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BROADCAST • PRODUCTION • BROADBAND • SATELLITE • MOBILE £3.80 I Volume 32 I Issue 6 I October-November 2014

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25 Things You Might Have Missed at IBC

Product Review: Canon’s EF 28-300 mm USM L IS Lens

Contents EDITORIAL Executive Editor James McKeown Email: jmckeown@nbmedia.com Editor Mark Hallinger Tel: 1 301 467 1695 Email: mhallinger@nbmedia.com Tech Editor Craig Norris Contributors Ann-Marie Corvin, Kevin Hilton, Phil Reed NEWBAY MEDIA LLC CORPORATE President and CEO Steve Palm Chief Financial Officer Paul Mastronardi Controller Jack Liedke Group Circulation Director Denise Robbins Vice President of Web Development Joe Ferrick PUBLISHER Steve Connolly Tel: +44 (0) 20 7354 6000 Email: s.connolly@nbmedia.com ADVERTISING Sales Manager Ben Ewles Tel: +44 (0) 20 7354 6000 Email: bewles@nbmedia.com U.S. Midwest, New England & Canada Vytas Urbonas Email: vurbonas@nbmedia.com U.S. West Pete Sembler Email: psembler@nbmedia.com U.S. Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, US Classifieds & Product Showcase Michele Inderrieden Email: minderrieden@nbmedia.com Hong Kong, China, Asia/Pacific Wengong Wang Email: wwg@imaschina.com Italy Raffaella Calabrese Email: rcalabrese@broadcast.it Latin America Susana Saibene Email: susana.saibene@gmail.com PRODUCTION Production Director Davis White Group Head of Design & Production Adam Butler Email: adam.butler@intentmedia.co.uk Editorial Production Manager Dawn Boultwood Email: dawn.boultwood@intentmedia.co.uk Production Executive Jason Dowie Email: Jason.dowie@intentmedia.co.uk TV Technology Europe ISSN 2053-6674 (Print) ISSN 2053-6682 (Online) is published seven times annually by Intent Media. ©2013 by Intent Media. All rights reserved. Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London, N18LN, England Free subscriptions are available to professional broadcasting and audio visual equipment users. Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome for review – send to Mark Hallinger at the feedback address.

Challenge & Opportunity The IBC show was where all the M&A and rebranding of Q1 and Q2, 2014, started to come a bit more in to focus. Over the last year or two industry leaders – particularly those who have recently come from outside the industry – have really started to talk about the way forward. While these voices don’t speak with a completely unified voice, there is consistency in their messages. Many are calling for more consolidation, saying there are too many smalland mid-sized vendors in our space. There is good and bad to consolidation I suppose. Integration can be easier with big vendors, but perhaps we could lose a bit of innovation or the ability to move quickly at the corporate level. Should we hope for big companies that can move fast and innovate, with enough competition across the industry to keep prices down and fill in the tech gaps as needed? What is in motion today feels quite a bit bigger than the transitions and consolidations that took place in the mid-to-late 1990s, when forwardthinking vendors had to re-tool away from black boxes running proprietary software to more open products. Just as the industry started a trend towards open standards, commodity hardware and software 20 years ago, we’re well in to another big transition today. This one is moving faster, but it is still the ‘computer and IT guys’ coming in to broadcast. It makes for interesting projects according to a few friends I know involved in SI ventures – the two cultures are different and those who realise this and can bridge that gap effectively should have good job security, I would think. IP infrastructures and software-defined architectures are also clearly the near-term future. How long will we be in this transition from baseband and dedicated devices to the Promised Land of high efficiency and low-cost? That’s where debate begins, and planning gets a bit murky. And obviously a greenfield site is quite different than a facility that has been around a decade. Just as the accountants told us when to send most tape playout kit to the dump or the broadcast museum some years ago, the same tipping point faces SDI infrastructures. I won’t hazard a guess on a timeline. I’ve seen too many bright people chastened over other tech hurdles related to the advent of the ‘tapeless facility’ or ‘tapeless camcorders.’ These things exist now, of course, but they were proclaimed for many years before they really came about. What I can opine is that we should be thinking past 10 GigE, to 40- or even 100 GigE bandwidth on one cable. It’s a similar mind-set to those who don’t want a major change for ‘Phase 1’ of UHD, preferring instead to invest in the inevitable ‘Phase 2’ where higher resolutions, higher frame rates and higher dynamic range make the jump more worthwhile. Transitions certainly seem to be happening faster than in the past. We are being pushed by consumer trends, rather than a situation where we are trying to get consumers interested in ‘HD’ or multichannel SDTV as in the last transition. Good luck. Mark Hallinger Editor & Associate Publisher mhallinger@nbmedia.com

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Cover Credit: Cover image courtesy of Giovanni Punzo.

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In this issue 4

IBC TV TECHNOLOGY EUROPE BEST-OF-SHOW AWARDS TV Technology Europe picked 14 products worthy of a second look and more

10 IBC 2014: 25 THINGS We preview a few of the ‘25 Things You Might Have Missed’ at IBC, and point you to the website where the remaining items are archived 16 BUYERS GUIDE: ENG & EFP A product review of a Canon lens, a case study on acquisition at the World Cup, and product information on some of the new ENG/EFP kit launched at IBC 24 SHARPSHOOTER A chat with Giuseppe Maio of Rome, currently residing in Australia

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AWARDS

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TVT Europe’s IBC 2014 Best of Show Winners NewBay Media’s Best of Show Awards are evaluated by a panel of engineers and industry experts, and are selected based on innovation, feature set, cost efficiency and performance in serving the industry. We picked 14 from the recent IBC show. Congratulations, all. ARRIS GROUP ARRIS ME-7000 Converged Video Compression Platform The ME-7000 is a high-performance converged compression platform for multiscreen delivery of IPTV, cable and satellite applications. It offers multi-codec—MPEG-2, AVC, HEVC—multiformat support with SD/ HD/4K encoding and transcoding. The ME-7000 is fully modular and flexible for scalability and upgradeability. ASPERA Aspera On Demand Auto-scale Platform Aspera On Demand enables seamless,

transfer capacity of Aspera server software in the cloud to adapt to unpredictable spikes in activity. BLACKMAGIC DESIGN ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K ATEM switches between SD, HD or 4K video and can handle a range of

line-speed transfers of very large files across the cloud-based object storage of Amazon Web Services, Windows Azure and OpenStack. Auto-scaling automatically scales and expands

cameras, disk recorders and slide shows or animations from computers. Features include chromakey, creative transitions, media pool, downstream keyers, audio mixer, multiview, etc. More advanced models include up to 20 SDI inputs, a SuperSource multilayer engine, fullmotion DVE, stinger transitions, larger media pool with full-motion clips and up to six auxiliary outputs.

