KitPlus | Articles

SIZE is everything

Issue 93 - September 2014Live broadcast television or stage productions are a fast moving environment where clear instructions need to be delivered quickly if everything is to run smoothly. Whilst efficient conveyance of prompts or direction is vital, there is usually the additional need to avoid the audience being aware of the methods employed. La...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 October 2014

Is the future virtual

by Dick Hobbs Issue 91 - July 2014 Just a couple of days ago, I went to a memorial service for a very nice man called John Wilson. If you have heard of John, it was probably for his work as the chairman of IBC in the 1990s, leading the move from Brighton to Amsterdam, then to an annual event, then to its management by an independent and professiona...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 August 2014

Premier league infrastructure

by Alan Green Issue 88 - April 2014 It is now common practice to cable major sports venues for broadcast operations. It saves time rigging pulling cables in to every camera and commentary position can take a day or more. The efficiency is great for broadcasters it means that the same truck can work at different grounds on consecutive days. As well...

Submitted by Alan Green

Published 01 May 2014

Ask the experts: Life behind the rate card

by Mike Ransome Issue 88 - April 2014 From time to time, most people in broadcast and production need to rent in some equipment. It might be to extend capabilities an extra camera channel, for example or it might be to bring in something you do not normally use, like an EVS server, for instance. Now picking a dry hire company sounds awfully simple....

Submitted by Mike Ransome

Published 01 May 2014

The circle of life with Dick Hobbs

by Dick HobbsIssue 84 - December 2013 Being a simple soul, I am endlessly fascinated by ideas which are the great new thing one day, rubbished the next, and resurface the day after as the next great thing. In the 1960s, the BBC decided that it was wrong to concentrate all its radio and television production in London, and established national and r...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 January 2014

Wireless cameras at live events

by Scott WalkerIssue 81 - September 2013 While wireless cameras have been used in high end broadcast for years, prices have dropped and there are now a variety of products on the market to suit lower cost broadcasts, and the technology is creeping into events with live outdoor screens and lower budgets, where it adds a creative angle to the show. I...

Submitted by Scott Walker

Published 01 October 2013

Summer Time is Festival Time for Peter Savage

by Peter SavageIssue 79 - July 2013 I am writing this article on the back of one of televisions greatest weekends of sport with the British Grand Prix, Wimbledon, the Tour de France, Lions Rugby, cricket and more. Festivals for the middle agedSport apart, lets not forget the wealth of entertainment that grows by the year and is bolted on to the eve...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 August 2013

Gekko Kelvin Tile LED REVIEW

By Jon PratchettI like LED lighting. I know there are a lot of people who tell us that it can't produce the wide colour gamut of Tungsten, and I agree. But it’s getting close and the shear ease at which you can set them up and control their brightness, not to mention the lack of heat and the ability to run them for hours off a battery for me out wa...

Submitted by Jon Pratchett

Published 01 March 2013

Character generation today means real-time 3D graphics

In the constantly evolving world of television, graphics departments could be the ones facing the most complicated challenges. Designers have changed from 2D stills to 3D real-time animations and many sections of the department, such as news graphics or CG specialists, had to cope with the most radical changes, both because new technologies and the...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 January 2013

The cushion quotient

I have just been to a conference organised by the Mobile Data Association. I was very grateful to the organisers for the invitation, as it is the sort of thing that appeals to me: some of the top analysts in the industry throwing out statistics and predictions. Of course, at this sort of conference you get a lot more about where we are than where w...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 December 2012

CHASING THE OLYMPIC DREAM

When the reverse happens it proves that old adage … that more of the same is often the best strategy, says Peter Savage. As the Olympics are over, and as it will soon be the end of the Paralympics, it is time to summarise the effects the Games have had on the country. The feel-good factor has been astonishingly high bringing with it a new – or, rat...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 October 2012

CHASING THE OLYMPIC DREAM

When the reverse happens it proves that old adage … that more of the same is often the best strategy, says Peter Savage. As the Olympics are over, and as it will soon be the end of the Paralympics, it is time to summarise the effects the Games have had on the country. The feel-good factor has been astonishingly high bringing with it a new – or, rat...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 August 2012

A report from the StreamUK Production Team

A report from the StreamUK Production TeamIn 2011 StreamUK grew by an astonishing 45%, expanding its European branches as well as the size of its UK office. The production team have been kept even busier during the start of 2012, as they look to break their previous record of 105 premium webcasts in 12 months. In 2011 we celebrated helping our clie...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 July 2012

Ask the experts......Intercoms for outside broadcasts

Ask the experts – intercoms for outside broadcastsBarry Spencer, Trilogy CommunicationsI just assume outside broadcast trucks come with an intercom. Why do I need to even think about it?The first big point is that an outside broadcast is not just a control room on wheels. It is an event. And that means communications beyond the truck. Within the pr...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 April 2012

Capturing the Gumball 3000 Rally 2011 with an iPhone4

Sons of Oscar nominated Director - Mike Figgis, Arlen and Louis Figgis, were tasked this year with following and recording the Gumball 3000 Rally. The Gumball 3000 is an annual 3,000-mile (4,800 km) international road rally which takes place over 8 days on public roads, with a different route around the world each year. Founded in 1999 by Maximilli...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 November 2011