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JANUARY 1986 $3.00

BROADCAST MANAGEMENT ENGINEERING

Radio : TiTrarismssiIrrransitir

Introducing: Audio Engineering & Production RF Engineering

Television Engineering & Production SMPTE Show Report Broadcast ManagemeRt.

PR99 MKII THE BALANCED BUDGET ATR

The PR99 MKII is a fully professional, bal-anced in/out ATR that's priced perfectly forbroadcasters on a budget. Although com-pact in size, the PR99 MKII scores big on pro-duction features, audio performance, and long-term reliability.

Help for Deadline Dodgers Whendeadline pressure hits, the PR99 MKIIcomes to your rescue with new mi-croprocessor -controlled cueing andediting features: A highly accuratereal time counter. Zero locate andaddress locate to find your cue andstop right on the money. Plus autorepeat for timing and rehearsing. Theseconds you save will show in yourproduction quality ... and your bloodpressure. Other features include editmode, tape dump, self -sync, inputand output mode switching, inputand output level calibration, andfront -panel vari-speed. Console, re-mote control, and monitor panelavailable as options.

Count on It The Swiss -engineeredPR99 MKII has earned its reputationfor reliability. From the massive die-cast chassis to the servo capstanmotor, every part is milled and drilled

to fit right andstay put. For along time. Modu-lar electronics sim-plify maintenanceand servicing.

Pure PerformancePurity of sound repro-duction has long been ahallmark of Studer Revoxrecorders, and the PR99 MKIIis no exception. Noise, distor-tion, and frequency responsespecs rival those of recorderscosting far more.

All This for Not Much Competi-tively priced, the PR99 MKII carriesthe lowest suggested list price in theunder -$2500 class. For more informa-tion, contact your Revox ProfessionalProducts Dealer. Find out how easily youcan fit the PR99 MKII's balanced perform-ance into your station's budget.

I R EVOXStuder Revox America, Inc., 1425 Elm Hill Pike, Nashville, TN 37110/(615) 254-5651

Circle 100 on Reader Service Card

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"Makegood?What's amakegood?"

How soon they forget.All those people from Anchorage to New York who already

use Sony Betacart Systems.They forget about downtime. They forget about on -air

backup systems. And they forget about ad agencies demandingdamngood makegoods.

Why?Betacart is the smart cart machine.Microprocessors keep constant track of

forty cassettes. They maintain system alignment.They run self -check diagnostic routines.

And Betacart's simple operation not onlyprevents human error, it prevents human boredom

Technicians at KDNL, St. Louis use theirBetacart to put snap into station breaks. For station IDsthey shoot logo artwork, add movement with digital effects andair the cassettes through the Betacart. Now there are no moredull title cards at KDNL.

At WDBJ, Roanoke, commercial delivery has improveddramatically. So has the picture quality of the spots.

Carl Guffey, director of operations, reports: "The salesstaff is happy, traffic is happy, the engineers are happy and thegeneral manager is ecstatic:'

Want to improve your station's commercial outlook?Put the Gold Standard to work for you.

Call Sony Broadcast at (201) 833-5231. SONY,LI;end:;1:4.11

Sony Broadcast Products Company, 1600 Queen Anne Rd., Teaneck, NJ 07666. © 1985 Sory Corporation of America. Sory is a registered trademarkand Betocart a trademark of Sony Corporation. Photographed at WNET, New York.

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ISMEBROADCAST MANAGEMENT ENGINEERING

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

Charles C. Lens. Jr.EDITOR EMERITUS

James A. Uppke

EDITORIAL BOARD CHAIRMAN

David Hawthorne

MANAGING EDITOR

Leslie A. AsiaTELEVISION EDITOR

Eva J. BlinderRADIO/AUDIO EDITOR

Judith GrossTECHNOLOGY/ENGINEERING EDITOR

Hugh Aidersey-wililamsNEWS EDITOR

Douglas DamothCOPY/RESEARCH EDITOR

Michael Starr

FCC COUNSEL

Bechtel & ColeBROADCAST FINANCIAL CONSULTANT

Mark E. BattersbySPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR

C. Robert Paulson

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Mark RoganART DIRECTOR

Raoul Norman -ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR

Raymond wong

PUBLISHER

William C. McGarryASSISTANT TO PUBLISHER

Sharon Porges

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Nick TartagllaPRODUCTION ASSISTANT

Barbara Mendelsohn

MARKETING SERVICES MANAGER

Arlene M. PetersMARKETING SERVICES ASSISTANT

Shannon M. Riley

CONTROLLER

Michael L LanniASSISTANT CONTROLLER

Andrea BettkeOFFICE MANAGER

Donald Cooke

READER SERVICE

Ruth Pollard

Broadband information Services inc295 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017(2121685-5320, Telex: 64-4001Also publishers of:BM/E's Worm B t NewsWITS Educational -Industrial Television

ABPBM/E BROADCAST MANAGEMENT ENGI-NEERING (ISSN 0005-3201) is published

VBPAmonthly by Broadband Information ServicesInc. BM/E is circulated without charge to

those responsible for station operation and for specifyingand authorizing the purchase of equipment used in broad-cast facilities in the U.S. and Canada. These facilities in-clude AM. FM and TV broadcast stations, CATV systems.EN stations. networks and studios, audio and video re-cording studios. telecine facilities. consultants. etc. Sub-scription prices to others $24.00 one year. $36.00 twoyears. Foreign $36.00 one year. $60.00 two years Air Mailrates on request. Copyright 1986 by Broadband InformationServices. Inc.. New York City Second class postage paidN.Y.. N.Y. and additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: send address changes to BM/E BroadcastManagement/Engineering. 295 Madison Ave., New York,NY 10017

4 BM/E JANUARY, 1986Circle 103 on Reader Service Card

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A REAL VALUENo broadcast cartridge in the world combinlong life and performance like the newScotchCart® II cartridge. Tape and cartridgedesign complement each other like neverbefore in the ScotchCart® II broadcastcartridge. Its revolutionary design eliminapressure pads, utilizes a non -rotating hub, an now ... a new tape! With 5 times the averaglife of its nearest premium grade cartridgecompetitor and superior audio performance,the ScotchCart® II broadcast cartridge is yourbest value ever.

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PREMIUM GRADE CARTRIDGES

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To order ScotchCarte II broadcast cartridgeso: request a technical manual to optimizeSootchCarte II performance, contact your local3M sales office, your professional audio dealer,o: call International Tapetronics Corporation/3Mat 800-447-0414 or collect 309-828-1381 fromAlaska or Illinois. In Canada, call MarunoE_.ctronics, Ltd. at 416-255-9108.

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JANUARY 1986 VOLUME 22/NUMBER 1

Features

DepartmentsCover Story:Compucon, a subsidiary of Spec-trum Planning, Inc. specializes inthese detailed propagation studies.A computer integrates digitizeddata on terrain, station power, an-tenna type, and location andlength plus other factors to pro-duce a multigradient model of thestation's coverage area.

BMIEBROADCAST MANAGEMEN ENGINEERING

27 Audio Engineering & ProductionAM Stereo: Not for Music Only 27News/talk and full -service AMs go stereo . . . by Judith GrossFM Production Benefits from Multitrack 32Using FM multitrack facilities takes time . . . by Don ElliotRedesigning TV Sound: Burbank to Brooklyn 39NBC has enhanced its audio . . . by Judith Gross

48 RF EngineeringDeregulation, Technology Change RadioTransmission 48AM radio resuscitates a fading audience . . . by Judith GrossKlystrode Transmission Comes to UHF TV 61by Hugh Aldersey-WilliamsTV Transmission After RCA 64RCA's shutdown was good and bad news . . . by HughAldersey-Williams

70 TV Engineering & ProductionNew TV Signal Architectures: NTSC'sRelatives Move In 70by James A. Lippke and David HawthorneSMPTE Seeks New Directions at Quiet Show 77Standards -setting work generated much interest . . . Staff Report

107 Broadcast ManagementGroup Conscious Engineering in the12-12-12 EraEngineers are finding new pressures . . . by David Hawthorne

10 EditorialWelcome to the 'New Look'BM/E

114 Business Briefs

12 Industry News 116 Advertisers IndexFCC proposes AM/FM pro-gram duplication as SNGcontinues growth

8 BM/E JANUARY, 1986

TEN REASONS TO CHOOSE

THE NEW WESTAR CONSOLES

FOR VIDEO/TV/FILM:1. NEW DESIGN. State-of-the-art desogn forstereo and multitrack production.

2. EXPANDABLE Available from 16 inputsup to 80 inputs, now-or later. The Westarframe is even field -expandable.

3. AUTOMATION IDF Intelligent DigitalFaders with three levels of automation.Field retrofitab e.

4. 1NTERFACINF Easy interface with videoeditirg systems and TV facilities.

5. Easy interchange of threetypeE of equalizers and three types ofmicrophone preamplifiers, in the studio.

6. FLEXIBLE Console layout and patch -bay location may be custom orderedwithcut custom pricing.

7. COMPUTER CONTROL. Optional micro-processor controlled input/output stereorouting/mixing switcher.

8. SUPPORT. Regional service centers forquick and courteous support. New YorkCity, Nashville, Los Angeles, and Tcronto.

9. MAta. IN USA Engineered and manu-factured in the United States by QuadEigh- as a member of the Mitsubishi ProAudio Group in their new 45,000 scuarefoot Los Angeles facilities.

10. t.PENDABLE. Under the $8 billionstrorg Mitsubishi Electric umbrella, QuadEight is the most solidly backed of all pro-fessional console makers.

For more information, please call or write.

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Circle 106 on Reader. Service Card

Editorial"While there have

been numerouschanges in BM/E,

some thingsremain the

same-particularlyour commitment to

maintain the highesteditorial standards inchoosing stories and

presenting them."

Welcome to the`New Look' Blii/EWe've taken note of the increasing demand on the time of radio andtelevision broadcasters and producers of all types and have re-sponded with a new approach to organizing and presenting yourmonthly package of BMIE information.

First of all, since most of our readers are management and linemanagement of engineering and technology for radio and television,we've developed four new feature story wells dedicated to four dis-tinct areas of concern: Audio Engineering and Production for Radioand TV, Television Engineering and Production, RF Engineering forRadio and TV, and Broadcast Management. Each month, BMIEpresents one or more feature stories in each of these areas. Fre-quently, a consistent theme will run through each of these sectionsin order to provide the reader with a totally comprehensive treat-ment of a major topic affecting the growth and development of radioand television. At other times, a theme may run through just two orthree of the sections.

While there have been numerous changes in BM/E, some thingsremain the same-particularly our commitment to maintain thehighest editorial standards in choosing stories and presenting them.Moreover, some special issues that readers have learned to dependon like our NAB Show -In -Print and our annual buyers' guide, TheSource, will abandon this new format temporarily in order to contin-ue with an efficient presentation of their special contents.

We sincerely hope that you will find our "new look" useful and ef-fective so that you can get even more satisfaction from your readingof BMIE. Let us know what you think. As always, BMIE standsready to respond to your ideas and inputs in order to present youwith the most rewarding "professional broadcast" reading experienceavailable. We believe that getting better is part of our ongoing re-sponsibility to you.

David HawthorneEditorial Board Chairman


Harry J. PappasPresident

Pappas Telecasting

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You don't get to be a leader in the in-dependent television broadcast industry bymaking the wrong decisions about TVtransmitters. When Harry Pappas wasready to build his New Super -power station,WHNS-TV in Asheville, N.C., he chose theComark "S" Series 220kW Transmitter. InHarry's own words: "The transmitter livedup to the promises made by the Comarkpeople...and then some. In terms of per-formance, specifications and efficiencyratings, I couldn't have asked for more."

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COMaRKCircle 107 on Reader Service Card

Industry News

FCC Proposes AM/FMProgram DuplicationThe FCC has proposed "eliminat-ing entirely" its restrictions onprogram duplication for co -ownedAM and FM stations in the samearea. With this action, the Com-mission has taken another step inimplementing the sweepingchanges for AM suggested byMass Media Bureau chief JamesMcKinney (see BM/E, November1985, p. 14).

As currently written, AM/FMcombos in communities with popu-lations over 25,000 cannot dupli-cate more than 25 percent of theirprogramming on average.

The Commission noted that FMhas become a "fully competitiveand viable" broadcast mediumthat no longer needs protectionfrom AM-certainly an under-statement. Also, it estimates thatmore duplication will not be awaste of spectrum since the ser-vice areas of many combos do notoverlap.

On the list of benefits, it foundthat nighttime service might beincreased and that AMers with fi-nancial trouble might be helped.

The FCC has asked for com-ments, especially concerning pos-sible effects on spectrum efficien-cy, expansion of radio service, andAM station viability.

New Ku Broadcast BirdLaunched; SNGContinues GrowthA new Ku -band satellite-power-ful enough to beam signals to one -meter dishes-has been placed inorbit by NASA's Atlantis spaceshuttle. On the ground, SNG con-tinues its explosive growth as CBSand ABC rush to set up more re-gional news networks and NBCplans a similar network nation-wide, with a three-month trial duethis winter. Meanwhile, Conus,the Hubbard Communications -sponsored SNG network, hastopped the 30 -station membermark.

The new 45 W per transpondersatellite, Satcom K-2, is scheduledfor use by NBC, Conus, and RCA

Edit Suite A at Tele-Image's big Dallas facility features a Grass Valley Group300-3A switcher with E-MEM and E -Disk, Chyron RGU-2 character gener-ator with font and logo compose, a Sony 618 audio console, and StuderA-810 and A-800 synchronous two- and eight -track ATRs.

Tele-Image Offers New Dallas Production FacilityTele-Image has begun servicing ment includes a Solid State Logicthe nation's, as well as the SL 4000E console, Studer 800s,southwest region's, needs with an 810, and 820 ATRs, and Lexi-its new 32,500 -square -foot, S5 con 224 -XL reverbs. Produc-million television production fa- tions have so far run the gamutcility in Dallas. Three of six pro- from corporate videos for Dia-posed edit bays are completed, mond Shamrock and Tandy toalong with advanced audio -for- commercial spots for Dr.video facilities. Audio equip- Pepper.

to distribute programming andnews material to stations in thecontinental U.S. RCA Americom,which built the satellite, says itwill be the most powerful Ku birdup, since most existing Ku -bandsatellites use 20 W, while C -bandis limited to 8.5 to 10 W. NBC willdeliver programming via K-2; Co-nus plans to expand capabilitiesfor its members and other sub-scribers; and RCA Americom saysit will offer TV syndicators a dis-tribution service. RCA says it hasbegun building up a network bysigning a reported 550 -plus sta-tions for installation -cost only sat-ellite systems.

Of two more high-powered Kusatellites planned, one was due forlaunch late in December.

On the receiving end, the threetelevision networks are hurryingplans for satellite news networks.

CBS has opened a western region-al news network based at KSL-TVin Salt Lake City, UT, with sec-ondary centers at KOIN-TV,Portland, OR, and KXTV inSacramento, CA. The regionalnetwork, the third for CBS, willcover Oregon, Washington, Idaho,Montana, Wyoming, Colorado,Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.CBS hopes to add three more netsfor the midwest and northeast bythis spring.

ABC will launch a mobile satel-lite newsgathering network,dubbed ABSAT, that will feature50 mobile uplinks to be based atand owned by its affiliates acrossthe country. The network's secondsatellite network is pegged for amid -1986 startup.

NBC's news network, still in theplanning stages, will operate na-tionally with Satcom K-2. A three -


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Industry News

month test run is anticipated forFebruary.

In other SNG news, all theHearst Broadcasting Group tele-vision stations are now part of theConus network. WBAL-TV,Baltimore, MD; WDTN, Dayton,OH; KMBC-TV, Kansas City, MO;and WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, PA,are new members; Hearst's WISN-TV in Milwaukee, WI, was al-

ready in Conus. RKO's LosAngeles independent, KHJ, andWRTV, Indianapolis, IN, havealso joined the net.

In addition, Hubbard Commu-nications, Inc., has developed a de-lay system especially for satellitefeeding of television programs.The HCD-500 is said to be able todelay any incoming program fromthree minutes to two hours.

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Tinker OptimisticOn NBC AcquisitionLast month's acquisition of RCACorp. by long-time rival GeneralElectric "is good news for all of usat NBC," according to NBC chair-man Grant Tinker. In a December12 memorandum to NBC employ-ees, Tinker expressed confidencethat "The resources of the com-bined companies will not only en-hance competition in the worldmarketplace, but will alsostrengthen NBC."

Tinker cited a letter to RCAemployees by RCA chairmanThornton F. Bradshaw and presi-dent and CEO Robert R. Fre-derick, in which they stated, "GEhas a long history of providing anenvironment in which businessesgain from being part of GE, buthave the entrepreneurial freedomto grow rapidly and inde-pendently."

NBC reportedly has been inter-ested in additional station acquisi-tions and cable ventures, and itmay be that GE ownership will al-low the network to pursue thoseoptions.

Ownership of NBC is viewed asa major benefit of the deal for GE,which had been seeking to enterthe communications business forsome time. A few months back, GEhad offered to aid CBS with afriendly takeover in its attempt toavoid acquisition by Ted Turner.With the present purchase, GEcomes into possession not only ofNBC, of course, but also of RCA'sconsiderable consumer electron-ics, semiconductor, and satelliteoperations. Both companies haveextensive military contracts.

The cash deal is valued at $6.28billion and is the second sale of acommercial broadcasting networkin 1985; Capital Cities' purchaseof ABC was the first.

News of the acquisition camejust weeks after RCA shocked thebroadcast industry by closingdown its broadcast equipment op-erations, which had been a keyforce since the 1920s despite re-cent years' losses.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic,another major broadcast -industrypower has closed its doors. PyeTVT, the broadcast equipment


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'Registered trademarkof N.V. PHILIPS

Industry Newsarm of Philips in the U.K., lastmonth announced its intentions toclose down all operations. A Phil-ips spokesman cited serious finan-cial losses as the reason for Pye'sfailure. Third world countries,which were a major market forPye, have been hard hit by reces-sion in recent years.

Pye was a systems house espe-cially known for mobile van andstudio construction. Philips willcontinue to manufacture its studio

equipment, including the LDKcamera series, in the Netherlands,and says it will honor Pye's salesand service commitments for Phil-ips equipment.

Neve Audio Sold toSiemens A.G. AustriaRupert Neve, Inc. of Bethel, CT,has announced that Siemens A.G.Austria and Siemens Ltd. UKhave agreed to buy the audioconsole and processing equipment

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manufacturer from its new parentcompany, Brammer plc.

In a prepared statement, LaciNester -Smith, group marketingmanager for Neve Audio, said that"Siemens is committed to the fur-ther development of Neve's tech-nology in both the analog anddigital fields and significant R&Dprograms are planned."

Neve Audio is best known for itslarge, automated audio consoles,used widely in the television in-dustry. Siemens is a large,multinational electronics firmthat sells audio amplifiers andsmaller consoles internationally.

Deliberate SatelliteInterference?TVRO dish owners may be delib-erately interfering with satellitetransmissions, according to East-ern Microwave, Inc., which hascomplained to the FCC of seriousinterference with Galaxy Itransponder feeds to WOR-TV,New York, NY, a superstation. Iftrue, the problem could becomeparticularly difficult as cablechannels begin to scramble theirsignals after years of TVRO"freeloading."

Though the FCC reportedly isconsidering strengthening its pen-alties for the crime, interferingwith a satellite is not a difficulttask and tracing the perpetratorcan be all but impossible.

As for motive, many TVRO own-ers are angry about not being ableto receive premium cable pro-gramming for free, and trade pub-lications for the field are said tohave carried material proposingsuch actions.

Aural STL/ICR, TV AuxiliaryBroadcast Rules ChangedIn an effort to make more efficientuse of the spectrum, the FCC haschanged its rules governing auralbroadcast STLs, intercity relay,and television auxiliary broadcaststations. Alterations in Part 74 ofthe rules are as follows:

The STL/ICR 950 MHz bandwill be divided into 25 MHz"stackable" segments and the1990-2110 and 6875-7125 MHzTV pickup bands into 1 MHz seg-ments for flexibility in channelbandwidth.

Circle 111 on Reader Service Card16 BM/E JANUARY, 1986

32QThe ProCam' Video Camera

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JVC's experience-andsuccess-in designingthe highest quality andreliability into compactvideo production cam-eras is unmatched. Now.continuing this traditionof high performance atan affordable price, JVChas brought a "high -end" teleproductioncamera within the financial reach of pro-duction people often victimized by mod-est budgets. This time, it's ProCam 320.

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A video S/N ratio of 57 dB. Color fram-ing output signal (RS -170A). A split fieldcolor bar generator for consistent colorreference. A genlock circuit for maintain-ing a stable picture while switching ormixing with other signals lockedon the same source.

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Industry News

EIMMOOMMENNEMNU.

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300 kHz will be the narrow -band criterion for FM stations and200 kHz for AMers, while 500 kHzwill remain the wideband criteri-on. Narrowband-licensed stationswill be able to lease excess capaci-ty on a primary basis, andwideband on a secondary basis.

Emission standards will bechanged so that single sidebandtechnologies can be licensed with-out rulemaking.

STL/ICR stations will be able

to operate in the UHF -TV spec-trum depending on full -power TV,LPTV and translator stations op-erating now or in the future.

DTTR Standard Ready forIntl Approval;More HDTV QuestionsA component digital televisiontape recording (DTTR) format hasbeen recommended by studygroups of the International RadioConsultative Committee (CCIR)

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for international adoption thisspring. Separately, the prospectsfor a universal HDTV format areseen to still face trouble from Eu-ropean opposition, and companiesinvolved in film are assessingtheir chances with the upgradedmedium.

The new DTTR format, fortu-nately, appears to face no suchproblem. SMPTE reports that itwas developed "in close cooper-ation" with the European Broad-casting Union since CCIR Recom-mendation 601 was passed fouryears ago. It calls for the use of dig-ital component signals, sampledat a rate of 13.5 MHz for lumi-nance and 6.75 MHz for each of thetwo color difference signals.

The format now awaits final ap-proval at the CCIR Plenary As-sembly in Yugoslavia in May. It isexpected to receive easy passagethere.

The 60 Hz HDTV standard ap-proved recently (see BM/E, Decem-ber News section) is not expectedto have quite such an easy road.The standard was approved by itsworking group, but reservationswere attached to the approval dueto objections by the French andDutch delegations. These coun-tries reportedly are concerned be-cause the satellite arid cabledistribution systems that are rap-idly being installed across the Eu-ropean continent do not have thebandwidth necessary to handlethe approved HDTV standard.

The reservations could proveproblematic at the Plenary As-sembly if those countries decidethat their needs are not being metand that they are willing to formtheir own HDTV system.

Among HDTV issues discussedat the Los Angeles SMPTE con-vention (see Show Report in thisissue) was the question of higherfilm quality, raised by SMPTEkeynote speaker Wilbur J.Prezzano, group vice presidentand general manager of Photo-graphic Products for Eastman Ko-dak Co. Prezzano questionedwhether HDTV would keep pacewith film. "Kodak anticipates be-ing able to improve the perform-ance of today's film products by afactor of 10," Prezzano said, sug-gesting that HDTV might not


A Wizard's Dilemma...Creativity vs. TechnologyToday. creative video communication requires aproduction switching system capable of integratinggraphics, digital effects, computer editing and audio.Trouble is, the technical demands of operating most largeproduction switchers get in the way of creativity.

