[BC] TV Stuff

[Dana Puopolo]

Analog TV is 95% dead!

Remember these buzzwords:

ASI = Asyncronous Serial Interface

ASI is the transport mechanism that 80% of the TV stations and cable sytstems
currently use for their digital video and audio transport (how they get
pictures and sound around their digital plants). It's interface is 75 ohm
coax.

SDI = Serial Digital Interface

SDI is another popular method of digital video and audio transport. It also
uses 75 ohm coax.

Gig E = 1000 base T networking. Can be transported by either fiber or cat 5
UTP.
Gie E will eventually replace ASI and SDI for digital video and audio
transport.

Multiple pictures and/or sound and/or data can be sent over any of the above
systems.

8-VSB = The DTV system chosen for over the air in the USA.

COFDM = The DTV system chosen by most of the world. Also used by TV stations
for News pickups and satellite links.

Router = an X-Y matrix that connects digital video plants together. Generally
speaking, any input can be connected to any output. 
2 gig - The RF band tha's generally used for News pickups (vans).

7 and 12 gigs = The RF bands that are generally used for TV STLs.

I hope this helps you.

-D 
From: "Jason R." <jyrussell at academicplanet.com>

Ok, I gotta quit playing around for a minute.  The below should give a good 
general idea of what's up.

  I am expecting to get a call for an interview regarding a job at a TV 
station in the area.
I'm not completely clueless about tv, although I'm bumping along the bottom, 
so to speak.
take a second and review below what I know so far about TV::

  I have a cable station I put together some years ago that is still up and 
running.  shoestring stuff.   Learned a lot from Alan A. doing it.   It's 
making money.

  audio path - no problem.  clean, audio levels where they ought to be. No 
problem, we do this for a living now.

 Video path is composite push from 3 Sony Handicams to a very small vid 
mixer which gives us time sync.  For this app, I think it's more 
mechanically robust than S-Vid.

I split the finished product - one copy goes to headend for DA to the 
subscribers, the other copy goes to whatever rcording medium so you'll have 
archives to work from, or for TD'ed production work.  Of course you can 
switch to the recorded stuff and air it.