COBALT DIGITAL 9970-QS 3G/HD/SD-SDI/CVBS Quint-Split Multi-Image Display Processor The 9970-QS is a single processor capable of auto-detecting and displaying up to five independent 3G/HD/SD/composite inputs. Multiple cards can be cascaded to provide expanded PiP muxing. An Ethernet-based GUI control enables intuitive set-up of video windows and advanced on-screen graphics, and a simultaneous display output over SDI and HDMI supports flexible system design and easy integration. CRYSTAL VISION LKEY SQZ squeeze-back keyer The Crystal Vision LKEY-SQZ is a unique product. It offers the highest

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quality picture squeeze and picture-inpicture effects combined with threelayer keying, all in a low-cost modular product. LKEY-SQZ was originally developed for a major broadcaster who required the highest quality picture squeeze and could find no alternative product already on the market. DECIMATOR DESIGN DMON-6S low-cost 1-to-6 channel multiviewer The DMON-6S allows viewing of up to six video streams on one screen on both pre-set and customizable layouts.

Features include a robust aluminium case with easyto-use LCD and button control system; custom layouts with various standard layouts; fast switching between inputs using full-screen scaling; selectable output format in both full-screen and multiviewer mode; and low latency buffering for each input allowing nonsynchronous inputs. Inputs and outputs include Linked (3G/HD/SD)-SDI and HDMI outputs; 6 x (3G/HD/SD)SDI inputs with auto detection (26 Formats supported in total); and 6 x (3G/HD/SD)-SDI active loop copies of each input. Each window is independent of the others, allowing any 3G/HD/SD format of any frame rate to be displayed simultaneously.

AWARDS Variable aspect ratios per window are available, and in Pass-Through mode the selected input is passed through to both the (3G/HD/SD)-SDI and HDMI outputs. Other features include 32 GPI and RS422/485 on 37-pin DSUB for Dynamic Tallies; USB port for control and firmware updates; and a metal thread locking DC power socket.

ENCO SYSTEMS HotShot2 audio playout and clip management package HotShot, an instant audio playback package, is a complete hardware appliance with a full-screen interface. HotShot is quick to learn, easy-to-use and flexible enough for any broadcast application. HotShot2 is ENCO’s all new audio playout and clip management package for television studio production, master control, remote

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production, and stage events. HotShot2 provides instant access to audio assets anywhere locally or on the network, via a searchable database that supports a virtually unlimited number of audio files and audio types. New features include more flexible audio transferring, an instant trimming and cueing mechanism, more powerful reporting, and a new backlit button box that shows actively-playing cuts on its 8 banks of 70 buttons. HotShot2 is available now as a turn-key package with support for stereo and surround sound applications. EVERTZ EXE 46 Tbps Video/Data Service Routing Platform Evertz’ EXE is a video/data service routing platform that features up to 46Tbps of switching capacity and supports 2304 10GE ports per single chassis. The EXE is at the core of Evertz’ 10GE SDVN — Software Defined Video Networking solution.

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In 40RU, the EXE can seamlessly switch 13,800 video services, eclipsing anything available today. The EXE has been carefully designed to handle the demands of live UltraHD 4K & 8K video, and make the switching of video over Ethernet not only possible but as reliable and deterministic as a traditional SDI router. Through its intelligent utilization of extreme bandwidth switching the EXE Platform will allow service operators to unleash the true potential of their 10GE /100GE IP-Ethernet network. Evertz’ SDVN solution with EXE provides unprecedented scalability, highly efficient workflows, and a reduction in capital and operational costs. HAMLET VIDEO Enterprise Tablet handheld IP- and ASI-based services analyser The Hamlet Enterprise Tablet series of portable stream analysers have been engineered to provide real-time analysis of streaming IP- and ASIbased services encoded as MPEG-2, H.264 (MPEG-4 part 10) and many other compression formats. The tablet presents an intuitive graphical user touch interface allowing for dynamic configuration with user-definable

presets developed on a portable and handheld architecture. It’s intended to cater to the huge increase in Internet streaming traffic that needs a convenient compliance tool that can ensure services are successfully decoded by consumers. It is a small, ruggedized, handheld portable tabletlike enclosure with a built-in high resolution 11.6-inch, 16:9 split screen viewing capable touch screen. The Enterprise is a complete integrated package designed to work as a system for decode, analysis and trend. It’s not a single purpose device that requires multiple dongles. Beyond stream analysis, it can perform record;

AWARDS

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playback; IP packet capture; monitoring audio with display of bar graphs; FTP/ SSH/SERIAL PORT all integrated into one platform; and more. IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS Magellan SDN Orchestrator The Magellan SDN Orchestrator is a software control system for managing hybrid baseband and IP facilities. An anchor component of Imagine Communications’ SoftwareDefined Networking portfolio, the Magellan SDN Orchestrator enables seamless integration of baseband and IP networks. Imagine says that as media companies embrace the technology evolution that will lead to the transformation of their facilities from baseband to IP, they face investment, operational and workflow challenges. While they envision an all-IP future brimming with the promise of new business opportunities, the migration path is fraught with anxieties about how to proceed, what infrastructure changes to make, which solution to choose and how best to achieve the benefits of IP with as little investment risk and operational disruption as possible.

At this time, Imagine has unveiled its Magellan SDN Orchestrator, an overarching software control system for managing hybrid baseband and IP networks, ensuring a smooth transition to an IP-based future. By facilitating the integration of baseband and IP, the Magellan SDN Orchestrator protects existing infrastructure investments, allowing customers to maintain operational and workflow integrity in a hybrid environment, while on the path to an all-IP network. MULTIDYNE Upgraded SilverBack family of camera-mounted fibre transport solutions MultiDyne showed significant new features for its SilverBACK family of camera-mounted fibre transport solutions at IBC, including a new

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operator control panel that offers intuitive, user-friendly controls and displays. The SilverBACK family now includes four models: The flagship SilverBACK-II; the SilverBACK-II-IL for multicamera production; the SilverBACK-II-4K-L, a feature-rich model that includes Ethernet support and a video option for viewfinder or monitor viewing in the field, enabling camera operators to turn any 4K camera into a true Ultra HD multicamera production; and the SilverBACK-II-4K, a low-cost model without the viewfinder/monitor viewing option, designed to support traditional film-style productions. Ultra HD support can be added to any existing SilverBACK system through a simple upgrade, enabling customers to deliver a state-of-the-art 4K television experience cost-effectively. THOMSON VIDEO NETWORKS ViBE XT1000 Xtream Transcoder The ViBE XT1000 Xtream transcoder is a new high-density video transcoder for live content. The XT1000 supports up to 54 HD channels or 180 SD channels with transcoding from any format to any format including MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC, making it applicable for linear broadcasts on cable, IPTV, DTH, and DTTV services, as well as multiscreen delivery.

As a crucial addition to Thomson Video Networks’ Behind Every Screen strategy, the ViBE XT1000 joins the company’s other industryleading ViBE compression solutions in providing customers with every key capability they need to deliver a profitable and successful multi-

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platform convergent video delivery solution. The ViBE XT1000 provides a dense and scalable solution for operators to launch new turnaround services rapidly and cost-effectively. By offering up to 50 percent more transcoding density than competitive products, the ViBE XT1000 offers the ideal compromise of cost and compression performance in nonpremium channel lineups. Housed in a highly resilient 2RU platform equipped with hot-swappable redundant components, the ViBE XT1000 offers industry-leading reliability through load balancing and built-in redundancy powered by Thomson Video Networks’ MediaFlexOS video operating system. Beyond audio and video transcoding, the product offers stateof-the-art features including VBR statistical multiplexing/CBR/ABR output, logo and text insertion, subtitle management, and audio loudness control as well as WebTV scrambling and packaging (Apple HLS, Microsoft HSS and MPEG DASH).

