Electronic Media 

Published: 10-24-94 





DISK-BASED SYSTEMS TAKE CENTER STAGE



Byline: By Joe Fedele 



  There was something missing from the recent World Media Expo:

videotape machines.

  For the most part, the expo-the joint meeting of the National

Association of Broadcasters Radio Show, Radio-Television News

Directors Association, Society of Motion Picture and Television

Engineers and the Society of Broadcast Engineers-was the same

old same old broadcast conference.

  However, if the man in the moon were to have landed at the

convention he would have gone away with the conclusion that

broadcasting was a medium that is stored, assembled, compressed

and distributed from a computer hard drive.

 Let me tell you, there wasn't a videotape machine in sight. Not

even the videotape machine giants  such as Sony and Ampex were

in town.

 It was hard disk heaven with disk-based servers and practically

every kind of revolutionary new digital compression system known

to mankind on display. And ``videotape'' was a dirty word.

 Some of the equipment vendors had showcased their new

disk-based systems at the NAB convention last April. In the

months since then some have sold their wares to broadcasters.

 And they were all too happy to show off their client lists.

This midterm convention, as I call it, allowed some of them to

capitalize on the inroads they had started on at NAB '94. I got

the impression that they came to the Expo hoping to do a dress

rehearsal for NAB '95.

 Because disk systems were such a big part of the show, I'll 

quickly go through a few of the exhibits. 

 ASC featured its Virtual Recorder, or VR for short. VR is a

disk-based version of a videotape machine that offers everything

from time-delay recordings to slow-motion video. And with

PlayList, stations can randomly access video in a flawless

sequence for playback to air.

 Avid was in full swing, promoting its new alliances with Basys

and Softech as it presented its ``newsroom of the future.'' The

setup features a complete overhaul for your entire station

including everything from a disk-based library management system

to a fully computerized newsroom.

 BTS finally took Media Pool out of the closet for full public

scrutiny. During NAB '94, BTS had it hidden away in a

second-floor suite where only a select few could see it.

 Media Pool is another of the ``I can do anything'' disk

servers.

 The system is a full bandwidth CCIR-601 expandable, scalable,

networkable and fully digitized media system that will be ready

for delivery this November.

 The Hewlett-Packard disk system uses compressed 4:2:2 digital

video. HP is setting its sights on the aging library management

system market and hopes to corner current disgruntled videotape

users.

 HP also offered an interactive video-on-demand server system

whose potential clients include cable, telephone and data

companies.

 Tektronix again featured Profile, a digital disk recorder that

``integrates multichannel video and audio recording, routing,

mix effects, machine control and powerful applications

processing.''

 What this all means is that you will be as impressed as I was.

  There were, of course many other systems featured from

companies such as Accom, Dynatech, ImMix, Odetics, to name a

few.

 The number of disk-based systems was staggering compared to the

very small number of videotape machine manufacturers we now

have. I am hopeful that this will be a positive change for the

industry.

 And since much of this equipment uses off-the-shelf, open

architecture hardware, we won't be held hostage by any one

company when your maintenance staff has to buy parts.

 Now wouldn't that be a revolutionary idea!