Author: PatAdmin

HIVE Chats to TPMA About Their Versatile Media Playback Solutions

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Coming to market in March 2022 and founded by Dave Green, Trey Harrison, and Mark Calvert – long-term collaborators in the field of high-performance video control and performance – HIVE was launched to meet a need for affordable and versatile media server control solutions that take their inspiration from the deep-rooted ecosystems and intelligent networks of interconnectivity that exist in the environment.

“We are inspired by nature. This principle exists in the foundation of HIVE – the ability for a video system to exist on a scalable network. Our technology is light, flexible, scalable, better for the environment, and doesn’t cost the earth. HIVE is a natural evolution in the industry we so love. We are innovators excited by providing bright, high-resolution, silky smooth, real-world experiences.”

Mark Calvert, Hive Founder

With backgrounds in concert touring, Olympic ceremonies, theme parks, museums and the arts, the HIVE team have always strived to create awe-inspiring experiences for the viewer. “Having the fortune to have worked alongside some of the greatest creatives in each sector, we spotted a great gap in the market,” Calvert explained. “While some of the server market was focused on high-end systems with equally eye-watering price tags and others on low-end systems with very low functionality, we realised very few were focused on the central 80% of the market.”

 

HIVE has four key verticals: location-based experiences [LBX], theme parks, architecture, and entertainment. The company boasts an extensive list of case studies across all these verticals all over the world, including the BBC Earth Experience in Melbourne and Frameless in London, National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), the UAE and Qatar Pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai, digital artist-based experiences such as Quayola, the Japan Olympics and Baku European Games Ceremonies, and touring work with the likes of Eric Prydz HOLO and BICEP Live.

 

 

One area that has developed hugely in recent years is location-based experiences – a fact that the HIVE team were reminded of while working with celebrated architect Jean Novelle and the Doha Film Institute (DFI) at the NMoQ. “The development of these experiences is often driven very enthusiastically by the Middle.

 

Eastern market, and their inspiring enthusiasm to put the region on the global map for original experiences,” Calvert explained. “It was during our six-year contract at NMoQ prior to the grand public opening and the equally grand vision of Jean Novelle, NMoQ, DFI and the wonderful film directors that co-created the Art Film commission that we saw a brand-new approach to location-based experiences in museums, with vast permanent digital video galleries to accompany the narrative of Qatar’s growth and rich success,” he recalled. “This commission at NMoQ was the first time HIVE was deployed onsite and the rest, as they say, is history.”

 

The co-founder dubbed NMoQ as “without doubt” the company’s “most notable commission to date”, adding that there are total of 172 custom-designed servers site-wide as well as an ongoing operation and maintenance contract. “We were so fortunate to have collaborated with some fantastic individuals and companies on this project, all of whom we have built long-lasting friendships and partnerships with,” he said.

 

One of these individuals that the HIVE team will never forget is Consultant Dean Winkler. “The technical quality of HIVE’s work is beyond reproach,” Winkler commented. “However, what really separates Mark, Dave, Trey, and the HIVE team from everyone else is their ‘can do’ attitude to solving problems, which in this case was more like ‘whatever it takes, we’ll solve it’. They provided by far the best solution both in image quality and creative support for the project.”

Another company that worked with HIVE on an integrated film design solution on the project was New York-based Nice Shoes Creative Studio. “HIVE offers professionalism, attention to detail and a desire to collaborate with others to build unique, top-quality pieces,” reported the company’s CIO, Robert Keske. “They are one of the cornerstones of this NMoQ project, delivering the highest levels of solution quality.”

 

The NMoQ project was also a landmark for Panasonic, with the installation representing the manufacturer’s largest single rollout of its PT- RQ13 4K+ projector globally. Gareth Day, Group Manager at Panasonic Visual Systems (UK), stated: “The success of the HIVE and Panasonic equipment has been the ability to reproduce images of outstanding quality from the shortest viewing distances, and with the flexibility to position the projectors as unobtrusively as possible. At every stage, HIVE endeavoured to push the boundaries of the installation, making this an incredibly exciting project in which to be involved. Panasonic has been delighted to be involved in a project of this scale.”