VISLINK/TVU TVUPack TM8200 powered by Vislink hybrid technology TVUPack with Vislink’s integrated hybrid microwave IP technology simultaneously aggregates microwave bandwidth with multiple cellular data connections. The system supports up to six 3G/4G/LTE connections as well as 2 or 7 GHz microwave. The solution is the first to offer Vislink microwave transmission functionality in a backpack, sending video signals up to four times farther than COFDM/DVB-T. Vislink says this is the first of its kind holy trinity of broadcast equipment; combining cellular, IP and microwave transmission technology in one unique, compact backpack that delivers reliable, live, HD video picture quality on the go. Given that TV stations increasingly

require more video production but have fewer people to do so, the TVUPack TM8200 powered by Vislink Hybrid Technology is the perfect solution. Mobile, lightweight and small, the pack can be up and running in just 20 seconds. Its onebutton operation makes the capturing and transmission of live video fast and easy. Using TVU’s Inverse StatMux technology to aggregate all transmission connections, the TVUPack lets news broadcasters transmit live video stream from a remote location back to the newsroom using any (and all) 3G/4G, microwave, satellite, Ethernet, wireless and even Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) connections simultaneously, dynamically aggregating all connections for maximum transmission throughput. WOHLER TECHNOLOGIES Modular iON Monitoring Platform Uniting Wohler’s signal management and confidence monitoring technology on a single software platform, iON gives users the ability to access, control, and manage a broad range of signals and associated data remotely from any Web-enabled PC, Mac, smartphone, or tablet device, with video and audio content streamed in real time. The modular iON is a monitoring platform that enables broadcasters to perform signal monitoring of baseband and streambased signals anytime, in any way, from anywhere. Empowering users to access, control, and manage a virtually unlimited range of signals and associated data remotely from any Web-enabled PC, Mac, smartphone, or tablet device, with video and audio content streamed in real time, the highly customizable platform offers unprecedented versatility and scalability. Supporting a range of monitoring interfaces, including baseband, ASI, IP, and RF, the iON platform addresses the demands of past, present, and future signal monitoring models and formats.

The modular platform evolves alongside users’ business and engineering needs, enabling practical, highly efficient monitoring of both baseband and stream-based signals and presenting monitored content in a browser for convenient review anywhere and anytime.

EXHIBITIONS

25 Things You Might Have Missed at IBC

The contributors and editor of TV Technology Europe and the editor of sister publication TV Technology (U.S. edition) selected 25 ‘’things’ from IBC that you might have missed. These were profiled in an October 21 webinar. Thanks to Davide Moro, Ed Lister, Kevin Hilton and Andy Stout for their input. We’ve featured several of the 25 ‘things’ here, and if you want to see the remaining items, the webinar is archived on the TV Technology homepage at www.tvtechnology.com, under the resources tab

Quantel — LiveTouch

A Glimpse of the Future Seasoned IBC goers have long made a beeline for the Future Zone situated just outside Hall 8 to see what the industry’s R&D labs have been up to. Traditionally the main attraction has been witnessing the latest fruits of NHK’s Super Hi-Vision project (which this year had a studio camera on display, and was basking in the transmission of nine matches from the FIFA World Cup back to Japan) but that has recently been overshadowed by the BBC’s IP Studio. “We believe very strongly that the future is based around finding an IPbased solution for network operations in studio environments,” said no less a figure than EBU director of technology and innovation, Simon Fell. The BBC conducted extensive tests of IP live production during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, as well as looking at object-based media which it reckons could satisfy the audience’s growing demands for content personalisation across multiple platforms. 4K might grab the current headlines, but it is this sort of ‘under-the-hood’ technology that is really exciting interest in the corridors of power.

It takes a brave company to go up against the big beast of the live production world, EVS, but if anyone can do it Quantel probably can. LiveTouch is a scalable studio sports highlighting system offering bidirectional editor integration which the company claims makes it faster and easier to integrate editing and highlights operations. It’s made up of three components: A dedicated control panel, a control application and a new LiveTouch iteration of the company’s sQ Server. Taking a leaf out of its newsroom production systems, it can scale from a single server with six inputs to a multi-server system with more than 40 record ports. Crucially, any control panel can access any clip on any server and play out highlights instantly via a new inter-server streaming mechanism. Such products can often live and die on the quality of their control ergonomics — the industry is, of course, used to driving EVS machines and doesn’t want to retrain — but Quantel says it has consulted extensively with broadcasters and operators to achieve its mix of dedicated and softprogrammed buttons, with a jog/shuttle wheel for fast and accurate clip navigation and a slow motion T-bar for precision playback speed control. The integration of highlights and editing is interesting. An operator can capture highlights on the fly and provide instant playback and slo-mos, while an editor can be simultaneously editing the same media into packages ready for playback from the LiveTouch panel the moment the live action is over. Whether that will be enough for productions to spec Quantel over EVS remains to be seen, but it looks like a serious product with serious chops rather than an exercise in hubris. It’s something to keep an eye on.

Mergers & Acquisitions Compared to the rampant consolidation that led the Q1 run up to NAB this year, activity on the M&A front was quiet over the summer. But, that said, Blackmagic’s purchased of the Eyeon Fusion compositor and Oracle’s swoop for Front Porch Digital will both have ramifications. Being the MegaCorp that it is, Oracle has a longstanding track record of buying companies that allow it to cross sell its other services into new markets, and with data analytics very much a growth area in the industry, it will look to pitch its database, content management tools and analytics packages to the healthy Front Porch customer base. It will be interesting to track how Oracle ownership adds functionality to the FP product line too, not to mention how FP’s competitors will react to the company being backed by some seriously deep pockets. Blackmagic’s own track record is all about taking high end tools and loping a zero or two off their price while continuing development and repurposing them for a mass market. It pulled off the trick with DaVinci’s

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Resolve colour corrector (now on v11 and pictured), so now expect to see Fusion drop in price, become seamlessly integrated into Resolve (or at least have roundtrips enabled between the two) and even start cropping up in live production work in a year or two’s time. All in all, the company has an increasingly powerful production ecology on its hands…

EXHIBITIONS Pixel Power – Buzz With broadcasters still trying to find a reliable and seamless way to integrate social media and television that doesn’t simply look like some sort of kludge, Pixel Power’s new Buzz software at least holds out the promise of making it technically simple. Essentially, it’s a new software accessory for the company’s playout devices designed to allow users to scan, moderate and broadcast social media interactions. Its interface has been designed with non-technical staff in mind and displays multiple social media feeds — Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc — within a single, integrated display. Moderation, a bit of a key skill especially when the bear pit of Twitter is involved, modification and approvals can be handled from local or remote desktops, while approved output automatically populates existing graphics templates driven by any installed Pixel Power graphics playout system with a single click. Some of the features that have made social media such a powerful tool, such as the ability to search for keywords to discover trends and relevant contributions or track topics are all built in, all of which should make it a quick and easy tool for (hopefully) maximising viewer engagement.

