digital studio - january 2013

Vol. 15 Issue 1 January 2013An ITP Business Publication

“AS THEINDUSTRY FRAGMENTS,

WITH THOUSANDS OF CHANNELS,

CAN TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGIES

SURVIVE?”PHIL RUTTER

P20

PRODUCTIONKEEPING STUDIO COSTS DOWN AND QUALITY UP

CASE STUDYGEO TV JOINS THE HI

DEFINITION REVOLUTION

SOUNDINGOFF

WE HEAR FROM THE EXPERTS ABOUT MOVING FROM STEREO TO 5.1

SURROUND SOUND

Vol. 15 Issue 1 January 2013An ITP Business Publication

“AS THE“AS THEINDUSTRY FRAGMENTS, INDUSTRY FRAGMENTS,

WITH THOUSANDS WITH THOUSANDS OF CHANNELS,

CAN TRADITIONAL CAN TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGIES

SURVIVE?”SURVIVE?”PHIL RUTTERPHIL RUTTER

P20

PRODUCTIONKEEPING STUDIO COSTS KEEPING STUDIO COSTS DOWN AND QUALITY UP

CASE STUDYCASE STUDYGEO TV JOINS THE HI

DEFINITION REVOLUTION

SOUNDINGSOUNDINGOFF

SOUNDINGOFF

SOUNDINGOFFOFF

WE HEAR FROM THE EXPERTS ABOUT WE HEAR FROM THE EXPERTS ABOUT

MOVING FROM STEREO TO 5.1 SURROUND SOUND

Sony is bringing the power of 4K to new applications and helping widen the 4K audience.Sony’s collaboration with third parties further expands the workflow possibilities.

Sony Professional Solutions MEA FZ LLC, Unit C-50, P. O. Box 502050, International Media Production Zone, Dubai, United Arab Emirates,Tel: +971 4 391 8400, Email: [email protected], website: www.pro.sony.eu

The future, ahead of schedule.

NEX-FS700

PMW-F55

F65

PMW-F5

PVM-X300

KD-84X9000

SR-R1000

SR-R4SR-1TS55

VPL-VW1000ES

SRX-R515

‘Sony’ and ‘make.believe’ are trademarks of Sony Corporation

www.digitalproductionme.com JANUARY 2013 / 1

CONTENTS

5UPDATE

MBC AND DSC TO LAUNCH NEW STUDIOS/ YAHOO!

MAKTOUB GETS SERI-OUS ABOUT PRODUC-

TION/HARRIS SALE COMPLETE/KURDISH

HD NEWS CHANNEL/OB VAN FOR YEMEN/

EBU’S NEW BOARD ANNOUNCED/BLINK’S KOREAN

SUCCESS/PLAUDITS FOR RADIO MIRCHI/IMAGENATION LINES UP FREEJ MAIN MAN/AMREEKA DIRECTOR

SET FOR SUNDANCE/ADTV SHOOTS AT

TWOFOUR54

20COMMENT

ADAPT OR DIE, SAYS ABSOLUTE ADVAN-TAGE’S PHIL RUTTER

24NEWS ANALYSIS

OSN IS LAUNCHING MORE CHANNELS

THIS MONTH

43COMMUNITYALL THE LATEST

GOINGS ON FROM THE MIDDLE EAST’S PRODUCTION AND BROADCAST COM-

MUNITIES

50PRODUCTS

OUR PICK OF THE LATEST PRODUCT LAUNCHES FROM THE BROADCAST

AND PRODUCTION INDUSTRIES

26EDITORIAL POLICY2012 has seen big new releases from a number of major providers of editing software and hardware. We hear the latest from Avid’s Matt Feury.

30LOOK AFTER THE PENNIESViewers’ expectations of production values are higher than ever, but technology is still not cheap. How can you maximise your studio facility while keeping an eye on value for money?

34NICE SURROUNDINGSlast month we heard about the UAE’s fi rst 5.1 fi lm shoot. Now we hear from the tech experts about what happens next.

38 GEO FILESGeo TV has recently gone HD and fi le-based. Get the lowdown this month.

26

24

JANUARY 2013

3020

34 38

www.digitalproductionme.com2 / JANUARY 2013

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Dubai Studio City and MBC Group have signed a partnership to equip the region with new state-of-the-art studios of in-ternational standards. The studios will be located in DSC and will serve the entire MENA region, as part of a partnership to provide enriching creative and cultural experiences with the latest in digital cam-era technologies, LED lighting, motion tracking , real-time compositing, 2-D and 3-D imaging and virtual sets.

Dr. Amina Al Rustamani, CEO, TECOM Business Parks, commented: “We are confident that our long-standing part-nership with MBC

MBC Group and Dubai Studio City are teaming up to bring the very latest studio technology to DSC.

NEW STUDIOS FROM MBC AND

STUDIO CITY

EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT...

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

7 UPDATE10 ONLINE16 CHANNEL18 EDITOR’S COLUMN20 GUEST COLUMN24 ANALYSISTHIS MONTH IN THE TV AND FILM PRODUCTION INDUSTRY

Dr. Amina Al-Rustamani, CEO TECOM Business Parks (right) and Sam Barnett, CEO MBC Group.


NEWS UPDATE

Group is always one step ahead in enhancing television production in the region. Through the new studios, MBC Group will further enrich its journey towards premium con-tent production, thus reinforcing Dubai’s position on the global media, entertain-ment and content” map”.

Sam Barnett, CEO, MBC Group, de-scribed the agreement as a ‘milestone’ in MBC Group’s history and added: “This partnership takes MBC Group and O3 Productions’ capabilities to new heights. The new studios and cutting-edge tech-nology that DSC has provided us with in the field of TV and film production will enrich the region with the most creative content and pioneering technology”.

MBC Group has also recently estab-lished a partnership with Stargate Stu-dios which will bring the opening of Star-gate Middle East - two full-service, virtual production studios located in Dubai and Cairo and equipped with the latest digital camera technologies, LED lighting, mo-tion tracking, real-time compositing, 2-D and 3-D imaging and virtual sets.

Fadi Ismail, GM of MBC’s production subsidiary, O3 Productions, added: “Our collaboration with DSC has provided us with a unique opportunity to further suc-ceed in the content industry with leading-edge studios and technology. Moreover, our team of skilled profession-als and our partnership with Stargate will add to our success factors and raise the standards of our production outcomes”.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Harris Corp CEO William M Brown

THE NEW STUDIOS IN NUMBERS (ALL STATS FOR PHASE ONE UNLESS STATED.)

14:Number of sound stages the project will feature. Phase one will feature three sound stages, the largest of which will be some 25,000 square feet. The stages will feature complete sound proofing, storage space/gold room, production office space, workshops, dressing rooms and star suites, wifi and onsite parking for equipment trucks and trailers

65,000 sq ft:Available support office space, comprising make-up and dressing rooms.

135,000 sq ft:Available workshop space on site.

3 million sq ft:Available additional backlot space on site.

200,000 sq ft:Available commercial office space.

120,000 sq ft:Additional boutique studio space.

02: Indoor water tanks for underwater shots, which will be delivered in September 2013. The tanks

are suitable for film, TV and commercial productions and can accommodate water scenes, underwater shots or action sequences.

Rustamani and Barnett are joined by Moham-mad Abdullah, MD, TECOM Media Cluster; Fadi Ismail, GM, O3 Productions and Jamal Al-Sharif, MD of Dubai Studio City.


NEWS UPDATE

NEW ONLINE PRODUCTIONYahoo! Maktoob has consolidated its role as a producer of local content with the an-nouncement of a brand new online series featuring the popular Egyptian comedy star Ahmed Helmy.

The series of eight-minute episodes will take a look at everyday life through Helmy’s comic lens, and represents Ya-hoo! Maktoob’s desire to be a major player in both producing and broadcasting lo-cal content to the region. Yahoo! MENA VP, Ahmed Nassef, commented: “At Ya-hoo! Maktoob we are focused on making people’s daily habits more inspiring and entertaining. We are pleased to be bring-ing premium online video content made especially for our audience in the region. Ahmed Helmy has consistently come up in all our research as the most popular comedian in the region, and with Helmy Online we continue to build our portfolio of original programming that offers users great entertainment and brings fantastic opportunities for brands and advertisers to engage with audiences in new ways.”

Helmy added: “Creating a series espe-cially for the web is a very different experi-ence to making feature films, and I really look forward to seeing how viewers and fans will engage with the show.”

YAHOO! AND HELMY GAME FOR A LAUGH

Following much speculation over likely buyers, Harris Corporation has reached an agreement to sell Broadcast Communications to an affiliate of The Gores Group, LLC for a total of $225 million.

“The sale of Broadcast Commu-nications reflects our strategy to optimize our business portfolio and focus on our core business-es,” said William M Brown, presi-dent and chief executive officer of

HARRIS B’CAST SOLD TO GORES GROUPHarris. “As previously communi-cated, we plan to repurchase up to $200 million of our shares af-ter the deal closes. This is in addi-tion to the $200 million of share repurchases already planned for fiscal 2013 and reflects our ongo-ing commitment to effectively de-ploy capital, including returning cash to shareholders.”

“In Harris Broadcast Commu-nications, we are investing in a

proven technology leader with great products and a great team. We are excited to pro-vide the capital and support to transition this division to a strong and independent com-pany further enabling it to continue developing and deliv-ering market leading technolo-gies to its customers,” added Ryan Wald, managing director of The Gores Group.

NEWSMAKER

Ahmeds Nassef (left) and Helmy at the new show’s launch.


NEWS UPDATE

OUTSIDE BROADCASTYemen TODAY, a private broadcaster in Yemen, has purchased a UTAH-100 HD compact router for its SNG truck, which it commissioned from Istanbul-based PALS, one of few companies in the region to deliver SNG vehicles that meet the ASBU-MENOS OpenDSNG standard.

“Reliability is key in a truck in this area,” said Fikret Güzel of PALS. “The Utah Scientifi c router fi ts well with our approach of delivering high qual-ity and reliability at a good price.”

UTAH ROUTER FOR YEMEN OB

TRADE BODY ELECTIONSThe EBU General Assembly has elected nine members to the execu-tive board for a two-year mandate starting from January 1, 2013. The General Assembly is the highest de-cision-making body within the EBU and meets twice annually.

The board will continue to be led by Jean-Paul Philippot, RTBF (Bel-gium) who was re-elected at the Sum-mer General Assembly in Strasbourg to the post of President.

The new board includes members from as far afi eld as Russia and the UK, while MENA representation is in the form of Rachid Faïçal Laraïchi from SNRT in Morocco (pictured).

EBU ELECTS NEW BOARD

CHANNEL LAUNCHRudaw Media Group, one of Iraq’s leading publish-ing companies, is to launch the fi rst HD news channel in the Kurdish region of the country. Rudaw has built a news production centre for the channel in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region. The centre incorpo-rates the latest Harris HD infrastructure and work-fl ow technologies for signal routing and management, distribution and playout. The deal was brokered by Sahi-Ateksis, a leading dis-tributor in the region.

“We were looking to build out the most comprehen-sive and streamlined HD fi le-based news production workfl ow and playout facil-ity in the region, and chose to use the proven Harris infrastructure and work-fl ow solutions because they are both reliable and future proofed,” said Hejar Beren-ji, technical director of Rudaw Media Group. “Fur-thermore, Harris is able to provide us with locally-based technical support that recognizes the cultural and linguistic diversity of the region — a key driver in our choice of vendor.”

HD NEWS FOR KURDS

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NEWS UPDATE

ONLINE

1 Zee launches Arabic language station

2 Storage kings

3 Most infl uential people: Film editors

4 Robe does it Gangnam Style

5 MBC 4 begins airing latest Turkish buys

6 MTV could face Saudi law suit

7 Showtex goes green

8 Janowitz lights up My Morning Jacket

9 Robe shines a light on Mumfords tour

10 MBC Group launches MBC Masr

BLINK STUDIOS’ KOREA BEST

RADIO AWARD

CELEBRATIONS FOR MIRCHI TEAMRadio Mirchi may be a new kid on the block in terms of UAE radio production, but it was celebrating last month in the wake of winning the title of Best Radio Station at the annual Masala! Awards.

The Abu Dhabi Media-owned chan-nel for the South Asian audience has only been on the UAE broadcast map for 10 months, but Abdul Rahman Awadh Al Harthi, executive director of the Abu Dhabi Radio Network claimed there is plenty still to come: “Abu Dhabi Radio Network continuously strives to serve the needs of all communities in the UAE,” he said. “Radio Mirchi has allowed us to connect with and cater to an important new audience for the company. The award confi rms and reinforces the strength of the Abu Dhabi

Media and Entertainment Network (India) Limited partnership, a winning mix which we believe will achieve many milestones going forward,” added Al Harthi.

reinforces the strength of the Abu Dhabi

going forward,” added Al Harthi.SPOT POLL

WHICH EVENT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING

FORWARD TO?

