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Autoscript’s NAB introductions include high-brightness LED (light-emitting-diode) TFT-Plus flat screens for all Autoscript prompter systems; the debut of the compact (5.6-inch), lightweight (one pound) Miniscript portable on-camera TFT monitor featuring all of the standard connectors of larger Autoscript displays; and the MFC-1 Magno Foot Control for magnetic, frictionless presenter-control convenience and long life. More »
QuStream will showcase its Cheetah range of routing equipment and Integrity 600 range of broadcast-quality signal processing, conversion and distribution modules on Booth N3421 at NAB 2009. More »
QuStream will showcase additions to the Ocelot range in Booth N3421 at NAB 2009. The Ocelot 3GEN video router comes as either a 16×8 or 16×16, and both versions are housed in a single-rack-unit package.
The Ocelot 3GEN supports all SMPTE standard data rates from 143 Mbps to 3 Gbps with auto-equalization on all inputs. Auto rate-sensing and relocking capability is standard on all outputs with full support for DVB-ASI on every path. A reference input provided is capable of accepting analog black burst in NTSC or PAL formats. The unit can be equipped with single or dual power supplies and is compatible with all existing Ocelot control panels. Using the standard QuStream PRC (four-wire, RS422) interface, Ocelot 3GEN can be controlled from 3500PRO or PERC2K system controllers. Ocelot 3GEN is the perfect add-on to existing Pesa or QuStream systems to provide 3G, 1080p switching when only a small number of inputs and outputs is needed.
For more information, visit QuStream at www.QuStream.com.
QuStream will showcase new additions to the Ocelot range in Booth N3421 at NAB 2009. The Ocelot 3GEN video router comes as either a 16×8 or 16×16 and both versions are housed in a single rack unit package.
The Ocelot 3GEN supports all SMPTE standard data rates from 143Mbps to 3Gbps with auto-equalization on all inputs. Auto-rate sensing and relocking capability is standard on all outputs with full support for DVB-ASI on every path. A reference input is provided which is capable of accepting analog black burst in NTSC or PAL formats. The unit can be equipped with single or dual power supplies and is compatible with all existing Ocelot control panels. Using the standard QuStream PRC (four wire, RS422) interface, Ocelot 3GEN can be controlled from 3500PRO or PERC2K system controllers. Ocelot 3GEN is the perfect add-on to existing Pesa or QuStream systems to provide 3G, 1080p switching when only a small number of inputs and outputs are needed.
For more information, visit QuStream at www.QuStream.com
Wohler Technologies has extended its RM LCD video monitoring series with three new dual-interface units that provide flexible confidence monitoring of HD/SD-SDI and composite video with embedded audio in the production environment.
Measuring just 2RU in height, the RM-2443W-2HD incorporates four 4.3-inch widescreen LCDs, each of which features 480×270 resolution with 16.7 million colors. The 3RU RM-3270W-2HD features two 7-inch widescreen LCDs, each with 800×480 resolution and 16.7 million colors, and the 4RU RM-4290W-2HD incorporates two 9-inch widescreen LCDs with 800×480 resolution and 16.2 million colors.
“The slim design and rich functionality of our dual-interface RM series products make them a smart choice for space-constrained production environments, and their light weight and low power requirements add to cost savings, particularly in mobile applications,” said Kim Templeman-Holmes, vice president of global sales and marketing at Wohler. “Equipped with high-resolution displays, integrated speakers, and flexible inputs capable of handling analog and HD/SD-SDI inputs, the RM-2443W-2HD, RM-3270W-2HD, and RM-4290W-2HD offer robust feature sets critical to effective monitoring.”
Ideal for use in mobile trucks, news and transmission control rooms, and duplication and post-production facilities, each new RM series dual-interface LCD rack includes two auto-sensing HD/SD-SDI and analog composite inputs with support for embedded audio, complemented by eight-channel audio meters (VU and PPM). Operators have access to the correct tools for shot composition in any environment with safe area markers, underscan, and aspect ratio and blue-only support. Additional display features include ANC time code, in-monitor UMD, tri-color tally, and H/V delay.
In addition to providing two-channel analog audio support, these new additions to Wohler’s RM series support one-channel-pair audio monitoring via a headphone jack for all three models and built-in speakers for the RM-3270W-2HD and RM-4290W-2HD. All three of the new dual-interface monitors will come standard with an on-screen waveform display.
Neutrik is introducing rearTWIST BNC connectors that exceed the demands of users looking to future-proof installations for HD 1080p. The connectors will be on display at the NAB Show in booth N7929.
Neutrik sweep tested the rearTWIST BNC to guarantee a jitter-free transmission, even with uncompressed HD 1080p signals. The results of an independent laboratory study have shown excellent return loss values up to 4.5 GHz, considerably exceeding the SMPTE requirements.
