KitPlus | Articles

Get the 8k WOW factor at NAB

by Bob Pank Issue 88 - April 2014 Once again 4K will be a prominent feature at NAB. There will be a 4K Zone in the North Hall but surely the format is now so popular that its many supporters will make it 4K everywhere and not confined to a dedicated zone. But 4K is only a part of UHD, the other being 8K, which has far more wow factor (why else go t...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

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 frontline to the finish line

by Paul Sargeant Issue 88 - April 2014 Dakar Rally: Frontline to Finish Line first hit our screens on 16th April 2013. It followed the exciting journey of a team of seriously injured servicemen from Britain and the US as they took on the worlds toughest rally. The Dakar Rally is the ultimate test of man and machine versus the elements as drivers ra...

Submitted by Paul Sargeant#

Published 01 May 2014

A splunking in the thames

by Andrew Morris Issue 88 - April 2014 Betsy boo is my 3 year old daughter. She is Amazing, Unique, Talented, Individual, Sensitive, Thoughtful, Indestructible, Cool. She is also AUTISTIC. To be honest we didnt know what autism was and are still learning; it is a problem within the brain; it happens when kids are born, and is often not picked up un...

Submitted by Andrew Morris

Published 01 May 2014

When the going gets tough

by Will Strauss Issue 88 - April 2014 When working in the field, the kit we use has to withstand a fair old battering. And Im not just talking about the cameras, viewfinders and those expensive lenses. While glass still needs protecting, these days so does your laptop, your storage, your memory cards: the lot. They all need bags, cases and toughene...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 May 2014

Mildred: The next generation of OB vans

by Kate Phibbs Issue 87 - March 2014 As live streaming occupies an ever-increasing piece of the broadcast industry pie, todays leaders of the online broadcasting industry are paving the way by investing in original and status quo challenging research and development. The team of engineers at industry leader, 3xScreen Media, kept these principles of...

Submitted by Kate Phibbs

Published 01 April 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

Todays media business needs SaaS

by Barrett Coakley Issue 87 - March 2014 In the field of media production, TV and broadcast organisations have yet to fully realise the benefits of Software as a Service (SaaS) especially as part of their day-to-day operations. However, there is no reason media professionals should have to settle for using outmoded or inefficient technology to get...

Submitted by Barrett Coakley

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

4k testing in todays world

by Adam Schadle Issue 86 - February 2014 1. With the need to ingest and process video from a number of sources, broadcasters are faced with a multifaceted need to handle all types of formats including 4K. What is your multi-resolution strategy?With the emergence of new compression standards such as High-Efficiency Video Compression (HEVC), which of...

Submitted by Adam Schadle

Published 01 March 2014

How to work without batteries

by Julian Hiorns Issue 86 - February 2014 Camera and monitor batteries - what\'s not to like? They\'re portable, rechargeable and easy to use. Well, actually, there are some drawbacks. Batteries can be heavy, expensive to replace and difficult and costly to travel with, as airline passengers know all too well. This last issue has become particularl...

Submitted by Julian Hiorns

Published 01 March 2014

Disaster Recovery with Peter Savage

by Peter Savage Issue 86 - February 2014 Disaster recovery planning was, on the morning of Sunday 9th February, as far from my mind as was winning the figure-skating gold medal at Sochi. I recall my Rothschild days when we employed one guy whose job was almost totally devoted to what if strategic thinking and preparation. However, Azule is a small...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 March 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

Training the next generation

by Dick Hobbs Issue 86 - February 2014 At the end of January a new body the Institute for Training in Television Production (ITTP) held its first conference, organised by the publishers of TV-Bay magazine and chaired by former broadcaster Roz Morris, MD of TV News London Ltd. A packed room debated sometimes hotly the issues. Chair of ITTP is freela...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 March 2014

How the cloud is changing the post production landscape

by Stephen Streater Issue 85 - January 2014 For many years, the pace of change in mass market IT has dwarfed that of broadcast technology. For example, consumer cameraphone resolution has increased over the last ten years by 30,000%. In comparison, broadcast resolution hasn\'t changed significantly. The development costs of consumer cameras are amo...

Submitted by Stephen Streater

Published 01 February 2014