Steadicam trainingwith Garrett Brown

Marketing 201for geeks

Microtiles at CapitalMarkets Summit

New adaptivestreaming standard

Phone Swap graded onDaVinci Resolve

State of the art TV at Sky News Arabia

Buck McNeely tames the wild

See us at

Microtiles at CapitalMarkets Summit

New adaptivestreaming standard

Phone Swap graded onDaVinci Resolve

State of the art TV at Sky News Arabia

Buck McNeely tames the wild

Marketing 201for geeks

Steadicam trainingwith Garrett Brown

AV Cover 122.qxd 4/13/12 12:07 AM Page 1

Have you ever wished foran affordable HD lens?

www.fujifilm.eu/fujinon

Visit us in Las Vegas,

NAB Show 2012, Booth C7525,

14 – 19 April 2012

The new XA20sx8.5BERM from Fujinon

The new XA20sx8.5BERM makes your wish come true.

You can look forward to a sharp HD image resolution and a long focal

length range from 8.5 to 170 mm. Thanks to the built-in 2x extender, you

can increase this to as much as 340 mm. All built into a robust, ergonomic

housing for a surprisingly attractive price.

Fujinon. To see more is to know more.

120044_XA20x_210x297_GB.indd 1 17.02.12 12:29

12 Exciting times ahead for local broadcasting While connectivity in South Africa has traditionally been veryexpensive, prices are beginning to come down and caps havebeen lifted as a result of improved infrastructure and availability,making broadband a far more affordable technology thanbefore.

18 State of the art television at Sky News ArabiaSky News Arabia is a new venture, which will bring world classnews coverage to the Middle East, in the Arabic language, 24/7.

22 Buck McNeely tames the wild with VitecFor more than 20 years, Vitec products have crisscrossed theglobe with Buck McNeely, host and producer of the outdooradventure television series The Outdoorsman with BuckMcNeely.

26 Sennheiser ADN conference systems in Saudi Sennheiser’s ADN conference system is proving a major success inthe Middle East, with Saudi Arabia now boasting the highest numberof installed systems in the world.

31 Jordan TV selects Harris playout & archive solutionHarris has received an order from Jordan Radio and Television(JRTV), the state broadcaster in Jordan, for a complete digitalfile-based news production, archive and continuity playoutsolution.

AV SpecialistVolume 122

Contents

Publisher & Managing EditorKevan Joneskevan@avspecialist.tv

Feature EditorDick Hobbsdick@avspecialist.tv

EditorBev Kempsterbev@avspecialist.tv

Circulation Renate Mortimerrenate@avspecialist.tv

Designer Rajiv Gopalanrajiv@avspecialist.tv

Advertising salesAfrica, Middle East, UK Kevan Joneskevan@avspecialist.tv

EuropeEmmanuel Archambeaudearchambeaud@defcommunication.com

Represented in the Middle East by:AV Specialist MENA FZ LLCPO Box 502314, DubaiUnited Arab Emirates

Represented in South Africa by:Doddington Direct ccPO Box 3939, Honeydew, 2040,South AfricaTel: +27 (0)11 083-6418Fax: +27 (0)86 525 3852

Represented in Europe by:Def & Communication48 Bd Jean-Jaurès, 92110 Clichy, FranceTel: +33 (0)1 4730 7180Fax: +33 (0)1 4730 0189

AV Specialist supports SACIA membersin the quest for truth, honesty and thepursuit of excellence in all aspects of theaudio visual profession.

Publisher’s Note

For more than 20 years Vitec products

have criss-crossed the globe with Buck

McNeeley, host and producer of the

popular TV series: The Outdoorsman

with Buck McNeeley.

In the latest issue of Financial Mail editor Barney Mthombothi

describes how South Africa suffers from a moral deficit that seems to be

afflicting all strata of society — from government, to business, to the

lowliest state functionary.

“It’s a feeding frenzy,” he writes. “People are neither afraid nor

ashamed to be caught with their fingers in the till. Corruption is so

commonplace it doesn’t shock us anymore.” In his editorial comment he

goes on to write about the naivete of Bheki Cele, South Africa’s embattled

police chief who breached procurement procedures by taking part in the "flawed leasing" of two buildings

earmarked for police accommodation – and then went on to write about Cele’s predecessor, Jackie Selebi,

who is of course in jail, serving a long term for corruption. That just about sums up the country’s

predicament. Corruption has not only reached the highest levels of law enforcement, but the fox now

guards the chickens. The involvement of the hierarchy in criminal activities or the abuse of power sends a

signal to the foot soldiers that they, too, can partake of the forbidden fruit. What follows is the erosion of

public trust in state institutions, and a moral abyss it’s difficult to get out of.

As I was reading this article I wondered whether these improper business practices have manifested

themselves into our everyday life – how has the audio-visual profession stood up to this ‘moral deficit’? And

is SACIA’s value statement in which members commit to truth, honesty and the pursuit of excellence in all

aspects of the audiovisual profession an aspiration that’s real or are we merely throwing up pretty words to

disguise the rot that exists at the core of our business? I’m interested in hearing your feedback so please

visit the SACIA LinkedIn page and share your comments with us in an online discussion. It’ll be interesting

to hear how far the worm has borrowed into the core of our business.

AV 122.qxd 4/12/12 10:56 PM Page 1

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Libec have launched their Jib50, a new jib featuring astrong telescopic arm. Available in kit form with carryingcases, it is a truly portable system, at home in the studioand in the field. The Jib50 has been designed to be versatileand adaptable to users' needs: a remote control box,monitors and a remote head can all be fitted to the jib withminimal effort. Like the Jib30, the Jib50 is quick, compactand dynamic. It can be set up in minutes, hence its name -Swift Jib. A stand-out feature of this model is its telescopicarm. Rather than fixing on extension units, a time consumingand often fiddly process, Jib50's arm simply extends byturning the lock levers. Despite this additional mechanism,the Libec jib is still able to support considerable loads. Evenfully extended at 190cm, it can still hold a 10Kg load, asmuch as many other systems can manage at a metrelength. At its shortest setting - 100cm - it has the buildquality to hold an impressive 20Kg of equipment. Thisstrength and adaptability makes the product a highlyversatile piece of equipment.

Libec launch new SWIFT JIB50

Productn e w sSnell launches Kahuna

360 CompactAt the 2012 NAB Show, Snell will introduce the Kahuna

360 Compact, a smaller-frame version of the company'sKahuna 360 video switcher, and one that is ideal for liveproduction environments. Offering true 1080p switching in a 6-RU chassis, the new Kahuna 360 Compact enables a smoothand cost-effective migration from SD to HD to 1080p, makingSnell's award-winning production switcher technologyaccessible to an even wider audience. Easy to deploy andequipped with the familiar Kahuna interface, the Kahuna 360Compact is ideal for OB trucks, studio-based productions,houses of worship, and other live production applications. Thenew switcher delivers all of the functionality of the full-sizedKahuna 360, with up to three full mix/effects (M/E) and sevenkeyers per M/E, as well as Snell's exclusive Make M/Etechnology, which enables multiple independent sublevelswitchers. Like the larger Kahuna 360, the Kahuna 360Compact breaks the tradition of fixed M/Es, fixed resources,and fixed formats, and supports many simultaneousproductions that would otherwise require multiple switchers.

FOR-A has introduced the HVS-390HS, the latest in its lineof compact, cost-effective switchers. Available in 1 M/E and 2M/E versions, it includes 16 HD/SD-SDI inputs and eight outputs(expandable to 24 inputs and 13 outputs), with framesynchronizers for all inputs. The new video production switcherwill be unveiled at the 2012 NAB Show. “Multiple markets haveenthusiastically embraced this product line, includingbroadcasters, educators, houses of worship, and corporatevideo producers,” said Khalid Sweidan, sales manager for FOR-A Middle East & Africa. “The HVS-390HS maintains the compactfootprint and operating style of our previous models, andimproves the operation style with the addition of macros andpneumonic keys.”

3

UBMS is proud tointroduce PhonakCommunications to Africa andthe Middle East. Since 1992Phonak has specialised in thedevelopment, design,production and distribution ofultra-miniaturized wireless

audio systems. By combiningits expertise in hearingtechnology with ongoingresearch, Phonak haspioneered breakthroughs like“Invisity”, the world’s first andonly in-ear RF receiver. Actors,presenters and newsreadersaround the world regularlybenefit from this tiny piece ofSwiss innovation. Meanwhiletheir lightweight microphoneshave reshaped faces on stage.Their ingenious designscombine great looks with thehighest sound quality andunsurpassed user friendliness.The Invisity is comfortable towear and offers excellentsound quality.

Phonak in-ear prompter

FOR-A debuts 1ME to 2MEproduction switcher

LYNX is launching its new family of yellobrik multi-channelembedders / de-embedders at NAB 2012. The three newmodules expand the ever-growing yellobrik line of compactsignal processor solutions. The PDM 1284B - AES audioembedder / de-embedder for unbalanced audio is multi-functional in that it functions either as a four channel AESembedder or de-embedder, or as a two channel AES embedderand de-embedder. Additional channels of audio can beembedded and de-embedded by cascading modules together.

The PDM 1284B automatically detects the audio formatand deactivates the sample rate converters to preserve encodedbit streams such as DolbyE. LYNX products are distributed inSouthern Africa by Questek Broadcast

LYNX Technik debut yellobrik 3G Audio Embedders

Sachtler will presenttheir new Ace tripod system atNAB 2012. Compact, durable,and absolutely lightweight,due to its unique composite

material Ace offers familiarSachtler quality at asensational price/performance ratio. Ace is theoptimal camera support forthe growing video and DSLRfilmmaker market, offering anauthentic broadcast feel forthe first time to videographerswhose projects includeeverything from low-budgetdocumentaries and EB toindustry films, wedding, event,and training videos, as well aswebinars. Featuring anergonomic design, intuitiveoperation, and a payloadrange of 0 to 4 kilograms (8.8lbs) Ace is ideal for lightweightHDV camcorders and video-enabled DSLR cameras.

Sachtler deal up the Ace

Product

4

n e w s

During Cabsat Harrisintroduced their new NEXIOStudio Suite to help customerseasily and affordably transitionto tapeless studio productionand more efficient file-basedworkflows.

NEXIO Studio Suite isdesigned for live multi-camerastudio productions such asnews and magazine-format,entertainment and reality TVshows. It enhances the controlof video servers in productionstudios, offering familiar videotape recorder (VTR)functionality while adding the

operational benefits ofmultichannel, nonlinear videoservers. The softwaresimplifies the operation andcontrol of many server portsover IP networks, includingmultichannel recording andplayback within NEXIO servers.

“Broadcasters andproduction professionals areincreasingly moving away fromexpensive, high-maintenanceVTRs as they transition totapeless studio production andfile-based workflows,” saidSaid Bacho, regional directorof Harris BroadcastCommunications. “HarrisNEXIO Studio Suite gives ourcustomers the best of bothworlds for live studioroduction: A familiar userinterface and the path to acost-efficient, streamlined,tapeless studio productionexperience.”

Harris improves control in File-Based workflows

Litepanels is making big news at NAB by introducing a newmember of its daylight balance Sola Series of Fresnels, along withthe entirely new Inca Series of tungsten balanced Fresnels.

The Sola 4 daylight Fresnel fixture is the smallest DMXcontrollable LED Fresnel on the market. The new focusable fixturefeatures a 4-inch (10cm) Fresnel lens and uses a small fraction ofthe power consumed by conventional fixtures. It employsLitepanels’ proprietary LEDs to produce the company’s hallmarksoft light quality daylight colour balance. The Sola 4 is based onthe same breakthrough Fresnel technology as Litepanels’ award-winning Sola 6, but in a smaller, more lightweight form factor. Itprovides the controllability and light-shaping, single shadowproperties inherent in a Fresnel light, with a range of focusing from70 to 10 degrees. Like all Litepanels fixtures, Sola 4 can bedimmed from 100% to zero with no noticeable shift in colourtemperature.

Litepanels expands LED fresnel line

AV 122.qxd 4/12/12 10:56 PM Page 4

Greater SDI compatibility

You can rely on SmartView Duo to support multiple

SDI video standards, including SD, HD and 3 Gb/s SDI

formats. It was designed to meet the needs of both

broadcast and post production professionals. On top of this, it supports

advanced video formats like 1080p HD and 2K SDI.

Mount it anywhere in racks

SmartView Duo can be mounted anywhere in equipment

racks, even in the extreme top. That’s because SmartView

Duo rotates completely upside down for optimum viewing

angle. It will instantly sense the screen rotation and automatically fl ip the

images without any need for adjustment.

SmartView Duo is the perfect compact SDI rack monitoring system for

post production, broadcast or live events. It features two beautiful 8” LCD

screens which can be remotely adjusted via ethernet. It even includes tally.

What’s more, it easily handles SD, HD and 3 Gb/s SDI video formats.

SDI monitoring everywhere you need it

SmartView Duo lets you build your own master

control room to monitor all cameras for live

production. Use it in editing desks to display all

your video sources. Incredibly compact, it’s also great for broadcast vans.

You can even install SmartView Duo into portable monitor racks to build

lightweight fl yaway kits.

Intelligent Ethernet control

Forget about using little screwdrivers in an attempt

to match all your monitors. Now you can conveniently

adjust and match every monitor remotely from your

laptop or desktop. Simply connect SmartView Duo to your ethernet

network and use the included Mac or PC software.

SmartView DuoUS$695

With dual 8”screens, viewing SD, HD and 2K SDI With dual 8”screens, viewing SD, HD and 2K SDI video on SmartView Duo is twice as beautiful.

Learn more today at www.blackmagic-design.com/smartview

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PAG is using NAB 2012 to launch its new PAGlink high-power linking battery system. PAGlink is the first camerabattery system that allows you to link more than two V-MountLi-Ion batteries, combining capacities for longer camera run-time. PAGlink has a greater current availability than otherlinking systems. When linked, PAGlink batteries provide up to12A for power-hungry high-definition broadcast, digital cinema,and 3D camera set-ups. PAGlink batteries form a high-speedserial network that controls charge and discharge. It is the firstbattery system that allows charging to take place while thebatteries are linked. The new PAGlink PL16 two-positioncharger is designed specifically for simultaneously charging upto eight linked PAGlink batteries per channel. During chargingthe, battery’s individual display clearly indicates its state-of-charge. PAGlink batteries can also be charged, whilst linked,using any other reputable manufacturers’ V-Mount Li-Ioncharger.

