Broadcast Fundamentals

Do you need training for staff new to the Broadcast / Media industry?

For new recruits to the hire desk, support team, production, sales or marketing groups it can be difficult to keep your feet faced with a tidal wave of jargon, acronyms, and new technologies.

Pick and choose from the topics below to create a one or two day introduction to the fundamentals needed to understand the technology behind your business. Presented in an approachable and engaging way, and helping people understand how the technologies fit together to create content.

If you need an off-site venue, this course can potentially also be run at the Sony Training Centre based in the world-renowned Pinewood Studios.  The centre is a first rate venue, fully equipped with leading edge equipment, technology and expertise which, as a Sony Independent Certified Expert, I can have access to on a request basis.  Please contact me directly for more details.

• Creating:
  • How a moving picture is created: frames, pixels and colours.
  • Light, lenses and adapters.
  • Sensors and camera technology.
  • HD, UHD and 4K
  • Dynamic range, what is it, the next big thing; HDR
  • Camera support gimbals and stabilisation.
  • Mini-cams and Pan/tilt/zoom cameras.

• Recording
  • Recording , codecs  and compression.
  • Files
  • Bits, bandwidth, and storage.

• Connecting:
  • Cables, Fibre, Wireless
  • IP and the death of the BNC cable.
  • Wireless and streaming.

• Assembling:
  • Vision mixers
  • Editing
  • Other building blocks of a programme.

• Viewing:
  • Monitors
  • Monitor connections, display technology

• Delivering:
  • Terrestrial, satellites and the web

• Listening
  • Audio, the bit everyone forgets.

• How an OB works.
• How a studio production works.
• Immersive Technology; VR, AR and 360°
• Practical exercises  (dependent on kit availability and facilities)

HDC-4300

Operation

First line maintenance

HDR

High frame rate

4K

Installation, baseband processing unit and CCUs

PMW-F5 ,  PMW-F55  , PXW-FS7 Training

4K, how and why.

Gamma curves and S-log

Large format sensors

Operation
Data transfer and management.
Workflow

Files and menus
System components and control

Lenses and accessories

Latest software, high frame rate recording, and new functions such as remote control from smart-phones and tablets. Please contact me to set your own PMW-F5, PMW-F55 training agenda.

RAW, Log, Gamma and LUTs

...and more stuff designed to confuse programme makers.

A straightforward and easy to understand explanation of why you might use a log transfer curve or a look up table. Managing data. How many bits do you need? The benefits and costs of acquiring RAW images.

How does all this jargon affects the quality of your images, and what is it going to cost you?

Fundamentals of High Definition Television, and the way forward to 4K.

This course can be tailored to suit anyone from completely non-technical support staff, through production personnel, directors and DPs, to those with an engineering background who haven’t yet needed to know about HD.

Typically includes a guide to the different worldwide standards, progressive and interlace scanning, how to choose the correct frame rate for a production, choosing the most appropriate camera and recording format, understanding the HD workflow, differences from film, and de-mystifying the industry jargon.
 

Recording Formats

An explanation of some of the available recording technology, with a view to making the right choice for a programme or project.

Digital and analogue, data compression, MPEG this and 4:2:2 that, composite, SDI, optical disk, I-link and firewire. From consumer AVC to 4K and all formats between, a simple guide to the pros and cons of each format , enabling you to choose the right balance of quality, cost, and convenience.
 

Sony PXW-X500 / X400 Training

Operation.

Creating a look and saving scene files

First line maintenance.

Files and menus. Proxy files, file transfer, NLE ingest, clip lists and workflow.

High frame rate

Wireless workflow and upload to cloud servers.

Sony PDW-700 and PDW-F800

Operation.

Creating a look and saving scene files

First line maintenance.

Files and menus. Proxy files, file transfer, NLE ingest, clip lists and workflow.

 
Sony HDC-1500 and HDC-2500 HD Systems Cameras

Operation
First line maintenance
Files and menus
System components and control