As part of its forward-thinking approach to bring the very latest solutions to its customers, leading systems integrator Media Group International has announced a new partnership with never.no – a world renowned company that specialises in social media integration technology for TV broadcasters and producers.

The new partnership represents MGI’s determination to expand its remit into areas such as new media, IPTV, OTT and streaming – all of which are becoming increasingly important to traditional broadcast operations.

“We recognise that today’s broadcast industry needs to incorporate a much wider range of technologies in order to give audiences the services they want,� says Paul Hennessy, CEO of MGI. “By forging exciting partnerships with best-of-breed technology partners like never.no, MGI is able to help customers embrace new technologies and install the most effective solution for their particular needs.�

never.no is a Social Television platform that gives broadcasters and advertising agencies the framework they need to support end-to-end Social TV, Synchronized Companion Apps and Participation TV.

Through its Interactive Suite, the company provides the middleware required to engage audiences, enable interaction and drive participation with a broadcast.
never.no already has a global customer base that includes many of the world’s top broadcasters such as ABC News Digital, BBC, CBC, ESPN and Voice of America. Thanks to the new partnership with MGI, broadcasters in the GCC region can also benefit from this innovative technology.

Scott Davies, never.no’s Vice President of Sales EMEA says: “Having a network of strong partners is a strategic priority for never.no and we are delighted that MGI, a company with such an impressive track record for delivering high-end broadcast and graphics solutions, is collaborating with us in the GCC. In future, broadcasters will be able to turn to MGI to deliver Social TV and audience participation in a visual and impactful way.�

Paul Hennessy adds: “Our partnership with never.no comes hot on the heels of similar arrangements we have signed with VidiGo, HoloVis International Ltd and Visual Unity. These are enabling MGI to enter new markets and deliver an even greater range of technology, solutions and services to our burgeoning client base in the Middle East and Europe.�

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Notes to the editor:
About Ghanim bin Saad Al Saad & Sons Group Holdings

Ghanim bin Saad Al Saad & Sons Group Holdings (GSSG) was founded by Ghanim bin Saad Al Saad in 1993 and incorporated in 2007. Today it is one of Qatar’s most successful private sector business groups, making a major contribution to the country’s economic growth.
GSSG has enjoyed steady growth and success in many fields and industries locally and internationally. GSSG’s diverse portfolio gives it strength and enables its companies within the group to maximise global business opportunities wherever and whenever they arise.
The founder, Mr. Ghanim bin Saad al Saad, has enabled the group to grow to over 40 companies around the world. As an inspirational business leader, he has steered the group to achieve its success in industries that include aviation, maritime, automobiles, oil & gas, real estate, manufacturing, contracting and trading, finance & asset management, engineering, education, fitness, hotels, hospitality and fashion, information technology and telecommunications.
In addition to its corporate headquarters in Doha, GSSG also has five international offices located in London, Zurich, Cairo, Singapore and Dubai.
info@gssg.com
www.gssg.com

Media Group International

Media Group International is a proven media broadcast and communications technologies systems integrator, serving the media, telecommunications, security, education, hospitality and advertising industries in the Gulf region for more than 40 years. Formerly known as Salam Media Cast (SMC), the company joined GSSG Holdings in 2010, with offices in Qatar, UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UK.

Media Group International is diversifying its business into new technologies. As well as equipping professional television stations and studios, master control rooms, newsrooms, concert stages and theatres providing light and sound technology, the company also equips whole multivendor

and multisensory environments. Media Group International provides solutions from safeguarding national security such as in government operations, creating the best venues for education such as museums and classrooms, enhancing sports environments and revolutionising health facilities and satellite telecommunications.

To support the workflow and innovation demands of our valued customers, the team has grown with new local and international talent. We use our expertise to help realise your goals and ambitions – we listen, advise, design and build great workflows that work for you. Our ambition is to be your trusted partner in the Gulf region.
Website: www.mgi.tv

Leading multimedia solutions provider Visual Unity has helped Turkish company Calinos Entertainment to deliver a complete Video on Demand service.

