Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/491551
B r o a d c a s t e r s S h o w D a i l y 1 7 M o n d a y, A p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 5 WBTV, CHARLOTTE DEBUTS NEW FX DESIGN GROUP SET In the growing, modern city of Charlotte, the best in technology and design feels right at home. This is exactly the reflec- tion of the multi newsplex set at Raycom Media station WBTV. Packed with tech- nology and style, the new studio sets WBTV apart in the market and in the state. From the start, WBTV and Raycom wanted a bold design that presented news in an environment that was mod- ern and clean, yet still familiar to their viewers. There were several conditions to be met in the fast paced newscasts that WBTV is known for: warm, invit- ing and technologically advanced. All of that was achieved in the new studio from FX Design Group that debuted February 2, 2015. "The set looks absolutely top notch, but the immense technology at our fin- gertips, including the Virtual Studio from Hybrid TV, enhances every opportunity for news and storytelling," said Dennis Milligan, WBTV News Director. FX Senior Designer Kevin Vickers used his architectural skills, as well as design skills, first putting viewers in an environment that felt grounded and com- fortable. From there he began carving out multiple areas for talent to present from, which incorporated a range of technolo- gy that includes a large 4x6 NEC array controlled though TV One's CORIO Master Mini video system that serves as both their main backdrop and standing presentation area. There is also an 80" monitor for reporters to use, as well as a 90" screen for the weather team which includes a working weather office that is flanked with six large 55" Sharp monitors and one 46" NEC for traf- fic. Additionally, Digital Video Group was the integration partner and provided all the aforementioned showpiece moni- tors as well as 28 46" monitors "In blocking our first shows and test runs, we absolutely couldn't find a bad shot," said WBTV CSD John Rice. "When a designer incorporates that flex- ibility, you have a beautiful set, but the function is front and center." The set also includes color changing LED lights that help mood-brand the shows and stories being told, giving them needed flexibility throughout the differ- ent broadcasts and special events. Delivering all of this in a circular environment allows the production team to shoot from anywhere in the studio without having to worry about large traveling dis- tances for cameras while maintaining quality shots of the talent. The station wanted to continue its trend of embracing the latest technology by incorporating a Hybrid Virtual System. The environment needed to feel like an extension of their hard set and give them multiple positions for presentation. It uses a similar layout and materials, but also lends itself to inven- tion and imagination in producing con- tent beyond regular newscasts. "In all my years in broadcasting this is the best looking and most functional set I've put on to date," said Nick Simonette, Regional Group Vice President/General Manager at WBTV, at Raycom Media Company. For more information, visit fxgroup.tv or stop by booth #C3740. CHIMERA LIGHTING COMPANY A LEADER IN LIGHT MODIFIERS As the leader in light modifiers, Chimera feels that it is important to innovate for the new technologies in lighting fixtures. In the past few years, it has grown the number of TECH Lightbanks to over 25 models, accom- modating the advances in LED, plasma, remote phosphor, etc. Models are avail- able for multiple brands such as AadynTech, Cineo, Litepanels, Anova, Area 48, Nila, Zylight, Creamsource and Ikan to name a few. New mounting methods have evolved, from the original style with a frame to styles that attach to the fixture's barn doors such as the strap on system and the latest NF (No Frame) style that mounts with elastic corner straps. These NF TECH Lightbanks are fast and easy to both mount and unmount. Chimera also designs the optimum front screens to match the power out- put of the diversity of lights available. Along with its new designs, Chimera continues to produce and improve upon its most pop- ular models, such as its new Super PRO X line, which it developed over 30 years ago. Its largest lightbanks, the F2X, with sizes from 5 feet by 10 feet up to 15 feet by 40 feet, are also widely popular when a large area of even light is required. Chimera is a continuing supporter of NAB and has been for many years, understanding the impor- tance of providing top quality gear for the industry. It is a com- pany dedicated and committed to growing with its lighting part- ners. Chimera will continue to manufacture the best light modi- fiers for controllable soft light and meet the demands of its customers while mak- ing the majority of its products in the