TVBEurope December 2011 Digital Issue by Intent Media (now Newbay Media Europe)

TVBE Dec P1 news_TVBE_Aug_P_news 09/12/2011 12:28 Page 1

Inside: OB Focus — America’s Cup, Rugby Four Nations, Premier League

TVBEUROPE www.tvbeurope.com

Europe’s television technology business magazine

DECEMBER 2011

£5.00/€8.00/$10.00

Race on for London 2012 Olympics Preview

Richard Dean looks at the current state of play in frequency regulation and broadcast spectrum demand, during what is clearly set to be one of the most bandwidthhungry events in history

The Sony Impact Award went to Jezza Neumann for Zimbabwe’s Forgotten Children, which concentrated on three desperate and courageous youngsters

A reward for bravery George Jarrett covers the recent Rory Peck Awards recognising broadcast journalists reporting from frontline danger zones around the world The Rory Peck Trust, now a global player with a footprint in 60 countries, confirmed its hugely improved reach to the recklessly brave brigade known as freelance news gatherers with an awards event that attracted entries from over 25 nationalities. The British share of credits was a significantly less dominant 30%, and it was stories from Libya that took the news and feature awards. The deaths of Tim Hetherington, Mohammed alNabbous and Anton Hammerl in that theatre of the Arab Spring amplified the achievements of Ahmed Bahaddou (Belgium) and Abdallah Omeish (America), and added huge

weight to comments by trust Chairman Michael Jermey. He said: “Freelancers are the most vulnerable in news gathering. So many cameramen and women have been killed in the course of their work. The great courage and initiative of freelancers is not in question, but without safety training, insurance, security and the other back up that staffers take for granted, what happens when things go wrong? “On a daily basis (our team) is in touch with a wide network of partners and contacts all over the world,” he added. “Some of these organisations lobby and others investigate. Within this network we have a special role. The Trust is the only one that is 100% dedicated to providing direct, practical help to freelancers and their families.” More details, page 6

When London’s bid for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012 crossed the International Olympics Committee’s (IOC) finishing line on 6 July 2005, the mood within the UK contingent was ecstatic. London had beaten Paris, widely considered to be front-runner, by 54 to 50 votes in the fourth and final round of the IOC’s two-year search for a host nation in seven years’ time. Team UK delegates yelped and jumped for joy and partied late into the night at the dramatic announcement in Singapore, with many no doubt nursing a sore head in the morning. But arguably the biggest headache was reserved for frequency regulator Ofcom. Not only had the governmentbacked London 2012 bid given a cast-iron guarantee that the spectrum requirements of the entire ‘Olympic Family’ — organisers, athletes, broadcasters and sponsors — would be met in full, but that none of it would cost any of them a penny.

LOCOG, the BBC, host broadcaster Olympic Broadcasting Services and others have lobbied hard for access to 2,500-2,690MHz (‘the 2.6GHz band’) for wireless cameras, especially for airborne coverage of the Games

This last concession removes the facility to moderate demand with a pricing mechanism, but Ofcom is confident that professional etiquette will prevail. “The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and Ofcom are working with the spectrum users to ensure that the spectrum is deployed as efficiently

Outside Broadcast Focus Part I Of course the industry is gearing up now for London 2012 — but there’s a lot more going on around Europe in the OB business! In our OB Focus Part I this issue, starting page 12, we bring you in-depth feature stories on technologies behind America’s Cup, Rugby League Four Nations, Horse Racing, Premier League, Volvo Ocean Race and much more. Allied to OB Focus, we’ve also launched our new Fast Turnaround conference and enewsletter — see page 6 for more. — Fergal Ringrose

Global Award Winner

To learn more, please visit www.broadcast.harris.com/Selenio.

as possible,” says Peter Bury, London 2012 Spectrum Policy director at Ofcom. “This will be in everyone’s interest, given the exceptionally high level of demand from programme makers and others.” The huge demand for London 2012 spectrum is driven by a heady cocktail of massive global media interest, a spectacular growth in the use of wireless technology including bandwidth-guzzling 20MHz HD links, and the sheer scale of an event covering multiple locations where in many cases signal traffic levels are already high. For example, the last time London hosted a Grand Prix, the broadcast media used up to 44 wireless cameras, but during the Olympics this could rise to more than 75. Similarly while peak demand for wireless microphones at Glastonbury reaches 85, Ofcom is planning for 400 at the Games — plus a range of other uses including Wi-Fi hotspots for visitors and in-ear monitors (IEM) for event participants. Some 20,000 members of the world’s media are expected to attend the games. Full story, page 24

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TVBEU R O PE N E W S & A N A LY S I S

Blackmagic acquires Teranex By David Fox Teranex Systems, which makes high performance video processing products for post production and broadcast, has been bought by Blackmagic Design. “Teranex is a strategic acquisition for Blackmagic Design,” explained Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “Its technology, solutions and market complement our own efforts and its high quality video processing technology enables us to provide our customers with even higher levels of video quality — extending Blackmagic Design’s product range for the broadcast, feature film and high end post production markets.” “This is an exciting milestone for our company,” added Mike Poirier, Teranex’s general manager. “We are extremely happy to be

The company’s new 3D toolkit adds 3D camera alignment, 3D dual channel conversions and new, patent-pending 3D simulation

part of the Blackmagic Design team. Blackmagic Design’s global reach, leading edge technologies, widely recognised brand name, strong systems and networking expertise and worldwide customer relationships make it an ideal partner for Teranex.”

Teranex will continue to support its customers and expand its sales channels with the added reach of Blackmagic Design behind it. Teranex will also continue developing video processing platforms based on its patented SIMD array processor architecture

designed to execute sophisticated algorithms in realtime on digital video signals. Key Teranex products include the VC100 series of image processors boasting high quality deinterlace, up conversion, down conversion, SD and HD cross conversion, SD and HD standards conversion, automatic cadence detection and removal (even with edited content), noise reduction, adjustable scaling, aspect ratio conversion and smart aspect ratio 4:3 to 16:9 conversion, with full timecode and multi channel audio conversion. The company’s new 3D toolkit adds 3D camera alignment, 3D dual channel conversions and new, patent-pending 3D simulation claimed to be “dramatically better than other products available today.” www.blackmagic-design.com www.teranex.com

Mediatec runs with miniHUB By David Davies AVM-T-MIX will help to streamline the workflow of flagship BBC Sport productions such as Football Focus, Final Score and Match of the Day

Touchmix for BBC MediaCityUK By Melanie Dayasena-Lowe As part of its move to MediaCityUK, Salford Quays, BBC Sport is standardising on the new AVM-T-Mix audio management and monitoring unit from TSL. Touchmix was originally developed in response to a bespoke requirement from BBC Sport and Dega Broadcast Systems, the systems integrator for this part of the Salford Quays project. The initial order is for in excess of 80 Touchmixes. Production staff from directors, production assistants right through to editors and VT operators each have a dedicated Touchmix giving them instant access to multiple audio sources from station SDI and AES routers plus local analogue sources using predefined snapshot setups dedicated to their particular requirements. It

enables the operator to quickly and dynamically react to changes to incoming audio with touchscreen control of mono, stereo and surround channel handling and the ability to balance listening levels of programme, communications, outside source and local audio using the unique onboard mixing features. AVM-T-MIX comprises a pair of 20 channel audio mixers with exclusive signal selection via the onboard router and a ‘Solo’ monitoring buss function similar to that of a large format digital audio mixing console. Snapshot memories for individual operators and dedicated productions can be stored, recalled and backed up via the front panel USB port to a memory stick. www.tsl.co.uk

Oslo broadcast centre Mediatec has selected the miniHUB optical fibre distribution system from Norwia to assist it in handling local and international feeds for a variety of sports coverage. Among the centre’s responsibilities are the processing of local and international feeds for Rikstoto horse-racing operations. To facilitate these duties, Mediatec recently installed a Norwia miniHUB-based optical fibre system connecting Bjerkebanen Racecourse and the Oslo broadcast centre in Økern Torgvei (OTV). Mediatec has installed a total of eight signal paths between the two locations. All signals are HDSDI with the system able to transport 3G-SDI if required in the future. The miniHUB allows for signal direction to be changed easily, rendering the product a versatile solution for future repurposing or special events. Moreover, Gigabit Ethernet capability can also be added to the same product with the purchase of a cost-effective SFP.

CONTENTS 1-11 News & Analysis 1 A reward for bravery George Jarrett covers the recent Rory Peck Awards recognising broadcast journalists reporting from frontline danger zones around the world

12-31 OB Focus Part One 14 OB shipshape for America’s Cup The famous yacht racing event has a new format and innovative TV coverage using equipment specially designed to cope with the demanding conditions. David Fox reports

20 TD300 in League

of its own David Fox reports on the world-first wireless collaboration with Sony for the Rugby League championship series

26 Octopus reaches out

to Spanish market Philip Stevens talks to a new production facility and finds its start-up has exceeded expectations

27 360 for fast turnaround TV Eirik Nakken: “Redundant power supply and monitoring was also important”

Explaining the specification of miniHUB, Mediatec’s Technical Manager Transmission Eirik Nakken, commented: “[The] Norwia unit gave us a good solution where price [combines with] simplicity and flexibility as our needs change in the future. Redundant power supply and monitoring via a network interface was also important for stability and control. Norwia’s miniHUB competed against a rack-shelf with loose small EO/OE converters that’s not seen as [being as] professional as a compact 1-rack unit frame where we have the choice to expand the functionality [at a later stage].” www.norwia.no www.mediatecgroup.com

EVS has introduced a new concept, Sports360, covering all aspects of sports media. David Fox talks to EVS about its gestation and objectives

32-39 The Workflow 32 Keen eye on quality Melanie Dayasena-Lowe takes a tour of TVT’s file-based operations and finds out how AmberFin’s Unified Quality Control solution is helping to deliver new workflow efficiencies

38 BBC shines light on sustainable TV Going green: How BBC Roath Lock is increasing sustainability through solar-heated water, photovoltaic cells and energy-efficient studio lighting. Neal Romanek investigates

40-42 News & Analysis 40 R&D under microscope IP connectivity is on the agenda at BBC R&D North, writes Adrian Pennington

42 New show in the calendar Melanie Dayasena-Lowe reports from the inaugural BVE North at Manchester Central

www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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TVBEU R O PE N E W S & A N A LYS I S

People on the move By Melanie Dayasena-Lowe AmberFin has added new staff to the company’s team in EMEA. Tamas Vass has joined as sales and partner director. Ben Davenport has also recently joined AmberFin as software product manager. Before joining AmberFin, he was Harmonic’s solutions marketing manager.

Ferenc Szelényi, SES

Daniel Lynch, Xytech

IPTV/OTT solutions provider Amino Communications has recruited Kevin Lingley to the new role of chief technologist. Lingley has spent the last two years as head of OTT strategy at Amino. He will join the company’s executive team and report to Amino CEO Andrew Burke. Former Sales Manager at Swains Chris Eady has joined Appleworld

Mark Gethin, MPC

Christopher Brennan, Grass Valley

Distribution, distributors of products such as the on-camera lighting system Rotolight, the Owle Bubo for iPhone 4/4s, Reflecmedia Chroma Key systems and Cinebags Production Bags. As UK sales manager he will be responsible for existing and new accounts. Aspera has hired industry veterans Richard Heitmann as vice president of marketing and Mike Flathers in a newly created role of chief technologist for the Aspera Developer Platform. Heitmann most recently worked as vice president of marketing at Atempo and Flathers joins Aspera from Sorenson Media. ATG Broadcast has announced a new addition to its management team with the appointment of Clive Northen as COO. He is based at the company’s administrative and engineering centre in Letchworth, reporting to Managing Director Graham Day. Northen joins ATG Broadcast following five years with Gearhouse Broadcast, latterly as general manager. Danmon Svenska has announced the appointment of Robert Tinterov as managing director. Based in Täby, Tinterov takes over from Robert Rosenberg who has been appointed managing director of the newly established company Danmon Asia based in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. Rosenberg remains a board member of Danmon Svenska. Further strengthening its team in Europe, Grass Valley has recruited Christopher Brennan as vice president for Central and Eastern Europe. Brennan will be based in Germany and reports directly to Alan Wright, senior vice president for the EMEA region. Brennan has held major roles at Adobe, Microsoft and IBM.

Robert Rosenberg and Robert Tinterov, Danmon

Grass Valley has announced the appointment of Gale England to the new position of senior vice president, Global Operations & Quality. Gale has built a track record of streamlining business practices at technology industry companies and positioning them for long-term growth. England will report to Grass Valley President and CEO Alain Andreoli. Sydney-based manufacturer Miller Camera Support has appointed Robert Jarmyn to head up its group sales and marketing operations covering both domestic and international markets. A newcomer to the film and television industry, his background includes working with raw materials suppliers through to high profile FMCG brands. MPC has promoted senior colourist Mark Gethin to US creative director of Colour Grading. In his new position, Gethin will lead the creativity and growth of colour grading in New York and Los Angeles via MPC’s dedicated digital infrastructure that allows realtime remote grading in HD. Diana Cantú has joined the Sensio Technologies sales team as vice president, Business Development, Live 3D. Her appointment

Clive Northen, ATG Broadcast

Tamas Vass, AmberFin

Richard Heitmann, Aspera

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anticipates increased activity in the live 3D market. Ferenc Szelényi will join SES on 1 January 2012 as its new senior vice president Commercial Europe, reporting to CCO of SES, Ferdinand Kayser. He succeeds Norbert Hölzle in this function, who has decided to leave SES. Szelényi will be heading the European sales force of SES. International systems integrator TSL has hired Mike Grieve as its sales director. Grieve joined from Quantel following a long career in broadcast technology, which also included Filmlight and Autodesk. Wowza Media Systems has appointed Chris Knowlton as vice president of product management. He recently served as senior technical product manager for the Microsoft Media Platform. Facility management software supplier Xytech has hired Daniel Lynch as general manager of Xytech’s London office. He joins Xytech from the Associated Press, where he served as head of Technology and Strategy for nearly a decade. www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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TVBE Dec P6 news_TVBE_Oct_P_news 09/12/2011 12:31 Page 6

TVBEU R O PE N E W S & A N A LYS I S

TVBEUROPE

Europe’s television technology business magazine

EDITORIAL Editorial Director Fergal Ringrose tvbeurope@mediateam.ie Media House, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland +3531 294 7783 Fax: +3531 294 7799 Deputy Editor Melanie Dayasena-Lowe Melanie.Dayasena-Lowe@intentmedia.co.uk Intent Media London, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England +44 207 226 7246 Editorial Consultant Adrian Pennington Associate & Web Editor David Fox USA Correspondent Carolyn Giardina Contributors Mike Clark, Richard Dean, Chris Forrester, Jonathan Higgins, Mark Hill, Dick Hobbs, John Ive, George Jarrett, Heather McLean, Bob Pank, Nick Radlo, Neal Romanek, Philip Stevens, Reinhard E Wagner Digital Delivery David Davies, Paul Watson Digital Content Manager Tim Frost Managing Director Stuart Dinsey

ART & PRODUCTION Head of Production Adam Butler Editorial Production Manager Dawn Boultwood Senior Production Executive Alistair Taylor

SALES Publisher Steve Connolly steve.connolly@intentmedia.co.uk +44 207 354 6000 Fax:+44 207 354 6049 Sales Manager Ben Ewles ben.ewles@intentmedia.co.uk +44 207 354 6000 Fax:+44 207 354 6049

US SALES Michael Mitchell Broadcast Media International, PO Box 44, Greenlawn, New York, NY 11740 mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv +1 (631) 673 3199 Fax: +1 (631) 673 0072

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Live broadcasting business Planning for London 2012 By Fergal Ringrose You’ll have seen we recently replaced our Sports Broadcast Europe newsletter and expanded TVBEurope’s coverage of the live/as-live TV sector from a sole focus on sports to encompass large-scale productions across music, entertainment and news — ahead of our upcoming Fast Turnaround TV conference in London, 13 March 2012. The event website is now up and running: have a look at www.fastturnaroundtv.com. And don’t forget to sign up for the new enewsletter: just click on Newsletter on the www.tvbeurope.com homepage and choose Fast Turnaround TV (and any other TVBEurope enewsletters you wish to receive on a regular basis). So what’s the big deal with Fast Turnaround TV? Why the new event and enewsletter? Simply this: in the increasing battle to hold onto eyeballs, large live and as-live productions (sports, shows, political and cultural events etc) are becoming the cornerstones of a broadcaster’s schedule. ‘Watercooler TV’ pretty much equates to Fast Turnaround TV — high-pressure shows with complex collaborative workflows, where the potential for chaos or catastrophe is never far away. Now more important than ever for broadcasters, production companies, facilities houses and equipment vendors, as the traditional TV audience continues to fragment and evolve. Consumers are also moving from passive viewing to being engaged participants in events that are unfolding by using a smartphone or tablet as a second screen at the same time as consuming a traditional TV broadcast. In fact, 70% of iPad owners watch TV with an iPad on their knees at the same time. How do broadcasters gain control of that second screen — and how can the proposition add life, longevity and revenue around a fast turnaround event? How do you keep control of all aspects of an event, from live broadcast to archive and new media distribution? Looking ahead to 2012, it is not just the London Olympics that could make this a record-breaking year in UK outside broadcast-

ing. A number of other events, notably the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Festival (billed as ‘the biggest festival the UK has ever seen, with artists from all over the world’) are expected to make 2012 a business bonanza and the summer months arguably the busiest period ever. With celebrations spread over a number of days, June’s Jubilee is expected to require a total domestic outside broadcast provision up to four times bigger than for the 2011 Royal Wedding. International interest in the pomp and ceremony as an Olympics curtain raiser will be high, and host and unilateral broadcasters will be competing to differentiate their presentations and to stream content online and applicable to personal devices. The Fast Turnaround TV 2012 conference will reveal what it takes to prepare and deliver an event on this scale including the logistics, pressures and compromises. We’re aiming to provide a focused event in Soho that will attract directors of operations, heads of OBs, production resources managers, CTOs, programme operations managers, heads of cameras, senior sound supervisors and similar to network and experience case studies from around Europe. We’ve picked mid-March as it’s before NAB and ahead of that crazy summer of OBs. The conference will largely be a series of end-user case studies from around Europe — and there’s an opportunity for vendors in this space to get involved, so please contact our team with any queries. And once the Fast Turnaround TV 2012 conference programme is up and running, we’ll tell you about our 3D Masters and IT Broadcast Workflow events to follow in summer 2012! Meanwhile, may we take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Holiday Season with further best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous 2012.

