cove Road, Macquarie Park NSW 2113 Tel +61 2 9888 8208 www.gencom.com Gencom Technology’s experience spans over 40 years being founded in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1969. Gencom Technology is a leading provider of integrated media technology solutions with a reputation based upon inspiration, partnership and support.

Amber Technology will be represented by: Ross Caston, Leon Hart, Steve Shelley, Mathew Murray, Sean Frazer and Peter Amos.

The company specialises in providing technology applications for broadcast, multimedia, telecommunications, government, health and education sectors.

Snell personnel will include Lyndsey Thompson and Mark Parlett (presenting paper

Gencom remains at the forefront by applying technological developments in transmission,

www.grassvalley.com

Grass Valley will be demonstrating the newest addition to the LDX camera range, the LDX XtremeSpeed (LDX XS) 6X ultra slow-motion camera system. The LDX XS sets a new standard for ultra slow-motion image acquisition by introducing a workflow with instant time-to-air so that not a single moment of the action will be missed or lost. The LDX XS offers the highest sensitivity and image performance across all of the different acquisition speeds.

The added advantage of Grass Valley’s LDX cameras is that they operate in tandem with the company’s K2 Dyno Replay System (consisting of the K2 Dyno S Replay Controller and K2 Summit 3G Production Client), with AnySpeed dynamic playback technology providing smooth

ABE 2014 PREVIEW

Delegates to the Amber Technology display at ABE 2014 will be introduced to multiple stateof-the-art products and systems never before seen in Australia, including:

media asset management, fixed and mobile IP applications.

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ABE 2014 PREVIEW

playback at any speed from zero to 200 percent and all speed transitions for ultra slow-motion 6X playout. For fast turnaround time with productions, broadcasters don’t have to wait for the LDX XS to transfer clips, as the footage is available immediately.

The GV STRATUS service-oriented architecture (SOA) allows customers to purchase, combine, and configure just the functional components they need to build and orchestrate the most efficient workflows for their unique production environments. GV STRATUS News provides news organisations with all the tools necessary to plan, create, publish and archive news broadcasts, whether working in the newsroom or in the field. Transforming the way news organizations report news, this complete framework can be configured into agile, participatory workflows that adapt to the logic of news production and where any producer, writer or journalist can participate in and add to the production process at any point in the workflow including user generated content.

Also on the stand, Grass Valley will be showing the NVISION 8500 Series IP Gateway, which introduces IP input/output cards for the NVISION 8500 hybrid router series. This represents a major step forward for broadcasters as they look to transition their facilities from SDI to IP infrastructures.

Additionally, a range of signal processing solutions from Grass Valley’s Densité modular platform will be on hand providing simplified workflow, control, integration and maintenance.

HORIZON BROADCAST

Suite 1.04, 50 Holt Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010 Craig Hamel – Managing Director – Craig@ horizonbroadcast.com – 0427 309 282 Stephen Mare – Product Specalist – Stephen@ horizonbroadcast.com – 0434 979 776 Email: sales@horizonbroadcast.com Horizon Broadcast is a new player in the broadcast television solutions market with a strong focus on studio, outside broadcast and broadcast graphics solutions.

On the Horizon Broadcast stand at ABE we will be focusing on a range of Virtual reality systems using the Vizrt Virtual Studio platform along with sports graphics, keying and infrastructure solutions.

ABE 2014 PREVIEW

Products on display will include: ++ Vizrt graphics systems including Augmented reality, Sports graphics and Video wall solutions. ++ Crystal vision infrastructure and keying products. Specalising in chroma keyers,

logo keyers, up and down converters, synchronisers, routing switches, audio embedders and video delays. ++ StypeGRIP “Stype kit” Camera tracking system for real-time augmented reality and virtual studio broadcasting ++ Shotoku studio camera equipment including Manual and VR camera heads.

Also supporting the convergence of traditional video and IP infrastructures is Imagine Communications’ Selenio MCP. This proven, modular media convergence platform combines baseband video and audio processing, compression and IP networking, supporting the seamless migration path broadcasters need.

MAGNA SYSTEMS & ENGINEERING IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS Suite 2, Level 1, 13b Narabang Way Belrose, NSW, Australia, 2085 Tel: 61 2 9479 4900 www.imaginecommunications.com Imagine Communications is embracing the industry trends towards IP, software-defined networks and workflows, virtualisation and TV Everywhere, as IT-centric, software-based solutions are poised to replace traditional broadcast infrastructures.

Underlining that theme, Imagine Communications is presenting two papers in the ABE conference. The first is on the use of IP networks to carry real-time, professional broadcast signals. Whilst moving files is commonplace, the challenge here is to provide the deterministic control needed to ensure real-time performance at the standards we expect today from SDI. The move to IP-based architectures was one of the great talking points at NAB this year, with predictions that future infrastructures will be made much more flexible through IP routing and signal distribution using standard, off-the-shelf IT platforms, and converting to broadcast and streaming standards only at the edges of the networks.

The use of commercial off-the-shelf hardware coupled with advanced software is also behind Imagine Communications’ second paper, which proposes the ultimate integrated playout system (or ‘channel in a box’) using standard IT platforms. This links directly to one of the key demonstrations on the show floor, showing datacentre origination and cloud based playout powered by Imagine Communications’ Versio integrated playout solution.

The demonstration will illustrate how quick and easy virtualized, software-defined solutions make it to establish new channels and services in response to changing market conditions.

The move to TV Everywhere is also featured in Imagine Communications’ show floor demonstrations. Consumers want to choose the time, the place and the platform on which they watch, which means those delivering the content have to be capable of serving an ever-growing range of platforms, devices and formats. Imagine Communications’ SelenioFlex software-based encoding and transcoding solutions support operations including live-tofile ingest, live/linear multiscreen encoding and file-to-file transcoding from any input to any output. SelenioFlex’s underlying Xenio workflow management foundation enables outstanding agility, allowing new technologies to be added and workflows adapted as requirements arise.

Unit 2, 28 Smith Street, Chatswood, NSW 2067, Tel: +61 2 9417 1111 Email: sales.au@magnasys.tv www.magnasys.tv This year’s ABE show sees Magna demonstrating a wide range of innovative products in the areas of 4K, OTT, sportscasting and cloud-based solutions.

Magna’s ABE stand this year will feature products and personnel from Bridge Technologies (monitoring and analysis products), Enensys (broadcast network equipment and test and monitoring), Media Excel (advanced video encoding), VTQ (HD receivers), ChyronHego (broadcast graphics creation, playout, and real-time data visualisation), RTS Telex (intercom/talkback), Aerialtronics (remotely piloted aircraft systems), TVU Networks (mobile broadcasting solutions), Pesa (multi-path streaming), GB Labs (storage systems) and Maxisat (IPTV and Internet-TV).

Aerialtronics Australasia was recently launched

by Magna Systems and Engineering to focus on the sales and promotion of the Altura series of unmanned aircraft systems, particularly in the areas of outside broadcasts and live events, police and security services and tower inspections. The new company is headed up by General Manager David Clemesha.

Clemesha says, “Altura aircraft have been developed to be reliable, robust and extremely stable. Their aerodynamic design and use of high-end components make them unique and ideal for OBs, live events, EMS and situational awareness operations and environments. Altura aircraft are equipped with a tablet and RF controller.”

Two of Magna Systems’ principals are also giving papers during the ABE conference with Norman Krebill from Media Excel presenting How HEVC Shapes The Future Of End-To-End Video Delivery and Colin Prior from Enensys presenting a paper on DVB-T2 implementation.

Magna Systems and Engineering staff attending ABE 2014 will include Director of Sales Barry Pegg, Director of Marketing Ian Fellows, Aerialtronics Australasia General Manager David Clemesha, Product Specialist Lucas Bohm, Product Specialist Tim Banner and Digital Solutions Manager Jac Clark.

PANASONIC AUSTRALIA Ground Floor, 1 Innovation Road, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2113 Tel: +61 (0)2 9491 7400 Email: broadcastsales@panasonic.com.au www.panasonic-broadcast.com.au

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Erics

TV FOR THE FUTURE Ericsson @ Australian Broadcast Exhibition Join us @ Free TV Conference > High efficiency video coding - update on direct-to-home and the new range extensions for contribution & distribution. > What makes Ultra-HD an immersive viewing experience and where the industry is heading.

Matthew Goldman, Senior Vice President TV Compression Technology, Ericsson

Ericsson_ABE2014_fullpageAd_final.indd 1

09/07/2014 14:27

ABE 2014 PREVIEW

Panasonic Australia will be showcasing a selection of new products at ABE 2014. On display there will be: ++ The AG-GH4UEN is a compact 4/3-sensor camera that is a true hybrid camera. In video mode the AG-GH4UEN will shoot pristine 4K or HD images at up to 200Mbps data rate with 10-bit precision and 4:2:2 sampling (on the output). The new OLED viewfinder & flip-out-screen make finding focus easy thanks to the on-board focus assist features.

Other functions include variable frame rate (up to 96fps); zebra pattern display, and nine predefined gamma curves. With the optional interface connected, users can output 4K/HD via 3G SDI and HDMI interfaces. A timecode input connecter is available to synchronize the camera with other equipment. ++ The latest P2HD camcorders to be showcased include the AJ-PX270EN P2HD handheld camcorder and AJ-PX5000G and AGHPX600EN shoulder mount camcorders.

These three new models all include the new AVC-Ultra codec group that delivers enhanced workflow speeds, high image quality and efficiency. ++ The AV-HS6000 Live Vision Switcher is the latest in the Panasonic switcher range. This 2ME switcher includes 32 x SDI and 2 x DVI inputs, 16 x SDI outputs, a wide variety of keyers (downstream, upstream, chromakey etc.), DVEs, versatile transition modes and extensive video production features. Optional plug-in software modules allow you to scale functions to your needs. Intuitive operation has been achieved through design of the multi-selection panel, cross point buttons with colour grouping function, and an OLED source name display panel. Use of IP control between chassis and control panel allows up to 3 panels to be operated used.

In attendance will be: ++ Mr Rob Myers Panasonic Australia National Sales Manager ++ Mr Mathew Alexander Product Marketing Manager ++ Mr Robin Shahid Panasonic US Switcher Trainer

++ Black Magic - Mini-converters, vision switchers, DDR’s, cameras ++ dB Broadcast - television receivers, intelligent MDU’s and TS monitoring solutions ++ Elemental Technologies - GPU based transcoding and live streaming solutions ++ Evertz - Modular conversion, processing and distribution products, routing switchers, master control switchers, multi-viewers, ingest/playout solutions, slowmotion systems ++ Hi-Tech - Avita production control systems ++ Interra Systems - “Baton” File based QC Software Platform ++ JVC - Professional Cameras and monitors ++ Ideas Unlimited - Automated verification and broadcast content monitoring ++ Marshall Electronics - LCD Monitors, IPTV Cameras and encoding/decoding solutions ++ Norwia - Modular fibre distribution solutions ++ Nucomm - Microwave video systems ++ Omnitek - Test & measurement solutions ++ PAG - advanced camera battery and charging systems, portable camera lights ++ Quantum - Specialised digital storage & archive solutions

Quinto is proud to represent the following companies and we will be exhibiting a broad spectrum of their products during ABE 2014: ++ AJA - Converters, frame synchronisers, DDR’s ++ ABonAir - Wireless Camera Back Links ++ Amberfin - Baseband and file-based transcoding and conversion solutions

www.rossvideo.com It’s ABE time again and we are looking forward to talking to you all and showing off our latest products. As always, you can’t go past the Carbonite Studio package and our v8 software with MiniME’s and Multiscreen.

Nigel Spratling, the Marketing Product Manager for our switchers, will also be down to give a presentation on UHDTV Production and be available to answer any of your questions.

XPression and Blackstorm will be in the mix with all devices being controlled from the Carbonite itself.

Inception News will be on display and feeding moderated content into our XPression graphics system.We will have our latest version of OpenGear 3.0 frame with our dashboard software showing off a selection of our top card solutions as well as our new MB-650 audio monitoring bridge.

And, last, we will have the Furio RC! This awesome track-based robotic camera system is used on live events all over the world. We will be showing off the new panbars for this system making it much more tactile for a traditional camera operator.

++ Snell - Vision Switchers, Standards Converters, automated playout solutions, modular conversion and routing solutions

++ Project Management: Travis Wigley

Quinto will be represented at ABE 2014 by: ++ Mike Ellis - Technical Sales Manager Mob: 0402 465 511 ++ Nick Critelli - Technical Sales Executive Mob: 0413 871 525

++ Sales Manager: Amanda Leighton ++ Demo Artist: Jos Ford ++ Director of Sales, Asia: Andrew Tan ++ Marketing Product Manager: Nigel Spratling

SONY AUSTRALIA

++ Noel Oakes - Business Development Manager Mob: 0457 777 696 ++ Tom Pavicic - Chief Executive Officer Mob: 0411 173 270

QUINTO COMMUNICATIONS

www.quinto.com.au

Contact: Amanda Leighton Tel: +61 412 866 700 Email: aleighton@rossvideo.com

Personnel on hand at ABE will include:

Quinto will also have supplier representation with Guest Speakers presenting papers at the Free TV Engineering Conference, including:

Auckland: +64 9 443 0753 sales@quinto.co.nz

ROSS VIDEO

++ Snap TV - IPTV monitoring, entertainment and VoD solutions

++ Alan McIlwaine - Executive Chairman Mob: 0411 173 271

Melbourne: (03) 9558 9377 sales@quinto.com.au

ABE 2014 PREVIEW

++ Autocue - Prompting Solutions, portable lighting and camera support solutions

Contact Mr Rob Myers on 03-9565-6705

Sydney: (02) 9894 4244

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++ Analog Way - Universal scalers, converters and seamless switchers

++ Elemental: Mark Cousins - Solutions Architect presenting a paper entitled, “Moving up to UHDTV - What you need to know” ++ Evertz: Ayman Alktahib - Product Mgr Media Transport Solutions presenting “Designing the IP Broadcast Facility” ++ Quantum Corporation: Alex Grossman - VP Media & Entertainment presenting “The Smarter Cloud: More than Computer and Storage - true Post & Broadcast Production Workflow” ++ Quinto Communications: Noel Oakes - JVC Business Development Manager presenting “Utilising 4G Wireless Networks for Live Content Contribution from Field to Studio”

33 – 39 Talavera Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113 Tel: 02 9887 6666 http://pro.sony.com.au Sony Australia offers a full range of solutions for program acquisition, display and storage in HD and beyond. Featured will be a demonstration of Sony’s 4K stitching system, which allows output from dual 4K cameras to be stitched seamlessly in real time. The system’s HD Cutout function allows up to three virtual camera windows to be positioned and zoomed, then delivered as HD outputs. This system offers opportunities to enhance live HD productions for sport and entertainment.

