TVBE June 2014 digital edition

www.tvbeurope.com

Europe’s Television Technology Business Magazine

June 2014

Tomorrow’s World Broadcasting in the Networked Society

Avid Roundtable at BT Tower Summer of Sport OB Focus Communications Forum

TVBEurope 3

June 2014 www.tvbeurope.com

Editorial

Recognising excellence in the broadcast sector

James McKeown

Exciting developments are afoot at TVBEurope, developments that will require black ties, evening dresses and (brief) acceptance speeches…

AS A reasonably seasoned editor, I’m not one for repetition. Yet, since joining the industry a month ago, I have found myself returning again and again to the notion of change; the uprooting of traditional standards and the maturation of an industry caught between its rich linear heritage and the digital-multieverything-and-everywhere path it must follow. The bridging of past and future principles and practices is no easy task, but already, I have been vastly impressed by the application of this sector in readying itself for a future of dizzying prospects and challenges.

For the publishing arm of the industry, this brings cause for inspiration as it gives us a bounty of material to digest, research, and write about, but it also means that we can’t

to alter this industry almost totally. It marks the start of a period of development for TVBEurope; incrementally administered with purpose, ambition and huge doses of excitement. You will see some changes in these pages, starting in this issue, and on our website, that are all designed to improve what we do, and enhance your experience as a reader. But, of course, your feedback and counsel is vital in ensuring that we are providing the best possible service; therefore, I would implore you to contact me directly with your thoughts and suggestions about any facet of our print and digital output (james.mckeown@ intentmedia.co.uk).

Now, providing the best possible service usually results in plaudits, new business, and more importantly, awards.

So, to this edition. Our glorious cover image, courtesy of the good people at Ericsson, should direct you to our new, dedicated features section on page 20, where we explore the future with Simon Frost, Ericsson’s head of TV marketing. We also look back at TVBEurope’s Roundtable on collaborative workflows, in conjunction with Avid, at BT Tower in central London, and follow up with an interview with one of the day’s participants, Martyn Suker, head of production innovation at ITV Studios.

We also focus on a summer of sport that is set to busy both sides of the broadcasting supply chain, as well as examining the latest from the world of capture and lighting in our aptly titled Camera and Lighting focus.

I would also like to point you in the direction of our new

“After much planning, discussion, and feverish scribbling, the team at TVBEurope is delighted to announce the launch of the TVBAwards” stand still. As the industry changes, it also forces us to change how we approach our reporting, the methods by which we communicate, and the scope of our ambitions to be more inclusive of this expanding industry, and its many extremities.

This month’s cover feature is emphasis of this, of our desire to push our own boundaries to accommodate more of the conversation around the next generation of technology and innovation that promises

And no, I’m not hankering after recognition for what we do — quite the contrary.

After much planning, discussion, and feverish scribbling, the team at TVBEurope is delighted to announce the launch of the TVBAwards — our brand new awards ceremony created to recognise the provision of excellence in the broadcast TV sector. It is a profoundly exciting development that my acting editor, Neal Romanek, will tell you all about overleaf.

Data Centre at the back of this publication, which will house a selection of datasets, reports and analyses in visual and graphic form. We begin with contributions from Ericsson and from the Future of Innovation in Television Technology taskforce.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this issue of TVBEurope, and I welcome and encourage your feedback on anything related to our brand.

James McKeown Executive Editor

Contents 4-11 News and Analysis Announcing the TVBAwards TVBEurope introduces its new awards event, the TVBAwards, to take place in October. Nominations are now open!

4 12-17 Last month, TVBEurope, in association with Avid, hosted an industry roundtable at London’s BT Tower. Neal Romanek delivers the first of a two-part report.

12 20-23 Feature Tomorrow’s World: Broadcasting for the Networked Society James McKeown talks to Ericsson’s Simon Frost about the technology and market forces driving tomorrow’s world.

20 27 Workflow TheArk and the file-based flood London post house, The Ark, partnered with Quantum to install a new object storage system in its Bateman Street facility — just in time for an industry-wide flood of file-based workflows.

Neal Romanek reports.

27 28-32 Summer Of Sport Commonwealth Games plan Philip Stevens reports on coverage plans for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

28 The World Cup kicks off Sony has been involved in almost every angle of the World Cup television coverage. Adrian Pennington reports.

30 34-42 Camera and Lighting Focus Compact cameras crave a slice of the action Smaller, faster and higher: David Fox finds out what’s new in mini-cams. 34 45-47 Forum This month’s Forum, moderated

by Philip Stevens, looks at comms and how the digital age is affecting broadcast communications.

45 49-50 Data Centre Our new Data Centre offers deep analysis of industry trends and challenges. This month features insights from DTG and Ericsson. 49

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Awards Preview

EDITORIAL Executive Editor James McKeown james.mckeown@intentmedia.co.uk

TVBEurope launches TVBAwards The first Europe-wide broadcast innovation awards are now open for nominations.

Neal Romanek unveils the categories, venue and date TVBEUROPE HAS announced the debut of the TVBAwards, honouring the high points of TV technical achievement over the last year. The new awards event is being run in partnership with TVBEurope sister publication, TV Technology Europe.

The TVBAwards will take place on 23 October, 2014, at the Hilton London Wembley.

The prestigious hotel is host to other successful Intent Media awards events, including the Install Awards by Installation magazine.

TVBEurope saw the need for an awards show that truly represented the depth and scope of broadcast production expertise in the European industry. The awards will honour the best of the best across three major production categories: Capture awards honour achievement in image and content creation; Workflow awards honour achievement in post production, audio and systems integration, and Delivery awards honour achievement in content distribution.

Accolades in these three production areas will be projectbased, recognising a company’s excellence in its contribution to live or recorded TV content.

In addition, four Special Awards will be given, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, given to an individual who has provided years of exemplary service to the broadcast industry, and a Sustainability Award honouring a company making the best contribution toward ensuring a liveable future. There will also be an award for Marketing Campaign of the year and finally, the top prize of Outstanding Broadcast.

The awards are:

O Achievement in Sports Broadcast O Achievement in FX O ‘Beyond HD’ Achievement

Workflow O Achievement in Sound O Achievement in Systems Integration O Achievement in Post Production

Editor, Special Projects Melanie Dayasena-Lowe melanie.dayasena-lowe@intentmedia.co.uk Staff Writer Holly Ashford holly.ashford@intentmedia.co.uk Intent Media London, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England +44 207 354 6002 Contributors Mike Clark, David Davies, Chris Forrester, David Fox, Mark Hill, Dick Hobbs, John Ive, George Jarrett, Heather McLean, Adrian Pennington, 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 Mark Burton 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

The TVBAwards gala will be held at the sumptuous Hilton London Wembley

TVBAwards Key info

in association with TVTechnology 23rd October 2014 - Hilton London, Wembley

Delivery O Achievement in Fast Turnaround Broadcast O Achievement in Multiplatform Content O Achievement in Legacy Content

Special Awards Capture

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

O O O O

Sustainability Award Marketing Award Outstanding Broadcast Lifetime Achievement Award

Projects can be nominated by submitting a proposal to tvbawards@intentmedia.co.uk.

The proposal should include the name of the project, the

company nominated, and all key people involved. Links to images and supporting materials should be included too. Nominations can be made by anyone working in the broadcast industry, and there is no limit to the number of categories in which a team or project can be nominated.

Detailed nomination criteria for each category and other pertinent information about the event, including how to buy tickets, can be found at the TVBAwards website — www.tvb-awards.com. Winners will be selected from a shortlist

Nominations open: Now Nominations close: 8 August, 2014 TVBAwards ceremony: 23 October, 2014 For further questions or tickets, contact: Sara Mather, at sara.mather@intentmedia.co.uk, or 020 7354 6001 For sponsorship opportunities, contact: Ben Ewles (ben.ewles@ intentmedia.co.uk) or Richard Carr (richard.earr@intentmedia.co.uk). of nominees by an independent panel of distinguished judges representing all segments of the broadcast industry.

The shortlist will be announced in September.

Nominations are now open! www.tvb-awards.com

CIRCULATION Intent Media, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough LE16 9EF, UK FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS tvbe.subscriptions@c-cms.com Subscriptions Tel +44 1580 883848

TVBEurope is published 12 times a year by Intent Media London, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London, N1 8LN, England Intent Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Association

© Intent Media 2014. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the copyright owners. TVB Europe is mailed to qualified persons residing on the European continent. Subscription is free.

Allow 8 weeks for new subscriptions and change of address delivery. Send subscription inquiries to: Subscription Dept, Intent Media, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough LE16 7BR, England.

ISSN 1461-4197 Printing by Pensord Press, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood NP12 2YA Cover image courtesy of Ericsson

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People on the move

By Holly Ashford

IABM names Caryn Cohen as North America director

TV analytics start-up appoints chairman to board

Caryn Cohen, IABM

LONDON-BASED START-UP TVbeat has hired Tom Toumazis as chairman to its board of directors. TVbeat provides realtime TV audience measurement to pay-TV platforms, broadcasters and media buyers. Toumazis brings over three decades of experience in the media and entertainment industry and has previously held positions at Endemol Group and Disney ABC ESPN. Most recently he was group chief executive of Mecom.

THE INTERNATIONAL Association of Broadcasting Manufacturers has appointed Caryn Cohen as its new director for North America. Cohen will lead IABM’s operations and business development in the region.

Peter White, chief executive, IABM, said: “The appointment will enable us to serve our existing members better, reach out to potential members with clear and solid value propositions, and develop additional programmes that address the needs of North America.”

Tom Toumazis, TVbeat

Dr Neale Foster,

Damon Pattison,

Sven Taits,

Vikki Scott,

James Greenwall,

Rene Harder,

ACCESS

KEO Films

LipSync

Mad Dog Casting

re:fine

Strategec

ACCESS HAS announced the appointment of Dr. Neale Foster as COO, ACCESS Europe. Foster retains his previous role as VP global sales TV at ACCESS Europe, where he guided the company towards becoming a player in the multiscreen market.

Tiaan Schutte has joined Alticast as president, EMEA. An industry veteran with more than two decades of experience, Schutte is the latest addition to Alticast’s Amsterdambased EMEA operations. His most recent position prior to Alticast was with Three Media Associates.

Continuing the expansion of its UK development and production arm, DLT Entertainment has appointed production executive Margaret Enefer

to the newly created role of head of drama. Enefer will be charged with growing the independent producer’s drama content with a focus on original development, adaptations and longrunning returning series for UK and international broadcasters.

Damon Pattison has joined KEO films in the new role of creative director, factual entertainment and formats. He has developed a wide range of programmes and formats across all genres, with recent highlights including Disaster Chefs for CBBC, Show me the Monet for BBC Daytime, Secret Location for Channel 4, and Food Chain for La7 in Italy.

LipSync Post has appointed re-recording mixer Sven Taits to

join its BAFTA Craft award-winning sound team. Taits spent seven years at De Lane Lea before going freelance in 2008, and has worked with directors including Wes Anderson, Stephen Woolley, Mike Leigh, Anthony Minghella and Paul Greengrass. Peter Hampden, MD, The LipSync Group, said: “Sven’s diverse experience and outstanding audio skills make him an ideal addition to our talented sound team.”

In anticipation of its 15-year birthday celebrations in November, Mad Dog Casting has announced a revamp, with new MD, Vikki Scott at the helm. Mad Dog has moved to its own building within Ealing

Studios, established a second office in Cardiff, and relaunched its website.

Former film producer Scott commented: “It is a very exciting time, and we are delighted to be so busy this summer with four feature films in progress, countless TV shows and commercials.” re:fine has hired James Greenwall as director of home entertainment and distribution. Greenwall comes to re:fine from his last position as director of business development at creative communications agency Premier. The role at re:fine has been created specifically for Greenwall to further develop the company’s share of the digital home entertainment sector.

René Harder joins as a new member of the board of STAGETEC Entwicklungsgesellschaft in Berlin, manufacturer of professional digital audio technology. He succeeds Dr. Klaus-Peter Scholz, one of the founders and pioneers of STAGETEC. “I consider it a personal challenge to support the company in this position and make it even stronger in the long-term,” commented Harder.

Bernd Riedewald, a former system specialist and designer from Vizrt’s Austrian centre will take on the role of senior system specialist, as Vizrt UK scales up its technical support service from its base in London’s Ealing Studios. He will head a team of four other engineers.

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News & Analysis

US media giants buy All3Media

By Neal Romanek DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS and international cable company Liberty Global have struck a deal to purchase All3Media.

The top UK indy will be acquired from its current owner, the private equity group Permira, in a deal for more than £550 million.

All3Media operates a network of 15 subsidiaries, which have produced some of the UK’s most successful shows, including Midsomer Murders, The Only Way Is Essex, Shameless and Horrible Histories.

Discovery is one of the largest producers of non-fiction TV content in the world. The company’s successful brands include the Discovery Channel,

TLC and Animal Planet. The company is publically traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange, but its founding Newhouse family holds a 31 per cent stake in the company through its company Advance Publications.

It was reported that Discovery had been considering the acquisition of the UK’s Channel 5, which was picked up last week by US media company

Horrible Histories is produced by the All3Media subsidiary, Lion Television Viacom for £450 million.

Liberty Media owns stock in several large entertainment companies including Time

US rental firm VER acquires Cameron Pace Group

By Holly Ashford VIDEO EQUIPMENT Rentals (VER), is buying Pace, one of the foremost 3D film and TV technical innovators in the business, rebranded Cameron Pace Group (CPG) in 2011 in partnership with director James Cameron.

CPG was aggressive in its argument that 3D was the future of TV but failed to persuade broadcasters to follow.

Following the decision by its main client ESPN to shutter a

James Cameron’s Avatar pioneered Cameron Pace 3D technology

3D TV sports channel at the end of 2013, CPG offloaded its 3D OB vehicles to Dome Productions in Canada.

Now the IP for CPG technology has gone too. The terms of the deal were not disclosed but VER said the addition of CPG technology including its 2D/3D camera system, Fusion, which was devised to create Avatar, would create a rental offering it is dubbing Cineverse. Former CPG co-chair Vince Pace joins VER to help run Cineverse.

Warner and Viacom. www.all3media.com www.corporate.discovery.com www.libertymedia.com In a statement Pace said: “The creative and technical landscape of entertainment is dynamic, which makes the ability to adapt and integrate emerging technologies a key for production success. Technologies such as higher resolution capture and display, specialty lensing, LED lighting, stereoscopic and high frame rate acquisition require a cohesive workflow as they evolve into production tools. This takes a multitude of resources, technical disciplines, and most importantly, experienced and highly invested people. Our new entity, Cineverse, has those by the score — and we can’t wait to make an impact and see the captivating images our clients will create.”

VER said: “With a highly regarded, worldwide reputation for innovation, Pace has closely supported a broad range of historic entertainment achievements including three of the last five Oscars for Best Cinematography. In addition to their widely known CPG Group 3D tool set, Pace also brings many of their exciting advancements to 2D production such as their Slate2Screen methodology. The addition of the Pace team, led by Vince Pace, brings a unique combination of creative and technical expertise to the formation of Cineverse.”

Last year VER acquired US film and digital camera rental business Fletcher (excluding Fletcher’s Chicago-based sports division).

