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Mr MXF does Vegas

For quarter of a century I have been boarding planes to Las Vegas every April and the thing I look forward to most is the Sunday morning cycle from the Strip up to the top of Red Rock Canyon to look back down upon Vegas. From up there, you get a sense of perspective of how alien the city stuck in the desert really is. This year\'s NAB Show is likel...

Submitted by Bruce Devlin - new

Published 19 May 2017

Thinking clearly about the cloud

As someone who is constantly trying to build better products, I\'m always asking questions and listening to the ones I get asked. For several years now I\'ve asked every broadcaster and media production company I\'ve met what they plan to do about \'the cloud\'. I\'ve had replies which range from \'the media must never leave the premises\' (imagine...

Submitted by Chris Steel 2

Published 19 May 2017

Why is drone training even an option

It\'s fair to say that one of the most disruptive, liberating and inventive technological advances for independent filmmakers in recent years has been the incredible leaps made in the world of Drones. Things we never thought possible are now completely within our reach and what is more they are easy and cheap to achieve. An operator can majesticall...

Submitted by Tim Bearder

Published 19 May 2017

You need wave power if you are going surfing

Tim Bonython\'s association with surfing films began in 1978, when armed with a Super-8 camera he set off to Hawaii\'s infamous North Shore, to capture the big waves and their riders. From that moment he fell in love with the sport, and became obsessed with making it the subject of breathtaking and inspiring films. To spread the word, Tim began tou...

Submitted by Tim Bonython

Published 19 May 2017

Is now the time to compromise on investment

It would seem on the face of it that many broadcasters and production companies are trimming spending to the bone, or at least postponing it in anticipation of more lucrative days to come. While that may seem prudent, and is in some cases a necessity, there\'s an equally valid argument that periods of economic downturn, real or perceived, are the p...

Submitted by Mike Ransome - new

Published 19 May 2017

Motor Sports - Some Like it Hot

High performance race cars, their drivers, and teams supported by manufacturers participating in a sport for which the combined, visceral thrills and sensations of burning tires, megadecibel roars, pungent racing fuel and throngs of enthusiasts can be difficult to convey, even on the largest big screen television. Motor racing is an intense, danger...

Submitted by Gordon Capaccio

Published 19 May 2017

Modernizing the Cutting Edge

Over the last decade, streaming as a medium has seen tremendous growth. Services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video are no longer just post-hoc distributors of broadcast television content, they have become content creators and are producing some of the most well received "television\" content of the past few years. For example, at the 2013 Prime...

Submitted by Myles Carter - new

Published 19 May 2017

Controlling the Chaos of Remote Uplinks

For Satellite Broadcasters, consumer needs have never been so varied. Audiences are increasingly accustomed to personalisation in every type of content they consume. They now demand, or rather expect to receive breaking news from a scene, content specific to their regions and access to live sporting events held thousands of miles away. As a result,...

Submitted by Roger Franklin

Published 19 May 2017

Dick brings out his cutting room scales

At this time of year, in the run-up to NAB, my in-box is even more filled than usual with press releases craving my attention. It is one of the universal truths so unloved by PR people that the sheer weight of numbers threatens to overwhelm. Smart companies use blatant tricks to get you to read. An honourable mention must go to the recent press rel...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs - new

Published 19 May 2017

Being a Content Creator

When I began the Television and Broadcasting course at the University of Portsmouth, I had my mind dead-set on what I wanted to do in the world of television. More than anything, I wanted to work for Children\'s BBC, ideally as a presenter, and as I come towards the end of my second year, I am still very much in pursuit of this dream. However, it h...

Submitted by Josh Round

Published 04 April 2017

OBs are still outside and so are broadcasts

With the advent of new and emerging technologies, and with the one getting the most oxygen at the moment being video over IP, a number of people are asking whether the ability to move control rather further way from an event has, or will, change the nature of OB production. Well, yes...and no. OB requirements always depend on what type of broadcast...

Submitted by Mike Ransome - new

Published 04 April 2017

More than just selling cable

Choices facing technology decision-makers are becoming increasingly complex due to rapid changes in the industry like broadcast and IP technology convergence, multiplatform demands, and the rise of 4K and 8K. It is now a constant challenge to balance the need to maintain already-installed equipment and fulfil the desire to provide the highest resol...

Submitted by Chris Smeeton

Published 04 April 2017

5G Streaming - The Rollout

5G will bring significant improvements in bandwidth per device, capacity per network and reduced latency per session. These are all very important features for video both today and going forward. The growth of new formats such as UHD, AR, VR and 360 video place much greater demand on the networks that serve consumer devices, so 5G will be essential...

Submitted by Steve Plunkett - new

Published 04 April 2017

A Software Based Approach to Video Monitoring

Real-time content monitoring is a mission-critical operation for broadcasters, telecom, and satellite operators. Traditionally, service providers have used monitoring systems based on specialized hardware with a dedicated, fixed interface designed to monitor a specific number of video feeds. Yet, bespoke hardware solutions require a substantial amo...

Submitted by Anupama Anantharaman - new

Published 04 April 2017

Driving the Bandwidth Conundrum

At the time of writing, there is a story on the IBC website with the headline "In five years the problem won\'t be bandwidth, but knowing what to do with it". That seemed to me to be an interesting assertion, so I read on. Now I appreciate there are few who are as old as I am, but if you are you may remember the claim, in the early days of nuclear...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs - new

Published 04 April 2017