BroadcastPro ME June 2014

ISSUE 48 | JUNE 2014

TECHNOLOGY INTELLIGENCE FOR TV, FILM AND RADIO

THE SYRIAN CONNECTION Abu Dhabi chosen as home base for mega drama series

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL BroadcastPro ME turns four

CASE STUDY Intigral expands headend

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GROUP CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER Dominic De Sousa GROUP CEO Nadeem Hood GROUP COO Gina O’Hara

Welcome

Publishing Director Raz Islam raz.islam@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 4 375 5471 Editorial Director Vijaya Cherian vijaya.cherian@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 55 105 3787 EDITORIAL Deputy Editor Vibhuti Arora vibhuti.arora@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 4 375 5478 ADVERTISING Group Sales Manager Sandip Virk sandip.virk@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 50 459 2653 Sales Manager Rodi Hennawi rodi.hennawi@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 50 714 0427 DESIGN Art Director Simon Cobon Deputy Art Director John Marsland PHOTOGRAPHY Jay Colina Abdul Kader Pattambi MARKETING Marketing Manager Lisa Justice lisa.justice@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 4 375 5498 Marketing Assistant Barbara Pankasz barbara.pankasz@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 4 375 5499 CIRCULATION & PRODUCTION Production Manager James P Tharian james.tharian@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 4 440 9146 Circulation Manager Rajeesh M rajeesh.nair@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 4 440 9147

At the risk of sounding dramatic, it has taken four years of blood, sweat and tears to reach this milestone but if I had to do it all over again, I would.

BroadcastPro Middle East celebrated its fourth year of success at Rixos The Palm Dubai along with 150 industry peers, who joined us for a special networking and celebratory evening. Thank you to the broadcasters, filmmakers, manufacturers, distributors, systems integrators and others in the industry for taking time out after a long day at work to celebrate our success with us.

For those of you who couldn’t make it, we hope to see you at our Summit and Awards on November 11 at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, where we shall celebrate the industry. Of course, we are able to host such events only because of the support of our sponsors, so a special thank you to Grass Valley, First Gulf Company, Avid, UBMS, CABSAT and Sony.

It has been a tradition to give away some gifts at our annual parties but this year, we decided to engage our guests in a broadcast quiz instead of a raffle draw. We were delighted with the participation from all of

our guests and many of them walked away with cash vouchers, helicopter rides, National Geographic bags and the latest Action Cam from Sony.

It’s important to mention at this point that this journey is no individual achievement.

CPI’s Broadcast team has worked very hard to make this brand a success. However, someone who has stood by me through this journey right from the beginning is Raz Islam, Publishing Director of CPI Media Group. Raz has always stayed behind the scenes but has been responsible for the commercial success of this brand.

Along with our roster of exclusive features, therefore, we have prepared a special photo spread of our anniversary party. Photos from the event have also been posted on our Facebook page. We hope you enjoy it.

Vijaya Cherian, Editorial Director

DIGITAL SERVICES Digital Services Manager Tristan Troy P Maagma Web Developers Joel Azcuna Janice Fulgencio Published by ISSUE 48 | JUNE 2014

TECHNOLOGY INTELLIGENCE FOR TV, FILM AND RADIO

HEADQUARTERS PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 (0) 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 (0) 4 447 2409 www.cpimediagroup.com PRINTED BY Printwell Printing Press LLC © Copyright 2014 CPI. All rights reserved.

While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

THE SYRIAN CONNECTION

Syrian drama series The Brothers films in Abu Dhabi.

Syrian drama makes Abu Dhabi its new home with the filming of mega series

Let’s create a vibrant online broadcast community!

STATUS QUO The Grass Valley – Miranda merger and Conax’ acquisition

by Kudelski Group

CASE STUDY Intigral expands headend PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

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11TH NOVEMBER 2014

SUMMIT & AWARDS 12th November 2013 12TH NOVEMBER 2014

Summit & AwArdS Tuesday, November 11, 2014 Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai

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TO DEBATE MENA BROADCAST TO CELEBRATE COMMUNITY TOGETHER

To DEbaTE Towww.broadcastprome.com/summitandawards2014 cElEbRaTE SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Raz Islam | +971 50 451 8213 raz.islam@cpimediagroup.com

NOMINATION ENQUIRIES GROUP SALES MANAGER Sandip Virk | +971 50 929 1845 sandip.virk@cpimediagroup.com

SENIOR SALES MANAGER Rodi Hennawi | +971 4 375 5482 rodi.hennawi@cpimediagroup.com

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MARKETING MANAGER Carole McCarthy | +971 4 440 9157 carole.mccarthy@cpimediagroup.com

GROUP EDITOR Vijaya Cherian | +971 55 105 3787 vijaya.cherian@cpimediagroup.com

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Raz Islam | +971 50 451 8213 raz.islam@cpimediagroup.com

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in this issue

JUNE 2014

Contents Features 5 NEWS Regional launches, appointments, reports and new productions 14 TRENDS Zoom lens demand on the rise 36 PLAYOUT Channel without a box 40 ARCHIVING Storage in the cloud 56 OPINION Steve Halis on OTT versus linear TV

CIAL

SPE SHOW

52

26 ANNIVERSARY

PARTY

16 COVER STORY Syrian drama series shoots in Abu Dhabi

44 CASE STUDY Intigral expands headend 48 PARTNERS IN PROGRESS In conversation with Conax and Kudelski Group heads

BroadcastPro ME turns four

31 INTERVIEW Said Bacho on GV’s MENA strategy following the Grass Valley-Miranda merger

MEDIORNET

2.0 News from NAB

To make a long story short...

Thus, Riedel with its decentralized real-time network Mediornet has developed a solution with exible topology and realtime routing function, which combines various transmission standards and can be perfectly used as an alternative to conventional video routers. The low installation depth makes the system ideal for use as a stagebox.

Thanks to the integrated WAN transmission technology, remote MediorNet Systems can be connected in an easy and intelligent way.

Due to the extremely high bandwidth, MediorNet has proven itself as an ideal backbone solution in many major projects.

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2.0

PRONEWS

News AIRFILMS TO OPEN OFFICE IN DUBAI

TALKABOUT MEDIA GEARS UP FOR LIVE EVENTS COVERAGE

STOP PRESS Zee launches health and wellness channel

From left: Marvin Dechene and Bart Hartge of Airfilms.

Airfilms, a Dutch production house that specialises in aerial photography, intends to set up base in Dubai. The company has been working in the region since 2011 and has filmed for several clients in Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE. Headquartered in The Hague, Airfilms will have a base in the

Middle East by September.

“We will appoint sales and business development staff in the region and are looking at Dubai as a base. By September, we should be able to arrive at a decision on the location and number of staff,” Bart Hartge, MD of Airfilms Production confirmed to BroadcastPro ME.

STATISTICS

US $2BN

Estimated value of the combined entity of 21st Century Fox and Apollo Global Management as they enter into a tentative deal to create one of the world’s largest television production businesses. The agreement will see Fox’s Shine Group merge with Apollo, which owns Core Media and Endemol.

Veria, Zee Network’s newest TV offering, is a free-to-air channel on health and wellness targeted at Middle East viewers. The channel will show a variety of Western health programmes in English with Arabic subtitles.

It is broadcast on Nilesat across the MENA region and is available through ELife (Channel 620) and DU (Channel 410).

Mozaic TV renews contract with beIN Sports Qatar’s telecom provider Ooredoo has renewed its contract with beIN Sports to provide content for its entertainment service Mozaic TV. The two-year deal will give Mozaic TV the rghts to broadcast all beIN Sports channels on Mozaic TV, including 15 HD channels that will showcase the latest sporting events and news in four different languages.

Mozaic TV and beIN Sports have prepared a new beIN Sports + Global package for next generation and standard Mozaic TV customers.

Ooredoo will also provide World Cup access to its subscribers.

The multi-cam production OB kit features key components from Blackmagic.

Dubai-based boutique creative production company, Talkabout Media recently invested in a full HD fly-away OB (outside broadcast) kit aimed at servicing the local conference and events market.

“It’s a natural extension of our current business,” said Ian Carless, Owner & Executive Producer of Talkabout Media.

“With more than 20 years of experience working in live television with broadcasters such as MTV, ESPN, Star TV, we’re pretty comfortable in any live broadcast environment and it’s this experience we bring to the table with our coverage of events, conferences and seminars.”

The multi-camera production OB kit features key components from Blackmagic.

“We chose Blackmagic because they ticked all the boxes. We wanted a broadcast quality solution that was also easily scalable for future expansion. Blackmagic gives us that and more,” said Carless.

The system is based on ATEM 1/ME Production Studio 4K which offers eightframe synchronised camera inputs, two auxiliary inputs, digital and analogue audio inputs plus a comprehensive up-stream keying component and graphics capability.

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

5

PRONEWS Azam launches Ugandan pay-TV service Azam, a new entrant in the Ugandan multichannel digital television market, has launched a satellite-delivered service.

The Bakhresa Group-backed company offers subscribers a 60-channel plus package for US $8 a month, according to a report in the Ugandan daily The Independent. It also provides free-toair channels including those from East Africa’s national broadcasters.

In less than four months, Azam has reportedly attracted more than 55,000 customers in Tanzania, and now aims to sell 30,000 decoders within 30 days of launch in Uganda.

Only 10% of an estimated six to seven million TV sets are currently able to receive digital signals in Uganda, ahead of the July 2015 ITU deadline for analogue switch off.

SANAD fund announces first cycle of grants Abu Dhabi Film Festival’s fund, SANAD, announced the first cycle of grants for 2014 to support the development and post-production of several films by filmmakers from across the Arab world.

Projects receiving post-production grants are Cat, The Valley, The Wanted 18, Um Ghayeb, and Pirates of Salé.

Projects receiving development grants are Money Babe, Catch the Moon, Kiss Me Not, Sons of Sunday, The Golden Harvest, and The Bird of the Mountains.

Nat Geo Abu Dhabi unveils photography reality show National Geographic Abu Dhabi’s I am Nat Geo Photographer brings one of National Geographic Channels’ global formats to the region in a new addition to the channel’s local content.

