Company will announce plans for “breakthrough” technology to be introduced this year
 
Paris, France – February 7, 2012 – Dalet Digital Media Systems will showcase enhancements in Dalet Enterprise Edition, their advanced Media Asset Management (MAM) platform, along with their technology solutions packaged for different production workflows at NAB 2012 in Las Vegas, NV from April 16 – 19 (stand SL4615).
 
On the NAB floor, Dalet will demonstrate several enhancements in Dalet Enterprise Edition, the MAM platform which unifies disparate systems to improve workflow productivity and to facilitate content distribution to multiple platforms, including broadcast, web, VOD and mobile. Dalet Enterprise Edition will be shown in combination with Dalet’s tailored production suites for news (Dalet News Suite), sports (Dalet Sports Factory) and radio (Dalet Radio Suite). In particular Dalet will be demonstrating several new, integrated modules for Dalet MediaLife which is focused on workflows for Program Preparation, MAM for Production and Archives. These new modules are focused on the many steps involving media transformation and content enrichment in the production chain.
 
“Our MAM offering transforms multisystem linear workflows into a fully integrated, federated and centralized workflow. And our specially packaged toolsets simplify the workflow for different types of production,” says Kevin Savina, Director of Product Management, Dalet “We’ve integrated tools in Dalet Media Life that include ingest, QC, clip creation, storyboarding, subtitling and closed captions. Tailored work-facilitating tools are also available for our news and sports solutions. Everyone works more efficiently which is especially important at a time when we all need to produce more with less.”
 
Dalet will also reveal the development roadmap for the year-end release of the next version of Dalet Enterprise Edition that will include new, breakthrough technology and major enhancements to the product.
 
“The market has been incredibly receptive to the benefits of our technology and MAM-centric approach. Our customers have been able to leverage our systems and know-how to realize genuine productivity gains,” says Stephane Schlayen, COO of Dalet. “Now we’re prepared to make yet another technology leap. At NAB 2012 we will announce the next major version of our Enterprise platform that will include many new features and advanced technology to improve workflow performance and agility. The new version, which will be released later this year, will further accelerate the productivity curve and provide additional value to our customers.”
 
Several new features in the current Dalet product line will also be shown shown on the booth. These include: enhanced multimedia editing capabilities, highly configurable usage restriction rules and rights management, streamlined metadata forms, expanded glossary and genealogy support, more powerful search capabilities and the ability to expose Dalet applications in 3rd party portals. Visitors to the booth can also see integrations with EVS, Avid and Adobe products.
 
Full demonstrations of Dalet Enterprise Edition and the Dalet MAM-driven workflows for News, Sports, Program Preparation, Archives and Radio will be available on the booth.
 
Dalet Enterprise Edition
 
Business-driven, Cross-System Metadata, Media and Workflow Management
 
Dalet Enterprise Edition is a full-featured, end-to-end media, metadata and workflow management system with multiple integration paths that unify different systems to deliver maximum flexibility for managing content production and distribution with business systems. Built-in production modules manage ingest, logging, production, distribution and archiving across systems and workgroups. The multimedia content catalog, customizable metadata forms and enterprise search engine makes content readily available to everyone who needs it – whether for editorial review or repurposing for new media distribution. Built as an open platform, Dalet Enterprise Edition can integrate easily with a wide range of non-linear editors, including Avid, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premier. Graphics, archive, automation and other systems can also be integrated using a variety of methods, including using SOA compliant tools such as Web Services APIs. The highly scalable architecture and modern, flexible design of Dalet Enterprise Edition delivers a strong ROI and the assurance that new technologies can be added in the future.
 
Dalet News Suite
 
Collaborative News Production and Playout
 
Dalet News Suite, the only integrated, end-to-end, MAM-based newsroom production system on the market, improves efficiency, productivity and collaboration with its advanced design and smart tools. With fully integrated desktop scripting, video, graphic and multimedia tools, journalists are engaged in a smooth and intuitive workflow that allows them to concentrate on producing high quality content for broadcast and new media outlets. Content and metadata are enriched at every step — from ingest through automated playout, archives and multiplatform delivery. Dalet News Suite facilitates story-centric production and fosters collaboration between different departments — from the news desk, planning and production, to the control room and new media units. The Dalet MAM platform tracks it all and the workflow engine automates many background tasks. With full media and metadata tracking, the MAM platform provides a robust framework for managing assets and leveraging content to take advantage of new business opportunities.
 
Dalet Sports Factory
 
Fast Logging, Highlights Creation and Replay
 
Dalet Sports Factory offers fast sports production tools, fully integrated within an enterprise MAM platform. Sports Factory’s highlights and replay components cover logging, play-by-play highlights and playback, and instant replay with multiple camera angles and slow motion. Media is logged once and immediately available for use in programs and packages. Unlike typical sports production products, Dalet Sports Factory integrates both production archives and media management, ensuring all enriched media assets are at your fingertips both during and after the game. Designed on the open Dalet MAM platform, Sports Factory integrates with industry standard NLEs and other broadcast and sports production systems to provide a cohesive, fluid workflow.
 
Dalet Sports Logger features one-button logging and “intelligent” team rosters for fast highlight creation. One click denotes the type of play (goals, penalties, etc.) and the start of the highlight. Add player info with a single click on the roster display. Plays and metadata are accurately entered into your pre-configured MAM fields, adding value and consistency to game logs. Highlight starts can be set a few seconds before mark-ins, so that you’ll never miss a key play; all clips are immediately available in Dalet Hilites Espresso for fast assembly of multiple playlists.
 