On show for the first time in Australia, the new PXW-X180 XDCAM handheld camcorder incorporates 3-CMOS 1/3” sensors to deliver high performance in a compact package. Ideally suited as a journocam and for other forms of

ACQUISITION

ACQUISITION

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ABE 2014 PREVIEW

production demanding a lightweight handheld camcorder, this feature-rich model has a 25X zoom lens, offers a range of recording codecs, WiFi capabilities and cordless integration with a UWP-D wireless mic receiver.

Also on the stand will be the new PDW-850 camcorder, the most powerful and featurepacked XDCAM optical disc shoulder mount model yet released.

Take the opportunity to discuss how Sony can provide a complete solution including complex systems integration, building on our expertise of a variety of OB vehicle and studio facility projects.

Key Contacts: ++ Mal Chandler –Head of Sales, Techtel Email: mchandler@techtel.com.au ++ Andrew Hogg – Director of Business Development, Harmonic in Australia Tel: 02 9906 2111 Email: ahogg@harmonic.net.au

++ Egatel – DVB Amplifier. The Egatel 600Wrms DVB air-cooled amplifier using Doherty technology will be on show.

At ABE2014, we will be highlighting several key Tektronix instruments including: ++ WFM2300 Handheld Waveform Monitor with EYE Pattern Testing; ++ WFM8300 Advanced Waveform Monitor with 4K Monitoring Capability; ++ SPG8000 & ECO8000 Master Sync & Master Clock Reference Generator System; ++ Sentry Digital Content Monitors for maintaining viewers’ Quality of Experience, including the new Sentry-ABR for monitoring Adaptive Bit Rate delivery via OTT Networks;

++ ENENSYS Test Systems - DVB-T/T2 Monitoring Probe. EDGEPROBE Advanced is the ideal tool to achieve monitoring of the quality actually delivered to all points of DVB-T and DVB-T2 networks. Combined with a Network Monitoring System, EdgeProbe Advanced provides a powerful network diagnosis tool allowing service providers to monitor global trends and to anticipate potential failures.

++ Cerify Automated Quality Control System for File-Based Workflows; and

++ Harmonic – VOS: The Future of Media Processing. Harmonic in Australia personnel will be available to discuss Harmonic’s solutions for production and delivery, including their new VOS software platform.

++ Clarity – HD/SD Switchable Graphics

++ TVLogic – Broadcast & Professional LCD Monitors. TVLogic’s new 24.5” LEM-250A OLED Reference Monitor will be available for demo alongside the 24” LVM-245W 10-bit 3G/HD/SD Professional Monitor.

The following papers are being presented at the Free TV Australia Engineering Seminar by Techtel partner representatives: ++ High efficiency DVB-T transmitters and RF examples of DVB-T2 markets Gerardo Gonzales – Sales Engineer APAC Markets, Egatel ++ A New Paradigm in Content Archiving Mike Grayson – Systems Engineer Spectra Logic ++ Content Protection – From OTT to 4K UHD Lincoln Owens – Sales Director Australia, NZ and North Asia, Verimatrix

++ Mike O’Connell – Exec VP Pixel Power Inc Asia-Pacific region.

Suite 2, Level 7 56 Clarence Street Sydney NSW 2000 Tel: +612 9299 9886 Email: nstreatfield@vizrt.com

TekMark Australia is the sole Australian Distributor for Tektronix Video Test Instruments including Waveform Monitors, Generators, Analyzers, Automated QC Systems, and Network QoE Monitoring Systems.

++ MTS4000 MPEG Analysis System including HEVC/H.265 Analysis.

At ABE2014 we will also highlight solutions from Pixel Power including: ++ Pixel Factory – Clarity Graphics solution for file based workflow ++ BrandMaster – Master Control Switchers with Integrated Branding ++ LogoVision – Dedicated Channel Branding ++ ChannelMaster – Scalable Channel Playout ++ Pixel OnDemand – Pay-as-you-go, Clarity Graphics solution for file based workflow ++ Pixel Promo – Delivery of dynamic branding and promos across one or more channels ++ Pixel Prep – Offline solution to create, animate and preview graphics and templates ++ NewsRoom – solutions for graphics production for the newsroom. ++ Gallium – Pixel Power’s scheduling, asset management and automation system Also at ABE2014, we will display several products from our other suppliers including: ++ BON Electronics – Professional LCD Monitors and Wireless Transmission Systems ++ Quantum Data – HDMI Test Instruments ++ Z Technology – DVB-T Transmission Test

LD The

++ Klaven Siow – Regional Product Manager, Tektronix Southeast Asia. Klaven will be presenting a paper on Recommended monitoring and control for maximum QoE and QoS assurance in Multi-screens deployments.

VIZRT

www.tekmark.net.au

++ ABonAir – Professional Wireless HD Camera Link - ABonAir’s AB420 wireless broadcast system enables camera teams to transmit broadcast sessions directly from cameras to media centres or director-monitors over the air, without the restrictions of cable connections. AB420 includes integrated Camera Control Units (CCU or RCP) and Tally Light to perfectly support multi-camera broadcast sessions.

We will also be hosting the following guests:

Suite 302, Level 3, 18-20 Orion Road, Lane Cove NSW 2066 Tel: (02) 9911 3888 E-mail: enquiries@tekmarkgroup.com

26 Whiting St, Artarmon, NSW 2064 Tel: +61 2 9906 1488 Techtel ABE 2014 stand highlights include:

Instruments

TEKMARK AUSTRALIA

TECHTEL www.techtel.com.au

ABE 2014 PREVIEW

++ Into Thin Air: The Cloud Conflict Danny Wilson – Founder & CEO, Pixelmetrix

www.vizrt.com Vizrt will feature the latest studio automation, media asset management, sports analysis, and social TV tools for broadcasters.

Products featured include:

LDX The

++ Viz One manages all your content in a central repository. Staff can produce video files for broadcast, mobile, and web in one workflow – with access from their normal PC or Mac desktops. Viz One is available in several preconfigured packages. Each package targets a specific type of production and multiple packages can be bundled for a single system to handle different types of production. ++ Viz Mosart is the only open studio automation system capable of working with all major systems and devices, including video switchers manufactured by Snell, Ross, Grass Valley, and Sony. ++ Viz Libero. Based on existing TV images only, Viz Libero generates the perfect perspective for analysing controversial scenes. ++ Vizrt Social TV Solution bridges the gap between social media outlets and TV production by offering tools for all departments in the production chain. The solution embeds social media content into any broadcast with workflows that engage viewers. It allows journalists to moderate and interact with social media content. ++ Viz Pilot allows users to create, manage, and deliver high volumes of top-quality content.

It supports live and taped news, sports, election, and other broadcast productions.

By using a variety of template forms, the editorial staff can enter new data, images or videos in pre-defined graphic animations, and preview the result instantaneously. ++ Viz Multichannel makes it easy to utilise high-quality Vizrt graphics for channel branding. The application simplifies the playout of playlists, providing a single client that handles the playlist elements of one or multiple channels.

Speaking at the Free TV conference will be Matt Sutton, Project Manager for Viz Mosart on “Viz Mosart Automation: Slaved studios”.

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2014-07-14 10:41 PM

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Sony Goes ‘Old School’ with F55 4K CineAlta Camera ‘OLD SCHOOL’, the eight-part Australian television drama series currently screening on ABC1 that follows the adventures of retired criminal Lennie Cahill and retired cop Ted McCabe, was shot with Sony’s PMW-F55 4K CineAlta camera by top Australian DOP Garry Phillips ACS. Commenting on his choice of camera Phillips explained, “We tested the F55 camera and the results were great, so we went ahead. We rented the F55s from Panavision so we were able to use the bracket they have fitted to all their F55s. The bracket has more power output options, safety covers over the built-in rotating ND filter and a safety cover over the on/off button. It also allows many options to secure handles and on board monitors, all of which serve to enhance drama production.”

When shooting TV drama the choice of camera is important and making sure you can work effectively and efficiently are equally as important as Phillips highlighted, saying, “The Sony F55 is quite a light camera. It makes it that much easier to hand-hold and to rig, whether on cars or just for general use on a dolly and slider. On ‘Old School’ we used two F55s as the A and the B cameras. The A cam was mostly on the dolly with a slider, so it was fairly

stable. The B camera was more often hand-held or on a monopod, so it was more maneuverable.”

He added, “We shot in XAVC HD and the results were great. Even though we were only shooting in HD, the camera still exhibited its full dynamic range in S-Log2. For me, that meant I didn’t need to worry too much about the outside view from inside a room completely burning out.”

The post workflow on Old School was particularly straightforward. Once shooting commenced, dailies were delivered to DDP’s data lab for transcoding for offline and at this point, the LUTs were applied. The rushes were delivered overnight via Sohonet to the offline house. At the same time all rushes were stored on DDP’s SAN and LTO backups were created.

Commenting on the grade and the F55, DDP Studios’ Dwaine Hyde added, “It was a very easy workflow for TV from the chosen F55 data, the files were small enough to manage easily and the Sony S-Log2 images provided a generous amount of latitude to grade with.”

Visit http://pro.sony.com.au

‘Show Boy’ and ‘Grey Bull’ Selected for Sydney Film Festival TWO INDEPENDENT SHORT FILMS, ‘Show Boy’ and ‘Grey Bull’, both shot by Callan Green ACS on Sony’s F65 4K CineAlta camera were selected to premiere at this year’s Sydney Film Festival (4-15 June) and were on the list of finalists for the festival’s 2014 Dendy Award for Australian Short Films. ‘Grey Bull’ has also been selected for the Melbourne Film Festival later this year.

Green commented, “I shot Show Boy with my Sony F65 because it gave me the greatest flexibility and highest quality images. Julian, the main character, is pretty messed up at home but tries to appear tough when outside so we amplified his emotions visually by shooting all his exterior scenes on Steadicam and all the interior scenes handheld. We mostly shot with natural light except for the cabaret scenes where I really wanted to experiment with colour – mainly the colour red.”

Green was one of the first in Australia to adopt Sony’s flagship F65 camera and has been using it since its launch in late 2011.

ACQUISITION

He continued, “Shooting with the F65 is an impressive experience; its ergonomic design allows you to sit the camera beautifully on your

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shoulder. It’s surprisingly lightweight and much easier to hold and move with compared to most other cameras. This was a huge advantage as both films were almost entirely shot handheld.”

‘Grey Bull’ is a short film about Martin, a South Sudanese refugee living in Australia negotiating his ancient culture in a foreign land and modern world. The film, written and directed by 2013 VCA Directing graduate Eddy Bell, is a powerful one and one that Green is particularly proud of.

Green said, “One of the more dangerous scenes on ‘Grey Bull’ involved Martin walking through the empty town at night with an unrestrained 1200kg bull by his side. There was no lighting other than country street lighting as it may have startled the bull, so we shot everything with natural and available light. Again, as with Show Boy, the F65 performed brilliantly.

We shot this scene at 2000 ASA, 50 fps and a 180-degree mechanical shutter. It came out beautifully saturated, nice and sharp – or as sharp as you can get when shooting almost wide open on MkIII Super Speeds, and with hardly any grain too!”

Visit http://pro.sony.com.au

Sony Reinforces XDCAM with PXW-X160

Sony’s Most Compact Professional XDCAM

SONY HAS LAUNCHED the PXW-X160, the latest addition to the Sony XDCAM Series of camcorders. The PXW-X160 features three 1/3” Full HD Exmor CMOS sensors and a newly developed 25x optical zoom G-Lens that extends from a 26mm wide angle. It can record in XAVC Intra and Long GOP, enabling 10-bit sampling for high-definition recordings with rich tonal expression, as well as MPEG HD422 at 50Mbps. It can also record in MPEG HD420 at 35Mbps, AVCHD and DV formats.

SONY RECENTLY ANNOUNCED another addition to its XDCAM Series of

The PXW-X160 has been created to satisfy the needs of broadcasters, production houses and corporate and event productions, with performance and features suited to documentaries, reality programming, events, and corporate work. The PXW-X160 is a follow-up to the Sony HXR-NX5P and PMW-150 models, and is expected to become a strong performer in the handheld professional camcorder market.

Visit http://pro.sony.com.au

handheld solid-state memory camcorders is in development, and is set to be made available this year. The new model was previewed for the first time at BroadcastAsia.

The new XDCAM camcorder features a 20MP 1” Exmor R CMOS sensor and the capability to record in XAVC Long GOP, enabling 422 10-bit sampling for high-definition recording with rich tonal expression. Upon its release the new camcorder is set to become Sony’s most compact XAVC-capable XDCAM camera to date, well suited to field shooting in a broad range of professional applications.

“Following the recent announcements of the PXW-X180 and PXW-X160 camcorders, we’re excited to see the momentum which exists across the industry in adopting the XAVC recording format,” said Nick Buchner, Senior Product Manager for Content Creation at Sony Australia and New Zealand.

Visit http://pro.sony.com.au

ACQUISITION

ETC’S DEVELOPMENT of the seven colour mixing Source Four LED profile delivered true colour fidelity for key lighting applications and now the Source Four LED can be used for Cyclorama application with the addition of the Source Four LED CYC adapter.

Other cyc lights only serve one function, so when a design doesn’t use a backdrop, the fixtures sit on a shelf and collect dust. In contrast, the Source Four LED CYC adapter can be removed when not required, and the Source Four LED luminaire can then be put to use in any other position.

The Source Four LED CYC produces a wash that looks like it came from incandescent sources. Fewer Source Four LED CYC units are needed to cover an entire cyclorama, because their light stretches so high and is evenly distributed, without scallops or visible gaps.

Visit www.jands.com.au

Chroma-Q Studio Force D XT 12 Goes DC UTILISING THE SAME CORE TECHNOLOGIES as the Chroma-Q Studio Force D 12 daylight white LED fixture, the Studio Force D XT 12 is an ultra bright, higher-output version that provides 15,000 lumens output.

Designed for TV, film, touring, exhibitions, corporate events and theatre lighting applications, the Studio Force D XT 12 is for evenly washing large areas. At only 335mm long, the unit is suitable for floor, wall, stand or truss mounting.

This unit, along with the rest of Studio Force 12 range, will also be available in battery powered DC versions.

Visit www.jands.com.au

Litepanels LEDs Perform Highly on TLCI Tests LITEPANELS HAS ANNOUNCED the results of recent TLCI-2012 colour reproduction testing.

The Litepanels 1×1 Bi-Focus, Inca 9 and Inca 12 Tungsten LED Fresnels, and Sola 9 and Sola 12 Daylight LED Fresnels were analysed in the newly created Television Lighting Consistency Index (TLCI) and scored very highly against the competition.

The TLCI method, developed by BBC engineer Alan Roberts in conjunction with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), is an alternative to the current colour rendering index (CRI) that was originally used to determine the light quality of tungsten lights. When used on LED lighting, however, CRI can produce unreliable results.

The Litepanels LEDs all measured in the top category with the 1×1 BiFocus lights achieving 98, the Inca 9 rated 93, and the Sola 9 rated 94.

