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November 15, 2007
Pathfire, Thomson Close HD Syndication Gap
Pathfire is taking a big step toward enabling easy distribution of syndicated HD content, using Thomson’s new K2 “Capture Service” software application for fast and easy handling of HD programs as digital files.
The companies said the K2/Pathfire combo eliminates the need for any third-party intermediate systems that can slow the file-handling process considerably -- in many cases to much slower than real-time -- saving organizations significant time and money.
The new K2 Capture Service feature was recently field-tested by Tribune Broadcasting with nationally syndicated content. During the week of Sept. 6, Tribune went to air at its WGN, KTLA, WXIN, WPIX, WGNO, KHCW, KDAF, KTXL, WPHL, WDCW, KRCW, WSFL and KCPQ locations from a series of remotely located K2 servers, successfully using the new Capture Service feature to distribute the program as a series of HD files faster than the program has ever been distributed before.
“Our recent trial of the new K2 Capture Service option proved its value, as it enabled us to ingest and stitch HD Pathfire content rapidly and cost-effectively for playback and delivery to our station group,” Tribune chief technology officer Ira Goldstone said. “This type of fast and highly automatic file conversion is sorely needed and critical to our success going forward.”
HD content can be delivered to a K2 server timeline nearly instantaneously, at approximately five to 10 times faster than real-time. By comparison, existing file-transcoding techniques require the need for a separate server for HD transcoding and current speeds are on average two times slower than real-time.
Available immediately, the K2 Capture Service option is the result of a close collaboration between Thomson and Pathfire engineers and requires a simple software upgrade to existing K2 systems. In addition, the Capture Service option will support standard-definition and HD material transfer from the DG FastChannel Spotbox to K2. No additional hardware is needed.
“Pathfire has always strived to develop solutions that save customers time and money while streamlining their work flows,” said Michael Connell, broadcast-product manager at Pathfire. “This new Capture Service interface to the Grass Valley K2 server platform does exactly that and more. We’re pleased to be working with Thomson to add new capability to the K2 Media Server platform.”
The Capture Service option is available immediately from Thomson, and it is priced at $5,000.
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P2 Has Whole World in Its Hands
Panasonic’s P2 HD format continues to find believers around the world.
New York-based director of photography Seth Melnick (who just completed production on Chasing the Green, a full-length feature slated for 2008 release), Teleacras TV (western Sicily's largest regional broadcaster) and Peabody Award-winning director of photography Mark Smith put the AG-HVX200 P2 HD camcorder through its paces on the South Pacific island of Nikumaroro with the 70th Anniversary Amelia Earhart Expedition. “The camera re-created color beautifully and even very bright, supersaturated colors seemed to hold very well,” Melnick said of the AG-HPX500 2/3-inch CCD camera. “The cine-d and cine-v gamma settings gave the great contrast that so many people have valued in Panasonic cameras beginning with DVX100 series. For Chasing, we shot a lot of footage on a
golf course, and the greens reproduced by the camera looked truly rich and beautiful.”
Melnick's equipment package for Chasing included a Fujinon 17x7.6 BERM CAC-enabled lens, lightweight rods, Chrosziel follow focus, Cavision mattebox, assorted filters, Sachtler video 30 tripod kit, Super Falcon II dolly, BT-LH2600W production monitor and a seven-inch onboard monitor. The HPX500 was used for the entire one-camera shoot, other than some B-roll shot on the HVX200 that will be composited in post onto television sets in the frame.
Smith said the small form factor of two HVX200 P2 HD camcorders made travel to the island much easier than a previous trip in 2001. “I made that trip with a BetaCam, two DV cameras, a very large box of videotape, myriad support gear and an assistant,” he added. “Hauling around all that equipment in tropical heat that often exceeds 110°F was no picnic.”
Smith's 2007 equipment package comprised the two P2 HD cameras (the second HVX200 as backup), an AJ-PCS060G P2 Store, a laptop, three hard drives for storage, two wireless microphones and a grip/lighting package for outdoor use. Smith shot on 16GB P2 cards, off-loaded to the P2 Store as needed, and backed up everything after each day of shooting.
On the other side of the globe, in Sicily, Teleacras deployed five P2HD Panasonic AG-HPX500E camcorders. “We carefully considered many vendors, but the more we shopped, the more obvious it became that P2HD was the best fit for delivering picture quality and streamlining our production work flow,” Teleacras TV technical director Giacomo Fattori said.
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WTVR-TV Richmond Embraces JVC
JVC hit the lottery in Virginia, literally, when WTVR-TV Richmond, a CBS affiliate owned by Raycom Media, chose its GY-HD250s as the station's primary studio cameras. Equipped with JVC's KA-HD250 studio adapters, the GY-HD250s are used for the station's main news-production studio and the Virginia Lottery production studio.
