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New, cost-effective 1080p HDR camera delivers superior quality and combines with versatile CCU to support key industry transitions

Woodbury, NY, March 21, 2019 — Hitachi Kokusai Electric America Ltd. (Hitachi Kokusai) today announced the SK-HD1800 HDTV studio and field production camera, the latest model in its highly-acclaimed broadcast camera line. Combining the advanced CMOS imaging technology first implemented in Hitachi Kokusai’s award-winning Z-HD5500 camera with a motorized, four-position filter wheel for remote operation, the new SK-HD1800 delivers spectacular image quality for mobile and event-based productions even in venues with challenging LED lighting and displays.

The new camera is available immediately, and will make its exhibition debut in the Hitachi Kokusai booth (C4409) at the 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas from April 8 to 11.

The SK-HD1800’s global shutter, progressive-scan, CMOS imagers adapt easily to a wide range of LED lighting conditions, enabling flawless, high-performance video capture in TV studios, houses of worship, sporting arenas, concert venues and other facilities where LED lights or large LED displays are used. The advanced 1080p sensors combine with Hitachi Kokusai’s renowned digital signal processing and low-noise circuit technology to deliver pristine visual quality with superior sensitivity, excellent color fidelity and a remarkable 62dB signal-to-noise ratio.

“The use of LED lighting and displays in live production environments continues to expand rapidly, and our Z-HD5500 camera has proven extremely popular for its ability to capture high-quality, rock-solid video in these often-challenging settings,” said John J. Humphrey, Vice President of Business Development, Hitachi Kokusai Electric America Ltd. “At the same time, features like remotely-operated, motorized filter wheel support have made our SK series of cameras a preferred choice for remote and mobile productions. The new SK-HD1800 offers customers the best of both worlds, and combines with the CU-HD1300 family of camera control units (CCUs) to flexibly support evolving industry trends including High Dynamic Range (HDR), 4K and IP-based workflows.”

Hitachi Kokusai has been at the forefront of implementing, promoting and educating professionals about HDR acquisition, and the SK-HD1800 continues this leadership. The new camera supports HDR specificationsincluding HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) and HPQ, which is compatible with the HDR10 open standard for consumer TVs.

Pairing the SK-HD1800 with a CCU from Hitachi Kokusai’s CU-HD1300 series forms an exceptionally flexible camera system supporting a wide range of production infrastructures and output requirements. The new camera supports both SMPTE fiber and digital triax connectivity, and can be combined with a dedicated fiber or triaxCCU or with the dual-cable CU-HD1300FT for maximum deployment flexibility.

Efficiently bridging HDTV and Ultra HD production workflows, an optional 4K output module for the CU-HD1300 transforms natively-acquired 1080p video from the SK-HD1800 to 4K/UHD resolution and outputs the result over single-link 12Gbps SDI or quad-link 3G-SDI connectivity. Meanwhile, a SMPTE ST 2110 option for the CU-HD1300 enables seamless integration of the SK-HD1800 camera system into next-generation IP-based production workflows, supporting broadcasters’ transition from traditional baseband video infrastructures to more flexible media networks.

Both the 4K output and SMPTE ST 2110 transport options fully support the HDR capabilities of the SK-HD1800. Further enhancing HDR production, a firmware option for the CU-HD1300 enables users to acquire optimized HDR and standard dynamic range (SDR) video simultaneously with a single camera by providing separate video shading adjustments for HDR and SDR outputs. This provides both creative and financial benefits compared to using separate cameras, enabling shot consistency while lowering equipment and operational costs.

About Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc.

Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a company that manufactures broadcasting systems, security and surveillance systems, wireless communications and information systems. Fiscal 2017(ended March 31, 2018) sales totaled 171,791 million Yen. For more information on Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc., please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachi-kokusai.co.jp/global/en/index.html.

