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The Latest Trend in Cloud Ingest Portals
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The unique demands of the media industry have created an equally unique ecosystem. With high-resolution video constantly moving over the Internet during production, post production, and multi-device, multi-channel distribution, as well as the need for flexible storage and security at every stage — all under impossibly tight timelines — there isn’t another industry like it. It’s not surprising then that technologies that work for some industries often don’t work the same in media, and cloud ingest is a great example. |
Tags: iss137
| signiant
| saas
| ftp
| dropbox
| file transfer
| media shuttle
| Megan Cater
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State of the Nation - If Winter Comes
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Here’s an important fact that might get lost in all the noise of the moment. HBO’s Game of Thrones, which is relentlessly covered in the press as well as being talked about by its fans, is not actually terribly popular. The opener of the current (and last, thank goodness) series attracted a consolidated audience of about 3.5 million – that includes 2.7 million who watched the first showing at 2am, plus those who watched it at a more civilised hour, or who recorded it. Informed comment seems to be that those who watch on catch-up at some time in the following week or so might add a million more. |
Tags: iss137
| gof
| games of thrones
| 8k
| hdr
| Dick Hobbs - new
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IMF Adoption
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The Interoperable Master Format isn’t new. It’s been around for more than six years. Despite this longevity, the broad adoption since the publication of SMPTE 2067 has been pretty slow. This is perhaps more because of the age old mantra “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” than the ease with which many could interpret the standard. However, it is safe to say that movie producers blazed a trail in using IMF for original content delivery. Perhaps the key is that those early adopters didn’t have any significant tape based infrastructure that had been modified for file-based working when receiving content. So, many longer established content distributors have the immense resources to create the vast array of versions required to address the ‘version issue.’ This being how do you get the same content to look good on the back of an aeroplane seat headrest or an iPhone in the back of car as well as a good old TV set. Over time these resources have been diminishing and many organisations recognise that they have to adopt workflow automation to survive. |
Tags: iss137
| editshare
| imf
| standards
| smpte 2067
| Howard Twine
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What is the JT-NM Tested Program
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The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show 2019 has come and gone with the usual onslaught of product announcements, launch parties, demonstrations and the usual high-density crowds preventing any high-speed movement between halls. The IP showcase, this year, featured a JT-NM tested program. If you're unfamiliar with the JT-NM, then it's worth checking out their website jt-nm.org where you can find out about the work being done to coordinate the different aspects of building an inter-working ST 2110 eco-system. The JT-NM tested program catalogue can be downloaded from the website and it highlights a series of tests that were performed prior to NAB on various products to see how they performed against the written standards upon which the ST 2110 eco system is based. |
Tags: iss137
| st2110
| class
| jt-nm
| nab
| ieee
| secuirty
| amwa
| Bruce Devlin - new
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NAB 2019 Highlights
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The NAB Show in Las Vegas never loses its capacity to surprise. With NHK already transmitting in 8K and the Tokyo Olympics just a year away, this might have been the year that 8K equipment prices descended from the stratosphere to just plain expensive. The main trends at NAB 2019 were an increasing focus on HD-HDR, Media-over-IP and 4K. 8K was pretty low key except for a very promising demo on the Sharp stand: an extremely compact 8K camera at an impressively low price point: $4,000. Shooting at 30 frames per second to an internal card and using a prosumer-style Olympus lens, it looked very much an entry-level product but one with phenomenal potential for any videographer looking to work with very large display screen sizes. |
Tags: iss137
| finepoint
| nhk
| media-over-ip
| canon xa50
| xa55
| huddlecam
| jvc
| gy-hc550
| panasonic aw-ue-150 ptz
| samsung
| 8k signage
| hdr10+
| livetrakl-20
| mediakind
| Paul MacKenzie
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Preserving the British Film Institute Archive
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Today, the media and entertainment industry faces numerous challenges. To remain successful and competitive, these organisations must be ever innovative, agile and cost efficient in the way they produce, store, manage and distribute their digital assets. Content creators have traditionally relied upon outdated storage models, comprised of legacy interfaces, file structures and historical proprietary storage management software that tend to be complex, cumbersome and expensive. This makes it difficult to forecast and budget for ever-growing content in the effort to reach viewers. |
Tags: iss136
| bfi
| archive
| blackpearl
| spectra
| storage
| film
| tape
| David Feller
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Remote Teams and Talent
