TVBE September 2015

www.tvbeurope.com

Business, insight and intelligence for the media and entertainment industry

September 2015

A diamond year for ITV As ITV turns 60, we take a nostalgic walk down memory lane

Photos by: ITV/REX Shutterstock

Up Periscope: is now-casting the future of live?

IBC2015 thought leadership showcase Audio forum: sounding out the experts

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Broadband World Forum, London 20. - 22. October 2015

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TV Connect MENA, Dubai 2. - 3. November 2015

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 3

Welcome

EDITORIAL Executive Editor - James McKeown jmckeown@nbmedia.com Editor - Melanie Dayasena-Lowe mdayasena-lowe@nbmedia.com Senior Staff Writer - Holly Ashford hashford@nbmedia.com 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, Hertford - Kelly Sambridge 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

Our loss is IBC’s gain TVBEurope bids farewell to its long-serving publisher his year’s IBC will be a poignant event for

T

all of us here at TVBEurope, as we prepare to bid farewell to one of our own. This will

be the final issue where Steve Connolly’s name will grace our magazine credits, as he prepares to make the short trip down to Fleet Street to join our colleagues at IBC to become their new head of sales. I think it’s fair to say that what IBC is inheriting goes far beyond the obvious talent, diligence, and professionalism

US Sales - Michael Mitchell Broadcast Media International, PO Box 44, Greenlawn, New York, NY 11740 mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv +1 (631) 673 0072 Japan and Korea Sales - Sho Harihara Sales & Project, Yukari Media Incorporated sho@yukarimedia.com +81 6 4790 2222 Fax: +81 6 4793 0800 Circulation NewBay Media, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough, LE16 9EF, UK Free subscriptions tvbe.subscriptions@c-cms.com Subscriptions Tel +44 1580 883848

that Steve will bring to the table: they are inheriting a true gentleman.

Steve was sat on the opposite side of the boardroom table when I first set foot inside the offices here at NewBay Media (Intent Media, as it was then). He was the person who introduced me to the TVBEurope brand, to the people I would be working with, and to the industry I would be entering. He was the person who opened my eyes to the nuances of the business, and has been a guiding hand for the duration of my time in this wonderful marketplace. I can quite honestly say that beyond the clear

TVBEurope is published 12 times a year by NewBay Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England +44 207 354 6002 NewBay Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Association

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opportunity he was presenting to me with the editorship of TVBEurope, the main reason I accepted was because of the man offering me

his new career with IBC. Thankfully, that means

the job. I believed in him, his vision, and trusted

that he is not leaving us completely.

wholeheartedly his leadership. That he has also

I’d just like to finish by thanking Steve

become a great friend is an honour. Yet, while I

for his peerless management, his constant

lament his moving on, I must also congratulate

encouragement, and ultimately for giving me this

him for an exceptional stint here with TVBEurope,

fabulous opportunity. Fare thee well my friend,

and all our affiliated brands. After a decade of

you will be sorely missed.

service, he deserves an immense amount

James McKeown

of credit, and I wish him the best of luck in

Executive Editor

4 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

In this issue

ITV at 60 As ITV celebrates its diamond anniversary, Philip Stevens takes a nostalgic look back at the early days of commercial television in the UK

46

08 Opinion and Analysis

10 Workflow

36 IBC Preview

Steve Plunkett, CTO of Ericsson Broadcast and Media Services, asks whether IP is really ready for primetime broadcast

Up Periscope! Adrian Pennington explores whether social services like Twitter’s Periscope are wresting control of ‘live’ away from TV

Part two of our thought leadership feature gauges the mood of the industry as we head into another IBC week in Amsterdam

www.tvbeurope.com

September 2015

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6 TVBEurope

Opinion and Analysis

Don’t break the spell OTT providers, here’s why you shouldn’t break the spell for viewers, writes Dr Hui Zhang, CEO and co-founder, Conviva

is a cardinal sin for providers wanting to optimise engagement. The game has changed. Consumers have grown accustomed to the high quality offered by linear TV – uninterrupted periods of viewing in the crispest definition – and now, with the explosive growth of

oday’s OTT viewers can be both fickle and

OTT, we don’t want to make compromises when

hard to please. Faced with the wealth

it comes to our online viewing experiences either.

T

of choice now on offer, it’s no surprise

that they’re not afraid to vote with their feet if a service doesn’t meet with their exacting standards. Providers are now in a constant battle to optimise the viewing experience and retain consumers’ attention.

‘It’s clearer now than ever: to build a thriving business, service providers must absolutely emulate traditional TV’

abandon their show if the spell is broken and they are forced to remember that ‘this is the web’.

Large screens still rule

Our TV experiences can have the effect of pushing us along the entire spectrum of

While the amount of video consumed on mobile

emotions: from the sense of comfort of watching

devices has exploded in the last two to three

Saturday Kitchen, to the joy of seeing our

This perception was borne out in a recent survey

years, three out of every four OTT TV viewers

favourite football team winning, through to our

we conducted. We asked 400 UK consumers

surveyed continue to use the larger screen of

suspense at the latest episode of Homeland.

about their attitudes toward watching TV

a PC to watch content. The OTT industry is not

There’s a sense of stagecraft about it, and as

delivered over the internet. Their responses were

short of commentators predicting that soon

such, breaking the fourth wall for the viewer –

enlightening, showing that today’s viewer is

we will barely watch TV on anything other than

taking them away from that experience –

looking for a TV-like experience, and will quickly

smartphones, yet, while mobile is certainly

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 7

Opinion and Analysis important and a rapidly growing medium,

subscription retention, and content monetisation

the experience. It’s clearer now

consumers still currently use the tried-and-true PC

– are significant, and require attention. Viewers

than ever: to build a thriving business,

screen more than any other device.

who are reminded that the experience they’re

service providers must absolutely emulate

engaged in is ‘only the internet’ – due to poor

traditional television. You must provide

Looks matter

picture quality or constant stream interruptions –

a broadcast quality experience, or risk

When asked about the most important factor

have the spell broken, and are taken away from

losing paying customers.

in choosing an OTT video service, consumers showed considerable discernment. Fully a third of respondents made it clear that they wanted

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24

subscription is the breadth of the content library:

SDI

three out of ten subscribers look at this as the key reason to stay or churn.

Above all, don’t break the fourth wall

It‘

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times, inferior picture resolution, or excessive interruptions, viewers are reminded that they’re watching internet-delivered video, and quickly move on to the next thing. They want to lean back and enjoy as though they are watching traditional TV, and will lose interest as soon as the Consumers define the quality of their

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illusion evaporates.

Consumers are flocking to OTT video, and six out of ten of our respondents are ready to pay for the privilege. However, they expect to be

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

8 TVBEuropeurope

Opinion and Analysis

Is IP really ready for primetime in broadcast? organisations are in many cases pushing forward

By Steve Plunkett, CTO broadcast and media services, Ericsson

IP related protocol development, software engineering best practice and new architectural styles. Anyone who suggests that broadcasting and media are laggards in their adoption of IP and distributed software systems need just look at

longside the talk of 4K, HDR and wider

A

this side of our industry. This is a world built on fast

colour gamuts at this year’s IBC, there will

developing internet technologies, of continuous

be plenty of discussion about another

delivery (releasing new software builds rapidly

new entrant to our broadcast technology stack:

and autonomously), infrastructure-as-code,

IP. This interloper, invented a mere 40 years

microservices and so on.

Netflix are probably the flag bearer in

ago, seems destined to sweep aside our old favourites such as SDI as the universal transport

this regard with their entirely cloud based,

protocol within broadcast facilities. But is it really

microservices architected, globally distributed video platform that consumes over 30 per cent

something we need and when can we expect to be able to use it? Let’s look at the ‘why’,

of those to build the dynamic programmable

of US internet bandwidth in peak hours. They are

‘where’, ‘how’ and ‘when’ of IP in a professional

broadcast facility of the future.

also seeding the rest of the industry (and other industries) with knowledge and freely available

broadcast environment.

Insight

software (they have over 50 open source

Why?

Because IP is a two-way, packet-based

projects active).

There is a sense of inevitability about the arrival

communication medium, you can collect highly

and use of IP in broadcasting, but it is important

granular data on machine-to-machine and

Linear

to understand why we might want to use it. The

people-to-machine interactions and media

Almost the opposite extreme from the

reasons are many and varied but can probably

exchange. This data provides much greater

groundbreaking use of IP in the OTT world is

be summarised as follows.

insight into how content is distributed and

traditional linear broadcasting. There are of

consumed as well as the networked elements

course very good reasons for this. In this domain

Cost

that form a broadcast environment. We have

we transport and mix high bandwidth real-time

IP typically sits on top of Ethernet, and the

seen the application of such information already

video and audio across synchronised devices

economics of Ethernet in terms of cost per bit

in IPTV and OTT to deliver personalised services

with extremely high availability expectations.

are becoming increasingly attractive due to its

and advertising, and as IP pervades the rest of

We achieve this through the use of dedicated,

near ubiquitous deployment in all major industries

the broadcast ecosystem we will gain greater

industry specific, hardware centric, fixed

and rapidly increasing bit rates. With 1Gbps port

insight and potential business value as a result.

configuration, people intensive facilities that

speeds now the entry level, 10Gbps becoming

are slow to deploy and change. But they work,

mainstream and rate increases up to 1Tbps

Where?

expected over the next five years, the ability

The implementation of IP in broadcast is, for

to carry professional media over Ethernet/IP is

good reason, happening at a different pace

domain, and take advantage of all the good

not just becoming viable but necessary. This is

in different domains. In some areas, such as

things outlined in the Why section previously, then

particularly the case as we introduce UHD into

on-demand and OTT delivery, it is not only the

we must meet those same exacting standards

our production workflows, with the associated

foundation technology but the media industry

and requirements. Something which until recently

increase in bandwidth for both file and live-

which is at the cutting edge of designing and

did not seem technically or operationally

based media flows.

deploying sophisticated distributed computing

feasible. That is changing though and with

environments. In other domains, such as within

increased industry focus a momentum is building

Flexibility

the studio and playout facility, where real-time

to overcome the challenges.

IP is a fundamental building block of

synchronous baseband video prevails, it is still

virtualisation. The hypervisors and containers

a nascent technology with many outstanding

How?

that underpin the ‘cloud’ (both public and

challenges to be addressed before

There are a couple of ways in which we, as an

private), require IP for transport and control

mainstream deployment.

industry, can approach this. We can take the

purposes. If you want to embrace the software-

relatively flawlessly.

If we are to use IP in the real-time broadcast

architectures, protocols, products and ways of

defined, IT-centric, model of systems design (and

On-demand

working from today’s broadcast facilities and

you should), then you have to use and really

The challenges involved in designing, building

try to port them across to IP/IT infrastructure.

understand IP. You can’t plug an SDI cable into

and operating very large scale IP-based on-

Or we can pause, take the time to really

a virtual machine and you will need to use many

demand video platforms are such that media

understand what IP and IT technologies can

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 9

Opinion and Analysis offer, and build a radically different future

re-think how to compose more dynamically, the

that really adopts an IP first architecture, is still

architecture that is more closely aligned to

content itself and the infrastructure that serves it.

in its infancy but also gaining traction through

the pure software ecosystems of the OTT world

Who knows what we will end up with, but it will

initiatives such as the EBU/SMPTE/VSF Joint

that we will ultimately converge with. With

be quite different from what we have today

Taskforce on Networked Media and others.

those two different choices facing us, we have

and in Phase One.

The bottom line is that moving forward

decided to… do both. Much of our industry

requires effort, investigation, standardisation,

focus today is on taking the software out of the

collaboration, experimentation, innovation and

hardware packages from previous incarnations and delivering them as software only products, deployable on virtual machines. We then take our familiar transport protocol, SDI, and encapsulate the whole thing inside IP. Within no time we will be a software based, IP-centric

’There is a sense of inevitability about the arrival and use of IP in broadcasting, but it is important to understand why we might want to use it’

industry. Sort of.

skills investment across the entire industry. When is also subjective – when will your organisation (or you) feel ready and willing to embrace the change that is IP. The steps required at an industry level are also necessary at an organisational and individual level.

I think we will look quite similar in two years

We can vew this as a two-phase transition – in

and radically different in ten (remember, at

Phase One we do largely lift and shift our current

the beginning of 2005 there was no YouTube,

environment and place it on top of an IP/IT base.

When?

iPlayer, Netflix streaming, Twitter or many of the

This is no small feat in itself and will deliver a good

This is the big question of course. When can we

things that make up today’s TV experience).

deal more deployment flexibility and cost saving

realistically introduce and take advantage of IP

The transition between those two points should

opportunities. We will also learn a great deal in

across the real-time broadcast domain? Based

be very exciting and rewarding for those that

the process about what IP can and cannot do

on real world experience, we are already some

embrace it.

well, resolving issues as we go. Then in Phase Two,

way towards achieving the benefits of what I

which we can start now in parallel, we begin to

described as Phase One above. However, we

video webinar in association with Quantel and

deconstruct media to its component parts (video

are certainly not there yet (despite what you

Snell. Vist www.TVBEurope.com/webinars to

frames, audio samples, metadata etc) and

might read at IBC). The more radical future, one

watch the on-demand video.

Steve Plunkett took part in our recent IP

www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

10 TVBEurope

Opinion and Analysis

The use of KVM in OB vans KVM matrix switches are becoming essential in OB vans to provide unlimited and highly flexible access to facilities within the vehicle. Switches of different sizes have been installed in many new builds, writes Enno Littman, managing director of IHSE GmbH

along with the associated HD-SDI stream. This is invaluable in setting up editing stations where both types of signal need to be provided to the editor together.

In many trucks, broadcast equipment is located at a distance from the user workstations.

utside broadcast vehicles have

O

network configuration and associated and

Extended interconnection is necessary and

changed radically over the past few

time-consuming downloading and distribution of

with today’s high bandwidth, this is becoming a

years. The move to HD throughout

content. Direct access to servers helps eliminate

problem for standard DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort

the world, coupled with the introduction of

the proliferation of multiple copies of content,

data cables of limited transmission capability.

broadcast-quality flat panel displays, stimulated

which can lead to confusion and part-finished

KVM switches incorporate signal extension

a new generation of builds toward the end of the

work being transmitted.

and bring an added dimension of operational

last decade. Most major broadcast organisations

Connection between source devices and

flexibility and efficiency that should be

and independent operators took advantage of

operator consoles is fast, and artefact- and

the buoyant TV market, which was hit less hard

delay-free. In operation, there is no perceivable

by recession as many others, to upgrade their

delay in user response, so operators are not

equipped to suit each job. Videohouse OB14

fleets with new vans and new technology. The

normally even aware of the switch and are

employs a Draco tera 32-port matrix switch to

introduction of 4K transmission and an ever-

presented with images that are visually accurate.

great effect: equipment is mounted on sliding

increasing demand for more cameras at live

Switching is instantaneous and can be achieved

trays that are accessible from outside the vehicle

events has further stimulated ongoing growth in

through several methods: in-band switching

and the truck is loaded with just the equipment

the outside broadcast market.

where the user selects the source by keyboard

needed for each outing. It makes for greater

hot-keys; through an administrator GUI, which is

flexibility and allows equipment to be shared

restricted space within a truck to the absolute

useful in setting up configurations using stored

amongst the fleet thereby reducing the overall

greatest efficiency and level of flexibility has

layouts for rapid and efficient changeover of

stock level of expensive devices.

encouraged system integrators and designers

layout as the vehicle changes jobs; and by

to seek and deploy new techniques and

integration with a standard broadcast control

output ports from eight, right up to 576, so there is

technologies. KVM matrix switches are rapidly

system, and there are several examples of

a solution for every fixed and mobile installation.

proving that they can offer significant benefits

KVM switch deployments using VSM and KSC

Cat X and fibre are interchangeable and can be

in this field and are being incorporated into

Commander controllers.

mixed on the same chassis, and a commitment

A desire to utilise the internal and highly

many new OB vehicle builds, as well as into fixed broadcast studios and editing facilities.

The primary role of the switch is to connect all

A recent introduction has been the universal

considered at the start of any new build.

A further advantage is that trucks can be

IHSE’s Draco tera range spans a wide range of

to supporting new picture resolutions and formats

IO (UNI-IO) module that enables parallel

means that the solution is future-proof: it can

switching of keyboard, video and mouse signals

change and expand as the truck itself evolves.

available operator workstations to all resources within the truck: performing for data- and filebased systems the same type of function as the video router for video feeds. It allows freedom of access from any console to any device, which in turn means that every operator position is completely application-independent. The broadcast workflow is streamlined: production staff can be situated anywhere within the vehicle and can change their working application instantly. A consequent benefit is that the total number, and hence real estate, of monitors and keyboards is reduced to the minimum.

This flexibility provides several advantages.

Production staff can set workstations to their preferred configuration, whilst becoming less reliant upon the actual physical equipment configuration. Resources are more easily shared: files can be accessed directly from the source without the need for comprehensive

Videohouse OB14 employs a Draco tera 32-port matrix switch to great effect

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

12 TVBEurope

Workflow

Eastern promise Part two of Reinhard Wagner’s insight into the Hungarian broadcast industry looks at the workflows and operations of commercial channel, TV2

T

he Hungarian commercial television channel

studios and workflows behind it. Similar to RTL

TV2 (250 permanent employees and the

Klub, which we covered in August’s issue, TV2

same amount of freelancers) has been

has a huge amount of localised production,

operating since 1997, providing a large variety of

which is generated by external companies as

programming. It was owned by ProSiebenSat.1

well as internally on its Budapest premises. The

Media AG until early 2014 when it was sold to

operation does not have ENG or OB trucks but

two investors. It is aired throughout Hungary. The

does boast an SNG vehicle with SD equipment, to

TV2 Group comprises of TV2 and its three cable

be upgraded in the future. When there is a need

channels, SuperTV2, FEM3 and PRO4. Like its

for such services, external resources are hired-in.

competitors, the group depends on localised

Currently, IP technology is used instead, which

programmes and magazines.

is very reliable, inexpensive and well-suited

While visiting the studio facilities in Budapest, the broadcast engineer Dániel Löczi provided

to news production.

