May 22, 2012… Concert recordings from the Liszt Festival, which took place from March 23-25 in Raiding, in the Burgenland region of Austria, were the inauguration and the first live broadcasts from the matinee in Bad Tatzmannsdorf and from the Easter Liturgy in Neudörfl took place in early April. To guarantee optimal sound, the ORF (Austrian National Broadcaster) uses its new OB van, the HÜ-8D. Fully equipped with digital technology and a Lawo mc²66 console at its heart, the eighth digital OB van in the ORF’s arsenal has by now proved its flexibility in a high pressure situation.

OB Van Concept
At its base, the OB van for the ORF’s regional studio Burgenland consists of a M.A.N truck with a box-type van body. Using an aluminum sandwich construction method, it features separate A/C for each room and device; the power is supplied by a three-phase grid connection delivering a maximum of 16A. Of course, acoustics and sound insulation were among the top priorities in the OB van in order to guarantee high-quality productions. With this design, all program requirements are covered and even music recordings, such as recordings of classical concerts at open-air events and in concert halls for CD productions or for broadcasts of classical music on Ö1 (first programme of ORF). The concept allows for the handling of mid- to large-scale productions for recording and live operations and makes both audience inclusion and an improved presentation to the audience possible. more…

modo 3D Design Package of Choice for SJSU; Quick Learning Curve Gives Students Tools Needed to Take Home Design Competition’s Top Prizes

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 22, 2012, When words fall short, interior designers turn to 3D visualization. It’s a keen bit of advice and something that the faculty at San José State University School of Art & Design makes sure every student knows before they graduate. Recently this strategy of imparting insight and teaching students 3D tools resulted in a near sweep of the International Interior Design Association of Northern California’s (IIDA) Student Design Awards. It appears all that time learning Luxology®’s modo®, the school’s 3D package of choice, paid off.

What began as a research project designed to teach students about a specific architect quickly blossomed into full-fledged exploration of the modeling, sculpting and rendering techniques the students had been gaining from continuous modo use. One project (a second place finisher) played with the ideas of vegetarianism and photosynthesis in order to produce a restaurant design that mimicked the internal structure of a vegetable. As an avid sculptor, student artist Chase Lunt found that modo’s sculpting features gave him the 3D equivalent of what he had become used to fashioning with his hands.

“When ideas meet modo, the creative possibilities are almost limitless,” said Lunt. “modo brings my mind beyond the pencil and paper into a world of deformers, falloffs, shaders and effects that can quickly and accurately bring what I see in my head out into the real world.”

As ideas were moved from concept to competitive, the students found an edge in modo’s world-famous rendering capabilities. “modo renders beautifully,” noted Jessica Sikoryak, SJSU student and third place IIDA award winner. “That level of presentation had to help when my design hit the judges table.” Jessica’s day spa concept, with its stone walkways and sharp edges, was inspired by Carlo Scarpa’s renovation of the Querini Stampalia. And since the education version of modo is 100% feature complete and indistinguishable from the commercial version, Jessica was able to take full advantage of modo’s modeling tools while designing her relaxing getaway.

Guidance from their instructor Virginia San Fratello and engagement with Luxology’s immensely supportive online community brought the students’ modo skills up to competition-level speed in no time. The more they dug in, the more they found modo’s user-friendly characteristics to their liking. “Other software programs are more complicated and much more time consuming, not only to render but as design engines, in general,” said Lynne Tainter, SJSU student and first place IIDA award winner. “modo gave me a flexibility that helped me seamlessly replicate the Wiel Arets staircase design that made my concept pop. Long story short, it’s coming with me when I graduate.”

About modo
modo 601 is an innovative 3D modeling, painting, rendering, and animation software designed to accelerate the creation of world-class designs and ultra high-quality renderings. modo’s modern workflow and advanced toolset easily deliver enhanced productivity for design visualization, game development, film/broadcast, package design, and graphic arts. A favorite tool among many designers and artists, modo’s flexible toolset offers one of the fastest paths to content creation on the PC and Mac.

