American Idol – What’s Behind the Envelope? Interview with Jason George of Telescope

Posted on by Cirina Catania

Listen to my interview with Jason George, CEO of Telescope (15 minutes) here:
JASON GEORGE Telescope American Idol

Jason George Telescope

I know this is lengthy, but here is the full transcript of the interview for those who would prefer to …. read ….. yes, read!

Interview with Jason George, CEO, Telescope
(http://www.telescope.tv)
Interviewer: Cirina Catania
Conducted April, 2013 at NAB, Las Vegas

Cirina – This is Cirina Catania with Technorati. I am here with Jason George. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Telescope. First of all, it is a very interesting name and second, when you ask him what his company does, that is even more interesting. So tell me, what is Telescope, what does it do and who does it do it for?

Jason George – [00:00:19.470] We really pioneered on our interactivity in the U.S. market, so we’ve been working on shows like American Idol for the past 12 years since the very start of it, managing things like their voting and on air engagement. [00:00:33.357] We’ve seen that migration happen from people calling in to people texting in to now more and more people going through a huge range of digital platforms or accessing through Facebook or Twitter and we are now starting to really see the next range of that which is, how do we harness those conversations that are obviously going on out there around the shows and the projects we do and how can we bring those back in to make content stickier on the first screen and how do we also push that out and distribute that across every single connected device so that’s really what we help our clients with.

Cirina – Help me understand a bit more about how you do that. What is the workflow for that? [00:01:06.480]

Jason – Well, I mean, the first thing is the interactive mechanic that kind of engages with somebody so that might be something like a vote, it might be a sweepstakes competition, it might be a poll or just soliciting comments from people so we really help our clients manage on that certain first bit of media. How do we actually engage people in the first place. [00:01:24.508] The second thing is, how do we actually harness the conversations that are already out there, so for instance, we have access to the Twitter firehose and we can pull in and filter and curate comments from anybody and quickly give our clients real time access to that information and allow them to pull out comments from somebody who has got a lot of followers, for instance, cause they want to use their influence, or just content they find particularly relevant to the showing on their first device and the next part of that is how do we display that, because another thing that our clients are really struggling with, or everybody in the media world is struggling with is, there is suddenly this proliferation of devices that people are watching on and consuming content and interacting on an iPad, a Kindle, a Smart Phone, a feature phone. What are the kinds of ways I can reach all those people, so, the primary way we use is through HTML5 so that is obviously a language that allows people to really create one set of content that can very quickly and easily and cheaply be formatted for a huge range of different applications so it can go into an actual downloaded application or it can just somebody viewing on the mobile web on that device but it gives the universal coverage certainly of an entire kind of mobile universe. [00:02:30.700]

Cirina – I”m a visual person and this is radio, which makes it a little more difficult. I’m sitting at home and they say, “ok, text #1, 2 or 3 to vote.” When you text can you take that text on a trip so that I can understand a little bit more what happens to it

[00:02:50.937] J – Sure, I mean, I’ll talk about a real life project. So, American Idol, which is so near and dear to the heart of America. Over the years, we’ve seen that show evolve from, as I said, from originally calling in, to then texting which AT&T brought to you and, I think, was credited here as one of the things that really changed the view of texting in the U.S. and brought, to become a mass-market phenomenon. More recently we’ve allowed people to be able to vote using their Facebook logins so online voting through Facebook login and this year, we’ve created a kind of two-screen experience as well so to give you an idea of the call to action around the votes, it’s that people go online and you could play a kind of game around rating people’s performances and then at the end of the show when the vote opens you can automatically vote a number of times for you know one contestant or a number of different contestants. [00:03:38.120] Now what I can see through that process and the step change that we are seeing for broadcasters is I can see exactly how many people are in the application at any one time I can see what device they are coming from. I can look at their profile information to kind of see the demographic breakdown and, although we are not using it like this at the moment, it could potentially be used in a number of ways for something like targeting. [00:03:58.413] So that’s an example of how our call to action there can drive any kind of second screen experience and then kind of then also taking that kind of content and feeding that back to the show when it is live. So that is one example. [00:04:10.043] Text is slightly different so we also provide things like text messaging solutions, that is a much kind of simpler, I’ll use a different example. which is, we do a big program with the NBA Slam Dunks program that is sponsored by Sprite and you are asked to text vote for the winner it’s in real time. It is a fifteen minute window, very quick and so the whole campaign is brought to you by Sprite so you get a message back saying, “Thanks for your vote, brought to you by Sprite” and then from that it is offering you extra content that Sprite can bring to you, so it is a kind of VIP experience for participating. So that is an example of how sponsors can also be integrated to kind of provide more value and more benefit for the commercial aspects of that campaign.

