Technology inTelligence for TV, film and radio

issue 29 | noVember 2012

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

CASE STUDIES*Inside DMI s news centre*Touring SoundStruck

‹

NOURA Al KAAbiCEO of twofour54 calls for the creation of a sustainable content ecosystem

TECH SPECIAL*Scheduling systems*Channel-in-a-box

Bahraini player changes the game with multiplay service rollout

Just like all of you, the team at BroadcastPro ME has been multi-tasking incessantly as part of our efforts to try and bring you a multi-dimensional view of the multi-platform content delivery trend and the complexities of running a broadcast station today. In the process, all of us have been caught in a whirlwind of day-to-day activity that we seldom have the time to pause and see the bigger picture.

Multi-anything seems to be the buzzword today but it also seems to have taken our breath away so much that we are carrying on as we did years ago when there may be a better way of undertaking a task. Keeping abreast of what’s new is an essential part of ensuring efficiency.

The ASBU BroadcastPro Summit and Awards is meant to do some of what we do not have the bandwidth to do on a daily basis – update and celebrate. This event enables you to take a day off from the office and feeds your need to remain updated on new trends in the market, share knowledge and exchange ideas and most importantly, learn from each other. I hope you take the time out to visit www.broadcastprome.

com and check out our stellar line-up of speakers for the event. And, of course, there’s nothing like wrapping up the day with some good food and awards to celebrate the works of some of our peers in the industry.

Now if technology could genuinely have advanced to the levels that sci-fi movies would have us believe and help create multiple versions of us so we could do more with less, I suppose that would have been useful at a busy time such as this when we are simultaneously sending the magazine to press before Eid, compiling the nominations for the judges to review and also, tasting the menu to ensure you enjoy a good meal with us on November 12 at Grand Habtoor Beach Resort and Spa, Dubai. I hope to see all of you in two weeks.

Technology inTelligence for TV, film and radio

issue 29 | noVember 2012

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

CASE STUDIES*Inside DMI s news centre*Touring SoundStruck

‹

NOURA Al KAAbiCEO of twofour54 calls for the creation of a sustainable content ecosystem

TECH SPECIAL*Scheduling systems*Channel-in-a-box

Bahraini player changes the game with multiplay service rollout

www.broadcastprome.comSubscribe now

VIjaya Cherian, Group Editor,Broadcast Division

Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Juman, MD, Atyaf, Bahrain and below, Noura Al Kaabi, CEO of twofour54.

Welcome

Dr. Ismaeel Makdisi, Acting CEO of Intigral shares news about an exclusive dealTurn to page 68

exclusive dealTechnology inTelligence for TV, film and radio

PUBLISHER Dominic De Sousa

GROUP COONadeem Hood

MANAGING DIRECTORRichard Judd

EDITORIALGroup EditorVijaya Cherianvijaya@cpidubai.com +971 (0) 55 105 3787

MARKETING & ADVERTISINGPublishing Director Raz Islamraz@cpidubai.com T +971 4 440 9129

Group Sales ManagerSandip Virksandip@cpidubai.com +971 (0) 50 459 2653

Sales ManagerRodi Hennawirodi@cpidubai.com +971 (0) 50 714 04273

DESIGN Design DirectorRuth Sheehy

Graphic DesignersJane MatthewsGlenn Roxas

PHOTOGRAPHYJay Colina

CIRCULATION & PRODUCTIONProduction ManagerJames P Tharianjames@cpidubai.com +971 (0) 4 440 9146

Circulation ManagerRajeesh Mrajeesh@cpidubai.com +971 (0) 4 440 9147

DIGITAL SERVICESwww.broadcastprome.comDigital Services ManagerTristan Troy P Maagma

Web DevelopersErik BrionesJefferson De Joyaonline@cpidubai.comT +971 4 440 9100

Published by

1013 Centre Road, New Castle County,Wilmington, Delaware, USA

HEADQUARTERSPO Box 13700Dubai, UAETel: +971 (0) 4 440 9100Fax: +971 (0) 4 447 2409

PRINTED BYPrintwell Printing Press LLC

© Copyright 2012 CPI. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

Just like all of you, the team at BroadcastPro ME has been multi-tasking incessantly as part of our efforts to try and bring you a multi-dimensional view of the multi-platform content delivery trend and the complexities of running a broadcast station today. In the process, all of us have been caught in a whirlwind of day-to-day activity that we seldom have the time to pause and see the bigger picture.

Multi-anything seems to be the buzzword today but it also seems to have taken our breath away so much that we are carrying on as we did years ago when there may be a better way of undertaking a task. Keeping abreast of what’s new is an essential part of ensuring efficiency.

The ASBU BroadcastPro Summit and Awards is meant to do some of what we do not have the bandwidth to do on a daily basis – update and celebrate. This event enables you to take a day off from the office and feeds your need to remain updated on new trends in the market, share knowledge and exchange ideas and most importantly, learn from each other. I hope you take the time out to visit www.broadcastprome.

com and check out our stellar line-up of speakers for the event. And, of course, there’s nothing like wrapping up the day with some good food and awards to celebrate the works of some of our peers in the industry.

Now if technology could genuinely have advanced to the levels that sci-fi movies would have us believe and help create multiple versions of us so we could do more with less, I suppose that would have been useful at a busy time such as this when we are simultaneously sending the magazine to press before Eid, compiling the nominations for the judges to review and also, tasting the menu to ensure you enjoy a good meal with us on November 12 at Grand Habtoor Beach Resort and Spa, Dubai. I hope to see all of you in two weeks.

Technology inTelligence for TV, film and radio

issue 29 | noVember 2012

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

CASE STUDIES*Inside DMI s news centre*Touring SoundStruck

‹

NOURA Al KAAbiCEO of twofour54 calls for the creation of a sustainable content ecosystem

TECH SPECIAL*Scheduling systems*Channel-in-a-box

Bahraini player changes the game with multiplay service rollout

www.broadcastprome.comSubscribe now

VIjaya Cherian, Group Editor,Broadcast Division

Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Juman, MD, Atyaf, Bahrain and below, Noura Al Kaabi, CEO of twofour54.

Welcome

Dr. Ismaeel Makdisi, Acting CEO of Intigral shares news about an exclusive dealTurn to page 68

exclusive dealTechnology inTelligence for TV, film and radio

PUBLISHER Dominic De Sousa

GROUP COONadeem Hood

MANAGING DIRECTORRichard Judd

EDITORIALGroup EditorVijaya Cherianvijaya@cpidubai.com +971 (0) 55 105 3787

MARKETING & ADVERTISINGPublishing Director Raz Islamraz@cpidubai.com T +971 4 440 9129

Group Sales ManagerSandip Virksandip@cpidubai.com +971 (0) 50 459 2653

Sales ManagerRodi Hennawirodi@cpidubai.com +971 (0) 50 714 04273

DESIGN Design DirectorRuth Sheehy

Graphic DesignersJane MatthewsGlenn Roxas

PHOTOGRAPHYJay Colina

CIRCULATION & PRODUCTIONProduction ManagerJames P Tharianjames@cpidubai.com +971 (0) 4 440 9146

Circulation ManagerRajeesh Mrajeesh@cpidubai.com +971 (0) 4 440 9147

DIGITAL SERVICESwww.broadcastprome.comDigital Services ManagerTristan Troy P Maagma

Web DevelopersErik BrionesJefferson De Joyaonline@cpidubai.comT +971 4 440 9100

Published by

1013 Centre Road, New Castle County,Wilmington, Delaware, USA

HEADQUARTERSPO Box 13700Dubai, UAETel: +971 (0) 4 440 9100Fax: +971 (0) 4 447 2409

PRINTED BYPrintwell Printing Press LLC

© Copyright 2012 CPI. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

Leave no story untold

cpn.canon-europe.com

A new HD system for a new century, designed to serve the changing needs of cinematographic production work. Seamlessly compatible with a wide range of accessories and production tools and with a choice of PL or EF lens mounts: this is the Canon Cinema EOS System. 18

8 News Rotana Media Services invests in Cataneo’s MYDAS ad traffic software

TReNDs14 Chris O’Hearn on most

watched channels and programmes in the UAE

58 Sarah Messer of Nielson on evolving viewer habits in the MENA region

18 COVeR sTORy A new entity in Bahrain pushes the envelope with multiplay services

26 eye Of Dubai Behind the scenes of an artistic production

30 The sOuND Of musiC Inside Dubai’s newest audio house

TeCh uPDaTes38 Scheduling sport52 Image compression55 The evolution of channel-

in-a-box solutions

40 DslR wORkshOP

iNTeRViews42 Noura Al Kaabi, CEO of twofour54

68 Dr. Ismaeel Makdisi, Acting CEO of Intigral

48 News CeNTRe - Dmi A tour of Dubai Media Inc.’s upgraded facility

58 OPiNiON

62 PRODuCTs

in this issue

November 2012

Bahrain-based Atyaf rolls out multiplay sevices

42 iNTeRView

Noura Al Kaabi, CEO, twofour54

48 Case sTuDy

26 PRODuCTiONFilming Dubai blindfolded

A closer look at DMI’s news centre

exClusiVe

18

8 News Rotana Media Services invests in Cataneo’s MYDAS ad traffic software

TReNDs14 Chris O’Hearn on most

watched channels and programmes in the UAE

58 Sarah Messer of Nielson on evolving viewer habits in the MENA region

18 COVeR sTORy A new entity in Bahrain pushes the envelope with multiplay services

26 eye Of Dubai Behind the scenes of an artistic production

30 The sOuND Of musiC Inside Dubai’s newest audio house

TeCh uPDaTes38 Scheduling sport52 Image compression55 The evolution of channel-

in-a-box solutions

40 DslR wORkshOP

iNTeRViews42 Noura Al Kaabi, CEO of twofour54

68 Dr. Ismaeel Makdisi, Acting CEO of Intigral

48 News CeNTRe - Dmi A tour of Dubai Media Inc.’s upgraded facility

58 OPiNiON

62 PRODuCTs

in this issue

November 2012

Bahrain-based Atyaf rolls out multiplay sevices

42 iNTeRView

Noura Al Kaabi, CEO, twofour54

48 Case sTuDy

26 PRODuCTiONFilming Dubai blindfolded

A closer look at DMI’s news centre

exClusiVe

Sony Professional Solutions MEA FZ LLC, Unit C-50, P. O. Box 502050, International Media Production Zone, Dubai, United Arab Emirates,Tel: +971 4 391 8400, Email: middle.east@eu.sony.com, website: www.pro.sony.eu

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Interchangeable E-mount lens system.Interchangeable E-mount lens system.

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Auto focus, Auto exposure and Stabilisation.Auto focus, Auto exposure and Stabilisation.

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The new Sony NEX-EA50.

The NEX-EA50 is a professional NXCAM Camcorder that gives you the unrivaled versatility to shoot both Full HD movies and high-quality still images in exceptional quality. Meticulously designed and seasoned with a host of amazing extras, this incredible camera gives you the flexibility to do just about anything.

Unlimited flexibility.Unparalleled possibility.

Two models available:NEX-EA50K: Supplied with manual zoom lensNEX-EA50H: Supplied with power zoom lens

NEX-EA50H

1058_Sony_NEX EA50_Broad cast_20.7x27 cm hi res.pdf 9/24/12 2:39:52 PM

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 7

German integrator BFE recently completed the integration of three 600 sqm studios for Al Kass, a Qatar-based sports channel. The project also saw

the first regional installation of BFE’s KSC Commander system in a TV station.

Each of the three studios has been equipped with three Grass Valley LDK 8000 cameras. Key equipment include the KSC control and management system as well as custom consoles and monitor stacks manufactured at BFE’s workshop in Mainz. Miranda’s central router and three Lawo mixing consoles are part of the project. Preassembly for the control rooms was undertaken at BFE’s HQ in Germany and then, shipped to Qatar. The final factory acceptance for the studios was also undertaken at Mainz.

“One of the client’s prime requirements was that the project should be entirely handled by us, so nothing was subcontracted,” Jurgen Loos, director of Sales at BFE, said.

“This was primarily to ensure that high standards were maintained.”

As part of the integration, BFE also put in racks, and furniture and undertook the cabling for the entire project. 10 engineers from BFE

were on site in Qatar to ensure the proper installation and delivery of the project.

“We sent all our staff from Mainz and everything was undertaken without any local intervention,” added Derek Holland, GM, BFE Branch office, Dubai. Holland, who recently joined BFE, will handle sales, after sales support and local maintenance in the region.

“After handover and support, we can offer remote support while the local office headed by Holland can provide mid-term service and support,” added Loos.

While local support will be available, BFE maintains that its project planning, production, joinery and mechanical departments will continue to be maintained at its headquarters in Germany.

PRONEWS

✱ Abu Dhabi-based systems integrator Tek Signals has been awarded the Kalba project by Sharjah Media Corporation.

✱ Al Aan TV’s radio service, Al Aan FM, went live in Syria last month. The radio project was undertaken by Broadcast Systems Arabia.

BFE iNtEgRatES al KaSS StudiOS

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi has been appointed chairman of Sharjah Media Centre, according to a decree by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The Executive Council of Sharjah also appointed Osama Samra as director of Sharjah Media Centre.

According to a new decree,

Sharjah Media Centre will also operate autonomously. It will have full “financial and administrative independence and full legal authority to initiate legal procedures and initiatives that ensure the achievement of its functions, defined within the Amiri Decree No. 5, 2011.”

A statement from the centre stated: “To fulfil its functions, Sharjah Media Centre comprises

three sub-units, namely The Media Office of His Highness, Government Communication Unit and Press Club. These sub-units ensure a systematic delivery of the emirate’s key messages to the world, in addition to sustaining a solid communications network between all of Sharjah’s government entities and creating a regional hub for professionals from all walks of the media and communications field.”

The TV Support and Development Committee (TVSDC) for Qatar TV in Doha has invested in SGL’s FlashNet archive solution. The broadcaster has installed a digital workflow based around an Avid production environment in its three-studio facility to enable the re-launch of two Qatar TV channels.

The facility, which is due to go on air later this year, will produce and play out material in-house for the channels. As part of this new digital workflow, SGL’s FlashNet archive, which sits

between an Avid Interplay MAM and a SpectraLogic T950 library with LTO tape for long-term storage, provides back-up, archive and restore functionality.

The installation also includes a PAM system that contains 21 Avid edit suites with EVS production servers and IPDirector playout and a Pebble Beach automation system.

Speaking about the purchase, Samer Younes, consultant engineer, TV Support & Development Committee for Qatar TV said: “For a project like

this, the strength is finding systems that work together seamlessly, as is the case with SGL FlashNet and Avid Interplay. The SGL archive is very flexible and easy to work with. It can be expanded further in the future and is a key element of this new installation at Qatar TV. We look forward to going live in the coming weeks.”

Trevor Morecraft, SGL’s sales manager of EMEA added: “This sale highlights our strong commitment to the Middle East region.”

Qatar tV opts for sGL’s fLashnet archiVe soLution

From left: HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi and Osama Samra.

new hiGh-profiLe appointments at sharjah media centre

Trevor Morecraft, sales manager for SGL EMEA.

From left: Jurgen Loos and Derek Holland.

Sony Professional Solutions MEA FZ LLC, Unit C-50, P. O. Box 502050, International Media Production Zone, Dubai, United Arab Emirates,Tel: +971 4 391 8400, Email: middle.east@eu.sony.com, website: www.pro.sony.eu

Full 1920x1080 AVCHD 2.0 recording.Full 1920x1080 AVCHD 2.0 recording.

Full 1920x1080 AVCHD 2.0 recording.

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Full 1920x1080 AVCHD 2.0 recording.

Full 1920x1080 AVCHD 2.0 recording.

Full 1920x1080 AVCHD 2.0 recording.

‘Exmor’ APS-C CMOS sensor. ‘Exmor’ APS-C CMOS sensor.

‘Exmor’ APS-C CMOS sensor.

‘Exmor’ APS-C CMOS sensor.

‘Exmor’ APS-C CMOS sensor.

‘Exmor’ APS-C CMOS sensor.

‘Exmor’ APS-C CMOS sensor.

‘Exmor’ APS-C CMOS sensor.

‘Exmor’ APS-C CMOS sensor.

‘Exmor’ APS-C CMOS sensor.

Interchangeable E-mount lens system.Interchangeable E-mount lens system.

Interchangeable E-mount lens system.

Interchangeable E-mount lens system.

Interchangeable E-mount lens system.

Interchangeable E-mount lens system.

Interchangeable E-mount lens system.

Interchangeable E-mount lens system.

Auto focus, Auto exposure and Stabilisation.Auto focus, Auto exposure and Stabilisation.

Auto focus, Auto exposure and Stabilisation.

Auto focus, Auto exposure and Stabilisation.

Auto focus, Auto exposure and Stabilisation.

Auto focus, Auto exposure and Stabilisation.

Auto focus, Auto exposure and Stabilisation.

16.1 megapixel Still Image capture.16.1 megapixel Still Image capture.

16.1 megapixel Still Image capture.

16.1 megapixel Still Image capture.

16.1 megapixel Still Image capture.

16.1 megapixel Still Image capture.

16.1 megapixel Still Image capture.

Versatile shooting style. Versatile shooting style.

Versatile shooting style.

Versatile shooting style.

Versatile shooting style.

The new Sony NEX-EA50.

The NEX-EA50 is a professional NXCAM Camcorder that gives you the unrivaled versatility to shoot both Full HD movies and high-quality still images in exceptional quality. Meticulously designed and seasoned with a host of amazing extras, this incredible camera gives you the flexibility to do just about anything.

Unlimited flexibility.Unparalleled possibility.

Two models available:NEX-EA50K: Supplied with manual zoom lensNEX-EA50H: Supplied with power zoom lens

NEX-EA50H

1058_Sony_NEX EA50_Broad cast_20.7x27 cm hi res.pdf 9/24/12 2:39:52 PM

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 7

German integrator BFE recently completed the integration of three 600 sqm studios for Al Kass, a Qatar-based sports channel. The project also saw

the first regional installation of BFE’s KSC Commander system in a TV station.

Each of the three studios has been equipped with three Grass Valley LDK 8000 cameras. Key equipment include the KSC control and management system as well as custom consoles and monitor stacks manufactured at BFE’s workshop in Mainz. Miranda’s central router and three Lawo mixing consoles are part of the project. Preassembly for the control rooms was undertaken at BFE’s HQ in Germany and then, shipped to Qatar. The final factory acceptance for the studios was also undertaken at Mainz.

“One of the client’s prime requirements was that the project should be entirely handled by us, so nothing was subcontracted,” Jurgen Loos, director of Sales at BFE, said.

“This was primarily to ensure that high standards were maintained.”

As part of the integration, BFE also put in racks, and furniture and undertook the cabling for the entire project. 10 engineers from BFE

were on site in Qatar to ensure the proper installation and delivery of the project.

“We sent all our staff from Mainz and everything was undertaken without any local intervention,” added Derek Holland, GM, BFE Branch office, Dubai. Holland, who recently joined BFE, will handle sales, after sales support and local maintenance in the region.

“After handover and support, we can offer remote support while the local office headed by Holland can provide mid-term service and support,” added Loos.

While local support will be available, BFE maintains that its project planning, production, joinery and mechanical departments will continue to be maintained at its headquarters in Germany.

PRONEWS

✱ Abu Dhabi-based systems integrator Tek Signals has been awarded the Kalba project by Sharjah Media Corporation.

✱ Al Aan TV’s radio service, Al Aan FM, went live in Syria last month. The radio project was undertaken by Broadcast Systems Arabia.

BFE iNtEgRatES al KaSS StudiOS

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi has been appointed chairman of Sharjah Media Centre, according to a decree by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The Executive Council of Sharjah also appointed Osama Samra as director of Sharjah Media Centre.

According to a new decree,

Sharjah Media Centre will also operate autonomously. It will have full “financial and administrative independence and full legal authority to initiate legal procedures and initiatives that ensure the achievement of its functions, defined within the Amiri Decree No. 5, 2011.”

A statement from the centre stated: “To fulfil its functions, Sharjah Media Centre comprises

three sub-units, namely The Media Office of His Highness, Government Communication Unit and Press Club. These sub-units ensure a systematic delivery of the emirate’s key messages to the world, in addition to sustaining a solid communications network between all of Sharjah’s government entities and creating a regional hub for professionals from all walks of the media and communications field.”

The TV Support and Development Committee (TVSDC) for Qatar TV in Doha has invested in SGL’s FlashNet archive solution. The broadcaster has installed a digital workflow based around an Avid production environment in its three-studio facility to enable the re-launch of two Qatar TV channels.

The facility, which is due to go on air later this year, will produce and play out material in-house for the channels. As part of this new digital workflow, SGL’s FlashNet archive, which sits

between an Avid Interplay MAM and a SpectraLogic T950 library with LTO tape for long-term storage, provides back-up, archive and restore functionality.

The installation also includes a PAM system that contains 21 Avid edit suites with EVS production servers and IPDirector playout and a Pebble Beach automation system.

Speaking about the purchase, Samer Younes, consultant engineer, TV Support & Development Committee for Qatar TV said: “For a project like

this, the strength is finding systems that work together seamlessly, as is the case with SGL FlashNet and Avid Interplay. The SGL archive is very flexible and easy to work with. It can be expanded further in the future and is a key element of this new installation at Qatar TV. We look forward to going live in the coming weeks.”

Trevor Morecraft, SGL’s sales manager of EMEA added: “This sale highlights our strong commitment to the Middle East region.”

Qatar tV opts for sGL’s fLashnet archiVe soLution

From left: HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi and Osama Samra.

new hiGh-profiLe appointments at sharjah media centre

Trevor Morecraft, sales manager for SGL EMEA.

From left: Jurgen Loos and Derek Holland.

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 20128

Rotana Media Services (RMS) has invested in Cataneo’s MYDAS

Ad traffic software. All of the organisation’s media bookings, irrespective of whether they are for TV, radio or print, will be booked and organised through MYDAS. The solution was implemented on October 1.

RMS, the ad sales house of Rotana Media Group, represents several TV and radio stations in the MENA region including Rotana Cinema, Khalijia, FOX Movies, Aflam as well as several others. RMS will use MYDAS at its headquarters in Dubai as well as at its regional sales offices in Cairo, Riyadh, Jeddah, Beirut and Casablanca. MYDAS covers all areas of advertising traffic including ad break pricing, sales forecast, sales controlling, CRM as well as reporting and analysis.

“This is a very important contract for Cataneo as it strengthens our international expansion plans,” commented Christian Unterseer, managing partner of Cataneo GmbH.

“It also required some exciting enhancements to our product line. The underlying web-based design of our software, requiring no software at the user workstation, is ideally suited to the multi-location

sales operation of Rotana Media. “Besides the MYDAS ad traffic tool,

Cataneo also offers its MYTOS broadcast traffic solution that covers the areas of channel management, scheduling as well as programme and promo planning. In addition to this, Cataneo also invented and developed AMY, an automated booking engine for remnant airtime. Our goal is now to promote ourselves more actively in the Middle East.”

Rotana media seRvices invests in cataneo’s mYdas softwaRe

PRonews

MBC Group announced the launch of MBC MASR, its first channel dedicated to Egyptian viewers, last month. The channel is said to be an Egyptian version of MBC 1 with local news and local content that is targeted at the Egyptian audience.

MBC MASR will initially run a news and live talk show from Cairo every day and has rented a studio at Cairo Media City to produce daily programmes although it will still fundamentally be broadcast from Dubai, Andy Palmer, group director of technical operations for MBC Group told BroadcastPro ME.

MBC MASR will operate out of the rented facility for a year to 18 months until Cairo Media City builds another bigger studio for the media entity and equips it with better galleries and cameras.

“We will then lease that from them,” explained Palmer.

MBC MASR will initially be produced in Standard Definition (SD) as the Egyptian market is pretty firmly based in SD although the Group will invest in multi-format cameras.

In the meantime, an OB truck from MBC’s office in Beirut has been stationed in Cairo to serve as both a mobile truck and provide the gallery infrastructure for the channel, explained Palmer.

While a significant chunk of the content will be aired live, all of the content will be integrated at MBC’s headquarters in Dubai.

During the launch, Mazen Hayek, MBC Group’s Official Spokesman as well as Group Director of PR & Commercial stated that the media organisation was looking to work

Doha Film institute announces new ceo; moves Film Fest to souq waqiFDoha Film Institute (DFI) has announced the appointment of Abdulaziz Al Khater — a former banker — as CEO ahead of the entity’s flagship event — the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF), which is scheduled to be held from November 17-24, 2012 at Souq Waqif.

The new venue will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Festival. DTFF screenings will also take place at Katara and the Museum of Islamic Art.

The three venues will serve as “a powerful showcase of Qatari culture, bringing [visitors] closer to the heart of our nation’s proud heritage”, according to Issa Bin Mohammed Al-Mohannadi, DTFF vice chairperson.

DTFF will open with Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist, in addition to showcasing more than 50 films in different themed segments.

Speaking about the new appointment and the festival, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, founder and chairperson of DFI, added: “Doha Film Institute has established itself as one of the most promising film education establishments in the region, bringing fresh perspectives for our talented creative community. The all-encompassing approach of DFI to promote a robust film industry in Qatar has helped us to create a distinct identity not only in the region but also globally. The appointment of Abdulaziz Al-Khater, who has a wealth of management expertise, will be strong value addition in driving the future growth of the Institute.”

In Figures

6.9 million users number of users intigral claims to have reached across multiple delivery platforms including mobile, web and internet television (iPtv).

mBc GrouP announces launch oF mBc masr in eGyPt

with industry professionals “to further progress the Egyptian media scene, raise the standards of local entertainment content to international standards, through more investments, outstanding production value, and promoting the local Egyptian content to foreign markets, while also exchanging experiences, best practices and sharpening skills.”

Christian Unterseer, managing partner of Cataneo GmbH.

Dr. Abdulaziz Al Khater.

Think REAL.Real Image

3D Modeling and Animation | Architectural Visualization Character Animation | Film Production | Full HD Solutions

Dubai T : +971 4 3371616 F : +971 4 3371656 www.realimage.tv

Toronto T : +1 416 5832266 F : +1 416 5832267 www.realimagecanada.com

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 20128

Rotana Media Services (RMS) has invested in Cataneo’s MYDAS

Ad traffic software. All of the organisation’s media bookings, irrespective of whether they are for TV, radio or print, will be booked and organised through MYDAS. The solution was implemented on October 1.

RMS, the ad sales house of Rotana Media Group, represents several TV and radio stations in the MENA region including Rotana Cinema, Khalijia, FOX Movies, Aflam as well as several others. RMS will use MYDAS at its headquarters in Dubai as well as at its regional sales offices in Cairo, Riyadh, Jeddah, Beirut and Casablanca. MYDAS covers all areas of advertising traffic including ad break pricing, sales forecast, sales controlling, CRM as well as reporting and analysis.

“This is a very important contract for Cataneo as it strengthens our international expansion plans,” commented Christian Unterseer, managing partner of Cataneo GmbH.

“It also required some exciting enhancements to our product line. The underlying web-based design of our software, requiring no software at the user workstation, is ideally suited to the multi-location

sales operation of Rotana Media. “Besides the MYDAS ad traffic tool,

Cataneo also offers its MYTOS broadcast traffic solution that covers the areas of channel management, scheduling as well as programme and promo planning. In addition to this, Cataneo also invented and developed AMY, an automated booking engine for remnant airtime. Our goal is now to promote ourselves more actively in the Middle East.”

Rotana media seRvices invests in cataneo’s mYdas softwaRe

PRonews

MBC Group announced the launch of MBC MASR, its first channel dedicated to Egyptian viewers, last month. The channel is said to be an Egyptian version of MBC 1 with local news and local content that is targeted at the Egyptian audience.

MBC MASR will initially run a news and live talk show from Cairo every day and has rented a studio at Cairo Media City to produce daily programmes although it will still fundamentally be broadcast from Dubai, Andy Palmer, group director of technical operations for MBC Group told BroadcastPro ME.

MBC MASR will operate out of the rented facility for a year to 18 months until Cairo Media City builds another bigger studio for the media entity and equips it with better galleries and cameras.

“We will then lease that from them,” explained Palmer.

MBC MASR will initially be produced in Standard Definition (SD) as the Egyptian market is pretty firmly based in SD although the Group will invest in multi-format cameras.

In the meantime, an OB truck from MBC’s office in Beirut has been stationed in Cairo to serve as both a mobile truck and provide the gallery infrastructure for the channel, explained Palmer.

While a significant chunk of the content will be aired live, all of the content will be integrated at MBC’s headquarters in Dubai.

During the launch, Mazen Hayek, MBC Group’s Official Spokesman as well as Group Director of PR & Commercial stated that the media organisation was looking to work

Doha Film institute announces new ceo; moves Film Fest to souq waqiFDoha Film Institute (DFI) has announced the appointment of Abdulaziz Al Khater — a former banker — as CEO ahead of the entity’s flagship event — the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF), which is scheduled to be held from November 17-24, 2012 at Souq Waqif.

The new venue will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Festival. DTFF screenings will also take place at Katara and the Museum of Islamic Art.

The three venues will serve as “a powerful showcase of Qatari culture, bringing [visitors] closer to the heart of our nation’s proud heritage”, according to Issa Bin Mohammed Al-Mohannadi, DTFF vice chairperson.

DTFF will open with Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist, in addition to showcasing more than 50 films in different themed segments.

