Vaddio today launched the EasyUSB PRO MIC I/O Interface, designed to integrate any professional microphone with Vaddio’s EasyUSB audio solutions. The PRO MIC I/O Interface incorporates Vaddio’s unique SmartMIC technology into the device, providing distributed multi-channel acoustical echo cancellation and automatic microphone mixing. Additional DSP/Digital Signal Processing technologies include noise reduction, microphone gating, equalization, filtering and AGC for automatically calibrating to the live requirements of the room.

The PRO MIC I/O comes equipped with four independent echo cancellation microphone inputs and one discreet output for interfacing to the Vaddio EasyUSB Mixer/Amp. The system can be expanded to support eight microphones by adding an additional PRO MIC I/O.

“When we launched our EasyUSB MicPODs we heard from a lot of our integrators that while they loved them, they also wanted to have the capability of adding any professional microphone to their system designs,” explained CEO, Rob Sheeley. “So we are responding to their requests with the launch of the PRO MIC I/O. We believe that this is a game changer for consultants and integrators because they can now integrate the world’s best microphones into their Vaddio USB solutions. The audio quality of Microsoft Lync, Cisco WebEx and Skype audio calls will be amazing and with our state of the art DSP signal processing, they sound crystal clear and echo free.”

With Vaddio’s SmartMIC technology, there’s no more complex programming or time-consuming setups. No more having to relearn the room every time a change occurs.

“Plug in the microphone of your choice, adjust the input gain and let the PRO MIC I/O do the rest,” says Sheeley. “Once again Vaddio has given you The Art Of Easy.”

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About Vaddio:
Vaddio is the leading manufacturer of specialty PTZ cameras and camera control systems used in the audiovisual, videoconference and broadcast industries. Your customers demand cutting-edge technology that’s simple to use. You want equipment that’s easy to install and reliable to operate. Vaddio serves integrators and operators alike – with broadcast-quality PTZ cameras and control systems that deliver the performance you need with the convenience you demand. More information can be found on the Vaddio website, www.vaddio.com or at (800) 572.2011.

Pat McConnell New VP of Sales, Ed Capp Named Global Sales Director

REEDSBURG, WI, MAY 21, 2013 — Sound Devices, experts in audio and video products for field production, is pleased to announce two internal promotions. As the company continues to evolve in the professional audio and video markets, it has named Pat McConnell Vice President of Sales and Ed Capp Global Sales Director.

At a time when the level of technical expertise required for successful sales is paramount, the pair has demonstrated leadership in the specialized audio and video production markets. In their new roles, Pat and Ed will oversee the Sound Devices sales team to further promote the company’s entire range of products globally, while continuing to strengthen the Sound Devices reseller and distributor network.

Pat, who joined the company last year, brings his deep experience in audio, systems sales, and sales management to the company. He also continues on with the tradition of single-syllable first names for Sound Devices officers. Ed, a 10-year veteran of the Sound Devices sales team, has been instrumental in significantly expanding the reach of Sound Devices throughout the world. Ed has developed Sound Devices strength in Asia as well as the important Southern California markets.

“Ed and Pat are a great sales team and together they manage Sound Devices presence throughout the world,” says Matt Anderson, President of Sound Devices. “As the Sound Devices product lines become more and more technical, it is critical that our sales team is led by knowledgeable individuals who are immersed in the changing audio and video technology landscape. We are very excited to continue to grow our sales force and look forward to both Ed and Pat’s future contributions to the company.”

Sound Devices, LLC designs and manufactures portable audio mixers, digital audio recorders, and digital video recorders and related equipment for feature film, episodic television, documentary, news-gathering, and acoustical test and measurement applications. The fourteen-year old company designs and manufactures from their Reedsburg, Wisconsin headquarters with additional offices in Madison, WI and Highland Park, IL. For more information, visit the Sound Devices website, www.sounddevices.com.

THOUSAND OAKS, California, May 21, 2013 – Memorial Day barbecues herald warmer weather and bring families together to enjoy the best backyards in the neighborhood. Don’t sacrifice the sun for the sake of the big game on TV or family photo slideshows—a SunBriteTV all-weather television brings outdoor entertainment to your patio.

“A SunBriteTV is as much a social device as it is a television,” said Tom Dixon, VP of Marketing, SunBriteTV. “Families want to show off their backyard during the summer and a SunBriteTV becomes an immediate conversation-starter. Being able to simultaneously watch your favorite sport and lounge under the sun is like getting the best of both worlds.”