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If your studio works with non-local creative talent, you already know that there are opportunities and challenges associated with distributed production and post production. Bridging the distance not only allows you to find the best talent for the job anywhere in the world, it creates the potential for a diverse and globally-minded workforce that boosts the creativity and vision of your entire company. |
Tags: iss136
| signiant
| file acceleration
| ftp
| dropbox
| sharepoint
| slack
| saas
| media shuttle
| Megan Cater
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4k and HDR Wireless Camera Transmitters
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Across the globe, live events represented over 50 percent of the most watched TV programs last year. However, big budget episodic shows are impacting live TV and the way viewers want to see their content. Viewers are demanding the same quality of production for live event broadcasts as they see in pre-recorded TV series and films. Producers of live content are looking to new, immersive and cinematic mobile camera views to better achieve these results. This presents a challenge to live production teams as these new camera views and angles must match the quality of the rest of the production - the demand for mobility means that the cameras need to be wireless. |
Tags: iss136
| wireless
| hdr
| 4k
| transmitter
| bandwidth
| imt vislink
| hcam
| David Edwards
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NAB Intelligence
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It's that time of year again. 06:30 on road bikes on the Las Vegas Strip with a merry bunch of folks who believe they look good in lycra. As we pedal West up the hill towards Red Rock there will be stories of the year just gone and questions about what to look for at the show. I, for one, will be attending the Devoncroft event to check up on who is spending what and where. I will then look forward to the topics that might be buzzing around the halls. I predict there will be many displays of Machine Learning hiding under the banner of Artificial Intelligence. Some of these will show better picture quality, others will show personalisation engines, some will be improved search tools and yet more will be synthesising pictures and motions to replace reality with and Artificial reality that's more compelling for the viewer. |
Tags: iss136
| nab
| class
| ai
| smpte
| st2110
| imf
| Bruce Devlin - new
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TV Futures - The Shadowing Experience
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My name is Daniel Jones, and it is no accident that I’m currently studying BSc (Hons) Television and Broadcasting at the University of Portsmouth. Since completing GSCE media studies I have been constantly questioning what I watch with questions such as, “Wow, how was that filmed?” or “That looks amazing, I wonder how long that took?” It should come as no surprise that I made it a big focus of mine to get myself some real work experience to give myself some answers to these production questions. |
Tags: iss136
| portsmouth university
| runner
| student
| education
| training
| Daniel Jones
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Looking for the Silver Lining
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According to the World Meteorological Organisation, there are 10 different types of cloud, each of which can be divided further into sub-types. They range from the cirrus, the thin floaty clouds which generally serve only to make the sky look beautiful to the towering, all-embracing cumulonimbus which can deliver fearful quantities of rain – the biggest cumulonimbus clouds can contain 50 million tonnes of water. |
Tags: iss136
| cloud
| lto
| archive
| storage
| Harry Grinling
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Living LIVE at BVE with Ross Video
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KitPlus’ Jon Pratchett chats to Stuart Russell, Ross Video, in the BVE studio. Covering customer partnerships and loyalty, pain points, growth, industry trends, pace of IP adoption, 12g SDI technologies, UHD / HDR, 8k, AI and we try to get a hint of new products on the horizon... |
Tags: iss136
| ross video
| 12g sdi
| uhd
| hdr
| ip
| bve 2019
| bvexpo
| Jon Pratchett
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Your two week editing future
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So here we are - January again! Usually a good time to reflect on the year just gone by, and a good time to look forward to the coming months as the new year begins.
When I was reflecting on my 2018, and when thinking about what to write for my first article for Kit Plus - I kept coming back to one theme - organisation.
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Tags: iss135
| editing
| mediacity training
| premiere pro
| dit
| Alex Macleod
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Future proofing post production storage
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Advancements in NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express), the storage protocol designed for flash, are revolutionising data storage. According to G2M Research, the NVMe market will grow to $60 billion by 2021, with 70 percent of all-flash arrays being based on the protocol by 2020. NVMe, acting like steroids for flash-based storage infrastructures, dynamically and dramatically accelerates data delivery. |
Tags: iss135
| nvme
| sas
| sata
| it
| storage
| post production
| Josh Goldenhar
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Switching to Internet Based Distribution
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"An IP status check for the broadcast industry", "Resistance is futile", "IP points the way forward for the broadcast industry"...
