Panasonic goes for a ride
Panasonic's AJ-HDC27 VariCam variable-frame HD camera was used to acquire source footage for a 60-second national television commercial for Ford Motor Co. Commissioned by J. Walter Thompson, the spot was completed by Image G, Hollywood, and Luminary Films, Detroit. The AJ-HDC27 VariCam captures 24-frame progressive-scan images and offers frame rates from 4 to 60 frames per second.
"High-definition was the correct medium for us: The entire project was a digital composite, and we needed control over every element," said Director Thomas Barron. "Production expediency dictated the immediacy of HD, which allowed us to build the composite and pull the commercial together seamlessly and also ensured getting a timely response from the client."
Univision picks Avid
Univision's KMEX-TV Los Angeles has made a major investment in Avid, purchasing an Avid Unity for News media network, four NewsCutter Effects editing systems, a Media Browse journalist video-editing server system, a ControlAir automation-assist system and two AirSpace video servers. The systems will connect to an existing Avid iNews newsroom computer system to help the news team deliver a newscast from a single, integrated technological environment once material is ingested.
Pathfire flips for Telestream
Gateway provider Pathfire will integrate Telestream's Flip technology into its Digital Media Gateway (DMG) platform in an effort to make it easier for broadcasters to transfer metadata alongside the video and audio portions of the content.
Pathfire Broadcast General Manager John Wilson says the company views Telestream as one of the leading companies solving interoperability issues between incompatible broadcast systems. "With the integration of Telestream Flip technology into the DMG," he said, "broadcasters will be able to take advantage of true digital-to-digital file-transfer capabilities for higher-quality, faster file transfers than they can achieve using analog or real-time file-transfer techniques." In Telestream Flip software, modular XML-based architecture facilitates media and metadata exchange between devices via plug-in modules.
Liberate to acquire Sigma Systems Group
Interactive television company Liberate Technologies has signed an agreement to acquire Sigma Systems Group, a provider of service-management systems for the cable industry, for approximately $62 million in cash.
WCAX taps Radamec
WCAX-TV Burlington, Vt., has purchased two Radamec RP2A pedestals and three HK 436 pan/tilt heads, as well as an ARC 2000 touch control panel. The gear will be used for four daily newscasts and two shows that have been on the air for nearly 50 years: You Can Quote Me, a local news program, and Across the Fence, a local farm and home program. The ARC 2000 comprises a 19-inch operator control panel, a touchscreen monitor and a 19-inch panel control unit that can be upgraded to support up to four individual operator control panels.
New SGI graphics for use with Onyx
InfiniteReality4 graphics is now available from SGI for use with the Onyx family of visualization systems. SGI says the new technology will allow the Onyx systems to create images as large as 130 million pixels, increasing photorealism. Features include image-based rendering, 1-GB texture memory, 10-GB frame buffer, and more than 192 GB per second of internal bandwidth per graphics pipeline.
Encoda systems signs on for EDI
Encoda Systems will implement the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) Standards for EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), which are designed to enable paperless invoicing. The new standards establish rules for exchange of data between buyer and seller. In the first phase of developing standards-based applications, Encoda will implement the TVB invoice standard in Spotdata, the industry's leading Web-based e-business portal, in the fourth quarter. The Media Buying module for ad agencies will support the standard when it's available in first quarter 2003.