Dalet Media Life
 
MAM and workflow automation for program prep and promos
 
Dalet Media Life leverages IT standards and infrastructure to meet the complex production and asset management needs of multiplatform content providers such as networks, thematic channels and promo departments who deal with high volumes of video and audio programming — from movies, documentaries and TV series to cartoons, promos and jingles. It has a flexible, comprehensive data model, a workflow engine to manage human and automated tasks, and a complete set of functional tools that are all accessible from the same user interface. Media Life is designed to integrate with third-party systems such as NLEs, automation devices, archives and business systems. It is an open platform with a variety of data exchange and integration paths, including using SOA compliant tools such as Web Services APIs.
 
Dalet Radio Suite
 
Radio …and more
 
Dalet Radio Suite is the only radio production and automation software that incorporates music workflows, news workflows, media asset management and multimedia distribution within the same system. Designed for the era of media convergence, Radio Suite is built on the powerful Media Asset Management (MAM) platform of Dalet Enterprise Edition and streamlines every aspect of the digital production chain for news and music channels. Stations can optimize their programming efforts for traditional over-the-air broadcasts as well as streaming, VOD, Podcasts and other platforms.
 
Combined with modular, task-specific tools, Dalet Radio Suite meets the comprehensive demands of large-scale newsrooms as well as the needs of multichannel music networks. Journalists have all the desktop tools they need to ingest audio, create scripts, record and edit audio, and build and manage rundowns. DJs can exercise their creativity with easy-to-use playlists, multitrack editing, and Carts for jingles and liners. Remote voice tracking tools facilitate contributions by off-site talent. Dalet OnAir is a proven and highly reliable automated solution used in some of the world’s largest multi-channel operations. Dalet Radio Suite is designed for outstanding scalability with hundreds of simultaneous users.
 
About Dalet Digital Media Systems
 
Dalet solutions enable broadcasters and media professionals to create, manage and distribute content to both traditional and new media channels, including interactive TV, the Web and mobile networks. Dalet combines into a single system a robust and proven Asset Management platform with advanced metadata capabilities; a configurable workflow engine, and a comprehensive set of purpose-built creative and production tools. This integrated and open environment enables end-to-end management of the entire News and Sport and Program content chain, and allows users to significantly improve efficiency, and to maximize the use and value of their assets. Dalet’s solutions are delivered through a dedicated Professional and Integration Services Department to ensure the highest possible standards. Dalet systems are used around the world by many thousands of individual users at hundreds of TV and Radio content producers, including public broadcasters (ABS-CBN, BBC, CBC, DR, France TV, RTBF, RFI, Russia Today, RSR & TSR, RT Malaysia, VOA, WDR), commercial networks and operators (Antena 3, Canal+, FOX, eTV, Mediaset, Orange, Time Warner Cable, Warner Bros., Sirius XM Radio) and government organizations (Queensland JAG, Canadian House of Commons, The European Commission). Dalet is traded on the NYSE-EURONEXT stock exchange (Eurolist C): ISIN: FR0011026749, Bloomberg DLT:FP, Reuters: DALE.PA.
 
For more information on Dalet, visit www.dalet.com
 
Press contact:
Janice Dolan
Zazil Media Group
(p) +1 617-817-6595
(e) janice(at)zazilmediagroup(dot)com
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Plans include enhanced end-to-end tapeless workflows and new versatile capabilities for high-performance, collaborative storage solutions
 
Boston, MA — February 3, 2012 — EditShare®, the technology leader in shared media storage and end-to-end tapeless workflow solutions, today announced its plans for the NAB 2012 exhibition held in Las Vegas, NV from April 16 – 19 (stand SL9020). EditShare will showcase its entire product line-up and highlight advancements in storage performance, seamless file migration across storage tiers, enhanced file and metadata management, and new enterprise capabilities, including distributed processing for large-scale file ingest and proxy rendering, and system-wide workflow monitoring from ingest to archive. “Collaboration, high performance, efficiency and cost-effectiveness are at the heart of everything we do, starting with our shared storage platform. The newest features and capabilities in our end-to-end workflow build on that approach. Whether you are ingesting or archiving, searching for media or playing it out, our integrated production tools make it easy to get your job done and to manage any format and any workflow. This gives our customers a tremendous competitive edge,” comments Andy Liebman, Founder and CEO of EditShare. “We are looking forward to sharing our latest innovations at the big show and celebrating alongside our customers, the successes of their projects powered by EditShare.”
 
Highlights of the EditShare Tapeless Workflow
EditShare seamlessly integrates high-performance shared storage solutions – XStream, Energy and Metro – with video capture / asset management – MAM (EditShare Geevs/Flow), editing (Lightworks), archiving (EditShare Ark) and playout (Geevs) – to offer broadcast and post-production professionals a productivity-enhancing, end-to-end tapeless workflow. With powerful capture, logging, searching, sequence creation, project sharing and easy archiving, the workflow becomes streamlined and more efficient. From start to finish, metadata and media are easily searchable and accessible from EditShare’s central storage or archives; background processes are transparent to users, allowing them to focus on their creative efforts.
 
