TVBE May 2015 Digital Edition

www.tvbeurope.com

Business, insight and intelligence for the media and entertainment industry

May 2015

Battleground UK Inside the ‘digital’ General Election

LTE Broadcast MAM Leaders’ Series roundtable Audio for broadcast

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TVBEurope 3

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

EDITORIAL Executive Editor - James McKeown jmckeown@nbmedia.com Editor - Melanie Dayasena-Lowe mdayasena-lowe@nbmedia.com Senior Staff Writer - Holly Ashford hashford@nbmedia.com NewBay Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England +44 207 354 6002 Contributors - Chris Forrester, David Fox, David Davies, Dick Hobbs, John Ive, George Jarrett, Adrian Pennington, Philip Stevens, Catherine Wright Head of Digital - Tim Frost Human Resources & Office Manager - Lianne Davey Head of Design - Jat Garcha Editorial Production Manager - Dawn Boultwood Senior Production Executive - Alistair Taylor Publisher - Steve Connolly sconnolly@nbmedia.com +44 207 354 6000 Sales Manager - Ben Ewles bewles@nbmedia.com +44 207 354 6000 Account Manager - Richard Carr rcarr@nbmedia.com +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

Welcome

What’s in a name, broadly speaking?

Are we too quick to consign ‘broadcast’ to the past?

NAB will be heralded as another year-on-year

‘broadcast’ is losing its

success, with official delegate numbers reportedly

credibility in our sector

pestering the 100,000 mark; with exhibitors

because our mechanisms of

making the most of this annual international

delivery have changed. But

platform to deliver their key messaging; and with

if ‘broadcast’ is defined as

certain editorial figures discovering a newfound

‘the distribution of content

intolerance of air conditioning and an aversion to

to a dispersed audience

desert sunlight (and biblical dust storms).

via any electronic mass

The secret NAB has managed to keep within its

communications medium’ – be that over-the-air,

guard – much like IBC before it, and I dare to suggest

under-the-ground or over-the-top – then why the

it will retain this year as well – is some instruction on

rush to consign it to the past?

what, exactly, we are calling ourselves these days.

In any case, in our commitment to do so,

There are several, diverse trains of thought out

we have yet to accurately fill the void with a

there as to the perceived essence of the market

replacement that holds a common consensus. It is

Circulation NewBay Media, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough, LE16 9EF, UK

we now operate in: the media and entertainment

something we will be discussing at our TVBEurope

industry; the electronic media and content

2020 conference on 30 June, but in the meantime:

Free subscriptions tvbe.subscriptions@c-cms.com Subscriptions Tel +44 1580 883848

industry; the content media sector; the connected

answers on an electronic postcard, please.

TV everything and everywhere and everyone… market. Poor old broadcast isn’t getting a look in.

My worry is that the nub of the whole discussion

Onto this issue, and there’s plenty to get stuck into. Coverage of May’s General Election in the UK promises to be the ‘most digital’ yet, with

TVBEurope is published 12 times a year by NewBay Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London, N1 8LN, England

is getting lost in the immediacy of change, and

user engagement and measurement of social

the impatience of market acceleration. We rush

interactions high on the agenda, and augmented

NewBay Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Association

to evolve because that is the natural form of

reality solutions on hand to bring a visual context

development: to ‘improve’; to move on from

to the results.

prototype. We rush because it is demanded of us

Elsewhere, we explore the business model behind

© NewBay Media 2015. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the copyright owners. TVBEurope is mailed to qualified persons residing on the European continent. Subscription is free.

from the end user.

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

ISSN 1461-4197

don’t get me wrong, but are we being too quick to dismiss the pillars that define our heritage in

James McKeown

Printing by Pensord Press, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood NP12 2YA

the pursuit of sounding up-to-date? The term

Executive Editor

We are in the grip of tremendous change,

LTE Broadcast, get the latest on bespoke music libraries and reflect on the launch of our MAM Leaders’ Series, in association with Avid.

4 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

In this issue

MAM debate opens in the clouds

12 Covering the counts On the 60th anniversary of election results programming, Philip Stevens looks behind the massive operation involved in this year’s UK General Election, described as the most digital election yet, including televised debates

21

TVBEurope and Avid launched a new thought leadership initiative at the Shard in March, as authorities from across the industry tackled the steep ascent for the first MAM Leaders’ Series roundtable event

6-8 Opinion and Analysis

32 TVBEverywhere

The latest insight from our MAM Leaders’ Series, in association with Avid, comes from Bartosz Paprocki, CTO of Telewizja Polsat SA

An exchange of experiences: Heather McLean reports from this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

26 What’s the score with audio for broadcast?

Workflow

17

Is LTE Broadcast a technology in search of a business model? Adrian Pennington explores the finer details to find the business case

Our audio for broadcast focus looks into the world of bespoke music libraries, licensing, and how demand for synchronised music and audio is changing amongst the broadcast media community

30 A world of apps

40 Data Centre

George Jarrett reports from this year’s DVB World in Copenhagen, where TVBAwards Lifetime Achievement recipient David Wood was on hand to spell out the current issues

We are experiencing the “most exciting time in the TV media industry”, according to Thorsten Sauer, Ericsson’s head of broadcast and media services, as he outlined the findings of the company’s Global Insights 2015

6 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

Opinion and Analysis

MAM Leaders’ Series blog Bartosz Paprocki, Telewizja Polsat SA Measuring the return on MAM investment, by Bartosz Paprocki, CTO, Telewizja Polsat SA

A

fter a number of years observing the market, we were able to get a true perspective of the solutions that work

well, and those which will naturally disappear.

We were slightly late to the table, but in 2011, we decided to start the investment process

brings the greatest benefits of an operational

There are still new solutions and new

to purchase a MAM system. The decision to

nature. Today, due to time and flexibility of

technologies out there that can have a major

invest in Avid Interplay was made by Polsat’s

operations, it is a necessity to manipulate

impact on the optimisation of the system.

Tender Committee, which examined, in detail,

files instead of tapes. The mere fact that it is

the seven other proposed systems. The key

possible to start editing material while it is still

What MAM means to Polsat

factors behind choosing Avid were the cost of

being recorded in the studio and to describe

MAM is a platform that organises the flow of files

investment, and the degree of integration with

the content and data while being rendered,

(programmes and movies), both from our station

the station’s existing production systems. Also,

considerably speeds up the operation in a way

and from outside, to and from domestic and foreign

its deep integration of PAM and MAM systems

that was not possible with tapes.

customers. It is the central management system for

The competition’s coming. We can help you stay ahead.

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8 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

Opinion and Analysis production processes working with multichannel playout. The most critical task for our MAM system is to maintain the database of archived files as well as the automatic uploading of files from a digital archive to three distribution points: to Polsat for linear playouts; to Cyfrowy Polsat for VoD playouts; and to Ipla for IP streaming. For these reasons, the system must work reliably and have a constant efficiency of actions, 24/7/365. To meet this requirement, the system must be constantly monitored and any necessary action must be taken as soon as possible (this task is performed by engineers from the There have been many positives since we

Measuring the return on investment

implemented our current MAM system. The first is

Following the implementation of our MAM system,

services agreements with the manufacturers,

that it took only 18 months following deployment

we were able to measure a significant reduction in

in case of any significant problems in the

for all of the inefficient work processes that were

costs associated with tape technology. These relate

implemented processes and workflows, or

previously based on tape exchange, to be

to the elimination of HD video recorder purchase

problems with the MAM database.

eliminated. However, the biggest positive changes

costs for TV studios; the reduced load on quality

are in pre-release screening, technical inspection

control (tapes were previously checked before

Valuing the investment in MAM systems

and multichannel playout. Of particular note is

each use, whereas the file is checked only once

Polsat’s MAM system is an essential component

how our processes have been revolutionised from

before entering the digital archive); the elimination

of our tapeless production and playout systems,

the manual delivery of material on tapes, to a fully

of purchase and shipping costs in transferring

which are based on a digital archive. MAM serves

automatic process of transferring files from a digital

video tapes from foreign distributors; reduced costs

as an integration platform for all production areas,

archive and the different production systems.

associated with physical tape archives (manual

which include, among others: two Avid Interplay

Already, the number of files delivered to playouts on

movement between different departments); lower

PAM systems for the post production of news

a daily basis exceeds one thousand.

VCR operating costs; the elimination of labour costs

internal ITTV team).

It is also necessary to have appropriate support

and programmes; Apple FCP/Quantum StorNext

Importantly, the whole philosophy of what

for playout ingest; and much more.

for the post production of sport; an Aveco Astra

MAM means, and how it integrates within our

multichannel playout system; TV studios with GVG

infrastructure, has also been enhanced. This means

the return on investment, our previous analysis shows

K2 servers; and OB vans with EVS servers. With MAM

that content is no longer tied to the physical

that MAM systems bring significant benefits for

being such an integrating factor at both business

media; it’s an independent entity. This opens up

modern production facilities, not only in the financial

and information technology levels, it is a critical

new opportunities, not only within existing fields of

sense, but also in relation to the competitiveness of

system for our entire business.

exploitation, but also for the future.

Polsat and the entire media group.

Whilst we aren’t yet able to accurately measure

Levels of investment Before investing in our tapeless production and playout system, our internal analysis showed that within the five-year period, expenditure on the existing (traditional) technology will be very close to the level of expenditure associated with an investment in MAM and the maintenance of the fully tapeless system. The savings associated with the withdrawal of tape technology compensated for the expenditure on the new system. Therefore, there was no reason to maintain uncompetitive technology.

The total costs are always difficult to estimate because apart from the direct costs such as the purchase of equipment, other factors, such as software user training or any temporary decreases in performance during system start-up, also need to be taken into account. The start-up period also brings additional costs resulting from the dual action of old workflows running alongside the new system.

With proper planning and implementation stages unfolding, it is possible to minimise the impact of the new environment on the entire operation.

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10 TVBEurope

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Opinion and Analysis

Broadcasting and the cloud Don’t fall at the first hurdle Aframe founder and CEO, David Peto, examines the hurdles broadcasters face when embracing the cloud and what it will take to finally harness the power of cloud video

Cloud hurdle three: The fear of the unknown Many broadcast engineers are used to having a deep understanding of the technology

O

Cloud hurdle two: What happens when Kim Kardashian ‘breaks the internet’?

they use and the cloud can be a daunting

and data. However, within the broadcast sector

Video is a very specialist form of data and the

comes to the cloud, many would prefer to

while innovators are busily improving collaboration

complexities that go with it mean that standard

have technologies in-house that they not only

and reducing production time by exploiting

cloud storage and processing just isn’t designed to

understand inside out but also have direct

a range of applications in the cloud, many

accommodate it. Many broadcasters will be wary

access to when things go wrong.

broadcasters are still failing to make the most of it.

of the cloud for just this reason. They know that other

ver the last few years, the cloud has become the de facto way of storing, retrieving and working with applications

place for many because providers often don’t let engineers ‘get under the hood’. When it

content is often shared on the same servers and

The solution

Cloud hurdle one: The ‘Saturday Night Live’ problem

that because their cloud service is not exclusively

Do not entertain suppliers who won’t let you

optimised for video use only, there is a greater risk of

know the ins and outs of the technology. A

Media companies that broadcast live TV will,

the whole service falling down.

specialist provider should and will be open

of course, be wary of the cloud as they think it means relinquishing control. Say, for example, a major network is airing a live show on a Saturday night and a public cloud service is being used to host VTs and other recorded segments; if the cloud goes down, they will simply be told: “We will be back up and running when the provider lets us

about their infrastructure and will allow access to

‘By collaborating in the cloud, broadcasters remove the need to share and distribute content using the usual costly methods: courier, tapes, or DVDs’

know.” This simply isn’t a good enough answer for

architecture documents so engineers can truly understand what they are buying and using.

