broadcastpro middle east - august 2011 issue

1 August 2011 | www.broadcastprome.com |

Early adopters from the UK speak out

SHOOT AND TELLARRI ALEXA put

through its paces

BROADCASTPRO GALAWho came, who won

and what’s next

TETE A TETEWith Sanjay Raina,

COO of Taj TV

HDHEROESPUBLICATION

LICENSED BY IMPZ

Technology inTelligence for TV, film and radio

issue 14 | aug 2011

2 | www.broadcastprome.com | August 2011

Switching careers from ad exec to executive producer – a look at Azza Aboul Magd’s big leap into the world of films.

Turn to Page 40

PublisherDominic De Sousa

COONadeem Hood

Managing DirectorRichard [email protected] +971 (0) 4 440 9126

ADverTisingsales DirectorRaz [email protected] +971 4 440 9129

group sales ManagerSandip [email protected] +971 (0) 50 459 2653

eDiTOriALsenior editorVijaya [email protected] +971 (0) 50 768 3435

Assistant editorAnuradha [email protected] +971 (0) 55 607 8103

PrODUCTiOnCirculation ManagerRajeesh [email protected] +971 (0) 4 440 9147

Production ManagerJames P [email protected] +971 (0) 4 440 9146

DigiTALwww.broadcastprome.comwww.cpidubai.com

DigiTAL serviCesDigital services ManagerTristan Troy P Maagma

Web DevelopersJerus King BationErik BrionesJefferson de JoyaLouie Alma

[email protected] +971 4 440 9100

© Copyright 2011 CPI. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

It’s been less than a month since I came to the Arab world, and I can already see why the Middle East is the star in the world of broadcast. In less than three weeks, I have travelled to Abu Dhabi twice to see filmmakers in action, attended half a dozen industry events and had the good fortune to meet the crème of the UAE’s production and broadcast industry at the BroadcastPro Middle East anniversary party.

I had the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the who’s who while I worked with NDTV India and Al Jazeera in the UK before I shifted base to Dubai to be a part of the BroadcastPro team. What a challenge to be integrated with a bunch of people, who throw up ideas and actually make it happen.

I suppose it’s the Middle East way. I have heard it said that this place was a desert and the urban landscape and sky scrapers we see in Dubai, for instance, are the result of the rulers’ vision.

We are a microcosmic version of a similar dream – the dream of a team to do whatever

they do with passion and commitment. Success, we believe, will follow.

I suppose that’s perhaps why we saw so much camaraderie at our party. I was pleasantly surprised by the rapport our team shared with the industry; no cold and formal party, this. Just a really nice bunch of industry peers sharing in our celebrations.

This issue of the magazine is very special to me. I have joined CPI at a special moment, just as BroadcastPro has announced brand extensions and the biggest surprise of all, the ASBU BroadcastPro Middle East Summit and Awards 2011.

I look forward to working with all of you.

www.broadcastprome.comsubscribe now

Published by1013 Centre Road, New Castle County,Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Head OfficePO Box 13700Dubai, UAETel: +971 (0) 4 440 9100Fax: +971 (0) 4 447 2409 Printed byPrintwell Printing Press LLC

WelcomeEditor’s Pick

ASBU BroAdcAStPro Middle eASt SUMMit And AwArdS 2011 AnnoUnced.Turn to page 4.

ABU dhABi MediA AnnoUnceS joB cUtS in BroAdcASt diviSionAhead of the official joining of ex-Virgin senior exec Malcolm Wall to Abu Dhabi Media (ADM) on September 1, the company announced several job cuts in its broadcast division. Around 60 people were said to have been axed two weeks ago although the total number of those who have lost their jobs is estimated to be around 100 since January 2011. Similar structural adjustments are expected to take place within other divisions of the company in the coming months.

CoverDavid Carr, John Ive and Lesley Marr.

Anuradha MojumdarAssistant Editor

1 Eds AW.indd 1 21/07/2011 16:59


www.wondercube.tv

Perfect playoutLightCube SD/HD is the first playout solution designed by broadcasters,

for broadcasters, offering full workflow in a single workstation. From

ingestion through to broadcast, LightCube enables you to take control

of your media, with simultaneous capture and playout.

Features includes comprehensive asset management, quiet PC-based

storage, CG management, playlists, playout and a high-level audio

processor to control any source audio problems. There’s full manual

and automatic control of the matrix/router and the software is available

in multi-language versions. Plus, with the option to upgrade to the larger

WonderCube platform, your system can easily grow as your business does.

playoutAffordable TV channel automation

designed by broadcasters

For further information on LightCube, please visit www.wondercube.tv or contact:

JVC Professional • Tel: +971 4 803 6210 • [email protected] Enterprises • Tel: +971 2 621 7043 • [email protected]

#149 - LightCube ad (BroadcastPro).indd 1 27/07/2011 13:00:05


in this issue

AUGUST 2011

4 NEWS ASBU BroadcastPro Middle East

Summit and Awards 2011 announced

14 COVER Early adopters of HD speak out

24 INTERVIEW Taj TV’s COO on his new role, pay

TV, HD and sport

28 BROADCASTPRO GALA Who attended our anniversary party?

36 SPORTS BROADCASTING The secret to securing your sports rights lies in your choice of solution

40 CHINESE FILM IN DUBAI Executive producer Azza Aboul Magd on

switching careers to undertake a Chinese production in Dubai

46 ARRI ALEXA REVIEW Producer Babak Amini of Eclipse

Production on his first taste of the ARRI ALEXA

53 IBC PREVIEW A snapshot of some of the products that

will be showcased at IBC2011.

60 TRENDS Camcorder business slows down, says

Doug Sheer of D.I.S. Consulting

www.bridgetech.tv

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVEFAMILY OF MEDIA MONITORING,MEASUREMENT AND ANALYSIS

PRODUCTS IN THE WORLD

Designed for the rigors of real-world use on the road. The VB12-RF is smaller, lighter and tougher than any

other comparable monitoring solution. It contains all the interfaces needed for broadcast or IP analysis at any location in the transmission chain of both cable and terrestrial broadcast-ip digital media operations. The VB12-RF requires no external equipment or power supplies and is easy enough to withstand severe physical shocks and harsh operating conditions.

14

46

24

40


BroadcastPro Middle East is delighted to announce the launch of ASBU BroadcastPro Middle East Summit and Awards 2011 along with the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU).

The announcement was made at the magazine’s first anniversary party, which was hosted at Calabar, The Address Downtown Dubai on July 11.

Speaking about the partnership, Richard Judd, managing director, CPI Broadcast, Business and Technology Divisions stated: “Our inaugural summit and awards in November will address the need for education and training in the sector, and we are extremely pleased to have ASBU as our presenting partner for this event.

“This is not all. BroadcastPro ME is also pleased to announce plans for further growth to supplement our brand. In addition to our already

successful Workshop Pro series, we will be launching two new titles – Satellite Pro and AV Pro. This is in response to the increasing investment and growth in the broadcast industry.”

The ASBU BroadcastPro Middle East Summit and Awards 2011, which will be hosted on 23rd November in Dubai, is aimed at bringing broadcast industry peers together in a knowledge sharing environment to discuss, debate and share technical know-how.

“One element that is sorely lacking in the Middle East is training,” stated Vijaya Cherian, senior editor, BroadcastPro Middle East.

“Very few companies have shown the willingness to invest in training or upgrading the skills of the broadcast industry unlike the IT industry. In our market, road shows are common but they are

Richard Judd, MD, CPI Broadcast, Business & Technology Divisions.

ASBU BROADcAStPRO MiDDlE EASt SUMMit AnD AwARDS 2011 AnnOUncED

JORDAN FiLm FuND iNviTES ENTRiES Applications are now open for the first round of the Jordan Film Fund (JFF), the first grant of its kind in Jordan.

Set up this year by the Royal Film Commission in Jordan, the fund will provide financial grants for development, narrative, docu-mentary as well as short films. The deadline for applications is September 1, 2011.

AL JAzEERA iN TALkS TO ACquiRE ORANGE SPORT CHANNELAl Jazeera is in talks with France Telecom to acquire the Orange Sport channel although the deal has not been finalised, according to France Telecom chief executive Stephane Richard.

“What will happen to our soccer channel remains an open question. Al Jazeera has stated an interest and talks are underway; it is a bit early to say more today, but it is a possible option,” Richard said.

Al Jazeera recently agreed to pay US $126.5 million a year for the right to broadcast two live, premium soccer matches a week and for other associated rights over four seasons between 2012 and 2016. The Doha-based television network is setting its sights on soccer broadcasting ahead of 2022 when Qatar will host the football World Cup.

The Qatar Investment Authority, a Qatari government-owned firm also recently bought a 70% stake in Paris Saint-Germain, a French football club.

aimed at promoting a specific manufacturer’s products or solutions. No publication has taken the initiative to host an engineering conference in the region that is solely dedicated to discussing the daily issues that tech experts face, whether it is migrating to HD or adopting a cloud environment. Our aim is create a favourable environment for such discussions to take place.”

The Summit will be held during the day and will be wrapped up in the evening with a gala awards ceremony.

“One of the prime reasons for partnering with ASBU has been to ensure that we maintain credibility in the market and have a more transparent judging process. In addition, ASBU has access to a huge database of broadcast players across the pan-Arab market and we want to encourage a more widespread participation from them,” stated Raz Islam, sales director, BroadcastPro ME.

Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) is one of the most respected organisations in the world and is a major player in the field of broadcasting. Its members include broadcasters from across the pan-Arab market. ASBU aims to promote innovative thinking and international practices in the Arab world for broadcasting. It was the recipient of the 2009 IBC Innovation Award along with Newtec and Arabsat for its MENOS implementation.

Dr. Riyadh Najm, deputy minister of engineering, Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information is the president of ASBU and is a highly respected figure in the Arab world.

Details of the Summit and Awards will be available on www.broadcastprome.com in a few weeks.

138 Number of radio programmes produced by studios in Saudi Arabia for the Holy month of Ramadan.

PROnEwS

5 August 2011 | www.broadcastprome.com |Sony Professional Solutions MEA FZ LLC، Unit C-50, P. O. Box 502050، International Media Production Zone, Dubai, United Arab Emirates,

Tel: +971 4 391 8400، Email: [email protected]، website: www.pro.sony.eu/mea

Sony, the world leader in OLED displays, proudly presents the much-anticipated BVM-E Series OLED master monitors and PVM Series OLED picture monitors. Sony’s OLED panel can display a deeper black than any other display device, and each pixel can be turned completely off - a feature no other display technology can offer! The result is accurate black reproduction with each individual pixel, giving you the power to evaluate each picture image faithfully to the signal. Delivering deep black, high-contrast, accurate color reproduction, and quick response with virtually no motion blur, the BVM-E and PVM series are the new industry standard in professional monitors.

PVM Series – Broadcast OLED Picture MonitorsFor Critical Picture Viewing

BVM-E Series – Broadcast OLED MasterMonitors For Critical Picture Evaluation

Sony’s OLED.The New Black.

•SonyOLEDSelf-emittingDisplayDevice– RGB 10-bit, Full HD•Sony’suniqueSuperTopEmission technology for accurate color reproduction•Deepblackwithhighdynamicrange•Accuratesignalprocessingacrossall signal levels•Quickresponsewithvirtuallynomotionblur•Widecolorgamutandaccurate color reproduction

“Sony”, “make.believe” and “Trimaster EL” are trademarksof Sony Corporation.

797_Sony_OLED Monitor_Broad cast_20.7x27cm.indd 1 6/21/11 3:25:52 PM


Rotana Audio Visual Group and Sony Gulf joined hands to provide Arabic audiences with the first 3D experience featuring a music video clip on Najwa Karam in her song Ma Fi Nom.

The 3D music clip was produced with the assistance of three professional teams from the US and the UK. Additionally, the Lebanese W&P Production group undertook extensive research on 3D techniques to familiarise the Middle East crew with the technology, including the equipment and digital cameras used for the shoot.

Lebanese singer Najwa Karam was chosen to feature in the clip for her distinct Arabic flavour with a contemporary twist that fits well with modern 3D technology.

Filmed by director Walid Nassif, the song Ma Fi Nom and particularly its drum beat present a novel music style, which accompanied by her sonorous voice provide the most compatible rendering to translate into a 3D platform.

The three-day shoot, which took place in Northern Lebanon, had one of the

ROtAnA AnD SOny tiE tO PRODUcE 3D MUSic viDEO

Sony and Rotana will present a 3D Arabic music video for music artist Najwa Karam’s song Ma Fi Nom.

mELODy HOuSE SuPPLiES ART CENTRE wiTH P.A. SySTEmHK Audio speaker systems distributor Melody House has supplied non-profit art centre Pavilion Downtown Dubai with the new Elements speaker system. The venue boasts two art galleries, a restaurant, a library, an espresso bar, a shisha café and lounge plus a cinema where the Elements system is utilised. The HK Audio Elements system is a line-source system that links the advantages of line-array technology with the easy handling of ultra-compact P.A. systems.

Consisting of six components, the Elements system offers a portable sound reinforcement solution. Components can be added or removed from the system via E-Connect, a new integrated coupler/bus that provides adaptable “mix n’ match” capabilities.

biggest production budgets in the Middle East. Salem Al Hendi, president of Rotana, Mathew Mathai, GM, Marketing Communications, Sony Gulf, and Mohammed Judeh, manager, Sony Gulf, are the key members behind this first-ever 3D initiative. Clyde Desouza, a senior stereographic consultant in the region, provided 3D stereography consultation for the music video.

The 3D version will premiere at the ABC Achrafieh theatre in Lebanon. The video clip will later be played in more than 600 Sony outlet stores throughout the Arab world. The clip was also shot in 2D to enable Rotana TV viewers to watch it on their regular TV sets.

DiFF TO PRESENT ARAB FiLmS AT LONDON FESTThe Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) presented a selection of award-winning Emirati and Arab films in London last month, as part of Shubbak, the city’s first-ever celebration of contemporary Arab culture.

At least seven award-winning films from both DIFF 2010 and Gulf Film Festival were screened at Shubbak, giving audiences in London an insight into evolving Arab cinema and the Arab world through the eyes of its filmmakers.

Organised by the Mayor of London, the Shubbak festival included more than 70 arts events in more than 30 venues across the city from July 4 to 24.

DIFF and Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts) presented an evening of screenings and discussions at Rivington Place, London, reflecting the contemporary Emirati experience. The four Emirati films included in the Iniva programme include director Khalid Al Mahmood’s Sabeel; Hamad Al Hammadi’s End of December; Slow Death by Jamal Salim; and Nayla Al Khaja’s .

DIFF also collaborated with Mosaic Rooms, a Kensington-based arts space dedicated to progressive and innovative voices in art, literature and film from the Middle East, to screen a selection of new Arab films last month.

The Pavilion Downtown Dubai.

WHO’S WHO? Paul Green has been promoted to Broadcast Engineering Manager at Orbit Showtime Network.


Rental systems integration firm AVI-SPL recently purchased Shure wireless microphone systems from Dubai-based distributor Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics (NMK) Enterprises for a major deployment in Qatar. The investment includes receivers and transmitters from the UHF-R series.

AVI-SPL has purchased

Dubai-based distributor United Broadcast and Media Solutions (UBMS) is set to launch an online video training centre. The training centre, which is currently in the beta phase, will allow end users to access video tutorials. The e-centre is scheduled to launch after Ramadan.

Speaking about the new development, Peter Kyriakos, marketing manager for UBMS told BroadcastPro ME: “This is a convenient medium that can be accessed while sitting at your home or in the office. If someone wants to know a specific way of doing something for instance, an assembly for a

Avi-SPL DEPLOyS SHuRE iN qATAR PROJECT

uBmS TO LAuNCH ONLiNE viDEO TRAiNiNG CENTRE

THE GuLF’S FiRST ‘LADiES ONLy’ CiNEmA OPENS iN qATARQatar-based Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) opened the Gulf’s first ladies-only cinema in Doha last month.

According to the AZF website, the cinema has a seating capacity of 154. Three different films will be shown each weekend. An extra film designed for children will be screened on Saturdays. All films for the Aspire Ladies Cinema will be provided by the Qatar Cinema & Film Distribution Co.

DFi FiLmmAkERS ATTEND FEST TRAiNiNG GROuND, PORTuGALFour young filmmakers from Doha Film Institute attended the Fest Training Ground in Portugal last month. The week-long event is now in its third year and had more than 350 participants from 25 countries during the previous years, according to the festival’s website. The event was attended by Mohammed Al Ibrahim (Land of Pearls), Amir Ghonim (Dunia), Noor Ahmed (My Grandfather’s Past through My Eyes) and Meriem Mesraoua who were in the company of other filmmakers from across the world. The closing session of the event included the screening of the much-talked about documentary film El Ambulante.

Redrock micro rig, they just have to go to our website where professionals offer step-by-step video tutorials.”

The training centre aims to educate industry professionals with limited time on their hands.

“We need to educate the industry. The issue with training is that people have to take time out during the day to attend workshops. Some people, unfortunately, do not have the time. With this, they learn exactly what they want and when they want it.”

UBMS partnered with SAE Institute Dubai to present a workshop on the Phantom Flex camera last month in Dubai.

Watch our special video interview with Phiroze Dalal, application specialist at Vision Research, who led the workshop, on www.broadcastprome.com.

four sets of the new UR4D+ receiver, which allows it to cascade up to 10 units without the use of an antenna distribution system.

The UHF-R series is presently Shure’s most powerful wireless system. The system masters the high pressure and extreme conditions of large-scale touring or installation

environment. It provides sound professionals with the features and flexibility to tightly control up to 108 systems for elaborate productions.

AVI-SPL is well known for AV systems integration in the US and recently expanded its presence in the Middle East with a dedicated office in Dubai.

Peter Kyriakos, marketing manager, UBMS.

WHO’S WHO? Saeid Javadi Nejad has been appointed regional sales manager for STUDIO HAMBURG MCI.

AVI-SPL’s Phil Marlowe with the Shure equipment.

www.ensembledesigns.com+1 530.478.1830

Purveyors of Fine Video Gear - Loved By Engineers WorldwideVisit us at IBC Stand 8.B91

See It. Take It.

See it. Take it. The new flexible matrix router with realtime video thumbnails. It’s ideal for QC monitoring, master control bypass switching, ENG trucks, edit suites, and for your next project or upgrade.

New Flexible Matrix Router

• Realtime video thumbnails of every SDI source and destination

• Flexible I/O configuration

• Clean Switch for Critical Feeds

• Signal Monitoring and Reporting

Al Nijoom Media Production has deployed the Hamlet MonitorScope MS9000 in its HD OB truck for critical quality measurements. The MonitorScope was installed by Indian systems integrator Deuro Broadcast India, which also built the vehicle for Al Nijoom.

With space always at a premium in OB units, the compact waveform monitor and vectorscope offers a significant advantage. It is capable of making a very broad range of measurements in both SD and HD formats, an important consideration for Al Nijoom as the whole unit is designed to be dual standard, allowing it to migrate its production capabilities to HD or 3G according to client requirements.

SAUDI PRODUCTION HOUSE INVESTS IN HAMLET

Another critical consideration was power consumption. As well as minimising the impact on location power supplies, the low power consumption of the MS9000 means it generates very little heat. As temperatures in Saudi Arabia are frequently well in excess of 45 degrees, savings in heat emission and the consequent reduction in load on the vehicle’s air conditioning were a vital consideration.

“We looked at the equipment available on the market, and the Hamlet MonitorScope was the most suitable for our needs,” stated Joseph Kurian of Al Nijoom.

“It has a small form factor and low power consumption, but it also gives us access to

all of the right parameters and the ability to switch between standards. We are happy with its performance and are now looking to invest in other Hamlet equipment.”

Steve Nunney, managing director of Hamlet added: “With EYE and TSG

modules also available, it can easily be upgraded to 3Gb/s. We are very pleased to hear from Kurian that the MonitorScope’s functionality, compact design and low power consumption tick all the right boxes for Al Nijoom.”


PRONEWS


•Innovation: Enjoy next-generation technology, including a new line of 2D and 3D graphics cards to help you create and visualize even the most complex designs. These are housed in a Revolutionary designed tool-less chassis often powered by 89% efficient power supplies.

•Performance: Advanced compute and visualization power help speed your work, beat deadlines, and meet expectations. At the heart of HP 8740w Mobile Workstation are the new Intel® processors with advanced processor performance technologies, such as Intel® QuickPath, Intel® Hyper-Threading1 and Intel® Turbo Boost2.

•Reliability: HP product testing includes application performance, graphics and comprehensive ISV certification for maximum productivity. You can be confident in your HP and Autodesk solution.

•Relationships: HP resources and our relationships with Autodesk, graphics vendors, chip suppliers, and Microsoft provide a consistent application, operating system, hardware, and graphics technical direction. This results in broader, more dependable 3D application-oriented technology choices.

•Personalproductivity: Only HP provides unique tools to improve workstation user productivity, including: HP Performance Advisor, a workstation software wizard with helpful advice on recommended settings and performance; HP SkyRoom, a client-to client video communications and desktop sharing collaboration tool; and HP Remote Graphics Software, a high-performance real-time 3D screen sharing and remote access application.

The HP8540wand8740wMobileWorkstations are engineered to optimize the way hardware and software components work together, delivering massive, whole-system computational power that helps maximize your productivity and make 3D design and visualization faster and more efficient than ever before.

Top 5 Reasons To GeT an Hp Mobile WoRksTaTions

Hp and auTodeskHP has a unique relationship with Autodesk, Inc., a world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment industries. More than nine million users rely on Autodesk tools to help them design, visualize, and simulate real-world performance early in the design process, save time and money, enhance quality, and foster innovation.

auTodesk desiGn VisualizaTion soluTionsAutodesk design visualization solutions provide advanced 3D modeling, lighting, rendering, and animation toolsets for the most challenging architectural, civil engineering, product and industrial design, scientific, and medical projects. Use Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design and Autodesk® Showcase® visualization software to turn raw design data into beautiful 3D imagery, validate your designs in context, and tell the stories behind your designs. Experience streamlined interoperability and connectivity with the AutoCAD®, Autodesk® Revit®, Autodesk Inventor®, and Autodesk® Alias® families of products-as well as certain third-party design applications

HP recommends Windows® 7 Professional.

Make itin the real world

Big

THe Hp 8540W and 8740W Mobile WoRksTaTions offer all the workstation power to run AutoDesk applications; in a smaller and lighter size with either a 15-inch or 17-inch diagonal screen. Ideal for those on the go who want to minimize the weight they carry.

• UAE: Omnix International Co LLC, Tel: 0097143344495 • Cadd Emirates, Tel: 009714 3933800 • MIDEAST DATA SYSTEM, Tel: 00971 4 3370070 • Al Suwaidi Computer, Tel: 009714 3988842 • Kuwait: Omnix, Tel: 0096524824311 • NCR, Tel: 009652413070 • BADER AL MULLA & BROS CO. WLL, Tel: 0096522437216 • ZAK SOLUTIONS FOR COMPUTER SYSTEMS CO. WLL, Tel: 00965 224 1156 • Bahrain: NATIONAL COMPUTER SERVICES, Tel: 0097317214415 • Qatar: Omnix International Co LLC, Tel: 009744874966 • Al Dura Trading & Marketing Company, Tel: 00974 4680684 • Mannai Trading Company, Tel: 009744558811 • Oman: Mideast Data Systems Oman, Tel: 0096824561717 • Bahwan IT L.L.C, Tel: 00968 24660036

Q211_013_PSG_HP_Workstations_BMe_270x414_FV.indd 1 7/21/11 4:06 PM

12 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2011

Argosy is a leading international supplier of HD broadcast cables and studio infrastructure products. Its

established portfolio of products include a complete range of video, audio and power cables, connectors,

fibre optic solutions, routing switchers, rack systems, KVM

switches and the Sonarae NLE audio monitoring

system as well as an array of video accessories.

CABLES CONNECTORS PATCH PANELS MDUs RACK SYSTEMS FIBRE/HYBRID CABLES ROUTERS VIDEO ACCESSORIES

Argosy products are available from stocks at locations in the UK, UAE, India and Malaysia

SErVINg tHE broADcASt INDuStry

broADcASt INFrAStructurE

Mains Distribution

Rack Systems

Video and Audio Cable

Connectors and Accessories

Fibre Optic Solutions

Patch Panels

Skeleton Cable Drums

Routing Switchers Test & Measurement

MAXIMISE

A r g o S yt: +971 4 357 6800f: +971 4 387 6900

www.argosycable.come: [email protected]

See Argosy at IBC 2011 Stand 10.D55

Argosy Broadcast Pro ME 175 x 110 with flash.indd 1 28/06/2011 16:43

Security solutions provider Irdeto recently acquired BD+ technology for Blu-ray from Rovi Corporation. BD+ technology will fold into the company’s Irdeto ActiveCloak for Media offering. This will provide a more robust solution for protecting Blu-ray movie titles from digital piracy, and also marks Irdeto’s foray into the protection of film content.

Speaking about the move, Said Rahmani Khezri, senior vice president of corporate and business development, Irdeto told BroadcastPro ME: “Traditionally, Irdeto has been into TV and broadcast. With this, we are moving into film. BD+ has historically generated a cat-and-mouse game between pirates and Hollywood, with frequent changes required to lengthen the life of new titles coming to

market. The virtual machine offered by BD+ in authorised players allows for Irdeto to constantly bring new innovations based on its ActiveCloak technology to strengthen the core BD+ technology.”

The protection technology is based on cryptography and algorithms where unique keys are used to protect content.

Irdeto ActiveCloak for Media is already a part of the security framework for major global cable operators and several OTT service providers. ActiveCloak for Media was launched in February this year to protect and monetise high-value digital entertainment assets through their lifecycle. The BD+ standard is based on the Self-Protecting Digital Content (SPDC) architecture, a renewable security concept that complements Irdeto’s

dynamic security technology.According to Khezri, what

works in favour of BD+ is the diversity and renewability it offers as well as making protection unique to the content distribution region.

“The ActiveCloak technology is not only the ability to hide secrets in code, but to do that in different ways for every Blu-ray disc going forward. This will effectively send the pirates back to the drawing board for every single disc using BD+ release, radically reducing the feasibility and attractiveness of piracy.”

He added: “Renewability refers to Irdeto’s ability to update the code of the BD+ virtual machine in authorised players. This means, to update and further improve security both proactively or in response to an emerging threat, giving studios even more control

to enforce the legitimate consumption of their content.”

By integrating BD+ intellectual property, contracts, and patent licenses into its current offering, Irdeto customers will be able to implement better security measures for Blu-ray than the current Advanced Access Content System (AACS), which has suffered severe security breaches and hacks.

IRDETO TO SECURE BLU-RAY FILMS WITH BD+ Said Rahmani Khezri, Irdeto.


PRONEWS


How would you describe the HDTV experience?CARR: To me, it’s the audio element that makes the difference with HD. Unless you’ve got a 50 or 60-inch HD screen, you won’t really notice a difference in the viewing experience.

At the same time, the depth and the range of colour and contrast that you get with HD is remarkable. The ability to see the finest details like the contact lens in the actor’s eye, or a wrinkle on their face is remarkable. When watching major events like sport especially, you become conscious of every single detail in the game. ivE: HD, in its basic form, is all about resolution. If people see SD after they have seen the clarity of HD, then that’s when they begin to realise what they had been missing all this time. mARR: For me, it’s the sound, not the picture. The picture is better, it’s clearer, sharper, and yes, that’s great.

