STAMFORD, Conn.—NBC Sports has announced that Planar is providing LED video walls for its production of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

NBC Sports will utilize Planar to deliver leading-edge fine pixel pitch LED video wall technology for its production of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Planar DirectLight Pro Series LED video walls in a 1.2 millimeter pixel pitch will cover architectural archways and windows within Studio A and Studio B in Milan helping NBC Sports route the excitement in Italy back to viewers watching coverage of the Games in the United States.

“The Winter Olympics are one of the most visually stunning events in the world, and Planar’s LED video walls help us capture that beauty in full detail,” said Atila Ozkaplan, vice president of production operations, Olympics. “From our Milan studios, we’re able to immerse viewers in the energy of the Games, elevating our storytelling through the vibrant imagery created by our talented graphics artists.”

Planar has worked with NBC Sports since 2016, assisting production efforts at previous Olympics and other major international sports events in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

“We’re proud to return as an LED video wall provider for the world’s most prestigious sporting event, powering NBC Sports’ broadcast coverage of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics with leading-edge LED video walls that deliver stunning visuals,” said Tom Petershack, general manager of media and special projects at Planar. “Our displays are built to elevate the broadcast environment, enabling storytelling that connects with audiences in meaningful ways. We’re honored to once again support NBC Sports with technology that broadcasters trust—helping ensure that viewers at home feel the same energy, excitement and immersion that comes alive inside the studios in Italy.”

Click here for more on NBCUniversal’s Milan Cortina 2026 programming.

TV Tech’s overall coverage of NBC Sports' overall tech plans for the 2026 Winter Games can be found here, here and here.

PORTLAND, Ore.—Planar and OptiTrack will demonstrate a comprehensive lineup of broadcast and media technologies at the 2024 NAB Show, April 13-17, in as Vegas.

Planar will showcase the latest advancements in its LED platforms and indoor and outdoor fine-pitch LED displays for next-level broadcast presentation and storytelling. The exhibit will be enhanced by OptiTrack’s motion capture software and wide range of motion capture cameras, Planar said.

Planar will demonstrate the Planar DirectLight Pro Series, which features a range of pixel pitches down to sub-1mm and 1,000-nit brightness in constant operation. Planar DirectLight Pro Series video walls deliver the vibrant colors and greater image detail studios need even in higher ambient light environments. This is enhanced by support for rich media playback, including High Dynamic Range (HDR). 

The solution also offers high-bandwidth (5G) video architecture and 27- and 36-inch cabinets to allow for precision and simpler, more easily supported video walls. In addition to enabling custom dimensions and resolutions, Planar DirectLight Pro Series is compatible with the Planar WallDirector Video Controller as well as Brompton’s specialized controllers and ColorLight’s wide range of controllers, which will be featured at the show. 

Planar will showcase additional curved capabilities for broadcast with the Planar CarbonLight CLI Flex Series line of pliable LED video wall displays. In partnership with TSI Touch, the company will present an interactive, curved Planar CarbonLight CLI Flex Series LED video wall in a 0.9mm pixel pitch using MicroLED, providing an innovative touch experience.

In addition to providing the visual performance viewers expect, Planar CarbonLight CLI Flex Series offers a more visually appealing alternative to faceting flat LED cabinets into segmented curves. Ideal for curved or column wrap applications, Planar CarbonLight CLI Flex Series bendable LED modules are available in 0.9, 1.3, 1.5, 1.9, 2.6 and 3.9mm pixel pitches and can bend into convex or concave curves as tight as 25 inches or 637mm.

In response to industry demand for outdoor broadcast sets, Planar will also demonstrate the Leyard MGS Series line of outdoor 16:9 fine pitch MicroLED video wall displays. 

Planar and OptiTrack are also teaming up with integrated virtual production and pre-production motion graphics solutions provider Zero Density to present a virtual production studio for next-level storytelling.

The demonstration will feature OptiTrack PrimeX motion capture cameras, including the PrimeX 120, PrimeX 120W and SlimX 120, OptiTrack Motive 3.1 motion capture software, OptiTrack CinePuck active marker tracking tool and Planar Venue Pro V series LED video wall.

Planar and OptiTrack will also demonstrate their virtual production extended reality capabilities in Zero Density’s NAB Show booth (SL2038).

