Q4 - 2014

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EVS IS ‘ON THE RUN’ WITH BEYONCÉ AND JAY-Z

Due to the huge success of the tour it was decided that the last two dates in Paris would be broadcast exclusively on HBO shortly afterwards. The shows were shot by renowned film and music video director Jonas Åkerlund and aired on the US television network on September 20, 2014. Hilver-sum-based technical servic-

es provider and TV production company, United was commis-sioned to oversee the produc-tion. Two OB trucks were de-ployed at the Stade de France to record both concerts. United incorporated 12 XT3 live pro-duction servers and the XFile3 media exchange and archive solution from EVS as part of its production workflow.

The recordings created a huge amount of content with more than 200 hours of rushes recorded from 36 different cameras. There was a lot of pressure for the show to be aired soon after the last Paris date, so it was crucial that the technology was in place to ensure the quickest possible turnaround – without compromising on quality.

To achieve this, the EVS XT3 servers were used to ingest the 36 camera feeds in ProRes 422 (HQ) during both recordings. The XFile3 allowed the production team to stream the 36 feeds onto removable hard disk drives, each with a capacity of 2TB and simultaneously transcode the HD feeds in real time to Apple ProRes 422 (Proxy). The two versions, which were both stored on the hard disk drives, were then transported on motorbikes across town to post-production, so that the editing process could begin. In the end, the show was broadcast by HBO just one week after being recorded.

“With such a short time frame to turn around the production, EVS technology was key to the success of this. The XFile3 allowed us to stream and transcode at the same time, helping us to save valuable time,” said Bolke Burnaby Lautier, Manager Operations Sports and Events at United. “EVS’ proven solution ensured that we could rely on its capabilities to deliver the best viewing experience to HBO’s audience.”

THE KING AND QUEEN OF MUSIC, BEYONCÉ AND JAY-Z HAVE RECENTLY COMPLETED THEIR JOINT “ON THE RUN TOUR” WITH 21 DATES ACROSS AMERICA AND EUROPE.

CELEBRATING A YEAR OF FIRSTS… AND LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FUTURE2014 was a special year for EVS. First, we celebrated 20 years of pushing the boundaries of live video production alongside our customers in sports, entertainment and news. We introduced practical solutions and innovations that helped producers, broadcasters and content owners create and deliver more emotion faster, including web-based remote production and multiscreen distribution platforms, 4K format native support for instant replay, as well as a significantly improved live toolkit.

It was also a year of far-reaching, innovative solutions. The 2014 FIFA World Cup™ marked the first time the world’s largest sporting event lit up millions of connected screens. HBS, FIFA TV’s host broadcaster, managed the implementation of a multimedia distribution platform led by EVS technology that enabled millions of viewers to create their own personalized experience of the event.

Entertainment blockbusters like Beyoncé’s On the Run tour, Tomorrowland music festival and France’s Les Enfoirés also saw enormous amounts of content produced, managed and distributed through EVS live production tools. We ushered in the era of the connected stadium. Tools enabling the production and delivery of content to fans through in-

stadium screens as well as direct to attendees’ second screens are remaking the live experience and facilitating vital social media exchange.

The projects of 2014 confirmed the challenges that broad-casters, content owners and producers alike will have to manage in 2015 and beyond. Changes in audience behaviors and expectations are evolving, accelerated by new formats and unprecedented connectivity. EVS is helping customers meet these challenges through new capabilities of enhanced live production infrastructures, with three main goals in mind:

> More live tools to create more emotion and analysis

> Easy, streamlined manage-ment of live video and assets

> The ability to reach viewers wherever they are and when they want

Meeting these goals will ensure critical capabilities now and in the future.

Connected workflows - by pro-viding the infrastructure to manage and handle content from different locations faster, easier and more cost effectively, there are a world of new possi-bilities for productions.

