Since 2002, the Parliament of Catalonia has produced an institutional television feed as a free public service and educational resource for its citizens and media organizations. Overseen by a tight-knit team of in-house broadcast and engineering specialists, the Barcelona-based Parliament manages all aspects of production and delivers 150 hours of live video content on a monthly basis. Located within the historic Ciutadella Park, the Parliament’s production facilities include eight meeting rooms, seven television control rooms, two dedicated audio studios, a master control room and an editing suite, housing all video equipment required to distribute up to six program feeds to broadcasters, closed-circuit television and web streaming channels. Critical to broadcast operations are a range of AJA solutions for recording, frame synchronization and conversion, including the file-based Ki Pro Rack capture and playback device, the dual-channel FS2 framesync/converter and AJA’s versatile lineup of Mini-Converters.

Magewell has been named to the second annual Streaming Media Producer 25 list of the leading technology companies driving advances in live streaming media production. The Streaming Media Producer 25 recognizes innovative companies that enable, enhance and streamline the workflows of live video producers – particularly those who need the mobility, agility, and versatility to deliver great work, regardless of the venue or production conditions.

“The Streaming Media Producer 25 highlights companies who develop and manufacture gear that not only demonstrates promise or prowess in one or more stages of the live production and streaming process, but also fits well as part of a kit that makes the overall workflow successful,” said Steve Nathans-Kelly, editor of Streaming Media Producer.

The 2020 edition marks the second time that Magewell has been named to the Streaming Media Producer 25. Since its selection to the inaugural list last year, the company has continued to introduce new products and expanded features that help a diverse range of content producers create, deliver and display high-quality streams easily, efficiently and cost-effectively. Magewell has also made the transition to IP-based production workflows affordable and practical with new models in its Pro Convert family of NDI^® encoders and decoders.

The ProHD Studio 4000S, a self-contained, four-channel live streaming studio system from JVC Professional Video, a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, has proven to be the right solution for the 48 Now Center digital studio at WAFF-TV. The Gray Television-owned NBC affiliate serving Huntsville, Ala., has deployed the ProHD Studio 4000S, complete with two robotic JVC KY-PZ100 pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) cameras and the company’s RM-LP100 PTZ camera controller to increase its ability to live stream original content and replays of its newscasts.

Pixel Power is hosting a massive personalised customer engagement programme with a series of over a hundred one-to-one online meetings over the next six weeks. The aim is to replicate the best and most important aspects of a tradeshow - conversations with customers about their projects and how our technology can help.

“Listening to our customers’ needs is at the heart of what we have always done at Pixel Power – it’s why we are trusted to deliver on what we say we will”, explained James Gilbert, CEO, Pixel Power. “At this time of global lockdown and with all tradeshows either cancelled or postponed, we wanted to find an alternative method to replicate those confidential one-to-one meetings between our customers and technology colleagues”

Magewell today announced a new upgrade of its free Capture Express recording application that expands the software's streaming capabilities. Version 3.2 adds new support for multiple streaming technologies including the Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) protocol developed and open-sourced by Haivision.

While Magewell capture devices feature extensive compatibility with popular third-party software for streaming, live production, web conferencing, lecture capture and more, the Capture Express software offers Magewell users a lightweight, dedicated tool for recording, previewing or streaming input sources. Originally designed to help users easily verify their input signals and capture devices, Capture Express has evolved into a simple yet full-fledged capture application supporting video up to 4K at 60 frames per second.

Version 3.0 of Capture Express initially offered easy recording and previewing functionality, and the subsequent version 3.1 added the ability to stream H.264-encoded video using the RTMP protocol. Now, version 3.2 further expands the software's streaming flexibility with support for the SRT protocol as well as MPEG-TS over UDP or RTP. Enabling secure, reliable, low-latency video delivery over unpredictable networks, SRT ensures high-quality streaming experiences even over the public internet. Magewell is a member of the SRT Alliance.

As audience appetites for sports coverage continue to increase, FOR-A Corporation of America offers a range of FT-ONE variable frame rate cameras to deliver the action in super slow motion. Recent advances now allow playback of 4K video at up to 1,000 frames per second to provide incredible detail for live broadcast applications.

“Sports continue to be a driving factor in the need for high frame rate cameras, and nobody delivers instant replays like FOR-A,” explained Ken Truong, President of FOR-A Corporation of America. “Our FT-ONE special purpose cameras are designed for super-slo-mo 4K acquisition of sports and other live event footage, and can be combined with other FOR-A tools to deliver unprecedented replay flexibility.”

For example, several FT-ONE-SS4K cameras were used for critical ultra-slo-mo replays during the live broadcast of the 2019 Champions League final in Madrid, as well as other high-profile live sports event across the world. The exceptional feature of the FT-ONE-SS4K is “brightness.” When equipped with a B4 bayonet lens, the camera shoots footage up to four times brighter than models with a PL lens. Plus, the FT-ONE-SS4K shoots up to 1,000 fps in 4K, offers simultaneous record and playback with internal memory, and features independent real-time 4K or HD output. Other features include 24-axis color correction and compatibility with Canon’s OLED viewfinder.