Chris Marchitelli, VP of Marketing for Litepanels, says, “Litepanels LEDs have always performed well in CRI testing, achieving top results. However, the TLCI measurement is particularly significant for the industry as it has been developed specifically with the LED light in mind.”

Visit www.litepanels.com

ACQUISITION

Enjoy The Source Four Difference On Your Studio Cyclorama

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ACQUISITION

FOR-A Highlights FT-ONE 4K Super Slow-Mo FOR-A CORPORATION OF AMERICA showcased the newest version of its FT-ONE full 4K super slow motion camera at the recent Cine Gear Expo in Hollywood. It also displayed the FT-1READ – a RAW data to DPX converter available with the FT-ONE camera.

The new version of the FT-ONE offers fibre I/O connections built directly into the unit for ease of use when shooting from the field. The FT-1READ is an option available with the FT-ONE for file conversion. The FT-1READ takes the RAW data from the SSD drives, imports all recorded info, and converts it to a DPX file, which is a common file format for editing and colour grading.

The FT-ONE employs FOR-A’s high-sensitivity CMOS colour sensor, ‘FT1-CMOS’, and plays back full 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels). One output channel can provide QFHD (four 1080p 3G-SDI) outputs, while the other output channel provides down-converted HD-SDI for live viewing and play back. The FT-ONE captures images as uncompressed raw data on the system’s internal memory, which has a recording capacity of 9.4 seconds. This data is then stored on one of two hot-swappable SSD cartridges, each of which is capable of storing 84 seconds of full 4K resolution images at 900 fps.

Visit www.for-a.com

ARRI ALEXA XR/XT Supports New ProRes 4444 XQ ARRI HAS ANNOUNCED support for the new Apple ProRes 4444 XQ, the highestquality version of ProRes to date, which is designed to preserve the detail in high-dynamic range imagery through high-end video postproduction. ProRes 4444 XQ will be available in the next Software Update Packet (SUP) for ALEXA cameras.

“Working with ProRes has been great for our customers,” says Marc ShipmanMueller, ARRI’s Product Manager for Camera Systems. “Up until now, the ProRes 4444 330 Mb/s version has been the workhorse of professional filmmakers using the ALEXA. ProRes 4444 XQ has a higher target data rate of 500 Mb/s that makes it the ideal choice for postproduction that requires visual effects processing or extreme colour grading.”

Final Cut Pro X 10.1.2 fully supports ProRes 4444 XQ for editing, compositing, rendering, and exporting. ARRI ALEXA XT cameras and ALEXA Classic cameras with the XR Module will gain ProRes 4444 XQ capability with ARRI’s SUP 10, which is scheduled for an open beta in July and a final release in August. ALEXA XR/XT cameras will support ProRes 4444 XQ in both HD and 2K resolutions. The ALEXA XR/XT cameras will be the world’s first cameras capable of encoding ProRes 4444 XQ. Visit www.arri.com.au

FUJINON Lenses Look for Fireballs in the Sky CURTIN UNIVERSITY’S planetary science academic research project has been running for 10 years with the goal of recovering fresh meteorites that are observed to fall to earth. The team behind the project also use the observations to track back and work out the meteorites origin – where in the solar system it came from. Part of the unique project very cleverly uses FUJINON lenses.

ACQUISITION

Martin Towner from Curtin University explained, “There are plenty of meteorites in the world’s collections (about 50,000 at last count), but they are almost all recovered after the falling event, and we have no knowledge of their point of origin. There are literally only 15 or so out of the 50,000 where we have an orbit, so it is this combination of sample plus origin, which is powerful. The way we do this is deploy a large network of cameras across the outback, and try to observe a meteorite fall with two or more cameras,

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so that we can triangulate down to the ground, and back to the orbit. The cameras have to have the very best lenses and we chose FUJINON.” Australia’s outback is ideal for the project, as its a large empty area with little vegetation and red soil and as fresh meteorites are shiny black, searching for a fresh fall is easier. Curtin’s project required a very high quality lens with good light gathering capability, so that the team could accurately record faint fireballs in the sky.

Towner added, “The large aperture in the FUJINON lens gives us access to faint stars, and quality ensures we can calibrate position in the sky accurately.

The lens also has the added bonus of the durability of glass over plastic. We need to see the whole sky at once, and we need to be compatible with a 1/2” sensor, due to our choice of the sensitive WATEC 902H-Ultimate camera.”

Visit www.fujifilm.com.auv

The playing field for broadcasters, technology providers and sporting bodies just got a whole lot bigger.

Announcing the Sportscasting Conference & Expo October 7 – 8, 2014.

Melbourne Etihad Stadium, 740 Bourke St, Docklands

The first Australian Sportscasting Conference & Expo will bring the future of sports broadcasting to Melbourne for a two-day conference and exhibition at Etihad Stadium on October 7 – 8, 2014. There is no better location in Melbourne to showcase your products and services to professional sporting clubs and associations.

A select group of exhibitors will have face-to-face access to a targeted group of decision makers who are looking for ideas and solutions to upgrade and innovate their club’s or association’s technology. If you have a broadcasting product or service that caters to professional sporting associations or sporting clubs, then this trade exhibition is C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O for you! Spaces will fill fast – contact our Sportscasting team today.

Please email adam.buick@expertiseevents.com.au or call +61 2 9452 7594

REGISTRATION OPENS JULY 21 Organised by:

www.sportscasting.com.au

SPORTSCASTING Sport coverage worldwide

www.content-technology.com/sportscasting

SBS Delivers Unprecedented Online Traffic During 2014 FIFA World Cup with Akamai AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES, just announced SBS (Special Broadcasting Service), official broadcast partner of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, has deployed Akamai’s media delivery and web experience solutions to deliver an unprecedented amount of online traffic during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil over the last month.

A long-term partner of Akamai, SBS leveraged Akamai’s web experience and streaming capabilities for its www.sbs.com.com.au, www.sbs.com.au/ ondemand and theworldgame.sbs.com.au websites for the 2014 World Cup. In the lead up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, SBS enlisted Akamai to provide additional support to manage the predicted increase in demand for its services.

“We expected to see a significant increase in online viewers with the 2014 World Cup and our predictions have not been wrong. To date, SBS has experienced an unprecedented volume of traffic streaming videos from our websites and dedicated application. In a single day of the 2014 World Cup, we had already experienced more than a quarter of our typical monthly video bandwidth delivery figures. It has broken SBS records for any event we have streamed online by 750 percent,” commented Matt Costain, Technical Director, Online at SBS. The special arrangements put in place specifically for the 2014 FIFA World Cup ensured SBS could handle the increase in traffic volumes. In particular, it provided the ability to offload traffic, as well as access to a dedicated 24/7 event support team, offering an extra layer of assistance to ensure there was 100 percent uptime.

“The experience Akamai has provided so far has been extremely positive.

Pacific Broadcast Rides the Waves with Cobham Wireless TX COBHAM BROADCAST has announced the sale of its Nano HD TX wireless transmitter to Pacific Broadcast, a leader in the coverage of action sports, specialising in surfing and other water sports.

Pacific Broadcast, based in Melbourne, Australia, opted for Cobham Broadcast’s Nano HD TX transmitter, the world’s smallest HD COFDM transmitter, due to its light weight, signal stability, range, and durability.

Pacific Broadcast’s Managing Director, Matt Percy, said, “Adding the Nano HD TX to our portfolio of leading technologies enables us to capture live action sport from innovative shot angles and points of view that have been previously unattainable.”

SPORTSCASTING

The ultra-miniature Nano HD TX is designed specifically for POV and body-worn applications. With Cobham COFDM and H.264 encoding technology, the transmitter provides excellent image quality retention over the wireless link and supports composite, SDI, HD-SDI and HDMI.

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Cobham Broadcast Sales Manager (APAC), Sue Gilks, said, “The Nano HD TX enables a cameraman to go further, faster – and maintain a stronger signal – than any small transmitter on the market. It is purpose-built for live production, especially sports. It has already proven itself particularly adept at water sports coverage and will be used by Pacific Broadcast during major water sport competitions throughout the world in the coming year.”

Visit www.cobham.com

Not only has it ensured a seamless online viewing experience for our users, it has provided a higher quality experience, through faster load and buffer times and higher bitrates for superior quality. Overall the delivery of content to our end user has been flawless,” said Costain.

During the first two weeks of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, SBS recorded peak traffic during Australia’s match against Chile, with 103,000Mbps, which is expected to increase with the grand final.

“We have seen a greater demand for ‘live’ streaming of the 2014 FIFA World Cup as opposed to ‘catch-up’, which typically generates more interest for all other programs and events. Most surprisingly, the Australian matches have been an exception, with a larger volume of viewers watching it on ‘catch up’.

Although, this could be due to the fact that most people are watching these games on TV instead of online. It will be interesting to see how the final match plays out,” commented Costain.

“We are pleased SBS has reaped the full benefits our solutions have to offer and been able to deliver reliable, consistently high-quality experiences to its end users,” commented David Habben, Chief Media Strategist, APJ at Akamai.

For more information about Akamai’s partnership with The 2014 FIFA World Cup’s right holders globally and to track web traffic volumes, please visit this URL. Visit www.akamai.com

Ross Video Launches openTruck ROSS VIDEO HAS INTRODUCED openTruck, an innovative initiative that provides a standardised yet customisable way to design a new generation of cost-effective remote-production vehicles that deliver the highest quality video and audio content from sports and other live events.

“Coverage of local and regional sporting and other live events, including things like political events, concerts and rallies, has traditionally been extremely expensive,” says David Ross, CEO for Ross Video. “openTruck delivers huge opportunities in the regional sports and live-event market by enabling production companies to build and staff trucks that meet the demanding requirements of today’s sophisticated media delivery networks.”

By leveraging Ross Video’s technology, openTruck provides partners with a proven blueprint, including open protocols, specifications and schematics, that ensure efficient production workflows, uncompromising video quality, and rapid reconfiguration from event to event. openTruck is complemented by openCrew, an extensive operator training program and database of certified freelance operators and partner production companies.

Visit www.rossvideo.com

MEDIORNET

2.0 More info? INTEGRATE E78

To make a long story short ...

Thus, Riedel with its decentralized real-time network Mediornet has developed a solution with exible topology and realtime routing function, which combines various transmission standards and can be perfectly used as an alternative to conventional video routers. The low installation depth makes the system ideal for use as a stagebox.

Thanks to the integrated WAN transmission technology, remote MediorNet Systems can be connected in an easy and intelligent way.

Due to the extremely high bandwidth, MediorNet has proven itself as an ideal backbone solution in many major projects.

www.riedel.net MediorNet 2.0www.riedel.net is Riedel’s next step of this technological evolution. www.riedel.net

2.0

SPORTSCASTING

The Glasgow Diaries: Chapter 10

By David Bowers Three weeks to the Opening Ceremony.

I cycle up to the International Broadcasting Centre (IBC) at 7.30am to find the recentlyinstalled bike rack outside already full. At 64 our Host Broadcaster team is three times the size it was in January and clearly taking the ‘Green Games’ spirit to heart.

I SPOT MY COLLEAGUE Peter Mills’ bike on the end, chain mine to his and head through security to our project office.

At nearly 3,000 sqm the cavernous IBC space echoes – particularly at this early hour of the day – though it will soon hum 24/7 with more than 1,000 broadcasting professionals working from it over the two-week Games period. The IBC’s soft opening was last week, and from July 9th we move to 24-hour operation.

The IBC will be the hub for all Commonwealth Games broadcasting activity, handing incoming high definition television pictures and sound from 19 different venues and distributing that footage to international TV and radio rights holders’ home countries. The IBC also manages outgoing worldwide transmissions from rights holder broadcasters (RHBs) working at the IBC and Games venues.

Walking along the main IBC corridor I say g’day to representatives of several RHBs whom I’ve gotten to know well over the past several months as we’ve worked to accommodate their needs.

While the journalists and newsgathering crews who will cover the Games won’t arrive until a few days before the Opening Ceremony, their advance team members are already on site as we progressively hand over commentary systems, and work and studio areas, so broadcasters can deliver their own reports to their home countries.

SPORTSCASTING

In addition to the 37 Host Broadcaster-delivered feeds from various events and venues, individual RHBs have specific circuit requirements. So first on my schedule this morning is Global

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Television’s Jim Tinker, who is managing systems integration for rights holders, to check Australian RHB Network Ten’s rate card circuit bookings and testing schedule. To enhance Ten’s entitlements as an RHB they have separately contracted Global Television to provide an IBC within the IBC, 11 unilateral camera feeds, and a portable studio.

As was the case in Sochi, Ten’s production is effectively being split in two to give them the most flexible, cost effective result. Image gathering, hosting and comment captured in Glasgow will be sent directly to Ten’s studio in Melbourne, where they will add graphics, overlay, replays and finishing. As a result, Ten will have complete control over what their viewers see without the need to have a full production crew in Glasgow.

To transmit content for the 260+ hours of broadcast coverage Ten has announced across their two broadcast channels, TEN and ONE, and eight dedicated digital channels on their www. tenplay.com.au website and app, we have four return video feeds from Melbourne to Glasgow; 20 transmission paths from Glasgow to Melbourne; and four receive paths from Melbourne to Glasgow. 12 of the 20 transmission paths will service the eight channels on www.tenplay.com.au.

All material capture will be high definition.

Ten’s technical director (sport) Phil Seale and I also inspect the broadcaster’s studio, which will be located in the front arrivals area of the Scottish Exhibition Conference Centre – home to five sporting venues, the Main Press Centre (MPC) and the IBC.

Content will be sent via fibre to the IBC-based production crew who will be directly connect back to Australia via a combination of fibre/ satellite and dedicated internet services: a very efficient use of time and resources.

Many other RHBs have extensive coverage plans, with online channels a focus. The BBC (understandably as the home-country broadcaster) has the most extensive space and facilities requirements, including the need for fibre connection to their bureau directly across the River Clyde. BBC Sport has announced more than 1,300 hours of live action via as many as 17 digital video streams available from any device. It will be the BBC’s most comprehensive Commonwealth Games coverage to date.

To enable smooth transmission of images and data, our venue cable crews are now installing fibre cable and racked equipment for the broadcast compound technical operation centres (BTOCs) and commentary control rooms (CCRs) inside the venues, ready to test the telco circuits back to the IBC – all in preparation for the incoming broadcast operational crews, rights holders and outside broadcast providers.

I walk over to the MPC, just across the Scottish Exhibition Conference Centre plaza, to meet Martin Anderson, head of the Host Broadcaster Training Initiative (HBTI), who is walking a small group of trainees through the MPC set-up.

They are a few of the 250 students from Scottish universities and colleges undertaking real-life work experience in positions across the Host

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COMMENTARY

SPORTSCASTING  Continued from Page 26 Broadcaster’s areas of responsibility. Under Martin’s direction we’ve tried hard to match young people with jobs that reflect their interests, skill sets and ambitions in diverse roles across technical, engineering and production at the venues, IBC and MPC. Closely supervised by senior Host Broadcaster managers, the students will gain the experience that only a live television environment can provide and which should give them a significant head start as they embark on careers in our industry.