The channel’s first on-air programme was

me with a brief overview of the installed and

broadcast on 4 October, 1997. At that time, the

used equipment as well as the incorporated

internal technology was SDI (studios, post

TV2 first starting broadcasting in 1997

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 13

Workflow production, master control) with the broadcast

In previous years, the operation was tape-

output to cable operators in PAL analogue (SD

based and the post production performed

4:3 aspect ratio, Sony BetaSP VTRs D75 with SDI

by Interactiv, which was an external service

output: analogue component signals were

company at that time. This required a large

used for monitoring purposes only). In 2001, the

amount of manual work by operators. Interactiv

MCR outgoing signal was changed to SDI (fibre

was bought by TV2 and all services integrated

connection: 150Mbps). General investments as

into the production chain within the

well as standard upgrades are discussed with

Budapest headquarters.

the employees of each department, with future

Following this, the existing Avid equipment

functions and possible enhanced feature sets

needed to be upgraded: Adrenaline DNE was

explained during the process. There is also a

migrated to a central storage system (Unity) with

rule that the final decision is always made by

12 units. This move opened up the system for more

the technical department. “This is because the

collaboration and effective workflows. Then, on

employees of our company are so close that we

1 September 2011, the transmission started in

talk in advance about things and then it will be

16:9 at SD resolution. But the last step to HD was

decided,” Löczi says.

taken on 12 October 2012 with the first on-air

“We always hesitate to be early adopters and appreciate the ability to evaluate software

HD production of The Voice.

The whole infrastructure and workflows were

and equipment in advance. How useful a new

redesigned and enhanced. This resulted in an

release might be always depends on what

ISIS 7000 storage system with 96TB capacity.

features you use. Therefore, we talk to the

A total of 23 editing suites, whereby 17 are

manufacturer and try to get a personalised

connected to Interplay and six are standalone

version instead of the general latest version.

clients (Media Composer version 7.0.x with Nitris

Each encountered problem is communicated

DX hardware), get access to the centralised

with the operators, managers and vendors.”

media, work collaboratively on it and use the

www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

14 TVBEurope

Workflow clustered Interplay v3.1 base system (redundant components: two engine nodes, two Media

Dániel Löczi

A Telestream Vantage system integration is used for transcoding, playout to the internet

Indexers, two LookUp servers). The editing

and for streaming purposes through Interplay

and production workflows are supported by a

Web Services and direct connections to

clustered Avid MediaCentral platform (used

the ISIS system.

for internet content creation, for example) with

TV2’s IT department carries out a lot of

10Gbps connections to ISIS. This incorporates 13

in-house development with regard to solutions

base and nine advanced licences.

for news archive, MAM and QC. This leads

Services and publications for social media,

to a unique environment that is in many ways

including YouTube, are supported by Avid Media

more enhanced, especially when it comes

I Distribute, which includes two Interplay Transfer

to automated quality control (Baton and

Managers and Media Services, which offer

the in-house product) where plenty of

transcoding and STP servers.

manpower is invested.

Support is provided by in-house Avid certified

Most of the shows and magazines are

engineers and the 24/7 support teams of the

produced using a total of four in-house studios.

vendor and manufacturer. “Looking back, we

Because of the centralised storage solution

have only had one big issue over the past ten

within that infrastructure, Avid Airspeed 5000

years that lasted a couple of hours. But it was

and Airspeed Multi Stream video servers are

solved easily and caused no major breakdown“,

incorporated: News (Studio 1: 4ch AMS5000

explains Attila Szarka from Snitt Studio, a local

stays within the LTO tape library, while a second

XDCAMHD); local production (Studio 2:

Budapest-based Avid vendor and system house.

copy goes into a library that is explosion and fire

two 4-channel AMS5000 XDCAMHDs, one

protected. These tapes are ‘offline’, representing

4-channel AMS XDCAMHD); MCR/Studio 3 (fig 6):

the post production part of the archiving.

shared 4-channel AMS5000 XDCAMHD); and TV

“Because we don‘t like ‘single point of failure’ components, when we purchase new equipment we always keep an eye on this aspect,” Löczi

After the final editing of material some of it

series studio: one 2-channel AMS DNxHD (IsoSync

adds. “Freelance editors and journalists have to

goes into a deep archive for long-term storage

plus in-house developed for ingest control). All

pass an internal exam at TV2 to use and work on

purposes. After a year, the raw material will be

studios share an iNews Command for

the Interplay system: it‘s a must. After that they get

deleted from the library to open up space again

playback control and MediaCentral GUIs

an account. If they fail, they are not allowed to

for future productions. There are intentions to

for ingest and retrieval.

access the system at all.”

roll back from LTO-6 to LTO-5 again because of

Files that arrive at TV2 are always quality

The archive integration comprises a single

the problems encountered. There is not much

checked while ingested – and during the

Interplay Archive Engine, two Archive/Restore

stored metadata about the raw material, but

handling process, they are recoded into the

providers, an SGL Flash-Net integration (v6.4.12),

the finalised material is archived with a good

internally agreed file format: a slightly adapted

16TB nearline storage and a deep-archive (IBM

metadata set and can be searched using

version of XDCAMHD 50. External producers

TS3500 tape library with four LTO-6 and four LTO-5

different search expressions (production, type,

have to deliver their productions in the

drives: licensed capacity around 2,600 tapes).

on-air date, archive date, series number,

requested TV2 standard which makes it easy

An LTO-6 tape can store 2.5TB uncompressed

episode number, etc).

to use and process.

or 6.25TB compressed data. Both IMX50 and

Löczi says: “Our producers and journalists carry

“Today, we are able to use workflows we have

XDCAMHD are hard to compress, so the average

most of the information in their brain – they know

not been able to in the past: with Interplay, for

capacity of tapes is around 3TB. The archiving

where it is. The situation with news production is

example, we can create high-res and low-res

workflow starts with the ingest of clips and raw

different, because they use metadata which is

material at the same time and use it concurrently

material into the archive for one year. One copy

searchable and connected to the raw material.”

in all connected suites,” Löczi concludes.

when audio matters natural sound – in the home Hall 10.A49

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Our systems team has built over 50 Outside Broadcast vehicles in the last ďŹ ve years. #justsaying

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

16 TVBEurope

Workflow

Up Periscope scroll backwards during live play and direct their

TV, 22 per cent are regularly doing so while

own multi-camera coverage.

watching video simultaneously on their phone,

The buzz around live streaming sites and social

states an IAB report in June. What’s more,

media apps is indicative of this trend. The poster

mobile screens are regularly being used for

child is Twitter’s Periscope but it is far from alone.

streaming longer-form video, the IAB found. “If

roadcasters managed to stave off the

Services like Livestream, Bambuser, Ustream,

broadcasters ignore live streaming platforms

early threat from online video by

SnapChat and Qik pre-dated Periscope, which

they will be stuck in the one-size-fits-all television

offering something that YouTube, Netflix

launched in March to nip the sudden growth of

model of yesterday, and their products will be

rival streamer Meerkat in the bud.

less valuable to the consumer of tomorrow,”

Is now-casting the future of live? Adrian Pennington investigates

B

or Facebook could not; namely, coverage of live water cooler events. Indeed, TV viewing of

Hang w/, which promotes itself with celebrity

warns Stephen Smith, CTO, cloud technologies,

live and recorded programming has increased

endorsements, is a more established app with

Imagine Communications. “Content owners,

as a result of incorporating interactive,

a million users and has just launched on the

distributors, and others in the media industry are

promotional and companion apps on

Apple Watch. Vine has 40 million registered users

faced with three different responses to these new

smartphones and tablets.

with user-created videos limited to six seconds.

threats: they can ignore them, fight them,

YouNow claims 150,000 broadcasts daily and 100

or embrace them.”

TV’s long-term hold on live may, however, be numbered or at least forced to adapt once more. The rollout of 4G networks and Wi-Fi as

million user sessions per month.

Digital marketing firm Greenlight suggests

Users of these sites are predominantly young.

that one in five marketers plan to use live

utility means the broadcast experience is being

YouNow, for example, says 70 per cent of its

streaming apps like Periscope in campaigns

reinvented for mobile. Global events like the

users are under the age of 24. Research by TNS

this year. Traditional media is not closed to

Olympics or the World Cup have reached a

indicates that over 50 per cent of us engage in

experimentation. US chat show hosts Ellen

tipping point in consumption on digital platforms

other digital activities while watching television.

DeGeneres and Jimmy Fallon have incorporated

where viewers can access on-demand clips,

When mobile video viewers do watch traditional

the new live streaming apps into rehearsals

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

18 TVBEurope

Workflow and on-air monologues; Major League Baseball reporters are live streaming MLB practice sessions; a ceremony at Twickenham to mark 100 days until the 2015 Rugby World Cup aired on Periscope. When Snapchat announced its Discover channel in January, the brands that dominated its line-up were National Geographic, CNN, Comedy Central, and Vice.

“Television networks could exploit these new technologies to deepen their relationships with viewers and move from digital cable to smartphones,” reckons Om Malik, partner at investment firm True Ventures and founder of

conventional broadcast news is the instant

fight, Twitter’s then-CEO Dick Costolo likened

online publisher Gigaom.

conversational element that viewers can have

Periscope’s effect on live events to that of

with the broadcaster themselves. Each YouNow

fantasy sports on live sports. In his opinion,

Social media-centric news

broadcast, for example, features a window

it will ‘surround and amplify’ those events, rather

Meerkat and Periscope are ground-breaking in

where the broadcaster live streams themselves,

than enable piracy or theft.

their use of the real-time Twitter timeline as the

and a chat window, where users interact with

key mechanism to drive tune-in to a live stream.

broadcasters. “The fact that the camera

broadcasting live games to the mobile devices

With both apps you initiate a live broadcast on

faces in as default, not out, suggests how

of fans in stadiums but how can such sports

your mobile, type in a few words about what

valuable we believe conversation is to the

organisations stop a stadium full of fans with

the viewer is about to see, and enable that text

success of this format,” says David Pakman,

phones live streaming? The answer is not to treat

(plus a link) to be shared to Twitter. If a person is

a partner at YouNow investor Venrock.

Periscope like Napster but to take advantage of

The latest iterations of live streaming

the engagement with the team or sport it brings.

already following you on the app, they also can

The EPL currently restricts Sky and BT from

get notifications that you are broadcasting

services are limited. There’s no search function

via iOS notifications. The fact that anyone,

in Periscope, for example, and you can only

Periscope as a piracy issue,” declares Smith.

anywhere, can now upload footage of a live

shoot in portrait mode, making the video

“It’s a business model that we are not taking

event or breaking news story means Twitter via

unsuitable for the 16:9 standard screen aspect

full advantage of at the moment. It’s also an

Periscope could become a 24/7 rolling news

ratio (though this development is coming)

opportunity to reach people who are priced

channel. Again, it is the demographic that

The time window to re-watch video could

“The industry needs to stop looking at

out of certain events, or do not consume

matters. Business Wire revealed that 60 per cent

extend back further than 24 hours when the

content because they cannot get it on their

of millennials in the US depend on social media

content deserves it. A fast-forward function

preferred platform. If we can fix these issues, I

to keep up-to-date with current affairs, preferring

would help, as would crowd-sourcing live clips

would argue that we would fix the majority of

to visit BuzzFeed and Huffington Post rather than

of the feed for broader social distribution. Such

the piracy problem.”

traditional news outlets. Sky News suggests that

criticism seems churlish for an app developed

only 18 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds in the UK

barely 18 months ago and now with Twitter’s

with multiple types of content and viewing

trusted mainstream media to provide them with

R&D team working on it 24/7.

options, media companies can provide a tiered

relevant information. The online-only Vice News

He argues that by augmenting a broadcast

experience that can be monetised accordingly,

launched last year and has since become the

Piracy

“taking advantage of audiences with different

fastest growing news site on YouTube.

Live streaming has already gained notoriety for

ideal price points.”

Publishers and newscasters have dabbled.

being hijacked by pirates. HBO issued takedown

YouNow offers one monetisation model.

notices to Periscope after it was used to

Users can buy into Bars, a virtual currency

Economist used Meerkat to explain deflation and

broadcast the fifth-season premiere of Game

which they can exchange for a number of

Sky News journalist Joe Tidy used Periscope to

of Thrones and courted further controversy

‘thumbs up’, to tip their favourite broadcaster

get a behind the scenes look at the first leaders’

when used as an illegal platform for the

and help them trend. YouNow takes a cut of

debate. He also used the chat and ‘love heart’

streaming of the Mayweather/Pacquiao

these in-app purchases and says that many

functions (which rate a broadcast’s popularity)

boxing match in May. Anti-piracy specialist

of its ‘broadcasters’ make more revenue

to encourage 200 viewers to post questions,

KLipcorp suggests up to 750,000 pirate viewers

than on YouTube.

comments and reactions.

watched the fight in Europe alone. The pay-

During the UK general election in May, The

Smartphones bring immediacy and

per-view to watch cost $99 but the fight had

engagement to the traditional ways of

viewership of its live video stream is much

to be delayed 45 minutes while rights holders

consuming video at a pace which could leave

higher than traditional cable networks through

like Comcast and HBO caught up with last-

TV behind. This is the most important implication

syndication with other sites that repost the

minute orders. In the interim, more people piled

of the rise of Periscope, et al. Having made

videos. Presence on social media platforms

into illegal views of the contest apparently

live streaming by mobile so easy, the nature of

Facebook, Instagram, Periscope and others

unconcerned about the sub-HD quality of the

live has changed for good. Live is no longer a

contribute to the increased number of viewers.

video. When asked about the controversy

passive experience but a shared one in which

One advantage that live streaming has over

surrounding the Mayweather/Pacquiao

interaction can be in real time.

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

20 TVBEurope

WorkďŹ&#x201A;ow Š Rick Tomlinson - Volvo Ocean Race Team Brunel, third boat of the Volvo Ocean 65 fleet around Cape Horn

Broadcast innovation puts wind in the sails

By Jeff Allen, senior solutions manager at Cobham he Volvo Ocean Race is the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longest

T

and most extreme offshore sporting event, requiring a three-year cycle of planning

arrivals, departures and in-port racing, which

when, where, and from what direction each

may seem straightforward but is not, particularly

boat will actually arrive in port can be something of a guessing game. They manoeuvre in open

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It is critical to equip each of 11 stop-over ports with broadcast technology to cover arrivals, departures and in-port racingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

sea to gain an advantage right until the last moment, which can be difďŹ cult for those producing a live show because they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know where their equipment needs to go. As opposed

and technical decision-making to equip seven

to in-port races, where you know where and

high performance, one-design racing yachts -

when the boats will move, with arrivals you never

the state-of-the-art Volvo Ocean 65.

It is also critical to equip each of 11 stopover ports with broadcast technology to cover

know precisely when, or from what direction, for arrivals. Even though the boats are tracked

they will arrive. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a football pitch, where

throughout their 38,739 nautical-mile journey,

you have ďŹ xed, or at least relatively contained,

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September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 21

Workflow camera, transmitter, and receive positions. Even

In short, IP Mesh meant that the wireless network,

route to exchange data between them. The

the finish line moves around a lot depending

and those who were using it, didn’t have to

production team could move with the fleet and

on the prevailing wind, speed, and tide, which

be static. Unlike other wireless systems, IP Mesh

cover it, uninterrupted, with high quality images.

means that what professionals would call a

constantly readjusts itself, working out which

‘normal’ RF setup cannot even be attempted.

mobile nodes are in range and finding the best

The success in Sanya cascaded to the other stopovers in the ensuing months. The effect was

During the second stopover of the race in Abu Dhabi around Christmas 2014, it became clear to the Volvo Ocean Race production team that they needed a faster, more reliable way to move video and audio data around, preferably over a solid IP backbone. Millions of people in the boatyards, watching on television, or viewing via the web wanted to see what was happening no matter when the boats arrived.

Before Abu Dhabi, the team’s ability to

HALL 10 B12

provide content for live arrival shows was pretty limited in terms of input from cameras because there was very limited time to set up RF systems, let alone a full TV infrastructure at each port.

This is when the team started thinking about

Qx

how it might further exploit the Cobham IP Mesh

UHDTV Test and measurement

system it was already using. IP Mesh is versatile and easy to deploy. Multiple transmitters can be combined into a single IP network to provide non line of sight coverage with extended range in environments that are usually too difficult for most radio-based solutions.

s True ‘next generation’ product s ‘Worlds First’ real-time multi-rate 12Gbps capable SDI Eye/Jitter analysis s Advanced jitter insertion and analysis option

‘The deployment of IP Mesh meant that the production team could move with the fleet and cover it, uninterrupted, with high quality images’

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stopover the Volvo broadcast team expanded IP Mesh in all sorts of places, from masts on

UHDTV2/8K

To try out their idea, during the Abu Dhabi

boats once they arrived, to Volvo Ocean Raceinspired Volvo cars onshore, to helicopters, The decision to expand the use of IP Mesh in Abu Dhabi paid off at the next deployment, approximately 25 days and 5,400 nautical miles later, at the next stopover, in Sanya, China.