It exploded exactly there From the Cover: Full details of the 2011 Rory Peck Award winners

Sho Harihara Sales & Project, Yukari Media Incorporated sho@yukarimedia.com +81 6 4790 2222 Fax: +81 6 4793 0800

CIRCULATION Intent Media, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough LE16 9EF, UK Free subscriptions: www.subscription.co.uk/cc/tvbe/mag1 Subscriptions Tel +44 1858 438786 Printing by Headley Brothers, The Invicta Press, Queens Road, Ashford, Kent TN24 8HH

TVBEurope is published 12 times a year by Intent Media London, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England

In the news category Ahmed Bahaddou’s winning story, Rebels in Western Libya, was filled with disconcerting numbers of live rounds flying overhead

By George Jarrett Intent Media is a member of the Periodical Publishes Association

© Intent Media 2011. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the prior permission of the copyright owner. TVB Europe is mailed to qualified persons residing on the European continent. Subscription rates £64/€96/$120. Allow 8 weeks for new subscriptions and change of address delivery. Send subscription inquiries to: Subscription Dept, Intent Media, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough LE16 7BR, England. ISSN 1461-4197

In the news category Ahmed Bahaddou’s winning story, Rebels in Western Libya, was filled with disconcerting numbers of live rounds flying overhead, and marked by his incredible composure and extraordinary observational powers. He had been covering the flow of Libyan refugees into Tunisia, when he decided to cross into the tough terrain around the village of Al Majabira. AP was both commissioner and broadcaster. “I was just following civilians who next second became sort of soldiers, who tried

to train and pick up weapons,” he said. “They wanted to defend their villages, and take on the Gadaffi army.” Weapons arrived via planes that landed on a highway, but it was too risky to get close with the camera. “A few died in the battle for that village because these people were not military, and you could see it. They did not know what they had in front of them — real military guys who were not joking,” he said. “They launched three salvoes of mortars, and then I would say now we move because the next one is going

to be right where we are. We moved, and it exploded exactly there! “This job is pure Russian roulette, 99.9% chance. And once you have crossed the red line and you are into it, you know you have a chance of dying. But you forget it because of the whole thing you do and the reason you are there,” he added. “Once you are in a war zone there is no safe place. In Libya I took off the press ID vest from my flak jacket because it reflects light. A sniper could see me: I give one reflection, and a second later I have a bullet in my head.” Abdaliah Omeish, Libyan born, took the feature honours with Libya: Through the Fire, screened by Aljazeera English. He arrived in Benghazi as it was under bombardment from Gadaffi forces, and focused his story on Nabbous, who set up an independent satellite TV station to broadcast his reports in Libyan and English, and became an embodiment of the Arab Spring. “It was just a passion of wanting to tell a story that people did not know about, and giving a voice to the voiceless,” he said. “It is always about what touches your heart.” The Sony Impact Award — the Australian born Jezza Neumann’s Zimbabwe’s Forgotten Children — came from another high quality set of productions. Neumann concentrated on three desperate and courageous kids fighting to survive with nothing: one digs for bones on a Harare rubbish tip, another pans for gold, and the third cares for her mother, who is dying of AIDS. The Atex sponsored Martin Adler prize franked the Libyan dominance of the event – going to the fixers Suliman Ali Zway and Osama Alfitory. This pair helped so many international journalists in Eastern Libya; they were dubbed The Benghazi A Team. www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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TVBE Dec P8, news_TVBE_Aug_P_news 09/12/2011 12:31 Page 8

TVBEU R O PE N E W S & A N A LYS I S

XM Pilot makes XDCAM workflow faster Sony is adding a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;second screenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to its XDCAM workflow, to make it simpler to add metadata and integrate the file format with post production. It has also started a Europe-wide tour offering day-long training seminars to users, writes David Fox The new XM Pilot wireless metadata system â&#x20AC;&#x153;speeds up your workflow and reduces your costs in post by allowing you to flow logging information and metadata all the way to post much quicker and more easily, especially compared to paper logs,â&#x20AC;? said David Young, product specialist, XDCAM range. It uses automatic ingest tools so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to waste time organising and viewing clips. Users can also create metadata in planning (using a free planner) and import that into the XM Pilot via Wi-Fi, USB or file copying onto recording media, before going on location. Users can access and input data on their iPhone or iPad, or Android device (with apps available as a free download for iOS and for Sony Ericsson phones). For post, there are free ingest tools for Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Final Cut Pro 7 (an FCP X version wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be available until Sony finishes work on XDCAM support in X) and for Avid Media Composer v5 upwards.

The system also requires an add-on Wi-Fi unit for the camera, which sends timecode, synchs metadata and streams proxy video and audio (with a two to five second delay â&#x20AC;&#x201D; there is no delay if not streaming proxy). Talkback Thames used a beta version to shoot Escape To The Country for the BBC and found it cut logging time per episode from two days to just two hours. The XM Pilot package consists of two hardware elements (dongle and firmware upgrade) and three software elements (planning tool, smart-device app and NLE integration). Users wanting a Wi-Fi connection will need a ÂŁ533 dongle, which plugs into the camera, and a firmware upgrade for their camera: a ÂŁ670 activation board for the PMW-500; a ÂŁ922 software activation code for the PDW-700/800; a ÂŁ383 activation board for the PMW350/320 or TD300; and a ÂŁ2,375 SxS Card Key for the PMW-F3. The software is free, and includes: an XM Pilot planner (PC application with web access via any platform â&#x20AC;&#x201D; downloadable from Pro.Sony.com); the XM Pilot smart-device app (free download from Apple App Store, and on Android Marketplace); and the NLE Integration plug-ins for FCP7 and Avid).

In synch: David Young with the XM Pilot iPad app and PMW-500 camera

On Station The new XDCAM Station, which was launched at IBC, is a crossover between a server and a traditional deck, but less expensive. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Customers are getting a lot more functionality for less money,â&#x20AC;? said Young. It can support multiple actions simultaneously, both input and output, so it can add time delay to a recording feed or record to both the internal hardware and a Professional Disc at once. In

Carolyn Giardina reports on highlights from the SMPTE Fall Conference in LA

ACES momentum builds at SMPTE The Academy Colour Encoding Specification (ACES) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciencesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; developing spec, designed to help maintain consistent colour through production and post production â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is gaining ground, as evidenced by the attention the spec was generating at SMPTEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual Conference and Technical Exhibition, held recently in Hollywood. Opening the event, SMPTE Executive Director Barbara Lange revealed that the Society will be the recipient of twoÂ 2011 Technology & Engineering Emmy

SMPTE Conference was keynoted by Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and former US Senator

Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. It will be recognised for

local cable ad-insertion technologies that can help broadcast facilities, particularly cable head ends and unattended stations, to switch as easily between digital programming and advertising; and a system for describing a programmeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aspect ratio and to allow users to control the ratio displayed. During the conference, Lange also outlined the Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing programme of events, including the Forum on Emerging Media Technologies, a SMPTE and EBU event that will occur next May in Geneva. TVBEurope is a media partner for this symposium.

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January it will also be able to play out from SxS cards. It has three hard drives, for RAID 4 protection â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if one goes down it can reconstruct its contents from the other two. Editors can access clips as they are recording, via an Ethernet connection, allowing them to edit live feeds as they come in â&#x20AC;&#x201D; on Final Cut Pro now and on Avid when the next release of AMA, due this month, comes out. It can also be linked to a shared storage system. The latest version (2.0) of the

The papers, exhibition, speakers, panels and award ceremony were all components of a SMPTE conference that drew and attendance increased addressed topical issues such as 3D, the cloud, and the workflow. Of the latter, Co-Chair of AMPASâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; SciTech Council Ray Feeney reported: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some pieces (of the ACES spec) still need refinement. We are making some very significant progress.â&#x20AC;? In an effort to forward the use of ACES â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which speakers suggest is an appropriate tool for production and archiving â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Feeney urged manufacturers to get involved, noting that ACES will need support in a variety of tools. On the exhibition floor, manufacturers including Blackmagic Design, Filmlight and Image

XDCAM Browser can remotely control the deck over the network. Sony has recently sold 80 of the high-end models, which use solid-state drives, to WDR/NDR, in Germany. SSDs are a lot more responsive than spinning disks, so everything is quicker. An upcoming firmware update will allow the XDCAM Station to pack up a 35Mbps XDCAM signal (from an EX1, say) without changing or upconverting it, to 50Mbps files, for broadcasters who use a 50Mbps infrastructure (especially for archive systems). The XDCAM Workflow Tour offers different sets of users (and dealers) a week of one-day seminars on how to get the best out of the technology and new ways of working, in a variety of locations across Europe. It started in London last month, followed by Stockholm, with Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Belgium this month. It will resume on 9 January for five days in KĂśln, followed by Munich (16-20 January), Madrid (23-27 January), Lisbon (30 January - 3 February), Paris (6-10 February), Milan (13-17 February), Rome (20-24 February), Prague (27 February - 2 March), Warsaw (5-9 March), and Istanbul (19-23 March). http://events.pro.sony.eu/

Systems were featuring support for the developing specification. Filmlight supports ACES in the latest version 4.3 of its Baselight colour grading system. Product Manager Peter Postma reported that he is seeing early use in television series production, where he says it is simpler to implement than feature production. He reported that Baselight will be part of an ACES post workflow on US series including Justified and How to Make It in America, both of which are being posted at Encore. Also in the exhibition area, Los Angeles-based post house Hollywood DI together with Blackmagic Design, Avid Technology and Sony Electronics offered a technology preview of a workflow for Sonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SR Codec. The demonstration footage was shot on Sonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not yet released F65 CineAlta camera and converted to the SR Codec using the SRMASTER Recording system. The workflow included the use of Avidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Media Composer and Blackmagicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s DaVinci Resolve colour grading system. â&#x20AC;&#x153;SR Codec is an acquisition codec, a workflow codec and a delivery output format,â&#x20AC;? Hollywood DI Managing Director Neil Smith explained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new open approach to working with strategic alliances to develop software that can deal easily with the SR Codec workflow is progressing well,â&#x20AC;? said Satoshi Kanemura, VP of Sony Electronicsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Beyond HD Solutions Group. www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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TVBE Dec P11 News_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 09/12/2011 12:32 Page 11

TVBEU R O PE N E W S & A N A LYS I S

First HD channel for Egypt By Melanie Dayasena-Lowe The Nile TV International channel has prepared for the country’s firstever broadcasts in HD quality. As part of the programme, two of the channel’s studios have been completely redesigned and reequipped. Work on the project, now in its practice-oriented test phase, was completed in 2010. The task of specifying and installing an intercom system for the new studios was entrusted to the Egyptian company System Design, which cooperated with RTS/Telex’s Egyptian partner Manial Business Center (MBC Broadcast) on the system’s design.

A successful installation at the Nile TV International channel: (Left to right) Ammar Fawzy, RTS/Telex regional sales manager Middle East, and Ahmed Gamal Saleh, managing director of System Design

Egyptian TV’s new reference studios feature a variety of intercom systems from RTS/Telex. The heart of the command centre is formed by two modular Cronus matrices — each with 32 channels. Although connected with one another, and therefore forming a logical matrix, the two devices are autonomous and capable of being operated independently. Among the other components installed are 15 KP-32-16 and three KP-32 key panels, a full-duplex BTR-800 wireless station, and a large number of TELEX TR-800-C6

beltpacks and TELEX PH-44R headsets. A TIF-2000 digital hybrid telephone line inter face from RTS is compatible with Cronus, ADAM, and Zeus matrices. “We have been working with RTS/Telex systems for years and have had nothing but positive experiences with them,” explained Ahmed Gamal Saleh, managing director of System Design. “Products from RTS/ Telex are notable for their high quality, but are at the same time simple to use and configure. What convinced us above all, though, was the outstanding support the RTS/Telex team provides. Their after-sales service is nothing short of exemplary.” www.rtsintercoms.com www.telex.com

Phosphor beam gives Foton a bright future By David Fox

Audio bar for new TV One LCD monitor By Melanie Dayasena-Lowe The new LM-702HDA multi-format, dual 7-inch colour LCD monitor with audio is the latest addition to the growing range of TV One broadcast and production LCD displays. The LM-702HDA has a multitude of video signal formats that may be accurately monitored. Its high brightness, wide viewing angle, contrast ratio and high definition colour result in a high quality image. The unit features inputs for SDI (either SD or HD) with an active output, analogue RGBHV, YPbPr component video, a composite video and a YC input. NTSC and PAL television standards are supported and automatically detected. SDI, AES and analogue on screen audio monitoring is standard with the LM-702HDA, displaying audio level bar indicators. Front panel tally LED’s can be activated externally via the DB9 connector. The OSD Menu contains all the necessary controls to adjust contrast, brightness, sharpness, colour level (R-G-B), and other parameters necessary for optimum monitor performance. Results of these adjustments can be viewed via the on screen display. A sync delay (pulse cross) mode allows viewing of the vertical and horizontal sync and vertical blanking intervals. The Blue Only mode facilitates accurate monitor setup when viewing colour bars.

The new PRG TruColor Foton is a small, lightweight and colour accurate variable-beam light that is claimed to be powerful, inexpensive and water resistant. It uses remote phosphor technology, which provides more accurate colour than LEDs. It is the first portable broadcast lamp to use remote phosphor, where an internal light source strikes a crystal impregnated with rare earth elements that then glows brightly. The large surface of the emitter allows for a precise mix of the phosphorescent material for accurate colours across the visible spectrum. This results in a colour rendering index of more than 95, and “virtually eliminates the challenges of

Colour full: PRG’s TruColor Foton delivers more accurate colour than LED

lighting with the discontinuous spectrum inherent in most LED lighting sources.” The remote phosphor technology generates naturallooking light, requiring no colour

correction, and correlating perfectly with professional light and colour meters. It is dimmable from 0% to 100% with negligible colour shift. It currently matches tungsten sources (3000K). Daylight models will be available in early 2012. The Foton is a 1.3kg go-anywhere light, able to operate at temperatures from -20 to +50˚, while its sealing means it is suitable for use unprotected in wet locations, being able to withstand water saturation. It has just been added to the range of lighting equipment distributed by Ianiro UK, whose Managing Director Nick Allen-Miles, said: “The Foton will be welcomed by everyone from ENG camera men shooting outdoors in European

drizzle to film makers facing wintry mountain conditions. Its small size, high output and low power consumption means it will also be a welcome addition for specialist crews working underground, in disaster zones or desert environments.” www.ianirouk.com www.prg.com/product/foton/

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SDI, AES and analogue on screen audio monitoring is standard with the LM-702HDA, displaying audio level bar indicators

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TVBE Dec P12-26 OB_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 09/12/2011 12:33 Page 12

TVBEU R O PE O B F O C U S PA R T 1

Flexible at Eta Beta Eta Beta, the Rome-based operational OB division of Italy’s GCI (Gruppo Comunicazione Italia) recently added a very special truck to its fleet — optimising the use of equipment onboard through a new optical wired modules concept and capable of accommodating up to 36 ops and techs. Mike Clark investigates Without taking into consideration the ground-breaking philosophy implemented, the new Eta Beta vehicle is itself impressive: pulled by a 420 HP Iveco Eurostar tractor, designed by Eta Beta and built by specialist coachbuilder Tomassini Style from Passignano (Perugia), with its six expansions in place, the 13ft high production trailer is 54.5ft long and 14. ft wide and provides over 600sqft of working space — capable of hosting up to 36 ops and technicians. The truck’s ‘FlexiVan’ logo gives a foretaste of the philosophy behind this full-HD 36-camera van. Roberto Mazzantini, technical manager of GCI and president of Eta Beta, explains. “Our lengthy experience in the OB field enabled us to identify one of the major restrictive limits as far as the majority of OB vans built to date have been concerned: the fact that only their bodywork and consequently their work space could be adapted to suit production needs, but not the on-board equipment. “In practical terms, if eight cameras were sufficient to cover an event, but only a 16-camera unit was available, all the superfluous equipment remained onboard unused and, vice versa, if 16 are required and only an eight-camera van is available, the production firm can’t accept the job. However, purchasing equipment that remains unused means wasted investment and, in many case, unnecessary duplication.

The 70 TV-Logic monitors range from 7-inch up to 46-inch models and the multiviewer is a Kaleido-X System 256 In — 24 Multiscreen Out — 96 RTR Out

“We have therefore come up with a brand-new concept — a solution based on blocks of equipment, which we call ‘MOWs’ — optical wired modules — which can be easily added to or removed from the vans according to production requirements. These fibreconnected modules are in turn connected to the main Kernel unit, which can also be removed from the truck and flown to another location if necessary.” As well as the Kernel, the MOWs are MOW-Cam, MOWSlomo, MOW-VTR, MOW-I/O, MOW-M&S (monitoring and setting). Specialist cable and connector manufacturers Link supported Eta Beta’s FlexiVan project by designing and realising specific cables and connectors as well as custom boxes and racks, panels and copper and fibre optic cabling.

Link President Marco Piromalli says, “For the Kernel, the ‘extractible’ heart of the FlexiVan, our work included the complete cabling (rack cabinets, ducts, power supply box, GPI/GPO distribution box), tally and intercom distribution patch panel, patch panel and Ethernet distribution system, patch panel and fibre-optic distribution system. We also realised the ‘Kernel Disconnect’, the system enabling the unit to be disconnected and removed, as well as the cabling and audio and video signal interface boxes for the MOWs.”

Linking together Continues Mazzantini: “As well as the great contribution provided by Link on the development of the project, we also developed and implemented proprietary hardware and software interfaces, which enable us to ensure that our

FlexiVan project can be used with all equipment by the most important international brands. This leaves us complete freedom in the choice of hardware, so our OB production set-ups can be precisely tailor-made to meet clients’ requirements.” As far as hardware is concerned, the first FlexiVan has no firsttime integrations, as Eta Beta also wanted to ensure the utmost reliability, so standard equipment consists in brands that the company has road-tested on a long series of OB vans of all sizes since it began its activity 25 years ago. “At present we use Grass Valley cameras and, as far as production switchers are concerned, for some time we’ve chosen Snell’s Kahuna, which has always given excellent results from the point of view of reliability and performance. The NVision router and Kaleido multiscreen, both by Miranda, are also perfectly integrated in our systems and as far as slo-mo is concerned, we are really happy with the numerous EVS systems that we have constantly updated through the years. A Stagetec audio mixer is the heart of the sound system of the van and the instruments are Omnitek, as they perfectly match our specific quality control needs.” More in detail, standard cameras are 30 LDK 6000/8000 Elite HD units, four LDK 6200 high-speed HD super slow-mo cameras and two

Gigawave HD RF Diversity systems. The 70 TV-Logic monitors (almost all 1920x1080) range from 7-inch up to 46-inch models and the multiviewer is a Kaleido-X System 256 In — 24 Multiscreen Out — 96 RTR Out. In the Slomo room, ops can have at their disposal up to 12 EVS XT2 Plus HD connected in LAN and six SLM XT2 HD Plus 6-channel EVS. The machine room is almost all Sony-equipped and features XDCAM PDW 1500 HD, HDCam HDW F500, DVCam DSR 1500 AP, and Digital Betacam DVW 500. The audio area hosts a Stagetec Aurus 48 fader digital console and the necessary equipment for handling 5.1 Dolby Audio.