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Industry News

come into play at all in theatricalmovies. Also, theaters themselveswere said to be able substantiallyto increase image quality withnew projection equipment.

FCC Proposes Work onMust -Carry RulesThe FCC has proposed rewritingits must -carry rules, and an INTVeither/or proposal that would offercable operators a choice betweencarrying all local stations or not

receiving free retransmission ofbroadcast material is seen as themost likely vehicle to try and tac-kle the issue. Deliberations onrules concerning cable carriage ofMTS, teletext, and VBI have beentied to this action.

The FCC has come under heavypressure from broadcast groupssince an appeals court last sum-mer struck down the Commis-sion's must -carry rules asunconstitutional (see BM/E, Sep -

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tember 1985, p. 14). The decisionhas presented a tough obstacle toreinstating some version of must -carry; the FCC has not attemptedto reinstate the rule, and no onehas yet come up with any new ver-sion that would have any realisticchances for survival. With cableoperators receiving programmingfrom local stations, however,broadcasters have said that an in-equality now exists.

The Association for Indepen-dent Television Stations has comeup with a flank attack on must -carry that, as of press time,seemed to be a solution the FCCmight try. The INTV proposeschanging the compulsory copy-right rules to require operators tocarry all local stations withoutcharge on their basic tier. "Local"would be defined to include all li-censees whose local service areascover the cable system. INTV rea-sons that this way, cable compan-ies and the NCTA cannotcomplain that their First Amend-ment rights are being infringed,and they would be given a clearchoice: either carry local televi-sion stations or don't get a freeride.

In proposing the combined no-tice of inquiry and notice of pro-posed rulemaking, both FCCchairman Mark Fowler and com-missioner Mimi Dawson said theyappreciated the INTV's specificsuggestions since they were al-most the only association or groupto come up with one, and Dawsoncommented that she felt it has thebest chance of success.

At least a few FCC watcherssuspect that the FCC's legal de-partment may have given thegreen light to the INTV plan sincethe Commission's inquiry is beingrushed through with only twomonths for comments and replies.

Rules for mandatory carriage ofbroadcasters' MTS, teletext, andVBI transmissions have been tiedto this action, and commissionerJames Quello has expressed con-cern that they may not receive ad-equate attention or could even beinadvertently scuttled. "If theCommission chooses not to adoptany mandatory carriage rules," henoted in a statement, "these otherdockets could be dismissed."

20 BM/E JANUARY, 1986 Circle 115 on Reader Service Card

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The w BreedCircle 116 on Rader Service Card

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Industry NewsPolitical EditorialRule ChallengedThe Administration's Office ofManagement and Budget hasdenied its necessary approval forthe political editorial rule and hasasked the FCC to "amend or re-scind" the requirements. The rule,however, is seen as having thefirm support of Congress.

The political editorial rule re-quires that a station notify candi-dates when it endorses or opposesthem, and also give them responsetime. The OMB said it had decidedto kill the rule on the basis of thePaperwork Reduction Act, sayingthat the regulation should beeliminated because the benefits donot justify the burden on broad-casters. The FCC has respondedby pointing out that it had starteda proceeding in 1983 to examinejust those issues and that it wouldgive full consideration to the OMBwhen a decision is reached. Thecommissioners can retain the ruleby a majority vote.

The White House action ap-pears to be an attempt to find aquiet way to kill the rule, butCongress-whose members wouldbe affected by the rule's deletion-has made clear that it holds a firmopinion on the issue. Specific in-structions have been attached toFCC funding in the past to leavethe rule alone.

FMer Gets OK for Translat-or ProgrammingA remote Alaskan village hasbeen allowed by the FCC to air lo-cal programming on a translator.The National Federation of Com-munity Broadcasters (NFCB) de-scribed the action as a"ground -breaking" decision.

The translator repeats pro-gramming from KRBD-FM inKetchikan, AK, and now the is-land village of Klawock will re-portedly add two hours a day oflocal programming. KRBD is saidto have plans for covering the re-gion in this way.

Two Additions toBusiness SoftwareA new microcomputer softwaresystem for television sales and re-search has been introduced in ajoint marketing arrangement byJefferson -Pilot Data Systems ofCharlotte, NC and SoftPedal, Inc.of Atlanta, GA. Separately, DataCommunications Corp., Memphis,TN, announced it has added radioand television consulting for busi-ness automation.

SoftPedal's new software sys-tem, named Sally, is an avails andpackaging system that offers auto-matic packaging, interactivepackage editing, screen avails andshare trends, and book editing.

Data Communications Corp.has set up its new consulting ser-vice for stations which want helpin streamlining their business op-erations and in coordinating auto-mation between departments. Theconsulting service will also assistthem in learning how to use BIASfeatures.

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Audio Engineering & ProductionAM Stereo

Only home games are beingmiked for stereo, and the audio issent through stereo land lines.Away games would be too expen-sive to do in stereo, Morris says, be-cause it would mean an additionalsatellite channel for the second au-dio channel.

WGN doesn't pan the stereo leftor right to get added effects, andMorris says the station prefers touse a low-key approach in usingAM stereo during the games.

"All we're trying to do is give youthe sound as if you were sittingthere at the game yourself," heexplains.

Although the Bears footballgames are not actually miked forAM stereo, Morris says a two-hourspecial pregame show is carried instereo.

The show is done from a 29 -footcustom-built mobile studio, whichhas a wall of glass on one side. Tal-ent can work inside or outside thebooth; on the inside there are four

During the showthere are musical performances,chats with fans at the game, andcontests. Morris says the show isnot specifically miked for stereo,but is mixed with balanced stereolines fed into the transmission.

According to Morris, there areplans to keep on experimentingwith stereo at sports events, and hespeculates that a potential Super -bowl spot for the Bears couldprompt even more use of AM stereo,even to the point of transmitting ontwo satellite channels.

At KSL in Salt Lake City, thesport is NBA basketball with theUtah Jazz.

KSL, using the Kahn stereo sys-tem, is a music station most of theday, but decided to make use of itsAM stereo for sports to compete inits marketplace. Its sister station,KSL-TV, is a stereo TV station, andwas planning to carry Jazz gamesin stereo. Miking them for stereo ef-fects on AM seemed the logicalthing for the station to do.

Randy Finch, assistant chief en-gineer, says mics are placed nearthe basket hoops themselves; shot-gun mics are pointed toward thefloor at the basket end.

"It's quite a shock when you can

hear the ball bounce off the hoopfrom just one speaker, and thesound of the ball shifting as it trav-els down the court," Finch says.

KSL also does not do any panningor mixing effects, but simply uses ahard right and left, with both theannouncer and color man in both.

Finch says the station has gottensome calls from listeners with AMreceivers.

KSL's audio is on stereo satellite,because the station had an extrasatellite channel of its own to trans-mit the games. But next season, ac-cording to Finch, KSL hopes to get asatellite feed from Brigham YoungUniversity, where the Jazz gamesare played, or use a repeater or STLbecause of steep mountains be-tween the university and thestation.

KSL plans to continue carryingstereo basketball, Finch says, and isthinking about carrying collegefootball from Brigham Young Uni-versity next season, also in stereo.

Angeles station KABC is anews/talk station, but like its sisterstation, WABC in New York, it hasbeen using Kahn AM stereo, mostlyfor sideband modulation. But tocarry baseball games at DodgerStadium, the station decided to putthe stereo to good use, according toArt Sterman, manager of radioengineering.

Sterman says the crowd is mikedwith two shotgun mics, one point-ing left, one right, and there is an-other mic behind the plate, he says,"for the crack of the bat."

"When you listen in stereo itsounds like you're sitting with theannouncer," Sterman says.

One of the crowd mics is hard left,one hard right, and the mic behindhome plate is centered on bothchannels, according to Sterman.Unlike the other AM stations car-rying stereo sportscasts, KABCdoes not mic the announcers forstereo but instead sends the play-by-play and color out as monosignals.

Another AM station using stereofor sportscasts is WMAL in Wash-ington, DC, also on the Kahn sys-tem. Chief engineer J.B.McPhierson says the station carriesall home football games of the

Redskins."Mostly we mic the audience for

ambient sound," McPhierson says.There is a left and right mic, and

the play-by-play is in the middle onboth channels, with color announ-cers panned slightly left or slightlyright, to avoid a hard left or hardright ping-pong effect.

McPhierson says the station de-signed its own stereo field console tocarry the football games. It's set upwith pan pots to help create thestereo image, McPhierson says, asin the slight panning of the colorannouncers. However, the crowd,according to McPhierson, is notpanned for stereo effects but simplyseparated to give the feel of being atthe game.

Lack of receiversEven the stations using AM

stereo for sports programming arereluctant to overpromote it becauseof the lack of receivers.

"It's been a frustrating sort ofWGN's Morris says. "We

were involved in a market promo-tion for stereo, and we were reallydisappointed in the results."

Instead, it seems that the idea tobroadcast sports in stereo justseemed logical, since the gameswere being carried anyway. Manystations are not even miking thecrowd with separate left and rightchannels, but are simply carryingtwo channels of the same audiosignal.

Stations that are musicallyformatted when they are not car-rying the games seem a little morecomfortable with the idea of stereoeffects, while news/talk stationsseem very much against mikingtalk shows or newscasts, becauseof previous failures.

"From my experience with FM,I'm not going to put the caller onone channel, and the host on an-other," says KABC's Sterman. "Ifyou listen in stereo, especially onheadphones, it can drive you cra-zy." Sterman points to early exper-iments with FM talk shows, wherea host on one mic and a guest onanother led to ping-ponging.

Morris says it's important to usethe stereo effect sparingly.

"All we've done is try to simu-28 BM/E JANUARY, 1986

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Audio Engineering & Production

late what the listener hears," saysMorris.

"One of the things you have tobe careful about in stereo is not tomake it an acoustical gimmick.Basically, one speaker doesn'tsound as good as if you hear it intwo ears. We have to worry aboutnot degrading the mono signal."

Broadening the supportThe positive feedback, even in

small doses, that AM stations getwhen they experiment with stereoduring sports events shows that itmight be something AM could doto get back listeners, without wor-rying about carving up only themusic audience. But some strongsupport for AM stereo is stillneeded, and it is about to comefrom a group owner with someclout.

Westinghouse Broadcasting, orGroup W, has already convertedWBZ in Boston and KDKA in

Pittsburgh to AM stereo on theMotorola C-Quam system, andGlynn Walden, engineering man-ager for Group W's AM stations,says WINS, New York, KYW,Philadelphia, and KFWB, Los An-geles, are all slated to go stereo aswell, along with KMEO, thegroup's newest AM acquisition inPhoenix. WINS, KYW, andKFWB are news/talk AMs, butWalden says it's too soon to specu-late how stereo might be used oncethe stations convert. He doesmaintain that it would not be usedfor news and talk shows.

"We tried it with FM when itfirst started. But there was a lossof loudness for the mono listenerin FM, so it didn't go over well,"Walden says, although he doesn'tknow if the same would be true forAM stereo.

Walden says Group W is inter-ested in AM stereo as a way to pro-vide better quality AM.

AM Stereo

"Our main interest in promot-ing AM stereo is first to promoteAM, then to promote better quali-ty AM radio," Walden explains.

He says there has been listenerresponse to AM stereo, with callscoming in to WBZ and KDKA al-most as soon as the stereo conver-sion was complete. But he believesstations must take the lead instereo, because "you can't wait forthe receivers to be out there."

Most AM stations who convertto stereo transmission are proba-bly doing it with a music format,and hoping to reach parity withFM fidelity and get back some oftheir dwindling music audience.But nonmusic stations and musicAMs carrying sports may findsome modest stereo miking andmixing will give an added edge ina competitive market, feeling thatas long as the games will be airedanyway, they may as well havethe best audio available. BM/E

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BM/E JANUARY, 1986 31

Audio Engineering & ProductionFM Production

FM Production Benefitsfrom Multitrack

TechniquesAs multitrack facilities become more commonplace in FM radio stations,

using them to their best advantage takes time and an increasedawareness of the nuances of radio.

By Don Elliot, Production Manager, KIIS-AM/FM

Successful, competitive audioproduction is the result of anawareness of flow and punc-

tuation that is pleasing to the ear. Itsells by getting its point across withan impression. Recently, it's be-come possible to employ morevaried techniques to achieve suchresults, and one of the more crea-tive of these has been borrowedfrom recording studios.

Multitrack facilities are becom-ing more commonplace in FM radiostations, but using them to theirbest advantage-and to the benefitof the station-is something thattakes time and an increasedawareness of the nuances of audio.

Certain ground rules can helpgive a station a consistency in itsproduction results. Artistic puristsat one end of the spectrum maywork endlessly on a piece of produc-tion with no end product. On theother end are those producers whomust "grind" out 15 retail spots aday for the local used car dealer.The ideal is to be able to work some-where in between.

The equipmentIt seems simplistic to remind

audio producers that they shouldget to know their equipment, butwith increasing use of state of theart multitrack recorders, it's be -

Don Elliot, production manager of KIIS-AM/FM, in his home multitrack produc-tion studio.

come more important .Most stations already have a

multitrack recorder and don't evenrealize it, because they've neverthought of their stereo two -track assuch. But whether a station ownsthe latest model eight -track withall the bells and whistles, or thesame reliable two -track that hasstood in the production studio for afew years, it's possible to usemultitrack techniques to increasecreativity and productivity.

There are many advantages tomultitrack recording. Even thefastest reel-to-reel editing and as-sembly techniques can't compare

with the smoothness, ease, andspeed of multitrack production. Thebasics apply whether the recordingfacility is a two -track, four -track,eight -track, 16 -track, or more. A se-gue from one track to the next is as

About the Author:Elliot, a former morning jock, is cur-rently production manager of KIIS-AM/FM, Los Angeles. He alsoproduces TV theme music and jingles,is the voice of many radio ads, and isproducing an LP of song parodies asone member of the group"E.E.G.A.D."



basic as using two channels of two -

track. One asset the machine musthave, however, and most do, is afeature known as sel-sync, sync, orsimul-sync (MCI calls it "cue"),which allows the monitoring ofsound from the record head.

Since there is a sound delaycaused by the distance between therecord and playback heads, sound-

on -sound techniques are impossiblewithout this feature. With it, youcan play back the original track andrecord a new track on the recordhead simultaneously. Thus, the twotracks will be lined -up, and bothwill be reproduced without sounddelay. The end result is the elimina-tion of the need to splice parts of theproduction together, or record themagain onto another tape, thusavoiding generation loss.

Multitrack recording techniquesrequire the use of a multitrackconsole. If the station does not haveone, there has to be some way tobring the sync output of the ma-chine back independently of the re-cord bus of the console formonitoring purposes. This could bedone by using a sub or auxiliarymixer such as those made byFostex, Shure, Tascam, and others.

Two -track creativityMultitrack recording with sel-

sync is relatively simple and canbecome second nature in a shortperiod of time. The first section ofthe piece is laid on track one. Thetape is rewound and played backin the sync mode through the mon-itor. Track two must be on "input,"so you can hear what is going to beadded in sync with what has beenpreviously recorded. You can push"record" at any time becauseswitching the first track to "sync"and "safe" protects the first trackrecorded. When you hear the endof the first section on the firsttrack, the next track, which is al-ready recording, can be laid down,either overlapping or adjacent tothe first section. You can carrythis on indefinitely, alternatingtracks, which are finally combinedand mixed down to a master tapeor to a cart. One area where thistechnique can prove useful is in

FM Production

Time

LEGEND TO FACILITATE

Track 1

A SIMPLE

MIXDOWN CHART

Track 2

MIXDOWN

Track 3 Track 4

:00 Music,Section 1

"Thisweekend..."

:12 Voice Q:"...thisweekendonly."

New Music,Section II

:18 Q: "...atthe antiquecar show."

SoundEffects ofantiquecar horn.

:22 Q: "...dealersall over So.California.

:25 New Music,Section IIIhits for fadinglive -over,pad to :30

A legend sheet showing time, in-, and opt -cues helps organize tracks formultitrack recording.

reassembling "loose" agency spotsor "piggybacks."

Mixing down requires summingthe output of a two -track, orbringing in each track on a separatepot on the console.

Using eight -tracksThe methods used for two -track

recording can be applied to eight -track production as well. Produc-ing on eight -track will usually bemore complex, such as spots call-ing for several voices.

When you're building up tracks,usually you can begin by doingsplice edits needed for effects or mu-sic on 1/4 -inch, especially if it meanstailoring a music bed to fit copy,creating a loop, or a series of effects.The 1/4 -inch tape then becomes an-other source of audio like a cassetteor live voice to be laid on a track.Doing the editing on 1/4 -inch letsyou tailor it to the spot.

For the eight -track recording, Iusually start with the first piece ofmusic, which I lay on tracks threeand four (two tracks for stereo), andthen lay the next piece of music ontracks five and six. It's better to usethe center tracks, instead of theedge tracks one and eight, whenyou're working with music. The

reason is that music requires opti-mum quality, and anything with asuper high end such as bells or cym-bals, or with heavy transients or dy-namics should be recorded oncenter tracks, which have the supe-rior alignment. The edge tracksalso generally are the first to sufferwear and tear.

Continuing the example, the firstvoice track is recorded on track two.Then a sound effect is brought in ontrack one if it's mono, tracks sevenand eight if stereo. If you get in thehabit of using the same tracks forthe same segments, such as musicon three, voice on two, you will beorganized, and it will be easier toremember once the recording isdone. Or you can use the legendsheets mentioned previously.

Benefits of multitrackIn addition to the added

creativity, there are lots of cum-bersome problems that can beavoided by working with multi-track. One is the ability to update.

For spots that are time -critical,you can keep the same music, ef-fects, and general copy, but if theportion with the date, or timereference-such as "sale ends to-morrow"- is on its own track, it


Audio Engineering & ProductionFM Production

can be rerecorded with differentdates or references. It's important,however, that the two phrasestake up the same amount of time,and that you make use of the sel-sync feature to get the phrase tocome in at the right time.

The same can be said of mis-takes. If you flub the copy, or makea mistake with the effect or music,and each is on a separate track,

there is no need to go back andrecut the entire piece. You onlyhave to go back to the one part andrerecord it, again monitoring it tokeep the timing right.

Another advantage tomultitrack is the ability to build asequence, or "paint a picture." Youcan lay sounds on separate trackswhich, when played back, createan overall effect. You could create

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a "party," for example, by record-ing background talk on severaltracks, perhaps several times, de-pending on the loudness and sizeof the crowd desired. Ice tinklingin glasses can be added on a sepa-rate track, and perhaps very softbackground music on another.Finally, your announcer's voicewill be louder and panned to givethe effect that he's at the center ofthe party.

Another place where multitrackis important is in adding EQ, com-pression, or other technical effectssuch as reverb. Each track can beequalized or compressed separate-ly, and those effects, along with re -verb, can be added only to thesegments of a piece you want toemphasize, such as the announcerat the party in the example above.The same is true of panning.

When mixing these effects, Iclose my eyes because I try to feelit.

It's important to immerse your-self in the sound and to becomeaware of the nuances. Panningsand level can create the effect, butyou really are painting a picture.You can't do it by formula-youhave to do it by feel. The same istrue of rhythm. Timing is morethan just using a stopwatch. Youhave to get the rhythm, the dy-namics, the contrasts and bring itall in on the right beat. In creatingdialog, I use different levels for dif-ferent characters.

One additional word aboutrhythm. I don't usually use a timecode track unless I'm mixing audiofor video or film. I also use it occa-sionally as an autolocator, be-cause it lets me preselect a "punchin" and "punch out" point, which isespecially valuable in updatingspots the way I outlined above. Ithink that rather than using timecode, a producer has to rely on hisor her own sense of rhythm, andeven when using a time codetrack, I find that there's a rhythmthat has to be "felt."

All these techniques can be em-ployed, but the final quality of theproduction is as much a function ofthe producer's inherent aptitude.It's better to teach a philosophy ofproduction than technique. BM/E


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Redesigning TV Sound:From Burbank to

BrooklynEncouraged by the success of its stereo sitcom The Cosby Show, and by anew focus on audio, NBC has borrowed acoustic design techniques from

the recording industry to enhance its audio.

when NBC decided tolaunch comedian BillCosby's idea for a sit-

com, the network was faced withsome immediate problems of logis-tics. Its star and creator is an eastcoast resident who would ratherwork in New York than inCalifornia, where NBC's otherhalf-hour comedies are produced.

But where in New York to housea full-scale production was a con-cern, since studio space wasscarce, and the nature of the showrequired a live studio audience.

NBC finally settled on an oldsound stage in its Brooklyn build-ing where the soap opera AnotherWorld was taped each weekday.The set was a huge, vacant stagethat had been used for live varietyshows in the 1950s, and it had itsshare of technical imperfections.But, at that time, no one knewwhat a hit The Cosby Show wouldbecome.

It wasn't long before the popu-larity of the show, and the atten-tion to detail of its star and staff,meant that some changes were inorder, the first and foremost ofwhich focused on the show's audio.

NBC, in its commitment toMTS, has brought a whole newawareness of audio to the world oftelevision. To improve the audioquality of The Cosby Show, which

By Judith Gross

The set and live audience section of The Cosby ji1L,':v Doundstage at NBC'sBrooklyn facility had to undergo acoustic improvements for the show's stereosound.

is produced and broadcast instereo, it turned to the tried andtrue techniques of acoustic designfor the recording industry.

The network had already set aprecedent in the area of new sounddesign for TV in its renovation ofan audio post -production room atits Burbank facility. PPS 1 (post -production sweetening one) hadbeen planned and constructed to

the recommendations of ChipsDavis Acoustic Design. Davis wasone of the first to use advances inacoustic measurement and newprinciples of design created for re-cording studios and apply these toTV audio environments. NBChired Davis as a consultant, torework the audio facilities inBrooklyn and to improve the audioquality of The Cosby Show.


Audio Engineering & ProductionTV Sound

NBC's Post -Production Sweetening 1 in Burbank makes use of techniquesworked out by Chips Davis Acoustic Design.

State of the art acousticsThe principles applied to the de-

sign of both PPS 1 in Burbank andto audio control for The CosbyShow in Brooklyn are referred toas "live -end -dead-end acoustics."(LEDE is a trademark of Synner-getic Audio Concepts. Acoustic en-vironments not certified by themcan be called LEDE-type or style,but are not actual LEDE rooms.)

LEDE-type rooms are basicallyanechoic, minimizing or eliminat-ing reflections from the surround-ings that can feed into the audioand mix with the recorded sound.The design was made possible bythe ability to do precise measure-ments with Time Delay Spectro-metry, or TDS. TDS looks at thefrequency spectrum of the directsignal or any reflection of the di-rect signal while discriminatingagainst all other energy present inthe room. It is also important to doan energy time curve, showing thedirect signal and its reflectionswith respect to time and intensity.

The ideal, in creating an LEDE-type room, is to create a "Haaszone" with the initial reflectionfrom the direct sound off the rearwall of an acoustic room renderedinaudible, and to have any energyremaining after those reflectionsdecay evenly over time. A Haaszone is based on the Haas effect,which occurs when the humanbrain masks echoes and delays ofsound that arrive approximately

10 to 20 milliseconds after theoriginal or direct sound. Basically,a room using these principles ofacoustics will not have any reflec-tions or reverberations feedinginto and coloring the final audioproduct. What is heard in such aroom will be accurate to the soundrecorded.

