Integrated First and Second Screen Experiences October 16^th 2014 - 08:59 AM

The usage of mobile devices has exploded over the past ten years. At the same time TV remains incredibly popular and powers the largest content industry in the world. The holy grail of next generation connected devices is, quite naturally, to connect the first screen, the TV, with the second…

Audio Loudness - or Why Commercials Annoy October 15^th 2014 - 11:50 AM

You are sitting there quietly watching your favorite show on TV when all of a sudden the commercial comes on – BAM, WAM, BUY, BUY… screams at you. The purpose of the commercial is to grab your attention in the few seconds of the spot. The recording engineers in the commercials pro…

Why satellite trumps cellular in an emergency October 9^th 2014 - 12:16 PM

There is a rapid and profound technology shift in ENG. Wireless broadband service providers have become viable low-cost alternatives to conventional microwave in a large number of cases. BT Sport has launched what is claimed to be Europe’s first cellular newsgathering fleet with LiveU LU500 units and Xtender remote…

Compliance Monitoring for Loudness and Closed Captioning October 9^th 2014 - 09:38 AM

The Situation. The age of loudness compliance is upon us, with governments around the world adopting variations of ITU-R BS.1770-3 standard for all terrestrial broadcast, cable television, direct-broadcast satellite and IPTV programs. What this means for the broadcast/content provider is that loudness compliance now has the force of…

Disaster recovery strategies October 7^th 2014 - 12:02 PM

We’ve all heard the phrase Disaster Recovery (DR), but what does it actually mean for broadcasters and content owners, and what constitutes a disaster? DR is a broad term that encompasses a range of scenarios, from catastrophic disaster (for instance, the complete destruction of a whole facility), to operational d…

Drones on the up: The difference between US and UK regulations October 3^rd 2014 - 02:24 PM

The US has belatedly permitted six film companies to fly unmanned craft while the UK has dozens.

High Resilience Transmissions with Power Control September 8^th 2014 - 02:48 PM

Satellite uplink facilities must deliver reliable, uninterrupted service continuity. Broadcasters derive revenue from advertisers that is dependent upon reliable distribution of content. Any interruption in the distribution process results in loss of revenue and market share. Therefore, facility designs include several layers of redundancy; including redundant satellites, backup sites, and…

Helping Slash OB Production Costs September 8^th 2014 - 02:30 PM

TV 2 Norway airs the program Sommertid (Summer time)as a key part of the summer schedule. This live 1-hour program runs 4 days a week for 9 weeks during the summer months. Traditionally the TV 2 Sommertid program was shot on the roof of the TV 2 facility house. For 2014, TV 2 decided it would…

The Integrated Network September 3^rd 2014 - 10:05 AM

Integrating optical and copper transport of A/V and IP signals. Optical transport has been a mainstay in the broadcast and production industry for decades. The introduction of optical transport made a huge difference sending content over long distances. It solved the challenge of moving content within boundaries of cities,…

Systems Management in the IT Universe September 2^nd 2014 - 08:52 PM

When exactly did IT become such a significant presence in the broadcast plant? Conventional wisdom points to the birth of digital television. In retrospect, the seeds of TV facility computerization began the moment stations considered how automation might improve traditional facility workflow processes.