TVBEurope January 2012 Digital Edition by Intent Media (now Newbay Media Europe)

TVBE Jan P1 news_TVBE_Aug_P_news 11/01/2012 11:29 Page 1

Inside: Fast Turnaround TV, Red Cameras, 3D Market Report

TVBEUROPE

Europe’s television technology business magazine

www.tvbeurope.com

JANUARY 2012

£5.00/€8.00/$10.00

Sensor sizes to have large implications for acquisition New sensor designs are changing the industry, but are all the changes for the better — and which compromises are worth making to take advantage of them? David Fox reports from the leading edge of Acquisition Innovations Most of the exciting new cameras recently have had larger sensors, higher resolution and/or higher frame rates. Creatively, this is ideal if you want shallow depth of field and have the lenses to match, while higher resolution is always good — until you look at the additional storage and bandwidth requirements. “High resolution, high speed, sensor size and processing can each bring benefits to the content. However, significant benefit to the viewing experience occurs when any of these factors are combined; for example, shooting at 4k x 2k resolution at 50fps progressively results in content that benefits from both image detail and also motion characteristics, to give the best possible overall experience,” says John Kelly, general manager, JVC Professional Europe. “Sports and natural history are particular areas where high resolution content will benefit the viewer, particularly when acquired at a high progressive frame rate,” he adds. However, “larger sensors and higher resolution do not provide really new creative benefits, they just compensate for the drawbacks of digital camera technology compared to film,” argues Michael Erkelenz, manager of P+S Technik’s Digital Capture Business Unit, who sees flexible speed rates — such as those offered by its new PS-Cam X35 — as offering far more creative benefit. “Bigger sensors also mean bigger lenses. If it’s going to transition from today’s HD formats to bigger sensors or higher resolution sensors, it has a major impact on the whole workflow. The rest

First delivery: Sony will build all 10- and 24-camera trucks for Panorama

Russia’s Olympic plans OB Focus Part II By Philip Stevens

The need for speed: Michael Erkelenz with P+S Technik’s new PS-Cam X35

of the chain is being impacted,” says Ronny Van Geel, Grass Valley’s director of Product Management, Cameras. For broadcasters who have only recently invested in HD, it would require yet another wave of investment.

Acquisition Innovations TVBEurope takes an in-depth look at the implications of the latest sensor technology and other key innovations in acquisition, including new broadcast cameras and lenses, in our Acquisition Innovation section, beginning page 26 — Fergal Ringrose

In these times of economic difficulty, the placement of an order for 12 outside broadcast vehicles from one customer is welcome news for the industry. And that number of trucks is what Russian production facility Panorama needs in order to fulfil its commitment to cover the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi in three years time, as well as the XXVII World Summer University Games in Kazan in 2013. In all, coverage at 11 venues is required for Sochi, while around 30 sites are involved with the Kazan games. (Although the organisation is operating under the brand name of Panorama, the official legal name of the company is ANO Sports Broadcasting.) For the games’ coverage, Panorama is now training around 1500 television professionals to handle the various production and engineering functions of the games. Panorama was founded as an autonomous non-profit organisation by several Russian broadcasting outlets and the RIA Novosti news agency in December 2009.

Global Award Winner

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

Sergey Podlesskii: “No existing station or production company had enough resources”

“On the government level it was decided that for an event like the Olympics, no existing station or production company had enough resources to make a production for international standards,” states Sergey Podlesskii, the company’s CTO (head of Production Technology). “Also an idea of ‘national signal’ — a production focused on Russian athletes and emotions of Russian fans — led broadcasters to create a joint structure to produce a transmission for all Russian viewers.” Full story, page 14

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TVBE Jan P3 News_TVBE_Aug_P_news 11/01/2012 13:22 Page 3

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

Two Gold Sponsors and first end-user case study announced for TVBE’s new conference

EVS, NRK and Quantel first for Fast By Fergal Ringrose Industry heavyweights EVS and Quantel have come on board as first Gold Sponsors for TVBEurope’s Fast Turnaround TV 2012 conference set for 13 March at The Soho Hotel in London. And the first user case study presentation we can announce is ‘Hurtigruten: Five-day Television Marathon in the Midnight Sun’, presented by Thomas Hellum, project manager at NRK. The Norwegian broadcaster set a Guinness World Record in Summer 2011 by broadcasting a programme lasting for 134:42:45 hours – the world’s longestever live television documentary. The Norwegian Coastal Express brings people and goods from Bergen to Kirkenes all year round; and last summer over 65% of Norway’s population took the journey simultaneously, thanks to NRK’s live TV and web coverage.

Letter to the Editor Dear Sir, In October we issued a press release regarding a new President for FOR-A Company Limited Japan. Mr. Katsuaki Kiyohara has become the company’s new President. The former President, Mr. Keizo Kiyohara, is assuming a new role as Chairman of the Board of Directors of FOR-A Company Limited and continuing on as the CEO of FOR-A Group. The brief in the People on the Move section of TVBEurope’s November issue states that Katsuaki Kiyohara is now also becoming the Chairman of the Board and CEO of FOR-A Group, which is not true. Those are the responsibilities of Keizo Kiyohara. I’m sure the error was caused because there were two individuals with the same last name discussed in the release. Robin Hoffmann Pipeline Communications On behalf of: For-A Company Limited

NRK2 normally has a market share of 4-5%: within days of the set-off, average market share was 36%. NRK will tell the Fast Turnaround TV audience how it produced the five-day event, from a moving vessel at sea, that was live on TV and received 12 million page views on Facebook and 22,000,000 impressions on Twitter — and was streamed in 179 countries. As this issue closed for press, we were on the point of confirm-

ing two major keynote addresses for the conference. And response to our early ‘Save the Date’ emails has been excellent, with broadcasters around Europe expressing strong interest. We’ve already had solid enquiries from Russian State Television, Sematron Italia, Reuters, Seychelles Broadcasting Corp, VGTRK, RAI Radiotelevisione Italia, CNN, Red Bee, BHRT, RTBF Belgium, Fox Europe, Greenlight Television, L-S-B

Broadcast, Studio Hamburg Post Production, Technicolor and others. Among the job titles of those expressing interest in our new conference — which will look at the technologies and workflows behind big watercooler TV shows — are Operations Manager, Independent Director, Global Head of Operations, Principal Engineer TV, Managing Director, Director of PTD, Assignment Editor, Director of Technical Development, Senior Broadcast Engineer, Senior Operator, Project Manager, General Director, Technical Operations Manager, R&D Manager and Senior Technical Specialist. Fast Turnaround TV 2012 will be chaired by senior broadcast consultant John Ive. Watch this space as we release details on the keynotes and case studies from our conference programme. www.fastturnaroundTV.com

JVC announced the GYHMQ10, the world’s first handheld 4K camcorder, this week at CES in Las Vegas. The camera, which captures, records and plays back video at four times the resolution of HD, will have a list price of £5,090 and is expected to ship in March. Its small size (about the same as JVC’s GY-HM150 ProHD camcorder) and low price means it will not only appeal as a B camera for users of larger 4K cameras, but also as set and forget camera for HD use, where the ability to crop and pan full HD images from the 4K image could be very useful. The camera is powered by JVC’s Falconbrid large-scale integration chip for high-speed signal processing and has a 1/2-inch CMOS sensor with 8.3 million active pixels, which delivers realtime 3840x2160 footage at 24p and 50p.

“We’re witnessing the birth of what is destined to become a broad market for full 4K endto-end production,” said JVC Professional Europe Product Manager Gustav Emrich. “The GY-HMQ10 is a breakthrough product that opens up 4K imaging to users who previously wouldn’t have considered it.” Falconbrid processing takes the raw image data from the sensor and deBayers it in realtime. Unlike many high-end 4K cameras, the GY-HMQ10 can output 4K images to a monitor or projector in realtime with virtually no latency. It records using MPEG-4/ H.264 compression, with a variable bit rate of up to 144Mbps, and can record up to two hours of 4K video to low-cost SDHC or SDXC memory cards (it uses four cards at a time to capture the four high definition images that combine to create the 4K version).

1-12 News & Analysis 8 DPP and AS-11 George Jarrett applauds the one voice approach that UK broadcasters have adopted for resolving a batch of file format and workflow issues

11 3DTV market

report 2012 Is the previous trajectory charted by HD the most pertinent guide to an emergence of 3D television as a mature product? Adrian Pennington investigates

14-25 OB Focus Part Two 14 Building a game plan Philip Stevens talks to Panorama about the supply of OB vehicles to cover the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi and XXVII World Summer University Games in Kazan

18 Adventurous 3D Adrian Pennington reports on the 3D production learning curve behind the new Safari Adventure series

JVC unveils world’s first handheld 4K camcorder By David Fox

CONTENTS

20 Ice work at North Pole

24 Four sight: The GY-HMQ10 is the latest part of JVC’s push to 4K production and display

It can deliver live 4K output via four HDMI terminals. It also records 1080i or 1080/ 50p HD, on a single card in a format compatible with most editing systems. Cropping a high definition image from a 4K frame can be done in post, or in realtime during camera playback, using a trimming feature on the camera’s 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD. “It’s part of a larger move at JVC to bring 4K technology to a wide range of customers,” said Emrich. “4K is the logical step beyond HD.” www.jvcpro.eu

The BBC’s latest natural history series has won worldwide acclaim. Philip Stevens discovers some of the technical aspects to its success At the heart of communications Digital technology has pushed its analogue counterpart on to the sidelines in most areas of sports broadcasting but commentary is one vital element for which this has not happened completely, writes Kevin Hilton

26-38 Acquisition Innovations 26 David Fox talks to end-users and vendors about the key developments in camera speed, lenses and sensors as we head into 2012

40 The Business Case 40 Mosart orchestrates TV news production What’s the story behind the Norwegian company that claims to be the number one newscast automation provider in Europe with more than 70% market share? Dick Hobbs takes a look

42 News & Analysis 42 UltraViolet breakthrough UltraViolet launches into Europe — while the headache of fragmented online video delivery could be nearing the end, reports Adrian Pennington

www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

TVBE Jan P4 News_TVBE_Aug_P_news 11/01/2012 15:24 Page 4

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

NEWS IN BRIEF

People on the move

SMPTE Forum lineup The Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE) has announced its lineup for The Forum on Emerging Media Technologies, an executive-level symposium to be held by the Society in May in Geneva and produced in collaboration with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Presenters will include those from ABC Australia, ATSC, BSkyB, EBU, the Fraunhofer Institute, Grass Valley, IBM, Intel, NHK, Radio Television Hong Kong, Sony, Warner Bros, and zeebox. SMPTE also announced that the early-bird deadline for registration ends 31 January. Over the course of two days, The Forum will provide a science-based, non-commercial opportunity for executives and other senior leaders from the broadcast, broadband, and cinema industries to discuss the most important and innovative research taking place over the next 10-15 years, with a particular focus on technologies likely to come to market within the next three years. www.smpteforum.com

Alan Yentob, BBC

Geir Bryn-Jensen, Nevion

Bob Boster, Clear-Com

Richard Ruse, JBL Professional

By Melanie Dayasena-Lowe

company president. Boster will be based in the Clear-Com office in Alameda, California, and will report to Mitzi Dominguez, president of HME. Grass Valley welcomes industry veteran Colin Hay as its vice president for the Northern EMEA region. In his new role, Hay will be located in the UK, reporting directly to Alan Wright. Hay previously served as director Strategic Accounts at Red Bee Media. Richard Ruse has joined JBL Professional as senior director of Global Sales, reporting directly to VP/GM Mark Ureda. Ruse has held key management positions with such companies as Alesis, Line 6, KRK and SWR. Publisher of TVBEurope Intent Media has announced new hires on sister publications Installation Europe and Pro Sound News Europe. Expansion of the Installation Europe team continues with the appointment

Canford in Dubai Canford is opening a Dubai sales office to move closer to partners in one of its most important markets and will open before the CABSAT show. It will also offer a platform to service some of the rapidly emerging East and North African markets. “Canford has been operating within the region very successfully for over 20 years now. So much so that most of our top 10 export markets are in the Middle East” explained Canford CEO Leif Friestad. “Our products already form the core infrastructure of some of the region’s major projects such as the Education City in Doha and the television centre in Riyadh. Opening this office reflects our continued commitment to our partners in the region and enables us to react even more quickly to their needs. It also gets around practical issues like the time difference, we can respond there and then.” www.canford.co.uk

EBU serves up Wimbledon The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has won the competitive bid for the global distribution of The Championships, Wimbledon, for 20122014, renewing its current distribution contract. The contract was awarded by IMG Media in its capacity as The Championships Official Wimbledon production partner, appointed by The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC). Eurovision, the distributor of sports content for the world’s top broadcast and media platforms, will provide a full range of services for the international broadcast community during the two weeks of the tournament. This will include global delivery of the World Feed in HD, plus a 10-court package for the European market, also in HD. www.ebu.ch

The Associated Press has appointed Markus Ickstadt to the board of Associated Press Germany where he will serve as its managing director. He replaces Nigel Baker who had held the role since 2009. Baker leaves the AP to join the Thomson Media Foundation as chief executive. Alan Yentob, the BBC’s creative director, is to join the board of BBC Studios and Post Production as a non-executive director. A commercial subsidiary of the BBC, the company offers studios, post production and digital media services to the media industry from London’s Television Centre, Elstree and Bristol. Clear-Com, an HME company, has named Bob Boster, previously vice president of Worldwide Sales, as the company’s new president. Boster succeeds Matt Danilowicz, formerly

of James McGrath as staff writer. “With his background in local newspaper journalism and commercial copywriting, I’m confident that James will be a strong addition to the Installation Europe team,” said Editor Paddy Baker. As well as writing for the brand, James will be representing IE in the marketplace, including at ISE in Amsterdam at the end of this month. The magazine also welcomes Ian Graham as its new sales manager, completing the new IE team following the recent arrival of Les Wood as sales executive. Joining Pro Sound News Europe as staff writer is Canadian-born Erica Basnicki. “Erica brings a phenomenal set of skills to the brand,” said Editor David Robinson. “She’s been a journalist and writer for nearly a decade, she blogs, she knows web design and she’s worked as a professional sound engineer too. Wow! Having Erica onboard is going to place PSNE in an incredibly strong position as we look towards our Frankfurt redesign.” Nevion chairman Per Otto Dyb has announced the appointment of technology and business development veteran Geir Bryn-Jensen as Nevion CEO. Bryn-Jensen, who previously served as executive vice president of sales and marketing, joined Nevion in 2010. Carter Holland has joined NewTek as executive vice president

Spanish post production company Free Your Mind has invested in an SGO Mistika 2K System with a DI Module to replace its existing technology and enhance the current infrastructure. In order to meet the growing demand of commercials production, Free Your Mind has placed Mistika as its post production tool of choice. Mistika’s advanced set of tools is wider and more flexible than any other system, or combination of other systems, without compromising creativity or quality, while maintaining the highest output speed at the same time.

Commercials production is a highly pressurised environment with tight time schedules, which require immediate feedback, along with accurate and thorough image treatment, and a consistent workflow between the various departments. Mistika will play a vital role in this entire process and will be key in managing projects efficiently. The system can also deal effectively with the most tedious tasks, which will free up the creativity time of compositors, colourists and digital artists at the facility. It will also be used for customer-attend-

Colin Hay, Grass Valley

Nick Lim, OASYS

James McGrath (Installation Europe) and Erica Basnicki (Pro Sound News Europe), Intent Media

Mistika system is commercial star By Melanie Dayasena-Lowe

of worldwide marketing. From 2000 to 2007, Holland implemented global programs at Avid that helped double revenues to just under $1 billion annually. OASYS has hired Nick Lim as director, Americas and Asia Pacific Sales. Based in the United States, he will be responsible for expanding OASYS’ distribution network and developing sales opportunities in the target territories.

ed sessions, working in realtime, for client interaction. Partner of Free Your Mind, Eduardo Jiménez, stated: “SGO’s software solution is excellent for our projects, and ideal for film and commercials, which is the arena in which we are immersed. The compositing and colour correction tools that Mistika has and, overall, the workflow benefits, have been key to us arriving at the decision to purchase the system.” He added: “Enhancing our capabilities with a Mistika system was an obvious move for us in order to

accommodate our growing commercials projects. Mistika’s impressive toolset also makes it the most desirable and interactive solution in the industry and it is very exciting to be utilising the most advanced technology available in the world.” José Luis Acha, sales director at SGO in Spain, explained: “Opting for a Mistika system was a logical progression to fortify collaborative workflows, as exciting projects flow in. Mistika’s phenomenal power in DI and Stereo 3D has opened opportunities for filmmakers and commercials agencies to create exciting content now and in the future.” www.fym.tv www.sgomistika.com www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

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

TVBEUROPE

Acquisition and OBs in focus

EDITORIAL

By Fergal Ringrose

Europe’s television technology business magazine

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

JAPAN AND KOREA SALES 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 Pensord Press, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood NP12 2YA

Question: What TV series spent four years in production, 1.5 years at sea, over six months on the sea ice and 134 hours filming under the ice? Answer: The BBC’s Frozen Planet, with voiceover by Sir David Attenborough, giving us a portrait of the four seasons at the last great wilderness on earth, the Polar Regions. Philip Stevens’ in-depth interview with Producer Mark Linfield is just one of a series of major feature stories in our extensive OB Focus Part II section, starting on page 14. When shooting in Africa or a big production with Sir David is out of the question, the answer may be to find a controlled location where economies of scale can be achieved. In OB Focus Part II, Adrian Pennington reports on the 3D production learning curve behind 10 x 60’ documentary series Safari Adventure. Following our cover story this month, Stevens explores the gigantic task facing Russian production company Panorama to fulfil its commitment to covering the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi in three years time — as well as the XXVII World Summer University Games in Kazan in 2013. “Large sensors have provided perhaps the most creative benefit […] by enabling cinematographers to come closer to replicating the look of film. Shallow depth of field and low light sensitivity are often listed as the most obvious benefits, but improved dynamic range is also very important,” says Peter Yabsley from Canon Europe in our in-depth Acquisition Innovations section also this month, starting page 26.

Red Digital Cinema has always taken its own idiosyncratic approach to the marketplace — most definitely following in the footsteps of the late Steve Jobs The key new technology trends at the higher end of the broadcast camera marketplace recently, according to our Associate Editor David Fox, have been a move to large sensors, higher resolution and higher frame rates. Fox takes us through all the leading-edge changes in the company of Canon’s Yabsley, along with: Milan Krsljanin and Marc Shipman-Müller, Arri; Peter Sykes, Sony; Jeff Cree and Seth Emmons, Band Pro; Michael Erkelenz, P+S Technik; Patrick Ott de Vries and Rick Robinson, Vision Research; Ronny van Geel and Marcel Koustaal, Grass Valley; and Gustav Emrich and John Kelly, JVC. Red Digital Cinema has always taken its own idiosyncratic approach to the marketplace — most definitely following in the footsteps of the late Steve Jobs in terms of seeking to create desire, exclusivity and a slavishly devoted user community. They’ve always done things their own way — and the Red One, after all, was the first affordable digital cinema camera.

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© Intent Media 2012. 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

Since then, though, there has been the DSLR revolution and large sensor cameras released by many other manufacturers. And now, after some false starts, Red is shipping its next-generation 5K camera, the Epic. How does it measure up and can it have the same impact as its predecessors — and what about the lower-cost Scarlet option? In this issue Fox talks Red with DoPs Ben Spence and Olly Wiggins, along with Mark Lloyd from root6. Beyond the research lab (and medical applications), high-speed camera technology is gathering pace, from adding frame rates above 100fps for conventional cameras to providing continuous super slow motion output for sports and other events. This issue we bring you a guide to what’s new in high-speed cameras from Arri, For-A, Grass Valley, Hitachi, I-Movix, Live Motion Concept, NAC, P+S Technik, Vision Research and Weisscam. With the rapid change in cameras seen recently, one of the safest places to invest your money is in glass. Good quality lenses that work with any of the popular cameras will always be in demand. We take a look at how high quality lenses and large sensors are good for business, in discussion with Abakus, Angenieux, Arri, Band Pro, Birger, Canon Europe, Chrosziel, Cooke Optics, Fujinon, Grass Valley, Leica, Pyser-SGI and Zeiss. Now why do I point all of this out to you here? Well, simply this: in what is traditionally the quietest month of the year in the broadcast calendar, I’m very proud that our team has brought you well over 20 original, individually commissioned feature stories in our January issue of TVBEurope and I wanted to bring that to your attention! Especially in the area of Acquisition Innovation: after reading our special section this issue, drop me a line to tvbeurope@ mediateam.ie if you can tell me anywhere else in the world you can read such in-depth coverage, in one place, across broadcast camera/ lens technologies and innovations. Anyone?

