2019 – A Year In Review

Mal Chandler, ceo, techtel

Dear Customers, Vendors, Partners and Friends,

On behalf of the global Techtel team, thank you for an amazing 2019 and for your continued partnership. As we enter into 2020, Techtel is fortunate enough to be engaged with scores of customers and more than thirty vendors across the globe. We’ve worked with many of you for years, and others are just beginning your relationship with us. Regardless of our time together, we are deeply grateful for all that you have done to push us to build great broadcast facilities and networks.

With that said, I want to take a moment to recap 2019 and share what we plan to accomplish for you in the year ahead.

We began this year by welcoming a new South East Asia Country Manager, Susan Lim in a new office. Susan’s goal remains to continue the business’ transition into a full service systems integration resource for our regional customers, aligning the value offering more closely with the Techtel Australia HQ. Thanks to Susan, along with new projects from our long-standing South East Asia customers like Astro and Discovery Networks, we’ve been awarded major contracts from Mediacorp and SITA, which we are very excited to be sharing with you in the year ahead.

The year has also began with the conclusion of a three year “ABC Automation Project” which transformed ABC’s 12 Head Studios into new production and broadcast facilities. We did this by drawing on previous experience in studio automation at SBS where we developed an entirely new system design in line with ABC’s requirements. The solution involved a brand new studio automation control core as well as brand new Broadcast IT equipment.

We have continued our expansion into the South Pacific with Samoa Digital Communications Limited appointing Techtel to build and operate the country’s first Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting Infrastructure. As of October this year, 70% of the Samoan population now enjoys a feature-rich and reliable Digital Terrestrial TV network with the remaining 30% to follow in early 2020. What’s most unique about this project is the software integration service that Techtel provided to deploy a custom-built Network Monitoring System. This solution is based on a combination of various hardware and software components forming a versatile telemetry platform which required custom programming to produce a single screen dashboard of the entire network while providing users with an extensive drill down of each transmission site.

In partnership with many of you, we have also launched our own software integration, Inflo, to help organisations who deal with large amounts of video content aggregate their diverse subsystems from disparate platforms into one intelligent multifunctional system.

2019 was a remarkable year by any measure, but we still have a lot of work to do. Our largest priority is continuing to listen to you, our customers and vendors. This means continuing to respond to your rapidly changing needs as you adapt to new industry conditions and technologies. For starters, we are kicking off 2020 with a few more software integration projects, including a bespoke MAM solution for an Australian Government agency.

In 2019 Techtel has shifted from a traditional systems integrator towards being a proven software developer, including the appointment of a permanent software solutions architect. We expect 2020 to be a busy year for our software development team and we look forward to sharing more about our achievements early in the new year.

Lastly, we’re creating more opportunities for our ever-expanding vendor base to engage and learn from our customers while continuing to push our roadmap with events around the globe, including Broadcast Asia 2020.

Please continue to push and motivate us in doing what we are set out to do. We are looking forward to seeing or meeting as many of you as we can next year. On behalf of everyone at Techtel, I would like to wish you and your families a festive holiday season.

Mal Chandler
Techtel
CEO

Techtel Enables First UHD-editing Workflow for RMIT University’s School of Media and Communication

Sydney, Australia, 22 November 2019 – Techtel, Australia’s leading broadcast systems integrator has successfully upgraded RMIT University’s (“RMIT”) infrastructure to power its School of Media and Communication with the Harmonic MediaGrid 4000 shared storage system. The upgrade for RMIT connects 44 concurrent Adobe Premiere edit seats, teachers and multiple ingest facilities to a single, high-performance, shared storage resource with UHD editing capability. This comes as the faculty moves increasingly towards UHD editing workflows which demand shared, real-time storage and video codecs with high capacity requirements.

Built specifically to support media applications with storage cost and management complexity reduction in mind, MediaGrid 4000 shared storage handles everything from compressed workflows to online digital libraries and uncompressed video. Boasting a low rate of IT utilization, this model not only reduces operational costs, but also increases workflow productivity by reducing media copy and transfer times. The unparalleled capacity and throughput of the Harmonic MediaGrid system makes it possible to consolidate “islands” of storage and run all workflow steps off a single system, thus simplifying its IT infrastructure to increase efficiency and reliability.

“The Harmonic MediaGrid 4000 shared storage system offers an ideal solution for UHD-based workflows, while offering SAN-comparable performance and NAS simplicity to facilitate the optimal balance of bandwidth and capacity”, says Mal Chandler, Techtel CEO. “We are confident that with increased performance and density of the Harmonic MediaGrid system, RMIT’s School of Media and Communication can truly deploy one storage platform to support the entire production workflow”.

