Archive for June 26th, 2012

HOLLYWOOD—NBC Universal has selected MTI Film’s Control Dailies Enterprise and Cortex::ControlDailies as its solution for processing digital camera dailies. The company has also increased its digital film restoration capacity through the purchase of additional seats of MTI Film’s Correct DRS™.

“MTI Film is very pleased to extend its long-standing relationship with NBC Universal through these latest product sales,” said MTI Film CEO Larry Chernoff. “Our engineering team has been working closely with their counterparts at NBC to implement improved workflows for dailies processing and restoration, and we are proud of the continued confidence they have invested in our products and our team.”

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Las Vegas, NV – June 13, 2012 – Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America, Inc. will feature its CP-D70DW and CP-D707DW professional event photo printers at InfoComm 2012 in Las Vegas, June 13-15 in booth #C8308 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Mitsubishi Electric products offer a profitable solution for on-site event photo printing to the audiovisual communications industry and their customers attending the show.

“The CP-D70DW series printers produce beautiful photographs anywhere. Fast, lightweight and durable, they are the perfect solution for printing photographs at nightclubs, concerts, corporate events, parties, weddings…..anywhere people get together,” said James Chan, vice president of marketing, Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America. “The CP-D70 series printers produce a stunning 4×6 inch photograph in only 8.4 seconds. At a cost of less than 20 cents per photo, our printers can quickly generate significant revenue at any event or venue.”

The CP-D70DW, Mitsubishi Electric’s full-featured professional weighs just 27 pounds. The dual-deck CP-D707DW is the only printer its size that can be loaded with two sizes of paper, allowing a variety of photo prints at the same time, or printing the same size photo print about 40 percent faster. Both printers produce 2×6-, 3.5×5-, 4×6-, 5×7- and 6×8-inch sizes and offer the choice of either a Fine (high speed) or a new Super Fine (high-resolution) print mode with no change in media size. And, Mitsubishi Electric’s new Super Fine Matte finish creates high-resolution, studio-quality, matte-finish photo prints.

About Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America, Inc.
Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America, Inc. is a US subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Tokyo, Japan. Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America manufactures and markets a complete line of display products including projectors, data wall display systems, LCD digital signage monitors and players, large-screen 3D DLP® televisions and the world’s first laser TV, LaserVue®.

To learn more about Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America, visit http://www.mitsubishi-imaging.com/, call toll-free 888-307-0388 or email ipdinfo@mevsa.com. Become a Facebook fan of Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America at http://www.facebook.com/MitsubishiPhotoImaging

Billerica, Massachusetts – When the Olympic Torch was carried through the small town of Magherafelt in Northern Ireland on June 7, the North Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB) covered the event with a two-hour live production that was anchored by a Broadcast Pix™ Granite™ 5000 Video Control Center™. Streamed live to www.neelb.tv, the program was also displayed on large public screens in the town centre as well as in nearby Belfast and Derry.

The show began with coverage of a Guinness world-record event, as more than 3,000 children representing 31 schools created the Olympic rings at a local arena. The students then lined the streets for the torch procession. According to Peter Simpson, manager of neelb.tv and director of the production, nine cameras were used during the shoot, including a helicopter-based camera for aerial footage of the record-breaking rings formation.

A studio was constructed in a local church hall, equipped with three robotic cameras that Simpson controlled through the Granite in neelb.tv’s production truck. Coverage also featured two roving reporters stationed near three microwave links positioned along the route. A 30-minute edited highlight program is available on the Web site, and the complete program will soon be available on DVD from Magherafelt District Council.

“It absolutely poured down from early morning, so we were extremely skeptical from the outset,” Simpson recalled. “We deployed three of our microwave links. Two worked perfectly and one died mid-program. We were running ISOs in all the cameras anyway – as a DVD of the event is now being created – so we just lost the live.”

Granite’s 2 M/Es were useful for setting up composite shots, and Simpson said the integrated Fluent™ workflow tools were used extensively during the production. The Fluent-View integrated display fed two 32-inch monitors in the truck, Fluent Clip Store was used for playback of pre-recorded packages, and graphics were produced with the built-in Harris Inscriber CG.