See Planar and OptiTrack at NAB Show booth SL2030.

 More information is available on the Planar and OptiTrack websites. 

LAS VEGAS—Visualization technology provider Planar and sister company OptiTrack, a developer of advanced 3D tracking systems, have outlined a diverse portfolio of new and improved advanced broadcast technologies that they will be featuring at the 2023 NAB Show.

“Planar and OptiTrack are continuously bringing the most innovative and cutting-edge display and mocap technologies to NAB and this year is no different,” said Planar executive vice president Adam Schmidt. “This year, we have an array of new and improved products designed specifically for on-camera and in-camera environments - the most advanced offering for the market to date, backed by decades of on-camera broadcast industry leadership.” 

At NAB 2023, Planar will be showcasing the Planar CarbonLight CLI VX Series, featuring an improved scan ratio, eliminating display-to-camera artifacts from being captured during a camera panning motion. Planar will also present the NAB debut of the Planar Venue Pro VX Series, as well as the award-winning and longstanding choice of broadcasters Planar TVF Series and the premium fine pitch MicroLED Planar DirectLight Ultra Series.

OptiTrack will demonstrate their extensive line of motion capture cameras, optical motion tracking software and object tracking capabilities at NAB 2023, including CinePuck, a tracking tool designed specifically for virtual production, mixed reality and broadcast studios. 

Featured products include: 

• Planar CarbonLight CLI VX Series: Cutting-edge LED displays that feature unrivaled image quality and versatility to revolutionize the production of realistic on-camera and in-camera content. Featuring an improved scan ratio, the series provides greater flexibility in how video walls adapt to different cameras and effects. The lightweight LED display is available in 1.9 and 2.6 millimeter pixel pitches and includes models with Brompton and Colorlight controllers. The series supports hanging, wall-mounted, free-standing and curved installations to beautifully integrate with broadcast, VP and XR studios. It features improved thermal management and uniformity, precise yet flexible color management and a wide color gamut for greater color compatibility. With an LED refresh rate of 3840 Hz and frame rates ranging from 24 – 144 Hz, customers benefit from smooth motion and compatibility with a variety of camera settings. 
• Planar CarbonLight CLF VX Series: LED flooring with a 2.6 millimeter pixel pitch that can be used to create a high resolution, continuous canvas, virtually expanding physical environments. The square (500x500 millimeters), thin LED flooring displays feature carbon fiber frames with layered wear-proof masking to support up to 1,102 pounds per display, facilitating heavy loads.
• Planar Venue Pro VX Series: Indoor fine pixel pitch LED video wall displays that deliver exceptional in-camera visual performance for VP and XR studios, as well as on-camera visual performance for broadcasters. The series combines high-performing scan and refresh rates with high brightness and narrow pixel pitches, making it well-suited for LED volumes in markets as diverse as film and video production, corporate, broadcast, rental and staging, as well as live events. Designed to support hanging, stacked or wall-mounted installations, support for HDR-ready content, a wide color gamut, including up to DCI-P3 color space and compatibility with a wide range of cameras, the series delivers the unmatched visual performance and deployment versatility needed to develop lifelike recorded, streamed or broadcast video content. 
• Planar TVF Series: An award-winning family of fine pitch LED video wall displays delivering superior on-camera performance with a wide range of refresh rates to ensure that it can be used with a variety of broadcast needs. The series offers models with fine pixel pitches from 0.9 - 2.5 millimeters and features a front service, cableless, stackable design that gives new meaning to multi-functionality and reduces the complexity of installation and vertical alignment, making it a longstanding favorite for broadcast customers. 
• Planar DirectLight Ultra Series: Premium fine pitch MicroLED video wall displays presenting several display technology advancements that, in combination, deliver big performance. Available in 0.6, 0.7, 0.9 and 1.2 millimeter pixel pitches, the series features models with MicroLEDs, off-board power supply, proprietary alignment technology and built-in processing to deliver always-on, high resolution display experiences for unmatched visual performance for close viewing distances and the most refined applications. The Planar EverCare Lifetime Limited Warranty is also included, offering customers complete confidence in their LED video wall purchase while reducing lifetime cost-of-ownership.
• OptiTrack Motion Capture: Chosen for its precision, accuracy, ease of use, reliability and polished integration with on-set tools, OptiTrack’s high speed and wide field-of-view motion tracking cameras, active tracking components, passive tracking markers and advanced motion capture software remain the choice for the world’s premier volumes.
• CinePuck: The purpose-built, active marker tracking tool for studios, CinePuck mounts directly to cinema or broadcast cameras, enabling studios to know the camera’s movement and continuous field of view with leading-edge tracking accuracy and precision. CinePuck data integrates with the on-screen environment to adjust virtual background imagery from the perspective of the cinema or broadcast camera, minimizing parallax error. It can be seamlessly integrated into any production workflows, including crowed rigging configurations.

