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'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of opportunities, it was the age of carelessness. It was the epoch of market [...]

The Frame Store was the first facility in Europe to spend 2 million pounds sterling on Quantel's digital optics for films system, Domino, in January 1994. February 1994 saw the delivery of the first Editbox to CAL, and the IVCA awards were held at Grosvenor House. M2 announced its intention to invest 750,000 pounds on the first non-linear post-production facility in March 1994. A review of the year 1994 for the facilities industry is given.

ITN's graphics design team has produced some widely-acclaimed news graphics, with the team believing it has surpassed the work of the BBC. The team is becoming internationally recognised, with RTL, German broadcaster, having chosen them to assist with graphics design for Germany's elections. Parallax, United Kingdom software producer, is jointly designing a high-end graphics package with the ITN team as commercial packages are deemed to slow to meet their requirements. The graphics team consists of only about 10 personnel.

Ampex, the inventor of the revolutionary VR-1000 video recorder in 1956, has virtually withdrawn from the video recording market. The number of Ampex employees worldwide has fallen to 1,500 in 1994 from 15,000 in the early 1970s. The company's decline is partly attributed to the economic recession which caused financial difficulties for new owner The Sherbourne Corporation in 1987. Some former employees blame Ampex's refusal to listen to the market, particularly in the case of its digital component tape format DCT which is considered technically excellent but unsuitable for mass-market requirements.

Although the television facilities sector features a number of long-term players, the need to constantly upgrade technology and emphasis on operator quality has led to a flurry of start-up activity. Many facilities are backed by venture-capital companies, for example SVC is party owned by Complete Video and venture capital group Grosvenor. Other facilities are part of a larger corporate group such as Virgin Communications.

Channel 4 has moved to a new building on Horseferry Road, Victoria, from its offices on Charlotte Street. Deputy chief engineer, Martin Connelly, has been responsible for technicalities of the move to the UK's first fully serial digital broadcast station. Channel 4 is expected to go on stream from the new site from June 27, with programmes routed via Charlotte Street until the end of July. Connelly's plans for the future include the development of widescreen.

Before the 1994 NAB convention, it was widely thought that the event would be dominated by computer concerns such as IBM and Hewlett Packard. However, this turned out not to be the case, and most interest was created by Germany concern BTS with its Media Pool tapeless, expandable, multi-channel digital video recording system, for use in both the broadcast and post-production sectors. Other exhibits included ImMIX's updated version of the VideoCube, an improved version of Cineon from Kodak and the Post Box hardwar vision and audio mixer from Panasonic.

In March 1994 the National Association of Broadcasters will hold in Las Vegas the annual broadcast hardware convention, which some believe is the largest broadcast hardware market. The major issue for discussion is expected to be the future of open systems against dedicated systems. Quantel and Abekas could lose their market shares to general purpose manufacturers such as Silicon Graphics. Computers could represent about 60% of the convention's post-production kit, versus 10% in 1992 and 25%-30% in 1993, replacing the conventional dedicated black box.

The debate over digital compression has resurfaced following the leaking of a draft summary of results of tests by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) on rival digital component tape technologies. Panasonic's D5, Sony's Digital Betacam and Ampex's DCT were all tested, with questions raised about bit-rate reduction formats as used by Digital Betacam and DCT. Channel 4 is using the D5 format for its new 100 million pounds sterling facilities in Horseferry Road, Victoria, England. Channel 4 has suffered allegedly minor problems with D5, however. The EBU insists its tests were for internal use only.

The corporate video production market is reviving following a 50% decline in business during 1990-92. The visual communications market was reportedly worth 239 million pounds sterling during February 1992-February 1993, although some feel turnover may have actually reached between 800 million and 1.2 billion pounds sterling. The market experienced rapid growth in the 1980s with clients keen to promote themselves during the economic boom, but not all video production companies survived the recession. The corporate video sector is not considered prestigious by producers in the broadcasting industry.

TFI a commercial TV station in France launched Helene et les Carcons a soap opera aimed at teenagers. The series, produced by AB Productions, is one of a number of home-grown soap operas and attracts between 4 million and 7 million viewers aged between seven and 14 years of age. A survey of 1,500 viewers aged between 11 years and 19 years carried out by the LLoyds Bank Film Challenge and Channel 4 revealed that this age group want to watch programmes about teenagers, but to provide programmes for this group in the UK could prove to be costly and risky.

Managing director of Complete Video, Andrew Christie has led a management buyout from Complete Communications, the parent company, after lengthy negotiations. Partners in the Big Finish Ltd venture are Godfrey Pye and Hector Macleod, and the aim is to develop approaches to modern commercials in post-production facilities.

