02/1/2013
So much that's new in a single year
2012 was a truly eventful year. Rare are years in which we see so many new things. Looking back, in no particular order, there were the four (yes, four!) brand new production unit vans, a flight case production unit that has taken up residence in Monaco, a fixed HD production unit and a vast array of new tools necessary for the fast-changing world of television.
The uses of television are evolving rapidly, and consequently the way television is made is changing too.
Our range of equipment is evolving to allow for these changes.
"Today, our clients need to address three issues - the quality of their images, the diversification of their revenue and controlled cost production. We plan all our services and our investment to assist them in these three areas," states Gilles Sallé, CEO of AMP VISUAL TV.
For high-quality images, high definition is a prerequisite. For over 10 years, AMP VISUAL TV has applied an ambitious investment policy. Currently, almost all of our units operate in HD format. Not only do our new units carry the HD logo but we are completing the upgrade of existing tools. For example, the Rive Gauche studios major production unit, which broadcasts the live daily 'Grand Journal' show on Canal +, underwent a full facelift last summer. "The shift to HD is an opportunity to re-evaluate our entire toolkit," explains Igor Trégarot, Director of Productions. "Design, ergonomics, acoustics, lighting and a whole host of other details are being reviewed."
The response to producers' and broadcasters' need to diversify revenue and control costs is best found in being imaginative. Our new EXTENDER range has been created with this in mind. Diversification of revenue? It can accommodate the production and a complete chain for producing complementary data for the second screen, Video on Demand, statistics, interactivity etc. We recognize that these are diversifications that will, in the long term, complete the economic model of TV production. Cost control? The EXTENDER also includes its own satellite broadcast station and storage zone. So it can work alone where three vehicles were required previously.
Cost control is also one of the founding principles of the new City 1 van, released last September. It is an innovative concept that offers a large number of functions in a small space. This Mercedes Sprinter is compact, fast, easy to use and enables HD recordings at a controlled cost. Its success is a real encouragement to continue along this road, with imagination, innovation and ideas. In the same vein, we have created a second flight case production unit for our IMMEDIAS range. It was designed to provide an economical alternative to traditional production units whilst retaining the principles of broadcast production, with a Panasonic AV-HS 450 mixer and four Sony HXC 100 cameras. This unit, based in the Monaco Broadcast studios, is available for the whole of south-eastern France.
Lastly, two new large-size vans were released from the drawing board in 2012 - two vehicles in our Millenium range that includes double-width semi-trailers. The Millenium 2 can take up to 14 Sony HDC 1500 cameras. It of course offers the space, design and comfort that are standard across all our equipment. Lastly, the Millenium 3, like the 1 and the 8, is energy-autonomous, offering another way to control costs as well as to further secure continuity of broadcast.
Four new vans and two production units in under a year - this is a first in the entire history of our company. And above all, our range of HD equipment has never been wider, enabling us to meet the economic, technical and artistic needs of our clients.