Prism Sound audio conversion equipment is playing a key role in a marathon restoration project that will see 233 analogue master tapes converted into useable digital WAV. files.

The tapes belong to Good Time Records (GTR), an international catalogue owner and label with offices in the UK and US (Nashville). Content included in these tapes comes from the Crash, Satril and Catawba labels, all three of which were formerly administered by the Henry Hadaway Organisation (HHO), a company established in 1969 by Henry Hadaway MBE.

HHO became an innovator in the independent record label sector and it achieved great success during the 1970s and 1980s with artists such as The Sandpipers, The Rockin’ Berries, Kenny Lynch, Frankie Vaughan, Lyn Paul (ex-New Seekers), The Tweets, Marvin Gaye, Wilson Picket, Brook Benton and Jackie Moore. GTR, which regularly buys vintage catalogues, acquired the Crash, Satril and Catawba labels in 2020 as part of a multi-label catalogue deal.

The masters currently being restored comprise the recording archive of the former Satril Studios in North London. Among them is The Birdie Song by The Tweets, which sold over 1.6 million copies in the UK alone.

The digitization of GTR’s archive is being undertaken by sound engineer Graham Joiner, who runs a specialist audio restoration company in Brentwood, Essex. His studio is equipped with three Prism Sound Titan audio interfaces, which were specifically acquired to tackle the GTR project.

Today, Maxon released a VFX tutorial inspired by the upcoming sci-fi epic, “Dune,” the latest adaptation of the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. In this Cheap Tricks episode, now out on YouTube, Dan “Hashi” Hashimoto, the Action Movie Dad, shows viewers how to recreate the film’s iconic defensive Holtzman Shield force field and other cool compositing effects in Adobe® After Effects® with tools from Red Giant Complete.

Today, Maxon announced, for the first time ever, two major new suite updates at once: Red Giant Trapcode Suite 16 and Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite 14. Updates to Trapcode Suite - a set of 11 tools for particle simulation and 3D effects for motion graphics and VFX - include new physics models, behaviors and a new type of emitter in Trapcode Particular, plus smaller updates to Trapcode Form and Trapcode Mir. Magic Bullet Suite 14 - a set of seven tools for color correction, finishing and film looks - includes new color workflows and powerful tools in Magic Bullet Looks and Magic Bullet Colorista.

Densitron, the global leader in innovative Human Machine Interaction (HMI) and display technology, has announced a new long-term partnership with measurement and monitoring specialist Bridge Technologies. Together the two companies will offer broadcast customers advanced solutions for the display and analysis of standard-based IP video streams that combine the functionality of Densitron’s IDS (Intelligent Display System) platform with Bridge Technologies’ software and hardware systems for broadcast measurement and monitoring.

London, UK, 19 June 2020: Mo-Sys Engineering, a global leader in real time camera tracking and remote systems, has announced a revolutionary approach to bringing the atmosphere back to live sport amid covid-19 restrictions. Providing precision, zero-latency tracking for any camera (including ultra-long box lenses for sport), the Mo-Sys camera tracking kit interfaces directly to the Unreal Engine or any broadcast render engine, allowing production companies to add virtual crowds to stands.

“After so many weeks, sports fans are desperate for any action,” said Michael Geissler, CEO of Mo-Sys. “But the frustration will turn to disappointment if the atmosphere of the game falls flat because of empty stands. We have developed a camera tracking kit which any outside broadcast can implement quickly and simply, capable of filling the stands with a virtual, but enthusiastic, crowd.”

The Mo-Sys camera tracking encoders are quickly mounted onto broadcast standard Vinten Vector heads, with no impact on the camera’s perfect balance and no backlash when panning and tilting. Zoom data is collected either by gear encoders or by a serial data link to digital lenses. The combined tracking data is sent over ethernet to the workstation hosting the augmented reality software.

“We are known for the absolute precision and stability of our camera tracking – that’s why Hollywood relies on our technology,” Geissler added. “In this application, we deliver precise tracking, including compensation for lens distortion, even when a 100:1 lens is zoomed fully.”

Mo-Sys has worked with Epic Games to develop a tight interface to the Unreal Engine, including support for the latest version 4.25 software. The result is that highly photo-realistic augmented reality – such as crowds filling the stands – can be integrated into live production with no limitations and negligible latency. The kit includes the bolt-on encoding kit for Vinten heads and the lens calibration tools.

Users can see the technology in action in a Mo-Sys LiveLab webinar, which will also include contributions from Epic Games and Canon. The webinars are on 30 June, at 10.00 (register at https://bit.ly/2N1Ve44) and repeated at 18.00 (register at https://bit.ly/30GqFZP). Michael Geissler of Mo-Sys will also join a distinguished panel with the RTS Thames Valley Creative Centre’s look at production techniques for audience shows in a time of pandemic on Thursday 25 June at 17.00 (register free at https://rts.org.uk/event/future-studio-audience).

