Client News
MO-SYS TECHNOLOGY PLAYED STARRING ROLE IN MOOV’S VIRTUAL SET FOR BBC SPORT’S TOKYO GAMES COVERAGE
Mo-Sys Engineering, a world leader in precision camera tracking solutions for virtual studios and augmented reality, today announces that its StarTracker technology was front and centre of the innovative virtual studio production for BBC Sport’s coverage of the Tokyo Games. The entire virtual graphics production was implemented by MOOV, the UK based sports and events graphics company, with the project being shortlist as a finalist at the 2021 Broadcast Sports Awards in November.
Dock10 at MediaCityUK hosted BBC Sport and the MOOV virtual production. The innovative design was at the heart of the BBC Sport’s main presentation and featured a stunning backdrop of the host city. Five Mo-Sys StarTracker camera tracking systems, along with remote camera heads, formed a key part of this virtual reality workflow.
MOOV began work on implementing the concepts and designs for a studio that combined virtual sets, augmented reality, and real-time motion graphic well before the pandemic. The plan was to have the studio on location at the games, creating a dynamic virtual environment that provided a sense of spaciousness and enhanced both the storytelling and viewer engagement. However, with the arrival of the pandemic, the virtual studio design and workflow had to pivot to re-locate at Dock10’s Manchester facility.
Michael Geissler, CEO Mo-Sys Engineering Ltd said, “We are so proud of the central role that StarTracker played in this landmark production of the events from Tokyo, and it was a pleasure to work with MOOV and BBC Sport once again. The StarTracker system was vital in helping MOOV pivot from its pre-pandemic plans to locating the studio in the UK and in maintaining a smooth integration between CGI and live elements. In fact, it was so seamless that viewers complained because they thought the studio was actually on location in Tokyo instead of in Manchester!”
One of the biggest challenges when combining live action with computer-generated scenic elements is ensuring that the CGI knows exactly what the cameras are seeing at all times to ensure that the combined image remains precisely locked from start to finish. StarTracker is an elegant solution that makes something extraordinarily complex extremely simple, and gives a flawless end result.
In the case of the design for Tokyo, there was additional complexity from having to operate within a multi-level studio. The team from MOOV also had to ensure that the rail camera was always out of shot which they were able to do using StarTracker by applying dynamic masking to the head of the jib. StarTracker also seamlessly integrated with the Brainstorm technology that MOOV deployed for the project.
Nevil Appleton, Director and Co-founder of MOOV, commented, “We own and have used Mo-Sys technology for a few years now, and StarTracker is our go-to system because it works, and so ticks every box for us. We pick best-in-class technology for the types of projects that we work on and thanks to StarTracker, camera tracking is the thing we have to worry about least – that is invaluable for us and our clients. The BBC Sport team was already familiar with the power and reliability of StarTracker from Match of the Day and its coverage of Wimbledon, so they knew what it could do and trusted that the system would perform as we needed it to."
Due to its unique combination of innovation and robustness, Mo-Sys StarTracker has earned preferred product status in the virtual production space and is now the camera tracking technology of choice for premium live events. The solution makes set-up for virtual production fast and easy using a random pattern of reflective dots – “stars” – on the studio ceiling to map camera positions in just a few moments. Once mapped, any StarTracker camera can be precisely located in three-dimensional space, and for 6-axes of movement. In addition, precision lens data enables the CGI elements to be distorted to match the camera lens for even greater realism. StarTracker also delivers extra flexibility in terms of the range of camera angles and the types of cameras and jibs that can be used in the studio.
Intinor appoints Lina Zackrisson as its new CEO
Intinor, Sweden’s leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over internet, today announces that its Board of Directors has appointed Lina Zackrisson as the new CEO. Zackrisson will take up her new role in January 2022, replacing co-founder Roland Axelsson, who has been CEO since the company’s inception in 2003.
Commenting on her appointment, Intinor’s incoming CEO, Lina Zackrisson, said: "I feel inspired, honored and at the same time humbled by the trust I have received from the Board and look forward to working with the whole team at Intinor to take the company through the next phase in its development."
