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Analyzing Propagation Models
by Doug Lung, 7.09.2008
One reason the FCC F (50, 50) and F (50, 10) charts have survived so long is that they are based on field measurements throughout the country.
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How Well Does High VHF Work for DTV?
by Doug Lung, 4.09.2008
This month I’ll tackle a topic I’ve been thinking about for some time—what will happen on Feb. 18, 2009, when viewers used to receiving their favorite DTV station on UHF with its 1,000 kW ERP find it’s changed to a VHF channel at much lower power?
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Running SPLAT On Windows
by Doug Lung, 2.06.2008
Until recently, the only way TV engineers could obtain an accurate terrain-sensitive plot of a station’s coverage was to buy an expensive program or pay a consultant to create the map. Using the open source SPLAT program, any engineer willing to spend a little extra effort collecting accurate data can create coverage maps that are much more accurate.
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Panasonic AG-HVX200 P2 HD Camcorder
by Geoff Poister, 4.24.2006
Panasonic stirred up the waters at last year's NAB by releasing the AG-HVX200, a revolutionary, handheld HD camcorder that records on P2 memory cards. It is important to look at this camera now because it's bound to create a ripple effect of innovative offerings at NAB2006.
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Canon XL H1 HDV Camcorder
by Carl Mrozek, 4.18.2006
For the past two years, the word on the street was that Canon, a founding member of the HDV consortium, had an HDV pro camcorder in the works. Two NABs came and went with no sign.
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Adobe Anchors Newsroom at KLRT
by Allen Finne, 3.28.2005
The big in newsrooms is that technology is revolutionizing how television professionals prepare local news.
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Discreet Streamlines the Creative Group
by Joe Castellano, 11.24.2004
Creative Group is a full-service editorial/design facility that also houses three surround sound mixing rooms. We specialize in graphic design and editorial for on-air promotions, title treatments, commercial and in-house productions and our primary clients are networks, cable companies and advertising agencies.
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Media 100 Works in Real Time for Ozarks Public TV
by Steve Wynn, 11.24.2004
Ozarks Public Television (OPT) provides PBS programming and instructional television services to 559,000 households in Southwest Missouri and the adjoining three-state area, broadcasting about 168 hours of programming per week. KOZK's studios and offices are housed on the Southwest Missouri State University (SMSU) campus in Springfield, and transmissions also originate from our satellite station, KOZJ-TV in Joplin.
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The Art of Editing
by Jay Ankeney, 8.20.2008
As much as music composition, classical painting or the eternal spirit of dance, editing is an art form in and of itself.
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Editing the Generation Gap
by Jay Ankeney, 5.28.2008
It is the duty of every generation to create its own sense of style, just to make sure the footsteps they are following in are headed down their own signature path.
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State of the Edit Report: What’s Ahead for 2008
by Jay Ankeney, 4.14.2008
The second annual State of the Edit Report asked edit system manufacturers who are exhibiting at NAB to comment on where editing is today, and where post production is headed in general.
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PSIP, V-Chip and Other Acronyms
by Jerry Whitaker, 11.07.2007
Since the first version of the PSIP standard was published in 1997, compliance reflected good engineering practice on the part of television stations, since the standard offers benefits for both viewers and broadcasters. PSIP is, in fact, critical to proper operation of the DTV system.
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Work Begins on Mobile-Handheld DTV Standard
by Jerry Whitaker, 7.11.2007
Designated ATSC-M/H, the standard will be backward-compatible, allowing existing DTV services to operate in the same RF channel, without adverse impact on existing receiving equipment.
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Strategic Plan to Guide Future Work on DTV
by Jerry Whitaker, 5.02.2007
The ATSC has developed a comprehensive plan for future work of the organization, reflecting the evolution of technology over the next two to five years.
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The Zen Behind Audio Levels, Lip-Sync
by Dave Moulton, 7.09.2008
But that in turn raises a really good question—what is the value of really good surface production quality? Does HD with 5.1 surround sound make a difference, relative to content?
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Producing Audio With A Center Channel
by Dave Moulton, 3.26.2008
This month I’d like to spend a little more time discussing the center channel, concentrating on some of the production issues we have to deal with.
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Variables in the Digital Video Logjam
by Will Workman, 7.23.2008
If the evolution of broadband video content takes the path music did, then someday soon we will all be using the video equivalents of iPods and iTunes.
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Comcast Vows ‘Protocol Agnostic’ Approach
by Will Workman, 5.28.2008
An Associated Press investigation last October found Comcast was sending out fake TCP reset packets to either end of a file-sharing connection, causing the target computer to reset its connection over and over again.
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Auction Opens Mobile Broadband Horizons
4.14.2008
Will Workman is a former editor of telco industry publications Cable World and MediaView. He is now working on his PhD in mass communications. He can be reached care of TV Technology.
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The Agony of A-to-D
by Walter Schoenknecht, 7.09.2008
Be careful of what you wish for, the saying goes. We wished for cleaner signals, simpler interconnections and fewer patch bays—and that’s exactly what digital audio and video technology has delivered; so why the long face?