Regional partner 90 Degrees North books orders for CNN Philippines, Far East Broadcasting Company and state-run Philippine Broadcasting Service

RAYMOND, Maine, March 21, 2019 — Dielectric, the leading manufacturer of broadcast antennas and RF systems for TV and radio, today reports that Philippines partner 90 Degrees North has secured several UHF TV and FMbroadcast antenna deals in the country. The projects include high-power FM antennas for a religious radio station run by Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC), low-power FM antennas for state-run Philippine Broadcasting Service (PBS), and a TUM panel UHF DTV antenna for CNN Philippines (CNN PH). The latter is owned and operated by Nine Media Corporation in association with Radio Philippines Network (RPN).

For CNN Philippines, Dielectric received a purchase order for a new 30 kW TUM panel UHF DTV antenna that is scheduled to ship in May for an early July installation. Launched in 2015, CNN PH broadcasts 24-hour programming primarily via terrestrial TV towers, supplemented by cable TV, satellite and streaming media services.

According to John Achilles Denna, CEO/COO of 90 Degrees North, Inc., CNN PH is taking proactive steps to transition from its analog VHF operation to the ISDB-T DTV broadcast standard. This move initially only affects their Mega Manila operation’s move to Channel 19, while the rest of its large station group will continue broadcasting in analogfrom terrestrial towers around the nation’s 7,000+ islands.

“The number one driver behind this DTV transition is to deliver a cleaner signal over the air while mitigating poor reception issues,” Denna said. “Going DTV will help them manage their signal quality better and avoid signal interference from neighboring broadcasters, which will increase viewership throughout the Mega Manila market.Dielectric’s unrivaled engineering and antenna reliability will ensure a smooth transition operationally.”

Since the new TUM panel antenna is wideband and suitable for multiplexing channels, Cory Edwards, global sales for Dielectric, explained that this gives CNN PH the flexibility to lease its spare bandwidth to other broadcasters—or to launch new channels of its own—to help defray its operational and upgrade costs. Having multiple transmitters feeding a single antenna also reduces operating costs.

Dielectric will build and ship a total of 15 DCR-T Series FM radio antennas over a six-month period to support the two radio projects. The majority of these antennas will go to PBS—the state-run national radio network operated by the Bureau of Broadcast Services—to replace aging antennas from another vendor that have declined in performance. The DCR-T is designed for low-to-medium power FM radio stations ranging from 1 to 5kW. In addition to broadband capabilities, the DCR-T can be adjusted in the field to operate on specific frequencies, resulting in greater effective radiated power (ERP).

Far East Broadcasting, which operates an FM radio network across the Philippines, has already taken delivery of a circularly polarized DCRM-FE Series FM antenna. This antenna, which is intended for FEBC’s full-power religious station—DZAS-FM serving Mega Manila—includes fine matcher and broadband capabilities. Since the antenna system can be tuned without the need to add fine matchers, the installation saves time and money.

While it replaces an 8-bay half-spaced antenna, the design of this 6-bay antenna affords higher gain from the samefootprint, resulting in greater operational and energy efficiency. Given that it’s being installed on the roof of a building, this Dielectric antenna’s variable bay spacing ensures a significant reduction in downward radiation that could harm those below.

Regional Impact

The three deals are the latest of many procured by 90 Degrees North, Inc., a video and audio production, broadcast equipment supply and systems integration firm based in Manila. In 2018, 90 Degrees North secured a large TV deal including filters, combiners and transmission line with Broadcast Enterprises and Affiliated Media (BEAM), a subsidiary of the Globe Telecom conglomerate.

“The Filipino market poses tremendous growth opportunities for antennas, as TV broadcasters are just beginning their DTV transitions, which is slated for completion by 2023,” said Edwards. “Many Filipino TV broadcasters are also migrating to the UHF band and delivering a DTV signal that boost picture quality and reception across their markets. “

On the radio side, 90 Degrees North last year won a turnkey FM radio project with government broadcaster Philippine Broadcasting Service (PBS) covering antennas, filters and accessories. The partnership has substantially raised Dielectric visibility and market share throughout the country, with Dielectric doubling FM radio antenna sales in the second half of 2018 compared to the previous six months.

“Many Filipino radio broadcasters are replacing FM antennas that have been damaged by the region’s numerous typhoons,” said Denna. “Our marketing efforts are also timely because many of these broadcasters are also upgrading to IBOC-compliant FM radio antennas to attain greater power output, operational efficiency and flexibility.”

