Broadcastpro – Page 5 – Virtual BroadcastPro Tech Webinar | 27 July 2023 | Online
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NASA has approved the Near-Earth Object Surveyor space telescope (NEO Surveyor) to move to the next phase of mission development after a successful mission review, authorising the mission to move forward into Preliminary Design (known as Key Decision Point- B).

The infrared space telescope is designed to help advance NASA’s planetary defence efforts by expediting the ability to discover and characterise most of the potentially hazardous asteroids and comets that come within 30m miles of Earth’s orbit, collectively known as near-earth objects, or NEOs.

Commenting on the development, Mike Kelley, NEO Surveyor programme scientist at NASA Headquarters, said: “NEO Surveyor will have the capability to rapidly accelerate the rate at which NASA is able to discover asteroids and comets that could pose a hazard to the Earth, and it is being designed to discover 90% of asteroids 140 meters in size or larger within a decade of being launched.”

Following completion of the goal to discover 90% of all NEOs larger than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) in size in 2010, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-155) directed NASA to discover 90% of NEOs larger than 140 meters (459 feet) in size. The agency is working to achieve this directive and has currently found approximately 40% of near-Earth asteroids within this size range.

Kelly Fast, Programme Manager for NASA’s NEO Observations Programme, added: “Each night, astronomers across the globe diligently use ground-based optical telescopes to discover new NEOs, characterize their shape and size, and confirm they do not pose a threat to us. Those telescopes are only able to look for NEOs in the night sky. NEO Surveyor would allow observations to continue day and night, specifically targeting regions where NEOs that could pose a hazard might be found and accelerating the progress toward the Congressional goal.”

NASA will test one deflection technology—the kinetic impactor—with its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, to be launched later this year. While there are no known impact threats to Earth for the next century, unpredicted impacts by unknown NEOs —such as the 2013 Chelyabinsk event in Russia—still pose a hazard to Earth. Using sensors that operate in the infrared, NEO Surveyor would help planetary scientists discover NEOs more quickly, including ones that could approach Earth during the day from closer to the direction of the Sun—something that is not currently possible using ground-based optical observatories.

Amy Mainzer, Survey Director for NEO Surveyor at the University of Arizona, stated: “By searching for NEOs closer to the direction of the Sun, NEO Surveyor would help astronomers discover impact hazards that could approach Earth from the daytime sky. NEO Surveyor would also significantly enhance NASA’s ability to determine the specific sizes and characteristics of newly discovered NEOs by using infrared light, complementing ongoing observations being conducted by ground-based observatories and radar.”

NEO Surveyor’s approval to move to this next mission milestone brings the telescope one step closer to launch, which is currently scheduled for the first half of 2026.

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Rocket Lab has been awarded a contract to design two Photon spacecraft for a scientific mission to Mars.

The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission, led by Rob Lillis at the University of California, Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory, is a twin-spacecraft science mission that will orbit two spacecraft around Mars to understand the structure, composition, variability, and dynamics of Mars’ unique hybrid magnetosphere. The mission will leverage its dual viewpoint on the Mars environment to explore how the solar wind strips the atmosphere away from Mars to better understand how its climate has changed over time.

ESCAPADE is being developed under NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) programme in the Science Mission Directorate (SMD). The two spacecraft are planned for launch in 2024 to Mars ridesharing aboard a NASA-provided commercial launch vehicle.

Following an 11-month interplanetary cruise, the two Photons (named Blue and Gold) will insert themselves into elliptical orbits around Mars and conduct a one-year primary science mission. ESCAPADE’s Photons will use the flight-proven Curie propulsion system to perform Mars orbit insertion and will be equipped with other subsystems that enable planetary science, including star trackers and reaction wheels for precision pointing from Rocket Lab’s Sinclair Interplanetary team, as well as ranging transceivers for deep space navigation.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck, said: “This is a hugely promising mission that will deliver big science in a small package. Planetary science missions have traditionally costed hundreds of millions of dollars and taken up to a decade to come to fruition. Our Photon spacecraft for ESCAPADE will demonstrate a more cost-effective approach to planetary exploration that will increase the science community’s access to our solar system for the better.”

ESCAPADE is one of three missions selected in 2019 by NASA’s SIMPLEx programme to conduct compelling planetary science and provide more opportunities for flight experience to the science community. ESCAPADE will undergo a NASA preliminary design review in June and a confirmation review in July determining whether the mission proceeds to implementation and flight.

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Wireless LED lighting manufacturer Astera has launched its new lighting product – the PixelBrick.

It is a multi-functional light source with the power of Astera’s Titan LED engine coupled with the practicality of its AX3 LightDrop product.

PixelBrick is compact, light (1.1kg) and it can be hung anywhere and become a universal light for accenting and texturing buildings or facades. For exterior use, it is IP65 rated and therefore resistant to rain and other elements. It is suitable for concerts, events, filming, or broadcast scenarios.