2Q4 - 2014

Multiformat workflows - the ability to adapt to new ev-er-higher-quality formats like 4K for big screens is critical but so is providing low resolu-tion for smooth, simple review and access for production and decision-making. It’s all about managing content of all types and delivering the right resolu-tion for the right device and op-portunity.

Data synchronization - enables the delivery of relevant and analysis-driven content like bi-ometrics data, which makes content more resonant and therefore valuable.

Multiplatform distribution - the ability to deliver live content to connected platforms is critical as major content owners de-liver exclusive complementary content, and smaller or niche

events use the second screen as their main one. OTT will also continue its rise, as entertain-ment, sports and even news-re-lated content is delivered direct to consumers as a primary, and often only, distribution channel.

We’re not sitting in the stands or hiding in the back of studi-os. We’re out on the field and on the stage, continually investing in the future of live production. We look forward to a new year of successes, side by side with you.

CELEBRATING A YEAR OF FIRSTS… AND LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FUTURE (CONT.)

As consumption demand rapid-ly increases so too do ROI pres-sures. In the broadcast industry this is a trend that is becoming more apparent by the day. Pierre Mestrez, market solution man-ager for the entertainment divi-sion at EVS recently spoke at the Production & Post Forum 2014 hosted by Broadcast magazine. Here he highlighted the issues and tackled how producers can overcome the increasingly chal-lenging trends.

TV producers’ are currently fac-ing an increasing number of headaches when trying to de-liver programs that today’s con-sumers are demanding. View-ers now expect a greater choice of compelling content and often want to interact with friends and other members of the pro-gram’s audience on social me-dia. As a direct impact of this, producers are pressured to cre-ate content faster so consum-ers can view and share media in real-time. There’s also add-ed demand to be able to access content across multiple screens and smart devices – adding to the internal pressure from the broadcaster for the TV produc-ers to produce more for less.

Creating more content and do-ing it faster than ever before, keeping viewers engaged and delivering to multiple screens are always at the forefront of a producer’s mind. As a result, more enriched or exclusive con-

tent is required to keep social media multi-taskers engaged. The gap between recording and airing needs to be reduced and flexibility is paramount to meet last-minute requirements fast-er. Content then needs to be accessible across a number of platforms to keep viewers from going elsewhere.

During Pierre’s presentation he revealed some of the ways to combat these challenges. These include leveraging exist-ing infrastructure by choosing scalable and flexible technolo-gy that supports multiple for-mats and programs. By doing so, changes can be kept to a minimum and significant in-vestments avoided. With the in-creasing amount of file formats now used in production, it is im-portant to ensure that content can easily be recorded and ac-cessed from a single platform while being managed from one interface to overcome the diffi-culties. A significant reduction in record-to-air time can be achieved by incorporating a sys-tem that integrates seamlessly with post-production. This will enable editors to cut down on transcoding and searching time. Content can now be accessed much faster and man-power can be focused on more crea-tive tasks. All of these solutions can help to deliver more content faster while reducing the asso-ciated costs – and of course, the headaches that come with it!

UNLOCKING PROGRAM POTENTIAL QUICKLY AND CREATIVELY

TRAIL BLAZERS’ LIVE PRODUCTION - THE ENVY OF PROFESSIONAL U.S. BASKETBALLNBA (National Basket-ball Association) games are among the most widely viewed sports in the US. And teams and stadium owners are working to upgrade their live production facilities, both to elevate TV coverage and to boost the fan experi-ence inside the stadium.

The top spot for production facilities likely belongs to Portland’s NBA team. The Trail Blazers’ facilities are among the most robust in the league, driven by an EVS workflow that includes XT servers, multiple IPDirec-tor production asset man-agement suites, XT Access gateway software, Xfile3 for transfer and archiving needs, and MPlay for intui-tive remote control of clips and graphics playout.

