The Consequences of Knowledge Engineering to Civilization - Assignment Example

Work experience report Name Institution Date Course Introduction During my work experience, I was stationed at the National Broadcasting Network, a broadcasting corporation in Lebanon. During this time, I gained wide exposure to the experiences of a broadcast engineer and was assigned several responsibilities. National broadcasting Network is a news broadcasting corporation that covers local and international news in Lebanon. It is privately owned and has proved to be a reliable source of news for the Lebanese community offering a targeted programming lineup to viewers that satisfies their interests. In September 2000, the broadcasting network went on satellite to cover Europe, Africa and the Arab world via Arab Sat 3A (Fanoos Encyclopedia, 2013). It became available in the U.S.A since 2004 through Reach Media Inc. Broadcast engineering is generally concerned with maintenance, operation and repairing both the hardware and other systems employed in radio and television channels and making sure that high quality broadcasting of programs is achieved according to the time allocations. To achieve this, the broadcast engineer must work with other system operators such as studio managers, producers and presenters. My experience during this period touched on several aspects of broadcasting as discussed on the succeeding sections. Scope This report is an account of my work experience program while I worked with National Broadcasting Network in Lebanon. Additional explanation of concepts is also provided as evidence of my learning during this work period. Key responsibilities assigned: Checking and rectifying technical faults on the system and equipment Monitoring audiovisual relationships between the units in different locations. Setting up equipment and supervising the transmission links during outside broadcasting Carrying out repairs on hardware and software as well as other broadcasting systems Installation and testing of new broadcasting equipment and facilities Designing and installing audiovisual circuits Carrying out design and implementation of new electrical circuits, hardware and systems Reading and interpreting instructions from producers, and directors, and supervising the implementation Encouraging awareness of best practice in safety and health for the work place Keeping the system abreast with new technologies, techniques and equipment. Project overview Broadcasting The broadcasting network used satellite transmission to reach other continents of the world. A satellite broadcast system is shown below: I noticed that when effecting the satellite systems, the uplink frequency band was designed to operate at a higher frequency than the downlink frequency band. As explained to me by the engineer, this was designed that way since the limited RF power output and transmission loss are known to dimish as frequency decreases. The other reason was to prevent uplink and downlink interference (Gomez, 2002). A complete broadcasting system may include a network and local stations. The network sends information and programs to the local stations across the country via a distribution system (Jones, 2005). This system may be represented as below: During my time in the station, much of my time was spent in the production, studio and control rooms. I noticed the design standards that were employed to when constructing the studio for effective broadcasting. Great effort was focused at reducing reverberation with acoustic treatments that included sound proof walls and doors. The floor was hard and flat for easy mounting of cameras while the ceiling raised and lighting points fitted high up. The control room was separated from the studio by sound proof partitioning but the producers could directly view the action in the studio. The production studio was organized as shown below: There were several outputs from the switcher that fed video recorder, picture monitor and the program distribution Much of the action was in the control room. I learnt to use the switcher to switch several sources that were fed to its inputs to multiple buses. One switcher bus fed directly to the program output while the others fed one or more mix effects (M/E) units. These M/E units enable various transitions that included fade to black, cross-fades as well as dissolves and wipes. My supervisor explained to me that the switchers are defined by how many M/E units and how many inputs they can accommodate. One with multiple M/Es allowed more than one transitions to occur from one to another and more than one composite picture to be constructed. The digital video effects units enabled us manipulate the picture size and I managed to add picture-in-picture effects and other effects while the picture monitors helped us check the program content and technical quality of the signal. The DVEs were either built into the video switcher or installed to stand alone. Some of them had channels for single or multiple pictures that could be processed simultaneously. Challenges encountered The greatest challenge was to maintain the quality of transmission. For the files stored on tape, many sorts of errors could occur as a result of video drop-out or synchronization or color bust that were caused by partial loss of magnetization of the tape. There could also be ghost images that resulted from parts of the video tape causing print through of audio and video data from a given part of the tape to another. We also witnessed timing inaccuracies being a result of tape stretching. All these compromised quality of the whole process and contribute to poor quality. Another challenge was in monitoring the SDI. This was hard since there could not established a correlation between the 525-line NTSC signal and those signals being measured. Synchronization signals were actually the synchronization code-words for the frames and the lines. In solving this challenge, with the help of the in charge Broadcast engineer, we caused the monitoring systems to first extract relevant data from the stream and then correctly interpret the data into the video, audio and synchronization portions before carrying out the checks. The broadcasting system employed the MPEG-2 TS stream formats (Dove, 2006). This format was associated with video encoding errors as well as errors in PIDs, PATs, PMTs and PCR errors like multiplexer values not being correct or being associated with transmission impairments, causing problems in the PLL of the receiver. I employed test equipment to test and monitor these errors to determine the areas where the frames violate limits or where PID is the source of fault among the programs. Roles and responsibilities of an engineer From my personal experience, I have discovered that it is a different experience when one comes in contact with the equipment in the field. The technicalities with the equipments are best learnt and understood when one has spent some time in the field. The theoretical background offered at the university is however very important since it gives the students an understanding of the principles used to solve faults and challenges at the workplace. The material learnt in this course relates to the workplace and has helped me work much easily since I had a general understanding of what to expect. Much of the knowledge in electronics and troubleshooting learnt in class helped me during fault finding and carrying out tests on newly installed equipment as well as those equipment already installed. The role of engineers in today’s workplace and society Engineering practice exists to serve societal interests and engineer’s actions will always have an effect on the society. Engineers have the understanding that humankind always interacts with the environment, harvesting and extracting the resources they need from it. Engineers must therefore minimize the effects of damage caused on the surrounding ecosystems (Siczkar, 2013). They design and lay down the infrastructures that are safe and efficient. Engineers, while protecting the environment, have also ensured that effective infrastructure intended to improve living habits are properly designed. This diverse field therefore plans for continual growth of human population and ensures sufficient resources for future populations. Broadcast engineers serve societies in their own dimension. By ensuring proper broadcasting in radio and television stations, these engineers ensure that the society stays informed with highest possible quality delivery. During my stay at National Broadcasting network, great skills were learnt in delivery of quality broadcasting. The broadcast engineer was also actively involved in these processes and several tests and monitoring were done to achieve this. Skills important for an engineer The engineering field is very challenging and for successful performance in the field, the professionals must gain several skills, both technical and those referred to as soft skills. Employers will be looking for these skills but again then the skills are important for quality and effectiveness. Communication: These skills range from writing, listening as well as speaking. The practice of engineering involves preparation of different writings including business writing, presentation preparation, public speaking and technical writing (Butcher, 2013). Leadership: this skill involves successful interaction and convincing other team members on your preferred course of action. Leadership skills will be instrumental in assessing risks and taking initiative as well as the willingness to make decisions when faced with uncertainty or urgency. Effective leaders will also deliver on time (Butcher, 2013). Technical knowledge: this means having an understanding of the task at hand and using this knowledge to solve practical problems. This skill will immediately show on the quality of work and the speed with which tasks are completed. Enthusiasm and commitment: These skills will help the engineer to learn new ways of doing things and his capacity of assimilating new information. This is very important in the modern work environment where several technologically advanced methods come up and the working environment needs to keep up with technology. My time in the broadcasting company witnessed a demonstration of most of these skills by the broadcast engineer with whom we worked together. He was quick in decision making and had efficient analytical skills. His vigilance ensured that quality was maintained in the control room as well as other sections of the broadcasting system. Practical learning points identified My time in the industry made me understand the essence of mastering fault finding and testing. These skills come in very handy in case of a breakdown or error in the system. The broadcast engineer must demonstrate great fault finding skills and he must use this to restore the system as soon as possible. Of equal importance is design and implementation of system circuitry. This needs learning of circuit representation and layout as well as the interpretation of manufacturer representation. These skills were used in installation of equipment and programming. Conclusion My work experience proved to be very productive and equipped me with even more skills in the technical aspects of my course. I have learnt several concepts and had a feel of the work place. The challenges encountered during this exercise gave me more confidence as we sought to find solutions to them. At the end, I felt that I had added value to my skills as a broadcast engineer. List of references Butcher, D, 2013, 5 Must-Have Soft Skills for Engineers’ Career Success, itm career journal, retrieved on 11th October 201 from < http://www.thomasnet.com/journals/career/5-must-have-soft-skills-for-engineers-career-success/> Weldon, WF, & Nichols SP, 2013, Professional responsibility: the role of engineering in society, retrieved on 11th October 2013 from < http://www.me.utexas.edu/~srdesign/paper/> Dove, T, 2006, The missing the link in file-based video: automated QC. Tektronix, Oregon. Fanoos Encyclopedia, 2013, National Broadcasting Network – NBN, retrieved on 11th October 2013 from Jones, G, 2005, A Broadcast Engineering Tutorial for Non-Engineers, Elsevier, Oxford. Siczkar, L, 2013, The importance of engineering to society, retrieved on 11th October 2013 from < http://www.scribd.com/doc/56981129/The-Importance-of-Engineering-to-Society> Gomez, JM, Satellite Broadcast Systems Engineering, Artech House, London. Read More

