1300SMILES Stadium chooses Techtel to upgrade big screen for Cowboys

Australia’s leading independent broadcast and enterprise audio visual integrator, Techtel, congratulates the North Queensland Cowboys on their momentous NRL Grand Final 2015 victory.

In early 2015, Techtel was chosen from a field of contenders to supply, design and construct a new scoreboard at 1300SMILES Stadium in Townsville, home of the North Queensland Cowboys. The project involved the removal of an older scoreboard on the Northern Stand which was replaced with a new, full colour LED scoreboard designed for all weather conditions. As part of the project Techtel was also required to install a scoreboard computer system that would supply the screen with match statistics, clocks and advertising.

Crucial to the project's success was the design and construction of the scoreboard frame, built in Townsville to exacting specifications and then craned into place for a perfect fit with the stadium support structures. The steel frame received a special treatment to protect the screen against the harsh North Queensland elements and to match existing fixtures throughout the stadium.

The LED screen, manufactured by Absen, uses DIP P10 LED technology that can produce an impressive brightness of up to 7000 nits. The screen is fully front-serviceable, as required by the stadium to ensure easy maintenance in the future. A smart power controller is connected to the stadium LAN which allows for PC control and monitoring of the screen’s power supply and ventilation system, giving the stadium total confidence that the system is operating normally.

The Scoreline™ computer system, manufactured by Pump Interactive, provides the stadium with a PC console to operate all screen graphics. Scoreline™ integrates with the match field statistics to offer the stadium an array of information that can be displayed on the screen to accompany the match clock and current game score.

Glenn Arboit, Manager, 1300SMILES Stadium  said “We needed to ensure that the screen upgrade met the requirements of hirers including the Cowboys but most importantly we wanted to make sure the fans enjoy a better product and experience at the game. On all counts we feel that we’ve successfully met the aims of this project and we’re very happy with the end product delivered”.

“Although only a small screen, this project has offered all the same challenges we face with any larger screen installation in the tropics”, commented Mal Chandler, Head of Sales at Techtel. “We’re very proud of the successful implementation and even more pleased to have been involved with the stadium and the Cowboys during their premiership season”.

The 1300Smiles Stadium LED screen was installed in July 2015, enhancing the at-game experience for fans at the last five home games of the Cowboys’ 2015 NRL season.

Screen Systems "Wincaps Q-Live" Listed in Editor’s Best of 2015

Techtel and vendor partner, Screen Systems, are delighted to learn that Screen's professional live subtitle and caption creation software Wincaps Q-Live has been selected to feature in TM Broadcast International’s round-up of the best products of 2015.

With a professional respeaker (voicewriter) demonstrating the accuracy of the the voice-recognition in Q-Live, the TM Broadcast editorial team were shown at NAB 2015 how software supports the creation and preparation of subtitling for live and fast-turnaround programmes bringing together high-end live and offline subtitling techniques in a single package.

Read the TM Broadcast International Best of 2015 Here

Want more information on Wincaps Q-Live? Click here.

Bridge Technologies Partners with Techtel for Asia Pacific

Oslo, Norway - Bridge Technologies has added Techtel to its network of business partners. Techtel will supply and support the full range of Bridge Technologies’ media monitoring and analysis solutions in the Asia Pacific market.

From its offices in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, Techtel services high-profile clients in the broadcast and telecommunications industry with solutions for television multi-stream playout and asset management, television live production and post production, newsroom production, radio automation, transmission and content delivery through terrestrial and satellite systems.

"We have a long history with monitoring and quality assurance products which we plan to take to the next level with the dynamic and progressive team at Bridge Technologies,” said Techtel’s Head of Sales, Mal Chandler.

“Techtel already integrates complex content delivery solutions and Bridge Technologies’ portfolio of products will extend our capability to ensure that quality of service is maintained from end-to-end.”

Bridge Technologies’ family of media monitoring and analysis solutions range from advanced network core monitoring systems for national and international networks to edge-specific and even customer premises applications with central server based correlation and aggregation.

“This new partnership will leverage Techtel’s vendor partner relationships throughout the broadcast telecommunications sector,” said James Chance, Regional Manager APAC of Bridge Technologies. “Techtel is the kind of company that can bring a wide range of expertise to the task, ensuring that the solutions they supply really meet the customer’s needs, well into the future.”

Bridge Technologies recently won Best of Show awards at both IBC and NAB for its Gold TS Protection monitoring technology which was launched earlier in 2015.

NASA TV UHD channel launches with advanced 4K technologies from Harmonic

View fullsize

Ambient Video Channel Provides Viewers With Breathtaking Imagery of Space Leveraging Advanced 4K UHD Technologies From Harmonic.

Harmonic, the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure, today announced that NASA TV UHD, the first consumer Ultra HD (UHD) channel in North America, is now available. Leveraging an end-to-end UHD delivery system from Harmonic, NASA’s ambient video channel provides consumers with a wide array of out-of-this-world linear 2160p60 video content, capturing the breathtaking beauty of the space program.

