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.

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.

RF Power Meter Selection

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

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.

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.

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.

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.