About Luxology
Based in Mountain View, Calif., Luxology® LLC is an independent technology company developing next-generation 3D content creation software that enhances productivity via artist-friendly tools powered by a modern underlying architecture called Nexus®. Founded in 2002, by Allen Hastings, Stuart Ferguson and Brad Peebler, Luxology is home to some of the top 3D engineering expertise in the industry. More information on the company, its licensable Nexus technology, its flagship product modo® and a gallery of images from the active modo community is available online at www.luxology.com.

About San José State University’s School of Art & Design
San José State University provides one of this nation’s highest quality, accessible, affordable, and technically leading-edge, educational programs in Art and Design. With nearly one hundred faculty and staff members, and attended by over 1900 students, the School of Art and Design offers comprehensive programs of study in the fields of Animation/Illustration, Digital Media Art, Industrial, Interior, and Graphic Design, Photography, Spatial and Pictorial arts, as well as Art Education and Art History. All program paths lead to professional degrees at the BA, BS, BFA, MA,and MFA levels.

Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures, from Las Vegas-based Morpheus Lights, are giving Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band’s Wrecking Ball World Tour a look that The Boss’s previous concert performances have never had before.

The Wrecking Ball World Tour kicked off in the U.S. this spring in support of The Boss’s 17th studio album, “Wrecking Ball.” Springsteen’s lighting designer Jeff Ravitz, of Intensity Advisors, selected 28 Sharpy fixtures for his inventory after having seen them last fall.

“In putting Bruce’s tour together I thought the Sharpys would be an excellent replacement for the lights we had been using inside the set platforms to push light through custom openings we created,” he explains. “I thought they’d be a nice change with a really defined and distinct look. The Sharpys also allowed us to design with some interesting gobo patterns.

When Ravitz added Sharpys the idea came up of using hazers to paint the air and enhance the lights’ sharply-defined beams. Adding the singer-friendly MDG AtmosphereAPS hazers that Ravitz chose — to help create interesting visual compositions–was a first for a Springsteen tour. “The haze really helps to show off the Sharpys,” Ravitz reports.

He positioned 16 fixtures below the stage shooting up through plexiglass windows that replace part of the deck on the custom-built Tait Towers stage plus 6 fixtures each, on two vertical side trusses shooting from left and right. The Boss’s shows have typically been designed to be very horizontal to allow for maximum sightlines from every angle. But for Wrecking Ball Ravitz decided to add some Sharpys to a powerful vertical truss for a “very dynamic look.”

He says, “We’re having a lot of fun with the Sharpys. Sometimes they’re used with no color, sometimes with deep color and sometimes we even ballyhoo them. We feel we’ve found the right balance.”

The Sharpys are proving to be rugged and reliable on the long tour schedule, Ravitz adds. “The crew tells me the Sharpys are pretty bulletproof and are working great every day.”

A.C.T Lighting is the distributor for Clay Paky in North America.

Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky Area Manager for North and Latin America, adds, “We’re so pleased to see our Sharpys on this high profile and very popular tour. Mr. Ravitz is an excellent designer and it shows in the projects he works on. We’re glad to be able to help with our innovations.”

ASHEVILLE, NC, May 21, 2012 — In celebration of Bob Moog’s 78th birthday Moog Music, Inc. will donate 50% of all online clothing and merchandise sales on May 23rd to the Bob Moog Foundation. For every $350 raised, the company will also donate one Etherwave Theremin to the Foundation’s educational initiative, Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, to complete the DBSS Educational Kit that is provided to each participating school. Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool teaches elementary school students the science of sound through the magic of music.

Moog Music will feature a brand new line of product-inspired apparel boasting graphics bold enough to induce a geekfest for synth enthusiasts everywhere. DVDs, CDs, mugs and other ephemera will be part of the benefit promotion.

Moog Music clothing and merchandise can be purchased from the company’s online store: www.moogmusic.com/products/clothing and http://www.moogmusic.com/products/Merch

Moog instruments are not included in this annual fundraising event for the Bob Moog Foundation.