There, the Volvo Team started using IP Mesh in earnest. For the first time, the team could easily include coverage of the arrivals from a wide range of solid RF links, not just from cameras and ENG systems on the docks, but RF links on helicopters, boats, even suitably-equipped race

UHDTV1/4K

chase boats and other strategic locations.

Pixels

Lines

Frames

10b 4:2:0 (Gbps)

10b 4:2:2 (Gbps)

10b 4:4:4 (Gbps)

12b 4:2:0 (Gbps)

7680/8192

4320

120

60 [8]

80 [8]

120 [16]

72 [8]

95.5 [16]

144 [16]

7680/8192

4320

60

30 [4]

40 [4]

60 [8]

36 [4]

48 [8]

72 [8]

7680/8192

4320

50

25 [4]

33 [4]

50 [8]

30 [4]

40 [8]

60 [8]

7680/8192

4320

30

15 [2]

20 [2]

30 [4]

18 [2]

24 [4]

36 [4]

7680/8192

4320

25

12.4 [2]

16.6 [2]

25 [4]

15 [2]

20 [4]

30 [4]

7680/8192

4320

24

12 [2]

16 [2]

24 [4]

14.4 [2]

19 [4]

29 [4]

3840/4096

2160

120

15 [2]

20 [2]

30 [4]

18 [2]

23 [4]

36 [4]

3840/4096

2160

60

7.5 [1]

10 [1]

15[2]

9 [1]

12 [2]

18 [2]

3840/4096

2160

50

6 [1]

8 [1]

12 [2]

7.5 [1]

10 [2]

15 [2]

3840/4096

2160

30

3.7 [1]

5 [1]

7.5 [1]

4.5 [1]

6 [1]

9 [1]

12b 4:2:2 (Gbps) 12b 4:4:4 (Gbps)

3840/4096

2160

25

3.1 [1]

4.2 [1]

6.2 [1]

3.7 [1]

5 [1]

7.5 [1]

3840/4096

2160

24

3 [1]

4 [1]

6 [1]

3.6 [1]

4.8 [1]

7.2 [1]

[Number of 12 Gbps physical links]

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committee members. All the team had to do was link any equipped camera to the IP Mesh, and off they went.

Made in the UK

22 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

Workflow © Volvo Ocean Race.

that viewership of subsequent live arrival shows steadily increased with every stop, at least in part because they were getting great pictures to tell their stories.

That experience prompted the Volvo team to look at even more ways to exploit IP Mesh, and they came up with a terrific idea.

In our industry there are ‘briefcase’ technologies based on 3G and 4G connectivity that work very well on land in countries with well-established network coverage. But in regions with less-established networks, such systems can struggle, or fall down, especially in cases where there are massive crowds such as those at race stopovers, all using their mobile devices. In some stopovers, some local mobile phone networks couldn’t cope, so using 3G/4G, at least reliably, was out of the question.

Volvo came up with an innovative idea and

The Volvo broadcast team expanded IP Mesh in all sorts of places, from masts on boats once they arrived, to Volvo Ocean Race-inspired Volvo cars onshore.

worked with Cobham to produce a hybrid

© Volvo Ocean Race.

backpack, the same sort of backpack that you

‘Broadcast innovation was rewarded with its own around-the-world win’

can easily find on the broadcast market, but with an added an IP Mesh unit. Whenever there was no 3G or 4G coverage, there was always IP Mesh. It was amazingly effective, especially from helicopters that were often up to five or six nautical miles offshore. The combination of anywhere. A good example of this is stems from the 24-hour stopover in The Hague, the penultimate stopover before the race finish in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Broadcast operations covering the live arrivals and departures at the short stopover in The Hague were taking place while simultaneous preparations for the race finish in Gothenburg were in full swing. There was no time to build a proper RF infrastructure for arrival and departure shows with the stopovers so close together, but the hybrid solution with IP Mesh was able to be derigged at The Hague and reestablished at finish line in Gothenburg, all in the space of about 12 hours. As a result, the Volvo team was able to provide a live eight-hour show of the triumphant finish, picking up and covering the fleet from the coast of Denmark to Sweden. In this case, broadcast innovation, as ever, was rewarded with its own around-the-world win.

© Sam Greenfield Dongfeng Race Team, Volvo Ocean

3G, 4G, and IP Mesh could be rapidly deployed

IP Mesh meant that the wireless network, and those who were using it, didn’t have to be static

www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

24 TVBEurope

Workflow

Making light work of touchline coverage Philip Stevens examines the latest all-in-one camera package to reach the market

with any OB unit,” explains Mike Ransome,

Valley cameras,” states Ransome. He reveals

CEO of Presteigne Broadcast Hire. “We have

that the package took around eight weeks

called this an all-in-one package because

from conception to the creation of the initial

everything required at the camera end,

developmental prototype, then a further nine

including the camera block itself, is contained

months to the final delivery of production models.

amera operators running up and down

within one complete outer casing, with no

the touchline at football games is, of

external components.”

C

course, a very familiar sight. And like

other technologies in the broadcast industry,

Meeting specific needs

these camera systems have evolved into highly

The development of the new system came as

sophisticated units over the recent past.

a result of a request from NEP Visions for a new

The latest innovation, known as the SC100,

lightweight camera package that could be

‘The package took around eight weeks from conception to the creation of the initial developmental prototype, then a further nine months to the final delivery of production models’

comes from Presteigne Broadcast Hire. “This new,

used principally for its Premier League football

packaged RF camera system is especially aimed

coverage in the new season. “NEP Visions

at sports coverage and includes a short form

wanted to replace what has been previously

factor Sony camera, a mount to fit a Steadicam

in use with a newer, lighter, smaller system,

rig, two-way low latency RF circuits, and the

including RF control of camera paint and

Previous similar rigs were proving problematic

ability to colour match to all popular outside

shading functions and a return video capability.

because of their size: particularly length, weight,

broadcast cameras for transparent intercutting

It also had to colour match to their existing Grass

DC power consumption and lack of return

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 25

Workflow vision. “Our development has resulted in a system that weighs just 4.5Kg, excluding the lens,” says Ransome. “Other systems also consist of several individual items attached around the outside of a standard camera, with associated external loose cabling prone to snagging and failure.”

He adds, “The short length and good balance of the camera allows the operators to balance the rig more easily and work the camera closer to their body, enabling finer control and even more fluid movement.”

Matching other makes Although the Presteigne Broadcast Hire package comes with a Sony camera, the rig is colour matrix mapped to other popular system cameras, such as those from Grass Valley. The equipment is controlled from the appropriate vendor’s OCP, and simply requires the touch of a button on that panel to colour match other cameras being used on the broadcast.

“We have designed the telemetry to provide the link between the OCP and the camera for full matching and other control functionality.

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26 TVBEurope

Workflow Up to four SC100 cameras can be controlled

receive sites, we regard this as more complex.

Hire consulted and tested with experienced

simultaneously per telemetry channel.”

As such, this is one where the nature of the

Steadicam operators. Live testing was carried

job requires additional receive antennae and

out at football grounds including Fulham,

latency (40ms end to end) MPEG-4 video links

receiver infrastructure to achieve the required

Manchester United, Sheffield, Brentford,

using either Cobham or VisLink technology.

areas of coverage. For example, covering

Bournemouth and Arsenal.

“Those technologies are largely similar, both

several geographically separate areas such as

The camera package incorporates low

Continuing development

utilising digital modulation and H264 coding.

Vislink systems have the ability to utilise a wider

“The new SC100 is another example of Presteigne Broadcast Hire’s continuing commitment to be at the forefront of technology” Mike Ransome, Presteigne Broadcast Hire

RF bandwidth for an increased bit rate, where picture content requires the additional quality,” explains Ransome.

Both technologies use a four-antenna diversity reception system which comes along as standard with the SC100. However, for complex jobs an eight-antenna system can be utilised.

The intention is that the primary and reverse

Ransome continues, “The new SC100 is another example of Presteigne Broadcast Hire’s continuing commitment to be at the forefront of technology and to provide bespoke solutions to our clients where they have specific requirements unmatched by commercially available products. As such, this is not the first ‘all-inclusive’ camera to be created by Presteigne. In 2009, in order to meet a specific

video feeds will operate in licensed bands,

requirement we produced the first UK ‘all-in-one’

and Presteigne will set frequencies as

camera with a Gigawave system integrated into a stripped down HD730 camcorder. We also

appropriate for each project.

“A standard job can be defined as one where the camera only operates in a single, easy to a grandstand, a stage, or a similar environment.

Once the area of coverage requires multiple

manufactured the first 3D handheld, broadcast

tunnel, or to provide wide area coverage, such

quality, camera system.”

© Volvo

cover area such as inside a stadium, in front of

inside and outside a stadium and in the players’

Presteigne Broadcast Hire now has a large

a at a golf course.” as During the development stage and alongside

in input from NEP Visions, Presteigne Broadcast

number of SC100 all-in-one system cameras in stock and available for rental.

Ocean

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

28 TVBEurope

TVBEverywhere

Content everywhere on every screen

A mobile phone or tablet adds convenience to content discovery and acts as a remote control when combined with a big screen

Melanie Dayasena-Lowe talks to Vigour CEO Ramon Duivenvoorden about the MTV Play app, which was built on its Vigour Video platform with the aim to change the way people consume content across all platforms utch start-up Vigour has

‘first’ and ‘second’

launched a new multiscreen

screen interfaces

OTT app with Viacom

and automatically

D

International Media Networks

changes the behaviour

(VIMN) to introduce a new way

of devices based on

of streaming content to any

the context of the

combination of devices.

user. Video services

The MTV Play app is built on the

that use Vigour

Vigour Video platform and allows

Video are available

“At that time we had a very

automatically ‘merge’ to offer an

viewers to connect to MTV Play

through any browser or standalone

disruptive technology but didn’t

enhanced experience. A mobile

on various screens and switch easily

apps running on all platforms,

have a fully functional product out

phone or tablet adds convenient

between devices. The app is mainly

but when you use multiple

in the market. I ran into the then

content discovery and remote

used by those with an MTV mobile

devices in your environment your

head of the mobile division and

control when combined with a

subscription and with access to

standalone experience is extended

he fell in love with the product

big screen, while the big screen

MTV content.

automatically.

straightaway. We worked on a

in turn leverages its size to enrich

small prototype and we developed

navigation or playback video

something in six weeks,” he adds.

content.

Unlike existing interface solutions,

Ramon Duivenvoorden, CEO

Vigour Video lets viewers intuitively

of Vigour, explained how his

combine screens through an

company first started working

application that detects, connects

with VIMN by an introduction

powers a ‘native’ experience

and interacts with other connected

through a shared contact. “Your

for a wide variety of screens and

Reinventing content interaction

devices, based on the context of

product is crucial but it’s also about

devices. When users add a new

The holistic approach of Vigour

the user. The Vigour Video platform

having a personal connection with

device to an existing ‘standalone’

was crucial for MTV to reinvent

surpasses the existing concept of

people,” he explains.

product experience, both devices

the way young people interact

FF8

-200 B R IG H T E

Vigour’s white label OTT platform

R

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TVBEurope 29

TVBEverywhere with content. “For network operators looking to diversify, the

IT’S WHAT’S BEHIND THAT KEEPS US AHEAD

service allows them to move into multi-platform solutions, whilst maintaining mobile as the central hub for their services. The app, backed by Vigour’s industry-first multiscreen technology, delivers a unique proposition for operators, raising their brand profile as the network choice for the millennial demographic,” remarks Robert Bakish, president and CEO of VIMN. Duivenvoorden comments on

Ramon Duivenvoorden: “Using our technology they can use their living room like a control room and experience live events from personalised angles”

the exclusive features of the app: “The unique capability of the

content consumption is changing,

app is that it can bring together

Duivenvoorden reinforces

different screens while still offering

that “content consumption is

a complete paradigm for content

heading everywhere on every

consumption because every screen

screen”. He adds: “There is now

can also deliver a standalone

an imperative for a minimum

experience. You can still use your

requirement for broadcasters

native TV or iPhone app. We add

because consumption happens across platforms. We build on top

“Our goal is to really change media consumption across the board” Ramon Duivenvoorden, Vigour

of that by saying we have this whole fragmented world of devices

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around us and we treat their screen as an extendable canvas rather than independent worlds.”

Giving the example of Netflix being available on every screen supports the trend of ‘content everywhere’.

“We see it as a logical step where people have these entries into a digital consumption experience

experience where the different

from different angles so why not

devices take on different worlds

use the data canvas we have

whenever they get connected

available to create new kinds of

to each other.”

content experiences?”

He went on to explain how

So what makes Vigour stand

the value proposition consists of

out from its competitors? “On the

two layers. The first is where the

product level I believe we have

screens of different devices are

an industry first. I think the user

connected together to allow

experience and multi platform

the user to take full advantage

strategy is very powerful. We have

of their combined assets and

been exclusively concentrating on

hardware. “The second stage is

innovation of the user experience

about adding content layers when

and I think that allows us to deliver

you start having all these screens

truly disruptive technology.”

available. We made a decision

Following the company’s

to initially focus on the creation of

rollout with VIMN, Duivenvoorden

the single environment rather than

has plans to work with other

overloading it with features.”

broadcasters in the future. “Our

When asked how Vigour’s new platform fits in with the way

goal is to really change media consumption across the board.”

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Data canvas

a completely new layer to that

G&D’s KVM systems have a proven reputation for long lasting usability and reliability. But that’s not all that keeps us ahead.

Versatility also plays its part in keeping us in front. For instance, we offer systems for a wide range of different video standards – digital or analog – with bandwidths up to 4K (incl. Full HD, 2K and Ultra HD).

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30 TVBEurope

www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

TVBEverywhere

Traditional ‘broadcast’ industry to be rocked by IoT Jon Carter, UK head of business development, connected home, Deutsche Telekom

in factories, and urban infrastructure. For many

To put this all into perspective, Gartner predicts

in the broadcast industry, such developments

that by 2022 there will be several hundred

may seem of close to zero relevance.

connected devices in the more technically

However, I would strongly challenge such

advanced homes (they have even suggested

a perspective. Over the next few years, IoT

as many as 500 in some homes). There will be

will have a significant impact across multiple

an immense shift from where we are today.

A

industries, many of which we are not fully

And this is not some pipe dream: all the major

t Deutsche Telekom, as with much of

aware of today, and will without doubt impact

manufacturers that we are working with have

the telco industry, we talk a lot about

the TV industry.

active plans to move their entire portfolio online,

In the future, I don’t believe you will be able

whether it is a washing machine, shaver, kettle,

heard of IoT, essentially it will see the majority of

to consider TV production without reference to

toothbrush or heart rate monitor. In the coming

devices, in our homes, cars, offices, factories, our

IoT. Our homes – and the vast majority of devices

few years, we will see thousands of connected

whole lives, going online. It’s a revolution which

within them – are about to go online, and this will

consumer devices coming to market, not just

is already underway, but currently for most us, it’s

impact how we view, interact and engage with

video cameras, motion sensors, thermostats,

completely unseen: principally being deployed

our TVs and consume the content.

smoke sensors, smart lights and speaker systems,

IoT (the Internet of Things). For those who’ve not

By embracing OTT technologies and relying on third-party vendors with strong cloud infrastructure, it is possible to completely change the cost structure

TVBEurope 31

Septernber 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEverywhere but also heating, AC systems, energy meters, etc.

We will no longer just connect a smart TV to the internet, and consume streamed content via dual-screen tablet and TV, whilst chatting on social networks. Our devices might also start engaging via social networks as well. The connected home revolution will fundamentally change the way we interact with our homes in

‘Gartner predicts that by 2022 there will be several hundred connected devices in the more technically advanced homes’

more ways than we can now predict, and the TV will be central to this.

Firstly, we believe that the TV screen will be one of the prime interfaces that consumers will use to interact with the connected devices around their home, whether that is via gesture or voice, and it will no doubt support text to

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32 TVBEurope

TVBEverywhere Source: Strategy Analytics

DT HAS DEVELOPED A WHITE LABEL OPEN CONNECTED HOME PLATFORM

Source: Gartner

IoT WILL HAVE DRAMATIC IMPLICATIONS ON ALL OUR LIVES, ESP. IN OUR HOMES Gartner predicts there will be >100 connected devices in some homes by 2020

2015: av.8.59 devices1

Supporting a broad range of use cases

2020: >241 to ~2002

>35 partners incl.

Standards/ open source

come across the Jibo Robot, well that’s just first of

we will know who is watching that content, and

enabling connected home services via all our

many examples that we expect to see entering

the content played out will be more linked to

routers; and we’re also in discussions with several

the market, and the TV could be the way we

how they’re feeling, what they’re doing and their

manufacturers who are looking to enhance

engage with such ‘entities’.

interests, based on real-time advanced cloud-

their TV offering by adding our software

based analytics.

capabilities into their STB.