Avid Technology is to open the first tape free newsroom in the world which it predicts will eliminate the need for traditional tape based broadcasting operations. Avid's disk based server production system will be installed at North West Cable News based in Seattle and KHNL based in Honolulu. The company's dockable disk-based video camera which can store footage on a hard drive is to be marketed and sold by Ikegami.

Avesco, a broadcast services company, is believed to have made an offer for Capital Radio Group's Capital Group Studios, a studio facility. A sale would help Capital Radio Group to make savings as the studio only just breaks even, and would allow it to concentrate on its radio operations. Avesco, is the owner of Fountain Television New Malden, a studio.

Editor of The Mill facility, Jon Hollis, was responsible for the development of one of the first disk-based digital edit systems, which cost The Mill 200,000 pounds sterling. Hollis has recently been attracted by Flame, which enables the user to write his own software. Hollis also believes that Flame will be an essential product for all facilities over the next year. Background to Hollis' career is given.

Chief executive of Bell Cablemedia, Alan Bates, also holds the position of Cable Communications Association chairman. Bell Cable media was created in July 1994 as a result of the merger of US company Jones Intercable, and Bell Canada. Some 500,000 UK homes have already signed up for cable TV, with forecasts that the 1 million mark will be met by early 1995. In 1994 alone some 1.2 billion pounds sterling has been invested in the UK cable industry.

Panasonic's plans to introduce DVC, a digital video tape format for both consumer and professional markets, have fallen behind the original schedule for launch in the first quarter of 1995. THe company's deputy managing director Gordon Rafferty puts a launch date at 1996, but it is thought 1997 is more realistic. The DVC format, on 6 millimetre tape, comes from collaboration between Panasonic's parent, Matsushita, with Philips, Sharp, Sanyo, Thomson, Sony, JVC and Hitachi.

Lightworks Editing Systems has trebled turnover to about 10 million pounds sterling in 1994 from 1991. The company's Lightworks editing machines have been used for over 120 feature films worldwide, with about 750 machines installed globally. The company was initially formed as the OLE Partnership by Paul Bamborough, Nick Pollock and Neil Harris, with the company's ultimate goal being to develop the supreme editing machine. Bamborough also founded audio console producer Solid State Logic and has written short films and scripts for television.

Digital Equipment of the US will sell hte news division of Basys, a maker of newsroom computer equipment, to Avid Technology. Digital is seeking to dispose of non-core interests, while Avid wants to supply the 'newsroom of the future', combining text, sound and video. Avid will use the expertise from Basys' Maestroworks integrated multimedia news project, which will be scrapped.

Channel 4 and Granada have been awarded 775,000 Ecus and 337,000 Ecus respectively by the European Union (EU) in order to develop widescreen TV in the UK. The funds are sourced from the Union's Action Plan for the development of advanced TV services, which is part of a 180 million pound sterling fund to be distributed among 22 broadcasters. Granada and Channel 4 are to invest funds to match that awarded from the EU.

Scavengers is a science fiction game show, produced by John Paul Chapple of Julian Grant Television, action adventure game show producer, with 3 million dollars backing from 20th Century Fox, to be broadcast on UK Independent Television commencing July 23 1994. Other partners, who will back the show with a total of 7 million dollars, include Antena 3 (Spain), Tele-Munchen (Germany) and Nordisk Film (Scandinavia). The show is set in 3042 following an intergalactic war. Intergalactic Federation Retrieval Agency members scavenge for valuable items in order to survive.

Brian Wiseman's post-production company Wiseman has undergone major reorganisation, including the rescheduling of debt and the raising of 2.56 million pounds sterling via a 26 million share issue. Wiseman has also invested in new equipment and employed editor Martin Hicks and telecine colourist Jim Hogan. Plans for the future include further investment in smaller post-production houses.

Channel 4 chose Panasonic's D5 digital component tape in early 1992, over Sony's Digital Betacam, and Ampex's DCT. The decision to use a non-compression format was taken as the channel already uses a 40:1 compression ratio in its distribution network, and it wanted to avoid over-compressing the signal. Channel 4 will continue to accept deliveries on D3 until 1995/96.

A new company specialising in all areas of format conversion will be formed if AVS Broadcast goes ahead with plans to sell its standard converter division and link up with hardware concerns Innovision and Tekniche. It is believed that some AVS Broadcast employees would move to the new company, while AVS would retain a range of post-production equipment. It is likely that the new company would be funded by 3i, with AVS taking shares.

Electric Image, an animation house, is establishing Electric Switch, a company specialising in the compression of video images onto compact disc. A total of 200,00 pounds sterling has been invested in the joint venture between Electric Image and Portman International Securities. The facility will provide fractal compression for software playback, resolutiion video for Video CD and compression for operators of cable and satellite.

