Uncut Gems is the latest movie from directing duo, the Safdie Brothers. The movie tells the story of a charismatic New York City jeweller and gambler (Adam Sandler), and is set in the diamond industry of New York. So it is appropriate that the colour palette was created at The Mill NY by colourist and director of DI, Damien Van Der Cruyssen.

Van Der Cruyssen collaborated closely with cinematographer Darius Khondji, as well as the Safdie Brothers, all of whom he had worked with previously on the Jay-Z video for Mercy Me. “At that point I got a good understanding of their relationships and how I could fit into the equation.”

Visually, Uncut Gems has a classic New York City look, but with a modern twist. “The Diamond District hasn’t changed much over the last forty years, so it automatically had that 70’s ‘noir’ feel,” commented Van Der Cruyssen. “But we wanted to break away from the steely, gritty New York to a more real-life aesthetic – less forced and contrived.”

Around half of the movie was shot on 35mm film to give it a more natural look, which meant Van Der Cruyssen had to treat the digital footage to match. “Marrying the film footage with the digital scenes was quite challenging,” he explained. “So I asked the crew to shoot some grain elements that could be overlaid in Baselight and adjusted per scene.”

The final ISE exhibition in Amsterdam before the show’s move to Barcelona is shaping up to be a big one for video capture, conversion and streaming innovator Magewell. Exhibiting in stand 8-G475 from February 11 to 14, the company will feature the global debuts of new products alongside the first ISE showings of several recently unveiled solutions.

Making its world premiere at ISE 2020, the ultra-compact, power-efficient Eco Capture SDI 4K Plus M.2 card captures 4K video at 60 frames per second over a single-link, 12G-SDI interface for use with popular AV software applications. Four additional models in the Eco Capture family will also be shown, as well as the company’s popular Pro Capture series of PCIe cards and USB Capture line of external capture devices.

Magewell will also showcase the industry’s broadest range of low-latency NDI® hardware converters to help simplify the transition to AV over IP for both integrators and end users. The Pro Convert family now offers six NDI encoder models and two decoders, including the recently-released Pro Convert for NDI to HDMI decoder for transforming NDI streams into high-quality HDMI baseband outputs.

24i, the industry-leading, global video experience company, today announced that it has created, and launched a new suite of applications and Subscription Video-On-Demand (VOD) services for US-based video streaming service BroadwayHD.

The premier streaming service for live theatre BroadwayHD is available online at broadwayhd.com, and via a dedicated app on iOS,Android, Apple TV, Amazon Firestick and Roku.

Included among the recent hit productions released on the service are 42nd Street and Kinky Boots, both filmed on the West End by the BroadwayHD team, along with other recent and iconic stage shows such as Cats, King and I, and An American in Paris.

“We’re committed to providing the very best Broadway streaming experience to our growing global fanbase,“ said Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley, co-founders and co-owners, BroadwayHD. “We’re extremely pleased with the OTT solution provided by 24i, which has enabled us to launch our next-generation video service across multiple platforms and devices, introduce new business models and refresh and enrich our user experience. The high performance of this new platform enables us to concentrate on the quality of our content and growing the global audience for BroadwayHD.”

24i has worked in partnership with the subscriber retention management company Cleeng to deliver BroadwayHD a robust end-to-end OTT video solution that accelerates growth by simplifying the management, marketing, and monetization of its content while providing subscribers with a rich, personalized and easy to navigate experience on any device.

Magewell will launch a powerful new model in its Eco Capture family of ultra-compact, power-efficient, M.2 video capture cards at the upcoming ISE 2020 exhibition in Amsterdam. The high-performance Eco Capture SDI 4K Plus M.2 captures one channel of 4K video up to 4096x2160 at full 60 frames per second over a single-link, 12G-SDI interface. The new card will make its global debut in stand 8-G475 at the event, taking place February 11-14, 2020.

Ideal for use in small and embedded systems where full-sized PCIe slots are not available, the cost-effective Eco Capture family offers systems integrators and OEM developers a robust capture solution with low power consumption for space-constrained applications. The low-latency Eco Capture devices feature a high-speed PCIe 2.0 bus interface with an M.2 connector and measure just 22x80mm (0.87x3.15in), matching the M.2 2280 size specification.

The new 4K 12G-SDI model joins four existing Eco Capture M.2 configurations: a single-channel model that captures 4K video at 30fps via an HDMI interface; dual-channel models that capture HD and 2K video over HDMI or SDI; and a quad-channel HD/2K model with SDI inputs. All five Eco Capture products also support up to eight channels of embedded audio per input.

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.

Riedel's Artist-1024 digital matrix intercom system and Bolero wireless intercom system are supporting state-of-the-art communications capabilities within Videe SpA's innovative new 4K HDR OB van, OBX VIDEE. The Riedel systems provide the power, density, and flexibility critical for pioneering remote production operations.

"Videe SpA is well known for its ability to leverage cutting-edge technologies to achieve the performance and functionality essential to demanding remote productions," said Giuseppe Angilello, Italy Sales Manager, Riedel Communications. "With Artist and Bolero, we've delivered on both counts to bring clear, flexible, and reliable communications to Videe's new OB van. As a true, native 4K unit, OBX VIDEE has the power and sophistication to support the most challenging projects — and the ease of use, compact size, and straightforward configuration of our intercom systems make them an ideal fit."