Ericsson – mediaFirst

Ross Video — openTruck

It’s been a year since Ericsson acquired Microsoft MediaRoom and the fruits are starting to show with the MediaFirst TV Platform, a new end-to-end, cloud-based SaaS platform that Ericsson rather grandly says embraces all content sources and delivery networks and will be available in Q2 2015. According to the company it’s based on an open and standards-based approach, architected to be cloud-agnostic, and will deliver seamless deployment capabilities for operators while enabling innovative viewing experiences for consumers. It’s calling this approach “True TV Anywhere” and in the home the system allows users to create their own profiles and receive tailored recommendations and content feeds based on various data extractions, including user viewing history and trending content. Personal device recognition also means the customer unit recognises the viewer device being used and dynamically customises the experience to suit. Unified search allows for content discovery across live, video ondemand, time-shift and OTT content, while the company also promises an intuitive user experience complete with voice commands that hopes to create a fast and fluid browsing experience, which would be a nice change from the current inelegant interfaces dominating the Connected TV market.

Standards initiatives proposed and curated by manufacturers have a slightly problematic history within the industry. Market dominance, of course, almost ensures compliance but sometimes it just has to be a good enough idea, and at first glance Ross Video’s openTruck initiative certainly falls into that later category. Aimed very much at lower tier live productions, Ross claims that openTruck will make cost-efficient, high-performance production vehicles readily available and, crucially via the companion openCrew program, also ensure that there is a pool of talented and trained freelance operators to run them. The format’s blueprint includes open protocols, specifications and schematics, while openCrew, meanwhile, provides training opportunities and certification for operators (some of which, the company admits, is still under development). It all uses the company’s Dashboard Protocol developed for its openGear program to control the kit and promises to decrease set-up time and use less staff with a lower skill base. And while such moves are sometimes contentious amongst the OB industry, they tend to be approved of by broadcasters, especially as they look to expand coverage of live events further down the chain.

Elemental Technologies Delta Multiscreen Platform Elemental Delta is a video delivery platform designed to optimize the monetization, management and distribution of multiscreen video across internal and external IP networks. Through just-in-time video packaging and intelligent caching, the platform enables a complete solution for time-shifted TV and real-time content delivery with advanced levels of customization and control, including network bandwidth optimisation and targeted ad insertion. Delta can work with Start-over, catch-up TV, nPVR, delayed TV, pause TV, and VoD. Device and content-specific rules allow video to be optimised for bitrate, resolution, audio format, captions and number of channels, resulting in the best user experience and low distribution costs. Delta combines embedded

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encryption and decryption capabilities with just-in-time DRM wrapping. Protected content can be stored and moved efficiently through the network and DRM applied in real time upon delivery.

EXHIBITIONS

Huge Hitachi UHD Camera deal at IBC2014 Hitachi’s award winning new broadcast 4K ultra-HDTV camera, the SK-UHD4000, was launched at IBC. Leading broadcast services specialist Gearhouse Broadcast agreed to a multi-million pound deal to buy the first 50 of these cameras. Gearhouse, which already has a sales partnership with Hitachi for its broadcast production cameras, expects to take delivery of the first batch of the SK-UHD4000 before December, 2014. The first actual road test for these cameras will be at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup international football tournament, which is held in Australia in January 2015. Gearhouse plan to put the cameras to use in its brand new 4K OB truck, which is currently being built for production in Australia, as well as a new 4K truck planned for use in the US. The rest of the cameras will be used in its UK systems integration, projects and rental divisions. The SK-UHD4000 is a broadcast 4K ultra-HDTV camera system which can take the 2/3-inch B4 mount lenses used in conventional HD broadcast cameras. The use of standard HDTV lenses eliminates the need for optically degenerative lens mount adapters. This technological advantage allows broadcasters and production companies to effectively use their existing camera lenses to shoot video in 4K resolution, while capitalizing on well-established TV production workflows associated with normal HDTV cameras. What this means is that Gearhouse can continue to use its existing Canon lenses. Equipped with newly developed 2/3-inch CMOS sensors, the camera can produce stunning video images with extremely high sensitivity and resolution. It can output HD and 4K video signals separately, which means that it can be used in the current HD environment and capture archive material in 4K ready for the transition to 4K as soon as demand arises!

GMIT PRISMON: All-Around Broadcast Signal Monitoring When all the production world is going mix-and-match, monitoring too has to become flexible. Conventional broadcast headends are presently hit by a number of different signal standards, resolutions and frame rates. When it comes to hybrid headends capable of managing broadcast and IPTV signals and standards, monitoring gets tough. The Rohde & Schwarz subsidiary GMIT GmbH’s PRISMON is a compact, flexible solution for monitoring different types of broadcast signals. In just one RU, PRISMON monitors SDI, ASI, TS over IP and T2MI signals and automatically detects content errors such as still pictures and zero levels in audio signals. A single system monitors up to 36 TV programs in parallel and detects dropouts and content errors as are caused by playout, a headend or a broadcast network. All detected errors are signalled to a central network management system both locally and via SNMP. Thanks to the large number of supported interfaces, PRISMON can be easily used at different points of the transmission chain to ensure uniform monitoring of all signals. In addition, PRISMON generates a high-quality mosaic picture for visual monitoring of all programs. Besides videos and audio bars, even a wide range of metadata such as teletext, EIT information and data from transport stream tables can be displayed. PRISMON is also suitable for use at unattended transmitter sites. The system can be completely operated and monitored via narrowband IP links. The generated mosaic picture can either be output locally or encoded as an HD video and streamed via IP networks. This allows convenient visual monitoring of remote transmitter sites.

UHD1 & UHD2 at the Conference This year the IBC Conference was rejigged and tweaked to be slightly smaller, slightly more manageable and, as a result, slightly more focused than in previous years. It probably needed to be too. “There has been more change in the past five years than in the previous 50 years. And the next 18-24 months will see even greater changes take place,” commented Charlie Vogt, CEO of Imagine Communications, setting the scene for much of the debate that would follow over the next five days. There were many obsessions — spectrum allocation, the problems of producing genuinely transmedia content and leveraging social into broadcast, the suitability of the cloud at all stages of the production chain, and more — but few were as charged as the UHD1 or UHD2 discussions. While considered very much a done deal at all levels of the industry, the EBU has recently emerged as one of the many powerful bodies that see UHD1 as a distraction at best, and voices are saying the industry should sit back, take stock and get UHD2 absolutely right from the outset. The manufacturers, somewhat predictably, demure. BSkyB’s chief engineer, Chris Johns, summed it up perfectly: “4K is a bit like an airline,” he said. “HDTV is obviously economy class; everyone has it

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and they can fly anywhere in the world. But it’s nicer in premium economy where you can get UHD-Phase 1. Then in first class, it’s UHD-Phase 2. Of course, 8K then means you are in your own executive jet.”

EXHIBITIONS BBC Single Camera Interview Positions The viewers of BBC news will now be able to enjoy even higher quality live interviews from around the country with thanks to the new system of ‘single camera’ interview facilities supplied by dB Broadcast. These single camera facilities are designed to be operated and controlled by one person, this allows interviews to be carried out more quickly and without the need for a full camera crew or studio. Although these systems are designed to be used by non-technical reporters and are simple to operate, there is no compromise what so ever where quality or equipment is concerned: Both HD and SD are supported plus remote tilt and pan, blue and green switchable chromakey light ring and a low energy lighting system are all available features. This system is entirely under BNCS control.

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And More …

The single camera positions are designed for use when local dignitaries are interviewed. This can happen several times a week at each location depending on the actual news content being covered. Seven of these systems have very recently been supplied for the south of England in Nottingham, Bristol, Norwich, Oxford, Tunbridge Wells, Southampton and Plymouth.

What other ‘things’ will you see online? How about Accedo’s VIA, the Atomos Power Station product, and the Bird device from Orad & MUV. Also expect slides and commentary on Thomson Video Networks’ViBE XT1000, Net Insight’s Nimbra VA 220, the Ensemble Designs BrightEye NXT 450 compact router & up/down/cross converter, BLT’s SportTOUCH sport anchor product, and cool little DIY AMPs from Calrec. For these, go to www. tvtechnology.com, find the resources tab, and click on ‘webinars.’

October/November 2014 I TV Technology Europe

PRODUCT REVIEW

BUYERS GUIDE: ENG & EFP

Canon’s EF 28-300 mm USM L IS Lens By Carl Mrozek

here are multiple sets of prime lenses now available for use with DSLRs and large sensor digital cine cameras available in various price ranges. However, the selection of multipurpose “pro zoom” lenses that could be called affordable is somewhat restricted. If you add another criterion—a zoom ratio of more than four or five to one— then that list shrinks to less than a handful. However, there is one EF-mount-only lens that combines an impressive focal range (especially on the telephoto end), but still goes wide enough to serve as a generalpurpose lens, especially with a full sensor camera. As you may have guessed, this optic was designed for use as a still photo lens; however, budget-minded DPs haven’t let that become a deal breaker ever since the DSLR/large sensor revolution revealed a paucity of bona fide “cine zoom” lenses available below the US$5K mark. Canon’s EF 28 to 300 mm f-3.5-5.6 USM L IS lens is a notable exception, which is why I had to try it out. FEATURES The EF 28-300mm f-3.5 to f-5.6L IS USM lens features an exceptional zoom ratio of nearly 11 to one, making it useful for a broad range of applications including sports, nature, documentaries, TV commercials and general purpose EFP—and even ENG—shooting. Moreover, the lens is equipped with a dual-mode image stabilizer that’s optimized either for moving or static shots. The EF lens feels heftier than its official 3.7 pounds, thanks partly to all of the L-series Pro glass it contains: 23 elements in 16 groups, including three UD and two aspherical elements for aberration correction and for optimal optical performance throughout its focal range. The lens also may have the longest zoom ratio of any lens not expressly made for video capture purposes. It’s impressive too in that you can focus down to 2.3 feet throughout the zoom range for eyepopping close-ups.

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FAST FACTS This large lens is also reasonably light sensitive, opening to f-3.5 at 28 mm and f-5.6 at 300 mm. In video mode, exposure may be adjusted manually or automatically. For maximum exposure control, however, it should be adjusted manually to expose for highlights, shadows or for something in-between. The lens uses a push-pull zoom mechanism, meaning that the focal length increases as you stretch the barrel forward and decreases as you compress it. A metal collar next to the manual focus ring lets you tighten or loosen the tension The EF 28-300 mm USM L IS lens on the barrel. As this is a still photography lens, it really wasn’t The front element can accept a designed to zoom smoothly; however, standard 77 mm filter for extra with the tension level set low enough, protection. smooth short zooms are quite This lens is fairly user-friendly, doable with just a little practice and particularly for those familiar with patience. (When the tension is set Canon’s EF lens series. to “max,” the lens becomes a fixed Another feature worthy of note focal length device.) is Canon’s Image Stabilization (IS) The lens has several useful system. According to the company, features not typically found on cine when you’re using IS in still lenses, including full-time manual photography you can handhold the autofocus override, an ultrasonic camera at three f-stops less than when sensor-controlled autofocus motor you’re using a non-stabilized lens. For and a focus range-limiting function. video applications, “level 2”—which There are two autofocus range is optimized for panning—should be options: seven meters to infinity and used as the default mode. two-and-a-half meters to infinity. (I found the latter range to be ideal IN USE when shooting through glass, fencing I tested the 28-300 with two Canon or light foliage.) DSLRs: the EOS 60D and the more This lens also has special coatings compact Rebel XTI. With its blond to minimize ghosting and flare and to barrel, black rubber adjusting rings resist dust, moisture and even water and basic design and proportions, droplets, making it ideal for outdoor the 28-300 unit looked strikingly use in less than perfect conditions. similar to my own long EF lens, a

October/November 2014 I TV Technology Europe

APPLICATION Television production with DSLRs and large sensor digital cine cameras. KEY FEATURES Broad focal, selectable focus range, manual autofocus override, dual-stage internal stabilization, removable tripod collar, rugged construction PRICE US$2,689 Canon EF100-400 mm, although it’s a bit heavier in hand. I relaxed the “tension” on the barrel so that I could zoom in and out as smoothly and quickly as possible. I also wanted to attempt some short zooms with the review lens, even though it wasn’t designed the way most variable focal length lenses are. The key was to keep the tension level low, but set with just enough resistance to moderate the zoom speed. This does require some amount of trial and error. The really frustrating element here was that I had to keep retweaking things, as the tension ring often locked up with the focus ring, thus taking things outside of the “sweet spot.” However, some amount of repeated tweaking usually solved the problem. Fortunately, the lens’s ultrasonic autofocus function integrates seamlessly with the 60D, including the manual override. If you don’t like what you get with autofocus, then you move things manually. The autofocus isn’t flawless, particularly in shadows where depth of field is shallow. This sometimes triggered a “hunting” behaviour and resulted in variable soft focus, so it’s nice to be able to revert to manual mode. Ergonomically, the autofocus and image stabilizer switches are both recessed and “sticky,” so they can’t be inadvertently changed while you’re shooting. The adjustments are also clustered close to the camera for easy “blind access” while shooting. However, as the switches are all identical to the touch and “sticky,” users should be cautioned that switching while shooting is ill advised.

PRODUCT REVIEW A great example of the utility of using both the autofocus feature and the manual override occurred while I was shooting deer in woodland at dusk. The Canon Series III 1.4X extender that I was using reduced the maximum aperture to f-8 in the 200 to 300 mm range. Hence, the depth of field experienced was very shallow in the fading light, with the autofocus sometimes keying on trees and branches rather than on the deer. On the other hand, I found that the extender made it much easier to nearly fill the frame with deer, with only immediately adjacent foliage affecting the AF. I quickly overrode this by manually tweaking the focus. It’s worth noting that the 60D, and Rebel XTi both lack full-frame sensors and this results in a 1.6X crop factor. This means that even less of the softer, outer perimeter of the lens is used when shooting, as most of the action is captured in the lens’ sharpest centre core. This allowed me to use the best parts of the high quality L-series optical elements for maximum sharpness. Even when the lens was operated with its iris wide open at f-5.6, the image corners remained quite sharp through most of the high end of the

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focal range. Edge sharpness was even better in partial sunlight, enabling me to stop down one or two more steps. As may be expected, the results in bright sunlight were better (even with extenders), when maxed out between 200 and 300 mm. The key thing was always being in focus, even with kinetic subjects such as wildlife, by manually tweaking as needed. I didn’t notice any vignetting issues, although I really wasn’t shooting the kinds of subjects that typically trigger it, so I can’t confirm that this may be a potential issue under some circumstances. I also didn’t encounter any problems with the stabilization system which I kept set mostly on level “2” for vibration-free panning and tilting. According to Canon, it’s important to keep the system on, even when shooting from a tripod, as this lens senses when a tripod is being used with the camera. Keeping the stabilization system activated when using the camera/lens package on a tripod is also recommended to take full advantage of the secondary IS mode, thereby reducing the chance for loss of image sharpness from shutter activation, camera handling and wind-induced vibrations.