Metadata focus for BBC production By Adrian Pennington

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

Frozen Planet: A detailed portrait of the last great wilderness on Earth, the Polar Regions, narrated by Sir David Attenborough

The BBC is experimenting with iPads to speed production and better incorporate metadata at the point of acquisition for use throughout the programme’s lifecycle. The focus of the Automated Production project at BBC R&D and demonstrated at BBC R&D North is to use data and networking tools to power programme workflow. Alongside major pieces of IT research for post production and playout, it is an attempt “to take it back toward the cameras and to the people making the programmes,” explained Lead Technologist Jon Rosser. In the demonstration of a Portable Production Tool, video was captured to a server and connected by Wi-Fi to an iPad or multiple iPads on which a bespoke Final

Cut Pro-style app allows production team members to view proxies and annotate and share that material instantly. It has been trialled on BBC3 sitcom Mongrels. “The app allows quick rough cut topping and tailing if necessary. The beauty of this is that all the data is stored locally on iPad while the video is held on the server. Every time you connect to the server it updates,” said Rosser. “The challenge for production is how to generate sufficiently rich metadata when it has become very easy to film and far harder and more time consuming to log it. We’re looking at speech detection, speech to text, to help here. We are interested in the production planning phase because a lot of rich media is generated there without being captured for potential future use.”

“With an IP-enabled production environment we can move away from analogue and very bespoke, expensive equipment to using commodity devices,” said BBC North R&D Project Director Adrian Woolard. “Our work is an extension of DMI [Digital Media Initiative] and Fabric by looking at how IP can enable production and how IP-enabled production can feed back up the chain to archive and everything else in between.” www.bbc.co.uk/rd/

Ed Note: This article first appeared on our TVBE Fast Turnaround TV enewsletter. To subscribe to TVBE Fast Turnaround TV or any of our other enewsletters, just click on Newsletters at the top of our homepage www.tvbeurope.com www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

Project1_Layout 1 09/12/2011 12:59 Page 1

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TVBE Jan P8-12 News_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 11/01/2012 13:58 Page 8

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

The DPP and AS-11: Revolutionising digital workflows through broadcasting Following the path of least resistance: George Jarrett applauds the ‘one voice’ approach that broadcasters in the UK have adopted for resolving a batch of file format and workflow issues. In the DPP, the industry has a proactive force that links technologists with producers in an empathetic way. One result is AS-11... Formed early in 2010, the Digital Production Partnership (DPP) has made huge progress with twinned targets that promise to revolutionise digital workflows throughout broadcast production. Along with the establishing work that created the new delivery file format AS-11 for HD content, the DPP has had to simultaneously travel back up the food chain to help resolve the confusion caused by the plethora of other file formats, and the varied camera codecs. The DPP report ‘Breaking Down the Barriers to Digital Production in Television’ is to be followed in March by another which looks at what producers do and don’t know, what they want to know, and how they might be moved swiftly and smoothly into adopting end-to-end production workflows, free of ugly and costly transforms. A special forum held at the BBC, to generate content for the next report, was based around small groups and game scenarios consisting of two types of commissioned work for which workflows had to be produced. The front man for this event was Mark Harrison, controller of production with BBC North. “We arrange a forum every quarter, and they are always around best practice,” he says. “This forum was a special because it was particularly about trying to help us do the development work around the recommended best practise to be published as guidelines in March.”

Mark Harrison: “How can vendors know the perfect workflow if they never talk to people trying to make this stuff in battlefield conditions?”

The DPP — funded by the BBC, ITV and C4, with support from Sky, Red Bee, C5, S4C and top people from the independent sector —

“The DDP is the sponsor of AS-11, so I thought it would be good for it to have a formalised specification for the work, which is why we are pushing it for wider acceptance through AMWA,” he says. “We decided to enhance AS-03 to create AS-11 because we needed AVC Intra, which was not required for AS-03. The limit in AS-03’s bit rate meant we had to define a new codec, new bit rate, and all the other metadata bits that go with the DPP spec. “There is no deviation from MXF at all. Only SMPTE standards are used. It is just about having the application spec, so which bits of the MXF toolkit do you use? That is the important part — telling people how to make their own MXF files,” he adds. “I think AS-11 will be successful, because it is certainly better than

any other mechanism we currently have at our disposal. The EBU has now said let’s take a look at AS-11 because it is a good idea that European public service broadcasters might like to follow. “It is not really the delivery mechanism that counts here. It is what is the payload, and how interoperable is the payload going to be?” he continues. “There are too many conflicting file formats behind us along the chain, so we have gone for one and that’s it. And that is going to be the delivery format as specified. If we do not step back up stream, production companies will end up with a ridiculous transform at the end of the creation process just to make it compliant with the delivery format — which of course is not the idea at all.”

Asked if the DPP had to track back towards acquisition, Harrison says: “Absolutely right, yes, but not necessarily to result in a single file format. We will never do that, but we can say ‘these are the lines of least resistance. If you do these things, in this kind of order, you will have the smoothest possible journey’. “It is not our job to recommend any particular manufacturer or supplier. If you go to NAB or IBC, on many of the stands you will see slogans offering some fantastic end-to-end workflow solutions. Those people have almost certainly never spoken to an independent producer,” he adds. “How can they know what the perfect end-to-end workflow is if they never talk to the people trying to make this stuff in battlefield conditions?” Asked about the common gripe that producers jump at too many cheap camera deals, in the mistaken belief that budgets can be shaved to the minimum, Harrison says: “There is obviously a bit of a battle ground currently between what a DoP might want, what a producer might want, and what a post

“We have been delighted with the standards work, and to see the enthusiasm of bodies like the EBU. They’ve been impressed that we in the UK have managed to talk together and face problems with one voice” – Mark Harrison, BBC North

The DPP message to production teams is, ‘Understand what the delivery format is, and work backwards from that, making sure you do your production work in the way that follows the path of least resistance.’ Kevin Burrows was due to meet the EBU for an AS-11 briefing in the New Year, its appeals being the universal support of UK-based broadcasters and the fact that it is based around established and popular standards. For the BBC-hosted forum the DPP invited observers, one of which was ChilliBean Commercial Director Peter Godden. Hoping to win future business from companies that need to deliver large files into broadcasters, Godden says: “The event was more about acquisition than it was about workflow. I was hoping there would be more discussion about the delivery of finished programmes to broadcasters. “It will have to be done over broadband and the question is, will all the production companies and post houses want to invest in broadband connections which are running 24/7, 52 weeks a year?”

production house might want. So what we need to evolve — and I think we are the only people in a position to do it — is a common language so that people can understand together what it is they are trying to achieve, and the basis on which they can make compromises. “There will always be compromises somewhere along the chain, but at least there will soon be a document that people can point to. It might suggest, ‘To end up in the optimum format for file based delivery with this kind of output, the broadcasters think it best to do these kind of things’.”

Only SMPTE standards

chose to create AS-11 with a take and match process involving MXF, an AVC Intra codec and a defined set of metadata. This option was so much better than starting all over again, and wasting precious time. Kevin Burrows, CTO of broadcast and distribution at C4, blames the confusion in current workflows on camera codecs, something that comes with more and more producers seeking cheap rental deals that upset DoPs and editors alike. “We want to work back down the chain just to get the continuity and the quality we want to see,” insists Burrows. Ian Wimsett, senior technologist with Red Bee Media, explained the welcome involvement of the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA).

Red Bee Media’s Ian Wimsett: “There is no deviation from MXF. Only SMPTE standards are used”

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TVBE Jan P8-12 News_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 11/01/2012 14:21 Page 11

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

3DTV market report 2012 Is the previous trajectory charted by high definition the most pertinent guide to an emergence of 3D television as a mature product? Adrian Pennington investigates The world’s first 3DTV channels launched 15 months ago in a blaze of publicity. Even now, new 3DTV commissions or 3D feature releases receive attention which belie the relatively limited nature of the content market. However with the number of 3D-ready displays sold in the UK predicted to triple by the end of 2012 to 2.3 million, predicts Futuresource Consulting — and with the number of worldwide 3D channels, demo channels or 3D VoD services expected to rise from 90 to around 110 in the next year — the market for 3DTV is only going one way. The installed base and percentage of 3D-capable households will grow significantly over the next three to five years, says Futuresource market analyst Fiona Hoy, so that by 2015 close to half (47%) of US and UK households will own a 3DTV. However, as she points out, many consumers purchase the 3D function by default — a key reason behind the dramatic growth. There are also hindrances to market adoption, primarily poor consumer education of the format with many still struggling with the concept of Blu-ray; as well as negative publicity in relation to 3D causing viewer headaches and dizziness. “Consumers are also holding back investment in 3D, waiting for no-glasses technology to emerge,” notes Hoy. For many, the trajectory charted by HD remains the most pertinent guide. It took more than a decade from introduction to become a mature product so we should not be impatient for 3DTV to reach those heights in only its second year. “There are reassuring parallels between the stage we’re currently at with 3D and our work in popularising high definition TV in the UK,” says Sky 3D Channel Director, John Cassy. “In 2006, Sky spearheaded the market for HDTV, and the fruits of that investment and innovation are being felt across the broadcasting landscape, to the extent that there are now well over 50 HD channels available on the Sky platform. I see no reason why we can’t similarly help drive the take-up of 3D in this country using a similar model.” Cassy says subscribers to Sky 3D are in six figures “and growing comfortably” while recognising that the chief challenge is getting households with 3DTV sets to subscribe to Sky 3D. The content gap, which at the beginning of 2011 was considered to be a major drawback to attracting customers to 3D services, www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

John Cassy: “The challenge for us is making sure people are switching their 3D function on and enjoying 3D programming”

has narrowed says Cassy. “At MIPCOM the increase in the number of good ideas went up significantly,” he says. “More and more 3D programming is coming through at increasingly high quality though some are sub-standard due to technical challenges. “In the early days of HD there was a choice about whether to buy an HDTV or not and today it

each other and developing innovative products that fill in the gaps in the workflow to reduce costs.”

Making 3D work 3D production is being driven by small and medium sized indies like OSF, Leopard Films, Renegade, Colonial Pictures and Atlantic Productions. Larger producers with repeat or volume com-

“Everyone is trying to get empirical evidence about what works for what type of audience. Consequently the market changes every month, with different feedback from broadcasters” – Paul Berrow, Log Media is difficult to buy one that is not HD ready. The challenge for us is making sure that people are switching their 3D function on and enjoying 3D programming.” While Sky is continuing with its mix of sports, movies and specials like 3 x 60’ Kew 3D and feature length The Bachelor King (both new from Atlantic Productions) it is also taking longer formats commissioned by Discovery Networks. CAN Communicate’s co-production with Renegade Pictures of the 10 x 60’ Safari Adventure [see feature story, page 18] for 3net is an example. Across genre, costs can be double that of a 2D HD show, particularly if high volumes of CGI are involved, but the perception that 3D is high risk and high cost needs to be tackled, says Andrew Shelley, COO at OnSight. “Producers are able to strip back the component parts of a 3D production in terms of processes, equipment and people to make an efficient and quality production,” he says. “There’s no silver bullet which will reduce the cost of making 3D. What is happening is that manufacturers are now talking to

missions have yet to find a route into 3D, although it could be argued that Endemol-owned Tigress Productions 60’ natural history production Beautiful Freaks breaks that mould. For Electric Sky MD David Pounds, producer of 10-part 3D extreme sports series High Octane, production is becoming more affordable. “New Sony and Panasonic 3D camcorders are much more manageable than rigs — although rigs are still necessary for certain projects,” he says. “The latest version of Media Composer contains stereo tools which makes 3D more readily available in edit suites. Overall, 3D tools are much more accessible.” He predicts that the 3DTV market will remain largely static over the next year, saying; “It is almost impossible to fund 3DTV without a 2D channel partner backing you in some shape or form.” With Discovery boosting its European 3D commissions (though yet to launch a full 3D channel on the Sky platform) the UK market is dominated by original 3D programming from

Sky. The BBC aired the live final of Strictly Come Dancing in 3D but it is occasional events like this and BBC Earth feature productions Walking with Dinosaurs 3D and The Enchanted Kingdom — as well as sports (an expanded 3D coverage at Wimbledon 2012 is planned) — which dominates the broadcaster’s strategy. BBC Worldwide’s Director of content strategy Jo Sermon says she is “exploring our top franchises,” which may mean Doctor Who, Antiques Roadshow or Top Gear. “Our strategy is to look at three or six part shows and make a one hour 3D special from them. This seems an interesting way of getting the 3D element off the ground and a business model that works.” An hour-long version of the 6x30’ CGI series Planet Dinosaur from Jellyfish Productions was the first to go this route. Paul Berrow, CEO of distributor Log Media, advises that internationally branded one-off event programming is still the best option while distribution remains limited.

OnSight COO Andrew Shelley: “There’s no silver bullet that will reduce the cost of making 3D”

“If you are not approaching the 3D market in that way then you are going to be disappointed,” Berrow says. “It is incredibly unpredictable because you are starting from a blank canvas which is being filled in at random. The big players (Discovery, Sky) are moving at an entirely different pace from some European territories that have only just entered the fray. Everyone is trying to get empirical evidence about what works for what type of audience. Consequently the market changes every month with different feedback from broadcasters.” Most stakeholders maintain that the 3D content will only fly with user-friendly displays that don’t require glasses. Tablets, smartphones and portable games consoles will be the first to bring autostereoscopic screens to mass market and could be a “game-changer”, suggests Anthony Geffen, creative director of Atlantic Productions and Sky joint-venture Colossus Productions. “Our future 3D projects will start to link content into those new platforms,” he hints. “It will define our business model going forward.” Sky’s Cassy feels that autostereoscopic screens will be a major point in the development of 3D. “There are already a number of different glasses-free tablets on the market and we are watching them closely. We have a partnership with Nintendo 3DS where short clips from Sky 3D are available to users on their consoles. Our aim is to showcase 3D and to encourage people to try it for real. We believe that if consumers really want to engage in 3D they need a proper size TV in the comfort of their living room as opposed to watching 3D on the go.” “The market for 3DTV has split between large-scale projects shooting for example 4K for IMAX distribution, and lower budget approaches using cheaper technology,” says Geffen. “It’s the middle ground that’s really hard.” He continues: “There is absolutely a place for producers on much lower budgets, cutting deals on technology and experimenting with cheaper technology. But people need to scale back a bit and put the emphasis on why 3D illuminates a story better than 2D.” Provided editorial concept and technical execution are treated with care, there is no reason not to consider stereo 3D production a moneymaking option. This agenda will be pursued at TVBEurope’s upcoming 3D Masters 2012 conference at BAFTA on 13 June — the essential forum for the European TV industry as it experiments with cheaper 3D production technology; new business opportunities; and the marriage of the right content with the appropriate stereoscopic storytelling techniques. 11

TVBE Jan P8-12 News_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 11/01/2012 13:59 Page 12

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

Chris Forrester reports on progress at the ambitious twofour54 project in Abu Dhabi

New report card for Abu Dhabi media hub

Wayne Borg: “Abu Dhabi is being recognised as an ideas capital, and we want to increase that role”

TV Development Twofour54’s Abu Dhabi studios and media hub project is three years old having launched on October 2008, and now making “very real progress,” says Wayne Borg, COO at the operation. “We wanted to encourage talent, of course, and to get young people excited about media and in doing so overcoming certain local taboos about working in television and its related services.” Borg now has ample tangible proof that the decision to invest in talent creation is paying off. “The promise we made is that we would try to develop people, stories and content for Arabs by Arabs, and to incubate that creativity.” Savvy operators have readily bought into the concept. Two years ago CNN established its fourth global hub and news bureau within the tax-free trade zone campus, and Sky News Arabia is busy

modifying the giant 650sqm studio at one of twofour54’s ‘intaj/ production’ facilities as its new Abu Dhabi home. Arab broadcaster Rotana is another regular user of the studio facilities, as is Abu Dhabi Sports and Al Jazeera Children’s Channel, and helping boost current output to some 3,400 hours of TV, films, government and corporate work. The ingest and playout facility is now handling 11 channels. When twofour54 launched it had just 10 ‘partners’ including some notable training names like the BBC and Thomson Reuters. That core has grown to 140 partners spread across media in the widest sense. Cartoon Network established its own 15-student Animation Academy at the campus, its first on the planet, and is now turning out talented graduates, most of whom are finding work within the sector. Some 3,160 people have taken one or other of the twofour54

technology courses, drawn from 19 countries. Indeed, such is the demand that twofour54 have bought the SAE Institute, a wellestablished training college in nearby Dubai to tap into its skills and experience drawn over the past 25 years. The campus sees a fresh intake of students this month, almost all of whom are

paying real money in order to acquire new skills. “There’s a step-change taking place here, where Abu Dhabi is being recognised as an ideas capital, and we want to increase that role,” adds Borg. They have won major contracts from Arab broadcasting giant MBC, Oman, Bahrain and other important local players. While names such as Avid, Sony, Apple and Panasonic have each played their part in the training sessions, Phaedon Vass, who heads up the unit, stresses this is much more than “chalk and talk” teaching, with the emphasis very much on developing practical ‘real world’ skills. “Some 95% of our training is bespoke,” says Vass. A new course is kicking off this month, looking at developing business skills for the film industry, while in the spring another will look at writing and story-telling techniques. Twofour54 has installed a dedicated 3D lab at the campus,

“There’s a step-change taking place here, where Abu Dhabi is being recognised as an ideas capital, and we want to increase that role” and high-end colour-grading is now possible just along a corridor and past the latest editing and post production suites for vision and audio. So much is going on at the campus that it is really tough to choose from the numerous success stories. For example, there’s games giant UbiSoft, already with more than

Abu Dhabi education: A student at twofour54’s Animation Academy

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■ Network with over 15,000 broadcast industry professionals from 58 countries ■ Attend hundreds of seminars across the show including: Is 100Mb/s enough for broadcasters? Andy King, Head of Technology, Vision Productions, BBC From MXF to a new universal file format Kevin Burrows, CTO Broadcast and Distribution, Channel 4, Ian Baker, MD Metaglue & Root6 Tapeless - is it worth the Trouble? Mark Harrison, Controller, BBC North Fast & Furious: Tapeless Workflows at the Rugby World Cup Shane Warden, General Manager, Mediahouse at IMG Media

8,000 staff employed around the world, and seeking to hire more than 100 people in Abu Dhabi over the next three years in order to tap into Arabs thirst for console, online and smartphone game-playing. There’s Jawaka, a card-gaming website that employs 10 people, and already has 600,000 users and 100,000 active monthly users. Among the success stories on campus is Twofour Arabia, headed by Jonney Steven and a subsidiary of the UK-based production house, which has set up in Abu Dhabi to develop Arabic-interest projects. It has won an impressive number of local projects, but perhaps the most dramatic is a film that will emerge from a 1,000mile expedition recreating the journey of noted explorer Wilfred Thesiger produced with Abu Dhabi Media and with help from the local cultural and heritage ministry. Twofour Arabia is buying into the training campus concept by establishing on-the-job

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intern training for UAE youngsters, and taking them to the UK for intense work experience. Borg says that over the next five-to-seven years they estimate that about 9,000 media-related positions will need to be filled locally. And as part of that mix they anticipate an abundance of new talent will emerge. Typical could be a new venture with Viacom’s Comedy Central, where a major new comedy sketch show is already in development and with talks at an advanced stage with a major Arab broadcaster. That show isn’t alone. Many viewers — of a certain age — will have seen twofour54’s Driver Dan animation series, produced by 3Line out of Bristol, and screening on CBeebies as well as other broadcasters around the world (including the Sprout channel in the US, and ABC in Australia). 3 Line Arabia, a jointventure with twofour54, is now hard at work producing Series 2 with local illustrators and creatives at UAE production house Blink Studios. “We need to build on creating a pipeline of new shows, including reality shows, and scripted programming such as Pearl Hunters, now under development and targeting six-to-12-year-olds,” says Borg. In other words twofour54, one way or another, is busy building up its production assets, finding new talent, bringing dynamic fresh ideas to the table, financing promising new projects and creating a virtuous circle where campus members can tap into one another’s skills for their own — and the community’s — benefit. www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

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

Building a game plan Panorama is fulfilling a commitment to cover the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi in three years time, as well as the XXVII World Summer University Games in Kazan in 2013. Philip Stevens talks to the production company involved and some of the key equipment suppliers about the order of 12 outside broadcast vehicles Panorama Head of Production Technology Sergey Podlesskii says that a very detailed brief for the supply of outside broadcast vehicles was produced by the technical team at Panorama, together with experts from the Russian TV industry including three of the founders of the organisation — Channel One, VGTRK and NTV-PLUS. “As a result of the tendering process, our main contract for OB vans was placed with ZAO, a Russian office of Sony. They have subcontracted Sony Professional Solutions Europe for 10- and 24-camera units and Broadcast Solutions in Germany for the 16-camera versions of the trucks,” says Podlesskii. “The order had to be split because of its size, the very strict delivery terms, financial conditions and responsibility.” All of the 10-camera units were scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2011, while the bigger capacity trucks will be commissioned throughout 2012. As Malcolm Robinson, head of Live Production Solutions at Sony Professional states, this is an extremely prestigious project for Sony. “We are pleased to be working with Panorama and integrating a fleet of vehicles which will set the standard for sports broadcasting in the CIS. We have been engaging with Panorama since November 2010 to design and deliver the required technical solutions, and this has involved close co-operation with a number of industry leading partners.”