Yes, we've read the headlines too. But rather than force you into submission, scare you, or leave you feeling like you have no other choice, we want to give you the information that helps you to make a sensible decision about Internet-based distribution.
So what’s stopping you from making the switch right now?
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Tags: iss135
| ip
| internet
| distribution
| cerberus
| Chris Clark
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Test, Measurement and Standards
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The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), is a non-profit trade alliance that fosters the adoption of one set of common, ubiquitous, standards-based protocols for interoperability over IP in the media and entertainment, and professional audio/video industries. |
Tags: iss135
| omnitek
| aims
| SNMP
| hdr
| ai
| Alan Wheable
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Grading BBC Sounds
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The BBC has launched its new personalised music, radio and podcast app with a campaign that follows one listener’s journey from meeting Kylie Minogue in a lift to Idris Elba on a bus.
BBC Sounds offers a single home for the BBC’s thousands of hours of audio content, including live and on-demand shows and special music mixes curated by artists.
BBC Creative, the broadcaster’s in-house creative division, took the brief to agency Riff Raff Films and Megaforce directing duo of Charles Brisgand and Raphaël Rodriguez who in turn brought on board regular collaborators Time Based Arts.
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Tags: iss135
| bbc
| grading
| bbc sounds
| davinici
| resolve
| blackmagic
| editing
| Simone Grattarola
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21st Century Technology for 20th Century Content
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A big challenge facing owners of legacy content is rationalising and archiving their tape and film-based media in cost effective and efficient ways, whilst also adding value. Normally the result of this is to find a low cost means of digitising the content – usually leaving them with a bunch of assets on HDD. But then what? How can content owners have their cake and eat it? |
Tags: iss135
| legacy
| digitising
| digitizing
| archive
| James Hall
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Sony PWS-4500 Live Production Server Reviewed
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Available since 2016, the Sony PWS-4500 is a solid-state UHD/HD live production server designed for use in applications such as sports, studio or stage events. The target applications are master recording and advanced replay operations for live production companies for whom the server's ability to record the output from high frame rate cameras and deliver easily controllable slow motion is a major asset. The PWS-4500 is already in use by many prestigious live production companies and broadcasters around the world. |
Tags: iss135
| finepoint
| sny
| pws-4500
| review
| production server
| Andy McKenzie
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TVFutures - Location Assistant
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Hi, my name is Maddison Young and I am an undergraduate on BSc (Hons) Television and Broadcasting at the University of Portsmouth. If there is one consistent message being given to students these days it is ‘move out of your comfort zone, and get real industry work and experience’! It’s a scary message, and my first year saw me take mostly internal and ‘safe’ experiences within the realms of the university. I was determined to change this approach as a second year student. |
Tags: iss135
| portsmouth university
| location
| training
| education
| Maddison Young
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Battery Power Management
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There are many obvious ways a modern battery is better than one that would have been common just a few years ago and is light years ahead of what was available a generation ago. In everything from form factor to battery life to charge time, things have vastly improved. Consider cycle ratings, an indication of how many times a pack has or can be used. Some battery packs for professional video production and broadcast are now promising up to 2,000 full discharge/recharge cycles, double what was state-of-the-art just a year ago. That’s a significantly better return on investment. |
Tags: iss135
| core
| battery
| charging
| power
| Ross Kanarek
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The impact of drone incidents on the industry
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Cast your minds back to December, when commercial drone operators were on the verge of breathing a sigh of relief having made it through another 12 months without a major drone incident.
Then, came ‘The nightmare before Christmas’ when those reported drone sightings in the vicinity of Gatwick Airport grounded planes for 36 hours and caused more than 160,000 people to miss flights.
