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Transcription

ISSUE 25 | AUGUST 2012
TECHNOLOGY INTELLIGENCE FOR TV, FILM AND RADIO
TOUR DU
FORCE
Brand new HD playout system
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INTERVIEW
CASE STUDY
Christopher
www.broadcastprome.com
| July O’Hearn
2010 on the
Dubai
Inc.
1 | Media
upgrades studio to HD
rollout of TAM in the UAE
REVIEW
Sony NEX-FS700
put through its paces
PRODUCTION
Behind the scenes with the
crew of Hindistani for season 2
PUBLICATION
LICENSED BY IMPZ
INTERVIEW
Christopher O’Hearn on the roll out
of the region’s first TV audience
measurement system in the UAE
Page 24
Welcome
Ramadan Mubarak! Although life in the Arab world slows down
a bit during this season owing to the holidays, the Holy month
of Ramadan is also a time of rich pickings for broadcasters as
they rake in the advertising dollars. Millions are spent on Arabic
productions to broadcast during this period but ad rates also
increase anywhere between 50 and 170% at this time compared
to the rest of the year depending on how popular a channel is,
and those figures are not inflated.
MBC 1, for instance, has for long maintained its position as the
number one Ramadan broadcaster. It is no secret that MBC Group
invests about 25-30% of its annual production budget — if not
more — on its Ramadan programming and earns about 25% of
its annual revenues during this period as well. There are about
seventeen special programmes showing on MBC1 this season and
around six on MBC Drama.
This time, MBC may face some competition from OSN’s Yahala
channel. OSN Yahala, which was launched in October 2011, seems
to be gradually gaining ground with viewers especially in Saudi
Arabia, one of the biggest markets for both channels.
The pay TV network has made ambitious investments in Arabic
productions. This year, OSN Yahala! has eight exclusive Ramadan
productions on the channel of which four are the network’s
own productions. The network has also launched OSN Yahala
+3 exclusively for the Ramadan season. The channel is primarily
aimed at Egyptian viewers, as subscribers in the country do not
yet have access to OSN’s PVR boxes.
Abu Dhabi Media and Dubai Media Inc. have also come with
some exciting entertainment this year.
In the meantime, we also see broadcasters enhancing their
online services as many viewers have begun to turn to their
tablets and other mobile devices for entertainment.
OSN Play, Shahid.net from MBC, Wataniya Telecom’s online
channel and Dubai Media Inc’s online platform are some of the
few who will be competing for eyeballs this Ramadan. Not to
be left behind, even YouTube has launched an online channel
dedicated to Ramadan-themed programming this year.
It’s unfortunate though that the TV audience measurement
system — the first in this region — won’t be rolled out until just
after Ramadan in the UAE. It would have been interesting to see
which channels and programmes make it to the top this season.
But we have to start somewhere and hats off to the UAE for being
the first to take this big step. Read all about it in this issue.
ISSUE 25 | AUGUST 2012
TECHNOLOGY INTELLIGENCE FOR TV, FILM AND RADIO
Ahmed Abdullatif Khalid Al
Muhaideb, VP, Broadcasting
& IPTV Services Technology,
du flanked by senior
engineer V. Jaya Kumar
(l) and Muhammad
Methar (r), director of
teleport operations, du.
TOUR DU
FORCE
Brand new HD playout system
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0LGGOH(DVW·VODUJHVWWHOHSRUW
CASE STUDY
INTERVIEW
Christopher
| July O’Hearn
2010 on the
Dubai
Inc.
1 | Media
rollout of TAM in the UAE
upgrades studio to HD
REVIEW
Sony NEX-FS700
put through its paces
Publisher
Dominic De Sousa
Group COO
Nadeem Hood
Managing Director
Richard Judd
[email protected]
+971 (0) 4 440 9126
PRODUCTION
Behind the scenes with the
crew of Hindistani for season 2
PUBLICATION
LICENSED BY IMPZ
VIjaya Cherian, Group Editor,
Broadcast Division
Subscribe now
Publishing Director
Raz Islam
[email protected]
+971 4 440 9129
Group Editor
Vijaya Cherian
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© Copyright 2012 CPI. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.
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14 COVER
AUGUST 2012
5
NEWS
New installations; mergers
and acquisitons and more
33 LONDON 2012
Broadcasting the
Olympics this year
44
PRODUCTION
The Al Sharqi brothers
on producing Hindistani II
48
CASE STUDY
Dubai Media Inc.
upgrades studio
52
IBC PREVIEW
Sneak preview of what will
be on show at IBC 2012
64
OPINION
36
REVIEW
Sony FS700 put
through its paces
HD Broadcast/Event Production Equipment
HD Multicamera Flypacks 3-28 camera setup
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Qatar
PRONEWS
ERICSSON COMPLETES
TECHNICOLOR
ACQUISITION
Magnus Mandersson.
Ericsson has completed its
acquisition of the Broadcast
Services Division of Technicolor,
headquartered in France. The
purchase price is reported to be
US $24 million and the potential
earn-out based on 2015 revenues
of the broadcast services activity is
estimated to be US $11 million.
Ericsson will absorb around
900 skilled professionals and
Technicolor’s playout operations
in France, UK and Netherlands.
All acquired operations will work
under the Ericsson brand as of
July 3, 2012.
Speaking about the deal,
Magnus Mandersson, executive
VP and head of Business Unit
Global Services, Ericsson, said:
“With this acquisition, Ericsson
has strengthened its position in
the broadcast managed services
market and reinforced our growth
ambitions. Managed services is one
of the main focus areas for Ericsson
and we will continue to invest and
expand this area.”
JAMAL AL SHARIF IS
CHAIRMAN OF DUBAI
FILM & TV COMMISSION
Dubai Film and TV Commission held
its inaugural board meeting last
month. Jamal Al Sharif, MD of Dubai
Studio City and Media City has
been appointed chairman of the
commission. The discussion focused
on the commission’s mandate
to increase local production and
attract international players from the
film and TV sectors. The commission
identified processes to decrease
the cost of media production to
enhance Dubai’s attractiveness
to regional and international
production companies and film
studios. Developing an incentive
scheme to foster local talent was
also core priority for the board.
Tony Saab, Intigral’s GM for IPTV Operations and Technology says the
company chose TITAN because of the product and support offered.
ATEME’S TITAN PLATFORM
DEPLOYED IN SAUDI ARABIA
Transcoding specialist ATEME has secured
its first Middle East customer with the
deployment of its TITAN platform in Saudi
Arabia. Content aggregator Intigral undertook
the project for both IPTV and OTT services in
the Kingdom.
Intigral chose ATEME’s TITAN carrier grade
transcoding solution because of its support
for both file-based and adaptive streaming
video, and ability to deliver video content
at the highest possible quality to multiple
screens. Intigral, a joint venture between
Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and All
Asia Networks (ASTRO), is a one-stop shop
meeting all the content delivery needs of
operators in the Middle East.
Intigral first deployed ATEME’s file
transcoding software early in 2012, for
delivering VOD to STC’s IPTV customers in
Saudi Arabia, but has now replaced that with
TITAN to support OTT streaming as well.
The high performance and support from
ATEME for the offline VOD transcoding made
it clear that TITAN was the right choice for
expanding into OTT streaming, according to
Intigral’s general manager for IPTV Operations
and Technology Tony Saab.
“It was a very good experience and
ATEME’s support was perfect,” said Saab.
“We were encouraged to upgrade our system
with the TITAN.”
Intigral is presently aggregating content
at its operations centre in Dubai and then
distributing it to STC over a 155 Mbps fibre
link. This service will include IPTV, VOD and
OTT, and is claimed to be one of the first cases
where all three delivery technologies are
integrated via a single transcoding platform.
Intigral presently has 20 TITAN nodes and
plans to install more as the service expands,
according to Saab.
Currently, the platform serves 35,000 STC
IPTV customers, but Intigral is aiming to have
70,000 by the end of 2012, and 200,000 to
300,000 by 2015. Intigral is planning to be an
aggregator of content serving the wider Middle
East region, as well as expanding in Saudi
Arabia via OTT.
Apart from its support for both VOD and
live streaming, Intigral selected TITAN for its
flexibility and ability to meet all transcoding
needs at different formats and bit rates, all
with optimal video quality. Other important
factors, particularly relevant for Intigral, were
the ruggedised design ensuring high reliability
in the field, and ability to manage Arabic
subtitles for content in other languages such
as English.
August 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com |
5
PRONEWS
RADIO RIYADH OPTS FOR NETIA
Amanda Palmer will start her own agency.
DOHA TRIBECA FILM FEST
HEAD QUITS JOB
Amanda Palmer stepped down from
her role as executive director of Doha
Tribeca Film Festival last month. The
36-year-old is gearing up to launch
her own talent agency and production
company in Qatar.
Doha Tribeca Film Festival took
the GCC by storm and attracted huge
audiences both on site and with its
social media activities.
Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad
Al-Thani, chairperson of Doha Film
Institute (DFI) said “Amanda played an
instrumental role in growing DTFF and
positioning DFI as a recognised film
entity over the past three years. Under
her leadership”.
A replacement for Palmer has not
been announced yet although the next
edition of DTFF is scheduled to take
place in October.
Radio Riyadh, the radio arm of the Saudi
Ministry of Culture and Information, has
purchased Radio-Assist 8 suite of digital audio
software to be deployed at its regional stations
in the cities of Jizan, Hail, and Tabuk. The
software will enable easy media exchange with
the radio’s headquarters in central Riyadh. The
integration was undertaken by Saudi systems
integrator First Gulf Company.
Part of a larger multi-year national media
infrastructure project overseen by the Saudi
Ministry of Culture and Information (MOCI),
the extension of Radio-Assist brings more
sophisticated production tools to the three
stations and simplifies their exchange of media
with the Kingdom’s central Radio Riyadh
station. NETIA technology already plays a
key role in the restoration, digitisation, and
preservation of audiovisual media of cultural
and historical importance in Saudi Arabia.
“We are proud to be working with NETIA
to extend state-of-the-art production and
broadcast capabilities to regional stations
and to facilitate and streamline the exchange
THE 99 ANIMATED SERIES TO PREMIERE ON MBC3
ABU DHABI FILM
COMMISSION’S TOP
MANAGEMENT AXED
Senior members of Abu Dhabi Film
Commission were made redundant last
month as part of restructuring efforts.
The team included film commissioner
David Shepheard and deputy director
Marcelle Aleid. Abu Dhabi Film
Commission presently comes under
twofour54, which has undertaken
some restructuring in recent months
to streamline its operations and better
align its content generation activities
under a single vision.
HAWK-EYE QUALIFIES AS
OFFICIAL LICENSEE OF
GOAL-LINE TECHNOLOGY
Hawk-Eye Innovations has qualified for
the licensing of its goal-line technology to
football associations across the world.
Speaking about the deal, Steve Carter,
MD of Hawk-Eye Innovations, said: “We
are confident that Hawk-Eye can assist
decision making for referees in critical
goal-line situations that can affect the
of content between the country’s radio
broadcasters,” said Naim G. Saidi, CEO of First
Gulf Company.
The Radio-Assist 8 range of digital audio
software programmes cover the entire
operation of a radio station, addressing
acquisition, sound file editing, commercial and
music production, scheduling, multicasting,
data security, and administration. The
installation of Radio-Assist at Jizan, Hail,
and Tabuk ensures the interoperability of
media management systems across broadcast
stations and provides the foundation for
shared access to the extensive national
archives being created by MOCI.
“Saudi Arabia is undertaking an ambitious
upgrade to its national media infrastructure, and
we’re pleased to be a part of this project,” said
Thomas Dresch, project manager at NETIA.
“With this latest NETIA installation, key radio
stations across the country have been able
improve their local production capabilities while
taking much greater advantage of resources and
programming at Radio Riyadh.”
One of the heroes in The 99.
outcomes of international games.”
FIFA’s decision comes after extensive
trials over the past year to estimate
not only the accuracy and reliability
of goal-line technology, but also the
implications on stadia infrastructure and
the associated costs to different football
associations. The solution requires no
modification or interference with the
equipment on the field of play, including
the goal posts and balls, which is crucial
6 | www.broadcastprome.com | August 2012
Teshkeel Media Group’s animated
series THE 99 will make its Middle
East debut this Ramadan, airing
exclusively on MBC3 and making its
exclusive digital premiere on Yahoo!
Maktoob. THE 99 make up a team
of superheroes born of Middle East
history and Islamic archetypes that
possess values shared by the entire
world. The superheroes are from 99
countries and from both genders.
Ashraf Younis, manager of MBC3
said the series “addresses our
viewers in an edutaining and cultural
manner, in line with our scheduling
for this season”.
“We hope that our audience will
to gaining the trust and confidence of both
players and officials.
Trials by FIFA demonstrated the
accuracy and reliability of the system in
situations where the ball is obscured to
even higher degrees than has occurred in
real-life games. This system is based on
numerous high frame-rate cameras placed
around the stadium focused on each goal
mouth, monitoring the ball’s trajectory
when it is close to the line.
engage with those superheroes.”
Ahmed Nassef, VP & MD, Yahoo!
Maktoob, added, “Fans have been
waiting for THE 99 to come to life
in an animated series, and we are
thrilled to be the exclusive online
partner for its debut in the region.”
“THE 99 can be viewed on Yahoo!
Maktoob Screen, our revamped video
destination, which is home to a wide
variety of high-quality video content
including the region’s finest Arabic
movies, plays, and TV series as well
as our own original productions.”
The trailer can be viewed on
http://en-maktoob.screen.yahoo.
com/99-081408834.html
The data from the cameras is fed into
a central processing unit that analyses
the position of the ball relative to that of
the goal line. If the system recognises that
the ball has crossed the goal line, it relays
that information in less than one second
to devices worn by officials on the field of
play. Beyond making an instant definitive
call, Hawk-Eye can deliver video replays
that prove the validity of the decision
made by the system.