It is also important that broadcasters ask their supplier what level of bandwidth they will be receiving. In some cases, broadcasters will be paying the same as another organisation but will be receiving a poorer service.

companies dealing with live broadcasting. If the

Collaboration and cost savings

server goes down, so does that part of the show, leaving millions of viewers with a show that wasn’t

So while Kim Kardashian’s next selfie probably

Moving to a cloud-based infrastructure offers a

what the producers intended.

won’t actually break the internet, any potential

variety of benefits to a broadcaster, the most obvious

loss in service just isn’t feasible for broadcasters.

of which is cost savings. By collaborating in the

The solution

It’s potentially a reason that broadcasters are

cloud, broadcasters remove the need to share and

Broadcasters need to look into which of the providers

being advised by internal teams to keep servers

distribute content using the usual costly methods:

available manage their own infrastructure. Making

in-house rather than expose themselves to the

courier, tapes, or DVDs. This saves money by allowing

sure the cloud provider is in charge of its own cloud

‘dangers’ of the cloud.

teams to work from any location at any time.

someone who doesn’t have failover capability, can’t

The solution

shared, reviewed and edited in real time regardless

give you an answer or isn’t on the case fixing the

Do your research. It is imperative that

of shoot or edit location. Content can be filmed in

problem the second it happens is just not an option;

broadcasters understand what content will also

Australia and edited in London without disruption.

especially if the show you are airing is live. Specialist

be shared on the same cloud and make sure they

All users can comment, review and download as

cloud-based video providers will have this in

choose a specialist cloud provider that is tailored

required. The benefits are obvious.

hand and have the infrastructure in place to,

to service video content only.

– and has resilience – is imperative, as working with

one: make sure the server (and backup) doesn’t

Ease of collaboration means content can be

There are video specialists available that make

It is clear that the technology is only going to continue to grow and those broadcasters that

go down; and two: in the eventuality that it

their clouds for just that: video content and video

embrace its possibilities will undeniably get

does (after all, nothing can be 100 per cent

content only. They know the challenges that

ahead of the curve.

guaranteed), make sure there are sufficient plans

broadcasters face and have built cloud-based

Senior decision makers at today’s top media

and SLAs in place to run the service until the

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conglomerates face a clear choice: keep their

original server is back up and running.

breaks, the servers don’t.

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Workow

Covering the counts On the 60th anniversary of election results programming, Philip Stevens looks behind the massive operation involved in this year’s UK General Election, described as the most ‘digital’ election yet including televised debates hile all the political parties in the

producing its own media – Tweeting, Facebook,

United Kingdom prepared for what

blogging even – so it knows more about how the

has been dubbed ‘the most signiďŹ cant

industry works,� states Tim Burke, editor, Election

W

election for more than a generation’, the BBC

OBs for the BBC.

was laying its own plans for, arguably, the biggest programme of the year for the Corporation.

He recalls that in 2010 the BBC presenter in the studio had to explain about the Twittersphere.

Since the last General Election in 2010, the

“But ďŹ ve years ago is so far away now that Twitter

perception of politics and politicians in the UK

is just part of the make-up of election counts

has changed. At the same time, technology has

now. But there is a danger that Tweets can give

moved forward at considerable speed – and

a distorted view of what is going on: our job is to

these twin factors have inuenced television

give the right result as it is delivered.�

coverage this time around.

He continues, “Viewers can see when

“The public has changed in the way it consumes media and is also instrumental in

something has been distorted by editing, so they are better able to discern whether or not what

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TVBEurope 13

Workflow they see and hear is true. So, the BBC has a great role to play in ensuring it is a trustworthy source of news. There are many other sources that can take the public down routes that are not genuine.”

“The public has changed in the way it consumes media and is also instrumental in producing its own media” Tim Burke, BBC Burke traces his association with General Election coverage back to 1992 while working as a reporter/producer for BBC Radio 4. Since that time – and especially over recent years – he has seen politicians transform their approach. “They have become far more savvy to the way social media has [impacted] on their workload. They are talking to a constituency that is very vocal – all the while remembering there are still a great many people who do not access social media.”

14 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

Workflow Places not previously viable

Boldly going...

Turning to technology, Burke says that it, too, has progressed significantly and there are far more tools to utilise than were available just five years ago at the last General Election. “We have HD GoPro which opens up tremendous opportunities for coverage not previously possible. But the great thing now is that you have elements such as LiveU, WMT (Wireless Multiplex Terminal) which allows the back of the camera to feed data to various fixed points and you can have a cameraman feeding back pictures directly.”

The BBC will also utilise vSats: vehicles which can simultaneously set up a Wi-Fi cloud of their own and feed pictures from a simple small truck. “This has a great advantage editorially,” comments Burke. “We can do an interview and then move on to another location for another story. We are also using the BBC Live Bike, which enables a camera to be set up when the motorcycle is parked up, do an interview, feed it back to the hub and then travel to a new location and repeat the exercise. In that way, we can cover far more stories than is ever possible with a full outside broadcast set-up.”

The principle behind the StarTracker system is simple. LEDs mounted on the system’s navigation camera pick up reflected light from ceiling based ‘stars’ to locate the broadcast cameras’ positions

By Philip Stevens

These retro-reflective sticker ‘stars’, which are

“The BBC has its own IP-based Broadcast Contribution Network, and across the UK, IP is enabling us to cover locations more cost effectively than at previous elections” Lawrence Galkoff

randomly fixed on the studio ceiling, are detected Pedestal camera systems for Virtual Reality

by the system’s LEDs mounted on the StarTracker

studios that rely on mechanical tracking for

navigation camera. This unit is attached to

mapping camera positions have always

relevant pedestals or cranes. StarTracker then

Lawrence Galkoff, technical lead looking after

suffered from the problem of ‘drift’. And this

‘remembers’ the position and pattern of the stars

OB content for the programme, adds more

is especially noticeable when graphics, such

and relays the necessary data to the graphics

about the utilisation of technology. “We use

as voting figures, are seen on studio floors. The

system generating the virtual images.

equipment such as LiveU on a daily basis to

slightest ‘drift’ makes the graphics appear to move across the studio.

“No calibration is needed, as this is carried

bring news to our viewers. As a result, there are

out automatically by StarTracker when the

few challenges associated with the technology.

pedestal is moved across the studio,” reports

But the biggest benefit is the fact that it offers

Election Results programme, developed by

Geissler. “And even if some ‘stars’ are obscured

us the chance to cover areas in the most cost

London-based Mo-Sys Engineering under the

by an object – such as a hanging light, there

effective manner possible. And that is always an

name of StarTracker, uses optical techniques

are enough to ensure the navigation remains

important consideration.”

to ensure accurate camera locations. And

pinpoint accurate.”

However, the tracking system used for the

the reason for that name is obvious when the

The nature of the system means there is

Moving home

no limitation when it comes to the size of the

Galkoff, for whom this is the eighth General

studio. The StarTracker unit comprises a control

Election programme, goes on to say that the

studio ceiling and use that to navigate and

box, monitor, and the navigation camera

biggest challenge for this year’s programme has

identify camera positions,” explains company

with LED-ring. The control box also contains a

been a change of studio. With the recent closure

CEO, Michael Geissler. “The challenge was to

module for lens encoding and bus power.

of the BBC Television Centre in west London, the

system is observed at close quarters.

“We figured we could create a map on the

overcome strong lights on a ceiling. Our system

Geissler adds, “We are pushing the envelope

uses ‘stars’ that we attach to the ceiling and

with this technology – but there are still more

are unaffected by the studio’s powerful lights.”

exciting developments to come later this year.”

programme has moved to the facilities at Elstree, just north of the capital.

“Although we produced the local elections programme last May from that studio, this is a

TVBEurope 15

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Workflow much, much bigger undertaking. We started planning for this election once we knew Television Centre was to be sold. Of course, it made sense to opt for a BBC owned studio where we knew we had full control of the facilities, so Elstree figured in our plans from about the beginning of 2013. We also needed to bear in mind the closeness to London where many of the key figures are located.”

Alongside the analysis in the studio will be the drama of the results from around the United Kingdom. At the time of writing, the exact number of constituencies being covered by live feeds was still being determined. But with 650 seats up for grabs, plans call for something in the region of ten per cent of counts to be broadcast live.

Burke says selecting which counts to cover live is subject to several criteria. For example, who

The BBC’s hub control during last year’s European elections

is going to declare first? Where are the major contests between the parties? Where are the

“About half of the feeds from the locations will

Having two routes also offers us extra resilience.”

marginals? Where are Greens doing well in local

pass through the BBC facility at Wood Norton

To some extent, IP technology will be utilised.

councils that might give a clue in a General

before being passed to Elstree,” reports Galkoff.

“The BBC has its own IP-based Broadcast

Election? Where are UKIP progressing locally that

“The other half will go straight into Elstree where

Contribution Network, and across the UK, IP

might give them a foothold?

we have installed several extra flyaway dishes.

is enabling us to cover locations more cost

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All of the systems can be controlled from a joystick control or a touch screen as well through an automation system. All of the cameras deliver absolute tracking data for the VR Studio demands.

16 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

Workflow The director’s chair The studio will accommodate 16 cameras under the direction of Claire Bellis. “Alongside the ten manned pedestals, there will be one 30ft Technocrane, three hot heads, one Steadicam and one locked off wide shot.”

So, with a programme that starts just before 22:00 hours and goes on through the night until the next day, how does she prepare for such a marathon spell in the gallery?

“I usually stop drinking a couple of hours before the show and only take sips of water during the programme. The adrenalin keeps me awake,” reports Bellis.

She says that the biggest challenge is in the set-up. “There are so many people involved across so many different areas that coordinating all the different teams to achieve the

Presenter Jeremy Vine rehearses in the Elstree studio ahead of European Elections programme in May 2014

programme’s ambitions is a huge task.”

To make it easier to handle the numerous sources coming into Elstree from the various crews scattered around the United Kingdom, a series of editorial hubs are being employed. For English constituencies, two hubs will handle input from the north and south of the country. In turn, each of those hubs will be fed from three sub-hubs. The other UK nations – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – will each have its own hubs. Producers at each of these sub-hubs will pass material to the main editorial centre manned by Burke and a director as the action unfolds. They will then pass content to the main production gallery for transmission.

Bellis explains how the system works in reality.

“My main contact for all the OBs is through Nick Davies as the director in hub control, while the

The BBC made good use of augmented reality sets for the Scottish Referendum programme

editor, Sam Woodhouse, will talk to Burke. Once the OBs are through to the gallery on the hub

effectively than at previous elections. Key sites,

way we present the graphics to help

lines I can talk directly to them, if necessary,

such as Downing Street, are already cabled

them understand what is transpiring as

too. The principle is editor talks to editor, director

with that technology. And our colleagues

the votes come in.”

talks to director. The editors will discuss offers and

in Scotland used IP for their Referendum

Burke agrees, “As a viewer, what do you want

things coming up further ahead and Nick lets

programme last year, so that infrastructure will

from your election count? You want the result,

me know when OBs or two-ways are ready and

be utilised again.”

how your party is doing. We aim to provide

what’s on which line.”

