www.tvbeurope.com
Business, insight and intelligence for the media and entertainment industry
February 2016
Alliance for IP Media Solutions targets industry-wide standards
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TVBEurope 3
February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
Welcome
EDITORIAL Content Director and Editor-in-Chief: James McKeown jmckeown@nbmedia.com
Group Managing Editor: Joanne Ruddock jruddock@nbmedia.com
AIMS targets IP standards
Contributors: Michael Burns, David Davies, George Jarrett, Adrian Pennington, Philip Stevens, Catherine Wright
Industry leaders unite to form new standards authority
Deputy Editor: Holly Ashford hashford@nbmedia.com Staff Writer: James Groves jgroves@nbmedia.com
Sales Manager: Ben Ewles bewles@nbmedia.com +44 207 354 6000 Account Manager: Richard Carr rcarr@nbmedia.com +44 207 354 6000
I
t’s been an eventful opening
How long this dual ecosystem
to 2016. One of the most eye
will play out for is a cause of
catching announcements
much debate, with little
was the launch of a new industry
commonality to be picked apart
Sales Executive: Nicola Pett npett@nbmedia.com +44 207 354 6000
body, comprised of Grass Valley,
from the roaming guesswork.
Head of Digital: Tim Frost
Snell Advanced Media (SAM),
the IP debate has pointed to
Human Resources and Office Manager: Lianne Davey
Nevion, Cisco Systems, EVS,
thus far, is that common
Head of Design, Hertford: Kelly Sambridge
Arista Networks, and the Telos
standards are a requirement to
Senior Production Executive: Alistair Taylor
Alliance. Its aim, if you pardon
manage the transition efficiently,
Sales Director: Mark Rankine
the inevitable pun, is to foster
and with unity.
Managing Director: Mark Burton
the adoption of industry-wide
US Sales: Michael Mitchell mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv +1 (631) 673 0072
Imagine Communications, Lawo,
What a notable portion of
The fact that the leading
standards for the transition
players in our sector have
from SDI to IP.
stepped forward to assume the
These companies, among
ownership of that process, and the
Japan and Korea Sales: Sho Harihara sho@yukarimedia.com +81 6 4790 2222
the leading providers in the broadcast sector, have taken it upon themselves
should be seen as a positive step. George Jarrett
Circulation Free subscriptions: tvbe.subscriptions@c-cms.com Subscriptions Tel +44 1580 883848
to define a common roadmap for the hybrid
picks up the story in this issue. n
TVBEurope is published 12 times a year by NewBay Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England +44 207 354 6002
responsibility that comes with it,
James McKeown
landscape within which standard legacy systems
editor-in-chief
and new IP solutions will continue to co-exist.
SECTION EDITORS
NewBay Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Association Š NewBay Media 2016. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the copyright owners. TVBEurope is mailed to qualified persons residing on the European continent. Subscription is free. Allow eight weeks for new subscriptions and change of address delivery. Send subscription inquiries to: Subscription Dept, NewBay Media, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough LE16 7BR, England. ISSN 1461-4197
Printing by Pensord Press, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood NP12 2YA
03 TVBE Feb16 Welcome_HAJMcK final (1).indd 1
Philip Stevens Production editor
Michael Burns Post production editor
George Jarrett Business editor
David Davies Audio editor
25/01/2016 16:51
4 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
In this issue
Avid Roundtable
8
16
The Voice Philip Stevens hears from the production team behind RTÉ’s reality talent show The Voice of Ireland
The Shard in London provided a spectacular setting for TVBEurope’s latest roundtable, hosted by Avid
34
Rio Olmypics All the latest from the global TV event of the year
James Groves presents a sneak preview of new and updated products featuring at this month’s BVE
TVBEurope Supplem
ents February 2016
AIMS
40
Founders and members of industry organisation The Alliance for IP Media Solutions discuss their intentions
04 TVBE Feb16 Contents_final.indd 1
50
BVE product preview
www.tvbeurope.c om
In association with
23 TVBE Feb16
23
Supplement FC_final.in
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25/01/2016 15:49
Datavideo Supplement Datavideo looks at the industry’s move to smaller, more cost effective production methods
54
TVBEverywhere Ooyala Ooyala’s Paula Minardi highlights key trends from its State of the Broadcast Industry 2016 report
25/01/2016 15:53
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6 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
Opinion and Analysis
Adopting MAM By Jeremy Bancroft, director at Media Asset Capital
from a toolkit to manage specific elements of the
but slow to react, the introduction of new software
workflow, to a “superhighway of metadata”. This
skills has enabled some broadcasters to become
makes the marketing of MAM solutions difficult
much more agile.
for vendors. Avid’s approach to this has been the
Alistair Brown, chief technology and
deployment of ‘Foundation MAM’ solutions at
platform officer at STV Scotland, stated that its
a number of broadcasters which allow users to
comprehensive and rapid deployment of digital
uring 2015, Avid commissioned research
become familiar with metadata tools, including
platforms could only have been achieved by
organisation Ovum to conduct a survey
searching across multiple corporate databases to
creating an in-house development team to support
into media organisations’ adoption of and
aggregate metadata.
the digital business. “One third of STV employees
D
satisfaction with media asset management (MAM).
Discovery Networks has taken the approach to
have joined the company within the last three
Some of the key findings of the study were:
create its own global data store of programme
years,” stated Alistair, underlining the changing
l MAM streamlines workgroup collaboration and
metadata called The Hive. This integrates multiple
nature of STV’s business.
increases the efficiency of multi-platform media
databases as a source of metadata that can be
ITV has taken a similar approach. Peter Russell,
asset distribution, which was a pain-point for 25 per
examined by staff, but implementing this solution
ITV’s director of technology stated that ten per cent
cent of respondents
requires significant in-house skills.
of the current technology roles at ITV did not exist
l MAM systems are perceived as offering a
Ian Baker, director of media technology at
five years ago, and that ITV was competing with
strong ROI due to the rise in premium and Ultra HD
Discovery Communications, stated that the
organisations including Netflix and Google
content repositories
skills within Discovery’s VoD development team
to recruit and retain key skills. “As you move more
had been “gold dust” when designing and
into IT, be ready to recruit from the IT rather than
lead-time and business analytics for new digital
implementing the metadata solution. Discovery
the broadcast industry,” was Peter’s advice to
services launches are vital KPIs
has several MAM systems across the enterprise, all
other broadcasters.
l Multi-platform distribution costs and reduced
l Poor third-party integration, metadata issues, and lack of process improvement programmes can impede MAM adoption. This study was used as the background to a
dealing with different parts of the workflow and different types of media. This approach to in-house software development
From our own experience at Media Asset Capital, we now advise that the ability to develop software and integrate multiple in-house systems
is becoming a key requirement for broadcasters.
is becoming a fundamental requirement for many
fascinating discussion with representatives from
Typically, the implementation of large software
broadcast organisations. Having spent most of my
ITV, STV, Discovery, Deluxe, TV2 Demnark, TV3
systems within broadcasters has been a slow affair.
career advising broadcast customers that they
Ireland and OB Team Norway regarding the issues
However, with the increasing speed of change of
should leave software development to the vendors,
associated with adopting and integrating MAM
business models, and the requirement to support
this is something of a volte-face. But given that the
solutions with other systems that manage parts
an ever-increasing range of distribution modes
first iPad was launched only just over five years ago,
of the media life cycle.
and platforms, there is a need to get solutions
and that the introduction of multiple new platforms
implemented quickly to enable new business
has been such a game-changer in the way that
discussion was that MAM means very different
opportunities. Whereas traditional broadcast
video content is consumed, we are now in a
things to different people. It can be anything
engineering teams tend to be highly experienced
very different world. n
One thing that became clear early on in the
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8 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
Making the jump to IT speed Overlooking a rainy London, Avid hosted a TVBEurope roundtable that sought to get a high altitude view of the transition to an ITbased broadcast industry. Neal Romanek reports
“W
Panellists
of technology at ITV; Kjeld Skovlund, head of TV projects and deputy manager of TV2 Denmark; and Avid director of strategic solutions
discovered that people are
Paul Thomson. Avid’s Paul Thompson kicked off the afternoon
TV2 Denmark’s Kjeld Skovlund described himself
with a presentation on the company’s Media
and his fellow broadcasters at Avid’s industry
Central asset management platform. Thompson
roundtable in November, held high above Moderator Discovery Communications
Tim Bertioli
Deluxe
Arne Berven
OB-Team
Alistair Brown
STV
Tom Evetts Jose de Freitas Carl Perry Neal Romanek
Discovery Communications; Peter Russell, director
e are like a brewery who has drinking wine now” was how
Jeremy Bancroft Ian Baker
Ian Baker, director of media technology at
Kjeld Skovlund Paul Thomson
sister publication, TV Technology Europe, the roundtable sought to address issues of media asset management in an age of file-based challenges. The participants, top technology
TV3
execs from leading European broadcasters,
Avid
were (clockwise from left) Alistair Brown, CTO
“We’re trying to be the AWS for content owners” Tim Bertioli, EMEA at Deluxe
of Scotland’s STV; the afternoon’s moderator
ITV
Jeremy Bancroft of Media Asset Capital; Jose
set the tone with a reminder that the new media
TV2 Denmark
de Freitas, CTO of TV3; Avid solution specialist
value chain had left behind the old model of
Carl Perry; Tim Bertioli SVP, technology director,
produce/distribute/monetise. The new media
EMEA at Deluxe; Neal Romanek, editor of
ecosystem could be described more like a
TV Technology Europe; Arne Berven, CTO of
loop, with content developed and produced
Norwegian systems integrator, OB-Team; Avid
in a non-linear way, and endlessly repurposed
regional sales director North EMEA Tom Evetts;
for consumption by audiences in different ways
Avid
Above: Avid’s roundtable; the top technology executives from leading European broadcasters
08 09 10 12 13 TVBE feb16 Roundtable_final.indd 8
Organised in association with TVBEurope and
Avid
TV Technology Europe
Peter Russell
London in The Shard.
25/01/2016 15:58
TVBEurope 9
February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
across different time scales. Thomson underlined the importance of metadata and the need for a system - like Media Central - which would allow metadata to be constantly enriched and to stay attached to content, no matter where or how it was used. This new ecosystem and the technologies underlying it allow for infinitely greater creativity and flexibility; and infinitely greater technological headaches in managing assets. Around the table there was universal agreement that the key issue today for broadcasters is negotiating the transition from the old linear business model, and everything it entails, from technology to workflow to mindset, to a fully IT-based business model. No one disputed that the industry was at – or already well past – a major turning point. The question now was: what are we doing about it?
What are we doing about it? How to simply and efficiently distribute assets across multiple platforms is one of the key 201602_200X135.pdf 1 2016-01-14 오후 2:45:41
challenges broadcasters face today.
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
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10 TVBEurope
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Moderator Jeremy Bancroft asked the group
learned that it costs money to get this service, so
how they had been dealing with multiscreen
that has been quite good. I think the important
publishing, whether it was treated as a separate
thing was to combine the social media and the
or an integral part of the business. The answers
other parts of the content, so you are attracted
revealed a lot about the state of the business
from different sources. I think its important to have
and where we are in the evolution to a
a good plan of delivery. Younger audiences are
multiplatform environment.
not looking at linear broadcasts as much, so there’s a lot of pressure on other platforms.”
“The primary problem’s technical,” said Discovery’s Ian Baker. “At the end of the day, a traditional broadcast chain is going to put out
Moving at the speed of IT
an SDI stream. But even if you could wave a
As linear production and distribution falls away,
magic wand and make your broadcast chain
the steady rhythm of innovation broadcasters
output a file, you’d still find your operation can’t
once counted on has been replaced by the
support it. The metadata can’t go through the
rate of change in the IT industry. Gone are
business, because the whole thing’s been set up with linear playout in mind. You realise you have another 25 fields of metadata, and there’s no way to get them through apart from a phone call and an Excel spreadsheet.” He added, eliciting laughs of recognition: “Excel spreadsheets are the SDI of metadata.” Most of the broadcasters had been steadily
“As TV moves into the IT world, start looking to hire IT people, not broadcast people.” Ian Baker, Discovery Communications
the days of a leisurely nine-month progression of design, procurement, and deployment. Continuous updating and iteration is essential for broadcasters looking at improving their infrastructure and for the vendors supplying them. And with that speed of deployment, broadcasters are demanding flexibility, with APIs that they can rapidly adapt to their own needs. Effectively wrangling the huge amounts of
moving their multiplatform teams closer to the
metadata required in file-based production has
centre of the business, and learning a lot in the process. Adapting to delivery on multiple
‘turn video into different formats and send it
presented its own challenge. Kjeld Skovlund
platforms has been a catalyst in forcing
anywhere’ team.”
of Denmark’s TV2 emphasised that his network
broadcasters to evolve.
It was admitted that though broadcasters
required thorough metadata from the moment
are not making any more money in non-linear
of content capture, something that can no
mother of invention in STV’s multi-platform
delivery than with linear delivery, that not doing
longer be provided effectively by human labour.
strategy. “We had limited budgets and things
so begins to damage the brand. Non-linear
were moving very quickly. We didn’t have
delivery can actually put an extra load on
Having good, solid, descriptive metadata four
the resources and manpower to do a lot of it
budgets when it is automatically included as
weeks down the line doesn’t matter to us. We
manually, so we wrote some software internally,
part of a broadcast agreement, but few
can’t use it. The amount of content coming
called Autocatch, which allowed us to capture
broadcasters would dare to withhold their
back to our facility is growing all the time and
linear streams and get them pretty slickly onto
multiscreen offerings.
it’s impossible to think we can manually add
Alistair Brown said that necessity was the
the digital platforms.”
Norway’s TV2 was an early adopter of
“We need the descriptive metadata now.
descriptive metadata to all that content. So we
digital platform distribution with a successful
need automatically generated metadata like
result of months of planning by multiple design
commercial model in place. Arne Berven was
speech recognition, face recognition, and
teams, but essentially the work of a single internal
part of the TV2 that developed it.