Highlights of the EditShare tapeless workflow
• Geevs records Avid DNxHD or ProRes directly to EditShare’s shared central storage and produces proxy files in real time for the Flow MAM, with user-level security, mirror copy and automatic backup to EditShare Ark. During ingest, users can log shots, create subclips and even create sequences that cut between inputs.
• Integrated with Geevs, the Flow MAM allows users to view proxy file content on their desktops as well as ingest media from file-based sources such as P2 and XDCAM. Simple editing tools and metadata templates let users add details to clips, make rough cuts, and drag and drop clips and sequences into their NLEs – all without requiring access to full-resolution media.
• EditShare’s high-performance, shared-storage media-management workflow offers an advanced Project Sharing feature with patented bin and project-locking capabilities. Lightworks, Avid and Final Cut Pro (v6/7) editors can see, copy and revise the work of colleagues with the assurance that no bins, sequences or projects will be accidentally deleted or overwritten.
• Ark Disk and Tape offer facilities for tiered storage infrastructure with nearline and offline archiving options and automation capabilities to keep media safe. When combined with Flow, users can browse, delete and restore (including partial restore) archived materials from any desktop on the EditShare network.
 
NAB 2012 – EDITSHARE NEW TECHNOLOGY SNEAK PEEK
 
EditShare XStream and Energy Series – Shared Production Storage
EditShare’s best-in-class storage infrastructure delivers high performance and workflow-engineered features, such as Avid and Final Cut Pro project sharing, to optimize collaboration for post-production, Digital Intermediate and broadcast production workflows. Fully integrated with EditShare Flow, Lightworks, Geevs and Ark, EditShare’s shared storage solutions are scaled to petabytes, outperforming comparable solutions at an unbeatable price point.
 
New capabilities shown at NAB 2012
• Advanced project sharing with Adobe Premiere Pro
• Support for Final Cut Pro X
• Enhanced networking configurations to maximize performance and throughput across the EditShare tiered-storage platform
 
EditShare Flow – Production Asset Management
Flow offers comprehensive media management with production tools to log, track, browse, retrieve and edit assets. Advanced features such as Multichannel SDI Ingest, Edit-While-Capture, and Bandwidth-Controlled File-Based Ingest add a level of control over productions that set Flow apart from its peers. Fully integrated with EditShare’s full lineup of products, Flow facilitates a tapeless workflow from ingest to archive.
 
New capabilities shown at NAB 2012
• Ability to drag and drop clips into Adobe Premiere
• Support for creating group (multi-cam) clips during ganged capture
• Ability to delete and restore files by individual users
• Proxy-node worker for distributed rendering of proxy files
• Closed-caption support
 
Lightworks – Non-Linear Editing | Open Source
Academy® and Emmy® award-winning Lightworks was introduced in 1989 as the first and most advanced professional editing system on the market. Its intuitive controls, real-time synchronization and editing features remain unmatched by top industry alternatives. Notable and recent films edited on Lightworks include the Academy-Award® winning The King’s Speech, edited by Tariq Anwar; Hanna, edited by Paul Tothill; Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, edited by Jill Bilcock; and the multi-nominated Hugo, edited by Thelma Schoonmaker.
 
On the NAB stand, EditShare will host a “Lightworks Edit Bar,” with which attendees can hands-on test-drive the latest Lightworks release.
 
EditShare Ark – Archiving and Backup
Developed on the same rock-solid architecture as the shared storage solutions, EditShare Ark Disk and Tape offers advanced backup and archiving capabilities managed from the same intuitive interface. Because Ark is directly integrated with EditShare’s tapeless workflow and collaborative-storage products, archived content can be easily searched using EditShare Flow MAM tools, retrieved, and quickly brought back onto the EditShare shared storage systems – XStream, Energy and Metro.
 
New capabilities shown at NAB 2012
• Partial Restore from Ark Disk
• Extensive system-activity reporting
 
Geevs – Broadcast Ingest and Playout
Geevs Broadcast Servers are crafted to support a wide range of demanding workflows, including simple ingest, complex newsroom integration, live sports with instant replay, multi-camera studio ingest and 24/7 scheduled playout. With over 1,000 channels on-air, Geevs meets the needs of every broadcast production workflow with its unmatched codec support, including DVCPRO HD, Apple ProRes, Avid DNxHD, XDCAM HD and AVC-Intra 100.
 
New capabilities shown at NAB 2012
• Support for Live Preview
• 23.98 Support
• Upscale from SD to HD
• Multiviewer support
 
About EditShare
EditShare is the technology leader in networked shared storage and tapeless, end-to-end workflow solutions for the TV and film industry. Our groundbreaking products improve efficiency and workflow collaboration every step of the way. They include video capture and playout servers, high-performance central shared storage, archiving and backup software, media asset management, and the world’s first 3-platform (Windows, OS X and Linux) professional non-linear video editing application.
 
©2012 EditShare LLC. All rights reserved. EditShare® is a registered trademark of EditShare LLC. All other trademarks mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.
 
Press Contact
Janice Dolan
Zazil Media Group
Email janice@zazilmediagroup.com
Tel +1 (617) 817-6595
####

Director Rick Knief and Hooligan Editor Thomas Ostuni have teamed up to create a graphically compelling live-action music video for “Over the Sun,” Joseph Arthur’s latest single from the critically-acclaimed album, “The Graduation Ceremony” (Lonely Astronaut Records). The ground-breaking music video was shot on a multi-iPhone rig, captured within iPhone and iPad apps, and edited in Final Cut. The video is now available for purchase on iTunes.

Told on a stylized mosaic of nine interchanging and overlapping frames, the video features myriad shots of Arthur painting and playing every instrument heard in the song; the B story interprets the song’s muse who is seen leaving a NY gallery where Arthur performs, into the setting sun.