HD Heroesthree of the UK’s top media consultants, who were involved with HD rollouts, speak about their experiences, as well as the dos and don’ts that people must keep in mind when migrating to HD. the interviews were conducted by Richard Brooking, marketing manager EMEA, tektronix and shared exclusively with BroadcastPro Middle East

But when you watch something with 5.1 surround sound, it brings the pictures to life. I’m not sure everyone has the ability to have the 5.1 experience, but it really gives it the edge over SD. So HD without the sound? Don’t bother!

How successful has HD been so far? You could use this outside somehow.ivE: Tremendously successful no doubt, although it has taken quite a long time for the technology to be ready for HD. For example, HD was introduced at the time of tube televisions, which wasn’t right for HD. It is the introduction of digital solutions and the availability of low-cost flat panels that made HD more appealing.

With that impetus, the acceleration on HD has been fantastic. It is a technology that can totally replace SD. So, in that sense, it’s on a roll, it’s happening, and is on the way to being the new standard definition.

PROcOvER


DAviD CARR David Carr is a consultant working in media with an emphasis on studios, HDTV, digital workflow design, 3D/3G technology and production innovation. Formerly director of Operations for Peel Media, David was responsible for operations across the MediaCityUK site. This includes the MediaCityUK studio complex – the largest HD facility being built in the UK. Carr has also managed some of the UK’s other leading TV and film facilities, including BSkyB’s production facilities, Teddington Studios, Capital Studios and Kadek Vision at Shepperton Studios.

JOHN ivEJohn Ive’s career in the TV industry spans 35 years and has included periods with the BBC, the former IBA and Sony Professional. Ive presently runs a consultancy practice helping clients with their strategic, planning and technology decisions. Ive is a member of the European and UK HD Forum and IBC Council. He is also a director of the Professional MPEG Forum and the programme director for the annual HD Masters conference. He works closely with the IABM as director of Technology, as programme director of the IABM annual conference and developer of its training seminars.

LESLEy mARRLesley Marr is a broadcast media specialist with broad experience at senior manager/ company director level from small start-up businesses to FTSE 100, and across advertising; production; post-production; new media and broadcasting.She is the founder of a specialist consultancy - Fast Tortoise Ltd and is senior operations director at ITFC and responsible for the entire operation and driving change to continually develop the business around digital and file-based workflows. Prior to this, Marr was at BSkyB as a programme director, leading Sky’s delivery and transformation programme.

PROcOvER


How long have you been working with HD and what infrastructural changes did you have to make? CARR: My first involvement with HD was in 1986 using the Sony analogue HD system to achieve large screen images. It was very expensive in those days but I bought into HD right then and also got incredibly excited with the move to wide screen which I saw as really significant. Once you had the image quality to back it up, it was just perfect. I suppose the real HD experience, however, has happened in the last three to five years.

BSkyB made a major investment and that was the first HD studio that

was commissioned and I was involved in. Meticulous thinking went into that because the obvious thing about HD is that it has so much more quality to quite an incredible degree. There are things that we had previously taken for granted, like the ability to move a camera over a traditional studio floor. Suddenly traditional floors weren’t good enough because the camera bounced. The lighting wasn’t good enough, the make-up and the sets weren’t good enough, so you actually had to change everything.

HD also isn’t just one standard so the biggest decision was deciding which standard to adopt?

Clearly, one needed to talk to the main manufacturers but we were so early with HD adoption that most of the HD products didn’t really exist back then.

But we didn’t just talk to the manufacturers. What was important was to talk to the operational people so we talked to the lighting people, the vision engineers, the consultants that had gained experience in other countries, primarily in America and Japan and looked at what the options and pitfalls were, and we learnt from a lot of people.ivE: My HD experience began with Sony. I joined Sony even earlier than the early ’80s, but in the early ’80s, I was working with HD. NHK and Sony, and a few other top Japanese companies were starting to do some of the pioneering work in HD at that time. mARR: I started in 2003 back at Technicolor. We were launching the first Discovery HD channel. A lot of the content came out of the States; it was already shot in HD, originated in HD, and that opened our eyes to what we needed to do to manage it.

We launched a channel quite quickly; got the content on air, and we had to cope with the differences with upgrading

some of the SD content, comparing how that looked on the screen and whether it would concern the viewer. We looked at how to address and channel manage that. So that’s where I first got involved.

Then we launched a few more HD channels, and I joined BSkyB where HD was already quite well established.

How smooth was your migration to HD?CARR: I think it was exceptionally smooth because it was well planned and we had some very good in-house engineers and project engineers that came from a variety of backgrounds. By working very closely as a team, and with meticulous planning, the whole process was seamless.

The studio floor was difficult. Getting the right quality of floor, a floor that couldn’t be damaged was a real challenge because there was no point in having a glass-like floor. The criterion was that you had to roll a coin on its edge diagonally across the entire width of the studio floor without it spinning and falling over. When that was achieved, we accepted the studio floor.

One of the other things about HD is that it needs a lot of light. So if you don’t have incredible environmental issues like air conditioning, you’ve got to try to use soft lighting and LEDs. At the time of BSkyB’s build, they were just coming into their own. I think you could now build an

How important is training for HD production?With HD production, a lot of the fundamentals remain the same. We did feel that there would be a major change in shooting techniques and probably, for some programme genres, there would be changes in shooting techniques, but the basics have stayed the same as in SD.

However, the issues of focusing, framing, panning, and a lot of the practical aspects need to be looked at.

I did some work when ITV introduced HD, and we had a whole series of training seminars which I was just a part of, but those training seminars included make up, the set design, and so on.

And it was a very good opportunity at that time to see a setup where you got cameras shooting SD and HD side by side, and was surprising what a difference it could make. So you have to say to people to “take care of your set when you pack it, make sure you pack it carefully” because, at the end of the day, the things you could get away with in SD are much more critical in HD.

John ive

“Suddenly traditional floors weren’t good enough because the camera bounced. The lighting wasn’t good enough, the make-up and the sets weren’t good enough, so you actually had to change everything. The criterion was that you had to roll a coin on its edge diagonally across the entire width of the studio floor without it spinning and falling over. When that was achieved, we accepted the studio floor.”David Carr, former head of production studios, BSkyB.

PROcOvER


HD studio exclusively with soft lights and LEDs — three years ago, you couldn’t.

The sets were also an incredible challenge as was make-up. We found that traditional make-up did not work so we had to move over to airbrushing.

What was the easy bit? Ironically, engineering, which we thought might be the toughest turned out to be the easiest. Manufacturers were getting used to adapting to change and they had made the change to wide screen. They knew they had to up the quality, and I think that was probably the easiest bit.ivE: (about being invited in the European HD rollout): Being part of a new era in television was exciting. We felt we were pioneers so it was a source of great excitement, and quite frankly, the television industry by that time had become very mature on SD.

We were working on a system of technology that was already very mature so HD offered a chance to make a giant leap and a fantastic opportunity to be involved from those very early days. mARR: It was a new challenge, but I kept asking the question, what’s the difference

for us in operations? What do we need to do? How do we need to get fit for this?

And, in terms of processing, there was quite a lot to do but it wasn’t too difficult.

Was training important?CARR: Training was crucial to the whole process because we were faced with a whole variety of new challenges. We initiated a comprehensive series of training schemes that were put in place to cover everyone, and, of course, it went across a whole range of engineering and

craft skills. Without that, we wouldn’t have gone on air with the deadline that we were given. The whole process from start to finish took less than a year.

BSkyB were pioneers in digital; they were pioneers in HD, and we’re now seeing them as pioneers of 3D technology as well.

It was exciting to work for them. But there were budget restrictions so it’s not as if money was thrown at them. Actually, it was all done on a very tight budget, with incredible skills and that made it easier.

Because we had to keep the main studio running, we pulled in an OB truck and left the actual studio alone whilst we did the gallery. Once the gallery was done, we were able to use other studios whilst we quickly did the studio floor. Actually, the main change to the studio was only the wall boxes; the floor was the biggest challenge, and obviously, lighting.ivE: Training is very important, but the nature of training has changed over time. New products were being introduced at that time so there was a lot of emphasis on equipment.

We did a lot of work on cameras, in terms of when you’re planning an image,

Some of the issues that we thought would exist actually didn’t, and some of the questions we didn’t think of came up in the fullness of time, so that was a bit of a mixed bag there.

In those early days, we thought that the technique of shooting HD would be totally different to SD because we got more resolution. We thought we’d have a lot more wide shots, and there would be less cutting between shots.

For example, shooting football is about telling a story, and talking about the emotion of the game. In order to do that, you’ve got to get close up shots of the faces of the players. So just showing a whole football match in wide-angle is not going to be right from the viewer’s perspective.

We are seeing some of the wide-angle beauty shots, because that

makes the most of HD, but we were also seeing a step back to some of the traditional methods, which was good because it meant not having to undertake a huge retraining exercise with people to shoot that.

One of the things to look very carefully at was the fact that HD was also being introduced at the time of non-linear, and networked environments. Initially, there is no doubt that the bandwidth required for HD products placed a lot of stress on those early systems.

In that sense, we have to be very careful about planning systems because you can very easily get a bottleneck. There can be a lack of workflow efficiency because you are trying to handle the wide bandwidths. Of course, since that time, technology

has caught up and processor power, storage capacities and network bandwidths have improved.

However, it is something we have to take very seriously because, in Europe especially, end users were not prepared to go backwards to tape editing purely for HD and sacrifice the efficiencies of nonlinear working. Therefore, we had to make it work in the nonlinear and networked environments. That was a challenge in the early days of introduction.

wHERE DiD yOu GET yOuR ANSwERS FROm?At that time, there were a lot of trial programmes and trial shooting. I spent a lot of my time with broadcasters, going out in the field shooting material.

In those early days because Japan went with HD first, they came around the world doing co-productions with groups like the BBC and other major broadcasters. Quite frankly, a lot of their work was pioneering work and that’s where a lot of the trade was learnt. Then again, BSkyB was very proactive in the UK.

We did a lot of work with Sky at that time, trialling the cameras, and putting them in the hands of the real practitioners to make sure that they were working.

So there was a lot of trial programming in those early days, in order to iron out the issues, and make sure that it was ready for the “big time”.

John ive

What were the most important issues you tried to find answers to when working on HD?

“The one thing about HD is you won’t get HD from your camera to your own transmission until realistically speaking, you’ve replaced all your SD kit.So it’s a fundamental system change, rather than just individual spot product change.”John Ive, director of Technology, IABM.

PROcOvER

www.riedel.net

Stream-line…

the de-focusing that you get when you pan a camera. It always existed in SD but became much more obvious in HD.

So we looked at how to get the best balance between things like shutters on the cameras, and apertures, so there was a lot of practical work to make sure you got the best out of HD.

We also looked at how critical focusing was to HD and what you could get away with. A lot of the consulting I did and have done subsequently has been about the transition from SD to HD because people are naturally very concerned that they cannot throw away or immediately dispose of existing equipment. The

question, therefore, is, “What can coexist? How can I transition? Can I start with an investment here and then grow it and build it up into a full HD environment?”

So there’s a lot of work going on in familiarisation, and some of it is training as well, to help people migrate to HD.

HD also brought with it a whole new set of standards. There were some fundamental changes; it wasn’t just a case of scaling up the numbers when we went to HD. We had to make changes in things like the colour space. Aspect ratio was also another important element.

So all of those things had to be, in a sense, educated, understood, and they’ve all been parts of the training package.

What’s your opinion about moving to file-based production with HD?CARR: When we started our move to HD, file-based in terms of high-end HD, wasn’t really an option because you still needed to go to HDCAM SR, if you wanted the ultimate quality. That has now been revolutionised and you have many choices if you now want file-based at that level. Certainly, all the location cameras have now moved to file-based, and if you were designing a studio today, it would be completely file-based - which brings challenges.

BSkyB took an interesting approach. They decided to go completely file-based as part of their HD programme and the build of their new broadcast centre. Whether that is right or wrong, you could argue for ever, but it meant that you had

In favour of tapeless

What’s difficult is this hybrid working, this transition where in at the moment we’re working both with tape and with file, and with HD, and with SD. That’s a treble, quadruple whammy!! Particularly for us, we have hundreds of different workflows. A tape in a file out, SD in a file out in HD, a tape in HD a file out in HD, a tape in HD and a tape out in SD.

So all these different scenarios makes things more complicated, it takes longer, and it’s not very profitable to work that way, so the sooner we move to tapeless, the better. I think again HD adoption will push it further.

Leslie Marr


PROCOVER


a dedicated team looking at those issues. That was an interesting approach.ivE: For many people, the transition from SD to HD has also been a transition from tape-based to file-based. The reality is that file-based systems have proved themselves so much now that if you are going to make a change, you really cannot afford not to move, not only to HD but also to a file-based production.

Now you find that some of the traditional products that you used to buy in SD are not available in HD any more. Or, the major innovations that you would like to see, are being made available in HD but are not available in SD products or they are not being updated in the same way.

There are challenges, but fortunately technology is coming along to help with those challenges. With the bit rates associated with HD, it was a very scary thought that we were increasing the resolution notionally by about five times, and in theory, you might think you’re increasing the data rate by five times.

It’s not strictly like that because compression doesn’t quite work like that it but there have been some great advances in compression, so the bit rates needed for HD are not so severely increased as perhaps the resolution would have indicated. So that’s come a little bit to our rescue.

But I think if you compound that with what we see on networking technology, 10BASE-T, through 200 Mb

through to gigabit Ethernet networks now, that’s worked in favour of HD.

We’ve seen storage go up from gigabytes to terabytes, and the processor power with multicore processors. Those are phenomenal changes.

File-based systems are also becoming more practical with HD.

It wouldn’t make sense if you had a video server that could do 10 streams, and then your supplier came along who said, “I know you’re got an SD server doing 10 streams, but now I am afraid that same size server can only do two streams”.

Operationally, that wouldn’t be acceptable. So fortunately, we don’t have to face that. In terms of the efficiencies that you can get, file-based workflows are more applicable to HD. File-based technologies still have to mature. We’re going to see phenomenal breakthroughs over the next few years in further file-based technology, but it has come far enough to make it an attractive proposition even now.mARR: Working out HD workflows actually isn’t that different from SD workflows, but the throughput and the time to do things is different. I think the biggest challenge there was really the file formats. Plus one client wants to deliver one format to us, and somebody else wants to deliver a different file format out, so how do we do that?