GPS locators, where you can see exactly
STV’s internally designed solution wasn’t the
talent, senior engineer John Nicholl. “He built a prototype over a May bank holiday in 2007. We
“Way back in 2002 we started to have a pay service for online content, so the customers
where the footage was recorded. Metadata is about the content lifecycle now, not just
were very lucky to have young digital developers working cheek by jowl with highly experienced broadcast engineers, helping each other – that may be quite rare.” Jose de Freitas of Ireland’s TV3 has relied on personnel over software: “I have five broadcast engineers. But I have ten people putting stuff online.” Digital teams, once seen as add-ons to the network’s infrastructure, are being integrated into the main production teams. Though the move to multiplatform delivery has been sometimes laborious, the struggle has paid dividends. “The skills we have developed with our VoD team have been gold dust,” said Discovery’s
Roundtable participants arrive at The Shard
Baker. “The ‘VoD’ team now really are the
08 09 10 12 13 TVBE feb16 Roundtable_final.indd 10
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12 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
“But I dare say we’re at the end of an era,” said Ian Baker. “Now, because of finances, there’s a shift in philosophy. Instead of saying ‘We’ll get that thing done with our three guys’, there’s a shift to getting something done, and getting it done consistently, with bigger partners.” “I ask ‘Should our guys be building it at all?” said ITV’s Peter Russell. “We’re always trying to find new solutions, but sometimes we need to ask the question: Should we be doing it at all?” Russell’s dream is to outsource the entire time-consuming, budget-eating process of developing solutions in-house: “It drives huge costs and you end up with a fairly static system that is difficult to refresh. The nirvana I’m looking for – one day – is: I don’t want to own any of this kit. I don’t want to do any of the integration. I don’t want any of the APIs to be my problem. I want to make one phone call, where I can hire a license for a workflow solution, for the duration, for 20 people, and the API is the vendor’s problem. There are some people doing some of that in certain industries. There’s AWS for example. But in the broadcast industry, we have so many diverse needs, we can end up with 15 siloed systems.” Deluxe’s Tim Bertioli said his company was trying to pursue exactly that model with its content management services business, offering a comprehensive software as a service model to media industry clients. “We’re trying to be the AWS for content owners.” “There’s definitely a market for that!” answered Russell. The move to an IT industry means a huge internal shift for broadcasters, right down to the composition of the workforce. IT technologists
about the archive.” Whether to negotiate these new technological demands with internally designed solutions or to look to outside vendors
“A few years ago, we said: ‘We’re no longer a broadcast business. We’re a digital media business.’ That reset was very good for us.” Alistair Brown, STV
is an eternal question for CTOs. the problem, and giving you a solution,” said
due to the constraints we have, it is important
Discovery’s Baker.
Some roundtable participants expressed
“One role that you’re just starting to see in media organisations is, for lack of a better term, ‘data scientist’: someone who’s really skilled at analytics,” said Avid’s Carl Perry. “You’re going to want to understand the data you’ve got coming from your consumers. Unless you have someone who is skilled with that data in coming you need to connect with new consumers, you’ll
“It’s not necessarily what we want to do, but
provide the solutions.”
high demand in the future.
up with the patterns that are there and the way
“It’s a question of size,” said TV3’s de Freitas.
that we have our people there who can
and information specialists are going to be in
“And once they’ve done that,” added Skovlund, “They will take another two months discussing internally how the internal functionality
be missing out.” “As TV moves into the IT world,” suggested Baker, “start looking to hire IT people, not broadcast people.” What was clear from the discussion was that
doubt about the ability of external vendors to
they have built for you might hurt sales of the
broadcasters are not afraid of the transition
handle briefs in the rapid manner demanded by
products they already have on the shelves.”
to the new world. But they are going into it
the new IT timeframes. “Just to understand what you do may take them two months, let along understanding
08 09 10 12 13 TVBE feb16 Roundtable_final.indd 11
Discovery has been following the path of most
with their eyes open. The challenges faced
broadcasters, developing internal solutions to
by content businesses are especially thorny
deal with its increasing digital demands.
in the global digital revolution. Customers are
25/01/2016 15:59
TVBEurope 13
February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
Avid’s Tom Evetts with Tim Bertioli, Deluxe
demanding not only the same content they’ve always enjoyed, but additional content on top of it, and delivered directly to them on whatever device happens to be available, and any interruption or break is seen as a failure of the service. The voice of content consumers is unanimous: “Don’t tell me your problems. Just give me what I want.” Broadcasters, often having to unravel legacies that go back decades, are doing a remarkable job. “The question of ‘is it linear transition or is it VoD?’, we need to forget that,” said Baker. “It’s just content delivered in different ways. You want to be a box that streams out ‘stuff’. And some stuff streams out in a linear time scale and other stuff goes out in a different way and other stuff stays there and people pull it. The whole thing is going to change.” STV’s Brown showed the way forward when he described how his company had made a decision to leave behind the old world. “A few years ago, we said: ‘We’re no longer a broadcast business. We’re a digital media business.’ That reset was very good for us.” n
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www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
Production
Giving Ireland a Voice Philip Stevens meets some key production personnel on RTÉ’s hit reality talent show
The popularity of the programme can be
The challenges
gauged by the level of applications that are
Apart from dealing with considerable numbers,
sent to the producers.
what does Cooney see as her biggest
“We receive, on average, 3,000 applications
challenge? “I’d say competing with our UK
and then we also run a separate wildcard entry
counterparts! The two shows follow the same
anuary saw the start of the fifth series of
with our radio partner and that receives an
format and broadcast within a day of each
talent spotting show The Voice of Ireland.
additional 500 or so,” reveals Cooney. “People
other in peak weekend primetime slots on
Produced by Screentime ShinAwil, the
apply online and upload music clips. This is the
channels that are common to almost every
J
programme is broadcast live at 1830 hours on Sunday evenings on RTÉ One, with the preliminary stages of the competition – the Blind Auditions and The Battles – having been recorded towards the end of last year. All the programmes are made at The Helix, a multipurpose venue located on the Dublin City University campus in the Irish capital. “I started working on the current series in August of 2015,” explains series producer,
household in Ireland. As a result, comparisons
“The Voice is like having a baby from a production point of view, it takes up nine months of the year with a three month break in between” Eugenia Cooney, series producer
Eugenia Cooney. “The Voice is like having
are inevitable.” But there is another challenge: money. “This is a big hurdle because the UK budget is so large and ours is so small, and that means we must cut our cloth accordingly and use our resources wisely. We have been very successful at this through the years, and this has been reflected in our year-on-year ratings growth. What we lack in budget we make up for in narrative, storytelling coupled with great singers is a winning
a baby from a production point of view, it
combination and something the Irish audiences
takes up nine months of the year with a three
first phase and we whittle those down to 600
month break in between, and then we start
whom we call to a pre-audition. Here they
all over again!”
find enjoyable, endearing and entertaining.”
perform in front of producers and the music
Directing operations
Cooney, who has worked on the previous
team. After that, we cut the numbers further and
Ian Hamilton is one of the directors engaged for
three series of The Voice, says that including the
take 200 to a second round of auditions. Then we
the programme. In particular, he is responsible for
preliminary rounds, there will be 17 shows in total.
select 110 to go forward to Blind Auditions.”
The Battles: the pre-recorded programmes where
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TVBEurope 17
February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
Production the voice coaches (renowned professional
The coaches for The Voice of Ireland (from l to r) Kian
singers) pit two of their own team members
Egan, Rachel Stevens, Bressie, Una Foden
against each other to sing the same song together in front of a studio audience. “I use nine cameras, including a jib, a wireless Steadicam, one handheld, and one locked-off W/A,” states Hamilton. “The remainder are mounted on OB peds: Quattros or Hawks.” The jib is in the balcony next to the band, and is the only camera fitted with a fixed Autocue. “I have two 'wing' cameras to cross shoot the duettists and a centre camera on a track which can move to a link position at the end of each number. The wireless Steadicam comes into its own on the music, of course, but I use it also for host links, with an assistant holding an Autocue monitor by the lens. I prefer not to mount the Autocue permanently on the Steadi for weight, balance and operational reasons.”
“Having all sections of the team engaging in a calm and well-drilled fashion keeps the beast of a show at the top of the ratings week in, week out” Larry Bass, ShinAwil Hamilton reveals that using a wireless Steadicam, a Sony P2 with Boxx Meridian RF link, allows
rightly has a lot of input into what the racks
for typing up.” The Battle shows involve
engineer is doing with the cameras.”
one rehearsal day, and two further rehearses on recording days. Prior to the rehearsal
The workflow
day Hamilton carries out a walk-through
So, how does Hamilton go about creating
with the lighting director and floor manager
the programmes for which he is responsible?
and, amongst other things, indicates the
“Together with the production team, I’ll talk
host link positions.
through the overall look of the show. Dropbox is
“Additionally, the four coaches are on
used to share and view graphics that go on the
the floor, with their respective charges, being
LED walls. With 28 different looks there's a limit
filmed by two PSC camera crews,” explains
to the interaction the director can have! Luckily
Hamilton. “But it's a very well-oiled and
Pete Canning, the lighting director, and Fiona
organised machine, thanks to the experienced
Cunningham the designer, are brilliant, live in
team at ShinAwil, so it's very rare that we have
Dublin and can liaise.”
to wait for the talent.”
He goes on, “I have ten days preparation to
He continues, “The recording days
many more complex and creative shots without
camera script 28 songs. We have a good system
comprise 14 songs, as well as links, so are
worrying about cabling. “The link is rock solid,
going: again, using Dropbox, the choreographer
still very full-on. We rehearse up until around
with very little delay, not noticeable in a moving
videos and posts an outside rehearsal of each
1800, then it's audience in and warm-up on.
shot during a song.”
duet. Then my script supervisor, Monica, will have
Songs are recorded individually with their
broken down the routine and sent it to me. I then
own links, performers walk-down through
camera script each duet and send it back to her
the audience, and then chat afterwards
All cameras tend to be filtered to reduce the hardness of the pictures. “Our lighting director
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18 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
Production with the host. This is followed by coverage of any interaction between the coaches.” He concludes, “It’s great to have a great deal of input into the look of the shows, something that directors do not always experience these days. The crews are incredibly helpful and enthusiastic, with a high level of experience creatively and musically. The end result is terrific.”
Observing the facilities The OB facilities for The Voice are provided by Dublin-based, Observe Outside Broadcasting. Its senior unit manager, Ken Binley, says his biggest challenge is maintaining the right technical balance between pictures and sound. “Visual and audio dynamics are at the forefront of what
“Our lighting director rightly has a lot of input into what the racks engineer is doing with the cameras,” says director Ian Hamilton
we are trying to achieve on this show and we ensure that the necessary attention is given to both these areas. While the show is called The
for the viewer.” Observe Outside Broadcasting
For that all-important audio quality, Observe
Voice and audio would stand out as the area
uses it HD3 scanner for the series. It is wired for 14
has opted for hand-held Sennheiser SK2000
that needs to be at its best, the look and colour
Sony 1500 or 2500 cameras with a SMPTE Fibre
series with a Neumann 204 Capsules for
dynamic is equally as important. We endeavour
and Triax infrastructure for each chain. Vision
the contestants, while the coaches wear
to have the production looking and sounding
mixing comes from a Sony MVS8000G Multi-
Countrymen H6 headset mics. Audio is mixed
technically as sharp and engaging as possible
Format 2.5 M/E Switcher.
using a 48-channel Calrec Artemis Light console.
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Production Steadicam plays an important part in the director’s armoury.
IT’S WHAT’S BEHIND THAT KEEPS US AHEAD
Collecting pre-recorded backstage material for The Voice; “Visual and audio dynamics are at the forefront of what we are trying to achieve on this show,” says Ken Binley, Observe Outside Broadcasting Binley continues, “The truck
gone on to land major presenting
provides three channels of Vizrt
roles in Ireland or UK. Their role is to
graphics, while for recording we
bridge the gap between the linear
utilise EVS XT3s, X-File, IP Director,
and non-linear broadcast worlds
capturing on to G-Raid drives.”
and to this end they appear both
He says, “The show is one of the
in their own YouTube videos, which
most challenging OB events we
offer more creative freedom, and
do on an annual basis with many
in live show broadcasts, which
technical elements needing to be
helps them grow professionally
brought together to ensure a high
as presenters.”
LEADING THE WAY IN DIGITAL KVM www.gdsys.de
Because G&D don’t just provide systems, we deliver solutions. KVM solutions that are tailor-made to meet your specific needs.
quality production. However, it is a challenge we relish.”
Team effort Larry Bass, CEO of ShinAwil says
Second screen
that the company’s ability to
Back in the producer’s office,
retain the programme for a fifth
Cooney talks about the positive
series would not have happened
second screen experiences
without the work of a small army
provided on the programme.
of dedicated professionals. “We
“Our primary focus over the
Our broad portfolio allows us to combine products and systems to cover any application. Our expertise in all areas ensures your G&D solution is right for you in every way – from design to planning, from installation to technical support.
are very lucky to have some of
first four seasons of The Voice of
the very best in Ireland and the UK
Ireland has been on the provision
working on this series. Having all
of content for third party platforms,
sections of the team engaging in a
namely YouTube, Facebook and
calm and well-drilled fashion keeps
Twitter. Strategically, we know we
the beast of a show at the top of
need to speak to our audience
the ratings week in, week out.”He
on platforms they already inhabit
concludes, “Our team is led by
and these three not only have
Eugenia Cooney and Ailbhe Maher
huge penetration in the Irish
as series producers, and head of
market, but also complement
production Sheila Meaney, along
each other exceptionally well. For
with hair, make-up, wardrobe,
example Facebook is our busiest
catering, transport, lighting, sound,
platform in the build-up to each
staging, design, outside broadcast
broadcast, while Twitter dominates
crew, post production, and the
during transmission.
great talent, who get to perform on
“One of the most positive
Versatility also plays its part in keeping us in front. For instance, we offer systems for a wide range of different video standards – digital or analog – with bandwidths up to 4K (incl. Full HD, 2K and Ultra HD). G&D AT ISE STAND 10-K153 AND BVE STAND G09
The power to deliver the perfect KVM solution. That’s G&D.
the stage of a well-oiled machine
aspects of our digital channels has
that has evolved over 16 years of
been the ability to use the platform
producing large scale shiny floor
as a talent development tool. Over
shows. The Voice of Ireland is the
four seasons we have had three
single biggest commission by RTE
separate presenters dedicated to
and covers 17 weeks of primetime
The Voice Digital and each has
TV. it is very much a team effort.” n
G&D behind&above 111x314ISE+BVE.indd 1
16 17 18 19 TVBE Feb16_final.indd 57
G&D’s KVM systems have a proven reputation for long lasting usability and reliability. But that’s not all that keeps us ahead.
18/01/2016 16:09
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20 TVBEurope
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Production
Virtually real Philip Stevens finds out from a leading designer what makes a virtual set believable
I
t’s said that the camera never lies. But when it comes to creating virtual studios, what the eye sees is not necessarily in front of
the ever-truthful lens. Green screen studios, both big and small, abound throughout the industry. And over the years, the quality of the virtual space has
team for a dot-com company specialising in
to work on the mid shots and singles. So we
3D furniture. In 2001 I set up Lightwell, providing
have to design on two levels. It’s got to work
design, illustration and animation services to the
on the big, grand gesture, which sells the show,
design industry. I was approached in 2004 by
but 90 per cent of the time the design has to accommodate singles.”
“As production technology continues to advance, designers must harness its power for more creative composition, lighting and detail” Jim Mann, Lightwell
improved in leaps and bounds. But what does
He continues, “We can also use defocused backgrounds to give the impression of depth of field. And that is easy to do in virtual environments where we can add blur to maps and other backgrounds.” There is, however, one key consideration. “You have to remember to make certain the design works where there is hard geometry –
it take to create the image that is both achievable and believable?