“Based on the first-hand experience we had with the rock-solid Harmonic MediaGrid 2000 shared storage system provided by Techtel back in September 2013, when it came time to upgrade to UHD workflows, we chose the MediaGrid 4000 system”, commented David Beesley, Technical Services and Facilities Manager with the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University. “To support over 40 edit stations with thousands of student users and require a system that has negligible impact on the workload of the University’s IT staff, we needed a robust storage solution that is reliable, scalable, bandwidth efficient and simple to manage. The Harmonic solution delivers on all fronts, with excellent after-sale support from Techtel, and all the while providing reliable, high-capacity concurrent performance to power our post-production workflow and contribute to a state-of-the-art and hands-on learning environment for our students."

Techtel has been providing shared storage solutions for production, archival and playout purposes for over a decade with its users ranging from Football Clubs to major broadcasters such as SBS, Nine Network and Astro Arena. Each project illustrates the company’s capability to choose the appropriate technology, and deliver the critical project management, commissioning and support that customers expect.

70% of Samoan population switches from Analogue to Digital TV, based on a bespoke DVB-T2 DTT network with custom-built NMS, designed and integrated by Techtel.

70% of the Samoan population which amounts to over 20,000 households now have access to a feature-rich and reliable Digital Terrestrial TV network due to a bespoke solution that was provided and integrated by Techtel in response to specifications to suit the Samoan environment developed for SDCL by a local specialist broadcast consultancy, BroadSpectrum Consultants. This marks the completion of Phase 1 of the national Digital Terrestrial Television Project initiated by the Samoan Government who prioritised television as a service as part of the wider Samoan economic development push.

Samoa’s new DVB-T2 network uses the latest Egatel transmission technology to provide an efficient and inventive method of providing national coverage without using any high capacity private networks to twenty transmitters across the country.  Techtel, however faced a challenge to develop a practical and robust solution to manage and monitor the entire network from the Head-End operation room where utilising unmanaged GSM network was the only commercially viable choice.  To overcome this challenge, Techtel developed an NMS (Network Monitoring System) solution based on the Servelec Remote Telemetry Units (RTUs) in conjunction with TConnect application. This combination forms a versatile telemetry platform that is effectively a blank canvas which requires custom programming to produce a single screen dashboard of the entire network while enabling users to drill down to each transmission site and then to each individual device to effectively monitor and manage the network from a central station.

Reaching some of the sites is only possible during a few and short windows around the year; and overcoming challenges like this was critical to the success of the project and sustainability of the operation in the years to come. Each transmitter site is equipped with an RTU to interconnect the site sensors, GPIOs, IT and broadcast devices and power systems to the Master Control Room (MCR) providing constant feedback about conditions inside either buildings or outdoor cabinets distributed around the islands.  SNMP traps are harvested from the connected appliances in the transmitter locations and forwarded to the central NMS based on certain rules. Furthermore, Techtel’s programmers have fine-tuned these rules to minimise the data rate over unmanaged mobile network while maintaining accuracy and reliability of the alarms.  Then Techtel integrated non-SNMP capable devices to a custom-build API gateway that makes SOAP XML API calls and translate the responses to standard SNMP messages so they can normalise the system to one unified communication protocol.

In order to minimise OPEX, all alarm messages from the remote stations are pushed in real-time to the NMS Dashboard via secured VPN tunnels using minimal bandwidth possible. In addition, a built-in 4G modem provides network operators with full access to the individual devices across the DTT network via secured VPN tunnels over GSM. This allows them to reach the native Web GUI of devices in the remote sites without a need to have any external utility server, router or managed services at the remote sites.

“Given the tough geographical condition with many difficult-to-reach transmission sites, paucity of telecommunications infrastructure and costly GSM services on Samoan Islands, our major challenge was to come up with a reliable yet bandwidth-efficient solution to manage and monitor this complex Digital Terrestrial TV network from a central station covering all 20x transmission stations across the country with no compromises”, said Payam Safa, Solutions Architect and Samoan DTTV Technical Project Manager at Techtel.  

“Our in-house NMS system is completely self-contained where VPN services, NTP distribution agents, multi-layer IP switching and routing functions together with SNMP services and API gateways are tightly integrated together with an intuitive and user-friendly Web-based front-end to offer unprecedented features and capabilities to our customer and to the Broadcast market in general.  Broadcast operators need to find intelligent and inventive ways to reduce the total cost of ownership of their network while still offering world class services to their customers and Techtel was proud to help SDCL achieve this”, Payam Safa added.

