CABSAT IN REVIEW
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DoPs come together for 3D workshop
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STARS Digital Studio honours industry identities at 2010 Leadership Awards
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Vol. 12 Issue 4 April 2010
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APRIL 2010 VOLUME 12 ISSUE 04 CONTENTS
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Sponsored by
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NEWS Abu Dhabi Media Company to go tapeless with Harris / SAE and JVC to offer digital journalism course / Tadreeb partners with French archiving specialist / Iraqi Media Network gains clarity / ADMC ties with Humax to supply HD STBs before EPL / Rohde & Schwarz sets up shop in Dubai Studio City
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CABSAT 2010
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DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS
Any fears that the recession would dampen spirits at CABSAT were quickly replaced by optimism as each day of the show got busier. New technologies, exciting deals and regional partnerships reiterated that business was back on track. Digital Studio brings you all the news from the show floor.
We bring you all the details of the winners of the Digital Studio Awards 2010.
40 SPECIAL REPORT
Digital Studio speaks to the trainer and end users at the first 3D workshop that was held in Dubai last month.
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INDUSTRY FOCUS - CABLES
48
POST PRODUCTION
54
NAB 2010
64
WEB LOG
As more broadcasters gear up for HD 1080p or 3D transmissions, cables that can support 3Gb/s will be in high demand. Josh Simons of Argosy offers some suggestions for those considering 3G solutions.
Our resident expert Amitaabh Naaraayan takes us through the second part of a series on making a CG-animated movie.
A snapshot of some of the top products at the show.
The latest updates from www.digitalproductionme.com
APRIL 2010 3
COMMENT APRIL 2010
ONE GOOD REASON TO VISIT NAB: NEW TECHNOLOGY There are several different reasons why people in the Middle East hate to go to the United States. Getting a visa is the biggest hurdle. Having to go through customs check, take your shoes off, make the long 17-hour haul to and fro and some of the rigmarole at customs can be a big dampener although they never fail to remind us that the extensive harassment at the airports is part of their efforts to protect us, ordinary civilians. I am, however, of the view that all of that is a small price to pay if you are a part of the broadcast industry and want to keep abreast of new technology that has been launched in the market place. Unlike CABSAT, where we shall not fool ourselves into thinking that any manufacturer actually debuts any new technology, NAB is where almost all new kit is launched first. No doubt, most of the models showcased are mostly relevant to NTSC markets but this is still the place where every manufacturer will want to debut their newest technology. Here is where you will hear about new formats, new partnerships between companies and most important of all, 3D technology, which is on everyone’s list this year. Several manufacturers have already promised that they will showcase 3D solutions at NAB for the first time. Sony Professional Solutions, for instance, caused a stir when it stated last year that it would not be exhibiting at IBC. However, the manufacturer will be at NAB and 3D and 3G
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solutions are on top of its agenda. Spanish company SGO has announced that its newest version of Mistika will feature a set of new stereoscopic 3D and 2D tools. Likewise, DVS will demonstrate 3D subtitling at the show and FOR-A will introduce its CEQ-100HS Colour Equalizer, which is designed to calibrate and monitor live 3D video. This is only a tiny selection of new 3D technologies that you can expect to see at the show. More than 1500 companies are exhibiting at the show. There will be more than 500 conference and training sessions at NAB. This show is often the trend setter so it must be on your itinerary. See you at NAB!
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NEWS REGIONAL UPDATE
ABU DHABI MEDIA COMPANY TO GO TAPELESS WITH HARRIS
IN BRIEF WORK IN 3D TO SURGE BY 2010 W
Left: The ADMC team at the Harris booth and right, Ahmed Al Menhali, director of broadcast technology, ADMC and Said Bacho, MD of Harris Middle East shake hands on the deal.
Harris announced a major coup on the first day of CABSAT, confirming it had signed a deal with Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) to provide an end-to-end tapeless solution to the state-backed broadcaster. Harris claims the tapeless platform will be the first of its kind in the region and will support the playout of content including sport and news across multiple media platforms. Speaking about the deal, Sarkis Semaan, deputy executive director of broadcast technology and operations at ADMC stated that the broadcaster will require a tapeless platform to support the launch of encrypted sports channels that will be launched shortly as part of its English Premier League commitment and also, to secure its content. “We need to move to a more sophisticated level to support our viewers with a multi-platform delivery
solution. A tapeless workflow is integral to providing this. We have worked with Harris in the past and already use many of their solutions and have been satisfied with their support. This project will also help link the other parts of the chain including our asset management solution and our restoration project that currently function in isolation,” Semaan commented. Said Bacho, managing director of Harris added that the entire chain will be linked and tapeless from ingest to playout and archiving. “This will truly be the first tapeless solution in the Middle East although many other broadcasters have made similar claims in the past. Any content that leaves the studio will go straight to a server and the entire workflow will be tapeless from then on,” he commented,” he added. The project is scheduled for completion on June 1.
Half of the respondents to a recent ppoll from Hamlet said they expect to work in the production of 3D content w dduring 2010. “Stereoscopic 3D is the real hot ttopic of the moment, but we are all finding our way in this new medium,” ssaid Steve Nunney, managing directtor of Hamlet. “What is clear is that it will call for iinvestment in new technology. 84% rrecognised that 3D needs new and sspecialised equipment – and that qquality control will be an absolutely ccritical part of getting 3D right.” The poll also found that 14% had already worked in 3D. Two-thirds of the visitors claimed that 3D equipment and production techniques was the purpose of their visit.
EYEHEIGHT AT AL JAZEERA Al Jazeera Sport deployed the Eyeheight MW-3EM A/B mixer as part of a larger installation that included a server-based ingest, post-production and transmission solution at its facility in Doha. The mixer, which has a preview output, enables the end user to perform mix, wipe and cut transitions as well as U and V fades. The solution includes DVS and Avid servers that support both HD and SD formats.
SAE AND JVC TIE TO OFFER DIGITAL JOURNALISM COURSE SAE Institute Dubai has launched a oneyear diploma course in Digital Journalism. The course will begin on April 25 in Dubai although it is scheduled for a global launch only in October 2010. The course will allow students to hone their technical skills in digital film, photography, sound and video editing, podcasting and blogging. Each student will receive a JVC digital video camera and Mac laptops for the duration of the course. Students participating in the inaugural course will not be charged for the kit.
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Christopher Darnley, GM of JVC Professional; Guy Warrington, British Consul-General; Romy Hawatt, senior executive of the SAE Group; professor Zbys Klich, director of Academic Affairs at SAE Group; ; and Ahmad Al Hammadi, assistant executive director of Support Services, Dubai Media Inc. at the press conference.
APRIL 2010 7
NEWS REGIONAL UPDATE
IN BRIEF
TADREEB PARTNERS WITH FRENCH ARCHIVING SPECIALIST
IMN GAINS CLARITY Al Iraqi Media Network (IMN) recently deployed Pixel Power’s Clarity 5000 broadcast graphics technology at its newly built, HD TV studio facilities in Baghdad. The new graphics technology joins six other Clarity graphics systems from Pixel Power that have been installed by IMN during the last two years. The newly installed dual-channel, high definition Clarity 5000 will support the network’s wide variety of HD production needs simultaneously, including news, sports, studio production and playout. The system can interface directly with MOS-based newsroom systems, automation systems, and other critical infrastructure to ensure a seamless workflow for any application IMN requires. With Clarity graphics deployed throughout its operations, IMN has established a flexible pool of networked graphics resources that can be configured and applied as needed. Emad Hameed, head of IMN’s Engineering & Technical Department in the Baghdad HQ stated that the Clarity fits the requirement perfectly. “IMN’s new HD studio was designed to serve many different purposes. Pixel Power Clarity is, therefore, a good fit for this environment because it is highly adaptable, enabling our staff and our systems to easily transition between functions.” While the Clarity 5000 installation at IMN is primarily intended for HD, each channel can be separately configured for SD should the need arise, even supporting HD and SD simultaneously within a single system. “Pixel Power Clarity enables IMN to address all of its graphics needs, including live production, news, branding, and more, without the need for massive amounts of dedicated systems or specialised staff,” commented James Gilbert, joint managing director of Pixel Power. IMN’s new HD studio is expected to begin producing TV dramas by the first quarter of 2010.
8 APRIL 2010
twofour54 tadreeb, the training arm of Abu Dhabi’s content free zone, has partnered with French archiving specialist L’institut National de L’audiovisuel (INA) to offer a gamut of specialised courses in archiving and media management to Middle East media professionals. Speaking exclusively to Digital Studio, Phaedon Vass, head of twofour54 tadreeb, stated that this alliance will not just help the two organisations come together to provide vocational training but also provide consultancy services to regional clients. “A key aspect of our relationship with INA will be our ability to provide consulting services, which is a big growth area and a big value-add that the academy can provide to media companies in the region,” stated Vass. “While INA is based in France, it delivers services in terms of training, professional development and consulting services to a whole variety of media clients across the world including some in the Gulf. This partnership will enable us to offer clients consultancy in terms of what kind of an asset management solution would be the most appropriate for them based on their requirements,” he added. Vass stressed that attendees would have handson experience and the opportunity to work across a variety of different formats and technologies as INA is not tied to any specific manufacturer or brand. “This is one of the key factors that attracted us to an alliance with INA as it is not married to any particular vendor or technology. It works across a variety of for-
mats and technologies. Media asset management is a very big topic so we have a whole suite of courses with regards to technical delivery, consulting services and delivering strategy and professional services,” he said. Some of the courses that the partners can provide together include the management of digital media for import and export in editing and post production; implementing an audio visual backup plan; engineering digital audiovisual archiving systems; and management of file and media formats for multi-platform broadcasting and distribution. Wayne Borg, COO of twofour54, commented that the partnership with INA is only one of several others tadreeb will sign in the coming months “to broaden our curriculum” and “achieve our objective of building a centre of excellence for Arabic content production”. “Training and skills development is fundamental to everything we do here. Without a skilled workforce, we will not be able to create the quality content that we are seeking to achieve out here. We signed an MoU recently with several organisations including the National Media Council, the UAE Academy and the Chamber of Commerce. It is the first of our forays into the higher education sector. We want to provide bridging programmes to graduating students to help them make the transition from an educational to a professional environment,” Borg added. twofour54 tadreeb presently works with six partners including BBC, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Adobe, Apple, Thomson Foundation and INA.