I am Nat Geo Photographer that premiered recently is shot entirely in the UAE with Nikon as the Presenting Sponsor. Eight amateur photographers from around the region compete against one another in a series of challenges.

OSN LAUNCHES NEW OTT INITIATIVE

David Butorac (l) and Emad Morcos (r) at the launch of Go by OSN. Last month, OSN launched a new OTT initiative titled Go by OSN. This service is independent of OSN’s existing pay TV service and its Play initiative.

Unlike Play, which is connected to OSN’s linear service and offers the latest premium content, Go by OSN can be accessed for US $10 but serves primarily as a library with 5,000 hours of Arabic and English entertainment that can be viewed at present on up to two registered devices.

The content that is shown on OSN’s linear

and Play service will usually be available on Go only after 18 to 24 months. The service is intended to compete with other OTT services such as Netflix.

Go by OSN is available across 24 countries in the MENA region. It is available on PCs, Macs, and Android devices and will soon be launched on smart TVs and gaming consoles. The new service, which has been launched just in time for Ramadan, will include six Go-only Ramadan programmes in the region. This is a contractand commitment-free service.

Digital TV to reach majority of homes in MENA: report Digital TV penetration will be 73.8% in the Middle East & North Africa (up from 64.3% in 2010) and 57.1% in Sub-Saharan Africa (up from only 19.2% in 2010), according to the Digital TV Middle East & Africa Databook from Digital TV Research.

The report projected 132.4m TV households across the region by end-2014; up from 117.2m in 2010. However, 113.0m homes (46.0% of total households) will not have a TV set by end-2014.

Furthermore, the region is expected to reach 89.3m digital TV households by the end of 2014, up by 12.4m during the year and up by 32.4m since 2010. The Middle East & North Africa is projected to have 15.5m pay-TV subs by end-2014 (up from 10.6m in 2010), with SubSaharan Africa on 13.1m (more than double the 2010 total).

In terms of platforms, free-to-air satellite TV will become the most popular platform in 2014, overtaking the declining analogue terrestrial total.

Satellite TV is forecast to contribute the bulk of pay-TV revenues, with its share of the total rising

6 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

from 77.5% in 2010 to 78.8% in 2014. Pay-TV revenues in the Middle East & North Africa will increase from $3.0bn in 2010 to $4.4bn in 2014, with sub-Saharan Africa doubling over the same period to $3.6bn.

Social media main source of news in MENA region: Arab Media Forum A new report released at the Arab Media Forum shows that social media is used by the majority of internet users across the Arab world and is their primary source of news.

The Arab Social Media Outlook 2014 suggested that 71m people used social media in the region last year out of a total 135m internet users.

Egypt topped the Arab countries with the largest Facebook user base in 2013 and the UAE recorded the highest penetration to population ratio of 54%; an increase of one million users during 2013.

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PRONEWS

Juan Jose promoted to VP of Digital at Intigral

fi, Head of Sohail Sha E A, ARRI. Lighting, M

Markus Zeiler, GM, Business Unit Lighting, ARRI.

ARRI fortifies Middle East presence A senior executive from ARRI’s lighting unit was in Dubai recently to meet with the company’s strategic partners.

During his visit, Markus Zeiler, General Manager of ARRI’s Business Unit Lighting also announced the appointment of Sohail Shafi as Head of Lighting, Middle East and Africa.

Based in Dubai, Shafi will be responsible for driving growth through the implementation of sales and support strategies in the region with special focus on broadcast system solutions.

Commenting on the new appointment, Zeiler said: “We are pleased to have Sohail on board as part of the ARRI lighting team. We have been working through partners and resellers in the region and with Sohail’s appointment, we will have a representative in the region, which will help us to be closer to our customers at any given time.”

Zeiler added that “each region has a different business behaviour and it helps to have someone from the region who understands the market”.

“ARRI is exploring the possibility of having a base in the region because MEA is a big territory. We cannot be everywhere, so we need a local team to provide sales and technical support in the region.

“We have been busy with the restructuring of our distribution network in the last 12 months. Overall, broadcast business has seen a robust growth,” added Zeiler.

ARRI’s lighting business in the MEA region accounts for about 10% of its total global turnover for lighting.

The market has the potential to grow to 20% or more in the next three to five years, according to Zeiler. The company has won a number of projects for converting conventional tungsten lights to power saving LEDs. “A big chunk of ARRI’s business from the Middle East comes from studio lighting projects, demand for which is constantly growing,” said Zeiler.

Juan Jose de la Torre (JJ), who was previously Vice President of Strategy, Technology and Operations at Intigral, has been promoted to the position of the company’s Vice President of Digital.

In his new role, de la Torre will lead the development of digital products while continuing to build on the success of Dawriplus, MENA’s first live football multi-platform experience; iHub, Intigral’s billing/OEM ecosystem enablement portal and Sultn, a music streaming service in the MENA region.

In addition, de la Torre will further expand Intigral’s Value Added Services (VAS) into new areas of focus and new markets across the MENA region. Finally, he, will lead innovation and partnerships through enhancing Intigral’s incubator Afkar.me, a full-fledged incubator and accelerator, alongside creating strong relations with top-tier OTT companies across the region. de la Torre has more than 15 years of experience in management consulting and telecom, with senior positions held at TeliaSonera, Booz&Company, Orange Group and Etisalat.

Juan Jose de la Torre.

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

9

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PRONEWS TV Everywhere in MENA to grow to $100m by 2018: Frost & Sullivan TV everywhere in MENA in 2013 accounted for more than USD 10m, which is projected to grow ten fold by 2018 to $100m.

The main drivers of TV Everywhere are high proliferation of connected devices and high speed internet connectivity.

Rising consumption of online video content in the Middle East triggers market opportunities. Boom in local Arabic content availability online will boost TV-Everywhere adoption. MENA is expected to be linked through 545m consumer connected devices by 2020, stated a Frost & Sullivan report.

TV Everywhere, Personalised Discovery and Digital Life Solutions will be the most transformative over the next 36 months. The rest are expected to remain at the same level of importance. The deterrents in its adoption are lack of online ad spend, the predominance of FTA content and rampant piracy of online content.

The report also said that there will be six to seven connected devices for every user by 2020 in the MENA region.

TWOFOUR54 PLAYS KEY ROLE IN STAR WARS: EPISODE VII SHOOT Twofour54, the commercial arm of the Media Zone Authority – Abu Dhabi, confirmed that Star Wars: Episode VII was shot in the UAE capital last month and it provided the support the team required. Abu Dhabi served as the first location for the shooting of the seventh instalment of the global movie phenomenon,

J.J. Abrams, Director, Star Wars 7 on location in Abu Dhabi.

which is due to premiere in December 2015.

Director J.J. Abrams and the Star Wars cast flew to Abu Dhabi in early May. Hundreds of local and international cast and crew worked on the production in Abu Dhabi with key production staff working closely with twofour54 intaj since January.

The combination of diverse desert landscapes, an extensive production infrastructure and a 30% cash rebate served as an instant allure for the producers. Six UAE nationals had the opportunity to work on set through twofour54’s creative lab community internship programme. Two of the interns will be given the opportunity to also follow the production to London’s Pinewood Studios, thereby, expanding their international production experience.

“Twofour54’s vision is to enable the development of world-class Arabic media and entertainment content,” commented Noura Al Kaabi, CEO, twofour54.

“By exposing our local young talent to international productions and prominent directors, we look forward to developing their skills, and developing our next big director.”

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April 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

11

PRONEWS

TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT YOUR ARCHIVE NEWS

SPORT

PRODUCTION

QUICKLINK SPEEDS UP AL JAZEERA’S NEWS DELIVERY Al Jazeera Media Network has been broadcasting from several underreported locations around the world using Quicklink technology. Some of the most recent news stories that made the headlines include the mudslide incident in Afghanistan, the schoolgirl kidnapping by Boko Haram in northern Nigeria and the avalanche tragedy in the Himalayas, where 13 Sherpas died on Mt Everest. Al Jazeera Network was one of the first to broadcast these stories on its platforms.

Quicklink has become the main method of field and bureau content delivery for Al Jazeera English since its launch in 2006.

Quicklink file compression, coupled with its live software, enables the correspondents to report from remote regions, previously outside the news cycle.

The technology was used with Windows Live and Windows Store & Forward version of the Quicklink software, which was later adapted to the Mac OSX version to cater to the broadcaster’s demands.

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Qatar’s Al Arabi to compete with Al Jazeera Qatar is due to launch a news channel from London that will potentially compete with Al Jazeera.

The channel, titled Al Arabi, will be broadcast under the patronage of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. It is intended to restore Qatar’s relationship with the Arab world, where Al Jazeera has been criticised for its perceived editorial bias towards the Muslim Brotherhood.

12 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

Mac OSX version of Quicklink for Al Jazeera English.

The technology will get a further boost from Inmarsat’s recent HDR launch and future Global Xpress (GX) service, which is expected to speed the network’s newsgathering operations.

The broadcaster’s field acquisition consists of a combination of MacBook Probased laptop newsgathering (solutions) coupled with traditional satellite newsgathering. Its camera crews are equipped with Hughes HNS 9201 BGAN.

DFTC launches Film Dubai Production Guide at Cannes Dubai Film and TV Commission (DFTC) has released the first ‘Film Dubai Production Guide’ – a comprehensive resource listing information about locations, talent and advice on filming and producing in Dubai. DFTC launched the guide at Cannes Film Festival, where it participated with other UAE film entities to showcase what the country has to offer international filmmakers.

The directory is the first guide of its type in the emirate and forms part of DFTC’s ongoing strategy to simplify and streamline film and TV production in the emirate.

It will act as a one-stop resource for information about filming in Dubai, connecting professionals from across every aspect of the production process.

1 De-Interlace Teranex features proprietary and patented PixelMotion de-interlacing algorithms for amazing image quality.

2 Up and Down Conversion Teranex includes multidirection diagonal filters so up conversion eliminates “jaggies” for clean images.

