A Leader LV5900 HD/4K/8K multi-standard waveform monitor was chosen by BT Sport to monitor the signal feed from the UK's first public demonstration of live 8K sport. The UEFA Europa League match between Arsenal and Olympiacos (round of 32) on the 27th February was transmitted live by BT Sport and its partners using the LV5900 to check signal quality in a BT Sport 8K broadcast production truck located just outside the venue.

BT Sport Ultimate, launched in 2019, was the world’s first service to feature regular programming in high dynamic range as well as 4K UHD and Dolby Atmos. BT first demonstrated its 8K capability with an hour-long live relay of a Premiership Rugby Sevens match from Northampton, England, to the September 2019 Amsterdam IBC.

"We are pleased to have partnered with BT Sport at these two events," comments Leader Europe Business Development Manager Kevin Salvidge. "8K HDR is the pinnacle in terms of television production quality, creating a picture 16 times sharper than HD. Our LV5900 waveform monitor is a highly compact instrument designed for checking video and audio signal parameters at any point in the production and delivery chain, from studio right through to transmission and reception."

Arena Television has purchased four Leader LV5350 waveform monitors for its new OB17 vehicle which operates from Arena's Redhill Aerodrome headquarters in Surrey. One of Europe's largest and most capable HD trucks, OB17 is a 16.5 metre long 32 tonne articulated vehicle with twin full-length expanding sides.

Primarily operating in HD-SDI SDR and HDR, with Quad HD as an option, OB17 incorporates an IP layer in key areas to add extra flexibility. Onboard features include a 240 square foot production gallery, 16 camera channels, an 80 input Sony vision mixer, a Grass Valley hybrid router with 365 video inputs and 798 video outputs, a monitor wall with up to 180 configurable video preview windows, and a Calrec Artemis Beam audio console.

"OB17 is a powerful HD-HDR/SDR truck built for assignments such as light entertainment," says Dafydd (Daf) Rees, Deputy Director of Operations at Arena Television. "Its first job was for ITV's coverage of the Royal Variety Performance last November. HD-SDR is still the dominant production format but we are seeing a steady increase in demand for HD-HDR. We chose Leader LV5350 waveform monitors for the shading suite because they support both standards."

Densitron, a creator of HMI technologies and a global leader in display, monitor, and embedded computing solutions, has announced plans to significantly expand its range of Modular-Hybrid Control Surfaces, and demonstrate displays from the popular UReadyTM range. The company will also introduce new features in the latest version of the Intelligent Display System (IDS) software, IDS 7, on Booth N5506 at NAB Show 2020 which takes place in Las Vegas from April 18-22.

Leader Europe has provided two LV7300 rasterizing waveform monitors to the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden. They were chosen as part of an extensive UHD/HDR upgrade carried out to the facilities used to relay stage performances for live viewing by cinema audiences in Europe and for distribution to other venues around the world.

"We needed instruments that would operate reliably in our current HD-SDR production environment and in the 4K-HDR standard to which we aspire," comments ROH Media broadcast engineer and production mixer Mark Thackeray. "The Royal Opera House in London has been broadcasting live to cinemas in 5.1 surround sound for 10 years. In any one season we transmit 12 or more productions."

"Our first 4K-HDR project was a documentary in 2017 for NHK. Leader lent us an LV5490 portable waveform monitor for that production as we needed the ability to capture, monitor and deliver Rec. 2020 wide color gamut video. The instrument functioned well both as an engineering reference and with its intuitive CINEZONE and CINELITE toolsets which are particularly useful during live production.

"For permanent installation, we decided on two LV7300 rasterizers which provide a full set of 12G/3G/HD/SD-SDI measurement facilities that our production staff can view on a larger display screen. The instruments are useful both to ensure accurate color matching of camera channels and for ensuring that we are delivering the best possible signal quality right through the production chain."

Following recent investment in Leader LV7600 UHD HDR rasterizers for its UHD and HDR capable grading and finishing areas, dock10 has purchased a Leader LV5600 SDI/IP waveform monitor as part of ongoing technical development of the production resources supporting MediaCity UK in Salford. The LV5600 was supplied by Leader Europe UK channel partner Jigsaw24. It will be integrated into dock10's newly completed UHD HDR live production system, checking incoming camera feeds from multiple studio cameras to ensure uniform alignment and color matching.