Transmitted in the clear via the SES AMC-18C satellite, NASA TV UHD is remotely produced by Harmonic and jointly operated with NASA. Harmonic is currently in discussions with pay-TV operators to carry the channel on their satellite DTH, cable and optical networks. Tests are underway to enable consumption on a wide range of television and IP-connected devices. The channel will also be available for OTT streaming at a later date, to be determined.

NASA TV UHD consists of eight brand-new TV series designed to explore the various facets of NASA’s space program. These include: “ISS Life,” documenting life on the space station from the first-person perspective of the astronauts; “Earth View,” the astronauts’ unique perception of our planet; “Solar System,” showing vibrant imagery of the earth’s neighboring planets and the sun, including time-lapse videos using solar dynamics observatory images; “Deep Space,” animated UHD still imagery captured from the Hubble telescope and other telescopic platforms; “NASA Classics,” important highlights from NASA's history, such as the Apollo program; “Mars,” an entire program dedicated to the intriguing red planet; “Liftoff,” an up-close look at spacecraft launches, including rocket tests; and “Development,” detailing the training and R&D efforts that take place before each NASA mission.

“Not only is NASA TV UHD the first consumer UHD channel in North America, the ambient nature of the channel is unlike anything anyone has ever seen before, taking the consumer entertainment experience to a whole new level,” said Peter Alexander, chief marketing officer at Harmonic. “Each program featured on NASA TV UHD is composed of long, beautiful shots that can only be described as breathtaking. Delivered in the eight million pixel resolution of the UHD format, it truly is a remarkable viewing experience that would not have been possible without Harmonic’s complete solution for Ultra HD video production and delivery. We’re happy that the channel is now operational with the first tranche of content.”

The NASA TV UHD utilizes an end-to-end solution that includes Harmonic’s Ellipse® 3000 contribution encoder, ProView™ 7100 integrated receiver-decoder (IRD), MediaGrid shared storage system, Polaris™ playout management suite, Spectrum™ X advanced media server system, Electra™ X2 and Electra X3 advanced media processors, ProMedia® Origin packager and streaming video server and NSG™ Exo distributed CCAP system.

At the heart of the UHD workflow is Harmonic’s Electra X3 advanced media processor, the industry’s first converged media processor for UHD content with live, full-frame, full-GOP UHD encoding. Powered by the Harmonic PURE Compression Engine™, an advanced encoding technology that supports resolutions up to 2160p60 (HEVC Main 10) for broadcast and OTT multiscreen delivery, the Electra X3 enables superior video quality at minimum bandwidth.

For more information on Harmonic, instructions for gaining access to the NASA TV UHD channel, and to view the trailer, visit: http://info.harmonicinc.com/nasa-uhd.
 

Monash University builds state-of-the-art broadcast facility with Techtel

in the control room at monash university

Sydney, Australia, 30th October 2015 – Monash University in Melbourne has selected Techtel to build a state-of-the-art broadcast facility as part of a major upgrade to their School of Media, Film and Journalism. The facility will provide students with a MOS-integrated newsroom environment, complete with a TV studio, two radio studios, five edit suites and three voiceover booths.

Recently celebrated as the 5th highest ranking university in Australia and 73rd worldwide in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings of the top 800 higher education institutions, Monash University’s media and journalism students will soon have access to one of the most sophisticated media production facilities in the country where they can gain invaluable practical experience with the systems that are used throughout Australia’s major broadcasters and future employers of today’s media students.

In accordance with the university’s design guidelines, Techtel proposed a cost-effective turnkey broadcast solution which includes the industry standard in newsroom systems, AP ENPS in addition to the SIENNA Media Asset Management system, Panasonic’s AV-HS450 switcher, CueScript teleprompters and Yamaha mixing & speakers.

ENPS workstations in the simulated newsroom environment at monash university

Australian broadcasters depend on the market leading ENPS to deliver their news every day so it makes sense for universities to train their students on the software to prepare them for a career in the industry. Tightly integrated to ENPS via MOS is the SIENNA production system, a complete end-to-end digital media infrastructure for newsroom environments. Workflow elements include ingest, asset management, video editing integration, ENPS client integration, automation, playout and archive. SIENNA offers outstanding support for virtually every MOS profile and feature, including the ability for students to edit ENPS stories from the Adobe Premier desktop.

“We welcome Monash University to the growing family of ENPS users and educators throughout Australia and New Zealand”, commented Mal Chandler, Head of Sales at Techtel. “The turnkey solution Techtel has provided to Monash has demonstrated our capability to deliver innovative solutions to educate the next generation of talented producers and journalists.”

Monash University’s new broadcast system was commissioned in October 2015 with the official launch planned for early 2016.
 

MORE IMAGES:

Cuescript prompters in the studio at monash university

Allianz Stadium keeps score with Techtel

Sydney, Australia, 30th October 2015 – ALLIANZ Stadium is Australia’s most high-tech sporting venue, boasting a cutting edge media server solution that integrates the ground’s 277m2 super-screens with its extensive digital assets, including its LED ribbon board and 1200-screen IPTV networks.

The Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust selected the UK’s 7thSense Design to provide their media server solution as part of a landmark technology upgrade to Allianz Stadium in Moore Park, Sydney. 

Systems integrator Techtel was successful in its bid for the Allianz Stadium control room upgrade project and was later selected to supply and install the 7thSense® Delta Infinity II Media Server to feed the high definition LED video boards at the north and south ends of the stadium. 7thSense systems also serve LED displays located at the pitch and along the terrace barriers throughout the stadium, used to offer unrivalled digital fan engagement and match-day experience as well as advertising and sponsorship branding.

The Delta Infinity II solution at Allianz provides 4 SDI in and 4 SDI out channels which deliver content to the stadium LED screens. The single device solution means all video overlays are simultaneous and allows for independent synchronisation of outputs to compensate for any downstream delay.

Delta Infinity II integrates with Cisco’s StadiumVision, the innovative video and digital content distribution solution used at Allianz Stadium to centrally manage and target delivery of customised content to any combination of monitors throughout the venue. Delta Infinity II can trigger the playback of predefined content – such as a goal or try – on the 1200 StadiumVision connected screens in the venue to match the SDI output overlay shown on the large scale stadium screens.

The Delta WebService interface from 7thSense has also played an important role in the newly upgraded control room, providing a fully customisable web-based control to manage the media server. As NSW’s favourite place to watch rugby league, union and football, WebService provides Allianz Stadium with simple, flexible control over the team branding that is displayed when an operator triggers various events during the match.
Allianz Stadium’s self-funded $20 million upgrade was successfully completed in March 2015 and boasts two giant high-definition superscreens, free wi-fi and a 1200-screen IPTV network.

About Techtel
Techtel is a leading independent broadcast technology systems specialist, providing dedicated hardware and software to the Asia Pacific broadcast and telecommunications industries. Techtel’s expertise extends from consulting and systems integration through to the supply, installation and support of solutions from an elite class of worldwide partners. The Techtel Group has regional offices in Sydney and Singapore with branches in Auckland and Melbourne. Visit www.techtel.tv.

About the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust
The SCG Trust is responsible for managing two of Australia’s most celebrated sporting venues, the Sydney Cricket Ground and Allianz Stadium. In addition to the two grounds, there is a central sports precinct of international standing that includes the headquarters of several major sporting franchises and codes, as well as a fitness centre, club facilities and sports museum. 
The Sydney Cricket Ground recently received to global accolades at the Stadium Business Awards in Barcelona including, Sports Event of the Year for the 2014 Major League Baseball Opening Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the LA Dodgers, and Project of the Year for the MA Noble, Don Bradman and Dally Messenger stand redevelopment. Visit www.scgt.nsw.gov.au for further detail or follow our Twitter accounts @scg and @AllianzStadium. 

# # #

For more information on this press release please contact Jenna Clark at Techtel on (02) 9906 1488 or email jclark@techtel.com.au.

Lynx Technik launches new 4K and 8K solutions at IBC 2015

Lynx Technik, famous for its feature-rich, brick-style line of production and transport products, demonstrated several new 4K/3D/3G/HD/SD and fiber and signal processing solutions at IBC 2015.

Among them was the PMV 1841 Quad-Split yellobrik. It is a compact, portable quad-split processor that supports the display of 4x 3G/HD/SDI-SDI inputs on a single HDMI display. It includes an integrated 4K down converter, for applications that require 4K (12G, quad-link) HDMI monitoring.

The OTR 1442 yellobrik 4K transmission system is LYNX Techniks new 4K fiber solution. It can address a number of signal applications such as 4 x SDI (4K 12G) Fiber Transport, with the option of adding Ethernet or Serial RS232 plus GPI.

Connecting the OTR 1441 4K transmission solution into the OTR 1442 expansion port will add 4x more SDI channels to the system. This enables the transport of uncompressed 8 x SDI (8K 24G) over a single fiber link. The OTR 1441 and OTR 1442 can also be combined to send and receive 4K (12G) over a single fiber link to form an 8 x SDI (2x 12G) 4K Bi-Directional Fiber Transport. The products are ideal for the transmission of 4K over long distances up to 20 kilometers (12 miles).

The new release of yelloGUI (version 2.3.0) is now Windows 10 compatible. The yelloGUI software application is a free download which provides extended and enhanced access to internal yellobrik settings and controls, many of which are not accessible from the provided local controls and switches.

The new release of our APPolo software (version 8.4.0) is also Windows 10 compatible. The LYNX APPolo control system is a powerful yet simple solution in terms of implementation and use. It facilitates remote control, status monitoring and error reporting of all connected LYNX hardware within one centralized system.

Techtel partner Net Insight acquires US software company ScheduALL

A letter from Net Insight CEO, Fredrik Tumegård:

Today we are starting a new chapter in our lives. Earlier today we announced an agreement in which Net Insight will acquire 100% of the US software company ScheduALL. Together we will not only be a more innovative and competitive company, with a wider reach, we will become the market leader in our industry.

