Welcome to StudioXperience!
New to StudioXperience?
StudioXperience is Waskul Entertainment’s state-of-the-art traveling broadcast studio and technology showcase. It leverages more than two decades of experience working with technology titans.
StudioXperience workflows are powered by HP Z Workstations with Intel® Xeon® processors and include a range of production pipelines for enabling our live broadcasts at 4K resolution. StudioXperience also features NewTek IP Series solutions giving our team interconnected IP, SDI and 4K UHD live production capabilities.
At its core, many consider StudioXperience to be a “real-world production test laboratory” where new technologies are constantly integrated into and showcased in our live production, “mission-critical” environment.
During live appearances StudioXperience plays host to visionaries, industry leaders, creative professionals, scientists, and a wide range of interesting and talented people who join Waskul Entertainment’s CEO, Steve Waskul, for long-format, wide-ranging, unscripted conversations that are streamed live on Waskul.TV.
StudioXperience has appeared at events across the globe and has served as the home for major product announcements and introductions from some of the world’s best known brands.
One of the goals of StudioXperience is to transfer the knowledge and experience we’ve gained working for more than two decads with some of the finest hardware and software tools available. To that end, visitors to StudioXperience during a live appearance will find innovative technology zones staffed by industry experts who will engage with them and discuss solutions that can improve their workflows and provide new capabilities.
StudioXperience at the 2017 NAB Show
4K, 1080p and IP Workflows Showcased in our Live Broadcast Studio
The Waskul.TV production team utilized 4K, 1080p and IP workflows in StudioXperience this year at NAB Show. This approached helped StudioXperience guests discover new possibilities and approaches for their content creation, management and distribution needs. The feedback we received was fantastic and we greatly appreciate all the positive comments at the show.
Image Acquisition
The acquisition of quality imagery is critical to film makers and broadcasters alike. We believe that quality imagery begins with lighting and how it is used on set. For StudioXperience, we use Nila’s Zaila Lights with Chimera Lightbanks on the main and key lights. The Zalias are premium LED lights that feature a very small form factor that can operate on both AC and DC power. We love the small size which makes them great for traveling.
The Chimera Video Pro XS Lightbanks help enlarge and soften the lighting. Their effect is maximized by using wide holographic lenses on the Zaila’s. Chimera offers optional grids, honeycombs and barn doors to help with specific light control.
While there are a large number of 4K studio cameras and broadcast lenses available, our team decided to showcase DSLR cameras for our live production. Panasonic GH4’s were chosen and paired with Olympus prime lenses. The 4K signal from each of the GH4’s was sent via HDMI cable to Atomos Shogun Inferno HDR monitors / 4K 60p recorders where the data was recorded in 4K to OWC Mercury Extreme SSDs. The Infernos did a great job of recording the 4K files but our team was particularly happy with the quality of the display, the extensive suite of scopes available and the focus peaking tool which was used throughout the production. The Infernos also provided down conversion to 1080p via their HD-SDI outputs. This was critical for our live production switching which included a 1080p signal from each of the cameras.
1080p Broadcast Workflow
The live 1080p production streamed on the Waskul.TV site was powered by NewTek’s IP Series which provided our team with a fully interconnected production environment. During our live production this allowed our technical director to select screens / feeds from every camera and computer on our network. To simulate a larger network environment we also created 16 1080p IP streams that simulated four additional studios with live programming feeds of four cameras per studio.
1080p HD-SDI was used to bring the camera feeds from the live broadcast studio into the NewTek Video Mix Engine (VMC1, a true IP switcher) where they became program inputs along with all the IP sources available for switching on our network. The VMC1 provides four HD-SDI inputs on it’s back panel. Additional HD-SDI inputs were available via NewTek NC1 input modules.
With up to 44 simultaneous input sources and 35 output signals over IP, the NewTek solution gave our team a lot of creative flexibility.
To make 1080p archive copies of our work, we used NewTek’s IsoCorder™ Pro software running on a HP Z 840 Workstation. This solution handled the continuous background recording of all of our isolated camera feeds from the VMC1 along with selected NDI inputs and the main program out that we streamed live on Waskul.TV.
This solution allowed us to capture 1080p broadcast-quality files that could be immediately used in any video editing application. To make sure we had the necessary bandwidth for our recordings, our team added two 10GbE ports to the HP Z840 workstation to allow it fast access to the network and to our shared storage repository.
Fast, efficient storage for large data files that can be shared across both workflows is very important – particularly when recording live 1080p feeds from the live production while also moving the large 4K files required for post production and performing multi-camera 4K editing simultaneously.
For our mission-critical unified storage needs, our team went with two OWC Jupiter Callisto shared storage servers. With their dual 10GbE ports they had the connectivity and network bandwidth we needed allowing full 10 GbE access to / from any of the HP Z840 Workstations and NewTek VMC1s which also feature dual 10 GbE ports.
The Intel Xeon E5 based Callistos were easy to manage via a web-based interface that allowed easy configuration of the systems.
