It is very tempting to take a laptop computer on location for live recording. It can work fine — until it doesn’t. Laptops, by their very nature, are more fragile and prone to failure than other recording devices. Be careful that you’re not the victim.
If you’re like me, making sense of evolving computer standards like Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C is confusing. These standards seem to change often and sometimes when plugging things in that ought to work, they don’t work at all. It’s all in the details. Here’s an overview of where we stand.
The impact of IP on the design of broadcast equipment and infrastructures is profound. Many broadcasters are replacing existing analog, AES3, MADI and SDI ports with a new class of interface for connecting to standard IT switch infrastructure, together with new control mechanisms for connection management and device discovery. In the process, they’re embracing an emerging set of open standards for interoperable, vendor-neutral signal transport.
If you’re like me, looking through layers of buried menus on digital devices for the one thing you need to do is enough to drive you batty. Yet, virtually every digital device in our lives today — from smartphones to cameras to simple audio recorders — comes with layer upon layer of menus in no certain order or place.
John Watkinson puts on his snake-oil-proof clothing and looks at speaker cables. Finally, some clarity behind the myths and magic that surround technical aspects of speaker interconnections.
The opening of the rebuilt and refurbished Television Centre in west London was one of the most anticipated broadcast installation events of 2017. Five years on from being closed after the site was sold by the BBC, a smaller studios complex is now in operation. The facility is equipped with a 4k IP video infrastructure, while the audio side features Studer mixing consoles and the first installation of the new Riedel DECT-based wireless intercom running on an AES67 network.
In the early days of video production, there were so many limitations to the emerging technology that many engineers developed a negative attitude toward trying just about anything new. When a novel idea was proposed, these engineers would simply say “NO,” and then offer some reason to build a box around it.
In this “how small can we make it” world, it was inevitable that podcasting would merge with iPhones, iPads and other iOS devices. Now, it is possible to carry an international radio station in your pocket or shoulder bag. That was unimaginable not even a decade ago.