Broadcastpro – Page 13 – Virtual BroadcastPro Tech Webinar | 27 July 2023

Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc., a vertically integrated aerospace and space travel company, has announced a new contract to fly Kellie Gerardi, a researcher for the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS), on a dedicated research flight, during which Kellie will conduct experiments and test new healthcare technologies while she is in space.

The IIAS and Virgin Galactic teams will collaborate with academic and government partners to plan Kellie’s flight activities to maximise the science and technology advancements gained from the research experiments.

Kellie will utilise the scientific research benefits and applications that Virgin Galactics Spaceflight System provides for human-tended research experiments to demonstrate and advance the research and knowledge gained from a number of her previous reduced gravity flight campaigns performed here on Earth, including with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

The research experiments will include bio-monitoring instrumentation, including the Astroskin Bio-Monitor wearable sensors system. It was developed by Canadian company Carré Technologies Inc. (Hexoskin) with the support of the Canadian Space Agency and is designed to measure the biological effects of launch, weightlessness, re-entry, and landing on spaceflight participants. The second piece of research includes a free-floating fluid configuration experiment, whose data can be used to help inform novel technologies ranging from fluid-based accelerometer systems to humidifiers for spacecraft life support systems, and new syringe designs for administering medication in space.

Speaking about the mission, Michael Colglazier, CEO, Virgin Galactic, said: Were thrilled to work with Kellie Gerardi and the International Institute of Astronautical Sciences to help further their research in the bio-medical field. One of the unique aspects of our Spaceflight System is that it is pilot-flown, which means were able to fly different flight profiles that meet the needs of our passengers in the cabin whether thats scientific experiments or people or in this case both. A big part of our mission is to provide scientists and researchers with reliable and frequent access to space for space-based research. We are very proud to fly Kellie so she can fulfill a lifelong dream, conduct important research, and inspire the next generation of researchers and astronauts.

Kellie Gerardi added: To call this my lifes dream would be an understatement. Ive been a champion of Virgin Galactics mission to democratize access to space from the earliest days, both during my time working a few test stands away at the Mojave Air & Space Port and through my years helping advance the regulatory framework for commercial human spaceflight with the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. The opportunity to fly as a payload specialist on a Virgin Galactic spaceflight brings everything full circle for me, and its nothing short of an honour to have a front-row seat to the final frontier. Im grateful to IIAS for the support and confidence they continue to place in me, and I look forward to helping pave the path for many talented researchers who are sure to follow.

Dr Jason Reimuller, Founder of IIAS, stated: Kellie has consistently demonstrated capability and professionalism in dynamic, operational, and multi-national research environments while enabling novel research. Additionally, her natural ability for science communication will help expand our nonprofit educational and outreach missions, inspiring others to see space as both inclusive of all and as a laboratory to benefit all of humanity. We look forward to working with Virgin Galactic as we expand our research from parabolic flight and analogue environments towards longer-duration microgravity exposures in space.

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Walt Disney Co. plans to close 100 of its international TV channels this year as it marches toward a future where streaming services such as Disney+ are front and centre.

Speaking at JPMorgan’s annual Global, Technology, Media & Telecommunications Conference, Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek, said the closures come in addition to the 30 foreign networks the company shuttered last year.

Chapek said which channels and when they would close will depend on Disney’s contacts in those individual markets. Profits from some of its traditional TV networks are helping pay for programming that can run on its streaming services including Hulu and ESPN+ in the US.

The company has been pretty clear that Disney+ is its current priority, with the media giant having pulled its content back from channels on Sky and Virgin Media in the UK last year in readiness for the launch of the streamer.

“The great majority of that content will migrate to Disney+,” Chapek said. “That continues to be a core strategy for us as we pivot toward direct-to-consumer.”

Fox, Fox Crime, Fox Life and FX are among those due to be shuttered in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong later this year, less than three years since Disney acquired them through its purchase of 21st Century Fox.

Kids networks Disney Junior and Disney Channel are also being cut, according to local reports, along with Nat Geo People and SCM Legend. Fox Action Movies, Fox Family Movies, Fox Movies and Star Movies China are also being disbanded, along with five sports channels.

However, Disney’s recent Q2 results suggest that the SVOD boom of 2020 has cooled, with Disney+ falling short of analyst projections for new Q2 2021 subscribers. The streaming service still ended the period with 103.6m subscribers, however, which was up by 33.5m year-over-year. The total was significantly less than predictions of 109.3m though.

