Day: Apr 8, 2019

Renewed Vision Updates Flagship Live Production Software for 2019 NAB Show

Posted on by contentntek in Event, Multimedia, News

Renewed Vision comes to the 2019 NAB Show next week with new live production innovations for two of its flagship applications, PVP and ProPresenter Scoreboard, serving a broad global customer base across the broadcast, sports and commercial AV markets. Renewed Vision will demonstrate both systems at its new South Lower Hall booth location (SL7427).

Renewed Vision continues to enhance is powerful PVP3 multi-screen media server, video processor and screen control solution for live production environments with the release of PVP 3.3. Available for download in early April at the company’s website, the PVP 3.3 release now supports:

  • “Key and fill” capability for SDI outputs
  • Video input crosspoints
  • Per-layer content masking
  • Custom content cropping

Video input crosspoint capability is of particular interest in dynamic live production environments by allowing users to reference an input slot on cues.

“With this important update, our customers can quickly make any changes to an input slot, with automatic updates to cues that reference the input action,” said Brad Weston, president, Renewed Vision. “We are also excited about our per-layer content masking, which allows our customers to apply dynamic alpha effects to video by binding two layers together.”

Weston adds that users will also now be able to review entire outputs on external displays via expanded preview capabilities. The PVP 3.3 release retains all enhancements in the previous 3.2 software, including powerful synchronization, control and management functions, along with increases in I/O signal density, simultaneous 4K/1080p playback from the same workstation, and NDI support for IP-networked environments.

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First introduced in 2016, ProPresenter Scoreboard is a flexible multi-sport score presentation software platform used widely in high school, college and professional sports, as well as youth league organizations. Building on the powerful video, graphics and text playout engine of the company’s renowned ProPresenter live presentation platform, ProPresenter Scoreboard combines Renewed Vision’s hallmarks of ease of use, affordability and visually rich outputs with robust features and tailored user interfaces purpose-built for driving advertising-enriched, video-based LED scoreboards. Multiple, independently-controlled areas of the screen integrate scores, live video feeds, pre-recorded video, targeted advertisements, player profiles, dynamic statistics, externally-sourced data and more into immersive visual productions that enrich storytelling, engage fans, and drive revenue.

Renewed Vision will unveil the following new ProPresenter Scoreboard innovations at NAB:

  • Custom scoring logic, clocks and timers to create scoreboards for user-defined sports
  • Display multiple matches on the same output
  • Live StatCrew and MLB data support
  • User interface enhancements to accelerate live production workflows

Weston notes that the ability to show multiple matches or events on the same output will be of particular interest in tournament environments.

“Scoreboard can now support three or more wrestling matches on the same scoreboard, for example, all of which can be controlled independently over the same output through a browser-based, remote control system,” he said. “It’s just one way we are continue to make life easier for our customers, and will allow them to show more content than before without complicating the workflow.”

PVP 3.3 and the enhanced ProPresenter Scoreboard are available immediately.

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GatesAir to Emphasize ATSC 3.0 and NextGen TV Momentum at 2019 NAB Show

Posted on by contentntek in Non classé

GatesAir, a global leader in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for TV and radio broadcasters, comes to the 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas next week with fresh momentum behind its ATSC 3.0 innovations for NextGen television – specifically in the area of Single Frequency Network (SFN) architectures.

Gates_Air-Maxiva2GatesAir last year announced its participation in the Phoenix Model Market project, a collaborative trial led by the Pearl TV consortium. The project involves one dozen Phoenix, Arizona area broadcasters, with technology supplied by GatesAir and other key industry supplies to support testing. GatesAir last year supplied a low-power Maxiva™ UAXTE air-cooled transmitter for the initial phase, which used a single transmitter for over-the-air tests.

Pearl TV today announced that the test bed will expand to multiple transmission sites, establishing a true SFN architecture. GatesAir will supply a Maxiva ULXTE-10, 6.6 kW liquid-cooled transmitter for this second phase to help broadcasters evaluate the benefits of SFN transmissions in a NextGen ATSC 3.0 system.