3 SD/HD Standards Conversion Standards convert video with the powerful SIMD processor which can analyze and calculate pixels between frames.

4 Cadence Detect and Remove Automatically remove cadence (3:2 pulldown) even when the footage has been previously edited and suffers from flash fields!

5 Noise Reduction Remove unwanted noise with Teranex award winning temporal recursive noise reduction.

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6 Adjustable Scaling Teranex includes fully adjustable aspect ratio scaling. Support custom aspect ratios, or even for reframing shots.

7 Audio, Timecode and Subtitles Teranex supports frame rate conversion multichannel audio plus timecode and closed caption VANC data.

8 3D Processing The Teranex 3D model includes dual SDI channels so it allows all video conversion to be locked together for perfect 3D conversions.

9 3D Simulation Take 2D feeds into a 3D live production, or convert 2D content into 3D with the Teranex 3D simulator!

10 3D Camera Align The 3D camera align feature of the Teranex 3D model lets you frame sync and align left and right eye feeds for perfect 3D rigs.

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The Teranex 3D model includes 3D dual channel conversion, patent pending 3D simulation and 3D camera rig alignment!

Teranex Quality Advanced SIMD technology developed and patented by Teranex allows instant calculations on thousands of pixels simultaneously in X, Y positions and between video frames, so you get true super computer imaging power. Processing is applied within the frame and between frames all at the same time, so you get better de-interlacing, inter-frame interpolation and noise reduction.

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PROTRENDS

Manufacturers of professional lenses have been on life support since the debacle of the 2/3-inch sensor cameras and a near saturation in 2/3-inch lenses. While most of the action in Super 35 and related sensors has been in cine and DSLR, there is already a spillover developing. UHD is increasingly being taken up by broadcasters, which was initially meant for sports trucks and medical video suites.

Just as the UHD movement is going beyond cinematography, a considerable lift is also prevalent in lenses. Furthermore, growth is seen in DSLR lenses and PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) lens use for robotics.

Part of the renewed enthusiasm is built on

The demand for zoom lenses has increased substantially in recent years. While primes are popular as rented equipment, zoom lenses are growing faster as purchases, according to Douglas Sheer

14 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

pent-up demand, or real bargains that can be had by mounting third-party lenses in place of major names, utilising a plethora of increasingly universal adaptors.

Who’s zooming who?

Manufacturers have found increased demand for a very wide range of zooms as users are starting to see them as being nearly as good a quality as primes or fixed mm lenses, still far more widely applicable and practical as an investment.

This means that primes are more often rented while zooms are growing faster as purchases. And, often that has meant that the practice of renting primes for each specific production rather than owning them continues.

With the blending of movie-making and episodic TV production in an all-digital workflow emerging as the international standard, zooms stand to gain. The price-point of lenses has come down as more and more players enter the fray.

Many lens owners like to repurpose their old lenses, often cine lenses from the film era and or film-based

PROTRENDS

still camera lenses, wherever and whenever they can. In most cases, that requires special mounts or adaptors.

Although, in cine, a lot of attention is given to the replacement of film-based cinema cameras and the related pullthrough for cine lenses to use in digital cinematography, the biggest story has been the boom in cine zooms for both

and tripods. And, much more. Habits around lens use, whether zooms or primes are cleaving to old ways in some very predictable aspects. That is, like the tendency for D-SLR owners to own a very similar ‘kit bag’ of lenses such as – typically – a 50mm and 35mm fixed (primes) a mid-range zoom as well as a macro lens, fisheye lens or wide angle lens.

Douglas I. Sheer is CEO and Chief Analyst of D.I.S. Consulting.

“Many lens owners like to repurpose their old lenses, often cine lenses from the film era and or film-based still camera lenses” Douglas I. Sheer, CEO and Chief Analyst, D.I.S. Consulting

DSLRs and general Super 35 cine cameras.

Research shows that, globally, durability or ruggedness, 16 X 9 compatibility, reputation of the brand, manual zoom control and focal length of primes or fixed lenses are highly regarded attributes.

Independents are a driving force One factor that has almost universally been a boon to manufacturers is the need for equipment that is a result of the meteoric rise of the independent and freelance segment that has expanded tremendously in the past decade. Each of those independents needed a camcorder or DSLR, as well as displays, recorders, storage devices, lenses, software, bags

Longer telephoto lenses – which tend to carry with them ultra-high prices – remain an investment reserved for nature and sports specialists. Cinematographers are making waves by owning more lenses than in the past and, in particular, for acquiring zooms. ENG shooters still rely heavily on a mid-range zoom. Broadcast box-style lenses – the compact servo zoom – has become immensely popular.

What’s ahead for lenses?

So, what will drive the marketplace for professional lenses most in the coming five years or so? Clearly, the answer to that is UHD generally and 4K in particular. Not since the codification of

HD and 2/3-inch sensors helped build a huge market for lenses has there been anything approaching the potential pullthrough being anticipated for lenses. And, with a warmth already being shown by applications beyond cinematography, it should only be a question of timing the transition, not of whether it is coming.

Unlike 3D that has come and gone many times, upward mobility in regards to resolution from SD, to HD, to UHD has always seemed a sensible path. Also larger sensors really require new lenses and so many new brands of cameras keep arriving.

This was particularly notable at the recent NAB Show – demand for UHD-appropriate lenses is growing dramatically. PRO

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

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PROCOVER

The year 2014 began on a high note for Abu Dhabi as the city hosted a roster of regional and international productions.

The UAE capital was in the spotlight for Hollywood biggies such as Star Wars 7 and The Fast and the Furious 7 as well as Bollywood action thriller Bang Bang, while also hosting several regional productions. One such production that has been turning heads since it began filming is The Brothers – one of the biggest TV series not only in the history of Syrian drama but also for Abu Dhabi. With an estimated budget of

Dubbed as a one-of-its-kind production for its scale and style, big-budget Syrian drama The Brothers opened to rave reviews on Abu Dhabi TV in April. Vibhuti Arora reports from behind the scenes

16 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

USD 46m, this Syrian production stands out for its technical finesse and star cast. The production is claimed to be slicker and smarter than many of its counterparts, and experts have even termed it as a milestone in the history of Syrian drama.

The series has a different look and feel to it. Unlike most TV dramas, this series is being shot entirely on location. There are no studio scenes, as one would typically expect of a TV drama.

A private villa in Abu Dhabi has been transformed into a home of the five brothers, who serve as the central characters in the series. Some portions of the series are also being filmed on the streets of the UAE capital and at a retreat on Saadiyat Island.

A complex family drama that chronicles the life of a businessman's five adopted sons, The Brothers is set in modern day Abu Dhabi. The story has been adapted from a popular Mexican soap opera and features more than 36 main actors, who are all stars in their own right and hail from Egypt, Syria and Lebanon.

Produced by Syrian production house Clacket Media, the series is supported by twofour54 and Abu Dhabi Film Commission.

The filming on this 90-episode series was in full swing when BroadcastPro ME went on location. The crew had been shooting in Abu Dhabi for more than two months in 12-hour shifts every day and filming of the first 50 episodes had already been

PROCOVER “We developed a visual style in the early stage of the project with Director Ammar Alani. Although we have a different director now, we have maintained the same visual style�

Illustration by John Marsland

Mario Delic, DoP

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

17

PROCOVER The crew readies for a scene that involves filming inside a car.

“Historically, one wouldn’t associate Abu Dhabi with drama but here we are showing a story set in Abu Dhabi, reflecting the high life of the cosmopolitan city” Seif Sbei, Series Director, The Brothers

completed. The series premiered on Abu Dhabi TV on April 20 but the shoot is expected to continue until July.

Twofour54 offered a 30% rebate on the production cost and helped the production team with location scouting and infrastructural facilities. Intaj is handling the post production of the entire series.

This soap opera has clearly raised the bar for Arab productions, thanks to its scale and style, says Series Director, Seif Sbei, who describes it as a massive project and a trendsetter of sorts.

“Historically, one wouldn’t associate Abu Dhabi with drama but here we are showing a story set in Abu Dhabi, reflecting the high life of the cosmopolitan city. It’s a combination of Syrian and Egyptian drama with some Lebanese characteristics and we have tried to give it a Turkish feel. The anchor of the project, however, is its storyline.

“The shooting is being carried out in blocks and not as episodes, which are then brought together at the editing table. Between our DoP and myself, we have tried to give the series a very slick look. Having big stars from different countries in the Arab world is expected to attract more viewers from

18 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

these countries,” Sbei comments.

Croatian DoP Mario Delic, who shares an Emmy Award for his work on the documentary Calling the Ghosts and boasts a vast body of work in the Arab region, is the main man behind the camera.

According to Delic, it’s a modern story that reflects wealth and sophistication.

The camerawork, therefore, had to be aligned with bringing out these characteristics in the script.

“We developed a visual style in the early stages of the project with Director Ammar Alani. Although we have a different director now, we maintained the same visual style,” he explains.

The story is filmed at two main locations, the brothers’ villa and “Bait Riad”. The visual concept for the villa was to keep it in cooler, bluish hues with lots of reflections, bright spots in the background and photography that’s somewhat over-the-top and traditionally seen in TV commercials.

That’s keeping in line with the fact that the brothers are living in a rich world and don’t face the reality of ordinary people. The idea for “Bait Riad”, on the other hand, was to keep it modest with warmer colours and realistic

PROCOVER DoP Mario Delic and focus puller Mohammad Badran with the Sony PMW-F55 camera.

“I believe that the main role of a DoP is to translate the script and the director’s vision to screen through cinematography. Keeping the communication channel open between the director and his crew and the actors helps greatly in achieving this” Mario Delic, DoP

photography. This is the reason the shoot is being handled by two units. While Delic heads the first unit, the second unit is under Nizar Wawiye. Both the DoPs have different framing and lighting styles, which according to Delic, add two different dimensions to the drama.

The series is being shot on the Sony F55 and the Sony F5, one for each unit and the audio is recorded on Sennheiser mics, which are synched with the cameras.

