Videotape is out for this season's Monday Night Football on ESPN. The broadcasts will include 23 cameras and 3 production trailers containing Final Cut Pro, Avid Nitrus and approximately 15 EVS XT2s <insert Tim the Tool Man grunt here>. They will use the EVS servers with IP director for logging clips and the studio will also be networked in to the HD trucks so they can access any video-at any replay at any angle-anytime. They also have several specialty cameras ready to catch those interesting angles. So, are you ready for some football? (come on, you know I had to say it)

I agree with video analyst John Ferrick and his assessment of the current state of high definition products. Consumers are drawn to products with the term "HD" and don't really understand what they need, which leaves them at the mercy of a sales associate. Heck, I'm trying to sort it all out myself. In Ferrick's article, he discusses the different options available for camcorders, players, TVs and how everything got so confusing. If you are struggling to understand what HD, HDV, Blu-ray, HD DVD, AVCHD, 720p, 1080p and 1080i are all about, this article might help you. Or, it might confuse you even more.

As for me, I haven't upgraded to HD to yet. I am sitting on the fence, waiting...

Big upgrade for the Today show! A crew of 10 from systems integrator Ascent Media Services has been converting the studio and its control room to the 1080-line interlace (1080i) HD format. Some of the stuff they will be using is the Avid NewsCutter NLE, an Avid ISIS content server and Sony HDC-1500 cameras. Cool. One of their challenges will be handling different aspect ratios from the reams of footage contributed by bureaus and affiliates, most of which are 4:3 standard-definition. NBC is working to outfit bureaus and key stations with new cameras capable of 16:9 standard-definition pictures, which can be upconverted for HD broadcast.

I wish I could observe the setup of all these wonderful toys when an upgrade like this takes place. <drool>

Years ago, when I was dialing into my favorite BBS at 300 baud, I never imagined how fast technology would evolve, and what opportunities it would offer. Today cable and TV networks have seen the explosion of sites such as You Tube and Google Video and are taking notice. Several "stars" of these online video sharing services have been snatched up to develop content for the networks, which is pretty cool. Some of this content will be shown on TV, other content is being developed strictly for the web. Several examples are cited in this article, which shows how the networks are scrambling to get on the broadband video train.

This is a wonderful time for the little guy. I just hope that the networks understand the culture and embrace it. There is a reason people are turning to the internet for entertainment. There is more talent and originality in some of these videos than in most of the high budget network shows. And there is no better time to showcase your talents. There are millions of viewers waiting to see what you can do.

The San Francisco Chronicle has an insightful article on the progression of Current TV, Al Gore and Joel Hyatt's television station centered on the idea of user-submitted content. As you probably know, Current is similar to YouTube, with the main difference being that Current's medium is television, whereas YouTube = internet. The idea behind Current was introduced a whole year before the word YouTube was even coined, and the station was immediately ridiculted for its so-called "user-submitted content" piddlepaddle. How quickly the tables have turned. Anyway, Current's pace certainly hasn't slowed, as there are plans to expand the channel's availablitiy and online offerings. Additionally, other television stations are following the lead and starting to adapt user-submitted goodies into their programming. Surprising? Not really.

(via CinemaTech)

Information Management Systems Research group has just released a detailed report suggesting that Mobile TV (via cellphones) will experience 50% growth per year for the next 5 years, only then to be taken over by paid Mobile TV subscribers who will be using some other future handheld technology. The report states that the key to Cellphone TV adoption is better reception indoors, along with compelling content, and affordable, attractive phones.

Who are these companies starting "Cellphone TV" networks? That's a good question - because I wonder how much demand there really is for portable digital cable. I don't watch any TV as it is (unless Netflix counts), so perhaps I'm jaded, but half a billion people watching TV on their cellphones in the next five years seems a little far fetched to me. I guess we'll just have to look to Japan to see how much Cellphone TV adoption takes off.

In any case, this study bodes well for all digital content producers out there. Short format work, such as Pat Ortman's Deliverance By the Slice "mobisodes" seems to be the Cellphone TV model, at least for now.

Ever wonder what a rack of 11 Xserve RAIDs and 5 Xserves looks like? This picture to the left certainly does not do justice to the IT networking marvel that is Xsan and Xserve at the JWT advertising agency HQ in New York.

Looking for a an in-house post solution, the agency dropped a huge amount of cash on a post inventory that now includes (get this list): 35 Power Mac G5s, 5 Xserves, 11 Xserve RAIDs, 7 QLogic fiber channel switches, 3 Asante CAT 5 switches, 1 Cisco CAT 6 switch, 16 AJA Kona LHe cards, 4 AJA Kona 2 Cards, 40 Apple Cinema Dislplays, 25 iMacs, and 15 Power Mac G4s.

Daaaaaaagggg, ya'll - and I thought working with two G5s and two XRAIDs at SportsHD was cool. How many other companies in the world do you think can compete with JWT's Apple-centric post infrastructure?

Check out this insightful JWT profile for more details.

TV shows like "Lost" or "24" require seven-figure budgets--each episode--to produce.  But the storylines found in your typical American sitcom--"Everybody Loves Raymond" or "Will & Grace," for example--don't typically require the number of locations and effects that make the action shows so expensive.  With TV's revenue model rapidly undergoing change--shows on iTunes, ad-supported streaming at ABC.com, full seasons for sale on DVD--there's no reason a low-budget sitcom couldn't air on the internet--and be profitable.