Neutrik’s rearTWIST BNC features a machined body with a true 75Ω design that meets today’s stringent HDTV/DVD requirements. Its unique ergonomic design features maximized connection comfort in high-density applications. Rear boot color coding options are available with the optional BST-BNC.
“With today’s ever-changing broadcast needs, Neutrik is proud to remain at the very forefront in broadcast connectivity technologies,” says Fred Besnoff, product applications manager at Neutrik USA. “Neutrik’s new rearTWIST BNC is a testament to our commitment to providing connectors that meet the very latest and even future requirements in broadcast trends.”
QuStream Corporation Cougar 3Gbps router will roar into the company’s NAB booth next month (booth N3421). The Cougar is a one-rack unit, video router offered as a 32×32 or 16×16 that supports all SMPTE standard data rates from 143Mbps to 3Gbps with auto-equalization on all inputs.
Auto-rate sensing and reclocking capability is standard on all outputs and non-SMPTE standard data rates from 143Mbps to 3Gbps are supported in non-reclocked or bypass mode and DVB-ASI is fully supported on every path.
Two independent reference inputs are provided, each capable of accepting analog black burst in NTSC or PAL formats as well as high definition tri-level sync. All active circuit elements are front loaded and hot-swappable.
The unit can be equipped with single or dual internal power supplies and internal single or dual system controllers are available as options and supports a 10/100 Ethernet control interface in addition to our standard QuStream PRC, four wire, RS422 for compatibility with existing systems.
All units feature auto-equalization on inputs and auto re-clocking on all outputs. SMPTE standards 259M, SMPTE 292M and SMPTE 424M to 3Gbps are supported and Cougar 3GEN is compatible with 3500PRO or PERC2K system controllers and the full line of control panels.
Audio-Technica is holding a series of informative seminar events during NAB 2009 at the company’s booth, N2121 hosted by industry experts like Dennis Baxter and Dr. Fred Ginsburg.
At 11:00 am and 3:00 pm on Monday 4/20, Tuesday 4/21 and Wednesday 4/22, audio/broadcast veteran Baxter will present seminars on Surround Sound for Sports Broadcasting. Baxter is a multiple Emmy winner and the sound designer for the 2004, 2006, 2008 and upcoming 2010 Olympic Games, as well as the author of A Practical Guide to Television Sound Engineering.
At 10:00 am and 2:00 pm on Monday 4/20, Tuesday 4/21 and Wednesday 4/22, Dr. Ginsburg, specialist in production sound recording for motion pictures and video, will present seminars on the Placement and Use of Lavalier Microphones. Ginsburg is a distinguished member of the Cinema Audio Society (C.A.S.). His background includes nearly two decades as a sound mixer on feature films, episodic TV and commercials, as well as for corporate and government applications. An extensively published author, Ginsburg currently serves on the faculty at California State University Northridge.
Audio-Technica Seminar Schedule (Booth N2121)
Surround Sound for Sports Broadcasting (Dennis Baxter)
Monday 4/20; Tuesday 4/21; Wednesday 4/22 – 11:00 am, 3:00 pm (each day)
Placement and Use of Lavalier Microphones (Dr. Fred Ginsburg, C.A.S.)
Monday 4/20; Tuesday 4/21; Wednesday 4/22 – 10:00 am, 2:00 pm (each day)
Making a temporary break from their informal no-fuss go-anywhere routine, the Polecam team will demonstrate the world’s longest-reach easy-transit camera rig in long sleeves at the 2009 NAB Convention.
“The sleeves are for the Polecam, not for the staff,” explains company founder and Managing Director Steffan Hewitt. “We will be launching a brand new series of five Poledom sheaths which give producers control over the rig’s visibility. Most camera operators prefer the low visibility of a black Polecam rig.”
A total of five versions will be available: Arctic White, Desert Camouflage, Fluorescent Orange, Jungle Camouflage and Urban Camouflage. Fluo Orange was an afterthought but has obvious healthy-and-safety advantages if used in a hard-hat location or an airfield.
Manufactured from high-strength rip-stop nylon, Poledoms are designed for use both on the standard five section Polecam, with a 6 meter lateral/vertical reach, and the new seven-element Seventh Heaven Polecam which has an unprecedented 8 meter reach. Polecam itself is unique in requiring no stabiliser stanchions, rigging or cabling on the exterior of the boom; all cables can be routed inside the carbon fibre tubes. This means Poledom sleeves can be fitted and removed quickly yet retain the full dynamic manouvreability of the unsleeved Polecam, unlike any other crane on the market today.
