14 August 2009
Quantel will be showing its range of post, DI and broadcast systems on its new, more environmentally friendly stand at IBC 2009. The emphasis is firmly on innovative new technologies that create better workflows, contain costs and streamline production timescales.
Get Real Go Virtual
At IBC Quantel will be introducing virtualisation and showcasing its benefits for broadcast file-based workflows. Virtual files eliminate typical file-based workflow issues such as latency and managing multiple versions and help file-based operation achieve its full potential. The new virtualisation technology makes the impossible possible.
Final Cut Pro on Quantel
Now broadcasters can have the same fast Quantel sQ Server workflow with Final Cut Pro editors. And there are absolutely no compromises on speed or quality. This exciting new development is the first application of Quantel’s new virtualisation technology and is released at the show. Final Cut Pro editors can be added to existing systems giving Quantel customers even more choice over how they benefit from the fast turnaround sQ workflow.
Stereo3D
Quantel Stereo3D systems are leading the way in Stereo3D post production. At IBC Quantel will be showcasing Stereo3D work already done on Quantel systems. Visitors will be able to see how iQ and Pablo are allowing post facilities to make money from Stereo3D today. Quantel will also be showing how the advanced Stereo3D analysis and correction tools in the 3ality Digital SIP2100 can boost post productivity even further
New Pablo software
The worlds most advanced color correction and finishing system continues to get even better with a raft of improvements throughout the system including the new time and money-saving Cubebuilder feature.
14 August 2009
Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, reaching the largest combined audience of any radio broadcaster in Afghanistan, are helping Afghans engage with presidential candidates in the lead up to the August 20 presidential election.
VOA and RFE/RL, overseen by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, both air in Dari and Pashto and will give audiences unprecedented access to the candidates. RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan is hosting call-in shows where presidential candidates take questions from the audience, and is airing interviews with each of the 41 contenders. VOA’s Radio/TV Ashna will also interview the three top prospects, as well as Shahla Atta, one of two women in the running. The BBG broadcasters both produce programming in Dari and Pashto, the most widely spoken languages in Afghanistan.
On August 16, RFE/RL plans to co-host with Afghan State TV a debate among presidential candidates including current president and leading contender Hamid Karzai, who has declined to appear in other debates. Radio Free Afghanistan Director Akbar Ayazi will moderate the debate, which will be seen and heard nationwide.
Three days of live TV shows from Kabul will cap off VOA’s extensive coverage, which also includes live radio shows, while RFE/RL plans 12 hours of live programming around the election, keeping voters informed of the latest developments and analyzing them as they happen.
Broadcast media are critical sources of information for the largely rural and illiterate people of Afghanistan. TV has expanded dramatically since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, but radio remains the nationwide medium of choice for daily news. Only word of mouth, with Afghans turning to friends, family, and tribal elders, rivals radio as a source of information.
VOA and RFE/RL are also highlighting the views and opinions of ordinary Afghans both within and outside the country. VOA will host a series of six talk shows broadcast from Kabul University and from a camp for internally displaced Afghans, and will feature reports from remote locations throughout Afghanistan. In-depth coverage has been examining topics from the role of religious leaders to the effect of young voters.
In addition, VOA’s Deewa Radio, targeted at the Afghan-Pakistan border region, will report the attitudes of the two million Afghan refugees in Pakistan who are ineligible to vote, as well as the perspectives of Afghans living in the United States.
VOA’s Persian News Network and Arabic-language Alhurra TV have sent reporters to Kabul to cover the election for viewers in the Middle East, and broadcasts in many other languages will also focus on the election.
VOA and RFE/RL broadcast to Afghanistan a combined 24 hours a day on radio in Dari, Pashto and Special English, and VOA broadcasts an additional 6 hours a week on television. The programs are also available online. VOA and RFE/RL broadcasts reach over 56% of Afghans each week, almost 10 million people.
VOA also operates Deewa Radio with nine hours daily of live Pashto-language programming targeted at the Afghan-Pakistan border region.
14 August 2009
Vizrt announces that Viz Multichannel 2.5the lastest version of its powerful channel branding softwarewill be unveiled during the companys invitation-only Amsterdam Sessions, held from September 10th-15th in the Hotel Okura in Amsterdam. Viz Multichannel integrates Vizrts realtime 2D/3D graphics and effects with industry-leading broadcast automation, traffic, and delivery systems, giving broadcasters an effective, hands-off workflow for presenting tickers, banners, snipes and program schedule graphics for more dynamic channel branding.
This new version makes the creation, scheduling, and delivery of channel branding an automated, cost-effective process that will benefit broadcasters in todays demanding, multi-channel business environment, said Ran Yakir, head of R&D Israel, Vizrt. Creating and delivering effective, visually compelling channel branding is essential to attract and retain loyal TV viewers.
