Trade Shows

Show Preview: IBC 2002 Amsterdam

The IBC2002 will be held at RAI, Amsterdam from September 13-17, 2002. This event is expected to generate tremendous interest among vendors, buyers and end users of broadband, broadcasting and cable TV products and services. Here is a sneak preview of some of the exhibitors and their offerings at the event.

THE FOUNDRY
The Foundry will be giving a first-look technology demonstration of Furnace, a new suite of plug-ins for Shake, Apple's compositing system. Furnace is currently in its Alpha-testing phase but has already found favor with film compositors at MPC. In addition, the latest versions of Tinder, Tinderbox, Keylight and Anvil will be available for demonstration on various manufacturers' booths.

Booth demos
Furnace (Apple).
Tinder 4.1 (Discreet, possibly 4.0 on Avid (DS)
Tinderbox 1,2, 3 for After Effects (Adobe)
Keylight 1.1 -- blue/green screen keyer (Discreet)
Anvil 2.0 -- colour correction and manipulation plug-ins (Discreet)

ON-AIR SYSTEMS -- Stand 2.216
On-Air will be demonstrating the latest versions of its broadcast automation software. It will provide all the elements of a Master Control Room, from acquisition to transmission, on a single PC. It will also be supporting "The Vision Charity" at IBC 2002 -- an artist will be a resident on the stand, providing visitors with a sketched memory of their visit in exchange for a donation! The On-Air Robotics Camera will be capturing the action as it happens.

Booth demos
On-Air Studio with On-Air TxCG -- a master control room in a single PC
On-Air NewsPlay -- a playout server for use in live news production environments
On-Air InfoChannel -- an integrated production tool and automated transmission system for delivering up to the minute information, example, news, weather, etc.

XYTECH SYSTEMS -- Stand 1.151
Xytech Systems will be displaying the latest versions of its flagship scheduling and media asset management systems, Enterprise and MetaVault. A major new feature for the European market is the ability to translate the user interface of both systems, including the Help function, making the systems more attractive for users who do not have English as their first language. Xytech will also be demonstrating its entry-level system, FMS2000 v4.5, which now supports the new Palm O/S-based Symbol Barcode Scanners.

Booth demos
Enterprise -- a comprehensive workflow management system
MetaVault -- a set of specialized enterprise modules that offer a comprehensive solution to manage an unlimited number of media assets
FMS2000 v4.5 -- that provides easy scheduling and facility management functions for smaller post houses, recording studios, and television production facilities.

ALTICAST - Stand 4.271 and at the DVB Booth 1.260
Alticast is an end-to-end interactive television solutions provider. It will showcase a suite of interactive television solutions that enable broadcasters and operators to exceed viewer needs and benefit from new revenue opportunities with technologies that expand the capabilities of digital video broadcasting-multimedia home platform (DVB-MHP) standard. It is a pioneer in the field of interactive digital TV, providing end-to-end services and software solutions for the creation, delivery, and reception of interactive television content based on DVB-MHP and OCAP open standards for digital broadcasting.

Alticast will introduce the AltiComposer 2.0, an MHP content authoring tool that eliminates the need for hand-coding enhanced applications. AltiComposer 2.0 is as revolutionary to the digital broadcasting industry as Web authoring tools were to Web site developers years ago. No longer do Java developers need to spend countless hours hand-coding iTV applications. The convenient drag-and-drop user interface is so easy to use that a content developer of any programming skill level, even beginner designers, can easily create compelling applications in minutes. By dramatically reducing production time of iTV services, AltiComposer 2.0 enables broadcasters to minimize costs while still providing compelling services to viewers.

Booth visitors will also see how to expand broadcast services with technologies that:

• test and debug MHP applications;
• show video-on-demand (VoD) and personal video recording (PVR) services for MHP;
• track accurate viewer behavior and statistics on TV shows watched; and
• activate lights, locks and security systems from the MHP-enabled set-top box.

Alticast will demonstrate its expertise in DVB-MHP with case studies on commercial MHP deployments and the ClearPath MHP implementation roadmap.

RAIDTEC
Raidtec launches 800MBps SAN storage array
AMSTERDAM -- Raidtec Corporation, a leader in NAS and SAN storage networking, announced the release of its 800MBps "no single point of failure" dual controller SAN storage array, the FibreArray 2208 at the IBC 2002, on 13 September 2002.

FibreArray 2208 is a SAN storage array with dual-active, active RAID controllers for end-to-end fiber channel no single point of failure SANs. No single point of failure SANs provide high availability, scalable capacity and performance, as well as multisite capability required for 24x7 mission-critical environments. The FibreArray 2208 comes as standard with eight 2Gbit FC ports. Typically, this would be configured with four ports for host connect and four ports for drive connections, although six ports can be used for host connectivity, thus eliminating the need for a switch in a six workgroup SAN.

TECHNETIX Plc
As Europe's largest broadband and cable television installation equipment manufacturers, Technetix is a leader in product development and technical support services. At IBC, it will be showing the following new products:

• Cable TV handheld validation test meter
• Gatekeeper network interface unit
• Lynx red remote eye

Besides these, it would also be displaying the new NetX range of broadband accessories, such as NetX USB Adapter and broadband Internet upgrade kits. Other NetX products on display will include

• ADSL POTS filters and splitters
• Network termination equipment
• CAT5e structured cabling systems
• Optical pigtails and patch cords
• Installation consumables
• Installation tooling and test equipment

Technetix will be displaying its new Qamtex digital-ready installation passive products, such as the new low-profile VQ601 customer galvanic isolator. It will also be exhibiting a full range of customer-premises digital broadband RF splitters, directional couplers, outlet points and signal conditioning filters to enable easy transition to digital broadband services and maximize network reliability. It is displaying the Lynx digital home terminal accessories such as infrared remote controls and wireless keyboards as well, besides power and SCART leads to suit every digital set-top box or cable modem for every country.