TVBE February 2014 digital edition

BVE2014 Preview:

What’s next for Britain’s big show? www.tvbeurope.com

Europe’s Television Technology Business Magazine

February 2014

FIFA World Cup: the plan for Brazil

DPA: Building a better microphone

Special Focus: Cloud for Broadcast and the IP Future

TVBEurope 3

February 2014 www.tvbeurope.com

News & Contents

Belden to acquire Grass Valley for $220 million The announcement comes at the same time as Belden reported fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2013 results

By Holly Ashford BELDEN HAS submitted a binding offer to purchase Grass Valley for $220 million. Belden intends to combine Grass Valley with Miranda, provider of hardware and software solutions for television broadcast, cable, satellite and IPTV. Grass Valley’s name will remain.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval in the US and elsewhere and to consultation with Grass Valley’s foreign labour works council,

after which Belden will enter into a definitive agreement. “We are extremely excited to have Grass Valley join the Belden family. By combining Grass Valley and Miranda, we will create the broadcast industry’s largest and most complete portfolio,� said John Stroup, president and CEO of Belden.

The announcement comes at the same time as Belden reported fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2013 results for the period ended 31 December

2013. Stroup commented: “Market demand appears to be stable in the majority of our end-markets. This in combination with the execution of our Market Delivery System should create the catalyst for organic growth and margin expansion. Even after completing the acquisition of Grass Valley, our funnel and balance sheet will remain strong. We are confident that these initiatives position us to perform well, and we remain comfortable with our previously

announced earnings outlook for 2014.�

Belden will continue to promote the Grass Valley brand under the leadership of Miranda President Marco Lopez. Belden believes that the ability to purchase an end-to-end solution from the combined businesses will reduce complexity and increase functionality, ease-ofsetup, and maintenance and operability. The company aims to provide access to the most comprehensive, innovative products in the broadcast infrastructure industry through one organisation. www.miranda.com www.grassvalley.com

ARRI taking orders for AMIRA

By Holly Ashford THE PRICING has been set for ARRI’s new documentary-style camera, AMIRA, and orders are now being taken. Prices for the camera and viewfinder start at ₏25,980 and a wide range of feature and accessory options are available. Temporary and permanent software upgrades allow owners to adapt AMIRA according to their changing professional needs.

AMIRA combines image quality and CFast 2.0 workflows with an ergonomic design suitable for the shoulder-mounted lone operating typical of ‘run and gun’ documentaries. There are three camera configurations to choose from, differentiated by their software feature-sets. Customers then select a lens mount, battery mount and bottom plate to

The AMIRA created a buzz at its IBC2013 debut

VB288 OBJECTIVE QoE CONTENT EXTRACTOR performs objective video and audio measurements of MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 streams and offers remote video-wall capability.

assemble a complete camera, with various options available for each. Any AMIRA camera can subsequently be upgraded with additional functionality by purchasing a license from the ARRI website.

The entry-point AMIRA camera set allows Rec 709 ProRes 422 recording up to 100fps. Next is the advanced set, a configuration that adds features such as Log C, ProRes 422 (HQ) at 200fps, in-camera grading and a pre-record function. The premium set incorporates features for highend productions, including ProRes 4444 and 2K up to 200fps, as well as limitless colour control on set and in post with custom 3D LUTs. Delivery of AMIRA cameras is due to start early in Q2 this year. www.arri.com

Contents 1-10 News & Analysis Tackling the World Cup Philip Stevens talks to FIFA about the current state of preparations for this year’s biggest sporting event, the World Cup 2014 in Brazil 10 12-20 The Workflow SDI vs IP: The fight is on Will low cost IP usurp SDI, or does coaxial still have a long life ahead of it? David Fox reports 14 News gathering goes mobile – and wearable Adrian Pennington examines the changing possibilities of news reportage, from cellular bonding backpacks to apps and smart glass 19 22-31 Second Screen Forum Philip Stevens poses questions about the “Second Screen�, a phenomenon that, for some, is becoming the First Screen 22 32-33 The Business Case Danish Perfect Audio Neal Romanek visits DPA Microphones’ HQ outside Copenhagen, and its factory in the Danish countryside 32 34-47 Cloud for Broadcast Cloud basics for broadcasters In the first of a two-part feature, Ian Fletcher, Grass Valley, takes the mystery out of cloud computing for broadcasters 34 Stephen Streater: Ahead in the cloud Forbidden Technologies’ CEO talks to Neal Romanek about the state of cloud production and its future 45 48-56 BVE Preview We showcase the products making an appearance at this month’s Broadcast Video Expo in London 48 58 News Review A pick of the most interesting stories and developments from the broadcast technology industry 58

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News & Analysis

EDITORIAL Acting Editor Neal Romanek neal.romanek@intentmedia.co.uk

Netflix uses advances in Dolby Vision

By Holly Ashford DOLBY LABORATORIES has introduced new Dolby Vision imaging technology that aims to help deliver true-to-life brightness, colours, and contrast by augmenting the fidelity of Ultra HD and HD video signals for OTT online streaming, broadcast, and gaming applications. Netflix are among the partners “excited to take advantage of advances in picture quality throughout the delivery pipeline, from developing new programming to helping partners create consumer products that display it in stunning richness,” said Neil Hunt, chief product officer, Netflix.

“By dramatically enhancing picture quality, Dolby Vision

Dolby Vision will augment image fidelity for HD and Ultra HD video signals will drive adoption of UHD 4K displays with a winning combination of more and better pixels,” commented Hao E, vice president, TCL Corporation, and CEO, TCL Multimedia.

Most TV shows and movies are recorded using camera technology that captures the colours and brightness of real life, though much of this richness is lost by the time consumers get to watch. Dolby

Imagineer and CoreMelt release TrackX plug-in

By Holly Ashford THE LATEST Apple Final Cut Pro X (FCP X) plug-in from Imagineer Systems and CoreMelt has been launched. TrackX uses Planar Tracking technology to track camera motion, objects and people for visual effects and screen composites. The plug-in is the newest offering from the partnership between Imagineer Systems, creator of Planar Tracking technology and CoreMelt, provider of video plug-in effects.

TrackX powered by mocha can be used for creating realistic screen inserts, set extensions and sky replacements, and lets FCP X editors track and replace objects within a video, as well as add graphics and text, including lower-thirds, to follow objects in motion. Its customisable parameters provide FCP X editors with controls to fine-tune translation, scale, rotation and perspective motion of text and video.

“We’re excited to be able to take Imagineer’s leading mocha technology and make it available in such an affordable and easy-to-use package,” commented Roger Bolton, CoreMelt founder and director.

“CoreMelt is all about finding ways to bring highend, complex tools to as many people as possible.

With TrackX powered by mocha, editors can now directly accomplish many tracking tasks that would have otherwise involved jumping into complex compositing software.”

TrackX powered by mocha features three plug-ins: Simple Tracker, which offers instant tracking for quick floating lower thirds or graphics following a person or object; Track Layer, providing advanced tracking with perspective shifts, surface mapping and masking capabilities; and Track Text, which includes a text generator that can track perspective and masking capabilities. www.coremelt.com www.imagineersystems.com

Vision aims to change this by allowing creative teams to use the full gamut of colours, peak brightness, and local contrast.

Dolby Vision works as a solution from content creation to distribution and playback, and is receiving support from Hollywood directors, studio executives, TV manufacturers, and operators worldwide. Partners for movies and television shows in Dolby

Vision are currently expected to include Microsoft Xbox Video, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, and VUDU. “Dolby Vision is an exciting step forward in delivering much more compelling and realistic video, and we’re excited by the possibility of bringing this technology to Amazon customers,” said Jim Freeman, vice president of Digital Video, Amazon. “There is still work to be done to bring together the right mix of hardware, content, and streaming technology, and we look forward to working with great partners like Dolby to make that happen. Together, we will aim to give customers the highest-fidelity movie and TV experience possible.” www.dolby.com

Sony pay-as-you-go licenses for HDC Series

By Holly Ashford PAY-AS-YOU-GO software licensing agreements for the HDC Series cameras are now available from Sony, aiming to offer Live Production users greater flexibility and cost savings.

The new licensing agreements will enable Sony’s Live Production customers to purchase temporary licenses for enabling 50P, 24-25Psf, 2x Slowmotion frame rates and RGB 4:4:4 + User Gamma, reducing the level of investment required at the outset.

Until now, HDC Series camera users were required to buy long-term software licenses for shooting in different formats.

This saw many users tied to longlasting agreements and acted as a barrier to the adoption of varied formats. The new licensing model will allow users to purchase short term license keys that will enable them to switch between formats.

The three new agreements for the HDC- 1700, HDC-2400, HDC-2400DF and HDC-2570 cover varying time frames: permanent, 30 days and seven days, allowing producers to purchase the specific licenses for individual productions.

Staff Writer Holly Ashford holly.ashford@intentmedia.co.uk Managing Editor Joanne Ruddock jo.ruddock@intentmedia.co.uk Intent Media London, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England +44 207 354 6002 Editorial Consultant Adrian Pennington Associate Editor David Fox USA Correspondent Carolyn Giardina Contributors Mike Clark, David Davies, Richard Dean, Chris Forrester, Mark Hill, Dick Hobbs, John Ive, George Jarrett, Heather McLean, Bob Pank, Nick Radlo, Philip Stevens, Reinhard E Wagner Digital Content Manager Tim Frost Office Manager Lianne Davey Head of Design & Production Adam Butler Editorial Production Manager Dawn Boultwood Senior Production Executive Alistair Taylor Publisher Steve Connolly steve.connolly@intentmedia.co.uk +44 207 354 6000 Sales Manager Ben Ewles ben.ewles@intentmedia.co.uk +44 207 354 6000 Sales Executive Richard Carr richard.carr@intentmedia.co.uk +44 207 354 6000 Managing Director Stuart Dinsey US SALES Michael Mitchell Broadcast Media International, PO Box 44, Greenlawn, New York, NY 11740 mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv +1 (631) 673 0072 JAPAN AND KOREA SALES Sho Harihara Sales & Project, Yukari Media Incorporated sho@yukarimedia.com +81 6 4790 2222 Fax: +81 6 4793 0800 CIRCULATION Intent Media, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough LE16 9EF, UK

Until now, HDC Series camera users were required to buy long-term software licenses “The introduction of pay-asyou-go software licensing for the HDC Series is all about offering users greater flexibility,” said Norbert Paquet, product marketing manager, Sony Europe. “We recognised that customers have varied needs and often want to be able to switch easily between formats, without incurring significant costs.

Furthermore this licensing model will reduce the level of investment at the outset and change the way that licensing costs impact the balance sheet.

They free up money to be spent in other areas and mean that customers can be ready for anything without it costing them the earth.” www.pro.sony.eu

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“Consumers have been trained to see TV quality in terms of one number. But what the industry needs to do is educate buyers on the benefits beyond resolution” — Scott Mirer, Netflix

News

CES 2014: Image is everything Enhanced ultra-high definition, wide curves, and a wearable experience — Adrian Pennington reviews last month’s consumer technology tradeshow, CES MUCH OF the recent debate surrounding Ultra HD has centred on the need for richer pixels, the argument being that consumers can’t see much difference in an HD versus 4K picture based on resolution alone. Add in greater colour range, higher speed and, crucially, higher brightness and you have a sufficiently compelling new viewing experience that may sustain interest longer than stereo 3D. While the Rec. 2020 standard in the ITU’s UHD specs defines a variety of parameters including 10-12 bit depth, these have been largely sidelined in the distribution and display chain in favour of resolution.

At CES, several solutions emerged to enhance the base UHD spec from post to display with higher dynamic range to the fore. Dolby Vision retrieves all the extra information — details in shadow and highlights — already captured by high-end cameras like Red Epic and Sony F55 and makes it available to view. It has the backing of Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Vudu. Broadcasters HBO and BSkyB are hinted to also show support.

Dolby showed side-by-side comparisons of Sony Pictures’ Oblivion on its own $40,000 PRM4200 reference grade monitor, and a prototype reference monitor showing the effect of Dolby Vision on the clips. Even though both models featured the same 2K panel, the Dolby Vision monitor had an increased backlight with about four times more LEDs (reaching 4000nits) and showed images visibly more luminant and crisper to the eye.

Current UHD TVs have a brightness limited to just 100nits.

Technicolor is also pursuing HDR image enhancements and plans to propose its concept to MPEG in hopes of including it in the HEVC compression scheme for streaming 4K content. Like Dolby it is also developing HDR tools for grading and mastering.

Although the very latest UHD sets include the HEVC codecs necessary to display this enhanced 4K, there is a problem. Speaking on a panel I moderated at CES, Scott Mirer, director of partner services, Netflix asserted that consumers have been trained to see television quality in terms of one number. But what the industry needs to do, Mirer said, is educate buyers on the benefits beyond resolution.

Even when HD images are presented in HDR the results are superior to current HD and arguably better than a resolutiononly version at 4K. NAB will likely feature an array of post technologies designed to augment the 4K picture with greater luminance.

Both Samsung and LG showed screens which will move from flat to concave with the press of a button. Samsung’s used LED, LG’s was OLED. Marketers claim that the curved field of view

This year’s CES featured 4K, autostereo, and wearable tech

Samsung unveiled the world’s largest curved-screen 21:9 UHD TV delivers an increased peripheral vision and thus a more cinematic experience. Several of the top of the range sets also came with a 21:9 aspect ratio, approximating CinemaScope, and offering even more of a movie theatre-style presentation for films.

Philadelphia’s Stream TV Networks has an ‘Intel Inside’ model, licencing its technology to Konka, Haier, Marvel Digital and — showing behind closed doors at CES — LG. These are 4K screens, some with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor inside, which will be priced between $1200 and $4000 which is midrange for 2D 4K panels. “Glasses-free 3D will have no premium,” said Mathu Rajan, CEO of Stream TV Networks, “2014 is the breakthrough year for autostereo. We’ve spent a lot of capital over the last four years perfecting it.”

“2014 is the breakthrough year for autostereo. We’ve spent a lot of capital over the last four years perfecting it” Mathu Rajan, CEO Stream Networks The latest crop of UHD TVs share some interesting characteristics. By supporting HEVC, the models will enable OTT services from Netflix, M-Go, Sony and others to come on stream this year (Netflix switches on its 4K option this month).

New flexible substrates have made curved panels possible.

Samsung unveiled the world’s largest curved-screen 21:9 UHD TV, measuring 105 inches (and selling for $70k), and Sony debuted a 4K laser projector that could turn your living room wall into a screen. The Sony unit can be placed inches from a bare wall and an image 147 inches diagonal is ‘thrown’ directly above it. At $50k, it’s not aimed at the mass market, unlike Polaroid’s and Vizio’s sub-$1000 screens.

Autostereo bubbles under the surface

Sony’s 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector – for the dog who has everything

The 2014 UHD TV series come with stereo 3D under the hood, but the real advances in 3D are being made by specialist autostereoscopic developers.

Florida’s Izon said it would manufacture its own glasses-free screens by end of the year and

Given the current lack of 3D content, what will people watch on their glasses-free screens?

Stream TV’s answer is to work with broadcasters and sports franchises to produce events optimised for its technology. The NBA, NFL, FIFA World Cup, BT Sport and BSkyB are targets for this ambitious company.

Dolby is the other main player in this space with its own production to screen autostereo pipeline.

The Cameron Pace Group are capturing metadata for Dolby on the set of the Avatar sequels, which will be fed into future display of the films on autostereo displays.

Wearables to replace smartphones?

“The wearable market is set to explode,” declared Shawn DuBravac, chief economist, CEA.

In part this is due to saturation of smartphones and tablets which provide the hub displays for connected services linked to health and fitness wrist-worn sensors.

In part due to a revolution in MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems). These tiny sensors enable motion to be translated into digital information while miniature microphones improve speech recognition accuracy.

David Schie, CEO, Linear Dimensions Semiconductor suggested that smartphones will eventually disappear, their functions replaced by wearables.

“Passwords don’t need to be typed if the devices are on your body,” he said. Battery life, computing power and form factors are other limiting factors.

“Now we are taking technology and putting it onto our body, we must ask how we can use the body as the interface for connecting to a larger network of things,” said Jennifer Darmour, design director of fashion designer, Artefact.

Wearables “is a very nascent market, still looking for a killer app,” observed DuBravac. In terms of entertainment, smart glass has clear uses in sports training and also fan experience within stadia. Epson has its eye on that market, as does Sony which intends to take its Smart Eyeglass out of the labs and into sports grounds.

The CES demo of Smart featured video of a Confederations Cup match in which viewers wearing glass could see stats on players appear on holographic strips embedded in the lens. A second iteration of the product will feature a camera and the ability for users to share video, a function Sony is calling Social Live.

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People on the move

By Holly Ashford

Rohde & Schwarz finance director now new CEO

BBC S&PP appoints new commercial manager Meryl McLaren has been appointed commercial manager at BBC Studios and Post Production, the Corporation’s commercial facilities company.

McLaren has been promoted from her role as lead account manager, where she worked on the delivery of primetime shows like Strictly Come Dancing and Children in Need.

“We’re delighted to announce

Francis Lea, Phil Waters, Nick Petty, Peter Timmons, Broadcast Networks Avid has announced two new appointments to its senior management team. Rick Lowensteinhas joined Avid as SVP of customer success and professional services, while Mitch Weaver joins as VP of software development. Lowenstein brings more than 18 years of senior management experience in, and 34 years’ experience in leading technical operations.

Broadcast Networks has added five key members to its technical team.

Peter Timmons, Francis Lea, Ben

Meryl is taking on the Commercial Manager role,” said John O’Callaghan, head of studios and post production services at BBC S&PP. “She has a strong track record in winning new business and successfully overseeing the commercial delivery of high profile shows, backed up by lots of relevant industry experience and contacts.”

Andreas Loges, former finance director of Rohde & Schwarz DVS, became the CEO of the company at the end of last year. DVS was founded in 1985 and in 2010 the firm's owners decided to integrate it into the Munich-based Rohde & Schwarz group of companies. “Andreas Loges personifies the successful further development of DVS within the Rohde & Schwarz group,” commented Juergen Nies, head of the broadcasting Andreas Loges, division at Rohde & Schwarz.

Rohde & Schwarz DVS

Meryl McLaren, BBC S&PP

Alvin Taveras,

Barry Revels,

Graham Taylor,

Xavier Llobera,

Rick Lowenstein,

Mitch Weaver,

Ray Bragg

Sally Wallington,

IMT

LSB Broadcast

Wohler

Wuaki.tv

Avid

Avid

IPE

Grass Valley

Curtis, Nick Petty and Philip Walters have joined the company from Sony Professional Solutions Europe Mike Grieve has joined Clearleap as director of sales, EMEA, while Ola Bergvall has been appointed programme director, EMEA. Grieve joins Clearleap from international broadcast systems integrator TSL. Bergvall joins from TeliaSonera Group.

