Tech One On One

The CTO of the Public Broadcasting Service says he is wrestling with the same DTV-transition problems as his commercial counterparts but, at the same time, is pushing ahead into file-based program distribution, mobile broadcasting (real and non-real time) and multiplatform services.

The chief engineer of two of the four commercial stations (WECT and WSFX) involved in the early digital television trial in the North Carolina market is learning that procrastination and the age-old troubles with broadcast reception may conspire against a smooth national transition next February.

Wayne Ruting claims to have business intelligence software that allows station group execs to look over the shoulder of every GM — every sales person, for that matter — in their groups at any time to make sure they're making their numbers. It works by gathering all station data into one easily accessible "warehouse."

Sony has the lion's share of the broadcast camera market and intends to keep it with a two-prong strategy, simultaneously developing XDCAM camcorders using optical disks and memory cards, says the SVP of sales and marketing. Both will "continue to evolve."

The group that used to be the Clear Channel stations has one old hand in charge of its technology and he likes his new management's "laserlike" focus on TV station operation as he heads up the group's digital conversions and addition of subnets.

Telecorps’ Wexler Video division thinks it has the answer to getting the most out of TV stations’ field reporters. Its new BackPack lets journalists shoot material and then use cellular technology and the Internet to send it directly back to the station without a live truck or a microwave truck, and without hitting a WiFi hot spot.

The equipment supplier's president says that after adding to its offerings by purchasing companies, it is now focusing on making sure all of its various product lines work perfectly together to help stations run as efficiently as possible.

Panasonic’s marketing chief offers arguments as to why the P2 HD field acquisition format is best choice for broadcasters as they move to file-based workflows and HD.

A TV station is a TV station, right? Wrong, according to the chief tech at the ABC O&O in Philadelphia. At the new plant he's building, file-based workflow is a top priority and the digital broadcast transmitter will be just one of many outputs.

The head of video products says that the company is pushing its solutions for local HD news and file-based workflow (Infinity, Aurora and Ignite) as TV stations will feel increasing pressure to make the move to HD sooner rather than later.