Zackrisson has a long history with Volvo Trucks and its factory in Umeå, most recently serving as Production Director, and previously holding the positions of Director of Logistics and Director of Business Control. She has a master’s degree in business and economics from Umeå University.
"We are very pleased to welcome Lina to our company, we believe that her experience and knowledge fit perfectly into the leadership we need to continue our growth journey and we have confidence that she has the vision and skills to steer the company as we push towards our next milestones," said Intinor's Chairman of the Board, Fredrik Jonsson.
Co-founder and former CEO Roland Axelsson will remain at Intinor, focusing on driving the company’s product and market development.
“After 18 years as CEO, I am happy to hand leadership of the company to Lina who I know will drive the company’s development to the next level. It has been a fantastic journey, not least in recent years when our vision and strategy to deliver the best complete solution for video over the internet won the trust of so many customers in our home market, in Europe, and now around the globe. I have full confidence that under Lina’s leadership we will go from strength to strength."
iSIZE Joins the Alliance for Open Media
The Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) today announced that iSIZE, a company with a codec-independent AI technology that reduces bandwidth use and improves the video experience, has joined the organization at the Promoter level. As a member of the Alliance, iSIZE will collaborate with AOMedia members, the leading internet and media technology companies, to advance open standards for media compression and delivery over the web while promoting hardware video encoding adoption.
iSIZE specializes in deep learning for intelligent and sustainable video delivery. Its proprietary deep perceptual optimizer uses AI trained to "see with the human eye" in order to optimize video quality, and it offers significant bitrate savings for all video encoding standards, including AV1.
"We are very pleased to join AOMedia, where we can share our experience with AI-based solutions for high-quality video streaming," said Sergio Grce, CEO at iSIZE. "Like AOMedia, we are passionate about building high-impact video solutions that leave a mark on the world, and we look forward to working with our fellow members to deliver superb video streaming experiences."
As a result of AV1's improved data compression over existing standards, fewer bits need to be streamed to reach high visual quality levels and improved user experience. iSIZE's BitSave AI-based preprocessor solutions can be used in tandem with any VP9 or AV1 encoder to improve the quality of VP9 or AV1 video on client devices without requiring any change on the streaming or decoding devices.
"It's great to welcome iSIZE to AOMedia," said Matt Frost, AOMedia Chair and Director at Google. "iSIZE's expertise in bitrate and quality gains in video compression will benefit the entire video streaming ecosystem. We look forward to collaborating with iSIZE on our goal to expand hardware adoption of the AV1 standard in hardware and increase openness and interoperability of internet video."
GB Labs unveils Unify Hub and cements new partnership with PROLANE at CABSAT 2021
GB Labs will debut Unify Hub, its new storage management platform at CABSAT 2021 and will also showcase its SPACE, FastNAS and Cloak DR solutions. GB Labs is attending this year’s show with its new partner, broadcast services provider and systems integrator PROLANE, who specialises in offering technology services, AV, and broadcast systems, alongside comprehensive technical support, to customers in the MENA market.
Ben Pearce, CBO Asia and Co-Founder at GB Labs, commented, “We’re really looking forward to meeting up with new and existing partners, customers and industry friends at CABSAT 2021 and highlighting the new innovations we have been working on to help overcome the challenges inherent to the current trend of mixed home, office and remote working. The show offers us a fantastic opportunity to connect with people in-person after a long time of restricted travel. MENA is an exciting market where our products offer a great amount of value as businesses look to increase efficiency. We look forward to working closely with our new partners PROLANE to provide an additional layer of support to our customers in the region.”
GB Labs Unify Hub is a storage management platform designed for today’s dynamically shifting media market. It manages storage – on site or in the cloud from GB Labs or from other vendors – to provide a working environment which is simple and fast. The system provides the tools for maximum productivity from production and post production artists.
