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News
DTV legislation remains in holiday limbo
Jan 3, 2006 12:35 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
Though both bodies of Congress have agreed to the specific terms for legislation that would end the DTV transition, the measure is now caught up in a holiday limbo and is still not law.
Because the DTV legislation is a small part of a far larger and more contentious $40 billion budget-cutting package, its fate now rests with legislators who are battling over potent election-year issues that include student loans, health care, child support and aid to low income families.
The budget legislation passed the Senate only after Vice President Dick Cheney cast a tie-breaking vote before the holiday. It now awaits House approval, a dicey issue since it originally passed by only six votes. Whether those votes hold after the holiday is anybody’s guess.
Aware of the danger of postponing the vote, the House Republican leadership failed to get passage of the bill by voice vote in the final hours before the holiday recess when Democrats, who opposed to the legislation, threw up a procedural roadblock.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi rebuffed Speaker Dennis Hastert when he tried to pass the bill without all members present. Pelosi, who wanted members to be on the record with their vote, would not go along with Hastert.
The DTV legislation is immersed in the broader budgetary issues because Congress is counting on the sale of analog broadcast spectrum to raise at least $10 billion for the federal budget.
Japanese Website sells American video
Jan 3, 2006 1:29 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
A major new Japanese venture is distributing American motion pictures and video programming via the Internet. Softbank, Japan’s second-largest provider of high-speed Internet services, and its affiliate, Yahoo Japan, is offering 100,000 movies and video clips on a Website.
The site, according to Bloomberg News, offers more than 30,000 video clips and links to 70,000 movie files on the Internet. Included are about 15,000 fee-based items and movies from Warner Brothers Entertainment.
Bloomberg said that cable television operators in Japan allow users to pay for and view individual movies and other content they select. The service, now in a trial phase and planned for a March launch, eventually expects to connect 40 million users of Yahoo Japan’s portal site to the new service.
The new service will likely increase pressure on Japanese broadcasters to change their business models to integrate the Internet in the broadband era.
NBC takes control of MSNBC television network
Jan 3, 2006 1:38 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
Microsoft and NBC will dissolve their joint ownership of the decade-old pay television news channel, MSNBC.
NBC will take operating control of MSNBC immediately, and within two years will become its sole owner. Financial details were not announced and there was no word on whether the name of the channel will change.
The two companies will continue their equal joint ownership of the MSNBC Website.
Established in 1995, MSNBC has long struggled for ratings. Microsoft, long ago disenchanted with the broadcast enterprise, has been public in its regret for entering the partnership.
Microsoft has agreed to a 99-year partnership, initially invested about $500 million, and then committed to paying NBC about $30 million a year in license fees.
The Vitec Group to acquire Petrol Bags
Jan 3, 2006 2:00 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
The Vitec Group has signed an agreement to acquire the Petrol Bags business from Band Pro Film & Digital. Petrol Bags is a designer and manufacturer of protective cases for the broadcast and professional video production markets. No financial details were available, but the deal is expected to be completed in the first quarter of this year.
Petrol Bags is based in Tel Aviv, Israel, and has been supplying products to Sachtler, a Vitec Group company, for more than four years.
Amnon Band, president of Band Pro Film & Digital, said combining Petrol bags with the Vitec Group organization would allow the business to grow faster and expand its reach.
For more information, visit www.petrolbags.com and www.sachtler.com.
FCC & Industry Updates
ReplayTV to offer TV recording software for PCs
Jan 3, 2006 2:19 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
ReplayTV will introduce new digital video recorder software in 2006 for Windows personal computers. The software solution will be based on RePlay’s hardware DVR products.
The company has teamed with Hauppauge Computer Works, a manufacturer of broadcast television receivers for PCs, to create the software. ReplayTV plans to bundle the new software application with Hauppauge’s tuner/encoder PC cards.
Hauppauge’s WinTV-PVR tuner-encoder product, which allows Windows computers to receive and record off-air television, will be sold with ReplayTV software starting next year in North America.