Those stationed at the MPC for example will have the opportunity to assist in live coverage of press conferences and interviews, be it camera/ audio assist or back-of-house in the production control area.

In early afternoon I return to the IBC for an occupational health and safety briefing. Given there will be some 1,400 crew working across the Host Broadcaster areas of responsibility there is a lot to cover.

To deliver approximately 1,200 hours of live content, and more than 1,650 hours of video archive material, over 11 days of competition (originating from 19 venues and encompassing 26 televised fields of play) as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies we are deploying: 24 production control units; 16 outside broadcast vans; eight flyaway kits; 251 cameras; 26 super slow motion camera units; two ultra slow motion camera units; specialty POV cameras on athletics, swimming and

diving; two helicopter-, two motorbike- and two lead vehicle-mounted cameras for outside race coverage; four beauty cameras located around Glasgow city; more than 70 EVS replay machines; 19 logging stations; virtual graphics on swimming, athletics and lawn bowls; 64 commentators.

Coverage will also span the primary Games Channel and a six-channel, multi-channel service. The former is a single, fully-produced channel delivering the best of the day’s sport including highlights and pre-produced packages highlighting athlete interviews and city cultural events. The multis are six channels of long form sport channels including RHB-requested overnight replays of sport which might not have been able to be scheduled during the day.

This service has been booked by pay-for-view broadcasters and internet channel delivery.

My final (scheduled!) meeting of the day is with project director Andrew Quinn and our Incident Management Team to review our Business Continuity Management Plan – the protocols by which we will handle any incident that has the potential to disrupt Host Broadcaster services.

While we don’t anticipate anything untoward happening we have detailed procedures for every area of our activities that consider every conceivable scenario, whether natural or man-made: weather emergencies, accidents, fire, equipment failure, and – an unfortunate necessity in this day and age – an act of terrorism.

We run through high-level and detailed plans and communications channels with the heads of:

production services (Ian Hirst); broadcast venue operations (Caroline Ramsay); the IBC (Joost Davidson); satellite link bookings for our RHBs (Joanne Brentnall); support services and logistics UK (Lesley McCrae); broadcast information (Patricia Gregory); engineering and technical operations (yours truly); and our business analyst (Louise Innes).

The aim is to maintain uninterrupted services, protect property and, especially, people, and provide clear and timely information to the Organising Committee should an incident occur.

With collective experience from three consecutive Commonwealth Games and other major international events to draw on, our Host Broadcaster team is prepared as is humanly possible.

Though now after 9pm it is still fully light – the near-endless summer days a reward for the long winter nights preceding. Having left my bike at work I stroll through the buzzing Merchant Square precinct, venue for numerous outdoor concerts and other events during the Games.

Crowds mill outside bars and pubs, the din of laughter and ice-cubes rattling in glasses fills the warm evening air.

I duck into O’Neill’s for a quick pint with the Host Broadcast engineering team before heading home for a few hours’ sleep – soon to become a luxury, and my adrenaline reserves are already kicking in.

Let the Games begin!

David Bowers is head of engineering and technical operations for SVGTV, which holds the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Host Broadcast contract.

Comm Games Comms from Riedel RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONS, the provider of real-time video, audio, data, and communications networks, has supplied all radio communications equipment and services for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

SPORTSCASTING

“The ability to communicate effectively at Games venues and throughout Glasgow and other parts of Scotland is an essential element to delivering a successful Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games,” said Brian Nourse, chief information officer, Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. “We have benefited from Riedel’s extensive experience of being involved in many previous major sporting events to ensure a robust communications solution is delivered for our event,”

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Riedel Communications has designed a radio communications solution for use across Glasgow and at the 14 venues hosting 17 different sporting competitions. The company is providing all radio handsets and radio communication accessories — including more than 6000 radios — used in the lead-up to and during the Games, along with a terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA) digital network and a Motorola MOTOTRBO digital radio repeater system. Both the TETRA and MOTOTRBO systems

are dedicated, fully monitored, and serviced solutions.

TETRA combines the advantages of analog trunked radio with those of digital mobile radio to provide optimal frequency usage, high transmission quality for speech and data, maximum security against eavesdropping, as well as flexible networking and connection management.

Beyond that, the digital trunked radio system supports full duplex communication, GPSpositioning, and connection to the public telephone network. The system offers the option of operating different virtual channels, and it can leverage IP connectivity to support wide-area operation.

With this communications infrastructure, Riedel will ensure outdoor street-level coverage at all official venues, throughout the city of Glasgow, and along the official cycling road race and marathon routes, as well as indoor coverage at Glasgow 2014 competition venues. Riedel

is also supplying the radio communications solution for the Scottish leg of the Queen’s Baton Relay, ensuring radio communications run smoothly as the baton makes its way through Scotland to Glasgow for the Games.

“We are delighted to be the Official Radio Communications Partner of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games,” said Christian Bockskopf, head of marketing for Riedel Communications. “We’ve worked closely with the organisers to develop a radio communications solution that satisfies both the technical and operational requirements of all the key players during this world-class event.”

Visit www.riedel.net

NEWS OPERATIONS www.content-technology.com/newsoperations

More ABC Local Online News for Canberra THE AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION has continued its roll-out of new state-based online and mobile sites with the launch of the local edition in the ACT. Now when visitors come to abc.net.au/news in the Canberra region they will receive comprehensive local news and features, including the best stories from ABC Local Radio, ABC Open and ABC Rural. That is in addition to the usual full ABC coverage of national and international news.

A new location service has been introduced, which automatically redirects Canberrans to the new homepage tailored specifically for them. People can choose to opt out of the localised service and continue with the national ABC News edition if they wish.

“The ABC News localisation project is providing more quality local news in every state and territory for online and on mobile audiences,” said the ABC Head of Newsgathering, Craig McMurtrie. “Visitors to the ABC News website in the ACT, can now access much more local news content and features. They will continue to get the big national and international news stories, but can also opt to have the local news feed more prominent on their home page.”

The new ABC News location-based online service began in WA in April and was launched in Victoria on May 28. The other local editions will continue to be rolled out in the next couple of months, with the project due to be complete by mid-August.

“We have been building our digital offering around the country and have been expanding our network of digital producers and reporters in the last few months,” said Mr McMurtrie. “We are really committed to providing and delivering audiences more quality local online news content.”

Visit www.abc.net.au/news/localisation

New 24/7 Indian News Channel Launches with Ross ROSS VIDEO has announced that India’s newly launched 24×7 news channel, 99% TV, had chosen to invest in Carbonite production switchers with built-in MultiViewers and other Ross infrastructure for its new news studios.

“We carefully examined all our options, but the Ross Video products blew the competition away with their superior performance, cost effectiveness and reliability,” said Mr. Kapil, 99% TV’s CEO. “The support system Ross has in place here in India is also very strong and I was impressed by their technical support, which is second to none.”

NEWS OPERATIONS

As well as using Carbonite production switchers, 99% TV is also using Ross Video’s MC1 master control system, DashBoard and openGear.

“We decided to go with a complete infrastructure from Ross in part because of the flexibility of DashBoard, which lets us create an unlimited number of custom panels to meet our specific needs. We can also do L-band and squeezeback,” added Mr. Kapil. “The MC1 is incredibly user-friendly and can also be used without a hardware panel which enables us to integrate it with our existing router. It also delivers exceptional value for money as well as an extended five-year warranty.”

Visit www.rossvideo.com

Choueifate Appointed Ten News Director AUSTRALIA’S NETWORK TEN has announced the appointment of John Choueifate as Network News Director, reporting to Executive Director of News and Current Affairs, Peter Meakin.

Mr Choueifate has been Network Ten’s Director of News, Sydney, since December 2013. In his new role, he will be responsible for TEN Eyewitness News in each state and the national weekend bulletin.

Mr Meakin said: “I have worked with John at three separate networks and he thoroughly deserves this promotion. He is a fine journalist and an excellent manager.”

Mr Choueifate’s resume includes Chief of Staff and Foreign Editor at Network Ten; Executive Producer and State Producer at Seven Network; and Director of News and Chief of Staff at Nine Network Sydney. He is also a former Director of State Strategy for the NSW Government.

Euronews Hits Half Million in Malaysia EURONEWS MEDIA GROUP, the Europe-based, international news channel, is accelerating its development in Asia thanks to an agreement with Telekom Malaysia, the second biggest operator in Malaysia.

Euronews, available in its 24/7 English version, can now reach 530,000 households subscribing to the basic HyppTV package from Telekom Malaysia.

Arnaud Verlhac, Director Worldwide Distribution, said, “Euronews first launched in Malaysia in 2010. In 2014, cooperation with Telekom Malaysia has evolved, allowing 580,000 Malaysian households to follow international news in real time, in English. Today, 8.5 million households in the South-East Asia and Pacific region receive Euronews.”

Visit www.euronews.com

Sky NZ Commissions for Prime TV AWARD-WINNING New Zealand broadcaster Sean Plunket will front a new series of political shows commissioned by SKY for free-to-air channel Prime.

Called Prime Time with Sean Plunket, the nine-episode season will screen on Friday nights in the lead-up to September’s general election.

Produced by Richard Harman’s Front Page Ltd, each half-hour weekly programme will be recorded as live on Friday evening in Auckland just prior to screening.

Plunket, former host of Morning Report and The Nation, will chair a cross-fire style debate involving politicians and prominent figures in New Zealand life. The aim is to produce topical, intelligent and lively debate on key political issues facing Kiwis in election year.

According to Prime Channel Manager, Kathy Wright, “Prime Time with Sean Plunket is a great addition to our local content line up and will allow for interesting debate on key political issues in the run-up to the 2014 election.

“We look forward to delivering some great Friday night viewing and contributing to the level of political discussion in New Zealand this year.”

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NEWS OPERATIONS

Next Generation News Ticker ROSS VIDEO’S XPression Tick-it is a next-generation ticker and branding workflow server that combines all of the necessary branding functions in one box.

Cuescript CSM19 Prompter Monitor CUESCRIPT’S CSM19 19-inch LED high-brightness HD-SDI prompter

Powered by software from channel branding veteran, Bannister Lake, XPression Tick-it is a browser-based solution that provides users with the ability to display automated or manual data sources with purpose-built UI’s that make collaboration easy. Whether its news, sports, weather, elections, stocks, traffic, school closings, or EAS, Tick-it allows creation of tickers, L-bars, and informational displays.

monitor is the largest of the CueScript monitor range, but incorporates features for demanding production applications—from location to studio – and is designed to meet the necessary requirements for various broadcast environments. The CSM19 was built from a blank canvas, based on the company’s experience in and knowledge of the industry, as well as feedback from users in the field.

Tick-it is compatible with any existing customer data contract. Or, affordable data packages can be purchased through Bannister Lake’s data aggregation service.

It also supports moderated social media feeds from Ross Inception. In addition, Tick-it “asrun” logging provides proof-of-air for sponsor graphics that generate additional revenue streams.

CueScript’s CSM19 features low energy consumption and a low power start up. Its three-mode adjustable power input includes low (26W), medium (30W) and high (38W). It also features an integrated mounting system, low profile design, and an increased viewing angle (170×160).

Tick-it uses the XPression BlueBox engine to deliver real-time 3D branding graphics with replaceable clips and stills. Up to 4 Tick-it Players with BlueBoxes can be connected to a single Tick-it server for multi-channel capability. For cost-effectiveness, Tick-it can also utilise an XPression channel or layer in the control room, with the added bonus of interactivity between MOS graphics and the ticker.

Visit www.rossvideo.com

Moreover, built-in LED cue lights come standard with the CSM19, something that is often an add-on option in this product category. In addition, CueScript takes this feature to the next level and offers LED adjustable brightness and 180° viewing. Finally, the CSM19 meets the following requirements: CE, TUV, FCC, C-Tick, PSE, RoHs. Visit www.cuescript.tv and www.techtel.com.au

Digital Mobile News Gathering AT IBC2014 (STAND 2.A49), AVIWEST will launch the DMNG Manager, a

newsgathering operations, the DMNG Manager provides broadcasters and other video professionals with significant time and cost savings.

At IBC2014, AVIWEST will showcase the DMNG App that turns any smartphone into a live broadcast video camera. Designed with ease of use in mind, the DMNG App allows any Android- or iOS-based smartphone user to transmit video content in just seconds. Using the DMNG App, video professionals can stream high-quality, live video content via WiFi and 3G/4G-LTE networks or transmit prerecorded video files from anywhere in the world to the DMNG Studio back to the station.

Visit www.aviwest.com

NEWS OPERATIONS

new server application that enables broadcasters and video professionals to monitor and manage an entire fleet of DMNG equipment including DMNG transmitters, smartphones using the DMNG App, and DMNG Studio receivers.

Through an intuitive, Web-based user interface, which can be installed through either a cloud-based application or a headend solution, operators can easily allocate resources and route live video content for transmission over 3G/4G cellular wireless, WiFi, Ethernet, and satellite networks. The DMNG Manager also includes geolocation capabilities for easy identification of the exact location of each transmission. By dramatically streamlining digital mobile

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POST PRODUCTION www.content-technology.com/postproduction

Adobe Updates CC for 2014, Releases Hardware

By Keith Ford ADOBE, A LEADING DEVELOPER OF CREATIVE SOFTWARE, has released new versions of 14 Creative Cloud (CC) desktop applications, including the likes of Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, Dreamweaver CC, and Premiere Pro CC. Also including four new mobile apps, updated Creative Cloud services, and new enterprise, education, and photography offerings, this marks the largest single release from Adobe since CS6 in 2011. Adobe has also moved into hardware with the release of ‘Ink’ and ‘Slide’.

Speaking at the Australian launch of CC 2014, APAC Evangelist, Paul Burnett, said, “ The big news for us because this is the biggest release of Creative Software ever. We’re now announcing Creative Cloud 2014, and with that comes a little bit of new branding. We’re now naming all of our products across that line with 2014 in it, so it will be things like Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 etc. The name convention, even though the Creative Cloud is fluid in its subscription, the updates are always available, we found that it’s pretty important for us to be able to identify what version we’re talking about.”

“We’re also announcing four new mobile applications. One of those applications is Creative Cloud. It allows you to manage your Creative Cloud account with all of your fonts, your files, colours, sync your setting, all of the work that you would do in your account, the applications you’re running, are all run within that account,” explained Burnett. “The next is called Photoshop Mix, and it’s like a version of Photoshop, a cut down version of Photoshop running on the iPad. Another is called Sketch and it’s a sketching application, literally for illustration, sit there, draw a nice illustration. Instead of on pencil and paper, do it on the iPad. The other one’s called Line, and Line is again a sketching application, but it’s very much for sort of architectural things.

“The reason why these three applications are super important for us is because they are the first three mobile applications that we’re releasing that are using the new thing that we’re also launching, called the Creative SDK.”

