The rapid and constant technological evolution that the industry is experiencing today, makes the channels and producers require a balance between the technical needs, the taste of the engineers to have the latest developments and the financial viability from the administrative side.
This is one of the discussions that are constantly lived in Caracol TV, one of the two private channels of open signal that operate in Colombia. Johana Rueda Mora, Technical Manager of the Channel, highlighted in an interview with TVyVideo+Radio that internally they try to live up to the demands of viewers, taking into account that they are an open signal channel. Today they broadcast in HD, which is the limit that can be reached with the current standard of digital TV transmission that Colombia has.
"Technological evolution benefits TV because you can create content much faster with better quality. But the constant change mainly affects the economic level, because they require much larger investments in a short period. Today the life of the teams of an editing room is three years. The hardware in three years does not support the latest version of the software with which you want to do something," he said.
Another aspect that has changed technological evolution is the linking of areas of work that were previously separate. Today directors and photographers, who do not have a very technical concept, demand the type of technology they want to use in their production. That is why in Caracol they work hand in hand with the conceptual theme to make a decision as a company about the look they want in the productions, and this is how the brand is chosen. Today they have a specific brand with which they develop all productions.
IP and 4K
Viewers perceive the evolution of technology much more slowly than how it is adopted in the channels. And although 4K transmission is not a reality that will be seen in the near future in Colombia, the Canal's customers abroad are demanding a higher quality. Therefore, the challenge they aim for in 2018 is to produce some of their productions in uncompressed 4K.
In this sense, Johana Rueda Mora recalled a recurring situation. They have old productions recorded in standard that are broadcast and people continue to see them, while they have had other productions with the best quality and people do not see them. "It's very subjective and difficult to understand. Although the penetration of state-of-the-art televisions is high and that makes them demand higher quality."
This year the challenge for the 80 engineers who support the entire operation of the Channel is the World Cup, a contest for which more large televisions are sold and viewers want to see images with higher quality. The task is to provide a signal with the best quality, because sports and, above all, football, is one of the topics that generates the most passions in Colombia.
New projects
To acquire new technology, Canal Caracol developed a project methodology. There is always a leader who must present to an engineering committee the analysis of the different brands according to the need you have. Depending on the impact and value of the project, some simple purchases are made by the area manager. When they are large and complex projects, proofs of concept are made, for which brands allow to test the equipment.
According to its technical director, in Caracol TV they prefer to buy the new equipment and systems abroad and make the import directly. Some products look for them in the domestic market, after doing a cost analysis.
Among the new projects that the Channel has planned from technology, is to increase the storage capacity and availability of content. It is one of the biggest needs today, because content is increasingly heavy and internal users need to have it as quickly as possible.
"We continue to investigate the issue of IP, we feel that a total definition of the standard has not yet been reached and we are afraid to go for a brand that stays very fast," concluded Johana Rueda Mora.
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