Polygon Labs, an innovative studio pushing the boundaries of interactive data applications and visual branding, is today announcing the launch of its centralized web-based weather data management and curation solution, Ipsum Weather. This announcement follows the recent release of Ipsum 2.0, the company’s data aggregation and visualization platform for broadcast news, sports, weather and branding.

Ipsum Weather, a data aggregation, management and playout scheduling solution for on-air weather presentations and sponsorship graphics, aggregates and curates weather data (point-data, satellite, radar, isobars, wind conditions, etc.) and weather alerts from a number of different providers. For gallery and studio weather graphics, the real-time weather data solution is fully integrated with Viz Trio and Viz Director for Viz Engine playout control, as well as newsroom templates in Viz Pilot. It can also provide database management and automated playlist control of master control weather graphics played out on Unreal Engine or Viz Engine.

Pixel Power, the global leader in graphics production and playout automation, has appointed Sarah Deas to its head office team. Deas will provide internal sales support to the sales teams in the Cambridge base and regional offices in North America, South-East Asia and the Middle East.

Leading playout automation and channel in a box specialist, Pebble Beach Systems, today announced that the state-owned public radio and television broadcaster for Greece, The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), has ordered a significant multi-site installation of Pebble’s Marina automation platform to transform the playout capabilities at its Athens headquarters, and their premises in Thessaloniki.

Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA), part of the Ministry of Media in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is replacing the playout technology for its main channels with an integrated solution from Imagine Communications. SBA, one of the most prestigious broadcasters in the Gulf region, is seeking to boost daily operational efficiency and eliminate human error for reliable and professional broadcasting.

To meet the requirements of SBA, Imagine Communications was able to propose a coherent end-to-end system covering network infrastructure, routing, monitoring, ingest, asset management and playout under ADC™ automation control, to replace the current system based on hardware from multiple vendors. The Imagine Communications proposal is largely based on software solutions running on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware, using industry-standard workstations from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). It includes a Platinum™ IP3 router to switch SD, HD and 3G signals, with the capability of adding real-time IP switching to support SBA’s development plans. Additionally, the IP3 router provides integrated multiviewer functionality to ensure all monitoring is handled in a space-saving frame.

Cinegy, the global leader for broadcast playout software in the cloud has announced a new partnership with New Hampshire-based US Broadcast, a broadcast distributor that uses its channel marketing and technical skill sets to tailor sales for the North American market.

US Broadcast CTO Eric Pratt said, "US Broadcast is currently busy aiding resellers and customers with the technical challenges of connecting video and audio workflows, using our expertise in IP video and remote production to solve their problems. Lately, we’ve had an increase in enquiries with customers looking for help bridging the distance between contributors and production and we’re finding Cinegy’s software-based solutions are particularly relevant at this time.”

Pebble Beach Systems, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist, today announced a strong set of results for the year ended 31 December 2019, with all key financial metrics ahead of 2018’s impressive figures.

The company increased its gross margin, and the net cash inflow from its operating activities. At £3.8m, the adjusted EBITDA figure was 52% higher than that for 2018. Revenues were also significantly up, at £11.2m compared to £9.2m in 2018, an increase of 22%.

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”

ATG Danmon announces the completion of a UHD video production facility for the London headquarters of Fidelity International. The project was prompted by Fidelity's recent relocation to a new office building in the centre of the city's financial district.

"As a flagship location, the Cannon Street office needed to be a future-focused space," says Adam Sheldrake, Head of Studios at Fidelity International . "Good communication is essential to our business so we make full use of video media for internal communication, podcasting and participation in finance-related broadcasts. ATG has worked very successfully with us in projects at our previous London headquarters as well as designing and equipping studios at our Hong Kong offices. I have always been happy with what they have provided and how they have supported us. They responded to a proposal based on our initial specification but, because of their experience in past projects for us, were able to suggest a more cost-effective approach which also provided more functionality and included kit of superior specification. The result meets our highest expectations."

"We have designed, integrated and configured a full TV studio and production control gallery plus a podcast studio with its dedicated control room, edit suites and a green room," adds ATG Danmon Managing Director Russell Peirson-Hagger. "The project also included cabling through from the control areas to a technical apparatus room."

ATG Danmon announces the completion of upgrades to OB link facilities in the City of Westminster, central London, for one of Europe's leading television news providers. The project centred on new interface portals at Abingdon Green adjacent to the UK Houses of Parliament, and in Downing Street. Abingdon Green is often used by TV and radio reporters as a location for interviews with politicians and political commentators. The Downing Street portal is frequently used by reporters and mobile production crews covering activity outside the residences of the UK prime minister and the chancellor of the exchequer.

"Our role was to modernise the cabling, fibre and connectivity at each portal," says ATG Danmon managing director Russell Peirson-Hagger. "These are used for many Westminster-related broadcasts, both live and recorded, in addition to similar facilities at various other key London locations. They also form part of the wide range of facilities offered to other broadcast and corporate clients."

