One day before the end of the most important event in the television and video industry, the announcements made by the suppliers have made this one of the most important in recent years. On a variety of fronts, the general inclination seems to be directed at establishing agreements on how and tools to achieve different goals. This is true on the subject of storage media, standardization of procedures, and industry trends.
In the range of PANASONIC ENG cameras, Sony and Ikegami seem to agree that solid-state memory is what is imposed. This is confirmed, for example, by Panasonic, with the launch of a new version of its P2 cards: the 16 GB and -soon-, the 32 GB, for its popular line P2 HD and P2 of camcorders and recorders, of which the company launched during NAB 2007, the AG-HPX500 and AJ-HPX3000 models. The 16GB P2 card, which will be available in May, doubles the memory capacity of the current 8GB solid-state card.
Sony, meanwhile, announced a new recording format based on high-speed flash memory that it would add to its planned XDCAM EX model. The camcorder would have two card slots, which would allow the user to record about 120 minutes of content on two 16 GB cards.
Ikegami announced the introduction of a camera and flash memory system, as the primary medium for storage. GFPAK memory could store up to 128 minutes of HD images. The memory development is part of Ikegami's strategic alliance with Toshiba to develop and promote an advanced production and editing system for television and video graphics operations.
The system aims to connect all parts of the production process into an integrated workflow, from acquiring news in the field, through editing and archiving, to feeding programs edited on streaming platforms. The complete system comprises the camera its GFCAM hybrid tape; the GFSTATION central video recording and management system based on flash memory; and a portable version of GFSTATION. All images and field audio are recorded in the GFPAK.
But the announcement made by the Ikegami-Toshiba union about workflows was not the only one made in this regard. Chyron also reported on the expansion of its interFuse technology, a working solution for graphic production for news, sports, election coverage, entertainment and education. Built on Adobe's XMP platform, InterFuse offers centralized control of multi-device playback over LAN/WAN, remote creation over LAN/WAN, and Adobe XMP metadata integration, management, and control.
On the subject, the Association for Advanced Workflows, AMWA, sponsored the first public demonstration of the Mastering Format Project, one of the association's areas of interest, which also includes program distribution, archive or post-production. The objective of the program is to propose real solutions for key workflows, focused on the creation of a single MXF master file, from which multiple versions of a program can be created.
Among the most interesting novelties was Harris' demonstration of his MPH system, for mobile digital television. The system developed in conjunction with LG Electronics is capable of delivering robust DTV signals for mobile devices. For broadcasters, this new technology promises to create new and potentially lucrative revenue streams. Still in prototype, the system will be ready for commercialization by April 2008.