The tadreeb facility in Abu Dhabi (l) and Wayne Borg (r).
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NEWS REGIONAL UPDATE
IN BRIEF ROHDE AND SCHWARZ SETS UP SHOP IN DUBAI STUDIO CITY
Leicher, R&S (left) and TECOM’s AlMulla.
Broadcast solutions provider Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) has opened a new office in Dubai Studio City to further support its Middle East operations. Speaking about the launch, Christian Leicher, president and chief operating officer of Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co KG, stated that the “Middle East and Africa was one of the most dynamic regions in the world offering a large business potential” and, therefore, R&S wanted to “reinforce its local presence”. “There is a fast growing mobile industry and we see massive investments in infrastructure projects, driven by a stable income from natural resources. Our new offices will provide our customers with better support and service while making use of the skilled local manpower.” E.S. Vikas, CEO of Rohde & Schwarz, Middle East and Africa added that “broadcasting has been one of the most stable areas for the company”. “Between Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar, we have won most of the turnkey projects. This has prompted us to choose Dubai Studio City as our partner for its excellent support infrastructure and other facilities.” The office was jointly inaugurated by Abdullatif AlMulla, Group CEO, TECOM Investments and R&S’ Christian Leicher.
10 APRIL 2010
ADMC TIES WITH HUMAX TO SUPPLY HD SET TOP BOXES Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) has signed an eexclusive deal with set-top box (STB) manufacturer Humax. According to the deal, Humax will undertake the m ssupply and sale of high-definition STBs for the deployment of the EPL programming in the Middle East and m North Africa, via Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya channels. N At the time of press it was unclear whether the Humax box is mandatory for viewers seeking to view H tthe EPL via satellite. Karim Sarkis, executive director of Broadcast at ADMC stated that it was necessary for the broadcaster A tto team up with “an established provider, capable of asssisting our market entry in the subscription platform via HD STB, not only in its capacity as a manufacturer and H
Karim Sarkis stated that ADMC was keen to go with an “established” STB player.
supplier, but also as ADMC’s strategic partner”. “Humax is a perfect fit for us, given its technological leadership, understanding of the market trends, and established regional presence,” Sarkis commented. The deal gives Humax’s plans to roll out HD STB technology in the MENA region a huge boost. “As demand increases for television content delivered in HD, one of our key priorities is setting the stage for broadcasters. Over the past year, we have experienced significant growth as our products have acquired traction in the HD broadcast market. We are on track to double our revenue in MENA region this year, through the remarkable growth of the HD STB business in particular,” commented CEO Byun Dae-Gyu. B Humax HD STBs support both HD and SD formats. TThey come equipped with two smart card slots and include a secure chipset embedded for advanced in protection against piracy attempts. p The STBs will be marketed across the region ahead of the EPL 2010/2011 season. o ADMC will also add the EPL’s newly-launched official HDTV channel to its bouquet. H Mohammed Najeeb, director of Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya Channels stated that ADMC’s sports network R will complement the English-language content with w “customised content from the Premier League channel “c in Arabic”. ADMC has the exclusive MENA broadcast rights to the EPL for three seasons starting August 2010. th
BAHRAINI WINS MBC AMERICAN IDOL CONTEST Six semi-finalists from the Middle East competed against each other at MBC’s studio in Dubai Media City to win a trip and ticket to attend the final episode of he “American Idol” show in Los Angeles. Abeer Jassem from Bahrain won the competition. Speaking about the event, Tim Riordan, MBC Group TV director commented: “Our partnership with Fremantle studios in the US is extremely strategic and we have been airing the 9th season concurrently with the US to ensure that we bring the latest to our viewers. Congratulations to Abeer who will accompany us to the final episode of the show in LA; we are glad to bring her one step closer to her dreams”.
Winner Abeer Jassem from Bahrain.
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NEWS REGIONAL UPDATE
MOVERS & SHAKERS IMAGENATION ABU DHABI Creative executives Jason Mirch and Yee Yeo Chang have joined the Hyde Park Imagenation team. Mirch will spearhead the content division for Imagenation Abu Dhabi’s joint venture with Hyde Park Entertainment, while Chang will be based in Singapore and responsible for managing operations of the recently formed Hyde Park Imagenation Singapore as well as identifying and developing projects in Asia.
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QVEST MEDIA Dub Dubai-based systems integrator Qvest Media has expanded its team with the addition of two new staff, who will support the company based in Dubai Media City. 32-year-old pa Hicham Ismail (left) joins Qvest Media as Hic head of Support and Service. He will be he tasked with providing technical consultancy tas to key account customers, and preparing service and support contracts. He will head se and control Qvest Media’s support teams. an Talal Albaba Ta (right) will be responsible for the sales activities within Qvest Media’s distribution channels. In his position as product sales specialist, he will be expected to generate new business. He will assist the sales team in the preparation of project offers and system integration concepts. The 32-year-old Talal Albaba has a B.Sc. degree inn Electronics and Communications Engineering from om Applied Science University, Amman, Jordan.
PIXEL POWER Eman Kharboutly has joined Pixel Power as product specialist for the Middle East. She will be based in Pixel Power’s new office located in Dubai Studio City. Kharboutly will work closely with area sales manager w Francois Cavalade and will head up tthe support operation. Previously, Kharboutly worked as a broadcast engineer with satellite channel Orient TV.
APRIL 2010 13
ANALYSIS CABSAT 2010 REVIEW
Said Bacho (right) with the ADMC team.
Naim Saidi and Walid Al Moukhtar, First Gulf Company, Saudi Arabia.
CABSAT 2010 Any fears that the recession would dampen spirits at CABSAT were quickly replaced by optimism as each day of the show got busier busier. New technologies technologies, exciting deals and regional partnerships reiterated that business was back on track. Digital Studio brings you all the news from the floor. CABSAT saw several first time exhibitors such as Hewlett Packard and broadcast specialist BCE at the show this year. Having tested the waters over the last year, BCE finally decided to explore the Middle East further by exhibiting at the show. Likewise, HP also made its debut this year reiterating its need to make a more aggressive move into the post production and broadcast market. Of the many exciting deals that were signed at the show, the one that was most worthy of mention was the agreement between Harris Middle East and Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC). Harris has had several wins in the Middle East especially under the leadership of managing director Said Bacho. The current win was a huge coup for Harris, which has been contracted to provide an end-to-end tapeless solution to the state-backed broadcaster.
14 APRIL 2010
Harris will adopt its ONE workflow solution at the new centre, which will include the manufacturer’s Invenio digital asset management products as well as its ADC playout automation and NEXIO server systems. Invenio will form the core of the centre’s digital archive asset management system. ADC automation will use Invenio to manage ingest, preparation and playout of content. Both the Invenio and ADC solutions will Visitors enjoy the 3D be integrated with the Harris Broadcast experience at the Sony stand. Master scheduling and sales system that is already in use at ADMC. A NEXIO server domain including the NEXIO AMP and Volt servers will be installed at each of between the NEXIO and Invenio product lines. ADMC’s HD studios that comprise the playout The project is scheduled for completion on centre. June 1 in time for the English Premier League. The NEXIO server system features global Harris also announced recent successes in proxy file support for the creation of lowKuwait and Egypt at CABSAT. The manufacturer resolution files, a collaborative development recently provided its Broadcast Master sales
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ANALYSIS CABSAT 2010 REVIEW
Bruno Schmetz from EVS with Melvin Saldanha of Taj TV.
and scheduling solution to Alrai TV, Kuwait’s first private satellite TV channel. The Broadcast Master system will support revenue growth at Alrai TV, with a particular emphasis on the billing of chargeable, secondary events such as a sponsored graphics crawl across the bottom of the screen. Likewise, Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) also recently ordered Harris Maxiva ULX liquid-cooled UHF TV transmitters and Platinum VLX liquid-cooled VHF TV transmitters to cover the greater Cairo and Matruh zones in Egypt. But Harris was not the only company cheering at CABSAT. Dubai-based distributor Advanced Media enjoyed a bumper first day at CABSAT, selling six s units of the Microdolly Hollywood to clients in the region. Many more c were w sold in the course of the show. CEO of Advanced Media Kaveh Farnam stated that he had received a F lot lo of interest in both the MicroDolly and a the GFM and there were good orders for both. o Several companies also showcased new technologies at sh their booths. Sony Professional Solutions Middle East, which had doubled its space at CABSAT this year, expressed surprise at receiving a lot of attention in its 3D displays. Awad Mousa, head of Product
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Dubai Studio City.
Marketing at Sony commented that the company wasn’t expecting so much interest in 3D within the region just yet. “Our 3D solutions were a big attraction this year. We were quite surprised by the interest in 3D so we hope to focus more on it in the future. We also received a lot of Officials at the launch of CABSAT 2010. quality visitors at this year’s show,” he stated. MediaSys also had a much because off the high bigger stand this year. Key regionall trainers TTedial, d lb h h h llevell off activity in digitisation and automation”. were at the booth to offer visitors a demo on “By being at CABSAT, we could talk to Autodesk solutions and the Aja cards. broadcasters in the region, and help them Spanish company Tedial, which exhibited for understand the benefits of a broad approach to the second time at CABSAT, called the Middle asset and process management,” commented East “a strategically important region for José Mesas, managing director of Tedial. Mesas confided that TTedial was involved in “four international tenders in the Middle East”. M If the Spanish manufacturer bags any of the deals, the b projects will include the whole p TTedial suite of products, led by tthe Ficus asset management aand the BPM broadcast business manager. b Avid, which recently Fariborz Kamran i, Amaranthine.
APRIL APRIL 2009 2010 15
ANALYSIS CABSAT 2010 REVIEW
Alexander Ivan D’Cunha of Newtech International with Klaus Dziuba of ARRI Lighting.
expanded its Interplay product family with the acquisition of Blue Order, also had some interesting technological advancements to share with visitors. The deal with Blue Order, for instance, transforms the current production asset management (PAM) solution into a full media asset management (MAM) solution. Interplay now enables them to unlock new streams of revenue and reduce operating costs through some of the most comprehensive and open business process management, media cataloging and collaboration capabilities on the market. The Interplay product family is the foundation of the Avid Integrated Media Enterprise framework. Ulf Genzel from Blue Order was at the Avid stand to demonstrate some of the new features that end users could now use. Although the media is replete with stories about people being made redundant, we spotted several new faces at different stands. Clearly, this was a sign of growth for many companies. Qvest Media, which started a couple of years ago in Dubai with one man, today has about seven staff members. Two new staff joined the company’s sales and support team recently. Likewise, Peter Kyriakos has joined the marketing department of United Broadcast & Media Solutions while Sony Professional Solutions Middle East has expanded its systems integration unit even further with the appointment of David Rensburg. A number of new partnerships were also announced at CABSAT. System integrator MHz, for instance, which has worked on Fouad A. Houri of Ghali Electronics, Syria with Tim Rawlings, MHz.