Based in Istanbul, Calinos Entertainment was established in 1997 as a content distribution company supplying television and film programmes to service providers and channels. With Visual Unity’s expertise, the company has now expanded its operations to deliver a Video on Demand service directly to their subscribers on any screen or connected device.

Visual Unity provided Calinos Entertainment with the technology needed to deliver its new service. The technical infrastructure is based on Visual Unity’s award-winning vuMediaTM Over the Top (OTT) content solution that allows broadcasters to manage, monetize and monitor delivery of content to multiscreens.

Tomas Petru, CEO of Visual Unity, says: ““Visual Unity won this contract on the basis of our proven expertise in multiscreen integration. With over 20 years’ experience in architecting, building and technically supporting linear broadcast to multiscreen solutions we demonstrated to Calinos Entertainment our ability to successfully deliver VoD solutions similar to customers such as voyo.cz, cinema.cz and TopFun.�

Visual Unity’s vuMedia™ platform supports comprehensive VoD services and integrates with billing and CRM processes. For this project, Visual Unity provided a content management system with GUI and API access, DMR protection, software to play back and control video content on the web, analytics, delivery and support for mobile devices.

In addition, Visual Unity also helped the broadcaster to build a feature-rich VoD portal that contains thousands of films, dramas and popular television programmes. This Cloud-based service allows Calinos Entertainment to publish its content online, thus alleviating the need to build an expensive, in-house and resource-intensive media library.

“Monetization is not just about selling your content – it is about building business awareness and a communication strategy around your brand,� adds Gabriel Dusil, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Strategy at Visual Unity. “We are confident that by using our proven vuMedia™ technology Calinos Entertainment can now deliver a cutting-edge viewing experience to its audiences on any screen or connected device.�

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About Visual Unity

Visual Unity is a global provider of video and digital media solutions, enabling our clients to deliver premium quality video content. Our clients can measure, analyze and optimize their libraries over time and achieve optimal business success. Our platform capabilities inspire our clients to deploy their assets across multiple devices, screens, and media formats. Visual Unity helps clients manage, deliver and monetize their digital content.

Visual Unity is a Multiscreen Solution Provider, bridging the gap between linear broadcast, IT and IPTV to help clients reach and engage audiences on any screen. Since 1991, the team has been designing and delivering turnkey broadcast and complex multiscreen solutions worldwide – from HD outside Broadcast (OB) vehicles and major playout facilities to live internet streaming and Video on Demand services. Visual Unity’s award-winning vuMediaTM platform helps broadcasters and content owners control how their brand and assets are managed and monetized in the multiscreen environment. vuMediaTM is a highly scalable and a modular architecture, delivering a cutting-edge live viewing experience on the web or any mobile or connected device – all of which can be deployed into existing workflows and business processes.

Visual Unity is based in Prague, London, Cologne, Moscow, Bratislava, Belgrade, Nairobi and Dubai. For further information, please visit www.visualunity.com
Visual Unity: Na hrebenech II 1718/8, Prague 4, 147 00, Czech Republic
T: +420 271 742 111 F: +420 271 742 112 E: info@visualunity.com

Las Vegas, Nevada, April 8th, 2013: Multiscreen solution provider Visual Unity has partnered with media software solutions provider PROVYS by integrating Visual Unity’s next generation vuMedia™ Over the Top (OTT) platform with PROVYS’ advanced broadcast management and planning system.
This ground-breaking joint venture between Visual Unity and PROVYS will be on show at NAB 2013 at the PROVYS booth (N5818).

Visual Unity’s vuMediaâ„¢ offers the ability to manage and monetize audio, video and image libraries – quickly and easily. This Cloud-based service alleviates the need for businesses to build an expensive, in-house and resource-intensive media library by allowing content owners and distributors to publish content online. The platform also supports live streaming of High Definition video. Graphics and other audio and visual material can be associated with files, for brand promotion or to generate advertisement revenue.

