There is an ongoing discussion in the industry of how to maintain consistent timecode and sync/genlock between systems and devices in facilities and in the field. As the transition to IP moves forward there is a need to maintain existing systems managed by genlock and tri-level sync. However IP…
There is practically no aspect of broadcasting today that is not dependent on digital technology. Videography, post production, scheduling, presentation, delivery and conditional access are all digitally controlled. The whole edifice rests on the ability to reliably store and transmit data. John Watkinson argues that this enabling technology should not…
Due to the much publicized loudness wars, we now have a standard to measure loudness: the EBU R128 specification. This is a look at how this standard applies to sound engineers doing live audio or recording for various broadcast media.
It is hard to believe the vast amount of confusion that continues over cables with USB-C/Thunderbolt connectors. These cables may be the future of computing, but right now they are a big, sloppy confusing mess. The problem is cables that handle USB-C, Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 all have the same…
The storage requirements for digital media never stop growing. Image size and resolution increases. Metadata is added to every frame. Finally, the data must live forever. All these factors and others combine to place serious demands on a production or broadcast facility’s storage infrastructure. Fortunately there is a solution.
As accomplished DoPs striving to do our best work, we can all achieve a lot more creatively if we insist less on perfect lenses. Veteran cinematographers have long understood that lenses have distinct personalities, with a very specific look and feel. In the same way an actor imparts his or…
Telephone audio sounds reasonably good on most news interviews. But, often, annoying hum and buzz is found in telephone recordings. Where does it come from and what can be done about it?
Like most everything else these days, microphone wind protection has become a complex subject. There are many variations of wind protection equipment now on the market and some of it costs more than the microphones themselves. Guidance may be necessary for television news reporters who work on their own in…
From production to newsgathering and on to international distribution, the media industry relies more on the ability to quickly and easily transfer large files over long distances. Original methods for doing this, like FTP, are unsuited for today’s large file sizes and complex workflows - what is needed is…
Fiber optics is a communications medium that sends optical signals down hair-thin strands of pure glass cores. The light “pipe” is surrounded by cladding that traps the light in the core. The key difference between multimode and single mode fiber optic cable is the size of the core.