Both Burke and Galkoff agree that the Scottish

the tools so people can see what the share

She goes on to explain that there is also a studio

Referendum and last May’s local elections

of the vote was last time and what the

‘tips’ system of offers from different areas that the

programmes served as good dress rehearsals

information means.”

Production Assistant (PA) will put into a running

for this General Election production. Much was

To meet that need, Vizrt graphics systems

order based on what the editor wants to achieve.

learnt about making the best use of the studio

will be used. Viz will also form a vital part of

“When I started working on Elections this was done

space for presentations and the use of graphics.

the Virtual Reality (VR) elements that

with a slung camera over the PA’s shoulder looking

have become commonplace in election

at handwritten yellow ‘stickies’ showing what was

The power of graphics

programmes of this type. The VR graphics will

coming next. Now, of course it’s all via computer.”

“We’ve seen a massive increase in processing

work in conjunction with Stype cranes and

power since the last election in 2010,” states

StarTracker from Mo-Sys.

Galkoff. “That means there is the ability to get

All the processing power will come from the

The final word comes from Burke. “The politics of the election are the democratic drama of the night so you have to capture that with the best

more information out to the viewers much

graphics engine and be fed as a single source

resources at your disposal. If you can’t do that

faster. People will notice a difference in the

into the Sony MVS-8000 vision mixer in the gallery.

you haven’t got the theatre of the event.”

TVBEurope 17

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Workflow

LTE Broadcast

A technology in search of a business model?

Adrian Pennington explores LTE Broadcast and eMBMS and the business case behind it

A

fter a decade of false starts, broadcasting to mobile is back on the agenda as momentum builds behind

LTE Broadcast or eMBMS (evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service). While the technology continues to be tested by mobile operators, the impediment to success would appear to be finding a business case.

The main driver from the mobile industry’s point

of view is conservation of the 4G spectrum which operators collectively paid £2.4 billion for and which is being rapidly consumed by demand for video. Ericsson predicts mobile data traffic to grow 12 times from 2013 by the end of 2018 driven mainly by video.

Currently, where there is high demand for a particular video service, whether live sports stream or a viral video, the one-to-one (unicast) mobile network is tasked to deliver

LTE Broadcast means an unlimited number of users can receive content with a high-quality user experience and a more efficient use of spectrum

multiple parallel sessions to users. This can build congestion, cause poor user experience

HEVC which delivers compression levels up

broadcast will offer a more efficient delivery,”

(e.g. buffering or loss of the stream) and is an

to twice compared to the H.264/MPEG-4

said Mark Hyland, SVP, global sales at QuickPlay.

inefficient use of network resources.

AVC standard; and MPEG DASH – Dynamic

“We see this being monetised by large operators

Adaptive Streaming over HTTP – which

with content rights as pay for use or by

handsets, LTE Broadcast means an unlimited

brings standardisation to an area full of

advertising that drives a free application.”

number of users can receive content with a

proprietary interfaces.

By broadcasting a single stream to multiple

high-quality user experience and a more

It builds off of the 4G network extensively

EE, for example, is lead sponsor at Wembley Stadium and is using events there to test

efficient use of spectrum. It does so by

covered in the UK by EE (BT), O2, Vodafone and

technologies including LTE Broadcast. “You

effectively allocating a single frequency

Three. Operators are now competing to rollout

could live stream a game over LTE and offer, for

within a base station, which is then repeated

LTE Broadcast, which is expected to be

example, bespoke fan commentary, multiple

in other base stations. This could be over a

ubiquitous by the start of 2016. All that is needed

replays, camera angles, and all manner of other

small area like a sports stadium, or part of a

to switch it on, for initial short-term, localised use,

interactivity via unicast,” explains Matt Stagg,

city (like London’s Tech City), city-wide,

is a commercial model.

senior manager, network strategy, EE.

Trials

adopting a ‘wait and see’ approach, while

requiring a software upgrade to the cell

To date, most LTE Broadcast trials have been

business cases are not nailed down. Rights

sites rather than network-wide upheaval.

in and around sports stadia where there is believed

holders probably hold the keys here in tandem

Smartphones fitted with the required chip

to be a business case for easing congested mobile

with mobile operators. For example, live streams

(from chip makers like Qualcomm) will be

networks in crowded and compact areas.

of EPL and Football League matches to the

Clubs and sports venue operators are

regional or national.

Deployment is relatively straightforward,

mass marketed by the end of the year.

The technology is a combination of three standards. eMBMS the 3GPP standard;

“Where there are more than six people in

mobile devices of fans inside a football ground

a cell site accessing HD video, it becomes

are restricted under the current broadcast

a problem from a capacity perspective so

contracts owned by BT and Sky. There may be

18 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

Workflow a case for using LTE Broadcast in and around

content,” he continues. “To the extent that

Broadcast. “File delivery is the unsung hero,”

Wimbledon during the annual tennis tournament

LTE Broadcast can help provide an improved

says Kerry Travilla, senior director, technology

but this would probably need to be free to users

experience it is interesting and important but

at mobile service provider MobiTV. “In order to

since the BBC owns broadcast rights.

it is not vital.”

create an engaging app you need to have data such as real-time score updates, Twitter feeds

Apps The BBC itself trialled the tech at the Commonwealth Games last July. A mobile app written by BBC R&D was used to display and navigate three live streams on handsets. The app featured a map of the events and locations around

“LTE Broadcast is definitely ready for primetime. It changes the game for TV in some areas” Dennis Specht, Roundbox

and breaking news sent alongside the live stream and the mechanism to do that is the file delivery portion of LTE Broadcast. It also keeps the app from trying to access that interactive content over unicast. If that happened it would make the network inefficient.”

Glasgow, which lit up in green when a live stream

Secondly, says Travilla, any place there’s a

was available. Users could click on the venue and

need for large scale distribution of content, LTE

receive the video. This was also connected to BBC

Broadcast is ideal “since you can hit millions of

iPlayer to enable the integration of unicast on-

Since LTE Broadcast has the ability to deliver any

handsets in one swoop rather than having a

demand content with the live broadcast streams.

kind and size of file, video is not the only selling

million individual requests by HTTP.”

“We hedged our bets by testing a sports-

point. Over the air firmware updates, Machine to

Longer term, there are those who argue that

specific event and also the idea that this

Machine, digital signage, in-car TV PPV events,

the needs of public service broadcasters and

technology could be rolled out into a mobile

marketing campaigns, auctioning of time slots

of the mobile industry could co-exist with

network wherever the user happened to

are other examples. Data plans are currently

judicious use of this portion of the spectrum

be,” explains Chris Nokes, principal engineer,

predicated on counting IP packets delivered

to reach the growing audience wanting to

distribution core technologies, BBC R&D.

to your mobile phone. Having a different –

consume content on mobiles.

“Our interest is for people to have the best

reduced or free – model for multicast packets

possible experience wherever they watch BBC

could drive adoption of services based on LTE

The EBU dismissed this last year, stating that LTE Broadcast was not yet ready to

TVBEurope 19

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Workflow alternative to broadcast distribution, including DTT, anytime soon. Yet, its report preceded the start of a world first trial of TV broadcasting led by Nokia and research body Institut für Rundfunktechnik. The 18-month trial uses a single LTE frequency within the UHF spectrum and is being conducted in a 200km2 area around Munich until early 2016.

“We strongly believe nationwide broadcast is a relevant use case and has the potential to change the business models in the media industry,” says Helmut Schink, head of telco standards, Nokia Networks.

“So far the industry is talking about the digital dividend with mobile and TV industry framing this as a fight because of the perceived need

To date, most LTE Broadcast trials have been in and around sports stadia

to give some spectrum resources away. We think LTE eMBMS is sufficiently flexible that broadcasters can continue with their business

deliver widespread TV services free-to-air.

model without needing to have specifically

While the new mobile technology could be

allocated spectrum.”

a useful complement to the broadcast

“LTE Broadcast is definitely ready for primetime,”

distribution platform, it concluded, it was

declares Dennis Specht, CEO and co-founder of

unrealistic to expect it to become a viable

Roundbox, recently acquired by mobile solutions

20 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

Workflow provider QuickPlay Media. “It changes the game

To 5G infinity and hologram Skype

monitoring, scientific research and satellite

for TV in some areas. In APAC, for example, we are

5G, the successor to 4G, is already being

broadcasts. This would represent a 3,000-fold

seeing LTE Broadcast being leveraged as a cable

investigated. It would deliver speeds of 50Gbps

increase in speeds, according to the Financial

replacement. You can offer 12 channels for $7 a

running on spectrum above 6GHz, a high

Times. According to regulator Ofcom, 4G

month over mobile.”

frequency which is currently used for weather

customers in the UK today receive data at an average 15Mbitps.

Research in the UK is led by the 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) at the University of Surrey, funded with £15 million of government cash plus £45 million in contributions from Samsung, EE, Vodafone, Telefonica, Fujitsu and Huawei. Video over wireless specialists Cobham and the BBC are also members.

Due to open its doors this September, the 5GIC is part of the University’s Institute for Communication Systems (ICS), which made a major contribution towards the development of 2G technology in the 1990s, 3G in the 2000s and 4G since 2010.

“If we get 5G right, there won’t be a 6G. People won’t talk about speed because there will be enough capacity in the network for millions - billions - of devices connected to the Internet of Things” Matt Stagg, EE

“If we get 5G right, there won’t be a 6G,” says EE’s Stagg. “People won’t talk about speed because there will be enough capacity in the network for millions – billions – of devices connected to the Internet of Things. It will be incredibly low latency and a totally different architecture with a lot of computing done on the cell site. It means you can start to look at all manner of applications such as driverless cars.”

According to Ofcom, 5G would allow surgeons to oversee operations from the other side of the world using 3D medical imaging, or for families to “virtually attend family occasions” with holographic video.

There is currently fragmentation in 5G development, a lot of work to be done and there are no standards. Operators are jockeying for position with 2020 the earliest timeframe for introduction.

Ofcom hopes that the UK becomes a leader in laying the foundations of 5G. It states that 5G must represent a step beyond anything offered by 4G in speeds and in giving users the “impression of infinite capacity”.

TVBEurope 21

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

in association with

Clouds prove apt venue for MAM debate TVBEurope and Avid launch MAM Leaders’ Series at The Shard The sunlit London skyline was the glistening backdrop for the official launch of a new thought leadership initiative between TVBEurope and Avid, as experts from across the industry gathered for the first MAM Leaders’ Series roundtable event, high up in The Shard. The discussions were keen, with debate roaming from the granular understanding of specific processes to the definition of MAM itself. Melanie Dayasena-Lowe opens our coverage in the first of a two-part report into the major components of discussion vid’s Craig Dwyer, senior director, Global

A

Center of Excellence, began by setting

Craig Dwyer, Avid

Dwyer believes we are moving into a world where there will be a lot more real-time analytics.

the scene on how we all see media

“So applying some of this big data technology

asset management (MAM). “The traditional

and methodologies will be able to create real-

value chain is something we all recognise and

time insight from data.”

there has been a lot of work going on to make

Moderator Jeremy Bancroft opened the

the integration points across the value chain,

floor for discussion by asking: “What do we all

and make the media lifecycle, more efficient.

understand by MAM? Is it a system that just allows

Over the last few years, we’ve discovered it’s

us to catalogue material?”

all becoming a lot more non-linear. There’s a lot more integration required.