We expect an increasing amount of content becoming more personalised, and affected by

We believe that the set-top box will play an

the individuals watching, enabled by IoT. It will

increasingly important role in gluing everything

no longer just be the advertising that is tailored

together. We believe that it is most likely to be

based on relatively inaccurate segmentation

the hub that many of these connected devices

analytics. Now, with the customer’s permission,

link to. From next year in Germany, we will be

‘The connected home revolution will fundamentally change the way we interact with our homes in more ways than we can now predict, and the TV will be central to this’ With an increasing number of telcos bundling TV as part of their quad play offering, we believe that the connected home – and the services that it will enable – will become the basis for a fifth play offering. The connected home will impact multiple industries, not least TV. As value shifts between different categories and players, we all need to be aware of the developments that are coming.

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

34 TVBEurope

TVBEverywhere

Thinking mobile-first It’s time for all businesses to think mobile first, writes Berk Veral, senior product marketing manager, web experience, Akamai

advertising revenue. According to reports, the

appropriate apps, yet never needed instructions

company’s total ad revenue in the first quarter

on how to use it – mobile is, and will be, the only

of 2015 was £2.1 billion, and 73 per cent of that

way our children know.

came from mobile ads – up from zero in 2012.

But mobile is being used in other creative ways

It’s all about the end users

to engage with consumers and blurring industry

But what should your starting point be if you

The justification

lines in the process. Pinterest recently announced

want to embrace mobile? There are many

In 2014, the world hit the mobile tipping point:

it is adding a ‘buy’ button, and Twitter will now

opportunities and technologies, but there is only

the number of users on mobile phones outpaced

let marketers target consumers based on their

one factor that should be the focus. The answer

those on desktop for the first time. In 2015,

mobile apps.

is your end users, and more specifically, your end

conversations have shifted from mobile’s growth

In the music industry, Apple is challenging the

user’s web experiences.

to how broadcasters and wider business can

status quo with Apple Music. In financial services,

best take advantage of it. With customers and

companies like Starbucks are seeing huge

getting higher. They expect websites, streamed

competitors across a wide range of industries

success with mobile payments applications,

content – whether live or on-demand – and

embracing mobile, there is no choice: mobile

while Square’s solutions can turn anyone

apps to be fast. The findings from Akamai’s

must be top of mind. The evidence is all around:

into an entrepreneur. The mobile takeover is

recent Performance Matters study, conducted

take a look at recent news articles to see the

also affecting industries where you might not

from nearly 3,500 respondents in five countries

ways different sectors are making investments

expect mobile to be top of mind. Take furniture

including the US, UK, France, Germany, and

for their mobile users.

manufacturing: Ikea saw the opportunity

Japan showed that 49 per cent expect a site

and is rolling out furniture that can wirelessly

to download in two seconds or less, while one

charge mobile devices.

in five expect a site to download instantly. The

Some media and entertainment businesses are already making progress into mobile with dedicated services. Earlier this year, Reuters

Then, of course, there’s Google, which

End users have expectations, which are only

consequences of poor performing sites and

unveiled a mobile TV service to provide

recently changed its search engine algorithms

content are high, just like the expectations. Fifty

personalised curated news coverage, and

to reward mobile-friendly sites. Sites deemed

per cent will abandon a slow site, and one

Sky entered the mobile space with Telefónica

mobile friendly will receive higher rankings and

in five will not return.

UK offering TV, telephone and broadband

will have a ‘mobile-friendly’ tag next to the result.

services to its customer base. At the time of

In addition, Google recently announced Android

straightforward process, as the mobile landscape

writing, the mobile TV service Sky Go has 5.7

Pay and the addition of a ‘buy’ button on

is so complex, with multiple operating systems,

million registered UK users, and allows them to

smartphone ads, enabling consumers to make

many browser alternatives and devices, all

watch content across multiple devices, with

direct purchases from those ads.

with different capabilities and screen sizes. In

live channels and content on demand. Even

The business equation for broadcasters is

Meeting end user expectations is no

addition, a user’s connection can have a range

Facebook wants a piece of the media and

simple: people are using their mobile devices

of speeds and quality from GPRS to home Wi-Fi

entertainment business with its latest offering to

for everything, everywhere, anytime; and its

and 4G, which is dynamic and affects the end

split advertising revenue with video creators just

generational. Take my six-year-old son, for

user web experience as users change location.

like YouTube. Facebook video views increased

example: he’s only allowed to use an iPad

This complexity makes it difficult for companies

fourfold in 2014, which is directly growing

for a limited amount of time and only for age

to develop websites, content or apps that can

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TVBEurope 35

TVBEverywhere provide consistent web performance across their

thousands of assets. Just like mobile website

performance. For broadcasters, the content

customer base. It is also costly to develop web

performance, mobile app performance can

challenge is immense. When you are constantly

properties that cater to end users with all types

be optimised by accelerating APIs. In essence,

producing high quality content, regardless of

of different profiles; device types, geo-locations,

mobile apps are similar to dynamic websites

device and connection, users want the kind of

screen resolutions… the list goes on and on.

that speak API instead of HTML, meaning the

experience they get at home: uninterrupted,

optimisations above can also help mobile app

high quality, and instant.

All this fragmentation means that companies adopt different deployment options to get sites, content and apps into the hands of mobile users. Some choose to develop and maintain separate sites for mobile users such as m-domain or m.dot sites for smartphones and t-domain sites for tablets. An alternative approach brings customers via a single URL, but then redirects users to different web properties or digital assets that are optimised based on the user’s device type.

Mobile optimisation One of the best solutions is implementing responsive web design (RWD). RWD sites are

Intelligent automation and content management

mobile-friendly and are the recommended approach to qualify for Google’s mobile-friendly tag. They are also considered ‘future-proof’ as they can adapt to almost any new device that may be available in the future. However, RWD sites are only part of the solution. Responsive sites can have performance penalties due to ‘over downloading’ if not built properly.

In order to explain that, let’s look at the core concept of RWD sites: these websites use a single codebase for all end user devices, and then optimise the presentation layer based on

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device characteristics. In other words, when a user visits a site, the site content and objects are downloaded onto the device and then the RWD code makes decisions on what to display for the best experience on that device. This is where the over-downloading issues come to the forefront: high-res images and heavier objects that won’t

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be downloaded onto the device as well. So, while the presentation of the site is optimised, the performance of the site might be adversely affected on a smaller device; especially if it’s a richer, more image heavy site.

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the websites for the user. These solutions can even compress and serve content in the most appropriate format for a given user device and connection. This removes the need for developers to prepare hundreds, possibly

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

36 TVBEurope

Feature

PREVIEW

Welcome to Amsterdam So, here we are in Amsterdam once again. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scarcely believable that a year has passed since we were last trudging around the cavernous halls of the RAI complex, complaining of blistering feet. As goes with the current territory, much has happened between the 2014 and 2015 events, and to gauge the mood of the industry as we set up camp for another IBC, part two of our preview continues our thought leadership series from a selection of exhibiting companies

The growth of multiscreen Dr Neale Foster, COO and VP global sales, Access

I

behaviour related to devices,

delivery can help operators face

n the past twelve months,

and recommendation engines and

location, content type and user

stark competition from content

multiscreen services have

to unleash new revenue streams.

consumption of the service. By

providers and OTT services.

matured from delivering a

However, providing a single user

knowing the subscriberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal

seamless and secure experience

experience on many devices and

tastes, operators can upsell

IBC showcase

on a number of devices in and

the quality of service that consumers

new services and features such

Operators coming to the ACCESS

out of the home to offering more

have become accustomed to

as selling additional Personal

stand will see how utilising the

content options to consumers

remains a challenge for pay-TV

Video Recorder (PVR) storage

multiscreen management solution

and monetisation opportunities

operators. Operators need to use

space, or offer a tailored content

ACCESS Twine can help them

for operators than ever before.

the same tools as OTT providers,

catalogue. However, multiple

deliver content securely and

The advent of newcomers such

such as aggregating and analysing

devices, security systems and

seamlessly to multiple devices.

as NetďŹ&#x201A;ix and end-to-end content

data to better understand user

analysing large amounts of data

ACCESS Twine has been expanded

and service providers

originating from multiple

to aggregate and analyse a wide

also means that

sources remain a challenge.

range of data points, such as type

operators have to

Integrating standards-based

of content watched, consumer

leverage standardised

content delivery and device

habits, and devices used to access

technology and gain

management solutions in

the platform.

better insight into

combination with technologies

consumer habits to

that are easy to update while

offer improved search

maintaining high quality

Stand: 14.D14

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 37

Feature The challenges of interoperability

TV transformation and the Networked Society

Simon Browne, director product management, Clear-Com

A

s a supplier of intercom

this standardisation and we look

systems to the broadcast

forward to cooperating in forging a

industry, we see an early

control standard.

perspective on infrastructural

In addition to IP interoperability

Simon Frost, Ericsson

T

he television industry is undergoing its most significant transformation since it begun.

Over the next five years, established

changes and expansions among

is that intercom systems have

rights holders, producers, content

broadcasters. Market data (and

always had to connect with other

owners, broadcasters and all forms

our own experience) has shown an

elements such as the studio mixer

of MVPD TV service providers will

overall trend among broadcasters

desk and audio router for IFBs or line

jostle for position with new entrants,

to expand into regional

monitoring, or through the master

new investors and new aggregators.

broadcasting and venues. The

control to outside lines and to

The outcome is unknown, yet the

advancements in IP technologies

camera and wireless systems.

overall winner is assured. In the

have enabled intercom, audio

Networked Society of 2020, the

and video resource sharing across

IBC showcase

always-connected viewer, with his/

wide area networks and media

Clear-Com is presenting its latest

her hunger for immediacy of media

mux/demuxing technologies

communications and connectivity

consumption, will have been met

at the end points. One of the

solutions at IBC2015 including the

by the most agile and forward-

challenges for intercom in this

new FreeSpeak II 2.4GHz wireless

thinking players. On the journey

mature market is audio and control

intercom, Agent-IC mobile app

to 2020 all of the sacred cows of

interoperability when using IP audio

and Interactive IFB capabilities.

television will be put to the test.

standards. Connections need

Clear-Com will also make a

Every aspect of the commercial

to be independent so that local

worldwide debut

model – from selling rights,

showcasing its new solutions at

components can be reconfigured

of all-new intercom and

advertising, bundles, geographical

IBC, which enable players to put

without taking down all cross-

connectivity offerings to the

boundaries and especially carriage

consumers at the centre of their

connected systems or facing

broadcast market at the show.

fees – will need rethinking. Beyond

agenda, deliver new experiences,

delays in the rediscovery and

this, serious questions need asking

drive new immersive TV formats

reconnections of

such as whether the creator and

such as UHD and HDR, leverage

all points. Also,

distributor industries will share the

the capabilities of the cloud, and

the basic control

cost of converting the internet to

enable IP-networks to become

flow needs to

TV scale, to safeguard the future of

highly efficient and revenue-

be universal to

all video delivery. With such pace

generating for delivering the

allow crosspoint,

of transformation, the need to be

explosion in traffic fuelled by online

audio level and

driving this progression rather than

video. Ericsson is publishing the

trunking control

reacting to it has never been so

results of its 2015 ConsumerLab TV

over other

important.

report into what TV consumers and

Ericsson is publishing the results of its 2015 ConsumerLab TV report at IBC2015

audiences are demanding.

manufacturers’ systems. There

Stand: 10.D29a

is movement in the industry with

IBC showcase Ericsson is announcing and

Stand: 1.D61

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

38 TVBEurope

Feature

PREVIEW

Meeting the evolving demands of mobile broadcasting Eric Chang, VP marketing, TVU Networks here are few areas where

T

and dramatic operational cost

To meet the evolving needs of

infrastructure by transmitting video

the impact of the internet

savings are hard to ignore. The

the ever-changing landscape

between transceivers over their

cannot be felt. The growth of

focus has shifted to solution

of mobile broadcasting, the

network environment and monitor

IP-based solutions in the broadcast

enhancements and transformation

acquisition and control of live video

IP streams in real-time, without the

industry is accelerating, and the

but without necessarily impacting

streams will be left to innovative,

need to convert signals from SDI.

adoption of IP-based technologies

existing broadcast workflows. By

competitive solutions for IP-based

by broadcasters is helping to drive

migrating to more efficient, IP-based

central management of live

IBC showcase

increased efficiency by reshaping

video solutions, users and networks

video broadcasts from virtually

TVU Networks is a pioneer in IP

and revolutionising how live video is

are able to scale and automate

anywhere and distribute to multiple

video technology and is leading

acquired, stored, routed, distributed

several processes to improve and

locations. These solutions will enable

the way in helping organisations

and consumed.

enhance everyday operations.

broadcasters to utilise their existing

looking to transition to a

IP-based technology is

predominantly IP-based

evolving more rapidly than ever

infrastructure. TVU Grid solves the

and challenging traditional SDI

challenge of switching, routing

infrastructures with added flexibility

and distributing professional-

and functionality in the capture and

quality live video with low latency

sharing of video for news and sports.

using ubiquitous, cost-effective IP

The advantages of moving from SDI

networks within existing workflows.

to IP-based technologies with the promise of increased efficiencies

Stand: 2.B28

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

Feature The importance of security in VoIP systems Colin Farquhar, CEO, Exterity

NETWORK. AUDIO. VIDEO. smart IP live production infrastructure.

O W A L Y B O E VID RT. L. T.

.

A SM WERFU MPAC PO RA CO kit. tool g T n i L ss U oce o pr

Beyond the LAN + HDCPv2

I

n just over a decade, video over IP

There is now an increased demand

has emerged as the video delivery

for secure end-to-end professional

method of choice for a wide

video over IP systems as a direct

range of professional organisations

result of the increasing industry-wide

across a variety of verticals looking

understanding of the systems, which

to modernise their AV and video

must be able to handle all types of

communication services. However,

broadcast signal without picture or

the demand for seamless distribution

quality of service degradation, and

of video content in a professional

support for content protection in

environment has ampliďŹ ed the threat

the distribution system now plays a

of piracy and all organisations must

central role in enabling organisations

be vigilant in ensuring that their

to distribute a wide range of high

video over IP solution provides a

quality content wherever it is viewed.

secure service that complies with the content industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s requirements.

The utilisation of Conditional

IBC showcase Exterity is showcasing its HDCPv2-

Access and Digital Rights

secured video over IP distribution

Management systems only scratches

system at IBC to enable news

the surface of what is needed to

channels, production houses and

secure content across the entire

proAV installers to discover how they

network. As the only standard for

can leverage their IP network to

delivery over IP, High-bandwidth

distribute high value content securely

Digital Content Protection v2

to any screen without risking third

(HDCPv2) is essential for it to function

party access. Exterity is also showing

as a fully secure solution as it provides

its Beyond the LAN product range

robust protection for communications

that facilitate the seamless delivery

over one or more links in a network,

of content over IP to any connected

including both wired and wireless

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

40 TVBEurope

Feature

PREVIEW

The ‘age of disruption’

By Wolfgang Lempp, CEO and co-founder, FilmLight ince we started FilmLight

S

what constitutes ‘our industry’.

in 2002, we have seen a

The threshold of entry has all but

huge transformation in our

disappeared, and the attraction to

industry, The transition to all-digital

be a part of it hasn’t gone away.

technology, the transition to non-

So there is a lot of noise – amplified

linear, file-based workflows, and

by social media – that drowns

the commoditisation of products

out the serious work that is going

and roles. We have lived within the

on. High quality content creation

customers. We are happy to deal

from a position of experience. So

‘age of disruption’ from the very

cannot be commoditised. It is a

with the small group of people you

there is plenty more to do for us as

beginning, and hopefully have

collaborative effort that requires

find all over the world who feel

a technology developer. Not all

done a little ourselves to contribute

both talent and experience, which

the need to push the technology

of what we do fits into the trends

to it. Seen against that backdrop, it

will always be in short supply. From

beyond what it can do today,

highlighted at a show like IBC. But

is easy to conclude that there isn’t

our perspective as an independent

to push for higher productivity,

we know for sure it is appreciated

much left to do. 4K, HFR, HDR – who

specialist manufacturer, we see this

to push for new ways to express

by our customers.

cares? Actually, some people do.

polarisation of the market as an

their creativity. Because they care

opportunity. We don’t need 100,000

about quality. And they do so

There is some confusion about

Big Data in action

ig Data is a hype topic in the

Multiscreen has helped create

television industry. We hear a

a binge viewing culture, which has

lot about it, and how it can

already been exploited to great

Andy Warman, Harmonic he evolution of the broadcast

T

and production industries toward progressively more

have a transformational impact on

effect by Netflix in exploiting viewer

companies that mine it and use it

insights to drive consumption. Netflix

accelerate, and it is encouraging

properly. But there is very little by

created ten different trailer cuts for

to see renewed enthusiasm for

way of best practice, real results or

House of Cards, targeting them on

software-based solutions and the

real impact on the TV business.

the basis of past viewer behaviour.

drive toward virtualisation. Clearly,

Take multiscreen. The

Stand: 7.F31

Encouraging signs on the road to virtualisation

Giles Cottle, director of consumer insight products, Genius Digital

B

Baselight with three UI monitors and Blackboard 2

The challenge now is to exploit

IT-centric thinking continues to

the rationalisation of hardware,

consumption of multiscreen video

multiscreen in a similar way,

increased ease of use, and

viewing may be harder to track

targeting recommendations and

workflow efficiency are motivating

workflows while preserving frame-

than traditional linear TV in the living

ads not just by viewer identity

this shift in thinking. The transition

accurate automation control, which

room but the bigger challenge lies

but also by what and where they

from SDI to IP-based workflows

is vital for broadcasters

in the subsequent analysis to gain

are watching. And data is sure to

is a critical step in this migration

deeper insights about its impact on

play an important role in ensuring

toward virtualised software-based

IBC showcase

viewer behaviour – and how this

operators can do exactly that.

architectures. Moving from today’s

The Spectrum X advanced media

SDI connected discreet devices

server system is making its European

can help an operator in the key areas of acquisition, retention and

IBC showcase

to tomorrow’s all-IP virtualised

debut at IBC2015. Spectrum X

ARPU.

