Eyeheight unveils the LK-2 logo inserter
Eyeheight has introduced a new logo inserter for broadcast channel identification. The LK-2 is designed for transmission channel branding and provides on-board storage of up to eight 10-bit logos.
LK-2 features include keying with programmable fade times and automatic or manual transitions and real-time capture of static or animated logos. Each logo can be moved to any part of the active picture area. The LK-2 also includes user memories, 8 GPI inputs and tally outputs.
The LK-2 is available now.
India receives digital signals from TANDBERG
TANDBERG Television and Horizon Broadcast and System Integrator BEL has been selected by Doordarshan, India's national broadcaster, to provide three (5+1) systems for phase two of the broadcaster's digital terrestrial television (DTTV) project.
Under the contract, TANDBERG Television and BEL will supply Doordarshan with evolution 5000 compression, multiplexing, multiplex management systems and bit-rate changers for India's first digital terrestrial television network.
The network will be used to test the DVB-T standard throughout India. The trial system includes TANDBERG Television network distribution and transmission solutions for the four main metro areas of Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai.
Turner Sports score with Sony servers
Turner Sports now uses Sony Electronics' NewsBase server system for its NBA basketball games airing on TNT and the TBS Superstation.
The system enables Turner Sports' production staff to edit and annotate highlights of up to 12 simultaneous NBA games in progress without touching a single tape, streamlining work flow and increasing productivity.
The Sony NewsBase system features centralized server storage of news assets, dedicated edit bays for tapeless editing at full resolution and moderate-resolution cuts-only editing on journalist workstations.
While creating the NewsBase system for Turner Sports, Sony improved the journalist workstation proxy video from 2.5 Mbits/s per second to 10 Mbits/s per second. The increase in resolution enables users to more clearly read uniform numbers, game clocks and scores.
MRC consolidates with RF Technology
Microwave Radio Communications announced that the RF Technology U.S. operations will consolidate with MRC.
MRC will assume sales, customer service and manufacturing for RFT products in the U.S. and Canada. The RFT product manufacturing support services will be transferred to MRC's Massachusetts facility.
With RFT, MRC will expand its comprehensive systems packages for digital and analog point-to-point microwave systems.
Astre installs its first digital transmitter
Astre Systems has installed its first digital transmitter at WFME-DT Channel 29 in New York City. Astre's Digital Plus Series of transmitters features a Constant Efficiency Amplifier (CEA) which combines a multi-stage depressed collector onto an Inductive output tube. The CEA footrpint is about the same size as current IOT devices.
The transmitter is enhanced by Astre's "No-Bar" circuit. It eliminates the crow-bar circuit by disconnecting the output tube from the power supply.
The Digital Plus Series transmitter also features a touch-screen Graphical User Interface with a voice. The computerized voice confirms control actions and alarms in the transmitter. The computer can also keep track of trends and detect developing problems.
Astre will install its second Digital Plus Series transmitter in May in
San Francisco, California.
Chyron supplies Alpha affiliate with routers
Chyron has supplied Alpha Digital Synthesis with a new central routing system.
The system consists of an Eclipse SDI router 128x128, an AES Freeway router configured 128x64, an Aurora control system with XY control panels and 24 UMDs.
Alpha Digital Synthesis, which is an Alpha TV Group affiliate in Greece, plans to create a high level of operational efficiency with the Chyron products.
Grass Valley Group unveils new products
The Grass Valley Group has introduced three new products for its digital news production solution systems.
NewsShare: This shared storage system enables journalists to simultaneously view, edit feeds, and edit the same material in different bays. Its asset-management database lets users locate clips, subclips,and sequences.
NewsBrowse:This browsing system lets journalists browse MPEG-1 versions of high-resolution media to create frame-accurate shots, clips and sequences. The system can then send an edit decision list representing these materials to a Profile XP Media Platform system.
NewsEdit LT: This nonlinear editor combines cuts-only edit capabilities and traditional A/B Roll suite functions. The system can also be used in a networked newsroom with other NewsEdit nonlinear editing systems. It can maintain MOS linkages to third-party newsroom computing systems and enable station editors to triage materials for immediate broadcast.