Some of the design criteria thatare necessary to create such acontrolled acoustic environmenthave to do with the physical char-acteristics of the room itself; oth-ers with the integration of audioequipment within the room.

The inner shell or shape of theroom must be symmetrical; rearwalls and rear side walls must besolid, and distanced to provide in-terwoven comb filter patterns thatwill diffuse and fall within theHaas zone. Speakers must betime -coherent and placed at cor-rect spacing from each other andat correct angles to the audio mix-er. There must be an effectivelyanechoic path between speakersand the mixer's position. Theconsole must be placed so that re-flections of sound from it doesn'tinterfere with the desired ane-choic path. Correct power ampsare needed to control the complexspeaker load and have the head-room to reproduce without peakclipping. All audio equipmentmust be correctly interfaced andgrounded, and the polarity of theentire audio chain must be correct.

The list of criteria is long, and isthe most crucial in recording stu-dios and other acoustically preciseenvironments. The use of suchprecise design criteria is a newphenomenon in TV sound, and isimportant for MTS.

Sweetening the audioConstruction of what is now

called PPS 1 in Burbank began inMarch of 1983 and was completedin April of 1984. NBC was usingwhat is now PPS 2 for post-

production sweetening. The oddlyshaped (trapezoidal) asymmetric-al room with standard ceilings andstandard fluorescent lighting wasnot giving a true audio sound, andmixers were complaining thatwhen audio was taken out of thatroom, it didn't sound the sameelsewhere.

The new PPS 1 incorporatesmany changes. Three layers of5/s -inch drywall was used for ceil-ings and walls, because, Davis ex-plains, solid walls minimize thepossibility of reflections. Thewalls are parallel at critical dis-tances, and are laser -measured.

Davis says one problem wasthat the network was only able toallow a predetermined space forthe room, and there were obstacleshe had to overcome. The ceiling in-itially sloped down towards theback, and there was a support pil-lar in the back of the room as well.

"We had to space the room out toget a pretty evenly defined bottomend, for the low frequencies,"Davis says, adding that the reso-nancy of a room is determined bysize. In PPS 1, Davis couldn't ad-just the width, but he did adjustthe length with respect to wherethe speakers were placed. He alsoangled the ceiling up away fromspeakers, and he adjusted the an-gle of speakers to the mixing posi-tion with a 60 degree angle, and a12 to 16 degree vertical angle.Davis says this is the best en-trance of audio into the ear.

The Davis design uses threetime aligned or phase coherentspeakers, one left, one right, andone mono (L + R). For the speakerson the console bridge, he usesmore powerful amps.


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The audio control room for The Cosby Show, at NBC in Brooklyn, benefits fromthe same acoustic principles as the network PPS1, located in Burbank.

"I never drive those speakerswith less than 100 watts, and I tryto get everybody to use 250 watts,"Davis says. "You don't want to runout of headroom, and you want tobe able to control the speaker." Hemaintains that a more powerfulamp will cause a speaker to sounddifferent than a smaller one.

Davis said he had to move theconsole in PPS 1 closer to thespeakers because of length of theroom. As with most of the designdecisions made, Davis says "It wasan optimized compromise."

The final layout of all planes inthe room are from the mixing posi-tion to an accuracy Davis says is2.5 seconds (as in degrees, minutesand seconds).

To finish the design, one inch ofcloth -covered fiberglass was usedon the console bridge, to softenhard spots in the room where re-flections can be caused. Davis saysthe finished product is differentfrom a more "plush" listeningbooth.

"We're not making a listeningroom, which should be very pleas-ant, but a control room with a neu-tral environment, so that what'sbeing recorded is what you actual-ly hear," says Davis. He adds thataudio that sounds good in PPS 1can sound good anywhere, even onsmaller speakers.

Equipment in PPS 1 includes aCMX editing system and Ampex

recorders-an ATR-124 24 -track,an MM -1200 16 -track (backupmultitrack), and ATR two- andfour -track machines. All ATRs areCMX-controlled. The main con-sole is a 40 -input, 24 -bus Quad-Eight/Westrex Cornado. Thereare also two 16 -channel YamahaM-916 boards, used mainly formixing effects.

PPS 1 isn't only used by the net-work. NBC attracts outside clientswith its state of the art design. Infact, demand for its use is so high,that NBC has asked Davis to workwith PPS 2 (the former PPS 1) totry to maximize its acoustics.

Audio for a number oneshow

Three months after the launchof The Cosby Show, when it wasclear that NBC had a success on itshands, the network decided tomake some changes.

The old soundstage was a prob-lem, especially for Cosby, whothrives on a live audience reac-tion. The audience sound wasgetting lost in the huge space, andthe set sound was traveling upover the overhead pipes and blend-ing with the audience sound.

In addition, the audio controlcenter was an open space in a cor-ridor adjacent to video control, andextraneous sounds and audio re-flections were making the mixer'sjob more difficult.

NBC once again called on Davis,who was able to convince theshow's staff that changes were inorder when he replaced limitersthat were changing the whole tim-bre of the audio. The next step wasto make some temporary changesto get the show through its firstseason, before a complete redesigncould be undertaken. The audiocontrol room was eventually reno-vated when the show went on sum-mer hiatus.

In the new design, Davis mademany of the same changes to thecontrol room that he had to PPS 1in Burbank.

He rewired new speakers, againtime aligned speakers, and placedthem in the precise positioning re-quired for the anechoic effect. Heenclosed the room with solid walls.As with PPS 1, Davis says therewere compromises that had to bemade-the main one involving theall-important mixer's position.Davis says he would have placedthe mixer further back from theconsole, but it was important forRich Jacob, the show's audio mix-er, to be able to see the show's di-rector through a glass booth in thefront of the room. That meant themixer had to be closer to the front,and Davis had to reangle thespeakers. There is still a slightproblem with reflections from arack to the left of the main console,which Davis says he intends to ad-dress. But overall, he says thestereo image within the room is"superb," as is the frequencyresponse.

The massive set and live audi-ence represented another set ofaudio problems for the show. Jo-seph Kolb, manager of studio oper-ations for Brooklyn, says thatbaffles had long been removedfrom pipes overhead. These werereplaced, to stop the bleeding ofaudio over the set and into the au-dience, and to get rid of what Kolbcalls "slap -back": the bouncing ofsound into the audience and back.

Portions of the set had to bemodified with respect to audio aswell. Steps in the "living room"were initially hollow, but theyhave since been insulated for amore solid sound. To help further


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Chips Davis takes Time Energy Frequency (TEF) readings to measure early soundreflections in an NBC facility.

separate the audience sound forthe stereo mix, black velvet wasplaced in front of the audienceseating.

Stereo mixVeteran sound mixer Jacob is

pleased with the finished audiobooth.

"Acoustically, you want to hearif what is coming out of that speak-er is actually being recorded forthe show. Anything can soundokay in the headphones, but withthe speaker you really know howit's going to sound," Jacobexplains.

He says the room has been"damped down" and is more solidsounding. He also says the lack ofreflections and extraneous noisemakes his job less difficult.

"One of the things you notice isthe lack of ear fatigue; everythingis so flat and easy to listen to, youdon't get tired as easily," says Ja-cob. "I've worked on some sitcomswhere after several hours yourears are ringing."

The set of The Cosby Show is notmiked for stereo, but the audienceis. The stereo mix, according to Ja-cob, is done during post -produc-tion at Compact Video on the westcoast, where most NBC stereositcoms are done.

In the Brooklyn audio booth, Ja-cob uses a Solid State Logic 5000board for mixing, and he also re-cords separate tracks of audio forthe audience mix.

"Most sitcoms are doing limitedstereo, not with dialog," Jacob

says. "They split the audience leftand right, and add music and ef-fects later."

He says miking for stereo is dif-ficult, and that in television it'sstill a new phenomenon.

"The idea of stereo is to addspace and dimension, and panningstereo across so small a screen asmost TVs it's hard to get the feel-ing of space," Jacob notes. He alsopoints out that the director wouldhave to call camera shots withstereo audio in mind, and that acomplex stereo mix would requirelonger post -production time.

"It will be a while before we docomplete stereo," he maintains.

In fact, the decision not to micthe set in stereo on NBC's sitcomswas a conscious one, according toMike Sherlock, network executiveVP of operations and technicalservices.

One of the procedures that isdone differently for stereo, Jacobnotes, is the laugh track. In mono,he says, it was placed very close tothe punchline, but in stereo, it isset "further back," to create a feel-ing of space.

The dialog of The Cosby Show ishard middle, Jacob says, and is re-corded onto one track which issplit into balanced stereo in themix. The set is miked with the tra-ditional booms.

There are 12 mics on the audi-ence, and these are separated forstereo, with three lower right,three lower left, three upper right,and three upper left. A "center"audience is added in the post -

production mix, Jacob says.On the videotape, two audio

tracks are recorded, with the setaudio on the top track, and the au-dience on the bottom.

Four audience tracks are re-corded onto a separate tape usingan Otari half -inch four -track ma-chine. There is one track for theset audio, one track for the left sideof the audience, one for the rightside, and one track for time code.Any sound effects done on the set,such as doorbells or phones, areplaced on the audience track. Oth-er effects are mixed in during post.

Audio's rightful placeNBC likes to characterize the

renewed emphasis on audio thatcame about with MTS as "audioregaining its rightful place intelevision."

To Kolb, it represents a majorchange.

"Audio has always been rele-gated to a lesser role in TV, sort ofan 'oh yeah, we've got to get theboom in there.' There's a newawareness of the sound, broughton in part by the introduction ofstereo," Kolb says.

Sherlock agrees."We've always been aware that

TV audio has been somewhat astepchild of TV. We felt that nowthat there was a de facto standardin stereo, we have an opportunityto improve the audio," he says.

Sherlock also explains that bet-ter audio is not limited to TheCosby Show or PPS 1 in Burbank,but is part of a larger plan, al-though he acknowledges thatCosby's success has given themove toward improved audio anextra push.

"We had an old facility there.Neither we nor the Cosby folkswanted to have our top show withoutdated audio."

NBC is now looking at the samedesign acoustics to update othercontrol rooms and to constructnew production facilities inBurbank. It's one more sign thatTV production is starting to lookat audio as a product on par withvideo, and as Sherlock points out,"stereo is a better quality prod-uct." BM/E

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ARE NOW ON THE MAP

Deregulation, NewTechnology Bring Changes

in Radio Transmission

M radio is attempting toresuscitate a fading au-dience with stereo and

better quality audio. Digital audioand solid-state transmission aretwo high-tech innovations that arechanging the way things are donein both AM and FM, and FM appli-cants are struggling through thepaperwork involved in the 80-90docket resolutions, while some al-ready established stations are put-ting aside their competitive spiritand sharing antennas.

The transmitter industry standsto gain from the new climate, notonly in increased sales, but in thedesign and performance improve-ments that will result as radiobroadcasters aim for better quality.

DeregulationThis is the year Docket 80-90

comes to fruition. It will be a while,most industry insiders believe, be-fore the new stations that will arisefrom the mass of paperwork haveany great impact on the market-place. Nevertheless, new FM sta-tions, stations seeking upgradesbefore the "freeze" deadline, andthose who opt to go the communityantenna route will all be reevalu-ating transmission needs in thecoming year (see box).

On the AM side, stations are nolonger forced to adhere to the olddiscrete power limitations. Now

stations can operate between thediscrete "steps"-in some cases thismight be the impetus for an up-grade to the next highest powertransmitter.

One issue that may have a nega-tive effect for both AM and FM is agrowing concern about RF radia-tion from radio towers, according toJorgen Jensen, AM broadcast salesmanager for Nautel. He observesthat some stations have been pre-vented from upgrading their trans-mitters, others have been forced tomove their antenna sites, and somebroadcasters have been refusedzoning permits by the local govern-ment because of this concern.

There are several other develop-ments of significance to AM sta-tions, which, while they may nothave an immediate or dramatic ef-fect, promise to influence the trans-mitter marketplace. Theagreement between the U.S. andMexico, allowing daytime stationsin this country that operate at thesame frequencies as Mexican clear -channels to go to full-time power,has been signed but has suffereddelays in implementation in theaftermath of the Mexican earth-quake. Once the agreement takeseffect, some daytimers who havebeen postponing system and trans-mitter upgrades will go ahead andmake their new purchases andimprovements.

Another uncertain area, at leastfor the present, is the effect of Cu-ban reaction to Radio Marti, whichbegan broadcasting several monthsago. Stations in Florida and alongthe Gulf Coast have been moni-toring their own signals for possibleinterference from jamming. It'sbeen rumored that Cuba intends toretaliate in some way, and at leastone transmitter manufacturer re-ported turning down a request fromthe Cuban government to buy anextremely high-powered transmit-ter. Stations in this country thatcan show intereference from suchpossible sources are eligible forpower upgrades.

Two other proposals for AM thatmay have an effect on transmitterbuys are the plans to widen the AMdial and a request from some AMproponents that AM stations be al-lowed to increase their power, per-haps by as much as 100 percent, tocompensate for RF interference.Both proposals are being discussedas part of an overall effort to im-prove the quality of AM radio.

But perhaps the biggest issue en-tering into AM improvement dis-cussions is the ongoing saga of AMstereo. With about 400 AM stationsbroadcasting in stereo, the focushas turned away from the systemswar and toward the need to encour-age stereo as a means of improvingAM transmission quality, thus for-


RF Engineering

Nautel is currently the only company marketing a 50 kW, fully solid-state AM transmitter in the U.S , shown here In itsmodular design.

cing receiver manufacturers to im-prove AM radios. At present, AMstereo has failed to make much of ashowing, and transmitter makersgenerally do not believe it will havemuch of an impact in the comingyear, either, with stations who gostereo simply adding the AMexciter to their existing transmit-ter. But at least one engineer citedthe lack of an AM transmitter thatincorporates stereo as a reason fornot buying stereo.

"I'd like to see an integrated AMstereo transmitter," he complained.

AM stereo may be a factor, how-ever; in that AM stations with olderequipment often discover, on goingstereo, that there are problems inother parts of the audio chain, andthey may eventually find it neces-sary to upgrade by buying a newtransmitter, among other equip-ment. If AM stereo doesn't make astronger showing soon, some be-lieve it will be destined to go theway of quadraphonic stereo. JoeDeAngelo, product marketing man-

ager for radio for the Harris Corp.,also believes the failure to embraceAM stereo could hurt the industry.

"If AM stereo doesn't fly, I don'tsee where high performance AMtransmitters will have any place inthe marketplace, and it could havea negative impact on the market inthe long term if AM stereo doesn'ttake off," says DeAngelo.

On the FM side, other than 80-90,there are a few other importanttransmission issues.

DeAngelo expects to see in-creased activity in the use of SCAshave an effect.

"Older transmitters can't alwayspass the extra bandwidth neededfor additional SCAs," DeAngelosays. "As SCAs become a money-maker for stations, older transmit-ters might be worth replacing."

DeAngelo also thinks the in-crease in the use of CDs on FM sta-tions will cause broadcasters tostrive for the same "clean" sound inthe remainder of the audio chain,and that upgrades may be necessa-

ry to accomplish this.Two ongoing concerns cited by

many in the industry are the tradi-tional need for reliability and theneed to cope with higher powercosts.

To insure reliability, broadcast-ers usually seek out transmittermanufacturers with a proven trackrecord.

"Buyers will always be looking atreliability, then performance, andall those things that produce relia-bility," says Vernon Collins, VP fordomestic broadcast marketing,Continental Electronics.

In fact, engineers usally place re-liability at the top of their list ofthings to consider when buying atransmitter. One engineer said helooks for "high performance and re-liability," another, "reliability andreputation of the manufacturer."

Another factor some stations areconsidering is the ability of a trans-mitter to do its job without constantsupervision, meaning partial, orperhaps full automation capability.


RF EngineeringDeregulation & Technology

"Automated transmitters will bea plus," says Collins, now that morestations are looking at automationin an era when the station engi-

neer's role is shifting.Concerns about power costs have

also led broadcasters to seek out in-creased efficiency. Recently, solid-

-varinr Benefits Docket 80-90 Brings

state has become a feasiblealternative to tube transmitters,and the marketplace has respondedwith the development of fully solid -

By Gil Moor, Bromo CommunicationsMoor is a partner in Bromo Communications, broadcast technical

consultants based in St. Simons Island, GA.

Now that the first few Docket80-90 windows have come andgone and rulemaking requestsare being accepted by the FCC,we can assess just how this en-tire new process is working. Sofar, many stations have foundbenefits in the wake of Docket80-90.

It was clear from the outsetthat many previously unservedcommunities would now gettheir own FM stations. This hasindeed taken place, but there isanother phenomenon occurr-ing as well. Many existing Class Cstations are voluntarily takingthe downgrade to C1 or C2 andmoving much closer to centersof population. Although a sta-tion taking this course contin-ues to serve the original, smallercity of license, its value can in-crease many millions of dollarswhen the city grade signal isover the larger market. A Class Cstation with a center of radiationat 299 meters height above av-erage terrain is still a powerfulregional station.

Many AM -only stations havealso benefitted from Docket80-90 by getting the chance topursue a new FM channel intheir markets. Some AM broad-casters, especially daytimers,feel this is a life and death issuefor their AM -only stations. Longfights may ensue in some caseswhen one of the parties seekinga new channel is a determinedAM -only broadcaster who isfighting for a new FM affiliate.

The large number of applica-tions being received in Washing-ton is resulting in many beingeliminated for technical defi-ciencies. At one time, a station's

local engineer might attempt tofile a Form 301 for a new stationor even modify the present li-cense. Now, since the enact-ment of many new FM policies,it may no longer be advisablefor the local engineer to at-tempt such an undertaking. Ap-plications for the Docket 80-90window stations, if found de-fective, are returned with nochance for resubmission. Manysmall infractions can kick out anapplication, and it is virtually im-possible to keep up with the lat-est changes unless one'sFull-time attention is devoted tosuch work.

Many broadcasters are un-aware of the additional spacinggiven to Class C stations that op-erate from less than Class Cminimums. This additional 16km (10 mile) buffer better al-lows the station to find a site fora new tower over 300 m inheight. This buffer zone is slatedto be discontinued in 1987when these same stations willbe declassified automatically toCl or C2 status.

A benefit many broadcastershave ignored is the increasing ofClass A antenna height maxi-mums. The former maximumof 300 feet has been increasedto 100 m, or 328 feet. Although28 feet in itself is not a tremen-dous increase, when coupledwith single -bay antennas andpattern studies to maximize thesignal, it can have a profoundimpact on an existing Class Astation. Stations presently oper-ating at heights above an aver-age terrain of over 100 m willhave a more favorable powercutback. Any time a height

above terrain or effective radia-ted power is changed, a Form301 needs to be filed, Changesof this nature are classified asminor changes. Only changes incity of license or frequencychanges constitute a majorchange.

For metropolitan Class C FMsneeding to upgrade, the com-munity antenna can be a viableoption. Under this approach,several local stations agree toshare the same antenna with acenter of radiation greater than300 m. This allows all stationssharing the common antennato have basically the same cov-erage and avoid mandatorydowngrades. Community an-tennas are particularly attractivein metropolitan areas where en-vironmental, aeronautical, andspace constraints put antennalocations at a premium. Theirmajor drawback is financial.A much more expensive panelantenna is needed, along withexpensive combiners and trans-mission line. But there may be asavings in maintenance andconstruction if these costs arepooled. In general, a minimumof four stations are required tomake it economically feasible.For a Class A station with a328 -foot antenna, the costwould be difficult to justify.

Docket 80-90 is proving to bea very positive force. New ser-vice is being installed, AM -onlystations are getting FM affili-ates, and Class C broadcastersare maximizing their stations,The one drawback is that theremay not be enough frequen-cies available to accommodateall the new FMs desired


Which company provided FMtransmitters to over 1,000broadcasters in the lastfive years alone?

From 15 watts to 50 kilowatts,Harris FM transmitters are

being shipped at a record pace.Why?

Ask Jim Berry,Chief Engineer,WAIA-FM, Miami, Florida

"We've had nothing but thegreatest success. Our FM -25Kran four years non-stop on onetube. Sound quality is critical tous, and the Harris MX -15 exciteris remarkable. If we boughtanother transmitter tomorrow,this is the one we'd buy."

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Ask Steve Lampen,Chief Engineer,KJAZ-FM, Alameda,California

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I wanted the Harris FM -2.5Kright from the start. The trans-mitter worked perfectly after adifficult installation in a verytight location. It's very easy totune. The exciter sounds cleanand gorgeous on the air. Evennon -technical listeners havenoticed the difference."

Harris FM transmitters areavailable in eleven power rat-ings, including the new 3.5 kWValuStar. All backed bymanned, round-the-clock, non-stop emergency service. Ask theengineers you trust most. We'reHarris Corporation, BroadcastTransmission Division, P.O. Box4290, Quincy, Illinois 62305.217-222-8200.

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RF Engineering

Deregulation & Technology

Metal Oxide Semi -Conductor Field Effect Transistors, or MOSFETS, have madesolid-state AM transmission up to 50 kW possible.

state transmitters, even fbr higherpower requirements.

The move to solid-state"High power costs do cause some

radio stations to buy new transmit-ters, if energy efficiency is a featureof the new transmitter," saysNautel's Jensen. He cited a costsavings estimate to one 50 kW AMof $40,000 per year if the stationswitched from tube to fully solid-state transmission.

Nautel is the first manufacturerto market a 50 kW solid- state AMtransmitter in this country, and ra-dio station KBMR, Bismarck, ND,was the first station to put one onthe air.

Nautel had been building solid-state radio beacons since the late1960s and was able to increase themean time between failures,Jensen explains. At the time, bipo-lar transistors were used, and theycould accommodate lower powerneeds. But for higher powers re-quired in broadcasting, the transis-tors couldn't accommodate thehigher frequencies required. In ad-dition, Jensen says, bipolar devicesare fragile, sensitive to static, inef-ficient in their power consumption,and expensive to build.

Then around 1979, with the riseof the semi -conductor industry,along came the metal oxide semi-conductor field effect transistors,or MOSFETS.

"They are almost perfectswitches," Jensen explains, "being

totally on, or totally off, and canachieve switching efficiencies inexcess of 90 percent in the poweramplifier circuit. They are also ca-pable of higher switchingfrequencies."

MOSFETS, which are alsoreferred to as FETS (Field EffectTransistors), exhibit no apparentaging characteristics, Jensenadds, and are reliable, as long asthey aren't stressed. Their maindrawback is that they must be pro-tected, and can't withstand surgesin power.

Jensen says Nautel builds someprotection right into its transmit-ter designs, by isolating thecircuitry. Stations are also ad-vised to add protection by provid-ing lightning paths around thetransmitter, and lightning arrest-ers in the transmitter. Also,Jensen says, transmitters arebuilt in modular form, so thatshould a portion suffer from a di-rect lightning strike, it would onlydamage part of the transmitterand the station could remain onthe air, even if at lower power.

"Part of the reason we're so suc-cessful in high power is our meth-od of combining transistorsthrough a hybrid combiner,"Jensen says. He explains that bycombining them theoreticallythere are no limits on power, andthere is also the soft -failure capa-bility of the modular design.

Nautel manufactures fullysolid-state AM transmitters in

powers of 10-400 W,1 kW, 2.5 kW,5 kW, 10 kW, 25 kW and 50 kW.

