TVTE Oct-Nov 2013 digital edition

EUROPE

TVTechnology WWW.TVTECHNOLOGY.COM

BROADCAST • PRODUCTION • BROADBAND • SATELLITE • MOBILE £3.80 I Volume 31 I Issue 6 I October/November 2013 See Professional Video and Audio Monitoring Solutions from Decimator Design on page 7

In the Field …

Buyers Guide on ENG/EFP

Michael Goring: From Runner to Cameraman

The Best of IBC

IBC: 25 More Things to see

CONTENTS /// Charity Ride Success EDITORIAL Editor Mark Hallinger Tel: 1 301 467 1695 Email: mhallinger@nbmedia.com Executive Editor Marguerite Clark Editorial Director Paul McLane Tech Editor Craig Norris Contributing Editor James Careless Contributors Ann-Marie Corvin, Kevin Hilton, Phil Reed NEWBAY MEDIA LLC CORPORATE President and CEO Steve Palm Chief Financial Officer Paul Mastronardi Controller Jack Liedke Group Circulation Director Denise Robbins Vice President of Web Development Joe Ferrick PUBLISHER Steve Connolly Tel: +44 (0) 20 7354 6000 Email: steve.connolly@intentmedia.co.uk ADVERTISING Sales Executive Sharifa Marshall Tel: +44 (0) 20 7354 6000 Email: sharifa.marshall@intentmedia.co.uk European Sales Director Graham Kirk Tel: +44 (0)1223 911224 Email: g.kirk@audiomedia.com U.S. Midwest, New England & Canada Vytas Urbonas Email: vurbonas@nbmedia.com U.S. West Pete Sembler Email: psembler@nbmedia.com U.S. Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, US Classifieds & Product Showcase Michele Inderrieden Email: minderrieden@nbmedia.com Hong Kong, China, Asia/Pacific Wengong Wang Email: wwg@imaschina.com

Again this year I rode my bicycle to IBC for charity–raising money for blind and partially sighted children. All 15 riders who started the event held up well on the 3-day journey from the IBC offices in London to the IBC show venue at the RAI in Amsterdam. We had some rain to say the least, and around two dozen punctures across the group, but we made it.

See ibc2ibc.com for slideshow videos from this and past rides, and consider joining us next year.

We had a mix of industry people and a few from outside our industry this time, and it’s open to all fit enough to complete the task.

Special thanks to event sponsors JCA, Liberty Global, SIS Live, Quantel and 202

Communications. F13 Events was the organiser (www.f13events.co.uk), and sponsors and riders are needed for next year. Other than the rain, it is not that hard of a ride, as the last two-thirds is quite flat of course.

Mark Hallinger, Editor

Cover image courtesy of Petrol Bags, and shows DP Sebastian Wiegärtner in action with Petrol Bags' Dr. DSLR Camera Bag (PD443) and the Digiback DSLR Backpack (PD331). © Sebastian Wiegärtner. www.petrolbags.com

Italy Raffaella Calabrese Email: rcalabrese@broadcast.it Latin America Susana Saibene Email: susana.saibene@gmail.com TV Technology Europe ISSN 2053-6674 (Print) ISSN 2053-6682 (Online) is published seven times annually by Intent Media. ©2013 by Intent Media. All rights reserved.

Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London, N18LN, England Free subscriptions are available to professional broadcasting and audio visual equipment users.

Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome for review – send to Mark Hallinger at the feedback address.

PRODUCTION Production Director Davis White Design & Production Manager Adam Butler Email: adam.butler@intentmedia.co.uk Production Executive Jason Dowie Jason.dowie@intentmedia.co.uk Designer Jat Garcha jat.garcha@intentmedia.co.uk

4

ERRATA

22

Setting the Record Straight on DMI & More

6

IBC 2013: STAR AWARDS

TV Technology Europe picked 25 interesting products that solve problems, fill gaps, or enhance your content

12

OPINION: TV APPS

Why TV Apps Should Differ From Mobile Apps, according to Terry Hughes

24

BUYERS GUIDE: ENG & EFP

A user report on field loudness, and product information on some of the new ENG/EFP kit launched at IBC

IBC 2013: 25 THINGS

We preview a few of the ‘25 Things You Might Have Missed’ at IBC, and point you to the website where the remaining items are archived

20

SPECIAL REPORT: BMSB CONFERENCE

TV’s future was examined at this international IEEE conference …

30

SHARPSHOOTER

A chat with Michael Goring on his experiences, from runner to stand-in to actor, and cameraman

October/November 2013 I TV Technology Europe

3////////////////

ERRATA ///

Setting the Record Straight on DMI & More n the September edition of TV Technology Europe magazine we printed an article "DMI in the Reuters Bin," an opinion piece about the BBC's failed Digital Media Initiative. Since publication we have been made aware of a number of inaccuracies in the article and would like to take this opportunity to update our readership. In the story it was claimed that Bill Garrett, the former Head of Technology of Vision Productions, the BBC's programme making arm, had written a letter to the Chairman of the BBC Trust Lord Patten and that this had triggered the subsequent National Audit Office investigation. We now understand that Mr. Garrett's letter was written two years after the NAO review, a review that had been initiated by the BBC Trust itself back in 2010.

TV Technology Europe did not mean to imply that Mr. Garrett's letter had been the event that exposed the project's failings, matters which we understand had actually come to light in April, 2013, after programme makers had struggled to produce content in the wake of the death of Lady Thatcher. TV Technology Europe has also learned that Mr. Garrett's letter was commenting on the NAO's review and he did not name or imply any specific individual as responsible. We accept that Mr. Garrett had no mal intent in his actions and TV Technology Europe would like to apologise if our original article implied any motivation in Mr. Garrett's actions.

