Top Hollywood Facility Relies on Nucoda for Versatile Workflow

(Los Angeles, CA/London, UK) Image Systems – the leading manufacturer of image enhancement and mastering systems for post production – has announced that MTI Film in Hollywood, California, has installed its third Nucoda Film Master into its state-of-the-art facility. Opened in 2010, MTI Film is a full service post production facility providing high quality dailies, editorial, visual effects, color correction and assembly for film, television and commercial projects. MTI is currently at work on a number of projects, including AMC’s Hell on Wheels, CW’s Ringer, Good Christian Belles on ABC, and for TNT The Closer, Dallas, and Rizzoli & Isles, as well as a number of feature and restoration projects.

MTI installed its first Nucoda Film Master in 2010, as the facility prepared to open their Hollywood facility. Barbara Marshall, Executive Producer at MTI, noted, “The Nucoda is central to the way we work with our customers, whether they come to us with a feature, or a network or cable program. Its interoperability with Avid and the versatility of the toolset is crucial to our work and underpins our entire pipeline. We have found it to be an incredibly powerful creative tool.”

Steve Porter, Senior Colorist, noted, “Nucoda’s color grading toolset enables us to be gutsy when necessary and subtle when needed. It is ergonomic and intuitive. The fact that we can do a show like Hell On Wheels, which is extremely vivid, and turn right to Ringer, an elegant, female-driven show, says a lot about its capabilities. Our focus is to support the story and the filmmaker, and Nucoda is an essential part of that.”

The built-in effects in Nucoda Film Master have been extremely useful. Jeremy Sawyer, Colorist at MTI, noted that, “In addition to the great color grading tools, all of the other plug-ins and effects that come straight out of the box are outstanding. They are great for beauty work, the grain tools are top of the list, and the visual effects tools are truly powerful. In television, we ‘re often up against a tight deadline, and the tools in the Nucoda are extremely beneficial to us in hitting our schedule.”

MTI is busy with television projects but has a history of quality restoration services. The Nucoda Film Masters have been involved in a number of recent remastering projects, including classics; In Like Flint, Our Man Flint, and The Flight of the Phoenix for Twentieth Century Fox, among others. All of these iconic titles were remastered at 4K in MTI’s DI theatre.

Larry Chernoff, President of MTI concluded, “A year ago, we started with Nucoda Film Master at the center of our color operations. Since then, we’ve found our decision was more than validated by the consistent development, support and innovative ideas coming out of Image Systems, and we are delighted to continue our work with them.

About Image Systems
Image Systems Media Unit, formerly Digital Vision, is a division of Image Systems AB, which specializes in high-resolution image processing, film scanning and motion analysis solutions. Headquartered in Linköping, Sweden, Image Systems has offices in Stockholm, London and Los Angeles. The company has three business units: Media, Defense and Motion, managed via a global network of qualified distributors. Its Nucoda and Phoenix image grading and restoration software solutions and Golden Eye range of scanners provide innovative tools to create and master media in HD, 2K/4K and stereoscopic 3D. The TEMA software platform provides a range of user friendly, high-speed motion analysis solutions for the automotive industry and other industrial test and design applications. The TrackEye system provides image analysis solutions for the military reconnaissance and testing markets. For additional information, visit www.imagesystems.tv.

All trademarks used herein, whether recognized or not, are the properties of their respective companies.

About MTI
MTI Film is a full service Post Production facility providing high quality dailies, editorial, visual effects, color correction and assembly for film, television and commercial projects. MTI Film’s talented staff of seasoned industry veterans have served a number of high-profile projects including Rizzoli & Isles, Ringer, The Defenders, Through the Wormhole, Hell on Wheels and Dallas. As a leader in post-production technology, MTI Film’s facility is state-of-the art. With MTI Film’s award-winning Control Dailies at the head of the workflow, MTI Film offers unparalleled flexibility in the production’s choice of cameras, preferred editorial platform and deliverables formatting. MTI also boasts a brand new DI theater that is fully calibrated and capable of 4k playback. For more information visit www.mtifilm.com.

