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6 Monday 16.09.13 theibcdaily In Brief


Avid names new reseller in Spain Avid Technology has reinforced its reseller network in Spain by appointing Datos Media Technologies, a company within the Dan Technologies group, as an Avid Elite Reseller.


“It has been our highest priority to get this agreement with Avid Technology from the very start of the activity,” said Tomas Nielsen, manager director of Datos Media. “We have many years of experience supplying, integrating and supporting Avid products into broadcast production infrastructure in Spain. They form key elements at almost all of the leading Spanish television and radio networks and are also widely used in sound recording studios, video production companies and post production facilities.” 7.J20


Chinese expansion With a Hong Kong office established 18 months ago, China is now a growing market for Civolution, the company said at IBC. Two significant deals have been signed in the country: Shanghai Media Group has deployed Civolution’s SyncNow technology with SMG’s new second screen offering aimed at boosting show ratings and enhancing viewer interaction. Also, Asian broadcast media systems integration company, Ideal Systems, has implemented Civolution’s NexGuard forensic watermarking system at Television Broadcast in Hong Kong. 2.A41


MicroConverter


launched at IBC DSMB Technologies has introduced a range of ultra-compact modular video processing and format conversion products. The Lepton series uses SFP (Small Form-Factor Pluggable) units to convert multiple formats, distribution amps, routers and switchers in a device no bigger than a typical memory stick. The Lepton MicroConverter accepts up to four SFP modules from a choice that includes dual channel 3G/HD/SD-SDI transmitters and receivers for 3GHD-mini BNC, DIN, ASI over IP, coax or fibre, DVI to HDMI plus a micro BNC LC fibre hybrid. DSMB’s Lepton range is on the Canford stand. 9.C01


UHD forum launch By George Jarrett


The Digital Television Group (DTG) has added to the momentum behind UHD TV by launching a high-profile forum under the joint chairmanship of Andy Quested, head of technology, BBC UHD, and Sky chief engineer Chris Johns. “We are not 100% sure where the boundaries are yet, how far we should go up the production chain and down the emission chain,” said Quested. “To begin with there will be a polling exercise amongst everyone willing to contribute, about what they are interested in and their vested interests. “It is exactly like the roadmap model HD had, just more contracted, and concise,” he added. “Even in the BBC we have got two natural history series underway in UHD, and there are dramas in the pipeline.”


Chris Johns of Sky, Richard Lindsay-Davies of DTG and BBC’s Andy Quested at IBC


The BBC does not have a channel, an output or a method of doing it, but it already recognises how important UHD will be. “It is about future proofing, long-term archiving, high-value content sales, and giving the public a better experience,” said Quested. “We are all at different points on that timeline but it is one timeline, and when the back-end


comes up to a viable point, and we have the right standards, we can make programmes.” Chris Johns likes the fact that Quested gives the public service perspective, and he represented commercial TV. “Sky has to look at when UHD will be of benefit to the viewer. At the moment we are running small trials to iron out the problems people talk about, but


Killing chief reveals drama dogma


Conference Analysis By Ann-Marie Corvin


Keep it local, put the author at the centre of the production and avoid TV adaptations – these are The Killing broadcaster DR’s golden rules for producing ground- breaking drama, according to its content chief Morten Hesseldahl. The executive director of cultural affairs revealed to delegates how a small Danish public broadcaster has managed to captivate viewers worldwide with gritty dramas such as Borgen and The Bridge.


Hesseldahl said that his first rule was not to let audience research executives anywhere near the drama departments.


“Executives will only be able to discover successes from the past, not the next new thing. If you told executives we were going to make a TV series about the state of Danish politics they would have left the room.”


authors have been successful partly because they have set their thrillers locally,” he said. Hessendaal said that it had been important for the broadcaster to invest in its own in-house production departments to build up “key competencies”. “We are now engaging much


Morten Hesseldahl: “Executives will only be able to discover successes from the past”


He also argued that it was important to keep dramas author- centric and to give scriptwriters the freedom to explore complex characters and pertinent issues. Another DR rule is no


adaptations. “TV series is an art form in its own right,” he argued, adding that he had “lost count” of how many bad drama adaptations he had seen on TV.


This ‘no book’ rule has not stopped DR from being inspired by the international success of ‘Nordic Noir’ novelists however. “Stieg Larsson, Jo Nesbo – all those


more with external production companies but are careful about not losing control,” he added. These partnerships are about to be put to the test as an outside company (Miso productions) is working with DR on Denmark’s most expensive TV drama – the €25 million 1864. According to Hesseldahl the 8x60-minute mini series – about the war between Denmark and Bismarck’s newly unified Germany – will be one of a number of forthcoming dramas that will give men a turn in the spotlight. “We’ve been particularly successful with strong female characters, but we’ve rather ignored what it means to be male in society,” he said.


It’s very good to talk: In a world first, Lawo is presenting its Commentary Unit (LCU), which was developed in close cooperation with Swiss company Host Broadcast Services (HBS), which specialises in video and audio feeds for TV and radio for international sporting events.


This fully digital system is based on Ravenna, which enables the use of standard IP networks for interconnecting venues and devices, resulting in major savings in cabling and increased system flexibility. The LCU is designed to be easy to use for


commentators. An intuitive interface caters for up to three commentators per LCU, and the device benefits from Lawo-quality mic pre-amps which deliver uncompressed realtime Audio-over-IP (24-bit/48kHz). Pictured left to right: Philipp Lawo with HBS’ Jorg Sander and Christian Gobbel.


8.C71


Top Gun on screen


By Dick Hobbs


Tonight’s movie screening is Top Gun, now remastered and converted to 3D. According to one reviewer, “the flying sequences in particular now play better than ever”. The film will be introduced by Robert Kisor, VP of technology for Paramount Pictures. He will talk about the processes that Tony Scott’s original went through to be successfully converted to 3D, and about the technical and commercial drivers involved. The screening follows a


conference session at 15.30, asking the question ‘Has 2D-3D conversion come of age?’. Included on the panel for the debate is Barry Sandrew of Legend 3D, the company which worked on Top Gun. The Monday Night Movie is


free to all IBC visitors, but seats are limited. Doors open at 18.15 for Bob Kisor’s presentation at 18.30.


every time you do a test the UHD technology takes a step forward,” he said. “We also have to make sure that standards are in place. “We want to avoid the confusion around HD and create a single harmonious understanding of what UHD will be when it is delivered,” he added.


“Content-wise, if you look at the David Attenborough 3D series, we shot that on Red cameras so in theory we could say it is UHD already. And all the documentaries we shot on Red cameras could be repurposed.” Johns sees three strands to work on – packaging media, media you create under your own guise, and live content. “We must ask if we go to 120fps or 300fps, and how deep does the dynamic range have to be. When will there be sufficient benefit over the bandwidth to enable the viewer to see it?” he said. “It is the theoretical and the Utopia on one hand versus what the customer perceives.”


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