The PixelBrick has 450 Lumens and 1200 Lux at 2 metres – both at 3200K and can also be used like a PAR as a general-purpose fixture complete with a bracket.

It can be built into an array of geometric shapes and clusters. With the help of adjustable connectors, shapes like circles, hearts, numbers, etc. plus other illuminated scenic pieces or signage can be created. These can be used in a plethora of contexts, like performance spaces, on live events, on location or in the studio for film projects and photoshoots.

The lights can be arranged in matrix patterns or as numbers and letters spelling out a name, a word or a tag, and they can be pixel-mapped to produce more effects.

PixelBricks are physically interconnected via a bespoke engineered track system on all four sides which gives maximum scope for creativity. These tracks can also be used to mount airline track accessories like TrackPin, Hangar, Handle, etc., and brackets can be mounted to the PixelBrick using the same track system.

Other major features include RGB Mint Amber for creating colours – from the saturates to the pastels – authentic white tones from 1,750 – 20,000 K and CRI & TLCI of 96 or above. Several different beam options are available. The fixture’s native 13-degree angle can be customised with the use of a 17-degree diffuser for a soft-light effect or a 30-degree flood filter to enable smooth coverage of larger surfaces and areas.

The PixelBricks can be wirelessly controlled via the inbuilt LumenRadio CRMX DMX receiver and the units can also be run via wired DMX through an Astera PowerBox. Up to four PixelBricks can be daisy-chained using a single power/data combination cable, and units are compatible with the Titan PowerBox.

Additionally, the AsteraApp can be used for local control, either via the ART7 AsteraBox or by directly connecting the PixelBrick fixtures to the App when ART7 is not being used. The rear panel display has dedicated buttons for brightness and colour adjustment, just like the Titan Series tubes, for super-fast tweaking when running in stand-alone mode.

Speaking about the launch, Sebastian Bückle, Sales Director of Astera, said: “We are really excited to bring this ultra-adaptable light that can be used for a zillion different occasions to the market. I think our customers will have plenty of fun with PixelBrick and use it imaginatively, discovering many previously impossible ways to light people, objects and environments!”

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French audio house Digigram has launched Iqoya X/Link-MPX codec. The product is designed for the delivery of an FM MPX composite signal to one or several transmitter sites.

Currently, most of the studio-to-transmitter links for FM transmissions rely on the transport of the baseband audio signal over IP networks. This requires the FM composite MPX signal to be generated at each transmitter site with devices such as sound processors and RDS encoders.

MPX signal will help reduce the number of required equipment at the transmitter sites, optimise the global power consumption, and maintenance costs.

Digigram X/Link-MPX supports both analogue MPX and digital MPX AES192, allowing analogue-to-analogue, analogue-to-digital, digital-to-analogue, and digital-to-digital distribution of the MPX signal. Optional µMPX compression is available to reduce the cost of transportation by using inexpensive network links.

X/Link-MPX  is based on the same hardware platform as the acclaimed Iqoya X/Link range. It will reduce the operational costs at transmitter sites and optimised IP transport bandwidth.

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TVU Networks, a provider of cloud and IP-based live video solutions, has partnered with video management and distribution software provider Vimond Media Solutions.

The partnership allows Vimond’s cloud-native video editing tool/NLE for the broadcast industry, Vimond IO, to access live video streams in the TVU ecosystem.

With real-time access to live video, Vimond IO editors do not have to wait for electronic news-gathering crews to return from the field or offload footage to a server to begin editing. TVU integration provides editors with the same immediacy as the other TVU applications.

Vimond IO is a browser-based video editing and publishing tool that runs in the cloud. News and sports organisations can ingest video from live streams and file-based footage directly to Vimond IO, then publish to multiple social media and content management systems. The content can also be sent to the TVU Producer to be included in a multi-camera live production. With Vimond IO’s streamlined, professional interface, remote workers can finish sequences with custom graphics, audio enhancements, and more. 

Users can access TVU streams from the live component of the Vimond IO user interface. Video streams can be linear channels from regular sources, archived content, ad hoc event coverage, or even footage from ENG crews. Vimond IO offers frame-accurate navigation, so an editor can mark in and out points before creating a clip. Editors can also add metadata (title, description, tags, etc.).

Speaking about the partnership, Greg Doggett, director of sports and entertainment and strategic partnerships, TVU Networks, said: “TVU’s ecosystem was designed to support the immediacy of live news and events, transporting live content and providing our clients with the tools to access that content. Now, users of Vimond IO have immediate access to live content in the TVU ecosystem. We’re excited to see how this partnership will improve the productivity of editors around the world.”