Cirina – [00:04:54.177] How did you get involved in this. Let’s go back to the history of this. How did all of this get started?

Jason – Sure. The company is actually a British company as you can tell from my strange accent, and it started out managing on air interactivity in the UK and the UK market and actually, in the UK, most things like competition, sweepstakes if you like, voting is all paid for by the consumer so you get 25 pence billed to your carrier bill when you vote, for instance. And we did a small show called Pop Idol in the UK and when it was sold here, it became American Idol and the producers, Freemantle, asked us to come and help them and consult with them to set up the phone voting and actually, so one of our project mangers came across with a suitcase for three months. She is still here. She is now an American Citizen now, so it is a good analogy for the whole business so, very opportunistic beginnings we were very lucky that the show became such a big hit. But from there we really went on to get a lot of other clients and people looking for similar solutions. [00:05:56.903] So we now provide all the voting infrastructure for shows like The Voice, The X Factor, America’s Got Talent, lots of Univision shows, quite a lot of cable reality shows as well. So that was really the origins of the company and as I said, we moved from being somebody that really just provided IVR phone voting, so, landline phone voting, text solutions and then laterally went into a lot more social media and second screen solutions as we’ve seen consumer behavior migrate, it is fascinating seeing how that is happened over the last ten years as people have adopted new technologies and clearly have much more of a focus towards mobility these days, I’d probably say, in all the interaction that we see, and we’ve processed 1.5 billion interactions per year and you see probably 75% of those coming from a mobile device and it is growing so it is fascinating seeing how those shifts are happening with such massive changes in technology.

Cirina – [00:06:54.218] what is your biggest challenge, technologically, to keep this going and to keep it accurate and satisfy your clients

Jason – [00:07:02.457] metrics is the biggest challenge. I think for our, we are mainly focused on the networks and production companies, although we do work with the sponsors but I think what everyone is trying to figure out is what are the metrics that govern success. How can I use this to monetize that content. Clearly as those models break down and things like Nielsen ratings become more and more porous, I think everyone is looking for, “OK, I got 10% of my audience to engage, what does that mean. Who are, who is that audience beyond just kind of knowing their phone number, how can I actually build a relationship with them that I can turn into something that can be valued in a deeper way. So I think that the biggest challenge facing the industry, there are many, but I think the biggest one is metrics and how do we measure that engagement, how do we really measure deep into that engagement.

Cirina -[00:07:54.192] I am just curious about, and this is a little bit more of a marketing question. Shows that are decided, like the American Idol is decided by popular vote. If you look at the demographics of, and you may not be able to answer this and if you can’t that’s fine…but if you look at the demographics of the people who are voting, do you get a good cross-section or is there a personality, a characteristic, a section of the marketplace that tends to vote more than others.

Jason -[00:08:23.518] You are right, I can’t talk in much detail about those sorts of things, but I think it broadly depends on the audience for the show. I don’t think there is particularly one that certainly you might get higher concentrations in certain demographic profiles, but maybe more relevantly, we also run shows on channels like MTV so you will certainly see a different mix of how people vote according to wether they are watching a more youth-oriented kind of show, or whether it is more general market, and I think you do get conversion. [00:08:53.723] I wouldn’t say, for instance, the older demographics are less likely to vote, I mean certainly older housewives are particularly kind of rabid voters, so I think it is more about the method. If you said to those older housewives, you can’t vote through toll-free you can only vote through online, they may not vote, whereas the younger demos, if you said, you can only vote through toll-free they may be less likely to vote. So I think what we really help clients with is, we are very much cross-platform, so it is about reaching the different audiences according to how they prefer to participate, so I think that is the biggest thing, I’d say. I can’t really, we do get some demographic information, but I can’t talk about that, but I don’t think it is particularly, you know, that it particularly over indexes in certain demographics , I think it is really dependent on the general market for the show and kind of how you induce people to participate by really getting involved in the content…the big thing about voting is that you can impact the actual narrative of that show. [00:09:47.787] You know I can be part of deciding who wins and that is one of the most powerful motivators to actually participate along with things like, I can win something, that is a really powerful motivators. But also, people love to get their name up in lights, the fame factor that I am able to comment adn that comment is somewhere in the public domain and that allows me, kind of my voice.. so that is the thing that we see as ways of motivating people to participate. They are actually pretty universal.

