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Entertainment
Engineering VOLUME 9 ISSUE 3 Persun & Wiebusch, Inc.
Publishers/Editors: Terry Persun
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MICROSOFT KINECT SPARKS NEW APPLICATIONS BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT I’ve seen it before in entertainment. Something created for the purpose of fun goes on to have serious applications in other industries. That’s what is happening with Microsoft Kinect’s gaming technology now.
Bruce Wiebusch P: 440-503-3013
E: bruce@entertainmentengineering.com
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Editorial Contributors: Dan Cook, Ph.D.,
Program Coordinator, Entertainment Engineering and Design, UNLV
Gerald Braude S. Korobeinik
Richard Mandel Mark Persun
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Greg Hale, VP Advanced Technology Disney Parks and Resorts
Kevin Russelburg, Sr. Project Engineer ITW Pancon
John Lewis, Sr. Writer, Cognex Corp.
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As you can read about later in this issue, Independent developers are applying Microsoft gaming technology to physical therapy of senior citizens, autism therapy, and other health care applications. CLICK HERE
In addition to blogs like the one we’ve linked to above, there are also a couple of cool videos you should download if you have a few minutes. One is from a company called Geomagic. One of their employees did a quick scan of his head with a Microsoft Kinect and turned it into 3D polygons, which was then transferred to SolidWorks software and ready for printing on a 3D printer in less than five minutes. Watch the process by clicking the YouTube video link below. CLICK HERE
The scan data created from the Kinect is not super-high quality, but there are many applications in development now. The next YouTube video link below shows footage of a virtual fitting room using the Microsoft Knit. This footage was shot inside the Microsoft booth at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. CLICK HERE
Let us know what you applications are by sending email to bruce@entertainmentengineering.com www.entertainmentengineering.com
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Entertainment Engineering TECHNOLOGY. CREATIVITY. FUN.
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EDITORIAL
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SPORTS REEL
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KINECT, HEATHCARE & MORE
Volume 9 Issue 3
Microsoft Kinect sparks new applications beyond entertainment
Small reel used in a shoe strap configuration
Microsoft has launched a commercial program to give businesses the tools to develop applications for “Kinect” technology. Here is a preview of some early apps.
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NHL BROADCAST MEETS GUIDELINES
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SMALL LOUDSPEAKERS
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WEATHERPROOF LOUDSPEAKERS
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RENDER MANAGEMENT
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PROTECTIVE FILM
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PYROTECHNICS
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CAMERA MOTION CONTROL
NHL and broadcasters in general have strict height requirements so as to maintain sight lines and a clean broadcast image A unique enclosure configuration helps OEM reduce speaker size
Weatherproof loudspeakers and amplifiers eliminate neighborhood complaints
LMU students prepare for studio life
Military-grade film protects smartphones and other small mobile devices
Design of new wireless pyrotechnic activation system is driven by safety
Television show relies on camera motion control system to work without fail
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SPORTS SHOE REEL CLOSURE SYSTEM Lacing systems for sports shoes such as laces, buckles, ratchets, and Velcro straps are known for their deficiencies rather than their efficiencies and benefits. Until recently, though, these systems were all that were available.
Designers at Boa Technology Inc., (Denver, CO) have developed a reel that can be used in a strap configuration. This was done to reduce a few of the standard parameters for reels, including reduced size, decreased cost, and maximized strength. All the components for the S1 27mm Reel Closure System for specialized S-works shoes were designed by Boa, even though they collaborated closely with each specialized component manufacturer they worked with. Just as they work with all their partners, Boa provided instructions on proper application of the Boa Lacing System, then consulted at various stages of the product process — including visits to partners’ factories — to assure proper installation of the system. The final system was designed to have a glove-like fit with smooth, even closure and no pressure points. The fit is exemplified by the use of micro-adjustable reels that offer seemingly infinite degrees of fine-tuning, which also offers one-handed adjustment with a quick turn of the Boa dial. Because the closures are quick-on/quickoff devices they allow users to save time when seconds count. Yet, once locked into place the reels stay that way. Finally, a simple faucet or hose can be used to clean 6
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muck and grime from the lace guides, which helps to extend the life of the system and assure it’s ready for the next use. Ultimately, Boa needed more than a simple solution to the challenge, they needed to be competitive as well. Their goal was to produce a device that was nearly 40 percent lower in cost, could provide precise adjustment with only 1mm of resolution per click, be half the height and at least 2mm smaller in diameter than previous low-power reels, plus incorporate only one active lace (instead of two) to increase the overall strength of the system itself. The lacing system consists of four primary components: the knob, the spool, the housing, and the lace. By meeting their own challenge, Boa was able to create a product that was far superior to the ratchets and Velcro typically used in cycling. The S1 Reel weighs far less than older systems, provides secure holding power, increases breathability, and has much higher resolution than comparable products that offer 3-5mm of incremental adjustment. The company went through between three and five prototype iterations before they found the right design.
