Ukrainian Journalist Mstyslav Chernov Awarded IBC2024 International Honour for Excellence

IBC2024 Awards International Honour for Excellence to Ukrainian Journalist Mstyslav Chernov

IBC today announces that the IBC2024 International Honour for Excellence (IHFE), its most prestigious award, will be conferred on Ukraine’s MSTYSLAV CHERNOV for his work as a video journalist and his groundbreaking film 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL. The award recognises the resolve and skill as filmmaker demonstrated by Chernov in uncovering the unvarnished truth that he and his Associated Press (AP) team witnessed on the ground as they covered the siege of the Ukrainian city by Russian forces in early 2022. The award will be presented at the IBC Innovation Awards ceremony at 18.30 CEST on Sunday, 15 September at the RAI Amsterdam.

A multi-award-winning journalist and President of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPF), Mstyslav Chernov documented the siege in Mariupol as one of the last remaining international media representatives in the city. Video materials from his work became the basis of 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL, Mstyslav Chernov’s first feature film. Produced with the support of AP and the PBS investigative documentary series Frontline, the film offers a harrowing example of the importance of video in fighting back against news disinformation in an era of false reports and deep fakes.

Michael Crimp, IBC’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “People are at the heart of our industry, which exists to support those who want to speak to the world. In honouring Mstyslav Chernov with this year’s IHFE for his work as a war correspondent, video journalist and filmmaker, we are recognising the courage, creativity, skill and determination he has shown in capturing some of the most affecting stories we have seen in the last few years. At a time when it is critical to produce video that reveals the reality of conflicts around the world and challenges the fake news and disinformation being disseminated, Mstyslav and the teams he works with exemplify integrity and the best in our industry.”

Mstyslav Chernov has covered the Russian invasion in Ukraine, conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Nagorno-Karabakh, and Afghanistan during the return of Taliban rule after US withdrawal. In covering the siege of Mariupol, video of the conflict was periodically sent to the AP editorial office from the only place there was still an online connection – under the stairs near the crushed grocery store – but much of the footage Mstyslav Chernov shot could not be sent online and was carried out by the AP team though the humanitarian corridor. 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL draws on Chernov’s daily news dispatches and additional footage he shot to provide a vivid account of civilians caught in the siege and a window into what it’s like to report from a conflict zone.

Mstyslav Chernov and the team of journalists working with him – Evgeniy Maloletka, Vasilisa Stepanenko, and Lori Hinnant – were awarded the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service for their courageous reporting from the besieged city. The film itself – written, directed and narrated by Chernov – has received more than 20 awards, including the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at this year’s Academy Awards, Best Documentary at the British Film and Television Academy (BAFTA) Awards, and the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023.

IBC

www.ibc.org

Vitec: Focus FS-H50 Portable Proxy Recorder presented at IBC 2013

VITEC presents Focus FS-H50 Portable Proxy Recorder at IBC 2013

VITEC will showcase the Focus FS-H50 Proxy Recorder, the first model of its proxy recorder product line, at this year's IBC – Booth 7.J31. See Vitec new products overview here.

FS-H50 is a portable, camera-mount, H.264 standard definition recorder for workflows/applications requiring video quality and optimized video file size. Ideal applications include breaking news, video dailies, sports events and online video sharing.

Designed for both video professionals and enthusiasts, the Focus FS-H50 simplifies acquisition workflow by recording low bit-rate H.264 clips. The FS-H50 records clips independently or in parallel with the high resolution camera recording (for proxy workflow application). Clips are recorded with industry standard wrappers such as Quicktime MOV, MP4 and AVC HD for simple and instant use in day-to-day workflows such as NLE/production and web sharing.

FS-H50 clips can be transferred to video sharing web sites or mobile devices simply by inserting the SDHC media card into a computer or through the FS-H50 web interface using the optional VITEC Wi-Fi adapter. The web interface allows users to preview the live video, access/upload recorded clips and remotely operate the Focus FS-H50 Proxy recorder.

The portable Focus FS-H50 can be attached to many professional video cameras and legacy video sources. It is incredibly light and provides up to 9 hours of continuous recording on a single charge.

