Broadcast Submission Standards

1. Gazelle
   Member

   

   Hey,

   I am wondering what are some of the "standards" and I use that loosely (as various broadcasters will undoubtedly have different standards), that a videographer needs to incorporate into the video for submission to a local broadcaster for airing??

   Posted 3 years ago #

2. chrisColorado
   Member

   

   Here's an easy one: Make sure your titles are in the title safe area. Final Cut Pro, Sony Vegas and Adobe After Effects have title/action safe grids that you can toggle on/off. Use them.

   It would seem kinda obvious, but I knew a guy who was a technical genius and his text would still stick out on both sides of the screen and you couldn't read it all.

   Posted 3 years ago #

3. Johnboy
   Member

   

     You need to make sure that your levels are within standards.  best thing for you to do is to contact the station's engineers to get thier submission standards.

   Posted 3 years ago #

4. Gazelle
   Member

   

   requested  the info (waiting) but I figured some of it would be common to a percentage of 'em.

   Not sure how standard this is, but a google search found this.

   30 sec if color bars and tone.
   Slate describing the program
   10 sec countdown at the head of the program
   10 sec of black at end of program

   Posted 3 years ago #

5. chrisColorado
   Member

   

   Oh that's what you meant, a SMPTE leader! I get it...I think.

   At my college, in both TV classes and the Video Field class, we had to make these:

   10 sec. black

   30 sec. color bars and tone

   10 sec. black

   10 sec. slate with Production name, company and maybe logo, program length (in 00:00:00.00 format), Director's name and audio info(whether one or two tracks; we were making these on DVC Pro tape with VTRs. 2 tracks was the limit)

   countdown from 10 to 3 with beeps to match(it was pretty slick using the audio mixing board tone as the beeps). 

   2 seconds of black(for 2 and 1; we lost grade points if we actually counted down from 10 to 1)

   then the program started.  

   Posted 3 years ago #

6. ValleyKnitter
   Member

   

   chrisColorado, 

   If you are interested, I have .pdf copies of the most recent PBS Technical Operating Specifications.  The submissions portion includes (in minute detail) all the technical video, audio and formatting specs for program submissions to PBS.  If you would like to see it, send me a private email and I will attach it to my reply.

   If you need an interpreter, I can do that, too.  I used to vet shows before they aired. 

   Posted 3 years ago #

7. BarefootMedia
   Member

   

   I'm surprised no one has mentioned what matters more than any of that stuff.  I used to be a master control operator and all we absolutely required is black for a few seconds before the show started and an accurate length.  And since you'll be paying your station to put the show on the air, they will deal with technical issues as they have to in order to get your cash (they don't accept credit.)  But they will have a preferred tape format, like Digital Beta or D2.  If you ask (and their engineer could tell you) they don't really like to broadcast recordings with bit rates less than 50MBS (and we all know that is twice the rate of the popular miniDV (or DV25) at 25MBS.)

   However, I was able to provide a broadcast dub on U-matic for a low-power UHF station (the ones that won't be switching to digital next year.)  This worked okay for us since the broadcast channel was a cable "must carry" station, so our real distribution was over cable.  But really, when you walk in with cash in one hand and a tape in the other, the smaller stations will start talking scheduling.  And when you walk in with an unsolicited show you want aired for the advertising they can sell, they generally show you the door real quickly.

   So before you start worrying about standards for broadcast, your best bet is to be lining up sponsors.  All ills and defects of your production will be solved by the simple application of cash, lots & lots of cash.  But seriously, even if the dub you hand them meets network broadcast specs, it will require just as much cash.  The limiting factor is not the program quality (technical or otherwise) but the revenue return they get for putting it on the air.  So if you can't pay, they won't play.

   Good luck & I hope this helps you focus your energy on what matters in getting a program on the air.

   Posted 3 years ago #

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