Second van in sight Eta Beta clearly certainly seems to have taken the right choice with its FlexiVan concept, as the first truck has been kept busy throughout Europe since debut at the 2010 Ferrari Challenge Finals in Spain. Other high-profile sports events covered have included World Tennis championships in Rome, Davis Cup in Sardinia, Mountain Bike and Trails World Championship contests in Switzerland, Alpine Ski World Cup in France and Italy vs Ireland friendly soccer match in Belgium. Mazzantini confirms, “We’re currently working on a second unit, which should be completed soon, and are also putting this experience at the service of others, offering to build them to order for third parties — even our competitors. This would also enable to exchange or crossrent MOWs, enabling the flexibility policy to be taken a step further, thanks to the possibility of exchanging MOWs not only between OB vans, but also permanent TV studios and temporary production set-ups at events — in containers for example — making our concept a European reference point.”

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TVBEU R O PE O B F O C U S PA R T 1

OB technology shipshape for the 34th America’s Cup great deal of time and care into our production to create stylish sporting programming that will resonate with audiences across the globe.” The ACEA and the expensive broadcast set up it is using have been backed by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, whose team, Oracle Racing, won the Cup in 2010 giving it the right to create its own new, much more exciting, nearshore format for the races using rapidly accelerating catamarans.

Complex and challenging “It is a very complex event,” requiring special cameras and communications, according to David Meynell, managing director of SIS Live, which is providing the broadcast services and technology, as part of a three year contract, with multiple cameras on each yacht. It was a considerable challenge to provide live links and remote control.

Inside the IBC: One of the TV galleries for the yacht racing event

The quest for the oldest trophy in international sport has been brought up to date, 160 years on, with a new format and innovative TV coverage using equipment that has been specially designed to cope with the demanding conditions. David Fox reports The 34th America’s Cup is billed as the third largest sporting event in the world, but in TV terms it, and sailing in general, has yet to catch the wave that might propel it to high viewing figures. However, it is promising to be the most viewer-friendly presentation of yacht racing yet, thanks to multiple onboard cameras and innovative graphics that make the action easier to follow. It started its voyage in the Summer, but the first event at Cascais, Portugal, was hardly the exciting start that organisers wished for, as light winds and a TV presentation that was obviously finding its sea legs failed

Making a splash: Water and distance were just two problems David Meynell of SIS Live had to overcome

to make a splash. However, the second leg, in Plymouth, on England’s south coast, more than made up for this. There were plenty of incidents, include capsizes, allowing the onboard cameras to capture far more action, while the graphic overlays were used to much better effect. It has a growing following, as broadcasters have come onboard (it is now being shown in most

European countries) and through live online streaming. About 30 broadcasters, covering more than 170 territories are now showing America’s Cup programming, including live racing and highlights shows. There is also a magazine programme, America’s Cup Uncovered, that goes behind the scenes, with profiles and action on and off the water. Produced by Sunset + Vine, more than 90 episodes will be available through broadcasters and on the americascup.com website. “Globally, broadcasters have been attracted to the athletic and competitive nature of the sport, as well as the outstanding production quality of what we believe is the best sailing that has ever been seen on television or online,” claims America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) Chairman, Richard Worth. “Audiences are looking for different experiences, so we’ve created a varied offering of television programming to really extend our reach,” he adds. “We’re putting a

that can withstand the corrosive impact of salt water. “There wasn’t a system that was waterproof, so we had to design a waterproof surround sound mike,” he explains. The compact system currently uses 5.0 audio, as specified by America’s Cup, but could easily be modified to 5.1. The circular casing is milled from aluminium and contains five waterproof omni shock-mounted capsules plus five preamps. The windproofing was custom made by Rycote as an easily removable headband Windjammer. The set up is 48v phantom powered and delivered as five discrete channels for ease of use with any sound desk or recorder. Each crew member also has a personal radio microphone, and there are three spot FX microphones. The camera positions had to be designed into the yachts, not just to get the best locations while keeping them out of the way of the crew, but also to keep the weight down. SIS will continue to improve and evolve the design of the equipment over the next two years. For the America’s Cup Finals in September 2013, in San Francisco, which will involve larger yachts (moving from 45ft/13.7m to 72ft/22m in length) there will be more cameras (probably five agile systems and three fixed cameras —

Fleet a-foot: The AC45 fleet racing in the first event at Cascais in Portugal

SIS Live has designed all the motorised, remote-controlled HD camera systems that are built in to the 10 racing yachts (four per catamaran, plus cameras on the stake, chase and committee boats). Each catamaran has 14 audio channels, using AAC compression, five of which are used to provide surround sound from a specially built microphone Container plant: Some of the EVS racks in the IBC

plus more microphones as the AC72s will have twice the crew). However, while the smaller AC45 catamarans used in the current America’s Cup World Series has a single design capable of speeds up to about 56kph, the even faster AC72 will be designed especially for each team, so will require a custom integration for all the video and audio systems for each boat. The IP67 submersible housings contain Sony camera modules Continued on page 16

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The IBC: 16 shipping containers combine to create the International Broadcast Centre, supplied by Presteigne Charter

OB technology for Americas Cup Continued from page 14

fitted with a 10x1 zoom, and are cabled to a hub in each boat. Integral gyros ensure that the horizon remains level, even when one hull is out of the water (as it often is). The two vision feeds per yacht are routed from an onboard mixer, controlled via IP, with sound embedded as an ASI stream. Each boat has a dual encoder transmitter, a 5W power amplifier and a co-linear Blade antenna mounted at the top of the mast. This content has to be brought back to the flyaway control room on shore using H.264, from distances of up to about 7-8km, for which it brought in Gigawave (part of Vislink). When the Cup was covered in SD it used a helicopter for the links, which limited transmission in heavy weather, which provides the most exciting racing, so links had to be direct. Using MPEG-4 “was a challenge in itself.” The system designed for the event used transmitters and receivers with ultra-low delay encoding, with two video channels (one for preview, the other for the on-air signal), plus remote camera control, plus Dolby 5.1 surround sound. There is the added complica-

tion of different RF frequencies in the different countries in which the racing takes place. Gigawave is also providing the systems for four helicopter downlinks, as well as handheld Sony 1500R HD cameras on four chase boats, two stake boats, and the committee boat. During a race, the onboard cameras are controlled by a team of operators using Gigawave consoles that control zoom, focus, iris, white balance, etc, and switch between the four cameras on each catamaran. The chase cameras are also racked using Gigawave CCUs, giving a total of 21 simultaneous HD RF links, captured by the diversity receivers at the broadcast compound. “I don’t think anyone has ever provided this amount of cameras and RF scale for an event on the water. I don’t think anyone else could have done it,” says Meynell. So far, “the results have been phenomenal. The feedback has been exceptionally positive.”

Up in the air Further camera systems come from Amis Productions, which invested £635,000 in two Flir UltraMedia HD cameras and three Cineflex V14 HD camera systems to cover the event. The Cineflex systems, from Axsys Technologies, are being used in the air, and one is fitted with an Ixsea Airins georeferencing

and orientation system (developed for high accuracy airborne mapping, even where the aircraft is making rapid course changes). This provides highly accurate data for the live graphics overlays. The other two are conventional helicopter cameras. The Flirs are being used on specially built twin-hull boats with wave-piercing bows that can fit in a shipping container for transfer between events. The 2/3-inch 3xCCD Flir has a Fujion 84x zoom lens and is similar to the Cineflex, but developed for military use, so it is hermetically sealed and more robust, and while not an underwater camera it can cope with waves, whereas the Cineflex is merely weatherproof. “Cineflex is the leading aerial camera system. It’s what people ask for when asking for HD,” says Amis Productions’ Director, Simon Aldridge. “We could have bought five Cineflexes, but we had a Flir already and we’re very happy with its performance on boats.” The aerial cameras are remotely controlled from a laptop in the helicopter, and are fitted in an AirFilm five-axis stabilised mount. The Flirs are in a specially designed mount built for the America’s Cup. All of the systems are using Sony HDC-1500 cameras.

together to form double width galleries. This formed the basis of the three main control rooms.” Video comes in from other areas via Evertz Frame Sync cards with external AES audio to allow for insertion and removal of any audio sources. All videos coming through the main Harris Platinum router carry video and embedded audio. An Evertz EMR router with VIP-X multiviewers formed the heart of the video monitoring feeding four control rooms and MCR, and all EVS positions. Presteigne Charter has a dedicated Tech Manger and System Engineer in the MCR monitoring and switching all feeds. The MCR receives the feeds from the onboard cameras, and

ISIS 5000 server and InterPlay media server. Presteigne Charter has permanent tapeless workflow and Avid support specialists on site to ensure the smooth running of these elements, and helping to support the 100-plus production staff. “We also have a number of transcoding units producing footage for teams and other broadcasters onto multiple media formats,” he says. A fourth production control room transmits four live web streams plus big screen output. Audio is carried through a Lawo Nova 29 MADI matrix and uses three Lawo Nova 73 HD cores to run the three main control rooms. There is a Lawo Crystal for the fourth small control room. The IBC is fitted with Custom Consoles’ Module-R

Container-based broadcasting The International Broadcast Centre is supplied by Presteigne Charter, and housed in 16 12m shipping containers, with the minimum number of cables between them, which can be easily assembled in two or three days into a two-storey broadcast compound (half of which is the IBC). After the event, it can be derigged in a day and then shipped to the next event along with the yachts. “Our main challenge was to help design and build a host broadcast TV compound in sea containers that would travel on ships,” says Presteigne Charter CEO Mike Ransome. “We worked with the America’s Cup tech manager to design a number of sea containers that would bolt

A SIS engineer sets up the HD Pod cameras prior to racing

includes: a Sony MVS-8000A 4M/E vision mixer, Leitch Platinum 256x256 HD/SD-SDI video router, Lawo MC2 56 audio console and TSL TM2 Tallyman. Two further production control rooms each include a Grass Valley Kayak 2M/E switcher and Lawo MC2 56. There is a large EVS workflow for ingest, archive and editing with five EVS XT[2] 4-channel HDDRs, four EVS XL[2] 6-channel proxy servers, four EVS XF[2] archive stores, two EVS XStore [2], nine EVS IPDirectors, two EVS Database servers, and three EVS XHUBs. There are three Avid suites tied to the main EVS Server, plus an

studio furniture, including 15 Module-R desks used in master control, production and lighting control, video editing suites and an audio area. GlobeCast is providing the uplinks, using an HD SNG/Flyaway stationed at all the regatta locations, distributing the world feed. Photographs: ACEA, Gilles Martin-Raget, Ricardo Pinto; and Amis Productions www.americascup.com www.amisproductions.com www.presteignecharter.com www.sislive.tv www.vislinknews.com www.youtube.com/americascupy

MINI LiveMan drives up a Storm 3D Storm, exclusive distributor of NewTek products in the EMEA region, has gone on the road with the MINI LiveMan — the first HD live production vehicle ever made in a compact SUV. By David Stewart Making its first ever tour in Europe, 3D Storm has integrated a MINI Countryman with a NewTek TriCaster 450 EXTREME, the latest addition to the TriCaster product family. TriCaster 450 EXTREME is a 14-channel, HD/SD portable live production switcher, in a 2U rack mount system. With proprietary NewTek IsoCorder technology, it provides the ability to record up to four 16

channels of video from either inputs or outputs. It includes integrated live titling editor and HD Live Virtual Sets, with realtime reflections and animated zoom control. Additional benefits include direct support for any Apple AirPlay-enabled app or device, plus EQ and compressor/limiter capabilities on every audio input and output, seven animation Store Transitions to deliver realtime transitions, motion video effects and audio, and an integrated web browser to access online CDN accounts. The all-terrain MINI LiveMan vehicle is equipped with SISLive’s

uPod, a fully automated SNG uplink system. It can be fitted to any vehicle or used as a simple flyaway transmission solution. The MINI LiveMan is equipped with JVC’s new G-series of DT-V studio monitors. The latest tapeless cameras such as the GY-HM750E from JVC will also integrate with the LiveMan production solution. An exclusive addition to the MINI LiveMan is the new 3Play 425, which will pair with the TriCaster 450 EXTREME to make a complete production solution ready-to-go and to stream live from any location. NewTek 3Play 425 is a four-input, two-output,

The all-terrain MINI LiveMan vehicle is equipped with SISLive’s uPod, a fully automated SNG uplink system

slow-motion system that supports the simultaneous display and synchronised, continuous recording of up to four live video sources. Kicking off its European tour at Sportel Monaco in

October, the MINI LiveMan is travelling to Rome, Madrid and Munich. It will also be showcased at trade shows such as BVE London in 2012. www.newtek-europe.com www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

Project1_Layout 1 09/12/2011 12:14 Page 1

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TVBE Dec P12-26 OB_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 09/12/2011 12:34 Page 18

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NEWS IN BRIEF Vizrt scoops €600,000 deal Vizrt, a supplier of production tools to the digital media industry, has announced that a major central European production company has entered into a €600,000 contract with Vizrt. The deal includes upgrades, both hardware and software, which will allow the client’s production facility to produce realtime HD content using Viz Engine 3.5. Viz Content Pilot will allow producers to create content throughout the facility. Viz Trio will be used as a character generator (CG) for live events in the studio and in OB vans. www.vizrt.com

DoP Martin Hawkins wins RTS accolade GTC member DoP Martin Hawkins has been awarded the top award at this year’s Royal Television Society (RTS) Craft and Design Awards: the Lifetime Achievement Award. He collected the award last month at the Savoy Hotel in London, during a ceremony hosted by Myleene Klass. The RTS introduced the presentation with the following words: “The recipient of this special award made his mark in the late 1980s, running across fields chasing a young woman in Challenge Anneka. This is where he perfected his handheld camera technique as well as getting extremely fit. His sense of humour and infectious laughter, combined with his skill at lighting and capturing the story, have made him the first choice for many producers and directors.” www.gtc.org.uk

ADV

Cutting-edge technologies for one of the most dangerous events in the world

Volvo Ocean Race comes on stream By David Fox The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the most treacherous sporting events, as the yachts face huge seas on their way around the world — although the current race will have a gap so that competitors don’t also have to face Somalian pirates. The previous race was the first to be covered in HD, which was a massive change from SD, so the 2011-2012 race, which is scheduled to finish in Galway in July, is more of an evolution for LiveWire Digital, which has supplied the onboard cameras and encoders for each yacht. The cameras “have seen a significant reduction in size and weight,” says LiveWire Managing Director Tristan Wood. The two roll compensating camera systems, on the stern facing forward and on the mast below the boom covering the helm, are half the cameras they used to be, while the two pantilt-zoom cameras mounted on the lowest spreaders (about a third of the way up the mast) are about 30% lighter and smaller. The stern camera is mounted alongside the aerials and microwave links and is on all the time, even in low-power mode. “If there is a dramatic event, a crew member pushes the crash button and it records the four minutes prior to the point they press the button, and the four minutes after.” It operates all the time, with an infrared flood light for night vision. The roll compensating cameras use damping fluid to keep the horizon level.

Roll compensated: The Stern camera with its infra-red light for shooting at night

Minimising size and weight while maximising reliability is a priority for Tristan Wood of Livewire

When they first fitted cameras to the spreaders, the battens in the sails damaged them as they flipped across. Now the PTZ cameras are fitted in stainless steel cages to protect them. They are fitted with wide-angle lenses, but this makes it

more difficult to set the balance correctly, as the size of the optics outweighs the rest of the camera. It is crucial to get this right, as when the yachts slam into a wave, the shock can damage the cogs in the PTZ motors unless it is accurately balanced. They also get covered in salt water and have to survive extreme conditions. Typically, PTZ cameras for outdoors applications are housed in a dome, “but it distorts all your optics. You get a lot of reflections. So, we designed it with a flat sapphire glass window and designed the mechanics so they can survive rather than covering them,” says Wood. “The whole goal of these yachts is minimum weight,” but there is no use going to extremes in making the cameras lighter if you still have to run lots of cable to them. If a cable weighs 50g a metre, halving the cabling can make a big difference, which they were able to do

bravebureau.com

SISVEL TECHNOLOGY OFFERS SYNDICATION OF 3D CONTENT. The syndication promoted by Sisvel Technology is open to contributions of every content provider who wants to promote 3D Tile Format technology and enhance deliverance of 3D content. The 3D Tile Format provides better-quality images for 3D content and maintains backward compatibility, allowing viewers not equipped for 3D to view the programs as 2D images on their full HD sets. The reconstructed right and left images maintain their original spatial and temporal resolution, giving viewers of both versions the full beneﬁt of the original picture, and the transmission of both 2D and 3D can be achieved without the need for increased bandwidth (www.sisveltechnology. com). New members joining the syndication will beneﬁt from the free exchange of 3D content among members on a reciprocity basis. The catalog of the 3DT content library can be viewed on-line at the new 3DT website www.3dt.it

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with cables to the roll compensating cameras, which now carry power, video and controls via a single cable. However, the additional power requirements of the PTZ cameras meant they still need two cables, although the second (power cable) is now about 25% lighter. Another area they have saved weight is by moving from traditional (waterproof) camera connectors to building the connector into the housing, and using a standard eight-way RJ45 (Ethernet) connector — made waterproof by integrating it with the camera body. “It has also simplified manufacture and made it more reliable.”