“We researched our options for quality and reliability with regards to our budget and current and near future HD requirements in a studio-configured camera,” said Don Cox, WTVR director of engineering and operations. “Among the various manufacturers, JVC's GY-HD250 was the best fit for our needs.”
The Virginia Lottery studio produces two shows daily and is equipped with three of its own GY-HD250s. The station also purchased JVC's DT-V20L1DU LCD monitors.
As WTVR-TV's main news production cameras, the GY-HD250s are used to produce its live morning, noon, evening and nightly news programs, as well as its live daily local morning show, Virginia This Morning. JVC's cameras also produce a variety of pre-recorded shows including popular program Battle for the Brains. The GY-HD250 cameras are also used for the production of WUPV-TV's 10 p.m. newscast, WTVR-TV's shared service station.
“Stations of all sizes across the country are quickly adopting JVC's affordable HD solution,” said Lawrence Librach, vice president of the digital-video division for JVC Professional Products.
Other stations include the Scripps Television Group, Waterman Broadcasting, Weigel Broadcasting, WXYZ Detroit, WLS Chicago and KABC Los Angeles.
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Getting Serious About 1080p
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Stan Moote
Stan Moote Harris Broadcast VP, Corporate Development
Harris Broadcast Communications |
3-gigabit-per-second technology, designed to handle 1080p (progressive) signals, continues to make inroads among equipment manufacturers. Harris recently introduced the XHD-3903 HDTV converter for its NEO advanced application modular platform. The company said it is the world’s first HDTV converter available with built-in 3-gbps 1080p 50/59.94 processing and conversion capabilities. Stan Moote, vice president of corporate development for Harris Broadcast Communications, discussed the system.
Q: It appears that routing manufacturers are embracing 3-gbps technology and readying their product lines for the move. But a lot of broadcasters that have already made the move to 1.5-gbps infrastructure are hesitant to make the move to 3 gbps because of those recent investments. Have you heard those concerns?
A: We are seeing existing 1.5-gbps customers purchase 3 gbps for small expansion projects. However, they are not upgrading their existing 1.5-gbps equipment. We are not seeing any hesitation toward 3 gbps from current 1.5-gbps users, although some customers are questioning the use of 3 gbps and keen to learn more about the specifics of the technology.
Q: How do you see the deployment of 3 gbps playing out among your customers?
A: Initially, we are seeing facilities focus on the core routing ability to handle 3 gbps. Secondly, we are seeing the core wiring and distribution moving into fiber with 3-gbps-capable distribution. This serves to future-proof facilities, as routing and distribution infrastructures are 10-plus-year investments. The next priority is the display and monitoring of 1080p signals, which is one of the primary reasons why Harris has integrated its high-end multiviewer into the larger 3 gbps routing switcher. This is followed closely with 1080p conversion productions.
Q: Should a greenfield HD facility take a hard look at 3 gbps?
A: Yes. Both cameras and flat-panel displays are inherently 1080p internally. History tells us that the part in the middle (HD facilities) will need to fill in the gap.
Q: But what about if they are an interlace facility?
A: Serious picture manipulation really needs to be performed in the progressive domain, not interlaced. It doesn’t matter how good a de-interlacing algorithm is -- the golden eyes of our industry will always find some faults and artifacts. After all, the holy grail of video is to match or exceed the performance of film. Film is inherently progressive scan, and progressive scan is easier to compress. Imagine the difficulty of searching moving objects on an interlaced frame versus that of a progressive frame.
Q: Does 3 gbps offer advantages for 1080i or 720p material?
A: The 3-gbps standard (SMPTE-425) allows for multiple videos on a single 3 gbps transport. For example, up to two HD signals can be accommodated on a single coax. This is ideal for productions in which dual-link are needed, such as for RGB, 12-bit video and alpha channels.
--Interviewed by Ken Kerschbaumer
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QVC Eyes HD in 2008
(From a Nov. 9 article at BroadcastingCable.com)
QVC will launch an HD simulcast of its domestic network in the first quarter of 2008, the shopping channel announced Friday. QVC “HD is the next logical step in bringing our viewers enhanced programming,” QVC senior vice president of broadcasting and TV sales Angie Simmons said in a statement. “The simulcast will provide stunning clarity, enabling us to bring our products to life.” West Chester, Pa.-based QVC, a subsidiary of Liberty Media, will broadcast in the 1080-line-interlace (1080i) HD format.
