Arsenal FC has selected Blackbird to remotely produce short-form online video content.
Blackbird will be used to turnaround live content and produce compilations of videos retrieved from the club’s archive of on-premise content.
This content will be published on Arsenal’s digital channels and social platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
It will include clips from live matches, press conferences, training sessions and the club’s TV studio featuring punditry by former players.
“Having Arsenal as Blackbird’s newest customer is a real thrill,” said Blackbird CEO Ian McDonough. “Their video production teams have a fast-growing reputation of high-quality output. Like many teams with discerning global fan bases they have distributed video creators across multiple sites.
“With Blackbird they solve the puzzle of working collaboratively and remotely while turning around high-quality content quickly and cost effectively.”
ORF upgrades with Lawo
The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) has deployed two Lawo mc²96 Grand Production Console systems and five V__matrix frames loaded with 37 C100 Processing Blades for multiviewing and IP streaming.
The Lawo installation is central to the AV infrastructure of the Vienna-based FÜ1 OB van, which was constructed by system house BFE. The new truck replaces ORF’s FÜ22 TV OB, which had been in operation since 2005.
The 38-ton trailer is 16.5m long, 2.5m wide and 2.5m high when travelling, with two extendable walls. With the monitor wall moving by 0.6m, the opposite rear wall of the audio and video work areas moving by 1.6m, FÜ1 offers around 77m² of floor space for 24 workstations.
Networking of the mobile SMPTE2110 production unit (which has SMPTE 2022-7 redundancy) uses two Arista network switches for audio and video data, and another 14 switches for the control network and other tasks.
In the two video control rooms, five Lawo V__matrix units host a total of 37 C100 processing blades; 13 perform multiviewer tasks as vm__dmv units and 24 perform the conversion between SDI and IP as vm__streaming blades.
The console for international sound in Control Room A is equipped with a dual-fader unit, providing the sound engineer with 56 faders. The console’s HD core, equipped with six DSP cards, calculates 288 DSP channels and offers Waves SoundGrid integration.
Control Room B, for national sound, is equipped with another Lawo mc²96 that also integrates a dual-fader option, providing 24 faders. The HD core with five DSP cards allows the use of 240 DSP channels.
“At the beginning of the project, IP-based, conventional and proprietary solutions were compared,” said Reinhard Tomek, project manager in ORF’s Audio Technology Department. “In addition to the technological considerations, the IP solution was chosen to reach a future-proof concept.
“A highly flexible system was created, in which the front end was kept as simple as possible for the user and state-of-the-art adaptations were also carried out.”
NewTek launches 4K camera for NDI devices
NewTek has unveiled a pan-tilt-zoom camera that transmits full 4K p60 video directly to NDI-compatible receiving devices across a standard network.
The PTZUHD camera reduces latency output at low bandwidth, which puts less strain on the network. Requiring only a single Ethernet connection for setup, power, operation and signal flow, the camera pairs with the TriCaster Mini 4K and TriCaster TC1 for a configuration-free NDI experience.
Vizrt Group president of R&D Dr Andrew Cross said: “Right now, nothing is more important than the transmission of valuable information fast and effectively. With this 4K PTZ camera, one person with a TriCaster can produce an incredible live show.
“This has never been more relevant than today, when cutting costs, keeping fewer people on a set and getting a story out to the internet is more important. PTZUHD is the first accessible broadcast quality PTZ camera that is ready for the future with IP that solves real problems and helps further our mission that matters more today than ever.”
SmarDTV Global, Platforma CANAL+ announce security module
SmarDTV Global and Platforma CANAL+ have launched a new module supporting CI Plus ECP technology and fingerprinting.
The new product means 4K materials can be securely protected by CI Plus ECP compliant module and iDTV.
The module uses fingerprinting technology to protect programs and sports events against illegal redistribution of contents.
SmarDTV Global COO Hervé Mathieu said: “SmarDTV Global has been at the forefront of the Conditional Access Module deployment with the focus to pro-actively support pay-TV operator business and content owners.
“With more than 10 million CI Plus modules deployed over the last decade, it is a natural step forward to enable security technology on our products and we are delighted to collaborate with CANAL+ to protect the most comprehensive offer of TV programs in Poland.”