Highlights of the Focus FS-H50 Portable Proxy Recorder:

• Composite video and analog stereo audio inputs

• H.264 Recording in MOV, MP4 and AVC HD

• File compatibility with popular smartphones, tablets, computers and NLE's

• Pre-recording and live snapshot features (full frame capture of the video input)

• Optional VITEC Wi-Fi Adapter to enable live video input preview, VOD and control from your mobile devices

• Lightweight (155 grams/0.34lb), battery powered (up to 9 hours) and camera-mount cradle provided

Pricing and Availability: Focus FS-H50 is available now through the VITEC worldwide dealer network (MSRP of 495€ / $655).

IBC 2013: Vitec Celebrates 25 Years of Video Innovation

VITEC Celebrates 25 Years of Video Innovation with World’s First and Fastest at IBC 2013, Amsterdam

For 25 years, VITEC has combined creativity, innovation, and the newest technology into all of their products. This worldwide provider of powerful digital video will be at IBC 2013 in Amsterdam from September 13 to 17, 2013. You can visit them in Hall 7, booth J31 to see the exciting new products that they've added to their line-up of their outstanding end-to-end media solutions:

• FIRST – HEVC/H.265 DECODING CARD: Featuring the New Stradis HDM850+, the World’s First HEVC/H.265 professional decoder card with back-to-back seamless and frame accurate playback in HEVC/H.265 and MPEG-2 

• FASTEST – New MGW Sprint, powered by TurboVideo2 technology, the World’s Fastest H.264 codec with under 1 frame glass-to-glass delay for full HD streaming and Best-in-Class input selection as well as the MGW portable encoder family of the MGW Premium, MGW Nano, and the MGW Pico 

• PORTABLE RECORDING: Focus FS-T2001 next generation portable media recorder for ENG/EFP recording, playback and media management 

• PROXY RECORDING: Focus FS-H50/60/70 Proxy Recorders are compact, professional recorders that offer a wide range of inputs and resolutions and are compatible with popular smartphones, tablets, computers and NLEs 

• NLE PROJECT PARKING: Proxsys PA-Series provides efficient archiving and Project Parking for video clips and NLE projects 

• MEDIA LOGGING: Monisys MR- and ML-Series for media recording and 24/7 media logging with PTZ control, preview and playback via mobile App 

• CONVERSION: Extensor Mini-Converters seamlessly convert, distribute and process industry standard HD-SDI, HDMI, or Analog sources and support a wide range of frame rates 

Additionally VITEC will showcase many of our other products.

“VITEC is thrilled to continue the celebration of our twenty-fifth anniversary with the introduction of a remarkably wide range of exciting new products that we will be demonstrating at IBC this year. At the quarter century mark, we’re proud that the engineering power we have united under the VITEC name is yielding an exceptionally high level of innovation and advanced technology which translates to truly outstanding products,” said Philippe Wetzel, CEO of VITEC. “The past year of intensive work and accelerated development has produced substantial results, with powerful, smart products that will allow our customers to streamline every link of the video chain and offer more exciting and revenue-enhancing media services than ever before.” 

Visit VITEC at IBC, Hall 7 #J31, or visit http://www.vitecmm.com for more information.

Matrox at IBC 2013 — Products Preview

Graphics, Imaging, and Video technology 

Matrox at IBC 2013 — Products Preview

New additions and updates to all Matrox product lines will be highlighted including video streaming and recording appliances, 4K video monitoring cards, multiviewers, live production streaming systems, scan converters, OEM products, KVM extenders and video over IP encoders/decoders.

Matrox Monarch HD professional video streaming and recording appliance

Matrox Monarch HD is a small, easy-to-use video streaming and recording appliance that received four important industry awards at the 2013 NAB Show. It is designed for professional video producers who need to simultaneously stream a live event and record a mastering-quality version for post-event editing. Priced at just $995 US (€799, £750), it provides these two independent delivery channels in an integrated unit. From any HDMI input source such as a camera or switcher, Matrox Monarch HD generates an H.264-encoded stream compliant with RTSP or RTMP protocol. While encoding the video at bitrates suitable for live streaming, Matrox Monarch HD simultaneously records a high-quality MP4 or MOV file to an SD card, a USB drive, or a network-mapped drive. Matrox Monarch HD is remotely controlled using any computer or mobile device with a web browser.