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Image Systems Marketing Contact:
Alexa Maza | alexa.maza@imagesystems.se | Tel: +1 (818) 769-8111
Ulrika Liiv | ulrika.liiv@imagesystems.se | 46 (0) 8 546 18232

Image Systems USA PR Contact:
Ignite | Christine Purse | chris@ignite.bz | Tel: +1 818 303 8088 | Mobile: +1 323 806 9696

Image Systems EMEA & Asia PR Contact:
Jump PR | Kate Ford | kate@jumppr.tv | Tel: +44 (0) 1932 240001 | Mobile: +44 (0) 7740 948 065

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
####

Buenos Aires News & Sports Channel
Installs Shotoku Camera Support Systems

Torrance, CA – Shotoku Broadcast Systems, a leading international manufacturer of advanced camera support products, proclaimed a successful integration of the company’s virtual reality (VR) camera support at C5N (Canal 5 Noticias) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Shotoku Inc.’s president, Naoki Ebimoto, made the announcement from the Company’s US headquarters in Torrance, CA.

The news and sports information service, established in 2007, is distributed to a worldwide audience via cable, satellite, streaming internet services and social networks. The facility recently interfaced Shotoku’s SH120 VR-enabled pan / tilt head system with virtual 3D graphics by Vizrt. Driven through an iPad interface, the channel’s operators produce traffic and weather updates, as well as reports on such ever-popular topics as the economy, politics and sports. The Shotoku system was inaugurated on Argentina’s Presidential Election Day in October 2011 with compelling graphics especially designed for the occasion by Vizrt.

“Using the Shotoku system, our production team developed a new way to display the news on the [television] screen. Virtual 3D graphics were easy and reliable; they caught the attention of viewers and helped us remain the most innovative channel, with the latest technology in Argentina,” declared Gastón Serralta, IT manager for C5N.

“We were very pleased at the results of our integration with Vizrt in Buenos Aires,” said Ebimoto. “Virtual reality systems are a key to the future of television production; they enable small facilities to expand the boundaries of creativity and capture the attention of their audience.”

About Shotoku Broadcast Systems
Shotoku Broadcast Systems is an international leader in the manufacture and marketing of a full range of camera support products with emphasis on manual and robotic pedestals and pan/tilt heads for the television broadcast industry. The Company also provides robotic camera systems capable of interfacing with third-party equipment. Established as an engineering design firm specializing in advanced mechanics and electronic control systems, Shotoku maintains headquarters in Japan with offices in Staines, UK and Torrance, CA. The Company’s robotic camera systems are designed, developed and manufactured in Staines, UK. For further information: www.Shotoku.tv

# # #

Shotoku contact: Naoki Ebimoto
1-866-SHOTOKU • info@shotoku.tv

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

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
####

Morgan Hill, Calif., February 2, 2012 – From multi-site ministries to small- and medium-sized churches, houses of worship and religious groups across the U.S. are increasing the use of video, radio and television messages to reach their followers and spread the word. These organizations are adding information to their databases, such as images and video and audio files, at increasing and unprecedented rates. The result is much more data, many more different file types and many much larger files that need to be archived.

Faced with this challenge, many of these organizations are embracing Cache-A’s archive appliances to preserve, distribute, repurpose and protect the audio and video-related data they generate each day. Cache-A’s complete product line – including the award-winning Pro-Cache5, Prime-Cache5 and the new Power-Cache — is designed to meet the needs of digital media professionals for safe, reliable and cost-effective content archiving, access and interchange.

“We are delighted that so many houses of worship and religious groups are choosing our line of archive appliances to preserve their video content,” said Phil Ritti, President and CEO of Cache-A Corporation. “We have specifically designed our complete product line to be cost-effective, while offering our customers the benefits of safe, long-term archival storage and fast, easy access to their content whenever they need it.”