 “It was great to see Techtel rise to the challenge in providing a network monitoring solution tailored to the current Samoan environment, geographical challenges faced by operations on the ground and available communications infrastructure on island. The team developed and delivered a cost effective remote monitoring and control solution which is a win-win not only for us as a multiplex operator, the operational cost savings indirectly benefit local content providers in the long run”, said Tuiaopo Andrew Ah Liki, Chairman at Samoa Digital Communications Limited.

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Techtel CEO Presents his IBC Findings at the IBC Debrief Event in Sydney

Watch Techtel CEO Mal Chandler present the latest innovations from our vendors Bridge Technologies, Spectra Logic and Synamedia: https://lnkd.in/g6BTH5e

Techtel Deploys State-of-the-Art, Fully Automated Television Broadcast System for Tasmanian Government

Sydney, 22 October 2019 - Techtel has commissioned a brand new Television Broadcast System for the Tasmanian Parliament, a true leader of parliamentary broadcasters. This comes as the original HD broadcast platform, also integrated and supported by Techtel for over a decade, has now reached the end of its working life. Equipped with sophisticated software which can control the equipment throughout seven broadcast-capable rooms and deliver the output to six media booths, the new system provides the Parliament with the flexibility to control any broadcast venue from any of four mirrored control rooms.

At the heart of the system are 4 x Telemetrics’ RCCP 1-A control panels coupled with the LGS (Legislative Government System) software application. Each control system integrates with the cameras and equipment in all seven broadcast capable rooms and chambers as well as six media booths; together they enable four concurrent production and/or broadcasting sessions. Each RCCP-1A can control unlimited number of cameras at a time, replacing the need for dedicated camera control units and supporting the Parliament’s future production needs.

Developed specifically for legislative proceedings, Telemetrics LGS software displays a legislative seating chart on the touch screen GUI, thus automating the camera control and triggering graphics. To complement the world’s best legislative software control system Techtel selected the Grass Valley Kula Vision Mixer to become the mission critical focal point for the vision.  The Kula is the most powerful vision mixer in its class offering customers UHD upgrade capability through its FormatFusion3 technology.

For the archive solution, Techtel leverages the GB Labs FastNAS™ High Performance Storage. Recordings are initiated via Bluefish444’s IngeSTore Server complete with an Epoch | 4K Supernova S+ capture card.

With 24/7 support from Techtel’s technical experts and project managers, the project was rolled out in several consecutive phases: foundational design, detailed systems design with documentation including CAD drawings and cable schedules, ongoing project and site management, installation, commissioning and testing. At completion, handover processes involved FST, UAT and Operator/Technical training.

Together with Telemetrics’ LGS Software, Grass Valley Kula Vision Mixer and GBlabs’ high performance storage solution, we provided future-focused workflow configuration based on best-of-breed technology and applications”, said Mal Chandler, Techtel CEO. “This new Television Broadcast System will enable Tasmanian Parliament to maximize the potential of their content immediately but also they now have many options to adapt and add further system enhancements in the future.

Techtel Enables Superior HD Quality Content Playout at One of Sydney’s Largest Stadiums with Harmonic

Sydney, Australia, 8 October  2019 – Techtel, Australia’s leading broadcast systems integrator has successfully deployed the Harmonic contribution solution to enable rapid and reliable deployment of superior HD quality content during sports games and events at one of Sydney’s busiest stadiums. This comes as the stadium undergoes a major upgrade of its broadcasting infrastructure and media facilities.

The broadcasters will use the Harmonic ViBE® CP9000 contribution encoder to deliver live HD coverage of sports and other events from the camera and production systems directly to the LED screens airing to over 25,000 people.

Harmonic’s contribution platform preserves video quality at the front of the broadcast chain by encoding content in a single slice in real time via AVC (H.264) or HEVC (H.265), todays most advanced compression standards. In addition, it features super-low latency encoding without sacrificing video quality.

“Today’s sports fans want to feel immersed in the action and watch every detail of it,” said Tony Berthaud, vice president of sales and video services, APAC, at Harmonic. “Teaming up with Techtel, we’re able to deliver live action on every screen with pristine video quality for a one-of-a-kind fan experience.”

“Techtel has a legacy of involvement in Stadium IPTV systems which can be found in venues such as the MCG, SCG, Marvel, Adelaide Oval and Perth Stadium to name a few.  It is fantastic to now have the chance to work with another large Sydney stadium, and we foresee that their new live video screen experience will be something the fans have never encountered before” says Mal Chandler, Techtel CEO. 