Dielectric will exhibit the TUM panel UHF antenna and the DCR-T FM antenna alongside other broadcast antennas and RF systems at the 2019 NAB Show, taking place from April 8-11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Dielectric exhibits at Booth C2213.

About Dielectric

Based in Raymond, Maine, Dielectric LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Dielectric is a leading provider of innovative broadcast products. Now celebrating its 76th year of operation, the company builds and delivers antennas and RF systems optimized for every TV and FM radio broadcast need since 1942. Dielectric is an innovative, customer-centric organization with a long history of engineering excellence in designing and manufacturing high-quality broadcast solutions. As a trust partner of broadcasters worldwide, Dielectric maintains its legacy of advanced, precision RF solutions while building in features that prepare broadcasters for the future. More information can be accessed at www.dielectric.com

Enhancements to enCaption solution bolster renowned accuracy, performance and machine learning abilities, while new deployment options optimize IP-based workflows

Southfield, MI, March 20, 2019 – ENCO is coming to the 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas with a bevy of new advances in its award-winning enCaption4 automated captioning solution. Just weeks after introducing new configurations that bring the benefits of captions to radio audiences for the first time, the company will unveil enhancements that further improve enCaption4’s renowned performance and deployment flexibility for television broadcasters, OTT service providers and AV professionals. ENCO will demonstrate these developments in booth N2524.

Providing automated closed and open captioning for live and pre-recorded content in near-real-time, the software-defined enCaption4 platform enables broadcasters and content producers to cost-effectively meet regulatory requirements and growing consumer demand. Building on ENCO’s patented automated captioning approach, enCaption4 combines machine learning with a neural-network speech-to-text engine to deliver exceptional accuracy with extremely low latency.

The newest enCaption4 advances further enhance these benefits, offering significant accuracy improvements while shortening the delay between spoken words and the corresponding on-screen caption display. Augmenting this elevated accuracy, the new update expands the array of sources from which enCaption4 can learn new vocabulary and names. Already able to access newsroom computer system (NRCS) scripts and rundowns using the MOS protocol, enCaption4 now offers additional forms of newsroom integration. The system can also pull information such as sports team rosters and news articles from third-party websites, growing its dictionary to continuously improve its word recognition and spelling precision.

Complementing enCaption4’s ability to distinguish between multiple people speaking based on separate microphone feeds or audio channels, new multi-speaker distinction functionality leverages AI to detect changes between speakers even within a single mixed feed. Improvements to the system’s intelligent punctuation and capitalization also boost caption quality.

“While enCaption4 continues to lead the market with its combination of accuracy, speed, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, there is always room to improve,” said Ken Frommert, President of ENCO. “The demand for captions continues to increase, not only for complying with accessibility regulations but also for helping audiences understand program narration in noisy public spaces or with the volume muted in sound-sensitive environments. The latest enhancements reflect our commitment to ongoing innovation to address this growing need.”

New Options and Configurations

On-premises enCaption appliances have typically output a serial or IP-based data stream of the generated captions to third-party closed caption encoder hardware, which in turn encodes the data into an SDI output signal with embedded captions. Eliminating the requirement for a separate encoder, ENCO’s new optional closed captioning encoder card can be installed directly within the enCaption4 system. This simplifies the signal chain and minimizes equipment maintenance, while its attractive price tag reduces initial equipment costs for customers who don’t already own a standalone caption encoder.

Two new enCaption4 configurations enable entirely cloud-based automated captioning deployments for customers who don’t require baseband signal I/O. enCaption4 was at the vanguard of automated captioning in video-over-IP workflows based on NewTek’s popular NDI® technology. A new dedicated enCaption4 configuration for NDI workflows generates captions from an NDI input stream and keysthem directly over the video as an NDI output. Meanwhile, a streaming-focused enCaption4 cloud package accepts encoded IP streams as inputs and outputs captions in WebVTT or raw data formats for display through web-based media players, mobile or OTT apps.

