The Future Group, creators of live photo-realistic virtual production system Pixotope®, today announced it has introduced version 1.4 of the software. This includes full support for Unreal Engine version 4.25, as well as other improvements around connectivity and workflows.

Magewell has introduced a trio of new models in its Pro Convert family of low-latency video-over-IP encoders and decoders. The Pro Convert 12G SDI Plus encoder converts 4K/60fps, 12G-SDI input signals into full-bandwidth NDI(r) streams, while the Pro Convert for NDI(r) to SDI and Pro Convert H.26x to SDI decoders transform NDI, H.264 or H.265 streams into high-quality SDI outputs for connection to monitors, projectors and legacy equipment.

Magewell today announced new updates for the company's Pro Convert for NDI(r) to HDMI and Pro Convert for NDI(r) to HDMI 4K standalone IP decoders that further expand the devices' support for Newtek's evolving NDI(r) media-over-IP technology. The free upgrades add compatibility with the high-efficiency, lower-bitrate NDI(r)|HX mode in NDI(r) 4, complementing the decoders' existing support for full-bandwidth NDI streams.

Magewell – the award-winning developer of innovative video interface and IP workflow solutions – today announced the sixth model in its Eco Capture family of ultra-compact, power-efficient, M.2 video capture cards. Providing input signal compatibility for older 4K source equipment, the Eco Capture QL-SDI 4K M.2 captures one channel of video – with embedded audio – up to 4096x2160 at 60 frames per second over quad-link, 3G-SDI connectivity.

Mo-Sys, a world leader in precision camera tracking solutions for virtual studios and augmented reality, has brought virtual studio production within reach of everyone with StarTracker Studio, the world’s first pre-assembled production package. The system is scalable to any size production, and can support 4K Ultra HD.

Critical for virtual studio and augmented reality production is to track the position of each camera in three-dimensional space across all six axes of movement. StarTracker from Mo-Sys is proven as the most precise and reliable camera tracking package, using dots on the studio ceiling (“stars”) which are placed at random and tracked to plot camera positions with extraordinary accuracy.

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.

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.

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.

Blackmagic Design today announced that LA based event production company No Static AV (NSAV) used an Ultra HD live production workflow featuring URSA Broadcast cameras and ATEM switchers to deliver in house AV and IMAG for the annual Baby2Baby fundraising gala, which raises millions of dollars for the nonprofit and the children living in poverty that it serves.

Held at the 3Labs event space in Culver City, CA, the Baby2Baby gala brings together celebrities, entrepreneurs and philanthropists, and the evening hosts the top chefs in Los Angeles, an exclusive auction and inspiring program, all while honoring this year’s Giving Tree Award winner, Chrissy Teigen. Past honorees include Amy Adams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Garner, Kerry Washington, Kate Hudson, Drew Barrymore and Jessica Alba.

With no shortage of AV deliverables, NSAV used its mobile production unit featuring a custom made flypack designed specifically with the Baby2Baby gala in mind. The unit relied on several Blackmagic Design products, including four URSA Broadcasts complete with URSA Studio Viewfinders, four Camera Fiber Converters and four Studio Fiber Converters for fiber connectivity between the cameras and switcher, an ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K and ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel for live switching, and a Smart Videohub 20x20 router to distribute content throughout the venue. NSAV also used an ATEM Camera Control Panel for remote camera control and Teranex AV standards converter for on the fly conversions.

NSAV praised the image quality from the URSA Broadcasts and the ease of use of the live production gear. The URSA Broadcasts were used for IMAG and the content was also recorded in camera in 4K and in 1080 at the mobile production unit. Camera Fiber Converters and Studio Fiber Converters were necessary for fiber communication between the cameras and the switcher, giving the team real time control of all camera aspects, and the ATEM Camera Control Panel allowed NSAV to properly adjust color correction, shading and shutter speed during rehearsals and the live show.

Magewell has announced a versatile new conversion product that seamlessly brings together the worlds of IP-based streaming and baseband AV presentation equipment. The new Pro Convert H.26x to HDMI multi-protocol, SRT-compatible streaming media decoder will make its first public appearance in stand 8-G475 at the ISE 2020 exhibition in Amsterdam.

While earlier Pro Convert models transform professional AV signals to and from NewTek’s NDI® AV-over-IP technology, the new Pro Convert H.26x to HDMI decodes a standard H.264 (AVC) or H.265 (HEVC) compressed video stream into a high-quality HDMI output for connection to baseband monitors, projectors and switchers. Supporting a wide range of streaming protocols for maximum source compatibility, the low-latency decoder is ideal for applications including multi-site video distribution between corporate, educational and church campuses; remote production; surveillance monitoring; digital signage and more.

The Pro Convert H.26x to HDMI is Magewell’s first product to support the SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) open source protocol. Enabling secure, resilient, low-latency video delivery over unpredictable networks, SRT ensures high-quality streaming experiences even over the public internet. Magewell is a proud member of the SRT Alliance. Other supported protocols include RTSP, RTMP, UDP, RTP and HTTP streaming.

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.

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.

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.”

Blackmagic Design today announced that Teleclub, Switzerland’s leading Pay TV network, has implemented an UltraHD video playout system, built around a Blackmagic Design 12G infrastructure, to support an increased volume of linear and pay per view (PPV) live sports channels.

The network recently expanded its output to offer more than 83 channels, including eight in Ultra HD, broadcasting in German, French and Italian, and covering a wide range of sports including top flight European and national football leagues, ice hockey and others via its IPTV platform.

“We needed to double Teleclub’s capacity to feed additional HD and UHD PPV channels, studio production facilities, as well as additional commentary and graphics elements,” explains Remo Val, system and software engineer, Teleclub. “When we considered our UltraHD requirements, it was clear that a single link 12G-SDI network would ensure we had enough capacity in our server rooms and keep cabling and signal distribution hubs as streamlined as possible.”

18 ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K have been installed, with each one serving two of the HD or UltraHD channels, with a separate M/E attributed to each channel. Each switcher is paired with a video/CG server, developed inhouse at Teleclub using DeckLink Quad 2 capture cards and Caspar CG, for live video playout.

Leading London boutique post house Fifty Fifty has added a second Baselight grading suite as part of its expansion programme. With the growing interest in top end content for broadcast and streaming, both suites are equipped for 4K and HDR Ultra HD, and certified for Dolby Vision grading and delivery.