TVLogic Unveils New Broadcast Monitors At IBC 2019

TVLogic, designer and manufacturer of LCD and OLED High Definition displays and support systems, unveiled various new broadcast monitors including 10’’ field monitor (F-10A) and 24’’ & 31’’ 4K HDR monitors with a vast array of new features that make the field shooting and video production more efficient.

The F-10A is a new 10" field monitor with HDR capability and Full HD resolution. Designed for versatile field production applications, the F-10A offers nearly half the weight and slimmer design compared to its class size. It also supports HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 to support 4K HDR 60Hz and supports various video signals (3G HD/SD-SDI, HDMI). Equipped with the 3 x 3G-SDI ports (1×Selectable Input/Output), it provides plenty of options for connecting and increases the usability. With the sharpness and peaking boost function, the F-10A displays sharp details and clear images. In addition, it provides various professional functions such as HDMI ↔ SDI conversion output, Camera LUTs, Arri Metadata Display, Waveform/Vectorscope, H/V Flip, Auto Flip, Scan, Image Overlay and HDR emulation including HDR EOTFs of PQ, HLG and SLog3.

TVLogic has also introduced three new 4K HDR monitors of LUM-242H, LUM-242G(24’’) and LUM-310X(31’’).

The LUM-242H and LUM-242G are 24" native UHD resolution (3840×2160) monitors that offer superior picture quality with one billion colors(true 10-bit), wide viewing angle of 178° and wide color gamut up to DCI-P3 90% and 98%, respectively. Featuring 1,500 nits (LUM-242H) & 500 nits (LUM-240G) of brightness, a high contrast ratio of more than 1,000: 1 and HDR emulation function (PQ, HLG, SLog3), the monitors provides true-to-life color. Also, the color standard switching speed is greatly improved from 5 seconds to 1 second.

The LUM-310X, a new 31’’ 4K HDR reference monitor, features a true 4K(4096x2160) resolution Dual Layer LCD that provides extremely clear HDR images with maximum luminance of 1,000 nits and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. This makes possible deep blacks and ultra-sharp details. The LUM-310X provides wide color gamut up to 99% DCI-P3, true 10 bit and includes 3D LUT support for precise color reproduction. It supports various HDR standards such as PQ, HLG and SLog3. Equipped with 4 BNCs (2×12G-SDI + 2×3G-SDI) and HDMI 2.0 interface, it supports various video formats up to 4K/60p through single-link 12G-SDI, Quad 3G-SDI and HDMI 2.0.

TVLogic also introduced a 3 x 5.5’’ rack monitor (R-5T) and a 46’’ studio wall monitor (S-46P).

The R-5T is a brand-new rack monitor(3 x 5.5”) with advanced design and performance. It offers an outstanding picture quality with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 and high luminance up to 500 nits. The R-5T supports the video formats up to 12G-SDI and the professional features such as Waveform/Vectorscope, Focus Assist, Luma(Y’) Zone Check, Range Error, UMD, Time Code Display, Audio Level Meter.

The S-46P is 46 inch Full HD Studio Wall monitor with high contrast ratio of 4,000:1 and wide viewing angle. It offers easy network control for studio wall monitoring combined with the SFP module & Ember+ Protocol. Equipped with 2 x BNC input connectors for 3G-SDI, HDMI input and 2 x SFP input, it provides plenty of connection interfaces and it also adds selectable output function via internal routing for efficient workflow and preparation for the occasional troubles.

TVLogic also updated the existing products, adding new functions for 3D LUT import and HDR support.

The field monitor line up, F-series, now features the “TLUT” function that creates a custom 3D LUT with the WonderLook Pro software (Free license version). In combination with the Company’s WonderLook Pro, the most powerful LUT creation and real-time color management software, the F-series users can make their own 3D LUT (17x17x17) with ease and can apply the LUT and the monitor setting at the same time.

The 4K HDR Reference Monitor, LUM-310R has also been upgraded. The speed of color standard switching modes has been greatly improved, and the HDR reference brightness has been changed to the most used 1,000 nits. But with the ability to express up to 2,000 nit in PQ and Super White (1,640 nit) in HLG, it can be used to reproduce high-quality HDR images. In addition, various color gamuts and black levels are supported to meet the various demands.