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APRIL 2010 17
ANALYSIS CABSAT 2010 REVIEW
Bejoy George, MD, MediaSys.
installations with numerous broadcasters including Al Jazeera, ART, Kuwait TV, Oman TV and Qatar TV in the Middle East, announced partnerships with ETACO in Egypt, Ghali Electronics in Syria and Maritronics in Bahrain. “We continue to seek out partners that can support our expansion strategy and allow us to interact more closely with endusers,” commented Robert Stopford, sales director, MHz. “Our partnerships with the respective teams at ETACO, Ghali Electronics and Maritronics provides us with a complementary offering that includes local business knowledge and Arabic-speaking staff with both broadcast and IT skills,” he added. Likewise, Paddy Roache, general manager of Hitachi Kokusai Europe Ltd, commented that the manufacturer had teamed up with Almoayyed International Group in Bahrain and Mustafa Sultan Enterprises in Oman to further expand in the Middle East. Presently, Hitachi deals with First Gulf Company in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia, which underwent a significant revolution on its broadcast front, also had several delegates visiting the show. It was interesting to note that Saudi Arabia had recently opened up its broadcast landscape and had issued several licenses for companies to operate private FM radio channels. Ibrahim Al Rowaitie, general manager of projects at Saudi Arabia, stated at the time of the show that three licences were already provided to private companies including Alif Alif, Creative Edge and Rotana. At the time, two more licences were left to be awarded. He also added that Saudi TV had forged ahead with its DVB-T project. “60 of our sites are already connected. The plan is to have DVB-T deployed across the Kingdom in the next three to give years, following which we will discontinue analogue TV,” he added. We were also not surprised to see a hive of
activity around the delegation from the Oman Ministry of Information. Shortlisted systems integrators have been on tenterhooks for the last few months awaiting news about whom the Ministry would award the contract for its HD facility. Although there are rumours about who will be the most likely candidate, we are not willing to hazard a guess at this stage. However, we will be the first to let you know when the contract has been awarded. Stay tuned!
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COVER STORY DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS
DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS More than 300 industry identities participated in the sixth annual Digital Studio Awards that were held at The Westin Hotel in Dubai last month. This year’s expanded awards programme, which was staged in conjunction with sister titles Digital Broadcast and DigitalProductionME.com, recognised excellence in the Middle East broadcast, production and creative technology sectors. The winners roll-call recognised a diverse selection of regional projects, leading organisations and top individual talent. Eighteen winners were honoured from
20 APRIL 2010
more than 350 nominations. Each winner was selected by an independent judging panel consisting of the IABM’s John Ive; freelance director of photography Paul Mongey, Giorgio Ungania of TEDx Dubai and members of ITP’s Broadcast editorial team. Joining Digital Studio to support these awards were our sponsors, Hitachi, Newtec, Riedel, Nautel, The Frame, Advanced Media and Arabsat. The awards also enjoy the support of two important industry players namely, the DWTC and the IABM. Without further ado, we look at the winners of Digital Studio Awards 2010 and why they deserved to win.
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COVER STORY DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS The winners with Digital Studio editor Vijaya Cherian and commercial director Fareed Dubery
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in the centre.
APRIL 2010 21
COVER STORY DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS
INDUSTRY IDENTITY OF THE YEAR WINNER: DR. RIYADH NAJM
This is Digital Studio’s most prestigious award to date and is reserved for individuals that have been agents of change in the region. Dr. Riyadh Najm, assistant deputy minister for engineering, fits that bill. Dr. Najm started his career as an engineer for operation and maintenance at Saudi Television way back in 1980. He then worked at the Ministry of Culture and Information (MOCI) in Saudi Arabia. He was promoted to his present post in 2005. He is also the president of ASBU and the chairman of the Committee in charge of laying out audiovisual Broadcast regulations in Saudi Arabia. He is also the chairman of the HDTV Arab Group and chairman of the Technical Committee, World Broadcasting Unions. What makes him special is the fact that he has used his various roles successfully to modernise Saudi TV and radio, bring digital entertainment to homes in the Kingdom and also, on a more regional level, he has tried to encourage all local broadcasters to follow a common HD standard so as to enable closer cooperation and integration with each other in the future. In layman’s terms, he is the man who began the HD revolution in Saudi Arabia. He was also the key to encouraging the country to move to digital terrestrial television. We see Dr. Najm as an inspiration to the region’s broadcasting sector.
22 APRIL 2010
Dr. Riyadh Najm, assistant deputy minister of engineering, Saudi MOCI.
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COVER STORY DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS
OUTSTANDING INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTION WINNER: DIRK BREYNAERT This is an Editor’s Choice award and was offered to acknowledge one of the brains behind the MENOS project. This gentleman not only came up with the project’s name, but used his groundbreaking work in satellite technologies and industry standard creation to help create the revolutionary cost-effective IP-based satellite exchange service that is MENOS. To understand why Dirk Breynaert, cofounder and CTO of Newtec deserved this award, we need to go back a bit in time. In 1999, ASBU implemented the first fully automated digital audio exchange system over satellite, which contained web based reservation, telephony and intranet functionality. In 2000, during the Sydney Olympics, ASBU was the first to exchange video via a digital television exchange network using 8PSK. In 2002, the organisation acquired an IP based training system to enable its members to benefit from distance training. In 2004, the ASBU achieved another first by transmitting, during the Athens Olympics, fully BISS-E encrypted TV signals. During all those years, the ASBU fully relied on Newtec to help develop
and introduce those groundbreaking technological evolutions. By introducing those services and those technology platforms during those eight years, ASBU began to face many challenges. For instance, how could ASBU introduce new services that are requested by its members such as file transfer, intranet access, archiving and VoIP? How could it increase its revenues by adding other users to its network while reducing the cost of the satellite transmission? How could a small technical team continue to cope with an increasing number of platforms and technological complexity and how could errors, due to manual planning of the transmissions, be reduced? How could capital expenditure on new technologies be limited? There were too many questions to be answered. In 2006, ASBU, Arabsat and Newtec signed a partnership agreement to develop and implement a revolutionary cost-effective IP-based satellite exchange service. The goal was to provide one network solution to address all of these challenges. Breynaert helped translate the business requirements together with ASBU. The
Newtec’s Dirk Breynaert with sponsor Tarif Sayed of The Fame
idea for MENOS was conceived at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, during a brainstorming session about the future of broadcasting and next-gen ASBU networks for TV/radio contribution and exchange. But Breynaert conceived the name MENOS on the plane home! Breynaert jokingly calls himself the mother of MENOS. “Four year pregnancy, carrying the MENOS baby, painful but spectacular birth, our bouncing baby is growing fast, and is healthy and strong”. The foundation behind MENOS is said to centre around Breynaert’s groundbreaking work in satellite technologies together with the support of ESA (European Space Agency), and his contribution to the creation of numerous satellite industry influential standards (DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVBRCS ea), of which the MENOS systems reaps the benefits.
MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC EUROPE We had a number of entries for this category this year. Our choice is not just based on how successful a company has become in the region and how many deals it has secured here. Rather, this award is meant to celebrate companies that invest in the Middle East in terms of an office, support staff, training and so on. This year, Hitachi Kokusai Europe fit the bill. During a recession, it is unusual to see a company expand but this is exactly what this manufacturer did as part of its efforts to show its commitment to the Middle East. Hitachi has had a lot of success in Saudi Arabia and Egypt over the last couple of years. In Saudi Arabia alone, the manufacturer sold more than 100 camera chains through its local
24 APRIL 2010
systems integrator First Gulf Company in the last couple of years while it has had equally good success in Egypt. Thirty Hitachi SK-900 camera chains were part of a broadcast setup to provide the key broadcasts from the FIFA World Cup that were staged in Egypt in 2009. In return, Hitachi launched a new office in Riyadh recently and also struck deals with local systems integrators in Bahrain, Qatar and Oman to further its operations in the region. “The office in Riyadh is a sign of the commitment I made in the Kingdom three years ago to increase Hitachi’s support to all of our products within broadcasting,” stated Paddy Roache, GM of Hitachi Kokusai Europe Ltd.
Masahiko Kato, president and Paddy Roache, director and GM of Hitachi Kokusai Europe.
In the Middle East and North Africa, radio and TV is fundamental to the development of the region’s social infrastructure. Here, broadcasting is not just an entertainment medium; it is critical to the education and development of all ages and we want to be part of this revolution,” he added.
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ADVERTORIAL SWIT
SWIT MAINTAINS HIGH INDUSTRY STANDARDS SWIT products ranging from broadcast LCD monitors, batteries, chargers, LED on-camera lights, camera bags and covers will be showcased at NAB.