20%Sandance NYE

29%Katy Perry/Usher at World Parachuting

Championship

18%Justin Bieber

33%Stone Roses

Blink’s Ostora has won friends in Korea.

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monitor-equipped broadcast vehicle.

INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR DUBAI ANIMATION HOUSE’S 3D SHORTOstora, an original 3D stereoscopic musical animation written by Emirati scriptwriter Faisal Al Sharyani, has been awarded the Special Picture Prize at the 3D Korea International Short Film Festival. Produced by Blink Studios and support-ed by twofour54’s creative lab, Ostora, the fi rst Arabic musical animated 3D fi lm, was directed by Blink’s Hani Kichi.

The animated short was created for 3D stereo-scopic viewing with the latest technology and took fi ve months to complete with the e� orts from 40 people including volunteers from twofour54’s creative lab community.

The award follows Ostora’s nomination to 26 fi lm festivals worldwide, including the New York Short Film Festival, the Los Angeles 3D and Music Film Festival and Belgium’s 3DSM Film Festival. Ostora also received a special jury mention at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2012.

Director Kichi commented: “It was very excit-ing to hear of this win. We believe that our musi-cal animated fi lm was singled out for its treatment of 2D Cut-Out animation in 3D Stereoscopic. This encourages us to continue experimenting with new fi lm-making technologies mixed with di� er-ent artistic styles similar to Ostora.”

The Radio Mirchi team

celebrate their win.


NEWS UPDATE

DIRECTOR TO HEAD UP NEXT LOCAL FILM Image Nation Abu Dhabi has announced that Mohammed Saeed Harib, the award-winning Emirati creator of the Middle East’s first 3D animated series, FREEJ, has signed up to direct the company’s next local feature film.

The as yet unnamed sports comedy is scheduled to be filmed in the UAE in spring 2013 and is planned for an Autumn 2013 re-lease. The film will be Image Nation’s third local production, following quickly behind the coming of age drama, ‘Sea Shadow’, re-leased last year, and the supernatural thrill-er, ‘Djinn’, also set for release in 2013.

Mohammed Al Mubarak, chairman of Im-age Nation, commented: “Image Nation is committed to the development of a prosper-ing film and production industry here in the UAE, and we are thrilled to announce the addition of Mohammed Saeed Harib to lead our latest project.

“Anyone in the UAE and around the region will be familiar with the FREEJ series and to have someone of Mohammed’s calibre onboard, bringing all of his creativity, hu-mour and talent to the project is indicative of the quality of production we have set out to make,” added Mubarak.

Harib added: “I am thrilled to be making the move into feature films. I was looking for my next challenge, so when the opportunity to direct Image Nation’s next project arose I jumped at the chance. Image Nation has been doing a lot to develop the foundations of a vibrant and sustainable motion picture industry in the UAE, and I am delighted to be onboard to direct their latest film.”

FREEJ BOSS FOR IMAGENATION

RUSHES2008: Image Nation is formed. Former Walt Disney Pictures executive Edward Borgerding is named as CEO. The same year, Image Nation signs production partnerships with Warner Bros, Participant Media and NatGeo.

2009: Image Nation’s first films are released – first-time director Cherian Dabis breaks box office records in the US for an Arab-directed film with Amreeka, the story of a Palestinian refugee family in post-911 Chicago.

2010: Image Nation announces it is to back six Emirati movies, the first of which is set to be Nawaf Al Janahi’s Sea Shadow, while the other movies include horrors and romantic comedies. Borgedring is adamant that the films will hold their own at the global box office.

2011: Image Nation rebrands into Image Nation Abu Dhabi and Image Nation International to reflect its twin purposes of incubating and assisting the development of a successful regional film industry and investing as a production partner in international films. Michael Garin is CEO of the new look entity. Image Nation launches the Arab Film Studio.

2012:Commercial and critical success for films including Contagion and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and an Academy Award for The Help. Sea Shadow continues its successful tour of festivals and screenings around the world. It remains the only one of the six films announced in 2010 to have seen the light of day.

2013: Freej director Mohammed Saeed Harib is working on the next local project, while Djinn, the Tobe Hooper horror produced under the six-film plan, will finally see the light of day after almost two years of rumour and controversy. The Susan Sarandon-fronted Snitch is scheduled for release.

BRIEF HISTORY

IMAGENATION

AMREEKA DIREC-TOR TO OPEN SUNDANCE

THE WORLD PREMIERE OF AC-CLAIMED ARAB-AMERICAN FILM-MAKER CHERIEN DABIS’S LATEST FEATURE, MAY IN THE SUMMER,

CO-FINANCED BY THE DOHA FILM INSTITUTE (DFI), WILL SCREEN AS

THE OPENING FILM FOR THE US

DRAMATIC COMPETI-TION AT THE 2013 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL. HAVING WON INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION AND BROKEN BOX OFFICE RECORDS WITH HER FIRST FEATURE AM-REEKA, CHERIEN’S FOLLOW-UP FILM IS A DRAMATIC COMEDY SET IN JORDAN, WHERE A BRIDE-TO-BE IS FORCED TO RE-EVALUATE HER LIFE WHEN SHE REUNITES WITH HER FAMILY, ONLY TO THEN BE CON-FRONTED WITH THE AFTERMATH OF HER PARENTS’ DIVORCE.

Image Nation’s Mohammed Al Otaiba, director Harib and moderator Samr Husain Al Marzooqi.


NEWS UPDATE

MENA PROJECTOR SUCCESSBenQ has continued its strong growth in the region’s professional projector market with a 40 per cent year-on-year growth to October 2012. During the first to third quarters of the year, BenQ was the leading brand in Saudi Arabia with 26.28 per cent market share, and second regionally.

“Over the years, we have achieved re-markable success in the projector industry. This has resulted in us being part of the top three brands in the MEA region and we aim to maintain our strong standing in projector technology and innovation,” said Manish Bakshi, MD of BenQ for MEA.

BENQ PUSHES ON

BROADCASTER AT TWOFOUR54Abu Dhabi TV produced Zahrat Al Khaleej at twofour54 intaj’s Studio B in Abu Dhabi last month, based on the Arab women’s lifestyle magazine of the same name. Other shows produced from intaj’s studios for Abu Dhabi TV include hits like Al Aoula and Cinematech.

Studio B is one of twofour54 intaj’s 10 HD studios. Facilities include audio gal-leries, 39 post-production suites, high end colour and graphic suites and media man-agement and archiving facilities. Since intaj launched in 2009, over 8,000 hours of con-tent have been produced from its studios.

ADTV AT STUDIO B

NEW BBC CONTENT FOR JCCAl Jazeera Children’s Channel (JCC) has enhanced its partnership with BBC World-wide to offer a wide range of new television shows for its Arab audiences. JCC will now offer over 180 hours of new BBC program-ming across a range of genres, all dubbed into Arabic.

Rashed Al Qurese, acting director of sales and media rights, JCC said: “This new selec-tion of creative and intelligent series will ex-pand on our schedule of programming that children will love and parents will trust.”

JCC AND BBC FORGE LINKS

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CHANNEL UPDATE

UBMS last month held an open day to showcase the product portfolio of its Chinese partner, Dayang. Dayang may not be the best known name in the regional industry, but having been pro-ducing a host of broadcast and production equipment since 1989, and available in this region through UBMS for over two years, this may be set to change.

Peter Kyriakos, UBMS head of marketing, explained: “The workshop aims to educate people as well publicise the products. We’ve tried to be very selective about who we’ve invited down, and we’ve focused on TV chan-nels and also the education sec-tor. Dayang make a wide range of multiviewers, on-air graphics, HD automation and character generators, and we feel they’re very versatile, competitive and efficient in terms of the hardware and software, and financially too.

“There are already a few people using these products in the region, but there were also

people here who knew very little about the products at the start of the day, so this has been about educating the local industry. The reviews have been great, and we’re confident we’ll close deals on the back of today. We’re happy on several levels – we’ve increased Dayang’s exposure, we’ve increased our clients’ knowledge and we’ve hosted a sold-out event. We’ve hit all our main targets.”

Qi Guo, Dayang’s manager of EMEA business, added: “Today went really well - we have poten-tial customers, and the people that came have really showed in-terest in the products. We’ve fo-cused on four products, including the Evias media asset manage-ment software which we brought a prototype of. We’ve been in the region for about three years now, and it’s a growth region. We’re even looking to open our own office to provide better support both to UBMS and close support to individual customers.”

UBMS HOSTS DAYANG OPEN DAY

SPOTLIGHT

NEW NVIDIA AND MODOMediaSys has announced that its latest cat-alogue includes NVIDIA Quadro K5000 for Mac and Luxology’s Modo for PC or Mac. Modo claims to be ‘a new generation in 3D asset creation and rendering,’ and includes true 3D sculpting tools, animation and net-work rendering. Quadro, meanwhile offers powerful graphics accelerating design, ani-mation and video applications.

Further, AJA’s KUMO 3232 router, with Grass Valley Native Protocol support over RS-422 and Ethernet is now shipping.

NEW MEDIASYS PRODUCTS

DEAL FOR MIDAS CONSOLES NMK, distributor of Midas and Klark Teknik in the Middle East has supplied two sets of the Midas PRO9 digital live audio system to Gearhouse Staging Connections. The deal includes dual RO9 surfaces including the DL251s, the DL451s I/O boxes and the DN9441 EQ Controller from Klark Teknik.

“Gearhouse has made major investments in equipment over the summer and a major portion of it has been on their audio depart-ment and especially the Midas consoles,” commented NMK’s Chicco Hiranandani.

NMK SUPPLIES NEW DESKS

MediaSys’ Bejoy George.


CHANNEL UPDATE

OMANOasis Enterprises has delivered Audio, Video and Lighting systems to The Bosch Centre at The American Interna-tional School Muscat in Oman. The Centre includes a 524-seat theatre for student educational and per-formance purposes, and also provides an exceptional venue in Oman for both local and visiting international performances. David Gray, Architainment Manager for Oasis, said: “Watching the opening night, I was in the back row listening to Kevin Schafer speak clearly from the stage with no sound reinforcement : a true test of the excellent acoustics within the auditorium.”

QATARQatar’s TV Support and Develop-ment Committee has installed a digital workfl ow based around an Avid production environment in its new, three-studio facility to enable the re-launch of two Qatar TV channels. The facility was due to go live in time for Qatar National day in December, and will produce and playout mate-rial in-house for the channels. As part of this new digital workfl ow, SGL’s FlashNet archive sits between an Avid In-terplay MAM and a SpectraLogic T950 library with LTO tape for long-term storage. The installa-tion also includes a PAM system.

UAEAdvanced Media’s latest catalogue in-cludes a host of new cameras from Sony such as the triple-Exmoor Sensored PMW-200, the NEX-EA50EH professional NXCAM camcorder and the NEX-VG900 interchangeable lens camcorder. As well as cameras, the lat-est offerings include TVLogic’s EVF-035W-3G electronic viewfi nder, Stardom’s Sohoraid SR2 – a cost effective, large capacity RAID system for HD work-fl ows, and Stardom’s Pro Drive PD520, which expands hard drive capacity with a box the same size as a CD Rom. All the latest products and more are available to view at Advanced Media’s showroom.

AROUND THE GCC

The audience hears from Dayang’s experts.

Gearhouse Staging Connections’ James Collee and Dave Williams

with the new consoles.

DUBAINMK has supplied the new Helix Digital Networked Partyline system as well as the Tempest 2.4GHz wireless intercom system to Protec. The company now complements its existing two-wire sys-tems from the Encore range of ClearCom to provide a fl exible and sophisticated communication solu-tion for their various high profi le events.

