Nowhere is space more precious than on a mobile video unit. Even the 53-foot expando HDTV trucks are densely packed with gear and extremely crowded at air time. And many studio control rooms aren’t much roomier. So one of the most common complaints and requests that manufacturers hear is to pack more firepower into ever smaller boxes.

Have you been watching the 2010 Winter Olympic Games? Over 80 nations are competing in 15 different sporting events taking place in and around Vancouver, Canada, through Feb. 28th. The Olympics provide captivating drama that only sporting events on a massive, global scale can provide. From Alpine Skiing, Curling, and Figure Skating, to Ice Hockey, Ski Jumping, and Snowboarding, there’s an incredible amount of action going on, and NVIDIA and Sportvision are helping deliver that action via NBC to TV and Internet audiences in unique ways.

Chinese broadcaster Shenzhen Media Group (SZMG) has chosen Snell's Kahuna multiformat SD/HD production switcher as the centerpiece of its strategy to expand its outside broadcasting (OB) capabilities. With the Kahuna switcher installed in SZMG's new, state-of-the-art HD vehicle, the broadcaster is well-equipped to cover even the largest sporting and entertainment events and to perform the complex hybrid SD/HD conversions such major events require.

Lawo consoles and routers are currently major players in the production of international and national feeds in studios and OB vans in Vancouver and Whistler. Some of Lawo’s on-site customers include:

A man is enjoying his coffee in a picturesque winter setting in front of a ski lodge. Suddenly, he is showered with snow and falls back, startled. A ski jumper is using the roof of the lodge for another leap into the deep snow! This is a completely normal commercial from German public broadcaster ZDF, who use its coverage of the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler as an underlying theme. Some details, such as individual snowflakes, and the mantle of snow covering the lodge, which stands out in sharp contrast to a bright white escarpment, will, however, only be seen by viewers with HD TV sets.

Vinten®, a Vitec Group brand and global leader in camera supports, is celebrating its 100 year anniversary in 2010, an unprecedented achievement in the film and television industry. As part of the celebrations it will be rolling out new technology alongside its proven favourite products at NAB2010 (12 – 15 April, Las Vegas Convention Center).

Vinten Radamec, a Vitec Group brand, has supplied a Quattro SE pedestal with a Vision 250E head to Enfys Studios in Cardiff. The Quattro SE and 250E combination is specifically designed for work in conjunction with virtual environments, feeding high precision camera positioning detail to the graphics system to enable moves to be perfectly synchronised.

In Hangzhou, capital of China's Zhejiang province, a popular Concert Hall has been given a new identity after an extensive refurbishment by its owners, the Zhejiang Radio and Television Group. Built in the 1990s as a music hall, the venue has been transformed into a multi-function theatre and television studio with HDTV production capability, thanks to the installation of a Lawo mc²66 digital audio console, the first in East China.

National broadcasters from around the world are at the Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, for two weeks in February to bring their athletes’ stories to viewers in their home countries. When searching for studio space to anchor their multi-channel coverage, Italian broadcaster Sky Italia found space in an office building with expansive windows looking out on the Canadian city’s skyline.

Glen Johnson of i-Lite Ltd, Set and Lighting Designer for the current Will Young's “Greatest Hits” UK and Irish tour, is using 2 x grandMA2 light consoles to run the show's lighting. The two are networked together, with the first used as the main console, and the second running in full tracking backup.

RTW, a leading manufacturer and distributor of professional audio metering and control devices, is proud to announce that Sonotechnique, a longtime RTW dealer in Canada, sold eight SurroundMonitor 10809X-PLUS and one SurroundControl 31900 systems to CTV a major Canadian private broadcaster. The equipment is being used to broadcast the 2010 Winter Games in Canada, which are being held February 12 – 28.

Fast Forward Video (FFV) announced the launch of its new HD3 digital video recorder (DVR). A highly versatile and compact all-in-one-system, the HD3 was designed specifically for on-set motion picture and television production. Jam-packed with state-of-the-art DVR and controller technology, the HD3 includes an integral HD monitor in a hard, portable case. The HD3 harnesses JPEG2000 compression to deliver the highest HD and SD image quality for recording and playback.

T-VIPS, a global leader in professional video contribution and distribution solutions, announced that the European Broadcast Union (EBU) has deployed T-VIPS CP541 Seamless Monitoring Switches to provide error-free transmission of Winter Olympic footage to EBU members.

NewTek Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products, announced this week that Rob Powers has joined the company as Director of Entertainment and Media Development. Rob will serve as a liaison between studios, 3D artists and NewTek, sharing the benefits of LightWave 3D® with the visual effects community and communicating the studios' and artists' needs to the NewTek LightWave 3D development team.

Today Tamuz announced the world’s first OLED powered quadruple rack monitor to display SD, HD and graphic signals. The new OCM 404 W HD is mechanically a very compact device equipped with four 4.3 " (11 cm) wide screen OLED displays. With dimensions of only two rack units and a depth of approximately 2“ (48 mm) this monitor was constructed for the first time to house the OLED's within a monitor bridge.