Serving the replay needs

Camera control: Main cameras are mix of HDC-1500R and HDC-3300R, with HDCU-3300 and HDCU-1500 CCUs

some of the equipment installed in the trucks, our team tried to keep unified solutions for the whole fleet,” declares Podlesskii. “Wherever possible, we have kept the same brands across all the vehicles.” Not surprisingly, Sony has provided a variety of equipment. This includes cameras, which are a mix of HDC-1500R and HDC-3300R cameras, with their HDCU-3300 and HDCU-1500 CCUs, the latter of which can operate on either hybrid fibre or triaxial cable. The flagship 24 camera trucks are to be equipped with the latest

“Both ASGB and Broadcast Solutions have been key partners to enable us to realise the customer’s visions. The vehicles are all complex technical installations and our design teams have worked closely with Panorama to ensure operational efficiency has been optimised” — Malcolm Robinson He says that one of the major areas has also been the consideration of the look and feel of the vehicles. “Both coach builders ASGB and Broadcast Solutions have been key partners to enable us to realise the customer’s visions. The vehicles are all complex technical installations and our design teams have worked closely with Panorama to ensure operational efficiency has been optimised.” “Although there are minor differences in terms of scale for 14

HDC-2500 3G cameras. VTRs include HDCAM, PD-F1600 XDCAM VTRS, and various monitors, including BVM-E170 Grade 1 colour monitors using the latest OLED technology. However, a variety of other suppliers have contributed to this huge project. For example, a number of Panorama personnel were already familiar with Snell vision mixers, so that source was asked to supply equipment for the trucks built in the UK by Sony.

All 10-camera units were scheduled to be delivered by end 2011, with bigger trucks commissioned throughout 2012

“The model that was selected was the Kahuna 360,” explains John Carter, Snell’s product manager for switchers. “This provides the ability to mix HD, SD and even single link 1080p sources in a single production and then offer multiple outputs of SD, HD and 1080p.” Carter states that the 360 moves away from the traditional concept of fixed M/Es, resources and formats. “It provides far more keying power – in fact, up to seven sources on one mix/effect bus. These are made up of four super keyers and three linear or luma sources which we call ekeys. These ekeys are downstream of the super keyers and have been designed to bring even more graphics to an M/E.” He goes on to say that from an operator’s perspective, the look of

the mixer is exactly the same as a traditional layout — it is in the electronics that the sources can be configured to determine which keys go on what M/E bank. With the vision mixers coming from Snell, it made sense to purchase routers from the same manufacturer. “Our Sirius series routers are ideal for the restricted space that is found in an OB environment,” maintains Alan Smith, product manager for routers. “For this project, it was decided that the new 840 router was the ideal model.” The Sirius 840 consists of a 576x576 frame in a 26U format. One key benefit is that no other external splitters or combiners are required. In addition, the frame includes redundant power supplies, control cards and crosspoints.

EVS equipment will be installed in all trucks, delivered from both Sony and Broadcast Solutions. The five trucks that each accommodates 10 cameras are equipped with three XT3 servers, one XHub3 and one XF2 (removable storage systems). The XT3 is used for all stages from ingest to playout — including live editing, slow-motion replays, multichannel playback and transfer to third-party systems. XHub3 is a high-bandwidth media sharing network that allows multiple production and playout servers to be interconnected through a central hub offering a bandwidth of up to 1.5Gbps. The XF2 server incorporates two removable hard disk drives, and is employed where archiving and backup for storing clips, media, live feeds or any other video content is needed. The seven vehicles that operate either 16 or 24 cameras have been supplied with greater numbers of the same equipment and systems, together with EVS’ IPDirector. Running on a Windows-based workstation, the IPDirector Suite allows ingest control, metadata management, editing and playout scheduling all to be managed from a single interface. These larger capacity trucks will also be equipped with Final Cut Pro systems that allow media interoperability between the EVS units and the editing system. This is accomplished using EVS import/export plugin tools IP-Link (a browsing IPDirector plugin tool) and V-Drive (the EVS virtual file system allowing users to access XT3 clips from FCP interface). In addition, the 24 camera trucks are expected to be equipped with Xedio dispatcher for ENG file reviewing, rough cut editing and import on to XT3 servers. The configuration will also include XedioCleanEdit (EVS’ NLE package) with IPLink plugin for file import on the timeline. Following detailed testing and evaluation Oxygen DCT’s Penta series of monitors where chosen for the trucks. All monitors in the main gallery, production, and sound areas are equipped with 3G inputs and 10-bit LCD panels giving up 1.07 billion radiant colours — allowing production crew to monitor more effectively and in greater detail. The monitoring is Continued on page 16

www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

Live production shouldn’t be a lottery Europe’s largest broadcasters and production companies choose Sony to deliver in a high pressure environment. With over 100 HD OB vehicles supplied across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Sony Professional is the partner of choice. Our experienced team has delivered everything from Europe’s ﬁrst HD and 3D OB trucks, to SNG vans and 24-camera trailers. What can we build for you?

Follow Europe’s leading broadcasters and work with Sony for the ultimate in live production broadcasting. www.pro.sony.eu/outsidebroadcast

TVBE Jan P14-22 OB Focus_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 11/01/2012 14:01 Page 16

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

Continued from page 14

compliant to EBU REC709 colour standards and upon installation each monitor underwent an additional in-situ recalibration to ensure identical colour preproduction on all sizes of monitors and in each area. Netherlands-based Axon Digital Design has supplied the

trucks with Synapse modular processing equipment. These processors will be used for a range of applications, including the upconversion, down-conversion and cross conversion of 3G signals. The modules will support the distribution of video and audio signals throughout the vehicles as well as the embedding and de-embedding of audio signals.

“Beyond the Games, one of the aims of our company is to contribute to the development of the production industry all over our big country” — Sergey Podlesskii Synapse’s internal bus structure reduces the need for external cabling and further easing the technical demands on each vehicle.

In addition, Axon’s miniaturised technology will control the synchronising, legalising and keying operations within the fleet.

Your link to 3G

Finally, Axon’s SynView will form the standard multi-viewing platform on the vehicles. “Included in the list of equipment is our new GDL200 unit,” reports Jean-Pierre Nouws, senior product manager at Axon. “This was made especially for this contract. It is a dual standard legaliser for digital signals with full frame sync capabilities.” He continues, “The multi– viewer has been enhanced upon request of Panorama with 4:3 masking capabilities.” Audio mixing has been entrusted to Studer Vista 9 and Yamaha DM1000VCM with MY16-AE AES/EBU interface cards alongside high specification video and monitoring equipment. Communication equipment for the trucks has come from Riedel and includes a combination of Artist, MediorNet, Partyline and RockNet units.

The training task

See A r BVE gosy at Lond Stan o d no. n i34

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As mentioned earlier, training is one of the key points of the project, and Panorama felt there was a need to educate around 1,500 professionals from nine Russian regions in preparation for Sochi. “Together with our main contractors, vendors who provide equipment for us, and leading Russian high-schools, Panorama has developed a special training programme,” explains Podlesskii. “The first phase of training started in May this year — even before our first OB vans were built. “With the help of our suppliers, we organised a special classroom in the form of an OB-van simulator, where both technical and production specialists were trained. Now we are already running a second phase — on our own first 10-camera OB vans. Each group of students is getting both theoretical and practical classes. Test productions are performed in all different kinds of sports.” Podlesskii admits that Panorama has a very tough task to build a huge infrastructure within a very short time. But he believes that high professionalism and motivation of the core team, along with practical support from the state and technical partners make the fulfilment of the task very realistic. He concludes, “Beyond the Games, one of the aims of our company is to contribute to the development of the production industry all over our big country. We hope that all OB-vans operated by local teams, which are now being trained in Moscow, will continue working on future sports and cultural events in Russia and possibly outside of the country.” www.panoramahd.ru www.sony.co.uk www.broadcast-solutions.de www.oxygendct.com www.snellgroup.com www.evs.tv www.riedel.net www.yamahaproaudio.com www.axon.tv www.studer.ch www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

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TVBE Jan P14-22 OB Focus_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 11/01/2012 14:01 Page 18

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Adventurous 3D in series mode When shooting in Africa or a big production with Sir David Attenborough is out of the question, the answer is to find a controlled location where you can seek significant economies of scale. Adrian Pennington reports on the 3D production learning curve behind the new Safari Adventure series One sign that 3D production is maturing to include not only single event flagship shows like Flying Monsters 3D but also budget documentary series, is the 10 x 60’ Safari Adventure. The observational documentary filmed over 16 weeks at Woburn Safari Park features day-to-day stories of wildlife including rhino, lions and giraffes and their keepers, and was shot using techniques learned on live 3D sports. Co-produced by Renegade Pictures and CAN Communicate and commissioned by Dan Korn, senior VP, Programming at Discovery Networks UK (for 3net in the US as well as transmission on Sky 3D on 4 February), its Directors were Natalie Wilkinson and Livia Simok. Renegade co-founder Alan Hayling explains the project’s genesis; “Discovery came to us because of our previous 3D experience and asked us what we could do at relatively low cost. There are companies like Atlantic Productions focussed on the very high end but we looked at whether the high volume, lower cost, but still high quality 3D model, could work. In discussion with CAN we concluded that we could control cost — and control the 3D — if we shot in a single location, so long as that location had a lot of story going on. “Shooting in Africa or a big production with Sir David Attenborough was out of the question, so the answer was to find a controlled location where we could get significant economies of scale. If you can do a large volume then you can make really significant savings and not make 3D too much of an extra cost.” Hayling said the cost premium was around 25% that of a comparative 2D HD shoot, a cost incurred partly on kit but also on “additional crew to move the heavy rig around, a stereographer and rig technician.” The main unit was a pair of Sony P1s with Canon HJ22 lenses mounted on a 3Ality Technica Pulsar. The cameras were worked through an MPE-200 for alignment, which was powered from a small, and crucially silent, generator. “Shooting wildlife means you can’t predict where your subject will be or what they will do next, so ideally you need the ability to reframe and zoom and converge in camera,” says David Wooster, a 18

director of CAN Communicate. “Working the zooms through the MPE-200 allowed us to shoot in a documentary wildlife style and give us extra flexibility in reframing and changing shots.” CAN was able to draw on operators with experience of pulling convergence live at sports events such as Wimbledon. “We had everyone from rig technician to DIT learn convergence pulling, stereography, the role of the DIT, and how to build a rig so that after a couple of weeks shooting everyone’s role was interchangeable,” says Wooster. “Even though John Perry was the primary stereographer in terms of the overall plan we didn’t want to be stuck having one person as doing DIT or rig work, but to keep it all fresh.”

The Sky 3D spec

The project was originally conceived in 3D alone, but an identical 2D cut was versioned for Discovery after executives liked what they saw

Woburn’s animals may not be as wild as those in the Serengeti or as unfamiliar with humans gawping at them, but as Wooster sagely observes: “You can’t just rock up to lions.” Since the rig and MPE required a 240v power source, the team found a quieter gas-powered hydrogen cel generator and installed it along with MPE and monitors in a converted army truck (owned by Woburn Safari

requires HD quality imagery recorded at a minimum 50Mbps. According to Wooster, “We looked at various 3D handheld options but none would allow us to get as close as we needed to the subject. We knew that we’d be filming vets and keepers in confined spaces where we’d have to be 3-4ft from the nearest point of anything in the frame.”

“There’s starting to be an evolution of 3D technology in the marketplace which is making documentary-style 3D filming more and more feasible” – David Wooster Park), with a lion-proof cage cut with a hole to fit the mirror box. A second unit camera system was also needed for handheld and close-up work. Explains stereographer John Perry; “We needed to have a handheld solution we could set up and use really quickly, to grab and go. It needed to be portable. We researched the market for ages but nothing satisfied Sky’s specifications.” Although the series was shot for Discovery, the producers worked to the Sky 3D spec which

Perry took the lead in housing a pair of 2/3-inch sensor Cunima cameras side-by-side on an aluminium mount for handheld operation. “In terms of IO you can put them right next to each other,” says Wooster. “There’s no zoom but it allowed us to get close to the subject. The first version was like a spider’s web of cables. The lenses themselves only really functioned 100% perfectly the day before shooting started. But from then on it worked extremely well and gave us the versatility we needed.”

Production notes: The main unit was a pair of Sony P1s with Canon HJ22 lenses mounted on a 3Ality Technica Pulsar

In reality the crew used the unit shoulder-mounted with two cameraops trained to “operate it as if their whole body were a human steadicam,” says Wooster. “They needed a fluid and slower movement. A lot of people grab a 3D camcorder and just shoot as if it were 2D, forgetting the limitations as to how close they are to the subject. If you get too close to something then the object can be pushed too far out of the screen and be unfixable in post. You have to have cameramen trained to shoot 3D handheld in a disciplined way. You need to be incredibly conscious of framing and movement.”

Gathering angles The Cunima’s were recorded at 140Mbps to a pair of Nano flash recorders with the P1’s recorded at 100Mbps. “After some early teething problems to find acceptable camera angles in this configuration the results proved fantastic,” concurs Duncan Humphreys, CAN Communicate creative director. One of the issues with shooting wildlife is that it is easier to shoot them from far away and to close the distance using longer lenses. In 3D that can collapse the depth and render the 3D effect as a cardboard cutout. “We aimed to get as close up as often as possible,” says Perry. “When we used a long lens we tried to increase the separation (IO) between the cameras as much as we could to retain some shape and volume.” For Perry, trying to get sufficient coverage was the biggest challenge. “Working with animals you would normally shoot handheld or with fairly long focal length, with a camera on a tripod that you can easily pick up and move and reframe to get lots of angles for the editor to build the story in the edit. “With such a heavy, cumbersome 3D rig it was taking us much

longer to move to a different position so we were limited in the shots we could give an editor. We planned on getting wider shots and holding them longer to make two minute sequences from fewer, longer shots.” This can work in 3D because the audience needs fewer cuts to understand the story. “For the first couple of months we were worried whether we were gathering enough angles to tell the story but the crew got really slick at not carrying and setting up the rig and lenses. So as we went on were able to pick up more and more shots.” The production generated 250 hours of rushes, around three hours a day at a ratio of 25:1, similar to the schedule of a 2D documentary. “We had to think very carefully about how we shot and recorded so that we didn’t end up having to store 200-300TBs,” says Wooster. Media was logged onsite combined with DIT references to any issues with shots and LTO backed up, a copy for each eye, at the same time. A set of 3D Go Pros were also used for various dramatic shots. Editing was performed in 2D on Avid with finishing on a pair of Pablos linked to a Quantel Genetic SAN. The project was originally conceived in 3D alone, but an identical 2D cut was versioned for Discovery after its executives liked what they saw.

3D evolution The stereography was designed to be an immersive into-the-screen experience with occasional out of screen moments so long as they fitted naturally to the story. These included a flock of birds, a giraffe’s head coming down to eat and a rhino’s horn turned to camera. Since each of the 10 programmes was constructed from rushes which could have been shot on Day one or Day 120, all of the material needed to be held online. “The most challenging part of the project is that we could have done with more time in post because we are working 24 hours a day to finish the show — which is fine but not an ideal scenario,” says Wooster. “The biggest thing from when we started the show to where we are now is that there’s starting to be an evolution of 3D technology in the marketplace which is making documentary-style 3D filming more and more feasible.” Innovations, he said, include Sony’s shoulder-mounted camcorder and a number of recording options from One Beyond and Cineform to AJA cards. One development that may assist future similar productions, said Humphreys, is a ruggedised, location battery-powered MPE with built-in recorder. www.cancommunicate.com www.renegadepictures.co.uk www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

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TVBE Jan P14-22 OB Focus_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 11/01/2012 14:01 Page 20

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Ice work at the North Pole The BBC’s latest natural history series has won worldwide acclaim. Philip Stevens discovers some of the technical aspects to its success First, just a few fascinating facts: the series was four years in production, the crew spent 2,356 days in the field, 1.5 years at sea, over six months on the sea ice and 134 hours filming under the ice. The result has been a spectacular set of programmes produced by the BBC under the series title of Frozen Planet. The series gives a portrait of the four seasons at, what is generally considered, the last great wilderness on earth, the Polar Regions. Covering both animal life and vegetation, the production team used a mixture of shooting techniques to portray the Arctic and Antarctic as they have never been seen before — and, indeed, may never be seen again. Renowned naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, who himself travelled to both Polar Regions in the making of the series, provided the voice over for the series. “Obviously, one of the problems with making such programmes is the distances involved,” says Mark Linfield, one of the BBC’s producers on the series. “For example, because of the logistics and expense it is simply impractical to carry out reconnaissance trips in the way that we usually do. As a result, we have to draw upon the extremely helpful knowledge of those who have visited the regions. In addition, there is a group of polar experts who provide invaluable advice.” The other understandable area of potential difficulties is the weather. In order to predict what might happen to cameras and other pieces of equipment, the assistance of a huge cold store near Bristol was sought. “We took the kit into an area that normally holds items such as frozen baguettes and beef burgers,” reveals Linfield. “Although it is hard to predict exactly what we would encounter in the Polar Regions, this exercise allowed us to see the type of problems we might potentially face. At low temperatures, moving parts can freeze and cables can become so stiff they snap. Following the tests, we were able to winterise the equipment. Some of the modifications included mini-heaters on servos on the motion control units and special ‘arctic cabling’ that would stay flexible in the cold.” Linfield reports that these preparations meant there were surprisingly few weather-related problems on location. 20

Some of the crew with Sir David Attenborough at the North Pole

unit. In this way and using motion control, we created a moving sequence that showed the seasonal changes from the same location at different times of the year. Once the first set of passes was finished, we deployed metal markers to record the exact position of the tripod. When we came back at the next season, we used GPS to give us the rough location of the markers, then a metal detector to get us even closer, finally we sank the tripod into the original metal markers.” During the intervening period, the permafrost could have moved slightly, or snow may have appeared on the scene, so there was always a possibility that the next sequence might not match exactly the previous filming. However, care in setting the positioning of the equipment meant any mismatches would be minimal.

“35mm film was the only medium that allowed us to accomplish long exposure time lapse, realtime and high speed shooting in a single unit…. for seasonal changes from a single position” — Mark Linfield “One of the benefits of using film is that the resolution allows us to re-align the shots to provide us with a perfect match,” declares Linfield. “The result is a memorable panning sequence that shows the four seasons merging into each other without any jumps in the movement. I do not believe we could have achieved that incredible effect with HD tape.”