Matrox Mojito 4K video monitoring card

Matrox Mojito 4K is a quad 3G-SDI, 4K video monitoring card for use with Adobe Creative Cloud professional video editing and content creation tools on Windows platforms. It enables realtime monitoring and output of video footage at resolutions up to 4096 x 2160 and at frame rates up to 60 fps (4Kp60) so post-production professionals see every pixel of every 4K frame in real time to craft breathtaking content.

Matrox MicroQuad four-channel SDI-to-HDMI multiviewer

Matrox MicroQuad is a four-channel SDI-to-HDMI multiviewer for 3G/HD/SD at a breakthrough price. It lets broadcasters and A/V professionals use an affordable HDMI display to view up to four SDI video signals and show or hide labels and VU meters. Its powerful 10-bit scaling engine and advanced filtering algorithms ensure a crisp, artifact-free monitoring experience. MicroQuad can be controlled using buttons on the unit itself or from a distance using a Windows-based app.

Matrox VS4 quad HD capture and ISO recording card

Matrox VS4 is a quad HD capture and ISO recording card for Telestream Wirecast for Windows live production streaming software. In a single PCIe slot, Matrox VS4 provides up to four independent HD inputs with up to 8 embedded audio channels per source. It not only sends video feeds to Wirecast for streaming, it simultaneously provides ISO recording of all the original video and audio feeds to disk — ready for post-event editing.

Matrox Convert DVI Plus scan converter

Matrox Convert DVI Plus is a cost-effective, genlockable HD-SDI scan converter that lets broadcasters easily and economically incorporate content from computers, iPads and iPhones into broadcast programs. It is ideal for creating broadcast-quality video from computer applications such as Skype, YouTube, Google Earth, FaceTime, ProPresenter, PowerPoint and web browsers. The region-of-interest feature lets the user define any region of any size from the computer display and output just that content at the required broadcast resolution. If the selected area doesn’t match the output resolution, Matrox Convert DVI Plus provides horizontal and vertical upscaling and downscaling. The unit can be genlocked to an SD analog black burst (bi-level) or HD tri-level genlock source. Proc amp controls on the output let the user adjust the hue, chroma, saturation, and brightness levels. In addition, Matrox Convert DVI Plus can be used to drive projectors and large displays at live events.

Matrox DSX Developer Products

Matrox DSX Developer Products combine a full range of multi-channel SD/HD/4K I/O hardware with the feature-rich SDK and unlimited engineering support that let OEMs create advanced channel-in-a-box, video server, broadcast graphics and live streaming equipment. In addition to hardware that provides 24/7 reliability in even the most demanding environments, the Matrox DSX platforms provide advanced ancillary data handling for VANC and HANC, a constantly expanding selection of codecs (DVCPRO HD, MPEG-2, XDCAM HD AVC-Intra, H.264, Apple ProRes, Avid DNxHD, PitchBlue, and more), extensive file format support (GXF, MXF, MOV, AVI, MPG, MP4, and more) and powerful tools for quick app development.

Matrox Avio F125 KVM Extenders

Matrox Avio F125 fiber-optic KVM extenders separate dual HD video, keyboard, mouse, stereo analog audio and USB 2.0 devices from a workstation. The transmitter/receiver pair extends two single-link DVI (2x1920x1200) or one dual-link DVI (2560x1600 or 4096x2160) video, and multiple high-speed USB 2.0 compliant devices from the host computer by up to 400 m (1312 ft) over multimode cable and 4 km (2.5 mi) over single-mode cable. Avio F125 stands out for its ability to transmit all signals with zero compression and zero latency on a single duplex LC-LC fiber-optic cable.

