NCAA and NFL same package?

FOX Network's recent foray into college football is surely seen as gutsy. Why? Well, it appears that FOX is keeping the same production package as they have used in the NFL broadcasts. The methods are the same, the gear packages are about the same and the production is run the same as well. At first glace, this sounds great. However, I think that you need some separation of the two.  The college audience is different than the NFL crowd. They have different viewing habits, styles and allegiances.

Signing the PAC-12, Big-10 and C-USA shows they mean business. But, what sort of "business" do they mean? I happen to like the FOX NFL broadcast. I think they do a swell job, but I like having a separate feel to my Saturday viewing.

They must keep up though. With the SEC Network, Big-10 Network and the Longhorns Network, over-the-air networks have to maintain a high level of production. Perhaps, FOX sees the NFL as being so successful, so why not use what is proven?

The Saturday football needs it's own identity. Essentially, they are marketing to audiences that have vast differences in disposable income. This is really what's important. Because the marketing department knows who they are targeting, the rest of the company must follow.

This could be a lifetime game-changer

Imagine acquiring video images in a vector based format. This had been discussed in the early stages of vector development. Michael Phillips, designer of the industry standard Avid Media Composer, told me that benefits were weighed as to pixel to vector conversions would be had. Since Micheal has been a big part of the image conversation, he would know. As well, Alvy Ray Smith, the inventor of digital images, has worked for years trying to improve his product. Alvy was a founding partner of Pixar, and he has expressed to me some thoughts on digital imagery. Both of these people are Academy Award recipients. Their achievements in imagery have changed the motion picture world.

At the recent International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam, a group led by Bath University announced they have obtained patents on a new process. This new process eliminates the problem of pixelezation of images. Think of the effects implications. The ability to zoom images is exponentially increased. The amount of data able to be used is increased, but the gains far outweigh the possible negatives.  Having to depend on bits as the primary image display is erased, or at least altered.  Bit depth will not bog down computers. The computing power needed will likely remain the same, but you can just do much more with much less. With the increase in people capturing images in 4K, this will make all the difference.

I can't imagine how much easier it will be to composite images, or even work with images of "different bit depths." This has the potential to be as big as color TV being introduced. It can't be fully grasped yet, but this is just so big. In the coming 2-5 years, this will revolutionize how images are seen by everyone in every aspect of production and TV viewing. If you think regular 1080p looks great, you have not even scratched the surface of the potential.