The promotion was created to include Moog customers around the world in the company’s support of the Bob Moog Foundation’s educational outreach efforts. Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool is a STEAM-based initiative, combining science, technology, engineering, art and math. It brings the late inventor’s work and spirit alive for children by teaching the physics of sound through intuitive engaging educational materials, including the theremin.

“Moog Music and our customers celebrate Bob’s pioneering legacy. In a time when science achievement is declining in this country, we are proud to support the Bob Moog Foundation in their efforts to bring science alive through electronic music. We invite all of our customers to make a purchase online on May 23rd and support the Foundation’s important work,” said Mike Adams, Moog Music President & CEO.

Moog Music, Inc. is the world’s leading producer of innovative analog synthesizers. The Bob Moog Foundation is an independent non-profit organization with a mission of igniting creativity at the intersection of music, science and innovation.

Read more about Moog Music at www.moogmusic.com
Read more about the Bob Moog Foundation at: www.bobmoogfoundation.org

NEW YORK: Looming as the first summer 2012 blockbuster, Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men In Black 3 spent considerable location time in New York last summer, with a rigorous production schedule supported by NY’s Sixteen19. “This was an extremely buttoned down project,” reports managing director Claire Shanley. “Everyone on MIB3 was at the top of their game, and we were committed to insuring total reliability for every piece of gear.”

“After kicking off the editorial process in Manhattan during the shoot, we shifted to East Hampton in July,” reports post production supervisor Paul Levin. Working thousands of miles away from Los Angeles, expert technical support and workflow oversight were critical. “I’ve worked with Sixteen19 on a number of major projects in the past, and I knew we could count on them both to provide dependable systems and to see us through any unanticipated problem. Sixteen19 exceeded our expectations.” Beyond its offices in NY, LA, London, and New Orleans, Sixteen19 specializes in providing high-level service to large productions outside of these hubs and supporting them in their work around the world.

First assistant editor Jason Solberg reports that when a glitch in the Avid Unity was discovered during a tech run-through on Sunday, July 3rd, “Sixteen19 director of technical services Travis Boyer worked deep into the night to resolve the problem. By Tuesday morning after the holiday, we were totally on track. I know Paul (Levin) had great experiences with them in the past, and I’d recommend them for my upcoming projects. You need to be absolutely confident your gear will work, and that you’ve got a reliable support team at your back,” he says. “MIB3 produced almost 1/2 a million feet of film, as well as digital footage acquired on Arri Alexa. Barry doesn’t do a lot of takes, but this feature has a tremendous amount of action. The feedback we’ve been getting from early screenings have ‘winner’ written all over them,” he adds.

Paul Levin notes that the audio layback and color correction services Sixteen19 provided in LA to prep MIB3 for screenings worked flawlessly. “Barry was particularly impressed with Sixteen19′s colorist, Steve Beganyi. He was a total pro and absolutely delivered for us.”

Sixteen19′s MIB3 technical package included: five dual-boot Avid Media Composers running v. 5.5.9.3 and v. 4.0.5.13, linked to a 32 terabyte Avid Unity running v. 5.1.3 Each system incorporated a 50″ Panasonic Pro 20 Series monitor, two 27″ Apple Cinema displays and a 27″ JVC studio monitor. Sixteen19 also ran a line from the VFX station to Barry Sonnenfeld’s East Hampton theater to enable screening onsite.

“MIB3 was a terrific opportunity to showcase our broad production support capabilities,” Claire Shanley concludes. “We appreciate Paul Levin bringing us on board, and look forward to working with Paul, Barry, and their team on future projects.”

Photo: “Men In Black 3″ First assistant editor Jason Solberg in East Hampton at a Sixteen19 Avid Media Composer.