“When we built the control room for Trail Blazers Broadcasting six years ago, a single XT server was enough for our needs,” explained Mike Janes, director of engineering at the Trail Blazers and their 20,000-seat home arena Moda Center. “The studio capability has evolved as we’ve added more camera angles; increased our speed; innovated through high-definition production; and automated even further. Now we’re able to provide complete pre- and post-show content to our broadcast partners as well as for big screens and monitors inside the arena.”

The recent acquisition of an additional XT3 server brought their live-channel capacity for game broadcasts

to a stunning 30 channels. An XStore NAS dedicated shared media system was also added for flexible nearline storage, allowing craft editors to put clips into shared storage and make them immediately available in any format.

“The Trail Blazers are committed to using the latest technology to bring the very best quality content to fans,” said James Stellpflug, VP, sports products at EVS. “They’re really functioning as a state-of-the-art media organization and we’re happy to help provide them the most compelling content across multiple platforms.”

Good luck Trail Blazers as the season progresses!

When it came time for Pramaya TV, part of India’s Summa Real Media Group, to upgrade the workflow of its popular Chan-nel 7 news channel, it turned to EVS for an all-HD system.

An important goal was to make sure that the system designed and implemented today would meet their needs tomorrow. “We wanted to ensure that we are geared for the evolv-ing broadcast landscape,” said

Sachidanand Singh, technical consultant at Summa Real Media Group. “EVS technology gives us the tools to facilitate more channels and meet the

INDIA’S CHANNEL 7 GETS AN HD MAKEOVER

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3Q4 - 2014

Held every four years, the Asian Games is the region’s most prestigious sporting event. Hosted by South Korea, the 2014 Games incorporat-ed a staggering 439 events across 36 different sports in the city of Incheon, located in southwest Seoul.

A specially-formed body, the Incheon Asian Games Host Broadcaster (IHB), a joint venture between nation-al broadcaster the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) and the Munhwa Broad-casting Corporation (MBC), the oldest commercial broad-caster in Korea, managed the television coverage.

The sheer amount of con-tent created was a chal-lenge. Each venue had its own local television produc-tion facilities, with multiple replays, explanatorygraphics, and more, which were linked to an international broadcast-ing center in Incheon. IHB also producedtwo one-hour daily highlights programs.

At the IBC, IHB had to track all content to make it readily available for post-production teams. Rights-holding broadcasters also needed to access all content to tailor their coverage to their home countries. Finally, the system needed to be flexible and capable of supporting multiple users simultaneously to facilitate fast turnarounds.

To meet these needs, 67 EVS XT3 servers, individually con-figured to meet the needs of the sport at the location, han-dled media ingest. All sites had capability for super-slow motion and many includ-ed Ultra Motion for extreme slow-motion replays. Two football venues also includ-ed EVS’ Epsio Live and Epsio FX to provide live in-place graphics like offside lines or distance-to-goal markers.

At the IBC, a network of XT3 servers was installed around XStore HE (SAN-based architecture) with a capacity equivalent of

EVS MANAGES AN ASTOUNDING 5000 HOURS OF CONTENT FOR THE ASIAN GAMES

How did Mediapro start out?

Mediapro started in 1994 working in rights manage-ment and event production. Since then we’ve worked on hundreds of projects in all ar-eas of audio-visual production and built the original team of four people into a group with over 3,400 members of staff in 27 cities. One of the first pro-jects we worked on was a jazz festival in Andorra and now cli-ents like UEFA entrust us with the 2014 Champions League Final in Lisbon.

Can you share a few key mo-ments of the past 20 years of television that Mediapro has been involved in?

We’ve been involved in everything from major world events like the Iraq war to feature length films like Mid-night in Paris, Los Lunes al sol and The Secret Life of Words. We’ve also provided servic-es during the world’s biggest sporting events, including a number of FIFA World Cups, the Olympic Games and the production of La Liga BBVA.

How does EVS fit into Medi-apro’s 20-year history?

