SEO-Blog – Quick Media | Broadcasting Solution

Archiving broadcasting: facts you should know

Let’s talk further about archiving broadcasts below!

Why do you need to archive broadcasts?

For auditing purposes

In some countries, it is a requirement to record all broadcasting files for audit purposes. This is so that the respective people in charge are able to detect any fraud or suspicious activity throughout the broadcasting service.

For re-using the same content

Certain broadcasting channels have the common perspective that most viewers do not want to see the same content over and over again. However, it’s fine for broadcasting networks to recycle the content and stream them again as some viewers do appreciate this type of content. In fact, that’s the main purpose of archiving files – to re-use them in the future.

For reaching a wider audience

Not all broadcasting channels are accessible from every country. By archiving the broadcasts, people from all over the world are able to watch them.

For preserving history

It’s also interesting to view old TV series back in the olden days as they are produced differently than the recent years.

How to store archive files?

Store them digitally

You can simply save the broadcast files online. Be sure to store them in universal format and in the best quality. The reason being archive files tend to degrade overtime. In order to preserve them, the quality at the start upon storing has to be top-notch.

Store them physically

If you plan on archiving your files physically, be sure to tape media instead of hard disks. This is because hard disks tend to seize-up when not currently being in use. Besides that, DVD disks would work just as well too.

The downsides of archiving files

One of the major downsides of achieving broadcasting files would be the requirements. For instance, archiving files takes a whole lot of storage. Can you imagine the amount of data collected over the course of 20 years? Besides that, not all media functions the same. Hence, even if you were to archive it, perhaps it can’t be retrieved in the later years due to incompatibility.

In addition, sometimes what gets archived is not both the audio and video. There are certain cases whereby only the audio gets archived.

Another downside would be the time taken to maintain the archive files. Some of the archive files will decay, hence if you were to ever use it in the future, it has to be well kept. The equipment used to replay the archive files needs to be properly taken care of too.

Archiving broadcasting files does have more benefits than cons, so it would be the best practice to start doing them if you haven’t already. Just be sure to use the right equipment to store the archive files. Otherwise, you may contact QES Malaysia to group together the appropriate equipment and tools to safely archive your broadcasting files with ease.

Disaster recovery centre: what is it & do you need it?

If you’re looking for ways to backup your data, a disaster recovery centre would be the way to go. Not sure what it is about? Read on to learn more.

What is a disaster recovery centre?

A disaster recovery centre is basically a facility that companies or businesses can make use of when their main data centre is unavailable to restore the operations or technology infrastructure.

You can either set up disaster recovery centres internally, which is within your company location itself, or externally, which is managed by a third-party provider.

What can you find in a disaster recovery centre?

Generally, a disaster recovery centre consists of:

Telecommunication links built with top speed
Computing centre located away from the client’s current location
Up-to-date, top quality servers that are designed to withstand failures
Modern backup devices stored on their own servers
Tight security measures surrounding the network to prevent malicious attacks, viruses, hackers, and so on

Why do you need a disaster recovery centre?

Now, if you’re not sure whether there’s even a need to engage with a disaster recovery centre, here are some of the top benefits as to why it could help your company:

Limit the losses

The losses a company makes when all of the data disappears is too huge. It’ll be expensive trying to spend money by retrieving the data back (if it can even be retrieved at all). With proper backup stored in a disaster recovery centre, you won’t have to spend more money recovering the lost data as you can just get it easily from the centre.

Maintain the success of your company

Companies will be at risk of failure if any disaster were to happen as the daily operations will be affected. Therefore, with a disaster recovery centre, you’re able to retain and still keep the daily operations up and running.

Reduce human errors

Humans are bound to make mistakes. At the very least, with a disaster recovery centre, you can quickly retrieve back your data and go back to its original state before the mistake was made.

Prevent your data from getting breached

Unless your company already has a well-built security system in place, the risk of getting your data leaked is high. Usually, a disaster recovery centre will include security checks as part of their service. Hence, just leave it to them to spot any areas prone to security issues.