About TVLogic

TVLogic designs and manufactures LCD and OLED High Definition displays from 5.5" to 55" designed specifically for broadcast, production, post-production, digital signage and multi-viewer applications. For further information:  www.tvlogic.tv

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Further Enhances its Leading Edge Technical Facilities in Handling Audiovisual Media with GrayMeta’s Quality Control Software

Recently Techtel has successfully deployed GrayMeta’s Iris Media Platform for the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (“NFSA”) as the agency upgrades their technical facilities in response to a growing amount of HDR content required for archiving and preserving.

GrayMeta’s Iris Media Platform is designed to play, review and accurately identify media errors with a complete set of Quality Control tools. For NFSA, these tools will be used to handle a 3 million item “living archive” of contemporary and obsolete still, video and audio formats by instantly identifying and dealing with potential errors to ensure that the agency not only collects, but preserves precious data for future generations to share in many diverse ways.

“GrayMeta Iris Media Platform is the only available audiovisual quality control solution in Australia which supports HDR content, meaning that AFSA can now access and preserve every video, audio, caption, subtitle, image and frame sequence format ever invented*.”, said Mal Chandler Techtel CEO. “We are proud to provide technology which enables to archive and most importantly preserve centuries of Australia’s audiovisual data, that could be accessed and enjoyed by further generations worldwide”.

Techtel Enables Projection Mapping for an Action-packed Rollercoaster Ride at Australia’s theme park

Recently Techtel has provided media servers to enable projection mapping – a new hi tech feature for rollercoaster ride at a Gold Coast Theme Park during the ride’s refurbishment and relaunch.

Techtel integrated a number of 7thSense Design’s media servers (one for each of three rollercoaster scenes and one as a redundancy solution) into a show controller system which would store the audio and video output of projection mapping, that was then 3D mapped onto the projection wall during the required timeframe, communicated by the automatic trigger system. The result for the riders is a thrilling journey with both visual surprises and roller coaster thrills, brought to them by the latest developments in augmented reality.

“Projection mapping is becoming a staple not just in night-time entertainment, but also as a part of augmented reality used on the world’s most breathtaking rides. It takes the riders on a multi-sensory adventure with superior sound quality and powerful and precise images with spectacular effects like they’ve never experienced before”, says Mal Chandler, Techtel CEO. “We are honoured to have been chosen to contribute to such an exciting development for one of Australia’s best themed rollercoaster rides. The 7thSense media servers are currently used throughout various theme parks worldwide, and we are proud to be the first systems integrator to bring them to a theme park in Australia”.

In addition, Techtel has supplied and integrated a Panasonic video camera, which enables the system to capture the rollercoaster thrills as the riders move through the scene and be able to project their faces onto the screen overlayed onto the other graphics within the 7th Sense Server in real time for a supreme impact.

GB Labs to showcase Mosaic asset organization software and CORE.4 OS at Techtel's Booth during Broadcast Asia 2019

Techtel (Booth 4K3-05), BroadcastAsia Singapore, 18-20 June 2019: Intelligent storage solution leader GB Labs will feature the all-new Mosaic automatic asset organizer, and the brand-new CORE.4 OS software, at BroadcastAsia.

Mosaic, CORE.4, and its sibling, CORE.4 Lite will be featured as part of wide-ranging exhibits by GB Labs’ regional partner Techtel (Booth 4K3-05).

Mosaic is an all-new, highly intuitive, automatic asset organization system that combines GB Labs’ already intelligent storage with additional AI that together provide a vastly enriched way to search for and retrieve media. By automatically scanning and intelligently tagging all metadata, Mosaic makes it easier – and much faster - for users to find exactly what they are looking for.

GB Labs Chief Business Officer (Asia) & Co-Founder, Ben Pearce said, “There is no ‘automatic’ in MAM, which is why we call Mosaic an asset organizer. Mosaic goes one better than traditional MAM with its automated metadata tagging and integrated AI, which substantially reduces the amount of time that can often be wasted searching through terabytes of data. Those AI capabilities also eliminate the need to assign someone to the tedious, laborious, and time-consuming task of manually entering metadata.”

Also featuring at BroadcastAsia for the first time in the region, will be GB Labs’ latest operating systems, CORE.4 and streamlined CORE.4 Lite. Both are high-performance, custom storage operating systems specifically designed to serve media files with GB Labs’ additional intelligence layer for unrivalled stability and quality of service, no matter how many users are on the system.

Both new operating systems benefit from the inclusion of Analytics Center, an easy-to-read dashboard that continuously analyzes and displays an accurate, easy-to-understand overview of network parameters, including real-time speed and data consumption.