 

NMoQ is far from HIVE’s only foray into the Middle East, with the company entrusted with delivering its technology to both the UAE and Qatar Pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai. “The UAE Pavilion architecture felt like a cathedral with its grand gesture of height, natural lights, and finesse. In its very centre is the Pearl, a seated digital immersive experience designed by Tellart and commissioned to HIVE by EMPTY in Madrid, Spain, who we worked closely with on the NMoQ project,” Calvert described.

 

“Then there was the incredibly fast commissioned work of the Qatar Pavilion, for which HIVE had only six weeks from our first contact with Stephen Harvey and LMProductions to the opening date,” he added. “Both these Pavilions featured HIVE at the very core of the video systems, and each had huge high-resolution video displays depicting the nations’ stories and proudest achievements to a global audience.”

 

Having worked in Dubai, Doha and Riyadh for quite some time, the HIVE team sees the Middle East as a region that is perfectly aligned with its core beliefs and ethos to build ambitious experiences while respecting the planet’s resources. “The region has enormous growth opportunities for experiential commissions, and it is HIVE’s intention to sit at the very heart of these projects, making sure the leaders of nations can meet their incredible ideas with deployable technology that respects the cornerstones of the manifesto,” he commented.

 

Calvert pinpointed “low power, low weight, high performance and remotely supportable” as qualities that “sit at the heart” of HIVE. “Our technology helps reduce a range of materials from site commissions such as complex signal distributions, removing the need for huge power consumption,” he stated. “We deliver low-weight technology for freight and deployable savings, and an aspect that I am particularly proud of is how easy-to-use our systems are – they can be operated by eagerly keen-to-learn local communities in the region. We are keen to see the wonderful MEA region embrace video technology, and equally be able to easily use it, support it and deploy it, and for HIVE to make and distribute our products cheaply enough so everyone can explore the opportunities of storytelling and displays in projects.”

 

The company is set to reveal its full product ecosystem at ISE in Barcelona. “This is a huge moment for HIVE, and we have worked tirelessly to bring this range to market,” Calvert said, adding that the company will have three products on display at the trade show. “Each product is inherently linked to the other. We are marketing these as revolutionary to the industry and we believe we are the world’s first to market.”

 

On display will be the BeeBlade, BeeBox and BeeHive. “The BeeBlade is Intel-based SDM architecture and can be slotted into SDM-compatible display technology such as projectors and monitors,” Calvert explained. “SDM paves the way for the future, and we are very excited to be collaborating with Intel on this new era. This approach removes the need for expensive and cumbersome sitewide cable infrastructures, as the product lives inside the display technology.”

 

The BeeBox meanwhile is HIVE’s custom- made enclosure for when the client does does not have compatible SDM display technology. “The BeeBox can be deployed directly next to the screen, and with a short HDMI lead power your displays,” Calvert stated, going on to explain the company’s headline ISE launch, the BeeHive. “This 5U rack-mountable engine has the modular capacity for up to 16 BeeBlade cards, giving the system the power of x16 4k / 60 outputs. “This is to our knowledge the most compact yet powerful media engine on Earth, and we are proud to be launching the price point at ISE to align with our values of affordable yet always reliable.”

 

Beehive

 

Describing the Middle East as home to “the most exciting opportunities”, Calvert discussed the biggest challenges of operating in the region. “Our biggest challenge is knowing where to focus first and with whom,” he commented. “HIVE is a relatively new company, and while presently based in the UK, we are working hard to expand our international sales and support reach so we can cater for this market and other key areas such as Asia and North America.”

 

He added: “Our newly appointed Sales Director Nigel Sadler and I have set out a great strategy for 2024, where we will move forward with great pace and enthusiasm into these regions. We have already secured our Asian Reseller at Ark Ventures, and soon we will lock down and announce the same for the Middle East and North America regions. This will give HIVE customers, designers, rental houses, and government institutions direct access to our product, with local knowledge bases, and local sales and support departments within arm’s reach.” Looking to the future, the co-founder is excited for what is it to come.

