In this odd time when we are all looking to work differently, people are looking to use their smartphones to create video and streaming content. It may be that you don't have access to your normal equipment or that everybody else has beaten you to the 'hot product' and you are having to think laterally. .

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Sony is introducing the latest member of its HDC family of 4K live camera systems. HDC-5500 is a new multi-format live camera capable of direct 4K signal output in 12G-SDI, carrying the world’s first 2/3-inch 4K global shutter three CMOS sensors that ensure superb image quality in HD, 4K and HDR live production. Optional software achieving high frame rate up to 4K 2x and HD 8x1 will be available.

Inventor of the nonlinear video editing category, Avid, reimagines its flagship Media Composer for a new generation of media makers and resets the bar for excellence Unveiled at Connect 2019, the industry’s most powerful gathering of media and entertainment users, Avid launches the all-new Media Composer 2019 [divider] With Media Composer 2019, aspiring and professional editors, freelancers and journalists will be inspired to work more creatively by taking advantage of a new user experience, a next generation Avid media engine with distributed processing, finishing and delivering capabilities, a customisable role-based user interface for large teams, and so much more. “After receiving input from hundreds of editors and teams across the media industry, and knowing where the industry is headed, we reimagined Media Composer, the product that created the nonlinear video editing category and remains the gold standard,” said Jeff Rosica, CEO and President at Avid. “Media Composer 2019 is both evolutionary and revolutionary. It maintains what long-time users know and love while giving them more of what they need today—and what they will need tomorrow.” Media Composer 2019 With Media Composer 2019, an editor can go from first cut to delivery without ever leaving the application. Whether they are a professional editor, freelancer or someone just starting out, Media Composer 2019 inspires creative storytelling.

• New User Experience—makers can work at the speed of creativity with a paneled interface that reduces clutter, reimagined bins to find media faster, and task-based workspaces showing only what the user wants and needs to see.
• Next Generation Avid Media Engine—puts more power at a user’s fingertips with features, such as native OP1A, support for more video and audio streams, Live Timeline and background rendering, and a distributed processing add-on option to reduce turnaround times and speed up post production.
• New Finishing and Delivery Workflows—Now, users can create and deliver higher-quality content with editing, effects, colour, audio, and finishing tools without leaving Media Composer. Whether working in 8K, 16K, or HDR, Media Composer’s new built-in 32-bit full float colour pipeline can handle it. Additionally, Avid has been working with OTT content providers to help establish future industry standards.
• Customisable Toolset—built for large production teams, the new Media Composer | Enterprise provides administrative control to customise the interface for any role in the organisation, whether the user is a craft editor, assistant, logger or journalist. It also offers unparalleled security to lock down content, reducing the chances of unauthorised leaks of sensitive media.

The world's first 8K broadcast deck with advanced H.265 recording, touch screen interface, internal cache, built in scopes, HDR, traditional deck control and more! The HyperDeck Extreme 8K HDR, a new innovative broadcast deck with advanced H.265 8K recording combined with touch screen user interface and traditional broadcast deck controls. The new HyperDeck Extreme 8K HDR features the trusted reliability of HyperDeck combined with new innovations such as space saving H.265 files, optional internal cache, 3D LUTs, native 8K and HDR support. With the ability to record native 8K in H.265, customers get reduced storage costs and amazing image quality. The large touch screen ensures a perfect view of their recording as well as control over all deck settings. Customers can then add HyperDeck Extreme Control to transform it into a traditional broadcast deck. This means HyperDeck Extreme 8K HDR is the perfect solution for the next generation of broadcast, live production and digital signage.

