Improved Functionality, Greater Flexibility and Accelerated Performance Roll Out in Autodesk Smoke 2013 Extension 1 Release

SAN FRANCISCO — Hot off two ‘Best in Show’ Awards at the 2013 National Association of Broadcasters Convention (NAB) in Las Vegas last month, Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) announced Autodesk Smoke 2013 Extension 1 professional video editing software is expected to be available beginning May 29, 2013. As part of the product roadmap and influenced by extensive feedback from editors, the release will feature numerous enhancements to help improve functionality, add flexibility and increase speed.

At NAB, Autodesk and Blackmagic Design announced a technology collaboration, and now just weeks later, the first outcome of the collaboration is available to customers. The Smoke 2013 Extension 1 release will introduce support for Blackmagic video IO devices: DeckLink (PCIe video boards); UltraStudio (Thunderbolt boxes) and the Intensity product line.

“Since launching Smoke 2013 in December, the Smoke development team has been forging full steam ahead with rapid and frequent iterations bringing new and improved functionality into the software,” said Chris Bradshaw, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. “Community feedback has been tremendous, and with this Extension release, Smoke will now include two highly requested features – Blackmagic video card support and a powerful new set of trim tools.”

Key Features
• New support for Blackmagic DeckLink, UltraStudio and Intensity series video IO devices
• New Trim View and new dynamic trimming tools for faster editing
• New support for SonyRAW footage from Sony F5 and F55 cameras
• Improved conform workflow with Apple Final Cut Pro X allows more accurate translation of speed changes and ability to conform ARRI Alexa ProRes files
• Improved feedback mechanisms help editors better track background processes, monitor renders and identify errors
• Improved performance in MediaHub when navigating large data sets
• Improved 3D compositing performance in Action when working with 3D objects, shaders and textures

Autodesk Smoke Pricing and Availability
Autodesk Smoke 2013 Extension 1 will be available to Autodesk Subscription customers later this month. New customers can purchase a standalone Smoke license for $3,495* with an additional $675* for Subscription. Join the tens of thousands of trial users by downloading the free** Smoke 30-day trial. For product features and video tutorials, see the Smoke product center, join the Smoke community, visit the Smoke Learning Channel, follow #AutodeskSmoke on Twitter and like Smoke on Facebook.

About Autodesk
Autodesk helps people imagine, design and create a better world. Everyone–from design professionals, engineers and architects to digital artists, students and hobbyists–uses Autodesk software to unlock their creativity and solve important challenges. For more information visit autodesk.com or follow @autodesk.

*U.S. pricing only. International pricing may vary. SRP is Autodesk’s suggested retail price (excluding freight, handling and taxes) for the specified product in each region. SRP is used for reference purposes only as the actual retail price is determined by participating reseller partners who can be contacted for more information. Actual savings may vary due to local currency conversion, taxes and other factors. Autodesk reserves the right to alter the SRP, product offerings and specification of its products and services at any time without notice.

© 2013 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Image Caption: Image courtesy of WTHR-TV. Editors can now make more precise timing decisions quickly with the new trim view in Smoke 2013 Extension 1.

“We wanted a console backed by a manufacturer with a solid reputation and years of broadcast experience”

TULSA, OK – KOTV and KQCW, owned by Griffin Communications as CBS and CW affiliate stations respectively, recently opened a new 57,000-square-foot, broadcast facility that relies on a Solid State Logic C10 HD Compact Broadcast Console to cover audio for news, weather and specialty programming. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based production facility houses both stations, but also has dedicated fiber lines between it and sister station KWTV in Oklahoma City to streamline production resources for statewide news coverage. The C10 HD was chosen for its advanced features, compact size and sound quality, in addition to SSL’s industry reputation for building high-quality products.

“For our new production facility, we wanted a console that was very capable, but was also cost-effective and backed by a manufacturer with a solid reputation and years of broadcast experience. That led us to the C10,” says John Quesnel, director of production for KOTV and KQCW. “Several of our engineers have had good experiences freelancing with the larger C100 HDS and we even had the SSL C10 Broadcast Equipment Demonstration Vehicle visit our facility for an extensive hands-on session. We are an HD, AES-embedded house and the C10 gives us the kind of flexibility and capability that we need to support a large news set.”

The new production facility has one large 5,525-square-foot studio with associated production and audio control rooms. The expansive news set in the studio is broken down into subsets to accommodate different programming needs. For example, one of the largest subsets is for weather forecasting. Additionally, the studio features a large news anchor area, three smaller news presentations sets, an interview set and speciality sets for entertainment presentations or commercial production. The C10 is used to produce over seven hours of news and speciality programming per day.