SWIT Electronics Co., Ltd is a hightech enterprise specialized in the developing and manufacturing of the broadcasting industry. SWIT occupied an area of 16660 square meters, located in Nanjing National Level Economic and Technological Development Zone. SWIT has gained great reputation worldwide for its outstanding and innovative products over the years. This compliment goes back to the high standard quality control that the company has put in place way back from the beginning of the business. SWIT has a wide variety of products. It ranges from broadcast LCD monitors, batteries, chargers, LED on-camera lights, camera bags and covers. SWIT and it another brand WALKART have been registered in more than 60 countries worldwide. Reliablity, quality, creativity and compatibility are what you can find in SWIT,
the trusted brand and choice. SWIT never stops making strides to develop creative products, especially for the high end market. The new 8” monitor S-1080F series is one of 2009’s featured products. With its versatility of waveform display, focus assist, embedded audio and additional input options of HDMI/VGA, the S-1080F series has been a very successful and popular line of on-camera LCD monitors. Additionally, it offers more features like internal color bar, blue only, and zoom-in. We also supply the M-1080F LCD rack (dual-screen) with all mentioned features. SWIT is releasing a new 7” cameratop monitor S-1070C series in March. With a portable, light-weight design, this monitor is a perfect solution for DSLR and video professionals. It offers HDMI, composite video, 2-channel audio and an easy-operation menu, allow-
ing a power of different battery plates or 4-pin XLR power jacket. The optional cold-shoe bracket makes it very easy to fix on the DSLR cameras. Our really competitive prices allow cameramen to invest in their cameras easily. A smaller size of 4.8” (S-1048C series) will be also added on this line in April. A new RED compatible battery/ charger set has been ready for delivery since February. D-8161S battery pack can work more than 3 hours on RED cameras. Both the rear and on-screen LCD can display the remaining capacity as a numeric percentage. Also, the SWIT battery watch D-4200 can read the accurate working time for the battery. The upgraded D-3004S charger can display charging status and full information of RED original batteries. A more powerful LED on-camera light (24-LED,35W) is also on the way. It is supposed to be available by May.
To see all new products, you are welcome to visit our booth at NAB2010 in Las Vegas. SWIT booth No.C11428 Or if you wish to view our products now, please visit our webpage www.swit.cc for detailed information.
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APRIL 2010 25
COVER STORY DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS
ANIMATION OF THE YEAR QUAKER OATS: BLINK STUDIOS Although animation has not received its due respect and support in this industry just yet, a small volume of good quality work has begun to emerge over the last few years from different quarters. We had a significant number of entries for best animation this year but the entry that stood out was a 35-second TVC in Arabic from Blink Studios. The storyline is simple. Egg Boy is innocent and cute but he is also Quaker Can’s worst nightmare. He wants Quaker, who can do everything related to food, do something impossible. Exasperated, Quaker asks his little Egg friend when he will crack out of his shell. “One of the main challenges in character animation is creating unique personalities for each character through expression and
Frames from Quaker, a 35-second TVC from Blink
movement,” stated Hani Kichi, producer and director of the TVC. ”This was created and enhanced in house in order to bring out the humour in the script while also transmitting the brand message accurately and breathing life into the characters. We shot the live action bits on the RED Camera.” The TVC featured high-quality 3D animation mixed with real background environments. Though the main aim of the TVC was to promote Quaker’s wide range of cooking usages, winner Blink Studios exploited the opportunity to rear a closeness between the characters — Quaker Can and Egg Boy — and the viewer. “The Digital Studio award comes at time
Platinum sponsor Hitachi’s Paddy Roache (centre) with Hani Kichi and Tarek Mounir from Blink Studios on the left and Roy Badro (r).
when we are close to launching long-format f animated concepts. Though 3D walkthroughs and corporate videos have been part of our company’s portfolio for a long time, animated TV series, animated short films and animated feature films have been a long-standing dream at Blink Studios. “To be recognised in the industry for producing high quality animation comes at such a fantastic time, when we are so close to realising our dream to produce long-format animation at Blink Studios,” added Kichi.
Studios.
DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR ADVANCED MEDIA TRADING When our judges looked for a distributor in the Middle East, their aim was not to reward box shifters or companies that merely represented a lot of brands in the region. Local distributors operate in a relatively unique environment, where most end users are not informed about new technology as often or as quickly as their international counterparts. Therefore, we have begun to favour those distributors that seek to educate and inform end users by investing in training
26 APRIL 2010
and workshops. No doubt, these workshops will offer hands-on training on brands the distributor represents but they will also aim to educate the end user about some of the fundamentals and trends of a specific technology. We were particularly impressed by Dubai-based distributor Advanced Media that invested in training, workshops and seminars. The distributor also brought the first 3D stereography workshop to the Middle East.
Alaa Rantisi & Kaveh Farnam of Advanced Media Trading with
IABM chief Peter White.
For its efforts to not just sell to but also train and support users over the past 12 months, the judges felt that Advanced Media Trading deserved the award this year.
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COVER STORY DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS
STUDIO OF THE YEAR TWOFOUR54 INTAJ
Three fantastic High Definition studios made it to the final round of the Digital Studio Awards. Al Ikhbariya Studio and Dammam TV complex in Saudi Arabia competed with twofour54 intaj in Abu Dhabi for the awards this year. It was a close call but twofour54
A studio at twofour54 intaj.
bagged the award. Intaj has five fullyequipped HD studios ranging from 60sq. ms to 650sq.ms. The facility has attracted an impressive roster of clients including BBC, CNN, ADTV, FIFA, Endemol, National Geographic, Formula 1, Bladonmore. 200 days of B studio time was booked in st just ju the first three months of o operation. Each of these studios comes with a fullyc equipped production e gallery, corresponding g green rooms, VIP rooms, g and a make-up and dressing rooms. Each client’s r individual lighting and i studio configurations s can c also be saved so they don’t have to revisit their d
Hasan Sayed Hasan, head of intaj with Serge Van Herck, CEO of Newtec.
settings each time they come to the facility, and having a dedicated production gallery for each studio ensures that the facility can record or air five live broadcast shows at the same time. But it’s not just the facilities that make twofour54 intaj world-class, it the team of dedicated staff it provides to service its clients.
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COVER STORY DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS
PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR BOOMTOWN (DUBAI METRO) REAL IMAGE PRODUCTIONS (KEC) Two companies walked away with the award this year. Boomtown Productions won the award for the first 3D production attempted in the UAE and Real Image was recognised for skilfully producing a futuristic concept for Saudi Arabia’s Knowledge Economic City. The Boomtown project was the first 3D stereoscopic production to be undertaken in this part of the world. With no precedents in the region to follow, the team smartly collaborated with top international experts to produce it. The technology employed to shoot the footage and then to edit it together was imported into Dubai specifically for this project, while a tight deadline and a variety of locations determined a rigorous work schedule. The final result was a
Two production shots each from Real Image (left) and from Boomtow
30 APRIL 2010
breathtaking 3D journey through iconic sights throughout Dubai, including somersaulting dolphins at Atlantis hotel, exciting downhill skiing at Ski Dubai, and the breathtaking fountains at Dubai Mall, to name a few. This groundbreaking film was used as the grand introduction to Dubai Metro on its opening day before it was screened to the general public in a purpose built 3D screening room at the Mall of the Emirates for weeks thereafter. Completed well before the recent surge of interest in stereoscopic film making, Boomtown Productions recognised the potential for this medium in enhancing the visual experience and put it to work. Our second winner, Real Image Omar Abbas, Productions has Shane Martin been renowned and Daniel Kilalea of Boomtown in the past for its Productions. post production
Mohamad Falaknaz and Aiham Ajib collect their award from MicroDolly inventor Jerry Johnson.
work. However, we saw just the same commitment to detail for a production work it undertook recently for Saudi Arabia’s KEC project. Whole scenes were shot against a green screen and skilfully brought to life at the animator’s table. This project truly bears witness to the abilities this production house has. Special mention must also be made of E-motion’s production Mutaheda, a stunning film that was produced to celebrate the UAE National Day. Directed by Bruno de Champris, this film helped train local crew to try novel production techniques and also introduced them to several new kit that was brought into the country for the first time.
n (right).
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COVER STORY DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS
Tarek Masn and Ramez Hindi of Blackstone Productions with Serge van Herck of Newtec.
POST PRODUCTION HOUSE OF THE YEAR BLACKSTONE STUDIOS
Blackstone Studios, which is based in Dubai Studio City, won this year because of the high level of work it produced in 2009. The company’s showreel received huge applause when it was screened on the night of the awards.
Ihab El Baba.
BROADCAST ENGINEER OF THE YEAR WINNER: IHAB EL BABA W T Technical heads are at the core of any b broadcast operation and this award is designed for those people who stand at d tthe helm and help steer the ship in the rright direction. Our winner this year is a well-known techie, who is much loved and w rrevered in the Middle East broadcast industry ffor his experience and the know-how he brings to the table. b Ihab El Baba has worked for the last 20 yyears in technical and project management aand is currently gearing up to begin work on
32 APRIL 2010
a new channel called Alif Alif, prior to which he helped put together the HD operations at Kuwaiti TV channel Al Watan. El Baba began his career with a ten-year stint at Future TV in Lebanon, before he went to work at MBC, where he helped manage the technical operations while the broadcaster relocated from London to Dubai Media City. El Baba also helped design and build many TV channels in Dubai Media City, as well as the Jazeera channels in Doha and Orbit in Bahrain.
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COVER STORY DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS
SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR OF THE YEAR
SONY PROFESSIONAL IONAL SOLUTIONS MIDDLE EAST This is one of our hotly contested categories every year. Every systems integrator in the region has done a significant number of projects and some of them are leaders in the region they operate in. Take First Gulf Company in Saudi Arabia, for instance. They are the undisputed leaders in the Kingdom and have bagged more than 90% of the projects in the country making them a sure-fire winner every year. Then there’s Salam MediaCast and Tek Signals who are always leading with a number of projects in several countries across the region. In 2009, however, we believed that Sony Professional Solutions
related to production and broadcast with no civil or telecommunications work involved. Keeping this in mind, Sony won more than $80 million worth of projects in 2009 including twofour54 in Abu Dhabi, Iraqi Media Network, Abu Dhabi Media Company and ERTU. It is also interesting to note that Dubai Media Inc. had so much faith in Sony’s East. Middle Solutions nal capability to deliver the Professio Sony of Hijazi Karl and ad Vivian Saldanha, Ghallab Mohamm goods that it used its new HD vans to cover the World Middle East had secured large-scale projects Beach Football championship two days after that simply could not go unrecognised. More delivery and later, the official opening of the importantly, unlike most systems integrators Burj Khalifa without testing or commissioning in the region, the deals it secures are strictly and everything went off without a hitch.
BEST TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION QVEST MEDIA
Al Jazeera Sport has been one of the most successful segments of Al Jazeera Network and it has invested its profits into deploying successful technologies at its facility. A significant project undertaken recently was the tapeless ingest, editing and playout workflow deployed by Dubai-based systems integrator Qvest Media FZ LLC. The system features an 11-channel playout solution
and supports nine of Al Jazeera Sports’ pay TV channels and two of its free-to-air channels. This solution, which included EVS systems, was heavily customised to support the client’s requirements including ingest, editing, highlight-editing and the playout of a 24/7 live operation. The whole installation was configured with a single codec, making transcoding unnecessary.
