Today’s standard industrial IT infrastructure has already overtaken the technology of AES/EBU, MADI and TDM routers in terms of performance, cost and flexibility. The rate of development of IT systems, fuelled as it is by a multi-billion dollar industry many times the size of the broadcast industry, is certain to widen this gap in the future. Over the next few years IT infrastructure will replace current broadcast infrastructure, delivering additional flexibility, better scalability and significantly lower costs.
Perhaps no equipment category will be more negatively affected by the upcoming FCC spectrum auction of U.S. airwaves than wireless microphones. For manufacturers of such wireless products, which have relied on a certain spectrum band to operate effectively for years, the impending channel changes have caused a slump in business, as concerned customers are not buying for fear of their systems becoming obsolete.
The right monitors, the correct setup, proper sound. In this guide to the setup of audio monitor loudspeakers, find out about the listening area, how to place monitors for the best results, and how to improve the room acoustics.
The coding efficiency of audio compression is about to improve markedly because of a new MPEG audio standard—MPEG-H. This standard will permit many new and useful capabilities for those involved in television audio.
Many elements of audio production have gotten simpler over the years. Even amateurs can learn to do basic multitrack recording at home with a brief tutorial. However, one area still not for the faint of heart is speaker installation and calibration. It requires training and practice, or professional set-up to do it right.
In 2011, the Fox network went on a search for a better parabolic microphone to use in its sports programming. When the company could not fine one, it asked an engineering contractor if he could design and build a better mic.
The use of wide-area audio networking makes possible the remote production of live TV events, where large geographical distances separate the production facilities and the events that are being televised. There is growing interest in this area from broadcasters, both in the potential for significant reductions in production costs as well as improvements in production quality. But there are difficulties to overcome if this is to become practical in a wide variety of circumstances.
Dr. Amar Bose used his innovation and imagination to create a highly successful company, which still carries his name. To pass on his knowledge, he was a professor at MIT for more than 45 years.