All in all, when you’re running certain types of businesses such as a broadcasting company or news anchor, you definitely need to engage with a disaster recovery centre. Why? The risk is simply too high as you will have a large amount of important data. If you need additional assistance, QES Malaysia is equipped with the right tools and knowledge to build a disaster recovery centre.

Over the top broadcasting: Everything you need to know

With traditional media like TV cable services such as Astro, you don’t get a choice to choose the particular TV show or movie you want to watch. If you didn’t know already, online streaming or basically any form of media service that uses the Internet is called Over The Top (OTT). Below, we go into detail on what it’s all about:

What is Over the Top(OTT) Broadcasting?

Over the Top (OTT) broadcasting stands is actually a form of media service that streams media as its own product. In simpler terms, it’s a type of media which is created to suit the needs of a specific targeted audience. It’s about providing the type of content that the viewers want to see.

For example, some of the popular OTT broadcasting streaming services would be Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime. Viewers are not required to use a cable in order to stream the content.

Why do we need OTT Broadcasting?

These days, modern media are gearing towards providing a wide variety of content to reach a large volume of consumers. OTT broadcasting services also offer better, wider opportunities for the advertising space.

It’s also much easier for consumers to switch across multiple platforms, enabling them to have better control on the kind of content they’d like to consume as compared to traditional media where consumers can’t choose what to watch freely.

What are the benefits of OTT Broadcasting?

100% original content

Rest assured, most of the content is produced by the OTT providers itself. Hence, you won’t be able to watch some of them unless you’re subscribed to that particular OTT provider.

High quality content for a cheaper cost

In comparison with traditional media, OTT broadcasting services are much cheaper based on the content offered.

Able to use across multiple devices

Traditional media requires you to watch content through a television. These days, you can watch OTT content on various devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.

What types of content can be displayed through OTT Broadcasting?

VoIP

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) stands for the voice calling platforms that use the internet protocols such as Skype.

Video

Video streaming involves popular streaming subscription platforms such as Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix and ad-based OTT broadcasting services such as Youtube.

Audio

As for audio OTT broadcasting services, some examples would be podcasts and internet radio stations.

Messaging

OTT messaging services usually enable users to communicate with one another through the Internet. For example, Facebook, Skype, WeChat, to name a few.

Would OTT be replacing traditional advertising?

It’s safe to say many are changing their ways to OTT services as they are more interested in subscribing to online streaming channels. Although the percentage of those who are keen on OTT broadcasting services, those who prefer the traditional media ways would still use cable services for their entertainment.

SmartTv vs AndroidTv: What’s the main difference?

If you’re wondering what are the main differences between the two, below is a brief overview to help make your decision making easier:

What is SmartTV?

A SmartTV is basically a TV that plays any sort of programs and channels by connecting to the Internet. In other words, it’s similar to using a computer, except it’s through a TV. Unlike regular normal TVs, it doesn’t connect to a satellite. Furthermore, you’ll get to enjoy more than just TV series or movies.

With a Smart TV, you can access a wide variety of services such as games, apps, internet browsing, social media platforms and so on.

What is AndroidTV?

An AndroidTV is similar to a SmartTV, except it runs on the Android operating system. It’s the same as using your Android smartphone, except you’re displaying via the TV. You can also access the Google Playstore via your TV.

That means you can access and download any games, streaming platforms, social media platforms, and so on.

The Main Differences between SmartTV and AndroidTV

The available app options

SmartTV runs on either WebOS or Tizen OS whereas an AndroidTV runs on Android. Therefore, as we all know, the Google PlayStore has a wide range of applications. For instance, the games, music, social media platforms, to name a few. In comparison with SmartTV, you’ll only be able to find the common ones such as Netflix, Youtube and Prime Video.

Screencasting

AndroidTV comes with a built-in screencasting system, also known as ChromeCast. Hence, you can stream your content from your Android smartphone to your AndroidTV directly. SmartTV requires you to use a third party device that needs to be manually paired. Thus, resulting in extra costs when you own a SmartTV.

Can be operated hands-free

AndroidTV allows you to operate and navigate via Google Assistant. That means you don’t need to type anything on the screen, all you have to do is speak your instructions out while maintaining your comfortable position on the couch.