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Sixteen19 is a post-production services company with offices at 1619 Broadway, NYC and divisions in New Orleans; L.A. and London. In addition to production and development, the firm specializes in DI, color correction, editing and finishing and on & near set services. The NYC complex features 15 spacious Avid editing suites, color correct theater/ screening rooms, digital dailies, file transcode/encode and workflow management. Contact: 212-245-1402 http://www.sixteen19.com

New York: Wild(child) editor Diego Panich’s spots ‘Photoblocker’ for Norte Beer and Volkswagen’s ‘Duel’ garnered a Bronze and Silver Award, respectively, at this year’s prestigious FIAP awards. Directed by Luciano Podcaminsky (@Radical/Stink, NY,) who has a long collaborative history with Panich, both commercials tap into the editor’s artistic sensibility and quirky sense of humor with their original points of view and unconventional approaches to storytelling – and both have been receiving lauds from Facebook viewers, as well as US media since their release. (‘Photoblocker,’ was a Creativity’s ‘Top 20 Spots’ earlier this year, and ‘Duel’ which was showcased as Adweek’s ‘Spot Of The Day.’) The wins come on the heels of Panich being selected as an 2012 AICE finalist for his cutting of ‘Bunny,’ a surreal spot for Basement featuring supermodel Kate Moss.

 

‘Duel,’ a :30 out of DDB Argentina for Tiguan Park Assist, creates an unexpected mood and feel with dry humor in a storyline about a driver’s experience with his Volkswagen’s auto-assist parking during a stand-off with another driver over a parking spot. Panich found the pulse of the story and brought his own wry sense of humor and dead-on timing to the shaping of the captivating scenario – while still delivering the product’s message in a memorable way.

 

‘Photoblocker’ for Norte Beer, out of Del Campo Saatchi Saatchi/Buenos Aires, introduces a piece of technological wizardry – a ‘smart’ beer cooler with sensors that detect a camera flash, and generate a flash of its own that ruins the photo – ensuring that beer drinker won’t fall prey to candid, unflattering photos that find their way to the social network. The spot takes place in a club just such an attempt to infringe upon the privacy of a patron enjoying a Norte Beer is thwarted by the devise.

 

One of Argentina’s top editors, Panich, who was formerly represented by Wild(child) Editorial in the US, made the move to New York earlier this year to join the staff of editor/owner Yvette Pineyro’s award-winning commercial boutique.

 

A recent AICE nod for his editing of ‘Bunny,’ a :60 spot directed by Martin Romanella for Dream Collection, (featuring supermodel Kate Moss in a surreal scenario seductively dancing for a tap-dancing giant bunny-man,) is among the steady stream of accolades Diego Panich’s work continues to received. His reel includes award-winning spots for Peugeot and Gatorade, Rock Star City featuring music icon Lenny Kravitz, Nike Surgery, which garnered a Bronze Clio in 2008, and the MTV spot, Father + Daughter, which was awarded the Cannes Silver Lion. Most recently the editor lent his talents to Lipton Ice Tea?s newest global spot, Join The Dance, featuring actor Hugh Jackman and directed by Luciano Podcaminsky out of @Radical/Stink, NY
Wild(child) Editorial was launched by Yvette Pineyro in 1995. It is a 100% minority woman-owned company, and an active member of The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC.org/nmsdc/), The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC.org) and The Central Contract Registration (CCR.gov).

 

For more information about Diego Panich or to see his work go to www.wildchildpost.com, or contact executive producer Amy Lazarus, 212.725.5333 (amy@wildchildpost.com,) New York rep Roxanne, 212.679.9797 at Roxanne and Co., (roxanneandco@mac.com,) or US Hispanic market representative Bettina Abascal, 606.666.0234/305.743.2011 (Bettina@momentum-reps.com.)

Ki Pro facilitates live event production and tapeless recording on the road for acts including Dave Matthews Band, Tim McGraw, Zac Brown Band and more

Grass Valley, CA (May 21, 2012)— Filament Productions provides touring video and production design services for top-drawing acts. For the last three years, AJA Ki Pro digital video recorders have played an integral role for the company’s tapeless recording and live production work?ow. Filament is using them once again for the Dave Matthews Band (DMB) 2012 summer tour, which kicked off May 18th in Houston, Texas.