“It was exciting to work with an artist like Joseph, whom I’ve admired for many years,” remarks Knief. “He is such a unique artist. I really wanted to create a music video for him that would reflect that. And I think using an everyday tool like the iPhone in such an unorthodox way, really enabled us to pull that off.”

Knief says the video’s concept was heavily inspired by Arthur’s acclaimed performance art, which combines looping himself on various instruments with poetry and live painting.

 

“The way Joseph assembles his songs live on stage informed my filmmaking process,” explains Knief. “As a designer myself, I like to break things down to their core elements. Bringing those sensibilities to shooting and directing this video made sense because I could interpret the many layers of his art by essentially turning them into a collage, with each frame effectively serving as an individual film.”

 

“My favorite thing about Rick is he approaches filmmaking in terms of the graphic nature of the imagery,” adds Thomas Ostuni, senior editor, Hooligan. “He has a special knack for keeping things visually pleasing. Our goal was to keep the piece simplistic and graphic. It’s an art director’s dream video — every single second is art directed, it had to be.”

 

Knief’s idea to translate Arthur’s performance art in the form of a music video had long been in the making. The two first met at an Evan Dando concert and discussed the idea; subsequently, Arthur put Knief in touch with his management and the rest was history.

“Tossing the idea around with Arthur’s management, I had simultaneously been in conversations with Apple to develop a project using their tools and create a ‘making-of’ piece to share in-store. The iPhone’s video quality had vastly improved, so I decided to shoot with it.”

 

Knief developed a treatment with a concept to divide the 16:9 aspect ratio into nine separate screens. He then devised a method to achieve the multi-frame effect using six iPhones on a custom-built camera rig he designed and built. Production took place at the Aperture Gallery and on NYC’s High Line. Knief’s 6-man crew completed the shoot in just one day.

 

Knief downloaded numerous apps from iTunes to enhance production and postproduction, from concept aesthetic to workflow. The B story, for example, called for images of the sun flaring around the video’s love interest. Given that the iPhone camera is automatic, he achieved crucial lighting aesthetics with FilmicPro, an exposure locking app. Finally, to address the crucial phase of syncing footage from essentially nine iPhones, they used an iPad app called MovieSlate.

Ostuni says the consumer tools used to produce the video offered a unique editorial process, which called for creating nine unique sequences (utilizing every take) to assemble the master composite within the 16:9 aspect ratio.

“Dealing with multiple edits kept us on our toes as far as managing frames and organizing bins and dailies,” concludes Ostuni. “But working in uncharted territory allotted us freedom to experiment and write the rules as we went — convention went out the window and the possibilities were endless; but what ultimately made it interesting for me as an editor was I didn’t have to cut away from the performance to show the B story. With this vehicle, I could tell two stories at once.”

 

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New 3D BULLET RIG shown with Panasonic HPX250 cameras. The most affordable, modular 3D beam-splitter made. Adustable IO (3.5″), convergence (0-2 deg), XYZ axis, camera elevation and mirror angle (44 to 46 deg) for perfect image alignment. Fits easily on Steadicam, handheld mode (shoulder mount incl), EasyRig, jib and any tripod. Weighs just 15 lbs. Accomodates Red Epic, Scarlet, Sony EX3, F3, Canon XF305, XF105, 5D, Si-2K, & many other cameras. Visit www.3DFilmFactory.com

Inspiring Demonstrations, Collegial Atmosphere and Unparalleled Sessions Bring Experts from Entertainment, Government and Research Together in Vibrant Exchange

(Los Angeles, CA) The Hollywood Post Alliance(r) – the trade association for the post production community – has announced the lineup for the HPA Tech Retreat(r), set to take place February 13 -17 at the Hyatt Grand Champions in Indian Wells, CA. The HPA Tech Retreat is the annual conference that brings together thought leaders from digital and content creation, media and entertainment, forensics, medicine, digital imaging, to academic research.

The event consists of three days of sessions, and two days of additional conference programming including an all day super session, seminars presented by ATSC and by imaging-guru Charles Poynton, a demo room with groundbreaking technologies, cocktail receptions, a welcome dinner, and three days of breakfast roundtables, fireside chats and opportunities for networking throughout each day. The Tech Retreat is designed to foster ideas and information sharing among industry experts.

Leon Silverman, President of HPA, notes, “Our industry’s incredibly accelerated pace of change makes it extremely difficult to know to whom or where one can turn to make sure you’re plugged into the knowledge and people you need to know to survive and navigate in this environment. The Tech Retreat is a yearly way to literally get into the heads and private conversations of the people who are driving and leading our industry through this transformative change. There really is nothing like it anywhere. A ticket to the Tech Retreat is a front-row, up close & personal seat on the cutting edge.”

Mark Schubin, who has led the programming for the Tech Retreat for 15 years, sums up the event, “There will be someone there who knows the answer, whatever the question is!” And, that fact, he contends, is why the Tech Retreat remains a mandatory event for many in the industry. “It doesn’t matter what you are dealing with – movies, television, media for the physically impaired, forensics, optical issues for 3D – there are experts here who want to discuss their latest findings, show you what they’ve been working on, and share. It’s the place where questions are explored in depth.”

The Tech Retreat is also an event where technologies, chosen by a committee of experts, are presented in a carefully curated demo room. “This year I am particularly excited about the Demo Room. There are a number of truly interesting technologies and companies debuting here. We are presenting a technology that makes any camera a stereoscopic 3D camera, a 360-degree camera from which HD images can be extracted, demos of how depth perception varies with viewing distance, high frame rate tests, Ethernet AVB, and more. It’s inspiring to say the least.” Schubin concluded.