Looking to further boost its offering, last month saw Disney strike a multi-year deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment that will see the Mouse House gaining US streaming and linear rights to movie franchises such as Spider-Man.

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The MENA region has an unusually high number of free-to-air satellite channels compared to the rest of the world, and while we note increased affinity for streaming services and IPTV, some parts of the Arab world continue to remain loyal to satellite and with good reason. In fact, a recent MENA satellite penetration study conducted by Arabsat in conjunction with IPSOS revealed that satellite continues to enjoy a whopping 97% market share in this region.

Thats not unusual given that satellite serves as the sole content distribution platform in the more remote parts of the MENA region, where fibre and other infrastructure are minimal.

According to the study, the vast majority of MENA viewers almost 80% are under 44 years old, and at least 45% are under 30, which illustrates the strong sustainable relevance of satellite TV in MENA. As a result, operators are in a powerful position, with Arabsat enjoying the lions share of the pie in several Arab markets.

Almost 88% of homes in the GCC use satellite services provided by Arabsat. In markets like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Lebanon, the operator dominates the satellite space. In Iran, Arabsat has access to 97% of the TV market.

Likewise, it enjoys exceptional popularity in some parts of Africa and Europe. However, the satellite operator is also cognisant that change is coming. So, in addition to launching new satellites, it is also looking to develop products and services that cater to the needs of a new streaming generation.

This issue brings you all the numbers from the study. Enjoy

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The Cannes Film Festival has announced its official selection lineup for the 74th edition. This year four Arab films will compete for Cannes’ Palme d’Or award.

The regional films competing from July 5 to 17, headed by US director Spike Lee are Casablanca Beats by French-Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch, Bonne Mere by Tunisian-French actress Hafsia Herzi, A Hero by Iranian producer Asghar Farhadi and Ahed’s Knee by Nadav Lapid, Israel.

After being forced to cancel the 2020 edition on account of the pandemic, the 74th edition of Cannes returns with a live event.

The live stream can be seen on the Cannes website, as well as on the official Dailymotion, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels.

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Camera tracking and remote systems provider Mo-Sys Engineering has released a new multi-node media server solution for LED volumes to meet the demands of final pixel XR production for film and TV.

Mo-Sys VP Pro XR is a hardware and software solution combining multi-node nDisplay architecture, an improved VP Pro real-time compositor/synchroniser, and a new XR toolset. This XR media server system is focused on delivering cinematic capabilities for cinematographers and focus pullers.

The launch of VP Pro XR follows the recently announced Mo-Sys Cinematic XR Focus capability. Cinematic XR Focus allows focus pullers to pull focus between real and virtual elements in an LED volume and is now available on VP Pro XR.

VP Pro XR is the first product release under Mo-Sys’ Cinematic XR initiative. The aim of Cinematic XR is to move final pixel XR production forwards in terms of image quality and shooting creativity from its initial roots using live event LED technology, to fit-for-purpose Cinematic XR technology.

Commenting on the launch, Michael Geissler, CEO of Mo-Sys, said: “With our twenty-year background in film robotics, we regularly get to hear what cinematographers and producers think and need. Whilst producers love the final pixel XR concept, cinematographers worry about image quality, colour pipeline, mixed lighting, and shooting freedom. We started Cinematic XR in response to this, and VP Pro XR is specifically designed to solve the urgent problems we have been made aware of by our cinematographer and focus puller colleagues.”

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Egyptian actor Mohamed Karim is set to appear alongside Hollywood action star Bruce Willis in the upcoming film A Day to Die. It is directed by American director Wes Miller.

Karim on Instagram wrote: “Super happy and proud to announce being part of this amazing film A Day to Die. Such a great pleasure and an honour working with the legend and action film icon Bruce Willis and alongside this great and incredible diverse cast…Super lucky to work with such a great director Wis Miller and an amazing producer Andrew van den Houten.”

Karim previously starred in A Score to Settle (2019) with Nicholas Cage, which is available on international digital platforms.

A Day to Die is the story of a former member of a criminal organisation who vows to punish his gang leaders after serving 19 years in prison unjustly, yet his violent plans are complicated after he reconnects with his son.

The action-thriller also starring Frank Grillo, Leon, and Kevin Dillon is due to drop in January 2022 and will be Bruce’s last film in the franchise.

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Thuraya, the Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) subsidiary of UAE-based satellite operator Yahsat, has launched its web-based SatTrack maritime tracking and monitoring service in partnership with London-based tech start-up FrontM.