Filament’s video director Mike Lane captures the concert in HD Apple ProRes 422 for the camera feeds that project on both house screens and custom LED video walls. Dave Matthews Band shows are shot with five high definition cameras fed into six Ki Pros. Each camera is isolated more…

Updated Monitor IQ™ Broadcast Monitoring System, MediaPro IQ™ Content Repurposing System and ManyView IQ™ to Make Broadcast Asia Debut

Newark, CA – At Broadcast Asia 2012, the latest version of Digital Nirvana’s flagship broadcast monitoring software, Monitor IQ, and two products introduced at the NAB 2012 show will make their Asian debut. The two new products that will be shown for the first time in Asia are MediaPro IQ for repurposing content for multi-platform distribution and ManyView IQ, an enterprise-wide system for video distribution over IP. Broadcasters can see demonstrations at the Digital Nirvana booth 4N4-08, June 19-22 at Suntec Singapore.

“After the enthusiastic reception we received to our new features and products in April at the NAB convention, we’re looking forward to showing the latest innovations to our full broadcast suite at Broadcast Asia,” said Ned Chini, vice president of sales and marketing, Digital Nirvana. “Broadcasters in Asia are a prime focus for our company. Our products are unique in the market and offer capabilities and cost savings that competitive solutions simply do not.

Monitor IQ, for example, is the only broadcast monitoring system that provides centralized management, automatic ad detection, a director’s audio track, as well as an advanced metadata harvester™. Because our platform is based on open web services (REST) API’s, our software can be easily integrated with third party products and can scale from one to multiple servers and from one to hundreds of channels. All Digital Nirvana solutions are web enabled, so users can access the software through any standard web browser without ActiveX component.”

Monitor IQ

Monitor IQ is a monitoring, logging, compliance, and content republishing system for TV networks and stations. It combines the functionality of content recording (HD and SD in full resolution), content searching, retrieve and repurposing, Web publishing, signal monitoring, air-check logging, archiving, ad verification and tracking, and competitive analysis in a scalable networked appliance.

Several new features of MonitorIQ were recently introduced, and the system has been divided into four packages so a wide range of broadcasters can take advantage of the company’s technology.

Monitor IQ Starter

This entry-level package offers all the logging functionality necessary for a one- to two-channel system and includes 90 days of low-resolution storage.Searching is based upon keywords, titles, subtitles, descriptions, textual metadata, closed-caption text and imported logs, with filtering by time, date and channel. Recordings can be easily edited, clipped, stored and sent via email or FTP.

Monitor IQ Essentials

Monitor IQ Essentials is a logging and monitoring system that includes all the functionality necessary for broadcasters to ensure regulatory compliance. New features being shown at Broadcast Asia include support for IP as an input source, and loudness monitoring is now bundled in as a standard feature within the package.

The Monitor IQ Essentials system accepts DVB-T/C/S2, ASI, ASI/IP, HD/SD-SDI, ATSC/QAM and NTSC/QAM, and NTSC/PAL formats. It records audio, video, VANC metadata and captioning in both high- and low-definition. As with the Starter package, searching is based upon keywords, titles, subtitles, descriptions, textual metadata, closed-caption text and imported logs, with filtering by time, date and channel. And recordings can also be edited, clipped, stored and sent via email or FTP.

Monitor IQ Plus

Monitor IQ Plus includes all of the features found within Essentials and adds several new enhancements. New features being shown at Broadcast Asia are the ability to connect and control Monitor IQ via an iPad, iPhone, or Android interface. This mobile feature makes it easy for field sales reps to show clients their ad content in the context of the broadcast programming. Other new features include watermark NAVE decoding, a central management server, and a web services (REST) API.

Monitor IQ Premier

The Premier package extends beyond the capabilities found in the other packages with innovative, new features, such as: ad detection, directors audio track; integration with third party routers and multi-viewers, and an advanced metadata harvester.

