Not so long ago, a TV station’s rack room was an area housing multiple racks filled with a dozen chassis-powering graphics, intercom systems and signal distribution equipment. These devices consumed perhaps 10A per rack, generated little heat and were generally ignored.

The real broadcast action was in the master control room (MCR). Here one would find multiple tape machines, perhaps a library tape machine for automation, gulping enormous amounts of power. Also there would be the master control switcher and film chain, each with an additional operator and perhaps a dozen or so video monitors located around the room. One operator was responsible for handling several tape decks. The area was abuzz with activity. more…

According to many, okay some, the NAB convention will highlight mobile TV applications, showing live demonstrations (again). Lest those in the broadcast industry think we are the only ones pushing mobile TV, it is worth a bit of effort to see what other giants in this space are saying and have planned. more…

Cable operators have for years tried to implement targeted advertising. This year, TANDBERG Television (exhibiting at NAB booth SU5108) has both a new product and a technology demonstration that appear to support that goal. Both solutions can be viewed in the TANDBERG Television booth at this year’s show. more…

As if computer viruses weren’t bad enough, it now appears there’s a new variety of viruses and worms just waiting to attack your digital television. The newly-discovered virus is similar to the Conflicker C virus that experts claim will be activated on April 1. While researchers don’t yet know exactly what will happen when the Conflicker C virus activates, the issue is serious enough that Microsoft has offered $250,000 to anyone who can help find the code’s author.

While researching the Conflicker C virus, I was tipped off that another bug was about to launch itself onto the video scene. This bug is called Pentonion, but rather than being spread among computers, this bug is being spread to DTV sets across America. My tipster said that the FCC has received a secret report on this potentially destructive virus, but is hesitant to release the news because of the widespread scare and economic damage it might cause. My unnamed source said the report was given to the commission on January 20. If that’s true, then why wasn’t it released to the public? I wanted to find the answer to that question. more…

If you’re irritated by all the snipes popping up on your TV screen, you better chill because more are coming. According to The Diffusion Group, 76 percent of consumers think that having a widget toolbar on their TV set would be valuable. Only 11 percent think that would be a bad idea. more…

Earlier this year, Miranda Technologies completed its acquisition of privately held NVISION, which is based in Grass Valley, CA. The all cash transaction, which was originally announced on December 10, 2008, is valued at $40 million and will be financed with cash on hand and existing credit facilities.

I recently talked with Miranda’s CTO, Michel Proulx, about the acquisition. more…

Ahh, editors have a rough life, spending hours in front of a computer racking the brain for pithy new stories on new television technology. Like right now.

I’m sitting in the lodge at Copper Mountain directly overlooking the American Eagle ski lift, filled with skiers heading to the summit for a day’s fun. I have a Diet Dr. Pepper at my side, and I’m really trying hard to be productive. This is a tough assignment.

The reason I’m working from the Copper Mountain ski resort is that Barco is holding a partner’s meeting, and I’ve been invited to participate. My goal is to interview some of Barco’s product managers and get some hands-on time with the broadcast products. more…

Look out television broadcasters. You’re about to be hit with tens of millions of dollars in new “license” fees. Faced with pretending to fund his whopping $1,700,000,000,000 budget, (that’s $1.7 trillion dollars for the zeros-challenged), the president is apparently looking under every rock and in every spidey hole for ways to levy new taxes. According to a recent Reuters story, the administration is proposing to impose “spectrum license fees” on the unlucky winners of the former broadcast spectrum. more…

The Vitec Group (exhibiting at NAB booths C6519, C6517 and C6518) announced today the establishment of RF Extreme, a new business unit within the company that comprises the digital and analog video microwave brands of Nucomm (booth C3707) RF Central and Microwave Service Company (MSC). more…

OMG. I just learned that DTV can cause massive health injuries. Birds falling from the sky, phlegmatic cats, and evidence of huge increases in headaches, unclear thinking, nervous tensions, total apathy and stabbing pain come from being exposed to even minute levels of digital television signals.

This recently discovered data comes from a letter to President Barack Obama from a panel of German doctors. These physicians provide a list of the dangers posed by digital television as experienced in their country. The doctors plead for our government to stop the DTV transition until fiber optics can be used to replace RF delivery. more…