Broadcast Engineering Tutorial for Non-Engineers

Skip Pizzi is Senior Director of New Media Technologies at NAB, where he focuses on new methods for creation and delivery of broadcast content. He is also Vice-Chair of ATSC Technology Group 3 (TG3), which is developing standards for the next generation of digital television. Previously he worked in multimedia for 11 years at Microsoft, served as an editor and contributor to several broadcast technology books and journals, and consulted to the professional, educational and government sectors of the media industry worldwide. He began his career as an engineer, manager and technical trainer at NPR. He is a recipient of the Audio Engineering Society’s Board of Governors Award, and a graduate of Georgetown University, where he studied Electrical Engineering, Fine Arts, and International Economics. Graham Jones retired in 2010 from NAB, where he was a Senior Director working on advanced television issues. He is still active in ATSC, SCTE, and SMPTE standards committees. Previously he was Engineering Director for the Harris/PBS DTV Express, which introduced DTV to many U.S. broadcasters. He started his career with the BBC in London, and has worked as a consultant to broadcasters in many parts of the world. He holds a degree in physics, is a chartered electrical engineer, a fellow of SMPTE, and a life member of the SBE and the Royal Television Society. He has been honored with the Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award from the ATSC and received a citation from SMPTE for outstanding service to the society.

‘The 4th Edition, published post the digitalization of TV with ATSC transmissions, presents an unprecedented overview of the new world of broadcasting with contemporary technologies being brought to the fore with amazing clarity. Retaining broadcasting as its core theme, it brings you up to speed with the entire chain involved—acquisition, production, broadcasting and streaming. A must-read for all professionals.’ – Amitabh Kumar, Zee Network, India‘This book is a great source for quickly finding what a particular broadcast-related acronym stands for. Think of this text as a relief valve that lets an interested reader reasonably drink from a high-pressure technical information water main.’ – Dane Ericksen, Hammett & Edison, Inc., USA‘This book is a must-have for all those in the broadcast industry and reads like a well-written operating manual for your broadcast operation. Skip Pizzi is one of those rare gems—a polymath who can translate complex concepts to the lay person. His deep knowledge allows him to analyze the past and provide a glimpse into what's possible in the future.’ - Jennifer Ferro, President/General Manager, KCRW 89.9, USA

• 1. IntroductionBROADCASTING BASICS 2. Types of Broadcasting 3. Sound and Vision 4. Analog Color Television 5. Digital Audio and Video 6. Information Technology 7. Radio Frequency WavesSTUDIOS AND, PRODUCTION, AND PLAYOUT FACILITIES 8. Radio Studios 9. Television Studios and Playout Facilities 10. Remote Broadcasting 11. LinksTRANSMISSION STANDARDS AND SYSTEMS 12. Analog Radio 13. IBOC Digital Radio 14. Alternate Radio Delivery Systems 15. NTSC Analog Television 16. ATSC Digital Television 17. Alternate Television Delivery Systems 18. Next-Generation Television Systems19. Transmitter Site Facilities 20. Radio Wave Propagation and Broadcast Regulation 21. Conclusion