Special reports

In the air tonight

Phil Ward assesses the long-term effects of the pandemic on the global broadcast supply chain

Thanks to Covid-19, the broadcast technology supply chain has no anchor. Detailed research by Futuresource Consulting reveals a very confused picture indeed, with global broadcast consumption making strange patterns in lockdown. Product development over the next few years will not be for the faint-hearted. For example, one major anomaly underpins everything. Although viewing figures and Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) usage are up, advertising revenue is down. The usual assumption that bums-on-seats equals cash cannot be made, and the predicted global recession is likely to put the brakes on recovery in most territories – even though media and entertainment have historically proven to be slump-proof. One reason is the change in delivery platforms and how they are used. for a demonstration of its “decades of live production” in the new arena of professional gaming. Newzoo executive Cleo Sardelis adds that game streaming “will be a key component of future media strategies”. In the supply chain, this will mostly suit traditional OB players in camera channels, switchers, replay machines and graphics.

Pod one out

Is podcasting the punk rock of audio broadcast? Nothing suits the renegade aspects of remote production better than an inexpensive and hugely accessible medium that sits comfortably on IP and disrupts the establishment values of radio. A glut of online self-help tutorials – podcasts about podcasting, many of them – is encouraging outlets for new, established and in some cases very little talent, all exploiting the perceived improvements in audio infrastructure.

There are now far more alternatives to conventional broadcasting than ever before, and many of them are cheaper, if not free, and open to various revenue short-circuits such as password sharing. Meanwhile, the interruption to production, such as in drama, will have to be compensated by a drive to create content that could well put a strain on resources, while the rescheduling of the sports calendar is bound to challenge logistics. So, once again, a potential boom may not necessarily result in a smooth recovery. At the same time, will the current surge in SVoD be maintained by subscriber retention or dip as consumers leave the house? Surveys show that streaming services have followed a similar arc, with a significant trend towards older demographics. However, this has not been at the cost of Public Service Broadcasting (PSB), which remains trusted and familiar in uncertain times – witness The BBC’s nostalgic usage of Glastonbury and Wimbledon archive material over the summer – leading many to predict that the most likely outcome is a further acceleration of IP delivery for all networks. This raises the question of how well the internet backbone will cope. Netflix effected a reduction in traffic bitrate of 25% to ease pressure on streaming, with a concomitant downgrading of resolution, while YouTube’s similar measure of defaulting to SD has been necessary to withstand a 60% rise in content watched. Other providers have followed suit as concurrent streaming has rocketed – and a sharp rise in esports engagement has had a lot to do with that. According to gaming analytics specialist Newzoo and its Global Esports Market Report for 2020, esports revenues will grow to US$1.1 billion in 2020, a year-on-year growth of 15.7%, with three-quarters of this generated by media rights and sponsorship. Both NAB and IBC have latterly devoted areas of exhibition and showcase to esports technology, enabling Grass Valley to use NAB

Parcast has supported lockdown hosts with Røde mixers and NTG1 mics

Professional podcasting studios have been able to set up remote operation quite easily. LA-based Stitcher, for example, normally has a consistent spread of Shure SM7B microphones and Allen & Heath Qu Series mixers throughout its campus. However, regular producers have been supplied with Samson Q2U cardioids, Sennheiser Handmic Digital mics and Focusrite audio interfaces at home, appended to the Zoom H5 and H6 portable recorders already issued; their guests have taken delivery of USB microphones, headphones and acoustically friendly reflection filters for the mics in order to maximise sonic quality across disparate households. In another sense, the pandemic actually legitimises established workflows. With an international team of sound designers, content creation house and Spotify-owned Parcast has used remote production since its inception some four years before the first cough of Covid, and, over a year ago, introduced the multitrack, multi-party and browser-based digital recorder launched by online studio link expert Cleanfeed for file exchange. Parcast has also reinforced its sheltered hosts with Røde’s Rødecaster Pro mixers and NTG1 microphones – raising the question of whether enterprises like this have already defined a future without central studios. Such a paradigm shift will not happen unless cloud-based storage and file transfer solutions stand up to the test. As Dropbox’s head of media Andy Wilson says, “bandwidth

Blackbird’s browser-based digital video editing via the cloud, configured for news coverage

is the number one challenge, which is directly linked to the need to move large media files”. Cue timely start-ups such as London-headquartered Base Media Cloud, which promises “low-cost cloud storage with integrated media software tools, online and on-demand”. The company’s solutions are said to adapt workflows perfectly for today’s conditions, as well as tightening data security, reducing costs and allowing dispersed teams to work from anywhere at any time.