For more…
Verizon Expands HD Slate with Discovery, More on the Way
(From a Nov. 8 article at BroadcastingCable.com)
Verizon Communications is adding Discovery Channel HD to its FiOS TV HD package and plans to add other networks out of Discovery Networks’ portfolio in 2008. In its march toward adding 150 HD channels by the end of 2008, Verizon added Discovery Channel HD across all its markets on channel 846. The company will also add other channels from under the Discovery umbrella in 2008, including TLC, Animal Planet and The Science Channel.
For more…
CNN HD Gains Carriage with Cablevision Systems
(From a Nov. 8 article at BroadcastingCable.com)
CNN HD, the 1080-line-interlace version of Turner Broadcasting System’s flagship news network, will now be carried by cable operator Cablevision Systems on its systems serving 3 million customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Under the deal, CNN HD will be available to Cablevision’s 800,000-plus digital-cable customers with HD set-top boxes at no additional charge, running on channel 725. It is the 42nd HD-programming service offered by Cablevision.
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Amazon Unbox Rolls Out Mojo HD Programming
(From a Nov. 13 article at BroadcastingCable.com)
Original programming from In Demand Networks’ Mojo HD channel will be available on Amazon.com’s Amazon Unbox digital-video-download service following an agreement between the two companies. “When accessing their favorite programs in the digital world, video consumers turn to the Web destinations they know best,” In Demand senior vice president of programming and new media David Asch said in a statement. “By partnering with Amazon, a pioneer in delivering online information and entertainment and one of the Web’s most ubiquitous sites, we offer Mojo fans the ability to find, download and enjoy our most identifiable series anytime, anywhere.”
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Saving Transponder Bandwidth
(From a Nov. 12 article in Multichannel News magazine)
Companies that move HD content via satellite have a new way of saving room on those expensive satellite transponders thanks to DVB-S2, which can cost a content owner upward of $125,000 per month. How big of a bandwidth savings? About 30%, said tech people at program networks and aggregators. DVB-S2 is an improvement in forward error correction, which harnesses improvements in modulation. It's already in use by some content owners and aggregators. It's not something that can be easily adopted by DirecTV and EchoStar Communications, for legacy reasons: On the receive end, it requires gear that can demodulate and decode in the new way.
For more…
Ion TV to Go HD in 2008
(From a Nov. 8 article at Multichannel.com)
Ion Television will have an HD version of itself up and running in 2008. Ion Television HD will air Ion Television’s full lineup of programming in the HD format beginning in the first quarter of 2008. Transmitted in 720p HD, Ion Television HD will be delivered over-the-air via broadcast, cable, telco-TV and satellite. The network will feature native and upconverted HDTV programming and will be carried on all 60 of ION Media Network’s television stations around the country. “Launching Ion HD is the next step in our multiplatform digital strategy,” said Brandon Burgess, CEO of Ion Media Networks, Ion Television’s parent, in a statement. Ion Media Networks owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast-television-station group; Ion Television now reaches
more than 94 million U.S. television households nationwide.
For more…
HDNet Files Suit Against DirecTV
(From a Nov. 9 article at TWICE.com)
HDNet has filed suit to block DirecTV from moving its two channels -- HDNet and HDNet Movies -- to a new premium HD tier next month. HDNet said such a move “is in gross violation of their contractual obligations” and will “effectively kill HDNet’s viewership by moving the two-broadcast package -- where the channels are distributed to more than 2 million households -- to a newly created obscure and overpriced package that puts the HDNet channels well beyond the reach of the average television viewer.”
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New Aquos Ads Launched
(From a Nov. 12 article at TWICE.com)
Sharp kicked off a new national brand-advertising campaign highlighting its slim-line D64U Aquos LCD TV series. The new effort, which was said to have a budget “in the tens of millions of dollars," piggybacks on a large advertising initiative that began earlier this year focused on Major League Baseball games. The new leg will run through the Super Bowl, Sharp said. The new campaign will provide “a new take on previous Aquos campaigns, which were focused on picture detail.” This time, the spots highlight the physical design of the product, emphasizing the thinness and lightness of the TVs. The ads portray a blend of choreography and lighting, as six performance artists blend into the background, as they create different shapes and designs with the Aquos LCD
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Sony’s Stringer: HD DVD War a Difficult Fight
(From a Nov. 9 article at TWICE.com)
Sony CEO Howard Stringer said the HD-disc-format war between Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD is at a stalemate. “It's a difficult fight,” AP quoted Stringer as saying during the interview at the 92nd Street Y cultural center in Manhattan. “We were trying to win on the merits, which we were doing for a while, until Paramount changed sides.” Stringer, whose company is one of the strongest Blu-ray Disc promoters, went on to downplay the importance of being the sole winner of the battle, adding that there was an opportunity before he was named CEO to unite the two camps and present a unified format, and he wishes now that he could travel back in time to make that happen.