Single Frequency Networks use two or more transmitters within the same market to improve signal coverage and fill in challenging coverage gaps. SFN architectures are key to moving beyond the principal of signal coverage to the signal capable of providing service, and successful in-home and on-the-go service is paramount to NextGen TV’s success. GatesAir supports many of the largest SFN deployments worldwide, including digital TV networks in Brazil (ISDB-Tb) and Asia (DVB-T2); as well as MaxxCasting SFN systems for FM radio in the United States.

ATSC 3.0 Activities and New LPTV Models

GatesAir will also participate in key ATSC 3.0 demonstrations around the NAB show floor, including a North Hall SFN demonstration sponsored by the NAB Science and Technology department. GatesAir will provide one of four transmitters powering live, on-air broadcasts for the network. Visitors to the GatesAir booth (N3303) can see the operational Maxiva UAXTE along with the live, real-time ATSC 3.0 broadcast. An active demonstration at Booth N2512 as part of ATSC’s “Ride the Road to ATSC 3.0” campaign will also allow attendees to experience the North Hall SFN demonstration, and explore the many opportunities that the ATSC 3.0 standard and NextGen TV offer to local broadcasters.

GatesAir will additionally introduce a new range of ATSC 3.0-ready, low-power Maxiva ULXTE transmitters at NAB. Covering LPTV requirements from 10 W to 2 kW, the new compact transmitter designs have been developed to serve global customers with limited real estate and high operating expenses, as well as low-power U.S. broadcasters moving to new channel assignments in future repack phases. These new models will be demonstrated alongside GatesAir’s broader range of high-efficiency ULXTE and UAXTE transmitters covering all power levels.

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Dielectric Launches New RFHawkeye System for RF Monitoring at 2019 NAB Show

Posted on by contentntek in Event, News, Radio & Audio, Satellite & Transmissions

Dielectric, the leading maker of broadcast antennas and RF systems, will unveil its new RFHawkeye monitoring system at the 2019 NAB Show (April 8-11, Las Vegas Convention Center). Co-axial transmission line systems, an expensive and essential component of any broadcast system, are subjected to a wide variety of environmental and operational conditions that can lead to previously undetectable, but undesirable and potentially damaging, changes over time. This new IP- connected system now gives broadcasters a way to monitor the performance and condition of this critical part of the broadcast RF system in real-time, 24/7 and under full power.

“Undetected deterioration of line or elbow components has repeatedly been shown to result in extensive damage and down time,” said Dielectric’s VP of Sales, Jay Martin. “RFHawkeye performs continuous time domain measurements of the RF system while the station is on the air at full power, providing advance warning of deterioration to local or remote operators, enabling early corrective actions.”

RFHawkeye establishes a foundation for centralized monitoring of transmission line conditions by remote operators at the regional or group level. Additionally, RFHawkeye lays the groundwork for a future Dielectric managed service that can enable monitoring of the RF transmission line system on behalf of the customer.

“The key benefit of RFHawkeye is that it can discern small, undesirable, and potentially damaging changes in the transmission line from the small benign changes in the antenna 24/7, while the station is on the air,” said Martin.

Dielectric_RFHawkeye_WGME_Tower1Time domain data is available during full power operation, offering valuable information for the RF engineer to assess without taking the station off-air. RFHawkeye delivers readily accessible and accurate results since it continuously collects real-time data under real-world conditions, and compares it to the baseline measurement. RFHawkeye also detects arcs inside the line, and provides the time stamp plus the arc’s location.

Dielectric has installed a prototype of RFHawkeye at WGME-DT in Portland, Maine and will review results at NAB. Development of the final production version continues, and all attendees are invited to visit Booth C2213 to see the system in operation.

