Articles
Technological advances in the broadcast industry
Alan Wheable Since it is Omnitek’s 20th anniversary this year, I thought it would be interesting to look back over the technological advances in the broadcast industry over the last few decades and look at the similarities between then and now.
Tags: iss130 | omnitek | test and measurement | smpte 2110 | untra tq | 2022 | sdi 2022-6 | Alan Wheable
Submitted by Alan Wheable Click to read or download PDF
Supporting broadcast quality control
Alan Wheable With the ever-increasing number of program channels and range of different program distribution formats, the process of ensuring program quality has become a complex one for contribution/capture, production, post production, server ingest and content distribution.
Tags: iss128 | omnitek | wcg | hdr | test and measurement | smpte 2110 | smpte 2022-6 | Alan Wheable
Submitted by Alan Wheable Click to read or download PDF
The importance of a low noise floor
Alan Wheable The Noise Floor of a piece of T&M equipment is the inherent noise (or intrinsic jitter) introduced by the equipment itself. The level of inherent noise affects the accuracy and repeatability of jitter measurements that can be made, especially when measuring low levels of jitter. With the permitted 100KHz jitter on a 12G-SDI signal being only 0.3UI, it is important to establish the total level of jitter in the signal path to ensure that it does not exceed this limit and cause data errors.
Tags: iss119 | omnitek | test and measurement | intrinsic jitter | Alan Wheable
Submitted by Alan Wheable Click to read or download PDF
The FAQs on automated quality assurance
Thomas Dove The transition from tape-based to file-based video and audio recording allowed a completely new approach to the business of checking that programmes and interstitials conform to broad-cast industry standards prior to transmission. The Vidcheck team designed the world's first au-tomated broadcast quality control product. We have been working on file-based content analy-sis and repair since 2003 and are probably the most experienced and innovative team active in this area. Our flagship solution is Vidchecker. The following short article addresses some of the questions most commonly fielded by potential customers.
Tags: iss116 | vidcheck | vidchecker | test and measurement | Thomas Dove
Submitted by Thomas Dove Click to read or download PDF
Test & Measurement: Ask the expert
Alan Wheable There are basically two different approaches to capturing the Eye Diagram from an SDI signal. These are real-time capture (employed by Real Time oscilloscopes) and signal subsampling (employed by Sampling oscilloscopes such as the Omnitek Ultra 4k Tool Box). All broadcast T&M equipment will use one of these approaches to create the Eye Diagram using a variety of proprietary techniques.
Tags: iss107 | test and measurement | sdi | data | potholes | monitoring | anchillary data | uhd | 4k | test pattern | jitter meters | eye diagram | Alan Wheable
Submitted by Alan Wheable Click to read or download PDF
The beat goes on... 4k, 8k and the continual need for T&M
Adam Schadle Just a few short years ago, 4k was the future, but now that 4k televisions and other screens are becoming more widely available, the format is careening toward the present. 4k is still an emerging delivery format, to be sure. After all, there are still places in the world that have yet to transition from SD to HD. But progress marches on. Even as were in the process of adopting and perfecting 4k production equipment, methods, and content delivery, were looking toward doing the same with 8k video, with certain large-audience events and special venue applications as a starting point.
Tags: iss107 | 4k | 8k | test and measurement | sd | hd | video | delivery networks | vod content | tv | voice | data | Adam Schadle
Submitted by Adam Schadle Click to read or download PDF
Remote control and monitoring
Alan Wheable You might wonder what remote control has to do with test and measurement. And you might be pleasantly surprised when you find out.
Tags: iss083 | remote control | phabrix | monitoring | test and measurement | equipment | explained | guide | Alan Wheable
Submitted by Alan Wheable Click to read or download PDF
Addressing lingering loudnes challenges
Andrew Sachs The loudness of the television commercials aired between program segments has been the source of consumer complaints and subsequent regulatory action in countries around the world.
Tags: iss083 | loudness | challenges | ask the experts | volicon | test and measurement | regulation | commercials | broadcast | Andrew Sachs
Submitted by Andrew Sachs Click to read or download PDF
Why test and measurement is for real life, not just for engineers
Will Strauss# Thanks to its long-standing association with virtually incomprehensible acronyms, dark machine rooms and (lets face it) engineers with unruly beards, the subject of Test and Measurement (T&M) always gets a bit of bum rap.