The global media industry is changing rapidly. We are convinced that this new company structure will create a more attractive, cohesive and seamless offering, which will contribute to shaping the future of television. This means that we will be able to offer a more in-depth and unique know-how in media transport and workflows, as well as a broader and more integrated solution to service providers and media companies around the world.

As you know, Net Insight is the leading provider of live, interactive and on-demand media transport. Due to our successful long-time strategic partnership with ScheduALL, we are sure that the integration will be smooth for everyone involved, including our portfolio of 500 customers.

Earlier this year we launched a new brand platform, which is acting as the foundation of our company. We were pleased to recognize that the employees of ScheduALL already share our values and the way we do business. With all the passionate, experienced and skilled employees in the joint business, we have taken a giant leap closer to our vision “to enable a live and interactive media experience for anyone on Earth”.

Fredrik Tumegård
Chief Executive Officer
Net Insight

Virtual Machine, BYOD & Rental Options Announced for Screen’s Premium Subtitling Solution

Screen Subtitling Systems has announced that they have released their world-renowned subtitle transmission system Polistream as Virtual Machine, Bring-Your-Own-Device and OPEX Rental options to better meet market demand.

Screen’s Polistream Black system has remained a mainstay solution in broadcast as a premium subtitle delivery system since its launch. Revolutionising the company’s popular Blue system, Black employs an energy efficient universal 1U unit and an array of software modules and internal cards to satisfy the customer’s requirements.

Gary Glover, Screen’s Acting MD said: “Polistream is still considered to be a superior product in the market in terms of quality of output, its reliability and the flexibility it offers but we have had to consider the way the solution is supplied to accommodate the radically changing ways our customers now operate.”

Following a period of customer consultation Screen expressed they had learned that the presence of additional hardware on-site, in this case in the shape of their 1U Polistream unit was becoming a sticking point with some customers.

“We’ve had no doubt for years this was going to be the case at some point, but we wanted the time to be right to release the extended options.”: said Glover.

Both Screen’s new Virtual Machine and Bring-Your-Own-Device options, the latter allowing customers to run Polistream on their own server, offer a solution to IP based systems for DVB playout, transcoding and retiming of subtitles.

Glover added: “Besides the VM and BYOD options we’ve responded to customers who have expressed a desire to use Polistream for increasing numbers of shorter-term projects but found the capital expenditure outlay to be an obstacle.”

“In response to that, we’re delighted to now offer an option to rent a full system from us.”

Archimedia releases Iris 1.0, a file-based workflow accelerator overcoming six points of delay

Archimedia today announced the release of Iris 1.0, a suite of applications that overcomes six specific areas where file-based media production and distribution traditionally bog down.
“People who are involved with file-based workflow recognize these areas immediately,” says Mark Gray, CEO of Archimedia. “They are places in file-based workflow that are fundamentally different than linear workflow, and where unprecedented challenges slow things down.”    
  
Overcoming these delays has not been easy. For the past eight years, Archimedia engineers have examined file based video production from all angles, built applications, and tested them at 14 beta sites. That work is done and Archimedia is releasing Iris 1.0, a suite of applications designed to change these six areas of delay into areas where workflow can be accelerated. 

Of the applications that are part of the Iris 1.0 suite, two are technical, three aid communication and collaboration, and one enhances project management. 

The six workflow points of delay and Iris 1.0’s approach to resolving them include:   
Coordinating Multiple Locations - There was a time when video production was limited by the physical presence of the master tape. But now file components are broken apart and worked on in many locations simultaneously. When remote workers cannot “see” the file work in progress, it can be hard to explain changes that need to be made. Iris puts a frame-accurate view of the file on every content production and distribution team member’s computer screen, anywhere in the building or anywhere in the world. Because team members see the work being done by others in real time, the whole team can work faster.  

Coordinating Parallel Component Work - When production workflow was linear, work was done in a linear sequence. But in file-based work, components are worked on in parallel. Because changes made to one file component will immediately affect others, delays in communication can cause delays in production. For example, if a section of a program is ordered to be reshot, unless notified immediately, production team members could be wasting time on frames that will never be used.  Iris provides users a way to update their production team instantly using a specialized chat network for sharing news of changes and progress. Users also can read the notification of a change, and view the targeted frames, all on the same screen view. Less confusion during parallel work can speed production.   

Speeding the Approval Process - Nothing slows down production more than slow approvals. To help, another Iris application works like a digital grease pencil. Creative directors can use it to circle or mark parts of a frame that needs color correction, frames that need editing, or sound that needs remixing. Standards & Practices reviewers can mark and comment on parental guidance while viewing a proxy, and master editors can see their marks and comments in their edit master files.The ability to send immediate visualized instruction to any user gives supervisors a faster way to communicate needed changes and speeds the approval process. 