Creating depth is one key to a successful set design
especially corners of any on-set furniture. So BBC News to prepare new studio backdrops
here’s a challenge for the creators of electronic
for the main BBC One news bulletins. From this
wizardry: develop an effective plug-in that will
founder of Lightwell. “We are always trying to
point onward, I began to specialise in providing
defocus on the fly. When that happens, we can
create a sense of space and depth - because
design services to television.” Since then,
have backgrounds that defocus as the cameras
that is the fundamental quality needed in most
Mann has provided virtual sets for clients such
move. Until then, there will be limitations.”
TV production. We are always trying to extend
as ITV News, Sky Sports News, Bloomberg, TV4
that environment and that is true for all clients.
Nyheterna Sweden, and The F1 Show.
“It’s all about depth,” explains Jim Mann,
Even in studios where there is lots of space, we
Added dimensions Another fundamental consideration is
try to push it to two or three times beyond the
Complying with regs
parallax, where even the tiniest amount will
envelope. But in small spaces, that is even more
Mann’s architect training forms a vital part of
sell the idea of a background being three
important: and the illusion can help overcome
his design thinking. “I always create my virtual
dimensional. “Viewers respond to that on an
limited dimensions.”
sets according to building regulations. So, for
almost subconscious level. It’s not about
example, any stairs included in the virtual set
tricking people, it provides a credible
would be passed by the building inspector!”
environment for that show to be broadcast.
Mann graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in Architecture from Manchester Polytechnic, and then spent two years working for architects in
Referring back to his earlier point regarding
And we do whatever we can to create
Hong Kong. After completing his architectural
depth, Mann emphasises the fact that viewers
as good a quality as possible. That means
studies at UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture,
respond to the wide shot in all productions.
the production people can focus on the
he worked at practices in Berlin and London.
“Of course, that is where you really register the
presenter, which is what it is all about.
“I then worked for a year at the helm of the 3D
bigness. But the virtual backgrounds also need
Parallax provides just a little more believability.”
20 22 TVBE Feb16 Production_final.indd 20
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The 21st International Digital Multimedia & Entertainment Technology Exhibition & Conference
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31 May - 3 June 2016
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22/01/2016 13:47 13/1/16 11:59 am
22 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
Production
One of Jim Mann’s sets being used in conjunction with a NewTek TriCaster by MUTV
And that is even more important when the studio
creative composition, lighting and detail. It is
set up includes cameras mounted on tracks. As
always a joy to work with great lighting directors
those cameras travel it is critical to create the
because they can bring so much more into
right interrelationship with space, and
the equation to make the virtual sets come
such moves have to be considered during
to life even more.”
the virtual set design stage.
However, Mann is keen to point out that
“That means, of course, you soon realise
Lightwell is not just about virtual sets. “Alongside
that you have to understand something of
the professional architects’ background, we also
TV production. For example, when the director
have interior design experience. And that means
cuts to a mid shot you have to ensure there’s
we do deal in ‘real’ sets, too - designing bespoke
not a beam jutting out of someone’s head or
furniture for news desks and tables, and internally
a handrail coming out of someone’s eye. For me, the TV vocabulary came rapidly by way of experience!”
Work with technology Not just the jargon of production, but also the way specific vision mixing panels work. “We
lit furniture with controllable lighting that
“Like all other elements of a programme – the direction, the lighting, camerawork – the most appropriate set design will enhance the overall look” Jim Mann
design and prepare pre-rendered virtual sets
complements the lighting solutions. In addition, we produce digital backdrops from still artwork for lightboxes and wall surfaces to animated scenes for large format LED screens.” “But,” he concludes, “at the end of the day an impressive set design is what is important. And whether that set is real or
for systems such as Newtek Tricaster, Vizrt,
virtual the right design can help improve the
tOG-VR and the Ross Virtual Solution. And, of
embracing many different kinds of technology:
presentation of a programme. Like all other
course, this includes designing multiple scenes
from 3D, rendering and compositing software to
elements of a programme, the direction,
within a single studio.”
cameras, lighting and LED or plasma screens. “As
the lighting, camerawork, the most appropriate
production technology continues to advance,
set design will enhance the overall look.
designers must harness its power for more
And that is our goal.” n
Beyond that, Mann says that it is important that the virtual set designer is capable of
20 22 TVBE Feb16 Production_final.indd 22
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www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope Supplements
February 2016
In association with
23 TVBE Feb16 Supplement FC_final.indd 1
25/01/2016 15:49
ii TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
Supplement
in association with
The move to smaller, cost effective and versatile production methods most trending celebrities nowadays are solely
or maybe for a YouTube vlogger. Solutions are
known for their activity on those channels.
what most people are looking for. At the lower
Combining these two trends, it looks like there
end of the market, people tend not to have
is a huge opportunity for traditional broadcast
that much knowledge of the techniques
vendors to investigate how they can contribute
used, yet they know perfectly what they want
f we look at our industry, we see that there’s
to the creation of smaller, cost effective and
to achieve. As mentioned, some YouTube
a lot going on. Traditional signal processing
versatile production equipment.
vloggers have millions of daily viewers: this is a
Valentijn Diemel, marketing manager EMEA for Datavideo
I
moving towards IP, and lots of professionals
market that we should not forget!
choosing to use smaller technology or even
Solutions
software-based solutions. These days, computers
We, as a producer of AV and broadcast
Ease of use
seem to be powerful enough to process high-
equipment, see a very important shift in retail.
Many video producers nowadays aren’t skilled
bandwidth signals, with respectable outcomes.
Pretty much all customers are exploring their
professionals with years of experience. Rather,
Next to downsizing equipment, we see another
possibilities online before they decide to buy.
it’s the other way around: many people have
trend: ‘everyone is a publisher’. It’s so easy to
This is why we are starting to deliver complete
no video production experience at all. That’s
publish content since social media is so highly
solutions. These solutions are made to fit most
why the industry should invest in technology that
valued by viewers all over the world, that the
situations, whether in a church, school, university
is easy to use and easy to maintain. The best
24 25 26 28 29 TVBE Feb16 Supplement_final.indd 24
25/01/2016 16:09
TVBEurope iii
February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
Supplement
in association with
aim to make our equipment very flexible, just
The next revolution in digital learning is a
how the customer wants it!
‘flipped classroom’.
Virtual production
an autonomous learning environment. It enables
Virtual production is something that can be done
students directed by the teacher to understand
in a reasonably small environment. Most of the
the core of a particular problem and allows
entry level virtual studio solutions need a space
students to find or verify the answers in an
that’s roughly the size of somebody’s attic. There
interactive way. A flipped classroom changes
are a lot of advantages to producing virtually.
the traditional one-way teaching method,
For instance, you don’t need to invest in or rent
allowing the students to arrange their own
a large physical studio: some green floor panels
schedule according to their speed and pace of
The main objective of a flipped classroom is
and some green backdrop curtains are all you need. Lighting is very important when producing virtually, but thankfully there are many LED kits available nowadays that are lightweight, low cost and are very energy efficient. Most entry level virtual studio solutions run on
‘The best equipment should be easy to learn, easy to master, but with lots of flexibility’
PC technology. This means that recording the material can be done directly on one of the built-in hard drives, or directly to removable USB media. This are convenient options for a lot of
learning. The teacher’s responsibility is to guide
users. Since PC technology is connected to the
the students and to solve the problems that they
internet by default, encoding the output for use
may encounter while learning on their own.
on CDNs like Youtube is a breeze. This also
However, the crucial difference between
adds value for these entry level users, who don’t
the flipped classroom and the traditional
want to go through all the hassle that comes
teaching method is the use of video tutorials
with an external streaming encoder, they just
and the online platforms in the flipped classroom.
want to produce content.
Although lecture notes allow students to review the learning materials at home, video
Education
tutorials provide the teacher with a digital
A field that is largely forgotten by the industry
way to encourage students to become more
equipment should be easy to learn, easy
is education. If we look at the current state
involved in autonomous learning. Creating
to master, but with lots of flexibility.
of technology in a typical classroom, we’re
a video tutorial can be achieved with very
shocked. Smartboards, short throw projectors,
rudimentary equipment like a webcam, but
Flexibility
kids learning on tablets, distance learning:
also with PTZ cameras, a switcher and an
If you want to succeed at the lower end of the
it’s all there, and it’s all using AV technology.
encoder for live coverage. n
market, you should manufacture your equipment to be as flexible as possible. For instance, we have engineered a switcher (Datavideo SE1200) that has six input channels, and six output channels, and can also work as a video router. Next to that, there are two chromakeyers built in. With the use of still pictures, the switcher can also function as a rudimentary virtual studio, and when using just one camera angle, a couple of clip players and a PIP on the output, this switcher should suit a user’s needs. By default this switcher is built to be controlled by a PC, but there is also the option of a proprietary control panel. That combination makes it a standalone vision mixer for live production. Controlling it by PC means going through a LAN connection, so you can use it as a remote switcher as well. Using VPN you can even control it through the cloud, with a very low latency multiviewer. We are developing an app that can control four PTZ cameras, a recorder and the SE-1200 switcher. We always
24 25 26 28 29 TVBE Feb16 Supplement_final.indd 25
Datavideo engineers, designs, and manufactures a range of technologies for use in broadcast, AV, live event and production environments
25/01/2016 16:09
iv TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
Supplement
in association with
Datavideo: Technical profile Datavideo celebrates its 30th birthday this year. TVBEurope takes a closer look at the Taiwan-based tech company
D
atavideo engineers, designs, and manufactures a range of technologies for use in broadcast, AV, live event and
production environments. Founded in 1985 and based in Taipei, Datavideo has spread globally, with subsidiaries in America, England, Canada, Netherlands, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, France, and China. With regional offices in North America, Europe, the Indian sub-continent and South East Asia, and a global network
racks are fitted for use in the back of a van, with
recording facilities with the choice of recording
of distributors, Datavideo delivers support to
special rails to mount them to the floor or the
on the hard drive, or removable USB media.
resellers, end users and integrators.
car. The rack solutions can be completely
Next to recording it’s also possible to stream a
configured through a web portal on the the
broadcast directly from the system using the built
company’s website, or by contacting a local
in H.264 RTMP encoder.
The company aims to produce innovative, easy to use and cost effective equipment.
distributor. These rack solutions can hold the
The Datavideo TVS series virtual studio is
Production switchers
full CCU solution, which consists of MCU
available as a one HDMI input version (TVS-1000)
The first Datavideo video switcher dates back to
camera controls, tally/talkback interface
and a two input 3G-SDI version (TVS-1200). Also
1994. The technology behind this small switcher
and video lookback, all through a single
available is an AUX input board for ingesting
was rudimental, but powerful. It featured
cable that can run up to 100m.
an extra HDMI channel.
audio mixer. The SE-200 was a huge leap forward
Virtual studios
converters, extenders and distributors, from
with a built-in title interface, used for live events
The company has developed a line of
HDMI to SDI (and vice versa) converters, to
or recordings. These switchers were used by both
virtual studio systems that can be used in the
flexible up/down/cross converters for
consumers and professionals.
educational and small broadcasting fields,
multiple standards.
different wipe patterns, wipe colours and a basic
The current line-up of production switchers
The company offers compact signal
as well as in webcasting, and by enterprise
Rack mounting kits for these compact
includes switchers with four input channels
companies and other small production facilities.
converters are also available, as well as battery
used in small productions, as well as larger
This line of virtual studios are designed to be
packs, tripod mounts and other accessories.
16 input HD switchers that can be used in
easy to operate, meaning pretty much anybody
Extending composite video, HD-SDI and
master control setups.
with a slight knowledge of video production
3G-SDI can be done up to 1000m with the
can operate the system, the company claims.
VP series active extenders, whereas splitting
Mobile studio systems
The chromakey, for instance, is made in seconds
and distributing 3G-SDI can be done with
Datavideo specialises in creating mobile studio
using the colour picker and the fine adjustment.
distribution amplifiers. n
systems, all of which are based around the
This virtual studio line is based around 2D
switcher range. They are mounted in an impact
trackless technology. This means that the
resistant case with built-in screen, with features
background is 2D and the camera feed is
like talkback and tally interfaces. These mobile
projected on the background. A studio can be
studios weigh around 9kg.
easily creatibng by arranging JPG images in the
The larger studios have a pull-out screen
special editor, which is built into the system, but
and can also be equipped with chromakeyers,
also available as standalone app for Windows
recorders, audio delay interfaces and streaming
PC. To simulate camera movement, there are
encoders. These portable studios are mounted in
three virtual zoom phases built in.
a shockproof flight case. The company also carries full OB van kits, which exist of one, two or three 27RU racks. These
24 25 26 28 29 TVBE Feb16 Supplement_final.indd 26
Datavideo’s stand at IBC2015 at the Amsterdam RAI
The TVS series virtual studios all have two builtin clip players which support the majority of video codecs and containers. The system has built-in
25/01/2016 16:09
Remote controlled production switcher The Datavideo SE-1200MU HD video switcher enables you to switch seamlessly between video sources and blend high-quality digital content on the fly. SE-1200MU is a small, portable computer controlled 1RU rack mountable switcher. It features 6 HD-SDI or HDMI inputs and 4 assignable outputs.
SE-1200 6 channel HD remote controlled switcher 4 SDI and 2 HDMI inputs Fully IP controlled with laptop GUI
USD$ 1500,Prices excl. VAT and local import duties
RMC-260 Remote control panel for SE-1200
USD$ 500,Prices excl. VAT and local import duties
SE-1200MU streams out multi-view screen video in real-time to a control PC for monitoring and remote control. It is designed to be fully distance controlled from any Windows computer. Visit our booth: hall 8 booth H368!
Datavideo Technologies Europe B.V. new tvbe template remade.indd 1
info@datavideo.nl www.datavideo.com
22/01/2016 13:51
vi TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
Supplement
in association with
Datavideo EMEA office in Utrecht, the Netherlands
AV solutions are booming, and we’re part of it Valentijn Diemel, marketing manager EMEA for Datavideo, shares his reflections on 2015, and discusses the challenges and growth opportunities for company in the year ahead
things like HDR, IP transmission and studio floor cabling, our heads start spinning. With pretty much any new production technique, the clients
As we breach into a New Year, with all of the optimism and projections that come with it, what are your thoughts on 2015 in terms of technological development? Was it a progressive year for the industry on that level?
We take a lot of feedback from our distributors and end-clients at tradeshows and we use that to improve the user experience of our products
need to invest. It is slim pickings, so we need to refocus all the time. On the other hand we are seeing a very rigorous shift in customer demands regarding AV equipment. Customers want faster, more flexible,
The industry is developing at a maddening
powerful and easy to use
pace. If we look at new standards, resolutions,
equipment.