It has also come to our attention that

the representation of Mediasmiths’ involvement in DMI was inaccurate. When the BBC took the DMI project back from Siemens they built their own team, and did not call in Mediasmiths as part of a realisation that they couldn't deliver as suggested by the article.

The BBC team retained responsibility for overall design, integration and delivery for the programme, developing a large proportion of the software internally, including desktop production tools and a metadata repository. To complement this, the BBC went to market to contract for an infrastructure package covering hardware and software for the backend management, movement and transformation of content.

Mediasmiths’ involvement was as part of the winning consortium and its specific role was to take over the development of an essence manager from the BBC, which was linked to the metadata repository developed by the programme, and to provide integration wrappers for a component developed by subcontractor Vidispine.

The article also contained inaccuracies about Sky’s Tapeless Project, which the article suggested was not fully implemented. The Tapeless Project was one of the most successful projects of its type in Europe. The systems delivered by Tapeless have been live for some time, and were part of Sky’s building of Sky Studios, its substantial production centre in London. Sky was the overall

What Did you Miss at IBC? With well over 1000 exhibitors, hours of conference sessions and more making up the IBC experience, it’s easy to miss something. With that thought in mind, we produced a webinar on 25 ‘things’ from IBC that you should see. These were profiled in an October 10 webinar, which is now archived on the TV Technology homepage at www.tvtechnology.com, under the resources tab.

//////////////// 4

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013

Systems Integrator and used Mediasmiths as a specialist contractor in the system design, development, and implementation of the Vizrt MAM system; the development of an integration platform and workflow tool for the tapeless system; and in subsequent staff training as part of the adoption of the system. The system transformed the way that content is managed, and has delivered substantial benefits.

The Project entered operational usage for a set of sports departments before the Sky Studios build was complete, and there was a staged rollout of all departments in phase with the migration into Sky Studios.

By the time Sky Studios was complete and populated, all Sky sports and traffic departments were using the system. Sony Flexicarts were used for batch ingest of tapes into the MAM, as was always part of the programme plan, and were not "secreted somewhere on the campus," as the article states.

This article referred to issues related to Flexicart integration and the difficulties involved in any such integration work were overstated in the article, and the contention that Mediasmiths was unfamiliar with Flexicarts was completely unfounded.

TV Technology Europe deeply regrets the inaccuracies and misrepresentations in the original piece.

---Mark Hallinger, Editor

THE STAR AWARD ///

Solving Problems, Filling Gaps, Enhancing Content /// Editor’s Note: TV Technology Europe has announced the recipients for its STAR Awards, presented at the 2013 IBC Show. The STAR Award (Superior Technology Award Recipient) is designed to celebrate and showcase the preeminent technological innovations available to the broadcast industry. TV Technology Europe’s editor and writers reviewed a variety of products, examined the technical applications and their overall contribution to the industry, and then chose the winners, presented in random order below.

By Mark Hallinger Darim Vision is a Korean vendor that has been making virtual sets for more than a decade, with varieties of product aimed at corporate and university customers as well as broadcasters. Its VS1000 portable virtual set features an intuitive interface and multilayer 2D and full, real-time 3D virtual set production without authoring tools. We’ll likely see at least one broadcaster using one in Sochi at the Winter Olympics, and there’s currently at least one in operation at a London rental studio. Also of interest are the pole-like LED lights that can accompany the set, which Darim has patents on. www.darim.tv OASYS Chameleon is a new product line that consolidates relevant OASYS software into a single optimal configuration for a variety of channel playout requirements. It aims to adapt to a broadcaster’s workflow, and this flexibility also means that OASYS servers can be quickly reconfigured as workflows evolve. www.oasys.com I don’t think many in the broadcast industry had heard of Nexidia before NAB this year, a company with a background in call centres.

The developer of dialogue and audio analysis products and technologies nevertheless won an impressive five awards at IBC, including the Best of IBC award from the editors of TVBEurope and the IBC Daily for both Nexidia Dialogue Search and Nexidia QC, and again, both products received Design and Innovation Awards from the IABM. At TVT Europe we thought long and hard about which of the two products to give a STAR to, and settled on Nexidia QC, a software tool for automating closed caption and video description verification, closed-caption alignment, and language identification for broadcast and IP workflows. www.nexidia.tv Colour grading----once the domain of digital intermediate and finishing studios----is a skill that has become more common across the production process. Filmlight’s compact Slate uses the same technological advances available on Filmlight’s Blackboard 2 control surface, but in a size perfect for a more multi-purpose post facility.

Its size and simple USB connectivity make it suitable for use on set and beyond. www.filmlight.ltd.uk One category of kit that we’ve started to look for in STAR winners is the completed product----a product that has added a feature that the industry clearly needs, or even just a product that has significantly upgraded capabilities. BHV’s Syntax Bridge is an example from this year. It now integrates the Syntax upscaler with //////////////// 6

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013

Microvideo’s HDB 300 bridge to provide simultaneous data management of control signals, transcoding, decoding, bridging and copying. The lack of metadata processing in prior Syntax Bridges was an issue, and it’s been addressed. www.bhvbroadcast.com There are certain products we see that have a broad enough range of features that they belong in any engineer’s toolbox, whether in a country that still has a lot of analogue equipment or a place where 3G infrastructures are coming online. The handheld TAG from Phabrix is an example. This low cost (about £2000) analyser/monitor offers a range of interfaces from composite up to SD-SDI, HD-SDI, 3G-SDI and optical support via a built-in SFP cage. With SFPs becoming common, the TAG will be great for engineers testing broadcast infrastructures whether they be copper or fibre.

