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Articles by Bob Pank#

2011: 3D Make or break?

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Last year was predicted to be the year when 3D would leap forward or flop. History is littered with short periods of interest and development only for 3D to drop off the scene again. 3D Diaries has maintained that this time it’s different as now nearly all the right technologies are available – the only missing link being a practical autostereoscop...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

Active or Passive? Its a walk-over!

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With the forthcoming Olympics being broadcast in 3D free-to-air, there is sure to be a surge in new TV purchases. Given so many 3D capable models to choose from, which is best?Until the manufacturers come out with autostereoscopic designs that work properly in high definition, we have to view 3D though some sort of glasses to separate the left and...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

Review on the Autocue SSP17 Starter Series

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The time has come. My home made “autocue”, although working well, needed to be upgraded. It had served me well for a couple of years, but I needed something a bit higher quality and slightly bigger. So Autocue kindly loaned me one of their SSP17 Starter Package prompters. Their Starter Series of prompters is exactly that, it’s their lower end promp...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

Looking for the connection

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This time last year I wrote a column which looked back. This year I have set myself the infinitely more challenging task of looking forward. What are the hot topics for 2012?The first prediction is easy. Television coverage of the Olympics and Paralympics will be extraordinary, capturing all the skill and dedication, elation and heartbreak of the w...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

My first Christmas without any regular source of income!!

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I love Christmas. The food, the music, the presents, being with family, boxing day sales, more food. However I don't like not working. Actually scrap that. I don't like not earning. Christmas presents, whilst are a pleasure to give, are a considerable drain on the bank account. And to similar extent, Boxing day sales. Oh my. And it was my sister's...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

Audio loudness for video post

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For decades audiences have been complaining about the differences in perceived loudness between different parts of a television service, most commonly that the commercials seem louder than the programmes. Finally broadcasters, prompted in many cases by regulators, have addressed the issue. Over the last decade research has determined what it is tha...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

Eye to Eye: Video Post-production

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This column’s previous excursion into video post-production was just before the 2011 NAB Spring Convention, always a dangerous time to talk about new hardware or software when a deluge of upgrades, lookalikes and lite-editions are about to hit the aisles of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Quite a lot has happened in this category over the past 12...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

Stereoscopic 3D legalisation

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Since its foundation in 1989, ONSIGHT has expanded from a London-based broadcast hire business into a full-service production facilities company. Also located at Shepperton Studios, ONSIGHT specialises in film and television production, post production and distribution. ONSIGHT’s activity encompasses every link in the signal chain and is certainly...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

ITS SHOW TIME how will you make the most of it?

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Trade shows can be hugely valuable for your business, but only if you have the right approach, as Peter Savage explains. Well, the season has finished – the festive season that is and, by the time you have sat down to read this, the new season will be almost upon us. What season is that? I hear you mutter. The trade show season. Yes, February is th...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

Quality is the best policy

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Despite all the changes in our industry at the moment – and maybe because of them – quality is more important than ever. HD has become the production standard norm. Why have audiences embraced HD so enthusiastically? Because it looks and sounds great. If you have a 42” or bigger screen in your home then the difference between SD and HD is obvious t...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

Managing Media

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Looking after the media for a television production used to be a relatively simple task. The footage would be shot and captured on tape. The tapes would be delivered to the post-production facility for editing. They would be ingested into the edit system, the editor would construct the final program and it would be recorded back to tape. All the ta...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

Modular Studio Design for the BBC New Broadcasting House...

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In an uncertain World with constantly changing demands and technical formats it is very difficult to plan and build a large facility that will be absolutely fit for purpose when it is finished. This was especially true of the BBC when it considered the needs of New Broadcasting House. Munro Acoustics was given the task of developing a completely mo...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

Grading across the Atlantic

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In the last five years, color correction has made leaps and bounds in terms of the way we grade, the performance capabilities of grading systems and even the locations where we grade. Only a few years ago, color correction suites were isolated rooms that were nearly impossible to connect to other offices or artists. But the color world has changed...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

Real-Time Frame Rate Conversion in a Tapeless Workflow

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Introduction - (for the full diagramatic version of this article please click on the magazine cover above.)When content moved within facilities and around the world on tape or via live feeds, frame rate and format conversions were easily achieved using real-time hardware converters such as Snell's Alchemist Ph.C-HD. As broadcasters and content owne...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012

Finding the right online video solution

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Choosing the right online video platform is crucial to having a successful online video strategy. It’s not just a platform that enables your audience to access your content, it’s also a device that you can use to measure the success and learn more about your audience to build a community and increase engagement. Content owners frequently ask about...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 February 2012