At IBC, Genius Digital is discussing

infrastructure will be a multi-

elevates the industry’s most trusted

what is has learnt from working

phased journey for most. During this

server platform to new levels of

with its newest customer, a major

evolution process, the ability of key

flexibility, efficiency and reliability.

leading pay-TV provider. The

workflow components to ‘speak

Designed for production and

customer is using big data to get

both languages’ is mandatory.

playout applications, the Spectrum

a clearer understanding of what

Specifically, media server platforms

X media server system eases the

its customer base is doing, and to

should simultaneously accept both

transition to IP broadcast workflows

help it to make better decisions

SDI and IP TS sources as live sources

by integrating SDI and IP I/O on the

around scheduling, packaging,

and inputs for ingest and combine

same chassis. Also on display is the

retention and advertising.

them with graphics, DVEs, audio

Harmonic MediaGrid ContentStore

and video effects to create SDI

5840 shared storage system.

Stand: 14.F33

and IP outputs. This approach will support baseband and compressed

Stand: 1.B20

www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

42 TVBEurope

Feature

PREVIEW

LiveU develops its solutions-based approach at IBC2015 extensively for elections – most

to expand upon its coverage of the

TV OB trucks, but the audio and

recently including India, Sri Lanka,

Scottish Referendum 2014. There

picture quality were not ideal. When

et’s take one key example

Greece, and Spain – they were

it provided additional coverage

it came to providing coverage from

of the accelerating change

nothing on the scale of this project

from 32 locations, using apps and

150 declarations, the Sky150 as it

in live acquisition. The UK

with Sky News: the broadcaster

iPads. During early planning stages

came to be known, the decision

General Election in May saw

delivered 138 live IP feeds from

for 2015, a demo unit of LiveU’s

was made to use ‘proper’ hardware

LiveU partnering with Sky News

150 key counts and constituencies

LU200 ultra-small transmission

units and a proper camera. The

and the result was a paradigm

countrywide using LiveU’s cellular

device arrived at Sky News. After

138 LiveU transmission units were

shift in live coverage. While our

uplinking technology. This was

conversations with LiveU, and

paired with Sony PJ620 Handycams,

technology has already been used

unprecedented. Sky News was keen

further internal discussions, it was

each manned by a team of

decided that LiveU units out in the

trained media students and young

field, providing coverage of 150

journalists.

Ronen Artman, LiveU

L

constituency declarations at 138

This was in addition to the existing

key counts, would give Sky News a

49 traditional OB trucks providing

unique selling point for its coverage

live feeds to the newsroom – as

of the election. The Scottish

deployed for the last election –

Referendum project provided

using capacity on an ad-hoc basis

additional TV feeds as well as online

from providers Globecast, SIS Live

coverage (all 32 locations were

and Arqiva.

streamed live on YouTube) on top of the feeds provided by traditional

Stand: 3.B62 Stand: 7.K11

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 43

Feature The new world of IP access

EPG in a VoD world

Ellen Camloh, senior director worldwide segment and product marketing, NewTek

Keith Bedford, MD, EBS

Customers around the world rely on Pawa for their EPG data services

V

oD, time-shift TV,

But what happens when a

multiscreen viewing and

platform adds new services such

download-to-own (DTO)

as VoD or DTO? The traditional

are all having a huge impact

schedule no longer fits non-linear

on how we access content,

platforms as content can be

enabling EPG providers to bring

viewed or purchased 24/7.

new opportunities for growth to

NewTek’s 3Play 440

channels, platforms and content

IBC showcase

owners. As demand for content

EBS is demonstrating how its

continues to increase, the role

Pawa database overcomes

of the EPG becomes even more

these challenges providing a

P content is an area that’s grown

production. Where is on-site?

important. In the linear world,

multi-platform, multi-territory,

its footprint in the industry. Our

Maybe we can start to define it by

when channels and platforms

scalable solution that enables

clients produce live programming,

where the cameras are, while other

need to aggregate and supply

EPG data to be aggregated,

or real-time mixes for post production

sources, even virtual guests and a

data for the EPG there’s a

restructured and delivered.

or on-demand viewing. They use our

few crew members, can remain

create-once-distribute-many-

solutions to deal with coordinating

where they are.

times approach.

I

on-site camera coverage, preproduced packages, B-roll clips,

customers is the fragmentation

titles and graphics all at once. But

accelerating across the entire

audiences now expect more from a

technology spectrum for audience

show than traditional video mixing.

viewership: multiple devices and

One opportunity opens up when

screens; new media platforms that

producers can incorporate non-

crop up every day; formatting for

traditional sources in their shows

social media engagement; and

– bring up a web page, cut to a

feeding massive appetites for

Skype video call, click through a

consuming video. Against any one

presentation, change positions on

of those perspectives, producers

a PTZ camera, or call up any other

have to grapple with the delivery

IP source from the vision mixer – just

technology to keep up.

as readily as they would switch a camera angle.

This new world of IP access extends

IBC showcase At IBC2015, NewTek is showcasing its

beyond inputting computer feeds

full range of TriCaster multi-camera

or robotic cameras; it potentially

live production solutions, along with

takes a workflow wherever the LAN

its 3Play sports production solution

goes – audio routing, web control,

and the acclaimed TalkShow video

automation with HTTP, network tally

calling production system.

– workflow-wide efficiencies that have greater implications for on-site

Stand: 14.B01

The biggest challenge for our

Stand: 7.K11

Streamlin

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

44 TVBEurope

Feature

PREVIEW

The business of video Neil Berry, EVP commercial, EMEA, Piksel

are at risk of seeing eyeballs drift

attract new content deals, build

IBC showcase

away from their programming unless

customer loyalty and attract

Piksel is demonstrating how its

he business of video has

T

they explore more flexible offerings

high-value advertisers. However,

services-led approach addresses

evolved from the ecosystem

for their viewers.

the main challenge for many is

these diverse business needs.

that they don’t understand OTT

Underpinned by the transformative

revenue models that it used to

larger audiences, generate new

well enough to confidently design

Piksel Palette, Piksel’s cloud-based

be. No longer should TV channels

revenue and extend the value

and implement a sustainable

modular framework, Piksel is

and broadcasters only take

of existing content for as long

monetisation strategy. In fact, some

showing how its Strategic Services

entertainment to living rooms in

as possible. It can bring about

businesses are waiting to understand

portfolio of Consumer Insights,

a one-way, linear fashion. Pay-TV

all sorts of positive outcomes for

OTT better before moving into it –

Content Acquisition Services and

operators and broadband providers

businesses such as the ability to

risking market share to competing

Business Modeling helps businesses

too need to think beyond their

services in the meantime.

develop successful online video

stable distribution infrastructures for

Developing a strategy comes down

strategies. Piksel is also highlighting

getting content to viewers.

to precise planning and strategy,

how its managed and professional

and having the foresight to use the

services support and future-proof

sophistication of connected

latest services available to mitigate

client businesses, enabling stable

devices have now caught up with

the risks involved in diversifying into

growth alongside the entry of new

consumers’ desires to watch video

new delivery methods. Online video

technologies, competitors, and shifts

wherever and whenever they want.

specialists such as Piksel can help

in consumer trends.

Online video content consumption

support businesses with overcoming

is rocketing and many businesses

these obstacles.

of established roles and

Bandwidth speeds and the

OTT is a proven way to reach

Stand: 14.C34 Stand: 7.K11

All trademarks remain property of their respective holders, and are used only to directly describe the products being provided. Their use in no way indicates any relationship between Primestream Corporation and the holders of said trademarks.

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 45

Feature Unleashing creative vision with new storage solutions

The reality of UHD

Alex Grossman, vice president, media and entertainment, Quantum

By Guido Meardi, CEO, V-Nova

T

he advent of 4K has increased consumer demand for high quality video anywhere and

on any device, and has made multiple encodings across video platforms almost unavoidable. This new paradigm results in inventory complexity and redundancy of data, both of which increase costs through the requirement for more computing power, bandwidth and storage. With consumers expecting

key requirement for the broadcast

to watch high quality content

and OTT industry.

seamlessly on every platform, the

Quantum StorNext

discrepancy between traditional

IBC showcase

codecs and the reality of UHD

At IBC, V-Nova is discussing how its

requirements is forcing operators

market traction with Tier-1 chipset

to implement flexible encoding

manufacturers, operators and

solutions that combine picture

compression vendors answers the

quality with ease of use.

industry’s growing realisation that

apturing viewer attention

based online storage and tape-

is becoming more difficult

based archives to architectures that

Reducing bandwidth is one

every day, leading TV to push

integrate more storage options, such

way for operators to address the

will not meet tomorrow’s bandwidth

the limits of technology, whether

as object storage and cloud. When

economic challenges of delivering

and business challenges. Visitors

it’s shooting with more cameras or

these mixed types of storage are

UHD content in multiple formats and

to IBC can experience PERSEUS

delivering in higher definition. Much

properly integrated into the workflow,

to more devices than ever before.

demonstrations on a number

of the heavy lifting that makes these

content can remain accessible

In a mobile streaming age where

of partner booths and see for

changes work falls to workflow

through a single infrastructure.

4G users are expected to generate

themselves just what V-Nova’s

46 per cent of all mobile traffic by

compression is capable of.

C

infrastructure, and in particular to its

At the same time workflows are

storage, which must be fast, efficient

expanding to include new storage

2018, extending the reach of video

and flexible.

options, smaller-scale producers and

services to mobile devices is another

To meet these new demands, more

today’s compression technologies

Stand: 14.M23

post houses are demanding solutions

and more workflows are expanding

which are attractively priced, but still

their storage from exclusively disk-

powerful enough to handle large files of broadcast-quality content.

With the right workflow storage, advances in technology don’t have to be disruptive but can help you unleash your creative vision.

IBC showcase At IBC2015 Quantum are available to speak about the latest in media and entertainment storage solutions.

We’re also presenting StorNext Pro Foundation, our collaborative storage for small workgroups. It’s a complete, integrated shared storage solution designed specifically for post, broadcast, corporate and government video.

Stand: 7.B26

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

46 TVBEurope

Feature

Pic © ITV/REX Shutterstock

Associated-Rediffusion’s Marconi cameras covered the first broadcast from London Guildhall a on 22 September 1955

ITV’s diamond anniversary Philip Stevens takes a nostalgic look back at the early days of commercial television in the UK uesday 22 September sees the 60th

(ITA) to regulate the new service. During the

to prevent one company from becoming

debate in parliament, former BBC director

too dominant in the new marketplace.

general, Lord Reith, compared “sponsored

The first two contractors, responsible for the

broadcasting” to smallpox, bubonic plague

London region, had been named as Associated

and the Black Death.

Rediffusion (AR) for the Monday to Friday

Of course, in those days there was no such

operation, and the Associated Broadcasting

anniversary of the launch of independent

T

company as ITV. And, just to complicate matters

Company (ABC) responsible for weekend

television in the UK. Independent because

as far as the general public was concerned,

programmes from the ITA’s transmitter in

the new broadcasting service had to be seen

the ITA didn’t make programmes. The UK was

Croydon.

as free from the BBC monopoly that had existed

divided up into regions with a different franchise

up to that point.

holder responsible for the programmes to be

Tracing the pedigree

aired in that particular area. But it wasn’t even

AR traced its pedigree back to the 19th century

was in 1955, the process started a year earlier

that simple. The three main regions – London,

– long before television, of course – and was

when parliament passed the Television Act, thus

midlands and the north – required different

made up of two main shareholders: British Electric

creating the Independent Television Authority

contractors for the weekdays and weekend,

Traction (BET) and Associated Newspapers.

Although the launch of commercial television

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 47

Feature BET started its corporate life by

AR and ABC, more bewilderment

Elsinore.” Perhaps that reference to

the franchise for Central Scotland.

installing power cables for the trams

was on the way. The midlands and

toothpaste was not without some

He described winning the Scottish

that had become a popular form

north weekend ITA contracts were

degree of advance notice. The

Television (STV) contract as a

of transport towards the end of the

awarded to the Associated-British

long-awaited first advertisement on

“permit to print money” (a phrase

Victorian monarchy. The traction

Picture Corporation operating

commercial television appeared at

frequently misquoted as a “licence

part of the company name came

under the name Associated-British

2012 hours and featured Gibbs SR

to print money”).

from the fact that the company

Cinemas Television (ABC-TV).

Toothpaste. In all, 23 commercials

also made tram motors; or tractions.

With the advent of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s, low

It took a court case to settle who

day came under the banner of

had to change the name:

But if the appearance of

Associated Rediffusion, although a

Lew Grade lost, and the

commercials on the fledgling

variety show on that first evening

power transmitters and homemade ‘cat’s whisker’ receivers meant that reception was often hit and miss. BET was able to capitalise on the fact that it had a significant network of cables in many large

Being a Thursday, the launch

were shown on that opening night.

was made by weekend contractor

‘In 1954 former BBC director general, Lord Reith, compared “sponsored broadcasting” to smallpox, bubonic plague and the Black Death’

towns. If the company erected

ABC and produced by Bill Ward.

Other programmes that evening included 30 minutes of drama excerpts starring Sir John Gielgud, Alec Guinness and Kay Hammond, a boxing match, a news bulletin

some big and well tuned aerials

and cabaret before the final five-

to pick up transmissions from the

London weekend contractor

television service was designed to

BBC (British Broadcasting Company,

was re-branded Associated

make the contractors very wealthy,

in those days) and use its cable

TeleVision (ATV).

the early signs were not good.

100,000 viewers watched at

minute Epilogue.

It is estimated that around

Whether or not the death in The

some time on that first night. That

directly into living rooms, then

Killing the audience

Archers had anything to do with

compares to an estimated eight

the unreliable reception could

On that Thursday in September

it might be debatable, but by the

million listeners who heard that

be avoided.

which marked the start of

end of the first night commercial

fateful episode of The Archers.

commercial television, the BBC did

television was losing money. The

March 1928 the operation became

its best to prevent the launch of its

next few months didn’t show any

Mass production series

known as Rediffusion: a word

new rival from being an audience-

signs of improvement and it would

The first weekend of commercial

meaning ‘broadcasting again’.

puller. The Corporation’s already

be some years before the contracts

television saw the introduction

Unwilling to gamble on its own for

long-running radio soap The Archers

made economic sense.

of what would become a long-

the London weekday contract,

decided to ‘kill off’ one of the

BET joined forces with Daily Mail

leading characters, Grace Archer,

money to be made in commercial

publisher Associated Newspapers,

in a dramatic stable fire just minutes

television. In 1957, Lord Thomson

Adventures of Robin Hood. Made

and Associated Rediffusion was

before the 1915 hours start of the

of Fleet made a successful bid for

by ITC, it involved a new technique

born. The Associated Broadcasting

new TV service.

network to deliver programmes

BET set up this network and in

Company was also a result of

running feature of those early days – the half-hour episode of The

The first programme was an

a merger. Before the ITA Act

outside broadcast of a dinner to

became law, a consortium called

celebrate the new TV service held

the Associated Broadcasting

at London’s Guildhall. The cameras

Development Company (ABDC)

used for that OB were Marconi Mk

had been created to help push the

IIIs. However, speeches were filmed

legislation through parliament.

using an Auricon 16mm camera

When the Act became law,

But, eventually, there was

(1,000ft magazine) with a turret

impresario Lew Grade and his

lens. One of those speeches was

consortium, ITC (Independent

delivered by the then postmaster

Television Company), applied for

general Charles Hill during which he

an ITA contract. But because it was

addressed the fear that some had

considered to have undue control

voiced about the appearance of

over potential broadcasting talent,

advertisements during programmes.

its bid was refused. However, by

He stated in no uncertain terms,

joining with the ABDC, the problem

“We shall not be bothered by a

was overcome and the London

violinist stopping in the middle of

weekend contract was awarded

his solo to advise us of his favourite

to the newly-formed Associated

brand of cigarettes, nor indeed

Broadcasting Company.

will Hamlet interrupt his soliloquy

If the viewing public had been

to tell us of the favourite brand

confused over terms such as ITA, ITV,

of toothpaste ordinarily used at

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

48 TVBEurope

in television film-making which, in effect, created a production line (suitable choice of phrase) process. By mounting standard items – such as staircases, rooms, fireplaces – on wheels, sets could be quickly created in readiness for the next shot. This procedure allowed each 26-minute programme (allowing times for the all-important commercials) to be turned out every four and a half days.

Pic © ITV/REX Shutterstock

Feature

Rapid turnaround times were essential if budgets were to be maintained. On one occasion, when the director called for positions for a take, one actor (new to the series) asked about a rehearsal. He was given short shrift.

“But I don’t know what side to enter,” he lamented. “Are you a goodie or a baddie?” he was asked. “A baddie.” “Then you enter from the right: baddies always enter from the right.”

This fast turnaround technique became a feature of a number of other ITC series.

Building the network Over the next few years, the network spread across the UK. Alongside its London weekend

The launch of commercial television brought about production line series such as the ever popular The Adventures of Robin Hood

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 49

Feature operation, ATV was awarded the midlands

Alongside the programme contractors, a

unit: having mounted cameras and control

weekday franchise. Later Granada Television

separate company, Independent Television

rooms in a vessel capable of covering major

was installed as the North’s weekday contractor.

