Monday April 7, 2003

Day of the Discs!

- Tape, could this really be the end?

Disc-based acquisition and editing that is robust and affordable. That's just one of the trends that has surfaced at this year's NAB with major product announcements from Sony, Panasonic and Thomson that move away from tape and embrace disc-based and/or solid state technology.

Sony Electronics' professional optical disc system made its public debut at this week's National Association of Broadcasters convention. Available in 3Q 2003, the comprehensive product line is poised to reshape electronic news gathering (ENG), electronic field production (EFP) and digital cinematography applications. Sony's optical disc system includes two camcorders, a battery-or AC-powered mobile deck, a compact deck, a studio deck and rewritable 12-centimeter (5-inch) media.
CNN will test the optical disc system within its ENG operations. The global cable network will test the integration of the new systems with contemporary tape-based systems this fall in order to exploit and measure the efficiency and economy gains promised by the new technology.
NBC will utilize the optical disc system in its coverage of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece to create profiles of athletes from around the world, one of many featured attractions in NBC's coverage of the Games.
Dispatch Broadcast Group will deploy the equipment at WBNS-TV in Columbus, the Ohio News Network and WTHR-TV in Indianapolis.
"I believe that our professional optical disc system will transform the broadcast industry in ways it hasn't seen since the Betacam format's arrival nearly 20 years ago," said Stephen Jacobs, senior vice president of Sony Electronics' broadcast and professional systems division. "In addition to offering superb picture quality, our optical disc system will offer significant workflow innovations, streamlining field acquisition and field editing, and enabling material to move at high-speed from the field to the station for editing."

Optical Disc Workflow Advantages

The professional optical disc system achieves workflow innovation by recording both the high-resolution original, as well as a lower-resolution but frame-accurate proxy audio and video. From the camcorder, or a battery-operated mobile deck, ENG and EFP teams will be able to transfer the proxy information to laptop editors or back to the studio at up to 30 times faster-than-real-time, so producers can immediately start writing scripts or editing programs.
Based on the data, field engineers will be able to transfer the high-resolution footage either as video or as a data file over IP networks, saving precious time during breaking news coverage. In the case of compact decks or studio decks, this proxy material will transfer at up to 50 times faster-than-real-time.
Sony says its optical disc recording technology integrates seamlessly with existing tape-based products by using industry standard DVCAM and MPEG IMX codecs.
The optical disc system also offers 24-frame shooting capabilities with an optional card that can be inserted into either camcorder. The 24-frame capability extends Sony's hierarchy of digital motion picture acquisition systems for documentary and independent movie production.
Full interoperability of tape and disc-based systems allows ongoing return on investment of existing infrastructure while opening the optical disc system's new possibilities. Optical decks will accept both formats and will interchange material across a broad range of analog A/V, digital A/V and information technology (IT) standards.
The optical system supports both the i.LINK and Ethernet interfaces for transferring assets as Material eXchange Format (MXF) files and is also remote management capable via Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) over IP networks.
Both the PDW-510 DVCAM camcorder and the PDW-530 MPEG IMX/DVCAM optical disc camcorder deliver superb imaging with 2/3-inch Power HAD image sensors and 12-bit analog-to-digital converters. Features include loop/interval recording on a built-in cache memory, Ethernet or wireless LAN interfaces through optional PC-card adaptors and a 2.5-inch (viewable area, measured diagonally) LCD monitor for playback, marking good shots and re-sequencing clips.
The two camcorders both have up to 30 times output capabilities of low-resolution, frame-accurate proxy audio and video. The PDW-510 DVCAM model and the PDW-530 MPEG IMX/DVCAM model will be offered for suggested list prices of USUS$19,900 and US$34,000, respectively.
The battery- or AC-powered PDW-V1 optical disc mobile player is a mobile deck that plays back DVCAM and MPEG IMX recordings for display on a built-in LCD or external standard monitor. The deck has a single optical head with a data transfer rate of up to 72Mbps. This supports up to 30 times faster-than-real-time transfer of low-resolution proxy video over i.LINK and Ethernet interfaces, in addition to MXF file transfers over a 100-BaseT network connection. Through these interfaces, the unit can record or output data files. The PDW-V1 mobile deck will have a suggested list price of US$7,000.
The PDW-1500 optical disc compact deck is an NLE companion deck, a half-rack feeding/recording machine for non-linear editing (NLE). The dual optical head design has a data transfer rate of up to 144Mbps and supports up to five times faster-than-real-time transfer of full-resolution DVCAM audio and video and up to 50 times real-time transfer of low-resolution proxy audio and video via its i.LINK or Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. Transfer speeds for MPEG 4:2:2 video range from four times real-time for MPEG 30Mbps to two-and-a-half-times real-time for MPEG 50Mbps. The PDW-1500 compact deck will have a suggested list price of approximately US$15,000.
The PDW-3000 optical disc studio deck is a standard editing deck that offers both DVCAM and MPEG IMX recording and playback, and provides a full complement of analog A/V, digital A/V and IT interfaces, including the i.LINK interface and Gigabit Ethernet port. The dual optical head design has a data transfer rate of up to 144Mbps and supports up to five times faster-than-real-time transfer of full-resolution DVCAM audio and video and up to 50 times real-time transfer of low-resolution proxy audio and video. Transfer speeds for MPEG 4:2:2 video range from four times real-time for MPEG 30Mbps to two-and-a-half-times real-time for MPEG 50Mbps. Supporting audio, video and remote-control interfaces, the studio deck works seamlessly with both non-linear and linear editing systems. The studio deck will be available for a suggested list price of approximately US$26,000.