Simpson said the Broadcast Pix system was “perfect” for the production. “Not only was I able to operate all these things from one location, but I could also control the three robotic cameras in the studio,” he explained. “It was the only integrated production system that we could both afford to purchase and that one person could operate to produce a highly polished live program of such complexity.”

About Broadcast Pix Broadcast Pix is the leader in live video production systems. Its Video Control Centers™ empower operators with patented techniques that combine cameras, clips and graphics to create compelling live video. The integration of a multi-format switcher, clip store, graphics system with a Harris or Chyron CG, and device controls provides the lowest cost of ownership at a fraction of the cost of a conventional control room to buy, staff and operate. Systems range from compact systems controlled by a touch-screen or voice-automation to sophisticated 2 M/E control panels. Customers include leading broadcast, corporate, education, religious, government, webcast, entertainment and mobile studios in more than 110 countries. Learn more at www.broadcastpix.com.

Broadcast Pix, Granite, Fluent, and Video Control Centers are trademarks of Broadcast Pix, Inc. Patented.

XL Video supplied plasma screens and full Catalyst media management and control for the acclaimed National Theatre of Scotland current production of Macbeth.

One of the co-founders of video design group Mesmer, Ian William Galloway presented original, cutting-edge and highly atmospheric visuals for the show, which is set inside an asylum.

To achieve this, he worked closely with programmer Salvador Bettencourt Ávila and the National Theatre of Scotland design team to create a unique CCTV video playback. This video enables Cumming to interact with virtual versions of himself and pre-recorded characters to create this highly intense presentation of ‘The Scottish Play’.

“The production called for three remote controllable CCTV cameras to follow the action on stage,” explains Salvador Bettencourt Ávila. “One of our biggest technical challenges was reducing the latency to an acceptable level whilst still having the flexibility to manipulate and control the image as needed.”

“XL Video’s new Catalyst media servers were used at the heart of the system. Chosen mainly for their flexibility, they allowed us to control the cameras reliably, capture the live video feeds, manipulate them and play back content onto three 65″ plasma screens rigged above the set.”

To counteract the latency issue, numerous tests involving XL Video and National Theatre of Scotland-owned equipment was carried out both prior to production and again during the lengthy four week rehearsal process.

To control the CCTV cameras Ávila uses an iPad for which he’s created his own software App. This allows him to control the cameras in several pre-mapped areas onstage, ensuring they are fully focussed on Alan Cumming at all times.

Says XL Video Project Manager Ed Cooper: “It was a pleasure working with Ian and Salvador who brought a very original approach to the video that challenged people’s perceptions visually and kept the integrity of current day video technology”. Both elements embody the ethos of the National Theatre of Scotland.

The show’s set-up includes three separate 65 inch Panasonic plasma screens mid stage that are used for notable scenes like the three witches (all played by Cumming).

Transferring to Broadway only three days after the UK Production ends, it was also essential to bring XL Video US on-board to build a replica system in the US ready for a quick installation in New York.

Working with David’s Vega and Hyslop from XL Video in Los Angeles, this demonstrates how XL Video’s global organisation can help the production achieve the same dynamic in the US as in the UK.

Ávila comments, “XL Video’s international reach was crucial to the show with the exceptionally tight schedule between the production coming down in Glasgow and opening in New York.”

Macbeth is another huge success for the National Theatre of Scotland. All involved in the production have received numerous standing ovations and much critical acclaim.

Photo credits:
Performance photo: © Manuel Harlan, courtesy of the National Theatre Of Scotland
iPad Control System photo: Salvador Bettencourt Ávila

SAN FRANCISCO — June 26, 2012 — Wohler Technologies has appointed Sonotechnique, Canada’s leading supplier of pro audio and video equipment, as its newest distributor of SoundField products. Based in Montreal with satellite sales offices in Toronto and Vancouver, British Columbia, Sonotechnique will offer the full array of SoundField microphone systems and upmix solutions to the film, recording, postproduction, radio, television, and live markets in Canada. more

VIENNA, Austria – Invited back for the eighth consecutive year to speak with students of the School of Audio Engineering (SAE), GRAMMY(r)-winning engineer and platinum producer Steve Pageot presented an inspiring and educational session for the future engineers. Showcasing HARMAN’s AKG P820 tube microphone during the workshops, Pageot recorded, and mixed a track during each of the four 2-hour sessions in SAE’s New York City studio.

