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HD Camera Measurements and getting the most out of your c...

Recap Parts1 and 2:Parts 1 and 2 covered the theory and actual measurement of white shading, making sure that the camera non-linearities introduced by various different lens systems on a particular camera are compensated. In this issue, Part 3 will investigate setting up colourimetry and exposure as well greyscale adjustments using a waveform monit...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 May 2009

How lenses are made...in Leicester!

How lenses are made...in Leicester!A tour of the factory is a wonderful insight into the production of these instruments. We start with the raw material. With over 100 types of glass to choose from Cooke select a pre moulding depending on the lens model. GrindingWe move into the main building now and are greeted by the industrial sound of machines...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 April 2009

HD Camera Measurements Getting the most out of your camer...

Recap Part 1:In part 1 of this knowledge series we discussed the requirements for making correct white shading measurements in terms of the equipment used. Part 2 now will focus on performing the actual measurements and making sure that we achieve optimum linearity and dynamic range. White shading measurementPower up the camera, waveform monitor an...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 April 2009

HD Camera Measurements and getting the most out of your c...

IntroductionImage quality all starts with the correct alignment of the camera which is used to capture the scene either on location or in the studio. The conversion of light into electrical signals involves many processes which can affect the quality of the image. Understanding these various adjustments that are necessary, using a suitable camera c...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 March 2009

The morality of meltdown

Apologies for breaking away from my usual broadcast-orientated comments but, when looking at the micro of our own world, sometimes big macro economic tsunamis crash in – and can have hugely damaging effects on our own small, flat, micro economic island. I’m writing this over the weekend when the US Congress is deciding whether it should bail out th...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 January 2009

Lighting and Grip.

Lighting and Grip are often spoken as if they are one item, inseparable and complete. However the clue is in the phrase lighting AND grip. So let’s start by separating them. Lighting covers the instruments that provide the light. Grip covers the instruments we use to hold and control the light. LightingThere is a huge range of lights, luminaires, p...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 January 2009

The largest fibre and Ethernet video SAN network in the w...

Out of the Ashes of the old Anglian TV studios EPIC has risen like a phoenix to become not only a major broadcasting hub in Norfolk but to rival traditional studios throughout Europe. With the financial backing of Norfolk County Council and the East of England development agency, EPIC has converted the old TV studios and installed a state of the ar...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 December 2008

Getting the best out of your LCD

Getting the best out of your LCDs?Many people who use CRT picture monitors have found the introduction of LCD displays disappointing. Getting the best out of your LCD may not be as simple as it may seem. With a wide choice of vendors and models all proclaiming broadcast quality, it can be difficult to determine which product is most suitable for yo...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 November 2008

Everything you ever wanted to know about TV lighting Part...

In my last article, I talked about some of the basic technical aspects that we need to think about when we start on the lighting trail. I covered light levels and intensities in relation to lens apertures before discussing colour temperature and its relevance to producing ‘nice’ pictures. Although I’d like to move on into lighting ‘proper’ there ar...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 October 2008

IPTV in 21st Century TV

The radio and television networks born and raised in the last century are a consequence of a medium in which broadcasting is the natural way of working. From one to a fickle many it has been a matter of finding material with mass appeal which has occupied generations of commissioners. Recently, I went to the exhibition of the IPTV World Forum 2008...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 September 2008

tv-bay interviews Malcolm Robinson

How long have you been with Sony?Just over 4 yearsAnd where were you before?I originally trainedat Ravensbourne before moving to CNN where I worked on stories such as the Russian Coup. I then worked for Cine Video where amongst others covered the West Indies cricket tours. After working for Visions I contracted for 4 years before moving to Sony. Wh...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 August 2008

Insurance in a muddy field

There can be few subjects which provide a wider insight into life than Insurance. Don’t let anyone convince you that it is boring. Over the years I have been involved in covering risks as diverse as insuring a belly dancers belly against injury, whilst dancing at a top London Turkish restaurant, to covering the Polish Chamber Orchestra and the Pope...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 August 2008

Everything you ever wanted to know about lighting Part 1

Anyone starting on the long and winding road of lighting might well be baffled at the number of very different approaches that he or she might find in books and articles. I certainly did, and that was probably because my training in Television had been engineering based, where the very nature of engineering provides specific answers to specific pro...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 August 2008

CTV OB Truck

Responding to the growing demand for HD broadcasts and with a fleet of already overworked outside broadcast trucks, CTV Outside Broadcast’s newest addition to its fleet, OB 9, is a fully-equipped production facility with the latest in High Definition production, mixing and recording equipment. Targeted squarely at major entertainment and sporting e...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 July 2008

OB HD and budget constraints

In a perfect world every OB would be built on a brand new chassis and filled with the latest state-of-the art equipment, all funded from a limitless budget. But, in the real world, where budgets and timescales are limited, often far tighter than might seem practical, more realistic solutions have to be found. One approach, for which E2E has already...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 July 2008