Broadcasting
Transition
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The keys to integrating all this functionality into a standalone hardware/software solution are fundamentally the combination of (1) appropriate hardware selection and integration, (2) a proper software development environment (generally called the SDK), and (3) the vision of how to integrate features and functions so that they perform optimally behind a very simple interface that often belies the power and extensibility of the software/hardware solution. This must happen without sacrificing 24/7/365 reliability and operability.
The systems we conceived and developed used these essential elements in the design architecture and implementation of the solutions. With broadcasting morphing very quickly into a ‘forced redefinition’ through the actions of the FCC, it’s uncertain what the ultimate playing field will look like after 2015. At the same time, alternate (and inexpensive) media delivery mechanisms are challenging traditional broadcast content provision over the air and via cable.
The simple truth is that it’s human nature to resist and even avoid fundamental change. As traditional broadcasting can only reflect on its “glory days” in the face of erosion in numbers and billing due to alternate media distribution methods, it’s also true that many long-time broadcast engineers are rooted in the past, not willing or able to accommodate the magnitude and velocity of change that has redefined an industry. The mandate to “Go Digital” has introduced complexity that is an order of magnitude more difficult to understand and accommodate than the analog technology of decades past.
To decree that it’s now “a young person’s game” isn’t entirely true, but to stay current with the ‘new broadcasting’ requires a conscious effort to study and learn in order to avoid being thrown off the technology merry-go-round by the centrifugal force on the periphery. Moving to a file-based operations model requires an adjustment of both attitude and operational workflow that ultimately reinforces the concept that you can, indeed, combine the features and functions of what once was Many … into One.
So now we have “Channels in a Box”. But with the current vertical rate of acceleration in technology at all levels, it’s likely we’ll be discussing “Channels on a Chip” before you know it.
Rush Beesley, a name synonymous with the Sundance Family of companies, is the founder of RUSHWORKS, a 15-year old company, and a technology pioneer since the early 1970s. He is the creator of - and participant in - a broad range of production and automation technology solutions, and his 'mongrel pedigree' is uniquely suited for the company's branding as a provider of integrated media solutions. http://www.rushworks.tv/index.html
As technology evolves, we embrace and adopt appropriate new directions
As technology evolves, we embrace and adopt appropriate new directions
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Broadcast Beat Magazine / Sep-Dec, 2014