Juggling Video File Formats - There are far more file formats than linear video formats. Iris prevents delay by having a powerful built-in media player for all formats.  Creatives will like to know that the Iris video engine is quietly working behind-the-scenes to make hundreds of different file formats look right on any screen. Technical members of the production team will want to bring up the technical control panel enabling them to make detailed measurements and annotations on any format, and pass them on to workers using any other format. The ability to access and play almost any video format without the need for an engineer to set up file conversions will speed workflow. 

Resolving Video File QC Problems - Quality control for file based video is far more complicated than with traditional linear video because of the vast number of file variables, any of which can cause compatibility or quality problems. Iris has an entire test and measurement application built into the suite. Creative members of the production team will feel assured that this functionality is running quietly in the background giving them a simple Yes/No on format compatibility with their project, while more technical team members will want to bring up test and measurement control screens to gain access to a waveform monitor, vectorscope, audio scopes, test patterns and other test and measurement tools. Having a full set of T&M tools built into the suite avoids file tech problems and speeds production. 

Resolving Mistakes and Disputes - Iris keeps a record of every conversation in the lifecycle of a file based media workflow. It will record when the file was modified, by whom, specifics of what was done, and where the parent files are. This information is stored in Iris as a permanent record. When a file problem arises, this record can help resolve it quickly and prevent it from happening again.   

File based workflow can bring efficiencies, scalability, and lower costs but also comes with new challenges that can cause delay. Iris 1.0 is a suite of integrated applications that gives content production and distribution teams the tools they need to turn these points of delay into points of workflow acceleration.

SiliconCore Technology of Choice for InfoComm 2015

SiliconCore’s Orchid 1.9mm display will be the first touchpoint for over 38,000 visitors arriving at InfoComm 2015 from the 13th - 19th June, with a striking Full HD resolution display at the entrance. SiliconCore’s complete range of direct view LED displays including the Lavender 1.2mm, Magnolia 1.50mm and Peony 2.6mm will be showcased on booth 4679, all featuring the manufacturer’s revolutionary Common Cathode technology.

Eric Li, CEO and Inventor, SiliconCore comments:

“2015 has been a phenomenal year for SiliconCore so far, with our Common Cathode solution being granted an additional two patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), enhancing our position as the innovation leader in the field of LED display technology. We always have a great reaction from visitors at the InfoComm Show, it’s a fantastic opportunity for people to get up close and personal with our ultra fine pixel pitch displays.”

The products featured are ideal for creating highly immersive, close proximity viewing experiences for applications ranging from command and control through to corporate lobbies, auditorium’s, broadcast studios and virtual balconies on cruise ships.

A 6m x 1.6m approx. Magnolia 1.50mm LED will be the centre point of the booth, displayed in a 40.4o curved formation. The groundbreaking Lavender 1.2mm, which began shipping in April, will be presented in a Full HD resolution at a diagonal diameter of just 110”, bringing the benefits of LED to new markets for close proximity viewing at a comparable size to single panel large format displays.

SiliconCore has made these higher resolution LED displays possible by developing a new way to drive the LEDs using Common Cathode Technology, replacing the traditional Common Anode approach. The Common Cathode driver design is a much more efficient at generating a given brightness for a given amount of power, ensuring that less power is wasted as heat, reducing power consumption and increasing the lifespan of the display. This results in market leading total cost of ownership.

VidiGo to launch world’s first cloud based live multi camera production workflow at IBC2015

VidiGo’s R&D lab demonstrated the first streaming multi-viewers and streaming controlled User Interfaces of their software based live TV production workflow, called VidiGo Live. With extremely low latency, live remote production now becomes a reality. This new, breakthrough technology will be a game changer in Outside Broadcast, regional television networks and the registration of sport events.

The technology is quite similar to the latest innovations in the gaming industry, like for instance the OnLive Game Service, just acquired by Sony. VidiGo developed a similar technology, optimized for the demanding broadcast industry. VidiGo created streaming proxy’s with full control over latency, bandwidth usage and image quality, creating a workflow that is really suitable for TV production.

“Now we have both the visual feedback from the cameras fully streaming and the UI streaming, we can really say we have created the first Cloud Service in live TV production.” Said Peter IJkhout – CTO VidiGo. “ I am convinced that this will create a complete mind shift in TV production, especially in the mid-end market. If I were responsible for production, I would not invest in a new OB Van anymore. That really comes to an end real quickly. ”

At IBC 2015 in Amsterdam, the most important convention in the industry, VidiGo will launch world’s first Cloud Based Live production workflow.

Telestream Boosts GPU Acceleration with New Lightspeed K80 Server

Lightspeed K80 Server takes advantage of the latest GPU/CPU acceleration technologies to increase speed and productivity for Vantage software-enabled media processing platform products

Nevada City, Calif., April 13, 2015 – Telestream®, the leading provider of video transcoding and workflow automation solutions, today announced a new Lightspeed® Server model. Lightspeed K80 Server utilizes cutting-edge technologies from NVidia and Intel to further boost video processing and H.264 encoding speeds for its Vantage® software-enabled media processing platform products. 