The production studio was organized as shown below: There were several outputs from the switcher that fed video recorder, picture monitor and the program distribution Much of the action was in the control room. I learnt to use the switcher to switch several sources that were fed to its inputs to multiple buses. One switcher bus fed directly to the program output while the others fed one or more mix effects (M/E) units. These M/E units enable various transitions that included fade to black, cross-fades as well as dissolves and wipes.

My supervisor explained to me that the switchers are defined by how many M/E units and how many inputs they can accommodate. One with multiple M/Es allowed more than one transitions to occur from one to another and more than one composite picture to be constructed. The digital video effects units enabled us manipulate the picture size and I managed to add picture-in-picture effects and other effects while the picture monitors helped us check the program content and technical quality of the signal.

The DVEs were either built into the video switcher or installed to stand alone. Some of them had channels for single or multiple pictures that could be processed simultaneously. Challenges encountered The greatest challenge was to maintain the quality of transmission. For the files stored on tape, many sorts of errors could occur as a result of video drop-out or synchronization or color bust that were caused by partial loss of magnetization of the tape. There could also be ghost images that resulted from parts of the video tape causing print through of audio and video data from a given part of the tape to another.

We also witnessed timing inaccuracies being a result of tape stretching. All these compromised quality of the whole process and contribute to poor quality. Another challenge was in monitoring the SDI. This was hard since there could not established a correlation between the 525-line NTSC signal and those signals being measured. Synchronization signals were actually the synchronization code-words for the frames and the lines. In solving this challenge, with the help of the in charge Broadcast engineer, we caused the monitoring systems to first extract relevant data from the stream and then correctly interpret the data into the video, audio and synchronization portions before carrying out the checks.

The broadcasting system employed the MPEG-2 TS stream formats (Dove, 2006). This format was associated with video encoding errors as well as errors in PIDs, PATs, PMTs and PCR errors like multiplexer values not being correct or being associated with transmission impairments, causing problems in the PLL of the receiver. I employed test equipment to test and monitor these errors to determine the areas where the frames violate limits or where PID is the source of fault among the programs. Roles and responsibilities of an engineer From my personal experience, I have discovered that it is a different experience when one comes in contact with the equipment in the field.

The technicalities with the equipments are best learnt and understood when one has spent some time in the field. The theoretical background offered at the university is however very important since it gives the students an understanding of the principles used to solve faults and challenges at the workplace. The material learnt in this course relates to the workplace and has helped me work much easily since I had a general understanding of what to expect. Much of the knowledge in electronics and troubleshooting learnt in class helped me during fault finding and carrying out tests on newly installed equipment as well as those equipment already installed.

The role of engineers in today’s workplace and society Engineering practice exists to serve societal interests and engineer’s actions will always have an effect on the society. Engineers have the understanding that humankind always interacts with the environment, harvesting and extracting the resources they need from it.

Read More