Here is a list of some of the houses of worship and religious organizations that are using Cache-A’s archive appliances:
* Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Virginia Beach, VA
* Church Communities International, Rifton, NY
* City On a Hill Productions, Louisville, KY
* Community Christian Church, Naperville, IL
* Cottonwood Christian Center, Los Alamitos, CA
* Desiring God, Minneapolis, MN
* Fraternite Notre Dame, Chicago, IL
* International Mission Board, Richmond, VA
* Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, Los Angeles, CA
* Self-Realization Fellowship (Yogananda-SRF), Los Angeles, CA
* Vision.org, Pasadena, CA
* Word of Life Christian Center, Lone Tree, CO
* Wycliffe Bible Translators, Orlando, FL

The Cache-A Product Family
Simple to deploy, Cache-A’s archive appliances offer the most integrated networked archiving solution to help increase productivity. Tape interchange, for example, is easy because every tape has its own table of contents, and the built-in searchable database of every tape makes it easy to keep track of – and access — every asset.

The most efficient and easily deployed way to manage multiple terabytes of archived data, Cache-A’s Pro-Cache5 offers many of the advanced features demanded for content archiving, interchange and access. Pro-Cache5 takes advantage of the latest generation of LTO-5 data tape technology to offer 1.5 terabytes (TB) of storage per LTO-5 cartridge, while also providing significantly faster archiving speeds. It writes data on low-cost, secure, portable, interchangeable and IT industry-standard LTO-5 tape cartridges with a 30-year archival life.

Introduced at IBC 2011, the new high-performance Power-Cache Archive Server combines Cache-A’s noted appliance functionality with more disk speed and better throughput. Power-Cache combines a high-performance blend of LTO-5 tape drives, 8 TB of RAID and 10Gb Ethernet technologies to provide digital media professionals with faster archive and retrieval transfers as well as greater flexibility for staging content, making duplicate tape copies and working with Cache-A Library and Expansion units.

The cost-effective Prime-Cache5 is a new version of the well-established LTO-4 based Prime-Cache and has been upgraded with an LTO-5 tape drive and a 2TB hard disc drive in an improved chassis. It now features 10 times faster direct-attached transfers with USB 3.0. Optimized for desktop applications, Prime-Cache5 is compact and quiet in the Prime-Cache tradition.

Cache-A’s new software adds the emerging LTFS (Linear Tape File System) capability as an option to the industry standard tar format for its family of LTO-5 based archive appliances. Based on open source software, LTFS enables users to interchange content across different operating systems, software applications and physical locations.

About Cache-A Corporation
The winner of Creative COW’s Blue Ribbon Award for NAB 2011 for “Best Archiving System,” Cache-A is a leading supplier of network-attached archive appliances for the media and entertainment industry. Cache-A’s archive appliances can easily archive source masters for production or entire projects for post-production using the secure, portable, interchangeable, industry standard LTFS or tar format on LTO-5 media.
www.Cache-A.com

Contact:
Randy Savicky
Strategy+Communications
W: (203) 226-6156
randy@strategypluscommunications.com

Credits also to Local Hero Post, Cinecolor Digital, Studio L’Equipe for their 2012 Sundance Film Festival Entries

At the Sundance Film Festival 2012 in Park City, Utah (January 19 – 29), several films were on the roster for filmmakers whose post-production companies used ASSIMILATE’s SCRATCH DI tool in their digital workflows. ASSIMILATE is extremely pleased to congratulate Chilefims for its post-production of Violeta Went To Heaven (Violeta Se Fue a Los Cielos) (2011), winner of the Sundance 2012 World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic. ASSIMILATE also congratulates Local Hero Post (Santa Monica, CA) Cinecolor Digital (Buenos Aires, Argentina), and Studio l’Equipe (Paris, France) for their high-quality post-production of the following films accepted by the Sundance Film Festival 2012, the premier showcase for independent American and international filmmakers.

World Dramatic Competition

Winner – Violeta Se Fue a Los Cielos (Violeta Went To Heaven) (2011) directed by Andres Wood: Like a Chilean Edith Piaf or Bob Dylan, Violeta Parra was a folksinger and pop culture icon whose songs expressed the soul of her nation and protested social injustice. Violeta Went to Heaven tells Parra’s extraordinary story, tracing her evolution from impoverished child to international sensation, to Chile’s national hero. The full DI, from conform to color grading and finishing for this film, was done in ASSIMILATE’s SCRATCH.

