Networking tutorial
Brad Gilmer:
I really enjoy your networking tutorial articles, and I hope that you will continue the series. In Part II in February 2006, you often use the term Internet gateway. This would refer to a router, wouldn't it?
Michel Dupagne
Associate Professor
School of Communication
University of Miami
Brad Gilmer responds:
I am glad you enjoy the tutorials. Networking seems to be a hot topic in our field these days.
Regarding your question, yes, this would definitely be a router, but with the default route set to a WAN interface that typically is connected to an Internet Service Provider. The IP address of this device is what you would normally enter as your default gateway in the network configuration on your computer.
E-zines
I like the idea of e-zines. They save resources and are more timely than most print publications. Unfortunately, everyone seems to format their e-zines the same as their paper magazine — tall and narrow. There are a few computers that have portrait-formatted monitors, but the vast majority of computer screens are landscape-oriented. When viewing vertically-formatted screens, it is necessary to scroll up, down and sideways. It really ruins the ability to quickly scan through the magazine.
Dan Stoe
Chief Engineer
KVAL-TV
Eugene, OR
Taking ownership
My maternal grandfather, Parker S. Gates, built his radio equipment manufacturing company on providing high-quality goods and service. Not only did he sell the products on the road, he would then return to the shop in Quincy, IL, and help build them. My grandfather considered himself to be both the president and the janitor of his company. He swept the floors every night before he left and personally installed equipment for customers. He knew all the customers and employees by name. (Do you think Bill Gates ever answers a tech support call or Jack Walsh changes one of his light bulbs? I don't think so!)
My grandfather had no fear in putting his name on his products because he believed in them. Today, it's hard to find a CEO who will even put a telephone number to the company's corporate headquarters on their products.
When my grandfather sold his company in 1956, he stayed on as president of Harris' broadcast division and as a member of its board of directors. He stayed for one reason: His long-term customers were committed to him, and he was committed to them. I challenge you to find that quality in a current-day CEO.
Broadcast Engineering ran an article about why founders and owners put or don't put their names on their companies. Hopefully, the example of my grandfather will show you that a man who believes in his products and the people he hires has no qualms putting his name on a product. Wouldn't it be nice if more CEOs today had this integrity?
William F. Gerdes IV
ATSC meeting attendance
Editor:
I read the article “‘Way-out-of-the-box thinking’ may be critical to success of broadcasters” in the March 7, 2006, HD Technology Update e-newsletter. I am appalled at how difficult it is to get the U.S. broadcast community to attend ATSC meetings and vote to make MPEG-4 a part of ATSC.
This lack of interest may hinder the transmission of 60 frames progressive at 1080 × 1920, which would allow local broadcasters to charge more for the advertising at this transmission standard because it's so much clearer and more precise in image rendition.
Broadcast TV management would make so much more money for ad airtime if MPEG-4 and similar codecs were mandated to be part of ATSC. But broadcasters do not assign time for their people to vote in these standards. It makes no sense.
Paul Thurston
Brad Dick responds:
You're right, but then, how many technical managers don't even attend the annual NAB convention?
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