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HD Highlights
McCain calls for Jan. 1, 2007 return of analog TV spectrum
Sep 21, 2005 12:37 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
Speaking on the Senate floor Sept. 13, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told colleagues that Congress must call in its “loan” of spectrum and require television broadcasters to give up spectrum used for analog transmission by Jan. 1, 2007 — two years sooner than envisioned in legislation known as the SAVE Lives Act.
McCain made his call for a prompt return of the spectrum after being informed that first responders in Louisiana to Hurricane Katrina experienced communications problems similar to those the New York fire, police and Port Authority officers faced when responding to the collapse of the World Trade Center Sept. 11, 2001.
The senator called for a three-part solution to first responder wireless communications problems:
- Develop an interoperable communications plan and set equipment standards;
- Fund the purchase of interoperable communications equipment,
- Provide additional spectrum to first responders so they can communicate on the same radio frequencies.
“And let’s remember that Congress also provided additional spectrum for first responders in the Telecommunications Act of 1996,” he said. “So, after spending millions of dollars in funding and additional spectrum for our nation’s first responders why aren’t we better off than we were on 9/11 when it comes to interoperable communications?”
Answering his rhetorical question, the senator said because that spectrum “is being held hostage by television broadcasters even though broadcasters have been given new spectrum.”
According to McCain, Congress provided new spectrum to broadcasters in 1996 to ease the transition to digital service in exchange for a promise to return spectrum used for analog transmission by Dec. 31, 2006, so that it would be “available to first responders for interoperable communications.”
Concluding his floor speech, McCain quoted 9/11 Commission Chairman Tom Kean from an appearance on CNN’s “Late Edition.” “What’s frustrating is it’s the same thing over again,” McCain quoted Kean as saying, continuing: “I mean, how many people have to lose their lives? It’s lack of communication, our first responders not being able to talk to each other.... Basically it’s many of the things that, frankly, if some of our recommendations had been passed by the United States Congress … could have been avoided.”
To read the speech in its entirety, visit http://mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=NewsCenter.ViewPressRelease&Content_id=1607.
First three HD broadcasters in Europe to use Dolby Digital surround sound
Sep 21, 2005 12:52 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
The first three broadcasters to launch HD television in Europe will feature Dolby Digital surround sound on their channels as an integral part of their service.
The three broadcasters are: the French pay TV operator Canal+ Group, German pay TV operator Premiere, and BSkyB in the UK. Dolby technology will be featured in every receiving set-top box for the high-definition services of these three subscriber platforms.
HDNet covers Katrina aftermath
Sep 21, 2005 12:56 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
HDNet offered viewers an unprecedented high-definition view of the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina with a special episode of “HDNET World Report” Sept. 6.
"HDNet World Report Special: The Devastation On The Gulf Coast" brought viewers HD coverage of the rescues, tragedy and devastation from around the region.
Aerial television images of the immense destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina from New Orleans and Biloxi, MS, were captured by Helinet Aviation Services.
The Federal Aviation Administration granted the company permission to provide aerial images from the areas affected by the hurricane and subsequently broken levies in New Orleans.
Among the networks to carry aerial footage from Helinet Aviation were CNN, FOX News, ABC, NBC and CBS.
On Aug. 29, Helinet provided the first aerial images in the wake of Hurricane Katrina from its Cineflex HD aerial camera system.
For more information, visit www.hd.net and www.helinet.com.
AVS to add wireless HD transmission capabilities
Sep 21, 2005 12:59 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
Aerial Video Systems (AVS) is acquiring new wireless camera systems from Link Research to provide SD and HD shots.
The company will take delivery of LinkHD wireless camera systems. AVS specializes in providing sports and entertainment video facilities and often provides aerial shots for telecasts of sporting events.
AVS provides experienced camera crews and a large inventory of camera systems and RF communications. This already includes SD systems from Link Research. They also use their Partenavia P68 plane for aerial coverage and commentaries.
For more information, visit www.aerialvideo.com.
FOX breaks mold with digital archive for 2005 NFL HD broadcasts
Sep 21, 2005 1:01 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
Fox Broadcasting has launched a new digital broadcast system co-designed with IBM to transform HD production of the 2005 NFL on FOX season based on a transition of core broadcast infrastructures to standards based technology.
The new digital system will help FOX lower program production costs for its high-definition NFL broadcasts and will enable content from the games to be available on demand for re-purposing and further distribution.
The FOX digital archive solution combines traditional broadcast formats and encoding standards, such as ASI and MPEG, with industry standard technology to give FOX the ability to transmit digitally compressed HD NFL broadcasts easily and transparently from its stadium-based, on-site mobile production trucks directly into a production archive at its Los Angeles studio headquarters.