24 25 26 28 29 TVBE Feb16 Supplement_final.indd 28
25/01/2016 16:09
TVBEurope vii
February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
Supplement
in association with
We’re working together with our distributors to
DAC-70 up/down/ cross converter
make sure that people buying our stuff get the most out of it. That means investing in travelling around the region to train our customers, but you know the saying; better to have a happy customer than somebody that doesn’t understand what he’s bought.
What developments have you got in store for 2016 (for BVE and beyond), and what sort of issues are they designed to solve? We’re working on a cost-effective way to create your own CDN. We often see our customers
What are the specific challenges you as a company are facing in the current climate, with such significant change flowing through the media and entertainment sector? Tackling the 4K demand. For us, 4K is still a very expensive technology to work on since bandwidths are very high, and our current R&D infrastructure is not designed for 4K yet. Improving our R&D legacy is now our main
struggle with expensive solutions and large server arrays. Nowadays that can be managed a lot more easily with the help of cloud-based server solutions like Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure
‘For us, 4K is still a very expensive technology to work on since bandwidths are very high, and our current R&D infrastructure is not designed for 4K’
focus, after that we can start working on more 4K products. Another challenge is making the right decision on all the different technologies that are
and DigitalOcean. The idea is that you pay a
being developed. We’re sure to jump on
certain fee, and you will receive a portion of their
the already rolling IP train, but what about
computing power as a virtual machine. You can
other technology like HDR?
install our proprietary ingestion and managing
And we’re always finding ways to make our
software (DVS-100) on that, and connect one of
products even more user friendly. We take a lot
our encoders with any number of our decoders
of feedback from our distributors and end-clients
through the cloud. The amount of decoders
at tradeshows and we use that to improve the
depends on the capacity your contract supplies,
user experience of our products. This can be
of course. This solution makes CDN constructions
simple, like the colour of some buttons (thank
easy and within reach for a larger group of our
science for RGB LEDs!) but sometimes it’s leading
customers, and delivers them services like VoD
to the development of a complete new product.
and pay-per-view. Next to this solution we’re working on a 4K machine called the KMU-100.
Where do you see Datavideo’s growth coming from in the short to medium term?
This box will ingest a 12G stream, and can
We’re starting the development of some
of four virtual cameras that are being
4K products. Think converters and other peripherals. This will roll out in the next year. Next to that we’re growing in the educational
output a maximum of four 1080P signals. With one total shot in 4K you can create a maximum composed out of the cropped 4K image. Very convenient now that 4K cameras are affordable for the majority of clients.
field. We’re becoming one of the top players in the educational market in China, and that’s converting to the EMEA region as well. We see lots of schools and universities working on digital class materials, so a cost-effective, flexible and easy to
Yes, especially because of our progression in
manage solution is what they are
other markets besides broadcasting. All the
looking for. Datavideo delivers that,
fields that incorporate AV solutions are
and even more.
24 25 26 28 29 TVBE Feb16 Supplement_final.indd 29
Do you think 2016 will be a progressive year both for you as a company, and for the wider industry?
booming, and we’re part of it! n
25/01/2016 16:09
Portable solutions from Datavideo Datavideo produces a full line of equipment that is meant to be used on the road. Mobile video studios are available in various different configurations and standards. The Datavideo HS series HD mobile video switchers are available from 6 to 12 channels. The Datavideo HS-2200 is a 6 channel HD mobile studio, that is designed to be used in the field. Don’t let size fool you, this compact machine offers you a full 17,3” multiviewer, an 8 channel tally/talkback and a special HDMI interface to work with Datavideo CG suites, directly from your laptop. The Datavideo HRS-30 is the latest generation of mobile field recorders. This recorder features SSD support, MXF and MOV recording in various bitrates and a crisp and clear 10,1” director monitor. On the backside you will find a battery mount, so producing in the field gets even more convenient. The combination of the HS-2200, the HRS-30 and a laptop for CG purposes gives you a full mobile workflow that will fit every car trunk.
HS-2200 - 6 channel HD-SDI switcher - Built in HDMI interface for CG suites - 8 channel tally/talkback
USD$ 7000,-* HRS-30 - SSD compatible recorder - MXF/MOV recording - 10,1” director monitor
USD$ 2500,-*
Visit our booth: hall 8 booth H368! Datavideo Technologies Europe B.V. *Prices excl. VAT and local import duties
new tvbe template remade.indd 1
info@datavideo.nl www.datavideo.com
22/01/2016 13:52
TVBEurope 31
February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
Production
Meeting production demands The system integrators’ view
SIs need to keep in mind the needs and demands of their customers for efficiency and streamlined workflows
Phillip Stevens talks to three SIs about how they meet the requirements of production personnel in galleries and OB vans
set up times and reduces training costs.” He
Broadcast Solutions’ cloud-based playout system
says that the advent of remote production
Serenity is one approach to meeting the needs
opportunities, faster workflows and fragmented
of next generation broadcasting. “Buzzwords
working environments, call for inventive and more
like ‘bring your own device’ lead to another
flexible solutions. The technology provided by
topic that implicates more than just worries for
ystems Integrators offer a vital link between
Broadcast Solutions enables customers to prepare
system security. With our skills in mobile GUI and
manufacturer and end user. As such, SIs
their productions offline, to save and load their
app design, we also offer sophisticated means
must keep their collective fingers on the
set ups, thus optimising workflows and ensuring
for teams to work with their common devices
savings and repeatability. “Another example of
while not having to bother about security or
how to achieve this is the networked integration
compatibility. In short, our focus is to enable
S
pulse of changing production demands. “In the ever changing and demanding reality of live and studio production, fast approaches, clever workflows and rapid set up times are key to success in the long run,” emphasises Rainer Kampe, CTO of Broadcast Solutions. “As an independent system integrator we always keep in mind the needs and demands of our customers for efficiency and streamlined workflows.” Kampe reveals that one approach in achieving this is Broadcast Solutions’ Streamline
the teams on-site to do their job with ease and
“Fast approaches, clever workflows and rapid set up times are key to success in the long run” Rainer Kampe, Broadcast Solutions
concept of pre-engineered OB vans, which
confidence in the technology provided.”
Flexibility is key According to Kalvis Baumanis, managing director of Hannu Pro, based in Latvia, viewer expectations for compelling and engaging productions are on the rise and, as a result, workflows are becoming more complex. “Broadcasters rely on system integrators to
can be delivered in a very short time and with
leverage tools that can help them tell better
significant cost savings. “We offer the Streamline
of audio-video stage boxes into the internal
stories with the flexibility and creativity that keeps
OB Vans in five different versions, from four
routing and processing cores of OB vans.”
viewers watching across multiple platforms. As
to 16 cameras. Due to the similar set up of
Of course, cloud-based technologies
each version, initial training is reduced to
and other techniques formerly used only in
with broadcasters to create live production
the minimum. For production companies or
IT environments are increasingly common in
solutions designed for today’s HD world and the
broadcast technology providers, this decreases
the broadcast business. Kampe explains that
emerging 4K experience, with the ability to
31 32 TVBE Feb16 System Integrators Feature_final.indd 31
a result, Hannu Pro has been working intensively
25/01/2016 16:11
32 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
Production
From VSC Design’s perspective, the creative side plays an increasingly important part in the decision making process
bridge the well-known SDI world with the IP one
true, real-time IP processing platform. GV Node
and get benefits of a hybrid combination.
brings vertically accurate switching to IP for live
to Shrank, space and ergonomics are always
production, along with the agility that IP promises
a challenge, and while many of the large
for workflows of the future. “
control surfaces have gone, there is now a
He says clients need products that come with all the familiar broadcast workflows and controls in order for production staff to
to deliver complete media products.” According
requirement for access to many more user
concentrate on creative tasks, instead of
Emphasis on creativity
interfaces easily and comfortably. A KVM system
technical details. “Solutions are designed with
From VSC Design’s perspective, the creative
is ideal for this, but there is always a concern
creative configurations that keep systems
side plays an increasingly important part in the
over resolution for moving images.
nimble, performance high and costs low. Key to a successful operation is interoperability, the ability to seamlessly integrate and reconfigure equipment as needed, without extra engineering to ensure compatibility, flexibility and expandability.” Baumanis believes that today’s IP solutions enable customers to harness power from the internet to make their workflows flexible while
“We have deployed systems based both on
“Solutions are designed with creative configurations that keep systems nimble, performance high and costs low” Kalvis Baumanis Hannu, Hannu Pro
using SDN (software-defined network) and COTS
He cites the example of Grass Valley IP solution
bespoke fibre links, and usually it turns out the issues are not with video quality at all, but more with reliability of the hardware devices over time.” He believes that virtualisation of IT is relatively new and there is still a requirement for plenty of rack space with a physical server or workstation per task. Cloud based working may suit some clients but not others, either because of security
(commercial off-the-shelf) IT equipment in a familiar, broadcast-centric control environment.
IP and alternatively switching point to point over
concerns or perhaps the location may not be decision making process. “While the technical
appropriate to high bandwidth and reliable
aspects are key to any delivery, the workflow is
uptime working.
for remote live productions using an LDX 86 Series
now driving technology rather than technology
“Once the pixel bashing power is more
camera in a process called ‘cloud production’,
describing only certain possible methods,” states
accepted as being virtualised, we may see
where the newest XCU HD/4K XF IP base station
Alex Shrank, the company’s systems architect.
some leveraging of both technology and
can be connected to a standard IP network.
“In the multi-screen environment, it is important
applications specific to the industry that were
“There is also a simplified way of moving to
to check all variants of any output ranging from
not predicted by the IT world that brought us
4K with 4K one-wire technology based on TICO
UHD to low bit rate mobile versions. In addition
virtualisation. In the future, we look forward to
4:1 visually lossless compression. This solution
to the traditional ‘full screen’ version, many
having the ability to condense space and
provides IP connectivity for switchers processing
productions will have an associated website to
power, and divorce applications from specific
a 4K/UHD source from base station, all via a
capture and enhance the user experience. Edit
hardware requirements, especially with regards
single, lightweight cable.” He adds, “Grass
suites are now more cross platform environments,
to off loading to only certain vendor certified
Valley also offers GV Node, the world’s first
blending timeline editing with creative spheres
graphic card GPUs.” n
31 32 TVBE Feb16 System Integrators Feature_final.indd 32
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TVBEurope 33
February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
Production
Inputting English language commentaries A
Philip Stevens reports on Input Media’s Production Centre, which houses HD broadcast facilities
Members Of:
Alongside live event coverage and host broadcasting, Input Media’s Production Centre in west London provides fast
turnaround highlights programming, full post production and editing facilities, streaming and digital VoD asset production, playout and fibre turnaround, satellite down-linking, full graphic design and branding. As part of an upgrade project, Input Media has recently refurbished its voiceover facilities. “These suites are being used to create live sports commentaries for broadcast both in the UK and overseas,” explains systems integrator ATG Danmon UK’s projects manager Dave Whitaker. “A central objective was to allow easy operation of all suites by minimal crew.” Nick Symes, Input Media’s director of technology adds, “It was time to refresh the facilities. We use the voiceover booths for European football, tennis, and boxing to provide off tube commentary for both international and domestic distribution of sports programming.” Whitaker explains that a total of eight suites were upgraded. “Each incorporates an Ikegami full high definition monitor display with a 3G/HDSDI and HDMI interface plus a voice processor to provide functions such as de-essing, parametric equalisation, dynamics processing, peak limiting and programme loudness management.”
NLE, 3D/2D, Grading, Audio, CGI, VFX. Instantly. One desk. Set your suites free.
According to Symes, the ‘clever’ parts are the Jünger processors and the Axon Cerebrum PC-based multi-device control and monitoring system. “Previously, we were operating a facility with more traditional kit. With the upgrade we have employed a Jünger VAP processor, and everything is routed across our core flexible solution and allows us to turn around the facility very quickly.” He adds that the processors provide a loudness compliant audio output and all units can be controlled by a single operator. When the commentator arrives in his or her booth, the equipment checks and routing will already have been completed by the sound engineer. “A voice level check will be carried out
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infrastructure as MADI. That makes it a really
and then everything is ready to go.” n TVBEurope_JRpage_suitesfree_150116.indd 1
33 TVBE Feb16 InputMedia_final.indd 55
15/01/2016 22:54:45
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Feature
© 2012 Londres - Comité International Olympique (CIO)
Olympics on the starting blocks More digital, more hours, more feeds: more of everything except 4K. Adrian Pennington looks at the plans for the global TV event of 2016
T
he planning for the host broadcast operations from Rio 2016 started soon after the city was elected as the host city
in 2009. At that time 4K/UHD was a rumour but as 4K equipment has arrived and channels have launched it is still a surprise that OBS (Olympic
In fact, OBS has inked a deal with NHK to take
“8K is a different story. There has been more
the Super Hi-Vision 8K feeds the Japanese
time to develop it [the production equipment
broadcaster is producing at Rio ahead of 8K
and workflow] properly.”
domestic transmissions timed for the Tokyo
HD-SDI 1080i/59.94 SMPTE 292 and surround
an offer to rights holders “to experiment with”.
5.1. In all other parts of OBS’ preparation
“Even if standards were resolved tomorrow, for OBS to change the delivery mechanism to 4K would be impossible” Sotiris Salamourist, OBS
Broadcast Service) has no plans to shoot any of
for the summer games, there will be significantly enhanced output. Overall coverage will total 6,000 hours, 3,000 hours of which is deemed “significant” by the CTO including 306 live finals across 28 disciplines. The number of feeds will increase from the 94 of London 2012 to 104. This caters for the inclusion of new sports such as rugby and golf.
the games in the format. “The reality is that 4K is quite complicated
So the entire coverage format remains
Olympics 2020, and down convert them to 4K as
OBS’ aim is to provide value for money for its This won’t be live, as the 4K feeds will be made
rights holders and to disseminate the Olympic
and in the case of a host like us, where we are
available a day after the event, but it gives OBS a
brand as widely as possible, in order to secure
dealing with partners from all over the world, we
workaround solution to the 4K conundrum.
future revenue generation. NBCU, for example,
need to find a common denominator
Like NHK and the BBC, OBS is cooler on the
paid the IOC $4.38 billion to air Games from
[HD],” explains Sotiris Salamourist, OBS, CTO.
prospect of 4K and seems to believe that 8K
2014-2020 and another $7.75 billion for the next
“Even if standards were resolved tomorrow, for
imagery with the 22.2 audio is the real game
decade of Games from 2022.
OBS to change the delivery mechanism to 4K
changer for future sports production.
would be impossible. Most broadcasters do
“4K is not there today as a standard feed
not have the technical facility to support
and we have some doubts about whether it will
even simple downconversion.”
happen in the next few years,” says Salamourist.
