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RRsat Successfully Restores British Classic Using 4K Techniques
[July 22, 2014]

RRsat Successfully Restores British Classic Using 4K Techniques


(Marketwire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwired) -- 07/22/14 -- RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd.

(NASDAQ: RRST), a leading provider of digital content management and global content distribution services to the broadcasting industry, has completed its first 4K restoration project, a collaboration between Cohen Films and the BFI, bringing the Alfred Hitchcock classic, Jamaica Inn, back to its former glory. The restored film classic was screened to an exclusive audience by RRsat at the Cannes Film Festival.



The restoration project marks the first time RRsat has undertaken this technique. With the help of Finishing Post Productions Ltd, the RRsat team in London was tasked with achieving the best possible restoration, at the highest suitable data rate, in order to create a high quality master for the Hitchcock film.

The original content was sourced directly from the BFI, which was then scanned at 4K resolution, to create a file sequence that the team could work on. Once scanned, the 4K sequence required huge amounts of work in order to combat the shrinkage which had occurred over time. The team at RRsat worked tirelessly to ensure that this was achieved, whilst also dealing with the effects of image warping, which needed to be worked on in order to prevent images bouncing around the screen.


The nature of these issues required intensive work on a frame-by-frame basis before the dirt and scratch removal could begin. The density within the image also creating a 'pulsing' effect, which again had to be mapped and removed digitally -- painstakingly carried out by the restoration team.

The content prior to restoration was suffering from a number of issues, preventing Cohen Film Collection from promoting the film to its full extent. RRsat worked on treating dirt and scratches, improving the grain treatment, and repairing the audio. As you can imagine from an old film, the audio contained many unwanted 'crackles and pops', which were removed whilst converting the audio into digital.

Matt Bowman, commercial director, RRsat says: "Jamaica Inn was the last Hitchcock film to be made in the UK, and we certainly took pride in creating a master of the highest quality. Our award-winning colourist was drafted in to grade it on our DaVinci Resolve system, which produced some of the best restoration work we've achieved so far. FPP were on hand to attend the grade and playout, to ensure the theatrical integrity of the project.

"We're so proud of the project that we held a screening of the film at this year's Cannes Film Festival, which went down a storm. The reaction of the audience seeing this old classic brought back to life demonstrated why 4K is a technique we'll be using for plenty of future projects." About RRsat RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd. (NASDAQ: RRST) provides global, end-to-end, digital content preparation and management, as well as content distribution services to the rapidly expanding broadcasting industry, covering more than 150 countries. Through its Global Network, composed of satellite and terrestrial fiber optic capacity and the public Internet, RRsat provides high-quality and flexible global content distribution 24 by 7 services to more than 630 channels reaching multiplatform operators, Internet TV and direct-to-home viewers worldwide. In addition, the company offers worldwide content management and distribution services for sports, news and other live events. More than 130 channels use RRsat's advanced production and playout centers, comprising of comprehensive media asset management services. Visit the company's website www.rrsat.com.

For more information, please contact: Champion Communications +44 (0)20 7637 2587 [email protected] Company Contact:  Elad ManishvizCMOTel: +1 201 [email protected] KayMD RRsat Europe Tel: +44 (0)20-8357-5400 Source: RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd.

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