USA. For more information, stop by booth #C5343 in the Central Hall. SIGNAL QUALITY MONITORING AND ANALYSIS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS The complexity of digital broadcasting requires access to in-depth analysis at every part of the transmission system. Signal quality at the transmitter output is one of the vital monitoring points in the content delivery chain. AVQ1020 – ActiveCore ® RF Layer Monitoring Receiver from Avateq Corp. has been designed to provide broadcast engineers with powerful tools to monitor and ana- lyze transmitted signal. "We designed AVQ1020 to monitor modern digital broadcasting networks, which are often spread over large geo- graphical areas with multiple transmit- ter and repeater systems installed remotely from the network management centers", explained Vladimir Anishchenko, Avateq's CTO. "It is vital to ensure that the audio and video sig- nals received by the end user – the cus- tomer – retain full quality. AVQ1020 is a very practical tool for broadcast engi- neers to be notified and to be able any- time and from anywhere to access essential RF measurements in order to ensure quality of service". The quality of a broadcast signal is assessed by monitoring a set of parame- ters, including MER, EVM and SNR, standard-specific properties such as mod- ulation modes and signal physical layer structure. The operational health and potential hardware problems of a trans- mitter station can be viewed by analyzing RF signal criti- cal characteristics: signal bandwidth, group delay, non- linear distortions, spectrum mask, etc. Responding to the clients' requests, Avateq has extended the receiver's capa- bilities by introducing new important features: SFN Drift Monitoring: AVQ1020 detects and measures transmitted signal time alignment and its variations relative to GPS reference time pulse. In-Band Interference Monitoring: New processing engine is able to separate the useful signal and underlying noise, under-carrier "ghost" signal or non-lin- earity products. The in-band interference is displayed on a spectrum plot for quick visual identification. AVQ1020 – ActiveCore RF Layer Monitoring Receiver and Signal Analyzer supports all major digital broadcasting standards, including ATSC, DVB-T/T2, DAB/DAB+, DVB-S/S2, ISDB-T/Tb, DTMB. The analyzer allows an opera- tor to monitor remote transmitting sites through a Web interface or as a part of SNMP-based network management system. It features an easy-to-use cus- tomizable alarm system with user- defined thresholds and assigned severi- ty levels. The internal logging server records events and measured parame- ters history for archiving and future analysis. For more information, visit Avateq at www.avateq.com, email info@avateq.com or stop by booth #SU8503. PHANTOM FLEX4K AT NAB 2015 High-speed camera manufacturer Vision Research is featuring the Phantom Flex4K at this year's NAB. Since its launch last year, the camera has been used in several TV and motion picture productions around the world for projects such as commercials, music videos, mul- timedia ad campaigns, special effects in movies and live event broadcasts. The camera has proven to be a valu- able tool for not only high-end 4K pro- ductions, but also projects finishing in 2K and HD. The Flex4K sensor makes it an ideal choice because of its excellent dynamic range, low-noise performance and versatility with frame rates, capture resolutions and output formats. One of the ideal uses for the camera is for elements and special effects, taking advantage of the full 4K resolution of the sensor. In combination with high-speed motion control rigs, such as the Bolt from MRMC, the results become all that more dynamic, dramatic and something unique. Support for the Phantom cine raw format has been increasing over the last year. Now many of the industry's top color grading systems will accept the .cine files natively. The Glue Tools Cine Toolkit plug in allows for com- patibility in virtually any QuickTime based software on a Mac, making the Phantom raw workflow much more straightforward than ever before. Recent updates to the camera include features geared toward sports broadcast applications, such as a 24-axis multi matrix for color matching. Vision Research works with integrators that spe- cialize in super slow-mo broadcast, who are now offering complete 4K systems built around the Flex4K that can capture at 4K or 1080p. The camera's sharpness, color matching and low noise performance makes this an exceptional camera for both live action and super slow- motion replays. The Flex4K can run in full 4K mode, com- patible with pan and scan systems, or in a windowed 1080p mode, allowing for 1080p capture under a B4 mount. Stop by NAB booth #C11435 and visit www.visionresearch.com. Be sure to follow the camera on twitter @PhantomFlex4K for all the latest news.