34 35 36 TVBE Feb16 Rio olympics_final.indd 54
To that end, it is creating a number of packages it will sell to broadcast licence holders. Introduced for the first time in Rio is a Multi Clip Feeds (MCF) which is a collection of additional
25/01/2016 16:16
Feature
© 2012 Londres - Comité International Olympique (CIO)
© 2012 Londres - Comité International Olympique (CIO)
s
TVBEurope 35
February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
live feeds from venues mostly built around SSM
of clips that will be replaced and updated
In London that figure rose to 14; in Sochi it was 31
(Super Slow Motion) and HSSM (High Super Slow
throughout the day. The playlist includes video
and a whopping 52 are already signed up for Rio
Motion) cameras. The MCF will deliver up to ten
IDs of all material within the running order
making it “the dominant way rights holders want
concurrent feeds from 18 sports providing extra
to make search easier.
to receive Olympics content.”
coverage of sports like handball and cycling.
The Multichannel Distribution System (MDS)
The Olympic News Channel (ONC) which
offers broadcasters a choice of 12 channels, six
multi-screen games where OBS will provide
launched in Beijing 2008 has seen its output
of which are fully programmable. Alongside live
broadcasters with additional material:
increased significantly in the intervening period.
feeds the MDS includes the MCF, the OBC, a data
real-time statistic feeds, different angles, super
From Rio, programming ranges from athlete
feed and a feed of media conferences. “This is
slo-mo sets, which can be packaged as a
profiles, to feature length background material
a turnkey solution for rights holders to fully
second screen experience.
and mix zone interviews to behind the scenes
produce their entire coverage of the Games
clips. The OBS team will also attempt to film
while significantly reducing staffing and on-
digital coverage worldwide (60,000 hours on
interviews with each of the 953 medalists.
site costs and significantly increases choice to
230 dedicated digital channels, including 155
audiences,” says Salamourist. The MDS debuted
websites and 75 apps) exceeded that of linear
in Beijing and was picked up by 11 broadcasters.
broadcasts (48,000 on 464 channels), aided
All 350 hours of content will be made available around-the-clock to rights holders as a playlist
34 35 36 TVBE Feb16 Rio olympics_final.indd 55
The IOC are billing Rio as the first real
Sochi marked the first time the amount of
25/01/2016 16:16
36 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
Feature according to OBS by the introduction of digital
Olympic Park in a 85,400sqm space that houses
for future Games, for Rio it will be organising a
delivery platform Olympic Video Player (OVP).
technical and admin facilities for both OBS and
somewhat traditional outside broadcast.
Digital exploded for the youth games held in
the rights holders, including edit suites, control
Nanjing 2014 when 200 broadcasters chose the
rooms, studios and offices.
ability to stream coverage online. This innovation
Unlike the FIFA World Cup production from
is credited with extending the reach of the
Brazil, which sited static Technical Operations
Games further into Africa and Asia.
Centres at each of the country-wide venues to
“Sochi showed that the consumption of an
cut down travel cost and time, OBS has booked
Olympic games on mobile and tablet is now as intense as that of traditional TV,” says Salamourist. “Digital is no longer marginal.” Key to the OVP and the ability for broadcasters to offer web content, second screen and VoD services, is data, another aspect which is being ramped up. The Broadcast Data Feed (another
It will take over space in the IBC for gallery, post, engineering, graphics (provided by Deltatre) and radio with presentation from a studio on Copacabana beach. “We’re generally taking OBS’ raw coverage supported with our own ISO cameras on events like athletics to tailor coverage to a UK
“Sochi showed that the consumption of an Olympic games on mobile and tablets is now as intense as that of traditional TV” Sotiris Salamourist, OBS
audience,” explains Jonny Bramley, executive producer, major events, BBC. “As with London, we’re embedding some presenters in venues to capture the feeling of being live at the event especially when we think there’s a team GB medal winner.”
acronym: BDF) supplies video logs and scripts,
Feeds will be satellite routed to Broadcasting
and competition information such as weather,
House, transmitted via Red Bee with the digital
start lists, results, and athlete information. “Every event and session is logged in real
60 individual trucks from Brazil, North America and
output sent via Salford in a similar circuitry to its
Europe. The logistics of pre-testing equipment
production of the Brazil World Cup.
time so rights holders can access it instantly. The
and workflows and transporting them to Rio
transmission schedule can be configured to suit
will still be considerable.
needs and there are alerts when competitors from a chosen country are performing,” he says. All of this activity will be corralled at the International Broadcast Centre at the Barra
The BBC’s plans are well advanced, however,
“London 2012 is our starting point,” says Bramley. “You can’t go backwards, we have to fulfil a raised audience expectation which means
it won’t yet be taking many of the pre-pack
all sports with commentary, but we’ve also got
services OBS offers. It has its own digital platform
to bare cost in mind. So, we are attempting to
for example, and, while interested in the MDF
do the same for less budget.” n
© 2012 Londres - Comité International Olympique (CIO) 34 35 36 TVBE Feb16 Rio olympics_final.indd 56
25/01/2016 16:16
2016 will see an even greater commitment from TVBEurope to cover more of the pressing areas of concern, challenge, and opportunity within our burgeoning marketplace. The biggest change for this year will be the introduction of new sections to enable us to provide greater coverage to specific business areas. Our Workflow section will now be divided into two new sections: Production, and Post Production. We will also be introducing a new Business section to follow the increasing acquisition and investment activity permeating the sector, and are also introducing a dedicated Audio section to bring regular insights and updates from an often overlooked strand of our industry. These new sections will be manned by a team of section editors.
EDITORIAL PLANNER 2016 Issue
Exhibitions present at
Feature
Editorial Close date
Advertising close date
March • CABSAT
• NAB Show Preview 12th February 5th February • UHD feature
April
• BVE Review 11th March • NAB Show issue
4th March
May
• TVBEurope 2020 preview 8th April • Euro 2016 live production • Satellite round-up
1st April
June
• TVBEurope 2020 preview • RIO 2016 Olympic feature: live production • Visions of the future: the connected world
12th May
5th May
July
• OTT feature 10th June • Automation and playout • RIO 2016 Olympic production feature:
3rd June
August
• IBC thought leadership insight and product preview
5th July
• NAB • TV Connect
• TVBEurope Strategy Week • TVBEurope 2020 Conference • Broadcast Asia
12th July
September
• IBC
• IBC 2016 Show issue: thought leadership 19th August insight and product showcase
12th August
October •TVBAwards
• Audio for broadcast 23rd September • IBC Best of Show Winners • IP technology
16th September
November
• Post-IBC acquisition focus 21st October • Remote production
13th October
December
• Media Asset Management • M&A business review
4th December
11th November
For all advertising and sponsorship opportunities, contact the sales team: Europe Ben Ewles: +44 (0) 20 7354 6000 bewles@nbmedia.com
TVBE Editorial Planner 2016 Full page.indd 1
Richard Carr: +44 (0) 20 7354 6000 rcarr@nbmedia.com
Nicola Pett +44 (0) 20 7354 6000 npett@nbmedia.com
USA Mike Mitchell +1 631 673 0072 mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv
22/01/2016 10:42
38 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
Post Production The Oculus Rift VR headset went on sale at CES 2016 for $599
VR in post: building a world for immersive storytelling Virtual reality video is making a big impact, but how can you edit and composite in 360 degrees, asks Michael Burns
Y
to coalesce. Familiar post workflows, such as
video which will be totally new to the majority of
editing, effects and finishing, need a whole new
people in traditional post production.”
approach to delivering professional VR video. “It can be difficult to explain a VR experience in words, as people are too used to thinking
This is typically created by frames from multiple
about cinema, and it’s nothing like that at all,”
cameras, stitched together to form a sphere.
says Anthony Karydis, CEO of Mativision 360
ou’ll have had a hard time missing the wealth of virtual reality hardware popping up everywhere this winter, but
it’s not just for kids, consumer marketing and gamers. There were several sessions devoted to VR and immersive video at last Autumn’s IBC, demonstrating that filmmakers and broadcasters are taking a serious look at 360-degree content. Major players like the BBC, Vice News, ABC
News and even the UN have all been exploring
A major challenge is assembling the footage into the 360-degree world the viewer will inhabit.
“At Mativision, we use real-time stitching as we have developed algorithms that integrate
“There are some processes that surround 360-degree video which will be totally new to the majority of people in traditional post production” Anthony Karydis, Mativision
VR to tell a more immersive, sometimes more
the images we take from our cameras,” says Karydis. “Once this has been done you get the 360-degree frames. These are still video frames; they’re just much bigger and have a different aspect. If you’re working in 4K the images are going to be vast, as big as 12,000 pixels long.” In much of current post work for VR these frames are viewed using an equirectangular projection, also known as lat-long (for latitude-longitude).
empathic story, while hardware manufacturers
“It’s exactly like having the world map
and streaming video providers are scrambling
video and VR. “The whole philosophy behind
projected onto a flat piece of paper,” Karydis
to provide the cameras, kit and delivery
VR should be that the viewer has to believe
says. “This means lines are curved, where in
mechanisms to enable them to do so.
that they are in that environment. You have to
reality they are straight. So if you’re adding
teach the viewer to receive cues and turn in
graphical elements you have to be able to
of storytelling is still being hammered out, with
the correct direction at the right time. And there
predict how it will look on the screen. This
the post production side only just beginning
are some processes that surround 360-degree
rerquires a new set of skills.”
However, the creative language for this form
38 39 TVBE feb16 Post Production_final.indd 54
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TVBEurope 39
February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
Post Production A number of new tools to handle aspects of this
imagery, to really focus on the elements
VR workflow are in fact being developed by
they want to work on. It certainly would
familiar names from the last big visual gold rush:
make for interesting review and approval
stereoscopic 3D. For example, The Foundry’s
sessions with clients.
latest big ex-ploration in image processing is a
“As it moves up and down the sphere that
360 video post production toolset for Nuke,
you’ve captured in a 360 video, you can rotate
due early this year.
the ball in front of the artist so that they can
“We’re very good at understanding multiple sources of data from multiple cameras,” says
keep a fairly uniform space of what they’re
The Foundry’s 360 video post production toolset for Nuke
the company’s chief scientist, Simon Robinson.
working on,” he suggests. “Making sure that they can paint corrections across scenes, from one
“A lot of the way that 360 video is captured
now sitting in a spherical ball of stereo imagery,
camera to another across the top of an image,
today is a progression on that. It’s lots and lots
how do you expect them to work? How do you
for example. Those kind of problems have been
of cameras all more or less in sync, that need
rotoscope something that goes over the top
quite fun to solve, but are a fun-damental part
some kind of workflow built around them to make
of your head and down the other side without
of keeping quality high [for 360-degree video].
sense of the data. From a technical point of
going mad in the process?”
We think we’ve done a very good job of helping
view this is a progression on all the work we had
“So a lot of what we’re concerned with is
to do on stereo 3D. Everything [in VR] is difficult,
letting people focus on the part of the sphere
but it’s solvable, because we’ve addressed
they’re inter-ested in, in order to do some
ways of storytelling with 360-degree video. It
various aspects of this problem - multi-camera
correction, compositing, roto or paint work.
seems that hand in hand with that we’re looking
alignment, stitching, colour correction - in
And doing the least amount of processing to
at the advent of the VR editor, colourist and
various ways historically.”
handle that vast amount of data while
compositor, with a whole new range
doing the detail work.”
of techniques that are being defined right
“The final bit now is the workflow, to make sense of working in the spherical world rather than in the flat world. If you have an artist who is
Robinson suggests introducing workflows where post artists can ‘hamster-ball’ around the
relieve the pain quite considerably.” It’s obvious we’re in for more and exciting
now. Better swap your 3D glasses for a VR headset now. n
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38 39 TVBE feb16 Post Production_final.indd 55
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40 TVBEurope
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Business
Taking AIMS George Jarrett talks to founders and members of the newly established Alliance for IP Media Solutions
T
wo of the great stimulants behind the momentum of the urgent march to IP infrastructures have been the AMWA
Networked Media Incubator Project (NMI), and the VRT/EBU LiveIP project, for which many vendors cut their IP teeth and boosted the burgeoning commitment to open standards. We already had a set of commercial clusters
that will enable large scale deployments.”
mentioned by Poulin will emerge? “There is a
This specifically implies identity model,
sense of urgency around topics like discovery,
discovery mechanism, and connection
and work is active in these fields. Grass Valley
working to master the transition to IP, and then
management elements. “IBC will also be a good
is 110 per cent supportive of open standards.
came The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS,
checkpoint to see how the main competing
What I have found in the formation of AIMS is
founded by Grass Valley, Imagine and Lawo.
clusters are evolving: SONY NMI, Evertz ASPEN/
that we all recognise this one thing: the entire
It is: “Dedicated to the education, awareness
SMPTE RDD 37, SMPTE 2022-6, and the VSF TR-
industry needs a common set of standards for
and promotion of industry standards for the
03/04 families, hopefully for taking users towards
business to flourish and grow,” said Cronk. “We
transmission of video, audio and ancillary
a simplification of the options using open
will still compete intensively, but not on network
data over IP infrastructures.”
standards,” said Poulin.
standards. That would be akin to shipping and logistics companies competing on
“We hope that all vendors agree to encourage adherence to the standards, to allow systems to interoperate” James Stellpflug, EVS
Ubiquitous set of protocols Mike Cronk, SVP of strategic marketing
how roads should be built.” Fortunately, recommendations from VSF
with Grass Valley, played a major role in
have been vetted by over 30 companies and
bringing the founders together, and is first
are based on robust, modern technologies
chair of the AIMS board.
that form a good definition of what the network
“The motivation had to do with promoting a
protocols should be. What variety of members
set of protocols for video over IP that would both
does AIMS want to attract, and would media
fit the needs of broadcast/media applications
companies be welcome?
and could be universally ubiquitous. Many in the
“AIMS wants companies of all sizes and
The first four to boost membership were Snell
industry share the desire to avoid the mistakes of
applications within broadcast to join.
Advanced Media, Nevion, EVS and Cisco, and
the past where multiple proprietary technologies
Additionally, we would welcome participation
AIMS will work closely with The Video Services
were standardised, leading to interoperability
from media companies. They are ultimately
Forum (VSF), the EBU and SMPTE. How does the
issues and additional costs for all,” said Cronk.
the customers of the standard and their
EBU welcome the new group? Felix Poulin, EBU senior project manager,
“As we move to IP we are talking about replacing one of the most ubiquitous interfaces in
voice within AIMS would be wholeheartedly welcome,” said Cronk.
networked media production, confirmed
broadcast [SDI]. To realise the potential of IP we
that the EBU and VRT would discuss
need a similarly ubiquitous set of protocols.
sit on the roadmap? “There are a couple in
collaboration with AIMS. He said: “By NAB
AIMS believes the roadmap of SMPTE 2022-6,
which AIMS will look to contribute to the good
we will have a first feeling of the traction of
AES-67, VSF TR04, and VSF TR03 lays the
work being done in VSF, EBU, and SMPTE.