Speaking about the new appointment and the festival, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, founder and chairperson of DFI, added: “Doha Film Institute has established itself as one of the most promising film education establishments in the region, bringing fresh perspectives for our talented creative community. The all-encompassing approach of DFI to promote a robust film industry in Qatar has helped us to create a distinct identity not only in the region but also globally. The appointment of Abdulaziz Al-Khater, who has a wealth of management expertise, will be strong value addition in driving the future growth of the Institute.”

In Figures

6.9 million users number of users intigral claims to have reached across multiple delivery platforms including mobile, web and internet television (iPtv).

mBc GrouP announces launch oF mBc masr in eGyPt

with industry professionals “to further progress the Egyptian media scene, raise the standards of local entertainment content to international standards, through more investments, outstanding production value, and promoting the local Egyptian content to foreign markets, while also exchanging experiences, best practices and sharpening skills.”

Christian Unterseer, managing partner of Cataneo GmbH.

Dr. Abdulaziz Al Khater.

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As a reliable and innovative companion for broadcasters and theatres for many decades, we know what world-class sound engineers expect from our fi rst digital multichannel system for highest demands. This is it, and it’s in a class all by itself: DIGITAL 9000 offers uncompressed digital audio transmission, safe from intermodulation, with a stunning cable-like purity of sound and dynamics and control functions, that

make the system setup fail-safe. The highly intuitive user interface provides complete overview even in stressful live situations. A pinnacle of innovation, this is the best-in-class digital wireless system available and a future-proof investment. We’re lifting the curtain. You’ll get to know it. DIGITAL 9000 – The Wireless Masterpiece.

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November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 11

Last month, US company ONE CONNXT facilitated the historic first live programming transmission between Egypt and Jordan for IQRAA, a Middle East TV channel.

Speaking about the technology, Yanal Abbady, an engineer in Jordan Media City (JMC) said: “This was the first time we were using ONE CONNXT for a live transmission between these countries. We didn’t know what to expect. JMC engineers worked with the ONE CONNXT team, and the engineering team in Cairo, for hours before the broadcast to make sure we got the best glitch-free results. I’m happy to say that we were successful.”

PRONEWS

IQRAA chANNEl uNdERtAkES lIvE tRANSmISSION WIth ONE cONNXt

Yahlive to broadcast saudi tv channels in hdSix Saudi TV channels are now available in High Definition (HD) exclusively on YahLive’s satellite platform based on an agreement between UAE-based satellite broadcast platform YahLive and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture and Information. Saudi 1, Quran Kareem, El Sunnah, El Ekhbariya, El thaqafiya, and sport 1 in HD will be available across the GCC, Levant and South West Asia regions.

The agreement, which makes YahLive the first and only satellite broadcast platform to offer Saudi TV channels in HD, was signed by Dr. Abdulaziz Muhiddin Khoja, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture and Information, and Mohamed Youssif, CEO of YahLive, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia late September.

Commenting on this announcement, Dr. Khoja said: “Saudi TV channels are the most popular channels in the Kingdom and have a long history of delivering programming content and services that are designed to meet the needs and expectations of viewers. As a part of the new HD revolution, we are delighted to launch our Saudi TV channels on YahLive, which is quickly developing as the exclusive home of HD in the region.”

ONE CONNXT is an end-to-end HD/SD content distribution service that provides high quality live and recorded video programming virtually anywhere in the world with significant savings over satellite or fiber. Via ONE CONNXT, video can be delivered either point to point or point to multipoint utilising proprietary IP solutions. Unlike other IP solutions, ONE CONNXT has been designed as a more robust and reliable IP system that delivers results comparable to traditional broadcast methods.

“ONE CONNXT gives the IQRAA team a strategic advantage in the marketplace and allows them lower delivery cost and increased distribution abilities while maintaining high quality and reliability,” commented Paul Dingwitz, chief technology officer of ONE Media Corp, the parent company of ONE CONNXT.

“It was created by broadcasters at ONE Media Corp to deliver our own programming at a reduced cost around the world. We then made the technology available to other broadcasters. As a result, we designed a system to the higher quality and reliability standards of broadcast television, rather than the lower quality IP standards. It’s IP with a twist, IP transport perfected and guaranteed to work well even when the local internet isn’t optimum.”

Paul Dingwitz, CTO, ONE Media Corp.

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As a reliable and innovative companion for broadcasters and theatres for many decades, we know what world-class sound engineers expect from our fi rst digital multichannel system for highest demands. This is it, and it’s in a class all by itself: DIGITAL 9000 offers uncompressed digital audio transmission, safe from intermodulation, with a stunning cable-like purity of sound and dynamics and control functions, that

make the system setup fail-safe. The highly intuitive user interface provides complete overview even in stressful live situations. A pinnacle of innovation, this is the best-in-class digital wireless system available and a future-proof investment. We’re lifting the curtain. You’ll get to know it. DIGITAL 9000 – The Wireless Masterpiece.

www.sennheiser.ae

Lifting the Curtain: World Class Goes Digital.

THE WIRELESSMASTERPIECE.MASTERPIECE.

Sennheiser Middle EastOffi ce # 345, Bldg. 6E/BDubai Airport Free ZoneP.O. Box 371004Dubai, UAETel: +971 4299 4004Email: export@sennheiser.co.uk

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November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 11

Last month, US company ONE CONNXT facilitated the historic first live programming transmission between Egypt and Jordan for IQRAA, a Middle East TV channel.

Speaking about the technology, Yanal Abbady, an engineer in Jordan Media City (JMC) said: “This was the first time we were using ONE CONNXT for a live transmission between these countries. We didn’t know what to expect. JMC engineers worked with the ONE CONNXT team, and the engineering team in Cairo, for hours before the broadcast to make sure we got the best glitch-free results. I’m happy to say that we were successful.”

PRONEWS

IQRAA chANNEl uNdERtAkES lIvE tRANSmISSION WIth ONE cONNXt

Yahlive to broadcast saudi tv channels in hdSix Saudi TV channels are now available in High Definition (HD) exclusively on YahLive’s satellite platform based on an agreement between UAE-based satellite broadcast platform YahLive and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture and Information. Saudi 1, Quran Kareem, El Sunnah, El Ekhbariya, El thaqafiya, and sport 1 in HD will be available across the GCC, Levant and South West Asia regions.

The agreement, which makes YahLive the first and only satellite broadcast platform to offer Saudi TV channels in HD, was signed by Dr. Abdulaziz Muhiddin Khoja, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture and Information, and Mohamed Youssif, CEO of YahLive, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia late September.

Commenting on this announcement, Dr. Khoja said: “Saudi TV channels are the most popular channels in the Kingdom and have a long history of delivering programming content and services that are designed to meet the needs and expectations of viewers. As a part of the new HD revolution, we are delighted to launch our Saudi TV channels on YahLive, which is quickly developing as the exclusive home of HD in the region.”

ONE CONNXT is an end-to-end HD/SD content distribution service that provides high quality live and recorded video programming virtually anywhere in the world with significant savings over satellite or fiber. Via ONE CONNXT, video can be delivered either point to point or point to multipoint utilising proprietary IP solutions. Unlike other IP solutions, ONE CONNXT has been designed as a more robust and reliable IP system that delivers results comparable to traditional broadcast methods.

“ONE CONNXT gives the IQRAA team a strategic advantage in the marketplace and allows them lower delivery cost and increased distribution abilities while maintaining high quality and reliability,” commented Paul Dingwitz, chief technology officer of ONE Media Corp, the parent company of ONE CONNXT.

“It was created by broadcasters at ONE Media Corp to deliver our own programming at a reduced cost around the world. We then made the technology available to other broadcasters. As a result, we designed a system to the higher quality and reliability standards of broadcast television, rather than the lower quality IP standards. It’s IP with a twist, IP transport perfected and guaranteed to work well even when the local internet isn’t optimum.”

Paul Dingwitz, CTO, ONE Media Corp.

VSN is proud to present the ultimate media concept,Tapeless 2.0, a new generation of software tools for broadcastthat will make the difference.

VSN’s Spider Platform is a cutting-edge framework featuring thelatest cloud-friendly solutions for Media & Broadcast.

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201212

PRONEWS

Live Streaming now avaiLabLe on Sky newS arabia’S mobiLe appS for iphoneS, ipadS and android deviceSSky News Arabia has rolled out live streaming of its news broadcast for Apple iPhone and Android smartphone devices. Previously, live streaming was only available on the channel’s native iPad and Android tablet apps.

“The convergance of communications, internet and mobile technology, and the rapid rise of social media are changing the broadcast industry, from the way news is gathered to how it’s delivered and consumed,” Nart Bouran, head of Sky News Arabia, said.

Speaking during a discussion held at Sky News Arabia’s studios about the impact of technology on the broadcast news industry, Bouran continued: “It is no longer enough for media organisations to have the largest network of bureaus and journalists; as important – if perhaps, more important – is the need to embrace technology and keep pace with the evolution of information technology in order to keep audiences interested and engaged.”

Sky News Arabia has launched mobile apps for various operating systems, including iOS devices such as the iPad and iPhone, Blackberry, Nokia, Android phones and tablets. The applications were created as native versions rather than mobile versions of the web site to ensure a better user experience and seamless integration with the user’s mobile device.

The iOS and Android apps were particularly designed to be advanced. Some of the key features include an interactive map for news, 3D photo galleries and a 48-hour timeline of top news stories as well as the ability to share stories via Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

envivio encoderS power Sna’S ott ServiceSSky News Arabia has deployed Envivio Muse software-based encoders for its real-time web streaming service. The broadcaster uses the Envivio video processing solution to compress and stream its live video content to its web site for over-the-top (OTT) viewing on PCs and mobile devices by people around the world.

Speaking about the deal, Ihsan Yahya of Sky News Arabia said: “We selected Envivio because they were able to get our OTT service up and running in three weeks, and provided excellent customer service.”

Julien Signès, president and CEO of Envivio added: “Viewing patterns continue to shift, with people choosing to watch their favourite content on a variety of screens beyond the TV. Sky News Arabia is an innovative broadcaster, offering its content on Internet-connected platforms to broaden its distribution reach and offer a better service for its subscribers.”

In Figures

$256.44 biLLion the estimated worth of Social tv by 2017 Source: MarketsandMarkets

europe presently owns the highest share of social tv market revenue and is set to account for $55.48 billion in revenue at the end of 2012 and is expected to reach $77.74 billion by 2017.

3d reSearch the 3d display market is set to grow from 50.8 million units and $13.2 billion in revenue in 2011 to 226 million units and $67 billion in revenue in 2019 worldwide.Source: DisplaySearch, NPD Group.

NEW dEal bEtWEEN INtIgRal aNd StC PROmISES mORE tV ChaNNElS

intigral has launched a dedicated fiber optic data link, STM-16, which connects Intigral’s office in Dubai to Saudi Telecom Company’s (STC)

broadcast operations in Saudi Arabia (KSA). STC’s IPTV customers will now enjoy more than double the channel lineup, including HD channels, as well as an increase in content offering and broadcast quality.

The new fiber data link will allow STC and Intigral to benefit from four times higher data transfer bandwidth

compared to the previous link. During the implementation of the project, two STM-16 links were built, one of which is the main link that travels through a land route between the United Arab Emirates and KSA; and the second is a backup submarine link which uses the Europe India Gateway (EIG) network for its communications cable system. With the activation of the two links, complete data redundancy is achieved through the two different geographical routes.

dmI SECuRES RIghtS fROm mgm A new agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) will see Dubai Media Inc. broadcast MGM material exclusively until 2015 in the MENA region. The deal was signed by Ahmad Abdullah Al Shaikh, DMI’s MD and GM, and Meyer Chris Auatengr, head of

distribution and acquisitions of World TV, MGM, at MIPCOM. The deal gives DMI exclusive TV rights to a number of new films for the MENA including the latest James Bond film Skyfall and The Hobbit. Dubai One will be the only MENA channel to screen these films.

turkiSh paLS winS bahrain contractturkish pals electronic has secured a contract from bahrain’s information affairs authority to deliver three ob vans. the deal was approved by bahrain tender board. the initiative is said to be part of a mandate by the iaa president Shaikh fawaz bin mohammed al khalifa to acquire cutting-edge technological equipment for bahrain tv. technical affairs acting director Shaima’a al hamed commented that the high-tech ob vans would be a value-add for bahrain tv.

Character Generation I On-air Graphics I Touch Screen I Video Wall I Virtual SetEquipped with built-in design effects and host of interactive features, WASP3D offers solutions and services for all your graphics requirements including networked workflow based On-air graphics, Touch Screen graphics, Virtual Set, Character Generation tool and more.

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PRORATINGS

14 | www.broadcastprome.com | November 2012

Is television in this region a charity?That’s how one producer at the recent Abu Dhabi Media Summit said he ran his business — as a non-profit institution. Why? Well, in his view, it was because the advertising spend in the region is simply not big enough or diverse enough to support and fund a production environment in which more than a handful of companies can succeed.

And before I lose all of the technology folk reading this, don’t forget that spend on production means spend on crews, studios, equipment and everything in the production chain, so this is something that affects much more than whether an executive producer gets a new Audi.

And maybe he’s got a point. TV ad spend for the entire MENA region is about the same size as Turkey’s. On a per head basis, we compete with Cyprus.

Throw in the fact that the most popular content and the biggest productions on our screens frequently come from Turkey. See a possible link?

Markets are complex and there’s no single answer to any of this, of course. But there is one clear difference between us and Turkey, and one that is so directly related to advertiser funding, it is difficult to ignore.

Turkey has an established and widely-used TV ratings system that is based on electronic measurement, like the tview people meters that have just been introduced in the UAE.

For the first time, we can get

accurate and reliable information about what people actually watch – not just programmes but also advertising.

This is the sort of data that matters to an EMEA marketing director in London or Paris, who is evaluating budgets. Why would he want to approve an increase when he does not know what returns it will deliver when the Gulf business is based on guesswork unlike most of the territories under his control?

That may seem like a problem for the people in the commercial department, but the effects will ripple through to entire channels and everyone will need to be involved in the solution.

COMPlexITyTake a look at the Top 10 channels in the week between Oct 7 and 13, 2012.

At the broad level of total day, it’s great news for MBC, and probably as anyone would expect. But that’s just one story.

Metering shows a much larger daytime audience than has previously been thought here, so cut the same audience into 9 a.m-5 p.m. and start looking at female only and the picture is different. Now we have the cooking channel Fatafeat

at No.6, which would normally never claim to be a Top 10 channel. There are times of certain days when it is the most watched channel in this group.

Then look at Emirati males in the evening and you get another picture, possibly a surprising one. The top 10 programmes over the week are all drama episodes on MBC and Abu Dhabi Drama, and Zee Aflam is consistently stronger among males than females.

This may change from week to week, even day to day, but the point is the market now has a more accurate way to find niches, and match those niches to products and programmes.

KeePING VIeWeRSBut it goes into much greater detail than simply looking at channels and programmes.

For example, consider a few minutes extracted from a mainstream UAE channel recently.

It’s nearly midnight and a programme is about to end. It has a good 4.2% share of household viewing.

The show ends at 23:57 and there is a three-minute gap before the

“Is television in this region a charity?”

Paying the price of free TV

“The top 10 programmes over the week are all drama episodes on MBC and Abu Dhabi Drama ... Zee Aflam is consistently stronger among males than females”Christopher O’Hearn, GM of Emirates Media Measurement Company

Beyond distributing broadcast equipment, First Gulf Company is a major force in the broadcast systems sector in the region with the most significant achievements in HD TV Production and Post-Production facilities and studios.

FGC’s capabilities cover the design, implementation, integration and support of the most sophisticated systems. Additionally, FGC provides turnkey solutions in all systems including high-capacity Media Asset Management and Digital Archiving Systems.

www.fgcltd.com P.O.Box 25560, Riyadh 11476, Saudi Arabia Tel: +966 1 219 0888 Fax: +966 1 219 1888 Email: info@fgcltd.com

The Region’s Leading Systems Integrator

Broadcast Systems

PRORATINGS

14 | www.broadcastprome.com | November 2012

Is television in this region a charity?That’s how one producer at the recent Abu Dhabi Media Summit said he ran his business — as a non-profit institution. Why? Well, in his view, it was because the advertising spend in the region is simply not big enough or diverse enough to support and fund a production environment in which more than a handful of companies can succeed.

And before I lose all of the technology folk reading this, don’t forget that spend on production means spend on crews, studios, equipment and everything in the production chain, so this is something that affects much more than whether an executive producer gets a new Audi.

And maybe he’s got a point. TV ad spend for the entire MENA region is about the same size as Turkey’s. On a per head basis, we compete with Cyprus.

Throw in the fact that the most popular content and the biggest productions on our screens frequently come from Turkey. See a possible link?

Markets are complex and there’s no single answer to any of this, of course. But there is one clear difference between us and Turkey, and one that is so directly related to advertiser funding, it is difficult to ignore.

Turkey has an established and widely-used TV ratings system that is based on electronic measurement, like the tview people meters that have just been introduced in the UAE.

For the first time, we can get

accurate and reliable information about what people actually watch – not just programmes but also advertising.

This is the sort of data that matters to an EMEA marketing director in London or Paris, who is evaluating budgets. Why would he want to approve an increase when he does not know what returns it will deliver when the Gulf business is based on guesswork unlike most of the territories under his control?

That may seem like a problem for the people in the commercial department, but the effects will ripple through to entire channels and everyone will need to be involved in the solution.

COMPlexITyTake a look at the Top 10 channels in the week between Oct 7 and 13, 2012.

At the broad level of total day, it’s great news for MBC, and probably as anyone would expect. But that’s just one story.

Metering shows a much larger daytime audience than has previously been thought here, so cut the same audience into 9 a.m-5 p.m. and start looking at female only and the picture is different. Now we have the cooking channel Fatafeat

at No.6, which would normally never claim to be a Top 10 channel. There are times of certain days when it is the most watched channel in this group.

Then look at Emirati males in the evening and you get another picture, possibly a surprising one. The top 10 programmes over the week are all drama episodes on MBC and Abu Dhabi Drama, and Zee Aflam is consistently stronger among males than females.

This may change from week to week, even day to day, but the point is the market now has a more accurate way to find niches, and match those niches to products and programmes.

KeePING VIeWeRSBut it goes into much greater detail than simply looking at channels and programmes.

For example, consider a few minutes extracted from a mainstream UAE channel recently.

It’s nearly midnight and a programme is about to end. It has a good 4.2% share of household viewing.

The show ends at 23:57 and there is a three-minute gap before the

“Is television in this region a charity?”

Paying the price of free TV

“The top 10 programmes over the week are all drama episodes on MBC and Abu Dhabi Drama ... Zee Aflam is consistently stronger among males than females”Christopher O’Hearn, GM of Emirates Media Measurement Company

Beyond distributing broadcast equipment, First Gulf Company is a major force in the broadcast systems sector in the region with the most significant achievements in HD TV Production and Post-Production facilities and studios.

FGC’s capabilities cover the design, implementation, integration and support of the most sophisticated systems. Additionally, FGC provides turnkey solutions in all systems including high-capacity Media Asset Management and Digital Archiving Systems.

www.fgcltd.com P.O.Box 25560, Riyadh 11476, Saudi Arabia Tel: +966 1 219 0888 Fax: +966 1 219 1888 Email: info@fgcltd.com

The Region’s Leading Systems Integrator

Broadcast Systems

What happens when content and audience connect is an everyday magic. More than 350 digital TV operators in over 80 countries rely on us to sustain that magic by protecting their content and revenue. Conax technology is proven, flexible and secure.

At Conax we work hard to innovate so that consumers can experience everyday magic on any device, at anytime, anywhere. So let the magic begin.

Keep the magic going,�keep yourbusiness growing

sustaining magic

advert_launch_Scat.indd 1 22.10.2012 13:02:23

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 17

PRORATINGS

Ad BReAkSThe effects are even more dramatic in long ad breaks. It’s not the total time per hour, although that can be excessive. Breaks of eight or nine minutes are not uncommon on popular channels.

The advertiser in the middle of the break will be lucky to attract half the viewers of the advertiser at the start. In some cases, it may be as low as 20%.

Breaks are so long we even see spikes where people come back to check whether the programme has re-started, although viewers seem to have got it down to a fine art.

Markets which have used this technology have moved to buying airtime based on total ratings. So it doesn’t matter whether you have 10 spots or 100 spots, it’s the

next programme starts at 24:00.What happens? The viewing

drops by two thirds, meaning the new programme starts with a much lower share. Thousands of viewers have just been cast adrift.

Maybe the viewers weren’t interested in the next programme but were they given the chance to find out?

The break contained a series of channel promos for unrelated content, not even paid inventory. Suddenly something which seemed ‘free’ has a big cost attached.

Either way, it is a channel management issue. Continuity, EPGs,’coming up’ teasers and promos have to become clever tools that help keep audiences, not blunt instruments to frustrate them.

Christopher O’Hearn is GM of Emirates Media Measurement Company, which has rolled out ‘tview’, the UAE’s new television ratings and audience measurement system, and the first in the Middle East

L&A TOTAL dAy

IndIvIduals

L&A 9Am-5Pm

Females

emIRATI 6Pm-3Am

males

mBC1 4.84 mBC1 6.42 mBC drama 8.56

mBC1 3.44 duBaI Tv 4.10 duBaI Tv 5.39

mBC drama 2.54 mBC max 3.75 mBC2 5.02

mBC max 2.47 mBC 4 2.85 zee aFlam 4.44

mBC 4 2.44 mBC 2 2.45 aBu dhaBI drama 3.54

duBaI Tv 2.28 FaTaFeaT 2.40 mBC 1 3.25

mBC aCTIon 2.20 mBC drama 2.31 mBC aCTIon 3.01

zee aFlam 1.76 al araBIya 2.18 aBu dhaBI sporTs 2.27

aBu dhaBI al oula 1.59 mBC aCTIon 1.47 mBC max 2.20

al araBIya 1.45 zee aFlam 1.47 al emaraT 1.91

number of viewers that counts.That means a lot more planning and

evaluation in both channel management and transmission is going to be necessary along with frequent interaction with commercial departments, like daily reviews of placement and corresponding adjustment to hit targets.

It will be up to the technology and operations people to help the business manage the airtime efficiently and effectively – ultimately, that’s the cost of securing funding rather than relying on donations. PRO

What happens when content and audience connect is an everyday magic. More than 350 digital TV operators in over 80 countries rely on us to sustain that magic by protecting their content and revenue. Conax technology is proven, flexible and secure.

At Conax we work hard to innovate so that consumers can experience everyday magic on any device, at anytime, anywhere. So let the magic begin.

Keep the magic going,�keep yourbusiness growing

sustaining magic

advert_launch_Scat.indd 1 22.10.2012 13:02:23

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 17

PRORATINGS

Ad BReAkSThe effects are even more dramatic in long ad breaks. It’s not the total time per hour, although that can be excessive. Breaks of eight or nine minutes are not uncommon on popular channels.

The advertiser in the middle of the break will be lucky to attract half the viewers of the advertiser at the start. In some cases, it may be as low as 20%.

Breaks are so long we even see spikes where people come back to check whether the programme has re-started, although viewers seem to have got it down to a fine art.

Markets which have used this technology have moved to buying airtime based on total ratings. So it doesn’t matter whether you have 10 spots or 100 spots, it’s the

next programme starts at 24:00.What happens? The viewing

drops by two thirds, meaning the new programme starts with a much lower share. Thousands of viewers have just been cast adrift.

Maybe the viewers weren’t interested in the next programme but were they given the chance to find out?

The break contained a series of channel promos for unrelated content, not even paid inventory. Suddenly something which seemed ‘free’ has a big cost attached.

Either way, it is a channel management issue. Continuity, EPGs,’coming up’ teasers and promos have to become clever tools that help keep audiences, not blunt instruments to frustrate them.

Christopher O’Hearn is GM of Emirates Media Measurement Company, which has rolled out ‘tview’, the UAE’s new television ratings and audience measurement system, and the first in the Middle East

L&A TOTAL dAy

IndIvIduals

L&A 9Am-5Pm

Females

emIRATI 6Pm-3Am

males

mBC1 4.84 mBC1 6.42 mBC drama 8.56

mBC1 3.44 duBaI Tv 4.10 duBaI Tv 5.39

mBC drama 2.54 mBC max 3.75 mBC2 5.02

mBC max 2.47 mBC 4 2.85 zee aFlam 4.44

mBC 4 2.44 mBC 2 2.45 aBu dhaBI drama 3.54

duBaI Tv 2.28 FaTaFeaT 2.40 mBC 1 3.25

mBC aCTIon 2.20 mBC drama 2.31 mBC aCTIon 3.01

zee aFlam 1.76 al araBIya 2.18 aBu dhaBI sporTs 2.27

aBu dhaBI al oula 1.59 mBC aCTIon 1.47 mBC max 2.20

al araBIya 1.45 zee aFlam 1.47 al emaraT 1.91

number of viewers that counts.That means a lot more planning and

evaluation in both channel management and transmission is going to be necessary along with frequent interaction with commercial departments, like daily reviews of placement and corresponding adjustment to hit targets.

It will be up to the technology and operations people to help the business manage the airtime efficiently and effectively – ultimately, that’s the cost of securing funding rather than relying on donations. PRO

PROEXCLUSIVE

RAISING THESTAKESIn an exclusive interview with Vijaya Cherian, the team at Atyaf, a multiplay service provider in Bahrain talks about what makes its platform cutting edge in the MENA region

In recent months, Bahrain has become a hotbed of activity for broadcasters thanks to the intervention of the Information Affairs Authority (IAA) as well as participation from a few private investors. No doubt, the IAA has made headlines for prodding the Kingdom’s stated-backed broadcaster Bahrain Radio and TV (BRTV) out of its legendary stupor to keep pace with the rest of the region’s more active broadcasters and wooing Prince Al Waleed bin Talal to set up his new Alarab news channel in the country. However, the IAA is

18 | www.broadcastprome.com | November 2012

still primarily nurturing activity in the traditional broadcast space.

By comparison, the efforts of a small, private Bahrain-based entity that is quietly gearing up to offer multiplay services across both regional and international markets has, thus far, gone unnoticed. Atyaf Telecommunications & Infrastructure International, the result of a joint venture between three major share holding companies namely, ASBB Infotech, Olive VFM and Shabaka Investment Co, is a multiplay enabler that is offering services related to IPTV, voice and internet-converged Service as

19 November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com |

PROexclusive

“We saw the need for a platform in the region to offer a multiplay product that was both content and service provider agnostic”Nezar Jamsheer, CEO, Atyaf

Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Juman, MD of Atyaf says the company

operates a flexible business model providing white-label,

co-branding and customisable IPTV solutions to the market.

a Platform (SaaP) in the region that are truly cutting edge. Its advanced IP-based TV and Video on Demand (VOD) platform provides customers with secure content through managed (closed) networks, by streaming HTTP streams with a fully secured, end-to-end Verimatrix Conditional Access System (CAS).

Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Juman, the company’s managing director, says the company “presently operates a flexible business model providing white-label, co-branding and customisable IPTV solutions to the market”.

“Atyaf is operator and content

provider independent and can offer both small and large operators with an advanced converged platform that offers an exciting entertainment and information experience”.

Nezar Jamsheer, CEO of Atyaf, says the service was “conceived as far back as 2007 although the idea was crystalised only towards the end of 2009”.

“We saw the need for a platform in the region to offer a multiplay product that was both content and service provider agnostic. This means that our IPTV platform can carry any content – live TV, Video on Demand (VOD), internet

and voice – from any content provider to any customer through any telecom/service provider regardless of their access network medium whether it is a fixed telecom operator, mobile operator or WiMAX operator,” explains Jamsheer.

Essentially, Atyaf works closely with both content providers and telco operators. Atyaf has arrangements with broadcasters and studios to carry their free-to-air and premium content on its platform. It offers all of these operators a low cost to market their services on any operator’s network. At the same time, it offers telcos a readymade IPTV

PROEXCLUSIVE

RAISING THESTAKESIn an exclusive interview with Vijaya Cherian, the team at Atyaf, a multiplay service provider in Bahrain talks about what makes its platform cutting edge in the MENA region

In recent months, Bahrain has become a hotbed of activity for broadcasters thanks to the intervention of the Information Affairs Authority (IAA) as well as participation from a few private investors. No doubt, the IAA has made headlines for prodding the Kingdom’s stated-backed broadcaster Bahrain Radio and TV (BRTV) out of its legendary stupor to keep pace with the rest of the region’s more active broadcasters and wooing Prince Al Waleed bin Talal to set up his new Alarab news channel in the country. However, the IAA is

18 | www.broadcastprome.com | November 2012

still primarily nurturing activity in the traditional broadcast space.

By comparison, the efforts of a small, private Bahrain-based entity that is quietly gearing up to offer multiplay services across both regional and international markets has, thus far, gone unnoticed. Atyaf Telecommunications & Infrastructure International, the result of a joint venture between three major share holding companies namely, ASBB Infotech, Olive VFM and Shabaka Investment Co, is a multiplay enabler that is offering services related to IPTV, voice and internet-converged Service as

19 November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com |

PROexclusive

“We saw the need for a platform in the region to offer a multiplay product that was both content and service provider agnostic”Nezar Jamsheer, CEO, Atyaf

Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Juman, MD of Atyaf says the company

operates a flexible business model providing white-label,

co-branding and customisable IPTV solutions to the market.

a Platform (SaaP) in the region that are truly cutting edge. Its advanced IP-based TV and Video on Demand (VOD) platform provides customers with secure content through managed (closed) networks, by streaming HTTP streams with a fully secured, end-to-end Verimatrix Conditional Access System (CAS).

Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Juman, the company’s managing director, says the company “presently operates a flexible business model providing white-label, co-branding and customisable IPTV solutions to the market”.

“Atyaf is operator and content

provider independent and can offer both small and large operators with an advanced converged platform that offers an exciting entertainment and information experience”.

Nezar Jamsheer, CEO of Atyaf, says the service was “conceived as far back as 2007 although the idea was crystalised only towards the end of 2009”.

“We saw the need for a platform in the region to offer a multiplay product that was both content and service provider agnostic. This means that our IPTV platform can carry any content – live TV, Video on Demand (VOD), internet

and voice – from any content provider to any customer through any telecom/service provider regardless of their access network medium whether it is a fixed telecom operator, mobile operator or WiMAX operator,” explains Jamsheer.

Essentially, Atyaf works closely with both content providers and telco operators. Atyaf has arrangements with broadcasters and studios to carry their free-to-air and premium content on its platform. It offers all of these operators a low cost to market their services on any operator’s network. At the same time, it offers telcos a readymade IPTV

20 | www.broadcastprome.com | November 2012

PROEXCLUSIVE

platform that they can customise, rebrand and go to market with. In fact, it is presently working with three telcos and operating three different business models for each including white-label, hybrid, and customised solutions. In all cases, the customers and the content remain with the operators.

Atyaf’s chief technology officer, Sabah AlKubaisy, explains why.

“I worked with a telco provider when it was deploying an IPTV solution.We implemented the platform but got stuck with the content. Operators risk investing millions of dollars into deploying an IPTV service without really having any exciting content to go along with it. Most telcos here do not have a one-stop shop from where they can take the platform as well as the content. At the end of

Although the complexity of the platform delayed the launch considerably, Atyaf claims to offer a truly integrated and converged platform that is both content and telco independent in the region.

“Our first commercial roll-out was an IPTV service for the residents of Durrat Al Bahrain, a high-end gated ‘resort style’ community in Bahrain. We offered integrated smart home solutions to the residents by providing premium live TV channels and enhanced telephony services,” AlKubaisy says.

One key factor that Atyaf hopes will make its service attractive to customers is enabling them to download VOD content without using their internet quota.

The customer must be able to access the content without using his internet quota and this is key to the success of any OTT platform, according to AlKubaisy.

“Most of the OTT services that you might see in the market presently use the

“Most of the OTT services that you might see in the market presently use the customer’s internet capacity. No matter how great your internet connection is ... they all have a fare-use policy.So the customer experience will deteriorate because these are bandwidth-hungry services”Sabah AlKubaisy, CTO, Atyaf

customer’s internet capacity. No matter how great your internet connection is, whether 100GB or 60GB, they all have a fare-use policy, which means the threshold will eventually go down to 1MB. So the customer experience will eventually deteriorate because these are bandwidth-hungry services.

“We work with the operator to eliminate this by not metering such traffic. We deploy dedicated delivery nodes at ingress of the operator’s access network to create a private interconnect between the delivery node and the access network rather than across the internet so as to garner and manage the network behaviour and latency,” explains AlKubaisy.

“This is the value add that we are able to offer across the whole content delivery chain. Again, we do this as

the day, the customer does not want to know what platform we have. All they care about is the content. The content that the customer watches is the biggest differentiator and we bring this along with the platform to the telco operator.”

Atyaf presently provides more than 700 channels including free-to-air as well as premium content in various genres and languages across screens.

“130 of these channels are premium channels unicast over a closed network,” Imran Abu Khalid, content and sales manager at Atyaf chips in.

“We also have a wide variety of VOD content catering to various genres and languages.”

Although conceived four years ago, Atyaf rolled out its first commercial service only in Q2 2012.

The Harmonic IRDs.

20 | www.broadcastprome.com | November 2012

PROEXCLUSIVE

platform that they can customise, rebrand and go to market with. In fact, it is presently working with three telcos and operating three different business models for each including white-label, hybrid, and customised solutions. In all cases, the customers and the content remain with the operators.

Atyaf’s chief technology officer, Sabah AlKubaisy, explains why.

“I worked with a telco provider when it was deploying an IPTV solution.We implemented the platform but got stuck with the content. Operators risk investing millions of dollars into deploying an IPTV service without really having any exciting content to go along with it. Most telcos here do not have a one-stop shop from where they can take the platform as well as the content. At the end of

Although the complexity of the platform delayed the launch considerably, Atyaf claims to offer a truly integrated and converged platform that is both content and telco independent in the region.

“Our first commercial roll-out was an IPTV service for the residents of Durrat Al Bahrain, a high-end gated ‘resort style’ community in Bahrain. We offered integrated smart home solutions to the residents by providing premium live TV channels and enhanced telephony services,” AlKubaisy says.

One key factor that Atyaf hopes will make its service attractive to customers is enabling them to download VOD content without using their internet quota.

The customer must be able to access the content without using his internet quota and this is key to the success of any OTT platform, according to AlKubaisy.

“Most of the OTT services that you might see in the market presently use the

“Most of the OTT services that you might see in the market presently use the customer’s internet capacity. No matter how great your internet connection is ... they all have a fare-use policy.So the customer experience will deteriorate because these are bandwidth-hungry services”Sabah AlKubaisy, CTO, Atyaf

customer’s internet capacity. No matter how great your internet connection is, whether 100GB or 60GB, they all have a fare-use policy, which means the threshold will eventually go down to 1MB. So the customer experience will eventually deteriorate because these are bandwidth-hungry services.

“We work with the operator to eliminate this by not metering such traffic. We deploy dedicated delivery nodes at ingress of the operator’s access network to create a private interconnect between the delivery node and the access network rather than across the internet so as to garner and manage the network behaviour and latency,” explains AlKubaisy.

“This is the value add that we are able to offer across the whole content delivery chain. Again, we do this as

the day, the customer does not want to know what platform we have. All they care about is the content. The content that the customer watches is the biggest differentiator and we bring this along with the platform to the telco operator.”

Atyaf presently provides more than 700 channels including free-to-air as well as premium content in various genres and languages across screens.

“130 of these channels are premium channels unicast over a closed network,” Imran Abu Khalid, content and sales manager at Atyaf chips in.

“We also have a wide variety of VOD content catering to various genres and languages.”

Although conceived four years ago, Atyaf rolled out its first commercial service only in Q2 2012.

The Harmonic IRDs.

Broadcast Pro 270x207-E.indd 1 8/16/12 1:26 PM

23 November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com |

a white label so the customer does not see our brand anywhere.”

Atyaf has not limited itself to video and audio content. It is also simultaneously involved in providing a gaming platform and voice services to customers.

“This platform enables you to access our content from any device whether an iPod, iPad, Android or set-top box. With regards to gaming, we hope to bring different kinds of games to the market to cater to different tastes. When we get to the voice part of our service, customers will be able to initiate calls from their TVs and even have roaming extensions depending on the box provided by their operator. So if telco operator X is using our platform, he can potentially provide his customer with the ability to have

with direct support from each of the vendors involved in the project.

“Initially, the plan was that our systems integrator (SI) would develop a full ‘turnkey’ platform, to offer the required converged multiplay service products. However, as the project progressed, we realised that we needed to move this inhouse. Atyaf, therefore, has managed the delivery of the platform since mid-2012. It was focused on quickly building and delivering full-fledged, converged multiplay products as they were ready rather than waiting for the entire service to be ready and then taking it to the market,” AlKubaisy adds.

The ‘built’ phase of the project was delayed for several reasons, according to the CTO.

PROexclusive

“When we get to the voice part of our service, customers will be able to initiate calls from their TVs and even have roaming extensions depending on the box provided by their operator”Sabah AlKubaisy, CTO, Atyaf

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their office extension on roaming and they can use it anywhere if they have an internet connection. So if someone calls on your office extension, you can access it from anywhere. This is what we have at the Atyaf office. However, the telecom operator may choose not to offer this service to their clients to ensure it does not compete with their existing voice services. As a feature, we have it available and can be integrated with the client if they want it.”

Another key differentiator, according to Atyaf, is that it offers a dedicated secure client to protect the content asset.

“The customer needs to download an application. This might sound like an extra hurdle to the customer but it guarantees the content security. We use this for our VOD service as well as to ensure security.”

A range of brands including Minerva Back-Office, Harmonic and Ericsson IRD devices, Envivio encoders and transcoders as well as Media Melon CDN have been brought together to make the whole operation successful.

Atyaf’s inhouse team of engineers worked on the integration of the platform

“For one, several vendors were involved in the deployment of this project. Secondly, this project has several elements that are just as technologically baffling for the vendors and there are not that many players undertaking such projects. Our aim was to deliver a seamless multiscreen service to end users to enjoy true seamless mobility and entertainment through any device across any access network provider. That was more easily said than done. In many ways, we became a lab for them to test their products and services alongside that of other vendors because this is, in many ways, cutting edge.”

Today, Atyaf is capable of providing IPTV in all of its three flavours including traditional multicast, OTT IPTV and Hybrid DBVS IPTV with the operators or through the internet, claims AlKubaisy.

From a live TV perspective, the content is received through Atyaf’s dish farm. The dish farm includes the Harmonic and Ericsson receivers. These IRDs are tuned to specific frequencies to receive specific channels that Atyaf has an agreement with.

“For example, OSN would give us the

Broadcast Pro 270x207-E.indd 1 8/16/12 1:26 PM

23 November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com |

a white label so the customer does not see our brand anywhere.”

Atyaf has not limited itself to video and audio content. It is also simultaneously involved in providing a gaming platform and voice services to customers.

“This platform enables you to access our content from any device whether an iPod, iPad, Android or set-top box. With regards to gaming, we hope to bring different kinds of games to the market to cater to different tastes. When we get to the voice part of our service, customers will be able to initiate calls from their TVs and even have roaming extensions depending on the box provided by their operator. So if telco operator X is using our platform, he can potentially provide his customer with the ability to have

with direct support from each of the vendors involved in the project.

“Initially, the plan was that our systems integrator (SI) would develop a full ‘turnkey’ platform, to offer the required converged multiplay service products. However, as the project progressed, we realised that we needed to move this inhouse. Atyaf, therefore, has managed the delivery of the platform since mid-2012. It was focused on quickly building and delivering full-fledged, converged multiplay products as they were ready rather than waiting for the entire service to be ready and then taking it to the market,” AlKubaisy adds.

The ‘built’ phase of the project was delayed for several reasons, according to the CTO.

PROexclusive

“When we get to the voice part of our service, customers will be able to initiate calls from their TVs and even have roaming extensions depending on the box provided by their operator”Sabah AlKubaisy, CTO, Atyaf

New from IBC:

Grass Valley Camera

Interface Card for

MediorNet

Qvest Media Dubai Media City

Tel: +971 - 4 433 8108www.qvestmedia.ae

www.riedel.net

their office extension on roaming and they can use it anywhere if they have an internet connection. So if someone calls on your office extension, you can access it from anywhere. This is what we have at the Atyaf office. However, the telecom operator may choose not to offer this service to their clients to ensure it does not compete with their existing voice services. As a feature, we have it available and can be integrated with the client if they want it.”

Another key differentiator, according to Atyaf, is that it offers a dedicated secure client to protect the content asset.

“The customer needs to download an application. This might sound like an extra hurdle to the customer but it guarantees the content security. We use this for our VOD service as well as to ensure security.”

A range of brands including Minerva Back-Office, Harmonic and Ericsson IRD devices, Envivio encoders and transcoders as well as Media Melon CDN have been brought together to make the whole operation successful.

Atyaf’s inhouse team of engineers worked on the integration of the platform

“For one, several vendors were involved in the deployment of this project. Secondly, this project has several elements that are just as technologically baffling for the vendors and there are not that many players undertaking such projects. Our aim was to deliver a seamless multiscreen service to end users to enjoy true seamless mobility and entertainment through any device across any access network provider. That was more easily said than done. In many ways, we became a lab for them to test their products and services alongside that of other vendors because this is, in many ways, cutting edge.”

Today, Atyaf is capable of providing IPTV in all of its three flavours including traditional multicast, OTT IPTV and Hybrid DBVS IPTV with the operators or through the internet, claims AlKubaisy.

From a live TV perspective, the content is received through Atyaf’s dish farm. The dish farm includes the Harmonic and Ericsson receivers. These IRDs are tuned to specific frequencies to receive specific channels that Atyaf has an agreement with.

“For example, OSN would give us the

What if keeping your

productions running

smoothly was as simple

as winding a watch?

Tel.: +971.4.3754292

www.miranda.com / production

TV production is complicated. Make yours run like clockwork.Trust Miranda’s proven studio and truck solutions to simplify your complexity.

As a television production professional, your world is changing rapidly. There’s greater complexity, more cameras and external feeds – and the need for more live content. You’re prepared to tackle these challenges, but how do you do it without increasing your budget and resources?

Miranda’s Densité signal processing, iControl unified control platform and monitoring systems, highly integrated NVISION routing systems and Kaleido multiviewers are all fine-tuned for the fast-paced action of live production, and engineered to work together seamlessly in a simplified worklfow. Built to reduce complexity, improve your efficiency and keep you in control.

Call Miranda to learn more. In the production world, the clock is always ticking.

Adv12-Production-BroadPro.indd 1 12-08-02 11:38 AM

25

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Qvest Media Dubai Media City

Tel: +971 - 4 433 8108www.qvestmedia.ae

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PROexclusive

specific frequencies for each of their channels and we tune our IRDs to receive them. The IRDs basically stream the signal and output it as a multicast IP feed.

As Atyaf provides multiple solutions, it has a different workflow for OTT as opposed to multi cast.

“At Durrat Al Bahrain, for instance, we have our own GPON infrastructure so we provide the customers there with multicast feeds. We provide them with a set top box and a GPON ONT so basically, the signal is distributed through the network as a multicast stream all the way to the set top box,” explains AlKubaisy.

However, as all portable devices support HTTP rather than multicast streaming, this is also available from Atyaf through OTT.

“On the one hand, multicast feeds are distributed to customers that have a multicast capability, which is only through fixed networks. They receive them through a multicast-enabled network. In parallel, we take the same multicast feed into Envivio transcoders and output them as HTTP chunks for OTT. Essentially, the input into the transcoder is a multicast feed but the output is HTTP chunks, in different profiles.”

Atyaf provides four IPTV profiles, which enables it to stream to different portable devices based on the device’s ability to receive the content.

This is where the Media Melon delivery server comes into play. The server is positioned at the top of the chain by the telco provider across its network.

The Envivio transcoder chunks the HTTP channels into four different profiles and feeds it into the Media Melon delivery server. When the Media Melon checks the exact bandwidth of the customer, it assigns it to one of those profiles.

“The delivery server does not just receive the chunks of the HTTP channels from the Envivio transcoder and deliver it to the requesting device, whether it is an iPhone or a set top box,” clarifies AlKubaisy. “It checks the actual connectivity of the client and the bandwidth he has at that given point in time. So if you have a 2MB bandwidth, it will assign you to a 1.8MB profile. This is where the different profiles come into play. The beauty of this is that the profiles are dynamically allocated. So, if you are moving from a good coverage to a bad coverage area, for instance, and watching a channel, it will assign you a lower profile so you don’t disconnect from the actual stream. This “Adaptive Streaming” technology is not presently provided by most other platforms in the market,” explains AlKubaisy.

At present, the IPTV service in Bahrain is limited to certain areas. Atyaf hopes to expand that footprint and is looking to roll out services along with telcos in different parts of the region.

With financial institutions as its backers, Atyaf has been careful with its investments. Rather than putting together a massive team and incurring heavy investment costs, it has kept its budget low by keeping only the core technology team inhouse and outsourcing other administrative elements to third parties.

As a result, Atyaf presently has only 25 employees although it will grow to a total of 59 employees by the end of 2013, according to the company.

In the meantime, Atyaf is already working on converging a ready voice platform with its IPTV engine to offer a converged voice service initiated from a TV set seamless to the customer through its platform. PRO

A range of brands including the Minerva Back-Office, Harmonic and Ericsson IRD devices, Envivio encoders and transcoders as well as Media Melon CDN have been brought together to make the whole operation successful.

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com |

What if keeping your

productions running

smoothly was as simple

as winding a watch?

Tel.: +971.4.3754292

www.miranda.com / production

TV production is complicated. Make yours run like clockwork.Trust Miranda’s proven studio and truck solutions to simplify your complexity.

As a television production professional, your world is changing rapidly. There’s greater complexity, more cameras and external feeds – and the need for more live content. You’re prepared to tackle these challenges, but how do you do it without increasing your budget and resources?

Miranda’s Densité signal processing, iControl unified control platform and monitoring systems, highly integrated NVISION routing systems and Kaleido multiviewers are all fine-tuned for the fast-paced action of live production, and engineered to work together seamlessly in a simplified worklfow. Built to reduce complexity, improve your efficiency and keep you in control.

Call Miranda to learn more. In the production world, the clock is always ticking.

Adv12-Production-BroadPro.indd 1 12-08-02 11:38 AM

25

New from IBC:

Soundcraft SiIntegration

forRockNet

Qvest Media Dubai Media City

Tel: +971 - 4 433 8108www.qvestmedia.ae

www.riedel.net

PROexclusive

specific frequencies for each of their channels and we tune our IRDs to receive them. The IRDs basically stream the signal and output it as a multicast IP feed.

As Atyaf provides multiple solutions, it has a different workflow for OTT as opposed to multi cast.

“At Durrat Al Bahrain, for instance, we have our own GPON infrastructure so we provide the customers there with multicast feeds. We provide them with a set top box and a GPON ONT so basically, the signal is distributed through the network as a multicast stream all the way to the set top box,” explains AlKubaisy.

However, as all portable devices support HTTP rather than multicast streaming, this is also available from Atyaf through OTT.

“On the one hand, multicast feeds are distributed to customers that have a multicast capability, which is only through fixed networks. They receive them through a multicast-enabled network. In parallel, we take the same multicast feed into Envivio transcoders and output them as HTTP chunks for OTT. Essentially, the input into the transcoder is a multicast feed but the output is HTTP chunks, in different profiles.”

Atyaf provides four IPTV profiles, which enables it to stream to different portable devices based on the device’s ability to receive the content.

This is where the Media Melon delivery server comes into play. The server is positioned at the top of the chain by the telco provider across its network.

The Envivio transcoder chunks the HTTP channels into four different profiles and feeds it into the Media Melon delivery server. When the Media Melon checks the exact bandwidth of the customer, it assigns it to one of those profiles.

“The delivery server does not just receive the chunks of the HTTP channels from the Envivio transcoder and deliver it to the requesting device, whether it is an iPhone or a set top box,” clarifies AlKubaisy. “It checks the actual connectivity of the client and the bandwidth he has at that given point in time. So if you have a 2MB bandwidth, it will assign you to a 1.8MB profile. This is where the different profiles come into play. The beauty of this is that the profiles are dynamically allocated. So, if you are moving from a good coverage to a bad coverage area, for instance, and watching a channel, it will assign you a lower profile so you don’t disconnect from the actual stream. This “Adaptive Streaming” technology is not presently provided by most other platforms in the market,” explains AlKubaisy.

At present, the IPTV service in Bahrain is limited to certain areas. Atyaf hopes to expand that footprint and is looking to roll out services along with telcos in different parts of the region.

With financial institutions as its backers, Atyaf has been careful with its investments. Rather than putting together a massive team and incurring heavy investment costs, it has kept its budget low by keeping only the core technology team inhouse and outsourcing other administrative elements to third parties.

As a result, Atyaf presently has only 25 employees although it will grow to a total of 59 employees by the end of 2013, according to the company.

In the meantime, Atyaf is already working on converging a ready voice platform with its IPTV engine to offer a converged voice service initiated from a TV set seamless to the customer through its platform. PRO

A range of brands including the Minerva Back-Office, Harmonic and Ericsson IRD devices, Envivio encoders and transcoders as well as Media Melon CDN have been brought together to make the whole operation successful.

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com |

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201226

PROPRODUCTION

Filming Dubai - BlindfoldedWhat happens when a German contemporary artist arrives in Dubai to meet an Emirati art curator, with a camera and wearing a blindfold? As part of BBC World News series Collaboration Culture, producer Hattie Bowering tells BroadcastPro ME about creating The Eye of Dubai, blindfolded

Before the summer of 2012, Berlin-born Christian Jankowski, a contemporary performance artist with a reputation for being witty, yet mischievous, had never visited Dubai. Since the basis of his work revolves around the context of his everyday life, he has experimented with installations, video and photography, transforming ordinary situations into art. A trip to the UAE was about to become his next venture as part of Collaboration Culture, a seven-part BBC series which pairs creative and celebrated artistic figures together on an innovative project.

Producer Hattie Bowering, who was running this project for DPP Media in Dubai, says Jankowski was intrigued by Dubai and keen to explore it further.

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 27

New from IBC:

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“He [Christian Jankowski] felt that there was a definite visual overload with Dubai and wanted to strip his experience of this and challenge himself to explore something beyond the city’s surface”Hattie Bowering, Producer

PROPRODUCTION

Filming took place across the whole stretch of Dubai from Dubai International Airport, Dubai Creek and the souk to Ski Dubai, Jumeirah Al Qasr, the Serkal gallery district, and of course, the top of Burj Khalifa.

But, if Jankowski had never seen Dubai authentically with his own eyes, why would he decide to explore the place with a camera, blindfolded?

“He felt that there was a definite visual overload with Dubai and wanted to strip his experience of this and challenge himself to explore something beyond the city’s surface,” Bowering explains.

Jankowski collaborated on the project with Rami Farook, a UAE-based curator, who is also the founder and director of Traffic, a multipurpose art gallery and library in Dubai.

The experimental short film, The Eye of Dubai, sees Jankowski step off the plane wearing a blindfold, relying on Farook to guide him through the cultural experience of Dubai using all of his senses sans his sight. Filmed over the course of five days, it is directed by Jankowski under the editing supervision of Farook.

Jankowski himself does not see Dubai until a special audience screening during the last part of his trip, where Farook finally removes the blindfold for him. Up until this moment, the unique sensations offered by Dubai; the heat, the sand, the sea, the architecture, the tastes of local food, and the multicultural buzz of the city, are absorbed by Jankowski’s remaining senses and through his visual guide, Farook.

This unusual technique of creating a documentary was a new concept for experienced arts producer Bowering.

She says: “I have never blindfolded any contributors before but I have been making

Jacques Mulder.

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201226

PROPRODUCTION

Filming Dubai - BlindfoldedWhat happens when a German contemporary artist arrives in Dubai to meet an Emirati art curator, with a camera and wearing a blindfold? As part of BBC World News series Collaboration Culture, producer Hattie Bowering tells BroadcastPro ME about creating The Eye of Dubai, blindfolded

Before the summer of 2012, Berlin-born Christian Jankowski, a contemporary performance artist with a reputation for being witty, yet mischievous, had never visited Dubai. Since the basis of his work revolves around the context of his everyday life, he has experimented with installations, video and photography, transforming ordinary situations into art. A trip to the UAE was about to become his next venture as part of Collaboration Culture, a seven-part BBC series which pairs creative and celebrated artistic figures together on an innovative project.

Producer Hattie Bowering, who was running this project for DPP Media in Dubai, says Jankowski was intrigued by Dubai and keen to explore it further.

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 27

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“He [Christian Jankowski] felt that there was a definite visual overload with Dubai and wanted to strip his experience of this and challenge himself to explore something beyond the city’s surface”Hattie Bowering, Producer

PROPRODUCTION

Filming took place across the whole stretch of Dubai from Dubai International Airport, Dubai Creek and the souk to Ski Dubai, Jumeirah Al Qasr, the Serkal gallery district, and of course, the top of Burj Khalifa.

But, if Jankowski had never seen Dubai authentically with his own eyes, why would he decide to explore the place with a camera, blindfolded?

“He felt that there was a definite visual overload with Dubai and wanted to strip his experience of this and challenge himself to explore something beyond the city’s surface,” Bowering explains.

Jankowski collaborated on the project with Rami Farook, a UAE-based curator, who is also the founder and director of Traffic, a multipurpose art gallery and library in Dubai.

The experimental short film, The Eye of Dubai, sees Jankowski step off the plane wearing a blindfold, relying on Farook to guide him through the cultural experience of Dubai using all of his senses sans his sight. Filmed over the course of five days, it is directed by Jankowski under the editing supervision of Farook.

Jankowski himself does not see Dubai until a special audience screening during the last part of his trip, where Farook finally removes the blindfold for him. Up until this moment, the unique sensations offered by Dubai; the heat, the sand, the sea, the architecture, the tastes of local food, and the multicultural buzz of the city, are absorbed by Jankowski’s remaining senses and through his visual guide, Farook.

This unusual technique of creating a documentary was a new concept for experienced arts producer Bowering.

She says: “I have never blindfolded any contributors before but I have been making

Jacques Mulder.

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201228

PROPRODUCTION

Above: Muddville’s production house in Dubai Studio City.

art and cultural films for the past 15 years mainly for the BBC and Channel 4, so I was well equipped to deal with artists. I am always keen to push boundaries especially in the UAE where so much production is beholden to corporate rather than creative agendas.”

Jankowski had never heard of a movie that was shot, directed, filmed, recorded and sound recorded all blind, so he was curious to see its outcome.

“To come to Dubai blindfolded was a way to open up a new way of making a film,” he says, speaking of his experience.

“There are so many voices around you!”Filming took place across the whole stretch of

Dubai from Dubai International Airport, Dubai Creek and the souk to Ski Dubai, Jumeirah Al Qasr, the Serkal gallery district, and of course, the top of the Burj Khalifa, with Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa used for Jankowski to bond with camels and falcons. A pet cheetah was part of the shoot as well.

“Everyone we encountered was very hospitable and took the arrival of our crazy circus in their stride,” says Bowering.

With four BBC crew members, headed by director, Karen McGann, a German crew of three and Farook’s team of four, who Bowering says were “a tremendous asset, especially with herding the blindfolded Germans around town safely,” The Eye of Dubai began shooting

in a classic observational documentary style.“The Germans chose to shoot in black and

white which was very effective and cut really nicely with the BBC footage,” says Bowering.

“Dubai looked wonderful in all the footage — it is a great place to film.”

McGann and the BBC team shot on the Canon C300, while the German crew shot all of the black and white footage with a Sony FS-100EK.

According to Bowering, the kit was kept to a minimum because the whole crew was continuously on the move.

In Bowering’s opinion, “German cameraman Armin Franzen achieved incredible results”.

“Considering he was blindfolded, there was a certain magic to all his footage searching out the action.”

Three blindfolded Germans did prove to be quite challenging since they were being moved around in the infamous Dubai summer heat.

“We moved slowly. We drew quite a bit of attention including the occasional security check from CID wondering whether we were undertaking the slowest hostage situation in history!” recalls Bowering.

Communicating without eye-to-eye contact, also, was a hurdle.

“We rely on eyes to convey so much and without any visual contact, you are left to voice and touch which was limiting and led to a bit of confusion at times!” she says.

For the BBC film, post-production was taken care of back in the UK.

A local editor, however, edited the film shown to the Dubai audience at Jankowski’s big reveal.

Kirsty Jones, who did the edit, was instructed by Jankowski – while his eyes were still covered – on how he wanted the film to be cut.

Bowering says: “Jones did a tremendous job considering she was being instructed on visual editing from a man in a blindfold.”

Bowering, who has been making documentaries for 15 years, has produced work for Art Dubai, Abu Dhabi Art, Christie’s Middle East and a host of UAE corporate clients. She hopes that The Eye of Dubai will mark a move towards more creative production in the Emirates.

“Dubai is normally only presented as a series of picture postcards. It is rare that you get the opportunity to delve further. This film showed how Dubai can facilitate more challenging filmmaking.

“The UAE, especially Dubai, has a thriving cultural scene that would really benefit from broadcast or on-line documentaries and reportage. It would be great to see local broadcasters commission cultural programming.”

 Kirsty Jones’ edit of The Eye of Dubai was showcased at Traffic, Farook’s gallery in Al Quoz Industrial Area, Dubai. As part of the series, Collaboration Culture, the final BBC cut was aired in Summer 2012 on BBC World News as well. PRO

“Dubai is normally only presented as a series of picture postcards. It is rare that you get the opportunity to delve further. This film showed how Dubai can facilitate more challenging filmmaking”Hattie Bowering, Producer

McGann and the BBC team shot on the Canon C300, while the German crew shot all of the black and white footage with a Sony FS-100EK.

Professional software solutions designed to maximise your efficiency Powerful booking engines to handle the daily business Easy online access for media buyers around the clock Comfortable scheduling features to manage your program grid Comprehensive reporting tools to put you in control Over 100 channels worldwide working successfully with our software

SOFTWARE DESIGNED TO BOOST YOUR PERFORMANCEMEDIA SALES MANAGEMENT & ADVERTISING TRAFFICCHANNEL MANAGEMENT & SCHEDULING

www.cataneo.de

REGISTER NOW

TO SEE US AT

Cataneo GmbH · Rosenheimer Str. 145 d · D-81671 Munich · Medienbruecke Phone: +49 (0) 89-21 909 64 0 · Fax: +49 (0) 89-21 909 64 48 · info@cataneo.de

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201228

PROPRODUCTION

Above: Muddville’s production house in Dubai Studio City.

art and cultural films for the past 15 years mainly for the BBC and Channel 4, so I was well equipped to deal with artists. I am always keen to push boundaries especially in the UAE where so much production is beholden to corporate rather than creative agendas.”