On the audio side the TAG provides a D connector providing both balanced analogue audio and AES I/O. AES waveform display allows visual check for levels and reference lock. PHABRIX has worked closely with Dolby to provide support for Dolby E, Dolby D and Dolby D plus for the TAG. TAG also features a TCP/IP remote control connection, allowing the instrument to be controlled via any standard web browser. Additional data such as screen grab (bmp) and advanced logging can be easily transferred from the instrument situated anywhere within a facility connected by Ethernet. www.phabrix.com Forbidden Technologies’ FORScene wins a STAR for a few software enhancements and, notably, EVS Integration that fills a gap in EVS’ end-to-end news production in terms of remote connectivity for journalists in the field.

Basic enhancements include two additional timeline video tracks with support for animated alpha channels, which can be used as overlays for cut-aways, creating picture-in-picture effects, logo placement or voice-over recording directly onto the FORscene timeline. Forbidden also worked with EVS to integrate FORscene with EVS’ IPDirector and Xedio Dispatcher. The integration with IPDirector enables remote, browser-based editing of footage in sports centres or newsrooms. The integration with Xedio Dispatcher supports remote news-editing. www.forscene.co.uk; www.forbidden.co.uk And now we finally get to a 4K product. 4K and UltraHD seem ‘real.’ There was a sense at IBC that it was still early days, but this was not the trendy splash 3D had made a few years ago that many

THE STAR AWARD /// knew would not have legs About a decade ago, there were a lot of headlines related to the ‘HD Premium,’ the extra costs required to move from SD to HD, whether in production or within a facility infrastructure. The conversations between vendors and end users regarding 4K infrastructures have just begun, and one company that’s helping early adopters keep expenses down is Archimedia. This company also has the distinction of only having launched in June of this year.

Archimedia products will give users a way to work with, interchange, and deliver copies of master files directly from their originals while eliminating the need to store multiple formats. The company’s Power Workstations are built around Archimedia's Universal Master Media Player software, which supports multiple vendors' JPEG 2000 and MXF formats. It allows users to view, test, and measure archival-quality files on a standard HDTV and traditional SDI equipment. www.archimediatech.com 4K is at its core about really good images on large displays.

It’s also about some specialty uses in sport, such as taking ‘Region of Interest’ selections for HD broadcasts from a 4K image.

AJA’s TruZoom product does just that, adding the company’s Corvid Ultra hardware to produce a system adept at recording, scaling and playback of 4K imagery at up to 60fps, adding timeline-based keyframe control in the bargain.

The ROI element is controlled by a joystick and mouse control, and is bolstered by software that allows users to create virtual camera presets for quick recall of common regions for fast interaction in live environments. Recorded files can be played back from the local drive array and an ROI can be selected just like a live feed, but with the ability to create keyframed variable speed playback and holds of the footage to highlight a particular event.

It enables broadcasters to reframe shots for replay if the main action has been missed, and could possibly even save on camera deployments in some cases. It’s already seeing action with the MLB Network in the US. www.aja.com At NAB in April Blackmagic Design introduced the ATEM Production Studio 4K, an Ultra HD live production switcher. At IBC Blackmagic introduced a high end model featuring all SDI inputs, designed specifically for broadcasters and professionals who are building all SDI-based systems.

The new ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K includes features such as 10 independent 6G-SDI inputs each with frame sync, built in DVE with zoom, scale and rotate, 4 upstream chroma keyers, 3 independent aux outputs with front panel control and a larger media pool that holds both still frame graphics as well as motion video clips.

These new switchers feature built-in 6G-SDI and HDMI connections that allow Ultra HD connections with a single cable, and these SDI and HDMI connections instantly switch between SD and HD as well. So even if you don't ever think you’re going to need Ultra HD, these switchers still have an impressive feature set in regular SD and HD live production. The price is about US$2,495, which says something about keeping that ‘4K premium’ in check. www.blackmagicdesign.com At IBC 2013, Ensemble Designs made it easier to switch between HDMI and SDI signals. The new BrightEye NXT 410 Clean //////////////// 8

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013

HDMI Router has built-in clean switches that provide seamless video and audio switching of all sources, including those that are asynchronous. This new router provides a clean way to integrate a mix of SDI and HDMI cameras and other sources in a live event.

Switches are instantaneous, even when using HDMI sources. Pops, glitches and flashes are eliminated with the router’s built-in frame syncs. The router’s outputs can be fed to projectors, flat screens and production equipment.

It accepts 3G, HD and SD signals. A signal can come in as HDMI and be output as SDI, and vice versa. The output format follows the inputs. The flexible I/O configuration allows changes to the number of router inputs and outputs providing flexibility that saves time for engineers when setting up a job. www.ensembledesigns.com Back to 4K, and here’s a piece of the puzzle that is required if 4K in sport is to move forward. EVS Sports unveiled a 4K version of its XT3 production server, and these units were actually deployed for the live coverage of the Confed Cup in Brazil. This technology also was used in the successful transmission of live 4KTV replays in Munich during the Champions League Semi-Final between Bayern

Munich and FC Barcelona.