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PRONEWS
MED FILM FACTORY
PART II IN JORDAN
Following a successful wrap of its first cycle in April 2012, Med
Film Factory – reportedly the first specialised training of its
kind for Arab directors and producers in the MENA region –
completed its second cycle in Amman, Jordan last month.
Initiated by the Royal Film Commission of Jordan (RFC) in
partnership with Sud Ecriture, Tunisia and the Huston School of
Film & Digital Media, Ireland, and co-financed by the Euromed
Audiovisual Programme of the European Union, Med Film
Factory aims to support directors and producers, and enhance
the filmmaking industry in the region.
The first session of the eight-day Directors’ Workshop, which
concluded on July 18, 2012, saw 10 participating directors work
on their first or second feature film projects. They were mentored
by international tutors, directors, script editors, film experts and
technicians, in order to develop their creative skills and support
them in finishing their projects.
George David, general manager of the Royal Film Commission,
confirmed the importance of the training provided through Med
Film Factory: “Throughout its first cycle, Med Film Factory has
proved to be one of the best training opportunities in the region
for Arab filmmakers. Our aim is to have an excellent second
round with the participation of talented directors and producers,
needless to say wonderful tutors and experts.”
DoP Diane Baratier with participant director Dima
Hamdan and cameraman Abdullah Ramahi.
This edition saw participants from Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt
and Tunisia.
Rabih El-Amine, one of the participants, confirmed the
importance of undergoing this specialised training.
“I believe this is a necessary exercise to understand what the
process of filmmaking implies. Also, the on-going meetings with
the tutors and experts as well as the exchange between the
participants themselves will enable me to progress at all levels.”
Two training sessions within the same cycle will follow this
Directors’ Workshop: a Producers’ Coaching Programme in
December 2012 and an Independent Film Assembly in Spring 2013.
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9
PRONEWS
VITEC VIDEOCOM SECURES
US $6.67M DEAL IN KSA
RGH CEO Randa Ayoubi says the deal is another feather in the Jordanian company’s cap.
JORDAN’S RUBICON GROUP SECURES
MONSTER IN MY POCKET DEAL
Jordan-headquartered Rubicon Group Holding
(RGH) has acquired worldwide licensing,
merchandising and digital media rights to
the popular Monster In My Pocket brand
of collectible monsters for boys from MEG,
creator and owner of the intellectual property.
The deal was jointly announced by RGH CEO,
Randa Ayoubi and MEG CEO Joe Morrison.
According to the deal, RGH will create
a global brand strategy for the IP, which
includes developing and producing a
broad range of animated Monster In
My Pocket content for theatrical and
television distribution, DVDs, game
platforms, apps, and online and social
media. The new content will be supported
with a comprehensive licensing and retail
development programme that includes the
Middle East.
Speaking about the deal, Ayoubi said:
“We are pleased to be working with MEG
and welcome the opportunity to expand
our reach in the digital marketplace with
creative new content for the Monster In My
Pocket franchise.
“Our new association with MEG perfectly
supports our corporate goal to partner with
high-profile companies on well established
brands that will benefit from RGH’s expertise
in producing the highest quality animation to
achieve global success. This is an important
new partnership for RGH and we look
forward to a long and profitable association
with MEG.”
Morrison added that Monster In My Pocket
is “an iconic brand, based on famous, wellknown ‘real’ monsters”.
“It’s an evergreen brand that has a very
active worldwide ‘monster-geek’ fan base. We
are delighted to partner with RGH to bring
new content across all media platforms to
monster lovers around the world.”
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture and
Information (MOCI) has invested in
several Vitec Videocom brands including
equipment from Litepanels, Sachtler
and Vinten as part of a project that will
see two of its SD studios upgraded to
HD. The US $6.67 million deal is part
of a contract awarded to Saudi-based
systems integrator First Gulf Company to
implement the next-generation TV and
radio exchange network of the Saudi
Arabian government’s nationwide media
transformation programme.
First Gulf Company will design, supply
and install two of the MOCI’s studios with
a full HD broadcast solution. Studio B
and E will be upgraded to HD. Studio E is
fitted with six Vinten Quartz Two pedestals,
six Vinten heads, two Vector 430s and
four Vision 250s. Studio B is currently
being equipped with a range of Sachtler’s
heads and pedestals. The fluid heads that
have been selected include two modular
designed Sachtler Video 60 Plus Studio
heads and four featherweight Video 25
Plus FB heads.
The heads will be supported by six
Sachtler versatile Vario Pedestal 2-75.
In addition, the studio will be fitted with
LED lighting from Litepanels, including 15
Litepanels 1X1 Flood LED Daylights with
barndoor and 15 Litepanels 1×1 Spot
LED Daylight with barndoor.
Saudi Arabia’s ambitious broadcast
plans, overseen by Saudi MOCI, will
transform national TV and radio media
provision for the country’s growing
demographic. The expansion programme
encompasses the region’s entire
broadcast chain, including digitisation
of HD terrestrial TV, expansion of TV
and radio contribution/distribution
infrastructure, OB and SNG vehicles,
studios, production and post-production,
and archiving and playout facilities.
GLOW PRODUCTIONS INVESTS IN SHURE
Shure distributor Nicolas Kyvernitis
Electronics Enterprises recently
supplied Dubai rental firm Glow
Productions with the UHF-R series
of wireless microphones together
with the new PSM1000 personal
monitoring solution.
The deal includes four channels
of the UHF-R series with the
latest UR4D+ version of receivers
providing the cascade feature,
the UR1M micro-bodypack
transmitter, the UR2/KSM9
handheld transmitter with the KSM9
microphone cartridge. The purchase
also includes the latest personal
monitoring solution from Shure, the
PSM1000 with also four channels
provided by two dual channels P10T
and four P10R diversity receivers.
The same was used for the Red Hot
Chili Pepper worldwide tour recently.
“Glow Productions, although
a new rental firm in the market,
has already produced a number of
top-level shows for both corporate
and private entities,” commented
Shajahan K K, Shure product
manager at NMK.
“As most of its work requires
high levels of production, it has also
procured top-of-the-line equipment
to support its jobs.”
Gavin Mendonca from rental house Glow
Productions with the new Shure kit.
PRONEWS
AVID DIVESTS CONSUMER
BUSINESS; 20% STAFF TO BE AXED
Avid has delivested its consumer business
as part of a move to focus its efforts on its
“media enterprise, and post and professional
customers”. According to details revealed
by Gary Greenfield, CEO of Avid in a
conference call last month, the company is
selling its consumer focus product lines in
a series of separate transactions. The move
will also see an estimated 20% reduction in
its workforce. Some employees in Dubai and
India were also made redundant following
this announcement.
Avid’s consumer audio products have
been sold to inMusic, the parent company
of Akai Professional, Alesis and Numark,
among others. InMusic is headquartered
in Rhode Island. The products involved in
this deal include M-Audio brand keyboards,
controllers, interfaces, speakers and digital
DJ equipment and other product lines.
Avid will continue to develop and sell its
Pro Tools line of software and hardware,
as well as associated I/O devices including
Mbox and Fast Track.
Separately, the company’s consumer
video editing line is being sold to Corel
Corporation, a consumer software company
headquartered in Canada. The products
involved in this transaction include Avid
Studio, Pinnacle Studio editing software,
and the Avid Studio App for the Apple iPad,
as well as other video capture products.
The divested product lines contributed
approximately US $91 million of Avid’s
2011 revenue. As part of the transactions,
certain employees of Avid will transfer to
each acquiring company. Proceeds from
these transactions will be approximately
$17 million, subject to a closing inventory
adjustment. A portion of these proceeds will
be held in escrow.
20% of Avid’s permanent employee base
will also be impacted by the divestitures and
headcount reduction plans.
From left: Sophie Le Ray and Watson of Naseba; Shivani Pandya and Abdulhamid Juma of DIFF; and Shawn Brixey and John Davis of CNC.
WORLD’S FIRST CINEMATIC INNOVATION
SUMMIT IN DUBAI
The world’s first cinematic summit
dedicated entirely to the future of
cinematic innovation will be held
in Dubai on December 8 and 9
prior to the Dubai International
Film Festival, which will be held
from December 9-12, 2012.
The Summit is a collaborative
effort between the Center for
New Cinema (CNC), Dubai
International Film Festival (DIFF)
and Naseba. The event will
explore the economic value of
cinematic technology for multiple
sectors including telecom, video
gaming, advertising, and even
extending across industries such
as healthcare, defence, and oil
exploration. The event will feature
speakers from Hollywood and the
technology sector.
Speaking about the agreement,
DIFF chairperson Abdulhamid
Juma said: “Today, more than ever
before, cinema and the entire
media ecosystem are being
transformed by ground-breaking
innovations in technology.
Providing access to powerful new
tools for storytelling is crucial to
the achievement of our ultimate
goal — enabling talent and films
to find critical and commercial
success. We are delighted to
host the inaugural Cinematic
Innovation Summit in association
with our partners CNC and
Naseba. The summit will be an
annual event that furthers Dubai’s
commitment to the development
of cinema and the film industry.”
The Summit will look at the
future of cinematic technology in
the next 10-20 years, including
innovations driven by artificial
intelligence and cognitive
science, limitless game-style
interactivity between audiences
and characters, ultra-realistic
3D projections and “augmented
reality”, making viewers feel
they are inside the movies they
are watching and more. Each of
these is expected to have wide
applications beyond cinema.
The summit will bring together a
group of 200 executives from the
world of film, games, technology
and finance. Confirmed speakers
include Lauren Shuler Donner
(producer of the X-Men film
franchise), Alvy Ray Smith (Pixar
co-founder), Dean DeBlois (writer/
director of Oscar-nominated How
to Train Your Dragon 3D and Lilo &
Stitch), and actor Stephen Lang,
best known for his role as Col.
Miles Quaritch in Avatar.
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Always delivering content integrity.
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PROTRENDS
Professional displays
rebounding
Professional flat panel display purchases
were soaring in the period before the Wall
Street crash of 2008, as broadcasters and
producers sped towards replacing ageing
CRTs. But, that trend slowed dramatically
even before the most critical and most
desired type — the master monitor
category — could take hold. Professional
video displays come in three varieties:
truly professional models, computer
displays and consumer models. Nearly
all are flat panels and very nearly all are
HDTV quality or higher. Some provide 3D
and fewer allow the accommodation of
4K or higher resolution, although that is
a very narrow number at present. Most
tend to be, like their consumer cousins,
LCD, but a good amount are now OLED and
some are plasma. But, the commonality
is that sales of professional flat panel
displays are up and the previous trend
towards buying mainly consumer models
has slowed.
These findings come from the recently
published Professional Video Displays
World 2012, from D.I.S. Consulting
Corporation of New York in June 2012.
Last year’s global displays study showed
lagging resistance by professionals when
considering master monitors – generally
ALL MARKETS: Of the current flat p anel technology, which of the
negative aspects are of most concern at your location?
Bezel too thick
Life span too short
Prices too high
Difficult economy
Audio quality or speakers
Not durable enough
High power drain
Connectors
Limits of the system
Cannot use indoors
measuring between 24 and 26 inches
(diagonally measured) and their newer
smaller 17 inch variety due to misgivings
regarding quality and durability. This
year, that resistance seems to have been
melting and master monitors are being
widely accepted.
Smaller screen sizes have been attracting
many new brands. In just the past several
years, as flat panels and professional models
have proliferated, small screen sizes have
been particularly appealing and that has
attracted dozens of new brands into the
professional market. The new brands have
come from Japan, from China and the West
as well. The biggest competition has been
seen in the 0 to 17 inch screen size range,
where most are LCD and most of HD quality.
Features tend to drive professional
sales and set apart pro models from their
consumer or computer competition.
It is hard to say where the professional
market will head over the next few years,
but clearly, higher resolution – and 4K
particularly – is a major driver, especially
as digital cinematography and the whole
production and post-production workflow
are changing and embracing 4K as the
defacto standard for motion picture
production display. While this is certainly
under way, it is not without difficulties, not
the least of which is that while workflows
call for both small and large-sized screens, it
is actually quite a task to create 4K monitors
below 30 inches. This peculiarity will likely
remain a challenge to workflows until the
smaller sizes can be created. Beyond that
issue, 4K must battle the popularity and
much wider use of HD models and the still
gradually expanding demand for 3D capable
monitors. But one thing is for certain,
there’s no going back to CRTs. Meanwhile,
professionals remain somewhat sceptical
about the durability and reliability of their
professional-grade displays, something that
dampens their success and feeds the habit
of buying, instead often less costly consumer
models or utilising computer displays. PRO
Screen hard to clean
Too thick
Lack of ruggedness
High failure rate
Too heavy
Other
Difficult to mount
Screen too small
Doesn’t meet electrical code Low resolution
0
50
100
150
200
250
Douglas I Sheer is
CEO and chief analyst
of D.I.S. Consulting.
© 2012 D.I.S. Consulting Corporation - All Rights Reserved
13
PROEXCLUSIVE
Tour
du force
Samacom’s brand new 16-channel High Definition
playout system will enable it to offer end-to-end
services to clients and strengthen its position as
the Middle East’s largest teleport. In an exclusive
interview with Vijaya Cherian, the du team, systems
integrator Tek Signals and key supplier Pebble Beach
share details of the project
14
PROEXCLUSIVE
Dubai-based Samacom, the largest teleport
in the Middle East and North Africa and the
ninth largest in the world, will go on air with
a brand new, fully-automated 16-channel High
Definition (HD) playout system from its facility
in August. Samacom, which uplinks more than
220 channels from its facility, is the uplink arm
of telecom operator du. It is responsible for
uplinking more than 90% of the channels that
originate in the United Arab Emirates while also
facilitating playout for several international
channels including some in India and the
United Kingdom. This project was undertaken
by Abu Dhabi-based systems integrator Tek
Signals in conjunction with du’s team.
