Ennes Workshop Abstracts

Topics vary from workshop to workshop.

Here Comes Ethernet®!

Ethernet® has been around since 1973. And you’re probably aware of many companies that have struggled to make it work for audio and video applications. But those are proprietary systems where often Box A can’t talk to Box B. So IEEE, which owns the Ethernet standard has been working on a re-write of the Ethernet standard called 802.1BA AVB. AVB is for audio and video bridging. This may herald a new way to design, install and operate audio and video facilities.

Managing Social Media and Workflow for Broadcasters

Social media is of growing importance to broadcasters worldwide. Its uses in news, live events, promotions and advertising are ever expanding, and our ability as broadcasters to keep up, and properly manage content becomes more increasingly difficult. Learn how to implement a professional editorial workflow that can be used to manage the “how” and “when” content appears, while avoiding the “oops”.

Next Generation TV Master Control – out of the box or channel-in-a-box?

Here's how you can respond to the "do more with less" industry trends without sacrificing your competitive edge. Eliminate the traditional, serial-based, cumbersome proprietary boxes within the broadcast chain and replace them with all off-the-shelf, IT-based components to provide High Definition play out, graphics, effects and switching. These software driven equipment platforms are proving to be just as reliable and more cost efficient when compared to their bulky hardware counterparts. Less IS more.

Case Histories in Lightning Protection and Grounding

This presentation will review the elements of a building’s wiring and grounding systems (including lightning protection) that pertain to power quality at communications facilities and improve up-time. Proper wiring and grounding, beyond those minimal requirements of the NEC, can greatly alleviate power quality problems in broadcast and public service communications facilities. These improvements can be very cost-effective, usually simple in description, and help prevent costly downtime and equipment damage. The presentation concentrates on actual experiences at broadcast facilities where grounding and lightning protection were of paramount importance in maintaining system availability. Case histories of several communications facilities will be discussed, including proper and improper grounding and bonding, with liberal use of on-site photographs to show what these systems and devices look like in actual installations.  

Emergency Alert Broadcast in the Digital Era

Last year another round of update of the Emergency Alert System was completed by implementing the Common Alert Protocol over network fed by FEMA servers. The system evolved fast and the list of stakeholders is expanding fast. At the same time that technology changes, transmission of the alert is now expanding from the old FSK format to the new format, that being HD radio. This presentation will discuss what has been done lately, where the Emergency Alert System is today, and what can be expected in the near future.

TV and Radio Broadcast Structures

This session reviews the evolution of the standards for the design, evaluation, analysis, and inspection of guyed and self-support tower structures. Following this will be an explanation of why tower engineering is such a specialized industry, as well as how the various aspects of design, evaluation, analysis, and inspection differ from other types of engineering. This discussion will also address why it is important to retain qualified companies to engineer these structures, along with investigating failure in these towers.

Spurs - Your Fault or Not?

If you are told by your owner that he has just purchased one or more stations in the area and wants them all consolidated onto one site, what do you do besides run!

This presentation reviews the basic concepts of putting a multi-station transmitter site together with respect to inter-modulation products. This includes how much filter is needed for various types of antenna systems, how intermodulation products are formed, how to measure them, how to mitigate them and finally, what to do about ‘RITOIE’.

Efficient Codec Design, Internet Anomaly Correction and Embedded Cellular Technology Make Single Modem ENG Practical

The Internet has become attractive as a conduit for ENG - it is readily available almost anywhere, and the costs are reasonable. A big problem with the Internet and broadcasting has always been data rate, and maintaining acceptable video quality during periods of heavy data use and throughput bottlenecks, when there are not enough bits to go around. This presentation explores single modem ENG, and how it can benefit those who wish to use today’s technology as a springboard to increased Electronic News Gathering capabilities.
  

RF Power Meter Selection

This session explores how to select the correct RF power meter when using different types of modulation.