Cirina – [00:10:11.228] I think that you are probably gathering historical information that down the road is going to be very valuable. I’m wondering, in your mind, what do you see for the future, technologically. Where do you see this going?

Jason – [00:10:24.480] J – firstly, you know people still talk about television as the first screen and I’m not sure if that is really true anymore, even now, so I think, especially among younger demographics, clearly technology has been such a big disrupter they are not watching on the big screen. They are actually watching more likely on their phone or on their tablet and that is going to certainly progress further so I think things like mobile video, online video in general, but especially mobile video are really going to explode and things like TV Everywhere will be hugely important for the kind of, the broadcasters and the networks as they kind of seek to reach people in a number of different ways. So I think that is one thing and along with that are those notions that now the schedule doesn’t mean anything to me. I’m just going to really program my own schedule, which is actually most of us are doing already because we are recording or going through Netflix or whatever it might be, and actually finding the content that we want and deciding that actually, my mood tonight is this and therefore I want to watch, you know, Breaking Bad on demand. So I think those are the things that are really going to continue and the reall again, part of that challenge is how do I knit people together across a number of different platforms. How do I know who they are so I can try and personalize an experience for them.. And of course, that nature is important because if I know something about them, how can I create advertising that is more relevant for them, that is likely to be more effective as well, so that is the big thing. That is going to proliferate to the point where a broadcast network is probably defined at the moment as the local stations that it is broadcast on and in five years time there may be no need at all for those local stations because they are actually reaching people in a number of different ways and on a number of different devices.

Cirina – [00:11:57.728] where do we go on the web to learn more about your company

Jason – www.telescope.tv or you can follow us on Twitter or Facebook. We’d love to see you.

Cirina – should we vote for you?

Jason- well, obviously, you know, we’re just a business to business company providing those things, but we’d certainly welcome you at our office or on our website so please visit

Cirina- We’ll give you the big thumbs up on the web

Jason – sounds good

Cirina- thank you

Jason- thank you

End of Interview.

Make Good Art

Posted on by Cirina Catania

Screen Shot 2013-05-02 at 2.12.29 PM

Are you a creative person? Having trouble justifying your time spent day dreaming? Trying to explain to your parents why you are always broke and don’t care that you are – or why, when you DO make money, you spend it on new cameras, or oil paint, or trips to remote islands so you can write in peace?

This video from author Neil Gaiman is for you!

American Idol inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame

Posted on by Cirina Catania

(Las Vegas, 2013 NAB, April 9, 2013)
(This article ran first on Technorati.com)

FOX’s long-running television icon, American Idol was inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame at yesterday’s NAB 2013 Television Luncheon.

Randy Jackson accepts the 2013 NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame award on behalf of American Idol

Randy Jackson accepts the 2013 NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame award on behalf of American Idol


Idol judge Randy Jackson and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe spoke with me for a few minutes backstage in the green room while they were waiting for the ceremonies to begin. I asked Nigel how production of the show has changed as social media has become more powerful and Randy spoke about how he stays inspired after all these years. They both agreed, they love music!

Randy Jackson & Nigel Lythgoe Backstage at NAB

Here’s NAB’s video (via 13Keys) of the event: American Idol Inducted

Congrats American Idol here’s to many more years of entertaining television!

Transcript of the interview:
The following is the transcript of an interview conducted by Cirina Catania (Technorati and the Digital Production BuZZ) with Nigel Lythgoe and Randy Jackson of the hit show, “American Idol”

April 9, 2013 – backstage at the 2013 NAB Television Luncheon as “American Idol” was awaiting their induction into the NAB Television Hall of Fame
====================

Cirina Catania (V.O.): The long running television icon, American Idol, was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasting Hall of Fame at the 2013 NAB Show TV Luncheon today. Judge Randy Jackson, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe and Trish Kanane, who is the executive producer and president of entertainment programming for Freemantle of North America were all on hand for the event. I spent a few minutes with Nigel and Randy and I was curious about how the power of social media has changed the way they produce the show.

Nigel Lythgoe: Well, when we first came here people weren’t even texting. We were much further ahead in Europe than America was and it was a shock for us how it hadn’t caught on here, so we built that slowly and went through it and texting became the big thing to do and now, of course, we are looking at the 2nd Screen and we are trying to work out with an entirely different team how to make stuff for that second screen.

Cirina: Randy, how hard is it for you to keep up the excitement? What keeps you going every year?