ReplayTV, along with competitor TiVo, were pioneers in the DVR market. Their products were the first to enable television viewers to pause, rewind and replay live broadcasts by recording them onto computer hard drives.
Hewlett-Packard drops exclusive support for Blu-ray
Jan 3, 2006 2:25 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
Hewlett-Packard has ended its exclusive support for the Blu-ray high-definition DVD recording standard. The computer manufacturer said it would now support both Blu-ray and its rival, HD DVD.
The decision was expected. HP decided to embrace HD DVD after the Blu-ray group, of which it was a member, refused to support a home networking technology that the company wanted.
HP asked the Blu-ray proponents to include two technologies — Mandatory Managed Copy and iHD — in the format. iHD is already supported by HD DVD and, HP said, it improves the interactive qualities of future DVDs and simplifies the movement of video around a home network.
The Blu-ray group, which includes Sony and Matsushita Electric (Panasonic), agreed to include Mandatory Managed Copy, which allows users to copy video, but declined to support iHD.
HP’s key customers, Intel and Microsoft, recently pledged their support for HD DVD, the competing standard backed by Toshiba, NEC and Sanyo. HP said Microsoft plans to support iHD in the upcoming release of Windows Vista. HP rival Dell plans to support Blu-ray products, as does Apple Computer.
New York City offers live feeds from Times Square
Jan 3, 2006 2:31 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
 The New Year's Eve video feed was provided free to media organizations around the world. |
The coverage offered panoramic views of Times Square and the New Year’s Eve Ball from proprietary camera locations on rooftops and on the street. At midnight, the numerals 2006 lit up amidst a blizzard of confetti and Grucci fireworks to welcome the New Year.
The uninterrupted feed was provided free of charge to media organizations around the world on a non-exclusive basis solely for their use in creating television programming relating to the event.
NAB seeks entries for 2006 International Broadcasting Excellence Awards
Jan 3, 2006 2:42 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
Entries are being sought for the 2006 NAB International Broadcasting Excellence Awards. The awards will be presented during the NAB2006 conference and exhibition April 22 - 27 in Las Vegas.
The awards recognize international NAB member broadcast stations, channels or groups that have demonstrated exceptional leadership and uniqueness in successfully serving their listening or viewing audience through broadcast innovation or commitment to community. Winners of the 2005 International Broadcaster Award at NAB2005 included Sri Lanka's Colombo Communications and Moscow's Avtoradio.
To enter, NAB international members should submit an entry form by Feb. 17, 2006. For details on the award and entering, visit www.nab.org/IAG/International/award.asp. Award recipients will be chosen by an executive committee. Only current NAB international broadcaster members are eligible to apply.
If your station is not currently an NAB international broadcaster member, but you would like to nominate your station, you can join at www.nab.org/IAG/international/mainpage.asp.
New Products & Reviews
New accessories available for Canon XL H1
Jan 3, 2006 2:47 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
 The new professional mattebox system’s housing supports both the 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios. |
The new professional mattebox system’s 16:9 housing covers both 16:9 and 4:3. Features include a filterstage for two filterholders (one 4x4 rotating and one 4x4/4x5.650 fixed), full-size French flag, 16:9 insert mask, and 110-72mm screw-in adapter ring. The mattebox comes with a center bracket and 1ightweight support rods to provide a secure mount.
Chrosziel’s DV Follow Focus system can be added to provide precise manual focus.
For compact, lightweight use, the Chrosziel 4x4 Clamp-on Sunshade System attaches directly to the front of the camera’s 20X lens. It includes a 16:9/4:3, housing, full-size French flag, filterstage for two filterholders (one rotating and one fixed), and a 104:72mm step-down ring. An optional center bracket and lightweight support system are also available.
For more information, visit www.16x9inc.com.