Does it Make Sense for My Station to Convert to an Energy Efficient FM Transmitter?

As stations are facing increased electric costs, looking for ways to keep these increases at bay are ever more important. Transmitter and HVAC energy costs are the most significant single on-going cost factor in a transmitter site. This presentation compares the total cost of operating a transmitter site with different transmitter efficiencies. Attendees will learn how quickly the return on investment will be realized in a high efficiency transmitter, and if it makes sense for their stations.

The Future of ENG Technology

This presentation explores the evolution and future of ENG contribution technologies. Topics include ultra compact, low cost cellular bonding technologies, their advantages, disadvantages and future developments.

CAP, Next Generation EAS -- and You

Now that the FCC has released its Fifth Report and Order on the Emergency Alert System and has published new rules that effect EAS participants, it is important to understand exactly what CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) and the next generation of EAS (Emergency Alert System) are and how they will impact the operations of radio and television stations.

Although the Commission has re-defined, eliminated and refined some aspects of EAS, how to apply the intent of the new rules and accomplish the mission of alerting the public to dangerous and life-threatening situation needs to be discussed. New tools are available to meet many of the public needs in this area, but they may complicate the tasks mandated to broadcasters.

This presentation will explore and explain the appropriate sections of the new FCC rules, the responsibilities of stations, the requirements for manufacturers, and the roles of stakeholders in the entire emergency alerting proposition.

The Four Essential Pieces of the Radio Automation System Puzzle: How to select the correct system for your stations

Choosing an automation system for your stations can be a monumental undertaking. How do you evaluate the several different pieces which must be properly placed together to insure a correct working environment? The picture becomes more clear when broken down into four essential workflows and matched against the past, present and possible future plans therein. These workflows (production, playlist creation, on-air and integration) are analyzed in detail and helpful lists for each topic are further delineated. Also presented is an easy to follow guideline to aid in creating a starting point for automation system evaluation.

IP over Satellite in Broadband Communications

If you transmit program material or receive program material, most systems and components use IP encapsulation. Video and Audio as IP is more and more the standard from studio to transmission, including television, AM, FM and Satellite. This presentation explores how satellite can be used to efficiently and effectively support broadband communications (i.e., voice / video / data) independent of the satellite band used (C/Ku/Ka). There will also be discussion on how two way IP can support transmitter / remote site interface and EAS CAP reception in areas where terrestrial IP is not available or not reliable.

De-centralization and Virtualization - the Future of Radio Automation

This session focuses on the future of radio audio delivery and automation systems starting inside a facility and move outwards to remotely located content and control protocols. It will look at how current technologies such as AOIP, network based process control, virtual desktop environments, WAN applications, cloud computing and SNMP monitoring can be adapted and combined to create a new model for building, deploying, integrating, controlling and monitoring automation systems in a local, regional, national or worldwide environment.

Tomorrow's STL Today

In late October 2011 the FCC abolished the rule which stopped broadcasters from using Part 101 licensed frequencies for Point to point connections to the Transmission sites and opened up 18Ghz,11Ghz, and 6Ghz to the broadcast world. This presentation explores the advantages of having these new frequencies available, including a discussion on carrying multiple channels of audio, both analog and HD to remote sites on a single dish.

Sending Video Fast and Inexpensively

Uploading to the Internet is a problem. Bandwidth is constrained. And getting more expensive. The problem is compounded when trying to send large video files. This presentation reviews some of the ways latakoo is confronting this through a combination of compression, bandwidth optimization, and a sharing platform that simplifies the video file transfer.

FM Directional Antenna Systems: Making the Impossible, Possible

With the FM band becoming more and more congested with move-ins, translators and boosters, directional antennas are becoming more and more popular. This paper explores how at first, consultants and broadcast engineers simply did the math for a directional antenna system without concern of whether or not an antenna could be built to meet the directional pattern. Examples will be shown of some these impossible patterns and will illustrate how a degree of reality has made the manufacturer’s job easier.