Dramatically improved GPU accelerated performance for 3D, tools, trackers,masks and more! Fusion 16 Studio is a major new upgrade that brings all of the improvements made to Fusion built into DaVinci Resolve available to VFX artists using the standalone version of Fusion Studio! Fusion 16 Studio public beta is available for download now from the Blackmagic Design web site. Fusion 16 Studio is a major upgrade that brings all of the improvements made to Fusion inside of DaVinci Resolve to the standalone version of Fusion. Customers get an updated and more modern user interface, along with dramatically faster performance. All 3D operations are GPU accelerated, making Fusion much more responsive and interactive. In addition, there are dozens of GPU accelerated tools such as time effects, dissolves, stereo 3D tools, vector motion blur, corner positioning, colour tools and more. B-spline and bitmap mask operations are accelerated, as are the planar and camera trackers. Improved memory management makes large compositions with high tool counts more reliable, making Fusion 16 dramatically faster and more stable than ever before. "Fusion 16 is the biggest update we’ve ever released for Fusion software," said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. "It features an updated user interface and enhanced toolset developed by the larger DaVinci Resolve engineering team during the last 12 months. What’s even more exciting are the massive performance and reliability improvements customers get from the GPU acceleration of all 3D operations, dozens of tools, trackers, masks and more! I think it’s very clear to see the benefits of a much larger engineering team now working on Fusion." Availability and Price Fusion 16 Studio public beta is available now for download from the Blackmagic Design web site www.blackmagicdesign.com.

Powerful 8K switcher with 8K DVE, standards converted 8K inputs, 8K SuperSource, 8K chroma key and 8K MultiView! The new ATEM Constellation 8K is an Ultra HD live production switcher with so many features, that customers can combine them all to make an incredibly powerful 8K switcher. Customers get 4 M/Es, 40 x 12G-SDI inputs, 24 x 12G-SDI aux outputs, 4 DVEs, 16 Keyers, 4 media players, 4 multiviewers, 2 SuperSource and standards conversion on every SDI input. Then when switched to 8K, all these features combine to make a powerful 8K switcher. ATEM Constellation 8K features a compact 2RU rack mount design with a built-in control panel. This allows operation of the switcher, critical during setup or for emergency use. Also included is a large LCD so customers can see program output and change switcher settings via on-screen menus. Although only 2RU size, the rear of the switcher has a massive 40 x 12G-SDI inputs, 24 x 12G-SDI aux outputs, plus balanced audio, Ethernet, RS-422 control and MADI digital audio extra inputs to the internal Fairlight audio mixer With a built-in control panel, customers can simply walk up and take full control of ATEM Constellation at any time. Customers get incredible power with both PGM/PVW or cut-bus style operation. The buttons are the same premium type used on full-sized panels, and allow control of transitions, upstream/downstream keyers, media players and fade to black. But users are never limited, as the LCD menus also allow every single operational feature of the switcher to be accessed.