FOX worked with IBM and Sirius Computer Solutions to design and implement a digital video storage system that allows FOX to manage, store and retrieve broadcast content faster and easier than with conventional production systems and traditional broadcast videotape infrastructure. The FOX digital archive solution is one of the first to integrate with the high-definition Asynchronous Serial Interface (ASI) standard.
The solution features IBM TotalStorage linear tape open (LTO) Ultrium storage technology connected to IBM eServer xSeries systems running Linux.
For more information, visit www.ibm.com, www.siriuscom.com and www.newscorp.com.
HD Showcase
Clear Channel rolls out 32ft HD production truck
Sep 21, 2005 1:10 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
 The new unit is equipped with eight Sony F750 HD cameras, two POV cameras and a Ross Video MDX-1 switcher or MDX-4 multi-format switcher, depending on the event. |
Based in Little Rock, AR, the 32ft straight body truck can navigate alleys, city streets and other tight quarters that are difficult for 53ft units.
The unit is equipped with eight Sony F750 HD cameras, two POV cameras and a Ross Video MDX-1 switcher or MDX-4 multi-format switcher, depending on the event.
In addition, the truck, which can also cover SD events, features an on-board, multi-track recording studio based around a Yamaha digital audio console.
For more information, visit www.clearchannel.com.
Capital FX expands Digital Intermediate Services
Sep 21, 2005 1:16 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
With seven digital film recorders running 24-hours and more film directors requesting the 4K digital intermediate process, Capital FX, a post-production company in the UK, selected Silicon Graphics as the storage and cross-platform networking solution provider for its new digital intermediate (DI) theater.
Capital FX now has the ability to complete the filmmaking process from the digitization of raw shot rushes, through color grading, dust busting, editing, special effects, compositing and film write-out in real time at 2K or 4K resolution.
With the SGI InfiniteStorage RM660 SAN/ SGI InfiniteStorage shared filesystem CXFS software installation, Capital FX has now centralized its digital workflow, allowing multiple operations to be performed simultaneously on multiple operating systems in different suites in the facility. This reduces the requirement to copy data-critical in this market, where a 90-minute feature film in 4K resolution generates 16TB of data. Capital FX purchased this solution in the second quarter of 2005.
For more information, visit www.sgi.com.
Soundoff
For news, 16:9 SD is an important step on the path to HD
Sep 21, 2005 1:43 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
At IBC2005 in Amsterdam, Sony announced that it would introduce a new acquisition and production solution that combines the IT, file-based workflow advantages of the XDCAM and the image resolution of high-definition television.
Concurrently, final preparations for a 36-page special “News Technology Summit” supplement that will appear in the October issues of Broadcast Engineering and Broadcasting & Cable were underway.
It seemed like a perfect opportunity for High Definition Technology Update to talk with Bob Ott, Sony Vice President, Optical and Network Products Marketing, about HD news acquisition, the newly announced Sony XDCAM-HD and how HDV-format cameras may fit into the news formula in the field.
HD Technology Update: For the foreseeable future, local stations will be serving a mixed audience — some with new HDTVs and the rest with conventional NTSC sets that may stay in service for a decade or more thanks to digital-to-analog set-top boxes. How does that affect news operations seeking to serve both sets of viewers?
Bob Ott: More and more stations are doing HD production, and they are looking at what the other tools are in HD — 24p and 16:9 — and can I shoot in 16:9 and make it appear on a 4:3?
With all that we are doing, No. 1 in our minds is legacy protection as much as possible. The interfaces we develop are predicated by what we have established.
HDTU: Beyond the differences in aspect ratio, what are the biggest hurdles to local production of HD news?
BO: In the news environments today, the limitations are not hardware, acquisition, tape decks and optical decks. One of the biggest restrictions in transition is their infrastructure and the ENG truck.
The key is there will be a need, and there will be a way some day of transmitting live HD ENG back to the facility.
Depending on the size of the station and the budget, the biggest decision made as an owner was digital transmission. It’s not complete but a major part is done in major and secondary markets. Are those stations ready to go to HD news?
HDTU: Sony just announced XDCAM HD at IBC2005. Is that the missing piece needed to tip the scales in favor of HD news acquisition?
BO: HDCAM is used for news by NHK right now. With XDCAM HD we announced a camcorder at IBC. It’s tilted toward the production and post areas but will find its way to HD news. It’s not fully packed with overwhelming features for news. However the product will be available and will make it quite easy to do HD news.