These products join the Grass Valley Group's complete Digital News Production Solution, which also features the FeedClip interactive feed capture system, the NewsQ manual playback system, the NewsQ Pro automated playback system and the NewsEdit nonlinear editing system. This solution also includes the Profile XP Media Platform for ingest and playout.
In other Grass Valley Group news: The Grass Valley Group has moved into Thomson multimedia's booth at NAB2002. The Thomson/Grass Valley Group booth will be located on the second floor of the South Hall in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Its booth number is #19524.
Sigma appoints new president and CEO
Sigma Electronics has appointed Nigel Spratling as its new president and CEO.
The signal management manufacturing company selected Spratling because he has more than 30 years of industry experience. Sigma said that experience, along with Spratling's work with national and international broadcasters in helping establish modern digital infrastructures, made him the ideal choice for the company's new president.
Spratling's first task as president and CEO will be to set the company's focus on promoting existing product lines and developing product plans to address new market needs.
It's official!
Thomson multimedia buys the Grass Valley Group
Thomson multimedia has formally acquired the Grass Valley Group. Having received regulatory approval in both Europe and the United States, the Boards of both companies have voted to approve the transaction.
By combining the products, technologies, and services of the Grass Valley Group with those of its Broadcast Solutions business, Thomson becomes one of the leading providers of digital content creation, production, and distribution systems to pre-eminent news, information, and entertainment companies worldwide. It also creates one of the most ready sources of technologies for leveraging broadband opportunities as broadcast, IT, and Internet technologies converge.
TSL completes BBC Millbank system installations
TSL completed its project at BBC Millbank Parliamentary Broadcasting studio in the United Kingdom. The facility now uses recording and playout with local studio newsroom facilities. TSL was responsible for the project management and installation of the following areas: Production and sound gallery, record bank, transmission suite, graphics suite, and new cameras. TSL also organized the move of an existing editing suite.
These systems were integrated with new digital central technical facilities, including a newsroom facility for 120 journalists.
TSL used several of its products, including: UMDs, UMD system controllers, GPI/Cue Director and audio monitoring units and custom panels. TSL's software resources were deployed in the integration of the BBC's Broadcast Network Control System, with the Sony DVS-7250 vision mixer and the TSL UMD/Tally System.
AgileVision products benefit from Leitch integration
Leitch Technology has purchased AgileVision, LLC, a joint venture of Mercury and Sarnoff.
Although details of the sale were not released, AgileVision said it would benefit from Leitch's infrastructure and industry presence. With products such as the AGV-1000, a system that enables users to manipulate MPEG-2 and HDTV signals within a compressed domain, AgileVision plans to move to the next level of maturity with Leitch.
AgileVision will stay in its New Jersey central office.
ATSC elects 2002 chairman
Phil Livingston is the 2002 ATSC chairman.
The Advanced Television Systems Committee has elected Philip Livingston to be its 2002 chairman. Livingston is the Vice President for Technical Liasion at Panasonic Broadcast.
Livingston began his career in broadcast engineering four decades ago at WVOS, WVIP and WOKR-TV in New York. For ten years he served as Associate Director for Instructional Resources at the State University of New York. He has spent the last 20 years at Panasonic.
Livingston has worked with the ATSC since 1987 and he is also an acitve member of the SMPTE.
SignaSys installs DTV compliance systems
SignaSys announced its orders for a multi-station installation of the SignaCast DTV compliance system at broadcast stations owned by Living Faith Ministries of Virginia.
SignaCast is an expandable series of equipment solutions designed to allow U.S. commercial television broadcasters to meet the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) May 2002 Digital TV sign-on deadline.
SignaCast combines all necessary DTV compliance components in a tightly integrated, expandable sytem that includes widely deployed patching, Miranda analog-to-digital conversion, HD routing equipment and the TANDBERG Television encoder system. SignaCast also supports Closed-Captioning (CC), Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages and the Program System Information Protocol (PSIP). The product line covers the complete range of DTV requirements, from standard definition to high-definition. It also multicast simultaneous program streams.
