KitPlus | Articles

The Benefits of LED Lighting in Broadcast

The humble LED studio light has come a long way since its introduction. In the early days adoption was low, while scepticism that the quality and functionality of LEDs could rival traditional tungsten lighting was high. There has been a period of adjustment, challenges (particularly around light quality and manufacturing) overcome and the broadcast...

Submitted by Rod Aaron Gammons

Published 15 March 2017

Not all power is created equal

Battery companies are quickly coming to realize that as new technologies continue to emerge, power solutions cannot be a one-size-fits-all commodity. There is no single battery for every situation, but instead a myriad of choices to accommodate even the most complex requirements. Below are five common videographer or photographer scenarios with the...

Submitted by Jose Flores

Published 15 March 2017

Review: Transvideo Starlite RF

The Transvideo StarliteRF is a new lightweight wireless monitor system that ticks many boxes and satisfies new and developing monitor requirements. Rental companies are reporting a rising demand for lightweight shooting kits even for commercials and movies, increasing use of hand-held, use of Steadicam, gimbals and other body rigs which keep the ca...

Submitted by Marcus Brent-Smith

Published 07 December 2016

The Future of LED Lighting

From the moment the LED light entered the broadcast, media and entertainment world its key differentiator was its energy efficiency compared to traditional tungsten studio lighting. LEDs use far less energy in the region of 90% less than tungsten lights and produce less heat. In addition, they are far more portable and generally have a longer lifes...

Submitted by Rod Aaron Gammons

Published 25 August 2016

Looking back at a typical day working on Top of the Pops

A few weeks ago I was watching television and caught a bit of 'Top of the Pops ' from 1984, and I thought, 'Was this one of the programmes I worked on? ' I was privileged enough to be a staff cameraman at the BBC for 20 years, during that time I was able to work on many great shows: Only Fools and Horses, Blue Peter and Two Ronnies to name but a fe...

Submitted by graham reed

Published 14 June 2016

Canon C300 MkII Reviewed

The Tech It 's been just over eight months since the release of the updated C300 camera the C300 MkII and almost five years since Vincent Laforet shot Mobius with a pre-production C300. In a landscape dominated by self-shooters and the continued rise of internet video, the C300 perhaps surprisingly like it 's forefather the 5DMkII came to become a...

Submitted by Ben Sherriff

Published 14 June 2016

Smaller, Lighter, High-Capacity Batteries

Issue 113 - May 2016 The desire for longer run-times from smaller and lighter batteries, has always been keenly felt by users of high power consumption digital cinema style cameras. The new generation of cameras is smaller but the power consumption, in most cases, has increased. High-capacity Li-Ion batteries of 150Wh or more provide longer run-tim...

Submitted by Steve Emmett

Published 20 May 2016

A Marathon Filming Review

Issue 113 - May 2016 A marathon filming review... 60+ interviews filmed, edited and promoted within 24 hour... A 26 mile marathon in anyone\'s world is a long way with cobbles, uneven surfaces, steps and thousands of people in your way. However I\'m not talking about the recent London Marathon but our ‘adventures\' at NAB 2016 in Las Vegas. If you...

Submitted by Simon Tillyer

Published 20 May 2016

5 Things I Saw At NAB

by Peter Savage Issue 113 - May 2016 ARRI Trinity stabilisationIt may look like something that was dreamt up for a sci-fi film but the Trinity stabilisation system is a truly remarkable bit of kit that is most certainly real. Available as an upgrade to the Artemis or a third-party camera stabiliser, it consists of a compact and lightweight two-axis...

Submitted by Peter Savage 2

Published 13 May 2016

The importance of maintaining digital audio paths

A portable, handheld, digital audio stream analyzer/generator is an essential piece of test equipment in the broadcast environment. It allows engineers and system integrators to quickly monitor and verify the composition, and integrity of, audio signals at any point from production all the way through the distribution chain. While the process of te...

Submitted by Larry Schindel

Published 01 April 2016

How Your iPad Can Help Your Filmmaking

by Beth Zarkosh Issue 110 - February 2016 How Your iPad Can Help Your FilmmakingThe new iPad is a fantastic and innovative tool for practically anything, but now you can rely on it for your filmmaking needs as well. It may not be what Spielberg is using to shoot his next blockbuster, however its rapidly becoming a must-have tool for filmmakers of a...

Submitted by Beth Zarkhosh

Published 16 March 2016

Traveling Safely with Lithium Ion - Tips and Tricks

by Mike Dolan Issue 110 - February 2016 For any location production, organization and pre-planning is key. This mantra goes beyond thinking of shoots and equipment placement to actually how your equipment will get from point A to B. This is particularly crucial when selecting batteries for air travel due to the set limit on lithium ion (Li-Ion) bat...

Submitted by Mike Dolan

Published 16 March 2016

Saving your laptop from spills

by Beth Zarkhosh Issue 109 - January 2016 Saving your laptop from spills!Whether you\'re a wedding videographer or a small production company, we all know the stress of the edit process, nothing adds to that stress more than the full destruction of your PC or Mac. So its the New Year and youre finishing off that last bit of mulled wine from over Ch...

Submitted by Beth Zarkhosh

Published 21 January 2016

Editing broadcast video in a mobile app a ridiculous noti...

by Jason Cowan Issue 109 - January 2016 A trend appears to be developing in broadcast technology development the more ridiculous an idea initially seems, the better the chances are that it will turn the whole industry on its head. Ten years ago editing over an internet connection was a pipe-dream, and the suggestion that broadcast equipment might b...

Submitted by Jason Cowan

Published 21 January 2016

Law Enforcement - Live, Mobile Video Surveillance

by Eric Chang Issue 108 - December 2015 Law enforcement, homeland security, surveillance, emergency response and military operations may span a range of operations, but they all share a crucial need for a detailed, real-time picture of rapidly changing events from various field locations. Leading law enforcement agencies have learned that there\'s...

Submitted by Eric Chang

Published 15 December 2015