New media desk For the previous Volvo Ocean Race, LiveWire recorded on HDV, as it was cost-effective and compatible with the main compact handheld cameras. “At the time there was very little that could beat it in terms of size,” says Wood. This time it has moved to solidstate recording, using Apple’s ProRes codec on an AJA Ki Pro unit, “which integrates very well with the Media Crew Member’s edit facilities,” using Final Cut Pro 7 on a MacBook Pro. The Media Desk is in a relatively dry area of the boat, where most of the water is on the floor. However, crews still have to be wary of wet hands and clothes, so the Ki Pro is housed in a carbon fibre shell, controlled via a waterproof console fixed to a bulkhead. They have to deliver 1080i, using signals compressed (typically) at 4Mbps in H.264, using LiveWire’s M-Link Newscaster for encoding from ProRes, store and forward, and satellite control. “This is essentially the same product used by people like Sky News and Sky Sports for delivering HD material,” he says. During the ocean legs of the race the yachts communicate using two satellite phone systems via Inmarsat. There is a small Thrane & Thrane FleetBroadband FB150, which is mainly used for its data service and is on all the time delivering telemetry, such as position and wave height, every 10 seconds. If needed it could also be used for a low bitrate video uplink. The larger FB500 is used for higher volume material, as it is three times faster than the FB150 and can deliver live streams with a guarantee of quality of service for live material such as interviews. It can deliver a consistent 256kbps using LiveWire’s MLink Live X video over IP system when streaming (and almost twice that if used for data only). www.bms-inc.com www.livewire.co.uk www.thrane.com www.volvooceanrace.com www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

OTO/TVBE Page Template

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TVBE Dec P12-26 OB_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 13/12/2011 17:16 Page 20

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World-first wireless collaboration with Sony for Rugby League championship series

TD300 in a League of its own for 3D RF link issue for a lot of live events, where Steadicam is needed for running along the touchline at sports events, where a 3D rig is not acceptable” (because of its weight), said Bill Drummond, Sony’s strategic marketing manager. Broadcast RF hasn’t developed a version of its wireless system that works with Panasonic’s 3D cameras yet as none of its customers has asked for it yet. The company is currently doing about one 3D job per week, following a dramatic increase in 3D productions over the past six months — previously it might have gone eight weeks between jobs.

Off the shoulder

Sony’s new PMW-TD300 integrated 3D camcorder makes its entrance on the 3D stage

By David Fox The recent Four Nations Rugby League series was broadcast live by Sky in 3D, and saw the first fully-controlled wireless use of Sony’s new PMW-TD300 integrated 3D camcorder on any event, using a new 3D wireless unit from Broadcast RF, specialists in RF equipment hire and integration. The prototype camcorder (which ships this month) has the look, feel and weight of a normal shoulder-mount 2D camera, making it easier to use on a Steadicam or on a shoulder. It has a fixed inter-axial distance between the two lenses, but the convergence can be controlled either from the camera or remotely, and offers a very usable minimum convergence distance of 1.2m. The camera has individual HDSDI outputs for each lens. “You can take side-by-side output, but we used the full HD resolution from each eye, and linked that back to the truck,” said Chris Brandrick, Broadcast RF’s sales director. It operates at high quality with each eye being transmitted as MPEG-2 at 20Mbps (40Mbps per 3D signal), “which is a lot by RF standards. On a standard 2D RF signal you would usually see 1718Mbps,” explained Technical Sales Engineer Martin Brosthaus. The RF system uses MPEG-2 rather than MPEG-4, mainly 20

because it gives lower delay times, which is particularly important for live productions. The system has 60 milliseconds delay (about

transmitter, but in a single box, including remote control and tally. When used with the TD300 it offers normal 2D camera remote

The new TD300 is Sony’s first allin-one 3D shoulder camcorder using the XDCAM EX codec, and is based on its popular PMW-320 camcorder. It weighs 5.5kg, has two sets of three 1/2-inch Exmor CMOS sensors and can record more than six hours of 3D on four 64GB SxS cards (at 35Mbps for each eye — with two card slots for each eye). It can also be used for 2D using the left lens (or parallel

recording of both lenses for extra back up) — however, the 7x zoom lenses are only the equivalent of 40.6mm at their widest setting, making them less than ideal for 2D use in many situations. Its inter-axial distance is just 45mm, which allows it to be used close up (at 1.2m). It has a neat convergence control using a large, well-positioned dial. It also has one-push auto convergence. This makes the convergence point follow the object in focus. The target convergence point can be pre-set (in a range of -20% to 20%) from the menu. It is also the first 3D shoulder camcorder which uses an autostereoscopic 3.5-inch 3D LCD that can be viewed without glasses for picture evaluation. Users can choose between other viewing options like Difference, Mix and Left or Right only. There is also HDMI out (3D/2D) for viewing on consumer 3D displays. There is also a Depth Warning Display, applying red to the edge of objects that are too near, and blue to any that are too far compared to the user-settable safe range thresholds. Among the first to order the TD300 were OB Team Norway, which bought two, and Presteigne Charter. The camcorder costs €27,500 and should also be useful for documentary and general work. For an even smaller, cheaper 3D wireless cameras, Sony has demonstrated a tiny unit that combines its €3,000 HXRNX3D1 with a Cobham Domo transmitter, which fits in the hot shoe. It takes the HDMI output and was trialled at Wimbledon to get crowd shots. www.broadcastrf.com

Broadcast RF is currently doing about one 3D job per week, following a dramatic increase in 3D productions over the past six months — previously it might have gone eight weeks between jobs 1.5 frames), compared to about 100-150 milliseconds with H.264 for similar picture quality. Although the package has two HD-SDI inputs, it has one RF link. This has “the major advantage that if you get to the edge of the area you are covering, you get break up on both eyes and not just one. Many 3D production trucks monitor in 2D, just one eye, and might not see it. That’s why we use one channel. It also makes synchronisation easier,” said Brosthaus. For the Four Nations, Broadcast RF worked with OB provider Telegenic. The unit is based on Link Research equipment (now part of Vislink), “because that is the most flexible RF kit on the market,” he said. “The receive infrastructure is very modular, which makes it more flexible for the area we want to cover, as it is easy to combine multiple receive areas.” It has two encoders (made by Broadcast RF) with dual-link RF

controls (such as iris — controllable from a Sony RCP1500 remote control panel) as well as convergence (integrated with Sony’s MPE200 3D processor). If used with a 3D rig from 3Ality Technica or the P+S Technik Freestyle rig, it can also control interaxial distance. Broadcast RF has done a lot of 3D jobs with the Freestyle rig using Sony P1 cameras, and the only difference from the TF300 was the 3D features — so adding the camcorder “was not much work to implement.” The biggest problem with the TD300 has been getting one, as only a few prototypes have been available. The production version of the TD300 ships this month, and Brosthaus sees it as much more suitable for sports production than light entertainment (for which Broadcast RF has mainly been working with the Freestyle rig). Sony sees the TD300 as ideal for Steadicam, “which has been the

The 45mm inter-axial distance allows the TD300 to get close to the action

TD300s and Broadcast RF’s 3D link systems in action at Wembley

www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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TVBEU R O PE O B F O C U S PA R T 1

HD Voice for cable-free commentary There is a new mobile phone standard, HD Voice, that noticeably improves speech quality — making it good enough for broadcast contribution from commentators and presenters. David Fox looks at how Glensound and Gearhouse Broadcast have deployed the technology Glensound is adding HD Voice to its commentary systems, including the new Recce HD, a portable commentators unit with a built-in 3-channel mixer (mic/line), 12v phantom power and a high quality compressor/limiter on each channel. The audio link is made over the 3G (UMTS) mobile phone network and set up is minimal; insert a standard network SIM from a network that is HD Voice compatible, make a call to another HD Voice compatible phone and 7kHz audio broadcasting has commenced, with no long cables or physical connections to inhibit the scope of movement or location. There are currently 34 countries offering HD Voice, including the UK, on Orange and Three. France Telecom (which owns Orange) was the first provider to launch the service (SFR also offers it in France). There is also the new Glensound GS-MPI004 HD Portable Broadcasters’ Mobile

Phone, for even more portable use, for presenters or news reporters. “Because HD Voice is very, very good, they could be used by pitchside reporters to interview players as they come off the pitch,” said Marc Wilson, Glensound sales and marketing manager. From the user’s perspective, “it’s the same as making a mobile phone call,” as it is essentially a mobile phone with XLR inputs. “It’s a digital hybrid for a GSM network.” The Adaptive Multi Rate Wideband technology used for HD Voice is an international standard for 3G mobile networks and effectively doubles the standard bandwidth. “It is the next big thing happening to mobile phones,” and is becoming available on consumer handsets. The extra bandwidth enhances the lower frequency response, which improves the audio quality making it clearer with greater definition. What’s more, the network views it as a voice call rather than data ensuring zero call quality fluctuation and no additional data charges. Wilson sees it as an alternative to IP-based mobile units. “The main disadvantage with IP is you are never guaranteed bandwidth, but with HD Voice, once you’ve got it, you’ve got it.” It is, of course, possible

No comment: A commentary booth at the recent Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, equipped with Glensound digital commentary GDC 6432

to get up to 15kHz bandwidth on an IP unit, compared to 7kHz with HD Voice, but he believes this is perfect for voice applications. The Recce HD is an evolution of the Glensound ISDN codecs such as the classic GS-GC5 and the GS-GC25, with HD Voice replacing ISDN as the link. There are over 10,000 of these ISDN commentary units in use by broadcasters around the world. The Recce HD unit costs £2,095, while the GS-MPI005 HD studio rackmount unit, which has serial control and integrates with newsroom automation systems, costs £1,295 — or £3,090 if both bought together. The GS-MPI004 HD costs £995, or £1,995 for a package with the GS-MPI005 HD.

Rugby World Cup Gearhouse Broadcast provided commentary services at the Rugby World Cup to OSB New Zealand, for host broadcaster Sky NZ, using the Glensound Digital Commentary GDC 6432. There were 37 GDC 6432 systems in use during the event, to provide the World Feed for every broadcaster requiring a fully equipped commentary booth. They were used at all 48 games, across 12 venues. The commentary was grouped into six kits that were transported between matches as needed. At all venues broadcasters were presented with a uniform Glensound set up to give them identical conditions. The GDC 6432 is a two-part system with a 1RU digital Commentary

Control Unit (dCCU), and a separate three Commentators’ Units (dCU/3). There are three linking options between these units as either coaxial (400m range including power), Ethernet (100m range with power) or Ethernet fibre (kms). There were also 80 Sennheiser HMD25 and 26 headphones in use for the commentators. The dCCUs were located in a centralised Commentary Control Room and connected to the dCU/3 in the commentary booths via Ethernet on CAT 5. The Host Broadcaster also provided an additional GDC 6432 interfaced into the main commentary unit to provide sideline comments. At the main Eden Park venue in Auckland the dCCU to dCU3 link was via fibre-optic cable using managed Ethernet switches. “This proved to be a great system which gave us a reliable backbone between the OB compound and the commentary area and also between the OB compound and the sideline positions. It also provided us with a circuit direct from commentary to the sideline with a single patch cable. This proved invaluable for broadcasters who turned up with SNG vehicles who wanted the commentary gear installed into their vehicles,” explained Brett Penman, commentary control manager at the Rugby World Cup. All other venues used a coaxial link between dCCU and dCU/3. www.glensound.co.uk

PTC-100 PTZ Camera -

Integrated Pan/ Tilt/ Zoom mechanism Full HD 1/3 CMOS system HD-SDI, HDMI and CVBS out 20x HD optical zoom 10x digital zoom Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) Digital Slow Shutter (DSS) RS-422 serial control Including ceiling mount bracket

RMC-190 Remote Control Unit for PTC-100 - Can control up to 4 cameras - Multiple presets for each individual camera - Control of Pan, Tilt, Zoom and Iris, Focus, Gain, Shutter, White balance alance

'DWDYLGHR (0($ 2I¿FH 'DWDYLGHR 7HFKQRORJLHV (XURSH %9 Floridadreef 106, 3565 AM Utrecht - The Netherlands - Telephone: +31 (0)30 261 9656 - www.datavideo.info - info@datavideo.nl www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

Project2_Layout 1 09/12/2011 13:22 Page 1

Viasatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (MTG) baltic central playout infrastructure built by BCE received the CSI award 2011 for the "Best outside broadcast or playout technology or service".

BCEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decentralized playout solution is now able to switch automatically to Live feeds by secondary events.

BCE built a second teleport in Luxembourg to provide more services and connections. SES (Astra TechCom Services) is the first user of the platform.

Project2_Layout 1 09/12/2011 13:24 Page 1

45, Bd Pierre Frieden L-1543 Luxembourg Tel: (+352) 24 80 1 contact@bce.lu

BCE extended FremantleMedia’s WAN over 3 continents and successfully performs remote operations such as the management of servers.

BCE’s file-based high speed content digital distribution takes on board a Media CMS and a Workflow Engine. The system is now installed at RTL Group subsidiaries and many other customers and partners.

BCE upgraded RTL Lëtzebuerg’s (Luxembourg) workflow and broadcast infrastructure to High Definition.

TVBE Dec P12-26 OB_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 09/12/2011 12:36 Page 24

TVBEU R O PE O B F O C U S PA R T 1

From the cover: How broadcasters and regulators are planning ahead of the Summer Games

Spectrum planning for London 2012 Recognising that normal PMSE (Programme Making & Special Event) spectrum could not possibly handle the requirement, Ofcom has left no stone unturned in its quest to find every last drop of spectrum that could be begged, borrowed or bought to fill the gap ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) have since agreed that, subject to certain constraints, wireless cameras will be able to use 2700-3100MHz and 3400-3600MHz. Details of these constraints are in Ofcom’s Spectrum Plan statement (see link in contact panel). Meanwhile LOCOG, the BBC, host broadcaster Olympic Broad-

casting Services (OBS) and others have lobbied hard for access to 2500-2690MHz (‘the 2.6GHz band’) for wireless cameras, especially for airborne coverage as this is difficult to achieve with alternative bands. However fears emerged over whether airborne cameras operating at 2.6GHz might have an adverse effect on radars operating in the 2700-2900MHz band — or in plain English, the certainty with which Air Traffic Control (ATC) could keep planes safely in the sky. Following an assessment, Ofcom stated in December 2010 that no interference from 2.6GHz airborne wireless cameras to ATC radars has been reported, the main reasons given as low camera signal power levels, the small numbers in use, and the ‘mobile and transient

London Olympic contacts Ofcom’s Spectrum Plan for the London 2012 Games is at http://stakeholders.ofcom.org. uk/spectrum/olympics/ Accredited Olympic Rights Holders: Spectrum licences from The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG), email spectrum@ london2012.com or fax +44 (0) 203 2012 001 Non Accredited, Non Rights Holder Broadcasters (NRHB): Spectrum licences from admin@jfmg.co.uk (the Arqiva subsidiary band manager for Ofcom)

Registration for the London Media Centre close to Horse Guards Parade where the Beach Volleyball competition takes place is at www.londonandpartners.com. The LMC offers rentable office space, edit suites, play-out facilities and stand-up positions connected back to a master control room within the venue, plus fibered positions near the Tower of London, on the South Bank and at Trafalgar Square. Non-Olympic (‘business as usual’) users: Spectrum licences from admin@jfmg.co.uk as normal

nature of this application’. In other words even if it happens, it will be too brief to do any harm. The upshot is that the entire 2.6GHz band will be added to the London 2012 spectrum pot, albeit with strict limits on signal power for airborne applications, between 28 June and 23 September — one month before the Olympic Games opening ceremony to two weeks after the Paralympic Games closing ceremony. Temporary access to 1.98GHz2.01GHz and 2.17-2.2GHz bands normally used for mobile satellite services is also on the table. Currently not used for programme making, Ofcom believes these would be well suited to wireless camera use. “This remains a possibility, but the exact availability is not yet certain,” says Bury. “Ofcom is continuing discussions with the operators of services in these bands and the licensees in adjacent bands, to determine the degree to which they could be shared with Games users.”

Allocating spectrum A proposal to borrow parts of the licence-exempt 863MHz-865MHz band (Channel 70) for London 2012 wireless microphones and IEM sparked fears of crossinterference with up to 1,500 wireless microphones on the London Underground, while the British Entertainment Industry Radio Group (BEIRG) expressed similar concerns about equipment used for live performance. Ofcom took Channel 70 out of the plan. Instead, spectrum released by Digital Switch Over (DSO) and the

Peter Bury: “We are also considering a venue-specific plan for Eton Dorney, because this will be the second largest transport hub within the London area”

800MHz band (790-862MHz) reserved for pan-European mobile broadband will be made available for London 2012 wireless mics and IEM. Will this delay the much-vaunted economic benefits of new ‘4G’ services such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and WiMAX, originally planned to begin tests after the completion of DSO? “The 800MHz band will be awarded to new users as part of the Combined Award of spectrum alongside 2.6GHz,” says Bury, “and Ofcom’s latest estimate of the timing of this award is in the last quarter of 2012. “Remember that the 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum bands will not be available for new use until 2013 in any case — and will likely not be available in all areas of the UK until later in 2013 — so this step is unlikely to have a material impact

on the timeline for the availability of new services to consumers.” Bury adds that it may be possible to grant licences for non-operational trials and tests of new mobile or broadband data services in the 2.6GHz band during London 2012 providing these are carefully coordinated, with Olympics needs taking priority — although this is unlikely to be feasible within the M25, or any location where wireless camera demand is expected to be high. LTE services are known to interfere significantly with ATC radar, so full deployment will not be possible until a publically-funded ‘radar remediation’ project has been undertaken when London 2012 is over. Still smarting from its members’ enforced eviction from channel 69 to channel 38 for mics and IEM, the BEIRG fears that future 800MHz band users will also cause interference to PMSE users. They are not alone, as in November 2011 the UK Parliamentary Culture, Media and Sport Committee urged Ofcom to include a provision enabling any significant interference to adjacent users to be considered grounds for that licence to be revoked. Indeed Ofcom received such a vociferous response to its original March to May 2011 consultation on these bands that it plans to consult again with refined plans around the end of this year, with a final decision statement due in summer 2012. “We expect to publish a final version of the spectrum plan for the London 2012 Games early in 2012,” says Bury. Perish the thought, but what happens if despite all the detailed frequency planning, broadcasters find somebody else sitting on their spectrum? “If interference does occur, a network of monitoring stations in and around the venues will locate the source quickly,” says Bury. “Ofcom field staff will then be able to take rapid action to stop it.”

Glensound 7 kHz HD Voice Broadcasters’ Mobile Phone

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GS-MPI005 HD Rack Mount

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HD Voice network available in: Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Kenya, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Moldova, Poland, Réunion, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Uganda, UK.

www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

Project1_Layout 1 09/12/2011 12:57 Page 1

RAI Amsterdam RAI A msterdam Conference 6-11 September : Exhibition 7-11 September

Catch the Industry’s Imagination Enter E nter tthe he IIBC BC IInnovation nnovation Awards Awards and and share share your applications applications of of iinnovation. nnovation. your This is your opportunity to be part of one of the most prestigious award ceremonies in the electronic media, entertainment and technology industr y. If your organisation has applied an original solution to a real-world challenge to move the industry forward, then IBC want to hear about it. The IBC Innovation Awards are unique in the sense that they recognise how manufacturers, vendors and end users work together to achieve a real beneﬁt, be it technical, creative or commercial. The Awards celebrate the visionary application of technology and the innovation that was achieved through collaboration. The awards are presented in three categories – most innovative projects in: UÊ content creation UÊ content management UÊ content deliver y In addition to the Innovation Awards, the IBC Awards ceremony also honours those in the industr y who have made an exceptional and outstanding contribution to broadcasting, including the International Honour for Excellence, Judges’ Prize, Best Conference Paper and the Exhibition Design Awards.