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World's First HDTV Image of 'Earth-Rise' Over Moon
Science Daily reports that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.) successfully performed the world's first HD image taking of an Earth-rise by lunar explorer "KAGUYA" (SELENE), which was injected into a lunar orbit at an altitude of about 100 kilometers Oct. 18. The KAGUYA successfully shot HD images of the Earth-rise showing an impressive image of the blue Earth, which was the only floating object in pitch-dark space. These are the world's first HD Earth images taken from about 380,000 km away from the earth in space.
For more…
HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc Can Coexist
High Def Digest reports that loudmouth pundits who whine that the format war has been a miserable disaster that will doom HD to remain a niche are offering a load of bunk. Peaceful coexistence should be possible, said Joshua Zyber, a veteran movie-disc reviewer. The split in studio support means that neither format will have 100% of movies that any given customer may want, but by the same token, each video-game console has its own highly desirable exclusive titles. Hard-core gamers buy every console, while casual gamers look at the selection available and pick the format that has more titles appealing to their taste. Zyber said the same rationale applies here. If you need to have every movie in HD, it will be worth your time to buy both Blu-ray and HD DVD players.
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High Noon for Low Power
TV Technology reports that full-power broadcasters may be seeing light at the end of the digital-TV transition, but for the low-power, class-A and translator stations -- with thousands of antennas now broadcasting in analog -- some thorny issues need to be resolved before they too move on to a digital realm. Unlike their full-power counterparts, the lower-output broadcasters are not required to abandon analog broadcasting Feb. 17, 2009 -- and some might not abandon those channels anytime soon after. “Unless some low-power station has a business plan that requires a digital station, I think most of them are just going to sit on their analog operation and not spend the money [to go digital],” said Dr. Byron St. Clair, a Colorado-based consultant and longtime driver of the
LPTV movement, who has urged the Federal Communications Commission against imposing a deadline for the stations’ conversion to digital. “We’ll change over to digital when it makes sense.”
For more…
KEYE-TV Brings Local HD Newscasts to Austin Viewers
Broadcast Engineering reports that KEYE-TV Austin, Texas, launched its local newscasts in HD Nov. 1, the culmination of a planning process that spanned eight years. At that time, station chief engineer Arthur Smith and associate Dusty Granberry sat down at NAB1999 at the direction of then-station-owner Granite Broadcasting and charted out a plan to make the transition to HD, including HD local news. And the plan stuck. “For example, we were worried about camcorders, because we had no idea how that was going to wash out in terms of the standards available. Were we going, ‘P2 cards, or Blu-ray?’” he said. As a CBS station, that decision “has pretty well been made for us,” Smith said. In January 2006, CBS announced that it had selected Sony XDCAM HD
for its owned-and-operated stations. KEYE-TV plans to roll out its XDCAM HD camcorders next year.
For more…
Retailers Expand Black Friday
Video Business reports that retailers are expanding Black Friday beyond its traditional one-day sale to offer holiday clearance discounts before and after the day after Thanksgiving and including such new product categories as HD players and titles. Best Buy matched a Nov. 2 pre-Black Friday sale by Wal-Mart with its own hefty markdowns, including selling Toshiba’s stand-alone HD DVD player HD-A2 for $99 and HD-A3 for $199, representing $100 off previous widespread retail tags on each product. Best Buy ran its A3 sale Friday-Sunday, longer than Wal-Mart’s one-day jackpot. “The A3 was a weekend special, Friday-Sunday, and that was separate from what we did with the A2, which came up because of what Wal-Mart was doing,” Best Buy spokesman Brian Lucas said.
“We’ll do weekend specials throughout the year, where it’s not necessarily Black Friday or pre-Black Friday, but it’s continuing efforts to roll out special offers to surprise customers.”
For more…
CNBC HD: No Cigar
HDTV Magazine reports that CNBC’s HD plan to use the extra space on an HD screen for graphics information gets a failing grade. The problem, according to the author, is that the "television" portion of the image (i.e., the live picture window) is in standard-definition. The problem is the resolution difference between the graphics detail and the live image window is too great. The total image format, comprised of about 60% high resolution graphics, forces the brain into the static mode, therefore causing the low-resolution, almost static talking heads to look like some kind of image fault. We would expect this effect when viewing small LD video windows on a computer monitor, but, please, not on a 61-inch HDTV display.
For more…
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PJ Bednarski
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