KitPlus | Articles

Square-division versus two-sample interleave

by Kevin Salvidge Issue 110 - February 2016 Square-division versus two-sample interleaveFollowing on from a very successful IBC2015 in Amsterdam, we have been travelling across Europe to hold follow-on discussions with production companies and outside broadcast facility-providers. This series of customer meetings, product demonstrations and evaluat...

Submitted by Kevin Salvidge

Published 16 March 2016

A testing 4K future...

by Steve NunneyIssue 83 - November 2013 We have only recently started to get HDTV transmitted to our homes with all the headaches of getting 1920 x 1080 50 or 60 fps down cables and compressed over the airways. Then there was the suggestion we could be sitting at home wearing glasses watching 3D however on 13th June 2013, ESPN announced an end to b...

Submitted by Steve Nunney

Published 01 December 2013

Crystal Balls and the future of television TandM

by Steve NunneyIssue 79 - July 2013 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. After the five year digital switchover process was completed, everyone had digital terrestrial t...

Submitted by Steve Nunney

Published 01 August 2013

Why test and measurement is for real life, not just for e...

by Will StraussIssue 79 - July 2013 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. Yet, for all the pre-conceptions, it is a hugely important part of the production and broadc...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 August 2013

4K or not 4K, that is the question

Peter Savage goes all literary to show how our industry draws on Shakespeare and Keyne. 4K or not 4K, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of a much larger workflow Or to take arms against a sea of other formats And by opposing end them. 2K, to sleep No more--and by a sleep to say we end That format,...

Submitted by Robert Howard

Published 01 March 2013

Issues in surround audio and new technologies to address...

Issues in surround audio and new technologies to address them. Surround audio and the encoding technologies, such as Dolbys AC-3 used to transmit it, have introduced new issues in maintaining audio quality. At a time when skilled audio personnel are getting scarce and budgets are shrinking new technologies hold the key to delivering top quality aud...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 December 2012

Handheld T and M the broadcast emergency service

“Test and Measurement”. Shudder. Like “Health and Safety”, “Bus” and “Replacement Service” or “Keith and Orville” it’s a collocation of words that fills me with dread. Seriously, who wants to read about “Test and Measurement”? Well, as it turns out, the answer is: quite a lot of people. Because, despite its lack of glamour, it is hugely important....

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 August 2012

Evolving Test and Measurement

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 t...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 August 2012

Quality is the best policy

Despite all the changes in our industry at the moment – and maybe because of them – quality is more important than ever. HD has become the production standard norm. Why have audiences embraced HD so enthusiastically? Because it looks and sounds great. If you have a 42” or bigger screen in your home then the difference between SD and HD is obvious t...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

Commercial break

The first commercial to be shown on British television was for Gibbs SR toothpaste, transmitted at 20.12 on 22 September, 1955. Back then, according to Lord Thomson, the founder of Scottish Television, commercial television was “a licence to print money”. The first ad I remember was from around 1960. A bloke in a trenchcoat and hat – not cause for...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 January 2012

Colourist and Online Editor

Who are you? (about yourself and who you work for)?I run East London Post based in Shoreditch, which is currently a single suite Colour Grading and Online Editing business based around DaVinci Resolve and Apple FCS3. What do you do? What does your company do?East London Post provides colour grading and online editing for a wide range of projects. W...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 October 2011

Whats new in broadcast test and measurement

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 perh...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 July 2011

3D or not 3D, that is the question

Peter Savage wonders if the buzz around 3D is really justified – despite his willingness to don some 3D specs and head to the big screen in his local pubLast Saturday night I sat and pondered the broadcast question of the moment – 3D or not 3D?Not unlike poor Hamlet, unable to reconcile his mind on life, I was torn between the hype and the reality...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 July 2011

Test and measurement in digital television

Do we need to worry about test and measurement in digital television?Let’s 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 th...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 July 2011

Real practicality in test and measurement

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. The other part of our business is our own post production facility in London, used by our in-house productions and by other external clients, particularly indep...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 July 2011