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ALSO INSIDE:TV PRODUCTION SPACES, PART IIA tutorial on lichting and power systems

SHADING CAMERASRequires both art and science

MANAGING VIDEO IP NETWORKSTools for syste ri administrators

SELECTING AN AUDIO CONSOLEStart by defining how it will be used

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TABLE OF CONTENTSVOLUME 50 j NUMBER 121 DECEMBER 2008

Broadcast Engineering,

FEATURES56 TV production spaces, part II

When designing lighting, power andelectrical systems, consider these issues.

62 Camera shading basicsMaking your cameras matchis both art and science.

BEYOND THE HEADLINESDOWNLOAD

14 The future of DTVTaste is key to both beer and broadcast.

FCC UPDATE22 DTV countdown tips

Stations must meet minimumDTV education deadlines.

DIGITAL HANDBOOKTRANSITION TO DIGITAL

24 Preparing for analog cutoffFollow these steps for a smooth transition.

COMPUTERS & NETWORKS30 Remote administration

If you are an accidental system administrator,here are some tools that can help.

PRODUCTION CLIPS34 Selecting the right audio console

It's important to match the console to the task.

DECEMBER FREEZEFRAME QUESTION

Hum and noise are always a concern in studios. Examine the following power supply schematics. Which of the circuits below will result inthe smallest amount of noise and why?

A) Power source

The answer is on page 8

B) Power source

60V

(Ground)Reactive currents

.=Reactive currents4

60V

Load

6 broadcastengineering.com I December 2008

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TABLE OF CONTENTSVOLUME 50 I NUMBER 12 I DECEMBER 2008

SYSTEMS INTEGRATIONSHOWCASE

40 WBOC-DT presents HDnews in the roundA rotating anchor's deskallows a variety of backgrounds.

TRANSMISSION& DISTRIBUTION

46 113y6 is comingYou cannot afford to ignore this technology.

DIGITALTUTORIAL50 Fiber optics in broadcast infrastructures

It may be time to abandon coax.

NEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWSAPPLIED TECHNOLOGIES

83 Clear -Corn's Concert intercom

86 Grass Valley's REV PRO digital media drive

FIELD REPORTS88 Aviom's Prol6 audio distribution system

TECHNOLOGY IN TRANSITION90 Archive systems

Manage content carefully to enablefuture revenue opportunties.

NEW PRODUCTS92 Broadcast Pix's Slate v7.1 and more ...

DEPARTMENTS10 EDITORIAL12 FEEDBACK95 CLASSIFIEDS97 ADVERTISERS INDEX98 EOM

DECEMBER FREEZEFRAME ANSWER

Drawing B will present the lowest noise.

Reason: Drawing A illustrates differential mode wiring. This is thestandard power configuration in the United States. The 120VAC is ref-erenced to ground with reactive currents being generated at the topand bottom of the load back and fed back toward the power trans-former via the hot wire and the neutral. These currents will eventuallycombine in the ground wire. As more equipment is turned on, morecurrent flows, and therefore more noise is produced. This configura-tion is one of the most difficult from which to remove noise.

Drawing B illustrates a balanced power system. In this case, 120VACis presented from two 60VAC secondary windings with a common cen-ter tap to ground. With balanced power, there are balanced reactivecurrents, which sum to zero at the transformer center tap (ground).The result is less noise.


ON THE COVER:WBOC-DT's NewsPlex anchor desk is mounted on top of arotating stage that allows a new background for differentsegments of the newscast. Photo courtesy Andy Washnik/CORPRICOM.

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EDITORIALDEPARTMENT

Bailouts andhandouts

I'm typing with clinched teeth this morning as thenews reports continue nonstop about the automotiveindustry's demand that taxpayers bail out its poorlymanaged, high -union -labor -cost industry. One pun-

dit called giving the automakers any bailout simply pour-ing bad money into a black hole. He continued by askingwhat do you get after $25 billion? His answer: the samebankrupt, inefficient, high -labor -cost industry, makingcars people don't want.

It seems to me that most of the industries clamoringfor tax dollars are looking to be saved from their owngreed. A recent example shows how one company re-sponded when the government rode in to rescue it fromits own bad decisions. The insurance giant, AIG, wascalled too big to let fail, so in early September, the gov-ernment loaned AIG $85 billion.

Less than a week after receiving that $85 billion in gov-ernment bailout money, the company threw a $440,000party at the St. Regis resort in Los Angeles. This included$23,380 worth of spa treatments for AIG employees.

Congress was apoplectic, quickly demanding testimony.Company managers groveled, apologized, pointed fingersat each other and promised they'd never again waste gov-ernment -loaned money on company parties.

Bad habits must be hard to change because shortly af-ter the above apology, undercover reporters from PhoenixTV station KNXV found the "broken" insurance carrieragain at the party table. This time, AIG held a $343,000

corporate event at the Phoenix Pointe Hilton Squaw PeakResort. Organizers apparently tried to hide the affair, call-ing it a meeting for "independent financial advisors" andused no AIG logos in the signage. This party took placejust before the U.S. Treasury announced it was increasingthe total aid for AIG to $150 billion, saying the original$85 billion loan was putting too much strain on the com-pany. What? How does giving a company $85 billion createtoo much strain? Please give me some of that strain. It's nowonder there's a waiting line of lobbyists in front of theDepartment of the Treasury, all with their hands out fortaxpayer bailout money.

Which cheesy industries are looking for a free ride?There are the savings and loan associations, and their in-surers and community banks. Add to that roster the Na-tional Marine Manufacturers Association. After all, if youcan't get loans, you can't buy expensive boats. Also includethe National Automotive Dealers Association for similarreasons. Then we have Allstate and MetLife, GE Capitaland GMAC, and American Express.

Of course, first on the list for government handoutsare the big three automakers - Chrysler, Ford and GM.To hear the three automakers' presidents and the UAWrepresentative, the sun may never rise again if these com-panies are allowed to go bankrupt. At the time this edito-rial was written, it appeared the automakers were aboutto be sent packing. If so, I say right on!

The list of those wanting bailouts will certainly grow.In addition to the debt such government bailouts create,they allow politicians to decide who survives and whodoesn't. Jeb Mason, the U.S. Treasury's liaison to thebusiness community, said, "The government shouldn'tbe in the business of picking winners and losers amongindustries."

But that's exactly what is happening. Lehman Broth-ers was allowed to go bankrupt, but AIG was saved with$150 billion. My bank goes into foreclosure, but your bankgets billions in bailout money, which it then uses for merg-ers and acquisition. The government is picking the win-ners and losers.

Question: So, when will broadcasters get their bailout?Answer: About the time hell freezes over.

EDITORIAL DIRECTORShare your thoughts at

http://community.broadcastengineering.com/forums/80.aspx.

BE

10 broadcastengineering.com December 2008

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FEEDBACKDEPARTMENT

Broadcast

AUDIOFOR HDlearn quick solutionsfor pesky problems

ATSC standardsDear editor:

Regarding the September Tran-sition to Digital column, "DTVmultichannel transmission," themaster guide table (MGT) and thesystem time table (STT) are essen-tial. If the first is not correctly con-structed, a receiver cannot locatethe other tables. The STT contentsare critical because sending thewrong time will impact any DVRtuning based on event start timesand may impact receivers' abilityto actually use the event informa-tion tables (EITs). Also, becausethere is a time accuracy require-ment, allowing the clock to drift inthe PSIP generator equipment canresult in a violation of FCC rules.

The PSIP contains the listedstructure for the virtual channel,not the program. Second, the vid-

eo stream descriptor (which is carried in the program map table for eachprogram) does not contain bit rate or aspect ratio information.

While the major channels in the TVCT (in the United States) can be 2-99,the total number of subchannels that can be signaled is more than 100,000.Early experiments to assign subchannels dynamically caused consumerconfusion and few broadcasters to alter the lineup during the day.

The IS disbanded some years ago. Its public findings can be found in theIS Findings subsection under Standards on the ATSC Web page.

Art AllisonNAB

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Aldo Cugnini responds:Thanks for making those important points. As a key contributor to the

ATSC standards, your comments should always garner deference. Standardsare, by necessity, written in terse and (hopefully) exact language, and effortsto generate short abstracts are challenging to the rest of us.

Bit rate and aspect ratio are, of course, carried in the video sequenceheader, and my final point was intended to generate involvement in the gen-eral activities of ATSC.

3-DTV mind control?Dear editor:

I am in my mid -60s and an engi-neering manager retiree from what isnow Comcast in Broward County, FL.I was responsible for managing muchof the 750MHz/860MHz hybrid fiberand coax rebuild construction thatbegan back in 1995.

Your 3-D article "Just when you

thought it was safe ..."in the July issuebrought back some memories. Therewas a 1993 made -for -TV mini-seriescalled "Wild Palms" that I becamevery absorbed in at the time, despitethe fact that neither myself nor any-one else was able to follow or under-stand much of it. In an enigmatic way,it dealt with the introduction of 3-Dholographic TV transmission during

what I understood would be the 2008presidential election campaign. Theplot, which accorded some pretty sin-ister motives to the developers/broad-casters and one of the presidentialcandidates, was suppose to suggest asci-fi type of mind control plot thatnever really surfaced. It was only af-ter the series ended that I saw that inthe reviews. See www.imdb.com/title/tt0106175/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Palms.

If I get around to it, I may rent theDVD and try watching it again. Any-way, I was just wondering if anyoneelse who read your back page recalled"Wild Palms?"

Robert J. MatznerFort Lauderdale, FL

Anthony Gargano responds:Glad you enjoyed the column, Rob-

ert, but I do not believe 3-D televisionto be a mind control threat. When60 million viewers are casting votes onthe likes of "American Idol," it seemsto me that mind control is alreadyalive and well in 2-D television!

Go MXF!Dear editor:

I read your article, "File -based de-livery," in the November issue. Excel-lent! It's one of those articles that youclip out and keep, which I did.

It was very well -written, conciseand informative. Thanks, and keepup the good work!

William M. QuinnChair - SMPTE Nashville Section

Technical sales, DNF Controls

Brad Gilmer responds:Great to hear from you again. Also,

thank you for the kind words regard-ing my article.

All the best, and happy holidays!

Test Your Knowledge!See the Freezeframe question

of the month on page 6.


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DOWNLOADBEYONDTHE HEADLINES

The future of DTVTaste is key to both beer and broadcast.

The future of digital tele-vision is changing, alongwith the climate, the globaleconomy and global poli-

tics. According to Douglas Adams, theauthor of "The Hitchhiker's Guide tothe Galaxy," 42 is the answer to "life,the universe and everything." It hasbeen 42 years since I graduated fromNova High School, where I was in-fected by this thing we call television.

Perhaps the most significantchange I have witnessed in all ofthese years is the pervasive - somemight even say perverse - influencethat the mass media has had on ourculture. When TV came onto thescene, localism had real meaning. Weshopped mostly in local mom-and-pop stores, ate in one -of -a -kind res-taurants and drank beer from nearbybreweries in local pubs. Actually, beerprovides an excellent example of thechanges that have taken place in ourculture, in large measure through themass appeal of television.

BY CRAIG BIRKMAIFR

I would like to share with you a quick story that many of you may already know

A small group of innovators introduce a new technology that has the abilityto entertain and engage people on a massive scale. Advertisers willing to riskmoney on this untested platform are hard to come by. Content owners are re-luctant to embrace it for fear of alienating their existing audiences. And expertshail this new platform as signaling the demise of another.

As some of you may have guessed, this is not only the story of You Tube. Theyear is 1941, nearly 70 years ago, and CBS has just launched its new televisionnetwork amidst cries that it means the death of radio.

From the printing press to the blog, from the record player to the iPod, and fromthe stage to the home theater, the way content has been produced, distributedand consumed in the world is constantly evolving.

Prior to the Civil War, beer produc-tion and consumption was a local af-fair. After the Civil War, the produc-tion of beer became one of America'slargest growth industries. In 1915,

FRAM E GRAB A look at the issues driving today's technology

TV news stations increasingly involved with convergenceThirty-eight percent of stations swap content with newspapers.

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Source: RTNDA wwwrtnda.org

YouTube cofounder Chad Hurleyspeaking at the MIPCOM Conference

in Cannes, France, Oct. 15, 2008

there were 1345 breweries producing59.9 million barrels of beer each year.(See "A Concise History of America'sBrewing Industry" in "Web links.")Then prohibition turned off the taps.

It took decades to rebuild the in-dustry after prohibition. By 1945, asthe war ended and television was setto burst upon the scene, there were468 breweries producing 86.6 millionbarrels per year. Thanks to TV, thispicture changed dramatically.

An article on BeerHistory.com de-scribes the role that television playedin the consolidation of the U.S. beerindustry: "With National Prohibitionstill fresh in memory, brewers wereinitially wary of peddling their beerson the air ... But early apprehensionwas soon overtaken by the realizationthat television offered beer makerssomething tremendously valuableand unique: the ability to target thebeer drinker right at the barstool. TheAmerican tavern, after all, was thefirst home of television. In Chicago,for example, taverns accounted forhalf of all sales of television sets in

14 broadcastengineering.corn December 2008

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1947. Had any tavern keeper initiallydoubted the revolutionary impor-tance of TV to his trade, he was surelyconverted after the 1947 World Series.

Protestors did more than end prohibition.Theyalso made possible the marriage of the localbar and the TV.

Telecasts of the seven games betweenthe Dodgers and the Yankees madefor standing -room -only crowds intaverns throughout New York City."

Bud-wei-serBy 1980, there were only 101 brew-

eries in the United States producing188.4 million barrels of beer eachyear. Three companies - Anheuser-

Web linksYouTube founder compares

online video to nascent TV marketwww.techcrunch.com/2008/10/16/youtube-founder-compares-online-video-to-nascent-tv-markeV

"A Concise History of America'sBrewing Industry"http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/stack.brewing.industry.history.us

"Beer and Television: PerfectlyTuned In"www.beerhistory.com/library/holdings/beer commercials.shtml

Budweiser frogs commercialwww.youtube.corn/watch?v=pVcbas1b810

"So Long and Thanks for Allthe Fish"www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojydNb3Lrrs

Busch, Miller and Coors - dominat-ed the American beer scene, and theirTV advertising wars became famous.Miller built a franchise on "GreatTaste ... Less Filling." Coors be-came legendary thanks to the movie"Smokey and the Bandit." And Bud-weiser turned TV ads into contentthat was, and still is, more entertain-ing than most of the programs that itsponsors. (Do people really watch theSuper Bowl for the game?)

But these huge national brandsdid something perverse to beer; theyeliminated the content. Highly drink-able, but flavorful lagers gave way tolight beers; ales all but disappeared.

Meanwhile TV helped homogenizethe rest of our culture. National fastfood and restaurant chains largely dis-placed the mom-and-pop operations.The same thing happened to retailersand grocery stores. So much for the

Americans discovered real beer, and thecraft brewing industry began to grow.

Today, the craft beer segment isgrowing at an annual rate of 17 percent.The large breweries are barely growingat all. In 2007, there were 1420 craftbreweries, 20 large noncraft breweriesand 23 other noncraft breweries.

Miller and Coors merged and werethen purchased by Canada's Mol-son, which was acquired by interna-tional conglomerate SAB. Recently,the stockholders of Anheuser-Buschapproved the sale of the largest U.S.brewer to Belgium's In -Bev.

So long, and thanksfor all the fish

The fourth book in the Hitch-hikers Guide series, "So Long andThanks for All the Fish," set the stagefor the 2005 movie remake of theBBC radio series. In the book, man

TV helped homogenize our culture. Then,something interesting started to happen.

Cable began to compete with OTA.

rich cultural difference that gave eachstate and city its unique character.

Then, something interesting start-ed to happen to TV and beer. In the1980s, cable began to compete withover -the -air broadcasters. The bigthree television networks became thebig four, and Time Warner led therush to niche content by creating arange of cable TV channels focusedon special interests and demographicgroups. Consumers voted for pro-gram choice, and those ugly outdoorTV antennas started to disappear.

In 1995, the Budweiser frogs SuperBowl commercial became one of themost popular beer ads in history. (See"Web links.")

At the same time cable TV began totake over the distribution of TV con-tent, the U.S. craft beer industry expe-rienced a rebirth with the growth ofAnchor Steam and the launch of SierraNevada and The Boston Beer Company(Samuel Adams). A new generation of

is not the most intelligent creatureon Earth. We rank third. Second arethe dolphins, who try to warn us ofthe pending obliteration of Earth fora hyperspatial expressway. To fullyunderstand this, watch the openingof the Hitchhiker's Guide movie onYouTube. (See "Web links.")

For more than a decade, I have beenwarning the broadcast industry of thepending obliteration of its franchiseat the hands of a real world hyperspa-tial expressway - the Internet. In theUnited States, about 10 billion videosare viewed monthly via the Internet.Every minute, 13 hours of content isuploaded to YouTube.

This has not been lost on the me-dia conglomerates that provide thehigh -value content that has allowedover -the -air broadcasting to remainviable in a world dominated by themultichannel distribution oligopoly- cable and DBS. Virtually all prime -time TV content can now be accessed


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online, on demand. What's more,the commercial load in the onlineversions is substantially lower thanthat in the broadcast versions. Orviewers can buy commercial -freeversions of these programs fromiTunes or Amazon.

The real problem with over -the -airTV is that appointment TV is all butdead. Program adjacency, once thefoundation of prime -time scheduling,

franchises are beginning to abandonbroadcast TV in favor of cable, whichuses the revenue from monthly sub-scriber fees to outbid the broadcastnetworks for high value content. TheCollege Football Bowl ChampionshipSeries will move to ESPN in 2011.

Unfortunately, most broadcastershave done little to prepare themselvesfor the day that they move into thirdplace in the content distribution chain

If it makes you feel better, themultichannel services are not likely tosurvive the real DTV transition either.

is now meaningless in a world domi-nated by channel surfing and Websurfing. Broadcasters can still pull inlarge audiences for live events, butsome of the most important content

behind the multichannel services andthe Internet. If it makes you feel bet-ter, the multichannel services are notlikely to survive the real DTV transi-tion either.

On -demand and downloaded con-tent via the Internet is where the fu-ture of DTV lies. Cable may remain inthe game as a provider of broadbandpipes, but it and the telcos will facenew competition in this area. Thatcompetition may turn the TV whitespaces into the next big digital broad-cast medium.

The most important attribute ofOTA broadcasting is that it is a wire-less medium. In a world where wire-less communications has all but elimi-nated the need for a wired telephones,one can see a large opportunity for amodernized wireless digital contentdelivery infrastructure. The mobileDTV standard, currently nearing fi-nalization by the ATSC, offers a glim-mer of hope to TV broadcasters. Butthere are many obstacles along thispath to the future.

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content. Simulcasting of the primaryprogramming of a station is not likelyto grow the audience, and there aremany unanswered questions about therights to carry this content in a mobileservice. Live sports could be a signifi-cant mobile TV franchise, but the eco-nomics may not work out for deliveryof this content as an advertiser sup-

ported free -to -air service. Broadcast-ers could focus on the creation of localcontent; however, economic viability istenuous here as well.

The most promising aspect of thetransition to Internet -based DTV isthe opportunity for the craft of con-tent creation to flourish once again,just as the craft of brewing has been

Smart Thinking.

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revitalized in recent years. YouTuberelies heavily upon content createdby independent producers; you couldcall it the mom-and-pop video busi-ness. As we shift to search engines tofind content of interest, the playingfield will be leveled a bit in favor ofindependent producers, who are nowbeing squeezed out by the big mediaconglomerates. This is already hap-pening with music; video can't be toofar behind.

My 42 years around television hasbeen an incredible experience. With30 consecutive NAB conventions un-der my belt, it's time to try something

The mostpromising aspect ofInternet -based DTVis the opportunity

for the craft ofcontent creation toflourish once again.

new. But retirement is not an option.So, I am embarking on a new career.

In January, The SwampheadBrewery will begin the productionof high -quality craft beers in Gaines-ville, FL. As the head brewer, I lookforward to the challenges of buildinga new business creating beers filledwith compelling content.

For those who want to be part ofthe future of digital television, I sug-gest a similar path. To borrow a phrasefrom our mass media pop culture: It'sthe content, stupid! BE

Craig Birkmaier is a technology consultantat Pcube Labs.

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FCC UPDATEBEYONDTHE HEADLINES

DTV countdown tipsStations must meet minimum DTV

education guidelines.

Stations that selected op-tion two from the NAB'sconsumer education planmenu must continue to

air at least one of the following perday until the transition on Feb. 17:

Graphic display. A graphic super-imposed during programming con-tent reminds viewers there are "xnumber of days" until the transitionand visually instructs them to call atoll -free number and/or visit a Website for details. The length of timedisplayed may be from five to 15 sec-onds, at the discretion of the station.

