For as long as he could remember, Producer/mixer Alvin Wee loved music and film; and he was fortunate enough to cut his teeth working with composers and record producers in Los Angeles on film projects such as Kung Fu Panda, Kingsman and Eddie the Eagle. Having such a strong background in the industry, Wee takes pride in knowing that when someone hands a project off to him, it will be done correctly, and well. In order to achieve those results, Wee relies on NUGEN Audio’s Producer bundle and Halo Upmix solutions.

Wee’s introduction to NUGEN began as it often does, by word of mouth. “I was talking with industry friends and colleagues. I mentioned that I was looking for a specific product for a project I was working on, and one of them recommended NUGEN,” he says. “Then, I was at a GRAMMY^® party and an engineer who is a monster in the business told me that NUGEN’s meters are incredible, so I decided to check them out. I started using the NUGEN plug-ins and, right off the bat, they did exactly what I needed. So, I just kept using them.”

Ideally suited for both mixing and mastering situations, NUGEN’s Producer software provides Wee with a collection of highly flexible award-winning cross-platform plug-ins designed to increase the quality and efficiency of his productions. “The Producer software has been incredibly useful for me,” he adds. “I love the Stereoizer; it’s my go to plug-in that I use on all my mixes and checks. It allows me to control all the low-end and make sure that a recording doesn’t get too wobbly or crazy. I can even make the high-end feel wider and more exciting. It works really well and is very intuitive.The Visualizer tool included in the bundle is also excellent as its meters are tremendous in helping me see what I’m doing.”

The AVer EP65 is an interactive flat panel featuring Zoom Rooms integration to go along with the latest AVer camera and audio technology, this 65” display can transform any meeting room into a streamlined collaboration hub for both video conferencing and face-to-face brainstorming. The EP65 allows users to interact, take notes, annotate on a shared screen and enable split-screen multitasking.

There’s no need to connect external devices to make a video call, as it comes equipped with a 4K camera with Sony Exmor™ 4K CMOS sensor, 13-element microphone array, and PC module powered by a Windows 10 IoT Intel i7-7700 Processor for true all-in-one capability. The EP65 is a cinch to set up; simply plug in one power cord and enjoy an extremely intuitive user experience in seconds.

Features 4K P-CAP touchscreen with 20 touch points, made of level 7 MoHS toughened glass that is resistant to glare and fingerprints. Users can mount the EP65 on the wall or affix it to a mobile rolling stand to take its powerful features all over the office and create a truly agile workplace.

Cobalt Iron Inc., a leading provider of SaaS-based enterprise data protection, today announced that it has extended its mature Compass™ enterprise software-as-a-service backup platform with advanced features that bring tremendous value to service providers who sell Compass as their backup-as-a-service (BaaS) offering. Those advanced features, which are unique to Compass, allow service providers to manage complex environments with multiple tenants in a secure manner and provide those different users with appropriate access while reducing the service provider's operational costs and improving the quality of service.

Compass was built from the ground up with multitenancy and extensive automation in mind. That means BaaS service providers can easily:
• Set up multiple users with different access privileges.
• Assign different pricing methodologies to different systems.
• Customize reporting and management with company logos.
• Integrate with existing accounting and service ticketing systems for automated billing.

Compass' comprehensive multitenancy capabilities support complex organizational dynamics across an ecosystem of service providers, partners, customers and their internal organizations, and distributors. Support includes management, monitoring, visibility, chargeback, reporting, and resource utilization by organization.

As the top-line audio editing software brand for television and music mixers and producers around the world, NUGEN Audio has gained significant notoriety throughout the industry. When Mix Engineer Jorel Corpus received a copy of the company’s Producer bundle at an event surrounding the GRAMMY’s, he soon realized it was the perfect complement to his existing workflow for his range of music and television projects.

Corpus explains that prior to receiving the software, he had heard great things about NUGEN and, after using the plug-ins, he quickly realized the full breadth of the solutions’ benefits. “A lot of industry friends and colleagues who I trust use NUGEN,” he says. “I had wanted to use the company’s solutions for a while, so when I received the Producer bundle, it was perfect timing. As soon as I started to use NUGEN, I felt more assured. I use the Visualizer audio plug-in when clients send me files to immediately analyze if the signal is in mono or stereo. This organizes my resources and streamline my workflow better. I also use the Stereoizer and Stereoplacer tools regularly.”

Sony has announced that its next-generation motion picture camera system, VENICE, was used for principal photography on the new ‘Downton Abbey’ movie, directed by Michael Engler, and produced by Gareth Neame and Liz Trubridge.   