To T oﬁ ﬁnd out more more information information about nd out about the the IBC IBC submit Awards and entry IInnovation nnovation Awards and how how to to s ubmit your your entry by Friday 10 February b yF riday 1 0F ebruary 2012, 2012, visit: visit:

www.ibc.org/awardsentry P revious W inners Include: Previous Winners Include: Apple, Atlantic Productions, BBC, BSk yB, CNBC, CNN, DNA , Dreamworks Animation SKG, ESPN, FIFA , Freeview, HBS, Manolo Romero (IHFE), NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), Red Bull Air Race, Sir David Attenborough (IHFE), Sony, Walt Disney Pictures

IBC Fifth Floor International Press Centre 76 Shoe Lane London EC4A 3JB UK T +44 (0) 20 7832 4100 F +44 (0) 20 7832 4130 E info@ibc.org

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TVBE Dec P12-26 OB_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 09/12/2011 12:36 Page 26

TVBEU R O PE O B F O C U S PA R T 1

Philip Stevens talks to a new production facility and finds its start-up has exceeded expectations

Octopus reaches out to Spanish market Some might consider it brave — maybe, even foolish — to launch a new production facility in these uncertain economic times. Yet that is what just five professionals did earlier this year in the Spanish capital, Madrid. Called Octopus Media, the facility will offer a mixture of production and post production facilities with an emphasis on top-end quality. “We are just five enthusiastic people with a strong know-how in the broadcasting market,” maintains David Ojeda, the general manager. “Each of us is developing a different role in the company, but related to what we all were doing before coming together as a team.” Alongside Ojeda, that team comprises Javier Martín, Manuel Pelaez, Bernardo Granadero and Santiago Martín. “Our backgrounds allow us to offer significant technical knowledge of studio and location recording and broadcasting, the post production area, IT, and who-is-who in the commercial arena.” Despite the current financial climate, Ojeda says this is a good time to establish this type of facility. “We see there’s a market niche in which big companies don’t pay the kind of attention that clients demand. And we can provide confidence, speed and personal treatment at affordable prices.” Initial plans will see Octopus Media concentrate on the Spanish market. However, the team also has contacts abroad, and Ojeda is confident that customers from other countries who see the standard of work will want to come to the new facility. Ojeda states that the group has called its facility a ‘boutique’, because there are no plans to become a big player in the market. “We want to keep the boutique concept in which we give the best services at affordable prices with state-of-the-art technology. The key factor is devising a tailored workflow that allows speedy turnaround.” By using state of the art hi- tech tools, Ojeda believes the facility can

offer a workflow that cannot be found anywhere else. “Our engineers have developed a system that has never been seen previously — and we truly believe speed of throughput will be a major feature of our service.” On the production side, Octopus Media operates a 600m2 studio, two 80m2 studios, and an SD OB Van with up to 16 cameras. It can also provide ENG equipment and crewing. A Master Control Room is also available. Post production facilities include an ISIS server, five Avid Suites with the latest version of Media Composer, Pro Tools 5.1 and stereo suites with Icon consoles, and two dubbing rooms.

The correct choice For colour correction and highend post production, Octopus Media chose the Quantel Pablo 2K equipped with the Neo panel. This particular set up allows six hours of 2K workspace. “My colleagues and I have worked with Quantel for many years — in fact, while with a previous company we used the first iQ to be sold in Spain. We did look at three other competing systems before making the selection, but Quantel is fast, reliable and has the capacity to give Directors of Photography just what they want from the finished production.” Alongside its colour correction toolset, features of the Quantel

The production facilities offered by Octopus Media include this 16 camera outside broadcast vehicle

system include editing with multilayer timeline, effects, compositing, paint/retouch, titling and realtime deliverables production. A full Stereo 3D toolset is also included. “The benefit of having a complete toolset on board the Pablo is that you don’t have to waste time

replacing or a boom mike has dropped into shot by mistake, Pablo’s on-board Paintbox has the tools to fix the shot there and then. If the director wants to change an edit this is easily done.” Thornton says that Pablo has all the tools to enable the rapid output

“Our business plan called for a projected income once all our building works were finished in November. But we reached those targets after just one month of operation” — David Ojeda — and therefore money — moving media between different systems to do different jobs,” explains Quantel’s Roger Thornton. “This requirement nearly always crops up during colour correction sessions. For example, if a sky needs

The Quantel system is already equipped for 3D production when Octopus Media moves into that format in the New Year

of different versions of a production. Re-sizing, reframing, 3D Look Up Tables and pan-and-scan are all handled on-the-fly in realtime on output without having to make copies. Every format is supported from 4:3 and 16:9 SD to HD, 2K and 4K and all varieties of Stereo 3D. Octopus Media has plans for its first 3D work over the next months, and when that happens, the Quantel system is ready to handle the format. “Generally 3D will be checked and fixed before colour correction,” says Thornton. “However, as part of 3D fixing is to do with balancing colour between the eyes, this is not a strict definition. There’s a second stage to S3D, smoothing transitions between scenes, so there are no big depth jumps — which are very uncomfortable to watch. Sometimes this will be done at the same time as the colour correction,

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sometimes afterwards. Also the requirements are different for big screen cinema 3D and television, so this has to be accounted for, too. With Pablo you have the choice of how you want to work. The S3D facility is just another aspect of the system, and is fully integrated with all the other tools. In other words, colour, finishing and S3D tasks can all happen in the same system.” Although the Quantel Pablo is a nonlinear editing system in itself, it can readily take EDLs from offline systems. Ojeda believes the way the post production facility has been established will attract many clients. And the flexibility of the workflow procedure is such that other equipment can be used without too much difficulty. “Our building allows us to implement any other system in the workflow, and transcoding machines are also included in the MC. If any client has the need to edit on, say, Final Cut Pro, that wouldn’t be a problem. We are ready to comply with every client need.” So, with a few months of operation behind Octopus Media, is Ojeda still confident about the future? “Even more than before! Our business plan called for a projected income once all our building works were finished in November. But we reached those targets after just one month of operation. “We have some exciting developments in mind — but we won’t talk about them right now. But the industry will surely know about them when they arrive!” He concludes, “I am confident of success because most of the clients we had worked with in previous companies demanded that we start on a new ‘adventure’. They wanted to continue working with us. We strongly believe a company cannot survive with extremely high costs at the prices the market is prepared to pay right now. So if we have clients (which we have) and controlled costs (which we have), we are already doing well in the profitability race.” www.avid.com www.octopus.es www.quantel.com www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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360 approach for fast turnaround TV EVS has introduced a new concept, Sports360, covering all aspects of sports media from live broadcasting to archive and new media distribution, to make it simpler to reach viewers wherever they are (and whatever type of screen they are using). David Fox talks to EVS about its gestation and objectives

www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

even famous spectators in the stadium, with everything stored on an EVS central storage system. www.evs.tv www.sports360.tv

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Gaining control of the second screen was one of the key topics at IBC, and EVS’ approach should make it simpler for broadcasters to select and send content to the cloud and for viewers to access it on their iPad or smartphone. C-Cast augments EVS’ multi-camera OB recording, enabling operators to select key action and put clips on the cloud, from all the different camera angles, with associated metadata. It comes with a ready-to-use app package for a fast project launch, but it is an open system, so broadcasters can put their own web interface on it. In the initial beta test done with Australia’s Channel 9, rugby

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viewers could see player profiles, watch replays, and select different camera angles by clicking on a map of the stadium showing all the camera positions. “It gives the viewer the ability to become a real active player in the broadcast,” says Bourdon. It makes use of a second server to package content with relevant metadata and statistics for delivery in whatever codecs are needed to different devices. It can be completely automated, creating clips based on metadata and log sheets, or manual, driven by an operator in the OB truck (which might be advisable if there are likely to be camera angles that shouldn’t be shown or aren’t usable for some reason — they will also tend to make better editorial decisions than the automation). The system has also been privately tested by about 25 broadcasters worldwide, and EVS is currently implementing a project in the US where C-Cast will mainly be used to offer extra information and video to spectators at an event, and it will also be used by a French broadcaster for second-screen use for football. As 70% of iPad users already watch TV with it on their knees, “for broadcasters to keep their attention, they have to have the ability to provide extra content, instead of losing them to other internet sites.” Operators can create fully synchronised multi-camera links to content on an XT server that will be available to viewers within two minutes, and the viewer’s device could also display news around the event and provide a quick link to social media, to discuss the event as it happens. “Basically we are creating an environment where you have more choice in terms of content and additional information and interaction with other people through Facebook or Twitter,” adds Sébastien Verlaine, marketing manager, EMEA. The archive system is “moving forward rapidly” using the new MediArchive Director application,

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for content management, XStore near-line storage, or advanced media handling tools. Although designed primarily for sports production, the system could also have applications in any other type of live or near live programming. To support Sports360, EVS is offering: enhanced live production with high-end replays, on the fly editing, new ultra-motion control capabilities, overlay graphic analysis or 3D replay and supermotion operations; sports highlights and immediate media access and exchange with post production; logging and statistics integration; mobile, web streaming and multi-channel delivery; second screen applications; and sports archive management. Version one of C-Cast has recently been released, and is due to be used for a major international football competition in Europe next summer. “The major issue is definitely not technical. It is the problem of rights,” says Bourdon. “Broadcasters want it in their workflow, but might not have the media rights.” EVS is talking to sports federations and rights holders to see how this will affect their business model.

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EVS’ new Sports360 aims to help content owners, broadcasters and facility companies to address multiple markets at once and cope more easily with the partitioning of rights for different platforms. Although “there is more and more distributed media available to broadcasters and producers,” EVS’ Marketing & Communications Director Nicolas Bourdon sees a clear risk that by limiting viewers to watching just a director’s cut on the TV screen will cause broadcasters to lose a considerable part of an audience that increasingly turns to a second screen to check in on Facebook or Twitter and may stop watching TV. “We are creating a massive amount of content on our servers, so we wanted an alternative way of providing complimentary content on second screens,” he says. To enable this, it has developed C-Cast (for cloud-cast), which allows broadcasters to make highlights and clips available over a web server and delivered through the cloud to user’s iPads or any other web-connected device. This means that if there is any interesting action, such as a goal or a red card, within two minutes users will be able to access alternative content related to this, such as viewing the incident from different camera angles. Its 360 concept starts with the live production and endeavours to build on what is already being done for the broadcast, giving producers the ability to create and deliver, in parallel, near-line media to different platforms, using C-Cast. The third part of the equation is the provision of systems that simplify getting media to studios or media hubs, for compilation in to highlights packages or news stories by journalists or post production. “The last step is the interaction with the archive, so broadcasters can monetise their content, which would be used during live or near-live production, such as to create stories about specific players and for viewers to access further related content from the archive,” he explains. It also makes it easier for logs and associated metadata to be included with the archive during automated digitising. All four parts are available now, with parts one and three (live production and Sport Broadcast Centres) now in operation, with many users like the BBC, Sky Sports, NBC, Fox, and Canal+ already using this workflow. It requires integrated solutions in addition to the EVS servers, such as IPDirector

and has already been implemented by UEFA to digitise some 30,000 hours of soccer matches from the past 20 years, with logging of all important action, such as goals, and

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Sports goes data mining Once treated separately, the twinning of live video with the analytic data feeds is revolutionising the area of sports broadcasts. Adrian Pennington looks ahead to London Olympics 2012 At next summer’s Olympics the host broadcaster will make available a special data feed for broadcasters to select alongside the pictures. It will be the largest scale application to date of a trend sweeping sports broadcasting — that of synching data to video to power broadcast analysis and video-on-demand. The Olympic Data Feed (ODF), collected on behalf of Olympic Broadcast Services by ATOS Origin and Swiss Timing, contains a comprehensive set of competitor information and scores from events at the Olympic venues. A version of ODF for broadcasters will also be created and includes transmission information and video logging metadata to help broadcasters trigger graphics, prepare schedules and distribute information to websites/mobile. Recognising the importance of data to augment its own 2012 Games coverage, the BBC contracted Deltatre to adapt the ODF into a single data set called the Olympics Results Pipeline that will power all its TV graphics and online video across multi-platforms. “Data has had a value for a number of years but now it is being used to power video it is a real game-changer, opening up whole new applications, business models, and ways in which fans can interact with a sport or means by which rights holders can extend the reach of their brand,” says Jim Irving, Deltatre’s head of Video and Commercial. “The Olympics will be a catalyst for change in the use of data in the industry.” “Video has been and will remain the focus but data is the next thing to focus on,” noted Tim Plyming, project executive, Digital & Editor Live Sites, BBC London 2012 at the IBC conference. “Data takes a different form for different audiences — results, scheduling, athletic

data, data which explains who the favourites or countries are — the kind of data that increases value to an audience and helps them understand the event. For example, we want to incorporate data about the sport of diving which explains why it is a good dive — this may not be immediately obvious to newcomers to the sport. The viewer can customise the data either for the same screen or for a complementary screen.” Perhaps the most dynamic use of data is happening not attached to the linear broadcast stream but alongside video streamed online. Consumers are moving from passive viewing to being engaged participants in events that are unfolding by using a smartphone or tablet as a second screen at the same time as consuming a traditional TV broadcast. The opportunity is being enabled by IP while services are being driven by data — and this is no more prevalent than in live sports. There is a clear movement towards establishing official data providers for specific assets, with the objectives of managing the data, preparing it commercially and, if relevant, acting as a distributor.

During the game, data can aid understanding of tactics, performance levels and statistics — which can be user-selective

“There’s been a huge shift in terms of how rights holders view data over the last five years,” says Karl Hogan, key account director, Opta, the official data provider for Major League Soccer in the US among others. “Traditionally broadcasters were custodians of data more concerned with the reward gained from TV rights. Increasingly those rights are being divided into different

assets — FTA, live, mobile, internet, highlights and other subsets — and there’s an understanding among savvy rights holders now that the data associated with their asset has commercial value. “Second screen viewing is not confined to the 90 minutes of the match itself,” says Hogan. “Done well, a second screen proposition can add life and longevity to the discussion around a match. We create a digital blueprint of live games. Every X&Y co-ordinate of every on-theball touch is recorded by three analysts per live match (home, away and QC) and distributed to clients. This takes the form of xml data feeds, digital widgets or complete digital assets such as match centres, as well as editorially. The detail we go to live — given the volume of games we cover — is unrivalled.”

Game data

An extension is to allow fans in stadia to receive clips or highlights to mobile devices. The idea was piloted at the Emirates Stadium by Sony

Data allows for the creation of unique content, which attracts consumers and therefore sponsors. Data could be used to build apps for users to select fantasy football teams or plan betting activity in a pre-match scenario.

During the game data can aid understanding of tactics, performance levels and statistics. These can be user-selective rather than the limited selection available via a standard broadcast. Opinions might be shared via social networks. Post match data could be used to share highlights with friends or compare predictions. “There is a demand among broadcasters and betting companies for quicker information to add to the story/production or settling of bets,” says Hogan. “We have editorial teams in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and New York compiling editorial insights into a game: for example the impact of an event on a player, a game or a referee. The challenge is to turn it around as quick as possible.” Opta is one of a number of companies supplying official data records of live sports events on behalf of sports rights holders to broadcasters, betting companies or even teams for training purposes. Other suppliers include Press Association, STATS, Deltatre and Pulse (part of Sony-owned Hawkeye). Pulse co-founder Wyndham Richardson describes it as “a data warehousing and presentation service.” It handles virtually all Hawkeye processed cricket and tennis match data and manages the website and live streams for Indian cricket board BCCI. On the broadcast side, Sony is developing an augmented data application, which ingests tracking data (from STATs for football or Hawkeye for tennis) and overlays it over picture stitched live match coverage. Video processing provider Elemental Technologies has a number of sports related applications under its belt. Elemental Live acts as a premium source for live event streaming to multi-screen applications via Adobe Flash, Apple HTTP Live Streaming, and Microsoft Smooth players. Its server delivers multi-screen video in an on-demand application to those same players. Stats are integrated with Elemental sourced video at the player itself. Examples of recent deployments that have used Elemental as the core source for live or on-demand video in the sports world include fast turnaround highlights of the Rugby World Cup in partnership

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with Deltatre for the official International Rugby Board website and mobile apps and live streaming of Eurosport’s web and mobile channels in Europe. Deltatre markets DIVA, an online video player built to power NBC’s website at the Beijing Games, further finessed for CTV and NRK’s coverage of the Vancouver Winter Olympics and, since February 2011, deployed by Sky Sports as Event Centre, for its online coverage of UEFA Champions League and Heineken Cup Rugby.

which the broadcaster selects highlights for the consumer, to more personalised content. Shimon Katzubes, managing director of SportVU at STATS, agrees: “There is a clear shift/ trend of allowing the individuals to take more control while possibly giving them the capability to be their own directors over streamed live games.”

“The London 2012 Olympics will be a catalyst for change in the use of data in the industry” – Jim Irving, Deltatre Deltatre is trialling new applications in-conjunction with Cisco which last year rigged the Superbowl stadia with several hundred Wi-Fi hotspots. Live video streams of matches is planned.

“We want to provide a product where users can transition seamlessly between different devices such as when using second devices alongside a connected TV,” says Irving. “Rich media is at the core.”

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Data management Turin-headquartered Deltatre is the official agency responsible for collecting and managing data on behalf of UEFA and FIFA. For Heineken Cup Rugby it is taking the data supplied by Opta. “Data underpins everything we do,” says Irving. “It’s not our biggest area of business but arguably the most important. We see far higher viewing times for an event where we are using integrated data, partly because adaptive streaming is delivering better quality pictures and the amount of bandwidth into people’s homes is continuously growing but data also helps keep the viewers attention.” Average viewing times of 5-10 minutes are boosted tenfold to 50-70 minutes, he claims. The Event Centre provided for Sky includes three levels of data provision, he explains. “Level one is the classic ‘vidiprinter’ data of goal description, yellow cards incidents etc. Level 2 goes to greater depth and includes stats on shots on and off target for example, numbers of corners and passes. The third level uses optical tracking technology (supplied by STATS-owned SportsVU) to deliver XYZ coordinates of every action tracked 25 times a second and delivered as metadata tags baked into the video.”