Unify Hub offers a flexible and straightforward way to implement remote and cloud-based workspaces, eliminating the need to provide direct access to cloud resources. Instead, this solution connects to the cloud, making the data visible to staff on-premise who need access to that data on the local network, very much like a traditional network share. Unify Hub presents users with an easy to use, familiar way to access data without dealing with the complication of data retrieval – the system takes care of the complicated processes behind the scenes.
Unify Hub applies intelligence to combine on premise and cloud storage, empowering remote production while maintaining data integrity and security to manage storage effectively and efficiently – on site or in the cloud. The system integrates seamlessly with GB Labs’s own storage solutions as well as those from third-party vendors, providing the tools for maximum productivity from production and post production artists and creating an environment for high-efficiency collaborative and remote working.
Maroon Khalil, Managing Director of PROLANE said, “Content producers and broadcasters in the MENA market need to have robust reliable storage that supports flexible and collaborative ways of working without adding complexity to their infrastructure and workflows - in three words: 'REAL MEDIA STORAGE'. This is what GB Labs offers and we are delighted to be working with them to bring intelligent, futureproof storage solutions to our customers in the region.”
Visitors to CABSAT 2021 will learn how GB Labs’ SPACE and FastNAS storage platforms are designed to deliver easily scalable capacity and performance, with minimal downtime. These systems provide content creation teams with collaborative access to assets for increased productivity and creative freedom whilst being easy to install, configure, maintain, and upgrade. GB Labs will also explain how it can ensure true Disaster Recovery for businesses through Cloak DR which combines two storage servers for continuous resilience and uninterrupted high-performance data access.
nxtedition announces its membership to the DPP
Broadcast specialist nxtedition today announces that it has taken up membership of the DPP, the media industry’s business network which connects companies from the whole media supply chain to share knowledge, solve problems and create business opportunities.
The DPP has more than 400 members from across the broadcast production chain, including start-ups and major global brands. The organisation’s recommended practices have been adopted across the world to strengthen regional digital production initiatives.
Roger Persson, head of sales and marketing at nxtedition, commented: “Collaboration and the cross pollination of ideas is increasingly valuable to any company that wants to remain an active participant in the media and entertainment sector. We put creativity and innovation at the heart of everything we do and the DPP offers us another valuable platform for connecting with our peers and customers to help drive the future of our industry.”
DPP Managing Director Mark Harrison added, “The DPP is delighted to welcome nxtedition as a new member. We are sure that, with their expertise in software defined workflows and automation solutions, they will bring enormous value to our DPP member community, especially within our Next Gen Production Network.”
Established by three major UK broadcasters, BBC, ITV and Channel 4, the DPP brings together content providers with innovative technology companies and service providers with the mission to deliver a simpler, more effective global content supply chain.
Cinegy Appoints ElectronicVerve as Master Reseller for Indian Market
Cinegy has appointed ElectronicVerve as its exclusive master reseller for India. ElectronicVerve is a specialist in helping broadcasters and media organizations to design and implement IP workflows, ensuring a smooth transition as customers migrate from their legacy infrastructures. With its IP expertise and its strong relationships in the broadcast, gaming and corporate sectors, ElectronicVerve is strongly placed to help Cinegy meet the needs of a dynamic Indian market.
Founded by Arjun Dhawan, who continues the legacy of the late Mr. Naresh Dhawan, Managing Director of long-time Cinegy distributor Setron India P. Ltd., ElectronicVerve continues a strong history of supporting Cinegy customers in the Indian market.
“We have now irrevocably moved towards a work from anywhere model in our industry, and customers increasingly want – and need – the flexibility to leverage the best talent, regardless of their location, and implement ultra-agile workflows that take collaboration and creativity to the next level,” said ElectronicVerve’s Founder and Managing Director Arjun Dhawan. “IP is the most efficient way that these needs can be met and Cinegy is widely recognized by the market as the premium system. Cinegy delivers an unmatched combination of price and functionality, the entire workflow from acquisition to delivery is based on standard IT hardware and is highly customizable. Additionally, this is a simple plug-and-play solution that anyone with a good basic knowledge can set up and configure.”