Registration for the HPA Tech Retreat is limited. Information and registration is available at http://www.hpaonline.com/mc/page.do?sitePageId=130712. The Tech Retreat is sponsored by the Hollywood Post Alliance(r), serving the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide expertise, support, tools and the infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, digital media and other dynamic media content.

A complete schedule of the event is available online by clicking here: (http://www.hpaonline.com/mc/page.do?sitePageId=130539). A summary of speakers, panels, and participating companies follow.

Expert speakers confirmed include:

o Andrea Kalas
o Andy Maltz
o Annie Chang
o Arjun Ramamurthy
o Bob Liodice
o Brian Zents
o Bruce Devlin
o Chris Lennon
o Clyde Smith
o Craig Merkin
o Craig Todd
o Curtis Clark
o Dan Germain
o Debra Kaufman
o Edgar Shane
o Geoffrey Tulley
o Henry Gu
o Jenny Read
o Jerry Pierce
o Jim Berger
o Jim DeFillipis
o Jim Taylor
o John Hurst
o Larry Thorpe
o Leon Silverman
o Mark Aitken
o Mark Lemmons
o Mark Schubin
o Masayuki Sugawara
o Michael Koetter
o Mike Krause
o Paul Chapman
o Peter Putman
o Peter Symes
o Phil Squyres
o Rob Hummel
o Sean Cooney
o Skip Pizzi
o Steve Kochak
o Steven Poster
o Tim Claman
o Tom Burn
o Wendy Aylsworth

Also joining the line-up are the filmmakers from the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and an announcement of additional speakers is expected shortly.

Panelists representing studios, companies, and organizations include:

ABC
Adobe
ATSC
ARRI
Barco
Belden
Canon
CBS
CNN
DECE
Deluxe
Digital Domain
Digital Projection
Disney
Dolby
DVS
Fox
Harris
ICG
JVC
Laser-Illuminated Projector Association (LIPA)
Light Iron
NAB
NBC
Newcastle University
NHK
Oracle
Panasonic
PBS
RE: Vision Effects
RED
Rods & Cones
Sinclair
SMPTE
Sony
Sony Electronics
Technicolor
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA)
Vision Research
Warner Brothers
Walt Disney Company

More programming, panelists and organizations are to be announced shortly.

The HPA Tech Retreat is known for presenting topical, latest-knowledge panels and presentations. Among others, this year’s presentation topics include:

o Forecast for SuperSession 2012: Snowflakes with an Increasing Chance of Clouds
o 4K Cameras and their Workflows
o The Image Interchange Framework Demystified: What It Is and Why It Matters
o High-Dynamic-Range Acquisition
o Optical Temporal Filtering
o Broadcasters Panel
o The Current State of Connected TV
o The Home Ecosystem: What Will Make It Work?
o CES Review
o HPA Monitor Symposium Recap
o Next Generation Projection Systems
o Getting Creative Intent to the Viewer
o Digital Commercial Slates: a New Era in Commercial Workflow – a bicoastal live presentation
o Washington Update
o CALM Down? Stereo vs. Surround Loudness
o VFX Panel
o IMF Moving Forward
o What Happened to Dailies?
o Digital Preservation: An Ecosystem
o Perceiving 3D
o Increasing Resolution by Covering the Image Sensor, and much more.

Sponsors of HPA Tech Retreat in 2012 include: AJA, Dolby, DataDirect Networks, and Testronic Labs and Media Sponsors Createasphere, Post Magazine and LA 411.

About the Hollywood Post Alliance(r)
Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA) serves the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide expertise, support, tools and the infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, digital media and other dynamic media content.

# # #

Media Contact:
Chris Purse, 818.303.8088
ignite strategic communications
chris@ignite.bz or mimi@ignite.bz

Solid Reports Put Xytech into Dominant Position in Market

(MISSION HILLS, CA) Xytech, the global leader in facility management software for the broadcast and media services industries, has announced its end of year results. The categorically positive report indicates solid growth and market penetration, and also marked the third consecutive instance of year over year increased profitability. 2011 proved to be an historic year for the Los Angeles based company, which finished its best period ever for profit, growth, and the posting of record sales. Independently owned and operated, Xytech exceeded its projected forecast, with a 23% jump over 2010.

The past year was one of expansion and market domination for Xytech, winning significant business from competitors in the US, Europe, and Australia. Broadcasters, major studios, production companies, religious organizations, government entities, video transmission giants, and distribution companies all deployed Xytech solutions in 2011. Xytech’s current bid to sales ratio is nearly 90%, a rare statistic of success.

Richard Gallagher, CEO and Founder of Xytech, stated, “Early in 2011, we had a clear indication that the upward growth that began in 2010 was going to continue and accelerate. During the past 18 months, we enlarged our staff and implemented successful new solutions for a wide array of customers, from major cable networks and studios to global religious organizations. Concurrently, our operations in Europe have expanded significantly, with the addition of key personnel appointments, marking 2011 as the year that we have seen the global market fully come on line. In 2012, we expect continued significant growth in all of our business sectors and we are forecasting another record year. I am proud to note that this significant market penetration is the result of the hard work, ingenuity, and dedication of the best team in the industry.”