PROVYS’ software solution provides broadcasters with the mature and robust channel management and advertisement sales tools needed to increase productivity and gain strategic insight into business processes.
Integration of vuMediaâ„¢ with PROVYS is seamless. No additional inputs are required. Customers who choose PROVYS with vuMediaâ„¢ will have front-end access to their own catalogue, charts and metadata, as well as a video player with a smart URL, which will allow movies to be played on a variety of different devices. Other vumediaâ„¢ features such as statistical analysis, advertisement injection and social network integration are also available, bringing the full power of OTT to a much wider audience.

Tomas Petru, CEO of Visual Unity, says: “This is a significant development for PROVYS’ customers as it offers a completely automated online video platform where content can be managed centrally, thus saving time, equipment cost and manpower. It will also increase business bandwidth by providing broadcasters with an easy and effective way to utilize all their content rights.�

The new solution is completely connected to Visual Unity’s content delivery Network (CDN) module, vuNetâ„¢, with connectors to other worldwide CDN’s such as Akamai, Limelight, Level3, Du and MediaNova.
Josef Vasica, CEO of PROVYS comments, “We are delighted to present the results of our common development at our booth. Visual Unity brings years of OTT expertise and breath of services that complement our own. This as a triple win situation for all: PROVYS, Visual, and our customers. The combined best practices allow us to build even better products, services and overall solutions for our clients.�

Gabriel Dusil, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Strategy, adds: “This is an exciting joint project we have developed with PROVYS, and we see it as a major endorsement of our vuMediaâ„¢ OTT platform. Our joint offering is a solution that speaks to what is at the top of the broadcaster’s agenda – a Cloud-based service that allows them to maintain rights to their content, while providing flexible methods to monetize their content onto multiple screens.â€�

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About Visual Unity

Visual Unity is a global provider of video and digital media solutions, enabling our clients to deliver premium quality video content. Our clients can measure, analyze and optimize their libraries over time and achieve optimal business success. Our platform capabilities inspire our clients to deploy their assets across multiple devices, screens, and media formats. Visual Unity helps clients manage, deliver and monetize their digital content.

Visual Unity is a Multiscreen Solution Provider, bridging the gap between linear broadcast, IT and IPTV to help clients reach and engage audiences on any screen. Since 1991, the team has been designing and delivering turnkey broadcast and complex multiscreen solutions worldwide – from HD outside Broadcast (OB) vehicles and major playout facilities to live internet streaming and Video on Demand services. Visual Unity’s award-winning vuMediaTM platform helps broadcasters and content owners control how their brand and assets are managed and monetized in the multiscreen environment. vuMediaTM is a highly scalable and a modular architecture, delivering a cutting-edge live viewing experience on the web or any mobile or connected device – all of which can be deployed into existing workflows and business processes.

Visual Unity is based in Prague, London, Cologne, Moscow, Bratislava, Belgrade, Nairobi and Dubai. For further information, please visit www.visualunity.com
Visual Unity: Na hrebenech II 1718/8, Prague 4, 147 00, Czech Republic
T: +420 271 742 111 F: +420 271 742 112 E: info@visualunity.com

About PROVYS

PROVYS channel management system for TV broadcasters was created by DCIT Incorporated in 1997. Since then, its continuous development has expanded its capabilities and power, enabling cost reduction and improved efficiency. It is now used by hundreds of broadcast channels – including five national broadcasters and several renowned global companies such as Sony Pictures, Arqiva, Polsat and CME.
The core functions of PROVYS “TVoffice solution” provide the basis of an efficient and secure environment that supports the business objectives of any broadcaster, seamlessly linking all the business processes. The modular architecture provides a wide spectrum of options to suit every broadcaster, with expansion into new areas to cover growing user requirements.
PROVYS support services have a great reputation. Available around the clock, the support team provides reliable and highly responsive user support and technical assistance.