HelixNet Partyline is the fi rst set of products to demon-strate a revolutionary platform with the superb audio clar-ity of the digitized Clear-Com Sound, central administration of the entire system from the Main Sta-tion with a single cable and fl exible cable options.

www.digitalproductionme.com

EDITOR’S COMMENT

18 / JANUARY 2013

o that’s another year over.Of course, by the time you read this the calendars will al-ready have flipped to 2013, but as I write,

with Christmas just around the corner, it seems a good time to look back over a couple of the big technology issues of 2012, and maybe glean a clue as to what’s to come in 2013. The second screen has made massive advances over 2012. I’ve always been a little sceptical about the potential of the second screen - particularly in a region such as this where internet speeds are, to put it mildly, unpredictable at times.Even in the most connected countries in the world, however, I’ve taken some convincing that anyone really wants to swap the well-loved telly in the corner of the living room for an evening sitting in front of a laptop, or even mobile phone. It seems that two key events have begun to turn this situation around though. Firstly, the rise of the tablet. The glut of Android devices has opened tablets up beyond the cash-rich Apple fanboy demographic, and a corner does seem to have been turned.Research from Ofcom in the UK showed in 2012 that almost a quarter of UK viewers watched TV online at least once a week, and the suc-

Scess of OSN’s Play platform in this region suggests the same trend is being followed here . It’s not only about watching TV on-line, though, which leads us to the second key event, to my mind. In 2012, manufacturers and broadcast-ers recognised that the second screen is not just a tool for watching the same content on a different screen, but a com-panion for existing content on the ‘first’ screen. In one sense this can mean added extras - behind the scenes specials that fans love to see when their favourite show isn’t on TV etc. More than this though, the second screen seems to be succeeding as a means of enhancing and interpreting content from the first screen while view-ing it. During the US elections, a Verizon/Harris Interactive poll found that 65 per cent of presidential debate viewers would be watching with a tablet, laptop or smartphone in their hand. Of these, 41per cent planned to use it to fact-check statements by the candidates, 39 per cent planned on following the reactions of journalists, and 26 per cent of comedians.This may not be the most advanced use of the second screen, but look too at plat-forms like CCast, which allows sports fans to fact check too, but by the method of choosing their own camera angles and replays during a live game. Next up, 4K hasn’t taken over the world

this year. Global economics and a lack of affordable devices to watch on hasn’t helped, but many commentators are already writing the technology off on the basis that 8K is becoming affordable before 4K has even established itself. There’s some way to go in this debate yet, and with Sony choosing the back end of 2012 to launch a host of new 4K profes-sional products perhaps it will transpire that the medium has the push it needed. Elsewhere, it’s not been a great year for 3D evangelists. The global 3D box office had already dropped by $400M in 2011 despite a 75 per cent increase in releases, and things look unlikely to improve. Take Pixar’s Brave, one of the most suc-cesful 3D releases of the year. The film has taken $550M at the global box office, which isn’t to be sniffed at, but it pales in comparison to the $3Bn raked in by Toy Story 3, another Pixar 3D hit. Further, only 32 per cent of Brave’s audience chose to watch in 3D, compared to 72 per cent for Toy Story. It’s not quite dead, but it does look like the 3D craze could be headed the same way as the previous ones in the 50s and the 80s - if the thirty year cycle continues we can look forward to Les Miserables 3D in about 2040.

Chris Newbould is editor of Digital Studio magazine at ITP Business Publishing.

TWO SCREENS, THREE DIMENSIONS AND FOUR K DEFINITION. WHAT WE LEARNED IN 2012.

CHRIS NEWBOULD

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GUEST COLUMN

he theme of this year’s IABM conference was “Adapt or Die? Creating a profitable future through busi-ness innovation,” and

whichever part of the industry you work in, there’s always a common thread - how do you generate adequate revenue? If you’re a broadcaster that generally means getting enough advertisers and sponsors, if you’re a content owner that means getting enough fees for your content, if you’re a manufacturer that means selling enough product at a good enough margin, and if you’re a consultant it means having enough projects to pay the bills! Almost all of that cash ultimately comes from consumers . The problem is - how much will consumers actually pay? Years ago, here in the UK, we had only two channels of TV, one paid for from advertising, one paid for by a licence fee. It was quite feasible to have even modestly successful programs deliver audiences of 15 million+. For an advertiser that was very attractive, and they were willing to pay handsomely. Nowadays, for a niche program broadcast on terrestrial, 200,000 viewers is considered quite good. Is that still attractive for advertisers? Equally the technology was very different. You needed budgets measured in millions to set up TV production. Now you can do it

Tfor thousands. You still need good content, but technology costs are now more modest. As the industry fragments, with thousands of channels and many different ways of re-ceiving them - can “traditional” technolo-gies survive? What are the “safe bets” for equipment manufacturers in the future? Many Japanese manufacturers were badly burned by the explosion of flat screen tech-nology - and most are withdrawing from that market. The woes of the Japanese con-sumer electronics business may well start to impact on their professional markets - they have deep pockets, but they’re not bottomless. So if multinational corpora-tions get it wrong, what chance for smaller organisations, who almost certainly lack the resources to investigate the risks? Even companies with excellent track re-cords and healthy balance sheets may have to make significant changes in the next few years. They’ve probably lost all the analogue “black art” development capabil-ity, and are now reliant on getting better firmware into the same set of core chips that all their competitors use - does that really make sense? Is it just a cul-de-sac? Innovation is dependent on development, but few companies have the capacity or are willing to take the risks. However, in a market dominated by technology, where todays “latest idea” is tomorrows Betamax, manufacturers have to be fleet of foot in their development plans. I recently worked

on a project for a manufacturer who was trying to leverage their expertise in their niche into other areas. The results were a surprise - a “sideline” activity turned out to have the elements of a potentially huge new market for them, and they are now expanding that sector of their business. In reality, that company will probably end up selling off the sideline, mainly because the current owners and managers readily admit that they don’t understand either the technology or the market. That’s another problem for many com-panies - how do you keep up to date at a personal level? You can of course buy in the expertise you may need, but this in-dustry isn’t large enough to have a wealth of genuine experts to draw on. You can go to conferences and exhibitions, but you’ll probably spend more time selling what you can offer than absorbing new information - that’s just the nature of such events.

The bottom line is, of course, that you probably can’t keep track of every development that might impact on your business, but don’t assume that just because all the pundits are backing some new technology that it will make an ideal investment – just look at where 3D TV is now, versus the claims that many were making just 4 years ago!

Phil Rutter is Senior Associate at broadcast-ing consultancy Absolute Advantage Ltd.

JUST WHAT IS THE “STATE OF THE INDUSTRY”?

PHIL RUTTER

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W E D N E S D A Y 13th MARCH 2013DUBA I , U AE

FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN BEINVOLVED TODAY

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The most celebrated event for the Middle East broadcast and production industry

EXHIBITION PARTNER

For nomination enquiriesplease contact:Chris NewbouldEditor, Digital StudioTel: +971 4 444 3596Email: [email protected]

For table bookings and further informationplease contact:Michelle MeyrickEvents Manager, ITP BusinessTel: +971 4 444 3328Email: [email protected]

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CATEGORY SPONSOR CATEGORY SPONSOR

2012’s winners take a bow.

KEY FACTS

How long have the Digital Studio awards been running? Launched in 2005, this is the 9th year of the Digital Studio awards. When are the awards? The Digital Studio awards will take place on Wednesday 13th March, 2013.

Where are the awards? The Digital Studio awards will take place at a 5* hotel in Dubai, exact venue TBC.

Who can I nominate? If the entry criteria are met for a particu-lar category, you may nominate: your own company, a supplier, a business partner, or even a client. 3rd party nominations as well as self nominations are accepted. What is the agenda/programme of the night? 7:15 – 7:30 pm: guest arrival 7:30 – 8:30 pm: networking reception 8:30 – 9:45 pm: awards ceremony 9:45 pm: gala dinner and networking 11:00 pm: guest departure please note that the above timings are approximate and subject to change, slightly, on the night. What is the dress code for the awards? The dress code is business attire/national dress. Evening formals are optional.

I have been shortlisted for an award do I need to book a ticket? How? All attendees must book and pay for their tickets in order to attend the awards. Table bookings and individual seat book-ings can be made online on the awards website.

How many people does a table seat and do I have to purchase a full table? A full table seats 10 people. It is not nec-essary to purchase a full table, individual bookings are also accepted.


DIGITAL STUDIO AWARDS

NOMINATE TO ACCUMULATEThe Digital Studio Awards return for a ninth year during CABSAT this March. Here’s the lowdown.

ow in its 9th year, the Digital Studio Industry Leadership Awards acknowledges the efforts of individu-als, organisations and

companies that have contributed to the growth of the broadcast and production industry in the region.

This year’s awards will once again take place in partnership with CABSAT – the re-gion’s largest exhibition for the broadcast and production industries – and will be held on the second night of the three-day event in March. The gala evening will play host to the region’s leading professionals in the broadcast, TV and film production and post-production industries as well as vendors, systems integrators, consultants and other high profile guests.

The Digital Studio Awards recognises and rewards those local, regional and international players that have gone above and beyond in terms of their industry contribution. The Digital Studio 2013 cer-emony will include 13 categories covering the broadcast and production industries.

Nominations will open online by 1st January 2013. For more information, as well as nomination criteria, and online nominations and bookings, visit the Digital Production ME website: www.digitalpro-ductionme.com/dsawards.

NAWARDS CATEGORIES

Best Animation of 2012 (Show reel required with submission in DVD format)

Best Production of 2012 (Non-commercial work – movies, TV series, documentaries etc. Show reel required with submission in DVD format)

Best Post Production House (Show reel required with submission in DVD format)

Studio of the Year Technology Implementation of the Year

Systems Integrator of the Year Distributor/Reseller of the Year Manufacturer of the Year Best up and coming filmmaker (Show reel required with submission in DVD format)

Content Creation of the Year (Commercial work – TVCs, corporate films etc – DVD show reel required)

Content Delivery of the Year Satellite Services/Provider of the Year Innovation of the Year

For each nomination you will need to describe in 200 words or less why you deserve to win


NEWS ANALYSIS

SN is set to expand its portfolio of Arabic produc-tions with

the launch of new channel OSN Ya Hala! Shabab HD, which will seek to appeal to Arab youth as well as ‘the young at heart’.

The new channel will screen a mix of new chat shows and Egyptian drama series, as well as a weekly Friday night movie, often screened within weeks of theatrical release. OSN CEO David Butorac commented: “Our Arabic language content is a mixture of acquired, com-missioned and self-produced and we’re proud to support the regional production industry. We don’t have a large in-house production capability so we do largely acquire or commission content from production com-panies throughout the region. A lot of this material is fresh and never seen before on TV, so we don’t necessarily need to de-lineate between whether we’re producing it or a quality produc-tion company is producing it. What we care about is that the content is fresh, is premium and is seen for the fi rst time.”

“Following the tremendous success of OSN Ya Hala! HD launched last year, it was time to further enhance our Arabic o� er with fresh, exclusive con-tent. We are incredibly proud of the new channel line-up which promises to bring unparalleled exclusive content to the region.”

New HD Arabic channels will bring further local production from OSN

O

When Shabab launches on January 1st 2013 it will be joined by another new Arabic channel – OSN Ya Hala! Arabella, which will show dubbed Mexican no-vellas, as well as a new timeshift-ed OSN Ya Hala! HD+2. VP of programming Khulud Abu Ho-mos noted that Arabella will ini-tially show eight hours of new, dubbed Mexican content every day and added: “A new era of Ar-abic production emerged with the launch of OSN Ya Hala! HD last year and this is yet another beginning of a whole new world about to come to life through our brand new HD channels.

“Viewers can expect the same level of amazing quality produc-tion as OSN Ya Hala! HD with shows catering to youth and female audiences bringing the best of the best in terms of fresh talent and content, including ac-

OSN GROWS FURTHER New international HD channels and upgrades complete new year facelift

The OSN team at the launch announcement (l-r VP business development Emad Morcos, Butorac, Syrian singer Asala and Abu Homos.

KEY FIGURES

36Total number of OSN chan-nels in HD from January

4MHD TVs sold in the region every year

08Hours of fresh, dubbed, Mexican Novella content on Arabella daily

06International HD channels to launch on OSN in January

tion and reality shows that live up to international standards. We will be introducing more Ar-abic channels this year bringing more of what our viewers love - movies, series, celebrity shows and new formats.”

The new year also sees the launch of three new internation-al HD channels on the OSN plat-form – Fuel, Discovery World and Fine Living – while existing channels ITV, E! and Discovery will be upgraded to HD. Butorac concluded: “Every year four mil-lion HD TVs are sold in the re-gion, but many people go home and watch SD content on them. We see HD as a major driver, and although it’s not entirely in our hands as we have to rely on third party channel partners supply-ing content in HD, we hope to be a fully HD platform in the next 24 months.”


NOTHING LASTS FOREVER

As computers have grown ever more-powerful and portable, the environment of a typical editing suite has become unrecognisable from 20 years ago. But, claims Avid’s Matt Feury,

an editor’s needs remain the same.