Post-production facility: Chilefilms, Santiago, Chile; www.chilefilms.com.cl

“We of course are thrilled and honored that Violeta Went to Heaven is the winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic at Sundance 2012. As with every film we undertake at Chilefims, we put our heart and soul into it,” says Cristian Aguilar, Chilefilms’ business development director. “We’ve been using SCRATCH since 2004 when we were a beta for version 1. Since then, SCRATCH has become an integral tool in our daily workflow for countless films and projects. The sophistication of SCRATCH continues to ‘ripen’ over the years so that we’re able to do post-production at the speed of thought to achieve the highest quality of DI, many of which are award-winning films and documentaries.”

Wrong (2012) directed by Quentin Dupieux: Dolph Springer wakes up one morning to realize he has lost the love of his life, his dog, Paul. During his quest to get Paul (and his life) back, Dolph radically changes the lives of others. In his journey to find Paul, Dolph may lose something even more vital – his mind. This film was conformed and color graded in ASSIMILATE’s SCRATCH.

Post-production facility: Studio L’Equipe, Paris, France; www.studio-equipe.com

The Last Elvis (2011) directed by Armando Bo: In the unique world of the Buenos Aires celebrity-impersonator scene, “Elvis” Gutiérrez is a star. By day, though, he must contend with a dead-end factory job and an ex-wife who worries about how his obsessive behavior affects their young daughter. ASSIMILATE’s SCRATCH was the tool of choice for the full digital intermediate – conform, color grading, and finishing —- for this film.

Post-production facility: Cinecolor Digital, Buenos Aires, Argentina; www.cinecolor.com.ar

“This film was captured in RED and required intense color work because the film had to have a style or look of Las Vegas, with its dramatic different climates throughout the film,” said Lucas Guidalevich operations manager at Cinecolor Digital. “This is not a VFX film, so the importance of post-production lies almost entirely in the color correction. Thanks to the features that SCRATCH offers in working with infinite layers, we could do a lot of tweaking to squeeze the most out of the captured images. The results were excellent, both in the DCP and in the film copy negative, which was printed on an Arrilaser.”

US Dramatic Competition

Filly Brown (2011) directed by Youssef Delara and Michael D. Olmos: Majo Tonorio, a.k.a. Filly Brown, is a raw, young Los Angeles hip-hop artist who spits from the heart. When a sleazy record producer offers her a crack at rap stardom, Majo faces some daunting choices. Gina Rodriguez’s performance as Majo is considered by many to be the breakout performance of the festival. Filly Brown was conformed, color graded, and finished using ASSIMILATE’s SCRATCH.

Post-production facility: Local Hero Post, Santa Monica, CA; www.localheropost.com

Leandro Marini, founder and DI producer at Local Hero Post said, “For us, working in SCRATCH is almost a magical experience – we have all the needed DI tools at our fingertips to bring out the best in imagery, no matter the format or size of the project. It’s extremely satisfying to exceed the expectations of our clients, actually bringing their vision to life.”

“ASSIMILATE congratulates Chilefilms and the entire family of SCRATCH artists whose films competed at Sundance 2012″, said Steve Bannerman, VP of marketing at ASSIMILATE. “We have been the heartbeat of digital filmmaking since the original RED ONE camera, and we are proud to have empowered so many of the independent film and documentary makers who have fueled this revolution. Audiences around the world are continually amazed and delighted by their work, and ASSIMILATE is honored to have played a role in their craft.”

SCRATCH Digital Workflow

ASSIMILATE’s SCRATCH and SCRATCH Lab deliver the industry’s most comprehensive toolset for data-centric digital cinema and broadcast productions for 2D and 3D stereo projects at up to 5K resolution and beyond. New 6.1 versions of the software, running on Mac OS X and Windows 7, feature SDI output via AJA Kona 3G graphics cards, wicked-fast dailies rendering, improved metadata and timecode handling, and enhanced RED workflow support.

