Entries categorized as 'Q&A'
A READER ASKS
What can I do to obsolete proof my video archives? Most of them are on Beta SP®. Do I need to go to a Duplication House to have copies made?
Just a few quick thoughts:
FORMAT HOP
If you are looking for long-term storage of your program materials your best bet is to format hop as new formats develop. Beta SP® (A Trademark of Sony) is an analog format. An important issue with analog is that it does not copy into multiple generations well, although Beta SP® is one of the better formats for multi-generation duplication because signal quality holds up through several copies.
GO DIGITAL
You should consider converting your program materials to a digital format (this is called “Digitizing”). To do this you would have your Beta SP® original digitized and placed on a DVD as a MPEG file. This is not a complicated process. You can simply go to your favorite electronics store, purchase a DVD player/recorder and connect it to a Betacam® VTR and you are on your way.
Once it is in a digital format it can maintain the visual and audio quality of the original software. This means that you can make copies of copies with little to no loss in quality.
BE READY TO JUMP SHIP
Format hopping comes in when you begin to see DVDs and MPEG formats slipping in popularity. Always go with the latest stable format to duplicate your materials. It is a lot of follow-up but well worth the effort to protect today’s program materials for generations to come. This is a big problem for still photographers. Many question if archived images taken today will be able to be opened for viewing 50, 75, 100… years from now. -33-
Categories: Q&A · Video
October 18, 2007 · 1 Comment
A READER ASKS
I create television graphics for broadcast. I typically save my files for use in the JPEG format (.JPG). My question is how stable are digital formats like .JPG. Can we ever expect obsolescence of these seemingly ubiquitous files?
It is always suggested that one maintain a cautious posture when it comes to formats. There are really no guarantees. You can print a photograph from a negative that is over 100 years old but some computer files created a few short years ago cannot be processed on today’s computer systems.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST
Consider what happened to the Sony BetaMax® video format. The general thought was that there would always be a machine on which to playback the tapes produced in this format. How many home movies were made by early video users only to have them sit on a shelf with nothing available to play them? Conversions are possible but the companies that do them are few and far between and the cost is high. VHS® could be destined for the same end now that DVDs are all the rage. There is a possibility that DVDs will be replaced in the next 10 years. HD DVD® and Blu-Ray® are already beginning to edge them out.
Considering software applications: If you had Native files created in an early version of a illustration application that let’s say ran on DOS or the Windows® 3.1 operating system, the Native files from that version may not open in today’s operating systems. Some early JPEG files might be incompatible too.
Many applications and operating systems have become obsolete over the years. Unless you have the original software, opening files created in these obsolete packages today might be a challenge or even impossible. How about 8” and 5” floppy discs? If you have files on those formats you are out of luck also. Time marches on, formats and applications change.
ANTICIPATE
The best rule of thumb to follow is to watch the formats, anticipate obsolescence and do conversions as required to keep your files up to date. Do not fall victim to changes. To ignore this simple fact one puts their files at risk. -33-
Categories: Photography · Production · Q&A · Video
A Reader Asks:
Do I need my new flat panel television calibrated in my home? I’m told this is something that should be done with new sets, but I have to tell you so far the picture seems pretty good. In your opinion is this something that should be done with these new sets…?
Excellent question! If you feel a calibration is right for you. That is exactly what you should have done. As for my opinion: If you are satisfied and happy with the image and sonic performance of your new TV I wouldn’t change it.
The “need” sometime comes from some retailers who not only want to sell service contracts and expensive, high tech cabling that has the same performance as good quality, standard cabling costing much less, they also want you to consider having them come out and set up your new purchase in your home to “customize it for your personal viewing and listening space.” There is usually a fee attached to this service call.
SELLING ON THE NEW CAR SMELL
This “gotta have it” sales pitch is much the same when buying a new car as it is when buying a top of the line “Uber-Television.” Most vehicles today offer a nice “standard” package with many creature comforts. The dealer makes some profit on the cars but the aftermarket “dealer installed” items like undercoating and rust proofing are their big money makers.
The car leaves the factory with a warranty. In 5-, 10-, or 15-years when you trade your care in for a new car, aftermarket rust proofing won’t make any difference in value and you likely would have gotten the same performance if you did not choose the dealer installed option. Did you need it? Probably not but the dealer made you think you did and made a hansom profit to boot.
From the tens of thousands of LCD, DLP, CRT and Plasma televisions seen in professional dealings with clients, it has been observed that a consumer level set comes out of the box ready to roll.
RESET THE DEFAULTS
There is one recommendation that I do like to offer–Go into your setups and change from the brightest most vivid setting to another setup that pleases you. Do not change anything else but that setting and live with the set for about a week or two before you decide you need to change it back or have it calibrated. TVs leave the factory defaulted to pumped color and contrast because the factory wants it to look its best if it should be put in the bright lights of a store showroom display. Another reason for moving the set from the brightest setting is it will prolong the life of the unit’s internal lamp.
WHEN IS A FULL CALIBRATION REASONABLE?
The only calibrations that I normally recommend are in critical production applications where a wall of television monitors in a television control room need to be critically color matched. Other areas are in hospitals and operating rooms, photographic applications and graphics workstations where critical technical color observation is required for a medical/surgical diagnosis, printing application or digital photographic processing. Corporate displays usually need critical color matching too. Corporations are very fussy about proper reproduction of their corporate identity, including color. -33-
Categories: Production · Q&A · Video
A Reader Asks:
I notice a distinct chirping or buzzing in a defined, rhythmic pattern in the audio portion of my production. What causes this and is there anything that I can do to prevent it?
Many issues can cause chatter or noise in audio systems. Some of the most frustrating to deal with lately seem to be coming from portable wireless devices.
Cell-Cell-Cell
Cellular communication can be the source of this interference when a subscriber is using their wireless device near some speakers or poorly shielded audio cables, controls and other equipment that can resonate radio frequencies (RF). One of the biggest causes is shielding, or lack thereof. What is happening is poorly shielded gizmos can act like an antenna picking up the cell phone’s generated frequencies. At a very basic level, you are hearing someone’s telephone communication.
Some telephone networks cause more electronic noise than others because of things like, how often they communicate with devices, the frequency bands they use and how much power the device emits.
The amount of noise caused by cell phones and networks when near sensitive audio devices is related to how efficiency the telephone communicates with the network and stays connected. Some telephones need to talk with the tower more often than others.
Experts say that the interference is an intrinsic part of cellular technology and not much can be done to prevent it. We live in a very noisy world from a radio frequency standpoint.
Fixes
Solving the issue is not easy. One thing that will help is to do away with copper cabling all together and install fiber optic cable but other hardware is still open to the problem. The best way is to insist that everyone within the production’s proximity turn-off his or her cellular devices. Not set to vibrate-Power-off completely! All well and good unless you pull up your mobile production unit near an offending system’s cell site.
Part of the responsibility lies with the manufacturers to provide better shielding and systems in their own devices. Part of the responsibility lies with audio and video system installers and designers to address this problem and design-in better RF shielding to prevent or at least minimize impact.
Try This
- Experiment with wire dress
- Be sure all shields are soldered
- Use quality cable.
- Use quality connectors
- Maintain a totally balanced audio system
- Have a good maintenance program -33-
Categories: Audio · Production · Q&A