The new playout will enable the du team to
offer a more comprehensive end-to-end solution
to its clients.
At the heart of the new playout system is Pebble
Beach’s Neptune automation system, which is
a different solution from what du previously
operated. Other key parts of the workflow
include Tektronix Cerify content verification,
Rhozet transcoding and Omneon servers.
“The requirements of our clients have changed
substantially since Samacom began its playout
operations in 2001,” explains Ahmed Abdullatif
Khalid Al Muhaideb, vice president of Broadcasting
and IPTV Services Technology, du. Al Muhaideb
worked for more than 18 years with state
broadcaster Dubai TV before moving to Samacom.
“Although the system was quite state-of-theart back then, today, it seems quite rudimentary
owing to the lack of regional language support,
HD support and so on. The new system is
capable of delivering HD, provides unicode
support which means multiple languages are no
longer an issue and we also have rich graphic
Opposite page: Ahmed Abdullatif
Khalid Al Muhaideb, VP, Broadcasting
& IPTV Services Technology, du.
Below: Senior engineer Jaya
Kumar (l) and Muhammad Methar (r),
director of teleport operations, du.
In Brief
Client: Samacom/du
Systems Integrator: Tek Signals
Key Solutions
* Pebble Beach Systems
* Omneon servers
* Tektronix Cerify
* Evertz router
* Rhozet transcoding
“With the new QC system, the work can be
completed in one third of the time and this can save
money … allowing us to operate more channels
with our existing resources. Besides this, … HD
capability and multiple language support was key”
V. Jaya Kumar, senior engineer — Broadcast Playout Systems Technology, du
15
PROEXCLUSIVE
Ahmed Abdullatif Khalid Al
Muhaideb, VP of Broadcasting
and IPTV Services Technology
with a staff member at du.
“Scalability is a given in any installation
today but flexibility and a future-proof
technology that anticipates at least some
of the new requirements that clients are
likely to have in the future is key for us”
Ahmed Abdullatif Khalid Al Muhaideb, VP of Broadcasting and IPTV Services Technology, du
functionality. Additionally, we had to look at
other requirements that were likely to come up
in the future and based on this as well as the
price-performance ratio, we chose the solution
that we thought best meets our needs.”
The new installation is presently designed
to operate 16 channels but can be expanded to
accommodate 100 channels or more. It brings
more functionality to du empowering the uplink
facility to offer end-to-end solutions to customers.
“There are several improvements over what we
previously had. We did not have a comprehensive
monitoring function on the previous system, for
instance,” explains senior engineer of Broadcast
Playout Systems Technology, V. Jaya Kumar.
“Now, we have an integrated monitoring
system that allows us to monitor every aspect
of the system whether they be servers, services
or applications. This gives more confidence
to our operations team and clients as well.”
He also points out that the team previously
worked with islands of systems rather than an
integrated solution.
“Working with discrete systems was definitely
not ideal from an operational point of view.
Also, while our playout and graphics was
always automated, our Quality control (QC)
was undertaken manually. With the new QC
system, the work can be completed in one
third of the time and this can save money while
allowing us to operate more channels with our
existing resources. Besides this, of course, HD
capability and multiple language support was
key. Previously, we were stuck with just a few
languages. Our clients are not necessarily all
from the UAE and may want to operate the
playlist in their respective languages. Unicode
support enables us to run different fonts from
different languages on a single platform.”
The new workflow exists alongside the old
system and in some cases, has been integrated.
Samir Isbaih, regional manager Middle East,
Pebble Beach Systems elaborates where the new
workflow takes over.
“Du continues to use the same workflow for
both ingest and media delivery. They will still
add that extra bit of
to your on-air content
Channel Branding I Elections I News I Sports I Weather
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PROEXCLUSIVE
Samir Isbaih, regional manager Middle East, Pebble Beach Systems.
receive media from different locations and
in different formats whether they be tape or
FTP into a central storage and then, we come
in with the whole playout chain. Neptune
primarily handles the media management
and playout side of things. They couldn’t
scale up the previous system so one of the
main benefits of the new system is that they
can scale it up as much as they want.”
Isbaih adds that several broadcasters in the
UAE including MBC and OSN have Neptune
installations at their respective facilities.
“Besides the fact that this is a seamless,
fully redundant playout automation with no
single point of failure on the automation side,
this system also enables du to provide Disaster
Recovery (DR) services. Should there be a
breakdown at any broadcast facility, a client can
quickly move its content and uplink from du.”
The new workflow itself is fairly simple. The
ingested media is delivered onto an Omneon
MediaGrid central storage server, where the
Neptune system automatically detects its arrival
and instigates the QC process, which is handled
by the Tektronix Cerify content analysis platform.
Neptune then checks these files for Pass or Fail
status, and the files are transferred either into
the Transmission Ready folder, or into an Edit
folder if it ‘fails’ to meet QC. Cerify generates a
full status report on all media so that the specific
nature of any reported errors can be identified.
In addition to instigating the QC process when
new media is detected on the MediaGrid, Neptune
also generates low-resolution copies of all new
media via a Promedia Carbon transcoding solution.
APOLLO, FROM CALREC.
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CLEAR AND EFFICIENT METERING. TFTS. FULLY CONFIGURABLE. SEAMLESS THIRD-PARTY METERING . COLOR CHANGING POTS TO DISPLAY FUNCTION.
OFFLI NE CONSO LE SET UP
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Today’s broadcasters need more and more audio channels at ever-higher resolutions, more power
to handle this increased channel count and more ergonomic control surfaces to manipulate them.
Naturally, Calrec has the answer.
With the same levels of reliability which Calrec are world-renowned, and a remarkably intuitive
control surface which still manages to add enormous flexibility, Apollo is nothing short of
revolutionary. Calrec’s Bluefin2 DSP engine equips Apollo with more than 1000 channels for
5.1 Surround production and its internal 8192² Hydra2 router turns the console into a powerful
networking tool.
The world’s most successful broadcasters rely on Calrec consoles.
Apollo is the first of Calrec’s new generation.
2
calrec.com
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PROEXCLUSIVE
Samir Isbaih of Pebble Beach Systems
and Ali Rasheed of Tek Signals.
“Besides the fact that this is a seamless, fully
redundant playout automation with no single
point of failure on the automation side, this system
also enables du to provide (DR) services”
MediorNet
Compact
50G Real-Time Media Network
Samir Isbaih, regional manager Middle East, Pebble Beach Systems
“Working with low-res files saves a lot
of time and money,” explains Al Muhaideb.
“Viewing, adding metadata and simple
editing is faster and efficient when done
on low-res files.”
Operators at du have access, via five
desktop PCs, to segmentation, viewing and
cuts-only edit functionality using Pebble
Beach Systems’ Razorfish application.
Using the Omneon API, operators can also
generate a high resolution clip from these
low-res clips without the need to use craft
edit resources.
Main and backup Omneon playout
servers each provide 16 playout ports,
and the Neptune automation system
also features fully redundant main
and backup Device Controllers and
Database Servers with automatic
failover, and no single point of failure.
Neptune’s comprehensive alert system
reports, for example, lost communication
with the server, missing subtitle files
and port failures. It also offers a range
of ways in which these alerts can be
communicated, for example via an
audio file, via GPI, by means of an
email alert, or by ‘nudging’ a window
in the UI to immediately notify the
operator in the event of a problem.
Schedules are received from du’s
playout customers in XL format
and automatically translated for use
by Neptune, which then moves all
required media into the main and
backup transmission server, having
scanned through the possible locations
for media and automatically restored
the required files if appropriate.
Each of the 16 playlists controls
both the main and air protect playout
servers, with coloured icons on the main
playlist indicating the status of the main
and backup server ports at any time.
Neptune manages a complex graphics
workflow, with ‘Now, Next, Later’ graphics
automatically populated using the
automation API and updated in real time.
As du’s clients also reside abroad,
it wanted to have a facility whereby
its clients could remotely access the
system and make changes to their
playlist and server ports at will.
Du has always worked with Omneon
servers. When it needed more, it chose
Omneon again “because we have had
a good experience with the product
and the support from Harmonic is
remarkable”, points out Jaya Kumar.
“In this case, we just chose the latest
version of Spectrum MediaDirector, which
is a higher bandwidth server. Pebble
Beach, however, is a new experience for
us but it’s a more modern automation
system that has an elaborate workflow
and can handle multiple requirements.”
Muhammad Methar, director of teleport
operations adds that du was careful to
go with Pebble Beach’s tried and tested
product rather than its latest offering.
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21
PROEXCLUSIVE
RiLink
Ahmed Abdullatif Khalid Al Muhaideb flanked by Muhammad Methar (l) and V. Jaya Kumar (r).
“We didn’t go for the latest Marina
solution although we have it in the
contract that we can upgrade to
that once it is more widely used. We
specifically chose Neptune because
it is a solid solution. We also chose
Pixel Power’s graphics solution.”
Perhaps one of the most important
requirements with this install is flexibility.
“Scalability is a given in any installation
today but flexibility and a future-proof
technology that anticipates at least
some of the new requirements that
clients are likely to have in the future
is key for us,” explains Mohaideb.
“And while we may have installed a
similar system, our requirements are
very different to that of broadcasters.
If we have 16 different channels, you
need to remember that they cater to
16 different clients who have totally
differing requirements. So one channel
may be graphics heavy, the other may
be more basic but may require SMS and
chat bars and still others may require last
minute ad inserts. Client requirements
are varied and this system needs to
have the flexibility to accommodate
each of those requirements,” he adds.
Systems integrator Tek Signals claims this
is a fairly unique project in the Gulf region.
“This is an example of an IT and
broadcast install,” explains Ali Rasheed,
broadcast IT manager, Tek Signals LLC.
“The client wanted a sophisticated
front end utilising the latest broadcast
and IT technologies in terms of thumb
nails, advanced graphics systems and
interactive functionality to cope with
client requirements. Besides the standard
broadcast environment, we have a
complete compliance recording system
in place. Other than that, the backbone
is an Evertz router with a multi-viewer
system on the Q-Link basis. This is a
new technology introduced by Evertz.
We also use an Evertz SPG with network
NTP protocol, where timing is locked
over the network. All of the engineering
machines are on KVM. This provides the
user with a single point of centralised
control while also being connected over
the network to provide clients with
remote access capabilities. Each client can
remotely control their playout channel
from their own facilities with appropriate
rights and restrictions,” he adds.
The project was awarded to Tek Signals
in February 2012 and commissioning and
training was undertaken last month.
Substantial integration had to be
undertaken with the existing workflow.
“We had to integrate the existing
Omneon sever with the Omneon
MediaGrid centralised storage. The
centralised storage and automatic
control check the existing files in terms
of quality control and are being moved
to the new set up. By the end of the
commissioning, most of the data would
have been migrated to the new system.
“This was a turnkey project for us.
The whole installation was undertaken
with in-house engineers and technical
resources. Around 20 people worked
on this project. We have a three-year
support in place for this project and will
entertain a high level of serviceability
for them as part of this project. We will
have dedicated service engineers to go
from our DMC office although they won’t
be based at their site,” he adds. PRO
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23
PROINTERVIEW
UAE to roll out TV Audience
Measurement system
David Gatward, MD, 3Sixty.
As the UAE gets ready to roll out the Arab world’s first TV Audience Measurement
system, Christopher O’Hearn, GM of Emirates Media Measurement Company (EMMC),
the company that heads the project, shares details of Tview with BroadcastPro ME
How long have you worked on this project?
I have been working on it for about 18 months but
the project was started way before that. I should
think two-and-a-half years. The National Media
Council, Dr. Amina at TECOM and others at the
federal level were already working on it. I came at a
point where the tender had already been awarded.
How did you come to be involved with this
project?
I’m a professional project manager so I was fresh
from doing the English Premier League at Abu
Dhabi Media, where I worked along with Karim
Sarkis (former executive director of TV and Radio
at ADM), who was one of the drivers of the people
meter project. I was asked to project manage
it technically initially. There are established
standards to do these projects and it has been
installed in dozens of countries so we were not
inventing any wheels here. I came in initially as
project manager. But in the course of that, I learnt
more about the audience measurement systems
and the share holders asked me to stay on and run
the company through the launch phase.
PROINTERVIEW
“In most markets, you could record the top ten or twelve
channels, which would be the big legacy players like the BBC
and that would give you about 60% to 70% of the viewing. Here,
we are recording 54 channels and we are not even guaranteed
half the viewing because of the pan Arab nature of this market”
Christopher O’Hearn, general manager, Emirates Media Measurement Company
Which company was awarded the TAM
contract?
There are about three main companies
that do this type of audience
measurement in the world. We are
working with Kantar Media, which is
owned by WPP. Kantar does a lot of
projects in Europe and has also done a
massive system for China.
The operation of the panel (the
households selected to participate in this
project) and data gathering has been
outsourced to Kantar Media.
What kind of an audience measurement
system are you rolling out in the UAE?
This is an electronic audience
measurement system. Obviously, there
are others like IPSOS that do sampling
and polling. Electronic audience
measurement is a lot better because
there are lots of technical issues with
sampling and polling and running a panel.
A lot of expertise is needed to make sure
the sample is correct and the panel is
managed properly. Confidentiality is also
crucial. There is a firewall between the
gathering and processing of data, which
is Kantar’s job, and EMMC (of which I
am GM), which maintains a relationship
between the clients, and sells the data.
What have you named this system?
We have called it Tview. It would be
Tview ratings and the Tview panel while
most other countries add TAM as the
suffix. So, for instance, Australia has
OzTAM and India has INTAM.
Are you working with any of the other
Arab government entities such as
the Saudi Ministry of Culture and
Information (MOCI) as they are also
planning a similar TAM rollout early
next year?