 

“Our future has never looked so bright, with HIVE sales going a lot better than we had ever dreamt, proving our products are being welcomed by the industry. Our wonderful HIVE team is inspiring us daily to embark on the varied opportunities ahead and our partners giving us the freedom to follow our hearts and expertise,” he beamed. “We are absolutely buzzing – excuse the pun – about the future at HIVE.”

 

He continued: “With any tech-start-up it’s as much about growth as it is about grounding, so in 2024 we will focus our attention on the four main verticals for HIVE that we already know we are best suited to, we will bring in a series of new experienced staff, open new sales channels in regions such as MEA and North America, and we will continue to try and help as many people as possible bring their original ideas to life.”

Photos: HIVE

HIVE at Inter BEE

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Inter BEE – the international audio and broadcast exhibition that unifies the latest innovations from Japan and beyond – took place at Makuhari Messe, Tokyo from 15-17 November 2023.

Celebrating their first ever appearance at a trade show in the APAC region, media control specialists HIVE joined their Japanese reseller Ark Ventures at stand 3111. The company showcased its new BeeBlade technology for the first time in the APAC market and gave event professionals and Inter BEE attendees demonstrations of how to use a multi-faceted HIVE system.

 

A revolution in media control, HIVE’s BeeBlade can be inserted into any SDM-equipped display or projector for flawless 4K playback. Additionally, HIVE brought along BeeBox – a portable media player built using BeeBlade. BeeBox offers spectacular playback in an affordable, reliable, flexible and easy-to-use package – everything you want out of a media control device.

BeeBox also benefits from BeeSync, HIVE’s unique frame accurate synchronisation technology. Developed specifically for BeeBlade product range, it uses PTP over ethernet for media control harmony. Users can run accurately synchronised video from any number of players no matter where they are located.

“We were thrilled to join our Japanese reseller, Ark Ventures at Inter BEE 2023. It was a really successful show for us, and we’re excited to see where we can take HIVE in the APAC market.”

Mark Calvert, Hive Founder

 

As well as this, HIVE offered insight into its custom-built HIVE web control at the stand – a customisable solution to trigger engines via control pages from a user interface accessed via a tablet. It was another successful year for Inter BEE, and with the addition of HIVE, the show presented even more forward-thinking user experiences across the audio and broadcast industries.

Frameless London wins AV Award

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Frameless London – a project that used media player solutions from Hive – took home the award for ‘Themed Entertainment and Attractions Project of the Year’ at the 2023 AV Awards, which was held at London’s Evolution back in November.  

The media player giants were honoured alongside Creative Technology and Panasonic Connect Europe for their work on the phenomenal Frameless London project, which blended creative digitised art and cutting-edge technology.  

Located at Marble Arch Place, Frameless merged digital adaptations of 40 pieces from significant creative forces, including Klimt, Monet, Rembrandt and Van Gogh. Guests were led through carefully curated rooms, which comprised themes spanning ‘Beyond Reality’, ‘Colour in Motion’, ‘The World Around Us’ and ‘The Art of Abstraction’.  

The project used 19 Hive Media Engines all seamlessly synchronised and supported by 4K and 8K media players and augmented by 50 3-Chip DLP Panasonic laser projectors, which helped to deliver 479 million pixels and one million lumens.  

“We’re really proud of this project and the AV Award win confirms its success. Hive strives to power one-of-a-kind, ambitious visuals and Framless London is a testament to that.”

Mark Calvert, Hive Founder

 

HIVE celebrates successful summer season

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HIVE celebrates successful summer. Over the past months, HIVE’s products, including its newly released BeeBlade series, have been deployed across a variety of projects from music festivals to interactive experiences.