VER added: “Further strengthening their strategic commitment to the film and television industry, VER announces the addition of cutting edge motion imaging and production tools innovator, Pace to VER’s global platform.

This move complements VER’s recent acquisition of Fletcher Camera & Lenses.”

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News & Analysis

Nordic companies agree MediaCity Bergen move

By Holly Ashford NORDIC MEDIA companies TV2, NRK, Vizrt, Bergens Tidende, Bergensavien and the media department at the University of Bergen (UIB) are to relocate to the purpose-built MediaCity Bergen, a project to be completed in 2017.

The 45,000sqm facility will be the largest business building in downtown Bergen and will be the base for 1,200 media professionals and students.

Construction of MediaCity Bergen will begin early next year.

TV2 became the final signing tenant in the media cluster, as the company’s board of directors approved the move last week.

“A move to new and more flexible, offices, tailored for a

Architect’s visualisation of the new MediaCity Bergen, to be completed in 2017 TV channel, is very important to further develop TV2 as a channel with their headquarters in Bergen,” said Alf Hildrum, CEO of TV2.

MediaCity Bergen, created by MAD Arkitekter, will have an interactive media facade facing the main street. Inside the main entrance will be a large atrium

which will serve as a meeting and networking point. Common meeting room facilities, a greenhouse environment and various restaurants will

also feature. The tenants will cooperate on technical solutions, data centres and other service offerings.

Vizrt, supplier of realtime graphics and video solutions, plans to move its international headquarters to MediaCity Bergen. “In MCB, we get fantastic access to a high level of competence from TV, newspapers and education institutions, and can develop the future of media tools together with them,” commented Fredrik Gunnestad, president NEMEA, Vizrt.

The UIB plans to move its 220 students from media education courses to the new facility, and has made various agreements with other tenants, including TV2, which will allow students access to its studios.

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Who moved my workflow?

Avid roundtable at BT Tower Last month, TVBEurope, in association with Avid, hosted another of its successful industry roundtables. Acting editor Neal Romanek reports THE LATEST TVBEurope roundtable, entitled ‘Collaborative Workflows’, was held last month at London’s landmark BT Tower. Its purpose was to gather industry leaders to analyse and share common challenges in the brave new world of file-based workflows. Many thorny issues were raised, including the conundrum of file-based workflows fuelling the very fires they aim to put out.

The reception afterward was held high atop BT Tower, and featured a stunning view of a rain-drenched London — accompanied by a doublerainbow — perhaps a sign that

the stormy world of digital workflows would eventually have a happy ending.

The industry participants willing to put all their workflow problems on the table were (in alphabetical order): Steve Bennedik, head of technology at Sky News; Tom Cordiner, VP international sales at Avid; Jose de Freitas, CTO of Ireland’s TV3; Ian Draysey, manager, post production engineering at Discovery; Craig Dwyer, senior director Global Center of Excellence at Avid; Steve Fish, RVP technology and operations at Turner Broadcasting System Europe; Alla Salehian CEO of TIMA, accompanied by TIMA’s

head of operations, Ammar Hijazi; Paul Stevenson, director of technology and technical operations at ITV News; Martyn Suker, head of production innovation at ITV Studios, and Mark Wilson-Dunn, VP sales and marketing at BT Media and Broadcast.

The panel was moderated by veteran TVBEurope correspondent Philip Stevens, accompanied by TVBEurope’s new executive editor, James McKeown, and acting editor, Neal Romanek.

Workflows in the broadcast industry are being challenged by file-based implementations, and a project’s journey from

concept to delivery is no longer the linear path it once was. Like many industries, broadcast has adopted change slowly, but in the past year, a tipping-point in file-based workflows and IP delivery seems to have been reached. An IT-rate of change, more rapid than the slower, hardware-centric rate of change of a decade ago, has hit the industry like a hurricane. But there are payoffs in up-ending the old workflows — whole new vistas have opened for creative collaboration and content distribution.

How can broadcasters and content producers rethink their workflows in this new

collaborative environment, where production is now more ecosystem than assembly line?

And what needs to be preserved from the old, linear models of production? These were the central questions the roundtable aimed to address.

Tom Cordiner of Avid lead the charge, opening with an introduction to the company’s Avid Everywhere concept of production workflows.

Avid Everywhere is the vision developed by Avid’s new forward-looking CEO, Louis Hernandez, Jr. Avid Everywhere aims to reimagine the entire production workflow to more realistically represent current, ‘non-linear’ modes of collaboration. Few could impune Hernandez’s zeal and commitment to the new

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Cordiner said that Avid’s customers all talk about a relentless pressure on operational efficiency, that they are still required to create the most efficient workflows they can in the midst of a changing media landscape.

“Because of the way the digital shift has impacted traditional television and media companies, producers now have the ability to distribute and make money from their content at the same time they are capturing and creating it.

“You don’t have a team of creatives building content and deciding what’s going to be broadcast, then a separate team deciding how they’re going to make money from it. It’s all happening at the same time now.

When we talk to the boards of some of our biggest customers, their number one challenge is, ‘How do I bring these two parts of my business together?’”

New workflows, new challenges Anticlockwise, from top left: Ammar Hijazi and Alla Salehian,TIMA; Paul Stevenson, ITV; Philip Stevens, moderator; Jose de Freitas, TV3; Mark Wilson-Dunn, BT Media and Broadcast; James McKeown and Neal Romanek, TVBEurope; Martyn Suker, ITV; Craig Dwyer, Avid; Ian Draysey, Discovery; Steve Bennedik, Sky News; Tom Cordiner, Avid; Steve Fish, Turner, and Stephanie Genin, Avid Avid vision. “(Louis) is very committed to driving the change through Avid,” began Cordiner, “and thus through the industry, and we feel that is certainly happening.”

Days before NAB2014, Avid hosted its first Avid Customer Association event.

The event was far more successful than the company had hoped, with an anticipated turn-out of 500 people mushrooming into 1,100.

Roundtable participants Paul Stevenson and Martyn Suker, both of ITV, are members of the Avid Customer Association

with Stevenson on the main board and Suker on the advisory council.

So what are the big challenges Avid is taking on? According to Cordiner: “The first is this collapsing of the value chain between the creative part of our businesses and the go-to-market,

commercial monetisation piece.

Because everything is created digitally now, it’s creating a very profound change in how companies operate. The second thing we see is this fight for viewership. Viewers are now very much in control of how and where they watch content.”

With the groundwork laid, Philip Stevens opened the group discussion with an anecdote about the workflow before the digital age: “I may be the oldest person in this room and I can remember the workflow in my day, when I started off as a runner in a film production company half a mile away from here. I had to be at a film laboratory at 8 o’clock in the morning collecting the rushes, getting back to the cutting room

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and having to log them before the editor came in at half past nine to view them with the director. The workflow was me.

Things have obviously moved on a great deal.”

Stevens asked the panel what key challenges they faced today with regard to optimising the media that they already had, directing the question first to ITV’s Paul Stevenson, a member

of Avid’s ACA. Stevenson first reiterated Avid’s level of commitment and remarked how well organised the pre-NAB Avid Customer Association event was, with a massive

industry presence. The problem facing them, he said, was not how small the industry was, but how many players and standards there were within it.

“And that’s the prize for Avid, to harmonise that...But it’s also a huge challenge, because we all know how broadcasters like to do things their own way. We talk about standardisation, but sometimes we don’t really mean it.”

He thought it was interesting how Avid had delineated the breaking up and reconfiguration of the value chain from its predigital linear roots. “That old linear chain is quite familiar to all of us. How we now publish material is much more in the hands of producers than it used to be, and the technology needs to match that.”

Steve Bennedik of Sky News thought Avid’s vision was pertinent to the needs of news organisations, which were becoming increasingly multiplatform. His main question for all-encompassing propositions like those presented

by Avid was how willing were companies to put all their eggs in one basket: “It’s like going to the High Street to buy your clothes.

Do you go to a trusted, reliable source to get your suit? Or do you go somewhere and mixand-match, which could be a bit more daring, and you might end up with something a bit more colourful and modern?

And the other thing in that scenario, is Avid going to be able to cope with change on an ongoing basis?”

Discovery’s Ian Draysey: “For us, as we expand globally, it’s being able to share content around regional offices and trying to move away from shifting heavy assets about. We want to work with third-parties and external vendors and give them access to work on our content with us and collaborate internally and externally.”

Steve Fish at Turner Broadcasting Europe said that his company favoured the ‘mix-and-match’ approach. “We haven’t bought one suit from one place. And we’re driven to that because of the diverse nature of the business. We end up having to place disparate systems in different places to align with the creative need. But the challenge then is to integrate them. That’s the most crucial part.”

“Systems going forward have to become much more flexible and much more dynamic,” Fish continued, “We can no longer build a system with a five year life cycle. There is no way you can now build a system that takes you more than six to ten months, because by the time you’re at the end of ten months,

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the industry’s passed you; the next thing’s happening.” He pointed to the BBC’s Digital Media Initiative as an example of a project existing in an entirely unrealistic time scale.

“I think flexible API-driven workflow systems are going to be crucial for us as an industry to survive. It’s not about a single vendor or partner, it’s about how we work together. I had a visit from a big software company who promised our CFO, ‘We can solve all of your problems.

You don’t need any of that broadcasty stuff. We’ll solve it all for you.’ We all know it’s much, much more difficult than that, but if they say they can come in and halve the price, that gets people’s attention.”

“It’s a good stick for the IT industry to beat the broadcast industry with, isn’t it?,” noted ITV’s Stevenson, “That it’s kind of disparate and doesn’t have any standards. ‘You’re just a mess of standards and there’s no coherence; everyone’s doing everything differently’”.

Stevenson said that in the final analysis, “We still need a platform where we do all our stuff”, that a certain amount of stability was required in a platform.

Steve Fish agreed, but said that it was essential to be able to incrementally improve platforms, without having to change the whole platform.

A new automation system for playout is not something that can be changed quickly.

Roundtable participant BT Media and Broadcast provided a stunning venue for the discussion Scheduling systems are one example of an essential enterprise-wide system that seems ubiquitously difficult to manage and upgrade. Fish said that Turner was undergoing an assessment of its own scheduling system. “These systems are so monolithic and so huge, that actually companies are frightened to do anything about it.”

There was laughter around the table as participants recognised the same hurdles in their own organisations.

Stevenson concurred: “There are some things so entrenched in your business and so huge that even if they are a bit flakey and crude and clunky, you stick with them because changing them is so difficult and costly.”

Competing screens Alla Salehian of TIMA asked the roundtable what they thought the timescale would be of the evolution away from linear workflows and delivery. As a news agency, TIMA deals with a great deal of user generated content — which can be globally available before a traditional broadcaster even gets wind of the story. Given that 40% of global advertising revenue is still driven by broadcast, the transition might be slower than we think. “I think what Avid is doing is absolute right, but how long will it take?”

Tom Cordiner believed the two value chains would coincide for a long time. He pointed to the variability between markets.

In India, for example, there

is a large population that gets its information largely from traditional broadcast, whereas other more developed markets have adopted a more varied value chain.

BT’s Mark Wilson-Dunn added, “The latest research that we’ve commissioned at BT Media and Broadcast suggests that something like 98% of viewing eyeballs in the UK are still watching a linear TV experience. You switch on and say ‘Feed me.’ And I can’t see that changing any time soon.”

Wilson-Dunn believed that audiences will ultimately choose the viewing option that is is most convenient and effective for them. “You default to the choice that most fits your

lifestyle or your condition at the time. If I’m watching a football game or a movie, I’ll watch it on the biggest device possible.

But if I’m stuck on a train, I’ll watch it on an iPad. Now, if you look at the viewing habits of kids, they will multitask across everything. Another thing is that the brand loyalty to a particular channel is gone.

There’s brand loyalty toward particular programmes.”

Though user-generated content has begun to play an increasing role in informational media, especially news, Wilson-Dunn doesn’t see it replacing traditional news gathering. He brought up his experience of the Cutty Sark fire — the initial coverage was user-generated video captured on the scene. The access was immediate, but after the continuous repeating of the video by the broadcasters, Wilson-Dunn found himself craving considered analysis and coverage from the scene by professional journalists.

“And I think that has fed back into the news organisations.

News now has gotten a lot more compelling, there’s a lot more information, the format’s a lot better. I don’t see a generational shift away from linear TV happening any time soon, but I think the choice of being able to consume media at different times and different places is absolutely there.”

ITV Studios’ head of production innovation, Martyn Suker, believed there would be

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Culture change

parallel universes of old and new running side by side for some time, both from the consumer point of view, and within the production environment. “How long will it take for that to change? Probably twice as long as you think.”

25 major players, 400,000 small businesses Wilson-Dunn expressed admiration for Avid’s unified, all-encompassing vision, but was concerned that the dominance of a single player could exclude opportunities for small companies and innovators.

“My observations at NAB and IBC last year were that the market for workflow is starting to mature. It’s starting to have some deliverables. With Sony, Prime Focus, and Avid — and HP back in the market — people are going to choose different platforms, as much as we’d like to see one dominating platform. It’s the interoperability between platforms that is the big question for me.

We know that the ecosystem in this marketplace is probably 25 major players worldwide and then 400,000 small businesses based in lofts and garages. How do those small businesses get along?”

Avid’s Craig Dwyer said that the UK’s DPP deadline, coming up in October has helped force the industry into maturity, by encouraging an agreement on common standards, which has helped companies at all levels He noted that Avid now has a variety of options available for

From atop BT Tower, the industry’s workflow challenges seemed manageable.

And the appearance of a double rainbow was auspicious users, including monthly subscription licenses.

Jose de Freitas of TV3 in Ireland addressed the issue of small broadcaster operability based on his own experience: “Obviously, representing the smallest organisation in the room, one of the interesting things is a subscription-type model that facilitates the ups and downs in the production cycle.

Tom Cordiner believed that Avid was offering a flexible model that served the interests of both big and small companies alike. “It depends on workflow and what organisations are trying to achieve. If you’re a big broadcaster like RAI in Italy, where you might have hundreds of editors or journalists working, flexing up to buy 20 or 40 licenses isn’t such a critical thing. But if

you’re a small production house in Soho and have peaks and troughs in use, it’s a very different thing. But we have the option to float licenses around different user groups. I think we scale across from independents all the way up to big organisations.”

“I think that’s Avid’s winning proposition,” seconded Wilson-Dunn. “It’s that scene of the creative organisations at the sub-five people level that drives the rest.”

Paul Stevenson was cautious, but hopeful: “Broadcasters have the big end infrastructure that does exclude a lot of small third parties. That connection for third parties still feels like a challenge to me. It feels like there’s a cost overhead to join the party.

Anything that eliminates that, I think helps the cause.”

Though much of the conversation had been about the difficulties of effectively managing and leveraging new technology. Martyn Suker said that the big issue was not technological change, but that it was — particularly in a production environment — culture change.

Suker noted that there is a common conception that moving around media in the digital realm is easier. “But I’m not sure that it is, actually. We’re entering an environment now where we’ve got a hell of a lot more media than we used to have in a tapebased environment. It’s gone crazy in the file-based world.

And managing that has become much more difficult. We’ve almost lost control of it. Why have we got more? Because we can. And because we’ve got a lot more people who are selfshooting these days. And because we’ve lost sight of what it means.