Advanced metadata harvesting provides the ability to track any data the system logs and collects from alarms or from the broadcast feed. It can locate where the error occurred in the broadcast signal, collect forensic analysis about the event, and report that data back to the customer. It provides access to the data and to the mapping point of when, where and how that video was recorded. This new feature dynamically enhances broadcast discrepancy reporting by allowing station executives and engineers to hyperlink straight to the reported video and view a problem or issue.

MediaPro IQ

The new MediaPro IQ solution is a content repurposing system for multi-platform distribution. It records video feeds in full HD and offers a quick, low-cost way to repurpose HD clips from broadcast. This new solution is designed for news and sports directors who frequently need to repurpose content.

MediaPro IQ allows users to easily edit, clip and publish live or recorded content in real-time. Search is based on keywords, program titles, descriptions, textual metadata, closed-caption, as-run logs, traffic logs, alarm and discrepancy logs and time/date or channel filters.

MediaPro IQ is compatible with such web browsers as: FireFox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Chrome. iPad, iPhone, and Android interface are also available. Video can be exported to Flash, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, and XDCAM and other formats for content repurposing.

ManyView IQ

With the new ManyView IQ system, it’s now easy and cost-effective to deploy a private, enterprise-wide IPTV system for use by producers and staff who need to view real-time video signals at their desktop. The system eliminates the need for costly coaxial cabling, IP encapsulators, and IP output encoders. IP multicast delivers real-time video feeds to desktop and set-top boxes throughout an organization. ManyView IQ is DNLA-enabled, which provides VOD-like ability to store, distribute and publish offline video assets throughout the enterprise for any device on the network, such as: desktops, mobile devices (iPad, iPhone, Android, smart phones), set-top boxes, connected TVs, and media players.

ManyView IQ is compatible with current standards-compliant web browsers, enabling an on-the-go workflow through a web browser. It also has iPad, iPhone, and Android interfaces available.

Both MediaPro IQ and Manyview IQ are cost-effective, all-in-one scaled network devices that are based upon open API’s for easy integration into other systems. They also both reliably record from IP, ASI, ASI/IP, SD/HD-SDI, ATSC, QAM, NTSC, PAL or DVB-T/C/S2 protocols.

About Digital Nirvana

Since 1996, Digital Nirvana has been empowering customers with innovative knowledge management technologies. By combining media and digital technology expertise, Digital Nirvana makes it possible for organizations to streamline operations and gain competitive advantage with advanced product and service offerings. The industry-leading MonitorIQ Broadcast Monitoring System from Digital Nirvana is a full-featured monitoring platform incorporating the most advanced capabilities available in an affordable, networked appliance. Digital Nirvana is headquartered in Newark, California and has operations in multiple locations globally.

Further information is available at www.digital-nirvana.com.

Small Tree, the video editing shared storage experts, will be showcasing its expanded GraniteSTOR TITANIUM line up at Infocomm 2012 (Booth C5654 – Technologies for Worship pavilion). TITANIUM is a high performance, capacity dense, dedicated video editing shared storage appliance with advanced file sharing capabilities enabling simple, real-time collaboration.

An “all-in-one” system with a budget friendly special introductory entry price of $6,995 (valid until June 30, 2012), TITANIUM offers extreme flexibility, supporting a wide range of performance and capacity requirements. Professional video editors with limited IT resources can focus on editing video, not on managing the infrastructure supporting their workflow.

TITANIUM16, a 3U rack-mount solution introduced in January 2012, has been enhanced and expansion options added. TITANIUM16 is configurable up to 32 GbE or 20 10GbE ports and storage capacity from 32TB to 240TB, while delivering up to 72 streams of ProRes 422. This represents a 5x increase in capacity and 2x performance increase compared to the initial release of the TITANIUM16.

TITANIUM8 is the newest in Small Tree’s expanding GraniteSTOR line of high performance, affordable Ethernet-based shared storage systems. TITANIUM8 is a 2U rack-mount solution configurable up to 10 GbE or 8 10GbE ports and storage capacity from 8TB to 72TB, while delivering up to 35 streams of ProRes 422.