Jankowski had never heard of a movie that was shot, directed, filmed, recorded and sound recorded all blind, so he was curious to see its outcome.

“To come to Dubai blindfolded was a way to open up a new way of making a film,” he says, speaking of his experience.

“There are so many voices around you!”Filming took place across the whole stretch of

Dubai from Dubai International Airport, Dubai Creek and the souk to Ski Dubai, Jumeirah Al Qasr, the Serkal gallery district, and of course, the top of the Burj Khalifa, with Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa used for Jankowski to bond with camels and falcons. A pet cheetah was part of the shoot as well.

“Everyone we encountered was very hospitable and took the arrival of our crazy circus in their stride,” says Bowering.

With four BBC crew members, headed by director, Karen McGann, a German crew of three and Farook’s team of four, who Bowering says were “a tremendous asset, especially with herding the blindfolded Germans around town safely,” The Eye of Dubai began shooting

in a classic observational documentary style.“The Germans chose to shoot in black and

white which was very effective and cut really nicely with the BBC footage,” says Bowering.

“Dubai looked wonderful in all the footage — it is a great place to film.”

McGann and the BBC team shot on the Canon C300, while the German crew shot all of the black and white footage with a Sony FS-100EK.

According to Bowering, the kit was kept to a minimum because the whole crew was continuously on the move.

In Bowering’s opinion, “German cameraman Armin Franzen achieved incredible results”.

“Considering he was blindfolded, there was a certain magic to all his footage searching out the action.”

Three blindfolded Germans did prove to be quite challenging since they were being moved around in the infamous Dubai summer heat.

“We moved slowly. We drew quite a bit of attention including the occasional security check from CID wondering whether we were undertaking the slowest hostage situation in history!” recalls Bowering.

Communicating without eye-to-eye contact, also, was a hurdle.

“We rely on eyes to convey so much and without any visual contact, you are left to voice and touch which was limiting and led to a bit of confusion at times!” she says.

For the BBC film, post-production was taken care of back in the UK.

A local editor, however, edited the film shown to the Dubai audience at Jankowski’s big reveal.

Kirsty Jones, who did the edit, was instructed by Jankowski – while his eyes were still covered – on how he wanted the film to be cut.

Bowering says: “Jones did a tremendous job considering she was being instructed on visual editing from a man in a blindfold.”

Bowering, who has been making documentaries for 15 years, has produced work for Art Dubai, Abu Dhabi Art, Christie’s Middle East and a host of UAE corporate clients. She hopes that The Eye of Dubai will mark a move towards more creative production in the Emirates.

“Dubai is normally only presented as a series of picture postcards. It is rare that you get the opportunity to delve further. This film showed how Dubai can facilitate more challenging filmmaking.

“The UAE, especially Dubai, has a thriving cultural scene that would really benefit from broadcast or on-line documentaries and reportage. It would be great to see local broadcasters commission cultural programming.”

 Kirsty Jones’ edit of The Eye of Dubai was showcased at Traffic, Farook’s gallery in Al Quoz Industrial Area, Dubai. As part of the series, Collaboration Culture, the final BBC cut was aired in Summer 2012 on BBC World News as well. PRO

“Dubai is normally only presented as a series of picture postcards. It is rare that you get the opportunity to delve further. This film showed how Dubai can facilitate more challenging filmmaking”Hattie Bowering, Producer

McGann and the BBC team shot on the Canon C300, while the German crew shot all of the black and white footage with a Sony FS-100EK.

Professional software solutions designed to maximise your efficiency Powerful booking engines to handle the daily business Easy online access for media buyers around the clock Comfortable scheduling features to manage your program grid Comprehensive reporting tools to put you in control Over 100 channels worldwide working successfully with our software

SOFTWARE DESIGNED TO BOOST YOUR PERFORMANCEMEDIA SALES MANAGEMENT & ADVERTISING TRAFFICCHANNEL MANAGEMENT & SCHEDULING

www.cataneo.de

REGISTER NOW

TO SEE US AT

Cataneo GmbH · Rosenheimer Str. 145 d · D-81671 Munich · Medienbruecke Phone: +49 (0) 89-21 909 64 0 · Fax: +49 (0) 89-21 909 64 48 · info@cataneo.de

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201230

PROSOUND

Two months ago, a brand new audio production, post-production and mastering facility was launched in Dubai. SoundStruck Studios takes BroadcastPro Middle East on an exclusive tour

Soundof Music

The

Left: Charles El Soueidi, MD, head of post production and music composer at SoundStruck and right, Elvis Garagic, producer, chief engineer and music composer.

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 31

PROSOUND

He began to play the piano when he was four and taught himself to play several other instruments such as the guitar, the saxophone, the drums, the flute, the harmonica and even, the oud. Today, armed with three degrees – in classical piano, business administration and audio production as well as years of skill honed from working in the industry, managing director of SoundStruck, Charles El Soueidi, originally Lebanese but born and raised in Dubai, has launched his dream – a 1700 sq.ft audio production, post-production and mastering facility in the emirate.

“I grew up learning classical music and took a degree in classical piano, but it wasn’t what I wanted back then. Instead, I moved into blues and jazz. I‘ve been through so many different styles and phases in my life; now, I like everything and can play every style,” says El Soueidi.

Although music has always been his first love, El Soueidi graduated with a degree in business from Lebanon.

It was in Lebanon that El Soueidi first encountered the professional world of post production and undertook music compositions for documentaries, TVCs and other projects while simultaneously studying for a Business degree. When he returned to Dubai, he decided to take an audio production degree from the SAE Institute as well following which he joined a reputed post production company as head of audio.This is when his dream to build his own studio first took shape.

“I left there to do what I’m doing now because I felt there was room for a studio that was equally strong in both audio production and post production. Most studios in Dubai either specialise in production or post and if they are strong in one, they can’t do the other just as well. Post production studios in the region especially tend not to build their studios properly or fit them with good equipment.So I decided to open a place that is strong in both and that’s built the way professional studios should be,” claims El Soueidi.

The first business plan for SoundStruck was drafted in 2011 but it took this long to finally launch the facility the way El Soueidi had planned it.

Today, he has reason to feel proud. SoundStruck has been built by Wes Lachot, one of the most famous studio designers in the world.

“I thought it was going to be hard to

“I felt there was room for a studio that was equally strong in both audio production and post production”Charles El Soueidi, MD, SoundStruck

get Wes Lachot on board but it wasn’t. I follow a web site for audio engineers called GearSlutz! It’s one of the biggest online platforms for audio engineers from all over the world. There is a section on the web site called studio construction, and there was one particular project in the US that I had been following for years.

“It took five years to finish, and Lachot was the designer. It is a brilliant recording studio; it looks crazy; I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. So I started researching Lachot, who is firstly, a musician and next, a self-taught architect. I contacted him among several others with my requirements. He got back with a quote that was actually not that bad so we decided to bring him on board.”

When Lachot came to Dubai to first

SoundStruck has been built by Wes Lachot, one of the most famous studio designers in the world.

look at the place, it was just a shell and worked perfectly to design the facility up from scratch, says El Soueidi.

“He took some measurements while I explained what I required, and how I wanted everything the way it is now. He went back to the States and sent me some designs. A contractor in Dubai was hired to execute the project, but one of Lachot’s main builders came here twice, once to oversee the building of the important parts of the studio and to ensure everything was going according to plan, and the second, to

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201230

PROSOUND

Two months ago, a brand new audio production, post-production and mastering facility was launched in Dubai. SoundStruck Studios takes BroadcastPro Middle East on an exclusive tour

Soundof Music

The

Left: Charles El Soueidi, MD, head of post production and music composer at SoundStruck and right, Elvis Garagic, producer, chief engineer and music composer.

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 31

PROSOUND

He began to play the piano when he was four and taught himself to play several other instruments such as the guitar, the saxophone, the drums, the flute, the harmonica and even, the oud. Today, armed with three degrees – in classical piano, business administration and audio production as well as years of skill honed from working in the industry, managing director of SoundStruck, Charles El Soueidi, originally Lebanese but born and raised in Dubai, has launched his dream – a 1700 sq.ft audio production, post-production and mastering facility in the emirate.

“I grew up learning classical music and took a degree in classical piano, but it wasn’t what I wanted back then. Instead, I moved into blues and jazz. I‘ve been through so many different styles and phases in my life; now, I like everything and can play every style,” says El Soueidi.

Although music has always been his first love, El Soueidi graduated with a degree in business from Lebanon.

It was in Lebanon that El Soueidi first encountered the professional world of post production and undertook music compositions for documentaries, TVCs and other projects while simultaneously studying for a Business degree. When he returned to Dubai, he decided to take an audio production degree from the SAE Institute as well following which he joined a reputed post production company as head of audio.This is when his dream to build his own studio first took shape.

“I left there to do what I’m doing now because I felt there was room for a studio that was equally strong in both audio production and post production. Most studios in Dubai either specialise in production or post and if they are strong in one, they can’t do the other just as well. Post production studios in the region especially tend not to build their studios properly or fit them with good equipment.So I decided to open a place that is strong in both and that’s built the way professional studios should be,” claims El Soueidi.

The first business plan for SoundStruck was drafted in 2011 but it took this long to finally launch the facility the way El Soueidi had planned it.

Today, he has reason to feel proud. SoundStruck has been built by Wes Lachot, one of the most famous studio designers in the world.

“I thought it was going to be hard to

“I felt there was room for a studio that was equally strong in both audio production and post production”Charles El Soueidi, MD, SoundStruck

get Wes Lachot on board but it wasn’t. I follow a web site for audio engineers called GearSlutz! It’s one of the biggest online platforms for audio engineers from all over the world. There is a section on the web site called studio construction, and there was one particular project in the US that I had been following for years.

“It took five years to finish, and Lachot was the designer. It is a brilliant recording studio; it looks crazy; I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. So I started researching Lachot, who is firstly, a musician and next, a self-taught architect. I contacted him among several others with my requirements. He got back with a quote that was actually not that bad so we decided to bring him on board.”

When Lachot came to Dubai to first

SoundStruck has been built by Wes Lachot, one of the most famous studio designers in the world.

look at the place, it was just a shell and worked perfectly to design the facility up from scratch, says El Soueidi.

“He took some measurements while I explained what I required, and how I wanted everything the way it is now. He went back to the States and sent me some designs. A contractor in Dubai was hired to execute the project, but one of Lachot’s main builders came here twice, once to oversee the building of the important parts of the studio and to ensure everything was going according to plan, and the second, to

Your gateway to the Middle East. ABS brings you unrivaled capacity to satisfy your broadcasting and connectivity needs.

Extend your reach with ABS, contact us at: salesmea@absatellite.com

Expand your Business to the with ABSMiddle East

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November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 33

PROSOUND

install the acoustics. So they were always here supervising although a local company built the place,” explains El Soueidi.

The acoustics was one of the biggest concerns El Soueidi had and this was addressed on various levels.

“All of the acoustics here are custom made,” claims El Soueidi.

“My vision was to have a place that could do everything in audio production, post production, mastering, and audio restoration, and we have achieved that.

We can do 5.1 mixes, sound design, scoring for films and documentaries, music compositions for commercials, voiceovers, and foley as well. Also, this is a great place for artists and bands to record, mix, and master their music. This is essentially a one-stop shop for all one’s audio needs,” adds El Soueidi.

If you hear SoundStruck’s construction story, you will know that the whole ceiling hangs on springs.

“This is to isolate the top of the ceiling

from the other floors in the building. The main ceiling of the actual apartment is above what one sees. We built the ceiling below that so we can’t hear our neighbours and more importantly, they cannot hear us.The floors follow the same concept but instead of springs, they rest on a rubber floor to isolate the vibrations and other noises. All of the walls have so many different layers inside of them with isolators as well. Every room is isolated from the next. There is an approach in studio construction where

Key Kit* SSL AWS 948 Console* Dangerous Monitoring Control* Mics: Several vintage Neumann mics,

FLE, Mojave, Bock, AKG. AEA, Shure, Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser

* Speakers: Dynaudio M3A, Yamaha NS10M and Genelec 1031A

* Pre-amps/EQs/Dynamics/Converters: Neve, SSL, A-Design, API, Manley, Millennia, Drawmer, Crane Song and Great River 

* Platforms: Pro Tools HD 10, Logic Pro

The control room features Dynaudio’s M3A speakers and the SSL AWS948 console.

A Grand Slam in content branding

Vizrt brings broadcasting to the IT world with the new Viz Engine. The powerful real-time 3D compositing engine streams video IP in & IP out for flexibility in an IT infrastructure. Composite graphics and video in real-time & output a stream for many formats online, mobile devices or live on-air. Visit vizrt.com to learn more about how the Viz Engine is changing broadcasting.

The new Viz Engine™

Your gateway to the Middle East. ABS brings you unrivaled capacity to satisfy your broadcasting and connectivity needs.

Extend your reach with ABS, contact us at: salesmea@absatellite.com

Expand your Business to the with ABSMiddle East

w w w . a b s a t e l l i t e . c o m

AB

S-7

AB

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Pakistan

Afghanistan

Iran

UAE

Oman

Yemen

Jordan

Turkey

Syria

Saudi Arabia

Ku BandSouthern Beam

Ku BandFSS Afghanistan

Ka BandMiddle East & North Africa

Ku BandSteerable Middle East

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November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 33

PROSOUND

install the acoustics. So they were always here supervising although a local company built the place,” explains El Soueidi.

The acoustics was one of the biggest concerns El Soueidi had and this was addressed on various levels.

“All of the acoustics here are custom made,” claims El Soueidi.

“My vision was to have a place that could do everything in audio production, post production, mastering, and audio restoration, and we have achieved that.

We can do 5.1 mixes, sound design, scoring for films and documentaries, music compositions for commercials, voiceovers, and foley as well. Also, this is a great place for artists and bands to record, mix, and master their music. This is essentially a one-stop shop for all one’s audio needs,” adds El Soueidi.

If you hear SoundStruck’s construction story, you will know that the whole ceiling hangs on springs.

“This is to isolate the top of the ceiling

from the other floors in the building. The main ceiling of the actual apartment is above what one sees. We built the ceiling below that so we can’t hear our neighbours and more importantly, they cannot hear us.The floors follow the same concept but instead of springs, they rest on a rubber floor to isolate the vibrations and other noises. All of the walls have so many different layers inside of them with isolators as well. Every room is isolated from the next. There is an approach in studio construction where

Key Kit* SSL AWS 948 Console* Dangerous Monitoring Control* Mics: Several vintage Neumann mics,

FLE, Mojave, Bock, AKG. AEA, Shure, Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser

* Speakers: Dynaudio M3A, Yamaha NS10M and Genelec 1031A

* Pre-amps/EQs/Dynamics/Converters: Neve, SSL, A-Design, API, Manley, Millennia, Drawmer, Crane Song and Great River 

* Platforms: Pro Tools HD 10, Logic Pro

The control room features Dynaudio’s M3A speakers and the SSL AWS948 console.

A Grand Slam in content branding

Vizrt brings broadcasting to the IT world with the new Viz Engine. The powerful real-time 3D compositing engine streams video IP in & IP out for flexibility in an IT infrastructure. Composite graphics and video in real-time & output a stream for many formats online, mobile devices or live on-air. Visit vizrt.com to learn more about how the Viz Engine is changing broadcasting.

The new Viz Engine™

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201234

each room is ‘boxed’, a box in a box, where every room is isolated from the next room, and we have followed this.”

The doors at SoundStruck are from Industrial Acoustics, which El Soueidi says is “one of the leading suppliers of acoustic doors in the world”.

An exciting element of the studio is the wavy walls supplied by RPG.

“We are the second or third studio in the world to have these specific acoustics built this way from RPG. They call them “Flutterfree” and they look retro. FlutterFree walls work in a unique manner. Rather than remove the high frequency energy that strikes key surfaces in a space, FlutterFree preserves that energy by uniformly distributing it back into the space.

“In addition to the normal uses of FlutterFree, Wes Lachot (the designer) and RPG (the manufacturer) worked hand in hand to develop an even more efficient way of FlutterFree usage, by placing them in a wavy shape. This is a very new concept that has been implemented only in a handful of facilities around the world. The first time we recorded a band in here, we were fascinated by the way it helped to accurately translate the sounds of the instruments into the mics.”

Another key element that SoundStruck was particular about was the equipment.

“We sourced the equipment from several different companies. Our main console is from Solid State Logic. A lot of equipment was shipped in from the US including Neve, SSL, API, Dangerous, Manley, A-Design and a lot of other brands. Usually in this field, vintage equipment tends to sound the best, so we have a lot of

those in our studio,” explains El Soueidi. And now that the facility is ready,

SoundStruck has opened its doors to clients including advertising agencies, video production houses, game development companies, individual artists and bands.

“We had people wanting to use the studio even before it was opened,” says El Soueidi, adding that they based their studio in TECOM because it is easily accessible to everyone.

“We recently had Wiley, the famous UK-based rapper record here. Warner Music UK contacted us. So we do have a little buzz going around about the studio, because it’s very rare to find a studio like this in Dubai. On the post production side, I have clients I worked with in the past. Presently, it’s just the two of us running the studio.

“I am the managing director but I also do everything in post production because I am an engineer as well as a musician. Elvis Garagic, who is chief engineer, producer and music composer at SoundStruck, handles the audio productions. He used to be an audio instructor at SAE Dubai before joining SoundStruck. He records bands, mixes and masters them. As the place gets busier, I will have to find someone – soon – to either manage the place or undertake the post production side of it.”

According to El Soueidi, the Middle East is replete with talent that is waiting to be discovered but also requires the right level of support.

“This part of the world has extremely talented artists. They just need people like us to help produce their music right, and find the right contacts in the industry,” adds El Soueidi. PRO

“In addition to the normal uses of FlutterFree, Wes Lachot (the designer) and RPG (the manufacturer) worked hand in hand to develop an even more efficient way of FlutterFree usage, by placing them in a wavy shape. This is a very new concept that has been implemented only in a handful of facilities around the world”Charles El Soueidi, MD, SoundStruck

PROSOUND

Instruments* Yamaha Oak Custom drums with

Zildjian A-Customs, including a Ludwig Black Beauty Snare

* Electric Guitars include Gibsons, Fenders and Music Mans

* Guitar Amps include, Marshall, Blackstar, Vox, Egnater, Mesa Boogie

* Acoustic guitars include Limited edition Taylor, Martin and Ovation

* Keyboards and synths include Nord, Dave Instruments, Korg and Alesis

* Other instruments such as the Oud, saxophone, trumpet, flutes, several percussive instruments, ukulele and slide guitar

Clockwise from left: The RPG FlutterFree walls placed in a wavy pattern; the SSL AWS948 console and the Credenza, which holds most of SoundStruck’s outboard gear.

DaV

Pro Tools 10

The most powerful DAW in the world

Whether you create music or sound for picture, the right tools can help you achieve the highest quality mixes faster. Pro Tools 10 is the

next generation of the best sounding, most widely-used audio production software in the industry, delivering unparalleled perfor-

mance which enables you to compose, record, edit, and mix big productions with ease and efficiency. With improved workflow

features and highly responsive recording and playback performance, Pro Tools 10 sets the standard as the world’s most advanced

audio production platform.

Mbox C|24 HDXMbox Audio Interfaces C|24 Control Surface HDx Option Card

MediaCastAvid Authorized Partner

Tel.: +971 4 439 2383 | Fax.: +971 4 368 8042info@mediacastsys.com | www.mediacastsys.com

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201234

each room is ‘boxed’, a box in a box, where every room is isolated from the next room, and we have followed this.”

The doors at SoundStruck are from Industrial Acoustics, which El Soueidi says is “one of the leading suppliers of acoustic doors in the world”.

An exciting element of the studio is the wavy walls supplied by RPG.

“We are the second or third studio in the world to have these specific acoustics built this way from RPG. They call them “Flutterfree” and they look retro. FlutterFree walls work in a unique manner. Rather than remove the high frequency energy that strikes key surfaces in a space, FlutterFree preserves that energy by uniformly distributing it back into the space.

“In addition to the normal uses of FlutterFree, Wes Lachot (the designer) and RPG (the manufacturer) worked hand in hand to develop an even more efficient way of FlutterFree usage, by placing them in a wavy shape. This is a very new concept that has been implemented only in a handful of facilities around the world. The first time we recorded a band in here, we were fascinated by the way it helped to accurately translate the sounds of the instruments into the mics.”

Another key element that SoundStruck was particular about was the equipment.

“We sourced the equipment from several different companies. Our main console is from Solid State Logic. A lot of equipment was shipped in from the US including Neve, SSL, API, Dangerous, Manley, A-Design and a lot of other brands. Usually in this field, vintage equipment tends to sound the best, so we have a lot of

those in our studio,” explains El Soueidi. And now that the facility is ready,

SoundStruck has opened its doors to clients including advertising agencies, video production houses, game development companies, individual artists and bands.

“We had people wanting to use the studio even before it was opened,” says El Soueidi, adding that they based their studio in TECOM because it is easily accessible to everyone.

“We recently had Wiley, the famous UK-based rapper record here. Warner Music UK contacted us. So we do have a little buzz going around about the studio, because it’s very rare to find a studio like this in Dubai. On the post production side, I have clients I worked with in the past. Presently, it’s just the two of us running the studio.

“I am the managing director but I also do everything in post production because I am an engineer as well as a musician. Elvis Garagic, who is chief engineer, producer and music composer at SoundStruck, handles the audio productions. He used to be an audio instructor at SAE Dubai before joining SoundStruck. He records bands, mixes and masters them. As the place gets busier, I will have to find someone – soon – to either manage the place or undertake the post production side of it.”

According to El Soueidi, the Middle East is replete with talent that is waiting to be discovered but also requires the right level of support.

“This part of the world has extremely talented artists. They just need people like us to help produce their music right, and find the right contacts in the industry,” adds El Soueidi. PRO

“In addition to the normal uses of FlutterFree, Wes Lachot (the designer) and RPG (the manufacturer) worked hand in hand to develop an even more efficient way of FlutterFree usage, by placing them in a wavy shape. This is a very new concept that has been implemented only in a handful of facilities around the world”Charles El Soueidi, MD, SoundStruck

PROSOUND

Instruments* Yamaha Oak Custom drums with

Zildjian A-Customs, including a Ludwig Black Beauty Snare

* Electric Guitars include Gibsons, Fenders and Music Mans

* Guitar Amps include, Marshall, Blackstar, Vox, Egnater, Mesa Boogie

* Acoustic guitars include Limited edition Taylor, Martin and Ovation

* Keyboards and synths include Nord, Dave Instruments, Korg and Alesis

* Other instruments such as the Oud, saxophone, trumpet, flutes, several percussive instruments, ukulele and slide guitar

Clockwise from left: The RPG FlutterFree walls placed in a wavy pattern; the SSL AWS948 console and the Credenza, which holds most of SoundStruck’s outboard gear.

DaV

Pro Tools 10

The most powerful DAW in the world

Whether you create music or sound for picture, the right tools can help you achieve the highest quality mixes faster. Pro Tools 10 is the

next generation of the best sounding, most widely-used audio production software in the industry, delivering unparalleled perfor-

mance which enables you to compose, record, edit, and mix big productions with ease and efficiency. With improved workflow

features and highly responsive recording and playback performance, Pro Tools 10 sets the standard as the world’s most advanced

audio production platform.

Mbox C|24 HDXMbox Audio Interfaces C|24 Control Surface HDx Option Card

MediaCastAvid Authorized Partner

Tel.: +971 4 439 2383 | Fax.: +971 4 368 8042info@mediacastsys.com | www.mediacastsys.com

HP recommends Windows® 7 Professional.

© Copyright 2012 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Inside, the Intel Inside logo, Xeon and Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.1 Refers to diagonal measurement of display.2 AllspecificationsrepresentthetypicalspecificationsprovidedbyHP’scomponentmanufacturers;actualperformancemayvaryeitherhigherorlower.

The HP Z1 Workstation snaps open for simple, tool-free customisation2

Introducing the new HP Z1 Workstation. Power without the tower.

Bring your imagination to life with the all-in-one HP Z1 Workstation – featuring the powerful Intel® Xeon® processor E3-1200 series, genuine Windows® 7 Professional and a stunning 68.6 cm (27") high-resolution LED-backlit display.1

Get professional-grade graphics and performance in a sleek, space-saving design that makes customisation a snap – literally.

All-in-one, all inside.

HP recommends Windows® 7 Professional.

© Copyright 2012 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Inside, the Intel Inside logo, Xeon and Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.1 Refers to diagonal measurement of display.2 AllspecificationsrepresentthetypicalspecificationsprovidedbyHP’scomponentmanufacturers;actualperformancemayvaryeitherhigherorlower.

The HP Z1 Workstation snaps open for simple, tool-free customisation2

Introducing the new HP Z1 Workstation. Power without the tower.

Bring your imagination to life with the all-in-one HP Z1 Workstation – featuring the powerful Intel® Xeon® processor E3-1200 series, genuine Windows® 7 Professional and a stunning 68.6 cm (27") high-resolution LED-backlit display.1

Get professional-grade graphics and performance in a sleek, space-saving design that makes customisation a snap – literally.

All-in-one, all inside.

HP recommends Windows® 7 Professional.

© Copyright 2012 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Inside, the Intel Inside logo, Xeon and Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.1 Refers to diagonal measurement of display.2 AllspecificationsrepresentthetypicalspecificationsprovidedbyHP’scomponentmanufacturers;actualperformancemayvaryeitherhigherorlower.

The HP Z1 Workstation snaps open for simple, tool-free customisation2

Introducing the new HP Z1 Workstation. Power without the tower.

Bring your imagination to life with the all-in-one HP Z1 Workstation – featuring the powerful Intel® Xeon® processor E3-1200 series, genuine Windows® 7 Professional and a stunning 68.6 cm (27") high-resolution LED-backlit display.1

Get professional-grade graphics and performance in a sleek, space-saving design that makes customisation a snap – literally.

All-in-one, all inside.

HP recommends Windows® 7 Professional.

© Copyright 2012 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Inside, the Intel Inside logo, Xeon and Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.1 Refers to diagonal measurement of display.2 AllspecificationsrepresentthetypicalspecificationsprovidedbyHP’scomponentmanufacturers;actualperformancemayvaryeitherhigherorlower.

The HP Z1 Workstation snaps open for simple, tool-free customisation2

Introducing the new HP Z1 Workstation. Power without the tower.

Bring your imagination to life with the all-in-one HP Z1 Workstation – featuring the powerful Intel® Xeon® processor E3-1200 series, genuine Windows® 7 Professional and a stunning 68.6 cm (27") high-resolution LED-backlit display.1

Get professional-grade graphics and performance in a sleek, space-saving design that makes customisation a snap – literally.

All-in-one, all inside.

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 20123838

PROSPORT

Broadcast networks can reduce the costs and challenges related to broadcasting live sport if they have an appropriate Enterprise Resource Management software

Scheduling sport

Al Jazeera’s announcement earlier this year that it has acquired the broadcast rights to Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A and France’s Ligue 1 football leagues, as well as the Copa America and South American qualifying matches for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, places its beIN Sports network, and the Middle East, on the global sports stage. Broadcasting live sports events presents highly complex, dynamic and fast-paced challenges as the ever-increasing demand for live coverage stretches farther around the globe to more networks serving more households. An effective enterprise resource management (ERM) software-

based system can help any broadcaster reduce the costs of producing live sports by automating complex workflows, improving collaboration among internal and external personnel, and ensuring interoperability among disparate systems.

Planning and PreparationWhat viewers see live on their televisions, computer screens, tablet computers and even on their smartphones is the result of months of advance planning and preparation. ERM solutions handle all aspects of resource management during the process of searching for, sourcing and securing internal and external resources,

managing those resources during the events and in post-event reporting and reconciliation. Complicated and time-consuming tasks such as sending content from New York City to London for editing become as simple as dragging and dropping a file.

The ERM system makes the transfer, notifies the sender and receiver, and even reserves a specific editing bay so the work can begin immediately.

Broadcasters are increasingly adopting a “borrow instead of buy” approach to securing external resources. Some ERM solutions can even automate and facilitate collaboration with partners and freelancers, allowing broadcasters to find,

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 39

to account for variants such as inclement weather and overtime or injury time.

These affect everything in the sky and on the ground, from the uplink trucks, satellite channels and teleports; to the fiber network; to the staff and freelance personnel crewing the event.

An intelligent ERM system allows these changes to be executed into a single booking of record, which in turn will automatically pass the information to downstream systems to facilitate the extended on-air coverage. Additionally, crew schedules and reporting overtime hours to the payroll system can be automated, a critical capability for improving efficiency in cost control, time keeping and reconciliation processes. Broadcasters are increasingly migrating most of the crewing to local freelancers. Without an integrated solution, manually reconciling payroll for 1000 freelancers with all of the scheduling modifications that occur during the event would be virtually impossible.

Throughout each event, hundreds of feeds will be processed and delivered to air and managing inbound and outbound feeds becomes mission-critical. Broadcasters that rely on a manual process for managing and scheduling feeds are at risk for double entries, inaccuracies and redundant tasks, all leading to reduced efficiency and lost revenue, time and reputation.

Post gameOnce the event is a wrap and viewers turn away, the work continues for the teams tasked with evaluating what went well and areas of improvement. The granular reporting capabilities of ERM software allow financial controllers to evaluate the financial performance of all resources, departments, facilities, vendors, and even specific equipment and personnel to realise the inefficiencies that exist and effectively plan to reduce them in the future. The interoperability capabilities that connected operations during the broadcasts — the live interaction and updating — mean that reporting extends across all departments in all locations.