With its forward-thinking full frame sensor, impressive colour science and user-friendly operation, VENICE was chosen by Director of Photography (DOP) Ben Smithard to scale the TV series’ drama onto the big screen through impressive picture quality and greater detail.    Real emotion in every frame “VENICE was the only camera system that could deliver a larger and more detailed image to match the movie’s enthralling storyline on the big screen,” explained Ben Smithard. “When it came to shoot challenging frames for the film, the VENICE never let me down. It performed well without any issues, wherever it was put – from being rigged on camera dollies, tower cams, cranes and even helicopters.” 

VENICE, the versatile next-generation full frame motion picture camera, has been created for and with modern cinematographers in mind. It allows creatives to capture stunning visuals in almost any format, including full frame 24x26mm, Super35 and Anamorphic, with a maximum resolution of 6048 x 4032. At the same time, its usability, reliability and flexibility allow it to seamlessly match any filmmakers’ shooting requirements and support them in bringing their creative vision to life. 

The Peli™ Air Case range has been expanded with the launch of the new 1745 case; designed for long equipment, such as tripods. Peli Air cases are waterproof and crushproof and offer additional sizes to the Peli Protector and Peli Storm case lines.

The 1745 case features press and pull latches to keep the lid firmly closed during transit but to open easily on arrival. Stainless steel bearing wheels are built in for easy transportation of heavier loads. The 1745 is 1118mm long x 426mm wide and 206mm deep (internal measurements) and is available with Pick n Pluck™ foam for protection against impact, vibration and shock.

The Peli Air range has been hugely popular and there are now twelve sizes available. They are all engineered to maintain the same level of durability as the classic Peli cases, but reduce the weight of each case by up to 40 percent. The Air case range is constructed of premium lightweight HPX2 resin, the next generation of Peli’s proprietary formula that rebounds from stress without breaking.

Peli Air cases carry the legendary “You break it, we replace it” …forever.™

Sony today announces full compatibility with PARALLEL ADS® a solution by AGS AG (Switzerland), enabling broadcasters of sporting events to simultaneously share tailored advertising content to different audiences around the globe. The solution is based on the DYNAMIC CONTENT MULITPLICATION® technology that can also provide the same benefits for music and other live events. The DCM® technology enables rights holders to broadcast up to four simultaneous feeds for event-based LED advertising from a single camera, helping them unlock new revenue streams by tailoring these advertisements to different markets. This also improves the customer experience by providing relevant content to different audiences. The new technology is part of an ambition from Sony to respond directly to broadcasters’ needs, address new industry challenges and drive efficiencies.

Sony announces three finalists for the ‘Sony Impact Award for Current Affairs’ category at this year’s Rory Peck Awards: Martin Boudot and Mathias Denizo for their film ‘Paraguay: Poisoned Fields’; Matthew Cassel for ‘The Missing’; and Rodrigo Vázquez for ‘Frontline Nicaragua’.

The Rory Peck Trust helps to safeguard and strengthen independent journalism by providing practical and financial support to freelance journalists and their families worldwide.

The Rory Peck Awards, established in 1995, are the only awards dedicated to the work of freelance video journalists, filmmakers and news camera operators who work independently to uncover stories that support today's international newsgathering and the public’s understanding of the world.

The ‘Sony Impact Award for Current Affairs’ aims to recognise the work of freelance camera operators who examine an issue, story or situation which has an impact on viewers, policies, or public awareness.

Cobalt Iron Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based data protection, today announced that Randy Jones has joined the company as vice president of engineering. In this newly created position, Jones will lead and grow the software and system engineering teams in a push to further enhance product capabilities.

"Cobalt Iron is dedicated to pushing the limits of what our products can do, so we're scaling our engineering department to make it happen," said Rob Marett, chief technology officer of Cobalt Iron. "Randy is just the person to lead this effort, because he brings a wealth of experience building teams and developing process and structure to help scale."

BBC Scotland, a Nation division within the UK’s British Broadcast Corporation (BBC) and the largest public broadcaster in Scotland, has invested in advanced multi-format switchers from Sony. BBC Scotland has deployed one Sony XVS-8000 switcher in its news studio, and a Sony XVS-7000 switcher in their main general production studio, at Pacific Quay in Glasgow. A second Sony XVS-7000 switcher is installed in their large-format OB truck. The XVS series of advanced 4K/IP professional production switchers provides the foundation for any next-generation IP Live production system. These switchers support SDI and the latest SMPTE ST2110 standard to create mixed IP/SDI production environments, and offer excellent versatility, enhanced frame memory, format conversion, multi-viewer capabilities, and a wide range of video input and output formats. The latest range of Sony switchers now offers advanced workflow flexibility, operational versatility, and advanced integration with Vizrt Mosart. The Sony multi-format video switchers give BBC Scotland create roadmap towards future live broadcasts in 4K and UHD if required.