Check out “The Adventures of ZoomR!” featuring Boa Technology
CLICK HERE
“The final system was designed to have a glove-like fit with smooth, even closure and no pressure points.” The original concepts, for example, used different types of reel mechanisms. Once they solidified a design then subtle tweaks brought the S1 Reel into focus. Rapid prototyping parts were produced by ZoomRP. com through their online service. Boa uses SolidWorks for their development of the final parts. From SolidWorks, they can easily export an STL file to upload to ZoomRP.com for production of parts. All of the components were built using an SLS (selective laser sintering) process using a Nylon material. Laser sintering uses a high-temperature laser to melt and fuse specially designed plastic or metal particles into a three-dimensional part. SLS offers one of the widest ranges of materials to choose from, including filled thermoplastics. Overall capability of the SLS process includes layers at and average of 0.004-inches thick. The process produces strong finished parts that come close to production-like materials. Since there is no tooling required, prototype parts can be produced quickly and at low volumes. Once the parts came in they were seldom tweaked. ZoomRP.com offers extremely high tolerance parts, to +/-0.1 to 0.2mm accuracies. Because most of the clearance specifications on the needed parts was around 0.2mm parts had to be accurate or they didn’t fit prop-
erly and wouldn’t work. The company only ordered parts that were wet/dry blasted. And, since they were prototypes used for testing, no color was required. Plus, it was easy to order parts through the ZoomRP.com web-based interface, even though the company’s behind-the-scenes customer service is excellent should it be needed. The most difficult part of the project was in the production of the components. It is very difficult to build such small features. The largest piece of the Boa S1 Reel Closure System was the knob, which was only 27mm in diameter. Overall, the S1 Reel Closure System project turned out well. The device is being used on a number of shoes manufactured by some of the largest sports shoe manufacturers in the world, as well as for medical braces. Pro cyclists, including over 100 pro peloton riders, have been wearing shoes with the S1 Reel System this year.
For More Information Click Below:
Boa Technology Home > Boa Technology Technology > ZoomRP.com Boa Comic Strip > ZoomRP.com Home > ZoomRP.com Products >
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KINECT GOES WAY BEYOND GAMING Independent developers are applying Microsoft gaming technology for physical therapy, autism therapy and other health care applications
Kinect, the voice and gesture recognition technology from Microsoft, has not only transformed gaming, but has inspired innovation and creativity across industries. In Spain, Microsoft gaming technology is being used by Tedasys for gesture-based operating room application. At the University of Missouri (US), physical therapists are monitoring the gait of senior citizens to prevent accidental falls. Physical therapists at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in the UK use “Kninect” for the rehabilitation of stroke patients. And children with Autism are using the Microsoft technology for skill building programs. And then there is TJ from Geomagic. He used a quick scan of his head from a Kinect, and turned the scan into 3D polygons, which he then swiftly transferred to SolidWorks software and was able to print in 3D. The scan data created from Kinect was not super-high quality. It has different purposes or outcomes from the highend engineering done by GeoMagic in Solidworks. Entertainment Engineering asked Microsoft what they think about the development of applications for Kinect outside of gaming and entertainment. A spokesperson from the company provided the following responses: Q: What is Microsoft doing to develop additional applications of Kinect technology ?