Animated graphic. A moving oranimated graphic provides a count-down reminder that there are "xnumber of days" until the transitionand visually instructs viewers to calla toll -free number and/or visit a Website for details. Again, the length mustbe between five and 15 seconds.

DatelineFeb. 1 is the deadline for TV sta-

tions in the following states to filetheir biennial ownership reports:Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,New Jersey and New York.

Feb. 1 is the deadline for TVstations and Class A TV stationsin the following states to placetheir 2008 EEO public file reportsin their public files and post themon their Web sites: Arkansas,Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,Nebraska, New Jersey, New Yorkand Oklahoma. LPTV stationsoriginating programming in thesestates, which are not required tohave public files, must post thesereports on their Web sites and keepthem in their station records.

BY HARRY C. MARTIN

Graphic and audio display. This op-tion consists of either a still or an ani-mated graphic display that includesan added audio component and lastsfrom five to 15 seconds.

Longer form reminders. Stations canchoose from a variety of longer formoptions to communicate the count -

for those that have not, the time inwhich to do so is drawing shorter.Stations must air such programmingon both their analog and primarydigital programming streams. Theprogram may air simultaneously onboth, but this is not required. Theimportant thing is that there is a

If a station wants to permanentlyreduce or terminate either its analog or

pretransition digital service, it must notifyboth the commission and its viewers.

down message. One example is a seg-ment where viewers call in to a phonebank and ask knowledgeable peoplequestions about the transition.

Stations choosing the other con-sumer education options have in-creased obligations as the time drawscloser to the transition, but with-out the specific additional types ofannouncements.

Consumer ed specificsAs of Oct. 1, stations that chose op-

tion one had to increase the numberof PSAs and crawls they must air ineach quarter of the day to three each.

As of Nov. 1, noncommercial sta-tions operating under option threewere expected to increase the amountof DTV consumer education timeto at least 180 seconds per day and22.5 minutes per month (between6 p.m. and midnight).

Commercial stations operating un-der option two and noncommercialstations that chose option three mustair, between 8 a.m. and 11:35 p.m., atleast one 30 -minute informationalprogram about the DTV transitionby Feb. 16. Many stations may havealready fulfilled this obligation, but

separate 30 -minute informationalprogramming requirement for eachchannel. Both channels may air thesame 30 -minute program, either si-multaneously or at different times,or they may air different programson each channel, if they choose.

During the last 90 days beforetransition, if a station wants to per-manently reduce or terminate eitherits analog or pretransition digitalservice, it must notify both the com-mission and its viewers at least 30days in advance of the termination ofanalog service. The FCC notificationmust be done electronically. Viewernotifications should contain spe-cific information including, but notlimited to, the station's call sign, thecommunity of license and the date oftermination of analog broadcasting.Announcements must be broadcastfour times per day, including once inprime time. BE

Harry C. Martin is a past president of theFederal Communications Bar Associationand a member of Fletcher, Heald andHildreth, PLC.

BSend questions and comments to:[email protected]


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TRANSITION TO DIGITALDIGITAL HANDBOOK

Preparing foranalog cutoff

Follow these steps for a smooth transition.BY ALDO CUGNINI

W' ith the DTV analogcutoff just two monthsaway, work by theFCC, NAB, broadcast-

ers and cable groups is bringing issuesto light that need to be resolved for asmooth transition. Back in March,congressmen and FCC commission-ers voiced their recommendation thatbroadcasters in some markets transi-tion to all -digital service before thetransition date. Since then, there havebeen various efforts to better under-stand transition issues, including anearly switch in Wilmington, NC, andsimulations in other markets.

Tests provideearly heads -up

The FCC identified 80 markets inwhich a significant portion of viewersreceive OTA broadcasts. These includemajor markets such as Chicago, NewYork City and Washington, D.C. As aresult, the FCC and broadcasters havebeen intensifying test runs and edu-cational campaigns in those markets.Various broadcasters have been con -

ducting transition simulations or softtests, whereby a simulated noisy pic-ture is broadcast on the analog trans-mission, with a clean picture on thedigital transmission. One such simu-lation has also been accompanied by

and proper rebroadcast of OTA sig-nals on multichannel video program-ming distributor (MVPD) systems.Earlier this year, the NAB, MSTV andvarious cable associations issued a"Coordination Reference Handbook,"

The message is to establish clear and opencommunications between broadcastersand local MVPDs on logistical issues.

fail and pass graphics on the respec-tive signals, giving viewers an easyway to ascertain their readiness.

These tests have already broughtup an extremely important aspect ofthe transition: that proper coopera-tive planning is imperative betweenbroadcasters and the communitycable operators carrying the broad-casters' signals. In one of these tests,false positives were experienced whena cable operator incorrectly retrans-mitted the analog fail message.

Detailed planning will be necessaryto ensure uninterrupted reception

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which laid out key steps to insure asuccessful transition. The underlyingmessage is to establish clear and opencommunications between broadcast-ers and their local MVPDs on varioustechnical and logistical issues.

Transition technical issuesmust be resolved soon

First and foremost is to ensure thatthe current retransmission infra-structure operates correctly after theanalog signal is terminated. In manyrespects, the task is similar to that ofinteroperating with a translator facil-ity, but with the added burden thatmany of the operating parameters arenot directly under the broadcaster'scontrol. Each broadcaster, after con-tacting every MVPD carrying its sta-tion, must also identify the locationof every local receive site, translatoror cable headend in the communi-ties served by those receive sites. WithMVPDs now including fiber and telcodelivery of OTA signals, the numberof coordinating sites has correspond-ingly increased. A critical issue iswhether any of those receive sites willbe affected by changes to broadcastantenna patterns, multipath or chan-nel assignment.

In addition, because some MVPDs


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will use IPTV to carry video, the cor-responding number of signal conver-sions may become quite complex, es-pecially when combinations of analogand digital video may be provided.Broadcasters should equip a goodmonitoring facility with the varioustypes of subscriber terminal equip-ment so they can predict and moni-tor the compatibility of such deviceswith operational changes, even afterthe transition. For those broadcastersalready on their final digital channelassignment, MVPDs have the optionof switching their receivers before thetransition date, possibly reducing thedifficulty of transition coordination.

MVPDs will need to processbroadcasters' PSIP and other signalinformation correctly. ATSC receiv-ers and downconverters must be setup properly, and the appropriateancillary data must be decoded andeither re -encoded or processed tothe new target signals. Broadcastersshould also completely understandhow MVPDs will process virtualchannel numbering and EmergencyAlert System (EAS) messages, as wellas content advisory (V -chip) infor-mation and other program relateddata (e.g., Nielsen AMOL Data).Broadcasters and MVPDs also needto coordinate the handling of mul-

Video withembedded captions

on line 21

Video withcaptions as

ancillary data

STB(diecodes and

renderscaptions)

TV(decodes and

renderscaptions)

TV

Figure 1. Captions can be processed by one of two means.

tiple audio programs (e.g., secondlanguages, descriptive audio), so thatthese can be carried appropriately onthe target systems.

Closed captioning carries with itsome unique issues. Both EIA-608and EIA-708 captioning must be senton ATSC transmissions for all non-exempt captioned programming, soit should be verified that the cableplant as a whole will make captionsavailable correctly to subscribers. Inthe past, an all -analog plant wouldsimply pass the entire NTSC signalfrom source to subscriber, keepingthe line -21 captions intact. Today'ssituation, with digital sources andmixed analog-digital cable plants, ismore complex. EIA-608 captions canbe re -encoded onto line 21, but EIA-708 (DTVCC) captions require dif-

ferent processing, as they are, in somesense, a superset of EIA-608. As al-ways, broadcasters and MVPDs mustensure compliance with FCC regula-tions on correct carriage of closedcaptions. (See Figure 1.)

Broadcasters should coordinatethe use of active format description(AFD) with their local MVPDs so theoperator's receiving equipment canproperly reformat images. (See Figure2 on page 28.) AFD enables DTV re-ceivers to automatically switch aspectratios when signaled in the bit stream.Currently, broadcasters are not re-quired to carry AFD. However, it isin their best interest to do so becauseviewers may not have the ability tochange the aspect ratio of a signal thathas been downconverted to analog bya service provider.

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The NAB and broadcasters havecreated the AFD Ready initiativeto promote and drive the deploy-ment of AFD-compatible receivingequipment, including cable headend

Original 4:3

4:3 convertedto 16:9 withpillarboxes

16:9 downconvertedto 4:3 with

postage stamp111W1NIL .11

Figure 2. AFD can help avoid postage stampvideo.

receivers and downconverter devices.More than 20 manufacturers supportthe initiative, and products are cur-rently available.

If it is not possible to use AFD, thenthe broadcasters and MVPDs shouldcoordinate the method of handlingthe downconversion, either by center

cut of the image or by letterboxing.Similarly, broadcasters should makesure that the MVPDs' video process-ing equipment correctly respects theSMPTE clean aperture when refor-matting video. Otherwise, extrane-ous nonvideo material (e.g., ancillarydata) may become visible on sub-scriber TVs.

Broadcast audiencesmust be informed

It cannot be stressed enough howimportant it is for broadcasters to ed-ucate their audiences as often as pos-sible leading up to - and after - thetransition date. This should includesimple links to Web sites to addresswhat consumers must do to continuewatching broadcast television. Onepart of this message has been largelyoverlooked: Consumers should re-

scan their DTVs and DTV converterboxes on or after the transition date,as many broadcasters will move to adifferent DTV channel assignment atthat time. Converters and DTVs willnot do this automatically, so somechannels may disappear from the re-ceivers after the transition date.

A further complication is the re-cent proposed congressional bill thatwould require stations to broadcast abarker message on the pretransition

analog channel temporarily after Feb.17. Should the bill become law, it willrequire additional MVPD coordina-tion and viewer notification.

Some broadcasters will also stay ona temporary DTV channel - and maynot switch to their permanent one -for up to an additional 12 months be-yond the transition date. It is likewiseimportant for those broadcasters toinform their audiences about theneed to rescan their DTV receiversupon the final channel move.

The NAB has requested that itsmembers put a voluntary four -weekhold on talks surrounding retrans-mission -consent deals around thetime of the DTV switchover. Thisquiet period is meant to limit "poten-tial confusion in the marketplace" asviewers get up to speed with their newDTV receiving equipment or otheraspects of the transition. This couldalso have the side benefit of movingany infrastructure reconfiguration tooutside of the critical transition time,potentially decreasing the concentra-tion of the technical effort. BE

Aldo Cugnini is a consultant in the digitaltelevision industry.

ISend questions and comments to:[email protected]

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COMPUTERS & NETWORKSDIGITAL HANDBOOK

Remote administrationIf you are an accidental system administrator,

here are some tools that can help.

If you woke up one day and re-alized you're doing a job differ-ent from what you started, youmight be an accidental system

administrator. An accidental systemadministrator is a broadcast engi-neer who spends all of his or her timeadministering computer systems inthe broadcast environment. Becausemany of us in this position startedout working as broadcast engineers,we may have missed out on usefultools that can help us do our acciden-tal jobs. The following remote systemadministration tools can make yourlife easier. (Note: I know the Mac hastools similar to what I discuss here. Italk about Windows and UNIX sinceI am familiar with those systems.)

Remote desktop toolsSince the early days of computing,

there have been utilities that allowusers to access their computers froma remote location. GoToMyPC andpcAnywhere are two common ex-amples. A user can not only gain ac-cess to files and other resources on aremote computer, but these utilitiesenable users to operate the remotecomputer as if they were sitting infront of it. This can be a great help ifyou need to do something at a workcomputer while somewhere else.It is also a helpful tool if you needto access a computer somewhere atthe station while you are working atyour desk.

In Windows XP and later, Micro-soft includes a tool called RemoteDesktop, which allows you to ac-cess and administer a remote serverfrom your desktop. This is an ex-tremely handy tool that I use all thetime on my Windows servers. In fact,my servers do not have monitors orkeyboards. I normally access them

BY BRAD GIl MFR

via Remote Desktop from my officecomputer.

People who operate UNIX systemshave had remote access for years viathe command line interface. I preferto access these servers via Secure Shell(SSH) using RSA authentication. Myfavorite - and free - client for re-mote console access of UNIX systemsis PuTTY.

Be careful not to use telnet overthe Internet. Everything you typeis sent in the clear. Anyone using apacket capture program can easilysee everything you type. I disable alltelnet functionality on my servers.

Some people prefer using the XWindow System to administer Linux

1 Internet

Man Ethernetrouter

Serial port

Main Ethernet

Main Ethernet

systems compared with the com-mand line interface. While not aseasy to configure as Windows Re-mote Desktop, it is possible to run aremote X Window session that pro-vides remote access to your Linuxsystem using a GUI interface.

System healthAnother set of helpful tools moni-

tors the health of your servers and al-lows you to perform basic functionssuch as turning the servers off andturning them back on again. I confessto only having experience with IBMe -Series servers. Other enterprise -class server manufacturers providesimilar functionality.

IP KVM

Server 2

(Internet

Mon tonngEthernet

router

KVMdongle

RSA ACpower

KVMdongle

Figure 1. A separate monitoring Ethernet network allows you to monitor andmaintain servers even when power or Ethernet connectivity to the main serversis lost. You can access the servers and network components many different ways,providing flexibility in dealing with various problems.


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COMPUTERS & NETWORKSDIGITAL HANDBOOK

Remote system health tools moni-tor things such as CPU temperatures,fan RPM and power supply volt-ages. When a limit is exceeded, themonitor software sends an e-mailnotification. As Figure 1 on page 30shows, the IBM Remote SupervisorAdapter provides a high-level greenlight, red light status for all the con-nected servers. One can drill downto a specific server and then down tomonitored parameters to learn moreabout a fault.

Disk array monitoringUnless the RAID array is remote-

ly monitored, there is no way for amaintenance person to know that adrive has been lost without physicallyinspecting the disk status lights onthe front of the RAID array. If a sec-ond drive fails before the first faileddrive is replaced, all data on the entirearray is lost.

I use the IBM Director and IBMServeRAID Manager to monitor thehealth of my RAID arrays. Thesesoftware packages monitor a host ofparameters on the system, includingindividual drives in the RAID array. Ifany drive fails, the system notifies meby e-mail immediately.

IP KVM switchesAnother trick in the bag of remote

administration tools is the IP KVMswitch. A KVM switch allows theuser to connect one keyboard, moni-tor and mouse to several computers.Broadcasters have used them for yearswhere desktop space is scarce. An IPKVM switch does the same thing asa regular KVM switch, but instead ofconnecting a keyboard, monitor andmouse to the switch output, you hookup an Ethernet connection. Then con-nect to the IP KVM switch throughthe desktop computer using specialsoftware. With this software, you canswitch between the different remotecomputer consoles just as if you wereusing a local wired KVM switch.

In this system, there is a small box(a KVM dongle) that has an Ethernetconnector and keyboard, video and

mouse cables coming out of it. Thesecables connect to the computer tobe controlled. The Ethernet connec-tor joins the dongle to the monitor-ing Ethernet network. The IP KVMswitch itself connects to the LAN andultimately to the Internet. You con-nect to the IP KVM switch by run-ning special virtual console softwareon the desktop computer. The virtual

Another trick inthe bag of remote

administrationtools is the IPKVM switch.

console provides access to the serveras if your remote computer were con-nected to the server directly. Responseover this link is slow, but if you arehaving problems, this may be a lastresort in correcting issues because, insome operating systems, critical errormessages may only appear on the lo-cal computer console.

Router and switchremote access

You may need to access routers andswitches to perform maintenance.It is common to access these devicesusing telnet. Usually this is safe be-cause the telnet connection can onlybe accessed via a VPN, which is anencrypted link between the remoteuser and the router. As a backup, con-nect a cable between the serial port onthe router or switch and one of yourservers. Then, if you are unable to usetelnet, you can access your server re-motely and use a serial communica-tions program such as hyperterm toconnect to the router.

Putting it all togetherAs Figure 1 shows, I strongly sug-

gest you create a separate monitoringEthernet network with its own switchand a separate connection to theInternet. Also, ensure that this net-work is fed from a power source

that is different from the serversand main Ethernet switch. Likewise,if the health monitoring hardwaresupports it, run these devices fromseparate power.

With the configuration shown inFigure 1, if the circuit breaker or UPSpowering the servers has a problem,you will still be able to access themonitoring network. In fact, the RSAin an IBM server will contact you if theserver it is monitoring has lost power,even though the RSA is physically lo-cated in the failed server. If, however,you have run the RSA off of the samepower as the main server, then theRSA will lose power as well, and youwill not receive a notification.

Having a separate monitoringnetwork saved me many times whenthere were problems with the primaryEthernet connection to my servers.Because the monitoring network runson a separate LAN, I can access theconsole on the server and reconfig-ure the Ethernet settings on the mainserver Ethernet connection withoutmaking a trip back in to the office.

This article is not meant as a tuto-rial on remote monitoring, but as anintroduction so that you can be awareof the possibilities that exist. Your fa-vorite hardware vendor may have dif-ferent remote monitoring solutions. Iencourage you to explore these solu-tions and to implement them in yourfacility. This will make your job as anaccidental system administrator easi-er, and it will make you more efficientand effective. BE

Brad Gilmer is executive director ofthe Video Services Forum, executivedirector of the Advanced Media WorkflowAssociation and president of Gilmer &Associates.

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PRODUCTION CLIPSDIGITAL HANDBOOK

Selecting the rightaudio console

It's important to match the console to the task.

Whether it's for a newlyconstructed broadcastor video productionfacility or an upgrade

to an existing studio, selecting a studioproduction audio mixer is a significantinvestment, and once the installationis done, there's no going back.

PurposeThe basic key to selecting the right

audio board for the job is, quite sim-

BY BENNETT LILES

ply, to know exactly what that job is.And there are as many different sce-narios as there are control rooms in thebroadcast industry. However, follow-ing some basic tenets greatly enhancesyour chances for ongoing success.

Of course, the widest selectionis possible during initial construc-tion planning. In an existing room, itcomes down to whether you're willingto knock out a few things and do somewoodwork. If no modifications are

Studiomonitorpoweram's

1Muting relay

PllLocal

anchor

IFB I IPost faderaux followsprogram mixduring show

RemoteIFB ElRemote

guestdi

Prefader auxor cue for

preshow chat

Post fadeaux out

Local studio mixerwith integral routing

Automation inactive

Line levelrouterinputs

Program sound

Figure 1. A local studio mixer configured for live production

Headphoneamps

Post fadeaux out

Studiomonitorpoweram's

Mutingrelay

Studio vocalist

Remoteand localplayback

Mic inputs Line inputs

Local studio mixerwith integral routing

Automation inactive

Program sound Coded multitrack

Figure 2. A local studio mixer configured for post production

possible, the choices fall only withinthe outside dimensions of the mixersurface and the rack space necessaryto house any support hardware. It isin this last situation where produc-tion operators typically clash with thecontract installers trying to save cableand other hardware costs while theoperators are concerned about whatcan be reached and from where.

Add to this the fact that in manycontrol rooms, the audio board isfrequently doing double duty, first re-cording a show and then requiring areconfiguration for posting that showor another production right away.Live and post are two different envi-ronments. (See Figures 1 and 2.) Inpost production, things can be donecarefully so they're just right, like asurgical procedure in a big hospital.But in live TV sound, the technique ismore like that of a field MASH unit.Hit the music; hit the mics; roll thecredits; and bang, we're out.

There are some great features on thedigital mixers, such as using digitallycontrolled amplifiers to turn the inputfaders into an equalizer and switchingtheir control from inputs to outputs.But if you're only doing live and live -to -tape production, chances are theseexpensive features won't be needed.

The past and the futureAnalog mixers have a long history

in TV control rooms, and they willstill be found there for a good while,but the comparative price issue be-tween analog and digital mixers melt-ed away a decade ago when the smalldigital project boards hit full marketspeed. But now, even with many moretools available, the bedrock issue isstill a thorough understanding ofwhat specific things the mixer is going


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to do. Beyond this, how it can be aug-mented with hardware and softwareto accomplish future missions is im-portant. Digital boards maintain twohuge advantages in this regard. Theycan be totally reconfigured in sec-onds, and software upgrades can addsubstantially to capabilities over time.The three primary fields of consider-ation are: control surface, signal pro-cessing and input/output capability.