Nigel: He is in it to win it!

Randy Jackson: Exactly! I am in it to win it. Listen, I think music is the heart and soul of what I do. It is what I’ve done all my life. This is a music show first and foremost. I love discovering talent. I did that as an A&R guy for 15 years. It is what I do. It is where I live. I live in the music zone. I just signed two funk bands that will take you back to the 70’s. One that will remind you of Credence, the other will remind you of Tower of Power. You know, I love new talent. I love music, so it provides me with a great outlet and an outreach to what I do.

Nigel: And Randy is probably one of the best ambassadors of music in the world. Everybody knows him. Everybody love him and I haven’t seen him enter a room anywhere without people going, “Yo, Randy!”

Randy (laughs): “Yo, dawn! What’s the deal?! Yea!”

Cirina: What are you most proud of today with this award?

Randy: I am just most proud of being recognized; you know what I mean, because we have been saying it all day long. We don’t set out to get awards or accolades, but it is really nice for people to see what we are doing and what we continue to try and do and, you know, give us props for it, so I love that.

Cirina: Thank you so much, Randy, you are an inspiration to many people.

Randy: You are very welcome. Thank you.

Cirina: There is a lot of pressure to produce the wrap-arounds behind the scenes while you are still shooting live. Can you talk about how difficult it is for you to be on camera, worrying about the production and managing everything from several different chairs?

Nigel: Yea, I bump into cameramen and sound guys now that, where are you from, what are you doing. “Oh we’re doing the wrap-arounds, we’re doing the live hit during the commercial break. Oh we’re doing…” So it is really quite fun to see everything going on. You worry now. You worry that the artists, these young kids that have been, possibly abused in the critique come off stage and start swearing because they don’t know a camera is there. And I’m sure with us being a family show; we don’t really want anything going out there. Especially if there is nobody on the beat button. We’ve got enough problems with Nicki Minaj! (laughing) So, it really is trying to keep a handle on everything and I think it is just, for me, it’s a really exciting time because being able to think of other ways that your audience can interact with each other as well as the program is very exciting. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are going to buy into the artists at the end of the day. You know, we at our height, were getting, like I think a hundred and thirty million votes. Nobody sold 130 million albums yet, so it doesn’t translate into supporting the artist when it comes to putting your hand in your pocket, but the more that they can interact with the television program, then hopefully, our ratings will stay up there.

Cirina: Thank you so much for doing this. We’ve been watching. I love the way that you are changing the show up to keep it fresh.

Nigel: Trying, we’re trying. At the same time, you know, the music is really difficult. We’ve done something like 200 new songs that have been recorded in the last year or two years, and yet when it comes to the genres, we need these big, you know, rock, Motown, Beatles, we need these, and everyone goes, “Oh, it’s so boring, you know you are doing the same.” But that music is just incredible and I keep saying, it’s about the singers. It is not about the music. It is not about the judges. It is about the talent. Judge that!

Cirina: Thank you, Nigel.

Nigel: Thank you very much.

Cirina (v.o.): You’ve been listening to our backstage chat as American Idol is inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame. That was Idol’s judge, Randy Jackson with the executive producer, Nigel Lithgoe. I’m Cirina Catania reporting to you live from the 2013 NAB Show for the Digital Production BuZZ.

Digital Production BuZZ Producer’s Corner, Live at 6pm Pacific, April 4, 2013

Posted on by Cirina Catania

Tonight’s DPBuZZ is all about friendship, hanging out and sharing news and information. It doesn’t matter what the “economy” is telling us. We need a place to congregate – to see, hear and interact on a personal level with our geeky peers. What better place than the 2013 NAB Show! The Woodstock of broadcasting/creative/tech conventions, it is a virtual mecca for all things, well…broadcast, creative and tech.

If you can’t find someone to talk to in the middle of 100,000+ of your best friends surrounded by over 1,500 exhibitors with the latest and greatest, you need to crawl into a tunnel and stay there for a few years!

Our first guest tonight is Tim Jenison, who I met recently while attending an event at NewTek in Hollywood with @ThatKevinSmith and @LisaKudrow (among others) about the #FutureOfTV. Tim is the original developer of Video Toaster and was quoted in the late 1990’s predicting that there would be a revolution in the way video was produced – basically, signaling the emergence of the desktop video revolution. I know that Larry Jordan and Michael Horton will love taking a walk down Memory Lane with Tim. Senior VP of Artists and New Media Relations, Philip Nelson joins us in the conversation.