Simple installation

RFHawkeye installation is simple. The system consists of a line section, or monitoring point, and a 2RU proprietary data logger powered by proprietary custom software. The software collects and analyzes system performance data at the tower site.

The line section is inserted post-RF System (mask filter) inside the building, prior to the gas barrier, in a non-pressurized, controlled environment. That section monitors performance of the transmission line system beyond the transmitter and mask filter from a single monitoring point.

RF Hawkeye gathers data to produce a “characterization” of the normal ranges of operation of the system. This characterization allows the operator to define thresholds for individual components and monitor how the system performs over time. RFHawkeye sends an alarm or warning to system administrators over the IP network at the first sign of technical anomalies. From the software dashboard, users can recall a diagram showing the location of an issue on the transmission line run, the elbow complex, or the antenna input.

“Perhaps the gas barrier is failing above the elbow complex, or connectors are failing in the transmission line 500 feet up. RFHawkeye provides a pre-diagnostic heads-up to tell crews how far up the tower to climb, and where to pull the system apart for faster, safer inspections,” Martin added. “This pre-emptive approach inspires maintenance at the first sign of trouble, preventing costly downtime and catastrophic failures in the future.”

Martin notes that in addition to removing the high costs of periodic VSWR sweep services, RF Hawkeye could reduce insurance rates at TV stations by enabling more consistent maintenance.

Dielectric_RFHawkeye_Schematic

“A failure that goes unchecked over time can quickly contaminate or destroy an entire transmission system,” he said. “RFHawkeye will preserve capital investment in RF equipment.”

24/7 Monitoring Service Support available

As more broadcast engineers retire, Martin notes that RFHawkeye provides a modern IP-oriented solution to replace traditional passive RF monitoring skillsets, and can support remote 24/7 monitoring support from Dielectric’s Raymond, Maine facility.

“Today’s younger workforce of centralized digital and IT engineers that are replacing the traditional local chief engineer will find value in RF Hawkeye’s IP-connected architecture to inform of potential problems,” said Martin. “With an appropriate service contract in place, Dielectric can respond to problems from our service center, proactively warning local personnel of the need for inspections and repairs, and coordinating efforts on behalf of our broadcast customers. With 77 years in business, Dielectric envisions this service as an important, new service to the industry in the post-repack period, while lessening the load for our customers.”

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ENCO Debuts Studio in a Cloud Strategy at 2019 NAB Show

Posted on by contentntek in Distribution & Delivery, Event, News, OTT & Streaming media

Following the European debut of ENCO’s second-generation WebDAD platform at IBC in September, ENCO will showcase it as a key component of the company’s “Studio in a Cloud” strategy at the 2019 NAB Show. Part of ENCO’s enCloud family of solutions, the enhanced WebDAD will be positioned as its central radio demonstration at the show, highlighting how broadcasters can now take direct control of studio operations from any remote location with a web connection.

WebDAD empowers cloud-based operation through an updated, HTML5-enabled user interface. Users have the freedom of a fully-virtualized platform to remotely access and control their studio-based ENCO DAD radio automation systems – a benefit made all the more powerful with the addition of ENCO’s Presenter On-Air interface. This interface further optimizes ENCO’s modular, touchscreen design for customizing production workflows and providing instant access to media libraries, playlists and more.

ENCO_WebDAD_Laptop

“WebDAD has evolved to support a true ‘Studio in the Cloud’ operation that removes the limitation of maintaining an on-premises physical workstation,” said Ken Frommert, president, ENCO. “In addition to reducing operational costs at the station, WebDAD customers have broad control and playout capabilities across on-air presentation, playlist manipulation, voice tracking, and other workflow tasks. With the powerful ENCO Presenter On-Air interface, WebDAD is the most powerful and comprehensive browser-based interface on the market.”

Frommert adds that WebDAD also helps stations work more freely with on-air and production talent around the world by making it easy to bring in part-time, contract, and remote staff to access the playout system from anywhere there is an internet connection.