Cineflex gyro-stabilised camera fitted to crane and mounted on a boat in the Bering Sea, to stabilise shots

The team filmed the first proper exploration of the ice caves of Mount Erebus. Laser is used to measure the dimensions of the cave

A mixture of tape, hard drive, digital SLR, 35mm and Super 16mm film cameras were employed for the shoots. “It’s a case of using the best technique for individual circumstances,” says Linfield. “For instance, for static time lapse we found the digital stills camera gave us the best results. The underwater sequences involved a variety of Sony cameras and Panasonic

VariCams were used for most behavioural shooting on land.” One spectacular time lapse sequence involved a panning shot across a specific polar landscape at the various seasons of the year. To achieve the best results, the team decided to use 35mm film. “This was the only medium that allowed us to accomplish long exposure time lapse, realtime and high speed shooting in a single

arm for the camera mounts and the robotic controls, we were able to pick up all the close ups we needed.” In fact, the pioneering use of the aerial camera, this time mounted on to the yacht, plus a second stabilised camera and a polecam enabled the crew to capture multiple angles of killer whales attacking seals in Antarctica. Similarly, by mounting a stabilised camera on a trawler, the team recorded some spectacular views of the melting ice world of the Arctic in summer. During this particular exercise, there was a close encounter with a hunting female polar bear, which came within 15ft of them. Once the filming was completed, all the material was brought back to the BBC’s Natural History Unit at Bristol, where editing was carried out on Final Cut Pro 7. “We have been very pleased with the result. There’s a great deal of hard work and commitment, but it is truly worth it,” concludes Linfield.

Stable images Arial sequences were shot on Sony 1500 hard disk cameras mounted in 5-axis gyro-stabilisation units manufactured by Cineflex. This company also provided the robotics for controlling the cameras. Helicopter shots were especially useful in obtaining images of animals that might have been scared off by the close proximity of a production crew. Having a stabilised mount also enabled the helicopter to remain some distance from the animals — again to prevent them from becoming frightened. The same camera rigs were mounted on motorised dinghies used to capture close ups of polar bears and other animals. “In summer, the sea ice is continually breaking up and moving around,” explains Linfield. “Standing on the ice is, therefore, a risky business. The only way to get close ups of some of these animals is from a boat. However, boats are notoriously unsteady, so the stabilisation units are essential in obtaining good, useable shots. By using a counterbalanced

And a great many others seem to share Linfield’s delight. Alongside being shown on the BBC in the UK, the programmes have now been sold to international broadcasters in Australia, Japan, Belgium, Finland, South Africa, New Zealand, Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Russia and Sweden. A book and DVD of the series has recently been published. www.bbc.co.uk www.panasonic.com www.sony.co.uk www.cineflexv14hd.com

Frozen in time Some more fascinating facts about the making of Frozen Planet. The series involved: G 38 sled dogs G 33 skidoos G 28 helicopters G 22 boats G 12 reindeer G 10 quad bikes G 8 sets of snow shoes G 5 amphibious vehicles G 2 powerful icebreakers — one in the North, the other in the South G 1 Royal Naval ice patrol vessel — HMS Endurance G 2,118 dehydrated meals eaten G 35 days trapped in tents by blizzards G 425 days at temperatures below minus 15°C G 598 pairs of thermals G 38 cameramen G Very low temperatures — minus 50°C within the ice at the South Pole

www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

Project3_Layout 1 10/01/2012 10:49 Page 1

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TVBE Jan P14-22 OB Focus_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 11/01/2012 14:29 Page 22

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

NEWS IN BRIEF Arqiva news for France 24 Arqiva has won the contract to distribute the France 24 news channel in the UK. The five year contract sees Arqiva providing multiplexing, uplinking and satellite services that deliver the channel’s English language feed to the BSkyB and Freesat platforms as well as to an extensive network of hotels. Arqiva uses its facilities in France and its global terrestrial fibre network to bring the channel’s feeds to the UK. The English language feed is then uplinked onto Arqiva’s Eurobird 1 satellite capacity through one of its international teleports. Exclusive delivery of the service began on 1 November. David Couret from France 24 said, “France 24 broadcasts extensive live prime-time content so it is crucial that our broadcast chain is as robust and reliable as possible. Arqiva is widely recognised as the UK broadcast specialist so we are pleased to be able to utilise their expertise in distributing our content into this essential market.” www.arqiva.com

Boss manages BR The Head-End Management System of Dimetis, Boss Broadcast Manager, will shortly go in to production at the location Ismaning in the new DVB-T Multiplex-Centre of Bayerischer Rundfunk. Signal processing is completely covered by the MultiplexCentre, from the encoding of videoand audio signals to the statistic multiplex, which creates distributable transport streams. The addition of service information is part of the complete solution as well as the SFN (Single-Frequency Network) adaption of streams. The concept consists of three DVB-T multiplexers for an efficient playout of 12 programmes. Planning, installation and deployment of the heterogeneous hardware components, as well as the integration of Boss Broadcast Manager for the control and the fault management in the multiplex centre, was coordinated and performed by the German software company Dimetis. Further, the integration of a multiviewer solution for monitoring on content level and DVB standards was realised by the Dimetis Boss Stream Viewer. www.dimetis.de

Direct ENPS video Synaptic Digital and ENPS, a division of The Associated Press, announced that video content from Synaptic Digital’s global distribution portal, thenewsmarket.com, can now be sent directly to ENPS customers for use in highly integrated MOS-based production workflows and eco-systems. By feeding content directly into ENPS-enabled newsrooms, content providers using thenewsmarket.com are now able to make their content directly accessible on the ENPS desktops used by journalists and editors in subscribing newsrooms. www.synapticdigital.com www.enps.com

Reality for multi-link cellular video uplinking Guest Opinion By Baruch Altman, director, LiveU The world of technology never stands still for long: no sooner have the benefits of using cellularbonded backpacks over 3G been recognised by broadcasters than 4G begins to be rolled out. New 4G LTE networks, we are told, offer considerable bandwidth benefits allowing consumers, especially smartphone users, to take advantage of surfing and downloading content. Does the same apply for HD (1080, 720), or even SD, live video transmission from the field for broadcast or online use? Well, yes and no. For the 3GPP 4G LTE (not LTE-Advanced which is still some way from realisation), with all the variations in operators, territories, spectrum, infrastructure and modems, significantly higher total bandwidth is certainly possible with LTE both in the downlink and the uplink. Lower uplink latency is also achieved. But notes of caution must be sounded. The fundamental factors that affect 3G networks and have an impact on uplink video transmission affect 4G — or any cellular network for that matter. Regardless of the exact bandwidth demand versus availability, many of these factors touch on the basic requirement from live broadcasting: resiliency, stability, anywhere, anytime. Firstly, the topology: the number of base stations and antennae deployed and their locations — up high with great line of sight or around the corner in a high-rise urban area where signal quality can be compromised. Then, as with 3G, multipath interference and fading is an issue with 4G, for example in built-up areas. Of course the distance from the tower remains very important in limiting the momentary performance of a 4G device, even more so in the uplink.

Bandwidth drop Secondly, the frequency being used has a very real effect on performance. In much of Europe, for example, 2.6GHz is allocated for LTE whereas 3G uses 2.1GHz. That’s a big enough difference in indoor penetration to cultivate a whole new technology called Femtocells, designed specifically to address problems related to indoor coverage. Thirdly, since the maximum bandwidth is higher for 4G LTE, so is the bandwidth amplitude. This means that in case of RF interference or other cause of change — for example, a truck passing between the user and the tower or more subscribers sharing the capacity — a significant sudden bandwidth drop and/or latency increase may occur. In other words, if a user is uplinking live at 2Mbps, and there’s a sudden momentary uplink drop to 200kbps, that broadcast is in trouble. Another factor is the backhaul from the base transceiver station to the backbone, mainly fibre or microwave. To realise the potential LTE bandwidth increase, opera-

Live TX: what’s required is as high sustained ‘goodput’ with as low sustained latency as possible

video will be delivered, regardless or not of whether there’s 4G network coverage.

Lower latency Initially, of course, there are very few users on any new LTE network but sharing the uplink capacity applies as much as it did previously. Even before an

In other words, if a user is uplinking live at 2Mbps, and there’s a sudden momentary uplink drop to 200kbps, that broadcast is in trouble tors need to invest in strengthening the backhaul and that seems to be happening in stages. What appears to be the case is that for any given backhaul capacity, operators tend to increase more the downlink capacity because that’s where most subscribers’ usage lies. LTE coverage is currently very limited compared to 3G. Whereas 3G reach has grown significantly beyond city centres, LTE deployment is only beginning in city centres while suburban, let alone rural areas, will see much later deployment due to ROI issues, except if forced by regulation. Still, broadcasters need the peace of mind to be assured that broadcast-quality

increase in users and a rise in bandwidth demand, 600Kbps and lower sustained uplink speeds had been observed for entirely understandable reasons, representing a difference between theoretical, maximum, average or published speeds and what’s practically achieved in the field. None of this is to underestimate the value of 4G LTE: if everything’s optimal then users will get lower latency and more bandwidth. However, based on the above factors, single modem LTE is simply not sufficient for resilient high-quality uplink video transmission from anywhere, at any time.

TVUPack powers live cycling By David Stewart WTS Broadcast has supplied independent broadcaster IQRA TV with the TVUPack, a 3G/4G wireless mobile uplink solution from TVU Networks. The broadcaster purchased the two TVUPack transmitters to broadcast live on-site coverage of the John O’Groats to Lands End bike-ride, UK-wide cycling action which was broadcast

throughout the UK and Europe on IQRA TV’s Sky channel and internet stream. The cycle run, ‘Ride To Help’, a charity to raise funds to provide shelter and food for the victims of natural disasters worldwide, lasted 32 days with seven-to-eight hours of telecast per day. IQRA purchased the TVUPack as an alternative to hiring a DSNG van, which posed

both cost and availability issues for the channel at the time. TVUPack provided a cost-effective option, while allowing for transmission over 3G networks while in motion. This meant that camera operators could follow cyclists for longer stints than would be possible with a DSNG van. “We were aware of 3G transmission technology as a cost-effective alternative to DSNG van hire, and

For video transmission it’s not peak or indeed average speeds that we’re interested in. While surfing the web a sudden drop may go unnoticed, but for video it’s very different: what’s required is as high sustained ‘goodput’ (throughput that’s received okay) with as low sustained latency as possible. With inherent cellular behaviour, increased network loading and the other factors, performance fluctuations are inevitable. Multi-link solutions that use 4G LTE and other available networks, allow broadcasters and online video professionals to enjoy the benefits of both the 4G and 3G worlds. While harnessing the extra bandwidth and shorter delay provided by the LTE network, bonded solutions overcome LTE difficulties with 4G/3G technology switching. A properly-designed LTE-bonding system automatically switches a greater percentage of the transmitted video bandwidth over to the 3G networks in relevant areas without, for example, succumbing to broadcast breakdowns because of relying too much on any single LTE link. Indeed for many years to come, multi-link backpacks and handheld uplink devices that simultaneously bond 3G and 4G technology will see the best results. decided to invest in the TVUPack because we knew we would need it for ongoing coverage of a variety of different events — we didn’t want to take our chances with DSNG,” said Shahriar Habib, IQRA’s head of Studio. “The TVUPack was the only product on the market that met our requirements. We needed to be able to send a live feed to London while on the move, and it also needed to be compact, easy to assemble and use. For the most part it was a good low-cost alternative to DSNG.” www.wtsbroadcast.com www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

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

3XW <RXU &RPSDQ\ RQ WKH *OREDO 7HFKQRORJ\ 0DS Submit a Technical Paper or Poster for the IBC2012 Conference – the place to unveil the latest in engineering innovation and technological thinking. The Technical Papers and Posters Sessions at IBC are world-renowned for their up-to-the-minute reports and presentations. Allowing industry experts and inﬂuential professionals to explore and debate the latest developments and cutting-edge thinking in electronic media, broadcasting and entertainment technologies and their applications. The IBC Technical Papers and Posters are an excellent opportunity to put your technology, strategic thoughts and company on the global technology map – and help contribute to a successful 2012 Conference. Successful authors will have the opportunity to present their Paper or Poster to IBC2012 Conference Delegates. The winner will receive the prestigious IBC2012 Best Conference Paper Award that is presented at the IBC Awards Ceremony in September.

To ﬁnd out more information about the IBC Technical Papers and Posters and how to submit your synopsis by Friday 10 February 2012, visit: www.ibc.org/callforpapers Previous Winners Include: BBC, NDS, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)

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

www.ibc.org

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At the heart of communications Digital technology has pushed its analogue counterpart on to the sidelines in most areas of sports broadcasting but commentary is one vital element for which this has not happened completely. Today the two audio formats appear to have settled into a co-existence, giving operators the choice of what best suits their needs, writes Kevin Hilton Choices exist among the three types of common commentary system configuration: ISDN, POTS/PSTN (plain old telephone service/public switched telephone network) or IP codecs for single reporter use; stand-alone units, which have more features but are still run on site by the commentary team; and more sophisticated systems, with control and processing sections the responsibility of an engineer. Among codec mixers used for sports commentary are the AEQ Phoenix Mobile, Glensound Electronics GS-GC units and the Mayah Communications range. The Sporty PSTN, ISDN, WLAN, UMTS/3G mobile codec is used mainly by small European commercial radio stations but Mayah spokesman Daniel Adasinskiy said the company was due to launch specific features to make the unit more suitable for TV sports commentary. The next step up from the mixer codec is the stand-alone commentary system. At its most basic this has inputs for two microphones and outputs for two headphones, one each for the commentator and the former player or out-of-work manager providing the ‘expert’

analysis; more recent models have positions for two or three commentators and one guest. OB operator SIS LIVE works with the BBC and other broadcasters on sports and entertainment coverage. Vision Engineer Neville Orton comments that for typical sports events, such as football matches, where one or two positions are required, analogue stand-alone commentary units such as the Prospect Electronics CMU21 or Glensound GS-CU001 are used. “These have outputs and inputs on standard XLRs to the OB truck using standard multiquad cable, which is used across our fleet and within the industry,” he explains. Also in the standalone bracket are the Sonifex CM-CU21, an analogue desk with two commentator positions and one for a pundit, and the DC2012, manufactured by OB equipment specialist CTP Systems. Succeeding the DC99-II, the two position DC2012 is analogue but has digital control. Managing Director Chris Thorpe says the OB companies he supplies, which include Visions, want something “that will work wherever”. A wholly analogue single commentator unit, as yet unnamed, is due for launch this month.

Digital age

Completely digital commentary systems caused consternation when they first appeared during the early 2000s. The concern was that they would be too unreliable and complicated to use. Spanish manufacturer AEQ persevered and its DCS-10 is now the preferred commentators’ system for the Olympic Games. AEQ is now promoting a successor to the DCS10, known within the company as the NCS. Both systems have three mic and three headphone connections, with an additional mic/ line input for a guest. Each is conMayah Sporty is Mayah’s codec commentary system nected to a central

control unit; in the case of the NCS this is a standard AEQ BC-2000 router. In 2008 Glensound launched its own digital system, the GDC6432. Like the DCS-10 system, this comprises a commentator’s desk and a control unit, which is run by an engineer either in the commentary box or an OB truck, linked digitally over coax, copper or fibre Ethernet. Gustavo Robles, director of international sales at AEQ, says digital commentary systems are now commonplace but that cost is still a deciding factor: “All is in relation to the size of event and the budget available. Analogue does still have a place since it is easy to deploy and operate. However, at larger events, the digital domain is becoming more important.”

Korean Broadcasting Systems (KBS) selected Lynx Technik modular solutions to boost its coverage of the 2011 IAAF World Championship in Daegu, Korea. Broadcast Solutions managed the project as systems integrator and general contractor 24

alongside its local partner, Dong Yang Digital Co in Seoul. To meet the growing demand for HD entertainment and sports programming, Broadcast Solutions was brought on board to aid KBS with the design and development of the new 16-camera high

GS-OC24 commentators’ units and GS-OC23 base stations in operation. Senior Technical Advisor Matti Helkamaa comments that YLE’s stand-alone systems are now shifting from ISDN to IP with a full Riedel set-up, connecting either DSC-16 panels with modified mic preamps or CCP-1116 commentary units to the German manufacturer’s intercom systems. “The old analogue commentary units at YLE will be in production according to their remaining lifespan

“Analogue does still have a place since it is easy to deploy and operate. However, at larger events, the digital domain is becoming more important” — Gustavo Robles, AEQ A recent outing for the Glensound GDC-6432 was the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Gearhouse Broadcast provided 37 GDC-6432s to facilities operation OSB NZ, which provided facilities to host broadcaster Sky NZ. SIS Live Sound Supervisor Andy James comments that large-scale events such as the Olympic and Commonwealth Games are now more likely to feature digital commentary systems because of the need for central control and scalability. “Digital enables us to increase or decrease the number of commentary systems offered to the client broadcasters without re-designing the system,” he says. “The digital systems also integrate more easily with a fibre infrastructure than analogue kit does and this enables us to reduce cable and rigging time and pass on savings to the customer.”