Glenn S Pedersen, executive vice president, Vimond IO, added: “There is a true synergy between TVU Networks and Vimond IO that will greatly benefit our editors. We designed Vimond IO so individuals and teams could streamline their editing workflows. Access to live content via the TVU infrastructure only improves the efficiency, because they no longer have to wait for access to video content.”

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Dubai-headquartered AKA Media has created a music video for Norway-based masked artist DJ and record producer Alan Walker and the Kazakh electronic dance music producer Imanbek. The duo has released the summer track ‘Sweet Dreams’.

Speaking about the music video, Yasser Obeid, CEO of AKA Media and Revered Producer, said: “This stunning music video is a story that has been evolving over the last couple of videos, part of Alan Walker’s world. This one is a ‘MadMax’ style film. Fundamentally, it describes a fight between good and evil, taking the form of a car race through the stunning desert scenery of Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah. The video took us two weeks to plan, and was filmed over three intense days. From scouting locations, ensuring the crew and cast’s health and safety, and getting hold of some world-class equipment to enable the technical shoots, me and the team worked tirelessly on the project.”

The music video for Sweet Dreams is a dramatic story, a high-octane futuristic, post-apocalyptic desert car race, fusing technology with unique cars and Walker and Imambek’s renowned musical talent.

The future bass and house artist took to Dubai’s deserts to film the new official music video that has already received more than 4.1m views on YouTube views within 72 hours of launch.

Walker chose the UAE to film his video for its infrastructure, ease of finding a variety of locations and the talent pool.

Walker himself explains the inspiration for his track, which takes a very familiar chorus and mixes into the fresh summer tune: “Eurotrance and techno were popular when I was a kid, so it really reminds me of my earliest musical inspirations. We had a blast incorporating the iconic ‘Scatman’ chorus into ‘Sweet Dreams,’ and we’re really happy with how the track turned out.”

The video, while having some futuristic technology involved – a common theme in Walker’s work – was also influenced by Roman gladiatorial matches, and includes some powerful visual effects and arena movie set.

Utilising a specialised Russian Arm for capturing the driving race action, Yasser and his team employed actors based in Dubai. The custom-built cars are not road-legal, so had to be delivered to the site on recovery trucks.

Yasser concluded: “The talent involved was incredible. A young, energetic crew – Alan is just 23, we worked with 24-year-old Director, Mad Nesset, a very talented person. Director of Photography was Dubai-based Mark Hobson, a.k.a. Mark Hobz. There was such a buzz with all the talent on set, it was a pleasure to work on. This was a beautiful, creative, talented team to work with. They enjoyed filming with us so much, they are hoping to come back to film more videos soon.”

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Najahi Events, which specialises in entertainment and educational or edutainment content, has launched iKew, an online Video-On-Demand (VOD) platform featuring motivational speeches, training sessions, specific courses and other edutainment content.

It offers a series of free or premium content via membership, iKew (information, Knowledge, education and workshops) has a growing library of hundreds of hours of videos from international celebrity motivators. Its videos will also feature key Arab speakers in the coming months.

A first-of-its-kind in the Middle East, iKew is currently available on mobile devices now, but will soon be on Smart TV applications. iKew has joined forces with some of the top speakers and coaches around the world to give audiences access to exclusive content and premium courses for a monthly membership fee of USD $27 which can be cancelled at any time.

According to studies, the global online education market will grow to $319bn by 2025, with an average growth of 9.2% per year, while the global Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) market will reach $21bn by 2025.

Additionally, the number of online students has grown over the last six years by 900%+ growth, reaching approximately 120m in 2019. In 2020 alone, there was a 50% increase in the number of online learners which drove the massive demand for e-learning globally reaching 180m students, of which 1.5% are from the Middle East.

Speaking about the launch, Awfa Mustafa, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Najahi Events, said: “Our vision has always been to create events with speakers who are known to make a positive impact in people’s lives. However, now more than ever, we realize that the pandemic has made people look inward and seek content that will help them deal with the emotional aftereffects of the pandemic and the changes in their lifestyles. Based on the global average of fees for events or courses, iKew’s competitive fee structure motivates people to continue their journey of learning via advanced courses or private coaching on the platform. Additionally, as a business, this was the natural progression for our offering as we anticipated a shift in demand due to the global digitization trends and increased internet access across the Middle East. However, the work doesn’t stop here as we have plans to increase partnerships with prominent speakers, add more localized content, create more benefit opportunities for mentors, as well as global expansion, which are just a few of the developments in the pipeline.”

It will also translate and/or subtitle all videos in English, Arabic, French, Spanish, Mandarin and Hindi, and has plans to launch a state-of-the-art virtual reality (VR) experience in the future.

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The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has named Egyptian actress Amina Khalil as an Honorary Ambassador for the fund in Egypt.