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“We designed Kinect from the outset as an entirely new way to interact with games and entertainment and nothing like it exists.” A: The company will be launching a commercial program to give businesses across the globe the tools to develop applications that could improve their own operations. To date, Microsoft has enlisted more than 250 companies for the commercial program, including American Express, Boeing, Citi, Houghton Mifflin
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Harcourt, Mattel, Siemens, Telefonica, Toyota, Unilever, and United Health Group. Q: How is Microsoft embracing additional apps for Kinect? A: Since we first launched Kinect more than one year ago, the creativity from developers has been phenomenal. We embraced the innovation with the Kinect for Windows beta SDK for academics and hobbyists last year. And on February 1, 2012, we released a Kinect for Windows sensor and accompanying SDK that includes a commercial license and is optimized for developing applications that take Kinect beyond the living room. We love the innovative applications we’ve seen already from early adopters – it’s been phenomenal and we believe the best is yet to come. Q: How is motion capture with Kinect different from other motion-capture systems? A: Kinect is not simply a 2-D digital camera device. The Kinect sensor combines an infrared sensor, an RGB camera, a multi-array microphone and Microsoft proprietary software to track body movement and facial expressions, even respond to voices. We designed Kinect from the outset as an entirely new way to interact with games and entertainment and nothing like it exists.
For more information: Microsoft Blog > Geomagic 3-D Video >
Microsoft for Developers > Solidworks >
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NHL BROADCAST MEETS GUIDELINES Mobile speaker carts roll the PA on and off the field during the recent NHL Winter Classic.
The NHL Winter Classic is a throwback to the bygone days when professional hockey was played outdoors in the chill wintertime air. But more than that, it is the NHL’s so-far-successful attempt to claim New Years Day in the same way that baseball claims July 4th and football claims Thanksgiving Day. This year’s contest took place at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia between the hometown Flyers and their rivals, the New York Rangers. Despite the Flyers’ loss, the 47,000 fans in attendance enjoyed the experience, as did the nearly four-million viewers who watched on NBC. Clair Global provided house sound and a broadcast mix for the between-period performances by hometown superstars, The Roots. They used three unique, Clairconceived and Clair-deployed solutions: mobile speaker carts that allowed the line arrays to be lowered and flipped out of site lines as needed; custom modular diffusion/ absorption panels that were used to convert an equipment room at Citizens Bank Park into an acoustically favorable studio control room environment; and the Clair CF 1090 Fractal Antenna for the RF system. “The NHL and broadcasters in general have strict height requirements so as to maintain sight lines and a clean broadcast image,” explained Kevin Sanford, president of Wireless First, a Clair Global subsidiary. “With only two week’s notice, we engineered and constructed a solution to meet these guidelines.” “We brought in ten rolling carts that allowed us to lower and flip the PA out of site lines as needed and that allowed us to easily roll them into position on the field,” said Jason Spence, music engineer with Clair Global. “The NHL team was very impressed by how well we stayed out of their way. The ability of Clair Global to conceive and construct such an involved solution in just two weeks is, to me, as impressive as the solution itself. I don’t know of any other company that could pull it off.” News of Clair’s accomplishment spread quickly, and the carts are already rented for future events like the Jets halftime entertainment and upcoming Canadian sports events. “A music truck wasn’t part of the plan at the NHL Winter Classic, so we needed an acoustically-controlled environment in which to prepare a broadcast mix,” explained 10
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Spence. “Again, Clair Global rose to the challenge and constructed modular mobile acoustic panels that we could use in whatever space we encountered. It turned out to be an equipment room. Where others may have thrown a bunch of packing blankets around to simply suck the life out of the room, the Clair panels offered frequency-balanced absorption on one side and diffusion on the other. We turned the equipment room into a well controlled room that sounded really nice.”
