PANELLISTS
24
October 2017
Magna appoints new support engineers
Systems integrator Magna Systems and Engineering has strengthened its broadcast and telecommunications service and support divisions with the appointment of Nicholas Tabeta ( pictured ) and Jay Patel as support engineers for the entire range of products and technology that Magna offers both markets . Tabeta was previously a senior engineer with Strategic Engineering , while Patel was most recently a project coordinator for Cellular Asset Management . Matthew Clemesha , CEO of Magna Systems and Engineering , said : “ Nicholas and Jay are great additions to our growing team . They will help provide comprehensive engineering support for our broadcast and telecommunications offerings , and underpin support for our expanding range of broadcast IP solutions .”
Magewell ships 4K / UHD video capture USBs
Magewell has released two 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) models to its USB Capture Plus family of plug-and-play , external video capture devices . The 4K / UHD devices enable all types of computers to capture video at resolutions up to 4096x2160 through a standard USB 3.0 interface . Featuring driver-free installation and automatic input detection for true plug-and-play operation , USB Capture Plus is the “ easiest and most reliable way ” to bring 4K / UHD sources into Windows , Mac or Linux software for live streaming , encoding , collaboration , medical imaging , lecture capture and more , said Magewell .
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Format Converters
PANELLISTS
Fintan Mc Kiernan
CEO Ideal Systems South-east Asia
Patrick So
Regional Manager Asia Pacific Magna Systems & Engineering
Craig Johnson
Managing Director - Media Nielsen
Today ’ s switchers tackle multi-format production and delivery needs
The DNA of the modern production switcher is built around ensuring that all operational needs are met , regardless of the multiple formats broadcasters find themselves working in today , as Shawn Liew discovers .
SAM ’ s Kahuna switcher was recently deployed by the UK ’ s National Theatre for a 4K / Ultra HD HDR production .
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aunched in 2009 , the UK ’ s National Theatre recently delivered its 60th production in 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) high dynamic range ( HDR ), a first for the company . A two-part broadcast , Angels in America was broadcast live to more than 2,500 cinemas in 60 countries on July 20 and 27 this year .
Christopher Bretnall , technical producer of Creative Broadcast Solutions , the production company in charge of the project , explains : “ As this was the 60th production , we decided to shoot it in 4K / UHD and exploit HDR and everything that comes from that .”
Working together with outside broadcast company Telegenic , Creative Broadcast Solutions deployed Snell Advanced Media ’ s ( SAM ) Kahuna production switcher , which now includes HDR capabilities with the recent release of the FormatFusion4 software .
Bretnall elaborates : “ Kahuna with FormatFusion4 enabled us to deliver both standard dynamic range ( SDR ) and HDR , and exploit rec . 709 and rec . 2020 at the same time . The ability to put in non-4K / UHD content was also very appealing , so we could put anything into the switcher and get what we need out of it .
“ The Angels broadcasts were delivered seamlessly through the SAM UHD switcher . Its capabilities ensured that the mixed-format sources were effortlessly integrated into the UHD capture and live broadcast .”
With FormatFusion4 , the Kahuna now supports the Electrical Optical Transfer Functions ( EOTF ) for real-time control of Perceptual Quantiser ( PQ ), real-time control of Hybrid Log Gamma ( HLG ) and Sony S-Log3 profile . FormatFusion4 also includes colour space support for wide colour gamut ( BT709 and BT2020 ) in formats including 1080i , 1080p and 4K / UHD .
FormatFusion , essentially , was developed to handle the challenges of multi-format production and content delivery , and has allowed Kahuna production switchers to assist the creative production community to manage other wise incompatible signal and video formats since 2004 , says David Tasker , VP systems and technology , SAM .
He tells APB : “ Our first Kahuna helped content producers effortlessly overcome the hurdles during the transition to HDTV , man aging SD signals alongside 720 and 1080 HD ones . This , while also dealing with aspect