KitPlus | Articles

Focus Technology in 2016 and Beyond

by Lisa J. Whelan Issue 110 - February 2016 With the advance of larger camera sensors, faster lenses and complex lighting systems, the role of the 1st AC (Assistant Camera) is more demanding than ever. Fortunately, the world of focus technology is developing new and innovative ways to step up and meet these demands head-on. Out of FocusHistorically...

Submitted by Lisa J Whelan

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

Taming the 12Gbs beast and how to T&M it with the Qx

by Philip Adams and Paul Nicholls Issue 107 - November 2015 The one thing you can say about working in the broadcast industry is that there isnt time to get bored! Hesitant, perhaps even frightened these days might be more accurate but bored, certainly not. Such is the case with the planned UHDTV roll out and the need for customers to invest in tec...

Submitted by Phillip Adams

Published 01 December 2015

Stop, collaborate and listen

by Peter Savage Issue 106 - October 2015 Fresh from his trip to Amsterdam, Azule chairman Peter Savage relives what he saw at IBC by highlighting a very welcome industry trend: equipment manufacturers are finally talking to each other. Its not terribly rock and roll but the most surprising and welcome - thing that I saw at IBC 2015 was the willing...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 November 2015

Keeping pace with your true value

by Leighton Chenery Issue 106 - October 2015 Avoid the pitfalls of underinsuranceWandering around IBC, marvelling at the latest technical advances and innovations and viewing the major strategic themes for the future direction of the Broadcast & Media industry, it would be easy to overlook the importance of adequately insuring new purchases and add...

Submitted by Leighton Chenery

Published 01 November 2015

An alternative power solution

Issue 106 - October 2015 OVERVIEWChuck Walior, Aldis Systems VP & Chief Engineer, attends NAB each year in search of creative, forward-looking solutions to wrap around and support the custom systems he designs for each integration project. He wasnt really looking for an alternative power source when he was introduced to Video Ghost at NAB 2015, but...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 November 2015

The future is smaller, more powerful batteries

by Steve Emmett Issue 106 - October 2015 High-quality cameras are getting smaller and lighter all the time, making them suitable for new applications. Nearly every production we see today includes shots acquired by drone and gimbal mounted cameras. The batteries required to power these cameras have to meet new criteria. They must be able to withsta...

Submitted by Steve Emmett

Published 01 November 2015

7 must sees at IBC 2015

by Beth Zarkhosh Issue 105 - September 2015 IBC, the annual broadcasting event that brings professionals in the media industry together has been running since 1967. Each year brings new excitement and innovation to the event held in Amsterdam. Originally aimed at purely the technical broadcasting industry, IBC (International Broadcast Convention) a...

Submitted by Beth Zarkhosh

Published 01 October 2015

No broadcast without flawless communication

Issue 105 - September 2015 Reliable and fail-safe communications for the broadcast of live events are more important than ever. On site, broadcasters only have one chance to grab the perfect image for the viewer with time being a crucial factor. The larger the event, the more viewers it reaches and the higher the risk that something could go wrong....

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 October 2015

Talking Steadicam and Exovest

by David Crute Issue 105 - September 2015 Q: When did you first get into using Steadicam?There were only about 10 UK Steadicam operators when I started, and very few that owned a rig. It was a massive investment for me as a young cameraman. The reason I did it was very simply that I found myself in this unusual position of doing both film and video...

Submitted by David Crute

Published 01 October 2015

How HEVC technology is revolutionizing field-based broadc...

by Eli Garten Issue 103 - July 2015 High-Efficiency Video Encoding (HEVC), also known as H.265, is the subsequent generation of H.264 and tapped to be the next widely adopted standard for video compression. As with any MPEG evolution, the new standards goal is to make compression more efficient and allow for reducing OPEX and CAPEX in various video...

Submitted by Eli Garten

Published 01 August 2015

UHD: a long road travelled

by Julian Fernandez Issue 103 - July 2015 Theres no denying it, Ultra HD (UHD) is impressive and the clarity of image is captivating, but its going to take a while for UHD to become mainstream in the home. A fairly expensive large screen TV is a must to get the best picture quality and since the majority of the world isnt yet watching television in...

Submitted by Julian Fernandez

Published 01 August 2015

Cautionary notes from GTC Member number 001

by Dick Hibberd Issue 101 - May 2015 Recently I was invited to be on the panel of judges charged with selecting the winners of the 2014 \'Bill Vinten GTC University Awards\'. This was just the second year of this excellent scheme and, if the submissions from universities increase annually pro rata, then we will soon have a major logistics problem i...

Submitted by Dick Hibberd

Published 01 June 2015

Digital media services need more than just standard prote...

by Simen Frostad Issue 101 - May 2015 Standards are conceived in abstract. They are set up and negotiated between interested parties in a process that can last several years, with each party to the negotiations pressing its own case, and the standard that emerges at the conclusion is usually compromised in some way. At worst it can simply be a lowe...

Submitted by Simen Frostad

Published 01 June 2015

Rise of the drones

by Jeremy Braben Issue 100 - April 2015 Drones are taking TV and film productions where they have never gone before. But how can they be used to best effect, what challenges do they present and will they replace helicopters in aerial filming? Jeremy Braben of Helicopter Film Services (HFS) has some of the answers... The recent explosion of unmanned...

Submitted by Jeremy Braben

Published 01 May 2015