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa – A new HARMAN Soundcraft Si Compact 24 has been added to the inventory of South African sound specialist, Howard Technologies, after the company purchased the desk from Bloemfontein-based Toms Music.

Set up by Irvin Howard back in the year 2000 the company specializes in all aspects of staging and production — but with a growing work roster of multi-act shows they needed a digital desk that was compatible with this type of presentation, and also expandable.

“We operate in the corporate sector doing conferences and concerts — and memorising each set was becoming a challenge,� he stated. “We also handle a lot of church conferences.�

And so Irvin, whose past experience with Soundcraft includes the LX7 and smaller footprint desks, decided to act. “Soundcraft has always been one of my favourite desks — they have strong pre-amps and are really clean sounding. In this instance, expandability was important, as was simplicity, portability and the ability to handle multi-track recording through Logic/Pro Tools.�

This wish list had evolved from less accommodating experiences on other branded desks, which he had found less than intuitive. “Then I did a show where the SI Compact 32 was set up. I was really hesitant at first but the guy who had set it up literally took 10 minutes to explain the desk. It was a breeze. I knew then that I wanted a Soundcraft Si Compact.�

Drawing on the heritage of Soundcraft’s digital Si Series, the Si Compact packs high quality mixing facilities and premium Lexicon® effects into a small footprint console. It does so without compromising a powerful feature set that includes 24 recallable mic pre amps plus four stereo returns, AES in and 64 input option slot with a capacity to combine up to 40 of these inputs to mix; each input is equipped with compressors, gates, parametric EQ, High Pass Filter and delay.

In addition to the functionality, and the Soundcraft name Irvin Howard was captivated by the great looks and the console’s FaderGlow [colour illumination]. “But the simplicity was the real hook, and the fact that there are buttons for every function is great.�

Above all he is delighted to be carrying a brand that has such a high reputation In South Africa. “There is not a band that will complain about being mixed through a Soundcraft desk — and the name appears on most technical riders.

“This desk will now not leave my sight. Either myself or my technicians will always be present, even if we’re not mixing the sound. We’ll leave our other desks to handle the dry hire!�

Soundcraft mixing consoles are distributed in South Africa, along with the entire Harman Professional portfolio, by Wild and Marr.

Further information from: HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,400 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for the twelve months ending June 30, 2012.

In business for 42 years, Pittsburgh-based AV integrator Dobil Laboratories has earned a reputation as a leader in providing intelligent solutions and exceptional service and support for the higher education, corporate and house-of-worship markets.

The company recently has been involved in an ongoing project to upgrade existing analog AV installations in classrooms at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Asked about the project, Dobil AV Sales Engineer David Rosenberger says, “We’ve been refreshing a lot of their older AV systems which isn’t uncommon given newer digital technology and the industry having evolved from coaxial to the twisted pair and IT world. We’re getting more into network switchers and control processors and we have to power cycle or reboot these types of devices, whether it’s a power spike or some of the more consumer-based network switches that don’t always cooperate with our systems.�

Fortunately, Middle Atlantic Products’ RackLink power management system has proved to be a valuable asset in coming to terms with these problems.

“RackLink is not only great for us,� Rosenberger points out, “but also a big help for on campus support because the CWRU technicians can go to the phone app and choose to reboot whatever piece of gear they want to. It’s amazing. The troubleshooting response time is drastically reduced and if something does go wrong, we can log in and see exactly what the problem is, for example, if it’s a power spike. That alone is huge for us, which explains why we’ve been including RackLink into every one of the systems we’ve been putting up there, and we’re up to 40 systems by now.�

Dobil’s classroom systems for Case Western Reserve typically include a Crestron Digital Media system capable of multiple digital and analog sources. These include digital and analog laptop inputs and a digital PC input that feed into the 8×8 Digital Media matrix switcher. A Crestron V-15 (15â€� HD touch panel) functions as the user interface that controls the entire system. Dobil also uses an Epson G5750 projector to get the digital 1080p signal to the screen and every room is connected to Crestron’s Fusion remote management software. Now each system also includes the protection, cost and time saving provided by RackLink.

