CX Articles

Simon Byrne, our principal Streaming Production Producer, also writes for CX Magazine.

Reaching the majority of the live production industry market every week, CX is a print and digital magazine with a network of websites – backed by social media. Each month our print and digital magazine sets the agenda.

CX stands for technical excellence and supports its readership by championing professional development and high standards. CX is not afraid to report difficult issues, and takes the long view.

Below are samples of Simon’s work and expertise –

SOMETHING FOR NOTHING… ALMOST – ANTENNAS

by Simon Byrne We use radio frequency links a lot on gigs. From wireless microphones, in ear monitors, crew comms, camera links, presenter remotes, wireless DMX, and nowadays, lots of people are using 4G LTE modems to stream events. All of those uses are considered critical in a show environment where even a minor failure [...]

HDMI AND HDCP – A WORLD OF PAIN

by Simon Byrne HDMI, which means High Definition Multimedia Interface is the consumer standard for video interconnection and it found its way into the Pro AV industry pretty quickly. I’d suggest not by choice. It is a huge source of problems and frustration. Because it is a standard for consumer gear of varying capability and [...]

The New Normal

By Simon Byrne All of us are grappling with what the new normal is going to be It is clear is that there will be no large gatherings for some time. Indeed the government’s three step framework only refers to gatherings of up to one hundred people, but with the possibility of larger gatherings to [...]

Gatherings Are On Hold… Get Streaming

by Simon Byrne As I write this, it is apparent that things are not going to get back to normal in the events industry any time soon. The NSW Premier has stated that social distancing will be the “new normal” until a vaccine is out, and the Chief Medical Officer has stated that social distancing [...]

Winter Has Come

by Simon Byrne Early in March with the Coronavirus top of mind, I planned to base this article on running a production small business, the likely recession, strategies to get through it, and how to emerge from it stronger, as well as the small business handouts that the government announced.* But then things got worse. [...]

IP Ratings – What do they mean?

The IP Code, or Ingress Protection code, is an IEC standard (60529 to be precise) that classifies and rates the degree of protection provided by mechanical casings and electrical enclosures against intrusion, dust, accidental contact, and water. The standard gives users proven information, rather than vague marketing terms such as “yes mate, it is waterproof!”. [...]

RISKY BUSINESS

By Simon Byrne THE LIVE PRODUCTION INDUSTRY CARRIES SIGNIFICANT RISK. LARGE AMOUNTS OF EQUIPMENT, TEMPORARY ENGINEERING, BIG POWER IN USE, TIME PRESSURES AND AUDIENCES COMBINE TO MAKE AN ENVIRONMENT PRIMED FOR AN INCIDENT. WHETHER AN INJURY, AN EVENT CANCELLATION, EQUIPMENT DAMAGE OR THEFT, THEY ALL REPRESENT RISK. The riskiest of events are the outdoor ones [...]

Wi-Fi and Data Security on Events

by Simon Byrne Wi-Fi is real handy at gigs. It means less cables need to be run, and it gives you the ability to easily transport media, control devices remotely such as mixing desks, lighting control and so on. However, it is a long way from perfect and needs to be deployed carefully. There are [...]

The NBN – Not to Blame, Necessarily

by Simon Byrne. We constantly hear of poor internet delivered over the NBN, however the blame does not automatically sit with the NBN Co. There is a lot going on. NBN Co are in an invidious position. Under significant financial pressure from the government, they are the wholesaler of network connections in Australia, and that [...]