Our collaboration started in 1997, and the first big project we worked on together was the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. We’ve shared some remarkable moments, includ-ing the launch of Gol T in 2009 and the creation of The Nodal Audiovisual Sports Center, lo-cated in Barcelona. This center provides services to Gol T and other international customers. We worked together to imple-ment the first HD file-based integrated production center, which has since been the mod-el that we’ve applied to many other different projects, such as beIN Sports in France.

Having both started our story in 1994, we’ve seen EVS grow alongside Mediapro and there are a number of key moments in television history, which we couldn’t have provided solu-tions to without EVS. In 2002 we upgraded 26 of our sys-tems to the then-new XT serv-er and used them to produce many flagship events, includ-ing the African Cup of Nations in Mali. We worked extensively with EVS to set up solutions for the coverage of the FIFA World Cups held in South Africa and more recently in Brazil, the UEFA EURO in 2008 and 2012, as well as the Olympic Games in Beijing and London. As we’ve been offering our clients reliable and innovative produc-tion solutions throughout the past 20 years, so has EVS.

Which characteristics/quali-ties from EVS do you appreciate the most?

We can trust in EVS – that is incredibly important. A trusted partner is one which is always able to find a solution for what we need. EVS provides reliable products and twins this with very good support. These things are key when we work with any company and we’ve always been pleased with the solutions EVS has been able to offer.

What key projects, in which EVS has been involved in, is Mediapro really proud of?

EVS has been by our side through a lot of projects over the years. Specifically in 2005 when AirBox XT servers were installed to produce España Directo and Antena 3 Region-al newsrooms, which were the first in the Spanish market to be installed with CleanEdit. In the same year, a contract with Belgacom TV in Brussels saw the installation of eight XT servers, six AirBoxs, one XStore and six CleanEdit units.

In 2006, we equipped Medi-apro’s OB fleet with 24 new XT2 servers, 12 of which were HD production servers. We also covered the FIBA World Championship in Japan for our newly launched television broadcast channel La Sexta. At the same time, a new dig-ital system integrated with IPDirector and CleanEdit was installed in Barcelona to pro-duce highlights and news bulletins of the competition, which the Spanish team ended up winning.

Another particularly important collaboration was the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Afri-ca, where Mediapro and EVS worked together to set up both the IBC and the OB trucks at the venues to cover this world class event – as we did at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

And in 2012, EVS collabo-rated with us for the design and implementation of a new broadcast center in Paris for the launch of three new HD channels – beIN Sports 1, beIN Sports 2 and beIN Sports Max.

However, when two companies have such a long history of working side-by-side like EVS and Mediapro, it’s difficult to pick out just a handful of projects.

What do you think is next for Mediapro? What will the next 20 years see?

We will continue to innovate and diversify in order to deliver news, sports and culture to screens and audiences everywhere. As we have done for the past twenty years, Mediapro will be behind most of the images that bring audiences current events all around the world.

MEDIAPRO’S 20TH ANNIVERSARYQ&A WITH GERARD ROMY, FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER OF THE MEDIAPRO GROUP

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4Q4 - 2014

5600 hours or 270 terabytes. With more than 5000 hours of content ingested over just 16 days, keeping track of all content was vital. More than 30 IPDirector workstations allowed operators to easily manage ingest including tagging with descriptive tags in real time.

“The XT3 provided the power and flexibility we needed for an event of this size and scope,” said SeongHun Kim, general manager of IHB. “The ability to configure the server at each location specific to our needs was invaluable. Plus, features like built-in proxies, live multi-angle review and live recording channel support were critical to our very quick-turnaround, high-quality production.”

Additional IPDirector work-stations provided browsing, quality control and content flow management, including archiving. Adobe Premiere edit suites were also attached to the same network. Edit-

ing in place on the SAN net-work eliminated the need to transfer files to and from edit suites, saving valuable time and allowing for the prepar-ing of packages for air much faster.

EVS’ XTAccess gateway soft-ware enabled the network to support any combination of codec and wrapper, both as an ingest and a delivery file format. This meant there was no need for third-party hardware or time-consuming processes at the gateway, again making the operation slick and seamless.

