CONTENT & DELIVERY
Arqiva‘s Outside Broadcasts team are recording four specially selected theatrical productions over the next two months. ‘Rhinoceros’, ‘The 39 Steps’, ‘Ikrismas Kherol’ and ‘Metamorphosis’. The tapes will be added to the National Video Archive of Performance established in 1992 and based at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Arqiva has already recorded five productions over the past 18 months and has been responsible for 35 recordings in recent years. One of Arqiva’s state-of-the-art Outside Broadcast trucks will be deployed with a specialist director for each performance. Up to four Ikegami HL59W cameras are used to record the production, including a single camera wideshot to capture the traditional audience perspective. Carefully positioned microphones on the stage and in the auditorium will capture the important ambient sound of a live theatre performance. Video and audio is mixed live in the Outside Broadcast truck and preserved for posterity—Winchester, United
DELIVERY
At ISE 2008, BTX Technologies is showing their MaxBlox CD-MX15M (male) and CD-MX15F (female) pro cable and panel mount, high-density, 15 pin (HD15) VGA connectors. They are for A/V applications and offer a shorter length and height than any similar products on the market. They are manufactured with Phoenix contact terminal blocks and accommodate a wide range of wire diameters, from .120 inch to .500 inch. They may be panel mounted as stand-alone connectors, or cable mounted when used with the CD-MX159H clamshell hood, sold separately. Also on display will be the company’s MaxBlox CD-MX9M (male) and CD-MX95F (female) DB9 connectors. These are new, patent pending, pro 9-inch D-sub connectors featuring a rugged design and one that installers can terminate with a screwdriver. When used in conjunction with the hood, the CD-MX915H, these connectors simply slide, snap and lock into the hood without the need of tools. Other new products being shown include the MaxBlox CA-MX35, the world’s first solderless 3.5-mm stereo connector that fits into a standard half-inch, D-style punch; the MaxBlox CD-MX915HH half-hood that acts like a full-size hood but within a smaller footprint; and their new projector/camber solderless control cable kits—Hawthorne, New York
CONTENT
CompUSA is calling it quits… with around $2 billion sunk into the company by Carlos Slim, the Mexican telephone and retail entrepreneur and third richest man in the world, the last 100 stores will be closed permanently. His first stake in this business was in 1999 and, through acquisitions, he expanded the franchise. In 1998, he glommed onto Computer City from Tandy Corporation and then the Good Guys Inc. in 2003. According to reports, Mr. Slim has been in talks with TigerDirect to see if they would be interested in buying the stores as well as the CompUSA online operations.
CONTENT
Season 3 Finals Webcasts of FameCast, the online artist discovery competition designed to locate the best up-and-coming talent, will be announcing winners from the 12 categories daily from December 10th through December 22nd at their website. There are two distinct components to the show. The categories include rock, pop, country, hip-hop/R&B, singer-songwriter, electronic, spiritual, latin, spoken word, film and animation, comedy and dance. The live Finals show airs first, with the winners announced nightly, with each act then set to try and earn the price of $10k and receive the international exposure of being named a “FameCast Fenom.” Then, with each announcement, a reality show-style special with behind-the-scenes artist interviews and the critiques of the judges will be delivered to each artist in front of a live audience. Plus, there’s a Critic Pick, wherein the judges will select one act form each of the categories. Those winners will receive insider opportunities such as exclusive mentoring sessions with managers and tastemakers, critiques from A&R personnel, and high-end equipment—Austin, Texas
DELIVERY
ITC (Instant Tool-less Connector) has added gold-plated connectors to their tool-less line of products. These patented connector systems provide a quick and cost-effective alternative to soldering or compressions systems. Plus, the gold plating resists corrosion to ensure a reliable connection in any environment. The connectors from ITC feature a captive center pin that securely grips onto the center conductor using a unique spring tension system for maximum contact and conductivity. Lower costs are experienced due to reduced termination time, complexity and failure rate. The new connectors are available in F, BNC and RCA connector configurations, as well as a European/Asia coaxial version for 18-AWG, 20-AWG and 24-AWG coax cable—Irvine, California
DELIVERY
Crucial to the success of first responders is their training regimen. As part of that commitment to ensure safety, Portland Fire and Rescue has selected, from Optibase, that company’s video over IP streaming solution for broadcasting its training channel. The department produces, on a regular basis, instructional videos teaching firefighters how to effectively and safely respond to emergency sitautions. The Optibase Media Gateway (MGW) 1100 encoding and streaming platform will be used to provide the streaming of H.264 directly to three fire stations with top picture quality and low bit reates via their IP network—Herzliya, Israel
CONTENT
There’s a new content contest from Pinnacle Systems. The Ultimate Pinnacle Studio Experience was started on December 6th and will end on January 31st, 2008. This is a follow-up contest to the company’s extremely popular “Share Your Pinnacle Studio Experience“, which was conducted earlier this year. That online event produced more than 1.75 million page views at the contest site and more than 700 video submissions. The contest is free to enter and all that’s required is a 100-word, or less, description of a user’s positive experience with Pinnacle Studio software, in tandem with a sample video. Each month, the three videos with the most votes and highest public rankings will win. More info on the contest.
