Latest articles by JOHN LUFF
Technology in Transition: Media asset management systems
This issue we complete a four-part series on station automation. We have looked at station automation, newsroom automation, data archive systems and, in this issue, media asset management systems.
Technology in Transition: Data archive systems
In the second installment of four related to automation and asset management, this month we consider data archive systems.
Monitoring in a flat world
Fundamental to any control room is a method of monitoring the audio and video that is being assembled in production or air operations. Though the requirements
Display technology
Some of us remember Conrac monitors in broadcast stations being the crme de la crme. Conrac still manufactures CRTs for broadcast use (4:3 only), but
File-based workflow, Part I
We are officially in a file-based world. That is not a shock; we have been moving that way for years. Now even cameras are spoken of as recording files,
Monitoring and control
Complexity is an insidious and invisible enemy in any human endeavor. What makes modern media facilities interesting is in no small measure that we have
Camera crossover
Cameras can be thought of as optical analog-to-digital (A/D) converters these days. Photons respond in the lens as waves, and the sensor converts photons
Remote monitoring
A cable company says your signal is horrible and that is why it looks like a 1950s station when its customers tune in. What do you do? It is tempting
File-Based Workflow
We are officially in a file-based world. That is not a shock; we have been moving that way for years. Now even cameras are spoken of as recording files,
Multiviewer displays
The time is approaching when all displays will process images, with many displaying more than one input at a time. In fact, like it or not, essentially
Monitoring video in new ways
In the grand scheme of technology, how we monitor television in professional facilities seems like a rather trivial, obvious matter, but it's actually
Production switching
Product categories evolve over time, not unlike the natural world. Things that make a product distinct and useful tend to show up in similar ways in other
Video compression
Reality in our industry is all in the presentation of approximations of reality. The essence of video and audio compression is the selective discarding
Intercoms
What could be more fundamental than communications in an industry where individuals collaborate to create compelling content? But don't make the assumption
Portable lighting
The broadcast business is about capturing images and using them to create content that informs, enlightens and entertains. All of that starts with replicating
Video storage technology
John Watkinson spoke at a SMPTE conference in New York a number of years ago. The conference featured many papers on the topic Computers and Television:
Backup and UPS power
A few years ago, I visited a satellite transmission facility in a remote location that was designed to operate off grid if necessary for a considerable
Production switchers
Adding 3G and 3-D capability today is a smart investment for the future
File-based workflows
Change is good in life. It is what encourages new thoughts and approaches to many things. The broadcast industry has seen three distinct eras in technology
File-based workflow
In this second installment on aspects of file-based workflow, the topic turns to the human factors affecting implementation and how to implement software
TV synchronization
In 1939, when General Sarnoff broadcast the first live television show at the World's Fair in New York, synchronization was critical to the ability to