We are working with them in terms of
giving them the benefit of our experience,
putting together the tender proposals
and evaluating the candidates and we
recognise that in the longer-term, it is in
everyone’s interests to have a pan-Arab
system. Even if they choose a different
vendor, it’s likely that it won’t be that
different because they all use the same
definitions of ratings, viewings and so on.
What are some of the challenges of
putting together a project for this
region?
This market has some very unique
elements. For instance, the diversity
of this market is incredible. In most
other countries, you have a reasonably
homogenous majority population. We
don’t have that here. In most markets,
you could record the top ten or twelve
channels, which would be the big legacy
players like the BBC and that would give
you about 60% to 70% of the viewing.
Here, we are recording 54 channels
and we are not even guaranteed half the
viewing because of the pan Arab nature of
this market.
The single largest homogenous group
is between expat Arabs and Indians
but among Indians, you have the Hindi
speaking lot and the Malayalam speakers
that seem to form the chunk of viewers.
Among Arab expats, you will see
there is considerable difference between
different groups like the Levant, the Gulf
and the Egyptians and so on.
Secondly, TAM systems are
traditionally deployed on a country level
because that’s how people tend to view
it. But in the GCC, there is a common
language running across different
countries. For instance, you will find
Indians across Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and
other parts of the Gulf so there is a pan
viewing and likewise, with Arabic. This
is why we are working with Saudi Arabia
because this needs to operate on a pan
Arab or pan-Gulf level to actually work.
Thirdly, there are cultural issues to
address because piracy is rampant with
specific populations here. And we have
other cultural issues such as privacy and
Connect
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25
PROINTERVIEW
channels because they usually offer sponsorship,
bulk buying and so on rather than spot advertising.
We would, of course, like to record all 400
channels but there is a cost per channel and so, we
have had to make a trade off in terms of the most
watched channels, the most significant in terms
of advertising and how that is being bought. We
consulted some of the media buyers, narrowed
our list down to 90 channels and then narrowed it
down even further to the must-have channels.
Since then, we have added some more and have
made the barriers to adding channels very low. So
Sky News Arabia, for instance, said it wanted to
be added to the list and it’s relatively cheap to add
a channel. We want to encourage people to come
to us and have their channels included.
“The latest trends in the market are cross platform
measurement and we are not ready for that. To progress
to a more complex measurement, it is good we start
with more basic and established models from other
markets and even with that, we have a lot of learning
to do here. We have to learn to walk before we run”
access – there isn’t a survey culture here. It has
been a big learning curve for us.
Would it be correct to call this the most stateof-the-art TAM system? Would that definition
work here?
I don’t think so. We had to start somewhere and
we have begun with a simpler version of audience
measurement. The latest trends in the market
are cross platform measurement and we are not
ready for that. To progress to more complex
measurement, it is good we start with more basic
and established models from other markets and
even with that, we have a lot of learning to do
here. We have to learn to walk before we run.
So which channels are part of your 50+ list and
is that selection based on some criteria?
There were several criteria for selecting channels.
The share holders who put up seed capital for
this project are Abu Dhabi Media, Sharjah Media,
Rotana Media, Etisalat and du so obviously they
wanted to include a reasonable portion of their
bouquet. To make this project successful, we had
to ensure we included channels like MBC, and
some of the Indian and Asian channels.
The most important thing was to select channels,
in which people were buying spot advertising. We
have mostly free-to-air and some paid channels
on that list but we have not included paid sports
How much does it cost to be included in this?
The startup fee for a channel is only US $ 2000
and there’s an annual subscription on top of that.
The minimum starting level is about $12,000 but
it can go up to around $90,000. It is based on the
ad revenue a channel gets, which is the best way
to ensure it is fair to the different players in the
market here.
In other markets, they use share of audience
for example but here, we have channels with high
share and low ad revenue. It wouldn’t be fair for
Asianet to pay the same as MBC for example.
If a channel is already part of the list, they only
have to pay the annual subscription.
Obviously, the share holders have helped to
fund the system and have paid a lot more to
support the channels.
Are you happy with the list you have right now?
I am happy with the list as a trade off. It has the
main commercial channels there, especially the
MBC channels and a selection of Arabic channels,
Hindi and Malayalam channels.
Unfortunately, with even this list, we only
cover between 40-50% of the viewing but if you
look at the other 350 channels that make 50%
of the viewing, we are still talking about very
small incremental gains with the addition of each
channel. However, we are constantly looking at
those that are coming under the radar. There are
some Egyptian channels, for instance, that are
not on our list and some Indian channels that are
showing promise. We will monitor those. Our aim
is to expand the number of channels rather than
replace them.
Tell me a bit about the panel that has been
chosen for your measurement?
850 households have been selected to be part of
this. Everybody has an equal chance to be on it
and it follows some criteria including nationality,
location, socio-economic variables and so on. It
PROINTERVIEW
“The startup fee for a channel is only US $2000
and there’s an annual subscription on top of that. The
minimum starting level is about $12,000 but it can go
up to around $90,000. It is based on the ad revenue
a channel gets, which is the best way to ensure it is
fair to the different players in the market here”
is designed to reflect the TV viewing population
of the UAE. All of the seven emirates have been
included although we have more from Dubai and
Abu Dhabi because there are more viewers here.
We have tried to construct a picture of the
UAE population and then tried to fill the panel to
reflect that.
What technology are you deploying at
people’s homes?
It looks a bit like a set-top box. It is connected to
the TV screen and takes samples from the audio
feed, which is later matched to off-air audio.
As soon as the TV is turned on, the box knows
something is being watched.
Each household is provided with a remote and
each person in that household is identified on
the remote with a button. One spouse would be
Button A, for instance, and the other would be
Button B and the child Button C and so on.
When the person switches on the TV, they are
supposed to press the relevant button and when
they leave the room, they are supposed to depress
the button again to indicate their exit.
That way, we not only know the programme
was watched by the household but we know the
individual profiles of the viewers. Of course, they
are anonymous when it comes to reporting.
Who manages these households?
Kantar Media will manage the panel and train them.
Panel management is a critical part of running a
TAM system and there are established models.
Sometimes, the panel receives a cash incentive.
The incentive persuades them to come on to the
panel but experience shows that it does not affect
their behaviour when they are on the panel.
A whole psychology goes into managing that
panel. If a household is not pressing its buttons,
Kantar will impress upon them the importance of
doing it and train them and if they still don’t do it,
they will take them off the panel and replace them.
What kind of measurement data can you obtain
from this?
We get individual demographic data on who
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29
PROINTERVIEW
“The audio signals from the household boxes are
matched with the off-air audio signals, alongside the
monitoring of programmes and spots, and that’s how we
know what they are watching”
watches what programme and at which times.
That data is uploaded via a mobile SIM card that
is in each box every night after 3 a.m. and the
data is then processed. The audio signals from the
household boxes are matched with the off-air audio
signals, alongside the monitoring of programmes
and spots, and that’s how we know what they are
watching. Around lunch time, we release minuteby-minute data at an individual level. Every day,
broadcasters and advertisers can see how their
ads fared the previous night. If there was a long ad
break in the middle of a popular programme and
everyone left the room, the ad spot will have a lower
rating than the programme and that changes the
dynamic of how we measure the audience. You’re
no longer guessing.
What, according to you, are some of the new
audience measurement systems on the market?
Companies have been doing people meter TV
measurement for at least ten years. The people
meters themselves are reliable and accurate
systems but there are new systems on the
market like portable people meter systems. They
look like a pager device but they allow you to
measure out-of-home viewing as well. This is
where people are moving to because with this,
you can also measure radio. Still others are
looking at online video measurement.
We have a very complicated viewership model.
Given what we know about this market, it would
have been difficult to put in a more complex
mode of measurement. I can’t imagine what it
would be like to do portable people meters. But
once companies begin to see the benefit of this
system, we will be ready to move towards a more
sophisticated system.
Who benefits the most?
The agencies and the advertisers will get more
accurate and reliable measure to what they are
buying. The broadcasters are involved in that
kind of transaction as well.
There is also the programming aspect to
it. From a broadcast point of view, you get
to know what people are watching, which
programmes are watched the most, when
people stop watching and how to change your
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PROINTERVIEW
schedules to ensure people don’t flip channels.
There is also the overarching aspect to it,
which is having an internationally recognised
way of accurate, open method of conducting
audience measurement and what they like and
don’t like.
That is important to a multi-national
advertiser, who probably is accountable to
someone in London and who wants to know
how his advertising dollars are being spent.
Clearly, we hope to see an overall increase in
the ad budget of the TV market.
There are reports about how this will help
everyone on a Gulf-wide basis. It will bring
more money into advertising and that will
mean more budget will become available for
programming and it makes advertising more
creative and entertaining. At the end of the day,
it is all about the viewers. PRO
Each person in a household “panel” will have to press a button when they watch TV.
Q & A with Kantar Media
Keld Nielson, global business development director of Kantar Media gives a wider
perspective on TAM systems in the market
Keld Nielson, Kantar Media.
The nature of TAM in the UAE:
The TAM system in the UAE follows
the international standard of
having people meters in private
households. The system is the
latest technology which makes it
suitable for the future and capable
of measuring digital television from
whatever source it may come. The
system is also capable of measuring
time-shifted viewing, which is a
rather important feature in these
PVR times.
The advantages of deploying a
TAM system:
One significant benefit is the
continued and strong trading
currency for all parties within the
television industry and that goes for
broadcasters and media agencies as
well as the advertisers.
Being based on international
standards, it is now possible to trade
and compare with other parts of the
world. From a programming side,
there are, likewise, important benefits.
The minute-by-minute data delivered
every day gives the broadcasters
valuable insights into how individual
programmes are performing and they
can, based on these data, take quick
action if needed.
our clients are up to date on what is
happening around the world in the
television environment.
Your company’s role in this
project:
The role of Kantar Media is to deliver
timely correct and reliable data
every day and to keep the service
running to international standards
and furthermore, make sure that
What percentage of increase
in advertising or other
benefits have been noted
in other markets with TAM
deployment:
An increase in advertising is
extremely difficult to predict as not
New trends in audience
measurement and where we
can see some of this in action:
At the moment, video consumption
via the internet is the big thing.
web sites and features like the BBC
iplayer are the biggest new focus area
globally and, therefore, measurement
of that and adding it to the daily
rating service is getting more and
more important.
At the moment, this is being
introduced in a number of countries
e.g. Switzerland, the United Kingdom
and Singapore.
that many countries are new to TAM.
Remember, nearly all markets in
Europe, the Americas and Asia etc.
have had TAM services for decades
and many things have happened
since those introductions.
However, I have no doubt that
the introduction of TAM in the UAE
and the Middle East will benefit TV
advertising within the region. Just
the fact that it is aligning itself
to the rest of the world makes it
significantly more attractive to
international advertisers.
Any unique aspects to this
project:
The first thing that comes to mind
is the uniqueness of the Middle
East region in terms of a wide range
of countries speaking the same
language and having a number of
broadcasters transmitting across
the region. It will be very interesting
to follow the development of TAM
within this region over the coming
years. PRO
PROVIEWPOINT
will host 147 nations. These events will take
place at nine different venues within the Olympic
park, a further 13 venues across London, and
another 10 venues across the UK. With so much
sporting action across a large number of venues,
it will be a real challenge to organise and manage
such a huge amount of live and post-produced
coverage for media audiences around the globe.
For larger broadcasters, such requirements
won’t be an issue, as they will already have
organised access to full facilities at the Olympics
media centre including production and
connectivity to base. These broadcasters are also
likely to have pool feeds and an army of SNG
and OB trucks scattered across London and the
UK to ensure they have access to all relevant
feeds. The real challenge comes for the smaller
broadcasters, who will be required to use their
initiative and find their own sites from which to
send content to the home broadcaster, with the
added challenge of ensuring they have resources
for production and connectivity – and as close to
the action as possible.
Fighting for space
at London 2012
With 300 events across 32 venues, smaller broadcasters
will find it challenging to ensure resources for production
and connectivity at London 2012, writes Alan Mercer,
operations director, SatStream
Broadcasters from the Middle East will soon be
joining a whole host of other broadcasters from
across the globe and descending on London for
the 2012 Olympic games. One thing London is
not famous for is its abundance of space. So,
in a packed, busy, and expensive city, how will
broadcasters and producers from the Middle
East and elsewhere manage the logistics
including the all-important feeds to base –
wherever they are in the world?
Content everywhere
London 2012 will play host to 205 nations, taking
part in a total of 300 events. The Paralympics,
which takes place following the Olympic games,
Space and connectivity
In any big city, the problem of space can be a big
issue at any time, but a high-profile event such as
the Olympics will naturally bring a whole host of
additional broadcasters, people and services into
the city. For those broadcasters travelling from
other countries, space will be a big issue.
Over recent years, new technology has
revolutionised editing and playout, which can
often be managed using desktop editing on smallscale equipment, such as laptops. Many smaller
broadcasters will need to improvise in terms of
production: for example, any suitable backcloth
will need to be used in pieces to camera, although
preferably with an Olympic or London theme, of
course. Post-production will be sited in temporary
facilities, again as close to the action as possible.
Connectivity, however, will remain one of
the biggest challenges for smaller broadcasters
covering the Olympics. Live and pre-recorded
feeds need to be managed with requirements
going way beyond ‘improvised’ connectivity
solutions such as ADSL and 3G.
The strain on the public internet networks will
be immense. As an example, it’s expected that
there will be an extra 500,000 visitors to London
during the Olympics and Paralympics, most of
who will be using all forms of internet access to
receive news feeds, send images, emails, check
out venue details on the internet etc. Watch
those bit-rates fall!
Add to that the fact, as discussed above, that
the Olympics won’t be centralised in one venue,
but instead there will be a whole host of events
taking place at venues across the country. The
33
PROVIEWPOINT
“Connectivity will remain one of the
biggest challenges for smaller broadcasters
covering the Olympics. Live and prerecorded feeds need to be managed with
requirements going way beyond ‘improvised’
connectivity solutions such as ADSL or 3G”
Alan Mercer, operations director, SatStream
broadcasters need to somehow gather those feeds
quickly and efficiently. For those with adequate
budgets, feeding by satellite or dedicated fibre is
an option, whereas for some, the public internet
will be the only option, which harks back to the
connectivity issues discussed above.