T’S BEEN A BIG YEAR FOR EDITING, WITH ALL THE BIG PLAYERS LAUNCH-ING NEW OR UPGRADED SUITES.

HOW DOES YOURS STAND OUT? When Avid’s editing products came into the marketplace in the early 90’s, they were designed to deliver refined editing tools, rock-solid media management and robust interoperability with other systems in the post production process. Despite all the advances in computing power since, the features post professionals need are the same. And they are the differentiators between Avid editing solutions others.

IWith the launch of Media Composer 6,

Avid completely rewrote the application in 64 Bit, giving smoother playback, faster rendering, better handling with large bins. Other features such as Open I/O gave un-precedented flexibility to choose Avid audio and video interfaces or third-party inter-faces, including those from AJA, Blackmagic Design, Bluefish444 and Matrox.

MC6 also added native 3D stereoscopic support, which includes extensive metadata management, full resolution eyes, real time editing, mixed eye workflows, and deep stereo toolset including titles and conversion control. This gave editors a deep stereoscopic toolset, including working with side by side, over/under, and full raster

eyes, along with stereoscopic title tools and advanced stereoscopic metadata handling. No other NLE has this level of 3D integra-tion, and it comes built-in to MC6.

Avid has added enhanced audio capabili-ties including 5.1 and 7.1 surround audio tracks with panning, support for 64 voices, RTAS (Real Time AudioSuite) plug-in support, and enhanced audio keyframing. Sending to Pro Tools has never been easier. Avid Media Access has been a powerful plug-in, allowing vendors to create access to new camera file formats as they are released. Media Composer 6.5 adds Avid Media Authoring, allowing 3rd Parties to author export volumes with a defined folder structure. AS-02 is the first implementa-

Avid is one of the key edit suite suppliers to have launched major new products over the last year.

TECHNOLOGY / EDITING LATEST

www.digitalproductionme.com JANUARY 2013 27

TECHNOLOGY / EDITING LATEST

era technology partners which create 2K, 4K, and even 5K sized media. With AMA (Avid Media Access), camera manufacturers can create plug-ins which give immediate access to users of their latest formats.

*IS INTEROPERABILITY NOW SOME-THING WE CAN TAKE FOR GRANTED?Interoperability has never been something that can be taken for granted. Take the issues surrounding archival and delivery of completed program assets. As a member of the Advanced Media Workflow Association, Avid has helped to develop new ‘Applica-tion Specifications’ that deal specifically with creating “packages” of media assets for easy archive and efficient transfer between different systems in the post production chain. Content creators who are delivering programming for larger broadcast enti-ties will be able to do so without the usual hassles associated with this process because they will be adhering to a standard that is not only understood by multiple manufac-turers, but still flexible enough to customize to the unique specifications of different broadcasters.

We have been working very hard on interoperability with our own applications such as Pro Tools and DS, as well as our 3rd party partners to make sure the interoper-ability is as transparent as possible for the

end user. This also includes cross-platform compatibility, and Avid continues to release Media Composer Family of products in both Macintosh and PC versions. This al-lows users to open their projects on either Macintosh or PC platforms, with complete parity in operation.

Whether that be an on-set dailies system, or a final color grading system, media and metadata should travel seamlessly in and out of Media Composer. The latest release added additional linking functionality to re-link to media based on various user-selected metadata columns. This flexibility is useful for grading workflows to Resolve, Baselight, Pablo, and other finishing systems and adds additional options for our customers.

*DO YOU SEE A FUTURE FOR THE TRA-DITIONAL GIANT, FULLY-INSTALLED HARDWARE SYSTEM?The point of entry for creative editorial tools may not be where the lion’s share of “high end dollars” are allocated. With prod-ucts like Media Composer, Symphony and NewsCutter being priced so competitively, it’s not too difficult to deploy a large number of seats within a facility or broadcast opera-tion without busting your budget. Infra-structure to support the editorial process will be increasing in years to come. The ability to maintain large quantities of on-line and near-line media assets with simple processes has a great deal of value to high-end operations. Storage solutions such as Avid’s ISIS 2000, 5000 and 7000, and asset management solutions such as Avid’s Inter-play will be where more and more invest-ment dollars will be allocated.

*SOFTWARE SEEMS TO MOVE ON VERY QUICKLY – CAN WE EXPECT MORE RELEASES FROM YOU NEXT YEAR? Yes, we are always hard at work creating new, compelling features for our customers. Media Composer Family of products offer the most advanced, most professional edi-tor on the market, and we want to continue to push the envelope in our editor, storage and asset management offerings and push the bounds of what you think is possible in an asset based workflow.

“PHYSICAL AND GEOGRAPHIC CONSTRAINTS TO COLLABORATIVE POST-PRODUCTION WILL CONTINUE TO FADE AWAY.”Matt Feury, Avid evangelist

tion, and provides a specification for group-ing multiple versions of program content efficiently in a single bundle. Need to make multiple versions of the same show? Export the video once and only export the other language tracks the next time.

This year, Avid also added technology to take your newsroom anywhere. Interplay Sphere transcends facility, geographic and time zone limitations. Using high quality Media Composer and NewsCutter editing tools, producers, videographers, and editors have the same real-time workgroup experi-ence as they would within the facility. A story from the field may start with material imported into the editor, but assets residing in the workgroup’s ISIS storage can also be instantly searched, browsed, selected, and dragged to the timeline.

*AS WE MOVE FROM LARGE HARD-WARE INSTALLATIONS TO CHEAPER SOFTWARE, HOW DO YOU ENVISAGE THE MARKET DEVELOPING?Physical and geographic constraints to collaborative post-production will continue to fade away. A global talent pool is already driving content creators to distribute their workload around the world to creative specialists in the fields of picture and sound editorial, visual effects and finishing. Cam-era file formats have also continued to increase in frame size, and each camera manufacturer pushes the envelope each year with new formats and codecs. Arri, Sony, and RED are a number of Avid’s cam-

w w w . d i g i t a l p r o d u c t i o n m e . c o m / c o n f e r e n c e

BROADCAST CONFERENCE30TH JANUARY 2013 | THE WESTIN | DUBAI - UAE

For sponsorship opportunities please contact:Asma Al Hassani [email protected] T: +971 4 444 3272Peter Davis [email protected] T: +971 4 444 3741

For more information please contact:Samm Medina T: +971 4 444 3520 E: [email protected]

EVENT SPONSORGOLD SPONSOR EXHIBITOR


XXXXXXXXXXXXX / XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

ITP BROADCAST CONFERENCE 2013Wednesday, 30th January 2013 sees the second ITP

Broadcast Conference set up shop at Dubai’s Westin Hotel.

he Broadcast Confer-ence 2013 will bring together over 150 film and television broad-cast industry leaders from across the GCC to

discuss the biggest challenges and opportu-nities in the region.

CTO’s, CIO’s and COO’s will benefit from

the discussions across the morning targeted to long term strategic planning and develop-ment of brands, content and technology through sessions that will cover the next generation of broadcasting; identifying technological innovations that will change business; delivering great content and increasing profitability.

The afternoon of this exclusive, invite

Mohammed Abdullah, Media Cluster MD at TECOM Invest-ments, addresses the previous ITP Broadcast Conference.

KEY SESSIONS AT THE EVENT: PANEL DISCUSSIONS

Thriving in the Next Generation of Broadcasting Media consumption across the globe is becoming more person-alised and increasingly fragmented – a challenge that the Middle East needs to tackle. Facing reduced market share, leaders of major broadcasters in the region need to move away from more traditional business models to ensure their perspective aligns with the rapidly evolving the media industry.

Delivering Great Content New content is being launched to the region every year - SkyNews Arabia, Zee Alwan and Al-Sharqiya Drama have all launched in 2012. This increased competition is putting pressure on broadcast-ers to deliver high quality content that attracts, engages and most importantly, retains viewers.

Identifying the Innovation from the Technology Hype Cost inhibitors and users perceived value of products like, HD, 3D, Mobile and IPTV are constantly evolving and need to be considered when integrating new technology into existing business models and infrastructure.

Increasing Profitability – the Broadcasters Bottom Line Digital media is increasingly attracting marketing spend away from broadcasters and is expected to grow 35% between 2011 and 2015. Broadcasters must know how to best monetise their assets.

The Future of Broadcasting 2013 will see broadcasters catering to the most media savvy and globally connected generation in history. How best to keep pace with technology and the increasingly savvy audience?

WORKSHOPS

Media Asset Management 3D Audio Migrating to HD OTT Technology Cloud TV

T

only event will shift gears with a number of workshops runs by experts in their field that will allow the delegates to get a more hands on approach for those engineers and techni-cians who want to stay up-to-date on the latest technology that will ultimately drive the industry forward.

Following on from the huge success of the inaugural Broadcast Conference, the 2013 event will continue to deliver opportunities necessary for the region to better under-stand the fractured markets, multicultural nature and rising youth market that will dominate decisions and strategies over the next decade.

Keep an eye on www.digitalproduc-tionme.com, where you will find an easy access link to the http://microsites.itp.com/broadcast/ conference microsite, as well as regular updates to the evolving list of speak-ers, panelists and workshops and other relevant news.

The modern studio can be a daunting place for those on a budget.


CASE STUDY / STUDIO COSTS

STUDIO (BOTTOM)LINE

Paul Watson, COO and general manager of camera supports and accessories at Vitec Videocom, on keeping studio costs down, and quality up, in a challenging

economic environment.


cAse stUdY / stUdio costs

he pressure on broad-casters to deliver excit-ing television, while cutting costs, has never been greater. Viewers’ expectations have spi-

ralled with audiences demanding dynamic and varied production styles. Yet, beyond the images on our screens, production costs have steadily increased; an unwelcome chal-lenge in a climate of financial uncertainty and economic volatility.

Many Broadcasters are improving cost ef-ficiency across the business with no impact on investment in content. Studio produc-tions are altering beyond recognition - working faster and more creatively, with precious budgets invested more wisely.

The answer to saving costs, while maintaining the high production value that viewers expect, lies in constantly evolving technology. Broadcasters are investing in a range of solutions, from robotics to energy saving lighting to cut costs, and remote mini cameras and camera stabilising systems for unique studio live production shots. Many studios are using innovation to lead the way, working smarter and more creatively to produce a better viewer experience.

Studio automation is one of the most widespread cost saving practices amongst broadcasters and is helping companies around the globe to win their budget battles. The benefits of introducing robotics are well known and are frequently used in a wide range of applications - from simple one or two camera studios, right through to net-work studios utilising total robotic solutions for everything from news broadcasts to live sports action.

For broadcast studios, a significant cost saving advantage is when robotic camera control is extended to other studios. An example of this would be regional news studios in various locations, linking into the main programme studio. It is increasingly common for these studios to be completely unmanned, with the robotic solution enabling all control of the camera and other equipment from the main control room.

An important benefit of automated ro-botics solutions is the ability to provide ser-vice resilience through multi-site network-

ing, while at the same time adding capacity and supporting high-quality, repeatable on-air movement. Broadcasters know that if there is a problem in one studio, opera-tions can be switched to another without compromising production standards.

Automating camera positioning and control releases operators to undertake more creative and fulfilling work, they are free to concentrate on achieving perfect framing on every shot. Most advanced robotics pre-store the shots for every show, which are then loaded into a Graphical User Interface (GUI) giving the operator full control of all cameras and camera move-ment for that programme. Using the GUI, shots are executed precisely and efficiently; enabling directors to much more creatively use the camera for a unique look, preserving the station or programme identity.

The opportunities for close-up view-ing afforded by remote controlled high quality cameras, such as the Q-ball from Camera Corps, offer new levels of audience engagement and producer creativity that previously was nigh-on impossible. At just 115 mm wide, these HD/SD cameras can be sited where a camera operator or large camera cannot operate while its full integra-tion with the larger robotic cameras offers additional shots for the producer.

Financially, broadcast robotics guaran-tees this highly repeatable performance, driving operational efficiencies and helping reduce production costs by as much as 50 per cent. It offers a rapid return on invest-ment, with most robotics systems paying for

themselves within three years of installa-tion. When Ethernet entered the robotics arena, its potential was quickly realised by companies such as Vinten Radamec. Operating the latest heads over a standard Ethernet infrastructure makes the robotic application much simpler, especially as many Broadcasters’ IT teams are already familiar with the technology. Remotely supported, the flexibility of Ethernet allows robots to be moved around either within a studio, or from one studio to another, saving the need for additional equipment.