Optical Disc Media

Building upon proven CD-RW/DVD-RW technology, the blue-laser optical disc system carries far greater information than conventional red lasers allowing a significant increase in data density. This yields a storage capacity of 23.3GB per disc - a five-fold increase over DVD's 4.7GB. Data transfer rates are as high as 144Mbps with the compact deck and the studio deck.
The rewritable five-inch media is encased in a protective cartridge, making the recording surface resistant to dust, shocks and scratches in the rigors of field use. Jacobs said that the heat-resistant medium is designed to record, erase and re-record more than 1,000 times and to read the written data more than one million times. He added that the disc's life expectancy is anticipated to extend beyond 30 years.
The blue laser disc offers familiar disc-type benefits, including split-second random access, no physical head contact during record/playback, and cost efficiency associated with the media. A single disc holds 90 minutes of DVCAM video material or 45 minutes of MPEG IMX material recorded at 50 Mbps, 60 minutes at 40 Mbps, and 75 minutes at 30 Mbps. A street price of less than US$30 per disc is anticipated at introduction.

PANASONIC'S SOLID-STATE NEWS

Ushering in what it says is a new age in electronic newsgathering, Panasonic unveiled here at NAB 2003 its strategy for next-generation DVCPRO newsgathering systems based on solid-state memory.
Panasonic's ground-breaking architecture features a solid-state memory electronic newsgathering system, fully compatible with existing DVCPRO and DVCPRO50-based non-linear editing and server systems, and supports multiple video resolutions for DTV, including HDTV applications.
"The solid-state memory cards used in this new system are compatible with a computer's PCMCIA slot and have a transfer rate of 640Mbps. Users experience direct editing from their PCs and high-speed data transfer to networked servers. These capabilities will significantly improve the workflow of news production," said John Baisley, President, Panasonic Broadcast. "The total operating cost of these next-generation solid-state DVCPRO newsgathering systems will provide broadcasters with compelling economic advantages. First, because the new workflow allows users to go directly from camera-to-computer news editing in a single step, realizing greater productivity in newsgathering, and second, because the transport mechanism-free design eliminates equipment maintenance."
Panasonic's solid-state memory card-based DVCPRO news system features mechanical transport-free camcorders and players, eliminating the potential problems of mechanical breakdown or wear from repetitive use. The new camcorders exhibit high immunity to environmental stresses, such as extreme cold or humidity, vibration, repetitive shock, rain, dust or snow. Elimination of all mechanical transport elements also means the camcorders are silent in operation.
The camcorders record on PCMCIA-size cards based on Panasonic's industry-leading SD Memory card. Four 1GByte SD Memory cards running in parallel in a data array provide a maximum transfer rate of 640Mbps, equivalent to a 20 times real-time transfer rate of DVCPRO quality images, with a record capacity of 18 minutes. The memory cards can be overwritten a minimum of 100,000 times without performance degradation. Higher-capacity memory cards will be available as core SD Memory card sizes increase from 1GByte to 4GBytes to 16GBytes and beyond.
At NAB, Panasonic is displaying design prototypes of its initial solid-state memory card-based camcorders. The shoulder-mount camcorder offers selection of DVCPRO 25Mbps, the de-facto standard for digital newsgathering, and DVCPRO50 studio quality, 4:2:2 50Mbps recording, but with significantly lower weight and power consumption compared to camcorders utilizing mechanical transports. Due to its blazingly-fast 640Mbps transfer rate support, DVCPRO HD-compatible high definition news systems can also be realized using this solid-state memory card technology.
Availability of initial DVCPRO solid-state memory card-based products is targeted for Q2 2004.