The new version offers flexibility and advanced workflow options of course, and also allows instant delivery of multicam footage to second-screens and Live Slow Motion in UHDTV. www.evs.tv Not every bit of big news reflecting industry trends was about 4K, or ‘the Cloud,’ or OTT. There was also a bit of talk on finding an SDI replacement in the evolving IT/open standards world. Some say Audio Video Bridging (AVB) is destined to play a significant role in broadcasting, given its ease of deployment, high quality and cost efficiency. At IBC Axon launched Neuron, a video product based on AVB that helps broadcasters create a live end-to-end audio and video production system with monitoring, management and protection.

Neuron features both hardware and software and offers significant cost savings, reliability, increased flexibility for instant network access and multi-switching between live content such as a football match or game show. www.axon.tv Not every STAR is a big product reflecting a major technical trend. Some are small, cool products. An example is Miranda’s M3 Integration Cable, a unique cable bundle that simplifies the connection between router and multiviewer. The M3 combines 16 coax connections into a single cable structure, requiring only a single connection step.

This timesaver also reduces the chances of improper or mismatched connections. www.miranda.com We also like to give awards to things that directly save energy, and thus cut costs. A visitor to Photon Beard’s stand would surely notice the Square One, a one-foot square fluorescent lighting panel that produces a lot of light economically. But we’ve given the STAR to the company’s DMX-controlled Non-Dim Switcher, designed to enable devices that only have standby modes to be remotely disconnected so they won’t drain power when not in use. www.photonbeard.com TV Logic’s VFM-058W field monitor is an ergonomic 5.5-inch LCD monitor with full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 and support for several formats, including 3G/HD/SD-SDI and HDMI. Additional features include a Max Brightness function, Temperature Adaptive Colour; HDMI-to-SDI conversion output; 1:1 pixel mode; Luma(Y’) Zone

THE STAR AWARD /// Check function; DSLR Scale; Waveform; Vectorscope; Range Error; Focus Assist; Markers; and Audio Level Meter with speaker and time code display. www.tvlogic.tv We always pick a few products that extend an established product’s capabilities----and Clear-Com’s remote transceiver line extender does just that. The product accomplished the simple yet important task of increasing the maximum distance between a Tempest BaseStation and the Remote Antenna Transceiver. One unit increases the systems’ cable run by 3,000 feet, while two or more can increase it by 2,000 feet per extender. A total of three can be connected to provide coverage of up to 7,500 feet. Thanks for a simple product that provides some great flexibility in the always varying EFP world. www.clearcom.com The Zylight F8 is a wireless and rugged Fresnel featuring lowpower consumption LED lights. Available in tungsten (3200K) or daylight (5600K) versions, the compact F8 folds flat – collapsing to less than four inches thick – for easy transport and storage. It is fully dimmable and offers an adjustable beam spread (16-70 degrees) for even coverage for widescreen productions. It can be powered by a worldwide AC adapter or standard 14.4V camera battery, so it’s suitable for a variety of applications. Wireless technology makes it easy to link multiple Zylights for simultaneous remote control, and it can also be controlled via DMX. www.zylight.com Wohler Technologies just started shipping its MPEG Series broadcast-quality MPEG video monitor line around IBC time. These universal MPEG digital broadcast confidence monitors come in three configurations: four 4.3-inch screens, two 7-inch screens, or two 9inch screens. They can decode and display MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, DVBASI, and IPTV multicast transport streams, as well as 3G/HD/SD-SDI/HDMI video. Add I embedded audio capabilities and MPEG PID tables, and one unit can replace what might have taken a few pieces of kit before. www.wohler.com The Hamlet DigiScope DS9006 is a multiformat measurement device with integral monitoring, and the electronics take up just 1U of rack space with a high resolution 7-inch IPS monitor on a gooseneck for easy, flexible positioning that still allows visibility.

It accepts up to six Hamlet 900 series modules, built on a bespoke digital platform developed. Modules include analogue and digital input, SD, HD and 3G with looping SDI connections, and up to 16 channels of AES audio. Some modules include the ability to generate EYE displays and precision test signals. www.hamlet.co.uk OTT, and multiscreen or ‘companion screen’ or whatever we will end up calling tablets and phones and computers, was another big industry trend. In at least some situations OTT is occupying much of a broadcaster’s engineering effort, yet it delivers a fraction of the income of the traditional video output. But there’s a certainty that these income levels will start to even out----broadcast and OTT on parity.

With this thought in mind Digital Rapids announced the immediate availability of its new StreamZ Live 4000EX encoder for advanced live and linear multiscreen applications----delivering a broadcast quality experience in an OTT situation was a goal. The product features fault-tolerant redundancy, increased performance and expanded control capabilities for premium live and linear multiscreen encoding applications from OTT services and IPTV head-ends to high-profile live event streaming.

It offers rich adaptive streaming format support to reach audiences across a broad range of devices and platforms, and multiple StreamZ Live encoders can be combined with the scalable Digital Rapids Broadcast Manager management software for multichannel automation, scheduling, monitoring and failover. www.digitalrapids.com //////////////// 10

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013

A veteran in the industry, Italybased MediaPower is established as an SI, carrying and deploying different brands and using its expertise in engineering workflow solutions. Recently the company has started to manufacture (and deploy) its very own line of media technology offerings, turnkey solutions that are pre-configured platforms for simplicity, flexibility, ease-of-use, and hassle-free maintenance.