What’s involved? How much time does it take? And actually being a facility here at ITFC, we work for many different clients; we have to be very agile and actually do what the client wants us to do. Otherwise, we won’t get the contract.

And that’s tough, but we have to make it work, and really, it’s training on the job more than anything. Talk to the people in the industry and the people that have done it before. I think sharing experiences is the best way to deal with things like that.

What advice would you give to broadcasters moving to HD?CARR: Talk to the people that had experience in HD and have done it in the past. If you are a green field site, the importance of getting experts in all areas involved in that design as early as possible is important. There are so many things that get forgotten, silly things like the studio doors, the height of the studio, which is completely different in its requirements for HD compared with SD, especially if you have been working in 4:3.

Talk to systems integrators, who are experienced; talk to individuals, but also don’t forget to talk to the operational people. So often, people talk to the engineers, the designers and the architects but forget to talk to the people that make it happen.ivE: Don’t treat your transition to HD as merely a product investment, where you might say, “I want some new

Scalability

If you’re suddenly faced with “we’ve got to go HD”, actually think a step further ahead. Think wider picture. What’s next? What will I build? Will that give me the flexibility, the agility, because they’ve come to me today and said they want HD, but next week it’s going to be something else. So I think, think tapeless without a doubt, and I think trying to build something flexible. We’re moving much faster as well than perhaps we did in the SD world. We stayed in the SD world for a lot longer. I think we’ll stay in the HD world, and then move on quite quickly as well. Again, costs come into it, but try to be a little bit flexible and look further ahead, and build something that’s scalable.

Leslie marr

“Working out HD workflows actually isn’t that different from SD workflows, but the throughput and the time to do things is different. I think the biggest challenge there was really the file formats. Plus one client wants to deliver one format to us, and somebody else wants to deliver a different file format out”Leslie Marr, Senior Operations Director, ITFC.

PROcOvER

www.riedel.net

your infrastructure

cameras” or “I want a new switcher”. You can’t do this on a piecemeal basis.

The one thing about HD is you won’t get HD from your camera to your own transmission until realistically speaking, you’ve replaced all your SD kit.

So it’s a fundamental system change, rather than just individual spot product change, so that is an important consideration.

But having said that, you’ve got to treat your relationship with your supplier as a partnership because you are going to have issues when you introduce HD and you’re going to have to work through things.

You can no longer say, “I’m going to buy everything on day one, and I’m going to use it for 10 years and then change it”. It doesn’t work like that these days. The technology is moving, and the requirements are changing so fast, that you’re going to be evolving over time.

You can only keep pace if you have a good relationship with your supplier, and you’ve got the ability to have the communication with them that enables you to work through the issues, problem solve, and create ideas about how to achieve your objectives.

And also, make sure that you share with them not just your technology needs, but your business and operational requirements. If they don’t give that support, go to somebody else, because you need a holistic approach as you’re putting in a whole new system.

This is crucial. You could say that some of those elements always existed, but with the change in technology and the move to HD and file-based systems — which for many end-users is the first time they put in a file-based system — those are really critical issues you need to work out with your supplier.MARR: Talk to people, look at case studies and travel. I think we’re all very open about how we do things and we want to share what we’ve done and what we’ve learnt, because it makes it easier for someone else.

I’m more than happy to share what we’ve done, and I think all the broadcasters in the UK are, particularly are up for that because, there’s probably something we can learn from the people of the Middle East.

That way, we share things that we do well, and things that we do badly,

and lessons learnt are just fantastic because, if I can say to somebody, “we did this, it didn’t quite work, and we learnt that as part of the project”, then that’s one thing that they don’t have to jump over. There’re always hurdles to jump over and things to learn, and things change all the time, and every challenge is different, but I think a great way to learn is to share experiences.

What advice would you give to SIs and suppliers from a customer’s perspective?CARR: One of my recent experiences is the danger of an architect creating a design and giving the specification to the systems integrator, who will then follow it to the letter. If, in fact, the SI feels there is something wrong, they must raise it at the earliest stage. It is too expensive to put something right that you’ve got wrong once it’s been completed. And also future proof; think about putting in infrastructure and cabling ahead of your current requirements because that’s expensive to pull out and do again. Seriously consider 3G and beyond, if you can afford it. IVE: One of the issues is the “A” word. Assumptions are always very dangerous about how you think something is going to work, or what you think you’re going to get when you place the order. So again, unless you have really good communication with your supplier, there is always the risk of mistakes, and they are always more difficult to rectify after the event, so you’ve got to have that relationship, and you’ve got to know that you’ve got good communication.

What’s the next “big thing”?CARR: The next concept beyond 3D is actually 3D in which the audience can participate, whether that’s laser-based technology or whatever, ensuring that it is completely interactive, and incredibly flexible.

I see a lot more social networking involved in it, far more platforms that will be involved in and platforms that we haven’t even considered yet.

I predicted at BSkyB that 3D was going to happen, and it happened two years earlier than we had anticipated, so the change is coming very fast. So build a space that is going to be very flexible. I can see a situation that you can even


PROCOVER


Find out how. Visit www.avid.com/mmm/integratednews

Your media is your lifeblood. From it flows the two most

essential elements of your business: creativity and profit.

Whether you’re creating a complete news package on your laptop, breaking a story from your mobile device, or putting the rundown together in the newsroom, Avid® provides a seamless news workflow with a new generation of tools for the creation and distribution of news that let you:

• Create better content faster • Work more efficiently and collaboratively • Make your enterprise more profitable

Make the Most of Your Media with Integrated News Workflow

© 2011 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications, system requirements, and availability are subject to change without notice. Avid, and the Avid logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Avid_MMM_IntegratedNews_Ad_207x270mm_BroadcastPro.indd 1 7/19/11 11:30 AM

www.riedel.net

MediorNet Compact

• Synchronized 50G real-time network for 3G/HD/SD-SDI video, audio, data & intercom at the price of multiplexing point-to-point fi ber products

• Flexible signal routing incl. point-to-multipoint

• Integrated Frame Store Synchronizer, Embedder/De-Embedder, Test Pattern Generator, On-Screen Display & Timecode Insertion at every port

• Fully compatible with Artist, RockNet and other MediorNet systems

See us at

IBCHall 10

Stand A31go back to glass roof revolving studios as they built originally in Hollywood at the turn of the last century, utilising the environmental needs. Create clever kinds of airflows. I think there are lots of clever ways forward and I hope to be a part of it.IVE: We’re going to see some quantum leaps and we can do things that we just cannot envisage today. Start from the point of view of services that either consumers or businesses would want to take on board.

Look at the multiplatform approach. There is going to be a business model around that. A lot of people are struggling to find it, but it is going to happen.

3D is the talk of all the trade shows and I think that is particularly fascinating. I think how far that will go, the jury is still out at the moment, though there is no doubt it is a huge success in the cinema. It is also becoming a success through lots of pay TV channels, but I’m not convinced it will replace the ubiquitous TV that we are used to today. I think 3D could well be vitally important in our lives, but it still may be a kind of “appointment television” rather than regular TV, or a total replacement for today’s 2D TV. So I think, if that’s a

prediction – You’ve got one there!!Watch where the content goes, and that

that will give you an indication of where the next “big things” are going to be.MARR: What does the future hold? That’s a toughie. We think it’s one thing, then it morphs into something else, because technology is now really moving at a pace. Things can still catch us out. I’d like to go back to the point of being agile because I think then you’re less likely to get caught out.

What will people be doing? How will they be watching television? It’s got to be mobile! It’s got to be more user-generated content. We’re working a lot more with metadata, capturing all sorts of information that you wouldn’t even have thought of five years ago. I think the users are becoming much more involved in how we make television, and I think that’s particularly going to change. And we need to adapt to bring that on board into our systems and our operations and our workflows. And that’s what we need to watch out for. I think. PRO

These interviews were conducted by Richard Brooking, marketing manager EMEA of Tektronix, and edited by BroadcastPro ME for publication.


PROCOVER


What will your new role entail?It’s a mixed bag really. I will be handling the operations at Taj TV, which presently has about 130 people working in various disciplines including production, packaging and promos, technical operations and so on.

The facilities we have here are for both broadcast and playout operations. We currently play out 10 channels, which is primarily for India, Pakistan, the Middle East and Singapore. We also produce and play out channels for clients in Hong Kong.

Although we are a broadcaster, we help produce content for some channels. For instance, we have a deal with Astro in Malaysia, whereby, we provide cricket content, for which we have rights.

We also have three sports channels — Ten Sports, Ten Action and Ten Cricket. Taj TV has the rights from the cricket boards of five different countries including Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and South Africa presently. Those rights could be national or international limited rights depending on the contracts for each board. Those are shown on Ten Cricket.

I also look after Pakistan, which is a very important market for us.

Thirdly, my role is to look after the international revenue that comes through

syndication and affiliate sales. That’s a sizeable chunk of our revenue. We have deals as far as Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.

Did Taj TV suffer a setback when Peter Hutton left?I don’t think so. In corporate life, people come and people go but business goes on. Every business is driven by common sense and hard work.

How did you come to be in TV? What’s your background?I am an engineer and did my MBA after that. I worked with Philips for six years. In 1998, I was bitten by the bug of entertainment and joined Columbia Tristar in India. We had a joint venture deal with Disney in those days so I looked after the theatrical distribution of their films.

Later on, I joined Discovery Channel and launched Animal Planet in India. From there, I moved over to Hindustan Times for four years. My last job in India was with Times Now. I was part of the launch team.

In 2005, I went to Indonesia to set up a kid’s channel for Astro, which is a pay TV operator. Astro recently moved its operations from Indonesia to Malaysia. I was the Head of Marketing for Astro and helped set it up in Malaysia. Early this year, I joined Taj TV as COO.

So what’s my background? A mix of consumer durables, paid TV, newspapers and so on.

HD will drive pay TV: Sanjay Rainain an exclusive interview with Vijaya Cherian, Sanjay Raina, newly-appointed cOO of taj tv talks about his role, sports rights, the power of HD and what makes pay tv tick

Sanjay Raina, COO, Taj TV

PROintERviEw

1051 Triax■ Integrated Triax HD connector and cable solution

■ > 30% longer transmission distance

■ Significantly lower cost of ownership vs SMPTE 304 solution

■ HD/SD signal compliant

■ Fast and easy cable assembly

■ Proven rugged and reliable

■ Watertight IP68

■ Maintenance-friendly & easy field repair

Triax Broadcast Solutionby Draka and Fischer Connectors

www.fischerconnectors.com

HeadquartersFischer Connectors SASaint-Prex - SwitzerlandPhone +41 21 800 95 [email protected]

New

In Partnership with :www.draka.com/communications

HD Pro+

HD Pro+

TM

fischerconnectors

Visit us at IBC, AmsterdamSeptember 9-13, 2011Halle 11, Booth E.21

Broadcast_PRO_HDPRO_85_230_b0_EN_HQ_07_11.indd 1 22.07.11 15:40

Why did you decide to come here?The role was challenging. Malaysia is beautiful and colourful and it was easy to choose to continue there. The role was very critical in determining my coming to Dubai. This is an extremely challenging role and I don’t say that because it’s the thing to say. More and more, as I sit on this seat, I become aware of how varied my role is from looking at everything from production to legal to finance to packaging to delivering revenue to looking after Pakistan. It’s a very meaty and challenging role.

What would you look to improve here?Some of the people here have been here since the day Taj TV began and I believe they know how to do their job well. We could streamline our operations a bit and make things more professional.

How important are sports rights for a broadcaster like Taj TV?Sport is a very strange business. In the sports business, you are only as good as the rights you have.

People will only watch you for what you have in terms of content and that is specifically driven by the content that works in that particular country. It’s not like a soap or drama which

has international appeal. Cricket works in one

part of the world; football works across the world; golf is sporadic and F1 is very up market.

You have to constantly keep investing in those rights but you also have to see whether it makes sense to purchase those rights and whether you will be able recover that money.

Where do you see room for improving your revenue and efficiency?India is our biggest market so we need to constantly reinvent ourselves there.

There is also lot of focus on Pakistan now and our international business. There are many companies out there who want to run channels for consumers but want to outsource the production and playout to someone else. That’s where we come in.

We have two studios on the ground floor and the first floor. We use them for our shows and also rent them out.

How do you view pay TV specifically in this market?There’s a big gap here in the pay TV market. Its potential has not been exploited, if you ask me.

People would like to monetise their content and the best way to do it is through pay TV. It should work here; it’s just a matter of time.

The Middle East is full of

“In the sports business, you are only as good as the rights you have... You have to ... keep investing in those rights but you also have to see whether it makes sense to purchase those rights and whether you will be able recover that money”Sanjay Raina, COO, Taj TV.


PROINTERVIEW


expatriates who are used to pay TV back in their homes. In India, pay TV especially in the form of DTH is rising at the rate of 25 to 30%. In India now, companies are making slightly more money through DTH distribution than through analogue distribution. We are talking about 25 million STBs versus 110 million households but pay TV is giving them more money in terms of distribution revenue.

Why is there a gap here?Traditionally, you have a lot of FTA in this market. I have worked in a similar market so I can draw a parallel. It’s typically like Indonesia, where you have about 240 million people if not more now. They have 12 national FTA channels that go across the whole country and beam all kinds of mystery content, Islamic content, dramas and soaps etc. That works very well for the TV channels there and they make a lot of money through advertising sales.

Pay TV didn’t do well there initially because people were unable to come to terms with the concept of paying for television. So when a couple of new entrants like Astro came in, we said, the best way to enter this market is to take the bull by the horns.

Spend money and create a lot of noise. Everyone said, this is not a pay TV market. We said that’s why it should work because it’s not a pay TV market and we want to create one.

Suddenly, within a span of two years, the market grew from 200,000 pay TV subscribers to about a million. And everybody grew, not just Astro.