Adobe’s new Creative SDK is a software library that enables developers to build mobile apps using Adobe’s technologies. Initially being released as a private, invitation only beta, Creative SDK essentially allows for functionality created by Adobe to be added to mobile and tablet applications. Examples include browsing files stored in Creative Cloud and extracting elements from PSD files; Adobe’s ‘Touch Slide’ software for straight-line drawing; and cloud image editing services like Content-Aware Fill and Upright.

In a new move for Adobe, they also announced the release of their first ever hardware in the form of ‘Ink’ and ‘Slide’. Designed specifically for use with tablets, Ink and Slide go beyond merely being an analogue of a pen and ruler.

“Ink is a three sided hydro-form pressure sensitive pen,” said Burnett. “It’s just like working with a pencil on paper, with a pen on paper, with a marker on paper. It’s also go built into it access to the cloud. It’s connected to the cloud, it carries with the pen all of the things like my colours, my files etc. that I can now access onto the tablet and start pasting and using stuf. The ruler as well, it’s not just a straight ruler. Slide has one button, and it enables me to convert that ruler into, say, a triangle or a circle. All I do is I convert it to a circle, I can resize it, I can change it.”

The updated versions of all Creative Cloud applications are available for download now.

Visit www.adobe.com.au

Microsoft Backs NZ Video Collaboration Startup MICROSOFT HAS RELEASED a video about Wellington-based tech startup Wipster, a result of the video collaboration platform being selected for Microsoft’s prestigious startup mentorship program BizSpark. The video sees Wipster CEO Rollo Wenlock explain the origins of the company, and was filmed at Microsoft’s San Francisco office and in Wellington earlier this year.

Wipster radically simplifies the video production process, by allowing multiple people (be they clients or colleagues) to review and approve a video, whether from across the room, or around the world. It was launched in March this year at the South By South West (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas, and already has more than 6,500 users in 95 countries.

Wenlock says, “Wipster lets video creatives focus on the creative process – we believe in video makers, and it’s our mission to make sure there’s as little between them and getting things done as possible.”

Wipster users upload a video into the cloud, then share it with collaborators and clients, who can point to specific parts of the video and type their feedback directly on the frame. The Wipster team is currently working on a full enterprise solution.

Visit http://wipster.io

POST PRODUCTION

Wipster was chosen from more than 50,000 startups around the world to join Microsoft’s BizSpark program, which gives startups access to three years of free resources, software, support, and visibility.

Wenlock says this support is invaluable, “At an early stage in your business, when no one knows you, it’s a godsend to be able to piggyback on the shoulder of a giant, and Microsoft has been our giant.”

Microsoft’s Thiago Almeida, who leads BizSpark in New Zealand, is excited about Wipster and its future. “We are very impressed with Wipster’s success and their pace of innovation,” he says. “This is a very positive partnership and we are proud to have Wipster in our BizSpark programme.”

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POST PRODUCTION

Autodesk Releases Smoke 2015

By Keith Ford AUTODESK, INC. HAS RELEASED the latest version of its professional video editing software, Autodesk Smoke 2015. In addition to new creative tools and performance enhancements, Smoke 2015 is only available as a Desktop Subscription, which is a pay-as-you-go model.

Systems Sales Manager at Autodesk, Dean Nurscher, said, “At NAB earlier this year, we announced some big changes to the Smoke offering, Smoke for Mac which has been available now for four years. The new Smoke for us is all about new customers, targeting a different demographic to the customers that Autodesk normally deals with.

“One of the important changes around the new Smoke is related to something else that’s changing in our business and, indeed, many software vendors’ business, which is a shift to rental or time based purchase, for want of a better term, of software products.”

Autodesk Smoke 2015 is to be something of a proving ground for moving to a subscription model with it only being available in monthly, quarterly, and annual plans, with the price varying by the length of commitment.

“Smoke is now more accessible than ever,” added Nurscher. “It’s available from as little as $170 a month on a rental basis if you commit to an annual contract. It could be for as little as a month, you’ve got a job, you know you need a licence; you can do it just for that job. It’s great for small facilities for whom it might have been completely inaccessiblepreviously.

“In terms of workflow, we support the latest Mac Pro and Maverick’s OS, so Mac OSX 10.9 and, of course, we have on the horizon the Yosemite they’ve announced at WWDC, so we’re always keeping an eye on the new stuff,” explained Charles Amyot, Product Manager for Smoke and Flame. “There is also an improved XML workflow that I’ll talk a little bit about here and of course we’re always looking at improving that in the future. There is also usability that we’ve improved and this is going to be a focus for the product moving forward.”

In terms of new features, there is a re-architected Timeline FX, a new timeline-integrated 3D tracker, improved support for Blackmagic DesignLink card and UltraStudio for Thunderbolt devices, extended video IO support for AJA Video Systems to offer dual stream stereoscopic output, and improved integration with Final Cut Pro X. “The new Timeline is extremely interactive, which is great for artists to actually ideate very quickly because they get the feedback right away from what they do, but most importantly, it’s the new Timeline with improved real time performance,” explained Amyot.

“The 3D tracker is something that we actually brought from the Flame technology that we brought directly to the Timeline through Action. Action is our 3D environment within Smoke and so we’ve brought a very, very efficient 3D tracker that enables you to actually do a 3D track,” he added.

The new Smoke 2015 is also available on a 30-day free trial.

Visit www.autodesk.com

POST PRODUCTION

“It’s also great for our larger customers who need to scale up for a job. If you’ve got a three month spike in production and you can rent however many seats you need for that job, you don’t have to make the significant

upfront commitment that you would have had to make in the past.”

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MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT The United Notion - Freeview’s HbbTV EPG Freeview Australia General Manager Liz Ross describes her role as “great training for the United Nations”, especially with regard to the deployment of Hybrid Broadcast Broadband Television (HbbTV).

THE INDUSTRY BODY comprises Australian free-to-air public and commercial broadcasters including the ABC, SBS, Seven Network, Nine Network, Network Ten and Southern Cross.

The Prime Media Group recently made the decision to exit its shareholding in Freeview because it believes that the “… best course of action is to wait and see, particularly as it does not believe regional television markets are sufficiently developed to support HbbTV commercially.” That door, however, will remain open to the network.

MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT

When approaching HbbTV, the emphasis for Freeview was on creating a marketable platform with a brand for HbbTV and engagement with all major television manufacturers, and retailers to motivate them to promote the platform, to understand it and sell it.

“We’ve got the broadcasters right there front and centre wanting to maintain their branding and their control around their brand but, ultimately, we want Australians to have an unrivalled user experience with our application, and we’ll be communicating the benefits to all Australian viewers,” says Ross. “Typically, in a year, we would spend what by Australian standards is quite a lot of money, probably about AUD$40 million on television advertising, and this will be supplemented by a very big point of sale campaign, and a lot of support.

“The major outcomes in our strategy were firstly to build an HbbTV platform EPG that delivers a branded product experience and access to the industry wide catch-up services across all the networks. We’re developing a brand extension with an icon for use across all receiver marketing. So, it’s a branding mechanism to gain rapid consumer awareness, understanding and adoption.

providing cross-channel search and discovery, and provision for recording.”

Since May 2013, Freeview has met regularly with all networks and established a number of working groups: the Steering Group, the senior network management executives from all the TV networks; the Technical Group, the experts in their fields supporting Freeview technical staff; the Stabilisation Group - operational and digital trained personnel qualified to support Freeview with the scoping and implementation of standardisation across the UI; and a Product Definition Group to define what the product would do. There is also a Marketing Group and Corporate Communications group.

When it comes to functionality, the Freeview Plus EPG has a Full Guide which shows viewers a listing of the FTA programming from seven days prior to seven days in advance.

Schedules that have passed act as a “menu” for catch up viewing, with access also available to the catch-up portals of the respective broadcasters. The guide is displayed with a picture-in-picture of the channel currently selected and a programme synopsis in the left hand corner. Then there is a mini guide which just shows three channels.

Through the guides, viewers are able to obtain more information about a programme, set a reminder, set a favourite. They can look at more episodes of the programmes, and more programmes in the same genre.

There is also an area called “Featured”, which presents editorial recommendations from each network. These are divided into “Catch Up”, “Don’t Miss” covering that evening’s programming and “Coming Soon” listing programmes for the next seven days.

“The product proposition allows us to go forward seven days and backwards seven days across all the TV networks. It will seamlessly integrate the catch-up services and content, and also, through the red button, we will still have a red button service for each of the channels, so they’ll have their branded and operated portals.

Viewers can also search for programmes alphabetically. There is also a genre-based TV show search with sub-genre search available.

For example, viewers can choose drama and then drill down to crime, sci-fi, etc. Results are displayed from across all networks for the particular genre viewers are interested in.

The search function also has cookies and can “remember” all recent viewer searches.

“Through Freeview Plus, we’ll have a consistent navigation model to get people to each of the networks’ catch-up content. We’re also

“There were a couple of things that ended up on the cutting room floor and gave quite a lot of debate,” says Ross, “and if there’s

too much debate it gets escalated or cut.

But, ultimately they helped us define the product right up front. We probably had this part of the role done by September last year where we had features approved to build the aggregated EPG.” Consumer electronics manufacturers were given 12-months’ notice of the intention to launch HbbTV services and a certification program was launched, including a licencing agreement with Freeview for use of the Freeview Plus logo on compatible receivers.

Manufacturer representatives met regularly with the networks and were provided with strains of the platform to facilitate testing.

“Comprehensive marketing support will occur for the manufacturers,” says the Freeview CEO. “They’ll be promoted on our website, throughout television campaigns, and we’re helping with training. We’re doing a lot of HbbTV education, and we’re doing constant demonstrations and getting deeper into their sales area, the people on the floor, and they’ll be provided with customised training at point of sale, training videos, a simulation video to play in-store, and training kits at point-of-sale.”

“One of the big areas that we found, and we’ve done quite a bit of consumer research with our EPG, is that for technology for a mass market it is quite difficult to get to people beyond early adopters, younger people, to really feel confident that it’s something that they can buy, they can use, they can understand, and so a lot of that’s going into the way we present the product.”

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MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT

Why HbbTV Can Revolutionise TV for Free to Air Broadcasters & Viewers

By Mark Blair, Vice President of Brightcove, Australia & New Zealand HBBTV IS ARGUABLY one of the most exciting developments in today’s broadcast landscape; a development that has the potential to transform both the business model for free-to-air broadcasters and viewers’ user experience.

personalised viewing experience with an interactive menu and ability to navigate through the menu to discover content. What this means is that HbbTV offers a standardised easy-to-use mechanism for serving up content on a TV interface.

FOR BROADCASTERS - ONE STANDARD TO FIT ALL

Broadcasters are also able to visually surface Internet-based content on the device through the broadcast signal, allowing them to drive end viewers from broadcast content to contextual and relevant Internet-based content by injecting metadata into the broadcast signalling.

With common standards being established to serve as a guideline, this enables free-to-air broadcasters to focus on the consumer proposition, which takes the guesswork out of interoperability. The HbbTV standard also requires much less application development on a TV Platform and makes it much easier to deploy interactive experiences. The current connected TV paradigm is driven by apps, which are extremely difficult for content providers to support across different connected TV platforms. With HbbTV, content providers only need to create a single experience which will work across devices. For customers, this means a more seamless experience in accessing content. For example, viewers do not have to leave the broadcast, find the application, open the application, search for content, etc.

TV content on HbbTV is broadcasted with standard linear TV to Internetconnected televisions. HbbTV enhances the linear offering by layering what is essentially a “webpage” on top of the linear experience, seamlessly blending live and VOD capabilities. With such content consumption options never before offered to viewers, HbbTV will allow Free-to-Air broadcasters to enhance the leanback experience for their viewer base.

The HbbTV standard is also the first major use of MPEG-DASH as the streaming protocol in a consumer focused situation, enabling streaming to any device. This is significant because it paves the way for MPEG-DASH to become the mainstream encoding format, simplifying the diverse content formats that the broadcaster needs to support.

The HbbTV standards body also anticipated the importance of content security, outlining requirements for DRM. Adopting the Common Encryption (CENC) approach to DRM ensures a single approach to content protection with a solution that has the confidence of premium content providers.

FOR THE VIEWER - ENHANCING THE LEAN-FORWARD EXPERIENCE Smart TVs have allowed Australians to access the Internet via TV sets for a number of years. Australia’s free-to-air broadcasters are launching the Freeview+ service using HbbTV as the underlying technology standard. The reason HbbTV is such a revolutionary standard is that it allows consumers to experience seamless Internet and broadcast viewing. For the first time ever, it will provide broadcasters with the tools to offer the viewer a truly

The significance for broadcasters is that HbbTV will be easier to deploy, rather than building a new application for every single device. This means that HbbTV can allow content providers to deploy OTT companion content and integrated HTML5 apps on connected devices without prompting consumers to exit the linear experience.

HbbTV is more than just an interactive menu for viewers and more than just an innovation in electronic program guide (EPG). HbbTV offers an integrated OTT-like experience on the linear form factor, therefore transforming the lean forward content into lean back experience in a seamless viewing experience.

MONETISING HBBTV Beyond the technical advantages for content providers and the great consumer user experiences, HbbTV has the potential to add to the bottom line by reviving the flagging advertising revenues of the broadcast industry.

According to a recent IAB report, Internet ad revenues have surpassed those of broadcast TV for the first time ever.

With commercialised television advertising in decline, and worldwide digital ad spending set to hit $137.53B in 2014, the opportunities afforded

by HbbTV could prove to be the saving grace of the TV industry. The combined power of the Internet and the TV, and the associated monetisation opportunities, have the potential to open up entirely new avenues of revenue to TV networks.

Furthermore, the e-commerce opportunities for TV networks to leverage their reach, and enable advertisers to transact with the audience through their TVs, are enormous, opening up previously untapped revenue streams. With an increasing number of consumers indicating a desire to receive personalised advertising, the rise of HbbTV could signal a new era of ‘TV-commerce’.

With the VOD option being available alongside the live TV experience, there is the added opportunity to monetise VOD content on HbbTV. By inserting advertisements strategically placed at either pre-roll or mid-roll with VOD content, broadcasters can provide a seamless, personalised viewing experience on thousands of devices. The opportunities are virtually endless, and the time for broadcasters to take full advantage and begin preparing for the HbbTV revolution.

Visit www.brightcove.com

S&T to Demonstrate Hybrid Pay TV at IBC STRATEGY & TECHNOLOGY LTD (S&T), the international interactive multi-screen specialist, will be demonstrating and discussing its technologies to bring innovative new services to interactive television and other screen-based platforms at IBC 2014 (stand 1.B22). With growing global interest in HbbTV, S&T will be showing complete solutions for streaming premium content, interactivity and application development.

The S&T solution means that it is practical to develop common applications for smartphones, tablets and smart TVs and other Internetconnected platforms. S&T’s recent acquisition of OnScreen Publishing gives it a development environment that allows designers to create applications via an easy-to-use user interface, without having to necessarily concern themselves with the underlying code.