Dolby Laboratories has announced that Curt Behlmer is joining Dolby as

senior vice president of content solutions and industry relations. Behlmer is a 30-year veteran of the motion picture industry and recently served as CTO of entertainment services at Technicolor.

Oliver Au has been hired as regional sales manager for GB Labs. He previously worked at fibre storage specialist Bright Technologies and the German post systems reseller Dreamwalks. “Oliver brings a great depth of knowledge to the company; his understanding of the needs

of broadcast and post production markets will be a great asset to GB Labs,” said Ben Pearce, sales and marketing director, GB Labs.

Grass Valley has announced the appointment of Sally Wallingtonas regional director, Northern Europe. The company has also recently appointed Vincent Eade as sales manager, Northern Europe.

Alvin Taveras has been named as the new business development manager, sports and entertainment,

for Integrated Microwave Technologies (IMT).

IPE has announced Ray Bragg as its new director. Bragg has previously worked with the BBC in London, Wales and Bristol, and Central Television in Birmingham.

He then set up his own company providing Broadcast Systems and Project Management Consultancy to a range of blue chip clients.

LSB Broadcast Technologies has expanded its European presence with new representation in the UK. Barry Revels will be responsible for all LSB business in the UK and will be based at the company’s new office in Northumberland.

The existing management of the newly formed Megahertz Ltd will be based in the UK under the leadership of MD Jon Flay. The company will be bolstered by the appointment of Igor Orlov as managing partner, charged with the expansion of the Megahertz brand in the CIS region.

PlayBox Technology has expanded its sales management team with the appointments of Phillip Neighbour and Maurice de Jonghe, based at the company's premises in Hatfield.

Graham Taylorhas joined Wohler as EMEA sales director for the company’s monitoring product line.

Streaming service Wuaki.tv, has announced the appointment of Xavier Llobera as new partnerships and devices director.

Llobera will continue to expand the streaming service’s availability on a range of devices, secure new business partnerships, and manage existing relationships.

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News & Analysis

Instead of using OB trucks — of which there are only a limited number in Brazil — pre-assembled container kits will be utilised.

In all, there are plans for a total 340 HD cameras to be used

Tackling the World Cup South America’s biggest country will host this year’s biggest sporting event. Philip Stevens talks to FIFA about the current state of preparations for World Cup 2014 in Brazil ALONGSIDE THE Olympic Games and the Winter Olympics, football’s FIFA World Cup is ranked among the most widely viewed global sporting events.

When South Africa hosted the 2010 event, coverage was sent to 204 countries on 245 different channels. There is no question that the World Cup is big business for the broadcast industry. In fact, it occupies a great deal of FIFA’s time in the period between tournaments.

“We started planning for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil even before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa had started,” reveals Niclas Ericson, director of FIFA TV. “A total of 12 stadia are involved, and there are always challenges in organising television coverage of the world’s largest event, but we are solving them one by one and in good time. There are logistical challenges simply through the sheer size of the host nation, but we have the utmost confidence that all the relevant organisations are up to the task.

We are sure everything will be ready well in advance of the tournament, so that fans around the world receive the very best in match coverage of the World Cup. An extremely useful ‘dress rehearsal’ in the shape of the Confederations Cup, which was held in Brazil in June 2013, enabled organisers to anticipate any problems that might occur during the World Cup. “We learned from the set-ups and operations at venues during the Confederations Cup and that has enabled us to transfer a great deal of knowledge to the Local Organising Committee and stadia operators about the FIFA set-up,” states Ericson.

Ericson: “We have 34 cameras at each venue Photo © FIFA

Niclas Ericson, director of FIFA TV

Service provider FIFA is using its own service provider, Host Broadcasting Services (HBS), to manage the process of securing the right facilities, equipment, links, communications and personnel.

“Our collective expertise means we can deliver the best services for broadcasters during the tournament.

We also operate a Host Broadcaster Co-ordination Committee, which is chaired by FIFA.” Ericson explains that FIFA TV liaises with international

broadcasters through three channels — FIFA team members, FIFA Broadcaster Services for day-to-day issues and through HBS. The International Broadcasting Centre (IBC) will be sited at the Riocentro — an exhibition and convention centre located in Rio de Janeiro. This venue will also help broadcasters in their plans for the 2016 Olympics and Paralympic Games, as four of its pavilions will play host to Olympic events.

“From the IBC, we will provide broadcasters with facilities and services for their coverage of the football, as well as day-to-day assistance and a multi-feed of content. Our aim is to bring the magic and passion of the World Cup and Brazil to fans across the world.”

Continuing relationship Sony had been appointed as the contractor responsible for the delivery of all outside broadcast.

It will work with third-party companies such as Lawo/ABS for

the audio mixing consoles, Riedel for intercom solutions, EVS for the multi-media servers and Gearhouse Broadcast for the television operating centres.

“We are building on the successful partnership we had with Sony for the 2010 FIFA World Cup 3D experience in South Africa. The World Cup is unequalled as a live broadcasting event and we know we have a partner we can trust to deliver.”

Instead of using OB trucks — of which there are only a limited number in Brazil — pre-assembled container kits will be used. In all, there are plans for a total 340 HD cameras to be used, of which 72 will be SuperMotions.

“We will have 34 cameras at each venue to ensure every moment of drama and every emotion is captured and available for fans across the world,” says Ericson. “In addition, we will be covering the final match in 4K. He goes on, “We have planned for extra camera positions at the venues, sourced additional

equipment and teams, developed rights arrangements and worked to provide the correct distribution.”

Stand up positions and studios will also be provided at each venue for Rights Holders to provide their own presentation and interview opportunities. It is still to be determined whether or not any transmissions will be in 3D. For those interested in other numbers, a total of 48 vision switchers and 816 monitors will be used.

In all, around 3000 broadcasting staff will be involved in coverage of the tournament. “We have selected eight of the very best directors in the world of live football match coverage for FIFA’s ‘dream team’.

They are Jean Jacques Amsellem, Francois Lanaud, Knut Fleischmann, Wolfgang Straub, Thomas Sohns, Jamie Oakford, John Watts and Grant Philips.

Second screen, too FIFA will also be offering what is describes as ‘an exciting range of second screen applications and services, with multi-camera angles for fans and a dazzling array of content for tablets, mobile phones and desktops.’

“This will be the first truly multimedia FIFA World Cup, states Ericson. “We will provide produced content for broadcasters that require it and extra feeds for broadcasters who wish to enhance their own productions.”

“It will be a milestone event for multimedia coverage and integration of social media of a sporting event, fully embracing all the potential and power of the latest platforms. ” www.evs.com www.fifa.com www.gearhousebroadcast.com www.hbs.tv www.lawo.de www.pro.sony.com www.riedel.net

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The Workflow John Halksworth, Adder Technology

Controlling the workflow with IP-based KVM

By John Halksworth, senior product manager, Adder Technology AS TECHNOLOGY evolves there is a continued drive for more — more efficiency, more functionality, more flexibility — and all at a lower cost. This is particularly true as technology and its users move towards enhanced connectivity for devices, systems and machines. Traditionally the

is characterised by efficiency, reliability, cost-effectiveness and the ubiquitous nature of IP itself. In the broadcast environment, IP is being used in a number of applications, however it is not yet being employed as the standard transport layer throughout.

KVM transforms a single screen into a portal for several computers — none of which need to be in the same physical location as the screen and input device.

IP-based KVM allows operators to move computers into another room, and enables them to operate these machines via a keyboard,

“IP-based KVM technology makes use of high spec, off-the-shelf devices that can be easily obtained and are inexpensive” broadcast control room has been dominated by proprietary, bespoke technology solutions, but that is changing as the industry adopts a more integrated approach.

This increased connectivity is made possible through the use of a standard IP network, which

KVM in the control room One of the biggest trends in he gallery at the moment is consolidation.

The main area where IP-asstandard is making its mark is KVM (keyboard, video and mouse). Essentially, IP-based

monitor and mouse. Operators can log into any machine and perform a functions from anywhere.

Staff efficiency Not only does the control room environment become more flexible, but more space is made available,

less heat and noise produced, and less air conditioning needed. Fewer staff members can perform the same amount of work. Through the use of extension technology, USB and video signals can be delivered to the user. Multiple machines can thus be controlled by one person or several people in different locations.

In addition, two operators can view the same content on different screens. While one user can work on the content and have control, the other can view it in real time.

Scalability From an IP-based KVM perspective, scalability is relatively simple. All that is needed is the addition of end points to the system. This can be done by normal IT staff as no specialist expertise is required. This differs

greatly from bespoke technology where the cost of increasing the system by just one end point is significant and requires the addition of equipment installed by engineers.

From a KVM point of view, failures can occur at the workstation, on the computer or on an individual node of the system. But if one of these areas falls over, there is little to no effect on the other areas and individual components can be replaced quickly and easily.

As control rooms move towards larger, more centralised environments, the need for efficiency and reliability in these mission critical hubs has never been more important.

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While SDI technology reaches its limits around 4K, IP has shown that one standard can be used to move signals from a few kbps to 10G with the new 40G and 100G interfaces

The Workflow

IP networks best serve broadcasters now and into future Moreover IP lends itself to today’s highly connected world where revenue opportunities will be increasingly driven by content delivery to connected/second screens such as tablets, laptops and mobile phones.

By Thomas Heinzer, strategic projects, Nevion WHILE industries such as banking and telecommunications have long relied on IP networks to transport data within their organisations, the professional broadcast industry has been far less trusting of the technology. Longstanding fears such as a lack of control and end-to-end quality, coupled with concerns about security have meant that some broadcasters have preferred to work around their existing coaxialbased SDI networks. However, the drive to cut costs, deliver more and varying types of content, coupled with bandwidth concerns are pushing even skeptics to embrace IP infrastructures.

The reality is that tremendous technology advancements have gone a long way toward eliminating concerns over quality and control. Adopting proven IT practices and deploying IP technologies are proving to be the best route to long-term success and future revenue opportunities.

While IP’s packetised structure was originally designed as a best-effort transport, it can be enhanced with new technologies, such as the implementation of security measures and management and control systems built on top of the IP network for end-to-end quality and uptimes. Further, IP infrastructure technologies enable dynamic, realtime transport of professional audio and images. While SDI technology reaches its limits around 4K, IP has shown that one standard can be used to move signals from just a few Kbit/s to 10G and even higher with the new 40G and 100G

interfaces now available. However, due to the complexity of both what is being transported, and the network that is transporting it, it is vital to ensure that the infrastructure is carefully designed so that it is flexible enough to overcome the inevitable pitfalls.

More functionality, better protection A considerable share of IP solutions in the professional video realm consists of simple networks such as studio-totransmitter links. IP’s technology allows easy and reliable connections, and when combined with Ethernet, is a universal

transport with the ability to control service quality and manage the content workflow along every step of the chain.

This type of technology increases the availability of media networks over IP, delivering quality, flexibility and end-toend video stream protection, while solving the uncertainty of IP networks’ lack of guaranteed quality, uptime, latency and packet loss. Protection schemes include Forward Error Correction (FEC) according to SMPTE 2022-1 for transport streaming, as well as diverse path routing and protection switching, and encoder protection provide the highest possible QoS and

A case for education

Heinzer: “If there’s any moral to the story of rising IP adoption, it’s that broadcasters must have basic knowledge of how IP networks function”

“IP’s technology allows easy and reliable connections, and when combined with Ethernet, is a universal solution for very small systems to large, complex networks” solution for very small systems to large, complex networks. IP networks are scalable, cost-effective, inherently flexible and available at a range of bandwidths, including 10Mbps, 100Mbps, 1Gbps and 10Gbps. Yet, in the broadcast world, IT/IP processes/signal transport must be highly protected and securely managed.

The newest technologies, such as the universal IP access module, integrate signal transport, universal IP/IT switching, control and management from a unified interface, delivering on the early promise of efficient, low-cost

minimise the effects of random packet losses, burst packet losses, losses due to fast re-routes, and link failures that can be associated with IP video transport.

Of course, end-to-end network management is required to prevent overflow by securing sufficient capacity for the media and to support controlled re-routing.

Unleash the benefits The advantages of IP extend beyond operational expense (OPEX) and capital expense (CAPEX) savings.

Once broadcast services are managed within the IP domain, broadcasters can transform production, post production, contribution, and distribution of core professional video and audio assets. The ability to share these assets quickly and efficiently on a shared IP network infrastructure can unleash unprecedented collaboration, efficiency and agility throughout the entire broadcast value chain and enable the rapid introduction of new services, including HD video and content delivery over multiple platforms.

If there’s any moral to the story of rising IP adoption, it’s that broadcasters must have basic knowledge of how IP networks function, especially when securing bandwidth through service provider networks. Broadcasters need to understand how their needs fit with established IP service parameters and translate those needs into concrete SLAs to ensure the continued highquality service required by contribution video transport. As part of the broadcasting community, we need to ensure through careful monitoring and management that our IP networks provide the same level of guaranteed bandwidth that SDH and other legacy point-to-point connectivity provides — as well as the new benefits it brings.

It all starts with being educated and knowing what to look for and how to get it.

Economies of scale, built-in flexibility, lower network operating and capital costs, increased flexibility, and the ability to push more content/increased bandwidth are among IP’s most compelling benefits.

But perhaps even more significant is creating a reliable media network that can best serve broadcasters now and into the future. www.nevion.com

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The Workflow

SDI vs. IP: The fight is on IP is low cost and widely available, but how suitable is it for live video links? Will it usurp SDI, or does coaxial still have a long life ahead of it? David Fox reports INTERNET protocol-based technology has been the future of broadcasting for years, but there have always been areas, particularly for live production, where specialist technology, such as SDI, has prevailed because nothing else could do the job so well. However, advances in IPbased systems could change that.

“SDI has been around a long time and is incredibly reliable, but it suffers with a lot of issues,” says Trevor Francis, Quantel’s director of Broadcast.

“It’s very much a point-to-point system, doesn’t have a metadata payload and is half duplex (either one way or the other).

It also relies on a lot of legacy hardware, such as routers.”

He believes that the move to SDI over IP is “logical and probably inevitable,” and it will mean that “instead of having to have physical infrastructure for SDI, we can build virtual systems that can link anywhere to anywhere, on demand.”

“There is a tendency in the industry to converge all

Open network: Axon’s OB van used its Neuron AVB/Ethernet system networks into one technology, and the obvious one is IP/Ethernet,” says Lieven Vermaele, CEO of SDNsquare.

However the enterprise IP network, storage network, filebased media production network and SDI network each have different requirements and characteristics. To replace them with an all-encompassing IP/Ethernet network its key

characteristics would have to be predictability and reliability. With these in place, “which is possible, IP is suitable for replacing SDI and for live video links, and this in a format independent way,” he adds.

“The real savings for productions result from harnessing the flexibility and productivity of IP workflows says Mark Scott-South, director business development and

co-founder of L2tek — licensees for the BBC Stagebox IP and responsible for developing the product and the market.

Although IP connections are often used for live video links, he admits there is still “a problem with accessing high-speed, wellmanaged QoS networks at the right price, and we don’t necessarily need to shoehorn IP into every point-to-point link where SDI is still the technology for the job.”

While IP wasn’t originally designed to deliver realtime packets, “if you implement the necessary tools such as forward error correction and variable bitrate encoding in the transmission, IP can easily handle live video,” says Paul Shen, CEO of TVU Networks.

Its cellular ENG transmitters already deliver broadcastquality HD video today with sub-second latency — even over unconditioned and less stable 3G and 4G networks.

“IP is not only low cost and widely available, but it has also reduced the cost of technology

development due to the fact that it shields developers from designing for the physical layer.

Depending on the application and environment, it is possible to transmit live video over IP in a predictable and reliable environment with low latency,” insists Shen.

“It is a myth that IP means higher latency or lower reliability,” agrees Jan Weigner, MD and co-founder of Cinegy. “The major part of live signals on TV today are transmitted via MPLS [Multi Protocol Label Switching] or other IP connections already.”

Nevion has supplied IP-based live video connectivity to many major live events over recent years, and Thomas Heinzer, Strategic Projects, Nevion, says its “IP codec technology allows the realtime transport of huge volumes of video, audio, communications and other data in a 100% secured way over generic IP infrastructure.”

“Our experience working with IP-based video and control solutions demonstrates the robust nature of IP on a daily basis,” says Jamie Shepperd, group marketing manager at Adder Technology.

“Our technology delivers lossless dual-head or dual-link video across gigabit IP without latency, drop out or stutter.”

Adder recently commissioned a survey to find out how IP might be used in post. Some 38% of respondents currently use standard IP infrastructure to manage workflows, 29% use a combination of IP and proprietary technologies and just 13% use only bespoke.

For those who have not made a full or partial move to an IP-based approach, the key concerns identified were the cost of upgrading facilities (38%) and bandwidth limitations (35%).

So predictable “Standard IT networks are not really suitable for transporting broadcast quality realtime video (and audio) as these networks lack mechanisms for synchronisation/timing and offer insufficient quality of service argues Jan Eveleens, CEO, Axon Digital Design.

To make IP networks and data flows fully reliable and predictable requires: end-to-end QoS, guaranteed high bandwidth utilisation, intelligent load balancing over all possible paths, scalability to a high number of flows avoiding any mutual

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IP is not only low cost and widely available, but it has also reduced the cost of technology development due to the fact that it shields developers from designing for the physical layer

Weigner: “4K is the defining point in time where SDI failed to deliver and IP did”

Scott-South: “We don’t need to shoehorn IP into every point-topoint link”

interference between these flows, and low (predictable) latency and jitter, adds Vermaele.

However, “most IP/Ethernet networks fall short of these requirements” offering only best-effort QoS. “The benefits of IP are well documented, including the fact that it is everywhere. But it does have limitations, which make its

“IP can be completely reliable and predictable in a controlled environment,” says Shen.

“However, when IP is in a public environment such as the internet, there will always be some kind of unpredictability. In a video-overIP environment, compression, packet loss, and packet jitter can magnify its impact on picture. As a result, a number of technologies

Heinzer: “IP has limitations that “ make its use for high-quality live-content a challenge” very unreliable 3G/4G links or the public internet.

“The key to success when using IP networks is to plan ahead and test out your connections, especially when you plan to load the system with heavy data traffic and you’re routing through multiple switches,” says Scott-South. “For good quality video links, it’s not

“It is a myth that IP means higher latency or lower reliability” Jan Weigner, Cinegy use for high-quality live-content a challenge,” agrees Heinzer.

“IP networks can be much more reliable than SDI networks especially when it comes to seamless failover. You just need the right stuff - the right switches, proper cabling and of course the right architecture to start with. The new SDN products help,” says Weigner.

such as error correction are often used to minimise the impact of the interference.”

To combat interference, TVU uses variable bitrate encoding, so that the transmission continues when network throughput fluctuates, together with forward error correction allowing live HD to be transmitted reliably, even over

just a case of turning up and plugging into the nearest Ethernet port, at least not yet.