VSF TR-03. By IBC, we will see a convergence
foundation that the broadcast and media
Discovery and control are two examples. We do
between the AMWA NMI and VSF SVIP, which
needs,” he added. Would it be reasonable
not intend to replace the existing organisations
would work for the additional functionality
to say that by IBC2016, the key functionalities
in this respect, but AIMS allows for royalty-free
40 41 42 43 TVBE FEB16_ BUSINESS AMS_final.indd 54
What new areas requiring standardisation
25/01/2016 16:21
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February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
Business technology contribution and this can foster an
the ability for broadcasters to expand their
environment for idea sharing and interaction,”
business and respond to change more quickly.
he said. “That could yield a positive effect to
We are certainly investing in technology that will
each company's contributions within VSF,
facilitate this transition, as are other companies.
SMPTE and the EBU.
By working together to come to a set of
“The other way that AIMS can contribute is in interoperability,” he added. “AIMS members plan to continue to leverage and participate in
accepted via AIMS, everyone wins.” There are other clusters working towards
the great work being sponsored by both the VSF
some of the same goals. Will there be a reality
and LiveIP. In addition to these efforts, though,
checkpoint some time soon that brings everyone
AIMS should foster an environment where
together? And will AIMS have a finite life?
companies can share details of their standards
“We received inquiries from some of the
implementation and operating points. Even
companies that have been driving more
within a standard, there are often interpretations
proprietary approaches. Yes, I believe AIMS
of what the standard means and operating
will serve a purpose in aligning the industry,”
point choices. By sharing this information
said Cronk. “AIMS is structured so that we can
proactively, member companies will help drive
endorse new technologies and standards as the
interoperability faster in support of the testing
industry evolves,” he added.
done within VSF and LiveIP.” Is there a great harmony between what
40 41 42 43 TVBE FEB16_ BUSINESS AMS_final.indd 55
protocols that become ubiquitous and widely
“Currently the AIMS board ratified the roadmap as SMPTE 2022-6, AES 67, VSF TR04 and
AIMS hopes to achieve and the collective
VSF TR03. It is entirely possible that the board
desires of Grass Valley’s partners from computing
could ratify other standards in the future. We
and other areas?
stand for open standards - especially those
“Yes,” said Cronk. “It is clear that IP promises
that are collaboratively developed as these
25/01/2016 16:21
42 TVBEurope
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Business Post Production typically reflect a broad set of use cases, and are therefore quite robust.”
Mike Cronk, SVP strategic marketing, Grass Valley
Discovery is a key topic Answering why Snell Advanced Media (SAM) had chosen AIMS as the right cluster, head of product marketing Tim Felstead said: “The main reason for joining was the consistency with our own ambitions and philosophy of interoperability and openness. We see a danger in the industry in introducing a multitude of proprietary and competing standards. It seemed sensible to join AIMS as part of this messaging. “We are a complement to both AMWA and VSF in their efforts. In terms of SAM we are building solutions following these standards and
Tim Felstead, head of product marketing, SAM
are engineering them to scale appropriately,” he added. “Keep in mind that the VSF is more oriented to transmission between facilities (eg SMPTE 2022-6) rather than a solutions approach inside a facility. ‘Scale’ in these two scenarios is a little different. However, SAM is heading towards the scale implementation of IP-based production systems in 2016, and we are currently engaged in large and multiple proof of concept projects.” What would Felstead like to see from the published roadmap? “All of these are uncompressed standards for
Brick Eksten, VP product development, Imagine Communications
video. The audio industry took a long time to work out AES67, and we don’t want the same time delay for video; 2022-6 is uncompressed (multiplexed) SDI represented in an IP stream; TR-
interoperability to be properly and openly
reference architecture that is needed to support
04 is TR-03 with 2022-6 carrying video; and, TR-03
established right across the market.”
the IP-based standards. AIMS is focused on ensuring that we as vendors
is a new uncompressed video element as part of three associated streams - video, audio
Direct value to the ecosystem
are well aligned in providing industry solutions
and metadata,” he said.
Speaking for EVS Broadcast Equipment, VP of
that use these standards and the confidence
“The 03 standard is moving rapidly towards
product marketing James Stellpflug said: “We
needed to implement them.
accreditation and is active right now. The future
agree that in the content creation landscape,
roadmap has to include similar agreement over
companies need to be able to compete on
to see significant progress in both the
open standards for video compression. While
the merits of their production advantages, but
standardisation efforts of TR-03 and TR-04 by
the audio and metadata agreements are
the topic of infrastructure is one that cannot
IBC2016, as well as proven examples of the
running well I see the issue of compression
become fragmented into islands.
reference architecture in use,” he added.
being the next hurdle to overcome.”
“IP can start to afford some flexibility in
“We think that it would be a great target
“Video compression is a topic that has direct
managing more diversity in the multiple
merits in solving the needs of certain workflows,
bandwidth consumption in a similarly open
workflows and mixed formats in the same system,
namely the topic around Ultra HD formats and
and coordinated way. Should the remit of AIMS
but end users need to have the confidence
bandwidth requirements.”
widen beyond the transition to IP via SDN
in what they buy, and ensure that it can be
Compressed flows in the ecosystem are a part of
and cloud solutions?
plugged together with confidence,” he added.
a pragmatic step-by-step approach. How does
“The ability to buy best of breed solutions in an IP
the AIMS roadmap help EVS with what it identifies
infrastructure should be a prime focus.”
as its USP in live production?
This would help the industry manage IP
“I don’t believe the objective of AIMS is going to widen to include SDN and cloud solutions as that will begin to interfere with our abilities as
Stellpflug is very aware of the VRT and
“We know that we do not provide all the
competitors to offer competitive advantage,”
AMWA NMI projects: “These initiatives serve
tools in the toolbox for the OB trucks and
said Felstead. “Fundamental interoperability is a
different aspects of the next steps of IP-based
facilities that execute content creation. For
requirement; prescriptive solutions architectures
infrastructure. VRT/EBU look to show and
this reason, we offer up practical solutions to
will not help,” he added. “Discovery is a key
prove that IP benefits real world applications.
migrate existing workflows and systems into
topic and will need additional efforts for
AMWA looks to test and prove out some of the
the domain and benefits received by moving
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February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
Business to an IP infrastructure. We hope to encourage
and the industry itself understand the relevance
why we need participation from every size of
other vendors and end users to adopt the same
and importance of open standards,” he added.
company and every type of organisation, and
philosophy and encourage the open standards
Imagine also collaborates with Arista,
that move our industry forward,” said Stellpflug.
Brocade, Cisco, HP, IBM and Microsoft on
“Each vendor should be able to provide solutions in which they bring direct value to the ecosystem, and the control and management
what it would mean to the industry,” said Eksten. “First as a filter we had to ask if we were
the same front, so is there a total harmony
recreating something, and finally we decided
regarding the IP future?
that education and having a common voice is
“Absolutely. Think about where the shift in
part of the collaborative side of open standards.
of the network is one of those areas. SDN is
technology is happening,” said Eksten. “One
one of the enablers of the network control,
of the primary motivations for moving to COTS
are not putting any limit on AIMS or ourselves,”
but cloud and virtualised solutions are logically
and enterprise switching fabric is that we
he added.
one of the next steps that the transition to IP
get to leverage the economy of scale that is
will enable,” he added.
happening out there in the broader market. The
we get what we want. We think the industry
winners there are those companies.
transformation is going to take longer then three
A market-facing advocacy
“The fact is that as (broadcast market) vendors
“It’s been an open discussion but we
“We are not saying we are committed until
to four years. Today it is just about the container
Brick Eksten, VP of product strategy, clarified
and suppliers we are losing control of that
format and the transmission protocol. Tomorrow
the reasons why Imagine Communication
technology. But the reality is that an SDI port
it is about connectivity, discovery and media
backs AIMS: “The whole exercise of the change
was never the property of a vendor anyway: it
identity. The next time around it will be about
management the industry has to push itself
was always the standard we all leveraged,” he
control planes. There is a long way to go, and
through is enormous. There is a tremendous need
AIMS is the right vehicle for us to participate in as
for education and re-education, and messaging
long as it makes sense for the industry.”
to ensure we collaborate together as member organisations to help the industry understand the greater message. “Users have told us they are worried about moving forward. The industry has never faced the amount of change or velocity of change
“The goal is to encompass everybody who can assist” Brick Eksten, Imagine Communications
that we see today. That is what AIMS is all about.”
The transition to the enterprise class of connectivity and control will give a different ubiquity than SDI has done so in the form of benefits from economy of scale using standards that could go on for decades. “There is a permanence there because the enterprise market is not going to change its
It will be a market-facing advocacy
mind any time soon. We are going to get a
organisation, but there are the protocol issues
level of ubiquity but it won’t be based on the
and the desire to see the progress mentioned
added. “We can move forward by thinking of
connector. It will be based on the control
by Felix Poulin. “It is primarily to ensure that the
IP switching and off-the-shelf compute as being
protocols,” said Eksten.
protocols that exist are adhered to properly,”
the same thing as SDI. Now we focus our efforts
said Eksten.
more along the lines of software, and where
to shift away from the technical and get back
“We are starting to see a general acceleration
“The new impacts, the new paradigms, have
appropriate we will still build dense hardware
towards the business, because ultimately the
of the different protocol activities but it requires
solutions. But there is no escaping the fact that
revenue comes from the marketplace. “The
collaboration at multiple levels, not just the
the IP fabric is going to be there.”
next generation shifts are going to see lots
technical collaboration. All the go to market
The winners Eksten refers to have woven
more technology and distribution changes
activity must be completely aligned around how
into the fabric of broadcast and are 100 per
including the move to using cloud much
we are going to do this. It is tempting to look
cent aligned with the transition.
more, but it is going to swing onto the business
from the standards outwards, but the primary motivation of AIMS is to make sure that the users,
40 41 42 43 TVBE FEB16_ BUSINESS AMS_final.indd 57
“The goal is to encompass everybody who can assist. We spent a lot of time talking about
side so broadcasters can embrace the new opportunities,” he concluded.
n
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Audio
AoIP: all systems go in 2016? After a flurry of activity around audio over IP standards (AoIP) and solutions last year, there is reason to wonder whether 2016 could witness the mass adoption of AoIP for broadcast. But as David Davies reports, it certainly doesn’t mean that all concerns and queries have drifted away
T
he transition from point-to-point connectivity towards networked audio has in reality been underway for several
years now, not least within the global broadcast community. But it is arguable that 2015 witnessed a new momentum to its adoption, thanks in part to a heightening of activity around standards and the delivery of more user-friendly solutions. Although the AVB standards continued to gain ground, particularly in non-entertainment-
Ramon Pankert, Riedel product manager
related areas, the year’s big story was surely the ongoing adoption of AES67. Designed to provide
broadcasters are now well-established and
to grow in 2016, with an AES67 card for
an interoperability standard to work with existing
include “the ability to inexpensively connect
Artist and other networked audio solutions
AoIP technologies, AES67 was (fairly) easily
remote locations, leveraging existing IP networks
that are in the pipeline.”
explainable to the market and has begun to
in cases when it might be impractical to add
achieve significant traction. Compliance for
new cabling, system interoperability, and
suggestion that adoption is set to accelerate in
the standard by two of the fastest-growing
decentralised signal distribution advantages like
2016, but also voices concerns about the realities
IP audio solutions (Audinate’s Dante and
flexible virtual cabling via software.”
for OB teams and engineers. “What we have
ALC NetworX’s Ravenna), has certainly
In terms of likely developments in 2016,
Axon CEO Jan Eveleens concurs with the
heard from some customers in the OB space
“we see the IP standards gaining traction
that are [trying to use IP audio] is that the
Then, in the first few days of 2016, another
as broadcasters do their due diligence and
set-up and the reconfiguration of systems, the
landmark with the publication of the much-
discover for themselves the economies that
whole IP management aspect, can cause
been a crucial factor here.
anticipated AES70 standard. Built out from the OCA (Open Control Alliance) initiative, the standard looks set to provide another key piece in the IP audio jigsaw with its provision of a scalable, control-protocol architecture for the control and monitoring of professional media networks.
problems,” he says.
“Engineers will need to work closely with their IT departments to create solutions that will service everyone’s needs” Ramon Pankert
With the adherents of Dante and Ravenna,
From a vendor point of view this means there is an onus on delivering “easy to use solutions” that aid straightforward configuration, and like Pankert, Eveleens confirms that “more versions of products that have IP audio in and out” are on the way. Meanwhile, for engineers and other end-users, it is apparent that “there
in particular, bringing an ever-greater array of
is still a lot of education to be done” on the
networked audio products to the market, it’s
these technologies can provide. But we also
reasonable to wonder whether 2016 will be the
think that, to a large extent, the technology
year of blanket mass adoption. A canvassing of
needs more time to mature. Engineers will
OB perspective
some leading broadcast technology vendors
need to work closely with their IT departments
One of the most well respected OB companies
and OB service providers suggests a guarded
to create solutions that will service everyone’s
in Europe since the mid 1980s, and latterly part of
‘yes’ – but it’s not entirely free of caveats.
needs. Our aim as a solutions provider is to
the Euro Media Group, CTV Outside Broadcasts
minimise the confusion by delivering flexible and
is well placed to track the connectivity changes.
Operational issues
future-proof products and interfaces that will
And according to technical director Hamish
For Riedel product manager Ramon Pankert,
work today and in future.” Accordingly,
Greig, a wholescale transition to IP audio is
it is evident that the benefits of going IP for
the Riedel IP audio portfolio “will continue
still some way off.
44 45 TVBE Feb16 Audio_final.indd 54
part of all stakeholders.