Paul Clennell, CTO for dock10, didn’t agree that it is exclusively about cataloguing but

“Also, the richness of the metadata, rights

acknowledged its importance in managing the

implications and publishing on all the different

media. “It’s the ability to harness the metadata

platforms with the right rights as well as being

and wanting to grow assets rather than it being

able to marry all that has fundamentally

a series of stagnant reference materials and

changed this media asset flow,” he remarked.

items. It enables you to access things that were

22 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

in association with

previously very difficult to access. Around that

Kevin McCue, senior manager of technical

it’s a process engine. It enables you to automate

operations for Sky Post Production, added:

some steps and apply processes to things you do

“We’re at the point where we’re looking for a

on a day-to-day basis.”

hub in the middle of a wheel and you have these

Sky’s Chris Whatmore, MAM product owner

things on the periphery of the wheel that are

and senior business analyst, was in agreement

operating in their own way and working. What

but pointed out that there’s another aspect to

you’re trying to achieve is something that sits in

consider. “It means different things to different

the middle, brokers the conversation between all

types of business. If you are a playout provider it’s

of these things and if you want to make changes

one thing, but if you are a production company

you’re not governed by everything attached

it’s another. At Sky, we do a little bit of everything

to the MAM system.”

so across our business MAM means different

In response, Bancroft asked: “Isn’t that what our

things to different departments, which is a huge

IT cousins would call an Enterprise Service Bus?”

challenge,” he explained.

Anil Chaman, manager of technology, Al

“It could mean a traffic system dealing with

Jazeera English Language Channel, was in

acquisitions, deals and scheduling, or it could mean management of the assets themselves.

agreement with Whatmore’s take on what MAM

Jeremy Bancroft, moderator

For production, it becomes your archive

means. “You can call it a MAM, PAM, DAM. We’ve ended up putting a control layer in that stitches

and library. I like to think of it not just as a

Rod Fairweather, senior director of infrastructure

the wheel together because there wasn’t a

system but more a collection of things that

and media technology for Viacom, was upfront

one-stop shop solution. We’re a fully file-based

need to be done.”

about his view on this. “I hate global systems with

global solution and we needed a powerful user

Bancroft put forward the idea of a single

a vengeance. It has to cope with every time zone

interface. That’s exactly what it does. It joins

enterprise MAM system that does everything,

change and you have to fit in with development.

up the dots. It has had to be bespoke, it wasn’t

and asked if this is an issue.

What we do need is clear interoperability.”

something that was available.”

www.asperasoft.com moving the world’s data at maximum speed

TVBEurope 23

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

in association with

The discussion then moved on to the Framework

unless you’re turning out these programmes on an

for Interoperable Media Services (FIMS), a project

hourly or daily basis, you don’t really understand

to define standards, which enable media systems

what the pressures and demands are.”

to be built using Service Orientated Architecture.

Whatmore added that ten to 15 years ago,

Bancroft positioned this aspect of discussion by

manufacturers were expected to come up

asking: “There is all the talk about FIMS and what

with all new features that worked together and “that is almost a different brain-set. Now things are changing more quickly you need to react

“I hate global systems with a vengeance.

It has to cope with every time zone change and you have to fit in with development.

What we do need is clear interoperability” Rod Fairweather, Viacom

to the strategy and direction of the business.

You need a certain level of functionality that you can get off-the-shelf, but you do need either an integration platform or workflow management that sits over those services that you then bought.”

David Shield, senior vice president, global director of engineering and technology, IMG Sports Media, commented: “You could do a definition of

Paul Clennell, dock10

what the MAM function is if you just say it’s storing content and associated metadata. All the different

that’s going to bring to the business.

Fairweather highlighted that there are few very

users (transmission, archive) are using all that stuff in

AMWA has been promoting it and it’s been

large organisations in the news world, namely CNN,

different ways. Managing the storage and holding

underway since 2010. There have been a

BBC, Al Jazeera and Sky. “If the market consists of

the metadata, that’s a common feature.”

few limited implementations around the

four companies, there aren’t that many that will do

world. Are we left that we have to go out

a massive investment to get it to the stage needed.

asked the group if multiples of those are

and do it ourselves?”

You can set up an engineering organisation but

needed in an organisation.

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24 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

in association with

“Our job is totally driven by the product line,” explained Francesco Donato, VP broadcast operations for Sky Deutschland. “We can’t ignore the requests from our colleagues in products and operations. This happens every three months so we don’t have time to build our own solution. For instance, there is no reason to build our own CMS. We already have three different CMS systems.”

From TV2 Denmark’s perspective, Kjeld Skovlund, head of TV projects and deputy manager, said requirements are not that different across organisations. “We used to be linear in our production and we turned into non-linear. We still think in terms of linear when it comes to project

Chris Whatmore, Sky

Kevin McCue, Sky Post Production

Anil Chaman, Al Jazeera

planning but it simply doesn’t work anymore.

We don’t have the time. We have to deliver the product in one to three months.”

“With a three-month timescale, how do you manage to keep this big vision when people expect it in three months?” asked Bancroft. Skovlund admitted that he doesn’t yet have the answer. “We can’t change the technology and the complete facility in three months. Over the last two years, VoD and OTT have been driving everything.”

Donato said: “The success is the combination of two things: the right technology choice and the ability to change your own internal workflow.”

And how does this compare for public service broadcasters such as Yle? Does it take longer to implement changes in workflows? Jouni Frilander,

David Shield, IMG Sports Media

Kjeld Skovlund, TV2 Denmark

Jouni Frilander, Yle

portfolio manager, media systems technology and development at Finnish broadcaster, Yle, remarked:

Sky’s Whatmore answered: “We’ve already got

great example of the fact that you wouldn’t want all

“Sometimes there are challenges with the financing.

multiples and I think the secret to our future is

your transcoding and encryption to be sitting in the

I fully agree with the importance of the integration

how we integrate those better.

MAM. You want a process that is fed from the MAM.”

platform. The future will be different. There will be

“When we were trying to move from tape-based

On the topic of multi-platform and content

more cloud-based services and ideas will be created

to file-based, it seemed like the way to go was to

everywhere, Bancroft asked: “We now have

have one system (production, archive and media

multiple devices and platforms that we need

crunching/processing) and it was probably right at

to distribute content to, how quickly are these

the industry and requirements on engineering

the time. But you see how the industry is changing.

platforms and business models occurring within

platforms changing so rapidly, “is there a future

The OTT and on-demand side of the industry is a

your organisations?”

for these big monolithic systems?

outside of the broadcast and media industry.”

Bancroft continued by suggesting that with

TVBEurope 25

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

in association with

Or are we going to use point solutions that we

monolithic system won’t cut it. In order to keep

but listening to the workflow they want to use,

find a way to integrate together?”

up, we need to be agile, modular and we need

and adapting the tools we’ve got to follow that

to be taking systems off the shelf rather than

process,” Clennell explained.

Chaman believes that as we embark on the IP world, the latter is eroding. “There are manufacturers

customising products.”

out there that are almost ready to create a purely IP installation/environment. You need the end-to-end

within cloud-based storage was expanded on

of asset management in dock10’s environment as a

by Shield, who offered: “There’s a nervousness

solution, not just the part in the middle.”

Returning to the subject of the cloud, Bancroft was interested to find out whether more offsited services will be used as and when needed.

Fairweather made an interesting point about geographical location. “None of us want rooms full of technologies sitting in expensive real estate in London. At Viacom we have 250 to 300 servers that

The wider acknowledgement of security issues

Clennell continued to point out the importance

about storage. Clients such as the Premier League,

“The success is the combination of two things: the right technology choice and the ability to change your own internal workflow” Francesco Donato, Sky Deutschland

need baseband in and out. If we can get rid of that,

Wimbledon and R&A are all saying that they don’t want their stuff on a server in Denver; which is typically what people will say. The international distribution is great, but they want to know that their content is physically ‘there’, so you end up inventing ‘private cloud’ so that it’s all contained in one place.”

Fairweather added that this all depends

we can shift all that technology out of expensive

on the type of content being distributed. “If

cities. Manufacturers need to move to a model

you’re dealing with content that is yet to be

where we can spin up and spin down applications

facilitator – rather than owner – of content for its clients,

broadcast or is absolutely premium, then security

in 30 minutes.”

and the stresses on efficiency and security. The latter

is important. Once content has been broadcast

aspect was picked up by Bancroft, who wanted to

throughout the world, then security is less of an

as a shared infrastructure. Clennell noted the

know how companies go about convincing producers

issue as it is for a Premier League football match

importance of security and the use of a modular

and directors that their content is secure in the

or pre-release content.”

approach by his company. “If we’re undergoing

cloud among the concerns about security. “For us,

Part two of our MAM Leaders’ Series roundtable

a period of long and extended rapid change, a

it’s about not imposing a workflow on a client,

report will feature in the June issue of TVBEurope.

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26 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

Feature

UPPM creates bespoke, original and creative content and continues to showcase the quality and craft put into every album

“The demand for house seems to be on the rise as well as off kilter, moody electronic music which is popular for high octane sports productions and promos” Lina Tebbs, Audio Network

What’s the score

coming through. Over the past few years,

with audio for broadcast?

briefs we get. One noticeable change we’ve

production music has seen a real growth as companies are recognising the breadth and, most importantly, the quality out there. As the number of requests grow, so does the variety of seen at UPPM is a growing demand for tracks with lyrics. Although instrumental versions are still the primary choice for our clients, when they search for music, they are increasingly

TVBEurope delves into the world of audio for broadcast by speaking to a selection of audio experts on the issues of licensing and the challenges around UHD. We get the lowdown from Phil Stubbs, senior key account manager at Universal Publishing Production Music (UPPM); Lina Tebbs, head of TV, Europe for Audio Network; and Ian Cookson, communications manager at Calrec Audio

expecting to hear radio-ready songs – both in style and quality. The current charts and music trends often influence the type of requests we get as that’s what companies are looking to use within their productions. With music trends constantly changing, we need to ensure we keep up with these trends, producing songs with the same production values that you get

hat changes are you seeing in the

Stubbs: The expansive nature of the broadcast

broadcast market with regard to

market, which encompasses a diverse range

demand for specific audio and

of programming, means that there are

the soundtracks to movies and trailers also

always new and different music requests

have an impact on the requests we see for

W

music for TV productions?

with commercial music.

In addition to the influence of chart music,

TVBEurope 27

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Feature music in programming. We have a sizeable

Are today’s TV productions increasingly

Stubbs: Production companies are always

number of requests inuenced by movies – from

looking for unique material from

looking for something unique that will make

those looking for a cinematic sound from epic

bespoke audio catalogues and

their productions stand out and music is a

blockbuster-style tracks right down to much

libraries, rather than the traditional

great way of doing that. If TV productions had

smaller, indie or sparse and intimate sounds.

licensing alternative?

the money and time I think most would employ

Probably the biggest change over the past few years, however, is the increasing demand for music stems. This refers to a track being broken down by the group/single instrument and separated out. If companies had the

N7922

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28 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

Feature a composer to write something bespoke for them, however, money plays a huge deciding factor in opting to go down the bespoke route and this has always

Immersive audio

been the case. As such, an increase in demand for bespoke material hasn’t really

From your perspective, what are the current

changed, but the library’s ability to meet this

technical challenges facing the audio

demand has.

aspect of the broadcast sector?