As part of its first RevolutionQ project, Quantel is now working with video over IP, taking delivery of signals that arrive as RTP streams. Although the signal will typically be transmitted over IP compressed (at 10, 15 or 20Mbps), the first thing the central server

The Workflow

Shen: “IP can be completely reliable and predictable in a controlled environment”

Francis: “SDI is incredibly reliable, but it suffers with a lot of issues”

will do is to convert it to 100Mbps AVC-Intra, which considerably increases the data storage needed.

If we can store the files as transmitted over IP and then only convert the finished result to a more traditional broadcast file format, it is much more efficient.

Particularly as news, for example, only uses 1% or less of the original media,” says Francis.

other broadcast signals over IP, and 2022 “scales nicely for both compressed and uncompressed broadcast signals and makes use of generic IP infrastructure in the core networks,” responds Heinzer. “SMPTE 2022-based equipment has proven its reliability for live broadcast signals over wide area networks, thus enabling improved workflow and cost efficiency for live productions. SMPTE 2022encapsulated video, audio and data can be used in the broadcast facility and for any type of live content exchange network.

“In comparison, AVB is designed for the local area or facility only, does not support any options for compression and demands specialised Ethernet infrastructure,” argues Heinzer.

“In order to transport AVB mapped content over IP networks, converters from AVB to IP are necessary, which represents a huge disadvantage

Standard deviation “Audio/Video Bridging (AVB) is currently the best (only) way to reliably transport realtime, uncompressed audio and video across Ethernet networks with very low latency (2ms network latency),” claims Eveleens.

“It provides synchronisation, bandwidth management/ protection and traffic shaping (and some more) and has been standardised by the IEEE so is open for everybody to use.”

SMPTE’s 2022 range of standards can map video and

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The Stagebox Camera Back, developed by BBC R&D, allows the entire production process to go IP

on the way to an all-IP broadcast world.”

“AVB has promise, but due to the fact that it requires switches, network cards, etc, to understand, it will have a hard time finding adoption unless some giant like Intel or Apple pushes it,” states Weigner. “The various SMPTE 2022 standards work on standard Ethernet but are missing a trick on supported codecs or even stipulate uncompressed. In the age of HEVC that is unrealistic.

DVB or simple transport streams with any choice of codecs inside sounds like the winner to me and this is what we put our money on while keeping our options open to where the market is going.”

AVB is very restrictive in defining how to build a compliant network and in how streams and resources are reserved. “This reduces the efficiency and scalability of the infrastructure.

And it leaves the calculations and provisioning up to the end user, an almost impossible task in an environment with a lot of flexibility and many variable processes,” adds Vermaele.

“In terms of Clock synchronisation AVB is a restricted subset on the more general IEEE 1588, where it requires that every device in the network is compatible with the proposed protocol.” This restricts it to an AVB-compliant switch, which disqualifies 99% of current switches. He feels that AVB places too many restrictions on network design to make it a practical SDI replacement.

IEEE 802.1 (for such things as Time Sensitive Networking) is another standard for a controlled IP environment, while other techniques (such as the proprietary protocols developed for TVU Grid) can optimise live video transmissions over uncontrolled public internet.

strives to make up for network inadequacies, are still relevant.

However, IT teams have perfectly good protocols already in place and with the massive increase in network backbone capacity, many of the issues the broadcast standards are trying to address are no longer relevant.”

As far as QoS is concerned, “there is no such thing as a standard IP/Ethernet switch.

Which leads to the situation that mixing different types of network switches will always lead to non-guaranteed, lower or even uncontrolled/variable QoS,” says Vermaele. He maintains that the best response is to use Software Defined Network applications to deliver the end-to-end QoS needed for an SDI or live video

The Workflow point-to-point connection.

4K will provide a natural point for broadcasters to transition to a more flexible interface,” agrees Shen.

Research is underway to create a version of SDI that can carry UHD, “but it will be pushing the boundaries, cable length will definitely be a challenge and it will remain a very limited, circuit-switched, uni-directional, very industry-specific interface with a minimal cost erosion curve,” adds Eveleens.

However, Ethernet is moving towards 1Tbps in the next decade. “That is much more than SDI will ever be able to offer,” he adds. “With Ethernet technology becoming cheaper and faster every day and with the AVB

“In order to transport AVB mapped content over IP networks, converters from AVB to IP are necessary, which represents a huge disadvantage on the way to an all-IP Thomas Heinzer, Nevion broadcast world” There is also Stagebox, created by the BBC, to bring IP to the camera and, “where possible, staying in IP throughout the workflow, using standard network infrastructure, transport protocols and native codecs, to best make use of what is already available,” explains Scott-South. “AVB, which uses 10Gbps links to most closely replicate the characteristics of SDI, and SMPTE 2022, which

network replacement, but this will currently only work with certain 10/40Gbps IP switches.

Beyond HD Is the move to 4K the ideal junction to move to IP-based technology for shifting these large amounts of data around?

“SDI will be able to handle UHD. However, SDI remains a one way, single-purpose, and

standards in place, it is almost a no-brainer to make the step from SDI to IT networks now.”

Adder’s KVM products use standard 1Gb IP networks to carry lossless 2560x1600 resolutions at 60fps alongside audio, USB and RS232. “With 10Gb networks becoming commonplace, and 100Gb networks already beginning to appear, the mantra ‘never bet against bandwidth’ will

see IP networks happily carry 4K feeds and much more,” predicts Shepperd.

Cinegy demoed 4K over IP at IBC2013. “Our products can do that out of the box, today. 4K is the defining point in time where SDI failed to deliver and IP did — and does,” says Weigner.

“We need a solution that can cope with future developments in formats and with variable resource requirements,” says Vermaele. By introducing IP now, with a controlled QoS, he believes the SDN concept and the availability of 10/40 (and coming 100) Gbps IP/Ethernet switches, will allow formatindependent video networks.

“I do not believe that SDI is dead, but beyond HD perhaps it is time to consider fibre rather than cable,” states Scott-South.

“4K 60fps, which is surely the minimum acceptable specification for UHDTV, already requires 12Gbps bandwidth down a single link, and all indications are that we will move quickly to higher frame rates and resolutions.

Semtech, is already looking to 8K 120fps deep colour, requiring 48Gbps speed and is working with SMPTE to standardise that in SDI.” www.adder.com www.axon.tv www.cinegy.com www.l2tek.co.uk www.nevion.com www.quantel.com www.sdnsquare.com www.tvupack.com

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“You have to look at the story, the region and think about the routing, transmission and IP network. Different combinations of technology can make considerable savings”

The Workflow

News gathering goes mobile — and wearable From cellular bonded backpacks and smartphone apps to smart glass, the possibilities of news reportage are changing, writes Adrian Pennington WITHIN minutes of the Asiana Airlines flight 214 crash landing at San Francisco airport last July, survivors were tweeting commentary. They included Samsung EVP David Eun whose eye-witness testimony trended online and was picked up by news outlets worldwide. Imagine then, the news value if another passenger or passengers involved in a similar incident today could stream live pictures to websites while onboard?

The scenario is one of many that is intriguing news organisations as the era of wearable computing dawns.

Voice-activated, augmented eyewear loaded with HD cameras, microphones, displays and always-on WiFi, promise to make content creation and dissemination as easy as saying 'record a video.'

Broadcasters are already some way down this route with backpacks containing technology which bonds multiple cellular and wireless networks, an increasingly common element of the news gathering armoury.

“Broadcasters understand the use case around cellular uplink, often as a compliment to the OB van,” says Eric Chang, VP marketing, TVU Networks.

“In a breaking news situation where a van can't get through, the crew are able to pick up a pack and go to a certain location and still transmit.”

During the Occupy Oakland movement of 2011, journalists with TVU backpacks were able to follow police into the crowds where OB trucks had no sight lines.

“Journalists are able to gather new types of picture and new types of stories with this technology,” says Chang.

“Stormchasers, for example, are able to put a kit in a car and travel around capturing live footage of weather events in ways that were not possible previously. The kit has no complicated set-up so crews can get to a location and start shooting live immediately.”

network was virtually wiped out in certain areas. ITN teams used BGAN terminals “which have transformed foreign news by allowing us to widen our reach around the world in a much more cost effective manner than before,” says Smith.

Sky News’ head of technology, Steve Bennedik, however, says it's no longer acceptable to automatically send a BGAN because of the technology's expense. The organisation uses a variety of backpack technologies from Aviwest, LiveU and Dejero.

“You have to look at the story, the region and think about the routing, transmission and IP network,” he says. “Different combinations of technology can make considerable savings.”

On location in Nairobi recently, Sky sent Aviwest 3G mobile devices backed up with a KA satellite dish.

Smartphone streaming apps

LiveU’s LU-400 in action at the Berlin Marathon

Live U’s Smart Grip brings mobile transmisson to phones and tablets Al Jazeera used TVUPack to extend its live news gathering operations in locations throughout the Middle East, including the 2012 presidential election and recent civil unrest in Egypt. LiveU's technology will be used to cover the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia and the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The BBC made extensive use of Mobile Viewpoint's combination of embedded hardware encoder and off-theshelf USB 3G, 4G, CDMA2000 and Wimax modems to broadcast the Olympic 2012 torch relay.

But is BGAN best?

The momentum behind the technology is clear, however, if not quite ubiquitous yet.

“One issue with backpacks is the latency which makes a Q&A interview quite difficult.

Because it relies on the public network you never know at what point you may find the signal stopping,” says Malcolm Smith, head of newsgathering operations, ITN. “We run a bulletin-based news service and if the live element of a story can't be 100% relied upon, then it's too disruptive. A classic

installed at ITV’s regional bases and HQ on Grays Inn Road, providing downlink of signals and local IP connectivity. A SIS uBook system will dynamically allocate bandwidth between DVB and IP carriers, ensuring that the satellite capacity usage is maximised at all times.

“We will extend our network out in the field so journalists near a truck can connect to the newsroom as if they were back

All the leading bonded wireless uplink suppliers now offer phone apps which boost encoding quality and link feeds direct to the relevant news desk.

ITN uses Aspera, developers of a fast file transfer product and a mobile phone app from Streambox. LiveU offers LU-Smart, allowing customers to extend coverage using a smartphone or tablet.

Sky Asia correspondent Mark Stone has broadcast live with an iPhone outfitted with Dejero LIVE+ from a remote area of China. Sky's North of England reporter Nick Martin has also used the app when first to the scene of a breaking sports news story.

“We are encouraging our reporters to use smartphones where it makes sense, and will

“We are encouraging our reporters to use smartphones where it makes sense” Steve Bennedik, Sky News example is of the student marches round Trafalgar Square where we had a crew out with a backpack, they walk around the corner and bump into a Sky crew using similar kit and the signal falls apart.”

ITN's next generation of 18 SNG vehicles, provided by SIS Live, will feature a network connection as well as providing video back to ITN. On stream this year, the service will use SIS LIVE’s 8.1m Ka band antenna at its MediaCityUK teleport, with smaller Ka band antennas

at their desk,” says Smith.

Vendors of cellular bonding equipment make much of the idea that news crews can transmit from remote regions or conflict zones. LiveU says it is the only vendor providing a roaming solution which covers 250 countries with a global sim card or set of cards. “No matter where you are in the world you have coverage,” says Ronen Artman, VP marketing.

Yet in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Phillipines, the cell phone

kit out journalists with extra kit (professional mics, tripods and lens adaptors for iPhones),” says Bennedik. “The Dejero app is very easy to work and comes straight through to the Sky network operations centre in Osterley, not via YouTube or other public channels. We get it onto air immediately. It can be just 30 seconds of vision which a reporter can send in while they are waiting for a crew to arrive.”

Dejero's LIVE+ 20/20 transmitter was also key to Sky Sports News' live broadcast

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The Workflow Tim Pool: “With social media, people can chat with me while I'm broadcasting — and chat to one another, which is just as powerful”

are what they purport to be.

Using a Google+ group and an open Twitter account, Dublinbased Storyful is trying to build a crowdsourced 'open newsroom' that can help verify user-generated content in realtime during events like the war in Syria.

Get ready for Google Glass “Crew are able to pick up a pack and go to a certain location and still transmit” says Eric Chang, TVU Networks, of the TVUPack from all 92 of the UK’s Premier and football league clubs on 1 August 2013.

“The cost savings were huge,” reports Ian Brash, technical manager, Sky Sports News. “For the cost of hiring an SNG truck for a day, we were able to hire a complete suite of Dejero equipment for a whole week.”

He adds: “The 20/20 transmitters gave us flexibility that we just would not have had with a truck; for instance, we could send a transmitter on the back of a motor bike if we needed to. In Southampton we were able to go into the stadium and broadcast right from the pitch, where a truck would never be allowed.”

Dutch specialist Mobile Viewpoint uses a pair of Android-based smartphones to deliver live feeds from location.

“The 3G-S solution turns standard mobile devices into broadcast equipment and

enables cost-effective newsgathering,” says Michel Bais, CEO. By attaching inexpensive professional-quality camera lenses, such as the £180 54-75mm Sony QX10, users can turn their smartphone into a pseudo-DLSR. Other types of lens, such as the GoPano micro, can be attached to enable 180° or 360° panoramic video. This can then be unwrapped by special software, such as that developed

by Condition One, and translated back into a flat video image navigable by tablet users.

Other innovations include Switchcam software which stitches together video from multiple smartphones at an event, a concert for example, giving a low-budget and unique multicam coverage.

Associated Press deputy director of international video Mark Davies says user-generated coverage “is integral to covering

breaking news, particularly where access is restricted.”

AP partnered with Swedish video streaming outfit Bambuser a year ago to enable the agency to share UGC among the 700 TV networks it supplies. Users are able to opt in to having their footage picked up by AP and its associated news organisations, and the wire service will use its network of correspondents to vet any footage shot by citizen reporters.

While news organisations look to harvest the array of video perspectives they are wary of the minefield in verifying accuracy. In the aftermath of a plane crash into the Mekong river in October, video of a plane appeared on several international news wires.

Associated Press vetted the image and found it to be of a plane that had crashed in 2012.

The crucial next step is to verify that live video streams

Perhaps the technology with the most potential to upend the traditional means of newsgathering is net-connected spectacles. Google Glass wearers will be able to view news feeds (“glassware”) from EuroNews, CNN, The New York Times, Reuters and ABC News. Others, like ITN, have a watching brief.

Bennedik suggests that Sky reporters might find smart glass of benefit as a research tool on location, giving them the ability to query a fact or have updates fed to them while conducting or waiting to conduct interviews.

Tim Pool, who is now an online news producer for Vice Media, has used Google Glass to livestream protest coverage from Turkey and Cairo. "Some people have told me that it's like journalism video-gaming,” he told The Guardian. “With social media, people can chat with me while I'm broadcasting - and chat to one another, which is just as powerful."

Demonstrating the tech at IBC, Pool observed that journalists need to be more security-aware with new technologies. “A smartphone is like carrying a tracking device. Journalists must beware of protecting themselves and their sources.”

CNN has perhaps explored the technology with most vigour. Its citizen journalist service iReport offers Glasswearers the chance to shoot video or take a photo then upload it to iReport where a CNN editor will take a judgement on whether it supports the day's news agenda.

“The more perspectives and data we can get the better, in order to build a picture of an event from different angles,” Jeff Eddings, a director of Media Camp, Turner’s accelerator for media startups.

Wearables also help with the validation of news stories, he says, by transmitting metadata, such as GPS, time, and identity of the user for evaluation by the news organisation.

“Imagine what President Obama's inauguration would have been like from crowdsourced video rather than just the multi-camera set-up.

Imagine what a news event like the San Francisco plane crash would be like if reported live via Google Glass from someone onboard.”

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Second Screen Forum

Second Thoughts

In this month’s Forum, Philip Stevens poses questions about the “Second Screen”, a phenomenon that, for some viewers, is becoming the First Screen

SECOND SCREENS – whether tablet, smartphone or laptop – are becoming a way of life for many viewers. That increase in usage provides opportunities to add revenue streams, but also raises many questions. How will new technologies continue to disrupt current viewing models? What impact does the second screen have on traditional production workflows? What are people doing right – and wrong?

To discuss these issues, we have assembled a panel of those working on this new broadcast frontier. They are (in alphabetical order) Lindsey Clay, chief executive, Thinkbox;

Peter Cowley, CEO Spirit Digital Media; Rebecca Denton, head of interactive, Rockabox; Guido Dukker, owner/founder of Webrangers; David Flynn, chief creative officer, Endemol UK; Stephen Grant, director of online TV3 Group and head of ShowPal; Tom McDonnell, co-founder of Monterosa; Sonia Missul, marketing product manager OTT Solutions at Globecast; Steve Plunkett, CTO, Red Bee Media; Anthony Rose, co-founder and CTO, Zeebox; Dr. Andreas Schroeter, co-founder and COO, wywy and Alex Terpstra, CEO, Civolution.

What most excites you about second screen opportunities?

Clay: At Thinkbox we talk about multi-screening in terms of four key things it allows viewers to do: chat, play, discover and buy. Viewers have always done these things, but now they can do them instantly and have even deeper, more satisfying television experiences. The most exciting consequence – certainly the one advertisers are most

interested in — is that it has made TV the premiere realtime response generating medium, and moved TV closer to the point of purchase.

Cowley: Research has shown us for a few years that audiences are doing more than one thing at a time when they watch TV. What excites me about second screen opportunities is that both

Lindsey Clay, Thinkbox broadcasters and advertisers are beginning to understand this behaviour and are looking to create compelling content that will harness this activity.

Denton: The chance to interact in any way with the audience in realtime - to laugh, play and debate with them-is what drove me from

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Second Screen Forum broadcast to digital production in the first place. I am a TV fanatic first, and a producer second, so geeking out on my favourite subject through second screen interaction excites me.

Dukker: The opportunity mainly lies in the possibility to engage, be part of, exchange and interact. The second screen has the potential of becoming more important to advertisers than the first screen. With continuously increasing bandwidth speed, the functional possibilities to engage and interact while watching TV have substantially increased.

Flynn: Second screen offers the possibility of a much more active relationship with the fans of your show. Its one thing for a show to attract a passive viewing audience, but persuading your viewers to connect with your programme through second screen allows for a much higher level of engagement.

Grant: Broadcasters are generating significant amounts of online activity, but this is all going outside the broadcaster - to Twitter, Facebook, IMDB, etc.

Peter Cowley, Spirit Digital Media ShowPal allows a broadcaster to ‘repatriate’ some of this activity.

This means the broadcaster can better steer this online activity, gain the data and also has a new revenue stream. As a broadcaster this excites me more than programme apps or one of our shows trending on Twitter.

Missul: Simply put, second screen viewing of television has enhanced the viewer experience far beyond what linear channels

I don’t know who came up with the phrase ‘second screen’, but it’s always described a technical implementation rather than an experience. I prefer the term ‘participation TV’

Rebecca Denton, Rockabox can offer. At the end of the day, content is king, but experience is King Kong — that’s why second screen has immense value. In fact, second screen opportunities may have saved linear television from extinction — thanks to the layer of interactivity that it adds to linear content delivery.