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February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
Audio “We are still waiting for IP audio to start
older existing MADI format (64 channels).”
becoming the predominate format in OB
While significant hurdles remain, Greig is clear
broadcasts,” he says. “Whilst we have seen a
that “as IP audio develops and becomes more
movement towards IP we still rely heavily on
accepted we see this as an important part of
MADI (AES 10) as the transport backbone for our audio systems. This is primarily due to the robustness of MADI technology and its everyday
Jan Eveleens, Axon CEO
usage in the broadcast industry.”
our future audio infrastructure. With the drive for remote productions from our clients, the benefits of IP audio will start to become more widely utilised. For instance, the Lawo V_link
Greig goes on to document some of the key
4 [interface], which we are using on remote
challenges still to be overcome before mass
productions, has the ability to have six Ravenna
adoption by OB providers. The first of these
connections. In the near-future not only could
is which technology to adopt (eg Ravenna,
these be used to deliver programme sources,
Dante, AVB). “Deciding which format to invest
but could also interface directly into our
in is then often driven by what equipment
trucks’ routing/communications systems.”
manufacturers are developing that meet our
The impact of AES70 on the overall
requirements,” he says. “For instance,
landscape for IP audio is yet to be assessed
with our latest integrated video/audio
(and will be the subject of a separate
router that we installed, it accepts IP
feature in a forthcoming feature in
video but the audio I/O is still only
TVBEurope). But the issue of standards aside,
over MADI or AES.
it is evident that much still needs to be done to assist those working with IP audio
Also, many of the products that interface with Dante IP networks only
‘on the ground’ if this exciting technology
offer the same channel count as the
is to achieve full maturity. n
FOSTERING THE ADOPTION OF INDUSTRY STANDARDS THE FORMATION of the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) in December represents the latest, and perhaps most significant attempt to bring uniformity to the industry’s ongoing shift towards IP. Specifically, the organisation has been established to “foster the adoption of industry standards” pertaining to IP through educational initiatives and encouraging the development of new solutions, as well as “nurturing the creation and acceleration” of additional standards. Mid-January brought the news that The Telos Alliance is among a second wave of companies to join founders such as Lawo in AIMS. For The Telos Alliance, the resonance is obvious given AIMS’ stated focus on the adoption, standardisation, and development of open protocols for media over IP, with an “initial
44 45 TVBE Feb16 Audio_final.indd 55
emphasis” on VSF TR-03 and TR-04, SMPTE 2022-6 and the much-discussed AoIP interoperability standard AES67. “We helped to create AES67 because we have long believed in open standards. We are excited to join AIMS and help speed the adoption of IP-based workflows throughout the broadcast sector,” says Marty Sacks, VP of sales, support and marketing at The Telos Alliance. Elaborating on its strategy, AIMS underlines the fact that standards work for the IP transition is “already underway” by the 74-member Video Services Forum (VSF), with the support of organisations such as SMPTE and the EBU. AIMS says it endorses the work of the VSF and will continue to lend support in the development of a standard approach to IP. More than 30 broadcast equipment manufacturers are said
to be actively testing and validating the VSF’s approach today. Meanwhile, as the annual trade show cycle gets underway, there comes news of a flurry of new exhibitors set to participate in BVE 2016, taking place at ExCeL London from 23-25 February. Those with a focus or interest in audio include Avid, HHB Communications, RTW, Shure Distribution and Synthax Audio UK. The organisers have also confirmed details of a series of audio-specific seminars, including ‘Finding pure ambience in creative soundscapes – comparing and contrasting best practice audio work across the genres’ (24 February), ‘How broadcasters should go about implementing loudness recommendation EBU R128 for programmes’ (25 February) and ‘Good sound on a budget’ (26 February).
25/01/2016 16:23
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Audio
Sound evolution of Channel One Mikhail Kalanchekaev from systems integrator OKNO-TV describes the path taken by the Russian broadcaster to ensure audio quality
Russia’s Channel One, helped by its suppliers, undertook vigorous training to ensure audio standards were maintained
F
om the time Russia’s Channel One began operations, there has been an increasing emphasis on controlling the quality of
its content. As far back as 1999, before the international recommendations and standards applicable to sound level measuring appeared, a workflow of audio volume normalisation of commercial clips was developed and introduced. When ingesting materials into the video server, a sound technician manually set
in both stereo and multi-channel audio, the
HD channels. Secondly, the integration of the
the audio levels of commercials to correspond
broadcasting complex was equipped with
Junger audio processor for interoperation with
to the broadcasting loudness. The automated
a coding system in the Dolby D, Dolby D Plus
the Harris broadcasting automation system
broadcasting complex of Channel One shifted to
and Dolby E standards. As we had decided
made it possible to carry out a separate
stereo broadcasting in 2003 which set the trend
to use Junger Level Magic algorithm for future
audio processing for each type of broadcast
in Russia. The standard for the measurement of
installations, it was reasonable to select high
programme. Finally, this engineering solution
loudness ITU BS 1770/1771 was introduced in 2006.
density line equipment from the same source.
made it possible to broadcast any external
Not only that, it provided considerable flexibility
programme using unique Dolby metadata, and
Metering the sound
of circuit decisions and parameter settings. This
was first implemented during the broadcast of
During the construction of a new automated
enabled further broadcast activity in satellite
the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest.
broadcasting complex in 2010, the Moscow
and digital video signal propagation networks, as
facility’s control rooms were fitted with
well as transmission of the transport digital audio
Keeping the law
equipment to measure True Peak and PPM
stream, based on the international standard.
Channel One’s technical implementation
audio, and loudness levels. After the new EBU
proved useful in May 2015 when amendments
R128 Loudness Recommendation was accepted,
Successful implementation
to the Law on Advertising were introduced.
internal initiatives at Channel One, involving
As different Dolby standard encoders and
These regulations are based on EBU R128 and
seminars with specialists from OKNO-TV, Dolby
decoders have different audio delays it was
determine such parameters as Programme
and Junger, were introduced to train technical
necessary that all our Dolby D, Dolby D Plus,
Loudness (-23 LUFS for all content), Maximum
personnel in both the new technology and the
Dolby E and PCM programmes had no delay
Permitted True Peak level, Max Momentary
updated regulations.
between audio and video, and the same video
Loudness, and Max Short-Term Loudness. These
delay between each other. It was also necessary
amendments also provide recommendations for
Intelligain Technology to adjust the loudness of
to calibrate all video and audio monitors in
technical decisions for normalisation loudness
programmes which did not pass its own pre-
control rooms to exclude this audio/video delay
level at all stages of preparing and broadcasting.
broadcasting control. At this time there were
during contro, and ensure all workplaces were
Simultaneous implementation of previous
no loudness recommendations approved in
capable of complete signal monitoring of all
recommendations on the peak levels of the
the country, so any live content prepared
Dolby sound formats. This was accomplished by
audio signal and new norms of the total loudness
externally could have different loudness even if
using additional Junger modules in existing C8000
of audio transmission can be only realised with
True Peak recommendations were fulfilled. The
frames, Junger M*AP and Dolby DP570 modules.
extended dynamic range of accompanying
Channel One invested in the Evertz
Evertz Intelligain Technology, which allowed
During the transition to the 5.1 multichannel
sound that is achieved at a lower compression
Channel One to adjust automatically the single
format sound broadcasting, not only was there a
signal processing and leads to an improved
loudness level of all broadcast programmes, was
quantitative increase in audio channels, but also
sound quality.
quickly implemented by licence inside Evertz
a qualitative change in the audio content.
changeover equipment already in use in the complex. In 2012, Channel One started HD broadcasting. To ensure high quality sound
46 TVBE Feb16 Audio_final.indd 54
Firstly, a video materials preparation
Relying on the new amendments to the Law, it became possible to require from
technology with multichannel sound was
external producers content which complies
developed, and a volume control system based
with the recommended loudness at the earliest
on the Junger Level Magic was installed in the
stages of production. n
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Feature
BVE goes Live
Alison Willis, portfolio director at i2i Events Group’s environment and broadcasting division, took time out of her busy schedule ahead of BVE this month to talk to TVBEurope about the show’s development
BVE 2016 sees the launch of London Entertainment Week: how did this idea develop?
which demonstrates a market-need for an allUK market. As a result, and following an extensive
Which successes from BVE 2015 will be continued, and will 2016 see the launch of new initiatives?
Over the last few years BVE has established
listening exercise with our exhibitors and visitors,
We always build on those successful initiatives at
itself as the number one trade show for the
the concept of London Entertainment Week
BVE year-on-year as well as introducing brand
UK broadcast and production market which
has been launched.
new areas to the show. This year will see the
encompassing show dedicated to the important
encompasses all aspects of content, from
return of Live Ammunition! whilst also introducing
How will the new Live Entertainment Technology zone address the requirements of this sector?
our 14 Second Film Challenge aimed at the
exhibitor
The AV and Live Entertainment zone has been
from BVE towards a film project and an exclusive
and
created to start attracting key manufacturers,
screening of the winning film on ‘The Screen @
suppliers and brands operating in the live
BVE’ during next year’s show.
creation through to consumption. Due to the expansion of BVE in recent years, the show now attracts a much more diverse
visitor base
production sector. We are doing this through
rising stars in filmmaking. Winners will benefit from £1,000 worth of vouchers towards Raindance’s industry-leading courses plus a £500 cash prize
We are certainly seeing a surge in industry-
extended partner activity such as sponsoring
training officials signing up to exhibit, and we are
a category at the annual TPi Awards and the
delighted to have the recruitment division of Sky
launch event of London Entertainment Week.
participating for the first time. They will be holding
At BVE for the first time there is a dedicated
workshops on skills and networking. We also
AV and Live Theatre, showcasing inspirational
have representation from Middlesex University
and thought-leading content, case studies,
and BECTU. The presence of these organisations
panels and interviews. One of our education
are indicative of the success of the Skills and
providers is InfoComm International, and there
Networking Zone last year.
will be contributions from ALD, IPS, amongst others. Alongside this show content, there are co-located events from The AV User Group and a two-day conference being presented by Streaming Media: Streaming Forum 2016.
BVE 2016 has been billed as ‘more than a trade show’, why is this necessary in light of changes and developments in the industry? BVE was very vocal about the future of our
How have changes in the industry impacted the decision to expand into these areas?
being seen at the show in 2016 are a reflection of this. The industry is fast paced, and lines
The lines between broadcast, live
between sectors are blurring. People have huge
entertainment and AV have been blurring
demands on their time, they need a show that
for some time now. We are seeing fewer and fewer technology providers operating solely within defined market sectors and with many of our exhibitors offering products across a broader cross section of the creative sector, aimed at an
is a one-stop shop for their purchasing needs, for training and learning, and for networking. That is why we are providing a broader based event which is certainly more than ‘just a trade show’. The London Entertainment Week initiative allows us to develop a platform combining traditional trade show space, a series of
increasingly diverse group
co-located events, conferences, AGMs and
of buyers, it is logical that
awards and to strengthen the show’s position
BVE delivers more of these
through strong relationships with select industry
customers to the show
organisations and publications. And so looking
by creating an all-
48 TVBE feb16 Feature_final.indd 54
industry at last year’s show and the new initiatives
forward, London Entertainment Week provides
encompassing event and
non-traditional opportunities for partners,
a platform to showcase
exhibitors and visitors, meaning a more complete
more of their products.
experience than ever before. n
25/01/2016 16:25
e v i s r r D sito d vi ur stan
o y to
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF
www.iseurope.org ISE is a joint venture partnership of:
Tuesday 10 February 2015 SHOW HOURS:
Tuesday 10 February 09:00-18:00
Wednesday 11 February 09:00-18:00
Thursday 12 February 09:00-17:00
The future: Integrated System Europe? BY MONICA HECK The Internet of Things is set to turn the ‘integrated systems’ that make up Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) into a single unified ‘integrated system’, according to futuristic business mastermind and consultant Lars Thomsen. Speaking on the main stage during the ISE Opening Keynote speech, Thomsen predicted the future of the AV industry would depend on the IPv6 Internet standard, which would create a rapidly growing “digital nervous system” across the world not unlike the current energy grid everybody is used to. “In 10 years, 1,000 devices per human will be connected to the internet and this digital nervous system will incorporate all aspects of things that are important to humanity,
Thomsen: “In 10 years, 1,000 devices per human will be connected to the internet” such as comfort, energy, security, education and so on,” he said. “Right now there are different halls in this trade show representing different parts of the industry. We are now at a tipping point where we
don’t have to think about isolated systems, but rather about moving onto a system that incorporates the internet as its backbone.” Tipping points are a key concern of Thomsen’s, who doesn’t use slides
during his keynotes but prefers to let the audience connect the dots and imagine the future he describes. “Tipping points are points in time where a new technology, or business model is cheaper and better than the way we did it in the past,” added Thomsen, listing the victory of artificial intelligence and robotics over ‘dumb technology’ as tipping points to look out for. “Within 520 weeks, we will get to a point where robots can work in households or in elderly care, they will reach a price point where they are cheaper than employing humans for the same task. The implications to our society are big.” “We have to do more than just look for trends, instead of waiting for the future we have to find the next tipping point and actively create that future,” he concluded.
A minority report on the future of pixels BY LINDSEY M. ADLER A vacuum in professional computing has resulted from the evolution from desktop to laptop to mobile device. John Underkoffler, CEO of Oblong Industries, views the world through pixels and sees them as the key to filling that hole, which he shared in his Smart Building Conference address: “The Future of Work – Workplace Collaboration Thrives in the Spatial Operating Environment”.
Digital Signage p10
As an advisor to the film Minority Report, Underkoffler shared a clip he musingly hoped was “the last time we have to look at this.” Instead of being wowed by the ahead-of-its-time gesture technology, something he derided as “not what’s important,” attendees were asked to look for what was missing. “This sequence is as much about the collaboration and the room as it is the UI.” Applying that to today’s business technologies, he asked,
Residential solutions p27
01 ISE D1 2015 Live v2 NR.indd 1
“How does computation extend [the] room? It doesn’t. [Modern computing devices] don’t care about the room. You have a bizarre complication.” Because they are so personal in nature, “They are anti-collaboration devices and anti-architectural devices.” Underkoffler and Oblong Industries are working to get out of this “trap.” His solutions include: the more pixels the better; pixel interoperability; a user interface capable of managing all the pixels all over the place; and plurality, the
Unified Communications p56
need for systems that think about more than one thing - enabling the physical and social space for more than one person to work in tandem. By teaching a machine to speak pixels, multiple applications can run at the same time complementarily. “It’s a kind of quantum leap between what you can do with a machine,” Underkoffler declared. “We’re turning serialism into parallelism, linear into nonlinear, and raw technology into a more human approach.”
Smart Building p62
A DIGITAL THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
Don’t miss your opportunity to advertise in the show Daily and ISE newsletter
sitor e, i V l ia or Offic ter, bef how slet post s w e N d e g an ct to th 00 n i r du d dire 88,0 r e v an o o s of isitors t e x o inb tial v and n e t st po your
rial o t i d e teed rtising n a r Gua adve the l l a with ages in or pack f a Q&A o e form ion piec opin
ISE’ managing director Mike Blackman introduces the event as Chiara Benedettini of organiser Connessioni looks on
BY KIRSTEN NELSON It was “laptop land” at AudioForum@ISE yesterday. The fifth edition of the day-long educational event presented by Connessioni certainly featured digital in every way, as nary a professional audio discussion would be complete without talk of software or DSP. Topics relevant to audio design, integration and live events were discussed in the context of building knowledge and business for a rapidly evolving industry, with participants taking keen interest in sharpening skills in modeling, time alignment, networking and Class D amplification. Attendees from the live sound and installation worlds convened at the event. The notion of convergence was very much on the mind of Jack Cornish, a project
Continued on page 4
Professional Development p68
ors’ t i b i exh nvert o t s co nues es s n i p l s e h bu eve r d s n e d i v a l dri show o so t n i e at th tunities s d stan s oppor nes i s u b
09-02-15 18:39
To confirm your advertising space in any of
products, contact the sales team now:
International: Gurpreet Purewal T: +44 (0)20 7354 6000 E: gpurewal@nbmedia.com Peter McCarthy T: +44 (0)20 7354 6000 E: pmccarthy@nbmedia.com new tvbe template remade.indd ISE 2016 advert_Final.indd 1 1
20/11/2015 02/11/2015 12:03 14:10
50 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
Feature
BVE 2016 Preview Three days. Sixteen keynotes. Over 120 hours of seminars, discussions and workshops. BVE is upon us. The show returns to the ExCeL London from 23-25 February, with over 250 companies showcasing professional production and broadcast equipment. James Groves looks at some the highlights
B
luebell’s headline product, the BN385
exhibiting at BVE and will showcase the UK debut
Over at stand L06, Garland Partners will be
remote robotic camera interface, has
of its Unicam UHD 4K-native camera. It will also
highlighting multiple LiveU products, including
been designed for links to robotic/PoV
present the BS-98/CCU-980 hybrid 2K/4K rack-
its flagship LU500, marketed as the ultimate
cameras. It features two 3G-SDI paths from the
mountable optical-fibre transmission links and
combination of high-performance and portability
camera position with an optional genlock return,
HDL-57 compact high definition camera.
for cellular uplinking. The unit is powered by
plus a dual-port GigE link on two monomode
“The Unicam UHD 4K-native camera is a
LiveU’s new multi-processor, video encoding
fibres, with optional single-fibre operation.
engine and fourth-generation patented bonding
A typical application would use one of the HD paths for PGM video and the other for viewfinder overlay/menus, with the GigE link used for camera control and pan-tiltzoom camera operation.
algorithms, with up to 13 network connections.