Intelligent power management and monitoring with remote and local access are key says David, “because we want to protect our client’s investment in the high-end systems they’ve put into their classrooms. We want to make sure that we can protect against something as basic as a power surge or lightning strike.�

“These are existing buildings, and we have no idea what the quality of the AC service is,� adds Dobil CEO and President Don Rosenberger. “So that leaves us on our own to safeguard the equipment we install and ensure that it will work. RackLink provides protection and also lets us reset the router, the processor, whatever piece of equipment happens to lock up. All digital electronics are sensitive and don’t respond well to spikes, noise and surges. We rely on RackLink to protect the gear and cut down on our maintenance visits, which reduces classroom downtime.�

“Time savings also are important,� adds David. “Instead of having to send out a tech across campus, RackLink will show them that a certain room isn’t functioning or getting audio, or the touch panel in that room isn’t communicating with anything. Then they just have to log onto the app, reboot the processor or touch panel and they have a solution without the 15 or 20-minute response time just to get to the room.�

“These problems have existed for a while, but no one made a product with all of the elements in one piece,� concludes Don. “There were other units where you could recycle the sequence or the AC. There were filters and monitoring units, but no one put it all in one rack unit. We band-aided three different manufacturers’ units together but that was a clunky solution. Middle Atlantic has done it in one box with all of the stuff we needed and it works simply and easily.

“They’re the cream of the crop. Everything they make is of the highest quality. RackLink is a typical Middle Atlantic product, very well done, very well thought out and complete. It does everything right; there’s nothing it does poorly. It’s a comprehensive solution.�

For technical specifications and in-depth information about Middle Atlantic Products, please click to www.middleatlantic.com or call 1.800.266.7225.

Middle Atlantic Products has been part of the Legrand group since its acquisition in 2011.

Legrand is the global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures. Its comprehensive offering of solutions for use in commercial, industrial and residential markets makes it a benchmark for customers worldwide. Innovation for a steady flow of new products with high added value and acquisitions are prime vectors for growth. Legrand reported sales of close to $5.8 billion in 2012. Legrand has a strong presence in the North American market, with a portfolio of well-known product lines that include Cablofil, Electrorack, Middle Atlantic, NuVo, On-Q, Ortronics, Pass & Seymour, Vantage, Watt Stopper and Wiremold. The company is listed on NYSE Euronext and is a component stock of indexes including the CAC40, FTSE4Good, MSCI World, ASPI and DJSI (ISIN code FR0010307819). www.legrand.us

Leading modular AV signal processing and control specialist Axon Digital Design is incorporating Jünger Audio’s LEVEL MAGIC™ loudness control technology into its Synapse audio and video signal processing and control modules. The result of this collaboration will be on show for the first time at NAB 2013 at the Axon booth, N.6006.

Under the terms of the new partnership, four new audio processing modules will be incorporated into Axon Synapse, thus creating a new standard in a range of modular products covering applications such as audio up-mixing and loudness control. With Jünger Audio processing on board, Axon customers can now eliminate annoying loudness variations between program segments and between programs and commercial breaks.

Axon’s Synapse is a modular system comprising multiple 19-inch frames, active hot swappable cards and (mostly) passive connector panels. It is designed to support demanding mission critical broadcast applications, especially the conversion of composite analogue video signals into HD.

Jünger Audio has developed a custom digital signal processing (DSP) board that integrates seamlessly within a standard Axon Synapse module. Building on this seamless interoperability, the two companies have jointly developed four new Synapse modules, which provide a combination of sophisticated up-mixing and loudness control capabilities within both stereo and 5.1 multi-channel audio environments.