As technology advances and costs reduce

Cookson: One of the main challenges is signal

on some of those technologies, it’s not

transport around the broadcast infrastructure

uncommon for composers to have their own

and beyond. Calrec’s proprietary Hydra2

studios at home. While we still use big studios

networking solution offers more than just a

and will continue to do so, the home studio

signal transport system. It is also a powerful

has had a knock on effect in keeping costs

management tool that provides network-wide

down for producing tracks. The key is finding

management of many parameters and allows

talented composers who are able to use these

signals to pass into a wider network using a

technologies to create some incredible music

variety of standards.

Ian Cookson, Calrec Audio

that a client can manipulate to work for their

In April 2014, Calrec committed itself to

production. Keeping these costs down allows

an agnostic future: while we felt that MADI

us to offer bespoke edits on existing tracks;

continues to serve the industry extremely

More recent times have seen companies

for example, if a show wants to refresh its title

well, we predicted we would see AoIP

developing a more object-based approach

music. The home studio also allows us to create

interconnections providing more flexible and

to broadcast audio where the viewer can

tracks from scratch with a quick turnaround

elegant replacements. Most of all it promotes

choose what they’re listening to. This hasn’t

at an affordable cost to the client as well as

freedom of choice – if everything works with

happened commercially yet but is an exciting

producing music stems.

everything, broadcasters can choose kit based

development, and Calrec is working with

on its suitability for them.

other parts of the industry to ensure that our

Recognising that companies want specifically composed music but haven’t

The publication of AES67 has given AoIP

consoles are fully prepared for this next stage

always got the budget, UPPM has come up

a massive boost. While non-proprietary AoIP

with new and innovative ways to help them

solutions are commonly not able to offer the low

reach this goal. One unique and revolutionary

latency, determinism, capacity, and broadcast

In your eyes, where will the next

solution we offer is the BBC Orchestral Toolkit.

feature-rich audio networking that Calrec’s

strategically important developments

Created by composers Marten Joustra

Hydra2 provides, we think that AES67 and its

come from?

and Andy Blythe, the toolkit is made up of

compatible brethren are a perfect companion

Cookson: The panacea is total interoperability

thousands of sequentially interchangeable

technology for wider connectivity to third-party

between equipment in the broadcast

cues. This means users can effectively create

equipment in a broadcast facility.

environment. The challenge in achieving this

of immersive audio.

lies with the manufacturers, some of whom are

their own score using existing music stems. It’s the closest you can get to a bespoke score

What sort of challenges will the advance of

competitors, moving towards a common goal.

but without using a composer, and we’ve had

UHD in the industry present for companies

AES67 is a major catalyst as it has provided a

some great feedback since its launch.

in the audio sector?

focus and a direction for everyone to move in.

Cookson: Consumers are demanding more and

This could ultimately lead to remote production

companies, seeking their feedback with

more from their viewing experience, although the

becoming a feasible broadcast workflow

regards to the use of the music they employ.

onus has been mainly on the visual side. Audio still

as there is currently a lot of interest among

Knowing what they’ve used historically and

has to keep up, though. The move to 5.1 is still the

broadcasters. The appeal of remote production is

knowing the direction they hope to go in will

biggest shift we’ve seen in recent years.

obvious: it saves money, increases efficiency and

We work closely with the TV production

allow us to feedback to our own producers in

It is now commonplace for audio to be

allows the mixing to be done in an acoustically conducive environment.

order to create albums that can be as useful/

broadcast in a surround format for the majority

bespoke for a client as possible. We always

of sporting events and light entertainment

take the time to understand the shows’

shows. The rising channel count that

makes possible the remote production of live

target audiences which inevitably shapes

accompanied this shift to surround sound

TV events, where large geographical distances

the style of music that will appear and appeal

was a big part in the development of digital

separate the production facilities and the

in the programme.

consoles, and was the ethos behind Calrec’s

events that are being televised.

Tebbs: The demand for unique, bespoke music in TV productions will always be high as exclusivity is very appealing within

Bluefin2 range of consoles that can have up to 1,020 fully featured input channels.

The step up to 7.1 has been on the horizon

The use of wide-area audio networking

However, there are difficulties to overcome if this is to become practical in a wide variety of circumstances; in particular, the transportation

this competitive industry. However, the lack

for many years now but the demand from

of audio, and the issues of reliability, redundancy

of time and budget mean that this is not

broadcasters hasn’t arisen yet as many consumers

and synchronisation. It is likely to be a few years

always possible.

won’t have a system that can handle it.

before we see this happening.

TVBEurope 29

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Feature To cater for our customers’ needs, we offer

“The costs of production music are covered by many of the broadcasters here in the UK” Phil Stubbs, Universal Publishing Production Music

a track amendment service. The client picks a track and we brief the original composer to carry out some changes to make it more unique.

Most of our composers work in their own studios so we are able to ask them to edit the track to a client’s brief (e.g., addition or removal of certain instruments) and thus offering a somewhat bespoke service, but for a fraction of the cost.

This is particularly popular among our clients

The costs of production music are covered

for series title music and advertising.

by many of the broadcasters here in the UK, however, when it comes to worldwide

To what do you attribute this change

rights, this historically has been where

or growth in demand from the broadcast

there could be additional charges or

market? Does it mainly concern costs,

implications for an IPC. The changes made

or are there other implications at work?

by the MCPS has meant that this is now

Stubbs: There have been some changes

much more simple to cover which has

set out by the MCPS to the way independent

Phil Stubbs, UPPM

production companies (IPC) pay and licence production music.

Not only has this meant it’s become cheaper and easier to licence production

helped to drive demand. However, I believe the growth also has a lot to do

music but the licences now encompass

with a production music company’s ability

more rights for no extra cost, which has a

to meet the demands that are coming

great appeal to IPCs.

through from the IPCs.

30 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

Feature David Wood: “I used the phrase ‘faster than a speeding bullet?’ (during DVB World) because I wanted to say that just as Superman could save mankind, we imagine that UHDTV will save mankind, or at least the broadcast industry”

A world of apps George Jarrett catches up on the discussions from this year’s DVB World in Copenhagen

contributes to those worlds,” said Wood. “We are also thinking about how we could involve other parts of the world more, particularly Asia. HG

“Certainly the UHDTV broadcast profiles need to be developed, but we are also moving into the world of apps, and hybrid broadcast broadband” David Wood, EBU

Wells asked: ‘Is there to be no rest for mankind?’ I think the answer for DVB is no.”

VB World, held this time in Copenhagen,

D

“Which ‘quality factors’ should be added to UHD-1

is always an affirmation that the DVB

Which quality factors come first?

Phase 2 to make it successful is indeed the question

model of commercial and technical

Conclusions from the University of Stuttgart were

of the hour. The more you add, the bigger the ‘wow’

modules will remain vital to the business of setting

that the sales success of 4K TV sets is assured,

factor, but possibly also the higher the cost of the

standards way into the future.

because they are not much more expensive to

display. Where is the commercial balance between

make than HDTV displays. Does this amount to a

set cost and viewing experience?” said Wood. “There

good consumer proposition?

is also a balance to be made between additional

HEVC enablement with DVB-T2 and DVB-S2X were two of the big IBC attractions, so what were the interesting things that emerged at DVB World?

“A UHDTV display – which looks good close

production cost and quality value for broadcasters.

For regular event blog writer David Wood, chair

to the screen – will probably settle down at an

These are the questions that the DVB CM-UHDTV

of CM-UHDTV and CM-3DTV, as well as ITU-R Study

additional cost of only ten to twenty per cent

group is considering right now.”

Group 6, there were five things that stood out.

more than typical HDTV displays,” said Wood.

These were issues around 4K and 8K displays,

4K content services via IP seems to be the

“On the other hand, 8K consumer sets will need a

driver for broadcasters, and surely looks like a

consumer price willingness, the use of IP to

new generation of display technology because

finishing school direction for not trusting in the

establish broadcaster UHD services, the impact

of the much higher pixel density, and they will be

availability forever of spectrum.

or not of 5G, and radio issues around DVB-T2.

very much more expensive.

Having marked its 21st year, how key to everything is the role of the DVB Project going forward?

“We constantly reflect on the road it needs to travel. Certainly the UHDTV broadcast profiles need to be developed, but we are

“We don’t know how this will play out in

“There was a proposal at DVB World that the best thing that broadcasters can do is to begin

reality. And it should be said that NHK believes

UHD-1 services via their internet services. In this

that mass-market 8K displays will be possible,

case, there will be no new broadcast receiver,

probably largely made in China,” he added.

and the decoding will be done by software,”

What about public awareness of the mixed

said Wood. “This is a ‘low risk’ means of starting

also moving into the world of apps, and hybrid

hardware and software conundrums around

UHD. After they gain experience of whether the

broadcast broadband. And we are considering

when HFR, HDR, better colours, better pixels,

public can differentiate HDTV and UHD-1, they

how broadcasting lives in, and if and how it

immersive audio become consumer realities?

can decide whether to broadcast UHD-1.

TVBEurope 31

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Feature “But there would be drawbacks in doing

the world, the decoder costs could also benefit

“The ATSC 3.0 system is still being finalised

so,” he added. “Probably only a part of the

from volume production,” said Wood.

but the indications are that it draws very

broadcaster’s audience will have enough

“But life is not so simple. DVB-T2 would be yet

much on DVB-T2. Many of the key features

internet capacity to watch nice UHD-1

one more radio system to add to the list. Radio

found in T2, like OFDM and data pipes

images; most broadcast UHD-1 tests run at

broadcasters may fear being dominated by

will be in ATSC 3.0, but is it going to be

something like 20-25 Mbitps, but it could be an

TV if DVB-T2 is the delivery means. Also in the

exactly the same as DVB-T2? No. There

option to evaluate.”

countries where DAB and DABplus is in use, they

will be new features such as allowing

might not welcome other countries using another

broadcast and broadband delivery more

5G will require much higher broadcast bands

technology,” he added. “Digital radio is growing

seamlessly,” said Wood.

Back to the issue of frequency bands and 5G:

of technologies is part of the reason. How did we

here’. The Americans have looked at DVB-T2

the mobile broadband power base keeps

get into such a situation for digital radio systems?

and said ‘that’s great, but it’s been a few

grabbing and reaching, but does not use

This is not one of our finest moments.”

years since it was developed, and some lessons

only slowly throughout the world, and the plurality

what it already has.

“I don’t think it’s a question of ‘not invented

have been learned. We can make an improved

No question of ‘not invented here’

version’, which is what they are trying to do,”

possible loss of broadcast spectrum in the band

What did the DVB World audience learn from

he added. “Unless all regions of the world

below 700MHz for mobile internet, and they will

Mark Richer about ATSC 3.0 and its comparative

develop standards at exactly the same time,

be lobbying at the ITU WRC 2015 conference later

values to the DVB systems?

this is inevitable.”

“Broadcasters are certainly worried about the

in the year to maintain it for broadcasting,” said Wood. “5G is the technology being developed to meet what are perceived to be society’s mobile internet needs in 2020 and beyond.

“With services like the Internet of Things the spectrum needs will be huge – well beyond anything current broadcast bands could provide. 5G will require much higher broadcast bands, so there is really no threat to the broadcast bands,” he added. “The current threat comes from short-term thinking by network operators. Broadcasters believe it would be a tragedy to kill broadcasting just for an interim solution for wireless broadband.”