With a raft of customer wins in the last year, Cinegy’s Air PRO software-based system for HD and UHD 4K playout automation is establishing itself as the go to for small and medium IP deployments, as well as large enterprise roll-outs. The system currently supports a wide range of industry systems including General Entertainment Channels, Travel & Lifestyle Channels, YouTube Channels, News Channels, Cable and Distribution Hubs, Monitoring Solutions and other applications in India.
Cinegy Managing Director Daniella Weigner said, “We are delighted to continue our long relationship with Arjun and the team at ElectronicVerve. India is an important market for us and with its rising demand for flexible, scalable IP-based workflows, their IT and IP expertise will be central to our efforts to best serve our customers as they transition from traditional workflows and established ways of working to the intelligent workflows that IP enables.”
ElectronicVerve is currently working on several broadcast projects where Cinegy solutions will feature.
Rohde & Schwarz work to promote technology and solutions in the Americas following NAB withdrawal
Rohde & Schwarz, a global leader in broadcast media technologies, today announces with great regret that it has withdrawn its booth participation from NAB Show 2021. This difficult decision has been taken in light of the ongoing travel embargo to the US for many of its global customers and technology staff, along with the risks presented by the continued rise in Covid cases.
Joerg Fries, Vice President Broadcast, Amplifiers & Media said, “It is with a heavy heart that we have made the decision not to have a booth at this year’s NAB Show. We would like to show our deep appreciation of the NAB organization and the way it has handled this challenging situation; the organizers have been unfailing in the support given to us as we make these difficult decisions. We look forward to returning to Las Vegas in April 2022 and connecting with our customers and partners face-to-face once again.”
Although Rohde & Schwarz and Pixel Power will no longer have a booth presence due to the international travel embargo, senior US based sales representatives will visit NAB and be available for customer meetings. In addition, R&S will engage with customers through virtual platforms to highlight the latest innovations that would have been on display at the NAB Show 2021. More details will be issued soon.
Summary:
Rohde & Schwarz and Pixel Power will together be presenting an integrated workflow solution from ingest to playout that includes broadcast wide monitoring, multiviewing and storage solutions. These workflow solutions are available today, on premise, virtualized within a data center or the public cloud.
Studio Production – R&S will showcase their on premise and cloud functionality for ingest, transcoding and studio playout using public cloud with existing storage hardware, which will synchronise content in the facility with the cloud solution. Studio content being ingested could be passed straight to master control for scheduled or immediate playout. Monitoring and multiviewing from the cloud using SRT brings multiviewer mosaics and monitoring content back to the studio.
Post Production – R&S is releasing a new competitive CLIPSTER platform which has for many years been the gold standard solution for mastering and distribution of feature films and episodic TV. The new CLIPSTER platform brings greater functionality to a wider audience at a more competitive price. R&S also recently launched its dedicated post production storage solution, SpycerNode SC, bringing high performance computing power, speed and reliability to post production workflows.
Delivery – Again using public cloud, Pixel Power will present Master Control Playout workflows from the cloud as well as offering an on premise solution. Content ingested in the studio cloud could be made available for playout. With integrated software defined, virtualizable monitoring and multiviewing a powerful portfolio for playout and transmission suites is now available in one system. Integrated graphics and branding come with 30 years heritage and experience and offers workflow solutions for a range of sophisticated in-channel and cross channel branding and promotion as well as playout.
Distribution – Television & Radio Transmitters have been at the heart of R&S broadcast technology for more than 70 years. R&S presents the latest in software-upgradable transmitters as well as the new 5G Broadcast and ATSC3.0 technologies that redefine the future of content delivery on the move.
Starfish provides support for Linux OS with latest version of its market-leading Transport Stream processing solutions
Starfish Technologies today announces that its Transport Stream processing products, including the TS Splicer, are now available running on a Linux operating system in addition to Windows. The latest versions of Starfish’s products provide customers with significant improvements in performance along with increased efficiency and channel density.