ASSIMILATE is the premier provider of digital workflow and post-production tools, that have proven essential to the successful creation of thousands of studio and independent features, television shows, music videos and corporate video productions. The company’s products, running on Windows and Mac OSX, are the heartbeat of today’s most demanding digital post-production and dailies workflows for 2D and stereo 3D productions. They equip directors, DPs and artists with the state-of-the-art, intuitive, data-centric solutions they need to meet the continual challenges of increased creativity and productivity amid ever-shrinking budgets. ASSIMILATE’s SCRATCH data-centric DI system, is the most comprehensive, end-to-end cinema and broadcast imaging tool for playback, conform, editing, color grading, compositing and finishing of RED and other digital workflows. SCRATCH Lab delivers a comprehensive toolset for the review, versioning, color correcion, conform and output of on-set or VFX dailies. ASSIMILATE a privately held company, with headquarters in Santa Clara, California, USA, offices in London, UK, Groningen, NL and Beijing City, CN and markets its products worldwide via a global reseller network. To learn more, and find your local reseller, please visit www.assimilateinc.com

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

New System Makes Digital More Flexible, Affordable for Permanent Installations and Portable Live Sound Applications

WEST CHESTER, PA, JANUARY 31, 2012 – Aviom, the exclusive developer of the world’s most powerful audio transport protocol, A-Net, is pleased to announce that the AllFrame Multi-Modular I/O System is now shipping internationally (ISE Stand 3.D140). The new AllFrame Multi-Modular I/O System is suitable for a wide range of permanent and portable applications, bringing the flexibility of the company’s powerful Pro64 audio network to the wall box, stage box or floor pocket.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to announce the availability of the AllFrame outside the U.S.,” says Carl Bader, president and CEO of Aviom. “We look forward to continuing to offer streamlined solutions, including the AllFrame, for all of our customers. Designed with the system designer and installer in mind, the system helps to make digital more affordable and flexible, keeping analog cabling to a minimum and reducing system complexity and labor costs.”

Based on extensive market research, the AllFrame Multi-Modular I/O System eliminates several expensive and labor-intensive stages of the signal chain while reducing cable clutter, making it ideal for permanent installations such as theaters, schools, houses of worship, and conference centers, as well as touring and portable live sound applications. Each device supports Cat-5e cable runs of up to 400ft (120m) between devices, with no loss of fidelity. Since it requires only a single Cat-5e or fiber connection, the AllFrame Multi-Modular I/O System eliminates the need for soldering, terminating and testing scores of analog connections as well as installing conduits and pulling separate cables for each audio signal, significantly reducing setup time.

At the heart of Aviom’s AllFrame Multi-Modular I/O System is the F6 Modular I/O Frame, a multi-purpose network frame with six field-configurable I/O card slots and integrated Cat-5e and fiber optic connectivity. The F6 can be outfitted to meet the audio I/O requirements of nearly any application. The unit can be mounted on a wall or in a wall using a standard NEMA Type 1 enclosure. Using the RK6 rack-mounting kit, the F6 can be rack-mounted, with connectors facing the front or rear. The F6 can be powered through a four-pin XLR connector, a Euroblock connector or one of the Cat-5e A-Net ports.

Another mounting kit that is now available is the SK6 Stage Kit, which allows for AllFrame I/O boxes to be used as drop-boxes on stage. The SK6 provides an enclosure for the AllFrame to be used as a stage box in live applications—a perfect solution for touring and portable live sound applications. What’s more, for installations that use Power Over A-Net, the POA80 Power Over A-Net Power Supply has recently been updated to offer superior protection against voltage surges and to deliver enhanced flexibility for users.

“Our customers will appreciate the fact that the AllFrame can be used in conjunction with the complete line of Pro64 audio networking products and Pro16 Series Personal Mixers,” adds Bader. “Because Pro64 supports any combination of serial and parallel wiring topologies without affecting signal flow at any point, I/O points can be placed anywhere the application requires. This simplifies design and installation and gives the end user more flexibility.”

The system offers users multiple connectivity options via modular I/O cards. The C4m Mic/Line Input Card provides four remote-controllable analog mic- or line-level inputs. With the same mic preamp circuitry found in Aviom’s 6416m Mic Input Module, the C4m provides clean, transparent, archival-quality sound. Preamps on the C4m can be controlled from an MCS Mic Control Surface, select Yamaha digital consoles or Pro64 Network Manager software. The C4o Output Card provides four XLR analog outputs with variable output levels. For those looking to stay digital throughout the signal chain, there will be a C4dio Digital I/O Card with 4×4 AES3 I/O with Word Clock I/O.