SmartTVs generally do not come with a built-in voice assistant so you’ll have to type with the on-screen keyboard while searching for your content.

Consistent updates

SmartTV doesn’t have regular updates as compared to AndroidTV. Hence, you will enjoy the latest, modern apps and media streaming sources. At the very least, SmartTVs can easily be switched to an AndroidTV by simply getting an AndroidTV set-top box so you can stream it over to your SmartTV.

The Key Takeaway

Although the differences between the SmartTV and AndroidTV are quite minor, ultimately it boils down to your needs and requirements. You should identify what is your overall budget and in the long run, which works best for you. There is no one-size-fits-it-all solution, so either one would be a good choice.

What is Broadcast Media?

Don’t be confused with print media though because it is simply a form of media but doesn’t fall under the broadcast media umbrella.

What exactly is Broadcast Media?

Broadcast media, in simpler terms, are a way of broadcasting, transmitting or communicating with the public through various audio and visual methods to spread information, news, entertainment and many more. Broadcasting media, in general, is a way of communicating or broadcasting content to the public.

There are many media channels to broadcast all this content such as through the Internet, televisions, video, audio podcasts, to name a few.

Take the news as an example – the world needs to know what’s going on in other countries, and with the help of broadcasting media, everyone is able to know about the latest happenings in various countries. News is being broadcast through television, radio and the Internet.

Why do we need Broadcasting Media?

These days, broadcasting media is essential in our daily lives because that is the only primary way of reaching the public on a wider scale. The public can only receive the latest news, updates and information when it is being broadcast through the media channels.

Plus, broadcasting media is also one of the major options when it comes to advertising. Most companies and businesses these days make use of various media to promote their product or service.

The Different Types of Broadcasting Media

The ultimate purpose of broadcasting media is to reach the audience through various media channels and convey messages or information.

Broadcast Television

Known as one of the oldest forms of broadcasting media, televisions are used to offer colorful, visual content together with motion and audio signals. There are also various channels broadcast on televisions, so you have a channel for literally every category such as sports, drama, news, travel and so on.

Hence, it is one of the popular ways for broadcasting media thanks to the wide reach that can be shown to the targeted audience catered to specific interests or niches.

Radio Production

Radio broadcasting has been used for many years. It is where an announcer (or more) will pre-record some content including playing music based on a particular niche or interest.

Aside from broadcasting various types of content, there are also advertisements included during the radio program. Most people tend to listen to the radio while commuting or to get to know the weather reports.

Video Advertising

Videos can be broadcast almost anywhere and any way – such as through movie theatres or screenplays. Movies, or videos in general, tend to play a vital role in the entertainment field, which is why it is one of the best ways to promote any product or service.

Internet Media

You won’t find a single soul in the world that doesn’t use the Internet on a daily basis. The Internet itself consists of various media channels such as podcasts, blogs, websites, and social media.

Many people these days turn to the Internet to receive the latest updates, information and news in the form of text, audio or video because it is fast and easy.

Live streaming is one of the media channels that uses the Internet to broadcast a video in real time. This means the video is not being pre-recorded – it is showing live just as it is. There are various websites that offer live streaming such as Twitch, Younow and Periscope. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram offer the live streaming feature too.

If you’re looking for broadcast facilities, you can contact QES Malaysia as they have years of experience to provide you top-notch broadcast equipment alongside consultation too.

Video Production Equipment Checklist: Here’s What You Need

Well, you probably need some ideas on what are the necessary equipment you need to get started.

Camera

This is a given – you should know what kind of camera that would be suitable for your video production process. At times, taking videos with a good smartphone camera is sufficient enough but that’s not the case if you plan on doing this professionally.

The recommended cameras to use would be either DSLRs or mirrorless cameras. Be sure to look out for a camera that offers minimum 1080p output with proper stabilization.

Lenses

In a proper video production setting, there are so many angles, filters and shots to capture. Hence, you will need a set of lenses alongside filters so that you are able to get all those shots in while maintaining the quality.

For instance, if you’re shooting an extreme closeup of something, then you would need lenses which allow you to super zoom (also commonly known as macro lenses).