TITANIUM supports popular editing software such as Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer, Adobe Creative Suite, while enabling Windows, Linux, Macintosh and Unix clients to share media files. The Small Tree shared storage solution supports multiple file Protocols, including AFP, Samba, NFS and iSCSI. Final Cut X sharing, utilizing Final Cut X’s SAN location feature for events and projects, is possible on TITANIUM using iSCSI and Apple Xsan (now included in OS X at no additional charge) or Tiger Technology’s MetaSAN. Post-production professionals can rest easy knowing that no matter what software or platform they are working from, TITANIUM will work seamlessly in their environment.

TITANIUM is built on a customized open source operating system that was designed to be easy-to-use, feature rich and reliable, while providing exceptionally robust performance. Storage can be made available to users within minutes of initial start up and the powerful and convenient Web-based GUI
makes management of the system straightforward and simple. TITANIUM supports file and volume replication as well as tape backup. By using a Web-based browser, TITANIUM can be managed from anywhere with an Internet connection, providing optimal convenience to post-production professionals facing tight deadlines.

Storage, file server and networking are all contained in the TITANIUM chassis, which means users can connect an editing workstation directly to the system with no other networking equipment required. If additional editing workstations are required, a Small Tree switch is easily integrated with the new system. As a result of its tremendous flexibility, TITANIUM is ideal for any post-production environment, whether it’s in the studio, at home, in a mobile production truck or on a remote shoot requiring on-site video editing.

“In today’s fast moving and ever changing post-production environment, it is absolutely critical that shared storage provides the best balance of capacity, performance, ease of use and cost to minimize expenditures,” said Corky Seeber, president of Small Tree. “TITANIUM is ideal for church- and university-based post-production facilities looking to maximize their workflow without crippling their bottom line.”

TITANIUM8 and TITANIUM16 are currently available for delivery worldwide.

For more information on GraniteSTOR TITANIUM, visit Booth C5654 at Infocomm or www.Small-Tree.com. Follow Small Tree @smalltreecomm or like us at www.facebook.com/smalltreecomm.

Bergen, Norway, Vizrt Ltd. (Oslo Main List: VIZ)

As the nation’s largest owner of stations in mid-size markets, Gray Television Group dominates broadcasting across Middle America. With 36 diverse affiliates spread throughout college towns and state capitols, Gray VP of Technology Jim Ocon recognized his company’s crucial need to establish a common cost-effective, automated workflow across all its stations. To meet this challenge, Ocon established a new technology strategy he calls the Gray Model.

With the system already operational in 19 of the affiliates, Gray is rolling out this new model to additional stations every quarter. Fully integrated with existing workflows and automation processes, it has allowed Gray to quickly implement a centralized hub of resources and technology with a single graphics solution across its entire network. Ocon said, “When we’re relaunching our stations, we don’t have the luxury of a six- or nine-month launch period. We’re looking to get it down to twelve weeks or less. So having a powerful but simplified graphics package we can rely upon is key. “

To see a video of Gray Television’s Ocon speaking with Vizrt Corporate Communications Editor Chris Black about the Gray Model and its use of Vizrt products, please click on the link below:

http://dl38tvmapnp8c.cloudfront.net/video_mp4_2012/Ocron_Interview.mp4

Adding Flexibility with a Modular Strategy

As the cornerstone of Gray’s new technology, Ocon chose a MOS solution based around the Viz Engine™, Vizrt’s powerful and flexible graphics renderer. Gray’s automated production control and master control rooms also incorporate Viz Artist animation and design software, automation-driven Viz Trio for character generation, Viz Content Pilot for content management, Viz Ticker for news ticker creation, and Viz Multichannel for channel branding automated graphics playout.

Ocon said, “What really separated Vizrt from the competition is the ubiquitous use of their hardware. We can take Viz engines and plug them in anywhere in the studio and the station. With other systems, the ticker system might be a different box with different inputs. With Vizrt, we can use the same engine for everything just by configuring it a little differently. This IP-flexibility is inherent inside Vizrt products, and one of the main reasons we selected them.”