Some questions to ask when look-ing at digital boards: In the event of apower glitch, how fast does a digitalboard reboot? Can a dual -redundant

Another feature that is frequentlyoverlooked until the moment it'sneeded is the cue buttons function.Are these latching or momentarycontact only? Momentary contact andafter fader level is typically appropri-ate for mixing live music to isolate theinstruments while dimming the pro-gram mix.

But for live multicity interconnectswith guests participating from remotestudios, a latching prefader cue func-tion can help when the host wouldlike to talk briefly with remote guestsbefore the program, while at the same

Another feature that is frequentlyoverlooked until the moment it's needed

is the cue buttons function. Are theselatching or momentary contact only?

power supply take over without anyinterruption in the program sound?If one fader bay should fail, howquickly can the control surface bereconfigured around that problem?The reconfiguration should, at thesame time, reroute inputs and out-puts while setting all channel stripprocessing to duplicate that on thepreviously used strips.

time, the master control engineerswant tone and bars on the line for theuplink. Mute busses can be useful forthis, and prefade auxiliary outputs arealso handy if they can be controlledin unison so that selected mics aresent to mix -minus feeds and IFB in-puts without going online. Then, withone button push, the IFB feeds are allswitched to follow the line mix for the

show. On analog boards, VCA fadersare made to order for this so that mul-tiple mics and line sound sources canbe centrally mixed on subs withouton -camera guests hearing rewindingtapes or distracting conversations intheir IFB earpieces.

Going liveInput routing control on the mixer

is a feature that expands its usefulnesssubstantially, particularly if it can usea standard protocol to work in con-cert with the station video router. Iflive music is a frequent job, the qualityand type of mic preamps is of primeimportance along with the length andsmoothness of the faders. At least100mm fader length is needed for livemusic mixing.

Prefader metering on each inputchannel strip can also be useful in aTV studio production board for quickvisual confirmation of signal presenceon individual channels without anybutton pushes. General-purpose inter-faces for machine control can also helpin allowing the operator's hands tostay on the board most of the time in-stead of poking around racks, a usefulthing in mixing a live news open with amusic bed or montage playing under aseries of in and out remote mics.

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When the local studio is beingused as a source into a live showanchored elsewhere, there may be aneed to program the monitor feedto the producer, director and TD intheir room to carry the local hostmic continuously in one speakerwith the mix minus feed from theanchor station in the other controlroom speaker. A digital board can beeasily set up for this through a pre -

fade auxiliary output or direct chan-nel out. It's important to maintainthe flexibility in video control roommonitoring either through electron-ic or manual patching for this type ofmonitoring configuration.

Live studio audiences introducea whole new equation to the setup.Depending on the show format, themics can be split in the studio witha separate PA operator, or direct outsthat might normally be used for feed-ing stage monitor mixers can be fedback to the PA board in the studio.However, of course, any change to thecontrol room board's attenuator padscould affect both. For simpler for-mats, a post -fader aux mix can feeda power amp in the studio but thisrequires a careful level check prior toshow time. When this is the methodused, plenty of switchable prepost aux

outputs will be a must for the controlroom mixer.

With the coming of digital audionetwork technologies carrying mul-tiple channels of uncompressed, bi-directional pulse code modulationsound on twisted pair cable, a mixingconsole with slots for Ethernet mod-ules is a must. The latest developmenton these has slide -in modules that aremultiprotocol.

Advanced planningThe idea of using a digital board

with such advanced capabilities maybe a little scary for a production man-ager realizing that at times when theA -team is off, there might be simplerproductions with less experiencedpeople manning the control roomgear. But that's the best reason forhaving recallable setups. This way, ifthe junior league operators get intotrouble, they only need to hit onemagic button to get the board back towhere it was.

This is particularly good for the EQsettings, which is where a lot of inex-perienced audio operators get them-selves into trouble. Yes, EQ knobs doturn to the left. I/O should be modu-lar and expandable without requiringthe purchase of loads of extra boxes

to mix and match digital and analogoutboard gear. Integrated routing isfundamental, and there should besupport for digital formats, includingSDIF, TDIF and AES/EBU.

A removable recording medium isalso a basic factor to be considered,especially if this mixer will be one ofa group of the same make and model.The ability to move the setup param-eters to another control room is a tre-mendous time -saving asset.

If the board is also going to beused for post production, automa-tion features must be included, andmost digital boards can be reconfig-ured quickly for this, including theintegrated rerouting necessary. Therouting is somewhat different for TVcontrol rooms because your mixermay be chasing remote machines thatare being used for video posting at thesame time. In this situation, monitor-ing and automation features mustwork together in the saved setup.

Careful consideration of the mis-sion and whether every conceivableproduction and post -productionscenario falls within the configu-rability of the mixer is the key tomaking it work. BE

Bennett Liles is a writer and TV productionengineer in the Atlanta area.

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presents HD newsIn 2006, the task at hand for chiefengineer Dan Panichella andhis team at the independentlyowned WBOC-DT was daunt-

ing, although similar to what manyengineers are faced with these days:upgrade an existing hybrid analog/digital plant to an all -digital infra-structure as cheaply as possible, and

make sure it's future -proof and in-cludes redundancy for reliable 24/7operation. But it was not to be justany operation. The year before, thestation contracted local architectBecker Morgan Group and set de-signer FX Group of Ocoee, FL, to cre-ate an 11,000sq-ft NewsPlex behindthe existing station. The new facility

would feature at its heart a 300 -de-gree, carousel -like main desk, riserand lighting grid, the brainchild ofFX creative director Bill Brown.

Collaborating with WBOC newsdirector John Dearing, FX seniordesigner Glenn Anderson developedthe unique, news -in -the -round con-cept whereby the open newsroom,


go.WBOC-DT's NewsPlex anchor desk is mounted an top orrrotatiig stage that

allows a new background for different segments of ihe"newscast.Photos courteFy Andy Washnik/CORPRICOM.

in the round BY MICHAEL GROTTICELLI

edit suites, production studio, controlroom and weather center all double asnewscast backdrops. The new, openfacility would also promote a collab-orative work environment that wasnonexistent in the old building.

To complicate things further forPanicella, about a third of the wayinto the SD digital migration project,

he and his Draper Holdings Busi-ness Trust managers recognized thatthe cost for HD technology was onlyslightly more expensive. With thehelp of systems integrator The Sys-tems Group, based in Hoboken, NJ,the CBS and FOX network -affiliatedstation began installing HD equip-ment in May 2008. On August 26,

the Salisbury, MD -based station wenton -air with its local newscasts inHD. WBOC-DT was the first in itsmarket - and the first In the state ofMaryland - to do so.

To house the new equipment, thestation constructed a new 11,000sq-ftbuilding, located adjacent to its exist-ing broadcast facilities. Belden RG11

December 2008 I broadcastengineering.com 41

SHOWCASE

The station's new master control suite is securely linked to the oldpart of the building with Belden RG11 cabling, which helps to movesignals back and forth.

Technologyat workApple

Final Cut Pro HD workstationsFinal Cut server

Associated Press EN PS newsroomcomputer system

Belden cableDe Sisti Lighting

Magis 650W fresnelsDelux 2 and Delux 4 fluorescentsoft lights

ETC

Source Fours lightingSmartFade 2496 console

Evertz

Modular boardsMVP multiview system

Fujinon HD lensesHitachi camerasJonyJib craneKlotz Digital audio boardLectrosonics wireless micsOmneon MediaPort HD serversPanasonic

DVCPRO cameras and decksPlasma monitors

Pro -Bel

Freeway SDI and Sirius HD routersSanyo SD rear -screen projectorsSony ECM76 microphonesSundance Digital automation sys.Thomson Grass Valley Ignite sys.

The WBOC newsroom, which features editors working onApple Final Cu: Pro HD workstations, is often seen duringnewscasts, with reporters presenting stories from their desks.

cabling provides tie lines between theold part of building and the new fa-cilities to help move signals back andforth between master control and thenew production facilities. Internally,there's also more than 10mi of RJ-11HD coax cable.

The new building features a bus-tling newsroom, edit suites, a produc-tion studio and a control room, whichare all situated in a wide open andcamera -friendly design that allowsmultiple angles to be captured fromthroughout the set and newsroomenvironment. It also promotes a col-laborative work atmosphere amongthe staff that was not present in theold building. Like the old building,the new plant produces local newscontent for WBOC, the CBS affiliate(channel 16) and the FOX 21 channel.Both are now broadcasting in HDTV.

A new foundationPreviously, the station used a collec-

tion of analog routers and tape -basedDVCPRO edit systems and cameras,as well as other obsolete produc-tion equipment - with a few piecesof digital processing gear thrown in.The new building includes a Thom-son Grass Valley Ignite system withrobotic cameras, a rotating anchordesk/stage, two multichannel Omne-on servers, dozens of Evertz modularboards and an Evertz MVP multiview

software system for its monitor wallin the control room.

The control room also features twoPanasonic tape decks that are con-trolled by the Ignite system. In thecase of breaking news, the crew in-serts a tape, and the footage is playeddirectly out of the Ignite system toair. Upconversion is performed withan Evertz card linked to the output ofthe VTRs.

The station continues to use an ex-isting analog Pro -Bel Eclipse router(112 x 96) and a smaller (64 x 64)Pro -Bel Freeway SDI router. As partof the upgrade, however, the Eclipsehas been expanded and a new Pro -BelSirius 64 x 64 HD router installed tohandle HD signals. Audio is mixedwith a Klotz Digital audio board that'sbuilt into the Ignite integrated pro-duction system. There are also sevenApple Final Cut Pro HD edit suites tocut HD packages. The final result isan HD QuickTime file.

The new NewsPlex studio employsfour Thomson Grass Valley Ignite ro-botic cameras. A manually operatedJonyJib crane with a Hitachi HV-D5WHD camera atop its 12ft arm capturesrelationships between areas duringbumper shots. Another Hitachi HDcamera is mounted in the grid. Thestudio also features a Panasonic hand-held camera on a tripod that's used toshoot around the studio.


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SYSTEM DESIGNSHOWCASE

The new weather studio, designed by the FX Group, features the latest in HD forecast ngtechnology and ample space for the presenters to walk around the set.

Panichella said the station neededa building that would incorporatethe newsroom and technical facili-ties in a common area. Before, theseareas were separated by numerouswalls and hallways. Content was pre-viously played out from an SD Om-

neon server. Producers and reporterswere often seen running down thehall toward the control room. Nowthere is a shared environment, whereproducers interact with anchors and

Design teamWBOC-DT

Dan Panichella, chief engineerGreg Gay, IT managerJeffrey Disharoon, technical

operations managerJohn Hopkins, project managerJohn Dearing, news director

FX GroupBill Brown, creative directorGlenn Anderson, senior designerJoel Biske, graphics designerEric Haugen, lighting designer

The Systems GroupPaul Rogalinski, project managerChristian Dam, design supervisorMatt Marino, site supervisor

the technical crew in ways they neverdid before.

In the field, the station maintains 15ENG DVCPRO analog cameras. Theresulting analog images are upcon-verted using Final Cut Pro software.When budgets permit, the tape -basedcameras will be replaced with SonyXDCAM HD camcorders next year.

Cutting to the chaseNews packages can be turned

around in near real time. Imagesfrom the field are ingested directlyinto a local storage drive attached toa Final Cut Pro workstation for eacheditor. The station has established afile -based workflow whereby all ofthe editors work on dedicated stor-age arrays. They are not networkedtogether yet; that will come next yearin the form of an Apple Xsan system.Currently, they share content via aFinal Cut server. SD images are up-

converted within the Final Cut Prosoftware, where side panels are addedto fill in the wide (16:9) aspect ratioof HD.

Finished files are transferred tothree channels of Omneon Me-diaPort HD servers via the station'sENPS newsroom computer system,

for playout. The Omneon server isused like three VTRs to store the vari-ous news clips. An existing Pro -Bel320 master control switcher, whichcontinues to be located in the oldbuilding, feeds the CBS and FOX af-filiates. Syndicated programming willalso continue to originate from theold building, where 30 incoming sat-ellite feeds from Telesat are recordedwith the help of a Sundance Digitalautomation system.

Live production in the NewsPlexis handled with the Ignite HD sys-tem via a virtual control panel. Thispanel allows directors to hot puncha video source when necessary. Someupconversion is also performed in-side the Kayak switcher section of theIgnite system. Employees trained onthe Ignite system for seven weeks andpicked it up quickly. Since then, therehave been few technical errors, andthe station's six hours of daily news-casts looks cleaner than ever.

The glassed -in control room in-cludes the Evertz MVP system and amonitor wall made up of three 50inPanasonic plasmas screens with mul-tiple inputs. There are also more than50 widescreen monitors of varyingsizes throughout the new building.They display a wide variety of liveimages, from outdoor remote camerafeeds to incoming program channels.

News in the roundSome stations use a news wheel to

play out programming. At WBOC, thenews is presented literally on a wheel.The FX Group -designed anchor deskis located on a platform rotated by aprogrammable, motor -driven gearsystem similar to those used to rotatecars at auto trade shows. It's a motor -driven gear system that moves a cir-cular platform, much like a carouseloperates.

When the production teams wantto change backgrounds, as they dothree times each day, the riser rotateson its center axis with its fixed, trellis -like lighting grid above. Eric Haugen,FX lighting designer, populated thegrid with De Sisti Magis 650W fresnels


for keys/backlights, as well as Delux 2and Delux 4 fluourescent soft lightsfor fills. The set is accented with ETCSource Fours, and the dimming andcontrol consists of Dove grid -mount-ed shoebox dimmers controlled by anETC SmartFade 2496 console.

The only equipment that has to bephysically moved to new correspond-ing positions are the cameras. Afterthey are repositioned to precise floormarks, station directors quickly tweakthe TMEs sent to the Ignite system tofine-tune framing and focus.

The NewsPlex design uses trueworking areas as backgrounds. Theyinclude a state-of-the-art weather set,frosted background set where editorscan be seen working on the other side,the assignment desk (made slightlyhigher to soundproof the reporterarea behind it), a working controlroom set, and a production/standuparea featuring two Sanyo SD rear

screen projectors masked for 16:9.

The newsroom is often seen on screenduring newscasts, with reporters pre-senting stories from their desks.

In the studio, the station employsLectrosonics wireless mics on itsnews talent and Sony ECM76 hard-wired microphones for backup. Thestation uses a 13:9 aspect ratio forthe Kayak switcher's internal up -conversion, which fills the screen onmost HDTV sets.

Achieving their hi-def goalAfter years of working with legacy

equipment in various stages of func-tionality and age, the new buildinggave Panichella and his team a chanceto start from scratch and build a 21st -century facility that gets news to airfaster and eliminates many manualand redundant processes.

The studio is at the center of the fa-cility, and the edit and control rooms

feed off that. The assignment deskserves as a buffer between the studioand the newsroom. This concentricnature of the new studio facilitates asmooth workflow that has made thestaff more productive.

In the- end, the station has madethe most of its available resources,and management could not be morepleased with how smoothly the tran-sition occurred. Ratings are up dueto HD broadcasting. Broadcasts arewatched in Maryland, Delaware andparts of Virginia on cable (Comcast,Charter and Mediacom), telco (Veri-zon) and over the air, with an Axcerasingle -tube IOT transmitter (maxi-mized at 635kW ERP) located in Lau-rel, DE, about 10mi away. Not bad fora station in the 144th DMA. BE

Michael Grotticelli regularly reports onthe professional video and broadcasttechnology industries.

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IPv6 is comingYou cannot afford to ignore this technology.

The Internet Protocol (IP)provides the leading andmost rapidly growing in-frastructure for today's

communications services. Throughinnovation, its best effort nature wascomplemented with functionalitythat enabled IP to evolve from de-livering data to delivering voice andvideo communications as well. Thisconvergence of services opened upthe door to further enhancementsthrough the integration of seeminglydisjointed services into a commonframework that enhances the userexperience as well as the user's workefficiency, learning and entertain-ment experiences.

Spurred by the Internet, the adop-tion of IP, in its current version IPv4,grew at rates never experienced byany other technology. As expected,yet often times ignored, this growthconsumed the most fundamentalresource of the protocol, its addressspace. Despite ingenious and some-times costly engineering extensionscombined with stricter address al-location policies, the consumptionof IPv4 addresses continues to accel-

BY CIPRIAN POPOVECIU

IPv6 is everywhere, includingPopoviciu.

on sensors taken up Mt. Everest by Ciprian

erate, and we now expect the globaladdress space to be exhausted some-time around 2010. The most worri-some fact is that we only got startedwith the adoption of IP. The Internetand IPv4 haven't even reached the 22percent of the world's population.

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Houston Dallas- Tulsa Salt MilwaukeeFt. Worth Lake

City

Least prepared local metered markets

Source: Nielsen Company wwwnielsen.com

The emergence of a new categoryof IP-enabled devices, such as sen-sors, readers and actuators, will lead

Spurred by theInternet, the

adoption of IPgrew at rates neverexperienced by anyother technology.

to significantly higher demand for IPaddresses. So the natural question is:Where do we go from here?

The transition to IPv6The Internet Engineering Task

Force (IETF) foresaw the challengeof a limited address space morethan a decade ago and started work-ing on a replacement for IPv4. TheIETF wanted to develop a replace-ment with plenty of addressing


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resources so it would last a long time.This protocol is called IPv6. Whilethe adoption of IPv6 was postponedfor many years due to engineeringworkarounds that put IPv4 on life-support, we are now getting close toan inevitable transition.

The only choice left is to decidewhen we should transition, consid-

on investment (ROI). The natural fo-cus on ROI is sometimes detrimentalin analyzing the need to work on anIPv6 strategy. IPv6 is a foundationaltechnology that makes it more diffi-cult to build a strong ROI case.

Moreover, it is more appropriateto look at IPv6 in terms of what westand to lose by not planning and de-

With more content distribution servicesbeing delivered over IP, it is important

to understand the evolution of IPinfrastructures that support them.

ering all the risks and costs relatedto early vs. late adoption. Either way,broadcasters must face the need tostart planning, deploying and oper-ating IPv6-based infrastructures.

What is IPv6?The most important things to

remember about IPv6 are:IPv6 is an evolution of IP, not a revo-

lution. In this sense, if you are famil-iar with IPv4, you will, for the mostpart, feel comfortable with IPv6. TheIETF simply added more resources tothe protocol, dealt with some lessonslearned from operating IPv4 and leftmost everything else in place.

IPv6 and IPv4 do not interoperate.Do not think for a moment that youwill turn on IPv6 in your networkand it will simply augment the cur-rent infrastructure. The two protocolscan talk to each other only through atranslation gateway.

IPv6 has many more IP addressesthan IPv4. IETF expanded the IP ad-dress from 32 bits in IPv4 to 128 bitsin IPv6, which leads to a significantlyhigher address space. By comparison,it is said that IPv6 has an address forevery proton in the universe.

At the time this article is published,the main driver for IPv6 adoption re-mains its large address space. Manyother supporting arguments wereconjured in the past; however, none ofthem demonstrated significant return

ploying it rather than what we standto gain. Waiting for too long leads tosignificantly higher deployment costs.These costs can be avoided throughearly planning.

How IPv6 affects youWhat makes IPv6 a matter of in-

terest to broadcast engineering?With more content distribution ser-vices being delivered over IP, it is im-portant to understand the evolutionof the IP infrastructures that sup-port them. The need to migrate toIPv6 must be addressed by preparingthe networks for the new protocol.In fact, some large service providersleverage IPv6 deployments to deliveraudio and video content, includingHD video, over IPv6 multicast.

The choice of IPv6 is not based ona dramatic advantage it has over IPv4but rather because of its addressingresources, which enable a cleaner,easy -to -scale infrastructure. Theimportant thing to note, however, isthat broadcast services are being of-fered over IPv6, and their numbersare likely to increase.

What you can doThere are several things that any

infrastructure manager should doeven if he doesn't feel an immediateneed to deploy IPv6.

First, increase the IPv6 compe-tence of staff. Training is an impor-

tant step toward getting ready for anIPv6 deployment. Starting early willreduce costs, and it will provide theexpertise needed to plan the deploy-ment. Make sure training is targeted.

Second, update equipment pur-chasing requirements. For all newpurchases, both hardware and soft-ware, place clear IPv6 requirements.This will help significantly reducethe deployment costs as equipmentand applications are readied for IPv6through the regular refresh process.In fact, add an IPv6 dimension to allthe ongoing IT projects as they pro-vide an opportunity to upgrade theinfrastructure to support IPv6.

Third, evaluate the IPv6 readinessof the infrastructure, both hardwareand software. This will provide a clearpicture of some of the potential chal-lenges during an IPv6 deployment.

Finally, plan the IPv6 deployment.Start planning early because it willenable you to make the most of thistransition.

