It’s one thing to be confronted by a big pile of technology and to be confused by it. It’s another to know something about that technology and conclude that things could be a lot simpler than they are. That’s the reaction a lot of people have to color and brightness handling in modern cameras which offer more than enough options to make things confusing. Clearly, we need standardization, but with each camera manufacturer keen to promote the benefits of its proprietary approach, it seems pretty unlikely that we’ll one day find that every camera is outputting signals and files that can be treated identically.
It’s all very well reading all this theory about colorimetry, but what can be done in practice? First of all, it is necessary to consider that imaging, be it still or moving, is a creative process that relies totally on technology. Wherever that happens, there are always two different ways of thinking about choices: objective and subjective.
Whether we’re routing signals or remotely operating equipment, the need for reliable system control is one of the most important aspects of a broadcast facility. But as we migrate to IP, some of the working practices we took for granted with SDI operation don’t necessarily transfer and this is most evident in signal routing.
For many years broadcasters have been working with static systems that are difficult to change and upgrade. Although we have video and audio routing, the often-tangled mess of jackfield patch-cords is testament to how flexible broadcast systems really need to be to meet the demands of modern program making.
SDI is one of those technologies that is so well established and ubiquitous it can almost be taken for granted.
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.