Planar and OptiTrack’s extensive selection of LED display and camera tracking solutions designed to support today’s diverse production needs will be on display at Booth #W2633.  For more information, visit www.planar.com or www.optitrack.com.

PORTLAND, Ore.—Planar has launched its new Planar Venue Pro VX Series, a family of indoor fine pixel pitch LED video wall displays for virtual production (VP) and extended reality (XR), as well as on-camera visual performance for broadcasters. 

The series combines high performing scan and refresh rates with high brightness and narrow pixel pitches, making it well-suited for LED XR stages in markets as diverse as film and video production, corporate, broadcast, rental and staging, and live events, Planar reported. 

“Increasing popularity of VP and XR applications presents a need for high performing but versatile LED display products,” said Steve Seminario, vice president of product marketing at Planar. “The Planar Venue Pro VX Series takes learnings from the award-winning Planar CarbonLight VX Series, offering customers the most sought-after features in a flexible, economical LED solution that’s designed to maximize in-camera performance.” 

Designed to support hanging, stacked or wall-mounted installations, Planar Venue Pro VX Series expands on the capabilities of the industry leader’s first solution designed to revolutionize the production of realistic in-screen and on-screen content, the Planar CarbonLight VX Series, the company said. 

With support for HDR-ready content, a wide color gamut, including up to DCI-P3 color space, and compatibility with a wide range of cameras, the Planar Venue Pro VX Series delivers the unmatched visual performance and deployment versatility today’s companies need to develop lifelike recorded, streamed or broadcast video content, the company said. 

Planar also stressed that the new Planar Venue Pro VX Series is designed to reduce the complexity of setup and teardown. It features magnetically-attachable cabinets with quick locks for single-person installation. The series also includes mechanical features to suit both temporary applications and fixed installations.

The series is available in 1.9 and 2.5 millimeter pixel pitches and compatible with Brompton LED processors and LED controllers from Colorlight.

The Planar Venue Pro VX Series is shipping this month. For more information, visit www.planar.com/VenueProVX. 

LAS VEGAS—Planar, a developer of visualization technology, and sister company OptiTrack, which specializes in  3D tracking systems, will demonstrate its range of production technology, from cutting-edge fine pitch LED display solutions for in-camera virtual production to state-of-the-art motion capture (Mocap) solutions for advanced camera tracking at the 2022 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 24-27.

This year’s NAB Show marks the first major broadcast industry gathering since Planar launched Planar Studios in 2021. Specializing in virtual production (VP) and extended reality (XR), Planar Studios offers its customers the latest technologies in LED display and Mocap systems. The Planar Studios initiative leverages Planar’s fine pitch LED display solutions and ultra-precise tracking cameras and Mocap software from OptiTrack. 

“In an age where everyone can be a broadcaster and demand to authentically reach remote audiences is unprecedented, we’re thrilled to be presenting a truly unrivaled choice of LED display and Mocap technologies,” said Executive Vice President Adam Schmidt. “Our portfolio today is backed by decades of on-camera broadcast industry leadership, offering industry-leading solutions to support everything from live television broadcasts requiring bright, reliable and superior visual performance to breathtaking cinema production looking for flexible configuration and the fastest frame and refresh rates.”

At the show, Planar and OptiTrack will present a compelling VP and XR volume complete with fine pitch LED display technology, Mocap, lighting and dynamic virtual and physical scenery captured in vivid in-camera content. 

