24 CREATION
September 2017
King of the Hammers races across the terrain in HDR
With the aim of enhancing the quality and efficiency of its 24- hour daily news programming , Russia ’ s NTV National Federal TV Channel purchased 30 Grass Valley LDX 80 Flex cameras and a Karrera K-Frame S-series 3M / E video production centre switcher . This purchase , according to Grass Valley , a Belden Brand , is part of NTV ’ s plan for growing the network , and will facilitate NTV ’ s move from SD to HD production .
Andrey Drukker , CTO from NTV National Federal TV Channel , added : “ As soon as we saw the power and functionality of the Grass Valley solutions , we knew that it would be a smart investment for our future . Productions are very complex , requiring the ability to work with multiple formats and manage a variety of content streams .”
The GV installation has enabled NTV to reuse its existing
Insight TV , a producer and broadcaster of adventure travel and extreme sports genres in “ true , unscripted 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) high dynamic range ( HDR )”, has launched a new high-speed reality show . Named King of the Hammers , the new programme is available on Insight TV channels and Insight . TV , the company ’ s 4K / UHD subscription video-on-demand ( SVoD ) platform .
Produced in partnership with UK factual independent production company LSPTV , King of the Hammers is the first programme that Insight TV has shot in HDR , as it aims to provide its audiences with an enhanced viewing experience .
Rian Bester , CEO of Insight TV , told APB : “ HDR is more than just dynamic range . With HDR , bit depth has increased from 8-bit colour to 10-bit colour , significantly increasing the picture colour palette and thereby the picture quality .
“ For instance , when an HDR picture is placed next to an SDR picture , regardless if that ’ s on a mobile phone or a 55-inch TV screen , there ’ s no doubt that there ’ s a difference and consumers will clearly see that .”
While the increase in picture depth is key , Bester pointed out two additional elements — wide colour gamut ( WCG ) and high frame rate ( HFR ) — that are also critical in an HDR ecosystem . He elaborated : “ WCG allows more colours to be displayed . In an HDR picture , this can particularly be noticed in the reds , greens and yellows , which display much more vivid colour variations . As for HFR , it provides smoother viewing during fast-motion scenes .
“ Hence , when these elements are all combined together in an action-packed programme like King of the Hammers in HDR , the picture really pops up and becomes much more realistic and lifelike for the viewers .”
The eight-episode reality show goes behind-the-scenes to follow the 485 drivers who race across the desert and take part in rock crawling , an extreme form of offroad driving over harsh terrain . Filmed against backdrops at eight different US-based races , from the Blue Mountains of Kentucky to the Californian desert , conditions for filming in the hot and dusty terrain were often challenging .
Especially during production , Bester highlighted that a “ tiny flaw ” might be amplified in the picture , as most of the shots were recorded in raw format . He explained : “ Prob-
Russia ’ s NTV runs 24-hour news on Grass Valley ’ s solutions
Integrated with NDI functionality , the NewTek NDI PTZ camera is able to deliver video to every NDI-enabled video application across a standard network .
Russia ’ s NTV National Federal TV Channel has selected 30 LDX 80 Flex cameras and a Karrera K-Frame S-series switcher from Grass Valley to enhance workflow efficiency for its 24-hour daily news programming .
plements NTV ’ s existing 2M / E Karrera K-Frame switcher to provides NTV operators with simplified control of complex productions , with multi-format support including 1080p and 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ).
Jan-Pieter van Welsem , VP Sales , EMEA , Grass Valley , concluded : “ NTV is a long-time customer of Grass Valley , and we are very happy NTV selected Grass Valley solutions once again for its studio upgrades . triax infra structure and integrate a full HD production workflow . For instance , the deployment of the LDX 80 Flex cameras provides NTV with single-format 1080i or 720p video acquisition , enabling the camera operator to capture “ stunning imagery combined with high-sensitivity and low-noise performance ”.
The 3M / E Karrera K-Frame S-series switcher , meanwhile , comlems can arise from the camera — even a speck of dust on the lens during production . Fixing these issues during the production stage becomes more complex , and takes a lot of time and effort .”
While most of the shots were filmed in raw format , the team also shot lower than 10-bit for occasional editorial action shots .
The 30 LDX cameras with the triax infrastructure and low-noise filters , along with the Karrera K-Frame S- series switchers , will enable NTV to greatly improve quality , creativity and operational efficiency .”
In a separate development , Canon has decided to integrate Grass Valley ’ s Mync , a personal content management tool , into the EOS 6D Mark II DSLR camera .
Mync is available in two differ-
NewTek develops new IP PTZ camera
NewTek has introduced what it calls the “ world ’ s first ” PTZ ( pan-tilt-zoom ) camera , which is integrated with the company ’ s Network Device Interface ( NDI ) technology .
This allows the IP video camera to transmit full 3G 1080p 60 video directly to NDI-compatible products across a standard network , and will support a growing industry trend .
Dr Andrew Cross , president and CTO for
NewTek , explained : “ There have been a few inflection points in the broadcast industry that have delivered profound benefits , such as the transiton to non-linear editing from cutting tape . The move to IP-based production is one of those unique moments in our industry .
“ The transition is happening fast because it is being driven by customer demand . Producers recognise this technology simplifies their work while expanding their opportunity to create more and better shows . With the availability of NDI cameras from NewTek , and others that are sure to follow , IP-based production is truly here .”
Once connected to a network , the NewTek NDI PTZ camera delivers video and audio , as well as tally , PTZ control and power , all over a
Produced by Insight TV and LSPTV , King of the Hammers is a high-speed reality show that travels across the terrain in the US , and is the first programme that Insight TV has shot in HDR .
“ During post production , these editorial action shots must be placed strategically in the edit to blend with the native 4K / UHD HDR as much as possible ,” Bester concluded . “ It ’ s also important to strategically place the use of light and dark shots because the human eye tends to adapt quickly to what it sees .”
ent levels : Mync Basic is a downloadable application designed to provide format support for media playback and content organisation ; and Mync Standard , which adds more functionality to the basic version with storyboard video editing and more advanced content management features designed for digital photographers , Web content creators and novice video editors .
The Canon EOS 6D Mark II will be equipped with Mync Standard , making it easier for users to work with and share video in a “ simple but powerful ” environment . Katsushi Takeuchi , VP and general manager , EDIUS , Grass Valley , concluded : “ Since its introduction in March [ this year ], Mync has proven very popular in the market by addressing the need for a content management solution that works with all formats and provides a way to easily share .”
single Ethernet cable . It also becomes visible to all compatible systems running the latest version of NDI , such as LiveStream Studio , Telestream Wirecast and NewTek TriCaster .
One media production company which has already added the NewTek NDI PTZ cameras into its inventory is US-based Waskul Entertainment . “ The NewTek NDI PTZ cameras are a great addition to our IP video workflow . They can be set anywhere in the environment , and through the magic of NDI , they immediately appear on our network , allowing us to access and control remotely ,” said Steve Waskul , CEO of Waskul Entertainment .