HIVE’s media engines have powered visuals to accompany several big-name acts at festivals in several countries. This summer, renowned electronic artist, Eric Prydz, took to the stage at Tomorrowland in Belgium, Sonar Festival in Spain and Coachella in the USA. His show, aptly named HOLO, utilises high-resolution, high frame-rate 3D animation. HIVE products played a pivotal role in enabling the playback of these visuals, with four Player_2 media players responsible for silky-smooth playback across enormous screens. Two Player_2 units powered the main show machines, while the other two served as backups, guaranteeing a flawless performance.

Eric Prydz HOLO Show uses 4 HIVE Player_2 media players

“HIVE solves a problem that has plagued the AV industry for the longest time,” explains Punkette, video director for Eric Prydz. “HIVE enables perfect playback under immensely demanding conditions, without the need for huge, heavy media servers. It’s a total game changer.”  

Another headline electronic artist, the duo Bicep, took to the stage at Reading and Leeds Festivals and Sonar in Barcelona this summer, as well as a performance on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival. Across all performances, Bicep relied on four BeeBox units, one of HIVE’s latest product releases, to power visuals both on screens behind the artist and on two screens on either side of the stage.  

BICEP perform at Reading and Leeds festival using 4 HIVE BeeBox units this summer 

The production of the show was a collaboration between the production company, Zeal Live, and show designer Zak Norman, supported by video technician, Pesh. “HIVE has proved to be a flexible, portable and bulletproof control unit for our live shows,” confirms Norman. “By stripping away the complexity of a media server to its essential components, you are left with a product that is simple to use and easy to master – yet powerful enough to run some of the biggest shows out there.”

At Stowaway Festival, a smaller boutique event set in the Buckinghamshire countryside, Giles Mayall of IDK Productions, deployed three HIVE Player_1s to create a captivating triptych highlighting both the natural and the technical world.  

Artwork at Stowaway Festival in Buckinghamshire by Giles Mayall of IDK Productions, deployed using three HIVE Player_1

Lighting professional, Otis Benjamin, has been using HIVE Player_1 to provide visuals for British band Feeder’s summer UK tour. “I needed a simple, no-nonsense system to complement my lighting show,” explains Benjamin. “With HIVE I can run lighting and video simultaneously.” Benjamin uses Player_1 to tie in Artnet visuals with a grandMA3 lite lighting console. “I like its plug-and-play approach, size and ease of use. It’s always on and most of the time, I don’t even need a preview monitor.”

HIVE’s media playback solutions not only graced the festival and live music circuit but have also been included in a range of installed projects over the summer months. At the Naturkraft Museum in Ringkøbing, Denmark, a full dome project used two Player_3 units to display captivating 360-degree immersive video related to green energy, wind farms and turbines. “We’re proud to have our products used for initiatives like this,” confirms Mark Calvert, Co-Founder at HIVE. “Not only are the end results spectacular but the subject of sustainability aligned with our own core values here at HIVE.”

Small venues have also seen the benefits of choosing HIVE. Hampstead Theatre opted for HIVE Players to run a series of digital signage screens. Here, the venue benefits from reliable and high-quality playback via HIVE players across a series of screens in the café and bar area.  

“The projects HIVE has been involved in over the summer have amply demonstrated the versatility of our products, from powering visuals for huge electronic music acts to creating immersive installations, HIVE is being used by both large-scale productions as well as by everyday users, and this is something we’re really proud of.”

Mark Calvert, Co-Founder at HIVE

BBC Earth Experience

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Following the success of the inaugural BBC Earth Experience in London, which opened in March, the attraction has been faithfully reproduced in Melbourne, with the footprint of the London set-up identically recreated inside the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
 
Produced in partnership with Moon Eye Productions, Live Nation and BBC Studios, the Experience opened in October and features eight rooms of digital art, with visitors taken on a journey through the natural world which showcases the diversity of the seven continents on an epic scale, all narrated by David Attenborough.
 
The attraction provides an unparalleled immersive experience, allowing visitors to embark on a 360-degree audio-visual exploration of Earth’s diverse ecosystems. All achieved through dynamic multi-angle screens, deploying the latest digital screen technology to project both new and existing footage from the BBC series ‘Seven Worlds, One Planet’.