Digital matrix Finnish public broadcaster YLE is beginning to move to digital, although it still has Glensound

Lynx modules reign for KBS By David Stewart

Glensound digital GDC-6432 at the Rugby World Cup last year

definition OB van. The new truck has been partitioned into four production rooms — video, audio, camera control/shading room. A full complement of Lynx Technik Series 5000 interface and signal processing solutions, in 17 2RU frames were installed in the

but the transition is towards digital matrix systems,” Helkamaa says. “Even in relatively small units we have digital matrix based intercom systems because of the stability and versatility.” Riedel and fellow Germany company Delec, with its oratis commentators’ panels and intercom system, are the leading proponents of carrying commentary feeds on the same circuits as communications and the main audio. While neither Glensound nor intercom manufacturer RTS/Telex is immediately following this trend, the two recently collaborated to produce the COIN GT-013, which combines commentary and talkback front-end functionality in a single box. There is concern among both broadcasters and other manufacturers that having commentary on the same carrier as other audio feeds is a risk, with the chance that the commentator circuits could go down if there is a break in the connection, as OB van and include 3G/HD-SDI, frame synchronisers, up/cross/downconverters, distribution amplifiers, as well as control and monitoring. KBS installed over 140 modules. The Lynx Technik units interface with the rest of the van’s video infrastructure that includes Sony cameras (HDC-1000/HDC-1500/HDC3300), a Sony video mixer (MVS 8000x — main mixer, and MFS 6000 — backup mixer), Snell Cygnus

happened during the live first semi-final of last year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Integrated future Despite this, Riedel sees full integration as the future. “If you look at contemporary installations and how many different systems and signals are distributed side-by-side, it makes a lot of sense to us to use one single integrated infrastructure, both in terms of installation and maintenance,” comments spokesman Nils Quak. On this issue YLE’s Helkamaa says, “We favour the integrated thinking pattern for production. The Riedel intercom system is by its nature an AES router and we are utilising this feature as well. It is an advantage to have the commentary signals in and out as well as a full set of intercom connections with one single cable.” Andy James at SIS Live is more circumspect: “On large scale systems we currently favour keeping commentary systems separate from main multilateral circuits as it offers an extra level of redundancy should the main circuits fail. A broadcaster could continue to commentate if they lost pictures. However, the potential cost savings in using systems that combine video, audio and communications circuits mean we will always consider their use, provided there is sufficient redundancy in the system.” The question whether to combine or not combine the commentary with other signals will continue to be the biggest faced in this small but important area of sports broadcast technology over the next few years. Armchair fans will mostly be oblivious to this; the main requirement continues to be to hear what the commentator says — and vehemently disagree with it. 288x480 video routing switcher, monitoring from TV Logic, and a VSM control system that manages communications between the router, mixers, and Lynx Technik interface equipment. The audio production room includes a Studer Vista 9 audio mixer with integrated router, a Riedel Artist 128x128 intercom, and audio monitoring from Genelec. The audio room is equipped for 5.1 monitoring. www.lynx-technik.com www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

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Tough specification required for extensive winter sports coverage

Czech TV van gets Visual treatment By Fergal Ringrose Systems integrator and multiscreen platform provider Visual Unity has enabled Czech TV to enhance its production capabilities by delivering the broadcaster’s fully HD-equipped outside broadcast vehicle. Designed to capture mainly sporting and cultural events, the new vehicle is based on a 26 ton MAN chassis with a single expanding side. At 12m long and nearly 4m high, it is the second completely HD-equipped vehicle in Czech TV’s fleet and provides the entire technical infrastructure needed to deliver outside broadcast content in full HD. Jakub Kabourek, CEO of Visual Unity, said: “As the Czech Republic’s state broadcaster, Czech TV is committed to delivering a premium viewing experience for its audience and constantly strives to deploy the latest technology to optimise its operations. This philosophy was the driving force behind its decision to invest in a new vehicle that could deliver high definition content from major outside broadcast events.” Visual Unity’s brief was to ensure that the new vehicle was compatible with Czech TV’s existing systems and interfaces, while also providing the high standard and effective design needed to

tackle demanding video and audio productions. Jiri Jires, head of Czech TV’s Outside Broadcast department said: “Our main aim was to build a truck that could easily be used for the daily production of material from smaller sports venues and theatres, and from places within cities where we can’t use larger trailers. “We intend to gradually expand and upgrade our OB fleet and we believe that our next truck will follow the design of this latest vehicle. I was very impressed with the way in which Visual Unity incorporated all our special requirements into this project.” Under the direction of Project Leader Tomas Vesely, the new vehicle was coachbuilt in the UK by Spectra Engineering and engineered together with Megahertz. Once this part of the project was completed, the truck was driven to Visual Unity so that the engineering team could finish the custom installation. In total the project took just 10 months to complete. Vesely added: “The most demanding stage of the project was the initial layout design, which we worked on very closely with the customer. We needed to install a lot of equipment, while at the same time provide an efficient, ergonomic operational space for the crew, including a comfortable 5.1 surround sound suite for audio

Sachtler support for polar bear shoot By David Stewart When cinematographer David Linstrom signed on to shoot a segment of National Geographic Wild-America’s Big Five, he turned to Sachtler for camera support. “This segment is about scientists from the United States Geological Survey, conducting a study on polar bears,” he explained. “They go out across the frozen sea from the town of Deadhorse, on the northern slope

near the Arctic, and look for bears on the ice. When they find a bear that hasn’t been tagged before, they shoot it from a distance with a tranquiliser dart. After it becomes immobilised, they land and go to work taking the bear’s vitals — tagging, weighing and logging the information into their record book. “To document this, my camera package featured a Sony F800 and the Sachtler System 20

“The Sachtler fluid head stayed fluid — even in -33˚C weather”

www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

Visual Unity’s brief was to ensure that the new vehicle was compatible with Czech TV’s existing systems and interfaces

The vehicle is equipped with Snell Kahuna 3ME vision mixer, Miranda NVISION NV8280 router, and Studer Vista 8 console

S1 SL HD fluid head and tripod. I would be covering everything from helicopter-to-helicopter shots to tripod shots of details of polar bears in the snow. We needed solid support that could stand up to the rigors of the arctic locations,” he explained. “At times we were at -33˚C, flying in a Hughes 500D helicopter. Even with these extreme conditions, I knew I could rely on my Sachtler to work flawlessly. Sachtler is simply the best tripod in the industry for documentary and fieldwork. They are lightweight yet stable and the controls make it a joy to work with a long lens. By using the tension settings, I personalise the balance and resistance so I can dial in just the right amount of tension in order to get beautifully smooth pans and tilts. And the head always works like it is supposed to, no matter what the temperature. The seals are tight so grit doesn’t get in and cause bumps.” Linstrom cites the design and construction of the tripod as another factor that sets Sachtler apart. “The speed levers on the tripod decrease the time it takes to set the height and it’s also ergonomically correct, as if a camera operator designed it.” www.sachtler.com

mixing. Achieving this required some thought, given the fixed size of the 12m chassis. Another issue we had to resolve was incorporating several different heating systems, which are needed because Czech TV plans to use the truck extensively for winter sports events. The final systems integration challenge was integrating LSB’s VSM control system, which is used to control the majority of the systems on board the truck.” The vehicle is equipped with eight cameras — six Grass Valley LDK 8000 Elite series HD cameras, plus one radio camera and one SuperMotion camera. It also has two EVS XT-3 servers, IP Director, XF2 storage with removable drives for data exchange with post production facilities, a Snell Kahuna 3ME vision mixer, a Miranda NVISION NV8280 matrix router, an LSB VSM control system, a Studer Vista 8 audio console, Genelec and Fostex audio monitoring, Dolby E encoders-decoders, Clear-Com Eclipse intercom and Harris G5 graphics. Czech TV took delivery of its new OB truck in October and has already put it through its paces. Its first successful live production was the Euro Floorball Tour 2011, which took place in Brno, Czech Republic, at the beginning of November. www.visualunity.com

RTS comms for Viditech outside broadcast truck By Melanie Dayasena-Lowe Viditech Broadcast Facilities has invested in a new outside broadcast vehicle: OBV5. The new truck, which is designed to serve up to 12 cameras, will be used primarily for television productions, including sporting events, talk shows and general entertainment. “It‘s a fully-equipped, and yet extraordinarily compact truck,” said Jan de Pijper, Viditech’s MD. Moreover, the TV control room on wheels offers the best of both worlds, as he explained: “The truck is highly versatile but at the same time features powerful technology and delivers a high level of quality.” The truck is equipped with an RTS Cronus digital matrix with 32 ports as well as numerous KP-12 series keypanels. MCP-9012 microphones and PH-88R5 headsets from Telex complete the set-up. de Pijper explained the reasons for his choice of RTS/Telex systems: “We have been working a lot with products from RTS/Telex. Furthermore, we’ve had uniformly positive experiences with them.

Inside the new truck, systems from RTS/Telex enable communication between members of the production team

They offer flawless performance and are extremely reliable, which is particularly important. You can hardly change your intercom system in the middle of a live broadcast, so you have to have 100% confidence in the system you choose.” Since the installation had to be completed to a tight schedule, the ability to work closely with Axon Digital Design in general, and Area Sales Manager Leo Smeding in particular, also proved crucial to the success of the undertaking.” www.rtsintercoms.com 25

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Bigger, higher, faster The key new technology trends at the higher end of the broadcast camera marketplace recently have been a move to larger sensors, higher resolution and higher frame rates. David Fox talks to end-users and vendors about the key developments in camera speed, lenses and sensors as we head into 2012

Hands on: There was lots of interest in the Canon C300 at the many open days held for it recently

“Large sensors have provided perhaps the most creative benefit […] by enabling cinematographers to come closer to replicating the look of film. Shallow depth of field and low light sensitivity are often listed as the most obvious benefits, but improved dynamic range is also very important. The new EOS C300 provides 800% dynamic range and around 12 stops of latitude (using Canon Log gamma) to allow creation of a really filmic look,” says Yabsley. With 35mm sensors, users have all the PL mount cine lenses to work with. “Each of these has their own look and feel, giving the DP choices that did not exist with the smaller format systems. It also returns the DP to the comfort zone that they developed over the years using 35mm film. Not all of these lenses will perform as well with the electronic sensor as they did with film, but enough of them

”Super35mm appears to be becoming a de facto standard in mainstream production, mainly because of compatibility with existing lens stock. Super35mm can provide most, if not all of the benefits people expect from a large sensor — shallow depth of field, sensitivity, etc — which together with lens compatibility make it an appropriate choice for many projects,” says Peter Yabsley, EMEA business development Professional Video, Canon Europe. “One of the big surprises for us was how many people used Alexa, not just feature films, but documentaries and soaps. We never expected a soap opera to adopt the 35mm format,” says Marc Shipman-Müller, product manager Camera Systems, Arri. There are also wildlife documentaries being shot on Alexa,

do function well enough for us to utilise,” says Jeff Cree, VP Technical Services, Band Pro. It isn’t just 35mm cinemasize sensors but also larger sensors, as used by some relatively inexpensive DSLR cameras, which Yabsley says have “democratised a ‘cinematic’ style of movie-making.” Where sensors are bigger than S35mm there are problems, says Cree. “People want to use them for depth of field control, but you are back to the problem of limited availability of lenses that cover these systems.”

although only about half of them want the shallow depth of field, others just want the extra latitude (and often use it with a B4 format lens adaptor). Shipman-Müller believes that 35mm sensors will become standard for a lot of broadcast work, outside of sports and studios where you need big box lenses. “For other productions people are adopting 35mm at an astonishing rate,” he says. This is partly because so many people have now worked with DSLRs. “That has really trained the world to use larger format cameras.” Although larger sensors are most notable for their shallow depth of field, the extra sensitivity they can offer means they don’t have to be wide open if you want greater depth of field. Sony’s large format, single sensor line-up now includes the FS100, PMW-F3 XDCAM EX,

“Super35mm appears to be becoming a de facto standard in mainstream production, mainly because of compatibility with existing lens stock” – Peter Yabsley, Canon Europe and F65. “The technology is developing quickly, which is why the market is so competitive,” says Peter Sykes, Sony’s strategic marketing manager for the F65 and Digital Cinematography. “The F65 uses a 20-megapixel (8K) CMOS sensor, but the response to the camera when people saw the pictures was based on the performance, not just the resolution. It wasn’t really a single thing, it was a whole step change in the picture,” (more stops, better sensitivity, etc). “The emphasis has changed from resolution to overall performance,” he says.

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“If sensor resolution continues to increase,” Yabsley agrees, “in future we may also see some benefit in larger sensor sizes which help to maintain a certain pixel pitch. Many factors would have to be considered — size and power consumption among them — but lack of compatibility with existing glass would seem to one of the main potential limitations.” “The higher resolution systems have solved much of the artefact issues such as moiré and the harsh edges seen in lower resolution cameras [and many DSLRs]. We have reached a point where we are at an equivalent capture capability to the human eye,” says Cree. “Going to 35mm sensors returns the creative control back to the DP that he had with film. It also allows the development of higher pixel count systems while maintaining the sensitivity due to the size of the individual photosites. Adding higher frame rates to the base camera system just adds versatility to the system.” There has long been a desire for a film look from video, which is why P+S Technik created its Mini35 and Pro35 image converters in 2001, for use with 1/3-inch and 1/2-inch cameras. Michael Erkelenz, manager of its Digital Capture Business Unit, believes this technology still has a place. “The price of an image converter setup including camera is about the same as a new large sensor camera, but you have perfect control over depth of field, proven workflows with older cameras and a free choice of lenses (because of the availability of IMS mounts with the P+S image converters).” However, the move to larger sensors has taken such a hold that even mainstream broadcast manufacturers like Ikegami are entering the market. Its upcoming HDS-F90 large sensor camera is designed for lower-cost drama production. It is likely to use a single 4K 4/3-inch CMOS sensor (similar to Panasonic’s AF-101), take PL-Mount lenses, and record to Ikegami’s GFCAM solid-state recording system, offering I frame only recording at 100Mbps, MPEG-2 (4:2:2).

Design factors When considering sensor performance, you have to look at “the relationship between sensitivity, resolution and signal-to-noise www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

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TVBEU R O PE A C Q U I S I T I O N I N N O VAT I O N S ratio. Changing any one of these variables affects the others, so the challenge is to find an appropriate balance,” says Yabsley. For the designers, power consumption is important. “A variety of circuitry can be integrated into a CMOS sensor, eg, for noise reduction, but each such addition can make the chip larger and more power-hungry,” he explains. “It’s important to note that although each component in the camera system — lens, sensor and processor — should perform to as high a level as possible, it’s the combination and integration of the entire system that is important.” Canon designs and manufactures its own large CMOS sensors, which “allows us to optimise design and performance in each camera to create the best possible balance.” “The advancements in CMOS sensor technology have allowed us to build sensors that over sample so that many of the problems created by the earlier Bayer sensors have been eliminated,” says Cree. “Backlit designs open more of the front surface of the imager to be used for photosites, on sensor 16-bit A/Ds and parallel data transfer reduce the noise and improve the speed of the data transferred from the imagers used in today’s cameras. All of these things improve the performance of the imager, reducing noise, increasing sensitivity and improving dynamic range,” he says. “The development of the F65 has taken us beyond what we can accomplish with the current scanning technology of film. The 16-bit A/D provides over 35,000 steps of gradation and the colour gamut is wider than the current print film stocks. The ability to shoot raw provides the greatest capabilities in post and with the new integrated systems providing multiple deliverables from the raw data is a simple process,” he adds.

4K plus “For broadcast applications intended for TV, I don’t see any good reason to have higher resolution than 1920x1080,” says Rick Robinson, Division VP, Marketing, Vision Research.

Viewfinders and TX and other innovations By David Fox Sensor improvements haven’t been the only innovations in camera technology recently. A digital camera with an optical viewfinder “gets requested a lot from cinematographers and operators”, and is now available in the Alexa Studio. The viewfinder has zero delay and shows a bright, sharp full colour image through the taking lens. “Optical viewfinders are artefact-free, show natural motion portrayal, accurate colour fidelity and proper white balance,” says Marc Shipman-Müller. “Operators see exactly what is happening, right when it is happening, and experience less eye fatigue. Cinematographers appreciate the ability to judge lighting through the viewfinder and to work with the camera even when it is powered off since choosing lenses, deciding on staging, setting up shots, pre-lighting “There are exceptions. If the camera is not using some kind of optical low-pass filter to minimise debayering artifacts, then oversampling and scaling can solve this problem. In the future, having oversampled images may allow for panning within a frame after acquisition and during playback, but the infrastructure to support this is not in place yet.” “We don’t think 4K is cost efficient, so far,” agrees Erkelenz. “Besides this there is no creative benefit related to 4K and it is not possible to deliver the resolution to the end user,” he says. Ronny Van Geel, Grass Valley’s director of Product Management, Cameras, makes the point that a single 4K Beyer-pattern sensor can give you fewer pixels than a threechip HD camera. “On a 4K you have only 2K of green, 1K of red and 1K of blue. On today’s threesensor 1920x1080 camera you have 2K of green, 2K blue and 2K red, so you can compare it to a 6K single sensor camera.”

Gustav Emrich with a prototype of JVC’s 4K camcorder, which has an innovative processor it also uses for 3D

www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

120fps: Arri’s Alexa will run twice as fast with a software download

or rehearsing before the camera is powered up can save precious time on the set.” The Alexa Studio also has a 4:3 sensor, for use with anamorphic lenses. Also new is the modular Alexa M, a compact design

developed primarily for 3D use with the Cameron-Pace Group, for use in its 3D rigs. The frontend of the Alexa M transmits uncompressed raw sensor data at around 18Gb per second to a back-end image processor/

recorder using a hybrid fibre optic cable that can also power the head. Weighing well under 3kg, the Alexa M head has multiple mounting points. The fibre means the head can be up to 1km from the body, which “allows for some unique and extremely innovative 3D camera applications. We hope CPG will take full advantage of them in the months ahead,” says Franz Kraus, managing director, Arri Munich. Arri will integrate elements of CPG’s 3D rig automation technology into the camera. Grass Valley has introduced its first generation 3Gbps transmission system from the camera head to the CCU, over triax and fibre, at higher bit rates — which could be 3D, higher resolution or higher frame rates. “That pipe of data flow is always important, and will support what comes next,” says Marcel Koutstaal.

Don’t miss any action: The 16-camera Camargus Panoramic Camera System

There are also physical limitations of how many pixels you can put on a sensor. “You can’t make half a photon,” he adds. However, Grass Valley isn’t ignoring 4K, as it is a potential successor for current HD formats, however it is focused on live production. “4K can have a much faster and more positive business model in the digital cinema market,” as 4K in the home “is not likely to take place anytime soon,” says Marcel Koutstaal, SVP and GM Grass Valley Camera Product Group. Besides, while movies are expected to go through a huge amount of post production, live broadcasting can only deliver what it acquires, and broadcasters don’t want to have to transcode and colour correct everything live. “The technical parameters are nice to discuss, but the industry needs to make money, so flexibility, usability and interchangeability between products is more important than another step in resolution,” says Koutstaal — which is why Grass Valley is more intent on offering better integration between products, such as allowing a vision mixer control

over camera settings or controlling a router from the camera to give different signals in the return feed. With Alexa, keeping the workflow simple was a key consideration. “It means people can spend more time creatively rather than with transcoding and fixing,” says Milan Krsljanin, director of Business Development, Arri. 4K quadruples the data flow compared to HD. “It immediately imposes a very big burden on post production.” Even Digital Intermediate work for movies is mostly in 2K, with good results on the screen, he says. Although 4K has benefits for some types of work, such as visual effects, in general if you are dealing with such large amounts of data “you have to compress, but that’s a compromise and can affect the beauty of the image.” Some 4K and above workflows use a lot of compression. Red raw images can have 12x, 15x or 18x compression. If you are going to output to HD anyway, working in 4K “may give an improvement in image sharpness, but that is not unlimited,” says Krsljanin. Besides, he finds that with digital video most

DoPs “ask how they can soften the picture. Sharpness can be a hindrance in perceptual terms, which is why people use softening filters. The most critical thing in TV and movies are close ups, and they need to look glamorous, which sharpness rarely improves. Sharpness may be perfect for natural history, but not for actors. It makes them look older than they really are.” High-resolution imaging can have benefits for 2K filmmakers, maintains Gustav Emrich, European product manager, JVC, “as now you are able to freely select any area of your image and just select the scene information you really need. For example, perhaps you’re shooting some nice scenery of an old town and you want to pick up a lot of the detail. In your workflow you can simply zoom into the part that you like, or remove areas that you don’t want.” Canon feels that using a higher resolution sensor is the optimal way to provide the best quality HD footage from a single sensor, as shown in its new C300 Continued on page 28

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camcorder. By using a sensor with 8.3MP resolution, it delivers native 1080-line output in all three RGB channels, which improves colour reproduction, resolution, dynamic range and sensitivity. “This resolution permits an optical low pass filter that utilises a higher cut-off frequency

to minimise Moiré and aliasing in detailed subjects,” says Yabsley. “Any time that you are oversampling and down converting you are going to get additional information that you would not get from a native sensor so you do get a visible improvement in picture quality,” adds Cree. “The adoption of HD faced more and larger hurdles than does

the migration to 4K,” says Band Pro Marketing Manager Seth Emmons. “In many ways, going from film to 2/3-inch HD was a further departure than going from film to single chip 4K. The look, depth of field and lenses were dramatically different and the camera manufacturers were still working toward creating a film look instead of a video look.