Tags: iss079 | test and measurement | monitors | guide | review | leader lv5220 | tvlogic vfm-056w | swit s1070f | hd sdi | waveform | portable | hamlet | ikan | tektronix | marshall | Will Strauss#
Submitted by Will Strauss# Click to read or download PDF
Crystal Balls and the future of television TandM
Steve Nunney Best to keep well away from the Australian fast bowlers then! Joking apart, what is the future of television test and measurement? Or should we rather refer to media dispersion MD for short. MD is taking off big-time.
Tags: iss079 | crystal balls | future of tv | tandm | t and m | video and audio quality | test and measurement | Steve Nunney
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PHABRIX hand held SxE solution for Quantel
N/A PHABRIX recently visited UK based Quantel, developers of innovative, world-leading content creation systems for broadcast, post and DI to find out how the company are deploying their six PHABRIX hand held SxE in its test department.
Tags: iss067 | quantel | phabrix | test and measurement | sq server | test engineer | phabrix sxe | N/A
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Evolving Test and Measurement
N/A Time and accuracy are vital when producing content for broadcast. All broadcasters have strict schedules to work to, as well as visual and audio standards that need to be met. Effective testing and measurement (T&M) of any material that is to be transmitted is key to ensuring these parameters are adhered to, for both producer and broadcaster; get these wrong, or trust in inadequate equipment, and it could be very costly.
Tags: iss067 | test and measurement | s3d | pse | itu 1770 | itu 1771 | N/A
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Test and measurement in digital television
N/A Lets be clear about this. Test and measurement tools are not there to make life difficult for you, they are there to ensure that we get the best quality pictures and sound through the long path to the home within a required technical specification. So yes, simply put, checking that we are getting the best out of the technology that black is black, white is white, and colours can be reproduced accurately within the tolerances broadcasters set is vital.
Tags: iss054 | test and measurement | pse | ask the experts | levels | amplitude | frequency response | channel separation | noise | balance | stereo | surround channels | phase | N/A
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On the level
N/A In shooting 3D you naturally have two cameras and two lenses: albeit, there are some weird and wonderful single lens/single sensor contraptions out there. This usually means there are any number of ways each camera lens combination could be producing images with minor are major signal level differences. If these level differences are not dealt with on-set or in post-production, they could lead the visually objectionable artefacts in 3D portrayal.
Tags: 3d | iss054 | camera filters | dual stream | monitoring | test and measurement | cel-scope | cel-soft | N/A
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Achieving Cost-Effective Monitoring of Critical AV Feeds
N/A Broadcasters once were able to transmit a signal up on the satellite and worry only about that feed. Now, with the growth and diversification of audio video (A/V) service handoffs, the points at which feeds enter the facility or are sent out to downstream targets such as cable operators, pay-TV services and other service providers, broadcasters have many more feeds to monitor.
Tags: iss054 | monitoring | test and measurement | slinging | volicon | QoE module | N/A
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Real practicality in test and measurement
N/A We are quite an unusual company, a unique hybrid. On one hand Flotsam Films is an independent producer but we also provide full production capabilities and consultancy for other filmmakers.
Tags: Flotsam Films | iss054 | test and measurement | DS9000 DigiScope | hamlet | flexiscope | VidScope-HD | N/A
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Whats new in broadcast test and measurement
N/A The test and measurement product category continues to expand as the broadcast business itself diversifies. Notable recent developments include higher resolution displays and a gradually increasing number of analysers which, having detected a fault, endeavour to fix it. No sign at NAB 2011 of any tablet-based test and measurement equipment but perhaps that is only a matter of time.....
Tags: iss054 | eye to eye | test and measurement | agama | cel-soft | dk technologies | dolby | hamlet | leader | murraypro | omnitek | phabrix | pixelmetrix | rohde schwarz | tektronix | vidcheck | N/A
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QC: An Inside Job
Bob Pank# The requirement for quality control grew up in the early days of television and depended on measurement instruments to check the video and audio going to air.
Tags: iss054 | quality conformance | qc | playbox | test and measurement | qcbox | Bob Pank#
Submitted by Bob Pank# Click to read or download PDF
Modern Tools for Test and Measurement in Post Production
N/A Todays post-production facilities and practically the entire global multimedia industry, face a common issue: how to effectively eliminate the notorious problem of inconsistent loudness being pushed to the absolute limits.