 
While the experience’s layout in Melbourne is the same as the 1608 sq m venue assembled in London, some of the technology used is vastly different. Strikingly, the Melbourne chapter introduces a twist in the core technological tale.
 
TDC, a leading supplier of video technology and production in Australia, has adopted an innovative, cost-efficient HIVE media server solution for the project.
 
Spearheaded by TDC Managing Director Michael Hassett, the move puts HIVE in the spotlight as its new product Beeblade – a revolutionary, compact media engine that integrates seamlessly into video projectors and display technology via an Intel SDM (Smart Display Module) slot – is providing the backbone of the digital playback system.
 
The Melbourne experience boasts 70 Panasonic projectors, with 55 creating the main immersive space. Here, 49 projectors are empowered by the industry first, Beeblade, while the remaining six projectors are complemented with 4K clarity via the HIVE Beebox – a sibling to the Beeblade engines.

The BeeBox provides a chassis for projectors and devices that do not have an SDM card slot. These innovations not only pack a powerful punch in performance but also signify a leap in energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
 
“Having accepted our proposal for using HIVE media servers, Moon Eye Productions brought us in to provide the media engines for this project,” explained Hassett. “We took a great deal of responsibility for that delivery, especially because the HIVE product was not well known to them, given that different media solutions had been used in London.”
 
Hassett’s discovery of HIVE, initially from industry whispers and further impressed by their involvement in London’s Frameless project, has led to a synergy and understanding of the simplicity and sophistication of the Beeblade solution. The direct integration with projectors eliminates the need for extensive cabling, reduces both energy usage and project budgets, and ushers in an era of eco-conscious technology.
 
“The SDM technology was something that really interested me,” said Hassett. “I had heard of some development of this, and then when I learned that Panasonic had integrated an SDM slot into some of their projector models – this led me back to looking at HIVE as the product for this BBC Earth Experience project.
 

“The Beeblade and Beebox don’t just represent technological advancements; they are harbingers of a new, greener, and more efficient era in digital art installations. This transformative approach is not just a disruption in the media server space; it’s an evolutionary leap, saving time, money, and the planet.”

Michael Hassett, TDC Managing Director


Hassett’s growing confidence in this technical innovation underscores its potential to redefine future projects for them, and their clients.
 
“The price point is also very favourable,” he continued, “and while the HIVE products might not have the ‘bells and whistles’ offered by other solutions – for this and other projects, we don’t always need them. It sometimes just requires good, reliable, high resolution playback.”
 
The HIVE products were sold to Moon Eye Productions and then installed directly into the projectors at Panasonic Europe’s facility in Wiesbaden, Germany. From there, they were delivered to Melbourne for installation, which was undertaken by Faber Audiovisuals.
 
Because it was a new media server system for the project, and the leap of faith to use HIVE was quite large, Hive’s team were directly involved throughout, and worked alongside Moon Eye, Panasonic and TDC, as Mark Calvert, one of HIVE’s co-founders, explained:
 
“When we got involved in the project, we soon realised that HIVE, Moon Eye Productions and the key stakeholders are all based in Europe, so we agreed to build a scale model of the project in our Horsham office,” he said.
 
“This helped connect all the teams involved, the technology, and the reality of what we wanted to achieve, as it built a real connection with the physicality of the project, rather than only pre-visualising it in often forgiving software.”
 
This setup also allowed members of the TDC commissioning team to log in remotely and operate the HIVE system via Team Viewer. Providing a great environment to train and upskill their team during the pre-production phase.
 
From a technical playback perspective, the content stored locally on each Beeblade and Beebox device is delivered using Hive proprietary BeeSync software, which synchronises the HDMI clock over all connected devices.
 
“This software has been developed exclusively by HIVE, and is the essential backbone to the success of the project, and the perfect synchronisation of all imagery displayed,” said Calvert.


 
The Beeblade and Beebox represent a significant development in the media server realm, and Calvert reflects with thanks on Panasonic’s role in helping them realise their compatibility with SDM technology.
 