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Tags: iss135
| drones
| drone
| airport
| gatwick
| Phil Vinter
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Viva La Microphone Evolution
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2018 marks the twentieth year of Sennheiser Evolution microphones - a range of wired and wireless live performance microphones and wireless systems that took Sennheiser from relatively small-volume broadcast manufacturing to a prime position on stages around the world. Last November, Sennheiser UK marked this auspicious occasion by holding an evening of storytelling, hosted by Jamie Gosney and featuring Michael Polten, Martin Fischer and Andrew Lillywhite, all key members of the Sennheiser Evolution team, as well as Pete Malandrone (guitar tech to Dr Brian May), Joe Campbell (monitor engineer for artists include Chris Rea, Placebo and Adele) and Chris Denman (producer of the live sessions at Global Radio) who have all used, and loved, Evolution microphones for many years. |
Tags: iss135
| sennheiser
| evolution
| microphone
| KitPlus
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GoPro HERO 7 Review
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When I heard I was filming a nature restoration project in the pouring rain this week I was excited. WHY? No Cameraman enjoys the rain, surely but this time I was enthusiastic because I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to try out the brand new GoPro Hero 7 Black Edition. |
Tags: iss134
| gopro
| hero 7
| review
| liberal media
| Tim Bearder
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NEP Student Day
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The world of broadcasting is in constant flux, with undefined boundaries between broadcast, TV, film and interactive media. With a changing consumer demographic now a key influence on the industry, many companies no longer specialise in a single medium, but have had to become adaptable to deliver multiple services through a combination of media. |
Tags: iss134
| students
| tvfutures
| NEP
| KitPlus
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AI in Media and Entertainment
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a term appearing everywhere these days. What is happening in media and entertainment (M&E) that makes the industry ripe for AI? In other words, why does the M&E industry need AI? |
Tags: iss134
| AI
| wazee
| David Candler
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Protecting the continuity of transmission
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Your viewers love you. You consistently bring them their preferred channels 24/7. They’ve come to rely on you for their viewing pleasure. They never miss cheering on their beloved sports teams. They’re the envy of their friends as they watch live concerts of their favourite bands. They gather the family around and catch up on their must-see shows. They don’t have a bad word to say about you. |
Tags: iss134
| garland
| gpl
| streaming
| artel
| disaster recovery
| Lorna Garrett
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Sony HDC-4800 Review
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First announced at NAB 2016, the Sony HDC-4800 is a studio camera system capable of shooting 4K/UHD at up to 8x or full HD at up to 16x. With a price point upwards of £250,000 it is a very high-end product with a wide feature set. In Sony's own words, "This is the future of live production, designed to satisfy the storytelling aspect of modern sports production.” Deliveries began in mid 2017 and, after careful preliminary evaluation, we invested in several systems for our hire fleet ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Russia. |
Tags: iss134
| review
| hdc-4800
| sony
| finepoint
| Andy McKenzie
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The brave new world of software based production
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In today’s rapidly evolving broadcast industry, the only constant media organizations can truly count on is change — and the need to adapt as rapidly and cost-effectively as possible. One of the biggest agents of change is the IP revolution, driving broadcasters to migrate their operations to all-software solutions running on commodity, IT-based technologies. |
Tags: iss134
| chyronhego
| graphics
| sports
| ott
| Boromy Ung
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Keeping it remotely real
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Everyone wants to do more with less. Always have, although it could be argued that doing more with more is something to aspire to, not many have that luxury.
So let’s stick with the prevailing winds of doing more with less, and not just doing more, but doing it remotely, particularly in terms of production. Remote production, in particular, is getting a lot of attention in the field these days, but not so much in terms of the remote operation of fixed studios. |
Tags: iss134
| remote control
| IPE
| IDS
| Reuben Such
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An Epiphany Moment
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I had been negotiating the sale of my company and had reached the really hard end of the bargain. We were close to agreeing the final sum after a lot of too-much-give-and-not-enough-take negotiation. The solicitors were calling me, keen for a deal. It had come down to one sticking point and, in my hard ball “I am the Wolf of Wall Street” guise, I wasn’t going to let it go. It would make a value difference of 1.5% on the total outcome. Not much, you might think, but I had already nearly fallen out with the solicitors over their fees and I was giving my advisors an extremely hard time because the corporate adviser couldn’t see how I had already given more than an inch and the buyers were taking more than a mile. I was not going to let them win. |
Tags: iss134
| azule
| finance
| Peter Savage 2
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