“The flexible enCaption4 software was always able to be hosted anywhere: on-premises or in the cloud,” said Frommert. “Traditionally, video and audio I/O requirements such as SDI connectivity have driven the need for on-premises components. But as streaming service providers operate entirely virtually and more broadcasters turn to cloud-based playout, it becomes possible to run the full captioning workflow in the cloud. We’re pleased to offer new enCaption4 packages optimized for these evolving deployment models.”

About ENCO

Founded in 1983, ENCO pioneered the use of computer-based, digital audio and program automation for radio station and TV studios. The company has since evolved its product line to cross all aspects of today’s automated broadcast and production workflows, including closed-captioning, visual radio, audio compliance, instant media playout, remote contribution, and cloud-based web streaming. Its two flagship systems, DAD and MOM, bring the industry’s best reliability, cost-efficiency and intuitive operation to automated radio and TV operations worldwide. ENCO is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan USA and retains a global distribution network, plus a growing network of partnerships with complementary industry vendors. For more information, please visit: www.enco.com.

Market-leading fiber transport company launches range of encoders and decoders to support 4K/UHD compression in streaming media workflows

Hauppauge, NY, March 20, 2019 — MultiDyne Fiber Optic Solutions will officially enter the compression market at the 2019 NAB Show with a specialized range of professional, broadcast-quality encoders and decoders for streaming mediaworkflows. To be unveiled at the MultiDyne booth (C5013), the new MD9200 range strengthens the company’s value proposition with OTT and IPTV service providers moving SD, HD and 4K/UHD content over public and private IP and fiber networks.

The initial MD9200 series consists of encoders and decoders in stand-alone, desktop configurations, and in the popular openGear card module form-factor. The openGear encoding and decoding modules are compatible with the broader openGear community of infrastructure products. Both encoder models enable highly secure streaming from one to many destinations, supporting virtually any mix of streaming protocols. Each independent encoder configuration accommodates unique frame size, frame rate, video/audio codecs and data configurations, and can independently encode separately HD and SD streams at high and low bit rates from a single SDI input.

All MD9200 series products deliver exceptional bandwidth efficiency while maintaining signal integrity and visual quality. Both decoders optimize 1080P AVC (H.264) and 1080i MPEG-2 compression, with optional support for very high bit-rate 2160P HEVC (H265) UHD streams. When using the OpenGear decoder (MD9200-DEC-OG), customers can house up to 20 decoding modules in a single 2RU openGear chassis for high-density signal de-compression to SDI and HDMI. The standalone MD9200-DEC delivers the same operational benefits and visual quality for point-to-point streaming.

The MD9200 series will provide exceptional value in IP-based contribution applications for news, sports and studio links, according to Jesse Foster, MultiDyne’s Director of Product Development and Western Region Sales. Foster also sees opportunity for MultiDyne to provide value to content delivery and digital signage networks, with support for CDN transcoding, on-demand playback and 4K/UHD content looping among other applications.

“These products are built to both serve content over OTT, CDN and IPTV networks, from moving signals to executives suites in venues, to delivering HLS streams to YouTube or mobile phones for viewing or signal monitoring purposes,” said Foster. “We also see tremendous opportunity for our core customer base working on mobile production trucks, rental houses and in remote locations to contribute or backhaul content more efficiently over IP. These are all compact, lightweight, and low-power products that will solve problems for broadcast engineers, IT technicians and other users, especially as more broadcasters and service providers adopt HEVC compression.”

Foster adds that MultiDyne’s engineering team has emphasized network security in the product design, providing systems integrators and IT professionals with peace of mind that their networks and content are safe from outside intrusion. That security, plus an attractive price point and broad feature set, provide exceptional value for any customer.

“The MD9200 line-up brings together a very broad array of streaming and protocol transmission capabilities while addressing visual quality, signal latency and total cost of ownership,” said Foster. “This series represents an important new direction for MultiDyne that will continue to grow yet interoperate with our core fiber transport systems, while also helping users prepare for the specialized compression needs of UHD formats now and moving forward.”

