LOS ANGELES—Integrated Media Technologies (IMT) announced it has received certification from Amazon Web Service (AWS) Partner to support Media2Cloud, a secure, serverless ingest framework.

Certification as an AWS systems integrator means media storage and processing customers can rely on IMT’s team of consultants to navigate cloud services and tap machine learning (ML) to create new value and gain new insights, IMT said.

It also means the company’s customers can use IMT’s SoDA software, which enables automated policy-based movement of on-premise content to AWS, providing them with greater efficiency in their overall asset management strategy, the company said.

With Media2Cloud, customers and AWS Partners like IMT can quickly establish a scalable workflow that supports video, images, audio files and documents. It allows customers to improve search and management of digital assets within deep archives through several AWS ML services for fast, accurate retrieval, it said.

The combination of IMT SoDA software and Media2Cloud will help users streamline and automate moving video assets and associated metadata to the cloud. Together, the solutions give users the ability to predict the cost and speed of data transfer to and from the cloud. With SoDA, media organizations can orchestrate storage from on-premise to the cloud and define storage policies based on data insights and cost, the company said.

“We are delighted to be recognized as an AWS Partner and certified systems integrator with support for Media2Cloud,” said Jason Kranitz, president, Systems Integration at IMT. “The collaboration with AWS allows us to create even more value for customers by empowering them to quickly and seamlessly extract key details from media files, making their media intelligence even smarter.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

AMSTERDAM—IMT and Vislink, subsidiaries of xG Technology, will share a single booth at this year’s IBC conference to showcase their range of wireless camera transmitters and receivers, including the IMTDragonFly, microLite and INCAM-G transmitters, and the UltraReceiver and DR3 receivers.

IMTDragonFly

The IMTDragonFly transmitter is designed to capture real-time video from UAV/UGV/body cams/concealments for display on fixed or mobile receive applications. It offers HD/SD-SDI or optional HDMI inputs with COFDM transmission and can deliver up to 100mW of power to provide long range HD video transmission.

The microLite COFDM HD transmitter is a portable system of wireless camera transmission links for video applications of up to one-mile line-of-sight. The transmitter features H.264 SD and HD encoding capabilities and can operate in the standard 2k DVB-T COFDM mode, enabling the H.264 video encoder to support the main profile of the H.264 standard.

There will also be the INCAM-G wireless camera transmitter that is built into the Grass Valley LDX series HD camera to provide full HD broadcast quality encoding at 1080p, 1080i and 720p, as well as built-in wireless camera control. It also has ultra-low delay and a full configuration available by Windows PC software.

On the receiver side, the UltraReceiver is a 1RU half-width, rackmount chassis receiver that features four UHF inputs with maximum –ratio combining, DVB-T and LMS-T demodulation, as well as ASI and IP capabilities. The DR3 IP diversity receiver, meanwhile, has a built-in IP diversity switch, works with Nucomm’s High Dynamic Range Block Down Converters and can daisy chain up to eight receivers to share the same set of antennas.

IMT and Vislink will be housed at booth 1.A69 at IBC 2017.

LOS ANGELES—Integrated Media Technologies announced it has joined the Google Cloud Partner Community. 

“IMT’s Advanced Consulting team is actively working with a number of customers who are transitioning to the cloud because of the persuasive advantages of a cloud-based OPEX model,” Jason Kranitz, IMT senior vice president of sales said. “IMT is actively involved in the technology design and the business analysis required to effectively marry our next-gen software partners with the Google Cloud Platform.”

Google Cloud Platform’s scalable infrastructure includes solutions for global networking and storage, compute, database support, machine learning, analytics, and more. The platform reduces the demands of infrastructure management for end users and gives IMT the ability to leverage Google’s advanced technologies for its large customer base.

“IMT has always tried to bring leading edge technology solutions to its Media & Entertainment customers,” said IMT CEO Bruce Lyon. “Google Cloud Platform delivers sophisticated services and rock-solid cloud infrastructure for our customers worldwide. It will allow them to build and extend their technology footprint to address the ever-growing needs of the digital media marketplace, increasing both their scale and business velocity. IMT’s focus on technology solutions to drive more business value just got better, faster and cheaper for our customers.”

MT. OLIVE, N.J.—Integrated Microwave Technologies wants consumers to know that its new DragonFly ultra-miniature wireless video system is nothing to swat at. The DragonFly is designed to deliver new and expanded points of views through various applications, including drones, sports and broadcast.