4K Post Production Workflow
While we typically stream live programs today at 1080p, our editorial and post production work is all done in 4K. The 4K workflow begins at each camera where we output 4K to the Atomos Shogun Inferno HDR monitors / 4K 60p recorders. Each Inferno records each interview on an OWC Mercury Extreme SSD and then the files are transferred to our shared storage.
To make the transfer process easy, we take our SSDs and put them into G-Technology ev Series Bay Adapters so they can be used with G-Technologies G|Speed Shuttle XL storage solutions which now include Thunderbolt™ 3 connectivity.
The Shuttle XL systems have 8 bays each so it provides a lot of possibilities. A typical setup would have 6 HDDs in each Shuttle XL configured as a RAID 5 array with two empty drive bays for removable media (SSDs for example in the ev Series Bay Adapters).
For our setup our Shuttle XLs are connected via Thunderbolt to a HP Z840 Worksation that is used as a high-performance transfer / recording station.
After each interview, our team removes the adapters from the Atomos Shogun Infernos and inserts them into the Shuttle XL storage systems. The files can then be transferred from the SSDs to the local storage in the Shuttle XL or directly to the shared storage repository where the files can be accessed by all the systems on the 10 GbE network.
With the files safely stored and available, the post-production and editorial work begins. At the heart of our workflow we have well configured HP Z 840 Workstations that include the following:
- Dual Intel® Xeon® E5 Processors
- 128 GB DDR4-2400 ECC registered SDRAM
- 512 GB HP Z Turbo Drive (PCIe SSD)
- AMD FirePro™ W9100 GPU or NVIDIA® Quadro® M6000 GPUs
- HP X540-T2 10 GbE Dual Port Adapter
- HP Thunderbolt 2 PCIe adapter
One of the things we love about the HP Z Workstations is their reliability. We’ve shipped them throughout the USA and Europe for events and they have held up beautifully.
To add flexibility and security, we’ve added HP thin clients to our workflow. The thin clients are used with HP’s Remote Graphics Software or RGS to remotely access our HP Z Workstations. This allows us to consolidate our workstations into a “data-center” style environment and to free up valuable space and to reduce noise and heat in our Broadcast Control Center.
By outfitting each desk in our Broadcast Control Center with the thin clients, each operator has the option of using any of the workstations remotely or of collaborating with another artist on the same workstation. Because RGS does such a great job of sending the workstations screens to the thin clients and the mouse/keyboard/tablet/pen inputs of the thin clients back to the workstations, our artists get the same experience they would have if the workstation was at their desk. And, each t630 thin client can power up to two UHD/4K displays with its integrated AMD Radeon graphics engine.
One very important part of any production workflow is color accuracy across the pipeline. In our productions, we’ve relied on HP DreamColor monitors for years.
At the 2017 NAB Show our Broadcast Control Center team had the pleasure of being among the first to use HP’s new DreamColor Z31x Studio Display in a live broadcast environment. This is a true Cinema 4K display for PCs and Mac computers with color-critical accuracy. It comes with a lot of great new features including the ability to automatically calibrate itself using a built-in colorimeter and to automatically turn itself on based upon your schedule so it is warmed up prior to work beginning each day.
Our team loved the new DreamColor displays and the response from attendees at the show was equally enthusiastic.
Team Communications in the StudioXperience Broadcast Studio
Team communications are critical to the success of StudioXperience which often appears at events with challenging RF environments due to the number of other wireless devices in close proximity. Our production team needs a communications system that can excel in these complicated environments. That’s why we appreciate the work Clear-Com puts into the design of it’s products and why we rely on their FreeSpeak II digital intercom system for all our productions.
Our main communications system includes a FreeSpeak II base station, 10 FreeSpeak II wireless beltpacks, three FreeSpeak II transceiver antennas, a FreeSpeak II splitter and Clear-Com headsets. This solution has consistently met our demands for high quality audio, reliability and low latency while giving us the flexibility to scale the system based on our broadcast environment.
Featured Waskul.TV Interview Guests at the 2017 NAB Show
- Alex Mahon, CEO, Foundry and John Wadelton, CTO, Foundry
- Greg Staten, DreamColor Architect, HP
- Anette Haellmigk, Cinematographer, Game of Thrones
- Ogi Brkic, GM of Radeon Pro, AMD
- Andrew Cross, President and CTO, NewTek
- Jerome Solomon, Dean of the College, Cogswell College / SIGGRAPH 2017 Conference Chair
- Josh Peterson, VP, Head of Product Management, HP Z Workstations, Thin Clients and Immersive Computing, HP
- Terry Brown, North American Senior BDM for Pro Media & Entertainment and VR, NVIDIA
- Josh Peterson, VP, Head of Product Management, HP Z Workstations, Thin Clients and Immersive Computing, HP and OGI Brkic, GM of Radeon Pro, AMD
- Marty Shindler, CEO, The Shindler Perspective
- Phil Bates, President, Artbeats
- David Kennedy, Business Development Manager, Mobile Workstation Product Line, Intel
- Bob Boster, President, Clear-Com
- Brad Weston, President, Renewed Vision
- Chris Fries, Americas Category Manager, Thin Clients, HP
- Steven Poster, ASC, National President, International Cinematographers Guild IATSE Local 600
- Jason Ziller, Director of Thunderbolt Marketing, Intel
- Larry O’Connor, CEO, Other World Computing
- Christian Jones, RGS Product Manager, HP
- Michael Kaplan, Senior Manager, Telecommunications and Media & Entertainment Enterprise Sales, NVIDIA
StudioXperience Features HP, Thunderbolt and AMD Radeon Pro in Technology Zones
One of the important missions of StudioXperience is to allow our guests to get up close and personal with the latest technologies and to interact directly with the people creating the tools that we utilize in our production and post production workflows.