Audio Compression Misused: Are we squeezing the life out of sound quality?

This presentation reviews ways to gain all the efficiency benefits of compression technology, while making sure the audio stays pristine throughout the broadcast chain, all the way to the listener’s ears. In this session, attendees will hear some real-world examples of how audio compression has been used both to enhance and degrade audio quality. We will hear the striking difference audio quality can make in the impact of live news reports. We will also listen to some great songs originally recorded with the highest production values, and then hear the sad results when over-compression has squeezed the life out of the music.

Newsgathering Transmission Techniques of the Future

This presentation will explore the advancements in video encoding technology that allow transmission of high quality broadcast video at much lower data rates than before, specifically with the utilization of H.264 versus MPEG2. The latest in bandwidth capacity of public access networks (Cellular and Wi-Fi) and licensed microwave technology will also be discussed. Finally, a comparison of strengths and weaknesses of licensed microwave transmission versus public network transmissions.

Designing and Implementing a Broadcast Facility Control and Monitoring System Incorporating SNMP

Broadcasters all over the world are discovering a new common language – the Simple Network Management Protocol, or SNMP. This heritage IP language has been around since the 1980s, but in recent years is being supported in more and more IP enabled broadcast equipment.

The purpose of this tutorial is twofold – first, to provide an introduction to SNMP. How it is structured, the elements, commands and functions that can be used, and the data that can be retrieved and controlled. We will examine the structure of the Object Identifiers, or OIDs, that act as the “addresses” of different data points in the target device. We will also explore the MIB file, which collects and organizes the OIDs for the device. The concept of the MIB browser software will be presented, and instruction given on how to use this powerful type of tool to analyze and plan SNMP communications at the site.

The second purpose of this tutorial is to examine in-depth the SNMP communications with at least two different target devices – one a well-known transmitter line, and at least one other device from outside the broadcast world – SNMP is found in many devices such as UPS systems, HVAC systems, IT systems, etc. We will examine the response of the equipment to the MIB browser and other software, and discuss the different ways to interpret the data that is returned and make it understandable to the users. Some time will also be spent examining how SNMP can be useful in coordinating actions and readings between two separate sites.

Trends in TV Infrastructure – Live APC; Audience Measurement and openGear

This session covers three topics, the first being audio watermarking for audience measurement. We’ll follow the history and explore the future of measurement techniques and implementation. The next topic provides the Engineer’s Guide to the process of automating control of news productions and explains the many benefits for adopting automated production control technology in your facility. Finally, the openGear terminal equipment platform. Among many other benefits, this equipment offers a wide selection of cards from partner vendors. In addition, the standardized frame platform and monitoring/control system ensures inter-operability between vendor offerings.

VoIP in the Real World: How I Quit Worrying and Learned to Live Without POTS

Your studios’ traditional phone service is going away. You need to find an alternative. What will replace POTS or ISDN service? It’s called SIP, short for Session Initiation Protocol. As with most new technologies, once you understand it and get some hands-on experience, you’ll wonder “Why didn’t we switch to this sooner?” This learning presentation defines the problems, proposes the solutions, and demonstrates how SIP talkshow systems are working at five different broadcast facilities.
  

The Advantages of Electromagnetic Simulation

In recent years, advances in electromagnetic simulation have made the process of developing broadcast components more efficient. Rather than taking an R&D concept and building iterating prototypes, this entire process can be instead be completed with electromagnetic simulation. SPX Communication Technologies has refined the practice of this technology to the point where broadcast components can be developed completely in a virtual environment. This paper will discuss the advances and advantages of electromagnetic simulation.

The Future of ENG Technology

This presentation explores the evolution and future of video transmission and distribution technology used for ENG. Specific topics include microwave versus cellular technologies, cellular bonding advantages and transmission over 4G networks, and citywide deployment of Wifi networks.