Vinten Radamec leads the market with its advanced range of robotic solutions. Its next generation heads incorporate its forward thinking Intelligent Control Engineering (ICE) technology. The new ICE platform enables studios to work more efficiently, remotely operating pan and tilt heads over a standard Ethernet connection, with exceptionally precise motion control and accuracy. ICE technology can future proof broadcasters’ investments, for example, the

T

Robotic cameras are one way to keep costs down.


cAse stUdY / stUdio costs

Making the process of changing equip-ment more simple and straightforward means that broadcasters shouldn’t have to fully equip every studio. A common sce-nario is that there are multiple studios in a building, for example, one main studio for a pre-recorded magazine show and a smaller studio for weather inserts. It is unlikely that shoots will be taking place in all studios at the same time, so the larger studio could be equipped fully, and the smaller studios installed with individual pieces of kit, such as tripods in fixed positions. This is far more cost effective as the equipment can be repurposed from the main studio to the smaller studios as and when it is needed.

Many studios are already cutting costs by adopting smaller, lighter cameras. While

heads that incorporate this technology are inherently Augmented (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) ready. Support costs are mi-nimised by reducing the need for specialist support, as additional functionality and improvements are via firmware upgrades that can quickly be performed on site with no disruption to programme schedules.

A further opportunity is for studios to in-crease the occupancy from their equipment. We recognise that our customers are under considerable financial pressure and help them better utilise their equipment.

Vinten, the global leader in camera sup-ports, is helping its customers to drive any cost cutting initiatives through extended equipment usability, reliability and effi-ciency. Vinten camera supports give studios the longevity required, with equipment that can be utilised for the maximum number of hours without fatiguing the user. Its ergo-nomics enable camera operators to focus on achieving the best shot, without distraction.

Supporting the desire to maximise the use of all equipment, Vinten is designed for simplicity of adding or removing system components - for example, the camera quick releases from the head, the head quick releases from the pedestal, and the head can then be put on a tripod.

fifteen years ago, no one would have consid-ered using anything other than a full format studio camera or a high quality ENG bodied camera with a fibre or triax link, today broadcasters are making savings through the use of HD-DSLR cameras.

For those embracing this new trend, Sa-chtler offers an entire range of fluid heads, steadfast tripods and pedestals and cutting-edge stabilizing systems. In a busy studio, sometimes producing up to 24 hours of live content each day, producers require flexible equipment for quick, precise and reliable productions. Many are now adopting solu-tions such as Sachtler’s Artemis stabilizing system with its braced vest and articulated arm enabling a single cameraman to move freely around the studio. Its agility helps create unique shots while ensuring optimal production quality is retained and viewer experience enhanced.

“VieweRs hAVe seeN how techNologY pRoVides moRe oppoRtUNities foR A moRe exitiNg ANd eNgAgiNg ViewiNg expeRieNce: theY demANd thAt stUdios coNtiNUe theiR pAths of tRANsfoRmAtioN..”Paul Watson, Vitec Videocom

Modern studios use a wide range of technology

Lighting is another

key area for savings.


CASE STUDY / STUDIO COSTS

A signifi cant area already proven to produce substantial savings for studios is lighting. High-quality LED lights make a great deal of sense and scores of television stations worldwide have already replaced their old lighting fi xtures with the industry standard LED fi xtures from Litepanels.

Legacy lighting products have hidden and on-going expenses as well as higher power requirements when compared to LED. More and more studio owners recognise this, and by switching to LEDs from Lite-panels they have seen dramatic operational savings and increased profi tability that results in an above average return on invest-ment period of less than three years.

One of the greatest advantages of LED as a technology platform for lighting is its meagre power consumption, which is often 80-90 per cent less than tungsten fi xtures. If we take one of Litepanels’ most popular fi x-tures as an example, the Litepanels 1x1 fi x-ture draws less current than a conventional 60-watt bulb. In fact, it can measure as little as 45 watts of power consumption at full

output, depending on the source voltage. This is less than a quarter of its Fluorescent counterpart and a tenth of Tungsten.

As power requirements and energy bills go down, so does the station’s carbon foot-print. It follows that LED lighting fi xtures are an eco-friendly lighting option not only do they consume less energy but also because they do not contain harmful chemi-cals found in traditional lighting sources and have a signifi cantly longer lifespan.

Viewers have seen how technology provides more opportunities for a more exciting and engaging viewing experience: they demand that studios continue their along paths of transformation. The changes we have seen in recent years have revolu-tionised studio production values while whetting the appetite of broadcasters to drive down costs. Technological advance-ments together with innovative and expert manufacturing will continue to provide the right opportunities for every studio to sat-isfy the viewer while achieving operational e� ciency across the board.

Lighting is another

key area for savings.

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CASE STUDY / SURROUND SOUND

MOVING FROM STEREO TO SURROUND SOUND

AUDIO Last month we heard about the region’s first feature shoot in 5.1 surround

sound. This month, we hear from the experts at Dolby, DTS and Harris about what happens next.

JANUARY 2013 / 35


www.digitalproductionme.com

urround sound audio is getting more elaborate as it moves beyond 5.1 six channel mixes. 7.1 mixes add left and right rear channels, and mix-

es greater than this, such as 9.1 or 11.1, add height information into the audio surround sound mix. The addition of height informa-tion into the mix is commonly referred to as 3D audio. The focus of this discussion will be moving to a 5.1 surround sound mix from a current stereo audio system.

The move from a workflow that handles stereo audio to one that handles surround sound presents challenges. There are of course more audio channels to contend with, and a need to make sure that these

S

is known as LtRt (Left Total, Right Total). When a stereo audio signal does not contain matrix-ed information, it is known as LoRo (Left Only, Right Only). Stereo audio is also referred to as 2.0.

This audio matrixed technique should not be confused with audio processing techniques such as bit rate reduction (or compression) using Dolby E, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital PlusTM or DTS technologies. The bit rate-reduced audio that is carried in the space of a stereo audio channel cannot be monitored unless it is uncompressed (or decoded), whereas, LtRt can be monitored as a stereo audio signal. And, audio “com-pression and limiting” processing used to affect the dynamic range of the audio signal should not be confused with bit rate reduc-tion compression.

Surround sound audio is referred to as L/R/C/LFE/Ls/Rs (Left, Right, Centre, Low Frequency Effects, Left Surround, Right Surround) and 5.1.

additional channels can pass through a system. However, there are additional items such as surround sound monitoring, using audio bit rate reduction to fit the ad-ditional channels, the use of audio metadata when using bit rate reduction technologies, maintaining audio quality and the video to audio timing relationship (lip sync) and the additional advanced audio processing that may be required.

DEFINITIONSUpmixing is the process of converting stereo to a surround sound mix. This can be compared to the up conversion of SD video (Standard Definition) to HD (High Defini-tion). In fact, the transition from SD to HD video typically drives the transition from stereo to surround sound audio mixes.

Downmixing converts surround sound to a stereo mix. This can be compared to the downconversion of High Definition (HD) video to Standard Definition (SD) . Audio downmixing and video downconversion are important to support current and legacy SD and stereo audio systems as HD and sur-round sound roll out.

As well, the up and downmix process are also referred to as matrix decoding and matrix encoding. Matrix techniques use phase and intensity differences to carry surround signaling in a stereo signal. For example, Dolby ProLogic II and DTS Neural Surround use this technique (and are com-patible with each other). Stereo audio that carries this “matrixed” audio information

TERM DEFINITION

2.0 LoRo (Left Only, Right Only) or LtRt (Left Total, Right Total)

5.1L/R/C/LFE/Ls/Rs (Left, Right, Centre, Low Frequency Effects, Left Surround, Right Surround)

Upmix 2.0. to 5.1 audio processing

Downmix 5.1 to 2.0 audio processing

Dolby E encode/decode 4 pairs of audio to/from one pair of audio

Dolby Digital encode/decode 2.0 or 5.1 to/from one pair of audio

Dolby Digital PlusTM encode/decode 2.0, 5.1 or 7.1 to/from one pair of audio

FOR SAKE OF SIMPLICITY, THE FOLLOWING TERMS WILL BE USED IN THIS DISCUSSION:



For legacy stereo content, audio up-mixing can provide a natural sounding 5.1 output. If other 5.1 and stereo elements are presented at the input of an upmix that device must be capable of passing the 5.1 transparently to the output without modification. Transitions between ste-reo and 5.1 must be seamless to create a consistent 5.1 output. Just as a consis-tent 5.1 output is required in many cases, a consistent 2.0 output generated from both 2.0 and 5.1 content is also necessary in many legacy applications such as SD channels. The DTS Neural Surround Multimerge accommodates 2.0 and 5.1 signals, and provides both 2.0 and 5.1 outputs so that legacy content and new 5.1 content can be processed into both 5.1 and 2.0 by upmixing or downmixing as necessary.

For quality control purposes, a stereo and surround sound monitoring position with both stereo and surround sound speakers should be created to verify the channel placement and audio levels. Typical VU and peak metering should be provided, as well as loudness monitoring and logging using the latest recommen-dation: ITU BS.1770.

AUDIO BIT RATE REDUCTIONDolby technologies for the bit rate reduc-tion audio can carry multiple channels of audio within a signal transport between facilities, into and out of tape transports and video/audio content servers, and into the home environment.

It should be noted that as Dolby tech-nology is introduced into a system, anoth-

er layer of audio information called audio metadata is available. Dolby audio meta-data allows you to monitor and control essential signal parameters, including the critical three Ds: dialogue normalization, dynamic range, and downmixing.

All Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Digital transmissions include metadata. However, there are several approaches for setting metadata and care needs to be taken in managing the metadata, because there can be audio quality issues if it is missing or not correct. Metadata can be carried alongside audio using a number of methods—for example, as a separate data file or serial data stream, or packaged together with the audio as Dolby E.

In a typical scenario, as 5.1 mix is cre-ated it is encoded into Dolby E with the audio metadata. Dolby E can be encoded and decoded multiple times through the broadcast chain with no audible degra-dation and is used upstream of the final emission point. All elements of a Dolby E bit stream are locked together so that the metadata and audio always maintain their timing relationship. The Dolby E signal doesn’t reach viewers at home; it is decoded back to baseband audio just prior to the final DTV transmission, and then re-encoded. At the end of the signal chain before emission, the final audio content is decoded and re-encoded as Dolby Digital or Dolby Digital Plus along with the audio metadata.

Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus are single pass decode/decode processes and are meant to be decoded once in the home environment. If Dolby Digital is

Live sports are popular in 5.1 with viewers and broadcasters.

UP AND DOWNMIXINGWhen creating a surround sound mix, a stereo mix can be created at the same time. The surround sound downmix can be done by the audio mixer or by a downmix processor. If a stereo mix is not provided, it may be needed further down-stream in the audio workflow for moni-toring or for a legacy stereo emission. Dolby decoders provide a LtRt downmix, and DTS Neural Surround DownMix can be used instead of Dolby.

DTS

DTS is dedicated to making audio sound better. By addressing the most com-mon problems broadcasters encounter related to loudness and surround sound workflows, DTS technologies make the creation of engaging audio, effortless.

DTS Neural Loudness Control man-ages audio loudness to conform in real-time to many loudness standards world-wide including BS.1770. Neural Loudness Control has been optimized to correct content to a desired loudness level using the minimal amount of signal modification. This approach allows the perfect balance of adhering to loudness regulations, reducing viewer complaints and preservation of artistic intent.

DTS Neural MultiMerge is a unique process that always outputs a 5.1 and stereo signal no matter if the input audio signal is stereo or 5.1 surround sound. This must have tool simplifies broadcast audio workflows by insuring stereo au-dio is upmixed, 5.1 audio is downmixed and all outputs always have the best sounding audio.



pair cable. As well, digital audio can be carried embedded in the SDI (Serial Digi-tal Interface) along with the video, data and metadata.

2.0 requires two analog channels and one AES channel. 5.1 requires six analog channels and three AES channels. Within the HD-SDI interface, up to 16 channels or eight AES signals can be carried.

When there is a single language, one must consider that the audio carried throughout the workflow could have as many as nine channels. There would be a 2.0 mix, a 5.1 mix and possibly a video description audio channel (for the vision-impaired). It is possible in today’s systems to not have to use bit rate reduc-tion until emission at the end of the audio signal chain, as most modern equipment will handle 16 channels of audio.

However, when there is more than one language, bit rate reduction techniques are required in the production and con-tribution workflow.