Xytech’s product line, anchored by the ground-breaking MediaPulse platform, is widely respected and deployed throughout the media and entertainment industries. The company has also had significant deployment in the enterprise and governmental environments. The secret to their success is the Xytech company culture of constant listening and improvement, says Greg Dolan, Xytech Executive Vice President. “There is an absolute focus on putting the very best products and solutions into place for our customers. We ask them questions and listen to what they say and use that information to continually improve what they receive from us. It is what makes us different, and why we are leading the market. We never stop the evolution of our products and or the invention of new solutions. That is the crucial Xytech difference. We won’t ever stop getting better.”

About Xytech
Xytech Systems Corporation(tm) is the leading global provider of facility management software for today’s media and broadcast companies. Leveraging a 25 year history of innovation and market expertise, Xytech brings unparalleled proficiency to its customers with flexible, transparent and evolutionary solutions that set the standard for successfully managing the continuous business realignments that define today’s marketplace. Xytech’s collaborative MediaPulse platform and suite of solutions enable craft workflow and asset management systems to work seamlessly with the company’s renowned planning, scheduling and financial management tools. Xytech has over 450 software deployments in more than 20 countries around the world and is headquartered in Mission Hills, California, with regional offices in New York and London.

For more information, please visit www.XytechSystems.com or call +1.818.698.4900 (US) or +44 (0)20.7903.5170 (UK).

Media Contact:

Media Contact:
Chris Purse, 818.303.8088
ignite strategic communications
chris@ignite.bz or mimi@ignite.bz

A.C Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd’s Video and Lighting divisions are holding an exclusive 2012 UK open days in conjunction with Green Hippo and PixelRange on 28th February in the South and on 1st March in the North of England.

The events will highlight the latest innovations from these leading brands, and explore the hottest developments in video and lighting convergence.

The simple, powerful and flexible control of video sources on to multi-screen and other display surfaces has become an essential element of any creative production.

The open days will give attendees the chance to discover for themselves why the award-winning Hippotizer range is arguably the industry’s leading real-time video playback solution.

Catch a demo of the latest Hippotizer v3 software, which continues to set the benchmark for versatile media control with features such as UberPan for controlling multiple Hippotizers as a single canvas, and VideoMapper for fitting and shaping content across different scenic elements with stunning results.

Creative productions are also increasingly demanding the greater level of artistic control and energy efficiency afforded by LED-based lighting solutions.

The open days will give attendees the chance to discover for themselves why PixelRange are one of the industry’s most innovative providers of LED-based batten and Par lighting solutions.

Catch a demo of the versatile SmartLine intelligent RGBW LED battens range, which in addition to providing a powerful light source, is an ideal display surface for pixel mapping video content onto.

The LED line-up also includes the QPar high output RGBW fixture and PixelSmart Par, which combines a vast RGBW colour palette with warm white LEDs for a brilliantly bright white.

AC-ET – the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Green Hippo and master European distributor for PixelRange – will host the two open days at its state-of-the-art demo facilities in High Wycombe and Leeds.

Geared for all types of user, the events will include separate introductory and advanced training sessions, lunch and refreshments, and a prize draw to win various branded swag and other goodies!

For further details and to register your interest, please visit http://www.ac-et.com/events/convergence-open-days.asp

For more press information on A.C. Entertainment Technologies, please contact Louise Stickland on +44 7831 329888 or +44 1865 202679 or EMail; louise@loosplat.com.

For more information from AC-ET direct, please contact:
A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd.
+44 (0)1494 446000
sales@ac-et.com
www.ac-et.com

sales@ac-et.com
www.ac-et.com

Hollywood, CA – 3D Film Factory, the leader in professional, affordable 3D camera rigs, introduces the world’s lightest, most affordable, hand-held 3D rig – the 3D Bullet Rig. Ready to “Load & Shoot”, this versatile 3D system is literally unshakable for handheld, Steadicam, Easyrig, or tripod filming.Priced at a fraction of other professional 3D rigs (under $5K), this compact beam-splitter rig is the perfect solution for location, reality, or action 3D filmmaking. It’s features actually surpass that of other more expensive rigs. For more information on the 3D Bullet Rig visit www(dot)3DFilmFactory(dot)com

“The 3D Bullet Rig is going to take 3D production to a whole new level. I love this rig. It’s incredibly light, rock steady and most of all – it’s really easy to shoot with from your shoulder, or tripod. This rig is a 3D filmmakers dream, very versatile“, said the company’s veteran stereographer Keith Driver. “Most 3D rigs are bulky, expensive and worst of all – tripod bound. They require a crew to operate. We’ve shot 3D projects in Africa, the Middle East, Hollywood soundstages, you name it we’ve done it in 3D. And we realized we needed a more mobile 3D rig. A 3D rig you could just pick up and shoot with. This is the 3D Bullet Rig.”

The 3D Bullet Rig makes handheld 3D filming effortless and smooth by transferring the weight to your waist and shoulder. Each 3D rig includes a spring-loaded suspension rod, comfortable weight displacement belt and adjustable, padded shoulder mount. The result is hours of mobile, handheld 3D filming capability. In addition, the rig features detachable rubber hand grips for easy manoeuvring and a standard tripod mounting plate (¼-20 and ?-16 holes).

Weighing approx. 15 lbs. (5.8 kgs.) the Bullet Rig accommodates the Red Epic, Canon DSLR 5D, 7D, XF105, XF305, XH-G1, Sony F3, EX3’s, HDCP1, X5U, Z1U, Panasonic AF100, HPX250 and many other professional HD cameras.

