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Cinema Volta
John Maxwell Hobbs
Cinema Volta
John Maxwell Hobbs
Outside Broadcast CTOs
I've just interviewed six CTOs leading major Outside Broadcast companies for the publication SVG Europe. They've all had to overcome signification challenges to their industry during the Covid lockdowns, and they've all come out the other side with strong insights into the present and future of broadcasting. Read them here.

John Maxwell Hobbs
Dec 14, 20220 min read
How Covid Forced Broadcasters to Go Remote in 2020
I wrote an article for tvtech looking at the impact of Covid lockdowns on remote production workflows: https://www.tvtechnology.com/features/how-covid-forced-broadcasters-to-go-remote-in-2020

John Maxwell Hobbs
Apr 11, 20220 min read
IP for Broadcast
I recently produced a series of explainer videos for IBC. And, I presented one of them myself. Check it out here: Tech Expert: Inside IP

John Maxwell Hobbs
Jan 24, 20200 min read
Crossing the inflection point
My latest column on the state of the media industry is up at IBC 365. I discuss how we're the media industry is at an inflection point, one in which we have no clear view as to where we’ll end up, or who the winners will be. https://www.ibc.org/delivery/blog-crossing-the-inflection-point/2915.article

John Maxwell Hobbs
Jul 10, 20180 min read
Old dogs and new tricks
My latest column is up at IBC365. In the fresh connected world of IP, do years of experience in broadcast engineering still count, or should veteran technicians just hang up their SDI cables and retire? https://www.ibc.org/tech-advances/blog-teaching-old-dogs-new-tricks/2853.article

John Maxwell Hobbs
Jun 1, 20180 min read
TV isn't dead, it's evolving
My latest column over at IBC356 about the current state of TV in an historical context. https://www.ibc.org/delivery/blog-tv-isnt-dead-its-evolving/2689.article

John Maxwell Hobbs
Mar 12, 20180 min read
Building a worse mousetrap
Here's my latest opinion piece at IBC365 on the way "good enough" is changing in the broadcast industry: https://www.ibc.org/production/blog-building-a-worse-mousetrap/2652.article

John Maxwell Hobbs
Feb 6, 20180 min read
AI and the media industry
My latest column is up at IBC365. I give my views on the increasing hype around the potential for AI in media. https://www.ibc.org/tech-advances/i-for-one-welcome-our-robot-overlords/2625.article

John Maxwell Hobbs
Jan 22, 20180 min read
Net Neutrality
I've written an article attempting to make sense of the net neutrality debate. You can read it at IBC365 https://www.ibc.org/delivery/the-battle-for-net-neutrality/2633.article

John Maxwell Hobbs
Jan 22, 20180 min read
BBC Wales and Live IP
I've written an article for IBC365 about BBC Wales' bold move into using IP transmission for video. https://www.ibc.org/consumption/building-the-future-bbc-wales-all-ip-facility-/2044.article

John Maxwell Hobbs
Jul 6, 20170 min read
Why the industry needs more broadcast engineers
An interview I did for the National Film and Television School https://www.nfts.co.uk/news/why-industry-needs-more-broadcast-engineers Top technologist and former BBC Scotland Head of Technology John Maxwell Hobbs has been appointed to lead the National Film and Television School Production Technology MA. The Masters has been introduced to tackle a shortage of broadcast engineers and fill a looming skills gap in the industry. We asked John about the reasons for the skills g

John Maxwell Hobbs
Oct 3, 20160 min read
Netflix reaches 1.5m UK subscribers for its internet video service | Media | The Guardian
Netflix is now responsible for 30% of all internet traffic in the UK during peak viewing hours. Netflix reaches 1.5m UK subscribers for its internet video service | Media | The Guardian. Update: Either I misread the article originally, or it's been changed, but the 30% figure refers to US Internet traffic, and not the UK.

John Maxwell Hobbs
Aug 21, 20130 min read
CBS/Time Warner dispute causes sharp rise in TV piracy | Company News content from Broadcast Engineering
Pretty compelling evidence that most media piracy is driven by a search for convenience rather than a desire to get something for nothing. What we have is two giants battling over crumbs while ignoring the fact that they are standing on the deck of a ship that is both sinking and on fire. CBS/Time Warner dispute causes sharp rise in TV piracy | Company News content from Broadcast Engineering.

John Maxwell Hobbs
Aug 19, 20130 min read
Google’s Solution to Bringing Online Video to TV | MIT Technology Review
If the user interface is good, this could be the step Connected TV needs - at $35, it's a great price and by being so simple, it's far more flexible than an Apple TV. Google’s Solution to Bringing Online Video to TV | MIT Technology Review. Related articles* Why Google Chromecast isn't quite Apple TV... yet (macworld.com) * The World Isn't Ready For The Chromecast Yet (buzzfeed.com) * Apple TV vs. Google TV (cabletv.com) * Google's TV (buzzmachine.com) * How Chromecast Fits

John Maxwell Hobbs
Jul 25, 20130 min read
TV Foresees Its Future. Netflix Is There. - NYTimes.com
It's not about the delivery mechanism, it's about the shows! TV Foresees Its Future. Netflix Is There. - NYTimes.com.

John Maxwell Hobbs
Jul 22, 20130 min read
Beyond HD - Super Hi Vision, a new approach to live events
On Friday, I had the privilege of watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics in the BBC's Pacific Quay Studio B over the first ever live transmission of an event using Super Hi Vision, the high resolution broadcast technology created by NHK, the national broadcaster of Japan. Super Hi Vision is the first entry in a class called Ultra High Definition Television, which has a resolution of 7680 × 4320, which is 16 times the resolution of HDTV. Along with that is a 22.2 chann

John Maxwell Hobbs
Jul 30, 20120 min read
Cloud PVR spreads over Europe
Good article in Broadcast Engineering: Cloud PVR spreads over Europe. The "Cloud PVR" (Or DVR, if you're in the US) is a bizarre sort of thing, designed to solve a legal problem, not a technological one. It boils down to this - if a distribution company such as a cable of satellite operator, as opposed to a channel, allows you to replay a programme on demand that has been carried over their service, they then have to pay additional fees to the license owner(s) of that mater

John Maxwell Hobbs
Jul 13, 20120 min read
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