New premium keyboard with dedicated edit keys and search dial allows dramatically faster editing because customers can use 2 hands while operating. The DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard is a new premium keyboard for DaVinci Resolve that dramatically improves the speed of editing because it allows the use of 2 hands while editing so transport control and selecting clips can be done while performing edits. More than just a simple keyboard, the DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard has been designed as an alternative way to edit that’s much faster than a mouse because customers can simultaneously use both hands at the same time. Customers also get an integrated search dial built right into the keyboard. The all metal design is more robust because it’s been designed for professional editors who spend hours each day editing and demand a premium keyboard solution. Unlike modern keyboards with flat keys, the keys have a tiered profile so it’s easy to feel their way around. The key switches are the same type used by eSports keyboards and each key is certified for over a million operations. The integrated search dial is machined from solid metal and allows very precise transport and trimming control. Plus the keys caps, hand rest and key switches are all available as spare parts so the keyboard can be refreshed and repaired over time. The reason the DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard is so fast is customers can use both hands when editing. Unlike a mouse, customers can use their right hand to control the position in a clip, while their left hand is setting in and out points as well as applying edits. This means customers can move, mark in and out points, apply an edit, then move again, repeatedly, one after the other, again and again. It’s an extremely fast way to work, using both hands at once. The integrated search dial is machined metal with rubber coating so it feels very nice to use and customers always feel they have a solid control over DaVinci Resolve’s clip or timeline. There's an integrated electronic clutch that creates end stops when used for shuttle and position, all under software control. With multiple roller bearings, the search dial is very smooth and it can be spun in jog mode to allow a natural timeline scroll. Entering edit points is one of the most used functions in editing, so we designed the in and out point buttons larger in size, and to include a small space above to allow locating them by feel. That helps customers when doing transport control with their right hand and punching in and out points using their left hand. Then once the in and out points are set, they just reach their fingers up to the edit buttons. The editing functions are located just above the in and out keys, to allow a simple movement of their fingers to activate the edit customers require. Because editing with a keyboard is quite different to editing on a computer’s user interface, the editing functions have been optimized to take advantage of the speed of a keyboard. Most edits can be performed on the source clip without needing to place edit points on the timeline itself. That's much faster as it eliminates time wasted switching between source and timeline. The edit points can automatically locate the nearest timeline edit, or even match timecode. A good example is smart insert, which locates the nearest edit and inserts at that point. With a high-quality search dial built in, customers get an extremely accurate and fast way to do trimming of edit points. Using roll trimming is easy and is operated by pressing and holding one of the roll buttons, depending on the type of trim customers need to do, while then rotating the search dial. The cut key will remove any transition on an edit point and leave it as a simple edit between the 2 clips. Pressing dissolve will add a 1-second dissolve between the two clips, and using roll duration will set the desired transition length. There's also a smooth cut button to allow jump cuts to be removed at the press of a button. The new DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard also includes a revised qwerty key layout that’s been updated using feedback from professional editors. However customers still get all the traditional editing features for both the cut and edit pages in DaVinci Resolve, so the core qwerty part of the keyboard still operates in a familiar way. All the standard edit modes are included on the main keyboard. But customers still get new features in the revised layout, such as a viewer button to allow instant change to full-screen view, and it’s even possible to edit from the keyboard in full-screen view. When entering edit points and durations numerically, there's a keypad specifically designed for timecode entry. The F/TC button allows switching between timecode or frames. Just press the F/TC button and entry changes to frames. When typing longer timecode values, there's also a double zero button so customers don't have to press the standard zero key as often. The plus and minus keys allow time values as offsets to current values vs absolute entry. "We think this is an incredibly exciting product as it has such dramatic workflow ramifications," said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. "For years, linear editing was considered old fashioned, and now we have harnessed these benefits for modern linear editing for the first time. I cannot believe no one else has thought about this before and we have been shocked at the speed we can perform editing when using 2 hands on the new DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard!" DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard Features • All metal design for increased strength. • Enables faster editing than possible on NLE software. • Integrated search dial control. • Source tape allows faster clip searching. • Buttons to instantly re-sort bins. • Large trim in and out buttons. • New keyboard modes for intelligent editing. • Buttons to allow search dial to live trim. • Buttons to change transition type. • Improved DaVinci Resolve keyboard shortcuts. • Keypad for direct timecode entry. • Can be installed into a hole cut out in edit consoles. Availability and Price DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard will be available in August for AU$1,515

The global esports market is booming with revenue predicted to reach US$1.65 billion in 2020. One of the industry’s drivers in this country is Gfinity Esports Australia with their new Elite Series competition which is delivering gamers and fans a clear and structured competitive framework within Australian esports. A key requirement for the Elite Series competition was the creation of Australia’s first, dedicated Gfinity esports production studio which has been designed and built by Videocraft. The Elite Series presented by Alienware sees 6 city-based clubs competing weekly in front of a live audience at Gfinity’s state of the art esports arena within the Hoyts Cinema Complex at Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter and it is here that Videocraft built the new production studio.Clubs compete across iconic game titles: Counter Strike Global Offensive, Street Fighter V and Rocket League, for a share in the some of the largest prize pools in Australian Esports history and each event is broadcast live on Twitch. COO of Gfinity Australia Sam Harris said, “Gfinity are setting the new benchmark for quality in esports in Australia. As such, we looked for experienced partners to help bring our vision to life. Videocraft played a pivotal role in the development of the high quality production capabilities for our first esports arena at the Hoyts Entertainment Quarter.” Videocraft’s Nick MacLean added, “Gfinity have produced esports events very successfully in the UK for years and set a very high standard for their productions. It was clear that all of our 45 years of broadcast experience would come into play for this project as the knowledge required to build the studio transfers perfectly into esports.”As well as creating and building a studio to create content for Twitch, Videocraft also had to send content, ready for playout, to TEN’s digital channel, One. MacLean continued, “For this studio we had to produce all the content to a much higher standard than for regular SD television which is usually 1080 50i. However, as the primary delivery and viewing platforms are online and in order to keep up with refresh rates, all of the content from the studio is 1080 60p.”