Peter Noethem and Stephan Seelander of Qvest Media.
YOUNG FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR WINNER: ALI MOSTAFA Ali Mostafa is a celebrity in the UAE and rightly so. There were no second thoughts in the mind of our key judge for this category, Masoud Amralla Al Ali, who is also the creative director of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) on who should win this award. Filmmaker, screenwriter, producer and director Mostafa is the first Emirati to make a feature film in the UAE, which lived
34 APRIL 2010
up to all the hype that was built around it. His film City of Life screened to a packed audience in December 2009 at DIFF. Besides giving UAE-based production houses an opportunity to work on a locally produced feature, it also showcased what the regional industry could do in terms of developing local cinema.
Filmmaker Ali Mostafa with Riedel’s Jamal Bouraada.
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COVER STORY DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS
MOST INNOVATIVE PROJECT OF THE YEAR MENOS BY ARABSAT, ASBU AND NEWTEC TEC There were a number of worthy studios, playout facilities and ambitious archival projects that in other years would have deservedly walked away with this award. However, MENOS was a very special project undertaken by Arabsat, ASBU and Newtec to benefit broadcasters throughout the region – financially and in terms of their own production values. The scale of the MENOS project and the extent to which it has become a part of so many broadcasters’ workflows in the MENA region could simply not be ignored. The content exchange is the product of ASBU members’ requests to Newtec over the years. The close collaboration between member broadcasters and the frequency with which the same content is delivered to each makes the benefits of a far reaching exchange obvious. The IP-based nature of MENOS means that as well as providing a platform to move
36 APRIL 2010
content around, it also allows for all the additional benefits that IP allows such as VoIP and other collaborative tools. The service has already been opened up to broadcasters outside the ASBU and Newtec is Khalid Balkheyour A( rabsat); now looking to expand Abdelrahim Suleinam & the service’s reach to the Dr. Riyadh Najim A( SBU); African market. and Serge aVn Herck &Dirk Breynaert (Newtec). The flexibility of the service versus the glut of satellite bookings that would be required in its absence is not only more convenient but also more cost-effective. The commercial and operational impact that the MENOS project has had on the broadcasters using it is too large and too far reaching to be ignored by this year’s awrads.
The and h number b off technologies h l d applications l involved from the signal encryption to the DVB-S2 modulation and the multiplexing of voice, data, radio and TV signals to obtain maximum efficiency make the development of MENOS as worthy of recognition as the services it enables.
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COVER STORY DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS
MOST INNOVATIVE BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR ORBIT SHOWTIME NETWORK (OSN) When Orbit Showtime Network’s CEO Mark Antoine d’Halluin stated at a press conference at the beginning of the merger of the two companies that OSN would seriously address piracy and that the pay TV operator would launch a HD bouquet in six months, many people were sceptical. But d’Halluin kept his word. Two days after the merger, the broadcaster extended the reach of its channels to each others’ subscribers. In a month, two new transponders were added to the Nilesat position on 7 degrees, which is the home of the OSN platform. This was a massive undertaking in terms of securing the satellite capacity, the mux and encoding equipment for 35 new channels, the channel and schedule information added to the EPG and the channels included in the correct
Tarif Sayed of
packages. Playout The Frame flanked by OSN’s Mike operations were then hittaker and W split between OSN’s Paul Green. two centres so that Bahrain handled general entertainment (GE), News and the Arabic channels while Dubai played out movies, sport and VOD services. This entailed the migration of thousands of hours of material with their corresponding metadata and subtitles from Bahrain to Dubai and vice versa. Shortly after, the pay TV operator announced the launch of its HD bouquet with Dolby Surround Sound. Today, the
operator has three HD channels and hopes to add another five by summer. Digital Studio was impressed by how quickly and efficiently OSN had achieved all of this within a short time.
CONTENT DELIVERY SERVICE OF THE YEAR DU FOR DU TV+
This category was added to the Digital Studio Awards line-up this year by our sister publication Digital Broadcast to recognise the growing sophistication of TV services and content exchanges in the Middle East both for B2B usage and for distribution to viewers. The quality of the nominations received was a reflection of how far the industry has developed in a very short space of time with FTA satellite channels and previously onedimensional pay TV offerings giving way to on-demand libraries, online PVR services, HD offerings and more. The overall winner provides all of these. UAE telco du launched du TV+ in July last year upgrading its existing ‘plain vanilla’ IP-based TV services to a true, two-way IPTV service powered by Microsoft’s expansive Mediaroom platform. Despite several telcos in the region offering TV services on their fixed line networks these have typically resembled regular cable distribution rather than leveraging the full capabilities of an IPTV
38 APRIL 2010
service on a fibrebased network. Du TV + is the first largescale roll out with this level of sophistication in the Middle East. The software brings many benefits for viewers that were previously missing from DTH satellite services. Instant channel change, an advanced EPG that allows for superior browsing and a search capacity all boost the user experience. The telco has also added an on-demand movie library and launched a bouquet of HD channels that it intends to further develop as more channels become available in the region. Following the launch of the new
Du’s Mohamed Al Shahi with Paddy oRache.
service, du offered existing customers the opportunity to exchange their set top box free of charge and embarked on a major logistical operation to provide all its customers with the new hardware by the end of 2009.
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SPECIAL REPORT 3D WORKSHOP
TRAINING IN 3D Digital Studio reports from the first 3D workshop in Dubai.
Dubai-based distributor Advanced Media Trading attracted more than 25 DoPs from across the UAE at a two-day workshop on 3D stereography that was held at its sister production house Colonia Film last month. The workshop was designed to familiarise cameramen in the region with the fundamentals of 3D production while also enabling them to get hands-on experience working with new
Kaveh Farnam, Advanced Media Trading.
40 APRIL 2010
3D rigs from P+S Technik that are now available with its local distributor. “We want DoPs in the region to understand the basics of 3D production,” Kaveh Farnam, CEO of Advanced Media Trading said. “We have begun to see the benefits of running workshops in the region and more and more end users have begun to appreciate that P+S Technik’s new 3D rig.
this is a genuine effort to educate and inform so now we see a lot of interest from the region.” Farnam also added that the location was ideal to conduct workshops. “Previously, we used to hold workshops in hotels but found this to be more cost-effective. It’s a typical studio environment so it’s easier for us to offer hands-on experience to attendees. We are now talking to other local distributors as well to conduct training in HD lighting and topics that we believe will truly benefit industry professionals,” he added.
importance of Aki Schirmer points out the the beginning from t righ les cab r you labelling on. fusi con id avo to on ucti of the prod
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SPECIAL REPORT 3D WORKSHOP
DO EXPERIMENT, DON’T CAUSE PAIN ALARIC HAMACHER, 3D CONSULTANT Alaric Hamacher, a German consultant with extensive experience working on 3D technology , headed the training sessions at the workshop. After explaining the basics of 3D production, he went on to demonstrate how the methods of convergence or parallel shooting could be used to get 3D results. “You can either make the images cross so you have one full image on the left and one full image on the right or you can shoot in parallel and cross them in post production,” Hamacher explained. Although the method of production will depend largely on what one is shooting, Hamacher thinks that it might be easier for a filmmaker who is venturing into 3D production for the first time to use the method of convergence. “It is easier to understand the whole concept when you converge because you see the results immediately. However, what method you adopt largely depends on
what you are shooting. If there’s going to be a lot of special effects and graphics, you may want to shoot in parallel,” he added. While Hamacher recommends trying new things in 3D, he also cautions against “giving audience pain” by forcing the eyes to look at the screen in a “strained and unusual manner.” “There is so much to discover in 3D so by all means experiment. However, always keep in mind that the eye can only be comfortable viewing in certain positions so don’t force each eye to look on either side for instance. It will cause a lot of strain. Also, it is important that local companies learn about 3D and know how to use the technology to create something. We don’t want to leave 3D production only to Hollywood,” he added.
3D consultant Alaric Hamacher.
NICOLAS FORZY SHARES HIS 3D PLANS “I wanted to understand how to shoot good 3D, meaning how to shoot so that the 3D effect serves the story in a way that makes the viewer experience more immersive. This was addressed at the workshop. I now feel competent enough to produce a complete 3D project and I understand the need for certain key crew members on set, such as a stereographer (3D specialist providing the bridge between the director’s creative vision and the cinematographer’s 3D camera and lighting execution). I still need to test the workflow for myself, which is always required with new technology since you have certain production needs that are unique to your projects and not fitting to a general workshop. I particularly want to explore the post-production solutions, since they will dictate how best to prepare 3D footage for various outlets such as cinemas, 3D TVs, combination with 3D FX or 3D gaming. The next step for me is to bring in a full camera rig to the UAE for one week and test every step of the workflow for different scenarios. Since this is a costly procedure, I want to share the cost amongst several clients so everyone benefits. The idea is to test everything on the rig over the first two days, ideally in partnership with twofour54 intaj. Then, we will shoot commercials for two clients over two days each. The clients will be offered
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Film and TV producer Nicolas a deep discount for this work; the crew Forzy is based in the UAE. will improve their understanding of 3D immensely, and we would have gained a bit more experience working on 3D in the UAE. Generally, it’s clear that 3D is here to stay. The best thing about it is that, when you shoot 3D, you film two 2D streams in parallel. This means you can take one of those streams as is and use it to show your content normally. On top of that, you can combine both streams and show your content in 3D. In essence, shooting in 3D enhances your distribution options, makes your content future-proof and improves the viewer experience. It’s more suitable for certain types of content such as sports, concerts and certain high-end documentaries, or for genre feature films such as action, horror and musicals. It can also serve 3D effects and videogames tremendously well, since the principles are With Fox International Channels setting up in the same. Abu Dhabi, and National Geographic showing strong I am putting together a structure to produce 3D interest in 3D documentaries, we have demand content here in the UAE with the right partners, so that UAE-based producers and crew, especially UAE nationals, building up for 3D content right here at home. With twofour54 and Imagenation here to support local can benefit from this technology and begin thinking 3D productions, everything is ready. “ from the start. Planning for 3D is the key.
