CIE Sept09 P22-23:Layout 1 08/09/2009 13:08 Page 22
Broadcasting Technology
Changing channels
Broadcast studios are increasing in complexity
more sophisticated user interfaces now said Shoieb Yunus, VPype’s CEO. “You
The broadcasting industry is in a period of flux as that Apple has raised the bar with the can have hundreds of people watching
studios adopt a wide range of technologies. Steve
IPod and IPhone. you live. There are talented people who
“The world has been educated by want to be heard and seen. There will be
Rogerson checks the air waves Apple,” said Baker. citizens and journalists who want to tell
“These types of user interfaces are their stories to the world. Youtube
O
nce, broadcasting seemed a fairly services on the television to dynamic web
finding their way onto TV services. We doesn’t offer a live service, this does.”
mature technology. The television pages that will be linked to whatever the
are looking at more dynamic scrolling He said that eventually the technology
and radio companies knew what programme that is being broadcast at
and graphics. And people want things could be used by the professional
they were doing and it was just a matter the time. The plan is to engage viewers
like changing channels to be prompt. All broadcasters as well but for the time
of tweaking the equipment every now in more interactive services as they
this is making the processors work even being is seen as a way amateurs who
and then. Today, nothing could be watch; TV will start to move away from
harder.” cannot get access to professional
further from the truth as the engineers the passive pastime that it has been until
broadcasting can build up an audience.
wrestle with a whole new plethora of now.
Internet broadcasting Inside production studios as well,
advanced concepts. Already, many set-top boxes have an
The internet is also now becoming a change is happening. It was not that
Most of this came on the back of the Ethernet port, though few actually use it
broadcast medium in its own right. long ago that to move large files
mass transition from analogue to digital yet. With this, or Wifi, which is also
Already most radio stations broadcast containing programmes or films between
broadcasting, a process that is still going coming to television, to link to the
over the internet as well as the air waves studios involved transferring it to tape
on and is having a greater impact not existing broadband connection will take
and TV companies use it to let people see and hiring a courier. In fact, that still
just for the consumer but also in the applications such as the BBC’s IPlayer
programmes they have missed through happens in some places. These days,
production studios. High definition has away from the computer and onto the
applications such as the IPlayer. transferring it over internal networks and
become a buzzword for quality both in television. Already, many people rarely
“In the past half year, internet radio the internet is the norm, but these files
terms of broadcast television and in watch programmes as they are
has really picked up,” said TVB cannot be compressed because quality is
digital media with the transition to Bluray broadcast, preferring to time shift them
Subrahmanyam, senior project manager everything and compressing and
DVDs. And the internet too has become or watch them on their computers.
at Analog Devices. “There are around decompressing them can affect that.
a battleground as broadcasters fight to All this will affect the components that
12,000 stations worldwide. There are “They have tried FTP and standard
take advantage of high-speed broadband go into the set-top boxes and the market
now radios that can access the normal transfer methods,” said Francois Quereuil,
pipes into most homes. is seeing processor speeds going up from
radio and the stations from the server in marketing director for Aspera, “but this
“This is all about increasing satisfaction 300 to 500MHz and the memory in the
your house.” technology doesn’t perform well with
for the consumer with high definition boxes rising from 64Mbyte to 128 or
But what a company called VPype is large files. Some of these are hundreds of
and increasing channel count,” said even 256Mbyte. The difficulty is that this
looking to do is allow live broadcasting gigabytes.”
Richard Baker, vice president for sales and adds cost in a market that is very cost
over Facebook. This would open up the And the problem is not just in the
marketing at digital TV software sensitive.
networking site to let anyone who wants studio. It can come from a journalist
company Ant. “Processor speed and memory will
to be a broadcaster do so and receive live working in the field on a laptop and
“Supplementing that is the talk about carry on going up,” said Baker. “But to
feedback from viewers. The firm’s trying to send footage back to the news
the next generation of interactive counter that, set-top boxes are under
application will be available on studio.
television.” price pressure. The prices are coming
subscription for broadcasters from later Quereuil’s interest in this is that his
The next step from that will be down fast. This is a dilemma.”
this year and will be free for viewers. company has a software technology
extending the so-called red button Added to this, users are demanding
“You can have your own talk show,” called FASP (Fast And Secure Protocol)
22 September 2009 Components in Electronics www.cieonline.co.uk
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