"We’re very excited to announce the next generation of Lightspeed Servers " said Paul Turner, VP of Enterprise Product Management at Telestream. "Today’s file-based workflows are evolving. As they expand to accommodate new processes and to enable delivery to multiple platforms such as traditional TV, Web and mobile devices, they inevitably require additional processing power. The Lightspeed K80 server raises the bar for media processing, offering major gains in processing speed – in many cases 5x or more improvement over CPU speeds – without compromising the quality of the processed media."

The Lightspeed K80 Server, with the latest technologies from NVidia and Intel, offers significant productivity improvements over the previous Lightspeed Servers. The combination of NVidia K80 GPU technology coupled with twin 12-core CPUs provides cutting-edge speed. 2 TB of high-performance media storage is also included. The K80 server supports Vantage version 6.2 or later.

Lightspeed Server provides high-density transcoding and video processing in an efficient, 1 RU (rack unit) server with minimal space, electrical and thermal footprint requirements. As a part of the Vantage product family, Lightspeed Server can be used alone, clustered to increase capacity or added to an existing Vantage ecosystem.

Exclusive Lightspeed® technology accelerates Telestream’s award-winning H.264 transcoding and video processing, including image scaling, deinterlacing, frame rate conversion, motion vector calculation, compositing and other compute-intensive tasks for Vantage products.

Lightspeed K80 Server will be available mid-May from Telestream’s worldwide network of direct enterprise sales and resellers.  For more information about Telestream, visit www.telestream.net.

Ross Video Introduces Carbonite Black at NAB 2015

Today, Ross Video announces that NAB 2015 will see the introduction of Carbonite Black, the latest addition to Ross Video’s best selling production switcher family.

Carbonite Black brings expanded I/O and ME count to the Carbonite series, with a beautiful new control panel, 3 full MEs, 36 Inputs and 22 outputs – plus all of the superior features found in other Carbonite models such as MiniMEs, MultiScreen, 3G and UHD (4K) format support.

Carbonite Black

“When we introduced Carbonite, it became an instant hit as it completely changed the price and performance model for 1 and 2 ME production switchers. Carbonite Black is designed to do the same thing, but for productions that require larger I/O or 3 MEs,” stated Nigel Spratling, Marketing Product Manager. “Carbonite Black not only looks fantastic, but has more production features and performance than any other product available at this price point. We know that customers will really like this product – and it’s what many of them have been asking us for.”

The 2RU Carbonite Black frame will be available with 2 or 3 MEs, and will accept all current signal formats as standard – including 3G/1080P 50/59.94 and UHD quad link with no reduction of resources whatsoever when processing these higher data rates.

“With 3 MEs and 4 MiniMEs, this switcher effectively has 7 fully available MEs and a total of 23 keyers,” continued Nigel. “Until now, there has been nothing available that can offer this much production power at a mid-size price point, and Carbonite Black is yet another game changer from Ross.”

About Ross Video

Passionate about live production, Ross Video designs, manufactures and delivers dependable technology and services that power exceptional live video productions seen by billions of viewers around the world every day. Ross Video’s goal is to make it easy for customers to create compelling news, weather and sports broadcasts, engaging material for sports stadium screens, legislative assemblies, entertainment shows and rock concerts, and inspiring content for houses of worship.

Relentlessly innovating, Ross Video delivers the world’s widest range of products and services for augmented reality and virtual sets, mobile live-event solutions, real-time motion graphics, robotic camera systems, social-media management, production switchers, routers, infrastructure products, video servers, newsroom systems, terminal equipment and more.
Ross products and services are designed to offer the best system integration and unmatched customer choice by both working together seamlessly and integrating tightly with third-party solutions.

Ross Video has offices around the world, and provides outstanding, free-for-life telephone support staffed by technical experts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year—even for products bought on eBay. Ross employees are authorized to rent helicopters when necessary.

Harmonic Extends Playout Control Capabilities of VOS™ Virtualised Media Processing Platform

Industry Adopts Open API for Harmonic’s Electra™ XVM and Electra X Media Processors, Unlocking New Workflows and Cloud Applications

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure, today announced the Harmonic Virtual Media API (VMA), an open application control interface for broadcast automation control of its VOS™ virtualized media processing platform. The VMA, supported by the Electra XVM virtualized media processor and the Electra X family of advanced media processors, has been adopted by service providers and broadcast automation vendors, including Pebble Beach Systems, Dayang Technology Development Inc. and VJU. This VOS platform ecosystem creates a fully integrated, cloud-based playout, graphics and encoding solution that can be used by video content and service providers to create and deliver live linear channels to any device faster, with a lower TCO and amazing video quality.

“The integrated functionalities offered by Electra XVM and Electra X media processors have already been deployed globally by numerous Harmonic customers,” said Bart Spriester, senior vice president, video products, Harmonic. “With the announcement of our open VMA for intelligent control, Harmonic increases operational efficiencies and cost savings for video content and service providers, while enabling them to realize the full capabilities of virtualization, unlocking new workflows such as OTT delivery and IP-based playout solutions for linear integrated channel/channel-in-a-box, cloud and edge applications.”