“Hybrid pay TV will be the next big revolution,” said David Cutts, managing director of S&T. “Consumers like the idea of free-to-air broadcasting, supplemented with premium pay services. We allow content providers to meet that need, either with our products or through Synapse TV, our managed software as a service (SaaS) offering.

“A critical part of the technology is securing the content, and in our Bastion system we have a unique and cost effective way of protecting content,” he added. “At IBC we are looking forward to talking to broadcasters, platform operators and content providers from around the world about new services, based around hybrid pay TV delivered to multiple screens.”

Visit www.s-and-t.com

MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT

HbbTV provides an open technology standard that seamlessly combines today’s TV programming delivered via broadcast with additional services delivered via broadband, enabling access to additional Internet delivered content for consumers using connected TVs and set-top boxes.

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MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT

The Evolution from Compliance Logging

By Erik Otto, CEO, Mediaproxy

In just over a decade, broadcast logging has evolved from a narrow compliance role to a much broader range of monitoring and revenue generating capabilities for broadcasters, cable and satellite companies. The advances made have turned loggers into highly diverse appliance for broadcasters, covering far more territory than their original mandate. The next generation of logging applications needs to be ready to cater to an even wider range of applications in the broadcast chain.

EARLY ADVANCES IN DIGITAL LOGGING Media recorded from baseband sources is essentially encoded, proxy size media. Although this meets the requirements of content compliance and covered some quality assurance, it does not offer an easy way to enhance quality of service (QoS) of the actual transmission or to access the metadata available in the original transport stream (TS). The cost of storage used to be relatively high and retaining 90 or more days of native transmission quality video and audio as required by regulators was not cost effective. In addition, network connections were not always fast enough for larger files sizes and much higher bandwidth required to stream native MPEG media. Moore’s Law over time delivered faster hardware, larger capacity servers and storage, and faster networking infrastructure.

That significantly opened up new opportunities for broadcasters.

MEDIA IN THE CLOUD, STORAGE & MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT

TRANSPORT STREAMS AS THE SOURCE Leading the way to the dawn of the second generation of digital loggers, Mediaproxy’s foresight and broadcast experience brought recording from transport stream sources to traditional compliance logging as an industry first in 2008. This allowed broadcasters to monitor, review and analyze native transmissions, and to store them on the same cost-effective local storage array in parallel with their proxy media. Engineers could now review native transmissions from the past few days to complete technical forensics to improve their services. QoS monitoring, whether live or offline, provided seamless review from local and remote locations. This technically provides customers with a path to true compliance, since baseband is not the transmission format. Also being able to perform ASI play out for sections of interest directly from an intuitive use web interface has given engineers a powerful option to replay transmission in its original format on demand.

METADATA, SEARCH AND ANALYSIS TS logging enables simultaneous recording and

streaming of up to hundreds of ASI- or IP-based channels. Metadata, such as closed captioning (EIA608/CEA708/OP42/OP47), DVB subtitles, multiple language tracks and, EGP and PSIP information, is available for advanced search, live detection and after the fact exports via extensive burn-in and transcoding features.

Adding to the Swiss army knife of logging, extensive transport stream analysis, digital program insertion detection (SCTE-35/104) and fingerprinting engines to provide random content matching and ad verification also made their way into the ever growing portfolio of the once humble VHS replacement.

GREEN IS GOOD Energy consumption and form factor is another important factor for broadcasters. Mediaproxy heavily invests in hardware R&D to offer increased channel density, storage capacity and processing power whilst maintaining the highest level of redundancy and reliability.

Hardware components are carefully chosen and undergo rigorous test cycles to support 24/7 environments. Mediaproxy offers the most power efficient and cost effective enterprise grade SDI and IP platforms in a 2RU form factor, allowing for recording up to 12 and 48 channels of logging respectively.

THE REAL COST OF COMPLIANCE Today, broadcasters have to deal with ever increasing scrutiny by their respective regulatory bodies and compliance agencies. Changes are introduced at a faster pace and sometimes suddenly to keep up with, in turn, ever increasing scrutiny by audiences around the world, extending to pressures via social media platforms. Making an investment in the right platform has become more critical than ever.

Considering the availability of a broad range of products promising to provide a suitable solution, savvy customers are looking beyond marketing hype and low price points to find the most experienced partner, who can provide a truly sustainable solution. It’s paramount to team up with a technology partner who can

react to regulatory changes quickly and deliver both robust software and reliable hardware across to span the many years of 24/7 operation of the system to ensure the investment is protected. Having pioneered in this field of broadcast for over 13 years and substantially invested in cutting edge software research and development to ensure tomorrow’s complex requirements are sustainable, Mediaproxy’s flexible LogServer platform is intrinsically built to evolve with the changing needs of broadcasters.

Logging is often seen as one of the less important parts of larger scale projects or general compliance purposes. This is certainly true from the standpoint of weighing up cost and performance of technology that provides ‘to-air’ versus ‘off-air’ services. The reality is that the modern compliance logger will be accessible by a wide range of users across various departments beyond engineering including sales, marketing, master control, company executives, etc. The exposure and consequent reliance on such a product for several applications within the station, beyond the regulatory requirement, calls for a decision that takes more than the obvious factors into consideration.

Making an investment in a product that on the surface provides the obvious features required or potentially the cheapest price point may not always be the best decision. Taking into consideration the total cost of ownership requires a more rigorous due diligence process to ensure the chosen partner practices sustainable software product development and provides the best value solution for the future. Delivering on these high expectations is Mediaproxy’s sole focus. Our constantly growing team of highly skilled software and broadcast engineers ensures that the LogServer core engine is built on tomorrow’s development frameworks to provide the most reliable and flexible technology available.

Visit www.mediaproxy.com

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CT E

Lights, camera...

LED lighting is ready for its close-up.

ETC Selador Desire Studio™ LED luminaires It’s a high-definition world, and good lighting never mattered more to broadcast production. ETC’s Selador® Desire Studio LED luminaires deliver brilliant, camera-loving white light. Flesh tones finally look natural. Whites are truly purer. Light output is higher. Energy usage is lower. Indoors or outdoors – there’s a Desire Studio for all on-camera needs.

Desire Studio HD is a colour-temperature-variable white light enhanced by Selador’s acclaimed x7TM spectrum. Desire Studio Tungsten offers highintensity tungsten-like warmth, with low-power consumption. The 5600K highvolume Desire Studio Daylight replaces bulky, high-maintenance HMIs. Contact a Jands dealer for a demo. www.jands.com.au

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AUDIO Digital soundwaves

www.content-technology.com/audio

Recognition for Tasmanian Audio Production Company broadcast media, telephone services, films, mobile devices and online content. The company was recently a finalist in two 2014 Telstra Tasmanian Business Awards categories.

“Engaging telephone callers when they are on hold has been proven to increase revenue for many Australian businesses,” says Abes Audio Creative Director Abe Udy. “At Abes Audio we make creating the perfect on-hold message simple and coupled with no expensive ongoing rental fees, we have helped hundreds of business save money from this investment.”

Mr Udy said Abes Audio had a very humble beginning – a second hand CD player, a computer and slow dialup internet formed the backbone of the operation, while the makeshift recording ‘booth’ consisted of a second-hand microphone in a wardrobe.

[L to R] Abes Audio Founder Abe Udy and Director Tim Holder.

TASMANIAN-OWNED AND OPERATED Abes Audio provides world class, specialist audio services to clients across Australia and the world, for use across various mediums including

Amber Brings Dolby Atmos to Oz Consumers AMBER TECHNOLOGY HAS CONFIRMED it will soon be releasing the first range of Dolby Atmos-ready consumer products to the Australian market.

Dolby Atmos is the next-generation audio format designed to give users the most immersive listening experience yet.

Consumers can enjoy multi-dimensional sound with superior depth, detail and clarity.

The new technology allows specific sounds to be placed anywhere within the room, with audio from all directions including overhead and underneath the listener. For example, users can sense the flutter of a butterfly from an arm’s length, or hear the tremors of a volcano in the distance.

AUDIO

Selected models in the Onkyo AV receivers range will be Dolby Atmos-ready and available from early July. Dolby Atmosenabled Onkyo AV receivers will also be released later this year.

Visit www.onkyodolbyatmos.com and www.ambertech.com.au.

“In just over 10 years, we have expanded our customer base to service over 800 clients from across Australia and the globe, working for some of the biggest brands in the business,” he said.

“As leaders in the audio industry, we provide everything from voice talent and sound design for video games, to voiceovers for telephone

messages and documentaries, as well as jingles for radio and television advertising.

“Our product offering also includes narrations for e-learning, training products and documentaries, through to audio production for YouTube content and online real estate videos, international voices and language translations, as well as sound design for short films, brand music and animation.

“Our clients are located all over the world and due to the nature of our business, we too could be located anywhere, but our passion is for Tasmania, which is why we’re still here after all these years.”

Mr Udy regularly spends time visiting clients around Australia and believes this personal approach has been the key to achieving such a high number of clients approaching him through word-of-mouth recommendations.

“It’s personal in the best sense – it’s well known that business people do business with people they like,” he said. “We believe our success can be attributed to our hard working team of 16 full-time staff and our large base of satisfied customers, who return to us time and time again.”

Visit www.abesaudio.com.au

DPA Appoints Direct Imports as NZ Distributor DPA MICROPHONES HAS ANNOUNCED the appointment of Direct Imports as its distributor in New Zealand.

“We are delighted to have been appointed the New Zealand Distributor for DPA Microphones and honoured to have this outstanding brand join our portfolio and complement our current range of pro audio brands,” said Brett Dallas, Managing Director of Direct Imports. “DPA Microphones is a natural fit to our existing product range and a leader in its field. We are extremely excited to be able to offer the DPA microphones range to our existing customers and equally excited to welcome the new opportunities that this brand brings to our company in other sectors of the NZ Market. We are focused to grow the DPA brand and provide outstanding sales and service support to existing and new DPA Microphones customers in New Zealand.”

The Direct Imports team - (L-R) Brett Dallas, Managing Director; Greer Compston, National Sales Manager MI & Pro and Rowan Brookfield, Pro Audio Division Sales Executive.

The appointment of Direct Imports signals DPA Microphones’ continued commitment toward growth and customer service throughout New Zealand. From its headquarters in Hastings, Hawkes Bay, Direct Imports will carry a full stock of DPA products for live, recording and broadcast applications.

choice due to their extensive distribution network in New Zealand and their professional approach to client service and support. Furthermore, our array of quality condenser mics for body worn, vocal and instrument applications, whether on stage or in the studio, was a great fit with the brands they already represent.”

Ken Kimura, DPA’s General Manager for the APAC region, said, “Direct Imports were the obvious

Visit www.dpamicrophones.com and www.directimports.co.nz

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AUDIO

ETSI (the European Telecommunications Standards Institute), has released AC-4, offering the flexibility to support future audio experiences. End users will be able to hear what a football match sounds like from the stands or the field, and experience sound that transports them to the centre of the action.

Benefits of AC-4 include:  Intelligent Loudness: Automated loudness management means more precise control and eliminates problems with cascaded processing.

It acts across a wide range of devices and applications (home theatre to mobile) and can be configured to align with numerous worldwide standards.  Advanced Dialogue Enhancement: End users can have control of the dialogue level in relation to other sounds in the program.  Advanced Accessibility: Service providers can deliver secondary audio in 5.1 surround without doubling file sizes or altering bit-rate.

A/V Frame Alignment: AC-4 is the first audio format allowing audio frame sizes to precisely match video frame size. This allows the AC-4 data stream to be edited/spliced at video frame boundaries and maintain synchronisation without decode and re-encoding of the audio.

Visit www.etsi.org

TC Electronic Unveils New Loudness Meter Plug-Ins TC ELECTRONIC DELIGHTEDLY have announced three new loudness meter plug-ins for audio and video editing systems. The LM2n and LM6n meters offer a wealth of new features including ‘Radar View’. The LM1n plug-in is a new addition and provides the basics of loudness metering while only creating a small on-screen footprint. The new LM2n and LM6n native plug-ins replace the previous LM2 and LM6.

All support the major plug-in formats, including AAX, VST, and Audio Units, even offering faster than real time off-line measurement within Pro Tools.

For large broadcast stations and production facilities, TC Electronic offers LM1n, LM2n and LM6n in a bulk version, negating the need for clumsy iLok protection. Bulk customers can readily adjust their number of licenses, and as an extra kicker, a company logo will be integrated into the interface.

Visit www.tc-now.com

Neumann Launches Digital KH 120 D Near-Field NEUMANN HAS ANNOUNCED the launch of its first digital studio monitor; the KH 120 D. Based on the KH 120 A studio monitor launched in 2010, the KH 120 D sets a new benchmark of sonic quality and price-performance in the nearfield monitor market. Designed for tracking, mixing and mastering applications in music, broadcast, project and post-production studios, the KH 120 D utilises the latest acoustic and electronic simulation technologies.

Equipped with an additional BNC input for AES/EBU or S/P-DIF formats, the KH 120 D realises a completely digital workflow.

Visit www.neumann.com

Dynaudio Professional BM mkIII Monitors Revealed DYNAUDIO PROFESSIONAL HAS shown its range of BM mkIII monitors.

Dynaudio also displayed its AIR Control software for Mac, PC and Windowsbased tablets.

The smaller BM Compact mkIII and BM5 mkIII models both feature expanded frequency response and SPL thanks to a combination of improvements including driver design and Class D amplifiers. Both BMS II subwoofers have also been optimised to compliment the new range of near-field monitors.

Visit dynaudioprofessional.com

RTW Introduces TM3-Primus Touchmonitor RTW RECENTLY INTRODUCED its TM3-Primus TouchMonitor range of audio meters.

Targeted at music and multimedia producers, the TM3-Primus can be used as a desktop unit offering analogue and digital audio ports. In addition, it features an advanced USB hybrid mode where a metering point in a digital audio workstation (DAW) (implemented using a specific RTW plug-in) is visualised on the TouchMonitor.

As an ultra-compact and low-cost TouchMonitor version, it is equally suited for use in minor or secondary workflows for broadcasting, music and voice recording and video editing.

Visit www.rtw.de

RTW Debuts Masterclass Plugins Series

CEDAR Launches Studio 6 Processing Suite

RTW ANNOUNCED the debut its Masterclass PlugIns range. The software provides the company’s metering tools as standard-format plug-ins for Windows and OS X.

CEDAR HAS ANNOUNCED the launch of CEDAR Studio 6, which includes three new processes, and is both AAX Native and VST compatible.

Each RTW Loudness Tools Masterclass plug-in depicts audio with all relevant level and loudness values as specified by international standards.

Adaptive Limiter 2 calculates a continuously varying EQ profile that constrains the output while retaining integrity of the input, while Auto Dehiss determines the broadband noise content and removes it without the introduction of unwanted side-effects.