HDTU: So what strategy should stations employ as they see HD news acquisition, production and playout on the horizon and still need to serve their NTSC audience?
BO: The key is that if you shoot something in 16:9 today, even if you don’t have HD news, your archive is very important to your news operation. Three years from now it will be in 16:9.
You want to shoot in 16:9. Shoot in SD and upconvert 16:9 for my digital channel and letterbox for 4:3 on my analog channel.
A good example is Jay Leno. Since April they’ve been in HD. The HD channel is gorgeous and for analog they shoot with 4:3 safety. For Conan O’Brien, they decided to do 16:9 letterbox for their 4:3 signal.
Our contention is a lot of stations will start shooting in 16:9, and we have a plethora of SD equipment that shoots 16:9 and converts to HD.
For example DVCAM, the DSR570, start shooting in 16:9. Tell photographers to use safety markers for the 4:3 audience and upconvert it. The same holds true for SX and HD.
When I’m asked about HD news, I ask “Are you shooting 16:9 now?”
HDTU: Is HDV a viable acquisition format for news? I know KRON in San Francisco and WKRN-TV in Nashville are putting video journalists on the street with the Sony HVR-Z1U.
BO: The HVR-Z1U allows you to shoot in HD and archive in HD, yet download in HD or letterbox 4:3 safety. So the beginnings of that are happening.
I am not saying HDV will be the ultimate HD news acquisition format. But with the emergence of DSR-PD150 more and more videographers and news photographers are taking along DV with their Betacam camcorders. Sometimes they use it as B-roll and back up. The same thing will emerge with various HDV cameras as being an ancillary to the main camera.
Tell us what you think!
HDTU invites response from our readers. Please submit your comments to editor@broadcastengineering.com. We’ll follow up with your comments in an upcoming issue.
A Glance At The Stats
HDTVs to be in 106 million homes worldwide by 2010, says report
Sep 21, 2005 1:27 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
Worldwide 28.6 million HDTV sets will be in viewers’ homes by year’s end and that number will reach more than 106 million by 2010, according to a new report from Informa Telecoms & Media.
While millions of HD sets are in use, only about a third are being used to watch HDTV programming. According to the report, entitled “HDTV,” about 9.8 million have the necessary set-top box or built-in HD tuner to allow viewers to receive HD programming. Informa projects that figure will grow to 75 percent by 2010 when 80 million homes will be able to receive high-definition programming.
The Informa report projects the top five global HD countries by sets in homes as follows:
| Country | 2004 | 2005 | 2010 |
| United States | 11,353 ,000 | 16,488 ,000 | 48,262,000 |
| Japan | 5,604,000 | 7,627,000 | 19,938,000 |
| China | 509,000 | 1,203,000 | 10,034,000 |
| Germany | 60,000 | 174,000 | 5,338,000 |
| Canada | 1,650,000 | 2,164,000 | 4,289,000 |
For more information, visit www.informamedia.com/hdtv?src=itmpr.
DisplaySearch publishes poll findings of HD conference attendees
Sep 21, 2005 1:31 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
More than half the respondents to a poll conducted at a recent HDTV conference said they would delay buying an HD set until a single next-generation DVD standard emerges and there is a clear winner between the competing Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats.
The finding comes from a poll taken of those attending the DisplaySearch HDTV Conference 2005: The Future of Television in Los Angeles last month.
Those attending the two-day event came from across the TV supply chain, including TV and cable networks, satellite and cable providers, retailers, TV brands, TV OEMs, TV panel and imager manufacturers and display electronics producers.
Among the highlights of poll responses from attendees:
- At least 77 percent of attendees said they would be willing to pay up to $500 more for a 1080p TV versus a similarly designed 720p TV;
- About 67 percent of participants indicated they would pay a premium for a 720p DVD versus a conventional DVD, and 58 percent said they would pay a premium for a 1080p DVD versus a 720p DVD;
- At least 93 percent of attendees claimed to have seen digital compression artifacts when watching a program in HD;
- About 59 percent of attendees believe the club channel (Wal-Mart, Costco, etc.) can take significant share from national chains (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.) due to lower prices;
- At least 18 percent of attendees said they would be more likely to purchase a $2500 HDTV over the Internet than in retail;
- Picture quality was determined to be the dominant factor when buying TVs that are either less than $1000 or more than $3000.
- If priced the same, 60 percent of attendees would purchase a 42in HD LCD TV with 40 percent opting for an HD plasma TV.
- About 74 percent of attendees said they would pay $200 more for a 42in flat panel TV than for a 42in projection micro-device (MD) rear projection (RP) TV.