Audio was a key element at DVB World. Can Wood make a case for abandoning DAB and DRM, and why would it make sense?

“There could be a case for those countries that have not yet started digital radio, but are planning to use DVB-T2 for television, using DVB-T2 also for digital radio, rather than DAB, DABplus, or DRM. T2 could be efficient, and have good radio coverage. As it will be widely used throughout

At DVB World, the hot topics were 4K and 8K displays, consumer price willingness, the use of IP to establish broadcaster UHD services, the impact or not of 5G, and radio issues around DVB-T2

32 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

TVBEverywhere

An exchange of experiences Heather McLean fills us in on the hot topics from this year’s Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona

obile TV was no longer presented as

Dan Warren, senior director of technology at the

a subject separate from all others at

GSMA, said: “The principal objective of the user

the annual Mobile World Congress

group is to share the best practices that will spur

M

event held in Barcelona in March. Thanks to the

industry growth and widespread adoption as we

proliferation of mobile devices and the pervasive

enter a new era of personalised media content.

nature of mobile technology in home and

Users want anytime, anywhere, any device

business life, mobile TV is simply a service that

access to their media and entertainment and

people expect to be able to access everywhere,

LTE Broadcast can be a key technology

from whichever device they are looking at.

to enable delivery of popular content in an

Many companies were talking about mobile

optimal way. It can relieve some of the heavy

TV in one form or another, from SES and Ericsson,

traffic burden that operators would otherwise

Expway and SPB TV, to Telefonica and Microsoft.

have to support.”

From network capacity issues and how to

Thomas Norén, vice president and head of

overcome them, to the latest OTT technologies

product area radio at Ericsson, commented:

and projects, mobile TV was being discussed

“Ericsson has been at the forefront of developing

in all its facets.

and implementing LTE Broadcast technology around the world. This technology has great

More than 93,000 people attended Mobile World Congress from 200 countries

Network capacity watch With 5G networks set for commercial deployment by 2020 and mobile data consumption increasing exponentially, Ericsson convened an LTE Broadcast User Group at the show, joining Facebook, the GSA, the GSMA, Indycar, Intel, KPN, Qualcomm Technologies, Telstra and Verizon, among participating companies.

evolution of network demand and usage will

“Satellite is a key factor for digitisation and an integral part of the mobile ecosystem” Karim Michel Sabbagh, SES

lead to unmanageable congestion,” said Karim Michel Sabbagh, president and CEO at SES, in a keynote he delivered at Mobile World Congress.

He said there must be mainstream integration of cellular and satellite infrastructures for the delivery of video content in Europe. “Satellite

Mobile video traffic is growing rapidly and

is a key factor for digitisation and an integral

expected to make up 55 per cent of all mobile

part of the mobile ecosystem, adding reach

data traffic by 2020, Ericsson’s 2014 Mobility

and efficiency to mobile network operations,”

Report stated. Therefore, LTE Broadcast is

potential to grow much further, with more use

Sabbagh said at the conference. “Only

attracting significant and growing industry

cases such as TV services, cached media,

combining terrestrial and satellite infrastructures

traction as a method for making the best use

software updates including application updates,

and technologies will lead to significant

of existing network resources and available

connected car, digital signage and public

cost efficiencies, competitive solutions and

spectrum to introduce new video services and

safety. Together with leading industry partners in

compelling consumer advantages.”

reduce the strain on the network.

ecosystem development, we can spur the big

The LTE Broadcast User Group is to act as a forum for the exchange of experiences and best

Sabbagh added: “If, for example, today’s

business opportunity for the industry and promote

video content was to be consumed fully on-

the use of the technology more widely.”

demand and only by terrestrial fixed network in

practices on the establishment and operation

Europe, data consumption per household would

of LTE Broadcast services, with the intention of

Satellite and telecoms combined

multiply by a factor of not less than 35; with Ultra

promoting the use of LTE Broadcast more widely

Also discussing network evolution for video

HD, this would again multiply by three or four.” He

in the industry and to catalyse the development

content was SES. “Mobile players are facing

warned that if the mobile and satellite network

of an ecosystem around the service.

enormous challenges and the risk that the

industries failed to work together, things could

TVBEurope 33

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEverywhere

get bad quickly: “If we fail, the overwhelming demand for video content and streaming will even deepen the digital gap further.”

Integrating digital infrastructures and combining the strengths of broadcast and broadband technologies, on the contrary, would create a unique combination, Sabbagh concluded: “Where terrestrial networks deliver connectivity on the one side, and satellites deliver the mass market distribution of IP video and non-video content to homes on the other, we can offload heavy video traffic from terrestrial networks. This will help all of us control costs, add reach and create truly converged ecosystems that will help us to drive the demand for further and future consumer applications and solutions.”

TV merges with mobile tech Telefónica, one of the largest telcos in the world, and Microsoft announced at the show a joint initiative for the provision of TV OTT on devices running the Microsoft Windows Phone operating system.

From network capacity issues and how to overcome them, to the latest OTT technologies and projects, mobile TV was being discussed in all its facets

34 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

TVBEverywhere Telefónica’s Movistar TV Go service for Windows Phone 8.1 will enable Telefónica users to view their favourite TV content, both linear and on-demand, by speaking into the phone.

Microsoft’s digital assistant technology, called Cortana, is being integrated into Telefónica’s worldwide commercial video service for Windows Phone users, who will be able to search for content through the natural speech interface of Cortana.

Telefónica aims to launch the final commercial version of the Movistar TV Go app on Windows Phone 8.1 sometime this year, available first in Spain and then in other Latin American countries where Telefónica is offering payTV services. Meanwhile, it will be tested in a Spanish language beta version to ensure perfect consumer interaction through Cortana, which will be the first time that Cortana for Spanish language is integrated in a worldwide commercial service.

Michael Duncan, CEO of the global video unit of Telefónica, commented: “The availability of our television services on mobile devices increases the attractiveness and potential for enjoyment of the content we offer to our users, and places Telefónica at the forefront of video products with an offer of TV Everywhere which is increasingly diverse.”

Mobile TV is simply a service that people expect to be able to access everywhere, from whichever device they are looking at channels of simultaneous multi-rate transcoded

“Users want anytime, anywhere, any device access to their media and entertainment and LTE Broadcast can be a key technology to enable delivery of popular content in an optimal way” Dan Warren, GSMA

video streams and dramatic saving of energy, supposedly up to five times better than its standard transcoder.

Additionally, SPB TV showcased its new OTT TV platform featuring 4K encoding and a ‘swipe’ feature for consumers. The 4K solution for video encoding and streaming in real time is available for telecom operators as a part of the SPB TV Media Platform, while the smooth multiscreen experience with swipe makes switching between

OTT for the masses

over fixed, mobile and terrestrial unicast and

devices easy and fun, allowing users to simply

Mobile broadcast and multicast technology

multicast technologies. Technicolor is one of

swipe content on a smartphone or a tablet to

provider, Expway, announced that its LTE

the key players in the industry, and Expway

view it on a TV set.

multicast middleware, also known as evolved

is proud to have its solution selected for their

Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services

STB, to be ready for the upcoming LTE

base in emerging markets such as South

(eMBMS), is now available on Technicolor’s OTT

multicast deployments.”

America, South Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe,

STB. The result of this integration was successfully

Meanwhile, SPB TV, a provider of end-to-

Following up on its fast growing consumer

SPB TV also presented a new service launch

tested on the Ericsson LTE Multicast platform prior

end OTT TV, IPTV and mobile TV solutions,

in Pakistan, called Mobilink Mobile TV, which is

to Mobile World Congress.

showcased its newest mobile TV technology

Pakistan's first mobile TV launched on Mobilink

and announced new service launches

Networks on the new 3G and LTE licence.

Thanks to Expway software architecture, Technicolor’s Hybrid-OTT is also able to deliver

in emerging markets at the show. SPB TV

SPB TV CEO, Kirill Filippov, added: “Emerging

the LTE-multicast TV content over Wi-Fi to all

presented a new high capacity, energy

markets continue to provide a serious potential

tablets in the home.

saving Mega Encoder for mobile TV, OTT TV and

for growth and reinvent mobile TV. The large

IPTV. It straddles SPB TV’s encoding with Intel

consumer base and usually better, conducive

Seyrat, explained: “The objective of this

Quick Sync Video technology, Intel Media

regulations in those markets mean more new

collaboration is to add a disruptive use case by

Server Studio, and Kontron Symkloud. The

products, new technology and better return on

combining multiple means of video distribution

result is an increased capacity of up to 100 HD

investment for mobile TV.”

Expway chief marketing officer, Claude

TVBEurope 35

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEverywhere screens spread around premises. The BYOD phenomenon gives the professional AV industry the opportunity to take these video streams even further and deliver them directly onto the end users’ connected devices. There are, however, many challenges for businesses as they move to support BYOD, with the need to address content rights protection, security, reliable distribution and network management issues.

How BYOD is transforming enterprise IP video The proliferation of screens used to access content, both in the consumer and corporate worlds, enables organisations to distribute

Transforming the global communications landscape with professional IP video

By Colin Farquhar, chief executive, Exterity

T

tailored video streams to different target audiences, as well as facilitate the sharing of high quality video content between offices.

Businesses can connect their multiple screens using robust IP video solutions that efficiently distribute content. Live TV content from high bandwidth broadcast sources such as cable, DTT or satellite can be delivered to these end points without requiring additional cabling. Many organisations are increasingly looking to expand the reach of their video communications beyond

revenue grew by 16.2 per cent in 2014 over

their internal IP network, creating an additional

the previous year, and this growth is expected

challenge for systems integrators. These systems

to continue steadily through 2019, with the

enable remote staff, visitors and guests to access

market posting a CAGR of 20.3 per cent during

high quality video content while on the move.

the forecast period. Organisations around the

Leading the AV-IT convergence, enterprise

globe are implementing large-scale enterprise

IP video sits on top of the corporate IP network,

IP video projects such as stadia supporting

building on pre-existing infrastructure to limit

he rise of professional AV solutions in

the 2016 European Football Championships

cabling costs, while enabling organisations to

business has radically transformed

in France, for government departments in

offer a larger number of tailored streams to

corporate communications. Moving away

Australia and for world famous hotels in

visitors, staff and guests. Additionally, it enables

the Middle East.

systems integrators to better monitor the activity

from static images and email, companies are increasingly integrating video with their overall communications and information strategies. The increase in remote working and collaboration between regional offices has further impacted corporate communications and media consumption, leading to the increased deployment of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD)

on the network, which is particularly crucial

‘The advent of trends like BYOD and the Internet of Things (IoT) highlights that connectivity has become an integral part of our lives’

for companies looking to expand their video communications to BYOD. BYOD-enabled IP video systems enable organisations to deliver a dynamic mix of information, live video feeds, real-time footage, over-the-top video and access to external channels easily to all users

strategies. The trend is so prominent that recent

across a wide range of networks, including

research from MicroMarket Monitor forecasts

the corporate wired LAN, WAN, Wi-Fi and the

that the Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) market in

internet. This capability is critical for organisations

North America will grow from $29.5 billion in 2014

The advent of trends like BYOD and the Internet

that look to integrate connected devices with

to $89.6 billion by 2019, a CAGR of 24 per cent

of Things (IoT) highlights that connectivity

their enterprise IP video solutions.

from 2014 to 2019.

has become an integral part of our lives. It is

The emergence of BYOD in many verticals

With increased broadband bandwidth, 4K

therefore no surprise that an increased number

becoming more commonplace and wearables

such as corporate and finance, healthcare,

of market verticals are leveraging IP connected

entering consumers’ lives, end-users increasingly

higher education, hospitality, media and

professional AV technologies to provide

expect high quality video feeds to be

broadcast, oil and gas, transport, and venues

real-time content to guests, visitors and staff.

accessible everywhere in real time and without

and stadia has been significantly influenced by

Digital signage offers updates in airports, hotels

compromising on picture quality, enabling the

the growth of IPTV across the globe. According

and hospitals, while professional IPTV enables

advent of true TV Everywhere for both consumers

to a recent Global IPTV market report, market

end users to watch multiple TV channels on

and organisations.