IMT has equipped the DragonFly with HD/SD-SDI or optional HDMI inputs and can deliver up to 50mW of power through its compact frame to provide HD video transmission. With its COFDM technology, transmissions can be sent more than two miles. The DragonFly also comes with internal ISM and GPS anti-jam filters and is available in licensed and unlicensed frequency bands.

DragonFly kits come with mounting accessories, a microdrone ultra-small omni antenna, an HDMI and SDI extension cable and a DC integration power cable. Optional accessories include an HD-SDI camera with various lenses and RS-485 and S-Bus cables.

The system can be managed through a Wi-Fi webpage, which can be accessed through an Android or iOS device. In addition, it features a 900 MHz transceiver for bidirectional control of the transmitter, accessory camera and gimbal controls.

IMT is now shipping the DragonFly to customers.

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is reaping its own rewards of its education program, reaching out to one of its alumni for help with the school’s broadcasts needs. RIT recently acquired the microLite HD system from Integrated Microwave Technologies (IMT)—whose president John Payne IV is an RIT graduate—for wireless, multi-camera broadcasts.

IMT’s microLite is a portable system of wireless camera transmission links for high-quality video applications of up to one mile line of sight. It features H.264 encoding capabilities and operates in the 2K DVB-T COFDM mode, which allows the H.264 encoder to support the main profile of the H.264 standard.

RIT has used the microLite system for a number of events around campus, but is primarily used for the school’s hockey program. One key element of the production is the “SportsZone Live” pregame show the school produces and broadcasts across the northeast through Time Warner Cable and online through internet streams.

In addition, RIT has plans to expand the microLite’s use by adding additional antennas so that a wireless camera can use the system’s transmitter and receiver to used anywhere on campus.

MOUNT OLIVE, N.J.–Integrated Microwave Technologies has announced the appointment of John Procacci as vice president of sales.

John Procacci

Procacci’s responsibilities will include leading the entire sales team at IMT and commercial sales at xG Technology along with working across departments with marketing, design, product development, and operations teams.

“John has extensive knowledge of the industry as a whole as well as the markets in which both IMT's and xG Technology's products serve,” said John Payne IV, president of IMT.

Procacci–who most recently served as the business development director at Mercury Systems–has more than 25 years of sales and business development experience involving technical product manufacturers. Twelve of those years were concentrated on Department of Defense and other federal program requirements.

LOS ANGELES—Integrated Media Technologies has announced the hire of Joe Marchitto to the position of director of systems architecture in its Media Solutions and Systems Group. Marchitto will work with IMT’s Vice President of Engineering, Jose Palencia, to bring IMT customers media storage, security and data center technology.

Joe Marchitto

Prior to joining IMT, Marchitto held positions as a solutions architect at Quantum and as a systems engineer at Active Storage.

“I’m looking forward to addressing the growing storage and infrastructure needs, as well as developing public and private cloud solutions for IMT’s extensive list of customers,” said Marchitto.

IMT is a consulting and systems integrator for digital media and information technology.

LAS VEGAS—Integrated Microwave Technologies will exhibit advanced digital microwave systems, including the Nucomm Central Integrated Radome System x6 and DR3 Diversity Receiver at the 2016 NAB Show. Both are designed to replace legacy steerable central receive antennas, and require minimal set-up.

Ciras-x6

The Nucomm CIRAS-x6, which is a ruggedized COFDM (DVB-T compliant) six-way diversity receiver, is integrated into a six-segment antenna pod featuring six vertical polarized antennas, each with 14 dB gain. The compact, lightweight IP66-rated weatherproof radome housing enables receivers to be mounted on vehicles, towers, rooftops or tripods in any weather condition. It features optional two-channel six-way diversity reception, automatically optimizes receive signals, covers 360 degrees of azimuth with no moving parts, and sends an MPEG transport stream over IP by Ethernet cable or over ruggedized fiber to a remote decoder.

The Nucomm DR3 receiver, which builds on the previous DR1 and DR2 receivers, includes six-way MaxRC diversity, IP diversity, MPEG-2/4 decoding, a WebPage interface and integration into IP networks. It’s configured with six diversity COFDM demodulators using maximum-ratio combining (MaxRC), which improves the robustness of higher-data-rate COFDM modulation. Spatial diversity increases system performance by digitally combining signals with different characteristics, filling in gaps in the channel for improved path reliability. Highly modular and scalable, the DR3 lets users daisy chain up to eight receivers to share the same set of antennas, for greater reliability.