First for PAGlink camera battery system

At the 2012 NAB Show,EVS will present its latestrange of solutions for fastturnaround TV sports, newsand entertainment. The leaderin live sports and high speedmedia production technologywill give visitors newproduction perspectivesbased on its new XT3 and XSproduction servers. The XT3 isthe new future-proof video

recording and productionserver from EVS. At the heartof their Sports360° system,XT3 has been designed withadvanced capabilities such aseight recording/playbackchannels in loop mode, multi-codec native support, andembedded high/low-res mediamanagement to get the mostout of any recorded frame atthe highest speed andreliability. The new XT3platform is the industry’s firstserver featuring six non-stop3Gbps feed ingest andplayout channel capabilitiesfor live and near live 3D or 3Gproduction operations.

Productn e w s

7

The popular Canon HJ17ex7.6B now has a brother – theCanon HJ17ex6.2B. In fact, with its focal length of6.2~106mm, extra wide angle and a shorter MOD, thenewcomer takes on the role as the ‘Premium Standard’ 2/3”HD camera lens and further strengthens the line-up of Canon’sHJ lenses. The HJ17ex6.2B is an ideal choice for the ENG(Electronic News Gathering) broadcasting sector. It’s a highperforming solution for instances when a wider and closer shotis required, providing both convenience and the opportunity tocapture creative images. It’s a great performer in close-upinterview situations or in closer object shooting. The lens isdesigned to deliver superb optical performance throughout itswhole focal range and also provide high resolution andcontrast at any object distance.

High quality HD images for multiple applications

Harmonic has announced the release of the ChannelPortintegrated channel playout device for Spectrum media serversystems. Combining channel branding and master controlswitching with clip playout on the industry's most trusted mediaserver platform, the modular ChannelPort enables broadcasters,content owners, and service providers to speed the cost-effectivedeployment of new television channels through a simpleincremental upgrade to their existing Spectrum architecture.

"As consumer desire for more content delivered to moredevices increases, broadcasters, content providers, and cableand satellite operators are challenged to launch new brandedchannels and services — while reducing costs," said LarryKaplan, co-founder of Omneon, at Harmonic.

EVS shapes the future of broadcast

Playout platform speedsdeployment of new channels

AV 122.qxd 4/12/12 10:56 PM Page 7

Question: When selecting a vendor for your next AV installation, which of these items is the LEAST important item you should consider?

a. Price quoted for the projectb. Installation quality of the installations deptc. Company reputation in the marketplaced. Financial stability of the supplier

Answer: (a) In today’s tough economic climate it’s obviously important to consider price as an important factor in choosing a supplier for your next AV installation. But choosing a supplier based on price alone is a sure-fire path to failure and an ineffective AV solution. Chose a vendor based on their ability to provide an AV solution that meets your requirements and make sure you’re buying from a reputable organization with certified staff and the resources to back-up your installation on a long-term basis.

SACIA is the leading trade association for the professional AV industry in Southern Africa. We promote the adoption of professional standards in the local market and our members commit to truth, honesty and the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of the audiovisual profession.When you’re looking for a reputable supplier with a proven track record in the professional AV market, our members are a good place to start. For more information on SACIA and a full list of members, please visit www.sacia.org.za

An informed business choice

The South African Communications Industries Association is a not-for-profit Trade Association committed to

promoting the adoption of professional standards in the audiovisual industry throughout Africa.

During February AXON attended the Middle East’sCABSAT show and demonstrated their new SynCross modularrouter line. This is part of the Synapse system and fits in thesame form factor as other Synapse modules. SynCross iscapable of switching 3Gb/s, HD and SD SDI signals, as well ascompressed domain signals such as ASI/DVB and SSI/SMPTE-310. The SynCross routing system can occupy from 1 slot in aSynapse frame for an 8 input/ 8 output system up to 5 slots fora system with 40 inputs and outputs. It is very simple toexpand a SynCross system up to 40 inputs and outputs, bothin electrical or fiber or a mix between optical and electrical. Thissystem can be controlled via Ethernet, Cortex Control Panels orCortex.

Axon show new SynCrossmodular router

At NAB 2012, Grass Valley is adding to the flexibilityof its 3G Camera Transmission system with the LDK 44273G Fiber Camera to 3G Triax Converter, allowing usersproducing programs in resolutions up to 1080p50/60 tosend their signals across any type of cable infrastructure.The LDK 4427 performs a 1-to-1 conversion of a 3G fibercamera signal to a 3G triax signal. Ancillary data—such asreturn video, control and intercom—are also converted ona 1-to-1 basis, with full access to all transmissiondiagnostics at any time. “With the new LDK 4427, the 3GCamera Transmission family of products is complete andGrass Valley now offers the ultimate in cameratransmission flexibility,” said Marcel Koutstaal, Senior VicePresident of Cameras for Grass Valley. “With all of our 3GCamera Transmission systems, there is absolutely nocompromise in quality and each converter allowscustomers to get even more value out of their camerainvestment.”

Grass Valley 3G Fiber-To-Triax Converter

Sony unveils new dimension to‘Believe Beyond HD’

At NAB 2012, Sony willreveal its latest technologyinnovations as it builds onthe success of its ‘BelieveBeyond HD’ vision. Sinceunveiling the prototype atNAB 2011, Sony hasshipped more than 400 F65CineAlta 4K cameras, settinga new standard for digitalcinematography andenabling full end-to-endSony 4K production, from

acquisition to projection.Other recent products likeOLED monitors and 35mmsensor cameras have alsoconquered markets andopened up newopportunities to differentiatefor content producers.“Despite challenging naturaldisasters, 2011 has been ayear of discovery andsuccess. Notably, OLED andF65 technologies havebroken new ground inproducing superior imagequality. We also understandthat speed and reliability ofworkflows is key for ourprofessional customers andproducts like XMPilot andour media assetmanagement solutions haveencountered strong pick upthroughout the world ” saidRob Sherman, MD at SonyProfessional Solutions MEA.

Productn e w s

9

Jasco Broadcast Solutions (previously Spescom IT) isnow offering the latest additions to the Avid media editingrange as part of their end-to-end solutions offering to thebroadcast market. Media Composer 6 is the latest release inAvid’s range of professional video editing software, and ProTools 10 and HDX represents the newest update to their digitalaudio workstation platform. “These tools form part of thebroader Avid suite of products, offering full featured individualtools that are also fully interoperable with each other. JascoBroadcast Solutions brings world class production and post-production tools to the sub-Saharan African market, along witha wide range of other solutions and branded products,” saysSteve Lauter, Sales Manager at Jasco Broadcast Solutions. “Asa major release, version 6 of Media Composer incorporatesseveral exciting changes from version 5.5. One of the biggestchanges is the new Avid Open I/O which opens up thesoftware to be used with third party vendor hardware.”

Jasco offers latest Avid editing software

AV 122.qxd 4/12/12 10:56 PM Page 9

10

Conceived by the Britishevent production agencyDavid Atkins Enterpriseson a commission for theOrganising Committee of

the Pan Arab Games, the openingceremony entitled Journey to Lightrelied on the expertise of its Frenchtechnical services provider ETC andthe Christie Roadster series ofprojectors purpose-designed for eventproduction.

Totally original installationChristie’s partner ETC is an

experienced event managerthoroughly familiar with the creativechallenges David Atkins Enterprisescan pose: its project manager PatriceBouqueniau describes the openingceremony of the 12th Pan ArabGames as “a totally originalinstallation, even more ambitious thanthe one we did in Vancouver in 2010…This time, too, we chose Christie

projectors – partly for their unequalledilluminating power, but also for theiroutstanding blacks and their unrivalleddependability.”

Spectacular 3D projectionTwo towers were put up on

above the stands opposite the displayarea, to cover the whole of the KhalifaStadium which at nightfall would beturned into a giant screen. In groupsof three, 42 Christie Roadster HD18Kson one tower and 36 Christie RoadsterS+20Ks on the other had the job oflighting the ground and producing thespectacular 3D projections, whileanother eight Christie RoadsterS+20Ks (four in each tower) wereaimed at the central stage constructedbeside the stands.

“The ground was covered inwhite geotextile, making a giantscreen 136m long by 72m wide”, saidPatrice Bouqueniau. It was a real 5280x 3264 pixel challenge to cope with

the constraints imposed by thegrandiose set design; but that wasn’tall. The configuration of Christieprojectors deployed by the ETCtechnicians needed as many as twelvematrix overlays in some parts of theimage, all modulated using Christie’sTwist technology.

ETC for its part relied on itsmedia diffusion system Onlyview tomap video according to the 3Dprojection surfaces. “Onlyview made itpossible to use the same Christieprojectors to project the images ontothe flat surfaces as well as onto the3D ones”, said Patrice Bouqueniau.

For the matrices, ETC chose touse 4:3 and 16:9 projectors usingChristie Roadster S+20Ks for the oneand HD18Ks for the other. “Set designconstraints are absolute: we chose touse these two types of matrix becausewe couldn’t get the same pitch anglefrom both towers to cover the whole ofthe projection surface”, he said.

In December 2011 dancers, musicians, athletes, and falconers both on foot and on horseback paraded throughthe Khalifa Stadium in Doha (Qatar), which had been transformed into a huge screen for the opening ceremony ofthe 12th Arab Games.

Christie lights opening ceremony of12th Pan Arab Games

11

24 x 7 x 128

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Expendable modular design

Two frame sizes: from 8x8 to 64x64 in 4RU, up to128x128 in 8RU

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© 2011 Kramer Electronics, Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited

W ��kXÎÂ�Å���XÌ/�Ì��ÌWÌÐÐÌ���àÌ�Ýk�×k_Ì"�ÂÎ�X��xxÌÕ¥�zÌWÌ,²$²Ì��ßÌ--ÉÐz¥z_Ì�@�Â�@�bÌÕæÐæÌWW .k­×N��XÌ$xÌ/�×Î�Ì�xÂ�X@ÌWÌÞÞÞ²k�kXÎÂ�Å���X²X�²ä@ÌWÌ�k�­Ì���kÌ�8^ÌæpÊ¥Ì�8���,̯ÕpÌ}ÐÌzÉ°ÌWW �k�­Ì���kÌ����Î���^Ìæp-ÊæÌ!�.1�"̯ÊÕÌÉpÌ}Ê°ÌW

Faultless spectacleTo ensure a faultless spectacle

when it came to the ceremony, ETCwent for media diffusion using what isknown as a “redundant distributed”installation in which a “master” playerbroadcasts its control signals by opticfibre to the individual “slave” playersassociated with each projector. In thisway each slave player stores the entiremedia and selects that part of theimage addressed to its projector,forwarding the data stream to theprojector by DVI. A parallel back-upnetwork is updated live: if needed,each back-up player transmits the datastream via the second DVI input oneach Christie Roadster. “A system likethat is just so capable, you can thinkup any back-up configuration youwant”, Patrice Bouqueniauemphasised. The opening ceremony ofthe 12th Pan Arab Games, like allspectacular events in the past and nodoubt in the future, provided the idealopportunity for technologicalinnovation and creative digital artistry.This one was projected onto thebiggest surface ever, within the circuitof a stadium. Watched by no fewerthan 40,000 enthralled spectators,Christie’s projection solutions showed

off their power and dependability onceagain in the very the heart of theaction, amply justifying the repeatedconfidence of its partner providers.

Message of peaceJourney to Light, a magnificent

spectacle combining performance ofmany art forms, was above all amessage of peace and freedomconveyed by the values of sport andthe celebration of Arab culture. In anallegory of the coming together ofpeoples from all over the Middle East,the set design celebrated the desert asthe land of prophecy, where disparatetribes learned to live together in perfectharmony through the shining light ofknowledge.

Inspired by Islamic history“In close collaboration with the

Arab Games Organising Committee,DAE created a story inspired andinformed by the stories and images ofpre-Islamic and Islamic history,” saidDavid Atkins, CEO, David AtkinsEnterprises. “The Ceremony wascreated to acknowledge theimportance of these times, at a timewhen the very pages of Arabic historyare being re-written.”

AV 122.qxd 4/12/12 10:58 PM Page 11

While we are still quite farbehind much of theWestern world in terms ofconnectivity, much is beingdone to change this

situation. This opens up a host of excitingpossibilities within the broadcast space,as new technologies that run off IPinfrastructures become a viable option inthe local space. The improvements totelecoms have allowed broadcastingtechnologies to piggyback off thisinfrastructure, enabling broadcastingapplications to be applied without thecost of developing purpose-builtconnectivity solutions. This represents thenext evolution in the convergencebetween traditional IT, telecoms andbroadcast, allowing for tailored networkedcontent provision. It also means thatInternet television, a technology enjoyedin many first world countries, but onewhich until recently has been unattainablein South Africa, is now beginning toemerge in the country.

Commercial IP televisionCommercial IP television is a new

space in which we can expect to seeextensive growth in the future. Internetbroadcasting is another excitingpossibility opened up by improvedinfrastructure, using streaming video overthe Internet to deliver content in newways, by new providers, to bothbroadband and mobile networks.

The possibility of Internetbroadcasting is becoming a reality thanksto new technology that is now available inSouth Africa, which provides innovative,reliable streaming media solutions thatenable the capture, management anddelivery of video to broadband andmobile networks. Comprehensiveplatforms are now available for the digitalmedia marketplace, enablingbroadcasters to reduce costs and expandaudiences to new markets. Together, theimproved broadband and availability ofnew streaming technologies opens up awhole new market within the broadcastspace. Using video streaming allows

corporate broadcasters to distributecustom content to offices across thecountry, and even the world, and willenable gated communities to tailorviewing options to suit the individualneeds of residents. This also has greatpotential within the distance learningspace, as lectures can be broadcast to

students no matter what their location,either recorded or live, which enableslearners to ask questions as if they werein a physical lecture room environment.For service providers themselves, Internetbroadcasting provides access to a range

of new services, from hosting andproviding content to offering packagesdesigned for aspiring broadcasters todeliver their content.

Digital terrestrialDigital Terrestrial Television is a

move that is already happening in thelocal market, as South African and Africanbroadcasters gear up to migrate fromanalogue to digital broadcasting. Manymajor content providers have begun theconversion, and once this is completednew opportunities for broadcasters willalmost certainly emerge. Handheld IPtelevision, such as DStv’s Mobile Drifta,are also emerging to provide viewers withnew means of viewing broadcastedcontent. However, while this technology isbecoming more readily available and weare seeing a move towards more digitalcontent locally, infrastructure remains abarrier to entry within the communitybroadcasting. Consumers do not yet trustthe reliability and costing of broadband,and until these and other issues such aslicensing can be resolved, the availabilityof greater number of targeted communitytelevision and radio stations will not begrowing to any great extent.