36 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

Audio Mixer Forum

Sounding out the experts

This month we return to the topic of sound mixers for broadcast. Philip Stevens moderates the discussion

Along with all areas of the broadcast industry, manufacturers of audio mixers continue to face new challenges – especially when it comes to generating more content in less time with modest budgets. As a result there is an ongoing scrutiny of technologies, workflows and infrastructures to provide the answers the industry is demanding.

On the panel this month to discuss current issues are (in alphabetical order) Henry Goodman, head of sales, Calrec Audio; Roger Heiniger, Vista product manager, Studer; Ian Staddon, vice president of sales, DiGiCo UK; Christian Struck, senior product manager audio production, Lawo; and Bjorn van Münster, product manager Polaris evolution, Stagetec.

What are the key issues facing makers of audio consoles in 2015?

Goodman: Audio console manufacturers face the same challenges that confront the broadcast industry as a whole; there is a demand for everincreasing efficiency whilst, at the same time, a growing requirement for content with second screen and internet-based distribution. The

Henry Goodman, Calrec Audio

Roger Heiniger, Studer

biggest shift in broadcasting is the concept of interoperability. There is no doubt that networked

latency, determinism, capacity, and broadcast

infrastructures will become increasingly important

feature-rich audio networking that Calrec’s Hydra2

in all modern broadcast environments. The industry

provides, we think that AES67 and its compatible

is moving towards an interoperable future and

brethren are a perfect companion technology for

there are already a number of different protocols

wider connectivity to third-party equipment in a

vying for our customers’ attention, and although

broadcast facility.

MADI continues to serve the industry well, it is clear

Heiniger: Keeping abreast of changes in the

that these AoIP interconnections will provide more

broadcast industry and customer requirements

flexible and elegant replacements. It is important

is clearly key to designing, producing, and

for console manufacturers to provide solutions for

selling audio consoles. Broadcasters have

these technologies. While non-proprietary AoIP

always demanded reliability, usability and high

solutions are commonly not able to offer the low

audio quality, but 2015 is seeing a real desire

TVBEurope 37

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Audio Mixer Forum for networked production audio

effects is that traditionally separate

practical solution for external

systems which include shared I/O,

technological worlds, as well as

processing is a low latency plug-in

shared control surfaces between

production facilities and expertise,

type server connected via a high

studio spaces, tighter integration

will keep merging even further, just

density digital interface like MADI.

with other broadcast plants such as

like the different production formats

video routers, control systems and

like TV shows and live events share

audio DSP revolves around the fact

intercom systems, and the ability

more and more structural and

that audio processing is a highly

to connect via AoIP in addition

technological qualities.

parallel task – you have to process

to more traditional interconnect

van Münster: As far as we are

Heiniger: A key challenge for

many channels simultaneously.

standards. Understanding this

concerned, the major issues are

SHARC and FPGA chips are good

systems approach is crucial to

changing hardware requirements,

at parallel processing, but both

remaining successful.

scalability, flexibility and modularity.

require significant R&D effort in

And, of course, there’s the question

PCB design and programming.

of integration with AoIP.

Standard CPU x86 chips, however,

Staddon: Probably, the key issue is one of demand to communicate number of different protocols.

Whether this is over AES67, Optocore, Ravenna, AVB or Dante, etc. As a manufacturer, deciding which formats to adopt is not straightforward, with many factors to consider from latency to capacity to the number of thirdparty devices using that protocol. In short, the demands are for seamless

Ian Staddon DiGiCo UK

are shipped in huge volumes, are

with other devices over an increasing

It has been said that it is difficult to create successful digital signal processors for broadcast. What’s the solution?

integration, redundancy and control

easy to programme, have readily available PCBs, and their rate of

local server and are connected

change of processing power vastly

directly to the console using a

outstrips SHARC chips. Using a

dedicated interface. This way, the

special version of Linux, Studer has

plug-ins are a fully integrated part

developed a unique method to

of the console and any latency

utilise CPU chips for real time audio

is automatically compensated.

signal processing, thus offering

It only becomes difficult when

all the benefits of CPU chips over

external, non-integrated processors

traditional SHARC and FPGA.

are introduced into the system,

of overall systems, but whilst there is no

Goodman: In a broadcast

This cutting edge technology is at

as delays will be introduced and

single standard, we have to provide

environment and especially

the heart of Studer’s new ‘Infinity

no console can manage this

the best and most reliable solution for

OBs, it is clear that reducing the

Core’ range.

automatically.

our customers.

amount of external processing is

Staddon: The solution is to have

van Münster: There are four

an advantage. This is partly due to

all the processing within the console

areas of importance here. Firstly,

audio production requirements

costs, but weight and space are

itself as we do with DiGiCo. If there

providing reliable hardware

lead to the necessity of audio

also key factors. Two important

is a specific need for additional

and software that comes with

external processors, then these

a proven track record. Second,

should be plug-ins that run on a

always carefully listening to the

Struck: Latest developments in

“Keeping abreast of changes in the broadcast industry and customer requirements is clearly key to designing, producing, and selling audio consoles” Roger Heiniger, Studer

consoles providing connectivity

additional factors to consider are

to new infrastructure standards. In

security and processing latency.

general, this means that technology

Console manufacturers go to great

needs to embrace workflows using

lengths to provide a high level of

IP-Layer-3 formats, like Ravenna

security and redundancy within

which is compatible with the AES67

the console environment and this

standard format. Technology and

will always be compromised by the

infrastructures based on IP-Layer-3

use of external processing. Whilst

provide the integration of IP-

processing delays may be small,

capable devices into flexible and

the interfacing to the console has

scalable networks where signals of

potential to add significant delay.

any kind, be it audio, video, control

In either case these delays cannot

or any other media data, can be

be managed by the console and

collected, distributed and accessed

therefore have to be understood

for further use. One of the side

by operators. Today, the most

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38 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

Audio Mixer Forum IP solutions are the current ‘in’ thing. Do audio-over-IP applications require different mixers/ mixing techniques?

Goodman: The only real issue here is the management of AoIP streams and the handling of potential latency issues with streaming audio technologies. The audio operators have to be aware of these issues and take the time to manage them, but the fundamental mixing techniques are not significantly affected.

Heiniger: Whilst AoIP has obvious implications for a console’s I/O requirements and the overall audio system design, it doesn’t particularly affect the mixer control surface itself, nor the mixing techniques used by the operator. Console operators will, however, need to be aware of the delays inherent with AoIP connections. While these delays may only be a few milliseconds, and may not matter if the feed is to, say, a foldback loudspeaker, it may be significant with requirements of the broadcast industry. Next,

Heiniger: Yes it has: perhaps most significantly in the

things like multitrack record feeds if comb filtering

getting a profound understanding of the

number of channels a console is required to process

is to be avoided.

requirements and workflows that are applicable

simultaneously, and the amount – and type – of

to the customer. Finally, understanding the

I/O required. Traditionally, a console might have

technique, it is more one of understanding the

current requirements but, as a manufacturer, also

been expected to output one or two stereo mixes

AoIP stream and if this is adding any latency,

being aware of upcoming future trends.

in addition to the standard foldback and earpiece

which then has to be considered.

Staddon: It is not so much an issue of

outputs, clean feeds – mix minuses, etc. Today, a

Has the increased use of second screens and streaming — with their different audio requirements — made any difference to the manufacture of consoles?

console might need to output two 5.1 mixes with two matching stereo downmixes, foldback, earpiece outputs, clean feeds, and plus possibly stems or submixes for internet streams and interactive TV services.

This also impacts the number of buses and monitoring and metering facilities a console offers.

Staddon: Not for DiGiCo, as we have always

“The changes towards IP-based broadcast infrastructures and its spreading acceptance represents a quasi-natural evolution” Christian Struck, Lawo

been offering consoles with large numbers of outputs and the ability to provide all types of busses, be it 5.1, LCR, stereo, mono, mix-minus

Goodman: In practice this move has not had

etc. Operating in the ‘live’ environment has

Struck: We would not call it just an ‘in’ thing

any real influence to the manufacturer of audio

meant that we have optimised the way to

– the changes towards IP-based broadcast

consoles. It is standard practice to provide

generate and access these outputs, which is the

infrastructures and its spreading acceptance

multiple feeds – which is why most broadcast

key to the ease of operation.

represents a quasi-natural evolution. The open-

consoles are capable of providing more than

Struck: From a very early stage, Lawo has

format approach, the flexibility and scalability

one main programme mix and output. This could

developed its audio consoles parallel to the

of networks, the use of existing IP infrastructures

be 5.1 mix plus a stereo mix, or clean and dirty

constantly changing requirements of the industry

will re-form the complete broadcast sector

mixes for international distribution, and many

and the user – or even anticipated these

effectively and irreversibly. Lawo integrates

operators are already used to providing mixing

changes. This is a reason why our company has

Audio-over-IP technology not only as a mere

in multiple formats. That said, the quick and

been an early supporter of the AES67/Ravenna

interface, but as new backbone technology

easy creation of mixes does have an effect

technology which is integrated in our systems. We

in its already established mixing console

on the design philosophy of an audio console.

are constantly observing the market and thus see

series. This is technically sophisticated, but

Mixes should be easy to create and, as these

the new requirements for the provision of content

this path of integration gives our customers a

requirements increase, mixers need to be able to

for second – or manifold – use and distribution,

highly valuable practical benefit as they can

produce them just as quickly and just as easily.

but neither does this affect the manufacture of

migrate from MADI to IP Layer-3 infrastructures

There is definitely a trend in the simplification of

our audio mixing consoles nor the mix as these

step by step and are not forced to change

control surfaces of modern digital consoles.

are all downstream operations.

their existing technological environment in

TVBEurope 39

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Audio Mixer Forum one throw. Hybrid products will

designers, maintenance engineers

consolidate new IP technology,

and operators to become IT experts

cost-efďŹ ciency and the customers’

overnight, so console manufacturers

innovative capacity. And with

must offer solutions that help manage

regard to mixing technique – in

this transition. Long term, it’s the

a ďŹ rst step these changes will

possibility of virtualising parts of the

affect the infrastructure, not the

audio console system – that is, the

mixing workow itself. However,

ability for a customer to run, say, the

by and by the skill set of engineers

DSP processing on its own hardware

will probably change, as will

platform, possibly in a data centre

the workows, when users start

remote from the console surface. This

discovering the exibility IP

possibility goes hand-in-hand with the

brings. Technical teams from the

transition to IP-based audio networks.