With vendors and partners connected and collaborating, costs are immediately reported directly into the system and updated instantly with every modification of a booking; there is no waiting 30 days for invoices to get the big picture.

evaluate, book and manage third-party resources inside the scheduling system itself, providing immediate access to the best resources at the lowest costs.

With a single ERM solution managing the schedules for all resources across multiple organisations and providers, broadcasters are assured that duplication of effort is reduced, which is critical to ensuring all of the moving parts required for complex sporting broadcasts mesh together.

The interoperability and connectivity of ERM systems also allows these workflows to be deployed and triggered at other control centres. Interoperability allows certain ERM systems to interact with virtually any third-party device or system, providing a single point of record — one booking that is the nucleus for all of the systems involved in the feed. Changes are made once and then modifications, whether to start time, end time or technical parameters, are communicated automatically to all connected systems and vendors. This frees users to move on to their next urgent tasks while the external systems continue to report status information back to the core system.

Each external system receives its own unique message containing the specific details required by that system, as well as the ability to insert returned values back into the core system when the booking is acknowledged. The template files for these messages can be individually edited and re-applied to immediately accommodate new or expanded functionality from a given system or device.

Status messages sent from the external systems provide live awareness of the health and progress of a feed and trigger an alert if trouble occurs. If an external system reports any device is down, whether currently involved in a feed or not, this equipment is immediately and automatically marked as out of service in the core system without requiring any human interaction. This prevents doomed feeds from being scheduled in the chaotic environment where no one has noticed or been able to manually update the system. Equipment is automatically returned to operational status upon message from the external system.

Game daysEven for sporting events, where lengths are dictated by a clock, broadcasters must be prepared to extend transmission feeds

With external systems connected and collaborating reporting-specific statuses and errors directly into your system — both in the booking cycle and in the life-cycle of specific devices — detailed operational reporting is now centralised and available, even for systems that don’t have their own reporting tools.

Improved connectivity and collaboration, and access to a resource community in real-time are the key benefits provided by ERM software. The complexity of mounting broadcasts of sporting events will continue to grow, increasing the need for automation and efficiency to drive increased ROI. Staying cost-effective and maximising profitability in an environment that presents so many game-changing variables is only possible with the innovative resource management capabilities of ERM software. PRO

PROSPORT

“Even for sporting events, where lengths are dictated by a clock, broadcasters must be prepared to extend transmission feeds to account for variants such as inclement weather and overtime or injury time” Joel Ledlow, CEO, ScheduALL

Joel Ledlow is chief executive officer of ScheduALL.

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 20123838

PROSPORT

Broadcast networks can reduce the costs and challenges related to broadcasting live sport if they have an appropriate Enterprise Resource Management software

Scheduling sport

Al Jazeera’s announcement earlier this year that it has acquired the broadcast rights to Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A and France’s Ligue 1 football leagues, as well as the Copa America and South American qualifying matches for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, places its beIN Sports network, and the Middle East, on the global sports stage. Broadcasting live sports events presents highly complex, dynamic and fast-paced challenges as the ever-increasing demand for live coverage stretches farther around the globe to more networks serving more households. An effective enterprise resource management (ERM) software-

based system can help any broadcaster reduce the costs of producing live sports by automating complex workflows, improving collaboration among internal and external personnel, and ensuring interoperability among disparate systems.

Planning and PreparationWhat viewers see live on their televisions, computer screens, tablet computers and even on their smartphones is the result of months of advance planning and preparation. ERM solutions handle all aspects of resource management during the process of searching for, sourcing and securing internal and external resources,

managing those resources during the events and in post-event reporting and reconciliation. Complicated and time-consuming tasks such as sending content from New York City to London for editing become as simple as dragging and dropping a file.

The ERM system makes the transfer, notifies the sender and receiver, and even reserves a specific editing bay so the work can begin immediately.

Broadcasters are increasingly adopting a “borrow instead of buy” approach to securing external resources. Some ERM solutions can even automate and facilitate collaboration with partners and freelancers, allowing broadcasters to find,

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 39

to account for variants such as inclement weather and overtime or injury time.

These affect everything in the sky and on the ground, from the uplink trucks, satellite channels and teleports; to the fiber network; to the staff and freelance personnel crewing the event.

An intelligent ERM system allows these changes to be executed into a single booking of record, which in turn will automatically pass the information to downstream systems to facilitate the extended on-air coverage. Additionally, crew schedules and reporting overtime hours to the payroll system can be automated, a critical capability for improving efficiency in cost control, time keeping and reconciliation processes. Broadcasters are increasingly migrating most of the crewing to local freelancers. Without an integrated solution, manually reconciling payroll for 1000 freelancers with all of the scheduling modifications that occur during the event would be virtually impossible.

Throughout each event, hundreds of feeds will be processed and delivered to air and managing inbound and outbound feeds becomes mission-critical. Broadcasters that rely on a manual process for managing and scheduling feeds are at risk for double entries, inaccuracies and redundant tasks, all leading to reduced efficiency and lost revenue, time and reputation.

Post gameOnce the event is a wrap and viewers turn away, the work continues for the teams tasked with evaluating what went well and areas of improvement. The granular reporting capabilities of ERM software allow financial controllers to evaluate the financial performance of all resources, departments, facilities, vendors, and even specific equipment and personnel to realise the inefficiencies that exist and effectively plan to reduce them in the future. The interoperability capabilities that connected operations during the broadcasts — the live interaction and updating — mean that reporting extends across all departments in all locations.

With vendors and partners connected and collaborating, costs are immediately reported directly into the system and updated instantly with every modification of a booking; there is no waiting 30 days for invoices to get the big picture.

evaluate, book and manage third-party resources inside the scheduling system itself, providing immediate access to the best resources at the lowest costs.

With a single ERM solution managing the schedules for all resources across multiple organisations and providers, broadcasters are assured that duplication of effort is reduced, which is critical to ensuring all of the moving parts required for complex sporting broadcasts mesh together.

The interoperability and connectivity of ERM systems also allows these workflows to be deployed and triggered at other control centres. Interoperability allows certain ERM systems to interact with virtually any third-party device or system, providing a single point of record — one booking that is the nucleus for all of the systems involved in the feed. Changes are made once and then modifications, whether to start time, end time or technical parameters, are communicated automatically to all connected systems and vendors. This frees users to move on to their next urgent tasks while the external systems continue to report status information back to the core system.

Each external system receives its own unique message containing the specific details required by that system, as well as the ability to insert returned values back into the core system when the booking is acknowledged. The template files for these messages can be individually edited and re-applied to immediately accommodate new or expanded functionality from a given system or device.

Status messages sent from the external systems provide live awareness of the health and progress of a feed and trigger an alert if trouble occurs. If an external system reports any device is down, whether currently involved in a feed or not, this equipment is immediately and automatically marked as out of service in the core system without requiring any human interaction. This prevents doomed feeds from being scheduled in the chaotic environment where no one has noticed or been able to manually update the system. Equipment is automatically returned to operational status upon message from the external system.

Game daysEven for sporting events, where lengths are dictated by a clock, broadcasters must be prepared to extend transmission feeds

With external systems connected and collaborating reporting-specific statuses and errors directly into your system — both in the booking cycle and in the life-cycle of specific devices — detailed operational reporting is now centralised and available, even for systems that don’t have their own reporting tools.

Improved connectivity and collaboration, and access to a resource community in real-time are the key benefits provided by ERM software. The complexity of mounting broadcasts of sporting events will continue to grow, increasing the need for automation and efficiency to drive increased ROI. Staying cost-effective and maximising profitability in an environment that presents so many game-changing variables is only possible with the innovative resource management capabilities of ERM software. PRO

PROSPORT

“Even for sporting events, where lengths are dictated by a clock, broadcasters must be prepared to extend transmission feeds to account for variants such as inclement weather and overtime or injury time” Joel Ledlow, CEO, ScheduALL

Joel Ledlow is chief executive officer of ScheduALL.

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 20124040

PROWORKSHOP

Advanced Media Trading held an advanced DSLR course at AM Studio in Dubai last month. Although originally intended for two days, the course, which was conducted by German DoP and filmmaker Stefan Czech, was extended to an additional day for beginners who requested an advanced course. Alongside enthusiasts from different parts of the region, the team at AM Studio also welcomed a delegation from Iran.

Training Day

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

“I am a photographer from Teheran. I have a Canon 5D with me. I want to be able to shoot video as well. In Iran, we have really creative people but lack the equipment to touch and learn. This workshop gives you a hands-on experience. There is a big difference between those of us who have come from Iran and some of the other attendees. Because we do not have these privileges to touch and learn there, perhaps we appreciate such courses more. Now, I plan to go back and make a short film.” Setare Milladi, photographer, Iran

“In May 2012, we conducted our first DSLR workshop and some of the key brands we represent in this market sponsored this event. Around 60 people attended the workshop last time and there was demand for a second edition. With the help of our suppliers, we decided to hold a second edition. We had an intermediate and advanced course. There were attendees from UAE but also Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Iran. Stefan is an entertaining teacher so the sessions were very interesting.

“The DSLR camera changed the market, whether for the film industry or for the still image market. Many photographers want to be able to move into videography. These cameras have given people the opportunity to make that transition effectively. Some people liked the basic course and asked to do an advanced course as well so we extended it for another day. Filmmakers wanted to know the difference between this and high-end cameras. We did some test shoots to show the comparison. There’s so much more to using the DSLR than meets the eye.”Stefan Czech, freelance DoP

“I came to this course to learn how to use the DSLR effectively because we train young children between the ages of eight and ten to do video shoots in Iran, where we have a training centre. When children go to school, they are always asked to write an essay. So whatever is in their minds has to come out in words. But there’s a whole visual world out there that children see differently. Plus now, because of mobile phones and the video functionality on small cameras, kids can expand their creativity beyond the written word to visuals. That was my motivation to teach young children. We have taught 110 children in the last two years. We hold two courses of 60 hours and 100 hours. Of course, we have several other courses for adults as well. Five of us have come from Iran to learn about using the DSLR and they are mostly photographers who want to expand into filming videos.” Sohail Moghimi, filmmaker and digital cinema manager, Iran

Stefan Czech, freelance DoP.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

We are planning to hold workshops every two to three months depending on what’s trendy and requires training.”Pooyan Farnam, Advanced Media

Left: A workshop in progress and inset, Kaveh Farnam, the man behind the training initiatives.

Setare Milladi. Sohail Moghimi.

NIRO

PINKRAIN ANIMATION STUDIOPRESENTS

NOTICE. THINK. ACT

Our vision in this project is to highlight the ecological problems and inspire the community to consider the environment around us. Niro and Wafee are human figures representing our behaviours in real life. The show is full of humor and contrast between the idea and practice.

www.pinkrainvfx.com, info@pinkrainvfx.com, tel. +971 4 3244188For more information or to contact us please visit our website

&WAFEE

September 2012 V1.indd 1 8/22/12 7:10 PM

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 20124040

PROWORKSHOP

Advanced Media Trading held an advanced DSLR course at AM Studio in Dubai last month. Although originally intended for two days, the course, which was conducted by German DoP and filmmaker Stefan Czech, was extended to an additional day for beginners who requested an advanced course. Alongside enthusiasts from different parts of the region, the team at AM Studio also welcomed a delegation from Iran.

Training Day

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

“I am a photographer from Teheran. I have a Canon 5D with me. I want to be able to shoot video as well. In Iran, we have really creative people but lack the equipment to touch and learn. This workshop gives you a hands-on experience. There is a big difference between those of us who have come from Iran and some of the other attendees. Because we do not have these privileges to touch and learn there, perhaps we appreciate such courses more. Now, I plan to go back and make a short film.” Setare Milladi, photographer, Iran

“In May 2012, we conducted our first DSLR workshop and some of the key brands we represent in this market sponsored this event. Around 60 people attended the workshop last time and there was demand for a second edition. With the help of our suppliers, we decided to hold a second edition. We had an intermediate and advanced course. There were attendees from UAE but also Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Iran. Stefan is an entertaining teacher so the sessions were very interesting.

“The DSLR camera changed the market, whether for the film industry or for the still image market. Many photographers want to be able to move into videography. These cameras have given people the opportunity to make that transition effectively. Some people liked the basic course and asked to do an advanced course as well so we extended it for another day. Filmmakers wanted to know the difference between this and high-end cameras. We did some test shoots to show the comparison. There’s so much more to using the DSLR than meets the eye.”Stefan Czech, freelance DoP

“I came to this course to learn how to use the DSLR effectively because we train young children between the ages of eight and ten to do video shoots in Iran, where we have a training centre. When children go to school, they are always asked to write an essay. So whatever is in their minds has to come out in words. But there’s a whole visual world out there that children see differently. Plus now, because of mobile phones and the video functionality on small cameras, kids can expand their creativity beyond the written word to visuals. That was my motivation to teach young children. We have taught 110 children in the last two years. We hold two courses of 60 hours and 100 hours. Of course, we have several other courses for adults as well. Five of us have come from Iran to learn about using the DSLR and they are mostly photographers who want to expand into filming videos.” Sohail Moghimi, filmmaker and digital cinema manager, Iran

Stefan Czech, freelance DoP.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

We are planning to hold workshops every two to three months depending on what’s trendy and requires training.”Pooyan Farnam, Advanced Media

Left: A workshop in progress and inset, Kaveh Farnam, the man behind the training initiatives.

Setare Milladi. Sohail Moghimi.

NIRO

PINKRAIN ANIMATION STUDIOPRESENTS

NOTICE. THINK. ACT

Our vision in this project is to highlight the ecological problems and inspire the community to consider the environment around us. Niro and Wafee are human figures representing our behaviours in real life. The show is full of humor and contrast between the idea and practice.

www.pinkrainvfx.com, info@pinkrainvfx.com, tel. +971 4 3244188For more information or to contact us please visit our website

&WAFEE

September 2012 V1.indd 1 8/22/12 7:10 PM

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 20124242

PROINTERVIEW

Noura Al Kaabi juggles several high-profile roles in the media. Besides being CEO of twofour54, she is also on the board of Abu Dhabi Media Company,

Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, Image Nation and Flash Entertainment. In an exclusive interview with Vijaya Cherian, Al Kaabi shares her vision for the

media sector in the UAE and how she hopes to develop local talent

You play so many different roles within the media. How do you juggle all of them and do they complement each other?Noura: They are all interlinked. So for example, as a member of the Federal National Council, one chooses to be under one or two committees. I have selected to be under the committees of Media and Culture, and Sports. I am also CEO of twofour54, and on the boards of Abu Dhabi Media Company, Image Nation and Flash Entertainment. They are all part of how the Government of Abu Dhabi is diversifying the economy through more than one activity.

While they each operate individually to develop different parts of the chain, they also help each other to grow the overall culture. This is what twofour54 is trying to do and this is what other media companies should also do, whether it is Image Nation, Flash or Abu Dhabi Media Company.

There is an assumption that all of these entities were hugely funded by Abu Dhabi government and you are now taking measures to make them commercially profitable. Does that explain the job cuts in the last year?There is an assumption that the Government of Abu Dhabi is paying a huge amount of money to operate or to attract media entities. It is an assumption and we are trying to change such assumptions. It’s important for any business to break even. You need to focus on your numbers. You need to see what matters and what will be sustainable. I think it is important for us to focus on how we are treating a state-

owned company such as twofour54. It is not about relying on a fund but making sure that you are utilising it smartly.

As an Emirati, you said you want to encourage more Emiratis to join the media business. But there is an assumption that most of them are unwilling to take up entry level jobs. How are you addressing this?I have been working with twofour54 since the day it started. Tony Orsten (then CEO of twofour54) was my mentor and he did a great job.

Right now in twofour54, we have many Emiratis who have started working in a range of positions and they are beginning to understand what it takes to pursue a career in the media.

As part of our ongoing efforts, we want to build a sustainable media industry and this is not easy – especially in this region. One of our key aims in twofour54 is to reach out to young Arabs, particularly to Emiratis, and to encourage them to consider the media as a long-term career choice.

This has also been achieved through our academic outreach as well as entrepreneurship programmes that have been run very successfully. Our Entaji programme, for instance, is an employment and traineeship programme developed specially for UAE nationals in collaboration with the BBC. It is for those who are interested in building a career in television production and broadcasting.

We initiated this programme because we don’t see many Emiratis in

production and post production work. This is a 12-month programme.

In 2011, when we had the graduation, all of them were working within our production facility at twofour54. We had seven Emiratis. Right now, we have five Emiratis and recently, one of them also won the Arab Film Studio Competition.

This process is not limited to young Emiratis but their families as well. We have to sell it to their families first if they are to join this career.

For example, many families are sceptical about the role of their children in the media. After their kids were trained here, we saw them alter their decisions and some wanted to send their kids to major in a certain area of the media. Some would call us and ask about potential internship or job opportunities.

So I think it is a matter of changing certain cultural perceptions and we have to start with the youth. During this outreach programme, we went out to 24 colleges and universities within the UAE. It was like a road show campaign and we reached out to around 5000 students about the different career opportunities within the media industry.

You undertook some changes at twofour54 as part of your efforts to make the entity more profitable. Is there more in the pipeline?Changes happen. Our focus is mainly on Arab youth and funding short films and music through our creative lab. Engaging the youth is our number one priority.

The road ahead

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 43

PROINTERVIEW

Noura Al Kaabi says 39 “partners” have joined twofour54 in Q2 2012.

“The moment you provide them (Arab youth) with a

certain type of education and equip them with skills, you know

that you are creating a healthy culture. The rest will follow”

Noura Al Kaabi, CEO, twofour54

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 20124242

PROINTERVIEW

Noura Al Kaabi juggles several high-profile roles in the media. Besides being CEO of twofour54, she is also on the board of Abu Dhabi Media Company,

Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, Image Nation and Flash Entertainment. In an exclusive interview with Vijaya Cherian, Al Kaabi shares her vision for the

media sector in the UAE and how she hopes to develop local talent

You play so many different roles within the media. How do you juggle all of them and do they complement each other?Noura: They are all interlinked. So for example, as a member of the Federal National Council, one chooses to be under one or two committees. I have selected to be under the committees of Media and Culture, and Sports. I am also CEO of twofour54, and on the boards of Abu Dhabi Media Company, Image Nation and Flash Entertainment. They are all part of how the Government of Abu Dhabi is diversifying the economy through more than one activity.

While they each operate individually to develop different parts of the chain, they also help each other to grow the overall culture. This is what twofour54 is trying to do and this is what other media companies should also do, whether it is Image Nation, Flash or Abu Dhabi Media Company.

There is an assumption that all of these entities were hugely funded by Abu Dhabi government and you are now taking measures to make them commercially profitable. Does that explain the job cuts in the last year?There is an assumption that the Government of Abu Dhabi is paying a huge amount of money to operate or to attract media entities. It is an assumption and we are trying to change such assumptions. It’s important for any business to break even. You need to focus on your numbers. You need to see what matters and what will be sustainable. I think it is important for us to focus on how we are treating a state-

owned company such as twofour54. It is not about relying on a fund but making sure that you are utilising it smartly.

As an Emirati, you said you want to encourage more Emiratis to join the media business. But there is an assumption that most of them are unwilling to take up entry level jobs. How are you addressing this?I have been working with twofour54 since the day it started. Tony Orsten (then CEO of twofour54) was my mentor and he did a great job.

Right now in twofour54, we have many Emiratis who have started working in a range of positions and they are beginning to understand what it takes to pursue a career in the media.

As part of our ongoing efforts, we want to build a sustainable media industry and this is not easy – especially in this region. One of our key aims in twofour54 is to reach out to young Arabs, particularly to Emiratis, and to encourage them to consider the media as a long-term career choice.

This has also been achieved through our academic outreach as well as entrepreneurship programmes that have been run very successfully. Our Entaji programme, for instance, is an employment and traineeship programme developed specially for UAE nationals in collaboration with the BBC. It is for those who are interested in building a career in television production and broadcasting.

We initiated this programme because we don’t see many Emiratis in

production and post production work. This is a 12-month programme.

In 2011, when we had the graduation, all of them were working within our production facility at twofour54. We had seven Emiratis. Right now, we have five Emiratis and recently, one of them also won the Arab Film Studio Competition.

This process is not limited to young Emiratis but their families as well. We have to sell it to their families first if they are to join this career.

For example, many families are sceptical about the role of their children in the media. After their kids were trained here, we saw them alter their decisions and some wanted to send their kids to major in a certain area of the media. Some would call us and ask about potential internship or job opportunities.

So I think it is a matter of changing certain cultural perceptions and we have to start with the youth. During this outreach programme, we went out to 24 colleges and universities within the UAE. It was like a road show campaign and we reached out to around 5000 students about the different career opportunities within the media industry.

You undertook some changes at twofour54 as part of your efforts to make the entity more profitable. Is there more in the pipeline?Changes happen. Our focus is mainly on Arab youth and funding short films and music through our creative lab. Engaging the youth is our number one priority.

The road ahead

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 43

PROINTERVIEW

Noura Al Kaabi says 39 “partners” have joined twofour54 in Q2 2012.

“The moment you provide them (Arab youth) with a

certain type of education and equip them with skills, you know

that you are creating a healthy culture. The rest will follow”

Noura Al Kaabi, CEO, twofour54

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 45

PROINTERVIEW

They may or may not eventually become part of the media industry but we are attempting to create that culture. I believe every entity within the UAE has a responsibility to the youth of this nation. The moment you provide them with a certain type of education and equip them with skills, you know that you are creating a healthy culture. The rest will follow.

So it is more about undertaking changes at a fundamental level. We are looking at more focused changes in the future with hopefully, a clear message at the same time.

What is your vision moving forward?In five years, I see us having more services or opportunities that are not available elsewhere, such as niche training. Right

now, we have gaming and Cartoon Network. We will be looking at what the market requires. I also see all of the entities within the UAE focusing more on local content production rather than importing it from elsewhere. We need to look beyond the UAE to the entire GCC for further collaborations as the UAE by itself is not such a big market. To make our product successful, we have to ensure it is not just a UAE product but something that is applicable to everyone in the GCC to watch. This is how I see twofour54 growing in the future – having services and products that are relevant to a larger market.

How long has it been since you became a part of the FNC? How

has your own perspective changed since joining the FNC?It will be a year this November. When you get to the Parliament level, by default, we have to see the bigger picture. It has widened the way I look at things and the way we solve issues. There are so many different dimensions – the educational dimension, the cultural dimension, the policy dimension and so on. With regards to media policies and regulations, we are trying to work more closely with the National Media Council to develop some regulations and services.

You are very active on the social media front and we love it. Is that a personal initiative or part of your mandate as an FNC member?I joined twitter in 2008 when we launched twofour54. For me, being part of new trends has always been a personal passion. It wasn’t with the aim of promoting twofour54. It was just about me wanting to be there. I use it for both work and also for some points of view that I would like to share. Four or five months back, the FNC did provide us with official twitter accounts.

“Twofour54 provides young nationals with funds to produce their short films or develop their games or media-related projects. That’s a one-time effort. What’s next? We need to have ongoing activities to ensure that the stimulus is continuous”Noura Al Kaabi, CEO, twofour54, Abu Dhabi

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November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 45

PROINTERVIEW

They may or may not eventually become part of the media industry but we are attempting to create that culture. I believe every entity within the UAE has a responsibility to the youth of this nation. The moment you provide them with a certain type of education and equip them with skills, you know that you are creating a healthy culture. The rest will follow.

So it is more about undertaking changes at a fundamental level. We are looking at more focused changes in the future with hopefully, a clear message at the same time.

What is your vision moving forward?In five years, I see us having more services or opportunities that are not available elsewhere, such as niche training. Right

now, we have gaming and Cartoon Network. We will be looking at what the market requires. I also see all of the entities within the UAE focusing more on local content production rather than importing it from elsewhere. We need to look beyond the UAE to the entire GCC for further collaborations as the UAE by itself is not such a big market. To make our product successful, we have to ensure it is not just a UAE product but something that is applicable to everyone in the GCC to watch. This is how I see twofour54 growing in the future – having services and products that are relevant to a larger market.

How long has it been since you became a part of the FNC? How

has your own perspective changed since joining the FNC?It will be a year this November. When you get to the Parliament level, by default, we have to see the bigger picture. It has widened the way I look at things and the way we solve issues. There are so many different dimensions – the educational dimension, the cultural dimension, the policy dimension and so on. With regards to media policies and regulations, we are trying to work more closely with the National Media Council to develop some regulations and services.

You are very active on the social media front and we love it. Is that a personal initiative or part of your mandate as an FNC member?I joined twitter in 2008 when we launched twofour54. For me, being part of new trends has always been a personal passion. It wasn’t with the aim of promoting twofour54. It was just about me wanting to be there. I use it for both work and also for some points of view that I would like to share. Four or five months back, the FNC did provide us with official twitter accounts.

“Twofour54 provides young nationals with funds to produce their short films or develop their games or media-related projects. That’s a one-time effort. What’s next? We need to have ongoing activities to ensure that the stimulus is continuous”Noura Al Kaabi, CEO, twofour54, Abu Dhabi

Email : saleseuro@analogway.com

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► Smart MatriX LE - Ref. SMX100

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► Smart Vu LE - Ref. SVU200

► Smart Quad - Ref. SQD200

► Smart Edge FX - Ref. STE200

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AV Pro-175-110-Smart Series-October2012.indd 1 23/10/2012 18:31:48

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 47

How many companies have come on board in the last year?During the second quarter of 2012, we have had 39 new partners on board. We have 178 companies in total at twofour54.

Now that the Abu Dhabi Film Commission does not have a Commissioner, will there be a new appointment soon?Abu Dhabi Film Commission will continue to function and promote our locations and production facilities. What we are doing right now is refining the structure there. There will be a Commissioner, but that team will utilise all of the facilities that we have.

What is the biggest hurdle in this region? Sustainability. We lack sustainability. How can we produce a product that generates more revenue and is sustainable? And at the same time, it is not just about the product but also how you develop a product, whether you have it in a digital form, or any merchandise around it. It needs to be a market that is not discovered, but empowered more. Finally, does traditional TV have a future?I don’t think it will have as powerful a following as it did in the past. People are spending less time watching content on traditional screens and shifting to other devices. People want to watch TV at their convenience. I use my phone most of the time. More revenue can be generated if content can be shown across multiple platforms. PRO

PROINTERVIEW

I am already using it for the vision of the Federal National Council and I do get messages on twitter. Our official emails are available online so you can access our Federal National Council email and get back to us. It was a personal passion from the beginning. But right now, I think it is both passion and responsibility.

What challenges do you foresee for yourself in the coming months? We have to make sure that this year is successful for twofour54. It is my first year as CEO of the company. We are working very closely together as a management team. We are making sure we are updated with the numbers, monitoring our progress and how we treat each service within twofour54. It is also very important for us to get our message out there right.

October was a festive month for us with the Abu Dhabi Media Summit and the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, which we were handling for the first time. This was a challenge because both events were not previously part of twofour54 and do not have a commercial mandate like twofour54.

What challenges do you foresee for nationals looking to work in TV, films or the radio business?The challenges are many. Twofour54 provides young UAE nationals with funds to produce their short films or develop their games or media-related projects. That’s a one-time effort. But what’s next? We need to have ongoing activities to ensure that the stimulus is continuous. Other media entities must also be involved in these initiatives.

Essentially, they should be trained, should be able to find jobs, and participate consistently in cultural events and activities that will foster their creativity. That is the environment we are trying to create. More entities must be involved to make this work. This is what I try to do with Abu Dhabi Media Company, for instance. I tell them to use our freelancers and our graduates. We have talent so why not utilise them?

Another interesting element is the opportunities we need to provide continuously to our people to ensure they are being trained all the time. When they were shooting a part of The Bourne Legacy in Dubai, we got all of our students to the film set. They didn’t know that they are going there, but they came back wanting to do more. The advantage of having one central entity controlling all of this is that our students then have access to such projects. But we cannot do it alone. We need more support from other partners.

Are you working towards creating those partnerships? Yes, we are constantly working towards this goal. We are also working with some of our partners within twofour54 to ensure that they can use local talent.

This whole project is part of Abu Dhabi’s 2030 vision to be a media hub?Yes, we complement the Abu Dhabi 2030 vision. We have been getting more support on how we link the media in twofour54 with other entities within Abu Dhabi. It is part of the government sector, so by default, there is already support from there.

“We need to look beyond the UAE to the entire GCC for further collaborations as the UAE by itself is not such a big market ... This is how I see twofour54 growing in the future – having services and products that are relevant to a larger market”Noura Al Kaabi, CEO, twofour54, Abu Dhabi

Al Kaabi says this market does not need to be discovered any more; it needs to be empowered.

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 47

How many companies have come on board in the last year?During the second quarter of 2012, we have had 39 new partners on board. We have 178 companies in total at twofour54.

Now that the Abu Dhabi Film Commission does not have a Commissioner, will there be a new appointment soon?Abu Dhabi Film Commission will continue to function and promote our locations and production facilities. What we are doing right now is refining the structure there. There will be a Commissioner, but that team will utilise all of the facilities that we have.

What is the biggest hurdle in this region? Sustainability. We lack sustainability. How can we produce a product that generates more revenue and is sustainable? And at the same time, it is not just about the product but also how you develop a product, whether you have it in a digital form, or any merchandise around it. It needs to be a market that is not discovered, but empowered more. Finally, does traditional TV have a future?I don’t think it will have as powerful a following as it did in the past. People are spending less time watching content on traditional screens and shifting to other devices. People want to watch TV at their convenience. I use my phone most of the time. More revenue can be generated if content can be shown across multiple platforms. PRO

PROINTERVIEW

I am already using it for the vision of the Federal National Council and I do get messages on twitter. Our official emails are available online so you can access our Federal National Council email and get back to us. It was a personal passion from the beginning. But right now, I think it is both passion and responsibility.