The average pay TV revenue per user (RPU) was possibly one of the highest in that part of the world. This is not a comparison

with Europe. Here, people were paying about US $24.

RPU in India is about US $4. Malaysia does about US $27 after 15 years of pay TV. Indonesia was at US $24 and we went up to 26. That was the amazing thing about pay TV, but Astro had to leave the country and the momentum finally died. Otherwise, if the tempo had been sustained, pay TV would have had at least three to four million of the 30 million households, which is about 10% of the market.

It is only when some pay TV operator in the region will invest heavily in content that it will do well. Unfortunately, in FTA, you don’t get the content you want in a psychographic or demographic manner.

What will be the big driver for pay TV?HD. This is a big driver for both a distribution company and also for the channels. People are willing to pay a premium to watch genres like sports and real life programmes like National Geographic and

Discovery Channel. Even news in HD is stunning

although that has not been explored that much.

Once you watch cricket or football in HD, you won’t be able to go back to SD.

When the India-West Indies series was played, we had a specific beam in HD which was given to all the operators in India. The World Cup for cricket was entirely available in HD and did amazing numbers for ESPN Star Sports in India.

HD is the way to go. It’s a big incentive for pay TV

operators, channel producers and broadcasters because you will have more eye balls and, therefore, revenue.

There have been rumours that you will be launching an HD channel?Yes, we are in the process of launching an HD channel. It will be called Ten HD. We are looking at launching it in Q3 of this year. It is being played out from Dubai.

It will have a mix of everything. Whatever is

available in HD, which is relevant to our audience, will be broadcast on that channel.

What is your opinion about 3D?3D in TV is a non starter, according to me. I’m not saying 3D technology is dead. It is still evolving.

As far as the cinema business is concerned, we have seen that 3D box office appeal in America has dwindled in the last six to 12 mths. There was a big hype with 3D and then, every film today has a 3D version to it because 3D was like HD some years back.

People find the technology a bit intrusive with the ophthalmic devices, which you have to use to watch the movie. If you wear glasses, it could be a deterrent. I dread it when my kids say, we want to watch 3D.

3D technology, however, will change. It’s still in its infancy. Maybe the screen will evolve. At the last World Cup, Astro showed some of the semi finals and finals in 3D but it didn’t have too much uptake.

First you need a 3D TV, then you need five glasses if there are five people in the house and they all have to huddle together to watch it. It has its limitations.

3D is a large screen experience for now and it has a long way to go.

By comparison, HD is tapping everybody on the shoulder and saying, ‘turn me into HD because I give you better image quality and better audio’. PRO

“HD is the way to go. It’s a big incentive for pay TV operators, channel producers and broadcasters because you will have more eye balls and, therefore, revenue”Sanjay Raina, COO, Taj TV.

“By comparison [to 3D], HD is tapping everybody on the shoulder and saying, ‘turn me into HD because I give you better image quality and better audio’.” Sanjay Raina, COO, Taj TV.

PROintERviEw


The broadcast industry in the region is maturing at an incredible rate. However, initiatives that will support and grow the sector long term are generally missing - notably industry specific training and skills development. There is also no general forum for technical issues and manufacturers focus their efforts of sales-driven roadshows rather than information sharing.

That's why BroadcastPro Middle East is delighted to announce the launch of ASBU BroadcastPro Middle East Summit and Awards 2011. Working with ASBU (the Arab States Broadcasting Union), BroadcastPro Middle East will be the first publication in the region bringing broadcast industry peers together in a knowledge sharing environment, designed specifically for them to discuss, debate and share technical knowledge.

This initial engineering conference is solely dedicated to discussing the daily issues that technical experts face, whether it is migrating

FOR SPONSORSHIP AND TABLE BOOKINGS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Raz IslamSales DirectorTel: +971 4 440 9129E-mail: [email protected]

Sandip VirkGroup Sales ManagerTel: +971 4 440 9130E-mail: [email protected]

FOR NOMINATION ENQUIRIES:

Vijaya CherianSenior Editor, BroadcastPro Middle EastTel: +9714 440 9113E-mail: [email protected]

to High Definition or adopting a cloud environment. Our aim is to create a favourable environment for such discussions and we will be working closely with the industry to involve experts for panels, speaking sessions and workshops.

The Summit will be followed by a gala reception and dinner at which industry initiatives will be rewarded with the first BroadcastPro Middle East Awards. ASBU will be actively involved in the judging process to ensure total transparency.

We hope as many broadcast professionals from across the region will wish to join us for this event and that manufacturers will want to demonstrate their commitment to the industry through sponsorship and support.

Look forward to seeing you in November!


PROPARTY

Ihab El Baba, Issam Abaza and Saeid Javadi Nejad.

Dimo Valev (l) of MediaCast, guest and Ammar Fawzy of Telex (extreme right).

David Roberts and Andrew Ferreira from CABSAT.

Magnus Simons of Yahlive with Sarkis Semaan of ADM.

Andy Palmer, group tech director, MBC.

Paul Venn, head of communications, twofour54. Jack Detiger of Philips and Dino Drimakis.

Guests with Muhamad Irfan, Al Aan TV (third right).

Marc Derks of Axon with Steve Beebe.

Stephan Seelaender, Qvest.

The NMK team. The Arab Broadcast Satellite team.

Chris Darnley, JVC.

The Best Broadcast Hire team.

Jamal Sl Sharif and Marcelle Aleid along with other guests at the event.

6 Anniversary AW.indd 28 21/07/2011 17:00


First birthdays are always celebrated with a lot of pomp and ceremony, and BroadcastPro Middle East didn’t shy away from any of that tradition. the food was fabulous and the wine flowed, and we went all out to have a big bash with the production and broadcast family at calabar, the Address Downtown Dubai.

We expected about a 100 people and worried that with a lot of people going away on holiday, we may have even less but were pleasantly surprised that more than 150 people joined in our celebrations.

We were overwhelmed and touched by the support end users, manufacturers, systems integrators and distributors alike showed us by coming to our event. It takes a lot of effort for people to drive all the way from Abu Dhabi and Sharjah on a weekday so we extend our thanks to them for taking that effort.

At the anniversary, BroadcastPro Middle East made several special announcements, and each of them is part of the larger vision we had when we first launched the magazine. Our commitment to the industry does not end with the magazine. Our larger vision was to bring training and workshops to the region so that we could create a truly favourable environment in which industry pros could come together to discuss and share information while also looking at how to address the challenges that are specific to this market. That dream has now been made possible thanks to our partnership with the Arab States Broadcasting

Union (ASBU), the biggest and only respected pan-Arab organisation in the broadcast industry, to bring a Summit and Awards event to the Middle East. The ASBU BroadcastPro Middle East Summit and Awards 2011 will be held on November 23rd in Dubai. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Alongside that, BroadcastPro ME also announced the launch of two sister titles: Satellite Pro Middle East and AV Pro Middle East. Both titles will be launched in the coming months.

The magazine also announced the expansion of its team to five people with two more due to join us in the coming months.

Wanting to add some extra flavour to our party this year, BroadcastPro Middle East also conducted a raffle draw at the end of the event, and was delighted to see how much fun the guests had.

BroadcastPro ME’s 1st anniversary party

Brian Shepherd (r) with a UK-based DoP.

Marcelle Aleid (l) of ADFC and Jac Mulder (r) of Mudville.

Mark Barkey, Melvin Saldanha and Swarup Mukherjee.

Sohail Shafi of Harris flanked by Syed Iftikhar Ali

and Afzal Lakdawala of DMI.

Consultant Giovanni Fraeyman and Michele Dwayk, Harris.

The BroadcastPro ME team.

The Advanced Media team. (l) Jamal Al Sharif with a guest and Abdulhakim Mahmood (r).

PROPARty

A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS

ADVANCED MEDIA TRADING

AVID

FIRST GULF COMPANY

HARRIS

JVC

NMK

OASIS ENTERPRISES

Kaveh Farnam of Advanced Media with a guest.

Peter Nöthen, Qvest with Steve Halis, Moby Group.

From left: Ziad Kebbi, Sony Pictures Arabia with Sarkis Semaan and Karim Sarkis, ADM, and Marcelle Aleid, Abu Dhabi Film Commission.

Adeeb Abed, INC & Ali Ajouz (r).

Nadia Ahmad and Tanya Nesi, Real Image.

Guests enjoy the raffle draw.

Tony Saab, Intigral with Peyman Dadpanah, MediaCast.

Hisham Ansari, MD, Horizon Satellite Services.

Klaus Seitz, sales director MEA, RTS/Telex.

Guests pose for a shot. The Amaranthine team.

Suhail Ahmed,

TSL. Farid Kabani of ADM (c) with a

guest (l) and Pete Wood, SSL (r).

Veronika Lode and Pavan Mulani of Avid.


PROPARTY


PROPARTY

SWEET SURPRISES SPONSORSThere were those who knew what we did and sponsored us but there were others who knew nothing about us but came forward to support us with some attractive gifts for our raffle draw or to offer our guests a special treat.

Lindt: A special note of thanks to Lindt for filling the bowls at our venue and the BroadccastPro ME goodie bags with a mix of their exquisite collection of chocolates.

RIM BlackBerry: There was a lot of interest in the two BlackBerry Bold phones that were provided by RIM BlackBerry. We had two lucky winners. Congratulations to Melvin Saldanha, DVP of Engineering, Taj TV and Muhammad Saleem Afzal of Salam MediaCast who won the BlackBerry Bold phones.

Sony PSMEA: We extend our gratitude to Sony for providing us with a beautiful DS360 camera, which went to Moswain Antao, Roland product specialist, NMK Electronics.

Advanced Media: A constant supporter of all our initiatives, Advanced Media offered us three amazing traveller bags from National Geographic and Manfrotto, and the lucky winners were Keith Dallison, head of post production at MBC, Afzal Lakdawalla of DMI and Sailesh Saxena, senior engineer at Intigral.

Avid: Thank you Avid for providing us with some exciting Avid Studio and Pinnacle Ultimate HD solutions. Paul Green, senior broadcast engineer at Orbit Showtime Network; Dominic Baillie, CTO of Taj TV; Niaz Siddiqui of Salam MediaCast, Yan Bergeron of HP and Peyman from Advanced Media were some of the lucky winners.

Dusit Thani: We express our special appreciation to the Dusit Thani hotel for providing us with iftar, dinner and a stay for two vouchers, which were won by Hany Bartella of Miranda and two other guests at the party.

Gloria Hotel: A special thank you to Gloria Hotel for providing us with vouchers to go into each of the goodie bags. PRO

The winners of the raffle draws gather together for a photo.

Paul Burton (r) from BBH collects the HP Mini from Yan Bergeron (l) of HP.

Hany Bartella from Miranda won an Iftar voucher at the party.

Above left is Pejman Ghorbani of the lucky winners of the Pinnacle HD Studio while Keith Dallison (r) won a National Geographic bag.

BestBroadcastHire.com

Best Broadcast Hire | IMPZ Circular Building | O�ce No. 003 | IMPZ | Dubai, UAE | +971 443 561 10Denmark | Sweden | Greece | Germany | Ukraine

HD Production Equipment

HD Multicamera FlypacksHD Sony HXC-100 Portable HD/SD camerasHD CamcordersHD Remote camerasHD Lenses from Wide to 100X Auto focusHD Link


C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

magad_withoutgutter.pdf 1 7/27/2011 12:38:05 PM


the Middle East is expected to see a significant surge in broadband subscribers in the next year. According to analyst firm RncOS, figures for broadband subscribers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are predicted to jump by 35% between 2009 and 2012.

The continued take-up of broadband has created opportunities for operators to deliver premium content, such as sport news, to consumers via Internet connected devices.

New figures from research company Nielsen have revealed that consumers are also embracing connected devices. The research reports that 27% of Middle East online consumers intend to purchase a handheld multimedia device by the end of 2011. As a result, there has been a perceivable shift in live sports viewing habits. Consumers are turning away from watching content on the traditional TV set and towards a second, connected, mobile screen. This has led to increased consumer demand for access to the

latest sports results and video anytime, anywhere. To address this growing consumer demand, operators in the Middle East must quickly devise a multi-screen strategy and optimise their sports content for mobile and broadband platforms, as well as tackle the growing issue of piracy.

NEw SuBSCRiBERS, NEw BuSiNESS mODELSSport has long been the ultimate “must have” for operators. In delivering live and on demand sports content across multiple screens, operators have the opportunity to build customer loyalty and create new revenues. Sky Deutschland’s sport application for the iPad is a good illustration of how sports content can be offered to subscribers and provides a flexible TV viewing experience and variety of content in one place with quick and easy access to live streaming of Sky’s exclusive sport channels.

The subscriber-only app also allows consumers to access video clips as well as

relevant sports results and statistics. Operators are also maximising revenue by delivering sports content in premium HD and 3D formats.

This provides the consumer with a more compelling content offering that will enhance their viewing experience. Clever pay-TV providers are already starting to monetise their content in this way. For example, the acquisition of rights to the English Premier League by Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) signalled the arrival of four new HD channels to broadcast across 22 Middle Eastern countries.

ADDRESSiNG muLTi-SCREEN DELivERyOperators must deliver relevant sports content to TVs and connected devices without losing vital information, audience share and most importantly, revenue. They also need to deliver content quickly as the value of breaking news diminishes rapidly as it ages. This is never truer than with sports results — consumers want to

Sports rights are one of the most valuable rights in the world today but broadcasters pay a huge price if they are unable to “secure” their rights, says christopher Schouten.

Live Sports: Leading the Race to Multi-Screen TV

PROSPORt


know who has scored a goal as it happens, not 24 hours later.

Optimising content for each application for connected devices is a challenge in itself. However, making sure they are consistently kept updated with new content and services is quite another. Operators must implement a dynamic and secure broadband solution that enables them to control, monetise and distribute content via an Internet connection.

Such a solution should optimise workflows and be able to scale effortlessly to demand peaks for rapidly breaking news or live football games. This dynamic broadband solution should also be flexible enough to support multiple business models and billing platforms and provide a simple solution to complex syndication needs.