The RTW Loudness Tools support all standard sampling rates up to 96kHz and operate in mono, stereo and surround formats. The plug-in includes RTW’s Peak Program Meter, TruePeak, and Spot Correlator instruments and also offers all common loudness formats.

The user interface of the plug-in is based on the RTW TouchMonitor TM7 and TM9 units, and offers the same degree of functionality and clarity as the hardware models.

Visit www.rtw.com

Debuzz removes unwanted signal components across the entire audio spectrum, Declick offers better impulsive noise detection and a better interpolator, and Decrackle boasts the ability to dig into a damaged signal to identify and remove grungy crackle. It also removes many forms of buzz and some amplitude distortions from material as diverse as cylinder recordings.

Declip identifies and removes clipping in a single pass, while DNS One suppresses rumble, hiss, whistles, babble, and general background noise.

Visit www.cedaraudio.com

AUDIO

ETSI Releases AC-4 Audio Codec Standard

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RADIO The original broadcast media

www.content-technology.com/radio

Sonifex Acquires Innes Corporation IN ITS FIRST INTERNATIONAL ACQUISITION,

partnership on some interesting new products.

UK company Sonifex has bought the Australian broadcast manufacturer and distributor Innes Corporation. Innes Corporation manufactures a range of high-end PCIe PC cards which include professional analogue and digital audio cards, AM, FM and DAB+ radio capture cards together with Flashlog, a multichannel audio logger. Sonifex is a manufacturer of audio and video products for radio and TV studios, best known for its Redbox audio and video interfaces.

“Innes Corporation is a long standing and wellrespected distributor of transmission equipment in Australia, known for their strong customer support, so in the future I’d hope to make use of their expertise to further improve sales of Sonifex equipment in Australia.”

Marcus Brooke, Managing Director of Sonifex, commented, “We’ve been involved with Innes Corporation for some time, recently acting as a manufacturer for their audio cards. I was so impressed with the quality and versatility of the audio cards that when we discussed further collaboration, we realised that there was a great opportunity for us to leverage our international marketing skills to sell the Innes PCIe cards to a larger market. In addition, we can combine our R&D departments to work in

General Manager of Innes Corporation, Karen Olliver said while it is essentially business as usual the new ownership arrangement is good news for Innes Corporation’s trading partners and clients.

“Between Sonifex, John Innes, and Innes Corporation we have over 70 years of combined experience in the broadcast industry. We’ll still be offering our customers and suppliers the exceptional level of service and support that they’ve come to expect from us while drawing on a greater pool of technical resources,” she said.

Innes Corporation Founder John Innes and Marcus Brooke, MD of Sonifex.

The Australian Sonifex Pty Ltd will still trade under the name Innes Corporation in Australia

Visit www.sonifex.co.uk and www.innescorp.com.au

New Crystal Mixing Console from Lawo LAWO, THE MANUFACTURER OF audio and video technology for TV and radio broadcast production, used the recent BroadcastAsia show in Singapore to premiere a new version of its crystal radio mixing consoles. Based on the feedback received from the users of more than 1,000 crystal mixing consoles already deployed in the field, the company has developed a more powerful version of the console.

RADIO

The new crystal has a completely re-designed user surface, available in 4- to 16-fader versions, providing clear operational layout in an ultra-slim chassis. A new hand-rest improves the console’s ergonomics, and re-designed buttons make their labels more readable. All pushbuttons are illuminated with RGB LEDs, enabling users to work with different colour schemes for different functions. New functions – like the integrated AutoMix and AutoGain – provide ease-of-use, especially to journalists and presenters in self-op situations.

The newly designed crystal base unit features power supply redundancy and optimised expansion slots for easy addition of I/O cards.

Crystal consoles are optimised for both standalone operation and networked environments. They provide all of the comprehensive functionality found on a conventional mixer, as well as an integrated matrix of up to 288 I/Os. These I/Os can be pre-packaged from a broad range of modules, including RAVENNA/AES67 Audio-over-IP, MADI, AES, and Mic/Line. crystal

consoles are prepared for integration with leading radio automation systems like ENCO, RCS, Dalet and Radiomax.

The consoles come with VisTool – powerful touchscreen optimised PC software – that provides additional functionality and visualisation beyond the limitations of hardware user interfaces. The software is designed to be the central screen and interaction system for radio hosts, providing full control over all relevant functions of a crystal mixing console. It offers access to channel DSP processes, including EQ, dynamics, and bus routings, input parameters, and fader channel control.

Visit www.lawo.com

from 1st July 2014. This is the third corporate acquisition by Sonifex Ltd who bought Nicral Ltd in 2001 and the ProAVM audio product range from SBS in 2006.

Ampegon Green Tech Offers Revenue Opportunities AMPEGON is introducing Green Technologies which not only benefit the environment, but can also open up another revenue stream for broadcasters.

Based on its turnkey experience and system approaches in the field of AM radio transmitter technology, and in solutions for scientific applications, the company is offering complete photovoltaic power plants. Supported by Ampegon’s services in project development, dimensioning, customer relations, project monitoring and financing, photovoltaic power plants can be installed at existing antenna sites – or anywhere within a country.

Despite the introduction of high efficient broadcast technologies, radio transmission stations still consume a huge amount of electrical energy. The large antenna field on the other hand is often an ideal place for a photovoltaic power plant to produce energy close to the consumer.

Ampegon promotes an optimised utilisation of fallow land area at transmitter stations and antenna fields as well as in plain countryside.

Ampegon has already proven successful operation of this new business model with the installation of a 20MW power plant underneath an existing shortwave antenna installation in Wertachtal, Germany.

Visit www.ampegon.com

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032

速

D.O.TEC

Production Technology Experts

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RADIO

Mobile Audio Editing Tool NETIA HAS ANNOUNCED that the company’s iSnippet audio editing tool for iPhone and iPad devices is now available on the iTunes App Store. Sharing the same look and ergonomic principles as the Snippet desktop interface available within NETIA’s Radio-Assist radio automation software suite, iSnippet allows iOS device users not only to edit and index media from their mobile devices, but also to record and export ready-to-broadcast assets from the in-studio Radio-Assist database.

As an all-in-one remote audio-editing solution, iSnippet gives field reporters and others valuable Radio-Assist audio-editing capabilities — familiar from the desktop — on their portable devices. No longer cut off from in-studio resources such as scripts and recorded content, as well as the tools with which to edit that content, the field reporter using iSnippet now can edit audio for inclusion in news stories, or review and read scripts for upcoming segments.

Supporting AAC, ALAC, and LPCM audio formats, iSnippet allows users to record, edit, and export their audio files to the studio. During recording, the user may adjust the recording volume, insert markers, and activate screen locking. Edit capabilities include vertical and horizontal zoom, playout of audio from inside or outside markers, insertion of audio from the app’s cutting bin, and file insertion. The edited files themselves may be sent raw or as a master file (MP2/ AAC/ALAC/AIFF/WAVE) to an FTP server, or directly to the RadioAssist database along with an index file. iSnippet also enables field reporters and journalists to import audio files from applications including Luci and Report-IT. Visit www.netia.com

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Audio Contribution, DAB+ Distribution 2WCOM’S FLEXDSR02+ AND FLEXDSR04+ offer a combination of capabilities in a compact 1U IRD for professional audio contribution via satellite and IP. Far more versatile, powerful and effectively integrated than the previous generation of satellite receivers, the FlexDSR02+ and FlexDSR04+ feature versatile inputs for up to four different programs with analogue or digital output, a full regional insert solution, SIRC for in-band control via satellite, and automatic weight balancing of quality parameters and program source switching (satellite, IP-line, ASI, SD card) in case of failure.

Meanwhile, the 2wcom FlexNsert DAB+ Distribution Inserter receives a DAB ETI data stream (according to EN 300799), converts the stream into a standard MPEG2-TS-signal and outputs it via ASI or Ethernet transport stream interfaces. The FlexXtract+ DAB+ Distribution Extractor demodulates a data stream (2048 kbps) from a DVB-S or DVB-S2 signal and converts the data into a standard ETI-signal according to EN 300799 or EDI-signal according to TS 102 693 to feed DAB or DAB+ transmitters.

Both units offer optional advanced bandwidth saving technology for up to 45 percent greater efficiency, together with a multi-program regionalisation management option.

Finally, 2wcom introduced the new FMC01, a compact codec for highquality FM MPX contribution and distribution via IP or E1 (G.703). The FMC01 can combine encoder and decoder functions in the same unit, offering significant infrastructure savings. With 100 percent lossless audio encoding/decoding and optimised bandwidth technology that delivers maximum FM quality, the FMC01 is a point-to-multipoint distribution solution that redefines the cost/performance equation for radio networks.

Visit www.2wcom.com

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TRANSMISSION Signal distribution, test & measurement

www.content-technology.com/transmission

Imagine Expands Nine Network National Playout Center IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS has announced it has expanded the capabilities of the Nine Network’s National Playout Centre (NPC). The new enhancements to the NPC’s existing Imagine Communications content management and channel playout architecture enable the NPC to extend coverage to the Adelaide and Perth markets, which were acquired by Nine Network in 2013.

“When we first planned the NPC, we knew we had to build a system that was readily scalable, which is one of the key reasons we selected Imagine Communications,” said Geoff Sparke, Director Broadcast Operations of Nine Network.

“With new markets to serve, we were able to rapidly scale to meet these opportunities with Imagine Communications’ highly flexible and comprehensive technology. We enjoy a long-term strategic relationship with Imagine Communications and have been pleased by the

ABC Routes with Imagine

expertise, commitment and response rate of their professional services organisation. We look forward to ongoing collaboration.”

media convergence platforms for signal processing, and a Platinum router with Multiviewer for large scale routing and monitoring.

The NPC, which opened in 2012 in Sydney, originally served 18 channels across the country.

The NPC’s initial deployment of a comprehensive Imagine Communications multichannel playout solution allowed the broadcaster to streamline technical operations by centralising playout for all of Nine Network’s markets within a single, highly efficient and modern broadcast facility.

“Nine Network is a true market innovator, and we are pleased to have implemented a state-of-the art facility that easily expands to support their ongoing new markets and services,” said Joe Khodeir, Vice President of Asia Pacific at Imagine Communications. “I am extremely proud of our collaboration with Nine to deliver this advanced facility. Meeting the needs of multiple channels in multiple markets across multiple time zones is demanding and a unique strength of our playout solution. The original installation met these complex requirements, and we are delighted that they returned to us when they needed to add new channels that built upon the current on-air system.”

In order to enable the continued growth of the network, the NPC expanded their deployment of Imagine Communications D-Series playout automation and Nexio Insight asset management software, while increasing their existing Nexio server installation’s capacity with Nexio Volt compact, integrated media servers. The expansion also includes Imagine Communications Selenio

Visit www.imaginecommunications.com

Photon Energy and BAI Switch to Green Energy

IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS has won a major contract to replace all video routers in the television service of the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC). The national broadcaster will replace existing routers with a flexible, scalable, HD-capable infrastructure centred on Platinum large-scale router solutions. The contract also includes hundreds of Magellan control panels.

“We are delighted that ABC has selected Imagine Communications for this significant project,” said Joe Khodeir, Senior Vice President for Asia at Imagine Communications. “Routing on a national scale can be a complex technical challenge, and this will be one of the largest router projects of its kind undertaken in the southern hemisphere.”

Imagine Communications’ Platinum routing solutions combine a robust architecture with flexibility and rich integrated functionality including mixed-format video and audio routing, multiplexing and demultiplexing, multiviewers and advanced I/O support. Platinum IP3’s integrated architecture and redundant crosspoints protect audio, video and multiviewer signals, helping maximise on-air reliability and reduce complexity.

“Having been selected by Dena to implement this innovative solar PV battery power supply is a great step forward for solar power to provide a complete clean and economically viable power supply for remote sites, Dena has shown confidence in our solution and it is great success for us,” says Michael Gartner, Managing Director of Photon Energy Australia.

Jim Hassell, BAI Group CEO, said, “We’re thrilled to be involved in this groundbreaking project.

As a service provider that relies heavily on external market forces, it’s exciting to think that soon we’ll be able to generate much of our own power. The longer-term outcome of this project will prove beneficial for our customers in many ways, as we’ll be able to provide them with a lower carbon footprint, more cost certainty and improved reliability against the grid in remote locations.”

The telcom tower will be powered by a 39kWp solar power installation using 215kWh of batteries and an 8kVA diesel back-up system for emergencies. The technology – 96 solar panels, 24 BAE batteries (supplied by R+J batteries), 3 SMA inverters and a monitoring system, is mostly made in Germany.

This project is part of the worldwide Dena Renewable Energy Solutions Programme coordinated by Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH (Dena) – the German Energy Agency – and co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).

Visit www.photonenergy.com

TRANSMISSION

Visit www.imaginecommunications.com

GLOBAL SOLAR POWER solutions provider, Photon Energy, has teamed up with German Energy Agency (Dena) and BAI for a pilot project to pioneer the use of renewable energy for communications infrastructure in remote locations. Using mainly German technology Photon Energy will install a 215 kWh solar PV powered battery system that will replace the current power system of a broadcast antenna near Muswellbrook in NSW, operated by BAI. Once successfully tested the concept could be implemented on thousands of sites across Australia.

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TRANSMISSION

KVM Matrix Switches in the Broadcast Environment Steve Montgomery investigates the expanding application of Keyboard, Video and Mouse (KVM) matrix switches in the broadcast workflow.

A CONSEQUENCE OF TAPELESS WORKFLOW is the increasing

wired interconnection.

requirement to store and manage large data files. Large quantities of workstations and software licences are required to provide the necessary availability of applications for the many users of a studio or edit suite.

Massive amounts of digital content need to be transferred between machines so that files are available wherever and whenever they are required. These constraints, together with the large amounts of local storage, high number of workstations, multiple copies of data and application software that are required, soon result in an IT bottleneck.

A KVM matrix switch will provide near-instantaneous (millisecond) switching of single, dual and quad-head digital HD video to monitors together with analogue and digital audio and transparent, bi-directional USB2.0 data, enabling the connection of HID devices, tablets, jog wheels, memory and webcams.

One alternative option assigns computers to particular tasks and connects users’ terminals to them dynamically and only when required. On-demand connection is made through a KVM (Keyboard, video and mouse) matrix switch directly between a computer and a user’s console. Software applications and content reside on dedicated machines which are accessed by users when they need them, without being restricted to a specific workstation or location.

KVM matrix switches, such as the IHSE Draco tera enterprise range are available in modular form with a single chassis capable of managing up to 288 individual ports. Additional chassis may be added and integrated to extend the total number of available ports in a single system. With technology such as Flex-Port each port is capable of dynamic allocation as an input or output, so the configuration does not have to be set and fixed.

Ports may be copper- or fiber-connected; allowing mixed networks within a single system which satisfying the distribution needs of very large studio complexes.

This technique allows computers and storage devices to be centralised in managed CARs (Central Apparatus Rooms); the computers connect through the switch over copper or fibre cables to specific user consoles comprising a video display, keyboard and mouse. In essence, the KVM matrix switch performs on computer files the same process that the video router does on live video signals: it routes them between source and display equipment as necessary.