Plunkett: The potential for more direct, measurable, and interactive engagement with an audience has great appeal. The

ability to enrich or extend a programme narrative, allow the audience to participate and share in a television experience, provide more depth and coverage, measure viewer interest and engagement with content, and increase or create commercial value are all reasons to be excited about the second screen opportunity.

Schroeter: Broadcasters can finally engage with their audience and build up one-to-one

relationships, bringing their business into the 21st century.

However, new out-of-the-box ideas will probably come from the new players, be it buying the actor’s clothes or booking a test drive at your local dealer with one click the minute you see the TV commercial. Everything seen on TV will become instantaneous through your second screen, and we’ve seen just the beginning.

Terpstra: Second screen is now widely adopted with deployments in every region of the globe.

Broadcasters, content producers, advertisers and brands now consider companion devices as an intrinsic part of their storytelling and the viewing experience. This is really exciting as we are starting to see a fantastic variety of apps.

TV apps can be either specifically designed for a programme or a cross-channel ‘umbrella’ app such as the ShowPal recently launched in Ireland. We have been included as core technologies in apps for the theatre-lovers at the Vienna State Opera and for visuallyimpaired viewers at the Tokyo Film Festival. The opportunities are really starting to blossom.

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Second Screen Forum Cowley: I have long believed that news and current affairs is a key area for second screen activity.

Spirit has announced a deal with C4 News to make it more

What kind of revenue streams does a second screen offer for broadcasters?

Clay: At the moment, the direct revenue opportunities are modest; the second screen is still mainly used as a way of deepening relationships with programmes — be it through promotion or participation. This has a more indirect financial benefit because it makes live TV even more ‘mustwatch’, which is good news for advertisers. But there are direct revenue opportunities for the broadcasters, such as investing in second screen apps like Sky taking a stake in Zeebox. Or developing second screen advertising opportunities, such as ITV’s AdSync, which enables advertisers to launch a second screen takeover when its TV ad is broadcast, and giving viewers the ability to click and buy what they see.

Denton: Technology being developed can turn the audience into customers with one click.

This result can be devastatingly effective for advertisers and we’re only just at the beginning of where this technology can go.

Flynn: When we ran the Bank Job second screen game across the ad break on Channel 4, there was a real sense that viewers were more focused on the ads because of the game. The most interesting new opportunities will be combining second screen with advertising links to drive transactional revenues.

Grant: Once the broadcaster can get engagement from viewers in its app, there are a number of revenue opportunities. Firstly, delivering companion to TV commercials into the app synchronous with those ads. Secondly, there is advertiser scope in the gamification space (especially good to take on-air sponsorship right into the programme). Lastly, what we are calling ‘temporal’ tags, where the brand can be matched to what’s happening on screen and so delivered to the audience when they are potentially most responsive to the ad message — putting a luxury hotel tag in ShowPal when the action on screen relates to people going away for a break, for example.

“At the end of the day, content is king, but experience is King Kong — that’s why second screen has immense value” Sonja Missul, Globecast McDonnell: Value is created by one or more of the following — driving to registration, sponsorship and advertising, inapp payments for premium content - like Channel 4’s Million Pound Drop app, lead generation or coupons, sharing and increasing visibility of show and sponsor, audiences enjoying themselves more and coming back to the show.

Missul: More content means more opportunities to add advertising — the second screen allows for creative, OTT ways to do this. Second screen applications, thanks to their built in knowledge of the customer base, can target advertisements more efficiently, thus increasing each ad’s value.

Second screen applications allow sales to be coupled with live entertainment. Examples are realtime marketing of products seen on-screen: the dress worn by the actress, for example — and sales of additional related content — ‘purchase the behind the scenes clips from this episode!’ Second screen features can improve the knowledge of the customer base.

Rose: Second screen brings all the power of the web to TV

advertising — personalised, trackable, clickable, actionable ads.

Broadcasters can now use new platforms such as Zeebox SpotSynch to sell web-style interactive ads timed to sync with the beautiful branded ad on TV. Terpstra: Market research shows that consumers often keep their eyes on the companion device during commercial breaks, while still remaining attentive to the TV audio. There is a clear opportunity for broadcasters to link their programme-related apps with the airing of commercials. The app for the show can be designed to overlay an ad banner for the brand shown on TV. Marketing agencies can further interact with consumers by offering a coupon or immediate discount upon clicking on the banner.

By launching cross-screen experiences, broadcasters and operators can reduce churn and enhance their ad revenues.

Game shows are obvious candidates for second screen involvement, but what about other genres — sports, news, drama etc?

interactive and allow the audience at home to ask the questions of the guests.

Denton: There is huge commercial opportunity for all

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Second Screen Forum or match starts, sometimes earlier. Rights holders have an interest in using the second screen to provide additional content or advertisements. For instance, Channel 4’s HorseTracker app for the Grand National was precisely synchronised to the race, allowing viewers to follow their favourite horse.

Alex Terpstra, Civolution

Anthony Rose, Zeebox other genres. Sports is crying out for more — live auctioning of players kits, team v team based games and activities, chat, instant user controlled replays, instant data.

Rose: Game shows and X Factor voting and polling playalongs are obvious candidates, but with a little imagination it’s clear that opportunities are vast. Sports stats, action replays, multi camera angles, chatting with celebrities in TV rooms, using maps to follow action — and those are just examples of enhancements readily created for an existing show. But think about new show formats, where the audience can be part of the programme. The possibilities are endless — and those new forms of entertainment, where you’re part of a crowd experience, those are the ones that really excite me.

Terpstra: Sports fans take to social media as soon as a race

Will the ongoing developments in second screen have a major impact on the way traditional TV is made?

Cowley: I don’t think second screen activity will radically change the way programmes are made until the usage of second screens around TV shows becomes significant. That said, producers will definitely take into account second screen activity. Spirit has been managing the social media around a TV drama and the producers have adapted the storylines based upon the popular characters.

Dukker: Yes, but the development is a lot slower than some people expect. The television world is very conservative — producers and broadcasters behave like dinosaurs when it comes to the internet. Advertisers will drive the change. At some moment in time they will force producers and broadcasters to give them far better return on their money.

Flynn: Second screen has already had a major impact

on live programming and the delivery of live data on screen.

Twitter provides a simple way for viewers to have their voices heard on a show, and creating the right tools to control and editorialise this content is key.

Grant: Ultimately yes — producers will create formats and shows which take advantage of the interactive nature of the opportunity. We bring ShowPal interactions — poll numbers, for example — into our shows, but it is just the beginning.

McDonnell: Absolutely.

We predict a divergence of programming, with event TV forming a major part of the future of broadcast, and the inclusion of social, highly integrated interaction being a core component. The key is giving producers the ability to do this themselves without long development and testing times — and, of course, without the high price tag.

Missul: Second screen technology already has had a major impact on the way traditional television is made.

First of all, broadcasters have to think about the interactivity and the bonus they want to provide to complete the viewer experience. The content alone is no longer enough. Second screen applications also need a great deal of editing. On the technical side, they need a perfect synchronisation between the live channel and the content on the second screen. This point is key. And they need to deliver all the content flawlessly.

Plunkett: Potentially, yes, but it is too early to tell.

There is something of a chicken and egg situation today where the production community, in general, do not see sufficient audience interest in the second screen to dedicate meaningful resources to it.

However, the level of second screen audience engagement could increase significantly if the experience was better aligned

with, and complementary to, the programming.

Rose: Undoubtedly. Although to be realistic I’m not holding my breath for a fundamental change anytime soon, at least not from new interactive shows. What will happen is that we’ll see an increasing number of shows with social and interactive propositions added, like a veneer, to existing show formats. And then it will be broadcasters — and very importantly online show makers and platforms — experimenting with new interactive formats.

There’ll be lots of failures of course, but as soon as one sticks, well — television loves to copy successful formats!

Schroeter: Yes. Not so much on the programme itself, but rather on the business model.

Stephen Grant, TV3 Group

Tom McDonnell, Monterosa

The second screen draws the viewer’s attention away from the TV and thereby the ad money spent on TV. So, traditional television needs to find a way of getting people involved again.

Take a look at the hugely popular casting shows where people are involved by voting, tweeting and calling in.

Is investment in second screen content likely to divert resources away from first screen programming?

Clay: It is imperative that it doesn’t. The second screen experience starts, if it does start, because of the first screen.

Undermining the quality of the cause to improve the experience of a potential effect doesn’t make sense. Also, you’d be harming the experience of the majority who aren’t multi-screening for the sake of the minority who are. More importantly, TV is proven to be the most effective form of advertising due, in part, to the immensely high quality of linear content. Advertisers would not thank you for jeopardising that to service multi-screening, which is a secondary behaviour for a minority of viewers. Investment in the second screen should either be new money from the forms of marketing opportunity it is replacing, like elements of direct mail and PR. Terpstra: This is about holistic experiences. A second screen app is more engaging if it is tied and well-synchronised to the

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Second Screen Forum first screen content. So resources will need to be re-organised in a way to consider the second screen as part of the same experience. This will offer new opportunities for broadcasters, operators and content owners.

Does more need to be done to educate viewers in the use of second screens?

Cowley: No, I think audiences are leading producers and broadcasters.

Denton: Yes. But let’s start with the industry first.

Dukker: No. Viewers will have to be served according to their needs.

If they don’t need a second screen, or just don’t get it, they won’t use

Mistakes in technology and creativity are often made when a new medium is introduced. Is there anything that has been proven not to work?

Dr Andreas Schroeter, wywy

Steve Plunkett, Red Bee Media

it. I think we have to educate producers and broadcasters more than the viewers.

Flynn: The viewers are ahead of us. More needs to be done to make sure that second screen applications fulfill a genuine need and are simple and intuitive. Get that right and the viewers will embrace them naturally.

McDonnell: Education implies that it’s something they should be doing, but we don’t see it that way. We believe that we should be inspiring audiences.

Missul: Not necessarily to educate, but second screen has to

be promoted in the programme in order to create a community.

Plunkett: Increased awareness and marketing of second screen applications is necessary to reach the audience, but rather than educate them on the benefits they need to be drawn towards great experiences that are fun, informative or useful. So better apps rather than better audience awareness.

Schroeter: Yes and no. Second screen usage has to be ‘natural’, that is, the user wanting to use it. Education should be playful, by letting the user try it out and have a good experience.

Clay: One key is the importance of pre-warning viewers for an impending second screen opportunity — like Shazamming.

Failure to do so can mean that viewers are simply not ready and waiting, limiting the chance for higher response rates.

Dukker: A lot — and that’s great, as long as we learn from the mistakes. One-size-fits-all platforms are definitely not going to help. Too many mistakes are still made by producers and broadcasters who want cheap and easily repeatable solutions.

Also, I think viewers don’t want dedicated apps offered by channels or advertising agencies.

A second screen app has to be downloaded for one show, or be embedded in a social media

network. For an app to stay on a device for a long time, it has to be relevant all the time, and become part of the owner’s habits, not be started once a year.

Grant: Getting people to engage with ShowPal regularly and for long usage periods is proving to be the challenge. The level of expectation from viewers is high and any second screen apps need to really engage viewers and you have to keep reminding them to do it. This should be a unique advantage TV stations have over third parties.

McDonnell: Presentation of social activity on both TV and the second screen can be annoying unless it’s highly relevant. The idea of watching a filtered list of tweets in an app is

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Technology-wise, synchronising a second screen app with the TV screen is quite a challenge

meaningless. Mistakes are being made continuously in this business, which is good because things can only improve.

Plunkett: Some of the existing implementations are a bit, well, boring and formulaic. We need to see more content-driven apps, rather than functionality and socially driven apps.

Experimentation is key, and a willingness to try different things and accept failures as a path to something that will capture the viewer imagination and interest.

Rose: Sure, lots of things haven’t worked! The question is whether the idea is fundamentally unsound, or the implementation just isn’t right yet. For example, a few years ago a big idea was multi-camera, where you’d be presented with a half-dozen camera feeds and, by being able to choose the angle, you’d be more immersed in the football game. Turns out there’s a reason why broadcasters pay their camera operators big bucks — it’s hard work! Why would I want to spend 90 minutes trying to find the ball when a professional camera crew can do it for me —

that’s their job. But… maybe it’s an implementation thing, and one day when I can wave my hands in front of the TV, then it will be a magically immersive new way to be part of the match. So maybe ‘not worked’ should better be read as ‘not yet worked’.

Schroeter: Technology-wise, synchronising a second screen app with the TV screen is quite a challenge. That is due to the fact that each individual viewer sees the TV signal with a different delay of anything between five and 60 seconds. Time critical information such as statistics during a football game should be displayed not 10 seconds before or 40 seconds after the incident, but right when the viewer sees it.

Time to gaze at the crystal ball. Where is second screen going?

Second Screen Forum

Clay: The basic principles of multi-screening are now in place — watching live linear TV and reacting on a connected companion screen. At the moment, it is the broadcasters who have embraced this relationship most fully. Next, we should see more advertisers recognising the potential behind how multi-screening has made TV a point of sale medium.

Cowley: The second screen will increasingly become a threat to traditional TV as audience behaviour becomes more distracted/ multi-tasking.

The second screen will be as common as the usage of the EPG as viewers want to find out more information about programmes, and engage with them. Within 10 years all major broadcasters will have their own second screen

service — and it will provide a resource and revenue stream around second screen activity.

Denton: Second screen is one of many, many ways to deliver entertainment to audiences. It’s appropriate for some storytelling, but not all. Everything starts

“The viewers are ahead of us. with the story, and More needs to be while we are still done to make sure that writing and commissioning second screen for ‘platforms’, things won’t applications fulfil a drastically change, and genuine need and are second screen simple and intuitive. Get could just become a standard that right and the commercial bolt on. viewers will embrace Dukker: I don’t them naturally” know. Nobody knows.

David Flynn, Endemol UK

What I do know is that every programme, sports event, live, scripted, unscripted seems to have its own dynamics.

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Second Screen Forum

By the end of 2014 I don’t think any of us will be using the term ‘second screen’. We’ll just be making new TV

Every second screen design is unique and requires a thorough thought process. I expect a lot coming from custom fit solutions embedded in the ‘first screen experience’, social media channels — Twitter, Facebook, and new entrants in the TV market.

Flynn: The next big thing on the most appropriate shows will be viewers interacting in a much more direct way with the programme itself. Seeing how they can change the TV show as it is broadcast. Whoever gets that right just might have the next hit.

Grant: The established social media networks have evolved as the second screen destinations of choice for people adding an extra layer of enjoyment to shows. I think TV stations will begin to understand the opportunity — and the threat of not acting — and will create and market their own companion viewing apps and move beyond show specific apps.

McDonnell: There will become a clearer distinction between organic social activity — like tweeting a funny opinion — and authentic, producer-led interaction with the core of a show. The tools are becoming easier to use, the technology lower in cost and less daunting. By the end of 2014 I don’t think any of us will be using the term ‘second screen’. We’ll just be making new TV. Missul: In the future, second screen applications will be sold directly with the programme by the producer.

Plunkett: The fact that two (or more) screens now inhabit the living room for many viewers does suggest there could be a marriage of the two. The benefits of such a combination seem, at least on paper, to be very compelling. I think, given time, the second screen will establish a role in television viewing. But to get there, the television set and the content it presents will need to truly embrace this model, too.

Rose: Well, in the long term there is no first screen or second screen — there’s just a place where the video plays, and a place where you interact. Sometimes the video plays on a big screen and you conveniently interact on a device in your hand. Sometimes the video and the interactions will be on the same device — that’s going to be huge with the arrival of TV Everywhere. And, increasingly, the results of everyone’s interactions are going to be fed back into the video, or even into the show itself.

Or overlaid by your TV or set top box. I don’t know who came up with the phrase ‘second screen’, but it’s always described a technical implementation rather

than an experience. I prefer the term ‘participation TV’. The important thing is that there will be a lot more social interaction around TV shows, and this will become more and more integral to the show.

Schroeter: Screens will be interchangeable. People will turn on their TV through their second screen as a remote control, then read emails on the second screen while watching TV, get statistics about the football player they see on TV, then ‘move’ the TV channel to the second screen and finish watching the game in bed.

Terpstra: We are only at the beginning. We believe that viewers want a seamless journey across multiple devices in multiple environments.

Whether you change device or move location, the viewer desires one continuous experience. Operators and advertisers will need to deliver on this desire.

Advertising opportunities will become much more sophisticated. Instead of developing multiple stories on every screen or repurposing the same advert on a variety of screens, advertisers and broadcasters will start creating native adverts that will follow the viewer across screens. We will see a lot more TV-synchronised content and ads with a strong focus on storytelling and

consumer engagement. The TV set and mobile devices will be intrinsically linked. www.civolution.com www.endemoluk.com www.globecast.com www.monterosa.co.uk www.redbeemedia.com www.rockabox.com www.spiritdigital.co.uk www.thinkbox.tv www.tv3.ie www.webrangers.nl www.wywy.com www.zeebox.com/uk

“The TV world is very conservative — producers and broadcasters behave like dinosaurs when it comes to the internet.

Advertisers will drive the change. At some moment in time they will force producers and broadcasters to give them far better return on their money” Guido Dukker, Webrangers

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The Business Case

Danish Perfect Audio DPA Microphones is striving to be the premiere condenser microphone manufacturer in the world. Neal Romanek visited their headquarters outside Copenhagen and its factory in the Danish countryside to learn why, for DPA, good isn’t good enough CONVERSATIONS about higher image resolution are so ubiquitous they have become background static. But outside pro audio circles, higher quality recording gets scant attention. Maybe it’s human nature that we value what we can see over what we can’t, but anyone who has seen great footage ruined by inferior audio knows that good sound recording is as important as good image capture.

DPA Microphones’ CEO, Christian Poulsen, is not interested in good sound capture, or even great sound capture.

For Poulsen, the quest for perfect sound capture is a mission that drives the entire company.

Poulsen became CEO of DPA in 2010 after leaving Hasselblad, where he spearheaded the high-end camera company’s transition to digital imaging. Prior to that he pioneered the development of highend digital scanners at his company Imacon. Throughout his career, employing precision engineering to create the highest quality creative tools has been Poulsen’s passion.

Education DPA’s microphones have been a leading mic choice for live performers, West End shows and music recording. In these

DPA’s 5100 Mobile Surround Microphone is a plug-and-play solution for 5.1 audio capture

DPA CEO Christian Poulsen: “I think we have a big job in education” performance venues, the need for high-end mics is self-evident, but selling the picture-obsessed broadcast industry on better recording technology requires sustained effort.

Says CEO Poulsen: “I think we have a big job in education.

We are a price leader in all our products, so in that respect it is easy to be perceived as over-expensive. A producer might ask a recording engineer: ‘Why can’t you get away with a Countryman or a Senken microphone?’ He could and it will sound ok. But will he spend more time? Yes. Will he have to reshoot more? Probably.”

