KitPlus | Articles

Cloud integration: The only way is up

In 2017 we saw the introduction of SMPTE 2110 and since then, the transition to IP has emerged as a priority for broadcasters looking to streamline their operations, decrease their footprint and effectively integrate with an industry in a rapid state of flux. A 2020 survey by Devoncroft found that almost 20% of broadcasters had already deployed SMP...

Submitted by Francois Vaillant

Published 12 January 2022

The Cloud - a measured approach

With the buzz of ‘cloud’ everywhere in our industry it would be natural to think that cloud is the only game in town. Isn’t it time to step back and consider very carefully how, or whether, you make that journey to the cloud?The pandemic has been front and centre in our minds for close to two years now. Overnight, facilities had to either shut down...

Submitted by Ciaran Doran

Published 07 December 2021

REVIEW - Hollyland MARS 400S PRO Digital Wireless Transmi...

HOLLYLAND MARS 400S PRODigital Wireless Video Transmission SystemBuilt by Hollyland and costing around £600 the Mars 400S is an easy-to-use wireless video transmitter/receiver system – it will be right up the alley of anyone who, like me, considers an instruction manual to be nothing more than box padding. The body is made of metal as opposed to...

Submitted by Phil Vinter

Published 12 February 2021

HOLLYLAND LARK 150 Review

HOLLYLAND Lark 150 reviewThe exponential growth of video supercharged a technological revolution that began in the early noughties with the advent of DSLR cameras. The cinematic-style shallow depth of field image video quality from DSLRs was a revelation, but, back then audio was the big drawback. As demand has grown so the technology has improve...

Submitted by Phil Vinter

Published 05 February 2021

How to successfully buy AV and Broadcast Equipment at Auc...

How to successfully buy AV and Broadcast Equipment at Auction Perhaps you wouldn't expect an auctioneer to tell you this - but yes, there are risks to buying equipment at auction; just probably not the risks that you think. Some people may dismiss buying at auction out of hand based on experiences they or friends or colleagues have had. As auctione...

Submitted by Dan Main

Published 19 January 2021

ERA IaaS at University of Salford

Seagate Storage Arrays form basis of ERA designed Storage, Edit Management and MAM system for the University of Salford's media and production coursesBACKGROUNDThe University of Salford (UoS) is widely recognised in both academic and professional circles as a leading educational establishment in acoustics and media production. In 2011 the Universit...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 21 December 2020

ITN using Densitron Intelligent Display System across mul...

Currently marking its 65th anniversary, Independent Television News (ITN) is one of the UK’s most prominent and respected television production companies. Although it has increasingly diversified into producing content such as documentaries and sports programmes, news and current affairs remain the bedrock of its output. From its broadcast centre o...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 16 December 2020

Using Modern Technology at Envy Provides a View into the...

As Jai Cave, ENVY’s technical operations director put it, “in a way, we are the cloud to our customers and partners.”ENVY’s use of modern technology, including remote edit capabilities and their expansive use of Signiant Media Shuttle, enables them to collaborate with customers and partners around the world, and made the transition to remote work d...

Submitted by Michael Darer

Published 09 December 2020

How to engage students with live projects

For many employers, how and what we teach at university is sometimes considered to be very mysterious. The responsibility for creating the structure and content within the curriculum is the responsibility of academics. In my experience, the best method for making sure that students and staff are kept up to date with current working practices is to...

Submitted by Martin Andrews

Published 26 March 2020

State of the Nation and Virtual Social Distancing

Under normal circumstances, I usually make my plans for NAB in November time. It’s when the airlines tend to have sales. This year, for personal reasons, I did not get around to booking back then, and it was only at the end of February that I could start thinking about it. Well, the airline sales had long gone, and I was faced with the prospect of...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs - new

Published 26 March 2020

CLASS Is Remote Cloud Working the New Norm

Mr MXF thinks… all the signs would tell me yes. The Tuk-tuk driver has just dropped us off at the hotel in Jaipur. The guard has let us through the gates, past the dogs and the obligatory cow rummaging in the garbage. We wash our hands, head for the bar and before the first Kingfisher beer arrives, I am connected to the virtual Mr MXF compute kingd...

Submitted by Bruce Devlin - new

Published 26 March 2020

An Argument for the Z Cam

Z Cam first dipped their toes into the cinema camera market back at NAB 2018 with the release of the E2 and since then they have proven themselves as one of the go-to camera manufacturers for affordable and unique camera solutions. Their family of cinema cameras has since evolved into a set of 6. Their entry-level E2C is a Micro Four Thirds camera...

Submitted by Jake Ratcliffe

Published 26 March 2020

Why Renting is the New Buying

To rent or to buy? This has long been a topic of debate in the world of property, with people having to choose between spending virtually all of their money up front or giving their money away each month with little chance of seeing a return. How does this apply to the media and entertainment sector? Well, the need to constantly evolve to stay ahea...

Submitted by Ed Tischler

Published 26 March 2020

The Importance of Audio Production Systems

Large-scale entertainment programming presents a unique set of challenges for broadcasters. Often extremely high-profile keystones of a broadcaster’s schedule and increasingly billed as live ‘event television’, as well as delivering the very best audio quality they demand a huge degree of flexibility and agility in terms of their production. With m...

Submitted by Tom Knowles

Published 26 March 2020

The Business Case for Hybrid TV and AI

Video on demand (VOD) and OTT live services have come a long way since their introduction and, rather than solely competing with traditional broadcasting, they are becoming more important than ever in helping to keep broadcast TV networks popular, in particular when combining TV broadcasting with online TV into Hybrid TV models, thanks to convergen...

Submitted by Oliver Botti

Published 26 March 2020