KitPlus | Articles

Meeting standards in 3D

It has been said that poor quality stereoscopic TV will ‘poison the water’ for everyone. This was because in the past 3D was made to quite poor and uncontrolled production and delivery standards. But since BSkyB’s “Technical Guidelines for Plano Stereoscopic 3D Programme Content” were published over two years ago programme makers have had specific...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 January 2013

Ubiquitous Cloud at IBC

It was one of those IBCs that was more consolidation than innovation. There wasn’t any one product or technology that stood out as a game changer. There was more evidence of 4K being pushed as a more realistic alternative to 8K and more of the must-have 84-inch 4K TV screens. Well they do look fabulous but I still had to go and see NHK’s 85-inch SH...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 November 2012

The social geek

Today I want to consider this Venn diagram. It has been widely circulated on the internet: it appears to have been created by the Californian producer and publisher Scott Beale in 2009. It is a laudable attempt to differentiate between nerds, geeks, dweebs and dorks. You may feel that, given all the other pressures on our busy lives, time spent det...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 November 2012

The semantic web made simple

There is a new term creeping in to discussions in the broadcasting business, and particularly around those involved in asset management and research projects. The term is “semantic web” and, I suspect, there are a lot of people who are neither completely sure they know what it means, nor trust its relevance in our business. I aim to provide some si...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 November 2012

Pushing remote broadcast boundaries

Film and TV coverage as varied as the London 2012 Olympics and the BBC’s Springwatch are raising the bar where viewer expectations are concerned. Bradley Engineering (BradEng) is a remote camera technology pioneer that has been at the forefront of meeting these expectations. TV Bay spoke to Bradley Engineering founder, David Bradley, about the late...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 October 2012

OTT Monitoring: keeping it simple and useful

IntroductionOTT is generally understood to mean a technique where the transmission of video to the subscriber is based on the same underlying methods as those currently being used to serve out web pages on the internet today. The Over-the-Top name refers to the potential of this technology for bypassing existing traditional television distribution...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 October 2012

Gold all round

In my ramblings in the January edition of TV-Bay, I offered some predictions for the year, which included the following:“Television coverage of the Olympics and Paralympics will be extraordinary, capturing all the skill and dedication, elation and heartbreak of the world’s finest athletes. But somewhere in 29 days of intensive, multi-channel broadc...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 October 2012

CHASING THE OLYMPIC DREAM

When the reverse happens it proves that old adage … that more of the same is often the best strategy, says Peter Savage. As the Olympics are over, and as it will soon be the end of the Paralympics, it is time to summarise the effects the Games have had on the country. The feel-good factor has been astonishingly high bringing with it a new – or, rat...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 October 2012

Extensive, flawless and enjoyed by millions

Due to the multiple locations of the London Games, coverage was inevitably going to a be a challenge, with locations throughout London and the South; some of them specifically designed and created for the events such as the main Stadium, Velodrome and Aquatics Centre, whilst clever forward thinking meant that existing famous landmarks such as Horse...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 October 2012

An Epic Journey for the Summer Games

With the abundance of international sporting events taking place this summer, broadcast technologies and logistics are being put to the test across the board. Beyond the typical coordination and on site expertise required for broadcasts, many companies face not only longer engagements but aggressive turnaround times and long travel distances betwee...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 September 2012

Summer of 3D

Having put 3D to one side for a few months it was very interesting to jump back into the third dimension. With 3D not making the headlines much, if at all, you might be lulled into thinking it has faded away, but that’s not the case. Many events are being shot in 3D, including the Olympics and, although there has been nothing happening that could b...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 September 2012

SPORT GB AND IBC 2012

Peter Savage has sobering thoughts about the Olympics and Paralympics while looking forward to a beer or two at IBCWell, we will soon come to the end of a summer that has been completely sports-dominated. I like sport. In fact, I could be classed as almost sport-obsessed. However, even I will soon breathe a sigh of relief knowing that, no matter wh...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 September 2012

Issues facing broadcasters of outdoor sporting events

Keeping Cool under PressureOne of the major issues facing Broadcasters using temporary structures for major sporting events is keeping the studios cool and quiet enough for presenters to work comfortably and effectively under the host of lights. Keeping cool often involved the use of air conditioning which historically would be turned off when film...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 September 2012

Who wouldnt consider a career in Live sports?

There are many diverse things in this industry which give me a buzz but I think that live sports coverage is probably pretty near the top of the pile. With a 17yr old son considering his career options I thought it time to introduce him to the world of live sports and SIS LIVE were kind enough to give us a quick tour behind the scenes on the second...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 September 2012

Will 2012 be remembered as the first year of complete dig...

The BBC claims that London 2012 will be the first truly digital games, as the public service broadcaster delivers unprecedented coverage across multiples platforms and allowing audiences to watch every single event live. Of course it wasn’t just the Olympics this year, the BBC and ITV succeeded in dusting off the country’s football aspirations once...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 September 2012