As a new outdoor haven for the kids by day and family home theater under the stars by summer night, a SunBriteTV continues to impress long after the big party. What’s more, the Signature Series comes with a family-friendly price tag: $1,495 for a 32” $2,795 (46”), $3,995 (55”) and $6,995 (65”).

All SunBriteTV models withstand temperatures from -24°F to 122°F and completely resist rain, humidity, salt corrosion, dust, and insects. Anti-glare screens are specially designed to deliver bright high-definition images in any outdoor climate, any time of day or night.

Every SunBriteTV includes a two-year warranty, a weatherproof remote, and 20 watt built-in speakers.
Optional accessories include a variety of wall-, ceiling- or pole-mount installation solutions, dust covers and FM Radio.

For more information on SunBriteTV please visit www.sunbritetv.com.

About SunBriteTV
SunBriteTV’s all-weather televisions have been time-tested in home installations, outdoor sports arena, restaurant and hotel patios and even on military vehicles participating in field operations. All models are available through SunBriteTV’s network of Authorized Dealers. To inquire about becoming an Authorized Dealer, contact SunBriteTV at 866.357.8688, or visit the Dealer Inquiry page at www.sunbritetv.com.

May 21, 2013 — Passfield, United Kingdom and Hong Kong: Digital Rapids will be showcasing the company’s newest media transformation and workflow solutions at two major international industry events in June — the ANGA COM Exhibition and Congress, June 4-6 in Cologne, Germany, and Broadcast Asia, June 18-21 in Singapore. At each of these events, visitors can experience first-hand how Digital Rapids’ innovative solutions, technologies and expertise enable media enterprises to bring live and on-demand video to wider audiences more efficiently, more effectively and more profitably. more…

XL Video is supplying nearly 400 square metres of LED screen, plus 72 x VersaTUBE LED battens and crew to Blink TV for the UK and European legs of One Direction’s ‘Take Me Home’ world tour!

This sees the UK’s favourite chart-topping, multi-platinum selling and award winning band reach dizzying new heights of popularity, presence and profile!
The Pixled F-12 and F-30 screen has been specified by the tour’s production designer Paul Normandale, who’s worked with XL on many previous occasions including Coldplay’s 2012 ‘Mylo Xyloto’ tour, when he first used the then just launched F-12 surface.
“It was faultless,” he comments, adding, “It’s always a pleasure dealing with Phil Mercer and XL – everything is very smooth and easy!”
Phil Mercer (Project managing for XL) says, “I really enjoy our on-going relationship with One Direction and with the tour’s Production Director Steve Levitt and Production Manager Karen Ringland of Production North. Apart from that, it’s great to see the band keep breaking records!”
XL initially worked on One Direction’s first full production tour last year. With over 11 million Twitter followers, 15 million Facebook fans, 1.5 billion YouTube views to date, two hit albums and numerous number one singles, One Direction’s short and stratospheric career is über impressive by any standards!
The vast upstage LED wall on this one is built from 205 panels of Pixled F-30 totalling a striking 189 square metres!
The stage area is 84 ft wide and so Normandale needed a large surface at the back to emphasise the show’s epic proportions.
Downstage of the back screen are a series of 11 skyscrapers – each one different in size – made up from a total of 499 x F-12 tiles – 180 square metres in total.
The towers are both single and double sided, with some flown at right-angles forming Normandale’s eye-catching cityscape design. A number of them move up and down on a Kinesys automation system to provide stage entrance / exits for the band (Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson).
XL devised some ingenious custom metalwork and packaging for the video-towers making them highly efficient to rig, fly for the show and be transported. They pack down into extra-wide dollies for expedient packing in the truck.
This streamlining was necessary due to the very tight get-in schedules which have to accommodate a myriad of matinee shows in addition to the evening ones, so everything has to be rigged and ready-to-rock in superfast time!
The F-12 towers will be shipped to all territories on the tour itinerary.
Playback content for the LED was produced by Canadian video and animation studio Geodezik, and is fed to the LED surfaces via a bespoke media server system supplied and run by Tom Levitt.
The towers and back screen also receive camera IMAG footage which is directed by Luke Levitt.
To funky-up the underside of the flying bridge that flies in and transports the band from the main to the B stage, XL has supplied the 72 HD VersaTUBE LED battens.
XL’s crew of three – Patrick Vansteelant, Philip Leech and Conor Canwell – work alongside six others making up the full touring video department.
One’s Direction’s Artistic Director is Beth Honan. Dave Lee is the Lighting Director on tour, Mike Shepherd is the Lighting Crew Chief and lighting equipment for the UK and European sections is being supplied by Lite Alternative.
The tour continues in Europe, then visits the US and Australia. It’s currently scheduled to finish in Tokyo in November.