“We have a good, long-term relationship with Panasonic Europe as they helped us with the development of the Beeblade, working alongside Intel who developed the SDM slot,” he said. “With the need for a huge cable network now removed for this type of project, it helps from an energy saving point of view, as HIVE are trying to align the company with an ethos of shifting to offer as environmentally friendly solutions as possible.”
 
Tony Molloy, European Sales Manager at Panasonic Business Europe, who oversaw the sale of the projectors for the project, said: “We realised that in immersive installations such as this, having a system where you can combine the projectors and media servers together in the same location saves the costs from an installation perspective, and so it is quite a unique development for this industry.
 
“The customer chose Panasonic’s 3-chip DLP technology for this application, with its durability a major selling point in addition to image quality and the overall impression for the end user.”
 
For Hassett and TDC, their role continues after integration to ensure that the servers maintain their performance. “It’s been a big leap of faith, but as the integration went on, I felt more confident in the products every day,” he said. “The products are so good that I have full confidence, and have even now invested further to use HIVE on future projects that we are now working on.”
 
Calvert concluded: “This is a new approach to media servers and while it is intentionally disruptive to the market it is rightfully becoming very popular. The system is easy to use, quick to assemble – because it’s integrated into the projector – and the solution has saved the project significant capital.
 
“The BBC Earth Experience in Melbourne isn’t just another attraction; it’s a revolutionary landmark in digital storytelling. By marrying breath-taking art with ground-breaking technology, it opens a window to a world where nature’s story is told not just through words, but through an immersive, vivid, and unforgettable experience.
 
“This isn’t just a success story for TDC, HIVE, or Moon Eye Productions – it’s a bold new chapter in how we approach immersive experiences today and into the future.”

Read MONDO’s latest issue.

HIVE & Production Park forge strategic partnership

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Manufacturers of innovative media engines, HIVE is known for its alternative approach to offering outstanding performance in a smaller form factor. With lower energy consumption and a reduced carbon footprint, HIVE products offer the same or improved media output as costly competitors.

On a mission to continually improve the way AV projects are delivered, HIVE products have been deployed at some of the most exciting immersive events and exhibitions around the world, including the Japan 2020 Olympics, Liverpool World Museum, Dubai World Expo and Frameless London. Of particular note is the recent launch of HIVE’s innovative BeeBlade product, an integrated media control solution offering unprecedented efficiency and convenience at an affordable price point.

This ambition has led HIVE to forge a strategic partnership with the prestigious live experience and entertainment campus, Production Park. A community of people and businesses focusing on innovation and cross-collaboration, Production Park is where live events and experiences are created. This partnership is based on the shared future visions of HIVE and Production Park – innovative technology with a reduced carbon footprint that is disruptive to the marketplace. Furthermore, through this partnership, HIVE now has access to capital to support its growth and product roadmap.

HIVE and Production Park’s partnership will continue to strengthen through the sponsorship of HIVE products within Production Park Studios & Classrooms, whilst Kane Sargent, an ex-student of Backstage Academy at Production Park, has joined the HIVE team as a Full Time Support Engineer.

“Production Park is where the industry comes together, and we’re thrilled that our technology has a place there,” remarks Mark Calvert, Co-Founder at HIVE. “It’s also important to us that the people around us are aligned on our core values, such as innovation, education and sustainability, and the expertise and experience at Production Park is rooted solidly in these foundations.”

HIVE stands for all we believe in here at Production Park; innovation, sustainability and a dedication to transferring the tools and the knowledge to the next generation of live experience professionals. We’re delighted to be able to support their exciting growth story.”

Lee Brooks, CEO at Production Park

HIVE launches revolutionary SDM-compatible media engine

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HIVE launched the BeeBlade, a new product offering that is set to redefine the way media players are used across various applications. BeeBlade represents a game-changing approach to media playback, making it the most advanced and adaptable solution in today’s fast-moving media engine market.