I also briefly tested the 28-300 lens on Canon’s XL H1 1/3-inch CCD camera, using a mounting adaptor which probably doubled the device’s 1.6X (APS-C) DSLR crop factor. Whatever the de facto crop, I was able to fill the frame with the image of a stationary snowy owl at least 120-feet away. I experienced perfect sharpness all around the frame, along with decent depth of field and very good overall colour rendition in full sunlight conditions. The images also intercut seamlessly with the other footage I’d shot with the Canon 20X video lens plus a 1.5X front-mounting tele-extender. SUMMARY By itself, the EF 28-300 mm is a versatile, well-designed rugged lens with excellent optics and internal stabilization for use with DSLRs and large sensor digital cine cameras, and also with some broadcast cameras via adaptors. With its broad focal range, the lens can fill many production niches, especially in sports and wildlife applications, thanks to features such as manual override autofocus, two-stage internal stabilization and dual-range autofocus.

Despite some warnings to the contrary, I found that this lens can be used with Canon series III tele-extenders to take its nearly 11X zoom to an impressive 600 mm, although it’s not recommend for work at the full 600 mm zoomedout focal length. Combined with an additional crop factor of 1.6X, this yields – with most nonfull frame sensors – a lens that’s equivalent to nearly a 1000 mm focal length on a 35mm SLR camera, making it ideal for many applications where telephoto power is key to capturing those special shots.

Contact: Carl Mrozek operates Eagle Eye Media, and specializes in wildlife and outdoor subjects. His work regularly appears on the Discovery Channel, The Weather Channel, CBS, PBS and other networks.

Contact:

Canon www.canon.co.uk

October/November 2014 I TV Technology Europe

MARKETPLACE TWO NEW CAMERAS, PL LENS MOUNTS New this year from Blackmagic are two new cameras, models of the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K and Blackmagic Cinema Camera with PL lens mounts. This means cinema lenses can be used. The PL mount is made out of machined steel so unlike the cheap adapters made from aluminium; the PL lens mount on these cameras won’t bind onto the lens and get stuck. There are nice big tabs to allow a user to put good positive pressure on the lens fastening ring, and the whole mount is incredibly strong so it can hold a heavy lens. Because the whole chassis of this camera is machined out of aluminium, it has a lot of strength and can hold these heavy lenses. The PL mount front face can be removed it can be shimmed. This means a user can collimate a lens onto the camera for matching the lens and camera perfectly. The PL mount also lets camera operators use decades of “vintage glass” to achieve the look of old cinema film by using the very lenses they used back in those days.

Blackmagic now has 5 models to choose from in this chassis, with 2 different sensors and 3 different lens mounts. This means you can choose from a 4K sensor with 12 stops of dynamic range, global shutter and large Super 35 size, or the 2.5K sensor with 13 stops of dynamic range, rolling shutter but better low light performance. The Blackmagic Production Camera 4K PL is US$2,995 and the Blackmagic Cinema Camera PL is US$2,295. www.blackmagicdesign.com

REMOTE NEWSGATHERING CONTROL

CONTROLLER FOR AXIS STABILIZER

AVIWEST’s new DMNG Manager is a live video contribution platform that enables control over a wide range of newsgathering equipment including DMNG transmitters, smartphones using the DMNG APP, and DMNG Studio receivers, allowing broadcasters to easily allocate resources and route live video content for transmission over 3G/4G cellular wireless, WiFi, Ethernet, and satellite networks. By streamlining DMNG operations, the solution provides broadcasters with significant time and cost savings. Prior to AVIWEST’s DMNG Manager, handling a large fleet of digital mobile newsgathering devices was extremely complex. The DMNG Manager transforms remote newsgathering by enabling broadcasters and video professionals to manage and control hundreds of devices with a single tool. Through an intuitive, Web-based user interface, which can be installed through either a cloud-based application or a headend solution, the DMNG Manager brings simplicity, flexibility, and efficiency to any news organization. One of the unique capabilities of the DMNG Manager is resource allocation. Utilizing the system, users can route live streams and video files to dedicated receivers to increase their operational efficiency. Fast remote set up and configuration is also a feature: The DMNG Manager enables operators to push a configuration file to several field units simultaneously, thus speeding up a broadcaster’s operations. Additionally, the DMNG Manager provides access to the Web page of every connected field unit and receiver, enabling easy remote control. www.aviwest.com

Freefly Systems, designers and manufacturers of the MōVI 3-axis stabilizer family, has begun delivering its new MōVI Controller. The MōVI Controller is purpose built to provide for a true two-user MōVI stabilizer setup by letting a second operator control pan, tilt, roll, focus, iris, and zoom of a MōVI-mounted camera while the first operator holds the system. The MōVI Controller can be utilized on the MōVI M5, M10 and soon to be released M15 stabilizers. Freefly Systems’ engineers built the MōVI Controller with a slew of asked-for features. An ergonomic joystick delivers tactile feedback, allowing smooth and accurate control. The new Controller provides access to MōVI configuration settings, and features assignable buttons and knobs offering the ability to customize the Controller to an individual operator’s working style. In addition to sending control information to the MōVI stabilizer, the Controller receives and displays information from the stabilizer, such as whether it is locked into GPS control and also displays how many satellites to which the MōVI is locked. The Controller is built with full carbon fibre construction for durability. In addition to its precision joystick, the controller has a high-resolution focus knob, zoom control rocker and a Shutter/Record start-stop button. The Controller features a long-range wireless link (1200 ft.), and delivers real-time telemetry from the MōVI stabilizer. It is designed with hard points for mounting a monitor and accessories, and can be powered by V-Mount batteries or by Freefly Systems’ AC power adapter. The Controller Includes a 5V USB power output, tripod mount and neck strap for mobile operation. www.freeflysystems.com

SUNLIGHT READABLE MONITORS The new SRM-074W-N and SRM-095W-N are upgraded versions from TV Logic’s established SRM-074W and LVM-095W respectively, with higher luminance capability. Offering the same high technical performance and operational features of the popular sister monitors, the new SRM-074W-N and SRM-095W provide clear, readable pictures when shooting outdoors in the brightest sunshine instantly, at the touch of a button. The SRM-074W-N is a 7-inch field monitor with enhanced backlight system that gives out the highest luminance possible on a 7-inch field monitor - 1500cd/ . TV Logic says the SRM-095W is the very first 9-inch field monitor with Full HD resolution and high luminance of 800cd/ . Both accommodate multi-format 3G/ Dual Link HD-SGI, SD-SDI, HDMI and analogue (SRM-074W-N) signal inputs. All the professional features including Timecode Display, Waveform/ Vectorscope, Range Error, User Aspect Ratio, UMD, Closed Captions and Focus Assist are supported. www.tvlogic.co.kr