Making its InfoComm debut, the A/V Binloop HD from Alcorn McBride is the ultimate 8-channel, frame-accurate synchronized audio and video player. The A/V Binloop HD, which provides up to 8 channels of Full HD 1080p or 2 channels of UltraHD 4K along with 16 tracks of 16 bit audio, will be on hand in Alcorn McBride booth 2504 at InfoComm13, June 8-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

Offering reliability in a compact form factor, the A/V Binloop HD is a high performing solid-state player characteristic of Alcorn McBride engineering. It contains no spinning drives, just simple removable solid-state media that store hours of HD content. It is designed for video walls, museum exhibits, military simulation systems, 4D Theaters and digital signage applications, and is capable of displaying synchronized content across 16.6 megapixels.

Each channel plays back MPEG2 or h.264 video at bitrates up to 40Mbps and resolutions up to FullHD 1080p (1920 x 1080) as well as 16-bit stereo or surround sound audio. These channels can be easily synchronized to provide up to 2 channels of UltraHD 4K (3840 x 2160) playback, or even atypical arrangements such as a video wall banner (15360 x 1080). Content can be managed remotely via Ethernet. The A/V Binloop HD also features SMPTE timecode capability and genlock input.

Unlike most commercial video devices it provides a Full HD 1080p video source to each screen. This eliminates the loss of quality due to stretching, which is often seen in traditional videowall controllers and makes it scalable to much higher resolutions.

About Alcorn McBride:
Founded in 1986, Alcorn McBride is the leading manufacturer of show control, audio and video equipment for the themed entertainment industry, and a rapidly growing provider of audio and video systems for retail environments and transportation applications. Staffed by some of the industry’s best engineers and backed by outstanding customer support, the company has demonstrated great agility in bringing new designs to market. A hallmark of Alcorn McBride products is their durable, zero maintenance design. The company’s products provide consistent, reliable operation for audio and video playback applications worldwide. For more information, visit www.alcorn.com.

 Rampant Design Keeps Pace with Aggressive Release Schedule, Launching Four New Quicktime-Based Drag-and-Drop Elements for Real Time Effects, Transitions 

and Animated Mattes  

Orlando, FL (May 21, 2013) – Rampant Design Tools (www.rampantdesigntools.com) today announced it keeping pace with an aggressive product release schedule first revealed at NAB 2013. With this announcement, Rampant Design Tools is launching four new complete libraries of Quicktime-based drag-and-drop elements for real time effects, transitions and animated mattes.

Additionally, in celebration of its 4th year in business, Rampant is continuing its month long celebration in May – The Rampant Birthday Bash.  As part of this celebration, Rampant Design Tools is releasing new products all month and offering deep discounted bundles of up to 80% off regular price. For more information, please visit: http://rampantdesigntools.com/rampant-birthday-bash/

Rampant Design Tools offers a unique, time-saving approach for budget- and time-crunched editors who need to quickly add quality VFX or design elements to their projects. Rampant Design Tools solutions are compatible with all editing platforms and compositing applications that are able to read Quicktime files, including Adobe Creative Suite (After Effects and Premiere), Sony Vegas, Media 100, Apple Motion, NUKE, Apple Final Cut Pro, FCP X and Avid Media Composer. They are also designed to complement filmmakers and VFX artists existing workflows and integrate well with pipelines comprised of industry-leading VFX and color correction solutions.

New Elements from Rampant Design

The Rampant Design Tools team is keeping to its commitment to customers to develop new libraries of products dedicated to simplifying their workflows, and saving them considerable time and money on their projects. New products from Rampant include:

Hard Light Overlays: http://rampantdesigntools.com/product/hard-light-overlays/

120 1080P HD (1920×1080) royalty-free Quicktime Movies of light elements for video. Rampant Hard Light Overlays™ instantly add vibrance and texture to your video. These elements allow you to effortlessly take your video up a notch. Great for editors, compositors, and motion graphics artists.

Style Mattes 4: http://rampantdesigntools.com/product/style-mattes-4/

90 Drag and Drop animated Mattes for video. Modern and stylized elements that will instantly change the look of your video.