“If you had a 30-minute DigiBeta tape, if you shot five rolls in a day, you knew you got two and half hours. You knew what your shooting ratio was.

What does a 64 gig card mean to anybody? You can fill it up and empty it and fill it up and empty it, and before you know where you are, you’ve got a hell of a lot of stuff to deal with.

How do you do that seamlessly and move that around?”

The unstoppable deluge of files filling a workflow necessitates better and better

metadata, but managing the metadata becomes as much, or more, of a challenge as managing the files themselves.

“It costs money to enter metadata. It costs time. And who knows what that metadata should be? The people who created the content in the first instance. And where do you want to use it? Everywhere else in your organisation. So the seamless flow of that metadata is absolutely vital. And that’s a thing that we really don’t do very well.”

Suker noted that the industry does have some common standards for metadata that have been around for some time, but broadcasters still don’t employ them consistently or effectively.

Suker’s assessment of the metadata problem was heartily seconded by the majority experience at the roundtable.

The discussion that followed delved deep into the problem of metadata.

Why aren’t broadcasters employing metadata as well as they should — or could?

And if metadata is the key to managing files, is successful metadata the royal road to a successful workflow?

The second part of our Avid Roundtable coverage will appear in TVBEurope’s July issue.

Selected excerpts from the day’s proceedings, including exclusive video footage, can be found on our website, and at: smarturl.it/workflows

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Interview

With production key to ITV’s core business, the broadcaster needed to reexamine current practices and, where necessary, evolve its workflow and technologies

ITV goes Nativ After careful evaluation, ITV Studios selected Nativ’s Mio for its production transformation project. Adrian Pennington reports on the results ITV STUDIOS is the largest and most successful commercial production company in the UK, creating over 3500 hours of original programming each year.

With production key to ITV’s core business, it was only logical to examine current practices and, where necessary, evolve the workflow and technologies to make the division even more creatively dynamic and responsive to market and audience demands.

After careful evaluation of various vendor solutions, ITV Studio’s Production Innovation team selected Nativ Mio as the basis for a pilot of its production transformation project.

“We didn’t want to build a bespoke system in house,” explains Martyn Suker, head of production innovation, ITV Studios, and participant in last month’s TVBEurope workflow roundtable. “Instead we wanted a system that would work off-theshelf but is also flexible so that we can configure it to handle our production data and workflows.

There was a willingness on the part of Nativ to work with us to expand the core functionality of their product, providing mutual benefit.”

Partners for change Working alongside ITV’s production staff over a six month period beginning in autumn 2013, the Nativ team gained a deep understanding of the organisation’s existing processes and how Mio could improve them.

“Only by putting new systems into a real, live environment

Nativ partnered with Adobe to integrate customisable Mio panels into Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Prelude can you quickly flush out any issues and learn whether your approach is right and what needs changing,” says Suker.

From day one the process embraced everyone involved, from editing and logging staff, to production managers and producers, ensuring that Nativ understood fully how they worked and that the production team understood the benefits of the new system. The approach was sensitive to managing change throughout, including workshops and feedback. The focus was on capturing data at its point of generation and streamlining labour-intensive tasks without interfering in the creative process.

“What we wanted was a comprehensive approach to tracking data and orchestrating the movement and tracking of media from one system to another in order to simplify production processes and to cut out time-consuming activities,” says Suker.

End-to-end data management The importance of efficient data management is well understood at ITV. “An awful lot of metadata throughout the production chain either gets lost or isn’t captured at all,” explains Suker. “One of the main criteria we wanted to achieve was to fill in the missing links in data, truly and for the first time from end-to-end – from greenlighting of a commission, right through to delivery and even on to the consumer.”

Like many organisations, ITV’s production information is spread between disparate systems, making tracking data and video assets very difficult.

The promise of file-based workflows is efficiency on many fronts, yet the transition from tape throws up a number of complexities. One benefit is the ability to acquire significantly more footage, yet this also can lead to a loss of control over large amounts of media.

As material is input into the production system via Mio, producers are able to see at a glance how many hours it represents. That simple indicator is one practical example of how Mio at ITV is giving control back to producers so that they can better allocate and budget for storage, and plan what to keep and what to delete.

ITV also realised that valuable logging information was being lost or input erroneously, with expensive and wasteful consequences from incomplete data fields and time spent trying to reconcile media in one system with information in another.

“We need to know where content is, who generated it and when,” Suker continues.

“In order to do that we had to have a technology platform that would not only enable us to structure and manage the data properly, consistently and visibly, but also that allows us to gain value from that data in other parts of the organisation.”

Reconciling media with metadata is core to Mio’s functionality and begins well before any media has even been created. Within the platform, producers are able to capture the editorial specification of a new commission (e.g. production name, channel, number of episodes, duration), in a process that allows media to be associated with that information as the production progresses.

Mio understands the hierarchy of a production, series, episode and versions of an episode.

The ability to create these

placeholders — or Business Objects — in Mio without having to first attach data to media is central to its operation at ITV. Once a production template is established, Mio automatically assigns appropriate data to the media.

Integration with Adobe For ITV, Nativ partnered with Adobe to integrate usercustomisable Mio panels into Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Prelude. Adobe Prelude is a file-based ingest application that works in conjunction with Adobe’s editing application Premiere Pro. The integration allows producers and directors to add metadata to their video files directly from within the Adobe product set, but controlled by Mio. As a production’s camera cards are recycled, media is ingested and logged into Prelude with all technical metadata (bitrate, frame rate, aspect ratio) automatically extracted and catalogued into Mio seamlessly.

At the same time user definable ‘tags’ can be added to individual or multiple shots.

In the edit, users can open up a similar panel in Premiere Pro, select the exact project according to production, episode or version, edit the project, and export the completed programme when the session is finished, matching it back to the production structure within Mio in the background.

Next steps With the pilot programme complete, ITV is evaluating the results with the aim of scaling up the platform and rolling it out across ITV Studios productions.

“We’ve seen that our approach is right, that the metadata framework works in practice and more importantly that production really likes it,” concludes Suker. “Everybody we’ve shown it to can see the benefits and how it can make life simpler.”

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Feature

Tomorrow’s World Broadcasting in the Networked Society This issue, we begin the first of a series of features that seek to examine how the dawn of the Networked Society, and the impact of disruptive technologies, will affect the broadcast sector of tomorrow WE ARE entering a new global landscape, defined not by the traditional rules of engagement but by the super-connected demands of the Networked Society. It presents a complex future for broadcasters, but one with which they must engage, and one that is rich in opportunity.

One of the leading voices in this field has been Ericsson, and to explore how a Networked Society will impact the broadcast sector, James McKeown spoke to Simon Frost, the company’s head of TV marketing, about the technology and market forces driving tomorrow’s world.

How should the Networked Society change the way we think about the digital landscape?

Looking ahead over the next six years, it’s patently clear that the old industry rules will no longer apply. We are entering a brand new global landscape; by 2020 there will be nine billion

people, over eight billion mobile broadband subscriptions and 1.5 billion homes with digital television. Our research indicates that penetration of fixed broadband will have exceeded one billion home subscriptions, representing around 75 per cent of digital TV homes.

In the Networked Society of 2020, there will be more than 50 billion connected devices, of which 15 billion will be video-enabled devices, and they will be reliant on mobile IP networks dominated by video.

This will completely transform the consumption experience

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Feature of the most compelling content is now in the hands of the TV service provider. There is a lot of money at stake; the global TV market of 2020 is estimated to be worth $750 billion.

However, to succeed, or indeed, even compete in this new digital landscape, our industry needs to consider how to take advantage of this fundamental change and the opportunities it presents.

We are set to enter a world of universal broadband access, which completely redefines what television is and what it will become in the longer term. A plethora of connected devices will provide unprecedented availability of content, which can be both found and consumed easily and directly. In 2020, content owners will need to create the most compelling and differentiated consumer experiences in order to meet ever-increasing expectation.

To that end, connectivity will be matched by cloud services, which will bring ‘anything to everything’. This will irrevocably change consumer demand for ownership and the necessary storage of assets.

They will expect, and become reliant on, their devices always being connected to high-speed and universal broadband access. This will enable them to prioritise, personalise and share content, capturing their individual preferences. Success in the TV game of 2020 will force players to innovate and deliver what consumers are demanding; namely multi-screen services which enable seamless, convenient and simple ways to consume any content, in any way, anywhere. of television and herald a new era of entertainment and connectivity. In a world where global brands combine consumer electronics, social media and apps, we will see new disruptive business models emerging without warning.

When you consider IP as a fundamental part of this enhanced consumer experience, it underlines the point as to why TV service providers will need to find new ways of delivering or leveraging platforms that are both flexible and intelligent.

This will require better dialogue with consumers and a desire to push boundaries by testing new services and driving innovation.

The potential opportunities for the TV industry are enormous. The power of interconnected social interaction, the simplification and aggregation

How is the Networked Society affecting the production and consumption of today’s broadcast media?

The Networked Society is driving radical change across the entire TV landscape, particularly with regard to the consumer experience.

Quality and quantity are now considered vital proponents, ranging from the living room TV and extending down to a proliferation of new home and portable devices. Mobile devices are making up an increasing share of TV and video. Ericsson ConsumerLab’s 2013 TV and media research indicates 72 per cent of viewers use mobile devices at least weekly for video viewing, while 42 per cent do this outside the home.

Furthermore, consumers are increasingly moving away

from choosing content based on a TV schedule on a single domestic device, to one where the source is chosen based on the availability and suitability of the given situation.

In the future, the television experience will continue across platforms, services and time.

This evolution is already accelerating as consumers embrace internet-connected technologies and devices. In fact, Ericsson ConsumerLab found that more than 50 per cent of all people surveyed stated that their computer and internet connections form an integral part of their TV and video consumption habits.

Mobile devices are being used to discuss live TV content and have taken a focal point in the home TV set-up. Our research found that 49 per cent of people are using apps or browsing the internet to find out more about what they are currently watching.

The content experience in the Networked Society of 2020 is going to be part of a wider shift encompassing how viewers manage their work and leisure lifestyle balance. The already eroded notion of entire families gathering on a couch to watch linear TV will change forever.

By 2020, we predict that consumers in advanced markets will have shifted their viewing patterns to a 50:50 split of time spent with on-demand and timeshift versus linear and live TV. Thanks to the seismic change in consumption models towards on-demand and multiple mobile devices, we will see the rapid adoption of IP to become the dominant delivery technology for video. Consumers will not accept buffering, stuttering and ill-performing services on any of their devices, in the same way today’s generation demands and expects a particular standard of experience from the high quality digital platforms which deliver to their main living room television screens.

As we move towards 2020, consumer expectation for immediacy and relevancy will diminish the value of the traditional multi-hundred linear channel pay TV package.

Consumers will concentrate on building their own schedules and their personalised packages of ‘channels’. This will negate the need to navigate through

large amounts of content, which is rapidly putting consumers off watching, and paying for, TV content. Instead, they will be able to pick and mix from smaller bundles of linear and live content.

Furthermore, we will see new opportunities and challenges emerge in advertising placement and revenues, not only around live content and popular linear scheduled TV, but also due to the shift towards on-demand consumption. In other words, the personalisation of content will be key. By 2020, successful TV service providers will already be offering intuitive and automated recommendation of personalised offers. This will encompass everything from TV, film and gaming experiences, as part of one integrated model.

How will its effects reach into the future?

The internet is set to play an increasingly critical role in the television industry with mobile broadband taking an essential position. Today’s rapid rollout and ever-growing uptake of mobile broadband is being driven by the availability and convenience of smartphones, tablets, computers and smart TVs. Over 90 per cent of the world’s population will have easy access to the internet by 2020 — more than quadruple

will drive a need for new TV platforms that can leverage the inherently flexible and intelligent processes of cloud delivery and enable deep analytics and high intelligence in terms of user recommendation.

As the importance of mobility, broadband and cloud enablement takes hold, the growth in IP delivery will demand video-centric networks in order to deal with an unprecedented amount of video traffic. Ericsson’s November 2013 Mobility Report predicts mobile data traffic will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 45 per cent (2013 to 2019). This will result in an approximate tenfold increase by the end of 2019.

These networks will open up new monetisation opportunities through sales of assured delivery capabilities in unmanaged networks, which offer highly efficient video processing.

The early part of this decade outlined the potential impact of disruptive internet delivery of video. We can now engineer and understand the value of these video-capable networks and the huge opportunity for traditional pay TV operators. It’s abundantly clear that by 2020, the over-the-top (OTT) model for the delivery of content will become just as applicable to TV service providers and content owners as a way of reaching consumers, as it will be for new disruptors. The stage is set for broadcastfocused pay providers (such as satellite) to adopt this model and enhance their delivery platforms. This year, we have already seen Netflix complete deals with Verizon and Comcast for the direct access of their networks, in order to improve streaming video quality for viewers. By 2020, collaborative business models such as these will become the norm, with each individual player understanding its specific role in the TV game.

The realisation of the Networked Society will see a variation in the demands of TV viewers. Although we will see a rise in the number of predominantly solo ‘bingeing’ habits, shared experiences will still be appreciated. However, viewers will expect to gain access to the content they want, in a format they need. This independence will open up new

“The Networked Society is driving radical change across the entire TV landscape, particularly with regard to the consumer experience” the number of people that enjoy connectivity today.

The IP revolution will force major change for TV service providers and even within operators like telcos and broadband providers. IP access will have a transformative effect on the TV industry and its widespread availability will trigger a consumer shift towards an even greater use of connected devices. Demand for this service

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Feature niches for exploitation, including the opportunity to target a connected audience that extends beyond the confines of the household. Consumers will value simplicity and perceive value in a single service, combining content and services together.

Ericsson research suggests that the pay TV subscriber market will be worth $460 billion by 2020 — but that excludes factors such as advertising revenue, licensing, and merchandising.

The opening up of the broadcast spectrum, coupled with competition within satellite and cable markets, has forced incumbents to evolve. Content owners and broadcasters will need to cooperate and engage with TV service provider aggregators as they focus on continued bundling of all related services such as broadband, telephone, TV and mobility.

The TV industry players of 2020 can adopt multiple roles to best fit their competence and focus as they undertake a period of consolidation. The acceleration of broadband capacity and penetration, along with ever more connected devices, potentially enables a powerful device or social ecosystem to become an ultimate content aggregator.

Is digital transformation a danger for the separate components of converging industries? For instance, is the merging of the telecoms and media sectors a precursor to the collapse of one industry into the other, or the creation of a whole new ecosystem that forces companies to evolve away from their core competencies?

There will be no collapse in terms of the industries.

Rather than the ‘convergence’ of industries, we will see collaboration between the telecoms and media sectors and they will learn how to interact with one another in a far deeper way. It’s ultimately about the growth and spread of entertainment and information, enabling content to become a continuous viewing experience, alongside the management and distribution of various service offerings. In order to reduce complexity and rising costs, we will see these industries intertwine and cross-pollinate.

Instead, the greatest challenges facing these industries will be the distribution of video/ TV in a fully connected (and predominantly IP) world.

In order to serve a TV industry of over eight billion

irrevocably transform video delivery; it will change the way consumers access content. By ensuring the efficient delivery of video over mobile networks, TV service providers will be able to maximise the revenue opportunities presented by the rapid evolution in media consumption. LTE will also transform mobile download consumer behaviour to alwaysaccessible streaming behaviour.