Also in the UK, Quicklink has been adapting its sturdier professional video conferencing platform for broadcast media use, even on game shows: today’s offer provides “software and hardware IP solutions for the transmission of live and edited video”, with unique codecs for the optimisation of variable bandwidth from one area to another, developed since 2003 and coming of age right now. Similarly, Washington DC’s Cinegy is a pioneer of IPbased production that might almost have been

waiting for the current ill wind that is blowing in its favour. Finally, the type of cloud-connected cameras favoured by security systems could be adapted for media production, provided the limitations of internet video delivery are overcome by manufacturers being willing to invest in stable new workflow bridges between established Serial Digital Interface (SDI) links and IP protocols.

Scaling up

All very well. But how large a scale of production can be achieved by remote connection? One answer is provided by BT Sport in the UK, whose entire gallery has been constructed virtually for altruistic reasons. “We could have got talent into the studio,” says Jamie Hindhaugh, COO for BT Sport. “I

Jamie Hindhaugh, COO of BT Sport

could have gone into the studio. But I felt that anything we did as a broadcaster had to reflect the challenges our audiences are facing. We don’t want to be promoting the idea that travel is in anyway helpful at this time.” As a result, BT Sport developed a dispersed studio gallery on a scale claimed to outsize any other attempted, with everyone from PA, producer, vision mixer and director to EVS operator and graphics operators connected via broadband and 5G between lockdown homes. “This workflow means you can have a more inclusive workforce, employing people who could normally not get to our HQ,” adds Hindhaugh. “We’re creating a new format that goes alongside our continued development of 8K, Dolby Atmos for mobile and Object Based Broadcasting. We’ll now be able to go back with these learnings and drive more audience engagement.” At UK-based audio console leader Calrec, marketing manager Kevin Emmott is keen to draw the distinction between remote working and remote production. “We’ve been involved with remote production for years with the RP1 unit,” he says, “but, now, many broadcasters are looking at remote working too. The difference is that RP is where there is DSP at the venue, dealing with no-latency IFBs, and the mixing desk is remote; whereas remote working is where the console operator is neither at the venue nor at the production studio – whether it’s a physical or a virtual console. We’ve had a French customer mixing a talk show at home with a physical Type R panel, over IP; a Brio in somebody’s garage for BT Sport; a live choir production for the BBC … truth is, most of these technologies were already in place; it’s just that they weren’t a priority for most broadcasters. Now they are.

BT Sport has established a fully dispersed, multiple-home studio gallery

It will become an important box to be ticked – getting remote working fully online and totally reliable.” Emmott is not alone in emphasising the need for QC as, in its basic form, the internet is still considered unsuitable for live AV broadcast by most operators. “Within Calrec,” he says, “we have dedicated IP specialists who make sure we’re fully compliant with every commission, and I think the whole industry is pulling in the same direction. In fact, we have been for a while.”

Winning post

Postproduction is developing along the same lines, with the advantage of offline workflow. For three decades, Blackbird has been pioneering browser-based digital video editing and it’s no surprise to find that now the focus is well and truly on doing this via the cloud. It uses a proprietary

codec that claims the fastest access to content, a rich set of postproduction tools, together with publishing compatibility with “everywhere”, including social media. Many post facilities, like Halo in London, have responded by adding virtual versions of its complete services using PCoIP and CWDM (multiplexing over fibre) technologies. DAW manufacturers have found it necessary to speed up release schedules, firing off remote-workflow upgrades as they happen instead of waiting for the typical annual binge-rollout. Avid’s Pro Tools has quickly added more channels to Dolby Audio Bridge and Dolby Renderer, for example, as well as fast-tracking dialogue editing and voiceover facilities for Pro Tools Cloud Collaboration, Sibelius Cloud Sharing and Avid Link.

Meanwhile, Blackmagic Design, home of the Fairlight DAW, has among several rapid enhancements two that suggest lockdown: Dialogue Processor, for the removal of ambient noises; and a CMI-style Foley Sampler, filled with push-key, in-the-box effects. Thanks to some improvements in IP, certain complex professional sales channels are being successfully modified, suggesting new models of B2B contact. German digital console mainstay Lawo has successfully deployed remote Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT): its engineers can complete key commissions without having to travel to clients and their studios. “For remote FATs, demos, training and installation support,” explains Lawo’s Wolfgang Huber, “colleagues have established WAN infrastructures and communication setups to keep within scheduled project

phases and deadlines while travelling is not possible and engineers on the customers’ side are also under lockdown.” Furthermore, this is a good example, Huber believes, of new best practices that will survive the pandemic and not simply be discarded as emergency measures. “I am convinced that the Covid-19 crisis may have caused suffering for some companies but the industry as a whole will come out of it with new awareness of its raison d’être, the power of innovation and responsibility for its customers, and, thus, the educational and cultural dimensions of the world we live in,” he says. “These times are a motivation to rethink and to courageously seize opportunities for our business.” Maybe in doing so, the broadcast industry will equip itself to drop anchor in a new world.