The most important thing to remem-ber is that it is not a matter of whetherIPv6 is coming or not; it is a matter ofwhen. With the rapid exhaustion of theIPv4 address space, this might be soon-er than you expect. Do not let IPv6 be acostly surprise. BE

Ciprian Popoviciu, PhD, CCIE, is a techni-cal leader within the Networked SolutionsIntegration Test Engineering group atCisco Systems. He is also a senior mem-ber of the IEEE.

Ciprian Popoviciuis co-author of"Global IPv6Strategies," avail-able from CiscoPress. For moreinformation, visitwww.globalipv6strategies.com.

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Integrating fiber opticsIt may be time to abandon coax.

BY PHIL CIANCI

Use of fiber-optic technol-ogy in broadcast infra-structures is increasingat an overwhelming rate.

Equipment manufacturers are in-cluding fiber interfaces for SDI andnetwork connections in new equip-ment; routing systems are using opti-cal switching matrices in their latest3Gb/s generation of products; andSMPTE 311, hybrid fiber-optic cablesare replacing triax for cameras.

Until recently, fiber-optic tech-nology has been significantly moreexpensive than a copper equivalent,placing it out of the financial reachof many new systems. But widespreaddeployment by the telco industry has

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

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4LED

brought the price down.Today, two- and six -strand fi-

ber cable prices are on par with thebroadcast industry workhorse 1694Acoaxial cable. It is time to evaluate fi-ber technology as a cost-effective al-ternative to coax.

Signals, fibers and cablesFiber-optic systems consist of a

light transmitter, LASER or LED; anoptical medium, glass or composite;and a photodetector receiver.

A variety of light -emitting tech-nologies are used in transmitters:Fabry-Perot lasers or distributedfeedback (DFB) lasers are usedin long -haul and high data -rate

LaserTransmittertechnology

700 1000 1300

Wavelength (pm)

1600

1

1900

V\ Early 1980s V\ Late 1980s V\ Modern fiber

Figure 1.The improvement of fiber-optic wavelength "windows" and transmitter technologysince the early 1980s has led to the reduction of optical loss.

applications; vertical -cavity sur-face -emitting lasers (VCSELs)are suitable for shorter -range ap-plications such as GigE and FibreChannel; and light emitting diodes(LEDs) are used for short to mod-erate transmission distances. LEDsare the least expensive transmittersbut have limited data capacity.

Two- and six -strandfiber cable prices

are on par with thebroadcast workhorse1694A coaxial cable.

Figure 1 shows the improvementover the last few decades of fiber-optic wavelength windows. Appropri-ate transmitter technology is also in-dicated for each window.

Two types of photodetectors, ava-lanche photodiode (APD) and posi-tive -intrinsic -negative (PIN), convertphotons of light to electrons. Becauseof the small number of photons re-ceived, amplification is necessary torecover data and produce a usablesignal. APD amplification is internal,while the amplification is external forPIN detectors.

Fiber-optic systems use a variety ofsignal multiplexing techniques. Time-

division multiplexing (TDM) assignsdata packets to time slots and is usedin long -haul infrastructures, whilewave -division multiplexing (WDM)enables multiple wavelengths of lightto share a single fiber. In first -gener-ation deployments, WDM technol-ogy supported just two wavelengths,also referred to as "lambdas," usually1310nm and 1550nm.

As fiber-optic technologies im-proved, it became possible to transmitmore than two lambdas simultane-ously over a single fiber strand. This


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3

2.5 -

2

1 5 -

0 5 .....0 - -

1200

CWDM 20nm channel spacing

0 -band E -band1260-1360 1360-1460

1270 1290 1310 1330 1350 13701390

14

111111111611111111

1470 1490 1510 1530 1550 1570 1590 1610

ITU-T G.652 fiber

1300 1400

Wavelength (urn)

3 -band C -band L -band1460-1530 1530- 1565-1625

1565

Figure 2. CWDM spaces channels 20nm apart.

resulted in the development of coarsewave -division multiplexing (CWDM)and dense wave -division multiplexing(DWDM). CWDM spaces channels20nm apart, while DWDM uses nar-row channel spacing, frequently 0.8nmor 1.6nm. Figures 2 and 3 illustrateimplementations of each technique asspecified in ITU-T standards.

Single -mode fiber (SMF) carries asingle wavelength of light and is suitedfor long runs, such as between build-ings, venues and broadcast sites (STL,TSL, intra- and intercity links), andas risers in facilities. SMF cables areyellow, and the fiber cores are 8.51.1 indiameter. Something of an oxymoron,

01430 1450

1500

SMF is best suited for DWDM imple-mentations. This is because DWDMspack multiple lambdas so tightly thatthe bundle can be transmitted as a"virtual single" wavelength.

Multimode fiber (MMF) can carrymultiple wavelengths on a single strand.They are used in short runs generallyinside a building and are orange. Thethicker core, 50µ or 62.5µ, supports thewide bandwidth of CWDM.

Single -mode fiber technology ismore expensive to implement thanmultimode. Lasers must be preciselytuned and cannot use the less ex-pensive LED transmitters found inCWDM links.

1.6nm spacingDWDM region

1.2-t

1.0 -

0.8 -1

0.6 -

0.4 _

0.2

ITU-T G.694.1 standard0

1470 1490 1510 1530 1550 1570

1600

Making a connectionOptical fibers require precise con-

nectors. Two techniques currentlyare in widespread use: angled physi-cal contact (APC) and ultra physicalcontact (UPC).

APC connects 8 -degree cut fibers

SMF links. UPC fibers have a round-ed finish that allows fibers to touch ona high point near the MMF fiber corewhere light travels.

When cables are mated to con-nectors at the factory, signal loss isless than 0.2dB, the cables are readyto install, they are guaranteed, andthey can be returned if defective. In

1590 1610

Wavelength (urn)

Figure 3. DWDM uses narrow channel spacing, frequently 0.8nm or 1.6nm, as shown here.



comparison, do-it-yourself connectorfield terminations typically suffer a0.5dB to 0.75dB signal loss, take timeto install and will have to be repairedif faulty.

Installation and testing:Handle with care

Installing and testing optical net-works requires adherence to a longlist of recommended practices.Cables:

Observe minimum bend radius,20X the cable diameter under tensionduring pulling and 10X when not. Alsoobserve cable pulling tension, 1001bsto 2001bs for indoor cable and upwardof 6001bs for outdoor.

Loosely fasten cable ties to avoidmicrobends that can degrade perfor-mance. (See Figure 4.)

Use properly color -coded cables;place labels in easy -to -read locations.

Stack cables no deeper than 2in in

Optical fiberLight pulse

Radius ofcurvature

-- Area ink which

light is,/ lost from\ fiber

Macrobend

Light pulse

Optical fiberPoint at which

light is lostfrom fiber

Microbend

Figure 4. Fiber-optic cable performance is degraded by macrobends, a failure to observeminimum bend radius. Smaller microbends, caused by cable ties or improper hand ing,can also impair the optical light path.

"fiber -only" cable guides.Proper dressing in racks and risers

will help prevent accidental damage.Plan for slack and patch cable storage.

Single -mode cables should be test-ed after installation but before splic-ing or termination, and again after toconfirm the cable was not damagedduring installation.

Connectors:Keep dust caps on all connectors.Clean all connectors after remov-

ing dust caps and before connectingto transceivers or connectors. Solventsspecifically developed for fiber clean-ing are now available.

Don't touch the terminations.Mate the cable and the connector as

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soon as possible.Place the dust caps in a small plastic

bag and tape inside the cabinet for fu-ture use.Testing:

Measure transmitter power, receiversensitivity and optical loss.

Use tested patch cords of the samefiber type as the installed cabling witha known attenuation at the appropri-ate wavelength.

Safety is no accidentWorking with fiber optics requires

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strict adherence to safety practices.Many of the hazards are not obvious.Even a microsecond of exposure toa fiber light beam can cause perma-nent eye damage. Never work on anactive fiber.

Trimming, stripping or cutting fi-bers can create small glass fragmentsthat are light enough to float in air.They can penetrate the skin and be-come embedded, causing irritation,and if ingested, fibers can cause inter-nal damage.

Chemicals and solvents used incleaning and splicing fiber optics canalso be hazardous.Safety practices:

Workers performing splicing or ter-mination should wear safety glasseswith side shields.

All food and beverages should bekept out of the work area. Wear dis-posable aprons to keep fiber particlesoff clothing. Check clothing for piecesof stray fiber; remove them with dou-ble -sided tape. Wash hands thoroughly beforetouching eyes, especially if wearingcontact lenses.

Read all instructional material be-fore handling chemicals.

All cut fiber pieces should be dis-posed of properly along with any usedchemicals and containers. A disposablecontainer that can be tightly closedshould be used for fiber scraps.

Maintaining fiberinstallations

Fiber-optic networks generally donot require periodic maintenance.Inspection or maintenance can causedamage or allow dirt to get into com-ponents; however, outdoor installa-tions are susceptible to mechanical andenvironmental damage and should becarefully inspected regularly.

Fiber installation documentationpackages should include transmissionwavelength, cable color, cable num-ber, section length and the locationof splices or terminations. The opticalloss, measured during testing, shouldbe recorded on the as-builts, andspare fibers should be noted. Power


figures, both calculated and measured, along with installercontact information, should be included.

A new, improved cableWith the increased use of fiber for telco TV installations,

the need arose for fiber cables that can withstand outdoorenvironments and tight residential installation spaces. Theresult is the development of bend -optimized fiber.

Specifically designed to minimize the effects of increasedattenuation resulting from cable bends, bend -optimizedfiber, as shown in Figure 4 on page 53, can be coiled intoloops and tied in bundles with a 10mm loop radius; wave-lengths between 1260nm and 1625nm are supported.

BenefitsThe need for higher data rates will increase. One of

the problems with coaxial cables is that as signal datarates have increased, the usable length of cable runs hasdecreased. Because optical fiber can support higher datarates, its use can help provide some measure of future -proofing for a facility.

Also, because fiber-optic cables are smaller in diameter,they require less cable tray space. This additional space al-lows "dark fiber" to be pulled during cable installation andreserved for future use.

The amount of fiber cables required for a given numberof signals is significantly less than for an equivalent coaxinstallation. For example, in campus and metro networktopologies, a CDWM fiber can carry 16 HD -SDI signalsover a single fiber for up to 40km. Similar reduction ofcable numbers can be realized by using fiber instead ofcoax in broadcast centers.

With 1000ft of 1694A and 1000ft of dual -strand fiberboth priced at about $300 and 1000ft of 12 -fiber cable at$550, fiber deployments are viable, affordable solutions -despite the added cost for optical connectors, patch cablesand skilled installation technicians.

Finally, total cost of ownership for fiber installation maybe less than that of coax. An "enlightened" design philoso-phy should evaluate the long-term benefits of using fiber-optic technology in any new system design.

Phil Cianci is a design engineer for CommunicationsEngineering, Inc., in Newington, VA.

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December 2008 1 broadcastengineering.com 55

TV productionspaces, part IIWhen designing lighting, power andelectrical systems, consider theseissues.BY AN i _ ARGIBAY, AIA

At the heart of all TV pro-duction spaces are theelectrical systems. Whetherselecting systems for illu-

mination, cameras or microphones, itis essential to understand the optionsavailable in order to select the most ef-fective systems for your project. Thisarticle will address three primary com-ponents: lighting, low -voltage wiringand utility power.

Production lightingrigging systems

The ceiling of a TV studio is a con-fusing mixture of wires and lights,with no apparent order. With expe-rience, you begin to understand thebenefits, limits and applicability ofthe different methods of supportingthe production lighting or rigging.

There are four types of lighting sys-tems: dead hung, counterweight, cat-walk and motorized. (See Figure 1.)

Dead hungDead hung systems are the most

commonly used today and the leastexpensive to install. They consist ofa 1 1/2in pipe grid, spaced at regularintervals between 4ft to 5ft. One setof pipes is supported from the struc-ture above it by 1/2in rods, at inter-vals matching the grid. The other setof parallel pipes is installed on theunderside and perpendicular to thesupporting pipes creating the grid.The lighting strips, or battens, forthe dimming circuits are clampedto the piping or to the rod supports.The clear benefits of dead hung sys-tems include:

14ft

Dead hung lighting grid

Catwalk

Counterweight

33ft

Motorized

Figure 1. The four different types ofrigging systems

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They are inexpensive.They require little skill to plan and

install.They are flexible and don't require

maintenance.However, they have limitations:Their flexibility is limited to low

grids (14ft range) and to productionsthat require few lighting changes.

For grids higher than 14ft, laddersare impractical. Genie lifts or other liftdevices are generally required. Theseare difficult to maneuver around a setand may require bridging, moving setsor compromising a lighting plan toprovide access.

These systems can be extremelytime-consuming, thus inefficient for aproduction in which the need to accesslighting instruments is frequent.

CounterweightCounterweight systems involve the

installation of a parallel piping sys-tem, with pipes spaced approximately4ft from each other and broken intosegments of 15ft to 20ft along its dis-tance, which is the width of the studio.One wall, for the whole studio length,is devoted to the counterweights;ropes and the catwalk above are usedfor loading the weights. These systemshave been in use for many years andwere derived from theatrical technol-

111111111 n1

t1.111P11

Figure 2. An example of a catwalk system

ogy. The benefits include:Lights can be lowered to the studio

floor to load the lighting instruments.Lighting can be lowered for adjust-

ments with manageable access of aladder or genie lift.

As a system for accessing the lightingsupport, it is relatively inexpensive.

However, there are limitations:It requires maintenance and inspec-

tion, including periodic reroping.Cross -piping (linking two parallel

light supports with a short, indepen-dent pipe) is problematic.

With tall sets, it is not easy to lowerthe lighting support to easy reach.

CatwalksCatwalk systems consist of

parallel walkways, typically18in across, with in-betweenopenings that allow the light-ing instruments to be loweredand controlled from above. (SeeFigure 2.) The lighting connec-tor strip, above each row of cat-walks, runs the whole catwalklength. Lighting instruments aremounted on telescopic poles,and the poles are clamped tosteel supports along the railingor spanning the openings.

They are accessed by stairs,typically located outside thestudio. Catwalks are used only

in studios with high ceilings (35ft ormore), as the bottom of the catwalks isusually installed at approximately 24ft,requiring another 10ft to 12ft above tomaneuver the poles.

Catwalk benefits include:The system provides complete flex-

ibility for locating lighting.Instruments are always accessible

from above, and technicians neverhave to move scenic elements to reachlighting adjustments.

It is extremely quick. As techniciansare working above, actors, talent anddirectors can block scenes and do oth-er studio preproduction tasks.

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It does not require maintenance.For scenic -intensive productions,

such as soap operas, or for studios thatneed to move scenic elements often- and quickly - this system allowstechnicians to move on two levels, pro-viding the quickest setup turnaround.However, all of this comes at a cost:

It is a heavy system, typically adding351bs per square foot to the structure.

Catwalk systems require custom de-sign by a professional.

The system is relatively expensiveand takes quite a bit of time to fabri-cate and install.

Motorized and hybridMotorized rigging systems have

evolved in recent years. Their reliabil-ity, cost and versatility make them partof many production rigging solutions.Motorized solutions range from indi-vidual hoist luminaries to self -climb-ers with integrated lighting battens to

fully motorized studio rigging systems.Typically, each motorized lighting bat-ten is attached to a parallel track thatsupports each end of the batten. Thebatten then moves horizontally, likea train on tracks, back and forth, asrequired, for a range of 5ft in eitherdirection. The latest motorized unitsdon't require to move parallel to eachother - or even perpendicular to thetrack. Other motorized systems in-clude the raising and lowering of rect-angular truss structures with lighting.

Benefits of motorized systems are:Many motorized solutions are part

of upgrading existing dead hung sys-tems, thus creating a hybrid.

They require little maintenance.They necessitate less gross ceiling

height to get a net production ceilingheight.

They can be incrementally installedand expanded as part of a plannedupgrade.

Fully motorized systems can includehorizontal tracking so that lighting canbe put exactly where it's wanted.

They are reliable and easily inte-grated with DMX controls that mayalready be in use.

However, motorized systems re-quire the following considerations:

They need substantial vendor sup-port. Be sure you can get both partsand maintenance.

They still are relatively expensive.Motorized systems require a struc-

tural subframe or another similar el-ement attached to the systems' struc-tural rails.

Mechanical things require somemaintenance and break down. Care-fully select the manufacturer and thesupply chain, along with ironcladguarantees.

The lighting systemAll lighting connected to the rigging

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is powered by lighting battens, also called connector strips.They are labeled with individual dimmer circuits and dis-tributed in a balanced manner throughout the studio. Thedesigner of this electrical system has to work hand -in -handwith the designer of the production lighting system to cre-ate a flexible, balanced distribution system.

Lighting power distribution and controlIn the United States, when power is delivered to the en-

trance point by the utility, the first step is to provide anisolation transformer (AY), which takes the 480V distribu-tion voltage in delta (A) and transforms it to 120V -208Vin Y. This helps to prevent harmonics from feeding back tothe utility. From the isolation transformer, power goes todistribution boards, which feed power via a main electri-cal wireway to smaller, individual branches for each lightingbatten/connector strip in the studio. The individual branchelectrical wireways end in a terminal box where the lightingbattens are connected.

The lighting batten, usually a premanufactured andprewired element with the lighting connectors specified, isready for connection in the field to an existing terminal box.Each outlet corresponds to a numbered dimmer circuit.Typically, they are 20A outlets with three (depending on the

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length) 60A outlets for the bigger lights (6000W). Number-ing is traditionally done with the lower numbers for the 20Acircuits, such as 42 through 90, and using larger numbers,such as 601, 602 and 603, reserved for the 60A outlets.

The number of ceiling dimming circuits installed is animportant consideration when planning the studio. Oneper 15sq ft is reasonable; however, there can be greater orlesser densities based on preference or need. Floor -levelcircuits should be provided at one-third points alongwalls. Install four 20A lighting connections and one 60Aconnector. On the short walls, center another cluster offour 20A outlets. In studios where variety and musicalshows are common and follow spots are required, pro-vide a 100A outlet for each studio. Minimum #10 AWGconductors are needed to feed the 20A lighting dimmingcircuits. The lighting batten ground wire should run backto the panels/common ground location; use a minimum#8 AWG wire.

Here are two final thoughts regarding the power for thelighting systems. First, all dimmer circuits require a dedi-cated neutral, and failure to provide it will result in theelectronic hum typically associated with shared neutrals.Second, all electrical loads must be balanced. This requireslocation planning of dimming circuits so that loads areevenly distributed over the electrical phases throughoutthe production area. Always consult a production lightingdesigner.

Low -voltage distributionAll TV studios require the installation of low -voltage

broadcast cabling paths. Every studio needs boxes withvideo and audio terminals to which cameras, microphonesand other broadcast equipment are connected. These box-es must be fed with a variety of cables, which, in turn, findtheir way to a production control area. Of these, only mi-crophone cables must be kept in an electrical conduit allthe way from the box to its final termination. The conduitprovides additional shielding, and prevents intrusive elec-trical interference and noise.

The locations of these boxes are optional and are cho-sen for convenience based on the studio size and the pro-ductions that are planned. In smaller studios, install themso they can cover a radius of 30ft. In larger studios, such assound stages designed for flexibility and a variety of pro-ductions, the radius can be increased to 50ft. In specializedproduction spaces, the placement should be closely coor-dinated for easy technicians' access and to accommodatethe placement of scenic elements.

Be sure all the boxes are properly incorporated intoyour overall facility's wire management strategy. All draw-ings and plans should indicate the location of the boxes,cable trays and conduits.

Studio lighting is controlled through low -voltage DMXcontrols that require empty conduits and boxes for the in-stallation of the control wiring. DMX boxes are typically

60 broadcastengineering.com j December 2008


provided at the ends of the studiosand adjacent to the personnel doors.Additional locations are likely andwill depend on specific applications.

Other considerationsOne overlooked part of a studio

lighting system is the need for worklights or house lights. These are usedduring studio maintenance, sets in-stallation and for general lighting. Usefluorescent -based luminaries with asfew lumens as possible per size of thelight. The smaller the light, the lesschance it will be on top of a produc-tion light. High -intensity discharge(HID) lighting can be used, but dueto the long warm-up period, youwould be well-advised to understandits implications. Incandescent 500Wand more lights are also used in stu-dios of various heights, but they aremore expensive to operate and needmore frequent bulb replacement than

ballasted fixtures.Additionally, building codes re-

quire egress signage and lighting. Thefirst has to be closely coordinated withthe set design and studio production.Designing the emergency lightingusually involves selecting a group ofhouse lights and placing them on anemergency circuit that is backed upby a generator or battery system.