“A basic Vizrt system includes an Engine, which is the graphics renderer, and a Trio, which is the operator console/interface. You use a combination of Engines and Trios to run your graphics. It’s very modular, so if there’s ever a technical problem and you lose your main engine, you can literally patch in one of your engines from another part of your system to do your graphics. Vizrt gives our stations tremendous flexibility. “

Creating a Centralized Hub Model

Traditionally, station graphics production has used separate artists to render and operators to manage the graphics, with each station having its own dedicated staff. Employing Vizrt’s products within the Gray Model enables the broadcaster to create a more efficient central hub, while also giving their stations autonomy and control over their work. Ocon has used Gray’s Omaha station WOWT as his pilot site for much of the system testing and development that Gray then deploys to the other stations throughout the network.

Vic Richards, Director of Promotion and Media Production at WOWT explained the hub strategy: “We have three artists who work on Vizrt packages, creating graphic templates for all of the stations. Each template has a similar functionality and look. Our stations use these templates on a daily basis simply by filling them in. Because the basic design is already approved, the graphics just need to be checked locally for content, to make sure everything is spelled correctly.” Not only is it easier for the stations to achieve consistency within each broadcast, but the graphics are also consistent with the other affiliates in the network to better reinforce the Gray brand.

Evolving a More Streamlined Workflow

Richards said this hub strategy has made dramatic changes in the newsroom, studio production and automation — not just in workflows, but in staff assignments as well. “In a traditional system, an artist takes requests from the newsroom, and physically builds the graphics. During the newscast, the CG operator advances them. Now, control of graphics production is actually in the hands of the newsroom staff, which builds its own graphics using the templates. Then the Ross OverDrive automation system triggers the graphics during the newscast, essentially taking the place of the CG operator. Everything’s rendered in the graphics card, on the fly, the moment it hits the air. Vizrt allows one person to do everything.”

Mike Fass, WOWT’s Media Production Manager, noted another advantage of the Vizrt system. “The graphics templates are vector-based,” said Fass. “They’re very small in file size, unlike, say, a QuickTime movie file. So one of our artists can modify a graphic and simply email it to the station. We’re not using hours of upload time, or lots of bandwidth. And because Viz Engines don’t store graphics with page numbers like a traditional system, they don’t have to store large graphics files at the station itself. “

Reducing the Learning Curve

One of Ocon’s major concerns is ensuring that his stations are properly trained on the new system. When an affiliate upgrades to the Vizrt system, Gray designates a technician at that station for three days of Vizrt training as a “superuser.”

Two additional days of training for production and news users teach them to fill out the graphics templates. Richards noted, “We’ve found that the five day program is really all each station requires. And now that we’re about three years into bringing the stations on line, we’re having more people at the stations with superuser skills. So we’re using those people as additional support for other stations.”

Giving Smaller Stations a “Big Station” Look

The hub strategy has greatly reduced the redundancy of effort at Gray Television Group. Ocon explained, “We can focus our best talents in the network at creating the template packages, customized for any station in any market. Stations don’t need to have someone on site to create those daily graphics, just someone who can populate the template and then get them to air. So, that really helps their workflow. Once they’re comfortable using the technology, the templates have the flexibility to let them stretch their wings a little bit creatively.” This means that even the smallest stations in the Gray network can employ graphics that are as sophisticated as those at the larger stations. Ocon said, “That’s one of the biggest things we get feedback on. A Grand Junction can look like a Knoxville. And our viewers are very impressed.”

About Vizrt:

Vizrt provides real-time 3D graphics and asset management tools for the broadcast industry and media houses – from award-winning animations & maps to online publishing tools. Vizrt’s products are used by the world’s leading broadcasters and publishing houses, including: CNN, CBS, Fox, the BBC, BSkyB, ITN, ZDF, Star TV, Network 18, TV Today, CCTV, NHK, The Globe and Mail, Times Online, The Telegraph, and Welt Online. Vizrt is a public company traded on the Oslo Main List: VIZ, ISIN: IL0010838154.