“We use the one-touch setup recall on the C10 to streamline our workflow through the different news and non-newscast programs we produce,” continues Quesnel. “Because we are located in tornado alley, weather is a very important element for us, so that particular area of the set is very large and comprehensive. We have a standard microphone setup for the area that we can easily call up for breaking emergency weather coverage. Beyond news programming, we also have a full kitchen set for cooking segments and a stage set for presentations ranging from live music and fashion to the DIY hardware guy. The C10 has been an excellent choice to handle audio for this type of multitasking facility.”

The compact design of the C10 was also a factor as the console is essentially self-contained, without the need for a mainframe in a climate-controlled machine room. The C10 is supported by three Alpha-Link 8RMP remote mic-pre units and five Alpha-link Live-R I/O units and was ordered with the Dialogue Automix option. As the station relies on many people to run the console, having a user levels system that tailors the features available for control to the skill set of individual operators is a key component for the team.

“We have engineers operating the console that have varying degrees of experience, so the C10 offers us the opportunity to lock out certain features when a less experienced person is scheduled to run a preset program,” concludes Quesnel. “This console gives us big board power at a reasonable price.”

Solid State Logic is the world’s leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles and provider of creative tools for music, broadcast and post production professionals. For more information about our award-winning products, please visit: www.solidstatelogic.com.

Newest All-HD Truck Relies on Bittree Programmable Audio Patching Systems

GLENDALE, Calif. — May 21, 2013 — Bittree today announced that Crosscreek Television Productions is continuing to upgrade its fleet of mobile production vehicles with Bittree’s state-of-the-art programmable audio patching systems. Crosscreek’s newest project with Bittree is Voyager 11, an all-HD, 53-foot expando trailer that offers the largest production area of any truck in the company’s fleet.

“Our partnership with Bittree goes back to the 1990s, and every truck in our fleet depends on Bittree patching systems. Since live sports production is our primary focus, there’s no room for error and equipment changes often have to be made on the fly. The Bittree patchbays are highly reliable and we have complete confidence that they will always perform as specified,” said Butch Mueller, director of engineering, Crosscreek. “Also, Bittree’s unique programmable patching means we can quickly change the normalling with a single jumper, a highly valuable capability as we adapt our trucks for different types of productions over time.”

The latest addition to the Crosscreek lineup, Voyager 11, is a complete rebuild of one of the company’s original SD trucks to equip it for full HD production. Voyager 11 features a Grass Valley(TM) Kalypso(TM) switcher, eight Sony HDC cameras, a Calrec Artemis Light audio console and PESA Jaguar routers. The audio production chain is tied together with 24 Bittree high-density TT Bantam patchbays with an E90 rear interface.

“One of our main objectives with Voyager 11 was to build an economical truck in the most cost-effective manner possible. Bittree helped us in this regard by giving us very competitive pricing,” added Mueller. “Also, since space is always at a premium in a mobile production unit, Bittree has been able to provide a shallow chassis depth that allows us to maximize available space without sacrificing performance.”

Complete information about Bittree’s full range of patchbays is available online at www.bittree.com.

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About Crosscreek Television Productions
Crosscreek Television Productions is a mobile television broadcast company specializing in live sports production for all major television networks. Located in Alabaster, Ala., Crosscreek operates four HD mobile units, two digital mobile units, and three “B” units. In conjunction with ESPN Regional Television, Crosscreek provides stellar coverage of the SEC including men’s and women’s SEC basketball tournaments. For more than 10 years, Crosscreek has been an integral part of drag racing telecasts with coverage of the NHRA series, and is currently the exclusive mobile unit provider for the NHRA on ESPN. For more information, visit www.crosscreektv.com.

About Bittree
Bittree offers a complete line of patching products, including audio, video, data, and integrated patchbays, as well as a variety of patchcords, tools, and accessories. Tailored for use in the postproduction, pro A/V, systems integration, and radio and television broadcasting fields, Bittree’s patching solutions are rigorously tested to ensure long-term functionality and dependability, especially for mission-critical operations and live events. To ensure consistency, performance, and adherence to rigid quality standards, all of the company’s patching products are designed, manufactured, and tested in its state-of-the-art facility in Glendale, Calif. More information is available at www.bittree.com.

Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/Bittree/CrossCreek_Voyager.zip
Photo Caption: Crosscreek Television Productions’ Voyager 11, an all-HD, 53-foot expando trailer using Bittree programmable audio patching systems.

ENDS

In supporting a dynamic Asia-Pacific market that is demanding more integrated and flexible solutions, Snell is offering 4K at no additional cost in a range of products including select routing switchers, fiber infrastructure, and the Kahuna 360 production switcher. At BroadcastAsia2013, experts will also be on hand to discuss the latest in playout and virtualization in response to broadcasters having a need to share resources and improve efficiencies among regional channels. Snell’s powerful systems offer greater automation, improved reliability, higher quality, and more flexible media handling for today’s SD/HD/1080p environments as well as future Cloud, IP, and 4K UHDTV-based operations.

