The massive tech investment will prep Alamiya to cover sport with 4K, AR and VR technologies as well as provide the scale required to cover international sports events that are being planned in the Kingdom as part of its Vision 2030 strategy.
Saudi-based media house Alamiya has signed three deals at NAB with EVS, Canon and Vizrt at their respective booths as part of a huge investment that includes the building of a new OB van as well as a major upgrade to its existing fleet of 13 OB vans.
Alamiya, which has been covering professional sport in the Kingdom, including the Saudi Professional League, is making this investment to ensure that it continues to maintain its position as the top provider of production equipment and services in the Kingdom while also being able to offer the production and broadcast scale required as part of KSAs Vision 2030 plan to host more sports events.
Alamiya will invest in EVS 4K/UHD replay servers for its expandable functionality and high resolution. The servers features include native 4K, a higher dynamic range, X-file, IP Director and EPSIO Live that run on a 10G network. The expandable internal storage of EVS 4K/UHD replay servers is an advancement Alamiya will require in its production processing as the server can store up to 130+ hours of UHD-4K storage and has a non-ending loop recording feature.
A second deal with Canon through local distributor Glocom will ensure that Alamiya brings in the first of the manufacturers advanced 4K UHD Portable Zoom lenses to the Middle East and North Africa. The deal also included High Dynamic Range lenses that are essential in live videography. Along with the wide-angle range extender and rapid servo lens drive speed, the footages taken by Alamiya will steer clear from vibrations and process at a higher speed to assure optimal live coverages during sports events specifically.
We are proud and honoured to be selected as the preferred supplier for Alamiya and we look forward to making our cooperation successful, commented Wilfred Soerel, Sales Manager at Canon.
A third deal was signed at NAB with Vizrt. The deal will see Alamiya use Vizrts live graphic and studio tools to make a larger impact within the augmented and virtual reality aspects of live production in sports. Vizrt will provide a host of digital solutions including the Viz AR/VR 4K cameras, Viz Arena, Viz Libero and Viz Multiplay. Viz AR/VR will enable Alamiya to create mixed reality environments for its TV programmes.
For advertising, Alamiya will use Viz Arenas automated tracking feature and image-cut detection to transmit logos or ads to any sport event live and on the spot. Alamiya will also use Viz Libero and Viz Arena to revisit controversial scenes and enable viewers to analyse them through animations, telestrations, and customised graphics. Vizrts solutions will help transmute the digitalised visualisations into real-time broadcasting and create an engaging platform for viewers.
The deals were signed by Sultan Al Muheisen, CEO of Alamiya, with senior executives at each of the manufacturers booths at NAB.
