News

Scala announced the availability of Scala Enterprise Release 11, featuring powerful enhancements in speed and performance, focusing on the digital signage core product Scala Enterprise Content Manager. Functional as well as creative features contribute to the significant upgrade of control, power and ease-of-use for both network managers and designers. Scala users can tailor and refine messaging faster, optimizing interactive and engaging audience experiences with dynamically displayed content.

Highlights of this major release, which introduces 25 new features and 265 enhancements, include:

Speed and performance: With a major refactoring of the core software engines of Content Manager, significant gains both in UI responsiveness and through the APIs can be expected. Content Manager now responds exclusively to the REST-based 2.0 API calls, and developers can request Web Application Description Language (WADL) for all services of the APIs.

“Initial testing has shown upward of 3-4 times the gain in speed and performance compared to what we saw with sample customer databases using Release 10,” noted Peter Cherna, Chief Product Officer. “This allows for quicker analysis and decision making, which ultimately leads to messaging refinement and targeting.”

Ease of use and noise reduction: New controls reduce noise without compromising complete network control, and more stringent workgroup rules have added filters, mitigating the risk of asset misplacement. Pop-up alerts, extended error reporting and additional hyperlinks give at-a-glance views of content usage and conditional playback, and search functionality has improved. The end result is smarter and quicker content adjustment.

Creative and functional enhancements: Major design elements boost aesthetics as well as increase functionality. Most notably, Scala Enterprise Designer has a new table element format, an easier layout for viewing and organizing data. Due to creative designers’ positive responses to more aesthetic power found in Release 10 and the ever-increasing need for eye-catching, clear messaging, designers are gaining even more creative control – corner styles, opacity gradients and alpha masks can now be applied to all major element types and page backgrounds. The Scala Script Exporter now supports 64-bit versions of Adobe Photoshop allowing page layouts to be developed in Photoshop and exported, including layer information, to be enhanced within Designer. Interactive scripts that combine Scala Script and HTML content (Webclips) are more flexible with enhanced data sharing and an added capability to overlay Scala Script buttons on top of Webclips. An update to the Chromium Embedded Framework enables CSS 3D animation support for HTML5-based content.

Increased intelligence and control for network managers: Network managers can now optimize their bandwidth usage for Android playback devices with the extension of bandwidth-throttling for controlled data distribution. They will also have greater insight into playback activity with audit logs updated hourly, and playback logs that can accept errors reported from any integrated third-party applications.

Additional notables in this release include compatibility with Windows 8.1 for playback devices and Windows Server 2012 R2 and Internet Explorer 11 browser support for using Content Manager. Firmware for many Android devices can now be remotely updated via maintenance jobs. Lastly, certification is announced for the NEC Display OPS-DRD digital player, a powerful Android device for 24/7 playback.

“Scala Enterprise 11 addresses trends in audience engagement where scale and productivity are key,” said Scala CEO Tom Nix. “Our enhanced REST-based APIs continue to allow our Enterprise customers to connect to adjacent solutions and enable our partners to create new businesses, with almost unlimited creativity and flexibility to develop powerful experiences for their target audiences.“

About Scala

Scala solutions deliver engaging experiences by connecting networks of digital signs, kiosks, mobile devices, websites and Internet-connected devices – in both public and private environments. Scala provides the platform to easily create and centrally manage deployment of experiences, while retaining the flexibility to rapidly adapt to local business conditions. Scala has over 25 years’ experience entertaining, informing and educating audiences in wide-ranging industries including retail, quick-service restaurants, finance and more, as well as in private areas like corporate environments. Headquartered near Philadelphia, PA, Scala’s network of partners and developers located in more than 90 countries drives more than 500,000 screens worldwide. For the latest information visit scala.com, and connect on Twitter and Facebook.

The Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA) has announced that Panasonic is a recipient of the organization's 2015 Engineering Excellence Award for the company's development of the 4K camera imager in its VariCam 35 4K camera/recorder. The coveted honor will be bestowed on November 12, 2015 during the tenth annual HPA Awards gala at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, CA. The VariCam 35 is an exceptional tool for high-end filmmaking, commercials and episodic production as well as live 4K events. The camera provides superb image handling in multiple formats ranging from pristine 4K RAW to more practical 4K, UHD, 2K, HD and HD ProRes capture. Several assets set the VariCam 35 apart from other high-end cinematography cameras, including dual native ISOs of 800 and 5000, allowing DPs to realize incredible image quality in dramatically low light situations; the ability to record three simultaneous video formats (4K + 2K + Proxy, or UHD + HD + Proxy); an optional high-speed 4K uncompressed RAW recorder (CODEX) that captures uncompressed 4K VariCam RAW (V-RAW) at up to 120fps; internal AVC-Intra 4K / 2K / HD recording to 120fps; support for an ACES workflow for full fidelity mastering of original source material; and in-camera Color-Grading via CDLs / 3D LUTs.