Style Mattes 5: http://rampantdesigntools.com/product/style-mattes-5/

90 Easy to use animated mattes for editors. Drop them in your timeline to instantly change the look and feel of your video.

MatteFX: http://rampantdesigntools.com/product/mattefx/

165 High Definition Animated Texture and Radial Elements for your video.  Instantly add texture to your motion graphics.

Pricing and Availability

All of Rampant Design Tools newly launched solutions are available immediately and are priced at $99.00 USD each. For more information or to purchase any of Rampant Design Tools solutions, please visit www.rampantdesigntools.com.

About Rampant Design

Rampant was founded by Visual Effects Artist Sean Mullen. With over 60 credits in feature film and television, Sean has shot and created VFX elements for network shows, feature films, private hollywood libraries and has created content for many of the major stock companies His work has touched such acclaimed Hollywood and television productions as Charmed, Ally McBeal, NCIS, Felicity, Nip/Tuck, Idle Hands, Lake Placid and Any Given Sunday.

Sean was inspired by his editor friends to create the first Rampant Design Tools – elements for his friends to mix and match and drop on their timelines that would instantly add a unique look / flavor to their videos. This inspiration essentially gave birth to many of the product lines you see at Rampant today. For more information, please visit www.rampantdesigntools.com.

May 29 Deadline for Abstracts

NEW YORK: AES 135th Convention Committee Papers Co-Chairs, Brett Leonard and Tae Hong Park, have announced an extension of the call to the professional audio community for technical papers proposals. The new deadline is Wednesday, May 29, 2013.

“We have already received a number of strong abstracts and completed papers,” reports Brett Leonard. “We anticipate a particularly strong turnout for this year. And, we want to make sure that our review board has as many options as possible in order to maintain the quality and diversity of our presentations. By reaching out to a wider segment of the professional and educational sectors we hope to add a number of atypical but eminently worthwhile subjects.”

“We recognize the fact that meaningful papers can originate from beyond traditional academia,” states Co-Chair Tae Hong Park. “Our goal is to develop the most stimulating, comprehensive and authoritative Papers Program possible. Points of origin are far less critical than points of fact, theory and originality.”

In addition to sharing knowledge and opening constructive dialogues on issues which impact on the professional audio community, presenting authors will have their Papers included on the CD-ROM of the full Papers / Posters Program, and, student members will be eligible for the Student Paper Award.

Authors may submit proposals in three categories:

1. Complete-manuscript peer-reviewed convention papers: www.aes.org/135th_authors
2. Abstract-precis-reviewed convention papers: www.aes.org/135th_authors
3. Synopsis-reviewed engineering briefs: www.aes.org/135th_ebriefs

Category 1 and 2 proposals must be submitted electronically to the AES 135th proposal submission site at: www.aes.org/135th_authors by May 29, 2013

Category 3 – Engineering Brief authors must supply a short synopsis by Aug. 14, 2013 followed by an electronic manuscript. These manuscripts will be freely available in the AES E-Library to AES members.

The 135th Audio Engineering Society Convention will be held Oct. 17 – 20, 2013 at New York’s Jacob Javits Convention Center.

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The Audio Engineering Society was formed in 1948 by a group of concerned audio engineers. The AES counts over 14,000 members throughout the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Japan and the Far East. The organization serves as the pivotal force in the exchange and dissemination of technical information for the industry. For additional information visit http://www.aes.org

In a powerful demonstration of its ability to integrate live data into a multimedia production with both local-venue and broadcast connectivity, Dataton WATCHOUT™ multi-image display and presentation software has been deployed as a key presentation tool at the Canadian Liberal Party’s Ontario Leadership Convention in Toronto.

The WATCHOUT licences were supplied to Mediaco by Show Sage, Dataton’s Premium Partner for North America. Jim Testa, President, Show Sage, comments: “Whether it’s equipment rental, lighting and staging, technical production or fully fledged system design, Mediaco is a highly innovative and trusted partner, and it was a pleasure to support them in the creation of the Liberal Party Convention multimedia show.”

The Convention, which resulted in the nomination of Kathleen Wynne as the first openly gay female Premier in Canadian provincial history, was held in Toronto’s historic former Maple Leaf Gardens building and took place over two days in January this year.

Local event production company Mediaco was responsible for the technical system design and co-ordination of the event, including all on-site AV provision and appropriate OB feeds to Canada’s broadcast community. Mediaco has just rebranded aligning themselves to providing the fastest service and support possible.