The content management and archive solution for IHB delivered valuable production benefits, from the ability for editors to take advantage of real time tagging to seamless integration with third-party systems and uncompromised HD quality.

EVS MANAGES AN ASTOUNDING 5000 HOURS OF CONTENT FOR THE ASIAN GAMES (CONT.)

INDIA’S CHANNEL 7 GETS AN HD MAKEOVER (CONT.)

ever-increasing requirements needed to be the very best.”

EVS worked with partner and systems integrator DOTS Techno Creative to implement a new system that facilitates acquisition, post production, distribution, video and audio archiving, and newsgathering operations.

With its multiple configuration possibilities and native sup-port for a wide range of codecs, EVS’ XS family met Channel 7’s need for high quality and flexi-bility. The system ingests media from multiple sources - studi-os, outdoor shoots, live events and video tapes - and provides complete media control includ-ing live editing, multi-channel playback, playout, and transfer to third-party systems.

The workflow, which uses the DVCPRO-HD file format, tightly integrates with other station components and can be managed from a central location. Aveco Studio Automation and Octopus NRCS were also selected as part of the solution.

For Stephane Jauroyou, SVP sales APAC at EVS, it’s all in a day’s work for the hardworking EVS server. “This is an excellent example of the XS server being used as it was designed - to facilitate high-speed, reliable news operations. We look forward to seeing how the system will continue to perform and contribute to their innovative programming. ”

At the stadium for a big match, there’s a crackle of excitement in the air in anticipation of the live experience. Your snack of choice in one hand, you settle in to your seat in the stands. What could be better? For starters, you could be enjoying in-depth analysis, replays and close-ups. Meet FanCast, EVS’ all-in-one live video and mul-timedia solution that enhances the fan experience inside sta-diums and arenas.

Industry-leading EVS tools enable the production and delivery of live and near-live content to fans through in-sta-dium screens - jumbos, hos-pitality, bars, alley screens - as well as direct to attend-ees’ connected screens from smartphones to tablets.

The importance of connectivity in today’s stadiums and are-nas can’t be underestimated, whether in London or Los An-geles. And it’s not just for the broadcast capabilities they

deliver. Onsite live production capabilities also enable fan interaction through social me-dia. Viewers both inside and outside the stadium want to share the game-day experi-ence with other fans via social media. Consider last year’s Super Bowl between the Seat-tle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos that saw a tremen-dous 24.9 million tweets dur-ing the event.

EVS’ Lauren Petit explains, “FanCast allows stadium own-ers to enhance the live experi-ence before, during and after live sports events. But that’s not all. A more connected, vi-brant live experience extends fan engagement, builds loyalty, and enables greater commer-cial opportunities.”

Best of all, FanCast is an eas-ily implemented, all-in-one recording, production and multi-screen box that also in-cludes customer service:

> Powerful XT3 video server enabling multiple channel input/output and extended format range selection

> IPDirector for instant man-agement and production of video clips and highlights during live productions

> C-Cast cloud-based multi-media distribution platform enabling the aggregation of multi-angle video, live streams and statistics for instant delivery to multiple connected screens within the venue

> Advanced customer service including training, installa-tion and extended technical support

Discover how FanCast can help provide a richer in-stadi-um experience while opening up additional revenue opportu-nities and growing fan bases.

FANCAST - CONNECTING STADIUMS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF FANS

READ MORE ON CASE-STUDY

5Q4 - 2014

EVS was invited by Sky Sports to take part in a 4K trial of a number of live production elements at the 2014 Ryder Cup. The 40th clash between Europe and the United States was held in late September at the legendary Gleneagles golf course in Scotland. EVS provided XT3 production servers and an XFile3 file transfer manager to the broadcaster for the trial which proved to be a success.