For More Information Click Below:
Clair Global Home > Clair Backstage Pass > Contact Clair > Clair Service >
LOUDSPEAKER HAS UNIQUE
ENCLOSURE CONFIGURATION H-PAS design technology makes it possible for any loudspeaker manufacturer to build a loudspeaker with full-range bass in boxes that are much smaller than comparable speakers
Atlantic Technology has signed an agreement with SpeakerCraft to collaborate in the development of new loudspeaker systems using Atlantic’s revolutionary H-PAS® bass configuration technology. Through their application of H-PAS technology, SpeakerCraft will be able to provide their customers with loudspeakers that will deliver deeper and smoother bass in much smaller cabinets than was previously possible. The agreement will result in the development of several new SpeakerCraft products expected to come to market starting later this year and beyond. H-PAS, or Hybrid Pressure Acceleration System, is a unique enclosure configuration that combines elements of several different speaker architectures—acoustic suspension, bass reflex, inverse horn, and transmission line—to produce exceptional bass response and low distortion while utilizing cabinets that are considerably more compact than those of speakers with similar performance. The H-PAS configuration was originally developed by Philip Clements of Solus/Clements. In 2009, Atlantic Technology assembled a team of audio engineers and computer scientists to create, in collaboration with Clements, a proprietary algorithm that could be used
to apply H-PAS to a wide range of enclosure shapes and sizes. In January 2012 the United States Patent and Trademark office issued the first patent on H-PAS enclosure architectures; Atlantic Technology expects to obtain additional patents on the technology in the coming year. “We are excited to be working with SpeakerCraft,” said Atlantic Technology’s President Peter Tribeman. H-PAS technology will provide them a new opportunity to significantly differentiate their products in the marketplace.” “We’ve been very impressed with H-PAS technology,” said SpeakerCraft’s President Jeremy Burkhardt. “The articulate low bass response and remarkable clarity of voice are exactly what our customers want. It will be a huge benefit for custom installers to be able to move away from oversized boxes without sacrificing performance. In addition, since H-PAS uses higher resonance drivers, its’ bass reproduction is exceptionally ‘quick’.
For More Information Click Below: Atlantic Technology > Atlantic Technology Products > Atlantic Flash Demo > Speakercraft >
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STADIUM AUDIO UPGRADED AT HISTORIC HIGH SCHOOLS Unique installations feature Technomad weatherproof loudspeakers and amplifiers to improve quality and eliminate neighborhood complaints. Two high school stadiums in the Tacoma Public Schools system enjoyed improved sound for the 2011 football season, thanks to comprehensive distributed audio system upgrades at both locations. Lynwood, Washington-based systems integration firm Electrocom managed the upgrades, installing Technomad advanced audio loudspeakers and high-powered amplifiers among other components at Stadium High School and Lincoln High School. Electrocom handpicked the systems to replace aging horn components that were in disrepair and bleeding into adjacent neighborhoods — prompting complaints. The stadiums’ long, rich histories are evident in their grandeur: large, bowl-shaped venue designs with concrete bleachers and expansive sideline space. This made sound improvements, especially venue-wide coverage, unusually challenging. “These are not typical press box installations where we mount and blast away,” said Matt Wright, project manager at Electrocom. “We positioned narrow-dispersion loudspeakers at multiple points, with enough SPL, or sound pressure, to cover the distance of the field in some cases. We also needed a wireless amplifier solution at each stadium to remain under budget. It would have been expensive and complicated to run wires the length of the field and trench into the concrete.” Technomad PowerChiton4 high-power amplifiers provide the wireless solution for pole-mounted loudspeakers on the visitor sidelines at each stadium. The IP66-rated amplifiers offer a waterproof design for outdoor audio, and a compact, modular form factor for greater proximity to loudspeakers. The 1600-watt amplifiers also pack plenty of power for loud stadium environments. Wright adds that Technomad loudspeakers provide exceptional audio quality and are among the best at containing audio within the confines of a stadium or similar venue. “The Technomad systems have improved intelligibility and increased audio isolation from the neighbors at both stadiums.” Electrocom installed Berlin 9040 and 6040 narrow12
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“The Technomad systems have improved intelligibility and increased audio isolation from the neighbors at both stadiums.” dispersion loudspeakers at both stadiums. All Stadium High School loudspeakers mount to four large steel light poles: two above and behind the home side bleachers, and two above and behind the visitor side. Each home side pole supports two Berlin 9040 loudspeakers aimed toward the front row at a steep angle to cover the audience. One Berlin 6040 aims outward to cover the field. One visitor-side pole supports two Berlin 9040 loudspeakers powered by a Technomad PowerChiton4 amplifier and RF solution to cover one end of the bleachers. A second pole supports two Berlin 9040 loudspeakers and a PowerChiton4 for the near bleachers; and a single Berlin 6040 with a dedicated PowerChiton4 amplifier to cover an extension of the bleacher away from the cluster. Allen PoleStar mounting hardware supports all loudspeakers. A mix of Berlin 6040 and 9040 loudspeakers cover the Lincoln High School field from three locations behind the home bleachers, including the end zones for audio during track and field events. Berlin 6040s and PowerChiton4 amplifiers cover the visitor side from the front corners of the bleachers. “These are among the largest stadiums we’ve done and there were plenty of challenges,” said Wright. “Technomad loudspeakers provided high-quality audio, high-frequency intelligibility, and strong SPL along with a weatherproof design. And the PowerChiton amplifiers provided a way to get audio to difficult places without being cost-prohibitive.”
