Technicolor provides full post on Midsomer

Broadcast

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils/technicolor-provides-full-post-on-midsomer/5048985.article

Technicolor has supplied full picture post-production, mastering and tape deliverable services for series 15 of ITV drama Midsomer Murders.

The facility also provided ADR, sound post-production services, Foley recording, mixing and mastering for all but one of the series.

It began providing these services for producer Bentley Productions on the last two episodes of series 14.

“As self-contained feature-length dramas, Midsomer Murders had many different grading requirements,” said colourist Dan Coles.

“As a general rule, we are trying to create a continuity of warmth and contrast - rich in colour and vibrancy.”

Editor Simon Giblin said: “Each episode has varied visual-effect requirements. For example, one episode had a requirement for a total solar eclipse, which we generated within Avid DS using plug-ins and production-sourced material.”

Meduza merges 4K and 3D concept into Titan camera

Broadcast

Meduza Systems has begun shipping the Titan 3D, a single-stereo camera, with Berlin-based rental house Tectum taking first orders. http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils/news/meduza-merges-4k-and-3d-concept-into-titan-camera/5048773.article

Meduza made waves at NAB 2010 with its concept of a custom- isable, 4K and 3D camera in a single body, with its optics designed to be exchangeable with the camera body. That camera, the MK 1, was delayed subject to the development of the sensors, and the company turned its attention to an HD variant, the Titan.

The MK 1 concept has now been merged with Titan, explained chief executive Chris Cary. “The Titan delivers 1080-2K up to 60 frames a second using a standard head and a standard body. The next body for the camera will be for high- speed photography that allows the standard head to shoot up to 340fps [at 2K],” he said.

“The next head after that will have a 4K sensor, so the high- speed body will also be capable of 4K at high frame rates.”

Meduza has embarked on a tour to demonstrate the technology. Cary added: “We now have the camera to prove to indies and broadcasters how flexible shooting 3D TV can be.”

Titan weighs 5kg and features two HD 1080p CMOS sensors, with convergence claimed to be accu- rate to 1/1,000 of a degree. The unit can be operated with 3ality Technica wireless control hardware, 3Ality mobile apps or controllers from Preston and cmotion.

The body costs £35,000, the electronics £3,000 and a set of eight matched pair lenses £55,000.A rental package is around £2,000 a day.

ITVS’ Provision opens office in London

Broadcast 

ITV Studios’ kit rental subsidiary Provision is opening a London office to complement bases in Leeds and Manchester. http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils/news/-itvs-provision-opens-office-in-london/5048774.article

The office, located at ITV’s Television Centre, is initially aimed at servicing in-house ITV productions.

“We are looking to extend support to ITV’s factual department,” said sales and operations manager Danny Howarth. “All our stock is fluid, meaning that all of our offices have complete access to all of our inventory.”

Kit includes Arri Alexa and Canon C300 cameras, Arri Alura Zoom lenses, Sony OLED monitors and LED Lite Panel technology.

“We are constantly evaluating our investments and will look to add new technologies as demand arises,” he said.

Recent dramas supplied by Provision’s northern offices include Kudos’ Utopia for Channel 4, shot on Red Epics, and ITV’s Vera, shot on Alexa.

BVE North expects 20% boost

Broadcast

BVE North is expected to attract more than 3,000 visitors this year, a 20% increase on the inaugural 2011 event.

Manchester’s Central Complex will house 100 exhibitors, including 35 vendors new to the show, which takes place on 13-14 November. http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils/news/bve-north-expects-20-boost/5048772.article

“BVE North is about bringing together regional content and local talent with the latest industry information,” said marketing manager Amanda McCarthy. “Last year, 87% of visitors to BVE North did not visit the London event, so we are catering for a whole new market.”

She added: “The BBC is settled into MediaCityUK and more people are moving to the region to support local production. BVE North is about supporting that endeavour.”

A new series of informal round- table discussions, dubbed Skills Zone, are intended to aid the region’s freelance community in topics ranging from rights protection to job hunting.

Among the commissioners in attendance are UKTV commissioning editor for entertainment Helen Cooke and multiplatform commissioning lead at Channel 4 Louise Brown.

Several products will be making their debuts at the show, including the global launch of a trio of portable wireless technologies from Intratec, distributed by Holdan.

Bridge is a miniature on-camera Wi-Fi device that streams video up to 450Mbps over dis- tances of 250m; Bridge Duo is a radio unit capable of delivering live data streams over 500m; and WiFi Anywhere aggregates data from mobile networks to create a remote wireless hotspot.