Thomson Says Goodbye to VTRs

Making claims as a replacement for the most fundamental building block of broadcast and professional video operations, Thomson unveiled the Grass Valley M-Series iVDR line of intelligent video digital recorders. This new class of product is designed to replace the mechanical video tape recorders (VTRs) found in broadcast and video production facilities worldwide.
With a digital design and a familiar touch-screen interface, the M-Series iVDR line supports traditional VTR capabilities, including playback, record, removable media, and the ability to ingest directly from a camera. Yet it eclipses traditional VTR capabilities by supporting multiple channels, simultaneous playout and recording, robust network support, clip editing and trimming, playlist creation, and the ability to exchange materials with a variety of applications using industry-standard protocols.
“You have to understand, there are literally hundreds of thousands of VTRs installed today. They are expensive to maintain, limited in their capabilities, and difficult, if not impossible, to upgrade. The openness, price, performance, and feature set make the market potential for the M-Series line enormous,” said Mukul Krishna, senior industry analyst with the growth consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. “It’s just what the broadcast industry has needed to help it move into the digital realm.”
“The M-Series iVDR is more open, more flexible, more cost-effective, and more easily upgradeable
than any VTR. Can you digitally play out and record simultaneously? Can you ingest from tape? Can
you take your media with you? With the M-Series iVDR, the answers will be, ‘Yes, yes, and yes,’” said
Marc Valentin, president of Thomson Broadcast & Media Solutions.
“We know that the total cost of ownership of digital storage is far less than tape and that its operational efficiencies are far greater; we also know that video professionals want to walk away with their media, if only to have physical backups of their materials,” Valentin said. “The M-Series system offers both the economies of digital storage and the convenience and low cost of industry-standard removable media.”
Designed as a complement to the Emmy award-winning Profile line of digital video platforms, the
M-Series iVDR can be used in broadcast studios and newsrooms mobile production trucks, fixed-venue
facilities such as sports arenas, and corporate and governmental video production facilities.
The starting price for the M-Series iVDR line is US$22,995 for a two in/two out system with eight hours of storage. Among its chief features is a touch-screen user interface that mimics a VTR’s front panel. This interface connects to the iVDR directly for operation in an equipment rack. Users can operate the touch-screen interface directly, or remotely using an RS-422 or Ethernet connection.
For media portability and ingest, the M-Series iVDR system features industry-standard removable optical media and an architecture that can accommodate any media drive in a standard-sized bay. This design makes it a complement to emerging optical disk acquisition technologies, as the two can operate side-by-side to streamline production workflow.
The M-Series iVDR has received strong support from several major video-related software developers, including Crispin Automation, DNF Controls, Dixon Sports, Encoda Systems, Florical Systems, and Sundance Digital.
The M-Series iVDR also lets broadcasters and video professionals leverage their IT-based facilities through its support for 100BaseT, gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 1394 Firewire, and IP-based Fibre Channel networking technologies. As a result, users can quickly transfer digital material between an M-Series system and other storage devices on their network—or transfer clips to a networked storage array, such as the Grass Valley Open Storage Area Network system and Grass Valley Network Attached Storage system.
Users can also leverage the network-enabled design of the M-Series iVDR to easily exchange clips using industry-standard formats such as AVI and QuickTime with news applications such as the Grass Valley NewsEdit nonlinear editor as well as third-party graphics and other applications.
The MSeries iVDR also helps maximize uptime through its support for the Grass Valley NetCentral Simple
Network Management Protocol (SNMP) remote-monitoring application.
The M-Series iVDR is scheduled to be available in late July of 2003.

