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Cera-Jane Catton

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Cera-Jane Catton is a writer and journalist with years of experience in community newspapers, blogging and freelance journalism. She has worked in a cache of capacities, often finding herself behind or in front of the cameras, intentionally and less so. She has been a stunt double in two Bollywood movies, has worked in various capacities on a number of natural history documentaries, and other international productions shot in South Africa. Cera is a former Screen Africa journalist.

ENENSYS launches new test and measurement division Test-Tree

Cera-Jane Catton
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ENENSYS Technologies, designers and manufacturers of digital TV transmission technologies and test and measurement equipment, is announcing the launch of its new and independent test and monitoring division Test-Tree. This initiative, which is the culmination of several years’ work and considerable investment, provides a platform for the company’s established test and measurement expertise as well as new products development. It replaces the previous ENENSYS Test Systems.

Didier Farcy, Test and Monitoring Business unit manager, said, “We have invested heavily in our test and measurement business, particularly in the area of 24-hour broadcast network monitoring where we have now sold 3500 units and work with over 40 Tier 1 broadcast network operators. We want to show to the market our increased commitment and our leading technological expertise.’

ENENSYS has been producing test tools for the television industry since 2004. In 2013 increased R&D development three-fold. 2015 saw a new office opened in Russia followed by another in Hong Kong this year. The launch of the Test-Tree division that now houses the company’s test and measurement technologies, builds upon its commitment to delivering best-in-class services to broadcasters worldwide.

Today’s test and measurement devices have to be accurate, easy-to-use and easy-to-deploy as well as cost-effective, to allow the healthy and steady growth of a network. Test-Tree products include test tools for lab and fields work as well as 24 hour broadcast network monitoring solutions. They support the latest broadcast standards including ATSC 3.0.

The test tools are designed to identify/analyse/record/reproduce network issues in the field while the lab modules are for understanding new standards and technologies, reproducing/simulating a real network in the lab, product testing and so on. The monitoring tools provide round-the-clock, detailed network monitoring.

Farcy said, “We’ve massively increased our R&D spend and increased our support capacity too. This is on top of improving our supply chain for a 48-hour turnaround for product ordering. We want to help our customers to increase their efficiency in anticipating, identifying, qualifying and fixing issues. This will increase the quality of the service that they provide, which is a key tool in the battle against churn.’

For more information visit the Test-Tree website.

Pebble Beach and Tedial join forces to launch Multiverse

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Pebble Beach Systems, automation content management and integrated channel specialist, and Tedial, provider of media and content management solutions, announced a new technology partnership. Together, the two companies have developed a new product called Multiverse that is designed to create a seamless workflow between a broadcaster’s Media Asset Management (MAM) and playout systems, efficiently solving distribution challenges for linear and non-linear channels.
Available from both Pebble Beach Systems and Tedial, the new solution will be introduced at IBC 2016, to be held between 9 and 13 September in Amsterdam, and showcased on the Pebble Beach Systems stand.

Multiverse closely integrates the MAM capabilities and linear playout systems to provide a flexible cross-platform media preparation and delivery solution. Because it processes media once for all platforms, Multiverse unifies and speeds up on-demand and linear content workflows, and significantly reduces operational costs by automating everyday tasks.

Multiverse provides a comprehensive integration between MAM and automation that streamlines workflows such as delivery of live events to video-on-demand (VOD) services in the shortest possible time after being aired. For media asset versioning and replacement workflows, different versions of media assets for playout can be created and automatically added to Tedial. This then triggers Marina to delete the old media from its playlist and transfer the new asset to playout, all without human intervention.

“We understand how customers need to adapt their systems to ensure efficient media preparation for both linear and non-linear delivery. By leveraging the proven integration between Pebble and Tedial and defining specific workflows, we believe Multiverse provides broadcasters with a no compromise solution,” says Tom Gittins, CEO Pebble Beach Systems.

“’TV everywhere’ is a reality and has completely altered the viewing landscape. To ensure success in this new multi-platform, multi-format world there are challenges that media companies must overcome,’ explains Esther Mesas, Tedial’s chief sales & marketing officer. “Multiverse answers these challenges, delivering a comprehensive and secure solution for cross-platform media preparation and delivery. We’re very excited to demonstrate Multiverse at IBC 2016, highlighting its unparalleled capabilities and scalability to fully maximise monetisation of content, distributing across all formats and platforms.’

For more information visit the Pebble Beach Systems website.