Struck: The current moves of the

broadcast audio side will ďŹ nd that issues formerly approached

market will generate a complete

exclusively by the IT teams will now

set of innovative developments with

have to be conjointly approached

regard to IP-Layer-3-based systems.

It may seem as if it was already

by both teams – close cooperation between audio and IT will lead to success.

Christian Struck, Lawo

Bjorn Van MĂźnster, Stagetec

established, but from our perspective the shift to IP is still in a very early stage. We’re just about to realise

van MĂźnster: It is not really the

What is the next biggest innovation to be introduced into audio mixers?

a common interface with AES67,

mixing technique that changes,

most would agree that things

but the audio distribution behind

are simpler in practice than ďŹ rst

it. Although we believe that for the

imagined. Learning to mix to a

upper range of high-end audio

Loudness meter is clearly a step

the TDM based networks like Nexus

change from traditional peak

are still outperforming current AoIP

programme meters, but the

performance in terms of latency,

ability for sound operators to

jitter, more elaborate redundancy

‘relax’ some of their dynamics

Heiniger: Short term, it’s the transition

multi-touch screen offers a wealth

– for example, cable, CPU and

processing and mix more ‘by ear’

to audio console networks, including

of possibilities in terms of additional

hot swappable elements, but also

is perhaps the biggest, and most

AoIP, and the associated network

options and interfacing to third-

control function through logic offer

welcome, change.

monitoring and management

party equipment – for example,

facilities that a broadcaster demands.

plug-ins, processing, control units,

We cannot expect audio system

and so on. „

beneďŹ ts with respect to unique AoIP networks.

Where are we today on the issue of Loudness?

Staddon: This is catered for in our consoles when used in the

van MĂźnster: Polaris evolution is a new network based console which is completely modular and scalable. The eye-catching 21-inch

using integrated Loudness metering which complies with the speciďŹ ed standards.

Struck: During the last years the

Goodman: From a console

EBU, ATSC, ARIB – have answered

manufacturer’s point of view, this

to the issue of Loudness by

is done. Most broadcast consoles

globally implementing guidelines

now have built-in Loudness metering

and speciďŹ cations in content

which adheres to the legal standards

production. There has been a

which are now in practice.

learning process of broadcasters, and in the meantime we can

you are in the world, Loudness

establish a pleasing intermediate

compliance is either mandatory or

result. However, there is still much

not required at all. As such, there’s

work to do to reach a high level

a wide variation in knowledge

of acceptance and realisation in

and understanding of Loudness

the global context.

metering and compliance. For

workows are yet to come.

broadcast environment by

different broadcast authorities –

Heiniger: Depending on where

but the big innovations regarding IP

van MĂźnster: Loudness control

those sound operators, dubbing

is of course an ongoing topic.

mixers and post producers who

Within Nexus we offer proprietary

have made the transition to

Loudness control in agreement

Loudness metering, I suspect that

with ITU, EBU and ATSC guidelines.

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40 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

Data Centre

The consumer is king We are experiencing the “most exciting time in the TV media industry”, according to Thorsten Sauer, Ericsson’s head of broadcast and media services, as he outlined the findings of the company’s Global Insights 2015 and Consumer Insights Summary reports on 18 March.

Holly Ashford went along to the event at London’s Broadcast Centre to hear the latest update peaking at one of the

S

UK’s leading broadcast facilities, Thorsten Sauer

opened with the oft-used phrase, “content is king”, though also asserted that “there is another king in town: the consumer. This new generation of consumer has grown up with the internet, and expects a more personalised TV experience,” Sauer continued.

“Convergence” is also another buzzword of the moment: Sauer used the example of BT investing heavily in acquiring broadcasting rights, and other telcos translating to mobile platforms. Ericsson predicted this convergence trend ten years ago, Sauer asserted, and whereas production, content enrichment, content publishing and distribution, and content consumption “used to be separate”, now, Sauer continued, “we believe in convergence…we want to be there and act.” This

Ed Vaizey (left) and Thorsten Sauer discuss the topic of convergence

is evident through Ericsson’s slew of acquisitions, including Fabrix

tax relief for high-end TV drama

Systems, Red Bee Media and

and increasing R&D tax relief,

Microsoft Mediaroom.

promising that a Conservative

Ed Vaizey, minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, was also at Broadcast

government will be “continuing to invest in the future”.

Michael Bjorn, head of research

Centre, and praised Ericsson’s

at Ericsson ConsumerLab,

“fantastic” investment in the UK.

introduced the findings from the

The company operates from ten

new Ericsson research report on

locations in the UK, employing 5,000

TV and media which looks at the

people, with 2,100 of these working

changing behaviour of audiences

in the media and TV sectors. Vaizey

in the UK. This marked the 15th

also stressed the importance of

annual TV and media study,

“convergence”, contemplating

involving 23 countries worldwide,

demand streaming is replacing

times a week, compared with 51

the potential merger of BT and

including 2,000 online interviews

recorded TV and closing in on

per cent who watch recorded

EE. He also used the event as

with 15 to 69-year-olds in the UK.

linear broadcast; 69 per cent of

broadcast TV and 82 per cent who

UK consumers watch streamed

watch scheduled broadcast TV

on-demand video at least several

with the same frequency.

an opportunity to champion government initiatives like content

One of the key findings highlighted by Bjorn was how on-

Michael Bjorn explains ‘The double business model challenge’

TVBEurope 41

May 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Data Centre “continue to invest in the future”, highlighting its funding of the University of Surrey’s research into 5G networks.

‘It is time to change the structure of TV services’ the report concludes. In the future, consumers will not accept paying for inflexible managed TV packages in order to get access to the content they love on the devices they want

69% of UK consumers watch streamed on-demand video at least several times a week

51% of UK consumers watch recorded broadcast TV at least several times a week

82% of UK consumers watch scheduled broadcast TV at least several times a week

to use. Customer satisfaction is a central concern, and traditional TV providers are facing challenges: the ConsumerLab report found that customers are more likely to recommend their on-demand OTT service provider than their traditional TV provider. However, many people will continue to pay for a broadcast TV package out

On-demand streaming is replacing recorded TV and closing in on linear broadcast

of convenience and ease of use, On-demand and catch-up services

catching up though, and BBC

did some video”, 4G is “a video

with live TV – and especially sports

are disassembling broadcast TV

iPlayer and Netflix were the next

distribution network that needs

– continuing to attract audiences

channels, the report concluded,

most popular services (following

to support communications”.

and offering high value.

as TV channels are increasingly

YouTube) with Android smartphone

Ericsson’s November 2014 Mobility

considered a source from which

users in the UK who use the internet

Report predicted that video traffic

utmost importance, but only

consumers can harvest content, for

on a daily basis.

will grow tenfold between 2014

if audiences can access it

and 2020 and within western

when, where and how they

challenge’ was another key point

Europe there will be 600 million

wish. “Customer experience is

Place-shifting

raised by Bjorn. The two main

4G subscribers: 75 per cent of

paramount”, concluded Stagg.

Content on the go is growing,

barriers for watching TV and video

all subscriptions. At Broadcast

“And although ‘content is king’

and this is driven primarily by

on mobile devices outside of the

Centre, Vaizey promised that a

is often quoted, it is actually

16 to 24-year-olds. Smartphone

home are both cost-related, the

Conservative government would

‘customer is king’.”

viewing has increased by 44

report reveals. Forty-one per cent of

per cent since 2012 and today

UK respondents said that data cost

26 per cent of consumers are

was too high, while 36 per cent felt

place-shifting content (starting to

that the cost to rent, subscribe or

watch content on one device in

buy is too high. Consumers currently

one location, before moving to

have to pay for both the content

another location and watching it

and then the data consumed while

on another device) on a weekly

watching that content.

example using a DVR.

‘The double business model

basis. The ConsumerLab report examined the weekly TV and video

Impact of 4G

viewing habits across the day,

The report also highlights the

among different age groups, and

impact of 4G: three times as many

found that – aside from ‘at home

4G users watch video outside the

during the evening’ – the highest

home compared with 3G users,

percentage watching at every

and they consume three times

other instance were in the 16-24

more data. In the UK, 26 per cent

year old age bracket. YouTube is

of 3G users plan to upgrade to

the most popular service in the

4G over the next 12 months. “4G

UK, the report found, and 70 per

video dominates,” asserted Matt

cent of smartphone owners who

Stagg, principal strategist at mobile

use the internet on a weekly

network operator and internet

basis use YouTube at least once

provider EE. Whereas “3G was

a month. Other SVoD services are

a communications network that

High value content is of the

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42 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com May 2015

Data Centre

‘If OTT is attracting new customers they should arguably focus on a Now TV-style, standalone OTT service designed to attract new customers’

Multiscreen measurement made easy

By Giles Cottle, director, consumer insight products, Genius Digital

ike most of the TV industry, what used to be

There are some notable efforts – BARB’s

That’s to say – they weren’t sure if the viewing

straightforward tends now to be relatively

Project Dovetail, for one – that are seeking to

they were getting via OTT was new viewers, who

complicated. And so it goes for measuring

bring multiscreen measurement to a panel-

were not watching the linear services, or if it

viewing. Back when I used to wear short trousers,

based system. But for the most part, linear

was linear TV services using it. This is a big

and ‘telly’ consisted of only four channels in

and multiscreen are measured using different

question for operators that greatly impact

the UK, gauging who had watched what was

technologies, providing different metrics, and

their multiscreen strategies. If OTT is attracting

much easier. The rise of multichannel and, more

sometimes by different teams. This, of course,

new customers they should arguably focus on a

laterally, multiscreen viewing, has changed that.

is at odds with how TV is watched, packaged,

Now TV-style, standalone OTT service designed

To use tech metaphor, audience measurement is

and sold. Linear and OTT services are available

to attract new customers. If multiscreen is more

(simplicity wise) less iOS and more Windows 8.

side by side on most hybrid set-top boxes. The

additive, it should probably focus its efforts more

consumption method doesn’t really matter for

on TV Everywhere-style solutions. The answer to

how people use their services has never been

consumers, as long as they can watch what

these questions can only come from properly

more important for operators. Most countries

they want, when they want to. In turn, this makes

understanding the customer, and what this

have a national audience measurement system

it much more difficult for operators to get a

means for a company requires getting an

– it is BARB in the UK, Mediametrie in France – that

holistic understanding of how their customers

overall understanding of the viewer.

uses a panel of viewers to accurately estimate

are actually using their service; which is a major

linear viewing. They work very well, especially for

flaw in any business, let alone one as fast-moving

need for bringing linear and multiscreen

larger channels. But because multiscreen and

as TV. Strategically, one of the most important

measurement together, too. As viewers start to

online viewing have a return path, viewing is

questions operators face is the impact that OTT

see less of a distinction between OTT and linear

much more measureable – and most operators

has on their business, and what OTT means for

viewing, then so too will operators, advertisers

get at least a top line idea of how their services

them. In a past life, a large British broadcaster

and agencies. It will simply become an

are consumed, from their CDN or server logs.

once told me it had “little idea” about what the

operational imperative for advertisers to see a

crossover between its linear and OTT audiences

more rounded version of viewing, rather than

was, despite significant efforts to find out.

the current two tier system.

L

Ironically enough, getting a granular idea of

The key problem here is that these two types of viewing tend to be measured separately.

There’s likely to be a more operational

RAI Amsterdam Conference 10-14 September : Exhibition 11-15 September

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