Baltimore's WBAL Goes Live in HD As CEI Completes New Production System

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Newington, VA – Jan. 5, 2009 – WBAL-TV, the NBC affiliate in Baltimore, today began live high-definition (HD) news broadcasts utilizing the new HD digital production system which has been designed, integrated and built by Communications Engineering, Inc. (CEI). WBAL, which reaches about 1 million households, broadcasted its mid-day and evening news programs in HD today and plans to televise five news shows daily in HD.

CEI’s primary responsibilities in the upgrade project for WBAL included designing and constructing a new HD video control room, audio control room, HD news production studio, a core equipment room and a video control area. The project resulted in the modernization and expansion of the existing production facilities to allow WBAL to broadcast in HD.

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CEI Selected to Design and Build New HD Production System at Camden Yards

Newington, VA – Sept. 11, 2008 – Communications Engineering, Inc. (CEI) announced today it has been been selected by the Maryland Stadium Authority to design and build a new high-definition (HD) digital production system for Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the premiere site for sports and entertainment activities in Baltimore.

The project for the Maryland Stadium Authority will entail upgrading the existing analog facilities to a modern HD production facility that can originate HD programming to the stadium’s new HD LED video displays and CATV systems. This project will enable the modernization of the event-day presentation to incorporate the latest HD capabilities.

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CEI Expands Sales and Customer Service As Baldwin Joins Company

Newington, VA – May 5, 2008 – Communications Engineering, Inc. (CEI) announced today that it has responded to increased sales and customer service demands by adding James Baldwin as sales representative, Inside Sales for CEI Sales.

Baldwin, who is a 30-year veteran of the broadcast industry, is the latest addition to the growing CEI Sales team. He will focus on serving existing customers and expanding CEI’s business opportunities with government and commercial clients by emphasizing broadcast, A/V and multimedia equipment sales. Baldwin previously handled Inside Sales for Professional Products in Gaithersburg, Md., where he also held other positions over 20 years.

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CEI Putting Finishing Touches On Newseum HD Production and A/V Systems

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Newington, VA – Feb.25, 2008 – Communications Engineering, Inc. (CEI) announced today it is wrapping up work on the integration and installation of broadcasting and audio-visual equipment in numerous control rooms, theaters and studios at the soon-to-open Newseum, the 250,000-square-foot museum of news near the White House in Washington, D.C.

The Newseum, one of the most technologically advanced museums in the world, features hands-on exhibits, theaters and studios that cover 500 years of news history and news-gathering capabilities. It is expected to open April 11. CEI’s role included designing and building several production control rooms, installing audio and video equipment in the Newseum theaters and studios, installing network equipment connected to interactive areas throughout the museum, and building the sophisticated master control room. CEI is currently completing equipment installation and conducting tests on the systems.

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Click to Read Broadcast Engineering Magazine's Feature Story About the Newseum

Click to Read Lighting & Sound America Magazine's Feature Story About the Newseum

 

CEI Completes Major Phase in WETA Production Center Upgrade As “NewsHour” Goes Live in HD

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Newington, VA – Dec. 17, 2007 – “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” program will be broadcast in high-definition format for the first time today, signaling a major step for WETA and PBS and the on-time completion of a key phase in the comprehensive HD upgrade of the WETA Production Center by Communications Engineering, Inc. (CEI), the company announced today.

The new HD facility at WETA, located just outside Washington, DC, was designed, planned and integrated by CEI. The project, featuring new HD control rooms and edit suites, was begun in the second quarter of this year with a target date of Dec. 17 for the first live HD broadcast of “NewsHour,” which has been produced at WETA for many years. “NewsHour,” seen five nights a week on more than 315 PBS stations across the country, is the first live, regularly scheduled PBS program to be broadcast in HD. Careful planning and coordination with WETA allowed CEI to complete this phase of an extensive upgrade for the WETA Production Center, as well as conduct testing and training, in time for the first scheduled live broadcast.

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Read all about the WETA project in Broadcast Engineering

 

National Archives Chooses CEI
For Motion Picture Digitization System

Newington, VA – Dec. 3, 2007 – The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, DC, has contracted with Communications Engineering, Inc. (CEI) to provide an advanced motion picture scanning system for digitizing and storing thousands of motion pictures in its archives, CEI announced today. This special equipment will be used in the National Archives Motion Picture Preservation Laboratory for scanning and making accessible films that are often unique and/or irreplaceable. 

The scanning system will play a key role in preserving and restoring more than 365,000 reels of valuable and often fragile film dating back to 1894. These include government- and commercially produced newsreels, public information and documentary films that serve as important records of the nation’s history. CEI has a great deal of experience with this technology, and recently provided complete integration services for the new Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, VA. This facility features three video and seven audio digital conversion rooms, plus a theater and two screening rooms.

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