KDDI selects Media Links Technology for 2006 Winter Olympics
Jan 3, 2006 3:01 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
 The Media Links MD6000 enables long haul transport of uncompressed video signals over SDH/SONET (OC-48/STM-16 and OC-192/STM-64) networks. |
This equipment will transport uncompressed standard and high-definition video signals across existing undersea fiber optic networks from Torino, Italy, to Tokyo, and will distribute the signals to broadcasters across Japan.
The Media Links MD6000 is a video transport system that enables long haul transport of uncompressed video signals over SDH/SONET (OC-48/STM-16 and OC-192/STM-64) networks. It will be used by KDDI for the long-distance portion of the network.
The MD6000 will be equipped with redundant SDH interfaces and will connect directly to international telecom circuits originating in Torino. The system will provide uncompressed SD and HD video signals.
The MD6000’s hitless protection switching capability will ensure the continuous flow of video signals, even if the primary or the backup telecom circuit fails at any time during the 17 days of competition.
The MD-003, a bi-directional, multi-format CWDM optical multiplexing and transport system supporting a maximum of 16 channels of digital video, will distribute signals to local broadcasters throughout several cities in Japan. It provides a low-cost, high reliability video transport over dark fiber using CWDM technology. Equipped with a unique, dual-fiber interface, the MD-003 provides automatic protection switching without the expense of duplicate optical interfaces.
For more information, visit www.medialinks.com.
Olelo Community Television selects DTG automation
Jan 3, 2006 3:10 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
Olelo Community Television, located in Honolulu, HI, has installed new Xe automation software from the Digital Transaction Group to automate eight local channels and streamline production operations as it transitions from a videotape to a video server file-based workflow. Olelo produces legislative and city meetings as well as local and educational programming for the island of Oahu.
The transition improves Olelo’s ability to manage community channels and add new ones. With DTG’s Xe, Olelo can better organize and manage their content, and increase the productivity of the station by eliminating the manual tasks associated with videotape playback.
The Xe supports tracking and moving digital files around the system as well as media asset management applications. It manages the migration and transfer of native video server files to a standard off-the-shelf RAID storage array to create a cost-effective near-line storage archive.
For more information, visit www.dtgtv.com.
TEN uses Snell & Wilcox encoders for HD content
Jan 3, 2006 3:14 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
Turner Entertainment Networks has purchased 22 MEMPHIS encoding systems from Snell & Wilcox for its Atlanta facility to provide high-quality MPEG-2 encoding of HD content prior to playout and archiving.
Turner uses MEMPHIS to ingest HD content in a format compatible with its Pinnacle MediaStream servers and online storage infrastructure. By using the MEMPHIS variable bit rate option, Turner is able to maintain clean video images while optimizing the bit rate for its distribution and transmission requirements. The MEMPHIS systems installed at Turner also processes CIE-708 closed captions and carries Dolby-E audio.
Turner's Atlanta facility currently supports more than 30 SD and HD network feeds. As channel count increases and new HD channels are launched, MEMPHIS will enable Turner to expand its programming bouquet while maintaining the highest quality of video pictures. The flexible compression options provided by the MEMPHIS encoder also prepare Turner for delivery of the network's immense store of content via other platforms, often in applications for which low bit rates are critical.
For more information, visit www.snellwilcox.com.
BureauCam system delivers live financial feeds
Jan 3, 2006 3:19 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
UBS, a financial firm, is using a new BureauCam system to provide live trading updates to CNBC, Bloomberg and other networks.
The BureauCam Remote LiveShot is a second-generation, fully integrated digital remote broadcast system that allows news organizations to control remote bureaus worldwide.
The system features local and remote operation via network or dial-up, precision robotics with presets for on-air moves, on-air switching, SDI video with audio output, remote lighting and external devise control and Web-based local, and remote real-time diagnostics.
For more information, visit www.liveshots.com.
FTN Group offers TeleScript teleprompting solutions
Jan 3, 2006 3:32 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
 TeleScript’s teleprompting equipment works with a variety of platforms and can be used on a laptop anywhere in the world. |
The FTN Group has provided Teleprompting services for several events, such as the NASCAR Winston Cup and Truck Series Awards, the inauguration ceremonies for Kentucky’s Governor, a speech by First Lady Laura Bush, corporate events at Procter & Gamble, and numerous celebrity events.