What challenges do you foresee for yourself in the coming months? We have to make sure that this year is successful for twofour54. It is my first year as CEO of the company. We are working very closely together as a management team. We are making sure we are updated with the numbers, monitoring our progress and how we treat each service within twofour54. It is also very important for us to get our message out there right.

October was a festive month for us with the Abu Dhabi Media Summit and the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, which we were handling for the first time. This was a challenge because both events were not previously part of twofour54 and do not have a commercial mandate like twofour54.

What challenges do you foresee for nationals looking to work in TV, films or the radio business?The challenges are many. Twofour54 provides young UAE nationals with funds to produce their short films or develop their games or media-related projects. That’s a one-time effort. But what’s next? We need to have ongoing activities to ensure that the stimulus is continuous. Other media entities must also be involved in these initiatives.

Essentially, they should be trained, should be able to find jobs, and participate consistently in cultural events and activities that will foster their creativity. That is the environment we are trying to create. More entities must be involved to make this work. This is what I try to do with Abu Dhabi Media Company, for instance. I tell them to use our freelancers and our graduates. We have talent so why not utilise them?

Another interesting element is the opportunities we need to provide continuously to our people to ensure they are being trained all the time. When they were shooting a part of The Bourne Legacy in Dubai, we got all of our students to the film set. They didn’t know that they are going there, but they came back wanting to do more. The advantage of having one central entity controlling all of this is that our students then have access to such projects. But we cannot do it alone. We need more support from other partners.

Are you working towards creating those partnerships? Yes, we are constantly working towards this goal. We are also working with some of our partners within twofour54 to ensure that they can use local talent.

This whole project is part of Abu Dhabi’s 2030 vision to be a media hub?Yes, we complement the Abu Dhabi 2030 vision. We have been getting more support on how we link the media in twofour54 with other entities within Abu Dhabi. It is part of the government sector, so by default, there is already support from there.

“We need to look beyond the UAE to the entire GCC for further collaborations as the UAE by itself is not such a big market ... This is how I see twofour54 growing in the future – having services and products that are relevant to a larger market”Noura Al Kaabi, CEO, twofour54, Abu Dhabi

Al Kaabi says this market does not need to be discovered any more; it needs to be empowered.

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 20124848

PRODUBAI

Two large video walls from US-based manufacturer Prysm have been installed at the fully upgraded news centre of stated-backed broadcaster Dubai Media Inc. The installation was undertaken by Dubai-based systems integrator Baba Broadcast Services (BBS). The news centre, claimed to be one of the largest HD/3G studios in the Middle East, went live on September 15, 2012.

The installation consists of a 9.14m wide x 1.9m high Laser Phosphor Display

Prysm LPD video walls shine at DMI’s news centre

(LPD) curved video wall and a second screen located on the mezzanine floor above the main studio. This screen measures 4.06m wide x 2.29m high and is set 0.39m from the ground and 0.60m depth from the back wall.

The video walls will be used as a correspondence and backdrop screen for presenters during live broadcasts, so the technology platform selected had to be guaranteed to perform under the intense studio conditions with no room for error.

Various areas of DMI’s upgraded news cen-tre and below left, Ihab El Baba, MD of Baba Broadcast Services, who worked with Prysm to integrate new video walls at the facility.

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 49

PRODUBAI

BBS also worked previously with Prysm to install an LPD video wall at Dubai TV’s Studio F, used by the broadcaster’s sports channel. This 4.07m wide x 1.5m high video wall, which has been live for ten months, was selected for several features including its colour temperature settings which can range from an LPD of 11,000K to as low as 2700K, ensuring skin tones are portrayed accurately and in line with the presenters in the studio during live feeds. In addition, the ultra wide viewing angle and environmental credentials further the broadcaster’s carbon reduction scheme.

“The technology platform has a viewing angle of 178° which is ideal

In Brief

Client Dubai Media Inc.Project on air: September 15, 2012

Systems integrators for this projectAvid integration: Salam MediaCastVizrt: VizrtLighting: Oasis EnterprisesVideo walls: Baba Broadcast Services and Prysm

“The news centre is designed entirely for a HD workflow. We do eight live shows and five recorded shows from the new centre compared to previous years. This is a huge jump in terms of content production”Saleh Lootah, CTO, Dubai Media Inc.

From left: Prysm’s Tanvir Osama, director Sales for ME & India, and Steve Scorse, VP, Europe. Middle East and Asia.

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Ticketing partner Media partners Organised by

VISIONARY TALKS ON GRAPHIC DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION, PHOTOGRAPHY, FILM AND ANIMATION

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 20124848

PRODUBAI

Two large video walls from US-based manufacturer Prysm have been installed at the fully upgraded news centre of stated-backed broadcaster Dubai Media Inc. The installation was undertaken by Dubai-based systems integrator Baba Broadcast Services (BBS). The news centre, claimed to be one of the largest HD/3G studios in the Middle East, went live on September 15, 2012.

The installation consists of a 9.14m wide x 1.9m high Laser Phosphor Display

Prysm LPD video walls shine at DMI’s news centre

(LPD) curved video wall and a second screen located on the mezzanine floor above the main studio. This screen measures 4.06m wide x 2.29m high and is set 0.39m from the ground and 0.60m depth from the back wall.

The video walls will be used as a correspondence and backdrop screen for presenters during live broadcasts, so the technology platform selected had to be guaranteed to perform under the intense studio conditions with no room for error.

Various areas of DMI’s upgraded news cen-tre and below left, Ihab El Baba, MD of Baba Broadcast Services, who worked with Prysm to integrate new video walls at the facility.

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 49

PRODUBAI

BBS also worked previously with Prysm to install an LPD video wall at Dubai TV’s Studio F, used by the broadcaster’s sports channel. This 4.07m wide x 1.5m high video wall, which has been live for ten months, was selected for several features including its colour temperature settings which can range from an LPD of 11,000K to as low as 2700K, ensuring skin tones are portrayed accurately and in line with the presenters in the studio during live feeds. In addition, the ultra wide viewing angle and environmental credentials further the broadcaster’s carbon reduction scheme.

“The technology platform has a viewing angle of 178° which is ideal

In Brief

Client Dubai Media Inc.Project on air: September 15, 2012

Systems integrators for this projectAvid integration: Salam MediaCastVizrt: VizrtLighting: Oasis EnterprisesVideo walls: Baba Broadcast Services and Prysm

“The news centre is designed entirely for a HD workflow. We do eight live shows and five recorded shows from the new centre compared to previous years. This is a huge jump in terms of content production”Saleh Lootah, CTO, Dubai Media Inc.

From left: Prysm’s Tanvir Osama, director Sales for ME & India, and Steve Scorse, VP, Europe. Middle East and Asia.

Presents

BRAND NEW SCHOOL // MK12 // HYDRO74KRISTY ANNE LIGONES // BROWNMONKEYS

ERIC KIM // FIKRA DESIGN STUDIO

FEATURED SPEAKERS

MIDDLE EAST PREMIER CREATIVE & DESIGN CONFERENCE

Tickets available at tickets.virginmegastore.meFor more information call 04 440 9100 or visit our website: www.visualarabia.com

Ticketing partner Media partners Organised by

VISIONARY TALKS ON GRAPHIC DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION, PHOTOGRAPHY, FILM AND ANIMATION

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201250

Saleh lootah waS recently appointed cto of dubai Media inc.

PRODUBAI

for ensuring images remain crisp and clear from all camera angles,” says Ihab El Baba, managing director of BBS.

“This is my second installation with this client and the technology was installed on a curved presentation frame on this occasion.”

Each of Prysm’s 25” tile draws an average of just 30 watts of power, which amounts to 75% less consumption than traditional LCD and projection technologies.

Tanvir Osama – director of sales for Prysm, Middle East and India says the manufacturer initially installed a demo system at Studio F for two weeks before the client chose the video wall.

“We first met DMI at the PALME show in 2011. They were evaluating technologies for their sports studio. They were keen to test it within their studio environment with their lighting, cameras and staff as well. As part of this, we installed a demo wall at Studio F for about two weeks. That enabled them to evaluate it thoroughly. The engineering, production and graphics departments had a look at it and did various tests with it. It passed the muster. The key elements were visibility and how easy it was to maintain it. And, of course, it had to fit into their existing set,” he adds.

Steve Scorse – VP of Europe, Middle East and Asia for Prysm says this was a standard installation.

“The way we have designed this product and the framing infrastructure that goes with it enables us to replicate these design installs anywhere.” PRO

dubai Media Inc. uses a new file-based workflow, which ensures that the news team at the media house gets news on air quicker than before.

The first part of the phase includes a complete upgrade of the news centre’s Avid newsroom system and the addition of Vizrt graphics systems, Prysm video walls and touch screen functionality along with new media interactivity.

For the master ingest, DMI uses Avid AirSpeed multi-stream servers with the latest version of Interplay Capture fully integrated into the main router system.

DMI’s journalists then use Avid iNews Instinct to create their bulletins. Instinct enables them to use text, video as well as audio in one application.

“Additionally, Avid’s Interplay system allows contributors to search and find the correct clips and accelerate the editorial process. Interplay also allows the addition of locators’ comments, annotation and personalised notes. With this range of searchable fields, clips will not only be quicker to find but will never go missing,” explains Afzal Lakdawala, head of technology planning and projects. Lakdawala was responsible for overseeing the entire project.

Once the rough cuts are undertaken on Instinct, Avid News Cutter will be used for FX and voice overs ensuring that the news is quick to air and also, delivered at high quality.

“The playout of daily news programmes is handled by Avid iNEWS Command with its dynamic playlist management and it is fully integrated with the Vizrt graphics system,” adds Lakdawala.

The material is then moved to DMI’s extensive archive, which includes the video material and the scripts associated with iNEWS. In order

to handle this vast amount of content, DMI uses DIVA Archive from Front Porch Digital with an SL 3000 Oracle Tape solution.

“This project posed a huge challenge because the news was on air and in parallel, we were building the new system. There was a time, when we were producing news on the old system as well as the new system simultaneously,” adds Lakdawala.

Phase 2 of the project will include the complete upgrade of the studio cameras, gallery equipment, ENG cameras and the master control room (MCR) to support 3G/HD specs.

The workflow in brief

Tech Specs* Avid Unity ISIS 7000* 10x Newscutter Nitrix DX* 2x Newscutter S/W* 4x Airspeed Multi Stream for playout* 4x Airspeed Multi Stream for ingest* 10X Access Client Licenses* 5X Assist Client Licenses* 35x Instinct Client Licenses* 164xiNews Client Licenses* Interplay capture * 2x i-Command archive* HSM: Front Porch Diva* Tape Library: SL 3000 (Storage Tek) transcoding System * Telestream Vantage* Vizrt engines for different parts of the centre

“It’s a challenge but I look forward to bringing change into the entity in terms of the technology and infrastructure as well as the way people handle their day-to-day work”

“The playout of daily news programmes is handled by Avid iNEWS Command with its dynamic playlist management and it is fully integrated with the Vizrt graphics system”Afzal Lakdawala, Dubai Media Inc.

Afzal Lakdawala.

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The Hunger Games: Catching Fire)

“

Avid_MediaComposer_6.5_Ad_BroadcastPro_207x270mm.indd 1 10/18/12 1:44 PM

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201250

Saleh lootah waS recently appointed cto of dubai Media inc.

PRODUBAI

for ensuring images remain crisp and clear from all camera angles,” says Ihab El Baba, managing director of BBS.

“This is my second installation with this client and the technology was installed on a curved presentation frame on this occasion.”

Each of Prysm’s 25” tile draws an average of just 30 watts of power, which amounts to 75% less consumption than traditional LCD and projection technologies.

Tanvir Osama – director of sales for Prysm, Middle East and India says the manufacturer initially installed a demo system at Studio F for two weeks before the client chose the video wall.

“We first met DMI at the PALME show in 2011. They were evaluating technologies for their sports studio. They were keen to test it within their studio environment with their lighting, cameras and staff as well. As part of this, we installed a demo wall at Studio F for about two weeks. That enabled them to evaluate it thoroughly. The engineering, production and graphics departments had a look at it and did various tests with it. It passed the muster. The key elements were visibility and how easy it was to maintain it. And, of course, it had to fit into their existing set,” he adds.

Steve Scorse – VP of Europe, Middle East and Asia for Prysm says this was a standard installation.

“The way we have designed this product and the framing infrastructure that goes with it enables us to replicate these design installs anywhere.” PRO

dubai Media Inc. uses a new file-based workflow, which ensures that the news team at the media house gets news on air quicker than before.

The first part of the phase includes a complete upgrade of the news centre’s Avid newsroom system and the addition of Vizrt graphics systems, Prysm video walls and touch screen functionality along with new media interactivity.

For the master ingest, DMI uses Avid AirSpeed multi-stream servers with the latest version of Interplay Capture fully integrated into the main router system.

DMI’s journalists then use Avid iNews Instinct to create their bulletins. Instinct enables them to use text, video as well as audio in one application.

“Additionally, Avid’s Interplay system allows contributors to search and find the correct clips and accelerate the editorial process. Interplay also allows the addition of locators’ comments, annotation and personalised notes. With this range of searchable fields, clips will not only be quicker to find but will never go missing,” explains Afzal Lakdawala, head of technology planning and projects. Lakdawala was responsible for overseeing the entire project.

Once the rough cuts are undertaken on Instinct, Avid News Cutter will be used for FX and voice overs ensuring that the news is quick to air and also, delivered at high quality.

“The playout of daily news programmes is handled by Avid iNEWS Command with its dynamic playlist management and it is fully integrated with the Vizrt graphics system,” adds Lakdawala.

The material is then moved to DMI’s extensive archive, which includes the video material and the scripts associated with iNEWS. In order

to handle this vast amount of content, DMI uses DIVA Archive from Front Porch Digital with an SL 3000 Oracle Tape solution.

“This project posed a huge challenge because the news was on air and in parallel, we were building the new system. There was a time, when we were producing news on the old system as well as the new system simultaneously,” adds Lakdawala.

Phase 2 of the project will include the complete upgrade of the studio cameras, gallery equipment, ENG cameras and the master control room (MCR) to support 3G/HD specs.

The workflow in brief

Tech Specs* Avid Unity ISIS 7000* 10x Newscutter Nitrix DX* 2x Newscutter S/W* 4x Airspeed Multi Stream for playout* 4x Airspeed Multi Stream for ingest* 10X Access Client Licenses* 5X Assist Client Licenses* 35x Instinct Client Licenses* 164xiNews Client Licenses* Interplay capture * 2x i-Command archive* HSM: Front Porch Diva* Tape Library: SL 3000 (Storage Tek) transcoding System * Telestream Vantage* Vizrt engines for different parts of the centre

“It’s a challenge but I look forward to bringing change into the entity in terms of the technology and infrastructure as well as the way people handle their day-to-day work”

“The playout of daily news programmes is handled by Avid iNEWS Command with its dynamic playlist management and it is fully integrated with the Vizrt graphics system”Afzal Lakdawala, Dubai Media Inc.

Afzal Lakdawala.

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Now available

These tools have become so powerful… I don’t have to think about how I hammer the nail—I can just be creative.”

–Alan Edward Bell, A.C.E. (Water for Elephants, The Amazing Spider-Man,

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire)

“

Avid_MediaComposer_6.5_Ad_BroadcastPro_207x270mm.indd 1 10/18/12 1:44 PM

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201252

A revolution in image compression?

PROVIEWPOINT

JPEG 2000 versus MPEG versus uncompressed. Jean-François Nivart explores the difference

As images have such a ubiquitous and important place in our lives, this industry is continuously seeking ways to improve image quality. We have become used to high-quality pictures, and we now expect the quality to rise as technology evolves. But this evolution is generating a drastic increase of picture data volume. We can anticipate an explosion of image data by a factor of 50 or more within the next 10 years.

Compression is the key to dealing with this explosion in data volumes while increasing visual quality. The choice of compression method at each stage of the chain from origination to distribution is critical to both efficiency and quality; and with the recent advent of JPEG2000 technology, there’s a clear decision to be made about which compression methods are appropriate for post-production and distribution stages.

Despite the rapid increase in communication technology, we are struggling with data volume not so much because we are missing storage capacity

(data storage costs have never been so low) or because bandwidth is in short supply (in fact, it’s expanding dramatically with fiber connections). The pressure is really created by the explosion of multiple audiovisual content offerings and the demand for ever more varied sources, formats, viewing devices, interactivity

and ‘on demand’ consumption.Over the past decade, the industry

has focused on increasing accessibility to content. Now, there is a new emphasis on fostering the quality of the content that technology has made accessible so widely. And as images represent the major component in audio-visual data

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201252

A revolution in image compression?

PROVIEWPOINT

JPEG 2000 versus MPEG versus uncompressed. Jean-François Nivart explores the difference

As images have such a ubiquitous and important place in our lives, this industry is continuously seeking ways to improve image quality. We have become used to high-quality pictures, and we now expect the quality to rise as technology evolves. But this evolution is generating a drastic increase of picture data volume. We can anticipate an explosion of image data by a factor of 50 or more within the next 10 years.

Compression is the key to dealing with this explosion in data volumes while increasing visual quality. The choice of compression method at each stage of the chain from origination to distribution is critical to both efficiency and quality; and with the recent advent of JPEG2000 technology, there’s a clear decision to be made about which compression methods are appropriate for post-production and distribution stages.

Despite the rapid increase in communication technology, we are struggling with data volume not so much because we are missing storage capacity

(data storage costs have never been so low) or because bandwidth is in short supply (in fact, it’s expanding dramatically with fiber connections). The pressure is really created by the explosion of multiple audiovisual content offerings and the demand for ever more varied sources, formats, viewing devices, interactivity

and ‘on demand’ consumption.Over the past decade, the industry

has focused on increasing accessibility to content. Now, there is a new emphasis on fostering the quality of the content that technology has made accessible so widely. And as images represent the major component in audio-visual data

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 53

volumes, image compression technologies are becoming more significant.

The goal of providers is still to prepare audio-visual content for consumption in any format, on any screen, at any time, through any channel; but now and increasingly into the future, providers will look for more control over the viewing quality.

As they move along the production chain, images are submitted to a series of transformations through the stages of origination, contribution, post-production and distribution. Due to data volume constraints, images are decompressed and compressed at the input and output of each transformation. Without care, the images degrade rapidly through the multiple generations of encoding and decoding.

The main contenders for the encoding-

decoding crown are MPEG AVC, MPEG-HEVC, and JPEG 2000, together with proprietary compression methods developed by a variety of manufacturers. But fundamentally, there are two approaches to compression. On one side, there is visual compression, and on the other, there is structural compression.

JPEG 2000, with its wavelet transform, is a structural compression method. Structural compressions simply re-organise the image data according to its contribution to the global information in the picture and then throw away the less significant data packets.

By contrast, the MPEG compression family uses a visual compression model. Visual compression takes into account the particularities of human vision to remove from the data set all the details eyes cannot see.

Evaluated solely in terms of the viewer, visual compression is more efficient than structural compression.

But when the image is destined to be post-processed or analysed, a structural compression approach protects image details that could

PROVIEWPOINT

“For real-world image data volumes, JPEG2000 provides an excellent alternative with a high level of flexibility and quality-preservation right up to the head-end, where the MPEG codec can be deployed to cover the last miles to the viewer”Jean-Francois Nivart, CEO, Image Matters

be essential in the subsequent use and processing of the image.

For this reason, JPEG 2000 is the preferred format for medical pictures, space and earth sensing imagery, and military applications, while MPEG is used in broadcast and streaming to viewers.

The question today is: how can we use these different qualities of compression to achieve our goals? How can we best protect picture quality along the production path in order to optimise its final usage on every screen, format and at any time? In other words, within the context of broadcast and cinema production, how can we best take advantage of the emerging JPEG 2000 technology to improve the quality of service to viewers?

To achieve that goal of increasing

visual quality at the consumption end of the chain, we have to protect the image structure all along the production path, from the sensor till the final stage of distribution. If we use an image compression method that respects the intimate structure of the image, we will be able to apply as many image processing stages as needed, without reducing the essential image quality.

The JPEG 2000 codec performs well through multiple compression-decompression cycles and presents little interference with image processing. MPEG codecs, on the other hand, are very sensitive to multiple generations and to inter-generation processing. So JPEG 2000 image compression is recommended for all intermediate steps of the production chain.

Why not simply use uncompressed data all along the production chain? This would perfectly protect image structure, but unfortunately, uncompressed data generates a huge volume of data and is not flexible: with uncompressed data, you cannot adapt your chain’s performance to the content quality – it is everything or nothing. And with ‘beyond HD’ looming on

Jean-François Nivart is CEO of Image Matters

the horizon, the potential for data volumes to expand exponentially is already a reality.

Here again, JPEG 2000 offers the flexibility the industry requires. It can be applied at any of the usual intra-frame compression rates, typically 10:1 to 20:1, rising all the way to a ‘perfect’ mathematically lossless mode at 2:1 compression rate. JPEG 2000, therefore, has the power to protect the ultimate quality while at the same time, offering these compact, visually lossless modes.

In conclusion, while in an ideal world, uncompressed images would be the perfect way of preserving the image essence through the production chain, the reality of drastically increasing data volumes and the need for production flexibility makes it impossible to operate this way. For real-world image data volumes, JPEG 2000 provides an excellent alternative with a high level of flexibility and quality-preservation right up to the head-end, where the MPEG codec can be deployed to cover the last miles to the viewer. PRO

Jean-Francois Nivart.

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 55

Revisiting the channel in a box

PROTECH

The channel-in-a-box device has evolved from a simple system to a sophisticated solution that can enable a TV station to go on air within a short period of time, says Andrew Warman

Integrated playout systems — also known as “channel-in-a-box” products – are seen to be an important part of the broadcast future. If they are to be a critical component of broadcasting, what are the fundamental requirements we need to consider?

When first proposed 20 years ago, playout automation was primarily a way of reducing operational expenditure in what was traditionally a people business. In the past, in order to play out a channel with programmes, commercials and trailers required significant numbers of staff to load tapes and check assets.

Once the technology became stable, and particularly when video servers took over from robotic tape libraries, two more advances were seized. First, it became practical to transmit more than one channel from a single installation, and systems were developed which broadcast tens and even hundreds of channels from one location.

Second, a new degree of sophistication was added to the transmission.

Graphics and branding became more prominent to retain audiences. Automated rundowns and squeezebacks were added to the mix to create an immersive experience that viewers will not want to switch away from.

Both these trends were originally supported by the traditional playout architecture of broadcast-specific devices – switchers, servers, graphics units and so on – operating under the control of a real-time computer system, which, in turn, took its instructions in the form of playlists derived from scheduling, advertising sales and asset management systems. The transmission playout system depended upon powerful software with both collaborative and real-time elements.

In a multi-channel playout environment, adding or modifying a channel required, at the very least, new configuration files in the playout system, together with additional broadcast signal paths and possibly, additional capacity in areas like the server and graphics. It made for a very robust

construction, capable of delivering the five nines reliability – 99.999% up time – that broadcasters came to expect. But it was a little inflexible, and project timescales to add channels were typically measured in months.

IT solutionThe power of standard IT platforms has continued to develop, and some developers recognised that a device which is essentially an off-the-shelf PC had sufficient power to perform the basic functionality of broadcast playout. As the traditional user interface was not required, these developers put the processor board, a commodity video card and some storage into a 1U rack cabinet, creating the channel in a box.

Adopting such a simplistic approach has led to many questioning its overall reliability, and in truth there are a number of areas where such an approach can go wrong.

The top priority has to be to maintain a perfectly smooth and seamless video output, which – provided the ingested

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 55

Revisiting the channel in a box

PROTECH

The channel-in-a-box device has evolved from a simple system to a sophisticated solution that can enable a TV station to go on air within a short period of time, says Andrew Warman

Integrated playout systems — also known as “channel-in-a-box” products – are seen to be an important part of the broadcast future. If they are to be a critical component of broadcasting, what are the fundamental requirements we need to consider?

When first proposed 20 years ago, playout automation was primarily a way of reducing operational expenditure in what was traditionally a people business. In the past, in order to play out a channel with programmes, commercials and trailers required significant numbers of staff to load tapes and check assets.

Once the technology became stable, and particularly when video servers took over from robotic tape libraries, two more advances were seized. First, it became practical to transmit more than one channel from a single installation, and systems were developed which broadcast tens and even hundreds of channels from one location.

Second, a new degree of sophistication was added to the transmission.

Graphics and branding became more prominent to retain audiences. Automated rundowns and squeezebacks were added to the mix to create an immersive experience that viewers will not want to switch away from.

Both these trends were originally supported by the traditional playout architecture of broadcast-specific devices – switchers, servers, graphics units and so on – operating under the control of a real-time computer system, which, in turn, took its instructions in the form of playlists derived from scheduling, advertising sales and asset management systems. The transmission playout system depended upon powerful software with both collaborative and real-time elements.

In a multi-channel playout environment, adding or modifying a channel required, at the very least, new configuration files in the playout system, together with additional broadcast signal paths and possibly, additional capacity in areas like the server and graphics. It made for a very robust

construction, capable of delivering the five nines reliability – 99.999% up time – that broadcasters came to expect. But it was a little inflexible, and project timescales to add channels were typically measured in months.

IT solutionThe power of standard IT platforms has continued to develop, and some developers recognised that a device which is essentially an off-the-shelf PC had sufficient power to perform the basic functionality of broadcast playout. As the traditional user interface was not required, these developers put the processor board, a commodity video card and some storage into a 1U rack cabinet, creating the channel in a box.

Adopting such a simplistic approach has led to many questioning its overall reliability, and in truth there are a number of areas where such an approach can go wrong.

The top priority has to be to maintain a perfectly smooth and seamless video output, which – provided the ingested

OFFLINE CONSOLE SET UP

LOW POWER CONSUMPTION

REM

OTE

DIAG

NOST

IC S

UPPO

RT

I/O

PATC

HIN

G &

DES

K CO

NFI

GURA

TION

HYDRA2

LEAB LE

POWERFUL SCA

SLEEK MODERN ELEGANT LOW POW

ER CONSUMPTION

LEXIBLE CO N SOLEG NE

PILL CONTROLS

COLOR CODED CONROL CELLS APOLLO

INTUITIVE CONTROL

LOW HEAT GEN

ERATION. COM

PACT DSP. ASSIGNABLE OR IN

-LINE CON

TROL.S INGLE 5 .1 CHANNELS WITH ELEGANT SPILL CONTROL

RESPONSIVE

CLEAR AND EFFICIENT METERING. TFTS. FULLY CONFIGURABLE. SEAMLESS THIRD-PARTY METERING. COLOR CHANGING POTS TO DISPLAY FUNCTION. INTEGRAL 8192X8192 HYDRA2 ROUTER

MAINS, GROUPS, AUXES, TRACKS, INPUTS, APFL, METER SELECTORS, CRLS, MIX-MINUS. LOW HEAT GENERATION. COMPACT DSP. ASSIGNABLE OR IN-LINE CONTROL

A L L I / O N E T W O R K E D O V E R H Y D R A 2 V I A A R A N G E O F H Y D R A 2 I / O B O X E S

I

CONTRO L

ODERN. RESPONSIVE , SCALABLE

APOLLO, FROM CALREC.FORM And FunCtiOn, sEAMLEssLy MAtChEd.

Today’s broadcasters need more and more audio channels at ever-higher resolutions, more power to handle this increased channel count and more ergonomic control surfaces to manipulate them. Naturally, Calrec has the answer. With the same levels of reliability which Calrec are world-renowned, and a remarkably intuitive control surface which still manages to add enormous flexibility, Apollo is nothing short of revolutionary. Calrec’s Bluefin2 DSP engine equips Apollo with more than 1000 channels for 5.1 Surround production and its internal 8192² Hydra2 router turns the console into a powerful networking tool. The world’s most successful broadcasters rely on Calrec consoles. Apollo is the first of Calrec’s new generation.

Putting Sound in the Picture

calrec.com

2

Apollo_207x270_CPI_DUBAI.indd 1 04/10/2011 09:52

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 57

content is good – is a relatively trivial task for a PC and a reasonable disk drive. What can confound it is peaky processor demand for other functionality.

That can be operating system demands, for instance, to communicate with external systems downloading schedules or adding fresh content. More likely, it will be the graphics requirement, which tends to demand bursts of activity to render and deliver. Because each graphic element is likely to be different, the level of these spikes is not consistent and results in a variable load.

Within a good system design, typically limiting the amount of interaction with external systems and the sophistication of the graphics, channel-in-a-box systems have proved themselves and have become a part of the world of playout.

Typically, they are seen as suitable for smaller and niche channels, which leads to an obvious question: what happens if the small, niche channel becomes successful? Do you have to move to a full-blown automated channel, and what happens while the necessary integration work is being carried out?

More generally, can traditional and channel-in-a-box architectures co-exist? Is there an infrastructure which will allow playout centres to use all the available technology? And if there is, will it lead to a new sort of agility in building, developing and managing channels?

A new architectureThe first target for a new kind of system is that it must support four configurations. The classical channel-in-a-box has internal automation processing and content storage and so is completely self-contained. In a playout centre, though, this could lead to unnecessary file transfers and layers of content management, so a second configuration would be to have internal automation but with the device

talking to a shared storage network to access the content it needs.