OBX VIDEE is a triple-expanding mobile production unit that can support up to 30 cameras. Based on client requirements, the van can be configured with dual control rooms or as one large, 75-square-meter production area that can accommodate up to 36 onboard team members. The OB van was engineered for the future by Videe and systems integrator Chromaline, with a design that meets each and every production demand with the best, most intuitive, and most efficient technical solution. As a top-end OB production system, OBX is ideal to provide host broadcasting services for major live sporting, music, cultural, and entertainment events worldwide. Integrating smoothly into the van's IP infrastructure, the Artist and Bolero systems along with 36 RSP-2318 SmartPanels, on board OBX VIDEE play a critical role by enabling clear communications tailored to the requirements of each production.

AVer Europe has announced the launch of the M17-13M, its new mechanical arm visualiser, to the UK market. Boasting a 13-megapixel camera, 35.2X total zoom and full HD quality, the M17-13M offers one of the highest visualiser specifications available to education institutions to transform teaching and learning practices.

Operating as a document camera with impressive angle control, the M17-13M visualiser enables users to capture the best image clarity and detail. The onboard annotation capability provides users with the opportunity to add notes, highlight important information or add captions to presentation material easily, making explaining a tricky concept or a key point to a classroom simple.

Designed with a fully adjustable neck and head, the M17-13M visualiser can rotate, swivel, expand and collapse for the perfect angle to display presentation materials, including paper or 3D models. Its versatile compact design means it can be neatly folded away, making it ideal for quick storage or sharing between classrooms and practitioners. The product is bundled with AVER’s A+ Suite classroom software for visualisers and comes with a five-year warranty.

Videosys Broadcast, a leading supplier of quality camera control systems, RF links and camera backs to outside broadcast providers has announced that it has supplied two DTC 4K AEON-CC digital video transmitter systems to Cloudbass, a leading provider of broadcast solutions.

Specifically designed for high-quality wireless camera applications the AEON-CC uses DTC’s next-generation HEVC encoder technology facilitating UHD images. The system consists of one single 4K transmitter unit from DTC coupled with a built-in Videosys Camera Control system. The advantage of the AEON CC with Videosys’ camera control receiver built into the unit is a reduction in the equipment count and the complexities that come when managing 4K transmission and camera control simultaneously.

Cloudbass have been successfully using the systems on UHD, 3G and HD setups across a variety of live Outside Broadcasts, including both SKY Boxing and BT Speedway in UHD, on the British Touring Cars for ITV Sport, and The Lord Mayor’s Show for BBC Events.

Blackmagic Design today announced that its ATEM Constellation 8K live production switcher was used as part of an Ultra HD 12G-SDI and fiber live production workflow at WE Fest, the largest country music festival in the United States and the longest running in the world.

Now in its 37th year, the three day festival took place in Detroit Lakes, MN, in August 2019 with performances from stars such as Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, Brooks and Dunn, LeAnn Rimes and more.

The ATEM Constellation 8K is the heart of a new flypack from Pennsylvania based full service video production company Upstage Video, which also includes Blackmagic Design’s Smart Videohub 12G 40x40 router, ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Panel and more. Built specifically for the concert touring and music festival industry, the Ultra HD 12G-SDI and fiber flypack was responsible for switching and video distribution for WE Fest’s two 17’ x 27’ on stage screens and 12’ x 21’ front of house screen, as well as for closed circuit distribution and simulcasts in the VIP campsites and vendor areas.

“What’s unique about this flypack is that its modular design allows it to break into three racks with the director’s rack sitting front of house,” explained Upstage Video’s Project Manager Greg Brown. “In the U.S., most directors are typically set up backstage, while U.K. directors typically sit front of house so they can see lighting, etc. However, in the U.S., we’ve been seeing a trend where more and more directors prefer front of house because they want to have the energy from the show and the audience, which is hard to get backstage. It was important for us to develop a flypack that could easily provide a front of house director position with engineering backstage.”

Imagine Communications has delivered core technology for a major refresh of an outside broadcast truck for NEP Belgium. As well as providing state-of-the-art and future-proofed solutions, a key part of the challenge was the very tight timescale allocated to complete the refurbishment. Imagine Communications was able to deliver on the tough timetable with the support of its Belgian dealer and partner, VP Media Solutions.

“Our Unit 14 still had many kilometres in it, but with a technology platform that was life-expired,” said Geert Thoelen, transitions manager at NEP Belgium. “We wanted a solution that would fit into the existing space, would give us all the functionality we need today, and be ready for the future, including increasing use of IP connectivity. And we could really only take the truck off the road for little more than a month earlier this year, so our partner had to be capable of moving swiftly to install and commission.”

Imagine Communications was able to comfortably meet the requirements. The new infrastructure is built around the Platinum™ IP3 router. In a single 15RU chassis, this router provides very high-density switching of today’s SDI-HD signals. It is also capable of seamlessly integrating uncompressed video over IP, so is ready to form the basis of a migration to IP connectivity — for example, to introduce Ultra HD signals. In Unit 14, the Platinum IP3 router is also fitted with the Platinum SX Pro multiviewer cards, adding functionality while reducing rack occupancy and power consumption.

Imagine’s Magellan™ SDN Orchestrator provides overall system control in the truck. It is specifically designed to provide unified operational interfaces in a hybrid environment, easing the transition between traditional, SDI-connected technology and software-defined, IP-connected architectures.