For More Information Click Below: Technomad Home > Technomad Products > Electrocom Home > Electrocom School Systems >
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PipelineFX’S RENDER MANAGEMENT PRODUCT PREPARES LMU STUDENTS FOR STUDIO LIFE Render Management Product Expands Creative and Professional Opportunities for Students; Doubles Rendering Output for Lab
Jobs are hard for anyone to find right now, let alone grads looking to break into desirable markets like animation. To get hired, candidates must show both serious talent and applied experience with professional tools in a team-driven workflow. Students at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television are no strangers to this challenge. But for awhile, their intentions to meet it head on were held back by their school’s limited and inefficient rendering pipeline. Qube! is a render farm management product for leading visual effects houses like Digital Domain Media Group, Arc Productions, Method Studios, and ImageEngine. These studios use it to ensure that their rendering pipelines run smoothly, even under the strain of production demands. The new hires these organizations take on will also be working with Qube! as it helps them maximize their creative output and hit key deadlines. The very things that LMU students were having trouble doing. Before Qube!, LMU’s lab was experiencing a severe bottleneck. The lab was filled with isolated desktops that limited students to rendering on single workstations. This created a system of long render times that tied up computers and prevented students from accessing their project work. “We needed to get the students back on track,” said Mark Allen, LMU’s Animation Technical Services Engineer. “We needed something that was powerful for the students and easy-to-maintain for the technical team. Qube! was a turnkey fix that fit right in and cleaned 14
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everything up. Our rendering capabilities improved almost immediately.” Before, students used to work on their animations with few test renders, leaving no time for corrections if their project needed significant changes at the end of the term. Qube! allowed them to achieve faster iterations through distributed rendering so they could get to the final product, and any necessary changes, much faster. This created a situation where students were improving and showing off more creative output at a much quicker rate; it also made them a lot more relevant to the outside world. To Mark, the changes were significant. He could see their progress and knew that Qube! was teaching the students real skills that they could apply to real world jobs. “Since we got Qube!, students don’t have to learn a tool and then throw that knowledge away when they graduate,” says Allen. “A lot of major studios use Qube! and many of our graduates move on to work for these companies. This is a great way for them to become ready for these roles.” Today, LMU’s animation program is dynamic and strong. A rendering bottleneck no longer governs its lab, and students are becoming valuable assets that can be easily plugged-in to any studio environment.
For More Information Click Below: Pipeline Home > Pipeline Qube > Pipeline Datasheets > Pipeline Demo >
1.3 MP MOTION CAPTURE SYSTEM FOR UNDER $1K
Affordable Motion Capture for Use in Game Development, Film Production and Virtual Cinematography OptiTrack is Introducing a megapixel motion-capture camera for under $1k, the Flex 13. With 1.3 million pixels of resolution, a 120 FPS sample rate, and an immense 56° field of view, the Flex 13 is an efficient motioncapture technology. The combination of an expansive field of view and 1.3 MP sensor resolution enables the Flex 13 to track complex, multiple-actor scenes with an exceptional volumeto-setup ratio. When deployed with the stock 56° lens in a standard 20’ x 20’ arrangement, the camera can attain an active capture area that is among the largest in the industry, which allows for extensive capture volumes even in modest tracking environments. “Mocap technicians asked for larger volumes, and we’ve built the perfect camera in response,” says OptiTrack President Jim Richardson. “The Flex 13 addresses this need with the added benefit of a simpler setup and calibration process—and at 1.3 megapixels, it offers the cleanest data that $1k can buy.” OptiTrack has been a favorite for price-sensitive developers and previs studios. The Flex 13 marks a continuation of the technology’s expansion into more rigorous production ecosystems. “This new camera is actually a reflection of our roots,” continues Richardson. “We turned the market on its head five years ago with a bold message—motion capture can and should be affordable. Then we made sure that it was. The Flex 13 is the next step in the democratization process—affordable mocap tuned for demanding capture applications.”