The new Blackmagic Camera update adds support for the new high resolution Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder and it also updates all URSA cameras to support the Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder. For URSA cameras, the update also adds an option to display timecode input by tapping on the timecode display, and performance enhancements and improvements. No changes to other Blackmagic cameras.

The Beta 3 update adds empty track deletion, timeline proxy mode, improved H.264 performance as well as general performance enhancements. The free DaVinci Resolve version is a full professional editing and color grading system that is suitable for independent users working on SD, HD and Ultra HD projects. This software replaces DaVinci Resolve Lite. The DaVinci Resolve Studio features multiple GPUs support, 4K mastering, motion blur effects, temporal and spatial noise reduction, 3D tools, remote and multi user collaboration tools. Installation requires a DaVinci Resolve dongle.

Press Release

Optical fiber is now a user installed option, allowing for a lower retail price!

Blackmagic Design announced it will make the optical fiber connection on its Blackmagic Studio Camera models a user installed option allowing the company to reduce the retail price of the camera. The HD model will reduce in price by approx. 300 EUR and the Ultra HD model will reduce in price by approx. 500 EUR.

Based on user feedback, many customers are not using the optical fiber connection and had asked if a model without this premium and costly option could be released. With the optical fiber now excluded from the camera, the camera can be sold for a lower price. This suits the many customers who simply want to use the camera via its regular BNC SDI connections. The SDI connections on the Blackmagic Studio Cameras feature cutting edge technology and are 12G-SDI for up to 2160p60 on the Ultra HD model.

When a customer decides they want to add optical fiber, they simply purchase any SMPTE standard optical fiber SFP module and plug it into the camera. This then allows extremely long cable lengths which means that cameras can get close to the action and be located as far away from the switcher as required.

The HD Blackmagic Studio Camera model is now 1625 EUR and the Ultra HD Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K model is now 2389 EUR ex. VAT. Both models are available now.

About Blackmagic Studio Camera

Blackmagic Studio Camera is one of the most advanced broadcast cameras for live production because it includes features specifically targeted at the requirements of live production, such as large viewfinder, talkback, tally, user installed optical fiber and a super strong metal design.

Inside the incredibly tough and lightweight magnesium alloy body, the Blackmagic Studio Camera features a very large 10” viewfinder, long duration 4 hour battery, talkback, tally indicators, phantom powered microphone connections and built in SDI connections. The Blackmagic Studio Camera includes a massive 10 inch screen that allows incredible creativity when framing and accurately focussing. The viewfinder’s LCD is extremely bright and has a very wide viewing angle so it is perfect for use even in direct sunlight.

The Blackmagic Studio Camera features an active Micro Four Thirds lens mount that is compatible with an incredibly wide range of lenses and adapters. This allows customers to use high quality photo lenses for smaller setups or fixed camera use.

The Blackmagic Studio Camera supports the tally SDI standard used on the ATEM range of live production switchers and tally lights illuminate automatically with a light on the front for talent, and a light above the viewfinder for the operator, making it easy for the cast and crew to see which cameras are on air. To allow independent operation when there is no power available at the camera location, the Blackmagic Studio Camera also includes a massive 4 hour battery that means the camera has enough power for use on long live productions as well as setup time before the event starts.

Blackmagic Studio Camera Key Features

High resolution 1920x1080 sensor in HD model and Ultra HD sized sensor in 4K model.

Built in large 10 inch super bright wide viewing angle LCD viewfinder with sun shade.

Optical SMPTE compatible SFP optical fiber socket allowing user installed optical fiber.

3G-SDI on HD model for up to 1080p60 and 12G-SDI on 4K model for up to 2160p60.

Compatible with high quality Micro Four Thirds lenses. Compatible with other mounts via common third party adapters such as B4 broadcast lens mount.

Built in, two way digital quality talkback using high quality affordable general aviation headsets.

Includes front and rear tally indicators using tally over SDI protocol.

Features all standard connections, including dual XLR balanced mic/line audio in with switchable phantom power, headphone and microphone jack for talkback, LANC remote control and standard 4 pin XLR broadcast standard DC 12V power connection.

On screen menus for all camera settings.

Supports 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30 and up to 60 fps in HD model, up to 60 fps in 4K model.

Compatible with ATEM range of live production switchers.

Availability and Price

Blackmagic Studio Camera HD is available now for 1625 EUR and the Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K is available now for 2.389 EUR ex. VAT.

Press Photography

Product photos of the Blackmagic Studio Camera, and all other Blackmagic Design products, are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/press/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.