News, was created. ITN, of course, still exists

events such as Cowes Week.

As well as STV mentioned earlier, other

today. Southern Television was able to lay claim

franchise holders were Television Wales and

to being the only company with a floating OB

Over the years, several contracts were awarded to different groups until in 2004,

the West (TWW), Southern Television, Tyne Tees Television, Anglia Television, Ulster Television, Westward Television, Border Television and Grampian Television.

These were followed by the last two stations to go on air, and both had their own stories.

Channel Television was the smallest station on the network, and in those distant days, there was no direct transmission link with the Channel Islands. That called for an innovative solution for the delivery of network programmes to the Islands. That answer involved Channel taking its signals directly from the off-air transmission of Southern at Chillerton Down on the Isle of Wight or Westward at Caradon Hill in Cornwall, and then inserting its own commercials at the appropriate moment. That kept the Transmission Controllers alert, for a late switch would see the wrong commercials being broadcast to the islands.

The last contractor to join the network was Wales (West and North) Television (Teledu Cymru). Sadly, in less than two years, the financial position of the company became untenable and the operation was

Photo courtesy of Golden Age Television

absorbed into TWW.

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

50 TVBEurope

Feature ITV plc became the owner of 11 of the 15 regional licences. Today, ITV plc sells advertising for all 15 of the licences and produces or commissions a great deal of the programming broadcast across its channels.

Technology transitions The past six decades have seen technological advances beyond compare. And it would take numerous articles to detail all of those changes, so perhaps just a few merit being highlighted.

Video tape â&#x20AC;&#x201C; let alone tapeless recording â&#x20AC;&#x201C; was still some way off in 1955. If a programme needed to be recorded, a ďŹ lm camera was bolted very securely in front of a high grade London weekend contractor ATV favoured Pye Mk III cameras for its extensive OB operation

monitor and the images and sound captured on 16mm or 35mm ďŹ lm.

Even highly successful quiz programmes such

the benchmark in camera control technology...

you can build on.

as Associated Rediffusionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Double your Money and Take your Pick were recorded in this way and edited for transmission.

The term â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;high deďŹ nitionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; meant something quite different in 1955. A company called High DeďŹ nition Films with studios in north London was responsible for making those quizzes for ARTV.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Eventually there was money to be made in commercial television: in1957, Lord Thomson of Fleet described winning the Scottish Television (STV) contract as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;permit to print moneyâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

The programmes were shot using three Pye Mark II cameras with varying line and frame speeds to create a higher resolution image. The cut

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programme was then sent to the basement and recorded using a camera ďŹ lming a low gamma, high deďŹ nition ďŹ&#x201A;at glass display monitor. Not the

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One of the cutting room staff who worked on the ďŹ rst Double your Money programme

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from the ďŹ lm labs on the morning of transmission and, unable to view it, took it straight to AR who promised to run and check it.

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September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 51

Feature Sound of silence Commercials were made on 35mm film. And because the picture gate on telecine machines (the TV equivalent of film projectors) and the sound reproduction head were 20 frames apart, film prints were produced with the audio advanced by that length.

For transmission, the commercials were assembled into breaks. After transmission, the films were disassembled and placed back in their relevant cans. The next time that commercial was assembled, the film joining process (cement in those days) meant that one frame was lost at the start of the commercial. To prevent the audio being chopped through the continual use of the same film print, a silence of 38 frames was placed at the start of each commercial, no matter the overall length. Such

Highbury Studios where early quiz shows were produced awaits a crew for the next programme

technical problems do not exist with taped or tapeless advertisements, of course.

Channel in a control room

would send today’s financial directors into a

than four personnel handled all transmissions

state of shock with its level of manning.

for the single channel of London’s weekend

ATV’s master control in London was located

broadcaster. The Transmission Controller was

Another area that has seen a massive change is

in Foley Street, close to the Museum telephone

in charge, directing the shots, calling for the

in the region of transmission control. Operations

exchange which served as the switching centre

telecine machines and, later, VTRs to be rolled

varied between contractors, but one example

for TV circuits. Here in the basement no less

and so on. He was assisted by the MCR engineer,

www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

52 TVBEurope

Feature a vision mixer and a sound controller. Instant starts were unknown in those days, and so careful planning about when to roll the machines for film

Hughie Green was the host of AR’s Double your Money quiz. The cut feed of the programme was telerecorded and then edited for broadcast

broadcast from the Alpha Television Studios in Birmingham. The live programme was hosted by Berkeley Smith, who was head

and VT inserts was necessary. Telecine machines

of outside broadcast at Southern Television.

required a five-second pre-roll to achieve stable

But not only did he present the programme,

image and sound, while VTR required at least 15

he also directed it.

seconds to produce a usable signal.

The programme originated from the

Coping with commercial breaks was an intense

production gallery where Smith would not only introduce the next OB by talking to camera three

normal top of the hour sequence might include

located next to the monitor stack, but would also

a commercial break of two and a half minutes (on film), station ident (on a different telecine), a seven-second commercial (again on film), a live clock with live announcer and then cut to the next programme. And all had to be cued and timed to the second to meet network commitments. Lots of cue dots all over the place.

Maybe Channel in a Box has some merits,

Pic © ITV/REX Shutterstock

affair and required deep concentration. A

be cueing it as well.

The next 60 So, what will the next 60 years hold? In 1955, it is doubtful that many of those pioneers would have envisaged tapeless technology, or a multitude of satellites in geo-stationary positions that allow instant

after all. Then, of course, there was how to

created by using a ‘half mix’ on the vision mixer –

access to news around the globe or the

place credits and captions over live material.

with varying degrees of success when it came to

whole host of other innovations that have

Those early days were pre-keying technology

reading the words.

been developed. With that in mind, it will be a brave person who will predict what

and credits were created by superimposing the output of a camera focused on the card

Doubling up

readers of TVBEurope will be poring over in

mounted or a roller caption of another showing

Multitasking is not a modern invention.During the

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September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 55

Forum

Sounding out the experts In the second audio forum of the year, Philip Stevens talks to several foremost sources about issues facing the sound side of broadcasting

A

udio consoles often appear as

Jünger Audio; MC Patel, CEO, Emotion Systems;

the glamorous part of the

Tuomo Tolonen, Shure UK’s pro audio and

broadcasting chain. But, of

broadcast group manager; Lee Ellison, CEO,

course, there is far more involved in sound

Audinate; Matthias Exner, Audio-Technica’s

reproduction than mixing desks. So, what

business development director EMEA; Andreas

are these ‘other’ topics?

Hildebrand, senior product manager at ALC

We asked Larry Schindel, senior applications

NetworX (Ravenna); and Achim Gleissner, head of

engineer for Linear Acoustic; Anthony Wilkins,

commercial management broadcast and media

international sales and marketing manager,

at Sennheiser for their input.

www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

56 TVBEurope

Forum Broadcasters’ demands when it comes to collecting metadata

According to Larry Schindel, senior applications

Reference Level) and the dynamic range

engineer for Linear Acoustic, the most important,

compression information.

Since its creation, metadata has been used,

and commonly used, metadata describes the

misused, set properly, improperly, or simply left at

number of channels contained in an audio

such as the type of stereo downmix to

the default values. It is often misunderstood, yet it

stream, the average loudness of a programme

perform when necessary, gain of the centre and

is key to getting modern audio correct.

(sometimes called dialnorm or Program

surround channels when downmixing, whether

“Other metadata exists for information

a two channel programme is a stereo mix or has been surround encoded, copyright information and so on.”

Schindel goes on to say that where metadata really starts to get interesting is when emerging audio technologies are discussed. “A new type of metadata is starting to be deployed which signals the measured loudness of an audio programme and indicates whether or not the audio has been corrected. Newer, more intelligent, loudness processors will be able to read this metadata and know whether they should process the audio as normal or just let it pass through. The result of this will be audio that sounds less compressed, more natural, and correctly at the target level.”

“I like to compare this mic and the processing unit to the human ears and the brain. The ears are also just stereo, and the brain turns their signals into 3D” Achim Gleissner, Sennheiser

Next generation TV audio systems will include object-based audio and/or immersive audio, and will utilise other new types of metadata. In some cases, each sound is considered to be its own

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audio ‘object’ with positional metadata or other metadata attached to it.

“This will facilitate transmitting the mix elements such as the ‘bed’ mix and dialogue channels, individually, and then having the next generation DTV receiver mix the audio together based on a combination of the producer’s intent, the viewer’s preferences, and the configuration of the viewer’s audio system.”

He goes on, “Before you panic and think you’re about to lose control of your audio mix,

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broadcasters will be able to author the metadata in such a way that viewers are provided with some fixed and pre-selected choices to optimise their experience.

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 57

Forum

Main image: Cable TV Show Poker Night in America makes full use of digital audio networking. Above, left to right: Achim Gleissner, Sennheiser; Andreas Hildebrand, Ravenna; Anthony Wilkins, Jünger Audio; Larry Schindel, Linear Acoustic; and Lee Ellison, Audinate

Audio monitoring for HDTV broadcast

position is appropriate. A monitoring control

As Wilkins points out, audio for HDTV broadcast

unit that allows individual speaker level and

is often encoded into either AC3 (Dolby Digital)

According to Anthony Wilkins, international sales

EQ is ideal for this.” Another vital element is the

or E-AC3 (Dolby Digital Plus) and this introduces

and marketing manager, Jünger Audio, when

perceived loudness level in order to ‘comply’

another consideration: metadata. “When the

it comes to creating audio for HDTV broadcast,

with the relevant local standard. This requires the

bitstream arrives at the end user’s decoder,

a good starting point should be the subjective

use of loudness measurement based on ITU.R

metadata parameters determine some of the

quality of the mix itself. “In order to reliably and

BS.1770-3 with its in-built K weighting and relative

behaviours of the decoder and how it affects the

repeatedly judge this, along with your preferred

gating to give a reliable reading in LUFS/LKFS to

reproduced audio. DRC is a selectable Dynamic

set of monitors, a correctly calibrated listening

check that the programme loudness is in line with

Range Control profile that will apply a pre-

environment should be considered essential.

the target value. “Equally important is to monitor

determined amount of compression to match

When mixing TV content, general consensus

the loudness range of the mix, which should be

wider dynamic range content to equipment

suggests that a measured level of 79dB SPL –

maintained at a level appropriate for the final

less capable of reproducing the full range. HDTV

using C-Weighted Pink Noise – at the mixing

destination of the content.”

broadcast is often accompanied by 5.1 Surround

www.tvbeurope.com August 2015

58 TVBEurope

Forum Audio, but many consumers will be watching on equipment that can only reproduce Stereo audio.

DOWNMIX instructs the decoder how to distribute the six channels of audio across the available two, while DIALNORM implements a scaling factor that normalises all audio output to a level equivalent to -31dBFS. This should ensure that all programmes are perceived at a consistent loudness level, but it is dependent on the actual programme loudness and DIALNORM values matching. All of the above means that there are multiple opportunities for inaccurate metadata parameters to cause unwanted audio effects and a method of verifying the values before broadcast would be advantageous.”

Rush Street Productions has benefitted from the higher channel capacity, streamlined cabling and simplified set up and tear down associated with digital audio networking for its Poker Night in America programme

Loudness yesterday, today and tomorrow The fundamental challenge of loudness control has not changed much over the years. The aim is to enable the audience to enjoy the full

Microphone technology: The importance of wireless

of our microphone capsules, there is only so

broadcast standards.

“In the past, many television adverts and promos

Microphones are the first contact with the

of governments when it comes to spectrum

have been mixed to push hard on the allowable

audio source, which means quality and

allocation. We can raise awareness – as Shure

peak levels, which removes the dynamics and

reliability are imperative.

has done through the recent ‘Losing Your Voice’

dynamic range that’s in compliance with

gives a lifeless, but loud and intrusive result,”

much influence we can impose on the agenda

“Every component of a microphone needs

campaign – but ultimately money talks.” Ten

maintains MC Patel, CEO of Emotion Systems.

to be meticulously designed, built, and tested,”

years ago, Shure recognised the importance

“The consequence has been commercials that

emphasises Tuomo Tolonen, Shure UK’s pro audio

of spectrum efficiency, and this sparked an

are far higher in volume than the programmes

and broadcast group manager. “Thankfully,

ambitious R&D project to develop the world’s

they sandwich. Perhaps the creators forgot that

we as wired microphone manufacturers have

most complete wireless system.

we have a mute button on our remotes!”

comprehensive control over the design and build

In October 2014, the UK’s Digital Production Partnership (DPP) approved a common file delivery specification which requires compliance

The result is the Axient Wireless Management

of our products: the results are predictable, and

System. Axient pioneered a range of new-to-the-

destiny is in our hands.”

world technologies – partly centred on the needs

Wireless microphones, however, are a

of engineers, but also offering exceptional RF

to EBU 128 based Programme Loudness. That

different matter, and with so many units now in

performance through features such as automatic

meant instead of measuring the peak level of

operation across live performance, broadcast,

interference detection and avoidance. “While

audio, measurements are taken for the average

and even corporate installation, it is as important

initially limited to our flagship Axient system, our

level as specified by the standard, and similar

to focus on this technology as it is microphone

intent was always to replicate these features –

variants for the USA and other countries.

capsule design.

wherever possible – throughout the entire Shure

“Emotion has provided Programme Loudness

Unfortunately, the sharp increase in wireless

wireless portfolio. Subsequently, many of the

measurement and correction to all global

microphone and in-ear monitor systems has

advanced wireless technology features

audio standards for a number of years and

correlated with an increase in demand for

originally exclusive

our algorithm is designed to allow Programme

RF spectrum by the mobile phone industry.

to Axient are

Loudness and True Peak Correction without

Increasingly, the trend has been to allocate

now

changing the creative mix,” says Patel.

more and more spectrum for use by mobile

The current challenge in Loudness control is to

data services, which leaves the broadcast

provide good quality audio on second screens

industry in a precarious situation. “In a nutshell,

such as tablets and mobiles, as well as for radio

changes to allocation over recent years have

where the ambient sound levels are high and the

left us with less spectrum, higher wireless

speakers often quite poor.

channel counts and the possibility of

“We’re monitoring this closely and are

also sharing with further users,” laments

keenly interested in how we might solve new

Tolonen. “The risk of interference has

broadcast challenges for all media. Our future

greatly increased, and for live events in

goal in a world of manifold devices and delivery

particular, the consequences can often be

mechanisms is to give the listener a satisfying

substantial. To put it quite bluntly, when an event

experience, regardless of the way they gain

like The Voice goes live, that mic had better

access to it.”

work.” He continues, “Unlike the production

The ATND971 was the first wired microphone to transmit audio and control data together over Audinate’s Dante network

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

60 TVBEurope

Forum found across our portfolio, right down to our

“In most cases, audio-over-IP displaces heavy,

consumer level options.”

expensive analogue or multicore cabling with

Given the uncertainty of a congested RF

low-cost Cat5e, Cat6 or fibre-optic cable. This

landscape, having a spectrally efficient

equates to a simple, lightweight and economical

wireless system is essential – no matter what

solution that accelerates return on investment

the budget. “Everybody, including the mobile

through reduced labour and infrastructure.”

industry, needs to recognise that spectrum is a

Ellison says the industry should think hours,

finite resource. If we’re not responsible, we’ll

instead of days, for installation or production

eventually run out.”

setups. “That same streamlined fibre or network cable architecture can easily transport multiple

The benefits of audio over IP for TV broadcast and production

channels of audio from one to many points:

The transition from legacy to IT architectures

broadcasters managing signals across many

in the broadcast plant has quickly evolved

live feeds, production tasks and more. Using an

from concept to reality. From the digitisation

advanced digital audio networking technology

of the control room to gradual facility-wide IP

such as Dante from Audinate, a broadcaster can

transitions, today’s TV operation is in the midst of

easily establish a channel count that can quickly

changes that are transforming – and simplifying –

scale to over 500 bi-directional channels on a

broadcast and production workflows now

single cable, and thousands of channels in the

and into the future.

facility, all connected and easily routed over

But those changes are just as viable on the

increasingly a requirement for multichannel

an IP network.” He says that technologies like

audio side. Broadcasters are increasingly looking

Dante further excel over MADI by evolving from

to audio-over-IP as a low-cost, high-performance

point-to-point limitations to unlimited multipoint

attraction for broadcast and production

means of moving multichannel, low-latency

freedom. All the connections in Dante can

companies like Microsoft Production Studios. This

audio signals over the facility’s central IT network.

be managed from a centralised computer,

facility has gradually transitioned to a facility-wide

as the connections are logical. “Benefits such

Dante network, starting with sound design and

through an ability to use existing network

as flexibility in routing, multichannel capacity,

mixing and evolving to cross all audio production,

infrastructure,” states Lee Ellison, CEO, Audinate.

intuitive control, are among the points of

post and intercom applications. The low-latency,

“The cost savings are immediately recognised

multichannel capacity has even grown to signal contribution over Microsoft’s SkypeTX, using Dante to bring interview feeds into live broadcasts distributed to cable TV outlets and stores.