Planar’s booth will feature the following tech: 

• Planar CarbonLight CLI VX Series LED displays, for the production of realistic on-camera and in-camera content, are available in 1.9 and 2.6 millimeter pixel pitches. Featuring models with Brompton and Colorlight controllers, the series supports hanging, wall-mounted, free-standing and curved LED video wall installations to integrate with broadcast as well as VP and XR studios. It features improved thermal management and uniformity, precise yet flexible color management and a wide color gamut for greater color compatibility. The LED refresh rate of 3840 Hz and frame rates ranging from 24 – 144 Hz, provides smooth motion and compatibility with a variety of camera settings, according to the company.
  
• Planar CarbonLight CLF VX Series LED flooring features a 2.6 millimeter pixel pitch that can be used to create a high resolution, continuous canvas for on-camera scenes, virtually expanding physical environments. The square (500x500 millimeters), thin LED flooring panels feature carbon fiber frames with layered wear-proof masking to support up to 1,102 pounds per display, facilitating heavy loads.
  
• Planar CarbonLight CLI Flex Series creates immersive and eye-catching smooth, concave or convex curved video walls. These pliable LED video wall displays can bend into curves with a radius as tight as 25 inches or 637 millimeters. Available in 1.3, 1.5, 1.9, 2.6 and 3.9 millimeter pixel pitches, the displays are ideal for applications requiring smooth curves, waves, halos or column wraps, the company said.
  
• CinePuck, the first purpose-built tracking tool for VP, XR and broadcast studios, according to Planar, offers access to world-leading tracking accuracy and precision. CinePuck includes an all-new industrial grade IMU and ultra-bright wide-angle LEDs. The 6DoF IMU data is combined with optical data to produce a tracking result better than the sum of its parts, resulting in smooth tracking—even with significant occlusion, according to the company.
  
• Planar DirectLight Ultra Series are premium fine pitch MicroLED video wall displays available in 0.6, 0.7, 0.9 and 1.2 millimeter pixel pitches. The series features models with MicroLEDs, off-board power supply, proprietary alignment technology and built-in processing to deliver always-on, high resolution display experiences for close viewing distances and the most refined applications.
  
• The Planar TVF Series family of fine pitch LED video wall displays deliver superior on-camera performance with a wide range of refresh rates to ensure that it can be used with a variety of on-camera recording needs. The series offers models with fine pixel pitches from 0.9-2.5 millimeters and features a front service, cableless, stackable design that gives new meaning to multi-functionality and reduces the complexity of installation and vertical alignment.
  
• Planar MGP Series seamless screens are suitable for replacing legacy display technology and make fine pitch LED an accessible alternative to formerly projection or tiled LCD applications, according to Planar. The fine pitch LED displays are available in 1.2, 1.5, 1.8 and 2.5 millimeter pixel pitches and feature a 27-inch diagonal, 16:9 cabinet that is designed to support full front-service, wall-mounted installation. 

Planar will be in Booth #N5914 in the North Hall of the LVCC.

PORTLAND, Ore.—Planar today introduced the Planar CarbonLight VX Series line of LED display solutions optimized for the virtual production (VP), extended reality (XR) and broadcast display applications,

Based on lightweight, patented carbon fiber construction, Planar CarbonLight VX Series is well-suited for indoor, fine-pitch LED video wall, ceiling and flooring installations. The displays have been designed to deliver exceptional visual performance on film and movie sets, in broadcast studios and at entertainment venues. They also are appropriate for educational and corporate use, the company said.

The Planar CarbonLight VX Series offers VP and XR customers LED solutions that support a range of studio sizes and configurations, it said.

“LED video walls are a critical element in successful VP and XR applications, and the Planar CarbonLight VX Series separates Planar from the pack. From best-in-class visual performance to unmatched deployment versatility, the Planar CarbonLight VX Series addresses creative and technical professionals’ needs of today and tomorrow,” said company executive vice president Adam Schmidt.

The new LED series includes two LED display lines designed to be integrated with VP and XR stages.

The CarbonLight CLI VX Series supports hanging, wall-mounted, free-standing and curved LED video wall installations, in addition to other unique shapes that are intended to help smaller stages appear larger, it said.

It features HDR support, improved thermal management and uniformity, precise, flexible color management and a wide color gamut for greater color compatibility, including up to DCI-P3 color space with the Planar CarbonLight CLI VX1.9 model.