Hugh Pile, newly-appointed Managing Director of TVi, the post-production unit owned by Carlton Communications, is not well-known in the Soho facilities industry, despite his good reputation in programming. Pile made programmes for London Weekend Television for 15 years and later managed the Sunrise consortium's winning bid for the breakfast television franchise. Pile believes that his experience in using facilities worldwide is a good foundation for managing a facility. He has many programme makers among his contacts which should yield valuable business for TVi.

Suppliers of television broadcast equipment are finding it increasingly difficult to win contracts, with the United Kingdom market having been virtually stagnant in the past few years. Some firms have had to win contracts by bidding at the lowest possible levels, sometimes working with gross margins of under 10%. The problem is worsened by the number of engineering redundancies made by broadcasters due to the recession, and changes in technology which have made installations easier and less reliant on the specialists' technical expertise.

A consortium which includes JVC, Philips, Sony, Matsushita, Thomson, Hitachi, Sharp and Sanyo are collaborating to develop an open systems digital tape format. This has led to Panasonice introducing the Digital Video Cassette (DVC) a 1/4-in digital format aimed at the professional and consumer markets for which members of the consortium are expected to launch products to support the format. The cassettes will offer four-hours recording time and cost around 10 pounds sterling and it is hoped that because of the collaboration it will become as successful as the VHS format.

Quantel is claiming that its Domino digital optics for films system consistently outperforms Kodak's Cineon digital film system. The Frame Store, Soho, England, has become the first European purchaser of Domino with a 2 million pounds sterling investment in the system. Silicon Graphics, whose workstation is incorporated in the Cineon system, claims that time is in its favour, despite the setbacks suffered by Kodak's UK business. Cineon is considered the best system by Scot Ross, chief executive of Digital Domain, leading US effects concern.

Andrew Lee became a millionaire at 34 when he floated his group of companies including IBS News a radio station, a pharmaceutical company and several video companies. He founded Television Services International in 1987 but was ousted from the company by other directors in 1988. He later formed Cotswold Heritage specialising in buying derelict barns and converting them into homes. He then represented a private trust company, The Barnes Trust which has taken controlling stakes in Dean Street Post and acquired CAL from the receiver.

Abekas Video Systems, a subsidiary of Carlton Communications, will end UK manufacturing from early 1994 and transfer all manufacturing to the Redwood City, California headquarters. Its investment in application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) technology has meant it requires a much smaller manufacturing operation and it will mean the loss of about 50 jobs. The research and development team will not be affected by the redundancies and will take on some manufacturing staff.

Snell & Wilcox, a UK manufacturer, is launching the DEFCON 24, a 200,000 pounds sterling film transfer product at the Society of Moving Picture and Television Engineers conference. The DEFCON 24 saves time and cuts the risk of film damage by digitally remastering film from a single telecine pass. It is aimed at film studios who need to re-master their libraries, and Sony High Definition Facilities in Hollywood has already bought one of the machines.

Complete Video is to install Rank-Cintel's Ursa Gold telecine at its facility based in Covent Garden as part of its expansion. The company may also convert a further analogue edit suite to digital component, and has already augmented its Harry operation with the addition of a Harriet graphics system from Quantel. The dedicated system was believed to be more flexible than a computer based system for post-production. It will also move into open architecture systems in 1994.

The statutes governing the EC economic interest group Vision 1250 have been changed to allow subsidies for those considering broadcasting in HDTV and widescreen. There will be a flat rate payout subsidy for broadcasters who wish to transmit in 16:0 format, and programme makers can also apply for an amount per hour if using Super 16 or 625 video formats. Vision 1250 aims to encourage broadcasters to set up new channels and has now dropped its previously prohibitive membership rates.

The Greenwood Theatre has raised 410,000 pounds sterling from the sale of its equipment at auction, and the money will go to Alba plc, a television and radio manufacturer leasing the studio. The studio is to be closed because of lack of business, and equipment sold included Sony cameras, vision mixers, and audio mixing desk. Buyers included Capital Group Studios, Finepoint Broadcast, Fountain Television and an unknown Spainish buyer. Some of the equipment, worth over 100,000 pounds sterling, was stolen prior to the auction.

CAL, a Soho facility, has ordered an FDL-90 telecine from BTS, reversing its previous decision to purchase an Ursa Gold from Rank-Cintel, because of recent improvements to the FDL-90. The FDL-90 offers a filmic look compared to the flatter look with the Ursa Gold. However, some post production houses believe that the FDL-90 telecine does not offer pin-registered stability and is not suited to high end post production. SVC is planning to upgrade its existing Ursa and also believes that the FDL-90 is not suited to high end commercials.

Hertsmere Borough Council may make a compulsory purchase of London's Elstree Studios to keep it from being closed by owner Brent Walker at the end of October. The council feels that television and film production is important to the area, and believes that Brent Walker has not actively marketed the studios to potential buyers. Brent Walker has spent over 1.5 million pound sterling on the studios during the past few years and cannot afford to keep it open.