PRODUCTION SWITCHING
Kahuna 360 — The World’s First Native 1080p/3G Switcher
Kahuna 360 supports any format in and any format out, on any input or output including 1080p (single link), as standard for a smooth and cost-effective migration from HD to 1080p. The switcher’s unique Make M/E(TM) technology delivers unmatched flexibility when sharing resources with multiple consoles. And now, Snell has made the functionality of the full-size Kahuna 360 available in a new, lower-cost Kahuna 360 Compact — including seven keyers per M/E, resource sharing with Make M/E technology, and FormatFusion3, which supports any format in and any format out.

Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/snell/kahuna360.zip
Photo Caption: Kahuna 360 Switcher

Kahuna Flare — Midrange Multi-Format Production Switcher With 1080p Standard Functionality
Kahuna Flare is the first midrange switcher to offer standard single-link 1080p support alongside SD and HD formats at no extra cost — making it ideal for over-the-air broadcasts, IP, or Internet delivery platforms, and even large progressive-screen presentations. With versions ranging from 2 M/E to 4 M/E, Kahuna Flare offers four keyers per M/E and two channels of 3D DVE, all in a single 6-RU frame. The system comes standard with 48 inputs and 24 outputs, with the option to upgrade to 60 inputs and 32 outputs. Snell’s unique FormatFusion3 technology gives Kahuna Flare users exceptional versatility in working with multiple signal formats, enabling them to mix SD, HD, and 1080p inputs and outputs simultaneously to meet any distribution need.

Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/snell/kahunaflarefront.zip
Photo Caption: Kahuna Flare

CHANNEL-IN-A-BOX
ICE Channel-in-a-Box — We Thought About the Channel, Not Just the Box
New features to ICE further extend Snell’s channel-in-a-box cost benefits by allowing up to four channels of HD per unit depending on the channel configuration. Plus, with a focus on incorporating more of the channel into the box, Snell’s ICE now includes powerful, integrated 3D and 2D graphics, CG functionality with timeline editing control, and the ability to populate fields from Morpheus automation schedule events or external data sources. Complementing ICE’s HD and SD simulcast capabilities is the addition of a delay service, which provides the ability to record the output of a channel for delayed playout. ICE also boasts newly enhanced audio processing and Panoplay multi-system, multi-site redundancy to deliver a channel-in-a-box platform with unmatched functionality, usability, and reliability.

Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/snell/ICEicons.zip
Photo Caption: ICE Channel-in-a-Box

AUTOMATION
New Morpheus User Interfaces — World-Leading Automation That Decreases Costs and Stimulates Revenue
Understanding the need for clear and simple graphical representation of multiple channels of playout, Snell has introduced new user interfaces that make Morpheus even easier to use and allow a single operator to monitor the highest number of playout channels. Morpheus v3.0 boasts full virtual machine support to allow operation in the cloud and private data centers, facilitating lower space and power requirements while improving system resilience.

Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/snell/dark-normalplaylist.zip
Photo Caption: Morpheus Version 3.0

MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT
Momentum — Powerful Workflow-Automated Media Asset Management
Momentum is a breakthrough in workflow-automated media asset management and resource planning. With Momentum’s highly intuitive GUI, users can edit and control their workflows on demand. Momentum delivers maximum control and flexibility to media and broadcast operators, enabling them to reduce operational costs by allocating resources more efficiently and making content more accessible. Momentum can deploy on standalone hardware, on virtual machines in the cloud, or in private data centers.

Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/snell/MomentumMonitorscreens.zip
Photo Caption: Momentum

CONVERSION
KudosPro MC500 — Low-Cost Signal Processing Platform
The KudosPro MC500 is the world’s most affordable motion-compensated frame rate converter. The MC500 is available at an exceptionally low price point, making it ideal for the many broadcasters, news agencies, and content providers that must consider cost and space issues while also ensuring high-quality delivery of large numbers of channels to domestic and international audiences. The MC500 provides up, down, and crossconversion from any broadcast standard (50Hz or 59Hz) to any other broadcast standard, with optional composite and fiber connectivity. A wide range of audio options is available, including embedded AES, embedded analog, and Dolby(R) E, as well as extensive utilities such as ProcAmp, enhancer, and closed caption handling.

Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/snell/mc500.zip
Photo Caption: KudosPro MC500

ROUTING
Vega Router — For Flexible Port, Fiber, and Coax Configuration
Snell’s award-winning Vega is a new routing platform that allows users to configure any signal port independently for fiber or coax (copper), easing a mixed connectivity environment and helping broadcasters to migrate simply and cost-effectively. Available in 2-RU with 96 ports or 4-RU with 192 ports, its unique design also enables any port to be configured as either an input or output, providing the industry’s most flexible asymmetric routing solution. Vega uses proprietary algorithms to monitor every subassembly continuously and offers a full range of options for maximum redundancy: dual crosspoints, dual controllers, dual power supplies, and dual fans — are all “hot” pluggable or replaceable.

Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/snell/vegaimage.zip
Photo Caption: Vega Routing Platform

Sirius 800 Series Routers Add Frame Syncs to Built-In Advanced Hybrid Processing Technology — Taking Routing/Processing to a New Level
The Sirius 800 family of enterprise-class routing switchers has been enhanced with the availability of frame synchronization on the units’ AHP (Advanced Hybrid Processing) input and output cards. The resulting router architecture enables independent processing of audio and video signals with no restrictions on signal formats, timing between signal types, or number of audio channels. Building on the Sirius 800 series’ audio de-embedding, embedding, and audio processing capabilities, this new functionality allows all inputs to be retimed before switching, and supports synchronization of incoming lines to a local studio reference.

Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/snell/siriusrange.zip
Photo Caption: Sirius 830, 840, and 850 Routers

MODULAR INFRASTRUCTURE
IQ Modular Range of Format Converters
Snell is introducing a new IQ format converter range that provides outstanding quality conversion at an affordable price. These cost-effective video format converter modules provide high-quality conversion of common SD, HD, and 3Gbps formats for broadcast systems. In addition to conversion, the new modules can perform a host of video, audio, and metadata functions. Snell is also unveiling the IQQSM range of 3Gbps/HD/SD-SDI quad split monitors, ideal for local monitoring with LCD displays. These IQ modules enable local monitoring of four 3G/HD/SD-SDI input signals along with bar graph displays of eight channels of embedded audio. Perfect for monitoring studio or outside broadcast camera feeds, they also have an SDI output that allows the signal to be routed to other areas in the facility or to storage.

Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/snell/IQReflection.zip
Photo Caption: IQ Modular Infrastructure

Hyperion — New 3Gbps Intelligent Monitoring
At BroadcastAsia2013, Snell is showing its range of 3Gbps-capable Hyperion monitoring solutions engineered to meet the need for increasingly advanced monitoring capabilities in a multi-format system environment. Hyperion is a signal monitoring technology that helps operators to monitor content more efficiently and, in turn, ensure that contractual and legal obligations are met. The technology’s combination of subjective and extensive monitoring — including low-bit-rate IP video “confidence” thumbnails with user-definable graphical warnings and alarms — provides operators with live system data in a way that allows large and complex operations across multiple sites and continents to be simply and reliably monitored on a 24/7 basis.

Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/snell/Hyperion.zip
Photo Caption: Hyperion Remote Monitoring

Company Quote:
“We are looking forward to BroadcastAsia2013, where attendees will be able to see, first-hand, why Snell is the leader in digital media solutions for the complex multi-format, multi-platform media operations of today and tomorrow. We will be showing several powerful new innovations that were just launched at the 2013 NAB Show, ranging from the 4K capabilities of our Kahuna 360 switcher to new enhancements to the ICE Channel-in-a-Box, which allow more avenues for broadcasters to share resources efficiently and explore new business revenue streams.”
– Vanessa Ching, Vice President of Channel Marketing and Communications, Snell

Company Overview:

Snell is a leading innovator in digital media technology, providing broadcasters and global media companies with a comprehensive range of solutions for creating, managing, and streamlining the distribution of content for today’s multi-screen world. Specializing in TV Everywhere and Live TV applications, Snell provides the necessary tools to transition seamlessly and cost-effectively to 4K UHDTV, file-based, and 3Gbps operations, while enabling broadcasters to monetize and deliver their media assets across multiple distribution platforms. Headquartered in the U.K., Snell serves more than 2,000 broadcasters, post facilities, and global media companies in more than 100 countries through its worldwide team of sales and support personnel. More information is available at www.snellgroup.com.

All trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.

On the heels of mixing the powerful documentary In God We Trust and the feature film Lily for their Tribeca Film Festival debuts, Heard City Mixer Cory Melious has collaborated with Director Jeremy Saulnier on a stirring feature film that premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Blue Ruin is the tale of a mysterious beach bum who performs a botched act of vengeance in an effort to stand up for his estranged family. Saulnier approached Melious with the incredible task of creating a mix and complete sound design in just two weeks. Heard City’s elaborate production pipeline was equal to the task, systematically working its way through the mix and edit.

“I was instantly captivated when Jeremy sent me a screener of the film,” noted Melious. “While I knew the production schedule was tight, I was confident Heard City could handle it, and I knew I wanted to be part of this project.” After premiering to enthusiastic response, Blue Ruin was promptly acquired by RADiUS-TWC, which called the film “one of the most exceptional discoveries [in] years.”

About Heard City:

Heard City is a boutique audio post-production company located in New York’s Flatiron district servicing the advertising, motion picture and television industries.

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