FM solid-stateNautel's Jensen and DeAngelo

of Harris have pointed out the fea-sibility of manufacturing AMsolid-state transmitters over FMtransmitters. The disparity is dueto the fact that MOSFETS used inAM transmitters are also in de-mand as switching power sup-plies, and the separate marketinsures an adequate supply at rea-sonable costs. But for the higherfrequency transistors needed inFM transmitters, broadcasting isthe main market, and producingthem in quantity is not as cost-effective.

"For the FM band, the transis-tors are a specialty market, strict-ly for communications," DeAngelosays.

Harris makes solid-state trans-mitters for AM through 5 kW, andDeAngelo says the trend in AM isto convert to solid-state.

"Purchasing a transmitter be-low 5 kw that uses tubes is notstate of the art for AM," he says.DeAngelo says Harris is lookingat the possibility of building solid-state AM transmitters in higherpowers but he adds that the crite-ria is that "we want it to be cost-effective to the broadcasters, too."

In FM, Harris has solid-statetransmitters through 300 W, andDeAngelo says that currently inthis country broadcasters "needtube technology for anything over1 kW."

Paul Gregg, Elecom Bauer'spresident, does not agree thatsolid-state FM transmitters arenot yet cost-effective. He says thefeasibility of manufacturing bothFM as well as AM solid-statetransmitters has improved, andthe company intends to make astrong showing in both areas thisyear. In AM, Gregg saysMOSFETS have made the manu-facture of solid-state transmittersfeasible, and that Elecom Bauerwill introduce 250 W through 1kW models. In FM, he says, thecompany introduced 100 W powerthrough 600 W power amplifiersthis past year, and will have 1 kW


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RP Engineering


up to 2.5 kW solid-state FMs thisyear.

Gregg agrees that the main rea-son FM solid-state transmittershave not been available is the lackof transistors that can handle thehigher switching frequencies.

"The FM devices didn't have amarket anywhere else, while theMOSFETS did," Gregg points out.

"The devices used in FM havebeen available in some industries,not yet in broadcasting, but theyare available at a competitiveprice," Gregg says. "We feel powerlevels to 3 kW solid-state FMtransmitters are competitive withtheir tube counterparts. The tech-nology is here."

Most manufacturers don't shareGregg's optimism. They believesolid-state will hit the FM trans-mitter market, but not until thecost of the higher power transis-tors comes down.

Broadcast Electronics makes

solid-state FM transmitters onlyat 500 W or below, and audio prod-ucts manager Tim Bealor says an-ything above that level is not inthe forseeable future.

"The higher power devices arenot yet available," Bealor says."You can get so much more powerfrom a tube for a much lower cost."

Broadcast Electronics hasn'tenetered the AM transmitter mar-ket, but Bealor says the new solid-state technology is causing themto take a look at it.

QEI makes tube transmittersfor FM, but national sales mana-ger John Tiedeck believes that theday of solid-state FMs is close. Hesays the company intends to intro-duce a prototype 2 kW solid-stateFM transmitter that is intendedas a driver for a 30 kW transmit-ter. The 2 kW will be all -solid-state, but the 30 kW will have a 30kW tube.

Tiedeck says it still is not cost-

effective to make solid-state FMsat higher powers.

Comark, a TV transmitter man-ufacturer, also sells Marconi AMand FM transmitters, and theAMs are solid-state to 1 kW, ac-cording to Jim DeStefano, directorof systems marketing. He believesstations still can save money bystaying with tube technology, pri-marily because solid-state trans-mitters are more expensive. Healso says there are space consider-ations, with tubes generally tak-ing up less space than paralleledsolid-state transmitters.DeStefano agrees that solid-statetransmitter life is longer, but saysthat tube life is longer than it usedto be as well. He believes that sta-tion engineers are still inclined togo with tube technology.

"The penetration of solid-stateis still rather low," DeStefanosays. "Engineers are opting fortubes that are more rugged and

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Closed captioning and teletextare only the beginning

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How installing the new LeitchVIP 1101N today gives you anedge on tomorrow.If vertical blanking intervals only meantblanking, you wouldn't need the new LeitchNTSC vertical interval processor. But this isn't thecase as you know. You'll see more and more usemade of the VBI in the near future.

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RF Engineering


less susceptible to lightningstrikes than transistors. It's atradeoff: if you protect your linefrom lightning strikes, you couldhave a solid-state transmitter thatlasts a long time, but for the timebeing, it seems that most engi-neers feel tubes are the way to go."

Continental Electronics sellsAM transmitters, and has not yetmoved into the area of solid-state,

but Collins believes the switch tosolid-state is inevitable.

"It's going to happen; it's only amatter of timing. Our opinion is itis just now reaching the pointwhere it is economically feasibleto buy a solid-state transmitter,"Collins says.

"There has to be something intransistorized transmitters to pro-tect them, and we're just learning

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how to do that," Collins observes.He points to directional AMs,which have more complex anten-nas and therefore tend not to be asstable.

"In a case like that, when theimpedence changes, tubes are farmore forgiving," says Collins. Buthe believes these problems are be-ginning to be solved, and that "theday of the transistor is just abouthere."

One final factor that may im-pact on the acceptance of solid-state transmitters is theircomplexity. Charles Goodrich,who has designed transmittersover the years for McMartin In-dustries, says that while solid-state is being promoted for itslower maintenance costs, it maybe difficult to find technicians whoare as well -versed in transistor re-pair as in the simpler tube tech-nology, at least for the time being.

"We found customers had diffi-culty maintaining and repairingsolid-state transmitters they hadpurchased," Goodrich says. "Atube can take a great deal of abuseand heat. But even slightmishandling can damage a tran-sistor." Goodrich believes partsavailability may be a problem insolid- state maintenance, especial-ly with a recent downturn in thesemi -conductor industry. He con-trasts the situation with the wide-spread availability of tubes, whichhe points out can also be rebuilt atrelatively low costs. Still, he ac-knowledges the interest in solid-state technology, and says thesituation could change as accep-tance comes about. McMartin,which has manufactured AM tubetransmitters, is currently in a"wait -and -see" position, facingChapter 11 difficulties.

While predictions as to the ac-ceptance of solid-state transmis-sion in radio are split, it seemslikely that more stations willmove in that direction, at least onthe AM side, and that along withregulatory considerations such as80-90 and the question of AMstereo, the pros and cons of solid-state will become an importantconsideration prior to transmitterupgrades. BM/E


A OEI NEWS RELEASE

"We're settingnew recordswith our 675FM Exciter."

eel

There are now over onethousand 675 Exciters out in thefield. They go virtually unnoticed,day after day providing the listen-ing public with news, music, andtalk shows . . . They are some-times neglected, abused, andeven mishandled, but they go onproviding top-quality sound withalmost no care or upkeep costs.No wonder we reached ourthousandth unit this year.

NAB NOTEAll owners of 0E1 -manufactured*675 Exciters will be eligible for adrawing that will be held inDallas on the first day of the NABat our booth number 3336. Thewinner will receive our new 695FM Exciter. Just return thefollowing information to us beforeApril 1, 1986.

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RF Engineering

Klystrode TransmissionComes to UHF TV

The Klystrode-a noveltransmitting tube for UHFdeveloped by Varian EIMAC

more than five years ago-is nowbeing incorporated into a high -power transmitter from Comarkthat is capable of both audio andvideo signal transmission. The de-sign is expected to debut at thisyear's NAB. Following successfultests last month, the Klystrodenow stands poised to replace theklystron in UHF TV transmission,according to Jim DeStefano, direc-tor of systems marketing atComark.

So far, Comark and VarianEIMAC's exclusive partnershipmarks the only commercial activi-ty in Klystrode development.George M. Badger, marketingmanager at Varian EIMAC, saysmany other companies haveshown interest in the Klystrode,but have a "wait and see" attitudetoward its adoption.

The Klystrode helps meet therequirement in UHF TV trans-mission to minimize power losses,both because of high energy costsand because of the need to matchthe efficiency of competing VHF.

The Klystrode is a combinationof a klystron and a tetrode withthe advantages of both, saysVarian EIMAC. It retains the out-put cavity and collector configura-tion of a klystron, but replaces itspower-hungry velocity -modulated

By Hugh Aldersey-Williams

TETRODE KLYSTRODEK G, G2 A It ?, A T

P ;

I

POTENTIAL

POTENTIALGRADIENTELECTRIC

FIELD)

ELECTRONVELOCITY

Lj

ELECTRON BEAM TRAVEL -0-

WHERE K DEVICE CATHODEG.. DEVICE CONRROL GRIDG,= DEVICE SCREEN GRIDA 1, DEVICE ANODE

. DEVICE TAIL PIPEC DEVICE COLLECTOR

Figure 1 shows the potential, potentialgradient and electron velocity vs.beam distance, for a tetrode and aKlystrode. In the top two drawings, thesolid line indicates the tube character-istics at minimum conduction and thebroken line shows the tube at maxi-mum conduction.

electron beam with a grid -con-trolled density -modulated beam.The grid -cathode structure resem-bles that of a tetrode. Figure 1compares the performance of theVarian EIMAC Klystrode with aconventional UHF tetrode.

In a tetrode, the high density ofthe electron beam puts the gridunder considerable stress duringoperation. In extreme cases thiscan lead to failure of the device.The Klystrode has a much lower

beam density, says Comark's pres-ident, Nat Orstroff. Anothersource of tetrode failure is cathodeexpansion causing it to come intocontact with the grid. TheKlystrode avoids this by using alarger cathode that operates at alower temperature.

Klystrode layoutFigure 2 shows the layout of the

Klystrode. It operates as follows:first, an alternating RF voltage isset up between the cathode andthe grid. This causes the electronbeam from the cathode to becomebunched or density -modulated asit accelerates toward the positive-ly charged regions of the Kly-strode. The beam passes throughan apertured anode without strik-ing it and continues through afield -free region at a constant ve-locity. It next passes an output gapin the resonant cavity when theelectric field induced by thepassage of the beam is decelerat-ing. Finally, the beam passesthrough a second field -free con-stant velocity region before leav-ing the Klystrode's tailpipe andstriking the collector. The mag-netic field in the Klystrode main-tains the electron beam's focus,especially in the output gap wherethe velocity falls and space -chargeforces are high. Magnetic focusingallows the size of the tailpipe tobe kept compact. This in turn


RF EngineeringKlystrode Transmission

GRID BIAS

MAGNETICFIELD

NIGHVOLTAGE

ANODE

ELECTRONS

RF OUTPUT

Figure 2 shows the structure of theKlystrode, which combines the fea-tures of a klystron and a tetrode.

decreases the output gap capac-itance and maximizes the obtain-able bandwidth.

The Klystrode thus achieves ahighly efficient Class B type of op-eration in which the beam currentvaries automatically in accor-dance with the required outputpower. "Therefore," says Orstroff,"the average input power lineenergy required is significantlylower than any device or system

currently available for use inhigh -power UHF transmitters."Badger likens the promise of theKlystrode to that of the Class Bmodulator when it was introducedinto AM broadcasting 50 yearsago. The Klystrode will consumelittle more than half the power of aklystron, he says. Orstroff's testscurrently give the Klystrodetransmitter design a 100 percentfigure of merit (calculated as peakpower output divided by averagedc input). Ultimately, a 60 kWpeak output could be achieved forcolor picture transmission from anaverage dc input of just 55 kW, hesays (a 107 percent figure). Powersavings are translated into equiv-alent cost savings. "A 60 kWKlystrode might be paid for in twoyears by power savings," Orstroffclaims.

Increased lifetimeThe Klystrode is expected to

largely displace klystrons in both

visual and audio signal amplifica-tion in new transmitters. In addi-tion, says Orstroff, "there appearsto be no fundamental reason whyKlystrodes cannot be retrofittedinto existing UHF transmitters."Beam voltages are similar for bothtubes. A slightly higher drive pow-er is needed for the Klystrode grid,which is the only major differdnce.

Klystrode transmitters are ex-pected to be commercially avail-able at 30 and 60 kW power levelsby the spring of 1987, saysComark's DeStefano. Comarkdoes not anticipate much competi-tion at least at first from other pos-sible buyers of the Varian EIMACtube after spring this year whenthe two companies' exclusive con-tract expires. Comark will have tomake the running before otherswill follow. Nonetheless, saysOrstroff, the Klystrode could "go along way to reducing the economicpenalty currently being paid bythe UHF industry." BM/E

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FIRSTIN TELEVISION TRANSMITTERSTownsend's first television transmitter was introduced in 1963. But pioneer-ing alone is not the key to technological leadership. We feel it's a spectrum ofachievements that add up to Townsend leadership. Some current examples:

UHF Transmitters designed to use any of the available klystrons-Integral orExternal Cavity-water or vapor cooled, wide or narrow band.

VHF Transmitters are operating today employing the newest triode tube andcavity designs from EIMAC. Operating power levels from 5KW to 30KW.

TA manufactures both HEP (High Energy Pulser) and MOD ANODE UHF pulsersfor use with Amperex, Varian, EEV, and Thorn EMI klystrons.

Our VHF Transmitters utilize the same redundant design concept that has beenthe hallmark of Townsend Transmitters.

Townsend offers UHF power levels from 1 watt to 240 kilowatt (solid state through250 watts) for use in any low power or high power application.

Townsend VHF Transmitters use the newest solid state devices in all driverstages.

Townsend custom retrofits RCA and Harris transmitters for Varian "S" seriesklystrons.

Low power VHF Transmitters available in totally solid state configurations up to 2kilowatts.

Whatever your requirement in Television Transmitters,consult the leader ...

TOWNSENDSince 1963. An American Pioneer in Television Transmitters.

TOWNSEND ASSOCIATES, INC. 79 Mainline Drive, Westfield, MA 01085 413-568-9581


RF Engineering

TV TransmissionAfter RCA

By Hugh Aldersey-Williams

RCA's shock decision to shutdown its broadcast divi-sion last October left a vac-

uum in the TV transmitter andantenna marketplace. The compa-ny's move is clearly bad news forexisting owners of RCA equip-ment. But it is good news for thosestill competing in the UHF andVHF transmitter markets. Whostands to gain the most?

All the principal players-Harris, NEC, Philips, Acrodyne,Larcan, Comark, and Townsend-are optimistic. "It's a real horserace," says Nat Orstroff, presidentof Comark. Industry sources cur-rently give RCA 60 percent of theinstalled base of VHF transmit-ters and 43 percent of the UHFtransmitter base. In both frequen-cy ranges, Harris Corporationholds second place with about halfthese figures -30 and 19 percentrespectively.

This does not present the wholepicture, however. In recent years,RCA's sales had slipped to thepoint where its broadcast oper-ation lost $15 million in 1984 andmore than $70 million the year be-fore. The transmitter and antennaside of the division's operation wasnot hardest hit. In the end, saysAndrew M. Hilliard, the division'smanager of advertising and pro-motion, RCA commanded a 30 per-cent share of transmitter sales

(VHF and UHF) and 70 percent ofthe antenna market.

For owners of RCA equipment,the company plans to maintain itsTechAlert troubleshooting teamof engineers until the end of 1986.As the Broadcast Systems Divi-sion is phased out of existence, itsother service, repair, and sales op-erations will be transferred to oth-er divisions. RCA's technicaltraining for broadcast customerswill conclude in March, with ser-vice only available on a custom ba-sis at client sites thereafter.

Making gainsIn UHF, Harris took up most of

the slack, claiming more than twothirds of current sales. As the newmarket leader, Harris would ap-pear to be well positioned to capi-talize on RCA's departure. Thecompany is cautious about itsprospects, however. "I can't pre-dict that," says Kenneth R.Schwenk, vice president and gen-eral manager of Harris BroadcastGroup's studio division, whenasked if Harris stands to gain all ofRCA's share. "But we are a viablecompany offering service andproduct," he notes.

Other companies are also bull-ish about new market prospects.Bob Blair, transmitter systemsmanager at Philips TelevisionSystems, points out that many


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RF Engineering

TV Transmission

RCA transmitters are aging andwill shortly need to be replaced.Since RCA is not there as the pre-ferred vendor, there is that newopportunity. Blair is chary of mak-ing specific predictions becausethe future for the UHF startups isdifficult to fathom.

Lew Page, U.S. sales managerfor Larcan, suggests the industrynow favors smaller, more special-ized vendors. One factor contribu-ting to RCA's problems was that it

tried to supply everything fromcameras to antennas with no obli-gation from customers to buy acomplete RCA range of equip-ment.

NEC's RF sales manager, JoeEngle, claims his company's com-petitive pricing gives it the edge.NEC's business should increase"dramatically" in the transmitterarea with RCA out of contention,he says. NEC had been one of thecompanies that was already

Choose?-Transmitters:tonuw

gaining substantially as RCA lostmarket share in the last few years.

Aerodyne, too, is looking to prof-it. Tom Creighton, vice presidentof marketing there, says the com-pany is contemplating enteringthe low -band, high -power VHFarena.

Choices of technology are pro-viding new trends in the marketas well. As in AM radio transmis-sion, there are the questions ofwhether to opt increasingly for

The trend in transmitters is to-wards ultimate transparency-the output must accuratelyrepresent the input. Beyondthis basic requirement is theurge to increase fidelity, by rais-ing both input and outputbandwidths. In AM radio partic-ularly, there is the concept ofextended audio; in TV the fu-ture will bring MTS and, ulti-mately, enhanced definition.BM/E asked the chief engineersof a number of stations and sta-tion groups what their criteriawere for selecting a new trans-mitter. Here is their response:

AM Radio

Reliability. Track record oftransmitter manufacturer.

Technology. Wideband per-formance. There should be nodistortion on highly processedwaveforms. Look for tilt,bounce, and phase shift.

Stereo. Stereo sound qualityis currently limited by transmit-ter technology, not by theexciter or stereo generator.Look for lost modulation capaci-ty of the mono signal-bounce,tilt, and ringing as a result ofadding stereo-has the L+ Rsignal been degraded?

FM Radio

Technology. In FM transmis-

sion, there are regular improve-ments in exciter technology.Look in manufacturer specifica-tions for a wideband exciterwith the ability to handle all thesidebands. Check linearity anddistortion sonically, with bothobjective and subjective testson a processed signal. If possi-ble, split the processor outputinto different transmitters. Thiswill confirm that it is not tneprocessor that is accidentallybeing tested.

Performance. Will the trans-mitter make at least its ratedpower? Turn it up to run at 110percent of its rated maximum.There should be at least thismargin to ensure that thetransmitter will operate satisfac-torily under adverse conditions.

Maintenance. Simplicity andease of servicing are key issueswith today's shortage of goodRF engineers. Is there round-the-clock factory support? Callup at 3 a.m. one morning to findout the truth for yourself.

VHF TV


Price. Current exchangerates may give companies fromabroad an edge in the market atthe moment.

Technology. There is not

much to choose from betweendifferent manufacturers interms of tubes used. Go forsimplicity and avoid multiplesolid-state devices.

UHF TV


Performance. Unlike VHF,transmission efficiency is a keyfactor here. Measure klystronefficiencies under load. Do notrely on manufacturer figuresfor individual klystrons. Youneed an overall plant efficiencyfigure.

Price. All manufacturers arenegotiable when it comes todiscounts.

Other issues to consider in-clude the space that a newtransmitter will occupy. Will it fit,or will it require site expansion?Will the old transmitter be dis-mantled, or used as a standby?Also, consider the space avail-able in the existing cabinet for anew klystron tube. How well thecabinet adapts to newer tech-nology can limit the changesmade to the transmitter. Pro-tection devices should be as-sessed: is there one protectiondevice for the complete unit orare the individual ones for sep-arate cabinets?


RF Engineering

solid-state equipment.Transmitter manufacturers

agree that in stereo it is program-ming and studio equipping thatare determining the rate of prog-ress. New transmitters are, on thewhole, being made stereo -compatible. "The majority of sta-tions going on the air will beequipped to handle at leaststereo," says Philips' Blair. Mostnew independent UHF stationscannot yet afford stereo programs,observes Bob Anderman, vice pre-sident of marketing at TownsendAssociates. Unless they are specif-ically a music video station, theirneeds are modest, relying on oldmovies and satellite programs.Nonetheless, transmitter manu-facturers are selling them stereo -compatible devices to meet thestations' future needs.

In other areas of technology, ad-vances in klystron design keep thesolid-state question hotly debated.Most notable among recent movesis Comark's deal to incorporateVarian EIMAC's Klystrode tubeinto its transmitter (see "Kly-strode Transmission Comes toUHF TV," p.61). Other compa-nies, however, remain skeptical."We see no real value in that de-vice at this time," says Townsend'sAnderman. Townsend instead fa-vors an air-cooled klystron madeby Valvo, currently in operation insome European installations.Townsend is working with Valvoto improve the design and bring itto the U.S. The company aims toreplace the tetrode tubes in its 5and 10 kW transmitters with theair-cooled klystrons. Klystron life-time will greatly exceed that of atetrode, Anderman says.

Philips also uses a vapor -cooledklystron. The design does awaywith the need for pumps, and low-ers the power requirement to in-crease efficiency. According toBlair, the tubes are external cavi-ty devices with either an annularbeam control or a special controlelectrode cutting the power re-quirement by 25 percent com-pared to an integral cavity kly-stron.

The movement toward transis-

tors remains undeniable, how-ever. Against this, George M.Badger, marketing manager attube manufacturer VarianEIMAC, offers some words of cau-tion. "One of the major reasons forthe popularity of solid-state," hesays, "is that it is naturally as-sumed to be more reliable andmore efficient. However, whenyou get up into transmissionequipment where the power levelis tens and hundreds of watts, it is

TV Transmission

no longer true." Some proponentsof solid-state transmitter designtake their reliability figures fromlow -power computer equipmentand assume they apply at higherpower levels, he claims.

While predicting a short-termresistance to solid-state design,Badger recognizes the long-termtrend. "At the same time," he con-cedes, "I have no doubt that 20years from now the transistor willbe more reliable." BM/E

TODAY'SMULTI -FORMAT

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But the 716A is designed for more than current needs.

Easy software upgrades insure the 7' 6A will keep pacewith tomorrow's production technology.The 716A is available from stock @ $2650.00.

For detailed specifications or an on -side demonstration ofthe 716A or any of the Cipher Digital series 700 Time -Codeproducts contact:

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Circle 142 on Reader Service Card BM/E JANUARY, 1986 69

TV Engineering & Production

New TV SignalArchitectures: NTSC's

Relatives Move InS -MAC , B -MAC , D2 MAC, RGB, M-11, Beta, enhanced NTSC together

at SMPTE-but a potentially fractious family

By James A. Lippke and David Hawthorne

elevision engineers arefaced with hard choicesthese days, as NTSC has

been declared obsolete because itjust isn't good enough anymore.The viewers of tomorrow are cer-tainly not likely to tolerate any-thing produced to the NTSCstandard when better pictures areavailable elsewhere, as the cur-rent school of thought goes. Whatmust one do? Adopt the muchtalked about analog componentapproach? But which one: Y, I/Q orY, R -Y, B -Y .or S -MAC? Whatbandwidth is the acceptable mini-mum? Should one wait for the all -

digital plant to arrive? How about"enhanced" NTSC? Is it an alter-native? Is HDTV for real?

If you attended the One Hun-dred and Twenty Seventh SMPTETechnical Conference in Los An-geles last October, you would haveobserved some of the benefits instore for you for the following:

An analog component ap-proach using a Y, PR PR compo-nent set-the so-called SMPTES -MAC plan.

A digital component approachactually used by SFP, France, toproduce an all -digital music video.