“The choice for these cameras was made early on for their ability to shoot 2K RAW. They also shoot 4K, however, that’s more demanding in terms of data storage. I attended the Sony F55/F5 workshop last year in Advanced Media, Dubai and was very keen to try out these

cameras. We shoot both 2K RAW and HD, but HD is used for editing since it takes less storage and then the EDL (edit decision list) is sent as output to use with the RAW files,” explains Delic.

Commenting on the versatility that the two cameras offer, Delic says: “I love the ability to use the existing light in the night since we shoot a lot of night scenes on the streets.

The ISO2000 sensitivity of the F5 is great. I filmed some unbelievable shots using only small lights for the actors while getting to feel all of the existing sources in the background. In one scene, I operated the Steadicam system from a car ahead of one of the actors, Qays Sheik-Najib, who rode a motorcycle. We used only one LED

20 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

PROCOVER stick for a fill-in and all of the rest was provided by the street lights, which gave the scene a very dramatic effect.”

Let there be light!

Delic has deployed Kino Flos extensively throughout the location and calls Chinaballs his “weapon of choice”.

“They give a soft contrast to the actors’ faces and work very well for close-up shots,” he says.

Having worked in the Arab world for 12 years, Delic has deciphered a thing or two about complementing natural light with cinematography lights when shooting in the region.

“I have realised that 12KW lamp Dinos work perfectly in local conditions. With their help, I can get away with many things even after the sun goes down.

As opposed to common light here, I use light from the camera angle very rarely. My light mostly comes from the sides and from the back. I don’t reveal

The crew on location; DoP Mario Delic films on the Sony PMW-F55.

22 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

all and let things unravel slowly.”

In addition to the LED lights, the kit has two Jablights, two EcoPunch lights and one Spacelite, which enhance the visual texture of the footage.

Lighting can make or break a scene, according to Delic. He emphasises the importance of angles, use of colour, space in the frame and composition, which can be managed with good lighting.

“I believe that the main role of a DoP is to translate the script and the director’s vision to screen through cinematography.

Keeping the communication channel open between the director and his crew and the actors helps greatly in achieving this,” explains Delic.

Key kit In addition to the rented equipment, the producers imported six AAdynTech LED lights from the US – three for each unit – and bought some kit that was not locally available. According to Delic,

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PROCOVER

Post production

The Sony PMW-F5 on a twin dolly.

the most important element of the kit is the SGS Twin Dolly, which is a dolly/ slider that is very easy to set up and can even be operated by one person, as opposed to conventional dollies.

“I have used the twin dolly before and liked the flexibility it offers; it can be set up on the floor or even on top of a table. It comes with very sturdy tracks that can be extended as much as one can afford,” says Delic.

The workflow The crew shoots between seven and 15 scenes a day in a 12-hour shift.

Right after the shoot, the camera cards are sent to twofour54-intaj's editing suites, where the footage is colour corrected. Colourist Ayman Abdel-Basset, who is handling the colour grading,

takes care of the footage at intaj.

“The biggest challenge of this project was to keep up with the schedule and still maintain the quality. Films give you the luxury of time and you can experiment more, which is not the case in soap operas, as one is constantly pressed for time.

“I find myself shuttling between locations a couple of times a day.

At times, the light conditions are not the best for a given scene and we have to make do with what we have,” comments DoP Delic.

The crew will be camping in Abu Dhabi until July, when it is scheduled to finish the filming of the entire series.

The series is presently running on Abu Dhabi TV, CBC Egypt, OSN, Zee Alwan and LBC. PRO

24 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

Ayman Abdel Basset at twofour54 intaj is handling the colour grading for the project. He works closely with Mazen Al Saady, the inhouse editor of Clacket Media.

Basset elaborates on the workflow: “The DoP wanted to enhance the atmosphere while maintaining an overall style. Colour grading is done on twofour54 intaj’s Baselight. We use FCP for editing. Considering that the series is being shot in 2K resolution and our final delivery is in HD, the output turns out in very high quality and what’s more, RAW allows full freedom in post production.

"The main challenge in this project, however, is dealing with footage done on two different cameras, the Sony F5 and the F55. Although both cameras film in RAW, they use different sensors, which one has to bear in mind while grading. Our objective is to make the pictures look the same throughout the project.

The other challenge is, of course, the tight delivery schedules, which are part and parcel of a soap opera production.

"I wouldn’t measure the footage in terms of hours but just suffice to say that it is a lot. To start with, we were grading specific scenes as opposed to an episode, at a time, until an episode is locked.

"The cameras film two types of files. An HD file goes to edit and the same file in 2K resolution RAW comes for colour grading. The editor then cuts the scene and sends the XML to conform with the raw footage.

I copy the RAW footage to the internal storage, which, so far, has been in excess of 21TB. It is conformed to rebuild the edit but using the 2K re-RAW. "It is then graded and we receive approval, then lock the episode to finalise it, using the pre-graded scenes.

"The graded footage is delivered back to the series editor, who then takes care of audio and versioning."

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PROANNIVERSARY

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"The event was well organised and presented us with a good opportunity to link with industry colleagues and friends.

BroadcastPro ME is becoming a mature industry publication and once again the team has proven their ability to organise successful and valuable events and conferences" Hany Bartella, Strategic Accounts Director, Grass Valley

26 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

PROANNIVERSARY "Great event! Thanks to the relaxed atmosphere, great refreshments and great company. Happy Birthday BroadcastPro ME – wishing you many more" Simon Tempest, Account Manager Content Everywhere MENA at IBC

"The party was a good way to get to know the broadcast community.

The event gave broadcast professionals an opportunity to network on a social level" Dipesh Makwana, Technical Sales Manager for Region, Snell (Quantel)

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

27

PROANNIVERSARY "It was good to see so many industry professionals come together and just relax. The event gave me an opportunity to see many people that I had been wanting to see but didn’t have the time to do so. Congratulations! Good show!"

Vahid Macvandi, Regional Distribution Manager, Advanced Media Trading

"Great event in a very relaxed and atmosphere.

With the relevant broadcast professionals present, it provided an excellent networking platform. One couldn’t ask for more.

Sanjay Raina, General Manager, Fox International Channels

28 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

PROANNIVERSARY

Whenever BroadcastPro ME organises an event, you can be sure that the broadcast community will attend and the fourth anniversary was no exception. Industry colleagues, peers and friends gathered to celebrate, exchange the latest news, talk shop and have a nice evening out. Congratulations on your fourth, looking forward to the fifth!

Mark Barkey, Regional Sales Manager in the Middle East with AXON Digital Design

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

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SOCIAL

CONTENT, MEDIA AND

T E C H N O L O G Y Think Create Integrate

PROINTERVIEW

Said Bacho, VP, EMEA, Grass Valley.

Grass Valley and Miranda were brought together under the Belden brand to create a unified broadcast platform under the purple Grass Valley logo. Said Bacho, Senior Vice President EMEA at Grass Valley, spoke to BroadcastPro ME about the company’s MENA strategy

How have things changed for Grass Valley since it was bought over by Belden and merged with Miranda?

With the acquisition of Grass Valley and previously, Miranda, the broadcast part of Belden’s business has now become quite substantial.

Belden is a stable company financially.

It spent more than USD 800m to acquire Grass Valley and Miranda.

After the merger, we immediately announced our new sales structure worldwide. The company will now be operating in five regions. The Middle East will be managed from Dubai while we also have a small office in Istanbul.

Joining

forces

What are your expectations for the region?

The Middle East is a big region for us and we expect it to grow further this year. We have retained the team members from both Miranda and Grass Valley, and we plan to expand the team further. Our immediate goal, therefore, is to have a bigger office space to accommodate the combined teams and also to hire new people.

We have decided not to cut down our staff as it is important for customers that the teams stay. Belden’s office in Dubai Internet City has about 10 people while the combined strength of Miranda and Grass Valley is about 15, so we are

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

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HORIZON TELEPORTS

PROINTERVIEW

“Grass Valley Trinix NXT digital video routing switcher and GeckoFlex converter modules will be phased out gradually. We will provide at least five years of support going forward.

These will eventually be replaced by Nvision routers and Densité modular platforms” Said Bacho, Vice President, EMEA, Grass Valley

talking about a team of 25 or more, which we eventually plan to bring together in one office.

How will this merger impact your regional business and who will head the local team?

If you look worldwide, we are one of the largest manufacturers with the widest product portfolio today.

We definitely want to enhance our capabilities in the region and will continue to invest in the Middle East.

Hassan Ghoul and Hany Bartella are key members of our regional team.

Hassan will lead the Middle East operations for the combined business.

Hany will take on a new strategic role focusing on strategic accounts across the Middle East as well as globally. For example, he will be responsible for accounts operating across the region,

such as Al Jazeera, which has offices and facilities across the world.

We will strenghten our sales team by hiring more sales managers, presales staff, field support engineers, administration staff and marketing personnel. We have not yet consolidated the teams but have more vacancies to fill.

What changes can we expect in the combined product portfolio? Which products are you going to retain?

In this merger, there has been total transparency and swift implementations.

Merging the teams, announcing the product strategy and our go-forward plan — we did that very quickly.

We are trying to combine the best of both worlds and are in the process of chalking out a new platform migration pathway for our customers.

We will retain the Grass Valley cameras,

switchers and servers. We also plan to retain our editing platform EDIUS. Miranda is renowned for its channelin-a-box, glue, switchers, which will stay.

Grass Valley Trinix NXT digital video routing switcher and GeckoFlex converter modules will be phased out, gradually. We will provide at least five years of support going forward. These will eventually be replaced by Nvision routers and Densité modular platforms.

We have already announced that on our channel-in-a-box side, iTX and K2 will come under one platform, a year and a half from now.

What happens with the dealers?

Are you planning to restructure your sales and channels staff?

Both Miranda and Grass Valley have specific regional dealers. Just like we have created a strategic

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

33

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PROINTERVIEW account function, we have also created a channel function to operate between Middle East and Africa. The channels team is responsible for the integration of both the brands.