“We’ve seen wireless encoding and streaming take off in the past 12 months,” said Holdan technical manager Richard Payne. “We are also making BVE North the UK launchpad for the Teradek Bolt, which is a £1,300 transmitter and receiver of uncompressed HD SDI for wireless working up to 100m.

“The delay is just 2 milli- seconds and it supports 1080p. There is nothing comparable on the market.”

Other products making their UK debut at the show include NewTek’s TriCaster 8000, a live production and streaming system for up to eight cameras; Studer by Harman’s compact audio console Vista 1; the Solaris LED energy-saving spotlight from Ianiro; and the Photron SA-X from Slowmo, which can record 1K res- olutions at 20,000 fps.

Sony shifts towards higher resolution with 4K cameras

Broadcast

Sony is to launch two 4K cameras, the PMW-F5 aimed at TV drama and mainstream TV production and the PMW-F55 targeted at high-end drama and commercials. http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils/news/sony-shifts-towards-higher-resolution-with-4k-cameras/5048479.article

Both will be available from February and sport a new 4K-capable codec, XAVC. The two cameras are intended to help the industry make the transition towards higher resolution production.

Sony head of AV media Olivier Bovis said: “MPEG 2 is the most widely used codec today, but if you want to cover 50-60p production, or 4K, or high frame rates, then you need something different. This is our response.”

Bovis added: “The XAVC can do proxy, HD and 4K recording on a single chipset. It will become the heart of a lot of [Sony] future products. The majority of our clients still have a lot of legacy HD and even DV requirements, so a lot of people will shoot 4K for archive.”

The F5 will be able to shoot 4K at 60 frames a second compressed using XAVC recording to new SxS Pro+ cards. It has a large format Super 35 sensor and takes PL mount lenses. The addition of a new recorder, R5, will enable Raw 4K at 120fps from the camera.

Manufacturers including Avid, Adobe, Grass Valley and Codex plan to implement support for the cameras on launch. For viewing, Sony is releasing a 30-inch 4K LCD monitor, the SRM-3000. The model succeeds, but does not replace, the PWM-F3 and is being seen as a response to Canon’s C300 and C500 cameras by some rental houses.

Telegenic targets European first with 4k-capable truck

Broadcast

Telegenic is aiming to become Europe’s first 4K-capable outside broadcaster when its latest super truck hits the road next year.

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils/news/telegenic-targets-european-first-with-4k-capable-truck/5048480.article “We have just commissioned a new vehicle with all the necessary infrastructure to support 4K, which we believe will be a format for live cinema events and domestic TV once compression formats become more effi cient,” said Telegenic commercial manager Eamonn Curtin.

The £4-5m, multi-camera 3G unit is scheduled to be completed next May, but whether it will be outfitted with full 4K capability at that time is dependent on product development.

“We are in discussions with major manufacturers regarding the new 4K cameras and resulting signal fl ow, with a view to forming strategic partnerships,” said Curtin.

“The industry is moving towards higher-resolutions and it’s our job to stay ahead of the game.”

Telegenic commissioned the world’s fi rst bespoke 3D truck, T18, in 2009 and has since designed and built three further 3D/3G-capable units, primarily for Sky 3D contracts, including more than 100 EPL matches.

The other major UK outside broadcast supplier to have declared interest in 4K tests and investments is Visions, which is also contracted by Sky for EPL coverage.

As revealed by Broadcast, Sky is testing the 4K technologies as a prelude to a possible future launch of an Ultra-HD service.

BBC head of 3D questions the format’s appeal

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http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils/news/bbc-head-of-3d-questions-the-formats-appeal/5048481.article
Head of 3D Kim Shillinglaw has become the latest BBC executive to question the consumer appetite for 3D.

Shillinglaw is leading the BBC’s two-year trial into the production and distribution models for the format.

“There’s a further dimension [to the trials], which is assessing whether people will ever want to consume 3D wholesale,” she said. “My gut feeling is that 3D is a ‘high days and holidays’ experience for most people. They want to opt in to 3D for a particular experience, such as the final of Strictly, rather than watch 3D continually.”

She added: “This may change with the advent of glasses-free displays and the audience trend towards greater visual immersion.”

Other BBC staffers to have queried the 3D TV experience include director of sport Barbara Slater and executive sport producer Paul Davies.