APRIL 2010 41
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Over the last couple of years there has been a great deal of talk about 3Gb/s infrastructures. The original thinking was to support 1080p HD signals, but the recent rise in interest in stereoscopic 3D television may also need 3Gb/s transmission, to include both “eyes” as conventional HD signals in a single stream. But despite all the talk of 3Gb/s, there is still relatively little equipment out there which supports it. And those pieces of equipment that do already exist vary considerably in quality. The challenge for the 3Gb/s infrastructure is that this is a very high data rate indeed, and if a single part of the chain is not performing at the highest level — or even is not perfectly matched to the rest of the system, even if its individual performance is fine — then there will be problems. Structures that should work will lose data, which in a broadcast application means the feed will stop. Important points for consideration are the equivalent cable length reproduced by the PCB track between the input interface and the EQ point, essentially, the link between two pieces of equipment is not just the cable. At the sending device, it is the line driving
44 APRIL 2010
chip and how robustly it delivers a sharply differentiated digital signal that matters. At the receiving device, it is the ability to detect the digital signal and re-clock to it. Our tests suggest that some combinations of equipment perform better than others.
The solution for the systems engineer is to do a lot of research, not least to try to determine which chip vendor is providing the send and receive on each device, as matched chips seem to perform better. Other than that, there is no alternative but to test equipment in context, not just on the bench but in a real installation
DRAKA’S RANGE OF HDTV COAXIAL CABLES CERTIFIED 3G COMPATIBLE A recent test by measurement specialist Tektronix found that a few key cable suppliers in the market place complied fully with SMPTE 424M requirements for 3G compatibility. For broadcast engineers, HD SDI 1.5 Gb/s operation is now common practice so many broadcasting units are presently looking at 3 Gb/s as the next step. Cable manufacturer Draka Communications emerged a clear winner in this category. “With an increasing demand for HD transmissions broadcasters are demanding guarantees of 3G compatibility right down to cable and connector behaviour,“ says Oli Hentschel, Draka product manager, Studio Broadcast. ”We recently concluded a series of thorough tests for our entire range with the leading measurement expert, Tektronix , who certified that our range of HDTV cables are fully in line with SMPTE 424M requirements.”
The practical tests performed by Tektronix offer both a guide and tool for broadcast engineers to rely upon claimed maximum transmission distances for 3Gb/s operations. Extensive tests were performed in the U.S. offices of Tektronix using a signal transmitted at 1080P HD maximum resolution, revealing that the Draka cables meet 1080p requirements with ease end even outperformed expectations. Following the 1080P benchmarks, Draka HD Pro 1.0/4.8AF cable, with a calculated transmission length of 80 metres, in practice tested with a maximum application length of 150 metres. Draka HD Pro 0.8/3.7AF cable has a tested transmission length of 120 metres (instead of a 50 metres calculated application length). The full table of calculated application length compared with 3Gb/s HD 1080P actual maximum application for all Draka HDTV cables is available at the end of this release.
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APRIL 2010 45
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in combination with the other equipment likely to be used. That is ďŹ ne when you are building a complete system today, but in reality most people are simply preparing for the 3Gb/s future. By installing any new cabling to the right standard, you should be prepared. My ďŹ rst recommendation would be to set a house standard. Choose a good quality cable and matched connectors, and decide how far your maximum connectivity will be. You may not want to risk as much as 90m on IMAGE 360: you might set a lower limit at, say, 60m and then step up to larger cables IMAGE 1000 and 2000. Any runs beyond this and you will go to ďŹ bre. Second, install the cable to the highest standards, adhere to the cable bend radius sharp bends have to be avoided when looming. Crushing the cable will dramatically alter its capacitance at that point, which will have a signiďŹ cant eect on its ability to transmit what are in eect RF signals. So clipping cables ties up tight is, again, is bad practice. A good
alternative to nylon is to use Velcro which is a softer material and has a wider foot print. Make sure the BNC connector is a good match to the cable. Your supplier should be able to recommend which plug goes with which cable type. Draka and Belden tune their cables to certain brands of connector. And make sure that your tools are in perfect condition: dull cutters or worn crimp tools will, again, distort the insulation layers and aect the performance. New tools are very inexpensive, so replace them regularly if you are working to 3Gb/s standards. And the ďŹ nal recommendation is to keep testing. Test each cable link as it goes in, then when the new equipment arrives test it carefully, on the bench and in the rack. It may seem like a lot of work, but putting the eort in should ensure that 3Gb/s installations remain trouble-free.
ARGOSY BUILDS IMAGE Argosy, a UK-based international supplier of HD broadcast cables and studio infrastructure products has a collection of video, audio and power cables in its portfolio, including those made by Belden and Draka, that are suitable for 3Gb/s applications. Its range of IMAGE HD video cables is manufactured by Draka to Argosy’s own speciďŹ cation. Surpassing the requirements of SMPTE 424M (1080p/60) — and suitable for 3Gb/s installations — the IMAGE range is widely used in worldwide HD installations and has one of the most enviable track records in the industry. IMAGE IMA cables are designed to maximise operama tional tio bandwidth while wh oering the lowest low possible return ret and attenuation loss. te
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APRIL 2010 47
POST PRODUCTION ANIMATION & RIGGING
VFX specialist Amitaabh Naaraayan takes us through the second part of this series on making a CG movie Last month, we looked at the concepts of Modeling and Texturing. In this issue, we shall discuss Rigging and Animation. Before objects are rendered, they must be laid out within a scene. This is what defines the spatial relationships between objects in a scene including location and size. Animation refers to the temporal description of an object, i.e., how it moves and deforms over time. Popular methods include keyframing, inverse kinematics, and motion capture, though many of these techniques are used in conjunction with each other. As with modeling, physical simulation is another way of specifying motion. You can animate characters or vehicles for computer games or you can animate special effects for film or broadcast. You can create animation for serious purposes such as medical illustration or forensic presentation in the courtroom. Whatever reason you have to animate,
48 APRIL 2010
ANIMATION AND RIGGING
you’ll find most 3D applications provide an environment for achieving these goals. The basic way to animate is quite simple. You animate the transform parameters of any object to change its position, rotation, and scale over time. Most commercially available computer animation systems are based on animating with keyframes. At first, this seems like the same thing as keyframes in traditional hand-drawn animation, but it is slightly different. In hand-drawn animation, you work on the basic poses of the scene first, drawing poses of the entire character so the timing and acting can be worked out with a minimum of drawings created. Once the poses are finalised, the in-between drawings are created to complete the action. With computer animation, keyframes are values at certain frames for the articulation controls of a model, which are usually set up in a hierarchy. The computer calculates the in-betweens values based on a spline curve connecting the keyframe values.
In software packages that support animation such as Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3DS Max, Lightwave, Autodesk Softimage, Houdini, Poser, etc, there are many parameters that can be changed for any one object. One example of such an object is a light. Lights have many parameters including light intensity, beam size, light colour, and the texture cast by the light. Supposing an animator wants the beam size of the light to change smoothly from one value to another within a pre-defined period of time, it could be achieved by using keyframes. At the start of the animation, a beam size value is set. Another value is set for the end of the animation. Thus, the software programme automatically interpolates the two values, creating a smooth transition. However, the human visual system does not see in terms of frames; it works with a continuous flow of light/information. This is known as Persistence of vision. Because of this phenomenon,
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POST PRODUCTION ANIMATION & RIGGING
Courtesy: Luxology.
THE LIBRARY RY
The Animator’s Survival Kit by Richard Williamss
Left: A spider bot with inverse kinematics applied while the modo preview renderer shows a near final result in the upper right corner and the right, a rendered frame.
the higher the Frames per Second, the smoother the motion appears. In general, the minimum FPS needed to avoid jerky motion is about 30 FPS. For high-motion content, an encoding session around 60 FPS may be more beneficial. When dealing with FPS, it is important to also understand other terms that are used throughout the Industry: PAL: Phase Alternating Line is the dominant television standard in Europe, Middle East and Asia. The PAL standard delivers 25 FPS. NTSC: National Television Standards Committee is responsible for setting television and video standards in the United States. The NTSC standard for television defines a composite video signal with a refresh rate of 29.97 FPS. NTSC also requires these frames to be interlaced. Telecine: Most film content is created at 24 FPS. To meet the NTSC standard, extra frames are added to reach the 30 FPS requirement. This is done through an algorithm that creates an intermediate frame between two other frames. The process that removes the frames that were added when 24 FPS film was converted to 30 FPS video is known as Inverse Telecine. Apart from the most basic form of animation like Keyframing 3D applications have increased and infused many new techniques of animation within their environment. We shall discuss a few notable and popular techniques used by 3D animators. Dynamical simulations is used in computer animation to assist animators to produce realistic motion, in industrial design (for example to simulate crashes as an early step in crash testing), and in video games. Dynamics simulations can be a powerful tool when trying to generate realistic looking effects that would
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be very difficult to achieve manually. Calculations of animations such as object collisions, cloth objects, in conjunction with fields like air, gravity, waves, etc are all done within the working environment. Hence, it becomes comparatively easy to simulate realistic dynamic objects such as a windy flag, bouncing ball or a water body with a floating log. Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement onto a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications. In filmmaking it refers to recording actions of human actors, and using that information to animate digital character models in 2D or 3D computer animation. When it includes face, fingers and captures subtle expressions, it is often referred to as performance capture. Crowd simulation is the process of simulating thee movement of a large number of objects or characters, now often appearing in 3D computer graphics for film. While simulating thesee crowds, observed human behavior interaction n is taken into account, to replicate the collective behavior. The need for crowd simulation arises when a scene calls for more characters than can be practically animated using conventional systems, such as skeletons/bones. Simulating crowds offer the advantages of being cost effective as well as allow for total control of each simulated character or agent. Animators typically create a library of motions, either for the entire character or for individual body parts. To simplify processing, these animations are sometimes baked as morphs. Alternatively, the motions can be generated procedurally - i.e. choreographed automatically by software.