It’s also important to realise that our vision of what media may look like in 2020 will be guided by a number of variables and factors, including the individual country,

Simon Frost

connected mobile broadband subscriptions, with over 15 billion connected video devices plugged into a global IP network, the telecom industry will need to align itself accordingly. IP will become utterly essential for consumers and business; broadband access will help drive national economies and offer a level of connectivity which will enable a seamless transition between devices and the realisation of a true TV Anywhere world. If broadband providers (including telcos, cable operators and other ISPs) understand this opportunity, they will be able to focus on rebuilding their business model to become a critical consumer service, and leverage their capability and core competence towards the media industry and its core competence of great content.

Cooperation between content owners, broadcasters and TV service providers will be key in this digital transformation.

The industry will target the bundling of all related services such as broadband, TV, internet, telephone and mobility. Collaboration will be fundamental to driving the quality of experience that consumers expect; a service that will consist of easily accessible, interactive and compelling content, offered in a simple and engaging way.

This means deeper engagement with content formats, the seamless addition of social networking sites and forums, the distribution of content on any network to any device and

becoming a more relevant and accessible proposition to the consumer.

Within a super-connected society, how will technologies such as The Internet of Things, 5G and even wearable technology affect the production and consumption of broadcast media in the future? What are the main considerations today’s broadcasters need to bear in mind to adapt for the potential changes they bring?

The term ‘The Internet of Things’ has been coined by many industry commentators to describe advanced connectivity of devices, systems and services that enable more than traditional machineto-machine accessibility.

However, our vision of the Networked Society, which was first launched in 2011, runs far deeper than that. As we move towards 2020, we see a world where everything that can benefit from being connected, is connected. The Networked Society will not only enable the use of machinery or devices, it will empower people, business and society, and enhance the overall quality of our lives.

5G will be a key component in enabling even greater consumer experiences and services, and will fuel even greater industry opportunity.

However, we do not need to wait for the widespread deployment of 5G to enable the realisation of a TV Anywhere world. LTE and LTE Broadcast are the networks that will

expectation that TV experiences can be discovered, interacted with and consumed on them.

Expanding on LTE Broadcast, what opportunities and challenges does it present to broadcasters?

LTE Broadcast enhances the powerful capability in LTE networks to deliver high quality video to ever more connected mobile devices with superior quality. It enables an unlimited number of users in the broadcast areas to receive popular content, ensuring a high quality user experience and efficient use of broadcast spectrum. It is also a far more cost-efficient solution

“Thanks to the seismic change in consumption models towards on-demand and multiple mobile devices, we will see the rapid adoption of IP to become the dominant delivery technology for video” compared operator and audience demographic. For some, the trends we’re outlining in our Media Vision 2020 project may happen much later but in a more mobile-centric way. Emerging markets will have significant differences in timing and will have to adopt their own unique approach. For instance, instead of investing in fixed broadband infrastructure, emerging markets will leverage their investment in mobility centric 3G networks and then LTE networks, having a far more mobile-broadbandspecific way of delivering television content in all scenarios; for example, complimenting one-way delivery of TV content via satellite.

With regard to wearable technology, many new categories of devices will emerge on the road to 2020, highlighted by our vision of 50 billion connected devices. Of these, 15 billion will be video-enabled such as Google’s Glass, connected smart watches and connected white goods. All will drive a consumer demand and

to unicast.

However, these two diverse capabilities can complement one another; broadcast enables scalability and cost optimisation, while unicasting offers a personalised service.

Broadcasters commission and create some of the most popular content in any country and have largely defined the increases in quality of programming and video delivery. We have witnessed the quality evolution transition from black and white to 1080p, from analogue to digital, HD to (soon) 4K and linear broadcasting to on-demand libraries — all in just 50 years. This content is the most popular, and naturally demanded by consumers on all devices, at any time. While on-demand access via play services is rapidly meeting consumer needs, broadcasters’ most compelling content is often watched live, or scheduled — especially on mobile devices — as consumers make conscious decisions to watch in realtime, and increasingly engage with socially. LTE Broadcast opens up the

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Feature opportunity for broadcasters to engage with mobile network operators and define collaboration where the network assurance of mobile delivered quality of experience is met with an even richer consumer experience. One example of how LTE Broadcast will enable new consumer experiences is in-stadium use, where more deeply immersive content from camera angles, statistics and replays can be delivered to hundreds of thousands of mobile devices in dense locations. In the Networked Society era of television, broadcasters’ greatest value is on what they have always done best — defining the benchmark for compelling content and exploiting technology in positive ways to enhance this. The future for broadcasters is focussing on their core business and values, and building a strong collaboration with the TV service providers, networks and device eco-systems that will deliver their content. Today, we’re already seeing a shift from linear/live viewing to

on-demand; consumers value convenience and want to watch specific content at any time.

Although today’s mobile networks are very high in capacity and are being rolled out all over the planet, there are a number of challenges that remain, both from a delivery and a quality of experience perspective. A number of crucial tipping points have emerged in the field of video delivery innovation in recent years and today, mobile broadband has become the key component.

There is now a new catalyst for change — delivery of video content over wireless networks — and it will help mobile network operators to deliver very popular forms of content to very dense audiences.

LTE Broadcast will play an instrumental role in enabling the future TV Anywhere experience and transforming video delivery.

Video-smart networks will open up a number of unique revenue opportunities in the value chain, which broadcasters should look to exploit today. LTE Broadcast technology enables telecom

operators to dynamically offer very popular, high quality video content simultaneously to large volumes of people (in the tens of thousands, and beyond).

As we witness the shift to mobility, this opportunity opens up truly high speed mobile networks, which makes it the perfect technology to deal with in-stadium scenarios.

The November 2013 Ericsson Mobility Report states that video traffic will increase by around 55 per cent annually up until the end of 2019, by which point it will account for more than 50 per cent of all global mobile traffic.

Consumer demand is dictating a guaranteed quality of experience without service outages or variations in the standard of high quality video.

What other elements are likely to influence broadcast in the coming years?

Broadcasters have technology, complexity and investment challenges ahead from several key drivers towards 2020.

Production will need to embrace

the shift to higher spatial and temporal resolution provided within the new UHDTV 4K format, driving investment and also new information as the shooting of programming is very different from HD. Programming formats will become more deeply interactive live as the connected consumer can be engaged through social platforms and even user generated video. The consumer demand for the most popular content to become a much longer experience will place demands on broadcasters to broaden the engagement potential to gaming, online immersion, betting, fan sites, etc. Equally, the connected consumer demands of TV Anywhere place new content delivery and platform support demands on broadcasters, enabling IP delivery to a wide variety of devices and ecosystems — for both live and on-demand. Today’s broadcasters are facing increasing competition; more than ever, they will look to create and secure exciting

content and ensure relevant distribution. We believe that broadcasters will need an even greater focus on content and programming creation and innovation in the future. For instance, we see a shift towards more outsourced, remotely monitored cloud-based playout services that will enable broadcasters to focus on developing more effective workflows and processes, as well as driving down OPEX costs. By geographically decoupling the architecture of broadcast operators and technology, we see improved economies of scale and specialisation of skills becoming more concentrated where it offers the most benefits.

We firmly believe that realising the greatest broadcast opportunity in 2020 will be derived from securing a technology and services partnership with a provider that can drive quality and efficiency in core processes and needs, and bring true expertise from the connected world for today’s market, and the future mobile world.

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While the number and variety of files seems to be exponentially growing, expertise in managing them is still thin on the ground

Workflow

London post house, The Ark, partnered with Quantum to install a new object storage system in its Bateman Street facility — just in time for an industry-wide flood of file-based workflows. Neal Romanek reports

TheArk and the file-based flood LAST YEAR, The Ark installed Quantum’s Lattus-M object storage and appliances to launch a new era in the management of its digital assets. The timing of the installation couldn’t have been better, as the industry hits what seems to be a critical mass in the move to file-based workflows. The Ark already had a Quantum StorNext data management system. With the addition of Quantum’s Lattus-M, the company will be able to better manage the formidable deluge of files moving through the company.

Though few would willingly return to a tape-based world, the benefits of file-based workflows have brought with them a host of headaches. Not only are the number of files a production creates increasing, the types of files are too, and The Ark’s management of these is becoming ever more complex.

“We worked on Shuga for MTV,” says The Ark’s CEO, Brendan O’Reilly, “When we did it last year, it was eight formats. We did it again this year, and it was 60 different specs, file-sizes and delivery sizes. The reason was the show had to go all throughout Africa to different countries, and each country had their own spec. When it was a tape format, it would play back on the same machine it was recorded on here. If there was an issue with playback, it was easy to resolve.” While the number and variety of files seems to be exponentially growing, expertise in managing them is still thin on the ground.

O’Reilly: “It’s only when you start talking to people that you realise the requirements they have”

There is a wide variety in the consistency and quality of the files The Ark is given to work with. Some files are — thankfully — accompanied by meticulously clear metadata and others simply show up unnamed in mysterious formats with attached requests to just “make it work”. Dave Carstairs, technology consultant at The Ark, notes that tape is still not down for the count: “People keep thinking the days of tape are numbered, then suddenly we get in a lot tape work. It’s fairly random. Sometimes people are more comfortable with tape than files. It’s more robust for a lot of people. But with files there’s a lot more flexibility.”

The Ark heads to America In a room that was once devoted to tape storage, now sits The Ark’s Lattus-M Object store, made up of 20 nodes and three controllers, with a raw capacity of 720TB. In addition, a small RAID, part of the StorNext SAN allows access, providing a big buffer to talk to the object store. It can retrieve a 60-minute HD ProRes file from the object store and deliver it to the client PC in two minutes.

Arkive is the company’s library system. The Ark’s new permanent object storage

“It’s a much more robust technology to store your data, as opposed to a traditional RAID system, because you‘ve got a protection model you can build and scale,” says Sejal Patel, IT manager at The Ark, “We’ve got 20 storage nodes. We could lose four complete nodes — they could be completely down — and we could still function.”

With the ability to deliver files anywhere in the world via Signiant or Aspera, and with an expansion of additional storage offsite, The Ark’s new system offers a cloud service for large video files. “People in the past might go to Amazon,” says Carstairs. “Amazon’s great if you have lots of very small files. But if you’ve got 20 files and they’re all 100 gig each, trying to put those on Amazon Cloud is just not a solution.

What we can do is deliver for video files the same kind of flexibility that Amazon delivers for document files.”

With The Ark expanding its digital storage offerings, has the company’s reach expanded as well?

“It certainly has. We’ve been talking to companies in America about it,” says O’Reilly, “We’ll design a portal where clients can go in and access what they want. It is developing all the time, and it’s only when you start talking to people that you realise the requirements they have.”

“Amazon’s great if you have lots of very small files.

But if you’ve got 20 files and they’re all 100 gig each, trying to put those on Amazon Cloud is just not a solution”

Of course, greater flexibility requires greater discipline.

Loudness compliance has been the biggest trouble spot for The Ark’s clients, due largely to an unwillingness to learn what loudness standards are all about. “As a result, there’s a lot of cutting and pasting on documentation,” says Carstairs.

“People will have listed something as EBU 128, but won’t have actually provided us with a mix that we can make EBU 128.”

Dave Carstairs, The Ark will provide clients with a long-term solution, replacing LTO. And the system is scalable. Says Carstairs: “We can pop the current ones drives out and put in six terabyte drives when they become available.”

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Summer of Sports

Commonwealth Games plan IN DECEMBER 2011, the Host Broadcaster contract for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games was awarded to a joint bid from UK independent television sports production company, Sunset+Vine (S+V), and the Australian outsourced television production services company, Global Television. The upcoming Games will encompass 26 sporting disciplines in 19 venues in and around the Glasgow area. SVGTV, as the new collaboration is known, is also responsible for coverage of the Opening and Closing ceremonies. In addition, 22 Para Sport medal events will take place — more than any previous Commonwealth Games.

London-based S+V has considerable experience in the production of high profile sports programming including Test Cricket, Premier League and Europa League football, horse racing and The Volvo Ocean Race. In 2013, the company was awarded a BAFTA for ‘Best Sport and Live Event’ for its groundbreaking coverage of The London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Glasgow 2014 will be Global Television’s third consecutive Commonwealth Games. The Australian-based company produces more than 2,000 hours of television each year including live sport and entertainment, as well as the celebrated Australian soap, Neighbours. Global provided the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) technical build for Melbourne 2006 and the design, installation and operation of the IBC for Delhi 2010.

“The collaboration brings together two highly-respected

Philip Stevens talks to the Host Broadcaster about coverage plans and the impressive training programme that will discover new talent is the International Swimming Centre at Tollcross. Here, a combination of overhead, track mounted poolside cameras and underwater units will complement the ‘conventional’ coverage.

Every Rights Holder Broadcaster (RHB) will be given stand-up positions at each venue.

Although there will be no clean programme feeds, RHBs will have access to Host Broadcaster camera splits at the venue.

“Our plans allow RHBs to use ISO feeds at each venue.

Alongside that, there is access to the Host Broadcaster archive at the IBC, multi-channel service and Games Channel. This archive and storage solution will be provided by EVS equipment,” says Foulser. Games graphics will be supplied by Swiss Timing.

IBC inventory 280 cameras will be required across the various venues at the Commonwealth Games

“Two highly-respected independent television production companies will capture the excitement and thrills of the Games” — Jeff Foulser, S+V independent television production companies who, in their first joint venture as SVGTV, will capture the excitement and thrills of the Games for a potential worldwide audience of more than one billion,” states Jeff Foulser, Sunset+Vine’s chairman.

“Sunset+Vine is in charge of production, filming, camera placement, direction, lighting and so on. Global is responsible for the build and running of the IBC and making sure that the technology is in place to get this feed from the venues to the broadcasters around the world.”

As Host Broadcaster, SVGTV is also responsible for the delivery of radio programming for the rights holders.

Enormous project “This is, of course, a massive outside broadcast undertaking — but the size is something we are well used to handling,” states Foulser. “At the moment, we are anticipating that somewhere in

the region of 280 cameras will be required across the various venues. They will be controlled by the 25 OB units needed to deliver the needs of Glasgow 2014. Working alongside 1,100 UK-based staff will be many more professionals from the 71 Commonwealth countries involved with the event.”

He reports that NEP Visions will provide the largest by volume of the OB units, with Telegenic and CTV Group being jointsecond in terms of contribution, with Arena handling squash and table tennis at a combined venue.

Aerial Camera Systems will be providing the speciality cameras.

One venue where a number of specialist cameras will be deployed

Within the IBC, which will be located at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, SVGTV’s master control room will handle 32 main and 30 standby feeds.

Design of the IBC allows some RHBs to operate studios inside of their own allotted space. In addition, the RHBs will be able to book both off tube booths and edit suites at the IBC. At present, there are no requirements for 3D or 4K transmissions from the Games.

The IBC will have a web streaming capacity, but the current plan is for requirements to be delivered on a country-bycountry basis by RHBs.

Comprehensive training In addition to the coverage of the various events, SVGTV will be collaborating with a number

January 2014 www.tvbeurope.com

The upcoming Games will encompass 26 sporting disciplines in 19 venues in and around the Glasgow area

of universities and colleges to create an education and training programme to provide a variety of live broadcast, creative and technology skills.

