Television Production

Virtual studio technology: an overview of its applications in television programme production
M. Rotthaler (69 KB)

As the resources available for television production become fewer and fewer, public broadcasters are looking towards virtual studio technology to satisfy the need for increased productivity with reduced costs.

This article provides a brief introduction to virtual studio technology. The two main systems are discussed – sensor-based systems and those which use image analysis – and then the Author points out the advantages and limitations of the technology. He concludes by challenging the programme makers and, in particular, the graphics designers to grasp the extremely versatile opportunities offered by these new techniques.

Virtual studio technology: the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest
D. Hughes (166 KB)

The Eurovision Song Contest in 1996 broke new ground in the arena of live television – one hour of the programme, performed in front of an audience of 6,000 people, was made in a "virtual studio".

In this article, the Author reports on many of the aspects that had to be considered, leading up to and during transmission of the programme.

Maintaining a valuable programme archive in the face of technological change
C. Daubney (71 KB)

The commercial value of programme archives is becoming more and more important, with the proliferation of new television channels. Ongoing developments in recording and storage technology mean that very careful decisions must be taken on how best to preserve our television archives.

In this article, the Author offers his personal views on what is required to maintain a programme archive, particularly now that digital recording and bit-rate reduction technologies are taking over. He also describes the archiving strategy that has been adopted by Channel Four Television in the United Kingdom to serve its needs over the next decade or so.

A cost-effective strategy for the archiving of ageing film
I. Baker and I. Bulford (64 KB)

This article describes a cost-effective strategy that the BBC has developed for the archiving of images stored on ageing film. It is aimed particularly at images which are important for their historical content, rather than at the high-quality images normally associated with peak-time drama.

The system requires the use of a 10-bit digital tape recorder that does not use compression. The images are transferred from film to tape in such a way that regrading can be carried out at a later date, e.g. during the making of a future television programme.

A new Super-16mm telecine alignment film
R. Hurley (50 KB)

This article describes a Super-16mm telecine alignment film which was developed at Channel Four Television, because suitable material could not be purchased commercially.

The prime purpose of the film is to provide an easy method of checking telecine scan size and position, so that a 16:9 image (1V78:1) which is suitable for widescreen 625-line television can be extracted from a Super-16mm original (1V66:1). Supplementary calibrations allow working with a 4:3 aspect ratio. A quick assessment of overall gate focus, resolution, scan / display linearity, and overall system performance can also be made.

Digital Television

World Vision 2000: a proposed worldwide forum on the emerging television environment
M.I. Krivocheev (76 KB)

Beginning with the observation that broadcasting is at a critical point in its development – with the adoption of digital technologies for programme – making and delivery, and increasing competition in all sectors of the industry – the Author states the case for the establishment of a worldwide forum on interactive multimedia television broadcasting.

Known provisionally as "World Vision 2000", the forum would bring together all the major industries claiming a stake in the audiovisual markets of the 3rd millennium. World Vision 2000 would draw back from the situation and ask questions on how convergence can be made to happen, how the new media will shape society, and how to help the world become less of a place with information "haves" and "have nots".

Above all, the forum would be an opportunity for broadcasters, the computer and telecommunications industries, publishers, and others from the developed and developing countries to lay open the fears and promises of digital television and to try to understand the new environment.

Frequency Standards

Frequency standard distribution via a microwave communication system
A. Emersic (39 KB)

In order to implement a precision frequency offset system in a television transmitter network, each radio-frequency carrier must be very stable and accurate. One way of achieving this is to distribute a reference signal (e.g. from a rubidium or caesium frequency standard at the studio centre) to each transmitter site. This signal can then be used to "steer" the locally-generated carrier with great stability and accuracy.

This article describes the system developed by RTV Slovenija to distribute such a reference signal via the existing microwave programme distribution network in Slovenia.