Pageot discussed the intricacies of the music industry, from the music itself, to the business side, encouraging students to follow their dreams, while keeping on the correct path to success. “When you graduate from SAE, you’re stepping into the real world, into the music industry, where you normally don’t get a second chance at a first impression,” stated Pageot. “With SAE, I am fortunate enough to take these students and prepare them for their dream career. Being able to showcase AKG’s leading microphone technology gives students hands-on experience that will last them throughout their careers. They were completely in ‘awe’ for the sound emanating from the P820 and will take that experience to their clients in years to come.”

Working with artist Dyverse, Pageot discussed the importance of sound for a high-quality track. Hearing the raw recordings through the P820 impressed the students, who initially believed the sound was being processed. Pageot went through all the steps of recording hits from recording, producing, mixing and mastering during each session. Dyverse himself even touted the sound and clarity of the P820 during his sessions.

“We’re always pleased to have Steve at SAE, putting on production workshops for our senior students,” stated John Jansen, director of education, SAE. “His professional manner and production tips are always a benefit for our students as graduation approaches. The AKG P820 tube mic was a great addition to the class and was enjoyed by the students during the recording sessions.”

For more information about AKG, please visit http://www.akg.com and http://www.youtube.com/AKGacoustics. For information about SAE, please visit http://www.sae.edu.

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets – supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG(r), Harman Kardon(r), Infinity(r), JBL(r), Lexicon(r) and Mark Levinson(r). The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

June 26, 2012 — Markham, Ontario: Digital Rapids announced today that the company has been honoured as the recipient of the 2012 Deluxe Outstanding Technical Achievement Award. The award recognizes Digital Rapids’ technical innovation in developing solutions and technology that further the ability of content creators and owners to effectively engage their audience. The award was presented during a special luncheon during the Banff World Media Festival, held June 10-13, 2012. more

Always on the forefront of new technology, WorldStage, the new brand for Scharff Weisberg and Video Applications, Inc., has become the first company in the U.S. to acquire Barco’s new C5 5.5mm pixel pitch, black-face indoor LED display. Introduced earlier this year, the Barco C5 has pushed the boundaries of image quality and price.

“Our specialization in LED video is related to mid-size, very high-quality LED displays and we’ve done well with the Barco NX-4 and NX-6 tiles for a number of years. However, they are an expensive technology beyond the budgets of many of our clients.” says WorldStage President, Josh Weisberg. “We first saw the C5 at the Detroit Auto Show and thought the video performance of the tile was markedly better than the inexpensive tiles that are proliferating throughout the events community and, when we learned that Barco had priced the C5 tile very competitively, we were sold.”

In addition to the new tile’s visual characteristics, the C5 is mechanically superior to many other tiles, which will result in faster set up and greater reliability. Constructed of high-strength aluminum, the C5 enclosure is a silent “fan-free” design and the cable system is clean and logical.

According to Weisberg, “The contrast performance of the C5 tiles is amazing. Due to a unique shader design, the blacks are unbelievably deep. It’s like looking into a void even in very bright environments such as a broadcast studio. We also like the system used to align the tiles along concave and convex curves – it’s very simple to implement in a precise manner.”

Another advantage of the system is that it utilizes the very high-quality processing in the DX-700, Barco’s premier LED processor system. Otherwise, the system uses newly designed ground support and rigging support parts that reduce the number of pieces and parts to a reasonable minimum.

“By investing in the C5 we’ll be able to deliver a better-looking product over its lifespan than our competitors,” says Weisberg. “The C5 may be a more expensive system but it is a high value-based product any way you look at it.”

WorldStage Inc., the company created by the merger of Scharff Weisberg Inc and Video Applications Inc., continues a thirty-year legacy of providing clients the widest variety of entertainment technology coupled with conscientious and imaginative engineering services. WorldStage provides audio, video and lighting equipment and services to the event, theatrical, broadcast and brand experience markets nationally and internationally. The Owners and Employees of WorldStage believe that all clients deserve the WorldStage Experience