Just as storage should be internal or external, so too should the automation. If you have a multi-channel playout system running a large centre, it should be capable of managing channel-in-a-box devices too. Again, this could be with internal or external storage, making the four configurations.

The logical way to accomplish the requirement for internal or external automation is to make them essentially the same: to take a proven playout software structure and use the parts required to manage a single channel. The channel-in-a-box device will then perform in exactly the same way whether it is under its own control or a larger playout network.

The same logic applies to graphics. If you have a graphics workflow for the creation of templates and special sequences, you do not want a separate workflow for the channel-in-a-box services. It adds cost and complexity, and makes it hard to migrate from niche to premium channels. So the device should contain standard graphics software.

Finally, it needs to be extremely stable, so the architecture has to be more sophisticated than the simple PC in a box. The configuration could contain three separate disk systems: one, for the core automation processes and operating system; another, with very fast I/O, for graphics; and still another, with very precise latency for video playout. Rather than using a generic video card, teaming this last disk with the same hardware and software used in a full video server will also ensure predictable performance.

Such a device will fit into an existing playout centre with virtually no integration time: a channel can be on air in a matter of hours. It requires no retraining of staff to use it, and no additional resources.

PROTECH

A channel-in-a-box system should include standard graph-ics software to reduce cost and complexity, says Warman.

Andrew Warman is senior product marketing manager at Harris Broadcast Communications.

“Can traditional and channel-in-a-box architectures co-exist? Is there an infrastructure which will allow playout centres to use all the available technology? And if there is, will it lead to a new sort of agility in building, developing and managing channels?”Andrew Warman, Harris Broadcast Communications

As a final comment, this type of channel-in-a-box device requires a new business model attached to it. The hardware cost is relatively low, and so playout centres could be encouraged to install a number of devices in advance, only paying a licence fee when they go on air. This would mean that the theoretical claim of getting a channel to air in a matter of hours could actually be achieved in practice, giving playout businesses an incredible degree of responsiveness without significant costs and no compromise to technical and creative quality. PRO

OFFLINE CONSOLE SET UP

LOW POWER CONSUMPTION

REM

OTE

DIAG

NOST

IC S

UPPO

RT

I/O

PATC

HIN

G &

DES

K CO

NFI

GURA

TION

HYDRA2

LEAB LE

POWERFUL SCA

SLEEK MODERN ELEGANT LOW POW

ER CONSUMPTION

LEXIBLE CO N SOLEG NE

PILL CONTROLS

COLOR CODED CONROL CELLS APOLLO

INTUITIVE CONTROL

LOW HEAT GEN

ERATION. COM

PACT DSP. ASSIGNABLE OR IN

-LINE CON

TROL.S INGLE 5 .1 CHANNELS WITH ELEGANT SPILL CONTROL

RESPONSIVE

CLEAR AND EFFICIENT METERING. TFTS. FULLY CONFIGURABLE. SEAMLESS THIRD-PARTY METERING. COLOR CHANGING POTS TO DISPLAY FUNCTION. INTEGRAL 8192X8192 HYDRA2 ROUTER

MAINS, GROUPS, AUXES, TRACKS, INPUTS, APFL, METER SELECTORS, CRLS, MIX-MINUS. LOW HEAT GENERATION. COMPACT DSP. ASSIGNABLE OR IN-LINE CONTROL

A L L I / O N E T W O R K E D O V E R H Y D R A 2 V I A A R A N G E O F H Y D R A 2 I / O B O X E S

I

CONTRO L

ODERN. RESPONSIVE , SCALABLE

APOLLO, FROM CALREC.FORM And FunCtiOn, sEAMLEssLy MAtChEd.

Today’s broadcasters need more and more audio channels at ever-higher resolutions, more power to handle this increased channel count and more ergonomic control surfaces to manipulate them. Naturally, Calrec has the answer. With the same levels of reliability which Calrec are world-renowned, and a remarkably intuitive control surface which still manages to add enormous flexibility, Apollo is nothing short of revolutionary. Calrec’s Bluefin2 DSP engine equips Apollo with more than 1000 channels for 5.1 Surround production and its internal 8192² Hydra2 router turns the console into a powerful networking tool. The world’s most successful broadcasters rely on Calrec consoles. Apollo is the first of Calrec’s new generation.

Putting Sound in the Picture

calrec.com

2

Apollo_207x270_CPI_DUBAI.indd 1 04/10/2011 09:52

November 2012 | www.broadcastprome.com | 57

content is good – is a relatively trivial task for a PC and a reasonable disk drive. What can confound it is peaky processor demand for other functionality.

That can be operating system demands, for instance, to communicate with external systems downloading schedules or adding fresh content. More likely, it will be the graphics requirement, which tends to demand bursts of activity to render and deliver. Because each graphic element is likely to be different, the level of these spikes is not consistent and results in a variable load.

Within a good system design, typically limiting the amount of interaction with external systems and the sophistication of the graphics, channel-in-a-box systems have proved themselves and have become a part of the world of playout.

Typically, they are seen as suitable for smaller and niche channels, which leads to an obvious question: what happens if the small, niche channel becomes successful? Do you have to move to a full-blown automated channel, and what happens while the necessary integration work is being carried out?

More generally, can traditional and channel-in-a-box architectures co-exist? Is there an infrastructure which will allow playout centres to use all the available technology? And if there is, will it lead to a new sort of agility in building, developing and managing channels?

A new architectureThe first target for a new kind of system is that it must support four configurations. The classical channel-in-a-box has internal automation processing and content storage and so is completely self-contained. In a playout centre, though, this could lead to unnecessary file transfers and layers of content management, so a second configuration would be to have internal automation but with the device

talking to a shared storage network to access the content it needs.

Just as storage should be internal or external, so too should the automation. If you have a multi-channel playout system running a large centre, it should be capable of managing channel-in-a-box devices too. Again, this could be with internal or external storage, making the four configurations.

The logical way to accomplish the requirement for internal or external automation is to make them essentially the same: to take a proven playout software structure and use the parts required to manage a single channel. The channel-in-a-box device will then perform in exactly the same way whether it is under its own control or a larger playout network.

The same logic applies to graphics. If you have a graphics workflow for the creation of templates and special sequences, you do not want a separate workflow for the channel-in-a-box services. It adds cost and complexity, and makes it hard to migrate from niche to premium channels. So the device should contain standard graphics software.

Finally, it needs to be extremely stable, so the architecture has to be more sophisticated than the simple PC in a box. The configuration could contain three separate disk systems: one, for the core automation processes and operating system; another, with very fast I/O, for graphics; and still another, with very precise latency for video playout. Rather than using a generic video card, teaming this last disk with the same hardware and software used in a full video server will also ensure predictable performance.

Such a device will fit into an existing playout centre with virtually no integration time: a channel can be on air in a matter of hours. It requires no retraining of staff to use it, and no additional resources.

PROTECH

A channel-in-a-box system should include standard graph-ics software to reduce cost and complexity, says Warman.

Andrew Warman is senior product marketing manager at Harris Broadcast Communications.

“Can traditional and channel-in-a-box architectures co-exist? Is there an infrastructure which will allow playout centres to use all the available technology? And if there is, will it lead to a new sort of agility in building, developing and managing channels?”Andrew Warman, Harris Broadcast Communications

As a final comment, this type of channel-in-a-box device requires a new business model attached to it. The hardware cost is relatively low, and so playout centres could be encouraged to install a number of devices in advance, only paying a licence fee when they go on air. This would mean that the theoretical claim of getting a channel to air in a matter of hours could actually be achieved in practice, giving playout businesses an incredible degree of responsiveness without significant costs and no compromise to technical and creative quality. PRO

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 20125858

PROTRENDS

Settling into her new position at Nielsen, Messer, who has been with the firm in Dubai for just four months, enthuses about her move from the UK.

“The Middle East presents such an exciting opportunity. The Arab Spring has changed so much across the media landscape. The increasingly open media environment has brought greater freedoms — and accompanying challenges — for media that the region has never witnessed before. In addition, an estimated 50% of the population across the region is under the age of 25. This is a generation that has been stimulated to get online to play the role of social media commentators and empowered to use social media to their advantage by making informed choices and getting their ideas and opinions heard.”

Messer says the region offers numerous prospects for growth and innovation.

“The Middle East is still a developing market and is in very early stages, even in terms of research as there isn’t much data available. There is a real opportunity to work across the industry, across all television networks, print owners, radio, magazines, and online, to really help develop this market.”

Messer has worked with several media organisations, including the Financial Times and News Corporation. She spent the last six years at UK-based television network ITV, heading up the research department.

“My role typically was to sit in the middle of the business, interpret what the business information needs were, and what kind of research, information and data were needed to grow the business. Then, I would commission a project from someone such as Nielsen and eventually take the findings back internally and make them actionable around the department.”

She, however, switched sides from media owner to insights and research provider, which brought her to Nielsen.

Messer leads a new watch team that focuses on television, online and mobile. Their job is to provide clients with a comprehensive understanding of media consumption around the three screens.

“We’re working extensively with some of the TV networks here, such as Al Jazeera, Rotana Group and MBC,” she explains.

“One of the big projects we have been working on for the last year-and-a-half for a regional client set out to understand perceptions and consumption of broadcast news around the globe. As part of this project, Nielsen carried out nearly 100,000 interviews globally. In addition to conducting field work to make sure quality control and operations were in place, we also tapped into our global network of subject matter experts – some of whom had held senior executives posts at leading TV news networks – to

Galvanised by political and social change, the Middle East’s media landscape is witnessing unprecedented developments driven, in part, by a surge in private investment and a revival in entrepreneurial spirit, Sarah Messer, Nielsen’s new director of media for MENAP, tells BroadcastPro ME

MENA ready for change

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 20125858

PROTRENDS

Settling into her new position at Nielsen, Messer, who has been with the firm in Dubai for just four months, enthuses about her move from the UK.

“The Middle East presents such an exciting opportunity. The Arab Spring has changed so much across the media landscape. The increasingly open media environment has brought greater freedoms — and accompanying challenges — for media that the region has never witnessed before. In addition, an estimated 50% of the population across the region is under the age of 25. This is a generation that has been stimulated to get online to play the role of social media commentators and empowered to use social media to their advantage by making informed choices and getting their ideas and opinions heard.”

Messer says the region offers numerous prospects for growth and innovation.

“The Middle East is still a developing market and is in very early stages, even in terms of research as there isn’t much data available. There is a real opportunity to work across the industry, across all television networks, print owners, radio, magazines, and online, to really help develop this market.”

Messer has worked with several media organisations, including the Financial Times and News Corporation. She spent the last six years at UK-based television network ITV, heading up the research department.

“My role typically was to sit in the middle of the business, interpret what the business information needs were, and what kind of research, information and data were needed to grow the business. Then, I would commission a project from someone such as Nielsen and eventually take the findings back internally and make them actionable around the department.”

She, however, switched sides from media owner to insights and research provider, which brought her to Nielsen.

Messer leads a new watch team that focuses on television, online and mobile. Their job is to provide clients with a comprehensive understanding of media consumption around the three screens.

“We’re working extensively with some of the TV networks here, such as Al Jazeera, Rotana Group and MBC,” she explains.

“One of the big projects we have been working on for the last year-and-a-half for a regional client set out to understand perceptions and consumption of broadcast news around the globe. As part of this project, Nielsen carried out nearly 100,000 interviews globally. In addition to conducting field work to make sure quality control and operations were in place, we also tapped into our global network of subject matter experts – some of whom had held senior executives posts at leading TV news networks – to

Galvanised by political and social change, the Middle East’s media landscape is witnessing unprecedented developments driven, in part, by a surge in private investment and a revival in entrepreneurial spirit, Sarah Messer, Nielsen’s new director of media for MENAP, tells BroadcastPro ME

MENA ready for change

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201260

PROTRENDS

interpret the collected data into meaningful analysis and actionable reports and recommendations.

“The end result enables clients to plan their strategy and think of which direction their business should take. It is never just about providing a huge collection of numbers – the hard part is making sense of it all and translating it into action.”

Another way of collecting data, in this region, according to Messer, is through a proprietary tool called BuzzMetrics. With this, Messer is able to provide real-time, authentic consumer expression in social media, enabling the delivery of deeper and more provocative consumer and marketing insights.

Although the data collected across the region is described as pan-Arab, when broken down into different countries, the size of the market and its varied channels differs significantly. To look at television as a whole in the region, and comment that it is growing, is a difficult statement to make, so Messer believes it is more accurate – and interesting – to look at the countries separately. Egypt, for example, has seen a surge of 33 new channels in just over a year.

“The more channels you have, the smaller the audiences get for some of the channels so, therefore, the harder it becomes to measure accurately,” explains Messer.

With numbers in the UK reaching eight million viewers for prime-time rival TV programmes, such as BBC’s Eastenders and ITV’s Coronation Street, although the viewing figures are high, it has to be compared to 15-20 years ago when there was a common choice of only four channels, and these programmes were receiving up to 27 million viewers each.

Messer says: “To really get transparency and accountability around measurement for TV, you must have people meters. For example, it is impossible for us to speak to every single person globally who has an interest in English language news, so we get as much existing information as possible. This can come from census data to understand the size of the population and its demographic breakdown, so then we start to understand how many people we have to speak to in different demographic groups to get a representative sample. When we have a representative sample, you can get an idea of the whole universe of people.”

Another area that is being explored is the three screens; how people in the MENA region are increasingly shifting (and often at the same time) between television, online and mobile, and how the interaction happens between the three. The UK is a technologically developed market with PVRs and online platforms such as BBC iPlayer and ITV Player having been available for a few years now, with 22-23% – a significant amount of time – of time-shifted viewing.

Messer says that due to time shifting, people are actually watching more television, but they are becoming clever with how they do it.

“People fit what they want to watch around their lives rather than being forced to watch it at a certain time. This is a dynamic which is still very new to the Arab world, where people are still mostly watching programmed television.”

She adds, however, that MBC, has taken a forward thinking step by launching a quality online platform in the guise of Shahid.net – a first for the region.

“MBC has some very interesting plans to bring as much content onto its online platform as possible. Such initiatives are emerging and the more they are promoted, the more people in this region will come into that world. Particularly in places such as Egypt with its growth of new channels, content is changing as well. Previously,

availability of content was limited, but now we see greater levels of investment in soap operas, dramas and talk shows which are taking off with great enthusiasm. I predict that television viewing in this part of the world is on the increase.”

Another presented challenge is related to advertising. All of the television networks have only one or two satellites to broadcast across the whole region, so this causes problems due to different time zones.

“Peak time is different in different countries,” explains Messer, “so when one broadcast is coming down from one satellite, you can’t target the same audience across the whole region with the same efficiency, meaning advertisers can’t send their message as appropriately as they would hope to.”

One way some channels have gotten around this obstacle is by launching a parallel channel, providing the same content, but with a “+2 hour” timing shift, allowing viewers to tune in two hours later to view content they may have missed on the original broadcast. But satellite broadcast dynamics are also changing. During the next year, a number of new satellites will be launched so that different programmes can be aired at different times, allowing advertisers to become more clever with what they show and when.

On the other hand, legacy thinking regarding peak time is also being challenged as media and advertisers realise the tremendous impact of content in re-shaping this dynaamic.

Today, peak time planning is no longer all that matters to advertisers. Audiences are now increasingly following particular genres and shows across channels regardless of broadcast times.

In response, TV channels are beginning to take this into consideration and have started to benefit from this shift in viewership habits to expand their “peak” segment to include various slots during the day — no longer sticking to the old 4-5 hour time-band they called “peak time”. This may cause even more fragmentation in viewership but is also allowing many advertisers to minimise costs by focusing further on their core target audience.

“The landscape here is changing so quickly, it’s fascinating,” says Messer. PRO

One key element that is being explored is how people in the MENA region are increasingly shifting between television, on-line and mobile, and how the interaction happens between the three, says Sarah Messer.

Skyfall (2012) James Bond Movie Shot by ARRI ALEXA Screened on IMAX

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201260

PROTRENDS

interpret the collected data into meaningful analysis and actionable reports and recommendations.

“The end result enables clients to plan their strategy and think of which direction their business should take. It is never just about providing a huge collection of numbers – the hard part is making sense of it all and translating it into action.”

Another way of collecting data, in this region, according to Messer, is through a proprietary tool called BuzzMetrics. With this, Messer is able to provide real-time, authentic consumer expression in social media, enabling the delivery of deeper and more provocative consumer and marketing insights.

Although the data collected across the region is described as pan-Arab, when broken down into different countries, the size of the market and its varied channels differs significantly. To look at television as a whole in the region, and comment that it is growing, is a difficult statement to make, so Messer believes it is more accurate – and interesting – to look at the countries separately. Egypt, for example, has seen a surge of 33 new channels in just over a year.

“The more channels you have, the smaller the audiences get for some of the channels so, therefore, the harder it becomes to measure accurately,” explains Messer.

With numbers in the UK reaching eight million viewers for prime-time rival TV programmes, such as BBC’s Eastenders and ITV’s Coronation Street, although the viewing figures are high, it has to be compared to 15-20 years ago when there was a common choice of only four channels, and these programmes were receiving up to 27 million viewers each.

Messer says: “To really get transparency and accountability around measurement for TV, you must have people meters. For example, it is impossible for us to speak to every single person globally who has an interest in English language news, so we get as much existing information as possible. This can come from census data to understand the size of the population and its demographic breakdown, so then we start to understand how many people we have to speak to in different demographic groups to get a representative sample. When we have a representative sample, you can get an idea of the whole universe of people.”

Another area that is being explored is the three screens; how people in the MENA region are increasingly shifting (and often at the same time) between television, online and mobile, and how the interaction happens between the three. The UK is a technologically developed market with PVRs and online platforms such as BBC iPlayer and ITV Player having been available for a few years now, with 22-23% – a significant amount of time – of time-shifted viewing.

Messer says that due to time shifting, people are actually watching more television, but they are becoming clever with how they do it.

“People fit what they want to watch around their lives rather than being forced to watch it at a certain time. This is a dynamic which is still very new to the Arab world, where people are still mostly watching programmed television.”

She adds, however, that MBC, has taken a forward thinking step by launching a quality online platform in the guise of Shahid.net – a first for the region.

“MBC has some very interesting plans to bring as much content onto its online platform as possible. Such initiatives are emerging and the more they are promoted, the more people in this region will come into that world. Particularly in places such as Egypt with its growth of new channels, content is changing as well. Previously,

availability of content was limited, but now we see greater levels of investment in soap operas, dramas and talk shows which are taking off with great enthusiasm. I predict that television viewing in this part of the world is on the increase.”

Another presented challenge is related to advertising. All of the television networks have only one or two satellites to broadcast across the whole region, so this causes problems due to different time zones.

“Peak time is different in different countries,” explains Messer, “so when one broadcast is coming down from one satellite, you can’t target the same audience across the whole region with the same efficiency, meaning advertisers can’t send their message as appropriately as they would hope to.”

One way some channels have gotten around this obstacle is by launching a parallel channel, providing the same content, but with a “+2 hour” timing shift, allowing viewers to tune in two hours later to view content they may have missed on the original broadcast. But satellite broadcast dynamics are also changing. During the next year, a number of new satellites will be launched so that different programmes can be aired at different times, allowing advertisers to become more clever with what they show and when.

On the other hand, legacy thinking regarding peak time is also being challenged as media and advertisers realise the tremendous impact of content in re-shaping this dynaamic.

Today, peak time planning is no longer all that matters to advertisers. Audiences are now increasingly following particular genres and shows across channels regardless of broadcast times.

In response, TV channels are beginning to take this into consideration and have started to benefit from this shift in viewership habits to expand their “peak” segment to include various slots during the day — no longer sticking to the old 4-5 hour time-band they called “peak time”. This may cause even more fragmentation in viewership but is also allowing many advertisers to minimise costs by focusing further on their core target audience.

“The landscape here is changing so quickly, it’s fascinating,” says Messer. PRO

One key element that is being explored is how people in the MENA region are increasingly shifting between television, on-line and mobile, and how the interaction happens between the three, says Sarah Messer.

Skyfall (2012) James Bond Movie Shot by ARRI ALEXA Screened on IMAX

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201262

PROPROducts

Harmonic transmitter modulesHarmonic has launched a new family of compact transmitter modules to complement the company’s recently launched CCAP-compliant NSG Pro and resolve key issues facing operators today — headend real-estate, power consumption, and fiber availability. Featuring ultra-high-density optics and a compact design, the SUPRALink SPL 7210S DWDM and PWRLink 4200S DFB transmitters lead the industry in reducing rack-space and power requirements at the headend. 

With the ability to support up to 20 transmitters in 3-RU, the new transmitters effectively double the

Snell’s KudosPro MC500 is the newest addition to the KudosPro family of cost-effective, broadcast-quality format and standards conversion systems.

As the industry’s most affordable SD, HD, and 3Gbps motion-compensated converter to date, the KudosPro MC500 makes the superior picture quality of motion compensation available to a much broader range of broadcast organisations, further demonstrating Snell’s commitment to provide 1080p as standard at no additional charge.

“In order to integrate international programmes into their schedules or repurpose content for global markets, media organisations need frame-rate standards conversion,” said Paola Hobson, senior product manager at Snell.

“Until now, when evaluating frame-rate solutions, many of our customers had to choose between high-quality but relatively expensive motion compensated conversion or lower-cost, lower-quality linear conversion. The KudosPro MC500 is

anton/Bauer mountAnton/Bauer has launched its QRC-BMD Gold Mount for the new Blackmagic Design EF (Electro-Focus) and MFT (Micro Four Thirds) Cinema cameras.

The Blackmagic EF and MFT Cinema cameras come with an LCD touch screen and feature a 2.5K image sensor with wide, 13 stops of dynamic range, a built-in SSD recorder, open-standard uncompressed RAW and compressed file formats, and, depending on the model, compatibility with quality EF or passive MFT lenses. As the Blackmagic EF and MFT Cinema cameras are equipped with internal batteries that last up to 90 minutes, Anton/Bauer developed the new QRC-BMD Gold Mount to provide users with virtually uninterrupted power. When paired with a battery, such as Anton/Bauer’s DIONIC HC, the QRC-BMD can provide the camera with 91Wh of power for four hours. The new Gold Mount has also been designed to include Anton/Bauer’s MATRIX Cheese Plate and two PowerTap outlets to power additional accessories easily.

“Anton/Bauer’s QRC-BMD essentially gives Blackmagic Cinema Camera users a ‘swappable’ power solution to ensure the camera is continuously powered and ready for filming at all times,” stated Paul Dudeck, Anton/Bauer vice president of sales, the Americas.

“This new Gold Mount provides a ‘hot-swap’ solution, providing continuous power, as it is easy to swap our battery out. During the swap, the camera’s internal battery kicks in, so there is never any downtime.”

UBMS is the local distributor for Anton/Bauer solutions in the Middle East.

marsHall viewsThe new series of LED backlit monitors from Marshall Electronics comprises the 5.6-inch V-LCD56MD, the 7-inch V-LCD70MD and the 9-inch V-LCD90MD. All are designed to be practical and easy to use. Features include the new icon-driven menu system, waveform display with stereo audio bars and headphone output, variable pixel-to-pixel function plus Marshall’s peaking filter — now in four colours for easier focus assist. For DSLR users, there is a choice of picture aspect ratios between normal, 3:2, 16:9, and full screen. This

can be programmed to one of the front panel’s four-button presets for quick and easy access.

Each monitor is equipped with an HDCP-compliant HDMI input with loop-through as standard. There is also a choice of two further modular I/O configurations. For example, the 7-inch V-LCD70MD-3G includes the base unit monitor with a pre-installed MD-3GE module that provides an additional 3G/HD/SD-SDI input with a loop-through. The V-LCD70MD-O version includes the base unit with a MDO-3G module that provides a 3G-SDI output converted from the HDMI input.

a groundbreaking development, because it offers the superior quality of motion compensation at a low price. Now customers don’t have to choose — they can have the best of both worlds.” 

The KudosPro MC500 is ideal for international programme distribution; content repurposing for internet and TV distribution; and international TV and video production. As with the other members of the KudosPro range, the MC500 provides frame-rate conversion as well as up-, down-, and cross-conversion for all broadcast standards including SD, HD, and 3Gbps (1080p) as well as including a range of tools for picture enhancement, audio gain/delay/shuffle, closed caption and timecode passing, AFDs, and much more. The system offers 16-channel embedded audio processing for each video channel, automatic aspect ratio conversion, and flexible video and audio I/O configuration, with a user-friendly front panel and remote control via web interface or Snell’s RollCall control and monitoring system.

amount of transmitters that can be added to the given rack space, resulting in a significant reduction in power consumption and enabling cost-effective delivery of additional high-quality, bandwidth-intensive services such as high-speed data, IP video, high-definition video, and time-shift TV from a cable operator’s existing fiber infrastructure. 

“Harmonic’s new optical transmitters allow cable operators to do more with less by saving precious rack space, optimising fiber usage, increasing operational efficiency, and reducing overall expenditures as they continue to roll out bandwidth-demanding services,”

said Gil Katz, vice president of the Edge and Access business unit at Harmonic.

“The transmitters also complement our recently announced NSG Pro Converged Cable Access Platform system by extending benefits such as high density and power efficiency to optical devices in the cable headend.” 

Kudos to snell

Artifact-Free Automatic Loudness Control Requires. Much More Than Just “Processing for the BS.1770 Meter.”

Orban’s value-priced Optimod-TV 6585 surround/stereo television loudness controller builds on Orban’s 30+ year experience in television audio pro-cessing to provide audibly transparent automatic loudness control anddialog intelligibility control for one surround program (up to 7.1) or four stereo programs.

Put in-line and the Optimod-TV 6585 will ensure that loudness meets the requirements of the CALM Act and EBU R-128.

• 7:1 or 5:1 or 4 x 2:0 or 8 x 1:0

• SD / HD SDI

• SDI Video delay up (up to 11 frames)

• Dual redundant power supply

• ORBAN patented loudness controller for ITU BS 1770-2, ATSC, ARIB and EBU R-128

ORBAN Headquarters8350 East Evans, Suite C4 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 USA[p] +1 480.403.8300[f] +1 480.403.8301www.orban.com

ORBAN Europe GmbHMonreposstr. 5571634 Ludwigsburg DE[p] +49 7141 22 66 0[f] +49 7141 22 66 7www.orban-europe.eu

OPTIMOD-TV

Loudness Controller6585

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201262

PROPROducts

Harmonic transmitter modulesHarmonic has launched a new family of compact transmitter modules to complement the company’s recently launched CCAP-compliant NSG Pro and resolve key issues facing operators today — headend real-estate, power consumption, and fiber availability. Featuring ultra-high-density optics and a compact design, the SUPRALink SPL 7210S DWDM and PWRLink 4200S DFB transmitters lead the industry in reducing rack-space and power requirements at the headend. 

With the ability to support up to 20 transmitters in 3-RU, the new transmitters effectively double the

Snell’s KudosPro MC500 is the newest addition to the KudosPro family of cost-effective, broadcast-quality format and standards conversion systems.

As the industry’s most affordable SD, HD, and 3Gbps motion-compensated converter to date, the KudosPro MC500 makes the superior picture quality of motion compensation available to a much broader range of broadcast organisations, further demonstrating Snell’s commitment to provide 1080p as standard at no additional charge.

“In order to integrate international programmes into their schedules or repurpose content for global markets, media organisations need frame-rate standards conversion,” said Paola Hobson, senior product manager at Snell.

“Until now, when evaluating frame-rate solutions, many of our customers had to choose between high-quality but relatively expensive motion compensated conversion or lower-cost, lower-quality linear conversion. The KudosPro MC500 is

anton/Bauer mountAnton/Bauer has launched its QRC-BMD Gold Mount for the new Blackmagic Design EF (Electro-Focus) and MFT (Micro Four Thirds) Cinema cameras.

The Blackmagic EF and MFT Cinema cameras come with an LCD touch screen and feature a 2.5K image sensor with wide, 13 stops of dynamic range, a built-in SSD recorder, open-standard uncompressed RAW and compressed file formats, and, depending on the model, compatibility with quality EF or passive MFT lenses. As the Blackmagic EF and MFT Cinema cameras are equipped with internal batteries that last up to 90 minutes, Anton/Bauer developed the new QRC-BMD Gold Mount to provide users with virtually uninterrupted power. When paired with a battery, such as Anton/Bauer’s DIONIC HC, the QRC-BMD can provide the camera with 91Wh of power for four hours. The new Gold Mount has also been designed to include Anton/Bauer’s MATRIX Cheese Plate and two PowerTap outlets to power additional accessories easily.

“Anton/Bauer’s QRC-BMD essentially gives Blackmagic Cinema Camera users a ‘swappable’ power solution to ensure the camera is continuously powered and ready for filming at all times,” stated Paul Dudeck, Anton/Bauer vice president of sales, the Americas.

“This new Gold Mount provides a ‘hot-swap’ solution, providing continuous power, as it is easy to swap our battery out. During the swap, the camera’s internal battery kicks in, so there is never any downtime.”

UBMS is the local distributor for Anton/Bauer solutions in the Middle East.

marsHall viewsThe new series of LED backlit monitors from Marshall Electronics comprises the 5.6-inch V-LCD56MD, the 7-inch V-LCD70MD and the 9-inch V-LCD90MD. All are designed to be practical and easy to use. Features include the new icon-driven menu system, waveform display with stereo audio bars and headphone output, variable pixel-to-pixel function plus Marshall’s peaking filter — now in four colours for easier focus assist. For DSLR users, there is a choice of picture aspect ratios between normal, 3:2, 16:9, and full screen. This

can be programmed to one of the front panel’s four-button presets for quick and easy access.