Adding value
Another major challenge when being forced
to improvise at an event such as this, is the
fact that most broadcasters will need post and
pre-production services. Adding voice, graphics
and editing packages to conform to broadcast
quotas will be key requirements, and such
requirements may once again be a huge issue
for those broadcasters with no specific studio or
production space booked locally.
Live feeds will make the process much
more challenging and make the need for an
appropriate location all the more crucial
in addition to, of course, connectivity
requirements. Here, the quality of service is
paramount – 100% availability and reliability
are pre-requisites. If commentary or voiceover is to be added, then the space needs to be
extremely well-thought out both in technical
and environmental terms. Again, this is not
something that can be achieved in the local
coffee-shop – a lack of infrastructure in an
inappropriate environment will inevitably lead to
frustration and disappointment.
The rapidly developing trend of multiplatform
content delivery adds yet another challenge for
those broadcasters without a base. The London
Olympics is almost certain to be one of the first
of its kind to reach out to such a vast array of
connected devices, from large flat-screen TVs to
the most miniature of smartphones. In fact, what
better example of an event where multi-platform
truly fits a purpose? Sporting fans across the
world will be watching the action and poring over
the results at different times of the day and night.
For viewers in the Middle East, for example, the
action won’t start until at least midday and then
go on into the night. Many people will be simply
going about their daily routine, but will want
to keep up with the action. It may be a case of
logging onto an internet feed in their lunch break,
or watching on their mobile phones on their way
to or from work, then sitting in front of the TV in
the evening – both live, and on-demand.
As a consequence, making Olympics coverage
available for multiplatform delivery will add
a whole extra angle for broadcasters and
mean that not only will they need space and
connectivity, but also the means to repurpose
and encode content for delivery to any number
of devices and platforms, worldwide.
Going for gold
Broadcasting the Olympics will come with its
challenges, more so for those broadcasters
travelling from across the globe and without
a fixed production space in which to handle
the hundreds of hours of feeds locally and to
customise, package and deliver to the host
broadcasters back home. There are numerous
improvised solutions possible – and undoubtedly,
many broadcasters will do so to good effect.
However, I don’t expect it will go smoothly.
Unpredictable service outages, producing and
post-producing content in unsuitable conditions
and unreliable connectivity are but a small
selection of the challenges ahead. PRO
YahLive provides capacity for London 2012
Olympics
YahLive, the commercial arm of
UAE-based satellite operator
Yahsat, has allocated both satellite capacity and a number of
HD channels to provide broadcasters with connectivity and
service, from London to the
Middle East, to facilitate their
TV coverage of the forthcoming London 2012 Olympics.
Collaborating with its
European strategic partners,
YahLive will provide local
connections and uplink
facilities, including DVB/
S2 MPGE4 encoding for
satellite broadcasting
services to the Middle East
via YahLive’s Y1A satellite.
“Our orbital location
of 52.5E provides an
ideal line-of-sight for direct
reception within the MENA
region. Using YahLive’s
connectivity, broadcasters
can transmit their Olympics
TV coverage on a demand
basis or HD channel on a
24/7 basis for the duration
of the Olympic games.”
Alan Mercer is operations
director at SatStream
PROREVIEW
Sony FS700 tested
BroadcastPro Middle East was given exclusive access to the much-awaited Sony
FS700 camera. We partnered with Dubai-based DoP and steadicam operator Tom
Lebaric to put the Sony FS700 through its paces
So here it is — the Sony NEX-FS700 — the longawaited big brother to the FS100. And was it
worth the wait? Indeed, yes.
At first glance, the FS700 looks very similar to
the FS100 except for a bigger snout thanks to the
addition of the ND filter wheel with ¼ (2 stops),
1/16 (4 stops) and 1/64 (6 stops) options on an
easy accessible switch. This is a great add-on
that the FS100 was missing. And then, the big
heart-stopping attraction – the 4K Exmor Super
35” CMOS image sensor in the FS700 is a massive
upgrade over the CMOS chip featured in the
FS100 and includes 11.6 megapixels with high
sensitivity and high signal-to-noise ratio.
The 11.6MP gives almost three-and-a-half times
more resolution than the FS100 at 4352x2662.
The 11.6MP sensor can deliver a richer image with
finer details and you can obtain a wider range of
colour of the AVCHD files it records. The internal
recording is still 4:2:0 though.
The rest of the controls and connections are in
the same location as the FS100 except they are
bigger, making it easier to find without groping
in the dark. There is also a tape measure hook
and hold switch feature that prevents accidental
changes to the setting while shooting.
Now, let’s look at the lens. The lens supplied
with the FS700 is the Sony 18~200 mm 11x zoom
(optical) F3.5 – 6.3. This will get you started
but if you want to undertake more creative
PROREVIEW
shooting, the FS700 comes with Sony’s E-mount
interchangeable lens system which means you can
use it with a wide variety of Sony’s NEX lenses.
You can also further expand its compatibility by
purchasing a lens adapter.
A mount lens adaptor for auto focus alpha
lenses is an option too. A very helpful feature is
the expanded focus of 4X and 8X magnification
with movable area of expansion that is really
helpful in those critical focusing moments.
On one of my test rounds, I tried the camera
under very low light conditions and was very
impressed with the amazingly low noise. For HD
video, the effective pixel count is 8.4 megapixels
which is sufficient to produce a 4K image, and
7.1-megapixel still images in photo mode.
The sensitivity range on the FS700 camcorder
goes from 0dB (ISO 500) all the way up to 30dB
(ISO 16000).
Another great feature is its four HyperGamma
settings, which is the same as the F3 camcorder.
If you are one of those cameramen who travel
and film a lot in different parts of the world, you’ll
find the switchable option between 50 Hz and 60 Hz
to allow 24p shooting and PAL/NTSC restrictions a
great advantage for your intercontinental shoots.
Clearly, this is what they call a world cam.
For recording full HD video, the NEX-FS700
uses AVCHD compression. When recording full
HD, it can use 60p, 50p, 60i, 24p, 25p, or 30p
frame rates—all with embedded time code and
audio. It can also output full HD video directly
using the 3G HD-SDI terminal with native 23.98,
25, and 29.97 progressive frame rates.
MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 AVCHD recording format
works well with Avid Media Composer and
Premiere Pro software, as I tried to edit the FS700
footage in both NLE systems.
Sony has worked on ergonomic improvement
too, and is a noticeable change from the FS100,
thus making detachable handle and grip handy.
This hand grip has four buttons for
quick access to its most needed
controls: a focus rocker, auto
aperture push, still image capture,
and a start/stop record button.
Very similar to the FS100 menu,
the FS700’s menu system is easy
and simple to navigate, featuring
dedicated buttons with quick
access to important controls.
The camera includes a
removable shotgun microphone
and two XLR inputs located near the front. The
second channel XLR input is moved to the right
front side of the camera to make room for a
3G-SDI link on the back. In order to access the
audio control buttons, you must open the LCD
panel on the back of the camcorder.
The 3.5 “LCD screen (920 000 dots) is sharp
and bright; it can rotate and tilt up and down.
Unfortunately, it cannot tilt side to side, which is
a bit of a challenge if the camera is mounted on
37
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Get professional-grade graphics and performance in a sleek, space-saving design
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© Copyright 2012 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Inside, the Intel Inside logo,
Xeon and Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
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PROREVIEW
“The FS700 is 4K ready,
and with the firmware that will
be available at a later stage, it
will output 4K resolution via 3G
SDI connector on a dedicated
external recorder”
Tom Lebaric, DoP and steadicam operator, Dubai
a tripod above head level. However, an external
monitor can resolve this. For shooting in bright
sunlight, there is a clip on VFtube that easily
attaches to the LCD. Incidentally, the monitor
seems to feature touch focus and touch focus
transition, like in the Epic.
The display offers video/film selections for
distance (meters/feet), sensitivity (dB gain/ ISO)
and shutter (speed/angle). On the left side near
the back, there are a few dedicated buttons that
help in assisting with exposure control, including
Histogram display and Zebra patterns.
The NEX-FS700 is equipped with a single SD
memory card slot that works with SDHC/SDXC
memory cards as well as Sony’s memory stick
cards. You can record full HD video directly to
the SD card, but you will not be able to record 4K
video in this manner, as 4K output will only be
available with the 3G HD-SDI terminal. However,
without the firmware upgrade, you can still
use the SDI terminal as an HD-SDI output for
uncompressed 1080p footage.
Lebaric on a test shoot in Abu Dhabi.
In a gist
Lebaric tested the camera under various lighting conditions.
PROS
* A vast choice of SLR and DSLR lenses
that can be used with FS700 E mount
flexibility, such as Canon, Nikon, PL
lens with inexpensive adaptors
* Built-in ND filters made of glass
* Clear image under low light
conditions and low image noise
* Top handle, strong and sturdy with
numerous screw holes for addons and side handle improvement
over FS100 (Zoom rocker)
* 60/50Hz switchable camcorder
enabling both PAL and NTSC recording
CONS
* LCD screen placement, no improvement
from FS100. If the camera is above
head level, you cannot see the screen
* 480 fps is half the vertical resolution,
and 960 is quarter vertical resolution
* 4K can be captured on external recorder
only, and firmware upgrade is needed
PROREVIEW
“This camera also has a super slow motion
filming feature, achieved by high frame rates of 240,
480 and even 960fps at lower resolutions and for the
first time, we can see super slow motion filming in this
price bracket”
Tom Lebaric, DoP and steadicam operator
Nevertheless, the FS700 is 4K ready, and with
the firmware that will be available at a later stage,
it will output 4K resolution via 3G SDI connector
on a dedicated external recorder. When that is
ready, the FS700 will be ready to compete directly
with Canon’s latest 4K model — the EOS C500
digital cinema camera. The difference is that the
Canon model costs three times more.
Being a steadicam operator myself, before
even trying the famed high-speed shooting mode,
I tried the camcorder on my Steadicam Flyer
LE24. Although the camera was very light on
my steadicam, and required extra weights to be
added on, it balanced very well statically and
dynamically. I was very impressed. Walking, as
well as running shots were smooth and steady.
This camera also has a super slow motion
filming feature, achieved by high frame rates of
240, 480 and even 960fps at lower resolutions and
for the first time, we can see super slow motion
filming in this price bracket.
Slow motion is not recorded in real time,
however. It needs to be buffered first, and it can
record around nine seconds of 240 fps footage.
(Full HD 1920x1080 is only possible at 240 fps,
whilst at 400 fps resolution, it is cut by half and at
800 fps, by a quarter), thus making it, in terms of
image quality usable at only 240 fps.
After buffering, this footage has to be recorded
to an SD card, which takes about 30 seconds.
However, if you decide not to keep the clip, you
can cancel it while it is being recorded to the SD
card. The best thing about slow motion shooting
is that you have the option to choose whether
you want to record those nine seconds before, in
the middle or after you press the record button,
so you do not miss the action you are trying to
capture in high speed.
Shooting in slow motion is great fun and I am
sure that soon we will see a lot of slow motion
clips around, as everyone will want to experiment
with it. We hope no one overdoes it.
The FS700 seems ideal for documentaries, indie
filmmakers, commercials, or B camera, if you have
an F3 already.
The bottom line is that Sony has upped the
ante in the market by delivering a 4K ready, super
slow-mo camera in an under US $10,000 price
tag and that, is a remarkable achievement. It will
compete with the DSLR shooting cameras now
while it can easily beat other 4K cameras that cost
three times more. PRO
Tom Lebaric is a DoP and steadicam operator based in Dubai.
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PROPRODUCTION
Hindistani beckons
The second season of Hindistani, a popular Saudi comedy series that includes a
Bollywood-style song-and-dance sequence is being shown on OSN Yahala as part of the
channel’s Ramadan programming. We go behind the scenes with the Al-Sharqi brothers
of production house Yara Media
Title of the Drama
Hindistani
Directed by:
Aws Al-Sharqi
Screenplay:
Usama Al-Sharqi
Starring:
Asaad al-Zahrani and Malayeen
Executive Producer:
Aws al-Sharqi
Production House:
Yara Media
The second season of Hindistani — the awardwinning home production from pay TV network
OSN — is being broadcast during Ramadan on
OSN Yahala, which was launched last October
and has quickly become one of the most watched
channels on the network’s bouquet. With double
the budget, only 30 episodes to film as opposed
to 40 last year and a longer time frame to plan
and shoot, Hindistani Season 2 is said to be
a massive improvement from Season 1. The
entire project was undertaken by Dubai-based
production house Yara Media, which is run by
brothers Usama K. Al-Sharqi and Aws Al-Sharqi.
Hindistani stood out from other Arabic drama
series in the region owing to the addition of a
Bollywood-style musical element to this comedy
series that is set in Saudi Arabia and looks at
some of the issues in Arab society. The new
series, which was scripted by Usama K. Al-Sharqi,
executive manager of Yara Media Services, looks
primarily at issues faced by the Arab youth.
Owing to the strong Bollywood element in the
series, Hindistani was primarily shot in India.
“There is so much energy with Indian
productions. We are not used to that in our
Arabic productions, which are usually fairly
slow-paced. Here, with comedy, fast cuts and
a song-and-dance sequence, we have a very
energised production. You rarely find so much
colour and vigour in the Arab world. We learnt
that from India,” explains director Aws Al-Sharqi.
Of the 400-strong crew and artists that worked
on the production, at least 90% were hired from
India. The main characters in the drama and a
few technical experts from the Arab world alone
flew down for the production. However, the
logistics of transporting the crew from Mumbai
to Hyderabad was a significant challenge.