While the low-latency benefits of digital audio networks cannot be understated for the studio, field broadcasters like Rush Street Productions have benefitted from the higher channel capacity, streamlined cabling and simplified set up and tear down associated with digital audio

Matthias Exner, Audio-Technica

MC Patel, Emotion Systems

networking. These benefits have simplified work

Tuomo Tolonen, Shure UK

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September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 61

Forum green/red LED surround. Matthias Exner, Audio-

Dante-enabled products. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Originally compatible

Technicaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business development director EMEA

with Symetrixâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SymNet Composer v3.0, which

reports that the increasing interest around and

allowed native integration of Audio-Technica

requirement for networked audio has meant

network audio products, both the ATND971 and

continuing developments in compatibility for

ATND8677 are now supported by Biamp Systems

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AVX wireless microphone systems for cameras remove the need to licence the system on the cable TV show Poker Night in America, where the company uses a lightweight, Dante-

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enabled audio ďŹ&#x201A;ypack to distribute 26 channels

Full-featured intercom control on mobile devices.

of audio at low latency.

Got remote crew members spread over a wide production area? Working with visiting production teams that need intercom access? Need to cue remote talents and RSHUDWLRQDO WHDPV LQ WKH Ä&#x2020;HOG RYHU ,)%"

The Dante network for the programme captures all audio tracks in synchronisation with video feeds, which are then mixed for the local PA system and a live webstream. With all multichannel audio routing and management happening across the Cat5e infrastructure, labour and equipment costs for live production

6LPSO\ HTXLS \RXU WHDP ZLWK $JHQW ,& RQ WKHLU L3KRQHV RU L3DGV :LWKLQ PLQXWHV WKH\ FDQ GRZQORDG $JHQW ,& connect to your Eclipse-HX system and communicate with an easy-to-use intercom client.

Developments in third-party compatibility for Dante-enabled microphones

$JHQW ,& DFWV DV D IXOO\ IHDWXUHG LQWHUFRP SDQHO ZLWK ORJLF WULJJHULQJ 377 ORFDO FURVV SRLQW FRQWURO DQG QRWLÄ&#x2020;FDWLRQV ,W LQFOXGHV D FRPSUHKHQVLYH VHW RI LQWHUFRP PRGHV LQFOXGLQJ SRLQW WR SRLQW SRLQW WR PXOWL SRLQW SDUW\OLQH DQG ,)% 7KH DSS LV KLJKO\ VHFXUH ZLWK SDVVFRGH FRQWUROOHG system access using NSA-approved audio encryption.

Audio-Technica entered the network audio

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are minimised.

market in June 2014 with the launch of the ATND971, the ďŹ rst wired microphone to transmit audio and control data together over Audinateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dante network protocol. Powered by PoE, the ATND971 boundary mic features a programmable user switch to control devices on the network and a red/green LED status indicator.

Later, Audio-Technica released the ATND8677 microphone desk stand, which allows the use of existing gooseneck mic inventories to be added to Dante audio networks. GPIO-over-Dante enabled control â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a new network feature developed speciďŹ cally with AudioTechnica â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is among the beneďŹ ts of the ATND8677, which also features a capacitive switch and

&RS\ULJKW k &OHDU &RP //& $OO ULJKWV UHVHUYHG p &OHDU &RP LV D UHJLVWHUHG WUDGHPDUN RI +0 (OHFWURQLFV ,QF

www.tvbeurope.com September 2014

62 TVBEurope

Forum Tesira v2.3 software and Bose ControlSpace

driven by social media, and encompasses

technology which plugs directly into an

Designer software v4.3.”

both the production and consumption sides.

iOS device. This is the probably the most

The traditional TV broadcast is increasingly

portable broadcasting mic solution we

incorporated into a Tesira system to provide

supplemented by on-demand content which

currently have on offer.”

quick audio and control signal setup. In addition

can be watched everywhere and at any time.”

The ATND971 microphone can be

to normal audio input controls, the integrated

Gleissner maintains that the microphone

The second major trend is surround audio in broadcast productions, and the need to

processing block allows for predetermined

technology used at the production end

achieve surround sound in a cost-effective and

button and LED behaviours, as well as the option

reflects this development, and its ‘bandwidth’

technically easy way.

to control both completely discretely. Each

has become much wider. “You will find

processing block for the ATND series can accept

expert broadcast teams, who use Sennheiser

would like to use existing infrastructure, and

multiple microphone inputs, so individual units

professional equipment, but also small ‘one-man

cameramen definitely have other things to worry

with the same control configuration only need to

shows’, who handle everything on their own

about than quality surround sound capture. The

be configured in Tesira once. “Ease of integration

and usually do not come from the audio side of

Sennheiser solution for this field of application is

and interoperability will be huge drivers and

things. For these users, Sennheiser has recently

Esfera, which uses a compact, easy-to-use stereo

in the long term I think processing systems will

launched a series of new products.”

microphone to do the job.”

cease to exist and algorithms will run on normal computers – specialist DSP will fade,” states Exner.

AVX wireless microphone systems for

“On location, production companies

These two channels are upmixed in the Esfera

cameras remove the need to license the

processing unit anywhere in the production

system, to look for a suitable transmission

workflow, creating a realistic surround sound.

Where next for microphone technology in the TV world?

frequency, and to create settings required to

While upmixes with other algorithms result in

ensure reliable communication between the

sound problems when a 5.1 broadcast is heard

“There are two major trends we are currently

transmitter and the receiver.

on a stereo device, Esfera will deliver the stereo

witnessing in broadcasting,” states Achim

“For small productions, and as a tool for instant

image it recorded. “I like to compare this mic

Gleissner, head of commercial management

news gathering, there is the MKE 2 digital. This is

and the processing unit to the human ears and

broadcast and media at Sennheiser. “First

a professional-quality Sennheiser mic powered

the brain. The ears are also just stereo, and the

is the democratisation of content, which is

by Apogee’s award-winning A/D conversion

brain turns their signals into 3D.”

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www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

64 TVBEurope

Data Centre

The future of video: Mobile is becoming the majority Caitlin Spaan, VP marketing, Ooyala

screens than before, which make anywhere,

meet the needs of viewers, content providers

anytime viewing more enjoyable and are

and broadcasters. What’s behind some of

driving increased mobile video consumption.

the challenges with mobile, and how will they

Developers are also producing new apps and

be surmounted?

ideo is an ever-evolving market, and

V

content designed to drive viewer engagement

as viewers we’re continually looking

and make viewing more seamless for mobile

A fragmented view

for faster and more convenient ways

devices, as well as ad delivery systems that are

It’s in advertisers’ and content owners’ best

to get the content we want. A recent Ooyala

well on their way to providing a simpler and

interests to deliver video to the largest number of

report took an in-depth look at the viewing

more personalised mobile video advertising

devices and platforms possible while ensuring a

habits of millions of individuals worldwide, and

experience. Yet mobile video still has its pitfalls: in

reliable, high-quality experience. Yet, obstacles

our research has us convinced that video

fact 60 per cent of all mobile video suffers from

exist. Though it may sound simple to take a

viewing on mobile devices is going to make

quality issues, device fragmentation continues

single video clip and repurpose it for playback

up more than half of all views by 2016. That’s

to dog mobile app developers and advertisers

on multiple devices, a lack of standards means

not surprising given ongoing advances in

are still waiting for effective mobile viewing

developers have to create a different version

the mobile ecosystem. Manufacturers are

measures. Clearly, we need more than a little

for each device – a challenge to say the least.

developing tablets and smartphones with bigger

sleight of hand for mobile video to more fully

Android devices are especially problematic.

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

TVBEurope 65

Data Centre OpenSignal reported that this year developers

measurement standards haven’t yet caught up

consumption, and by extension, advertising.

needed to account for at least 18,796 different

with the mobile ecosystem.

Forward-thinking developers, content providers

Android devices, a 60 per cent increase from the

and advertisers will do well to look past

prior year. The bottom line is that fragmentation

Coming attractions

today’s obstacles and envision the world in

is a fact of life for mobile devices that’s not

Evidence does point to a future in which mobile

which mobile video viewing will be as easy

going to be resolved any time soon. Publishers

will become the main act in video and TV

as saying ‘Abracadabra’.

and content providers need to get creative and find solutions to address the issues inherent in fragmentation. Fortunately, we’ve seen some progress, with the introduction of SDKs and applications that let developers work around native players and deliver high quality video playback across a variety of devices.

Just browsing?

The common thinking is that if users are interested in your content, they will install your application.

But the fact remains that there are also a lot of folks browsing on mobile devices and coming across content serendipitously. That leaves smaller providers faced with the choice of where and how to invest in mobile video delivery. If they choose to invest in an application, there still remains the question of which device to design for. Screen size, inputs and user interfaces vary dramatically across devices and require very different approaches. The good news is that analytics are improving all the time and will help push targeted content to viewers.

Going forward, content discovery and personalised experiences may help eliminate the ‘either/or’ conundrum.

The long and short of it Yahoo and other publishers are betting that viewers will increasingly turn to their mobile devices to watch mainstream, longer form content; Yahoo launched Yahoo! Screen, an offering that makes all its video content available through a mobile app, in hopes of drawing viewers and advertisers. Meanwhile an app, TabletTV now lets users of Android tablets watch and record Freeview content. Separately, EE is building a partnership to deliver a mobile video distribution network for the UK as part of the company’s Mobile Video Alliance (MVA).

But how do providers really know where to place their bets? While our recent data shows that 53 per cent of the time spent viewing videos on mobile was spent watching long form content, that leaves the other half watching short form content. Providers need to know what’s being watched and when. For example, if I’m a video provider should I serve ads prior to the start of programming, or in the middle? What happens to viewing habits if I created content that’s a little longer? Unfortunately the answers to those questions aren’t easily found because

www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

66 TVBEurope

Data Centre

Television’s evolution

By Steffen Sorell, research analyst, Juniper Research

he television industry is currently witnessing

T

another evolutionary stage in its long and varied history. The growing popularity

of watching and sharing TV online has meant that viewing video content online has also become a much more widespread activity in many people’s lives, particularly the younger demographic.

Recent years have seen a shift away from the traditional method of viewing TV via broadcast services. Instead users have shown a much greater demand for content as VoD, which allows them to watch their favourite shows when and where they want.

Market shift: TV goes OTT In meeting the demands of today’s television consumer, nothing appeals more than OTT services, many of which offer live streaming, PPV

The television industry is currently witnessing another evolutionary stage in its long and varied history

(pay-per-view) videos, DTO (download-to-own), and VoD, often provided on a subscription basis.

Connected devices to aid OTT growth

‘Juniper Research forecasts that over 84 per cent of OTT subscriptions will be made via connected TVs by 2019’

Juniper Research forecasts that over 84 per cent of OTT subscriptions will be made via connected TVs by 2019. Previously ‘dumb’ TVs will see an upsurge in becoming ‘connected’ due to the cost-effectiveness of devices such as Chromecast, and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick, as

OTT providers offer consumers content through

well as the high uptake of games consoles and

a multitude of portable devices. Much of this

STBs which provide preloaded services. This is in

content avoids the traditional ‘linear’ release

contrast to smart TVs which currently offer poor

pattern aiding to a growing consumer trend

operating systems and user interfaces.

The past year has seen the TV industry

towards ‘binge-watching’ TV and video, whereby users will view multiple episodes, and

entire series released on launch day, rather than

witness a wealth of new OTT and VoD services

sometimes an entire TV series in one sitting.

the traditional method of individual episodes

launch; we recently saw NVIDIA make a

broadcast via a scheduled basis.

concerted effort to also gain traction in this

The release window poses a dilemma for both content providers (for example, the big

OTT services have been viewed as most

space with the launch of its Shield device which

Hollywood studios) and service providers like

established in North America and West Europe.

looks to target both the STB and games console

Netflix and Hulu, who know consumers expect

Juniper expects continued growth in the North

market at once.

content as soon as possible in a form which is

American market will see it remain as the leading

easy for them to watch, where and when they

region in terms of subscriber numbers, but by

have access to the Google Play Store, as well

like. Netflix to some extent has influenced this

2019 it will be closely followed by the Far East,

as applications on the device for OTT services

trend with the release of its original programing,

as this region emerges with new services and

such as Netflix and Hulu. And for gaming, NVIDIA

such as Orange is the New Black, seeing the

increased consumer interest.

provides its Grid delivery system.

In terms of TV and video, Shield owners will

www.tvbeurope.com September 2015

68 TVBEurope

Data Centre Network operators seek solutions There has been some movement to act to counter the OTT threat on the traditional broadcaster’s part, with Verizon offering ‘slimmed’ TV packages, and HBO providing its own OTT service HBO Now. Verizon’s offering means that consumers can choose to purchase a cable subscription without any sports channels included, making it popular with consumers who want cheaper packages, but hugely unpopular with sporting networks who see a large share of their revenue from programmatic advertising.

years. Netflix added its 4K offering to its highest priced subscription package last year, showing

4K to drive OTT uptake Even with this attempt by TV incumbents to claw consumers back, Juniper forecasts subscription OTT services to do markedly well over the next four years, largely aided by the

belief that consumers are willing to pay for higher

‘In meeting the demands of today’s television consumer, nothing appeals more than OTT services’

uptake of 4K services.

Whilst key players such as Netflix and YouTube

quality content, while OTT providers are gaining recognition as being first to supply viewers with content in this new format. Meanwhile, 4K TVs will continue to become more affordable, accelerating hardware take-up.

Juniper Research forecasts that subscriptions

have launched 4K services, adoption of 4K

OTT TV providers such as Netflix will generate

content has been slow thus far. Juniper is

$31.6 billion by 2019, up from just under

predicting this to change over the next two

$8 billion in 2014.

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70 TVBEurope

Data Centre

Global pay-TV market to exceed one billion by 2017

By Robin Flynn, senior analyst and research director, and Mohammed Hamza, TV and video analyst, SNL Kagan

subscribers. North America has the highest pay-

markets across Europe, with Sky TV, for example,

TV penetration regionally, followed by eastern

reporting that around 40 per cent of Now TV subs

Europe and Asia.

also take Netflix and 20 per cent take Amazon.

Multichannel subscribers in western Europe are currently projected to grow from 108.1 million

com’s Prime Instant Video.

Our data shows that broadband households

in 2014 to 117.2 million by 2022. The greatest

exceed multichannel households in the leading

he global pay-TV market is projected to

T

expansion will come in IPTV services, thanks to

markets of France, Germany and the UK, with

grow from more than 900 million subscribers

the continued investment and development

the growing gap a focus for pay-TV operators.

in 2014 to 1.21 billion by 2022, while Europe

by telcos such as Orange in France, British

The aggressive rollout of triple- and quad-play

will likely comprise 117.2 million subs by that year,

Telecom in the UK and Spain’s Telefonica.

services in France has limited the difference,

according to SNL Kagan data.

Subscribers served by cable MSOs are expected

but the gap is expected to increase over time.

to decline slightly over this time period as a

Aggressive bundling also now characterises the

of global subs in 2022, as it did in 2014, while

result of increased competition from other

UK market, with BT and TalkTalk Telecom Group

cable TV is expected to continue to serve more

multichannel operators – IPTV and DTH – as well

rolling out innovative bundles to compete with

subscribers than either direct-to-home or IPTV

as the growth of online video alternatives taking

Virgin Media, which has achieved 90 per cent

worldwide, although the latter two platforms will

share in some markets.

penetration of its triple/quad-play homes. In fact,

Asia should contribute the largest number

continue to experience significant growth over the coming years.

However, operators across Europe are

in the UK there are few signs of cord cutting, with

responding to streaming competition with the

We estimate that there were more than 582

expansion of TV Everywhere and over-the- top

ample room still existing for pay-TV growth.

Cable and DTH operators in the UK market are

million cable TV subs globally at year-end 2014,

services of their own. For example, Sky’s Now TV

achieving a growing penetration of connected

dwarfing the 207 million DTH subs and 109 million

and Modern Times Group’s Viaplay are keeping

devices, which is driving revenue growth from

IPTV subscribers. Some of the largest cable TV/

customers within those companies’ suite of

new products and services. Cable still has the

IPTV operators are in China — including the

products even if those customers opt for only

competitive edge with high-speed broadband,

largest of any kind, the IPTV operator China

the streaming services.

while DTH provider and market pay-TV leader

Telecom with more than 29 million subs. Comcast

Operators across Europe such as the UK’s

Sky targets a broad reach of services and

Corp in the US is the world’s largest cable

Virgin Media, France’s Numericable–SFR,

premium exclusive content, with a big

operator with 22.4 million subs as of 31 March.

Germany’s Deutsche Telekom AG, Denmark’s

investment in originals. IPTV players TalkTalk and

The US is also home to the largest DTH provider

Waoo! and Sweden’s Com Hem have integrated

BT have been focusing in part on alleviating

in the world, DIRECTV, with 20.4 million subs as

Netflix into their set- top boxes. There is a notable

price pressure via bundles to gain market share,

of the end of March, with Dish TV India taking

overlap between Netflix subs and other OTT

and they have achieved some success in selling

the number two spot at more than 15.8 million

services as well as pay-TV services in some

smaller TV bouquets.

(mil.)

Cable

DTH

IPTV

Pay-DTT

Other

(%)

Pay-TV Penetration

1,400

64 63%

1,200 1,000

908.9

1,035.9

995.1

953.3

61%

63%

1,110.7

1,075.0

62% 61%

1,143.5

1,175.7

1,208.3

63 62 61 60

800 59% 600 400

63%

58% 57%

59 58 57 56

200 0

55 54

Booth

8.B41

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TVBEurope Supplements

September 2015

PREVENTING CHURN

101

Video intelligence

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Video analytics what you don’t know will hurt you Kurt Michel, senior marketing director at video assurance specialist IneoQuest, examines the role of OTT and multiscreen in today’s environment, and the increasing importance of video analytics OTT and multiscreen in today’s environment

writers, producers and directors by giving them the creative freedom to produce incredibly

he role of OTT and multiscreen is increas-

T

compelling original content. And viewers are

ing in importance every day. In fact, for

being asked to vote. Viewers, in particular binge

younger generations, it is almost the way

viewers, are discovering programmes in the OTT

of consuming. Over time, we won’t distinguish a

environment that they were overlooking when

television set from what we call ‘digital devices’.

broadcast in the traditional linear fashion.

