Broadcast Engineering has announced the winners of its Pick Hits awards for NAB2009. A panel of independent judges toured the show floor for three days, looking for innovative products and technology. The judges then met to make their selections based on several criteria, including the technical and financial improvements the product can bring to a facility’s operation. Our editors and publishers have no vote in the selection process. more

Signiant announced version 8.1 of its Content Distribution Management (CDM) software, which presents improvements to core functionality and enhances the ability of business-to-business content transfers. CDM v8.1’s open architecture allows third-party members of the newly-formed Signiant Integration Product Program (SIPP) to create add-ons — known as Connectors (such as watermarking systems and quality control applications) — which can easily be integrated at any point within Signiant workflows. SIPP partners include Avid, Thomson Nexguard, Anystream and Interra.

Over at the Shotoku Broadcast Systems booth, company president Naoki Ebimoto showed me their two new robotic control systems — The TR-T and the TR-S.

The TR-T touch control system controls both Shotoky and third-party robotic camera systems. A single operator can control up to 16 cameras. The panel style uses multicolored illuminated keys to communicate system status and control settings, with the same high-precision joystick for smooth on-air control. The system is compatible with all Shotoku heads as well as third-party systems. more

Comtech EF Data introduced the VersaFEC Forward Error Correction. The unit provides maximum coding gain with the lowest possible latency to support cellular backhaul and other latency-sensitive voice, video and data applications.

It is a system of short-block, low latency Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes designed to support latency-sensitive applications, such as cellular backhaul over satellite. Designed to provide maximum coding gain while minimizing the end-to-end latency, VersaFEC provides an alternative to existing LDP and DVB-S2 codes.

Miranda Technologies has launched the Kaleido-X16, a compact, 3Gb/s HD/SD multiviewer with 3-D support.

The unit features 16 video inputs, two multiviewer outputs and an integrated 16 x 2 router. It can be used with 3Gb/s HD/SD and analog video, and it provides 3-D stereoscopic monitoring with signals that conform to SMPTE-372M or SMPTE-425M Level B.

“3-D is very much on the horizon now,” said Miranda’s Neil Sharpe. “That’s been an exciting development for us at the show.”

Because it has an ultra-quiet design, the multiviewer can be installed next to operators in small control rooms and mobile applications. It also can be paired with routers to create a large combined multiviewer and routing system. It offers seamless integration with the NVISION router family, and with third-party routers, to allow expansion up to 1152 video inputs and 144 multiviewer outputs.

At the Axcera booth this morning, I got to sit in on a tutorial session entitled “ATSC Mobile DTV Transmission Systems,” presented by Rich Schwarz, Axcera VP of product management. Acknowledging that mobile DTV offers a new revenue opportunity for broadcasters, Schwarz discussed alternative choices available to convert existing transmission facilities to incorporate ATSC Mobile DTV. He presented options for exciter conversion, multiplexing, single-frequency networks, coverage and power level considerations for mobile versus fixed reception, as well as all the components of the transmission system that are affected. more

Jampro Antennas introduced the UHF RWED-516-U compact TV mask/filter combiner. It incorporates four-port directional filter/combining that can be used either as a mask filet, or as a constant impedance-combining module for high-power UHF TV broadcasts.

The RWED-516-U has a cross-coupled design that accommodates adjacent channels, meets stringent filtering standards and provides constant impedance performance in adjacent channel applications as well as channel separations greater than 15 channels. more

This morning I met with Jim Frantzreb, Avid senior market segment manager for broadcast. “We’re back at NAB and exhibiting on the show floor,” he said. “We’re happy to be here, and the show’s been great for us so far.”

Frantzreb said that the company is back with a new focus. Historically, Avid has been a family of separate businesses – Avid, Digidesign, M-Audio, Pinnacle Systems and Sibelius – that served audio and video customers independently of one another. Recognizing that Avid is stronger as a whole than as separate parts, “We realized we had to come together as one company,” Frantzreb said. more

This afternoon, I met with Shawn Maynard, Florical vice president and general manager. Before joining Florical, Maynard was the director of operations for NBC Universal’s Television Stations Division. This experience, according to Maynard, is what makes the company unique. “I run this company from a broadcaster point of view, not a vendor point of view,” he said. “This is how Florical is different from other automation companies.”

This year at the show, Florical has introduced four optional modules for its S.M.A.R.T. Central product, which is a smart client-based gateway into the company’s television broadcast automation system. It is designed to reduce redundant tasks, make systems accessible over a closed network to improve workflow while maintaining a secure system and automatically e-mail critical reports to key personnel to improve communication and response times. more

I just got done meeting with Ken Christensen, marketing manager for Sencore, who talked to me about where he sees the company going. In January, The Riverside Company acquired Sencore, and John Suranyi was named Sencore’s new CEO. Christenson said now the company is looking forward to expanding, through acquisitions and by moving into the global market.

“We’re well-positioned to expand our footprint globally,” Christensen said. “We’re definitely trying to expand into other countries.” more