All in one Ultra HD live production switcher with 8 standards converted 12G-SDI inputs, Fairlight audio mixer, ATEM Advanced Chroma Keyer, multiview, talkback, DVE and more! The new ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K, is a professional all in one Ultra HD live production switcher with integrated hardware control panel. ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K features 8 independent 12G-SDI inputs, built in Fairlight audio mixer, ATEM Advanced Chroma Keyer, multiview, auxiliary and program outputs, analog audio inputs, built in talkback, two flash based media players, professional creative transitions, a DVE for effects and more. ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K combines a professional broadcast hardware control panel with a powerful 8 input 12G-SDI switcher for working with all HD and Ultra HD formats up to 2160p59.94. All of the 12G-SDI inputs feature full re-sync and independent format and frame rate conversions. That means customers can connect a total of up to 8 different sources with various different frame sizes and frame rates, and cleanly switch between them. The switcher automatically converts everything to the program’s output format and frame rate. Professional Fairlight audio mixing is built in to the ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K. Fairlight has been used for extremely high end feature film and television audio post production for years and now, for the first time ever, Blackmagic Design has integrated these incredible Fairlight audio tools into a live production switcher. ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K gives customers independent 6 band parametric equalizers on every single input. In addition, it also includes expander/gate, compressor and limiter dynamics on each input. ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K features the all new next generation ATEM Advanced Chroma Keyer. This new keyer gives customers adjustable on screen controls for selecting and sampling a region of color, adjustment controls for foreground, background and edges, and chroma correction tools for spill and flare suppression. That means ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K can pull extremely clean keys to replace a blue or green screen for professional broadcast quality composites. In addition to 12G-SDI, ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K also includes two channels of analog audio in, RS-422, Ethernet and a built in IEC power supply, along with program and auxiliary outputs. Customers also get both SDI and HDMI multiview outputs so they can monitor all sources, preview and program outputs, along with labels, audio meters and more, all on a single big screen television or broadcast monitor. Featuring a portable design, ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K is packed with high end broadcast features that make it possible to create an entire live switched program, complete with effects and transitions. The hardware panel features large illuminated buttons for switching between sources, along with corresponding audio buttons, one touch transition buttons, downstream keyers, fade to black, media player, cut buttons and more. There’s also a built in LCD screen for previewing source and program video, a spin knob and additional buttons for menus and to adjust settings. Customers simply press the button for the source that they want to see next in the program, then hit the cut or auto button to switch sources, add effects, or even key in graphics. ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K gives customers true broadcast quality transitions, effects and graphics. Transitions such as mixes, wipes and dips are done by simply pressing a button on the control panel. There are 37 included transitions, giving customers massive creative options because they can customize things such as border, border color and width, position, direction and more. In addition, there’s a built in 2D DVE for adding digital video effects that can position, resize and scale live video, all in real time. That means customers can create professional picture-in-picture effects, use DVE powered transitions like squeeze and slide between sources, or create graphic wipe transitions with their own graphics. When used with Blackmagic Studio, URSA Mini, URSA Broadcast and Micro Studio cameras, customers get a complete remote control solution that includes talkback, tally, color correction, camera control and more, without having to add any additional cables or proprietary control boxes. These cameras feature a built in color corrector that can be remote controlled, making it possible to balance camera color and create unique looks, all from the control panel. In addition, customers can adjust focus and iris on compatible lenses, change camera settings, and even remote control PTZ heads. ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K has a built in media pool that can store 90 frames of Ultra HD, 360 frames of 1080HD or 1440 frames of 720HD video that can be used with the two built in media players. The media pool uses flash memory, so images are saved even after the power is turned off. That means customers can create completely custom graphics to use in their own programs. In addition, there is an upstream keyer with full chroma keying for green screen shots so customers can add weather maps, graphics, or even virtual sets. The upstream keyer works with chroma, patterns, shapes and linear keys. ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K also features 2 downstream keyers for adding graphics, logos and bugs to video. Customers can use a HyperDeck Studio Mini with ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K as a source for ProRes 4:4:4:4 motion graphics files with alpha channels. That means customers can get fill and key graphics composited over live video, or they can use motion graphics with alpha as transitions between sources, all in real time. ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K also includes a built in talkback converter for SDI cameras. The talkback information is sent back to the camera via the SDI program return feed on the rarely used SDI audio channels 15 and 16. When working live with a reporter in the field, there can be a slight delay that causes them to hear themselves as an echo in their headset. ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K includes mix minus which sends back all of the program audio to the camera but removes the reporter’s own voice, so they don’t hear a distracting echo of themselves while reporting. For maximum speed and flexibility in live productions, ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K includes a free software control panel for Mac and Windows that allows multiple users to be connected at the same time. That means customers can have one person switching the program while another mixes the audio and another uploads or changes graphics, while another person remotely color balances and controls the cameras. “ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K packs our most advanced broadcast switcher technology into a compact, elegant design that you can take anywhere,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “The exciting thing about it is that it has all of the same professional features as larger and more expensive switchers, but it fits into a standard equipment rack or fly away kit. Customers get the speed of a full size 1 M/E hardware control panel so they can work on complex, fast paced live events!” ATEM TELEVISION STUDIO PRO 4K FEATURES * Integrated broadcast switcher and professional hardware control panel. * 8 x 12G-SDI inputs, all with auto re‑sync and format and frame rate converters. * Supports all video formats from HD to Ultra HD 2160p at 59.94 frames per second. * 1 x built in multiview for 8 sources, as well as preview and program. * Built in media pool graphics storage for 90 frames of Ultra HD, 360 frames of 1080HD or 1440 frames of 720HD video. * Built in DVE with borders and drop shadow. * Transitions include cut, mix, dip, SMPTE wipes and more. * 1 upstream keyer including chroma keyer plus 2 downstream keyers. * 1 auxiliary output with aux switching buttons and LCD screen for viewing. * Built in audio mixer live mixes embedded audio from all video inputs and independent audio inputs. * Balanced XLR stereo analog audio inputs. * Internal sources include black, color bars, two color generators and 2 media player outputs. * Ethernet connection for computer connection. * Mac and Windows control panel software included. * Compatible with all ATEM Broadcast Control Panels. * Black Burst and HD-Tri-Sync genlock input for integration into large systems.   Available to order now online at Videocraft    