Harmonic’s Polaris™ Advance channel playout automation system, originally integrated with its market-leading Spectrum™ media server family, will support Electra XVM and Electra X media processors. With the open VMA, video content and service providers can now choose between deploying a fully integrated and virtualizable solution for playout, graphics and encoding from Harmonic with Polaris Advance software or can select third-party automation solutions to control those capabilities.

“The Marina platform from Pebble Beach Systems provides operators with a powerful centralized ingest, content management and multichannel automation solution, offering support from one to hundreds of channels,” said Peter Hajittofi, managing director at Pebble Beach Systems. “By implementing support for Harmonic Electra XVM and Electra X media processors, we’re enabling a new class of IP-based playout and encoding solutions that include centralized and edge playout.”

Dayang Technology Development Inc., a world-leading manufacturer and developer of broadcast-quality digital solutions, is adding support for the Harmonic VMA in its D3-Playout automation system. With D3-Playout control of Electra X and Electra XVM media processors, Dayang can bring to the market in China the next-generation channel-in-a-box solutions that integrate playout and graphics with industry-leading broadcast and multiscreen encoding powered by Harmonic’s PURE Compression Engine™ technology.

VJU’s CEO Josef Anderl commented, “VJU’s Channel as a Service leverages the power of the cloud to help video content and service providers set up and launch new television channels in minutes rather than months. Being able to integrate with Harmonic’s Electra XVM media processor, we can now fully virtualize our broadcast playout offering. Furthermore, we are now able to start and scale TV channels without shipping hardware around the world.”

With playout, graphics and encoding functions collapsed into software on a single server blade, Harmonic’s VMA enables cloud-executed creation and delivery of variable format, variable encoding rate channels, where the type of content determines the type of delivery. For example, operators can seamlessly process UHD for sports and HD for talk shows.

Electra XVM and Electra X media processors uniquely unify industry-leading playout and graphics functionality with Harmonic’s PURE Compression Engine, which is designed to boost video compression efficiency across an extensive range of codecs and formats — including MPEG-2, AVC and HEVC — over CBR, VBR and ABR encoding schemes to support a broad array of devices from handhelds to UHD TVs.

At booth SU1210 during the 2015 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Harmonic will showcase its comprehensive line of market-leading solutions that optimize the production and delivery of high-value video services in the broadcast, pay-TV and new media environments. Further information about Harmonic and the company’s products is available at www.harmonicinc.com.

AP ENPS to Debut New Open API at NAB Show

The Associated Press will showcase a new Open API for AP ENPS, the world’s most popular multiplatform news production system, at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 13-16.

For almost two decades AP ENPS has led the broadcast industry with MOS-based integration to dozens of audio, automation, graphics and video systems. The Open API extends the power and reach of AP ENPS to support myriad use cases where traditional MOS-based integration may not be the best solution.

For example, early adopters are already integrating traffic systems with AP ENPS rundowns and pulling data to produce FCC reports. The API could also be used to graphically show the elements and costs associated with production of one or more newscasts.

The two-way Open API communication could also be used to integrate AP ENPS with content management systems, unifying all of a newsroom's news operations.

The basic version of the Open API, including two-way read/write capability is available to all AP ENPS customers using version 7 at no additional cost as part of the AP ENPS license.

AP ENPS will demonstrate the Open API and its capabilities during NAB in the South Lower Hall, booth SL7606, during these times:

Monday, April 13: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 14: 11:00 a.m. - noon
Wednesday, April 15: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 16: 11:00 a.m. - noon

AP ENPS is used by more than 64,000 news professionals in more than 900 newsrooms across the globe.

For more information about the AP ENPS Open API, contact us at: info@enps.com. 
About AP
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP. On the Web: www.ap.org.
Contact
Erin Madigan White
Senior Media Relations Manager
The Associated Press
T: +1 212 621 7005
E: emadigan@ap.org

Telstra to make a statement at their Sydney headquarters with a 7 x 3.5 metre LED video screen, installed and supported by Techtel

Telstra set out to make a statement with their 400 George Street address in Sydney to show the industry that they truly are a powerhouse in digital media. The site has long been home to the Telstra Experience Centre but their plan was to rebirth the facility with mind-blowing technology to showcase their strengths in a way that no other company can. Techtel was invited to provide a large 7 x 3.5 metre LED video screen for the immediate entry to the facility and the solution was accepted following a rigorous review by Telstra and the building owners, Lend Lease. Download full Case Study.

Fox International Channels selects Harmonic MediaGrid™ for scalable media workflow solution

Sydney, Australia, 16th January 2015 – Harmonic in Australia announced today that FOX International Channels has added to its existing Harmonic infrastructure with the installation of a MediaGrid™ shared storage system for their integrated production environment. The MediaGrid solution has replaced multiple existing storage systems at Fox International’s Sydney facility, offering a single-platform, cost-effective solution with exceptional performance capacity to accelerate media workflows.