Matt Farrell, Mediaco’s Production Manager for the Convention, takes up the story: “The Liberal Party is the sitting party in Ontario so this was no ordinary Leadership Convention – it was a congress to elect a new leader for the entire province of Ontario. As such there was an enormous amount of media attention, in addition to all the hectic negotiations you would expect from a Convention where six candidates have to be reduced down to one winner in a matter of 48 hours.”

Mediaco’s work on the project began a week ahead of the Convention’s opening, with lighting and audio systems being hung over truss in a series of eight-hour shifts. “We came into the building the day before and had to be loaded-in by 4pm for the start of rehearsals,” Farrell continues.

“We had three separate rear-projection displays, using WATCHOUT to create a single HD backdrop that could also be divided into three, depending on the requirements of the event and the timing of the votes inside the venue.

“The screens showed a mixture of pre-made images created by our in-house content team, live camera feeds of the candidates making their pitches to the Convention delegates and other key party members delivering speeches and, last but not least, the big numbers for each candidate as the votes were tallied up.”

As well as the edge-blending and scheduling capabilities of WATCHOUT, Mediaco also used the software platform’s geometry correction functionality for projection onto the center screen because of installation issues caused by the building design.

WATCHOUT’s timeline-based show management tools also allowed direct integration with pre-programmed sound effects and cues that were fed into the on-site audio desk.

The complete audio and video feed was then made available to a broadcast connection that was used live by local stations and in highlights packages by national networks.

Throughout the two-day Convention, Mediaco staff had to adapt the content of their main display to accommodate the shifting political landscape of the event – as Chris Cameron, Technical Director at Mediaco, relates:

“There were a lot of last-minute changes to the presentation which we were able to accommodate into the WATCHOUT timeline because the software is just so easy to use. Once on-site we used the platform’s ability to take data from a live input capture card. This allowed us to broadcast up-to-date voter statistics throughout the frenzy of delegates transferring their vote from one candidate to another as each round of voting was completed.”

Fredrik Svahnberg, Marketing Director, Dataton, concludes: “People tend to associate WATCHOUT with artistic content, and rightly so. But in this particular application we see the power of our platform to act as a communications tool as political history is being made – to the benefit not just of the local audience but to the millions watching broadcast channels at home.”

www.dataton.com
www.ShowSage.com

Lightware U.S.A., the US distributor for Budapest-based Lightware Visual Engineering, is now shipping the 25G Hybrid Technology, a revolutionary line of digital matrix switchers, which work in tandem with Lightware’s Modular Extender (MODEX) family of external signal extenders. The 25G Hybrid Matrix will be showcased in the Lightware booth at InfoComm13, June 8-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando booth # 4180.

Designed to deliver exceptionally high-resolution image quality and 24/7 reliability, 25G Hybrid technology sets a new standard in the pro AV industry. More than just a switcher, the 25G Hybrid is a complete source that manages and distributes all digital and analog signals over a single CAT5 cable or fiber via specially-developed input/output cards combined with audio add-ons. As a comprehensive line of digital matrix switchers, transmitters and receivers, 25G Hybrid combines switching with a powerful suite of diagnostic tools for the digital age, delivering a superior user experience.

Since the 25G Hybrid accepts multiple formats it enables users to deploy a single, space-saving frame instead of separate routers and switchers for various formats.

At the heart of the new line is super-fast 25 gigabit per second data-rate switching, which allows transportation of next-generation video signals like HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort1.2. The future-proof platform is ready for all video and audio standards, including 4K and stereo 3D formats.

Multilayer switching design allows independent routing of each signal type (breakaway switching) for all layers. This feature provides switching and extending of all signal layers separately, or in a breakaway format, to be recombined at output to a single connection.

Each video port can be equipped with a separate audio input and output (audio return channel) connector forming a 320×320 S/PDIF crosspoint switch. It manages stereo and multichannel audio as well as high-bit rate formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Multichannel-to-stereo down mixing can be provided as an option.

Other 25G Hybrid features include Ethernet 10/100 connection in all input and output ports for local devices and remote extensions, USB KVM connectivity, and IR/CEC/RS-232 control signal support.

About Lightware U.S.A.

Lightware U.S.A. is the US distributor of professional AV products manufactured by Lightware Visual Engineering in Budapest, Hungary. For more information on these products, visit www.lightwareUSA.com.