- At least 39 percent of attendees said they would wall-mount their next plasma TV;
- Nearly two-thirds of participants expect 1080p MD RPTVs to exceed 720p MD RPTVs in North America by 2007.
Proceedings from the event are available at http://www.displaysearch.com/.
HD Products & Reviews
Grass Valley introduces Infinity Digital Media Recorder
Sep 21, 2005 2:03 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
 The Infinity Digital Media Recorder offers a selection of recording options that includes Compact Flash, the Iomega REV PRO removable hard disk-based drive and REV PRO media. |
Thomson unveiled the new Grass Valley Infinity Digital Media Recorder, which works like a videotape machine but accepts IT-based removable media instead of videotape or other proprietary formats.
The result is a system that has familiar VTR controls but offers instant random access to any content. The recorder features built-in support for Compact Flash media; the Iomega REV PRO removable hard disk-based drive; and REV PRO media, the professional extension to the REV format. All files written to either REV PRO or Compact Flash media are wrapped in the open MXF format.
The Infinity Digital Media Recorder gives users a choice in content and how it is handled. It features selectable video formats between 1080i50/60, 720p50/60, 625i50, and 525i60. Video can be encoded as DV25 (compatible with DVCam and DVCPRO), or the JPEG 2000 intraframe compression scheme, and MPEG-2 for SD or HD in a future implementation.
A single REV PRO disk can hold the equivalent of about 45 minutes of high-quality HD or more than two hours of SD video.
For more information, visit www.thomsongrassvalley.com
Sony announces XDCAM HD
Sep 21, 2005 2:11 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
At IBC2005, Sony announced XDCAM HD. The format pairs high definition picture quality with the workflow benefits of the XDCAM Professional Disc production system.
XDCAM HD delivers the advantages of nonlinear, file-based working. Users can choose among three MPEG Long GOP recording bit-rates: 18-, 25-, or 35Mb/s.
The XDCAM system’s rich file management and metadata capabilities transform workflow efficiency — from in-the-field acquisition to studio-based production and playout.
For more information, visit www.sonybiz.net.
Blackmagic Design unveils HDLink 2
Sep 21, 2005 2:16 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
Blackmagic Design has introduced HDLink 2 for HDTV monitoring on LCD computer displays.
HDLink 2 supports a much larger processor chip allowing for more processing power, and additional features over the original HDLink model.
The company also has released the HDLink Utility 2.0 software, which allows all HDLink models to be upgraded with full HDMI support for large-screen flat-panel televisions and video projectors.
The HDLink Utility 2.0 includes HDMI support and is fully compatible with all HDLink models.
For more information, visit www.blackmagic-design.com.
AJA introduces KONA LH 10-bit uncompressed video capture card
Sep 21, 2005 2:21 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
 Supporting native 10-bit uncompressed resolution, KONA LH provides optimum quality for SD and HD. |
KONA LH is the only PCI card available for OSX and Final Cut Studio that offers both HD and SD analog and digital I/O in one card.
Supporting native 10-bit uncompressed resolution, KONA LH provides optimum quality for SD and HD, the highest available quality based on SMPTE SDI standards.
KONA LH also supports various codecs, such as DVCProHD, HDV playback, DV50, and many more, with hardware acceleration on-board for the playback of DVCProHD, HDV and Apple's Dynamic RT Extreme. This unique acceleration frees up the G5 to do more.
For more information, visit www.aja.com.
Omneon adds HDV playout Omneon Spectrum media server
Sep 21, 2005 2:42 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
 Omneon Spectrum media servers now support the HDV format. |
HDV support allows Omneon Spectrum users to implement a "capture, edit and play" workflow that takes advantage of lower-cost HDV equipment for affordable HD production and playout.
In the new workflow made possible by Omneon's HDV support, users can deploy relatively low-cost camcorders to capture HDV footage, ingest material into an HDV editing platform, and then transfer edited content directly to an Omneon Spectrum server system for playout.
For more information, visit www.omneon.com.
HDV support available next month, Avid announces
Sep 21, 2005 2:46 PM, HD Technology Update e-newsletter
At IBC2005, Avid Technology announced the expected delivery of native HDV editing and workflow support in its PC-based Avid Xpress Pro and Media Composer Adrenaline products by mid October.
Customers who purchase either a Media Composer Adrenaline HD 2.x system with an assurance contract or an Avid Xpress Pro HD 5.x system before Oct. 17 may receive free HDV software upgrades when the release ships.
The planned October release of HDV support will be for PC-based systems.
For more information, visit www.avid.com.
