|
After
extensive assessment of all the graphic systems available for
professional broadcast, NEP of Pittsburg PA contracted with Majortech
to provide multiple Collage systems as the equipment of choice for
their mobile fleet, especially destined for live sports coverage by
major US broadcast networks..
Throughout
1999, Majortech supplied NEP with eight Collages in various
configurations, including stills-store, CG, and full paint and matte
graphics. The Collage purchase is designed to allow NEP, one of North
America's most respected providers of outside broadcast (OB)
facilities, to standardize its system and upgrade its fleet of 18 OB
trucks.
NEP
is using the Collage-enhanced mobile units to cover National Basketball
Association (NBA) games broadcast on NBC. Trucks with the new
configuration recently went live with Collage for the first time on an
NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets
in February 1999. Since that time, other sports covered included
major league baseball, NFL and US college football, as well as the
extraordinary demands of PGA golf.
"Collage
integrated the required non-compressed 601 platform with a user
inteface that could be simple for untrained TD's, but with advanced
functionality for sophisticated graphic artists." said Jeff Joslin,
Chief Engineer for NEP. "Moreover, Collage's internal Remote
Protocol gave NEP access to programming many functions from networked
PC's, expanding its usability amazingly.."
"Majortech
approached this contract as a continuing project." said Ken
Stelmakowich, President of Majortech. "In the past, such graphic
systems were sold to the broadcasters themselves, and staff
operators were trained as part of their standard employment. Now,
OB mobile productions are usually staffed by freelancers from all
regions of this continent. We established a training program with
NEP for these freelancers both on-site at their assigned sporting
events, and centrally at NEP in Pittsburg.
"lt
was a breeze," George Hoover, Director of Engineering for NEP, says of
the recent broadcast. "The set-up with Collage gives us more
flexibility and lots of creative headroom too," Hoover explains.
"Previously,
offering clients on-location paint and compositing capabilities meant
bringing in a large kit of extra gear, usually needing to be outboarded
with the OB van in a cabine," he points out. "The Collage now
allows us to offer our clients high-end graphics production on location
within the OB van itself."
Majortech
and its business partner, Pixel Power, were able to satisfy the needs
of both NEP and NBC, says Stelmakowich. The buy-in followed
demonstrations of Collage's flexibility and features set. Collage is
fully capable of addressing user demands respecting stillstore,
graphics applications, character generation and animation.
Specifically, the system offers: complete stillstore features, advanced
paint functions and animation support, as well as the ability to cut
out mattes and logos quickly, easily and cleanly.
"This
is the only box that can provide all those features in a single
package," says Stelmakowich.
Hoover
agrees that Collage's integration of advanced painting and animation
features with stillstore functionality represents an important
advantage. "Space and weight are always an issue for OB van operators.
The Collage integrates these functions into a powerful graphics suite
with the ability to quickly and easily composite images in the
digital domain, all in one lightweight, three-rack unit package," he
notes.
"While
offering full graphics features, the Collage can be operated as a basic
stillstore with a user interface not much more complicated than a
microwave oven," Hoover suggests.
"This
was an excellent entree into mobile applications," Stelmakowich says of
the recent agreement between NEP and Majortech. He expects that the
Majortech team will pursue similar collaborations in the near
future.
About
Majortech
Majortech
is the North American distributor of the complete line of Pixel Power
products. Majortech, through its staff team and its network of
representatives, provides customers with complete before- and
after-sales support. With more than 700 units worldwide, Collage has
become the product of choice for many broadcast and post-production
companies.
About
NEP
NEP
is known worldwide as a quality provider of outside broadcast
facilities which have been used for the America's Cup, Wimbledon, the
World Series, US Open golf and tennis, Superbowls, the 1996 Olympics
and the 1998 Goodwill Games. On a day-to-day basis, NEP provides
management, facilities and equipment for NBC Sports, Ohimeyer
Communications, ESPN, FOX, CBS, ABC and Sesame Street.
|