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October/November 2014 I TV Technology Europe

ON-CAMERA COLOUR GRADING SmallHD on-camera monitors are colour accurate, durable and provide the sharp high-definition display necessary to make critical focus decisions. Thanks to a new firmware upgrade, the full-featured 1280x800 DP7-PRO monitor offers an industry-first oncamera colour grading system, designed to dial-in quick colour grades and provide clients and crew onset with a clear view of the look of the finished product. The AC7-OLED SDI and AC7-OLED HDMI monitors offer outstanding OLED colour and contrast benefits along with many features of the DP7-PRO, including focus and exposure tools— at cost effective pricing. www.SmallHD.com

MARKETPLACE CION CAMERA FORMAT SUPPORTED IN ADOBE PREMIERE PRO CC AJA’s CION professional production camera is capable of shooting at 4K/ UltraHD and 2K/HD resolutions. CION offers in-camera recording directly to the Apple ProRes family of codecs including ProRes 4444, and ProRes 422 up to 4K 60 fps, and offers the ability to output 4K AJA Raw data at up to 120 fps via 4x 3G-SDI outputs. When recording in HD or 2K, the image is oversampled from the full 4K sensor, retaining focal length as well as providing a vibrant and detailed image. CION features a simple interface with direct controls, as well as camera menu parameters and live video stream that are remotely configurable and viewable through any web browser via a LAN connection. Pricing for CION is US$8,995. At IBC AJA announced its AJA Raw CION camera format will soon be supported in Adobe Premiere Pro CC. Adobe previewed several new developments and updates to Adobe Premiere Pro CC at IBC. “The reliability and performance of AJA’s products on the video/audio I/O, recording and digital workflow end of things are well established, and we’re excited to see them enter into the camera market with CION,” said Simon Williams, director of strategic relations at Adobe. “Now creative pros will have an even more powerful workflow with the support of the AJA Raw CION camera format in Adobe Premiere Pro CC.” AJA Raw support is enabled through the Cinema DNG format and allows for a familiar and powerful workflow when the utmost flexibility is required for colour work for VFX, feature and complex lighting and location pipelines. www.aja.com

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UPGRADED FIBRE TRANSCEIVER The new CopperHead 3430AP integrates the existing CopperHead 3400 fibre transceiver with the PowerPlus 3000 power adapter to provide a single, ergonomically enhanced, multifunction solution. By supporting cutting-edge 3D and dual-link operation, this new unit reduces size, bulk, and external cabling associated with the existing system. It also improves mechanical stability, lowers cost, reduces case temperature, and improves the product’s overall aesthetics. Transmitting all signals digitally and optically, the CopperHead 3430AP assures the highest transport quality — free from interference, grounding problems or drifting due to temperature variations. The entire system requires only two interconnections — a tactical fibre from Base Station to HDX+, and an SMPTE hybrid fibre cable from HDX+ to the CopperHead 3430AP, which provides signal communication and power to the camera rig. new.grassvalley.com

2-STAGE CARBON TRIPOD Shotoku’s new 2-stage TTH1502C carbon fibre tripod incorporates the latest technology to give operators a lightweight, yet sturdy tripod system that is perfect for EFP or documentary production. Built to last with carbon fibre legs, the tripod weighs a mere 5.9kg (13 lbs.), features a 150mm bowl base, and stands over 1615mm (5’) tall at its maximum height. Available with a ground spreader or a mid-level spreader, the tripod is ideally paired with Shotoku’s SX300 pan & tilt head for optimal performance. www.shotoku.tv

October/November 2014 I TV Technology Europe

CASE STUDY

BUYERS GUIDE: ENG & EFP

Coverage with a Kick By Ronen Artman

ne only has to look at the money involved with modern football and the growing global support to see what an opportunity this provides for broadcasters. But it’s also a challenge. Consumer requirements when it comes to the coverage of large live events have grown as competitive pay-TV offers have come to dominate the top end sporting landscape: consumers expect more and better coverage! Never were consumer expectations higher than at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Broadcasters across the spectrum had to deliver, and this is where cellular uplinking came in. Juan Alberto Esquivel, Director of Transmission, RCN television, was one user: “We took the LiveU units to São Paulo, Brasilia, Rio, Natau, Salvador, Recife and Belo Horozonte. LiveU exceeded our expectations. It gave us the mobility to go live from anywhere, anytime. We knew the Brazilian landscape would be challenging. However, we hit 9 Mbps in some areas. Also the management system, LiveU Central, gave us flexibility and geo-location

that allowed us to maximise the use of the units in field.” The 2014 FIFA World Cup was a real game-changer as the numbers reveal. During the course of the tournament, more than 200 broadcasters used LiveU solutions, which handled over 2,650 hours of transmission and a staggering 40Tb of data. But perhaps the most startling statistic – and one that testifies to the signal robustness of the latest technology, including the flagship LU500 – is that 98 per cent of the broadcasts were live. This figure remained consistent across the tournament. Broadcasters and online

outlets used technology from smartphone apps through to the LU500 to provide 360 degree involvement. Media organisations have to have mobility and flexibility to deliver this type of content; more traditional OB units simply aren’t able to do this, or do it at great expense and complexity. It’s not their role. Journalists equipped with cellular units can wander and roam, go to where the story is rather than waiting for it to come to them. Of course, football stadiums are competitive places beyond the game on the pitch: Bandwidth is a valuable commodity with many people wanting it during a match. This resulted in widespread use of LiveU’s Xtender technology, with the Xtender remaining stationary and benefitting from additional modems. Units up to 1,000ft away can utilise these via Wi-Fi for even greater bandwidth and signal robustness. All worries about the weakness of Brazilian telecommunications networks, which led to mobile phone blackouts during

last year’s Confederations Cup, were swept aside. Juan Pablo Marino, Director of Transmission, Caracol TV Colombia, said: “We used several solutions from LiveU for the World Cup. The mobility we had with the units and Xtender gave us the ability to go live from five different locations at the same time following the Colombian team and its fans; a true gamechanger for us, in the creation of content for global events.” In something a bit new, TERRA, the largest Internet company in Latin America, used LiveU technology during the tournament. The content was available on TERRA’s web site (www.terra.com.br) for multiscreen viewing. The future of big event coverage will demand more and better production technology.

Contact: Ronen Artman is VP Marketing, LiveU.