DPA’s d:facto microphone was perfected in collaboration with The Voice Of Denmark DPA sees education as so important to its mission that it has published a ‘Mic University’ on its website, featuring dozens of articles and technical papers on the practice and technology of sound recording. Poulsen believes that you can’t sell quality microphones unless you have quality engineers, and there is little about the technique of sound reproduction the ‘University’ doesn’t cover.

Getting The Voice right Though the R&D and testing facilities at the DPA factory are impressive, DPA regards realworld trials as an essential part of the design process. The

development of their new vocal condenser microphone, the d:facto, took place in collaboration with The Voice of Denmark, Voice — Danmarks største stemme — on TV2. DPA R&D manager, Ole Moesmann, went to The Voice’s recording engineer who agreed to test the d:facto prototype live on the show.

“We discovered that working on television you need a higher frequency base than you would for a live performance,” says Moesmann, “In the total chain, from the singer to the listener, there are many changes in the signal and there is frequency loss. The first thing I saw when I looked at the sound engineer’s desk was a high frequency boost. So we decided to switch off all the EQ and do it all in the microphone. When we were

finished with it, they did all the shows without any EQ at all.”

After each episode, Moesmann would confer with the DPA team and Voice engineers and then tweak the d:facto for the next week’s show — and The Voice made for an unforgiving proving ground.

How would a highly responsive, top end mic respond in the hands of inexperienced singers, some of whom had never performed in a studio before?

“The engineers on the show were also excited by the microphone’s feedback sensitivity. We talked about it, then would make changes over the next week, sometimes shifting the frequency range, until it was totally perfect.

“The first show was 100 or 200 amateurs. They usually use dynamic microphones on these shows, because there’s a very big problem with feedback — they don’t want to do it on the condenser microphone. But with the d:facto, they could do it all the way. They had no feedback at all.”

Killing the competition Mikkel Nymand, DPA’s product manager and tonmeister, has been at the company since the 2000 and has played a key role in DPA’s development. “The dialogue between the manufacturer and the user is really crucial. I think that is what makes us strong. We see in TV drama and filmmaking it goes more and more towards hidden small microphones instead of boom microphones. And the new generation of actors, in my

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“If I’m a singer and I’m practicing eight hours a day, don’t tell me that two hundred dollars more for a much better microphone means anything” — Christian Poulsen, DPA Microphones

experience, are also used to that: I don’t need to train my voice to be loud and clear, like in theatre. I know there’s a microphone there.”

DPA microphones have been used by most of Denmark’s ‘Nordic Noir’ drama series. The Killing, The Bridge and Borgen use exclusively DPA mics.

Nymand helped develop the lavalier mic which has been a mainstay for Danish TV drama.

“We developed a specific microphone for Danish Broadcasting Corporation’s Taxi (Taxa) and The Flying Squad (Rejseholdet) that is pre-equalised for the speech clarity and has a presence boost.”

“I walked around to see what all the recording engineers did when they placed the microphones on the chest or on the coat — of course, they all boosted the high frequencies to compensate. So we made different capsules to put on top of the microphones to compensate for that loss, so you could already have it acoustically from the mic.”

The goal of DPA’s striving for wider dynamic range and better frequency response isn’t just about producing better tech. It’s ultimately about searching for truth — the truth of a recording, or a scene, or a moment.

“One of the first comments I got after developing our 4017 Shotgun mic illustrates this,” says Nymand, “There was a very intimate scene of two people leaving each other, and the recording engineer told me afterwards he started crying during it, just from hearing the way the actor opened his mouth, without saying a word.”

What’s next for DPA? Reliance on camera-mounted mics is often seen as the hallmark of the amateur, but it’s precisely this dearth of quality onboard mics that DPA aims to fill.

“The video quality on even the cheaper video cameras and good DSLR is so high, that they deserve good sound. And sound is difficult,” says CEO Poulsen.

“We are working on some extremely interesting patented technologies where we are combining different things, with more microphone capsules in one microphone. We aim to have something in the next 12 months — both an interview type microphone and a camera mic.”

Cost vs quality: the eternal struggle Unfortunately, pushing the envelope at the top end also means pushing the price point.

It’s a harsh reality of the business that in decisionmaking, cost often wins over

quality. Does Poulsen ever feel like he is fighting a losing battle?

“I don’t question our price point, and I don’t question our quality. If you go to some of our important clients, if you go to Her Majesty’s Theatre in

London, and talk to the engineer who does Phantom Of The Opera, one of the most profitable piece of entertainment ever, he says “We could not do Phantom of the Opera in this theatre without DPA microphones.”

The Business Case “If I’m a singer and I’m practicing eight hours a day, don’t tell me that two hundred dollars more for a much better microphone means anything. It shouldn’t be an issue.”

Ultimately, it’s the recordings

themselves that will argue the case louder than any pitch Poulsen could make. The industry is used to seeing crowds clustered around the latest 4K cameras. Will this year see the same for microphones too?

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Cloud for Broadcast

Cloud basics for broadcasters In the first of a two-part feature, Ian Fletcher, CTO of automation & playout at Miranda, takes the mystery out of cloud computing with some basics for broadcasters CLOUD computing really does offer enormous potential benefits to broadcasters, but there’s huge scope for confusion too. The cloud is a difficult thing to define, to grasp and to pin down. Before you can profit from it as a broadcaster, you need to be sure you understand what it is, and what it isn’t.

Fundamentally, ‘cloud computing’ is a term meaning a form of distributed computing involving a large number of computers linked through a realtime network. But there are many different forms, some more useful to the broadcaster than others. There are many different models of cloud computing, including private clouds, public clouds, community clouds, hybrid clouds, distributed clouds…

One thing that’s easy to understand about cloud computing is the promise that a high-CAPEX model can be replaced with one that is more based on OPEX and the ability to scale expenditure more directly to revenue. In an effort to locate some hard edges in the cloud, let’s start with a few important acronyms: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. Cloud computing, of course, does require computers. They reside not in your broadcast facility, but in a data centre run by a specialist provider, and instead of buying the computing resource, you rent space on it. This is called IaaS – Infrastructure as a Service. PaaS (Platform as a Service) is a little more complicated, and it’s a key area where confusion is

generated by people using terminology loosely when claiming to offer cloud solutions.

Virtualisation and the cloud As computer technology has become more powerful, it has become possible to change the one-to-one relationship between a computer and its OS. A high-specification computer can now run many different ‘virtual machines’ to serve a number of clients. Each user experiences this as being logged onto a server in a way that seems like a one-to-one usercomputer relationship, but in fact the user is only exploiting a portion of the resources of that piece of hardware. This is virtualisation.

Virtualisation enables IT departments to become more

Fletcher: “In our industry we tend to think that the technical demands of broadcasting are exceptional, and skepticism about the limitations of computers is common”

efficient with their hardware: they can dynamically allocate resources if there’s a problem with a machine or if more performance is needed, and this can take place locally within an organisation.

With the cloud, this kind of virtualisation can be implemented on a larger scale: the data centre can spin up any number of virtual machines to order and to the customer’s specification. But that’s virtualisation — not true cloud computing. And it doesn’t

deliver the full, revolutionary potential of cloud computing for broadcasters. To do that, the software for a cloud computing solution has to be developed

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There are many different models of cloud computing, including private clouds, public clouds, community clouds, hybrid clouds, distributed clouds… from the ground up to take advantage of a distributed architecture. And to run this kind of software, you need to run it on a PaaS.

PaaS and SaaS PaaS bears superficial similarities to virtualisation but is subtly different — and the difference is the key to unlocking the real power of cloud computing. PaaS will allow you to create virtual machines and software nodes, but it also provides other infrastructure and capabilities which include big data.

Using PaaS enables the software developer to design software in a different way, building in dynamic scaling to meet the demand of large numbers of users running the application.

Virtualisation is fine up to a point. You can operate a TV channel using an automation product running on a virtual machine deployed in a cloud, provided there is enough network bandwidth and sufficiently well-designed communication mechanisms. But if you then want to run another channel or group

of channels you would need another VM or group of VMs. A true cloud computing multitenancy architecture takes a different approach. It provides SaaS (Software as a Service — the applications you use) that takes full advantage of the host PaaS in order to service the demands of very large numbers of customers without a linear relationship

Cloud for Broadcast

against the grain for most of us.

The response of many when they see the advantages of cloud computing is to ask: why don’t we keep control by building our own data centre and operating a cloud from there?

You only have to look at data centres run by the major providers. The scale is vast: in Microsoft’s Chicago data centre

this hardware that dynamically farms out traffic between the web servers to meet demand, and makes it possible for high-traffic sites like Facebook and Amazon to cope serenely with the load from hundreds of thousands of concurrent users. These facilities go way beyond what would be practical for a broadcaster to build locally.

“The idea of entrusting critical functionality to a facility outside the walls of a dedicated broadcast centre goes against the grain for most of us” between the number of VMs and customers. The software dynamically uses the available resources, spinning up more hardware whenever necessary.

Data centres: a very different animal Broadcasters can be a cautious lot — and for good reason. The idea of entrusting critical functionality to a facility outside the walls of a dedicated broadcast centre goes

blocks of up to 3000 servers are housed in shipping containers within the building and there can be up to 150 of these containers.

But the sheer numbers of servers in a data centre doesn’t tell the whole story: around them there is a massive envelope of specialist network hardware that handles traffic and hardware load balancing — infrastructure that goes far beyond what could be implemented in a local facility. It’s

In our industry we tend to think that the technical demands of broadcasting are exceptional, and skepticism about the limitations of computers is common. If you are still thinking of your office email system or your home computer as the measure of what computers are capable of today, you have to realise that data centre computing is a very different animal. The massive power and redundancy transforms everything

— and data centres are perfectly capable of handling critical tasks within the kind of speed and performance parameters broadcasters demand.

True cloud computing?

But let’s sound a note of caution here. When looking at potential broadcast uses for the cloud, it’s vital to understand what the cloud is capable of in a broadcast context, what you need from it as a broadcaster, and how to accurately interpret the pitch of vendors who claim to have cloud solutions of various types. Are they really talking about virtualisation, or are they offering a true cloud computing solution?

To design software that takes full advantage of the cloud a vendor has to start again from scratch, and in terms of automation that means re-thinking what automation is, how you go about it, which parts of the operation should run in the cloud, and which parts should be kept on your broadcast site…

I’ll start from that point in Part Two, in TVBEurope’s March issue.

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Cloud for Broadcast

One of the challenges cloud services face in meeting customer needs is the current fragmentation of products

Cloud atlas: navigating virtual post Cloud services for production, post and broadcast are coming to market faster than ever, and covering more processes that were previously the preserve of onsite hardware and software. Richard Welsh, CEO Sundog Media Toolkit and SMPTE governor for EMEA and Central and South America, shares what the cloud has to offer THE CLOUD offers many obvious advantages: reduced capital cost for facilities, increased scalability and broader choice of processes.

Pay-as-you go services not only reduce capital outlay, but improve overall cost effectiveness, eliminating the issues associated with poor utilisation of purchased hardware and software.

One of the challenges cloud services face in meeting customer needs is the current fragmentation of products.

A facility can easily choose to use cloud services for part of its production workflow, downstream transcoding and test-and-measurement, for example. However, these services will be across multiple providers and usually also operating in different clouds.

This means the facility faces the challenge of managing these remote processes and the movement of content between a number of external locations.

Public, private, or hybrid?

Consider the cloud implementation itself first.

There are a number of options here but broadly they fit into three categories: public, private or hybrid. Public cloud is as the name suggests, shared with any others who choose to use it. Public clouds are usually in large data centres, remote from the user and often not geographically close.

Private clouds are entirely segregated, so not shared by multiple unrelated organisations or individuals. Physical separation of private clouds

Welsh: “The good news is that because of the architecture of cloud, it can allow more security than traditional systems relying on block storage”

gives the maximum peace of mind regarding security, and can be treated as part of a closed content network — ie, a trusted environment. Private clouds are usually on premises, although as we will see shortly, this is not always the case.

Hybrid clouds are a mix of public and private, and it is the hybrid implementation that has the most sub-classes. A simple hybrid may be storage of assets on a private cloud system, which extends to a public cloud when the private cloud reaches capacity. A more sophisticated approach may be to co-site a private cloud in a public cloud provider’s facility, which allows business rules to overflow from private to public on demand. This approach offers the potential advantage of a single technical environment, although to do so requires the private cloud to run the same architecture as the public cloud, even if that is not the optimal solution for the private implementation.

A more flexible approach to the hybrid solution is to

facilitate a single technical environment by adding a software control layer above the normal cloud control layer. The example shown illustrates how this layer interacts with multiple clouds, controlling its own processes in each cloud, but keeping the separations invisible to the user.

With appropriate security and web UI, mobile working using cloud services becomes a powerful tool

Mobility Handheld devices with multicore processors, high resolution screens and powerful built — media functionality have significantly changed the landscape for people wishing to work remotely on media processes. 4G networks are further extending this possibility, and allowing streamed media

“A robust system treats the whole cloud network as being under threat, expects attack from all sides and protects against it” By adding workflow capability to this control layer, multiple (otherwise disconnected) processes can automatically run in sequence as desired, truly unifying the approach.

This is the essence of a single technical environment that is abstracted away from the cloud implementations, user devices and individual processes.

at a level acceptable to professionals for many purposes.

Cloud services make this a significant opportunity for the industry.

By separating control and process, the user need not be physically co-located with the content or processing. Many media facilities work already this way anyway, in essence, with user

terminals controlling a central machine resource over a KVM system or virtual machines across the content network. KVM over IP is available, of course, so remote working is already possible in that way. Cloud allows this to be truly remote and unconstrained with web-interfaces accessed over mobile networks, securely streamed proxies (so the content doesn’t reside on the user device) and all the horsepower and storage of the raw content located in a cloud. Since a cloud implementation should have all the appropriate security in place to do this, even if users are collocated with an on-premises cloud, it does not necessarily compromise security to allow it to take place outside the facility. Additional controls regarding remote access can be applied if desired, such as extra authentication layers, forensic marking of content and activity logging.

Security One of the primary concerns for facilities considering cloud services is the security afforded

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Cloud for Broadcast their content. Much time and effort is spent in post houses to ensure physical and electronic security is in place to prevent the loss of data. As discussed earlier, the ultimate way to alleviate such concerns is to implement a fully private cloud on premises. However this may not be practical or cost effective in many cases, so the use of an external service is required. What happens to your data when it leaves your trusted network and enters a cloud environment? The fact is there are many possible ways to move, store and manipulate data in cloud systems and unless you are in full control of them, you may not know if your data is being protected.

The good news is that because of the architecture of cloud, it can allow more security than traditional systems relying on block storage (a simple SAN for instance). Combining data dispersion techniques with encryption can for instance offer multiple layers of defence that are not afforded by encryption alone. Of course, as with any system there are many areas that require attention to ensure security. Attacks on cloud systems may try to exploit multicore vulnerabilities, concurrency, or particular control (hypervisor) implementations. A robust system treats the whole cloud network as being under threat, expects attack from all sides and protects against it.

The use of cloud in media production and post production processes still has much further to go to reach its full potential, but it is sure to be a game changer for facilities large and small. www.sundogtools.com

Content storage management: own vs cloud?

You know your company needs a CSM, but do you build one yourself, or do you turn it over to the cloud? Rino Petricola, SVP and general manager, Front Porch Digital helps you decide THE DEBATE About the economic benefits of cloudbased content storage management (CSM) systems commonly boils down to operational expenditure versus capital expenditure. While there is excitement about the potential for cloud storage infrastructure to create cheaper and better IT solutions, broadcasters struggle to quantify the difference in capital, operational, and staffing costs between an internal-built CSM system and cloud-based platforms. There are many factors that affect the total cost of ownership, so how can a broadcaster or content creator decide whether to build and maintain an in-house CSM system or make a leap to a cloud service?

“The investment in physical hardware is arguably the largest cost associated with building and maintaining an in-house CSM platform”

A CSM primer A CSM system is the software abstraction layer that automatically retrieves broadcast-quality content from any storage infrastructure, whether it is a disk, a data tape library (with the aid of a robot) an optical archive, etc, delivering it to an edit station, a playout device, or wherever else it might be needed. CSM systems were developed to help content owners cope with what would otherwise be an overwhelming volume of content, to address the video-specific complexity of that content, and to facilitate smooth integration with video operations. All of these capabilities are critical for broadcasters, as content is the lifeblood of their business.

A feature-rich CSM system not only enables efficient, sophisticated workflows, but also is agile enough to cope with rapid change and

sudden fluctuations in demand for capacity.

With all that a CSM system can do, the natural next step is to move it into the cloud to take advantage of the cloud’s unlimited storage space and computing power. Cloud CSM can provide all the features of a physical CSM system without the infrastructure investment and overhead costs. Even so, how can a broadcaster be sure that cloud CSM makes sense for that organisation?

CSM: To own or not to own?

To answer that question, consider the following variables: Hardware utilisation One of the key differences between a cloud platform and

an in-house storage platform is in the way they use assets. For example, although a Linear Tape-Open (LTO) 5 tape can hold 1.5TB of data, it is extremely difficult to achieve maximum storage across an entire LTO library. So in order to store, say, 300TB of data in a self-managed facility, a broadcaster would need to invest in more than 300TB of storage to achieve 300TB of usable capacity. In contrast to that inefficiency, a cloud-based ecosystem can achieve 100% utilisation, and broadcasters pay only for what they use.

Asset redundancy This is an often-overlooked area when deciding between self-built and cloud CSM platforms. For

protection purposes, most media-centric businesses hold two copies of each asset. If a broadcaster wants to store 300TB of mission-critical assets locally, then it must buy twice as much storage to ensure the proper redundancy. With mediacentric cloud CSM, on the other hand, a broadcaster can send 300TB of data to the cloud and pay only for that 300TB, yet still be certain that a second copy of the asset is available. That’s because when content is sent to the cloud, it is automatically copied onto two datatapes. One copy stays online in the tape library, and the other is externalised. So in effect, with the cloud, a second copy of content is available at no additional cost.

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Cloud for Broadcast Hardware cost and maintenance The investment in physical hardware is arguably the largest cost associated with building and maintaining an in-house CSM platform.

In addition to the upfront capital cost to acquire storage assets, most hardware providers charge up to 10% of the original purchase price per year for support and maintenance, while software providers charge about 15%.

When storing 300TB of data, the cost could add up to several hundred thousand euros in just a few years.

By contrast, with a cloud-based CSM solution, the CSM provider absorbs that infrastructure maintenance cost.

Technology refresh and content migration When maintaining a CSM system, hardware typically needs to be refreshed every four to five years for most devices.

Likewise, upgrading to newer LTO technology and migrating from one to the other will have

a direct capital impact.