Blackmagic Design has upgraded its DAW with lockdown-friendly Dialogue Processor and a Foley Sampler interface

Visionary luminaries

Hong Kong's Wanchai Pier

Richard Lawn talks to Nicolas Kirsch and Axel Vanderoost, founders of Digital Light Windows

Founded in 2016 by Nicolas Kirsch and Axel Vanderoost, Digital Light Windows (DLW) is gaining international credibility as a supplier of professional LED-based video display solutions. Having previously worked together at ACE (Advanced Communications Equipment) in the 1990s, both have reached a stage in their careers where the term “industry veteran” can be applied as a badge of honour. Today, Kirsch (Arup, Nexo- Yamaha) and Vanderoost (AMX, Lighthouse, Daktronics, Leyard) are committed to lending their combined marketing, technical and manufacturing expertise to an AV industry niche that demands higher value technologies. “Ever since I witnessed the U2 Zooropa tour in 1993 with the immense large-scale pixel screens, I have been fascinated by digital screen technology,” muses Kirsch. “Several years later, when I was working on high-rise building projects with Arup, I would promote large-scale screens to be applied as façades and curtain walls for both close-up lighting and distant video effects. However, those LED technologies were extremely cost-prohibitive until recently. When I stepped down as Asian sales manager for Nexo in 2016, I created my own AV consulting and contracting venture in which I could blend audio and visual designs.” At that crossroads in Kirsch’s career, Vanderoost revealed his own ongoing LED project. They quickly opted to join forces. “At the time, I was conducting QC for export buyers, so I was inspecting LED factories,” recalls Vanderoost. “I had been working for several high-profile LED manufacturers and had a clear idea of what the failings and trappings were.” Given China’s dominance within the LED manufacturing ecosystem, Vanderoost decided to cross the border

Nicolas Kirsch

from Hong Kong to research prospective partners, suppliers and vendors for the new venture. “There are literally thousands of factories in southern China together with all the suppliers and subcontractors. Given the dominance and dynamism within this ‘LED Valley’, competition is rife with new companies replacing older ones on a regular basis. Technological advances are supported by a critical mass of suppliers, ensuring continued competition and lowered prices – if you know where to buy.” Given Vanderoost’s 15-year experience, the original consulting and contracting business Kirsch had built in Hong Kong and Macau rapidly matured into a design-andbuild business model with the integration of efficient, reliable and competitively priced LEDs. “DLW is founded on three core

values,” explains Kirsch. “First, we offer the best and latest LED technologies available. Second, we guarantee high quality, reliability and long warranties. Third, our new technological business model sources the adaptation of products that align to a client’s or project’s bespoke requirements, both in terms of specification and budget.” From the outset, Kirsch and Vanderoost have ensured that DLW differs from the established brands. Their adoption of component-based designs and technology aggregation allows them to source parts and sub-assemblies from smaller suppliers with lower overheads. “Despite this, we’re not competing on price,” rationalises Kirsch. “DLW bases its designs on a set of core products that can be customised with a wide range of component options. Rather

Axel Vanderoost

than offer a client an industry-standard or expensive brand, we propose a more cost-effective Chinese- or Taiwanesemanufactured LED with maximum brightness levels, IC type, refresh rates, input cards, power supplies, chassis materials for weight control and weatherproofing features. Variables such as certifications for power supply units, cables and connectors can be added to further affect the final product and its cost, from best-in-class to bare minimum, with matching price variations. Our opensource, component-based design platform is ideal for schedule-driven clients.” The professional, customised and flexible nature of the fixed installation market is tailored to this added-value business model. “Our sales model is strictly B2B, where clients demand a very fast response time together with open information,” continues Kirsch. “If an SI is tendering for a job, we need to deliver assurance and profitably to them during the bidding process by offering multiple options at different sizes or format ratios. Costs can be reduced depending on the brief, or some projects may specify indoor-type screens, when they really require full IP65 models. By making the contractor aware these screens will start to fail with green and red patchwork, we are showing that we care about the products in the hope that our B2B partners can gain repeat business, which will lead to repeat orders from us in the long term. Rather than promote the latest design or technology, our goal is to provide quality on an allocated budget. We are not in a race to sell the latest technology just for the sake of it.” The DLW founders have been in the business long enough to understand the requirements of the consultant, the systems integrator and the end user.