They will all simply be ‘devices’.

The industry has really turned a corner as the

So if content availability is not an issue, what is?

I believe it’s the quality of the viewer experience.

predominant revenue model continues to pivot

What the industry needs is an awareness of the

from ad revenue to subscription revenue. In my

quality issues that viewers are still dealing with

mind, this became a tipping point in the industry,

and an understanding of that in the context of

Kurt Michel

when many content providers realised that they absolutely had to have a digital OTT presence.

Interestingly, this is putting more pressure on the broadcast side of things, because there is an increasing opportunity for churn as existing barriers to switching providers have lowered. In the past, if I signed up for a cable subscription, I would sign a long-term contract and make a commitment to that provider for an extended period of time. In contrast, now I have the oppor-

‘If you really want actionable insights, to know what individual viewers are watching and why, you need visibility, transparency and above all, intelligence about what is happening to content at every link in the video delivery chain’

tunity to pay for content on a monthly basis. If I’m

ty is in subscriptions and the associated revenue. And a reliable, broadly accepted third-party Nielsen analogue – a basic foundation of an ad-supported monetisation system – does not yet exist.

It’s not that Nielsen, along with others, isn’t trying to do that. By way of example, after a significant event such as a World Cup or Super Bowl, when the numbers are announced by the rights holder/broadcaster the next day – ‘Oh

not happy with my online service provider, I can

this was a huge game, a huge event and we

easily switch: immediately. I can take advantage

the OTT space. For example, if you think of the

had, in the case of the Super Bowl here in the

of a 30-day free trial, and if I’m not happy with

business of television, the currency, the standard

US, 110 or 112 million viewers who watched on

that, I can go to another 30-day free trial. Add

that drove that business was ‘viewership’ and

broadcast television’ – that number is

the number of content providers coming into the

ratings. There was third-party validation, such as

established by Nielsen and everybody agrees

mix, and the fact that there are only so many

Nielsen ratings, to indicate how many people

on and understands what that means. Then they

viewers out there, and it’s easy to see that cus-

were watching what in certain demographics,

say, ‘and we also broke the record of having 2.3

tomer churn is a huge concern in the industry.

so the industry could establish advertising pricing

million unique visitors over IP, based on our

based on those ratings. Content providers could

measurements.’

Improving the multiscreen experience, reducing viewer churn

make decisions on whether or not they would renew a programme for the following year based

ad-driven business model similar to that of

One of the fascinating dynamics in the OTT

on this same viewership currency.

broadcast television, they need the visibility and

space is that providers such as Netflix and Amazon are attracting some of the industry’s best

Not so in OTT and multiscreen. In the OTT space, the primary measure of content populari-

If the OTT industry is going to support an

transparency that only an objective third party can provide. We simply are not there yet.

September 2015

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Video intelligence and quality of experience If you find you have a quality issue, you need to be able to identify the root cause. The root cause is the answer to the ‘why’ questions, and finding that answer is the real challenge. And you can’t get that by just using measurement software in the player. You also need to understand the quality of content (QoC); whether the content coming from your origin looks good and is packaged properly (in dozens of different variations) to deliver to all those end users on their different devices and networks. Next up in the distribution chain is the actual delivery of the video packets. Measurements in this area are referred to as quality of service (QoS), and since the demands of video streams are much higher and require more bandwidth than pretty much anything else in a network, the importance of a solid QoS perspective cannot be overstated.

Finally, information can be gathered at the end device for both QoS and the resulting viewer response. By collecting and correlating the information collected across the distribution system, true understanding of the viewers’ quality of experience (QoE) can be gained, and the video business leaders can find the answers to the nearly infinite number of ‘why’ questions that are needed to effectively drive their businesses.

Quality: an end-to-end game If you really want actionable insights, to know what individual viewers are watching and why, Viewership validation is one area where I think OTT needs to catch up to broadcast, but it’s important to note that OTT viewership numbers require some critical context to have the same kind of weight as Nielsen ratings. That context is the quality of the viewer experience. Traditional broadcast leverages a purpose-built network, made expressly for video content, which is much

you need visibility, transparency and above all,

‘Without understanding the quality issues, without understanding that the viewers were experiencing re-buffering or poor picture quality, without that context, the viewership numbers are not meaningful’

less complex than multiscreen OTT. This OTT distri-

intelligence about what is happening to content at every link in the video delivery chain. Every step, from where it originated, throughout the entire network, and ultimately to each individual device’s playback software, contributes to the quality of the experience. Traditional broadcast networks built in this capability. It is part of the ‘broadcast quality’ foundation.

bution complexity adds quality risk which the in-

OTT has a vast opportunity to meet the de-

dustry continues to wrestle with. And that means

mands of global viewers. Those demands are

that viewership numbers must be filtered through

And if so, why? Maybe it was because

driving the industry faster than many expected.

a ‘delivered quality’ lens. As an example, if

a poorly packaged advertisement was

But if we are to achieve a level of quality and

you’re a content provider collecting real-time

inserted into the stream, and it created

reliability that approaches the gold standard of

viewership numbers – made possible through

playback issues. Or maybe some part of

‘broadcast’ in the complexity of an unmanaged,

digital distribution – you can see that you have

the network started behaving badly and

multivendor distribution ecosystem, the concept

a million viewers; but then half way through the

the picture started to pause or become

of end-to-end analytics with clear demarcation

event or content you lose 25 per cent of them.

blocky, or ‘pixelated’, making the

points and key quality indicators must be em-

Something is wrong. But what is wrong? Why did

content unwatchable.

braced. And those key quality indicators and the

they abandon? Why did you lose them? Did

Without understanding the quality issues,

knowledge gained would be made accessible

the audience lose interest in the content, or did

without understanding that the viewers were

to the video business operators, resulting in a true

the playback quality degrade? Did they switch

experiencing re-buffering or poor picture

‘currency of quality’. And in this case, that knowl-

off, or drop due to buffer issues? Did you lose a

quality, without that context, the viewership

edge truly is the power that will propel the OTT

certain region, or local network, or device type?

numbers are not meaningful.

industry to ‘broadcast quality’ and beyond.

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OTT and video quality Where content, complexity and viewer expectations collide TVBEurope spoke to three major players in the OTT end-to-end video distribution space: senior management from Elemental Technologies, representing video processing and origin services; Akamai Technologies, representing the content delivery network; and VisualOn, representing device video player technologies.

Each gave their perspective on how the industry can drive toward the broadcast-quality viewer experience their audiences expect in the brave new world of OTT, and the role that ecosystem partners play in that growth. he OTT industry is being propelled forward

T

in order for the system to deliver on the enor-

at a rate that few, if any, in the industry

mous business promise of OTT video.

viewer demands, and the industry has respond-

TVBEurope: “Consumers don’t stand still. We

ed with new innovations in compression and

must meet their expectations, and the only way

delivery, faster device development, and an

to do that is via a software-defined video (SDV)

explosion of available content.

approach that allows the industry to change at

expected. It is being driven primarily by

Meanwhile, viewer expectations for quality, set over 50 years by the broadcast industry,

Keith Wymbs of Elemental Technologies told

the speed of viewer demand.”

Deepak Das of VisualOn noted that there is a

present an enormous challenge for the online

“shared responsibility of everyone in the ecosys-

video sector. OTT is also trying to address some

tem to create appropriate handoff mechanisms

of the same challenges that the broadcast

with specific criteria to handle the complexity of

industry faced over that half-century, but in less

the OTT delivery system.”

than a decade. For example, the functional silos in the traditional distribution network have been supplanted by multiple vendors providing services together in the unmanaged media distribution path. In addition, consumer driven growth continues. According to Ray Gilmartin of Akamai Technologies, publisher of the State

Deepak Das, senior director of marketing VisualOn, Inc., a multimedia software company that enables video and audio across connected devices

‘Viewer expectations for quality, set over 50 years by the broadcast industry, present an enormous challenge for the online video sector’

Keith Wymbs chief marketing officer Elemental Technologies, the leading supplier of software-defined video solutions for multiscreen content delivery

of the Internet report, “We are estimating that in order to meet the future quality expectations for OTT as video progresses to 4K and 8K, the industry will require 1000x the capacity it has today. Given this projection, the challenges are

These and other leaders in the OTT industry are

daunting to ensure the future of broadcast-like

working to improve their respective domains

experiences for OTT.”

within the streaming distribution pipeline. In-

In this context, all of them spoke to the need

creasingly, they are leveraging software-based

for a more flexible, more open multi-vendor distri-

solutions that support the rapid innovation that

bution ecosystem balanced with and defined by

has driven the success of OTT thus far. However,

clear demarcation points.

this next stage in the maturity of OTT as a viable

More importantly, however, was their unani-

business model will require greater collabora-

mous agreement on the need for open, accessi-

tion to improve video quality and consistency

ble KPIs (key performance indicators) supported

across the system as a whole. The lynchpin: an

by consistent and transparent quality measure-

agreed-upon set of standards for quality at each

ment at every one of these demarcation points

stage of the pipeline.

Ray Gilmartin senior director, product marketing, media, Akamai Technologies, the global leader in content delivery network (CDN) services

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Over the top, into the future To discuss IneoQuest’s perspective on the world of OTT, and the likely road ahead for the wider video industry, TVBEurope sat down with the company’s VP of corporate strategy, Stuart Newton

viewer devices there are multiple different types of broadband access networks; so the video could be carried via cable, xDSL, fibre (xPON), a public Wi-Fi or WiMax infrastructure, or over a mobile infrastructure using 3G, 4G or LTE. And then

How did IneoQuest become involved with the OTT sector? neoQuest [IQ] has been around for about 14

I

with video headends and across the HTTP deliv-

of course there is the domestic Wi-Fi network,

ery system to provide end-to-end monitoring of

which is often used to extend these other access

those services.

network connections within the viewer’s home.

years. We spent the first eight years producing

All of these different ‘last mile’ technologies have the potential to affect quality levels and

time we worked with the majority of the leading

What do you see as the main challenges in the OTT sector today?

telecommunication and cable companies

I like to think about this by relating back to the

controlled video delivery where everything was

around the world. Some of these companies

architecture of IPTV. If you look at the original lin-

managed by one or a few entities from the hea-

were the pioneers in adaptive streaming video

ear IPTV video delivery via broadband or cable,

dend through the core network, the broadband

deployments, and asked if we could help them

it was all end-to-end MPEG transport streams. In

pipe and out to the set-top box, to a world of

to learn why some services weren’t working.

that system, you can you look at MPEG packets

multiple different networks (the internet), vendor

all the way through the network – whether on

silos, protocols, technologies and bit rates of the

we applied the tools we had to see what we

ASI at the headend, in the IP core network or

same video stream to many, many devices. It’s

could do. We put our probes and solutions in

going over the last mile DSL, cable or whatever

a huge change that is constantly increasing the

place, put our best engineers on the problems,

it happens to be. But with HTTP-based adaptive

complexity of delivering video.

and eventually developed a new set of metrics

video, the model is completely different. The vid-

that actually started to make some kind of sense

eo starts in one original format, and is converted

out of the issues facing HTTP delivery of adaptive

into many different forms based on what device

How are you specifically addressing those challenges?

video, such as start-up problems and critical

the viewer is using, the software/apps on that de-

For the past few years, we have been applying

delivery timing of the video packets.

vice, the quality of the connection it has, and the

our understanding of packet-based video

demands of the content itself. Converting and

measurement to create tools and services

the last six years we have become a leading

managing all of these different formats, bitrates,

that provide an end-to-end perspective for

provider of service assurance and analytics

and protocols can introduce unique, complex

HTTP adaptive video streams, with a focus

solutions for adaptive media delivery quality.

problems. To complicate things further, between

on the unique needs and quality indicators

We work with the majority of the operators today

the content delivery networks (CDNs) and the

across different parts of the delivery chain.

the first video-quality assurance solutions for

IPTV and cable video deployments, and in that

Since we offered video analytics at that point,

As a result of these early collaborations, over

viewer experience.

We have basically moved from a world of

September 2015 www.tvbeurope.com

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an absolute imperative to have the ability to

rapidly performed a U-turn and refocused on

gather video analytics from the end-to-end of

operational service assurance data as a priority.

the chain of video delivery.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a huge

More recently, as the industry has matured,

learning curve for the OTT industry, resulting in

advanced customer experience management

greater focus on quality assurance. So we offer a

(CEM) is gaining increased attention. Video ser-

comprehensive analytics solution: both foun-

vice providers want to put a much stronger focus

dational service assurance tools, as well as the

on reducing churn and improving their brand

audience behavioural tools.

recognition for video delivery. To do that, they

the audience – and any individual viewer expe-

Looking to the future: where will this sector be in three to five years’ time?

rience – in real time across different geographies

It’s going to be fascinating. I don’t think the rate

based on network, device, player, and many

of innovation is going to change; potentially, it’s

other factors leads to much more efficient, timely

only going to increase. I think there are three ma-

problem resolution.

jor topics that video is going to be affected by,

need a much better view of which customers are affected and when. Being able to profile

“As a company, we’ve embraced a significant number of new technologies and capabilities in virtualisation, mobile delivery and analytics in order to prepare: it’s certainly going to be an interesting few years ahead”

and be attracted to, over the next few years.

Are broadcasters giving enough serious thought to their multiscreen services? Are they missing out on opportunities to monetise their offerings?

I think broadcasters are giving a lot of serious

The first is advanced customer experience: making sure you reduce churn, generate excellent brand awareness, and provide the best experience you can. I think real-time analytics will be key to enabling that kind of future.

Secondly, network-function virtualisation (NFV)

thought to this, and many have been playing

is going to be realistically deployed in a two to

with multiscreen services for the last few years.

five-year timescale. If video service providers

It’s evident to me from some of the services that

want to provide future services that are going

The headend or ‘origin’ is the first part to get

I’ve seen – and in conversations with colleagues

to be highly adaptable and dynamic, then NFV

right because if you don’t, every viewer will

and friends – that you get a very clear picture,

is certainly going to be employed alongside

be affected. So we started by developing OTT

very quickly, about which services are good and

software-defined networking (SDN) for video

headend solutions which can monitor and

which aren’t. You can see the broadcasters that

services. Again, real-time analytics is going to

compare the incoming and transcoded bit

have put a bigger focus on it now. Some of

be a critical part of the control and feedback

rate streams, and then we moved our focus

those broadcasters have been offering these

loop to enable that.

to the needs of publishing points, post-origin,

additional OTT/multiscreen services for free until

intra CDN, post cache, and then eventually

now, but as they improve the quality and start

casted growth of video over mobile. The mobile

produced a cloud-based active testing solution

rolling out other content, they are going to

operators deliver a lot of free OTT content today,

post CDN. Over time we have expanded these

want to charge for it.

but as the amount of premium content grows,

passive monitoring and active testing solutions,

In fact, last year I gave a presentation on mon-

On a third level, there is the enormous fore-

customer expectations will rise. Those mobile op-

and recently added the ability to collect video

etising the video experience. It was about the

erators will need the same level of visibility as the

quality analytics and viewer response from

monetisation cycle where you really need to do

traditional IPTV and cable operators to ensure

the end device’s player itself, completing our

the service assurance and ensure the delivery of

solid service delivery and SLA compliance.

portfolio’s end-to-end measurement capability

the content before you can go on to fine tuning

across the video delivery network.

the content, advertising, and providing addi-

you’re a video service provider, you will need to

These three areas are not mutually exclusive. If

tional services. And this is a dynamic problem,

be delivering HTTP-based video over mobile and

Why are video analytics a core requirement for OTT?

because as you are attracting new subscribers,

fixed infrastructures in the next several years. You

you affect the performance of the delivery infra-

will be affected in both fixed and mobile by the

Video analytics are a core requirement for any

structure. It requires awareness and infrastructure

move to NFV and SDN, and there is only going to

video delivery service, whether it’s IPTV, cable,

flexibility. And we have found over the years is

be increased pressure on customer experience

satellite, or OTT. Without them, the provider is

that the biggest concern for many operators is

management. We are evolving for all of these,

flying blind. Video will reveal issues in a network

how to deliver the video with the right quality

and have solutions to cover all three aspects as

like no other data: it is extremely time-sensitive,

consistently. Even though they want to know who

they start to converge and merge.

whether linear or adaptive. If you don’t deliver

is watching on what device in order to better

It will be an exciting future. Any one of these

video in a precise fashion to keep the end-play-

monetise, it is all a waste of time and money

topics is a huge consideration in itself. As a com-

er buffers full, viewers will get a black screen,

if the viewer’s video quality is poor. Consistent

pany, we’ve embraced a significant number of

rotating rebuffer symbol, or another fault that

delivery quality is always ‘step one’.

new technologies and capabilities in virtualis-

makes people complain (often in social media),

We have seen several content providers and

ation, mobile delivery and analytics in order to

demand their money back, or in arguably the

operators who were initially focused on obtaining

prepare: it’s certainly going to be an interesting

worst case, simply cancel their subscription. It’s

the behavioural data measurement tools who

few years ahead.

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