Exciting times ahead for local broadcastingWhile connectivity in South Africa has traditionally been very expensive, prices are beginning to come down andcaps have been lifted as a result of improved infrastructure and availability, making broadband a far more affordabletechnology than before. Steve Lauter from Jasco Broadcast shares his views

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Arising star in the Nigerianfilm industry, Afolayanwanted his latest film tochallenge the poor imagequality often associated with

the Nigerian market. The project brieffor Moffat was simple. To create abeautiful, high quality picture thatwould not look out of place in westerncinema. “The grading schedule on‘Phone Swap’ was quite intense,” saysMoffat. “I was limited to a couple ofremote sessions and two face-to-facefour day sessions while the directorwas in London. This type of scheduleis where DaVinci Resolve really comesinto its own. With Resolve’sperformance, I was able to usemultiple LUTs to allow me to mix linearand LOG footage, without any pre-processing. The use of custom LUTsbased on film stock helped to give thepicture a more filmic colourimetry, andprovided the ability to control shadowand highlight roll-off more efficiently.Using multiple tracks also allowed usto preview variations on VFX passeswhile adding scanned 35mm grainmade it possible to create a gritty feelthat we needed on some scenes.”

Moffat recognizes that he’sobsessed with colour and thisobsession is embodied in every frame

of the film. “A long time prior tostudying photography and design inCape Town I 'made movies' using atorch and tinted clear film - projectingit on the wall for my own amusement,”he says. “After arriving in the UK in1993 I spent several years involved incolour restoration of fine art scansfrom bad or damaged originalsthrough to producing colour work onfashion and natural history images forbooks and magazines. This waspunctuated by a period of working inSoho - compositing - as the digital agetook hold on the moving image. This is

where my beady eyes were opened tothe opportunities of combining my loveof colour with the emerging world ofDigital Intermediates and Digital ColourGrading. What could be a more perfectvocation? So here I am now, creatingwhat I hope is visual harmony for thesilver screen, and some smallerscreens too.” He asserts that theperformance afforded by DaVinciResolve meant he was able to achievea very high finish on the ‘Phone Swop’material in a short space of time. “Theability to work fast without impactingtechnical standards means everythingin schedules of this kind,” he says.

Thanks to DaVinci Resolve Moffatwas able to use a DPX-to-DPXworkflow, allowing him to grade thesame files the visual effects team wasworking from. The collaborativeapproach meant he was able toeliminate many of the QuickTimegamma issues that can so oftenplague a colourist’s day. Once thegrade was complete, DPX andQuickTime streams were rendered formastering. The film took 8 months toshoot in Nigeria and the technicalimpact Moffat has had is immense,elevating it well above the standardnormally associated with the Nigerianfilm industry.

Earlier this month Jason Moffat’s boutique colour grading studio in London used Blackmagic Design’s DaVinciResolve colour correction system to finish ‘Phone Swap’, a comedy feature film by acclaimed Nigerian directorKunle Afolayan.

Nigerian comedy ‘Phone Swap’ graded on DaVinci Resolve

Jason Moffat asserts that the performanceafforded by DaVinci Resolve meant he wasable to achieve a very high finish on the‘Phone Swop’ material in a shortspace of time.

Taking place for the ninth year,the two-day event set out toexamine the recovery andgrowth of the South AfricanSecuritisation and Debt

Capital Markets communities — andfeatured a number of keynotespeakers. Christie partners, GearhouseSouth Africa, serviced the event’sdesign/ production company,Eventworx, with an imaginativeMicroTiles solution, designed to wowthe 500 invitees, from various financialinstitutions.

Early adoptersGearhouse were early adopters of

MicroTiles, and with 100 modules intheir inventory were comfortably able todesign an 11 x 8 landscape display, setin the foyer of the Conference Centre,to allow content to be screened in 16:9format. The client had no hesitation inbacking the MicroTiles solution afterGearhouse had made them aware ofthe advantages of adopting this nextgeneration technology.

Gearhouse project manager, MikeTempest, confirmed that his companyalso provided the support structure forthe wall which was built into a customhard faced set. The MicroTiles displayitself was used a backdrop to aSmoothie Bar (with guests serveddrinks during the tea breaks).

Customised presentationsThe content screened consisted

of customised presentations andadvertising provided by Tequila, theadvertising agency for lead sponsor,Standard Bank. Financial tradinginformation was also displayed as aticker, together with CNBC Africa, andthe service company used the WiFi andSatellite TV channel available from thevenue itself.

The Spyder X20 took feeds froman AV Stumpfl Wings Platinum mediaserver — for playback of the videocontent — a digital decoder and MacMini (which provided the ticker tapesource) outputting to the wall in 1920 x1080 resolution. Via the Spyder, twoseparate PIPs (picture-in-picture) were

overlaid on top of the media serverlayer. According to Mike Tempest theevent was an outstanding success andEventWorx Executive Director concurs.“At Eventworx we are always looking tocreate dynamic and original solutionsfor our clients and working with theteam at Gearhouse we were able todeliver an exhibition and networkingspace with multiple client messages,

huge brand presence, a uniquepresentation solution and a majortalking point amongst the delegates.

“The versatility and quality ofimage delivered by the MicroTiles andMike’s ability to manipulate them,allowed us to present a richlycustomised visual solution to our clientcreating an outstanding solution thatsimply ‘owned’ the show.”

A Christie MicroTiles display and Christie Spyder image processing provided a design highlight at the recent IMN-hosted South African Capital Markets Summit at the Westin Cape Town Hotel's Conference Centre.

Gearhouse provides Christie solutionfor Capital Markets Summit

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On the second day of thefestival we had one of theworst sandstorms in recent

years,” recalls Karl Da Costa,technical manager of Dubai-basedArtes Middle East LLC, which hasequipped the festival with MeyerSound systems for the past five years.“A couple of video screens camedown, and dust was getting intoeverything. Yet we managed to getthrough the afternoon sound check.Fortunately, the winds died down byevening, and all the loudspeakersperformed flawlessly for the show.”

The main stage hosted fournights of international genre-blendingheadliners, including Jason Mraz,James Morrison, Spyro Gyra, JamesBlunt, Acoustic Alchemy, and JoolsHolland with his Rhythm & BluesOrchestra.

The durable left and right arraysfor the main stage each comprised 13MILO loudspeakers. Flown above theMILO loudspeakers were two M3D linearray loudspeakers aimed squarely atthe VIP balconies, which were set 70meters back from the stage. Sixteen

700-HP subwoofers bolstered the lowend, six CQ-2 loudspeakers suppliedfront fill, and a Galileo® loudspeakermanagement system with two Galileo616 processors handled system drive.

“I was extremely satisfied withthe sound quality,” says AnthonyYounes, CEO of Chillout Productions,founders and organizers of the DubaiJazz Festival. “We received positivefeedback on the quality of soundthroughout the festival from ourcorporate partners, as well as fromthose in the crowd.”

Audio for the smaller JazzGarden Sub Stage was supplied by 12Meyer Sound M3D line arrayloudspeakers, six M3D-Subsubwoofers, four M’elodie line arrayloudspeakers as outfills, four UPJ-1PVariO loudspeakers as front fills, and aGalileo loudspeaker managementsystem with one Galileo 616processor.

Artes also supplied full FOH andmonitoring packages for the festival.The principal console at the mainstage was a Yamaha PM5D-RH and aMidas Heritage 3000 for JonathanButler; the principal monitor consolewas another PM5D-RH, with an AvidVENUE D-Show for James Morrison.The sub stage deployed a MidasPRO2C console at FOH and aYamaha LS9 console at monitors.Shure supplied wireless microphones,with wireless in-ear monitors fromShure and Sennheiser. Eight MJF-212A stage monitors from Most HighProductions provided foldback for themain stage, augmenting a system thatincluded six UM-1P stage monitorsfrom Artes.

During February the tenth Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival moved to a spacious new site at DubaiFestival City. A robust Meyer Sound MILO-based line array loudspeaker system covered the site with exemplarysound - even after being pummeled by a ferocious sandstorm. Total attendance topped 46,000 for the nineevenings of performances.

Meyer Sound weathers sandstorm to elevate Dubai Jazz Festival

Share ideas onLinkedInJoin the SACIA LinkedIn group and share theonline discussion about products and issuesimpacting the future of the professional AVindustry in Southern Africa.

To find us, click the Groups Tab in your LinkedIn profile and search for SACIA

DASH is designed to addressthe dramatic growth ofInternet video by defining auniversal delivery format,which provides end users

with the best possible video experienceand dynamically adapts to changingnetwork conditions as video streams totheir devices. It incorporates all of the bestelements of proprietary adaptivestreaming solutions designed to solve theclassic issues users see when theystream video: intermittent stalls, poorvideo quality under changing networkconditions, and significant video start-uplag. The membership of the DASHPromoters Group represents a significantcross section of major players across themultimedia and video delivery value chain.Microsoft, Netflix, and Qualcomm are thefounding members. Other companiesrounding out the membership at the timeof this announcement include: Adobe,AEG Digital Media, Akamai, BuyDRM,Digital Rapids, Digital TV Labs, Dolby,

EBU-UER, Elemental, Envivio, Ericsson,Harmonic, Intertrust, NDS, Packet Ship,Path1, RGB Networks, Samsung,Thomson, University of Klagenfurt, andZiXi. With the formation of the PromotersGroup and significant interest from avariety of companies, commercial DASHsolutions are expected this year and thecurrent members expect their ranks toswell.

DASH streaming videoAs part of their strategy to

accelerate DASH adoption, the Promoter'sGroup will be demonstrating DASHstreaming video at the Mobile WorldCongress 2012 and at various otherevents taking place during the year."Demonstrating the live ingest of DASHcontent and the dynamic synthesis ofDASH manifests and segments is the firststep toward DASH leveraging the benefitsof capacity, efficiency, and securitybrought by the Akamai IntelligentPlatform," said Will Law, principal

A diverse group of technology leaders have announced the creation of the DASH Promoters Group, a neworganization dedicated to driving the broad adoption of MPEG's DASH (dynamic adaptive streaming over HTTP)standard, which was ratified in November 2011.

Industry players unite to promote new adaptive streaming standard

"Harmonic is very committed to the DASHtechnology," said Thierry Fautier, seniordirector of convergence solutions atHarmonic Inc. "We believe DASH is the onlyway to effectively scale video over theInternet. We're excited to be the first videocompany to demonstrate solutionsbased on DASH technology at MobileWorld Congress."

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architect, Media Division, Akamai. "Publicinteroperability demonstrations amongencoders, media delivery systems andplayback clients inspire marketconfidence for this new format. DASHbrings the promise of convergence inmedia delivery, as well as improvementsin encoding and distribution efficiency,rights management and the overallconsumer viewing experience." "Harmonicis very committed to the DASHtechnology," said Thierry Fautier, seniordirector of convergence solutions atHarmonic Inc. "We believe DASH is theonly way to effectively scale video overthe Internet. We're excited to be the firstvideo company to demonstrate solutionsbased on DASH technology at MobileWorld Congress."

Important milestones "The formation of this organization

and the demonstration at Mobile WorldCongress are important milestones," saidRob Chandhok, senior vice president ofsoftware strategy for Qualcomm andpresident of Qualcomm Internet Services."Qualcomm played a central role indefining this standard, bringing its deepunderstanding of the constraints of mobiledevices and the ever-changing dynamicsof wireless data transmission to bear on

the challenge of improving upon currentstreaming solutions. The fact that somany important companies are joiningtogether to drive this standard into broadcommercial adoption is particularlygratifying."

Standards decelopmentIn addition to promoting broad

adoption of DASH, the Promoters Groupwill focus on aligning ongoing DASHstandards development, promoting theuse of common profiles across industryorganizations, and facilitatinginteroperability tests and plug-fests todemonstrate the usability andcompleteness of the DASH standard.

"Adobe has a long history ofsupporting and actively promotingindustry standards and open formats,"said Ashley Still, director of productmanagement, Video Solutions at Adobe.

"As the first company to support H.264 ina broad video delivery platform, we'reexcited to help define and advanceMPEG-DASH to become a standard thatis enabled across all major platforms anddevices."

Adaptive streaming"Given Microsoft's role in chairing

the development in ISO/MPEG of theDASH standard, we are excited to see itbecome available to customers," saidSudheer Sirivara, senior director – mediaservices, on the Azure ApplicationPlatform Team at Microsoft. "Wepioneered the development of adaptivestreaming as a platform with SmoothStreaming, and over the last three years,we have learned a lot about doingadaptive streaming at scale acrossmultiple customers and large onlineevents. We look forward to bringing ourlearning to MPEG-DASH to help make itsuccessful as a widely deployedstandard." The DASH Promoters Group isalso working toward recommendeddeployment configurations for DASH,informally called DASH-264. This wouldenable a minimum set of DASHrequirements for the industry and helpenable further commercialization ofmobile devices that support it.

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The broadcaster is a joint venturebetween BSkyB, the companyowning the UK’s Sky brand, andAbu Dhabi Media InvestmentCorporation. Its production

facilities are housed in a completelymodernised studio on the twofour54campus, and a new three-storey block hasbeen built alongside it to house thenewsroom, graphics and editing, andmachine rooms and operations centre.The business requirement was toconcentrate on the quality and the scopeof the newsgathering, so workflows in thenew facility had to be as automated andstreamlined as possible. For a very largescale project the timescale was tightlydefined, with the broadcaster planning toaward the systems integration contract inthe early part of 2011. System design,construction, installation, and training andrehearsals – for a largely new staff drawnfrom the Middle East & North Africa region– had to be completed for an on-air datein the spring of 2012.

Following detailed negotiations, SkyNews Arabia awarded the contract to TSL.As a major international systemsintegrator, TSL could demonstrate successin large-scale projects, and the ability todrive leading manufacturers to achievenew levels of integration andinteroperability. It had an existing base inthe United Arab Emirates which wouldprovide local support and staffing. TSLalso had facilities in the UK large enoughfor the complete system to be built andtested while the site was being prepared.

Vendor agnostic approachMost importantly, it brought a

completely vendor-agnostic approach tosystem design, which allowed Sky NewsArabia to specify some key pieces ofequipment, and to develop a pragmaticapproach to the rest of the architecture,which was important to deliver a systemwhich was not only functional but easy tosupport over the lifecycle of its capitalinvestment.

Studio and control – seamless flowSky News Arabia elected to create

most of its 24-hour output from a singlelarge studio, with a number of presentationareas within the sets dedicated to differentprogrammes and parts of the day. Toprovide a seamless flow from one area toanother, and to give directors maximumflexibility, 11 cameras are provided. SonyHD cameras, Vinten Radamec roboticpedestals, Grass Valley Kayenneproduction switchers and Calrec audiomixers were used, with motion graphicsand clips triggered by the Kayenneswitcher from Grass Valley K2 productionservers and the large Vizrt graphicssystem. All production content, includingcrafted packages are held on the EVSstorage area network, and they too arecued from the Kayenne.