Do you know that we have listeners in over 170 countries? Grant Burton has been on the live chat with us every week since the original BuZZ with Philip Hodgetts! We finally get to meet him in person tonight, since he’ll be live with us in the studio. Grant is the Video Producer and Learning Technology Analyst with the Royal Australian Air Force! We are honored.

And, I don’t know about you, but I’m really tired of boring and mostly cheesy licensed music. Haven’t you heard it all before? DJ’s and Music Producers, Matt Nelson and Tom Hinton co-founded Remix Your Brand and they claim to have something much more relevant to offer. Their lives are immersed in club and electronic music and their production music reflects their young and trendy attitude towards scoring creative productions. We’ll find out more tonight.

For our tech family, the yearly Media Motion Ball at the NAB Show is something we look forward to on an annual basis. It’s like the relatives gathering around the holiday table. All those behind the scenes folks who work together every day to make our hardware and software solutions work and make us better at what we do. Carey Dissmore has been one of the main organizers of the event for many years and he’ll give us the inside scoop tonight. Oh, and Carey is also the founder of the famous IMUG list. Want to be on the list? Tune in tonight and find out how.

The NAB Show is exhausting. By the time the six days is over, all we will have left are lots of information/memories, a suitcase full of thumb drives, sore feet and … well, maybe a trophy from the KISS Monster Mini Golf Tournament. Indoors, black lights and … should we come in wierd makeup? Eric Harnden, organizer, tell us everything we need to know, including how to cross the street from the Hard Rock after the official NAB opening party. See you there!

Vizrt and Zeebox partner to integrate second-screen interactive experiences into live TV shows

Posted on by Cirina Catania

This just in from Vizrt and Zeebox (Check them out at #NABSHOW in Booth SL3305):

Zeebox_PR (2)

3 April 2013

Vizrt Ltd. and Zeebox announced today a partnership that allows broadcasters and program makers to integrate interactive second screen experiences into live TV shows.

The partnerships allows votes, polls, audience metrics and other real-time audience participation within zeebox to be fed in real time into the broadcast stream for participating shows, allowing broadcasters to create dynamic new forms of interactive broadcast entertainment.

Zeebox provides viewers a unique social user experience on their mobile device to enhance programs they are viewing on television. With tools to help manage program guides, interface with social media and find out quick information about virtually anything talked about on television, Zeebox becomes a powerful source for broadcasters to interact with their audience.

Vizrt’s Social TV solution, the interactive social media visualization solution from Vizrt, brings in user generated content from Zeebox – live. This data is then visualized based on multiple parameters that give media houses a new source of content for their broadcast. Location, social media interactions including Facebook and Twitter, polls and viewing preferences can all be visualized to create a unique story.

“Our integration with Zeebox places the social interaction between the media house and the viewer directly in the hands of the viewers at home in a controlled workflow,” said Håvard Myklebust, Executive VP Products and Marketing. “With the additional integration to the Vizrt Online Suite, broadcasters have a powerful tool to maintain their content on every platform while giving the end user the best possible user experience supported by a cost-effective workflow which makes 2nd screen production affordable.”

“People have always wanted to participate in TV shows. Once upon a time viewers’ letters would be read on screen, then you could text in messages, then you could tweet at the show” said Anthony Rose, Co-founder & CTO at Zeebox. “The Zeebox – Vizrt integration takes that to the next level, providing broadcasters and program makers with a wide range of creative ways to incorporate audience participation in TV shows. From talent and games shows to news and comedy programs, broadcasters can now engage with their viewers and bring audience participation directly into the show in a way that wasn’t previously practical.”

About Zeebox
Zeebox is the new, social, interactive and immersive way to watch TV. It turns your smartphone, tablet or laptop into an interactive companion that enables consumers to engage with friends around TV shows, to buy what they see on screen, to remote control their TV, and to get more information about whatever program they’re watching including access to exclusive interactive content. By partnering with Zeebox, networks and content owners can augment their TV shows on the second screen, engage interactively with fans, and monetize this new medium in synch with live TV. Zeebox was founded in 2011 by former iPlayer CTO Anthony Rose and EMI executive Ernesto Schmitt. The company is headquartered in London with offices in New York and Sydney.
Zeebox press enquiries:
press@zeebox.com

About Vizrt
Vizrt provides real-time 3D graphics and asset management tools for the broadcast industry – from award-winning animations & maps to online publishing tools. Vizrt’s products are used by the world’s leading broadcasters and publishing houses, including: CNN, CBS, Fox, the BBC, BSkyB, ITN, ZDF, Star TV, Network 18, TV Today, CCTV, NHK, The Globe and Mail, Times Online, The Telegraph, and Welt Online. Furthermore, many world-class production houses and corporate institutions such as the Stock Exchanges in New York and London use Vizrt systems.