Any operator looking to further monetise content by extending their brand to multiple markets will also need an advanced broadband system to ensure that local language and currency settings are applied correctly for each region. Local censorship credentials need to be applied where appropriate to

Only 15% of TV households (analogue and digital) are actually paying for legitimate TV signals in the Middle East. Digital TV Research

ensure that cultural and regulatory requirements of regions are met.

Operators must also chose a solution that facilitates an adequate customer care and reporting functionality for operators to bill back to advertisers and pay third party content providers. Finally, any good broadband solution must enable operators to add new devices and operating systems to their content management systems as required.

PRiCy – CORRODiNG THE vALuE AND FuTuRE OF SPORTSWhile increased broadband penetration and speeds have increased viewing opportunities, it has also helped to facilitate the illegal sharing of content online. According to recent report by Digital TV Research, only 15% of TV households (analogue and digital) are actually paying for legitimate TV signals in the Middle East. This figure is set to reach 22% by 2016.

Sports programming has often been

Foreign TV rights: value to major football leagues

PROSPORt


Piracy of live sports events is doing more damage than we realise.

1. It siphons off broadcaster revenues – from subscriptions and advertising

2. Reduces royalty/licensing fees and in turn, income for the sports rights owner

3. Discourages valuable sponsorships, again reducing income throughout the entire sports ecosystem

4. Shrinks return on marketing investments for all parties involved

5. Incurs expensive litigation and policing efforts that costing rights owners billion each year

6. Dilutes value and loyalty of viewers as they migrate to pirate services which, with increasing broadband speeds, are becoming increasing easy to access

7. Fuels an illegal activity as increasing numbers of user generated websites enjoy ad revenues being fuelled by automated ad services such as Google

8. Creates public affairs challenges and incidents that dilutes brand value of a sport and causes FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) in the minds of those in the industry and sports fans alike

9. Compromises user experience by intercepting web traffic intended for authorised sites or pages. This reduces the effect and value of an operator’s TV Everywhere proposition which predominately include a fair share of live sports content

10. Reduces the ability for sports rights owners to re-invest in grass-roots programmes, stifling the stream of talent and investment in the health and wealth of a nation

considered the life-blood of operators and is a multibillion dollar industry. As such, rights organisations and governing bodies like the Premier League are demanding distributors protect their most valuable assets, namely live events, to their best ability – whether distributed across broadcast or broadband.

CATCHiNG THE PiRATES: GETTiNG FORENSiC A robust conditional access solution will support multiple DRMs to ensure that content can be delivered quickly and securely to multiple platforms. However, that alone is not enough to protect the streaming of live events, games and matches across broadband.

Any static security code gets hacked. Sometimes, this breach of security may take years to occur, or, on other occasions, it may happen even before launch, as happened with the iPhone. It’s now the turn of sports rights owners and operators to step up to the plate and tackle piracy head on. One tactic being discussed is the application of an invisible “watermark” that ties redistributed content back to any set-top box from which it originated. The “watermark” can track an illegal stream (or streams) from a peer-to-peer

sharing website or even a user generated content site. While this tracking and tracing technology is impressive enough in its own right, rights owners and operators can now also disable any illegal stream(s) to prevent the further distribution of pirated content.

THE FuTuRE OF SPORTS CONTENTWith traditional broadcast entertainment models being challenged by choice-driven consumers, a compelling multi-screen experience for consuming sports content has evolved from a business option to a necessity. However, operators in the Middle East are faced with complex challenges when delivering sports content to multiple connected devices.

Operators must address these challenges by working together with rights owners to create compelling, legitimate services that deliver an enhanced experience of sports content. PRO

Christopher Schouten is senior director of solutions marketing at Irdeto.

“One tactic being discussed is the application of an invisible “watermark” that ties redistributed content back to any set-top box from which it originated. The “watermark” can track illegal streams from a peer-to-peer sharing website or even a user generated content site”

PROSPORt


+971 558 877 [email protected] wtvision.com

Data Gathering and On-Air Graphics Playout Graphics OB-VansGraphics conception and designOperation servicesTechnology Integration such as Tracking Systems and Virtual GraphicsHardware

Sports

...stunning on-air graphics for your sports event broadcast?

...an experienced partner that guarantees a flawless transmission?

...to save time not worrying about these issues?

Do you want…


Azza Aboul Magd, freelance executive producer.

PROPRODUctiOn


Desert Diaryin an exclusive interview, Azza Aboul Magd talks to BroadcastPro Middle East about switching gears from advertising executive to executive producer on an independent chinese production in the UAE

you are in the middle of a cushy nine-to-five job as an advertising executive. the phone rings, you pick it up and the voice on the other end says: “Do you want give your career up for oyster mushrooms?” what next?The advertising executive who was faced with the choice in her life chose the oyster mushrooms. No, this is not a movie script but there is a movie involved.

The film in question is a Chinese production titled A Fallible Girl, based on a true story but “spiced up” for dramatic purposes. It’s an art independent production about two Chinese women who run an indoor mushroom farm in Abu Dhabi. The film, which was funded by the China film foundation, was produced by Chinese production house Practice, which has a small base in Dubai Studio City (DSC).

The story follows the women and their exploits in Abu Dhabi as they explore life, deal with culture shock and build a business

in the emirate. One is conservative, a bit on the ground and manages the farm while the other is out there looking for love, a laugh and a good night out.

This is the film that caused Azza Aboul Magd to switch career tracks from her job as an advertising agency producer to an independent executive producer (EP).

The job was initially offered to a friend of Magd’s who recommended the project. For Magd, the choice was between following a dream or sticking to a stable career.

“I started weighing between the full time job I’ve been doing for 18 years or pursuing my dream. I decided to follow my dream.”

In recent years, the UAE has emerged as a film hub for both independent and big budget productions owing to its varied locations, cheaper production facilities, availability of local crew and soft incentives that have been offered by local government-backed entities in different parts of the country.

Hollywood films such as Syriana and

Mission Impossible as well as several Bollywood films have been shot in the region thus far. Emerging on the horizon is also Imagenation Abu Dhabi, which has emerged as a big player in several Hollywood as well as Emirati features.

While big budget features have easy access to the best talent and facilities in the country, Magd feels that smaller budget films always have limited options. This is the primary reason she landed the job.

“They wanted someone to handle the production from A to Z. They did not want to go to a production company because they could not afford their rates, so they employed me as an EP and I managed the entire project from a production point of view,” says Magd.

Filming began in January 2010 and ran for 47 days, 17 days longer than schedule due to unforeseen problems; replacement of the lead actress six days into filming was among them.

PROPRODUctiOn


iNTERNATiONAL CREw AND CuLTuRE - NO HOT SHORTS PLEASE!Apart from 20 international crew members, which included British director Conrad Clark, a Spanish Director of Photography (DoP) and a Chinese producer, Magd hired the rest of the crew locally.

“I hired forty crew members including production managers, coordinators and technical crew from Dubai. If we include the international crew, we had more than 60 people,” explains Magd.

Working with a diverse group and a crew not well acquainted with Arab culture, of course, brought its own challenges. Crew members including the cast belonged to more than 15 nationalities.

“I had this big pamphlet where I listed the dos and don’ts of Dubai and that included modest clothing and I had to keep reiterating it,” explains Magd.

CASTiNG AND wARDROBE – i’LL Buy yOuR T-SHiRT FOR uS $5 A significant number of the characters in the film were recruited by Magd. Casting was done along with Nasser Ahmed, the location manager who also runs a small casting agency called Advertising Effects.

In some cases, Magd says she recruited people from Sheikh Zayed Road and Mall

of the Emirates for US $80 a day. Many were in front of the camera for the first time, explains the EP.

Like every feature, wardrobe was also an important element of the shoot and the DoP, in this case, wanted to have her say.

Says Magd: “The DoP was as important on the set as the director in this case. There were times when she would say, ‘No, I don’t like this shirt. It looks new. Find me another shirt. We walked up the street and found someone whose shirt fit the bill and offered to buy it off them for US $5. Some people were game so we’d take their shirt and give them the shirt that we had bought instead.”

TECHNiCAL AND LOCATiON CHOiCES - BROkEN CAmERA HALTS FiLmThe equipment was hired from Dubai-based rental house Filmquip.

The film was shot with a 16mm camera because that was “the style that the DoP was after”, according to Magd.

However the camera broke midway through the filming and it was halted for two days until a replacement ARRI was flown in from London by Filmquip.

A Fallible Girl was shot in 22 locations between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The first 10 days of the shoot took place at the

mushroom farm in Abu Dhabi. Other locations included the creek, a villa in Jumeirah, an apartment in Deira and the streets of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

LimiTED BuDGET HONiNG LOCAL SkiLLSMagd claims she has helped train people in the industry with this project.

“I am very proud of the fact that I helped groom a lot of people in the industry. I firmly believe in training local talent.”

Many crew members were new to the industry or had limited experience because the budget did not permit hiring highly trained professionals.

The video assistant, for instance, had never worked on a film before A Fallible Girl but was trained on the job, according to Magd.

The production coordinators were not very seasoned either, and the location manager had only worked on television commercials before this film, she adds.

“I dislike people telling me that they can’t take someone on unless they have substantial experience. How do you get experience if no one gives you an opportunity? If no one trains anyone, how are we going to groom an industry in Dubai?” she points out.

“Working with a diverse group and a crew not well acquainted with Arab culture, of course, brought its own challenges. [We had] more than 15 nationalities [on set]”Azza Aboul Magd, EP, A Fallible Girl.

The crew on location.

PROPRODUctiOn

OFFLINE CONSOLE SET UP

LOW POWER CONSUMPTION

REM

OTE

DIAG

NOST

IC S

UPPO

RT

I/O

PATC

HIN

G &

DES

K CO

NFI

GURA

TION

HYDRA2

LEAB LE

POWERFUL SCA

SLEEK MODERN ELEGANT LOW POW

ER CONSUMPTION

LEXIBLE CO N SOLEG NE

PILL CONTROLS

COLOR CODED CONROL CELLS APOLLO

INTUITIVE CONTROL

LOW HEAT GEN

ERATION. COM

PACT DSP. ASSIGNABLE OR IN

-LINE CON

TROL.S INGLE 5 .1 CHANNELS WITH ELEGANT SPILL CONTROL

RESPONSIVE

CLEAR AND EFFICIENT METERING. TFTS. FULLY CONFIGURABLE. SEAMLESS THIRD-PARTY METERING. COLOR CHANGING POTS TO DISPLAY FUNCTION. INTEGRAL 8192X8192 HYDRA2 ROUTER

MAINS, GROUPS, AUXES, TRACKS, INPUTS, APFL, METER SELECTORS, CRLS, MIX-MINUS. LOW HEAT GENERATION. COMPACT DSP. ASSIGNABLE OR IN-LINE CONTROL

A L L I / O N E T W O R K E D O V E R H Y D R A 2 V I A A R A N G E O F H Y D R A 2 I / O B O X E S

I

CONTRO L

ODERN. RESPONSIVE , SCALABLE

APOLLO, FROM CALREC.FORM And FunCtiOn, sEAMLEssLy MAtChEd.

Today’s broadcasters need more and more audio channels at ever-higher resolutions, more power to handle this increased channel count and more ergonomic control surfaces to manipulate them. Naturally, Calrec has the answer. With the same levels of reliability which Calrec are world-renowned, and a remarkably intuitive control surface which still manages to add enormous flexibility, Apollo is nothing short of revolutionary. Able to operate at multiple sample rates, Calrec’s Bluefin2 DSP engine equips Apollo with more than 1000 channels for 5.1 Surround production and its internal 8192² Hydra2 router turns the console into a powerful networking tool. The world’s most successful broadcasters rely on Calrec consoles. Apollo is the first of Calrec’s new generation.

Putting Sound in the Picture

calrec.com

2

207x270_CPI_DUBAI.indd 1 25/05/2011 17:45


As a first time EP, Magd feels passionately about having been given this opportunity. It was no bed of roses, however. She had to adapt to her new role as well.

“I was heading a TV department in an advertising agency so I wasn’t really on the field where as now I am on the field. I had to make sure that the crew and equipment was on set. I did the call sheets with the assistant director and brain storming with the key departments. I was even involved in catering

simply because I had no production manager to do the leg work for me.”

CANNES ON THE HORizON?A Fallible Girl is expected to begin screening at various festivals at the end of this year.

Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), Abu Dhabi film festival and Tribecca Doha are among those being targeted in the region.

Magd feels that the film has much potential: “We are hoping to hit the big ones like Cannes and the Venice and the San Sebastian. The director that shot this movie won the best director in 2010 at San Sebastian film festival so we are hopeful that this film will also meet with the same success.”

FuTuRE PROJECTS - mORE mOviES AND POSSiBLE Tv PROGRAmmESMagd’s efforts on A Fallible Girl have received her considerable recognition in

the industry. In fact, so much recognition that several Emirati directors and a well-known local production house have now approached her to take on similar roles on their respective projects. In the meantime, Magd has also begun to write programmes that she hopes to pitch to television channels.

“I have written actually four or five programmes that I shall pitch to local broadcasters. If there is interest, I intend to take it further in a professional manner,” adds Magd.

iT’S A wRAPMagd is optimistic that she made the right career move.

“I am excited about the future. Obviously being employed all these years there is a worry about where the next job will come from but filmmaking has its advantages when compared to the world of advertising.

“You don’t have to please the client. If the director is not happy, it’s just him. It’s not about the marketing manager, the marketing director and then the agency, client servicing and then your own management. In independent filmmaking, you also don’t take a shot 200 times, and pick two at the edit table. In the low budget industry, after the third take, I suppose you move on. You’re done.” PRO

“We are hoping to hit the big ones like Cannes and the Venice and the San Sebastian. The director that shot this movie won the best director in 2010 at San Sebastian film festival”Azza Aboul Magd, EP, A Fallible Girl.

