< PreviousCALIBRE LAUNCHES 163’ LED DISPLAY Calibre launched the LEDFu- sion A160, a 163-inch AiO (all-in-one) LED display at the recently concluded ISE 2020. “There is a signifi cant trend in the industry towards larger and larger displays as users compete for attention in an environment in which screens are everywhere,” said Willy Tsai, managing director, Calibre UK. “The problem with those large displays, of course, is the challenge of getting them to their location – and then getting them operational in the shortest amount of time. The LEDFu- sion A160 was designed to overcome those challenges — and, of course, it does so with the outstanding image quality for which Calibre is known. It’s exactly the product our customers asked us to create.” The LEDFusion A160 will target the proAV, rental/staging, broadcast, houses of worship, medical, corporate AV and education. Packed in a single fl ight case — which contains everything needed for installation, including simple tools — the 163-inch LEDFusion A160 can be simply manoeuvred into position and be operational in less than 60 minutes. Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) has announced the transformation of its patented DAX Digital Dailies to Clear. Initially released in 2004, DAX pioneered the online Dailies experience at a time when the industry was using DVDs and has been the only patented Dailies solution since. While DAX has undergone several changes since its acquisition by PFT in 2014, it now morphs into Clear with a host of new features that will transform the post-production processes. The updated Clear will have collaboration tools, upgraded performance, embedded MAM functionality, strong workfl ow management and the ability to handle Mezzanine/raw content. Users can now drive post-production supply chain effi ciencies – ingest, delivery, Master QC, localisation and Mastering can be easily managed and administered on Clear. “As part of Clear, we have expanded DAX from a dailies PFT REBRANDS DAX TO CLEAR FIRM LAUNCHES TRANSFORMATIVE FUNCTIONALITIES TO PRODUCTS WEYYAK UNVEILS FIRST ORIGINAL ARABIC SERIES FOR RAMADAN 2020 FEATURES INCLUDE AUTOFOCUS PERFORMANCE AND EASY-TO-USE OPTICAL VIEWFINDER Weyyak has announced its fi rst original content production for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan. This comes after last year’s Ramadan initiatives which brought exclusive high-quality productions to the platform, most notably the 10th season of Bab Al Hara series. This was preceded by a huge breakfast event which took place in Burj Al Arab, and was attended by some of the most prominent stars in Arab drama. Following the press conference which held in Syria on Thursday 30st of January solution into a holistic content creation and post-production supply chain platform,” said Ramki Sankaranarayanan, founder and global CEO, Prime Focus Technologies. “Clear brings to the table a host of creative collaboration & post-production tools in the cloud with powerful MAM and supply chain management capabilities. We look forward to delivering an exceptional user experience and tangible business benefi ts to content creators.” Ramki Sankaranarayanan. and forth between diff erent two time periods that refl ect the pros and cons of Syrian society via a love story that ends up entangled in confl icts, drama and hope. The main stars Sulaf Fawakherji represents a fi erce lady named Miramar who despite being blind runs away from her family to follow her dreams, she meets Murad with whom a new love story fi lled with hope, risks and love starts. Murad is the new talented rising star Mahyar Kaddour. The cast and crew of Weyyak. Weyyak has been trending for launching the VOD’s fi rst Arabic original Ramadan series, Chicago Street. The Chicago Street story goes back NEWS UPDATE www.digitalstudiome.com10 / MARCH 2020 Aviwest plans to increase its R&D. Aviwest, a video contribution systems provider, announced that the company has completed a series B fundraising round with an $8.6m (€8m) investment from Go Capital, Turenne Group, Sodero Gestion, and UNEXO, Groupe Crédit Agricole. The new investment will contribute to Aviwest’s rapid growth of innovative services and strengthen its commercial presence in markets associated with live video production-contribution and IP connectivity. “New media are constantly emerging and live video coverage around the world is increasing, further building the case as to why bonded, unmanaged IP networks are a smart choice for delivering high-quality live event coverage,” said Ronan Poullaouec, chief technology offi cer at Aviwest. AVIWEST RAISES $8.6M IN SERIES B FUNDING COMPANY WRAPS UP $8.6M (€8M) INVESTMENT TO SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL GROWTH demand for high-quality live video coverage of sports, breaking news, and other events