Rewind TV “We are seeing a key shift in the live experience whereby viewers enter a game having missed the first 20 minutes and can rewind the live TV,” says Matt O’Connor of media aggregator Edit.TV. “We then take it a step further and enable them to rewind live TV by selection of events (goals etc) or by events on other games happening simultaneously.” Edit.TV is in discussion with broadcasters in Europe about covering the Euro 2012 and the 2012 Olympics. “Coverage of these simultaneous multi-events represent a real challenge for broadcasters who need to make those services available on a digital platform,” says O’Connor. “The Olympics, for example, will have around 12 concurrent feeds 12 hours a day. Broadcasters want to cover the main events but they also want to feature athletes from a particular country in events which are happening simultaneously.” The technology could see sports broadcasts shifting from one of prescriptive editorial, in www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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Philip Stevens explores a unique solution to outside broadcast TV coverage in challenging terrain

Think outside the (expanding) box Most of the new outside broadcast vehicles that are commissioned these days are lengthy articulated trucks capable of accommodating a large number of cameras and numerous personnel. But what happens when the terrain and other prevailing conditions prevent such vehicles from reaching the location of the OB? That was a problem facing SuperSport — the pan-African satellite broadcaster — when it came to covering events in Nigeria. “The road infrastructure in some parts of Nigeria means it is simply not possible to send large, expanding vehicles,” explains Andre Venter, director SuperSport Media Solutions Africa. “So, we decided to explore the possibility of using two smaller units that could travel along the roads without difficulties, but which could then be joined up at the venue of the outside broadcast.” This concept would also mean that parking was easier than trying to negotiate the often limited space available at specific venues with an expanding trailer. After the tendering process, the contract to build and furbish the new HD trucks was awarded to C2S Systems in Leeds. In total, four vehicles were used — creating two separate OB units each capable of accommodating 20 cameras. Each operational pair provides enough space for production, audio and replay areas in one truck, and an engineering and uplink area in the other. “We had already worked with SuperSport in Nigeria when we built a 13 camera SD outside broadcast unit,” states Jonathan Lyth, systems manager at C2S Systems. “More recently, we had constructed a new HD production facility in Ojota, Main Land Lagos. That facility comprised a two-tier production control room with separate audio and voice-over areas and three Avid edits. “There was also two studio floors, one with four cameras for presentation duties, the other equipped with eight cameras and

used for audience shows. The facility also included an MCR for live lines from the OBs and links to SuperSport’s main transmissions complex in South Africa.” Lyth goes on to say that SuperSport brought the concept to the table of building two smaller OB units that could then function as one unit once set-up was completed. “We had to implement that concept. The main brief for C2S was to develop the technical solution to achieve this split, while maintaining a familiar operational feel to the system.”

Building the vehicles Mercedes Axor-R 2529 trucks measuring 11.5mx2.5mx4.3m were selected for their reliability record, good local servicing and warranty support and existing familiarity with the vehicles. Building the interiors of the OB vans and integrating the electronics was carried out at C2S’s Leeds facility. To ‘join’ the two OB units, C2S developed a custom design for Snell’s Centra system. This provides an operator-focused graphical router interface, which can be controlled by a variety of touchscreen operations. It can also provide portals into a variety of web and third-party software, for more complex engineering setups. The system is designed to not only highlight an issue before it becomes a problem, but also provide complete diagnostics and the control interface. As part of the contract, C2S supplied Dell Inspiron Touch

Familiar equipment

OB3 Control gallery: Despite its smaller size, the OB unit still has the capability to handle large productions

Much of the equipment supplied for use in the vans comes from Sony. “Client specification for the key items, such as the vision mixer and camera channels, added to our own strong links with Sony, meant that a competitive package on the additional items such as VTRs and Monitoring was possible,” reports Lyth. The vision mixer selected for the units is the MVS8000 with 2.5 ME banks. Twenty HD cameras are supplied for each unit in a combination of HXC300, HDC1550 and HDC3300. Four

Exterior: The use of smaller vehicles means SuperSport can cover events where it would be difficult to accommodate a large truck

Netbooks for this purpose. However, subsequent additional engineering requirements have also seen the introduction of integrated iPads. “The design also meant that the vehicles could be parked sideby-side, and then joined by means of platforms and canopies,” says Lyth. “This was essential in helping protect personnel from the extreme weather conditions that can be experienced in Nigeria. By lifting walkways out of the mud and dust and providing a shelter from the sun and rain, not only is the working environment a nicer place to be, but also the interiors of the vehicles are better protected.”

different models of Sony VTRs are available — PDW-HD1500, HDW-M2000, DVW-M2000 with upconverter and DSR-2000 with upconverter. Sony also provides monitoring facilities in both trucks, with Evertz VIPA8 and VIPA16 multiviewers also on board. Evertz also provides the CDWM fibre mux systems and the SPG units. Each truck is equipped with a range of EVS gear including the new XT3 production server, the IPDirector content production and management suite, the XFly portable storage solution, the GX fill and key playout server, as well as the Xedio Dispatcher ENG gateway. The XT3 servers are used to ingest and playback the multiple camera feeds. For comms equipment, three Telex Cronus frames, using fibre interlinking to give a 96x96 matrix were selected. These allow the flexibility to provide local cabling on the separate trucks. In addition, Telex IFB, radio beltpacks, telephone interfacing and a 2wire system are used. An Advent Newswift 1.8m KU Antenna with Ericsson encoding and decoding is used for uplinking signals. Supplementing the two production trucks is a third

Mercedes chassis which houses a twinset 100Kva generator system along with general cable and equipment storage. Although both units are mostly fitted with identical equipment, when it came to audio mixers there was a split. One has a Yamaha M7CL mixer, while the other is furnished with a Lawo MC56 audio unit. “The reason for the two different units is because the main production contracts for the OBs require a multi stereo final audio output rather than Surround,” states Lyth. “However SuperSport wanted to future-proof for other major events, so decided to build one of each mixer for starters. The actual audio system design is identical across both units, which allows OB1 to be upgraded to a Surround mixer with minimal on site work.”

Busy days ahead Both trucks will be in full production before the end of the year, and SuperSport’s Andre Venter says there is plenty of work for the vehicles. “We cover 65 football games and 20 basketball matches per season — and various other events, too. We also produce four magazine shows per week from our studios, plus live pre and postmatch for English Premier League fixtures, as well as the UEFA Champions League. So our commitment to using the trucks will be considerable.” The studios were the company’s first venture into HD in Nigeria, with these OB vans being the follow up. But what plans does Venter have for the future? “These OB units are part of an upgrade programme to make us ready for an expansion of HD. At the moment there is a shortage of Africa-toAfrica satellite capacity. Once we can resolve that situation we will start producing more in HD.” Although the main concentration of work for the new trucks will be Nigeria, SuperSport may move them into other areas of West Africa — according to workload. Having had time to reflect on the decision to build two trucks, rather than one articulated vehicle, does Venter have any second thoughts? “This was absolutely the right decision and we will soon start to see the benefits,” he concludes. www.supersport.com www.c2ssystems.com www.evertz.com www.lawo.de www.snellgroup.com www.sony.co.uk/biz www.telex.com www.vislinklaw.com www.wtsbroadcast.com www.yamahaproaudio.com

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Sports TV in discussion Sunset + Vine perspective: Distribution outlets multiplying but broadcast budgets shrinkingâ&#x20AC;Ś Sunset+Vine is a leading international sports television production company, currently involved in major contracts to produce badminton, cricket, rugby, horse racing, sailing and more. George Jarrett talked to Head of Production Jeff Foulser about budgets, technology, new media, competition and opportunities for the future The biggest news involving Sunset+Vine over recent months has been the acquisition of two West Coast production companies â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Arthur Smith & Co and Base Productions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for the creation of a strategy for breaking into the American sports production market Part of the Tinopolis Group, along with Mentorn Media, Sunset+Vine is headed by chairman Jeff Foulser, who talked about those American ambitions, 3D, slashed budgets, broadband quality, new media, Crown Jewels like Test Cricket, and finding the right holistic approach to content. Foulser was S+Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head of production from 1995-1997, so what has been the biggest change in sports TV since then? â&#x20AC;&#x153;More channels. It was before things like YouTube and content was pretty much restricted to the four big channels. Now it is all over the place,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;More platforms make a big difference to the way we run this business.â&#x20AC;? As distribution outlets have multiplied, budgets have shrunk. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is much more downward pressure on price, and there is an awful lot of competition,â&#x20AC;? says Foulser. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of it has to do with the fact that broadcasters spend so much on rights. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have competition, so they drive the prices down for production, and obviously new technologies help that to happen to a certain extent,â&#x20AC;? he adds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They play everybody off against everybody else, so when you pitch for jobs you are up against 10 different companies.â&#x20AC;? This has the inevitable consequence of shunting contract values down, and the production companies have to pinch their suppliers.

Contracts

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do it to the OB companies. The squeeze goes all the way down to the bottom,â&#x20AC;? says Foulser. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They always say to me, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We are the last rung on the ladder, and you are always kicking usâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. I say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We are being kicked from above, and we have got to do things cheaperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. By far the biggest chunk of any production budget is spent on facilities.â&#x20AC;?

New media dilemma

The BBC drops 43 racing days Despite all the kickboxing, sustaining high quality is crucial. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We developed Hawkeye and stuff like that,â&#x20AC;? says Foulser. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our job is to position S+V as a high quality producer. We do productions like The Grand National, which has a massive budget, and involves 50+ cameras. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That has not been affected much, but the BBC puts a little pressure on us to make it more cost-effective,â&#x20AC;? he adds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we started with BBC Racing we had 55 days, and now we have 12. They are all high quality days though â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Derby, Royal Ascot, The National â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and they have not tried to hit our budgets too much because they realise these are massive events.â&#x20AC;? Test cricket is no longer a public TV Crown Jewel, so what hope is there that the existing jewels wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fall into commercial clutches?

Sunset+Vine worked with the Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cup people on a weekly magazine show designed to recreate interest in sailing

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is inevitable that they will. As digital takes more of a hold there is less need to have any events protected,â&#x20AC;? says Foulser. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sky pays so much money for cricket, something like $46 million over four years, that nobody else can compete.â&#x20AC;? An â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;old schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; person who believes that the public should enjoy Crown Jewel type events free-to-air, but not in protecting them just for the BBC, Foulser has no serious concerns about broadband quality. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find it frustrating. A â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;for instanceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is that we are working with the Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cup people, on a weekly magazine show designed

The next big thing By George Jarrett â&#x20AC;&#x153;The biggest thing we have done over the last year was winning the ESPN Rugby contract,â&#x20AC;? says Jeff Foulser. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have developed a style of coverage which is different to Sky and to the BBC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our big idea that won the contract was a mobile studio you can move around. It not only enabled us to switch our presentation around but it gave ESPN a branding opportunity. When you are pitching for things, it is all about offering something that

Content

it was reasonable to expect that it might have tested stereoscopic 3D with one or more clients. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The answer is no, because nobody apart from Sky is really doing anything with 3D,â&#x20AC;? says Foulser. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sky has led it, and it is just another way of generating more revenue per subscriber. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have got stuck at about 10 million subscribers, and I think they have got into bed with the TV manufacturers. Instead of HD Ready it is 3D Ready, and they are trying to force something on people that they are not ready for,â&#x20AC;? he adds.

gives them over and above what they want,â&#x20AC;? he adds. Everything that requires editing at Sunset+Vine is done in a set of 13 in-house edit suites that it shares with Mentorn. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We invested in Apple FCP technology and that works very well for us. We used to own Visions, but sold it to NEP. For us that was a good decision because we are producers of content and we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really want to own expensive gear that needs updating every six months,â&#x20AC;? he says.

to recreate interest in sailing, and the Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cup specifically,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They did a deal with YouTube, and our shows are put out every week. The quality is really good, and it is long form. That was a problem in the past because putting long form content on the internet required too much bandwidth,â&#x20AC;? he adds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you look at the quality of shows on the internet it is not far off the quality you get on your HD set at home, and the more convergence comes in, the less of an issue that will be.â&#x20AC;? Given the huge number of sports and events that Sunset+Vine covers, He is more excited about the West Coast prospects than anything else. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Arthur Smith is a high end entertainment production company, and it does all the Gordon Ramsay programming and a lot of stuff for Fox. Base Productions, among other things, does a show called Sports Science,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Those two companies have a bit of history in sport, and we are trying to work out how to establish a North American presence. We are not going to tell Americans how to make sports shows for American audiences. That would be stupid. We want to be a player in that market, and you can only really achieve that through acquisition.â&#x20AC;?

Publishing

Working in partnership with Badminton England, S+V has created Planet Badminton, a clear pointer that new media has its attractions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We try to take that more holistic approach to our programming,â&#x20AC;? says Foulser. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would not say we are hammering new media that hard because everybody sort of gets it, understands it, and wants it â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but nobody wants to pay for it! â&#x20AC;&#x153;That is the problem, and we have just brought in a new commercial director to take a view on all our content,â&#x20AC;? he adds. Taking a different approach, and bringing in someone with different skill sets, has left Foulser hoping S+V can deliver across lots of platforms and make money doing it. What has S+V made of cloud computing then? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are already sort of doing that with the Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cup. We have a system called Ace which enables broadcasters to get into the system,â&#x20AC;? says Foulser. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is up in the air somewhere, and they can get their programming without us having to play it out. We are going to do more of that.â&#x20AC;? Asked what sport is the most challenging to cover, Foulser went with horse racing because of the sheer scale. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every sport or event has its challenges, but Aintree racecourse is something else. With the 50 cameras you have all the cabling and stuff like RF frequencies, travelling cameras, and helicopters, so in terms of logistical and technical ops that is our single biggest and most difficult production,â&#x20AC;? he says. Sunset+Vine sits in the top two of the market with IMG, and the two of them have teamed up to co-produce the Paralympics for C4.

MediaFlow

The system that you want Contracts - Distribution - Scheduling - Planning - VOD - Ingest Spotting - Search & Retrieve - Playout - File Delivery - Publishing

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“iCR is just a spanner that helps you deliver better files faster, and to have more confidence in the files that you’re delivering.” Dealing with the large volume of material it receives, TVT uses Flexicarts for automated ingest for an efficient operation. “It means I can have the operation running when no-one’s here,” says Robbins. It has its own in-house expertise of building software so one of its consultants was able to build TVT an interface with AmberFin’s APIs to run automatically. “The way we’ve built it I can load up the Flexicart, AmberFin will ingest it regardless of what it is and it just works. The Flexi control enables us to capture everything. AmberFin has taken our interface and integrated it with the system, which gives us an additional buy-in to the services.” The whole process is speeded up through automated ingest and QC, says Robbins. “I can get people QC-ing one-hour HD programmes in five-10 minutes. Without it I’d need to employ more staff and technically have longer days. It has enabled us to have a very slick workflow.”

reliable file QC solution is extremely important. Having a unified interface for tape and file QC is also important from a training perspective. Finally, we’re also planning to use AmberFin UQC to auto-QC outgoing Playout and VoD files to ensure that transcoding glitches and file copy errors are caught before the file reaches the client.” The UQC solution can help operators to flag up any potential inconsistencies. Devlin explains: “We realised that when you build a QC system you’re always going to have false positives and negatives. Humans suffer from distraction and lapses in concentration while machines don’t know the difference between pictures suddenly going black and white because of a technical element or because it’s a dream sequence/something creative. Our QC tool is aimed at allowing a human to add judgement to those automated measures. The human is trying to validate whether or not that event created by the automated tool was a real event, error or just an artefact of the programme.” A key element of UQC, says Devlin, is that information can be captured at the front end and if you redo a QC downstream you can compare the results of the downstream QC against the upstream QC. “They should be the same if all you’re doing is a simple transcode. The key business gain from UQC is the fact that by doing this A-B comparison around a process, what you’re starting to look at is the QC of the process as well as the QC of the files.”

Quality checks

Test evolution

The latest development from AmberFin is UQC, which offers what it claims is a unique approach to quality control combining multiple tools for baseband checks during tape ingest, file-based QC after ingest, and overall operator-controlled QC — including annotation and mark-up. TVT’s Thesiger believes that UQC delivers the promise of significant new efficiencies for facilities like his. “Like all companies, we are starting to receive a significant percentage of master material as files rather than tapes, so having a

The beta testing at TVT has been ongoing for several months and will continue. However, UQC is commercially available with customers already committed. In addition to the testing at TVT, AmberFin has been carrying out its own stress testing in its labs. At the user end, Robbins explains: “The product never stops, it’s always growing, changing and evolving. You can’t expect to evolve that without breaking some of the things that you did previously if you aren’t able to run it in a live production environment. You can make it work everytime in the lab. It’s not beta testing of the initial product, it’s the evolving testing.” As the product continues to develop with the support of TVT, the broadcast facility has its own ambitious growth plans with a new client office opening up in Singapore. The new Asia hub for BBC Worldwide will be based on the successful model operating at TVT’s Chiswick location for the TV channel. “It will be a file-based facility. We will be developing more software to automate other parts of the workflow and automate media management by developing a whole suite of media management applications,” says Thesiger.

Keen eye on quality Melanie Dayasena-Lowe takes a tour of TVT’s file-based operations in West London and finds out how AmberFin’s nascent Unified Quality Control functionality is helping to deliver new workflow efficiencies for the content mass delivery ‘media factory’ in Chiswick London-based broadcast facility TVT has been working with AmberFin on the ongoing development and beta testing of the company’s new Unified Quality Control (UQC) solution that has been integrated within TVT’s filebased workflow. As a user of AmberFin’s iCR file-based content ingest and transcoding system for many years, the relationship first began when TVT approached AmberFin at a trade show looking for a hyper efficient workflow. Bruce Devlin, chief technology officer at AmberFin, explains: “[TVT was] looking for ingest and quality control tools to help bring large volumes of tape in, turn them into files and then feed them into a very efficient file-based workflow. We explained how our ingest system worked and how it could be automated. That led them to put together a facility with iCR as the ingest engine to bring content into the facility.” When TVT took the decision to go file-based, it opted for AmberFin as the best solution. The broadcast facility deals with a large volume of content so it was looking for a solution that could cope with this demand. “We’re currently still one of the only companies doing mass delivery of complete channels in long form media file delivery to various broadcasters. We’re the only third-party company that deals with it in the bulk of material we do,” explains Jake Robbins, chief operations officer for TVT.

