[opendtv] Metropolitan Divas In HD - HD Newsletter - December 28, 2006
- From: Mark Aitken <maitken@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 14:43:51 -0500
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=nocclamp&articleid=CA6338302#6389744
**Top StoryMetropolitan Divas In HD
The Metropolitan Opera is taking advantage of HD resolution and digital
cinema distribution to take live opera telecasts off the small screen
and onto the really, really big screen.
On Dec. 30 a new 100-minute version of /The Magic Flute/ will be shown
live in movie theaters across the U.S., Canada, Europe, the first of six
such broadcasts to be delivered during the 2006/2007 Met season. Even
moviegoers in Japan will be able to see the event although they won't be
watching it live.
The Metropolitan Opera has been doing live TV productions since 1973 and
while Mark Schubin, engineer-in-charge of the Met's Media Department,
says live productions are nothing new the production crew is
experimenting with an aerial camera and a camera that could track back
and forth in the pit.
"Every opera is different and this production has some interesting
puppets," says Schubin. "We position the cameras so people in the
audience can't see them." Camera pedestals on the extreme edge of the
stage ensure paying audience members have clear sight lines.
Ten Sony HD cameras with Fujinon lenses will shoot the opera with All
Mobile Video's Titan HD truck serving as the center of the production.
The truck measures 66 feet long by 21 feet wide when fully expanded and
also has a Studer audio console and a Sony MVS-8000 production switcher.
One big difference between the digital cinema distribution process is
that uncompressed 1.485 Gbps HD signals with embedded Surround Sound
will be sent out to a New York point-of-presence for Nexion, a Japanese
transmission services provider that will feed the opera to Japan. The
opera will also be compressed into an MPEG2 signal with Dolby AC3
encoded Surround Sound and sent up on the ACM5 for distribution to
National Cinemedia that will feed cinemas. Arqiva will handle
distribution to Europe.
U.S. distribution is being done through National CineMedia, LLC, which
includes the AMC, Cinemark, and Regal movie theatre chains. There will
be 56 locations for the first broadcast, expanding to 111 locations at
the end of the series. Ticket prices in the U.S. will be $18 for adults,
and $15 for children.
Other related posts:
