TVTE June 2016 by Future PLC

June 2016 I Issue 3 I Volume 34

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LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TALK VR CAMERA REVIEW:

URSA Mini 4.6K 01 TVTE June16 Cover_final.indd 1

LISTENING TO

4K BUYERS GUIDE:

The Voice UK

Transmitters 01/06/2016 15:41

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2016-02-12 08:45:49 13/05/2016 14:39

CONTENTS

CAMERA REVIEW:

Blackmagic Design’s URSA Mini 4.6K camera is here at last

FROM VR TO VOICE THIS MONTH we get a review of the longawaited Blackmagic Design URSA Mini 4.6K camera. The camera was delayed, and it was announced that it would no longer feature a promised global shutter. Christina Fox runs the camera through its paces and gives her (very positive) verdict. We take a peek into the future too, and talk to Dr. Ralf Schäfer of Berlin’s Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institut who works at the top end of VR acquisition. And Jon Schorah, founder of Nugen Audio takes us through the basics of immersive audio, and the benefits it can provide both audiences and creatives. This issue’s Buyers Guide examines transmitters and RF. Are they ready for 4K? Some say, not quite yet. But other companies already claim to offer solutions. TV Tech Europe was invited to visit the set of The Voice UK live final to see how the show’s sound team transitioned from the pre-recorded shows to the live TV spectacular at Elstree Studios - and all for the sake of the human voice, which goes to show that, without the human element, even our best tools aren’t worth a damn.

Neal Romanek Editor nromanek@nbmedia.com

4K BUYERS GUIDE: TRANSMITTERS & RF A look at the technology for RF transmission of 4K video

03 TVTE June16 Contents_final.indd 1

VR VETERAN

We interview Dr. Ralf Schäfer on shooting high-end VR

BUILDING A MEDIA FACTORY

How MAM solutions need to change in an age of automation

OPINION: DTG SUMMIT

THE VOICE UK FINALS:

We talk with the show’s sound team www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

Neal Romanek reviews the DTG Summit which took a hard look at the challenges facing TV June 2016 TVTechnology Europe

02/06/2016 13:22

COMMENTARY

File size vs. archive: The race is on The ballooning size of files makes the speedy accessing of media increasingly challenging. Chris Luther, SGL director of professional services, looks at some of the available solutions

ideo file size has always been one of the most challenging elements of a media centric file-based workflow. Part of that challenge is consumer demand for the latest formats such as HD and UHD, as well as industry demand for super slowmotion, high frame rates and uncompressed raw video file formats. This leads to a neverending race between file sizes and the available technology to store these files. A single hour of uncompressed 4K video uses over four terabytes of disk space, and until quite recently you couldn’t fit a file of this size on a single physical hard disk. Even if you could move this file over the network at 800 megabytes per second, a stretch even for 10 gigabit networking and the highest-end production storage, an editor would still have to wait 95 minutes for the full hour long file to transfer. A way around this issue is to employ a proxy workflow using a content management system that can take advantage of partial file restore (PFR). MEDIA AWARE ARCHIVE When content is ingested, a low resolution proxy file is created. An hour of proxy material at 36 megabits is 15 gigabytes. The 36 megabit highend proxy provides creatives with the ability to make accurate decisions about the direction of the project. At the time of ingest the same full resolution file can be sent to the deep archive. The deep archive system must be media aware to capture information from the media files to enable partial restore; many video file types provide streaming and random access functionality during recording. A new challenge has arisen when restoring parts of these formats from a linear medium in a media archive. This is because the all-important index (or frame lookup table) that provides file length information, etc., which is normally found at the header of the file, has to be placed at the end. There is a simple reason for this, when the file is being written to, the length is continually growing, therefore

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the index cannot be added to the file until the recording has been completed. This is what is meant by a low latency format file, which can be streamed to an editor or playout system before the end of the recording. Once the file is moved to an archive and written to a linear data tape (like LTO), in order to restore part of the clip, the beginning of the file has to be found. When no index information can be located at the start of the file, the data tape has to be read (at a slower read speed) until the

“A single hour of uncompressed 4K video uses over four terabytes of diskspace” end of the file, where the index is stored (on the basis that there is no other way to calculate the size of the clip). Once the index is retrieved, the archive management system then has to rewind the tape to the start of the clip again and move forwards (at seek rate) to the start of the portion to be restored. From there the system can begin the process of restoring the content from the archive. Even with devices capable of random access, like a SONY ODA cartridge, the goal is to avoid busying the expensive drives and network with unnecessary data movement. Another way to do this is to restore the whole clip from data tape to a random access cache

and then restore the desired part of the clip and rebuild the file’s metadata. Either process results in lengthy delays in getting what could be small segments of a larger clip. CONTENT MANAGEMENT The solution is to use a content management system that is capable of understanding the media as soon as it starts the archive process. This awareness happens long before any user is likely to want to restore certain sections of the video. Built in intelligence within the system’s data handling components read and log the metadata held in the MXF or QuickTime wrapper as it’s written to the archive. This information is then passed to the system’s database for later use when only a small portion of the original material is required. In addition to using this metadata to locate the required section in the archived file, it is used during restoration to create a new fully standards compliant media file. By capturing essential metadata during archive, the content management system avoids having to move or read the full media file from the archive media. The system only transfers what is needed to the destination device saving both bandwidth and space on the expensive production storage. SGL’s Avid Interplay Web Services plug-in with Partial File Restore, powered by Glookast, enables editors to easily select and restore elements of a clip directly from the archive in high resolution. n www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

01/06/2016 15:51

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COMMENTARY

HDR video: software is the solution HDR looks to be at least as important as UHD for the next generation of video imaging. Keith Wymbs, chief marketing officer at Elemental Technologies, gets us up to speed.

he way forward with Ultra High Definition depends on three issues: more pixels (4K or 8K), higher frame rates (HFR), and high dynamic range (HDR) and extended colour gamut. Technologies exist to deliver HDR, although standardisation remains unresolved. Any implementation will require the flexibility found with software-defined video (SDV) solutions. In 1990, the colours available to HD television were defined by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as ITU-R Rec 709. Shown as a triangle superimposed on the CIE 1931 colour space diagram, the limitations of Rec 709 are clear. It was defined to reflect the capabilities of technology at the time, specifically the limitations of colour CRT displays. In 2012, the ITU issued ITU Rec 2020, a colour gamut better suited for today’s high-performance flat screen displays. Current HDR video efforts are working towards implementing the expanded colour space available in Rec 2020. Both a technical and a business case consensus around HDR are needed. Sub-sectors of the industry – such as pay TV providers and the content producers who serve them – will thrive or be challenged, depending on the set of specifications, standards and practices that are ultimately adopted. EVERY BIT HELPS The number of colours that can be displayed in video is controlled by bit depth. In an RGB system, the bit depth of each colour determines the total number of colours available. An 8-bit bit system offers 256 levels per colour, or 256*256*256=16,777,216 different colours. In a 10-bit system, there are 1024 levels per colour, or over a billion different shades. A billion colours may seem unnecessary, but adding more subtlety to shades enables smoother colour transitions within colour families. In an image with large areas of a similar colour, an 8-bit environment can lead to stepping artefacts where the colour splits into visible bands. 10-bit colour makes for a much finer difference between adjacent shades. HDR can make a video image look like it has more pixels because there is a finer difference between each colour. HDR more closely approximates what the eye sees in the nature.

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Current efforts are working towards implementing the expanded colour space in Rec 2020

THE RIGHT DISPLAY CRTs are limited in terms of light level ranges they can generate, which is why the original ITU Rec 709 established a carefully restricted colour space and only 8-bit colour. Attempts to improve CRT brightness result in smeary pictures, which reduce rather than increase perceived resolution. LCDs are also limited in dynamic range. Even when a pixel is set to black, light leaks through, and when set to white, isn’t perfectly transparent. The emergence of OLED screens has raised the potential for HDR. OLED is an emissive technology: the pixel generates light. The black can be remarkably black, and high output devices are being made that generate bright white levels. This linearity raises another benefit. Historically, a gamma curve was used to make the most of the available dynamic range of the CRT. It ensured best use of available bandwidth, enabling colourists to make artistic judgements about how the limited range of colours could best be used. The gamma curve has now been replaced by a new formula, the electro-optical transfer function (EOTF), sometimes called perceptual quality (PQ). This provides a more granular way of mapping luminance while retaining creative control. EOTF allows some existing distribution architectures to carry HDR content, and is incorporated into the high-efficiency video coding (HEVC/H.265)

compression standard. COMPATIBILITY When colour TV was introduced, it was backwards compatible: a signal could be viewed on both black and white and colour receivers. Today, many technology providers advocate a backwards-compatible approach to HDR. Others, especially those working in OTT streaming and Blu-ray 2, are less concerned with backwards compatibility. Implementing their proposals for broadcast could mean swapping out encoders, decoders and set-top boxes. Another structural difference between approaches is the single- or dual-layer question. In a dual-layer approach, standard dynamic range (SDR) and HDR video streams are carried separately, and the receiving device selects which stream it can accommodate. This adds complexity and increases required bandwidth. In a single layer approach, one workflow carries the SDR signal, plus metadata telling HDRequipped devices how to extend the dynamic range, providing full backwards compatibility – non-HDR devices will not understand and therefore ignore the additional metadata. The practicalities, however, are far from finalised. Competing solutions are on the market, with standards bodies racing to keep pace.n

June 2016 TVTechnology

03/06/2016 15:31

PRODUCTION-CASE STUDY

Day for

NIGHT

BEFORE

Michael Burns catches up with LA Productions’ to learn how UK drama Moving On delivers prime time production value for a daytime audience

o date, Liverpool-based LA Productions has produced seven series of Moving On. The UK daytime drama features contemporary self-contained stories about characters trying to ‘move on’ with their lives. With an eighth series currently in production, we caught up with LA Productions head of post Patrick Hall to give us an overview of the Moving On workflow, with a retrospective look at Series 7. “As with all of Moving On, each series comprises five brand new individual stories, so it’s always interesting getting the scripts,” Hall recalls. “What Moving On enables us to do, and in fact what it requires, is to deliver prime time drama and production values on a much smaller budget.”

According to Hall, the speed of the shoot and the variety of setups on each day posed the greatest challenges for the team during principle photography. “Each director and crew have six days to shoot each episode entirely on location, so that’s always a challenge,” says Hall. “We have to be aware of who our commissioned audience is, and that we on-ly have 45 minutes to tell our story, so the style on each episode cannot be hugely different. We use the same DoP for each episode, however each director brings their own style, and with the help of the DoP and grade we can subtly apply different styles and flavours to each story. The beauty of the Blackmagic cameras are that they provide us with choices onset, and also a great negative to grade from.”

SHOOTING Cameras from RED, Arri and Panasonic were deployed on the series before Hall championed the use of the Blackmagic Design URSA 4K and two models of the Production Camera 4K, on Series 6. “We bought them, a set of Samyang cine primes and a Canon 70-200 outright,” says Hall. “Moving On has very tight budgets, but with the Blackmagic cameras we have been able to deliver some wonderful imagery for a fraction of the cost of hiring. The wide dynamic range is great when it comes to grading as well. We try to squeeze as much production value out of every frame as we can.” Hall says Moving On Series 7 had some ‘great and quite different’ stories. “The common theme from a post and camera perspective is, how can we make this series better than the last?” he recalls.

The speed of the shoot and the variety of setups on each day posed the greatest challenges for the team during principle photography

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The Blackmagic Production Camera 4K proved to be a versatile unit on set, with the crew stripping it down to just the lens and main unit for some of the shots on Series 7. “I was the camera operator for a couple of shots on a gimbal for some of the running scenes in Episode 4,” Hall recalls. “We took it down to pretty much the bare minimum - we were just trying to reduce as much weight as possible. It was really good for those shots, because the basic footprint of the Blackmagic camera balances really well on those gimbals.”

AFTER GRADING As one of the editors on Moving On, as well as running the company’s LA Post facility, Hall obvi-ously takes a big interest in getting the post production “The brief for the grade was to create an overall series feel that was not overly stylised, while still providing individual story looks for each episode,” he says. “We are able to pull out so much in-formation from the Blackmagic cameras, so a large part of the grade is maximising the information in each shot and location. We are lucky to have great departments - design, costume, makeup and camera - so bringing out all their hard work in a realistic and interesting way during the grade is al-ways nice. As with all picture grading, some of that job is to balance the images too.” This was the first time Moving On had used Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve not only for the grade but the online and conform too. “We previously used Avid DS for compositing and grading,” he explains. “When we were looking for alternative tools to do the conform and grade, Resolve seemed to be the obvious choice. We www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

03/06/2016 15:02

BEFORE Blackmagic’s shoulder mount is good value, but could abe more comfortable

AFTER do a bounce down to Avid Media Composer and output for AS11 for the BBC, but otherwise we play out of Resolve.” Hall continues, “There are a couple of features of Resolve that clearly work hand in hand with the Blackmagic cameras and so that makes for a very efficient workflow - for example the sun hot spot removal tool is fantastic. Another good tool is the Colour Match. It

Moving On is shot with the Blackmagic URSA 4K with Samyang cine prime and a Canon 70-200 lenses

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helps us check our ‘normal’ be-fore we get on with the grade or we need to quickly balance a shot. Having said that we have used Resolve with Alexa and Canon 5D footage, as well as RED material, and it stands up really well. “In terms of stabilisation, Resolve is far superior to most things out there and the tracking is just phenomenally fast. It’s probably saved us a day per episode in terms of time and resources. We’ve not taken that time off the schedule, we’ve built it in, to have more time for grading. We can be more creative and push things a bit more, and spend a bit more time on the episode.” RESOLVING THE WEATHER “There are a multitude of times during the edit when I said, ‘I can’t wait to get that into Resolve’, knowing that something looks good already, but is going to look fantastic once it’s been through the grade. In Episode 1 there were a lot of beach shots, big wides with great clouds. We were able

to really go to town grading that because we had such good pictures, which really helped a part of the story.” In Episode 5 the main issue came from shooting over six days of exteriors in really harsh sunshine, for an episode that had to be in real time. “The lighting was very difficult for that, so we shot a lot raw in DNG so we could get a lot out of it.” Hall explains. “Having to balance those shots back into a continuous piece of work was a challenge, but Resolve’s curves editor was really good for this.We’d have up to 20 nodes on a shot and the system was playing back at 1080 in real time, really fast and responsive.” Though delivery of Moving On to the BBC was in HD, half the time on Series 7 saw the Blackmagic cameras shooting in 4K in order to push in during post, or stabilise the footage. Series 8 however is being shot completely in 4K, and mastered on 4K for future proofing. “Fingers crossed we get season nine,” says Hall. “Which will take us up to our 50th episode of Moving On.”n

June 2016 TVTechnology Europe

03/06/2016 15:02

ACQUISITION – USER REVIEW Blackmagic Design’s Ursa Mini 4.6K is a great choice for digital film on a budget

Ursa Mini 4.6K review: worth the wait Blackmagic’s Ursa Mini 4.6K release has been clouded by delays and an apology for its lack of a promised global shutter, but our camera specialist Christina Fox says the camera delivers big

lackmagic Design’s Ursa Mini 4.6K is a highly-anticipated, relatively inexpensive 4K+ camera offering up to 15 stops of dynamic range that looks ideal for drama, commercials or even studio work. The EF-mount model costs £3,800 (including VAT - compared to the existing £2,235 4K EF), which is relatively little for what is a high-spec camera. OK, you’ll need some accessories (see below), but if you’ve been shooting for a while you probably have some of them anyway. When your new camera arrives it is tempting to rip open the box and pull out the treasures inside. But when you open it you’ll be greeted by a gold envelope with a cheery “Welcome” written on it. This contains an SD card with Blackmagic’s camera

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set-up installer and three manuals. It also includes a message from Blackmagic CEO Grant Petty thanking you for buying the camera and asking for your suggestions and ideas for new features - a nice touch. Hope he follows up on that.

“As new firmware upgrades and sensor technology arrive, this might actually be a futureproof camera” The camera records to CFast 2.0 cards, as its higher bit rates require faster write speeds. Blackmagic recommends cards by Transcend, Lexar and Wise. A 64GB card costs around £155,

128GB around £350 (inc VAT), plus you’ll need to buy a card reader. To start you need to format your card as HFS+ or exFAT. Blackmagic recommends HFS+ as it supports journaling, which can make it easier to recover lost data. The Mini can record CinemaDNG Raw codecs with a choice of lossless 4.6K Raw or compressed 4.6K Raw. There are also ProRes 444XQ, 444, HQ, 422 LT and Proxy for Ultra HD or HD. UHD at 25fps in ProRes 444 XQ will give 21 minutes recording time on a 256GB card. A 10-second shot in UHD Prores444 is about 1.5GB. Thank goodness hard drives keep getting cheaper. All the usual frame rates are on offer including 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and 60 frames per second, depending on resolution. With www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

02/06/2016 13:24

the option of 40-120fps (in HD) for slow and fast motion. There is also a timelapse (interval recording) option. A 4.6K timelapse offers great opportunity to pan, crop or zoom any output in HD, or to a lesser extent in UHD. UPDATE AND ACCESSORISE One of the first things I did while waiting for the batteries to charge was to check for updates. Blackmagic announced firmware update 3.2 on April 18 (go to https://www.blackmagicdesign. com/uk/support/family/professional-cameras to find out about the latest updates). Version 3.2 seemed to concentrate on added features to make this a better studio camera, including tally support, talkback, colour correction, detail, colour bars and lens control (as Blackmagic launched a nice new 7-inch studio viewfinder at NAB, this is part of its push into the studio market). There was also improved colour reproduction on the LCD screen and a LUT (look up table) on the SDI output. All these things lie dormant until you plug it into a switcher that supports the SDI protocol (Blackmagic’s own ATEM units are probably the least expensive way into studio production, so the Mini can be part of a relatively low-cost set up). The camera can also come with a PL mount (about £200 extra), and take B4 HD lenses using a

£225 adapter to the PL model, while the EF version can make use of all those Canon lenses you acquired at the height of DSLR shooting. When the time comes you should also be able to swap out the sensor. This makes it an interesting prospect. As new firmware upgrades and sensor technology arrive, this might actually be a future-proof camera. The Ursa Mini is no lightweight, at over 3kg due to the strong metal chassis. Then you spot the size of the HD LCD touchscreen. At five inches it is probably only bettered by the Ursa’s 10-inch screen. The problem with LCD screens is they are difficult to view in sunlight, which is a double nuisance here because many of the settings and adjustments are accomplished via the touchscreen. The camera comes with an adjustable side handle with auto focus, auto iris and record buttons. It can also be removed and attached to an arm if you intend to use the camera with the goodvalue (£299) Blackmagic shoulder mount. What you won’t find in the box are any batteries. So, you may want to factor that into your budget. The review model came with IDX V-mount batteries (a V-mount plate is £75). Gold mount batteries can be attached too. If you intend to use the camera outdoors and make use of the big sensor for shallow depth of field (DoF) you’ll need some ND filters and a matte box (as it has no

built-in ND filters). You may also want to Google “IR pollution”, and then buy some UV/IR cut filters to reduce colour shifts in your image from infrared light. FOCUS AND EXPOSURE There is peaking (green only – hopefully red will come in an upgrade) to help give you confidence in focusing. Plus with some EF lenses pressing the “focus” button on the camera body or side handle activates autofocus. That said the autofocus was slow, and you may just find it quicker to do it manually. There is a Zoom button that gives a 1:1 pixel view, magnifying the image on the LCD screen and viewfinder – this can be helpful when focusing, especially when using a prime lens. But it will only work in 4.6K and Ultra HD mode. Press the “iris” button and the camera will expose automatically, if you have compatible lenses. With my 18-135mm Canon lens, changing exposure using auto iris was not practical when recording in low light. Pressing the button sent the camera to f32 and then to the suggested aperture. So there was a temporary dip to black before the shot reappeared. However, this didn’t happen in daylight shooting. Hopefully this was just a glitch that will be fixed in firmware. To change exposure while recording you use the

The Mini uses 12G-SDI for full UHD/4K output, which means it only needs one cable

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June 2016 TVTechnology Europe

02/06/2016 13:24

ACQUISITION – USER REVIEW forward and reverse media skip buttons to open or close the iris. These buttons need to have a different feel about them so that you know which is which without having to take your eye off the shot or press the adjacent REC button by accident. I’m sure this will not be a problem for anyone using this as a cinema camera where you can stop for a second take, and it probably isn’t an issue as a studio camera either, as these controls will be done by a vision control operator. But, if you are going to use this as a single camera for documentary, make sure the lens has

Blackmagic’s shoulder mount is good value, but could be more comfortable

“The camera had been delayed because of problems with the 4608x2592 sensor, which now doesn’t have the promised global shutter, although any rolling shutter defects were pretty minimal” a manual iris ring. One way to make changing exposure more ergonomic would be to have a wheel on the handgrip like the C300, to change iris or ISO, or copy Sony’s FS5, which allows you to access all the essential functions of the camera via a joystick and assignable buttons on the handgrip. For white balance, Blackmagic expects you to know your Kelvins. There is no need to frantically look for a white piece of paper, because there is no manual white balance (or auto). To white balance you choose from 2500K to 8000K using the touch screen – while keeping an eye on what effect it is having in the viewfinder (or you buy a meter). Where everything is going to be colour graded anyway (the camera comes with DaVinci Resolve), it makes sense to just stick with one white balance setting for each location and do any adjustments in post. ON THE MENU When you press the Menu button there are six touch screen icons to choose from. The bottom three icons of histogram, audio meters and LCD overlays allow you to switch those items on or off the screen. The metadata icon gives you the option to input info such as reel, scene, shot, take and angle, along with keywords and comments about the shot. The Format Card icon gives the option to format and so delete the cards. The Settings Icon takes you to the next layer of menus with options to change camera settings (such as ISO, White Balance and Shutter Angle). Next is the audio inputs and levels, then the Recording menu for choosing codec, frame rate and dynamic range, and finally the Display screen settings.

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The Mini has a large flip-out touchscreen, but it’s a pity it doesn’t rotate completely to allow menu access when it’s closed

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03/06/2016 15:03

The shutter menu is expressed in angles only, so film DoPs should feel at home. But it would have been nice to have the option to have it expressed in fractions for those of us who think in shutter speed. The camera had been delayed because of problems with the 4608x2592 sensor, which now doesn’t have the promised global shutter, although any rolling shutter defects were pretty minimal. This camera is not for really low light use. ISO goes from 200 to 1600 – 400 being the native ISO, so you’ll need fast lenses if you don’t have lights. However, there seemed to be minimal noise in the shadows, and the camera’s 15-stop dynamic range doesn’t just preserve the highlights, it also gives deeper blacks. HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE The Mini has two dynamic range options: film or video. The video setting uses the REC709 colour standard for HD video, still useful to those with no time for a grade. The film setting shoots video using a log curve, giving you a higher dynamic range. While the Mini 4K offered 12 stops, the 4.6K can deliver 15. You can set the dynamic range of the

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Mini’s touchscreen, SDI output and viewfinder independently. That way you can decide to monitor the video as recorded or in REC709. This can ensure anyone watching on a monitor sees something closer to the final look than the grey flatness of logs and gammas. There is no HDMI output (so you’ll need an SDI monitor or Blackmagic can also sell you its £65 Micro Converter).

“If you don’t have time/money for a grade, the pictures are good straight out of the camera. But the HDR pictures actually looked great after one-button correction in Final Cut” The 1080 HD OLED viewfinder is an optional extra (£1,229) and worth it. Crisp and with good colour rendition, it was essential when working in sunlight. If the Mini is your studio camera you might be happy with the LCD screen, but the new studio viewfinder (£1,275) is reasonable value too.

THE VERDICT There is no denying that this is a great value for money camera. While the magnesium body makes it robust and feel substantial, it means it also really needs to go on a tripod. Compared to other cameras in its price range, it is heavy for on the shoulder shooting, especially once it is fully rigged with batteries and matte box. If you don’t have time/money for a grade, the pictures are really good straight out of the camera. But the HDR pictures actually looked great after one-button correction in Final Cut - and Resolve can do so much more. So, there’s no excuse not to shoot in film mode and make the most of those 15 stops. If you are shooting drama, or commercials, where you can plan shots and have grip equipment, the Mini will deliver excellent pictures, and the additional pixels in its 4.6K sensor will be great in post if you need to reframe or stabilise the shots. With the addition of the larger viewfinder, this should really appeal to anyone needing to do studio or outside broadcast work. However, this is not a run-and-gun camera, where something like Panasonic’s AG-DVX200 and Sony’s PXW-FS5 or FS7 would seem to be more suitable.n

June 2016 TVTechnology Europe

03/06/2016 15:03

ACQUISITION-FEATURE

The Acid test Ross Video aims to revolutionise studio chroma keying with its new Acid camera system. Philip Stevens reports on Ross’s attempt to solve an age-old problem with new technology

‘W

hat is the problem with Chroma key?” asked David Ross, CEO of Ross Video, at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. “When you go to a movie, do you ever say, ‘I can see the green edge?’ No. But when you watch the weather guy pointing to a map, or a virtual set is involved, that’s a different matter. What’s wrong with video?” Ross maintained there was ‘something’ seriously amiss with current chroma key techniques – and that ‘something’ had to change. “Our goal at Ross Video is to be the leader in virtual solutions for all live production,” says Ross. “And right now we are introducing that change. With our set of new cameras, a whole new perspective on chroma keying is possible.” Called Acid, the camera range produces what Ross calls a ‘special ability to excel’ – not just where Chroma key is concerned, but a great deal more besides.

And by linking Acid with the new Ross standalone chroma key system labelled as Carbonite UltrachromeHR, a high resolution key edge is generated that aims to remove the previous problems associated with virtual environments. “We’ve developed these cameras to include

“Most broadcast cameras have very acceptable signal to noise ratios. However, noise is measured in the luma channel, and chroma levels are always lower than luma values and so are inherently noisier” a unique new signal format to overcome the difficulties of creating good chroma keys,” explains Ross. “These cameras output standard SMPTE 4:2:2 video signals for use in any production. However, in addition they output a special 0:4:4 full bandwidth colour signal that is combined with the primary output within the new Carbonite UltrachromeHR system to generate a full resolution 4:4:4 signal, perfect for developing high resolution key edges.”

you won’t know the difference.” Chroma keyers, however, do notice the difference. And with only half the colour information being available on previous systems, it is hard to determine exactly where the colour edge that needs keying starts and finishes. And that’s what causes ‘edges’ to appear. “We’ve ignored the problem for 25 years, so I wanted us to solve the difficulty,” emphasises Ross. “What we need is 4:4:4; sampling. That sounds pretty straightforward – just fill in the colour. So how do we make that work?” In a typical camera

HOW IT WORKS Ross goes on to say that the secret of the Acid’s success is understanding what 4:2:2 actually means “The ‘four’ is your luminance coming across – that’s the black and white. But the colour is ‘two’ and ‘two’. So, why is it when we transmit 4:2:2 we use only half the colour? Our eyes are good at black and white, but colour – you could smear it across and

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assembly there is a lens, a prism, and an RGB output that is converted to luminance and colour. “But then we come to the low pass filtering. That is where the difficulties arise. That is where the colour is smeared, making it almost impossible to chroma key properly.” Acid removes the problem by including a separate output before the low pass filtering, creating a separate 0:4:4 signal. And by working with a 4:4:4 configuration, every pixel in the image in controllable. “In effect, we own every pixel,” confirms Ross. “And that means we can control the edges. On Acid cameras, edges go from fuzzy to sharp.” He goes on, “Then there is noise. Most broadcast cameras have very acceptable signal to noise ratios. However, noise is measured in the luma channel, and chroma levels are always lower than luma values and so are inherently noisier. That noise ends up in the chroma key edges unless it is filtered out – which lowers the edge resolution even further. With our system, edges are blended properly and you get better transparencies, as well.” KEY TO SUCCESS But in order to create keys from this new signal, it was obvious that an innovative chroma keyer design was also needed. It’s at that stage that the companion to Acid was introduced – Carbonite UltrachromeHR. Ross continues, “This enables high resolution chroma keying. This is a Carbonite Black that is turned into a high-end two or four-channel high-end keyer. But how high-end? Not only does it do 4:4:4, but it also has three keyers which is important for background/ foreground keying for sophisticated virtual sets in augmented reality.” UltrachromeHR also provides eight media stores for the extra video that is available, and 16 frames of variable input delay. “All of this means we don’t have to www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

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Ross’s solution for problems of inadequate keying

sell you as much open gear to solve those delay problems,” admits Ross. The system includes two multiviewers, enabling operators to tweak and fine-tune the numerous signals that are now possible to generate. “That means you can control as many chroma keyers as you need on one customised screen.” Ross adds that the Carbonite UltrachromeHR is also the world’s first 4K chroma keyer. “So we have an ideal pair. A 4:4:4 camera and a 4:4:4 keyer – perfect.” TWO OPTIONS Currently, two Acid options are available. The Acid H200 is a full HD 1080P, three imager camera that utilises the latest 2/3” UAIT CMOS sensors to provide high quality output. Sensitivity, signal-to-noise and overall picture resolution are, claims Ross, unmatched by any competitor with its three 2.6 megapixel image sensors and standard 2/3” B4 lens mount. “Plus, it has all the features you’d expect to find on any high end studio camera,” states Ross. For moderate budgets and less critical applications, there is the Acid Z50. This is a three CCD sensor 1080i/720P HD camera. Like all Ross products, Acid

cameras embrace DashBoard control. All camera operation, setup and shading can be performed from DashBoard panels including the transfer and recall of scene files from one Acid camera to

“We’ve ignored the problem for 25 years, so I wanted us to solve the difficulty” another. Ross explains more: “What DashBoard does here is replace the CCU and gives access to every single control in the camera in real time. It eliminates the need for costly CCU for a great many customers. And it is customisable. It doesn’t matter whether you have four, six, eight or more cameras, control is there. And if you just want to ride the blacks, you can create a panel within DashBoard that does just that. “Acid cameras are game changers and Ross is the company who is changing the game,” the CEO concludes. “However, even if you don’t use chroma keys, Ross Acid cameras produce spectacular video images in normal studio production. Whether you’ve been regularly using chroma keying or not, this new product introduction you can now turn virtual production into compelling virtual reality.”n

June 2016 TVTechnology Europe

01/06/2016 14:48

Blackmagic MultiView 4 lets you monitor any combination of SD, HD and Ultra HD sources, all at the same time! Now you can monitor 4 completely independent SDI video sources on a single display! Blackmagic MultiView 4 lets you monitor any combination of SD, HD and Ultra HD formats and frame rates all at the same time with overlays for audio meters, custom labels and more! With Blackmagic MultiView 4 you can even monitor 4 full resolution 1080 HD sources on a single Ultra HD display!

High Resolution Monitoring Blackmagic MultiView 4 works with both 1080 HD and 2160p Ultra HD screens. When used with an Ultra HD television, you get super sharp multiview monitoring because Ultra HD runs at 3840 x 2160, which is four times the resolution of regular HD. It’s like having four completely independent, incredibly sharp HD monitors on a single screen!

Four Independent Monitors Each view works as a completely independent video monitor because you get full frame re-synchronization on every input. That means you can mix any combination of video standards and frame rates, including referenced or non-referenced NTSC, PAL, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, and Ultra HD up to 2160p30, all on the same display at the same time!

Professional Connections Blackmagic MultiView 4 has four multi-rate 6G-SDI inputs and loop thru outputs that make it compatible with your existing SD, HD and Ultra HD equipment. The built in Ethernet connection lets you add custom labels, audio meters and more from any computer on the network, or you can add an optional Teranex Mini Smart Panel for front panel controls!

Studio or On Location Multiview monitoring is perfect for use in control rooms with lots of incoming feeds, for live multi camera production or for use on location and in tight spaces that don’t have room for multiple monitors. With Blackmagic MultiView 4 you don’t need to connect multiple monitors, dozens of cables or run extra power to see all of your video sources!

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13/05/2016 14:40

SHARPSHOOTER

Slumdog

shooter

Barrie Smith talks with cinematographer Stefan Ciupek whose career spans everything from experimental films to work on Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours

Profile Name: Stefan Ciupek Age: 39 Family: I’m married. Languages: German, English, Polish, Russian Occupation: Cinematographer, but I have worked a long time in many different fields of film production and post. I have also been a colourist and digital camera supervisor for many years.

Where did you grow up? First in a village in East Germany, when the wall was still in existence. When I was ten, we escaped to live in Wroclaw, Poland. Three years later we arrived at our final destination, West Berlin. And where do you live today? In Berlin. The district is Friedrichshain, the former East Berlin. So I returned! What education have you had? Special training in camera work? I studied media design in Berlin, but mostly I would consider myself an autodidact. I wanted to know about all steps of filmmaking, so I learned dramaturgy, editing, sound design, lighting, post production workflows, grading and directing. But I always knew that I wanted to work as a DoP and have a very wide knowledge basis. What was your first shooting job? Many years ago, in 1996, I shot a very experimental arts video called Rhythm Control. It was quite psychedelic, even by today’s standards as it had 25 cuts per second. Only recently I found out that back then it won a prize at the Oberhausen International Festival. Current assignments? I’ve just finished grading and post production for my latest two feature films. The first one is In Embryo, a dark, psychological arthouse drama that we shot some time ago in Los Angeles. The second one is the thriller The Dark side of the Moon, which I shot last year together with fellow cinematographer Felix Cramer in Luxembourg. Have you been busy? Very much so! I keep moving between on set work as a DOP and supervising grading. Then I work every now and then as a colourist. Sometimes I give lectures and masterclasses and share my experiences with students and young filmmakers.

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SHARPSHOOTER

Do you enjoy running those workshops? Yes! It’s a great opportunity to share my experiences with the students. I learn a lot from them as well, as they have so many new ideas and different approaches. Do you travel much in Europe? Yes, but more often around the world. I’ve been busy in North and South America, South Africa, Russia and India. What types of productions are you mostly shooting? Many feature films, mostly for cinema and some TV films, covering a big budget range from small independent films, to big international productions. Plus a few documentaries and commercials.  I’m mostly interested in feature films with good scripts and interesting stories to tell. I think I have a tendency towards arthouse drama stories, but I wouldn’t mind shooting a big commercial project. What was your role on Slumdog Millionaire? I had quite a few, different assignments on that film: B-camera operator, digital camera supervisor

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and later post production consultant. For many years I had a very close collaboration and friendship with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle. We always found and sometimes developed new cameras and technologies for his challenging projects. For Slumdog Millionaire we had to come up with something revolutionary,

Whenever I get hold of 35mm footage, I really envy the beauty of its texture, colour depth and “look” which is magically just there! that hadn’t been seen before. Anthony needed an extremely small, ergonomic digital cinema camera that was able to match 35mm footage in scope on the big screen. Back in 2007 that was a huge challenge! What equipment are you currently using? I keep swapping, depending on the projects I shoot. For cinema I mostly use my own Red Dragon camera as the main camera. With TV films, I mostly lean towards the Alexa. But I often

mix formats and use everything that shoots in a decent quality. For low light stuff I like using the Canon C-series cameras and the Sony A7s. When I need something really small, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema camera is my choice. It keeps changing, so I never lock myself into one camera. ommercials. These days I don´t edit anymore. If I need to review some footage quickly, I use DaVinci Resolve and edit it together on the timeline. I like Premiere Pro and the possibilities of editing most native RAW formats in 4K. Other gear you have access to? I usually get nearly everything I need for my projects. For grading I usually work with big post houses that have either Nucoda Filmmaster or Baselight. On the camera side, I either use my own gear, being the Red Dragon Camera, a set of compact primes and a very nice T1.8/18-35mm Pl mount zoom by GI Optics. I also use the Pocket Cinema Camera with a Nikon mount Speed Booster and a few old prime and zoom lenses.   What’s your equipment “wish list”? I was thinking of upgrading to the Red Weapon camera (though I really hate that military name!). www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

01/06/2016 14:51

I’m also looking for a gimbal and some decent high quality prime lenses, covering the full format of the sensor. I really like the Leica Summilux and Summicrons. In what direction could DSLR gear be improved for video work? Better ergonomics for shooting. It’s not fun to use a stills camera with awkward shoulder rigs for handheld work. And better viewfinder and monitor solutions for these. Also less compressed recording in 2K and 4K internally with at least 10-bit Log or Raw recording. Since I love to grade my footage, I always notice the shortcomings from highly compressed 8-bit footage. Would you still like to work with film? I would love to, if the opportunity came back. Whenever I get hold of 35mm footage, I really envy the beauty of its texture, colour depth and look which is magically just there! What useful piece of gear do you wish someone might make? A smart wireless, high-quality video assist system that works reliably! And maybe one device that gives me control of most important camera www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

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parameters and the histogram. In the 21st century, that should be possible!

I would consider myself an autodidact. I wanted to know about all steps of ﬁlmmaking, so I learned dramaturgy, editing, sound design, lighting, post production workﬂows, grading and directing. Best thing about your job? To be constantly learning from the challenges each new project gives me. And to work closely with a director and a team on the vision of the film. Worst thing about your job? Never really knowing if the next film’s funding is coming through. Hairiest/scariest assignments and why? Both Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours had some scary moments! On Slumdog it was

shooting the train sequence with the kids on top of the train. To sit on a fast moving train with three cameras, hanging on to some rope which is just held by the stunt guy felt a bit on the edge. xxxx On 127 Hours it was rappelling down a 120 foot vertical drop to quickly get a shot. Before that I had never climbed anything higher than a bar chair! How much 16:9 do you shoot? Most of my feature films have been in shot in ‘scope. But I shot a quite a bit in 16:9 for TV. What country would you most like to shoot in? Since I’ve already shot on most continents, it’s not so much about the country anymore. It’s more about the right places for the film. I like things to be authentic, so shooting at the right places and not having to cheat the location at all times. As an experience, I would love to make a film in China.n

Contact Email: contact@stefanciupek.com Web: www.stefanciupek.com

TVTechnology Europe June 2016

01/06/2016 14:51

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3/30/2016 10:53:32 AM 09/02/2016 17:43

BUYERS GUIDE – WIRELESS

The missing 4K LINK A 4K wireless link has been the missing piece in the live UHD workflow, but developments at NAB show the problem is being surmounted. Adrian Pennington reports.

t the risk of restating the obvious, 4K is four times the size of 1080p video, which is a huge amount of data to transfer across a wireless link. The problem has been nominally solved in the sense that there are wireless 4K systems out there, but there’s debate about whether such systems are currently practical. For Domo Tactical Communications (formerly Cobham) it’s all about making 4K production work - that is, to get it on a screen properly. Latency is the primary issue, especially for sports.

Amimon’s Connex Mini is a ultra-small transmitter supporting 1080p, full HD wireless video at a range up to 1500 feet

“4K can be done, and we’re working on it, but it will only be unveiled when it’s absolutely ready at the lowest possible, usable, latency” “Until the latency reduces, 4K will continue to be a challenge,” says Domo’s broadcast sales director, JP Delport. “For example, if people are using H.265 algorithms to encode data, which on paper is 50 per cent more efficient than H.264, there’s still a heck of a lot of encoding going on, which by its nature increases latency. Until such point that Domo can provide the industry with a demonstrably usable 4K solution, we’re going to stick with 1080p. 4K can be done, and we’re working on it, but it will only be unveiled when it’s absolutely ready at the lowest possible, usable, latency.” There are a variety of ways to bring 4K to TV screens in the RF domain. Delport believes it will require the adoption of a new encoding algorithm, which will be H.265 or HEVC. “If we want to do 4K in H.264, it’s possible that that amount of data could be modulated with our MIMO (multiple input/multiple output) technology

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BUYERS GUIDE-WIRELESS over a wireless link. But it seems to me the obvious way to go is DVB-T2 with an H.265 encoder, which is where we are heading. Our current latency is one frame. Anything more than that would just not be suitable for 4K. Until we’re 100 per cent sure that we can have a 4K wireless camera at the side of a football field that has one frame or less of latency, there’s no point.” The SOLO7-OB Tx camera-back transmitter is Domo’s first 1080p60 solution. It has integrated camera control and swappable RF modules. It’s able to work at 4:2:2 chroma and does H.264/ MPEG-4 AVC video encoding. Its latency ranges from 1s to an ultra-low 10ms and fits directly onto the back of an ENG type camera. At NAB this was demoed with a bi-directional link using MIMO IP Mesh technology firing 26 Mbit/s in combination with a Sony HDC-P1 camera mounted on a remote-controlled pan and tilt head. The unit takes HD-SDI from the camera, encodes the audio and video data to IP, and transmits it wirelessly to Domo’s MIMO IP Mesh system. “Because IP Mesh provides an exceptionally high bit rate for bi-directional IP links, we can transmit A/V data one way while camera control and remote control data travels the other for control of pan and tilt, plus camera control data for colours, iris, etc. within the camera.” Typically, this would require three separate frequencies, but with the SOLO8 SDR and IP Mesh combination, it’s three data streams in a single bi-directional link, which makes the entire remote camera and control system completely wireless. This, claims Delport, is a genuine “first”.

already hard task of sending 4K. An additional critical parameter is the mobility of the drone,” says Kanonich. “The wireless link must be able to maintain the connection in all directions and while moving.” Amimon previewed a solution for 4K straight from the lab. “The latency we are already able to present is practically zero, and the quality is just amazing,” claims Kanonich. “The unit’s size we envision to be the size of the Connex mini. There’s no need to increase size to support 4K UHD. But it will be next year before we launch it in actual products.

“Drones require the support of both high range and transmitter robustness, adding to the already hard task of sending 4K” BBC RESEARCH BBC R&D’s system is completely bespoke using relevant parts of DVB-T2, DVB-NGH and MIMO to maximise channel capacity. “Having extra bit-rate allows for lower latency video coding,” says project engineer John Boyer. “The latency of the system is variable as interleaving can be dialled in by the user to improve link ruggedness, but the video

a Domo’s SOLO8 SDR and IP Mesh combination can transmit A/V data one way while camera and remote control data travels the other

COMPRESSION COMPLICATION The data rate required to send 4K is about 19Gbps. “When you are trying to compress that amount of data, all the issues related to compression such as quality loss, added latency, and increase susceptivity to errors are increased dramatically,” says Uri Kanonich, vp of marketing at Amimon. The firm’s Connex technology doesn’t use regular compression, rather a unique videomodem solution. “This allows us to send today HD 1080P signals with less than 1ms latency and the same chipset will allow to do the same for 4K UHD,” says Kanonich. The Connex mini is the latest addition to the Connex range. Unveiled at NAB, this is a ultra-small transmitter supporting 1080p, full HD wireless video at a range up to 1500ft, ideal for airborne drones as well as other unmanned systems. “Drones require the support of both high range and transmitter robustness, adding to the

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coding is seven frames code/ decode delay. We expect future coder developments to reduce that delay.” The UHD system uses extensions of an original HD version. “The new UHD system has additional advanced RF techniques, so we are expecting good performance and expectations are fuelled by range tests that we have done,” says Boyer. BBC R&D is liaising with the industry to perform trials. END-TO-END WIRELESS Vislink is already providing what it says is the world’s first end-to-end wireless 4K/

UHD live-video solution. The UltraLite module is designed for integration with existing UHD cameras, allowing customers to quickly and costeffectively upgrade. “We know that being wireless creates new and different points of view for the audience and allows the cameraperson flexibility when capturing action shots from different moving points,” says Ali Zarkesh, VP, product management, Vislink. “It allows the viewer to

“When you are trying to compress that amount of data, all the issues related to compression such as quality loss, added latency, and increase susceptivity to errors are increased dramatically,” really be there, and now they can do all that with UHD” Vislink’s system provides broadcasters with a simple upgrade path if they want to move to a 4K/UHD wireless live solution. The firm says they can upgrade existing cameras with the lightweight attachment that mounts onto a variety of 4K cameras and, with the UltraDecoder (on the receive side), they can use their existing wireless.n

360-DEGREE WIRELESS STREAMING IT’S WORTH noting one other exciting product launched at NAB, designed for streaming panoramic video and monitoring the results. Teradek’s Sphere features a patent-pending video processing platform for iOS and OSX. Sphere’s hardware interface features four HDMI inputs and a built-in H.264 encoder that can encode up to 10Mbps, providing a “realistic 360 degree-video experience.” It was paired with four GoPros at NAB and by adjusting each camera’s white balance, tint, exposure and lens distortion in real-time, Sphere can display and stream a consistent panoramic video. It streams to Apple laptops and iOS devices over WiFi where users can record or view live 4K (4x1080p) content as a pan and zoom across all four video feeds stitched together. By moving the iOS device the camera feed moves with it and on VR headsets. For remote viewing, the Sphere app can be used to live stream to any compatible 360-degree online video platform, including Wowza and YouTube.

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Teradek’s Sphere features a video processing platform for a live 360 degreevideo experience

June 2016 TVTechnology Europe

01/06/2016 14:58

POST PRODUCTION–FEATURE Colourist Jim Agnew in Ka-boom’s Baselight room

A big Ka-boom in Belfast Ka-Boom is leading the way for post-production in Northern Ireland. Elsie Crampton reports

elfast doesn’t have a long history in post-production. Ka-boom started in Belfast 2010 as a facility for audio, the specialisation of co-founder Will McConnell, but it quickly grew to fill the void in a city which is rapidly becoming a production centre. Ka-boom’s first step outside audio was into picture editing, with the installation of a number of Avid editing suites. Early on, the company recognised that they needed more than the basic colour tools provided in editing software, so they invested in Baselight Editions. The plug-in puts the Baselight grading toolset into the Avid environment, allowing the editor to take more creative colour control as well as opening up a flexible exchange of grades between editors and colourists. SUITE DREAMS This proved so successful, that Ka-boom soon decided to invest in a full grading suite. They installed a Baselight ONE with Slate control panel, housed in a room built by one of FilmLight’s distribution partners, Tyrell, who are also

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Ka-boom’s regular and long-standing systems integrator. “We used Baselight for Avid for about 14 months before the full system went in,” explains Ka-boom co-founder and post production producer Zach Willis. “It gave us a good understanding of how the system works, so it was seamless when we put in the full Baselight system – nothing was alien to our colourist and he could instantly start work.

“Clients locally and internationally now see us as the place to finish big projects. Being located in Northern Ireland is not a barrier.” “The team at FilmLight finished the installation on a Friday night, and on the Monday morning we were grading a BBC Scotland show,” he adds. “We got great support from FilmLight, and because of Baselight Editions we could jump straight into grading a documentary. And the system has not been idle since.”

As well as working for various parts of the BBC, the facility and its Baselight suite have been busy with jobs from further afield, including a five-part series for Al Jazeera and the RTS award-winning Channel 4 series, Dispatches. Ka-boom has also posted some short films, working in 2K rather than HD and delivering DCPs, directly output from Baselight. The biggest project came last year when Belfast indie production company Stellify Media won a huge entertainment contract from the BBC, and was keen to keep the whole project produced and finalised in Northern Ireland. Ka-boom demonstrated it could handle the complete post – including grading – and in turn won the project. GETTING IN TOUCH Can’t Touch This is a Saturday night primetime game show, involving the biggest set the BBC has ever constructed – about 40,000 square feet and involving a platform six metres off the ground. The simple objective is if a contestant touches a prize, they win it – but they have to cross a massive obstacle course first. The commissioners www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

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wanted something big, bold and exciting. The 10x60-minute series was shot using a 12-camera outside broadcast truck. There were also a number of fixed rig cameras, mainly GoPros, and three super slow motion cameras. For each day’s shooting Ka-boom was ingesting around four terabytes overnight, ready for the next day’s work. Ka-boom provided three edit suites, with each editor working on a separate show. All the raw content was transcoded to DNxHD at 120 Mb/s. And, because the Avids were running Baselight Editions, Ka-boom could set up a render-free workflow for Can’t Touch This to maximise efficiency, quality and creativity. An episode would stay in the Avid suite until first picture lock, then be handed over to colourist Jim Agnew for grading. The requirement for the show was that it had to be larger than life, so the colourist had the freedom to use the Baselight toolset to create a bold, striking look. The Baselight architecture meant that all grading was done on the original full resolution rushes in the Baselight suite and that the grades would be captured as metadata.

Once the grade was complete it was published as a new Avid AAF, and the producers and executive producers could review the show in the master editing suite. Because this also included the Baselight for Avid plugin, if there was anything that needed fine adjustment it could be done there and then. “This was one of the big pluses for Baselight versus anything else,” says Ka-boom’s Zach Willis. “You never have to round trip, you never need to get the colourist to break off from what he is

doing. The colourist could be grading away in the Baselight suite and the editor could be reviewing in the online suite, tweaking in Baselight Editions.” “With the full Baselight ONE system, Editions and the render-free workflow, all barriers are lifted,” he adds. “Our clients have noticed this, too. They can see right away the flexibility we have and efficiency we can deliver. Clients locally and internationally now see us as the place to finish big projects. Being located in Northern Ireland is not a barrier.”n

Ka-boom’s ADR and voice over stage

The Ka-boom dubbing theatre

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June 2016 TVTechnology Europe

01/06/2016 14:59

MAM – FEATURE

Building a true IMF media factory Julián Fernández-Campón, solutions director at Tedial, believes SMPTE’s Interoperable Master Format (IMF) is the ideal solution for automating content delivery

raditional linear playout and on-demand viewing has evolved more quickly than many expected into the concept of ‘content everywhere’ via smart TVs, tablets, smart phones and PCs, at least in digitally mature markets. To keep up with the pace of this consumer behaviour, broadcasters need to have a number of key processes for content enrichment, multi-format, multi-platform delivery, and increasingly, media business reporting. In turn, MAM systems have evolved to manage users as well as large amounts of content and related media and additional data such as audio languages, subtitles, pictures (posters, artwork, etc.) and other ancillary information needed for non-linear distribution. The challenge is how to evolve these systems using standards for this vast and varied content delivery. This rapid evolution means that broadcasters and content owners require media tools that provide continuous access to content throughout their business. Removing the unnecessary, and at times overwhelming, complexity caused by multiple workflow states, wrappers and codecs enables easier discovery of related media. By providing improved tools, this complexity is replaced by a logical view of the content and workflow with direct access to the different components for validation: forms to easily select audio, metadata enrichment for packaging and delivery of content in the correct format. To attend to this growing need and to maximise and automate the content delivery operation, modern MAM/workflow solutions should adopt SMPTE IMF methodologies to provide a true media factory. The media factory is used to process and transform content coming from external providers or produced internally according to each specific platform where

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The goal of building a media factory is to simplify and automate content delivery to multiple platforms

typical tasks include: re-wrapping, transcoding, segmentation, DRM, generation on ancillary XMLs and all the related media needed for the platform.

“To be truly effective, the media factory must be built to automatically support millions of input file configurations and provide millions of output deliverable configurations.” LAYING THE FOUNDATION The goal of building a media factory is to simplify

and automate (as much as possible) content delivery to multiple platforms, focusing on nonlinear issues due to their inherent complexity. This introduces two challenges, the efficient content management in the MAM to easily process and manage all the media components and the definition of delivery activities. An initial approach could be defining a MAM’s own structures to support this, but why reinvent the wheel? By staying abreast of and adopting SMPTE standards, the new Interoperable Master Format or IMF methodology can provide the ideal solution. In order to take advantage of IMF methodologies, the MAM/workflow system must have the ability to support extended metadata for efficient content management. This is why leading MAM software companies have begun to implement a true object relational database as their core product platform, to facilitate this expansion of connections and relationships into hundreds and thousands of reliable connections. The first design foundation required to support an IMF media factory is efficient content management to easily manage and reference the components to be delivered. The second design foundation employed to build a media factory is the use of IMF methodologies themselves: CPL (composition playlist) to define which components are going to be delivered (audio languages, subtitles, www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

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etc.), media essences stored in the MAM, as a reference of the source formats that will be used for the delivery, and an OPL (output profile list) to define the transformations using a set of thirdparty engines for transforming the media. To be truly effective, the media factory must be built to automatically support millions of input file configurations and provide millions of output deliverable configurations. Such a media factory design can be configured for any particular company, depending on their unique business requirements. OPERATIONAL ELEGANCE It is imperative that the application used for the operation of the media factory is intuitive and abstracts the operator from the complexity of delivery tasks. In keeping with the idea that simplicity is elegance and easiest for operators, a single screen can be used to manage components. As an alternative, this single screen operation can be driven by an API and connected to the broadcaster’s back office systems, whether a traffic system, content management system, programme rights system or work order system. The definition output of this screen can be named as a template and adjustments can be saved as new templates so that essences can be scheduled and configured through the media factory by calling for the template. Thousands of

templates can be pre-configured from a single interface or built on-demand by a “work order” system integration. The components of an IMF driven media factory are based on these steps. Once these components are in place, the unique broadcaster defined media factory is completed by stacking media processing engines in a delivery workflow configuration, where

“It is imperative that the application used for the operation of the media factory is intuitive and abstracts the operator from the complexity of delivery tasks” each component is defined by the broadcaster’s business requirements and the outputs can be quickly configured employing the IMF templates. This allows a single workflow design to support millions of automated operations, in an “N-input to N-output” configuration, completely driven by metadata, by external back office systems through an API interface or manually from the single IMF template screen. These IMF delivery workflow templates will be executed by the system downstream controlling all the media processing engines according to the

priorities established by the business planning and scheduling upstream. FUTURE-PROOFING Unifying all these processes and jobs in a single platform ensures that all the resources are managed jointly and provide the broadcaster the visibility to optimise processes and maximise the performance to ensure that Service Level Agreements and commitments are met and that there are no bottlenecks in the overall system. Management can focus on exceptions and growth control, and new requirements can be quickly and easily added to the automated system. By adapting SMPTE standards and methods to modern MAM and workflow designs, Tedial has deployed these true scalable media factories in locations around the world, including tier one players, where its systems are processing thousands of automated media versioning requirements per day and in some cases by the hour. It’s clear that IMF covers the requirements for the transformation and delivery of content, plus adds a ‘future proof’ value as it prepares the broadcasters to be ‘IMF-ready’ whenever production companies start delivering content implementing this standard. The dream of a fully automated media factory is realisable today. n

Tedial launched their Version Factory workflow automation tool at NAB 2016

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01/06/2016 15:06

DELIVERY – COMMENTARY

Ask for what you want The widespread adoption of portable devices has led to a renewed interest in the technology of speech-based searching for content. Rovi’s Charles Dawes explains the essentials of designing a speech search system that works

or many years, effective voice-based search technologies have eluded businesses trying to bring nextgeneration input methods to customers. Confined to basic navigation and so-called “magic words”, command-based speech systems have been mostly ineffective and hard for consumers to use. The widespread adoption of smartphones and tablets, and their minimised keyboards, has led to a renewed interest in this technology however, with Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Google Now’s ‘OK Google’ progressing beyond basic menu navigation functions and striking a chord with consumers and businesses alike. In fact, any device with a microphone has potential for speech-based commands, and can become an intelligent discovery system that uses a sophisticated entertainment brain to understand customer desires. This technology is important and underexplored by the TV industry, which often appears to have been left behind in terms of intuitive discovery functionality. Hundreds of channels and a bewildering array of programmes present consumers with a complex picture and a gridbased TV guide, which is still navigated with a clunky remote control. For content providers, giving customers ease of access to their favourite shows and genres should be paramount, and voice based search and recommendation should be a core part of their customer service provision. SPEAKING THE VIEWER’S LANGUAGE Video is a difficult medium to search, and people examine video content in a unique fashion, combining preferred selections and considerations across cast, plot, and genre, all of which differ depending on the user and their preferences. For conversational interfaces, which are interfaces that simulate natural communication qualities and remove the need to conform to hierarchical menu structures, the technology must understand when a user is drilling into a particular genre in detail, or when they have lost interest and have completely switched topics. To be successful, natural language search

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needs to encompass a variety of different points, each crucial to success: Disambiguation: Natural language technology must understand and interpret the user’s intent. For example, the phonetic sound “Kroos” can be interpreted to apply to Tom Cruise or Penelope Cruz, and the system should be able to understand what the user is looking for in relation to the original query. “City” can apply to Manchester City or Norwich City in a sporting context, so again, the system must learn the users’ preference. Statefulness: In the course of a dialogue with a user, the system should be able to maintain context, and understand that people often jump from one item to another. For example, the user could say that they are “in a mood for thrillers”, then jump to “Bond” and then to “old ones”. Ideally, the system should understand these requests, and serve up a series of older James Bond films for the viewer to select from. If you then say The Young Ones the system needs to know it should jump to the cult British comedy and not newer James Bond films. Personalisation: Conversational systems need to understand their users on an individual basis. For example, the system should learn that a user

based in Manchester who asks “when is the game tonight” wants to know about their local team, and if they say, “when is the City game” they mean Manchester City. TAKING UNDERSTANDING TO A NEW LEVEL Behind successful natural language technology lies excellent search capabilities. Search providers have blazed a trail in harnessing new technologies to better provide for their customers. In 2012, Google announced its “Knowledge Graph”, which was designed to understand that keywords weren’t just strings of characters but that they referred to real things in the world that are related to each other in meaningful ways. In 2013, Facebook revealed “Graph Search”, which trawls for results based on the searcher’s friends, content and relationships, as well as wider trends on the site. Unlike a traditional database, a graph is much more scalable and flexible because it allows the connection of all sorts of, possibly unexpected kinds of information to records, without the reliance on “tables”. These technologies have introduced high-quality and relevant search results to consumers everywhere, and have set a benchmark across industries. www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

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In the context of TV, most consumers have viewing patterns that can be mapped to provide highly personalised results to searches. This is more accurate than user-based profile creation or ‘thumbs up/down’ ratings that are both errorprone and do not automatically take into account users’ changing tastes and preferences over time. The ability to make personalisation precise and extremely relevant – what the industry is now terming hyper-personalisation – is correlated to the knowledge graph’s semantic capabilities.

“This technology is important and under-explored by the TV industry, which often appears to have been left behind in terms of intuitive discovery functionality” GETTING GRAPHIC At its core, a quality conversational search engine should include the following aspects: Knowledge Graph: This makes it possible to

map search results to intention, and prioritise those results based on the weight of their connection, rather than simply keywords and search terms. A knowledge graph focused on entertainment should be able to: • Look at named entities in media, entertainment and geography and extract, de-duplicate and disambiguate the entities across sources • Recognise similarities and build relationships between entities • Identify a multidimensional view of popularity and how audience interest in the entities shift over time • Generate a large vocabulary such as keywords and sub-genres to help search systems identify relevant content Personal Graph: Crucial to true conversational systems, the personal graph tunes the conversational system to individuals to enable natural conversations that have a deep understanding of that individual user’s preferences and context. The personal graph is: • Based on statistical machine learning • Able to learn individual behavioural

patterns and interests • Learns how time and device affect recommendations At the front end of the system, the conversational query engine is required to bind all aspects together. This brings together key algorithms to map and learn linguistic features and provide content discovery features to customers. INTUITIVE SEARCH AND RECOMMENDATION Natural language technology backed with knowledge graphs can provide a revolution in TV search and recommendation. Based on excellent metadata that covers actors and actresses, content synopsis and even famous quotations from films, TV providers can create a second to none entertainment brain that offers customers speedy and accurate access to their favourite shows, and similar content that they might enjoy. Voice-based discovery around knowledge graphs is no gimmick – it is set to change the way that people interact with their TV sets – as long as providers make it personalised, intuitive, and natural.n

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TVTechnology Europe June 2016

02/06/2016 13:26

SPONSORED CONTENT

Ultra-testing for Ultra HD Omnitek’s Alan Wheable explores the next generation of test and measurement with Ultra XR

The Ultra XR has a new high resolution waveform monitor which supports formats from SD up to UHD/4K at frame rates up to 60Hz

Although buying test and measurement equipment wasn’t at the top of most people’s shopping lists when they went to NAB, with 4K/UHD here to stay there was a lot of interest in how to support, manufacture, test, integrate and operate this new technology. There is a need for the right tools with support for the range of physical link types available now and those that will appear in the future. Decision-making is made more difficult with the uncertainty in the industry over which is the best way forward. One thing was certain at this year’s NAB show, the requirement for suitable test equipment has become more urgent. At NAB, Omnitek debuted its new Ultra XR which is configured specifically for content creators, colourists, post-production editors and other processors of DI, working with ultra high resolution images delivered over QL 3G, DL 6G or 12G SDI and HDMI links. The Ultra XR boasts a new high resolution waveform monitor (also available as an option on the Ultra 4K Tool Box) which supports video formats from SD up to UHD/4K at frame rates up to 60Hz with support for both BT.709 and BT.2020 colour spaces. The Ultra XR provides all the traditional tools needed to work with DI - high-resolution waveform display, vectorscope, CIE chart etc - but engineered specifically with 4K/UHD in mind. The Ultra XR supports 12-bit 4:4:4 SDI input formats in YCbCr and RGB, along with wide colour gamut RGB - ITU-R BT.2020 and high dynamic range (HDR) inputs - ST2084 / PQ and hybrid log gamma.

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Full region of interest functionality allows the waveform display to be expanded to see any digital level issues, image construction issues and colour space issues that may otherwise go unnoticed on less sophisticated test and measurement equipment.

The Ultra XR supports SD, HD, 3G and 6G-SDI as standard, with 12G-SDI as an option. The ability of the Ultra XR to monitor different physical links as well as Square Division and two Sample Interleaved sources ensures that the signal can be viewed and checked regardless of how it actually arrives. This flexibility makes the Ultra XR an ideal fit for existing installations as the technological landscape continuously evolves. Intuitive user control and monitoring is provided via HDMI, SDI or web browser connections. The use of mouse and keyboard (optional) allows the control surface to be configured exactly as required and presets can be used to quickly recall previously saved settings. There has been significant interest in the Omnitek Ultra XR from a range of customers who feel the Ultra XR provides the instruments and functionality required to support 4K/UHD program production, and orders have already been received for this innovative new product. n

“One thing was certain at this year’s NAB show, the requirement for suitable test equipment has become more urgent” The Ultra XR has the same small form factor as the Ultra 4K Tool Box, which makes it ideal for any environment, especially where space, power and weight need to be kept as low as possible. The range of input, output and monitoring connections mean that it can be easily integrated into any environment.

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

03/06/2016 15:07

Tuesday, 28th June 2016 Bafta, 195 Piccadilly, London

A strategic roadmap for the future of broadcast KEY SUBJECTS FOR DISCUSSION INCLUDE: • Do we need broadcasters in an internet enabled future? • Who are the content stakeholders in an all IP World? • Broadcasting in a software defined age • Does UHD provide the complete picture? • Demystifying HDR

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Last year’s delegate list included senior representatives from the BBC, ITV, Netflix, Sky, ITN, Rovi, BT Sport, Channel 4, Viacom, CNBC Europe, Al Jazeera, Fox International, NBC Universal, Discovery, Reuters TV, Modern Times Group, Bloomberg, BT Media and Broadcast, PwC, Ernst and Young, SNL Kagan, KPMG, and more…

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Book now and be a part of the discussion on the industry’s future. INTERESTED IN ATTENDING? CONTACT: Georgia Blake, Delegate Sales Executive +44 (0)207 354 6010 Email: gblake@nbmedia.com

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SPONSORSHIP AND EXHIBITION CONTACT: Peter McCarthy, Sales Manager +44 (0)207 354 6000 Email: pmccarthy@nbmedia.com

@tvbeurope

Richard Carr, Account Manager +44 (0)207 354 6000 Email: rcarr@nbmedia.com

#tvbe2020 19/05/2016 15:19

AUDIO – FEATURE

The Voice UK: Live from Elstree BBC Studioworks brings its audio expertise to the final of The Voice UK. Neal Romanek visited the sound department in the countdown the live sahow

n April, The Voice UK wrapped up its fifth series with its spectacular live final, featuring four amateur singers competing for a record deal with Universal Music. The Voice UK is really three different series – the blind auditions, the knockouts, culminating in the live finals – each with its own individual sound requirements. The blind auditions and knock-outs are filmed at Dock 10 studios within Salford Media City, but the spectacle of the finals, broadcast live across the country, required a much bigger space, and were hosted at Elstree by BBC Studioworks. BBC Studioworks (previously BBC Studios & Post Production) a commercial subsidiary of the BBC, temporarily relocated to Elstree from BBC Television Centre in 2013, and offers HD studio spaces to a host of fast-turnaround shows, including and continues to support long-format

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productions like BBC’s EastEnders. Andy Tapley, senior sound supervisor at BBC Studioworks, has overseen many of the big productions to come out of BBC Studioworks,

“Productions want these big stages…The show feels bigger, and it’s more vibrant. You get a big atmosphere, and it really comes across on the screen” including Strictly Come Dancing, A League of their Own and previous seasons of The Voice UK. “There’s been a constant progression in terms of how the technology is used in sound,” says Tapley. “When we were planning the move out of Television Centre in 2013, it was a good opportunity to reassess how we were utilising

technology, and we made the decision to invest in new technology to better suit the style of programmes in the pipeline for Elstree.” The production teams working with BBC Studioworks demand a flexible set up, especially for large-scale Saturday night entertainment shows like The Voice UK. OPEN COMMUNICATIONS Earlier in the year, Tapley oversaw the installation of a new Riedel comms system. The Riedel Artist 128 replaced the Clear-com Drake 4000, which had been redeployed from TC1 at Television Centre. “In principle, a comms system is just audio in/ audio out,” says Tapley, “but how it’s configured can allow for any matrix of communication between performers, presenters, musicians, directors and crew.” www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

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Tapley built a basic studio configuration for The Voice team to start with, which includes production talk back, but additionally there are specific requirements for people in the studio. “We have lots of remote islands in the studio that need to talk to each other. There’s a laser control person, someone looking after the screens, and they want to be able to talk to the lighting team. We wouldn’t have those preprogrammed.” Tapley likes the easy drag and drop functionality of the Riedel. “I can drag a connection onto a button and it appears straight away. I can then easily move that button to another location. This speed helps us meet the quick turnaround of the show. The older system was built for a more traditional style of working, where people would sit in fixed positions at certain desks, but that isn’t the case anymore. Being able to tailor the workflow for every production on the fly is absolutely critical.” A BIG SHOW The Voice live finale prides itself on also being a great concert event. It can be tricky to get the right mix to ensure a great experience for the studio audience and for the audiences at home. “Productions are demanding bigger sets which means bigger stages,” says Tapley, “It allows them to pack more audience and staging in, so the show looks and feels more authentic to the home audience. There’s a powerful atmosphere, and it really comes across on the screen. “The visuals are one of the most critical elements for any TV show, but the sound hardware in the studio has to capture and collaborate with the images on screen invisibly.