ENCO will demonstrate the entire Studio in a Cloud workflow, including other radio solutions, at the 2019 NAB Show in the Las Vegas Convention Center. ENCO exhibits at Booth N2524.

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StreamGuys Enhancing Podcast Analytics and Monetization with RAD Support and More

Posted on by xlbrothers in Distribution & Delivery, Event, News

SaaS-based podcast and streaming solutions innovator StreamGuys today announced upcoming support for Remote Audio Data (RAD) technology across its comprehensive suite of podcast management, monetization and delivery solutions. The integration of the new podcast analytics specification combines with the company’s powerful dynamic advertising ecosystem and expanded publishing efficiencies to bolster producers’ monetization efforts and enhance their reporting to advertisers and sponsors. StreamGuys will discuss the new advances at the 2019 NAB Show, where the company co-exhibits with partner ENCO in booth N2524.

“From podcasters to broadcasters repurposing their content, producers are increasingly using data to drive their business decisions,” said Jason Osburn, executive vice president, StreamGuys. “Publishers are asking for deeper analytics to help evaluate listeners’ engagement with their content, and as information they can use to sell advertising and sponsorship. Adding RAD support to our end-to-end podcast platform provides rich insights that they can use in their monetization efforts, and for live broadcasters, our efficient new aircheck creation workflow lets them quickly and easily supplement their reports to advertisers with recorded validation clips.”

Developed by NPR, RAD is a new podcast analytics technology designed to provide publishers and producers with richer listener metrics while respecting user privacy. While download statistics can provide information such as audience size and platform preferences, they offer no detail about how much of the podcast the consumer actually listened to. Individual platforms and apps may provide listening metrics in proprietary formats, but their lack of standardization and limited scope paint an incomplete picture requiring significant manual analysis.

StreamGuys_SGrecast_RAD_Tags_Editor

Measuring podcast listening across a wide range of participating clients and platforms, RAD complements download statistics by aggregating deep, event-driven data to publishers’ analytics systems. Podcast publishers mark checkpoints within their audio files at periodic intervals or at specific content-related events – such as sponsorship or advertising spots – and specify a URL to which metrics should be delivered. When listeners reach those checkpoints, their RAD-enabled player or app will send anonymized data to that URL. The publisher can then analyze the data to gain new engagement insights such as which sections of the podcasts consumers are listening to, and whether ads are being heard.

StreamGuys will support RAD at each stage of podcast creation, distribution and consumption chain. Publishers will be able to insert RAD tags manually or at specified intervals using the intuitive, graphical waveform editor in the company’s SGrecast podcast management solution. StreamGuys’ managed, embeddable SGplayer will be enhanced to detect RAD tags and send RAD data to the company’s SGreports logging and analytics service, as well as to third-party destinations if desired. The integration of RAD information adds a powerful new data dimension to SGreports, augmenting its existing support for IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines Version 2.0 (“IAB 2.0”).

Advanced Advertising Insights and Easy Airchecks

By combining SGreports’ RAD listener analytics with dynamic ad insertion data, podcast publishers can share enhanced reporting with sponsors and advertisers, including whether their spots were actually heard. The new support is yet another way that StreamGuys is helping podcasters maximize their monetization initiatives. Unlike approaches that insert ads into downloadable media when the podcasts are initially published, StreamGuys’ server-side advertising tools can dynamically insert ads into the on-demand files at the time the content is requested. This keeps spots timely even for ‘long-tail’ content while enabling the use of targeting criteria such as geo-location to ensure relevance.

While RAD support helps both pure-play podcast producers and content-repurposing broadcasters deliver richer data to their advertisers or underwriters, SGrecast’s efficient aircheck publishing workflow is valuable for live, over-the-air broadcasters simulcasting their signals online. Leveraging SGrecast’s AudioLoggers feature to record streams 24/7, users can search the recordings by timestamp or metadata to find specific content such as a sponsor message. Stations can then quickly export an aircheck clip of that content through SGrecast’s waveform editor, and send it to their clients as validation of how their spots sounded.