If required to, Fox International’s 90 TB MediaGrid system can seamlessly expand to multiple petabytes of capacity without impacting users or applications, providing an exceptional level of investment protection through the ability to simply add additional storage nodes when there is a demand for more performance or capacity.

Stephen Lloyd, Director of Technical Operations at Fox International Channels, said “FIC is committed to consistently evolving our operations while looking for efficiency. The Harmonic MediaGrid solution made it possible to edit-in-place over existing infrastructure allowing greater flexibility for our creative team”.

Harmonic MediaGrid is designed specifically for video workflows, providing the performance of a SAN with the simplicity of NAS. Proven in many of the world’s most demanding video environments, MediaGrid provides Fox International with shared, real-time storage, such as edit-in-place, collaborative editing, transcoding, video on demand and over-the-top (OTT) adaptive bitrate streaming.

TVLogic wins NEP Australia (Global TV) super truck deal

Sydney, Australia, 16th January 2015 – NEP Australia (formerly Global Television) has selected TVLogic’s Multi-Format LCD monitors for the fit-out in particular areas of its highly-anticipated OB fleet additions – HD11 and HD12. The monitors will be supplied by Techtel in early 2015 when the first “super truck”, HD11, is expected to be delivered and ready for technical fit-out, commissioning and testing by NEP’s systems integration team. TVLogic’s reputation for quality and performance has positioned them as the preferred choice for NEP Australia and other key players in the industry.

A factor for NEP Australia was the recent release of TVLogic’s free wall monitor management software, “Observer”. The Windows application is ideal in an OB environment as it provides comprehensive control of multiple monitors via network connection, allowing operators to control the monitors’ power, inputs, UMD and other features from their PCs.

The monitors purchased include several from TVLogic’s new RKM range of rack mount monitors as well as a number of their 7” LVM-074W HD Multi-Format LCD Monitors. Jim Tinker, NEP Australia’s General Manager Engineering Services, said “The quality and reliability of TVLogic monitors we have experienced over the years was one of the key drivers in our selection process aside from the other benefits of built in waveform monitoring and audio level metering which is useful in applications of confidence monitoring”.

HD11 will surpass the size, technical capabilities and work environment of every other mobile production facility in Australia, with the truck’s enhanced technical power specifically designed to meet the ever-expanding needs of diverse clients. HD12 – the second in the company’s new series of control units – will be the sister vehicle to HD11 and will undergo a technical fit-out immediately after HD11 is deployed.

Global TV selects Net Insight for G20 Summit video transport solution

Sydney, Australia – Global Television (now part of the NEP worldwide network) has selected the Net Insight Nimbra™ Platform to transport video services at this year’s G20 Leaders Summit held in Brisbane to GlobeCast headquarters in Sydney for distribution. The transport solution will be commissioned and supported throughout the event by local distributor and Net Insight Premium Partner, Techtel.

During the two day event beginning on November 15, six HD/SD-SDI video services will be transported via an IP link provided by AAPT. The Net Insight Nimbra™ 680 nodes will be commissioned at both the Brisbane Convention Centre and GlobeCast in Sydney, equipped with redundant PSUs, node controllers and switch modules. Each Nimbra™ 680 node will also be fitted with two 10Gbps IP trunk interfaces to obtain IP trunk module redundancy.

Net Insight's video transport solution over the Nimbra™ MSR network features visually lossless JPEG2000 compression, enabling live video delivery of the G20 members’ forum with very low latency and zero data loss.

Marc Segar, G20 Project Director for Global Television said “We are delighted to be partnering with Net Insight and Techtel for this event, we were looking for a robust and fully redundant solution and the Nimbra 680 was a perfect fit”.

Techtel will begin installation and testing of the Nimbra™ transmission solution between the two sites at the beginning of November 2014.

About Techtel

Techtel is a leading independent broadcast technology systems specialist, providing dedicated hardware and software to the Asia Pacific broadcast and telecommunications industries. Techtel’s expertise extends from consulting and systems integration through to the supply, installation and support of solutions from an elite class of worldwide partners. The Techtel Group has regional offices in Sydney and Singapore with branches in Auckland and Melbourne. Visit www.techtel.tv.

About Net Insight

Net Insight delivers the world's most efficient and scalable transport solution for Broadcast and IP Media, Digital Terrestrial TV and IPTV/CATV networks. Net Insight products truly deliver 100 percent Quality of Service with three times improvement in utilisation of bandwidth for a converged transport infrastructure. Net Insight's Nimbra™ platform is the industry solution for video, voice and data, reducing operational costs by 50 percent and enhancing competitiveness in delivery of existing and new media services. More than 200 world class customers run mission critical video services over Net Insight products in over 60 countries. Net Insight is quoted on the NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm.

# # #

For more information on this press release please contact Jenna Clark at Techtel.