Speaking about the honour, Amina Khalil said: “Let me first start off by saying how humbled and truly, truly grateful I am to be here, not only is it an honour but it is also a cause that hits home for me on so many levels. It isn’t an easy feat to conquer for anyone to begin to fathom what it’s like to be a woman in our society, unless you are indeed a woman,”

Amina Khalil is well-known for her recent role as ADHD patient, Zizi, in the Ramadan TV show, Khali Balak Men Zizi. Amina has over 3m followers on Instagram and is well-respected for her courageous and bold choices with the characters she portrays. She is keen on covering taboo topics and important ideologies such as mental health issues, which are not usually spoken about in the Middle East, specifically in Egyptian society.

UNFPA Egypt (United Nations Population Fund) is a UN agency that aims to improve reproductive and maternal health worldwide.

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Small launch vehicle company Launcher has announced Orbiter, its universal orbital transfer vehicle and satellite platform designed to be compatible with both Launcher Light and SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare flights.

Orbiter is interoperable with either launch vehicle via a common 24-inch ESPA Grande adapter ring and is contracted to make its inaugural flight to sun-synchronous orbit via SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission in October 2022.

Orbiter can carry up to 150 kg of customer satellite payload in a modular stack of CubeSat deployers. It can also be configured to accommodate small satellite payloads directly on an integration surface compatible with small satellite separation systems. Orbiter is equipped with Launcher’s signature combination of high-performance, low-cost, high-thrust chemical propulsion that allows customers to customise their payload orbit according to their mission needs.

Max Haot, Founder and CEO of Launcher Launcher, said: “Orbiter delivers the best of both worlds: the ability to maximise and tailor launch opportunities for your constellation using SpaceX’s rideshare programme, as well as the option to design additional complimentary missions on a small, dedicated Launcher rocket when orbit requirements or schedules dictate. Customers benefit from working with the same partner, mission team, contract, qualification and regulatory processes, satellite interface, and orbital transfer vehicle hardware and software platform.”

Orbiter is being designed as a long-term mission satellite platform from the ground up — supporting both short-term missions with precision payload release and long-duration missions with hosted payloads and access to high-speed payload communication, power, attitude control, thermal management, propulsion and full ground control and communication service provided by Launcher.

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Arab Cinema Center (ACC), an international promotional platform for Arab cinema, founded by MAD Solutions, has announced the final list of nominees for its annual Critics Awards for Arab Films, an event that will bring together 160 film critics from 63 countries under its jury committee. The jurors will review the Arab films that have been produced in 2020 through the digital platform of Festival Scope, the ACC’s partner.

The winners will be announced during the upcoming edition of the Cannes Film Festival, which is scheduled to take place from July 6-17, 2021.

Speaking about the nomination, Deborah Young, Manager of the Critics Awards for Arab Films, said: “Although last year was hard on everyone, the Arab cinema provided a recognizably high-quality level of fiction and documentary films; making it hard to pick the nominees for this year’s Critics Awards for Arab Films. I was also heartened to see a growing number of women directors among the nominees, a trend I hope will continue. My congratulations to everyone who made it this year, and thanks to all the critics on the jury panel for their efforts”

Co-founders of ACC, Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, added: “This year’s edition is very special to us as we celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Critics Awards for Arab Films that aims to promote the finest Arab productions annually. What’s remarkable about this edition is that we have a stiff competition between great films, unlike last year that witnessed a few cinematic productions across the world.”

The Final List of Nominees are:

Best Documentary
Lift Like A Girl | Directed by Mayye Zayed | Egypt
The Postcard | Directed by Asmae El Moudir | Morocco
Before the Dying of the Light | Directed by Ali Essafi | Morocco

Best Actress
Hiam Abbas | Gaza Mon Amour | Palestine
Kansha Batma | Zanka Contact | Morocco
Zoe Adjani | Honey Cigar | Algeria

Best Actor
Ali Suliman | 200 Meters | Palestine & Jordan
Salim Dau | Gaza Mon Amour | Palestine
Tarek Yaacoub | Broken Keys | Lebanon

Best Screenplay
Ameen Nayfeh | 200 METERS | Palestine & Jordan
Arab Nasser – Tarzan Nasser | Gaza Mon Amour | Palestine
Kaouther ben Hania | The Man Who Sold His Skin | Tunisia

Best Director
Ameen Nayfeh | 200 METERS | Palestine & Jordan
Arab Nasser – Tarzan Nasser | Gaza Mon Amour | Palestine
Kaouther ben Hania | The Man Who Sold His Skin | Tunisia

Best Feature Film
200 Meters | Directed by Ameen Nayfeh | Palestine & Jordan
Gaza Mon Amour| Directed by Arab Nasser – Tarzan Nasser | Palestine
ZANKA CONTACT | Directed by Ismaël El Iraki | Morocco

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