Aviom pioneered personal mixing with its Pro16 Monitor Mixing System and continues to break new ground with the revolutionary Pro64 Series of audio networking products. With tens of thousands of products in the field today, Aviom has set the standard for high performance, scalable digital solutions. All Aviom systems harness the power of A-Net, Aviom’s innovative digital audio technology that simplifies system design while enhancing flexibility and fidelity. All Aviom products are designed, tested, and manufactured in the USA. For more information, visit www.Aviom.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

New York, January 30, 2012 — Masterdisk, one of New York City’s foremost mastering facilities, has installed several of Antelope Audio’s Isochrone Trinity Master Clock and 10M Rubidium Atomic Clock units in its mastering suites, to maintain stereo imaging and the overall sonic integrity of projects passing through its studios. Masterdisk is installing multiple Antelope Audio Zodiac D/A converters at listening stations throughout the facility for quality control purposes.

According to owner Scott Hull, Masterdisk’s mastering suites were constructed with very high quality acoustics and solid grounding, and were already well clocked —therefore they did not appear to be candidates for improvement. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” he says. Yet, the Antelope 10M — which incorporates a reference generator that is 100,000 times more accurate than the quartz oscillators in most equipment — and the Trinity, which offers 64-bit DSP and up to 384 kHz audio streaming, have had a noticeable impact on performance clocking the digital audio converters in the rooms.

“Image stability can’t be generated, and it has to be maintained through the process,” explains Hull. “You can undo certain effects or jitter but you can’t ‘reimage’ something; you can’t get that image back once you lose it.”

As he further elaborates, any component within the signal chain has the potential to degrade the accuracy of the soundstage. “A lot of processors and many, if not all, workstations give you something back that isn’t quite as stable, as rock-solid, as what you put in,” says Hull. However, driving every component in the system from a high quality master clock can reduce the likelihood of any degradation. “Workstations simply work better by being clocked with a more stable clock. Every step along the way where you can give yourself a tenth of a percent, it adds up to something pretty noticeable at the end. And there’s a marked and audible improvement in the final product when everything is Antelope powered,” he states.

Keeping True Quality Control at the Helm
Hull believes that true quality control at the mastering stage has become increasingly overlooked as budgets have become tighter and clients’ time and involvement have decreased. “We really have to know exactly what we’re sending out the door. We have to have at least two sets of ears on every product that we send out. So we’re putting Antelope Zodiac DACs into several listening stations in our facility just to facilitate quality control passes. Suffice it to say we consider that to be one of the best and most open and accurate DACs we can get. Coupled with the headphone amp, this gives us really good functionality for hearing exactly what’s going out the door at 192 kHz or 96k or 44.1.”

As Hull recalls, one of his mastering engineers initially heard about Antelope Audio’s clocks from his clients, and had a unit brought in to evaluate. He also notes that veteran mastering engineer Vlado Meller, who joined Masterdisk when Universal Mastering Studios closed in mid-2011, was a longtime Antelope Audio user. “Once we’d worked with it and got more of the boxes in more of the rooms we came to like what it did,” Hull reports. “The integrity and sonic experience was better overall, and everyone was happy.”

What matters, he continues, is the integrity of the system from beginning to end, and utilizing a high definition master clock can make a difference to the end result. “Sometimes it’s analog, sometimes it’s digital, sometimes it’s digital and analog. But they do like to play together better when they’re locked to a common master reference. When you’re working from a 96k file or a digital device at 96k, through an analog console and back out to a CD master at 44.1, the fact that everything is resolved to a common reference seems to work.” He comments, “I’m just trying to get to an end result that makes the client nod their head.”

“Mastering Your Favorite Records Since 1973”
Established in 1973, Masterdisk has handled projects by a who’s who of the music business over the years, including – to name just a few mastered by Hull – Bob Dylan, Sting, Lou Reed, Steely Dan, Bruce Springsteen, Panic at the Disco, plus many, many others. Hull recently mastered “25 Years”, a retrospective 4-disc box set from Sting, and Vlado Meller recently mastered new albums for Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction — including iTunes-optimized masters to go along with the vinyl and CD.