At IBC the company had a few products on stand, including Arkki, a media asset management solution-in-a-box; AirGo, an all-in-one production and play-to-air system; and STAR winner NewsTouch, a touch-based, live presentation standalone appliance. This is a tool that transforms the news anchor from someone who simply reads a prompter into a moderator of information from sources including press clippings, images, online resources, media files and live feed. It features scroll, zoom, rotate, and interactive drawing tools, controlled by easy-to-master and intuitive gestures. www.media-power.it One product category that has expanded its usefulness over the last decade is compliance recording. What was once a VHS-tape based expense for a broadcaster is now a disk-based tool with uses in many departments within a broadcaster. The Media Intelligence Platform (MIP) from Volicon reflects this ---- this product is built on the company’s Observer video monitoring and logging product line.

The solution streams live and logged video, complemented by valuable metadata, to any device at any time. This allows media companies to use video, audio, and data for critical applications in areas ranging from engineering to the executive suite. www.volicon.com Fibre has made many field productions easier, and MultiDyne’s BullDog field fibre transport system deals with harsh, real-world environments well. It can transmit any camera signal, including HDSDI video, audio, intercom, control data, GPIOs, tally, and power, as well as eight HD-SDI signals in any direction — all from a single fibre cable. www.multidyne.com Sometimes it’s part of a larger product that really attracts attention.

Bridge Technologies’ Objective QoE concept uses a new approach that relies only on criteria that are appropriate to broadcast and digital media delivery. Objective QoE monitors a range of errors that typically occur in media delivery, including audio silence, colour freezes, colour black, and freeze frames, to detect failures affecting quality of experience. This contrasts with the traditional approach taken in many QoE systems, which are based on criteria derived from telephony and more arbitrary values.

Objective QoE is itself an interesting concept, but what caught our eye was a component of the system----the new VB288 Content Extraction System, a server-based system for confidence verification and monitoring of QoE that drives virtual videowalls that can be accessed and viewed from any location via an ordinary web browser.

The VB288 delivers visual content extraction, status displays and alerts via IP to the virtual videowall display to provide a highly effective validation tool that is easily adaptable to any monitoring strategy, and readily usable by busy engineers on the move, using desk-based or mobile devices. www.bridgetech.tv

EXHIBITIONS ///

25 Things You Might Have Missed at IBC /// Editor’s Note: The contributors and editor of TV Technology Europe and the editors of sister publication TV Technology selected 25 ‘things’ from IBC that you might have missed. These were profiled in an October 10 webinar. We’ve featured several of the 25 ‘things’ here, and if you want to see the remaining items, the webinar is archived on the TV Technology homepage at www.tvtechnology.com, under the resources tab.

BBC R&D IP STUDIO An unseen benefit of the forced regionalisation of the BBC has been the development of the IP Studio concept, worked on over the past two years by BBC R&D in an effort split between London and Manchester.

The project investigates how IP can move up the chain and have an impact on live production workflows (or, in BBC management speak, “how data can be treated as a first class citizen in TV production") and the demo in the IBC Future Zone focused on a multi-resolution workflow working at 4K and HD, along with content from mobile.

According to the BBC, the requirements in replacing the dedicated Serial Digital Interface link are demanding: among them are high bitrate low delay streaming, timing and synchronization; distributed configuration and control; real-time data; flexible reuse of processing; and access to production content and information. But the IP Studio makes clever use of technologies such as Precision Time Protocol to distribute time and is even edging into properly disruptive territory with its development of 'grains', whereby events, and frames or sections of video and audio, are all treated as individually identifiable elements.

To quote a BBC white paper on the project; "These data allow complex queries to be constructed. As an example, a user might want to view what was recorded from each camera when a particular line of dialogue was spoken. This could be achieved by: querying a database to find a particular (speech recognition) event grain; finding its corresponding source; finding related sources; and finding video grains with matching timestamps."

It's intriguing stuff and it will be interesting to see exactly where it will be at IBC2014.

////////////////12

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013

HIGH END REFERENCE RF GENERATORS, REINVENTED At trade fairs, laboratory Test and Measurement equipment usually stays out of the buzz: RF lab jockeys are discreet people, not used to getting visibly excited even about stunning innovations, while other attendees are commonly unable to realize what they are looking at.

The new Broadcast Test Center (BTC) by Rohde & Schwarz was no exception, despite its groundbreaking features. This multistandard test platform is based on a fully modular concept: everyone can design his very own RF test platform according to his specific needs, ranging from automated certification and logo tests to realtime video and audio stream generation, simulation of transmission channels, real-time reference signal generation, support to chip design with configurable I/Q sample rates, etc.

The R&S BTC also features analysis functions and automated tests for audio, video and multimedia applications. It can generate RF signals for all global broadcasting standards, performing a huge variety of transmission simulation, including multiple echo patterns and SFN interference. Applications include development, certification and quality assurance for chipset and receiver manufacturers as well as test houses.

Manufacturers of professional satellite equipment, network operators, rental companies and regulatory authorities will also benefit from this scalable test solution.

The R&S BTC signal generator has two separate realtime signal paths, each with a modulation bandwidth of 160 MHz. It is a unique combination of outstanding technical features and a modular, flexible design to meet the highest demands.

EXHIBITIONS /// FAREWELL TO THE BNC CONNECTOR? The BNC connector (Bayonet Neill–Concelman) is a miniature quick connect/disconnect RF connector used for coaxial cable and dating back to the late 1940s. It was named after its bayonet mount locking mechanism and its inventors, Paul Neill and Carl Concelman. It features two bayonet lugs to ensure positive mating with only a quarter turn of the coupling nut.

BNCs are used with radio, television, radio-frequency electronic equipment, test instruments and video signals, for frequencies below 4 GHz and voltages below 500 Volt.