As a final note, production spacesmust be provided with standard util-ity 120V power to operate tools andto power set elements, such as TVmonitors, set lights, etc. This, too,should be planned for flexibility andcoordinated with the other studio re-quirements. Also, it is customary toprovide a company switch of 200A(or as -required amperage) 120V -

208V for main power distribution.This service has circuit breakers anda series of cam and lug connectors onthe bottom, which, in the better mod-

els, are behind a door that preventstampering or accidental disconnects.They should be equipped with anexternal safety disconnect switch forsafety.

In closingThis article provided an introduc-

tion to the most salient issues regard-ing electrical design of a productionspace. The tasks of designing a systemfall largely upon an electrical engineer- someone who may understand hisprofession well but who often lacksany experience in the issues discussedin this article. It is important that theproduction manager, lighting de-signer, engineering department andarchitect all work hand -in -hand tosatisfy the specific requirements ofyour project. BE

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Inside Game Creek ideo's Libertymobile unit, the camera shadingstation allows the crew to handlemany cameras simultaneously.

Camera shading basicsHow to make cameras match

TONY MANARD

Chances are that somewherethis very moment an engi-neer has been called intothe control room five min-

utes before a live broadcast becausethe director noticed that one of thecameras "just doesn't quite look likethe other ones." Perhaps it is simplyan issue of black level or iris. Maybesomebody has been fiddling with theknobs, and the gamma settings havebeen changed. Regardless, the personresponsible for painting or shadingthe cameras has to respond quickly.

Camera shading is the task of mak-ing multiple cameras match, provid-ing a picture that is pleasing to theviewer. Camera shading situations

range from the highly controlledenvironment of the broadcast stu-dio to the sometimes less -than -idealremote broadcast. Other variablesthat conspire to make our jobs more

host of additional features and set-tings. For our purposes, we will lookat what it takes to match cameras andshade them for a pleasant picturewith a minimum of test equipment

Even though modern cameras havemade vast improvements over earlier

models, they have also introduced a hostof additional features and settings.

interesting are time constraints andthe availability of test equipment.

Even though modern cameras havemade vast improvements over earliermodels, they have also introduced a

and in a timely manner. Beyondextensive setups that are typicallyperformed when new cameras arecommissioned and left alone, thereare a few parameters that should be


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FEATURECAMERA SHADING BASICS

checked and adjusted to fit the givenlighting situation. The focus here isto get up and running quickly.

Tools of the tradeEffective camera shading requires

a few basic tools. (See Figure 1.) Acamera shading rig should consist

picture on different monitors.

Reference monitorcalibration

A tried and true method for cali-brating a monitor involves using75 percent SMPTE color bars andthe blue -only feature, if the monitor

Reference monitor

Waveform/vectorscope

Camera switcher

Productionswitcher

Figure 1.Typical engineering setup for camera shading

of a calibrated reference moni-tor, a waveform/vectorscope and aswitcher to go between the cameracontrol unit (CCU) outputs. It isalso a good idea to put the produc-tion switcher's preview and pro-gram outputs on the switcher to seeif the signal is being altered throughthe rest of the camera chain.

A reference monitorThere must be one monitor that

the cameras are referenced on. In anideal situation, the color, brightnessand contrast values of all the moni-tors in a facility are calibrated toproduce exact and consistent picturereproduction. In reality, this is rarelythe case.

The engineering reference monitorhas traditionally been a high -qualityCRT in the 13in to 21in range, al-though LCD monitors are starting tomake significant inroads. By choos-ing one monitor as the reference andcalibrating it to a known good set ofcolor bars, you can save yourself a lotof second guessing as you look at the

supports it. Begin by sending colorbars to the monitor, typically fromone of the CCUs.

Examine the three black bars to-ward the lower right-hand cornerof the screen. This is known as thepicture lineup generation equipment(PLUGE). The first bar is 3.5 IRE orabout -4 percent video, the secondbar is 7.5 percent video or 0 percentvideo (sometimes called pedestal orblack setup), and the third bar is at11.5 IRE or 4 percent video. Turnthe brightness up until all three barsare distinctly visible. Now turn thebrightness down until the 3.5 IREbar and the 7.5 IRE bar are no longerdistinguishable from one another.This will give you the proper bright-ness level.

If the monitor has a blue -onlyfeature, activate it now. This featuredeactivates the red and green signals,leaving you with a monochrome re-production of the color bar signal.The bars are set up in such a way thatthe long bar on the bottom and theshort bar just below it will appear at

the same luminance level when thecolor circuitry is set up properly.

Manufacturers use different terms,such as phase or hue, chroma or satu-ration, but these are the handles youwill adjust to get the top and bottombars as close to one another as pos-sible. The chroma or saturation con-trols the outer bars, and the phase ortint controls the inner bars. Adjustthe contrast for even steps of lumi-nance change between the alternat-ing gray bars at the top of the screen.In the case of monitors without theblue -only function, you may lookat the monitor through a blue filteror gel. Check out SMPTE Engineer-ing Guideline EG 1-1990 for a morethorough explanation of the colorbar signal.

Waveform/vectorscopeUsing the same color bars from

the CCU, check the calibration ofyour waveform monitor and vec-torscope. Set the waveform monitorto one or two horizontal lines with

r --

Figure 2. Example of SMPTE bars onwaveform monitor. The first horizontalline is filtered for luminance only. Thesecond includes chroma.

the line select turned off. The secondwhite bar at the bottom of the screenshould show at 100 percent videowith the picture lineup group show-ing up at 3.5 IRE, 7.5 IRE and 11.5IRE, respectively. (See Figure 2.) Onthe vectorscope, the dots should landwithin each of the color boxes.

Charts and test patternsAlthough it is best to perform these

alignments with a set of dedicated testcharts, it is not always practical. For



the purpose of the kind of on -the -flysetups we are discussing here, an 11 -step grayscale chip chart and a back -focus chart will do nicely. Also beaware that white cards are producedthat offer corrections for warmerskin tones and difficult lighting situa-tions. If you find yourself in a varietyof lighting situations, a few of theseapplication specific cards would be agood addition to your arsenal.

If no chart is available or the place-ment of the cameras makes chartingthem impractical, find a source ofwhite, such as a billboard or canvas,and balance all of the cameras tothat. The key is consistency so thateach camera reproduces the samescene with the same colors, even if itis not 100 percent accurate to whatthe eye sees.

Setting up the camerasSetting up the cameras properly is

more than half the battle of camerashading. Use a white card or, betteryet, an 11 -step grayscale chip chart.Line up a full frame shot of the cardon each camera. With each camerapointed at the chart, close the cam-era iris, and set the master blacklevel at the 7.5 IRE or pedestal levelon the waveform monitor. Open upthe iris until the white card or high-

est luminance level of the chip chartis at about 90 percent video. We setthis at less than 100 percent to avoidany effect on the signal from theauto knee circuitry. Perform an autoblack balance and an auto whitebalance from the CCU. Although

ma turned on or off. If you still havechroma information or the dot doesnot paint to the center, then you mayhave to switch to a manual white bal-ance and use the CCU's red and bluecolor adjustments to paint out anychroma. Most CCUs allow for color

If no chart is available, find a source ofwhite.The key is consistency, so that

each camera reproduces the same scenewith the same colors, even if is not

100 percent accurate to what the eye sees.

sometimes the black balance is

skipped, it is a good idea to performthis step because many cameras usethis procedure to map around anydead pixels on the CCD.

If the auto black and white pro-cedures complete satisfactorily, lookat the output signal on your vec-torscope. The dot should be at thecenter of the circle for each camerabecause the white card or chip chartcontains no chroma information. Ifyou only have a waveform monitor,this can be checked by using the lu-minance filter. Because there is nochroma information, the waveformshould look the same with the chro-

Figure 3. Using the grayscale chip chart as the source, note the gamma crossingsin the lower right of the figure.

adjustment for both black and white,so check this again with the iris al-most completely closed.

Using the 11 -step grayscale chipchart, you can check the gammacrossing. Because the camera CCDsare not subject to the same limita-tions of our eyes and display devices,gamma correction must be appliedto the image. The 11 steps of thechart are logarithmic, but becomelinear when gamma correction is ap-plied. This is to ensure linear colorreproduction through the range ofluminance values. The signal repre-sents a stepped X on the waveformmonitor. The steps should be linearwith the crossing taking place in themiddle of the X. (See Figure 3.)

Back focusAlthough back focus adjustments

are not necessarily considered cam-era shading, they are critical to get-ting clear pictures. A back focuscheck should be performed anytimethe cameras are moved, a lens ischanged or removed, or whenever itis suspect. A back focus chart comeswith most broadcast lenses, but canbe performed with common objectson location.

Focus on an object that will showdetails (like a sign with lettering) atthe farthest point of the lens zoom.Pull the zoom back; the focus shouldremain constant throughout the trav-el of the zoom. If it does not, loosen



the screw at the ring closest to wherethe lens mounts to the camera body(often this is the ring with the macro),and adjust this ring for focus. Zoomback in to the original object, focusagain, and then zoom out again. Per-form this procedure until focus re-mains consistent through the zoomtravel. Back focus should be per-formed with the iris all the way open,for minimum depth of field. In brightlight environments, a neutral densityfilter may have to be employed.

Shading the sceneWith the camera properly matched

for white balance and gamma, it istime to start shading. In the case of

to adjust the knee circuitry's thresh-old. The knee circuit decreases am-plification at levels approaching100 percent video in much the sameway as an audio compressor works.

If you are shading in a controlledlighting situation like a studio, tryto adjust the light levels so that youriris is around F stop 2.8. This willgive you range to adjust up or downwithout having to use filters or gain.If, on the other hand, you are shoot-ing in a dark theatre or at an outdoorevent, there are a host of tools in themodern camera to adjust for this.

Most cameras now come with abasic filter wheel built in. Neutraldensity filters reduce luminance lev-

Modern cameras offer the ability tosave individual setups or scenes. Thesaved file will include white balance

information for a given setup.

people's faces, the general conven-tion is to set the iris where the faceis at about 75 IRE to 80 IRE. This isvariable because of other elements inthe scene.

Examine the black levels. The mas-ter black level functions somewhatlike a contrast control on a moni-tor. If it is set too low, details in darkareas will be lost. This is known ascrushing black. If it is too high, it willprovide poor contrast to the higherlevels of luminance, and blacks willappear gray.

A good starting point is to placeany black items in the scene at or justbelow the 7.5 IRE video pedestal andadjust from there. A word of advice:Set a black level for all of the cam-eras, and stick to it. When switchingbetween cameras differences in blacksare obvious. This requires looking atthe scope and the calibrated monitorto arrive at a happy medium.

Be careful about bright items likewhite shirts blowing out or goingabove 100 percent video and clip-ping. If this happens, you may have

els without affecting color tempera-ture. Other filters account for differ-ences in color temperature for vari-ous light sources such as sunlight orfluorescents.

Gain can be applied for low lightsituations, but should be used spar-ingly because it adds noise to thesignal. Also be aware that many CCUcontrollers allow the operator to setthe sweep range and sensitivity ofthe iris control.

In a studio setting where onlysubtle adjustments are being made,limited range and sensitivity of thecontrols can be helpful. In a less con-trolled lighting situation, maximumsensitivity and range of adjustmentmay be called for.

Save your settingsModern cameras also offer the abil-

ity to save individual setups or scenes.The saved file will include white bal-ance information for a given setup.A good example of this would be foran evening baseball game where thecameras start out on a filter for sun-

light that is switched out as the sungoes down; a saved setup can be re-called that includes the white balancefor the camera without the filter so itdoes not have to be balanced again.

Another handy function of savedsetups is for skin detail. Many mod-ern cameras allow detail for a givenhue to be decreased without affect-ing other elements of the picture.Skin details for individuals can besaved and recalled at will. Anotherconsideration is using the presetwhite balance that is set in almost allcameras at the factory. In cases wherecameras are matching models fromthe same manufacturer, this can be aviable option for lighting situationsthat include a number of differentcolored scenes where getting a goodwhite balance across the spectrum isnot practical.

In the end, camera shading is al-most as much art as science. Dramaticuse of color and black levels can cre-ate a look that is appropriate for theproduction. When time allows, don'tbe afraid to explore the camera's set-tings to see what is there.

Many modern cameras includepresets that mimic different looksand film emulsions, affording a cus-tom look with a minimum amount ofguesswork. Be sure to save a standardsetup that you can recall if things gettoo far out of whack. The possibilitiesare almost limitless. BE

Tony Manard, CBTE, is a broadcastengineer based in Memphis, TN.

BilisdAdcastA NEW BLOC: straight fromEditorial Director Brad Dick.

See his latest post atwww.blog.broadcastengineering.com/brad.

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`a C S I a/esStage a.

The second week of January is aspecial time for the consumerelectronics (CE) industry.This is when the InternationalCES®, the largest tradeshowof its kind, rolls into Las

Vegas with more than 130,000 attendees,including 6000 or so engineers.

If you've attended this spectacle before,you probably listened to Bill Gates ofMicrosoft give the preshow keynote on aSunday night at The Venetian. InternationalCES will start on a Thursday this year,though, so the preshow keynote will be onWednesday night.

BIGGER AND BETTERI first attended International CES back in

1981 when I was a new technical editor atPopular Electronics magazine. The show wasbig even then, but it's so much bigger now.As this show has grown, so have the officialshow venues.

You can find most of the exhibits at theLas Vegas Convention Center (LVCC),especially those of the big CE companies likeSony, Microsoft, Motorola, Panasonic, andSamsung. The keynotes have found a homein The Venetian. Many exhibits will be rightnext door at the Sands Expo and ConventionCenter. And, the International Gateway andInternational Insider Series will be held at theLas Vegas Hilton.

Due to its expansive layout, planning is amust. Start with the maps on the InternationalCES Web site, CESweb.org/exhibits/facilities,which will help you understand the layoutof each venue. You should secure a map ofthe Las Vegas strip as well. You also canfind a good interactive map at the Las VegasMonorail Web site, www.lvmonorail.com,which shows the locations of the monorailstops and the major hotels on the strip.

How do you tackle a show as large asCES? We'll try to make you an informedInternational CES show attendee in the fol-lowing pages, but here are some tips to getyou started. As mentioned, this year thekeynotes begin on a Wednesday evening-January 7. Microsoft will kick off the showagain this year, this time with CEO SteveBalimer making the presentation. ConsideringMicrosoft's key role in the industry, you willneed to get in line early. If you show up at thelast minute, all the seats may be gone.

CC(Th

_er

a7GETTING AROUND

While the keynotes will be held in TheVenetian, the TechZones will be housedin a few different locations, mainly theLVCC, South Hall and the Sands Expo andConvention Center. You can take the freeSands/Venetian Express from the Sands/Venetian to the LVCC, running every 10minutes. But buses have to wait in traffic likeany other vehicle, so a five-minute trip caneasily stretch to fifteen or twenty.

Another option is the monorail. While wedon't recommend it for the Sands/Venetian, itdoes stop at the LVCC and the Hilton. Ordermonorail tickets in advance on CESweb.orgby December 24 to receive a 20% discountand get a one -day ticket for the monorail for$9.60. New this year is a seven-day conven-tion pass for $60.

The monorail is a great option for gettingstraight to the LVCC if you are staying at oneof the hotels with a monorail stop, but thereare also free hotel shuttle busses from officialCES hotels to both the LVCC and the Sands/Venetian. These shuttles can take you to theshow every morning and home every night.

Start your Thursday with the opening key-note at The Venetian. Then, depending onwhat you want to see, you may want to headto the LVCC or over to the Sands, which youcan walk to from The Venetian. One of themain attractions at the Sands is the emergingtechnology exhibits.

The International CES organizers believeengineers attending the show will find theseexhibits particularly interesting, and I agree.The list of TechZones looks intriguing, andthere should be something to satisfy the inter-ests of everyone. While you're at the Sands,I'd also recommend visiting the Innovations2009 Design and Engineering Showcase.

Keynotes, exhibits, and TechZones are thefoundation of the show, but there's more forengineers to see at the 2009 InternationalCES. For example, a gala event each yearis the Technology & Engineering Emmy®Awards. Keep in mind that this event will beon the same evening as the preshow keynote,January 7. More information can be found atCESweb.org/awards/techEmmys.asp.

I also recommend "Going Green:More Than a Label," moderated by RonSchneiderman of Electronic Design. The ses-sion will be Thursday at noon in the LVCCNorth Hall, Room N254.


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JOE DESPOSITO I EDITOR IN CHIEF

STEVEBALLMER,CEO ofMicrosoft, willprovide thekickoff key-note addresson the eveningof January 7.

GARYSHAPIRO, presi-dent and CEOof CEA, willopen the showwith a timelykeynote examin-ing the state ofthe industry.

SIR HOWARDSTRINGER,chairman andCEO of SonyCorp., will havelots to sayabout Sony'subiquitous CEproducts.

ALANMULALLY, pres-ident and CEOof Ford MotorCompany,will describehow Ford hasbecome an info-tainment leader.

CRAIGBARRETT, Intelchairman, wiltbe part of thesecond annualTechnologyand EmergingCountriesProgram (TEC).

JOHNCHAMBERS,CEO of Cisco,will look at howtechnology canchange theThird World aspart of the TECprogram.

CSpo

'm a big fan of keynote addresses atany tradeshow I go to. But my favoriteones by far are those of the InternationalCES. This show invariably draws the topexecutives from consumer electronicsand other companies around the globe.

For example, Bill Gates of Microsoft pro-vided the preshow keynote speech at CES formany years.

The keynotes give engineers the lay of theland for consumer electronics for the rest ofthe year and then some, which can greatlyhelp in their own strategic planning. Forexample, in last year's keynotes, attendeesgot a vision of what the future might be likewith gadgets such as a handheld device thattranslates your speech into a foreign languagein real time or a cell phone with camera rec-ognition that can provide information aboutwhatever you may be pointing at.

All of the keynote speeches will take placein the Palazzo Ballroom of The Venetian. Ifthis will be your first time at CES, I recom-mend taking the SandsNenetian Expressfrom the LVCC to the SandsNenetian andfollow the signs.

EXPERTS SPEAK OUTCES has revamped the list of keynote

speakers this year, but has stuck withMicrosoft for the preshow keynote at 6:30p.m. on Wednesday evening, January 7. Thisis usually a big event and the seats are free,but there is a limited amount so get thereearly. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gets thecall this year, and I'm sure he will be joinedby quite a number of Microsoft spokespeopleplus a few media stars to help him make hispoints about Microsoft's vision of the con-sumer electronics future.

The keynotes continue as the first order ofbusiness when the show opens on Thursday,January 8. Gary Shapiro, president and CEOof the Consumer Electronics Association(CEA)®, which produces CES, will kick offthe morning keynote at 8:30 a.m. with hisstate of the industry address. This talk shouldbe especially interesting considering all theturmoil in the financial markets this year.How will the current economic climate affectthe consumer electronics industry in 2009?How will the switch to digital television inFebruary 2009 affect the industry? Expecthim to have the answers to these questionsand more in his speech.

S /KeTotesA \evy Lax

After his talk, Shapiro will introduce SirHoward Stringer, chairman and CEO of SonyCorp. Sony, of course, is active in all facetsof consumer electronics, from its Vaio com-puters to its Bravia HDTVs to its impressivecollection of Handycam video recorders andWalkman video and music players. Stringer isalso corporate head of Sony's EntertainmentBusiness, so don't be surprised if he bringsup to the stage some big names in movies andmusic to help liven up his keynote. It wasn'ttoo many years ago that Drew Barrymoremade an appearance at a Sony CES keynote.

On tap for Thursday afternoon's keynote at4:30 p.m. is Alan Mulally, president and CEOof Ford Motor Company. You probably knowthat Ford has been a leader in automotiveinfotainment along with its partner, Microsoft,in bringing to market the voice -activated FordSync mobile phone and digital music system.I wouldn't be surprised if New York Yankeesuperstar shortstop and Ford spokespersonDerek Jeter makes an appearance on stage.

THE GLOBAL ECONOMYOn Friday afternoon, January 9, starting

at 1 p.m., Intel chairman Craig Barrett andCisco chairman and CEO John Chamberswill speak as part of the second annualTechnology and Emerging Countries Program(TEC), which focuses on the role technologyplays to further economic growth. Barrett willbe the opening TEC keynote speaker. Expectmore about Intel Atom -based netbooks at thiskeynote and how these low-priced computerscan be a game changer in emerging countries.