We have announced that all decisions on the channels will be made by July 1, 2014. We are strongly represented in each country, and the channel structure will vary from country to country, with specific focus on each.

We have many SI and dealers on both sides but no decision has been made on who will continue and who won’t. There is flexibility, it will not be an exclusive distribution tie-up and we need to study this for each country in the region.

We have been telling our dealers and partners that performance is the key. This is the time to show us your commitment as we decide on our partners.

There was news that 400-600 people will be losing their jobs in the merger.

Will there be layoffs in this case?

Whenever any acquisition or merger happens, synergies need to be achieved to ensure we have the right

scale and internal structure, which enables us to move to the next level.

We are aiming to become a $1bn company on the broadcast side. We are building a structure to allow our customers to be future ready. As mentioned, we are looking to hire more in the region. We will also add more resources in Central Europe and Russia, which are part of my remit.

What kind of challenges do you forsee for the two brands coming together?

The challenge now is to ensure that we cross-train our teams on both the purple and green sides. We have conducted full day training sessions of the purple team to green and vice versa in the UK and will carry that forward to other regions as well.

Going forward, all of our customers will deal with only one person. For any project be it production studio, OB van or MCR, with the old GV or Miranda products, the customers will be dealing with one sales manager.

Our customers and partners have already been told who their contact persons are.

We had a quick and thorough implementation of the plan in this merger. The process was very transparent.

I have been through acquisitions before but this one was managed very well and I must add here that it was a smooth transition for both the brands.

For Belden, it is a strategic acquisition, and the company has a long-term objective in building a strong broadcast platform.

What are your future plans?

Where is the new Grass Valley headed now?

Having been in the broadcast business for decades, we have a built a strong legacy. Innovation these days is more software-centric so we need to strike the right balance in the company, between R&D focus on software and hardware.

We want to build the right network of direct sales and resellers, which are both equally important.

Presently, our broadcast segment accounts for more than $500m, which we plan to take up to $1bn in the near future. PRO

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June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

35

PROPLAYOUT

The concept of channel-in-a-box is nearly mainstream and the technology will continue to evolve. Manufacturers now attempt to take the channel out of the box, making it even easier for would-be broadcasters to bring new content to viewers 36 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

PROPLAYOUT The economics of channel-in-a-box are compelling. First of all, the software and hardware bundles are relatively inexpensive devices – giving them a low capex footprint. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, channel-ina-box technology offers a plug-andplay solution; the traditional playout infrastructure involves the integration of products from a number of vendors, with the consequent installation complexities and, a potential risk of finger-pointing when something goes wrong. Channel-in-a-box devices also save rack space and eliminate the need for much of the wiring, so they are fast and simple to install.

A key application of the channel-ina-box is to get channels on air quickly.

One of the surest ways to market test a new idea for a channel is to broadcast it. Experimental channels can be on air in weeks – perhaps days – rather than months. And if the experiment fails, then the channel can be taken down overnight, with the hardware redeployed so there is virtually no capital loss.

It also opens up the prospect of the pop-up channel. Broadcasters can now

set up channels for short periods to meet special needs. If you want a World Cup channel, for example, then all you need is a channel-in-a-box device and a delivery chain and you can be on air, digging deep into your audience’s expectations and earning new revenues that previously were not available.

Taking the channel out of the box The reason that channel-in-a-box devices can replace legacy playout infrastructures is due to the ever-growing power of standard IT hardware. The logical next step, then, is to implement the whole process in software, so all the broadcaster – who will almost certainly own a rack or two of blade server power – needs do is buy a licence for the channel.

So, now we have the channel without a box.

The whole process is virtualised. To the broadcaster, this means another step change in channel agility. No need to wait for days to get a channel on air – now it can be implemented in moments simply by entering a software key. You could even have a channel template, so the planning is almost instant.

For the vendor this means a shift in the business case. No longer are you selling hardware, which has a clear and visible value. Now you are selling a licence, which might be for a relatively short period. Think of the pop-up channel for a sporting event – a really flexible vendor will offer licence pricing for just the few weeks that the channel is on air.

In that application, and in many others, licencing for use would match the broadcaster’s business model.

That makes the idea of pop-up and experimental channels very attractive.

Moving to the cloud Is playout from a virtualised environment practical yet?

Inevitably, as soon as someone mentions virtualisation, someone else will mention the cloud. If we can virtualise something as technically demanding as television playout in on-premises hardware, why cannot it be done in the cloud?

At least in theory, it can be achieved.

The hardware running inside a cloud processing centre is identical to that running in the in-house processing farm. So from that point of view, the

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37

PROPLAYOUT

software of the channel without a box can happily run in the cloud.

That said, we are still far away from using cloud playout services just yet.

The most obvious point is that content transfer requires a very big pipe, which poses a challenge. It is not just that we want a big pipe, we reliably need a big pipe – audiences expect television to always work, and will not tolerate any freezes or jumps, black or silence.

The transfer has to be seen to be secure too. The prospect of someone interrupting the stream is unacceptable.

Malicious hackers could simply disrupt your stream, or worse, add something unpleasant to it. Content owners will also need to be reassured that their intellectual property is being properly safeguarded.

But these are issues that will be overcome in the near future. The big cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services will be able to offer dedicated, firewalled cloud space. They could also provide the dedicated bandwidth. The world of broadcast needs to convince cloud providers to think the way we think.

Realising new revenues Even today, there is much that can be done with virtualisation and the cloud.

Since everything is in the IP domain these days, it is simple to move content, for instance, for distributed playout.

That simplifies local insertion of content and commercials also. What was once a single channel is now a fully localised service with tailored regional content attracting more viewers, and local advertising attracting more revenue.

While we tend to think of channel-in-abox services as automatic, it is perfectly possible to give virtualised and cloud channels full manual control, mixing live and recorded content. Our pop-up

sports event channel can include live coverage and debates as well as packaged programming, which means more opportunities for transmitting advertising.

We can also use the “rent by time” model of cloud processing on the next order of magnitude down.

Broadcasters, today, are faced with the challenge of delivering catch-up services on a multitude of platforms, and this is inherently a “lumpy” demand.

Sometimes there will be a lot of content to be transcoded, and at times there’s virtually none. Some content – the main evening news, for instance – is expected to be available on demand the instant transmission stops.

Virtualisation is ideal for this. Our software allows for live programmes to be recorded as they are transmitted, and play online as soon as transcoding is complete. To handle the peaks in demand you simply spool up another processor or two, either in your onpremise server farm or in the cloud.

We are close to reaching the point where the technologies and techniques of the IT industry are sufficiently advanced to be able to support most of our requirements, to the level of reliability and predictability that broadcasters (and their audiences) expect. Smart vendors have developed software products that take advantage of this new processing and connectivity power.

There are challenges still to be solved, such as moving large content files into and out of the cloud. But I am sure they will be solved in the near future. The result will be an environment where broadcasters can concentrate on what they do best – building relationships with their audiences – while the underlying technology provides the delivery platform, in a simple and seamless manner. PRO

Karl Mehring is Senior Product Manager for TV Everywhere at Snell.

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

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PROARCHIVING

INTELLIGENT

ARCHIVING

It is only by reimagining archive as a unified repository of assets, which are integral to production, preparation and delivery workflows, that its value can be unlocked, says Raoul Cospen 40 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2014

PROARCHIVING Content owners have traditionally archived material as a resource worth keeping in perpetuity, but this simplistic approach is no longer fit for purpose.

While vintage programming can be transferred into the production server to flesh out a TV schedule, the spread of online distribution platforms has dramatically increased the demand for more diverse content, which broadcasters are under pressure to meet. What's more, the intelligent use of archived material from audio and video media to ancillary information such as subtitle tracks can be worked into a significant revenue stream.

Archived material can go a long way to strengthen and refresh a broadcaster's inventory to fuel on-demand access, international sales or to enhance new productions. Invariably though, often detailed knowledge about the content is unavailable or it is in a state where it cannot be easily unlocked.

If assets are stored on disparate hard discs, siloed servers or on shelves as tape, there will be considerable wasted time, effort and cost in locating, retrieving and collaborating on content creation and onward distribution. Time to air is impacted and the archive is effectively devalued.

An archive system used solely for preservation or for legal compliance realises very little of its true value and barely justifies the ongoing cost of acquisition, documentation and maintenance.

Only by reimagining the archive as a unified repository of assets, which are integral to production, content preparation and content delivery workflows, can its value be transformed.

How can you do that?

The starting point has to be the particular needs of the organisation. What do you want the archive to achieve in terms of production and distribution? Is there a need to keep content available for production or to organise it for on-demand and catch-up services? Which assets should be considered “live” after transmission to optimise storage?

Armed with this strategic vision, organisations can begin implementation by structuring and generating metadata models. Metadata is the building block of asset management and essential not only for making content searchable, but for automating the crucial links between assets.

While many facilities will have installed an

asset management system for a portion of their workflow, these systems are unlikely to have the scale, power or intelligence to search for or relate files to one other in any efficient, integrated or meaningful way.

This is because metadata is vastly more complex today than in the early days of tapeless workflows, when a single metadata set equated to one media file.

With the expansion of file-based media, multiple files were required to create different formats (e.g., distribution versions) or resolutions (e.g., proxy, high resolution) of the same content. To that mix was added subtitles, language tracks and captions for various outputs.

The situation continues to increase in complexity, to the extent that an individual file will make little sense in isolation. The German language subtitle file for a premium English language movie, for example, holds little value without relevance to its constituent parts. It is the relationship between files that is important, and an asset management system must be powerful enough to make sense of the connections.

Metadata modeling Metadata sets will, of course, differ depending on the type of content. News, for example, doesn’t have the same metadata set as a drama or a sports game. And even, soccer and tennis would have very different metadata sets.

Digging deeper, under the broad asset description of a particular soccer match, you will find files for different resolutions of that game plus related logs and metadata.

Deeper subsets still might contain match highlights or feeds from various camera angles, pre-game and post-game interviews, press conferences, Twitter feeds and other user-generated input, or of the five-minute preview produced for mobile handsets.

