Leader Europe has provided two LV7300 rasterizing waveform monitors to the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden. They were chosen as part of an extensive UHD/HDR upgrade carried out to the facilities used to relay stage performances for live viewing by cinema audiences in Europe and for distribution to other venues around the world.

"We needed instruments that would operate reliably in our current HD-SDR production environment and in the 4K-HDR standard to which we aspire," comments ROH Media broadcast engineer and production mixer Mark Thackeray. "The Royal Opera House in London has been broadcasting live to cinemas in 5.1 surround sound for 10 years. In any one season we transmit 12 or more productions."

"Our first 4K-HDR project was a documentary in 2017 for NHK. Leader lent us an LV5490 portable waveform monitor for that production as we needed the ability to capture, monitor and deliver Rec. 2020 wide color gamut video. The instrument functioned well both as an engineering reference and with its intuitive CINEZONE and CINELITE toolsets which are particularly useful during live production.

"For permanent installation, we decided on two LV7300 rasterizers which provide a full set of 12G/3G/HD/SD-SDI measurement facilities that our production staff can view on a larger display screen. The instruments are useful both to ensure accurate color matching of camera channels and for ensuring that we are delivering the best possible signal quality right through the production chain."

Following recent investment in Leader LV7600 UHD HDR rasterizers for its UHD and HDR capable grading and finishing areas, dock10 has purchased a Leader LV5600 SDI/IP waveform monitor as part of ongoing technical development of the production resources supporting MediaCity UK in Salford. The LV5600 was supplied by Leader Europe UK channel partner Jigsaw24. It will be integrated into dock10's newly completed UHD HDR live production system, checking incoming camera feeds from multiple studio cameras to ensure uniform alignment and color matching.

"Ultra high definition and high dynamic range each have an important role to play in the television industry as it progresses to meet rising viewer expectations," comments John O’Shaughnessy, Head of Technology Operations at dock10. "The greater quality made possible by originating content in higher resolution and wider illumination span opens up many new opportunities for content creators. It also increases the long-term value of their productions. Leader's LV5600 incorporates the tools our operators and technicians need to ensure the full impact of UHD and HDR is carried from the point of capture in the studio front end right through to each viewer's display screen."

Catalonia's public broadcaster Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation (Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals or CCMA) has chosen Leader's LV7300 rasterizer as the master reference instrument as part of an upgrade to HD-HDR at its Audiovisual Production Centre in Barcelona. The CCMA's primary channel is TV3 Catalonia which is transmitted to viewers in Catalonia, Andorra and the Balearic Islands.

Supplied by Leader distribution partner SetUp Electrónica, the LV7300 will be used to check video and audio signal quality in a newly equipped studio equipped to support 4K, HD and super slow motion. The studio's primary role will be to create high quality HD-HDR content.

"Sourcing from 4K-native Sony cameras with  IP connectivity and ITU-R BT 2020 color gamut will allow us to capture images with very rich colors, greater than ever contrast and high detail," says TV3 Area of Exploitation director Ramon Sangrà.

"Leader's LV7300 rasterizer gives our operators all the tools they need to ensure that these enhancements are carried right through the production process from capture, post and archiving to actual transmission. The instrument's ability to handle 4K helps to safeguard our investment as the broadcast industry embraces ever higher standards."

TVN MOBILE PRODUCTION has chosen Leader LV5600 test instruments as the technical reference for its newly completed UE6 4K HDR OB truck, reported to be the largest of its kind in Europe. Built in partnership between TVN and Sony, the vehicle is optimised for high quality UHD, HD and mixed format production in both HDR and SDR. Its first deployment was at the Northern Ireland v Germany UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier in Belfast in September.

Leader LV5490, LV5350 and LV5333 test equipment formed the core signal monitoring resource deployed by Barcelona-based television production group Mediapro for its coverage of the recent UEFA Champions League Final in Madrid. Selected by UEFA as the host broadcaster, Mediapro fielded multiple OB vehicles, 42 cameras and more than 150 crew to capture the match for 4K and HD simulcasting. The project was accomplished in cooperation with system specialist and production services provider Mediaburst.

Densitron, a creator of HMI technologies and global leader in display, monitor and embedded computing solutions, is launching a new series of open and closed frame TFT displays with touchscreens, offering equipment manufacturers extreme flexibility and opportunities for customisation.

Leader Electronics (www.leader.co.jp/en) will demonstrate remote production and high dynamic range measurement applications of its LV5600 video waveform monitor on stand 200 with distribution partner Jigsaw24 at the June 11th to 12th Media Production Show in London's Olympia exhibition centre.