"Both portals are equipped to handle 1920 x 1080p50 Full-HD HD-SDI and IP. They also include high quality multi-channel analogue audio in/outs, genlock reference, IP data, a video return feed, audio talkback and electrical power. Everything is housed in highly robust and fully weatherproof steel cases which are kept locked until actually needed."

"The project is the latest of several commissions we have completed for this client. We were chosen both for our proven experience and because we already had accreditation to work within the Palace of Westminster."

Delivering a solution to the cancellations of CABSAT and NAB, Pebble Beach is setting up virtual stands to demonstrate its market leading automation and playout technology. Spend one-to-one time with experts, see demonstrations or find out about the latest in Pebble Beach's R&D from 31 March to 2 April for CABSAT and for NAB from 20-22 April 2020, with the aim of enabling the most important side of any trade show – open discussion.

To underline its strengths in moving users from legacy architectures to software-centric, fully virtualized solutions for multi-platform playout and graphics production, Pixel Power is launching major new versions of its core software technologies: Gallium Workflow Orchestration and StreamMaster Media Processing. Gallium 3.0 and StreamMaster 2.0 each add significant enhancements covering usability, operational efficiency and connectivity through widely recognised standards.

Through its functional-block architecture, the Gallium workflow orchestration platform allows system architects to build carefully tailored solutions to meet precise customer workflow requirements. Version 3.0 adds more than 50 enhancements with significant new functionality and usability improvements. That includes both live and file-based open and closed subtitling; audio watermarking; live, scheduled and delayed recording and scripted configurable triggering of external systems. In line with Pixel Power’s policy of supporting open systems in a flexible way, these triggers can use REST, UDP and XML based integrations.

Pixel Power’s media processing platform, StreamMaster, also sees a significant new version which adds capabilities that are driven by real-world requirements. StreamMaster 2.0 adds UHD support; uncompressed I/O over SMPTE ST-2110; OP47 and SMPTE 2031 subtitle insertion and flexible recording of the main output, input sources or clean feeds including playback whilst recording. As well as scalable multi-channel master control playout, Gallium and StreamMaster can readily be configured to produce fast turnaround live content for VOD distribution, for example for catch-up and time-delayed channels, while retaining the flexibility to change elements of the output such as advertising.

Cinegy, the global leader for cloud and on-premise broadcast software solutions is reinforcing its strong support for Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) while at the same time making end-to-end workflows including for 8K and HDR, affordable. This fact is illustrated with its enhanced, new TV Pack solution for channel and studio-in-a-box applications.

Cinegy has long been a champion of SRT as it is essential for cloud operations and remote production providing inexpensive, secure delivery of IP video over the public Internet. SRT support is now an integral part of all Cinegy software products.

Cinegy Lewis Kirkaldie said, “SRT enables the development and deployment of many new applications, and makes the use of existing applications much easier because it eliminates any bandwidth limitations to using them. In effect, SRT opens the application floodgates.”

Globecast, the global solutions provider for media, has announced that Yann Madeleine has joined the company as Director of Sales, France and will sit on the company’s Executive Committee. He will join Globecast on March 16th, 2020. 

Mediaproxy, the leading provider of software-based IP broadcast solutions, will show the latest upgrades to its LogServer IP logging, monitoring and analysis system on booth A4-10 during CABSAT 2020 from 31 March to 2 April at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

CABSAT is the leading broadcast, satellite and content exhibition for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia markets. The show is a major draw for manufacturers of production, delivery and digital media technology. Now arranged to showcase three key broadcast sectors, CABSAT covers Content Creation, Content Production and Post-Production and Content Distribution and Delivery.

Mediaproxy produces technology that plays a major role in ensuring material leaving playout systems meets technical compliance standards. Platforms such as LogServer are also able to analyze and correct any problems or faults in the distribution chain. To perform these tasks more quickly and efficiently, Mediaproxy recently added exception-based monitoring to LogServer's feature set. This uses IP penalty boxes that allow broadcasters and MSOs (multiple system operators) working at scale to deal with QC and compliance more efficiently.

Interactivity is also a major consideration for broadcasters and service providers, particularly because social media is how many people access video today. Outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have different, specific requirements for how material is prepared and Mediaproxy has incorporated dedicated tools for this into LogServer. These include features for cropping the image and altering the aspect ratio to make it better suited to mobile devices, in addition to the capability for inserting ad bumpers.

Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of media technology and production solutions, has announced the opening of a new office in Istanbul - Cinegy Medya A - in order to provide faster and higher quality customer services to its business partners, system integrators and customers in the local region.

Cinegy's extensive customer base in Turkey includes the area’s largest media groups, training institutions and corporate customers. In order to respond to the ever-changing and developing workflow and transformational needs of these customers, Cinegy has put together a local team of experienced technical and sales personnel.

Cinegy GmbH Manager Director Daniella Weigner says: "We decided to open a local office in Turkey as it’s always been at the forefront of new technologies, research and practice for us and we’ve helped carry out a number of comprehensive and important projects there. We’re proud to have Murat Küçüksaraç heading up Cinegy Medya A as Chief Operating Officer who is building an innovative and experienced team. We are excited about this new structuring and the opportunities it will bring."