By Debra Kaufman
Faster processing speed and expanded format compatibilities will be the dual themes of video editing at NAB 2009. The show will also be marked by the return of Avid Technology after a one-year absence. But two other major editing players, Apple and Quantel, are taking a pass (Apple also missed the show last year).
“We are so rejuvenated about our commitment to this industry,” says Kirk Arnold, executive VP and general manager of Avid. “We want our broadcast customers to use the chance to engage with us directly.”
The faster processing speeds are a function of 64-bit system architectures, once the sole domain of super computers.
The 64-bit Adobe CS4 Production Premium will increase HD workflows from 50 percent to 200 percent, according to a company spokesman.
“That includes increased editing speed, rapid switching among tools and faster rendering,” he says. “A 64-bit system will deliver superior performance with most formats.”
The push to 64-bit operating systems is also driven by HD, relentless newsroom deadlines and the constant need to economize.
Sony Creative Software plans to showcase a 64-bit version of Vegas Pro 8.0c, which was announced at IBC.
“Sony Creative Software was one of the first developers to begin porting for 64-bit computing in collaboration with AMD, which developed the 64-bit extensions for the Windows operating system,” says Sony Creative Software VP of Global Marketing Dave Chaimson. “We’ve also extensively tested it with partners including Microsoft, Dell, Intel and AMD.”
Handling of multiple camera formats will be the other editing theme of this year’s NAB.
Moving local news acquisition into HD has been a patchwork effort among TV stations, and station editing centers are increasingly required to handle a variety of SD and HD formats.
“As we’re moving to HD, instead of moving to fewer formats, there are more formats than ever,” says Mark Narveson, Grass Valley director of product marketing for desktop and enterprise solutions.
“Within a station, even if you go to HD, you have legacy material as well as material coming in from stringers and people on the street,” he says. “This has increased complexity but doesn’t change the deadline.”
Grass Valley will show Edius with a .1 upgrade of Version 5, which was introduced at IBC.
“Multi-format editing improves with every release, and 5.1 increases that capability,” Narveson says.
According to Narveson, Edius how supports end-to-end workflows for DV, HDV, JPEG2000, XDCAM EX, XDCAM HD, P2, AVCHD, AVC-Intra, GFCAM (Ikegami).
Support for J2K means users can capture images with the Thomson Grass Valley Infinity digital media camcorder in J2K, edit with Edius 5 in J2K and output in J2K, all natively.
Editing in the native format of all these digital cameras, on the same timeline, means users can avoid transcoding, an important time-saver in the editorial prep process.
The new version also allows users to download a portion of a clip without downloading the entire clip, and to export from the timeline directly to BluRay for authoring.
“As new HD formats come up, we do our best to provide a codec for them,” says Narveson, who reports that Version 5.1 comes with a bundle of over ,000 worth of third-party plug-ins and software.
Version 5.1 also offers tighter integration with the Grass Valley Aurora digital production workflow.
“Edius is now a full-on team player in the Aurora system,” he says. “You can edit in low-res with Aurora Edit and through MediaFrame, our basic database environment. Edius can see the program, import the EDL and re-edit it with effects available in Edius, drag and drop it into MediaFrame and it can be approved in full-res.”
Avid Technology is also ensuring that formats play well together, with improvements to Media Composer v3.5, Symphony v3.5 and NewsCutter v7.5.
One significant development is native, end-to-end support for Sony XDCAM HD and EX as well as Panasonic P2 formats, at all bandwidths.
Avid also more recently announced support for the RED camera, although that’s less likely to affect broadcasters. The goal is to allow broadcasters to produce HD news more cost-effectively, says an Avid spokesperson.
Integration with other systems has been an Avid hallmark for some time. Avid works in native MXF, similar to P2 and XDCAM formats, and is able to track Panasonic DVCPRO and AVCi as well as HDV and Quicktime files on the same timeline. Avid also integrates with EVS and Omneon server systems.
Other upgrades in Avid editing gear include new versions of its journalist audio and video editing and scripting solution, iNEWS Instinct 2.0, and Avid Interplay v1.6, which now also supports an end-to-end Long GOP workflow for the XDCAM HD and HDCAM EX formats.
“Our strategy is to open up the architecture so we can partner with folks across the industry and bring in best-of-breed solutions,” says Avid’s Arnold. “That drives collaboration and solves customers’ problems.”
Sony Creative is expected to announce expanded formats compatibility at NAB, but a spokesman declined to comment.
Vegas Pro 8.1 currently supports XDCAM HD 4:2:2/50 mb/s; XDCAM EX rendering, HVR-Z7 24p capture and editing; HVR-Z7 CF card import; and optimized AVC encoding and decoding.