in the most aff ordable and bandwidth-effi cient way, from anywhere in the world.” Aviwest plans to increase its innovation and maintain its agility and reactivity to continue off ering powerful and reliable top-notch live video contribution solutions. “Thanks to our new investment, we will continue to work hard to increase our presence in markets associated with IP connectivity and strengthen our business worldwide, especially in China and the US, which both represent an important part of our global market,” said Erwan Gasc, CEO at Aviwest. “It will also allow us to recruit around 50 new people over the coming months.” “With the global rollout of 5G networks currently underway, broadcasters will see a lot of benefi ts in video contribution. Using our unmanaged IP network technology, which includes a best-in-class hardware encoding platform, professionals in the video business can address the growing NEWS UPDATE www.digitalstudiome.comMARCH 2020 / 11 HILTRON REPORTS STRONG SALES OF HCS- 4 SATELLITE SYSTEM CONTROLLER Hiltron Communications, an active satellite system inte- grator, manufacturer and dis- tributor, has reported strong demand for its HCS-4 satcom system controller which has been integrated into various projects for customers in Europe, the Middle East and Far East. An innovative recent implementa- tion has been for one of the Middle East’s largest telecommunication service-providers. This includes a switching and control system for Swed- ish Microwave optical low noise block downconverters. The HCS-4 powers and monitors the downconverters, checking for faults such as channel interrupts. If an inter- rupt is detected, the HCS-4 automati- cally switches to a backup signal source. Three down-converters are connected via optical fi bre in a two-active-plus- one-backup confi guration. Red Sea International Film Festival has announced programme details, competition line-up and industry initiatives of its fi rst edition set to take place in Jeddah on March 12-21. Festival director Mahmoud Sabbagh and artistic director Hussain Currimbhoy revealed that a total of 107 features and shorts will screen at the festival. The selection includes 16 fi lms in- competition, seven out-of-competition titles, 15 retrospectives and classic works, fi ve immersive/VR experiences, 11 pictures in new Saudi/new cinema, 13 titles in the shorts competition, and 23 best of the year fi lms. The competition selection this year includes themes such as the advancement of women’s rights, the scourge of domestic violence, as well as immigration, a statement said. Participating countries in this year’s competition include Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Columbia, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Kosovo, FIRST SAUDI INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST TO SHOW 109 FILMS RED SEA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL HAS ANNOUNCED DETAILS, COMPETITION AND INDUSTRY INITIATIVES OF ITS FIRST EDITION KINGDOMS OF FIRE IS THE FIRST 4K ARABIC DRAMA EXCLUSIVE TO STARZPLAY, THE 14-EPISODE SERIES IS SET TO MEET VIEWER APPETITE OF ADDITIONAL ARABIC CONTENT StarzPlay is broadcasting historical drama Kingdoms of Fire, exclusively on its platform. Directed by Peter Weber, best known for acclaimed fi lms like Girl with a Pearl Earring and Emperor, Kingdoms of Fire has a pan-Arab cast of stars that includes Khaled Al Nabawi, Mahmoud Nasr, Rachid Assaf, Kinda Hanna, Suhair Bin Amara and Mona Wassif. The $40m production from Genomedia Studios was created and produced in the United Arab Emirates, and fi lmed in custom-made studios in Tunisia. It is co- Lebanon, Mongolia, Nigeria, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Spain and United States. “It’s pleasing that we are bringing these great quality fi lms discussing social issues of the day,” said Sabbagh. “We have a strong desire to push diversity, particularly in women’s position in public spaces, and for a more open society. The fi lms present a strong look at what makes society function and the relationship between the individual to patriarchy and hegemony.” This latest acquisition refl ects the platform’s commitment to expand its Arabic off ering to meet the expectations of all its subscribers in the MENA region, StarzPlay said in a press statement. Kingdoms of Fire is set during a period when the Ottoman Empire conquered the Arab territories in 1516. The show follows two heroes throughout their journeys, the fi rst being the Ottoman prince Selim, the governor of a remote area in eastern Anatolia, who made his way to the throne of the Ottoman Sultanate with blood. The fi rst Arabic production to be available in 4K HDR, Kingdoms of Fire chronicles the dynamic war of two worlds as the Ottomans strive to Occupy Cairo. Kingdoms of Fire is the fi rst Arabic drama