With the World Cup now firmly in the knockout stages, the number of football related stories has understandably started to dry up. Just creeping under the wire before then, however, are two stories from Miranda and Modulus Video about how their kit has been used out in Germany.
First up, TV Azteca, one of the largest producers of Spanish-language television programming in the world, has selected Miranda’s HDV and HD-SDI interfacing for its World Cup broadcasts in HD to its viewing audiences across Mexico.
The Miranda equipment includes 20 HD-Bridge Dec+ HDV to HD-SDI interfaces, XVP-811i up/down/cross converters, Densit_ Embedders, De-Embedders and Frame Synchronisers and picoLink miniature interfaces. This gear is installed in the network’s production and distribution centre within the International Broadcast Center (IBC) in Munich. After the event, it will be shipped back to the network’s facilities in Mexico to support regular TV Azteca programming.
“Miranda’s interfacing, distribution, and processing solutions are built on exceptional technology, provide simplicity of operation, and deliver images of a very high quality,” said Jorge Pickering, director of engineering of sports and special effects at TV Azteca. “We were also attracted to Miranda systems because they are well priced and backed by excellent manufacturer support.” TV Azteca is using HDV cameras to capture World Cup play cost-effectively, and Miranda’s HD-Bridge Dec+ provides high-quality conversion of HDV to HD-SDI to simplify recording, monitoring, and on-air playout. The interface features two HDV IEEE-1394 ports (iLink, FireWire) and multiple outputs, including composite and SD/HD component video, AES and analogue audio, and LTC outputs. A RS-422 port is available for VTR control and a built-in cross converter allows 1080i/720p HD cross-conversion.
Meanwhile, Modulus Video Inc. has sold a ME6000 High Definition MPEG-4/AVC video encoder to Euro1080 to support a wide range of HD programming, including coverage of the FIFA World Cup tournament on its HD2channel.
Gabriel Fehervari, CEO of Euro1080, said: “Broadcasting HD images via satellite requires a delicate balance between managing your available bandwidth and delivering the pristine image quality the HD viewer expects. With its ME6000 encoder, Modulus Video has delivered an MPEG-4 AVC platform that combines efficiency and superior image quality – just the recipe needed for succeeding with HD today. We were very satisfied with the results of our use of the ME6000 encoder at the occasion of the Turin Winter Olympics, the FIFA World Cup and many other top events.”