CONCLUSIONThere are areas for live production, post production and a typical broadcast facil-ity in the workflow diagram below. The workflow can be updated for surround sound by adding the appropriate use of surround sound monitoring, audio metadata, up and downmixing and bit rate reduction, as well as processing tasks such as de-embedding, embedding and loudness control. Moving to a surround sound workflow presents challenges, but solutions from Harris, Dolby and DTS exist today for an easy transition.

decoded and re-encoded there will be audible artifacts over many passes. Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus are not designed to be used upstream of the final emission point and will cause quality issues and other challenges when using embedded audio in digital video frame synchronizers and video conversion processing. Dolby Digital is not locked to video when encoded.

If there is frame synchronizer in the path, Dolby Digital must be passed through the frame synchronizer as ancil-lary data, and may cause disturbances downstream when the frame sync drops or repeats. If the video is being converted from one format to another, the Dolby Digital signal must be de-embedded, decoded, synchronized, re-encoded and re-embedded because of the change in ancillary data spaces and the change in clock domains. Otherwise, if the Dolby Digital is de-embedded and re-embed-ded, it will “drift” relative to video over time. This additional processing adds to the complexity and cost. It is recom-mended that Dolby Digital encoded be at the end of the signal chain.

MORE AND MORE AUDIO CHANNELSUsers will encounter analog, digital and embedded audio interfaces in today’s audio systems. Analog audio is typically used on legacy equipment, and analog/digital conversion to interface will be required. Modern equipment uses digital audio, which can be carried over an AES/EBU interface as either unbalanced over coaxial cable; or balanced over twisted

Audio workflow diagram.

Author: Randy Conrod – product manager, digital products ,Harris Canada Systems Contributors: Dave Casey, director, technol-ogy planning and marketing, DTS, and Jeff Nelson, professional licensing and channel sales manager, Dolby Laboratories

DOLBY

Dolby offers technologies for all areas of the broadcast ecosystem. Broadcasters worldwide use Dolby solutions to create, distribute and transmit high-quality audio to consumers. The Dolby E encoding system enables the production and broadcast of live events. It facilitates multichannel audio contribution from outside broadcast location to the broadcast center.

Dolby E enables distribution of up to eight channels of audio, plus metadata and timecode, via the existing stereo channels (AES/EBU) available on conventional digital videotapes, servers, communication links, switchers and routers.

Dolby Digital, also known as AC-3, is an audio encoding/decoding technol-ogy that delivers up to 5.1 discrete channels of surround sound.•Provides compatibility with existing

playback units that use Dolby technol-ogy

•Delivers mono to 5.1 audio•Employs Dolby metadata that can be

transcoded into Dolby Digital PlusApplied to the broadcast transmis-

sion signal just prior to multiplexing with video, Dolby Digital is used in digital satellite (DBS and DVB), cable, and ter-restrial high-definition TV (ATSC).

Dolby Digital Plus is the ideal choice for TV and HDTV services offered by cable, satellite, broadcast television, and IPTV. The Dolby Digital Plus codec improves encoding efficiency to permit future channel expansion beyond 5.1 channels to 7.1-channel surround sound or more. Its advanced compression capabilities enable secondary audio mixing, including advanced services for the visually impaired.


CASE STUDY / GEO TV

GEO TV UPGRADES TO THE BRAVE NEW HD FUTURELeading Pakistani broadcaster ties up with Blackmagic Design for new HD facilities.

lackmagic Design’s regional presence has been steadily increas-ing over the last 12 months or so. Having strengthened its ties

with Dubai-based reseller MediaCast during 2012, its presence in the Gulf has seen distinct exponential growth, aided by an ever-growing product portfolio from the smallest SD to HD miniconverter to its

Geo TV’s new studios.

Beagerly anticipated Blackmagic Cinecam-era. Its reach in the region beyond the Gulf itself has also been steadily growing, as evi-denced by its recent work with Pakistan’s Geo Television Network (Geo TV)

Geo TV is Pakistan’s largest television broadcaster. It also operates a broadcast facility in Dubai Media City, with Samacom providing uplink services for the channel’s broadcast around the region on Asiasat 3, and its popularity among UAE viewers

was confirmed when it won 2009’s Masala Lifestyle Award for Best TV Channel. It has been bringing viewers the latest in news, entertainment, sports and youth program-ming for more than ten years. With five news stations in major cities throughout Pakistan and various recent upgrades to its workflow, Geo TV is leading the country’s HD revolution.

At the forefront of this upgrade is Afaq Ahmed, chief technology officer at Geo


CASE STUDY / GEO TV

News, a division of Geo TV. He’s been responsible for overhauling the broadcast infrastructure at Geo TV assisted by Black-magic reseller Ion Audio Visual. At the cen-ter of the newly adopted HD workflow sits a variety of Blackmagic Design products, including several ATEM 2 M/E Production Switchers as well as an ATEM 1 M/E and ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Panel.

THE SWITCH TO DIGITAL“When we started in 2002, GEO was still operating a partially tape based workflow,” said Ahmed. “Now it wasn’t until 2008 that we decided to make the switch to an en-tirely file based architecture. Anyone who’s done this already will know that this isn’t an easy switch. Since making the transition we have slowly been introducing things like tapeless cameras, optical fiber and HD enabled hardware.

“Now, while we have the ability to produce content in HD, our final output is broadcast in SD. That is down to the fact that most of the national broadcasting

“IT WASN’T UNTIL 2008 THAT WE DECIDED TO MAKE THE SWITCH TO AN ENTIRELY FILE BASED ARCHITECTURE. SINCE MAKING THE TRANSITION WE HAVE BEEN INTRODUCING TAPELESS CAMERAS, OPTICAL FIBER AND HD HARDWARE.”Afaq Ahmed, chief technology officer, Geo TV


CASE STUDY / GEO TV

infrastructure in Pakistan is still geared towards SD. What we do is down convert the HD content to SD for distribution in Pakistan, the US, UK and indeed the UAE, but we will see that change over time. Hav-ing the HD enabled hardware means we are better prepared when that change does happen and ensures we are future proof,” said Ahmed.

HAVING THE RIGHT TOOLS IN PLACE FOR THE FUTUREAccording to Ahmed, the master control room at Geo News in Lahore is the most critical of all of their studios, as this is where the output from multiple stations is

collected before graphics are overlaid and the digital feed is distributed via satellite. This all important process incorporates an ATEM 1 M/E Broadcast Panel with ATEM 2 M/E Production Switcher.

“We are using ATEM to input video, control cameras and graphics, which is everything that the viewer will see during the broadcast of our daily morning news show, ‘Geo Shaan Say’ and evening talk show ‘Khabarnaak’.

“More recently, we installed a second ATEM 2 M/E Production Switcher and 2 M/E Broadcast Panel for our new 24 hour news channel ‘Geo Tez’, which is broadcast from our Karachi studio,” added Ahmed.

The HD studio at Geo News uses three digital cameras, a CG and playout server

Behind the scenes at Geo TV.

connected to the ATEM 2 M/E Production Switcher over SDI for live recording to a tape deck.

Each segment is edited in Final Cut Pro and then transferred to the playout server, which is connected to the ATEM 2 M/E vision mixer and an external CG to create mixes and effects. The feed is then either sent back to the playout server or to satel-lite transmission for broadcast.

“The studio setup for all live and record-ed programming is essentially the same. The only difference is the down conversion stage, which is done via DeckLink cards in a recorded scenario or the ATEM Produc-tion Switcher in a live scenario. Adding the ATEM Broadcast Panels to our workflow made sense because it allowed us to have

“HAVING THE HD-ENABLED HARDWARE MEANS WE ARE BETTER PREPARED WHEN THAT CHANGE DOES HAPPEN AND ENSURES WE ARE FUTURE PROOF.”Afaq Ahmed, Geo TV

The Middle East & North Africa’s ONLY monthly magazine for the broadcast and production industry

Official Publication

Vol. 14 Issue 12 December 2012An ITP Business Publication

PLUSNEWS

OPINIONANALYSIS

HEAD-TO-HEADREVIEWS

COMMUNITYCAREERSEVENTS

PRODUCTS

PRODUCTIONYOUTUBE SEEKS MORE LOCAL PRODUCTION

“RECORDING CLEAN, NOISE-FREE, HIGH QUAL-ITY LIVE SOUND IS PROB-

ABLY THE MOST CHAL-LENGING THING FOR PROFESSIONAL VIDEO

PRODUCERS ”CHRISTIAN POULSON P20

SUMMERCAMP

MAHMOUD KAABOUR’S NEW MOVIE MAKES THE STARS OF DUBAI’S LABOUR CAMPS

THE STARS OF THE SCREEN

CASE STUDY5.1 SURROUND SOUND COMES TO THE UAE

DM

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FOR EDITORIAL CONTACT:

Christopher NewbouldEditor, Digital StudioTel: +971 4 444 3596Email: [email protected]

TO SUBSCRIBE:

Subscription is FREE for industryprofessionals. Simply visit:www.itp.com/subscriptions today.

FOR ADVERTISING CONTACT:

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CASE STUDY / GEO TV

of the most vital pieces of equipment that we use. Not only are we using the produc-tion switchers and DeckLink cards, but we’ve also built a fibre distribution system throughout the studio complex using around 100 Blackmagic Design OpenGear and Mini Converters.”

He adds: “There are a lot of changes happening at Geo TV, including new studios, new stations and new distribution networks to mention just a few. So when we decided to build the foundation for our upgraded studios, we went with optical fibre as the backbone because fiber is easy to manage and can send signals over long distances without losing any quality.”

BRIDGING QUALITY AND PRICEWhen deciding on what products to imple-

ment into Geo TV’s studios, combining quality and price is of the upmost impor-tance to Ahmed.

He explains: “We first saw this combi-nation of high quality and affordability exemplified in Blackmagic Design’s ATEM Production Switcher range. Not only did we get a high end broadcast qual-ity switcher with built in multiview, lots of effects and transitions and all the con-nections that we needed, but it was also a fraction of the price compared with other switchers.”

full control of the switcher, while adding lots of functionality to the switching pro-cess. I think having a control surface panel is essential for a fast paced newsroom environment, when quickly accessing an effect, mix or wipe really counts.

“Furthermore, the ergonomics of the panel are very intuitive and I found it easy to get to grips with it soon after the installation. It’s a nice design and all of the controls are well positioned for quick ac-cess,” said Ahmed.

A FIBRE FOUNDATION“Blackmagic Design’s products are some

KIT LIST

ATEM 1 M/E Broadcast Panels ATEM 2 M/E Production Switchers (also used for live down conversion)

Final Cut Pro DeckLink cards (for recorded down-conversion)

Approx 100 Blackmagic Design OpenGear and Mini Converters


COMMUNITY

PANEL DEBATES PRODUCTION LANDSCAPEDUBAI PRESS CLUB HAS HOSTED A PAN-EL TO EXAMINE THE SLACK WITNESSED IN THE MIDDLE EAST’S FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUC-TION LANDSCAPE AND IDENTIFY KEY DRIVERS THAT BOOST THE GROWTH OF THE FILM INDUSTRY AND TALENT.

TITLED FILM INDUS-TRY IN THE REGION: CAN WE RETURN TO THE GOLDEN AGE?, THE DISCUS-SION WAS MODER-ATED BY SANTINO SAGUTO, PART-NER AT DE-LOITTE. THE PANELISTS INCLUDED JAMAL AL SHARIF, CHAIRMAN, DUBAI FILM AND TV COM-MISSION, LEBANESE FILM DIRECTOR ZEI-NA SFEIR, IMAGENA-TION’S MOHAMMED AL OTAIBA, HEAD OF IMAGENATION, ABU DHABI, AND BEN KINELY, VICE-PRESI-DENT, INTIGRAL.

RUSHES

POST COURSE SUCCESSAdvanced Media last month held a post-production workshop with Adobe Certified Instructor Amjad Desai at AM Studios. The two-day event covered skills from workflow and editing through to colour correc-tion and publishing, all using the lat-est Adobe CS technology. A discount for booking both days made the event both affordable and well-attended.

ADVANCED HOSTS POST

BRITISH DIRECTOR AND EGYPTIAN ACTOR

DIFF GIVES OUT LIFETIME ACHIEVE-

NINTH EVENT ENDS WITH AWARDSThe final credits have rolled on the ninth annual Dubai International Film Festival, with the Muhr Awards serving as an apt grand finale. Abdulhamid Juma, DIFF chairman, said: “We consistently strive to raise the standard of cultural events in the region and align ourselves alongside international peers.”

DIFF 2012 DRAWS TO A CLOSE

COMMUNITYALL THE LATEST FROM THE REGIONAL PRODUCTION AND BROADCAST COMMUNITY

The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) this year awarded its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards to Egyptian actor Mahmoud Abdel Aziz and prolific British director Michael Apted.