The OptiTrack product line includes motion capture software and high-speed tracking cameras, as well as contract engineering services. Used by facilities worldwide in a variety of markets ranging from film and games to sports training and biomechanics, OptiTrack customers include Under Armour, NASA, Mechdyne, Lockheed Martin, John Deere, Stanford University, Duke University, Laser Shot, Ubisoft, Sony, Electronic Arts, Microsoft Game Studios, and other top contractors and studios around the world.
For More Information Click Below:
Naturalpoint’s Flex 13 > Naturalpoint’s Optihub > Naturalpoint’s OptiTrack > Naturalpoint’s Tracking Tools >
System features include: • On-camera image processing for efficient system scaling • Grayscale scene video with on-camera MJPEG compression • User-changeable 5.5mm (56°) and 8mm (42°) M12 lenses • Unobtrusive 850nm infrared illumination • Infrared and visible-spectrum filtering options • OptiSync for camera synchronization over USB cable • External sync in/out via the OptiHub • On-camera Aim Assist button • Quick-reclaimerease face plate for simple lens adjustment • Free Camera SDK for system integration
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MILITARY-GRADE PROTECTIVE FILM HAS GLASS-LIKE SURFACE Premium version of patented film protects mobile devices and more
Featuring the same Military-Grade Protection and Nano-Memory Technology™ consumers have come to expect from the invisibleSHIELD, the HD line offers premium features like Advanced Clarity and Glass-Like Surface to accentuate the sharp images and vibrant colors in the newest advanced gadget displays. The invisibleSHIELD – ZAGG’s flagship product – is a patented military-grade mobile device protection solution. The virtually invisible and indestructible film is made to extend the life of smartphones and tablets, and is available in over 5,000 designs for the most popular mobile devices. “In 2005, ZAGG pioneered the invisibleSHIELD line, the first protective solution of its kind for the mobile industry. Since that time we have shipped more than 30 million invisibleSHIELDs, including over 15 million in 2011 alone,” said Derek Smith, chief marketing officer for ZAGG. “We continue to innovate and improve this product line to address consumer needs and lead the industry in mobile protection.” The premium invisibleSHIELD HD will be available for $19.99 for a smartphone screen cover.
In a recent data study conducted by the NPD Group, a leading retail market research company, ZAGG is the number one mobile device accessory brand in the U.S. For more information about ZAGG or any of its products. ZAGG Inc., based in Salt Lake City, offers innovative mobile device accessories that protect, personalize, and enhance the mobile experience. The company designs, produces, and distributes branded screen protection under the invisibleSHIELD® brand, keyboards, keyboard cases, earbuds, mobile power solutions and device cleaning accessories under the family of ZAGG® brands. In addition, the company designs, produces and distributes cases, earbuds, and headphones under the iFrogz brands in the value-priced lifestyle sector. The company’s products are sold worldwide in leading consumer and electronics retailers, wireless retailers and their affiliates.