Developed for vessels and fleets serviced by the Thuraya MarineStar Solution (supporting voice, tracking and monitoring), SatTrack facilitates sustainable fishing practices, improved crew welfare and safety, higher fleet visibility and management, and also onboard real-time condition monitoring.

A low-cost turnkey subscription-based service, Thurayas SatTrack helps MarineStar users stay in command and gain a vital market advantage, while ensuring compliance with national and international fishing laws and regulations. The online system displays the information reported from onboard MarineStar terminals on a user-friendly dashboard. Moreover, it can create and monitor geo-fences, produce detailed maps, customised alerts, weather and position reports at preset intervals based on user requirements.

SatTrack extends the GPIO functionality of Thuraya MarineStar, which supports third-party integrations. SatTrack also enables whitelisting and blacklisting of call numbers, effectively putting checks on the expenses accrued by crews.

Speaking about the launch, Sulaiman Al Ali, Thurayas Deputy Chief Executive Officer, said: Backed by several add-ons and the inbuilt voice capabilities of Thuraya MarineStar, SatTrack complements as an intuitive, feature-rich yet easy-to-use tracking and monitoring platform that generates a lot of value for its users. Unhindered, real-time access to the latest fishing reports, weather information, news and other notifications can make all the difference to the profitability of the operations. Thuraya SatTrack opens up a new world of instant communication from onshore teams for offshore operations. Backed by a flexible pricing model based on usage, it protects customers from bill shock and amplifies the benefits of Thuraya MarineStar – making it a best-in-class, end-to-end tracking and monitoring solution that gives users the upper hand.

Jassem Nasser, Thurayas Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, added: SatTrack significantly improves offshore monitoring possibilities, besides increasing the effectiveness of communications with vessels and levels of compliance with maritime laws and regulations. While a majority of owners readily acknowledge that their vessels should be connected to the internet, they still think of remote monitoring in terms of conventional connectivity using expensive bandwidth. When bundled with the Thuraya MarineStar solution, SatTrack presents an extremely viable, reliable and cost-effective operating model that is instantly advantageous to the ship owners and operators.

SatTrack delivers updates about vessels anywhere within Thurayas network, spanning 80% of the worlds fishing hubs. Aside from producing catch reports and detailed logs about permitted fish types and gear, it systematically records the locations of customers active vessels, triggering alerts, when they enter special protected zones. Additionally, the areas earmarked by the local fishing authorities can be remotely configured in the terminal, so that regulatory bodies and buyers can validate whether the catch brought ashore is legally caught and fresh.

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French streaming service Molotov has expanded its offering with FilmoTV, its compatriot premium film VOD/SVOD service.

Effective immediately, FilmoTV’s catalogue of more than 800 films updated monthly will be available on more than 200 channels and content editors already available on Molotov. FilmoTV will be available for €6.99 with a one-month free trial.

FilmoTV catalogue covers mainstream, auteur, classic, genre, discoveries and rare films – and is available on all operator boxes and other selected streaming platforms in France as well as Molotov.

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NASA has selected two new missions to Venus, Earths nearest planetary neighbour. Part of NASAs Discovery Programme, the missions aim to understand how Venus became an inferno-like world when it has so many other characteristics similar to ours and may have been the first habitable world in the solar system, complete with an ocean and Earth-like climate.

These investigations are the final selections from four mission concepts NASA picked in February 2020 as part of the agencys Discovery 2019 competition.

NASA is awarding approximately $500m per mission for development. Each is expected to launch in the 2028-2030 timeframe.

The selected missions are DAVINCI+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) and VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy).

DAVINCI+ will measure the composition of Venus atmosphere to understand how it formed and evolved, as well as determine whether the planet ever had an ocean. The mission consists of a descent sphere that will plunge through the planets thick atmosphere, making precise measurements of noble gases and other elements to understand why Venus atmosphere is a runaway hothouse compared to the Earths.

In addition, DAVINCI+ will return the first high-resolution pictures of the unique geological features on Venus known as tesserae, which may be comparable to Earths continents, suggesting that Venus has plate tectonics. This would be the first US-led mission to Venus atmosphere since 1978, and the results from DAVINCI+ could reshape our understanding of terrestrial planet formation in our solar system and beyond. James Garvin of Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is the principal investigator.