One of the most distinctive featuresof the project is the use of an overallmonitoring and routing layer driving verylarge monitor walls: they are amongst thelargest ever built. Routing and processing

Sky News Arabia is a new venture, which will bring world class news coverage to the Middle East, in the Arabiclanguage, 24/7. It will be transmitted in both SD and HD, and its news coverage will also be available online, ontablets and on smart-phones. As a start-up, its production facilities represent the state of the art in television andonline news, and building its new centre was one of the largest undertaken in the region.

State of the art television at Sky News Arabia

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is by Miranda. As well as the studio controlroom, the large monitor walls provideviewing of all sources or multi-view layoutsin the network operation centre. An AvidiNews system provides the editorialfacilities. This is linked, through MOS, toVizrt graphics and a large EVS mediaproduction server system, which providesthe asset management for all productioncontent. As well as controlling recordedmaterial inserted into the newsprogramming, Harris provides automatedplayout, switching between the studio andrecorded content and commercials.Omneon servers are used fortransmission, and there are two TX suites.

The SD and HD versions of thechannel run basically the sameprogrammes, but graphics and interstitialsare tuned to each variant so the two aretreated as separate outputs. There is aSpectralogic tape robot linked to the EVSand Omneon server networks. Front

Porch Digital archive software talksto the EVS and Harris software to ensureefficient retrieval of content. The projectalso includes the construction of a smallcontribution studio.

Instant access to assetsA vast amount of content is planned

to arrive at the station each day, from localcrews and from feeds around the world.Ingest is onto the EVS server network,from where it can be accessed by anyuser. 12 edit suites are included in theproject, running Apple’s Final Cut Pro.These are editing directly on the EVSstorage area network for maximum speedand efficiency. Completed packages aredropped into a dedicated folder forchecking, quality control and delivery toplayout. All graphics systems are providedby Vizrt. Extensive use is made of templategraphics, allowing journalists to completecaptions from their desktops. Moresophisticated graphics and maps arecreated by specialists and transferred tothe studio for transmission.

Crossings solutionA project of this scale, which looks

to achieve efficiency through automation,calls for the integration of systems from anumber of manufacturers, which in turnrequires new developments in thoseproducts and to create an open interfacebetween them. Designing these interfacesand promoting the development of theadditional functionality is a critical aspectof the system integrator’s task. Anexcellent example is in the unifiedbookings system required by Sky NewsArabia for its communications systemsaround the world. In the traditional

television news operation, each elementrequired is booked separately, calling for alot of manual co-ordination. Sky NewsArabia wanted to be able to make a single

booking for all functionality.The solution uses the ScheduAll

booking system, to which themanufacturer developed additional

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“The thinking behind Sky NewsArabia is to translate the well-establishedand respected Sky News values to anew market. Those values include awillingness to use the latest technologyto deliver the most rounded, most up todate reporting, so we knew that this hadto be a state of the art broadcast centre.

“We had just completed a projectto move Sky News in the UK to HD,which meant creating a new productioncentre and newsroom. That experiencewas hugely helpful in developing thedesign for Sky News Arabia. We took thesame philosophy but learnt from ourexperiences in London. “We wanted toimprove the workflow still further to be asefficient with our staff as possible. Sky iskeen on efficiency that takes advantageof the latest technology which mighthave a high capital expenditure butbears dividends in terms of controlled

staff costs. “We also carried outextensive research before making ourcore infrastructure decisions. We lookedat the technology that was widely usedin the Middle East, but we also chosecarefully for technology that was future-proofed. TSL is an independent systemintegrator, so they had no agenda inpushing us in any direction other thanwhat they believed would work. “The TSLdesign team has had significant input onthe project, and what we have jointlycreated is pretty advanced for a newsenvironment. The way the schedulingsystem has been fully integrated acrossthe whole solution, is a good example ofwhy we are way ahead of anyone else. Itis down to the skills and experience ofTSL’s engineers that they not only cameup with this cutting edge integration, butthey could also push the vendorsbeyond their normal comfort zone tomake it all happen. This really makes abig difference in how large complexprojects turn out, and it is one of thereasons we chose TSL in the first place.

“The way we managed the factorybuild and acceptance parts of theproject, was not the fastest method, butit was a very practical way to work inorder to simplify the on-siteimplementation, and make effective useof time while the constructionworkstream was being completed at thesite. Seeing the complete system cometogether at TSL, proving the originaldesign concepts to be correct, gave ushuge confidence.”

Bevan Gibson, Launch Technical Directorfor Sky News Arabia, adds his perspective:

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F O R U M

During August 2012, SACIA (the Southern African Communications Industries Association) are hosting an exhibition and conference programme that will focus specifically on the use of audiovisual technologies in business, government, education and Houses of Worship.

We are now inviting submissions from organizations, companies or individuals who are interested in presenting a paper. Presentations should focus on the successful application of AV technology and while manufacturers and dealers are welcome to submit papers, presentations should not be structured to sell or promote a particular brand or product.

Presentations can vary in length from 30-90 minutes based on relevance and content. Priority will be given to papers which address the use of AV technology throughout Africa.

When: 7-8 August 2012Where: Misty Hills Conference Centre, Muldersdrift, South Africa

The SACIA ProAV Forum will comprise four half-day conference sessions each supported by local media and industry bodies specific to their market.

Each session will focus on the use of AV technology in:

• Government • Business • Education • House of Worship

If you’re interested in presenting a paper during the SACIA ProAV Forum please send a detailed synopsis to forum@proav-africa.org or call +27110836418

Call for papers

Promoting AV excellence in Southern Africa

The South African Communications Industries Association is a not-for-profit Trade Association committed to promoting the adoption of professional standards in the audiovisual industry throughout Africa.

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functionality to provide connectivity with anumber of other systems. These includeMiranda routing, quality control andediting, as well as IP circuits and switchesand recording. An extension to the contractwill add control of the satellite farm, sodishes and transponders, together withTandberg & Harris encoders and decoders,will be included in the unified bookingsystem. TSL drove the development of newfunctionality for the Broadcast BionicsPhoneBox system. It is now capable ofcontrolling the Riedel intercominfrastructure, so that as well as setting upthe complete signal path a ScheduAllbooking also sets up the talkback pathsbetween the appropriate locations. Theresult is that a single booking can set upan encoder in, say, Cairo, and connect itvia MPLS or satellite path to Sky NewsArabia; route it to a decoder, frame rateconvertor or audio shuffler as required;record it to the server and update the assetmanagement; and ensure that allparticipants are connected on talkback. Allthe elements are automated, so thebooking merely requires source,destination file and time.

Viewer loyalty across all platformsAll content within the centre is file-

based, and because the station is newthere is no historical backlog of video oraudio tape. This means that all contenttransfers are over IP. To accomplish thiswhile achieving broadcast standards ofreliability, and allowing priorities to be setfor traffic close to air time, calls for carefuldesign of the IP infrastructure. This is avery significant challenge for the systemdesigners. While many system integratorsstill lack a real understanding of what isrequired in this area, TSL has investedsignificantly in skills and staff in recentyears, recognizing that it is the differencebetween success and failure in a tapelessenvironment.

To deliver the required capacity andlatency performance TSL specified multiplenetworks, with Cisco Nexus 7000 switchesin a collapsed core topology. This allowsthe content network to be managed andfor all performance indicators to beachieved. Built in to the requirements fromthe start was the recognition that televisionnews now relies on non-broadcast content,and has to deliver to non-broadcastplatforms. It was a central requirement thatSkype video conversations should be usedlive on air, for example, or that YouTube orother User Generated Content (UGC)videos should be capable of beingbroadcast as soon as they were on line.Given that the design for Sky News Arabiawas being developed at the time of the

revolution in Egypt, these requirementswere very much in the forefront. Equally,audience loyalty is retained when they canaccess news from their preferred trustedsource wherever they are. Making thesame content available in multiple formatsonline for a range of IP devices from smart-phones to the web called for a fasttranscoding farm and the broadcaster’sown content delivery network to push thematerial out.

These new requirements added tothe traditional broadcast requirements oflines from remote bureaux, ingest, feeds touplinks and other broadcast hosts. Theresult is that Sky News Arabia’s networkoperations centre is large, featuringnumerous operational positions sharing ahuge monitor wall: 10 metres wide andwith 400 tiles.

Simplified support The philosophy of Sky News

Arabia at the start of the project was tomake a significant capital investment toachieve a system which worked smoothlyand reliably, and used automation tominimise the requirement for operationalstaff. Newsgathering is expensive, and SkyNews Arabia wanted to devote as much ofits operational budget on getting journalistsand crews out to the scene of breakingnews. The design requirement for thetechnology was that the latest thinking inworkflow should be employed to achievethis seamless automation, and that best ofbreed products should be used tomaximise quality and flexibility.

At the same time, it was recognisedthat if there were too many vendorsinvolved, and therefore too manypotentially risky interfaces, reliability may

be compromised. If faults occurred,valuable time to resolution could be lost byfinger-pointing among manufacturers,each suggesting another was at fault. Tominimise this problem, where multiplemanufacturers were available for aparticular piece of technology, thenpreference was given for those who wereeither already involved in the project, orwho could demonstrate strong localsupport in the Middle East. For example,Miranda was providing monitoring andcontrol, so it made sense to use Mirandarouters. Harris was providing automationand scheduling, so its IP encoders anddecoders were selected. The intention is tomake the whole broadcast centre as easyto support as possible.

Resolving issues in Pre-BuildFollowing the competitive selection

process, TSL was appointed as systemintegrator in early 2011. Its design andproject engineers worked in partnershipwith Sky News Arabia’s launch team, onsite in Abu Dhabi, from March to May todevelop the requirements and detaileddesign. During this period key designdecisions were made as early as possible,enabling TSL to place orders on equipmentwhich might be time-constrained, and toinitiate development of additionalfunctionality and interface software. Thedecision was taken to build the completesystem in one of TSL’s factories in the UK.

While pre-building in this way isroutine for TSL, the Sky News Arabiaproject was a major undertaking. There aremore than 100 equipment racks in thecomplete system, meaning that the wholeof the factory floor in one of TSL’s facilitieswas taken up with it. Building the racks inthe right relative locations meant that muchof the inter-cabinet cabling could also beprepared. The second big advantage wasthat TSL is located just to the west ofLondon, close to the Europeanheadquarters of many of the majorsuppliers, and a short distance fromHeathrow airport should other productspecialists need to fly in. It meant thatproblems and conflicts could be resolvedvery quickly. The system build took fromJune to August, with a rolling programmeof factory acceptance seeing a sign-offfrom Sky News Arabia in September. Whilethe equipment was packed up andshipped to the Middle East preparationand site cabling started in October. Finalinstallation on site was in November andDecember. Testing on site ran throughJanuary 2012, with site acceptance tests inFebruary. This left plenty of clear time fortraining, familiarisation and rehearsalsbefore the on-air date in spring 2012.

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Perfect for McNeely and his crew,Anton/Bauer batteries powerthe thrilling video that haspropelled the exciting series tobecome the largest syndicated

outdoor adventure programme in theworld. The crew’s recent two-week, on-location filming of an African safari is thelatest example of Anton/Bauer batteries’ability to ensure the show goes on, even inthe most extreme environments. McNeelyand his crew travelled to Africa to filma safari storyline about a father andson documenting African wildlife. Thecrew filmed stock footage of a virtualmenagerie of animals in their naturalhabitats, including elephants,rhinoceros, baboons and Cape buffalo.

“In extreme climatic conditions,from deserts to the frozen wastes ofthe Arctic, and mountains to

swamplands, we’ve found thatAnton/Bauer products hold up,” saysMcNeely, founder of OutdoorsmanInternational and producer of TheOutdoorsman with Buck McNeely.“They perform very well, even in the

chaotic filming environment of chasingwild animals as they leap and boundacross the African plains. We also likethe longevity of the Anton/Bauerbatteries, because when we’reshooting, it’s usually from dawn todusk. Additionally, the batteries arevery portable, which enhances ourability to get into remote locations andshoot great footage.”

Currently, The Outdoorsman crewis relying heavily on DIONIC 90 andDIONIC HCX batteries. Also in thecrew’s arsenal are two CINE VCLXbatteries, which are used duringproduction with monitors, lights andwireless receivers. McNeely was drawnto Anton/Bauer almost two decadesago, when he found himself in thesnow of the Rocky Mountains with adying battery right before a crucial

Buck McNeely tames the wild with VitecFor more than 20 years, Vitec products have crisscrossed the globe with Buck McNeely, host and producer of theoutdoor adventure television series The Outdoorsman with Buck McNeely. From the frozen wilderness of SiberianRussia to the steamy jungles of Africa and many points in between, Anton/Bauer batteries have helped deliverconsistently reliable performance even in the most challenging shooting environments.

shot. At that moment, McNeely knewhe needed a more reliable and durablepower source. Today, he carries six toeight Anton/Bauer batteries when hiscrew goes on location and uses fourbatteries on average per day.

Low power lightingHe’s also a big fan of the new

range of lighting from Litepanels “Wehad a kit of two MicroPro LED lightsand brought the new Sola ENG Fresnelon-camera light as well,” McNeelyexplains. “We mounted the Sola ENGon my Panasonic HDX-900 camera andran it off the Anton/Bauer DIONIC HCXbatteries. The MicroPro light, whichoffers self-contained power via six AAbatteries, simply mounted on top of ourother cameras and we could also handhold it to fill and illuminate subjects.”

Most of the production occurredduring daylight hours but McNeelyused the fixtures as fill lights on facesthat were in shadows and for theinteriors of lodges and sheds. “Onseveral occasions we used them tolight the aftermath of a late afternoonhunt to illuminate close ups of ananimal’s features,” he adds. “We choseto use the Sola ENG in certainsituations where we needed a powerful

yet portable light that puts out astronger beam,” he says. “Since it alsohas a dimmer knob, I could fine tunethe level of illumination. “I don’t knowwhat I did before Litepanels lights,” headmits. “They are versatile and can goanywhere due to their low powerconsumption, battery or AC operation,compact form and lightweight. Thelights have become an important partof our production team as we travel theplanet seeking high adventure andfilming events for our television series.”