“Now the colour science has dramatically improved, as well as the reproduction of grain/noise, to be more akin to film. The F65 now has a wider colour gamut than film and, at 16-bit, the ACES-IIF workflow will also help maintain the standard of quality that film alone has long enjoyed.” We see a story through however many cameras are covering

a production. “There are many events during a broadcast that are either missed because they weren’t recorded or were out of frame,” points out Patrick Ott de Vries, Broadcast business manager, Vision Research. “Imagine capturing the whole event in higher resolution and then panning to material outside of the traditionally framed HD shot to capture unpredictable events and at the same time record an entire event in super slowmotion.” This would give a greater chance of not missing anything important. One way to do this is to use more cameras, and then combine their outputs together to create a huge picture covering a whole sports pitch. This is what Belgium-based Camargus is offering with its Panoramic Camera System. This uses a rig of 16 2/3-inch HD cameras (each using 1600x1200 CCD sensors), plus stitching software to combine their outputs into a very highresolution panorama. A user can then zoom into any part of the picture using a virtual camera. It will mean that any incident can be seen, making it perfect for sports analysis. It comes with a zoom controller that offers instant replay with loop record and slow motion playback. It should be available during the Summer. “Improvements in compression technology mean that even 4K resolution can be processed in realtime, using standard post production tools, and proprietary software or hardware would not normally be required,” says John Kelly, general manager, JVC Professional Europe. JVC’s new GY-HMQ10 4K camera uses SD card recording (to four cards) and a standard 2K codec. Users receive four HD files that can also run independently. “This means that you can check your content straight away in your PC with almost any media player,” says Emrich. “An editing system can handle this as four files; with a powerful PC, these four files could be matched as a single 4K2K file.” NHK is using JPEG 2000 for its 4K trials, having selected the intoPIX JPEG 2000 technology to help develop a compact 4K acquisition system that should be as easy to use as HD. The intoPIX system compresses the 4K images into a single JPEG 2000 stream in realtime, without any tiling. The system has been tested on sports and a live broadcast of heart surgery. www.arri.com www.bandpro.com www.canon-europe.com www.camargus.com www.grassvalley.com www.ikegami.de www.intopix.com www.jvcpro.de www.pstechnik.de www.sonybiz.net www.visionresearch.com

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Faster than the speed of light

NEWS IN BRIEF

Cameras are probably now about as fast as you’ll ever want them to be. And many high-speed cameras are just as suitable for normal speed work. David Fox reports

BVE Penta router

The MIT Media Lab recently created a camera that can capture light at a trillion frames per second (fast enough to see photons move). “We use a very regular pulsed light source and a camera that is not one camera but an array of 500 sensors, each triggered at a trillionth of a second delay, so even though each of our sensors is slow, we can still capture a fast movie,” explains Postdoctoral Associate Andreas Velten. There is a demonstration on YouTube (http://bit.ly/uV49j9). Most of the applications for such a camera would be in medicine or industry, but ideas like the multisensor array might have a place in broadcasting. However, beyond the research lab, high-speed camera technology is also gathering pace, from adding frame rates above 100fps to conventional cameras to providing continuous super slow-motion output for sports and other events. “From our understanding and customer feedback relating to the sports broadcast market, the need over the next two or three years is not for higher resolution, larger sensors or higher speed. The real demand from the market is for continuous highspeed shooting, with a standard EVS LSM workflow (that is, without internal memory in the camera head),” says I-Movix CEO Laurent Renard. “The benefit of a continuous hispeed camera is the same as a triple speed camera but with a higher

Larger sensor, smaller head: The Alexa M is suitable for 3D or remote use

frame rate that will bring you the ability to get a perfect 10 times slow-motion and slow it down instantly thanks to an EVS XT3 production server. The benefit of this camera is that it can perform the roles of three separate cameras: a standard 25fps (or 30fps), a triple speed, and up to a 10 times slowmotion camera,” he adds. “The continuous hi-speed mode will enhance and make easier the production of all major sports productions in the world,” says Renard. “Can you imagine up to 18 hours of continuous super slo-mo on the EVS LSM network at 300fps [1080i] in Europe or 600fps [720p] in the US?” We will see this in action later this year, as the X10 (which is based around Vision Research technology) has been chosen to make its

production debut at the London Olympics. It can be used as a conventional HD camera, and provides a familiar user interface and controls that any broadcast crew can use without specialist training.

Starved for light “Resolution, size and sensitivity are all interrelated. Most high-speed broadcast applications are starved for light. And, with the growing popularity of ultra slow-motion, this gets even worse. So, sensitivity is critical in a high-speed broadcast solution,” says Rick Robinson, Division VP, Marketing, Vision Research, which uses S35mm format sensors on cameras like its recent Phantom v641. “One way to get higher sensitivity is to have larger pixels. If you want to maintain 1080p reso-

lution with larger pixels, then the physical size of the sensor must increase. However, when this happens, the sensor can no longer be covered by common broadcast lenses. One solution is to move to 35mm lensing, use larger sensors at HD resolutions and take advantage of the larger pixel size and sensitivity.” “You can either use a lens design to take advantage of the native sensor size and extreme sensitivity or in the case of sports broadcast you will have to use an appropriate PL to B4 adapter to leverage the traditional sports broadcast B4 lens,” adds Patrick Ott de Vries, Vision Research’s Broadcast business manager. Some broadcasters now use less standard lenses, to enhance sensitivity particularly in difficult venues or lighting conditions. “We continue to support B4, but we do have customers that use other lenses to cover the full sensor,” he adds. Ultra-slow motion playback can show detail normally invisible to the eye. “This playback tends to have a visceral, emotional impact on the audience and is an amazing creative tool,” says Robinson. However, “there is a practical limit in live broadcast based on the time available for playback. While 6x or 10x ultra slow-mo playback is amazing, it may be impractical to go much faster than this.” v

Continued on page 30

A key addition to NTP Technology’s range of digital audio routing and processing equipment makes its UK exhibition debut on stand B28 at BVE 2012 in London. “The new Penta 725 IP audio router offers substantial savings in network operating costs by eliminating the need to lease expensive dedicated telco lines,” explains NTP Technology Sales Director Mikael Vest. “These lines are traditionally used to carry audio from a regional radio or television studio back to a central location. Designed for broadcasters and independent studio operators, the Penta 725 IP allows a high quality audio routing network to be operated using low-cost Gigabit IPbased Ethernet lines. It delivers the additional benefit of being easier to use than traditional leased-telco-line systems because it is fully controllable via our intuitive VMC software.” www.ntp.dk

Reel-Check tests Cel-Soft has announced a major new addition to its suite of quality-control and monitoring software. Designed to run on a standard desktop PC or workstation, Reel-Check Solo-QC enables a complete set of qualitycontrol tests to be performed on live or file-based video and audio. It is compatible with all signal standards and media file-types currently in common use, including webcast, broadcast and 444 digital-film formats up to 4K. CelSoft Managing Director Robin Palmer said: “It allows a very wide range of video and audio checks to be performed both on live and file-based signals without the cost and space overheads of traditional test equipment.” www.cel-soft.com

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Two more stops LiveMotionConcept’s latest Antelope MkII is based on the Phantom V641 chip (which gives two more stops of sensitivity compared to the Antelope MkI), can shoot at up to 5,800fps HD and is 3D capable. It also has improved detail processing to make the image look much sharper; improved colour correction; two permanent HD SDI outputs (live and replay); tally and return signals; a new remote control panel (controlling the camera trigger and recorder); and a newly designed broadcast OCP. It can also work with an internal server, rather than use an EVS or other external recorder. LMC also has a new wireless system, the Antelope AIR, based on the MkII, that uses a backpack transmitter and antenna, developed with assistance on the control side from Riedel. NAC’s upcoming Hi-Motion II camera will also have two extra stops compared to the previous version; continuous live record and replay; full integration with an EVS XT-LSM; Flicker Correction; and twice the on-board memory (96GB). It has three sensors on its optical block and boasts colour response similar to the Sony or Grass Valley OB cameras it will typically be used with.

Lock in for 3D For-A has entered the broadcast high-speed camera market, with its new VFC-7000. “It goes up to

Richard Harvey with the Hitachi SK-HD1500 slo-mo camera

700fps, in native HD, with onboard storage for 10 or 30 seconds at 700fps. In practice this is plenty, because the playback time at that rate is quite long,” says David Ackroyd, European sales manager. It has loop recording and you can trigger it at the end, beginning or in the middle (so it might record one second before and after the trigger). “You can segment the store and loop the playback or you can record in the next segment.” Typically you might have four segments of 2.5 seconds each. It is both a recorder and server, and just needs control from the slow-motion controller. For-A has its own controller, but it will work with third-party systems, such as EVS. “It is a small camera so it can easily be set up in a 3D arrangement, where you can sensor-lock the cameras so

speak about the very high costs of analogue film high speed shots). Higher speed rates available in the daily routine do not just allow standard slow-motion sequences, but a whole range of motion effects (ramped motion, time lapsed motion, fast motion) whose creative value still has to be explored,” he says. Erkelenz believes that speed is the innovation with the most creative benefit, which is why that is the key feature of the new PS-Cam X35. “Its sensitivity, resolution and dynamic range are much more than good enough for most purposes and suit our clients’ requirements. Providing up to 450fps in the everyday production process allows telling the story differently in a complete new way still to be explored, without the extra costs of a highly specialised unit and technician.” Of course, 450fps cannot be read out in realtime (no recorder

Grass Valley and Sony have been the main choices for a mainstream 3x broadcast camera, but now Hitachi has joined in with its SK-HD1500 — which promises to be competitively priced they scan together. You can also control the two cameras from one panel. It also has auto iris, which is important for unattended operation.” It costs €35,000 and has been used on US open tennis, Golf Masters, and Formula One racing. ESPN has been using it for its 3D sports coverage.

More than enough While larger sensors can capture more light, they can also allow greater resolution, but “resolution does not provide a real creative benefit, yet,” says Michael Erkelenz, manager of P+S Technik’s Digital Capture Business Unit. All the advantages of resolution and sensor size are already available with 35mm film, so there are no additional benefits for the audience. “Higher speed is different. With digital camera technology, speed rates and motion effects are possible that have not been available with film cameras, so far. “Because of physical and mechanical constraints, speed rates have been limited with film (just not to

would be fast enough), but the X35’s internal 18GB buffer allows recording of “more than enough” motion effects footage during one shoot (12 seconds of footage shot with 450fps gives a play out time of more than four minutes). With its large sensor, 11 stops of dynamic range, etc., he calls the X35 “a true 2-in-1 camera” combining sync sound and motion effects.

To a T Weisscam’s new T-1 HD camera is a similar concept, but with a smaller sensor, and was designed to be pure, fast and uncompressed. Its clean T-shaped lines are built around three concepts: “Pure, fast and uncompressed. The idea is to simplify down to what you need,” said Seth Emmons, marketing manager at its distributor, Band Pro. It has one button (on, off and record) and a touch screen for record speed (1-350fps), shutter (exposure), ISO and colour temperature. It has a 2/3-inch sensor, Bmount lens, and records uncompressed 12-bit or 10-bit HD

T time: Stefan Weiss wanted a small, modular, uncompromised camera

internally to 4GB memory (for short high-speed sequences) or via a 4x3Gbps HD-SDI connection that also carries power and comms to T-Rec, its recorder, which uses 1-4TB T-Pak solidstate packs. There will also be a 4K S35sensor version taking PL-mount lenses, which will be otherwise the same, except that users can crop to 2K and then go to 700fps. “We believe in uncompressed RAW material for archiving and post production. We don’t want to put compression on it. It’s very difficult to decide on the right compression,” says DoP Stefan Weiss, Weisscam’s CEO. The T-1 will probably cost €30,000-€35,000. Arri is making 120fps shooting available on the Alexa via a software licence key costing €1,350, which will be recorded using ProRes 422 HQ (and Avid DNxHD — itself a new upgrade). “It gets high speed with full sensor width, so the image has the same depth of field and angle of view as when you record in regular speed,” says Marc ShipmanMüller, product manager Camera Systems, Arri. “The benefit for the producer is that they don’t have to carry an extra camera for high speed.”

Sporting chance ”For sports, we are spending a lot of pixels on motion blur,” but shooting at higher frame rates reduces this, says Marcel Koutstaal, SVP and GM Grass Valley Camera Product Group. “Customers are looking for flexibility; equipment that can do any job,” he adds, which is why its 3x slo-mo camera can also do 1x and 2x, or output 1x at the same time as 3x. Grass Valley and Sony have been the main choices for a mainstream 3x broadcast camera, but now Hitachi has joined in with its SK-HD1500 — which promises to be competitively priced. It offers native 1080/150i and 50p (or 720/150P), and has three 2.3Mpixel 2/3-inch IT-CCDs, with 6Gbps transmission over SMPTE standard optical fibre. “One of our objectives is to be able to offer all the equipment you’d need from a camera manufacturer for an OB truck, and slo-mo was the last piece,” says Richard Harvey, technical director, Hitachi UK. There are broadcasters that have bought all their studio cameras from Hitachi who now won’t have to look elsewhere for their OBs, such as Saudi TV, which has about 150 studio cameras from Hitachi. The SK-HD1500’s light sensitivity is F10 at 2000 lux in normal speed mode, but drops to F7 at 2000 lux at 150fps. Similarly, the signal-to-noise ratio goes from a typical -60dB at 50fps to -54dB at 150fps. Power consumption should be 60W, without the viewfinder, and the camera head will weigh 2.2kg (or twice that with the fibre adapter). www.arri.com www.for-a.com www.grassvalley.com www.hitachi-keu.com www.i-movix.com www.livemotionconcept.de www.nacinc.com www.pstechnik.de www.visionresearch.com www.weisscam.com

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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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High quality lenses and large sensors are good for business

Optical recognition: Investing in glass

Prime time: Cooke Optics’ new 135mm lens joins its 5/i family

With the rapid change seen in cameras over the last year or so, one of the safest places to invest your money is in glass. Good quality lenses that work with any of the popular cameras will always be in demand, and the large new sensors are only as good as the glass in front of them. By David Fox PL-mount lenses have proved to be a particularly good investment, as so many new cameras will work with these cine-style lenses, either directly or via an adaptor. “Some manufacturers are starting to market lenses as so-called 4K lenses, but 35mm film has 4K resolution, so all the Ultra Primes from 1999 are 4K lenses,” points out Marc Shipman-Müller, Arri’s product manager for Camera Systems. “Indeed, to show a good image, they have to be higher resolution than the medium.” Of course, since then lenses have advanced. The Arri/Zeiss Master Primes use new glass types and optical design, to give a better image, even when one stop wider open, and include lens data.

Optimo range extended: The Angenieux 45-120mm PL-mount zoom

Arri and Fujinon will ship two new Alura lightweight zooms in February: the LWZ 15.5-45mm and LWZ 30-80mm (T2.8), to add to its existing 18-80mm and 45-250mm (T2.6) models. These retain the high image quality, at a smaller size, “while being about one third cheaper than the competition,” he says. They are designed to match the Alexa camera, and are ideal for handheld and Steadicam work, while the two original Alura Zooms, with their much wider focal ranges, are better suited to tripod and dolly setups. “We sold twice as many as planned of the original ones, so the next obvious step is to build lightweight zooms,” says ShipmanMüller. “They are optimised for digital cameras, with resolution beyond 4K, and will also work with film cameras with a rotating shutter (as used on the new Alexa Studio too).” The €16,800 zooms have a 31.5mm image circle, so will cover all the digital cameras, including those with larger sensors. The four Alura lenses are compatible with the Arri Lens

lens technology currently in use by electronic cameras,” says Jeff Cree, VP Technical Services, Band Pro. “They are also being aberration corrected to a much higher degree to meet the current production demands.” He claims that “the new Leica Summilux-C Primes are the first of this new generation of lenses optimised to get the most performance when utilising electronic sensors,” which Leica says reveal more lens imperfections than film. The Summilux-C lenses, distributed by Band Pro, are the first cine lenses produced by Leica Camera. They have identical external dimensions, with focus and iris rings in exactly the same place, for ease of swapping. “In the world of digital cinematography with its clean, sharp images, there is an increased spotlight on the choice of lenses,” adds cinematographer Florian Ballhaus, who tested them on a recent movie, Gambit (CBS Films). “The Leicas have a wonderful character while being perfectly predictable with their gentle Leica look that one expects from

“In the world of digital cinematography with its clean, sharp images, there is an increased spotlight on choice of lenses. The Leicas have a wonderful character while being perfectly predictable” — Florian Ballhaus

off quite gently. I found myself using less filtration with them because they render skin tones so beautifully. I was very impressed with how uniquely they handled highlights and flares.” Cooke Optics has introduced a pair of 135mm lenses for its 5/i Prime and Panchro lens sets. The T1.4 135mm for the 5/i has a illuminating focus ring that eliminates the need for external lights that might affect the shot. The Panchro 135mm joins Cooke’s smaller, lighter weight lens family at T2.8, and adds value to the lower-cost lens range that is often used for second unit film shoots, TV dramas and documentaries. Both lenses are colourmatched and calibrated to all existing Cooke lenses and feature built-in /i Technology, which provides cinematographers, camera operators and post teams with such metadata as lens setting, focusing distance, aperture and depth-of-field, hyperfocal distance and focal length in both metric and imperial measurements. Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, which opened late last year, was the first production to use all three families of Cooke lenses: 5/i, S4/i and Panchro/i. It was also the first major motion picture shot with 5/i lenses and the first major film to use /i Technology and Transvideo CineMonitor HD 3D View /i monitors.

Data System. The optical design should ensure an evenly illuminated image on the sensor or film plane, while flares, ghosting and veiling glare are greatly reduced by Fujinon’s multi-layer Electron Beam Coating. Breathing has been minimised, as has colour fringing. Lightweight zooms are becoming popular for 3D, he adds, as they allow easy adjustment of focal length without lens changes, rig readjustments and calibration.

Prime examples “Lenses are improving to meet the need of electronic production. They are currently being designed to better match the interface to the electronic sensor by becoming more compatible with the on-chip

Double delight: Shipman-Müller with the new Alura lightweight zooms

the still lenses we all know and love. They are as sharp as you want them to be but the focus falls

Gregor Tavenner, First Camera Assistant to DP Robert Richardson, said of the lenses: “They were absolutely gorgeous; they had a beautiful feeling. We ended up taking three sets together with S4/i and Panchros, and what we saw was incredible consistency.”

Cine zooms Angenieux’s new Optimo 45120mm (T2.8) PL-mount cinematography lens weighs less than 2kg, making it suitable for handheld or Steadicam work. Its optical design avoids breathing. It also has a 320º focus rotation with more than 50 precise focus witness marks. The lens has similar specifications to the 15-40mm and 28-76mm lightweight 32

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Optimo lenses it has been designed to complement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The 45-120mm lens hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been off the B camera since we got it,â&#x20AC;? says DoP Rodney Charters, who uses it on Shameless. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fantastic because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wide enough to be a B camera coverage lens. Much more exciting though is the fact that it pushes through to 120 for a 2.8 lens. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very sharp and proving to be a perfect device for our show.â&#x20AC;? The Optimo 45-120 is available with the Angenieux Data System, ADS/I module integrating Cooke Opticsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; /i protocol and designed for all Angenieux lightweight lenses. The lens can also use Angenieux interchangeable mounts

From widest to closest Abakus has developed an Ultra High Definition Wide Angle Lens suitable for use with NHKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Super Hi-Vision 8K camera, which gives it more than enough resolution to cope with any other current camera. The PL-mount lens covers 180Âş and has â&#x20AC;&#x153;very controlled distortion for such a wide angle. It is 10 times better than the standard B4-mount lens,â&#x20AC;? says Abakusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; MD Dr Ken Pollitt. It will be perfect for allencompassing stadium shots and costs about ÂŁ15,000. Its new XL Borescope, with PL mount, is suitable for movie model work. It can focus as close as the front glass. â&#x20AC;&#x153;How you light it is the problem,â&#x20AC;? which is why it

Designed for the C300: Canonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Cinema EOS zoom and prime lenses

Martin Scorseseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hugo, which opened late last year, was the first production to use all three families of Cooke lenses: 5/i, S4/i and Panchroi for APS-C format DSLR cameras, such as the Canon EOS 7D, 1D MK IV and C300, or Nikon D3000/D3100, D300, and D7000. To compliment its new EOS C300 camera, Canon has launched a new line of Cinema EOS Lenses. They include the CN-E14.5-60mm (T2.6) and CNE30-300mm (T2.95â&#x20AC;&#x201C;3.7) cine zooms in EF and PL-mount versions, as well as CN-E24mm (T1.5), CN-E50mm (T1.3), and CN-E85mm (T1.3) primes for EF-mount only. All are designed to be suitable for 4K production, and have zoom, focus and iris markings engraved on angled surfaces for improved readability from behind the camera.

will probably be offered with an in-lens ringlight. It will come with five lenses (10, 14, 20, 28 and 40mm), and options of 90Âş and 45Âş bends. Usefully, for such a long lens, the focus and iris controls are at the back. It will cost at least ÂŁ40,000 in March. Also new is the Abakus 200 2x magnifier, which will adapt B4-mount lenses for use with either PL-mount or Micro Four Thirds cameras and will compensate for the B4 prism block. They cost ÂŁ1,500 and should be useful for high-speed cameras.