“The Host Broadcaster Training Initiative (HBTI) is a key legacy project of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games,” emphasises Foulser. “More than 600 Scotland-based creative sector students will receive training and work experience through the HBTI, which is being delivered by SVGTV in partnership with the Creative Loop Media Academy.”

The HBTI is receiving substantial investment in equipment and expertise from SVGTV and its suppliers, with financial support from the Scottish Funding Council, Skills Development Scotland and Creative Skillset.

“The HBTI will see participating students given real skills training in how to use the latest outside broadcast hardware equipment and technology, as well as real work experience in live broadcast creative production.

The intention is that these students will reach sufficient proficiency through their preGames education to be deployed during the Games itself, providing an invaluable skills legacy for the broadcast and television production industry in Scotland beyond Glasgow 2014.”

Foulser says that the programme is already up and running very successfully. “We are now expecting around 200 students — the initial target was 120 — to be selected to receive real work experience working on the broadcasting requirements of the Games itself.”

Long-term legacy That positive side of the training programme has been echoed by David Grevemberg, Glasgow 2014 chief executive. “Sunset + Vine and Global TV will showcase the twentieth Commonwealth Games to the world. In doing so, they will implement a training initiative that not only delivers great coverage of the Games, but makes an investment in Scotland’s media industry by creating opportunities for hundreds of students who will gain valuable skills and experience at a vital time in the beginning of their careers. Its positive impact promises to be felt for many years to come.”

Foulser concludes, “SVGTV will be drawing on our considerable joint experiences to bring viewers and listeners the very best coverage of these exciting games. We will meet

the requirement to produce a high quality level of production that matches — and exceeds — anything that’s gone before.” www.svgtvhostbroadcaster.tv www.aerialcamerasystems.com www.arena-tv.com

www.creativeloop.org/hostbroadcaster-training-initiative www.ctvob.co.uk www.evs.tv www.nepinc.com www.swisstiming.com www.telegenic.co.uk

Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, was present at the launch of the HBTI

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Summer of Sports

Gearing up for the World Cup Sony and HBS tweak live production plans for HD and 4K ahead of the greatest show on earth, writes Adrian Pennington SONY IS PLAYING a hefty part in this summer’s World Cup to maximise its $305 million sponsorship of the sports organisation which began in 2007 and expires this year. As a production partner of host broadcaster HBS, it is responsible for delivering over 2,500 hours’ worth of live match footage over 32 days, with 64 matches across two time zones. What’s more, it will produce three matches in 4K Ultra HD, which will be broadcast live in a major test by consumers of the format’s suitability for live sports.

HBS divided the work for 2014 between Technical Operations Centres (TOCs) which link all 12 venues with signals back to the IBC in Rio, and production facility areas. The TOCs are designed, tested and then assembled in Brazil by Gearhouse Broadcast with Sony responsible for the technical aspect of production and HBS taking care of editorial.

The production area at each venue consists of a large containerised kit room split

The HD camera plan will boast up to 34 positions with two new reverse-angle six metre cameras – mainly used for replays – bringing the number up from the 32 used in 2010

The production area at each venue consists of a large containerised kit room split into nine areas including main gallery, infotainment area and audio room

F55 cameras at the Maracanã, a significantly smaller number than the 30-plus cameras arrayed for HD match production.

Director Ben Miller will be able to draw on speciality camera feeds upconverted to 4K for helicopter aerial shots and POV action-cams such as one on the spider-rig criss-crossing the halfway line, as well as another RF camera in the tunnel.

Footage will be instantly available on EVS for live turnaround but instead of recording to SR as per the Confederations Cup, it will be mastered onto Sony’s new PWS 4400 server in XAVC 600Mbps.

“This creates one file not four making it easier to handle in an edit suite,” explains Grinyer. HBS teams building footage for FIFA Films will work from a Quantel Pablo Rio situated in the IBC. This will take the XAVC master file for immediate online in 4K without any need for transcoding.

A number of HBS film crews armed with F55s will also gather 4K footage in XAVC to feed into FIFA Films’ production of highlights packages which will be sent to point of sale retail outlets to promote Sony Ultra HD sets, and also to create a polished 4K film of the final.

Telling a story

into nine areas including main gallery, infotainment area and audio room. The systems install was performed by SonoVTS in Munich to Sony’s specifications.

Riedel is providing intercom, Lawo/ABS the audio mixing consoles and EVS the multimedia servers.

Eight mobile crews, variously supplied by Studio Berlin, CTV and AMP Visual TV, will travel between venues performing tasks like colour matching cameras so that the production crew are faced with the exact same set-up at every location.

Large scale operation The contract with Sony represents HBS’ biggest ever equipment provision. Due to the number of stadiums involved in the tournament, the quantity of multifeeds and the size of HBS’ HD production plan, the volume of equipment will be greater than at any previous FIFA World Cup, including, among

others, 268 HD cameras, 72 Supermotions, 48 switchers and 816 monitors. The HD camera plan will boast up to 34 positions with two new reverse-angle 6m cameras — mainly used for replays — bringing the number up from the 32 used in 2010.

There have been some changes to the 4K live plans since last summer’s test run at the Confederations Cup in Belo Horizonte, some of them concerning the Maracanã stadium, base for 4K coverage of the final and two previous matches.

Mark Grinyer, head of business development for 3D, 4K & Sports at Sony, commented: “The Maracanã is enormous and unlike a European stadium it is very wide and very flat which does present a challenge around lenses which are working through with Fujinon,” he says. “When you see 85,000 fans in the stadium through the lens of an F55 though it will look amazing.”

Trucks at the ready When Telegenic’s T25 unit — out of which the Confed Cup 4K live was produced — was not available to travel to Brazil this summer, Sony opted to work with Brazilian outside broadcast and programming company Globosat (part of TV Globo Group). Telegenic technical crew, however, will be manning Globosat’s truck alongside local crew. “[Globosat] have a lot of experience in the Maracanã and were in the process of buiding a 4K truck (systems installed by Sony Brazil to a similar technical spec as T25),” says Grinyer.

“We had to play truck availability against what we’d ideally like. Globosat made us a good offer around that truck and there’ll be a good mix of local knowledge and 4K expertise which should work well as both parties can learn from the other.”

The camera plan for the 4K 59.94fps production includes 12

For super-slow-motions, Sony hopes to bring in a F65 camera shooting in dual speed although this is not finalised. “With fewer cameras than HD one of the things we are working on is to make sure the footage shows off 4K and does tell the story of the match rather than become a showreel for it,” he says.

“It’s a delicate balance.”

He adds, “We’re taking learnings from 3D by starting off using wider slightly lower down shots and then see where we can get to on close-ups without losing any of the central image.”

There is no plan to capture 3D at the tournament while difficulties in unravelling rights are blocking distribution to cinemas for the 4K feed (at time of writing), but this remains a possibility.

While Quad-4K SD-routed Ultra HD production is the most robust operational path for now, the industry is looking ahead to live production of video-over-IP. Grinyer himself is researching the subject for Sony. “There are broadly two models of live IP production,” he concludes.

“Technologies used to bring IP feeds from cameras back to the truck remotely (Sony’s NXL-IP55 and BBC R&D-devised Stagebox fit into that category) and then

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Sony is responsible for delivering over 2,500 hours’ worth of live match footage over 32 days, with 64 matches across two time zones

building entire trucks using standard IT cabling rather than BNC connectors. One of the considerations is how much data you can carry down IP and what layers you replace. Video is one element but you also need video returns like talkback and tally for camera control.”

He adds: “OB companies would be foolish not to think about IP. The key for them is making sure that there’s enough of a product set that gives them that capability. We’ll start to see that product coming online around IBC time.”

Multiscreen expansion 4K aside, the most innovative aspect of 2014 World Cup coverage is likely to be viewing by multiscreen. Recent research from YuMe suggested that 63 per cent of fans intend to stream World Cup highlights online.

Prepared for a large uptick in demand for live and VoD streams, HBS has significantly expanded its multiscreen production from 2010 into a white label service to which dozens of rights holders have signed.

HBS contracted Italy’s deltatre to provide an advanced web player based on its Diva product, and to collect and generate statistics for all 64 games to produce the official results system for FIFA. It is also providing a set

of tools to populate the official FIFA.com website and associate FIFA online services during the tournament.

Viewers will be able to experience a single match from different vantage points or watch simultaneous play angles with a suite of tactical, player and teamspecific cameras by switching through six live camera feeds during the games alongside the multilateral production.

On top of the live feed, VoD clips of unseen angles will be pushed so that at any point, a user can view them via the player. The video player includes PVR functionality to enable shuffling back and forwards during live streams.

“By combining live tournament data, editorial coverage, social media feeds and video footage from every camera angle on the pitch, Diva has changed World Cup viewing into an interactive, engaging experience,” reports deltatre’s World Football Unit director Gilles Mas. All content leaves the IBC under control of server and second screen technology from EVS to reside on an Amazon server farm, also under control of EVS. From there, deltatre will access content for hosting on its origin platform then encoded for live delivery using Elemental technology over the Akamai CDN or — if the delivery is to be integrated to a third-party CDN as

Summer of Sports

preferred by the rights holder — via the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.

“The innovation for 2014 is not so much about the data itself but from the seamless integration and exploitation of this data in web players and mobile apps,” says Mas. “It is about how we editorialise the raw data that creates value and then how it is contextualised within the live experience that makes it so relevant.”

The statistics coverage integrated into the live experience includes player biographies, formations, group tables, results, live scoreboard overlays and squad lists although the focus during the games will be on player tracking. deltatre is gathering raw positional information generated in realtime at every stadia, using optical systems provided by US sports tracking specialist STATS, to create a range of statistical analysis including distances walked, jogged and run per player, heat maps, distance covered, and so on. An operator is tasked with assigning shirt numbers to each ‘object’ on the pitch within the deltatre software prior to each game.

Through the player, viewers can integrate with social networks with links to Facebook and Twitter.

Sony’s support for the World Cup is a massive undertaking

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Summer of Sports

What’s in a name?

25 YEARS AGO, Mike Ransome set up Presteigne as a rental company offering shooting kits along with peripherals. Since then, the company has become part of the Avesco Group, been involved with the purchase of Charter Broadcasting, taken part in major projects fulfilment and, this month, has changed its name to Presteigne Broadcast Hire.

So, what’s behind that history and, more importantly, why the change of branding for this Crawley-based company?

“When I set up the original business there were few rental companies in the broadcast market,” explains Ransome, now chief executive of Presteigne Broadcast Hire. “However, broadcasters, studios and outside broadcast companies simply couldn’t justify the expense of purchasing a range of different cameras to suit their requirements, when they would not need them continuously. So, they purchased a smaller number and hired in when extra capacity was needed. As a result, rental companies started to become a necessity.”

As technology changed at a rapid pace, rental companies were taken more seriously and expansion for Presteigne was needed. But being a small company meant financing was

not always easy. “Two years after I set up my company, we became part of the Avesco Group and were able to expand as funding was easier to obtain for larger organisations. And that injection of cash was vital — as advances in technology meant more and more kit was needed in order to fulfil demands from our clients.”

Providing that equipment for major events such as the World Cup and Olympic Games led Ransome to consider a deeper involvement in such projects.

“In 2008, we acquired Charter Broadcasting and began to supply complete systems for these key tournaments.”

The new company, Presteigne Charter, was formed in time for the Beijing Olympics where both parties already had significant commitments. Indeed, considerable cost savings were achieved through this amalgamation. “We had always been in the flyaway market, but now there was an opportunity to build on that experience. In fact, we were the first to build an HD flyaway unit when that technology was introduced.”

Although business was good, and the reputation of the company was respected on a global scale, this involvement

with major events did present some drawbacks. “There were, what I call ‘even’ years and ‘odd’ years,” states Ransome. “The ‘even’ years were the ones filled with high profile events, while the ‘odd’ years were those where there were fewer such projects.

We had built up systems that were in significant demand in the ‘even’ years, but which were idle for long periods in the ‘odd’ years.” Ransome goes on to explain that the capital expenditure to maintain the commitment for high profile events is considerable. It began to be more difficult to justify the expense — and the depreciation — of the equipment needed.

“We came to the conclusion at the beginning of 2014 that it really wasn’t on for a rental business to be involved with major systems.

Companies such as systems integrators are probably better placed to meet those demands.

Or maybe even OB companies and the like. Our core business is providing all kinds of broadcast equipment for rental.”

He continues, “Our strength, with our dedicated and loyal team of engineers, is to provide kit that is well presented and which works straight out of the flight case. We will never be the cheapest, but everything is well prepared and

Philip Stevens learns how a name change produces a fresh focus to equipment provider Presteigne Broadcast Hire

checked thoroughly before it leaves our premises.”

With all that in mind, the company is now known as Presteigne Broadcast Hire — to reflect the true nature of the business. Ransome declares that the company’s mission is to remain at the forefront of technology and to provide its client base with the best solutions that are on offer.

Developments in demand But it will not just be the ‘traditional’ rental equipment — cameras, lenses, vision mixers, audio consoles, etc — that will be on offer. It will also include expertise that, in many ways, has been pioneered by Presteigne — for example, a new wireless mesh technology that enables a large number of differing sources to be routed over one RF network.

“We used the system for the BBC at the Sochi Winter Olympics and for Formula One, but more recently, we used it for our customer CTV to provide flawless coverage of the Oxford and Cambridge boat race on the River Thames,” says Ransome.

The company provided eight RF cameras in three fixed locations, plus two cameras on each of the two racing boats, four cameras on vessels

following the race and cameras on two helicopters. “To manage all of this we implemented a wireless mesh which effectively covered the whole of the race section of the river,” explained Martin Sexton, manager of RF and special camera services at Presteigne. “This was driven from five hubs along the bank, connected into permanent BT fibre circuits, with the signals auto-switching as they move from hub to hub.”

Using RF technology from leading companies including Cobham and the new Net Caddie IP system from Bluebell Opticom, Presteigne was able to use IP for every source.

Sexton continues, “The IP mesh network also reduced the number of technical operators required, as camera parameters could be controlled remotely from the outside broadcast truck rather than needing engineers on the chase boats.”

Although Presteigne worked with its technology partners, it developed, tested and proved the mesh network in-house.

According to Ransome, mesh technology is the way to go.

“Although in its infancy, the potential is enormous. And we are working hard at getting rid of the ‘niggles’. Broadcast is moving into the IP world and we will be with it all the way.” He says that improvements in speed of coverage and latency are the next priority, as is developing the telemetry for camera operations.

“Yes, we’ve changed the name to reflect the true nature of our core business. But that doesn’t stop us developing technology and equipment that will be in demand for rental in the months and years to come. If clients want to hire specialist equipment, it is up to us to provide it.”

‘Even’ better years This will be a busy summer for the ‘new’ company. Vast amounts of equipment have already been shipped for use in Brazil for the World Cup. Tennis coverage at Roland Garros and Wimbledon will rely heavily on equipment from Presteigne Broadcast Hire.

Similarly, much of the equipment for the outside broadcast providers at the Commonwealth Games will come from the facility located in Crawley.