“Most of the people travelled by train while
some came by plane,” explains Aws’ brother
PROPRODUCTION
and executive producer Usama Al-Sharqi.
“We also had the budget this year to get a more
popular Arab actor like Asaad Al-Zahrani to act
alongside Malayeen, who was the female lead in
the previous series as well. This series has seen
significant collaboration between both Arab and
Indian artists and the use of some fairly new
technology as well.”
“We used the Sony PMW F3 cameras
for this shoot and were perhaps the first in
Mumbai to use the Super 35mm XDCAM EX
technology,” chips in director Aws Al-Sharqi.
“Initially, I asked the Director of Photography
(DoP) Manoj Soni, who is well known in
Bollywood, to use this camera for just one day
to shoot a number of different sequences before
we began to shoot the episodes. But the HD
results were so amazing that we decided to
shoot the entire series with these cameras.”
Four Sony PMW F3 cameras with cinematic
lenses were used for the shoot although the team
employed RED cameras for the shows and songs.
Each song-and-dance sequence required
30 to 50 dancers while the introductory
sequence included a whopping 400 dancers.
Executive producer Usama Al-Sharqi adds that
besides trying to control such a large number
of dancers and technicians in summer, “every
element of the shoot had to be carefully planned
to ensure we did not exceed our budget”.
“Locations, interior design, stars, cast, and such a
vast number of dancers already put huge pressure
on budget. We had more than 300 technicians
participate in this production with 90% of them
being Indian and the rest, Arabs. If we did not pay
attention to every element to ensure there was
minimal error, we would have suffered significant
“Here, with comedy, fast cuts, and a songand-dance sequence, we have a very energised
production. You rarely find so much colour and vigour
in the Arab world. We learnt that from India”
Aws Al-Sharqi, director, Hindistani
losses in terms of budget,” explains Al-Sharqi.
A great deal of effort went especially into the
musical element, explains director Al-Sharqi.
“Each song required great effort and travelling
between countries just to produce the vocals. The
music was composed in India, the lyrics in Dubai
and the vocals were done in Saudi Arabia by the
From left: Actor Asaad Al-Zahrani;
Khulud Abu Homos, SVP Programming
and Creative Services at OSN; actress
Malayeen and director Aws Al-Sharqi.
45
PROPRODUCTION
The team on location in India.
famous singer Adel Khamees. In Damascus or
Beirut, the vocals were done by another famous
singer Hadiyah. This was a long and exhausting
exercise but luckily, Yara Media has an office in each
of these countries making coordination easier.”
Even choreographing the dances was a slight
challenge and the moves needed to be simplified
to ensure the Arab actors could also participate.
In addition, the director had to translate the
meaning of the lyrics to the dance designer to
ensure the dance was performed meaningfully.
Once the shoot was completed, the footage
was then brought back to Yara Media, where
the post production team primarily used Adobe
Premiere Pro CS6 for editing. In addition,
Adobe After Effects CS6 was used for special
effects in the songs and in the introduction.
“Shooting in Bollywood was very exciting
because you are working with a very professional
team,” explains director Al-Sharqi.
“When I began shooting in India three years
ago, I faced some difficulties especially with the
language, but over time, we have established a
common understanding and they are very skilled
in their work. Of course, dealing with artists
from different countries and having a mix of a
foreign and Indian technical team is quite tough.
Despite that, we have managed to elicit a very
creative performance from both. We shot in new
locations this year and the characters have lent
themselves to a different style of comedy that I am
sure will truly appeal to the Arab audience.” PRO
What’s cooking this Ramadan on OSN Yahala!
As part of its Ramadan programming,
OSN Yahala! will broadcast new
celebrity cooking shows, educational
Islamic programming, drama,
entertainment and talk shows.
Commenting on the breadth of
new and exclusive content, Khulud
Abu Homos, SVP Programming and
Creative Services at OSN says:
“This Ramadan, our focus has
been to create an exclusive content
proposition for our customers. We
understand that viewers have different
preferences and we have kept this
in mind when putting together our
programming for Ramadan so there’s
something for everyone.”
As part of OSN Yahala! HD’s new
offerings, cooking themed dramas
titled Yamak Ahmet, Znood El Sitt and
Saudi Chefs are being broadcast.
Yamak is the famous chef who
prepares feasts for the popular series,
Hareem Al Sultan.
He will share his recipes while
taking viewers to the early Ottoman
days to experience the life and magic
of Ramadan during that era. Adding
to the gastronomic indulgence is
Znood El Sitt — a comedy drama
series with four celebrity actors set
in old Damascus that will have you
laughing throughout but wait for the
end of the show when the four starts
get together and prepare mouth
watering authentic delicacies.
Another brand new series, Saudi
Chefs, sees the coming together
of two expert cooks, Chef Yousef
Khumayes and Chef Hani Zain who
demonstrate their passion for food in
their own style along with nutritionist
Lama Sultan.
Sisters’ Soup is another OSN
production presently being shot
in Lebanon. The show is about
three sisters, one guest and lots
of entertainment! Celebrity hosts,
Mais, Mai and Dana Hamdan create
an atmosphere filled with daring
questions, fun games, challenges and
surprises along with pre-shot footage
with the guest where the sisters take
them shopping and more.
Adding to the list of new and
exclusive series is Al Ghish Mamnoua,
where star host Muna Abdal Wahab
takes her celebrity guests back to
school. She places them on the hot
seat in her classroom-style set and
puts them through an exam of their
lifetime. Guests include Handeen
Sabahy (she was a candidate for
Egypt’s presidency) and Nawal Al
Saadawy (internationally renowned
Egyptian feminist).
A screenshot from Znood El Sitt.
Abu Homos adds: “For those
looking for more spiritual guidance
and content during Ramadan, we will
showcase a series of documentaries
and host a weekly session with Prof.
Dr Abdul Rahman Abbad, who is
the Secretary General of the scholars
and preachers in Palestine.”
OSN Yahala!HD will also include
the continuation of the popular and
closely followed Hareem Al Sultan
Season 2 – which is exclusive to OSN.
World Class
Automation
Over 30 systems controlling more than
200 channels in territories across the
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Stand 8.B58
ENTERPRISE LEVEL AUTOMATION
CHANNEL IN A BOX
PROVEN AUTOMATION SOLUTION
PROCASESTUDY
The 3G studio at DMI features
the new GV LDK 8000 camera.
Dubai Media Inc.
ups the ante with 3G studio
DMI recently upgraded its SD studio to a HD facility with 3G support. BroadcastPro Middle
East was given an exclusive tour of the newly-upgraded facility
State broadcaster Dubai Media Inc. (DMI)
has upgraded one of its Standard Definition
(SD) studios (Studio C) to a full-fledged
High Definition (HD) facility with complete
3G support. The upgraded studio became
operational last month. The multi-million dollar
project is part of the broadcaster’s overall
strategy to achieve 3G/HD functionality across
DMI’s technology department in the next couple
of years. The upgrade was completed earlier
this summer by Dubai-based systems integrator
Qvest Media.
As part of the upgrade, the studio is equipped
with Grass Valley’s 3G LDK 8000 world cam series
along with Snell’s Kahuna production switcher
and Miranda multi-viewers. Although equipped
with eight cameras, the facility is wired for ten
camera chains and can support a further two
if required. The studio recording and playback
is also wired to enable expansion to a tapeless
solution with integration to DMI’s Avid ISIS 7000
central editing system for ease of editing and
playback of programmes.
The upgraded facility includes a large working
PROCASESTUDY
From left: Afzal Lakdawala,
head of Technology Planning
& Projects reviews the new
workflow with chief engineer
Omar Alzoubi.
The newly upgraded PCR.
space for each operational area with state-of-theart audio and video monitoring that can display
full HD 1080P signals. The spacious work area was
included for operational convenience.
“The objective was to install a state-of-the-art
full HD TV production facility that will enable all
DMI channels to produce high-quality content,”
explains Omar Alzoubi, chief engineer, Broadcast
Systems, Dubai Media Inc.
“This is also the start to moving all of DMI’s
channels from SD to HD in a phased manner.
Creating content in HD will help us to realise this
objective. We replaced our old SD cameras and
gallery equipment with full HD studio equipment
that supports 3G specs. The main objective in
choosing this equipment was to ensure the best
quality possible, to work with ease in a multiformat environment of SD, HD and 3G, and move
seamlessly between formats and aspect ratios.
This will afford more flexibility for production from
this studio as we are beginning our HD migration,
where a mixed standard environment is inevitable.
“At the same time, we had to ensure that the
technology was future proof. As of date, the
best broadcast quality is possible and achievable
through HD 1080P, 3G broadcast equipment and
“This studio is the first step to achieving
our HD tapeless workflow across the technology
department. The remaining studios at DMI will
also be converted to HD in a phased manner”
Afzal Lakdawala, head of Technology Planning & Projects, DMI
systems. We have chosen future-proof systems.”
All of the hardware for the cameras, vision
mixer, router and multi viewer are located in
the central apparatus area. This also houses the
video, audio and data patch panels, Waveform
Rasterizers and high-quality video/audio
monitoring kit. The studio floor is equipped with
Grass Valley’s LDK 8000 cameras while the Snell
Kahuna 360 vision mixer, Sony’s HDCAM SR
VTRs, RCPs, the Miranda multi-viewer, VIZRT
solutions and teleprompters are located in the
studio gallery. The audio control room is kitted
out with an SSL C100 audio mixer.
While the studio will be used to produce HD
content that enhances the present quality of
recording and transmission, DMI will also now
be able to create HD archive material for all of its
In Brief
Client: Dubai Media Inc.
Systems Integrator: Qvest Media
Key Solutions
* Snell Kahuna 360 vision mixer
* GV LDK 8000/71 cameras
* Canon lenses
* Sony SRW 5800 VTRs
* SSL C 100 audio mixer
* Miranda Nvision router
* Miranda Kaleido X
* BDL Autoscript Prompters
* Vinten Osprey Elite tripods
* Jimmy Jib cranes
49
PROCASESTUDY
Staff at the upgraded production
control room at DMI and left bottom,
chief engineer Omar Alzoubi.
“The main objective in choosing this
equipment was to ensure the best quality
possible, to work with ease in a multi-format
environment of SD, HD and 3G, and move
seamlessly between formats and aspect ratios”
Omar Alzoubi, chief engineer, Broadcast Systems, Dubai Media Inc.
channels that produce programmes from this studio.
Afzal Lakdawala, who was recently promoted
to head of Technology Planning & Projects at DMI
says the studio is the first step to achieving “our
long term goal of producing and preserving our
content in HD”.
“Alongside this project, we are also
implementing a tapeless workflow as the output
One of the sets at the
upgraded studio.
of the studio will be recorded on our central
ISIS production server and once recorded, it will
become immediately available for further editing
on Avid Media Composer. This studio is the first
step towards achieving our HD tapeless workflow
across the technology department. The remaining
studios at DMI will also be converted to HD in a
phased manner. Also, the transmission chains for
DMI channels will be migrated to HD to ensure we
have a complete end-to-end HD workflow from
production all the way to transmission.”
The entire installation along with the cabling
supports 3G. The output of the gallery records
directly onto an ISIS storage for tapeless recording.
ISIS is connected with eight Avid Media Composers
for further editing and hence, the entire workflow
from acquisition to editing is tapeless.
“The studio supports 3G, HD and SD signals.
But looking at our workflow, we are presently
working on HD using IMX 50 for HD production
but the aim is to ultimately produce 1080P content
for which we might shift to a better file format in
the near future,” explains Lakdawala.
Extensive training was provided so that the
existing team could work on the new system.
“The only new workflow that required more
attention and training was the tapeless recording
and further processing of the media. This was
undertaken successfully,” explains Alzoubi.
DMI under its new CEO for Strategy,
Technology and Executive Affairs, Mohammad
Saeed Al Shahi has explored an aggressive overall
broadcast strategy for the next five years and we
hope to see that project materialise in phases. PRO
51
PROPRODUCTS
WITH YOSPACE,
IT’S PERSONAL
LYNX Technik
L-Band debut
Modular interface provider LYNX Technik AG
is launching a new yellobrik L-Band to fiber
transmitter and fiber to L-Band receiver set at
IBC 2012.
The yellobrik OTX 1910 is a fiber optic
transmitter sending analogue radio frequency
(RF) L-Band signals over a single-mode fiber
cable. This unit offers a switchable 13 or 18V
LNB power selector and an internal 22 KHz on/
off low-noise block tone generator for selecting
high or low frequency ranges. The yellobrik ORX 1900 is a fiber to L-Band
receiver for accepting and restoring RF
signals from a single-mode fiber. It accepts a
wide range of optical inputs including two RF
outputs for signal distribution or monitoring.
Both yellobriks support L-Band ranges from
700 MHz to 2300 MHz. They can be used as
standalone or housed in the 1RU yellobrik
rack frame for larger system applications.
ROSS BLACKSTORM
This file-based workflow support
player from Ross features an
improved video server engine with
new end-of-clip action, Targa Playlist
support, and FTP improvements.
Other features include a TimeCode
Support with LTC out or ATC insertion
The yellobrik ORX1900
is a fiber to L-Band
receiver for accepting and
restoring RF signals from
a single-mode fiber”
Together, they provide an ideal fiber solution
for a number of satellite applications, as well
as transporting L-Band signals to satellite
receivers. This solution set is also suitable
for transporting L-Band RF signals from
remote television sites to headend facilities
and any other application that requires a
high performance alternative to coaxial cable
transmission of L-Band signals.
The yellobrik OTX 1910 and ORX 1900
will be available shortly after the product is
introduced at IBC 2012.
from .mov timecode track, and
Dashboard Version 5.0 equipped
with multi-monitor, unicode character,
and timecode UI client support.
The BlackStorm 102P Playout
Server is a two-channel high
definition 1 rack unit video player.
