American Cinematographer - September 1992 - 50

call setup.

An alert, conscientious

operator will stay transparent.
"Here is

example of the
willing to go
things right. CBS aired a

extent to which

an

preparation.' The first step is to align
the M-2 equipment using the NBC
Standard Reference cassette. The

lot of

thing we do is play back the
producer's tapes and check the video
and audio test signals on each one. If
a
tape doesn't meet the tolerances
established in our specifications, then
we return the
tape to the producer

effects, and if the show didn't play

and ask that it be corrected. This is

to make

we are

miniseries called The Intruders this

spring. The originators of the pro¬
gram were concerned because there
were a

lot of dark

exactly

as

scenes

and

a

recorded, it would look

next

however.

rare,

"Every day, we check the
playback alignment of each M-2 deck
in each ARPS machine, again using
the NBC Standard Reference cas¬
sette. We have found that our system
levels are extremely stable and re¬

quire little, if any, adjustment from

day to day.
"At the end of last year, all
of NBC's network broadcasting op¬
eration were consolidated into New

terrible. As the show aired from New

York, we played our protection copy

adjacent

on an

screen

West Coast to make

here

sure

on the
that the

transmission hadn't

quality-checked from top to bottom.
If we find a problem, we talk with the
producer's technical representative

other hand, when someone comes to
us with a
special request or a special

"During the screening, the

we

will do what

we

can."

Steven Orland, director of
broadcast and videotape operations
for NBC Enterprises, describes that
network's distribution process: "At

NBC,

goal is to deliver the
producer's show to the affiliates, and
ultimately to the viewers, as trans¬
parently as possible. Our delivery
requirements and technical specifica¬
our

ous

time-zone

feeds,

after the show is delivered
to the network?

some

ad¬

ditional auto¬
mated equip¬
ment

was

in¬

stalled that de¬

lays the East

tape

Coast feed for the West Coast. This

matches the NBC Reference, it is

new
system utilizes D-3 digital re¬
cording technology.
"The final step in the distri¬
bution process is transmitting the
program to our affiliates via satellite.
NBC's KU-Band satellite system, be¬
sides being state-of-the-art, is unique

"Assuming

to find out

the

what can be done to fix it.

start time and duration of each seg¬
ment is confirmed by time using the

SMPTE time code track. That infor¬

Common Goals

mation is used to

cue
up each of the
given show for playback.
"Once the tapes go through
the preparation process in Burbank
and any technical or timing problems

acts

are

on a

resolved,

we

mail the M-2 tapes

to NBC New York. The show than

in that

our

earth stations

are

located

directly at the origination point in
New York and directly on the affili¬
ates' premises, avoiding additional
equipment like microwave links to
an

interference-free location out of

town. While the programs are broad¬
cast to the affiliates, a video test sig¬

nal, equivalent to NBC's Reference

broadcast to the NVBC Television
Network affiliates and their viewers.

Test cassette signal, is also transmit¬
ted in an 'invisible' portion of the

picture.

have standardized on the
component analog format,

"During the broadcast, the
integrated with
promotional el¬
ements using NBC's ARPS ma¬
chines. ARPS is an acronym for Au¬
tomated Record/Playback System.

which allows us to air the actual tape
delivered by the producer in our au¬

M-2 decks, an on-line storage area for

tions describe tolerances for the
video and audio signal, formatting,

closed-captioning, standard test sig¬
nals and

so

forth. For the last few

years, we
M-2

show segments are
the commercial and

Each ARPS machine consists of five

playback system.
"Basically, we are looking,
as is the producer, director, director
of photography and audio mixer, for
the best possible quality. To help in¬
sure that the tapes the
producer de¬
livers will play back properly and
accurately, NBC provides a Standard

hundreds of M-2 cassettes, and a ro¬
bot that moves the cassettes between
the storage area and the five decks as
needed for playback. NBC was, I

Reference Level cassette to the post¬

"The very tapes the pro¬
ducer delivers to NBC are the ones
that air on the East Coast. Actually,
when we broadcast, we have redun¬
dant playback equipment so that in

tomated on-air

production facilities and dubbing
houses. We
our

use

the

same

NBC Ref¬

cassette

during the setup of
quality-check and on-air play¬

erence

back

form

a

American

process

believe, the first network to use such
a
system for integrating all of the el¬
ements in real-time during the actual
broadcast.

of failure, we can immediately
change to the backup tape, which
case

equipment.
"For each show, we per¬

48

happens to the
cinematographer's work

changed the
setup of the video. There is some risk
involved fooling around like that,
but we do try to be transparent. It
looked great, but it wasn't inexpen¬
sive in terms of operator costs and so
forth. Clearly we can't stop what
we're doing and pre-screen every
piece of tape that we have for every
director of photography, but on the
issue,

York. In order to
handle the vari¬

What

called 'program

Cinematographer

runs

in sync.

September 1992

"I would say the M-2 for¬
mat, the ARPS equipment and our
KU-Band satellite distribution sys¬
tem have allowed us to achieve this

extremely high degree of hands-off,
'set it and forget it' operation, with
virtually no human intervention."
Starting with the 1992-1993
fall season, NBC will be requiring
producers to deliver tapes for broad¬
cast on D-3. The network is
making
a major capital investment in this
technology and has already begun
equipping their Burbank and New
York facilities with the new equip¬
ment. "As I mentioned

earlier, D-3

equipment has been in service for
several months, providing the West
Coast delay feed from New York,"
says Orland. "And, with the upcom¬
ing fall season shows delivered on
with D-3 from the

there will be

even

producer, we feel
greater transpar-
American Cinematographer - September 1992

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