As Ransome says, “This is one of those ‘even’ years, and the plan is for things to get even better!”

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Camera and Lighting Focus

Compact cameras crave a slice of the action David Fox goes smaller, faster and higher to find out what’s new in compact cameras for sports, drama, documentary or news use MANUFACTURERS OF recorders launching cameras is a growing trend. Following Blackmagic Design’s lead, this year, AJA Video Systems and Codex have entered the camera market. While AJA’s Cion is a large, shoulder-mounted camcorder, the new Codex Action Cam is an ultra-compact, all-in-one, digital cinema camera and recording package for 2D or S3D production.

The Action Cam camera head will cost about $10,000, while various bundles (camera head, recorder/camera control unit/ dock/capture drives) will start at about $28,000 when the cameras start shipping over the summer.

The camera has been designed for use as an action, witness or PoV camera system, particularly as a companion for larger cameras.

“It is a simple, no-nonsense, out-of-the-box camera and recording system,” said Marc Dando, Codex managing

director. “In one compact package, the tiny camera shoots exceptional images and, unlike other small cameras, has a rock-solid workflow behind it — allowing cinematographers to shoot with confidence in new and ever more creative ways.”

Besides the small camera head, the system will include a Codex Camera Control Recorder offering full remote control of the camera, plus the proven Codex workflow, including Raw capture at up to 60fps. It is claimed to resolve “the common issues of syncing associated with small format camera solutions.

Multiple camera heads can be in sync with other main unit cameras like the ARRI Alexa.”

Shutter sync, Genlock and LTC allow the Action Cams to be easily synchronised with other cameras.

Other features include: wide dynamic range; 14-bit image processing; a 12-bit Raw output; and debayering. It is also claimed

The Codex Camera Control Recorder offers full remote control of two Codex Action Cams

The new Atomos Ninja Star recorder is suited to UAV use, as seen with the DJI Phantom to perform “exceptionally well in normal and extreme lighting conditions”.

The camera uses a 2⁄3-inch CCD sensor that boasts low signal-to-noise ratio, temperature stability, no visible fixed-patternnoise, and none of the rolling shutter effects common on many CMOS sensor cameras. The camera takes C-mount lenses, but there are also EF, PL and B4-mount adaptors, for a wide choice of lenses.

The Camera Control Recorder can be used to operate the camera head and adjust white balance, exposure and frame rates. Delivery formats, via Codex media stations or Codex Vault workflows, include Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD, uncompressed and H.264.

For stereo 3D applications two camera heads can be connected to the Camera Control Recorder, and the signals will undergo identical processing, to deliver completely

synchronous S3D output with identical image properties, such as white balance and contrast.

Compact reaches Xtreme speeds Grass Valley has extended its range of LDX Compact series cameras with two new highspeed models, the LDX Compact XtremeSpeed (LDX Compact XS) 6x ultra slow-motion and the LDX Compact HiSpeed (LDX Compact HS) 3x super slow-motion camera systems.

“All of the typical video interfaces are available directly from the camera head, which offers an HDMI interface for connecting any HD display with an HDMI or DVI interface for camera viewfinder or monitoring,” said Klaus Weber, director of camera technology, Grass Valley. They have been designed to compliment the larger LDX Series cameras that are popular for live OB and studio production, but are small

enough to mount on compact remote heads, on rail systems, as Spidercams or gyroscopic stabilising systems.

“The LDX Compact camera system is used in many applications around the world, including on robotic heads for in-studio news production, used together with wireless transmission equipment on Steadicam systems and fixed mounted camera positions for in-studio and on-location. Our customer applications include virtual studios, news studios and live sports,” he added.

The high-speed models are particularly interesting, especially the LDX Compact XS, which delivers 6x ultra slow-motion in 1080i and 720p, and 3x in 1080p, as well as a standard 1x output for live video. “It delivers instant timeto-air with no internal camera storage requirement, and is the first ultra slow-motion camera to integrate into live workflows

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Camera and Lighting Focus with higher than 3x speeds,” claimed Weber. The 3x LDX Compact HS camera system is software upgradable to the LDX Compact XS.

Reality bites Although miniature cameras are usually seen as adjuncts to a larger camera operation, they are increasingly used as the sole cameras on multi-camera productions.

In the last year, there has been a surge in fixed rig production with many series shot using discreet camera heads and pan/ tilt/zoom cameras. Production specialist Minicams has used such rigs on Secret Eaters, Hotel of Mum and Dad, Motorway Cops and Barely Legal Drivers, and recently invested in a new recording system, the Quadrus Ingest Machine for multi-channel recording, which promises to deliver immediate workflow efficiencies and enhanced creative output.

“Traditionally, multi-channel capture has been the preserve of OB facilities and broadcasters.

By investing in Quadrus Ingest Machine, we can now offer secure eight-channel recording to an HD codec that suits the customers’ workflow,” said Nick McLachlan, MD of Minicams.

The Quadrus system, distributed by Holdan, was used for Channel 5’s Medicating Lewisham, where four individual

streams were captured as Avid DNxHD. This meant there was no need to transcode prior to editing. It also integrated with the Avid ISIS storage used on the production and could check clips into the Interplay asset management system.

Alternative means of recording weren’t as suitable for fast turnaround location shoots.

Racks of individual recorders could be bulky and inflexible, while broadcast servers are not only expensive but better suited to use in a studio or OB truck.

Quadrus, however, is PC-based “so it’s light, portable and easily maintained. It works with local or network storage, and as it runs on a standard workstation, it can be configured to our changing needs,” McLachlan explained.

Minicams bought the Quadrus system (from Altered Images) fully configured on an HP

The 4K Panasonic HX-A500 miniature camera and recorder/controller

Z820 workstation, and it means there is no need for individual decks to record each camera output, which would also require regularly swapping out recording media and then manually ingesting and logging files from each card. With Quadrus, each channel is recorded to a central storage silo, with production management systems able to manage every asset during the shoot. The software also supports chase editing, allowing editors to cut the programme as it is recording.

Minicams now plans to integrate the software more fully with its portable production units.

“Currently the Live Cut feature allows us to create a basic EDL on the fly via a keyboard, which can be read by most NLEs. We’re now working on ways to tie the vision mixer into the live recording workflow. By creating dynamic sequences as well as an EDL at the production stage

— instead of in the edit suite — the director will potentially save considerable time in post,” he explained.

The system was also used for a new Channel 5 fly-on-the-wall series about a health centre, GPs Behind Closed Doors, using Panasonic HE60S PTZ cameras controlled remotely over Cat-5 cable.

4K action cam The new Panasonic HX-A500 is the first Ultra HD 25p/30p wearable camcorder, and can also record HD at 50p.

It is waterproof (to 3m for 30 minutes) and dustproof, and uses the umbilical design Panasonic prefers for miniature cameras.

The 31g camera is connected via a cable to the 119g operating and recording unit, which has a builtin 1.5-inch LCD monitor.

The $400/£380 HX-A500 can connect via Wi-Fi to a smartphone or tablet, and be used with Panasonic’s Image App to record and edit video remotely.

It uses a new high-speed image processor, Crystal Engine Pro+, with a new high sensitivity BSI sensor, and offers levelling correction, image stabilisation and loop recording.

Aerial offerings JVC introduced the world’s first handheld 4K camcorder, the GY-HMQ10, in 2012, but has only now begun to build on

that with further 4K cameras.

It showed prototypes at NAB based around a new 13.6MP 4K CMOS image sensor developed by its sister company, AltaSens.

Two of the offerings were compact: a two-piece mini 4K camera, the GW-SPLS1, which records to SDHC media, and offers IP control and viewing; and the GW-GBLS1 smallhead camera gimbal system.

This has a 4K camera unit with a Super 35mm CMOS sensor that delivers 4096x2160 or 3840x2160 resolution at up to 60p.

It is housed in a gimbal designed using proprietary technology developed by JVC, and records locally to SDXC or SDHC media cards. However, the base of the gimbal also houses wireless technology with the same IP capabilities as the new GY-HM890 ProHD shoulder-mount camcorder.

The HM890 has a built-in streaming engine with FTP and 4G LTE connectivity to allow live HD transmission directly from the camera without needing an external bonded cellular system. It uses a builtin processor with proprietary algorithms, advanced contentaware error-correction and JVC’s new Advanced Streaming Technology to maximise bandwidth, provide realtime feedback of streaming status and compensate for up to 30 per cent packet loss to ensure reliable transmission under difficult conditions.

JVC is also introducing Professional Streaming Services, a cloud-based news management resource to complement its cameras with built-in IP integration. It is based around a new ProHD Broadcaster server powered by Zixi, and is claimed to make it easy and affordable to deliver live HD for web and broadcast. It can be a physical server or cloud-based system, receives the live HD video from any compatible JVC camcorders (such as the new GY-HM850 or upgraded GY-HM650), transcodes the signal for a variety of delivery platforms and should provide reliable transmission of the signal.

It will mean that delivery from the cameras to the internet merely requires entering a single IP address. Content can be directed to multiple destinations, including off-theshelf HD-SDI decoders for live broadcast. With Broadcaster’s built-in matrix switching, it’s easy to manage signals for distribution, while automatic

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Camera and Lighting Focus transcoding allows live, directto-web content delivery.

Broadcaster also provides a cost-effective way to provide multicamera coverage at an event without a production truck. Each camera feeds into and is identified by the server, which provides an output signal to the station’s decoder for air.

Cameras can then be switched

titling and graphics overlay; audio mixer; live streaming output; HD-SDI and HDMI outputs; and internal MPEG recording to HDD. JVC is suggesting that broadcasters can use the GW-GBLS1 at events or to cover news and record 4K internally while offering live aerial coverage in HD.

to 60p and HD at up to 240p; and a compact handheld unit (GY-LSX2) using Micro Four Thirds lenses.

Ninja recording Star The new Atomos Ninja Star is the world’s smallest ProRes recorder that should be ideal for use with PoV cameras or on remote control helicopters.

In the last year, there has been a surge in fixed rig production with many series shot using discreet camera heads and pan/tilt/zoom cameras live. Broadcaster also accepts and transcodes video from Android and iOS devices, so users can take live video from a reporter with a smartphone.

JVC also launched the KMH8000 StreamSuite portable webcasting production system.

Its built-in switcher supports up to four wireless IP live HD video sources, and it also supports wired cameras. It features: a 23-inch touchscreen;

Of course, there are restrictions on where UAVs can be used, but where permissions and safety procedures are in place it could offer a well-integrated way to get live aerial shots of an event while recording 4K for future use.

JVC is also developing two larger 4K cameras based on the same sensor: a shoulder-mount camera (GY-LSX1) with PL lens mount, that offers 4K at up

“Our customers screamed for a tiny, flash-based Apple ProRes recorder and player for extreme applications, their second location cameras or simply when they already had a monitor,” explained Jeromy Young, CEO and founder of Atomos. “At $295 with lowcost Gen 1 CFast [solid state memory cards], weighing a mere 100g, its price, durability and portability is unmatched.”

ProRes 422 and LT).

It also features frameaccurate timecode (via HDMI) and Start/Stop Trigger, thanks to cooperation from the leading camera manufacturers (Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Nikon and JVC). Audio can be taken direct from the camera on the two embedded digital channels or an external microphone can be added via the audio line in port for The prototype JVC GW-GBLS1 gimbal-mounted camera includes IP technology for live transmission an extra two channels of analogue audio. It also has an HDMI out for use It has HDMI input and is small with an external monitor. enough (8.75cmx5.75cmx2cm) The battery is promised to last to work with action cameras for about five hours, although that record internally only in it takes only one Sony camera MPEG or H.264, and offer battery instead of the dual battery edit-ready recording with ports seen on the bigger Ninja Apple ProRes. and Samurai recorders.

It can capture 10-bit 4:2:2 www.atomos.com images to inexpensive first www.codexdigital.com generation CFast media with www.grassvalley.com up to almost three hours of www.jvcpro.co.uk Apple ProRes HQ (using a www.minicams.tv 256GB card — it also records

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Camera and Lighting Focus

LED looks set to overtake conventional sources because of its far superior energy efficiency

NAB lights up

Using 276W and weighing 10lbs, the Bee has a 100˚field

As sure as digital will replace emulsion, LED looks set to overtake conventional lighting sources, but plasma and fluorescent offer useful energy efficient alternatives. Adrian Pennington shines a spotlight on the industry AS DIGITAL cinema cameras finally live up to their promise of using less light without loss of image quality, they are more sensitive than ever to colour rendering or poor quality white light which can be

emitted from non-traditional light sources. That’s why precise control of full spectrum flicker-free white light is a key focus of vendors keen to accommodate the seemingly unstoppable switch from HMI

Jon Miller (left) and Robert Rutherford (right) founders, Hive Lighting

and tungsten incandescent to LED and emerging technologies like plasma.

“HMI certainly pumps out a lot of light and there is nothing from any other source that does the trick. It’s the biggest gun

on everyone’s truck,” says Jon Miller, co-founder, Hive Lighting.

“However, a lot of smaller film units are looking for practicality as well as quality of light and also something more energy efficient. They want to do more with less, and new tools whether LED, fluorescent or plasma are starting to give them that.”

The quality of light emitted from tungsten is still valued by many cinematographers, despite the obvious drawbacks of heat and impracticalities of powering the fixtures. But just as digital is replacing emulsion, LED looks set to overtake conventional sources because of its far superior energy efficiency.

“We’ve entered a new age of LED technology which is no longer about certain specialised niche applications,” says Ali Ahmadi, senior product

manager, Litepanels.

“The advantages of LED have been clearly recognised. While there’s a lot of legacy product still being used, when a replacement cycle comes up they choose LED.” In some of its newest fixtures, Litepanels has set out to match HMIs. Its Solar 9 outputs the equivalent of a 1K tungsten; the Sola 12 is equal to 2,000W tungsten with the option of battery operation rather than generators (and used to shoot Elijah Wood series Wilfred on location).

“The reason we did this was to try and overcome the hesitation among technicians toward LED which is perceived as a new technology,” he says. “Instead of reaching automatically for a 1K HMI, we want them to grab a Solar.” Primarily designed for studios, the fixtures include DMX control.

Similarly targeted at HMIs are Litepanels’ Hilio daylight 12 and Hilio tungsten 12, very high output panels, comparable to a 2K tungsten Par. Instead of heavy glass lenses, a proprietary nanoptic lens is used to bend the light in circular, horizontal or vertical patterns and essentially convert the open source into a soft light or broad directional fill. “The trend has been toward bigger and brighter LED light sources and on improving the colour output,” says Ahmadi.

“There’s been a significant improvement in high colour rendering over the past couple of years.”

LEDs were notorious for emitting green banding in skin tones and missing red tones which created extra correctional work in post.

“Cheap LEDs will still give a horrible cast-off although you can use this to your advantage,” says Alex H-French, marketing manager for Rotolight. “Use one to give an extra green fill to the face when shooting scenes where computer screens are prominent.

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Camera and Lighting Focus A lighting technician will make use of every tool where appropriate.”

Growing origination in Ultra HD is another boost to unconventional sources.

Although there’s little broad change in 2K to 4K techniques, the greater detail of an Ultra HD image can throw a light onto less prepared areas of a set, if care isn’t taken to narrow the light

beam down. Additionally, notes Rich Pierceall, CEO, Cineo Lighting, “We see a general trend toward close-up work for 4K for which you need to bring soft light sources in close

and use technologies which emit no heat while affording a smooth skin texture.”