BBC Studioworks’ sound master control room features a new Studer Vista X broadcast desk.

It’s vital for us that the TV audience isn’t affected by a loud PA that could affect the live TV mix. It’s all about really tight control.” THE MIX BBC Studioworks also invested in a new Studer Vista X broadcast desk last year. Howard Nock, presentation mixer and sound supervisor, mixed the presenter, judge and contestant sound on the powerful console from the main sound control room. But The Voice UK’s lead sound supervisor, BAFTA winner Kevin Duff, who oversees the show’s music mixing, alas, had to stay outside. The sound team on the live final were the same team who worked on the Manchester blind auditions, and the migration made for an unusual workflow. Sound supervisor Duff mixed the entire production from a next-generation sound truck parked just outside the soundstage, which was more efficient than having to set up from

The new Riedel comms system allows for flexible, on-the-fly communication

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scratch in a new production environment at Elstree.. LIVE AT LAST Duff oversaw the sound for The Voice UK throughout the entire series and also supervised the post production for the show and the mixing of the music. Working at the Manchester studios, the mixing team worked in a single control room, but because those shows weren’t live, Duff prepared a guide mix during the show, and then later remixed the bands before the show was broadcast. “Obviously we’re not allowed to tune it, because it’s a competition,” says Duff. “In total the band play something like 160 songs. They only get a couple of sound checks, then it’s live. Sometimes there’s a dodgy note, but because I multi-track all the rehearsals and the sound checks, I can do little tidy ups here and there. When we get to the final delivery a week before the show, I’ll get the final cut pictures, and I’ll revisit them again.” Mixing a show live is an entirely different experience for the sound team. “I prefer the live element because there’s no post production involved. The workload has also dropped. When we do the blind auditions, we’re mixing over 100 songs in three or four days. On the live final, we are down to say 15 songs.” The performance microphones for the show were Shure Beta 87C’s which were a bit more forgiving for the live performances. The lavalier mics were DPA 4060’s and 4061’s. Duff admits that there are also a host of mixing challenges that come with a show centred entirely on amateur singers. “Often we’re polishing a less than perfect product, which is part of being in a live environment. It’s part of our skill set as television sound supervisors. “By the finals, the voting has whittled it down

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XXXX – FEATURE AUDIO to the best singers in the competition. But contestants are still unfamiliar with being on live television - you want to get them to be consistent through sound check to when you go on air, but if they’re singing at different levels when they go on, the whole mix can fall apart.” As a globally recognised TV format, with variations of The Voice airing in over 30 countries, each version of the show has its own way of working. “Everybody does it their own way. Sometimes it’s better, sometimes it’s worse. There’s stuff to be learned from different places.” LOUD AND CLEAR The EBU R128 audio loudness specifications were designed to normalise loudness in broadcast programming and these new specs have a particular effect on music shows like The Voice UK. “Loudness has been a thing that’s been lead by people down the chain from sound mixers, without very much discussion from us,” says Duff. “It was kind of dropped on us as a fait accompli and because we have to meet this new criteria, it can seem like we’re being penalised. It’s a very hard thing to do within light entertainment

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BBC S&PP’s sound master control room features a new Studer desk

music.” “That said,” Duff concedes, “I really enjoy mixing to Loudness. I think it makes you mix better. You use your ear a lot more. “Our delivery medium is still a television in the corner of somebody’s lounge with the kids

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screaming and the chip pan on, and everybody forgets that. People can get caught up in all the technological improvements, but ultimately we’re coming out of a tiny speaker in someone’s TV – that’s what we should be mixing for. And that’s what we try to keep our eye on.” n

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

02/06/2016 13:30

AUDIO – FEATURE

Getting deep with

immersive audio Jon Schorah, founder and creative director of Nugen Audio, takes a close look at immersive audio and what it means for future sound design and production engineers

ew technologies are constantly emerging and disappearing (Google Glass, anybody?). But once in a while a new idea takes hold and offers a genuine move forward in terms of improved quality, new opportunities and widespread interest beyond niche enthusiasm. By those criteria, immersive audio might just be the next new thing. Broadly speaking, immersive audio is the attempt to generate an audio soundscape that appears to surround and “immerse” the listener in a complete sonic experience. Since the earliest days, the audio industry has been continually striving to produce immersive audio – beginning with the introduction of stereo and now with 5.1 and 7.1 surround technologies. But the current trend is perhaps best defined by the introduction of height perception to generate a “3D” soundscape. It is this three-dimensional audio space that is the source of the latest excitement. Immersive audio is the natural corollary of parallel developments in visual technologies and resolutions from 1080p through 4K, 3D, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and now VR. In other words, immersive audio is the missing ingredient that (if you will forgive the pun) completes the picture. OBJECT AUDIO The immersive audio experience is presently pushing ahead in two arenas – cinema sound and first-person VR experiences. The cinematic experience is all about height and resolution, employing more addressable speakers for specific localisation and realism. In a traditional sound mixing environment, this means more channels – lots more. As such, it would be almost impossible to achieve a measure of backwards compatibility between existing 7.1 installations and new 22.2 or higher configurations if it were not for object audio. An all-new paradigm in sound mixing, object audio bypasses the concept of www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

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audio tracks entirely. Instead, the audio engineer positions sound at a theoretical point in a threedimensional space, building a virtual audio model. There are no prescribed audio channels and translation to the available speaker configuration is handled automatically in software, meaning that the “perfect” model is maintained as the reference mix at all times. This is a dramatic conceptual step forward, but it will require new tools in NLE/DAW systems for placing and controlling objects and generating the complex associated metadata. Potentially, object audio technologies such as Dolby Atmos and its newly announced rival, DTS:X, mean that a single mix can be universally translated from the cinema right down to the most basic domestic environment, preserving as much of the original artistic intent as possible without the need for individual cinema, 5.1, LCR Sound-bar, or stereo mixes. PERSONALISATION A secondary issue (facilitated by object audio) is that of personalisation. Naturally, a personal auditory experience is more satisfying and immersive than a one-size-fits-all approach. Mixes using objects rather than fixed channels can allow elements to be exposed to user control.

Nugen Audio Halo Upmix plug-in, generating audio elevational content in the context of a Dolby Atmos immersive audio bed-track configuration

“It will require new tools in NLE/DAW systems for placing and controlling objects and generating the complex associated metadata” Dialogue can be made available as an individual object, allowing the user to alter the level for personal levels of intelligibility and comfort. Different objects can be activated and deactivated to allow, for instance, multiple languages or viewpoints to be delivered within the same mix.

Schorah: “Object audio technology is much better-suited to the VR environment than channel-based audio”

NEW LISTENING PATTERNS The rise of personal mobile entertainment has also driven resurgence in another form of immersive audio – binaural simulation and recording. As the majority of personal mobile

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XXXX – FEATURE AUDIO

Using object audio, the sound designer places 3D audio in a playout-agnostic space

audio is consumed through headphones, this technique is enjoying a new-found relevancy. One drawback, however, has always been the difficulty in finding a suitable (read personal) Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF). (For the uninitiated, HRTF localises sound sources based upon binaural cues diffracted and reflected by the head, ear, and torso. Clearly, the more personal the HRTF, the more persuasive the effect.) Ongoing research is seeking to apply modern technologies to solving this issue to bring a truly bespoke service to the individual. VR CONVERGENCE Perhaps the ultimate expression of all these converging developments can be found in the world of virtual reality (VR), which seeks to introduce a dynamic, first-person perspective into the mix. Object audio technology is much bettersuited to the VR environment than channel-based audio because the audio model is constantly available for manipulation by the decoding software at the consumer level. For instance, the software can make real-time modifications with regard to the relative location of the listener if required. NEW CREATIVE AND TECHNICAL QUESTIONS However, this burgeoning technology raises as many questions as it resolves. Object audio is nothing new – it has been employed in computer gaming for many years to various degrees of success. The enhanced realism provided by relatively placed and tracking objects certainly increases the sense of immersion when coupled with an element of user control (VR head tracking, for instance), but the vast array of possible outcomes can lead to consumer confusion; e.g. looking the wrong way or missing audio cues.

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Take, for example, a solution that gives the user control over the crowd volume level, position in the stadium, and commenter/dialogue levels for a football game. How is this to be controlled? Will the user get lost in the interface and ultimately miss key moments in the game while fiddling with the controls in an attempt to get something that “just works?” Clearly these technologies allow for an immense level of customisation, but there is much work to be done so that the consumer can enjoy the benefits with no more effort than turning on the TV and sitting back to enjoy the show.

“Clearly these technologies allow for an immense level of customisation, but there is much work to be done so that the consumer can enjoy the benefits” Technical complexity is also increasing. We have only just settled on international standards for loudness measurement and control of channel-based audio. How does this relate to object audio? If the user has control over the elements included in the sound track, how is loudness taken into account? How will we stream all these new audio objects within the current bandwidth limits of existing distribution models? Already much work is underway to examine these issues and many others, but perhaps this is the purview of a more technical discussion. CONSUMER REALITIES For computer/console gaming, the VR headset seems poised for adoption. The gaming world’s years of experience with object audio are slotting

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into place, driving consumer enthusiasm and demand for a readily understood concept. Several VR gaming packages are already commercially available and the catalog of commercially available VR games is growing rapidly. However, it remains to be seen whether this technology finds a wider adoption beyond gaming and specialist niches. Do we really want to sit in our lounges watching TV “together” while wearing a full VR headset? Similarly, in the movie theatre, the consumer appetite for immersive audio is strong. Here, the listening environment is controlled, facilitating the delivery of high-quality production values for truly impressive results. But do these developments readily translate into a gain for the home consumer? One significant benefit of the two leading object audio systems is that a single theatre mix can, in theory, be translated down to even a stereo TV; however, there is little to be gained in terms of immersion at that point. New speaker developments, including upward firing technologies that remove the requirement for ceiling speakers and specially developed sound bars, may indicate a way forward. These breakthroughs have potential to bring a true immersive enhancement to the everyday consumer. One thing is sure: immersive, object audio is one of those rare conceptual game changers that has the potential to re-define how we create and enjoy sound. With their scalability and potential for new levels of creativity and realism, these concepts are likely here to stay. How this will pan out for audio engineers, broadcasters, and consumers remains to be seen. But for those of us involved at the creative end, now is the time to skill-up and immerse ourselves in this exciting and rapidly developing technology. n www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

01/06/2016 15:54

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17/05/2016 12:10

VR FOCUS

“It’s always a compromise between the size of the camera system and the quality”

VR veteran

“Three years ago we built a 180 degree rig with six Alexa cameras”

Dr. Ralf Schäfer, division director of video at Berlin’s Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institut, was at work on VR long before ‘VR Mania’ hit. He tells us about his research and what the future of VR might be How did you start working in VR? I’m head of the video division of Fraunhofer HHI. We have about 90 people working in this area. One of our main topics is video encoding - we substantially contributed to the standardisation of H.264 and H.265. But our other major focus has been 3D and immersive imaging technologies, and VR is a part of that. A long time before VR became hyped, we had already developed 180 and 360 degree cameras and display systems. The idea we started with was to use more than one camera to show the content on a head-mounted display. We started with three HD

TVTechnology Europe June 2016

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cameras stitched together and fed it to a headmounted display, so by turning the head, you could see the section that you were looking at. It’s similar to what VR is today, but we had only three HD cameras. Then we thought it would be nice to build a projection system for it. So we built a 180 degree projection system. We then realised we would need cameras to create content - we didn’t want only static pictures or computer generated pictures. Now we are already at the fourth generation of those cameras. And now that the whole VR thing has popped up, we are in the game.