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About Mo-Sys:

Mo-Sys is a world-leading provider of camera tracking and camera robotic systems supplying to broadcasters such as BBC, Sky, Fox, ESPN, CNN Discovery Channel, The Weather Channel and Netflix among many more. With a passion for innovation and design, Mo-Sys is at the forefront of live AR and virtual production technology with their StarTracker camera tracking system now powering more than 100 virtual TV studios around the world. For further information, www.mo-sys.com

Mo-Sys Company Contact:

Adam Smith, Marketing

adam@mo-sys.com

+44 (0) 208 858 3205

Mo-Sys Media Contact:

Jennie Marwick-Evans

jennie@manormarketing.tv

+44 (0) 7748 636 171

Sachtler's flowtech100 carbon-fibre tripod was a critical tool in the production of "Skid Row Marathon," an award-winning documentary from filmmakers Gabriele Hayes and Mark Hayes. "Skid Row Marathon" tells the inspiring story of Superior Court Judge Craig J. Mitchell and the people of the Skid Row Running Club in Los Angeles, who have turned their lives around through the empowering sport of long-distance running.

"At least 60,000 people live on the streets and in the shelters of Los Angeles County — many of them stuck in a downward spiral of addiction and despair. As the founder of the Skid Row Running Club, Judge Mitchell has helped to save hundreds of them," said Gabriele Hayes. "It's an incredibly powerful story, and the flowtech100 tripod helped us tell it. A tripod this lightweight and easy to set up and adjust, while sturdy and stable enough to handle our heaviest payload, really is a game-changer."

Custom Consoles announces the completion and installation of eight control desks and a large MediaWall monitor display support system for NEP Media Solutions BV. Located in the master control room at the company's studios in Hilversum's Media Park, the desks are configured in front and rear rows for use by up to six and four operators respectively.

"The desks are similar in style and colour scheme to a suite we produced in early 2018 for another NEP television studio facility," says Custom Consoles' Sales Manager Gary Fuller. "The forward desk centres on a dual-operator bridge with a total of eight forward-sloping 4U equipment pods. This is constructed as a rectangular unit with space for two operators. Left and right of the bridge are two units of identical design to the bridge but angled to match the curve of the 13.9 metre wide six-frame MediaWall. The MediaWall itself is one of the largest we have produced to date, each of the six frames accommodating four 55 inch UHD displays to create an 11-wide by two-high screen array with two additional pairs of 32 inch screens."

Sky News Australia has made a major investment in state-of-the-art robotic camera support systems from Vinten and Intelligent Prompting solutions from Autoscript for its six remote studios in Australia. With the latest build-out just completed in Sky News' Canberra Parliament House studio, the Vinten and Autoscript equipment is a vital link in the network's strategy to reduce operational costs through centralised, IP-based control of remote broadcasts.

Sky News is a 24/7 multi-channel network providing international news, local news, and current affairs programmes to viewers throughout Australia and New Zealand. With headquarters, master control, and main studio based in Sydney, the network operates remote studios in Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Sky News has fitted its Canberra Parliament House studio with three Vinten FH-145 robotic pan/tilt camera heads, driven by the Vinten HD-VRC control system, three Vinten Quattro pedestals, and three Autoscript EPIC-IP 19" prompting monitors with integrated talent feedback monitors, driven by Autoscript WinPlus-IP News prompting software. Amber Technology, a Vitec Production Solutions Premier Partner, supplied the Vinten and Autoscript solutions and partnered for the build-out.

Red Giant today announced the availability of Red Giant Complete for individuals, students and teachers. Expanding its software licensing options, Red Giant Complete is a subscription service that gives editors, motion designers and VFX artists all Red Giant tools at one low price – Trapcode Suite, Magic Bullet Suite, Universe, VFX Suite and Shooter Suite. With Red Giant Complete, annual subscribers will have the most up-to-date versions of all tools, saving thousands of dollars over traditional perpetual licenses.

Watch now: Red Giant Complete - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1nnDIlmEo8&feature=youtu.be

“Red Giant Complete has been available to our volume customers for years, with thousands of licenses in use at broadcast networks, film studios and universities. And now, due to popular demand, we're really excited to offer subscription licensing to all of our customers,” says Chad Bechert, CEO of Red Giant. “At the same time, nothing has changed. While we think Red Giant Complete is an incredible deal, we know some customers are more comfortable buying software the traditional way. We want to make sure our community of talented artists has what it needs, so we’re continuing to offer perpetual licenses at their usual prices.”

Red Giant Complete is $599 a year for individuals or $299 for students and teachers. Check out the Red Giant blog to learn more about how to switch over to Red Giant Complete and why now is the best time to make the switch, with a special, limited-time-only introductory offer for established Suite customers

Viaccess-Orca (VO), an Orange Group company and a global leader providing OTT and TV platforms, content protection, and advanced data solutions, announced today that the Malian Transmission and Broadcasting Corporation (SMTD) in West Africa has chosen VO's cardless Conditional Access System (CAS) to secure its free-to-view and pay-TV platforms as part of a nationwide government initiative to roll out digital terrestrial television (DTT). Thomson Broadcast has been tasked with handling the deployment for SMTD's new infrastructure, while also supplying the video headend, contribution and distribution network, and TV transmitters.

"We are excited about offering digital terrestrial television in Mali, as it will significantly improve our viewers' quality of experience while offering a broader range of content choices," said Ismaila Togola, CEO of SMTD. "Working with Thomson Broadcast and Viaccess-Orca, both leaders in their respective industries, will help us get this new DTT service securely deployed to market."