The BNC is robust and reliable and proudly crossed through the analogue to the digital television era. It’s also survived (with minor cosmetics) into digital HD, but it’s going to surrender to 4K video. 4K data flow needs much more bandwidth. Added to the higher resolution will also likely be a higher frame rate, which will drive the data rate passing through cables even further, thus forcing the SDI interface out of contention.

At IBC 2013, the discussion was about what could replace SDI delivered via BNC connectors. Some favoured an evolved version of HDMI. However, others claim that the HDMI is a “consumer” standard, and is thus unsuitable for professional use.

Others suggested IP technology for hauling about these extremely wide bandwidth / high data rate signals.

It just may be IP’s time in the spotlight. Some time ago the IEEE and SMPTE both standardized a way for transmitting digital video signals via an Ethernet switch. The implementation process has taken a bit more time—about 10 years. But here we are—virtually all manufacturers of systems for transporting, managing or routing digital video were displaying products perfectly suited to handle IP in the world of high-end video production.

ULTRA GOES LIVE

IP in broadcast would probably have a bright future, even outside of production facilities: many manufacturers showcased their solution to achieve a fully IP infrastructure end-to –end. The overall target is to develop a solid A/V infrastructure based on “CAT” cables, due to their costeffectiveness and ease of installation.

Is this the end of SDI and BNCs? We don’t know yet. Certainly, IP is coming, and it could also open the door to companies that have never had to deal with BNC connectors.

An increasing number of potential customers will be digital natives, born with a network cable under their arms. And the possibility of having a simple connection for routing live multiple video and audio streams in a single cable, capable of carrying control signals and metadata too, may be the ace in the hole of the IP interface.

TINY TRANSMITTER

There just must be something about the sport of rugby ... chosen to be the first live 3D transmission to a test audience several years ago, at IBC this year the Gloucester vs. Saracens Aviva Premiership game became the first-ever live sport event carried via fibre and satellite for international transmission in true 4K. The effort involved several companies. BT captured the game using three 4K Sony cameras and mixers, a far cry from the usual 20 or so HD units, where it was then encoded into MPEG-4 AVC via Ericsson AVP 2000 encoders. The signal was then transmitted as a 100Mbps video by BT’s outside broadcast unit over the BT Global Media Network to Intelsat in London, where it was then carried via the company’s terrestrial network to Germany before being uplinked to satellite using Newtec kit and then decoded in real time in Amsterdam using Ericsson RX8200 modular receivers.

The resulting 4:2:2, 10-bit, 4K UHDTV signal at 60 frames per second was then displayed in the Intelsat, Ericsson and Sony booths at IBC2013, allowing attendees to view the rugby match live.

This ‘thing’ can be filed under the “definitely cool” label. It’s the SOLO7 Nano TX from Cobham, a UK-based communications company, which claims that it’s the world’s smallest HD COFDMbased transmitter.

The device - which measures just 55mm x 36mm and weighs just 36 grams - consumes only 3.5 watts. It has several incarnations, including “tactical communications and surveillance,” but at the IBC Show, the company was showing a variant that was engineered for broadcast applications.

Cobham was showing the SOLO7 Nano TX working with a GoPro camera, but it can work with virtually any other professional camera as well. The SD version of the transmitter is currently available with the HD version expected to be available by the next NAB Show. Interestingly enough, despite its small size and greatly reduced power consumption there’s no compromise in range.

////////////////14

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013

EXHIBITIONS /// SONY BRINGS Ci CLOUD TO EUROPE

ARRI’S NEW DOCUMENTARY STYLE CAMERA

Sony Media Cloud Services has seen The Cloud move from storage resource to a fully-fledged production platform and at IBC this year Sony’s Ci Cloud Services platform introduced new applications and wireless camera integration. On the production side there is Ci Rough Cut, a browser-based editing application that enables the sourcing, stitching and lighting of multiple clips.

Ci Review Approve allows frame accurate threaded commenting and annotation, real time group discussions and on screen notifications, and the ability to export EDL markers.

Now complemented by wireless camera-to-cloud connectivity, the Ci platform uses Sony’s wireless adapter to collect footage from Sony professional camcorders, enabling transmission over networks and efficient Wi-Fi operation. Users can transmit hi-res files via 3G, 4G, LTE or Wi-Fi to a broadcast station or upload them directly to CI’s cloud.

Sony Ci offers a variety of subscriptions and packages to suit production budgets and workflow requirements. Introduced at IBC in beta, Ci’s new self-service model will allow creative professionals to sign up online for free. Ci will also preview new archive capabilities.

There weren’t a huge number of camera introductions at the show, but venerable camera maker ARRI made a splash with the documentary crowd with the introduction of its Amira camera, which targets the doc market.

The versatile camera combines ARRI’s well known and exceptional image quality with affordable CFast 2.0 workflows with an ergonomic design optimised for single operator use and extended shoulder mounted operation.

Amira features the same sensor and image quality as the ARRI Alexa, recording 1080 or 2K pictures suitable for any distribution format. It has a dynamic range of more than 14 stops, low noise levels, subtle highlight handling, natural colour rendering, impressive skin tones and speeds of up to 200 fps.

The camera is designed to boot up quickly, with no setting up, no rigging and no delays, paramount features for the run and gun documentary and independent shooter. Incidentally, the company has not indicated yet when it will ship or a price yet.

EXHIBITIONS ///

ALDENA: TURNSTILE, WITH STYLE

EC’S VISION CLOUD RESEARCH PROJECT

Deploying country-wide coverage for digital terrestrial television signals typically requires massive efforts on the part of the broadcasters involved. On top of the technology-related constraints, challenging and not-negotiable time schedules have to be complied with. When simulcasting is required (at least for some time) or when digital emissions have to be aired on a different frequency with respect to the former analogue transmissions, a new antenna system is likely part of the scope of things. Building a brand new antenna system on a broadcasting tower in regular operation, with no discontinuation of the relevant emissions, is usually a real headache. When a quick rollout is required, a turn-key antenna could be the solution.