An HDTV demonstrationusing 1125 lines-the NHKapproach.

An enhanced NTSC approachrivaling RGB performance-ascheme using two comb filters inencoders developed by FaroudjaLaboratories.

The exhibit floor offered severalopportunities to see analog compo-nent equipment tied together insystems. Shintron, for example,offered from -source -to -outputequipment including a productionswitcher, an RGB digital frame-store/DVE unit, a componentdownstream keyer, componentrouting switchers, and an inter -matrix (RGB, YIQ, Y, R -Y, B -Yand Beta) signal format converter.

A full afternoon at SMPTE wasdevoted to HDTV. AppropriateGamma and dynamic range needswere discussed and interlaceversus progressive scan debated.Often the intended use of the pro-gram material is a critical factor.As was brought out in the HDTVpanel discussion, progressive scanmay be better for theatrical pres-entations, but interlace is betterfor sports programs that want toshow slow motion.

There are yet more options andmore decisions. What is the bestway of transmitting an enhancedNTSC, S -MAC or HDTV signal?Ron Katznelson of M/A ComLinkabit argues that theoretical-

ly, BNTSC is better than MAC,for transmission purposes. Andwhat in the world is BNTSC?Katznelson described it as a com-posite format identical to NTSC,except that the horizontalblanking interval is replaced withdigital audio symbols, thusavoiding the need for audiosubcarriers. But another SMPTEpaper by Keith Lucas of Scientific-Atlanta built the case for B -MACas an invention specifically de-signed to improve channel effi-ciency in FM satellite TVtransmissions. Lucas argued thatB -MAC was the best route totransmit HDTV. But there was noone giving a paper defending D2MAC, the "standard" adopted byEuropeans as a means of deliv-ering "enhanced" pictures to Eu-ropean audiences by satellite andcable TV. D2 MAC is described asa compromise compatible with to-day's satellite and cable TVtechnology.

As stated by a SMPTE paper au-thored by Don Reynolds and LyleKeys of Utah Scientific, "hard-ware to accommodate coexistingPAL/NTSC, MAC and HDTVstandards presents unique prob-lems." Some of the techniquesused by Utah Scientific in its newrouting switcher and video DAs as


they relate to return loss, lineequalization, cable lengths, andhigh bandwidth designs were de-scribed. The program was, how-ever, missing any overviewdiscussion of control interfacesthat must evolve to truly integratenew equipment into systems.

Indeed, the choices and deci-sions to be made are legion, and itis difficult to get a handle on thesubject. The theme of October'sSMPTE conference was "New Di-rections in Technology: DifficultDecisions." What one could seeand hear at Los Angeles certainlyreinforced the theme. A variety ofdiverse ideas are before the indus-try in this post-NTSC/PAL/SECAM era. "Plurality" describesthe milieu; while there are braveefforts afoot to develop stan-dards-international standards-little unity of thought is apparent.There were no "seers" at SMPTEthat tried to put it all together.

One might have hoped to seehardware and proposed plant de-signs that would accommodateanalog component processing asan integral part of the existingNTSC plant. Indeed, some more orless complete setups for analogprocessing were on display androuting switcher manufacturerswere talking bravely of routingthree separate signals-and say-ing that this is no great problem.But there were no signal architec-tural drawings on hand that readi-ly facilitated the movement of thesignal in a variety of forms.

Although the logical startingpoint is three separate inputsignals-R, G, and B (the output ofcameras)-the end -of -the -plantoutput must be something else-NTSC, PAL, SECAM, BNTSC,B -MAC, D2 MAC, 1125 -lineHDTV, N' HDTV or maybe Show -scan. The output must satisfy therequirements of the delivery sys-tem now in place and in the future,be it terrestrial or satellite broad-cast, cable-, fiberoptic-, VCR-,videodisc -distributed, or a theatri-cal release. There must be somekind of compatible receiver/display system of an electronic oroptical nature in place. The manydelivery systems are part of theproblem. A multitude of delivery

systems must be accommodatedsimply because the high cost ofquality entertainment program-ming requires multiple markets.TV alone, cable alone, or theatri-cal release alone will not pay fortoday's high production costs.

The case for S -MACThe momentum for the S -MAC

analog component approach con-tinues because of its inherent com-patibility with the already -adopted digital componentstandard CCIR 601. Equipmentfor the proposed S -MAC standardis already being produced andsold. S -MAC eliminates the arti-facts found in NTSC systems dueto interference between color anddifference signals. S -MAC, whichgets rid of dot crawl, color moireand the like, was described by S.Merrill Weiss, chairman of theSMPTE Working Group on Com-ponent Analog Video standardsand a member of the WorkingGroup on Digital Standards, onpage 77 ofBMIE's November, 1985issue.

Weiss carried the message fur-ther at the SMPTE conference ascoauthor of a paper with Stan Bar-on of NBC entitled "Componentsat the Crossroads: Making theRight Choices." The "choices" canbe represented by a matrix ofpossibilities:

AnalogComposite

AnalogComponent

DigitalComposite

DigitalComponent

Digital composite, said Weissand Baron, is simply analog com-posite digitized. The same processapplies to component signals. Youstart with R, G, and B analogs,convert them to luminance andcolor difference signals, still inanalog, then digitize them. Or youcan digitize R, G, and B directlyand later derive luminance andcolor differences.

Either analog or digital compo-nent versions can be carried onparallel cables or conductors, orthey can be multiplexed to passthrough a single channel, as rep-resented by the following matrix:

ParallelAnalog

SerialAnalog

ParallelDigitalSerial

Digital

Because the pictures are repre-sented in the same components inall quadrants of the matrix, con-version between the several ver-sions is relatively easy, say Weissand Baron. The beauty of this situ-ation is that producers can usewhichever forms are most appro-priate to the particular applica-tion. They can be converted toother forms for other applicationsif that is most desirable. This, ar-gued Weiss and Baron, "yields themaximum possible flexibility inplant design."

If distribution technology im-proves-even analog composite-it does not make obsoleteproductions created in the com-ponent format. And, it will neverbe as broadband as what is possi-ble in the creation and recording ofimages.

With interrelated forms of com-ponent signals all standardized,the choice of composite or compo-nent, either analog or digital, andthe choice of parallel or serial arequestions that can be answered bythe economics of the applicationand the equipment to beinterconnected.

But such standards are not yetquite here. The draft for a stan-dard for a single -channel (serial)multiplexed analog componentvideo interface has been prepared(September, 1985, DOC T 14.22-X2E.0) as well as a draft for athree -channel parallel video in-terface (same date, DOC T14.22-X3G.0). Final approvalshould be in just a matter ofmonths. Both provide compatibili-ty to the other, to the CCIR recom-mendation 601 for digitalcomponent signals, and to theSMPTE-recommended practiceRP -125 for parallel digital compo-nent signals. This is not to say thateverything is pinned down. At LosAngeles, the Working Groupswere soliciting opinions on suchmatters as the preferred connectorarrangement.

Does this mean that equipment


TV Engineering & ProductionTV Signal Architectures

built to these standards will bereadily available, or that it willmeet the standards proposed bythe Subcommittee for Digital Con-trol? If such equipment is not"readily available," then whenwill it be? Should one wait for suchtotally compatible equipment (sig-nal processing and control), or willequipment purchased now be re-trofittable to the new standards?These are some of the questionsthat should be asked beforerushing into new architectures.

The case for optimizedNTSC

Just as soon as it appeared thatcompatible analog/digital compo-

the higher line rate and widerspectrum bandwidth require-ment. Sound too good to be true?Almost, but the equipment to dothe job is now possible, saysFaroudja, and it is ready to be sold.

The problem with NTSC encod-ers has been filter limits, asFaroudja explains. Spectrum ana-lyzers show frequency interleav-ing around the subcarrierfrequency. Luminance informa-tion is grouped around multiplesof the horizontal line frequency(15,734.26 Hz) while the chromacomponents are grouped aroundthe color subcarrier sidebands:2n =1) fh/2. The incrementallydisplaced bundles of luminance

=i

OLD ENCODER BLOCKY

MATRIX

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OUTPUT

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BURST FLAG

nent processing was the way to go,an alternative was proposed.

Taking advantage of semicon-ductor technological advances,Faroudja Laboratories announcednew encoding and decoding equip-ment that "optimizes NTSC toRGB performance." Such was thetitle of a paper given at theSMPTE show by Yves Faroudja,who had an equipment demon-stration that backed up his paper.Faroudja's approach, he says, "vir-tually eliminates the effects ofcross color and other undesirableartifacts." While near RGB quali-ty, it is totally compatible with ex-isting NTSC equipment, thusrendering better NTSC images tocurrent viewers. Furthermore,when combined with other currenttechnologies in the pipeline, en-hanced NTSC will be possiblewhich, Faroudja boasts, will ulti-mately rival presently proposedHDTV systems without imposing

ma transitions or both. In otherwords, it is difficult to decodenormally encoded NTSC signalsbecause of inherent cross contami-nation of luminance and chromi-nance during encoding.

While complex comb filters mayreduce the effects, the simpler ap-proach is to prevent risk of con-tamination in the first place-atthe source. This can be done by al-locating different spectral areas toY and C components in the en-coder. By reducing or preventingY/C spectral overlap in theencoder, better separation can beobtained in the decoder. The trickis to achieve spectral separationby using two comb filters in the lu-

NEW ENCODER BLOCK

COMPUMENTARY

2-3 12BiREJ

FILTER

ADDER

VIDEO

FILTERS

23 J2B/EASS

FILTER

LUMA

COMB

FILTER

ADDER

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QUAD COMB OUTPUTD

MOO FILTER FILTER

SC 4

and chrominance energy are anaccurate representation of thespectral nature of vertical compo-nents in the picture. This being so,good separation of luminance andchrominance can be made by combfiltering in the receiver. However,while this may improve verticaltransitions, diagonal and horizon-tal transitions will show a veryclear overlapping of chroma andluminance spectra. Separation ofsuch Y and C components in thereceiver is very difficult. Thisshows up as cross color (i.e. colorwhen none is there) and the in-verse color affecting luminance.Faroudja reports that one or twolines of dots at 3.58 MHz will bepresent in the luminance path fora horizontal chroma transition go-ing through a comb filter decoder.Inexpensive notch filters in the lu-minance path either provide apoor frequency response or a verti-cal dot pattern with vertical chro-

minance path and the chromapath prior to addition (see dia-gram). The elimination of crosscolor and cross luminance is de-tectable with all types of decodersincluding simple notch types.Complex decoders do an even bet-ter job. Furthermore, chromanoise is reduced, because no lumi-nance noise gets into the chromapath.

The use of a simple two-line fil-ter is currently the way to go.Costs are low and filters are easyto implement. In the future, costsof more complex bidimensionalcomb filters may come down, mak-ing it possible to use both frameand line comb filter techniques.

Two-line filters in encoders im-proves results without any changein receiver decoders. For criticalapplications requiring high reso-lution and no visible artifacts-such as large -screen projection,precision color monitoring, tape-


to -film transfer, color keying andstandards conversion-Faroudjahas developed a special decoder. Ituses a novel active comb filteringmethod that suppresses dot crawl.The luminance bandwidth ex-tends to 7 MHz, and the S/N ratiois improved.

Faroudja says that his approachis compatible with other proposedNTSC improvements reported byKerns Powers, RCA Laboratories,and others.

The case for digital videoTaking the lead in putting an

all -digital studio in place, built toCCIR 601 standards, has beenFrance. Joining in the effort havebeen French TV's Public ServiceCompanies under the leadershipof TDF (Telediffusion de France),the French Ministry of Industry,and Thomson-CSF. The produc-tion company SFP used the all -digital plant, now located inRennes, to produce the world'sfirst all -digital music video. Thetechniques used included multiplegenerations of video effects andvarious graphics, all overlayedand assembled on digital VTRs.The final product was all illu-sion-cars travelling down a high-way through the center of a city,beach scences, nightclub scenes,etc.-since there was no on -loca-tion shooting at all. Scene shiftsbetween daylight and nighttimewere synthesized.

At the SMPTE show, MichelOudin, director-general of SFP,showed this video and explainedhow it was put together.

Key equipment included a digi-tal switcher, a digital slide scan-ner, a color corrector, keyer,character generator, and specialeffects unit all built by Thomson-CSF. Bosch Fernseh suppliedthree digital VTRs, modifying thetransport of Type -B BCN record-ers. A modified CMX system wasused for editing. Since the VTRsuse only parallel inputs and out-puts, it was necessary to put adeserializer at both the input andoutput. Color correctors becomean important tool, and three wereused by SFP; two with VTRs, andone for the switcher (either inputor output). SFP found an indepen-

dent chromakeyer valuable in ad-dition to the three internalchromakeyers in the switcher.

Such image processing ability-keyers, color correctors, digitalmemories-combined with multi -layering techniques without anyloss or degradation even after re-peated recording, opens up awhole new range of possibilities,according to Oudin. The Thomson-CSF switcher (TTV5640) offeredfour levels of image composition-two foregrounds and twobackgrounds.

The French all -digital plantprovides some insight as to what isnecessary regarding signal pro-cessing through the plant. Therouting switcher used 16 inputs(expandable to 32). It switches dig-ital serial signals at 243 mBits/s(encoded on nine bits). The bit rateis derived by multiplying 27 MHz(13.5 MHz in a 4:2:2 format) bynine. Each output of the switchergoes through a deserializer.

The case for HDTVDespite the claims that opti-

mized or enhanced NTSC mightrival HDTV in picture quality,HDTV still stands alone in that itresults in a wider picture moretypical of most motion picturescreens. Compared to existingNTSC, an 1125 -line system willsharpen the picture five fold, andoffer a big improvement in colorrendition. A strong case can cer-tainly be made for HDTV, and, assome observers at SMPTE pointedout, it will go forward even if it isshunned by the broadcasting in-dustry and the motion picture in-dustry (for lack of bandwidth inthe case of broadcasters; film im-provements in the case of motionpicture producers). Medical appli-cations alone are likely to be a suf-ficient driving force, say someobservers.

Difficult choicesEastman Kodak, in its ongoing

development of the film medium,has oft stated that the quality offilm to which HDTV aspires is a"moving target": No sooner doesthe electronic world seek to matcha quality level established by a setof parameters based on current

film technology, than the film in-dustry extends those parameters,weakening the claim that HDTVmatches film quality. The pros-pects for all -digital television suf-fer from a similar challenge,namely that the rush of enhance-ments to analog systems keepsembracing new quality-econo-mic and operational improve-ments that reduce the apparenturgency to move to an all -digitalsystem.

By this spring, major develop-ments are likely from Matsushitaon the development of its M -II for-mat recording system, another Y,R -Y, B -Y analog component re-cording system that the companydiscussed for the first time at NAB'85. The new M -II format promisesquality equal to or better than ex-isting one -inch Type -C perform-ance on half -inch videotape.

What, then, is the broadcasteror professional user to do? Thereare a number of ways of looking atthe problem. One: As enhance-ments to analog systems continueto roll out of the laboratories, itseems reasonable to assume that ageneral movement to all -digitalwill be delayed. Certainly, somespecial all -digital environmentsare likely to evolve, but for mostroutine applications, it seems thatimprovements in analog will beboth cheaper and easier to imple-ment.

Moreover, if genuine savingscan be produced by the new analogor enhanced NTSC systems, thepressure to control productioncosts will intensify the desire foran alternative to NTSC, PAL, andSECAM.

The key, however, to major ad-vances in the adoption of one ormore of the proposed options istwo -fold: One, interformat compa-tibility-no one wants a systemthat assumes only one kind of fin-ished product-you have to meetthe quality requirements of a hostof distribution systems. Two, theparallel development of a unifiedapproach to machine and systemscontrol. Whatever savings thesesystems may offer will beminiscule compared to what costwill be added if plants cannot befully integrated. BM/E


441wooftwo...

YAMAHA

REMOTE CONTROL UNIT RCR-1FOR DIGITAL REVERBERATOR REV -1

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OUT - -42 MINMIN -48

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The remote unitthat controls the nine-teen -inch rack -mountableunit has a lighted high-

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'EARLY I? ETLECTION"d Isplav mode show* momsize and relative' lord and time of discrete rdketionc.

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And the sound itself is far su-

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he REV -1 uses specially developedYamaha LSIs to create up to 40 earlyreflections and up to 99.9 seconds of

subsequent reverberation.So the effect can be asnatural (or unnatural) asyou want it to be.

We could go on aboutthe REV -1. Tell you aboutits 44.1 kHz sampling ratethat provides a full 18 kHzbandwidth to prevent thenatural frequency contentof the input signal frombeing degraded.

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the REV -1 at your authorized YamahaProfessional Audio Products dealer. Orfor a complete brochure, write: YamahaInternational Corporation, ProfessionalProducts Division, P.O. Box 6600,Buena Park, CA 90622. In Canada,Yamaha Canada Music Ltd., 135 Mil-ner Ave., Scarborough, Ont M1S 3R1.

YAMAHA


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Service Card

TV Engineering & Production

SMPTE Seeks "NewDirections" at Quiet

Showast fall's 127th conven-tion of the Society ofMotion Picture and Tele-

vision Engineers, October 27through November 1 in Los An-geles, reflected its theme of "NewDirections in Technology-Difficult Decisions" more in thesessions and at the technologydemonstrations than on the exhib-it floor. Not only were there fewerproduct introductions than at theprevious year's convention, inNew York, but traffic on the floorwas light during the show's entirefour days-despite SMPTE'sclaim of the highest registration(15,618) in its history.

In part, the light traffic was dueto attendance at the papers andseminars, where presenters de-bated the outcome of several im-portant recent advances intelevision technology, includinganalog component video, en-hanced NTSC, and MTS, amongmany other topics. SMPTE'sstandards -setting work-now at acritical stage in the HDTV pro-ceeding especially-also gener-ated interest. At the openingsession, SMPTE engineering VPRichard Streeter stressed the im-portance of cooperation by manu-facturers and users in settingstandards for new technologies be-fore the creation of incompatiblede facto standards.

On the floor, however, asidefrom a handful of very significantnew products, manufacturersseemed largely to be reverting to

Staff Report

their established practice ofreserving product introductionsfor NAB.

The exceptions came in severalareas: signal processing (Ampex'sZeus TBC), component digital ef-fects (Grass Valley's componentKaleidoscope, Abekas' Zeno, andDSC's text generation

(Chyron's Scribe and the Aston 4),and test equipment (innovativeaudio and video products fromTektronix, Magni Systems, andothers). In post -production, CMXreplaced its industry -standardsystem of many years, the 340X,with the new 3100, and Steadi-Film Corp. announced a solution

CONTENTSSMPTE Flips Over Component Effects . 78Graphics Systems Get Fine -Tuned 78Explosion in Image Processing 80Old Powers Return in Switcher Market 82Northwest Spawns Video Test Equipment Boom 84New Media Meet Old jn Video Recording 86Growth But Few Surprises in Post -Production 87Mature Camera Industry Takes a Break 89At SMPTE Audio Exhibits, Time Code Abounds 92One -Inch, Beta Lead Tape Introductions 102Production Essentials Light Up the Show 103


TV Engineering & ProductionSMPTE Show

for telecine film weave. In audio,Lexicon unveiled a prototype for adisk -based audio editor with greatpotential, and Orban came to therescue of MTS TV stations with anew stereo synthesizer. Withhighlights like these, it seems al-most unfair to complain that theshow as a whole was slow.

Following are reports on themajor technological areas ad-dressed by manufacturers atSMPTE.

SMPTE Flips OverComponent EffectsMuch of the special effects dazzleof the Los Angeles SMPTE cen-tered on the Grass Valley Groupbooth, where the brand-new Ka-leidoscope digital component vid-eo effects system took its first bow.Grass Valley was careful to pointout that the Kaleidoscope pressand attendees saw was an "engi-neering model," and promisedthat glitches would be ironed outby Kaleidoscope's scheduled NABintroduction.

Kaleidoscope is designed for usein a live environment and featuresa range of preset effects. Its inter-face is designed to make the effectsseem like an extension of theswitcher. Kaleidoscope can be con-figured as a standalone unit or asan enhancement to the Model 300switcher.

The importance of componentvideo to today's engineers was fur-ther illustrated by Ampex's an-nouncement of a component I/Okit for the ADO. With the newadd-on, standard composite ADOscan have component input andoutput capabilities, bringing thefull range of the ADO's digital ef-fects into the component studio.The two -board modificationshould be available early thisyear.

Another component digital ef-fects system, the $29,900 Zeno,was introduced by Abekas. It ad-heres to the international 13.5MHz, 4:2:2 digital sampling stan-dard, and accepts RGB or Y, R -Y,B -Y inputs. Both preprogrammedand custom effects are available.

GVG Kaleidoscope installed in 300switcher.

Abekas also demonstratedmultichannel capability for itspreviously introduced A52 digitalspecial effects system.

Also new in the effects arenawas the NTSC component versionof DSC's Illusion system, whichaccepts RGB or Y, R -Y, B -Y in-puts. DSC developed the compo-nent Illusion system primarily foroverseas users.

Of interest closer to home wasthe new DSC Alpha 2000 low-cost(under $20,000) charactergenerator/digital effects system,which uses some electronics man-ufactured by Chyron and is avail-able in NTSC or PAL. Titles andlogos can be manipulated and po-sitioned anywhere on the screen.DSC also showed its still store op-tion for the Illusion, Frame File.

Quantel, as usual, drew crowdswith its effects equipment, includ-

Quantel's Harry demo.

ing Encore, "a new generation indigital effects," and Mirage.

One of the classiest low -end ef-fects systems was Fairchild's CVI(Computer Video Instrument). Alap -held keyboard with slide fa-ders lets the user create a varietyof arty effects with live video inreal time. A small bit pad, part ofthe same keyboard, allows crea-tion of graphics.

The CEL Electronics EFX-1 andEFX-2 digital effects controllersand digital frame store were fea-tured at the booth of Grunder &Assoc.

Microtime displayed its latestprogrammable efx system, Gene-sis 1 ACT 1. The three -channel,$27,990 system features compos-ite and component inputs and out-puts.

Paltex showed an upgraded ver-sion of its Gemini effects systemthat keeps up with real time,staying in sync with audio, andfeatures split image, mirror im-age, wipes, dissolves, mosaic andluminance efx.

Ultimatte demoed the excellentmatting quality of its Ultimatte 5,with two Beta tapes as sources.

Graphics Systems GetFine -TunedThere were few new graphics sys-tems at this year's SMPTE show, ifyou adopt the strict definition of"new." The abundance of improve-ments and upgrades in previouslyexhibited systems, however,sometimes made it seem that way.

Quantel's most exciting an-nouncement was its new high -definition Paintbox system, basedon the popular Paintbox but de-signed for the 1125 -line, 60 -fieldHDTV standard. Harry, Quantel'sdigital cel animation recorder andeditor, was demonstrated on thefloor throughout the show.

Quantel also had new V.4software for its standard -definition Paintbox, including a"blur" brush, a "tack" functionthat allows cutouts to be placeddown temporarily before perma-nent placement, and a "confirm"mode.


The Abekas A42 VideoSlide Projector.We revolutionized the digitalstill store business in 1983 withour A42 Video Slide Projector.And we let you juggle overa thousand images with cost-effective ease.

But we haven't beenstanding still when it comesto this system. Now, the A42offers a new library system withalphanumeric search capa-bility, so you can find what youneed even faster.