It supports the Quicktime (.mov)
BLUE LUCY IN THE CLOUD
Blue Lucy Media (BLM) is launching a metered licencing
system for all of its advanced software-based content
acquisition, production tool and metadata management
products at IBC. BLM software is deployed on IT hardware
in the normal way, but users only pay for time when
the software is in production use. Automatic licensing
eliminates manual key entry, and quarterly billing for the
file format and a selection of codecs,
providing an easy to use and intuitive
client/server interface that is fully
integrated into the Ross DashBoard
Control System. The 1RU chassis is designed to
use off-the-shelf hardware and is
built on Dell server hardware.
service enables users to stay on budget. BLM’s model
provides the option of storing and processing master
content within their own facility with the ability to store
and manage selected content locally while providing
the advantages of the cloud as a pay-per-use and/or
pay-as-you-go service. BLM aims to dramatically reduce
the high costs and inefficiencies of media production by
implementing a commodity IT-based infrastructure.
Content distribution specialist,
Yospace, promises personalisation
of video streams at IBC. It will
replace content and advertising in
real time at the headend, delivering
single streams without buffering,
freezes or lost video.
Yospace’s approach interfaces
closely with the broadcaster’s
own playout automation system
allowing it to switch to alternate
content with frame accuracy,. This
means the viewer is unaware of
any content substitution.
The system can scale to any
number of simultaneous viewers
and content replacement because
this feature and streaming
distribution are offered as a
cloud service. A commercial
break can be tailored for each
individual viewer thanks to
sufficient granularity in the
subscriber management system.
Taken together Yospace solutions
enable broadcasters to support
the delivery of linear programming
to alternative platforms with a
powerful commercial proposition.
VISLINK TO DEMO MSAT
The broadcast version of Vislink’s
Advent Mantis “MSAT” Man
Portable Data Terminal will make
its European debut at IBC 2012.
MSAT is a portable tri-band satellite
antenna system designed for ease
of use and rapid deployment.
At 12.5 kgs, the Advent MSAT
can easily be carried by one
person. The system’s fully integrated
design means that set up takes
only minutes from arrival to satellite
acquisition, making it ideal for rapid
deployment field applications.
The antenna comes with a 65 or
90cm reflector as standard and can
be configured to be used in Ka, Ku
and X bands.
Think REAL.
Real Image
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PROPRODUCTS
DPA’S D:FACTO MICS
DPA Microphones is highlighting its
international reputation for distortionfree sound and ergonomic design at
IBC 2012 by showing a range of highquality microphones that are ideally
suited to broadcast applications.
DPA’s new d:facto vocal mic,
which made its debut earlier this
year at Prolight + Sound, will be
available at IBC.
The d:facto hand-held vocal
mic bridges the gap between live
stage performances and studio
recordings. Offering natural sound,
high separation from nearby sound
sources and extreme sound level
handling, this microphone is ideal
for live music broadcasting as it
combines a supercardiod pattern
with superb definition to give high
separation and true sound colour
on stage. In common with all DPA
mics, d:facto features superior gain
before feedback, while the inbuilt
3-step pop protection grid removes
unwanted noise.
BROADCAST PIX
IN CONTROL
Broadcast Pix has unveiled
its Video Control Center 3.1
software, which delivers PowerAux
multi-screen support for 1 M/E
systems, multi-lingual fluentview features, support for Grass
Valley K2 servers, and additional
enhancements.
Using a system’s programme
output and dual PowerAux
outputs, three “programmes” of
different content can be generated
using a 1 M/E Granite or Mica
system, and each can have up to
six key layers on top. It is ideal for
driving any combination of image
magnification (I-MAG) screens,
internet feeds, and live television
productions, because the multiscreen technology maintains one
frame of constant delay across
all outputs for continual lip sync
throughout the presentation.
Crystal previews Safire
Crystal Vision will be previewing its new
real-time chroma keyer, Safire 3 at IBC with
a significant increase in performance and
features making it ideal for all live virtual
productions, from studio to sport.
The enhanced chroma keying uses an
extremely sophisticated algorithm, giving
excellent results with minimal sensitivity to
camera noise.
New key processing features including
shaping and softening of edges, key noise
reduction, colour spill processing and
two-dimensional compensation for uneven
illumination of the backdrop all combine to
create a realistic key. Working with 3Gb/s,
HD and SD sources, Safire 3 makes it easy
to set up a realistic chroma key and can use
multiple points on the backdrop as well as on
the foreground object to automatically set up
the optimised processing.
It includes foreground colour correction
to help create a natural-looking composite
picture as well as up to ten frames of
foreground delay adjustment for offsetting
the delay caused by the graphics generators.
TERADEK CREATES
A BOND
Compact HD H.264 video encoder
specialist Teradek’s solutions
are now available through its
Dubai-based distributor Advanced
Media Trading. The Teradek Bond
is a camera-top cellular bonding
solution that fits in the palm of your
hand. The device supports up to five
3G or 4G modems simultaneously
from any cellular provider, which
Safire 3 forms part of a space-saving modular
system, with this single height 100mm x
266mm module allowing up to 12 chroma
keyers in 2U alongside any Crystal Vision
interface products.
enables news crews to broadcast
live from the most challenging
environments, like Super Bowl
XLVI. Since Bond requires low
upfront costs and no recurring fees,
it is an affordable alternative to the
bulky and high-cost commitments
that are common with existing
bonding solutions.
For the first time in the region,
the video-over-cellular setup
is ready for evaluation with a
combination of Du and Etisalat
3G and 4G modems in the
distributor’s showroom in Dubai.
This setup includes Teradek CUBE
250 the H.264 HDMI encoder,
Teradek Bond with connected 3G
and 4G modems and the Bond
Sputnik server to recombine the
various video feeds from Bond
into a cohesive stream that can
then be sent to an H.264 decoder
(like Teradek Cube 450, the HDMI
receiver) or played back online.
“The Bond works perfectly
over local providers’ network and
decreases the costs and loads
for wireless transmission on field
dramatically. It’s the SNG in your
palm,” said Pejman Ghorbani,
product manager, Advanced Media.
Several of the Bond cellular
solutions were used to televise Super
Bowl XLVI early this year. The Teradek
Bond being the world’s smallest
bonding cellular solution was utilised
by multiple TV networks across
the country and by media outlets
like the New York Post to transmit
comprehensive pre- and post-game
supplemental coverage live on air
and to the internet in HD.
Media Broadcasting Solutions
SCISYS – innovative software solutions for media broadcast
Federated Search
OpenAPI
Multimedia Attachments
Mulitisite- We do Radio! since more than 20 years ASAN
Cache
dira!
Came and visit SCISYS at the IBC, Amsterdam at the RAI in Hall 3, C44.
Or arrange a meeting: [email protected]
2012
Content Management · Production · Playout
Integrated System
New Regional
Management
Playout-Architecture
PROPRODUCTS
I-MOVIX IN SLOW-MO
Slow-mo solutions provider I-MOVIX
will release its X10 real time
continuous ultra-motion system
at IBC. The I-MOVIX X10 is the
industry’s first live ultra-motion
solution to deliver real-time,
continuous extreme slow motion in
full HD at a groundbreaking 300
fps (or 600 fps in 720p).
I-MOVIX claims that X10
outstrips the performance of
existing continuous super-slow
motion systems, which are
restricted to three times slower than
real time, or 75 fps.
Developed in partnership with
EVS, the I-MOVIX X10 system is
used with an EVS XT3 production
server under LSM control and
provides a familiar user interface
and controls that any broadcast
crew can use immediately without
any special training.
JVC unveils
ProHD
portable
monitor
series
JVC Professional Europe Ltd. has announced
the DT-X Series of portable ProHD
LCD monitors. Ideal for field and studio
applications, the new seven-inch AC/DC
monitors offer 1024x600 resolution with a
160-degree viewing angle and can display
576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p video
signals at a variety of frame rates.
There are three models in the DT-X
Series, with scaled I/O options and features
for specific needs. The basic DT-X71C
model offers one HDMI and one composite
video input, while the DT-X71H adds two
HD/SD-SDI inputs and an HD/SD-SDI loop
through output.
The DT-X71F includes an additional HD/
SD-SDI loop through output and one HDMI
converted to SDI output. All three models
include stereo audio input.
Other features include an adjustable
16:9/4:3 display, dual three-colour tally
lights, underscan and overscan, image flip,
customer editable video title, Canon DSLR
scale zoom-in, and safe mark display.
The DT-X71F, the most feature-rich model
in the series, also includes a waveform, vector
scope, RGB histogram, red/blue peaking focus
assist, zebra, false colour, blue only, internal
colour bars, image rotation and 16-channel
SDI (two-channel HDMI) audio meter.
Each monitor is powered via a four-pin
XLR 12V DC connector with included AC
adapter or an optional snap-on JVC BNVF823 7.2V battery. DT-X71 series monitors
also ship with a cold shoe mounting adaptor
and hood. When mounted to the GY-HM150,
the DT-X71 serves as a full-size studio
camera monitor.
The DT-X71C has a list price of £430, the
DT-X71H is priced at £740, and the DTX71F is priced at £1220. All models are now
available in the market.
Axon Cortex
Axon Digital Design will highlight the increasingly
important role that modular core processing
technology plays within modern broadcast workflows,
which are characterised as multivendor systems
where third-party interoperability and some form of
unified control mechanism is essential. Within this
environment, the way in which the various thirdparty system components ‘glue’ together and are
controlled and monitored is critical to the success of
the overall workflow.
One key focus at the Axon stand will be the
latest version of Axon’s Cortex software application,
which makes the implementation of multiple video
and audio signal paths easier, more efficient and
cost-effective.
Cortex provides comprehensive tools to configure,
monitor and maintain a diversity of devices including
Axon’s Synapse range of control modules and
other third-party products. The new Cortex Tally and
Mnemonic options provide a user to interface for
signal processing and routing equipment using native
protocols and/or GPI units in order to operate various
display and tally devices. The Generic Devices option
allows for interfacing to a number of third-party
devices using their native control and/or monitoring
protocols. Axon will also showcase a number of actual
customer-installed Cortex applications.
TOUCHDOWN.
MKH 8070 Long Gun Microphone
Capturing the Moment.
The MKH 8070 is in a league of its own.
Its excellent directivity and off-axis linearity
make it your ideal team member for major
broadcast and sporting events.
Sennheiser Middle East
Office # 345, Bldg. 6E/B
Dubai Airport Free Zone
P.O. Box 371004
Dubai, UAE
Tel: +971 4299 4004
Email: [email protected]
facebook.com/sennheiserme
It will reliably capture that magic moment
from a distance with a true and natural
sound, even under the toughest sonic and
climatic conditions.
Part of the flexible MKH 8000 series, just
add the MZD 8000 and it is a digital mic.
www.sennheiser.ae
PROPRODUCTS
JÜNGER AUDIO
INTRODUCES M*AP
Dynamics specialist Jünger Audio
will use IBC 2012 to unveil its
M*AP audio loudness processor.
This processor combines an audio
monitor controller and a loudness
measurement device in one unit,
thus providing comprehensive quality
control and loudness monitoring for
anyone working in a production or
broadcast environment.
Designed for quality checking
surround (5.1) and/or stereo
programmes, M*AP can be used
for live monitoring and also to
ensure compliance with government
regulations on loudness such as
the US CALM Act, the UK Ofcom
regulations and the French CSA
regulations, etc.
The unit comes with alarm signals
that alert the operator when pre-set
loudness thresholds are exceeded.
These signals can be delivered by
simple GPOs and/or SNMP traps,
which carry actual loudness values.
Loudness measurements can be
performed over a long run or over a
fraction of a programme, or both.
These measurements can be
triggered by automation systems via
GPIs or via the network.
For no extra cost, the M*AP’s
SDI board acts as an embedder as
well and comes with video delay to
compensate for any kind of audio
delay. This feature is ideal for those
looking to maintain lip sync in QA
suites or control rooms.
DIGITAL RAPIDS’ KAYAK
Kayak, the new dynamic workflow
platform from Digital Rapids, will
make its debut at IBC. The same
technology foundation powering
Digital Rapids’ new solutions
such as Transcode Manager 2.0
for end-user applications, Kayak
is available as a comprehensive
workflow technology platform for
customers, systems integrators
and software developers. Kayak
enables them to design, deploy
and manage customised workflows
that empower their businesses with
the operational efficiency, agility
and insight they need to thrive in
the expanding multi-screen media
landscape. Kayak’s innovative
approach streamlines operations
and harnesses technology from both
Digital Rapids and a rich third-party
partner ecosystem.
Oxygen DCT ProFlex monitors
Oxygen DCT has consolidated its reputation
for constant innovation with the launch of the
Evolution ProFlex range of monitors. This
latest addition to the popular Evolution Pro
range is targeted at more budget conscious
installations by offering broadcast picture
quality at consumer pricing levels.
Addressing the gallery and studio market,
Oxygen DCT’s low cost, high performance
Evolution ProFlex broadcast monitors give
budget conscious control rooms and galleries
access to professional grade monitoring,
thus negating the need to use large domestic
televisions that don’t offer the same level of
picture quality.
There are seven different sizes in the range,
from a super 9.7” to a high performance 10 bit,
1.06 billion colour 55” model and an emormous
70” screen. The Evolution ProFlex range is
designed to be flexible and is capable of being
driven by multi-viewer systems with between
four and 64 signals on a single screen. These
types of monitors are typically found in control
rooms, galleries and outside broadcast vehicles
and are the perfect antidote to using low
cost domestic or semi-professional monitors.
Unlike consumer screens, these monitors are
a consistent ergonomic design that will not
change model or design every six months as
occurs in the consumer market. They also have
broadcast colour reproduction with adjustable
colour controls, contrast and backlight setting
allowing broadcast users to colour match
panels together.
The 9.7” screens were initially developed
in conjunction with ITN, which installed
them in its new Channel Four News room.