Barrett's keynote will be followed at 2p.m. by a TEC panel discussion entitled"Reaching the Promise of Universal Accessto Technology: Creating the Global TechEcosystem." The thought here is that uni-versal access to technology is the catalystto greater knowledge, more vibrant mar-ketplaces, and growing standards of living.When combined with finance, energy, andexpertise, technology is the component thatcan accelerate economic development andcreate opportunity.

At 3 p.m., Chambers will give the clos-ing TEC keynote. Last year's CES was thefirst time I witnessed a demonstration of theCisco telepresence system. Chambers mayshow how this kind of technology can assistin communication and education in emerg-ing countries.

4 A SPECIAL SECTION TO PENTON MEDIA PUBLICATIONS

SalS Awarcs And Cto xcollence

There are always tons of tech-nology and products packedinto CES, but perhaps the onlyway to be sure you catch thebest products and designs isby scoping out the awards cer-

emonies and the CE Spotlights.This year, CES will open the floor to four

awards programs: the International CESInnovations 2009 Design and EngineeringAwards, the CNET Best of CES Awards, theesteemed Technology & Engineering EmmyAwards, and the Global Media AwardsTM.

Meanwhile, the baby boomer, child devel-opment, gaming, and wireless markets are ofthe utmost importance to CE distributors. CESpotlights pool together the companies lead-ing the charge in reaching out to these essen-tial demographics and others as well. CES hasalso sprinkled TechZones around the exhibithalls focused on marquee digital technology.There's a little bit of something for everyone,from design winners to the best products.Don't miss out on this year's awards andspotlights at CES.

INNOVATIONS 2009 DESIGNAND ENGINEERING AWARDSSHOWCASE

The Innovations Designand Engineering Awardsrecognize the best prod-ucts in more than 30 cat-egories. Like events past,this year's honorees haveoutdone themselves intaking the next step in CEingenuity, and CEA hasselected the top innovations poised to shakeup the CE market.

Get a head start on your design ideas orsneak a peek at what will be on everyone'sshopping list down the road. You can checkout the awards display at the Innovations2009 Design and Engineering Showcase atthe Sands, Booth #72062. Also, the Best ofInnovations, products that scored over 90%approval ratings by the judge's panel, will beon display at the Innovations Showcase in theGrand Lobby of the Las Vegas ConventionCenter (LVCC).

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CNET BEST OF CES AWARDSThe experts at CNET will take up the task

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of selecting the best products on displayat CES. Categories include Best of Show,People's Voice Award, selected by an onlineconstituency, and 10 trophies for individualmarkets. Categories include digital photoand video, car technology, cell phones andsmartphones, computers and hardware, gam-ing, GPS, home audio, home video, MP3and video players, and television. Come seewhat the experts anoint as the show's creamof the crop.

GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS

lobal Media AwardsPresented by

NATIONAL

ACADEMY.,TELEVISION

ARTS & SCIENCES

CEA and the National Academy ofTelevision Arts and Sciences (NATAS) areteaming up to launch the first Global MediaAwards. This contest honors the best technol-ogy and content programming in advertising,Web site or Internet, repurposed linear ortraditional content, long form or short form,platform, and user experience or programguides. CEA and NATAS look to kick offthis new award program in style as this year',winners will be announced at the inauguralbanquet at The Venetian in Las Vegas onJanuary 8, 2009.

THE TECHNOLOGY &ENGINEERING EMMY AWARDS

Three yearsNATIONAL in the running.

ACADE MY OF the EmmyAwards for

ARTS & SCIENCES = technology andengineering

will be awarded at CES. The Emmy Awardsimmortalize individuals, technical organiza-tions, or companies developing keystonetechnology or implementing standardizationthat brings forth noteworthy improvementsto existing methods or have altered thecourse of current methods altogether. See allthe winners during an evening ceremony onWednesday, January 7, at The Venetian.

CE SPOTLIGHTSJumping on the bandwagon of the booming

(Th

ra nJOHNARKONTAKYASSOCIATE EDITOR

CES SPECIAL REPORT

gaming market? Then check out what'scoming down the pipeline at the GamingShowcase. Hardware, software, andproducts like online PC and HD gamesare only a taste of the excitement andprogress behind video games-and theGaming Showcase has its finger on thepulse of all the major innovations.

saminsSHOWCASE

You can also check out theUnderground Gaming Series (UGS), apro -grade gaming tournament held fortwo reasons: to hold competitive tour-naments for all skill levels and marketgaming popularity and technology. Youcan visit companies such as Dynaflex,Electric Spin, Paleo Entertainment,SimCraft, and others at the GamingShowcase in the LVCC, South Hall 2.

Asking your kids to help debug yourcomputer? It's no surprise. Children aregrowing up with sophisticated technologynow more than ever-and at earlier agesthan ever. This spotlight explores how thedigital technology kids use from infancymold them into electronic whizzes at avirtually innate level.

Retailers, content providers, distribu-tors, game developers, educators, policymakers, CE manufacturers, parents,brothers, and sisters are all welcomedto join the discussion on how the ever -advancing tools children play with shapethe future. Kids@Play will be located atthe Sands.

Silvers SummitLife

The Silvers Summit spotlight is gearedtoward baby boomers. What technol-ogy keeps this generation engagedand in touch with constantly evolvingelectronics? What do they enjoy most?

Distributors, journalists, research firms,and manufacturers will demonstrate andelaborate on the baby boomer demo-graphic and the products they're using tomaximize the benefits of digital technol-ogy. The Silvers Summit spotlight will bein the Sands.

WirelessWorldThe Wireless World spotlight will pres-

ent the entire vertical market of the wire-less industry from design and manufac-turing to distribution. You can check outthe exhibitors in LVCC, South Hall 3.

COOTEfff CES

Content@CES is the best spot to meetand greet some of the biggest companiesat CES. There will be meeting rooms anda lounge available for attendees to comeand pick the brains of some of the leadingcompanies in the digital market today.Content@CES will be in the LVCC,Central Hall.

Digital Imaging

Plenty of digital imaging companieswill be on hand at the Digital ImagingShowcase to show off their proprietarydigital imaging solutions and CE prod-ucts. This exhibit will be in the LVCC,South Hall 3.

This spotlight focuses on the technol-ogy behind delivering data to mobiledevices and the companies behind thoseservices. Here you can learn how datais transferring to an in -car GPS, or howmobile services and devices are custom-ized for the end -user based on location.Location Based Services will be in theLVCC, South Hall 4.

Of,p ER I EiliCk

CEAExperience CEA is the best way for

attendees to see what CEA is all about.Check out CEA's initiatives leadingup to the digital television transitionin February 2009, CEAPAC, marketresearch, and standards. CEA is alsolooking to advance consumer technologywhile addressing issues like free trade,energy conservation and recycling, andbetter member benefits. For CEA mem-bers, there will be food and beveragesavailable in the CEA member lounges,and amenities such as HDTV and laptopstations will be available. You can findthe Experience CEA booth in the LVCC,Grand Lobby.

Tech?can eMore than a dozen TechZone stations

will spread out across all the exhibit hallsat CES. Catch up on the big discussionsthat are shaping technology in niche mar-kets like robotics, green design, displays,wireless mobility, i-Stage, USB, GSMA,HDMI, ZigBee, and HomePlug. Therealso will be a few zones you might notexpect. For instance, Stevie Wonder willheadline an exhibit focusing on technol-ogy for the vision -impaired. The amountof information offered at these stationswill be enough to keep you zoned in fordays. Don't miss out.

SUSTAINABLE PLANET

Combining the advances in theTechnology & Emerging CountriesTechZone and the Greener GadgetsTechZone, the Sustainable PlanetSpotlight will look at how the next waveof innovation can work with the environ-ment, not against it, especially in devel-oping countries that need earth -friendlysolutions for their rapidly expandinginfrastructures. You can find SustainablePlanet in the LVCC, North Hall.

6 A SPECIAL SECTION TO PENTON MEDIA PUBLICATIONS

Improve Your Knowledge AndKnow -How At The CES Sessions

The axiom "knowledge is power" certainly applies to the 2009 InternationalCES. Boasting the consumer technology industry's largest educational forum,this year's program delivers more than 200 conference sessions with over 500expert speakers, covering the hottest topics and trends shaping today's designdecisions. (This just in: the Industry Insider series will be returning. Check theCES site at CESweb.org for late -breaking news on who will be featured.)

ROGER ENGELKEISSUE EDITOR

Ittleilateti TiltAr--Kt

Insert "Inside" between the words

"Knowledge Tracks," because that'swhat these sessions bring to those in

attendance-the scoop on everything newin nine different arenas. Tracks that should

hold particular interest to EEs include:

Digital Imaging; Emerging Technology;Home Entertainment and LifestyleTechnologies; In -Vehicle Technology;Issues and Attitudes; Technology andthe Environment; and the catch-all Justthe Facts: Research, Reports andRevelation.

Innovations in Digital Imaging seem-ingly arrive on a daily basis, giving ses-

sions in this track the "must -attend" label.

Sessions of particular interest to engineers(held in the LVCC, South Hall) include

"The Digital Shoebox: New Options for

Consumers" (Jan. 8) and "Digital Imaging:

Beyond the Megapixel" (Jan. 9).

The Emerging Technology track

serves up "New

Developments in

Digital Storage,"which offers a sum-

mary of events from

the Storage Visions

Conference (Jan. 9,

LVCC, South Hall).

Two other self -evi-

dently named panels

in this track, both on

Jan. 10, are "Emerging CE Technology-APreview of the IEEE ICCE's Most Interesting

Technologies" (LVCC, North Hall) and

"Planning for an

da, STORAGE IPv6 World in

VISIONS 2010" (LVCC,

South Hall).

Home Entertainment and LifestyleTechnologies is always massively popular,

and its 16 sessions over a three-day span

ISMKnowledgeTRACKS

do not disappoint.Television alone

gets a lot of play,

with sessions such as

"Teaching the TV to be

Internet Savvy" and "How Will We

See 3D TV?" Other hot topics

that engineers will want to

check out in this track

include robotics, the

digital home, emerging

display technologies,

and GPS.

One intriguingly

titled session is "The

Shifting Generation:

Accommodating Viewers

Who Want Time Shifting,

Place Shifting, and Even Device

Shifting" (Jan. 8, LVCC, North

Moderated by MSNBC columnist Suzanne

Choney, it focuses on the new challengescreated by DVRs and

other devices that

allow viewers to shift

the place where they

watch recordings

or move content toanother device.

A trend getting lots

of attention is the

focus of the session

"Tru2way Here andLVCC, South Hall). Many

and CE companies haveNow" (Jan. 10,cable operators

Hall).

committed to broad support for tru2waydevices, which pave

the way to receive all

cable services without a

leased set -top box.

Nowadays, advances in

Technology have moved into the fast

lane, but this track won't leave you in the

dust. Automotive communications, security,

navigation, safety, and entertainment all

go under the microscope. Sessions (Jan.

8-10, LVCC, North Hall) include "Next -Gen

Car Navigation: Recalculating!" and "How

Transportation Technology Can

Limit the Impact of Future

Climate Change."

Intellectual -propertylaw. Content distribu-

tion. Digital rights

management. Green.

Our industry teems

with these hot -button

topics, making Issuesand Attitudes one to

check off on the calen-dar. Totaling 14 sessions, the

three-day track (Jan. 8-10) tackles

a variety of topics, from "Home Automation

for the Mass Market" to "D1V-BringingDown the Curtain on Analog." Startup com-

panies may find the "Finding Money in a Bad

Economy" session particularly attractive.

Getting greener is an underlying pulse

within the industry. The Technology andthe Environment track's sessions (Jan.8-9, LVCC, North Hall) examine some of the

latest trends, such as "Better Batteries and a

Greener Charger" and "Recycling Discarded

Electronics: Best Practices."

Just the Facts: Research, Reportsand Revelation brings together experts

in market research and analytics fromABI Research, CEA, Compete, Creative

Strategies, GfK Marketing Services, iSup-phi, Nielsen, and the NPD Group.

<tru2way? Spread across nine sessions (Jan.8-10, split between two venues,

the LVCC, North Hall, and The Venetian),

they will share information and insights on

the R&D and analysis being performed to

support new directions in the industry.

In -Vehicle

Tti SPEI.:1A1. REPORT

JEDEC

This year, CES delivers eight provocative SuperSessions, hosted by a diverse group of industry experts and organizations. Included

among these information -packed, down-to-earth, and free sessions are:

"What Will They Think of Next? Consumer Electronics in2025" (Jan. 8, LVCC, North Hall) This session, moderated by Forbes

assistant managing editor Bruce Upbin, asks what the next 25 years

will hold for the CE industry.

"Wireless Meets Consumer Electronics: The FundamentalShift to Mobility" (Jan. 8, LVCC, North Hall) Moderator RajeevShand, wireless managing director and senior equity research analyst

for Rutberg & Co., and four senior executive panelists from the wire-

less and consumer worlds discuss how and whether mobility repre-

sents the next major opportunity for our industry. So, do you think

always -on connectivity and location -aware capabilities will change the

consumer electronics industry?

®

"Next Big Thing SuperSession: CNET Revealsthe Next Big Thing in CE" (Jan. 8, LVCC, North Hall)

CNET's editor -at -large Brian Cooley and other experteditors from the CE industry reveal the trends, emerg-

ing categories, and must -have products for the coming year in this

audience -interactive session.

"Connect2Car: The Automobile's Convergence with

Consumer Electronics" (Jan. 8, LVCC, North Hall) A group ofindustry experts discovers and arts intemationardefines the consumer solu-tions for entertainment and information in the automo-

bile, co -organized by the Convergence Transportation

Electronics Association (CTEA) and SAE International.

"Big Thinkers and Disruptive Technologies-Today'sThought Leaders, Tomorrow's Technologies" (Jan. 9, LVCC,North Hall) As the title states, big thinkers from the CE, computer,

media, and telecom worlds will assemble

for discourse on the innovations that Net 'leiterloom on the horizon and their impact on

ln\AINt F

Technology Mediaour digital lives. Tim Bajaran, president

of Creative Systems Inc., moderates the session.

"Last Gadget Standing" (Jan. 10, LVCC, North Hall) The"Oscars of Technology" showcases 10 of the hottest products cho-

sen by experts from the NetShelter Technology Media network. See

live demos of these products and vote for the best. Robin Raskin,

founder of Living in Digital Times LLC, moderates the event.

This year, 22 differen: CES Partner Programs are on tap, hosted

suit today's EEs, cutting a diverse cross-section of the industry.

The IEEE International Conference on

Consumer Electronics (ICCE) once again con-venes at CES, in the LVCC, North Hall. Spanning six

days (Jan. 9-14), the conference has lined up fourkeynotes, six technology tutorials, and many othertechnical presentations on a broad array of hot topics

from human -interface design and camera technologies

to video -distribution systems and display -driver electronics.

JEDEC hosts the session "Understanding Moisture/Reflow

Sensitivity for IC Packages: Achieving

Pb-Free Assembly Classification and

Handling" (Jan. 8, LVCC, South Hall). It

provides background information on moisture/reflow effects and digs

into the J -STD -020 and J -STD -033 specs.

The Fourth Generation Mobile Forum (4GMF) identifies themost promising opportunities ahead for developers, OEMs, andother organizations that are involved inthe emerging 4G consumer market-place (Jan. 10-11, LVCC, North Hall).Keynotes, panel discussions, and private

CEO showcases on global 4G convergence and its lasting effectshighlight the forum.

The Consumer Robotics Industry Development Program,an all -day program held in The Venetian (except

for one session) on January 10, brings together

industry experts in a series of sessions thatdiscuss new robotics applications and where the

overall industry is headed. Topics range from

4GMFA GLOBAL INITIATIVE

Robotics Trends

by 20 organizations. Several of these extensive programs particularly

the nuts -and -bolts "Features and Functions for Consumer Robotics

Products" to the more esoteric "Telepresence Robots."

CES Mobile Entertainment reveals the next gen-

eration of technologies, devices, and platforms that will

make their mark in the explosive mobile marketplace.

The two-day program comprises nine sessions (Jan.

7 and 8 in the LVCC, North Hall),covering topics such as "TheMobile Web: The Future of

Applications, Commerce,

GPS, Communication

and Content" and

"Reinventing the

Mobile Device and

Mobile Network-Integrating the Full

PC Experience

into a Personal

CommunicationsDevice."

Looking to get DHTI+

certified? The CEA-

CompTIA Digital HomeTechnology Integrator+ (DHTI+)Certification Review Workshop (Jan. 8, LVCC, South Hall)provides an in-depth review of home subsystems (audio/video, tele-

phone/VolP, etc.) to arm you with the knowledge needed to studyfor the certification test.

ti A SPECIAL SECTION TO PENTON MEDIA PUBLICATIONS

GREENERGADGETS

\44\DI SPLAY SEARCH

of celebrities andall the hottest gadgets.

But you're a designer! You need the latestinfo to create the next wave of groundbreak-ing innovations-maybe in time for the 2010event. Located throughout the entire showfloor, this year's CES TechZones will spot-light market -specific technology so you can

be part of the buzz at nextyear's show.

Everything has a screenthese days, and you'll seethem all in the AdvancedDisplay Technologies

TechZone, sponsored by DisplaySearch andlocated in LVCC, South Hall 1. Attendeeswill see the latest a -Si TFTs, LCDs, LTPSTFT LCDs, AMOLEDs, PMOLEDs, andPDPs, as well as flexible, reflective, and 3Ddisplays targeting a wide variety of applica-tions, from mobile phones to large -screentelevisions.

Also, check out the DisplayPort TechZonesponsored by the VideoElectronics Standards DisplayPortAssociation, located inthe Sands Expo and Convention Center. Thetechnologies spotlighted here enable a com-mon interface approach across internal andexternal display connections. The standardalso makes high -quality audio available to thedisplay device over the same cable and video

signal for true plug -and -play capabilities.

The environment ison everybody's mind-

and list of consumer demands-these days.To make your designs more earth -friendly,

CES SPECIAL REPORT

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A11 eyes are on Vegas when head on over to the Greener Gadgetsthe International CES comes TechZone in the LVCC, North Hall. Theseto town, and the 2009 show pioneering technologies benefit the environ-will be no differ- ment as well as the sustain-ent, with plenty Ire lc-412one ability of the global econo-

my by helping the consumerelectronics industry reduce its environmen-tal footprint via alternative energy, recycledmaterials, and biodegradablepackaging.

Another key consumerdemand? Mobile broadband.Sponsored by the GSM Association, TheGSMA TechZone in LVCC, South Hall4 will reveal the sheer diversity and scaleof devices that provide anytime, anywhereaccess to the Web, from embedded notebooksto smart phones. These products will onlybecome more prevalent as we move closer toa wireless society.

You'll find thestuff that entertain-ment dreams are madeof in the HDMI TechZone, located inLVCC, South Hall 1. The High -DefinitionMultimedia Interface is the world standard forconnecting consumer products and devices,enabling cutting -edge home theater systems

with a single, intelligent cable. The zonewill feature high -definition video andaudio manufacturers, high -definition

hardware manufacturers, and high -definitionservice providers, as well as signal processorsand semiconductors.

Cable may be the king of network con-nectivity, but there are other options. TheHomePlug Alliance will make a case for itstechnology inthe HomePlug nHOMEPLUd

offigliMiliaMISEIRINITechZone inLVCC, South Hall 2. Representatives of ser-vice and content, retail, hardware, software,silicon, and technology companies will be on- _

rTh Ge

RICHARD GAWELMANAGING EDITOR

HSPR.MOBILE BROADBAND TODAY

HDMIwax -DEFINITION MULTIMEDIA INTERFACE

hand to demonstrate the availability andadoption of cost-effective, interoperable,and standards -based home powerlinenetworks and products.

New this year, the i-Stage TechZonewill feature the

I stage exhibitors whoparticipated in the

The Springboard to trii-Stage competi-

tion on October 20, which pit not -yet -released gaming, social media, mobileretail, security, telecom, 3D video, andother products from established com-panies and up-and-comers alike againsteach other. So which disruptive tech-nologies took home the title? Find outin this TechZone, which can be found inthe Sands.

It will look like something out of asci-fi movie, but it's allreal and ready for you touse in your next design.Sponsored by Robotics

Robotics Trends Trends, the RoboticsTechZone in the Sands will

feature automatons of every variety, fromplayful toys to serious machines withsecurity applications. Engineers can getinspiration for their next design and meetprospective customers as well in the bur-geoning consumer robotics market-andmake some mechanical friends, too.