The A42 system offersan advanced combination of 51/4"Winchester disk drive and fullbandwidth video processing.A42 features include: on-lineimage storage expandable to 1050frames/2100 fields, adaptivedigital signal processing, superbmulti -generation capabilityfor graphics composition, off-line storage on 1/4" digital tapecartridge, and single- or dual-

channel configuration.If you want a powerful

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Chyron Scribe.

New graphics software was alsoin evidence at the Bosch booth,where crowds massed to see livedemonstrations of the FGS-4000.The new 3D illustrator packageallows three-dimensional objectsto be created, manipulated, andpainted as part or all of a scene.Other new features of the FGS in-cluded the capacity for 16animatable light sources; a ter-rain editor that generates complexland surfaces; and a 25 times in-crease in texture mapping speed.

At the ColorGraphics booth,new software for ArtStar II includ-ed a vector -type software packagefor extra -high -quality, anti-aliased type and symbols. Just theweek of the show, ColorGraphicsreleased a flash digitizer thatgrabs frames of live or rolling vid-eo in real time, giving the ArtStarII frame store and frame grabcapabilities.

Other previously seen graphicssystems also attracted attention.Cubicomp's PictureMaker 3Dmodeling and animation systemwas demonstrated with enhancedsoftware. The $29,500PictureMaker is now also avail-able in a 625 -line PAL version.

Aurora's Aurora/75 system,based on the IBM PC AT, made itsfirst SMPTE appearance. The ba-sic system offers 3D perspective,real-time color animation, auto-matic line and curve drawing,anti-aliasing, and many otherfeatures.

A much -heralded exception tothe lack of new graphics gear wasChyron's Scribe text generator.

Scribe aims to reproduce today'sdigitally created print typefaceswith a faithfulness heretofore im-possible. Choosing from a libraryof 500 type styles, the user can cre-ate an unlimited range of sizes,from 10 lines to full -screen. Six-teen levels of anti-aliasing main-tain type details and provide apolished appearance.

For most standard TV applica-tions, of course, Scribe will notsoon replace the Chyron IV. Thatindustry workhorse was shown inan expanded version with 12 on-line fonts, 3D rotated graphics, off-line editing, automatic curvedrawings, and other sophisticatedfeatures.

Aston Electronics featured itsAston 4 character generator, a so-phisticated CG designed to func-tion on the level of the ChyronScribe. Aston has a library of 1500typefaces for the system, derivedfrom high -resolution datasupplied by West Germany'sStempel AG. The operator usesthe master to create an anti-aliased display font, which can beany height from 10 to 100 TVlines. The display font is then re-corded onto a disk for recall.

Dubner is still updating hard-ware and software on the CBG,now designated the CBG-2LX. Itis now delivering the third plane.This top -of -the -line character gen-erator and animation system sellsfor $115,000.

The recently introduced Textacharacter generator, priced in the$42,000-75,000 range, was alsodisplayed. Removeable 10 Mbyte

I -Omega hard disks make Textaand the CBG compatible with eachother. Texta has no 3D creation,but will run 3D graphics createdon the CBG. Two other relativelynew character generators, the10K ($13,500) and the 20K($18,500), were also shown.

The newest item from Dubnerwas the DPS-1 paint system, astandalone unit with third planethat starts at $20,000. Deliveriesstart in January.

Thomson-CSF featured itsViditext II character -generator, amore economical (under $50,000)version of the Vidifont GraphicsV. Optional features include ani-mation, time sequential overlays,Vidiclock time display, and a play-back sequence controller.

The Artronics Studio Computerwas featured at the 3M booth. Arecent software addition to thisPC -based system is New Paint,which allows color editing of al-ready created graphics. 3M alsoshowed the D-5000 charactergenerator.

The newest feature of theAbekas A42 Video Slide Projectorwas an advanced library systemdesigned to speed complex wordsearches, even if the user mis-spells the desired word.

Rank Cintel showed its elec-tronic still store system, the SlideFile. Rank has signed an agree-ment with a company that has aLogica-developed still store li-brary system based on the SlideFile. Called the Picture File, thisslightly modified system is de-signed to compete directly withHarris Iris and Quantel stillstores.

Comvid showed the Image Mas-ter, an animation controller thatcontrols almost any VTR to recordone or more frames at a time. Itkeeps track of in and out pointsand converts time code to framenumbers.

Explosion in ImageProcessingThese days you can't count on any-thing standing still: even the mostbasic of digital TV products, the


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TBC, continues to evolve. The fallSMPTE show saw the announce-ment of the most prestigious TBCever-the Ampex Zeus-alongwith the entry of yet another man-ufacturer, Lenco, and a surprisingnumber of brand-new models fromcompanies long in the field.

The Ampex Zeus is not only afourth -generation TBC but also anadvanced video processor for TypeC VTRs with some remarkablevariable motion capabilities.Ampex says that Zeus virtuallyeliminates the picture "hopping"or "blurring" usually associatedwith slow motion and programcompression correction devices.Thus, it allows broadcasters tojuggle program and commercialratios without visible imagedegradation.

A line -by-line interpolationtechnique removes interfield ver-tical motion during slow-motionsequences. It also improves verti-cal resolution in the freeze fieldmode. Adaptive comb filtering im-proves picture quality during var-iable speeds.

Lenco made its entry into theTBC arena with its new TBC -450,designed with state of the art com-ponents for low cost ($5450), highperformance and dependability ina 1 :3/4 -inch -high rack unit. Theunit requires no external coolingand is rugged enough for field use.It handles both heterodyne and di-rect color VTRs.

An unusual entry, aimed pri-marily at the corporate and indus-trial post -production market, wasthe Pyxis, made by ALTA Groupand shown by Convergence Corp.,which is selling it. This "inte-grated video workstation" con-tains two 16 -line window TBCs forA/B-roll editing, a sync generator,and an audio mixer with fivestereo inputs, all in one chassis. Inaddition, it has the ability to takelive camera inputs. It lists for just$6500.

Nova added a significant newproduct to its line of TBCs with theNova 620, a full -frame time basecorrector that lets the user in-stantly freeze a field or frame ofvideo for special effectsapplications.

Ampex Zeus processor.

A new three -channel compo-nent frame synchronizer that in-corporates a time base correctorand digital video effects genera-tor as well was shown by Shintron.Called the Andromeda 3000, theunit is part of a complete packageof component video devices. TheAndromeda 3000 features a newdata capture method called"S -cube," using an ultra -highspeed clock to capture incomingpicture information.

Taking advantage of the latestcircuitry, Scientific-Atlanta's Dig-ital Video Systems Div. intro-duced three new low-cost items: a$4990 TBC, the DPS-170; a $4990frame synchronizer, the DPS-165;and a $6990 combination TBC/framestore. All are in a single thinrack.

JVC introduced the newSAT -100U digital TBC, priced at$7995.

Other products in the TBC/frame synchronizer/effects catego-ry at SMPTE were previouslyshown at NAB '85. These includedLeitch's new frame processor,

Lenco's new TBC.

Hotronic's synchronizer and TBC,For -A's FA -450 component TBC,and Fortel's differential phase/gain monitor. For -A also featuredits new low-cost digital 'ITC withmultiple digital effects, theFA -440. Hotronics' AE61 TBC isnow in production.

Transimage International wason hand with its system for time-sharing a TBC. The TS 102 offers aconvenient way of connecting fourVTRs and one TBC into a systemon a "one -at -a -time" basis.

Comvid featured its RGB-30 fullfunction sync generator/RGBencoder for converting RGB com-puter graphics signals to NTSCvideo.

The new Acron Video 605NNTSC encoder, which handles anycomponent signal, made its debutat the Listec booth. Price will bearound $4000.

AVS America featured a newstandards converter, the AVS-6500, which minimizes motion"judder" by a new switchablemethod of interpolation.

Old Powers Return inSwitcher MarketPerhaps the most important newson the production switcher frontwas the strong comeback beingstaged by two well-known switch-er manufacturers. Vital Indus-tries is truly revitalized, as wasmade clear by the introduction of amajor new switcher-the 3000Series-as well as a new digitalvideo manipulator (still in proto-type form). The 3000's mix/effectssystems, expandable to three, areall bi-level: an "upstream" levelfor mixing, non -add mixing,wiping, video keying, and chromakeying, and a "downstream" levelwhere four video keys may beadded. A full -input key bus in eachM/E expands the key sourceselections.

Vital's upcoming new digitalvideo manipulator, called Magic,drew a great deal of attention.With nothing more than a colortouchscreen and a three -axistrackball, effects generation iseasy.


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Also showing every sign of be-ing a strong force was IntergroupVideo Systems, which came toSMPTE with a new 16x1 videorouting switcher, called Suite 16,which uses the hexidecimal codeto condense data into a limitedspace. The result is 16 inputs inthe same value package ordinarilyaccommodating 10 or 12 inputs. Ithas a low price tag of $650. An as-sociated effects unit, EFX Suite16, offers several features notheretofore available in a smallswitch matrix. Priced at $1150,this unit includes a preset modethat allows a second input to be se-lected. Intergroup also featured itsmicroprocessor -controlled 8001mini -master control system, firstshown at NAB and now inproduction.

For -A's component post -production switcher, the CVM-500, was on view again after itsNAB introduction. At the show,the company announced the for-mation of the For -A BroadcastProduct Group, a national salesand service organization.

Routing switchers were wellrepresented at SMPTE. ImageVideo Limited featured its latest,the Model 9600, described as thefirst of a new generation of high-

density routing switchers. Thisswitcher will handle both MACand HDTV signals.

Hedco announced a new 12x12A/V routing switcher, the HD -12,to fill the gap between its 8x8 and24x24 units. Also new from Hedcowas a video -activated 117 V powerswitch.

Dynair stressed its SMPTE/EBU-compatible System 23 ma-chine control system and routingcontrol schemes more than itsrouting switcher line. Graham -Patten Systems featured itsversatile routing switcher line.

Bosch introduced a new line ofsignal processing equipment in-cluding audio and video DAs,pulse, sync, and subcarrier amps.

Familiar routing switcherswere shown by Central Dynamics,Di -Tech, Dynair, Grass ValleyGroup, 3M, and Utah Scientific.

Production switchers to handlecomponent signals were promi-

Vital 3000 production switcher.

nent, but all were previouslyshown at NAB: the Grass Valley100CV, the Shintron Empress2000C 12 -input A/B bus produc-tion switcher, and the For -ACVM-500. Ross showed the RVS210 and Echolab the SE -6, bothunveiled at NAB.

New to the U.S. was the PolarVideo PVM-1 switcher, on displayin the Listec booth. Listec will bethe distributor of this self-contained four -input switcherpriced at $2495. Larger produc-tion switchers and master controlunits were, of course, shown byCentral Dynamics and Grass Val-ley. GVG also showed a new seriesof 16x16 building blocks for its Ho-rizon routing system..

Northwest Spawns VideoTest Equipment BoomTextronix's influence in the testand measurement field hasstarted spreading abroad as for-mer Tek employees form their owncompanies. One of these is AudioPrecision, whose System One isdescribed in the audio test equip-ment section.

Another company made up offormer Tektronix people, MagniSystems, Inc., introduced the Mod-el 2015 Personal Computer AidedTelevision Synthesizer (PCATS).The computer makes it practicalfor engineers to generate customtest signals-necessary as the in-dustry moves into new formatssuch as MAC and HDTV.

Magni's other new productexemplifies another new direc-tion: integration of a precision dig-itally synthesized test signalgenerator with a combined

waveform monitor and a vector-

scope. It involves two units: the1520 Integrated MeasurementPackage (IMP) and the 1525 IMPdisplay monitor.

Despite the advent of these newBeaverton/Portland companies,Tektronix's output continues to beimpressive. Tek premiered threenew products at SMPTE: the newSPG-170A NTSC sync generator,the WFM-300 component analogvideo monitor, and a new BTSCmodulation monitor and decoder.

The SPG-170A NTSC sync gen-erator is a compact unit combiningRS -170A sync, digital genlock,and a high stability color standardwith a versatile set of timing con-trols. The WFM-300 waveformmonitor accommodates signals inthe component format. In additionto a unique "lightning display"that shows the relationship be-tween the luminance and colorcomponents, it also has all thecapabilities of a complete wave-form monitor with parade andoverlay modes. Although it wasfirst introduced at the NAB show,the Tek TSG-300 component gen-erator got much attention atSMPTE. The show -stopping 751BTSC Aural Modulation monitoris described elsewhere.

Several new video test productscame from other quarters. Video-tek introduced the TSM-60waveform monitor, designed foreasy use. Selection of inputs, filterresponse, and time base sweep areaccomplished via front -panelpushbutton switches. Videotekalso added a new wideband videodistribution amplifier to its line,suited for HDTV.

Sigma Electronics introducedthree new units to its 100 Seriesline. They included the BSG-100black signal generator with twoblack burst outputs, the CBG-100color bar generator, and theBTM-100 black burst timingmodule.

Shibasoku was present with itsusual full line of test equipment,including a component video sig-nal generator and two products forhigh -definition TV, the CC070A6encoder and the CM65A high -

definition color monitor.84 BM E JANUARY, 1986

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111Wilenr.

Sony's auto setup monitor.

Drawing considerable attentionwas the Horizon International re-mote control/analyzer system formonitoring and controlling trans-mitters, introduced at NAB.

In monitors, Sony introduced anew eight -inch field monitor, theBVM 8021, with 400 -line resolu-tion and ac/dc operation withBP -90 or NP1 battery. Sony alsofeatured the new auto setup sys-tem its for BVM-1900 monitor.

New Media Meet Old inVideo RecordingVideo recording technology, anarea that continues to broadenwith the introduction of new for-mats and media, generated newsand interest SMPTE. Technologyexhibits, one featuring analog anddigital component video recordingtechnologies, the other exploringthe potentials of enhanced NTSC,illustrated the new directions.(Both are described at greaterlength in this month's story onnew signal architectures, p. TK.)And just two weeks after theSMPTE show closed in Los An-geles, SMPTE announced that theCCIR had arrived at a recom-mended format for component dig-ital video recording; see newsstory in this issue.

Back in the present, OpticalDisc Corp. had some new groovesin its laser disc recording system.The 610A, as the latest model isknown, is now convertible fromNTSC to PAL; the previous ver-sion was for NTSC only. The sys-

tern sells for $200,000 includingTektronix monitors and premas-tering encoders.

The newest nontape medium forvideo, hard computer disks, wasrepresented by Abekas, whichagain showed its A62 digital diskrecorder. Intended more for ani-mation and videodisc masteringapplications, the high-perfomanceA62 is available in 50- and100 -second versions.

If plain old tape recorders seempedestrian after this, it's not themanufacturers' fault. In fact, thenew recording media have hardlyscratched the dominance of thetape -based recording systems, andit is unlikely that they will for thenext few years.

While few all -new VTRs orVCRs were introduced at SMPTE,a sprinkling of new units pepperedthe floor. The most significant an-nouncement from Panasonic was anew broadcast -quality MII formatstudio recorder, the AU -600,which had an "interim introduc-tion" at NAB and will make itsfinal debut at NAB '86 as part of anew family of equipment.Panasonic also showed its M-

format equipment, including itsM -format MERPS system, theMVP -100.

Although most observers pre-dict an uphill battle for 1/4 -inchvideo in the face of half -inch's suc-cess, Bosch remains bullish on itsLineplex format and plans to have

AFA's Pegasus system.

rPanasonic MVP -100 MERPS player.

Quartercam units available in theU.S. by NAB time.

No brand-new VTRs or VCRswere seen at the Sony booth, butthe company introduced a line of"mini consoles" for its BVH-2000Series one -inch recorders. In-stalled as an overbridge above therecorder, the mini console in-cludes TBC remote -control func-tions, audio monitoring, andoptional nine -inch color monitorand Tektronix combinedwaveform monitor/vectorscope.Sony also had an improvedbarcode printer for its Betacartmulticassette system.

Ampex and Hitachi both dis-played their established lines ofone -inch Type C VTRs.

In the very active U-Matic field,


JVC introduced its new CR-850U3/4 -inch editing recorder/player.First seen at RTNDA, this $8600unit is a full -functioned, front -loading VCR with all editingfunctions.

A couple of interesting U-Maticmodifications were shown by anew company, Vid Video: TheShuttle 1 Mod, which puts a con-trol knob on a Sony 5000 or 5600U-Matic deck, and Shuttle II, aninterface that allows a 5000 or5600 to be used as a source deck.

Broadcasters wondering whatwas to become of Silverlake afterRCA's retreat from the broadcastindustry found the answer just in-side the SMPTE exhibit halldoors. Odetics, the system's devel-oper, has taken over marketing ofthe M -format cart system. Nowrenamed the TCS-2000, the sys-tem can accommodate up to 28020 -minute cartridges and four tosix M -format players.

Asaca announced that GrassValley subsidiary Dubner Com-puter Systems will do the softwaredevelopment for its ACL-6000MERPS player.

Lake Systems has completelyredesigned the software for its La -Kart on -air playback system. Themost significant change is La-Kart's new multichannel capabili-ty, allowing one channel of videoand two channels of audio to berouted to multiple outputs.

A.F. Associates' Pegasus 5100commercial compilation systemreceived its first SMPTE showing.

Growth but Few Sur-prises in Post -ProductionAs usual, editing system manufac-turers descended on SMPTE inforce. The most significant intro-duction was CMX's brand-new3100 large-scale editor, a replace-ment for its popular 340XL. The3100 controls up to six source andone record audio or video ma-chines, plus an auxiliary source. Ithas an expanded array of timecode functions, an EDL autocleanroutine, EDL autoscroll, four user -programmable learn keys, and ad-ditional hardware options and

We did it right.

It's no surprise that whenthe key engineers of ourPZM® microphone technologyset their sights on combiningthe benefits of the boundaryeffect with unidirectionality,the fruits of their efforts wouldbe nothing less than superior.

After all, Crown has beenleading the way in boundarytechnology longer than any-one in the industry. And, likethe PZM project, our commit-ment to developing the"premiere" unidirectional,surface -mounted microphonerings true.

Introducing the PCCTM-1 60Phase Coherent CardioidTMfrom Crown.

Designed for easy mount-ing on a boundary surface,the PCC-160 utilizes a sub-miniature supercardioid miccapsule to create a direc-tional pattern which im-

proves gain -before -feedback,reduces unwanted roomnoise and rejects soundsfrom the rear.

For stage reinforcement,podiums, news desks, or forhiding in sets, the PCC-160offers superior performance.

And because the micro-phone is mounted on aboundary, direct and reflect-ed sounds arrive at thediaphragm in -phase. Theresult...wide, smooth fre-quency response free oftonal coloration or unnaturalsound which can occur withconventional microphones.

Self-contained electronicseliminate the need for asometimes awkward in -linepreamp box. The PCC-160can be powered directlyfrom the console or otherremote power source. Or ifbattery power is convenient,a battery supply unit can beinserted anywhere in themike line...right up to theconsole or mixer.

crown,

For maximum flexibility,the PCC-160 features an ex-clusive three-way "bass tilt"switch which allows you totailor, up or down, the low -end response for special ap-plications or unusual bound-ary sizes.

Due to its low profile and"go away gray" finish, thePCC-160 microphone be-comes nearly invisible inuse, making it ideal for thestage, newsroom or lecterntop.

But beneath its cloak ofdark gray, the PCC-160 isprotected by a heavy -gauge,all -steel body. tough enoughto stand up to even themost severe abuse.

The PCC-160. Amicrophone meeting theneeds of today's sound pro-fessional with today's mostadvanced technology.

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Droid Works' EditDroid.

maintenance functions. Pricesstart at $30,000; an average sys-tem would run about $45,000.

CMX's new Multi It, introducedat NAB, was featured, along withthe new 330XL mid -scale editor.

the 3400 and 3400A large-scaleeditors, and The Edge three -machine editor.

The news at Convergence wasnot editing systems per se-thecompany's 204 and 195 editorswere featured-but rather thePyxis digital video production sys-tem, described in the section onsignal processing.

EECO showed its A/B roll IVESII system, now interfaced to theAmpex VPR-80 VTR and to theTascam 58 eight -track ATR. NewV2.4 software for IVES II providesfull stereo audio editing and moni-toring. The company also an-nounced a new cuts -only switcher,the ES -900, for its EMME editingsystem.

Droid Works featured itsEditDroid system, substantiallyunchanged since its last show ap-pearance and gaining increasingacceptance at post -productionfacilities.

ResearchDesign

Technologies

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Also on hand was Montage,showing a portable version of itsPicture Processor both at its boothand at the Panavision hospitalitysuite at the Bonaventure.

Featured at the Paltex boothwas Abner, an updated version ofthe ABR-1 editing system. Thecompany also displayed its top -of -line editor, Esprit, and two ver-sions of the Edit -Star: ES -1D (withBacktrac) and the ES -1P "produc-er" version with a 500 -event EDL.

Color Systems Technology, acompany new to SMPTE, intro-duced the VECS-8000, a $4500modification that interfaces theSony BVE-800 editor to an IBMPC to add storage and EDL man-agement capabilities.

BHP showed the EnVision off-line video editing system, whichwas shown at last year's SMPTEbut skipped NAB. Designed forfilm origination and release, vid-eo, or any combination, EnVisionis frame -accurate for both pictureand sound in sync.

JVC's new RM-G850U editingcontroller, priced at under $3000,is now ready for delivery.

Elecon has substantially re-duced the price of its EM -7100 vid-eo editor to $24,000 for a systemwith 500 -event memory, fourGPIs, three deck interfaces, andlist management.

Gray Engineering Labs fea-tured its DT -213 SMPTE timecode transmitter and FC-142 filmcounter/character generator, bothintroduced at NAB.

Telecines

Because SMPTE itself repre-sents a meeting between film andvideo technologies, the action intelecines and related devices atthe show was especially appropri-ate. Lately, increasing interest invideo -generated special effectshas focused attention on filmweave in the Rank Cintel flyingspot scanner, particularly noticea-ble in special effects work. Rank'santi -weave gate reduces weavedrastically, to 20 ns, but does notcompletely eliminate it.

At SMPTE, this problem wasaddressed by a new company,

Convergence's 204 editor.

Steadi-Film Corp. of Nashville,which introduced a gate for theRank that the company says elim-inates weave entirely. Designedprimarily for graphics and effectsapplications, the Steadi-Film unitis a pin -registered gate with itsown microprocessor control. It in-terfaces with the Sony BVH-2500or Ampex VPR-3 to performframe -by -frame transfers at a rateof 40 frames per minute. Unlikethe standard Rank gate, whichmoves film through the machinein a continuous stream, theSteadi-Film gate stops each filmframe so that frames can be re-corded onto video one at a time.The Steadi-Film gate sells for$35,000 (expect a price increasesoon) and has been purchased byThe Post Group, Editel, ActionVideo, The Tape House, andothers.

Rank, of course, continues tosell its own anti -weave gate; an-other one is the Steadi-Gate, man-ufactured by Cinema Productsand seen at last year's SMPTE.New options for Rank's Mk IIICand Amigo controller included a"shot change detector" that senseswhen a dissolve, cut, or other"drastic change" occurs on the filmin the run mode. Frame numbersof changes are automatically tog-gled into the Amigo, speeding on -the -fly, real-time color correction.

Other telecine manufacturers

continued to press forward. Boschannounced full X -Y zoom capabili-ty for its FDL-60.

L -W International premieredthe Model 224-ESD low-costtransfer system, aimed at theeducational/industrial marketand priced at $5511 plus camera.