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Colorful Language for Video Editors
by Walter Schoenknecht, 3.26.2008
The last several years have seen a revolution in color-correction techniques, one in which the electron team—us video folks—have merged paths with the photon team—the film guys.
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There’s No Place Like (A) Home
by Walter Schoenknecht, 12.05.2007
Control freaks! From top to bottom—from the feather-brained writer to the sociopathic engineer—the entire production team is a collection of control freaks, terrified of leaving the rarified air of the studio, office, or maintenance shop for parts unknown.
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The Fabulous and Often Misunderstood Fill Light
by Andy Ciddor, 7.09.2008
While a keylight is vitally important in every lighting setup because it defines the angle and character of the highlights and shadows in a picture, it is the fill light that ultimately defines the tone and atmosphere of the picture by the way it modifies the depth and richness of those shadows.
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A New Year's Resolution
by Andy Ciddor, 1.09.2008
My New Year's resolution is to stand up to the bullies who insist that television is just a cheap inferior-quality way of making film.
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Inside the File System
by Karl Paulsen, 6.11.2008
Storage structures are becoming the “need-to-know” terminologies of the media server world.
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The High Performance Serial Bus Architecture
by Karl Paulsen, 4.09.2008
The emphasis on high-definition production, distribution and play-out is presenting another set of evolutionary challenges to the video server marketplace.
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What’s With Ultra-Wideband?
by Gary Arlen, 7.23.2008
The aesthetic appeal of wireless delivery is growing as families hang flat-panel displays on their walls and don’t want to see dangling wires and cables.
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The Function of Channel Status
by Mary C. Gruszka, 8.20.2008
The channel status bits provide a wealth of information about its associated audio channel, which can be used by an AES receiver/decoder for subsequent processing.
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Demystifying AES3 Digital Audio
by Mary C. Gruszka, 2.20.2008
We casually speak of digital audio, often referring to it as AES audio, perhaps AES3 (for the number of the AES standard), or by an older term AES/EBU. But what exactly is this AES3 signal?
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The Sound of Love in ‘One Six Right’
Part 2
by Mary C. Gruszka, 12.19.2007
“You can make a love story about anything, and in this case it’s a long piece of pavement in the middle of the San Fernando Valley in southern California that has the name ‘One Six Right.’ And for me the way to do that was to take the viewer flying.”
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The End of Analog Allotments
by Charles W. Rhodes, 7.23.2008
This is the first allotment table having no analog TV channel allotments; it is our future broadcasting universe.
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Addressing Interference Problems Using FAAF
by Charles W. Rhodes, 6.25.2008
In the April 2, 2008, issue of TV Technology, I proposed a solution to DTV reception problems. This proposal could address interference problems including interference from unlicensed transmitters operating on “vacant” broadcast TV channels and weak signal problems. I call this a Frequency Agile Active Filter (FAAF).
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Unmasking the Threat of Adjacent Channels
by Charles W. Rhodes, 4.02.2008
They found that signals of this form produce what amounts to co-channel interference into channel N. Take my word for it, they would also have found the same in channel N+3K.
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Process Management One Step at a Time
by John Footen, 8.20.2008
BPM combines workflow with software integration. It is a way of developing and improving systems that starts with the process, not with the technology!
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We Need to Talk About SOA
by John Footen, 6.25.2008
It doesn’t matter what technologies we apply to get our systems to communicate more efficiently if they aren’t passing the right information to achieve our business goals.
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Show me the MoJo!
by Michael J. Sutton, 5.28.2008
MoJo is one of the affectionate names used to illustrate the changing world we’re involved in—mobile journalists.
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NBC Shifts New York O&O to All News
by Frank Beacham, 6.11.2008
This is a move to hyperlocalism—one designed to re-invent the major NBC stations before they are absorbed into the 500-channel abyss of pay television channels.
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The MPAA Makes A Big Mistake
by Frank Beacham, 3.26.2008
This is a story about a big mistake. It’s also about numerous educational institutions in this country too afraid to confront their suspicions. In both cases, it represents a very sad state of affairs.
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When TV Cameras Bite Back
by Frank Beacham, 1.09.2008
Over the past decade, those of us who live in big cities have seen a remarkable cultural change enabled by the combination of the video camera and computer networks. This change is being sold in the name of public safety—another tool against terrorism. I’m not so sure it’s not a new form of tyranny.
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The FCC’s Push For Localism
by Harlan Neugeboren, 4.09.2008
The FCC originally granted licenses to broadcasters to serve the public interest. The question is, whose definition are they going to listen to?
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Training the Next Generation of Journalists
by Harlan Neugeboren, 10.03.2007
“Then let’s put them in a ‘newsroom of the future,’” he said, “where they’ll take their fundamental values and skills and produce content for every conceivable platform possible.”
