The Barber of Seville becomes the first opera to be filmed with Sonys 4K High Dynamic Range technology

After shooting the first real 4K HDR test at the 2015 TIM Cup final between Juventus and Lazio, Sony and DBW Communication have achieved another important technological first, this time in the context of opera music. Gioacchino Rossini s masterpiece, the comic opera "The Barber of Seville", has become the first opera in the world to be filmed in the 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR) format. The production was staged last July at the Teatro Regio in Turin, among the world s most important opera houses and one of the largest and most historic in Italy. For the shoot, Sony s PMW-F55 cameras were used in live mode, positioned at eight filming points and all equipped with 4K Prime Lenses the same as the ones used by director Jacques Audiard for his most recent film "Dheepan", which won the Palme d Or at the last Cannes Film Festival.

Always keeping pace with the latest technologies for the audio-visual sector, DBW Communication has also recently completed the purchase of four new Sony HDC-4300 system cameras, which boast the first 2/3 (3-chip) native 4K image sensors. DBW can now count on a 4K machine inventory of 14 units, which can all be used in live mode thanks to the 4K CA-4000 system adaptor with fibre transmission and the BPU-4000 baseband processor unit. DBW has also purchased two Sony PWS-4400 servers, the flagship product of the new generation of 4K/HD live production solutions, which offer the ability to record images in HFR and HDR.

Reproducing a wider dynamic range of brightness levels, HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology accentuates contrast and enhances images down to the subtlest shades, from detailed shadows and blacks to bright whites and brilliant colours. HDR images therefore offer viewers the chance to enjoy more vivid tones, attention to detail, and penetrating points of light with unprecedented depth and definition. For opera in particular, HDR allows content producers to work at maximum potential on linguistic and aesthetic features, enhancing all aspects of the stage, such as lighting, set design and costumes. Shooting an opera in HDR therefore means giving viewers the opportunity to experience total immersion in what they are seeing, as if they were part of the scene. Sony is developing HDR content support for its entire product portfolio in order to offer viewers the chance to experience total immersion with any content.

"We are very satisfied with this new production, which we created in collaboration with RAI Com. After shooting the first sporting event, the 2015 TIM Cup final, in HDR, the production of "The Barber of Seville represents another important world first for DBW Communication, commented Stefano Rebechi, CEO of DBW Communication.

"Once again, the collaboration between Sony and DBW has brought excellent results. This production has particularly brought out the advantages of HDR technology, which represents a new stage in the evolution of content production, emphasised Benito Manlio Mari, of Sony Professional Europe. "The ability to capture images, even those beyond the spectrum of the human eye, with considerably superior levels of brightness and colour information, opens a new frontier in the artistic field to completely new possibilities of expression."

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