Although a cloud infrastructure will also require technology refresh and improvements, the costs are not passed along to the customer. Instead, the upgrade costs are absorbed by the cloud provider and are part of the monthly storage fee, so broadcasters will not get hit with an increase every few years.

Footprint The space required to host an in-house CSM system is an important factor in the decision process, especially for companies located in major and expensive cities.

IT personnel Building and maintaining a CSM system requires dedicated staff to oversee the entire

Capacity Planning Capacity planning is meant to eliminate overbuilding or running out of storage capacity,

that a company will require one full-time employee for every 500TB of usable storage.

How can a broadcaster be sure that cloud CSM makes sense for that organisation?

scale up on demand and pay only for what they use, eliminating the risk around forecasted versus actual storage.

Environment Even though it is not directly related to total cost of ownership, the environmental impact of an in-house CSM system is important to consider. The shared-resource model in a managed-service environment is thought to consume less than 40% of the equivalent energy needed to operate a dedicated

CSM system. The cloud provides just the solution.

Through the cloud, organisations can manage assets on a global scale while massively improving efficiency and continuously evolving to adapt to an ever-changing business environment. Beyond archiving and management, the cloud has enormous potential for streamlining media operations and making everyone — especially multisite organisations — more collaborative.

“The shared-resource model in a managed-service environment is thought to consume less than 40% of the equivalent energy needed to operate a dedicated system” value stream associated with managing and operating a data centre. A broadcaster must plan for hardware and software management and procurement; data centre design and architecture; capacity planning, 24/7 service activation and NOC; network engineers; and security personnel. The rule of thumb is

but it is challenging and also one of the most time-consuming aspects of maintaining a CSM infrastructure. Long lead times on equipment force broadcasters to overbuild their storage platform in order to have excess capacity, which ultimately increases costs. Running on the cloud allows broadcasters to

system. That disparity not only translates to significant savings on energy costs, it also aligns with many corporate environmental policies, goals, and culture.

Conclusion Not all broadcasters are able to afford the investment of a sophisticated in-house

For IT executives who are looking to reduce capital expenditures while leveraging an elastic and reliable platform to store rich media assets, cloud-based CSM is an elegant and cost-effective solution for media brands large and small. www.fpdigital.com

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Cloud for Broadcast

In search of the silver lining The cloud offers a way of outsourcing that is flexible, scalable, and can save money. But it will require compromise and new ways of working to make the most of it. David Fox reports The arguments in favour of cloud working are many: “The biggest advantage of cloud is avoiding implementing large, fixed capital-intensive infrastructure,” says Snell chief architect, Neil Maycock. “The media industry (and content consumption) is changing rapidly, it is no longer wise to implement a static media operation that is written off in three to five years. Media companies need greater agility and the ability to adapt and change services quickly — cloud enables this.”

“The ability to enable a geographically independent workforce is extremely valuable,” says Naomi Climer, president of Sony Media Cloud Services. “With the explosion of content gathering devices getting footage is becoming even easier, and the need to get it into editorial as quickly as possible is critical to getting the story first.”

“The cloud can help companies handle the explosion of content from remote places, as well as the proliferation of formats and the associated

Burton: “You’ve got to be disciplined and organised, otherwise it will probably cost you more than doing it the traditional way”

worth doing. If you need a quick turnaround but are happy to have lower quality, then editing and delivery on the cloud works better, such as for news or web deliverables,” says Tim Burton, solutions architect, ERA. “The cloud allows your organisation to be distributed and built on talent, not location,” adds Bill Roberts, director of product management, video, Adobe. “There is a lot of discussion on what role the cloud will play, but we think it is the most fundamental shift that has ever occurred in our industry.”

Streater, chief executive, Forbidden Technologies.

For Johann Schreurs, EVS’ market specialist for remote connectivity and cloud-based solutions, the big attraction is scalability. “Sometimes live productions need more resources and the cloud is a really neat solution because it allows you have the resources you need for a short amount of time. It is also a neat way of having redundancy or fail over.”

Mike Nann, director of marketing, Digital Rapids, believes that the greatest gains in

standards,” and the volume of content to be processed can vary significantly, “With on-premises equipment only, media enterprises with such ‘spiky’ workloads have traditionally had to purchase and provision their systems based on the maximum possible workload, leaving part of their installation under-utilised the rest of the time. The cloud enables them to quickly scale their processing resources up and down dynamically to match their needs,” he explains.

Although “hosted platforms provide: very fast provisioning,

“If banking gives a green light for cloud computing, I think we can all consider Johann Schreurs, EVS it secure” challenges that provides,” says Aframe CEO, David Peto. It can also enable companies “to get valuable content quickly and securely back into one place, so that it can be instantly accessed, edited and broadcast.”

“When a technology can do it quicker than a courier bike, it is

“The cloud is the natural next step for IT solutions. So not using the cloud is like using floppy disks, non-networked computers, MS-DOS or the old green-andblack computer monitors. All areas of IT which use storage, computing power and networks will benefit,” insists Stephen

operational agility and cost savings come from using the cloud for resource-intensive tasks with highly variable workloads, such as transcoding. “Media transformation can be extremely computationally intensive, particularly for the latest advanced compression

Maycock: “The biggest advantage of cloud is avoiding implementing large, fixed capital-intensive infrastructure” pay-as-you-go pricing, dynamic scalability and global accessibility,” says Jim Duval, director of new products and strategy, Telestream, the tradeoff “is the I/O penalty paid for moving source video to the hosted platform and then delivering the output to the distribution network.” However, this doesn’t matter so much for non-video applications, while the growth of distribution to non TV devices, typically of news or sports clips can easily be processed and distributed from cloud services as “there is no round-trip penalty and the infrastructure can be provisioned and scaled as needed.”

“There is a need for some knowledge at the broadcaster, because you don’t manage cloud infrastructure as you do physical infrastructure. They might require fewer people, but with different knowledge, and that may be the missing factor today,” says Schreurs. As some IT departments are resistant to using cloud services it may also need a change of mindset or an alteration in the internal politics, he believes.

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Cloud for Broadcast “Although cloud connectivity and storage is faster and cheaper than ever before, it is still cost and time prohibitive for broadcasters to upload their content to the cloud before commencing work — which is why we developed the Adobe Anywhere for Video platform. This allows the broadcaster to leverage their existing storage and MAM infrastructure to work in a fully collaborative manner with only a standard DSL-type internet connection,” says Roberts.

“It becomes a clear-cut financial decision when considering the innate savings from reduced hardware cost, reduced software cost, reduced support and maintenance, reduced datacentre cost in terms of square footage, power, and coolant, and reduced operational cost,” says Andy Hurt, VP product management and marketing, Front Porch Digital.

Where best to start?

“As the global broadcast industry goes all IP, essentially every infrastructural component will benefit from virtualisation,” claims Keith Wymbs, VP of marketing at Elemental.

“Today, cloud-based services for broadcasters have gone far beyond simple document sharing and email applications to encompass media production and storage, distribution and file delivery, analytics — entire file-based workflows. Video processing is the last frontier of the technology migration to the cloud — and it represents one of the most obvious gains to be made by broadcasters,” he adds.

“Currently non-realtime operations suit the cloud.

Leading cloud solutions offer 99.9% QoS, whereas realtime broadcast typically demands 99.999% performance. Therefore management and processing of media assets prior to air and delivery are best suited for cloud,” asserts Maycock.

“Although the cloud can be used for any type of production, there are already areas where it is hard to do it economically any other way,” says Streater. “These include unscripted television with very large volumes of material, those where the production team is split across multiple locations, and low cost productions which need very fast turnaround from live sources.”

Collaboration and archive are the two areas Sony focuses on.

“Allowing people to work together on content — whether news or scripted stories — when, where, and how they want to

only makes the final product better,” says Climer. “Once content is finished, having a durable and secure place to store it is critical. Economics of the cloud have reached a point where it makes complete sense as

an alternative to tape, without the hassle of planning for periodic updates.”

“We’re seeing particular growth in the interest from remote newsgathering processes,” adds Peto. “Being able to deploy

Nann: The cloud enables broadcasters “to quickly scale their processing resources up and down dynamically to match their needs” camera crews to stories quickly and efficiently has meant a rise in the popularity of services that can enable rapid movement of

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Cloud for Broadcast professional media. The cloud is the natural option when trying to move media from the field to the newsroom.”

Telestream’s Duval believes that cloud technology is particularly well-suited to developing new applications for viewers. “Development teams can stand up infrastructure in minutes to develop prototypes, test ideas and deploy rollouts.

This saves weeks in project schedules that were previously spent on justifying, requesting, ordering, assembling and installing,” he explains.

Climer: “The cloud allows our customers to spin up infrastructure immediately, and shut it down when they are done”

Going with the flow Will moving to the cloud require new workflows?

“It is easier to set up with new workflows in the cloud, because you can benefit from existing services” from cloud and thirdparty providers, says Schreurs.

If you already have workflows you want to stick to, you might be better utilising, or adding to, existing equipment, he says.

“Adoption of any new technologies almost certainly offers the potential to identify new efficiencies. Even if a broadcaster has previously worked to optimise its file-based workflows it should re-evaluate the workflows when adopting cloud,” says Maycock. “The dynamics of network performance and processing could substantially change what’s optimal.”

“Historically, broadcast creation was a serial process: make your edits and then pass them on to the next person to make their changes. Now we want to have concurrent workflows — to achieve this we need open systems that can communicate,” says Roberts.

“I have discovered in my cloud projects that every assumption and preconceived notion I have about the availability of resources, the relative performance of computers, components and networks and how those pieces fit together must necessarily be re-evaluated,” says Duval.

“Resources like CPUs and GPUs that in other implementations are scarce and fixed, suddenly are freely available and scalable. The

biggest problem is the pure physical size of data. We use a lot more data than you think.”

Where’s the potential?

If your CFO’s eyes light up at the thought of saving money using the cloud, he might be blinded to some of the other benefits.

“It’s not about incremental cost savings or financial efficiency, although those are great benefits,” insists Duval.

“The cloud allows your organisation to be distributed and built on talent, not location” Bill Roberts, Adobe I/O that we are accustomed to measuring in gigabytes per second is back to megabytes per second.

So it’s not that things don’t exist, but their relative size and performance has to be evaluated for each project.”

“If you want to leverage it, you’ve got to approach it holistically and look at the entire thing,” agrees Burton. “The

“Proper application of cloud technology enables organisations to provide services and applications that are either impossible or impossibly expensive to deploy any other way. For example, it can be applied to scaling infrastructure and process on-demand clips for events like the Olympics that require large infrastructure

investment, in far off places, every two years.”

“Cloud solutions shouldn’t only be selected to save money, though that may well be the driving force behind many decisions,” adds Peto.

“No one saves their way to profitability and growth,” adds Wymbs. “What the cloud can do is lower the barrier to entry for customers embarking on new multiscreen and TV Everywhere services. It eliminates the need for a large up-front capital investment required to start a new project or business initiative.”

What Elemental Cloud users, such as the BBC, appreciate most is flexibility. The main BBC One evening news hour splits into 19 separate local broadcasts, and the cloud allows it to spin up transcoding instances just before the news hour ends, lowering the time from live-to-online to about 20 minutes compared to eight to ten hours previously with local transcoders.

“It's about eliminating the need (and potential for re-work) for physical media and transport,”

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Cloud for Broadcast says Climer. “Contributors can join and leave teams on the fly, enabling a far greater reach for talent and content gathering.”

“Every production we work with needs storage and CPU NOW. And when they wrap, they don't need it anymore,” she adds.

“The cloud allows our customers to spin up infrastructure immediately, and shut it down when they are done.”

“If well done, for sure, it will save costs,” adds Schreurs.

For live work, it needs to be scalable. This would require a huge capital investment if done in house, so outsourcing can offer considerable savings.

“It is also good for speed to market. If you need resources if you are introducing a new service, you don’t need to plan resources locally.” It also reduces the number of things the broadcaster will need to worry about, as the cloud provider should already have such things as security management or load balancing covered.

Companies are under pressure to move from capital expense budgets to predictable and scalable operational expenses.

“Cloud-based services that bill on a ‘pay-for-what-you-use’ model allow CFOs to predict and control costs easily and accurately. From a business perspective, having content in the cloud allows the business to further monetise its assets through value-added services such as transcoding, online delivery, data integrity, technology upgrades, format migrations, etc,” says Hurt.

Cutting costs “A recent report by Gartner predicted technology costs for broadcasters would reduce by 50% over the next few years — I think the cloud will play a big part in achieving this,” says Climer.

“However, we also think we’ll see significant savings around time to market (capture to air), hardware and software, storage (remote and local) and maintenance.”

you more than doing it the traditional way,” warns Burton.

“It is always less expensive by the hour to buy than it is rent,” adds Duval. “However, if application needs are not full time, or at full capacity, there are savings in realtime provisioning to meet demand needs. The alternatives are either on-premise over provisioning or missing deadlines due to lack of capacity.

One is an out-of-pocket cost and the other is an opportunity cost.”

Wymbs: The cloud “eliminates the need for a large up-front capital investment required to start a new project” Cloud services offer savings in cash, overheads, efficiency, more flexible working locations (including reduced travel time) and simpler updates, adds Streater. “It's Ricardo's Law of Comparative Advantage: Companies and people should do what they're good at. And for media companies this is media, not IT.” Although these savings can be difficult to quantify, Peto points out that STV Productions saved one week in seven on the game show Catchphrase using Aframe’s cloud, while the Australian OTT company, Access Digital Entertainment uses Elemental Cloud to dynamically scale video processing capacity for its online services, which means it “hasn’t had to make any new infrastructure, server nor capex investments as it launched new streaming services and expanded its business into new regions,” adds Wymbs.

Savings depend on “how deeply the cloud services are embedded and the type of work, but as a general rule, the more distributed the team and the more collaborative the workflow, the bigger the savings,” says Roberts.

“To make the savings or advantages work with cloud services you’ve got to be disciplined and organised, otherwise it will probably cost

Security risks One worry many broadcasters have about the cloud is security, but “the most insecure places to keep content is in your own premises,” says Burton. “Cloud facilities are built for security.”

Schreurs agrees. Securing physical access to the data centre “is often better for cloud infrastructure than broadcaster infrastructure.” In cases where a private network and private cloud is used, it can be under the same management of firewall and connectivity as in-house equipment. “If banking gives a green light for cloud computing, I think we can all consider it secure,” he adds.

“It would be very challenging for broadcasters to achieve the same sort of security that a cloud infrastructure provider such as Amazon Web Services has in place,” insists Wymbs.

“Achieving that scale and the sustained QoS required to support it is a huge financial undertaking. Infrastructures such as those offered by AWS are the most secure in the world, bar none.” Amazon has about 80% of the market. Gartner research found that Amazon’s cloud computing capacity is more than five times that of its next 14 competitors combined.

Climer adds that generally “broadcasters have become more comfortable with public cloud security as they’ve had more exposure to the measures in place and compared them to their own

onsite measures,” and that if they have concerns they should start small “with non-critical material to satisfy themselves that they can get the service and the business benefits they need.”

Cloud services can offer data encryption and the ability to store media as object IDs, multiple copies in disparate locations with instant access, 24-hour uptime and failover. “Whatever a media conglomerate can do, a really good cloud provider can provide all of that and at considerably less cost,” says Peto.

“Many of the arguments against cloud are referring to public cloud. Where public services do not offer the performance or security required for a specific media application the alternative is to look at private cloud,” says Maycock.

“Generic IT infrastructure hosted within a broadcasters’ facility can offer much of the flexibility and agility that public cloud offers, but within a secure closed system managed by the broadcaster.”

Nann agrees. The Digital Rapids Transcode Manager offers cloud-like dynamics on local infrastructure, so that anyone with concerns about security or control can still take advantage of many of the benefits of the cloud model through on-premises (private) clouds.

It is a matter of choice, adds Roberts. Creative Cloud

Roberts: The cloud “is the most fundamental shift that has ever occurred in our industry”

subscribers don’t have to store a file on Adobe’s infrastructure, or can add Adobe Anywhere to their own infrastructure to create a private cloud.

Quality of service Quantel’s new RevolutionQ system sits on top of other people’s storage (including cloud), which appears to the production system as its own storage, and has just been installed in a major broadcaster.

Quantel’s systems can drag terabits per second off local systems, and while this is possible for longer distance connections, “it is not without its problems,” says Trevor Francis, Quantel’s director of broadcast. “Latency is a big issue for cloud storage.

No one can remove latency.”

“The elastic nature of the cloud all but eliminates the wait associated with saturating infrastructure,” agrees Climer.

“As such, the guarantee of throughput and resource availability is far greater than a capped, in-house data centre.”

However, because of uncertainty about storage and internet access that is not controlled by the broadcaster, “there will always be a role for storage that is owned and controlled locally,” says Francis.

It’s inevitable that cloud storage and computing will become more and more universal. The next frontier will not be whether or not broadcasters use the cloud, but how they can use it in new and creative ways to revolutionise their workflows and delivery. www.adobe.com www.aframe.com www.digital-rapids.com www.elementaltechnologies.com www.eraltduk.com www.evs.tv www.forbidden.co.uk www.fpdigital.com www.quantel.com www.snellgroup.com www.sonymcs.com www.telestream.net

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Cloud Focus Interview

Stephen Streater: Ahead in the cloud Forbidden Technologies launched its browser-based editing software, FORScene, in 2004, even before there was YouTube.

The company’s CEO, Stephen Streater talked with Neal Romanek about the state of cloud production and its future We seem to be moving toward an IT-centric industry. How would you assess where we are now?

I can summarise it by a quote an Italian friend of mine gave me, talking about the political situation in Italy. He said, “The trouble is, the system of disorder is breaking down.” The remarkable thing now is the pace of change.

There has always been change in broadcast, but now it’s being overwhelmed by the pace of IT change.

I was thinking about it in terms of my mobile phone resolutions over the last decade.

“In post production we are moving more to using standard IT equipment, for logging and editing particularly” Ten years ago, I was running what could be described as one quarter VHS quality, then a couple years later we were up to VHS resolution, then standard definition, then 1080p HD, and now I own something that shoots 30fps at 4K. Of course, people in broadcast say, “Well, it’s a rubbish lens, it can’t compete.” But in post production we are moving more and more to using standard IT equipment, for logging and editing particularly.

Our FORScene clients use a standard PC, they use standard

internet connection and Ethernet cables connected to standard disk drives. A huge amount of post production technology runs on standard IT equipment.

Of course there are bits that aren’t standard equipment, like your Grade 1 monitors and your dedicated kit for finishing, but there are elements that are standard IT equipment. And the pace of IT change is henomenal.

And what do you think the next changes will be?

The next change taking place, is replacing the computers and the storage

Streater: “There’s no technical reason that you can’t do everything in the cloud”

Date: Tuesday, June 3rd 2014 Venue: BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London

Next in the series of Beyond HD Masters events for TVBEurope If high definition is the new standard definition, then what’s beyond HD? Is 4K the next target for high-end TV production, broadcast and display - or 8K? What is going to drive the European television technology industry into the future?