Power problemsWhile in Africa, a region where

unusually high power surges aretypical, The Outdoorsman with BuckMcNeely crew experienced severeissues with power spikes. In oneincident, an extremely high powersurge caused a spike to break througha surge protector and incapacitated acharger. McNeely made contact withTony Niemeyer, the local Anton Bauerdealer, who immediately put him intouch with Neville Reid from LogicalCreations. Neville was able to repair thecharger but a few days later, anotherpower spike completely destroyed theunit. Tony once again came through,providing a loan-unit to ensure thatproduction would not be halted in anyway. “Anton/Bauer means reliability.From Tony [Niemeyer] to Neville [Reid]and the folks at the corporate office,Anton/Bauer comes through everytime,” says McNeely. “The Anton/Bauerteam helped us to overcome ourchallenges and put on a greatproduction…in fact, we may even haveenough footage for half a dozen newepisodes based on the content we shotin Africa. If not for Neville and Tony, thisexcursion would not have been nearlyas successful.”

23

We looked at all the optionsavailable to meet the increasingdemand in Cape Town for cost-

effective solutions,” says Heino Henning,Searle Street Post's creative director.“HIERO in combination with NUKE andResolve offered us the ideal alternative forbudgets that don’t include iQ andFlame.” Searle Street Post was the firstSouth African company to acquire HIEROfollowing its March 2012 release, puttingthem in good company alongsideinternational market leaders like TheMoving Picture Company (MPC), TheMill and Smoke & Mirrors. DaVinci is thename behind more televisioncommercials than any other gradingsystem, so Heino is also understandablyexcited about the addition of Resolve,

especially as Searle Street Post'sBaselight has been working around theclock.

“We’re now able to cater for bothends of the Cape Town market, offeringthem both the world-class talent,broadcast quality monitors, technicalbackup and service our clients havebecome accustomed to,” says Heino.“Clients can work with the artists of theirchoice, as the host of freelance talent inCape Town suits our collaborative modelextremely well.” Searle Street PostProduction combines the latesttechnology; integrated, tapelessworkflows; and experienced talent.Opened in April 2011, its facilities weredesigned with stereoscopic and HDworkflows in mind.

Searle Street Post is smoking with new Hiero suiteSearle Street Post has expanded its production pipeline with HIERO, The Foundry’s groundbreaking new onlineedit solution. The leading Cape Town post production facility is using HIERO to manage its workflow between twoother additions: NUKE, The Foundry’s award-winning compositing software, and DaVinci’s Resolve colour gradingsystem.

“We’re now able to cater for bothends of the Cape Town market, offeringthem both the world-class talent,broadcast quality monitors, technicalbackup and service our clients havebecome accustomed to,” says HeinoHenning, creative director at Searle StreetPost.

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MBC Group has been a leader inbroadcast technology andinnovation in the MENA region,

having made the transition to an entirelytapeless environment with file-basedworkflows in its programming area in2010. BFE has worked with MBC Groupas their partner of choice throughout thetapeless conversion and also helpedplan for the transition from SD to HD.BFE also assisted in defining the newworkflows, processes and requirementsfor the centralized MAM.

Rigourous evaluationDalet Media Life was selected as

the programming MAM for the group’sten TV channels after a rigorous RFPevaluation process that included an on-site proof of concept at MBC’s Dubaiheadquarters. Dalet Media Life includesan open, robust and flexible asset

management platform that unifiesdisparate systems into an integratedworkflow that streamlines programpreparation and facilitates contentdelivery to broadcast and otherdistribution outlets. At MBC Dalet willintegrate with several systems includingHarris Broadcast Master for schedulingand SGL for archiving.

Seamless workflow “The openness of the Dalet

solution was a very important aspect ofthis project,“ says Jürgen Loos, Directorof Sales for BFE, “Dalet Media Life actsas the structural “glue” betweendifferent systems to create a trulyseamless workflow with metadatamanagement throughout the entireproduction and broadcast chain.“

The Dalet MAM platform tracksmedia, metadata and essences

throughout their lifecycle. Assets can bereadily searched and retrieved. Evencontent from archives can easily berestored to production use. Media Lifealso has fully integrated, task-specifictools that improve productivitythroughout the digital production chain.These include tools for contentmanipulation and program prep, suchas ingest, QC, subtitling, andcaptioning.

MBC selects Dalet Media Life for MAM solution Dubai’s MBC Group has selected BFE as integrator for the deployment of the Dalet Media Life Media AssetManagement platform that will manage their multi-channel programming content and archives.

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The SPGs are part of the ministry'sprogramme to upgrade SaudiTelevision to HD, and were

purchased and installed throughleading systems integrator First GulfCompany.

Three of the six were for a studioupgrade project being run by First Gulf.Existing standard definition studioshave been completely re-equipped withthe latest HD equipment, with TrilogyMentor SPGs providing the mastertiming reference in each studio. Allthree studios have been on air sinceDecember 2011. The second batchhave been ordered for three new hybridHD SNG and outside broadcast units,being built by First Gulf. These areprimarily news-gathering vehicles buteach has the capacity to control up tofive cameras, so can also be used forsmaller live productions from locationsaround the Kingdom. Again, eachcarries a Trilogy Mentor SPG as thesource of reference timing. "Trilogy

systems have been in successfuloperation at Saudi TV for more than adecade now," said Orlando Castro,broadcast systems manager at FirstGulf Company. "Their intercoms have anexcellent reputation in the region, andwhen we proposed Trilogy SPGs toSaudi TV for these two projects theywere happy to accept them."

Successful operation"This is a great order for us,"

added Barry Spencer, General Manager,of Trilogy. "A good SPG should be a fitand forget piece of equipment, but thatmeans it has to be absolutely reliable:without it the whole system stops. Thatis the design philosophy behind the

Mentor XL, and we are delighted thatour friends at First Gulf Company, withwhom we have worked on manyprojects, have recognised this security,simplicity and reliability." Designed tosatisfy the demands of criticalbroadcast installations, including mixedanalogue and digital, standarddefinition and HD installations, including3Gb/s 1080p, Mentor XL is the mostsophisticated and reliable masterreference generator available. Itsinnovative architecture avoids the needfor numerous options boards or factoryupgrades by implementing features insoftware and upgrading over IP, thusmaking it future-proof as well asenhancing reliability.

Saudi TV synchronises with TrilogyThe Ministry of Culture and Information in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has ordered six Mentor XL master referencesync pulse generators from Trilogy Broadcast.

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The first system was installedat the Royal ExclusiveManagement Meeting Hall(Prince Mohammad Bin NasirBin Abdul Aziz Al Saud,

Ministry of Interior Government ofJazan). AME was invited to tender for aconference system and, having everyconfidence in the Sennheiser ADNsystem, the company’s generalmanager Moammar Al Harbi requestedthat they be allowed to arrange ademonstration. “We were given thechance to demonstrate the equipmentand the client was so impressed that,after the demo, the ADN system wasthe only one he wanted,” says AlHarbi. “It was a true case of theequipment proving itself to make thesale much easier for us.”

Excellent sound qualityDesigned and supervised by

engineer Javaid Iqbal, the systemcomprised one central control unit, onechairperson unit, 40 delegate units and41 earpieces. Also included in thesystem were three G3 wirelesshandheld microphones, with the entiresystem featuring PC monitoring.

“The client was very pleased withthe sound quality and completelysatisfied with the overall system,” saysAl Harbi. “The fact that the system canbe improved by software upgradeswas also much appreciated,particularly the ability to record directto USB stick or hard drive.”

The recording feature wasincluded in the latest ADN FeatureRelease II firmware upgrade, whichalso included other enhancementssuch as adjustable feedbacksuppression and a new push-to-talkmode.

Versatile and practicalThe second system has been

installed at the Dar Al ImanIntercontinental hotel in Madinah andfeatures a control unit, one chairpersonunit and 20 delegate units, plus anumber of handheld microphones.“The hotel hosts meetings andconferences for a range of clients, sothey needed a system that could beused in different rooms, quickly andeasily setting it up each time,” says AlHarbi. “The hotel is very pleased withit, the recording facility again being akey function that they want to use.”

“We are very pleased that ADNsystems are being so widely adoptedin Saudi Arabia,” says SennheiserMiddle East Sales and MarketingManager Mig Cardamone. “It is acountry with a world class reputationfor having the best facilities for itsbusinesses and so it is reassuring thatADN is considered the best discussionsystem on the market.

“Despite launching ADN only lastyear, Feature Release II is the secondsuch firmware upgrade we havereleased to date and these updatesare available to download from ourwebsite free of charge for existingusers. This ongoing development givesour customers confidence that they areinvesting in a discussion system thatwill evolve with their needs, adding realvalue to their purchase.

“AME is spearheading theadoption of Sennheiser technology inthe region and we look forward toworking closely with Al Harbi and histeam on future projects.”

Sennheiser’s ADN conference system is proving a major success in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia nowboasting the highest number of installed systems in the world. Sennheiser Middle East recently supplied twofurther examples to prestigious Saudi venues, via Jeddah-based Abu Moammar Est (AME).

Sennheiser ADN conference systems enjoy Saudi success

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To meet not only the present butalso the future expectations ofits viewers, SuperSport recentlyinvested in a new HD outsidebroadcast truck: the OB6HD, a

high-end vehicle in every respect andone with exceptional capabilities, thanksto the lavish array of high-techequipment on board, not least amongwhich are its 28 high definition cameras.The design and implementation of theinstallation was the work of Sony PSE(Professional Solutions Europe) at theirpremises in Basingstoke (UK).SuperSport's new reference vehicle willbe used primarily for the livetransmission of sporting events. Adecisive role in the fulfillment of thismission is played by its communicationsequipment, and here SuperSport'sdecision-makers, together with SonySouth Africa, opted for a solution fromRTS/TELEX. The nerve-centre of theinstallation is a 144 x 144 AdvancedDigital Audio Matrix (ADAM) from RTSlinked to 29 KP12 CLD, eight KP32 CLDand six DKP16 CLD keypanels. 42 MCP-90-12 microphones, 52 headsets fromthe MH-300 and MH-402 series, as wellas three BTR-800 base stations, and 12TR-800 belt-packs secure

communications both inside the rollinghigh-tech control room and out. "Thecustomer and ourselves quickly agreedthat we wanted to use systems fromRTS/TELEX," explains Gerhard Strydom,Sony South Africa's Broadcast Sales andMarketing Manager. "The quality of theirproducts is exceptional! You can relyone hundred per cent on their systems,which in the world of outside

broadcasting is the paramountconsideration – after all, replacing anintercom system is hardly as simple aschanging a tire. By the same token,RTS/TELEX's after sales support isequally excellent!"

Passed with flying coloursOB6HD has already passed its first

tests with flying colors as PrishenGovender, Unit Supervisor OB6HD,Supersport Outside Broadcast confirms:"The first impression of the RTS/TELEXCLD range at IBC 2010 was great. It hada slick and appealing look and somenifty new keypanel features. After ninemonths use of the ADAM frame andCLD keypanels, I believe thatRTS/TELEX have found a sweet spotbetween high end programming anduser friendliness in the OutsideBroadcast industry. Particularly theirRVON (voice over network) system is myfavorite as I use it on a daily basis.RTS/TELEX has certainly left a goodmark in OB6HD from an operation andtechnical perspective.” “So good”, addsStrydom “that SuperSport has alreadycommissioned Sony to equip its nexttruck, the OB4HD – again withequipment from RTS/TELEX."

SuperSport relies on RTS/TELEX in new OB truckWith no fewer than 24 channels, SuperSport is the leading sports broadcaster on the African continent. Itsprogramming, which can also be seen in neighboring sub-Saharan countries, includes sporting events from all overthe world, broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

AV 122.qxd 4/13/12 12:42 AM Page 27

Their trip was organized byKalahari Pictures and sponsoredby Dredd, an upcoming graphicnovel blockbuster adaptation,which shot in Cape Town and

Johannesburg with Kalahari at the end of2010. Dredd will be released worldwideon 21 September 2012. DNA Films’Andrew Macdonald, who producedDredd, said, “We had a great timeshooting in South Africa, so we werelooking for something to give back.”Dredd had already trained a significantnumber of South Africans through theskills transfer inherent in being CapeTown Film Studios’ first-ever productionand South Africa’s largest yet 3Dproduction. Dredd also trained learnersfrom The Film Industry LearnerMentorship Programme (F.I.L.M.) and TheCape Film Commission.

Creating opportunityKalahari Pictures’ Michael Murphey

suggested the Steadicam training toAndrew after being approached bySiyabonga Jim, an upcomingcinematographer who shot the 2012DSTV short film winner iBhayibhile (TheBible). Siyabonga had startedcorresponding with Garrett afterstruggling to find Steadicam trainingopportunities in South Africa or affordablecourses overseas. Siyabonga first triedon a German Steadicam operator’s rigwhile working as a F.I.L.M. camera traineeon the Cape Town set of The ThreeInvestigators and The Secret of TerrorCastle with Two Oceans Productions.“Ever since, Steadicam has always beensomething I wanted to do. There’s somuch stuff you are able to do with it youcan’t do on handheld or tracks. It allowsyou to emulate what a real person woulddo, the way they would look and walk, soit’s especially good for perspective andPOV,” says Siyabonga. “But there’s noSteadicam training available in SouthAfrica. I tried to speak to the existingSteadicam guys, but they aren’t so keenon training potential competitors, and thecourses overseas were too expensive.”Garrett offered scholarships to Siyabonga

and two other South Africans for a week-long intensive he was running forupcoming DOP Ben Richardson, who hadjust won Best Cinematography atSundance for Beasts of the SouthernWild, which also won the Grand JuryPrize. Chris Fawcett, an Irish Steadicamoperator living in Amsterdam, volunteeredas an additional instructor for the week.Expat South Africans like Chris Haarhoff(Fight Club, Bridesmaids) and Andrew

Rowlands (Gangs of New York, TheFighter) are among the best Steadicamoperators in America, but there’s ashortage locally. “The handful we haveare all white and male,” says Michael, “soit’s great we could send three talentedand deserving South Africans. It shouldchange their role in the South African filmindustry and change the South Africanfilm industry.”

Best job in the businessGarrett was the Steadicam operator

on nearly 100 films, including Rocky, TheShining and Star Wars: Return of theJedi. He calls being a Steadicamoperator “one of the best jobs in thebusiness” and now runs workshopsacross five continents, with an impressivelist of past pupils that includes Oscarwinners like Anthony Dod Mantle, whoshot Dredd. Garrett invented theSteadicam 37 years ago. “I was sure itwould be replaced by a black boxstabiliser, so I expected to have to moveon long ago, but it’s still growing. It’s aninvention that barely does anything byitself but the reason for its continuedsuccess is that it isn’t just a camerastabilizer. Stability programs in cameraswill never allow you to hold the camera

Dredd helps South Africans train with Steadicam inventor Garrett BrownThree South Africans - Georgia Court, Naguib Fredericks and Siyabonga Jim – recently spent a week in Americahosted by Garrett Brown, the Oscar and Emmy-winning inventor of the Steadicam.

