Previously a basic record/play system using a hard drive was considered. This relied on a table linking time codes in the recording with physical addresses so that the drive would access audio data blocks in the right sequence slightly ahead of when they were needed. In that way a time base corrector could present the samples in an unbroken sequence at the correct sampling rate to a DAC. The mechanical timescale of a legacy medium such as tape or film has been replaced by a logical timescale.
Building optimized systems that scale to meet peak demand delivers broadcast facilities that are orders of magnitude more efficient than their static predecessors. In part 2 of this series, we investigate how this can be achieved.
When composing and lighting scenes, DOP’s usually seek to maximize texture and perspective. The rationale is simple: We live in a world that is unmistakably three-dimensional, so DOPs seeking to faithfully represent the natural world exploit a range of ways to promote the three-dimensional illusion.
IP is delivering unprecedented flexibility and scalability for broadcasters. But there is a price to pay for these benefits, namely, the complexity of the system increases significantly as we add more video and audio over IP.
Aside from being the first Summer Olympics to be delayed a year due to a pandemic—shifting technical plans and causing strict work-arounds to comply with health restrictions—this year’s live coverage by NBCUniversal (NBCU) is noteworthy for its move to all-IP operations within the International Broadcast Center (IBC) onsite in Tokyo and for its use of the network’s extensive and disparately located resources to make the Games a success.
For many years broadcasters have been working with static systems that are difficult to change and upgrade. This two part series explores the unfolding of a more elastic future based on COTS hardware and flexible licensing.
NDI Version 5 is loaded with highly anticipated new features and unseen capabilities, because it was announced a month ago and hasn’t been released yet.
TV equipment manufacturers are doing what broadcasters do best: Creatively helping each other work through a difficult technical challenge.