Solder City

One of our contract engineers was in my office neatening-up my computer
cables when he sees the headline: "Iraqi
Troops Quit Sadr City Fight". He says:

"I always think about electronics when I hear about Solder City. Isn’t
that in the Silicon Valley?"

See, that’s what I miss about television engineering…

Something to Read While Waiting for That NAB Flight

(OK, this was funnier two weeks ago… )

From: aedigitaltv@mac.com
Reply-to: FinalCutPro-L@yahoogroups.com
To:
FinalCutPro-L@yahoogroups.com
Sent: 4/1/2008 8:12:22 A.M. Central
Standard Time
Subj: [FCP-L] changes for NAB

From UPI/Reuters

LAS VEGAS, NV USA April 1, 2008

<snip>

For the 2008 convention, NAB is expected to unveil two new proposals of
transmission standards for continental US television: ANALTAL, and
DIGALOG. Combining innovative features of wideband analog signals
withthe lossless potential of digital schemes, these new standards will
be incompatible with existing viewing technology but ready to usher in a
new decade of progress, particularly with respect to monitoring, in
2010. ANALTAL presents the SDI signal in biological,
rectal-linear/biologarithmic space, while DIGALOG displays will make use
of highly viewer-specific iterative-mechano-precise responses, based on
feedback, as provided by probes. Universal, Sony, Thomson/Grass Valley,
and Microsoft have endorsed DIGALOG, while Disney Studios and
Time/Warner have formed a consortium backing ANALTAL. Microsoft has
adapted DIGALOG in a proprietary manner, thus possibly forming a third
option for 2010. "These new standards have everything we need to face a
content-oriented future, and will prove a boon to manufacturers and
vendors alike, when the technology is ready," stated NAB Director
Phyllis Diller. "The market will decide, and we’re confident the more
powerful consortium will be the best."

<snip>

Andy Edwards

The End of Network News ?

What kind of blogger would I be if I didn’t have a couppla links to the
downfall of Rome, uh network newsgathering. Yes, years ago there was all
kinds of talk about ABC & CBS merging their newsgathering operations
with CNN. It appears what’s old is new again:

http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/04/08/cbs-is-leaving-the-news-business/

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cbs/cbs_cnn_in_talksagain_81839.asp

Not Heading for NAB…

It’s my own fault, I guess. I made a decision to move from engineering
to production management. Now a victim of corporate belt tightening, I
know that if I want to go to NAB in the future – it will be on my own
dime & on my own time.

So I’ll be sitting here in New York reading everyone else’s NAB blog.
Check back daily for links to the most interesting items for my fellow
news junkies.

Here’s one for starters:
http://blog.digitalcontentproducer.com/nab/

Arabic Proverb

“He that knows not, and knows not that he knows not is a fool. Shun him

He that knows not, and knows that he knows not is a pupil. Teach him.

He that knows, and knows not that he knows is asleep. Wake him.

He that knows, and knows that he knows is a teacher. Follow him."

(Arabic proverb)

Thanks to Andy Mees (on the StudioDaily
Blog)

MPEG Suspected In Lip Sync Errors

Deborah D. McAdams writes in in the March issue of Television
Broadcast:

"Lip sync is notoriously bad in digital broadcast television, making a
lot of content resemble the original English-dubbed Godzilla films…."

Interesting is the information appearing in the print but not the
on-line version of the article: "…Others [individuals knowledgeable
about the issue] point out that splitting audio and video from the
get-go…was a bad idea in the first place."

No, really? Embed that audio ! That’s my motto. I’ve seen too many
‘engineers’ running around like chickens without a head (sorry, poor
choice of imagery) because they were sending analog audio through the
plant with their HD-SDI video and wondering why it was out of sync.

But That Would Take An Engineer…

Sorry for giving away the punchline at the begining of the story, but
you have to read the Editorial in the March 2008 edition of Broadcast
Engineering®. Makes me shudder at the thought of people with IT
backgrounds and no TV production experience running TV engineering
departments.