Further extending their application versatility, these modules are available as either 3Gb/s or HD capable. The HD version offers a 3Gb/s upgrade pathway for future migration to the greater demands of 3Gb/s operations.

“Jünger Audio is well known as a pioneer in audio technology and we are delighted to have developed a close partnership with the team there,� commented Peter Schut, Chief Technology Officer at Axon. “Together, we have created a range of audio processing solutions which offer significantly new feature-sets and functionality. These innovative products will open new markets to Axon.�

Peter Pörs, Managing Director of Junger Audio, says: “Loudness control is a hot topic and there is increasing demand from broadcasters for an effective solution that can eliminate jumps in audio levels. More and more customers are demanding our LEVEL MAGIC™ process in individual hardware and software solutions because it delivers high quality audio and supports all known loudness standards including ITU, EBU and ATSC. With AXON, we have found the perfect partner to enable us to address this demand.�

Jünger Audio’s LEVEL MAGIC™ technology uses Wideband processing to control loudness and peak level, and avoid defects like breathing, pumping, and spectral changes. The processing relies on a highly sophisticated, adaptive level con¬trol algorithm.

By incorporating LEVEL MAGICâ„¢ into its Synapse modules, Axon customers can set their desired Loudness Target, or Operating Level, and Peak Level. Once set, processing takes place automatically providing continuous loudness control, regard-less of the source of the audio.

For further information during NAB 2013, please visit Axon at Booth N.6006 or Jünger Audio at Booth C.2333. Alternatively please visit the companys’ websites – www.axon.tv or www.junger-audio.com

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About Jünger Audio
Established in Berlin in 1990, Jünger Audio specialises in the design and manufacture of high-quality digital audio dynamics processors. It has developed a unique range of digital processors that are designed to meet the demands of the professional audio market. All of its products are easy to operate and are developed and manufactured in-house, ensuring that the highest standards are maintained throughout. Its customers include many of the world’s top radio and TV broadcasters, IPTV providers, music recording studios and audio post production facilities.

NORTHRIDGE, California – American Idol reigns on as one of the most successful shows in television history. Its mix of stars in the making, spirited interplay between celebrity judges and the show’s wildly enthusiastic live audiences continues to enthrall viewers. For the show’s upcoming live episodes, Valencia, California-based ATK Audiotek revamped the American Idol set with a variety of HARMAN’s JBL Professional loudspeakers to meet the unique audio demands of the show’s new staging.

Baltzell designed some novel loudspeaker arrangements for the new American Idol system. “We had to accommodate a number of needs for the new set at CBS Television City in Hollywood, and they can’t be accommodated by a one-size-fits-all system,� said Pat Baltzell, sound designer for American Idol. “The main PA needs to be heard loud and clear by the performers and audience. However, we need a separate audio system for when host Ryan Seacrest and the contestants are speaking, because they’re on lavalier mics and the judges are situated right in the middle of the main PA system.�

Left-right arrays of 10 JBL VERTEC® VT4889 fullsize line array elements on each side comprise the main PA system. The main hangs are complemented by a front fill system of six VRX932LAP Constant Curvature loudspeakers installed into the set. Two VRX928LA compact Constant Curvature loudspeakers are also installed into the contestant couch set to provide a mix minus foldback of the judges and Ryan Seacrest. Four JBL Control 8SR speakers are installed in two additional mix minus zones under metal gratings in the stage serving as foldback speakers for Ryan and the contestants during periods of dialogue.