Media factory At one of its two Chiswick offices, TVT runs BBC Worldwide’s global channel media supplies with about 55 staff. The broadcaster’s aggressive expansion plan meant

TVT uses AmberFin’s iCR as the ingest engine to bring content into the facility

its channels grew from six in 2008 to 23 now. TVT’s Managing Director Kim Thesiger describes his company as a “media factory” that needs to work as efficiently as possible. “If there is a bottleneck the process grinds to a halt; it has to work efficiently and smoothly.” At the BBC Worldwide facility alone, TVT takes in up to 9,000 hours of material a year. With TVT creating up to three versions of each show (pre-watershed, post-watershed and a version edited for more sensitive territories), this could amount to 27,000 hours of master material a year. These masters could be delivered in multiple formats for playout or VOD potentially increasing this figure threefold. The second TVT site in Chiswick is one year old and operates UKTV’s compliance contract, with about 30 staff servicing UKTV’s 10 channels and nine +1 channels. Robbins explains that when it came to selecting the AmberFin solution it was “a no brainer. [AmberFin was] also prepared to

Kim Thesiger: “One of our unique selling points is that we have the ability to develop ourselves”

work very closely with us because no-one had really used it in the way we were planning to use it and often because we’re doing things on a global delivery scale there were things we’d come up with that you can’t test with. For example, formats of tapes come from the BBC that no-one really uses anymore. For AmberFin it was an interesting test bed.” “One of our unique selling points is that we have the ability to develop ourselves. If iCR didn’t exist we would have developed something similar,” Thesiger reveals. According to Devlin, it’s all about trust and confidence:

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Workflow transform at TF1 The installation of three SSL C100 consoles has significantly increased the efficiency of workflow at major French broadcaster TF1. Paul Watson reports on the studio upgrade

TF1 has also upgraded all of its studios to HD (audio and video)

After being privatised in 1987, TF1 became the largest European private TV channel. Part of the French TF1 Group, it also owns LCI, which is a dedicated cable 24-hour news channel, and has been housed within TF1’s Paris headquarters since 2000. Several years ago, it became apparent that the existing digital broadcast consoles at TF1 were in need of replacement – it had been 10 years since they’d been installed, and the previous investment had now been fully absorbed, which meant an upgrade could be planned. There are three main control rooms that run TF1’s four TV studios: control rooms One and Two are dedicated solely to TF1, and control room Three is used for LCI. All are configured in roughly the same way whereby audio is located on the right hand side; video and lighting is situated on the left hand side; and the director sits at the helm alongside a mass of monitors in the centre. Production and maintenance are both located at the back of the room.

Initially, SSL was one of three major manufacturers in the running to carry out the installation. Soon, that number was whittled down to two; and eventually, after much discussion and plenty of to-and-froing between Paris and Oxfordshire, TF1 decided that SSL’s offering ticked all the right boxes. “There were three main criteria that had to be addressed before we made our decision: the feelings of the user; the system’s capacity; and the price,” explains TF1’s Christophe Moulin, audio manager for TF1 and LCI. “Ultimately, we thought the SSL C100 had the best user interface, was the easiest console to work on, and was at the right price point.” A C100 console was installed into each of TF1’s three control rooms. Initially, one central MORSE system was running everything, but eventually the two TV channels were separated, as LCI’s 24/7 schedule was making it difficult to make any changes to the system. TF1 still has one central MORSE router between its

two control rooms, but LCI is now run as a separate entity, although due to its similar setup it can also act as an additional backup for TF1 if necessary. Evidently, redundancy is absolutely key. This is the case for any TV broadcaster, of course, though TF1 was particularly demanding in this area, according to SSL’s Director of International Sales Philippe Guerinet, who says a lot of things had to be done “just in case”. “Sometimes French TV customers have crazy requests,” he says, smiling at TF1’s Technical Director, Jean-Pascal Lefort. “The MORSE router was already fully redundant, but TF1 managed to find some issues with the way the redundancy was built, so they wanted a further form of redundancy of the MORSE router — which is definitely a first! It’s now a very complex system.”

insisting that their console was the best, but when our sound engineers had the chance to work on each of them, they realised that their job was easier using the SSL console,” he says. “In fact, we even had people that don’t work in audio coming and telling us that they loved the sound; I think this stems from the musical heritage of a company like SSL.” The installation got underway back in 2009 and took 18 months to complete. It was done in three separate stages: control room One first, then control room Three, and finally control room Two. Each C100 console is running 128 mono inputs, and is connected to an SSL Blackrock master and Blackrock slave, both of which are located in each control room’s respective machine room. There is also a Yamaha console in every control room as backup, and a 64-channel MADI trunk runs between LCI and

“The MORSE router was already fully redundant, but TF1 managed to find some issues with the way the redundancy was built, so they wanted a further form of redundancy” — Jean-Pascal Lefort, TF1

TF1 in case more space is required, though it’s only been used once so far, as the C100’s capacity has proven to be more than sufficient. Of the three control rooms, only control room two is configured for 5.1. At TF1, 5.1 is scarcely used at all, in fact — just for major sporting events, such as this year’s Rugby World Cup Final, which of course featured the French team, therefore attracting a massive 18 million viewers. But it’s not all about audio. Because TF1 has also upgraded all of its studios to HD (audio and video), the C100’s HDI input has made a big difference to the overall workflow. “The video comes from a big central router, so using the C100’s HDI input allows us to add a lot of extra inputs with only one mono input,” Moulin reveals. “If we change the video input, we also change the audio input; so this was another bonus in using SSL, and we use this function a lot.” Although TF1 has been at its current location since 1987, and now boasts a state-of-the-art broadcast control system, Lefort says in terms of further upgrades, he will ‘never say never’. “There is no expansion planned for the future as yet, but things change, and we might move somewhere else — there is always that possibility,” he insists. “When something is finished, we have to think: ‘OK, what’s happening tomorrow, then?’ We’re constantly looking forward and searching for new ways to improve, so, in five years, who knows?” www.solidstatelogic.com www.tf1.fr

At the touch of a button SSL even built some new software to meet another of TF1’s requests — Lefort insisted that a dedicated button be produced to allow users to quickly toggle between pre and post auxiliary sends, rather than via the C100’s menu. “For most people, using the menu is good enough,” Guerinet adds, “but when it’s an intense working environment, I guess pressing one button does make it easier and quicker, so that’s what we’re doing.” Another major plus point in using SSL, according to Lefort, is the quality of the audio that comes out of the C100, with which TF1’s 15 sound engineers have been extremely impressed. “At the beginning, of course, every manufacturer was

There is also a Yamaha console in every control room as backup, and a 64-channel MADI trunk runs between LCI and TF1

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RBC-TV in upgrade for business efficiency Russia’s first 24-hour business news channel, RBC-TV, has upgraded its Moscow headquarters with a bespoke news production and playout system from Harris, writes David Fox The new infrastructure brings greater operational efficiency by facilitating a tapeless, file-based workflow throughout the facility. The upgraded system stretches from ingest to playout, driving the broadcaster’s news, production and master control areas. “Harris worked with us every step of the way to develop and design an operational environment that integrates our existing legacy systems into new technologies,” says Mikhail Tereschenko, RBCTV’s director of Technology. “RBC-TV has already noticed a dramatic increase in operational workflow and efficiency as a result of the upgrade. Most importantly, the Harris solution makes content easily accessible and easy to modify, enabling us to maximise the value of our existing media.” It is using Harris Platinum (largescale) and Panacea (small-scale) routing systems for facility-wide signal distribution, with compact Harris HView multiviewers for signal monitoring and management, plus Nexio AMP servers for ingest and storage as well as Nexio Farad storage for realtime access to content, connected to the facility’s news-

room system to allow journalists to quickly create and edit content. Harris Invenio digital asset management software and near-line storage accelerate production speed with low-resolution viewing, editing and logging of content. Invenio imports legacy material from RBCTV’s tape library and catalogues its expanding digital tape library, while automatic workflows permit file transfer and content management across all storage areas, with intelligent interfacing to scheduling and automation systems. Harris ADC automation integrates with Invenio and RBC-TV’s traffic and scheduling system for playout. “This project demonstrates Harris’ market-leading capabilities to integrate various technologies and products to create a system solution that is uniquely matched to RBC-TV’s production needs,” says Harris Morris, president, Harris Broadcast Communications. “RBC has built an efficient solution to meet today’s challenges with the flexibility to scale and modify the system in the future.” As part of its upgrade, RBC-TV has also expanded its existing thirdparty intercom system with a Riedel Artist digital matrix intercom and added a Riedel RockNet digital audio network for audio routing. The Artist system it installed includes an Artist 64 mainframe and Artist control panels from 2100 and 3000 series. Connection between the

Room with a view: Testing the Harris HView multiviewers during installation

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and click on SUBSCRIBE on the top of the homepage Looking suite: One of the new post production suites at RBC-TV

Police chase action gets grade treatment BBC’s Motorway Cops features tight deadlines and strict broadcast requirements — and relies on some key technology from Blackmagic Design. By David Stewart BBC One’s Motorway Cops, directed by Scottish native David Rea exposes the real-life, day-to-day experiences of our police force. The series of one-hour specials has been shown on BBC One throughout 2011. To help finish the series, Rea turned to DB Creative Director, Chris Pitbladdo, to handle editing, grading and even the filming of particular episodes, as well as ensure the series met the strict broadcast requirements of the BBC. DB Creative, founded in 2007 by Pitbladdo, has a hefty portfolio including BBC and Channel 4 documentaries like Interview with a Poltergeist, The Princess and the Gangster and Half-Ton Hospital. Pitbladdo says, “My favourite thing about my job is being part of the creative process and being involved in a project from beginning to end. There is nothing I hate more www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

Chris Pitbladdo: “To keep up with cops during a high speed chase we had to sit in the back of the vehicle”

than having to hand something I’ve worked really hard on over to an online editor. If you do that the creative process is interrupted and I don’t think you get the best out of people when that happens.”

existing third-party intercom and the Riedel system is realised via 4-wire. Artist is a modular intercom system that is easily adaptable. Artist Client cards provide the connection for various different signal types such as audio signals or GPIOs. Artist Matrices can easily be expanded to form systems with up to 1024x1024 non-blocking ports. “For our new studio, we chose Riedel Intercom, because it manages all tasks just the way we want and need it. We will also exchange the remaining Drake System in our old facility with a Riedel Artist mainframe. Those two frames will be forming one integrated system,” explains Terezchenko. Its RockNet installation will distribute the audio signals on-site, and comprises RockNet 100 and RockNet 300 input and output modules. RockNet MADI interfaces provide the connection to the studio’s audio mixing console.

His experience in filming and editing Motorway Cops is a unique one. Not only was he completely engulfed in an eight-month editing and post production process; he even took part in filming some of the high-octane action on the streets of Birmingham. While filming, the crew still had to abide by the law and were not allowed to break the speed limit even though they were following the police car to film to show. “We had four shooters at any given time, so to keep up with cops during a high speed chase we had to sit in the back of the vehicle which was especially fun when you had to sit next to the offender on the way back to the station,” he says. Due to the nature of the filming Pitbladdo ended up with hundreds of hours of footage to edit over eight months, which he had to grade and

test to ensure footage met broadcast quality requirements for the BBC. In order to do that he used Blackmagic Design’s UltraScope, a broadcast-accurate PC-based scope. Even though Motorway Cops is a depiction of true life, Pitbladdo likes to create a frosty and harsh look to convey the mood of the tough streets cops experience everyday. He says: “The executive producer said he wanted the show to be a representation of true life, so no crushing of colours, bring up the saturation or extreme grading techniques but I like to give things a little bit of an edge. So I use the scopes for an artistic tilt and to make the show broadcast legal. They are the business, they really are – chuffed to bits with them.” For Motorway Cops, DB Creative uses a tapeless workflow and the show is shot on the Sony PDW-700 and is put onto a DB Creative’s 32 TB shared server. The files are ingested onto two Avid Media Composers and instantly accessible on an Avid Symphony where Pitbladdo does all of the offlining and starts to grade, using his UltraScope in this process. He says, “We’ve been really happy with how the UltraScope has sat into our workflow; it’s easy to use, reliable and never crashes. However, what’s even better than the product itself is

the support that Blackmagic Design provides.” He continues: ”A few months ago I posted on the Avid mailing list that I loved my UltraScope but I had one little suggestion to make the product better. Literally about an hour later I got an email from the product manager saying that he would put my suggestion forward in the next software update. I was so touched that on an unrelated mailing list, someone from Blackmagic got in touch with me about my thoughts — no one else does that! It proved to me that Blackmagic Design really cares about their customers.”

Edited education Chris Pitbladdo: “In 1996 I first started out at Picardy TV’s graphics department and one day we didn’t have any editors to work on an important commercial that was scheduled in. So I could get some experience in editing I volunteered myself as a ‘fill-in editor’ and hid the Media Composer manual in the bathroom — so when I didn’t know what to do I would excuse myself to go to the toilet and look up what to do in the manual!”

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TVBEU R O PE T H E W O R K F L O W

Ads at your fingertips How VSC Design provided an ingest system for the 15 regional offices of Adstream, a specialist in digital advertising workflow and asset management for broadcasters By David Gancio Given the huge distances between cities in Australia, where a simple courier job in the UK or Europe translates into a 24-hour driving marathon or an airline booking, it is not surprising the broadcasting industry needed to come up with a solution to how to get your taped TV advert to another broadcaster on the other side of the country. The answer was born in 2001 in the shape of Adstream,

a subsidiary of Paul Ramsay Holdings Pty. Adstream specialises in digital advertising workflow, asset management, validation and transmission services for the broadcasting and publishing industries. Managing more than 1.7 million advertising related assets per year to more than 42 countries globally, the company offers a cross media solution designed to work in different markets and to integrate seamlessly

with locally designed components. It has 15 regional offices in the UK, USA, China, Japan, Singapore, India, Australia, South Africa, Malaysia, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany, Italy, South Africa and Sweden. The technology behind its system is based in 10 Ingest Centres where the installations handle thousands of hi-resolution broadcast files a day. The system is based on Adstream’s own custom

designed software and a powerful ingest and distribution installation designed and built by VSC Design, broadcast integration specialists based in Teddington, UK. VSC Design designed the ingest system to be suitable for all Adstream’s requirements and operations throughout the world. “As the Adstream network expands we can easily enlarge and add to the system without the need for further modifications to

Once the audio files, documents, images, scripts or video have been ingested, access of the material via the easy to navigate database is simple

The system uses Tektronix rasterisers and Crystal Vision distribution, and once in the system the service includes careful auditing of the loudness and delivery standards the core design,” says VSC MD Martyn Hales. The Ingest systems hardware is pre-built and checked at VSC’s headquarters before being delivered and commissioned in just one day. “In the case of the Frankfurt office, I think we even surprised the Germans with our efficiency,” comments Hales. For broadcast clients, the conversion of their TV commercials are fed from the supply media; tape or disc, to the ingest systems via Pro Bel Routers to an array of Dell servers running custom Adstream software.

All TV ads are automatically stored in what Adstream calls the Adbank, allowing for easy retrieval

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The system uses Tektronix rasterisers and Crystal Vision distribution and once in the system the service includes careful auditing of the loudness and delivery standards according to broadcast regulations as well as format changes as required and databased storage for future use and recall. Dolby loudness meters are used in control and monitoring along with JVC HD monitors with Dolby E surround sound capabilities. Delivery to the client channels is via hi-speed ADSL links. Adstream makes the distribution of television commercials to one or multiple stations an easy online process. With no paperwork, no couriers, less resources needed for checking, and the peace of mind that commercials will arrive at the station on time. After going through Adstream’s rigorous quality control check, commercials are delivered to television stations as broadcast quality digital files. There are three delivery speeds: Overnight, three-hour Express or Red Hot in 45 minutes — depending on the urgency. Clients can also receive alerts via email or SMS at multiple stages throughout the delivery process, including final confirmation that the commercial has arrived at its destination. All TV ads are automatically stored in what Adstream calls the Adbank, allowing for easy retrieval, including access to radio and print ads from the same campaign. The Adbank allows digital storage and retrieval of print, radio and TV assets instantly, simply and safely. Once the audio files, documents, images, scripts or video have been ingested, access to the material via the database is simple. Downloading TV, radio or print for dispatch or compilation can be done anytime, anywhere from a desktop computer. www.adstream.com www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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TOUCHDOWN.

MKH 8070 Long Gun Microphone Capturing the Moment. The new MKH 8070 is in a league of its own. Its excellent directivity and off-axis linearity make it your ideal team member for major broadcast and sporting events. It will reliably capture that magic moment from a distance with a true and natural sound, even under the toughest sonic and climatic conditions. Part of the flexible MKH 8000 series, just add the MZD 8000 and it is a digital mic. www.sennheiser.com

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TVBEU R O PE T H E W O R K F L O W

BBC shines new light on sustainable TV production Going green: How BBC Roath Lock is increasing sustainability through solar-heated water, photovoltaic cells to generate electricity and energy-efficient studio lighting. Neal Romanek investigates how the broadcaster is changing consumption of energy For TV Productions (http://downloads. bbc.co.uk/outreach/BBC_LEL_Guidelines. pdf). The Guide’s purpose was to reexamine the way lighting is used in the broadcast industry and to offer broadcasters a pool of information for the wider implementation of low-energy lighting (LEL) — a ‘one stop shop’ for low-energy lighting information for

Manager Mariam Ali, who started as a mechanical and building services engineer. “We wanted to answer those questions people had been asking,” she says, “Is it really feasible to use low-energy lighting? Will it pay for itself ? Will it compromise the look and feel of the show?” The use of low-energy lighting — specifically LED lighting — is going to be essential to a more sustainable way of broadcasting, but in an industry slow to adopt change, a lack of consistent spec data about various kits, their practical pros and cons, and a common language to describe LEL has made it more difficult to embrace wholeheartedly as part of a standard production toolkit. The BBC recognised that no one was simply going to just ‘switch over’ to an all-LEL production, without good solid data and, more importantly, practical experience of what it could and couldn’t do. Ali and the BBC, in partnership with Arup, decided to bring together a host of lighting directors, manufacturers and broadcasters to extensively test a variety of lighting kits, from new LEDs to old stand-by tungsten fixtures.

“Production lighting is only one part of the whole system, although very intensely used. Ultimately we want our office space, apparatus rooms and playout areas to be just as energy-efficient too” — Mariam Ali

Life’s Too Short star Warwick Davies, with Kino Flo as backlight

Money is power, they say, but broadcasters are only too aware that power — electrical power — is money. In a TV production space, roughly 80% of the energy consumption is taken up by lighting and the means to cool it. Ever ballooning energy prices and tightening budgets mean that broadcasters can no longer

afford to consume electricity at 20th century levels. And financial considerations aside, our current energy consumption profile cannot be sustained if we hope to leave our grandchildren an inhabitable planet. Earlier this year, the BBC published its white paper, Low Energy Lighting Guide

the entire industry. The BBC’s work on lowenergy lighting has just won it a second place commendation at this year’s LUX awards, as well as a nomination for an International Green Award in the Best Green Energy Efficiency category. The Guide features general information to educate professionals still in the dark about LEL as well as detailed matrices which allow comparison of different lighting types according to a variety of variables, including colour rendering beam throw, warm-up time, lamp life, energy consumption and cost. The BBC’s low-energy lighting initiatives and the LEL Guide project were spearheaded by BBC sustainability Project

Out of these trials, they began to develop an overview of the practical application and future potential of LEL with a view to encouraging the development of better lighting designs and energy management practices.