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Internet TV: Coming to A Screen Near You...
by Harlan Neugeboren, 4.11.2007
Although my column is about newsroom technology, I have written the last few articles about other forms of distribution to reinforce a point I made a few articles ago.
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Poor Quality Video
by Craig Johnston, 8.06.2008
But whether it had been a problem with one interview or all the interviews, the producers have to make a decision whether or not they can live without the flawed video. Apparently, more and more, the decision is to live with it.
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The Lowdown on Top Down
by Craig Johnston, 1.23.2008
In fact, carrying out a top-down, companywide directive can be one of the most difficult tasks for a manager.
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Keep Both HD and SD Viewers Happy
by Craig Johnston, 10.17.2007
News Flash: People are going to be watching TV with low-resolution display devices for a long time into the future.
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A Look at AC-3 Enhancements
by Tim Carroll, 1.19.2005
This month, I'll take a look at an enhanced version of AC-3 (Dolby Digital), the coding standard developed primarily to support the new enhanced version of the ATSC digital television standard.
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Of Dolby, DVRs and Distant Signals
by Tim Carroll, 9.22.2004
I am happy to report that in August, Dolby Laboratories was informed that the company had won a technical Emmy award for its LM100 Broadcast Loudness Meter. This is a definite sign that the rest of the world is noticing that there is a real problem here, and that the first step toward solving it is being able to measure it.
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Learning About 5.1 From Grade No. 9
by Tim Carroll, 8.18.2004
This fall season also brings with it the promise of 5.1-channel audio from all the major terrestrial television networks. This month, we will do a quick, high-level review of each network's capabilities thus far
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Evaluating Next-Gen Camcorders
IPTV compares XDCAM HD to HDCAM
by Bill Hayes, 7.25.2007
I have been watching the rollout of XDCAM with great interest for the last few years as a logical next step for our move into non-tape based production.
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BXF Revealed as Missing Link
Interface standard could marry traffic and master control
by Bill Hayes, 6.13.2007
I have been involved in automation projects since I first began working in broadcasting.
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Dolby Volume And DialNorm
New loudness control technology for consumer devices debuts at CES
by Bill Hayes, 2.07.2007
While attending the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I stopped by the Dolby booth to see what was new.
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When NTSC is Shut off, BTSC Will be, too
by Randy Hoffner, 4.09.2008
BTSC brought us television stereo and other sound services, and in the process, it spelled the end of the big TV set with the tiny little loudspeaker.
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A War for Control Of the Internet
by Frank Beacham, 8.06.2008
Internet for Everyone is a new organization with a single premise: all Americans should have access to fast, open, and affordable Internet service. Unfortunately, that’s not the case today.
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It’s a New Game for Television News
by Frank Beacham, 7.23.2008
Though technology has vastly improved, human excellence has been decimated through pay cuts, layoffs and downsizing. Though there is more so-called “news” programming, its quality has generally hit bottom.
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Do the Right HD Thing: Drop the Numerology
by Mario Orazio, 8.06.2008
You might not have noticed that, for technologists, we’re awfully superstitious. For instance, there ain’t any D-4 videotape format on account of the number four being associated with death in parts of Asia that buy lots of TV technology.
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Never Mind 1920x1080: Let’s Repeal July 1776!
by Mario Orazio, 6.11.2008
I ain’t got any defense for the way Brits spell defence, and I know they drive on the wrong side of the road, print the spines of their books upside down, drink warm beer, and think 9/11 means Nov. 9. But, when it comes to TV, they’ve always done a better job than us.
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Denver Finally Gets its DTV
After years of legal delays, supertower now on the air
by Ken Freed, 8.20.2008
It took an act of Congress but the long-delayed consolidated DTV tower on Lookout Mountain at the western edge of metropolitan Denver is finally built and in use.
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Wilmington’s Moment
Broadcasters get ready for historic analog shutoff
by Sanjay Talwani, 8.20.2008
The people of Wilmington may have the message about DTV and converter boxes, but some of the stations themselves have had a busy summer getting their DTV signals up and ready.
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The Orlando Digital Readiness Test
by Richard Monn, 8.20.2008
Last February, after stations in the Orlando market began running PSAs about the analog shutoff I started getting phone calls from viewers confused about what it was all about. Most of the callers wanted to know: “Will this analog shutoff affect me?” I didn’t think they should have to wait until next February to find out.
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The Wide World of Video-Over-IP
by Wes Simpson, 8.06.2008
Today, television viewers are spoiled for choice. Even on basic cable, we have a dozen or more broadcast channels to choose from, and 50 more choices for an increased monthly fee. But that’s nothing compared to the huge variety of video content that is available over the Internet and other IP networks.
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P2P File Sharing
by Wes Simpson, 5.14.2008
Peer-to-Peer file sharing is an exciting technology for delivering big content files to users who are distributed around a network.
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Multicasting Over IP Networks
by Wes Simpson, 3.26.2008
Multicasting is a powerful tool for IP networking—it allows a single source to deliver programming to multiple destinations simultaneously.
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