Multichannel 2.5 provides many new user-friendly features and operational capabilities that further streamline and automate the operational workflow, including full integration with Viz Ticker3Dan advanced, flexible, creative tool for designing and building graphics-rich tickers. With this integration, Ticker3D elements can be positioned on-screen with their buttons in a pane, which allows the tickers to be triggered either manually or automatically, timed or by automation. Users may also define the import and update rules for these Ticker 3D graphics to be scheduled either by Multichannel or according to traffic/automation system.
Multichannel 2.5 also adds a new settings user interface. It is more channel-based, and enables users to: import and export settings, save to/restore from default on a per-channel basis; and utilize multi-language support.
The import/update mechanism in Multichannel 2.5 was improved, resulting in dramatic performance enhancements and the ability to work with all traffic and automation systems available.
Multichannel 2.5 includes an improved interface with Viz Video Hub, Vizrts video clips database. Using this interface, video clips can be displayed as part of the graphic or the main video. The new version also includes: the ability to automatically send editable templates from the scheduling station to a defined channel in the master control room; cross-channel promotion; GMT offset as required for traffic and automation scheduling; and automatic deletion of old, edited templates.
One example of a customer whos experienced a dramatically improved workflow and channel branding is VC Studios, a television company handling the technical operations at A&E, History, BIO and E! Entertainment Television in Caracas, Venezuela. VC Studios distributes channels via cable television, mobile and web site for all Latin-American countries. VC Studios selected Viz Multichannel to control the order of the television networks overlay graphics on air. VC Studios inserts graphics and station IDs over a total of ten channels five A&E channels and five from History. Viz Multichannel is run from two master control rooms, one in Caracas and another in Sunrise-FL.
Viz Multichannel gives us the opportunity to insert more graphics on air via an automated workflow, said Fernando Campagnoli Master Control Technical Supervisor at VC Studios. We now have automated control on air instead of having to manually control it. We coordinate the transmission plan in the logging department before play out. It has dynamically changed the image of our channels on air, offering more promo capabilities during the shows instead of just during the breaks. The branding of our channels has greatly improved since we started using Viz Multichannel.”
12 August 2009
The Times reports:
The host of a Brazilian TV crime show has been accused of ordering a series of execution-style murders to snuff out rival drug traffickers and boost his own ratings. Police say that Wallace Souza, a former policeman who built a political career as the scourge of crime in the lawless Amazonas state, would feature their killings on his Canal Livre show.
For years the show had an uncanny knack for being the first on the scene, gathering graphic footage of the victims. Mr. Souza says it relied on good old-fashioned journalism: its staff had well-placed sources and constantly monitored police scanners for murder alerts.
The order to execute always came from the politician and his son, who then alerted the TV crews to get to the scene before the police, Thomaz Vasconcelos, head of intelligence for the state police force, told the Associated Press news agency.
Mr. Souza denied all the criminal allegations and called them absurd.
23 July 2009
Pharos, a leading content management and workflow provider, has opened a new US office and appointed Glen Sakata as General Manager – Americas to help capitalise on strong demand for Pharos solutions.
Sakata has over 20 years industry experience in sales, marketing, and general management with technology leaders including Louth Automation, Cisco Systems and Harmonic.
Over the last decade new types of entertainment and content delivery have forced broadcasters to rethink their traditional workflows and processes, comments Sakata, Innovative and forward looking developers like Pharos understand the bigger picture and can show a proven track record helping some of the worlds leading broadcasters to improve productivity and significantly reduce costs.
Sakata will be based close to the Silicon Valley and will liaise with the US headquarters of several established Pharos international clients such as CNN, HBO, Turner, Technicolor and Viacom.
Glens experience with the best in automation and content distribution alongside his extensive network of contacts in North America will greatly accelerate awareness of Pharos Mediator in the US market says Russell Grute, Marketing Director at Pharos. This long term investment will allow Pharos to take advantage of opportunities we have identified in the USA. Many of our core customers are already beginning to look further than technology and are now investing in our productivity solutions for broadcast and new media process management.
The new US office is part of a long term strategy to make Pharos an internationally recognised brand name, and establish a leadership position in the market for content workflow management. In 2008, Pharos opened offices in Singapore leading to successful implementations of Mediator at HBO Asia and Globecast Asia.
Pharos solutions help multi-channel broadcasters and service providers quickly adopt and benefit from file based multi-platform distribution. With Pharos, organisations can simplify workflow processes, unify operational teams and better utilise the technology infrastructure across the entire broadcast value chain. Millions of media assets across hundreds of television channels are powered 24/7 by Pharos’ software architecture, integration expertise and comprehensive support services.