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ith wn

elegantly – they simply stabilize vibration.The Steadicam is an elegant way to holdan object and dance with it.” Hecompares the Steadicam to the violin.“It’s an instrument that requires a giftedhuman who knows what they’re doing,”he says. When people know how to useit, Garret believes the Steadicam isinvaluable. “It allows you to perform akind of ballet that’s difficult for dollypushers who are constrained bygeometric considerations. The Steadicammeans we can put the lens through anyFrench curve. It can be very human orrigid or mechanical; it can boom, or actas punctuation, or be subtle andsubservient.”

Before the trip, Georgia, Naguiband Siyabonga were given copies of TheSteadicam Operator’s Handbook, writtenby Jerry Holway, but the actual training atGarrett’s farm outside Philadelphia washands-on rather than just theoretical. TheSouth Africans took turns to act in front ofthe camera while the others operated.Garrett also drove them around the farmto teach vehicle shots. “It was almost24/7,” says Garrett. “They expended anawful lot of energy here.”

Unbelievable experienceFor Siyabonga, the biggest

inspiration was just meeting Garrett. “Heinvented the Steadicam and was the firstguy to operate it, and now it’s theSteadicam!” Georgia agrees. “It was anunbelievable experience and one I willcherish forever. The inspiration fromeveryone, not least of all Siya andNaguib, has given me renewed strengthto continue the work I love, to strive to beexcellent at my craft and to remember todream.”

Garrett focuses on teaching fourthings at every Steadicam workshop. Inascending order of difficulty, he saysthese are:• The physics of Steadicam (how and

why it works)• The physical manipulation of the

Steadicam• How do you get the shot? Tips, tricks

and lore from over 35 years on set• The politics of being a Steadicam

operator

Politics of steadicam operation“Steadicam is a highly visible job,”

says Garrett. “How do you do your job ina way they want you back? How do youget the director to shoot another take,without blaming yourself or anyone elsefor not getting the shot? How do you geta famous actor to do what is neededwhile thinking the solution was his idea?

The politics of being a Steadicamoperator is the most complex andimportant area of all.”

That’s why Garrett looks as much atpersonality as skills when identifyingpotential Steadicam operators. “I look fora congenial personality and a degree ofcircumspection,” he says. “These daysyou need to look for someone who canput up with a great deal of abuse fromthe bean-counters and still beenthusiastic after working 14 hours.”

Garrett says Steadicam is both“extremely delicate and very muscular atthe same time, like being obliged to playthe piano while you are moving thepiano.”

The myth of strengthBut he says it’s a myth that

Steadicam operators need to bemuscular men. “It’s not so much aboutbeing able to carry the weight, especiallythese days. It’s the balance. The bigblokes are often the ones who strugglethe most, while the women often get itfastest. It’s like your first horseback ride –somebody big and strong will find thatevery muscle hurts afterwards, becausethey’re using muscles they shouldn’t beusing and are trying to do it with strength,where as old men can ride with thecorrect technique and not feel a thing thenext day.” He believes the moreSteadicam operators there are, the better.“If there was only one violinist, they wouldbe in a circus,” Garrett says. “If there area million, the best get a long black limo.”

He’s still inventing. Garrett jokinglyallowed that his latest invention is 70 feetlong and you can’t smoke near it. He also

recently introduced the Tango, a craneaccessory to Steadicam that provideslong-sought floor-to-ceiling boom rangewith lateral reach, full stability, intuitivecontrol and simple, economicalconstruction. He’s believes Steadicamrigs will continue to play a key role in thefuture, whether people are shooting oniPhones or 3D rigs. “Digital is here andwe’ll have little 4k cameras before youknow it but they will all still need to bemoved well. It’s really your sensibility andyour art that will count more than ever.”

Garrett was one half of Two Voices,the well-known ad-lib duo on radio forMolson and American Express. Althoughhe’s never shot in South Africa, Garrettcame here once just after democracy “tohelp teach South African radio writershow to be funny.” Considering that wenow regularly win Radio Grand Prixs atCannes Lions, don’t be surprised to seeSteadicam become one of South Africa’snew areas of expertise.

Best workshop of allGarrett’s certainly impressed with

his first intake. “This was the bestworkshop of all,” he says. “I ended upliking them all a lot. They’re all deadlyserious about their craft, quiteadventurous and physically skillful, withstrong ideas about movies. Learning toplay this instrument is a lifelong task – I’mstill learning – but these guys got veryclose even in one week. They may nothave years of experience yet to fall backon, but they will do great right out of thebox. I would hire any one of them, aslong as they didn’t have to get it on thefirst take. They’re off to a great start.”

Steadicam inventor Garret Brown compares the Steadicam to the violin. “It’s an instrumentthat requires a gifted human who knows what they’re doing,” he says.

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SACIA has defined a primaryrequirement to promote theaudio-visual industry sector asattractive to school leavers andyoung graduates. “The

broadcast and professional AV industry inAfrica is able to provide a wide range ofopportunities for young people,” saysSACIA executive director Kevan Jones.“From content creation to managementand delivery, there’s a skills shortage inalmost every facet of our industry.” Inorder to attract more school leavers to theAV marketplace, SACIA has established atask group to develop an ‘AV career pack’that can be used by parents and teacherswanting to highlight career opportunities.“Many schools host a career day and weenvisage the pack will provide parents andteachers with the tools they need toexplain what the AV industry is all about,”says Kevan. “The pack will include video,a Powerpoint template and print materialthat looks at the broad range of jobs that

are available in our industry. It’ll alsoinclude information about careerdevelopment and issues relating to thelong-term sustainability of our market.”

Adult educationThe Association is also focussed on

adult education, particularly for peoplewho are already involved in the AVindustry and are looking to acquire skillsthat will move them along the corporateladder. “For the last few years we’vedelivered the InfoComm CTS trainingprogramme in South Africa and last year,we added a number of new trainingcourses delivered in association with theInternational Association of BroadcastingManufacturers,” says Kevan. “In addition,we provide access to a number of onlineclasses through our Class-On-Demandprogramme. There are plenty of additionaltraining opportunities in the market soanybody who’s looking to enhance theircareer prospects is able to participate intraining programmes that are comparablewith the best training available anywhereelse in the world.”

Black-owned businessThe Association has placed special

emphasis on the development of black-owned business within the AV market-space and is working closely with the SASupplier Diversity Council to help fosterbroad-based competencies. “Supplierdiversity is the active business process ofsourcing products and services frompreviously under-used suppliers,” explainsthe SASDC’s Gary Joseph. “This processhelps to sustainably and progressivelytransform a corporation's supply chain toreflect the demographics of the society inwhich it operates. In South Africa, itinvolves the process of integrating agrowing pool of competitive blacksuppliers into corporate supply chains,using targeted procurement andenterprise development to achieve this.”Working in partnership with the SASDCand other sponsors, SACIA will providebursaries to black-owned and managedbusiness wanting to upgrade their skillset

and prove their competence throughindependent certification. This process isfully supported by many of the country'slargest purchasers of AV equipment,including the South African Government,represented by the State IT Agency (SITA)."When identifying potential suppliers of AVtechnology for state contracts we want toensure that anyone short-listed has thetechnical skill to install, support andmaintain the equipment purchased," saysSITA's Izak de Villiers. Izak is the author ofSITA's Tender Specification 431 whichdefines the criteria used to identifyappropriate suppliers of AV technologyand solutions for government and state-owned enterprises. "For us, the mosteffective mechanism is to identifysuppliers that can prove their competencethrough an industry-recognisedcertification programme. Since SACIA'straining programmes are geared towardsproducing more competent suppliers ofAV equipment, we fully support theseinitiatives. The new bursary scheme forblack-owned businesses should go a longway towards empowering serviceproviders in under-represented sectors of

It’s not just schools that need help in delivering education to the masses. In the broadcast and professional AVindustry, consistent feedback from SACIA members over the last three years indicates that a shortage of skilledtechnical and business professionals is hampering growth and limiting our opportunity to develop as a first-worldmarket.

What is SACIA doing to help develop skills in the AV industry?

In order to attract more school leavers tothe AV marketplace, SACIA has establisheda task group to develop an ‘AV career pack’that can be used by parents and teacherswanting to highlight career opportunities.“Many schools host a career day and weenvisage the pack will provide parents andteachers with the tools they need to explainwhat the AV industry is all about,” saysKevan Jones CTS, executive director ofSACIA.

"When identifying potential suppliers of AVtechnology for state contracts we want toensure that anyone short-listed has thetechnical skill to install, support andmaintain the equipment purchased," saysSITA's Izak de Villiers.

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the AV market. In future, the bursaryscheme should allow Government toselect from a wider range of skilledsuppliers offering AV products andservices."

Funding is requiredDespite all this enthusiasm, Kevan is

quick to point out that these initiatives areentirely dependent on funding fromindustry partners who are prepared tocontribute time, money and resources tothe Association. He echoes Paul Fick’sconclusion in the article titled CorporateSocial Investment holds the key foreducation in South Africa (see page 32).“Government has a roadmap for jobcreation and the adoption of professionalstandards in the market place, but thisroadmap must be augmented bycorporate efforts. If the AV industry isgoing to take a leading role in thisprocess, corporates and business need tostep up to the plate and spend their CSImoney wisely, investing not only inlearners but in their future employees andin the economy as a whole.” Theseopportunities will be discussed at the nextSACIA meeting in May 2012. The meetingwill include a presentation by the SASDC’sGary Joseph and is open to all AVprofessionals.

Harris has received an order from Jordan Radio and Television (JRTV), the state broadcaster in Jordan, for acomplete digital file-based news production, archive and continuity playout solution.

Jordan TV selects Harris playout and archive solution

Based out of the broadcaster’sheadquarters in Amman, thisnew facility is expected to roll

out three new channels in late 2012.The complete high-definition, file-based solution will support JRTV’scurrent advanced media workflows andenable future upgrades to supporthigh-bandwidth HDTV operations.“This Harris system will replace anaging analogue transmission and tape-based news infrastructure that hasbeen in place for more than 26 years,”said Ramadan Al Rawashdeh, directorgeneral of Jordan Radio and TelevisionCorporation. “The new infrastructurewill enable us to launch three new HDchannels — with a capability toincrease to five channels asrequirements demand — that serve theneeds of our Arabic-speaking andmulti-lingual viewers in Jordan and

beyond.” The integrated Harris solutionincludes Invenio media assetmanagement, ADC playout automationand NEXIO servers to streamlinecontent ingest, management andrestoration from storage. JRTV willincorporate the Harris NewsForcesolution to enhance programturnaround time in news production. A Harris Platinum router will manage

facility-wide signal distribution, and

Harris master control and high-definition channel branding systemswill enhance the on-air look across allthree channels.

“The Harris broadcast solution willallow us to easily manage a complexend-to-end workflow at JordanTelevision studios - and provideextensive cost efficiencies and future-proofing across the entire facility,” saidSufian Al Nabulsi, director ofengineering administration at JordanRadio and Television. “The MiddleEast-based Harris support andsolutions team has worked in closecollaboration with our technical team toprovide the assistance we need toensure smooth implementation.” TheHarris solution at JRTV will be supplieddirectly by Harris with the support oflocal Jordanian dealer May ElectricalEngineering.

The history of the current frameworkfor education in South Africa traces itsorigins back to the trade union movementin the 1970s and 1980s. In this era, thedemands of employees for a living wagewere repeatedly rejected by employers onthe grounds that workers were unskilledand therefore their demands wereunjustified. Skills development wastherefore seen by workers as a means ofachieving their demands for betterwages. The skills shortage in South Africa

has been identified as one of the mainimpediments to reaching the statedeconomic growth targets of theGovernment. The South AfricanQualifications Authority Act (No. 58 of1995) was passed into law in October1995. The Act prescribed theestablishment of, amongst others, theSouth African Qualifications Authority(SAQA), the National QualificationsFramework (NQF) and the SectoralEducation and Training Authorities(SETAs). The two acts that currentlyregulate skills development in SouthAfrica and the payment of levies are theSkills Development Act (No. 97 of 1998)(as amended) and the Skills DevelopmentLevy Act (No. 9 of 1999). The NationalSkills Development Strategy (NSDS)guides the activities of the SETAs andother skills development bodies.

While the national and provincialDepartments of Labour remain the maindrivers of skills development in SouthAfrica, mostly as a result of the history ofthe initiative, there is also closecooperation with the Department ofEducation and other Governmentdepartments and institutions.

History of skills development in South Africa

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Decreasing the national passrequirements will not solvethis problem and it has a‘knock on’ effect asmatriculants face the

challenge of obtaining universityentrances. Even when they do ‘make thegrade’, the gap between school anduniversity standards becomes apparent,making it more difficult to pass. Action isrequired from corporate South Africa toassist government in its efforts to improvethe level of education in South Africa.Corporates need to start thinking andinvesting in their future workforce toensure that South Africa as a nationremains globally competitive.

Sense of prideThis means raising the bar and re-

instilling a sense of pride in learning andan attitude of excellence. Corporate SouthAfrica also needs to start equipping theyouth with the tools for a better education.These tools are not only to assist incombating unemployment, but also toensure that more competent graduatesare employed to strengthen our economy.Technology solutions are key enablers ofthese sought after outcomes. However,government alone cannot meet theeducational needs of our future leaders.Corporate South Africa has to becomemore involved. Incorporating investmentinto education technology into anorganisation’s CSI initiatives is not onlyvital for improving education, it alsobenefits organisations directly as they canbe assured of more qualified, betterprepared future employees. However,

Education in South Africa today is fraught with challenges. Teachers and learners struggle due to limitedresources and tools, resulting in a general falling of standards.

Corporate Social Investment holdsthe key for education

Jasco's Paul Fick looks at how corporatesponsorship can accelerate the delivery oflearning programmes to students of allages.

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simply donating money is no longerenough. Education technology initiativesneed to be carefully planned by specialists,applied correctly within schools, andaccompanied by continuous teachertraining initiatives to empower educators toembrace new methods of teaching andinspire learners to further their education.Although there are ongoing efforts toincorporate technology into schools, whatis lacking is a solution that is specificallydesigned for educational facilities. TheCritical Links Education Appliance is theworld’s first purpose-built education server,a ‘school in a box’ that enables up to 3000students to be connected on a singleserver and delivers an enrichingeducational experience with one-on-one e-learning to develop skills in the 21stcentury.