Argosy brings KVM-over-IP to IBC 2016

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Argosy, a leading international supplier of HD active and passive studio infrastructure products, has partnered with ATEN; specialists in the connectivity and management solutions to bring KVM-over-IP to IBC 2016.

The keyboard, video and mouse solutions (KVM) offer broadcasters a more efficient way of working by providing instant access to a matrix of PCs from virtually any and every location within a facility.

ATEN transmitters attach to multiple PC systems located in a broadcast facility’s rack room, or datacentre, with the ATEN receiver boxes connected to single or multiple monitors situated at any workstation across a facility, including those in the production studios, edit suites and sound booths. This setup allows users shared access and control via IP from any workstation they are using.

“KVM-over-IP has been readily adopted in the world of AV and has proven to enhance workflow efficiency and achieve a more coherent environment,’ said Daniel Hinton, B&C Region Manager, Argosy.

“In adding ATEN’s KVM-over-IP to our portfolio, we are responding to the increased use in software-controlled systems where broadcast desks are being overloaded with multiple computer terminals,’ explains Chris Smeeton, Business Unit Director at Argosy. “By controlling all those systems with a single keyboard and mouse, and grouping screens onto video walls, operational areas can be kept clear and uncluttered, leading to greater reliability, efficiency and clarity.’

Argosy will also be showing a range of fibre products, HD video and audio cables, connectors, racks and hardware, and equipment geared towards broadcasters that are migrating from traditional architectures towards software-defined networks and IP connectivity, including a 4K extension using Blackmagic hardware and a custom build Argosy cable.

For more information visit the Argosy website.

ENENSYS’ to announce launch of DTTCaster at IBC 2016

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ENENSYS, designers and manufacturers of digital TV transmission technologies, is announcing the launch of DTTCaster at IBC 2016. This provides highly cost-effective off-air reception and retransmission of DTT signals at transmitter sites where other connectivity isn’t possible or is cost-prohibitive.

DTTCaster, a brand new product, is an important addition to ENENSYS’ DTT network regionalisation and optimisation portfolio. It allows highly cost-effective retransmission of DTT networks at regional/local transmitter sites where IP (microwave, fibre and so on) or satellite connectivity isn’t possible or is too expensive. In terms of the former, this is usually down to either geography or cost or a combination of the two. C-band satellite reception at local transmitter sites isn’t always possible either as the dishes are very large and there’s surrounding infrastructure required too. Of course with satellite there are also capacity costs to consider.

Laurent Roul, product line manager, Broadcast Networks Equipment, said, “Digital terrestrial television is for huge parts of the world’s population the primary, indeed only, way to receive television signals. We are constantly striving to allow DTT networks to reach further, and with as tailored content as possible, in a way that is financially viable. DTTCaster is another important development in that regard.’

DTTCaster allows reception of network content using a simple antenna then re-generates that content on another frequency. This provides low-cost, high-quality retransmission of a network. With DVB-T2, ENENSYS has developed an innovative and fully standards-compliant solution that allows the rebroadcasting of Single Frequency Network content in both single PLP and multiple PLP mode. This allows an efficient parent/child transmitter architecture. DTTCaster units are housed in ENENSYS’s HDc chassis with a maximum of six DTTCaster units in 1U enabling the reception of 24 RF signals.

In summary DTTCaster allows:
•DVB-T/T2/ISDB-T/Tb rebroadcasting for DTT retransmission sites or cable headends
•Up to four RF signals from a single DTT antenna
•DVB-T2 SFN rebroadcasting

For more information visit the ENENSYS website.

DTT roll-out reaches milestone in SA

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According to All Africa government is on track to complete the subsidised set-top box (STB) rollout programme in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) area in the Northern Cape.

Department of Communications chief director: Technology, Digital Migration Project, Wonder Dlangamandla, said the uptake of digital STBs in the area is an important step towards clearing the analogue transmissions in the region in order to pave the way for the successful operation of the international radio telescope, the SKA project, that South Africa is co-hosting with Australia.

According to Dlangamandla, analogue television transmissions produce harmful interference to the radio telescope operations. He said upon completion of the rollout in the area, an estimated 25 000 households will enjoy the benefits of digital quality, free-to-air television broadcasts incorporating all public service channels, including the SABC 24-hour satellite news channel 404.

Dlangamandla said the current digital terrestrial and satellite bouquet also includes free entertainment channels and will in future add some educational channels.
“The rollout will extend to other provinces in a phased approach, with priority given to the provinces bordering South Africa with neighbouring countries. This is to mitigate against any mutual interference with our neighbours, particularly those that are ready to provide new generation mobile telecommunications services in the same spectrum that is currently used by analogue television transmissions,” he said.
The protection of analogue television transmissions ceased as of 17 June 2015, as per the International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) resolutions, of which South Africa is a signatory.

