In Broadcast - February 2013 - 54


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

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 16 - FEBRUARY 2013

N E W S

InFORM

SintecMedia Acquires US-Based StorerTV
Acquisition creates new opportunities and product lines for networks and station groups…

S

intecMedia, a leading broadcast
management software provider,
has acquired an important player
in the US broadcast management
space.
StorerTV, a top North American
provider of media programme
and contract rights management
software solutions for the television
broadcast and cable industry, is
now part of the SintecMedia family.
StorerTV clients will now be able
to access OnAir, SintecMedia’s
powerful, scalable, all-in-one
broadcast management solution
as well as its related advanced line
of products. Furthermore, clients
will enjoy the benefits that will
come from an unprecedented level
of integration between StorerTV’s
SIMS platform and OnAir, including
best-in-class non-linear distribution
capabilities.

SintecMedia CEO Amotz Yarden

SintecMedia CEO Amotz Yarden
said: “The opportunity to acquire
StorerTV, one of the industry’s most
recognised names in the United
States, bolsters SintecMedia’s North
American presence.
“The acquisition enables us
to extend our product line and

effectively makes SintecMedia one
of the most powerful vendors in the
global media business solutions
market. Station groups, networks
and other StorerTV customers will
find exciting, new, comprehensive
offerings from SintecMedia that
can help them generate greater
revenues and profitability. Based
on StorerTV’s stellar client-base, we
are energised by the opportunities
for growth. We expect 2013 will be
another great year for SintecMedia.”
Ya rd e n c o n c l u d e d : “ We
welcome the StorerTV team to the
SintecMedia family. With over 100
professionals including developers,
implementation and support staff,
the SintecMedia US team is ready
to meet the robust requirements of
the US market.”
StorerTV Chief Operating Officer
Jay Batista, said: “Since StorerTV’s

founding over 25 years ago, we have
consistently developed cutting edge
software that provides unparalleled
advantages to our clients. Merging
with SintecMedia will maintain the
intellectual leadership that has been
fundamental to our growth and
success. We could not find a better
partner to lead our technologies for
the next 25 years.”
“As SintecMedia continues to
strengthen US sales, StorerTV’s
close relationships with US
broadcasters is a big plus,” said
Amir Lavi, Executive Vice President
and Head of SintecMedia US Sales.
“We are looking forward to meeting
station groups and networks’ needs
for end-to-end workflow solutions
that combine linear and non-linear
traffic, sales, and programming in a
single framework.”

InGEAR
54

AJA Ki Pro Helps Filmmakers Deliver All The Drama
The latest chapters of R. Kelly’s cult hit ‘Trapped in the Closet’ debuted recently on IFC, garnering the
networks highest ratings ever for an original production…

T

he “hip-hopera” served up more
of its signature rhymes and plot
twists after a five-year hiatus in
the series which first debuted in
2005. Approaching production
again after several years, longtime
“Trapped” Co-Director/Editor Jim
Swaffield decided to adopt AJA Ki
Pros to optimise and simplify their
camera to edit workflow.
For the saga’s latest instalment,
Swaffield and DP Teodoro
Maniaci chose to work with two
Sony F3 cameras for the bulk of
the photography, supplemented
by an Arri Alexa for slow
motion sequences.
“With good glass, the Sony F3
produces wonderful images, it has
a great sensor,” explained Swaffield,
“however the internal recording
is done at 4:2:0 35Mb/s and we
wanted a higher data rate.”
To address this issue, Swaffield
turned to Gary Pontore, a VP in the
Modern Media Solutions Division
at Future Tech Enterprise, who
serves as a post/digital workflow
consultant on the series.
Pontore recommended an all new
workflow using two Ki Pro recorders
on set fed from the camera’s SDI
outputs to the recorders to benefit
from Ki Pro’s 10-bit 4:2:2 recording
capabilities, along with Mac Pros

running Final
Cut Pro 7
and Adobe
Creative Suite
6 for editing.
The two F3
cameras output
1920x1080x
23.976fps 4:4:4
10-bit RGB
S-log signals,
to which LUTs
were applied
on set by DIT
John Waterman
using Pomfort
LiveGrade
software.
“Teo likes to
The F3 shooting on the set of ‘Trapped in the Closet’ (Picture: Parrish Smith)
interactively
combine illumination and grading,”
workflow,” said Swaffield. “The
having three and a half weeks to
says Swaffield, “and we were able
do everything – but thanks to the
Ki Pro really allowed us to get the
to get very close to our final look
Ki Pros we were able to work and
most out of the Sony F3 with high
dynamically on set as we shot.
turn everything around very quickly
quality recording and real-time
“We then recorded this signal at
with no problems.”
colour correction. It let us work
high quality, to ProRes HQ 422.”
Additionally, AJA KONA cards
faster and better from filming
“With the Ki Pro, our files were
have been in use on the series since
through to editing – we really got
already in ProRes and ready to edit
2005, and once again tapped KONA
to have our cake and eat it too.”
without having to transcode, which
3G to precisely monitor the signal
The Ki Pro is a highly portable
allowed Co-Editor David Rosenblatt
tape-replacement recorder, offering
during all aspects of visual effects
to work live on set.
10-bit, Apple ProRes 422 recording
creation and colour grading.
“This was key for us because
“Our KONA cards have always
to flexible QuickTime files with
our start date got pushed back
performed so well, I had faith in
easy compatibility with most NLE
while our delivery date remained
AJA gear and in Gary’s assessment
systems and external controllers.
the same, so we ended up only
of what would be best for our

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