The Animation Book: A Complete Guide to Animated Filmmaking From Flip-Books to Sound Cartoons to 3-D Animation by Kit Laybourne
Cracking Animation: The Aardman Book of 3-D Animation by Nick Park Art of 3D Computer Animation and Effects by Isaac V. Kerlow
Body Language: Advanced 3D Character Rigging by Eric Allen Stop Staring!: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right by Jason Osipa
Timing for Animation by Tom Sito
APRIL 2010 49
POST PRODUCTION ANIMATION & RIGGING
RIGGING Rigging, very simply, is the process of setting up the 3D scene for animation. Because of the complexities of the mesh and the number of various different objects that have to be animated, rigging is essentially used to reduce the number of keyframes, and facilitate the animator to focus on the aesthetics of animation instead of the technicalities of handling the software requirements. Rigging classically consists of two main steps: skeleton embedding and skin attachment. But first, let’s familiarise ourselves with a few terms Parenting: In complex animation involving several objects, there is a procedure of forming hierarchies, to allow for transfer of animation from the parent objects to the child objects, and not the other way round. Child is free to have its own transformations, but as a rule of hierarchy, it has to obey the parent transformations and inherits it naturally. For example, the hip could be the top most of the hierarchy and the main joint, and then
you have the upper torso which is the spine which at the neck bifurcates into the two arms, so on and so forth. Bones/Skeleton: Joints or bones are a system provided by most of the character animation softwares to be able to allow the construction of the skeletal frame which behave like real life bones. Each joint has an XYZ coordinate system and an orientation which can be defined by the joints; some joints rotate in all direction for eg: neck, some only in one for eg. Elbow. All these can be setup by using the skeleton or bones system and then skinned to one single 3d mesh of a human or a beast for that matter. There are readymade skeletal rigs like the biped in max. The concept of parenting is the basis of this skeletal setup. Bones further allows skinning with a single mesh object with several bends and twists and deformations. Skinning: The process of skinning also allows for deformations like muscle bulges or skin
deformation overlaps by providing weights. Weighting skin means one can decide which part of the mesh reacts to any given joint for eg shoulder weights would have to be distributed between the collar joints armpit region and the shoulder joints. Once the object is skinned the mesh is bound to the bone transformations and behaves exactly like the skeleton. Secondary Animation: When the characters have tails or tentacles like appendages, which have a connection with the actual body but have followthrough motion, like a jiggle or wobble then
SOLUTIONS TO CONSIDER Autodesk 3ds Max, Maya, Softimage Blender Luxology Modo Maxon Cinema 4D NewTek Lightwave 3D Electric Image Animation System http://www.animationmentor.com/
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these, have to be rigged accordingly to achieve this result without having to set separate manual keys. There are many dierent tools provided by most of the animation softwares to achieve this. Forward and Inverse kinematics: are tools which allow for control between joints like the hip and the ankle so that the knee is automatically take care of, or the ďŹ ngers. In a human body there is a combination of both forward and Inverse Kinematics. Forward kinematics essentially means that the animation of the parent is transferred to the child objects/ bones and Inverse allows for the opposite to be true. In the case of the leg, even though the knee is the parent of the ankle, with the help of the IK handle you can get the know how to obey the transform of the ankle. Character Rigging: Characters could mean Humans- Bipeds or animals- Quadrupeds or any other inanimate objects we wish to give human like characteristics, like a ball or a tree. Animating an articulated 3D character
requires manual rigging to specify it’s internal skeletal structure and to deďŹ ne how the input motion deforms its surface. As mention above, this process involves joints and bones which are then skinned or attached to the 3d mesh. Mechanical rigging or rigging without bones: It is not always essential to skin the objects to the joints or have joints at all. Simple hierarchical connections could be used. This is true in the case of cogs of machinery, the popular Pixar lamp, phones or robots. This is where we use the basic rule of animation multiple objects in 3d space- Parenting. Parenting forms a hierarchy or a tree which helps us to set relations between the various objects or groups of objects. The attempt of a good rig is to minimize the number keys of all the objects properties. Props in a character can also be treated the same way, for eg: eyes, watch, a hat etc. Facial Rigging: Since the human face is so very expressive and has so many dierent muscles involved, one needs to approach the rigging
of facial muscles dierently. One also needs to consider the phonetics in any given language, in which the lip assumes very dierent shapes with every next word. Therefore, the facial rigging requires a whole dierent set of procedures. Very simply a technique called morph targets or blend Shapes is used. Morphing as the term suggests is the smooth blend or transition of one expression to another, there are several tools and softwares available for this technique. Scripting/Programming: Most of the Software has their inbuilt scripting language, where as some of them are open source codes. In Softwares like Maya there is MEL (Maya embedded language), max has maxScript. How this helps is when you need the rigged characters to further squash and stretch, like in The Incredibles. Amitaabh Naaraayan is a 3D and SFX professional.
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APRIL 1014
NAB 2010 will run from April 10 to 15 in Las Vegas. Several manufacturers will focus on 3D technology this year. We bring you a snapshot of some of the top products that will be showcased at NAB. WHAT’S HOT IN VEGAS!
GET INTO THE ‘POST PIT’ AT NAB 2010 NAB will debut a new digital video workflow presentation stage, complete with a networking lounge and a series of mini sessions on the show floor. Located in the South Lower Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Centre, the Post Pit brings together user groups and individuals who use post-production and other digital story-telling software and hardware products on display at the show. Produced in partnership with Final Cut Pro User Group (FCPUG) Network SuperMeet, fxguide, Digital Production Buzz and Future Media Concepts (FMC), Post Pit will offer attendees and exhibitors an interactive experience in which to showcase creative content, while top talent take the stage to share tips and tricks to
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aid digital video creators and editors in navigating the various tools used in the trade. Some of the presenters include Ted Schilowitz of RED Camera Company, post guru Scott Simmons with tips on editing a Canon 5D multi-camera concert, and Taz Goldstein of HandHeldHollywood.com who will focus on the top five iApps and hardware every filmmaker needs. For media professionals looking for the latest in technical training and certification, NAB also offers a complete educational experience through the Post|Production World (PPW) conference that will be held from April 10-14.
FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND NAB 1. It’s where most of the production and broadcast technology is debuted first 2. More than 85,000 audio, video and film content professionals attend every year. 3. More than 500 conference and training sessions will be staged at NAB. 4. 1,500 companies exhibit at the show. 5. It’s in Vegas.
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Dante-MY16-AUD Audinate 16 Channel Dante I/O CARD
Bi-Directional Audio Transfer from Mixer to Mac or PC Supports 48 / 96 kHz, 24-bit Audio Glitch-free Dante Audio redundancy support High Quality on-board WC / External WC sync EXLUSIVELY DISTRIBUTED BY YAMAHA
Yamaha Mixing Console with up to 4 Dante-MY16-AUD Cards Installed.
No Audio Interface Required! PC or Mac running Dante Controller, Dante Virtual Soundcard and Steinberg Nuendo or other audio Application.
Leslie
Ethernet Cable.
Gigabit LGH0215 8 port Gigabit Ethernet Switch
Gigabit Switch and CAT5 Cables
Compatible
Specifications Sample Rates
48kHz and 96kHz
Digital Mixer :
Audio Channels
16 bidirectional @ 48kHz or 8 bidrectional @ 96kHz
PM5D / M7CL / LS9 / 01V96
Sample bit-depth
24 bit PCM
DM2000 / DM1000 / 02R96
Network
2 x Gigabit (1000Mbps; 1Gbps) Ethernet RJ45 connectors
Processors :
HA Remote
Supported on HA Remote capable Yamaha products
DME64 / DME24
Expandable
64 bidirectional Audio Channels - 4 x Dante MY16 AUD
Clock
High Quality on-board VCXO Master Clock or Slave
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TXN Series
NAB 2010 NEW PRODUCTS
CAMERA CORPS OFFERS MINI JOYSTICK CONTROL
FOR-A ENHANCES MULTI-VIEWERS
Camera Corps has chosen NAB for the worldwide launch of its new ultra-compact Mini Joystick Control. This product is compatible with all pan and tilt heads from Camera Corps and Egripment. “Mini Joystick Control was developed for applications such as commentatorcamera control or for outside-broadcast vehicles where desk space is often very restricted,” commented Camera Corps’ founder and MD Laurie Frost. “It is ideal for fast-response on-air operation. The joystick and control buttons have the same tactile responsiveness as those on our full-size controller, including fully adjustable pan, tilt and zoom speeds and reverses. Zoom is controlled by rotary twist of the joystick. Up to five separate heads can be operated from a single panel. Reverse settings and control speeds for each of the five channels can be stored in non-volatile internal memory.”
The new FOR-A multi-viewer supports mixed HD, SD, analogue, and PC signals, and has a variety of on-screen features for a customised display environment. Within its 2 RU frame, up to four input boards and two output boards can be installed in the MV-3200 to create a multi-viewer with a maximum of 32 inputs and four display outputs. The choice of input boards provides support for various asynchronous HD/SD-SDI, analog composite, and DVI (analog and digital) signals, as well as analog or AES audio. FOR-A offers multiple board options to support the type and number of input signals to be displayed. Up to 32 video windows can be displayed for each output board. Both output boards operate independently, so if one malfunctions, the other can continue to display all inputs. The input video can be selected for each window, and the same input can be displayed on multiple windows, if desired. The MV-3200 can also display up to four clocks, which can also be used as countdown timers, for each output board.
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PHABRIX
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THE VERY BEST IN HAND HELD SDI TEST AND MEASUREMENT WWW.PHABRIX.COM TEL +44 1635 255494 UK
NAB 2010 NEW PRODUCTS
ENSEMBLE COMES BRIGHT EYED TO NAB
SHOTOKU ROBOTICS TO ATTRACT VISITORS
Ensemble Designs has announced the release of the BrightEye Mitto scan converter for broadcasters. The first units have been shipped to television stations in the U.S, Asia and New Zealand. “Broadcasters are looking for a better way to get web material to air,” said Mondae Hott, director of Sales. “We’ve been overwhelmed with phone calls from station engineers asking for demos and placing orders for Mitto.” A superior quality scan converter, BrightEye Mitto makes it easy to choose the desired video output format, 1.5 and 3 Gb/s HD SDI or SD SDI. Mitto possesses proprietary scaling technology and exclusive multi-tap filtering. The region selected for output determines if Mitto acts as an upconverter or downconverter. The filters automatically adjust in accordance with the conversion being performed. The included software allows users to simply use a mouse to select which part of the computer video they want to output to HD or SD video.