DIFF Chairman Abdulhamid Juma said: “The Lifetime Achievement Award is an opportunity to savour and truly commend an eminent career. It is not about the lat-est blockbuster or the most-hyped direc-tor of the year, but recognizes continuous, applied determination and consistent, creative output which push the boundar-ies of the industry. Our two recipients have pledged decades of their lives to bring audi-ences uplifting, quality entertainment. It is an honour to offer them our sincere thanks and appreciation and we are also delighted to have Michael Apted fulfill the role of Arab Muhr Documentary Jury President.”

Aziz’s best-known work includes features like Al Ar and his role as the legendary TV spy Raafat El Haggan, while Apted is per-haps best known for films such as Gorillas in the Mist, Chronicles of Narnia and even Bond caper The World is not Enough.


COMMUNITY

Autodesk, in partnership with local au-thorized distributor Omnix, hosted its Autodesk University (AU) Extension in Dubai last month.

The event, part of the Autodesk Uni-versity program, was held to help Au-todesk users to build expertise and col-laborate with other users and experts.

Over 400 design professionals from sectors including construction, archi-tecture, animation and infrastructure attended the event, with particular highlights for the production commu-nity coming in the form of workshops and sessions covering Autodesk prod-ucts such as Flame and 3DS Max.

The conference included sessions from Autodesk technical evangelist Lynn Allen and top Autodesk o� cial Nick Manning. Sponsors included Can-on Middle East, Adobe and Fujitsu.

“We are overwhelmed with the large turn out at today’s event, which is the Middle East’s fi rst and largest CAD-based event. Participants surely gained from the talks given by our Autodesk experts, led by Lynn Allen and Nick Manning,” said Sajan Sadiq, marketing manager, Omnix International, CAE Division. “We hope that this event was able to help Autodesk users to improve

WORKSHOP LATEST

Canon, Adobe and Fujitsu among sponsors at Omnix-hosted event.AUTODESK UNIVERSITY

EVENTS

JANUARY 13TH-24TH

Screenwriting, directing and acting workshops

ISD Global, in collaboration with the

renowned Manhattan Film Academy in New York, is offering Dubai workshops in Screenwriting, Directing

& Acting. http://isdmfa.com/workshop.

html

29-31 JANUARYIntegrated Systems Europe

ISE 2013 will be the largest ISE ever, occupying

all 12 halls of the Amsterdam and bringing together almost 1,000 exhibitors and 40,000 visitors from across the international AV and electronics industries.

www.iseurope.org

30 JANUARYITP Broadcast ConferenceThe Broadcast Conference 2013 will bring together

over 150 fi lm and television broadcast industry leaders from

across the GCC to discuss the biggest challenges and opportunities in the

region. www.digitalproductionme.

com

12-14 MARCHCABSAT 2013

CABSAT comes a little late this year, moving to March from its traditional

February home, but it remains the established and respected trade

platform for the broadcast, digital media and satellite sectors across the Middle East, Africa and Southern

Asian regions.www.cabsat.com

their skills and enhance productivity, giving them an added advantage over other design professionals. In addition, ‘Autodesk University (AU) Extension Dubai 2012’ also served as a strategic platform for designers to learn more about the latest technology trends and to meet new contacts and explore po-tential opportunities.”

COMMUNITY

WORKSHOP LATEST

SPEAKER’S VIEW

“Ever since joining Autodesk I’ve been really passionate about evangelizing the use of 3D to communicate design ideas. From the very early days of my career I’ve been fascinated by 3D and the great work our customers do using Autodesk technology. We’ve been able to render using computer graphics for years, but some of

the trends happening today are really changing the way

people think, and the expectations they have for 3D visualization.”

NICK MANNING,

SR. FIELD MANAGER,

MEDIA,

AUTODESK


COMMUNITY

SCENE CHANGE

PESADewaine McClellan has joined PESA as international sales manager. He is responsi-ble for sales of all PESA prod-uct lines to territories outside the United States and Canada.McClellan has built his sales career through positions with several communication and video technology companies. Most recently, he served as director of telecom sales for Kavveri Telecom.

ATLONAAtlona has appointed Je� Meyer as director of business development for the EMEA and Asia Pacifi c. Meyer will be instrumental in shaping the company’s international busi-ness strategy. “Having worked with Je� , he was the obvious choice for this signifi cant role in Atlona’s continued growth in the EMEA and Asia Pacifi c regions,” said Ilya Khayn, president and CEO, Atlona.

CORE BRANDSCore Brands has named Chris Bundy as director of marketing communications. Bundy is charged with devel-oping and delivering market-ing strategies, and product launches across ten brand lines within the home and commercial technology sec-tors: ATON, BlueBOLT, ELAN, Furman, Niles, Panamax, Pro-fi cient, SpeakerCraft, Sunfi re, and Xantech.

BBCTony Hall, the chief executive of the Royal Opera House, has been appointed as the BBC’s new director-general.The ap-pointment comes after George Entwistle controversially stepped down as director-gen-eral after just 54 days in charge of the UK public broadcaster. The BBC Trust said it had ap-proached Hall directly. He did not apply for the job when it last became vacant.


THE WRAP

A RUN DOWN OF THE LATEST UPGRADES AND INSTALLATIONS IN THE REGIONTHE WRAP

Qatar’s TV Support and Development Committee has installed a digital workfl ow in its new, three-studio facil-ity to enable the re-launch of two QTV channels.

The facility, which is due to go on air later this year in time for Qatar National Day, will produce and playout mate-rial in-house for the channels. SGL’s FlashNet archive sits between an Avid Interplay MAM and a SpectraLogic T950 library with LTO tape for storage.

NEW QATARI STUDIOS

LOCATIONQATAR

TECHNOLOGYSGL FLASHNET AR-CHIVE, AVID INTERPLAY MAM, SPECTRALOGIC T950 LIBRARY, AVID EDIT SUITES, EVS SERV-ERS/PLAYOUT, PEBBLE BEACH AUTOMATION.

24 TV Turkey chose Orad’s on-air graphics and studio solutions to create two news studios. With Orad’s solu-tions, 24 TV can provide the illusion of a large studio environment where the presenter can use every square inch to present the news show. According to 24 TV’s Creative Director Sertac Gegin, “With its easy-to-use yet powerful interfaces, Orad proved to be an excellent choice for creating the spectacular look for our new studios.

24 TV CHOOSES ORAD

LOCATIONTURKEY

TECHNOLOGYORAD ON-AIR GRAPHICS/STUDIO SOLUTIONS -16 VIDEO OUTPUTS AND 16 VIDEO INPUTS WITHIN A SINGLE BOX, COMBINED WITH A POWERFUL GRAPHICS ENGINE.

MediaCast has supplied Pakistan’s Iqra University with a new TriCaster installation through its Pakistani partner MediaLinks. Hussain Bukhari, brand representative at MediaCast said “When MediaLinks consulted us for this requirement, I didn’t have to think twice to recommend NewTek TriCaster. The students and faculties are excited and MediaCast is looking forward to helping develop more TriCaster instal-lations in the region.”

MEDIA CAST KITS OUT PAKISTAN

LOCATIONDUBAI/PAKISTAN

TECHNOLOGYTRICASTER INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SOLUTION FOR A PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIO.

Providing industry news, technical insights and expert business advice,

Sound & Stage Middle East aims to provide readers with the technical and business know how they require to run more successful businesses.

TO SUBSCRIBE:Subscription is FREE for industryEmail: [email protected]

FOR EDITORIAL CONTACT:Ashley LaneEditor, Sound & Stage Middle EastTel: +971 4 444 3643Email: [email protected]

Napoleon EstampadorSales ManagerTel: +971 4 444 3381Email: [email protected]

FOR ADVERTISING CONTACT:Peter DavisSales DirectorTel: +971 4 444 3741Email: [email protected]

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCTION

THE GUIDEThe latest products to hit the market ››P49

THE BRIEFING NMK welcomes Axient to the MENA region››P4

THE HITLISTA preview of this month’s videos and apps ››P56

Vol: 6 Issue: 12 December 2012An ITP Business Publication

Lee Charteris of FLASH

Entertainment reveals

what went into creating

the hottest event of the year.

SHOOTING TO SCOREDONE Events details the behind the scenes production of the Harlem Globetrotters’ Dubai performance.

S&S reviews the most viewed news stories

of 2012

T H EHOTTESTO F 2 0 1 2


THE WRAP

Turkey’s Ozkan Productions has equipped eight of its outside broad-casting vehicles with the latest Sony technology.

Ozkan has upgraded its vans to include a number of Sony’s HD cameras and video mixers. In its newest van, the company has also installed a total of 40 Sony TRIMASTER EL OLED moni-tors. This is the first time in Europe an outside broadcast vehicle has been equipped solely with OLED monitors.

TURKEY GOES FULLY OLED

LOCATIONTURKEY

TECHNOLOGY40 X SONY TRIMASTER EL OLED MONITORS (34X 17” AND 6X 25” PVM-2541 MONITORS), PLUS A RANGE OF SONY HD CAMERAS AND VISION MIXERS.

Melody House has supplied Dubai’s SAE a complete Primacoustic London 12 Kit for its production studio. The London 12 contains Broadway panels that tackle primary reflections, flutter echo, stand-ing waves and excessive bass.

Broadway is a range of high per-formance, fabric-covered acoustic panels for use where superior acoustic performance is desired and safety is of concern. The panels have up to six times greater density than typical foam panels.

NEW AUDIO PANELS FOR SAE

LOCATIONDUBAI

TECHNOLOGYPRIMACOUSTIC LON-DON 12 KIT

Qatar TV made a little bit of history last month when it took delivery of the 555th OB van manufactured by BTS broadcast technology solutions in its factory at Weiterstadt, Germany. BTS claims to be the world’s oldest continu-ously operating systems integration specialist having restarted production in 1951 after a break during World War 2, and had displayed the new van to visi-tors at IBC before it made the journey to Qatar.

NEW OB VAN FOR QATAR TV

LOCATIONQATAR

TECHNOLOGY7X GRASS VALLEY LDK 8000 CAMERAS, 1X GV LDK 8300 SUPER SLOMO CAM, 1X GV WIRELESS TRANSMISSION CAM, GV KAYAK AND MUCH MORE.

Bahrain’s state TV production facilities are to benefit from an upgrade worth at least two million US dollars. The Bahraini Information Affairs Authority (IAA) has signed an agreement with IT and commu-nication technology provider AurionPRO Solutions to develop media work and promote quality TV programmes for Bahrain TV.

The main studio will be upgraded at a cost of around two million USD, and work will be completed in Q1 of 2013.

REVAMP FOR BAHRAIN TV

LOCATIONBAHRAIN

TECHNOLOGYAURIONPRO TO EQUIP/INSTALL CONTROL ROOMS, CAMERAS, MIXERS AND GRAPHIC SYSTEMS.

The Online Home for Digital Content Production in the Middle EastThe Online Home for Digital Content Production in the Middle East

For advertising enquiries, please contact: Riad Raad, Sales Manager, B2B DigitalTel: +971 4 444 3319, E-mail: [email protected]

PRODUCTS


CHRISTIE E SERIESWhen? NowQuality? 6450 to 7200 LumensResolution? 1920 x 1080 or 1920 x 1200Special features? Best price performance and highest brightness in class, says ChristieAny more? Ideal for multi-projector setups

MARTIN EXTERIOR 400When? NowQuality? 7,000 LumensResolution? N/ASpecial features? Fully-weatherproofed LED image projector Any more? Patent-pending LED engine

BENQ W1100When? NowQuality? 2,000 ANSI LumensResolution? Full HD 1080pSpecial features? Built-in SRS WOW HD sound technology Any more? Great colour management

LOOKING FOR ALTERNATIVES?

NEW TOY WE LIKE

F35 PANORAMA

When? Debuts January 2013Quality? 2.7 megapixels; 7,000 LumensResolution? 21:9Special features? World’s first pan-oramic projector, claims manufacturerAny more? Comes with five year, 24/7 warranty

Founding ISE exhibitor projectionde-sign is set to showcase the world’s first panoramic projector for professional use, the F35 Panorama, at this year’s show. Using projectiondesign’s proven F35 DLP platform, the F35 panorama boasts 21:9 format, 2.7 megapixels (35 per cent more than Full HD), and brightness of up to 7,000 ANSI lumens.