An installation at a Dubai mall

“Every screen purchased for a project comes with its own set of architectural parameters, end user levels of expectation and budget constraints,” explains Kirsch. “We have to provide all possible options, not only to win the SI or consultant the contract, but also to ensure the project is successful in its implementation. All parts of the display are properly tested and packed, while hardware such as the mounting frame is carefully designed and built. For the contractor, the quality of delivery is almost as important as the product itself. Therefore, the screen kit is delivered onsite at the very last stage of the project and fits perfectly into place with instant plug-and-play performance.” Whereas the fixed installation market demands a unique solution, Kirsch believes that the rental and production market is more of a “me too” market where buyers seek consistency for a mainstream performance. “By comparing the functions, components and prices available, rental companies usually have sufficient knowledge to make technological choices. It is more often a question of how cheap the product can be where we cannot add value. However, we supply rental partners and houses of worship in South Korea and Indonesia who trust us to supply high value price-performance solutions. DLW offers innovative, cost-effective products for the rental production market and we’ve hired an Asian sales manager to cater for this sector. Our Portable series, Touring series and Touring Premium series are simply redesigns of other product series for adoption in live productions.” DLW pays close attention to Chip on Board (COB), Glue on Board (GOB) and Common Cathode developments. “These solutions add technological value as they increase the product thermal efficiency and long-term reliability,” explains Vanderoost. “Despite being recent, we immediately added them to our product portfolio as they bring considerable benefits to an application. They come at an additional cost initially, but the benefits greatly outweigh the additional investment over the longer term. As the pricing of COB solutions decrease, they will ultimately replace SMD solutions over the

An installation at a Dubai mall

next two years. Being project-driven, we only add solutions to our portfolio that we know are reliable. For example, the window see-through series was only added to our portfolio six months ago, despite having been available for several years. We felt that these solutions were extremely unreliable until recently.”

“We are already implementing the Black LED option into 60% of our product range,” furthers Kirsch. “The latest miniaturised SMD LEDs will completely change the industry by replacing traditional highbrightness LEDs. From major manufacturers they command a high premium, while we prefer to offer Black LEDs at a minimal cost. As part of our commitment to deliver better value to our B2B partners, our long-term strategy includes future-ready products.

Another example is our capacity to supply anything from a P0.9mm high-resolution screen for a high-profile project to an old school P16 display for a refurbished, older installation. We offer a new paradigm in LED screens that focuses on trust, quality of service and open access to technology with competitive pricing rather than brand.” A commitment to visiting 100 LED manufacturers each year together with the rapid technological advancements taking place ensures the DLW catalogue requires constant updates. “We review our designs and prices every four months following newly negotiated component costs or product updates. We simply cull models that do not perform well or do not offer something unique. As LED screen technology is rapidly evolving, we need to look forward and not become attached to a product that does not perform as well as we hoped. Black LEDs have higher contrast, better black quality and great energy saving and, paired with our HD option, we’ll implement them into our panel series as soon as possible. Another example is diecast aluminium cabinets being updated with composite materials for the rental market. With a reduction of 40% weight, heavier models will be replaced, although pace of change differs according to the country. Those with high labour costs benefit from reduced staff, so weight is critical, whereas for countries with cheaper labour, weight is not as crucial. It’s our job to educate our B2B partners of all the

A cube LED for a Bangkok mall

technological options and make them aware of how best to deliver a unique response for their clientele.” Headquartered in Hong Kong, DLW’s largest customer base is a network of B2B partners, AV consultants and F&B systems integrators in its own back yard. However, word of mouth recommendations have quickly extended to Indonesian churches, Vietnamese hotels and entertainment projects, Macao’s casino resorts,

Dubai retailers, South Korea’s rental production companies and a number of recent upmarket Chinese retail projects. “Promoting our own-branded portfolio from a Hong Kong location really benefits us,” explains Kirsch. “Chinese professionals understand the value of dealing with a trusted B2B supplier in order to fulfil their expectations – a partner who is going to add value rather than a percentage.” Although Covid-19 has stunted DLW’s early growth development, Kirsch is optimistic since Chinese manufacturers returned to work in March. “Despite many projects being delayed or even cancelled, I feel Covid-19 represents a massive opportunity for DLW. Travel restrictions have discouraged buyers wishing to visit the Chinese factories, making the appointment of a trusted supplier much more attractive. Our high-level QC, full reporting and European management ensure customers can place an order without needing to travel.” With pricing competing favourably in the Asian and Middle Eastern markets, DLW is also poised to gain market share in Europe and North America once the correct level of support is established. “We are increasing our network of global AV professionals so we can offer the same level of assistance to our B2B partners,” concludes Kirsch. “Over the long term, we will grow our network of B2B buyers through repeat business. Our partners need to confidently

and openly discuss how to acquire the best and most competitive solution to win a tender that will deliver in style. Rather than adopting an all-out sales approach, the five-year warranty we offer further demonstrates our commitment. The larger manufacturers try and offload supermarket quantities of products – we’re more like a boutique in comparison.”

Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street restaurant in Hong Kong