For hair, make-up and skin tone, colour accuracy is key, although the standard

measure of light spectrum, the Colour Rendering Index, is widely disputed. Rather than assess the performance of a light directly, as is done in the CRI, the Television Lighting Consistency Index under EBU development, mimics a complete television camera and display, using only those specific features of cameras and displays which affect colour performance. For want of another standard, most lighting vendors still use CRI (which at least gives an easy to understand mark out of 100) to market product capability.

Broadly, lighting requirements haven’t changed. If you’re shooting outdoors, you need daylight balanced instruments versus shooting indoors, where a tungsten instrument will be better suited. It’s rare for any kind of production to use only one set of technologies though, so technicians and cinematographers always want gear that permits interoperability with a variety of sources for accurate skin tone.

LED innovations LED technology has improved considerably with Fresnels and accessories affording more control. In turn, LED use has boomed. Fitting a honeycomb louver onto a 50˚ beam angle Rotolight Anova, for example, can narrow it to 40˚.

Fresnel heads use a lens and a moving focusing mechanism to allow light to be tightly focused into a spot or allowed to spread more flood effect. All manner of modifiers (umbrellas, snoots, gobos, softboxes of every conceivable shape and size) have been designed for these lights, and as a result they are extremely versatile.

“Fluorescent and LEDs are still new enough that for the most part these accessory modifiers are not yet available for them,” suggests Bostonbased photographer Chris Conti. “Additionally, the design of most of these lights prevents them from benefiting from Fresnel-type housings, so their beam tends to be very wide.”

There are though, a growing number of Fresnal LEDs on the market, most with built-in DMX for remote control. The new GUS 41 LED Fresnel from Texan-maker PrimeTime Lighting features a 61/4-inch acrylic lens and low power draw which, according to president Glen Harn, “offers smooth focus performance with more adjustment than other Fresnels.”

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Camera and Lighting Focus ARRI’s new Fresnal LEDs include the LoCaster 2 Plus and BroadCaster 2 Plus, both boasting more than 35 per cent increased luminance over previous releases. Weighing 2lbs, the Locaster 2 Plus ($1,535) serves mobile applications and features the ability to continuously adjust the CCT from 2,600-6,500K and full plus or minus green correction. The BroadCaster 2 Plus ($1,490) is targeted at lighting tight spots in small and mediumsized studios. ARRI also has a L5 LED in Fresnel format which it says is 45 per cent brighter than a 300W tungsten Fresnel but consumes just 115W. Spying a market demand for mediumsized LED Fresnels, Litepanels has debuted the nine-inch Sola 9 (daylight balanced) and Inca 9 (tungsten balanced) units.

They draw 189W and deliver a stronger and brighter output than a traditional 1K fresnel, both with DMX control.

Rotolight’s Anova V2 Ecoflood LEDs deliver up to 350 per cent higher brightness output than previous models with enhanced colour rendering at CRI 95. The Anova SOLO Single Colour Flood lights are now available in 5,600K (Daylight) or 3,200K (tungsten) and in either 110˚ or 50˚ beam angles.

The former version is used as the main fill light on Coronation Street.

Cineo’s Maverick delivers a volume of light equal to a traditional 1K soft source create special lighting effects.” The firm’s Miro Cube is DMX-addressable and packs 3,400 lumens of white light in a four-inch square unit weighing less than 3lb. It is tunable, ranging from 2,800K-6,500K. Beam angles of 20˚ to 60˚ can be achieved via diffusing lenses, included with the product.

Just three components comprise the VHO Pro LiteRibbon, a low-output LED emitter from Litegear prized for control of daylight or tungsten balanced light in very tight areas of the set, prop or wardrobe. DoP Matthew Libatique

“We’ve entered a new age of LED technology which is no longer about certain specialised niche applications” Ali Ahmadi, Litepanels Rotolight hints that other TV studios will follow suit. ITV’s head of lighting, Chris Chisnall, says the lights “make balancing easy by being able to match the prevailing colour temperature without having to resort to a selection of gels. In addition, the ability to run off (V-lock) batteries, even in a studio, make them a dream for fast rigging in awkward areas of the set where we would usually have to hide cables.”

The new Rotolight Anova Bi Colour V2 Flood can be electronically set to accurately reproduce any colour of white light from candlelight through to full daylight in 10˚ Kelvin steps 3,150K – 6,300K maintaining perfect colour temperature across the whole dimming range. Individual lights are hand calibrated for colour accuracy. In addition, all Rotolights fixtures can be controlled wirelessly by the MagicEye app for iPhone and iPad. The app includes patented features including Single View Control for realtime adjustments such as colour temp and brightness, and a fader.

Rosco’s new LitePad is a thin profile, extremely lightweight unit yielding a “beautiful soft light”, according to Jack Burwick, product manager. “The broad portfolio of sizes allow LitePad to be used in numerous locations throughout the studio to eliminate shadows or to

requested a bespoke solution consisting of 15 VHO PROs programmed with a firelight flicker effect to create the Tzohar, a supernatural light source in Noah.

Remote Phosphor Not in itself a new technology (it’s used in CRT found in legacy television sets) Remote Phosphor (RP) is unique in the way San Francisco-based Cineo packages it. RP relies on a separate phosphor substrate to emit light when excited by high-frequency wavelengths like blue LEDs (unlike fluorescent lights which use mercury vapour). The result is a very stable high-CRI white light.

“We can do it very predictably too,” says Pierceall. “Colour temp remains consistent throughout the lifetime of the fixture, because the phosphors are not subject to heat degradation, unlike white LEDs. Colour consistency is also guaranteed, because it’s easier to accurately coat the phosphor ‘recipe’ onto a substrate instead of directly onto a diode.”

Cineo embed RP in a polycarbonate material which is claimed to endure for 100,000 hours and won’t break. “That’s the real core of its value,” says Pierceall.

“A very high CRI and accurate colour temperature from fixture to fixture make it easier to scale than

standard LEDs.” The technology is favoured by US talent shows America’s Got Talent, US Idol, Dancing With Stars and The X Factor. The reason? “Our large fixtures are very bright in daylight,” says Pierceall.

“You can get upwards of 4,000W running on just 400W. It’s just really punchy and because of the very soft nature of phosphor we don’t have to diffuse the source so we get all the brightness.”

Cineo’s flagship TruColor HS “is basically replacing ARRI 2K soft sources worldwide,” claims Pierceall, while new portable variant, Maverick, is weatherproof for outdoors work and delivers a volume of light equal to a traditional 1K soft source.

Gaining most attention at NAB were Matchstix, compact units co-designed with Litegear. Matchstix come in 6-inch and 12-inch models, in one of four colours (2,700K, 3,200K, 4,300K, or 5,600K) and because the light balance comes from a phosphorous plate rather than the bulb, you can purchase different colour panels to change out the balance.

Cineo is sold in the UK by Lights Camera Action and available from rental outfits Shoot Blue and Visual Impact among others. Other fluorescent lighting fixtures include the Kino Flo

Diva-Lite 401, a portable unit with 2-lamp/4-lamp switching for fast-moving video production of all kinds and the Westcott Spiderlite TD6. This fixture accepts optional tungsten halogen (3,200K) lamps up to 1,200W maximum as well as fluorescents (3,200-6,000K) and screw-mount flash. Three separate controls allow multiple combinations of bulbs together with no colour shift.

Is plasma the future?

Plasma lighting is another new source of energy efficient light which, Jon Miller, founder of LA-based specialist Hive Lighting, says is the next generation of LED. “We think it’s the future of high output lighting. It uses 50-90 per cent less energy than Tungsten and HMI to get the same amount of light [a CRI of 94].”

For most end users LED is considered innovative, but Miller says LED development is pretty mature. To stand out in a crowded marketplace, Hive is “taking a stab at making plasma work” and believes it won’t be alone in the long run.

“There are some electrical and optical challenges,” he admits. “You can’t just take plasma and plug it into existing fixtures.” Nor does plasma lend itself to being powered by industry standard

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Camera and Lighting Focus batteries. These problems led Chicago accessories vendor Zacuto to recently abandon release of its PlaZma project after two years in development.

Pricing is a little on the high side too, as befits a new technology, although reducing.

The Hive Bee Floodlight retails for $2,500 which is comparative

LEDs which can be expensive.

Plasma tends to be 10-20 per cent less than HMI equivalents.

For a standard HMI you might pay $4,500 to $5,500 and the equivalent plasma unit would be in the $35-45 range depending on the features you are looking for.” Hive lights were selected for the last season of The Mentalist,

“LED and plasma light sources have similar colour quality and lumen maintenance curves,” explains Rosco’s Burwick. “Plasma sources are more compact, allowing for more efficient

Sola 4 Flight Kit provides three Sola 4 LED Fresnel fixtures

“We think [plasma lighting] is the future of high output lighting. It uses 50-90 per cent less energy than Tungsten and HMI to get the same amount of light [a CRI of 94]” Jon Miller, Hive Lighting to similar spec fluorescent and LED fixtures. Using only 276W and weighing 10lbs, the Bee has a 100˚ field, with a unique reflector system that creates a bell curve of output distribution.

“With LED you get what you pay for,” says Miller. “You can get low cost, low output LEDs and and high quality

HBO’s True Blood, CSI and the sci-fi feature Divergent. At NAB, Hive added the ability to tune daylight on its fixtures so that colour temp can be dialled from 4,600 kelvin to 7,000K to accommodate different daylight conditions from cloudy to sunset and back. Its products are available in Germany, France but not currently in the UK.

optics, however they suffer from longer warm-up periods and delayed re-strike (two minutes is typical). LEDs are instanton, can be re-struck without delay and have better dimming capabilities on the low end.” He continues: “Fluorescent lights are a good value for the investment as compared to either LED or

Plasma.They do exhibit some colour shift during dimming.

Fluorescent lamps are fragile, so handling must be done with care, and disposal of used lamps (mercury content) is an issue.” www.arri.com www.cineolighting.com

www.fjwestcott.com www.hivelighting.com www.kinoflo.com www.litegear.com www.litepanels.com www.primetimelighting.com www.rosco.com/lighting www.rotolight.com

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Comms

“IP technology is getting more important, and we all know IP is the future” — Nico Lewis, RTS

Forum

Communications from the communicators This month’s Forum addresses topics surrounding broadcast communications. Philip Stevens moderates EASY-TO-USE INTERFACES driving intricate operations, combined with the significant advances in technology, have joined to create an exciting time in the intercom world. Research is ongoing into improving methods of obtaining the maximum benefit from those new technologies. Alongside the move to digital have come different delivery methods for maintaining communications between production personnel.

So, just what are the demands from customers when it comes to comms requirements? Has the ‘cloud’ impacted the comms market?

To discuss a range of topics involving comms, we’ve brought together (in alphabetical order) Simon Browne, director of product management, Clear-Com; Chris Collings, director, Aspen Media (distributor for Delec, Stagetec, RTW, Jünger, DirectOut Technologies and JLCooper); Gavin Davis, managing director of Glensound; Eric de Bruyn, CEO of ASL Intercom; Christian Diehl, product manager at Riedel: Nico Lewis, senior sales manager RTS Intercoms; and Malcolm Reed, projects and training manager, Trilogy Broadcast.

Is there one significant development in the recent past involving comms that you’d mark as ‘groundbreaking’?

Browne: The network technology that we can now exploit to enable greater functionality, but retain the same infrastructure, provides groundbreaking alternatives to traditional intercom. With HelixNet — new products launched at NAB 2014 – we are able to provide many full audio bandwidth party lines and programme audio feeds down the very same single pair cables that once carried a single analogue party line. In EclipseHX matrix, we can intelligently link multiple frames together across continents, or remote users to the central equipment over IP that earlier used more expensive telecom connections.

Collings: There is now significantly tighter integration with all other broadcast systems.

For example, central routers: from a technical point of view, the router allows non-blocking systems of up to 4,096 ports, with even larger planned levels of blocking. Among other benefits, this allows a distributed system design with IO frames installed close to operational areas, simplifies the provision of inter-area, cross-campus or long-distance comms, eases phased installation of large broadcast centres, and provides frame-to-router connections that employ Ethernet so the installed data network can give

Simon Browne, Clear-Com

Eric de Bruyn, ASL

the transport where appropriate.

In other words, the system becomes a tool that can be used for many more tasks than just comms. On another front, there is improved audio quality (24-bit broadcast quality).

Davis: Digital audio networking systems will change the way comms is used. At Glensound, we are introducing systems that use the Dante protocol. Our forthcoming commentary and intercom

products will therefore connect to any compatible intercom, console or router. Users will have the choice of specialist end units on their network, rather than having to take the own brand intercom offering of the main system. This will allow dedicated commentary units on an intercom infrastructure which is a big jump forward. The Dante system also allows for redundancy on the link, a point

Glensound has always been concerned about with many intercom systems. Intercom audio is often not at a quality level for on-air use. With the digital network audio systems such as Dante, it is now viable to have a full commentary position connected within the intercom structure, with the Dante software able to manage multiple commentary points and route a whole system. de Bruyn: AVB is maybe not ‘groundbreaking’, but is certainly an issue that has to be addressed in the case of digital intercom systems.

Diehl: Networking.

Lewis: No, not for intercom.

This is a very conservative industry. We only see that intercom needs to do more — integrate with thirdparties, fibre, IP, and digital integration, multi-functional user interfaces as well as an integrated wireless system.

Also systems are getting bigger.

Where a mid-sized OB truck needed 24 ports in the past, now it is easily 64 or more ports.

Reed: New workflows are demanding more complex solutions that integrate fully with the latest workflow optimisation solutions. The communications element is becoming an integral part, rather than a bolt-on as we have seen in the past. Much of this builds on the groundbreaking IP connectivity that has seen such a high adoption rate

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Forum

Christian Diehl, Riedel throughout the industry. IP networks are helping customers to adapt to different production requirements faster than ever before and using smaller inventories more efficiently.

When it comes to functionality, what do your customers specifically demand?

Browne: Customers are looking for ease in monitoring the system status and for making changes, like key labels or IFB sources across multiple frames. This has to be done by a single central user even though changes are made at remote sites. Also, whereas before we would see production personnel using fixed stations, there is a demand to have less personnel doing more by being mobile — yet still connected. Wireless intercom is now an expectation and most systems are including more of it.

The wireless user is still expected to initiate point to point, conference and group calls and operate GPO controls.

Collings: Due to the scope and scale of a modern comms system, stability and reliability comes ahead of almost all other factors in customer’s demands.

That means redundant backups for vulnerable or critical components and the minimum of consequences for a failed component. For example, Delec adopts a truly distributed design with every card completely

Nico Lewis, RTS independent of all other cards.

This means a simple card swap in the event of a fault – remove faulty card, slot in a replacement; job done.

Davis: Our dedicated comms equipment is all small, entry level. At this end our customers are looking for something simple and cost effective. Customers are very different and always look for customisation, even on the simple systems. Our commentary and comms systems are the most modified of any of our products, so I guess the summary of the specific functionality would be the ability to modify the units to meet changing, unique requirements. de Bruyn: More and more customers ask for greater flexibility in the wiring topologies. Also, the ease of use of an intercom system is getting more and more important as one wants to be able to change configurations quickly or connect easily to other audio systems or intercoms.

