KitPlus | Articles

Production Communications in a Shrinking World

Communications today is a critical issueno matter if you are producing broadcast television, doing a live festival or rock concert outdoors, setting up a musical on the West End, or producing a local school play. Over the last few years, the proliferation of cell phones and other wireless devices has made it clear that most people prefer to communi...

Submitted by Gary Rosen

Published 19 October 2017

The party is not over until the video is online

When we were introduced to the team behind Sensation dance events in Amsterdam they had one big question for Timecode Systems: could our SyncBac VR wireless sync and control solution theoretically make it possible for a high quality, professional 360-degree video of a live dance music event to be edited in the time it takes the DJ to fly to his or...

Submitted by Paul Scurrell

Published 19 October 2017

A 360 degree view of fashion

Im often asked, what do you do when the students arent around?, and the simple answer is, as it would be from any university technical support member of staff, I get involved in passion projects and these help me to stay up-to-date with the kit and keep my hand-in with video filmmaking. So, in April this year the Faculty of Creative and Cultural In...

Submitted by Michael Parsons

Published 19 October 2017

Strays - Telling a dark tale

Independent filmmaker, Aaron Dunleavy, has used the backdrop of his hometown, Blackburn, to create a new short film as part of Channel 4 and Arts Council Englands Random Acts programme. The initiative - delivered by Tyneside Cinema (Newcastle), HOME (Manchester), and True North Productions (Leeds) - commissions bold, innovative expressions of creat...

Submitted by Aaron Dunleavy

Published 19 October 2017

Immersive Audio

In 2012, the Oculus Rift Kickstarter campaign burst onto the scene, initiating a new wave of public interest in sense-enveloping immersive experiences. 5 years later, the consumer reality is mixed with some very public let-downs like Google Glass (which is coincidentally enjoying a re-birth at the time of writing, now as a technical tool in the wor...

Submitted by Jon Schorah - new

Published 19 October 2017

Peace of mind in a complicated world

For many in the broadcast industry these are challenging times. With competition coming from all angles and different technological camps advocating different approaches to infrastructure and the way forwards. With the number of different variables increasing, the choices of whether to use SDI or IP infrastructures, and the choices around HDR and W...

Submitted by Alan Wheable

Published 19 October 2017

Back to Basics with IP Video Production

Its difficult to attend an industry tradeshow or read a publication without seeing discussions about the technological changes that will impact the broadcast market in upcoming years. These changes include 4K/UHDTV, High Dynamic Range and High Frame Rate video but the transition to an all IP video workflow is regarded as a disruptive technology cha...

Submitted by Michael Waidson

Published 19 October 2017

Managing colour from aquisition to delivery

Start with calibration The right colour management process can be the difference between being certain of what the end results are going to be, and having to spend time fixing things in post production. When we talk about colour management whether it is for photography or video it has got to start with calibrated monitors. Many people think about...

Submitted by Ollie Kenchington

Published 19 October 2017

Boradcast playout on-site and in the cloud

Broadcasters come in many shapes and sizes, each with their own unique set of ambitions and their own preferred route to success. Some are happy to innovate, particularly if it increases staff efficiency or reduces operating costs. Others prefer to let their competitors do the innovating and then follow whatever path appears to work best. Thus the...

Submitted by Don Ash

Published 19 October 2017

Cellular, Satellite or Fixed Link - how do you choose

Having a choice is a good thing. Take apples, for example. While one may look pretty much the same as the next, we know that the subtle differences between varieties can make a huge difference in how we choose to use them some are best for pies, some better for cider, and others just perfect for eating from the tree. Similarly, the subtleties betwe...

Submitted by Lorna Garrett

Published 19 October 2017

The importance of storage

In recent years, viewing habits have shifted dramatically; online video is becoming the preferred option for the younger generation. But its not just millennials who are cutting the cord with broadcasters and traditional platforms increasing numbers of people from all age groups are abandoning cable and instead enjoying TV online. In response to th...

Submitted by Jonathan Smith

Published 19 October 2017

Ad servers and switching solutions

i Hardware-based ad servers and switching solutions have been around for a long time and, broadly speaking, do the job just fine. That said, after a number of meetings before and during NAB 2017, what I found is that a lot of people are looking to replace components of their hardware-based ad servers, the switching function being chief among them....

Submitted by Peter Blanchford

Published 07 September 2017

Implementing an IP workflow

i The eventual move to incorporate IP into your infrastructures is an inevitability. However, with justified concerns about interoperability and uncertainty about which vendors are best placed to help organisations achieve their IP media networking and content delivery goals, is it any wonder there is hesitation about moving forward? Broadcasters v...

Submitted by John Smith -new

Published 07 September 2017

Monetizing OTT

i Competition in the TV arena is hotting-up for traditional broadcasters with even ESPN, a strong-hold of sports TV, seeing a reduction in subscriptions with the number of American homes paying to get the service declining by more than 12m since 2011. With Mintel reporting that the subscription video streaming market in the UK is due to exceed reve...

Submitted by Oliver Botti

Published 07 September 2017

Canon CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 Review

i The Canon Cine range of lenses have been around for quite a few years now. The CN-E Cinema Prime lenses became an early alternative to using PL adaptors or the Zeiss Compact Prime lenses. Other than that the choice was rehoused stills lenses or maybe if you were lucky a set of Zeiss super speeds. The cine lens set became a cost effective offering...

Submitted by Ben Sherriff

Published 07 September 2017