Holistic solutionAs a holistic solution, the Education

Appliance addresses planning andimplementation challenges, since all of thetools that are needed are built in to thecentral server and students and teachersneed only a basic end-point device toaccess this. The rugged Classmate PCsthat are part of this solution have beendesigned to withstand the tough schoolenvironment: they are spill resistant and

highly robust. Intricate security has alsobeen incorporated into the laptop styledevices to ensure that should the devicesget stolen they can be rendered useless,making them unable to be sold, which willprevent the massive losses due to theft.The Education Appliance, together withstimulating customised educational contentdeveloped by local partner LearnThings,offers a complete interactive learningsolution that engages and empowerslearners.

Cost effective education The Education Appliance is also a

cost effective solution that enables anyclassroom to become a computer labquickly and easily with a centralisedadministration facility that enables all sitesto be remotely managed for ease ofmaintenance. For a minimal investment anycorporate can deliver a full ‘classroom in abox’ complete with server, 30 ClassmatePCs and WiFi connectivity. The server canalso be linked into any existing computersthe school may have, so the GSOP fundeddevices if still available, will not be awasted investment. All the requiredinfrastructure functionality is integrated intoa single appliance, combining modernlearning techniques with smart technologyto help both students and teachers

overcome their fears of computers. TheEducation Appliance lets teachers createdynamic, up to date lessons and allowslearners to have convenient 24-houraccess to learning resources.

Corporate sponsorshipGetting the necessary technology

into schools is of the utmost importance,and it is up to corporates of all sizes to getinvolved to ensure future success forstudents and business. By sponsoring aclassroom, with hardware such as theEducation Appliance as well as teachertraining to bring them up to speed with21st century techniques and devicesmeans businesses can help schools toaccess technology and teachers tobecome more passionate, inspiringlearners to partake in their education andtheir future.

Government has a roadmap for theimplementation of ICT in schools, but thismust be augmented by corporate efforts.The process needs to be sped along ifeducation in South Africa is to beimproved, and in order to do this,corporates and business need to step upto the plate and spend their CSI moneywisely, investing not only in learners but intheir future employees and in the economyas a whole.

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The aspirations of the new club – as isevident from its decor, ambience,lighting and sound systems – are of

the highest order. The sound system wasinstalled by Audio Visual EngineeringKenya, the Dynacord distributor in East,West and Central Africa. Based some 500miles away in Nairobi, the soundspecialists from AVE opted for a Dynacordsolution based around the D-Lite seriesfor a number of reasons: "Dynacordenjoys an excellent reputation in theindustry based on countless prestigereferences that include some of thelargest and best clubs in the world,"explains AVE's Omar Abdalla. "Dynacordsolutions point the way forward." In view ofthe size of the club, a solution wasneeded in which the enclosures wererelatively compact yet capable ofdelivering powerful but transparent sound

and homogeneous coverage. "TheDynacord D-Lite system was thereforeideally suited," adds Abdalla. "Not only isit top notch in terms of sound quality, butit also provided the ideal complement tothe visual aesthetic of the club." Toprovide the best possible coverage, OmarAbdalla and his team installed four D-LiteD12W 12" two-way loudspeakers, twoDynacord Sub 118 subwoofers, and fourDynacord D8W 8" two-way loudspeakers

for each of the club’s two dance floors.Omar Abdalla is a special fan of the D-Lite D12W cabinets. "They deliver a linearfrequency response, powerful and naturalsound reproduction, and crystal-clearresolution throughout their entirefrequency range. For this reason, theyrepresent the ideal solution for the mostdistinguished clubs, of which the K-Club iscertainly one." The installation alsofeatures two Dynacord D 8A DJ monitors,two Dynacord DSP 260 sound systemmanagers, and a variety of poweramplifiers. "I never compromise onquality," explains the K-Club's ManagingDirector, Emile Mulego. "We investedheavily in importing most of theequipment, in the renovation of thebuilding, and in the artistic design of theclub, giving it a new look that greatlyenhances our guests’ experience here."

Rwanda's nightlife enhanced by K-Club and DynacordRwanda's nightlife has been the richer in recent weeks for a new attraction: an exclusive new discotheque, the K-Club, opened in Kigali's Brima Business Centre that opened during February. The new hotspot features twostylishly furnished bars with dance floors, as well as several lounge areas.

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Responding to demand for high-quality equipment forschools on a budget, Epson has announced its affordableshort-throw projector range: EB-435W, EB-425W, EB-430 andEB-420. The projectors can be mounted 72cm from the screenfor a high-quality, 178cm picture with fewer shadows, makingthem the perfect partners for schools’ existing interactivewhiteboards. Powered by 3LCD technology, the short-throwrange achieves accurate colour reproduction, important ineducation for natural-looking flags, maps and diagrams. A highWhite and Colour Light Output of up to 3,000 lumens assures aclear picture, even in daylight, while a contrast ratio of 3,000:1delivers sharp detail. Teachers can captivate the class byshowing 3D objects close-up with the optional Epson ELP-DC06 USB document camera, or create engaging interactivepresentations by connecting the optional Epson ELP-IU03interactive module. Offering an alternative to interactivewhiteboards, the module works with the projector to make anysurface interactive, and comes with a digital pen for creatingand saving notes.

High-quality education projectors

Extron announces two-outputHDMI distribution amplifier

Extron Electronics is pleased to introduce the HDMI DA2,a one input, two output distribution amplifier for HDMI videoand embedded multi-channel digital audio. The HDMI DA2supports HDMI specification features including data rates up to6.75 Gbps, Deep Colour up to 12-bit, 3D, Lip Sync, and HDlossless audio formats. This HDCP-compliant distributionamplifier supports all HDTV rates including 1080p/60 and PCresolutions up to 1920x1200. It features two Extron-exclusivetechnologies: EDID Minder, which maintains continuous EDIDcommunication between connected devices; and Key Minder,which authenticates and maintains continuous HDCPencryption between input and output devices. The compactHDMI DA2 is ideal for applications that require the distributionof an HDMI source signal to two displays.

SMART has announced a no-charge upgrade enablingfour-touch interactivity on its education line of the SMART Board800 series interactive whiteboard and the SMART Board 8070iinteractive display. For use with SMART Notebook collaborativelearning software, four-touch interactivity will be available on allshipping 800 series interactive whiteboards and 8070iinteractive displays. Additionally, customers with existinginteractive whiteboards and displays can upgrade to this featureat no cost and with no additional hardware. The 800 seriesinteractive whiteboard and the 8070i interactive display supportmulti-user writing and common multi-touch gestures currentlyrecognized in Microsoft Windows 7 and Mac Snow Leopardoperating systems. The four-touch functionality will increaseopportunities for collaboration by giving students more hands-on time at the interactive whiteboard or display.

Tools for the USB RevolutionWith Vaddio's EasyUSB tools you now have Pro AV

quality computer peripherals you need to transform yourpersonal computer into an effective, affordable meeting roomsystem. Whether you are looking to design a smallvideoconferencing system or a large integrated lecture captureclassroom, Vaddio gives you the tools you need to make yoursoftware applications work in a real world AV environment.“Until now, audio and video products designed to work with acomputer have produced fairly low-quality sound and images,”explained Rob Sheeley, President of Vaddio. “We wanted tocreate a new standard for computer peripherals based onprofessional AV quality performance. We believe we havedelivered just that with our new line of EasyUSB products. Nowyou can build an enterprise-quality videoconferencing systemwith affordable soft codecs like Microsoft Lync, Skype orGoogle Talk.”

SMART Board 800 for Education

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Ultra-bright digital signage display from NEC

NEC has announced the launch of the MultisyncX462HB, a 46-inch LCD public display designed for highbrightness environments such as lobbies, public spaces,outdoor events and quick service restaurants. With a maximumbrightness value of 1,500 cd/m2 the X462HB, combined withthe high-definition 1080p resolution and large viewing area,offers easy readability even in sun-flooded buildings, and theambient light sensor ensures that the brightness isautomatically adjusted as the light conditions change. Thedisplay is also equipped with a special quarter-lambdapolarising filter, which enables owners of polarised glasses toview the content on the screen regardless if the display ismounted in portrait or landscape orientation. As a member ofNEC’s X Series range of public displays, the MultiSync X462HBalso includes all the features a user would expect from therange, including a professional-grade LCD panel withadvanced thermal protection and sealed panel design to copewith the rugged environments and 24/7 operation required forthe digital signage industry.

Panasonic has announced the PT-DZ770K projector with7,000 lumens of brightness and Full-HD ready WUXGA (1,920x 1,200) resolution. In addition to vivid picture quality, theprojector offers easy maintenance, 24/7 durability andinstallation flexibility. The PT-DZ770K joins Panasonic’spopular line of dual lamp 1-chip DLP projectors, the D6000Series, offering high resolution and brightness and meeting abroader range of usage environments including conferencerooms, control rooms and environments requiring higherresolution images. With WUXGA resolution and a contrastratio of 2,500:1, the PT-DZ770K delivers a sharp pictureenhanced by Panasonic’s proprietary RGB Booster, DetailClarity Processor, and System Daylight View 2 functions. TheRGB Booster ensures high image quality with outstandingcolour reproduction and brightness by changing the lampintensity in relation to each colour wheel segment. DetailClarity Processor embellishes fine details to utilise theadvantages of WUXGA resolution, while the PT-DZ770K alsooffers a variety of preset picture modes including Rec.709mode, ideal for broadcast/film classes, and DICOMSimulation mode, for viewing X-ray graphics, MRIs, and CTscans during medical conferences.

Panasonic reveals 7,000 lumens,dual lamp DLP projector

Sharp has announced the launch of its 80-inch touch-panel display to further enhances their reputation as a worldleader in large-screen interactive touch-panel displaysystems. The 80-inch panel combines a high-performanceinteractive display with a well-designed, comprehensivesystem for uniquely collaborative sessions – and continues toset a new standard in price-performance for touch-screendisplays. This latest addition to Sharp’s evolving family ofstate-of-the-art large panel touch-screen displayscompliments the existing 60-inch (60 1/32” diagonal) and 70-inch (69-1/2" diagonal) models, allowing organizations tooperate in a visual and truly collaborative way, creating adynamic and interactive workplace experience. “Similar towhat our innovative and industry-leading large-screen TVs aredoing for the home, Sharp’s large-screen interactive touch-panel display systems are revolutionizing the workplace,” saidTomoo Shimizu, Director of the Business Solutions division atSharp Middle East. “The 80-inch unit provides endlesscollaboration, information and entertainment options and is awelcome addition to Sharp’s family of solutions designed toimprove our workplace lives.”

Sharp expands line-up with 80-Inch display

Robe launch five new products

Robe have launched fiveinnovative new LED basedproducts at this year’s Prolight+ Sound exhibition in Frankfurt.These are all in Robe’s eco-conscious ROBIN range - with

the emphasis on smaller,brighter, lighter and utilisinggenuinely more energy efficienttechnologies - underliningRobe’s “Think of the Future –consider Nature” initiative.Amongst these is the eagerlyawaited Robin 100 LEDBeam;small, hugely bright and super-light at just 4.4 Kgs – almosthandbag sized! The LEDs arecontrollable in three zones – tophalf, bottom half, and middle –for producing eye-candyeffects, zone strobing andcolour chasing. It has a nicetight beam angle of 7 degrees –making it excellent for high-impact concentrated, collimatedeffects.

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The local market has wasted no time in affirmingChristie’s belief in the strength and relevance of its new JSeries projectors. When designing the J Series, which marksthe next generation of its 3-chip DLP Xenon platform, Christieset out to target a variety of applications within the rentalstaging and fixed install markets - as well as the advancedvisualisation segment - by making the products available inthree resolutions, SXGA+, HD and WUXGA.

The new J Series replaces the existing Christie Roadsterand Mirage 3-chip DLP Xenon models and offers the flexibilityfor customers to continue using existing Xenon productaccessories - lamps, stacking mounts and lenses - as well asnewer M Series input cards and lens accessories. Newfeatures include WUXGA resolution in a Xenon projector andembedded Christie Twist that allows for image warping (withoutthe need to purchase additional electronics cards), plusIntelligent Lens System (ILS), edge blending and colour-matching capabilities.

Christie J series tipped for success

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Digital Projection International (DPI) has announceda bold expansion of their E-Vision series, the newestplatform in their high-brightness, high-value projection line.DPI’s new E-Vision WUXGA-8000 introduces advanceddisplay features such as integrated image Warp & Blendand Lens Memory to the E-Vision series. The new modelsalso deliver higher brightness capabilities, as well ashigher resolution. With numerous lens options, userswappable colour wheels and advanced colour controls,the DLP-driven E-Vision WUXGA-8000 continues DPI’slegacy of creating powerful, capable and efficient displaysfor every commercial application imaginable. Producingup to 8,000 lumens while weighing in at less than 53 lbs.,the dual-lamp E-Vision WUXGA-8000 employs the latest inTexas Instruments’ 1920 x 1200 dark metal DLPtechnology.

New high-brightness projectorsfrom Digital Projection

The new central controlunit (CCU) from Bosch allowsboth wired and wirelessdelegate units to beintegrated in one system,facilitating easy extension ofDCN Next Generationsystems to meet changing

needs, simply by adding DCNwireless discussion units. Justone CCU is capable ofcontrolling up to 245 wiredand 245 wireless delegateunits. What's more, anEthernet connection to thecontrol PC offers a method ofbridging greater distancesthan the former RS 232connection (maximum 15meters) without the need forconverters. Bosch has alsoincreased the number ofsystem trunk outputs on theCCU from two to three toprovide greater flexibility inconnecting wired delegateunits.

Microsoft and Samsung unveilnext generation of Surface

Samsung and Microsoft have unveiled the nextgeneration of the Microsoft Surface experience featuringPixelSense technology, which gives LCD panels the power tosee without the use of cameras. Building from the innovation ofthe first version of Microsoft Surface and Samsung’s leadingdisplay technology, it is now possible for people to share,collaborate and explore together using a large, thin display thatrecognizes fingers, hands and other objects placed on thescreen. The Samsung SUR40 has been launched in 23countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar andthe United Arab Emirates. “Microsoft continues to innovate invision-based interaction and software designed for touch. Withthe introduction of the next generation of Surface, usingPixelSense technology, we’ll bring more tables and walls to lifewith amazing natural experiences for people to enjoy together,”said Panos Panay, general manager, Microsoft Surface.

New DCN conference control unit from Bosch

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Tannoy has unveiled its brand new VLS Series passivecolumn array loudspeaker system incorporating FAST(Focussed Asymmetrical Shaping Technology).

