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Drones, UAVs, call them what you will, the impact of these remote controlled flying machines on the broadcast industry is growing steadily, with estimates being that around three quarters of the operators involved in the rapidly developing UAV sector in the UK are capturing images for marketing or broadcast purposes. And while drones are not likely to replace helicopters anytime soon — a vulnerability to wind and a comparatively short range and flying times being their headline limitations —they are becoming an increasingly important part of a producer’s toolkit.
Grass Valley and Hitachi both showed 4K cameras for the UHD production market at IBC 2014. Cameras with 2/3 in sensors are thought to deliver the ideal depth of field and sensitivity for general studio and sports production. Although the super 35 format is good for cinematography, accurate focusing can be challenging. Not only that but broadcasters and rental houses have a huge investment in B4 lenses. Both vendors were showing cameras for this market. To get around the sensitivity issue with a 2/3-in 4K sensor, both vendors propose to use HD resolution sensors with pixel offsets to derive the 4K image.
TV 2 Norway airs the program Sommertid (Summer time)as a key part of the summer schedule. This live 1-hour program runs 4 days a week for 9 weeks during the summer months. Traditionally the TV 2 Sommertid program was shot on the roof of the TV 2 facility house. For 2014, TV 2 decided it would be more dramatic and exciting if the backdrop were the bustling Oslo harbour, marine docks and restaurant area of Oslo. To facilitate this, the production set is situated on a floating pier on which local and international talent are interviewed and interweaved with live musical segments.Normally this would necessitate using an OB truck. However, OB trucks are relatively expensive and the floating- pier location meant that the OB truck would have to be at least 300 meters from the cameras, adding a great deal of cabling leading to higher complexity and set-up and running costs. Norwia were able to provide a fiber solution to connect the remote at Oslo harbor with the studio 5km away at TV2 TV centre.
Camera and monitor batteries - what’s not to like? They’re portable, rechargeable and easy to use. Well, actually, there are some drawbacks. Batteries can be heavy, expensive to replace and difficult and costly to travel with, as airline passengers know all too well. This last issue has become particularly significant since the advent of lithium batteries. Batteries also have a limited lifespan and become less efficient over time, even with the best of care. For serious operations, you have to carry a back-up unit, and that means extra cost and weight.
The Lake of the Ozarks is at the center of powerboat racing action every year, on two separate weekends, each covered with two consecutive days of live outside broadcasting. One event is the Lake Race Invitational; the other is the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout. The broadcast coverage is literally radio with pictures. Both events are produced and broadcast live by KRMS radio in Osage Beach and televised live on regional FOX affiliates KRBK FOX 49 in Springfield MO, FOX 32 in Columbia MO, and streamed live on Ustream for distribution on the world-wide web.
DSLR cameras get smaller, lighter and more powerful.
The Sennheiser Esfera microphone provides 5.1 surround sound from just two channels, making complicated surround microphone installations a thing of the past. The system consists of a high-quality stereo microphone, and uses Sennheiser’s RF condenser technology. An associated 19 in rack-mount processing unit converts the stereo signal into a complete 5.1 signal – anywhere in the production workflow, whether in real time or during post production. The compact size of the microphone unit and the versatile connectivity of the processing unit ensure that Esfera can easily be integrated into existing workflows.
Considering the compromises inherent to any complex lens we shouldn’t be surprised by the shortcomings in most low-cost optics. Chromatic aberrations, lack of sharpness, poor contrast to the corners, and inferior or nonexistent lens coatings, are significant drawbacks that can negatively impact our images, especially when viewed at high magnification on a big screen TV or cinema screen.