Diehl: Easy integration, along with flexibility to adapt to workflows, reliability, and remote connectivity.

Lewis: Digital technology, fibre to all locations, multicolour displays, multi-functional keys — all controllable through studio management systems.

Integrated wireless technology.

Reed: Flexibility is the key driver in all of our markets.

Customers want to be able to stretch a product’s functionality to suit a specific application and for us, that sometimes means tailored engineering, both in software and hardware design. In short, ensure your product is flexible enough to provide functionality that does what your customer wants it to do, not just what you, the manufacturer, want it to do.

Are integrated digital media networks accepted today — or is there some scepticism?

Browne: The integration of IP network audio within intercom is interesting to those wishing to provide combined audio distribution with intercom over the same IT infrastructure.

However, the separate and distinct demands for high quality very low-latency audio between local pro-audio devices and intercom’s demand for much wider reach are somewhat incompatible with today’s IT network support.

We see very low latency multi-media audio distribution over a fibrebased network that may include connections for local intercom transport and HD video as being more interesting when mixed with IP intercom system capabilities for remote working. This integrated system approach offers a distributed audio, intercom and video system without protocol interoperability as it passes embedded control transparently. This was seen at NAB with Clear-Com’s ProGrid fibre distribution utilising Optocore technology.

Collings: It varies. Some see these as the Holy Grail and they can do and carry anything. Others are still deeply sceptical, unhappy that they can’t easily pick a cable and identify what that cable is carrying. The solution, as always, is somewhere in the middle. Where appropriate integrated networks can provide a common interface between disparate equipment and signal formats, they are a stable transport mechanism between remote sites that would otherwise be a challenge to connect. And, as such, can be an extremely useful tool in system design.

However, delivering to and collecting from the network carries an overhead – especially where codecs are employed or required to make more efficient use of the available bandwidth.

This must be carefully balanced with the benefit of using the network compared to using dedicated interconnects.

Davis: Working solely at the core entry level, high quality audio systems, we have not experienced any demand from our worldwide customer base for mixed media systems. de Bruyn: We at ASL still view it with some skepticism.

If the network fails, one also loses communications. In a life situation, how would you then instruct your crew what to do?

Diehl: Depending on the application area, they are very much accepted, especially in mobile and outside broadcast applications. More and more customers are also seeing benefits in fixed install.

in the last few years. Now, with RTS OMNEO, which was introduced to the market at the last IBC, RTS provides rocksolid solutions with better audio quality, shorter latency and better overall performance.

Reed: Some customers are happy to risk putting all their eggs in one basket, using a single network for audio, video, talkback and control.

What we see is reluctance in some quarters to adopt this approach — and a preference to keep talkback on a separate IP network. We can of course work with either strategy.

Are there still some differences of opinion about the best method of comms between studio and OBs — VoIP, ISDN and others?

Browne: Yes, I don’t think there is a universal solution, and ISDN is still used, as is POTS. The ease and lower costs of using IP Intercom will come to dominate this operation in the near future.

Collings: Opinions will always differ when it comes to comms – it’s the nature of the beast.

The choice depends on many factors including expertise and experience of the providers, latency, where on-air conversations are likely to occur or the production involves fast-changing events.

The avoidance of unnecessary delays is an obvious bonus, the resilience, redundancy and availability of the offered transport paths, and the availability of resilient and redundant backups.

Davis: Having avoided producing a hardware VoIP solution due to the transmission’s inherent lack of quality of service, we regularly have conversations with our ISDN customers about this issue.

Virtually all our customers tell us

“Bringing the requirements from customers of different parts of the production process to one table helps to shape comprehensive solutions” Christian Diehl, Riedel Lewis: IP technology is getting more important, and we all know IP is the future. But because of possible delay and no 100% guarantee, classic technology like AES or MADI has been winning on popularity

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Comms

Forum the same thing, they say they’ve tried VoIP solutions, they say they want to use them because the circuits are much cheaper than ISDN, they say they’re not impressed with what they’ve tried and they say all the time that if ISDN is available they will continue to use it. One customer recently commented that if ISDN circuits were invented today, every broadcaster would migrate to them immediately. de Bruyn: We do not know whether there are differences of opinion, but VoIP seems to be the most asked for solution.

Diehl: ISDN is clearly on the way out. PSTN is the lowest common denominator. VoIP is the best choice with high quality audio, and a technology that has become reliable.

Lewis: The difference is getting smaller.

Reed: IP is now the standard method of linking a studio and an outside broadcast, often over a network involving satellite links and fibre-optic connections.

Using systems such as Trilogy’s Gemini Intercom makes this sort of link straightforward, with redundant connections possible via dual fibre-optic rings.

mics with known characteristics and not providing users with mic gain control. In larger multi-frame systems, with more outside contributions, we would recommend the use of an online routing management system with visual level indication and gain controls. ClearCom’s Production-Maestro Pro provides a central user with audio gain and meters to manage a single system or a very large distributed system on one screen.

Collings: Attention to detail is still the watchword when doing an install. Setting the right levels during commissioning will avoid most of the problems caused by differing levels.

Davis: Working at small entry-level systems with good quality microphone amps and compressor limiter circuits to control the audio level, this is not an issue that applies. de Bruyn: The easiest way for the customer would be if the intercom system would have automatic level adjustment.

Diehl: Comms systems are used more and more for production audio, so different audio levels cannot be avoided.

control “Many over their are still wary incoming levels. Our of putting panels mission critical allow each operator comms in the to set cloud” their own

This has been our policy for a long time and we provide easy, quick and intuitive control.

When it comes to the matrix, there are level meters (even as apps), that provide extensive possibilities to control audio levels. For panels, we can provide individual volume control by a rotary encoder.

Lewis: Yes, RTS has an easy way to manage input and output levels of the matrices and cross points in the matrix through the panels and/or software. Also, we recommend our command line protocol to dedicated partners that offer studio management control software. This can interface with our system and, by using a touchscreen, they have full control of all audio levels.

Reed: It’s useful to give individual operators a degree of

Chris Collings, Aspen Media

personal ‘mix’ on the fly. They can adjust or reset this at any time.

Has the ‘cloud’ made any significant differences to comms technology?

Browne: We have used it to provide local PC to PC communications with our Clear-Com Concert system, allowing distant users to communicate and share local

Is there an easy answer to the problem of different audio levels from different personnel across one comms network?

Browne: In a small intercom network there is an advantage in standardising headsets and

Gavin Davis, Glensound

Malcolm Reed, Trilogy Broadcast

audio sources plugged in at the PC or Mac using virtual panels.

This is not yet a significant part of our intercom system solutions, but we can see it growing.

Collings: Not yet, many are still wary of putting mission critical comms in the cloud.

However, for non-critical comms, the cloud and services like VCOM from Intracom Systems are a very effective way of distribu-ting facilities — such as Production Talkback — to many more operators across a much wider area.

Davis: Not yet in our experience. de Bruyn: So far, No. Diehl: There are certainly sub-functions of an intercom system, where a cloud-based service is helpful. Spontaneous outside broadcast events could benefit from such services. It is hard to imagine, though, that a broadcaster would outsource his intercom to a cloud service. As unimportant as it may seem at a first glance, intercom provides the communication backbone.

Without this backbone, production is impossible.

Therefore, high availability, reliability and security are key features of a good intercom system. It is my personal opinion that these features could not – at least today — be provided in an adequate way by a cloud-based service.

Lewis: Not for classic intercom in critical situations. We have an integrated VLINK technology that makes it possible to integrate mobile devices into a classic intercom system.

Reed: Modern IP intercom communications between buildings and remote sites often use the cloud, with a VPN to ensure connectivity despite any bandwidth loading by other applications. Recent developments in both IP connected panels and operator panels that exist only ‘virtually’ in the cloud are bringing a whole new level of flexibility to customers.

TVBEurope and TVTechnology Europe are delighted to announce the first ever TVBAwards For information on the nominations process, categories and much more, see page 4 of this month’s issue

For more information please contact: sara.mather@intentmedia.co.uk

For European sponsorship opportunities contact: steve.connolly@intentmedia.co.uk ben.ewles@intentmedia.co.uk richard.carr@intentmedia.co.uk sharifa.marshall@intentmedia.co.uk +44 (0)20 7354 6000

For US sponsorship opportunities contact: mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv +1 631 673 0072

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June 2014 www.tvbeurope.com

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The FITT produced 13 recommendations for government, industry and academia aimed at keeping the UK TV industry innovative and globally competitive

Taking innovation to task The new report from the Future of Innovation in Television Technology (FITT) taskforce is testament to the resolve that exists within the industry to deliver innovation that consumers and viewers want, and to keep the UK TV technology industry globally competitive, writes David Docherty, chairman of the Digital TV Group (DTG) THE HIGHLY anticipated conclusion of the 18-month collaborative industry project, the Future of Innovation in Television Technology (FITT) taskforce, was released on 20 May at the DTG Summit in London.

Presenting the findings, Ed Vaizey MP, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, explained, “The FITT report helps to clarify a number of important issues, opportunities and challenges facing the UK television industry. We will take careful note of the specific recommendations for government and will work closely with the industry-led Next Generation TV Planning Programme.”

Having started in September 2012, the report covers new reviews of consumer trends,

the evolution of devices and applications, computing for the creative industries, data management, and future networks and infrastructure.

Driven by a steering group of 20 senior industry executives, it makes 13 recommendations based on the evidence from this work.

These include the establishment of a Leaders Assembly to guide a Next Generation TV Technology Planning Programme; a Technology Advocacy Programme for innovators to share newly developed technologies and applications; and a cross-industry working group to respond to the challenges of big data in TV. Many of the recommendations were guided by new consumer trends research which shows

that although viewing to the main television set remains stable, it is increasingly augmented by viewers choosing to watch on any device, any time, both inside and outside of the home. The taskforce believes that these trends, coupled with the increasing connectivity of devices, people and content, create massive business potential for UK media companies. However, consumer anxieties about privacy remain the biggest barrier to realising these ambitions, and the report highlights the need for transparency from providers — potentially delivered via an industry-led review of selfregulation — and digital literacy programmes for consumers.

The taskforce report also set the scene for Ed Vaizey’s wider address at the DTG Summit where he spoke in more general terms to the UK TV industry and encouraged the organisations involved to be bold in their thinking, declaring that they needed to “accelerate thinking on the feasibility of a longer-term move to the new DVB-T2 transmission with MPEG-4 or even make the jump to the new HEVC compression standard.”

Referring to the uncertainty ahead of next year’s World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) in Geneva, Vaizey suggested that a “coordinated transition [to co-primary usage of 700MHz] would greatly enhance the longevity of the

platform [Freeview] and combine spectrum efficiency with benefits for consumers in terms of the enhancement of universal services and maintenance of platform choice.”

It is issues like this that will make the taskforce report the foundation of a much longer and more constructive process of industry dialogue. Starting in autumn 2014, a TV Leaders Assembly will be convened by Ed Vaizey MP with the DTG to carry forward much of the taskforce’s recommendations, with the aim of guiding the industry during this time of rapid change. It is hoped this will bring some much needed clarity of purpose and vision to any future decision making.

The full FITT taskforce report can be found online at http://www.dtg.org.uk/ innovation. In addition, Ed Vaizey MP’s speech to the Summit can be read at bit.ly/1mSqfnN.

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The Forever Evolving Experience Following on from our Tomorrow’s World feature assessing the landscape for broadcasters in a future Networked Society, we invited Ove Anebygd, VP and head of media at Ericsson, to provide an insight into the company’s Media Vision 2020 report profiling the ‘game changers’ influencing the media and entertainment world THE YEAR 2020 will mark approximately a century of broadcast television.

At Ericsson, we predict that it will become a $750 billion dollar business serving more than eight billion connected devices, as we move towards the Networked Society where everything that can be connected, will be.

Last year, Ericsson began a project to create a coherent vision of what the media industry will look like in 2020, entitled Media Vision 2020. The undertaking focuses on a number of key areas referred to as ‘Game Changers’ which essentially map key consumer, technology and business areas that will have a major impact on the media world.

based on research from the Media Vision report. Consumers are embracing connected devices, yet for all of the possible options, actually finding the right content is difficult due to vast programme guides and poor search capability.

The journey The Forever Evolving Experience charts the intervening years to 2020 as a period of significant change as rapid adoption of IP and consolidation of linear channels starts to dramatically change the expectations of a more active audience. We are progressing through an era of entertainment and connectivity where IP enables more choice, better quality and greater personalisation.

TV consumer of 2020 The consumer generation of 2020 expects TV, film and gaming experiences to be even more integrated, accessible and tailored to their interests, devices and situations. Higher definition video, any-screen access, and personal interactivity will wrap around premium content in a world where video connects with social media.

The adoption of IP will drive consumers to shift to a 50:50 split of time between on-demand and time-shift versus linear and live TV. We will also see social recommendation driving on-demand content, and the ‘virtual sofa’ offering socially driven live/linear consumption.

“The business models of advertising, subscription and selling will expand beyond the household to the individual.

The simpler the transactional model, the greater the upsell opportunities will be” Here and now The first game changer report to be published centres on the ‘Forever Evolving Experience’ and looks at how consumers are changing their interactions with TV content. Consumers are rapidly evolving their values and assumptions around the discovery, access, payment and experience of content.

Even the definition of ‘experience’ is broadening as the media industry loses its exclusivity in shaping many of these perceptions to device manufacturers, social networks and app ecosystems. Consumers have access to hundreds of linear channels and video-on-demand options. Viewing habits are still predominately live or linear, with only 20 per cent either on-demand or time-shifted,

These changes in consumer behaviour are in part enabled by technology; the technology behind new devices and screens, connected to ever-enhanced networks and using innovative application platforms.

The consumer shifts will prompt TV service providers and network providers to update and invest in technologies that allow the switch to a more on-demand consumption model.

These updates will also automate recommendation as well as personalisation, incorporate device and social ecosystems, and enable actionbased advertising.

The technology will also facilitate payment platforms and rights management for multi-device, multi-user and same-content usage.

Business models The underlying business model for the TV and content industry will need to undergo a significant evolution. Content owners and broadcasters must adapt programming formats, distribution rights and advertising models. Service providers keen to maintain average revenue per user must adapt to consumers’ desires to find a content mix to suit their own schedules, discover content in targeted ways, and find everything on anything – becoming the ultimate aggregator.

These changes will place greater demands on the content value chain and share of revenues, as rights negotiations and content packaging need reassessing to match consumer shifts. The business models of advertising, subscription and selling will

Ericsson’s Forever Evolving Experience expand beyond the household to the individual. The simpler the transactional model, the greater the upsell opportunities will be.

The business barriers and inertia already impede the progress of change far more than any other element in the evolution of TV. By 2020, the emergence of new players with new approaches and the willingness of consumers to shift loyalties will dramatically drive change.

The complete Forever Evolving Experience paper, the first of six Game Changer reports from Ericsson, is now available for download (http://www. ericsson.com/televisionary/mediavision-2020/forever-evolvingexperience/download/). The report delves into more granular detail on the topics discussed in this article, and comes with research data and insights from leading industry experts.