Broadcast TECH Desktop editing has also received a surge


Respondents who said kit that improved


29%


effi ciency was their top priority


Beautiful Freaks: Discovery doc was shot in 3D, but the technology is not a priority for most respondents


RESPONDENTS’ TOP TECHNOLOGY CONVERSATIONS* HD


File based workflow Technology workflow


Storage and archiving (pre and post) Digital cameras


Stereoscopic 3D Desktop editing Multiplatform Codecs


Shooting video with digital SLRs Online video


12% 23% 20% 18% 17% 22%


17% 18%


16% 16%


16% 16%


*Respondents were offered 42 subjects and were asked to list their five most significant


owner operators, which has stabilised rates and evened out supply.” Arri director of business development


Milan Krsljanin says the fi rm is working hard to increase the range of creative options on offer to users, including implementation of Pro Res 4x3. In response to an increase in requests for anamorphic shooting solutions, Arri announced a range of 4x3 sensors at NAB, and Krsljanin predicts there will be a big increase in movies and one-off mini-series shot in this aspect ratio in the coming years. For studio-based and light-entertainment vehicles, meanwhile, the disk-based XDCam family of products is still holding strong. There is no need for crews to digitise straight away or worry about back-up storage – with a tangible disk on which to store their material. Capitalising on the popularity of this series, Sony released the lower


www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils


‘Technology has got to improve effi ciency and generate revenue –


they go hand in hand’ John Honeycutt, Discovery


price-point PDW-680 at NAB, retailing for around a third less than the other cameras in this range. But the upstart everyone is waiting for is the 2.5K camera from Blackmagic Design. Retailing for less than £2,000, it aims to serve both the episodic TV and high-end commercials/features market. “We’ve seen a lot of hits on this product,” reports Lynn, “and it looks like it’s going to sell because of its high resolution and low price point.”


18% 20%


■ 2011 response ■ 2012 response


27% 28%


25% 27%


in interest among our respondents – up to 22% from 17% last year. This increased focus on editing might be explained by Apple’s lat- est upgrade/overhaul of Final Cut Pro – FCPX – which many believe was launched with the consumer market in mind. Boundless/Fre- mantle Media UK production executive Mark Bos, who oversees Grand Designs and Escape To The Country, says: “FCPX doesn’t feel right in the current broadcast environment – it’s just not fast enough for big broadcast series.” Cinematographer Phil Bloom has also aban-


doned FCP, telling followers of his blog: “FCPX is a revolutionary editing system that is very progressive and bold. But it didn’t do a lot of what I wanted. The problem is that it simply was not a replacement for FCP7, just a different way of editing. I wanted FCP8, essentially.” As a result of Apple’s FCP rethink, Lynn


40 or less 51-55


36% 34%


45% 45%


our respondents regard themselves as ‘enthu- siasts ahead of the technology curve’ (33%) – although not many are prepared to invest big sums in kit or new products, with the average spend being either ‘up to £5,000’ (30%) or ‘up to £50,000’ (29%). Azule Finance managing director Peter Sav-


age describes this as “upgrade money” – but it’s worth bearing in mind that the major- ity of our respondents are producers (33%) working within small to medium businesses and are more likely to hire kit than buy it. The fi gures could also indi- cate that more money is being spent on low- cost camera and editing systems. Kit that generates a return on investment comes out top as a key consideration for 29% of respondents, while kit that makes their organisation more effi cient also receives 20% of the vote. “Technology has got to improve effi ciency


0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5


16%


Respondents who cited 4K as an important tech conversation


and generate revenue – they go hand in hand,” says Discovery Networks International chief operating offi cer John Honeycutt. “We are also continually examining our processes. Can we do anything to speed up or improve this process? That’s a common question.”


July/August 2012 | Broadcast TECH | 11


41-45 56-60


notes that people are either going back to Avid’s Media Composer or looking at new, low-cost systems on the market – such as Adobe’s Premier Pro CS6. When it comes to new technology, most of


46-50 60+


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