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN ANNOUNCES NEW BLACKMAGIC MULTIVIEW 4 HD

When Australia’s longest running professional recording studio, Studios 301 decided to upgrade their Pro Tools systems as part of planning it’s new multi-million dollar facility they brought Videocraft in to advise them on the best way forward, what equipment to use and critically what budget they would need to work within. Videocraft post production and pro audio sales manager Ian Parish explained, “Studios 301 brought us in at the early stages of this project because of Videocraft’s history in delivering Pro Tools HD systems and our extensive experience working with AVID solutions. There aren’t a lot of studios of this size that are being built from the ground up these days, and to be a part of that is unique in itself.” From that initial consultation the discussion expanded to include an AVID Pro Tools S6 modular control surface in a multi-purpose surround mix room and as Videocraft had already installed multiple S6 consoles around Australia, the team at Studios 301 sought their advice on how best to make this a reality. Parish continued, “This was a very large project as they were building an entirely new facility from the ground up with five control rooms, three mastering rooms, digitising facilities and vinyl pressing capabilities. It was clear, due to our experience in this field, that Videocraft’s role would be to supply and support all of the AVID hardware and software and the associated peripherals to make those systems work.” As the project plan developed the brief included 64 channels of analogue IO for the client’s Neve console in Studio One, 48 channels of IO for their SSL console in Studio Two and 32 Channels of IO plus an AVID S6-M40 for Studio Three. In keeping with the tech riders of their top tier international music clientele master clocking was to be provided by an Antelope unit and Apogee Symphony’s would provide AD/DA conversion. Parish continued, “This particular job didn’t require too much translation from brief to system design and quote as the stakeholders involved are all heavily experienced in the industry in particular on the technical side so we all worked incredibly well and efficiently together. Drawing on my experience upgrading Pro Tools HD systems to 64-Bit for SAE Australia, Box Hill Institute and also delivering new systems at Abbey Road Institute, I designed the most logical system that would meet Studios 301’s requirements. Another bonus for them was the fact that we could offer local support so that any issues could be dealt with promptly.” [caption id="attachment_3271" align="aligncenter" width="1440"]