“Since the judges’ table is more than 60 feet away from the stage and the judges are somewhat removed from the main stage, we built three JBL AC15 compact speakers right into the judges’ table,� said Baltzell. “We know that as the season progresses, the audience becomes more animated, and come April and May when the number of contestants is whittled down and the audience has chosen its contestant, the ambient noise gets even louder but the judges still need to clearly hear the performances. The mix that is sent to the judges’ table speakers is only the lead vocal and the background singers. The AC15 does a remarkable job.�

“Another very important consideration is that a lot of the contestants are younger and they have big voices but limited microphone technique,� Baltzell added. “This puts a lot of demands on the audio engineers to control the mix and apply limiting, and for the judges to hear the contestants properly those AC15 speakers need to get loud without distortion.�

To ensure that dialogue will be clearly heard, no less than 280 Control 25 loudspeakers are placed under every other seat in the audience.

“The American Idol audio system might be unconventional, but it ensures optimum audio reproduction for dialogue, singers and musicians,� Baltzell concluded. “We’re looking forward to wowing everyone as the show builds to its season finale.�

For more information on ATK Audiotek, please visit www.atkaudiotek.com

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,400 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for the twelve months ending June 30, 2012.

POTTERS BAR, United Kingdom — HARMAN’s Studer and ENCO, an independent producer of audio playout and automation systems for radio and television broadcasting, have recently partnered in development on interfacing to each other’s systems, with the result being shown on both companies’ booths at NAB 2013 in Las Vegas.

Studer’s OnAir range of consoles can now link to ENCO’s DAD system via the Monitora protocol, providing bi-directional communication between the two systems over IP, with the added benefit of remote control playout via either the console or the automation system.

Both systems support the Axia Livewire AoIP system and USB audio, eliminating the need for traditional sound card interfaces.

“Studer offers a number of options for interfacing to automation and playout systems and the partnership with ENCO enhances both our product positions, while offering our customers a sophisticated yet simple to implement solution for workflow and control,� reported Ingo Hahn, Studer’s Product Manager for the OnAir Series.

“We have a tradition of working with the finest partners in the world of broadcast technology, and we jumped at the chance to continue that tradition with Studer,� stated Patrick Campion, ENCO’s General Manager. “This collaboration provides our customers with the features and flexibility they demand in a constantly evolving broadcast landscape.�

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,400 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for the twelve months ending June 30, 2012.

Jakarta, Indonesia––The spectacular SKYE Bar & Restaurant in Jakarta is the latest venue to be opened by the Ismaya Group. Located on the 56th floor of the 754 foot-high Menara BCA building, SKYE’s main attraction is a stupendous view over the city’s skyline.

The owners needed high-end professional audio products for its fashionable clientele, and turned to the pro division of P.T. Citra Intirama, Martin Audio’s distributors in Indonesia.

The distributor already had a relationship with the club’s owners, who have been using Martin Audio systems for many of their group restaurants and clubs over the years. They had no hesitation in recommending a similar solution to equip the brand new rooftop bar, restaurant and lounge, as well as the outdoor chill out area within the exclusive operation.

The 800-capacity venue combines a mixture of Martin Audio’s compact architectural AQ5s and EM150 for the lounge area; C10.1R two-way high performance ceiling speakers for the restaurant area; stylish, surface-mount C115s for the VIP area, and C4.8T and C6.8T ceiling speakers for restrooms and corridors linking the indoor and outdoor area.

As a result, this carefully-considered solution ensures well-balanced background music coverage throughout augmented via two Martin Audio Blackline F15+ and S18+s, which are specially installed for weekend DJ events.

The result is another successful venture for the Ismaya Group, and a significant landmark on the Indonesian club scene.

For more about Martin Audio, please click to www.martin-audio.com.

About Martin Audio®
Founded by audio engineer David Martin in 1971, Martin Audio pioneered the use of all-horn-loaded bass designs in world-class touring loudspeaker systems for groups such as Pink Floyd, ELP and Supertramp. Located outside of London, Martin Audio now embodies a sophisticated mix of acoustic design, research, mathematical modeling and software engineering for a wide range of products in the installation, cinema and touring sound markets.

