In Broadcast - March 2012 - 70

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 6 - MARCH 2012

InFILE
Masstech MAM Software And Plug-In Releases
Masstech marks its tenth anniversary this year with the launch of a new range of modular plug-in apps including a high speed content transfer portal and audio levelling appliance, as well as new software releases for its Media Asset Management (MAM) product line at NAB 2012 on stand N5218. Masstech will release a ‘News’ version of its popular Emerald version 7.5LE mini MAM for LTO tape archiving, HQS transcoding and content management all on one common platform. The ‘MOS’ enabled Emerald introduces a new one step ‘single search’ process to ﬁnd any piece of content – completely within an AP-ENPS or Avid iNews interface. Emerald automatically links audio and video to the story so users can search and ﬁnd media using their existing workﬂow. The fully featured TOPAZ streamlined MAM gets a sleek new user interface and performance enhancements including support for 64bit Windows OS, LTO-5 LTFS material interchange and portability, and also features an improved database with more efficient searching capabilities. Customers will also have access to Masstech’s new range of drag and drop ‘gates’ for integrating simpliﬁed workﬂows and high-speed content transfers to or from TOPAZ.
TOPAZ streamlined MAM

Search Function

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The latest version of IRIS, a compliance recording solution, comes equipped with browser support for Windows 7 support and IE9, a new Search function for closed captions, a GUI make-over and Masstech’s own CUB-2000 PCIe board for SD-SDI or HD-SDI

with 16 channel audio support for HD and low-cost HD logging. HyperGate is a versatile application for simpliﬁed workﬂows within an Avid or FCP ecosystem. Powered by Masstech’s inhouse developed high quality speed HQS technology, it can be a standalone utility product, or a fully integrated asset management tool when combined with TOPAZ. From a cool desktop icon, users can invoke a choice of ﬁle based workﬂows that bridge broadcast systems and IT infrastructure. HyperGate simplifies workflows with drag and drop operations, for example, to export from an Avid editor to a storage location or Video Server, the sequence is dragged from the edit bin into the ‘HyperGate’ desktop icon where HQS performs the ﬂattening of the video and delivers the required ﬁle format to

the desired destination server. PhonGate is a Single Pass Loudness Adjustment App for any broadcast or production environment that performs file based loudness adjustments. Files are dropped into the PhonGate for automatic measurement of the loudness levels according to ITU1770 metrics. If the loudness does not comply to a user speciﬁed range, it automatically adjusts the loudness to the target value and transfers the corrected ﬁles to any destination folder. Loudness adjustments are performed inline without aﬀecting any other information in the ﬁle. All of Masstech’s solutions for digital archiving and restoring will now come equipped with integrated support for LTO-5 LTFS (Linear Tape File System) material interchange and portability. ■

InGEAR
Minnetonka Slates NAB For Loudness Control Drive
Audio Software specialist, for motion picture, broadcast surround sound and consumer electronics applications demos implementation of ITU & ATSC loudness control for CALM Act
Minnetonka Audio Software, Inc. will be exhibiting at the upcoming National Association of Broadcasters convention, demonstrating their loudness control solution. AudioTools Loudness Control Server (ALCS) represents the state of the art in loudness control technology that preserves artistic production intent. Because material is handled out of real-time, the data essence can be processed to optimise both ﬁdelity and CALM Act compliance. “Streaming-mode loudness control is the sensible approach for playout to air as a last line of defence,” said John Schur, President of Minnetonka Audio. “However, the speciﬁcations dictate loudness control based on the entire program. Having access to the whole ﬁle means that ALCS can optimally process audio essence that requires it, while passing through material that already conforms to the recommended practice.” Already in service providing automated, high fidelity measurement and correction at dozens of broadcaster sites across the European Union, AudioTools Loudness Control Server is solving loudness control problems stateside as well. Jayson Tomlin, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Minnetonka Audio, observed that: “What was formerly a mandated issue only in the EU has now become critical path, here in the US with the FCC enforcement of the CALM Act, and real-time solutions, whether in a DAW or air chain, are not the best place to control loudness.” “Dynamic range control is not l o u d n e s s control,” Tomlin continued. “As the EBU R128 docs state, ‘Dynamic compression is... an artistic tool and not a loudness weapon.’ Since a realtime solution cannot capture the whole history of a program, ﬁdelity usually suﬀers when you attempt CALM Act conformance with dynamics packages. “In fact, dynamic range compression will cause your program to actually play quieter once it’s been adjusted.” AudioTools Loudness Control Server’s programmatic, ﬁle-based approach avoids the pitfalls of manual and real-time measurement, so correction is always compliant

Minnetonka Audio Tools

without forcing the audio to conform to preset dynamics envelopes. AudioTools server also automates QC chores and seamlessly interoperates with Dolby E, MXF, QuickTime and other broadcast standards. Additionally support for XML and SOAP protocols allows ATS to communicate with existing asset management systems and workﬂow managers. ■
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In Broadcast - March 2012

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