Starfish Marketing Director Peter Blatchford said, “Our market leading TS processing products have always offered major benefits to users as a result of the patented technology we incorporate. We have been refining our software even further in recent years to offer additional features and increased efficiency to allow even more processing channels to be installed on a generic server platform. Customers will now have the option to run the same application on either Linux or Windows operating systems, giving them even greater flexibility. The Linux implementation is particularly important to the Telecoms marketplace where it is currently the de facto operating system in use.”
The TS Splicer, a software-based solution for clean switching of encoded Transport Streams, supports MPEG2, H.264 and HEVC/H.265 encoded media and is used for media switching and content replacement for advertising insertion and slating. It now also supports SMPTE 2022-7, providing seamless input protection of redundant source signals.
iSIZE brings the latest iteration of its BitSave AI-powered technology to NAB 2021
iSIZE, the AI-tech company, that specializes in deep learning for intelligent and sustainable video delivery, is exhibiting as part of the Connected Media|IP at NAB 2021 and will show the latest version of BitSave, its fully artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technology. This first-of-a-kind solution leverages deep perceptual optimization in order to optimize video quality, and it offers significant bitrate savings for all video encoding standards.
ISIZE has also been selected to present a paper – entitled Perceptually-Optimized AI-Based Video Delivery Over Existing Standards – on Sunday, October 10 at 15:20, presented by the company’s CTO and Co-Founder, Yiannis Andreopoulos. Additionally, Andreopoulos is participating in a panel session entitled Meeting the Demand for a Content Everywhere Future.
The latest updates to BitSave mean it is now capable of achieving even greater bitrate savings, along with a leap forward in video quality and optimization. iSIZE is also demonstrating a new AI-based video codec de-noising technology and a degenerative video compression innovation at NAB 2021. A server-side preprocessing enhancement, BitSave gives customers an elegant way to integrate AI with existing systems and encoders to achieve the savings without moving to new codec standards.
iSIZE CEO Sergio Grce said, “The accelerating demand for higher quality video streaming and the need to deliver their video content as cost efficiently as possible are challenges that everyone who streams media now faces. We know that the amount of video content is only going to increase and that the demand for higher resolution content is on an upward trend – Cisco forecasts that 56.8 percent of the global IP video traffic will be HD and 22.3 percent will be Ultra HD by 2022. Studies also show that the growing carbon footprint of video streaming has overtaken that of the airline industry. BitSave addresses all three of these major challenges in a cost-efficient way without compromising the end viewer experience.”
iSIZE’s patent-pending technology is fully codec independent, increasing the efficiency and performance of all latest codec standards including AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265, and VP9. This ensures seamless integration with existing media workflows, without breaking any standards or requiring any changes in the streaming process or the client devices.
Intinor Shows Ultra Low Latency Feature and stream synchronization at NAB 2021
Intinor Technology, Sweden’s leading developer of products and solutions for high quality video over the internet, will be showcasing its flagship Direkt series of remote production solutions at NAB 2021. The company will also demonstrate the recently released "ultra low latency" feature, which delivers less than half a second end-to-end for complex contribution links. Visitors to the show will be able to see first-hand why the Direkt series has proved itself invaluable for enabling hybrid events in recent times.
Also being highlighted at the Intinor booth is the newly added synchronised streams feature, which makes the Intinor Direkt series even more plug and play simple. This brings real, practical benefits for broadcasters looking for a way to support remote production without compromising operational flexibility or on-screen quality. Thanks to Direkt, two-way interviews are made easy; the solution eliminates the issue of people talking over each other and ensures that live sport really is live.
Intinor CEO Roland Axelsson commented: “Our Direkt series pulls together all the elements that a production needs for a seamless remote operation. We can now offer our customers the same low latency they get with a Zoom call, but with full broadcast quality audio and video. With the latest enhancements to Direkt we are giving broadcasters a simple way to handle all the practicalities of a hybrid production without having to change the way they work.”
Direkt is a highly robust, professional quality, dedicated encoder for contribution circuits and is available in an easy-to-use environment. Intinor has designed the system to be straightforward for operators and technicians to set up and has made operation easy enough so that on-screen talent can work the system from a home studio without breaking isolation.
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