The ITU resolved at the World Radio Conference 2015 (WRC-15) held in Geneva, Switzerland, that the spectrum that will be freed up by the analogue transmissions will be allocated for mobile telecommunications. This is the so-called digital dividend.
“It is important to note that the digital television signal is available all over the country in South Africa. Suitable STBs or decoders complying with the compulsory South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) SANS862 specification and the international DVB-T2 technical standard can immediately access the South African Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) services nationwide.
“Furthermore, some of the latest flat screen television sets from most leading manufacturers already incorporate a digital tuner conforming to DVB-T2 and SABS specifications and can readily receive digital signals without the need of an additional STB.

“All SABC channels, including the 24-hour SABC News Channel and other free to air services are available and no subscription fees apply,” Dlangamandla said.
However, he said areas that are not accessible via the terrestrial transmitters can receive the transmissions via satellite on decoders conforming to the international DVB-S2 technical standard and the SABS SANS1719 specification.
Government is working closely with the retailers to make STBs or decoders available in the market for those households who do not qualify for the government subsidy.

Source: All Africa

Ericsson sets out TV as a Service vision

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According to Broadband TV News Ericsson will unveil its TV as a Service vision at this year’s IBC, to be held in Amsterdam between 9 and 13 September 2016.

Ericsson will showcase how its new solutions, launches and innovation concepts underpin its TV as a Service vision which creates opportunity for customers to continually transform television and delight viewers across the continually evolving and complex media landscape.

For many years Ericsson has identified and addressed industry trends and succeeded in answering the most challenging needs of its pioneering customers. At IBC 2016 the company will continue this fresh thinking approach by making Ultra HD a reality, simplifying the adoption of virtualization and cloud strategies and fulfilling the insatiable appetite of consumers for content on their terms.

Elisabetta Romano, head of TV and media Ericsson, comments: “Ericsson’s focus on continuous innovation is enabling our customers to provide consumers with the most cutting-edge seamless, personalized and immersive content experiences. At IBC 2016, Ericsson will introduce its vision for TV as a service and showcase its latest never-before-seen innovations, covering advertisement and analytics, virtual and augmented reality, an immersive sports showcase and the latest developments in video delivery.’

“As the entire media value chain undergoes enormous change, Ericsson’s transformative solutions and services will enable our customers to thrive in this new Internet age of TV,’ concludes Romano.

Ericsson will show how its focus on analytics and data science is opening up a wealth of personalization opportunities; how its mobile-first capabilities and leadership in 5G is steering the consumer shift to 360 mobility. The company will also demonstrate adoption of modular and micro service-based software architectures by creating dynamic platforms of software-defined applications for its customers to deploy and scale for any scenario.

Source: Broadband TV News

Cost of data holding back adoption of internet TV

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In a recent consumer survey commissioned by ShowMax, the most common reason cited for not signing up to internet TV services is the cost of data. The amount of data needed to stream TV shows and movies can be one gigabyte (GB) per hour or more. To help manage this, ShowMax has introduced bandwidth capping functionality that can reduce data consumption by as much as 75 per cent. ShowMax has also introduced a bandwidth calculator to help customers estimate how much data they need.

“We knew anecdotally that people were worried about internet costs, but the results of the survey were stark. Forty per cent of respondents said the main reason they don’t use internet TV services is the high cost of data. Twice as many people chose this over the next most common concern, which was not understanding how to set up internet TV,’ said Barron Ernst, chief product officer at ShowMax.

ShowMax has been actively addressing the data cost challenge, first by introducing the ability to download TV shows and movies to take advantage of Wi-Fi hotspots, and now by introducing user-selectable bandwidth capping on most of its apps. Subscribers can select either a low bandwidth cap of 0.3 GB/hr, a medium cap of 0.7 GB/hr, or leave usage uncapped.

Watching five hours per week, which is enough for 15 episodes of The Big Bang Theory or seven episodes of Suits, the maximum amount of data used would be as follows:

Low bandwidth cap (0.3 GB/hr): 1.5 GB / week
Medium bandwidth cap (0.7 GB/hr): 3.5 GB / week
Uncapped (1.4 GB/hr): 7.1 GB / week

The low usage setting equates to a resolution of 360p, the medium equates to standard definition 480p, while uncapped can deliver up to 720p high definition. All ShowMax apps feature dynamic streaming with active monitoring of the connection speed and automatic adjustment of resolution to the make the most of the available bandwidth, up to the selected cap.