RTL Croatia, one of Croatia's largest broadcasters, has chosen Riedel Communications' MediorNet real-time network and Artist digital matrix intercom for its comprehensive studio upgrade to HD operations. MediorNet and Artist are at the core of an integrated and decentralized signal routing and communications backbone that drives RTL's news and master control rooms, including a large video wall with more than 100 picture-in-picture (PiP) displays.

Launched in 2004, RTL Croatia is a division of RTL Group, a Luxembourg-based digital media company with interests in 61 television and 30 radio stations in 10 countries. Working with Riedel's local distributor and consultant, AVC Zagreb, RTL Croatia has just finished a four-year project to upgrade its production facilities to deliver its eight channels in HD. The latest HD channel, RTL Adria, went live in January.

"When RTL Croatia presented their requirements for a comprehensive networking and routing solution for the studio upgrade, we had no hesitation in recommending Riedel Communications," said Juraj Novina, Sales Manager at AVC Zagreb. "We were completely confident that MediorNet could provide the seamless, reliable, and high-quality signal transport and communications needed for RTL's new HD service. Plus, MediorNet also gives RTL the guarantee of a smooth transition to IP in the future, with the proven track record of a market-tested solution."

Black Box, a global information technology solutions provider, is expanding its award-winning Emerald® Unified KVM platform with the release of Emerald PE high-performance, IP-based KVM extenders tailored to the demands of applications including HD video and audio editing, live production, broadcast playout, 3D and graphic design, and medical imaging.

Emerald PE transmitters and receivers enable extension and matrix switching of pixel-perfect HD DVI video (up to 1920x1200 at 60Hz), transparent USB 2.0, and bidirectional analog audio — over a dedicated or existing IP network, or even the internet — between any number of users and computers, servers, or virtual machines. The IP-based KVM solution features built-in system redundancy with dual network ports and can be deployed as a point-to-point KVM extender connecting the user to a remote computer or, when scaled up, can serve as a managed KVM matrix switching system.

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that Foxtel, a leading subscription-TV provider in Australia, has deployed Harmonic's software-based Electra® XOS live video processor to increase efficiencies in its Ultra HD service offering. Utilizing the AI-powered Electra XOS solution, Foxtel is able to deliver additional Ultra HD programming using the same fixed bandwidth capacity.

"Video delivery technologies have evolved tremendously over the past few years, enabling even greater efficiencies," said Darren Windus, distribution systems manager at Foxtel. "As a longstanding Harmonic customer, transitioning to the Electra XOS solution allows us to take advantage of advanced technologies, such as AI, and as a result deliver richer Ultra HD content with amazing quality at low bitrates."

Harmonic's Electra XOS solution, part of Harmonic's market-leading Electra family, brings together industry-leading expertise in video algorithms and the latest in AI innovation to deliver exceptional video quality when bandwidth is limited. The solution supports streaming and broadcast formats, HDR processing, uncompressed and compressed IP inputs, and integrated packaging to simplify live video workflows. The software-based Electra XOS platform allows for continual updates with the latest technology advancements, ensuring that Foxtel stays ahead of the curve.

"Today's viewers expect to watch Ultra HD channels, especially for live sports. But delivering higher resolution content can put a significant strain on the operators' network capacity," said Tony Berthaud, vice president of sales and video services, APAC, at Harmonic. "Foxtel trusted Harmonic's expertise in high-efficiency encoding to simplify the launch of its Ultra HD programming. This successful deployment at Foxtel is a clear demonstration of the world-class video quality, optimized bandwidth and system reliability that the Electra XOS solution provides."

Magewell will unveil its most powerful decoder hardware to date in booth SU5724 at the 2020 NAB Show (April 19-22 in Las Vegas). Believed to be the industry's first hardware decoder to support both Newtek's NDI(r) technology for production-grade media transport and the Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) protocol -- developed and open-sourced by Haivision -- for internet-delivered H.264 and H.265 streams, the Pro Convert for NDI(r) to HDMI 4K transforms IP streams up to 4Kp60 for baseband output over HDMI.

The company is also simultaneously launching a second new model, the Pro Convert H.26x to HDMI 4K, which offers the same rich features as the Pro Convert for NDI(r) to HDMI 4K for users who don't require NDI support. Both models also support additional streaming protocols including RTSP, RTMP, UDP, RTP and HTTP streaming.

The two new low-latency converters decode input streams up to 4196x2160 at full 60 frames per second for output to baseband monitors, projectors, production or distribution equipment via an HDMI 2.0 interface. Offering the high reliability, assured performance and compact size of dedicated hardware compared to software-based stream playout, they are perfect for applications including multi-site video distribution; image magnification (IMAG); video walls; digital signage; remote production; or bridging legacy and next-generation media infrastructures.