Visitors to the celebrated Cleveland Museum of Art and its Gallery One are engaging with displays and curating their own tours thanks to Christie® MicroTiles® and Christie Interactivity Kit. Blending art and technology as part of an elegant $100 million renovation, Gallery One’s Collection Wall is a 40-foot wide multi-touch screen comprising two 15-units wide by 5-units tall Christie MicroTiles video walls using Christie Interactivity Kit. The 4-unit wide by 3-unit tall “Line and Shape� MicroTiles video wall with another Interactivity Kit is located in Studio Play, Gallery One’s early (childhood) learning zone.

Inspiring visitors and motivating the younger, tech-savvy demographic to explore the museum’s thousands of works including Pablo Picasso masterpieces, the Collection Wall allows up to 16 people to interact simultaneously with the wall using RFID tags on iPad stations. The results they create also suggest further topics of interest. Visitors can personalize and build his or her collection, curating their own tour on the iPad using the museum’s ArtLens app.

The “Line and Shape� wall lets up to three children simultaneously draw lines or shapes. The content management software then finds and displays similar shaped artwork from the museum’s collection, encouraging participants to see shapes in everyday life.

Zenith Systems Finds the Answer with Christie MicroTiles
When Christie MicroTiles debuted, Doug Fortney of Zenith Systems, project integrator, learned how the museum could eliminate the need to replace projector lamps and not worry about color matching even for a display that runs all day. He was particularly interested in their maintenance since he wanted to install a video wall directly into the architecture.

“When I learned from Bob Christopher (Central Regional Manager, Business Products Fixed Install, Christie) you could repair each tile just by removing its screen – that got really interesting because, as an integrator, we’re always thinking about not only building something, but maintaining it. It was very important to come up with a sustainable design. Part of what is so attractive about MicroTiles and Interactivity Kit is the components are modular, not very big, and everything can be repaired quickly. We don’t really have access to the back – so we needed to be able to fix anything from the front,� said Fortney.

“The big things that appealed to us are no lamps to replace, the 65,000-hour half-life of the LEDs, the technology in the MicroTiles that helps them maintain a uniform color across all the tiles, and the great black levels. Trying to make this art look really spectacular requires fantastic black levels and the MicroTiles give us the blacks we want. The art really ‘pops’ on it and adds to that ‘wow’ effect because the black levels are so good.�

Christie Interactivity Kit Completes the Visual Solution
“The other piece that became very important was learning about Christie Interactivity Kit at another trade show – because this wall was going to be interactive. Until that point, we were looking at another product for the touch interface because we needed a very high accuracy performance where you touch a small piece of art and manipulate it,� noted Fortney.

Adding to the experience, Fortney and his team also wrote software that generates a dead zone around the initial touch, preventing accidental touches such as a piece of loose clothing from creating an unintentional result.

Powered by Baantoâ„¢ ShadowSenseâ„¢, the Christie Interactivity Kit adds multi-touch interactivity to any large-format, rectangular digital display. It lets multiple users interact simultaneously with a video wall with the resolution and speed needed to support finger-based gestures such as flicking, pinching, rotating and scrolling. Scalable, and designed in pieces, Christie Interactivity Kit attaches to a video wall perimeter and is configurable into 84 different sizes with no drivers or manual calibration of sensors or cameras required.

Fortney said the displays are becoming the iconic symbol of the gallery, calling them a unique application of technology and a beautiful thing to see. He is not alone. The Cleveland Museum of Art and its Christie MicroTiles/Christie Interactivity Kit digital displays are earning enthusiastic reviews from staff, visitors and media.

“From everybody it has been an ‘Oh wow! This is beautiful.’ No one has seen anything like it,� Fortney concluded. “From a distance, the wall has a real ‘wow factor’ and then a completely different ‘oh wow’ experience when you go up and interact with it because now it is right in your face. Rather than simply a traditional static museum, you have interactivity that helps people see, appreciate, and understand the art that is at the museum. The technology draws this new crowd here and they want to experience it.