KitPlus | Articles

The IP revolution in television is only the beginning

by Simen Frostad Issue 103 - July 2015 The fundamental change brought about by the delivery of video content via IP is perhaps the most significant development in the history of televised entertainment because it allows the viewer for the first time to shape the viewing experience. Time, in the sense of the linear delivery of channels, is dissolved...

Submitted by Simen Frostad

Published 01 August 2015

Back to the future

by Dick Hobbs Issue 103 - July 2015 I was recently talking to the estimable James Gilbert, who runs the equally estimable graphics and automation specialist Pixel Power. He said something that made me think. We were talking about scalability, and he said that it works in two directions. There is the sort of scalability that we all readily understan...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 August 2015

The importance of storage

by Larry Jordan Issue 102 - June 2015 "What\'s the best computer to edit video?\" It\'s a great question - it\'s just the wrong question. Yes, CPU speed is important and the Internet is buzzing with the latest specs on GPUs. But, today, virtually any currently shipping computer is more than adequate to edit video; even 4K. The critical component th...

Submitted by Larry Jordan#

Published 01 July 2015

Those pesky scientists

by Dick Hobbs Issue 102 - June 2015 This month\'s picture is of something I was given on a visit to the Grass Valley camera factory in Breda, maybe 10 years ago. I think it is a thing of beauty, which is why it sits in pride of place on top of the wine cabinet. It is the sharp end an HD system camera: the optical block and a CCD imager. We saw in t...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 July 2015

A box of delights

by Dick Hobbs Issue 101 - May 2015 In the immediate aftermath of NAB and its bombardment by new gizmos, I want to talk about Professor Noriaki Kano. In the 1980s, at the Tokyo University of Science, he came up with a simple model of product design for customer satisfaction. His original work was more complicated than this diagram, but fundamentally...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 June 2015

Finding the Oracle of audio capture

by Simon Tillyer Issue 101 - May 2015 With over 300 hours of YouTube video uploaded every 60 seconds it\'s not hard to understand why any manufacturer would be looking closely at the new generation of emerging filmmakers whether they be in the consumer (creating content for "fun") or prosumer (creating content for a fee) markets. You might however...

Submitted by Simon Tillyer

Published 01 June 2015

A wide spectrum of choice

by Andy Clements Issue 101 - May 2015 Without microphones, in-ear monitors (IEMs), intercom and distribution systems based on wireless technology, many of today\'s large-scale television studios, outside broadcast and film productions would be very difficult, if not impossible, to stage. Wireless solutions provide convenience and, in the main, grea...

Submitted by Andy Clements

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

REDucation - Real world RED camera training

by Ben Sherriff Issue 101 - May 2015 Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th March saw the REDucation training workshop arrive in London at the Met Film School in Ealing Studios West London. I\'ve used a Red One but have yet to work on a shoot where I can get my hands dirty with the newer cameras they manufacture (Epic-X, Scarlet, Dragon and now Weapon). Whe...

Submitted by Ben Sherriff

Published 01 June 2015

Is it my eyes, is it in focus?

by Graham Reed Issue 100 - April 2015 Is it me or as I get older, and my eyes not as good as they were, are viewfinders getting smaller and less sharp?When I started as a cameraman the cameras were large (EMI 2001\'s) as were the viewfinders. They were large format cameras with a 30mm 4x3 sensors and the normal aperture was f 3.5, so a shallow dept...

Submitted by graham reed

Published 01 May 2015

Ten years is a long time...

by Peter Savage Issue 100 - April 2015 Ten years is a long time and 100 editions is a major milestone. I happily look back to the spring of 2005 as this was the start of my second life, much as it was for the team at tv-bay - a coincidence of dates which is probably why we have had such a long writing partnership. Matt and Simon were starting out o...

Submitted by Dylan Ellcome

Published 01 May 2015

Capturing the action : Ocean Communications

Issue 99 - March 2015The dream of any reporter is to be on the scene when a story breaks and the action and drama unfold. This happens to only a select few. Even fewer find themselves right in the middle of events as they happen. Brian Carlin knew he\'d be getting good material reporting from onboard a boat competing in the Volvo Ocean Race, but no...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 April 2015

Ask the experts: Batteries

by Kieran Foster Issue 98 - February 2015 1. What steps has the battery industry taken to make their products more environmentally friendly? Is there any more that can be done? In our industry, the best way to tackle any environmental issues is to focus on the efficiency of the battery. Maximum product life is part of the design philosophy of Anton...

Submitted by Kieran Foster

Published 01 March 2015

Kit Protection - the professionals choice

Issue 98 - February 2015More than 30 years of product development has ensured Peli Cases are the market leader in essential protection for broadcast and photographic equipment. Offering watertight, dustproof and crushproof security, Peli cases are backed by legendary "You break it, we replace it\" lifetime guarantee. Professionals choose Peli cases...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 March 2015

Walking into manufacturing with a Dedleg

by Paul Zanders Issue 98 - February 2015 I\'ve been a freelance recordist since 1999. I\'ve been lucky enough to be busy, working with many crews on some major shows like The Apprentice, Masterchef, X Factor, Top Gear, and many documentaries and corporate videos. I\'ve worked with some great cameramen and some fantastic sound recordists. I enjoy wh...

Submitted by Paul Zanders

Published 01 March 2015