All of these files and associated metadata are bracketed by the same asset.

Similarly, a drama will be copied as a master file with different audio and subtitle tracks in different languages. There may be different length versions, re-edits for compliance, a AS-11 file for delivery to UK broadcasters, a Dolby audio file for theatrical release and so on. Related promos, shot lists, time-coded transmission information, scripts, production notes and cast lists all fall under the same asset.

A facility's asset management system

“Metadata is the building block of asset management and essential not only for making content searchable, but for automating the crucial links between assets” Raoul Cospen, Director of Marketing and Business Development, Dalet

should be able to combine these different, complex asset models as well as the links between them in a way, which is easily configurable to fit the user's needs and which evolve over time as new distribution needs arise.

Smart MAM There are further attributes of a successful integrated asset management platform.

For manual input, users should be driven by the system so that they enter the right metadata at the right time, depending on the context and the type of content. Items like controlled vocabulary, thesaurus and glossaries really help in this context.

While advancing in quality, speech-totext technologies cannot be relied upon for 100% accuracy, although they can provide a good basis for automated input.

When used in conjunction with other types of logging, such as scene detection, facial recognition and semantic interpretation, it is possible to enrich content automatically with relevant metadata and to clean up raw metadata.

Production and technical metadata can be augmented by automatically linking data feeds relevant to the business. The MAM should be able to seamlessly import external data feeds, as needed for the operations. There are many examples around XML exchange standards like SportsML, alongside feeds from Opta (which provides teams, rosters, logs and statistics), that bring in valuable data in the context of sports material.

Similarly, NewsML dope sheets provide extra valuable information about topics,

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

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PROARCHIVING location, context and broadcast rights.

It is important that the archiving system is capable of tracking and propagating the metadata that you have invested in creating and gathering. With genealogy and metadata inheritance, it is possible to trace and correctly action broadcast rights and descriptive metadata. Ideally, as you edit a new asset, the user won't need to re-enter all the metadata again and again, reducing labour and risk of error.

Search and browsing technologies such as federated search or navigation of links between assets will help to quickly locate relevant content and enrich production with more archived content.

Integration capabilities To maximise the value of your archive, it needs to be integral with production, content preparation and distribution workflows. This means a MAM that is interoperable with third-party hardware and software, compliant with industry standards, and has the ability to easily import metadata from legacy systems.

Once integrated by the MAM system, the archive's rich metadata can be analysed to optimise storage. Content can be held

on production systems for instant access, on spinning disc for near-line access, or on tape libraries or servers for deeper archive, possibly accessible over the cloud. Bespoke business rules based on how fast access needs to be, the cost of storage and the organisation's goals can assign content to the appropriate archive tier and, therefore, optimise the archive infrastructure.

Regardless of media, whether for news, sports, radio, long form programmes or every piece of content that passes through a facility, it is imperative to think beyond storing files on tape libraries and disks and to think in terms of freeing that content up to work better for you with addition of rich, consistently applied metadata.

For this, a flexible asset management solution is required, one that is built around the archive to unlock all of its potential.

This will be a MAM solution that has the intelligence to recognise links between metadata files, the power to search, browse and exchange assets, and that has the scale to expand as production and business planning demands. All of that requires a top down vision that removes archive from the sidelines and places it at the heart of future business. PRO

Raoul Cospen is Director of Marketing and Business Development at Dalet.

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PROCASESTUDY Intigral's MCR in Dubai. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Intigral expands

headend Intigral recently expanded its headend to improve the delivery of its IPTV and OTT multiscreen services. BroadcastPro ME takes a closer look at the project

44 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

PROCASESTUDY Digital content developer Intigral recently expanded its headend capabilities to cater to the growing demand of IPTV and OTT services for regional telecommunications operators such as Saudi Telecom Corporation in Saudi Arabia as well as Viva Kuwait and Soudantel.

One of Intigral’s primary requirements for the new headend was to be able to handle SD and HD streaming of 250 IPTV and 100 OTT live TV channels.

“Our telecommunications customers are committed to delivering a better subscriber experience. To meet the demand for IPTV and OTT multiscreen services, we needed a flexible, integrated headend solution that could scale up to support additional channels and valueadded services,” says Tony Saab, General Manager, IPTV Technology, Intigral.

Thus, the ability to support a wide range of video formats, deliver high-quality video, and efficiently scale content were the most important criteria. Other key specifications were reliability, density, and advanced encoding technology.

A headend featuring these capabilities would enable Intigral to deliver highquality multiscreen services while lowering its capital and operational expenses.

After conducting a thorough examination with several of the industry’s video processing and server providers, Intigral decided to expand with a headend solution from Harmonic. Through a high-density, scalable architecture, Harmonic’s integrated solution allows Intigral to prepare and deliver live and VOD content to regional telecommunications operators for viewing on TVs, PCs, smartphones, and tablets.

The headend's expansion was carried out at Intigral's datacentre located in Dubai Studio City. The project was implemented by Harmonic and Abu Dhabi based SI, Tek Signals.

“Initially, the capacity of the headend was at 180 IPTV HD/SD channels, which has increased to 240 IPTV and 100 OTT channels,” explains Saab.

“The expansion entailed a new ingest system from Pebble Beach Systems, storage expansion from Isilon, motorised dish for downlink and decoding system upgrade

from Appear TV, while introducing the new multi-viewer from Grass Valley and a new switching system from Cisco," he adds.

The workflow Intigral’s headend utilises a combination of Harmonic’s video processing and server solutions to manage the complexity of IPTV and OTT applications and deliver SD and HD MPEG-2/MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) video in a variety of adaptive bitrate formats.

At the heart of the workflow, Harmonic’s Electra 9200 universal multichannel encoder provides low-bandwidth MPEG-4 AVC encoding of SD and HD video content for Intigral’s IPTV services. Leveraging a highdensity design that supports up to eight output services per chassis, Electra lowers Intigral’s capital and operational expenses.

Through a rich feature set that includes integrated audio encoding tools, GbE networking, and enhanced serviceability via removable power supplies, fan assembly,

compression modules, and processing cards. Harmonic claims the Electra 9200 can improve video quality, reliability, and operational efficiencies for the digital media company. The encoder features a scalable architecture that will grow as Intigral’s market requirements change.

Intigral is using Harmonic’s ProMedia Live real-time transcoders to convert baseband SD and HD MPEG-2/MPEG4 AVC (H.264) content into multiple streams optimised for OTT multiscreen delivery. The transcoders provide HD video quality at the lowest possible bitrate leveraging in-house Hierarchical LookAhead and VBR technologies, which are specifically engineered for adaptive streaming delivery. In addition, ProMedia Live simplifies processing by efficiently handling metadata information, such as language, captions, ad signaling, and insertion upon input and output.

VOD content for Intigral’s OTT multiscreen services is powered by Harmonic’s ProMedia Carbon file-based

transcoders. ProMedia Carbon performs transcoding of SD and HD video content from a file-based architecture that can easily be scaled in the future. This solution also supports a massive array of acquisition, editing, broadcast, web, and mobile formats to enable the distribution of HD content on any screen. The application is continually updated to accommodate new formats and ensure Intigral’s ability to meet evolving content production and distribution requirements.

Through an easy-to-use interface, ProMedia Carbon allows operators to have complete control over every aspect of the transcoding process, simplifying the ability to convert files into any number of target formats, each with a unique set of operations and filters applied. For example, operators can burn in a logo and timecode on a review format while applying special cropping to a mobile format.

ProMedia Carbon is controlled via Harmonic’s WFS file-based workflow engine, which provides automated processing of high-volume transcoding tasks to further maximise operational efficiencies. When run in a fully automated mode, ProMedia Carbon provides support for batch processing, local watch folders, and automatic FTP transfers. Intelligent transcoding performance increases productivity by easily identifying source formats and automatically transcoding them to the desired destination formats.

Harmonic’s ProMedia Origin multiscreen stream packager and video server optimises the delivery of Intigral’s OTT multiscreen services relying on a range of content formats for smartphones, tablets, and connected TVs, as well as industry-standard protocols, including Apple HLS, Adobe HDS, and Microsoft Smooth Streaming.

ProMedia Origin works with the ProMedia Live application to enable sophisticated transcoding, encapsulation, and encryption processes from a unified platform. Using the stream packager and video server application, Intigral is able to minimise rack space, simplify its operational workflow, and maximise cost savings for operators.

Scalability is a key feature of ProMedia Origin. The software-based solution scales independently, enabling Intigral to add

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

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PROCASESTUDY more servers as its network grows. By integrating with upstream transcoders and downstream CDNs, the carrier-grade server is meant for streaming high-value content to multiple screens, today and in the future.

Harmonic’s video processing and server solutions are part of a larger workflow that includes third-party equipment from suppliers such as Grass Valley, Appear TV, Isilon, Pixelmatrix, Pebble Beach, among others.

Seamless integration with these systems allows Intigral to launch additional multiscreen services.

Intigral serves more than 200,000 IPTV and OTT subscribers throughout the Middle East. Through a unified headend, Harmonic’s video processing and server solutions allow Intigral to stream more channels and deliver OTT live channels to any screen.

Since this project first started, Intigral has already increased its capacity for encoding, packaging, and creating services in multiple profiles and now streams more than 350 IPTV and OTT live channels to a broad range of screens, with the capability to push content to multiple platforms and CDNs. Advanced compression technology promises improved video quality.

Intigral’s headend is completely scalable, enabling the digital media company to accommodate new requirements to launch additional IPTV and OTT services simply and cost-effectively.

The infrastructure can handle up to two times the existing capacity, providing Intigral with a future-proof solution.

Given this extra capacity, Intigral is considering launching a range of enhanced services like mobile advertising, e-health, and e-learning, while also improving Saudi Telecom Corporation’s mobile value-added services.

In essence, Intigral wants to add value at every stage of the digital value chain by acting as a bridge between content and service providers and telecom operators through product integration, inception, and go-to market solutions across multiple channels and platforms. The new headend solution enables Intigral to achieve this goal through its broad format support, flexibility, scalability, and density.