Vizrt is a public company traded on the Oslo Main List: VIZ, ISIN: IL0010838154.

For further information please refer to www.vizrt.com

Kickstarter Campaigns We Like: iOgrapher

Posted on by Cirina Catania

Iographer click point shoot
We’ve seen all manner of gear that helps filmmakers turn their iPads into camera-ready production kits for iOS-based productions, but the iOgrapher iPad Mini Mount may just be the first case specifically invented for shooting with the iPad Mini.

Article first published as California Teacher Invents iOgrapher – the First Case for iPad Mini Filmmakers on Technorati.

DBasulto_iographer
David Basulto, who designed the case, teaches media arts and animation at San Marino High School in Southern California as part of the Los Angeles County Regional Occupational Program. Basulto is also an avid filmmaker, producing tutorials and specializing in anything Adobe related. He has amassed a reputation in the post-production community as a forward-thinking journalist and influential creative who shares his knowledge at his Filmmaking Central website and writes for publications such as Post Magazine.

While he was out in the field with his students, Basulto noticed that it was difficult to maneuver the iPad mini when using it on shoots, so he invented a solution and is raising the money to produce it using a

The case is so unusual that it caught the eye of Forbes writer Mark Hughes who interviewed Basulto recently.

Basulto also made an appearance recently on the Digital Production BuZZ where he was interviewed by hosts Larry Jordan and Michael Horton.

Kickstarter is featuring several other initiatives related to the iPad Mini, but the iOgrapher is the first of its kind and unique in its category. The addition of strong handles on both sides and the ability to add lenses, audio equipment, lights and tripods makes it a Mini filmmaker’s dream.

OPTICAL DEVICES DIVISION OF FUJIFILM SHOWING NEW RANGE OF LENSES AND UPGRADES AT NAB 2013

Posted on by Cirina Catania

The following information was released by Fujifilm:
ZK3 5x85-1 85-300mm Cabrio 11 8 12 @450x299
Wayne, N.J., March 1, 2013 – FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Optical Devices Division will show a variety of new lenses and upgrades at this year’s NAB at the Las Vegas Convention Center. On display within Booth C7525 will be FUJINON lenses for broadcasting, sports, digital cinematography and production applications, including an enhanced version of the Emmy-Award winning “Precision Focus Assist” technology and the latest in PL Mount, EFP, Studio, and ENG lenses.

Two high-performance lenses, the Premier PL 85-300 Cabrio lens (model ZK3.5×85) and the XA99x8.4 UltraWide field production lens, will make their NAB debut this year. While the PL 85-300 is similar in size and weight as the PL 19-90mm Cabrio (Model ZK4.7×19), its longer focal length makes it ideal for shooting documentaries, nature and wildlife, and commercials. The PL 85-300 offers a focal length of 85-220mm at T2.9 and 300mm at T4.0, with 200-degree focus rotation.

Designed using the latest optical simulation technology, the PL 85-300 Cabrio not only offers exceptional optical performance in the center of the image but in the corners of the frame as well. Like the highly acclaimed PL 19-90 Cabrio, the PL 85-300 is equipped with the same indispensable features including flange focal distance adjustment, a MOD of 1.2m, a macro function for objects as close as 97mm (3.8-inches), and covers a 31.5mm diagonal sensor size.

The digital servo’s 16-bit encoding assures operators that all lens data output—such as the position of the zoom, iris, and focus—is extremely accurate and the lens supports Lens Data System (LDS) and /i metadata formats. Like the PL 19-90, the new PL 85-300 Cabrio features an exclusive detachable servo drive unit, making it suitable for use as a standard PL lens or as an ENG-style lens. And the PL 85-300 can be controlled using cinema industry standard wireless controllers as well as existing FUJINON wired and wireless units.

The entire range of Premier PL 4K+ cine lenses will be in the booth. The 14.5-45mm T2.0, 18-85mm T2.0, 24-180mm T2.6, and 75-400 mm T2.8-T3.8 will all be on display.

