IBC Briefs

APTN Library, the video archive of the Associated Press Television News service, will use Arkemedia's media-asset-management technology for digitization and search capabilities. Once the project is completed, APTN Library users will be able to view all digitized material and complete their own edits using a browser-based tool. With the click of a few buttons to complete online ordering, they will receive the content via downloads or on tape in full broadcast quality. The project will be completed in the third quarter of 2005 and have about 1,000 hours of material. About 2,000 hours will be added each year.

Ikegami took the wraps off its plans for a wireless HD-transmission system that can be used with its portable HDK-79E X camera. The new system has separate units for transmitting communications and camera control and a receiver responsible for HD-SDI and SD-SDI video transmission. Ikegami also officially introduced its Editcam HD tapeless camcorder and an HD slow-mo camera system that uses two sets of sensors to alternately capture frames for playback.

Graphics-system provider VizRT is upgrading the engine that drives its software, a move it says speeds real-time HD-graphics creation and rendering. The new boards are from NVIDIA and include the Quadro FX 4000 and FX 4000 SDI professional graphics boards. "Based on our testing, we believe this is the fastest AGP-based graphics board on the market," says Christian Huber, who heads operations for Austria VizRT. In some of VizRT's application-based tests, which compare the NVIDIA Quadro FX 4000 with the previously used board of the same class, the rendering performance of Viz Engine has shown increases in speed of 1,000%.

Pinnacle Systems offered Liquid Edition version 6 nonlinear editing software. The $500 package has new tools and features and the ability to edit multiple streams of native HD material. The professional version adds an analog and digital input/output breakout box with USB2 connections. It's compatible with Sony XDCAM and Panasonic P2 formats.

Skystream's new iPlex video headend platform incorporates video encoding, processing and routing into a single-rack chassis. That makes it easier for telcos and cable and satellite operators to add IP capability to small and medium-size headends. "A Learjet is more appropriate than a 747 when transporting smaller groups of passengers," says Claude Dupuis, SkyStream vice president, engineering. "iPlex eliminates the need to buy three different products for smaller edge deployments." Expect it on the market by the end of the year.

For-A rolled out the latest version of its Hanabi series multi-format production switcher. The HVS-10000HS has up to 16 video inputs, two DVE layers, and chromakeying, compositing and editing functionality. The company's digiWarp-EXII virtual-studio technology was also rolled out. Using it, artists can create complex scenery made up of four object layers with a live blue-screen image. Each background layer can be swapped during broadcast to increase the creative possibilities for producers and directors.

Thomson is integrating Apple's Final Cut Pro HD software into three versions of its Station in a Kit series of systems. The kits make it easier for TV stations and production companies to buy a complete acquisition, playback and editing system while gaining pricing advantages. And the addition of Final Cut Pro HD gives the systems craft-style editing capabilities. The three kits include the TV Station in a Box (complete with M-Series iVDR with four-channel simultaneous record and playout), the News Production Kit (featuring three NewsEdit nonlinear editing systems and the iVDR) and the Post-Production Kit (with PowerMac G5 computers and Profile servers).

Omneon's Spectrum HD video server gives stations simultaneous HD and SD playback from a server priced about $50,000. It has two real-time media-interface adapters, giving it the ability to handle the larger bandwidth demands of HD material. The server is based on two products: the MediaPort 4010, which handles de-multiplexing of audio and video into the system, and the MultiPort4002 playout interface adapter, which has built-in HD decoding capabilities. That removes the need for external HD decoders.

Leitch's new Nexio HD server is the first to use software codec technology. Leitch President and CEO Tim Thorsteinson says the software will make changing system compression formats simple in future. The NX4200HDX has two channels of HD output or one channel of input and one HD output in either 720p or 1080i. It will support encoding at MPEG2 I-frame and 4:2:2 profile at 50 Mbps. Panasonic's DVCPRO-100 HD will be added later.