Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the amazing MLB Network studios
I have been inside a lot of broadcast facilities, but this has got to be the coolest!
ABS brings T-VIPS Video over IP to the Oregon SBE Meetings this week
Advanced Broadcast Solutions is pleased to present a presentation on Using IP Networks for HD Video Transport - Presentation by John McCluskey with T-VIPS at the September Oregon SBE meetings.
In this program we will review the market fundamentals, an initial overview of IP Technology, the how, the why, and the what. Review the protocols and industry standards for Video transport over IP. Provide an overview of Forward Error Correction (FEC) for IP networks, why and when to consider it, as well as the cost/benefits of using it. Then in summary, we will review actual customer case studies and how they utilize IP networks to meet there contribution and distribution needs.
You can learn more at www.t-vips.com
Dave Spraker, the new ABS Oregon rep will be on hand as well. Lunch will be provided.
Advanced Broadcast Solutions Installs New Media Front End for EMP Museum’s Sky Church
August 26, 2011
Seattle's EMP Museum recently renovated its Sky Church, a one-of-a-kind grand hall that features elaborate automated multimedia presentations complete with lighting, effects, live performances, and elaborate gala events. Earlier this year, premier systems integration firm Advanced Broadcast Solutions (ABS) upgraded the room's master control, delivering high definition (HD) imagery, true 5.1 surround sound, and a new media front end to manage content.
EMP Museum of Music, Science Fiction, and Pop Culture is housed in the landmark Frank O. Gehry building at the base of the Seattle Space Needle. The museum's Sky Church is a striking space, with a 70-foot ceiling and new 3360 foot Barco C7 LED video wall that supports better-than- HD image quality.
"Essentially, it's a multimedia presentation room housed in a museum exhibit," said Mark Miller, ABS sales and design specialist. "The flexibility is so vast that it can host almost any type of presentation. It's arguably the most sophisticated venue in the northwest." When the museum opened in 2000, Sky Church was originally conceived as a communal place for people of all ages to gather, according to Forrest Gibson, chief technology officer at EMP. Physically, visually, and sonically, it is an awe-inspiring space with tremendous potential to create a dramatic multi-sensory experience.
In 2009, when the museum began to consider upgrades, Gibson said several design goals were set. Beyond an upgrade from SD to HD, the museum wanted the space to draw in patrons with presentations utilizing new and archived content.
During the proposal process, Gibson said the ABS team delivered more than just the most favorable pricing. He said they were very responsive and delivered extraordinary service, particularly when gathering information during the initial bid process. "They offered valuable recommendations, rather than a cookie-cutter approach," he said.
Previously designed to support SD video, the room can now display HD imagery from several Pacific Interactive media servers, a Green Hippo Hippotizer HD media server, Blu-ray players, digital signage, and presentation computers located in the control room. All video is run through a Vista Systems Spyder X20 video processor and routed through a PESA Cheetah router.
For audio, the Sky Church is equipped with a Linear Acoustics upmixer that converts stereo content into 5.1 surround sound. A Yamaha DM2000VCM digital production console allows the operator to mix in a true 5.1 space -- and it allows any input, including live microphones, to be panned in the surround sound field. Miller said the new design allows for more interesting audio programming for the museum.
"We really transformed the space to be the heart of the museum," Gibson said, "a shared space in a very comfortable environment for people to enjoy curated content. It's night and day for us. It sounds fantastic, it looks fantastic, it's what we needed." He also said the upgrades have "amped up" production values for events.
The backbone of the new audio and video systems is built on a 3G platform, so it is ready to handle future content bandwidth demands. "We spent a lot of time up front to make it future-proof and as flexible as possible," said Miller. "We were coming into a space where we had to develop a workflow based around new technologies that haven't really been put together before." ABS was able to complete the master control project in about three weeks, so it was ready for the opening of EMP's Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses exhibition in April. Sky Church is currently showing custom content supporting its AVATAR exhibition, which opened in June.
"What we found with ABS was that they were truly a partner," Gibson added. "They were eager to understand what our needs really were. Their design was fantastic and the installation was very clean and top notch."
The Advanced Broadcast Solutions Harris Road Tour starts Monday. Come out and see us!
Summertime is the perfect time for a road trip so join the crew from ABS as we bring the latest technology with us all across the Northwest.
We start Monday in Boise with stops in Spokane, Portland, Eugene and ending in Seattle on Friday.
On the RV will be the super powerful Selenio Media Convergence Platform. It combines baseband processing, compression and IP networking all in one compact box. Come see other new Harris gear and chat with the folks from ABS.
Get all the info at www.advancedbroadcastsolutions.com.
“Avid’s ongoing commitment to professional editors”
Avid CEO Gary Greenfield weighs in on the recent anguish over the new FCP-X.
"There have been unprecedented conversations taking place online, in the press, and in person about professional video editing during the last couple of weeks. And the discussion has been both passionate and personal, because this is about your livelihood."
You can read the rest on Avid's site. Pretty spot-on in my opinion.
You can order the $995 crossgrade from FCP to Avid soon from ABS. Just send me a note and I'll get you all the details. Then download the 30 day free trial.
- Dave
Who needs digital signage? You do…and it’s easy.
I spent some time yesterday learning about the Carousel digital signage product from Tightrope. Started by a couple of guys that wanted to build robust playback solutions for local PEG channels, they have also developed into a great provider of digital signage.
Digital signage is one of those things that everyone talks about but never actually does it. Back with my last company, I made BluRay loops for trade shows but that was really a pain to create...and that was for just one day.
The Tightrope product looked easy to work with. Their sales rep and I accessed it from a brewpub and right away we were editing the zones (or sections of the screen) right from a browser. In fact, you can go on to their site and do it yourself! They have a bunch of different channels streaming on line that potential customers can go on and edit.
Give it a try! It's really kind of fun...
ABS Harris Truck Tour coming in August!
The Advanced Broadcast crew is hitting the road this summer with an RV full of great solutions from Harris. Details are still coming together - but look for us in Boise, Spokane, Portland, Eugene and Seattle during the first week of August. Check back for more info soon.