Camera Lights

Without a question, you will have to purchase camera lights because no matter how bright your environment is, the camera isn’t able to capture without random shadows appearing.

A good rule of thumb is to have a complete lighting set including one that is able to attach to your DSLR or camera. Most of the sets include a reflector (which is a must to make use of ambient light) as it reflects light effectively. Be sure to get the 5-in-1 reflector set as it comes with different surfaces, namely, white, translucent, gold, silver and black.

Microphone

Imagine recording a video but you can barely hear what the person is saying. Yup – we all don’t want that to happen, which is why it’s essential to get an external microphone as the built-in microphone in your camera may not be sufficient enough to deliver quality audio.

One thing to take note of is that not all microphone jacks are compatible with cameras. Hence, you have to make sure that the microphone is compatible with your cameras. Aside from that, you can also consider boom poles which you are able to attach your microphone to so that you can keep it steady all throughout the shooting.

Tripod

A tripod is a must-have when you’re shooting steady shots. If you’re running around and capturing fast-moving scenes, then you don’t really need a tripod. But if it’s a scene that is standstill, you need a good tripod to keep the camera steady and smooth.

Good video editing software

After you manage to shoot all of the videos, you will need a video editing software to compile everything together and create a good final video. You can either use a laptop or a good desktop PC to edit the videos.

However, if your videos are more towards the high-end, then you might need a Mac which offers the best editing capabilities around as it contains impressive, powerful graphic cards. Now, in terms of software, the recommended ones would be Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. You shouldn’t use a free video editing software because not only will there be a watermark, it just wouldn’t be able to produce a quality video as the paid ones.

Need someone to help build your video production studio? Quickmedia is a professional broadcast service company who can help provide you with everything you need to get started.

Traditional Advertising: The Ultimate Guide

What is Traditional Advertising?

The meaning of traditional advertising is any form of methods used to reach an audience offline. For instance, print media and broadcasting are the common traditional advertising methods used by many companies and businesses.

Traditional advertising is known to be effective in boosting a company’s brand awareness alongside the product or service they are promoting.

The Different Types of Traditional Advertising

Traditional advertising is quite wide, but there are a few commonly used methods as below:

Various print media such as brochures, flyers, magazines, and so on.
Television broadcasting
Radio broadcasting
Billboards

Traditional Advertising Benefits

Better sustainability

Traditional advertising allows the customers to simply just keep the promotional materials instead and can read or take a look at them at any time. Hence, you don’t have to regularly come up with new content just to promote your service or product.

Besides, all of the promotional materials can easily be recycled too and save the environment!

Target local audience

It is much easier to reach the local audience if that is the main marketing goal. This is because for certain traditional advertising channels such as radio is usually local-based, so you can choose that particular media platform to promote your product or service.

Furthermore, going through the traditional advertising methods would catch the attention of the locals better as it creates a better relationship since they can connect on a closer level, especially if the content broadcasted are localised too.

Gain more credibility

Here’s an interesting fact about traditional advertising: when using print media, customers tend to believe the brand or business more. This is because compared to modern advertising, anybody can portray themselves however they like but traditional advertising is usually used by brands or businesses with bigger advertising budgets.

Hence, advertising with print media such as magazines or broadcast via the radio or television generally tend to cost more, meaning they are more established so the customers consider them highly credible.

Easier to understand

When you compare graphics or animation used in modern advertising, some people will find it hard to understand because it’s not that straight-forward. Studies have also shown humans tend to digest and absorb information with print media much faster and effectively.

As such, humans also have a short attention span so they are able to catch a commercial on TV faster than a Youtube video. This is because humans might get too distracted with modern advertising.

Traditional Advertising Cons

Can be quite expensive

Certain costs of print media can be quite costly, especially if it’s something like from a notable magazine. Only companies or businesses which have a high marketing budget are able to afford traditional advertising.

Target audience can’t be further segmented

Unlike modern advertising, though you can target local audiences, you can’t exactly further go into specifics such as target a certain age group or occupation with traditional advertising.