WHO SHOULD ATTEND Directors of Technology, Heads of Production at independent production companies, Directors of equipment rental or hire, Heads of Outside Broadcasts, Production Managers, Senior Directors, Heads of Cameras, Chief Engineers, Programme Operations Managers, Stereographers, Producers, Directors of Broadcasting, Studio Directors, Technical Consultants, Research Engineers TARGET AUDIENCE ORGANISATION Public broadcaster, commercial broadcaster, production company, niche channel provider, playout provider, post production and facilities, rental and hire, outside broadcast and events service, freelance professional, business television, broadcast equipment vendor, broadcast equipment channel provider

SAVE £10th0e !

by booking d rate ly bir incredible ear

£149 plus VAT

WHY ATTEND? Discover the media eco-chain for ultra-HD Hear from the world standardisation leaders Case studies from high-profile production trials Find out the future for 3D TV in Europe Tech insights into frame rates, codecs, formats Meet the key market influencers and vendors Network with technology & production colleagues Know what the Beyond HD roadmap looks like PREVIOUS ATTENDEES INCLUDE Orange, ITV, Sony Pictures, Arqiva, 20th Century Fox, Telenor, Panavision Europe, BBC, S4C, Discovery Networks Europe, Sky, Pro TV, Siemens, MTV International, Dolby, EDU, Digital TV Group, Deluxe, Cambridge Research Systems Ltd, BKSTS, Bath University, Atlantic Productions, Finnish Broadcasting Co.,Fountain Studios, France Telecom/Orange Labs A TVBEurope event

Follow us on Twitter

@BeyondHDMasters

To book your tickets visit: www.beyondhdmasters.com or call Sara Mather +44 (0) 20 7354 6001 For details on sponsorship opportunities, please contact: Ben Ewles on +44 (0)207 354 6000 or ben.ewles@intentmedia.co.uk Steve Connolly on +44 (0)207 354 6000 or steve.connolly@intentmedia.co.uk Richard Carr on +44 (0)207 354 6000 or richard.carr@intentmedia.co.uk

TVBEurope 47

February 2014 www.tvbeurope.com

Vendors can’t rely on hardware anymore. In broadcast, you can’t make money on the hardware, you have to make it on the service you provide

and the networking with cloud, which is an entirely IT-based change. There’s no broadcast equipment involved there.

That means now we’re fully in the world of the pace of IT change. And the cloud is best for IT and post production is largely IT-based.

I can plug my monitor and do my post production in the cloud just as easily as if it’s on my local network. Whether everything is happening in the cloud or on my local machine, I don’t really know.

It could be using resources from anywhere.

How will companies have to adapt to the changing landscape?

The cloud is OPEX space rather than CAPEX. That means that if you’re not happy with the responsiveness of your cloud, you can just switch providers. I think what’s going to happen is that the clouds that don’t fulfill their purposes will just not be used. But in the short term there will be an explosion of cloud applications that make use of this almost-free resource before people realise that they don’t really work.

We have our own cloud, which doesn’t have issues that you could have in a public cloud — it’s reliable and responsive

Are there still issues that need to be addressed before broadcasters can fully adopt cloud production?

There are a couple of issues, and it’s the same sorts of issues that people have previously had with IT. And that ultimately has to do with who the equipment is designed for and reliability.

We did the Olympics for YouTube, and they asked us if we could use the Amazon cloud as a backup, which we did. Then a week before the Olympics, the Amazon cloud went down and loads of websites went offline.

NBC had spent $1.2 billion on their summer Olympics rights.

We have our own cloud, which doesn’t have any issues that you could have in a public cloud — it’s reliable and responsive. But can you imagine if NBC lost four days of that, they wouldn’t be very happy.

Most of these clouds are designed for the world at large, rather than for broadcast.

They’re not really designed for mission critical things. And people who use them will have to adjust their workflows to allow for possible problems or interruptions. This is where FORScene has a big advantage, because we’ve designed our cloud specifically for broadcast.

With FORScene, we have a very client-based processing model. The cloud’s always working for you locally, so when you click a button, the cloud responds immediately. It guesses what you might want to do, so it’s got a number of different possibilities all lined up, and whatever you do, whatever button you push, you’ll get an immediate response. And when you try to save something in the cloud, you don’t have to wait for it to actually save before you carry on working.

Cloud Focus Interview

As you know, FORScene uses the internet. When you look at what Avid and Adobe are saying about the internet, they’re saying it’s not reliable for professional use, that you have to have a

“With disks halving in price every year and the internet doubling in speed every year, it’s only a question of time before broadcast customers start thinking they will do finishing in FORscene”

network, you need fibre optic cable and fast connections to make sure their serverbased solutions deliver you a reliable workflow.

What we’ve done in FORScene is spent 10 years making it work for an unreliable network. And I think with the cloud it’s going to be the same issue. There will be a big difference between using something off the shelf as a general IT solution and using

something which is going to work reliably. And that will be beyond most of the cloud providers.

There’s no technical reason that you can’t do everything in the cloud. But the cloud goes much further than post production - you can use it for pre-production too. In FORScene, you can upload PDFs of scripts, your casting videos and other material.

With disks halving in price every year and the internet

doubling in speed every year, it’s only a question of time before broadcast customers start thinking they will do finishing in FORscene. So we’ve been adding more and more higher editing features.

Vendors can’t rely on hardware anymore. In broadcast, you can’t make money on the hardware, you have to make it on the service you provide. So the business models of a lot of companies will change. www.forbidden.co.uk

48 TVBEurope

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BVE London

Britain’s biggest show Our February issue is all about the cloud and IP, but the industry won’t be going entirely ‘virtual’ for a long time to come.

Tradeshows, where industry professionals can meet one on one and show off products and services in the flesh, are as big as ever. The Broadcast Video Expo is the second largest TV tradeshow in Europe (after IBC). In the following pages, we showcase just a few of the products which will be making an appearance at this month’s event, on 25 – 27 February at the ExCel, London.

BVE’s seminar schedule has expanded and

improved year on year. It will be distributed across eight theatres – Broadcast IT, Production, Producing, Post Production, Cinematography and Lighting, Skills, the Connected Theatre and the 4K Theatre. The session themes run from commissioning and financing, to the latest sound technologies and post production workflows, to second screen and crossplatform delivery.

The TVBEurope team will be on the BVE floor all day, every day. We look forward to meeting old friends and making new ones. — Neal Romanek

Gearhouse wheels out OBLite trailer for BVE [Gearhouse]

crew. It is easy to up- or downspec as required and offers low power consumption. It features a production gallery, audio workstations and an engineering control area. Its live HD production workflow operates eight Hitachi camera channels (seven SK-HD1200 portabletype production cameras and one SK-HD1500 6G Super Slow-Motion camera); a Ross Carbonite vision mixer; and the recently launched Lawo V__link4 video-over-IP solution; Harris Platinum router and Glue; Harris test

Gearhouse Broadcast will be showing its fully-equipped live production HD OB trailer at BVE. OBLite was designed and built by Gearhouse’s in-house systems integration division and aims to provide a compact but flexible footprint that can accommodate a complex production workflow.

Launched at IBC2013, OBLite features eight Hitachi camera channels and can house a seven- to eight-person production and operation

and measurement systems; a Studer Vista audio mixer; and a Harris Inscriber CG system, along with full talkback capabilities. “We’ve had a lot of interest in OBLite since it was unveiled last September, so BVE is a great opportunity for us to show the local market what its capabilities are and discuss the improvements we’ve since made to it,” said Eamonn Dowdall, business development director, Gearhouse Broadcast.

B01 www.gearhousebroadcast.com

Canford to highlight UK manufacturing [Canford] Canford Audio has been designing and manufacturing audio, video and broadcast products in the UK for over 37 years and will be highlighting just a small selection of the 4500+ own brand products available at BVE. With manufacturing plants in Washington, Tyne and Wear and Portland, Dorset, Canford produce almost all own brand products within the UK.

These include the Tecpro Communication System, Neal Suspect Interview Recorders, EMO Power Distribution Units, mains switchers , mic and line splitters, panamic boom poles, as well as MDUs, black boxes and a range of termination panels. New products at BVE will include the Canford test tone oscillator (outputting 40Hz, 400Hz, 1kHz, 10kHz or 15kHz), automatic cable tester

MK4 used for testing long or short cables, multi-cores and fixed installation cabling, EMO guitar headphone amp, and phase check system which includes a generator and detector allowing fast testing of the polarity of acoustic transducers, microphone and electronic devices. A range of Canford’s screen-printed rack blanks will also be on show.

The blanks allow for custom

designs to be screened directly onto the panels for branding, user controls and rack identification. These can be

economically produced in relatively small batch sizes.

J76 www.canford.co.uk

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BVE London Grass Valley to demonstrate advanced broadcast solutions [Grass Valley] Grass Valley will be demonstrating its latest innovations in live production workflows. Highlights include GV STRATUS nonlinear media production tools, the GV Edge integrated playout system, the LDX WorldCam advanced imaging camera with XCU base stations, and the GV Director nonlinear live production system.

GV Director is a multipurpose tool that combines the functionality of a switcher, video server, graphics generator, and multiviewer. GV STRATUS aims to bring the newsroom to the field with a set of production tools in a single application. GV Edge delivers a playout solution with playout control, asset management, and graphics capabilities. Both LDX WorldCam and LDX Compact series provide the user with format flexibility and HD

Pro Tools tech and Loudness products shown by HHB [HHB] HHB Communications and audio post specialists Scrub will be demonstrating the latest Loudness tools with additional focus on Avid’s S6 control surface and Pro Tools 11 at BVE 2014. The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 will be moving to EBU R128 loudness compliance later this year and HHB will be showing products for all steps of the production chain including the TC Electronic TM9 TouchMonitor the full suite of Nugen Audio software for post production and archive, the TC Electronic DB6 for transmission and transfer, the Wohler AMP216V-M AMU for OB and ingest and the Dolby DP580 for playout and off-air. Pro Tools 11 software will also be on show, and Pro Tools specialists will offer advice on S6, a new audio console with modular design, visual feedback and integrated touchscreen. New products from Chromatec, DKTechnologies, DiGiCo, Dolby, Genelec, Mogami, RØDE, Roland, Rosendahl, RTW, Sound Devices, Studer, Timecode Buddy, Wohler and Yellowtec will also be available HHB and Scrub’s.

H57 www.hhb.co.uk

imaging, and K2 Dyno Replay System with K2 Summit media server offer a set of live production tools for HD and SD

live production. BVE is an ideal venue for Grass Valley to connect with its European customers and share our latest newsroom

innovations,” commented Said Bacho, SVP, EMEA, Grass Valley. “We have invested in our own stand this year, as we fully believe in this show’s importance to flourish growth in Northern Europe—especially in the UK.” P05 www.grassvalley.com

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BVE London Avid Everywhere makes London debut [Avid] Avid Everywhere, the company’s strategic vision for leading the broadcast industry forward, was unveiled at IBC2013 and will be the focus for Avid at BVE. Avid Everywhere aims to connect creative professionals and media organisations with their audiences in a more powerful, efficient, collaborative, and profitable way. At BVE the company will also showcase workflow demonstrations highlighting its solutions for

post production facilities and broadcasters, alongside special guest presentations and seminar discussions.

At the event, Avid will showcase a range of solutions including: Interplay Production asset manager and Media Composer 7 video editing software workflow; broadcast production solutions Interplay MAM, Interplay PAM and iNEWS newsroom management system; Media Composer 7 and Artist Color

control surface for pro video editing and Pro Tools 11 and the Artist Series control surfaces for sound mixing and editing. The Post Production Theatre at BVE will be the venue for the company’s seminar session ‘Delivering to spec: Effects of the DPP as-11 spec on post’, hosted

by Craig Dwyer, senior director, global centre of excellence at Avid.

J62 www.avid.com

Riedel present product range [Riedel] A host of products will be shown by Riedel at the upcoming BVE. The MediorNet platform, CPX-AVB expansion card and WAN production and Code One backpack system are amongst the technologies at the event.

"BVE is the premier broadcast event in the UK and an ideal time to meet with our partners and customers,” said Paul Rivens,

general manager UK, Riedel Communications.

Riedel will showcase the signal processing and conversion features of the MediorNet realtime network for video, audio, data, and communications. These integrated features include frame store, frame synchronisation, embedding and de-embedding, format conversion, a test pattern generator, timecode

insertion, and quad-split capabilities. The company will also feature its new CPX-AVB expansion card for Riedel Artist 1100 series control panels. The CPX-AVB provides the next generation of AVB interfacing for Riedel Artist digital matrix intercom control panels. The dedicated card fits in the expansion slot of the Artist 1100 series OLED control panels, turning them into an

AVB-enabled device, and making the panel's ports available within the entire AVB network. Code One was acquired by Riedel last year in a move that brought the company a portfolio of WAN-focused solutions, as well as technology for distributing video, audio, and data via mobile networks.

E22 www.riedel.net

Crystal Vision to offer keying and embedding at BVE [Crystal Vision] Crystal Vision will be showing a selection of keying and embedding products for different applications and budgets at BVE. Products on show will include a choice of new control options for the Safire 3 realtime chroma keyer, five different ways of adding graphics and a choice of embedded audio products for users requiring a straightforward embedder/de-embedder and those needing flexibility when dealing with embedded signals. For use in live production environments, Safire 3 works with 3Gbs, HD

and SD sources and features multi-point sampling, a range of fine-tuning tools and timing adjustments including a frame synchroniser on each input and 10 frames of video delay. The Safire 3 Controller is a 3U panel able to control any number of chroma keyers over an Ethernet network.

The company will also be showing five new products for adding graphics to a video source, from keying to video and audio branding. The first of these is LKEY 3: a linear keyer designed for the keying of any graphics

over 3Gbs, HD or SD video streams. The four new versions of the MultiLogo three-layer HD/SD logo keyer are designed for more sophisticated station branding applications. There is a choice of internal storage (either 4GB for up to 250 graphics or 8GB for 500 graphics) and a choice of video inputs (either one or four), with external AES inputs and outputs and audio and video cross fading additionally available on the MultiLogo 432 variants.

E01 www.crystalvision.tv

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BVE London NewTek focuses on multi-camera production [NewTek] At BVE 2014 NewTek will present its family of TriCaster multi-camera production systems that were unveiled at IBC 2013.

These systems offer mix/effects channels, ‘holographic’ live virtual sets and extended graphics capabilities. Visitors to NewTek at BVE will also see 3Play 4800, the company’s flagship multicamera replay server for live sports production.

The family of professional TriCaster systems includes four models, each designed to address a range of multi-camera video production needs. TriCaster 410 is a compact system with a four M/E production switcher, HDSDI connectivity, and tools for live-only delivery.

TriCaster 460 also has a four M/E production switcher with greater connectivity and broader creative flexibility for any small or medium-sized production.

TriCaster 860 is designed for full-sized live action, offering a

TSL to address and prove loudness compliance [TSL] TSL Products is taking on loudness compliance at BVE by showcasing its PAM1 MK2 Precision Audio Monitor and the PAM PiCo range of Audio and Loudness Meters.

The manufacturer of surround sound microphones and processing, audio monitoring and power management solutions, will also feature its SAM1 MADI Studio Audio Monitor.

“Many broadcasters are still figuring out the best practises with regards to measuring, monitoring and recording loudness levels in order to keep within newly instated loudness regulations,” said Tim Weston, regional sales manager for the UK and Ireland at TSL Products.

“At BVE, we’ll be highlighting the latest developments in our PAM series, which address the challenges of loudness compliance—not only for EBU128, but for EBU, ITU, ATSC and ARIB standards.”

The PAM1 MK2 Precision Audio Monitor is suitable for a range of operational users in television production, ranging from technical to creative engineering throughout the broadcast chain. The company will also demonstrate new features for its PAM PiCo range of audio and Loudness meters.

H25 www.tslproducts.com

full eight M/E production switcher, plus more channels, sources, I/O, graphics and

effects, and greater capacity for media storage.

Finally, TriCaster 8000 is

NewTek’s flagship content publishing hub with an eight M/E production switcher,

built-in failsafe and redundancy capabilities, and extensive router support for enhanced broadcast integration and multicamera coverage.

F20 www.newtek.com

MEDIA & BROADCAST SYSTEMS INTEGRATION YOUR TRUSTED BUSINESS PARTNER ATG Broadcast is one of the world’s most innovative broadcast systems integrators.

DIGITAL NEWS ROOMS

Embracing tomorrow’s technology, ATG Broadcast delivers maximum value through close co-operation with customers, leading to mutually beneficial long-term relationships.

DIGITAL ARCHIVES

ATG Broadcast is part of Dan Technologies Group, one of Europe’s leading suppliers of audio, video, transmission products and digital media solutions.

MASTER CONTROL ROOMS

The Dan Technologies Group operates from offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Vietnam and Dubai.

FILE BASED WORKFLOW

PLAYOUT CENTRES

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www.atgbroadcast.co.uk Visit us at BVE 2014 Stand N45 and meet AmberFin making media work Ingest Transcode Play Unified Quality Control

12th June 2014 • Hilton London Wembley

Celebrating excellence

within the AV industry We are inviting project entries in the following categories: • Public display/retail • Education • Sports and performing arts • Corporate and industrial • Residential For entry form please visit:

www.installawards.com/categories

For tickets & tables reservation: contact Sarah Harris – sarah.harris@intentmedia.co.uk +44 (0)20 7354 6001

For sponsorship opportunities: contact Ian Graham – ian.graham@intentmedia.co.uk +44 (0)20 7354 6000

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BVE London

EVS shows solutions for entertainment, media and sports

PlayBox introducing ProductionAirBox

[EVS]

PlayBox Technology has announced an addition to its broadcast and production workflow solutions. ProductionAirBox will be introduced by the company at BVE 2014.

Based on multi-channel engine architecture, ProductionAirBox can deliver content in one-shot mode or from a playlist. Supporting capabilities include clip timecode on the SDI output plus a clip trimmer with a dedicated SDI output.

ProductionAirBox can be controlled via VDCP and Media Object Server (MOS) protocols.Changes to the playlist can be made while on-air and clips in the playlist can be trimmed or repositioned on-the-fly.

Up to four independent players can be accommodated on a single server and each player has separate playlist and playout control. Four SDI interfaces can be assigned as programme or preview outputs.

"ProductionAirBox is an extremely fast media manipulation and delivery system with the near-zero latency demanded for the fast-paced work environment of broadcast news, sports and live production," said PlayBox Technology managing director Don Ash. N05 www.playbox.tv

At BVE, EVS will present its latest solutions aimed at customers in the entertainment, media and sports industries.

