Archive for March 22nd, 2012

Compatibility of Anton/Bauer Helps Keep KHOU-TV News Team in Action

HOUSTON, MARCH 22, 2012—Anton/Bauer®, part of Vitec Videocom, a Vitec Group company and a premier global provider of batteries, chargers, lighting and other mobile power systems for the professional broadcast, video and film industries, has recently helped Houston-based KHOU-TV transition from using Sony SX, taped-based cameras to the new Sony memory card-based cameras like the PMW-350 and the PMW-500. An exclusive Anton/Bauer battery user for news operations since the 1990s, Rick Buffolano, ENG supervisor for KHOU-TV, appreciates the peace of mind and the quality that Anton/Bauer provides, noting that the gear has become an asset to KHOU-TV’s photographers. more

Maracaibo, Venezuela – March 2012… When you divide your time between residences in Bilbao (Basque Country of Europe) and Maracaibo, Venezuela and, similarly, your work encompasses both teaching and professional location sound services for TV and film, travel becomes a way of life. Such is the case for Xanti Salvador, a location sound recordist who is also a college level instructor of audio. Moving from city to city and project to project requires Salvador to travel efficiently and, so, it’s only fitting that his wireless microphone technology be equally as adept to ever-changing environments. That’s why Salvador relies on wireless technology from Rio Rancho, NM-based Lectrosonics. more

Dalet’s MAM platform, integration expertise, and workflow tools deliver metadata and media management with streamlined production for broadcast, web, and VOD
 
New York, New York – March 22, 2012 – Dalet Digital Media Systems has announced that Shaw Media, one of Canada’s largest privately owned television broadcasters, has begun deployment of Dalet Enterprise Edition at its Television Playout Center in Toronto. Eighteen of the country’s most popular specialty channels, including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, History Television, and Showcase, originate from the Center. The deployment was executed in cooperation with broadcast consultant and reseller Majortech; it unifies all of the Toronto facility’s production, playout, and distribution systems within a robust and flexible framework for media and metadata management.
 
“Dalet Enterprise Edition has been incredibly open and agile in meeting our functional and technical requirements, which include Media Asset Management and a large number of third-party system integrations,” says Shawn Kelly, Shaw Media’s Senior Director of Media Operations. “With cross-system management and flexible metadata schemes for handling all types of assets, the Dalet Enterprise Edition acts as our ‘super glue’ and overall workflow engine. It ties together all the diverse systems while respecting our preferred ways of working. Dalet’s enterprise-wide approach offers high scalability and multiple integration methods, providing a tremendous advantage from a business perspective and potential for expansion to include new technologies down the road.”
 
Dalet Enterprise Edition includes a comprehensive MAM platform with a centralized content catalog and powerful workflow engine. Dalet also packages Enterprise Edition with specially designed toolsets to boost productivity in production, programming, and archiving workflows. Accessible from a single user interface, these purpose-built tools enable a more collaborative workflow.
 
“Shaw Media was looking at the big MAM picture – much more than a content repository. They wanted an advanced MAM system that would also orchestrate workflows between the various areas of their operations. We’re pleased that Dalet Enterprise Edition can fulfill their vision. Enterprise Edition will manage ingest, QC, program prep, and distribution of material in a fully integrated workflow that will allow Shaw Media to maximize its media assets as well as its human resources,” explains Frederic Roux, Director of Sales, Dalet USA. “It’s a fully collaborative environment now with Dalet managing and tracking assets and work processes across systems. Assets are easily searchable, accessible for everyone who needs them, regardless of what application or system they are working in. Many tasks in the production chain are driven by work orders and tied together by the Dalet workflow engine – from QC at ingest, editing in Final Cut for compliance editing or Promo creation, captioning, and version management to broadcast, archiving, and delivery to VOD, web, and other platforms.”
 
Dalet integrations at the Shaw Media facility in Toronto include Harris D-Series automation, Omneon MediaGrid production storage, Omneon Spectrum video file servers for ingest and playout, Harris Platinum video router, Apple Final Cut NLEs, Rhozet transcoders, Interra Baton for automated file-based QC, S4M traffic system, and Front Porch Digital HSM archive, as well as several systems developed in-house by Shaw Media.
 
About Dalet Enterprise Edition
Dalet Enterprise Edition is a flexible, highly scalable media asset management platform that melds different production workflows, multiple formats, and diverse systems into a unified, managed environment that improves productivity and drives business. Built-in tools streamline production and distribution workflows in sports, news, and entertainment programming. Dalet Enterprise Edition also provides a foundation for incorporating other systems and software so facilities can design the media universe of their choosing. The SOA-compliant web services APIs and multiple exchange methods ensure fluid media and data movement with life cycle metadata tracking.
 
At the core of Dalet Enterprise Edition is the content catalog that manages media, essence files, and metadata across the organization, storing and tracking contextual sets of associated multimedia of all kinds along with metadata, including time-coded locators. The catalog provides ultimate flexibility to satisfy the needs of every type of media organization.
 