Pearce added, “The main cause of slow read/write speeds are misconfigured internal networks. Those issues can be difficult to locate and resolve with manual monitoring and intervention. Analytics Center automatically identifies potential problems and where to find and fix them. Moreover, it anticipates and identifies problems that may occur.”

As a further bonus, both CORE.4 and CORE.4 Lite include Mosaic software as standard.

“All of our products offerings are designed from the start to put users in control, and I look forward to demonstrating that at BroadcastAsia,” concluded Pearce.

About GB Labs

GB Labs is the global leader in Intelligent Media Storage, creating a shared storage ecosystem for the media industry. By understanding real-world industry problems, cutting-edge technologies have been developed for the unique "CORE" software that fulfils end users’ needs. Regardless of where the production is being filmed, how big the team is or the size of budget, GB Labs can provide a solution to ensure deadlines are met and throughout the whole process, content is secure.

Find out more at: www.gblabs.com or call: EUROPE (+44) (0)118 455 5000 or USA (+1) 661 493 8480.

Company contact:
Matt Worth
GB Labs
Email: m.worth@gblabs.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0) 118 455 5000

Media Contact:
Jennie Marwick-Evans
Manor Marketing
Email: jennie@manormarketing.tv
Phone: +44 (0) 7748 636171

Techtel to Address 5 Key Broadcast Business Drivers with 9 Global Leaders during Broadcast Asia 2019

Representing 9 global industry leaders, Techtel will be showcasing a great number of broadcast technology innovations with a special emphasis on five key business drivers: Transition to IP-Based content delivery, Autonomous workflows, 4K Content Production, Unprecedented Low Cost Media Distribution and Integrated Newsrooms. This follows’ Techtel’s appointment of a new country manager and strengthens the company’s commitment in bringing innovative and affordable broadcast technology to South East Asia.

VB440 Probe by Bridge Technologies. The award-winning VB440 supports uncompressed media flows over IP with both ST2110 and ST2022-6 transports, providing network operators and digital media organisations with an analytics solution for numerous streams and multiple technologies in real-time and in parallel. Using VB440, Bridge Technologies will demonstrate full network and content analytics in a 4K over IP world and reveal how one can deliver comprehensive 4K analytics capability to multiple users in a 100 Gigabit environment.

Lightspeed Live Capture by Telestream. Telestream will show viewers how integration with Lightspeed Live Capture can create unlimited workflow possibilities. They will reveal how this unique Multi-Channel Video Capture and Processing platform realizes the fastest possible delivery of all assets by closely integrating the latest parallel file-based open workflows in Telestream’s Vantage platform together with the combined CPU/GPU power of the Lightspeed Live server and applications.

OmniGlide™ Roving Platform (RRP-1) by Telemetrics will demonstrate full ease of hands-free operation by leveraging its Custom Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, similar to the one used in the autonomous car industry, which helps the pedestal “learn” the environment it is operating in.

The Associated Press will demonstrate the advances in the modern newsroom workflow with the latest version of their news production software, AP ENPS as well as AP Playbook – a new planning system that allows editorial and corporate newsrooms to effectively and efficiently manage coverage plans and assignments.

Ensemble Designs will show their BrightEye NXT Compact Routers line which offers solutions for video routing, scan conversion, streaming, audio embedding, reference generation, video conversion, HDCP and more. In addition, the company will show how their Avenue signal integration system enables any combination of 1.5 Gb/s HD, 3 Gb/s HD, SD, MPEG, analog video and audio processing modules being used together in the same frame.

SKAARHOJ, a leading designer and manufacturer of tactile universal broadcast controllers will display NewTek’s NDI® PTZ Camera - the world’s first video camera to integrate NDI technology as well as Blackmagic’s ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K - a professional all in one Ultra HD live production switcher with integrated hardware control panel.

GB Labs will reveal the world’s fastest SSD-based shared storage system – Space SSD, with scalable performance and capacity up to 18 Gbytes/s and 1.4PB. It will also launch brand new software, features and updates to its FastNAS and SPACE, ECHO and VAULT to the South East Asia market. The intelligent new features include Mosaic asset organizer and the latest Analytics Center to the SPACE, ECHO and VAULT ranges and brand-new "CORE.4" and "CORE.4 Lite" software to the S.E.V. and FastNAS ranges.

Spectra Logic will share their insights derived from over 40 years’ experience in the storage industry.  Whether you are looking for a Network Attached Storage (NAS), Object Storage S3 gateway, tape, disk cloud, or a tape archive – Spectra has a solution for every storage need.