The rig also features custom camera mounts that easily lock and load cameras into place using a standard quick-release plate from Bogen/Manfrotto. The horizontal camera mount offers IO (inter-ocular) adjustability from 0” – 3.5” (0 – 89 mm) and simple convergence movement from 0°-3°. Both functions are easily controlled using smooth, accurate finger knobs, with calibration markings. The vertical camera mount adjusts for perfect stereoscopic picture alignment by elevating and performing full x-y-z rotation (yaw, roll, tilt).

The light-weight, mirror box housing is constructed using space-age foam core plastic that’s durable, corrosion-free and substantially cooler than a metal matte box. This ensures your beam-splitter glass with its expensive coatings will stay cool on hot days. The rig itself is hand-milled employing a nearly indestructible aluminium alloy frame.

Perfect for traveling light, the entire 3D Bullet Rig is ingenuously designed to set-up and break down in a matter of minutes, packing into a small, water-tight pelican case.

As a bonus, the horizontal rail easily detaches, along with the camera mounts, transforming into a side-by-side rig 3D for wide and landscape stereography.

Our opti-prime, 50/50 beam-splitter glass is optimized to meet the demands of 3D filmmaking. See specs. Within the matte box, a simple adjustment tool allows stereographers to fine tune the glass angle from between 43° to 47°.

The outcome is simply the world’s most affordable, professional handheld 3D rig.

It should be noted that using our simple Lanc system camera operators can now synch start/stop, focus, alignment, lens shift and many other vital functions thru both cameras or individually.

The 3D Film Factory offers a complete line of 3D beam-splitter rigs intended for HD camcorders, as well as larger ENG and broadcast style camera. In addition, we offer several inexpensive side-by-side rigs and real-time 3D viewing solutions. To learn more about 3D camera rigs, 3D viewing systems, 3D production services, or 3D training workshops visit – www.3DFilmFactory.com

About the 3D Film Factory
Established in 2008 by award-winning filmmakers and veteran stereographers, the 3D Film Factory has been the worldwide leader in professional, affordable 3D camera rigs and real-time 3D monitoring solutions. In addition we provide a host of 3D production services worldwide including, stereographers ‘for hire’, 3D camera rig rental, 3D viewing systems, and 3D post, as well as intensive 3D training workshops. Former clients include ESPN, NASA, Disney, HD Cinema, Pinewood Studios and Discovery. For more information visit www.3DFilmFactory.com

Woodland Park, NJ • FSR’s new T3-MJ+ Table Microphone Box series furnishes an elegant yet simple solution for mounting gooseneck microphones. The stylish, mini table box, available in a variety of models, accommodates a wide range of tables and lecterns for any applications requiring a gooseneck mic, including conference and boardrooms, courtrooms, state houses, pulpits and control rooms. Jan Sandri, FSR president announced today that all the models are in production and are currently shipping.

The T3-MJ+ is available in three finishes – black, brass and aluminum – to fit every décor. The basic model offers improved noise isolation and features a built-in, acoustically isolated microphone connector to accommodate mics with 3-pin XLR plugs of a diameter of 1-inch or less and provides superior shock and vibration damping.

Enhanced units, T3-MJ+1B and T3-MJ+2B, offer one or two additional buttons and are custom assembled with momentary or maintain type switches with a variety of switch caps and bi-color LEDs. T3-MJ+1BM and T3-MJ+2BM models feature an internally pre-wired built in mute feature. All models, except the base unit, provide a screw terminal connection to the mic.

A simple process requiring a 2-inch round hole, and less than 1.5 inches of under table clearance makes easy work of installation. An under table shroud is provided as part of the assembly.

About FSR
FSR, established in 1981, manufactures a wide variety of products for the audio / video, education, hospitality, government, and religious markets, including AV floor, wall, table, and ceiling connectivity boxes, as well as a full line of interfaces, distribution amplifiers, matrix switchers, seamless switchers and CAT-5 solutions.

All FSR products are designed and manufactured in its Woodland Park, NJ facility. The company is an Energy Star Partner and complies with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to demonstrate its deep commitment to preserving the planet. FSR offers live 24/7 technical and sales support throughout the country from expertly trained technicians and sales representatives. For more information: www.fsrinc.com.

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FSR Contact: Jan Sandri
973-785-4347 • sales@fsrinc.com

Press Contact: Desert Moon Communications
Harriet Diener
845-512-8283 • harriet@desertmooncomm.com

 

Parsons’ Interactive Installation, Online Website + Video Initiative  Raises Awareness Of Design’s Impact On Our Lives

 

Minneapolis, MN: CRASH+SUES was called upon by mono to bring its fresh aesthetic to the editing, color correction and graphics for SoundAffects, Parsons The New School for Design’s multi-platform exploration of the relationship between music, design and technology. Conceived by mono, a Minneapolis-based advertising agency known for its forward-thinking creative solutions, the physical installation, online experiment and media content are driven by Parsons’ mission to raise people’s awareness of design’s relevance and impact on their lives.

 

The first phase of the experiment began with the installation of an interactive wall on New York’s Fifth Avenue. The structure housed a series of monitors and a complex network of sensors, each assigned a specific sound and color, enabling it to cull data about elements in its environment – from traffic and people to weather and movement – and then musically visualize them to show their correlation to sound and color. Pedestrians could plug earphones into jacks in the wall and listen to how their surroundings were influencing the music. CRASH+SUES collaborated with mono on the crafting of visually captivating and thought-provoking media content designed to break down the complex premise behind the experiment and present Parson’s unique perspective on how they interpret design’s role in the world. (“http://soundaffectsnyc.com/#making). Featured on the SoundAffects website, the creative communications tool delivers an elegantly simple message in a way that engages and intrigues everyday people.

