All posts by Shawn Thorpe

About Shawn Thorpe

Shawn is a freelance media technician and podcast consultant living in San Luis Obispo, CA. | Blog | Twitter

Line 6 USB Drivers Incompatible with Mac OS X El Capitan

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Line 6 LogoLine 6, the California-based manufacturer of popular musical instrument and audio production gear, made an official statement last week about a problem that users have been reporting for awhile. Spend even a short amount of time on any public forum dedicated to Line 6 gear and you’ll see multiple posts complaining about issues using Line 6 products with the latest build of Apple’s Macintosh operating system, OS 10.11 (“El Capitan”).

Line 6 sent an e-mail to registered users late last week acknowledging the issue. It’s the first time any official word has come from the company regarding the problem:

We have discovered an incompatibility of the Line 6 USB audio driver version 7.3.8 and Mac OS 10.11 El Capitan. After updating to Mac OS 10.11 the Line 6 USB audio driver will no longer connect to hardware devices. Line 6 applications that rely on this driver, for example Line 6 Monkey, will therefore not process audio or allow hardware configuration changes.

We apologize for the inconvenience and we will publish an updated driver soon.

The e-mail also provided a list of the affected Line 6 products. The list is rather long and contains most of the company’s popular products, including its PodHD line of effects processors and the M20d digital mixer. The only advice Line 6 is providing on the matter is to hold off on upgrading to El Capitan:

We highly recommend you do not update to Mac OS 10.11 El Capitan in order to maintain correct Line 6 USB audio driver functionality.

It’s not much of a solution, especially for those who’ve already upgraded their machines. Overall, it’s unfortunate that Line 6 customers have had to face this inconvenience. But it also shows why it’s a good idea to exercise patience in the face of these kinds of upgrades, especially for mission-critical gear.

Rode i-XLR is a Microphone Adapter for iOS Devices

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Rode logoElectronic media gathering in remote locations has become increasingly easier in recent years, mainly due to the versatility of mobile smart devices. Unlike a simple camera or digital audio recorder, a smart device can run apps that allow it to become a fully functional production studio. But most of these devices aren’t equipped with professional-level microphones. Equipment manufacturers have stepped in to bridge that gap. The latest to do so is Rode with the announcement of its i-XLR Lightning adapter that works with iOS devices.

The i-XLR connects any microphone to a Lightning-enabled iOS device using a three-meter long shielded audio cable. Having a cable this long allows the user to easily store their iOS device in a pocket or bag while having the mic out and ready to use. The i-XLR comes with a built-in headphone output for live monitoring and the device carries an additional 20db of input gain which is especially handy for use with dynamic microphones. The i-XLR also has a built-in record button as well as LED’s that show the record/pause status of a recording while being used with compatible audio apps.

The i-XLR is expected to ship later this year. Pricing has not yet been determined.

Light’s L16 Camera Uses 16 Built-In Lenses

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light logoPhotography startup company Light recently unveiled its L16 digital camera. The L16 is about double the size of a typical smartphone but still much smaller than a standard dSLR camera. The L16 uses a series of 16 built-in lenses when it takes a photo. The lenses capture a wide range of information that result in 52 megapixel images. Having images made from so many different lenses actually allows L16 users to change aspects of the image like depth of field, focus and exposure after a photo is taken.

L16 cameras have built-in Wi-FI, making it easy to transfer photos to off-device storage. The camera runs on the Android operating system, which means it may be possible to extend its usability thru third-party apps and services. The L16 comes with an integrated 35mm-150mm optical zoom lens. It also has a five-inch touchscreen display.

The L16 is available now thru November on pre-order for $1299.00. The price jumps up to $1699.00 after that.

Cerevo Announces LiveShell 2 Video Streaming Device

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LiveShell 2The market for all-in-one live video streaming devices has really taken off over the last year. It’s definitely easier than ever to create, capture, encode, and stream live video. The latest device in this ever-expanding vertical was just Announced by Cerevo. It’s named LiveShell 2 and it’s the followup to the company’s original LiveShell product.

LiveShell 2 can broadcast video and audio encoded in H.264+AAC, with a resolution of 720p and a bitrate of up to 10Mbps. Streaming is possible via wired LAN or Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac). The addition of 5GHz Wi-Fi support means stable streaming is possible even in bandwidth-congested areas.

LiveShell 2 doesn’t require a computer in order to operate. You can connect a camera direct to LiveShell 2 via HDMI. Also, LiveShell 2 supports several live streaming services, such as Ustream, YouTube Live, Twitch, and RTMP servers. LiveShell can also be used in Local Mode which allows LiveShell 2 to broadcast sound and video to a specific RTMP server in a completely closed LAN environnment. In addition, the RTSP mode can be used for direct delivery of video using the LiveShell 2 as a server.

LiveShell 2’s internal rechargeable Li-po battery provides up to 3.3 hours of broadcasting time. It can be recharged via the included A/C adapter or a mobile USB battery charger.

The Cerevo LiveShell 2 is expected to retail for $299. It is not yet available for purchase.