Living Faith Ministries will install the SignaCast "Lite" version of the DTV encoding system at flagship station WFLG-TV and its other properties throughout the southeast.
NTL appoints new director in Asia
Patrick Duffy is now NTL's new managing director in Singapore.
Patrick Duffy is now NTL's managing director at NTL's Asia Pacific operation in Singapore. In his new role, Duffy will be responsible for driving NTL's Broadcast Business in southeast Asia.
Since joining the company in 1989, Duffy has worked in customer support and customer marketing. He then worked in commercial and project management. After completing his MBA from Southampton University, he returned to NTL in 1999 as a marketing manager.
Duffy said he plans to focus on creating partner relationships with customers that would result in long-term, stable revenues for the business.
APBS selects Thales transmitters for digital conversion
The New York State Association of Public Broadcast Stations has signed a Master Purchase Agreement with Thales Broadcast & Multimedia for its digital transmitters.
Thales will provide all the digital transmitters to the New York APBS member stations for their digital rollout. The transmitters will include Thales DCX Millenniums, Thales Ultimate solid state transmitters and Thales IOX NTSC transmitters. Thales will also supply installation and integration services. The units will be delivered in line with the stations' FCC on-air requirements.
The Association consists of nine public broadcast television stations throughout the state of New York.
WOW introduces broadcaster test group
WOW Digital TV announced its charter group of broadcasters who will test and deploy the first U.S. over-the-air digital and interactive set-top platform.
Broadcast partners include LIN Television, McGraw-Hill, San Diego, Ca., station, KGTV, Sunbelt Communications, and KJZZ, a Larry H. Miller Communications station.
These broadcasters will be among the first stations in the country to promote a HDTV set-top receiver into homes to build a viable digital audience.
The WOW BOX will be introduced during the 3rd quarter of 2002.
SBE certification book test operator's knowledge
SBE recently published The TV Operator's Certification Handbook. It is available now.
The Society of Broadcast Engineers has published the fifth edition of The TV Operator's Certification Handbook. SBE offers a certification program to establish a benchmark of technical skill. Part of this program is the TV Operator Certification.
The handbook provides a concise resource for TV operators. The new edition includes the latest technology and broadcast practices, including centralized broadcast (centralcasting) and new information regarding the Children's Television Act.
After reading the book, operators can take a test to demonstrate their knowledge. Applicants who pass are awarded the SBE's Certified Television Operator (CTO) designation. The designation is valid for five years.
The TV Operator's Certification Handbook is available in bookstores now. It will also be on sale at NAB2002.
KUSA receives 100th Inscriber graphics system
Inscriber Technology has installed the new NamedropperXL, a video insertion graphic systems, into the 100th NBC affiliate station, KUSA in Denver, Colorado.
The NamedropperXL is designed to replace legacy systems in use at NBC and NBC affiliate stations. It enables NBC and its affiliate stations to insert call letters, logos or other identification information into a network promotion or program.
Pesa installs equipment at Winter Games
Pesa Switching Systems has installed routing switcher systems with at least six mobile production companies for this year's Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The mobile production companies are:
- Game Creek TV, who will televise the skating venue
- SWTV, who will cover the Opening Ceremonies for NBC
- NEP who will provide overall NBC coverage through six trucks
- F&F productions who will produce the medal award ceremonies
- Cross Creek TV, who will handle all events for the IBC
In addition to these mobile truck teleproduction units, the European Broadcast Union (EBU) has also installed a large PESA routing system.
Name this device
In what year was color television first demonstrated? The system employed three-spiral scanning disks for both the transmitter and receiver. Bonus if you can provide the lines of horizontal resolution the system was capable of. Correct entries will be eligible for a drawing of the new Broadcast Engineering T-shirts. Enter by e-mail. Title your entry “Freezeframe-February” in the subject field and send it to: bdick@primediabusiness.com. Correct answers received for U.S. readers by March 17, 2002, are eligible to win. Correct answers received for World Edition readers by April 17, 2002 are eligible to win.