Fully-redundant systems can be deployed using duplicate components (power supplies, processors, I/O cards etc). Parallel paths to dual-operational extender devices can be made directly or through standby switches. Another important feature is the way a system operates in failure mode, particularly of the main switching chassis. Critical systems must continue to operate as setup with the last switch settings, rather than fail completely and blank any screens.

Users have real-time access to a computer, but rather than using a computer located near their desk, it is actually some distance away and connected by wire to their console.

Future-proof strategies are crucial within the broadcast environment to accommodate new standards. Modular design ensures support for single, dual and quad-head devices and that HD, 2K and 3D technologies are accommodated. Future 4K and beyond will be supported when used with the appropriate extender units.

Simplified switching and pre-defined connection routes, together with extensive administrator control, ensures that only authorised and, where necessary, prioritised users, have access to specific machines. Control can be managed through on-screen and web-based GUIs and by means of standard broadcast control systems.

There are a number of benefits to using a KVM matrix switch as the core of a distributed system: Computer co-location aids access – Centralising computers in an environmentally-controlled CAR maximises security and aids access for IT management. Unauthorised copying of files by means of USB flash memory devices is prevented.

One computer per application reduces equipment cost – Divorcing the computer from the user workstation means a computer can be configured and assigned to a specific task and made available as needed by a user, rather than providing the same application to several users for intermittent use alongside other programs.

General purpose studios and edit suites enhance usability - Studios and edit suites can be built for general purpose use, rather than designated to a specific task or project. The application and content effectively ‘follow’ the user around; which means that a studio or edit suite can be used by any user.

TRANSMISSION

Once an organisation has decided to commit to a distribute system of this type, there is the choice between a KVM matrix switch that provides direct connections, or a KVM-over-IP system which packetizes data and distributes it to users using the TCP/IP protocol over Ethernet.

Whilst KVM-over-IP solutions may be cheaper, they are not designed for real-time data transfer. As a result, they have a number of disadvantages that mean they are not suited to intense broadcast applications. These include high compression ratios resulting in visual artefacts, bit-stuffing and frame dropping, switching latency between tasks and packetisation transmission delay. They often use web-browsers which have their own performance problems. Interface devices (GUI and HID) devices may be incompatible and slow to respond. In addition they may overload the network unless carefully planned.

The KVM matrix switch does not suffer from these disadvantages as it routes and connects display consoles directly to computers over a dedicated, hard-

Configuration of the matrix switch connections can be achieved through a number of methods common to computer industries and familiar to all IT departments, including a graphical web interface through a Java tool, on-screen display, serial and Ethernet command stream access and even in-band keyboard operation with hot keys. Commonly-used broadcast control systems such as those from BFE and VSN are regularly integrated with KVM matrix switches to provide integrated control within the broadcast environment. The capability of the switch to provide near-instantaneous switching matches the rest of the video distribution system to align video and computer paths.

KVM matrix switches have already been deployed in many broadcast installations, including: outside broadcast and satellite news gathering (SNG) vehicles; TV and radio broadcast studios; and film and TV post-production studios.

In studios, computer consoles can be adapted and used for a range of data manipulation and information applications: playlists, file preparation and distribution, news feeds, phone-in call handling and so on.

The high speed technology offered by matrix switches enables the creation of virtual edit suites supporting a range of software-based tools including Vizrt graphics production and management packages, Avid Symphony, DS, and Media Composer, as well as DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro workstations. With this setup, the entire resources of the production house can be instantly accessible at any end-point.

As computers encroach more deeply into all aspects of high performance data processing, KVM matrix switching will become more common. In the broadcast industry this process is occurring rapidly with increasing benefits attributed to users. It is a trend that is set to grow in scope and will undoubtedly evolve with new video formats and broadcast techniques and technology.

Steve Montgomery is an independent consultant with experience in broadcast and AV video transmission technology and high-performance display technology.

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TRANSMISSION

Designing and Supporting Fibre

By Josh Simons, technical director, Argosy Fibre is now a standard part of the broadcast infrastructure. Today, most installation and maintenance engineers are familiar with fibre, although there is still concern that it is somehow more complicated to work with than copper co-ax.

I ALSO SEE A SECOND SLIGHT HESITATION in moving to more fibre. That is that design engineers are reluctant to take advantage of the full benefits of fibre. We need to move to a situation where we use fibre for what it is good at, not just as a replacement for copper.

First, we should define what we mean by fibre relevant to the broadcast industry. There is the SMPTE camera cable, which is a tightly defined structure containing a pair of fibres for the signals and a two pairs of copper, one for control and the other to carry power to the camera.

We then have what engineers are calling “tactical” fibre. This is simply a transmission medium, which can carry any signal from point to point. More specifically, it can carry a huge data bandwidth from point to point. Finally there is “dark fibre” which is installed for redundancy and for future expansion.

It is the capacity of tactical fibre that means we should change the way we design cable layouts.

We have to try to forget the heritage, and not simply replace copper with fibre. As well as being more cost-effective, this will make for a more reliable, rugged installation.

It will also help with future expansion and the inevitable maintenance, so the cost savings are likely to continue.

We spend a lot of time talking to broadcast installation engineers and systems integrators, and from all our research we find that the vast majority of fibre failures happen either at the connector or within a metre or so of it. This is an obvious conclusion if you think about it.

Connecting fibres means pressing the two end faces of the glass together tightly, and this inevitably creates wear. If you introduce dust or other pollutants when you connect the fibres, then the wear is even greater. The part of the cable installers handle is near the connectors, so this is the area which is most likely to get damaged.

The conclusions are obvious: minimise the number of connections (while planning for repairs when necessary); and if the cable is to be handled, choose something that will stand up to the job.

For standard installations, use a dedicated multi-core distribution cable.

This can be broken out in a termination tray with a patch panel. You can also use the high bandwidth capability of fibre to multiplex multiple signals onto a single fibre, with active devices to split them out and make them available for patching. Or you can combine the technology.

TRANSMISSION

When planning the installation, assume there will be a need for expansion.

The cost of multi-core fibres is relatively trivial compared with the cost of re-engineering later, so build in plenty of extra capacity.

Fibre patch cords are readily available and cost very little. We worked with cable manufacturer Draka to develop a high-resilience cable, BendBright, which is very resistant to handling and is ideal for patch cords. They are likely to last for years, but should one fail just throw it away and replace it: the cost is negligible.

The same technique can be used for mobile and temporary installations.

The Neutrik OpticalCon system is designed to be a secure and highly

reliable connection for as many as 12 fibres in a single assembly. It is a simple push-pull connector to make rigging simple, but internally it has a very sophisticated spherical shutter that is easy to clean and guarantees low maintenance. A rugged jacket makes the cable tough for repeated handling.

Should a fibre cable be damaged it needs special skills to repair. At Argosy we have made an extensive investment in fibre optic splicing, polishing and termination equipment to provide support for our customers. We can work with SMPTE and tactical fibres in a number of jacket and connections options, to meet the needs of the installation.

To effect assembly and repairs requires high precision equipment and while we can and do take it out to the field to effect repairs, it can be expensive. There is an alternative solution, though, which again makes fibre the modern, practical solution. If the failure virtually always occurs at the connector or in the last metre of cable, make that readily replaceable.

If you are providing fixed SMPTE camera connections, in a sports stadium perhaps, then rather than running SMPTE cable the whole way, install tactical fibre from the outside broadcast connection point to the camera location. Inside sealed boxes, terminate the cable with a high reliability, telco-standard interface like LC. Then simply use a short length of SMPTE fibre from the box to the camera or to the truck. If it fails, replace it with another – it will be relatively inexpensive, can be done within moments, and will probably be cheaper than a field repair. Then return the faulty pigtail to us for factory repairs.

Fibre has huge technical advantages: it carries higher bandwidth signals over greater distances than copper. Yes, it is harder to terminate a fibre than soldering or crimping a BNC, but modern techniques mean that the connectivity is hardly a challenge. Talk to your cable supplier to get the best advice on the right choice of cable, connector and installation practice. The goal is a cable infrastructure that you can install and forget.

Visit www.argosycable.com

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CLASSIFIEDS + EVENTS what’s on JULY

BIRTV

ENTECH CONNECT

August 21 - 24 China International Exhibition Center, Beijing www.birtv.com

July 23 - 24 Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Australia www.entechconnect.com.au

AUGUST

IBC 2014

ABE 2014 – AUSTRALIAN BROADCAST EXHIBITION

September 12 - 16 RAI Amsterdam www.ibc.org

August 5-7 Novotel Manly Pacific Hotel www.abeshow.tv

Advertiser Index Co./Last Name......................Page ABE 2014........................................45 AJA...................................................... 3 ARRI................................................ IBC Blackmagic Design......................... 5 Ericsson...........................................13

Grass Valley....................................17 Imagine Communications...... OBC IRT Electronics Pty Ltd.................41 Jands................................................35 Lawo.................................................25 Lumina Broadcast Systems........43 Magna Systems & Engineering ..........................................................IFC

SEPTEMBER

OB Group.........................................45 On Air Solutions.....................19, 40 Professional Audio & Television ...................................................... 7, 39 Quantum.........................................15 Quinto Communications.............. 9 Riedel Communications GmbH & Co. KG...........................................23

Rohde & Schwarz Pty Ltd...........31 Ross Video........................................ 6 Sony..................................................20 Sportscasting 2014.....................21 Studiotech Australia...................... 4 Techtel.............................................29 VizRT.................................................27

Save the date!

ABE2014 Australian Broadcast Exhibition

exhibition

Register at www.abeshow.tv

Tuesday 5 – Thursday 7, August 2014 Novotel Manly Pacific Hotel

CLASSIFIEDS + EVENTS

featuring the latest in digital broadcast & production technology

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TIME shifter Do Frenchmen Play Cricket?

Film curator Sally Jackson investigates the makers of the world’s first cricket films, shot in Australia in 1897.

RECENTLY, a new-found snippet of information triggered a reassessment of the ownership and authorship of the four 1897 cricket films of the English team playing at the Association Cricket Ground in Sydney. These films, customarily attributed to the Australian photographer Henry Walter Barnett (HWB, 1862-1934), are recognised as the earliest series of cricket films produced. Unfortunately only one of them remains, and it is held by the British Film Institute. Even so, when the discovery of new information challenges the prevailing attribution of a creative work, archivists and curators need to seek confirmation one way or another. These days, with many more research tools available, work undertaken to confirm the facts can raise more questions than can be answered giving rise to hypotheses based on a rigorous research process. Such is the case with these four films. In consultation with colleague Simon Smith and cricket expert Glenn Gibson, we have discussed the issues at hand: how does this new information change what we know and does it alter the significance of the films? The following is an encapsulation of our findings.

In the first instance it is important to gather all known published cited research. In this case, the 1990s essays by Chris Long, ‘Australia’s First Films: Facts and Fables Part IV: Our Forgotten Production Pioneers’ and ‘Part V: Indigenous Production Begins’ (in Cinema Papers no’s 94 and 95 respectively), are essential reading. Amongst his many references and key points, Long had acquired copies of the copyright registrations for the films from the National Archives. Following his lead, we did the same and, while a new light was shed on the authorship and ownership, the documents no longer provide an irrevocable truth.

Presented in February 1898, they indicate the films were made on or around 10 December 1897 and copyrighted by the English photographic supplies company Fuerst Brothers. Authorship, what we recognise as director or filmmaker, was attributed to HW Barnett, Falk Studios Melbourne. Therefore it’s reasonable to conclude that HWB was personally responsible for the cricket films. This is supported by his working relationship with the Lumiere Brothers representative Marius Sestier, during the latter’s time in Australia in 1896-97, which resulted in the first successful local films, the 1896 Melbourne Cup amongst them, being produced. It’s also well documented that HWB and his wife Ella left Australia on 27 January 1897 for London to advance his photographic career. As the cricket films were made in

December it has been accepted that HWB returned to Australia for one reason or another and while here made the films. Case closed it would seem.

The new information brings a curious twist that casts doubt on his personal participation. In the regular column ‘Our London Letter: London, 10th December 1897’ in the satirical Melbourne journal Punch, HWB was, on the same day the cricket was allegedly filmed, reported to be suffering with rheumatism and intending to travel from London to the South of France for winter. How then could he be the author of films on the other side of the world?

When the films screened in Australia in March 1898 they were attributed to Falk Studios Melbourne and not directly to HWB. Paper print images of the films are indistinct but clearly show the films were shot on Lumiere Brothers film stock. Prior to leaving for England, HWB left his business in the hands of his siblings Charles and Phoebe who ran the Melbourne Falk business. HWB was the owner of Falk Studios Melbourne in name only.

GEORGES BOIVIN – WORLD’S FIRST CRICKET FILMMAKER? The following seems a reasonable hypothesis in determining what may have occurred. Beginning work in London HWB buys his supplies from Fuerst Brothers, who are agents for Lumiere Brothers photographic products including their cinematographe. Establishing HWB’s credentials with film production when the option to film the cricket match arose, Fuerst and HWB combine to undertake the work. The Falk Studio may have had its own cinematographe, or Fuerst Brothers made one available, which Charles operated, given his participation in the 1896 Melbourne Cup films. Long’s work confirms other people were making films at this time in Australia including Ernest J Thwaites, AJ Perier and Mark Blow. When Sestier left Australia in May 1897 he had sold a minimum of four Lumiere Brothers cinématographes including to his friend and French émigré Georges Boivin.

Boivin had already toured through New Caledonia and Queensland with his business partners Auguste Plane and Charles Lomet between April and September 1897.

Without any conclusive documentation I’d like to suggest that Boivin is possibly another cinematographer for these cricket films. At the time of the English cricket tour in Sydney he was the only person presenting a Lumiere Brothers cinématographe to the public. Perhaps Boivin was contracted by Charles Barnett to film the cricket, or perhaps he dry-hired his cinématographe to Falk. But would a Frenchman have any interest in filming cricket – the most English of sports? Did Frenchmen even play cricket at that time in Australia? Does this change the significance of the films? The answer is yes, yes – and no.

TIME SHIFTER

Boivin was associated with Sestier and Barnett, having reportedly made films in Brisbane, and also a member of the Sydney French community’s cricket team (see top photograph). So it is entirely plausible to speculate that because of timing and with his personal interest in the sport, Georges Boivin – a Frenchman – was the cinematographer of the world’s first series of cricket films.

And while it now seems certain that Henry Walter Barnett wasn’t directly involved in filming, the significance of these films remains undiminished as the earliest representations of cricket on the screen. Does it matter if a Frenchman made the films? We don’t think so; it may sit uncomfortably with some but it is heartening to learn that the French community were embracing their new country. After all, cricket is still cricket regardless of who films it or plays it – so Long Live Cricket! Or should that be Vive Cricket under the circumstances?

This article first appeared on The National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) blog.

Visit www.nfsa.gov.au

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