Happy New Year. Your federal government has a late holiday gift for you. Beginning January 1st, 2008, you’ll be able to log in and apply for a coupon to purchase a digital to analog converter box. [...]
If you are one of the many air travelers who carry spare lithium laptop, cell phone, camera and other electronic equipment batteries with you when traveling by air, take note: The government has some new rules which go into effect on New Year’s Day, 2008. [...]
A READER ASKS What can I do to obsolete proof my video archives? Just a few quick thoughts: There is no real “obsolete proof” archival format. However there are ways to preserve and store your program materials. [...]
Where would our modern world be without the ubiquitous transistor? Many of the “things” that we take for granted on a daily basis would not work or even exist without this little switch. Televising The Revolution celebrates the Sixtieth birthday of the Transistor, born on December 16, 1947. [...]
The amount of time spent on pre-production setup is directly related to the quality of images sent to Master Control or put to tape during a production. The following are some tips on pre-production workflow to make for a smooth day in the field. [...]
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? Can we ever expect obsolescence of thesetypes offiles? [...]
Wireless microphone systems seem to be everywhere today. The spectrum is getting crowded and with the application of digital television and a plethora of other wireless gizmos frequency availability is at a premium. Knowing how to set up and use these systems is important to getting the best performance and to stay within regulations. [...]
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…? [...]
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) took the wraps off a 30 second spot to inform the public of the February 17, 2009 advance to all digital television transmissions. The spot is said to promote consumer awareness of the digital transition. [...]
Putting additional capacity into a power grid is not an unusual move for a power company. Events such as hot and humid summer days often call for the boost to prevent power brownouts and outages, but a television show? [...]
There are countless bytes of precious memories and critical data stored on optical discs every day but the average user has no idea just how sensitive the media can be. […]
An important part of any production is assuring that what you are seeing is what is going to air, tape or disc. Because one observer may see a particular color differently than another, the best way to assure you are getting proper color and luminance levels is with a Waveform Monitor and Vectorscope. [...]
TV’s Inventor on TV The only on-air tribute Dr. Philo T. Farnsworth ever received from the industry he helped to create was on a segment of the popular game show “I’ve Got A Secret.” In 1957, Dr. Farnsworth was interviewed by Host, Garry Moore after his “secret” of “Inventing Electronic Television at the age of 14. […]
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. [...]
As you crank up your 500 watt surround sound amplifiers and digitally tuned, 96″, 1080 line, progressive scan, high definition television receiver and sink into your favorite movie or show, think back to September 7, 1927 for just a moment and maybe raise a glass in toast to a driven, young inventor Dr. Philo T Farnsworth. [...]
It was announced today that the Cable Industry will be pumping $200M into advertising to educate consumers that the analog to digital cutover announced for February 17, 2009 will not affect cable subscribers. [...]
Imagine if you will. It is February 18, 2009. A television viewer receives TV over the air through a roof antenna. On awakening, instinctively the TV is turned on only to find snow-not outside but on the TV screen. Switching to another channel, snow… and another. Snow. Suddenly you discover the death of Analog Television [...]
Photography is magic. It has been since it’s beginnings and remains magic right up to today. There is a certain mystery to the way light sensitive particles in film or pixels on a silicone chip gather light and shadow to document a split second in eternity. Here is some information on choosing a digital still camera. [...]
What the heck is a Ditty Bag? In production parlance and as listed in this column it is a kit of useful items used in television and film production. The ditty bag can contain a group of handy items to have at one’s disposal. The items may vary depending on personal choices. [...]
The first posting on Televising The Revolution is a look back and a flash-forward at the same time. It might seem that television has come full circle since its humble beginnings. Spinning Wheels Mechanical scanning disc television sets were presented to the public in 1928. This is the earliest reference found on a commercially made television set. [...]