Recently RMIT University undertook a significant renovation of its Melbourne city faculty specifically to open their campus up by redoing its Swanston Street facade and substantially renovating seven floors across four buildings. This huge undertaking was known as the New Academic Street, or NAS, Project. The existing buildings were where RMIT had its TV studios, originally built in the 1960s, much used and loved but long overdue for an overhaul. The NAS project provided an opportunity for RMIT to replace the old TV Studios with world class, cutting edge facilities to support both current and future trends in media production as well as RMITs research requirements in the digital media realm. To help them with the design and build of the complete project they turned to Videocraft. Before the project could start the university put out a tender for the design, construction and integration of four control rooms (two of which were to be UHD), five studio spaces and a virtual and augmented reality system. The tender also specified some unique components including a fully distributed routing system, UHD record and replay solution and the ability to quickly move any studio to any control room, or multiple control rooms. Technical Services Manager School of Media & Communication College of Design & Social Context at RMIT University David Beesley explained, “We required world class facilities with a futureproof and flexible infrastructure - a big ask - and we required a company who could work with us to enhance our vision of what these facilities would look like and how they could support our specific pedagogical needs. In conjunction with other industry leaders and after extensive research and consultation, RMIT came up with a base design which was subsequently put out to tender. Videocraft's winning point of difference was their ability to add significant value to our vision and turn it into a functioning reality.” Videocraft worked with RMIT end users to finesse the design and ultimately supplied and installed the kit for four TV studios and control rooms, a master control room (MCR), RMIT’s 'Black Box' research studio and multiple fibre-linked OB points throughout the NAS Precinct. [gallery ids="https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5135.jpg.jpeg|Head of ABC News speaking at the RMIT NAS Project opening,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5130.jpg.jpeg|James Taylor in one of the four control rooms designed and installed by Videocraft,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5136.JPG-e1522805026155.jpeg|,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5131.jpg.jpeg|James and Jeanette Taylor at the Opening of the RMIT NAS Project,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5132.jpg.jpeg|Panasonic 4K UHD Studio Cameras,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5129.jpg.jpeg|Checking out the studios on RMIT's Opening night for the NAS Project,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5133.JPG-e1522804985885.jpeg|Panasonic 4K UHD Studio Cameras,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5126.JPG-e1522804965720.jpeg|Installation by Videocraft at RMIT TV Studios,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5125.JPG-e1522804937190.jpeg|Installation by Videocraft at RMIT TV Studios,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5128.JPG-e1522804906693.jpeg|Installation by Videocraft at RMIT TV Studios,https://www.videocraft.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_5127.JPG-e1522804881286.jpeg|Installation by Videocraft at RMIT TV Studios"]   Videocraft Head of Engineering and Projects Nick Maclean added, “We also designed a Central Apparatus Room for the 4 control rooms and 5 studios, plus supporting spaces such as green rooms, makeup rooms and production offices. Given that this was not a greenfield site, but a retro fit of an existing building, there were considerable constraints with the spaces, but with clever design we were able to come up with a solution that met the brief.” As part of the scope required a ‘distributed’ router Videocraft decided to install a large Riedel Mediornet system as, based on a 10Gig backbone, the system can handle up to 384x384 3G HD signals. For a distributed audio network they implemented a Dante audio network and ensured that all the audio mixers, stage boxes and tie lines were IP connected over a 10GigE IP network with a Cisco Nexus backbone. Videocraft also installed IP KVM systems, IP talkback using Riedel Smart Panels, and IP wireless comms using the new Riedel Bolero AES67 wireless keypanels. To tie all these systems together they used Lawo Virtual Studio Manager, a control solution that removes all the complicated backend components and presents a unified interface for operators. Beesley continued, Videocraft also installed the first UHD EVS system in Australia, which included IP Director and XFile for file-based ingest and delivery of both HD and UHD studio content. Critically they also supplied and installed kit for our temporary TV studios, constructed for the duration of the major build, to ensure business continuity. It really was a first class job and they met our every requirement.” Other kit supplied and installed by Videocraft included Panasonic 4K UHD camera chains, Sony vision mixers, a Zero Density 'Reality' virtual set and MoSys camera tracking, Ross Expression graphics, Yamaha audio desks and ARRI lighting. Beesley continued, “Videocraft took charge of face to face meetings, design workshops, numerous stakeholder and site meetings, design revision, installation, commissioning and testing. Their approach was professional and flawless.” Now complete the new facilities are used for teaching, including live broadcasts, research and more. As a result RMIT students can now learn on the same tools they will encounter in the field to which Beesley added, “These are the first purpose built UHD studios in Australia. They are at the forefront of technology for anybody, but for a teaching facility they are undoubtedly the number one studios in Australia. They are flexible and their unique infrastructure ensures that they'll be fit for purpose well into the future.” David Beesley, clearly incredibly pleased and incredibly proud of RMIT’s new TV and production facilities felt compelled to highlight the real shining lights of the project concluding, “There are many wow factors with the new facilities with their flexibility, extensive use of fibre, VSM, and 4K UHD capabilities but the real standout is the Zero Density Reality system. Videocraft installed a two-camera system with Star Tracker motion tracking which can render full virtual sets and augmented reality elements in realtime with unbelievable realism. The system uses the Unreal Engine for 3D design and rendering and the results are simply stunning. It’s the most realistic virtual system we have ever seen. I cannot speak highly enough about what Videocraft did for RMIT during this project. They were amazing to work with, incredibly patient, understood our unique requirements and worked with us to create something that is truly great, and the envy of many.”

