KitPlus | Articles

Ask the experts with TMD looking at LTFS

by Tony TaylorIssue 80 - August 2013 Not another acronym! What is LTFS?LTFS stands for Linear Tape File System. It is a file system for data archives, developed by IBM but published as an open standard and now widely adopted by all the leading vendors of large-scale data archiving. If it is a data product, why am I reading about it in a broadcast m...

Submitted by Tony Taylor

Published 01 September 2013

Product Spotlight: Black Box range from BCD Audio

Accessible Audio Measurement and Quality Control using the Black Box range from BCD Audio. By Mike Law, MD of BCD Audio, SloughThe BCD Audio black box range includes three units intended for Digital Audio measurement. Primarily intended for use at installation time, they are also useful in checking out the audio side of a TV installation. The DTG-1...

Submitted by Mike Law#

Published 01 August 2013

NyeTec: Company spotlight

Issue 79 - July 2013 Established for 10 years, NyeTec is a growing family run company. We believe traditional service and support of our clients is paramount. Terry Nye, as MD of the company, has over 30 years experience in Television, building on a solid foundation at the IBA, and having installed several of worlds first Digital Head Ends. NyeTec...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 August 2013

A guide to DTV transport stream monitoring

by Ralph BachofenIssue 79 - July 2013 Delivering a high quality of service (QoS) is critical in the broadcast world, as it greatly impacts viewer satisfaction and a broadcasters revenue streams. However, the television environment is becoming increasingly more complex, as stations transition to digital and add next-generation OTT or hybrid TV servi...

Submitted by Ralph Bachofen

Published 01 August 2013

Why test and measurement is for real life, not just for e...

by Will StraussIssue 79 - July 2013 Thanks to its long-standing association with virtually incomprehensible acronyms, dark machine rooms and (lets face it) engineers with unruly beards, the subject of Test and Measurement (T&M) always gets a bit of bum rap. Yet, for all the pre-conceptions, it is a hugely important part of the production and broadc...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 August 2013

Generic vs. name brand: Portable power solutions

Ask the Experts: Generic vs. Name Brand – How to Differentiate Portable Power SolutionsIn today’s marketplace, there seems to be a disparity in cost when it comes to batteries. What should the professional consider when purchasing new batteries? There are three key considerations: What value do I place on reliability—is my reputation at stake? Seco...

Submitted by Martyn Sly-Jex

Published 01 July 2013

Continuous power in the field

When on location whether in the depths of a jungle with reduced access to power or in a city centre with limited charging opportunities then good consideration to your kit bag is needed to remove those power hungry devices that could leave you running short for the final big shot of the day!The benefits of field recorders are well known, often doub...

Submitted by Raymond Burns

Published 01 July 2013

The Teradek Bolt reviewed

The location is a small busy working kitchen of a top London restaurant; the chef and kitchen staff have enough on their plate (!) without having to worry about avoiding cables and bumping into members of the crew filming them go about their business. The soundman is able to keep himself out of the way, not causing trip hazards with cables and the...

Submitted by Jon Boast

Published 01 July 2013

The evolution of camera connectivity and the HPX600

Tape in, tape out. Cable in, video out. Card in, card out. Simpler times: productions orchestrated by an army of runners, tape op’s and engineers, with transmission to TV, ingest via a VTR and a room dedicated to storing media. Today’s production team has changed. It’s become a small elite squad, tasked with multi-channel playout, multi-resolution...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 July 2013

Intelligent linking - answering some key power questions

with Steve EmmettWhat makes a safe Li-Ion Battery?Recently, the Boeing Dreamliner story has added to the perception of the Li-Ion battery as a potentially dangerous item. However, the reality is that Li-Ion batteries are a safe and robust source of portable power, when they are designed and constructed by a recognised battery manufacturer that has...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 July 2013

Does size matter? with Polecam

It’s simple. Horses for Courses! ScenarioWhen shooting Anything, Anywhere, there is always a trade between budget, performance, manpower, speed and space – the production company and client will inevitably want quite simply “the best they can get and at the best price”. However when the application and location of the shoot dictate over and above t...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 July 2013

Product update with Swit - travel safe power solutions

Swit Electronics is a high-tech enterprise that manufacture power solutions and accessories for the professional broadcast and video industry. Products include batteries and chargers, on-camera lights, monitors and more. Swit design and manufacture their products to the smallest detail and therefore the end result is a high performing, high quality...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 July 2013

Changing the art of Chroma Key

ChromaKey technology has been used for decades in TV and film studios to composite images or footage into a shot using green and blue screen backdrops. Although used on multi-million dollar movies, such as AVATAR and used all around the world in News rooms, conventional ‘Fabric’ ChromaKey technology requires Kilowatts of lighting, hours of setup ti...

Submitted by Rod Aaron Gammons

Published 01 June 2013

Sony UWP series microphone review

It’s all well and good having a beautifully lit and well framed and focused shot, but if the sound is rubbish then you might as well throw the footage in the bin. Sound is as important as the quality of the video image. This is especially true when interviewing someone or recording a corporate presentation. Here the message is the key reason that t...

Submitted by Jon Pratchett

Published 01 June 2013

Jon Pratchett reviews the Matrox VS4 Capture Card

On many occasions it has been necessary to record ISO footage from the camera's on a multi camera live streaming job, normally just so we have that backup and can do any re-edits if needed. However it relies on either the camera operator having to remember to load the camera with storage media and then of course HIT RECORD!! In the heat of a live e...

Submitted by Jon Pratchett

Published 01 May 2013