“Through broad format support and a high-density scalable architecture, our newly installed multiscreen solutions allow us to provide high-quality live and VOD content on any screen,” Saab adds. PRO

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Tony Saab, General Manager, IPTV Technology, Intigral.

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June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

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PROQ&A xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Securing ties The Kudelski Group signed a definitive agreement to acquire Conax in a USD 250m deal in March. André Kudelski, Chairman & CEO of The Kudelski Group and Morten Solbakken, CEO of Conax speak about the acquisition of Conax by The Kudelski Group and what the merger means for both companies, their technologies and their customers Why did the Kudelski Group acquire Conax?

André Kudelski: Since 2011, one of our priorities has been to further expand our footprint in emerging markets. In this context, the decision to acquire Conax was a logical one for the Group as Conax has focused on emerging markets, and their solutions are suitable even for smaller to mid-size operators, which perfectly complements our existing product portfolio. With this acquisition, the Kudelski Group now has probably the best product portfolio in the industry to address both the needs of the new

emerging market as well as the complex needs of advanced economies operators.

Morten Solbakken: It’s true, it really is a perfect fit. For more than 20 years, Conax has established a strong reputation by developing and delivering state-of-theart, cost-effective and easy-to-deploy conditional access systems. We’ve been very successful in addressing both the needs of emerging market operators in addition to covering the specific needs of other operators for turnkey solutions.

I am looking forward to Conax playing an important role as part of the group by increasing the group’s overall market

48 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

share, footprint and range of solutions, as well as enriching it with the expertise brought by our high-quality staff.

What changes will take place at Conax as a result of the acquisition?

AK: The Kudelski Group will continue to run Conax as a company within the Kudelski Group, with Morten Solbakken reporting to me. The two management teams will jointly define a strategy and a structure leading to a close alignment of the two organisations over the coming weeks, while keeping the best interests of our customers in mind.

PROQ&A Conax will continue to be run from Oslo by the existing management team.

The Conax team runs a tight ship and serves its customers well and delivers innovative new solutions to market. We will do everything we can to support the team in continuing to do so.

MS: With regards to the rest of the Conax team, we are committed to delivering our product roadmaps, serves our existing customers and increases our customer base this year. We are continuously refining our organisation to enable the execution of this plan. That being said, Conax is already a very efficient organisation.

Are there any changes planned in Kudelski Group offices as part of the acquisition?

AK: Again, we have no plans to change the current structure and organisation of the company, and that includes office locations. In the future, we will carefully examine any possibilities to create synergies on a case-by-case basis, but our primary goal remains to stay close to our highly valued customers to maintain optimal levels of customer service.

Will the Conax brand disappear?

AK: No, the Conax brand will not disappear. We will be maintaining its corporate identity, which is widely

recognised and respected in the industry.

Will Conax continue to develop its existing products?

MS: Conax’s security technology will continue to be actively developed in order to serve our existing customers as well as win new ones. Our technologies are complementary, and one will not replace the other. The whole premise of the acquisition was to add to NAGRA’s existing portfolio of CAS solutions. Together, we will actually have more to offer to our respective customers, and where there are product or partnership synergies with the NAGRA portfolio, we will look at what makes the most sense over the long-term to better serve our customers and maximise the success of the group.

We have an ambitious roadmap both for our highly efficient Contego backend, for our security clients and for our preintegrated solutions. Of course, being part of the Kudelski Group opens a range of opportunities to strengthen the Conax roadmap further, enabling us to serve our customers with an even stronger products and solutions portfolio, and to get these to market quicker. We will actively pursue these opportunities. There are also opportunities the other way – Conax has products that NAGRA can take to their customers. Again, I see us fitting very well in the Kudelski Group. Kudelski also André Kudelski, Chairman & CEO of The Kudelski Group.

"The Conax brand will not disappear. We will be maintaining its corporate identity, which is widely recognised and respected in the industry" André Kudelski, Chairman & CEO, The Kudelski Group

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

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PROQ&A

Morten Solbakken, CEO, Conax.

"Conax’s security technology will continue to be actively developed in order to serve our existing customers as well as win new ones. Our technologies are complementary, and one will not replace the other.

The whole premise of the acquisition was to add to NAGRA’s existing portfolio of CAS solutions" Morten Solbakken, CEO, Conax

has other business areas, like Kudelski Security, which is totally complementary and highly interesting for our customers.

How will this affect the existing Conax partner network?

MS: We launched our Conax Connect partner programme last year and will continue to team up with best of breed partners to create pre-integrated and tested solutions for various market segments. Through this initiative, we look forward to exploring the Kudelski product portfolio for opportunities to create additional attractive solutions to take to our customers across the globe.

In what ways are the two product portfolios complementary to to one another?

AK: Conax clients will have access to the non-CAS product portfolio of the Kudelski Group, like SmarDTV

50 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2014

devices, Kudelski Security services, as mentioned by Morten Solbakken, OpenTV middleware and where required, the NAGRA MediaLive OTT service platform.

This will give customers the possibility to acquire both individual products as well as end-to-end solutions from across the entire group, which will effectively reduce their overall cost of ownership, risk and time to market.

At the same time, Conax has some innovative new products like Conax OTT Access that may be of interest Morten Solbakken, CEO of Conax. to some NAGRA customers. We are only just beginning to explore all the different ways to bring the best of both worlds to all our customers.

This is not the first example of consolidation in the CAS market. How do you see this trend going forward?

AK: As the market matures and customer needs evolve, we have found increased demand for offering turnkey, pre-integrated solutions that include CAS, middleware, settop boxes and multi-screen solutions and security services as well.

We strongly believe that ultimately, the parties that are able to offer these solutions will be most successful, so that is why we have assembled a strong portfolio of world-class products. And because much of the growth in our industry is taking place in emerging markets, acquiring a champion in these markets like Conax increases the addressable market for our overall portfolio and contributes to our long-term success. PRO

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

RAI Amsterdam Conference 11-15 September | Exhibition 12-16 September

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PROBROADCASTASIA

BroadcastAsia2014, Asia’s largest digital and multimedia trade show for the pro-audio, film and TV industries, takes place from June 17 to 20 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

The 19th edition of the show will provide a platform to broadcast professionals to network, gather industry information and source the latest products

Shotoku Corporation perfects pan & tilt Shotoku Corporation will introduce its SX300 TTH1502C tripod system at the exhibition. It comes with pan and tilt EFP head (SX300) and new heavy-duty carbon fibre tripod (TTH1502C) for balancing. The new two-stage TTH1502C carbon fibre tripod incorporates the latest technology to give operators a lightweight, yet sturdy tripod system for EFP or documentary production. Built with carbon fibre legs, the tripod weighs a mere 13 lbs. (5.9kg), features a 150mm bowl base, and stands over 5’ (161.5cm) tall at its maximum height. Available with a ground spreader or a mid-level spreader, the tripod is ideally paired with Shotoku’s SX300 pan and tilt head for optimal performance.

The optional accessories that come with the system include: TML150 mid-level spreader with floor pads, TGL150 ground spreader, TS150L semihard carrying case with casters, TD-72 studio dolly.

Also on display will be a range of advanced robotic camera systems and VR camera tracking solutions.

Stand: 5A5-13

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Front Porch Digital DISTILLS metadata Front Porch Digital will demonstrate DISTILL, its new metadata management system that eliminates the cost and confusion of managing metadata and associated standardisation. Industry sources estimate that less than 5% of metadata created in production remains available for the full lifecycle of the content, with most being lost as the video asset is moved, transcoded, and monetised repeatedly. DISTILL makes it simple to capture, process, manage, and retrieve that critical metadata, ensuring that almost any metadata created at any stage of the content lifecycle can now be managed.

DISTILL allows media professionals to work with the tools they prefer while ensuring that any user

with the proper permissions can leverage critical metadata wherever and whenever they need it.

DISTILL is designed to insert into digital workflows, where it makes use of the on-demand partial object restore capability of the Front Porch Digital DIVArchive content storage management (CSM) system and its cloud-based counterpart, LYNX, to enable the specific retrieval of the original artifact from any connected Front Porch Digital system.

SDKs from Stretchr, which is closely integrated with LYNX, ease integration of the metadata store with existing applications such as enterprise media asset management systems.

Stand 5B2-02

New Grass Valley makes Asia debut The LDX WorldCam multiformat camera system will also be demonstrated in conjunction with the Copperhead 3404K camera-mountable transceiver.

The Copperhead 3404K requires only two strands of fibre optic cable to carry all bi-directional signals, including four 3Gb/s HD/SDI paths, from camera to truck or control room.

Grass Valley’s new LDX XtremeSpeed 6X ultra slow-motion camera – one of four recent additions to its LDX range – is an easily integrated, high-speed live production camera based on Grass Valley’s proprietary Xensium-FT CMOS imager, which delivers superb picture quality, high sensitivity and high dynamic range for a wide variety of broadcast production applications.

Grass Valley’s LDX cameras operate in tandem with the company’s K2 Dyno Replay System (consisting of the K2 Dyno S Replay Controller and K2 Summit 3G Production Client), which provide smooth playback at any speed from 0 to 200% expanding replay storytelling options.

Stand 5B3-01

PROBROADCASTASIA Netia highlights MAM

At BroadcastAsia2014, NETIA will highlight an array of new product features and functions that streamline the sharing of content among production sites, and enrich the use of metadata in media asset management. The company will showcase enhancements that improve users’ multimedia production capabilities, as well as their mobile and remote production workflows.

NETIA also will demonstrate its ability to integrate complex production ecosystems and simplify the publishing of content and data to the second screen.

NETIA will showcase the integration of its new multiple-device interface for audiovisual media management with its Radio-Assist radio automation solution via a secure cross-platform

Argosy manages fibre at BroadcastAsia2014

web-based interface. This integration enables journalists and field staff to use virtually any mobile device — laptop, tablet, or smartphone — and operating system (iOS, Windows, and Android) to gain remote access to the NETIA Radio-Assist database.