He's a musical genius. Did youknow that he's a technical geniustoo? Get down with Stevie Wonderand Friends at the Sands, hostedby the Sendero Group, the National

HI -SPEED

:ERTIFIED (ISBtorn use ir Al TINS reser,

Federation of the Blind, and Intel Health.Check out electronics that the blind canuse in contrast with many they cannot.More importantly, learn how minordesign improvements can add millions ofblind and visually impaired customers toyour markets.

And if you're looking for other newmarkets, look to the Third World. TheTechnology and Emerging CountriesTechZone in LVCC, North Hall willoffer pioneering technologies that con-tribute to the social and cultural develop-ment of underdeveloped and developingcountries. Findout how the high-tech industry isfacilitating edu-cational, social,and entrepreneurial capacity in growingeconomies, opening these regions up toconsumer electronics advances.

Quick-name one product that doesn'tuse USB. Can't think of one, can you?This ubiquitous technology makes plugand play a reality and accommodates ourbusy lifestyles as we juggle PCs and theirperipherals, notebooks, cell phones, cam-eras, and many other digital gad-gets. And further improvementsand interconnectivity are on the

way. Find out moreat the USB TechZone, pre-sented by USB-IF, in LVCC,South Hall 3.

Speaking of wireless,someone has to manage the business

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ZigBee AllianceWireless Control That Simply Works

end of things. The Wireless DistributionTechZone in LVCC, South Hall 4 willfeature distributors representing all of themajor wireless carriers and manufacturersof handsets and accessories that providethe products, services, and applicationsthat can positively impact your business.

For even more wireless innova-tion, visit Wireless Mobility Broughtto You byQualcommin LVCC,South Hall 3. This TechZone will featuredemonstrations of the latest advances inthe mobile enterprise, such as mobilepayments and seamless and secure officeconnections. Also, look for the hottestsocial networking, gaming, locationawareness and public safety, and evenhealth and fitness applications.

The ZigBee Alliance will present theZigBee TechZone in LVCC, South Hall1. This wireless standard puts controlright in the consumer's hands anywherethey are, from lighting and HVACapplications to appliances and security.ZigBee technology enables low-cost sen-sor technology in devices like timers and

remote controlsthat's easy toinstall and idealfor the home.

With this comprehensive program, theTechZones at the 2009 International CESoffer something for every designer. Formore information, go to CESweb.org/TechZones.


Robots Crowdas Vegas

ust about everyone has heardabout Spirit and Opportunity,the robots that keep on truckingacross the surface of Mars. Andof course, there was last sum-mer's hit movie WALL -E, about a

lovable little waste -collecting robot.Well, you don't have to go to Mars or the

multiplex to meet a real robot. Just keepyour eyes open in the aisles of the RoboticsTechZone, sponsored by Robotics Trends, atthe Sands. Robots may not be everywhere,but you should watch where you step anyway.While many are large, some are small, andthey all will be showing off for the crowds.

ROBOT HANDYMENRobots have moved into the mainstream.

You can find them in stores, from lawnmow-ing marvels to robots that do the dirty work,like iRobot's Looj (Fig. 1). This trackedgutter -buster whips its way through gunk andleaves to leave almost nothing in its wake.This portable, battery -powered robot onlydoes one thing, but it does it well.

Of course, you also can check out the lat-est iRobot Roomba vacuum cleaner and itscompetition. An industrial -strength Roombawill highlight iRobot's Professional Series,whose models are designed for heavy trafficareas and can handle larger spaces than theirsiblings. There is even a Pet Series for houseslike mine where stray kitty litter is the norm.

Also, iRobot offers industrial and militaryoptions. The portable PackBot will be ondisplay, but I'm looking forward to seeingthe Warrior x700. This monster can support150 -lb payloads, making it ideal for heavy -

3. With the WowWee Rovio, users can roll awebcam anywhere they want to go and watchthe footage over the Internet.

CES SPECIAL REPORT

re A esBILL WONG I EMBEDDED/SYSTEMS/SOFTWARE EDITOR

duty applications like explosive ordnance dis-posal (EOD), reconnaissance, and firefighting(Fig. 2). It also can handle rough terrain andeven climb stairs.

Is it a toy or a tool? That'sthe question when it comes toWowWee's Rovio (Fig. 3). Thisthree -wheeled marvel's wirelesswebcam delivers telepresence capa-bilities. It can be controlled fromalmost any PC and employs EvolutionRobotics' Northstar navigation system.An infrared -based positioning systemhelps track the Rovio's location within aroom, and that isn't an easy thing to do.

Check out Hagisonic's booth for the latestin navigation systems for robots or just aboutany other mobile device. Its StarGazer systemlocalization sensor and module for intelligentrobots is supported by Microsoft's RobotDeveloper Studio. There will also be a rangeof other products, including ultrasonic rangefinders. Both types of devices tend to behandy for service robots.

PERSONAL ASSISTANTSRobots also are finding more use in per-

sonal assistance applications, and manywill show up at CES in a range of shapesand sizes. Most are still in the experimen-tal stage, but they are becoming more robust.Or if you're just looking for a beer, stop byOLogic's booth and take a look at the "but-ler." This 3 -ft high, two -wheeled assistant cancarry all sorts of things.

We'll have to see if Anybot's sophisticatedDexter articulated service robot will graceus with its presence (Fig. 4). You'll knowif you bump into Dexter, since this walk-ing biped is almost 6 ft tall and weighs 135lbs. Meanwhile, Korean -based Yujin Robotshould have even more interesting service -based robots on display, if last year's offer-ings are any indication. This company coversa range of robotic products from industrial toeducational. I bet one of the company's PlusA robots will be keeping its booth clean.

So if you are looking for robots to play,robots to work, or robots to research, the 2009International CES will have something foryou. Just be polite if you bump into one.

4. Anybot's Dexter may be walking the aisles rightnext to you at the show. But if you bump into him,he'll regain his balance. Since he's almost 6 ft tall,though, you might not!

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f you're anxious to see the latest inwireless technologies and find out howyou can use them in your next design,then the International CES is the placeto be-especially for the latest inUltra-Wideband (UWB) products. This

short-range technology provides speeds up to480 Mbits/s at up to 10 m.

UWB has been around a few years, but ithasn't gotten much traction as a widespreadwireless technology yet. It has taken a whileto firm up the standard and put out chips thatcan be embedded into other products. Severalfactors have contributed to this slow -to -mar-ket wireless option.

One of these is the challenge of mak-ing OFDM chip sets that cover the 3.1- to10.6-GHz band allocated to UWB by theFCC. The early products focused on the threelower bands from 3.1 to 4.7 GHz. Many suchchip sets were created, and today, most ofthe main semiconductor vendors are offeringsecond -generation products, mostly in fullCMOS but a few yet with biCMOS SiGe.

Another factor has been the high priceof these chip sets. Of course, like all othersolid-state devices, prices will begin to dropas volume increases. That volume has beengrowing slowly, but there is a clear sign ofgreater adoption.

The confusing and conflicting worldwidespectrum allocations for UWB also limitadoption. These allocations vary widely fromcountry to country so it has been hard tomake chip sets that fit all countries. On top ofthat, there are still countries trying to firm uptheir UWB assignments.

Only one group of bands is valid world-wide, but that may be changing as new rulesand regulations come out of Asia and Europe.A new technology called Detect and Avoid(DAA) also may help as it is adopted, as it

1. In Staccato Communications' vision of a wire-less living room, UWB connects the set -top box,TV, DVR, surroundsound 5.1, and even digitalcameras.

edenables UWB products to avoid conflicts withother services in the same spectrum. Mostnew chip sets incorporate DAA.

As these challenges are met, the big prob-lem is getting greater visibility for the tech-nology. That has been the job of the WiMediaAlliance, the organization that sets the stan-dards, performs certification tests for productcompatibility, and promotes the technology.With the standard firmly in place and manycertified products, WiMedia's job is primarilyeducational, letting the engineering commu-nity know just what UWB offers.

UWB is a great wireless technology, as ithas one of the highest data rates of any of

2. The Gefen HDMI Extender is a wireless HDMIinterface that lets HDTV users replace their cablewith a radio good for up to 10 m. The transmitter(left) and multiple input/multiple output (MIMO)receiver (right) use Tzero Technologies chips.

the current crop of wireless standards. It canhandle up to 480 Mbits/s at ranges of about2 to 3 m. The max range is about 10 m, butspeed typically drops to less than 100 Mbits/sat that range. Yet that is still faster than mostother offerings. Range is limited by the verylow power requirement of -41.3 dBm/Hz ofbandwidth, which is what keeps UWB signalsfrom interfering with other overlapping ser-vices in the spectrum.

Currently, the greatest use of WiMediaUWB is wireless USB dongles and hubs. Itworks great as a cable replacement. The USBImplementer's Forum standard protocol rideson the WiMedia MAC and PHY. Dozens ofWiMedia USB products are out there now,and you should see some new ones at CES.Even some laptop manufacturers are embed-ding wireless USB.

UWB is also being adopted in a variety ofwireless video products (Fig. 1). UWB can beused to connect the set -top box to the HDTVset and to the digital video recorder. Evenwireless HDMI is available (Fig. 2). Audiois another application, with products nowavailable for connecting surroundsound 5.1components around the room. Even digitalcameras and camcorders now use UWB toconnect without wires.


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APPLIED TECHNOLOGYNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS

Clear-Com's ConcertThe software -based intercom system extends

production communication beyond the four walls.

Network-centric commu-nications have set a newprecedent in the waybroadcast production

teams intercommunicate. The deliv-ery of music, cellular phones, televi-sion broadcasts and most forms ofmedia have now transitioned intothe IP digital domain.

Voice communication for broad-cast and live production is also mak-ing the same natural progression intoIP, leveraging high -bandwidth andcost-effective private and public net-works to extend the communicationinfrastructure beyond the four wallsof broadcast facilities. Voice over In-ternet Protocol (VoIP) offers manybenefits that can complement tradi-tional telephonic communications forintercom applications. Long-distancecalls or conference bridges with other

Location 1

Wirelessrouter

BY CRAIG FRFDERICKSON

production members working in dis-tant facilities are no longer a concern,and the cost of communicating be-comes significantly reduced.

Designed with this in mind, Clear-Com's Concert provides a secure,low -latency, software -based inter-com system for such applications.The solution changes the productionworkflow by expanding communica-tion capabilities to remote or extend-ed crew members who traditionallyhad no access to intercom units fromtheir work locations. The systemprovides a convenient and seamlesscommunication solution throughan Internet -ready device (i.e., desk-top computer or laptop) and a high -quality headset, desktop microphoneor speaker. (See Figure 1.)

Production members who areaway from the traditional hardwired

Concertserver 1

....: Concert(database

Routergateway

...........1

Local area network

oTi O

Concert client

I I

InternetWAN

intercoms can remain connectedwhile working in remote locations,such as OB vans, hotels or homeoffices. Freelance journalists ortraveling reporters, for example, canuse the solution to talk or text -chatwith post -production editors locat-ed at headquarters. A team of stat-isticians can conference in and boildown needed facts to an operator ina live broadcast, while productionexecutives may also conference in ona production without requiring in-stallation of a hardware panel.

Beyond traditionalintercoms

The intercom solution offers sim-pler controls, more flexibility andcomplete security while providingsimilar features and functions tomany traditional hardware -based

Location 2

Location 3

110

\

Figure 1. Single -server application with local and remote sites

December 20080 broadcastengineering.com 83

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APPLIED TECHNOLOGYNEW 'RODUCTS & REVIEWS

intercom systems.Users can establish point-to-point

or group communication efficientlywith simple point -and -click con-trols. An intuitive interface facilitatesad -hoc communications with easydrag -and -drop functionality andmakes the user the conductor of hisor her own audio conference withthe ability to build new conferences,talk groups and private text mes-sage exchanges within seconds. Evenmore compelling for the broadcastuser is the fact that its robust archi-tecture allows up to 200 participantsand up to 12 sessions to take placesimultaneously.

Its architectureallows up to 200participants andup to 12 sessions

to take placesimultaneously.

A Presence Awareness detectionfeature monitors and prompts chang-es to user availability at any giventime. Each user can update his or herown availability status so that otherusers know, for example, when not todisturb.

Users can initiate text -based com-munication via a messaging function.Text messaging is a quick way to en-ter into dialog with other intercomparticipants without interrupting theexisting communication.

With this system, each user has adefined role that determines whichconferences or communication chan-nels he or she can access. This meansthat such functions as technical, se-curity, production and executive caneach have their own private confer-ence area as well as admittance tomore general conferences.

Under the coverThe system is based on a client/

server architecture through the facil-

ity's secure server. The client resideson the user's PC, allowing the par-ticipation in a conference or ad -hocperson -to -person communication.Servers use a common database in or-der to ensure that all members can beseen from any client.

Designed for a multiserver envi-ronment, extra servers can be addedto share the audio routing load orprovide additional levels of redun-dancy as customers' communicationneeds grow. Each server is capable ofsupporting thousands of users. Theintercom solution operates on a stan-dard IT server running the Linux op-erating system.

AES 128 -bit security is used to en-crypt all data (audio and text) withinthe intercom environment. AES isa block cipher encryption standardthat offers highly secure communi-cations without the need to set upcomplicated virtual private network(VPN) schemes.

Using a unique routing schemethat provides highly efficient, highlyscalable audio routing across multiplenodes, the system can grow to supportlarge (potentially thousands) of userswithout degrading audio quality. In amultisite server environment, for ex-ample, each server controls the audiorouting within its local area network(LAN) (or wide area if a remote clientis logged into that server). This offersthe best audio performance in the lo-cal network, and only long distancewide area network (WAN) sessionshave the added latency of the externaltelecom network (typically an addi-tional 25ms to 50ms).

Being a VoIP solution, the Concerttechnology has just scraped the sur-face of intercom possibilities, whilepreserving the level of audio qualityand extending the user reach of tradi-tional intercoms. More importantly,it drastically changes the dynamicsof broadcast productions in unprec-edented ways. BE

Craig Frederickson is the productmanager of Concert and all IPcommunication solutions at Clear-ComCommunication Systems.

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APPLIED TECHNOLOGYNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS

Grass Valley's REV PROThe digital media drive's capabilities have been extended.

W* hen Grass Valley intro-duced the REV PROdigital media driveand removable media

in 2005, it offered broadcasters andAN professionals the ability to accessand leverage IT -based technologies.

With a capacity of 35GB, a sus-tained data rate of 110Mb/s support-ing dual streaming for simultaneousread/write, and superb reliability anddurability, the removable hard disk -based media and drives combine thenonlinear advantages of a traditionalhard disk drive with the portability

BY SCOTT SHFEHAN

damage or the data loss commonly as-sociated with standard hard drives.

The right fitAt NAB2008, Grass Valley intro-

duced two versions of REV PRO forthe second generation of the Infinitydigital media camcorder - the DMC1000/20. The media is now available inXP or ER versions, which allows cus-tomers to choose between high perfor-mance or high capacity, depending ontheir application. (See Table 1.)

XP is designed for up to 2X real-timeHD performance with multistream

professional REV PRO and the con-sumer version) is compatible withnew -generation REV PRO drives forboth read (real time or faster) andwrites (slower than real time). Thosewith REV 35 media will read their ex-isting content more often than theyneed to write or add material to theirold media. However, the new ER andXP media is not compatible with ex-isting REV 35 drives.

The platform offers a random ac-cess, nonlinear format with an expect-ed shelf life of more than 30 years. Anerasing/shredding feature allows the

Single -streamperformance

(Mb/s)

Dual -streamperformance

(Mb/s)

Capacity(GB)

Mediaprice

Piceper GB

SD @ 25Mb/srecording time

(minutes)

HD @ 75Mb/srecording time

(minutes)

ER, optimizedfor extendedrecord times

XP, optimizedfor extraperformance

REV PRO

(35GB)

130-240

170-240

110-204

2 x 65

2 x 85

2x 55

65

40

35

$80

$70

$68

$1.23

$1.75

$1.93

>240

>140

>120

>80

>50

>45

Table 1. REV PRO media options

and cost-effectiveness of videotape.The company's Infinity series of

products uses the media to capture,transport and share content within atrue file -based workflow. Once proj-ects have been completed, the mediacan be shared, archived, used to ingestfinal content to playout servers or usedto transport content via express mailin a tape -like manner.

The storage system's unique two-part design offers the durability ofsolid-state media combined with theaffordability of today's magnetic -based tape media. This combinationoffers a removable media that can betransported without the fear of head

support, providing in -the -field editingwithout the need to ingest. ER is op-timized for large data storage capacityand captures time at a great value.

Both XP and ER are designed forspecific uses. Those users whose pri-mary concerns are media cost andperformance tied to short recordingtimes, such as ENG, will choose XPmedia. Users whose main concern islong recording times with a lower costper GB of storage, such as EFP andcorporate, will choose ER.

While this new generation signifi-cantly enhances the format, there arecompatibilities with the first gen-eration REV 35. REV 35 media (both

media to be repurposed with confi-dence that old material cannot be ac-cessed. Multisegment caching allowsthe media to be used in place in anNLE. There is no need for a time-con-suming ingest step, or internal diskmanagement, because two streamscan be read or written simultaneously(depending on overall bandwidth).Multilevel password support pro-tects material during transport. Userscan retrieve the data with a masterpassword in case they lose or forgettheir password. BE

Scott Sheehan is director of marketingfor new and emerging markets for GrassValley.


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FIELD REPORTNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS

Aviom's Prol6The audio distribution system is at the heart

of "American Idol's" audio network.

When ATK Audiotekof Valencia, CA, wascalled upon for theseventh consecutive

year to design an audio network for"American Idol," we were faced withthe task of creating a system capable ofhandling amateur singers performingwith a professional band, and judgesexchanging dialogue and interactingwith a host - all within a noisy, live-

performance environment.It was a big project, but we were up

to the challenge. Having worked onmany live, high -profile events suchas the Grammys and the AcademyAwards, which, like "American Idol,"took place at Hollywood's KodakTheatre, we understand that in thistype of environment, communica-tion between all involved is the keyto making it work. A missed cue canthrow off the flow of an entire show,so the proper audio networking tech-nology is essential to keep a broadcaston track.

New year, new challengeFrom one season to the next, the

intricacy of the sound system grows,and this past year set designers andproducers presented a new challenge.The seventh season of "AmericanIdol" debuted to much fanfare, alarge, new two-story set the likes ofwhich had not been seen before onthe show.

For the first time in theshow's history, conductor RickeyMinor, who is also the band's bassplayer, was separated from the othermusicians in a second -story balconyacross from the band. This new con-figuration offered drama and excite-ment to the program. It also madehaving an effective and efficient com-munication network even more vital

BY ANDRES ARANGO

to the production.For years, we had been using an

Orchestra Conductor System devel-oped by a manufacturer that no lon-ger makes or supports the product.However, age and extensive use beganto take a toll, and the system startedshorting out. In addition, band mem-bers were asking for more customized

mixing. The mixer units are compactand sturdy. In addition, they run onCat 5 cables, so the wiring job - and,therefore, installation - is easy.

Easily createcustomized mixes

The system in use today in theKodak Theatre is based on the old

The band's drummer uses Aviom's A -161I personal mixer, which he can controlhimself. In addition, several other band members use the mixer for monitorcontrol.

mixes than the three -channel systemcould provide. The aging system hadto be made usable, and the questionwas: How? The answer: Aviom's Pro16audio distribution system.

We had just finished using thePro16 system along with the compa-ny's personal mixing technology onproduction of a reality show similarto "American Idol." It was then thatengineers began realizing that thetechnology could have benefits andapplications far beyond monitoring

Orchestra Conductor System butprovides added functionality. Ar-ranged into two individual zones-'one for the band and one for thedrummer - Minor and the directorcan initiate communication usingClear-Com Party -line AB -100 andStudio Technologies 233 AnnouncerConsoles as the main interfaces.

The band zone is equipped withan Aviom A -16R rack -mount mixer,which the monitor engineer con-trols. Not only can the engineer


FIELD REPORTNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS

easily control the band's levels, butalso he can adjust the volume ofMinor's voice as it comes through tothe band. If it's too soft, the band will

A missed cue canthrow off the flowof an entire show,

so the properaudio networking

technology isessential to keepa show on track.

miss cues. If it's too loud, it can dis-rupt their ability to play. The drum-mer is using a standalone AviomA -161I standalone mixer, which he cancontrol himself. Clear -Corn's PS -464

powers Tweecomm headset units.Several other band members are

using the A -161I for monitor controlas well. At first, they were somewhathesitant using a product that was un-familiar to them, but the players haveembraced the system. They appreciatethe fact that they have more controlover their levels, and there was only asmall learning curve.

With our old system, only threemixes could come through, leavingthe mixer to create 12 separate mix-es. Because the Aviom system can de-liver up to 16 channels, we are able tooffer the band members 16 differentstems to select and mix together tofit their needs.