AJA Video Systems released FS-HDR, a versatile 1RU, rack-mount universal converter/frame synchronizer for real time HDR transforms as well as 4K/HD up, down, cross-conversion. FS-HDR delivers breakthrough real time High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Wide Color Gamut (WCG) conversion and processing capabilities for 4K/UltraHD/2K/HD HDR workflows.

AJA Video Systems announced the new Io 4K Plus capture and output device with support for Thunderbolt™ 3. Io 4K Plus offers the latest 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 I/O connectivity, advanced audio features and 4K/UltraHD support up to 50p/60p frame rates. Io 4K Plus is the next generation of AJA’s capture and output hardware devices and AJA’s first Thunderbolt 3 product. Offering a range of connectivity, including 12G/6G/3G/1.5G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 I/O, Io 4K Plus is compatible with the latest 4K/UltraHD devices. Using AJA’s proven drivers and application plug-ins for macOS® or PC, Io 4K Plus integrates with standard creative tools such as Adobe® Premiere® Pro, Apple® FCP X and Avid® Media Composer®. AJA’s proven conversion technology facilitates real time, high quality scaling of 4K and UltraHD to HD for monitoring and output. Io 4K Plus also includes an additional Thunderbolt 3 port for daisy chaining flexibility. Thunderbolt 3’s broad bandwidth allows Io 4K Plus to support 4K/UltraHD and HD large raster, high frame rate, deep color and HDR projects to Thunderbolt 3 via USB-C equipped workstations or laptops. “Tight deadlines and technology shifts have introduced a new layer of complexity to post-production workflows. Io 4K Plus with Thunderbolt 3 support reduces that complexity by moving high resolution, high frame rate files through a single cable with ease,” said Nick Rashby, President, AJA Video Systems.Io 4K Plus feature highlights include:

• Thunderbolt 3
• Backwards compatibility with existing Thunderbolt hosts
• 12G/6G/3G/1.5G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 I/O for 4K, UltraHD, 2K, HD and SD with HFR support up to 60p at 4:2:2
• Real time 4K/UltraHD to 2K/HD down-conversion
• 8-, 10- and 12-bit 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 over 12G-SDI or HDMI 2.0 workflow support
• Two Thunderbolt 3 ports allow easy daisy-chaining of up to six Thunderbolt devices
• 16-Channel embedded audio on SDI; 8-Channel embedded audio on HDMI; 8-Channel analog audio via XLR breakout
• Downstream keyer
• Standard 12v 4-pin XLR for AC or battery power
• Compatibility with creative applications including Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple FCP X, Avid Media Composer; FilmLight products; AJA Control Room and more
• Three year international warranty