I’m very excited about our new BeeBox and BeeBlade products, featuring our game changing BeeSync technology. Developed in partnership with Intel, this cutting-edge technology enables seamless frame-perfect synchronisation across devices without the need for separate reference sync cabling and expensive HDSDI hardware.

Trey Harrison, Co-Founder at HIVE

“The BeeBlade sits inside a projector or display and requires only an Ethernet connection. The simplicity this brings to synchronised blended multi-projector installations will set a new standard in our industry!” explains Trey Harrison, Co-Founder at HIVE.

BeeBlade sets itself apart with its ability to be deployed in three different formats. Firstly, it can be inserted directly into SDM-compatible projectors or displays, leveraging the advantages of the SDM format whilst simplifying installation and eliminating the need for expensive video distribution systems. Alternatively, BeeBlade can be deployed in a standalone box, a BeeBox, ideal for situations where display technology lacks an SDM slot, yet where users still want to harness the power of the distributed architecture. Lastly, for those seeking a high-density rack solution, multiple BeeBlade modules can be inserted into an accompanying product, the BeeHive, enabling an impressive 16 x 4k output from a single 5U rack, delivering the highest-density media playback solution on the market. This high level of scalability and versatility positions BeeBlade as the go-to solution for professional media playback across an unlimited range of use cases.

The new BeeBlade range incorporates HIVE’s proprietary BeeSync technology, achieving perfect synchronisation across multiple displays, with precise frame-accurate synchronisation of HDMI video outputs across all Ethernet-connected video players, wherever they are located. Comparable to more expensive genlocked systems, BeeSync revolutionises synchronisation capabilities, eliminating the need for extra hardware and cabling. HIVE’s flagship BeeBlade modules are fully compatible with all SDM-equipped Panasonic projectors and displays as part of an ongoing relationship between the brands.

“The flexibility this product offers the customer is disruptive – an industry first. Users can buy an SDM card from us which they can put directly into a projector or display negating the requirement for expensive, unreliable, and awkward-to-install distribution systems, or they can use the standalone box option when an SDM slot is not available, confirms Dave Green, Co-Founder at HIVE. “It’s a one-size-fits-all solution.”

Furthermore, BeeBlade’s modular design allows customers to purchase the exact number of outputs they need, offering a scalable solution that optimises costs. Unlike other manufacturers that may require the purchase of multiple systems to accommodate specific output requirements, BeeBlade and BeeHive empower customers to scale their systems precisely to their project needs. Green explains this concept further: “HIVE customers only need to buy the number of outputs that they need. If a project requires 11 4k outputs, they buy a BeeHive and populate it with 11 BeeBlades. The cost involved scales according to the requirement, offering a future-proofed solution. This is unlike anything else on the market.”

“BeeBlade offers the highest density of outputs, silky smooth playback and amazing scalability, all within the same great HIVE software ecosystem,” says Mark Calvert, Co-Founder at HIVE. “We believe the BeeBlade module and accompanying BeeBox and BeeHive products are disruptors in this market, and we look forward to seeing how our users deploy this technology over the upcoming months.”

BeeBlade and BeeBox are available now and are already being sold worldwide. HIVE expects the BeeHive product to ship in Q4 of 2023.

HIVE takes flight with brand relaunch

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Known for its media control solutions, HIVE is a leading name in the media server market. The company is announcing the relaunch of its brand with a new look, a new website and the appointment of several new staff members. The relaunch comes at a significant time, as HIVE moves into a new 3500 square-foot office space in Horsham and expands its sales channels internationally.

Over the past few years, HIVE has established itself as a leading provider of video playback solutions, with a reputation built upon successful collaborations with industry giants such as Panasonic on projects such as Frameless London and the National Museum of Qatar.

“The re-brand reflects the new energies coming into HIVE, and our disruptive nature will become clear as we launch our most exciting product yet, which will be coming in the upcoming weeks,” confirms Mark Calvert, Co-Founder at HIVE.

We want our brand to reflect our values, and this relaunch is all about aligning on our shared vision for the future of the media control market.