Comprising of 3 models, the new VLS Series represents awelcome addition to Tannoy’s product range in the columnarray loudspeaker segment, augmenting its already strongoffering to the so-called ‘architectural audio’ market – wheremaximum intelligibility and minimum aesthetic impact are thedriving concerns. Building upon the proven commercialsuccess of its flagship QFlex self-powered steerable arraysystem, VLS Series offers AV contractors and consultants analternative solution in the shape of a passive device offeringbalance of performance and cost, when active beam-steeringmay neither be required nor affordable.

Tannoy architectural audio with VLS series

Chief has added to its award-winning Short Throwprojector mount series with the addition of their all-new WP2Series – a new unit that provides flexibility, strength andprecision when mounting short throw projectors. Engineeredwith installer-friendly features, the new solution makesachieving ideal placement and alignment easy. Precisionadjustment is made possible through micro levelling andlateral shift capabilities, and variable extension allows themount to slide along the arm for infinite projector placement.Adding to the level of flexibility, the WP2 Series can bemounted to a variety of surfaces – concrete, block wall, brick,dual wood or dual steel studs. Its integrated inlay-style cablemanagement conceals and protects cables for a clean finish.You can also customize an install by replacing the removablelogo card on the end cap of the mount with personalizedinformation. The WP2 Series is compatible with Chief’s RPA,Elite, RPA Mini and Elite Mini Series projector mounts, andalso supports wall-mounted long throw projectors.

Chief adds to Short Throwprojector mounts

WolfVision has developed a stunning 3D Ceiling visualizerprototype. Inspired by current trends in technology, this could verywell be the future of Visualizers in many training rooms andeducational centres around the world. WolfVision sees potentialfor professional Visualizer applications in 3D, in a diverse range ofapplications such as science and education, product design andengineering, medicine and telemedicine, and videoconferencing/telepresence. The prototype 3D Visualizer is equipped with twohigh precision premium quality lenses, which generate highquality images, which in turn are converted to 3D format inrealtime using the on-board stereoscopic mixer. 12X optical zoomcapability ensures that items of all sizes can be picked up quicklyand easily, and the synchronized lightfield which is projected ontothe working surface, means that it’s also easy to find correctpositioning for display materials.

WolfVision brings reality even closer

AOpen announces new All-in-One IPC

AOpen is proud to announce the WT22M-RH, the latestedition to AOpen’s Warm Touch product line. The WT22M-RH isan interactive ultra-slim 21.5” Multi Touch Panel PC with a LEDbacklit panel. It features the latest Intel Sandy Bridge mobileCPU’s and dual channel DDR3 memory support which allowsfor high definition 1080p interaction and Intel WiDi wirelessscreen sharing technology. The WT22M-RH also comes withIntel vPro and Intel AMT technology which allows for remotehardware and software diagnostics and maintenance. Ever seea digital signage board freeze or hang? The WT22M-RH doesnot have that problem with built in watchdog timers thattriggers a corrective action to recover from lockups which helpreduce the WT22M-RH’s total cost of ownership. Built in analuminium casing with dust and water resistant panels andbody, the WT22M-RH is designed to handle the rigors ofintense use in a variety of scenarios and applications.

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Alan Brawn to open SACIA ProAV Forum

Alan Brawn will deliver theopening address at the SACIAProAV Forum taking place atthe Misty Hills ConventionCentre in August. Alan is aprincipal of Brawn Consulting

in the USA; an audio visualand digital signage consulting,educational development, andmarket intelligence firm withnational exposure to majormanufacturers, distributors,and integrators. Brawn is anAV industry veteran withexperience spanning 3decades. He is a Director ofthe Digital Signage ExpertsGroup certifying professionalsin the digital signage industry,and the Chairman of theDigital Signage Federation. In2011 he was awarded thecoveted InfoComm Volunteerof the Year Award.

NAB to host breakfast seminar in South Africa

On 3 July the NationalAssociation of Broadcasters(NAB) will host a networkingbreakfast at the Balaliakahotel in Sandton. MargaretCassily, vice president ofinternational operations forthe NAB will talk about theNAB’s mission and goals inthe USA, as well as their rolein developing the broadcastindustry around the world.The NAB Show, held annuallyin Las Vegas, is the world'slargest electronic mediashow covering filmedentertainment and the

development, managementand delivery of contentacross all mediums. Withnearly 90,000 attendees from151 countries and more than1,500 exhibitors, the NABShow is the ultimatemarketplace for digital mediaand entertainment. Fromcreation to consumption,across multiple platforms andcountless nationalities, theNAB Show is home to thesolutions that transcendtraditional broadcasting andembrace content delivery tonew screens in new ways.

Association of Christian Media conference

The Association of ChristianBroadcasters has changed itsname to the Association ofChristian Media in order toreflect it’s expanding role inthe South African market.They’ve also announced thatPhil Cooke will deliver thekeynote address at their bi-annual congress taking placeat the Willow Park conferencecentre, Gauteng, from 7-9June. “There are two majorexplosions taking place inAfrica right now,” says Phil.“The first is an explosion ofmedia and technology. Within

a couple of years there will bemore mobile devices on thecontinent than there arepeople. That connectivity willhave a massive impact on theculture of people and the wayin which they consume media.Secondly, Africa is rapidlybecoming the beating heart ofglobal Christianity. Thecombination of these eventscries out for a generation ofChristians who understandmedia and who can share theGospel in a media-drivenculture. This is not the time tobe silent.” At the ACM2012conference delegates willhave an opportunity to learnhow to use the media andministry to transform the livesof people; grapple with therole Christians play in thechanging media landscape;and meet media professionalsfrom around the region.

IABM Executive breakfast scheduled for SACIA ProAV Forum

During the upcoming SACIAProAV Forum theInternational Association ofBroadcasting Manufacturers(IABM) will present abreakfast discussion that willfocus on the challenge ofbuilding the broadcastinfrastructure in Africa.This follows on the successof similar events held duringthe NAB and Cabsat shows.The event brings together a

select group of seniorbroadcasters, suppliers,analysts and industrycommentators for adiscussion centered on thechanging business modelsfor technology supply; skills,resources and technicaltraining across Africa;Impact of global financialissues on business in theregion; adoption patterns foremerging mediatechnologies; and creatingeffective partnerships forlong term success.“It’s only when the seniormembers of our industry sitdown to share ideas that weget a clear understanding ofour future needs,” saysSACIA Executive DirectorKevan Jones.

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Attracting school leavers to the AV industryOne of the most engagingdiscussions on the SACIALinkedIn group over the lastmonth has been a discussionabout attracting school leaversand young graduates to the AVindustry. Over the last year I'veheard many employerscomplain about the dearth ofskilled staff available in theindustry and the shortage ofschool leavers being attractedto our market sector. This wasreinforced in an article in thelatest Financial Mail in whichFran Luckin, creative director ofOgilvy Johannesburgdescribed how the advertisingindustry urgently needed to'market itself'. "We must get into

schools and evangelise," hesaid. The situation in thebroadcast and proAV industryis equally dire and I'd like tosee our industry launch anoutreach programme toschools, highlighting the careeropportunities that exist. Weneed to encourage schoolleavers and young graduatesto explore a long-term future inthe AV market by painting acareer path that's challenging,exciting and lucrative. Doesanyone have any ideas on howwe get the message out?Please visit the SACIA LinkedIngroup and share yourcomments in an onlinediscussion.

MECIA elects advisory Board

Members of the Middle EastCommunications IndustriesAssociation (MECIA) haveelected a new 10-man AdvisoryBoard to establish objectivesand activities for the comingyear. George Puthenkulam(MiNDSERVE) remainschairman, with Hans van denBerg (AudiCom) elected vice-chairman, Abdul Ghani

(Argosy) elected secretary andDominic Calvert (PMK) electedtreasurer. “Over the next yearour primary objective is toincrease membership anddeliver value-added benefitsthat are aligned with the needsof members,” says George.“Since our establishment in2007 we’ve worked closely withInfoComm to place training andskills development at the top ofour agenda. Now thatInfoComm has established theirown presence in the region wefeel very comfortable placingthese activities back in theircapable hands. We can nowfocus on delivering membersservices that are based on therequirements of our localcommunity of members.”

IABM launch new Broadcast Workflows course

The International Association ofBroadcasting Manufacturers(IABM) have launched theirnew two-day course aimed atanyone needing to understandthe full breadth of broadcastworkflows. The course willimprove delegates knowledgeof the concepts, terms andprocesses used in BroadcastTechnology and enable them to

understand the impact of file-based technology on end-to-end workflows. “This coursewill enable delegates tounderstand how change in onepart of the workflow can impactall others,” says Peter White,director general of IABM.The course is scheduled to bedelivered in South Africa duringOctober 2012.

20% discount from Class-On-Demand

SACIA members can claim a20% discount on onlinetraining courses offeredthrough Class-On-Demand.Just use SACIA as yourdiscount code and join CarlGundestrup, veteran film,television and corporate videogaffer as he walks youthrough the basic techniques

and tools for properly lightinga green screen. In thisinformation-packed DVD, Carlwill show the importance oflight separation between thegreen screen and talent, andhow to light from a small kitup to using six or more lightsfor custom looks and lightingin confined spaces. He’ll alsoaddress problems to beaware of when lighting boththe green screen and talent.When you light as though youwon’t be pulling the keyyourself, you’ll have successkeying your footage with eventhe most basic softwarekeyers.This course is also availableas a streaming video so ifyou’re interested in learningmore about lighting for the‘green screen’ then surf overto www.classondemand.co.zaand use SACIA as yourdiscount code.

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Marketing experts can berather militant in theiropinions on what yourwebsite can or should dofor your business and with

good reason: There are now fourgenerations of humanity surfing theInternet and they all want to know thesame things: What do you do, where theheck are you really located, and what isyour phone number? Like many folks Ihave not opened a physical phone book inprobably ten years and I would not expectto find anything useful in one if I did. TheInterwebs on the other hand haseverything under the sun. What was oncejust a flashy billboard for commercialbusinesses (did we forget what the "com"in dot-com stands for?) has becomecommerce central. And even if you do notneed to conduct transactions on yourwebsite, you do need to quickly legitimizeyour existence and you have about tenseconds or less to do it in. (If that tenseconds is wasted on loading a flashanimation, then many potential prospectshave already moved on!)

Due diligenceImagine the biggest account you

want to penetrate. They have a team ofevaluators that have allowed you and nineof your competitors to submit acapabilities proposal. They are going toperform some due diligence on yourcompany that may be as simple aschecking out your website and Googlingyour company name for blog references,but it could go deeper than that. Theymight call all the "offices" you list and askto speak to the General Manager. Or, ifthey are really clever they could do astring search of the text on your "about"page and see who else describesthemselves in the same way. What willyour website tell them about you beforeyou ever get the opportunity to explainyourself? Will you be invited to an in-person pitch as a viable supplier or comicrelief?

Perfect clientNow, imagine the perfect client

searching for a supplier that has yourunique expertise, geographical footprint,or commitment to customer service.

Imagine that they have found your websiteafter someone referred them to you. Willyour site live up to that referral? Or, willthat customer have to lower theirexpectations in order to contact you? [Asan aside, consider also that you may havethe most wonderful, creative, andcompelling website around. Does yourcompany live up to that promise?]

Hire a professionalI am not going to make a long

entreaty about why you should hire aprofessional and get your websiteupdated. Do it. What I will ask you to do isperform the same due diligence onpotential developers that is conductedwhen companies evaluate you. Check outyour web developer's site, then all theones they've created for others. Are theytrying to look bigger than they are? Dothey have more than one or two creditsworth noting? Does the owner, principal, orchief executive hide or are they profiled?Can you communicate directly with them?Do they have a philosophy or just toutexpertise?Here's a few things you should expect tohear from a savvy web-developer:• A discussion on your goals and

objectives for your website • A desire to understand your

business strategy, customers, and competitors

• An analysis of your social media strategy and potential tie-ins to your website

• A request that you identify at least five of your industry's websites that you like and five that you don't and why

• An assessment of how much and often your firm is capable or willing to maintain a website

• An explanation that they will submit 5-10 preliminary themes and

develop the 2-3 that you like the most before you choose one

Website checklistIn addition, here are a few things that I

think should be important to you:• A website that you can easily edit,

add, or change yourself • Strict adherence to only using high

resolution photos • Don't be afraid to ditch your tired old

letterhead logo and get a web-friendly update

• Don't fall for gimmick-y web mechanics; focus on delivering customer-centric content

• Commit to - at a minimum - monthly content updates

Websites are today's mostimportant first contact between you andyour prospects. For many companies,effective online marketing can establishcredibility more quickly than any human-powered contact and can pave the way tomore effective first meetings. And once arelationship is established, websites havethe power to keep customers engagedand informed. There is a tremendousamount of relationship building availableto businesses like yours when theyimplement the right online strategy.

A follow-up to last month's Marketing 101 article by Tom Stinson. This months article focuses on websites - andwith good reason. There are far too many really bad websites out there! C'mon it's 2012 and the Internet has beenaround since before your younger employees were born. It is time to pay attention to your most important firstimpression.

Marketing 201 for AV Geeks

Tom is a past-president of InfoCommInternational and has been on theInfoComm board of directors since 2005.He is published regularly in trademagazines and serves as a keynotespeaker at industry events. Tom holds aMaster of Business Administration fromBaylor University in Texas and a CTScertification from InfoComm. If that’s notenough, he majored in Theater at TexasA&M University and is a Black Beltinstructor in Taekwondo.

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Don’t lower your standards.Be driven by value.In the current economic climate, it can be challenging to maintain one’s standards.

When presenting to the masses, where only large-screen projection leaves the right impression, one desires luxuriant, colour-rich images. Where red is red, green is green and blue is most definitely royal.

Fortunately those chaps at Christie know a thing or two about quality. Expert technical support, industry renowned reliability and now two reassuringly inexpensive models in the NEW Christie E Series.

Of course one has to make certain sacrifices, but as mother used to say ‘it never pays to lower one’s standards’.

when it matters.T h e e S e r i e SSINGLE chIp DLp® projEctorS

www.reassuringlyinexpensive.ae

Tel: +971 (0)4 3206688

CD0023_2011_E-Series_AV_Specialist_210x297mm_UAE-Tel_Fv.indd 1 10/11/2011 14:39

Visit us at Showroom No.1, Rashid Al Majid Building, Airport Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Tel.:(+9714) 282 7171, Fax: (+9714) 282 7373E-mail: info@unitedbroadcast.com

unitedbroadcast.com

unitedbroadcast.com is the only Web Portal in theregion providing you with a single location to Discover, Inquire & Purchase all your Broadcasting & Pro-video Equipment.

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