"Ultra high definition and high dynamic range each have an important role to play in the television industry as it progresses to meet rising viewer expectations," comments John O’Shaughnessy, Head of Technology Operations at dock10. "The greater quality made possible by originating content in higher resolution and wider illumination span opens up many new opportunities for content creators. It also increases the long-term value of their productions. Leader's LV5600 incorporates the tools our operators and technicians need to ensure the full impact of UHD and HDR is carried from the point of capture in the studio front end right through to each viewer's display screen."

Custom Consoles announces the completion and installation of eight control desks and a large MediaWall monitor display support system for NEP Media Solutions BV. Located in the master control room at the company's studios in Hilversum's Media Park, the desks are configured in front and rear rows for use by up to six and four operators respectively.

"The desks are similar in style and colour scheme to a suite we produced in early 2018 for another NEP television studio facility," says Custom Consoles' Sales Manager Gary Fuller. "The forward desk centres on a dual-operator bridge with a total of eight forward-sloping 4U equipment pods. This is constructed as a rectangular unit with space for two operators. Left and right of the bridge are two units of identical design to the bridge but angled to match the curve of the 13.9 metre wide six-frame MediaWall. The MediaWall itself is one of the largest we have produced to date, each of the six frames accommodating four 55 inch UHD displays to create an 11-wide by two-high screen array with two additional pairs of 32 inch screens."

Catalonia's public broadcaster Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation (Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals or CCMA) has chosen Leader's LV7300 rasterizer as the master reference instrument as part of an upgrade to HD-HDR at its Audiovisual Production Centre in Barcelona. The CCMA's primary channel is TV3 Catalonia which is transmitted to viewers in Catalonia, Andorra and the Balearic Islands.

Supplied by Leader distribution partner SetUp Electrónica, the LV7300 will be used to check video and audio signal quality in a newly equipped studio equipped to support 4K, HD and super slow motion. The studio's primary role will be to create high quality HD-HDR content.

"Sourcing from 4K-native Sony cameras with  IP connectivity and ITU-R BT 2020 color gamut will allow us to capture images with very rich colors, greater than ever contrast and high detail," says TV3 Area of Exploitation director Ramon Sangrà.

"Leader's LV7300 rasterizer gives our operators all the tools they need to ensure that these enhancements are carried right through the production process from capture, post and archiving to actual transmission. The instrument's ability to handle 4K helps to safeguard our investment as the broadcast industry embraces ever higher standards."

Coinciding with Apple’s launch of the latest Mac Pro workstation, Colorfront (www.colorfront.com) – the Academy, Emmy and HPA Award-winning developer of high-performance dailies and transcoding systems for motion pictures, broadcast, OTT and commercials – today announced a new, annual rental model for Colorfront Express Dailies that dramatically reduces the cost of operating the software.

Launching in Q1 2020, Colorfront’s subscription service enables users to rent Express Dailies 2020 for an annual fee of $5,000 USD, including maintenance support, updates and upgrades. Additionally, the availability of Apple’s brand-new Pro Display XDR, designed for use with the new Mac Pro, makes on-set HDR monitoring, enabled by Colorfront systems, a more financially viable proposition than ever before.

Bannister Lake announced today that it has successfully added QR codes to "Today's Shopping Choice" (TSC, tsc.ca) on-air graphic presentation, creating exciting new purchase possibilities for viewers. Bannister Lake has a long-standing relationship with the popular home shopping broadcaster, having created and implemented software solutions that are integral to the channel's production workflow.

Bannister Lake's established BL XPF Generator solution automatically pulls all the visual assets associated with featured products that are scheduled during a specific TSC segment and in turn generates a Ross XPression graphic sequence that can be taken to air instantly. By adding QR codes to the asset mix through Bannister Lake software, TSC can drive additional sales while providing audiences with supplementary product information.

TSC viewers scan the QR code with their smartphones and are taken to a corresponding webpage to learn more about the product and make the purchase. This provides an additional path to purchase and is welcomed by tech-savvy viewers.

TVN MOBILE PRODUCTION has chosen Leader LV5600 test instruments as the technical reference for its newly completed UE6 4K HDR OB truck, reported to be the largest of its kind in Europe. Built in partnership between TVN and Sony, the vehicle is optimised for high quality UHD, HD and mixed format production in both HDR and SDR. Its first deployment was at the Northern Ireland v Germany UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier in Belfast in September.