Shotoku Broadcast Systems will showcase its high-capacity control panels at NAB 2010 with a series of new features including SD/HD support, wide screen layout, and customisable display options. The manufacturer will also target single-operator productions with a small but high-precision unit. The panels will be shown alongside the company’s Orchestra Camera Management System, now available with an integrated live-video touch screen option, its flagship TRP-100 fully robotic studio pedestal and its full range of robotic and VR sensor pan/tilt heads. Shotoku’s TR-T system is now available in 16:9 widescreen configuration making it ideal for use in HD studio environments as it integrates with most HD/SDI routers. The high res widescreen VGA touch screen uses the latest seamless glass Acoustic Pulse technology to provide exceptional accuracy and durability over many years of intensive use without ever needing recalibrating. Other enhancements include a configurable screen layout supporting 16 cameras, the ability to be controlled from a single operator position, and a display in any configuration to suit the programme requirements.
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NAB 2010 NEW PRODUCTS
POLECAM EMBRACES 3D HD TECHNOLOGY AT NAB
VIZRT PACKS 3D INTO ONE BOX
Responding to rapidly increasing demand for 3D HD video content, Polecam has released its 3D-Narrow pan and tilt head, which will be supplied as standard with all new systems, with the option of choosing the new 3D-Wide head. “The 3D-Narrow pan and tilt head allows extremely realistic stereoscopic content to be produced from mini HD cameras positioned side by side on a Polecam jib,” stated Polecam founder and managing director Steffan Hewitt. From NAB 2010, the standard pan and tilt head sold with Polecam systems will be capable of holding a 3D camera pair. The Polecam 3D-Narrow head attaches directly to all standard Polecam rigs. It is optimised for normal studio shooting and close-ups where it is desirable to match normal human eye spacing. A levelling plate with three fine-adjustment verniers allows each camera to be exactly matched in height and forward angle. Setup is quick and easy, conforming with Polecam’s strategy of ensuring high mobility and operational efficiency. Polecam’s full production capabilities, including 3D HD capture and storage, will be demonstrated on at NAB.
Vizrt will launch what is considered to be a critical piece of gear on every live broadcast—the ‘CG,’ or live 3D graphics and animation generator. At NAB 2010, Vizrt will showcase Viz Trio One-Box—the latest version of its Viz Trio realtime 3D graphics and animation system. The Viz Trio is highly versatile, intuitive, and full featured. It allows artists and operators to deliver extremely creative and visually-complex graphical presentations that enhance live sports, news, and specials. Viz Trio previously required two standard desktop PCs to operate. With Viz Trio One-Box everything, Viz Trio as well as the latest Viz Engine, runs on a single PC with two graphics cards on-board. This means that there is no negative impact on graphics quality or rendering speed. With Trio One-Box, both the VGA preview and final program signals can be viewed on one PC. Viz Trio One-Box will be the standard configuration for all future Viz Trio systems.
BLACKMAGIC DESIGN UPDATES ULTRASCOPE
I-MOVIX SPRINTCAM IN ULTRA SLOW MO MODE
Blackmagic Design Inc has introduced a new software update for Blackmagic UltraScope, the world’s first 3Gb/s SDI and optical fibre waveform monitor. This update adds a new customisable “2-up” view, greater support for different monitor sizes and a super high resolution zoom of Parade, Waveform, Vectorscope and Picture displays. The latest update allows the UltraScope to work in a new compact “2-up” view, so the end user can use any combination of the six displays in a side-by-side view, which is ideal for displays smaller than 24”. Customers still have the option to view all six displays simultaneously with Parade, Waveform, Component Vectorscope, Histogram, Picture View and Audio Monitoring, in the traditional “Full Screen” view on a 1920x1200 resolution monitor. With support for 1920x1200, 1920x1080 and 1280x800 resolution monitors, the UltraScope can now be used with a wide range of monitors, both large and small. Now you can use screen sizes smaller than 24”, which is perfect for outside broadcast vans or instudio rack mounting. The UltraScope also features a powerful zoom function, with super high-resolution pan and zoom of graticules for the Parade, Waveform, Vectorscope and Picture displays. The zoom feature is ideal for editors and colourists requiring pixel accurate measurements such as matching blacks from different video sources.
I-MOVIX will showcase the SprintCam Vvs HD, a new ultra-slow-motion system in live HD broadcast production. The SprintCam Vvs HD operates at frame rates from 25 to 2,500 fps in full HD and provides instant replay at native HD resolution and image quality. Specially designed for live broadcast use, SprintCam Vvs HD can be specified in a standard camera version or optimised for shouldermounted portable shooting, providing greater convenience and creativity in ultra-slow-motion action. New features include a dual output allowing a camera operator to shoot and record at the same time, segmented memory, a replay vary-speed function, and integration of both live- and replay-view on the viewfinder. “With this addition to the SprintCam range, we have created a powerful tool for broadcasters and filmmakers who want the best possible creative slow-motion tool in live situations,” said Laurent Renard, CEO of I-MOVIX. “SprintCam Vvs HD is very easy to use and delivers the most extreme slow motion available in today’s market.” Developed with Vision Research, the SprintCam Vvs HD system uses the latest generation of the Vision Research high-speed HD camera; an operational control panel; a slow motion remote and a camera control unit that provides control of the slow-motion instant replay, camera control, and data interface between camera, EVS server, or SDI recorder.
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NAB 2010 NEW PRODUCTS
SOUND DEVICES OFFERS CL-9 LINEAR FADER CONTROLLER
GEKKO SHEDS LIGHT AT NAB
Sound Devices has unveiled the latest accessory for its 788T Digital Recorder. The new CL-9 Linear Fader Controller will enable the already powerful 788T become a complete mixing/recording system, perfect for audio capture in soundfor-picture, broadcast and musicoriented productions. Acting as a dedicated mixing surface for Sound Devices 788T, the CL-9 is a compact, linear fader controller that features enhanced monitoring. The CL-9 is equipped with eight 100mm ultra low-latency linear faders and rotary input trim controls with ring LED metering for fast, smooth and precise critical gain changes. When a CL-9 is connected, the 788T gains a sweepable, single-band parametric EQ for each of its eight inputs with variable frequency, gain and filter Q. Additionally, the CL-9 adds input pan to the 788T. A wide range of 788T menu-based controls are accessible with the convenient knob controls on the CL-9, such as output level control of the six outputs, dedicated
Gekko Technology’s kazia 50 and kazia 200 are both hard-source LED luminaires based on the manufacturer’s kleer-colour light engine, with variants for film and television as well as entertainment. “The kazia 50 and 200 offer film and television lighting directors and cameramen precise tuneable whites and dimming under local or DMX control,” explained Gekko Technology managing director David Amphlett. “As well as tuneable whites in the 2,900 to 6,500 K range, the entertainment version can also produce millions of other colours. The capacity of the lamp to generate high quality whites reduces the need for multiple sources with different capabilities.” The kazia 50 is comparable in output brightness to a 400 W tungsten fresnel lamp-head yet consumes only 50 W of electrical power. The kazia 200 has a similar brightness to a 1 kW tungsten source whilst consuming only 190 W of power. Like all Gekko LED luminaires, the kazia 50 and 200 generate far less heat than more traditional fixtures. Both use unique colour-feedback technology which ensures consistent colour temperature quality as ambient conditions change or the unit ages. Colour temperature accuracy also remains constant as the light is dimmed.
L/R and Aux 1/Aux 2 output level controls, track-record enabling for each of the 12 record tracks and one-touch soloing of inputs or tracks. Bus-powered by the 788T, the CL-9 is connected by a single USB cable. Additional monitoring features are available by connecting the headphone output from the 788T to the CL-9. The 788T can also be connected to a Mac OS or Windows computer running Sound Devices’ Wave Agent File Librarian. The CL-9 has been tested for the same environmental extremes as Sound Devices field mixers.
VSN UNVEILS MAC OFFERINGS VSN will unveil the latest versions of its vsnnews terminal, vsnnetsharer/macsharer and vsnarchive, now running on MacOS and/or Windows platforms even within a single network. In addition, the manufacturer will demonstrate how VSN solutions can integrate easily with Apple FinalCutPro editing software. With features such as drag & drop between different modules, specific plug-ins to assign editing projects to a playlist, and new user interfaces, VSN will provide its customers with an enhanced level of flexibility to design their production architecture. VSN will also intro-
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duce new client versions of its traffic & scheduling solution, vsncreaTV, and its vsnIPTransfer IP content exchange tool. Both run on Mac and Windows platforms.
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Cable
Trade Fair for Cable, Broadband and Satellite
Exhibition and Congress 4 - 6 May 2010 Cologne / Germany www.angacable.com
383 international exhibitors in 2009 13,600 trade visitors from 69 countries 22,000 sqm exhibition space 1,400 congress attendees in 2009
ANGA Services GmbH Nibelungenweg 2 路 50996 K枚ln / Cologne Germany Phone +49 221 / 99 80 81-0 Fax
+49 221 / 99 80 81-99
info@angacable.de 路 www.angacable.com Kindly supported by
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MOST READ DS NEWS STORIES:
DOHA SUMMIT GETS THUMBS UP FROM DELEGATES Middle East film financiers, investors and filmmakers are well placed to maximise new opportunities arising from a rapidly evolving film industry, participants at the inaugural FT Business of Film Summit were told by leading figures from Hollywood and the region. Ahmed Al-Hashemi, chairman of Alnoor Holdings, a Qatari media company, remarked that technological innovations and changes in
media consumption have heralded the beginning of a new era. “The clear message that has come through in all the sessions is that global audiences understand the universal language of film, and are increasingly interested in local foreign language films. The Arab world is well placed to play a greater role and I am excited that Alnoor will be leading these changes,” he said. Read the full story on www.digitalproductionme.com
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LA calling ADMC and Humax tie to roll out HD STBs for EPL People meter could double UAE ad spend: analyst Harman to establish dedicated EMEA sales office Bau to push Renkus Heinz in the Middle East
EDITOR’S CHOICES ANALYSIS
VIDEO
ROLL CAMERA
DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS
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We put the Sony PMW 350 XDCAM EX through its paces.
SPOT POLL WHAT WAS YOUR IMPRESSION OF CABSAT 2010?
42% 25% 21% 12%
Video wrap-up of this year’s Digital Studio awards from Dubai.
IN PICTURES
CABSAT 2010 HIGHLIGHTS
Better than expected.
We bring you all the important action from the show.
Disappointing compared to last year. Good turn-out but not much business. Fantastic, no complaints. March 28,2010
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