Digital Voodoo introduces HD|LUST

Digital Voodoo has introduced HD|Lust, a high definition capture and playback card featuring 2 HD SDI Input, 2 HD SDI Output, 12 channels of AES/EBU Digital Audio and simultaneous SD SDI downconversion. HD|Lust offers full bandwidth 4:4:4:4 or 4:2:2:4
video input and output for the Macintosh, and is expected to ship by SIGGRAPH 2003.
"HD|Lust is the worlds first HD card to bring true film quality HD to Mac OS X. Sony recently announced the HDCAM SR series for both Digital Cinema and Television. This announcement perfectly matches our new HD offerings, which provide dual link 4:4:4:4 capabilities. We believe, like Sony, that 4:4:4 is the future of HD." said Matt Dowling, Product Manager at Digital Voodoo.
Digital Voodoo sister brand Bluefish444 has introduced HD|Lust for Windows, a high definition capture and playback card featuring 2 HD SDI Input, 2 HD SDI Output, 12 channels of AES/EBU Digital Audio and simultaneous SD SDI downconversion. HD|Lust offers full bandwidth 4:4:4:4 or 4:2:2:4 video input and output for the PC. It, too, is expected to ship by SIGGRAPH 2003.
"HD|Lust is the first of our new line of HD|Dual link PCI cards. We have listened to the market and believe that Dual Link HD is the best way to bring true film quality to the desktop. With SD downconversion and 12 channels of digital audio, HD|Lust is the perfect choice for the high-end HD desktop market, said Andrew Stone, Hardware Technology Director at Digital Voodoo.
Key features of HD|Lust include:

• 2 x BNC 10 bit HD SDI Output
• 2 x BNC 10 bit HD SDI Input
• 1 x BNC 10 bit SD SDI output
• 10 bit 4:2:2:4 or 4:4:4:4 dual link video output
• 10 bit simultaneous SD in HD 4:2:2 mode
• 12 Channels AES/EBU digital audio
• Cross platform codecs supplied for the ultimate in workflow management
• Can be selected to operate in either 1080i/1080PsF/720p
• Video output preview for Adobe After Effects, Eyeon Digital Fusion, Curious software and Discreet Combustion
• Video genlock allows HD|Lust to be locked to station reference
  

Dolby Introduces Dolby Pro Logic II Encoding for Broadcast Television

Dolby Laboratories has debuted Dolby Pro Logic II encoding for television broadcast allowing networks to broadcast a high-quality, matrixed, five-channel surround sound signal through any existing analogue or digital stereo medium, complementing the Dolby Digital 5.1 experience delivered on HDTV and DTV services.
Dolby Pro Logic II decoding, rapidly becoming a standard feature in A/V receivers and home-cinema-in-a-box (HCIB) systems, transforms any high-quality two-channel source content (such as compact discs, MP3 files, and stereo broadcasts) into a lush surround sound experience. When Dolby Pro Logic II encoding is pplied by a broadcaster or content provider, and later decoded by a Dolby Pro Logic II receiver in the home environment, listeners are afforded an even more exact and realistic surround sound experience.
"We are introducing Dolby Pro Logic II encoding to the broadcast industry to enable broadcasters to deliver dynamic five-channel surround sound over their existing analogue or digital stereo infrastructure," said Tom Daily, Marketing Director, Professional Audio, Dolby Laboratories. "For the ultimate television experience, many broadcasters include Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. However, Dolby Pro Logic II processing offers the next-best solution for stations not currently able to make the transition to true discrete 5.1-channel audio. Our goal is to provide a variety of solutions to meet the audio needs of every broadcaster."
The DP563 Dolby Surround Encoder can now be upgraded for USUS$400 to include real-time encoding for Dolby Pro Logic II and Dolby Surround Pro Logic. New DP563 units will come equipped with the upgraded capability of Dolby Pro Logic II encoding, and will be available after NAB for USUS$3700.

New Dolby Solutions for Frame-Rate Conversion

Dolby Laboratories has showcased its latest solutions for processing multichannel audio during frame-rate conversion at this year's NAB show from April 5-10 in booth SU4555. The new Model 585 Time Scaling Processor features pitch correction and time scaling of multichannel audio in real-time, while a new upgrade for the DP571/572 Dolby E Encoder and Decoder simplifies the audio chain during conversions from 24 fps to 25 fps (and vice versa) for US broadcast masters to European PAL broadcast masters.
"Postproduction facilities increasingly have to make master conversions among various frame-rate standards, and we offer technologies that will enable an easy transition of multichannel audio," said Tom Daily, Marketing Director, Professional Audio, Dolby Laboratories.
To correct pitch during conversion, Dolby is now shipping the Model 585 Time Scaling Processor, which produces natural sounding results for real-time multichannel audio conversion. Users can pitch shift or time scale up to eight channels of digital audio by plus or minus 15 percent.
The new software upgrade for the DP571 and DP572 Dolby E Encoder and Decoder allows frame-rate conversion to occur (either from a 24 fps master to 25, or vice versa) while keeping the audio track synchronised to the video. Dolby E's metadata information will remain consistent and reliable. The free software upgrade is available immediately at no charge to registered users.

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