From there they can search, browse, ingest, edit video and/or audio, segment the video, and insert a logo or subtitle, and then export and publish the content on social networks.

With this portable, lightweight interface, broadcasters gain a tool for multimedia content creation. The new NETIA web-based interface not only enables convenient content editing and repurposing of professional branded multimedia, but also automates publishing to key social media outlets.

Stand 5M7-06

Argosy will demonstrate a range of fibre management solutions at BroadcastAsia2014 in collaboration with its joint venture partner, Argosy Broadcast Asia Sdn Bhd (ABA).

Neutrik opticalCON advanced tactical fibre assemblies, including the opticalCON Duo, opticalCON Quad will be displayed in addition to the debut of the latest addition to the range, the opticalCON MTP connection systems. The MTP offers a 12-channel fibre optic connection system for point-to-point multi-channel routing with a push/pull connector that helps to reduce rigging and de-rigging times in the field. Its innovative spherical shutter is easy to clean and guarantees low maintenance. As well as being easily deployable, the MTP connection system offers an end-to-end solution with rugged outer-jackets for harsh environments, making it suitable for outside broadcast applications.

“We have moved on from fibre being a new and slightly daunting concept to the point where it now makes up a fair proportion of all new infrastructure projects. Consequently, most of us are now familiar with fibre and we are proud to be able to provide a growing range of solutions alongside an in-house cable termination service in support of this trend,” said Steve Wingrove of Argosy Cable Asia.

Also forming part of the demonstrations at BroadcastAsia2014 is the IEC-Lock mains cable, which incorporates a locking mechanism to fasten it to the earth pin. The connector features a red button, which must be depressed to unlock the lead.

Stand 5E2-01

Digigram brings audio control Digigram will highlight a new RAVENNA/AES67enabled sound card for low-latency synchronous audio-over-IP distribution over LAN. On display will be the low-cost, ultralow-latency IQOYA CALL and IQOYA CALL/LE audio-over-IP contribution codecs; the IQOYA LINK and IQOYA LINK/LE stereo audio-over-IP distribution codecs; the high-density IQOYA SERV/LINK multiplestereo or multichannel audio-over-IP codec for professional IP audio distribution; and the latest release in the company’s AQILIM family of video encoders for professional video broadcasting and distribution over IP networks.

Stand 5E6-07

June 2014 | www.broadcastprome.com |

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PROBROADCASTASIA RTW exhibits loudness tools RTW will exhibit its loudness tools from the new Masterclass PlugIns range of software, the LQL loudness quality logger software and its TM3, TM7 and TM9 TouchMonitor audio meters at BroadcastAsia2014.

The new Masterclass PlugIns software provides RTW’s metering tools as standardformat plug-ins for Windows and Mac OS platforms, allowing for a larger number of RTW customers to access the tools. The RTW loudness

Dalet expands Galaxy tools are the first of the company’s products available as part of the new software.

The RTW Masterclass PlugIns loudness tools visually depict audio with all relevant level and loudness values as specified by international standards. Conforming to the EBU R128 loudness standard, as well as ITU-R BS.1770-3/1771-1, ATSC A/85, ARIB, OP-59, AGCOM, CalmAct and custom as well as SPL mode, it is a handy tool for quality control to ensure compliance with custom specifications.

The plug-in includes RTW’s Peak Programme Meter, TruePeak, and Spot Correlator instruments and also offers all common loudness displays as well as MagicLRA mode or SPL view.

Stand 5E6-01

Wohler’s smart signal management

Dalet Digital Media Systems brings its second generation application programming interface — API2. An integral part of the Dalet Galaxy MAM platform, the new SOAcompliant web services API2 provides a high level of interoperability and straightforward integration with third-party broadcast and corporate systems and applications. Dalet Galaxy offers the tools, data and metadata models, to address the challenges of today’s archives. API2 will simplify and empower third-party integration with new capabilities.

Designed with the Dalet open and scalable MAM vision in mind, Dalet API2 enables easy and seamless integration within existing environments and infrastructures.

Backed by intuitive back-office services and a BPM workflow engine, Dalet API2 is a key component in making Dalet Galaxy an enterprise-class platform.

Based on the principles of SOA, Dalet API2 offers developers a set of services, ranging from asset, media, metadata and search to more advanced services such as notifications, configuration, access rights and many more. API2 also comes bundled with an intelligent dashboard for monitoring API usage per service.

Stand 5A5-12

Quantek’s Eureka moment

Wohler will showcase the company’s expertise in smart signal management and monitoring for evolving audio and video formats, as well as its depth of experience in developing powerful and versatile IT- and IP-based solutions for highly efficient file-based media processing.

AMP2-E16V audio/video processing monitor features

Audio processor card options facilitate easy configuration for multiple SDI, AES I/O, analog I/O, and connection to external surround systems.

Wohler’s new AMP1-16M dual-input SDI audio monitor provides high-performance monitoring of embedded audio in two 3G/HD/SD-SDI streams at

simultaneous multiformat monitoring, quick programme selection, instant stereo downmix, loudness monitoring, internal channel mixing including SDI re-embedding, and audio delays, plus a wide variety of meter scales and ways to view meters, video, and Dolby or SMPTE 2020 metadata.

The AMP2-E16V offers Dolby Zoom, Dolby E line position, and CRC error monitoring, as well as automatic system configuration based upon signal inputs, 32 complete system configuration presets, a complete internal help system, and Ethernet software updates.

an attractive price point. The 1-RU system de-embeds and provides metering and monitoring of any or all of the 16 audio channels in the selected 3G/HD/SD-SDI stream. It assures intuitive operation and clear display of levels and other critical information using bright 2.4-inch LED-backlit LCD displays, enabling one-touch monitoring and summing of any selected channel pair(s) to built-in speakers, headphones, or XLR-balanced analogue outputs. Additionally, Wohler will feature the MPEG-4290, a 4-RU system with two 9-inch screens; the MPEG-3270, a 3-RU system with two 7-inch screens.

Quantek, a supplier of digital radio and wireless audio solutions, will launch the DBS70, the small scale DAB broadcasting system at BroadcastAsia2014.

DBS-70 offers a complete solution to operators who are looking for affordable DAB broadcasting systems for digital radio.

DBS-70 is a compact, affordable and easy-to-use Eureka-147 Digital Audio Broadcasting system, which is suited to serve small areas, particularly with a single transmitter.

It is also a suitable solution for research institutes or receiver manufacturers that require a flexible digital broadcasting system to facilitate their work.

The DBS-70 includes a DAB/DAB+ audio encoder, an ensemble multiplexer, a baseband modulator and a RF up-converter.

Furthermore, DBS-70 can utilise the public IP networks to improve accessibility while reducing the capital and operating costs.

Stand 5G4-04

Stand 4D4-02

54 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

PROGUEST

Critical-mass will dictate the tipping point at which traditional linear TV broadcast becomes obsolete and content delivery platforms take centre stage

Critical-mass drives OTT As more and more users and viewers become accustomed to viewing their preferred content on a second screen connected device such as a tablet or smartphone, which incidentally is also the device they use for email, chat, web, games, and a wide range of other functions, they also become accustomed to the user experience the device delivers.

The user experience provides unprecedented levels of freedom and control, but it also delivers varying results in terms of the quality of service, experience and availability. All of these factors are affected by the App, delivery mechanism, communication path, bandwidth, the performance characteristics of the device and competency of the individual in terms of his or her mastery of the device and its OS as well as battery life.

The typically high on-air availability required by television broadcasters is not expected by second screen device users, because they are accustomed to the inconsistent user experience these OTT devices deliver.

use of tablets, smartphones, wearable devices, et al, which is translating into a greater reliance on such devices as their features and functionality develop rapidly.

Critical-mass will dictate the tipping point at which traditional linear TV broadcast becomes obsolete and content delivery platforms take centre stage.

This will be the case even for advertisers who must deal with the complexity of placing spots throughout a diverse and fragmented broadcast ecosystem.

Although they may not know it yet, many broadcasters will devolve somewhat to become content producers only, if they have invested in production capability and infrastructure.

The other functions will be carried out by cloud-based services leveraging virtualisation, CMS, CDN, PaaS, SaaS and global datacentre and network infrastructure. Many broadcasters who have invested only in content acquisition and traditional playout channels and services will have to either migrate to the cloud or be displaced by it.

Transition to cloud As broadcasters explore the transition to cloud for their broadcast and delivery model, they need to understand and accept, that for the time being it may present a different and potentially inconsistent experience to the viewer.

We may not yet be experiencing an erosion of traditional linear TV viewing, but we are seeing a rapid increase in the

Adopting a software-centric approach This touches on another interesting point which is already having a profound effect on broadcast system manufacturers – SDE or software defined everything. I’m sure we’re all aware of the rapidly growing trend of traditionally hardware-based systems being displaced by software applications. Even the realm of network switch infrastructure is being displaced

56 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2014

by SDN or software defined networking.

As broadcasting moves to the cloud, the reliance on traditional hardware-based systems will diminish rapidly.

A glimmer of hope for broadcasting will be the cloud’s adoption of dedicated massively multicore SoC’s (system on a chip) to enable 4K streaming as a common delivery platform via global IPX’s using MMT (MPEG media transport) and the successor to HTTP – MMTP. We’re talking global delivery of 4K to homes as a perfectly realistic scenario in the near future – with a little investment, of course.

Life with smart TVs Finally, and less importantly – I think we all understand that the linear TV experience has a limited shelf-life, even on connected devices, as the demand for more complex interactivity and control over the user experience increases. As for the big screen in the living room, its only saving grace is screen size. The integration of smart TV functionality must continue to develop as a complementary feature which essentially synchronises with, and mimics the second screen device as users expect their favoured device to be their central source of communication, entertainment, productivity and remote control. Developing smart TVs as strictly independent connected devices would present an interesting business case for reinventing the wheel. PRO T. Steve Halis is Principal Consultant at HeavyMedia.tv

STAND 5E3-01

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The launch of powerful new configurations for the award winning channel in a box

Robust and flexible integrated channel technology

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