The family also includes a high LED refresh rate (3840Hz) to support smooth motion and offers frame rates ranging from 24Hz to 144Hz to ensure compatibility with various camera settings.

Available in 1.9 and 2.6mm pixel pitches, the Planar CarbonLight CLI VX Series features models with Brompton VP controllers The CLI VX Series is available with models that support VP controllers from Colorlight, Planar said.

The Planar CarbonLight CLF VX Series LED flooring features a 2.6mm pixel pitch. It can be used to create a high-resolution, continuous canvas for on-cameras scenes, Planar said.

More information is available on the company’s website. 

PORTLAND, Ore.—Planar, a provider of visualization technology, has launched its Planar Studios, an initiative that the company hopes will revolutionize the explosive virtual production (VP) and extended reality (XR) markets. 

As part of the initiative, Planar Studios is offering advanced technologies for production, including new LED and motion capture systems, as well as industry partnerships and personnel that can help creators improve their virtual productions and XR efforts. 

“We are proud and honored to work with the world’s leading creative and technological professionals as we set out to perfect the art of VP,” said executive vice president Adam Schmidt. “Recent developments in VP and XR are already unlocking wonderful capabilities for storytellers, but we’re just scratching the surface. We recognize advanced technological development, productive industry partnerships and a dedicated team of experts to be key in helping customers overcome creative limitations. Planar Studios is our response and will be a driving force in unlocking the future of VP and XR.”

Currently, Planar solutions for VP and XR are being deployed worldwide, including at Orbital Virtual Studios, a Los Angeles-based VP studio dedicated to producing movies, music videos and commercials. 

“LED display technology is taking the production industry by storm, enabling new techniques and processes that are transforming the way video producers create incredibly realistic action and transport audiences to new worlds,” said A.J. Wedding, director and co-founder of Orbital Virtual Studios. “Having seen and experienced Planar’s state-of-the-art LED display technology firsthand, and worked closely with their team on many shoots, I have no doubt that the company delivers the superior visual performance, support and versatility today’s movie directors and producers need to create VP projects like we’ve never seen before.” 

To learn more about the Planar Studios initiative visit:  www.planar.com/PlanarStudios.

WASHINGTON—The Government Video Expo, held Nov. 27-29, has an image of the U.S. Capitol building in its logo, but the reality on the floor is bigger than one building or just the federal government market alone. Indeed, a glance at attendee show badges on the exhibition floor or at the conference shows an eclectic mix of media professionals from many arenas.

While attendees included personnel from local, state and federal governments and all the agencies and contractors within that leviathan, this base was joined by representatives from state and local emergency personnel, defense-related contractors, educational institutions, houses of worship, and plenty of regional production types and broadcasters.

The conference schedule also reflected this. While many presentations and speakers were quite government-specific, broader topics such as live streaming, LED lighting advancements, SMPTE 2110, and high dynamic range video appealed to many modern media professionals.

TOPICS AND TRENDS

The SMPTE ST 2110 Professional Media Over Managed IP Networks suite of standards has been the hot topic at trade shows of late, and it was on the minds of many at GV Expo. The importance of the new standard was reflected in the addition of the day-long SMPTE in DC: Essential Technology Advances for Media Pros Conference, which attracted a number of local broadcast and media professionals eager to dig deep into the implications of IP on their media operations.

On the exhibit floor, the big buzz words were 4K, UHD and IPTV, according to Tommy Goodson, president of AudioVideo BrandBuilder (AVBB) Corp. “What we’re hearing at this show in particular is a lot about IPTV, with 2110 on the agenda … everybody who has come by is preparing for 2110.”

AVBB—a master distributor and manufacturer rep primarily for test and measurement specialist Phabrix and streaming company Teracue—said it was seeing great interest in the 2110-friendly Phabrix line, including the Sx-TAG model and the Qx IP, a fully flexible 2110 rasterizer.

Also popular was Teracue’s iCUE Grid Video Wall, is an IP Video Wall Presenter for multiple content sources within the video wall. It allows complete on-the-fly control over visualized live and/or on-demand content in any resolution.