Net Insight will introduce Nimbra Edge – a secure cloud media transport solution, which will enable broadcasters to extend their offerings with a cloud-native transport solution across public and private clouds.

All of these solutions and many others will be demonstrated at Techtel’s booth 4K3-05. Prior bookings are recommended and are available at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19Q_-M9fYQyrN9IEM-oPe68AMA12j7TS9su3h3Iu2bXY

Champion Data Provides In-Game Graphics to Fox Footy’s First 4K AFL Broadcast Using Lynx Technik’s SDI Converter

(Sydney, Australia, 30 April 2019) Techtel, Australia’s leading broadcast systems integrator has provided and integrated a set of Bi-directional 12G-SDI to Quad-link 3G-SDI converters by Lynx Technik AG to Champion Data – Australia’s leading provider of sports statistics and in-sports graphics. This comes as Fox Sports broadcasts current AFL season matches in 4K Ultra High Definition for the first time.

Champion Data is the official supplier to AFL for competition data and provides clubs & media with a suite of live and post products. When Fox Footy Channel by Fox Sports transitioned to 4K UHD broadcasting for the 2019 season, Champion Data needed to integrate 12G SDI in to Quad-link 3G-SDI signals which support 4K/UHD broadcasting into their infrastructure. As a Lynx Technik reseller in Australia, Techtel provided 24 Yellobrik converters, coupled with the rack frames and Dual 1>3 12G SDI Distribution Amplifiers to optimise the performance of the signals.

“The Yellobrik Bidirectional 2SI Quad Link to Single Link Converter by Lynx Technik provides the optimal interface technology to convert the traditional single-link into quad link signals to support 4K resolution which has four times more pixels than full high definition and nine times more pixels than standard high definition, says Mal Chandler, CEO at Techtel.

“When moving to UHD 4K we chose to use the Lynx Yellobrik due to their known reliability and bidirectional support. With Techtel’s product knowledge and aftersales support, it was a simple decision.” Andrew Mott, Broadcast and Design Manager, Champion Data 

About Champion Data

Champion Data was established in 1995 and commenced operations from 1996 in Australian Rules Football, adopting and developing the pinnacle of professional calling standards for the collection of scores and statistics and becoming Australia’s leading sports data innovator.

Champion Data commenced its broadcast arm in 1998 and offered a complete turnkey solution including graphic design, data integration, technical and operational solutions and support ensuing for a world class and seamless broadcast each time.

With a strong client base including Fox Footy, Channel 7, Channel 9, Cricket Australia, Maguire Media and Asian Tour Media Champion Data continue to be the leading Sports Broadcast graphic provider in Australia with a proven track record of delivering every time.

https://www.championdata.com/

ABC's final studio goes live, concluding a multi-year "ABC Automation" project, which transformed ABC’s 12 head studios into new production & broadcast facilities

Read Full Case Study here: https://www.techtel.com.au/abc-automation-case-study

Techtel Enables Australian Institute of Directors to transform into a true broadcaster by commissioning their own in-house Studio and Control Room

Techtel, Australia’s leading broadcast systems integrator has successfully built an upgraded television studio for the Australian Institute of Company Directors (“AICD”). Initially deployed by Techtel in 2016, the latest upgrade reflects AICD’s continued commitment to video as an important communications medium. Further to the core of its studio live production solution, Techtel enables domestic and international feed distribution from AICD’s studio to various broadcasters, as well as facilitating local video and audio capturing, editing, recordings and media archival.

AICD is an organization committed to strengthening society through world-class governance. AICD’s television studio is used to support it work to build the capability of the director community and advocate on governance issues. Every year, AICD runs hundreds of programs and courses that convey to participants the theory and practical implications of Corporate Governance. In 2016, leveraging technological progress to improve efficient delivery of their programs, AICD appointed Techtel to build an in-house studio and control room, which now enables broadcasters such as Sky News and ABC News 24 to perform live crosses to AICD for insights from some of the country’s top economists, directors and governance experts. The Studio also provides AICD with the capability to record video and audio podcasts, training sessions and other forms of education and development programs from the comfort of their own office.

The studio features video and audio mixers with cameras, a range of broadcast monitors, Lumos Lighting controlled by a Jands LED lighting control console, Harmonic’s Ellipse encoder for contribution, as well as multiviewers, and an Avid editing suit. Techtel also worked closely with AICD and the builders to ensure other studio elements such as house lighting, on-air lights, acoustic specifications, power and studio furniture were designed to complement the installed technology.

