KitPlus | Articles

Back to Basics with Media Transformation

by Craig Newbury Issue 90 - June 2014 With their shift toward use of file-based digital audio and video, rather than tape- or film-based media, broadcasters and other media companies have moved into a world that demands some familiarity with the concept of media compression. Because the video and audio captured by cameras and microphones often resu...

Submitted by Craig Newbury

Published 01 July 2014

Disaster Recovery the broadcast emergancy service

by Lee Sheppard & Paul Moran Issue 90 - June 2014 Weve all heard the phrase Disaster Recovery (DR), but what does it actually mean for broadcasters and content owners, and what constitutes a disaster?DR is a broad term that encompasses a range of scenarios, from catastrophic disaster (for instance, the complete destruction of a whole facility), to...

Submitted by Lee Sheppard

Published 01 July 2014

Ask the experts: the future for media archives

by Stefano Cavaglieri Issue 89 - May 2014 Semantic linking is a term coined by Tim Berners-Lee and used to describe a framework of syntax that allows computers to understand complex statements of the kind humans are able to deal with easily. If all the information online were to be accessible through semantic linking, computers would be able to mak...

Submitted by Stefano Cavaglieri#

Published 01 June 2014

Does lack of training produce inaudible sound

by John Barlow Issue 89 - May 2014 Jamaica Inn just happens to be the latest example of a mainstream TV drama production being broadcast with inaudible dialogue. The reasons vary from production to production but the end result is always an enormous waste of both acting and technical talent along with immense swathes of production budgets. Was it a...

Submitted by John Barlow

Published 01 June 2014

Problems and solutions in audio

by Mike Law Issue 89 - May 2014 BCD Audio is a UK manufacturing and design company specialising in audio products for the global broadcast and professional market. Mike Law is company managing director and also head of design. He is a member of the IET and the AES. He presents here several case studies to illustrate how the company has been able to...

Submitted by Mike Law#

Published 01 June 2014

4K at NAB

by Bob Pank Issue 89 - May 2014 The long term NAB veterans will be well aware of just how quickly new technologies can come and go in the television industry. For instance, only a couple of years ago, 3D was still the hot topic, now it has gone quiet, but not altogether gone away. So it is good to report that 4K had another very good NAB, probably...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 June 2014

Object of desire

by Will Strauss Issue 89 - May 2014 If NAB is a decent yardstick, 2014 is all about 4k and why, when and how it might become a mainstream TV proposition. But in amongst all this pixel counting and discussion about higher frame rates, there is a subject that often gets forgotten but definitely deserves a mention, one that is closely linked to the in...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 June 2014

Ask the experts: Life behind the rate card

by Mike Ransome Issue 88 - April 2014 From time to time, most people in broadcast and production need to rent in some equipment. It might be to extend capabilities an extra camera channel, for example or it might be to bring in something you do not normally use, like an EVS server, for instance. Now picking a dry hire company sounds awfully simple....

Submitted by Mike Ransome

Published 01 May 2014

Shooting in secret

by Kieron Seth Issue 88 - April 2014 Now showing on Channel 4 is Endemols new and highly popular Secret Eaters series. Based round a fixed rig production, the series uses newly developed mobile fixed rig technology and incorporates a number of recently introduced technical innovations, vital for fast turn-around TV. Secret Eaters is one of a string...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 May 2014

From the edge of nowhere to the centre of everywhere

by Joe Fulford Issue 88 - April 2014 Getting your images back to a studio for broadcast can be done in many ways. Getting the tapes or cards back to the studio will take however long it takes a dispatch rider to get there, and sometimes its just not possible to get a motorcycle out to your location. You can transfer the files via FTP from another l...

Submitted by Joe Fulford

Published 01 May 2014

Where no satellite truck has gone before

by Bogdan Frusina Issue 87 - March 2014 For several weeks last year, the world was focused on Rome. Broadcasters from around the world converged on the city to cover the events surrounding the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the selection of his successor. Existing cellular towers were overwhelmed with traffic on the key celebration days, when...

Submitted by Bogdan Frusina

Published 01 April 2014

4K Streaming and the Future of 8K

by Keith Wymbs Issue 87 - March 2014 There is little doubt that 4K and Ultra HD video will take hold over the next three years. These higher-resolution video types are a genuine advance from traditional HD and they likely will progress more quickly than their HD predecessor given the solid digital foundation now in place and advances such as high-e...

Submitted by Keith Wymbs

Published 01 April 2014

Cutting the cord

by Will Strauss Issue 87 - March 2014 Wireless cameras are not new. In fact, they date back to the 1970s. But its only been in the last ten years that this technology has really blossomed, with engineers working out how to adapt the digital terrestrial transmission technology so that it can be used efficiently for programme-making. From that tippin...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 April 2014

Ask the Experts: Wireless microphone systems for cameras

by Tobias von Allwrden Issue 86 - February 2014 Wireless microphone systems for cameras are used by ENG crews and reporting teams as well as for TV and film shootings, where compact size, low weight and unobtrusive miking are particularly important. A professional camera receiver like the EK 3241 is designed according to the Unislot or Sony standar...

Submitted by Tobias von Allworden

Published 01 March 2014

The ethos behind TallyHo wireless rally system

by Andy Slightam Issue 86 - February 2014 Having spent the last 30 years working in broadcast television and live event production in a variety of technical roles it has become plainly obvious over the last few years that we have lost some of the benefits working with the traditional PPUs with OCPs and CCUs. There are so many small HD and SDI visio...

Submitted by Andy Slightam

Published 01 March 2014