Following further requests from other
customers Oxygen DCT decided to develop
a full range of sizes for galleries and outside
broadcast vehicles. Each screen is equipped
with the latest, high performance LCD
panels and low energy LED backlighting.
ProFlex monitors are designed to be flexible
with control from either rear mounted
buttons or a plug-in remote control panel.
DVI and HDMI inputs are standard whilst
3G-HD-SDI is optional. Prices for the
Evolution ProFlex start from just £355 for
the 9.7” to £477 for the 21.5” and £3,330 for
the 55” model.
Oxygen DCT’s Evolution Pro series is the
most extensive range of video monitors in the
industry and includes the Evolution Pro-X
series monitors, which are suited to grading
and other colour critical viewing applications.
RASCULAR AT THE HELM
At IBC 2012, Rascular is launching
the latest version of its flagship
product Helm. In a major product
advance, Helm is now integrated
with Ross Video’s openGear protocol.
Helm allows customers to pick bestof-breed technologies – branding
devices, routers, video servers, VTRs,
multi-image display processors
and modular gear - from a range of
different manufacturers and provides
a single, integrated, user-defined
PC-based control/monitoring surface
for operators.
By integrating with Ross Video’s
openGear platform standard — which
is designed from the ground up as
an open protocol — Helm now has
the potential to control any and
all technology that adheres to the
openGear standard.
In combination with the recent
announcement that Helm is now
also integrated with Snell’s RollCall
protocol, the range of technology with
which the platform integrates now
spreads across the industry.
9(
PROPRODUCTS
*VU
Avid makes the cut
Avid has released the Avid DS 11, the newest
version of the company’s editing, graphics
creation, colour correction, and compositing
solution. With new features such as handson colour correction with Avid Artist Colour
integration, expanded file format and hardware
support, 16 channels of embedded audio, total
conform to Media Composer 6 and Symphony
6, and more, DS 11 enables customers to
maximise creativity and enhance productivity
through more integrated, flexible workflows.
“With DS 11 our customers have all the
editing, compositing, painting, conforming, and
finishing tools they need to create and deliver
projects fast,” said David Colantuoni, senior
director of product management at Avid.
“We’re pleased to deliver enhanced
integration and flexibility in DS 11—providing
our customers with the highest quality tools
that can help them spend more time on
creating rather than rendering or exporting to
other applications.”
Features include Avid Artist colour and
Avid Artist transport integration; resolutionindependent canvas; blending modes in
HAIVISION INTRODUCES
VIPER 1.1
Haivision has announced the
availability of Viper 1.1, the latest
revision of its compact appliance
combining dual-channel HD encoding,
low-latency secure streaming,
video on demand, and a contextual
multichannel record-review-publish
workflow — all within a single chassis.
With the new release, the company
is also introducing the Viper VF, a
companion to the Furnace IP video
distribution system, tailored to
installations where many rooms need
the ability to record independently and
then publish the assets to a central
video-on-demand system.
“The Viper was conceived to
address the specific
NEVION HAS THE EDGE
timeline; long-GOP support; Avid DNxHD 444;
HDR file support; 16-channels embedded SDI
audio; RED; Media Composer 6/Symphony 6
conform and third-party hardware support.
Avid DS 11 software is available now. Pricing
begins at SMRP $10,299 USD for professional
licenses and each comes standard with a
copy of Media Composer 6 software. Upgrade
pricing begins SMRP $5,199 USD. Avid DS 11
can also be purchased as a turnkey hardware/
software system for an additional cost.
challenges of institutions that need
many rooms to record multichannel
content actively at any time without
relying on networks or central server
resources,” said Peter Maag, chief
marketing officer of Haivision.
“Today, the Viper is the most
powerful media appliance, whether
it’s serving as a stand-alone,
out-of-the-box IP video system or
addressing the needs of distributed
content recording.”
A user-controlled multi-stream
appliance, the Viper is designed for
capturing, streaming, and publishing
events relying on multimedia
sources — such as lectures that
include both the instructor and
an interactive computer display,
corporate presentations combining a
podium shot with rich media
presentations, or medical
skills labs or procedure
rooms with multiple camera
angles or sources.
The Viper streams and
records two real-time, full-framerate, HD H.264 streams containing
Nevion’s IP Media Edge Processor
(VS909-IPME) is a multi-functional
processing module in the Ventura
family of modular media transport
solutions that incorporates advanced
techniques for the IP-domain
processing and protecting of any IP
encapsulated media flow. The VS909IPME provides for the application of
a wide range of security, protection,
duplication, address translation and
quality assurance features including
Forward Error Correction (FEC),
Nevion’s Streaming Intelligent Packet
Switching (SIPS), Launch Delay Offset
(LDO), as well as multicast, unicast,
VLAN, RTP, and more. Focusing on processing IP flows
to optimise network performance,
the VS909-IPME is a key addition to
Nevion’s universal video IP adapter,
universal audio IP adapter, and
universal MPEG-2/H.264 video/
audio codec.
MIRANDA NVISION
ROUTER
either HD video or computer graphics
content. The multistream content
can be streamed and recorded
simultaneously, and accessed
securely through Haivision’s
patented, browser-independent
InStream player. Viper appliances enable users
to set up multichannel sessions,
initiate simultaneous streaming
and recording, and make content
available automatically for ondemand viewing — all through a
simple, user-friendly touch-screen
interface. Remote viewers can watch
live multistream HD content simply
by clicking a Web link and launching
the “zero-install” InStream player. With the new Viper VF for
distributed multistream recording,
users can record, review, and
publish content, leveraging a
powerful centralised Furnace videoon-demand system. To simplify
contributor and consumer privileges,
users can assign media rights for
each Viper via the central Furnace
conditional access administration.
The new NVISION 8140 provides
all of the advanced features of an
enterprise class router in a 144
x 288 matrix contained in just
8RU, and is designed for mobile
production suites and smaller
studios. Part of the NVISION 8500
Enterprise Class router series, the
compact NV8140 includes robust
features typically found in larger
routers — redundant power supplies,
control cards and crosspoints — but
provides them in a form factor that’s
perfect for space- and powerconstrained environments.
THOMSON FLEXSTREAM 2
Flextream 2.0 from Thomson Video
Networks frees up bandwidth
provisioned for the processing
of service components such as
audio, teletext, subtitling, and
closed captioning, allowing it to
be reallocated to improve video
quality. With Flextream 2.0, users
of Thomson Video Networks’ ViBE
encoders have the capability to
activate new Flextream mechanisms
to boost overall statistical
multiplexing system performance
and efficiency while simplifying
operations through easier
configuration and monitoring.
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PROPRODUCTS
MOSART NEWSCAST
AUTOMATION 3.0
Mosart’s Newscast Automation
3.0 includes interfaces with Harris
Nexio and Grass Valley K2 video
servers; Calrec and Stagetec
audio mixers; Casper, Xpression,
and Pixelpower graphics; and
Brainstorm virtual studio and
Camerobot systems.
The Mosart open-systems
compatibility is extended with
new support for Octopus and
Annova’s OpenMedia in addition
to ENPS, iNEWS, Dalet News, and
NorCom. Mosart now supports eight
manufacturers of audio mixers, five
manufacturers of vision mixers,
nine brands of video servers, nine
graphics systems, and six camera
robotics systems — as well as
simultaneous usage of gear from
multiple camera robotic vendors.
This year, Mosart launched a
Virtual Audio Fader Panel that gives
the director and production staff
more control and a better overview of
audio faders and levels — both those
on air and those coming up next.
Content repurposing/reuse
and media asset management
(MAM) integration are enhanced
with the Mosart delivery of news
as-run information to continuity
control systems such as Snell’s
Morpheus. Through the news
as-run integration, continuity and
MAM systems are now able to
reuse individual stories or events
from earlier recorded Mosart
productions. Mosart can also be
user-configured to query MAM
systems for metadata information. TEDIAL TARSYS
Tedial will maximise the benefits of
file-based platforms with its
Media Asset Management (MAM),
Hierarchical Storage Management
(HSM) and Business Process
Management (BPM) solutions.
Following in-depth feedback from
customers, Tedial has redesigned the
interface to its Tarsys MAM solution,
enhancing operator experience and
providing additional features for
cataloguing, editing and exporting
media to third-party systems. The
new GUI has been specifically
designed to simplify collaborative
working between professionals in any
media enterprise.
Brainstorm in the studio
At IBC2012, expect to see Brainstorm
Multimedia’s “eStudio” on-air graphics and
virtual studio engine, which is the fastest
platform upon which all other Brainstorm
products run, including EasySet 3D, a costeffective, trackless virtual set solution.
EasySet 3D provides a comprehensive 3D
real-time environment with stereoscopic
capabilities, integrated chroma keyer, up to
four SD/HD inputs, and a live switcher mode
with up to 12 live simultaneous productions
for easy transition between 3D cameras from
a single PC.
Brainstorm’s “Transition Logic
Technology” is now integrated into EasySet
3D to provide full interaction with any
COBHAM IN A MESH
Cobham will launch MediaMesh, a
powerful new concept in fast-setup
field newsrooms for major breaking
stories. The new MediaMesh
creates expandable networks
for live production from the field
employing many cutting edge
technologies to empower end users
to broadcast without boundaries.
MediaMesh uses ground-breaking
wireless technology to enable a
journalist in the field to establish
quickly and simply all the technology
required for a live broadcast.
This includes a broadcast quality
transmission path for live two-ways,
the capability of controlling the
camera remotely from the studio,
Brainstorm graphic element, including
complex 3D Augmented Reality applications.
IBC delegates can also see Brainstorm
Easy On-Air Graphics, an intuitive toolset
for live streaming based on building highly
creative designs on pre-defined templates,
no matter how detailed or complex. Easy
On-Air Graphics simplifies workflows and
content creation, enabling template editing,
playlist creation and live playout from a
single user interface.
Brainstorm’s “BrainNews” graphics
control system, is fully compatible with
Avid Command, enabling news departments
to integrate real-time 3D graphics without
input from designers.
file transfers and a high capacity
internet connection, access to the
base newsroom computer, and
cellphone access. All of this is
managed by equipment packed into
a single pelicase.
For a typical story, the journalist
will establish a base in a hotel
room, with the camera on a balcony
and a Ka-band satellite uplink on
the roof. All equipment is connected
over wireless, with standard Wifi
also available for the journalist’s
laptop and other devices.
If a dish is not available then
connection with base can be over
the public 3G/4G cellphone network,
or via the hotel’s ethernet connection
to the internet. If the requirements
of the story develop, the capabilities
and the area covered can be simply
extended by adding additional nodes
to the MediaMesh.
Television audiences now
expect that, wherever a big
story breaks, there will be a
journalist on the ground with solid
information and good pictures,”
explained Stuart Brown, broadcast
systems director of Cobham.
“With MediaMesh, all the
equipment to do that is in a single
box, designed for fast and foolproof
set-up. It means the journalist
spends as little time as possible
establishing the connection back
to base and the maximum amount
of time researching the story.”
PROGUEST
Project management, correct process and
scope of works defined with customers at the
start of projects are vital to the success of
projects finishing on time and on budget for
both parties
Systems integrators must go beyond
box shifting, customers must look
beyond price to performance
One dreary UK day in February 2011, I
recall reading an article by an end user in
Broadcast Pro Middle East about the role
of systems integrators in the Middle East
often being limited to that of box shifters
and what their role should ideally be.
Fast forward a year-and-a-half and I
am now in the Middle East working for a
systems integrator to address the issue that
was highlighted as well as many others.
It was argued that systems integrators
must become real business partners to their
clients, sell solutions rather than products
they have a vested interest in.
After numerous visits to different clients
in plus 40 degrees heat (and yes, I am told
to look forward to even hotter conditions!) I
can see the end user’s point of view.
The market is a melting pot of different
companies claiming to be integrators,
partners of integrators and even,
manufacturers here are integrators. So how can a customer go about selecting
the right integration partner?
Well, almost certainly, the partner
should be present locally. Their service and
after-sales support for any mission critical
system should just be a stone’s throw away.
Remote monitoring is an argument against
it but I have already seen three cases in
two months where people have had to fly in
from external countries to resolve problems.
Typically, they go three weeks back and
forth over email and telephone before
somebody jumps on a plane to fly down and
fix something. A systems integrator who
produces a turnkey system should be giving
clients one phone number to call in case of
problems. Asking customers to maintain
numbers for more than100 different
suppliers is not the best use of their time.
Running an integration company takes
strong financial backing and running large
projects needs cash flow. As an end user,
you do not want your projects to be delayed
because your systems integration partner
has a cash flow issue.
It’s important to be knowledgeable
but it’s equally important to have a good
solid experienced team of local solution
architects and engineers. Wiring resource
is crucial. Today, we see a need for
international experience coupled with local
staff, who are willing to be trained to narrow
the skills gap and to keep the experience in
the market.
Project management, correct process and
scope of works defined with customers at
the start of projects are vital to the success
of projects finishing on time and on budget
for both parties. Looking at historical
contracts, a lot of these documents are
missed or not adhered to resulting in delays
and unexpected costs.
Sadly, customer training on various
component parts within a system, cameras,
switchers, routers etc seems to be done on
PowerPoint instead of providing hands-on
training. As a systems integrator, I am in
favour of people doing more total workflow
solution training.
In addition, to provide the best possible
advice to an end user, a systems integrator
needs to be independent of manufacturers.
Only when this is the case can the end user
be sure he is getting an unbiased opinion
of his solutions. This is also one of the
core values a true systems integrator can
promote to its customer base.
In the real world, to take on the challenge
of becoming a real partner for the customer
takes big investments both fiscal and time
wise, so I’d like to leave clients with one final
thought. If there is a wish for the system
integrator to be a natural partner for the
end user and provide resources, knowledge,
design, after sales and training, a tender or
RFP should not be selected solely on price
or surely, one is asking for trouble. PRO
Paul Wallis is responsible for business
development at Salam Media Cast
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