KitPlus | Articles

OBs are still outside and so are broadcasts

With the advent of new and emerging technologies, and with the one getting the most oxygen at the moment being video over IP, a number of people are asking whether the ability to move control rather further way from an event has, or will, change the nature of OB production. Well, yes...and no. OB requirements always depend on what type of broadcast...

Submitted by Mike Ransome - new

Published 04 April 2017

Streamlining operations at BFBS

British Armed Forces around the world rely on British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) to provide them with entertainment and information via their TVs and radios. Operating from studios in Buckinghamshire, BFBS is part of Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC), a not-for-profit charitable organization that makes a considerable contribution...

Submitted by Adrian Richmond

Published 07 December 2016

Reducing the costof live production

Prime time ratings are declining. Viewers can now watch their favourite shows plus new programming where and how they want and it customer loyalty is fast becoming a trait of the past. However, one area which is still continues to attract significant audience figures is live TV, particularly live sporting events. For example: it was estimated that...

Submitted by John Smith

Published 26 September 2016

Up in the air with Dick

In the last issue of this magazine was a very interesting article by Lee Sheppard of SGL, talking about the pros and cons of archiving in the cloud. While there is a lot of conversation about cloud storage, its pluses and minuses, I have to confess to still being slightly confused about the practicalities and economics of it. So armed only with Goo...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 22 July 2016

Building Out Storage for UHD

As the next big thing in video, from capture and production through to display in the home, 4K and ultra-high-definition (UHD) video offers many benefits. Most notable of these is an eightfold increase in resolution as compared with 1080i, the established standard for HD broadcast. A number of other significant enhancements to image quality are als...

Submitted by Andy Warman

Published 14 June 2016

Bringing Realiability to the Unpredictability of Reality...

Synonymous with reality TV, Endemol 's 2015 production of Wild Island was set in a remote location off the coast of Central America. The German-produced series, supported by MoovIT production services, featured 14 ordinary citizens left to their own devices to survive on an uninhabited tropical island with no food or water for 28 days. With six cam...

Submitted by Martin Bennett

Published 14 June 2016

5 Things I Saw At NAB

by Peter Savage Issue 113 - May 2016 ARRI Trinity stabilisationIt may look like something that was dreamt up for a sci-fi film but the Trinity stabilisation system is a truly remarkable bit of kit that is most certainly real. Available as an upgrade to the Artemis or a third-party camera stabiliser, it consists of a compact and lightweight two-axis...

Submitted by Peter Savage 2

Published 13 May 2016

Our Time At NAB 2016

by Beth Zarkosh Issue 113 - May 2016 We were lucky enough to visit this year\'s NAB Show in Las Vegas, and we must saythere were some real treats on show! Here\'s just a few things that stood out for us and worth keeping your eye on. Virtual Reality & 360 Degree VideosOne thing that really stood out for us was the virtual reality filmmaking devices...

Submitted by Beth Zarkosh

Published 13 May 2016

Sound Devices: My Choice For Everything Audio

by Darren Brisker Issue 113 - May 2016 Ever since I can remember, I have had a passion and curiosity for sound and sound recording. For the past thirty years, I have had the good fortune of turning that desire into a career as a production sound mixer working on incredible projects, including three of The Twilight Saga films. During my three decade...

Submitted by Darren Brisker

Published 13 May 2016

Sin City

by Dick Hobbs Issue 113 - May 2016 I am writing this is the immediate aftermath of yet another NAB. For me that means a week of walking around,talking to a wide variety of people and taking the temperature of the industry. This year I developed a theory that there were three sorts of companies exhibiting at NAB,or at least three sorts of spokesmen...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 13 May 2016

Leaving Las Vegas

by John Smith Issue 112 - April 2016 What is it about Leaving Las Vegas? I\'ve had the privilege of being a regular visitor and exhibitor at NAB since the early 1980\'s. One memorable occasion, our flight home had been overbooked and so an alternative arrangement was made. We wondered why it would take four hours to fly from Vegas to LA? As the pil...

Submitted by John Smith

Published 25 April 2016

Recreating a Masterpiece

by Stuart Harris Issue 112 - April 2016 Tell us a bit about yourself Stuart. At the moment I am the acting head of cinematography here at the National Film and Television School. I have been a cinematographer from around 1980 and I have done commercials, music videos, feature films, sort of everything really. I think a creative career was what I wa...

Submitted by Stuart Harris

Published 25 April 2016

Building Blocks

by Dick Hobbs Issue 112 - April 2016 That is the MIT Media Lab saying, in a typically American academic way, that they want to help producers make better content. That is what you find if you Google "object-based broadcasting". Which is what I did on your behalf this month, because BT Sport - which seems to have taken up the idea of innovation in b...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 25 April 2016

Object Audio - whats all the noise about

We all know that getting the audio right makes the pictures better. Anyone who has seen a movie created for Object Audio like Dolby Atmos will know that there is something special about it. To figure out what that is, let's rewind a little and see why we might need it. Remember the good old days of mono audio on TV? Mono audio gives a single channe...

Submitted by Bruce Devlin

Published 01 April 2016

IP for live production

The production and transmission of a live sporting event is one of the most technically challenging assignments for any crew. After all, you can't ask to take the shot again at a live event! Multiple signals in a variety of formats need to be transmitted around the sporting venue, as well as being seamlessly integrated with feeds from a studio or o...

Submitted by John Smith

Published 01 April 2016