Turnstile antennas are made of a set of dipole antennas aligned at right angles to each other and fed 90 degrees out of phase. When mounted with its axis vertical, the antenna is omnidirectional, radiating horizontally-polarized radio waves. At broadcasting sites where no special radiation patterns are required, turnstile antennas can really be a plug-and-play solution. Aldena ATS turnstile antennas feature an omnidirectional pattern over the entire UHF band; they are topmounted and really plug-and-play with low VSWR, weight and windload.

The new Aldena ATS 1607928 is rated at 5 kW (single carrier).

It’s made of aluminium with a hot-dip galvanized steel bracket and it is directly mounted on a supporting mast with safety hoist hook. The ABS radome ensures icing protection and wind load is just 77.18 Kg front and side, with 160 km/h winds. ATS antennas are available with a range of rated power and gains (power from 1 KW up to 10 KW and gain from 5.5 dB up to 11 dB).

Vision Cloud won a special award at IBC this year in recognition of the project’s important focus on the future prospects of The Cloud’s potential to deliver cost effective delivery of dataintensive media-rich services.

The international project, which started in 2010 and is due to end this month, is spearheaded by IBM’s research labs in Israel and organised under the European Commission’s FP7 research and innovation programme.

At a cost of 15.7 M euros, it brought together a total of 14 partners, comprised of users, vendors and academics as well as broadcasters, including Italy’s RAI and Germany’s Deutsche Welle. At IBC delegates saw a live, interactive demonstration, where users could actually go through the steps involved in producing a video, going from content search, to content annotation and edit to exporting the produced video.

Vision Cloud’s advanced functionality, such as support for rich metadata and the ability to select and execute computational modules (storlets) near where the data is stored without having to incur network transfer costs and latency delays, demonstrated how a media organisation could use such a system for nimble, cost efficient, cloud-based collaboration across geographies.

At IBC, IBM also announced that, as part of the project, it is developing Active Media Store, a scalable, cloud object store with powerful native metadata support.

Digital information from diverse sources can be ingested, classified, cross-related, and used for production. Team members working in parallel can create formats for diverse broadcast media such as television, webcasts or mobile devices.

CALREC AUDIO SOCCER SIDEKICK AND CALLISTO CONSOLE It's not uncommon for a manufacturer launching an important new product at a major trade show to be upstaged by a ////////////////16

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013

competitor. Less usual is for a company to upstage itself.

Calrec managed to do that by giving its Soccer Sidekick audio mixing tool a big build-up and then, at the last minute deciding to bring along a new console as well.

In spite of this, Soccer Sidekick is still worthy of attention.

It's a patented iPad app to assist sound engineers working on TV coverage of football matches by simplifying the task of keeping up with which microphones need to be faded up during the action.

Soccer Sidekick gives a visual display of where the mics are and the operator can touch a specific area corresponding to where play is at any one time. The app computes the optimal contribution from each mic and raises the relevant faders on the mixing console, although the engineer has the option to take control if desired. Calrec says Soccer Sidekick is designed to help both experienced and less proficient operators. This latter user group is the target of the new Callisto audio desk, which was conceived specifically for live broadcast situations where a sound engineer is not always available. The Callisto has DSP that is compatible with Calrec's fuller spec-ed Artemis and Apollo consoles but the layout and function routing has been simplified so it can be run by a lighting person or member of the production team.

EXHIBITIONS ///

EUTELSAT SMART LNB Satellites are a unique source of bandwidth in today’s digital environment, offering universal coverage of all territories, delivering content to terrestrial networks, and enabling complete communications networks to be rapidly set up in the most remote areas, as well as delivering content direct to

users. One of the major drawbacks of satellite DTH broadcasting has always been the lack of an “easy” return channel, possibly managed by the satellite operator or by the broadcasters themselves, in order to keep a direct eye on their customers and their relevant habits.

Up to now, the return channel has not been an issue.

Nowadays, instead, the continuing expansion of the digital communications universe, and user expectation to access and share digital services irrespective of their location is dramatically changing the game. Eutelsat, one of the satellite big bosses, is trying to address this need with their Smart LNB, whose world-first live demo took place at the IBC. The Smart LNB is a new-generation electronic feed connected to an antenna with an embedded transmitter, acting as an effective return channel to provide services such as Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HBBTV), pay-per-view, social networking, live show participation, personal subscription management and audience measurement.

The smart LNB opens the door to a new satellite broadcasting ecosystem, also enabling broadcasters to operate their own ecosystem of linear television and connected TV services directly by satellite, without relying on or sending their customers’ valuable data on mobile or home phone lines operated by some of broadcasters’ fiercest competitors: telecom operators.

SRYP GENIE: CHEAP PANNING Proof that Kickstarter is useful to the broadcast industry for something other than simply raising funds to make more teen vampire shows, the Genie has been developed by New Zealand-based filmmaker Ben Ryan and designer Chris Thomson. It is billed as a cheap way to produce panning or linear movement, either for realtime video or – and this is where it really comes into its own – motion control or time-lapse.

The key to its success – and the pre-orders ran into four figures – is that it can be used with any existing film kit.

As the company says: “If your camera has a remote input such as for a timer remote then it will be compatible with the Genie.”

