The Digital Cinema Society announces the completion of a new mini-doc, Getting Safely Back to Work in the Age of Covid. The program is dedicated to the memory of our friend and longtime DCS member, Allen Daviau, ASC, an early victim of the disease.

JVCKENWOOD furthers its commitment to providing the video production industry with the highest quality streaming solutions in a complete, plug-and-play package with its latest CONNECTED CAM firmware update. Using the open source Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) technology, JVC adds Forward Error Correction (FEC) and Stream Identifier (ID) to its 500 Series and 900 Series CONNECTED CAM cameras. The new firmware reinforces JVC’s standing in the industry as the leading provider of high-quality end-to-end streaming-capable camera solutions.

Brighton Pride attracts around 450,000 festival goers to enjoy the city centre parade and weekend festival featuring world-class live acts. But not this year. Like the rest of the entertainment industry, Pride 2020 had to abide by government regulations, cancelling all public performances.

Stepping into the breach, the festival launched WE ARE FABULOSO! featuring 12 hours of live and exclusive entertainment filmed and streamed from a Brighton studio space. Over half a million viewers (according to the organisers) tuned into YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, Instagram and 13 terrestrial TV channels to watch acts such as Fat Boy Slim, Nile Rodgers, Jess Glynne and Years & Years.

Densitron, a creator of HMI technologies and a global leader in display, monitor, and embedded computing solutions, today announced that it has become an alliance partner with Panasonic IT/IP Platform.

Panasonic has chosen Densitron’s new UReady Touch Control Surface with Embedded Ethernet to be used as an AUX monitor. The control surface offers an ultra-high performance display, proprietary transparent tactile-touch buttons, and TCP/IP connection in a 2RU form factor.

ChyronHego today announced that its Click Effects PRIME fan engagement engine is a confirmed partner for Panasonic's new IT/IP-centric next-generation live production platform. Designed for high-quality video production and delivery, either live or in the studio, the new modular and open architecture platform from Panasonic allows users to optimize and future-proof their investment while maintaining flexibility. The solution pairing from ChyronHego and Panasonic brings powerful capabilities and valuable versatility to modern sports entertainment.

Mo-Sys Engineering, a global leader in real time camera tracking and remote systems, is proud to announce a collaboration with Panasonic. The AW-UE150 and the Mo-Sys StarTracker module will empower AR and virtual studio graphics by together creating engaging content with natural depth and changing the perspective of the virtual background.

Previously planned to launch at NAB, the webinars will be co-hosted by Panasonic and Mo-Sys and will showcase the new Panasonic AW-UE150 - a 4K, wide-angle lens, PTZ head with absolute camera tracking for AR and virtual studio application. With Mo-Sys StarTracker, the venue or event is no longer restricted to a fixed camera position and can be more creative using the PTZ head on a jib, crane or a dolly for unlimited camera motion.

JVC has announced new firmware for its range of CONNECTED CAM models – now shipping – including the handheld GY-HC500 and GY-HC550 4K camcorders and the GY-HC900 broadcast camcorder, available in ENG and studio configurations. The latest firmware upgrade (v0110 for the GY-HC500/550 and v3.0 for GY-HC900, available free to existing customers) lets the cameras record to both SSD and SD media in a wide variety of formats, including Apple ProRes 422 recording and backup mode recording to an SSD drive.

The GY-HC500 and GY-HC550 handheld models feature class-leading streaming and IP connectivity, with the new firmware delivering 10-bit Apple ProRes 422 50/60p recording in both 4K and HD to SSD. The update on all CONNECTED CAM models also enables HEVC/H.265 live streaming via the KA-EN200 streaming encoder; this adapter can be inserted directly into a slot on the GY-HC500, GY-HC550 and GY-HC900 camcorders, supporting up to 1920x1080 resolution and reducing network bandwidth by half compared to H.264. Other features added by the new firmware include support of SRT protocol and Network Time Protocol, plus integrated broadcast overlay graphics on JVC’s GY-HC900 broadcast camcorder.

Customers will be able to see the range of JVC CONNECTED CAM models at the KitPlus show in London at the end of this month. 

ITV News invested in 180 Sony PXW-Z280 4K professional handheld camcorders and 180 URX-P03D UWP-D wireless audio kits and Sony is pleased to announce that it has completed its full product roll out across UK regional news teams.

The new product line-up provides news gathering teams with greater operational flexibility and 4K production capability. The products were integrated into the ITV News production workflow and the TV broadcaster is now seeing the benefits.

Sony has announced that its Simple Live Streaming service, a new proposition for users to streamline the process of acquiring live content, is now available (as of 12th December 2019). The additional workflow flexibility for its palm-sized 4K HDR professional camcorders, the HXR-NX80 and PXW-Z90, can be accessed via a free firmware upgrade to enable content creators to shoot wherever and however they want. 

With Wi-Fi connectivity, Simple Live Streaming enables high quality live streaming to major video sharing websites and social media platforms such as Vimeo, YouTube and Facebook with a single camcorder. Offering simple operation, it further enhances the remote delivery of content quickly without compromising on image quality. 

Norbert Paquet, Head of Product Management for Sony Professional Solutions comments: “The introduction of Simple Live Streaming for the HXR-NX80 and PXW-Z90 streamlines the overall workflow, from shooting to live distribution. Equipped with Simple Live Streaming, the camcorders will have online sharing features, further empowering content creators to concentrate on what they do best – storytelling on the go.” 

NDI®, a brand of Vizrt Group, today released the 4th generation of NDI technology to both developers and end users at IBC2019 in Amsterdam. Using software, computers and networks, NDI is a crucial part of the organization’s mission of making software-defined visual storytelling (#SDVS) accessible to everyone via the universal power of IP-based video. NDI is the dominant IP standard for digital media by using standard Ethernet networks and mobile environments. NDI changes the picture by giving everyone access to easy-to-use, high-quality video and audio over IP. NDI is royalty free to use software with hundreds of developers making thousands of NDI-enabled products now in the hands of millions of customers around the world.