series to be available in 4K HDR. written by Ahmad Nada and Mohammed Soleiman. All 14 episodes of the show are available on StarzPlay. NEWS UPDATE www.digitalstudiome.com12 / MARCH 2020FreeSpeak Edge works in the 5GHz bandwidth— beyond what you know about wireless intercom. the freedom to think bigger. Step to the of intercom technology. ™ CABSAT Stand #C4-10he National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), organizer of NAB Show, has affi rmed the 2020 NAB Show is set to take place as planned, April 18 – 22 in Las Vegas. The association is closely monitoring COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus, and is prepared to devote whatever resources necessary to ensure a safe and productive NAB Show experience. 1,600 exhibitors and 90,000 attendees are expected to attend the annual tradeshow, with plenty of industry professionals hoping to gain insights into new trends. DISRUPTIVE TRUTH T NAB 2020 ‘will not’ suffer the plight of the Mobile World Congress as organisers pledge that the show will go on A statement from the organisers said: “While the NAB stands fi rm in its commitment to hold the convention as planned, the health and safety of attendees and participants are NAB’s top priority. To that end, NAB is dedicated to providing rapid responses and assistance in support of the global NAB Show community’s participation plans. The event management team has launched a COVID-19 resource page on the NAB Show website, where updates will be provided. Just a few weeks back, the GSM Association which organizes the Mobile World Congress cancelled its Barcelona leg after it saw several big names in the mobile industry pull out over health concerns. The show is used as a platform by several tech manufacturers to show of the latest in mobile chipset and handset tech. Several devices are also launched at this annual event in Spain. To that, the NAB Show is similar to MWC where manufacturers and suppliers in the broadcast and media production space launch the latest and greatest. It’s a relief to know that NAB’s organisers are doing everything in their power to see the show go ahead. Currently NAB is adhering to all guidance and recommended safety measures issued by the World Health MWC pulled the plug on its Bar- celona leg of the show in the wake of exhibitors pulling out due to the Cornovirus disease. www.digitalstudiome.com14 / MARCH 2020 NEWS: ANALYSIS Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state and local health organisations. In addition the organisers are also working with the Las Vegas Convention Center, the airport authority, and area hotels and resorts to coordinate appropriate safety procedures. Importantly, NAB is working with China- based exhibitors and registered attendees to evaluate options for those unable to attend due to travel restrictions. Of note, NAB Show attendance from China, although growing, represented less than 2% of total registered attendees in 2019. The city of Las Vegas is maintaining rigorous cleanliness and safety standards throughout public spaces, resorts and meeting facilities. Meanwhile, NAB Show has experienced an uptick in exhibit sales, attendee registration and hotel bookings in recent weeks. HEADLINERS A special keynote address by cinematographer and visual eff ects director, Sam Nicholson has been confi rmed by the organisers on Sunday, April 19, 2020 as part of Post-Production World (P|PW) at NAB Show. Sam Nicholson is CEO and founder of Stargate Studios, a visual eff ects production company. He is best known for his work on Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Walking Dead, Grey’s Anatomy and CSI among others. The keynote session titled ‘Virtual Production: On Set Visual Eff ects in Real Time’ is sponsored by Blackmagic Design and will feature a discussion on the advances in modern visual eff ects. Nicholson will provide insight on his recent advances in creating real-time eff ects using Stargate Studios’ real-time VFX process, ThruView. Acclaimed fi lm editor Jeff Groth will headline a special P|PW session on Sunday, April 19. The Oscar-nominated editor of Joker will discuss his career and editing techniques during the Q&A session. OTT FOCUS NAB is also introducing The Streaming attendees a fi rst-hand look at the latest streaming video services. Located in the Central Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center, The Streaming Experience is open to all registered attendees during exhibit hours, starting Sunday, April 19. The living-room setting will allow attendees the opportunity to test OTT services side-by-side to compare content, video quality, ad formats, playback features and delivery methods. The Streaming Experience will feature hardware from Amazon, Apple, Roku, Xbox, PlayStation, LG, TCL and Samsung. Streaming services on display will include Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, CBS All Access, Disney+, Hulu, NBC Sports, Netfl ix and YouTube TV, among others. New services from HBO Max, Peacock and Quibi may also be showcased, dependent on their launch dates. Oscar-nominated editor of Joker Jeff Groth will headline a special P|PW session. Experience, a new content showcase curated by noted streaming and online video expert Dan Rayburn that will feature more than 50 OTT platforms and streaming devices, giving NAB Show “WHILE THE NAB STANDS FIRM IN ITS COMMITMENT TO HOLD THE CONVENTION AS PLANNED, THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF ATTENDEES AND PARTICIPANTS ARE NAB’S TOP PRIORITY. TO THAT END, NAB IS DEDICATED TO PROVIDING RAPID RESPONSES AND ASSISTANCE IN SUPPORT OF THE GLOBAL NAB SHOW COMMUNITY’S PARTICIPATION PLANS.” www.digitalstudiome.comMARCH 2020 / 15 NEWS: ANALYSIS16 MARCH 2020 EDITOR’S COMMENT www.digitalstudiome.com he next few months are set to be super busy for all of us. Starting with CABSAT 2020 that will be held at the end of the month (March 31st to April 2nd) at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Sandwiched between the three days, we will also be hosting the Digital Studio Awards — its 16th edition — at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai The Palm. It’s safe to say that three-day window (CABSAT-Awards-CABSAT) is going to be an ultra-busy time for yours truly — but I cannot wait for the prospect of meeting so many industry professionals and revelling in the joys of the awards celebrations with you all. The good news from our industry is that the Coronovirus Disease hasn’t played spoilsport, as the National Association of Broadcasters have given assurances that the show will go ahead. City authorities from Los Angeles have also backed the organisers for the smooth progression of the April bound show. NAB 2020 will be held from April 18th to 23rd, and almost immediately after that we swing into the Ramadan season. Many businesses across diff erent sectors use the time during the Holy Month as a moment to refl ect on performance and strategize for the coming months. For us, however, it’s a critical time of the year with broadcasters’ cueing up Ramadan programming. This is the busiest time of the year for regional networks — both traditional and OTT. To that ilk, ContentScape will play a huge role at CABSAT 2020 (a facet of the tradeshow that will see Mena. tv and the organisers of CABSAT collaborate once more) as they host buyers and sellers on the show f loor. Heba Korayem, head of broadcaster relations, Channel Sculptor told me that contrary to popular belief a lot of buyers will be in the market to purchase content during CABSAT 2020. It’s not a forgone conclusion, “buying decision are not all finalised for the Ramadan programming,” Korayem said. And fi nally, on our cover this month is Tamer Mosher (read the cover feature from p18-23). Instead of a feature style article, you will notice that the interview has been published in a question and answer format. This was a deliberate decision taken by the editorial team after the interview was conducted. We felt that the conversation between Tamer and myself would be best left as is to convey the candid nature of the discussion. As always feel free to get in touch by dropping me an email at nikhil. pereira@itp.com. GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS NIKHIL PEREIRA TGet connected! The IKEGAMI Unicam XE UHD camera family for Studio, Field & Multi-Purpose applications. 12G // 3G // IP www.ikegami.eu · Tel: +49 2131-123-0 · E-Mail: info@ikegami.eu Ikegami Electronics (Europe) GmbH 31-3/02 -04 2020 VISIT US! H4/C4-20 DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE AD_digitalstudio_Ikegami_HDK-73_205x275_4c_14Feb_2020_RZ.indd 114.02.20 15:57www.digitalstudiome.com Egyptian fi lmmaker Tamer Moshen has emerged as a fi lmmaker to tell an honest story — starting out as a documentary fi lmmaker Moshen has gone on to work with colossal fi gures in the Arab fi lm industry. Moshen’s responses are captured and presented in this feature as they are. aying that you had a penchant for puppetry as a child is a bit of an understatement, isn’t it? [Laughs] It all started with the art of puppetry and marionettes for me. As a child, I was madly in love with The Muppet Show and El Leila El Kebeera; a famous Egyptian puppet operetta. I will never forget the day I got a backstage pass and actually touched the puppets of El Leila El Kebeera. It was magical. I spent my childhood making puppets and creating shows for them. I was the writer, director and the puppeteer. Gradually my passion turned into making movies. S COVER FEATURE 18 / MARCH 2020 Tamer Moshen, a pup- peteer turned fi lmmaker. www.digitalstudiome.com COVER FEATURE MARCH 2020 / 19 Next >