For more information, visit www.telescript.com.
KWTV reduces tape with Telestream MAPreview
Jan 3, 2006 3:58 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
Oklahoma-based KWTV has deployed Telestream’s MAPreview digital video capture and logging system to replace its massive tape-based video archives.
Randy Cassimus, director of operations at KWTV, said they used to spend a lot of time changing tapes, stocking tapes, and having people find tapes. Now, program content resides on a server and is easily available from a PC on the network,
Prior to purchasing the Telestream system, KWTV recorded all of it aired programs onto VHS tapes. That involved multiple VHS tape machines going nonstop 24/7. In addition, all newscasts were recorded onto Betacam machines. This required a great deal of machine maintenance, tape handling, and shelf and rack space to hold the tapes.
Using MAPreview, KWTV now captures and archives all station programming in efficient Windows Media 9 format onto MAP media capture servers. These programs are held for nine months for BMI and ASCAP audits, ad-run verification, program analysis and executive review. MAP/review/ also captures and archives KWTV's two competitors' programs.
For more information, visit www.telestream.net.
Point.360 deploys HD satellite content delivery
Jan 3, 2006 4:45 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
Point.360, a provider of media management services, has announced the deployment and availability of a new global satellite transmission service for spot distribution, syndicated program distribution and events.
Point.360’s service, which handles both SD and HD programming and is based on GlobeCast’s satellite and fiber network, is currently being used to deliver this season’s programming in HD to CTV, the Canadian broadcaster.
The new service was designed to make it easier for content owners to securely deliver HD programming in 1080i and 720p HD, with Dolby 5.1 sound and close captioning to North America via satellite on a recurring or occasional basis.
Point.360’s customers can purchase delivery service either by show or in 15-minute increments. The service uses GlobeCast’s 270Mb/s SDI facility-to-facility circuits, satellite facilities, round-the-clock video network monitoring, and secure signal transmission capacity.
Dedicated fiber facilities are provisioned between GlobeCast’s Los Angeles digital media teleport and Point.360’s Highland facility for instant transmission of live broadcast video. In addition, GlobeCast has provisioned 270Mb/s SDI digital video paths that interconnect to Point.360 Highland via the LA Switch, allowing either company complete control without having to book any external connection.
For more information, visit www.point360.com.
AVS tests HD wireless camera
Jan 3, 2006 4:48 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
 AVS demonstrated the low delay digital wireless camera system from Link Research during the ABC Sports production of “Monday Night Football” Dec. 12. |
Working with ABC Sports, AVS married the LinkHD system to a Grass Valley LDK 6000 mkII HD camera for the demonstration. The system offered full camera control functionality and was integrated into NEP Supershooters’ S-26 HD production truck, utilizing a Grass Valley video camera control panel.
For more information, visit www.aerialvideo.com.
Zandar launches new Predator HD multiviewer
Jan 3, 2006 4:59 PM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter
Zandar Technologies has announced the Predator HD8, an affordable, high performance HDTV video and audio monitoring multiviewer system.
The HD8 includes, as standard, ZdH — the Zandar Dual Head control. This compact 1RU system can be used to display eight images on one ultra high resolution display or mode-switched to display eight images across two displays as one virtual monitor wall. There is no limitation on the placement of those sources within the super-screen.
The HD8 provides DualQuad functionality — two HD Quad MultiViewers in a 1RU system. The device offers user selectable output resolutions up to SXGA+, WUXGA and 1080p, in addition to wide screen resolutions common to plasma and LCD displays.
The HD8 also features input source auto-detection, embedded audio monitoring and alarms, and video fault detection and alarms. The unit supports dynamic UMD and tally display from external routers, and clock and timecode display.
For more information, visit www.zandar.com.