The 2016 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 18-21. Integrated Microwave Technologies will be in booth C1321. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

LIMA, OHIO—At WLIO, we seek to provide the most in-depth ENG coverage possible. In order to give our west central Ohio audience a never-before-seen point of view for our stories, we made the decision to upgrade to an HD microwave transmitter to escape the limitations of fiber-connected cameras.

We went shopping at the 2015 NAB show and happened upon the Integrated Microwave Technologies (IMT) booth. After spotting the microLite HD transmitter and speaking with the representative, we knew instantly we had to have these wireless wonders and ended up purchasing two microLite 6.4 GHz models.

FREEWHEELING
For the last 40 to 50 years of television, the camera has always been tied to a bulky and heavy cable that required several people to move around and operate. With the wireless microLite HD transmitter, our videographers are handed a camera with the unit on top and given the creative license to go wherever they feel they can get the best picture.

WLIO uses microLite system to cover county fairs. Much of our field reporting involves recurring events, such as county fairs and parades. Imagine you are in the middle of a county fair and you’re trying to do a television show. The biggest problem we would often have before purchasing the microLite was the limitations of running cable; the farthest we could go was 100 or 200 feet. In addition, we also had to deal with the nightmare of navigating through the crowd to get the shots. With the microLite, we supply our shooters with cameras to roam the fairgrounds; one videographer was able to go 1,200 feet from where we were located. We couldn’t see him, and we could just barely communicate with him on our intercom packs, but he was sending back beautiful footage of the fairgrounds.

In another scenario, we put one of our anchors up on a swing ride to interview one of the park officials. The results we achieved using the microLite for this application were simply amazing. In the past when we used fiber, we could never even think of going to these places.

EASY SET-UP
The ease of use of the microLite cannot be understated. The unit mounts effortlessly in place of the battery pack and the battery pack is then connected to the microLite itself, making it self-contained. It is extremely versatile and lightweight, and requires only one person to operate. To connect the microLite to the camera, all we need is an 8-inch HDSDI/ embedded cable with 90-degree BNC fittings.

Now that we are completely wireless, the possibilities are endless. The microLite has provided a cost-effective solution that has let us not only simplify workflow, but take our viewers where we have never been able to go before to tell a story.

Fred Vobbe is a 47-year veteran in broadcasting and has won numerous awards in the broadcasting and electronics field. He has been with WLIO Television since 1985. He can be contacted atfvobbe@wlio.com.

For more information, please visitwww.imt-broadcast.comor call 908-852-3700.

MOUNT OLIVE, N.J. and SARASOTA, FLA. —Integrated Microwave Technologies announced that it has been acquired by Sarasota-based xG Technology, Inc., a provider of critical wireless communications systems. Terms of the transaction were undisclosed.

IMT said it would continue to manufacture its existing product line in addition to providing the xG xMax broadband platform to existing and new customers. The xMax system delivers on-demand voice, video and data services to both fixed and mobile users, and is interoperable with existing cellular, public safety and other dedicated networks.

IMT noted that xMax was conceived to provide operational continuity in adverse conditions ranging from natural disasters, man-made incidents, or even large-scale public events that congest the airwaves with a surge of users. xMax is said to provide a FirstNet-ready public safety-grade communications layer, and has been field-tested in demanding military environments.

The acquisition is expected to create new markets for IMT’s video transmission technology as xG Technology markets IMT’s products to its own customer base in the public safety, Department of Defense and critical infrastructure sectors.

John Payne IV will serve as president of the IMT Division of xG Technology.

“We look forward to developing joint sales strategies in order to take advantage of the new and exciting opportunities of our combined resources,” he said.

IMT was formed by the Vitec Group after it combined Nucomm, RF Central and Microwave Services Co. Vitec acquired the first two for $73 million in 2007—the start of the broadcast auxiliary service relocation project funded by Sprint. The two were combined and named “RF Extreme,” before being rebranded with MSC in 2010 as Integrated Microwave Technologies.

Vitec divested IMT in 2014. It was purchased by a Century City, Calif., private investment firm, Skyview Capital. The divestiture has not yet been posted on the Skyview Website.

OTTAWA— The evolution of ENG/SNG vehicle equipment has mirrored TV production as a whole. The latest ENG/SNG units use digital cameras, recording servers, routers, and (where needed) switchers; all linked to each other and the outside world via IP-based networking. It is just the most technically efficient—and cost-effective— way to produce ENG/SNG content today.