‘Our engineers are experts in codec development, video and audio analysis’ Howard Twine, Vidcheck
In keeping with the camera theme, Canon
Alongside this will be the LU200 ultra-small transmission unit, compatible with any camera. Designed for live video transmission anywhere in the world, it weighs just over 500g and is available in either a pouch or mount.
will unveil its latest technology to the UK for
The world’s first multi-rate real eye and jitter
the first time, demonstrating the ME20F-SH - a
solution for 12/6/3Gbps will be showcased at BVE: the new PHABRIX Qx.
camera with an extended ISO of four million -
compact and lightweight model designed for
as well as its latest range of 4K camera systems,
easy integration into 4K studio and 4K field/
lenses and displays.
OB truck systems,” said Mark Capstick, general
UHDTV1 and UHDTV2 supports both video and
manager of Ikegami Electronics UK.
audio and up to 48Gbps payload both as optical
The ME20F-SH captures full colour images in low light, featuring an EF mount to support a selection
The Qx test and measurement solution for 4K
“It incorporates three 2/3-inch CMOS sensors
and coaxial. The 10Gbps Ethernet SFP support
which provide the deep focus capability required
will provide SMPTE 2022-6 on this new platform,
for broadcast operation. Uncompressed RGB
as the need for IP connectivity develops in
recently announced UHD glass range: the UHD
4:4:4 baseband is delivered from the camera
broadcast infrastructures.
DIGISUPER 86 (UJ86xX9.3B) and UHD DIGISUPER
head to the control unit to ensure the highest
90 (UJ90X9B) studio/field lenses as well as the
possible transmission quality.”
of compatible lenses across the Canon range. The Canon stand will also showcase the
CJ12ex4.3B and CJ20ex7.8B 4K broadcast lenses. The company will host an interactive hands-on
Accompanying this, Ikegami’s HDL-57 is a
PHABRIX will also introduce its new A/V toolset, now standard for all of its Sx handheld range of products, including the new TAG. The SxE,
compact high definition camera designed for
with its portable eye and jitter toolset, is a
display of its latest 4K cameras, including the
use on remotely controlled pan/tilt heads in
combined generator, analyser and monitor at
EOS C300 Mark II and XC10. The EOS C300 Mark
applications such as parliamentary television
SD-SDI, HD-SDI and 3G-SDI formats.
II is designed to fit into any production workflow,
or robotic studios. Specified performance
while the XC10 is a handheld, portable camera
parameters include F11 at 2,000 lux sensitivity,
V9.04 video and audio instrumentation
that allows UHD production.
60dB signal-to-noise ratio and 1,000 television lines
enhancements for OB and QC departments with
Fellow camera specialist Ikegami will also be
resolution in 1080i format (700 TVL in 720p format).
KVM connectivity and remote control.
The Rx rack mount range will be displaying
AXON PRODUCT LINES 2015 Axon’s range of products featured at BVE 2016, including additions to its Synapse signal processing line
50 51 52 TVBE Feb16 Feature_final.indd 54
25/01/2016 16:29
TVBEurope 51
February 2016 www.tvbeurope.com
Feature Glensound will be showcasing the Expedition, a
technology to broadcasters and won an IABM
monitoring, with a single XLR input which can be
7kHz HD Voice mobile telephone with dedicated
Award for Excellence in Design and Innovation.
mic, mic + 48V phantom or line selectable. It
functions to make it suitable for use in live broadcasting or monitoring situations. The main attraction of HD Voice technology is the fact that a call does not need to run through the data network, creating strong
A major new feature for the Expedition is its
possesses Glensound’s Referee input compressor
compatibility with 4G LTE networks, allowing
system to avoid peaks and clipping. A four-
calls on 2G, 3G and 4G. It also features two
segment LED indicates the input level, which is
inputs and two outputs.
adjustable by a front panel pot control.
Also at the Glensound stand will be the new
Making another UK debut will be Telestream’s
connections regardless of where the user may
Mini Cub, described as the ‘new little brother’
Vantage media processing platform. It is being
be. Expectations will be high after the previous
of the 2014 Cub USB interface. It possesses
marketed as the foundation for a broad range
model, the GS-MPI004HD, introduced HD Voice
single audio input and return stereo headphone
of enterprise-class transcoding and workflow
EOS C300 MARK II
EXPEDITION HQ
IKEGAMI 4K CAMERA
The Canon EOS C300 Mark II, designed to fit into any film, documentary or TV production workflow
Expedition: a 7kHz HD Voice mobile telephone, successor to the award-winning GS-MPI004HD model
50 51 52 TVBE Feb16 Feature_final.indd 55
The “compact and lightweight” Ikegami Unicam UHD 4K camera
25/01/2016 16:29
52 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
Feature LU200 WITH CAMERA The LU200 ultra-small transmission unit, compatible with any camera
automation software products, allowing
different manufacturers, including routers,
content owners, producers, and distributors
production switchers, servers, receiver decoders,
to quickly, easily and efficiently ingest, edit,
multiviewers and waveform monitors.
transform, package, monetise and distribute their media. Exhibiting together with its UK channel partner,
Axon will present Cerebrum in a studio environment with SMART DVB, launched in 2015. SMART DVB is a suite of tools to monitor, report
Boxer Systems, the company will demonstrate
and analyse live MPEG-2 and DVB transport
new closed captioning and subtitling services
streams. The suite enables owners and operators
within Vantage, which they say are results
to ensure health, conformity and quality across
of customer feedback. “We live in a period of rapid change, where every year we see quantum progression in the integration of moving video within our personal and business lives,” said George Boath, vice president of international sales at Telestream. “It is our responsibility to keep abreast of these market dynamics and to respond with new features and
PHABRIX QX PHABRIX Qx, the world’s first multi-rate real eye and jitter solution for 12/6/3Gbps
functionality.” PlayBox will unveil CloudAir Universal Playout, designed to make broadcast channel startup faster, easier and more affordable. “CloudAir offers a gateway through which new television channels can be established,
The PlayBox CloudAir Universal Playout, designed to simplify broadcast channel startup
versions of its Vidchecker, Vidchecker-post and
of PlayBox Technology. “Channel proprietors are
Vidfixer software in London. “Our engineers are experts in codec
or acquiring content, from which they can build
development, video and audio analysis,”
up a healthy revenue stream.
comments Vidcheck COO Howard Twine. “The
“The product allows new television channels
result is a constant stream of new features which
to be established in little more time than it takes
are available as downloadable updates to any
to make a phone call to the service provider.
customer with a current maintenance contract.”
This is particularly important to anyone creating
“In the past year, updates have added 23
transient OTT channels supporting a short-running
additional tests and refinements which expand
programme series such as the Olympics.
the toolset to accommodate new standards or modes of workflow.” Vidchecker supports sub-SD, SD, HD, UHD, 4K,
activities, including ingest, source transcoding,
8K and mixed workflows. The solution is designed
quality control, media asset management,
for checking file-based video before and after
production, post production, subtitling,
distribution, and for use by broadcasters for
scheduling, playout and transmission.”
checking files received from post production and
Axon will introduce new additions to its
content distributors to ensure that file, video and
Synapse signal processing line including a 4K
audio parameters and levels are correct and
up, down converter, a distribution amplifier
ready for general transmission.
and two production ‘Tool Boxes’. Both production Tool Boxes (U4T100 and
Vidchecker-post is a full-featured quality checker at a price that the smallest independent
U4T140) carry Vanc and Hanc data, such as
facility companies can afford. Designed for
timecode and embedded audio. The U4T140
ow-volume QC requirements, it corrects video
also provides a Dolby E encoder and decoder.
luma, chroma and RGB component, and
These products, developed in close cooperation with BT Sport, are currently used in Timeline Television’s bespoke OB vehicle that
conforms audio peak and audio loudness levels to ATSC/CALM and EBU requirements. Vidfixer includes all facilities of Vidchecker,
delivers content to BT Sport Ultra HD, Europe’s first
plus additional correction and transcoding.
live sports Ultra HD channel.
It can take mezzanine file formats, perform
The company will also be talking about
50 51 52 TVBE Feb16 Feature_final.indd 56
Finally, Vidcheck, provider of quality control
playout infrastructure,” said Don Ash, president
capabilities customers require for their current
Telestream’s media processing platform, Vantage
performance at the highest level. and correction tools, will demonstrate the latest
“It can be tailored to provide exactly the
TELESTREAM VANTAGE
the digital distribution chain and to drive
without the usual preliminary investment in
then free to invest their startup capital in creating
PLAYBOX CLOUDAIR GUI
‘The product allows new television channels to be established in little more time than it takes to make a phone call to the service provider’ Don Ash, PlayBox
automatic QC and automatically correct video,
Cerebrum, its broadcast control and monitoring
audio and format errors. It outputs corrected
software. Used at the Open Golf Championships
files re-encoded to match the original format, or
in 2015, it supports a range of devices from
transcoded to a format of the users choice. n
25/01/2016 16:29
The Official Newspaper
THEBVEDAILY BROADCAST & PRODUCTION: FROM CREATION TO CONSUMPTION
Due to popular demand the Daily is returning for BVE 2016. TVBEurope and TVTechnology are delighted to invite all BVE exhibitors to promote their presence while encouraging greater foot traffic to their booth. Be sure to stand out from the crowd at the UK’s largest broadcast tradeshow. • 2,000 copies distributed per day • Digital edition distributed via email to all pre-registered visitors and previous attendees to the show • Guaranteed editorial coverage for all advertisers in the form of a 300 word opinion piece • Ten sends of the BVE e-Daily newsletter (44,000 circulation) WWW.BVEXPO.COM
For further infomation, contact: UK Sales Ben Ewles Sales Manager +44 (0) 207 354 6000 bewles@nbmedia.com
new remade.indd 1 BVEtvbe Dailytemplate House ad 2016.indd 1
Richard Carr Account Manager +44 (0) 207 354 6000 rcarr@nbmedia.com
Nicola Pett Sales Executive +44 (0) 207 354 6000 npett@nbmedia.com
US Sales Michael Mitchell +1 (631) 673 0072 mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv
20/11/2015 20/11/2015 12:00 11:33
54 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2016
TVBEverywhere
Report: State of the Broadcast Industry 2016 Looking back at the TV industry in 2015 and looking forward to 2016, one thing is very evident, writes Paula Minardi, broadcast industry marketing manager, Ooyala: the repercussions of OTT video have forever altered the broadcast industry landscape
C
more 4K content, and VR technology growth will be led by live events, news and gaming now that it has entered the consumer space and attracted investments from content companies.
onsumers have embraced OTT as a
migration, as cord-cutting has now captured
Programming
match for their increasing demands
six per cent of the US population. Networks
Providers are prioritising data and original
to absorb content the way they want,
are starting to fight back with more content
content to understand audiences and build their
creating a domino effect on every broadcast
windowing while rushing to develop original
brands. They will increase these activities as they
sector. To help outline all of the shifting parts,
OTT content themselves.
expand into new markets and decrease their
Ooyala recently published a State of the
At the same time, providers across the globe
reliance on network content. As sports remains
Broadcast Industry 2016 report that highlights
will continue their merger and partnership
a key content driver and more than 45 per cent
some of these key trends to observe.
activity, and the OTT players will likely do the
of sports viewing in the UK and Ireland is now on mobile devices, a rise in sports OTT content will
Consumers Traditional TV viewing is no longer the norm, now representing just over 45 per cent of adult viewers. With that shift in audience, SVoD services will continue to grow as providers
Traditional TV viewing is no longer the norm, representing just over 45 per cent of adult viewers
inevitably follow. Live OTT video across genres will become a competitive differentiator, along with localised content in international markets.
Advertising
look beyond mature markets with saturated
Screen convergence will be driven this
screens, emerging regions see their infrastructures
year by the arrival of cross-platform ratings and more data-driven targeting and decision-
progress, and consumers explore alternate ways to watch content. Mobile-first offerings are growing as mobile
same, triggering some re-aggregation of
making, including a rise in programmatic
content and services. Everyone will explore more
video advertising. Specifically, expect to see further growth in
continues to move toward becoming the screen
creative ways to build and bundle their offerings,
of choice for all content lengths. The rise of
particularly smaller networks that may ultimately
private programmatic marketplaces for both
millennials as the largest population segment
need OTT to survive.
digital video and linear TV. Anchor events like the Summer Olympics will offer platforms to
in the US now means their cord-cutting viewing habits will help establish their offspring as the first
Technology
test ad tech innovations and drive adoption
cord-never generation. Growing OTT viewing
As video content costs rise, pay-TV providers are
rates. They will also provide a forum for more
patterns among digitally dominant multi-cultural
getting back to basics by prioritising broadband
personalised advertising that can help combat
audiences, as well as older audiences, will also
offerings that better serve their bottom line. In
the growing use of ad blocking, which according
drive more targeted offerings.
emerging markets, mobile broadband will be key
to eMarketer still sees the highest rates in Europe.
to continued video expansion.
Industry
The use of connected streaming devices
It’s clear that the most successful broadcast companies this year will embrace OTT and
Pay-TV providers and networks are fighting for
will expand, with exclusive content deals to
remain focused on the place where audiences,
their future amidst the rise of OTT and consumer
differentiate services. Producers like BT will drive
content, technology and data intersect. n
54 TVBE feb16 TVBEverywhere_final.indd 32
25/01/2016 17:08
N O M M O C N ORE I
M
better! e h t r o f , s s e r your busin o f , u o y r o f , s ur day ISE 2016 – Fo
ISE
ISE is the only exhibition that breaks down the traditional technological and business boundaries that covers the Broadcast, Pro Audio and AV markets. It features over 1,000 leading manufactures and service companies – all under one roof.
Find out more and register: www.iseurope.org ISE is a joint venture partnership of
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