How is today’s excitement for VR different from the 3D push of a few years back? 3D obviously didn’t work at home. Production was much too expensive. It’s now shot in 2D and then converted to 3D, and those conversion technologies have improved quite a lot. In the cinema, 3D is still stable, but it’s still an expensive process and is much too expensive for TV production. People also seemed unwilling to wear glasses at home. While you’re watching TV, you also do other things - you eat dinner or you read the news. In the cinema you stay in one place for one and a half hours, and no one has any www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

01/06/2016 15:35

objection to wearing glasses, but at home it doesn’t work. So the consumer electronics industry had to look for something else. One thing that came up was UHD - and I think that UHD will be a big success. But then Facebook bought Oculus Rift for two billion dollars. That has created a lot of fantasy in people’s heads: “Wow, Facebook spends two billion. This must be a big thing!” I think that’s how things started. Meanwhile, the technology is also ready, and the whole mobile industry is behind it. Every phone with a high resolution display is potentially a VR device.. But it’s still unclear what the killer application will be. Games is obviously one application. But the other ones aren’t clear yet. www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

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Sky, in collaboration with Jaunt, shot VR news footage last year. Do you have an idea what mainstream applications VR might have? Or will it remain in a niche technology? It’s not something where you will have to only use VR glasses. It’s also something you could use on your TV set or iPad where you can navigate around scenes. That might be interesting for applications like sports or live events like music shows. You could put 360 degree cameras in the crowd or onstage and then the user could navigate, even using an iPad or TV.

euros, so most people continue to play with GoPros - but the result looks like the cost. Fortunately, the cameras will become smaller and cheaper. The problem is you also need good optics in order to get the quality out of the cameras. And it’s always a compromise between the size of the camera system and the quality. Three years ago we built a 180 degree rig with six Alexa cameras. It was very good quality, but very bulky and not very practical. We shot in the Royal Albert Hall in London and a Chelsea football match and also a concert with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

How would that work in a broadcast infrastructure? You might present it as an OTT service, but it would be better to broadcast it. The advantage of a broadcast service is you have enough bandwidth to transmit the full panorama in high resolution. You might need 40 or 50 megabits it’s still quite expensive because you might need one complete satellite channel or complete cable channel, but it’s possible. If you go with streaming, the bandwidth is likely to be limited. You’d have to downsample the panorama, which is not a big deal now, since the displays are still quite bad, but they will become better. The HTC Vive is already quite nice, and you will see the lack of resolution with that kind of downscaling. It might be downscaled to HD or even only 4K, but that’s still not enough, even if you want to see that on your TV at home. If you could transmit a much higher resolution – maybe 10K – it would look much nicer.

Based on your experience, what are the some of the practical things you need to think about when you’re producing VR? We are just the providers of technology, so we always work with creative people. We don’t do the shooting ourselves. There are certain rules you have to obey. The biggest problem is the lighting. Especially in a system where you use the mirrors, and you get a flare on one segment, it’s very disturbing.

A lot of people suddenly want to get into VR. What are some of the challenges to shooting quality VR? It depends on the quality you want to provide. If you use these GoPro rigs, something comes out of that, but the quality is not so nice. At Fraunhofer, we built the OmniCam-360. At NAB we presented two new versions, one of which is a 3D version. In previous versions we used mirrors to avoid parallax. The other systems had a star-like arrangement of cameras and you had some serious parallax, which is okay if objects are far away, but if they are close to the camera, they don’t work when it comes to stitching together the images. We are also the only ones who can do stitching in real time. For stitching, we bring all camera feeds into a single pc and we use some powerful graphics boards. What comes out is a panorama of 10K by 2K in 360 degrees. But the price for one system is about 300,000

“Facebook bought Oculus Rift for two billion dollars. That has created a lot of fantasy in people’s heads: ‘Wow, Facebook spends two billion. This must be a big thing!’” And sensitivity of cameras and lighting is a huge problem. Normally, if you point a camera at a dark area you can open the iris more than you would in a bright area. But in a 360 environment you see everything at one time, you have the dark and the bright. And you have to use the same iris for every camera, otherwise it’s difficult to stitch together. That’s why we were so happy about being able to use the Alexa rig, because the Arri’s have such a wide dynamic range. What new skills and approaches are required with VR and how are people learning them? The general problem is the optical systems of GoPros. They have wide angle optics, which come out looking very unnatural. Then the synchronisation is a problem too with the GoPros, which mean you can’t shoot live, you have to rely on an offline process. I don’t think the use of GoPros will lead to satisfactory results. On the other hand there are much better cameras that will be two or three thousand euros. And then it becomes more affordable.n

June 2016 TVTechnology Europe

01/06/2016 15:35

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13/05/2016 14:46

OPINION “By collaborating we could save a fortune.”

DTG Summit and The Issues The recent DTG Summit raised some big questions facing the television industry – including its entrenched way of thinking. TV Technology Europe editor Neal Romanek offers his take

he DTG was formed in 1995 as a professional organisation to oversee the development of the digital TV marketplace and has been central in advocacy, collaboration and technological development for the UK television sector. This year’s 10th annual Summit in London had the theme, “Re-engineering for tomorrow’s TV consumer: turning a fragmented market into a global opportunity”, and the day’s discussions grappled seriously with the woes facing the UK TV industry – a central one being the gradual dissolution of the British industry into the single massive soup of global broadcast. This fragmentation, in which national broadcasting seem to dissolve like melting ice

conference I’ve attended lately, internet video providers, like Netflix and Amazon, hung over the proceedings like a cloud. COLLABORATION, NOT COMPETITION The session “What threats does the UK media & tech industry face?” addressed these issues in a frank, open way, with media consultant Alex Pumfrey taking aim at the British government for its newly released white paper promising greater government control over the BBC. The issue of the sluggish approval of new standards was seen as an ongoing issue. Moderator Nigel Walley asked the question point blank of CTO Simon Fell of the EBU: “Does an

organisation like the EBU have a place in such a fractured landscape?” Throughout the discussion, Fell gracefully allowed himself and the EBU to be a goodhumoured scapegoat for the slow rate of tech evolution. But organisations like the EBU have to spin many plates, operating across territories with different agendas. The very purpose of these trade organisations is to find consensus – which takes time. And time is not plentiful in an industry moving at the speed of IT. Fell did express regret at the proliferation of HDR standards which are holding up progress on adopting a format that many hope will breathe new life into the broadcast industry. There are a

“It’s hard to have open standards when the biggest red button on the remote says ‘Netﬂix’” caps is occurring across many industries, not just TV. This wholesale rearrangement has yielded both tremendous opportunities and disheartening challenges – sometimes simultaneously. A theme winding through virtually every panel discussion at the DTG Summit was the hand online technology has had in reshaping everything from workflows to audience behaviour. And like every single broadcast www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

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June 2016 TVTechnology Europe

01/06/2016 15:39

OPINION

Left: Web psychologist Nathalie Nahai gave insights into the strange new world of audience engagement and right; Freeview held a workshop, inviting post-it comments on issues affecting free-to-air dozen or more proposed HDR formats, some of which are virtually indistinguishable, and the EBU’s thoroughness is a handicap in coming to a decision. Meanwhile individual companies dash ahead, proposing their own standards. Fell emphasised that establishing a common standard for all would allow forward movement by both broadcasters and technology companies. He urged cooperation: “The problem with standards today is everyone wants to be the winning platform. But with people supporting an open platform everybody wins.” Fell added that the proliferation of streaming outlets and apps was unsustainable. “Every broadcaster has developed a player or a different app for every device. By collaborating we could save a fortune.” Channel 4’s Orpheus Warr countered with an uncomfortable observation: “It’s hard to have open standards when the biggest red button on the remote says ‘Netflix’.” CHANGING YOUR MIND Despite the anxiety over change, delegates seemed eager to look at new ways of seeing their industry. Web psychologist and host of the

Guardian weekly tech podcast, Nathalie Nahai, ignited imaginations with her talk “What digital consumers want from media technology”. She invited the audience to rethink how they were approaching content and to not take anything for granted, pointing out that something as simple as selecting a dynamic thumbnail makes a measurable impact in viewing stats. Nahai suggested content owners use exiting platforms – like YouTube - rather than designing their own apps. “If you build it, they won’t come,” she quipped. The content industry is consumer driven in way it has never been before, and broadcasters ignore this at their peril. Nahai cited a statistic that 81% of millennials expect companies to make a commitment to good corporate citizenship and that attention to these demands is what will make a difference in the long run. “TV is very much alive if you make it a social, cultural experience.” DIVERSITY OF IDEAS An overarching message that came out of the Summit was that collaboration alone – sticking together like penguins on an iceberg - won’t create the next generation of TV, not unless there

is radical – disruptive – action. Large engineeringdriven industries like broadcasting are by nature risk averse, but risk-taking is going to be the quality enabling a business to survive the next decade. I sat in on the DTG Annual General Meeting at lunchtime, where some of the organisation’s business was voted on, including the election of officers. Among the roughly 40 DTG voting members who attended, registering their opinions with raised red voting cards, I didn’t see one woman (I was later informed there was one present). And there were virtually no women on panels - Alex Pumfrey and Nathalie Nahai being the two exceptions. The argument that women are not attracted to engineering or technology sectors has never held much weight. What could be true though is that an industry – any industry - will start institutionalising the mindset of its members and begin to repel anyone outside that mindset. If everyone you hire in your company is an Arsenal fan, Chelsea fans are going to have a hard time coming in, no matter what your company policies are on inclusion. I don’t think an ageing all male TV industry is entirely about sexism. It’s also a symptom of an entrenched way of thinking. It goes against human nature to embrace something different when we’re already feeling under threat. When the future looks dangerous, our primitive instincts urge to go back to what worked before - and to surround ourselves with people who are like us. Actively incorporating diversity – of experience, knowledge base, culture, education, ethnicity – within an organisation is not some fluffy-headed exercise in liberal box-ticking. It’s a hard-nosed, intensely practical approach to business. What will take the TV industry forward is not more flexible technology, it’s more flexible thinking – and action with it. And if you don’t believe there’s power and growth in diversity, just ask the internet. n

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