In Broadcast - September 2013 - 76

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 23 - SEPTEMBER 2013

N E W S

InTEST

Premium ‘German Engineering’ For
Al Jazeera With Sachtler’s Video 20
O

76

lympic Games, natural disasters,
and bombings – Cameraman
Matthew Allard has reported about
almost everything for Al Jazeera, the
international news broadcaster that
has its headquarters in Doha, Qatar.
Allard has already been recognized
15 times by the Australian
Cinematographers Society for his
impressive documentaries and
news features. During shoots all
over the world, he relies on the
Video 20 ﬂuid head by Sachtler,
part of Vitec Videocom, a Vitec
Group company. With its easy and
ergonomic operation, the legendary
ﬂuid head by Sachtler has been an
ideal tool for daily work in electronic
newsgathering for more than 50
years.
“After the devastating Tsunami
in 2011, I spent 150 days in the
Japanese disaster area to report on
the aftermath live on location,” Allard
describes. “Wherever I am, I always
rely on my Video 20 and Video 18
tripod systems.” In unimaginable
heat or freezing temperatures, in
water or sand, indoors or in the
jungle, the precise craftsmanship

allows the cameraman to depend
on his camera support and devote
his entire attention to his work, even
under the most unusual filming
conditions and in the most extreme
temperatures. “I like to describe
my Sachtler tripods with three
words: dependability, quality, and
performance,” Allard says.
For Allard, the Video 20 has
become indispensable for capturing
his news stories and documentaries.
The Video 20’s patented damping
system with its seven horizontal
and seven vertical grades of drag
(+0), the ﬁnely tuned counterbalance
with Speedbalance technology, as
well as modern and high-quality
construction material allow Allard
to work professionally and creatively
all over the world.
On his travels, Allard runs into
meaningful stories everywhere
which, in his opinion, must be told:
“I want to document the experiences
of completely normal people and
make these experiences accessible
for everyone. I think every one of
us has an interesting story to
tell. My job is to show the beauty

Matthew Allard relies on his Video 20 for news stories all over the
world. © Allard

and sometimes also the sadness
of the events, and to make all of
this tangible to the viewers.” As a
storyteller, the cameraman focuses
on capturing individual lives
authentically and objectively in his
documentaries. “It is their story, not
mine,” Allard explains.
Matthew Allard has already
travelled to over 40 countries to
produce reports about current events.

“I have been working for Al Jazeera for
the last six years, but in the industry
for the last 23. This is why my job
brings me so much happiness, even
though I have seen a lot of horrible
things,” the Australian cameraman
enthusiastically says. With the
dependable Sachtler Video 18 and
Video 20 ﬂuid heads in his suitcase,
Allard is well prepared for every
situation, both present and future.

InSIGHT
Visual Unity Enhances vuMedia
O
TT solutions provider Visual
Unity will showcase the latest
version of its award-winning
vuMedia multiscreen platform at
IBC 2013.
Winner
of
the
2012
ConnectedWorld.TV Award for the
Best Use of Online Video by a NonBroadcaster, Visual Unity’s vuMedia
is an end-to-end OTT platform that
allows broadcasters and content
owners to control how their brand
and assets are managed, delivered
and monetised in the multiscreen
environment. Highly scalable and
ﬂexible, vuMedia delivers a cuttingedge live viewing experience
on the web or any mobile or
connected device.
vuMedia also enables
comprehensive Video on Demand
services, social network integration
and secures the distribution of
content – all of which can be
deployed into existing workflows.
The latest version of vuMedia
features a number of enhancements
including an improved modular
architecture and enhanced API
integration for faster OTT integration

into existing infrastructures.
There is also support for Live
Time-Shifting so that subscribers
can rewind while watching
live broadcasts.
This user experience beneﬁ ts
from a Timeline Thumbnail Preview
(vuMedia TTP), which makes it
faster and easier to navigate within
streamed content.
A major new feature of vuMedia
2.0 is the integration of vuEasy next
generation Online Video Platform.
Positioned for Enterprise and
Media companies, this Cloudbased service alleviates the
need for businesses to build an
expensive, in-house and resourceintensive media library by allowing
them to publish their content online.
vuEasy supports live streaming of
HD video and allows graphics and
other audio and visual material to
be associated with video or audio
ﬁles, for brand promotion or to
generate advertising revenue.
The vuMedia platform ensures
that clients have complete control
over their content, says Tomas
Petru, CEO of Visual Unity. “Not all

Visual Unity will showcase vuMedia v2 at IBC2013

businesses are comfortable using
a free service, or to give up rights
to their content.
There are hidden costs that
often reveal themselves once the
service is running.
Many companies are looking for
an enterprise grade service that
provides 24/7 support, flexible
service level agreements and
granular features and functionality.
vuEasy and vuMedia allow for this
level of service ﬂexibility, and more.”
Whether using the cloud or its
own well-established Content
Delivery Network, Visual Unity’s
expertise in both linear and

multiscreen is helping companies
worldwide to enhance their portfolio
and optimise performance, as they
build multiscreen technologies into
their existing operations.
At IBC 2013, Visual Unity will
also highlight its leading broadcast
systems integration capabilities and
will cover a wide variety of solutions
from traditional OB vehicles and
broadcast IT systems, through to
new media applications developed
by Visual Unity’s in-house software
development team.
Visual Unity will be demonstrating
its platform at IBC in the Connected
World Hall.

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/?first=Phillip&last=Izzard&search=Go https://twitter.com/inbroadcast http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpzEatLsHdE&feature=youtube_gdata_player https://www.facebook.com/InBroadcast http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/inbroadcast/id468652679?mt=8 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.branded.inbroadcast&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5icmFuZGVkLmluYnJvYWRjYXN0Il0. http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.sachtler.com/en/fluidhead-video-18-s1-video-20-s1.html http://www.visualunity.com/

In Broadcast - September 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast - September 2013