The new XA99x UltraWide lens is ideal for producing live sports and entertainment events. An XA99xPF will also be on display with an enhanced version of Precision Focus Assist (PF), marking the first time this model has incorporated PF technology. Precision Focus Assist automatically adjusts focus, ensuring fast and accurate focus of HD images under varying conditions. The XA99x UltraWide offers a zoom range of 99x, a focal length of 8.4 to 832mm, and MOD of 2.9m. The XA99x is f1.7 to 341mm and f4.2 at 832mm. Like other lenses in this product line, including the XA77x9.5, XA88x8.8, XA88x12.5 and the XA101x8.9, the XA99x8.4 offers FUJINON’s DIGI POWER digital controls, offering high accuracy, flexibility and a host of production features.

The XA99x8.4 features a newly developed, patented image stabilization technology for rock-steady performance, which is critical for long-distance HD shots. High-resolution 16-bit encoders are standard, making it suitable for virtual, robotic, and digital signage, among other applications. FUJINON’s exclusive GO-TECHnology improves image resolution and reduces chromatic aberrations at all focal lengths.

An addition to the 1/3-inch eXceed line is a new version of FUJINON’s 1/3-inch XT17sx4.5 lens. The new XT17sx4.5BMD lens features full remote control, for videoconferencing, weather cams, educational, and studio robotic applications.

Other NAB highlights include lenses in the Premier Series of high-performance ENG lenses for 2/3-inch cameras – the HA19x7.4, the HA14x4.5 super wide angle and the HA16x6.3 lenses. And the ZA Select Series lenses will be on display in telephoto, remote control, and with and without 2X extender versions.

About Fujifilm
FUJIFILM North America Corporation, a marketing subsidiary of FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation consists of five operating divisions and one subsidiary company. The Imaging Division sells consumer and commercial photographic products and services including film, one-time-use cameras, online photo services and fulfillment, digital printing equipment and service. The Electronic Imaging Division markets consumer digital cameras. The Motion Picture Division provides motion picture archival film, and the Graphic Systems Division supplies products and services to the printing industry. The Optical Devices Division provides binoculars, and optical lenses for closed circuit television, videography, cinematography,broadcast and industrial markets. FUJIFILM Canada Inc. markets a range of Fujifilm products and services. For more information, please visit www.fujifilmusa.com/northamerica, or go to www.twitter.com/fujifilmus to follow Fujifilm on Twitter. To receive news and information direct from Fujifilm via RSS, subscribe at www.fujifilmusa.com/rss.
FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, brings continuous innovation and leading-edge products to a broad spectrum of industries, including electronic imaging, digital printing equipment, medical systems, life sciences, graphic arts, flat panel display materials, and office products, based on a vast portfolio of digital, optical, fine chemical and thin film coating technologies. The company was among the top 10 companies around the world granted U.S. patents in 2011, and in the year ended March 31, 2012, had global revenues of $27.8 billion*. Fujifilm is committed to environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit www.fujifilmholdings.com.
* At an exchange rate of 79 yen to the dollar.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.

FUJIFILM Optical Devices Division, 10 High Point Drive, Wayne, New Jersey 07470. Phone: 973-633-5600. Fax: 973-633-5216. Web site: www.FUJINON.com

International Supplies Chock Full of Tech at 2013 NAB

Posted on by Cirina Catania

Check out the lineup at International Supplies, Booth #C9049 at the Las Vegas Convention Center during 2013 NAB:

– Nighthawk Bluetooth Microphone Combo System
The Nighthawk is a clip-on multi-functional microphone Bluetooth device with high-quality wireless recording capability for Apple and Android smartphones. It can function as a wireless interview microphone, recording device, smart phone headset, in-car speaker system, and even an MP3 audio controller. The system includes a free recording app with an integrated start/stop recording function so that when used as a microphone, users can wirelessly record consistent, professional quality audio levels on their smartphone from up to 30-40 feet in range. Also features 12-Hour Talk Time, Smartphone Bluetooth Clip-On Microphone with removable earpiece, Push-to-talk (PTT) button for two-way radio communications, In-Car Speaker Kit, Bluetooth MP3 Device Controller and Uni-directional microphone to reduce ambient noise and ensure greater clarity during recording.

