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Articles by Bob Pank#

Protecting the archive


Over the last 20 years or so we have all become accustomed to the expression “asset management” and, as ever, familiarity has bred contempt. In this case, the expression has become a loose descriptor for almost anything with a bit of a database in it. We need to stop and think about what we are trying to achieve. In any media enterprise, the conten...

Submitted by Bob Pank#
Published 01 November 2012

Cloud Storage and the end of silos


It should not come as any surprise that people who specialise in one thing are not necessarily experts at other things. For example, and getting straight to the point, a great video editor cannot be expected to have the technical skills to securely store the edited master of his finished programme. The master is a valuable asset that is expected to...

Submitted by Bob Pank#
Published 01 October 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

Taking on the World of Sophisticated Asset Management


Asset management systems have come a long way in only a few years. They’ve always offered a world of promise for workflow improvements, but not so long ago asset management silos were the norm – with individual departments within a broadcasting operation - such as news, sports production, and drama - operating their own closed systems, inaccessible...

Submitted by Bob Pank#
Published 01 October 2012

Building a digital archive


The search for specific content within masses of stored videotape once required a visit to the archive librarian, a great deal of patience, and some luck. Even if one was able to explain successfully the footage you needed, and if the librarian proved able to locate that content, there remained the possibility that tape degradation or generational...

Submitted by Bob Pank#
Published 01 October 2012

All Aboard The XDCam Recycling Service


For many television producers, archiving content is a fairly simple process. It generally goes something like this: 1) Pick up tape/disc/hard-drive. 2) Extend arm across to wall area. 3) Put tape/disc/hard-drive on shelf. 4) Retract arm. 5) Rinse and repeat. And that’s about it. Some people might add labels and go as far as adopting a cataloguing s...

Submitted by Bob Pank#
Published 01 October 2012

Pointing out the right colours


In the old days of PAL and NTSC analogue television, a vectorscope was an essential tool for examining chroma at every part for the programme production and transmission chain. This was because the colour information was carried as a phase and amplitude modulation which could be sensitive to a variety of transmission or recording non-linearities an...

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

Parting the Cloud


Every so often a trend looms over the broadcast horizon that gathers pace so quickly it soon becomes the buzzword at every launch and trade show. A few years ago it was MAM and more recently stereoscopic; now the big buzz in town is the cloud. But despite its recent rise to fame in the broadcast sector there’s still a lot of confusion regarding how...

Submitted by Bob Pank#
Published 01 October 2012

New Solutions for Accelerated and Secure Movement of High...


For broadcasters and media enterprises of all shapes and sizes, the ability to move critical content rapidly and securely from point A to point B has always been important – but it’s never been so complex and rife with risk as in today’s multiformat, multiscreen content delivery environment. Today’s broadcasters and content owners are often require...

Submitted by Bob Pank#
Published 01 October 2012

TV-BAY: Ask the Experts


Studio Technologies responds to typical booth visitor questions at NAB and IBCBy: Gordon Kapes, president, Studio TechnologiesStudio Technologies, the manufacturer of tailored, high-performance video, audio and fiber optic products for the professional audio and broadcast markets, has been building equipment to address the production needs of broad...

Submitted by Bob Pank#
Published 01 October 2012

Ask the Experts: Content Storage, Security, Archive and M...


The media and entertainment industry is currently experiencing an unprecedented level of financial pressure. This comes from not only the turbulent economic era in which we are living, but also from increased competition and the need to repurpose content for consumption on different platforms and devices. In order to succeed, businesses need to do...

Submitted by Bob Pank#
Published 01 October 2012