Flexible setupThe system was flexible enough to

move from the small set during thefirst rounds of the show to the new,

big stage with simple wiring adjust-ments and the addition of severalboxes. All we did was add announcerboxes and lengthen the Cat 5 cablerunning between the different com-ponents that make up the system.

As we enter the show's eighth sea-son with a new set of amateur per-formers along with celebrity guestperformers, each with their own au-dio requirements, we faced even morechallenges. But with a solid commu-nications system, we have the con-fidence that we are able to face anysituation. Our use of this equipmentfor "American Idol" is just the begin-ning. As production demands for livebroadcasts increase, we will be look-ing at new ways to refine the systemand adapt it for future events. BE

Andres Arango is a staff engineer forATK Audiotek.

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TECHNOLOGY IN TRANSITIONNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS

Archive systemsManage content carefully to enable future

revenue opportunties.

Any bank will tell you thatnot losing its customer'smoney is its first respon-sibility, current conditions

not withstanding. So why is it that fordecades, broadcasters' strategy wasto shelve copies in long-term storagewith little plan for preservation, andoften insufficient care to preventloss of content of historical andeconomic value?

In a 1997 article called "The Lossof early video recordings: The Nixon-Khrushchev 'Kitchen Debate;' in"The Abbey Newsletter," Jim Lind-ner wrote, "The total loss of hun-dreds of millions of dollars worth of`visual assets' seems inconceivable.From a business perspective alone,how could such a huge inventory ofproduct that could be marketed formany years, creating a significantcash flow, be permanently lost?"Lindner was writing about the lossof original recordings of the Nixon-Khrushchev "Kitchen Debate." Manyother celebrated losses occurred,including NASA's critical tapes con-taining video footage of the Apollo11 mission.

Both of these situations describethe loss of footage stored on tapes andput away in boxes on shelves withoutmeticulous, accurate records kept in along-term database. Every TV stationcan point to lapses in its managementof the content it creates. ("I thoughtI hit play, not erase ...") But nothingis more fundamental than preserv-ing and cataloging in a world wherecontent is increasingly repurposedto maximize revenue in complicatedbusiness models.

The impediments are many. Oftenthe price of a system designed toarchive content is deemed too highto be affordable, though lost content

BY JOHN LUFF

and loss of opportunity for additionalrevenue is hard to quantify. Sometimesthe cost of converting existing contentto digital is too high due to the labor-intensive process of retreiving contentand entering metadata that will makeit searchable.

Strategies forbacking up content

In the last decade, the cost of ar-chiving has dropped significantly.While some software vendors of ar-chive management systems chargean annual fee for the number of tera-bytes under managment, others onlycharge for the number of slots that

content reposititories, has helpeddrive the cost of archive systems forbroadcast down to more manageablelevels. An entry-level archive can nowbe acquired for about the same cost asa videotape recorder of 10 years ago.

One has to be careful when speak-ing about archives in a generic sensebecause many strategies abound. Forexample, the news department mayarchive all of the cut stories on vid-eotape at the end of each news day.This article will focus on archives de-signed to preserve content automati-cally. The most common use of digitalarchives is in backing up interstitialsand long -form content stored on a

Broadcasters that store videotape without a plan for preserving or managingit could lose out on future revenue opportunties where the content could berepurposed. Photo courtesy John Benson.

are managed in the robotic tape drive.Tapes stored out of the robot but inthe database do not incur the annuallicense cost. In addition, the growthin IT's use of archive systems and theimplementation of other media ar-chives, such as in prepress and other

playout server, or automated archiveworkflow in a nonlinear news envi-ronment. However, the same systemcan be used to back up a library ofpromotions in another location andthe content from the news depart-ment, making each library accessible


TECHNOLOGY IN TRANSITIONNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS

to the originating department.When a system becomes more com-

plicated, it requires a more thought-ful set of business rules for archiving.At the time of implementation, thesoftware vendor works with all de-partments to write the business pro -

ago. It's tempting to use the archivespace, moving useless content fromclogged hard drives to a system thatseems limitless. As the saying goes,the size of the library goes up as thenumber of square feet of desk spaceassigned to producers goes up. An

Few things are more dysfunctional than anarchive loaded up with content that couldhave been deleted years ago. An archivecannot fix poor management practices.

cedures that will move content to thearchive automatically. For example, awatch folder might be established innews to which all content that needsto be protected is copied at the end ofeach day.

Of course this requires two typesof discipline. First, the operationalprocedure to move the files to thewatch folder must be establishedand routinely performed. Missing aday complicates management of thecontent. Second, the procedure hasto be carefully thought through toensure that only the content neededin the long term is archived.

Few things are more dysfunctionalthan an archive loaded up with contentthat could have been deleted years

archive cannot fix poor managementpractices. Implementing an archivemanagement system does, however,point to the problems in a currentstrategy, or lack thereof, and allow foran orderly and effective workflow tobe put in place.

Let's assume you've decided to ar-chive future content. What should youdo with the content deteriorating onthe shelves? If it has potential value, itshould be converted to a digital for-mat and archived while the players forthe legacy content still exist. Millionsof hours of helical scan recordingsexist that can no longer be recovereddue to the lack of working players.Similarly, the enormous libraries ofquad videotape will be unplayable in

a few years for the same reasons. Ex-tremely valuable libraries of TV newsfilm exist in many stations. Howeverwithout film chains, it is unlikely any-thing will be done to preserve the po-tential value of the images.

Unless you have the means to playthe media, the concept of conversionis expensive, including the likely needfor an outside service to get involved.Think serious cost. Some manufac-turers have tackled this problem, pro-viding automated workflows to allowingest of content that might otherwisebe lost forever.

There is one last matter to under-stand. The preservation problem isnot permanently solved by movingto a digital archive. At some point inthe future, that content will need to bemoved from the physical media it is ontoday to something newer. That mightbe in 10 years or 50 years, but it willhappen. At each transition, the oppor-tunity to lose content exists, but with awell planned archive strategy, you canprevent the loss of content from whichyour revenue is derived.

John Luff is a broadcast technologyconsultant.

BE

ISend questions and comments to:john [email protected]

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(288 x 576) digital multi -format router offers same advanced func-tionality as the NV8576 but in a smallerfootprint for midsize broadcasters; fea-tures multiformat routing (3Gb/s, HD -SDI, SD -SDI, AES), N -on -1 redundantcrosspoint protection for zero downtime,linear expansion technology and signalintegrity over coaxial cable or optical;Plus version has a 288 x 288 matrix thatexpands to 576 x 576 within two frames.

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dummyPLUG Neutrik

Rubber cover protects connectors in theunmated condition, including Neutriktwo- and four -pole speakON chassis andpowerCON chassis connectors; coversunused inputs, helping to avoid any con-fusion or missed wiring during setup.

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Anton/Bauer Newscaster DR 2 Nucomm

Package includes ElipZ 10K battery,ElightZ on -camera light and EgripZcamera support; battery delivers all -dayoperation for a typical lOW handheldcamera; under -camera mounting designallows one face to quickly attach to thecamera through a shoe -type mount; 6Von -camera light draws IOW and featuresa two -stage, adjustable arm; camera sup-port attaches easily to any camera as wellas other supports with a 1/4-20 mountingscrew below.

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Copper -to -fiber conversion modules pro-vide increased port density; are part ofthe QFX fiber extender series; support upto four SDI, HD -SDI or 3G -SDI signalsusing a 3Gb/s optical transport per fiberport; offer broadcast -quality coax -to -fibertransmission paths in a single box or 1RUsetup using two SFP duplex small formfactor pluggable modules; compliant withSMPTE 259M, 292M, 372M and 424M

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HXR-MC1 Sony

HD compact POV camera and solid-staterecorder combination; the camera's designseparates its head from the control unit/recorder; gives users more flexibility tocapture shots in video applications whereincreased mobility is required beyond theuse of traditional handheld or shoulder -mount cameras; records up to six hours ofHD content onto a 16GB Memory Stick;offers full 1920 x 1080 resolution; featuresSony's ClearVid CMOS sensor system en-hanced by Exmor technology.

201-930-7330www.sony.com/professional

IPA'%":1 I

Diversity receiver features a split box de-sign; receives UHF digital signals in the150MHz to 850MHz band; works withexternal block downconverters and canbe supplied with those that can receivefrequencies of 1.99GHz to 7.1GHz; re-ceives up to four RF inputs from the ex-ternal block downconverter, allowing forthe use of four high -gain sector antennas;includes an integrated COFDM demodu-lator, an MPEG-2 HD/SD decoder, inter-nal power supply, integrated spectrumanalyzer and on -screen display.

908-852-3700; www.nucomm.com

MiniBlox 4262A/4262D ISIS Group

Audio de-embedders automatically de-termine whether a digital input signalis 3G, HD or SD -SDI and then outputbroadcast -quality analog or digital audio;4262A dual stereo analog de-embedderextracts two balanced stereo analog audiopairs from any group in data space of a3G/HD/SD data stream; provides ana-log outputs; employs high -quality 24 -bitDACs; features adjustable, full-scale out-put levels to meet international standards;4262D quad AES de-embedder extractsfour AES streams from data space of 3G/HD/SD data stream; provides AES out-puts; can extract audio from any two em-bedded groups.

888-622-4747; www.isis-group.com

SmartVision Thomson

Version six of the VOD server features anew family of streaming accelerators; of-fers a total streaming capacity of up to16Gb/s; each video server unit is now ableto record more than 200 TV channels,which can be time -shifted to a large num-ber of subscribers; allows farms of NDVRservers to be stacked to deliver additionalstreaming performance; integration intoexisting architectures can be achieved ei-ther through ISA/ADI interfaces for cablenetworks or by interfacing with Thom -son's SmartVision CDN via Web services.

818-239-2349; www.thomson.net


A PENTON MEDIA PUBLICATION

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REGIONAL SALES MANAGER

Immediate opening - New York City/Tri-State area. T-VIPS America Inc. is seekinga dynamic and highly motivated field salesprofessional with demonstrated successin building sales in new emerging tech-nologies, selling market leading T-VIPSHD-over-IP solutions to TV broadcasters,cable channels, transmission providersand production/post facilities. Qualifica-tions include minimum 3 years of currentsuccessful selling of television/video-re-lated electronics direct and through salespartners to the television industry, a highlevel of sales -oriented technical knowledgeof professional TV/video systems, videonetworking technology and IP, and excel-lent inter -personal and communicationskills. Highly competitive compensationpackage commensurate with experienceand capabilities. Contact Tore Nordahl, T-VIPS America corporate secretary, at [email protected] attaching resumeor by telephone at 818-366-0448 for im-mediate consideration. Principals only -No agencies or recruiters. www.t-vips.com

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AVID/ FINAL CUT TECHNICIAN

Thirteen/WNET, the flagship station of thePublic Broadcasting System, is seeking an ex-perienced technician to install and maintainboth Avid and Final Cut Pro editing systemsat its broadcast facilities in New York City.Applicant should have thorough knowledgeof and experience with both Mac and PC plat-forms in both HD and SD formats and be fa-miliar with various storage formats indudingISIS and )(serve. Applicant should possess ahigh level of knowledge in digital electronics,IP and fiber -channel based storage, transportand networking systems. A minimum of 5years of experience in non-linear editing is re-quired. SBE certification is desired.

To apply, send resume and cover letter withsalary requirements to:

Manager, Employee Recruitment &Communications

Thirteen/WNET New York450 West 33rd Street, 6th Floor

New York, NY 10001-2605E-mail: [email protected]

Fax: 212-560-1350No phone calls, please.

Help Wanted

.4ikA TURNER411:J STUDIOS

Turner Studios, the state of the art HD televi-sion complex serving the production needs ofthe Turner Entertainment Networks in At-lanta, Georgia, seeks experienced individualsto join our Engineering team.

CAD SPECIALIST

Create and maintain system documentation,including but not limited to AutoCAD draw-ings (various signal systems, elevations, etc.),cable labels, printing, wire -run database, etc.This activity is in dose partnership with theEngineering staff as the facility evolves on adaily basis. High school graduate minimum,with specific and comprehensive training inAutoCAD required, recent experience andtraining in AutoCAD 2007 or 2008 preferred.Ideal candidate will have technical educationand experience, with television engineeringbackground highly preferred. Experience withExcellink and Filemaker database are a plus.Organized, motivated, detail -oriented team -player with above average computer skillsrequired.

PRODUCTION ENGINEER / EFFECTSInstallation, maintenance, administrationand repair of sophisticated teleproduction andrelated equipment and systems. Participa-tion in projects as required, including design,documentation, purchasing, installation, andupgrades. Provide hands-on technical sup-port for workstations and systems in supportof animation, compositing, design and graph-ics systems used in live broadcasts, and studioevents.Typically five or more years experience in tele-vision engineering or related field is required.A minimum two-year degree in electronicsengineering is preferred. Advanced trainingand certification in the area of IT technologiesis desirable. Experience should include pro-viding support for Windows, Mac and Linuxworkstations in a production environment.The preferred candidate will have experiencesupporting Adobe Creative Suite, Final CutPro, Flame, Maya, Chyron Lyric and otherproduction applications. Additional high-levelexperience, particularly in a large productionrelated organization is preferred. Advancedproficiency with computer systems, televi-sion engineering, and key responsibility inprevious large scale and/or critical projects isdesired.Successful candidates will be motivated self-starters; detail and deadline oriented teamplayers, with strong interpersonal, communi-cation and customer -service skills.

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Regional New England radio group seeks aChief Engineer. We offer excellent facilitiesand an outstanding quality of life. From theoutdoors to the arts we have it all. Propercandidate should have RF (AF) and IT ex-perience. FCC and SBE certifications a plus.Please send resume in confidence to: [email protected] No background callswill be made without your consent.

SENIOR BROADCAST ENGINEERThirteen/WNET, the flagship station of thePublic Broadcasting System, is seeking anexperienced broadcast engineer to assumethe responsibilities of maintaining its mastercontrol facilities in New York City. Applicantshould have knowledge of and experience witha wide variety of broadcast systems includ-ing; Harris automation systems, Seachangeand Omneon broadcast servers, Sony HDand SD videotape machines, Chyron graphicsand Grass Valley routing systems. Applicantshould possess a high level of knowledge indigital electronics, IP based storage, transportand networking systems. A minimum of 5years of experience in master control opera-tions is required. SBE certification is desired.

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PLACE YOUR AD TODAY!

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AD INDEXBroadcast Engineering is not responsible

for errors in the Advertisers Index.

AJA Video

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Axcera

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US/CANADAWESTGeorge Watts Ill(360) 546-0379; Fax: (360) [email protected]

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us.fujitsu.com/video [email protected] BC 800-231-9673 broadcast.harris.com/

newsforce JAPANMashy Yoshikawa

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Marshall Electronics Inc 18+81-3-3235-5961; Fax: +81-3-3235-5852

800-800-6608 Icdracks.com mashy@ fa2.so-net.ne.jpMatrox Electronic Systems 31 800-361-4903 matrox.com/video

Middle Atlantic Products Inc 54 800-266-7225 middleatlantic.com CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGMiranda Technologies Inc 11

Julie Dahlstrom514-333-1772 miranda.com/kaleido (312) 840-8436

OBOR Digital 89 407-352-6501 zeusbroadcast.com Fax: (913) [email protected]

Omneon 25 866-861-5690 omneon.com

OPTICOMM - Emcore 51 858-450-0143 emcore.com REPRINTSOtari Inc 26 818-734-1785 otari.com Penton Reprints

888-858-8851PlayBox 27 404-424-9283 playbox.tv www.pentonreprints.com

QuStream 59 800-328-1008 qustream.com

Riedel Communications 28 914-592-0220 riedel.netLIST RENTAL SERVICESMarie Briganti, Walter Karl

Sencore 37 800-SENCORE sencore.com (845) 620-0700(845) 620-1885

Sony Creative Software Inc. 43 sonycreativesoftware.com/ [email protected]

Sony Electronics Inc. 4-5 sony.com/prohdna

Streambox 61 206-956-0544 streambox.com Customer Service:913-967-1707 or 800-441-0294

Sundance Digital 20 972-444-8442 sundancedigital.com

Telecast Fiber Systems Inc 55 508-754-4858 telecast-fiber.comBroadcast Engineering, December 2008, Vol. 50, No. 12 (ISSN

0007-1994) is published monthly and mailed free to qualified

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EOMDEPARTMENT

I hate to be the GrinchIt's time to prepare for a challenging NewYear.

Having spent the bulk ofa career on the equip-ment supply side of thebroadcast industry, I have

been through a number of businesscycles. One lesson learned early onfrom industry legend and one of mymentors, Charlie Steinberg, was histheory that the broadcast industrywas a leading indicator for the over-all economy. For most companies, atthe first sign of revenue slowdown,invariably, when it is time for cuts,advertising spending is the budgetline item that draws the first blood.Reducing advertising spending is theleast impactful to headcount and de-partmental spending plans.

As the national economy startsslipping slowly into an economiccontraction, it is advertising thattakes the hit and, as a result, so doesthe broadcast industry. The produc-tion and post segments feel it first.As there are fewer new commercialsbeing created, the existing ones willget longer runs, and new ads will beshot with much tighter budgets. Thisis quickly followed by the impact tothe broadcaster segment, with a fewextra PSAs to fill avails, though withdecreased revenue levels. Decreasingrevenue in these key content creationand distribution segments leads toreductions in their own capital ex-penditures, thus negatively impact-ing broadcast equipment suppliersas equipment is neither replaced norupgraded - all in all an unpleasantchain reaction. By the time joblessreports are reflecting upticks in un-employment, the economy is alreadyin a full-fledged downturn, and ourindustry will have been been in re-cession for some time.

The indicators were already thereearly in 2008. In February, the Televi-sion Bureau for Advertising releasedits analysis of estimates supplied by

BY ANTHONY R GARGANO

TNS Media Intelligence/CMR, show-ing that broadcast advertising spend-ing in 2007 was down 4.4 percentcompared with 2006. As 2006 was amidterm election year, most attrib-uted the drop in 2007 to the lack ofpolitical spending. Worrisome, how-ever, should have been the fact that

$2.1 billion in the 2006 election years.NBC reported Olympics advertisingin 2008 totaled more than $1 bil-lion. Thus, even before factoring inthe erosion of broadcast advertisingby cable and the Internet, and, whatat this writing is the second mostsevere downturn in U.S. economic

For all segments of our industry,2009 is shaping up to be a difficult

year. Oh, yes, Happy New Year.14101101311MNIP,

in the fourth quarter of 2007 spend-ing by the top 10 advertisers, none ofwhich represented political spend-ing, was down 19 percent comparedwith the prior year.

The signs were there a year agoand continued into this year. RecentTelevision Bureau for Advertisingfigures for 2008 indicate that totalbroadcast ad revenue will be downslightly versus 2007. And, bear inmind that 2008 had a tsunami of adspending for both the Olympics andthe presidential race, two events thatdidn't contribute to revenue in 2007.

As we head into 2009, analysts'projections for broadcast ad spend-ing vary from pessimistic to almostdoomsday. The pessimistic side proj-ects a range of broadcast ad revenuedecreases from 2.7 percent to 6 per-cent, according to industry analystsat Wachovia and UBS, respectively.The doomsday projection comesfrom Goldman Sachs' Mark Wien-kes, who estimates 2009 advertisingrevenue to drop by 17 percent at thelocal station level and by 10 percentat the broadcast networks.

Now let's take a look at some factsand figures. Political spending onbroadcast advertising is projected tocome in at $2.5 billion to $3 billionfor 2008, up substantially from the$1.7 billion spent in the 2004 and

history, 2009 starts out with a $4 bil-lion Olympics and election deficit or6 percent down against the PlunkettResearch projection of $66.6 billionfor 2008 in broadcast ad revenue.Perhaps then the Goldman Sachsprojection isn't quite as radical as itfirst appears.

OK, you ask, what is all this eco-nomic folderol doing in what is os-tensibly a technical journal? It is tohelp set the stage for what is goingto be an extremely difficult year. Themore dramatic the reduction in adrevenue, the greater the impact itmay have on you. Engineering de-partments could be cut even further;capital equipment budgets might beslashed. This leads to challenging sit-uations. Engineering directors couldface increasing maintenance require-ments for equipment that lacks thefunding to be replaced and reducedresources with which to accomplishthe task.

For all segments of our industry2009 is shaping up to be a difficultyear, so batten down the hatches. Oh,yes, Happy New Year. BE

Anthony R. Gargano is a consultant andformer industry executive.

11Send questions and comments to:[email protected]


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