May take a long time to produce or execute

When you compare traditional advertising vs modern advertising, it is much easier to make edits or changes on modern media platforms. But for traditional media platforms, because it is already printed out, it can take some time with the revisions to make sure everything is final.

On top of that, once you’ve printed out the material, you can’t keep testing it with your target audience because it’s already done.

Results can’t exactly be measured

You won’t actually know if your traditional advertising efforts are working or not. This is because there is no way for you to know the exact number of people that have seen your advertisements.

All in all, traditional advertising is here to stay – and that is why QES Malaysia helps companies who are offering traditional advertising such as television and radio broadcasting. Contact them today if you need broadcasting services!

Traditional Advertising vs Modern Advertising: What’s the difference?

If you’re not sure what is the difference between traditional advertising vs modern advertising, read on to find out more!

What is traditional advertising?

Traditional advertising consists mainly of print media such as newspapers, magazines, brochures, flyers as well as digital screens such as billboards and signages alongside broadcast facilities such as TV or radio stations and so on.

The idea of traditional advertising is to sell a product or service and get profit from it, also known as push marketing. Traditional marketing is solely based on profits.

The common traditional advertising methods are:

Radio and TV
Brochures and Flyers
Business Cards
Signages and Billboards
Cold Calling
Direct mailing

Advantages & Disadvantages of Traditional Advertising

Advantages

High potential customer reach – The customer base when it comes to traditional advertising is quite wide. This is because it can even reach rural areas where internet access is limited.
Able to reach the target audience – If you are planning on advertising on specific geographical locations, it would be extremely effective.
The advertising is permanent – As consumers would receive hard copies for print media, it will always be in their hands until they dispose of them.

Disadvantages

Quite expensive – You will have to spend a hefty amount because certain advertisements which are well-known would cost more.
Difficult to measure the results – You won’t really know how to measure because you can’t keep track of every single consumer that your ad has reached. You also won’t be able to 100% know how the consumers are reacting to your ads.

What is modern advertising?

Modern advertising is when all marketing efforts are solely based on customers. Basically, making sure the customers are fully satisfied by meeting their needs or demands are a priority.

Various digital media platforms are used for modern advertising. The idea is to build trust and loyalty with the targeted audience.

The common modern advertising methods are:

Internet ads
Email marketing
Websites
Social media

Advantages & Disadvantages of Modern Advertising

Advantages

Better engagement with customers – This allows us to communicate with the customers directly (such as social media) so you can see all the positive or negative feedback from them.
More specific target audience – Aside from the geographical location, you will be able to target very specific people such as the age and interests/hobbies.
Better measurement in terms of ROI – You will be able to track your marketing efforts because the digital media platforms are able to do so.

Disadvantages

The trends are always changing – Unfortunately, the digital media platforms are constantly evolving and you will need to keep up with the trends to make your strategy up-to-date and more effective.
Not that permanent – Unfortunately, the ads on certain media platforms are only temporary as customers are always scrolling or clicking on something else in an instant.
Can be annoying to some – Certain groups of people get turned off by ads and may just ignore them altogether.

Should you use traditional advertising or modern advertising?

Well, it all depends on what you deemed the best for your business. It’s all about trial and error to find out which method gives you the most ROI as well as meet your marketing objectives or goals.

Planning to dive into traditional advertising and looking to build your own broadcasting facility? We are able to help you design from A to Z as we have all the necessary equipment needed. Contact us today to find out more!

Top Equipment Needed For Music Production

Here are the top 5 equipment needed for music production:

Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

For music production, think of DAW as you’d think of a canvas for your paint brushes.

A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is a computerized application for recording, editing, and creating audio files. There are a variety of DAW apps available on the market, each with its unique features and benefits. However, below are the core qualities that you’ll find in all Digital Audio Workstations:

Multitrack recording
Pitch modification
Tempo modification
Filtering

DAWs are the foundation of electronic music production — without them, studios would be limited to producing music on audiotape recorders.

Studio headphones

Studio headphones are headphones that are specifically designed for professional music production. They have the property of neutral sonic balancing and offer certain tunings that differentiate them from the typical consumer or gaming headphones.