Mount up Most lenses can be fitted to most cameras, given the right mounting system. P+S Technikâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Super Hi and wide: Pollitt shows off the 180Âş Super Hi Vision lens

PS-Cam X35 uses the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Interchangeable Mount System. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Almost all industry standard

mounts are compatible with the IMS. With IMS, you get the most out of every lens. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s completely up to the user which lens will be used for which reasons ever,â&#x20AC;? says Michael Erkelenz, manager of P+S Technikâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Digital Capture Business Unit. IMS adapters are available for other cameras, most recently for Sonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PMW-F3 PS-IMS-F3). Birger Engineering has lens adapters that allow Canon EFmount lenses to be fitted to Panasonicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AG-AF101 camcorder, Sonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NEX cameras (including the FS100) and the Red One. They allow users to have automatic and manual control of focus, iris and image stabilisation with a variety of EF-mount lenses. Continuous (video-style) autofocus will be supported on most Canon L-series lenses. Power is

Chroszielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Cam Collimator, for setting up lenses correctly, is smaller, more flexible and more costefficient than its previous versions. Where other collimator types use the sharpness of a projected Siemens star as the criteria for adjustment â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which is subjective, as it relies on an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s power of vision. Chrosziel collimators present test results as a simple graphic, indicating correct flange focal distance by the position of a vertical bar between two other bars. Its previous Universal CamCollimator came in two versions. One had a universally adjustable sensor head for lenses and cameras, the other was for lenses only, as it had a fixed optical set up, but the new CamCollimator C-LCC replaces both and costs about 25% less.

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Test bed: Chroszielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new CamCollimator

The total length of the optical bench has been reduced to 1m. The modular set up means the test mount can hold either the CamCollimator or the Autoreflex Collimator. The collimation unit can be adjusted in height, move sideways or tilt. For lens testing, only one movable base is needed. It includes a sliding lens support with height adjustment. For a

Lens control genie: Chroszielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aladin Mk II

" # ),%'!

Continued on page 35

Lens set up and S3D remote control By David Fox

quick camera test without changing the measuring block, an optional second sliding platform is available (C-LCC-P2). The new Schott LED light source offers life expectancy of 50,000 hours, and the TFT monitor sits on a flexible arm. Chroszielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aladin Mk II is an 8-channel lens remote control, offering 3D control capability and versatility. It includes a modular handset and a small receiver that controls up to eight motors, which it calibrates automatically. For more advanced setups, the receiver has a display, so there is no need for an extra monitor. For S3D shooting, the Aladin Mk II is claimed to be the only system currently able to operate focus, zoom and aperture on both camera lenses and also control angles and distance between cameras simultaneously, thanks to having eight channels.

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Project3_Layout 1 10/01/2012 10:55 Page 1

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Continued from page 33

The Leica look: The T1.4 Summilux-C lenses range from 16mm to 100mm

provided by the camera for most lenses. Image stabilisation is supported on IS lenses, and this can be turned on or off from the lens. Vocas Systems also has a new E to PL mount adapter, which allows the use of PL mount lenses on an E mount body, such as the FS100. Vocas also has a new flexible gear ring that can be attached to the lens for coupling with a follow focus. It is claimed

to be cheaper than current rings, while offering the same quality. www.abakus.co.uk www.angenieux.com www.arri.de www.bandpro.com www.birger.com www.canon-europe.com/tv-products www.cookeoptics.com www.fujinon.de www.grassvalley.com www.leica-camera.com www.pyser-sgi.com www.zeiss.com/cine

Broadcast lenses go wider and longer By David Fox Live broadcasts and news production have different requirements to cine-style productions, typically wanting longer zooms, sophisticated image stabilisation, and greater versatility. This can mean heavier, bigger lenses and greater complexity, but Canonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest superzoom, the DigiSuper 95 (XJ95x8.6B), is about the same size as the top selling DigiSuper 86 OB lens, and slightly lighter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Normally when we make it wider, you get distortion, but here it is very minimal. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really fantastic,â&#x20AC;? says Ken Koyama, Canonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s European Broadcast director. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The laws of physics mean there are limits to what technological developments can be applied to the actual lens optics. Generally with lenses it is the glass that dictates size and weight,â&#x20AC;? he explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Over the years we have seen consistent progress in lens manufacturers fulfilling the demands of cameramen and broadcasters by continually producing lighter and smaller lenses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This has only been possible with the incorporation of

so that when you pan the camera and then stop to take the shot, the stabilisation system stops immediately â&#x20AC;&#x201D; generally, these type of systems continue moving for a short time after the pan stops, which means your framing goes awry. Canon did do some work on this with Vinten a few years ago, but this required sensors in the tripod head, linked to the lens system, whereas this new system is all in the lens. The 95x also uses new technology to counteract breathing (which can occur when focusing causes a lens to change picture size/angle of view): the Constant Angle Focusing System uses a 32-bit CPU, to calculate and control the zoom to give an almost zero zooming effect when focusing. The DigiSuper 95 will cost about 5% more than the 86x when it ships in February. Fujinonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new HA19x7.4 lens is the first ENG lens (for 2/3-inch sensor cameras) with three zoom elements, â&#x20AC;&#x153;which is technically complicated,â&#x20AC;? says Andreas Adler, its general manager, Optical Division. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has one variator, to change focal lengths, and one compensator to keep the

CLASS act: Koutstaal with the new LDK-3000+

In his elements: Adler with Fujinonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three-zoom-element 19x ENG lens

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The design of the aspheric lens is, therefore, critical when it comes to fulfilling size and weight needs and when developing new zoom lenses for the broadcast sectorâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Ken Koyama, Canon Europe aspheric lens technology, which allow the light to converge on an optimum point, thus enabling compact lightweight lens assembly geometry with enhanced optical performance. The design of the aspheric lens is, therefore, critical when it comes to fulfilling size and weight needs and when developing new zoom lenses for the broadcast sector.â&#x20AC;? Canonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Image Stabilization System has an improved optical shift-type stabiliser that incorporates a sensor inside the lens to detect vibration. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Compensating optics are then engaged at high speed to cancel out any effect on the image,â&#x20AC;? he explains. It can identify the difference between wobble and deliberate movement,

www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

focus on the CCD, plus a second lens group variator which moves relative to the first variator, enabling us to make the lens much shorterâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; more than 5cm shorter than Fujinonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previous 22x7.3. It also offers increased optical quality thanks to two aspheric lenses in the front elements, with particularly good performance in the corners. It is relatively lightweight, at 2.15kg. In standby mode the newly-designed, more ergonomic zoom handle (which is now being fitted to all HA and ZA series lenses) uses half the power of previous zoom controllers, while the servo drive unit uses a more accurate 16-bit encoder. The lens can also output lens data, has a built-in 2.2x

Longer, wider, lighter: Koyama with the new DigiSuper 95

extender and can shoot as close as 0.55m. It is claimed to be ideal for drama production, but for studio use there will also be a mini box version, the HA19x7.4BES, with integrated Tally light, which should be available about NAB time and weigh about 3.5kg. Fujinon also has new lenses for 2/3-inch and 1/2-inch format cameras in both its Select and Exceed series ranges. The 2/3-inch XA20sx8.5BMD and 1/2-inch

XS20sx6.3BRM Exceed lenses â&#x20AC;&#x153;offer excellent telephoto performance at a price level you might expect of SD professional lenses,â&#x20AC;? says Paul Goodwin, divisional head Broadcast & CCTV Products Division, at Fujinonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s UK and Ireland distributor, Pyser-SGI. They are suitable for pan and tilt systems. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Both lenses offer HD telephoto reach at a very effective price. Either lens will produce a head and shoulders image at around 12m from the subject,â&#x20AC;? he says. For 3D and robotics applications, Fujinon has a new HD motor drive lens, synchronisation unit, and wireless controller. The XA4x7.5BMD-D3 motor drive 3D HD zoom comes in right and left lens versions, with a 16-bit encoder. It is intended for 3D and robotics applications with Fujinonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new 3D synchronisation controller unit, or can be used with third-party controls. Grass Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new CLASS technology, standing for Chromatic Lens Aberration and Sharpness Solution, is one way of improving sharpness and getting the most out of your existing lenses without moving to higher resolution sensors, or requiring any new infrastructure or workflow. This will mean that viewers donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lose information at the edges of their display, as CLASS can improve sharpness by up to 70% near the edge of the picture. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That is visible to the viewer at home,â&#x20AC;? says Marcel Koutstaal, SVP and GM Grass Valley Camera Product Group. All lens manufacturers characterise the optical path of each lens, so CLASS can take that algorithm and apply it to each of the lenses it knows about (all the main ones). But it uses a different approach to other camera manufacturers in that rather than concentrating on simply reducing chromatic aberration it prioritises sharpness (which is something viewers are more likely to notice). With the move to larger, higherresolution screens â&#x20AC;&#x153;sharpness is perceived as far more valuable than it was five years ago. TV set manufacturers are using detail settings differently than they used to,â&#x20AC;? he explains.

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Red’s Epic adventure The Red One was the first affordable digital cinema camera. Since then there has been the DSLR revolution and large sensor cameras released by most manufacturers. Now, after many delays, Red is shipping its next generation 5K camera, the Epic, but can it have the same impact on its predecessors? David Fox reports If you are shooting HD and want the large sensor, shallow depth of field look, there is now a wide range of cameras available to suit all budgets, from DSLRs, to Panasonic’s AF101, Sony’s FS100 and PMW-F3, Canon’s EOS C300 and Arri’s Alexa. But if you want even higher resolution there are fewer alternatives within a realistic budget. Red’s One and Epic are the most widely used higher resolution cameras for TV production, but will soon be joined by Sony’s F65 and the Red Scarlet. The Red One has been used on a lot of productions, but there were many problems with it and some productions would only shoot with Red if they had two of them, so poor was their reputation for reliability. Epic addresses lots of issues users had with the Red One, improving on it while remaining familiar to One users. Freelance cameraman/DoP Ben Spence had a Red One for two years before it was stable enough that it wouldn’t crash, and recently used a four-year-old Red One that crashed and lost 30 minutes, but he hasn’t had any crashes with Epic. There was HDSDI dropout any time he started the camera on his first job with it, but it was easy to rectify and he hasn’t had any problems since. “The Red One was a stills sensor and a computer jammed into this body, but Epic has been designed from the ground up with custom parts,” he explains. Spence has recently worked extensively with the Epic, Alexa and F3, all of which have their merits. Epic “is an awkward camera. Its modularity is one of its biggest strengths, but also one of its biggest weaknesses at the moment. It’s not built with ergonomics in mind straight out of the box,” which

Epic story: Olly Wiggins and Ben Spence with the Red Epic

means it needs a lot of accessories, many of which aren’t available yet. It can’t fit on your shoulder easily, although the body is smaller than an F3 (but heavier). “With the Red One, Red totally changed the way camera companies did their business.” Before then for digital cinema work there was the Arri D21, which was hire only, or very specialist, expensive cameras like the Panavision Genesis. “Red really made video companies like Arri and Sony sit up and pay attention and produce cameras like the Alexa and F3.”

In comparison For Spence the main selling points of the Epic are its raw workflow, the high-speed shooting, with high frame rates of up to 300fps at 2K and 120fps at 5K, the small size, touchscreen and built-in remote control. “For certain jobs it is an amazing camera.” He sees the F3 as a budget TV camera. “For the price and size, it’s fantastic.” The Alexa is also “a

to see which mount its clients prefer. It is also looking at buying Scarlet and F65 cameras. “The undoubted success of Alexa is that DoPs see it as a film camera that shoots digitally. Epic requires a new approach. You need a proper DIT [digital imaging technician] who can work the footage. You can do 3D LUTs [look-up tables], etc. on the Alexa, but it’s not essential, whereas with the Epic it is,” says Wiggins. The Epic has a sensor that is about 5-8% bigger than those on the F3, Alexa and Red One, but most cine lenses are designed to just cover an S35 frame, so you can get some vignetting at 5K, although it hasn’t been pronounced on any lens Spence has used. “It’s always been

“Each job is different. The Canon 5D may be ideal one day, Alexa the next, and another job may need 5K” — Olly Wiggins fantastic camera. It produces very pretty pictures very easily, and is perfect for episodic TV and films.” Spence shot a feature film with Alexa. “It just works, and feels like a seriously made camera. Arri knows how to make cameras.” He sees the Epic primarily as a promo and commercials camera, “for very good looking short-form stuff.” Olly Wiggins, DoP and managing director of S+O Media, agrees, saying it is best for singleday shoots, particularly for the type of client who wants to push things further, which you can in 5K, and couldn’t with the Alexa. London-based S+O Media hires out a wide range of cameras, including the Epic, Red One, Alexa, F3 and FS100. It will order six to eight EOS C300s initially, but as the PL-mount version won’t come out until March it is waiting

shoot in 4K mode, which crops the sensor slightly, or just crop in post if necessary. “Overall, it’s different tools for different jobs,” says Spence. “Each job is different. The Canon 5D may be ideal one day, Alexa the next, and another job may need 5K,” adds Wiggins. “As all the cameras have the same PL mount and S35 format, you can use the same lenses you are used to.” S+O has PL-mount adapters fitted to its Sony FS-100s too, and on the Red One MX, while the F65 will also be able to use the same lenses, which is why about two-thirds of lens sales now are PL-mount compared to B4, whereas it used to be the other way around. The Epic will also be able to mount to Canon L-series lenses, and lenses from other stills cameras, as well as Red’s own lenses. Most of Spence’s work with Epic has been on fashion shoots, although he’s also done music

Epic’s modularity means it can be small enough to fit on a dashboard

a worry, but it’s never been an issue. It’s not quite as bad as people are worried about,” but it could be a problem for wider lenses, wide open. If it is a problem, you could

videos with it (where the high frame rates are very useful). “Straight out of the box, the Alexa is a better camera, but Epic has more toys to play with. The resolution doesn’t make a huge difference, especially if you are viewing on HD or YouTube, but it is very useful for visual effects or if you need to stabilise the image. You can easily pull out a close up with no drop in quality.” Wiggins has had calls from productions wanting to use Epic for ad campaigns that will also use big billboards, as they can use stills from it at high resolution. “It’s the only moving picture camera that the Getty image bank approves for stills images out of the video, so it is ideal for fashion. You can shoot a whole campaign on one camera,” adds Spence. Its design means it can fit in the hand like a DSLR, although it is “a bit www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

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Sony enters high resolution market with new F65 camera By David Fox In control: Redmote comes as standard in $58,000 package

clunky and heavy.â&#x20AC;? Red has plans to produce a higher resolution sensor for stills use. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a powerful tool to have as a stills camera running at 120fps. It is amazing for catalogue shots,â&#x20AC;? he says. Physically the Epic works well, but is missing things that would allow it to work better. For example, it only has one video output (HD-SDI) and the audio inputs are just mini-jacks for guide audio. There will be a separate module for professional I/O, which will come with XLR inputs, different HD outputs, additional monitors and, he hopes, power outputs and more HD-SDIs. But that will increase the cameraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s size, and Spence feels that the small size is one of its best features. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It can be broken down to something small enough to fit as a dashboard camera in a car.â&#x20AC;? The Redmote is standard in the $58,000 Epic-M package â&#x20AC;&#x153;and is a really cool little tool,â&#x20AC;? he says. It can control all the settings on the camera via Wi-Fi and is particularly useful for a Steadicam or remote head. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a really powerful tool to see what settings are and change them without interfering with the camera.â&#x20AC;? The touchscreen is also useful, and developing with each update. It allows users touch to focus, â&#x20AC;&#x153;which is great for documentaries where you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want a focus puller,â&#x20AC;? he says.

Epic workflow Cameras generally have become more complicated. Even on the F3, if it hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been re-set, it is easy to get something wrong. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Epic is very complicated, so it is easy to screw up. You get all these cool things, but you have to know how to use them.â&#x20AC;? Aspect ratio and resolution choices are not non-destructive, requiring care. There are also lots of compression options that, if you make the wrong choice, could result in compression artefacts or running out of recording space. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Epic is more powerful than the Alexa, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not always a good thing. The Red is not forgiving if you do anything wrong. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot slower to use and clumsier,â&#x20AC;? says Spence. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The biggest mistake you can make with Red is going into it without planning the workflow,â&#x20AC;? making sure to have enough hard drive capacity for copies and Continued on page 38

www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

making a higher relaSony is now shipping its tive investment when new F65, which has an they buy a camera, â&#x20AC;&#x153;so 8K sensor, creating a 4K the large step that image, and is competiSony has taken technotively priced (at â&#x201A;Ź38,000), logically gives a sense with hundreds of orders of confidence to owner/ worldwide. operators that this camIt is designed to work era will be relevant for well with one of the many years. The Sony new standards for digital F900, when it came out, cinema: the IIF-ACES was a similar step for(Image interchange ward and a lot of the framework, Academy people who bought colour encoding specifithose cameras are still cation) 16-bit workflow, using them 10 years on. created by the Motion We expect the same Picture Academy to stanfrom the F65.â&#x20AC;? dardise digital post proIn the US, the Sony duction. It also outputs F35 did a lot of televi4K (4096x2160) to match sion work when it first the DCI standard for came out and is still digital cinema (including being used for series Sonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4K projector). like Bones. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think The F65 records there will be those high16-bit linear raw, and is end dramas that will one of the first cameras take up the F65,â&#x20AC;? he with no gamma controls says. It works with stanand no knee, so no high- ACES high: Band Proâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Emmons with the new Sony F65 dard film-style acceslight compression. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We sories, which is ideal for are recording the entire dynâ&#x20AC;&#x153;This reduces aliasing in those that are still transitioning amic range of the sensor,â&#x20AC;? says the picture to almost nothing, from film. Richard Lewis, Sonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s product so the optical low pass filter The camera has a mechanispecialist for Digital Cinemadoesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to be so aggrescal shutter, synchronised with tography. The F65 sensor is a sive, improving the overall the read-out of the sensor to little bit wider than Super MTF [Modulation Transfer eliminate strobing, and four 35mm, meeting the DCI stanFunction] of the camera,â&#x20AC;? built-in, perfectly colour baldard of 1.88:1 instead of the says Lewis. anced ND filters. It should 1.77:1 of normal HD. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you do a debayer using also be simple to operate, with â&#x20AC;&#x153;The camera captures 16an intelligent algorithm, you a single page menu, iPad conbit, so it fits into the ACES can derive higher resolution, trol, and HD-SDI output with workflow with almost no so you could go to 5K or 6K, viewing LUT for on-set moniprocessing,â&#x20AC;? says Band Pro but in the SDK [Software toring with focus assist zoom. Marketing Manager Seth Developerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kit] we are limitThe F65 is not just a camEmmons. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A camera that caping it to HD, 2K and 4K era, but part of a complete tures 10- or 12-bit undergoes output at the moment. It is system from capture through processing, which changes the super sampling HD, so there post, says Emmons. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They digital information. The F65 is will be no aliasing in the pichave thought out how you deal the first camera that is truly ture,â&#x20AC;? he explains. But users can with the information on set and creating images natively for the go back to re-render the raw in post.â&#x20AC;? In the US Band Pro workflow of the future, and the data to get 4K if they find they ordered 75 and expects to order images you create on set will need a big-screen version of a a similar number in Europe, more accurately carry through HD production. and will be offering full packthat workflow.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The design allows them to ages for about â&#x201A;Ź75,000, includDespite increasing the numhave 4,000 green pixels per line, ing camera, recorder and post ber of pixels on the sensor, which creates a 4:2:2 sampling. production kit. compared to the F35, â&#x20AC;&#x153;weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Beyer pattern sensors use For post, Sony is working managed to improve the per2:2:1 sampling. So, you have with software vendors to add formance by about two stops in full luminance in the green compliance with F65 Raw 4K most areas,â&#x20AC;? says Lewis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s channel coupled with the and HDCAM SR compression been a huge jump in technolohigh resolution of the sensor. for HD, and some software, gy to create this sensor.â&#x20AC;? It That creates a very wide such as Colorfront On-Set offers 14 stops of latitude, with colour gamut, which theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Dailies, is already available, a base sensitivity of 800 ISO. measured to be wider than with more to come. The SDKs The 8K pixels means that film,â&#x20AC;? says Emmons. will allow vendors to extract it needs no debayering, with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because of the higher the required resolution from full 4K horizontal, vertical resolution and improved the raw file. Partners signed and diagonal resolution. The quality of the image, we expect up to this workflow include sensor will output HD, 2K, and this camera to be the new Adobe, AJA, Apple, Assimilate, true 4K resolution today, but camera of choice for feature Avid, Blackmagic Design, will go beyond 4K in future. film production.â&#x20AC;? Deluxe, FilmLight, The Unlike other single sensor Emmons is seeing more Foundry and Quantel. www.bandpro.com cameras, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a Beyer patowner/operators interested in www.pro.sony.eu tern sensor. the F65, because they are

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Broadcast audio mic with RØDE and HHB RØDE’s heritage as an innovative microphone manufacturer and the popularity of its NTG series culminated recently in the development of the NTG-8 broadcastgrade long shotgun microphone. The NTG-8, which was given its world debut at IBC2011, is a broadcast-quality, long shotgun microphone that exhibits incredible directionality across the entire frequency range and offers enhanced LF response, directivity and sensitivity. It has been optimised for recording high-quality audio for film, television, sports and outdoor broadcasting or any professional application where distance miking is required. The RØDE NTG-8 embodies many of the features of the NTG-3, including low self-noise, natural sound without colouration both on and off axis, and RF bias technology to ensure that it is almost completely water resistant and suitable for outdoor environments. Designed and manufactured in Sydney, Australia, the NTG-8 provides a super-cardioid polar pattern and a 40Hz20kHz frequency response in a 559mm x 19mm body that weighs 345g. It requires 48V Phantom Power and features a 3 pin XLR balanced output, an improved dynamic range and a Max SPL of 127dB (A-weighted). HHB’s Director of Sales Martin O’Donnell said, “The addition of the new NTG-8 bolsters our product portfolio for outside broadcast and location sound recording by enabling us to offer a premium, broadcast-grade long shotgun microphone with a diverse range of applications that is backed by RØDE’s engineering and innovative product design. Like all of RØDE’s products, the NTG-8 offers a robust feature set and performance for a price that its competitors will find difficult to match.” www.hhb.co.uk

Continued from page 37

know how you are going to back up the originals. “You don’t have to have a PhD to work out the camera, but you have to read the manual and prepare.” The workflow is “rather complicated compared to the Alexa. Workflow is a big thing for all these cameras,” he says. The Alexa can record ProRes 422 on to SxS cards, 10-20 minutes per card. Put it in to a MacBook Pro and you can edit it straight away in full quality. “Producers and directors love that.”