For More Information Click Below: ZAGG home > ZAGG accessories >
ZAGG InvisiSHIELD > ZAAG by Device >
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PYROTECHNIC SAFETY
Safety is Priority 1 for new wireless pyrotechnic system
Some in the pyrotechnics industry do not trust wireless systems. This is primarily due to early entry levels systems designed by companies for the amateur market. These systems had poor security and data integrity and unsafe mechanical design. The only benefit was that they were much cheaper than high-end professional systems. Because of the poor security and unsafe designs, “wireless� became undesirable in the world-wide pyrotechnics industry within the small show systems market. COBRA is a new wireless system designed for small show market with a highly secure and high quality wireless firing system. The COBRA systems consist of a hand-held remote control and field modules that are connected to the 18
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pyrotechnics. One remote control can operate over 100 field modules. With safety and security as the top factor in designing a system, 10-fold over any other, a secure and rock-solid wireless communications platform was critical to get right. In addition, COBRA designer Scott Smith wanted something built for rapid development with expandability for his clients as new updates to the system were made. COBRA utilizes technology from SYNAPSE Wireless Inc, including the SNAP development platform. Smith can quickly develop changes for clients and provide them the ability to perform firmware upgrades on their own by using Portal and the SNAP STICK wireless
re-programming device. No need to ship the devices back, simply download the new software from our website and upgrade. Changes to mesh network settings to allow for optimized communications and hop-points to extend the range of COBRA systems can be done by Smith’s clients with basic instructions. Since the mesh controls are pre-built, he can make suggested changes and isolate his clients from the complexity of low-level design of mesh communications. The SNAP mesh settings are like dials on a mesh control panel. Smith can simply provide different settings of the dials based on client or application needs. COBRA systems are now using the RF200 as their premier RF module in the new scripted line of hand-held controls for controlling precise timing of pyro-musicals and scripted pyro events. With SNAP, Smith can simply enable encryption and use the IEEE registered MAC addresses as an added security layer with all system communications. Out of the box, the RF Modules are built to handle interference rich environments such as sport stadiums, indoor concert events, and military-simulations where by several wireless devices are in range. He needs to make sure the systems will perform in these environments without issue. Having a performer in a concert or show walk across the stage and to have 10m of pyro explode with split second timing is critical. One second too early or too late could be a matter of serious injury and even death. Having a platform that controls this reliably is critical for Smith. SNAP technology forms a true mesh network. There
is no single point of failure in the network (it is peer-topeer) with all nodes being able to route. And if a node on the network fails for any reason, or has its signal blocked, the network is self-healing and automatically routes around the failed node. Synapse is unique in that its system is easy to configure and to reprogram over the air; thus providing flexibility and enabling redundant distributed networks to be built reliably. Applications are created with confidence in its robustness because the complexity is “hidden” from the developer – he need only focus on his application, not the network. The industries and applications that can be built using Synapse’s SNAP technology are varied. The explosive M2M revolution that is driving companies to add intelligence, communication and sensing into their existing products, and fueling ideation for a whole new generation of products: Thermostats, solar field monitoring, seismic oil exploration, golf cart monitoring, leak detection, healthcare sanitation monitoring, LED lighting control, irrigation automation, military, and in movies like TRON for special effects control. COBRA Firing Systems is a US manufacturer of wireless firing systems for the pyrotechnics industry including firework display companies, SPFX, military simulations, found explosives detonation / disposal, and model rocketry.
For More Information Click Below: COBRA Home > COBRA Video > Synapse Wireless Home > Synapse RF Components >
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VINTEN SUPPORTS NEW SEASON OF “ARE WE THERE YET?” Shooting three episodes in a week means your equipment has to work all the time.
When cinematographer Bill Berner began to gear up for the new season of the multi-camera comedy, “Are We There Yet?” he said it was a no brainer, that Vinten, a Vitec Group brand, would be his support of choice. “We are on a ludicrously tight schedule on our show,” he explains. “We have no time to deal with equipment failures, or even regular maintenance. Every piece of gear must work flawlessly all the time. On our budget, we can’t afford to keep a spare ped and head around ‘just in case’. With the Quattro-L, Quattro-SL and Vector 70’s it’s been a non-issue.” “Are We There Yet?” which is loosely based on the movie of the same name, poses an unusual situation for a multi-camera production. Instead of shooting one episode a week in front of a live audience, Berner and team shoot three episodes without an audience in a four-day week. “We have to move quickly, but we don’t give up production value to do it,” he explains. “With Vinten pedestals we can do on-camera moves as well as repositions easily and quietly during scenes without any
fuss. Our floors are, to be kind, less than perfect, and the wheels on the Quattros are forgiving. The Quattro-SL is particularly useful on wing cameras because the smaller footprint lets us get into doorways and tight corners with ease.” Carol Wetovich, who is Berner’s go-to operator in one of the center positions, gets the lion’s share of on-camera dolly-like moves. “The Quattro-L ped and Vector 70 head help me create many camera moves that are normally reserved for a dolly set up,” she explains. “I don’t need any assistance from a dolly grip or focus puller. The ped moves so smoothly, it’s a pleasure to work with.” “Are We There Yet?” shot at Connecticut Film Center in Stamford, is produced through Cube Vision, the production company owned by Ice Cube and Revolution Studios and distributed by Debmar-Mercury.
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