Each monitor is equipped with an HDCP-compliant HDMI input with loop-through as standard. There is also a choice of two further modular I/O configurations. For example, the 7-inch V-LCD70MD-3G includes the base unit monitor with a pre-installed MD-3GE module that provides an additional 3G/HD/SD-SDI input with a loop-through. The V-LCD70MD-O version includes the base unit with a MDO-3G module that provides a 3G-SDI output converted from the HDMI input.

a groundbreaking development, because it offers the superior quality of motion compensation at a low price. Now customers don’t have to choose — they can have the best of both worlds.” 

The KudosPro MC500 is ideal for international programme distribution; content repurposing for internet and TV distribution; and international TV and video production. As with the other members of the KudosPro range, the MC500 provides frame-rate conversion as well as up-, down-, and cross-conversion for all broadcast standards including SD, HD, and 3Gbps (1080p) as well as including a range of tools for picture enhancement, audio gain/delay/shuffle, closed caption and timecode passing, AFDs, and much more. The system offers 16-channel embedded audio processing for each video channel, automatic aspect ratio conversion, and flexible video and audio I/O configuration, with a user-friendly front panel and remote control via web interface or Snell’s RollCall control and monitoring system.

amount of transmitters that can be added to the given rack space, resulting in a significant reduction in power consumption and enabling cost-effective delivery of additional high-quality, bandwidth-intensive services such as high-speed data, IP video, high-definition video, and time-shift TV from a cable operator’s existing fiber infrastructure. 

“Harmonic’s new optical transmitters allow cable operators to do more with less by saving precious rack space, optimising fiber usage, increasing operational efficiency, and reducing overall expenditures as they continue to roll out bandwidth-demanding services,”

said Gil Katz, vice president of the Edge and Access business unit at Harmonic.

“The transmitters also complement our recently announced NSG Pro Converged Cable Access Platform system by extending benefits such as high density and power efficiency to optical devices in the cable headend.” 

Kudos to snell

Artifact-Free Automatic Loudness Control Requires. Much More Than Just “Processing for the BS.1770 Meter.”

Orban’s value-priced Optimod-TV 6585 surround/stereo television loudness controller builds on Orban’s 30+ year experience in television audio pro-cessing to provide audibly transparent automatic loudness control anddialog intelligibility control for one surround program (up to 7.1) or four stereo programs.

Put in-line and the Optimod-TV 6585 will ensure that loudness meets the requirements of the CALM Act and EBU R-128.

• 7:1 or 5:1 or 4 x 2:0 or 8 x 1:0

• SD / HD SDI

• SDI Video delay up (up to 11 frames)

• Dual redundant power supply

• ORBAN patented loudness controller for ITU BS 1770-2, ATSC, ARIB and EBU R-128

ORBAN Headquarters8350 East Evans, Suite C4 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 USA[p] +1 480.403.8300[f] +1 480.403.8301www.orban.com

ORBAN Europe GmbHMonreposstr. 5571634 Ludwigsburg DE[p] +49 7141 22 66 0[f] +49 7141 22 66 7www.orban-europe.eu

OPTIMOD-TV

Loudness Controller6585

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201264

PROPROducts

follow the leader’s remote controllerLeader’s LV 7770-01 remote control unit is designed for use with its LV 7770 multi-standard rasterizing signal analyser and the LV 5770 compact multi-monitor. The LV 7770-01 has similar front-panel controls to the LV 7770 and the same 1 rack-unit width and height but much more compact front-to-back depth.

“The new LV 7770-01 control panel allows an LV 5770 or LV 7770 to be operated across any distance via an IP connection,” commented George Gonos, president of Leader Instruments. “This can be useful in a mobile production vehicle where the narrow depth makes the controller particularly easy to accommodate, or in a post-production studio where a test instrument located in an apparatus room can be accessed from an unlimited number of workstations. The controls closely match those of the LV 7770 so no time needs to be wasted in refamiliarisation. The economic benefits as well as the space-saving advantages are considerable for any environment needing occasional access to a high-specification broadcast test instrument.”

multidyne transceiver MultiDyne, a major provider of

fiber-optic-based video and audio transport solutions for broadcast and pro A/V applications, has announced that its SMPTE-HUT universal camera

transceiver is shipping worldwide. SMPTE-HUT is the latest development

from Inflexion Design, a new co-venture from camera equipment manufacturer

Solid Camera and MultiDyne. Designed to increase the transmission distances

of HD cameras that can be limited by hybrid copper/fiber cabling, the high-performance transport system cost-effectively enables full camera operation in even the most rugged

broadcasting environments, extending transmission ranges up to 10km on

just two single-mode fibers. Designed for remote broadcasting, sports, shared

control rooms, campus facilities, and arena and stadium applications, SMPTE-HUT also enables use of pre-

installed infrastructure fiber, eliminating expensive customer cable installation.

The new transceiver seamlessly reduces RF, EMI, and grounding issues, thereby

maximizing reliability in the field. Utilizing SMPTE-HUT, operators can dramatically decrease the amount

of hybrid cable required, making the transceiver both time-saving and

cost-effective for any camera operator. Created to be flexible and versatile,

SMPTE-HUT supports a wide range of HD camera models, including Sony,

Ikegami, Hitachi, Grass Valley, and Panasonic. Operators can customise the SMPTE-HUT system by choosing optical and hybrid connectors that best match their specific requirements. SMPTE-HUT

features a rugged design that comes with a seven-year warranty to ensure

high performance and reliability. 

nila leds The Varsa is designed for lighting professionals who are looking for a light, compact and high-output fixture that performs as well on-location as it does in the studio. Although the energy-efficient Varsa draws only 75 watts (just over ½ an amp at 120volts), it provides the punch of a 400 watt HMI without the heat, high maintenance, warm-up times and environmental concerns associated with HMIs.

Another consideration in this industry is the ability to complete your shoot, break down and set-up for the next scene as quickly as possible. Nila’s holographic quick-change lenses with a choice of multiple beam angles, allow the user to easily select a precise beam angle with no hot spots across the entire beam angle. If cutting the light is required, the Varsa Deluxe kit includes a drop-in set of rotating barn doors to provide total flexibility in producing the perfect lighting scenario. In addition, lenses and gels can be easily changed with the barn doors in place to further reduce set-up time. Moreover, if the scene requires a softer light, this fixture includes built-in mounts for a standard small or extra small Chimera soft box. Varsa includes new firmware that allows for flicker-free operation at any dim level between 0-1500 fps, and total freedom to shoot at any speed when the light output is set at 100%.

NTP coNverTers

NTP Technology’s new DAD AX32 mastering-quality audio AD/DA converter is housed in a compact two-rack unit chassis. It allows large multi-microphone arrays to be accommodated

without the need to transport a second processor. All 32 microphone feeds can be connected back

to the control room along a single Cat 5 cable via fully transparent and uncompressed IP Ethernet.The AX32 is a development of the 24-channel AX24 which is used by many of the world’s studios for ultra-low-noise microphone preamplification as well as transparent analog-to-digital, digital-to-analogue and bit-rate conversion,” Mikael Vest of NTP Technology said.

“Designed for no-compromise audio recording, mastering, post-production, and future-proof archiving, the AX32 retains the flexible control features that have made the AX24 so popular.A larger control screen on the front panel of the AX32 interacts with four adjacent pushbuttons to provide fast and easy local control. Remote operation can be achieved from an Ethernet-connected PC. Preamp

parameters can be represented on the channel strip of third-party audio production consoles and workstations.

The AX32’s audio via IP Ethernet capabilities allow master recordings to be networked from one studio to another or across a large building complex.

The Ethernet IP audio interface handles up to 512 channels and uses the highly robust Audinate Dante technology employed in our Penta 725 IP audio routing system. AES/EBU and MADI inputs and outputs plus a Gigabit Ethernet IP interface are provided for use with a Dante Virtual Soundcard for PC, Apple Mac and other Dante compatible devices.

The AX32 is designed to integrate closely with Avid’s ProTools|HDX multitrack capture/editing/mixing system.

A versatile interface structure allows the AX32 processors to be assigned to any digital interface or patched between the interfaces on a channel-to-channel basis. Compatible with all standard sampling rates up to 384 khz, the AX32 allows production of master-quality Digital eXtreme Definition and Direct Stream Digital audio data formats as well as the 44.1 to 192 khz formats used for audio editing and distribution.

www.inhousefilm.com

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201264

PROPROducts

follow the leader’s remote controllerLeader’s LV 7770-01 remote control unit is designed for use with its LV 7770 multi-standard rasterizing signal analyser and the LV 5770 compact multi-monitor. The LV 7770-01 has similar front-panel controls to the LV 7770 and the same 1 rack-unit width and height but much more compact front-to-back depth.

“The new LV 7770-01 control panel allows an LV 5770 or LV 7770 to be operated across any distance via an IP connection,” commented George Gonos, president of Leader Instruments. “This can be useful in a mobile production vehicle where the narrow depth makes the controller particularly easy to accommodate, or in a post-production studio where a test instrument located in an apparatus room can be accessed from an unlimited number of workstations. The controls closely match those of the LV 7770 so no time needs to be wasted in refamiliarisation. The economic benefits as well as the space-saving advantages are considerable for any environment needing occasional access to a high-specification broadcast test instrument.”

multidyne transceiver MultiDyne, a major provider of

fiber-optic-based video and audio transport solutions for broadcast and pro A/V applications, has announced that its SMPTE-HUT universal camera

transceiver is shipping worldwide. SMPTE-HUT is the latest development

from Inflexion Design, a new co-venture from camera equipment manufacturer

Solid Camera and MultiDyne. Designed to increase the transmission distances

of HD cameras that can be limited by hybrid copper/fiber cabling, the high-performance transport system cost-effectively enables full camera operation in even the most rugged

broadcasting environments, extending transmission ranges up to 10km on

just two single-mode fibers. Designed for remote broadcasting, sports, shared

control rooms, campus facilities, and arena and stadium applications, SMPTE-HUT also enables use of pre-

installed infrastructure fiber, eliminating expensive customer cable installation.

The new transceiver seamlessly reduces RF, EMI, and grounding issues, thereby

maximizing reliability in the field. Utilizing SMPTE-HUT, operators can dramatically decrease the amount

of hybrid cable required, making the transceiver both time-saving and

cost-effective for any camera operator. Created to be flexible and versatile,

SMPTE-HUT supports a wide range of HD camera models, including Sony,

Ikegami, Hitachi, Grass Valley, and Panasonic. Operators can customise the SMPTE-HUT system by choosing optical and hybrid connectors that best match their specific requirements. SMPTE-HUT

features a rugged design that comes with a seven-year warranty to ensure

high performance and reliability. 

nila leds The Varsa is designed for lighting professionals who are looking for a light, compact and high-output fixture that performs as well on-location as it does in the studio. Although the energy-efficient Varsa draws only 75 watts (just over ½ an amp at 120volts), it provides the punch of a 400 watt HMI without the heat, high maintenance, warm-up times and environmental concerns associated with HMIs.

Another consideration in this industry is the ability to complete your shoot, break down and set-up for the next scene as quickly as possible. Nila’s holographic quick-change lenses with a choice of multiple beam angles, allow the user to easily select a precise beam angle with no hot spots across the entire beam angle. If cutting the light is required, the Varsa Deluxe kit includes a drop-in set of rotating barn doors to provide total flexibility in producing the perfect lighting scenario. In addition, lenses and gels can be easily changed with the barn doors in place to further reduce set-up time. Moreover, if the scene requires a softer light, this fixture includes built-in mounts for a standard small or extra small Chimera soft box. Varsa includes new firmware that allows for flicker-free operation at any dim level between 0-1500 fps, and total freedom to shoot at any speed when the light output is set at 100%.

NTP coNverTers

NTP Technology’s new DAD AX32 mastering-quality audio AD/DA converter is housed in a compact two-rack unit chassis. It allows large multi-microphone arrays to be accommodated

without the need to transport a second processor. All 32 microphone feeds can be connected back

to the control room along a single Cat 5 cable via fully transparent and uncompressed IP Ethernet.The AX32 is a development of the 24-channel AX24 which is used by many of the world’s studios for ultra-low-noise microphone preamplification as well as transparent analog-to-digital, digital-to-analogue and bit-rate conversion,” Mikael Vest of NTP Technology said.

“Designed for no-compromise audio recording, mastering, post-production, and future-proof archiving, the AX32 retains the flexible control features that have made the AX24 so popular.A larger control screen on the front panel of the AX32 interacts with four adjacent pushbuttons to provide fast and easy local control. Remote operation can be achieved from an Ethernet-connected PC. Preamp

parameters can be represented on the channel strip of third-party audio production consoles and workstations.

The AX32’s audio via IP Ethernet capabilities allow master recordings to be networked from one studio to another or across a large building complex.

The Ethernet IP audio interface handles up to 512 channels and uses the highly robust Audinate Dante technology employed in our Penta 725 IP audio routing system. AES/EBU and MADI inputs and outputs plus a Gigabit Ethernet IP interface are provided for use with a Dante Virtual Soundcard for PC, Apple Mac and other Dante compatible devices.

The AX32 is designed to integrate closely with Avid’s ProTools|HDX multitrack capture/editing/mixing system.

A versatile interface structure allows the AX32 processors to be assigned to any digital interface or patched between the interfaces on a channel-to-channel basis. Compatible with all standard sampling rates up to 384 khz, the AX32 allows production of master-quality Digital eXtreme Definition and Direct Stream Digital audio data formats as well as the 44.1 to 192 khz formats used for audio editing and distribution.

www.inhousefilm.com

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201266

PROPROducts

Harris transforms CHannel-in-a-Box market for BroadCasters

Harris Broadcast Communications has delivered an all-in-one solution to help customers rapidly launch, expand and sustain their on-air channels and services — while strengthening revenue growth and protection. Harris Versio combines baseband video, channel branding and automated workflow capabilities in an easy-to-deploy, software-based, single-rack-unit (RU) solution. Versio reduces the

cost and time to launch broadcast, cable and other TV channels and services while offering simple integration with production, traffic and billing, scheduling, asset management, content playout and master control functions — taking full advantage of existing facility workflows for maximum return on investment. The initial release compresses multiple single-channel workflows into the 1RU platform, incorporating Harris video server, channel branding and graphics, and optional on-board automation components. Flexible software-based configurations range from single-channel launches — independently or within an existing system — to multi-channel distribution, expansion and disaster recovery systems. Broadcasters will quickly accelerate channel launch times — reducing months of preparation to weeks or days by slashing resources required for traditional channel launches.

Sony’S live production unitSony’s NXL-IP55 live production unit is a video network solution that will improve the live production environment by enhancing picture quality and improving operational efficiency. For use in multiple-camera live productions, the NXL-IP55 enables systems to be configured over a Local Area Network (LAN) and allows users to transmit up to four HD-SDI video streams (three downstream and one upstream, or two downstream and two upstream).

The system also supports up to 10 (eight upstream, two downstream) audio channels, including intercom and control signals including Tally, GPIO and generator locking (genlock), through a same LAN cable. The NXL-IP55 uses Sony’s technology to transmit all of these signals via a 1 Gbps link, ensuring broadcast quality video and audio with very low latency of less than one field (1/2 frame) of video signals, depending on the network environment.

These features enable operators to control multiple camera pictures from one central location with fewer cables, significantly simplifying the live production environment, compared to a conventional system with coaxial cables. One example of how the NXL-IP55 can improve live production, is in sports broadcasting. A set-up of three HD cameras at different points of the stadium, connected to the NXL-IP55 can be configured efficiently with minimum cabling. This allows the production team to capture different scenes through multiple cameras in HD quality. From November, the IP control function can be added to HD 1/2 type 3CMOSs P/T/Z Color Video Camera, the BRC-H900, Z700 and Z330 by using both the IP remote controller (RM-IP10) and the optional card (BRBK-IP10 or BRBK-IP7Z).

Awad Mousa, head of Product Marketing at Sony Professional Solutions MEA said : “The NXL-IP55 is another example of how Sony is helping to improve live production. By working with our customers and understanding the challenges they face, we have been able to develop a solution that not only improves broadcast quality, but also helps to significantly reduce operational complexity. By creating solutions that help to streamline processes, we are making it easier for broadcasters the world over.”

The NXL-IP55 will be available across the Middle East in January 2013.

digital rapidS bringS new updateSDigital Rapids has announced an array of new enhancements to the Digital Rapids Stream software for the company’s StreamZ, StreamZHD and Flux encoding solutions.

Upcoming new features include Closed Caption support for live streaming with Adobe Flash technologies; expanded support for automated advertising insertion; enhanced H.264 and MPEG-2 encoding; and new integration with content access and security solutions from Irdeto and Motorola Mobility. The same advances will also be available as applicable in the StreamZ Live family of live streaming encoders and the Digital Rapids Transcode Manager automated, high-volume file transcoding software. The new software releases extend Digital Rapids’ support for Closed Captions with enhanced preservation of captions during conversion between differing frame rates and the new ability to embed CEA-608 and 708 captions in live streams targeting Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR applications. These expanded Closed Caption capabilities help bolster content accessibility for hearing impaired viewers while enabling compliance with legal requirements that have recently expanded to encompass online video.

Digital Rapids encoding solutions support Adobe technologies including RTMP streaming and HTTP Dynamic Streaming (HDS) via Adobe Media Server. The upcoming version 3.8 expands the Stream software’s support for automated advertising and monetisation workflows to include the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol.

envivio 4caSterEnvivio’s 4Caster G4 encoding appliance is a computing (HPC) system that offers 6x density compared to the current platform—up to 72 SD or 12 HD channels per 2RU chassis, with the potential for further future density improvements.

A flexible multi-node configuration and robust, power-efficient design reduce CAPEX and OPEX for operators.Taking advantage of the latest Intel processing power, 4Caster G4 is capable of supporting next generation codecs, such as HEVC, and can significantly reduce power consumption and rack space requirements.

Offering a wide range of interfaces (IP, ASI and SD/HD-SDI), redundant power supplies and hot-swappable nodes, 4Caster G4 is designed for broadcast, cable, satellite and telco environments. Unlike hardware-based compression solutions that require separate platforms to address high quality, high density or multi-screen and traditional TV requirements, Muse Live and 4Caster G4 provide this flexibility within a single system. 4Caster G4 is an ideal platform for existing pay-TV operators who want to deploy the highest quality TV services to the home and support other devices such as tablets or smartphones, either now or later in their deployment cycle.

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201266

PROPROducts

Harris transforms CHannel-in-a-Box market for BroadCasters

Harris Broadcast Communications has delivered an all-in-one solution to help customers rapidly launch, expand and sustain their on-air channels and services — while strengthening revenue growth and protection. Harris Versio combines baseband video, channel branding and automated workflow capabilities in an easy-to-deploy, software-based, single-rack-unit (RU) solution. Versio reduces the

cost and time to launch broadcast, cable and other TV channels and services while offering simple integration with production, traffic and billing, scheduling, asset management, content playout and master control functions — taking full advantage of existing facility workflows for maximum return on investment. The initial release compresses multiple single-channel workflows into the 1RU platform, incorporating Harris video server, channel branding and graphics, and optional on-board automation components. Flexible software-based configurations range from single-channel launches — independently or within an existing system — to multi-channel distribution, expansion and disaster recovery systems. Broadcasters will quickly accelerate channel launch times — reducing months of preparation to weeks or days by slashing resources required for traditional channel launches.

Sony’S live production unitSony’s NXL-IP55 live production unit is a video network solution that will improve the live production environment by enhancing picture quality and improving operational efficiency. For use in multiple-camera live productions, the NXL-IP55 enables systems to be configured over a Local Area Network (LAN) and allows users to transmit up to four HD-SDI video streams (three downstream and one upstream, or two downstream and two upstream).

The system also supports up to 10 (eight upstream, two downstream) audio channels, including intercom and control signals including Tally, GPIO and generator locking (genlock), through a same LAN cable. The NXL-IP55 uses Sony’s technology to transmit all of these signals via a 1 Gbps link, ensuring broadcast quality video and audio with very low latency of less than one field (1/2 frame) of video signals, depending on the network environment.

These features enable operators to control multiple camera pictures from one central location with fewer cables, significantly simplifying the live production environment, compared to a conventional system with coaxial cables. One example of how the NXL-IP55 can improve live production, is in sports broadcasting. A set-up of three HD cameras at different points of the stadium, connected to the NXL-IP55 can be configured efficiently with minimum cabling. This allows the production team to capture different scenes through multiple cameras in HD quality. From November, the IP control function can be added to HD 1/2 type 3CMOSs P/T/Z Color Video Camera, the BRC-H900, Z700 and Z330 by using both the IP remote controller (RM-IP10) and the optional card (BRBK-IP10 or BRBK-IP7Z).

Awad Mousa, head of Product Marketing at Sony Professional Solutions MEA said : “The NXL-IP55 is another example of how Sony is helping to improve live production. By working with our customers and understanding the challenges they face, we have been able to develop a solution that not only improves broadcast quality, but also helps to significantly reduce operational complexity. By creating solutions that help to streamline processes, we are making it easier for broadcasters the world over.”

The NXL-IP55 will be available across the Middle East in January 2013.

digital rapidS bringS new updateSDigital Rapids has announced an array of new enhancements to the Digital Rapids Stream software for the company’s StreamZ, StreamZHD and Flux encoding solutions.

Upcoming new features include Closed Caption support for live streaming with Adobe Flash technologies; expanded support for automated advertising insertion; enhanced H.264 and MPEG-2 encoding; and new integration with content access and security solutions from Irdeto and Motorola Mobility. The same advances will also be available as applicable in the StreamZ Live family of live streaming encoders and the Digital Rapids Transcode Manager automated, high-volume file transcoding software. The new software releases extend Digital Rapids’ support for Closed Captions with enhanced preservation of captions during conversion between differing frame rates and the new ability to embed CEA-608 and 708 captions in live streams targeting Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR applications. These expanded Closed Caption capabilities help bolster content accessibility for hearing impaired viewers while enabling compliance with legal requirements that have recently expanded to encompass online video.

Digital Rapids encoding solutions support Adobe technologies including RTMP streaming and HTTP Dynamic Streaming (HDS) via Adobe Media Server. The upcoming version 3.8 expands the Stream software’s support for automated advertising and monetisation workflows to include the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol.

envivio 4caSterEnvivio’s 4Caster G4 encoding appliance is a computing (HPC) system that offers 6x density compared to the current platform—up to 72 SD or 12 HD channels per 2RU chassis, with the potential for further future density improvements.

A flexible multi-node configuration and robust, power-efficient design reduce CAPEX and OPEX for operators.Taking advantage of the latest Intel processing power, 4Caster G4 is capable of supporting next generation codecs, such as HEVC, and can significantly reduce power consumption and rack space requirements.

Offering a wide range of interfaces (IP, ASI and SD/HD-SDI), redundant power supplies and hot-swappable nodes, 4Caster G4 is designed for broadcast, cable, satellite and telco environments. Unlike hardware-based compression solutions that require separate platforms to address high quality, high density or multi-screen and traditional TV requirements, Muse Live and 4Caster G4 provide this flexibility within a single system. 4Caster G4 is an ideal platform for existing pay-TV operators who want to deploy the highest quality TV services to the home and support other devices such as tablets or smartphones, either now or later in their deployment cycle.

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201268

PROGUEST

Congratulations on your new role. I am assuming you have come with a new mandate to Intigral?My mandate at this critical juncture of the company is to move Intigral forward in the value chain to become the leading digital product company in the MENA region, where innovation and delivery are the key drivers. We have become very successful as the region’s digital content aggregator and are now expanding from just being a content aggregator to being a product company. On the other hand, we are also looking to expand beyond the Middle East and North Africa. As an end-to-end content aggregator, we plan to build on and manage all value-added services on behalf of telcos while also working closely with product developers and content producers.

What products are you planning to launch? So far, we have brought on board products and platforms from other companies. Now, we intend to develop applications for connected devices such as smart TVs, tablets or smart phones, where we will be focusing on

core convergence. We will be able to take Over the Top (OTT) services to the next level as we have ongoing strategic partnerships with some leading players in the region. We are keen on pushing Intigral to become the leading digital media company in terms of convergence, product delivery, exploring the prospects of going B2C as opposed to being B2B2C particularly in terms of mobile products, smart devices and OTT.

What specific skills do you bring to the table? I have worked in the media industry for many years both in the United States and the MENA region. I have worked closely with prominent companies such as Google, Apple and Samsung, where we were trying to keep our competitive edge in the market by not just bringing the right technology and the right platform but also customising the experience to suit the needs of the region. We worked with telcos in the region on billing, convergence and bundling services enabling them to better monetise these value added services as their margins are higher on

such services. We can provide an end-to-end solution for telcos so they can focus on their core business.

Any exclusive news you can share with us?We are about to launch a major sports portal for a telco, bringing to the table one of the most prominent digital media and product developer companies in Europe that serve the Champions League, FIFA, the Olympics and so on. We have partnered with them and will provide new technologies for live streaming and portals to the region. This will be launched before the end of this year or early next year. We are bringing the kind of experience that people have in Europe as far as sports events are concerned.

We are talking about full convergence here, where people will be able to watch sports anywhere and everywhere on their tablets, smart phones, on the web and on TV. It’s only the size of the screen that will differ. One can start a game at home, continue it in his car and finish the game in a café with someone else all on devices with the same customer experience. PRO

We are about to launch a major sports portal for a telco, bringing to the table one of the most prominent digital media and product developer companies in Europe that serves the Champions League, FIFA [and] the Olympics

In conversation with… Dr. Ismaeel Makdisi

Dr. Makdisi, who was appointed Acting CEO of Intigral last month, talks about the company’s new growth strategy

LAUNCHING A CHANNEL REALLY IS THIS SIMPLE.

Power up and broadcast on. Introducing Versio, a single platform solution that can launch a channel, expand existing channels, or provide critical disaster recovery. With legendary Harris video server, automation and branding and graphics capabilities all in one, it’s everything you need to cost-effectively streamline operations and reduce the time required to get on air and stay there.

broadcast.harris.com/versio

Middle EastSales: +971 4 433 825024x7 Service: +971 4 433 8260Sales.MiddleEast@harris.com

harris.com

Versio_Ad_BroadcastPro.indd 1 12-09-19 11:44 AM

| www.broadcastprome.com | November 201268

PROGUEST

Congratulations on your new role. I am assuming you have come with a new mandate to Intigral?My mandate at this critical juncture of the company is to move Intigral forward in the value chain to become the leading digital product company in the MENA region, where innovation and delivery are the key drivers. We have become very successful as the region’s digital content aggregator and are now expanding from just being a content aggregator to being a product company. On the other hand, we are also looking to expand beyond the Middle East and North Africa. As an end-to-end content aggregator, we plan to build on and manage all value-added services on behalf of telcos while also working closely with product developers and content producers.

What products are you planning to launch? So far, we have brought on board products and platforms from other companies. Now, we intend to develop applications for connected devices such as smart TVs, tablets or smart phones, where we will be focusing on

core convergence. We will be able to take Over the Top (OTT) services to the next level as we have ongoing strategic partnerships with some leading players in the region. We are keen on pushing Intigral to become the leading digital media company in terms of convergence, product delivery, exploring the prospects of going B2C as opposed to being B2B2C particularly in terms of mobile products, smart devices and OTT.

What specific skills do you bring to the table? I have worked in the media industry for many years both in the United States and the MENA region. I have worked closely with prominent companies such as Google, Apple and Samsung, where we were trying to keep our competitive edge in the market by not just bringing the right technology and the right platform but also customising the experience to suit the needs of the region. We worked with telcos in the region on billing, convergence and bundling services enabling them to better monetise these value added services as their margins are higher on

such services. We can provide an end-to-end solution for telcos so they can focus on their core business.

Any exclusive news you can share with us?We are about to launch a major sports portal for a telco, bringing to the table one of the most prominent digital media and product developer companies in Europe that serve the Champions League, FIFA, the Olympics and so on. We have partnered with them and will provide new technologies for live streaming and portals to the region. This will be launched before the end of this year or early next year. We are bringing the kind of experience that people have in Europe as far as sports events are concerned.

We are talking about full convergence here, where people will be able to watch sports anywhere and everywhere on their tablets, smart phones, on the web and on TV. It’s only the size of the screen that will differ. One can start a game at home, continue it in his car and finish the game in a café with someone else all on devices with the same customer experience. PRO

We are about to launch a major sports portal for a telco, bringing to the table one of the most prominent digital media and product developer companies in Europe that serves the Champions League, FIFA [and] the Olympics

In conversation with… Dr. Ismaeel Makdisi

Dr. Makdisi, who was appointed Acting CEO of Intigral last month, talks about the company’s new growth strategy

LAUNCHING A CHANNEL REALLY IS THIS SIMPLE.

Power up and broadcast on. Introducing Versio, a single platform solution that can launch a channel, expand existing channels, or provide critical disaster recovery. With legendary Harris video server, automation and branding and graphics capabilities all in one, it’s everything you need to cost-effectively streamline operations and reduce the time required to get on air and stay there.

broadcast.harris.com/versio

Middle EastSales: +971 4 433 825024x7 Service: +971 4 433 8260Sales.MiddleEast@harris.com

harris.com

Versio_Ad_BroadcastPro.indd 1 12-09-19 11:44 AM