Based on projectiondesign’s proven F35 DLP platform

Can project in 21:9 format with bright-ness of up to 7,000 Lumens

Backed up by projectiondesign’s reliable 24/7 guarantee for five years following purchase

2.7 megapixel projection – 35 per cent greater than full HD

With rapid advancement in digital technology and the Middle East’s media industry growing each year, DIGITAL BROADCAST Middle East serves to provide the latest industry news, features and analysis to this booming market.

Aimed at those responsible for the delivery and management of media content for television, cinema, radio, mobile and online distribution, DIGITAL BROADCAST Middle East is the ultimate information resource for industry professionals.

Official Media Partner

FOR EDITORIAL CONTACT: TO SUBSCRIBE:

Subscription is FREE for industryprofessionals. Simply visit:www.itp.com/subscriptions today.

FOR ADVERTISING CONTACT:

Peter DavisSales DirectorTel: +971 4 444 3741Email: [email protected]

Asma Al-HassaniSale Executive, Digital StudioTel: +971 4 444 3272Email: [email protected]

David InghamTel: +971 4 444 3312Email: [email protected]

An ITP Business Publication | NOVEMBER 2012 | VOL. 5 ISSUE 11 THE BUSINESS OF DIGITAL CONTENT DELIVERY

IndiaCast joins a wave of Indian broadcasters investing in the Middle East television market and local audiences

New channels in the region; The winner of the Abu Dhabi Media Summit; MGM in film rights deal with DMI; new in-flight technologies

THE NUMBERS GAMEThe first tview audience ratings for the UAE reveal what people are watching

NEW SIGNALSThe possibility of India as a teleport hub

PASSAGE TO INDIA

TEST CARD

We speak with Intellicast’s

Fernando Gomes de

Oliveira An ITP Business Publication | DECEMBER 2012 | VOL. 5 ISSUE 12 THE BUSINESS OF DIGITAL CONTENT DELIVERY

A look back at another eventful year for the broadcast industry

JCC acquires BBC content; YahLIve heralds HD’s rise; Regional channels debut in the UK

ACROSS THE

RUBICONRanda

Ayoubi, CEO,

explains the rise of the

Jordanian animation

house

DATA

RATE THAT

A look at the prospects

for OLED TV technology

Find out what the UAE was watching in November


PRODUCTS

TEDIAL TO DEBUT TARSYS

Sonnet has an-nounced the Echo Express II, the newest member of the Echo family of Thunderbolt expansion chassis for PCIe cards. Featuring two PCIe slots, the new Thunderbolt-to-PCIe expansion chas-

sis enables the use of a wide variety of high-per-formance PCI Express cards — originally designed for use in desktop computers — with any computer equipped with a Thunderbolt port.

The Express II was designed for users needing a compact solution to connect two PCIe cards to their computers, and supports the majority of Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe cards. The Express II adds a second slot to support two half-length, full-height, single-width PCIe 2.0 x16 cards.

SONNET LAUNCHES NEW ECHO

www.sonnettech.com

www.tedial.com

JVC. has announced the release of a firmware upgrade for the new-to-market GY-HM600, boost-ing the performance and features of this versatile, next-generation handheld ProHD camera.

This improved firmware version will be included on all new GY-HM600 camcorders in the UK and Europe. Any customers already in possession of a first release GY-HM600 can download the update from the JVC support site. It includes new profes-sional features that build upon the selection already

included with the new 600 series camcorders and improves ease of use in all conditions.

JVC LAUNCHES CAM UPDATE

www.pro.jvc.com

TMD FLEXES ITS MUSCLES

www.tmd.tv

Tedial is already looking ahead to March’s CABSAT, where it will give a Middle East debut to the latest enhanced technology for its MAM component Tar-sys, which now features a powerful web-based in-terface. Casual or expert operators can easily locate and initiate workflows in order to process content, for instance editing, or transcoding. Furthermore, Tarsys supports multiple data models and is designed to work in many languages and character sets making it suitable for multilingual use.

MYBEST KIT

OCONNOR O-GRIPS

“Shooting an episode

in seven days with a

large cast and plenty

of extra coverage

involving stunts and

pyro can always be

problematic. You have

to be on your toes and

centered to the mis-

sion. You lean heavily

on your crew and gear

to make the day.

Because Sons of

Anarchy is 70 per

cent handheld using

ARRI Alexa cameras

and often includes

long lenses, I needed

a solution to make the

camera less of a bur-

den on the shoulder.

The O-Grips allow

me more flexibility

and creative freedom

in making the shot

and less hesitation in

pushing for long lens

moments. In almost

every set up on Sons,

the hope is to grab

and tag the details

avoiding any special

insert shots,”

JAMES REID, CAM-

ERA OPERATOR,

SONS OF ANARCHY

TMD has added new functionality to its Mediaflex platform. The new Mediaflex CI module creates the most powerful business process management

solution available for organisa-tions that create, produce, manage, archive and publish content.

Mediaflex CI

– for content intelligence – delivers intelligent pro-cess automation and business analytics, together with workflow development tools, which can be used by any organisation. Previously the realm of only the largest enterprises, this adds the capability to understand and monetise the underlying content flows in an organisation to efficiently manage the whole media lifecycle, in a way which is both readily understood and readily appreciated by all modern media businesses.


PRODUCTS

L-ACOUSTICS OFFERS FREE

Grass Valley’s new LDX Première, an economi-cal high-performance dual-format HD camera

optimized for today’s typical broadcast applications, has been given a high

profi le role in Triofi lm TV’s latest

OB vans in Germany.

“We really like the new LDX camera and its software-based features, which will help us to keep the cameras up to date with formats and features, no matter what the client needs,” said Uwe Beier, managing director, Triofi lm TV. “There’s no disput-ing that Grass Valley cameras, including the LDK 8300 Super SloMo camera, are the workhorse of the OB van industry—and with the new LDX Series cameras, I believe Grass Valley has another winner on its hands.”

GRASS VALLEY’S GOOD TO GO FOR OB

www.grassvalley.com

http://www.l-acoustics.com/news-video-113.html

The DI workstation from DVS makes it possible to attain a frame rate and image quality that has never before been achieved in the cinema. With the current high frame rate release 5.3, CLIPSTER also allows cinema fi lms to be mastered in high quality at 48 fps in 3D instead of the standard rate of 24 fps. Park Road, the renowned company which was involved in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, has been using the CLIPSTER DI workstation for many years for DCI mastering among other things

and recently chose it for current 2K fi lm projects such as the Hobbit trilogy.

DVS MAKES HIGHER RATES EASY

www.dvs.de

MOBILEMOUNT MAKES SMART-

www.jandmcompany.com

Whether you’re snapping photos from your tripod, shooting movies on your iPhone or watching the

resdults on your tablet, MobileMount+ makes

it simple to mount virtually any

gadget with a fl at surface.

“Our smart-phones and

L-Acoustics has announced that two L-Acoustics videos are now available online, ‘Arcs Wide and Arcs Focus’ and ’Constant Curvature Line Sources’.

In the Constant Curvature video, Scott Sugden (pictured) gives a short presentation on the physical principles and acoustic properties of L-Acoustics WST constant curvature line sources and how they can be exploited in a variety of applications.

In the Arcs Wide and Arcs Focus video, Sugden presents the arcs wide and arcs focus constant cur-vature line sources. He reviews the main features

of both enclosures and the associated SB18m subwoofer, as well as discussing the system deployments, rigging options, amplifi cation, DSP and software control. Both videos are available at:

SELL IT TO ME

UTAH SCIEN-TIFIC ROUTING

SWITCHERS

“In our old facility, we

had multiple sizes of

routers and multiple

levels of signals with

subrouter systems and

tie lines, which made

our whole process a lot

more complex. Now

we simply have one big

SDI router, and we can

connect everything to

it. It also gives us fi ber

ins and outs that allow

us to go distances over

100 meters, which is

critical in a building

of this size. The ability

to set up the routing

switcher for easy access

to the rear connector

panel was an important

design feature for

us when it came to

troubleshooting signals.

Another useful feature is

an LED indicator of sig-

nal presence for every

input and output.”

SIEGFRIED HEEP,

CHIEF ENGINEER,

MODERN VIDEOFILM

tablets o� er so many great capabilities that we use in our everyday lives,” said JR Sanchez, founder of MobileMount+. “We wanted to create a mounting solution that complemented all of those capabili-ties, whether it be shooting an amazing video on your smartphone or watching the newest install-ment of Batman on your tablet.”

Comprised of two suction cups and a threaded ball joint, the MobileMount+ can be used as a cam-era mount, a car mount or a tabletop kickstand.

AHMAD BASHOUR

Digital P

ublishing Dire

ctor

Tel: +

971 4 444 3549

Email: ah

mad.bash

our@

itp.co

m

RIAD RAAD

Sales M

anag

er, B2B Digita

l

Tel: +

971 4 444 3319

Email: ria

d.raad

@itp.co

m

5 MINUTES WITH...


0:00HOW DO THE NEEDS FOR A MIC FOR BROADCAST OR FILM RECORDING DIFFER FROM THOSE OF A LIVE EVENT OR GIG?The actual application of the microphone will determine which microphone is ideally to be used.

The SoundField product line from TSL Professional Products specialises in the capture of high end ambience and music recording. Attributes such as low noise, high dynamic range, wide frequency response and the controllable spatial pick-up make our range of condenser microphones ideal for this ap-plication.

Other applications such as live vocals tend to be best served by dynamic microphones, where applications requiring high directivity are best served by shotgun microphones.

2:45WHAT ARE THE LATEST PROD-UCTS OR DEVELOPMENTS AT YOUR OWN COMPANY THAT THE TV/FILM PRODUCTION INDUSTRY MAY BE INTER-ESTED IN?The SoundField product line from TSL Professional Products has specialised in surround sound products for many years.

For live broadcast we o� er the highly regarded DSF-B system – widely used in Eu-rope for capturing surround sound ambience for sporting events – giving broadcasters phase coherent and downmix compatible surround sound with unrivalled remote con-trollability.

For location recording and Electronic News Gathering we o� er the ST450 which is a battery powered portable SoundField system used on many large scale movie production such as the Harry Potter and James Bond fi lms as well as Nature Documenta-ries. As the live broadcast sur-round production develops further this will be an ideal tool for ENG.

1:00HAS THE GROWTH OF 5.1 AND 7.1 LED TO MANY DESIGN CHANGES FOR MANUFACTURERS?The use of 5.1 in live broad-cast has drastically changed the audio products o� ered by broadcast manufacturers. TSL Professional Products leads the way in creating dedicated surround sound products with both its microphones and up-mix/downmix processors in the SoundField product range and their audio monitors.

2:00DO YOU THINK THE INBUILT MICS ON SOME PRO CAM-ERAS ARE ABLE TO OFFER A PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TRACK, OR WOULD YOU RECOMMEND SEPARATE RECORDING DEVICES?Generally speaking the built-in microphones in cameras are not up to the task of providing a professional audio track.

Depending on the fi delity

required and the audio format you are trying to capture – mono, stereo or surround sound – you can simply use an external microphone but make use of the built-in mic-pream-plifi er and AtoD converters.

For high quality recordings or surround sound recordings – most cameras are limited to 2 channels of audio although some have 4 – an external recorder will be required.

5:00 MINUTESWITH...PIETER SCHILLEBEECKX, HEAD OF R+D,SOUNDFIELD

THE WIRELESSMASTERPIECE.

For decades Sennheiser has been a reliable and innovative partner in broadcast and theatre. Therefore, we understand that world-class sound engineers have the highest of demands and expectations. With this firmly in mind, we took all of our extensive experience and rolled it into our first digital multi-channel wireless system. This is it and it’s in a class all by itself: DIGITAL 9000 provides uncompressed digital audio transmission, free from intermodulation, and delivers stunning sound and dynamics with a cable-like purity.

Additionally, DIGITAL 9000 offers control functions that make system setup simple and fail-safe. The highly intuitive user interface provides a complete overview of system performance offering peace of mind in challenging live situations. A pinnacle of innovation, DIGITAL 9000 is the best-in-class digital wireless system available and represents a future-proof investment. We’re lifting the curtain. You’ll get to know it. DIGITAL 9000 – The Wireless Masterpiece.

www.sennheiser.ae

Sennheiser Middle EastOffice # 345, Bldg. 6E/BDubai Airport Free ZoneP.O. Box 371004Dubai, UAETel: +971 4299 4004Email: [email protected]

facebook.com/sennheiserme

Lifting the Curtain: World Class Goes Digital.

digital studio - january 2013

Documents

thousands of channels

director peter davistel

new applications

studio facility

traditional technologies

tech experts

dubai media citypo box

middle easts production