StreamGuys plans to begin rolling out RAD support across its solutions in late Q2. Efficient aircheck publishing with SGrecast is available immediately.

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Barix Launching SIP-Capable, Opus-Based Codec for Broadcast Audio Transport at 2019 NAB Show

Posted on by contentntek in Broadcast & Playout, Event, News, Products

Continuing to expand its extensive array of robust Audio over IP transport solutions, Barix introduces its MA400 SIP Opus Codec  at the 2019 NAB Show. Combining the dynamic flexibility and ease of SIP-based link establishment with the quality and efficiency of the Opus compression format, the new codec is demonstrated in booth C1139 at the event.

The MA400 encodes and decodes audio signals using the open standard Opus codec, a royalty-free audio compression format known for quality and reliability in interactive speech and music transmission over the Internet. The highly-efficient, low-latency Opus format is also gaining increasing popularity in other audio applications including VoIP, audio conferencing, in-game chat and remote live music performances. The MA400 is Barix’s first encoding and decoding product to incorporate the Opus codec.

The MA400 builds on the Opus codec’s quality, efficiency and low latency with SIP functionality to establish seamless links across SIP-compatible telephone, radio or other communications systems. Ideal for remote contribution applications, the SIP functionality in the MA400 allows the Barix unit to dial another device or phone number and automatically negotiate a transmission link for audio streaming.

“Advanced broadcasters are moving away from static setups to SIP-based link establishment, particularly for remote contribution back to the studio such as from sporting events,” said Reto Brader, CEO, Barix. “That’s where the MA400 SIP Opus Codec comes in, establishing the connection through dial-up and then encoding and decoding the audio signal. It combines our extensive broadcast expertise with our background in SIP-based telephony products and the bandwidth efficiency of Opus, enabling easy, high-quality audio links to and from the studio. Our Exstreamer family continues to be the solution of choice for static studio-to-transmitter (STL) applications, but for SIP-based remote broadcast links the MA400 SIP Opus Codec is perfect.”

Continuing Barix’s tradition of offering powerful solutions at affordable pricing, the MA400 SIP Opus Codec is also designed to be extremely cost effective. “With similarly-featured, alternative products priced at twice the cost, the MA400 offers an extremely cost-effective deployment,” added Brader.

Built on Barix’s latest-generation, high-performance IPAM 400 audio module, the MA400 SIP Opus Codec features an analog, microphone-level input and line-level output. The new units share the same space-efficient form factor and durable build quality as Barix’s popular Exstreamer 100 product family.

Barix will beging taking orders for the MA400 SIP Opus codec at the NAB Show.

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Artel Video Systems to Transmit Video Over the Internet in RIST Demo at 2019 NAB Show

Posted on by contentntek in 30 Seconds News, Event, OTT & Streaming media

During the demonstration, Artel’s ARQ IP Streaming System will be set up as a transmitter to deliver video over the internet from Artel’s headquarters in Westford, Mass., to the Cobalt Digital booth (SL9111) at the 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

“Before RIST, users were restricted to using ‘paired’ transmitters and receivers from the same vendor/manufacturer. This is fine in some applications, but there are applications where users have no control or don’t know which transmitter or receiver will be used,” said Rafael Fonseca, vice president of product management, Artel Video Systems. “Artel has always been committed to advancing the broadcast industry. By being a part of the RIST movement, we’re giving our customers peace of mind that their investment in Artel IP streaming solutions will be interoperable with others in RIST applications.”

The point of the demonstration at NAB is to prove that RIST is an interoperable method of transporting live media over the internet or any unmanaged network. Artel is part of VSF’s RIST working group, which drafted the RIST Technical Recommendation (known as TR-06-1) that was released in October 2018.

Artel is also a member of the RIST Forum, which was recently established to promote RIST. The RIST Forum is engaging both users and vendors of RIST technology and RIST products.

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