KitPlus | Articles

Dick Hobbs questions how it got to be 2014 so soon?

by Dick Hobbs Issue 85 - January 2014 As we get ourselves ready to launch in to the new year, I have a few thoughts to share with you. The first is prompted by a press release which landed in my inbox back in December. IBM to acquire Aspera was the headline. Aspera is a business started by a fearsomely clever mathematician, Michelle Munson. She cam...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 February 2014

The new DPP standard

by Craig Newbury Issue 85 - January 2014 Why and how is the DPP standard significant for broadcasters and other media facilities across the U.K, and beyond? The Digital Production Partnership (DPP) was founded in January 2011 by the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, with representation from Sky, Channel 5, S4/C, UKTV, and BT Sport, to help speed the transit...

Submitted by Craig Newbury

Published 01 February 2014

Dick Hobbs going large

by Dick HobbsIssue 82 - October 2013 First, I would like you to watch a five minute video. You can find it at adayinbigdata.com. Watched it? Good. Yes, I know the girl is intensely irritating no-one in real life is ever that cheery. But it gets over an important point, I think: we generate huge amounts of data which, if we are happy to share it, ca...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 November 2013

Preparing for the future in television and film

by Kieron SethIssue 80 - August 2013 We prepare students for a career in television and film, says Sean Thornton of Anglia Ruskin University. As such, the technology we use has to be real-world and broadcast standard The Media Services team provides equipment to under- and postgraduate students and operates facilities that include TV and photograph...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 September 2013

Powering a richer media experience on set-top boxes

by Achim BosseIssue 80 - August 2013 Todays television viewers are increasingly using the Internet to download, share, and consume media on a variety of devices. Traditionally, DTV and IPTV service providers have relied on DVB MPEG-based technologies to deliver linear television services and IP technologies like multicasting or RTSP for VOD. Howeve...

Submitted by Achim Bosse

Published 01 September 2013

Redefining the archive with Raj Patel

by Raj PatelIssue 80 - August 2013 The entire broadcast workflow has changed dramatically in recent years. Predictably, its been a slow-process. The enormity of transitioning from an analogue to a digital workflow is huge for a variety of reasons - planning, testing, implementation and budget, can mean some installations taking up to two years to c...

Submitted by Raj Patel

Published 01 September 2013

Ask the experts: Content readiness in time-deferred workf...

by Sudeep BoseIssue 79 - July 2013 What are the fundamental considerations that must be addressed to ensure the quality of non-real-time content, whether played out from a broadcasters media server or time-shifted for VOD and other OTT services?When focusing on the actual content itself, rather than the service, network or other components, the key...

Submitted by Sudeep Bose

Published 01 August 2013

A guide to DTV transport stream monitoring

by Ralph BachofenIssue 79 - July 2013 Delivering a high quality of service (QoS) is critical in the broadcast world, as it greatly impacts viewer satisfaction and a broadcasters revenue streams. However, the television environment is becoming increasingly more complex, as stations transition to digital and add next-generation OTT or hybrid TV servi...

Submitted by Ralph Bachofen

Published 01 August 2013

The evolution of camera connectivity and the HPX600

Tape in, tape out. Cable in, video out. Card in, card out. Simpler times: productions orchestrated by an army of runners, tape op’s and engineers, with transmission to TV, ingest via a VTR and a room dedicated to storing media. Today’s production team has changed. It’s become a small elite squad, tasked with multi-channel playout, multi-resolution...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 July 2013

Intelligent linking - answering some key power questions

with Steve EmmettWhat makes a safe Li-Ion Battery?Recently, the Boeing Dreamliner story has added to the perception of the Li-Ion battery as a potentially dangerous item. However, the reality is that Li-Ion batteries are a safe and robust source of portable power, when they are designed and constructed by a recognised battery manufacturer that has...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 July 2013

The greening of broadcast facilities

By Chris Exelby, Managing Director, TSL Professional Products, Ltd. In today’s world of tightening broadcast facility budgets, planners need to keep a keen eye on the bottom line to ensure operational efficiency. An integral part of this process is getting a green handle on power management, an increasing necessity around the globe. Power managemen...

Submitted by Chris Excelby

Published 01 July 2013

Preparing for the future in television and film

“We prepare students for a career in television and film,” says Sean Thornton of Anglia Ruskin University. “As such, the technology we use has to be real-world and broadcast standard.”The Media Services team provides equipment to under- and post-graduate students and operates facilities that include TV and photographic studios, video editing rooms...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 July 2013

Loudness: What happens now if my work is not compliant?

Now that loudness is a mandatory requirement in the United States, Europe, and much of the rest of the world, it’s not so much a question of when organizations will begin to comply, but how?1. Now the standards are in place, what happens now if my work is not compliant?There are varying repercussions for noncompliance, depending where you work and...

Submitted by Jon Schorah

Published 01 June 2013

Exceptional loudness control does not have to break the b...

by Oliver Masciarotte, Director of Customer Experience, Minnetonka Audio SoftwareThe industry is buzzing about loudness control. It is perhaps the most important audio issue facing broadcasters today because governments have mandated change. EBU R128 and other such legislation around the world attempts to provide some level of consistency in percei...

Submitted by Oliver Masciarotte

Published 01 June 2013

Evolving the industry audio monitoring systems

With respect to monitoring, particularly for multiplatform content delivery, how can our facility straddle the divide between baseband and file-based signals?The media industry as a whole is moving toward multiplatform content delivery. This shift includes and affects not only traditional broadcasters and new media outlets, but the content creators...

Submitted by Don Bird

Published 01 June 2013