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TECHNOLOGY
|
THE CHANNEL
Secure
gateways
are needed
toexchange
media
between
companies
”
he dominant theme
this year was 3D,
spilling over from
digital cinema into
a serious option for
broadcasters. Most
of the many 3D
demonstrations required the
onlooker to wear passive polarised
filters. A much smaller number of
exhibitors deployed direct-view
screens incorporating an array of
thin vertical strip lenses. The effect
is severely directional which may
explain why Philips recently pulled
the plug on its lenticular screen
project. NHK demonstrated direct-
view 3D TV captured and
displayed via a honeycomb of
circular lenses. The prototype had
very coarse resolution but
interesting potential.
JVC's real-time 2D into 2D into
3D real-time electronic processor
was fun. Ordinary HD video goes
in and 3D of a sort comes out,
displayed on a switched-optical-
polarising screen viewed through
the usual nose-mounted filters.
JVC's method of generating 3D
information is essentially to use
colour layering. The project's
development team started with the
assumption that any reasonably
large area of motionless blue is
most likely to be sky so can safely
be assigned to the background.
By the same logic, a large area of
green is probably grass so can
equally safely be pulled to the
foreground. Yellow is probably
neither grass nor sky so can be
assigned to a middle layer. And so
on. The result is indeed 3D of a
kind but with a lot of sporadic
anomalies. The processor will
apparently be marketed this year to
kick-start sales of domestic 3D TV.
ORIGINATION
A contributing factor in the rise of
interest in 3D is the continuing
advance in the compactness and
affordability of 2D cameras. Smaller
time in this area of technology that
64 GB capacity will be trivial long
before such cards need replacing.
CONTENT SECURITY
One of the most thought-provoking
presentations was given by Sue
Farrell of Red Bee Media on
'Content protection in the digital
age'. As TV becomes more
connected to the internet, IT
security will be an increasingly
important requirement in
managing risk for TV operations
and distribution through
broadband data networks.
A secure gateway is required to
exchange media between
organisations over shared networks
in a cost-effective way to achieve
secure distribution.
RBM's own experiments have
included accelerated file delivery,
sending a 7 GB media file via
Aspera's fasp protocol from Los
Angeles to London in under 15
minutes compared with several
hours via FTP.
Final verdict: The NAB Spring
Convention remains one of the
most efficiently organised and
useful events in the annual
broadcast calendar.
“
in diameter than an audio CD,
Camera Corps' Q-Ball incorporates
a full HD/SD dual-mode colour
camera, high-precision pan and tilt
system, 10:1 zoom optics and infra-
red night-vision capability, all
designed for remote control.
Integral low-noise motors allow the
camera to be repositioned while on-
air. The concept of fielding
miniature HD cameras in multicam
mode around a set offers great
creative flexibility for traditional
studio shoots.
Gekko Technology announced
'kleer colour', the world's first
adjustable focusable single-source
multi-colour light. This uses a
single-array high-power LED
which can produce millions of
different colours. Unlike multi-
source RGB colour-mix devices, it
delivers a fully controllable
spectrum of light that can be
adjusted by the operator to match a
vast array of hues across the visible
range, while self-monitoring
sensors retain stable colour.
Polecam announced a major
addition to its range of portable
production rigs. Spanning up to 8
metres, the 7th Heaven jib has the
longest reach of any hand-carryable
HD/SD camera support system
currently available. Combined with
Polecam's FishFace underwater
head and housing, it also allows an
camera operator to capture content
under water without getting wet.
SIGNAL STORAGE
The onward march of solid-state
storage for video and audio
acquisition continues.
Panasonic announced a new line
of P2 solid-state memory cards. The
E-Series includes 16, 32 and 64
gigabyte cards. Transfer rates are
up to 1.2 gigabit/s. When recorded
to once per day at full capacity, the
cards are reusable for up to five
years. Used at half capacity, the
cards will continue to record for up
to 10 years. Five years is such a long
T
NAB: SLIMANDFIT
Polecam’s
7th Heaven jib
NAB has grown so large that a drop in attendance numbers and exhibit booth
area is really no bad thing. A healthy, rather than manic, attendance level made
the event unusually civilised, says
David Kirk
of
Stylus Media Consultants
THE CHANNEL
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ISSUE 2 2009
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49