Ampex introduced a digital im-age repositioning and zoom unitfor film -to -tape transfers, theATX-100.

In color correction, VTATechnologies introduced the daVirici scene -programmable,16 -vector color corrector.

Mature Camera IndustryTakes a BreakThe camera field may have beensubdued at NAB, but at SMPTE itwas positively catatonic. Anyonefollowing broadcast cameras forthe last year or two would haveseen virtually everything shownat SMPTE.

Among the significant, recentlyintroduced cameras on displaywas Hitachi's economical Z-31camera in a brand-new Plumbiconversion, the Z -31P. The top -of -the -line SK -110D, seen at last year'sSMPTE in prototype and at NABin production, was again on view.

Sony again featured its innova-tive BVP-360 2/3 -inch computer-ized studio camera. Deliveries of



this long-awaited camera arescheduled for the first quarter ofthis year.

Ikegami's Harvey Caplan sayshis company has signed an agree-ment with Sony to sell Betacamrecorders in conjunction with theHL -95 Unicam. This sales andmarketing agreement does notconstitute an Ikegami endorse-ment of the Betacam format,

Caplan emphasizes; the Unicamwill still accommodate any record-er the user desires. The company'sdisplay featured the HL -79 Series,the ITC -730, and the recently in-troduced SC -500.

Other previously introducedcameras remembered themselvesto SMPTE attendees. Philipsshowed its full LDK 6 camera fam-ily. Thomson-CSF displayed the

INTRODUCINGTHE SMARTSWITCHFOR MTS

With the advent of MTSbroadcasting, many TVstations are turning to stereosimulators to accomodateprogramming material that isstill monaural.

The problem? Identifyingthe material and switchingthe simulator in and out ofthe broadcast chain.

The solution? StudioTechnologies' new RCU-1Recognition Control Unit.

The RCU-1 determineswhether the audio input ismono or stereo and auto-matically cross -fades thestereo simulator in -circuit

when mono is detected. Itcan also be used as adedicated mono/stereorecognition device whenconnected to a broadcastvideo tape recorder.

The RCU-1, used withStudio Technologies' AN -2Stereo Simulator, is a mustfor stereo TV broadcasters.The RCU-1 is also com-patible with other stereosimulators.

For more informationand the name of your nearestdealer call Studio Technolo-gies, Inc. at 312/676-9177.

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Hitachi SK -110D studio camera.

TTV 1623 and TTV 1624 French -

made Betacams, and JVC andPanasonic both featured their eco-nomical ENG/EFP camera lines.

Gone but not forgotten was theRCA CCD-1, introduced with suchfanfare at NAB 1984. The demiseof RCA's Broadcast Systems Divi-sion leaves the future of theCCD-1 somewhat in question, al-though a source close to the com-pany hinted that a deal, perhapswith an overseas manufacturer,may be in the works. With theCCD-1 out of the picture, NEC re-mains the only manufacturer cur-rently offering a broadcast -

SP -3A was again featured atSMPTE.

Lenses

The news in lenses, too, was lessthan earth -shattering. Canon an-nounced that it and Hitachi hadsigned with CBS for the sale ofHitachi SK -970 cameras plus 30JS40x9.5 lenses and 17 J18x9lenses with diascopes.

Angenieux introduced a newnonrotating front for its 8-112mm, f/1.6, 14X super wide angleENG lens. This feature allows theuse of special effects filters with-out a special filter holder.

Schneider's established TV4414x9 ENG lens now has positionalservo focus control so that the posi-tion of the handle always corre-sponds to focus position.

Fujinon emphasized its 20x14.5large studio lens, 16x9.5 ENGlens, and the wide angle 7x7.

Schwem reports "growingbackorders" for its Gyrozoom im-age stabilized lens.

In camera accessories, CinemaProducts featured the Insight Vi-sion Systems director's viewfinder


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TVEngineering & ProductionSMPTE Show

system for film cameras. Listec in-troduced the Polar Video safe areagenerator for ENG cameraviewfinders.

At SMPTE Audio Exhib-its, Time Code Abounds

If SMPTE was a quiet show, audiomanufacturers didn't seem tohave heard about it. They camewith an array of new products inall categories. Many had beenseen previously at the AES show.But a few new directions, unher-alded by AES, appeared atSMPTE.

In a private suite, Lexicon dem-onstrated its new concept-not yeta product-in digital audioediting. Called Project RDI (forRandom Access Disk -Based Pro-cessing), the machine utilizescomputer technology and anonremovable hard disk drive torecord, play, edit, overdub, mix,

CMX's CASS 1 audio editor.

pan, and perform all audio editingfunctions digitally.

Lexicon has designed it to ap-peal to audio editors by simulatingthe cueing sounds made by rollingtape over tape heads. The demo in-volved six tracks and six channels,but Lexicon is trying to get indus-try feedback and may expandthese. Lexicon predicts a productintro for the third quarter of 1986.

Other audio editing andsynchronizing products also madenews. CMX's CASS 1 computer -aided sound sweetener, seen at

NAB as an engineering prototype,came to SMPTE as a full-fledgedproduct. CASS provides not onlyfull audio editing capabilities, butalso audio console automation.

As part of its System 2600 timecode and synchronizing products,Adams -Smith introduced the 2600RC remote controller, a prototypeaudio editor with five -machine re-mote control and full transport.The company calls it "videoediting concepts applied to audio."

Amtel showed its Soundmasteraudio editing system, introducedat NAB. According to a spokes-man, Amtel is at work on devel-oping its own synchronizer; lookfor an NAB introduction.

The Droid Works, which intro-duced its SoundDroid all -digitalaudio editing and mixing systemwith much fanfare at NAB, wasdemoing the system again and de-livered a paper describing it.

In another paper, Compusonicsengineers described a digital au-dio editing system, the DSP 2002,

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that is built around a Motorola68000 -based CPU and records onhard disks.

An Australian company,Editron, introduced the 500A A/Vsynchronizer, which offers lockupof 15 or more machines. Alsoshown was the 100A software in-terface device, an off -the -shelfsynchronizer with 99 -event ROM.

Evertz Microsystems intro-duced the Emulator, a $4000 A/Vtransport synchronizer. that per-mits audio tape recorders to be in-tegrated directly into a videoediting suite without an addition-al video machine and/or chasesynchronizer.

Otari featured a prototype of itsEC 102 synchronizer. TimeLineagain displayed its Lynx time codeand synchronizing modules, withupdated software that makes theLynx an ATR interface to Ampex,CMX, and GVG editors.

At its first SMPTE show, Fostex

Corp. introduced a range of com-pact, battery -powered synchroniz-ers from two to four transports.

Coherent Communications pre-miered a line of new SMPTE timecode reader/inserter/generators.

Audio recording

This category is no longer limit-ed to ATRs, as companies such asCompusonics are ably illustra-ting. For the first time anywhere,Compusonics had a working mod-el of its DSP-1500/1200 digitalfloppy disk -based audio recorder,intended as a replacement for cartmachines. The DSP is designed toresemble a cart machine, with thesame configuration of control but-tons. Expect full production byNAB. Tentative pricing is $3000for the DSP 1500 recorder and$2500 for the DSP-1200 player.

In digital ATRs, Mitsubishishowed its new ProDigi standard

X-850 32 -channel digital audiotape recorder, introduced at AESand priced at $154,000.

In the DASH camp, Sony fea-tured its PCM-3000 Series 1/4 -inchdigital ATRs. Sony also showedan improved professional analogrecorder, the APR -5000 Series, de-signed for sophisticated audio -for -

video applications.Otari's new MTR-20 Series

microprocessor -controlled analogreel-to-reel decks, introduced atAES, came to SMPTE in three ver-sions: 1/4 -inch two -track, with orwithout IEC center -track timecode; half -inch two -track; andhalf -inch four -track.

AEG Telefunken announcedthat its M20 and M21 tape record-ers are now available. The M20comes in two -track or center tracktime code configurations withcomplete microprocessor control,programmable and stored level,EQ and bias alignments for four

This new QuantAural QA -100 AudioProgram Analyzer gives you the advantagein competitive broadcasting

Simply put, the QA -100 quantifies what youhear. Your station sound can now be electronicallymonitored the way you hear it. Exactly. And, youcan monitor the competition tool

Real time analysis of any audio signal. From areceiver, tape recorder, or processing equipment.You see the measurements as you hear the sound.Changes in processing or variations in system per-formance are immediately shown on the QA -100panel meter or bargraph display-using programmaterial as the signal source.

The QA -100 hears like a program director andtalks like an engineer. With it you can monitor max-imum peak level (relative peak modulation), overall

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Interested? To learn more about how the QA -100will help your station compete, call PotomacInstruments today.

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tape speeds, and external synchro-nization capability. The M21stereo deck is for less sophisti-cated operations requiring onlytwo -speed operations, manual au-dio alignment, and no syn-chronization.

Studer Revox introduced theA820-TC recorder, a version of theA820 recorder with center tracktime code capability. Price is$11,500. The company also had anew pilot tone version of the A810,the A810-2-TC-FM-neo, which re-cords and reproduces an FM pilottone or SMPTE time code.

Several new ATRs graced theTascam booth: the new ATR 60reel-to-reel series with "Omega"tape drive transports; the ATR 602T quarter -inch three -track,three -channel head half-track ma-chine, which runs at 7 '/2 or 15 ips(15 or 30 ips operation is an op-tion); and the ATR 60 2N, a quar-ter -inch two -track, two -channelmachine without the center trackhead.

Also from Tascam, the ATR 602HS is a half -inch version with 15and 30 ips speeds standard. Itcomes in a four -track version, theATR 60 4HS. An eight -track mod-el, the ATR 60 8, offers a choice be-tween 7 1/2 and 15 ips or 15 and 30ips configurations.

Philips featured the LHH 2000.a new professional CD system thatconsists of three CD players and amicroprocessor -controlled drivecontrol unit.

Processing

Orban, showing its wares at theHarris booth, unveiled the new275A automatic stereo synthe-sizer. Designed more for broadcastapplications than previous mod-els, the new unit answers MTSstations' growing need for synthe-sizing mono material. An impor-tant feature is audio -controlledswitching between true and syn-thesized stereo; local and remotemanual override control is avail-able. The 275A automaticallydetects and corrects polarity -re-versed inputs.

A useful and unusual item forMTS television stations was

"No more halftimeheadaches..."

"This new Telex headset is so light and comfortableI can finally leave my aspirin home. And, my engineer

says I sound great!"

The newest Telex "Sportscaster"boom mic headset has the prosin the broadcast booth talking.Good news about the modelPH -24 is spreading quicklyamong veteran sportsannouncers like networktelevision sports announcerCharlie Jones. Imagine,a professional broadcastheadset with full studio -quality, electret condensermicrophone and optimumearphone receiver performanceweighing a mere 21/2 oz. (less cord).

NEWTELEX

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-HUUIC) uevelupmerits HUM FALJLast fall's AES show in New Yorkfeatured the latest and best inaudio equipment from all theimportant manufacturers.Many AES exhibitors attendedSMPTE as well, and their newproducts are covered in the ac-companying story. Several ma-jor AES developments were notfeatured at SMPTE, however,and they are highlighted here.

In an important developmentin the digital audio field, Otari,AEG and Mitsubishi held a jointpress conference at the AESconvention announcing a newdigital audio standard. TheProDigi, or PD (for ProfessionalDigital) format will competewith the DASH (Digital Audio Sta-tionary Head) format supportedby Sony, Matsushita, andStuder.

Otari said it intends to manu-

facture machines with 32 chan-nels on one -inch tape, with 24and 16 channels expandable to32 -channel. Also included inOtari's product series will be atwo -channel version with timecode track and up to two hoursof recording.

Audio Kinetics debuted theEclipse editor, a new intelligentcontroller that allows four -

machine editing with the Q.Lock4.10 synchronizer. The Eclipsefeatures 12 programmablefunction keys and can access anindividual machine while per-forming an edit, thus allowingloading and cueing while thesystem makes edits. Also newwas TimeLink, which cleanstimecode waveform and con-verts standards.

Soundcraft showed the TV24, a version of its TS 24 mixing

console designed for TV and ra-dio post -production and broad-casting. Optional 16 -wayrouting matrix and extra24 -track monitoring facilities al-low independent multitrackbackup.

JBL introduced a new UREI12 -input broadcast console, theModel 1690 series, with optionalShallco or Penny & Giles attenu-ators. Also new were its 5547one-third octave graphic equali-zer, 5330 VCA-controlled micmixer, and 6290 power amp.

The PM3000 mixing console,new from Yamaha, offers five -position attenuation pad switchand gain controls, eight VCAgroups, eight group mixingbuses and auxiliary buses, and aseparate stereo bus. It is avail-able with 24, 32, or 40 inputchannels.

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Yamaha PM3000 audio console.

Audio Developments pre-miered its first ENG mixer with astereo output, the AD 260. Thebattery -operated unit hastransformer balanced inputsand outputs.

Shown for the first time in thiscountry was Fostex's Model4030 SMPTE-based synchroniz-er, which is selling for $1500,one per slave. Fostex also un-veiled the E-2 and E-22 studiomastering recorders, which fea-ture microprocessor -controlledtransports and record/play log-ic, plus center track SMPTE timecode.

Panasonic unveiled severalnew Ramsa products. The WR-X01 is a compact, multiuse mix-er featuring 12 inputs-eightstereo and four balancedmono. It has a stereo fader andbuilt-in compressor, throughwhich all mono input signals arerouted. The WR-P01 is similar tothe WR-X01 but also has a built-in 200 W per channel poweramp.

Also from Ramsa was theWS -A10, a compact speakerthat can handle up to 160 W ofcontinuous program input.Ramsa also introduced a new27 -band graphic equalizer withhigh and low "shelving" filtersto eliminate undesirable highand low frequency sound.

Audio Kinetics and Tascam an-nounced the introduction ofnew chase synchronizer sys-tems, the Pacer and Code 1,

which are single rack space unitsthat work with all internationaltime codes. Both units featurean internal time code generatorthat is capable of jam sync oper-ation and can be locked tohouse sync or an external videosource. The twin dynamic read-ers are capable of reading codefrom 1/20 to 80 times playspeed in both directions.

A new phantom -poweredunidirectional condenser mic,the ATM33R, was unveiled byAudio-Technica. It's a a Lo -Z (150ohms) model with a frequencyrange of 30 to 20,000 Hz. It fea-tures a compact lightweightdesign.

3M introduced its new Scotch275 digital audio masteringtape, recommended for highdensity record and playback onDASH systems. The tape is in-spected by a proprietary laserscanning system in the coatingprocess to eliminate coated -inerror and reduce dropouts. Thenew tape is intended as a directreplacement for Scotch 265tape.

AKG introduced a series of mi-crophones called the Ultra Lin-ear Series. The C 460 B

comb-ULS/61 is a condensermic with cardioid response forsurroundings with less thanideal acoustics. The C 460 Bcomb-ULS/62 is a condersermic with omnidirectional re-sponse, for suitable acousticsurroundings.

,iO4°46

Z\PIk4\°C,

kfik w-e A \I,Or,60" OS \SS'

Vet .0" q.0sO We're

'0\1\ 44 40 anxious for youOltW1 Os' lat\ to see what makes this

041 Aegil5h 2,19' new boom mic headset different

.44\it from the rest. So, we're Milling to putycur name into a $1000 drawing if you'll

answer three simple questions about the PH -24.(Here's a hint. The answers are contained in the ad.)

Question 1-What TYPE of boom mic isused to produce the full studio qualitysound discussed in the ad?

Question 2-How LIGHT (in ounces) is thislightweight headset?

Question 3-What HALFTIME PROBLEMhas network sports announcer Charlie Joneseliminated since he began using the PH -24?

Hurry! Only those correctly answered entries post-marked before Feb. 28, 1986 will be used in a randomdrawing held on March 14, 1986. The drawing will beperformed by a neutral party. Employees and families ofTelex or this publication will not be eligible. Winner willoe notified by mail, and the winner's name and addresswill be available to anyone upon request

Void where prohibited by law.

'No more halftimeheadaches..."

Send answers to:Telex Communications, Inc.

Headset Drawing9600 Aldrich Avenue South

Minneapolis, MN 55420

Answer 1:

Answer 2:

Answer 3: _

NAME

COMPANY

ADDRESS

CITY

STATE ZIP BM/E 1-86 J

Circle 159 on Reader Service Card BM/E JANUARY, 1986 97


Orban 275A stereo synthesizer.

VISA, Merlin Engineering's Ver-tical Interval Stereo Audio up-grade kit for ACR and TCR cartmachines.

In addition to the audio editingsystem already described, Lexicondemonstrated the PCM 70, a new

digital effects processor incorpor-ating MIDI control, at its booth.The initial software release canproduce hundreds of sounds intime delay or digital reverb.

Aphex Systems introduced theStudio Dominator, a three -bandstereo peak processor. The $1195unit provides absolute peak ceil-ing and transparency below pro-cessing threshold duringprocessing. Aphex also showed itsnew Surround -Sound decoder, aneight -channel audio vector matrixcalled the AVM 8000.

Dolby Labs had a new multi-track noise reduction package, theXP Series. It features up to 24channels of Dolby A noisereduction.

Consoles and mixers

The Mitsubishi/Westrex/QuadEight/DEC group came to SMPTEwith a range of new products;

Mitsubishi's new DATR has al-ready been described. Also newfrom Mitsubishi was the Pro Au-dio SuperStar console, a multi-track unit with intelligent digitalfaders, a Compumix IV automa-tion system, and electroniccrosspoint switching system onthe outputs.

The Westar audio console forvideo post -production and soundsweetening is a 36 -input, 24 -trackunit available with or without au-tomation. Westrex also introducedits Digital Master Motion Controlfor film and video.

Console giant Rupert Neve, re-cently acquired by Siemens, fea-tured its 51 Series console.Features include dual multitrack,the ability to assign dynamics toother channels by linking, four -track as well as stereo configura-tions, and new monitoring.

Sony Pro Audio waded intouncharted waters with the intro-

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duction of its very first broadcastconsole, the MXP-2000, first seenat AES. Slated for February deliv-ery, the board features up to 16 in-puts and accepts 20 controlmodules. It's now in mono, but astereo module will be available inthe future. Sony also had a newrecording/remix console, theMXP-3000, available with option-al automation.

The latest item from HarrisonSystems was the 10 Series auto-mated console, with assignablefunctions. It can be preset for mu-sic, scoring, post -production, andfilm sound.

Solid State Logic showed its5000 M Series audio productionsystem, introduced at the NAB.

Introduced in prototype at NAB,Studer Revox's 961 and 962 com-pact mixing consoles for videoediting and post -production ap-peared as production models forthe first time.

Panasonic featured its RamsaWR-8616 post -production record-ing console with 16 balancedstereo or mono inputs and 16 -channel monitoring.

Graham -Patten Systems.known for its video switchers,showed the 612 and 616 ESAMEdit Suite Audio Mixers, designedfor direct control by a video editor.

In small mixers, Sennheiser in-troduced the M8, a new portablewith eight inputs, dc or A -B phan-tom power, and prefade listen oneach channel.

Shure Brothers had a newstereo ENG mixer, the FP32, athree -input, two -output, transfor-mer -balanced unit. Shure also fea-tured the FP42, a version of theM267 stereo production mixerwith four inputs and two outputs.

Mics, intercoms

An unusually sophisticated in-tercom system, the Audix digital-ly controlled intercom, wasfeatured at the A.F. Associatesbooth. This is not a traditional matrix system but rather works ona single coaxial loop that allows60 simultaneous conversations.The system is fully software basedand has machine control capa-

"With the 6120I have control

over myquality"Dameon Higgins founded Delta Sounds andVideo in 1976 after 10 years it broadcasting.This radio experience and his uhcompromisingaudio stancards quickly established Delta as avery successful recording studio and entertain-ment sound service in the Orange County/LAarea. Although the company specialized in sup-plying complete custom sounc prcgrams andsystems for school dance DJs and Discos, itwasn't long before Dameon found himself turn-ing down a lot of tape duplicating requests. Thehigh quantities were not pra:tical for "realtime" duplicating, and the jobs :hat he "farmedout" to high speed duplicating companies oftencame back to hurt his image.

Eventually, because of missed profit oppor-tunities and a frustrating lack of control over

Control moduleand a cassettemaster/slave module

quality, Dameon decided to install hiE own highspeed duplicating equipment. He looked care-fully a' every product on the market and finallyselected the Telex 6120, seven slave, 1/2 trackcassette -to -cassette model. He knows that hecan add on to his system as his businessgrows. but for now his 6120 can copy up to 280C -30s in one hour, and is easily operated byone non -technical employee because of itscompact size, single button operation, jammedor short tape warning lights and automaticmaster rewind. Dameon hasn't rep retted hisdecision for one moment because ha now hasa thriving additional business of cuplicatingvoice and DJ audition tapes, seminars and syn-dicated radio programs. Now he reports a zeroreject rate and his quality image is under hiscontrol where it belongs.

For over twenty years now, Telex has been thechoice of those who, like Dameon Higgins, arefussy about the quality of their duplicate tapes.To learn more about what the 6120 can do foryou, write to Telex Communications, Inc., 9600Aldridh Avenue South, Minneapolis, f1N 55420.We'll ;end you complete specifications and pro-duction capabilities.

For (Nick information, call Toll Free

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TV Engineering & ProducSMPTE Show

bility and very sophisticateddiagnostics.

H.M. Electronics introduced alightweight (11 ounces) cabled in-tercom belt pack in a more com-pact, contoured -to -the -bodydesign. Also new was the System87 wireless hand-held transmitterand receiver.

Micron Audio's CNS 500 Series,featuring complementary noisesuppression, is now in fullproduction.

Swintek introduced the Q2Rdual frequency wireless receiver,switchable to Fl or F2.

Sony featured a new wirelessmic, the WRT-67, along with aneconomical new lavalier mic, the

Sony's ECM -44 lavalier mic.

ECM -44. The company also intro-duced its first professional poweramplifier, the dual -channel, 45 Wper channel TA -N7050.

Audio T&M

Television engineers worriedabout their stereo signals with theadvent of MTS found relief at theTektronix booth. Tek's new 760stereo audio monitor includes notonly a graphic CRT display of thestereo audio signal but also a bar -

graph display that can be used forsetups (accurate phase and ampli-tude measurements) and opera-tions monitoring (accurate peaks).The CRT and bargraph displaysboth incorporate informationabout amplitude, stereo separa-tion, and phase correlation.


Ion

Competing with the Tek 760were two other systems firstshown at NAB: the TFT 850 BTSCTV stereo aural modulation moni-tor and B&B System's Imagescopeproducts. The TFT 850 reads al-most everything but the displaysare the usual meters. B&B showedits Stereoscopes for X/Y display ofstereo audio phase and the inter-esting Imagescope, which show sthe dispersion of energy on a CRT.The CRT is divided into left andright quadrants, with the monosignal represented in the center ofthe CRT.

In its SMPTE debut, Audio Pre-cision showed its IBM PC -basedSystem One audio test system, in-troduced at the NAB. New forSMPTE was optional intermodu-lation distortion stimulus and re-sponse measurement capability.

New from Otari was the EC 201portable, battery -powered timecode reader, featuring -4 bal-anced input and -4 balanced re-shaped output.

