Editor's note: The following companies have announced what they plan to show at Broadcast Asia in Singapore June 17-20. See more in the print edition of TV Technnology Asia/Pacific and in our next TVTI NewsBytes.
ARCHIVE INFRASTRUCTURE MONITORING
Front Porch Digital will show an optional enhancement to its DIVArchive content storage management (CSM) solution called DIVAprotect, which protects content from data tape and drive degradation by continually monitoring digital storage infrastructure.
Rather than scheduling periodic replacement of drives and media regardless of whether failure was likely, DIVAprotect actively collects quality and performance data with each DIVArchive transaction, and analyses whether the information indicates the probability that any individual file-based media object in the system could be at risk.
ENCODING SERVERS
Digital Rapids will be at the Videotron booth (8N4-01) showcasing format-agile products such as the Carbon HD professional HD/SD digital disk recorder for applications from post production to broadcast and featuring integrated HD/SD format conversion; compressed and uncompressed recording and playback; and integrated software to manage ingest, trimming and output of clips. Also on show will be the StreamZHD media encoding servers that expand the features of the company's StreamZ into the HD domain, offering multi-format, high-performance HD/SD content ingest, encoding, transcoding and streaming.
Also shown will be Digital Rapids Broadcast Manager, which provides enterprise-level management, control, status monitoring and failure recovery for multiple live streaming encoders. Scalable to hundreds of channels, Broadcast Manager simplifies operations and boosts reliability for IPTV, web streaming and other IP-based video delivery.
CABLE KIT; CHANGEOVER SWITCHER
Argosy Cable Asia will showcase its newest additions including MDUs, a new audio jack field and a high density high definition video patch panel, an array of video accessories and Sonarea, a new audio monitoring system. Argosy Cable Asia will also display its range of IMAGE HD video cables. Supporting the transition to HD is the ISIS HD-212 2x2 SD/HD/ASI Critical Path Changeover Switcher which auto-detects the SD, HD, or ASI signal presence on both its 'A' and 'B' inputs, and transfers to the offline input upon failure of the primary feed. The unit is ideal for use in network, transmitter inputs, or satellite and cable head end operations.
MEDIA MANAGEMENT
Pharos will attend Broadcast Asia for the first time and showcase its latest products for integrated content management, multi-channel automation and control, including Mediator, a platform for media management and desktop workflow. Mediator offers greater efficiency in multi-channel, multi-platform and multi-site broadcast by unifying workflow and operations under a single enterprise with browse at every desktop. Mediator integrates library management, ingest, QC, compliance, post production and playout providing end-to-end web based desktop operations
AUDIO & VIDEO MONITORING
Independent broadcast systems integrator TSL has a products division that makes audio monitoring units, mains distribution units, UMD and tally systems. TSL also develops custom products in-house to meet customer requirements that cannot be satisfied by standard products. One of its products on show will be its new 3Gbps V Series audio video monitor, which is capable of decoding all standards up to and including 1080p 50Hz. Features include precision HD/SDI audio metering with an integrated 4.75 inch, 16.9 LCD screen to provide an efficient audio and video monitoring solution for professional broadcast facilities.
ASPECT RATIO CONVERTERS
Eyeheight will introduced to the Asian market six additions to its wide range of modular broadcast systems, including the AR-2SD and AR-2MD multi-definition aspect ratio converters that enable 4:3 pictures to be switched between 16:9, 15:9 and 14:9 letterbox, 4:3 full frame and 2.35 or 1.85 anamorphic formats. A flexible zoom mode allows source video to be compressed and expanded horizontally and vertically for unusual applications. Both models include digital noise reduction.
AUDIO FOR VIDEO PRODUCTION
Fairlight will be showing its new Xynergi desktop Media Production Centre at this year's Broadcast Asia Convention in Singapore, where it will be sharing booth space with SSL Asia. The Xynergi Media Production Centre organises and delivers all the tools needed for high-end audio for video production in all widely used surround formats. The Xynergi Media Production Centre features the Xynergi controller, a desktop user interface that allows engineers to access all features and functions of the Fairlight CC-1, as well as commonly used Windows applications such as e-mail, Word and Excel.
MOBILE HD PRODUCTION
Polecam will show on the HWarta Stand (8M4-01) at Broadcast Asia. New is the Polecam with Camera Corps HD MiniZoom, which is designed for easy transport and fast set up and ideal for use with miniature HD camera heads. The HD MiniZoom camera from Camera Corps is a miniature broadcast-quality 720p/1080i 50/59.94 Hz HD camera with integral remotely controllable zoom lens. Measuring just 96 x 49 x 45 mm, the camera incorporates a 1/3 inch 2 megapixel CMOS sensor with 10 x zoom lens (5.1 to 51 mm) in a weatherproofed aluminium housing. Total weight is just 285 g. The HD MiniZoom delivers >50 dB signal-to-noise ratio (12 lux minimum illumination at F1.5). The two-piece aluminium housing is protected to IP65 standard, allowing safe operation in heavy rain or high levels of windblown dust.
OMNEON LOOKS BEYOND BROADCAST
Omneon's future plans were revealed at NAB, and sure to be a topic of discussion at the company's Broadcast Asia stand. Simply put, the company is now setting its sights beyond the broadcast sector. "We're looking at the post market; and any sector moving video, "said Omneon Chief of Marketing Geoff Stedman at NAB.
