[CNN Special Report]
The program was quickly interrupted, as almost all television stations chose to broadcast the president's speech at that moment.
The war has actually begun.
Iraq, Baghdad.
Downtown, Al-Rasheed Hotel.
"Hurry up! I told you, I need it to be operational as soon as possible!"
CNN reporter and former U. S. Marine Bernard Shaw is directing two other Battlefield as they hurriedly deploy the equipment in front of them.
He looked out the window.
Although it was still nighttime in the city, everyone present knew that something big was about to happen tonight!
Inside the room, another reporter Charles, was fiddling with the bulky Sony Betamax video system.
As Battlefield, you need to be quite physically fit to handle these massive machines. "The camera's fine, how about yours?"
"It's been ready for a while now. This was supplied by Gamenova, honey."
Unlike Charles, who was covered in sweat, John, though also excited, appeared calm and composed during the equipment deployment.
He fiddled with the metal box in front of him, which was only slightly larger than a briefcase.
[nova media terminal]
Strictly speaking, this thing is a workstation.
However... it is portable, made in the style of a laptop.
Unlike Hermes, a general-purpose home PC, this behemoth has a very clear target audience.
Provide frontline reporters with the best video encoding and decoding experience!
According to the traditional process, they first need to record the original footage with a camera, and then process it using a bunch of miscellaneous equipment on the satellite vehicle.
Ultimately, the signal is transmitted via antenna to a communication satellite, and then sent across the ocean back to CNN headquarters.
The entire process is extremely complicated and highly unreliable. Just one Sony betacam alone is more than a reporter could handle on their own.
The team often needs to carry a large number of spare batteries and tapes to ensure stable recording.
After that, the original footage recorded is often enormous.
It would be impossible to transmit these raw signals directly through the limited bandwidth of a satellite.
It must be processed by a compression device that is even heavier and larger than Betacam.
This terminal solves that problem.
In addition, it is equipped with a dedicated high-bandwidth satellite interface, which can replace the satellite vehicle to a certain extent and be used for emergency purposes in the short term, provided that a small antenna can be installed.
Although the signal is certainly not as good as that of a professional antenna on a satellite vehicle, it is still better than a complete signal interruption.
More importantly, this thing is a genuine military-grade NBC (nuclear, biological, and chemical) protected aircraft.
The outer shell is an aerospace-grade magnesium-aluminum alloy frame, manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
All components are floating-mounted, and the hard drive uses laboratory-grade NAND flash memory chips. This is an ultra-high-end product that even Gamenova itself has not yet commercialized.
The embedded LCD screen, with its multi-layered filling and buffer layers, is lighter, thinner, and more energy-efficient than CRT TVs. In particular, the original backlight panel has been replaced with an LED backlight using blue LEDs, further reducing power consumption to near-modern levels.
This thing is currently one of the most expensive items available.
Gamenova had actually cracked the patent for blue LEDs a long time ago, but the yield rate could not be guaranteed, making it difficult to put them into commercial use.
The machine body is fully sealed internally, with a positive pressure duct design and built-in dustproof function.
As for waterproofing, while it can't reach the modern IP68 level, it's still capable of basic splash and rain protection.
It is equipped with Gamenova's own low-power ARM processor and Texas Instruments DSP chipset, as well as Micro-Nova Semiconductor's NovaRadeon 9000 graphics card.
Of course, the most important thing is its battery.
Graphite anode lithium-ion batteries have an energy density that is several times higher than that of previous nickel-metal hydride batteries.
There is almost no memory effect, and the lithium dendrite problem has been greatly improved.
Thanks to its massive chassis, the oversized battery pack gives this workstation incredible battery life. In professional encoding/decoding mode, with all redundant circuits turned off, the battery life is more than enough to support a full report.
It even supports bypass power supply and simultaneous broadcasting and charging, whether it's the generator on the satellite vehicle or the socket in the hotel, it can extend its battery life to another level.
In addition, the device has a built-in reverse charging function. It can reverse charge other portable devices of the user, whether it is Motorola microtac or a rechargeable camera.
From any angle, this terminal is an absolute industrial marvel, a work of art.
With it, the three of them were no longer bound by bulky and cumbersome equipment as before, and the entire reporting process became much freer and easier.
Praise Gamenova!
Damn, if they had had this earlier, their outdoor reporting would have been so much more enjoyable.
Gamenova is the fucking ruler of the world!
"Satellite... connected, encoder ready, CNN has confirmed receipt."
"Excellent! As expected of Gamenova, military-grade quality!"
Bernard excitedly pumped his fist and peered out the window.
The air raid siren sounded.
The war has begun.
"This is Bernard Shaw, providing live coverage from Baghdad!"
It's 10 PM New York time in the United States.
Vincent stayed up late for the first time in a long time.
He pulled his blanket and curled up on the sofa.
The NP in my hand was shaking from being gripped so tightly; judging from the screen, it hadn't been used for a while.
"Ding-dong"
His mother, Emma, who was sitting next to him, was startled when she heard the doorbell ring. She quickly covered her face and hurried to the door.
"Madam, your letter."
Instead of simply tossing the letter into the mailbox and walking away as usual, the postman solemnly and personally handed it to the homeowner.
"Thank you, sir. I thought he wouldn't write to me."
Emma glanced at the sender's name; it was Kent, Vincent's father and also her husband.
"You know, madam, those are hundreds of thousands of letters! Sending them back from the other side of the ocean is no easy feat." "Of course, thank you for your help."
"No, madam. Thank you for your husband's help to United States, and I wish you well."
This letter was written around Christmas time. It took the Federation a month to send it back across the ocean, and with the sorting and delivery process, it was already quite a feat.
At the end of last year, just before Christmas, Kent received orders to go to Saudi Arabia to participate in Operation Desert Shield.
Back in the living room.
Watching CNN on TV, seeing the anti-aircraft gun trails and explosions clearly visible despite the resolution being only 320x240, it was impossible not to be worried.
One has to admire Gamenova's authority in the field of audio and video compression.
In the past, although CNN already had remote reporting technology using satellite image transmission, it was far from achieving the level it has today.
Low-quality satellite transmission, severe snow and delays, and frequent signal interruptions that send us back to the studio are all common occurrences.
Given the communication conditions of the 1990s, achieving this level was already a result of the rapid development of commercial satellite networks.
But now...
While communication latency and interruptions remain unresolved, the improvement in clarity and interference resistance is nothing short of a leap forward. Color distortion, previously caused by poor compression, has been greatly reduced; the greenish and grayish tints in the image have been replaced with a more uniform appearance.
While it certainly can't compare to real professional video recording, it's already quite impressive for live reporting from the front lines.
In 1991, no one on Earth had ever seen anyone carrying a camera and taking pictures of the front lines like that.
It's still a 24/7 live stream!