A sharp rise in TV viewing during the Covid-19 crisis has been widely anticipated and is now being confirmed by survey results around the world.
These days TV broadcasters are working feverishly to work out new remote production workflows for stay-at-home talent, but for radio broadcasters it’s been business as usual. In fact, many engineers have found that the remote control features they already use for troubleshooting are highly extensible and can be slightly modified for use by production staff.
CBC/Radio-Canada (CBC) is putting the finishing touches to a brand new all-IP broadcast facility that will provide virtually unlimited flexibility across multiple platforms to support highly efficient production and distribution workflows for its radio, TV and online programming.
You have two key choices for remote technologies: those that give you remote access into machines and devices at your facility or those based in the cloud. Depending on your needs it may be sensible to take a mixed approach.
Viewing audiences are continually driving broadcasters to deliver improved video formats to further enhance the immersive experience. It didn’t seem so long ago that HD was lauded as the best format ever. Not only did we end up quadrupling the number of pixels and frame rates to deliver 12G-SDI, but we also mixed them with high dynamic range and wide color gamut.
TV stations refocus their creative talents and energies on staying healthy and on the air.
Many businesses and individuals have had to adapt rapidly to remote online working and in many cases adopted innovative approaches to distant collaboration.
When Lawo’s Virtual Studio Manager (VSM) control system was first developed in the late 90’s, it was in reaction to the need to control and monitor the video and audio signals that travelled around a facility or an OB truck. Nowadays, far more than 1000 installs and millions of lines of code later, the genetic roots of the product make it the perfect choice for IP environments. It’s one thing to want flexibility to use thousands of signals in a myriad of ways, but it’s quite another to quickly and accurately distribute signals to the right person at the right time. That’s when the benefits of IP and a powerful control system become fully realized.