Tags: rtw | iss044 | rtw | test and measurement | post production | ppm | audio | itu | ebu | loudness | touchmonitor | ebu r128 | bs 1770 | bs 1771 | N/A
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The Real Cost of Calibration
N/A Calibration is the cornerstone of measurement confidence. Badly calibrated instruments are liable to produce measurement errors which can then propagate throughout an enterprise and even to the end-users product¦ and beyond! This can have a detrimental effect on a companys reputation and profits, and could even have legal implications.
Tags: tektronix | test and measurement | calibration | iss039 | N/A
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Eye to Eye: Whats even newer in test and measurement 2010
N/A A year is a long time in broadcast test & measurement, which is just as well because that is when this column previously focused on it. Given the current push to establish 3D as a permanent feature of the broadcast landscape, one might reasonably expect T&M kit designers to be heading along the same road.
Tags: test and measurement | eye to eye | 3d | iss039 | t&m | hamlet | harris | leader | phabrix | prism | rohde schwarz | tektronix | z technology | N/A
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A Guide to Testing IPTV: Technologies and Challenges Part 5
N/A Throughout this article series we have seen that IPTV network operators face many challenges and explained that effective test and measurement is key to overcoming these challenges. The majority of IPTV networks are still in the early stages of development and operators are therefore primarily concerned with optimising QoS parameters in order to get their IPTV systems working.
Tags: iss035 | iptv | probes | test and measurement | jitte | packet loss | ip-mpeg | file based content | N/A
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The importance of measurements for eye and jitter
N/A If it hasnt got eye and jitter measurements, its about as useful as a chocolate teapot recalled Paul Nicholls, PHABRIX sales and marketing manager.
Tags: iss034 | test and measurement | phabrix | eye and jitter | N/A
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A Guide to Testing IPTV: Technologies and Challenges Part 4
N/A In Parts 1-3 we introduced IPTV as an emerging broadcast technology, and discussed some of the technical challenges involved in successful delivery of IPTV services. We saw how the complexity of IPTV networks and the trade-offs in technology types can provide further challenges in delivering high QoS and QoE in IPTV delivery. In this part we will begin to explore how to test IPTV systems
Tags: iptv | tektronix | iss034 | iptv network | test and measurement | ip pathway | multi-layer monitoring | N/A
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A Guide to Testing IPTV: Technologies and Challenges Part 3
N/A In parts 1 and 2 we gave a background to IPTV, and discussed some of the challenges faced by IPTV service providers. We focused particularly on the importance of Quality of Service and Quality of Experience, and the interrelationship between the two.
Tags: tektronix | iss033 | iptv | test and measurement | network architecture | video compression | mpeg-2 encoding | h.264 | avc | vc-1 | ip network | transmission | rtp | N/A
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Guide to Testing IPTV Technologies and Challenges Part 2
N/A In this part we will begin to examine some of the challenges faced by IPTV service providers, and the importance of Quality of Service and Quality of Experience.
Tags: Tektronix | iptv | iss032 | qos | qoe | test and measurement | N/A
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PHABRIX storming ahead at NAB with eye and jitter
N/A It is not often that a product is released that encapsulates so distinctly the essence of British ingenuity but the new SxE hand held test and measurement instrument with eye and jitter functionality from PHABRIX may just have set itself in that mould.
Tags: iss029 | phabrix | eye pattern | jitter | test and measurement | sxa | 3g | N/A
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Eye to Eye. Whats new in test and measurement 2009
N/A The transition from analogue to digital programme production, storage and delivery lulled some innocent folk into anticipating a world without need for test equipment. If required at all, so the thinking went, all signal analysis would be performed in software. Maybe someday. For now, the T&M sector remains alive and well.
Tags: test and measurement | iss028 | dk-technologies | ev | electronic visuals | hamlet | harris | leader | omnitek | phabrix | rhode and schwarz | tektronix | N/A
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HD Camera Measurements and getting the most out of your camera
N/A Image quality all starts with the correct alignment of the camera which is used to capture the scene either on location or in the studio. The conversion of light into electrical signals involves many processes which can affect the quality of the image. Understanding these various adjustments that are necessary, using a suitable camera chart and waveform monitor are critical in ensuring a high quality image and preventing mistakes from occurring mistakes that are costly to fix in the post production process.
Tags: hd camera | test and measurement | iss026 | camera measurements | alignment | engineer | technician | white shading | cameraman | wratten neutral density filter | tektronix | N/A
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Total Articles: 29 [1-29]
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EW G4
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Photon Beard PB80 LED Redhead
Blackmagic Micro Converter
4k UHD and beyond with Quantum