MultiDyne will demonstrate the MD9200 series products in various configurations alongside its range of fiber transport and conversion products at NAB, taking place April 8-11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

About MultiDyne

With over 40 years of experience serving the Broadcasters and video production communities worldwide, MultiDyne Fiber Optic Systems leads the industry in developing pioneering signal conversion and fiber-optic-based transport systems for the broadcast, cable, satellite, production, digital cinema, pro A/V, corporate, retail, surveillance, teleconferencing, judicial arraignment, transportation, government, military, and healthcare markets.

Now shipping, FMXi 4g solution is available in three configurations; GatesAir also adds 7.5kW model to Flexiva transmitter range

CINCINNATI, March 19, 2019 — GatesAir, a global leader in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio and TV broadcasters, will unveil three configurations of its now-shipping Flexiva FMXi 4g embedded HD Radio solution at the 2019 NAB Show. Available as a single Exporter/Importer or as separate Importer and Exporter systems, the IT-based solution eliminates the maintenance of older hardware-based components while integrating the critically important function of HD Radio Diversity Delay.

GatesAir will also expand its Flexiva brand of FM and HD Radio solutions with a new 7.5 kW FAX air-cooled transmitter that bridges the gap between its lower and medium power models. The new transmitter maintains all of the standard operational benefits of Flexiva’s high-efficiency architecture, including reduced footprint, power consumption and maintenance thanks to its green and modular design.

The immediate availability of the FMXi 4g solution remains the top storyline for GatesAir’s radio business at NAB. GatesAir’s IT-embedded approach is a significant departure from previous-generation designs, providing an integrated platform that is reliable and maintenance free compared to computer-based platforms.

The FMXi 4g is also the industry’s first embedded HD Radio infrastructure solution to provide dynamic time and audio correction between analog (FM) and digital (HD Radio) signals. The GatesAir-exclusive algorithm inside the FMXi 4g ensures proper time alignment between the two. This improves the listener experience in areas where the digital signal fades, ensuring program linearity and automatically removing objectionable blending artifacts. Built-in software intelligence aligns the time, levels and phase of the audio to deliver a clean and engaging audience experience.

Ted Lantz, Vice President and General Manager, Radio Product Group for GatesAir notes that the convergence of Exporter and Importer functions into a single software-embedded system represents an important future direction for GatesAir. The FMXi 4g joins the recently-announced Intraplex Ascent embedded Audio over IP solution in GatesAir’s future strategy around IT and broadcast convergence.

“The removal of a standalone, computer-based Exporter or Importer eliminates the boot-up process and troublesome moving parts, and frees broadcasters from maintaining PC-based solutions,” said Lantz. “HD Radio implementation is simplified by eliminating complex configuration setups, along with having the Artist Experience integrated within the platform. These benefits are shared regardless of which of the three FMXi 4g configurations the customer chooses to deploy.”

GatesAir will demonstrate the FMXi 4g as part of its complete HD Radio Gen4 solution, along with its new Flexiva FAX 7.5 transmitter, at NAB from April 8-11 in the Las Vegas Convention Center. GatesAir exhibits at Booth N3303.

About GatesAir   

GatesAir, Inc., a portfolio company of The Gores Group, provides complete solutions for over-the-air radio and television broadcasting, leveraging wireless spectrum to maximize performance for multichannel, mission-critical services. Powering over-the-air networks worldwide with unparalleled reliability for nearly 100 years, GatesAir’s turnkey solutions enable broadcasters to create, transport and transmit radio and TV content.  With customers in more than 185 countries, the company leads the industry in innovation and design breakthroughs, improving efficiency and reducing total cost of ownership with all products designed and assembled in the USA. Visit www.gatesair.com for more information, Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gatesair, and follow us on Twitter at @GatesAir.

About The Gores Group

The Gores Group, founded in 1987 by Alec Gores, is a global investment firm focused on acquiring controlling interests in mature and growing businesses which can benefit from the firm’s operating experience and flexible capital base. The firm combines the operational expertise and detailed due diligence capabilities of a strategic buyer with the seasoned M&A team of a traditional financial buyer. Over its 30-year history, The Gores Group has become a leading investor having demonstrated a reliable track record of creating value in its portfolio companies alongside management. Headquartered in Los Angeles, The Gores Group maintains offices in Boulder, CO, and London. For more information, please visit http://www.gores.com.