Mal Chandler, Techtel CEO said, “To become a successful broadcaster you need good quality content driven by a mix of fit-for-purpose technology. In this project Techtel and AICD have covered both aspects - the results achieved by AICD during these last two years have been excellent and we look forward to seeing them on air throughout the Australian media bureaus”.

Techtel and Samoa Digital Communications Limited to Build and Operate the Country’s First Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting Infrastructure

Sydney, 5 April 2019 - Techtel was selected by Samoa Digital Communications Limited, Samoa’s recently formed multiplex network operator to deploy the country’s first Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting infrastructure. This end-to-end solution will provide every household across Samoa’s two inhabited islands, Upolu and Savai'i with access to a variety of digital TV services.  Due for completion by the end of 2019, the new digital services will increase the volume of channels available for a large section of the population who up until recently received either no service or limited channels via the legacy analogue transmissions.

As a part of this greenfield project with zero legacy infrastructure, Techtel will install, integrate, commission and support the headend facility as well as 18 DVB-T2 transmission sites, which will deliver free-to-air digital TV services to 100% of the islands’ population. To be built in Vaitele, a suburb in Samoa’s capital with high line of sight, the new headend will represent a fully redundant broadcast facility for reliable distribution of Digital TV signals which involves SD/HD ingestion, MPEG-4 compression and multiplexing using Appear TV and PSI/SI generation and EPG Insertion by Barrowa; complemented by Egatel transmission systems and Bridge Technologies’ Nomad for signal monitoring.

Once processed, the TV signals will be transmitted to three other redundant remote transmission sites for broadcasting to local households and further downstream terrestrial transmission stations to reach geographically challenging areas. A total of 18 locations across two islands will receive transmission signals required to make the DTT services available to the entire population, enabled by Egatel’s DVB-T2 transmitter network consisting of four (1+1) transmitters for redundant and fourteen (1+0) transmitters for non-redundant sites. Egatel’s transmitters cover the main TV and RF spectrums and are equipped with the latest technology in signal processing allowing Digital TV signal broadcasting with the highest quality and reliability. In addition, Techtel provided RF infrastructural solution including DTT antennas, and feeders for every site and some filters and combiners at specific sites.

As a systems integrator, Techtel will provide professional services including system design, proof of concept and field measurements. This will be followed by years of ongoing support once the new DTT network is in operation.

“At Techtel, over many years we have developed a comprehensive approach to broadcast systems integration that now provides us with a unique ability to tackle projects from live production through to live transmission,” said Mal Chandler, CEO at Techtel. “We are proud that because of this capability, Samoan inhabitants residing in remote areas will soon have the privilege of enjoying Digital Terrestrial Television - the service that can be accessed anywhere on the two islands with a set-top-box and an existing antenna”.

“Samoa Digital Communications Limited is thrilled to make television viewing accessible for every Samoan household.  We will continue to invest in this venture, adding that there will be opportunities for pay and free-to-air services, local and international channels and new content opportunities”, said Tuiaopo Fa’amausili Andrew Ah Liki, Chairman Samoa Digital Communications Limited.

Techtel supplies a large Singapore Broadcaster with 18 TSL Power Distribution Units for their facility-wide monitoring, management and control

Developed by a global equipment provider to the broadcast industry, TSL Products, these 14-way MDU14-B PDUs provide system management and power distribution capabilities, enabling systems managers to monitor and control all rack-mounted equipment anywhere in the world through a simple web interface and to manage power requirements while reducing overall costs. The units have been designed to monitor all aspects of the customer’s power infrastructure over local and international networks including equipment fuse status, power consumption by outlet, rack equipment GPIs, temperature and input voltage, total power consumption and power source. In addition, TSL’s PDUs enable remote monitoring for most intricate  tasks such as choosing between re-booting individual equipment, rack, or a complete facility; apply rules to alert local maintenance and initiate action; manage and track energy consumption; instantly react to power outage and many others.

The Singapore based broadcaster has already based most of their facility on the TSL PDU platform with now over 60 units in service constantly monitoring and supplying power to mission critical broadcast systems.

“Increasingly, today’s broadcast systems need to be remotely monitored”, says Mal Chandler, Techtel CEO. “Equipment needs to be powered up in an ordered way, while many installations rely on redundant power sources. Because we diligently source broadcast equipment from a consortium of global vendors – we can ensure our customers get the solution that is the perfect fit for them.”

For more information about TSL Products’ PDUs, visit https://www.tslproducts.com/products/power-management/basic-power-management/mdu14-b/

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