PROPRODUctiOn


NewTek_xd850_vecto.indd 1 14/04/11 10:01

& presents:

#1406, Al Thuraya Tower 1, Dubai Media City, UAE+9714 368 1623 | [email protected] | www.mediacastsys.com

The right tools. The right workflow.Need a live demo?Call us now and book your demo session!

MediaCast


PROREVIEW


Babak Amini, producer, Eclipse Production.


when the ARRi AlEXA camera was introduced into the market, many wondered if ARRi’s entree into the digital world was perhaps symbolic of film cameras being abandoned in favour of digital formats. while we don’t think film has run its course just yet, the ARRi AlEXA has impressed many end users in the industry, including Babak Amini, producer at Dubai-based Eclipse Production.

“For me, cameras are like brushes,” says Amini.

“A painter uses different ones for different projects, and the same is true for filmmaking,”

Amini recently had the opportunity to test the prowess of the ALEXA while producing a TVC for Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). The film is the fifth instalment in a series that Eclipse has produced exclusively for DTCM.

Two versions of the film with different time durations were created by Eclipse. A five-minute version will be used to promote the emirate of Dubai at various exhibitions while a 60-second version will be broadcast extensively on international networks.

Producer Babak Amini of Eclipse Production recently had the opportunity to test the ARRi AlEXA camera. He gives us the lowdown

Analysing the ALEXA

While most parts of the film were shot with the ALEXA, Amini also relied heavily on his Canon 5D MKII to shoot some scenes.

The ALEXA, however, was the highlight of this production and was used to shoot all of the establishing shots.

ALEXA was perhaps ARRI’s answer to the RED ONE. Compact and supposedly lightweight at about 10 kgs, ARRI claims ALEXA will “redefine the limits of motion picture capture with ultra-fast workflows and image quality akin to 35mm film”.

The camera is designed to cater to a wide variety of applications including TVCs, motion picture film, high-end dramas and even sport.

It features an advanced electronic viewfinder, PL mount lenses, and a 35mm-width CMOS sensor shooting up to 2.88k resolution. New features include recording to the digital intermediate codec ProRes 4444 and ProRes 422 in camera, simplifying the post production workflow.

Amini says the camera is surprisingly simple to use and has a user friendly and intuitive menu. The menu screen is also appropriately placed on the right side of the camera making it easily accessible to the camera assistant.

“It comes very obviously from the film world. You can see they have migrated their simple philosophy of film into the digital camera so that is very good news. The camera has no sub menus or hidden features so you sort of feel at home with the ALEXA. The camera feeds work exactly like a film camera. All the buttons are exactly the same and you don’t fumble with anything,” adds Amini.

The ALEXA offers three recording options: in camera to SxS cards, via de HDSDI output and ARRI RAW output although the last option is still being researched to be made more affordable.

When using the SxS cards, the camera records to Apple ProRes and this is the option Amini used for this shoot.

Here again, the operator can choose between 4444 and 422 Proxy.

The camera also features two slots that allows the operator to record to both, thereby, providing instant back up.

There are two gamma options for recording including Linear and LogC. The former shows what the image can look like while the latter provides a flat image but preserves all the elements giving you greater flexibility in post.

Via HDSDI, the user can record to a

PROREviEw


higher standard than ProRes if desired. In a typical field setup, a user will record REC.709 to one option for the dailies, and LogC to the second for post.

Eclipse used the SxS option, with the camera recording to ProRes.

““The native format as we were shooting it in camera is ProRes. The amazing thing about ProRes is not only being full HD all the time but it doesn’t take a huge amount of space. That was a pleasant surprise,” adds Amini.

“The LogC, which is a recent introduction, is fantastic. It does a sort of compression but within the ProRes domain. We liked what we got with LogC. Once you put the LUTs onto the timeline, you see the image gain huge depth and dimension, and the editor can start to work from there on and add his own grading above those shots. It gives you huge latitude to express yourself on a shot and turn it into something totally different. That can have a huge impact on your storytelling. With so much latitude, you can change the plastics and the foundations of the visual so much and change it into a different storyline and give

it new meaning. It opens a whole new and different dimension,” explains Amini.

Having shot in extreme desert conditions, Amini also testifies that the camera is both robust and portable.

“It’s a very robust camera. We did not even cover the cameras; we were basically exposing them to the elements and still, it never ever stopped or let us down. Also, it is not too heavy so you can handle the camera easily. You can go on the shoulder and straight away put it on different tracks or move the camera,” he says.

Compact prime lenses from Zeiss were used for this shoot and, according to Amini, the images “were fantastic”.

An interesting part of the shoot was filming a moving boat from another boat.

“Luckily, we didn’t drown,” jokes Amini. “We used the ALEXA with a steady cam and other accessories on a moving boat shooting another boat on the waves. The footage has come out beautifully. ”

The ALEXA is also extremely sensitive. In fact, a night shot at Al Maha was captured using minimal lighting. This was a good test to do as it enables us to compare the camera directly to

the human eye and see how well it can capture an image in low lighting. Alexa passed the test handsomely.

“It was a romantic scene on the dunes with a couple and a few torch lights and we were tracking in. We lit the whole space using only two small Dedo lights; just the backlights and the faces. The rest was illuminated beautifully with the torch lights. We did not need anything more than the camera.”

Babak did not really see a “downside” to the camera after testing it for 10 to 12 days.

“With so much latitude, you can change the plastics and the foundations of the visual so much, and change it into a different storyline and give it new meaning. It opens a whole new and different dimension”Babak Amini, producer, Eclipse Production

The crew on location at Al Bastakiya.

PROREviEw


Your Partner for

High Quality Products and System Integration

System Integration

Rental

Support & Maintenance

IBC 2011 · Amsterdam

9-13 September 2011

Visit us at Hall 3

Stand A35

We are distributor for renowned manufacturers:

Qvest Media FZ LLCBusiness Central Towers - Dubai Media City

Phone +971 (0) 4 433 8109 Fax +971 (0) 4 438 0498

Mail [email protected] www.qvestmedia.ae

Distribution

Consulting


Media puzzles solved.Puzzled by media systems integration and workflow solutions?

Front Porch Digital brings you DIVASolutions, the world leader in integrated video migration, management, and online publishing.

Our team of experienced video specialists is dedicated to supporting you 24x7 in the design, delivery and implementation of modular, scalable solutions that ensure your success.

Solutions that work the way you do. It’s that simple.

visit [email protected]

“I cannot remember a moment where I said, I wish I had something else,” he says, although he recommends certain modifications to take it to the next level.

For one, although the ALEXA goes up to 60 frames per second and allows for immediate review of shots without buffering, Babak feels it should be able to go up to 120fps.

“I wish it could have gone a little bit more like 120fps. 60 is great but there are certain shots where you want to use slo mo because that is part of your narrative and will give you the edge. So 120 would put that camera into a different league. Also, it would allow us to create different looks and effects for TVCs.”

Secondly, Babak feels the 444 output is expensive.

“It costs almost as much as the camera itself to have an interface with the 444 output. Apparently, they are very

expensive but they are working in their labs to make it more affordable because right now, it’s as expensive as the camera if you want to connect it,” Amini adds.

As Amini stated at the beginning, however, different cameras serve different purposes for him. Owing to ALEXA being a much more expensive camera and larger, he employed the Canon 5D MKII for underwater shots and some risky desert shots.

“When we were doing underwater shots, we used the Canon 5D MKII with the latest underwater housing, which we acquired from the US. We took it down and got the exact shot we needed based on the story board. Now, if I had to use the ALEXA, I would have required bigger housing and two assistants to handle it and keep it steady. The whole dynamics change. The Canon 5D MKII was a cheaper and easier option,” explains Babak.

Likewise, rigging the ALEXA on a dune

buggy with a super duper charged engine and a professional driver going at top speed through the dunes was not exactly advisable.

“If I had to do that with the ALEXA, I’d have to take a proper insurance policy. I used my Canon 5D. I rigged it properly with fish eye lenses and got the exact same shot. I always use a camera that delivers to me for that situation. Different brushes, different strokes,” shrugs Amini. PRO

“I wish it could have gone a little bit more like 120fps. 60 is great but there are certain shots where you want to use slo mo because that is part of your narrative and will give you the edge. So 120 would put the ALEXA in a different league. Also, it would allow us to create different looks and effects for TVCs”Babak Amini, producer, Eclipse Production

Babak Amini reviews the shots.

PROREviEw


SENCORE mODuLATORThe SMD 989 DVB-S/S2 modulator from Sencore has an intuitive user and remote interface designed to ensure fast set-up and effortless system integration, while ASI and IP inputs come as standard.

A mix of built-in and optional features gives the operator the required functionality and the ability to access advanced modes when required.

The SMD 989 platform supports VCM multi-stream without the need for external stream aggregators. Advanced S2 modes such as 8PSK, 16APSK, and 32APSK are available to optimise transponder use and minimise operating expense. The IRD 3000 family supports satellite, MPEGoIP and ASI inputs. SDI and composite outputs come standard with BISS and DVB-CI-based decryption.

mAkiTO ENCODERThe Makito Encoder from Haivision will be on display at IBC. It aims to offer efficient and affordable distribution, capture, and rebroadcast of HD video.

Makito is the first full-featured high-performance compact encoder to combine the efficiencies of Haivision’s H.264 video compression and the image quality of full HD video within a very small form factor.

Recently upgraded to revision 1.5, the Makito now supports constant bit rate (CBR) encoding to assure transport and system-wide compatibilities and, optionally, real-time metadata capabilities. The metadata option allows users to incorporate KLV metadata into the compressed video stream with the data obtained from the serial port, from auxiliary data fields within the digital video stream, or from UDP network sources. The Makito provides H.264 encoding at up to 1080p60 with the lowest available end-to-end latencies.

The new Wowza Media Server 3’s adaptive bit rate (ABR) streaming, time-shifted playback and integrated rights management features are simplified. Complementing the platform are three initial value-added components, Wowza Transcoder AddOn, Wowza Network DVR (nDVR) AddOn, and Wowza DRM AddOn.

Wowza Media Server 3 is suited for revenue-generating services including Flash and Silverlight-capable computers, tablets, phones, set-top boxes, media players, and game consoles; Apple iPhone/iPad and other HLS-capable devices such as Apple TV with AirPlay, Android devices, Roku media players, and Internet-connected TVs including Samsung Smart TV and Google TV-powered sets.

Wowza Media Server 3 and the new value-added components are expected to be available in Q3 2011. Wowza Media Server 2 licensees will be eligible for a free upgrade to the new platform.

NEOGROuPE iS A wiNNERNeoGroupe, which manufactures software apps for small-to-large radio and TV broadcasters, will showcase NeoWinners Version 3 Television and Radio.

This new release provides enhancements including a more intuitive interface; support for all major RDBMSs (Microsoft SQL, Oracle, MySQL, DB2, Informix, AS/400) for easy integration in an IT environment; and multi-channel contest management with new Internet distribution capabilities aimed at increasing audience loyalty.

AxON SyNCROSSSynCross is a compact, lightweight and energy efficient unit. It is a Synapse-based simple expandable video routing system capable of switching 3Gb/s, HD and SD SDI signals, as well as compressed domain signals such as ASI/DVB and SSI/SMPTE-310.

The SynCross routing system can populate the frames from one slot with 8 in- and outputs up to five slots for a 40x40 routing solution. It is easy to expand a SynCross system up to 40 in- and outputs, both in electrical or fibre or a mix between optical and electrical.

This system can be controlled over the Ethernet, Cortex Control Panels or Cortex. ACP and a RS422 port are available for control with automation systems. The unit provides an ideal video router solution for small applications, monitoring and master control applications with the Synapse HDK-series.Wowza

Media Server 3

DSLR RollpackPetrol Bags has introduced a 2-in-1 solution for transporting a DSLR camera in comfort and style – the new DSLR camera Rollpak. The main chamber of this trolley/backpack is contoured to fit a video-enabled DSLR camera with the lens attached. An ultra-wide U-shaped opening offers fast and easy access. Removable rigid dividers fold into pockets for storing and organising important accessories. Contents are protected on all sides by layers of durable cushioned red fabric. A second, padded rear pocket is designed to hold a laptop computer with up to a 17” screen. The ergonomic backpack system ensures correct weight distribution and greater carrying comfort.

PROPRODUctS


wiNCAPS q-LivEWinCAPS Q-Live is a new software for subtitling live and near-live programmes. Q-Live integrates speech recognition, a newsroom interface and a simplified user interface, improving speed and accuracy. Q-Live’s partner product, WinCAPS Qu4ntum, brings productivity benefits for offline subtitling, including workflow management integration, an enterprise-level knowledgebase and integration with media ingest systems.

Speech and language tools are used for speaker dependent and speaker independent voice recognition as well as text-to-speech synchronisation, designed to cut the cost of subtitling.

Cobalt Digital will display its 9257 1x9 MADI audio distribution amplifier. The new card-based solution provides for easy transport of audio between vehicles without the need for fibre.

Up to 20 input channels of the scalable DA, developed for the openGear open-architecture platform can be installed in one frame which is suitable for mobile production trucks.

“This card allows multiple signal copies to be re-clocked, thereby preserving signal integrity and enabling a longer cable run,” said Chris Shaw, senior VP of sales and marketing.

The 9257 supports sampling frequencies up to 96 kHz, with a 64-channel payload supported at the industry standard 48 kHz sampling rate. The card features easy-to-use card-edge monitor/control and remote control locally or across a standard Ethernet network via the DashBoard application for openGear.

BHv’S PHANTOm The Video Ghost from BHV Broadcast has been developed as a low-cost, reliable alternative to traditional batteries.

Video Ghost brings phantom power to the video camera world. It provides a switchable 5V or 12V d.c. power source for camera accessories using the existing video cable. A 150m operating distance is achievable for SD, and 75m for HD. Amongst its many uses, the system can be used to power a composite to SDI converter at the camera, thus avoiding the significant signal degradation suffered by composite video over such distances.