These headphones are critical for producing, mixing, recording, and mastering audio. Studio headphones output the least colored sounds possible to achieve effective audio isolation. It helps you know what your song actually sounds like, enabling you to correct tonal imperfections conveniently.

MIDI Controller

Just as you’d think of DAW as a canvas, think of MIDI Controller as your paintbrush.

Essentially, the MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) Controller controls your DAW. It has become the universal technical standard for music production. A MIDI Controller enables the physical hardware to interact with digital audio workstations.

The most popular forms of MIDI Controllers are MIDI keyboards; they allow you to have a blank keyboard piece to which you can assign sounds via your computer. MIDI Keyboards are an intuitive and inexpensive way to trigger samples and arrange beats for your music.

Audio Interface

Non-MIDI instruments such as guitars, pianos, or vocals lack universal connectivity. An audio interface addresses this problem.

An audio interface acts as the bridge between traditional analog sounds and modern digital audio. In today’s music production setups, analog instruments (think violin or guitar) are recorded as analog electrical signals. An audio interface helps convert those analog signals into digital audio signals to enhance compatibility.

Further, a good audio interface is needed to translate acoustic nuances into digital audio files when handling live instrumentation.

Studio Microphone

A studio microphone is designed to capture sounds and immediately convert them into digital signals.

Typically, studio microphones are wired-bound. This implies that they are fixed in a specific position to capture audio in a dedicated environment, such as a recording booth.

Studio recording microphones are either cardioid, which means they can only capture sounds from the front — suitable for recording vocals and speech, or omnidirectional, which allows them to capture audio in a 3D sphere and record most audio types.

So if you are in need of broadcasting services for your music production studio, Quickmedia offers various broadcasting services that will surely meet your needs and requirements! Whether it is in terms of broadcasting equipment or consultation, you will be guided from head to toe.

Tips For Creating A Successful Radio Station

If you’re not sure what it takes to build a successful radio broadcasting station, below are some of the tips that will help you achieve that goal!

Don’t be boring

Nobody likes to listen to the same ol’ content! Keep things fresh often by mixing things up and playing different music (also be sure to play the latest ones too!). Just be sure that what you’re playing is a wide variety instead of the same ones all the time.

Know your audience from head to toe

How clear are you on your target audience? Do you really know them from head to toe? What are the common age groups that would listen to your radio broadcasting station? At the very least, you should know the basic demographics of your audience such as their age, location, monthly income, and so on).

To get to know your audience interests, you can simply make use of polls and send them to them. That way, you know how to plan out your content too which caters to the majority of your listeners.

Try doing some interviews

Most people love to listen to their favourite artists or influencers and get to know them better. You could consider interviewing any popular person around. You don’t even have to interview famous people, you could simply interview a few normal people to gain insight on interesting topics that your audience would want to learn more about

Interact with your audience consistently

It is crucial to keep your audience engaged because you are nothing without them! Try to improve the interaction and communicate with your audience on a regular basis. Every single day, try to respond to their comments or questions.

Get some of them on air as well and come up with ways to make them participate through contests or giveaways. You can also come up with quizzes or content and try to encourage your audience to participate in them.

Maintain good quality audio

If you don’t offer good quality audio, then you will not keep your audience’s attention. You can’t have your songs regularly skipping all of the sudden – that’ll just drive all your listeners away.

Check that all of your audio is tip top and the sound is crystal clear or crisp. This can be either your audio file or equipment.

Promote on social media

These days, it is abnormal for anyone to not have social media. To build a successful radio station, you need to be active on social media. This is also one of the ways where you can interact with your audience.

You can also update your regular listeners with your latest promotions or updates through your social media.

Reduce the number of ads

We get it – you need to run ads in order to keep the radio station afloat. However, most radio listeners find ads really annoying. When you run ads continuously back to back, you’ll send every single person running away and never turning on your radio station channel ever again. That’s because all radio listeners wanna do is hear their favourite tunes!

Try to make sure there is a gap in between the ads so that it doesn’t seem like there are endless ads running every hour.

With that being said, if you need additional assistance for your radio broadcasting station, QES Malaysia offers various broadcasting services that will help you build a successful radio station!