Five XT3 live production servers were integrated into Telegenic’s T25 OB van for the trial. The four XT3s used for the production were configured with two inputs and one output and the remaining one with one input and two outputs. This singular server was used for the highlights packages. EVS’ XFile3 gateway solution was used to back up files right throughout production. With this truly 4K-ready solution, LSM operators found no latency or operational differences between

the experimental workflow and the HD production workflow, used for broadcast.

“The trial was successful and helped develop our understanding of 4K production in live sporting events,” said Mike Ruddell, head of technology at Sky Sports. “The aim of the trial was to understand the challenging 4K OB environment. Systems providers from all areas of live sports production helped Sky Sports achieve this.”

“We were very pleased to be able to take part in this unique trial by Sky Sports,” said Laurent Petit, market solution manager, OB & live production at EVS. “Our ability to embrace new technology formats means we’re able to deliver proven solutions that help make 4K productions like this a reality. The XT3 is the perfect live production server to handle the demand we’re now seeing to deliver 4K.”

EVS HELPS TEE UP SKY SPORTS RYDER CUP 4K TRIALS

EVENTS SEE YOU AT: > BES EXPO

15-17 JANUARY, NEW DELHI, INDIA

> ESSMA SUMMIT 27-28 JANUARY, ALLIANZ ARENA, MUNICH

> HPA RETREAT 09-13 FEBRUARY, CALIFORNIA

> SPORT FACILITY INTEGRATION SUMMIT 10-12 FEBRUARY, RAI AMSTERDAM, STAND 8-H110

> BVE 24-26 FEBRUARY, EXCEL LONDON, STAND K05

> BROADCAST DIGITAL MEDIA SUMMIT 03-04 MARCH, SYDNEY

> CABSAT 11-13 MARCH, DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTER, STAND F6-30

> CCBN 20-22 MARCH, BEIJING, CHINA

MORE EVENTS

In October, EVS was presented the first ever achievement in multiplatform content award at the inaugural TVBAwards. The ceremony, which was held in Wembley, London saw EVS’ connected workflows solution manager, Johann Schreurs, EMEA marketing manager, Sebastien Verlaine and UK ac-count manager, Justin Moat accept the award.

The award was in recognition of EVS’ C-Cast connected con-tent technology – the multi-media distribution platform which was used to deliver content to smart devices via a second-screen app during the FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil.

EVS provided a number of con-nected solutions and over 200 servers which made up the live and multimedia production and distribution workflow for the tournament. The C-Cast

technology was integrated into FIFA’s HBS-managed app and gave FIFA’s media rights licensees access to exclu-sive content from more than 30 cameras – the streams of which were recorded onto EVS’ XT3 servers. Content was then delivered to smart devices via a FIFA World Cup™ brand-ed second-screen app. Users of the app could choose from multiple camera angles – six during live streaming and up to 24 on-demand.

This customized multimedia project was on a scale that has never been seen before. The platform managed by one sin-gle host broadcaster distrib-uted content to more than 40 networks worldwide. Each one of these included automatic translation with the ability to add their own unilateral con-tent into the platform and re-place the standard TV signal

with their own feed. This was all managed by a cloud infra-structure of over 150 serv-ers remotely supported from Liège, Belgium – some 6000 miles away from Rio.

Over the course of the tour-nament, more than 24 million unique users watched tens of millions of hours of content through the available multi-media solutions.

“We were delighted to ac-cept this award in recognition of the enrichment of content that the HBS-managed C-Cast app offered the viewers of the World Cup,” said Johann Schreurs from EVS. “Our tech-nology means that events can be more connected in a time where consumers are hungry for personalized content.”

EVS SCORES TVBAWARD FOR THE FIRST CONNECTED FIFA WORLD CUP™

EVS ENABLES IBC’S FIRST-EVER 24 HOUR LIVE PROGRAMME2014 saw IBC TV produce a round-the-clock program of content generated at the conference. In this video, IBC TV producers, editors and presenters share their experiences of using EVS live solutions.

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