– NEXTO DI’s NEW NVS2825
The new Video Storage-Air, model NVS2825, is a portable Wi-Fi enabled video back up device that allows users to back up footage from SxS, P2, CF, SD/SDHC and SDXC memory cards onto the drive, then view and pre-edit clips from their iPad, iPhone and Android. Other innovative features include PCM audio play, FireWire 800 and USB 3.0 interfaces, exFAT/UDF/FAT32 support, extremely fast backup speeds (90 MB/s for SxS and 80 MB/s for CF), internal motion/free-fall sensor, and ability to back up to the internal and an external drive simultaneously. The new drive generates HTML index files so once bit by bit verification is complete, users may opt to preview the footage on the drive’s built-in 2.4” color LCD screen and play PCM audio through an audio jack located at the bottom of the device, or view and pre-edit video clips from their iPhone, iPad, or Android device via Wi-Fi. A special App will be available for download that supports 1X video play on iOS devices, mark in/out, OK/NG cut selection, attaching notes, binding of cuts into a video, and PCM audio play. Android users may gain Wi-Fi access via their web browser.

– Dougmon:
It’s a handheld camera support system for DSLR’s and small video cameras. Dubbed the “Wrist Rocket”, the Dougmon essentially mimics how the hand, wrist and arm work together. The camera sits on a patented adjustable friction ball head system that when held in the center of your palm, imitates the movement of the wrist so users can twist slightly to the right or left or up or down. The arm of the Dougmon adjusts to fit the length of the user’s arm and a padded cuff with adjustable straps secures it in place. Its design allows the camera to go wherever the user’s hand or arm goes. You can shoot high, low, over your shoulder, or even use it as a monopod.

– Varavon’s new Multi-Finder
The Multi-Finder Viewfinder is a DSLR LCD viewfinder with straight and low angle viewing capabilities, 3x zoom, loupe and diopter. It attaches to the camera via a base plate, so it flushes up right against the camera’s LCD screen and with the use of two built-in angled mirrors, allows users to simply look down into the viewfinder to see the shot, so you can hold it at waist level and shoot without having to bend down or kneel. When it is not being used for low angle capture, the device can be used as a regular viewfinder or transformed into a hood. The Multi-Finder is available in three different models: a UNI version, which comes with one adjustable base plate that works with multiple DSLRs, including the Canon 5D MKII, EOS 7D, Rebel T2i, and Nikon D4 and D7000; and models specifically for the Canon 5D MKIII and Nikon D800.

– Varavon’s new Motorroid Slider Kit
Varavon is now offering a new motorized add-on / upgrade kit so you can modify any of their existing sliders so it has motorized functionality. The integrated motor and controller includes an acceleration dial so you can ramp up speed rather than just a simple on/off switch that will cause harsh start/stops, and limit switches to prevent the slider from continuously running as it reaches the end of travel. Driving time is 5 min/1m on low and 10 sec/1m on high. It’s easy to assemble and operate. You can modify the kit to fit various lengths and it attaches with basic 1/4-20 connections at each end.

– Airbox Lights
Airbox Lights is a brand new line of inflatable softboxes that can turn an on-camera LED light into a larger soft light source. Raw LED lights can cast multiple shadows on a subject. By making the light source up to 300% bigger, Airbox softens the light, thus minimizing shadows and facial lines. Airbox’s inflatable softboxes are easy to use and set up. Simply inflate the box like a balloon, attach it to the front of a battery-operated LED light using its two Velcro straps, and tighten. It takes approximately 10 seconds to set up or break down; no tools necessary. The Airbox also features a pocket in the front for additional diffusion or color if needed, a silver interior, and Half Soft Frost front and back panels for dual layer diffusion, improved softness and minimal light loss.

– Yasuhara Madoka 180 Fisheye Lens
The Madoka 180 is a 7.33 mm circular fisheye lens with a 180 degree angle of view that projects a circular image in the center of the frame, and is specifically designed for use with the Sony NEX E-mount mirrorless cameras and the new Canon EOS-M cameras.
www.yasuhara-optical.com

– Lumos LED Lights
Lumos Lights are by far one of the most even, balanced lights on the market. The Lumos 300 MK is a 1×1 bi-color LED panel with built in dimmer, full color temperatures range between 3200K and 5600K, a 3200K lux rating of 800 at 3.9 feet and a 5600K lux rating of 900 at the same distance, and HIGH CRI’s ranging between 92 Ra and 98 Ra, depending on the color temperature. Its 288 LEDs consumes only 50 watts of electricity. The small, portable Lumos 100 is available in either Daylight (5600K) or Tungsten (3200K). The 5600K model produces a lux rating of 280 at the same distance and a CRI of 90, while the 3200K model features a lux rating of 250 at a distance of 3.9 feet and a high CRI of 97. Users can also adjust brightness from 100% to 0 using the dimmer, with minimal color shift. The Lumos 100’s array of 84 LED’s consumes only 17 watts of electricity, making it highly energy efficient.