Due to IP’s ability to combine performance with cost savings, “all broadcast vehicles will eventually become IP. It’s only a matter of time,” predicted Steve Williamson, director of sales for Frontline Communications, a Clearwater, Fla.-based manufacturer of ENG vehicles. “Satellite has already evolved from DVB to lower-cost Ka-band—which is an IP data network— and Ku-IP,” Williamson noted. “Almost all vehicles also include IP-based bonded cellular encoders for terrestrial transmission, which can be used for Ka and Ku-IP satellite transmission.”

Telemundo affiliate WNJU-TV in the New York City DMA uses this Ka-band ENG van from AMT, built on the Ford Explorer platform. IP also offers cost savings for microwave users. For instance, the ENGenesis Bi-Directional LTE Microwave System and high-power Monsta Mesh products from Accelerated Media Technologies use both IP and LTE to connect stations and ENG/SNG trucks over broadcasters’ licensed 2 GHz broadcast microwave bands. This connectivity provides “both dedicated and proprietary network connectivity and private cellular networks to lower operating costs,” said Tom Jennings, president of AMT in Auburn, Mass. “This will eliminate the need for cable runs while allowing up to 10 news vehicles to transmit bidirectionally over the same channel—and make it easy for other IP-native resources to connect to other ENG/SNG IP-networked devices.”

DIGITAL DIVIDENDS
Even without IP factored in, digital technologies provide many beneficial changes to ENG/SNG vehicles.

The first big change is weight. Digital TV equipment is far lighter than its analog predecessors, and can thus be carried in smaller, less-heavy vans and SUVs. “This is why you are seeing new ENG/SNG vehicles being built on the Nissan NV HR and Ford Transit platforms, rather than the Ford E-350,” said John Payne, chief technology officer with Integrated Microwave Technologies in Mount Olive, N.J. “You no longer need that larger size of hauling capacity.”

The second major difference is power consumption. Compared to their electricity-devouring analog counterparts, today’s digital TV production equipment sips power. “You can have an entire ENG/SNG production system in a small SUV/Jeep or next-generation smaller van profile such as the ProMaster or Transit— including microwave and satellite transmitters— that gets up to 5–8 kilowatts of power from a custom [AMT] MVP Power Inverter/AGM Battery Pack connected directly to the engine,” Jennings said. “You don’t need a separate gas-powered generator anymore, and all the payload weight, expense and space such a device requires. The vehicles themselves have been upgraded from the factories to provide all of the HVAC you will ever need without 120V power.”

Digital’s third dividend is enhanced signal transmission capability. For terrestrial transmission, bonded cellular units that use commercial cellular networks provide ENG crews with low-cost, wide coverage twoway connectivity. So does the use of 2 GHz microwave transmission to support two-way file transfers between vehicles and stations. “We’ve seen tests where an ENG truck with its microwave mast down can still achieve distances up to 80 miles of reliable connections with data throughput speeds up to 10 Mbps,” Jennings said.

The combination of advances in digital technology and IP have enabled ENG/SNG truck manufacturers to reduce weight and fit more gear into smaller spaces. On the satellite side, the lower cost of Ka-band equipment and bandwidth compared to Ku-band—and Ka’s smaller equipment footprint—is making it the go-to choice for broadcasters.

“We have about 40 On Call Communications Ka-band satellite systems, which are compact enough to put on small SUVs,” said Jason Effinger, senior vice president of media and technology for station group Gray Television in Atlanta. “Add this to approximately 120 bonded cellular portables that we use for ENG—primarily made by TVU Networks—and you can see that Gray Television is committed to the benefits of digital ENG/SNG.”

The last big benefit is simplicity: “Today’s digital ENG/SNG trucks are so easy to set up and operate, that one vehicle can be run by a single reporter,” said Payne. “No longer do you have to pay for a dedicated truck operator and perhaps a producer as well. One person can do it all.”

All these digital advantages are of particular interest to the EW Scripps Co. and its 33 TV stations. “We are looking very seriously at IP-based newsgathering, which we think is a very exciting area to explore,” said Ray Thurber, vice president of engineering for television for the Cincinnati-based company. “It offers us the ability to do ENG/SNG better, simpler, and cheaper than the old ways of covering news in the field.”

Looking ahead, the continued evolution of ENG/ENG vehicles will “mirror the cellphone industry, if you remember the cellphones from the ’80s,” Williamson said. “Broadcast vehicles will continue to get smaller and smarter and have more features and capabilities and costs will continue to come down, both capital costs and operating costs.”

How drastic a change will this be? “What we envision looks nothing like what you see today,” Williamson replied.

