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Changing expectations

by Dick Hobbs Issue 90 - June 2014 I can remember when Ericsson made mobile phones. Now they are a major player in television playout or, as we now have to call it, delivering content. Interestingly, they also carry out extensive research, and have their own forecasting group which is looking at the way the business is changing. They have published...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 July 2014

RTS Thames Valley NAB 2014 Review

by Simon Tillyer Issue 90 - June 2014 A sunny, early summer evening welcomed over 40 people to the annual RTS NAB review on 14th May. This annual get together features a panel of guests, chaired by Dick Hobbs discussing their experiences and thoughts of NAB. The panel consisted of Maya Severyn (Head of Technical Services & Support - Chellomedia), J...

Submitted by Simon Tillyer

Published 01 July 2014

4K at NAB

by Bob Pank Issue 89 - May 2014 The long term NAB veterans will be well aware of just how quickly new technologies can come and go in the television industry. For instance, only a couple of years ago, 3D was still the hot topic, now it has gone quiet, but not altogether gone away. So it is good to report that 4K had another very good NAB, probably...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 June 2014

Game Set Match

by Nico Lewis & Jon Ridel Issue 89 - May 2014 Sports events such as the Super Bowl, the Winter Games in Sochi and the Wimbledon Championships are among the most prestigious jobs for broadcast companies. The larger the event, the more viewers it reaches and consequentially, the more complicated and important the communication system becomes. Without...

Submitted by Nico Lewis

Published 01 June 2014

Object of desire

by Will Strauss Issue 89 - May 2014 If NAB is a decent yardstick, 2014 is all about 4k and why, when and how it might become a mainstream TV proposition. But in amongst all this pixel counting and discussion about higher frame rates, there is a subject that often gets forgotten but definitely deserves a mention, one that is closely linked to the in...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 June 2014

Making 4K mainstream in 2014

by Austin Freshwater Issue 89 - May 2014 4K was one of the hot topics at this years CES. Higher resolutions may be showing more promise as the industry moves on from the latest iteration of 3D, which proved expensive to produce and poorly received by many viewers. However, as we move further into 2014, we continue to see some reticence within the i...

Submitted by Austin Freshwater

Published 01 June 2014

LED lighting comes of age

by Chris Chisnall Issue 88 - April 2014 Lighting is paramount to any production, whether its for an independent short or for a multi-million pound Soap, you can own the best cameras on the market but without the right lighting you dont have the shot! Either on location or in the studio, you need to take in to consideration the lighting setup; key l...

Submitted by Chris Chisnall

Published 01 May 2014

Get the 8k WOW factor at NAB

by Bob Pank Issue 88 - April 2014 Once again 4K will be a prominent feature at NAB. There will be a 4K Zone in the North Hall but surely the format is now so popular that its many supporters will make it 4K everywhere and not confined to a dedicated zone. But 4K is only a part of UHD, the other being 8K, which has far more wow factor (why else go t...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 May 2014

Whats in a name

by Dick Hobbs Issue 88 - April 2014 That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet. Juliet, being a bit too passionate for her tender years, thinks that Romeo would, if he were not Romeo calld, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title. When I was Juliets age, and had done something which deserved a treat, I wo...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 May 2014

Fixing that inhospitable location shoot

by Harry Amies Issue 88 - April 2014 Say Iran. What do most people think of? Hostage-taking, nuclear programmes, angry mobs, CGI outsourcing, VFX, a multi-million dollar movie industry? If Harry Amies and Amir Rezazadeh of UK based co-producers HarryAmir have anything to do with it itll be the last three. HarryAmir is a UK-based company, that helps...

Submitted by Harry Amies

Published 01 May 2014

When the going gets tough

by Will Strauss Issue 88 - April 2014 When working in the field, the kit we use has to withstand a fair old battering. And Im not just talking about the cameras, viewfinders and those expensive lenses. While glass still needs protecting, these days so does your laptop, your storage, your memory cards: the lot. They all need bags, cases and toughene...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 May 2014

Automation...

by Robert Lisman Issue 87 - March 2014 What is broadcast automation and why is it important to me?Broadcasters and media operations face the complex task of managing all kinds of hardware and software, such as switchers, video servers, graphics systems, routers, newsroom systems, craft editors (NLEs), VTRs, tape formats and file codecs. Broadcast a...

Submitted by Robert Lisman

Published 01 April 2014

Cutting the cord

by Will Strauss Issue 87 - March 2014 Wireless cameras are not new. In fact, they date back to the 1970s. But its only been in the last ten years that this technology has really blossomed, with engineers working out how to adapt the digital terrestrial transmission technology so that it can be used efficiently for programme-making. From that tippin...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 April 2014

4k testing in todays world

by Adam Schadle Issue 86 - February 2014 1. With the need to ingest and process video from a number of sources, broadcasters are faced with a multifaceted need to handle all types of formats including 4K. What is your multi-resolution strategy?With the emergence of new compression standards such as High-Efficiency Video Compression (HEVC), which of...

Submitted by Adam Schadle

Published 01 March 2014

Bob Pank looks at the size of 4k

by Bob Pank Issue 86 - February 2014 The television industry has had many new technological eras in recent years. Only two years ago we were still a 3D era; the latest of the many that have surfaced and sunk over the years of cinema, making it recurring fad. Now 4K / UHD is firmly grabbing the attention of equipment manufacturers as well as product...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 March 2014