Matrox Maevex video distribution over IP solutions

Matrox Maevex 5100 Series delivers excellent streaming quality at a fraction of the price of traditional encode/decode systems. Maevex video over IP solutions enable the extension of full-HD-quality video over standard IP networks for digital signage, collaborative video walls, manufacturing and automation, process control, and many other applications. Maevex encoders and decoders capture, stream, and decode video from a variety of sources, and even allow for software-based decoding on non-Maevex devices. Maevex units come bundled with PowerStream software, allowing for easy remote management of Maevex devices and enabling a wide variety of user-defined stream-management features. These include adjustable low bit-rate encoding for minimal and cost-effective bandwidth consumption.

MATROX's website : www.matrox.com

IBC2010 Innovation Awards - Amsterdam

IBC2010 Innovation Awards

The shortlist for the IBC2010 Innovation Awards featured projects from around the world and applications from the preservation of formal content to bringing new excitement to sports coverage. The IBC Innovation Awards are unique in celebrating not just the technology but the collaboration between suppliers and end user to create commercially successful and creatively empowering solutions. 

There are three awards for the most innovative use of technology for a new project in content creation, content management and content delivery. In addition there is a fourth award, in the gift of the judges, which could be one of the shortlisted projects, or it could be another project which has caught their eye. 

Michael Lumley, jury chairman for the IBC2010 Innovation Awards, commented “The seven entries on our shortlist are there because they caught the eyes of the judges in two ways: with a real spark of something new and exciting; and in a clear demonstration of the partnership between customer and suppliers. It is when the two come together that there are real benefits.” 

The winners in each of the three categories, and the Judges’ Prize, have been announced at the IBC Awards Ceremony, the 12 September 2010.

The three finalists in content creation are all associated with sport, although in very different ways: 

• live 3D sport from ESPN. The particular production the broadcaster has nominated is its first live stereoscopic 3D broadcast of a top-ranked college football match, between Ohio State and USC in September 2009. This project brought together a large number of technology partners: AJT Systems, Cinedigm, Hyundai, NEP, PaceHD, PVI, Quantel, Reality Check, Sensio and Sony. 

• consistent loudness from the Winter Olympics from NBC Olympics. The broadcaster was keen to create dynamic and exciting audio, originating in 5.1 surround sound, but the very different characteristics of the events meant maintaining consistent perceived loudness, across long live broadcasts, would be a challenge. NBC chose Linear Acoustics as its technology partner. 

• signal distribution at the Red Bull Air Races involved bringing pictures and sound from across a huge area, and from the planes themselves. The organisers chose to carry everything – video, audio, communications and data – on one easily rigged fibre backbone. Fibre also saves shipping many tonnes of copper cables from venue to venue. Technology partners were Riedel, with support from SIVision Outside Broadcast and West4Media Production. 

... and the winner is Signal distribution at the Red Bull Air Race

For the content management category there were two shortlisted finalists: 

• multi-platform asset management at Antena 3. The Spanish broadcaster’s newsroom system puts its content on television and on the internet, mobiles, YouTube and social networks, without increasing operational costs. The principle technology partner was Dalet Digital Media Systems, with Apple, Avid, Chyron, I+3 Television, Netapp, Omneon, Quantel, Stornext and Telestream. 

• digital migration and archiving at the European Parliament. The audiovisual unit has an archive stretching back almost half a century on a huge range of formats and media. To provide open access to the content, the new project not only digitises the content but creates an open database that can be searched readily. Technical partners were Front Porch Digital and Broadcasting Centre Europe. 

... and the winner is European Parliament digital archive

The third category, content delivery, sees both finalists focussing on the rollout of new transmission systems, on opposite sides of the planet: 

• transcontinental DAB+ for Australian Broadcasting Corporation and SBS. Bringing the benefits of digital radio to every corner of this huge country sets huge challenges. The solution was not just the largest implementation of DAB+ to date, it was the first to rely entirely on IP transmission end to end. Technology partners were Broadcast Australia, Radioscape, Telstra and United Group International. 

• DVB-T2 for terrestrial HD, a development project led by BBC R & D on behalf of the DVB Project. As the digital terrestrial switchover in the UK unrolls, so Freeview wanted to deliver high definition as quickly as possible. The development of a second generation terrestrial broadcasting format created the huge increases in transmission efficiency, ruggedness and flexibility required. The DVB-T2 study group was led by BBC R & D but involved 70 individuals representing 40 companies from around the world. 