Kintek featured its reverse po-larity correlation detection moni-tor, which compares vector sumsignals to a scale. If a reversal isdetected, a relay flips to correct it.There's a longer constant on musicthan on speech for music, with de-liberate phase effects.

Real World Technologiesshowed a stereo coherency moni-tor, another entry in the new butgrowing field of detecting stereophase reversal, especially neces-sary for MTS.

A new player in the MTS game,Elecon (Universal), introducedEiden MTS stereo equipment. TheEiden stereo generator, which in-cludes the SAP and pro channels,sells for $11,000. Its MTS demodu-lator features no processing, andsells for $13,000.

One -Inch, Beta LeadTape IntroductionsAll the interest in half -inch re-cording and playback systems iskeeping tape manufacturers busyresponding with new tapes, espe-cially for the Beta format. Mean -

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New Betacam tapes from Fuji.

while, more manufacturers arevying for shares of the one -inchtape market.

Agfa-Gevaert says its new PEV2625 Broadcast Plus Type C tape,announced at NAB, will be avail-able early this year. Also new fromAgfa is an improved formulationfor its half -inch VHF tape.

Fuji introduced a trio of newtapes at the SMPTE show, andalso announced a reorganizationof the Industrial Products Groupof its Magnetic Products Div., nowknown as the Professional Prod-ucts Group. The new tapes includethe H621E one -inch tape with im-proved performance characteris-tics, plus two new half -inch tapes,H421M for M -format and H321Bfor Betacam.

3M's primary focus at SMPTEwas its antistatic technology, in-troduced initially for the half -inch

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Our New York Office is looking for an articulate, high-energy individual with a strong practical background inmultitrack audio -for -video and broadcast audio operations.Professional sales experience and technical ability are a plus,but most of all you must thoroughly understand the work-ings of audio production and post -production organisations.Your work will involve helping our clients to specify themost appropriate SSL System for their needs, and providingliason between them and the rest of our organisation.

This career opportunity with the world's leading consolemanufacturer involves some travel and administrative respon-sibilities, and offers excellent salary and benefits. If youmeet our requirements, we'd like to talk with you. Sendyour resume and salary history to Piers Plaskitt, NationalSales Manager. All enquiries will be handled confidentially.

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format and now available in a newMBR U-Matic product scheduledfor sale by this month.

No one, of course, is more com-mitted to Betacart than Sony,which introduced its BCT SeriesBetacart cassette at SMPTE. Thenew tapes, available in five-, 10-,and 20 -minute lengths, are de-signed for durability andreliability.

Yet another new half -inch tapemade its debut at the Eastman Ko-dak booth. The new Eastman pro-fessional videocassettes were to beavailable by late 1985 in five-, 10-,and 20 -minute Beta cassettes and20 -minute M -format cassettes.

Maxell's new Master Broadcastone -inch tape, introduced at NAB,made its first SMPTE appearance.

Emphasizing the consistencyand durability of its tape products,Ampex repeated its NAB tape tor-ture tests, subjecting both one -inch and 3/4 -inch tapes to "crueland unusual punishment."

Production EssentialsLight Up the ShowThey may not be the sexiest itemson the floor, but batteries andlighting equipment are somethingno television operation can dowithout. A number of new an-nouncements in the lighting andpower field sparked interest atSMPTE.

Comprehensive Video unveileda new lighting design systemcalled APAS that consists of sevencompact and versatile fresnel,soft, and flood lights, plus clamps,scrims and gel frames. Compre-hensive also introduced its newLog -It computer software, whichgenerates a computerized shoot-ing log.

Frezzolini showed an adapterthat attaches its Mini -Fill light toa regular camera battery so thatthe battery becomes a "stand" forthe light. Also new was the Multi-ple Mini -Fill kit, which comeswith three light heads, threestands, three dichroic filters, andan ac inverter with four channels.

Frezzi Mini -Fill with battery/stand.

In power, Elecon introduced theElepack 90 camera battery.

Christie featured its program-mable CASP universal batterycharger and analyzer.

PAG America showed its line ofmicroprocessor -controlled char-gers and nicad batteries, includ-ing the Speedcharge 6000, theMastercharger, and the 10/90. Thenewest item was a 4 Ah Betacambattery, the PP3B.

Anton/Bauer introduced thePowerstrap battery shoulderstrap, a 12 V, 4 Ah unit for porta-ble video recorders and low -voltage lights.

G&M Power Products featureda camera battery with built-incharger and all -metal case thatputs out 4.5 Ah and lists for $495.

Alexander promises new bat-tery belts and a new mini snap -onbattery by NAB.

Cine 60, bullish on belts, fea-tured its 8 A switchable belt,which can run a camera, recorder/camera, and/or a light.

Perrott Engineering showed itsline of nicad and silver batteriesand belts and its minichargers.

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Compu = Prompt introduced anew computer, the CP1130XM,with 5500 -line storage (80 min-utes continuous scrolling). Alsonew was the Micro, an ENG-styleteleprompter that can work on ahandheld camera.

Listec showed its telepromptersin nine -inch, 15 -inch, and high-

visibility 19 -inch versions.Canon introduced the produc-

tion model of its new counterbal-anced camera pedestal, seen inprototype at NAB.

Karl Heitz featured the newGitzo 564LM microphone fishpole,with four black anodized exten-sions and two soft grips. It extendsto seven feet and folds to fit into abriefcase.

Other camera support manufac-turers, including Sachtler, ITE,and O'Connor, showed establishedlines. BM/E

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Broadcast Management

Group ConsciousEngineering In The Post

12-12-12 EraEngineers and engineering find new pressures and demands come

with the increased power of the broadcast group.

By David Hawthorne

Since the number of licenses a single ownermay hold in the three broadcast services(AM, FM, and TV) has been increased to 12,

12, and 12, group broadcasters have been the dar-lings of Wall Street.

The big questions for engineers and engineering,however, is how will the newly cherished and highlyvisible broadcast groups deal with their acquiredpower? There will be not so much a dramatic addi-tion of new trends to which engineering will need torespond as an intensification of emphasis on aspectsof the engineering function that have been evolvingcontinuously over the past few years.

John Swanson, vice president of engineering forbroadcast of Cox Communications, Inc., says of engi-neers, "...from the corporate point of view, the abso-lute guideline is to become much more bottomlineoriented." This means that a premium is to be placednot only on the engineering skills but also on man-agement skills. Broadcast groups are still concernedprimarily with how each station performs in its ownmarket but there is some evidence that each stationneeds to improve its consciousness of overall corpo-rate goals and objectives and to improve its ability totake advantage of the economies of scale that de-volve to the group owned station.

Managing stations within the groupBy and large individual stations remain focused

on performance in their individual markets. "Thegoals of the corporation," says Tom Bracanovich,vice president of engineering for Malrite, "are thesame as goals of the individual stations-to be suc-cessful." That is not to say that there is complete au-tonomy but rather degrees of autonomy.

Broadcast Station Assignments andTransfers Granted by the FCC

FY 1985(Oct. 1 -Sept. 30)

FY 1984

AM 1117 1000

FM 986 814

TV 561 ' 381

'Estimated. Full annual report has not yet been released.

The area where most station operations feel theimpact of the group is in the purchase of majorequipment where groups regularly review the indi-vidual stations' annual demand and see if group re-sources can be pooled to produce significant savings.Says Swanson, "About five of our stations last year,for instance, ordered three or four studio camerasapiece. We review those submissions, and if we canget a consensus on type and manufacturer we try fora group discount." However, notes Swanson, "Wehaven't taken it much beyond the major equipmentlevel at this point..." since there is a need to leavemany purchasing decisions with the individual sta-tion chiefs. In this respect the purpose of leavingmany of the purchasing decisions with the stationchief is twofold: to preserve each chiefs influencewith vendors and to permit each chief to respond tolocal conditions as appropriate.

Says Joel Chaseman, president of Post -NewsweekStations, "The group can be an advantage to theindividual station." He notes, for instance, that com-mercial production is a "big deal" for Post-News-


Broadcast Management12-12-12 Era

00

400

300200

10080

70

6050

4030

25

2015

10

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0

Dale ofSales

245

83

,i)

10.0

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'77 '84

Recent Sales of VHF and UHF Independents

73

20

'78 84

FiguresfromFrazier,Gross &Kadlec, ofWashington,D.C.

17.8

4.1

80 84

15 15 1

4.9 I .69 '79 78 '84

20.0

5.5

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30

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8.0

1.9 I 1.23 5

,m.

I'76 '84 '76 '85 83 85'85

StationKTLA WDRB(VHF) (UHF)

WKID(UHF)

WDCA WUTV(UHF) (UHF)

KVVU(VHF)

KZAZ KBSC KTXS(VHF) (UHF) (VHF)

wrry(VHF)

Market Los Angeles Louisville MiamiWashington,

D.C. Buffalo Las VegasAbilene

Tucson Los Angeles Sweetwater Indianapolis

AnnualCapital

Apprectabon32% 7% 48% 12% 26% 25% 29% 44% 46% 21%

week's Hartford and Jacksonville stations but notsuch a major part of the Miami station operation.The Detroit Post -Newsweek station carries theDetroit Tigers baseball games and, as a result, "hastwo big, well-equipped trucks." From time to time,

notes Chaseman, the other stations may have ashort-term need for a specialized commercial pro-ductionfunction or a need for a large rig, and can getaccess to the resources of the other station. The pointis, according to Chaseman, that different stations in

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Broadcast Management

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12-12-12 Era

John F.Swanson, VP Broadcast Engineering, Cox Com-munications, Inc.

different markets develop at different rates, re-sponding to different needs. As members of a groupthey can draw on both the resources in equipmentand know-how from sister stations.

All of the groups interviewed for this story hadsome form of "friendly user group" approach to ex-changing information about engineering. AtMalrite, for instance, each chief engineer writes aweekly report which not only deals with develop-ments at each station but may also raise engineer-ing questions and solicit help from other stations tofind solutions to problems.

Qualities in the 'group consciousengineer'

For some time now, greater emphasis has beenplaced on managerial skills for engineers than inthe past. Largely, this reflects a number of powerfulforces beyond the simple expansion of the number ofstations a single group may operate. Primarily, theadvance in technology to general use of solid-statesystems and the adoption of many types of compu-terized systems has placed a premium on engineer-ing knowledge and skills related to thesetechnologies. Observes Otis Freeman, director ofen-gineering, Tribune Broadcasting Co., "We alwaysneed stronger, better educated engineers especiallyin the digital field." Of the relative value of engi-neering skills versus management skills, "Theyboth have to be present" in today's engineer, saysHerb Shubarth, vice president of engineering,Gannett Broadcast Group.


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MARTI Electronics, Inc.POST OFFICE BOX 681 PHONE (817) 845-9183CLEBURNE. TEXAS. USA 76031 TELEX 794 835

Broadcast Management12-12-12 Era

Joel Chaseman, President, Post -Newsweek Stations,Inc.

Though Shubarth was probably the most forcefulof the interviewees on the subject of the need for "sol-id engineering skills," he too put great stock in other"people/management skills." Engineers, Shubarthstresses, "...have got to have an open mind. Theirability to explain [is critical] and is probably relatedto their ability to teach," a major requirement in to-day's engineering environment.

'Group conscious engineering'While most groups clearly indicate that market-

by -market performance is still their main concern, itis clear that group broadcasters have concerns thatgo beyond simply the health of one individual sta-tion under their management. Groups, themselves,do vary depending on just what kind of group theyare. The Tribune Broadcasting group of stations, forinstance, are large -market independents. As such,different stations within the group have different as-sets and consequently, different missions. WPIX-TV, in New York, handles the INN news operationin a facility superbly equipped for that mission,which currently feeds about 150 independent sta-tions across the country with a nightly "networkgrade" newscast. WGN, Tribune's Chicago opera-tion, has three large studios and consequently han-dles some significant program production tasksimportant to both other stations in the group and tothe Tribune group's syndication efforts-most nota-bly the Siskell and Ebert At The Movies film criti-cism and review program. Though Freeman was notdiscussing plans for Tribune's recent acquisition of


KTLA, the huge Los Angeles independent, he doessay, "If we had a station located and equipped formajor productions we would use it." In Atlanta, theTribune Co. maintains a special graphics organiza-tion that works with an outside graphics productionfacility to produce promo campaigns for many of thefilm packages and syndicated program packagescarried on Tribune stations.

It is important, adds Freeman, for "manage-ment engineers at the stations to interpret whatmanagement wants and then have motivated peo-ple to get it done. Many ideas percolate up from thebottom from people in studios and control rooms.We encourage this. We like to think of our engi-neers as a team."

Areas for concernA number of areas for future engineering

were aired by those interviewed. Generally thereis some concern about a decline in engineeringknowledge and experience with RF. This is largelydue to the increased reliability of modern trans-mitters and the use of remote control. No one is outbabysitting the transmitter anymore, gaining in-timate knowledge of the system. Moreover, thedropping of the requirement for the first-classphone license and the subsequent use of contractengineers have adversely affected the use of smal-ler market stations as a training ground for engi-neers. "The contract guys," says one engineeringmanager, "are excellent fixer uppers, but becausethey don't get involved in the day-to-day opera-tions of the stations, they fail to pick up the man-agement skills that are so vital in today'sengineering."

Adds Post-Newsweek's Chaseman, "We've nowgrown a generation of engineers and technical su-pervisors who are comfortable with the new re-quirements of group broadcasting. They aresophisticated on two levels: They are sophisticatedabout technology, and they are sophisticatedabout the use of other people."

This, then, seems to be the most important as-pect of engineering in an age of increasing promi-nence and power for group broadcasters:Engineers need to concentrate on developing peo-ple skills, management skills, and the ability tounderstand corporate goals and objectives, which,though still focused on each market, also includean element of overall corporate strategy. Engi-neers must become full members of the manage-ment team, able to deduce the engineeringimplications of corporate and operations policiesand able to explain engineering concerns and cri-teria in an understandable and detechnicalizedlanguage. It is not so much that engineering hasdecreased in its importance as it is that it has be-come integrated with other management con-cerns, and so, it must be aggressively supportive ofa greater variety of missions. BM/E

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0 . 0 Circle 178 on Reader Service Card BM/E JANUARY, 1986 113

Business BriefsChyron Corp. has approved aproposal by CMX Corp. to sellChyron 700,000 shares of CMXcommon stock. In addition, Chy-ron has agreed to purchase an ad-ditional 1.3 million shares of CMXstock pending the approval ofshareholders. In a related item,Chyron shares have now begun tobe traded on the New York StockExchange.

NJ -based Artronics has ac-quired its largest systems dealer,Studio Tech.... In the telecommu-nications field, Spectrum Plan-ning of Dallas recently acquiredCompucon from the A.C. NielsenCompany. Compucon will contin-ue its operations as a subsidiary ofSpectrum Planning.... In other ac-quisitions, Discovery Systems ofDublin, OH, purchased Morning-star Video Productions.

Prime Ticket Network, a newnational cable sports network, hasselected Hollywood's The PostGroup to handle all of its post -production work....EECO'sEMME Computerized EditingSystem was recently installed inMaritz Communications Compa-ny, Gardena, CA; Producers Com-munications, St. Louis, MO; andVideogenic, Toronto, Canada....Film/Video Equipment Serviceof Denver provided Betacamcamera/recorder packages and re-lated accessories for the annualProfessional Golfers AssociationChampionship shoot, as well as itsnew Schwem Gyrozoom for use inNBC's Sportsworld's 16 -day cover-age of the Coors Bicycle Classic.

Utah -based film and video ser-vices company Polymedia hasadded the Montage Picture Proc-essor to its list of equipment, mak-ing it the only facility between thewest coast and Dallas to have sucha system....Forecast Installationshas provided custom cabinetryfor edit rooms in the newly refur-bished New York City studios ofHBO.... Southland Video Pro-ductions, a post -production facili-ty offering both audio and videoservices, has opened in Charlotte,NC.

New York City's St. John's Uni-versity recently launched its stateof the art, $3 million Television

The post -production room at Video Production Services, Inc. (VPSI), the first vid-eo production company in Indiana, features a Sony Betacam videotape system,BVW-10 player, BVW-15 Dynamic Tracking player, and a BVW-40 recorder.

Center. The facility boasts com-puterized studio and field camerasmanufactured by Ikegami, includ-ing three microprocessor -controlled Ikegami HK-357As.The center will be made availableto assist nonprofit and charitableorganizations with teleproductionneeds....Comsat Internationalis providing satellite transmissionfrom the United States to France,24 hours -a -day to NETCOM. Thisis a full -period, nonpreemptibleservice transmitted from An-dover, ME to France's Pleumeur-Bodou earth station.

Accu-Weather is now providingcomplete one -minute weathersegments for use on -air to WSJT-TV, Vineland, NJ....WCPX-TV,Orlando, FL, recently produced aset of five -second promotional tagshighlighting the demographicgrowth of its audience with ani-mated graphics designed on theEditel/NY Paint Box with Mirage.Effects include an animated charthighlighted by incandescent redarrows to indicate viewer growth.

Sony Professional Audio Di-vision has expanded its U.S. deal-er network with the appointmentof New York City -based WestecAudio Video Ltd. to handle sys-tems designed for the teleproduc-tion and entertainment industriesincluding consoles andmixers....Effective on the first of

this month, BASF has restruc-tured its operations in NorthAmerica, combining all activitiesinto a new company, BASFCorporation....3M will move its3/4 -inch U-Matic videocassetteand professional reel-to-reelaudio product manufacturinglines from Freehold, NJ to facili-ties at Hutchinson, MN andWahpeton, ND. The move will becompleted by June.

Satellite TV equipment suppli-er R.L. Drake Company hasopened its first Canadian office at655 The Queensway, Unit 20,Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7M1(705) 742-3122....Trident USAhas moved its corporate U.S. officeto 308 North Stanley Ave., LosAngeles, CA 90036....WLMConsultants is a new full -servicebroadcast sales and operationsconsulting firm founded byWilliam Lee Mockbee, former VPof research and development forWCVB-TV, Boston.

Among the personnel changesthis month, Scott Ross has beenappointed president of OnePass.... At Biamp Systems, SusanStamm is the new eastern region-al sales manager....RobertMcNabb is the new regional salesmanager for the Pacific region atAgfa-Gevaert.

Image Resources has namedJoe Kelman CE/producer.


Second in the Series from BMiE 0

TheModernRadio 1111 EPlant

DES<BCCA<

The SecondDeskbook inBM/E's Seriesof ReferenceVolumesis Here!An Essential ReferenceResource On A CurrentlyVital TopicWith Radio stations gearing up to redesigntheir facilities and the sound engineering in-dustry going through a phenomenal growthperiod, this reference source detailing factsabout acoustics and electronic design andengineering is an essential tool for the mod-ern engineering professional.

The Second DeskbookAddresses CommonProblems in Today'sBroadcast WorldManagement and engineers in the communi-cations industry can learn about station de-sign concepts, satellite technology, andintegration of components into systems.

SEND IN THIS COUPON TO

BM/E DeskbooksPlease send copies of The Modern RadioPlant at $34.95 each (includes postage).

Make check payable to Broadband Informa-tion Services, Inc.

L 1 check enclosed US$__

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295 Madison AvenueNew York, NY 10017

Name

Title

Company

Street

City State Zip

Don't Forget to Order the Multichannel TV Sound Deskbook 1!

Advertisers Index

ManufacturerCircle Page

No. No.

Abekas Video Systems.. 147 79Acrodyne Industries. Inc. 141 65Agfa-Gevaert, Inc.. .... 116 21Alden Electronics 123 30Alexander Manufacturing

Co 113 18

Ampex Corporation/MTD 137 58-59AsacaShibasoku Corp. . 179 110Audio Technica U.S.A..

Inc 171 103Belar Electronics Lab.

Inc 170 102Broadcast Electronics,

Inc 109 14

Bryston Vermont Ltd. 162 98Camera Mart. Inc . 104 5Central Dynamics Corp.... - 33Chips Davis Accoustic

Design 152 88Cipher Digital 142 69Comark Communications,

Inc 107 11

Continental Electronics, aDivision of VarianAssociates, Inc. 165 100

Crosspoint Latch Corp.. 160 96Crown International 164 87Delta Electronics 135 56Dielectric 129 45Eastman Kodak Co. 128 43Fidelipac Corp. 102 1

German American Chamberof Commerce 176 106

Harris Corporation 131 51

Hipotronics, Inc 124 36Intergroup Video Systems. 114 19


No. No.

International TapetronicsCorp. 3M 105 6-7

U.S. JVC Corporation 112 17

Kintek 166 100

Lake Systems Corp. 173 105Larcan Communications

Equipment. Inc. 122 31Leitch Video Ltd. 139 55LPB Inc. 133 54Marti Electronics 177 112Matthews Studio

Equipment 163 98MEI Microprobe Electronics

Inc 167 101Merlin Engineering 118 23Microdyne Corporation 138 60Microwave Filter Co 175 108Microtime, Inc. 125 37Midwest Communication

Corp. 110 15Mitsubishi Pro Audio

Group 106 9Moseley Associates, Inc 108 13NEC America, Inc. 144 83NEC America, Inc 178 113

Northeast Broadcast Lab,Inc 168 101

Nurad, Inc. 143 93Odetics 155 91OKI Electronic Industry,

Ltd 149 109Orban Associates, Inc. . 130 46-47Otari Corporation 121 29Paco Electronics U.S.A.,

Inc 156 104


No. No.

Panasonic. Matsushita. . . . 119 24-25Perrott Engineering Labs . 117 22Potomac Instruments 158 94Precision Echo 150 85P.T S I 132 53QEI Corporation 136 57Quantel 148 81RE Instruments 115 20Sachtler Corp. of

America 157 111Shintron Company 174 108Shure Brothers. Inc. 146 76Solid State Logic - 38Solid State Logic - 102Sony Broadcast Products - 2-3Stantron 103 4Studer Revox America.

Inc 100 C- 2Studio Technologies,

Inc 154 90Tektronix, Inc 127 41Telex Communications . 151 99Telex Communications 159 95Telex Communications .. 161 97Thomson CSF

Broadcast 101 C- 3Total Spectrum

Manufacturing Co.,Inc 172 92

Townsend Associates.. 134 63United Ropeworks 111 16Videotek, Inc 140 62Vital Industries, Inc 120 26Ward -Beck Systems. Ltd... - C- 4Yamaha International

Corp. 145 74-75

Eastern States295 Madison AvenueNew York, New York 10017212-685-5320Telex: 64-4001James C. MaywaltTom Joyner

Central States980 North Michigan AvenueSuite 61. 14th FloorChicago, IL 60611(312) 664-0572Gene Kinsella

295 Madison Ave New York. New York 10017 Telex 64-4001William McGorry, Publisher

Western States19411 Sierra Noche RoadSuite OneIrvine, CA 92715(714) 854-1922Wally Gilbert

United Kingdom/Scandinavia33A Station RoadNorth HarrowMiddlesex HA2 7SU England(01) 427 9000Telex: 21289Ric Bessford

Continental Europe28 Eaton RowLondon SW1W OJA England(01) 235 8431Telex: 885744Bronwyn Holmes

Japan/Far EastIPO Box 5362Tokyo 100-31 Japan(03) 405 5118Telex: 02423928K. YamamotoY. Yozaki


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Picture the Vidifont Graphics V. Combining thefeatures E nd functions of character generation,graph cs, animation and information d splaysinto a single integrated system. All the creativetools you need for news, dial -up services suchas satellite weather and sports, ommercialspots, prcmos, elections and special prcgram.

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