Wireless Headphones instead of IFB for pissy producers.

[Tim M]

Not sure if anyone else is fed up with a producer coming up to you in the middle of shooting a scene and asking for an IFB. Then I hastily grab a pair of crappy tangled headsets and then make sure batteries are charged and then hand them to the producer.

 

I have not tried these new bluetooth headphones, but I'm sure it is possible to say have one bluetooth source or wireless frequency which can be amplified wirelessly and then the producer walks up you and you hand him a set of just cans that he switches on and away they go with decent sounding audio no less. Anybody out there trying this or have tried and failed?

 

Example:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Bose-AE2w-Bluetooth-Headphones-Black/dp/B00CD1FB26/ref=lp_509316_1_4/180-6593669-2735805?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1381881259&sr=1-4

[soundslikejustin]

No way.

Reasons:

1. $249 for a producer/agency/client headset that's going to be dropped, left on the ground etc. An R1A can take that abuse.

2. Range 30ft (line of sight) - as soon as it drops out they'll be coming back or asking questions about your ability to record sound.

3. Bluetooth is on 2.4ghz and will catch/cause interference from things like wireless routers, TC Buddy Wifi and Zaxnet.

 

Look at having something like a shoe organiser hanging up with IFB's in each slot, numbered. They can come and grab one without bothering you, and have a handy place to return it.

 

Or, just give one to the most important people at the beginning of the day and make a point that those are all there is.

[Jim Feeley]

Those Bose headphones look interesting but that page says:

 

"AE2w Bluetooth headphones—with a range of 30 feet—let you move around freely while still immersed in your music or video."

 

I'd guess that 30-foot range is best case. Bluetooth likes a quasi-line-of-sight (or some similar term) path between devices, iirc, and I'm guessing the transmitter is just a couple of mW. Ah: "Class 2 radios – most commonly found in mobile devices – have a range of 10 meters or 33 feet."

 

http://www.bluetooth.com/Pages/Basics.aspx

 

So not sure it'd work. Would love to hear from others that it does.

[Ze Frias]

1. $249 for a producer/agency/client headset that's going to be dropped, left on the ground etc. An R1A can take that abuse.

 

Bingo! That's reason enough for me NOT to give out headphones such as the ones posted in the OP

[chris_bollard]

Add a potential audio delay too

[RPSharman]

And they're rechargeable, so you'll need a couple per person.

The cons sure are adding up.

We have threads about this every handful of months, and always end up back at the usuals.

BTW - a tangled mess is not a good way to present anything to a producer. I keep all of my headphones tidily wrapped, and comteks loaded with fully charged batteries.

[Rick Reineke]

"and have a handy place to return it"

I nice thought..  but we're still going to have to go hunting for the ones which are not  returned.

[taylormadeaudio]

No way.

Reasons:

1. $249 for a producer/agency/client headset that's going to be dropped, left on the ground etc. An R1A can take that abuse.

2. Range 30ft (line of sight) - as soon as it drops out they'll be coming back or asking questions about your ability to record sound.

3. Bluetooth is on 2.4ghz and will catch/cause interference from things like wireless routers, TC Buddy Wifi and Zaxnet.

Look at having something like a shoe organiser hanging up with IFB's in each slot, numbered. They can come and grab one without bothering you, and have a handy place to return it.

Or, just give one to the most important people at the beginning of the day and make a point that those are all there is.

yup

And they're rechargeable, so you'll need a couple per person.

The cons sure are adding up.

We have threads about this every handful of months, and always end up back at the usuals.

BTW - a tangled mess is not a good way to present anything to a producer. I keep all of my headphones tidily wrapped, and comteks loaded with fully charged batteries.

and, yup ; )

[taylormadeaudio]

"and have a handy place to return it"

I nice thought.. but we're still going to have to go hunting for the ones which are not returned.

...or just put it on the PR for that day and let production either find or replace them... you've got more important stuff to worry about ; )

~tt

[stevegrider]

One of my little on-set rituals: As soon as video village is set up, I go over with my Comtek bag and clip a Comtek with headphones on the back of the director's chairs. People usually see them there as they arrive and I am seldom interrupted. I put out all but two, which I keep with me, in case a crew member needs one (to take cues with, etc).

[Richard Thomas]

I've worked with a mixer who had a pair of sennheiser headphones which had a built in UHF receiver which seemed to work fine with G2's, no idea which model, though- I expect they're discontinued now but they were quite tidy as an 'all in one' thing

[Benjamin Gandy]

You could just have your IFBs sitting in a box with fresh batteries and neatly kept headphones. Or put out some sort of hat stand.

[Malcolm Davies Amps CAS]

Not sure if anyone else is fed up with a producer coming up to you in the middle of shooting a scene and asking for an IFB. Then I hastily grab a pair of crappy tangled headsets and then make sure batteries are charged and then hand them to the producer.

 

It might just be my outlook on life but if I was concerned about the things you outline above the first thing I'd do is sack the utility.

Malcolm Davies. A.m.p.s

 

[Olle Sjostrom]

I've started trying to not give out IFBs. What I do instead is put a receiver on camera, then let the SDI signal carry the sound to Director's monitor and Video village, if any. That way you get sound on playback as well. Most of the time, I'd say 90%, director's, scripts and producers will be at the monitor. So what you can do at the monitor is get a good headphone amp like the HX-3 (or whatever it's called) and have a set of cans already set up. If they want to be able to walk away with the IFBs I have a couple of G3 IEMs or the likes. But then I'll be real quick to tell them it's not for playback. And also, I use HD25s for IFBs. They can take the abuse, don't tangle easily and they just look more "pro"..  

[studiomprd]

" Not sure if anyone else is fed up with a producer coming up to you in the middle of shooting a scene and asking for an IFB. "

never;  hand her/him another Comtek or Lectro, and add it to the bill...