AR/VR was present on the exhibition floor within products and at the conference, but the technology is a bit less in-your-face at trade shows now. The same can be said for artificial intelligence, which also had a decent presence on the conference schedule, but was not plastered on every booth on the exhibition floor as has been seen at events over the last few years. This may reflect the technology maturation, as AI or AR/VR are now established products or part of established products.

An example is Quantum’s StorNext media workflow file system. More than a year ago the company had announced it would offer Veritone Inc.'s multi-engine AI platform in a StorNext-managed environment. At GV Expo, the incorporation was a reality and AI is now just part of an overall system. There were no flashy robots on display representing the brave new world of AI, but representatives from Veritone did attend Day One of the show.

StorNext has applications across broadcast, security, defense and other environments that generate lots of data that needs to be evaluated and used. NewTek’s Tricaster multicamera production system also has a broad range of applications. It was on show at the booth of Washington Professional Systems, a dealer/integrator from nearby Wheaton, Md., that is also a NewTek Elite Dealer selling the systems across several market areas.

“The Tricaster product line is versatile enough that it is not just a broadcast switcher, there is so much more under the hood that allows it to be used in many AV environments,” said Jeremy Morris, Sr. Engineer & Certified Tricaster Operator with WPS. WPS’s booth also demonstrated products from Crestron, Christie and others.

WPS also had Sony broadcast and robotic cameras on hand, but the media world has seen a merging of the consumer and professional areas over the last several decades, so it makes sense that Sony had its own consumer electronics presence at the show as well. Highlights at this stand included still cameras capable of shooting some impressive video, and high end consumer camcorders such as the FS5 Mk II and the FS7 Mk II, both of which can shoot in 4K.

Sony professional cameras, along with units from Hitachi and JVC, were also present at the large, central booth of Digital Video Group (DVG), a supplier and system integrator of broadcast and production systems.

Alex Martin, DVG CEO, said the company was looking to expand its government business with its offerings, which also included asset management and shared storage from Avid, bonded cellular transmission units from LiveU, and more. Martin said show trends that cut across customers included the real need for 4K and preparing for SMPTE 2110.

PRODUCTION AS BREAD AND BUTTER

Whatever the resolution of the video is, and whether it is sent around a facility as an SDI stream or as an IP packet, production needs will always include camera support and lighting. These needs were front-and-center at Vitec.

On display was the Vinten flowtech 75 set of two-stage carbon fiber tripod legs with a removable mid-level spreader, rubber feet, and a 44-pound payload. This established unit was joined by the flowtech 100, which was only launched a few months ago. Compatible with all major 100 mm fluid heads, flowtech100 supports a payload of up to 66 pounds, making it ideal for heavy-duty ENG/EFP and a wide range of wildlife, commercial, and documentary productions.

Joseph Teodosio, Training & Product Specialist for Vitec, said the first day of the show drew a nice mix of local TV stations, government and military and house of worship (HOW) customers: “The LitePanels Gemini has been a real draw with its very high quality light, and the new flowtech 100 is also attracting people.”

Greg Smalfelt, senior cable television engineer, Communications Production Division, and Josh Bass, cable TV engineer, both with Fairfax County, Va.’s Channel 16, came to see the 100. “We’re an existing customer but we wanted to see the 100 for our bigger cameras, and get some questions answered,” said Smalfelt.

Panasonic was also out in force with a range of production kit for needs ranging from broadcast to HOW to government video entities. The AU-EVA1 compact cinema camera and a new class of PTZ remote cameras and controllers capable of operating in 4K 60 and 50p were joined by the AV-HLC100 small switcher, which is capable of direct streaming to YouTube or Facebook Live.

Smaller scale routing and switching needs were also key at AJA, where the company’s affordable Kumo routers and KiPro Ultra+ recorders were on display. Eastern region territory manager for AJA Dan Wingard said the duo were perfect for many of the potential customers walking the aisles. “We see everything from Federal, state and local government people through to community colleges, really a little bit of everything,” said Wingard.

Barbizon, a distributor of lighting, rigging, projection kit and more, said there was a lot going on in the world of LEDs in 2018. One of the big things this year is that a lot of the LEDs are now IP-rated, which has nothing to do with packets of data but is a measure of the protection an item will have against solid objects (dust, sand, dirt, etc.) and liquids, according to Kearston Dillard-Scott, Outside Sales representative for Barbizon. “Variety is also a trend,” said Dillard-Scott. “Many of the fixtures that were bi-color just from warm to cool can now do full RGB.”