Touch and go: The touchscreen allows easy focus pulls

Epic shoots raw (R3D files), and even though it is compressed it needs a powerful computer to view it at full quality, and typically needs to be converted to edit it. “The footage has to be treated by a serious colourist to get the best out of it,” he says. Although “the raw workflow is undeniably powerful. You can change things, like white balance and the sensitivity of the camera, but it doesn’t change what is going on to the camera card, it just affects the metadata — it’s done in a non-destructive way.” This means that in post nothing is locked in and can still be manipulated. “Once you get used to it, it’s fantastic.” Alexa can also record raw, but that is an extra cost as it requires an external recorder, so most productions don’t use it like that. In ProRes with the Alexa, the camera settings, like white balance, are baked in — although

they can be manipulated in post, there isn’t the same latitude as in raw. “A lot of clients like the raw workflow, especially fashion clients, because they are used to working with stills cameras that work in a similar way,” he says. “It’s a different way to look at cameras. The danger is that cameramen leave it to others to know what to do,” says Wiggins. “As the cameras get more and more advanced, people are going to have to be aware of what they are doing in post. It’s important that everyone is working off the same knowledge base. You have to know what encoding you are using, etc.” “A lot of software programmes, like Avid, supported R3D natively up to 4K,” it is once you go to 5K that the choice becomes more limited, says Mark Lloyd, Special Projects, Root6. A lot of post production software still has to be upgraded to work with Epic’s 5K raw files. As far as mainstream editing packages are concerned, it seems that only the latest version of Premiere Pro can handle 5K files natively. The main way most editors deal with it is to do a conversion, possibly using Red’s free Redcine-X or The Foundry’s Storm applications, and then edit in Avid, Final Cut Pro or Edius. Otherwise, the workflow is very similar to the Red One, except the Epic only records to SSDs and not Compact Flash cards. “Like with the Red One, although you could edit 4K, editors tend to convert to a smaller, more edit-friendly format to do the edit, then conform the R3D files. The benefits of this are speed of editing and reduced storage requirements,” he says. “You could then conform in something like DVS Clipster, which does support 5K. “Given time, in the same way as with the Red One, people will get used to it. In a year’s time, encoding will be quicker, and it will be used almost as regularly as the Alexa. It’s not going to be a specialist bit of kit,” says Wiggins. “New cameras are great for cameramen, but the extra workflow is often a bigger issue.” www.red.com www.root6.com www.somedia.tv

Bright Red: The modular Red Scarlet can be set up cine style

Scarlet: Epic features for less By David Fox Red Digital Cinema has been talking about Scarlet, its lower-cost digital cinema camera, for a long time, but it is only now available. The Scarlet-X will record 4K video from 1-30fps and shoot stills in burst modes of up to 12fps at full 5K resolution, so that professional photographers and cinematographers can simultaneously capture motion footage and stills. Scarlet-X has a compact, modular design, like the high-end Epic, and will work with Epic accessories. It costs from $9,750 for the Brain (sensor unit), but requires other parts to function, such as a PL mount ($2,000), SSD Module ($1,500), etc., making its realistic price between $15,000 and $20,000 (competing directly with the likes of Canon’s EOS C300 and Sony’s PMW-F3). Lens mounts can be swapped easily using Scarlet-X’s interchangeable lens mount system, and Panavision, Anamorphic, and Nikon lenses are also compatible with the camera. When Scarlet was promised initially, it was supposed to have a 2/3-inch sensor and be about a third of the price announced now, but a lot has changed in the past few years. “A 2/3-inch sensor is not big enough. The world has moved past small sensors and low resolution,” said Red’s founder, Jim Jannard. “Think of Scarlet-X as Epic’s little sister.” All Epic Modules will work on Scarlet-X. “Everything in the Epic/ Scarlet system is interchangeable.” It uses the Mysterium-X S35 sensor, and has a data rate of up to 55Mbps (440Mbps), recording Redcode Raw. Epic costs a lot more ($58,000 for a production kit), but lowering the data rates and processing power (which will also extend battery life), keeps Scarlet’s price low. “ASICs that weren’t fast enough for Epic, just became a gold mine for Scarlet. This, and board component reduction, allows us to lower the data rate throughput and significantly reduce our costs over volume,” explained Jannard. However, it does have consequences for recording high dynamic range shots, which it does at lower resolutions/frame rates than Epic, but that could change. “We are working on a future version of HDRx with modified compression to enable this possibility. It will be a firmware upgrade and free,” said Jannard. HDRx can give it up to 18 stops of dynamic range.

www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

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TVBE Jan P40-42 v2_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 11/01/2012 15:57 Page 40

TVBEU R O PE T H E B U S I N E S S C A S E

Mosart orchestrates TV news production What’s the story behind the Norwegian company that claims to be the Number One newscast automation provider in Europe with more than 70% market share? Dick Hobbs looks at the Business Case involved… Norway’s state broadcaster NRK had a monopoly on television broadcasting until the 1980s, giving viewers the choice of just one channel. Consumers, having seen what was available in the rest of Europe, built up political pressure for change, and a tendering process was developed for a competitive, commercial broadcaster. One of the primary requirements for the new broadcaster was that it should not be based in the capital, Oslo. The bid was won by a consortium that set up TV2 in Bergen, on the west coast of Norway. Bergen now brands itself ‘the knowledge city’, emphasising the strength of its university and the associated research parks. “TV2 was set up by entrepreneurs, and that same spirit prevails,” says John Kjellevold, a senior engineer at the time of the foundation of the company, and now managing director of Mosart. The channel went on air, from its headquarters in the dockyard district of Bergen, in 1992. By 2010 it was transmitting 13 channels over digital platforms, and profitably generating annual revenues of €364 million. The entrepreneurial spirit of TV2 comes out most clearly in its approach to its technology requirements. It needed a weather graphics system and nothing on the market could provide the combination of creativity and automation sought, so it developed its own then spun the development team out into a commercial business. Vizrt now has its headquarters in a building on the next dock. Similarly, when the Norwegian government proposed digital terrestrial broadcasting, TV2 went against the prevailing opinion that the telco should run it. Instead TV2 set up a joint venture with NRK, Riks TV, to build and run the transmission network. Kjellevold ran the Riks TV project, and when the DTT network was on air he looked for a new challenge. TV2 management was examining a digital newsroom. There was nothing on the market that met their commercial needs, so Kjellevold was asked to develop a system in house, with the prospect of turning it into another product if it went well. 40

TV2: “Over the shifts, TV2 saved 14 man years by implementing Mosart. That was the business case,” says John Kjellevold

“The innovation process starts with a problem and the knowledge to solve it,” he explains. “If you can then take the successful solution and add some capital, then you have a commercial product.” He emphasises the importance to the development of knowledgeable people — those who understand the practical issues by coming from a broadcast background. So the project started in 2002 by bringing together a team of directors and editors to determine just what would be needed. The initial business case for TV2 was economical: before Mosart its news programmes operated with five people in the gallery. With Mosart automation there are just two: the director, who drives the programme through the Mosart interface: and an operator they call the “octopus” who monitors the largely automated audio and vision mixers, camera OCPs and robotics, lighting board and in her spare time acts as floor manager for guests in the studio. If the octopus role looks like an impossible task, I have watched a flagship news programme from the gallery and in practice it involves very little hands-on activity. Indeed, the programme I watched had the

usual newsroom headaches of missing video packages and wildly over-running two ways with a live reporter, but it was the calmest gallery I have ever seen. “Over the shifts, TV2 saved 14 man years by implementing Mosart,” Kjellevold explains. “That was the business case.”

Framework contract The system first went on air for news programmes on the main channel in 2005 when programming was disrupted to cover the death of Pope John Paul II. Its success in streamlining news operations was such that TV2’s board decided to start a 24 hour news channel: “an economically dubious idea in a country of five million people,” according to Kjellevold, emphasising how important the automation would become. TV2 Nyhetskanalen went on air at the beginning of 2007, and by May of the same year the decision was taken to spin out the newsroom automation as a commercial business, Mosart Medialab. The new company became operational on 1 September of that year, and within 10 days had won its first contract, to the unrelated TV2 in Denmark. Other broadcasters, including

N24 in Germany and Sky in Rome, soon followed. A major step forward came in 2009 when Mosart successfully won a framework contract from the BBC. According to Kjellevold, this was a long and somewhat torturous process: “four presentations, each addressing 100 questions in precisely 90 minutes. It was a lot of work and a lot of investment for a small company. “You cannot just put a salesman on this,” he adds. “It needs detailed work by product managers.” So why go through it? “We did not think that there was a European company that could compete, and the American companies would not want to invest in it. “For us it was worthwhile in the end. We are now sole supplier, under the framework, for newsroom automation to the BBC for four years. We already have four installations in BBC West One and four more at Salford Quays.” Were the big name broadcasters — Mosart supplies to ARD, SVT, YLE and Al Jazeera as well as the BBC and Sky — purely looking at newsroom automation as a means of cutting costs by cutting staff ? Kjellevold saw much more than simple economics. “Flagship news programmes like ARD Aktuell or BBC News at Six rely on Mosart for the look of the programme,” he explains. “They use the functionality to build predictable and repeatable effects and complexity. We control four servers, four graphics systems, the whole of the vision mixer and back wall graphics all at the same time. We tell our customers that we are not going to limit their broadcast look,” he adds. “We say ‘tell us what you want to do and we will automate it’ — or we fail.” Surely that must lead to customisation, which makes the product more costly and harder to maintain. Kjellevold firmly contradicts this. “It is one standard software product, continuously improving according to strategic developments and client broadcaster requirements,” he says. “If a broadcaster has a device that sits in the news studio then we will develop a driver for it because they have the right to choose that piece of equipment.” In fact, such a requirement came up in the TV2 news studio

John Kjellevold: “We understand the need to free up resources, add production values and reduce stress”

in Bergen, where the designer called for an extremely large back wall display, at much higher resolution than could be driven through an HD switcher. It is powered by an Encore videowall processor, which is under the command of Mosart.

Pressure and jargon The architecture of Mosart is that it sits in the centre, orchestrating the systems around it. The script and running order will be built in the newsroom computer, which talks over MOS to Mosart. Changes in the running order are instantly reflected in Mosart, so while the director in the gallery has full control over the programme through the Mosart interface, and the octopus can take manual control of any or all devices, in practice the programme is run from just one key: F12 for take next event. Mosart is also swapping metadata with asset management, delivering as run logs and updating the database, for instance with the BBC Jupiter system. With a standardised software system and interfaces to all the common hardware, Kjellevold suggests the time from contract signature to on air can be as little as eight or nine weeks. This includes a period of what they call show design, where the Mosart project manager works with super users in the broadcaster to build the templates that define the look of the broadcasts. User training follows, based on the templates that have been developed so operators and support staff are learning the way that their own programmes will work, not through theoretical exercises. Mosart is now enjoying considerable success, and is looking to expand its currently tiny workforce. “TV2 is a good owner,” Kjellevold says. “We are not seen as a cash cow, but we are not seen as a star getting an enormous amount of cash. We do not need that: we can grow with the market.” Are there problems in being owned by a broadcaster and selling to other broadcasters — NRK in Norway now uses Mosart. He sees this as a benefit rather than a disadvantage. “Almost everyone in Mosart has done the job for real,” he says. “We understand the pressures and the jargon. “We understand the need to free up resources, to add production values and to reduce stress,” he adds. “We think reducing stress is really important. We have heard that using some of our competitor systems is like riding a wild horse. We concentrated on reducing the need for communication, which means less shouting — without limiting what you can do right up to changing the item in preview. “Yes, Mosart changes the workflow of how you make the news,” Kjellevold concludes. “But so far I have only heard that it changes it in a good way.” www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2

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TVBE Jan P40-42 v2_TVBE_SEPT_P21_37_sports 11/01/2012 14:14 Page 42

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

UltraViolet launches into Europe — while the headache of fragmented online video delivery could be nearing the end, reports Adrian Pennington

An UltraViolet breakthrough for digital entertainment in Europe A new initiative to grow the market for electronic sellthrough of film and TV content has launched but its success rests on the endorsement of a wide community of service providers, retailers and payTV operators. The UK has become the second territory, following the US, to launch digital rights library system UltraViolet. Backed by the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), a consortia which includes the Hollywood studios (bar Disney) and 70 other technology providers, consumer device

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makers, entertainment retailers and video service providers, UltraViolet is an attempt to unify the access which consumers have to digital content across devices. In the US its commercial rollout began in October with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures announcing initial UV-enabled titles. Warner has now stated that all of its releases in the UK will have free streaming rights bundled into the purchase of the physical disc. In addition, 21 companies have acquired licensees to offer UltraViolet products and services. These include NBCUniversal, Samsung, Sony, Fox and Intel, with hints from DECE that others have signed. Early days it may be, but when Warner released its first UV-enabled title Final Destination 5 (26 December) consumers were only able to stream it from devices carrying the Warner-owned movie-based social network service Flixster. DECE signatory Tesco has launched its own digital locker with Blinkbox, the online movie service it majority owns. Tesco customers who purchase select DVDs and Blu-ray discs gain free access to a digital copy on the Blinkbox portal. According to DECE, “We cannot speak for Tesco’s plans, but we understand they plan on launching UltraViolet later this year. The UltraViolet concept assumes and encourages retailers and others to maintain their own flow of innovation. We believe that consumers will benefit from UltraViolet’s ability to ‘connect the clouds’ — meaning they will be able to access their content from a variety of retailers/service providers and devices in one central location under the UltraViolet umbrella.” The UV licensee list in the UK is expected to grow as roll-out gathers pace in 2012 with rights initially introduced via Blu-ray and DVD discs, but later through online retailers or apps for download and streaming. According to DECE General Manager Mark Teitell, “consumers are demanding a more advanced and open alternative to the closed video distribution systems being offered today. The UK launch of UltraViolet represents another key step in development.” Apple still lies outside the UV project, but Teitell dismisses these concerns: “the market for physical film and TV media is 18 or 19 times

Jean-Marc Racine: “The payTV industry … has shifted from smartcard protection to buying security as a service”

Thierry Fautier: “We now only need to encode, store, and transport a single file”

size that of the electronic one. Nobody’s business is healthy and that includes Apple — it has a very healthy music business, but it is not satisfied with its business selling movies and TV shows.” He adds, “consumers have been holding back on making digital collections because they lack the freedom to watch their content on any device they own, and the confidence in the longevity of their purchase. UltraViolet gives the choice, freedom and confidence in content ownership that has historically been lacking.” There will be further hurdles too, not least to create an end-to-end ecosystem which will securely stream content to multiple consumer electronics devices — across Europe’s non-homogeneous market.

“DECE has pre-selected five digital rights management systems (from Adobe, Marlin, Google, Microsoft, and the Open Mobile Alliance) so that CE vendors and content service providers can create security applicable to different devices and platforms,” says JeanMarc Racine, managing partner at digital media consultancy Farncombe. “Only time will tell if UltraViolet will be able to update rights propagated to millions of devices at the same time as staving off the piracy that crippled the music industry. “The payTV industry learned the hard way regarding piracy and has shifted from smartcard protection to buying security as a service like an insurance,” he says. “Updating that as a payTV provider where you own the box and the network is one thing: updating that in a retail environment is another.” Racine believes that UltraViolet will be of benefit to consumers “since the idea of owning content and accessing it online on all your devices has value,” he says. “It will be interesting to see how it works with the existing ecosystem because the rights to content that UV offers is still at peak value — after theatrical release but before VoD.”

MPEG-DASH from promise to practice Arguably more important to the online video industry than UltraViolet, but a happy consequence of its formation, are moves to specify a delivery format that enables interoperability

between different servers and clients from various vendors. That Holy Grail has been long sought of course but 2012 may witness a serious breakthrough — provided Apple comes on board. Momentum toward a single adaptive streaming file format has gained ground since a common file format (CFF) for downloads was agreed by DECE to making download functionality consistent across all UltraViolet retailers. At an ISO meeting in Geneva last December MPEG Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP — DASH — was ratified as a standard. MPEG-DASH has the potential to embrace existing proprietary adaptive streaming technologies such as Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming, Adobe’s Dynamic Streaming and Microsoft’s Smooth Streaming. Adaptive streaming is based on HTTP and adjusts the quality of a video stream according to the user’s bandwidth and CPU capacity. Explains Duncan Potter, CMO, Edgeware, “Today multiple flavours of HTTP adaptive bitrate technology are being used. Technically the differences are small, but still large enough to require multiple versions of each content and also multiple versions of the head-end infrastructure in order to deliver these formats. “Since in most cases each client device type only supports one, or possibly two, of these formats, any operator that wants to reach a broad range of client devices must implement support for multiple formats. Having a single format that can reach all devices will greatly simplify and lower the cost of operation of any multi-screen service.” He adds, “By streamlining the delivery and content infrastructure, and making it less client aware, will make it easier and cheaper for operators to offer multi-screen services with broad reach.” Teitell says DECE is mindful of a source file for streaming. “Many of our members are playing important roles in developing MPEGDASH and as a group further down the track we are looking at how we should approach streaming, with a mindset that works with standards and doesn’t try to invent new ones.” Unlike previous attempts to create an interoperable format, this time Apple, Microsoft and Adobe plus Netflix, Qualcomm, Harmonic and Cisco have participated in development. However, while Microsoft has indicated that it will support the standard in practice, neither Adobe nor Apple has yet committed to do the same. “Until DASH is backed by these two major players, it will gain little traction in the market,” believes Yann Courqueux, CMO, Netgem. A DASH Promoters Group (DASH-PG) has been formed to develop DASH across mobile, broadcast, internet and connected devices — with the EBU the first broadcast organisation to join. More members are expected to come from the HbbTV community, since HbbTV 1.5 will specify MPEGDASH for Connected TVs. www.tvbeurope.com J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2