Mark Calvert, Co-Founder at HIVE

“After years of experimentation with small video devices, we’ve crossed the threshold where the amount of video processing power available in these small form factors creates incredible value,” explains Trey Harrison, Co-Founder at HIVE. “We’ve brought on absolute top-tier talent to spread the word and help everyone transition to this new era of video control, and I’m very excited to be a part of it.”

The upgrade of HIVE HQ has been pivotal for the brand’s relaunch. The new office space spans 3500 square feet and occupies three floors, providing ample space for programming, assembly, sales, support, R&D, and projects. The new location in Horsham enables the HIVE team to expand its operations and offer better service to customers. 

 Furthermore, HIVE welcomes several new staff members to the team. James Belfield, appointed to the role of Head of Production, is responsible for all aspects of the assembly and production of HIVE products. “It is a great honour and truly exciting to be part of such an innovative, disruptive and forward-thinking team and company,” says Belfield. His extensive understanding and knowledge of the customer base, alongside his long-standing and well-respected career within the events and creative industries, will add enormous value to the HIVE team.  

 Sarah Cox, the Business Development Manager, has over a decade of experience in real-time media servers and real-time graphics. With her extensive knowledge of the entertainment technology industry and emerging technologies, Sarah’s expertise will empower business development at HIVE. “Every now and then, a technology enters the entertainment industry, that defines a whole new standard and its impact changes the game completely,” confirms Cox. “The best match for any business development professional is working with the right product, at exactly the right time for the market. The time is now for HIVE, and I am thrilled to be using my experience to help them on the exciting journey ahead.” 
 

Finally, Kane Sargent joins the HIVE team as Head of Support, “I feel grateful to be part of a company that places a high value on its employees, customers, and the environment,” he said. “It’s inspiring to work alongside a team that is not only passionate about creating a positive and collaborative work environment but also about minimising our environmental impact through proactive sustainability efforts.” 

HIVE’s relaunch marks a significant milestone in the company’s history, and the team is excited to embark on a new journey of growth and innovation. HIVE Co-founder, Dave Green confirms, “As our team expands to bring in new skills and new passion, I feel very fortunate to still wake up every morning eager to dig ever deeper into this project with such talented and inspiring friends, who make this journey such a wonderful ride.”  

HIVE enables flawless and flexible visual displays

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Business Challenge

As the AV market demands increasingly higher resolutions, the cost and complexity of the media control systems have become unmanageable. That’s because driving multimedia displays typically requires huge racks of expensive, power-hungry hardware and complex signal-distribution systems. 

HIVE has developed a range of products to disrupt the traditional requirements of display technology. Using NVIDIA®Jetson™, their range of ultra-compact computers can be placed near—or even inside—display technology, for a fraction of the cost, energy consumption, and footprint

NVIDIA Solution

The HIVE Player 3 uses an NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier module in combination with the AJA Kona 5. Working with experts from both AJA and NVIDIA, HIVE has developed a powerful, accurately synchronized video playback solution. To ensure frame-accurate, visually lossless quality, HIVE players support the latest industry leading video codecs and an embedded Linux render engine delivers smooth, flawless video playback. This provides a significantly cheaper system that performs just as well as competing systems that cost up to 10X the price. It’s simple to use with a flexible in-browser interface and operable from a phone, tablet, or laptop.

Working with NVIDIA Jetson has enabled us to bring a radical product range to market in just a few years. The playback performance we can achieve in such a compact, low power package is simply unmatched by any other product in the market.

Dave Green, Technical Director, Hive Media Control

Business Results

HIVE’s media players have dramatically reduced the cost of media-playback systems without reducing the quality or performance. Their solutions have been featured in art installations, at music concerts, and even at major sporting events such as the Olympics.

Their latest London-based project, Frameless, brings art to life. Partnering with leading projection technology provider, Panasonic, HIVE’s media control capabilities allow art to seep into every inch of space. Visitors are included in the picture, with the visually stunning art in front, behind, above, and below them.