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In the last article in this series, we looked at why integrated monitoring is a necessity in modern broadcast IP workflows. In this article, we dig deeper to understand what is new in IP monitoring and how this integrates with traditional workflows.
A few years ago, a prominent manufacturer of studio support equipment did something unusual: it went to NAB with an experienced broadcast camera operator to discuss a part of live production that’s invisible when done well. Following a driven golf ball is one of the trickiest tasks in any branch of film and TV, demanding not only skill but equipment which allows people to exhibit that skill.
Video, audio and metadata monitoring in the IP domain requires different parameter checking than is typically available from the mainstream monitoring tools found in IT. The contents of the data payload is less predictable and packet distribution more tightly defined leading to the need to use specialist media stream centric monitoring tools.
It’s traditional for film and TV technical journalists to play soothsayer in the run-up to major industry events. With NAB and Cine Gear virtual this year and the world’s manufacturers having enjoyed an unprecedented stretch of downtime to hatch their next technological plots, the temptation to speculate has never been greater.
It’s a truism of our craft that compelling visual stories in film and TV are communicated in the subtext of scenes, that is to say, what we exclude from the Frame is almost always more important to the storytelling than what we include in the Frame. As master image creators and craftsmen, we know and understand: The less you show, the more you know.
An October NAB Show in Las Vegas feels about as awkward as forgetting to bring business cards.
The film and TV business is a prominent producer of things that were once very expensive, but which have become much more affordable as developments overtook them. That’s never clearer than when browsing everyone’s favorite auction website, which has recently seen Spirit telecines, once seven figures, selling for less than the price of a good used car. For photochemistry enthusiasts, that’s exciting, though cooler heads might suspect a catch.
Sitting at home watching the Olympics 400m Women’s hurdles final live on NBC’s 4K HDR channel, home audiences were captivated by the sweat and effort displayed on screen with immersive sound of the runners’ feet hitting the track. Viewers thousands of miles away could be excused for thinking they had the best seat in the Japan National Stadium. The live 4K HDR broadcast of NBC’s primetime show throughout the Games were an extrasensory experience unlike any previous Olympics telecasts.