Tally
Tally [ˈtælɪ] is the English technical term for a recording light, a small red light on television cameras , monitors and microphones . The tally signals to the people in the studio that this signal is being recorded or broadcast. Accordingly, a tally usually only lights up on one camera. Exceptions exist if, for example, a second small window, a so-called picture division , is inserted into a television picture . The tally also lights up on the camera, which can be seen in this image division.
purpose
In addition to cameras and microphones, there is also a tally on other devices that can broadcast an image, for example on the font generator , on the DVE ( digital video effects device ) or on video recorders ( magnetic recording ). Tallys should:
- give the speakers / performers a sign
- show which camera a speaker has to look into
- Mark a microphone as "closed" when it is switched off (e.g. if a speaker signals with a hand that he has to sneeze)
- prevent erroneous operation of the above devices
- attached to the studio door: prevent interference with the recording
- signal to the cameraman that he is on the air. So he can adjust to it. The tally can also tell him: "Keep the picture" or "You're about to be on the air".
control
The tally controller is usually responsible for controlling the tally . This is a computer that is networked with the video mixer , the matrix (video matrix) and other peripheral devices . In older or very small television studios, the task of tally control is completely left to the video mixer due to the lack of additional components. In the case of long-distance broadcasts (e.g. when a European broadcaster rents a studio in Asia for an interview ), the tally is generally controlled remotely by the client.
In addition to the classic red tallys, there are also other different colored tallys, usually in the colors yellow and green. These are used for different purposes that are individually adapted to the respective broadcast. For example, a yellow tally can signal to the cameraman or DVE operator that his picture will not be broadcast directly on the transmission path, but that it is visible on a monitor wall in the studio and thus indirectly influences the broadcast.
Other recording devices
Cassette recorders, dictation machines and action cams often show the current recording with a small red LED to inform the recording and recording. Surveillance cameras in shops or on buildings, whether real or dummy, often have a flashing red light.
literature
- Leon A. Wortman: Closed-Circuit Television Handbook . HW Sams, Indianapolis 1974, ISBN 0-672-21097-5 .
- Alan Wurtzel, John Rosenbaum: Television Production . McGraw-Hill, New York 1995, ISBN 0-07-072158-0 , p. 407.