Agtel

Agtel Streams Live Event for Enterprise Ireland

Last month Agtel had the opportunity to stream a live broadcast from the Enterprise Ireland headquarters in Dublin using an innovative streaming technology. In conjunction with Tyrell CCT  we demonstrated Live U, the ‘Satellite truck in a backpack’, from the SME event, part of a series of eight business finance seminars hosted for Irish SMEs. LiveU has developed a revolutionary hand-held video uplink device that enables anyone to broadcast live video instantly, anytime, anywhere. Tyrell CCT was recently awarded the exclusive Irish distribution of this innovative mobile video delivery solution. This technology preview demonstrated the outstanding quality and `reliability of broadcasting via 3G networks with the entire seminar delivered live to viewers in Enterprise Ireland offices around the world.
 
Organised  by  Enterprise  Ireland,  the Small Firms Association, IBEC, the Irish  Taxation  Institute  and  the County Enterprise Boards, the SME seminar series was developed to assist SMEs to gain a greater understanding of  financial, employment, tax and business supports information to manage and grow their business. The Dublin seminar, which coincided with European SME week, was host to a number of high profile speakers including the Minister for Trade and Commerce, Billy Kelleher.  Tyrell CCT provided Agtel with the LiveU LU30 backpack system and offsite technical backup to broadcast the Dublin based event in real-time to a global Enterprise Ireland audience. Viewers in locations ranging from Milan, Stockholm and Tokyo provided live feedback via web chat facility and testified to the picture and sound quality. Following the keynote speeches the Agtel cameraman equipped solely with the LU30 backpack conducted a Vox Pop style session with the seminar delegates moving easily around the venue, including the underground car park, to push the limits of the technology.
 
“The use of the LiveU technology at our Dublin event was very valuable as we were able to connect with our colleagues in global Enterprise Ireland offices in real-time and provide them with key information and on-the-ground insights from the SME community in Ireland”, commented Alan Hobbs, Head of Communications, Enterprise Ireland.  “We were particularly impressed with the immediacy of service and high quality picture and sound. It is very easy to see how this technology could make a big difference to Irish companies connecting with their audiences worldwide.”
 
“In today’s dynamic business environment, every organisation is a media company with a need to communicate with their customers, business partners, shareholders and staff,” according to John Cummins, Managing Director, Agtel. “LiveU offers organisations of all sizes an affordable option to transform their communication strategy and reach large audiences by delivering live feeds and videos on their websites. We found the system very easy to set up and use -from arrival on location, the live broadcast can be accomplished literally in a minute or two.”

The broadcast was streamed with Livestream and is available here.

Launch of ‘Ireland and the EU’ DVD

Agtel were delighted to attend the official launch of the Agtel produce  ‘Ireland and the European Union’ DVD at the Dublin headquarters of the European Commission Representation in Ireland by Tánaiste Mary Coughlan TD. The DVD provides a concise introduction to the European Union, its origins and development and the tangible benefits of membership for Ireland. The resource, aimed at seconary school students, can be viewed in Irish or English and gives an overview of how the institutions work and how decisions are made at European level.

Also in attendance was Director of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, Martin Territ.

Agtel wins prestigious IVCA Award

Agtel was honoured to receive a Bronze IVCA 2009 Award in London.  The award was for our DVD ‘Mission 4: Space Robotics.  This high-energy and engaging teaching resource was produced as part of our “Project: Zero Gravity” series for ESA’s ISS Education Programme.  The production includes footage shot by the astronauts themselves on board the International Space Station (using storyboards created by Agtel as a guide) and also includes footage shot in schools in four countries across Europe.

We already have plans for our 2010 entry and will continue to focus on quality and originality in all our work and for all our clients.

More information on this DVD series is available on the ESA website: http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMZTFYO4HD_education_0.html

Innovative eLearning DVD just launched

Agtel’s latest production for the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (www.fsai.ie) has just been launched.

A finalist in the Best eLearning product or course category of the 2009 Digitial Media Awards, this innovative eLearning training production is a key part of the new “FSAI Safe Catering Pack”. It uses a TV show-style approach to engage the target audience of 29,000 food businesses around Ireland, and makes full use of high quality video, DVD interactivity and motion graphics to deliver its message using solid adult learning principles. The DVD also contains frequently used forms in PDF format that the food businesses can print out themselves.

Mary Wallace, TD, Minister for Health Promotion and Food Safety at the Department of Health and Children launched the FSAI Safe Catering pack at their headquarters in Dublin. Food safety is becoming increasingly important as more and more businesses from shops to small cafés start to provide a range of foods to customers. In response to this, the FSAI developed a Safe Catering pack that smaller food businesses can use to put a food safety management plan in place.

The FSAI faced a challenge in ensuring that industry professionals move through the “tipping point” form initial perceptions through to an understanding that the pack is a valuable and practical tool. Agtel took a unique and innovative approach to this challenge by developing an accompanying eLearning resource that uses a Presenter-Led Investigative Journey captured on video to bring learners on a tour of a variety of businesses that are already using the pack. Seeing the pack in action creates an engaging and motivational learning path, while the presenter provides an accessible and approachable “face” for the resource.

Usability was a key consideration for this eLearning resource given the diversity of backgrounds of the target audience. The learners it is aimed at have different levels of computers literacy and also varying levels of access to computer resources. To deal with these issues, Agtel recommended that the resource be distributed in DVD format and the resulting product makes clever use of DVD menus to enable interactivity with users. Clear explanatory graphics are seamlessly embedded in the video clips to emphasise key learning points.

Enabling Self-Directed Learning is an important consideration for any eLearning resource aimed at adult learners. Users of this resource can choose which order they want to cover the material in simply by selecting the relevant section from an on-screen menu.

Another important criteria to take into account when dealing with adult learners is motivation. This resource tackles this aspect creatively by including interviews with people in the catering sector in each section who give their own personal reasons for using the pack.

For maximum knowledge retention and transference among learners, the presenter wraps up each section with a recap of the most important educational key learning points. He also uses the opportunity to prompt them to open up their own workbook and start filling in the relevant part of it.

Demand for this eLearning resource has been high with industry professionals who are very keen to engage with it and motivated to put what they’ve learnt into practice.

Agtel takes on New York again!

‘We Are Munster’ – Agtel’s first ever production completed on the RED ONE camera is in competition at the upcoming New York International Independent Film Festival in March.

Held twice a year the festival is the world’s biggest independent film festival. Agtel’s big screen, short film adaptation of ‘The Battle of the Boyne’ scooped the award for Best International Historical Documentary back in September and the production team are hoping ‘We Are Munster’ can take the award in it’s category this time round for Inspirational Short Film.

The film will be screened on Saturday March 21st at 3:55pm at the legendary City Cinema’s in Village East, Manhattan. Maverick director Abel Ferrara is the festival president for the eight day film extravaganza.

Showcase at Lightwave

Agtel will showcase science communication and new camera technologies at the Science Gallery in Trinity College, Monday January 20th as part of Lightwave.

Stop by to check out a new RED ONE™ camera in action, and see clips of some of Agtel’s super high-definition productions.

Recording to solid-state memory and using a 4096 x 2304 pixel frame, the RED ONE™ camera has enormously reduced the cost of cinema-quality video, and pushed the boundaries of camera technology.

For more info on the event, check out Lightwave’s event listings.