Contact:

LiveU W: www.liveu.tv

3-CMOS HDTV CAMERA

CION SUPPORT

Ikegami’s new HC-HD300 is a compact, aggressively-priced highdefinition camera designed for a wide range of applications. It is equipped with a 1/3 inch bayonet lens mount and employs three 1/3-inch CMOS progressive-scan sensors, each with 2.2 million pixels, in RGB prism formation. It delivers high quality pictures in all commonly used HD video formats: 1920 x 1080/59.94i, 1920 x 1080/50i, 1280 x 720/59.94p, 1280 x 720/50p and 720 x 480/59.94i (NTSC), 720 x 576/50i (PAL). Typical performance characteristics of the HC-HD300 in 1080/59.94i output mode are 1,000 television lines horizontal resolution, 58 dB signal-to-noise ratio and 2,000 lux sensitivity (89.9 per cent white reflection) at F10 aperture. Equivalent aperture in 1080/50i mode for this light level is F11. Camera gain be attenuated from mid-level to -3 or -6 dB, or increased by +3, +6, +9, +12 or + 18 dB. Integral neutral density filters (100 per cent, 25 per cent, 6.2 per cent and 1.6 per cent) can be switched in as required, plus operator-selectable 3,200, 4,300, 6,300 and 8,000 kelvin electronic colour conversion. An electric shutter can be set to 1/100, 1/120, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1,000 or 1/2,000 second speed. Available options include the newly-developed FA-300 fibre adaptor and BSF-300 base station. The HC-HD300’s output cable is fitted with a Neutrik opticalCon Duo connector to provide efficient protection against dust. Up to 250 metres of cable can be connected direct to the camera, extendable to 10 kilometres by using external power. http://de.ikegami.co.jp/products/broadcast/camerasystem/

AJA has announced significant CION Support from camera accessory manufacturers Alphatron, MTF, Wooden Camera, Vocas and Zacuto. Alphatron’s electronic viewfinder (EVF-035W-3G) will work with CION’s standard connectors, along with their full line of accessories including matte boxes, follow focusses, camera plates and a pedestal. Additionally, through Alphatron’s camRade division, the company is developing a rain cover and camera bag custom fit to CION’s specifications. Leveraging CION’s removable lens mount, MTF has announced a host of new lens adapters already in production including Nikon/G to CION, Canon EF to CION, Canon EF (electric) to CION, Canon FD to CION, ARRI Bayonet to CION and an optical B4 to CION package. Wooden Camera is also developing several alternate lens mounts for CION. Vocas develops an array of standard camera accessories that work with CION including matte boxes, focus controllers, cheese plates and much more. Zacuto’s newest EVF the Gratical HD announced at NAB 2014, along with their entire line of standard camera accessories will also be ideal complements to CION shooters. www.aja.com

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October/November 2014 I TV Technology Europe

MARKETPLACE

LOW-COST LONG-DISTANCE PRODUCTION POWER At IBC last month EASY-DC joined the Video Ghost and GhostRack at the BHV stand. The series brings an intelligently designed, robust and cost-saving solution to any situation where local powering is difficult or impossible. The Power Solution Series targets any temporary or permanent application that traditionally relies on batteries for power. The Easy-DC rounds out series by providing low-cost, long distance power for monitors, cameras and LED lights in situations when AC is difficult or dangerous to access. Operating at distances up to 300m (1000ft) over twisted pair wiring, Easy-DC’s rugged housing and flexible design make it ideal for temporary use in the field, or as a permanent part of the technical infrastructure of a studio, building or campus as a distributed solution delivering power in a “wheel and hub” configuration. www.bhvbroadcast.com

5-INCH OLED MONITOR WITH H.264 RECORDING StarliteHD is a 5-inch OLED monitor from Transvideo with advanced functionalities such as H.264 recording and playback, metadata reports on PDF, metadata extraction from SONY and ARRI camera (RED coming soon). .jpg snap-shots are also available. Ruggedly constructed of avionics grade aluminium, the product features low weight (190grams) and low power consumption. StarliteHD accepts many accessories, a viewfinder adapter, several battery holders, sun hoods and more. www.transvideo.eu

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October/November 2014 I TV Technology Europe

FIELD FIBRE TRANSPORT WITH POWER OPTION MultiDyne is now shipping the BullDog, a field fibre transport system that packs functionality into a compact, rugged package. Using the BullDog, professional camera operators can significantly extend the transmission distance of multiple camera signals, including HD-SDI video, audio, intercom, control data, Ethernet, GPIOs, tally, and power. In addition to transporting any camera signal over a single fiber cable, the BullDog can efficiently transport up to eight HD-SDI signals in any direction. Already operating on a lightweight battery pack, the BullDog gives users the option of adding the MultiDyne JUICE power supply. In addition to transmitting signals to and from the camera with a hybrid optical cable, users can send power to the BullDog and the camera. With the JUICE option, there is no need for a battery or local power, which is particularly useful at golf courses and venues without a power infrastructure. MultiDyne also offers the BullDog Big Brothers, two larger-sized units that pack even more functionality into a rugged and compact form factor. www.multidyne.com

SHARPSHOOTER

Sponsored by photographer in Byron Bay. I’m also working on preparation of a couple of projects for short films and a feature. It’s a debut in a feature for two very talented directors. I hope that shooting will begin as soon as possible because it will be very exciting to shoot and the story is very interesting. What was your Italian experience? In Italy I worked on various types of productions; features, commercials, documentary, short movies, and music videos. Have you been busy? Yes, I’ve been quite busy. Shooting where? I shot mostly in Italy. Some of the projects took me around Europe: France, Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia.

Loving the Work Name: Giuseppe Maio Age: 29 Star sign: Gemini What languages do you speak? Italian, English, Spanish.

I shot a TV commercial there. Then I travelled a little across Australia. At the moment I’m staying in the Byron Bay area of New South Wales, working as a photographer and following a project. Soon I’ll move to Sydney but I don’t know how I’ll continue my trip after that move.

Home town: Rome Where are you based now? I arrived in Australia in late 2013. I lived for a while in Adelaide because

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Occupation: Cinematographer, camera operator and — when it happens — I love to work as a photographer.

October/November 2014 I TV Technology Europe

Education: I first studied Letters and Philosophy for three years at university, with a specialisation in cinema. Then I managed to get into the National Italian Film School Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia where, from 2008 to 2010, I attended the course in Cinematography with Master DOP Giuseppe Rotunno ASC, AIC. Current assignments. Where, doing what, shooting for whom? I’m currently working as a

How do you find travelling around Europe? I travelled around Europe shooting some projects. I shot a commercial in France and a documentary took me through a large part of the former Yugoslavia: Croatia, Bosnia- Herzegovina, and Serbia. It was a beautiful project, a road trip that gave me the opportunity to cross places surrounded by an incredible history and a cultural heritage. What types of productions have you mostly shot? Shorts and documentaries. Do you prefer working with a big or small crew? It really depends on the type of project. Each project needs the right balance of people and technical means. Projects like features, shorts or commercials call for more people and equipment. On documentaries I think it’s very important to have a small crew; often the directors ask for this.

SHARPSHOOTER

I love to work in a minimally invasive way to give reality the right space. What was your first shooting job? A short movie. Do you prefer working on big or low budget productions? I started working with super indie and low budget productions. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very

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popular in Italy because unfortunately there is not enough money invested in the cinema and the arts in general. It was excellent training and helps you adapt to any situation, concentrate and make the best use of ingenuity. Even today I shoot independent work and do it willingly because it keeps my spirit of adaptation alive. Working on larger

projects gives you a way to confront problems and to give you space to grow professionally. Most recent, interesting assignments? Surely it was the opportunity to debut as Director of Photography in a feature: Tulpa. It was an important experience in which I had the opportunity to experiment a lot. The film has obtained

success all over the world and has been sold in America, bought by a very important distribution house for the horror film genre. Another very interesting project was a documentary about a scientifictechnological project, which is trying to study an alternative solution to the wheelchair to allow people to return to an upright position supported by

October/November 2014 I TV Technology Europe

SHARPSHOOTER