VERITAS will map Venus surface to determine the planets geologic history and understand why it developed so differently than Earth. Orbiting Venus with a synthetic aperture radar, VERITAS will chart surface elevations over nearly the entire planet to create 3D reconstructions of topography and confirm whether processes such as plate tectonics and volcanism are still active on Venus.

VERITAS also will map infrared emissions from Venus surface to map its rock type, which is largely unknown, and determine whether active volcanoes are releasing water vapour into the atmosphere. Suzanne Smrekar of NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, is the principal investigator. The German Aerospace Center will provide the infrared mapper with the Italian Space Agency and Frances Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales contributing to the radar and other parts of the mission.

Thomas Zurbuchen, NASAs Associate Administrator for Science, said: Were revving up our planetary science program with intense exploration of a world that NASA hasnt visited in over 30 years. Using cutting-edge technologies that NASA has developed and refined over many years of missions and technology programs, were ushering in a new decade of Venus to understand how an Earth-like planet can become a hothouse. Our goals are profound. It is not just understanding the evolution of planets and habitability in our own solar system, but extending beyond these boundaries to exoplanets, an exciting and emerging area of research for NASA.

Zurbuchen added that he expects powerful synergies across NASAs science programmes, including the James Webb Space Telescope. He anticipates data from these missions will be used by the broadest possible cross-section of the scientific community.

Tom Wagner, NASAs Discovery Programme scientist, added: It is astounding how little we know about Venus, but the combined results of these missions will tell us about the planet from the clouds in its sky through the volcanoes on its surface all the way down to its very core. It will be as if we have rediscovered the planet.

In addition to the two missions, NASA selected a pair of technology demonstrations to fly along with them. VERITAS will host the Deep Space Atomic Clock-2, built by JPL and funded by NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate. The ultra-precise clock signal generated with this technology will ultimately help enable autonomous spacecraft manoeuvres and enhance radio science observations.

DAVINCI+ will host the Compact Ultraviolet to Visible Imaging Spectrometer (CUVIS) built by Goddard. CUVIS will make high-resolution measurements of ultraviolet light using a new instrument based on freeform optics.

Established in 1992, NASAs Discovery Programme has supported the development and implementation of over 20 missions and instruments.

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A film festival dedicated to showcasing creative talents from the Arab world is set to return to London from July 1 for its sixth instalment.

The Safar Film Festival, launched by the Arab British Centre, is the only UK festival dedicated to showcasing films from the Arab world.

Featuring three UK premiers, 20 films and a host of talks and events, this year’s edition will utilise a hybrid model of online and in-person events spread across London’s cinemas.

Also new to the festival, this year’s event will be presented in partnership with the Shubbak Festival of Contemporary Arab Culture, which showcases and supports the diversity of Arab artists’ creativity and innovation.

Curated by Rabih El-Khoury, this year’s festival will revolve around the theme of “Generational Encounters in Arab Cinema,” showcasing contemporary and classic films with emergent youth, familial disparities and societal tensions at their centre.

“It is my absolute pleasure to be curating the sixth edition of the Safar Film Festival,” said El-Khoury. “We are raring to get back into cinemas with the festival’s largest programme to date, and have a fantastic line-up of screenings exploring our theme of generational encounters. Ten years on, we invite you to join us in reflecting on the new Arab generation born from the Arab uprisings: one that stood up on its feet and faced power with their distinct hopes, flamboyant aspirations and dreams of a better tomorrow.

Safar opens with the UK premiere of Souad, a feature film by Egyptian director Ayten Amin that looks at the impact of social media on the youth in his native country, which received the Cannes 2020 label.

Other UK premieres include We Are From There, a documentary by Wissam Tanios following his Syrian cousins’ journeys across the Mediterranean into Europe, and Lina Soualem’s Their Algeria, which looks at the immigrant lives of an elderly couple who separate after six decades of marriage.

Founders of Safar, the Arab British Centre, said the new partnership with Shubbak created a stronger force for amplifying the voices of Arab artists and filmmakers after a difficult year for the cultural sector.

Amani Hassan, Programme Director of the Arab British Centre, added: “As the world’s eyes turn to Palestine and protest the world over bring generations young and old on to the streets in support of lasting change, we look forward to reflecting on this through our theme and through our conversations with filmmakers.”

Film director Ameen Nayfeh will close the festival with a discussion on Palestinian cinema following the screening of his film, 200 Meters. Also showing is Mohamed Malas’s The Dream, filmed 40 years ago in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

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