Enter "The Burg."  Set in New York City's oh-so-hip Williamsburg 'hood, the show is set to premiere at theburg.tv today.  There have been preview clips running on YouTube for weeks (see below)--watching them, you immediately understand that a show by and for hipsters wouldn't be successful on network TV anyway.  After all, cool kids don't watch TV.  I don't, or at least, that's my official line.  It remains to be seen how good the show will be, but check out the clip below, and if you like it, head on over to The Burg.

 

 

I am kinda surprised that I am pointing to Metafilter for the second time in a row for Forum watch because it isn't really a film or media oriented forum. But the answers to a question on the process of submitting a tv script were so good, I thought I break tradition. The answers are plentiful, long, varied, useful and even somewhat cynical. Here is a sample of what someone with 10 years of sitcom experience had to say: "4) once you've registered your script, don't write "WGA registered" on its cover; doing so sends a subtle "first timer" message. Besides, production companies know that its cheaper to buy your script than to steal it, and anyone who's gonna steal it is gonna steal it."

Even if you're like me and you don't own a TV, chances are you still have a couple of shows you want to watch regularly.  Using the magic power of the internet, you'd think that there'd be an easy way to do this.  But there's not. While one could combine RSS syndication and BitTorrent to essentially "subscribe" to a pseudo-vodcast of their favorite show, it's not easy.  Most TV-watchers are probably better off just footing a monthly cable bill.

But what if there was an easy way to "subscribe" to your favorite TV shows online, and watch them on your desktop (or laptop)?  iTunes offers this for certain programs at $1.99 an episode, and ABC has already instituted an ad-supported, streaming implementation for watching their most popular shows on the web.  But we also reported back in November of a promising site, fittingly titled Tape It Off The Internet, which promises to move TV-watching online.  Besides its questionable legality, there are a number of other aspects of TIOTI that are noteworthy, including community features like tagging, chatting, and sharing.  Finally, the just-updated preview site is currently displaying a "coming soon" moniker emblazoned on an interestingly-titled icon: "create."  Perhaps TIOTI will list user-generated episodic video content right next to shows from the big boys?  Head on over and sign up for the beta if you're interested.

Wall Street Journal has in-depth look at the music video industry. It seems finally, with the Internet and cellphones, Music Videos are generating money. At the same time, the money spent on Music Videos is lower than before. Music studios are less likely to spend the big money on music videos that they did before. But I think this trend will change. Not because there is money to be had but Music Studios spent a lot of money in an era where the big videos were big news. With music downloads, the music industry has become a lot more evened out. Big names don't necessarily mean big sellers. The users are becoming better in finding their music. At some point, when downloads are the biggest marketplace, the Studios will be equipped to place better bets on what is big and where the money should go. Right now, it is the music industry that is in choppy waters. I also think there is growing trend to see videos made on a more personal level. That should also change in time.

This tip shows how you can take material recorded with EyeTV (like Tivo) and transfer the resulting sound to 5.1 a.k.a Dolby Digital.  Useful to those who make collages of TV programs and documentary fillmakers who use scenes from TV. It is still a lot of work for the effect but it could be well worth it for those who need it.

(via Tuaw)

I don't know if you're familiar with the Beastie Boys concert doc, "Awesome, I Fuckin' Shot That," but dirty title aside, the workflow is astounding.  In a roundtable interview with the boys from Brooklyn, Cinematical's Karina Longworth sat down with the fellows for a few questions.  One of the other reporters asked... in a matter of speaking... how did you f***in' shoot it?

Apparently, the trio lent their fans 50 Hi-8 cameras, and let them roll.  Immediately, I thought, "Why not Digital-8? Still just as cheap, but with timecode!"  The Beasties, and more accurately their editors, probably wished they had done the same thing after it was all said and done.  Adam Yauch, the director of the concert film (under the nom de plume Nathaniel Hornblower,) detailed the task of synching up each camera with Final Cut.  Their biggest issue?  The Hi-8 cameras had problems with lag and shift, so their inital sync didn't last. Once the team synched the footage the best they could, they gave 20 shots to three different editors, and each editor made a cut of the movie.  They then met together and cut a final cut of the movie, using the footage from each edit.

Sidenotes: I'm willing to bet that they gave each editor 16 different camera angles, and one 17, since FCP has multicam edits in real-time (potentially) for up to 16 different angles, with non-realtime of up to 128.  Also, expect the DVD to be chock full of extras.

As a Blogger for a digital video website, I can tell you there is a lot of information out there regarding NAB. The problem is, 99% of it is supplied by the thousands of product manufacturers who will be presenting there. I could probably blog 5 posts right now, all pointing to press releases from company X, who has announced they will be debuting product Y at the NAB show this year. But you wouldn't want to read any of them. They are boring, ambiguous, and self-aggrandizing, and really aren't news until they actually show the product. With all of the broadcasting companies hocking their wares so long before the show, it's refreshing to see it from the buyer's perspective.

Ken Kerschbaumer over at broadcastingcable.com has a great article looking at what a big gun like CNN is looking for at this years National Association of Broadcasters trade show. Kerschbaumer interviews CNN bigwig Gordon Castle, who talks about the company's goals for the show, which include HD field acquisition, and new terminal gear for their Atlanta hub. It's definitely a "Good Read O' The Day" winner.