To help estimate data usage, ShowMax has created a bandwidth calculator. Simply choose the required quality level and the number of hours watched per week, and the calculator gives an estimate of weekly and monthly data usage. The calculator is accessible here: https://www.showmax.com/eng/go/bandwidth-calculator.

“We purposefully made bandwidth capping applicable at the individual app level rather than have a blanket setting for the account. This way, it’s possible to choose a lower usage cap for smaller screens – perhaps for the kids watching cartoons on a tablet – while still having the full HD experience on a big screen TV.

“The data cost challenge is greater in Africa than almost anywhere else and ShowMax has been at the forefront of tackling this, first with downloads and now with bandwidth capping. The key to success in Africa is tailoring your service to local needs,’ concludes Ernst.

ShowMax apps are available for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, Apple TV (4th generation), and selected Samsung and LG smart TVs. ShowMax apps support both AirPlay and Chromecast. The service can also be viewed on laptop and desktop computers via web browser.

Bandwidth capping settings can be accessed either via the settings / app preferences menu on most apps, or by using the settings button on the play bar if connecting via a web browser.

For more information visit the ShowMax website.

Avid’s latest innovations and new products at IBC

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Avid® at IBC 2016, will unveil several MediaCentral® Platform innovations, new products and product enhancements to help customers address their most pressing business challenges and stay ahead of the competition. This premier annual event for professionals engaged in the creation, management and delivery of entertainment and news content worldwide takes place in Amsterdam between 9 and 13 September.

“In today’s dynamic and rapidly changing media industry, we must push the limits of technology to help our customers stay ahead of the game,’ said Jeff Rosica, senior vice president and chief sales and marketing officer, Avid. “At IBC 2016, we will continue to deliver on our Avid EverywhereTM vision with more innovations that will help our clients transform media production and distribution through unprecedented levels of creativity, productivity and efficiency.’

At Avid’s IBC 2016 press conference on Friday, 9 September, Avid chairman, president and CEO Louis Hernandez, Jr. will unveil new solutions and technology advancements including:

• MediaCentral Platform and iNEWS® innovations to help news organisations create powerful, story-centric workflows, while making complex multiplatform story creation easier, more effective and efficient
• New product additions and major updates for the Avid NEXISTM family, the industry’s first and only software-defined storage platform specifically designed for storing and managing media
• Sports solutions that support Ultra HD/4K production, and offer powerful sports enhancements and new immersive experiences for viewers
• New graphics solutions to help organisations better captivate their audience and define their brand using augmented reality, unique studio enhancements and awe-inspiring 3D data-driven graphics
• Innovations in sound, with more connected, more affordable live-sound solutions
• Unprecedented access and choice through the MediaCentral Platform, the industry’s most open, extensible and tightly integrated solution and ecosystem that enables more streamlined and efficient workflows

Avid will also showcase recent product innovations including:

• MediaCentral – UX Connector for Adobe Premiere Pro CC – Enabling Adobe Premiere Pro users to connect into Avid’s production environment through the MediaCentral Platform, MediaCentral | UX Connector for Adobe Premiere Pro CC enables Premiere Pro users to collaborate with Avid users at an unprecedented level, enabling customers to mix and match tools to fit their workflow needs and budgets.

• Avid Spark – A fast-turnaround live sports enhancement tool, Avid Spark enables on-air commentators to quickly draw and add graphics to video content in real time, adding captivating visual enhancements and giving audiences better visual insight into key plays, game flow, and analysis.

• Avid PlayMaker – Offering advanced slow-motion replay and media highlights editing, Avid PlayMaker enhances productivity and speeds up turnaround times. The new version of PlayMaker provides streamlined collaboration with Avid NEXIS software-defined storage. When used with Media Director, exported clips and consolidated playlists can be automatically checked into Interplay® production while maintaining all keyword metadata tagging.

• 4Designer – Graphics authoring software 4Designer provides a complete solution for creating captivating 2D and 3D motion graphics in a wide range of resolutions, with more power, speed, and new features in a more modern interface.

• Avid Maestro – A complete on-air graphics solution that enables broadcasters to quickly and easily manage and play out stunning, high-resolution graphics and animations, Avid Maestro now includes the Maestro Media Engine, supporting video ingest and playout, native user rights management, rich graphics templates, and efficient repurposing of graphic content – all from an intuitive user interface.