“Video Ghost was developed to provide a set of affordable phantom power modules for use with digital video feeds,” stated Julian Hiorns, BHV Broadcast’s managing director.

“This long over-due product presents the industry with the video equivalent of phantom power for audio systems.”

Expect also to see new features in the Syntax Up/cross-converter, the Callisto Micro miniature SDI switcher and the Proteus multi-format/multi-purpose converter.

vECTOR AND viSiON BLuE TAkE CENTRE STAGE AT iBC2011The recently launched Vector 75’s design is based on the Vector 70, but with improved capacity, stronger, more durable components

and more practical features drawn from the class leading Vector 750.

The pantographic balance system, unique to the Vector range, is suitable for camera, lens and teleprompter combinations of up to 75 kg and, combined with the LF drag system, it provides the ultimate in smooth, precise quality of movement.

Vinten will also showcase the Vector 430, a pan and tilt head designed with adaptability in mind and capable of balancing loads from 10k to 43kg: a lightweight EFP camera configuration right up to a studio system with LCD prompter or compact box lens. Available in both flat and 150mm spherical base, the head will be shown alongside the Vector 430i which incorporates Vinten’s precision encoder system to stream pan and tilt data to any virtual graphics system for perfect realtime synchronisation.

mANFROTTO 509HDThe 509HD combines bridge architecture and Manfrotto’s bridging technology, an exclusive Manfrotto patent. The 509HD’s FDS (Fluid Drag System) is based on variable fluid cartridges on both, TILT and PAN axes; the ergonomics of the controls have been improved to make use of the FDS even easier.

Movement around the axes is smoothed by ball-bearing units which remove unwanted vibration.

The 509HD supports kit up to 13kgs at 55mm c.o.g and two 3/8” threads on the top plate allow accessories, such as monitors and arms, to be fitted straight to the head, thus there is no need for extra clamps and it frees the video camera’s hot shoe for other components.

509HD features the Advanced Balancing Recorder for precision when fixing equipment, ensuring a perfect balancing position, saving time and making this operation more efficient.

Cobalt Digital9257 1x9 mADi AuDiO DiSTRiBuTiON AmPLiFiER

TvTwEETCASTEREyeheight’s TVtweetCaster, a solution that allows for social media to be integrated into broadcast, will be a product to keep an eye out for at IBC this year. A software and SD-SDI/HD-SDI hardware package for accessing, filtering and inserting Twitter content into a live broadcast are part of TVtweetCaster. TVtweetCaster uses industry standards in combination with application domain expertise to deliver a solution that includes CG hardware, data interfaces, user interaction and application-specific automation.

At IBC, Eyeheight will also introduce a new “LE-3D Video Legaliser” that provides identical legalisers working in parallel to a single control panel so the operator knows that each level of the 3D video capture is precisely in compliance.

PROPRODUctS


SHOTOku SuPPORTThe TP200 2-Stage Pneumatic Pedestal from Shotoku Broadcast Systems has a maximum payload of 80kgs and supports a wide-range of camera configurations. Its column and base offer maximum stability and operational flexibility.

One-step foot brake and single-action cable guard enables precise movements and control at all times for quick positioning. Shotoku will also feature the SX300 perfect counter-balance pan and tilt head. It is designed to support portable cameras with viewfinders and prompters, has a maximum payload of 38kgs.

DALET ENTERPRiSEThe Dalet Enterprise Edition, an advanced Media Asset Management (MAM) platform, offers end-to-end media management, a powerful workflow engine and multiple integration paths to unify disparate systems.

Together with the Dalet Brio server technology, Dalet Enterprise Edition provides operational flexibility for managing content across multiple production, distribution and business systems.

GOOD viBES FROm THOmSONThomson Video Networks’ new ViBE VS7000 video system is an integrated IP video solution for convergent applications such as Web TV and over-the-top services delivery, traditional IPTV, and IP/cable delivery.

The ViBE VS7000 combines all major audio/video codecs, the latest adaptive streaming formats, and a resilient IT platform for native redundancy and scalability.

Also demonstrated at IBC will be the ViBE EM4000 multichannel HD encoder. It incorporates a more powerful version of Thomson’s Mustang compression engine. The ViBE EM4000’s performance allows operational cost savings through better use of satellite or terrestrial bandwidth.

JAmPRO COmBiNERSJampro will highlight its RCCC-FM Constant Impedance Combiner family at IBC. Its compact modular design can be configured to fit into the smallest transmitter rooms and allows an additional frequency to be easily added when the time comes. These combiners use temperature compensated Bandpass Filters with integrated heat sink tops to keep filters cool and locked on their frequencies.

The rugged RCCC-102-FM ensures years of solid performance, according to Jampro. Various models are available for different channel spacing.

The manufacturer will also focus on the scope of services available — from concept to completion — from the Jampro Service Group.

Backed by a team comprising industry leading engineers, project managers, and field technicians and manufacturing staff, Jampro claims to deliver the highest level of service available in the broadcasting industry.

The company offers turnkey installations, site survey and inspection services, transmission line system design and layout, system optimisation testing service, and after sales maintenance and inspection.

Tedial FicusContent media management company Tedial will announce updates to its business process manager (BPM) Ficus. Latest enhancements include increased integration to third-party systems including traffic and automation. This allows new workflows to be triggered using simple xml messaging enabling broadcasters to continue to take advantage of legacy systems when required.

The company will also demonstrate the latest version of its Media Process Manager (MPM). This version supports ingest of high-resolution formats such as DNxHD and XDCam directly into an Avid environment. MPM automatically detects the aspect ratio of a video file that it is processing and can handle video files with multiple audio tracks. It can move media and metadata to and from Interplay either automatically or manually performing any required rewrapping.

Get the eScoopDebuting at IBC2011, eScoop is a professional audio recording and broadcasting tool for devices including iPhones, iPads, Macs and PCs. eScoop provides facilities for recording, editing, transmitting, and publishing audio for live broadcasting, allowing users to record and transmit simultaneously through mobile wireless networks and on desk-based IP networks as a client or a server. It supports many protocols such as SIP as well as both one-way SHOUTcast/Icecast streaming and two-way streaming when a return channel is required. In addition to broadcasting live material, eScoop enables the playout of prerecorded material while broadcasting. A simple editing tool allows the user to isolate any item being used.

eScoop makes it easy for reporters in the field to capture live audio instantly and broadcast it with professional quality codecs, without specialist equipment other than an external microphone, if required.

PROPRODUctS

ADTel: +966 1 219 0888 Fax: +966 1 219 1888 P.O.Box 25560, Riyadh 11476, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The First Gulf Company For Supplies & Contracting LTD (FGC) was established in 2001. The company has diversified into many industries such as Electronics, General Contracting and Trading. Over the past years, the company has built a good reputation supported by highly qualified professionals.

The Company was formed to create its business with a commitment to quality

in order to provide the ideal solutions for each project. The staff of well qualified and trained engineers and technicians come together to produce significant and high quality engineering work.

Today, FGC dominates the broadcast Systems Integration business in Saudi Arabia, and is rapidly growing in its other business of General Contracting and Telecom Value Added Services (VAS).

AUTOCUE SERVERSAutocue will launch a cost-effective two-port digital server for eVTR applications and tape machine replacement to complement the rest of its growing video server range.

The two ports are bi-directional HD channels that can be instantly switched between playback and record.

The latest server firmware, available across all two- and four-port SD and HD models, now includes the ability to create playlists, mark in and out points, and handle playback for AVC, XDCam, DNxHD and ProRes formats.

The new firmware also provides slow motion playback at different speeds; simple logo insertion; remote control including video and audio preview from any networked PC; time delay and playback/edit during recording; and support for VDCP and P9 protocols.

SoftStep KeyWorx SoftStep KeyWorx multi-touch foot controller, the world’s first foot controlled digital interface providing a new and faster way to operate a computer from Keith McMillen Instruments (KMI), will be launched at IBC.

Available for Mac and Windows, SoftStep KeyWorx is a new tool for computer users from gamers, video editors, programmers, data entry professionals, disabled people, repetitive stress syndrome sufferers, and anyone who wants a faster way to use their computer.

Pressure and location sensitive, SoftStep is USB powered with ten customizable keys that remember up to 100 sets of commands for repetitive tasks. The cursor/click control allows the users to keep their hands on the keyboard at all times and the blue backlight makes it visible even under a darkened desk.

Made with elastomeric and graphite composites, SoftStep is light and small enough to fit in a briefcase or backpack.

EGRIPMENT PACKAGEA fully Encoded Package from Egripment for Virtual Studio or Augmented Reality is now available for several different Egripment cranes, including its TDT System and the 305/306 remote heads, as well as optional encoders for use on track dollies. The Encoding Package can be utilised in combination with the following tested and certified Rendering Engines: VIZRT, Neuro TV, ORAD, Brainstorm and Ventuz. Additional vendors can be implemented easily. The package claims to deliver precise and reliable crane operation at a more affordable price than other systems in the market.


PROPRODUCTS


Why come to IBC?

• over 48,000 visitors - making IBC easily one of the most important dates on the calendar for the global electronic media industry

• from over 140 countries – making IBC unrivalled in networking, sales leads and business development opportunities

• 1,300+ key international suppliers - IBC has become one of the most effective places to launch new products, raise corporate profiles, generate sales leads and develop distribution channels in the industry

• 300+ high profile conference speakers – IBC is the premier location worldwide for debate and analysis of the current and future state of the industry

• a wide variety of special features including the Future Zone, Connected World, Production Village and the prestigious IBC Awards Ceremony

• IBC Certified Training Programme offering hands on training for production and post production professionals

Creation, Management and Delivery

RAI Amsterdam

Conference 8-13 September : Exhibition 9-13 September

Each September, the leading brands, finest minds and wisest investors come to IBC – the premier annual event for professionals engaged in the creation, management and delivery of entertainment and news content worldwide.

IBC Fifth Floor International Press Centre 76 Shoe Lane London EC4A 3JB UK T +44 (0) 20 7832 4100 F +44 (0) 20 7832 4130 E [email protected]

Register now at

w

ww.ibc.org/register

www.ibc.org

Scan for more information

010329 Broadcast Pro Middle east 207x270+5mm.indd 1 13/07/2011 14:55


while D-SlRs soared and new sensors moved forward, overall, camcorders were slower movers in 2011 than expected. According to a newly published report Professional camcorders world 2011, the annual global study from D. i. S. consulting, while HD-delivering D-SlRs continue to proliferate and some new image sensor-using camcorders move forward, the market has generally lagged in 2011 to date, compared to last year.

Despite increasing revenues, the industry recovery seems to have lost some of the strength it exhibited in 2010.

The new study, which collected 1,800+ end-user responses globally, in five regions and among seven vertical segments, was based on image sensor, recording formats, applications, technology trends and batteries, tripods and lenses by brand.

After 2009, where sales were dramatically soft, 2010 saw a significant bounce back factor as depleted stocks were filled, mobile and studio projects resumed, the expanding freelance sector stocked up and the industry as a whole saw a modest surge.

But, as the marketplace moved into 2011, this performance was not repeated, and a discernable slide-back is seen.

Purchases, overall, may have slid by as much as 10% and in a few pockets closer to 15% off 2010 levels. Manufacturers will need to hope for a strong finish to the year to prevent

Douglas i. Sheer is CEO & Chief Analyst of D.I.S. Consulting Corporation.

a deeper decline. And, the study illuminates what has been characterised as a more sluggish recovery from the recession than anyone anticipated.

Meanwhile, this lag has enhanced interest in new sensor solutions, particularly for Digital Cinema, but more generally, where camcorder users seem driven to have greater utility and be able to expand their lens options.

To some degree, this is favouring 35mm models and a move away from 2/3-inch ones. In other situations, movies and episodic TV programmes are being increasingly shot using D-SLRs, which is fueling a continued demand for them. An increased interest is seen in the potential for 4/3-inch camcorders as a possible alternative to 35mm and D-SLRs, although the outcome of that development is too early to predict, they could be winners in 2012.

One result of the continued interest in and enthusiasm for D-SLRs has been the expansion of brands catering to that opportunity and as a result the field of competitors has become more crowded. And, this has simultaneously stimulated a development and marketing of a slew of D-SLR-applicable accessories. That said, the overall slowdown has had a dampening effect on growth in accessories catering to more traditional camcorders. And, the tendency for all camcorders to become lighter, more compact and

demand less power has had a negative impact on those accessory purchases.

One modest bounce came from increased demand for 3D-capable gear, where in the main more traditional 2D HD models were being placed on 3D rigs, but in a few instances purpose-built 3D models became sought after as well. This is, however, remaining largely a rental business, so far. Early indications seem to point to continued reliance on re-purposed gear rather than a surge in 3D-centric equipment and this is helping to support the use of both traditional image sensors and D-SLRs and at the same time to allow for experimentation in new sensor options.

On the lower –end, consumer models delivering very good quality HD still have appeal to professionals with tight budgets. While another area to watch going forward will be the high-end, where higher resolution is supplanting HD and giving way to 2K, 4K and even 8K production equipment. PRO

Camcorder purchases slow overall, but new solutions make progress

PROtREnDS

61 August 2011 | www.broadcastprome.com |Belgium | USA | Singapore | Dubai | China | Brazil www.newtec.eu

NewtecSHAPING THE FUTURE OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS



Shaping the Future of Satellite Communications is not just a slogan. It has been our daily practice for over a quarter of a century. We bring our new insights and solutions to Teleports, TV broadcasters, Satellite operators and Telecom Network Operators around the globe. Find out how Newtec’s world-class equipment, systems and software make up your end-to-end satellite solution. At your pace, for your market, to your specs.

Hi-tech for high return. The solution is satellite communications.The name is Newtec.

INVITATION IBC2011

VISIT US ATIBC2011 booth 1A49 8 - 13 September Amsterdam

Visit Newtec at IBC

broadcastpro middle east - august 2011 issue

Documents

broadcastpro team

broadcast industry

middle east way

world of broadcast

paces broadcastpro galawho

dozen industry events

world of films

nice bunch of industry