 

CRASH+SUES’ editor Carrie Shanahan cut the piece on Final Cut Pro, marrying footage of the installation wall with images of cityscapes, traffic and people moving to the pulse of lights and the rhythm of the music they generate – along with by-passers who stop to put on headphones and plug into the wall and share their thoughts about it. The video opens with the voiceover posing a simple question: What if, instead of just looking at the world, we also listened?

 

It goes on to explain the premise behind the project: We listened to the light,the temperature, the connective, the movement, the noise and the colors of a city block in New York. We built a wall on Fifth Avenue that housed sensors, which allowed us to gather inputs that created a musical composition that responded directly to the environment around them. In addition to the music, we created a ‘visualizer’ that interpreted the sensor data and let us see our environment from a new point of view. Then we watched and we listened.

 

Shanahan began the editorial process by roughing out the visuals to fit with the story as it unfolded, incorporating text as needed and drawing from multiple sources to create sound design tailored to the imagery. Working with over two-dozen tracks of video concurrently, as well as intricately layered video, the potentially overwhelming story was woven into a tapestry of dynamic visuals driven by the script’s clear message.

 

“Editorial decisions had to be well thought out in order to ensure that we captured the essence of the journey, and used interviews, text and audio most effectively,” says Shanahan. “I cut a number of different versions and we experimented with many incarnations until we found just the right balance. What’s amazing is mono’s ability to communicate the essence of this complex experiment about a seemingly abstract hypothesis with a simply engaging story – without getting technical or heady,” says Shanahan.

 

“They’re artists at CRASH+SUES, and we always love working with them,” said Tracy Tabery-Weller, mono producer. “Carrie is a smart editor who dives in and can digest parts into a cohesive story. She helped us take a heady technological experiment and tell it so simply that even my grandmother could understand it.”
“I love getting the opportunity to dig into heavy sound design, and this was a project that was begging for it,” said Shanahan. “The SoundAffects website had a timeline spanning days of audio data from which to draw; I layered that with ambient city sounds collected in the doc footage. I wanted the experience of viewing the video’s content to echo the experience of being on a city street, at times cluttered and cacophonous, then cresting into stillness and calm.”

 

SUE, CRASH+SUES’ senior colorist utilized the Digital Vision Nucoda Film Master’s features to create an urban color pallet and a consistent feel for footage from multiple sources.

 

“We weren’t trying to create a “look” on this project – just something natural while also reflecting what was happening with the audio and sound effects,” said SUE. “ I was able to help out some of the darker scenes by opening them up and applying noise reduction.”

 

“This project was a welcome opportunity to collaborate with the pioneering creatives over at mono,” added Shanahan. “It’s the type of work that I love – extending beyond just a spot to a cutting-edge experiential ‘happening. In a sense, the experiment itself was like an edit session – writ large – an invitation to the public to take a moment for reflection on how what they’re seeing relates to what they’re hearing,” adds Carrie Shanahan. “The relationship between moving pictures and sound, which is what drew me into editing in the first place.”
mono creative co-chair Travis Olson noted, “CRASH+SUES was great at combining a really diverse set of assets including audio, digital and film into a great story. It was a complex project with lots of components and C+S helped craft a simple story about Parsons that they can now use to help define who they are and how they approach design’s role in this world.”

 

Parsons, a pioneer in art and design education, initially approached mono after seeing the internationally acclaimed ‘Real Good Experiment,’ which its team conceived and orchestrated for the furniture designer and manufacturer, Blu Dot (http://www.bludot.com/bonus-tracks-dir/rge.) Both projects showcase the agency’s signature talent for translating complex concepts into straightforward yet unconventional messages.

 

SoundAffects was conceived by mono and engineered by Tellart in collaboration with Parsons and The New School’s communications and external affairs team.

 

About CRASH+SUES:
CRASH+SUES is a seamlessly integrated creative editorial, animation, FX, motion design, color correction, finishing and multi-media company. Its collaborative team of talent is dedicated to providing advertising agencies, brands and filmmakers with fresh, innovate and cost-effective creative content. For additional information about CRASH+SUES, contact executive producer Sven Shelgren at 612.338.7947 or visit www.crashandsues.com.

 

About mono: mono is a creative branding agency that believes in the power of simplicity. Founded in 2004 by Michael Hart, Chris Lange and Jim Scott, today mono creates inventive, idea-centric communications that earned them Agency of the Year in 2010 from both Advertising Age and the 4A’s. mono works with some of the nation’s leading brands including Apple, MSNBC, Harvard Business School, Prairie Organic Vodka, Revel Stoke Whiskey, Blu Dot, Angie’s Kettle Corn, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. Check out more of their work at www.mono-1.com.

 

CREDITS:
CLIENT: Parsons The New School for Design
TITLE: SoundAffects
2 ½ minute concept video

 

AD AGENCY: mono/MN

 

EDITORIAL COMPANY: CRASH+SUES/MN
Executive Producer: Sven Shelgren
Editor: Carrie Shanahan (Final Cut Pro)
Assistant Editor: Matthew Kroese

 

POST | FX | ANIMATION: CRASH+SUES
Executive Producer: Sven Shelgren
Colorist: SUE (Digital Vision Nucoda Film Master)
Online Editor: Ryan Wheeler (Autodesk Smoke Mac Autodesk Maya)
Flame Artist: Adam Celt (Autodesk Flame)