IPLink for Adobe, OpenCube HD/SD and the new 4K XT3 are amongst the product on show for visitors to the company’s stand. EVS’ plug-in panel for advanced integration with the new Adobe Premiere Pro suite, PLink for Adobe aims to bridge the gap between production and post. Using IPLink, editors can search, preview, edit and import media from IPDirector's nearline

storage into the Adobe Premiere Pro editing station, removing the need to have an additional IPDirector station. Nano Air is designed for studio production facilities and broadcasters for on-stage entertainment. It offers multichannel playout capabilities with simultaneous playback of up to four HD or SD channels to multiple destinations. OpenCube HD/SD is EVS’ solution for ingest and mastering in file-based workflows. The ingest server for

MXF file mastering provides flexibility within any production and post production environment. The latest version of the server handles both the encoding of MXF 4K formats and transcoding from various

file formats in faster than realtime. EVS’ MXF viewer XFReader lets the user play all MXF and GXF files, regardless of their wrapped essence format.

K05 www.evs.com

ATG Broadcast presenting wide range of tech [ATG] ATG Broadcast will showcase its range of broadcast systems planning, design, installation, commissioning and post installation support capabilities. The company has a number of projects recently completed or in progress. These include system expansion for Ericsson Broadcasting Services at its HQ in Stockholm,

including the upgrading of Studio K2 from SD to 1080i HD; a DTT multiplex system as part of the extension of terrestrial digital video broadcasting services for a European transmission serviceprovider; and playout facilities for the new HD2 Sports HD channel at the Stockholm HQ of TV4 Sweden.

“ATG Broadcast pioneered the transition from tape-based technology to file-based production, content management and playout for terrestrial, satellite, cellular and IP-based viewing,” commented Dave Whitaker, senior project manager, ATG broadcast. “A key element of our service is the ability to meet tight installation

and commissioning deadlines.

We are able to draw on experience gained through working with a wide range of technology suppliers in designing, integrating and commissioning complete turnkey systems that will work efficiently from day one.”

N45 www.atgbroadcast.co.uk

[PlayBox]

Senna brings Lightstation to its first BVE [Senna] Senna Innovation Factory will exhibit at BVE London for the first time showing DSLR and movie equipment, and will be launching its new product, Lightstation, at the show.

Lightstation is the first total recall

wireless LED light system. The system comprises four LED light panels and a wireless controller which enables the user to set, store and recall different light presets and scenes. There are three different presets available for

each of the four different light channels, and one or more LED panels can be set to one channel. The settings include dimmer control and colour temperature. There are also master settings for storing six different light scenes, meaning that the user can set

and store six different combinations of light presets for the LED panels. Fade speed control between light scenes is adjustable. Strobe and running lights, with adjustable speed are also available. Each LED light panel has 528 LEDs, producing 2000LUX.

Videosys plans launches for BVE [Videosys] Videosys Broadcast will launch a number of products at BVE. The company’s wireless Camera Control system has been revised and updated with the inclusion of Sony IP Panel support.

The new Cobham HD Nano Transmitter, claimed by Videosys to be the smallest H.264 transmitter in the world, will also be on show. The Transmitter has the same 100mw RF power

output as larger models, ensuring solid pictures over more than 1000m. Broadcast RF has taken delivery of eight pre-production Nanos for use on helmet cameras for winter sports and pre-orders have been taken from UAV companies looking for low delay, live broadcast transmission.

Videosys claims this is the smallest and lightest COFDM transmitter on the market, and

its considerable weight saving aims to dramatically increase available flight time. Videosys’ camera control has sold over 150 systems worldwide. Its ease of use and ability to use the manufacturer’s control panel has proved popular with hire and OB companies and studios. Sony IP control has now been included for ease of assigning RCPs. The new Camera Receiver will also be

shown at BVE. Designed to fit into third party video transmitter systems, Videosys has provided a simple upgrade path to owners and operators of equipment outside of the Cobham stable.

L58 www.videosys.tv

Each Lightstation kit includes four LED panels, wireless controller, four white diffusers, four different honeycomb grids, six filters in different colours, eight batteries with four chargers, four tripods and a flight case.

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BVE London

Miranda utilising BVE G&D offer KVM extenders for 4K for product discussions [Miranda]

[G&D] At BVE Guntermann & Drunck (G&D) will again be present together with its British partner Omnio Technologies. Alongside KVM technology, the GermanBritish team will offer customeroriented advice from planning to after-sales support. The ability of G&D’s DL-Vision KVM extenders to transmit Ultra HD at full frame rate (60Hz) makes it a suitable extension system in the field of professional video signal processing and at workstations for monitoring control room processes. Multiple application processes can be displayed simultaneously on a single large format display, and using DL-Vision, users from editing, CAD and 3D studios benefit from computer-free workstations. The connection of the KVM system is enabled via optical fibre lines which provide

transmission of video signal for keyboard and mouse as well as, optionally, audio, RS232, USB2.0 transparent. The digital KVM matrix, ControlCenterDigital combines all features of KVM extenders, KVM switches, monitoring and management functions in one system. The KVM matrix has been nominated for the ISE Award, and at BVE the CCD with 160 dynamic ports will be shown for the first time.

K50 www.gdsys.de

Miranda Technologies will hold detailed discussions regarding its latest solution offerings during BVE 2014.

Representatives from the company will discuss its flagship integrated playout platform, iTX. iTX offers fast channel deployment speed, scalability and format flexibility by streamlining ingest, content management, transmission control, interfacing to traffic, archiving and monitoring.

Miranda representatives will discuss Kaleido-MX, and its modular version, KaleidoModular-X. The company has made introductions to its multiviewer line and aims to offer video scaling quality that delivers ‘any source, anywhere’ processing with the flexibility to place any signal on any display at any size without blocking or

bandwidth limitations. Fibre connectivity solutions from Miranda’s Telecast product line and a range of cables from parent company Belden will also feature at BVE, including the advantages of the new, ultra-compact Telecast

Rattler 4 fibre optic serial digital video transmission module and Terrapin fibre optic digital video transmitter, receiver, and digital video distribution amplifier.

J05 www.miranda.com

COMING JUNE 2014

Wednesday 11th June 2014 • BAFTA • 195 Piccadilly

VOD, OTT, IPTV

are expanding broadcast content beyond the TV n Broadcasters’ Solutions to Growth of TV Anywhere, VOD, OTT, & IPTV Content n Reaching Broader Audiences in an Evolving Multiplatform Ecosystem n Second Screen & Connected TV: Changing Viewer Habits n New Products to Deliver TV Content to Gaming & New Video Device Platforms WHO SHOULD ATTEND n n n n n n

Commissioning Editors Technology Suppliers Analysts Digital and New Media Companies Ad Agencies Brands

n n n n n n

Venture Capitalists Media and Entertainment Executives Film & TV Producers Cable Operators Broadcasters Content Buyers

In Partnership With

For sponsorship information contact: Steve Connolly: +44 (0) 207 354 6000 , steve.connolly@intentmedia.co.uk Ben Ewles: +44 (0) 207 354 6000, ben.ewles@intentmedia.co.uk Richard Carr: +44 (0) 207 354 6000 , richard.carr@intentmedia.co.uk Louis Hillelson: + 1 917 281 4730, lhillelson@nbmedia.com

n n n n n

Content App Developers Talent Agencies International Content Distributors Consumer Electronics Companies Social Media Business Development Executives

Supported By

For speaking opportunities, contact Arthur Schweitzer: +1 212 203 6273 , arthur.schweitzer@gmail.com For ticket enquiries contact: Sara Mather: +44 (0) 20 7354 6001, sara.mather@intentmedia.co.uk

56 TVBEurope

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BVE London

Camera Corps demo Q-Ball system at BVE London [Camera Corps] Camera Corps will show at BVE 2014 a complete remotely controlled camera system based on the Q-Ball compact pan/tilt/zoom head. Q-Ball is a 1080i high-definition camera with 10:1 zoom optics plus a fully rotatable pan and tilt head housed in a cast-aluminum sphere of similar diameter to a standard DVD. High-precision motors enable the operator to adjust the camera angle from almost any location. Q-Ball has

delivered close-up video from many broadcast events in recent years, including the BBC Proms, summer and winter Olympics, international football, motor racing, water sports, tennis, football, rugby and many reality television shows.

"Since its original introduction at NAB 2009, Q-Ball has proved highly popular and successful across the entire television business," commented Shaun Glanville,

business development director, Camera Corps.

Available for purchase or rental, the Q-Ball aims to provide producers with a number of advantages over traditional cameras. It allows live content to be sourced from an unlimited number of cameras without needing a huge team of operators; can be positioned anywhere in a studio, across a

Processing, management and live production solutions for Snell [Snell] Snell will be highlighting its latest products to help broadcasters, content owners and content providers to process, manage and present their media content.

Representatives will discuss the Maverik production switcher panel and the new ICE channel in a box family, including the 1U ICE-LE and Alchemist On Demand. A new addition to BVE is Kahuna Maverik, Snell’s modular-based control surface for the Kahuna 360

multi-format production switcher. The company will also be introducing the extended ICE range at the event. The new ICE is smaller and includes

the most advanced graphics capabilities, Snell claims.

Alchemist OD is a scalable software product which offers motion-compensated frame

multi-set production site, indoors or outdoors in practically any climate; can be used in any lighting conditions, including infra-redilluminated night shooting; and

rate conversion ‘on demand’.

Its Service Orientated Architecture and floating license model aim to provide the versatility to evolve and adapt with changing business requirements, offering global programme exchange and multi-device content delivery.

Finally, Snell’s Vega router allows the user to configure any signal port independently for fibre and/or coax (copper) and as an input or output.

Either a 2RU 96-port or 4RU 192-port router are available.

A 2U Vega will be on display at BVE alongside some of the latest Luna LED and LCD control panels.

F15 www.snellgroup.com

GB Labs unveil storage system

Dalet’s Onecut at BVE

[GB Labs]

[Dalet]

GB Labs is launching the 8TB Mini Space 1RU shared storage. The RAID 6 device has dual redundant power supplies and 1 or 10Gb Ethernet connectivity.

Available with enterprise SATA hard drives or high speed SSDs, Mini Space 1RU can handle full HD and 4K environments respectively. As with all Space products, mixed OS environments are supported, with users able to share Adobe Premiere Pro, Grass Valley Edius, Avid Media Composer and Apple Final Cut Pro projects as standard.

As networked attached storage, files can be securely replicated or offloaded to secondary devices or LTO tape, as required. Space is also cloud-enabled, for sharing data with users on a global basis.

P09 www.gblabs.co.uk

In addition to showcasing its advanced MAM technology, Dalet will have its brand new Dalet Onecut editor on display at BVE. A realtime multimedia editor, Onecut is designed for fast content production. It includes a toolset and configurable workspace management, allowing users to perform a range of tasks from trimming to video editing and audio sweetening. Dalet Onecut’s tools are designed to be simple to use and its networked architecture promotes fast, collaborative editing across production and post production

workgroups. Fully integrated into the workflow, Onecut allows users to finalise their packages directly or exchange information with craft

editing applications, for finishing.

The platform was developed from the ground up to address the multimedia needs of radio, TV, internet and mobile content production, and supports many workflows and broadcast environments.

Onecut can be used either as a standalone editor, or connected to the Dalet MAM through Dalet Xtend, or fully integrated inside the new Dalet Galaxy client. It can also be used in a connected mode with the latest Dalet 3.5 versions.

N25 www.dalet.com

can be installed easily with short or long-range links plus a range of control and switching options.

H05 www.cameracorps.co.uk

DPA mics shown by Sound Network [Sound Network] UK distributor Sound Network will be showing a selection of new products at BVE, including the d:dicate Series MMP-F Modular Active Boom microphone from DPA. Intended for use with the d:dicate MMC4011 Cardioid and MMC4018 Supercardioid microphoness and other 2000- and 4000series capsules, the MMP-F relies on the same technology as the company’s MMP-E active cable. Equipped with an active boom pole preamp, the MMP-F is available in a variety of lengths and gooseneck options and fits to any modular d:dicate capsule.

Sound Network will also be showing DPA's new d:fine 66 and d:fine 88 Miniature Headset Microphones. These new products join the original d:fine as well as the traditional 4066 and 4088 Miniature Headset Microphones under the company’s d:fine Headset Microphone family.

“Now featuring a total of four capsules, two omnis and two cardioids, and three headset mounts, single-ear, dual-ear and personalised mount, DPA’s d:fine Headset Microphones Series offers something for every user and environment,” said Sound Network's director Ralph Dunlop.

Sound Networks will complete its BVE 2014 line-up with other microphones from the DPA range, including the d:facto II Vocal Microphone.

L45 www.soundnetwork.co.uk

8th

4

A unique conference for European broadcasters IT Broadcast Workflow (ITBW) is Europe's premier event charting the development and adaptation of file-based operations in European broadcasting organisations. ITBW is now in its sixth year and promises to deliver a wide range of innovative case study practices.

Enhance workflow efficiency

Reduce operational costs.

Networking Opportunities

SAVE nearly 50e%

by booking th d rate ly bir incredible ear

ITBW 2014 will once again take place at the prestigious BAFTA in central London on Tuesday July 8th.

ÂŁ65 plus VAT

Following the success of the revised format last year, networking drinks in the evening will follow the day's extensive case study programme.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND Chief Technology Officer, Director of Technology, Media Manager, Head of Production Resources, Director of Engineering, Chief Information Officer, Head of Post Production, Technical Operations Manager Platinum Sponsor

To register or for further information visit:

www.broadcastworkflow.com

A TVBEurope event

PREVIOUS ATTENDEES INCLUDED: Supporters

Follow us on Twitter @ITBworkflow For more information on delegate bookings contact: Sara Mather +44 (0) 20 7354 6001 sara.mather@intentmedia.co.uk

UTV, BBC, HBO, Channel 4, ESPN, TV2 Norway, DELL, GSTQ Consulting, Yleis Radio, ITV, Encompass, ARTE, Associated Press, Broadcast Center Europe, Broadcast Innovation, BVE, Canal Sur, Canal+, Council of the European Union, Channel 4, Deluxe Laboratories, Discovery Communications Europe, Disney Channels, eMotion Systems, Formula One Management, Global Broadcast Summit, IABM, IBC, IMD Media, IMS Ltd, ITN Source, IveTech, Kleinhofen, Lime Pictures, MTV Networks North, NBC Universal, NRK Norway, Production Village Ltd, ProTV, Reuters Television, Radio Suisse International, root6, Sanoma Entertainment Finland, SBS Broadcasting Networks, Screen Digest, Siemens, Sound Network, TATA Consultancy, Technology and Production Center Zurich, The Audio Suite, TV4 Group Sweden, TVI, TVM Ireland, RTE, Cologne Broadcasting centre, DPP, News International, TFO, UEFA

If you are interested in sponsorship and speaking opportunities contact: Ben Ewles +44 (0) 20 7354 6000 Richard Carr +44 (0) 20 7354 6000 ben.ewles@intentmedia.co.uk richard.carr@intentmedia.co.uk Steve Connolly +44 (0) 20 7354 6000 steve.connolly@intentmedia.co.uk

58 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com February 2014

News Review

By Holly Ashford

C2S begins OB build for Video Europe: C2S Systems is building a 16-camera double expander outside broadcast vehicle and support tender for film and broadcast equipment rental company Video Europe. Video Europe has undertaken the £1.25 million project as part of an on-going expansion of the services they provide to existing OB and production clients. The truck will be available for hire for live events from May 2014. The company hopes that the truck’s open-plan layout will provide a unique work environment for both small and large live production teams. C2S will equip the vehicle with Sony HDC-2500 camera channels, an MVS-7000X vision mixer and OLED monitors. It will also feature a 3G Miranda NVISION 8500 Series Hybrid Router populated to 171x216 HD-SDI and 5x3 TDM interfaces for connecting external Madi, AES and analogue capabilities. www.c2ssystems.com

instrument provides a cost effective, quality test and measurement product they can rely on, with over 4000 Sxs in daily use.” www.phabrix.com

download free of charge for all existing DaVinci Resolve customers from the Blackmagic Design website. The new DaVinci Resolve 10.1 update allows users to preview and align multiple camera takes while editing, so

they can quickly switch between takes to show their clients shot options live from the timeline.

Editors can also now drag and drop individual clips in the editing timeline. www.blackmagicdesign.com

Level 3 offers Cloud Content Exchange for file transfer

Sony announces new full-HD monitors: Sony has added to its range of professional and industrial LCD monitors with the release of the new Full High Definition (Full HD) multi-format LCD monitors. The new models consist of the LMD-A240 (24-inch, 1920x1200), the LMD-A220 (22-inch, 1920x1080), and the LMD-A170 (17-inch, 1920x1080). The LMD-A series monitors incorporate Full HD ready LCD panels.

For HD productions, this means that users can perform video monitoring at the original resolution without downscaling.

They are lighter in weight and boast approximately 30% reductions in depth compared to previous models from Sony. www.pro.sony.eu Phabrix to support Sochi 2014 UK-based PHABRIX has been chosen to supply 30 of its SxE units for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. The handheld text and measurement instruments will be used in every sports arena during the competition as events are

streamed live to viewers next month. “We’re really excited to be involved in this winter’s major sports event which will be broadcast to billions of television viewers across the world,” said Paul Nicholls, sales and marketing director, PHABRIX. “PHABRIX’s portable handheld SxE

Level 3 Communications has launched a new cloud-based file transfer platform, Cloud Content Exchange. The service simplifies and accelerates the sending of large video and data files and was developed to meet increased demand for transferring content globally from network broadcast and other media companies. Cloud Content Exchange uses Level 3’s storage platform and global network connectivity to enable companies to exchange content on a global scale via the cloud.

The system stores media files in a central, cloud-based library where they can be metatagged, sorted and accessed in realtime with rapid upload and download speeds. www.level3videocloud.com

Blackmagic announces new DaVinci release DaVinci Resolve 10.1 software from Blackmagic Design is now available. The release adds new editing and 3D stereoscopic features as well as support for Final Cut Pro X 10.1. DaVinci Resolve 10.1 is available for

BTV brings Globe’s Shakespeare to cinema and DVD: BTV Post has worked with Globe on Screen on three titles from Shakespeare’s Globe’s 2013 theatre season.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth and The Tempest are set to be released in cinemas in April 2014 through Arts Alliance Media. Grading, mastering and deliverables including conversion for cinema were completed at the Soho facility of BTV Post. The company used Mistika edit suites to do the grading and finishing, and converted from 25p to 24p for cinema using Alchemist Ph.C. Grading was completed by colourist and online editor Ian Grey, with mastering and deliverables handled by BTV Post’s digital media services department. www.btvpost.com Mistika used for The Hobbit at Park Road: SGO’s Mistika DI Colour Grading post systems were again used at Park Road Post Production for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second in the Tolkien trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. Mistika’s involvement at Park Road included supporting on-set services and screening HFR digital dailies, to the DI online, stereoscopic work and final grade for the film. Park Road’s facility features purpose-built DI theatres for both 2D and stereoscopic finishing work, supported by Mistika 4K/Stereoscopic master systems, with finishing suites with matching SFGO technology. www.sgo.es