Project Manager for Barbizon Sam Herbig added that the quality of an LED fixture’s light was increasing, and consistency within a product line has greatly improved from a few years ago: “It’s boring, but for anyone lighting to a level it is important,” said Herbig.

IP packets play a large role in an interesting product from Comrex that was on display, and due for shipping before year-end after being launched at the 2018 NAB Show: The VoIP-based Earshot IFB. The hardware-based system delivers live audio feeds to callers and is designed to provide telephone-based live studio program and IFB audio to field-based remote broadcasts, like TV ENG reports or in other applications.

Comrex also had an app called “FieldTap,” which allows a user to connect to Comrex codecs in studio from a cellphone with high-quality wideband audio.

According to Chris Crump, senior director of sales and marketing for the Devens, Mass.-based company, the Comrex LiveShot Portable IP video codec for live wireless newsgathering are in use across government sectors, particularly emergency management and security entities, along with community broadcasters. LiveShot delivers live, two-way, HD video and audio over a range of IP and cellular networks at latencies as low as less than 200mS, he said.

MISSION CRITICAL

Many government and defense video applications are defined as “mission critical,” a niche Oregon-based Planar covers with its narrow pixel pitch direct view LED and LCD panels. “These are purpose-built for mission-critical and mission-command applications, with higher image quality for indoor applications," said Alberto Reyes, director of federal business development for Planar. “We’re now finding other applications as well, any discerning 24/7/365 application in a signage environment really.”

Advances in projection display were evident at the booth of Christie Digital Systems.

“We’re trying to take a leadership position on RGB laser phosphor technology, said Jon Litt, senior manager, Business Development, Government, for Christie. “We’re also trying to bring it to a price point where it would work for more applications.”

Litt said the technology offered tremendous image fidelity, quiet operation, and the ability to run for years with little or no maintenance. Longevity is also a key selling point for the company’s DirectView LED screens, which Litt said had an expected lifespan of 100,000 hours or more while offering exceptional contrast.

HIGH SECURITY CAPTIONING

Captioning is often a government requirement and EEG has been offering encoders that connect broadcasters to iCap, the largest closed captioning and subtitle delivery network in the world, according to the company. While iCap provides 24/7/365 connectivity to thousands of certified caption partners around the globe, new at GV Expo was an option that allows customers to connect to an iCap network via a private VPN, with no public internet connection as part of the process.

“Some customers don’t want any public internet as part of the network, and now that is an option with iCap On-Prem,” said Dave Watts, marketing manager for EEG. iCap On-Prem is a companion product to EEG’s cloud-based delivery network, and it enables the deployment of iCap to private on-premises clouds for customers who require this configuration to accommodate extremely stringent internal security policies. Also on display was an automatic captioning product that relies on Ai and context recognition, and a SMPTE 2110 product.

Security was also key for IBM Watson Media, the end-to-end streaming platform formerly known as UStream: The tagline on the product’s data sheet is “Engage your employees with security-rich video.”

S. Scott Grizzle, WW Cloud Video Solutions Engineer with Watson, said the use cases between a broadcast customer and an enterprise or government customer were different, but there was a lot of crossover. He added that many customers across product sectors were become increasingly interested in video enrichment, where software can identify elements such as scenes, people, animals, etc. and place this information in to metadata.

Equipment aimed at consumers can do a lot of what many media pros need done in 2018. It is perhaps with this in mind that show organizer Future US just announced the launch of The Video Show, a new dual-event venture for December, 2019. The Video Show will pair The Photography Show, now an established U.K.-based event, with the iconic Government Video Expo, which celebrated its 23rd edition this year. 

The event takes place Dec. 3-5, 2019 at the Washington Convention Center. 

PREŠOV, SLOVAKIA—Kathy Skinski is joining the Leyard and Planar team as the new general manager of broadcast and media, per a company announcement. Skinski will be responsible for creating new opportunities and building on existing relationships with broadcast companies.

With more than 20 years of experience, Skinski has held television and digital positions with companies like ABC Network, Time Warner Cable and CNN.

She will be based in Washington, D.C.