About Shaw Communications Inc.
Shaw is a diversified communications and media company, providing consumers with broadband cable television, High-Speed Internet, Home Phone, telecommunications services (through Shaw Business), satellite direct-to-home services (through Shaw Direct) and engaging programming content (through Shaw Media). Shaw serves 3.4 million customers, through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw Media operates one of the largest conventional television networks in Canada, Global Television, and 18 specialty networks including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, History Television and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX – SJR.B, NYSE – SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit http://www.shaw.ca/.
 
About Dalet
Dalet solutions enable broadcasters and media professionals to create, manage and distribute content to both traditional and new media channels, including interactive TV, the Web and mobile networks. Dalet combines into a single system a robust and proven Asset Management platform with advanced metadata capabilities; a configurable workflow engine, and a comprehensive set of purpose-built creative and production tools. This integrated and open environment enables end-to-end management of the entire News and Sport and Program content chain, and allows users to significantly improve efficiency and to maximize the use and value of their assets. Dalet’s solutions are delivered through a dedicated Professional and Integration Services Department to ensure the highest possible standards.
 
Dalet systems are used around the world by many thousands of individual users at hundreds of TV and Radio content producers, including public broadcasters (ABS-CBN, BBC, CBC, DR, France TV, RTBF, RFI, Russia Today, RSR & TSR, RT Malaysia, VOA, WDR), commercial networks and operators (Antena 3, Canal+, FOX, eTV, Mediaset, Orange, Time Warner Cable, Warner Bros., Sirius XM Radio) and government organizations (Queensland JAG, Canadian House of Commons, The European Commission). Dalet is traded on the NYSE-EURONEXT stock exchange (Eurolist C): ISIN: FR0011026749, Bloomberg DLT:FP, Reuters: DALE.PA.
 
Dalet is a registered trademark of Dalet Digital Media Systems. All other trademarks and products mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.
 
For more information on Dalet, please visit http://www.dalet.com/.
 
Press contact:
Janice Dolan
Zazil Media Group
(p) +1 617-817-6595
(e) janice(at)zazilmediagroup(dot)com
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SAS installed four Christie Spyder X20 video processors at its worldwide headquarters in Cary, North Carolina. Two manage and control the content displayed on the Christie(r) MicroTiles(r) walls while the other two manage and control the content on auditorium screens.

SAS, the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market, provides business analytics, data management and IT management software and services to the financial services, government, retail, energy, life sciences, manufacturing and numerous other industries.

Morrisville, North Carolina-based Thorburn Associates Inc., an international acoustics, technology and lighting design firm, worked closely with SAS to determine the company’s needs and recommended the optimum solution. Derek Meares, associate principal at Thorburn Associates and the project’s lead designer, says the Christie Spyder X20 software played a key role in the product’s selection.

“It had the functionality we were looking for: It was easy to manipulate, set up looks, and change them in an automated fashion. This was especially important in the auditoriums where SAS takes its “on-the-road events” in-house – the events are very interactive and they often need to make changes on the fly. Although the content of the MicroTiles walls is more stable, SAS needed the ability to change those looks, too.”

Two Christie Spyder X20 video processors are dedicated to SAS’s two auditoriums. Both spaces feature two rear-projected Christie HD10K-M projectors with a Christie Spyder blending content on 28-foot by 10-foot screens. Two Christie HD6K-M projectors in each auditorium display content for two smaller, flanking screens.

Christie Spyder Manages and Controls Content on Five Christie MicroTiles Walls

A 4 units wide by 2 units high Christie MicroTiles configuration greets visitors as soon as they enter the building and the new SAS headquarters is platinum LEED certified for its green sensibilities. A second 5 units wide by 4 units high MicroTiles wall is nearby in the lobby.

The standout display is a 40-foot long Welcome Wall, in a 28 units wide by 4 units high configuration, which acts as the backdrop for the registration area. The lobby’s 12 units wide by 3 units high Future Wall displays current and upcoming events. In the executive wing on the sixth floor, the fifth MicroTiles wall, measuring 7 units wide by 3 units high, displays computer models, cable television content and digital signage; content from the auditoriums and meeting rooms can also be sent to this Executive Wall.

SAS can transform the lobby into a technology showcase and use the Welcome Wall, in conjunction with the Christie Spyder X20 video processors, to display themed backgrounds and logos for the conference registration areas. Each Christie MicroTiles wall can be repurposed several different ways just by changing the content fed to it by Christie Spyder.

“From my perspective, design support was really critical to this installation,” adds Meares. “We got excellent design support from Vista throughout the process.”

At Thorburn Associates, David Covington was the project designer for the installation. Integrator AVI-SPL installed the Christie MicroTiles at SAS after gaining expertise with the technology from several other large installations.

About Vista Systems
Vista Systems was acquired by Christie, a global leader in visual solutions for business, entertainment and industry, to create a comprehensive source for image processing and projection solutions. The acquisition combines the power and flexibility of Vista’s video switchers and real-time windowing and composition products with the power, performance and reliability of award-winning Christie projection systems. Vista Systems’ switchers have become the industry standard for live multiple-destination video and data mixed signal switching. For more information on Vista Systems, visit their website at www.vistasystems.net.