Light and heat Some broadcasters are discovering that lowenergy lighting is an easier technology to manage. Some LED kits have brightness and colour adjustments which allow broad repurposing of a single fixture and the coolness of the lights require far less cooling. Ali notes, “On some of our productions, cast and crew have complained about it being too cold in the studio, which is a new development.” Because of the lesser cooling requirements and the absence of large generators to run air conditioning, a lot of LEL productions find themselves able to simply run off a mains power supply. The lamp-life is longer on LEDs and there isn’t the warm-up time that tungstens require. The BBC’s push to adopt LEL in its own programming came from its bold sustainability goal of reducing energy consumption by 20% per person. An increasing number of BBC series now use 100% low-energy lighting, including Casualty, Mongrels, and Life’s Too Short. The CBeebies studio at Salford is 100% low energy lighting too, using 51% less energy than the previous tungsten-based studio. Many BBC programmes use LEL to some degree. Crime thriller Silent Witness, for example, uses 40% low-energy lighting, which has resulted in a 30% energy savings. The BBC employ a wide range of LEL lighting kits — the Arri Lightflow, DeSisti LED Fresnel, KinoFlo LED, and various Litepanels. Aware of the rapid advancement of lighting technology, they remain on the lookout for innovation or technological advances whether introduced by established manufacturers or from outside the mainstream. Ali points out that LEL will not be the silver bullet that magically obliterates the BBC carbon footprint. The square footage of production space employing low-energy lighting is only a small fraction of the entire field of BBC power and lighting www.tvbeurope.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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TVBEU R O PE T H E W O R K F L O W

Achieving a good sense of 3D in natural history programming

Tigress shoots 3D in the Namibian desert By Adrian Pennington Increasing number of BBC series now use 100% low-energy lighting

requirements. “Production lighting is only one part of the whole system, although that one small part is very intensely used. It’s one piece of the puzzle, and ultimately we want our office space, technical spaces, apparatus rooms and playout areas to be just as energy efficient too.” Ali notes that it’s often lighting directors who have been most reluctant to adopt new LEL technologies. Such resistance is not surprising since the situation is like swapping out the paint an artist has been using all his life for one that is completely untested. So it was important for Ali to bring lighting directors in early on to participate in the BBC tests. Ali even sent out various bits of kit to lighting directors across the UK, asking them to play with the equipment, run it through its paces. While nothing is going to replace handson experience and the practical understanding that lighting directors

have gained over many years, having a common set of data to point to and discuss, in the form of the BBC’s Lighting Guide, is going to permit more informed choices — or to at least allow technicians to jump in with their eyes open if they find themselves required to work with unfamiliar gear. The process of putting together ‘Low Energy Lighting Guide’ has proved beneficial to manufacturers too, underscoring that they need to make it as easy as possible for broadcasters and technicians to use their new technologies. In some cases, merely designing an LED kit to mimic a tungsten kit has been a simple solution to get reluctant lighting directors over the first hurdle, but as low-energy lighting is universally adopted, success for all parties will come through dialogue among manufacturers, broadcasters and technicians. The BBC’s leadership in this arena marks a fine start.

Tigress Productions’ first foray into 3D is a 60-minute natural history programme shot in extreme conditions, which required two years of research and preparation. Hazards for the cameras and rigs included the magnetised sand of the Namibian desert. Beautiful Freaks Producer and Director Charlotte Jones said: “We chose Namibia because it is cinematically gobsmacking with a variety of environments which has helped produce some really weird wildlife that has adapted to some of the most extreme landscapes on earth.” These include lizards, crickets, bat-eared foxes and desert elephants, which have adapted to survive for long periods without water. To combat risk of magnetic sand particles entering the camera and rig mechanisms or getting onto the mirror itself the team came prepared with bin bags and gaffer tape. They also had to contend with corrosive sea salt and mist on coastal locations.

TVBEurope is the proven European market leader in television broadcasting technology analysis. Through our monthly magazine, electronic newsletters and constant news presence at www.tvbeurope.com we publish more original, journalist-written content every month than all our competitors combined.

TVBEurope leads the market in discussion of digital workflows for acquisition, operations, post, playout and delivery – with a business-led approach that is insightful, readable and relevant.

In addition to the Issue Specials outlined, in every issue our three established core sections anchor TVBEurope’s reporting of the television broadcast workflow. News & Analysis delivers headlines, context and explanation of the big stories. The Workflow is our bedrock coverage of end-user moves to HD, tapeless operation, an IT infrastructure and multi-platform delivery. And The Business Case is still unique to TVBEurope: every issue, an examination of a vendor’s business and how it impacts the European marketplace.

In production since 2009, Jones and Cameraman Simon Wagen, who also acted as stereographer, worked with Bristol facility, Films@59, to find the right kit for such exacting environments. The third member of the on-location crew was Camera Assistant Barney Carmichael who also helped stereograph. “Most of the locations which Tigress Productions goes to are either very hot, remote or wet, but most 3D equipment has been made for studio-based features and dramas,” said Jones. “The machinery is complex and precise and designed to work in sanitised studios as we needed to pick it up and shoot in the desert with it.” The primary rig was a P+S Technik mirror rig with Sony F3s and a set of primes shooting 3585mm focal lengths. Wagen detached the legs and used the 22kg rig shoulder mounted to achieve a 2D style of shooting. A side by side Hurricane rig and a Panasonic 3DA1 camcorder were also used, as was a

Canon XF 305, for cutaways and pick-ups intended for a 2D version. “We wanted to get away from the idea that in 3D everything is very static and controlled, and instead to give that feeling of being like a 2D programme where we are in among the action and not being restrained by kit,” said Jones. Achieving a good sense of 3D in natural history programming is often tricky on long lenses since the 3D tends to flatten into a cardboard effect. To get around that, presenter and naturalist Nick Baker was often filmed in shot with the creatures. “We didn’t have a blue-chip budget, so having Nick in front of the camera was a shorthand to produce a feeling of depth,” Jones explained. Tigress, which is an Endemol company, produced the hour long show with majority funding from Smithsonian in the US and Discovery Networks International. It will air on Sky 3D on 15 January. Endemol has international rights. Post production is also at Films@59. www.tigressproductions.co.uk

Ed Note: This article first appeared on our TVBEurope 3D enewsletter. To subscribe to TVBEurope 3D or any of our other enewsletters, just click on Newsletters at the top of our homepage

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For all advertising and sponsorship opportunities, contact the sales team: Europe Steve Connolly: +44 (0) 20 7354 6000, steve.connolly@intentmedia.co.uk or Ben Ewles: +44 (0) 20 7354 6000, ben.ewles@intentmedia.co.uk, USA Mike Mitchell +1 631 673 3199, mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv

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TVBEU R O PE N E W S & A N A LYS I S

NEWS IN BRIEF AmberFin and ATG link for Middle East AmberFin and ATG Broadcast have announced an expansion of their UK channel partnership agreement to encompass the Middle East region. ATG Broadcast, which has been AmberFin’s channel partner in the UK since early 2011, is opening a new sales and support office, ATG Broadcast Middle East FZ-LLC in Dubai Media City, enabling them to promote AmberFin in the UAE, Lebanon and Qatar. ATG Middle East will promote and support AmberFin’s iCR broadcast content ingest and file transcoding system including the recently introduced Unified Quality Control (UQC) module. “The Middle East market is one we understand well and which we are now able to support directly through our recently-opened regional office in Dubai Media City,” commented ATG Broadcast Managing Director Graham Day. www.amberfin.com

New IP DTT for Cypriot Velister Net Insight has delivered the Nimbra platform to new customer Velister, the commercial DVB-T operator in Cyprus for a new all-IP DTT network. The private broadcast operator in Cyprus selected Net Insight for a new all-IP digital terrestrial network, which covers the whole of Cyprus. The DTT network carries three MUXes and consists of end-to-end provisioning, full-path protection architecture with multiple levels of redundancy from the head-end site to the individual transmitter sites. The network provides both contribution and distribution services based on the Nimbra platform, including the network management system, Nimbra Vision. Nestoras Nestorides, general manager of Velister, said “The Nimbra platform enables us to run both contribution and distribution services based on a single platform as well as supporting a seamless expansion of new services.” www.netinsight.net

Fox extends playout contract Chello DMC has won a five year contract with Fox International Channels Europe to provide playout services for a collection of its European linear TV channels. Under the multi-year contract, Chello DMC will deliver a suite of playout services for 12 FIC linear TV channels in Europe, all of them grouped under the National Geographic brand, managing multiple language and subtitle tracks. It will handle traffic, ingest, scheduling, advanced playout including cue tone insertion, watermarking and dynamic graphics and signal delivery over cable and satellite. As part of the contract, the current HD and SD FIC feeds for the Benelux region will be replaced with a HD simulcast. Two additional services are to be launched this year. www.chellodmc.com

R&D under the microscope IP connectivity from acquisition to archive is on the agenda at BBC R&D North, arguably the largest media research lab to open in these islands since MIT launched in 1999. By Adrian Pennington Having completed its move to MediaCity last summer, BBC R&D North threw open its doors to show what it has been up to, not just to press and local organisations but to show members of the BBC Trust and executives from neighbouring departments like Future Media, BBC Sport and 6 Music. “BBC R&D is not that well known, even in the BBC,” explains BBC North R&D Project Director Adrian Woolard. “We saw this as an opportunity to galvanise people and show them our breadth of work from sports graphics to the connected home. After being based in the middle of a country estate (Kingswood Warren) we are now in the centre of a highly dynamic production environment. We could have a producer in here within three days of conceiving a concept. It will prove incredibly valuable in speeding our research.” Woolard adds: “We may be the first media research lab to open in these islands since MIT launched in Dublin a decade ago. The potential of this site is significant.” For all the excellent inventive work that it has achieved, not least its contribution to DVB-T2, like any other BBC department R&D is under pressure to justify its share of the licence fee — currently £13-16 million per year (including some commercial income). It numbers 60 staff in Salford Quays and a further 120 in London. The focus of many of its 50 active current projects is on greater exploitation of metadata and IP topology. “In a future of pervasive computing where everything will have an in-built computer and be connected to a global network, we are asking what that means for the dual screen experience and the future of media,” says Technologist Steve Jolly. “With an IP-enabled production environment we can move away from analogue and very bespoke, expensive equipment to using commodity devices,” says Woolard. “Our work is an extension of DMI and Fabric by looking at how IP can enable production and how IPenabled production can feed back up the chain to archive and everything else in between.” One goal is to ensure that BBC services now and in future can be accessed by anyone, including those with physical disability. It includes questioning how second screen content applications can be made accessible.

Adrian Woolard: “With an IP-enabled production environment we can move away from analogue and very expensive equipment to using commodity devices”

“We consider very carefully the fact that people are living longer and that family groups will have a range of capabilities from grandchildren to grandparents,” says Mike Evans, senior research engineer, showing a usability lab decked out like a typical living room. There’s an investigation into the typography for user interfaces to understand what impact different fonts and sizes of on-screen text may have. “Our audience is getting older so it’s important to know their needs,” says Trainee Research Scientist Penelope Allen. She showed a prototype of means to change the interface of a platform in accord to the user’s preferred reading level. “We are also looking at how the overlay of text on video impacts on understanding a programme or how video could be disruptive to text,” she says. There are also access requirements for YouView and other platforms to consider. “Users who are unable to use line of site infra-red remote controls or native on-screen interfaces should still be able to access the functionality of a rich platform like YouView,” says Evans.

Universal Control is a way of exposing all the functionality of a platform onto alternate devices via a programming API. One application shown was the ability to control a connected TV from a wheelchair by single clicks and minimal physical control. Another demonstration showed how UC was used to play an audio track from a programme on the main screen, in synch, on a smartphone. “The idea is that you can influence the type of audio you need,” explains Trainee Technologist Alexander Rawcliffe. “Perhaps the dialogue should be more prominent against the background music or you need another language or a director’s commentary or audio description. Using UC we can deliver that by a non-RF means to a personal device. You can download the audio in advance of the programme going out, it locks in sync and you can then listen to it on your personal device while the programme airs.” This technology allows quite radical rethinking about what the remote control is, especially when we are increasingly channel hopping

across a spectrum of broadcast and internet services.” Universal Control is “a big research enabler internally but we’d like it to be an enabler in the assisted technology market on standard STBs,” says Woolard. “We have published reference specs and are actively talking to all stakeholders. It is not yet in the D-Book but we are having discussions with them.” When highly synchronised devices can talk to an STB there are also creative opportunities to explore. These might include the ability to control an STB via a smartphone. The specifications for the app, shown on an iPhone mirroring the functionality of a MythTV open source DVR, are published on the BBC R&D website and the BBC says it is talking with CE manufacturers about future integration. UC has also been adapted to use metadata caught during production. Building on a dual screen content application for Autumnwatch in which additional material was available on-screen during the live show, the R&D team have now made this interaction possible in an ondemand environment. “UC on an iPad can talk directly to the STB and find out where the metadata associated with the programme is and synchronise with it,” says Jolly.

Building on a dual screen content application for Autumnwatch, the R&D team has made interaction possible in an on-demand environment

Personalised experience That approach led BBC R&D to develop an experimental API for set-top boxes called Universal Control (UC). This abstracts programme information and the control actions on a STB into something more appropriate for users. “It permits a very personalised experience in terms of how you interact with client devices with perfectly generic STBs,” says Evans. “You won’t find a fan of the IR remote control in this lab.”

The focus of BBC R&D North is many of its 50 active current projects on greater exploitation of metadata and IP topology

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Melanie Dayasena-Lowe reports from the inaugural BVE North at Manchester Central

New show in the calendar The inaugural BVE North event in Manchester last month was a hive of activity with about 2,400 attendees over the two-day show. Speaking with exhibitors and visitors alike, most were attending the event to test the waters and to gauge the level of interest, business opportunities and networking activity generated by this first-time event. The general feeling was that the venue was easy to get to, the audience was high quality and it was an excellent opportunity for networking. A highlight of the show was the UK debut for the latest versions of Avid’s recently released video and audio editing solutions — Media Composer 6, Pro Tools 10 and Pro Tools|HDX. During a demo of Avid Media Composer 6, the latest enhancements such as the change from 32-bit to 64-bit were highlighted. The new user interface is designed to speed workflows while simultaneously preserving the same functionality. The new Avid Open I/O makes it available to users with different hardware, either Avid hardware or one of its partners such as AJA Video Systems, Blackmagic Design, Bluefish444, Matrox and MOTU. “Buy your software, choose your hardware,” explained Deepraj Sandhar, application specialist pre sales, Avid. Also new for version six is the Avid Marketplace where users can access media libraries. “Customers can browse stock footage, preview it, download it and purchase it,” he explained. Included in that are video and audio plug-in options. The latest Media Composer offers the ability to mix 5.1 and 7.1 audio. There is now native format support for AVCHD and RED Epic as well as the ability to encode Apple ProRes (Mac OS-based systems only). On the 3D front, users can mix and match any type of 3D, mix 2D and 3D material and correct 3D using alignment and colour correction tools. “Media Composer is now a full online tool to finish your 3D projects from start to finish,” said Sandhar.

About 2,400 attendees walked around the first ever BVE North event in Manchester

Global highlights Global Distribution showcased a variety of storage and infrastructure solutions from companies including Active Storage, CacheA, Atempo, G-Technology and Spectra Logic, as well as its own Infinity Archive solution. The company displayed Atomos’ HD-SDI Samurai 10-bit Apple ProRes field recorder, monitor and playback/playout device. “The advantage we feel Atomos has is that they have a patented circular battery power system so it has continuous field power while capturing in ProRes or soon to be released Avid’s DNxHD. The Atomos Samurai will also act as a HD-SDI playback device. Atomos record to standard 2.5-inch hard drives or SSDs so you don’t have to record to expensive compact flash media,” explained Nicholas Warburton, product specialist at Global Distribution. In addition, G-Technology by Hitachi displayed its newly launched 4TB drives, which enable users to save money by lowering the cost per GB of storage as compared to having the same total capacity using multiple lower capacity external drives. It will ship in early 2012. The latest products from HHB Communications made their UK debut at the BVE North show. With representation from Scrub, its Soho-based subsidiary specialising in serving the post production industry, HHB displayed new

releases from Avid Pro Tools, Dolby, Genelec, Mogami, Olympus, Roland, RØDE, SoundField, Studio Technologies, TC Electronic and Wohler. Among the product debuts was Wohler’s new RMQ-230 Quad Split LCD video screen, the RMV16 Series of high quality multiviewer monitoring solutions and the iPad 2 version of Pandora. Also available for iPod Touch, Pandora provides a touchscreen version of the desktop loudness monitor with logging. Showcasing the latest in portable recording from Roland and Olympus, HHB presented Roland’s new R-26 professional portable recorder with dual stereo microphones and six-channel recording that captures up to 24-bit 96 kHz audio. The Olympus LS-20M is capable of capturing HD sound and video in a handheld format that provides features for multiple movie resolutions, including the 1080p .mov format. Also on display was Dolby’s new software for the DP600 Program Optimizer. The new version provides full support of EBU R128 loudness, alongside features that enable six discrete .wav files from a Pro Tools 5.1 surround sound session to be automatically loudness corrected and transcoded five times faster than realtime.

Power up Sharing the Holdan stand, Blackmagic Design revealed its DaVinci Resolve Lite 8.1, a new version of

the free DaVinci Resolve that now includes unlimited colour correction nodes. It allows customers to use multiple colour correctors for more complex and creative grading and is a dramatic boost in power over the previous version of DaVinci Resolve Lite that was limited to two nodes. Canford’s latest range of mains distribution units featuring sequential powering up and down received its UK launch. Products on show included the CatKit range of CAT5E multicore cable assemblies and breakout (stage) boxes, the latest rack mount and camera mount HD video monitors Ruige and a new range of Canford manufactured fibre optic termination panel. Oxygen DCT debuted the new Cinedeck RX two channel HD recorder for tapeless recording/ editing; and launched its brand new SMART Fibre cable range, which has already been adopted by Sky News.

Show soundbites “There was a great range of customers at the show — from end users to chief technical officers — which meant we were able to show the right products to the right people. The Manchester location also gave us the opportunity to meet many new faces.” — Liz Cox, marketing communications manager, JVC Professional Europe “There was scepticism generally about who would attend. Would many southern-based businesses attend when BVE at Earls Court is only 12 weeks away, and no new product announcements were expected as you get with the larger, more established shows? The answer was a resounding ‘yes’. And with so much industry buzz around Manchester with the Salford Quay development, the show was a great success.” — Duncan Payne, sales manager, Fineline Media Finance

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