... and the winner is DVB-T2 for terristrial HD - BBC

Judges’ Prize: Stereoscopic 3D coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. "Because it was a true partnership of equals, four IBC Judges’ Prizes were presented: to FIFA, to HBS its broadcast partner, to sports specialist channel ESPN, and to Sony which provided much of the technological muscle"

Special Award: The IBC2010 special awards were presented to TV Globo for their innovative project 'Flutuador – TV technology for a better environment' and to UK based satellite broadcaster BskyB for the technology developed to support the world’s first commercial 3D channel, Sky 3D.

2010 Conference Paper Award

The 2010 IBC award for best conference paper went to a team headed up by Kevin Murray of NDS for his contribution: 'Does size matter? The impact of screen size on 3D'

IBC2010 

Conference 9-14 September 

Exhibition 10 -14 September 

RAI, Amsterdam 

3-D movies via Internet and Satellite

Imaging Technology News - The experts from the HHI show how the MVC-Codec functions transmitting television via DVB-S2 satellite.

Blockbusters like Avatar, UP or Toy Story 3 will bring the 3-D into home living rooms, televisions and computers. There are already displays available and the new Blu-Ray players can already play 3-dimensional movies based on Multiview Video Coding (MVC), the new standard for 3-D movie compression. The first soccer games were recorded stereoscopically at the Football World Championships in South Africa. What is missing is an efficient form of transmission.

With MVC, the two images needed for the 3D effect are packed together 

to reduce the movie's bit rate. (c) Fraunhofer HHI, Berlin.

The problem is the data rate required by the movies – in spite of fast Internet and satellite links. 3D movies have higher data rate requirements than 2-dimensional movies since at least two images are needed for the spatial representation. This means that a 3D screen has to show two images – one for the left and one for the right eye.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, HHI in Berlin, Germany have already come up with a compression technique for movies in particularly HD quality that squeezes movies while maintaining the quality: the H.264/AVC video format. What H.264/AVC is for HD movies, Multiview Video Coding (MVC) is for 3-D movies. While reducing the data significantly, MVC allows at the same time providing full high-resolution quality. At the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam - September 10-14, 2010 - researchers showcase how 3-D movies can be transmitted via Internet and digital television channels such as via satellite. The benefit is reducing the data rate used on the transmission channel while maintaining the same high-definition quality.

Videos on the Internet have to load quickly so that the viewer can watch the movies without interruptions. Thomas Schierl is a scientist at the HHI in Berlin and he explains that « MVC packs the two images needed for the stereoscopic 3-D effect so that the bit rate of the movies is significantly reduced ». These 3-D movies are up to 40 percent smaller. Thomas Schierl and his colleagues are working to establish the MVC codec for television transmission over satellites or the Internet. « New TV sets will start off by only playing 3-D movies from the Blu-Ray disc that is now coming into the third dimension. The next step to bring 3-D into living rooms will be made possible via broadcast or IPTV channels running via DSL or cable.»

You will be able to experience 3-dimensional movies in your living room in future without any 3-D glasses because the MVC format has the technical features to code and compress several views. After all, everybody enjoying the movie with you on the sofa has a different viewing angle. That is why they need a separate view – their « own »  3-D movie – for his or her individual seat. MVC compresses all of these views into one compact file or stream and one receiver, one set-top box decodes this information and passes it on to the television.

It will also be possible to play the MVC-coded movies on older televisions and set-top boxes and Thomas Schierl tells how: « The first view corresponds to the signal that the existing television can receive and we would hide the second view in the same stream so that only the new receivers can use it. They are invisible to older televisions.» That is especially interesting to movie lenders and television stations because they do not have to worry about compatibility. And even mobile radio and mobile phone manufacturers can join the trend towards 3-D with the MVC standard. In the meantime, there are even displays the size of a mobile phone that allow a good 3-D impression.

Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications - Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, HHI, Berlin - www.hhi.fraunhofer.de