2017 Tech Hot Topics

Many agree master control and playout are headed to the cloud. But there is less agreement about the timing. While industry consolidation is spurring continued interest in centralizing master control and playout in the cloud, factors like looming UHD rollouts and satisfaction with channel-in-a-box and integrated playout solutions likely mean a mix of solutions will be deployed for some time. Be sure to look for Part I here. Click here to access TVNewsCheck’s NAB 2017 Resource Guide listing of master control and playout vendors and products or here to download it as a PDF.

Broadcasters increasingly are getting comfortable with the idea of replacing their existing baseband master control and playout infrastructure with a cloud alternative when the next technical refresh happens. However, for those looking to the public cloud questions remain about live TV. There’s also a nagging concern that must be addressed before broadcasters hand their cash registers over to something as ethereal as the cloud. Be sure to look for Part II on Monday, April 17. Click here to access TVNewsCheck’s NAB 2017 Resource Guide listing of master control and playout vendors and products or here to download it as a PDF.

The graphics systems broadcasters rely on daily to make news, sports and weather reports more appealing and informative have advanced quite far — so much so that quality has become a given. To differentiate themselves, vendors now are focusing on the finer points like tighter workflow integration. But that’s just one of the many trends broadcasters can expect in graphics systems on the exhibit floor at the 2017 NAB Show. (Ross Video photo) Click here to access TVNewsCheck’s NAB 2017 Resource Guide listing of broadcast graphics vendors and products, or here to download it as a PDF.

TV newsrooms create news content for much more than their newscasts these days. Social media, mobile and digital are just as important in reaching viewers as TV newscasts as the public increasingly relies on these distribution platforms. Even while vendors of newsroom computer systems race to transform their systems for use in news operations where the story, not the linear rundown, is the centerpiece of the workflow, a couple of companies are suggesting it’s too late, and it’s time for the NRCS to go the way of the IBM Selectric. Click here to access TVNewsCheck’s NAB 2017 Resource Guide listing of NRCS vendors and products or here to download it as a PDF.

The FCC-mandated TV spectrum repack and ATSC 3.0 will be the biggest trends in RF developments at the 2017 NAB Show. However, that simple statement glosses over the complexities involved in making both a reality. This year’s convention will mark the first major industrywide opportunity broadcasters and RF vendors have had to dive into the nitty-gritty of making these major changes a reality. Photo: RFS. Click here to access TVNewsCheck’s NAB 2017 Resource Guide listing of RF consultants, vendors and products or here to download it as a PDF.

The bonded cellular technology at the heart of today’s IP newsgathering systems has achieved such a level of maturity that many vendors have begun addressing the finer points, such as how to more closely integrate the workflow of reporters in the field with the newsroom and maintaining network speeds even when working within the confines of a VPN. At the same time, frenemy and outright competitors have arisen and are looking to make headway with stations by offering systems they say will reduce or eliminate ever-rising wireless data bills. Photo: LiveU. Click here to access TVNewsCheck’s NAB 2017 Resource Guide listing of ENG/IP Newsgathering vendors and products or here to download it as a PDF.

Drip, drip, drip. The trickle of changes in television capture and delivery continues to flow. But as next-gen TV inches towards finalization as a standard and the prospects for FCC authorization grow those drips will turn into a torrent. Broadcasters and camera vendors alike are getting serious about how to prepare for these changes while maintaining and improving existing HD workflow and program delivery. Click here to access TVNewsCheck’s NAB 2017 Resource Guide listing of broadcast camera vendors and products or here to download it as a PDF.

With the FCC’s adoption last week of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that ultimately will lead to voluntary ATSC 3.0 over-the-air transmission, broadcasters attending the NAB Show next month who focus on audio will have multiple opportunities to get more familiar with object-based audio features like personalization and immersive sound and many chances to see and hear Dolby’s AC-4 audio codec in action. Click here  to access TVNewsCheck’s NAB 2017 Resource Guide listing of audio-for-TV vendors and products. Photo: Pac-12 Networks remote production enabled by IP. Source: Calrec Audio.

For the second year, TVNewsCheck is augmenting its coverage of NAB Show Hot Topics tech trends stories with information that can make your visit to NAB easier. This week’s focus is audio […]

With broad industry support for the SMPTE ST 2110 IP standard for professional video, which is expected to be finalized soon, the TV industry has a solid foundation to build more flexible, agile workflows to meet future broadcast and live production requirements. At the 2017 NAB Show, IP and the virtualization of broadcast functions will take center stage as enablers of new efficiencies and even new revenue sources made possible by ATSC 3.0. Click here to access TVNewsCheck’s NAB 2017 Resource Guide listing of IP vendors and products. Photo: Robb Cohen Photography and Video