Last year's appearance of MediaGrid represented the move into a type of cognizant storage that can dynamically allocate its own processing power and bandwidth. ProXchange transcoding was added to move files between applications. Then Omneon added global file transport capability last year with its $US6.3 million stock purchase of Castify Networks, a software company based near Nice, France. Castify's product, now renamed ProCast, significantly improves on file transport protocol, or ftp, for global file transport, according to Stedman; where ftp slows over long distances, ProCast maintains velocity.
The refrain is Omneon's pièce de résistance for the post market, though clearly there are broadcast applications as well. "Think of a news organization with multiple bureaus that want to push files in real time, or a national broadcaster with regions," Stedman said.
Or, perhaps, a national broadcaster covering the Olympics in Beijing, where US broadcaster NBC will deploy a complement of Omneon MediaDecks to briefly store low- and high-resolution video for transfer to a MediaGrid. The MediaGrid in Beijing will move the low-res video via ProCast to another MediaGrid in the United States, where NBC producers will use it to request only the high-res clips they want.
The deployment portends a twofold opportunity: the high-profile use of Omneon's systems and a substantial debut in the Chinese market.
©2008 NAB
CHYRON TARGETS WEB SERVICES
Chyron—showing on Magna's stand at Broadcast Asia—has big plans to grow over the next few years and it believes Web-based services is the way to do it. With news on the Web coming from broadcasters as well as newspapers and new media outlets, the company is targeting nonbroadcasters for its ambitious growth expectations. Central to this plan is AXIS, a monthly subscription service that runs on Chyron's servers. A user simply uses a Web browser to get access to a drag-and-drop graphics creation system to prepare broadcast-quality graphics. Information in preset fields is inserted and updated automatically, depending on the metadata saved with images.
AXIS works by using metadata to call for constantly changing information from the Web, such as stock prices, weather status, maps, sports scores and other real-time data. The system then inserts the information into graphics templates for broadcast and Web-based display, with output suitable for any device from a cell phone to HDTV.
MONITORING, TOUCHSCREENS
Wohler Technologies in 2008 features new product introductions that target broadcasters' desire to work more efficiently and let their fingers do the talking with a spate of touchscreen-type devices.
In the touchscreen space, Wohler will show the Touch-it digital multichannel video monitor and controller, a 3 RU system that features side-by-side 7-inch color LCD displays. It also boasts the ability to display up to 16 thumbnail images, handle eight standard SD-SDI video inputs, and it can be used to enable remote control of routers, switchers, servers and VTRs.
In the monitoring space, the company offers the WohlerPlus line of audio processing and monitoring solutions. Allowing broadcasters to configure the solution as they like, the WohlerPlus features five processor slots with flexible inputs, including 16 channels or eight AES pairs per card, as well as multiple-channel synchronization, alarm capabilities and optional inputs for multirate serial digital embedded audio with Dolby decoding.
MORE CODEC SUPPORT; LO RES SERVER
At Broadcast Asia EVS' XT[2] will be presented as the first production server to natively support both Avid DNxHD (SMPTE VC-3 compliant) and new Apple ProsRes 422 codecs. Also to be shown is IPEdit, a new online editing application for speed-to-air workflows that offers on-the-fly editing perspectives and is part of the IPDirector content management suite of applications. Also debuting is a new lo res hardware system, which works in complement to the architecture of the XT[2] hi res production server.
FLASH MEMORY VIDEO SERVER
SeaChange International will introduce its Broadcast Flash Memory Library FML200, a flash memory-based ingest and play-to-air solution. The system offers 100 times more reliability while consuming 10 times less power than disk-based solutions, which contribute to lower operating costs, according to SeaChange.
The FML200 combines flash memory with SeaChange's patented MediaCluster server architecture. The system supports play-to-air operations as well as portable record and play-out for mobile television production. The FML200 also enables remote play-out of disaster recovery channels. Occupying a compact 2 RU footprint, the FML200 includes an array of 24 flash memory disk drives available in either 32 GB or 64 GB configurations. At full capacity, a six-node FML200 cluster puts 144 flash memory drives online, delivering more than 6.6 TB of RAID5 protected storage. When combined with SeaChange MediaClient Series software codecs, broadcasters are afforded the flexibility to first establish an SD platform and later upgrade to HD, or simply build an HD workflow from the outset.
WEB-BASED CONTENT BROWSE & SELECTION FOR JOURNALISTS
OmniBus Systems will show OmniBus SmartClient, a Web 2.0-based browse and content selection tool for journalists and directors. Using Microsoft's Silverlight and Web 2.0 technology, SmartClient provides a rich graphical experience and interactivity within a Web browser window, and without the need to install any specialized software on the client computer. SmartClient technology resides on a central Web server, making it easy to deploy, update and control. No installation or administration is required for the client computers.
SmartClient provides cross-platform picture research facilities from any Web-enabled computer, allowing large numbers of journalists to work directly and concurrently with the content library and giving broadcasters the ability to construct more responsive and flexible workflows across multiple locations. Using SmartClient, journalists at any location can search for content on the system, using a wide range of criteria to interrogate the metadata. Matching results are displayed in thumbnails and can then be viewed in a frame-accurate proxy streamed to the journalist's computer. SmartClient allows journalists to select the shots they want, mark edit points, combine pieces of content and create a shot list, before sending the project back to the content management system for further editing. Alternatively the shotlist can be sent directly to Final Cut Pro.