MOUNT OLIVE, N.J.—Digital microwave systems provider Integrated Microwave Technologies has announced its latest product, the RF Central 58microLite HD Mini Kit. Using microLite technology, the all-in-one kit is a portable MPEG-4 COFDM HD wireless camera transmission link.

58microLite HD Mini Kit

The 58microLite HD Mini Kit features a microLite HD transmitter and comes in three camera mounting versions: the standard hot-shoe and the optional Anton/Bauer Gold Mount or V-Mount. It is lightweight and features a user interface with 12 available presets. The unit also comes with a dual-diversity COFDM receiver that is able to support Line-of-Sight as well as Non-Line-of-Sight applications, and MPEG-4/MPEG-2 auto-detect video and embedded audio decoding.

Developed for HD capable compact cameras, the system is available in either licensed or unlicensed bands. It can also come à la carte or in a preconfigured application specific kit.

The 58microLite HD Mini Kit is now available.

JACKSONVILLE, VT.—Integrated Microwave Technologies got down and dirty during the recent 2015 MLB Playoffs as it supplied its microLite HD camera system to transmit images from Inertia Unlimited’s “Dirt Cam.” This tiny camera that was placed at home plate, as well as first and second base provided fans a different perspective and possibly aid in a determination of a call during the MLB Divisional Series, Championship Series and World Series.

The Dirt Cam is placed in an 8-inch hole in the ground with a microLite system to link the camera to the production truck to transmit video. The microLite features a portable MPEG-4 COFDM HD wireless camera transmission link capable of providing video at long distances. It also includes H.264 SD and HD encoding capabilities and operates in a standard 2K DVB-T COFDM mode.

IMT is a provider of digital microwave systems, as well as engineering, integration, installation and commissioning services.

NEW YORK—Integrated Microwave Technologies is set to partake in CCW 2015, and will be bringing a number of its products to display, including the GL Fixed Link System, Newscaster DR3 and CRx6.

The RF Central GL Hybrid Broadcast/IP Fixed Link is a flexible hybrid broadcast/IP microwave fixed link available in all Part 74 and Part 101 microwave bands from 2 to 23 GHz. It can configured as either a traditional indoor system or a split system with the RF equipment housed in a separate weatherproof outdoor unit. It is available in more than four dozen different modules, has an MFR2 mainframe, and future updates will be backward compatible with existing systems. New features include the PWS/A and PWS/D redundant power supplies and versatile SFP/4 hitless switch and mux card.

Newscaster DR3

The Newscaster DR3 is IMT’s third-generation diversity receiver with updates that include a six-way MaxRC diversity, IP diversity, MPEG-2 andMPEG-4 decoding, a webpage interface and integration into IP networks; the receiver also features a built-in IP diversity receiver switch. Designed to work with Nucomm’s High Dynamic Range Block Down Converters to compensate for cable loss. The DR3 lets users daisy chain up to eight receivers and share the same set of antennas, as well as connect up to three externally loaded receivers via Ethernet for an IP diversity system.

A member of the Nucomm family of IP diversity receivers, the CRx6 is a COFDM six-way diversity receiver that offers RF performance and environmental durability for external use. It accepts the input from external antennas, without block-down converters and streams directly over and IP network to a DR3 or networked decoder. It has the option to receive up to four RF channels simultaneously. When used with IMT’s DR3, users can pair multiple CRx6 receivers together to expand coverage.

CCW 2015 will take place from Nov. 11-12 in New York. IMT will be located at booth 824. For more information, visit www.ccwexpo.com.

LOS ANGELES—With the blessing of the FAA with its 333 exemption, Integrated Media Technologies has launched a new drone division, DragonFly Unmanned Aerial Solutions, for TV and film production. The FAA’s 333 exemption allows IMT to use drone technology for commercial applications.

(L-R) Bruce Lyon, CEO; Oleksiy Zayika, Chief Pilot; Jack Fluor CFO, Lauder Robinson, Co-founder and Executive Producer; and Mehran Salamati, Chief Engineer and Director of Aerial Photography. Photo by David Goggin.

Mehran Salamati, inventor of Hot Gears Remote Systems, will serve as DragonFly’s chief engineer and director of aerial photography.

DragonFly UAS partners include Radiant Images and Hot Gears. The company also has guild affiliations with the American Society of Cinematographers, Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, and Association of Independent Commercial Producers.

DragonFly’s work will be able to be seen in the upcoming movie ‘Steve Jobs,’ which releases Oct. 9 in Los Angeles and New York, and on Oct. 23 nationwide.

IMT is a consulting and IT services company focused on digital media and information technologies