For more information visit the Avid website.

Call for entries for Luxor African Film Festival 2017

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The administration of Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) has officially launched the call for entries for its sixth edition, taking place from 16 to 22 March 2017, from the bureau of the Egyptian Culture Ministry – the main sponsor of the festival. From 15 August until 15 December 2016, LAFF will receive films from African countries by African filmmakers except for the al-Husseiny Abou-Deif Freedom and Human Rights Competition which accepts films from all over the world.

Sayed Fouad, LAFF president, has revealed that Morocco is the country guest of honour at the sixth edition. Azza al-Husseiny, LAFF executive director added that the sixth edition will give tribute to Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako, Egyptian director Youssry Nasrallah and Egyptian star Nelly Karim.

LAFF is organised by Independent Shabab Foundation with the support of the Egyptian ministries of Culture, Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Youth; The National Bank of Egypt; The Luxor Governorate and the Egyptian Film Syndicate.

For more information visit the LAFF website.

India to host first BRICS Film Festival

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According to TelevisionPost, the first BRICS Film Festival will be held at the Sirifort Auditorium Complex, New Delhi, from 2 to 6 September.

The film festival would act as a platform for people of the film industry of member countries to explore areas of cooperation in the domain of “cinema, culture and cuisine’. Minister of Information and Broadcasting Venkaiah Naidu said that the idea of organising the BRICS Film Festival originated at the last BRICS Summit where PM Narendra Modi proposed a BRICS film festival and film awards. The festival would celebrate the excellence of cinema by rewarding filmmakers, actors, producers and directors. The minister stated this while addressing the media at the curtain raiser press conference for BRICS Film Festival at New Media Centre. Minister of State in the MIB Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore was also present on the occasion.

In the course of the five-day event, 20 films will be screened in the competition section, four from each of the countries. The film festival will showcase an amalgamation of culture, films, song and dance, and food of the five member countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Exclusive cuisines from all the BRICS nations would also be available at the food court, arranged in the festival venue. A craft fair is also being organised at the Sir Fort auditorium complex with all member countries putting up stalls with souvenirs and other properties for sale.

Beyond films, the festival will bring to stage performances by the Chengdu Performing Arts Theatre (China), Theatre Leningrad Centre Dreams of Russia and MBZ Music Production (South Africa). Naidu mentioned that under India’s BRICS chairmanship, which is scheduled in Goa from 15 to 16 October, a five-pronged approach would be adopted keeping in view the theme of the summit which is “Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions’. The five-pronged approach includes: Institution building to further deepen, sustain and institutionalise BRICS cooperation; Implementation of the decisions from previous summits; Integrating the existing cooperation mechanisms; Innovation, i.e. new cooperation mechanisms; and Continuity, i.e. continuation of mutually agreed existing BRICS cooperation mechanisms Elaborating further, Naidu said that the BRICS Film Festival would be a bioscope that would showcase distinct cultures, cuisines and arts from the participating countries.

A step taken to build bridges and bring harmony among the BRICS countries, the festival would ensure more people-to-people contact between member countries especially youth. In this context, the minister said that India had planned activities like U-17 Football Tournament, Youth Summit, Young Diplomats’ Forum and a special screening of student films from some BRICS nations during the course of the festival. He also unveiled the poster for the BRICS Film Festival. The minister also gave an overview of the jury members including the chairperson who is from India. · TS Nagabharana (India): A National Award-winning Kannada director, writer, actor, a pioneer of parallel cinema, served as the chairman of Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy and founder of a theatre organization called Benaka · Francis Vogner do Reis (Brazil): A journalist, producer and curator of film shows, professor of theory, history and film criticism and co-founder of the electronic magazine Cine Imperfect · Kirill Razlogov (Russia): A graduate of the Moscow State University Lomonossov, Historical Faculty, Arts History, served as a special adviser for 11 years on film history and international affairs to the President of Goskino of the USS · Hou Keming (China) – A professor of the direction department of Beijing Film Academy; also the chairperson of China Children’s Film Association and the president of China International Children’s Film Festival · Xoliswa Sithole (South Africa): Founder and director of Nayanaya Pictures, she is also a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and is the founding member of Filmmakers against Racism.

The opening film for the festival would be the world premiere of the Malayalam movie Veeram, directed by Jayaraj Rajasekharan Nair and starring Kunal Kapoor. The film is a transcreation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and flawlessly portrays the greed for power and the extent a person goes to attain them.

Source: TelevisionPost

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