Essential Tips for Choosing the Right Broadcasting Equipment
Ready to upgrade your broadcast quality and reach more viewers?
Selecting the right broadcasting equipment is one of those choices that can make or break your entire setup. Choose poorly and you end up with tools that fail to deliver. Choose wisely and you’ll have a solution that works hard for you.
But how do you know which is which?
The truth is, the broadcast equipment landscape is evolving rapidly. New formats, resolutions and capabilities are coming to market all the time.
On top of that, with so much product available, it’s vital to understand how to choose the right gear.
Premium, professional broadcasting equipment from trusted brands such as Thor Broadcast can help simplify your setup and provide the performance you need. But before you can buy, you first need to know what to buy.
I’m going to guide you through the process…
What you’ll discover:
- Things to Consider When Buying Broadcast Gear
- Resolution and Format Demands
- Scalability Benefits
- Reliability and Support Factors
- Budgeting Tips
Things to Consider When Buying Broadcast Gear
Professional broadcasting is not a one-size-fits-all situation.
Broadcasting equipment and solutions vary widely based on need.
A small studio set up for creating and archiving shows is going to need different tools than a live sports broadcaster. Streaming video over IP to websites and apps? That’s different again.
The first step in the process of selecting broadcasting equipment is to define what you will be broadcasting, and what your capabilities are and will need to be in the future.
A quick and often overlooked technique is to map your workflow end-to-end. Then identify what you need at each stage. This gives you a blueprint for making equipment decisions.
Start by asking yourself some basic questions:
- What type of content will you be broadcasting?
- What format and resolution do you need to support?
- How many broadcast channels will you be using?
- What is your budget for this project?
Without a clear understanding of your needs, it’s almost a guarantee that you will buy mismatched and incompatible gear. Don’t let that happen.
Map your needs and then identify the equipment to meet them.
Resolution and Format Demands
Something few broadcasters consider in their buying process is format and resolution.
Everything from camera choice to encoder is impacted by the resolution you want to support.
Higher-end formats such as 4K UHD are quickly becoming the standard these days.
Industry analysis suggests over 50% of broadcasters have upgraded their internal systems and infrastructure to support 4K content creation and broadcasting. That percentage will likely continue to increase in the near future.
But before you think 4K is for you, don’t just jump on that bandwagon.
Legacy SD and even HD capability still have a place in many broadcast operations, particularly if your audience is mainly on mobile devices or other lower resolution displays.
Key factors to consider around resolution are:
- Viewing habits of your target audience
- Distribution channels and what they support
- Storage capacity for encoding higher-resolution video
- Processing power required for 4K and above
The smartest approach is to choose broadcast equipment that meets your current needs while also providing options for future upgrades.
Don’t force yourself into a lower-quality resolution just to save money, but don’t overshoot your mark either.
Plan for the future and your equipment will last longer.
Scalability Benefits
As we mentioned above, scalability is a must these days.
Plan for the future and your equipment will last longer.
Broadcast equipment is not something you want to be replacing every two years as your requirements change. Look for ways to scale when buying.
The industry standard these days is to use IP-based broadcasting systems. Traditional setups using SDI and legacy formats are being phased out. Broadcast quality is increasing as 4K and even 8K formats become the norm.
Why are broadcasters switching?
IP-based infrastructure is easier to integrate, faster to implement, and much more flexible than old analog systems.
Broadcasters are increasingly adopting IP-based broadcast video encoding equipment to support OTT streaming as well as legacy TV.
Over 60% of production studios in North America and Western Europe now use IP-based production environments. That number will increase as industry forces push for migration to modern solutions.
A robust IP-based setup allows you to:
- Add additional channels and inputs without major infrastructure changes
- Scale up or down according to requirements
- Integrate cloud-based content delivery and management
- Support remote production workflows and architectures
Legacy analog systems are also not going to give you those benefits. They’re going to lock you into a fixed configuration that becomes expensive and time consuming to modify.
Focus on scalable, modular designs and components when buying equipment.
It will save you money in the long term.
Reliability and Support Factors
Equipment failures are never part of a plan.
Always go for the most reliable broadcast equipment you can afford. In broadcast and video production, downtime is money in the bank. If you choose low-cost, unreliable tools, you’re simply asking for problems.
As well as build quality, materials and manufacturer reputation, keep an eye out for these indicators of reliability:
- Warranty terms and conditions
- Mean time between failures (MTBF) ratings
Equally important is what happens when you need support.
Do potential suppliers offer 24/7/365 technical assistance and remote support? Do they have a reputation for being helpful and responsive? Can you get on-site service if needed?
The very best manufacturers back up their products with comprehensive, high-touch support packages. That’s a service worth paying for.
Budgeting Tips
Broadcast equipment is a big investment.
Cheap gear will disappoint in performance and leave you needing to replace it again sooner. Expensive is not always better, as there is no need to overspend. Overspending simply ties up resources you can use elsewhere in the business.
Focus on value, not price.
This might sound like marketing speak, but the total cost of ownership of broadcasting equipment is a real factor to consider.
If you buy cheap equipment that needs replacing in 3 years, you’re likely to spend more money over time than if you’d gone with a more expensive but more durable solution.
Components of total cost of ownership include:
- Initial purchase price
- Installation and setup costs
- Training and skills required
- Maintenance and servicing charges
- Consumables such as energy
- Life expectancy
A more expensive piece of equipment with a 10-year life expectancy is often cheaper to own than a cheap model that needs replacing in 3.
This is particularly true for workhorses like encoders and cameras, which will be critical components of your solution.
Making Your Final Decision
Ultimately, buying the right broadcasting equipment is just about matching up capabilities to requirements.
Take the time to research, request demos, and talk to other users before making the final call.
- Define your requirements first.
- Factor scalability into your planning.
- Don’t skimp on reliability.
- Total cost of ownership is a must.
- Choose a supplier you trust.
The broadcast industry will continue to change. New tools and technologies will come to market constantly.
Equipment that is right for you now should also put you in a position to take advantage of tomorrow’s opportunities.
Wrapping It Up
Buying the right broadcasting equipment is easy if you know what you’re looking for.
Know your needs, prioritize quality and scalability and work with trusted suppliers to build a solution that will provide excellent results.
If you focus on your specific requirements, you’re likely to find the right solution quickly.
Once again, here are the main takeaways from this post:
- Map out your workflow and define your needs
- Know the required resolution and format standards
- Choose scalable, IP-based systems when possible
- Never compromise on reliability
- Plan for total cost of ownership when budgeting
Investing in quality broadcast equipment will give you dividends in the form of a better product, less technical issues and headaches, and a more professional operation overall.
Take the time to do it right. Your viewers will appreciate it.