Try our new AI powered Smart-Search!
There was a time when broadcasting was split into two distinct disciplines – production and engineering. Both focused on their area of expertise, engineering and technical operators on one hand making the best professional broadcast pictures and sound possible, and the production team on the other delivering content for cutting edge news, sport, entertainment, and educational programs.
ATSC 3.0 broadcasting will soon become an established standard in North America and elsewhere. American broadcasters await the FCC's ruling (expected by end of the year) that U.S. broadcasters can legally use ATSC 3.0. Even so, a debate remains over the economics and practical value of migrating from the current 1.0 standard, which many HD stations are happy with, to a new and, less familiar, OFDM-based technology which brings with it uncertainty and added cost.
Even with all this digital and IP television, it’s worth remembering that we still live in an analogue world. Our light and sound transducers, otherwise known as eyes and ears are analogue, and we live in an infinitely varying environment. So what is it about analogue that makes it so attractive to producers and creatives?
As interview guests are finding it nearly impossible to visit television studios, many broadcasters are turning to video conferencing to interview them from their own homes. Although the results are “acceptable”, given the circumstances, this clearly results in a significantly reduced technical quality, but has video conferencing now paved the way for a new method of working?
ATSC 3.0 proponents continue to remind the industry of coming new capabilities, opportunities and advantages. Yet, the consumer electronics industry remains quiet on implementing such features in new consumer televisions and related products. This article reviews the options and benefits 3.0 offers, and compares this with the emerging 5G technology.
The hype and discussion about next generation telecom systems - most notably 5G - has hit the mainstream, partly because of the promise of faster and more widespread mobile broadband services for smartphones and other devices. It is also something that is being debated seriously in broadcast circles as a possible alternative - if not replacement - for digital terrestrial transmission in both radio and television, as well as cable and satellite.
There are literally thousands of different microphones available for broadcasting and recording applications. How does one pick the right microphone for a particular sound source? It’s a complex question. Here’s a guide.
Most of us agree that the fat warmth of analog sound is the Holy Grail of recording in this sterile digital age. That magical sound comes from a combination of the overloaded tube, the coloration of a transformer and the compression of saturated analog tape. The good news is we can now have that coveted sound at affordable prices.
Consultant Gary Olson looks at IBC and the production technology on display.
Since the beginning of television, the picture has always had priority over sound. This has remained true through the years even though it is well known that viewers actually value sound over image quality and will not accept truly bad audio, no matter how good the picture. So why does this trend continue?