Newtek Announces NDI Protocol for Video Production

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NewTek LogoNewtek, the Texas-based technology company best known for its Tricaster line of products, recently announced the development of a new protocol for connecting video equipment to Ethernet networks. The protocol is named Network Device Interface (NDI). From the Newtek press release:

…a new open standard for live production IP workflows over Ethernet networks. NDI allows multiple video systems to identify and communicate with one another over IP, and to encode, transmit and receive many streams of high quality, low latency, frame-accurate video and audio in real-time. This new protocol can benefit any network-connected video device, including video mixers, graphics systems, capture cards, and many other production devices.

NDI will be available as a free, open-source SDK in Q4 of 2015. Newton expects many software developers and hardware manufacturer will begin adopting NDI, helping to ensure it’ll become the new standard for connecting video equipment to IP networks. Also, the NDI protocol should work with most existing video applications and hardware products from the beginning. NDI is also compatible with SDI equipment as well as many other established network technologies.

This should prove to be a real game changer for media producers going forward, as it’ll improve video production workflows and make it easier to integrate different types of equipment in different locations.

Shure Pushes for Dedicated Wireless Spectrum in UK

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shure logoAlmost anything from common household toasters to large commercial audio systems can be wireless these days. And while this may simplify some things in terms of setup, and it does offer a certain level of convenience, it also creates a problem with signal congestion across the wireless spectrum. And when wireless frequencies begin to interfere with each other, this can cause the products that depend on those frequencies to malfunction. In an attempt to stem the tide of frequency encroachment, microphone manufacturer Shure is pushing the UK government to devote a portion of the wireless spectrum specifically to audio gear.

Shure believes that the best spot on the wireless spectrum for this type of gear is UHF bands IV and V or 470 – 854MHz. In recent years, much of this spectrum became available as UK television broadcasters switched from analog to digital. The UK government has already given the 700 MHz and 800 MHz bands over to mobile phone companies for use in their 4G networks. A spokesperson from Shure was quoted as saying that this wireless spectrum should be treated like any other kind of natural resource, and that it’s necessary for the government to put some kind of controls in place so all of the spectrum doesn’t get completely used up for things like cell phones. Preserving this part of the spectrum for wireless microphones and related devices would ensure that future live events can happen without any worry of electromagnetic interference ending the show.

Zylight Has New Lighting Products at NAB

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Zylight LogoZylight has been providing industry-leading lighting products for television, film, and theatrical production since 2003. And the company is still going strong, arriving at this year’s NAB with some cool new lighting solutions in tow.

Jeff Hamel from Zylight visited with Don Baine to talk about some of these new products. Principal among them is the new Zylight Newz lighting system. Newz is designed specifically for electronic news gathering and it has been beta tested for for over six months by French TV producers. Newz is meant to replace Zylight’s workhorse Z90 light. Newz features a compact design but it’s still a very versatile and powerful piece of kit. It has two onboard dials that allow for full control of dimness and output color.

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Teradek Has Many Video Encoding Solutions at NAB

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Teradek logoIf you face any kind of challenge in terms of your video production rig/workflow, Teradek probably has a product or two that’ll help you out.

Topher Delancy from Teradek came by to chat with Don Baine and show off some cool devices. First up was the VidiU Mini which is a streaming video encoder that can work with a GoPro camera or any other HDMI video source. Next up was the VidiU Pro which is a versatile encoder that can bond multiple Internet connections (Ethernet, Wi-Fi, USB) into one big pipe to maximize remote connections. Last but not least, Topher talked about Teradek’s full-featured iPad video production suite that can be used to overlay text, graphics, chromakey, titles and more onto live video from multiple cameras, then send that video to any major CDN.

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PESA Brings a New Video Streaming Service to NAB

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PESA logoIt might seem like live video streaming is truly ubiquitous in 2015. But there are still many hurdles to overcome for video producers. Fortunately, companies like PESA are out there designing new products and services to help bridge the gap.

Don Baine got to speak with Christopher Thomas and Howard Sutton from PESA. Christopher talked about PESA’s new broadcast video routers that are designed to integrate flawlessly with a number of different video products, including those made by NewTek, Datavideo, and Livestream.

Then Howard took over to demonstrate PESA’s new cloud-based video control offering. This service will allow producers at remote location (such as sporting events) to send their video signals to the cloud where PESA can help with troubleshooting problems like video lag and sync, then push that video to CDN’s for live distribution.

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Next Computing Builds Custom Computers for Broadcasters at NAB

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Next Computing LogoThere are a lot of options out there for producers when it comes to gear. That includes the computers they use. Sometimes, buying off-the-shelf machines does the job. But many times, it doesn’t. That’s where Next Computing comes in.

Aaron Sherman from Next Computing came by to talk with Don Baine about what Next Computing does. He explained that, even tho Next has designed and built computers for many companies you’ve probably heard of, you may not have been aware that Next was even involved. That’s because Next Computing specializes in building custom computers that meet the specialized needs of broadcasters and media producers.

The next time some cool new piece of broadcasting hardware hits the market, regardless of whose name is on the box, it may have actually be designed by Next Computing all along.

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