HP Technology Zone
The HP Technology Zone was front and center in StudioXperience with HP Z Workstations, thin clients and displays. Here is a list of the demos that guests interacted with:
- The new HP DreamColor Z31x Displays powered by HP Z840 and Z2 Mini Workstations on Adobe® Premiere® Pro CC
- The new HP ZBook 15 G4 running AVID Protools with the HP Z34c Curved Display
- The new premium HP ZBook Studio Mobile Workstation built for creative visionaries with
- powerful server-grade Intel® Xeon® or 7th generation Core™ processors
- NVIDIA® Quadro® professional graphics
- Up to 2TB storage
- Dual HP Z Turbo Drives
- Dual Thunderbolt™ 3 ports supporting full 40 Gb/s bandwidth
- The HP ZBook 17 bringing VR content to-life in an ultra-smooth 90 FPS VR Experience
- The world’s first mini workstation and the HP DreamColor Z31x Studio Display showing Adobe® Lightroom™
- OZO Post workflow, showcasing the ultimate workhorse, HP Z840 Workstation and the HP Z27q 5K Display, with out of the box accurate color calibration, 107 billion colors and massive 5120×2880 resolution
- The HP Z840 VR Ready Workstation and the HP Z24 4K Display
- HP’s t730, the ultimate thin client for M&E with AMDs latest generation quad-core APU with Turbo Core technology which connects up to 4 UHD/4K displays
- HP Remote Graphics Software with fast frame rate and response time, high performance sharing and collaboration, optimized for HP Thin Clients
- The HP t310 Quad display Teradici Zero Client with powerful performance, streamlined VDI and worry-free security
- Capturing live 4k camera monitoring straight from the camera to the HP Z840 Workstation: how to monitor and encode video while ingesting with AVID Artist | DNxIO to connect studio through one interface
- The HP Z640 Workstation, HP DreamColor Z31x Studio Display and HP Z24x DreamColor Display with AVID Media Composer
Thunderbolt™ Zone
The StudioXperience Thunderbolt Zone featured a wide range of new Thunderbolt™ 3 products, many of which are integrated into our Waskul.TV workflows and solutions we’re integrating for our customers. Technology demos were provided by:
AMD Radeon™ Pro Theater
The AMD Radeon™ Pro Theater featured a wide range of presentations throughout the show. Here is a partial list of presentation titles:
- Mettle for 360 Video Experiences
- Streamlinging Video Production with Adobe Creative Cloud
- The Making of Francis VR
- Google Immerse VR|Racial Identity – Dezzie’s Story 360 VR Video
- Radeon Pro News
- LOOM Technology for 360 video stiching
- Autodesk Flame powered by AMD
- Sneak Peek of Nuke 11
- Edge P100 Mobile Workstation Powered by Radeon Pro
- Introducing Auteurist – Creating 3D content in a browser
- Moon Base Invasion and Magma Chamber
- Making of Ghost in the Shell
AMD Radeon™ Pro Demonstrations
GPUs are incredibly important to the work of media and entertainment professionals. In the StudioXperience Broadcast Control Center, Radeon™ Pro GPUs were used in our HP Z840 Workstations for graphics production and 4K multi-camera editorial.
In the Radeon™ Pro Technology Zone StudioXperience guests were able to talk with Radeon™ experts and try out demos including:
- Hi-Res 8K video post-processing/playback at 280MB/frame enabled by Radeon™ Pro SSG
- Professional video editing and color correction by Blackmagic Design powered by Radeon™ Pro Duo
- 360 Video stitching with Foundry’s Nuke and Cara VR powered by Radeon™ Pro WX7100
- Real-time rendering at 4K powered by next-gen Radeon™ Pro SSG
HP | Intel VR Experience
A special attraction in StudioXperience at the 2017 NAB Show was Microdose VR’s immersive VR experience Tree powered by HP Z Workstations with Intel® Xeon® processors.
Tree combines art, music and dance into a real-time virtual reality gaming experience, defining a new medium never before possible as it turns viewers into a tree in a rainforest.
StudioXperience guests used hand controllers and doned a SubPac, a wearable physical sound system that vibrates. During the experience, participants were exposed to soil and moss, rainforest, wind and fire as they experienced growing from a seedling to a full-grown tree.
This featured attaction was powered by HP’s OMEN X VR gaming backpack.