Basically it’s a small box that can be set-up for panning or linear motion. In linear motion it moves under its own power using a simple rope attachment (boasting lengths up to 100m) and it can pull up to 20 kilograms along a track.

Put it on a slider and you have the capability to do very precise tracking shots. It even features a move/shoot/ move mode for time lapse to make sure that it’s rock solid

VISION RESEARCH’S FLEX4K One of the big holes in the 4K production chain that needs to ////////////////18

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013

before exposure.

It’s neat, it’s simple, and it ships with a sub $1000 price tag.

No wonder it’s popular.

be plugged rapidly lies with the specialized equipment beloved by sports broadcasters, especially given sports' likely role in driving 4K adoption. So, all the broadcasters thinking ahead to the 4K future will be very pleased to know that the Phantom Flex4K from Vision Research appeared on the IBC show floor, after its NAB preview and a busy summer of testing.

The new unit is capable of 1000fps at 4096 x 2160, and currently delivers footage in the Cine raw format, though incamera compression is slated for early 2014. Three 3G HD-SDI video outputs are available and compatible with the industry’s latest external field recorders, while it also features the new hot-swappable Phantom CineMag IV storage in sizes up to 2TB. Internal memory is 64GB. Also new is a full-featured on-camera control interface. All camera parameters can be set from the built in menu on the right side of the camera body, eliminating the need for software connection on set. Controls for capture, playback, save and monitoring can be found on both sides of the camera. Limited quantities of the super 35mm sensor camera are slated to start shipping this month. All in all in plenty of time for next year’s FIFA World Cup.

EXHIBITIONS ///

IP & LINEAR AUDIO A manufacturer might believe in a new technology but not

HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGING? For all the concentration on 4K at the IBC Show this year, High

5.1 Surround Mic System Spatial sound, giving a sense of height and depth as well as

always be in a position to implement it in new products without collaborating with a third party. In an interview a few years ago Gareth Davis, managing director of codec and commentary system company Glensound Electronics, called IP the future for carrying linear audio.

Customers and the market in general anticipated Glensound's move into IP-based technology but had to wait until this year's IBC, when it introduced the result of an association with Technica Del Arte. The Dutch software company is developer of the Luci Live IP codec for smartphones and PCs and this has been incorporated into the GS-GC5 USB commentary unit. This variation on an established ISDN model offers IP coding together with other formats, including MP2, AAC, AAC-HE, G711 and G722. It features a four-channel mixer and four headphone connections, with all audio I/O on USB ports.

Glensound sales and marketing manager Marc Wilson commented that the decision was taken to use Luci Live rather than developing IP software in-house and instead concentrate on designing a hardware interface that commentators would find easy to use.

Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging definitely qualifies as the sort of technology that could spring a surprise on the industry in the future. Whether it will truly ‘bring a revolution in imaging equivalent in impact to the change from black and white to colour,’ as Future Zone inhabitant goHDR claims is open to question, but it is certainly impressive.

Essentially it just involves widening the range of colours and lighting detail available in an image, but there's a whole load of issues packed up in that 'just.' One is size - with uncompressed footage a shade over four times the size of conventional HD - while the other is finding a technique which is fully reversible, and the currently often-used technique tone-mapping (which merges a series of different exposures into a single image) isn't.

Spun out of Warwick University's Digital Technology department, goHDR aims to capture footage at 20 f-stops and 30fps, and indeed has done so using a couple of low-cost DSLRs. It uses a patented approach which sees it undertake realtime compression of the light and colour information separately, and was at IBC with a free app that allowed Future Zone visitors to watch a live HDR video stream.

length and width, is a shadowy but important discussion point in TV today as broadcasters consider Ultra HD and its natural audio companion. Dolby now promotes 7.1 as its flagship system but 5.1 continues to be a solid foundation for many Surround Sound transmissions.

Sennheiser's new multichannel mic system recognises that and also offers an alternative to specialised all-in-one Surround devices based on complex mathematics, like the SoundField. The Esfera is a stereo mic that features RF condenser technology. It works in conjunction with a 19-inch rack-mounted processor, which converts stereo signals into full 5.1. This can be done in real time on site or in postproduction. Esfera can be permanently mounted in the gantry of a sports stadium, as is usual with other surround mics, but it is also claimed to be the first mic of its kind that can work alongside wireless cameras. Sport in particular is seen as a primary area for the new product as it can be easily and quickly installed. The Esfera system is due to ship by the NAB Show next year.

What Did you Miss at IBC? 25 ‘things’ from IBC that you should see. These were profiled in an October 10 webinar, which is now archived on the TV Technology homepage at www.tvtechnology.com, under the resources tab.

October/November 2013 I TV Technology Europe

19////////////////

SPECIAL REPORT ///

IEEE Summit: TV’s Future Examined

/// Broadband Multimedia Systems and Broadcasting gathering draws participants from 25 nations.

James E. O’Neal reports.

ome of the world’s foremost television engineering experts assembled in the quiet West London suburb of Uxbridge June 5-7, 2013 to offer their take on where the medium is heading in the next few years, and to offer technological assessments and suggestions for making it more accessible and user friendly.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Symposium on Broadband Multimedia Systems and Broadcasting (BMSB) event hosted by London’s Brunel University attracted some 160 broadcasters, researchers, consultants, manufacturers, standards group members and engineering students from 25 countries, representing most regions of the world.

Agenda topics included the nearly universal tightening of spectrum available for broadcasting, new and evolving TV standards, ultra and super high-definition television, the latest developments in highefficiency coding, 3D and holographic imaging, increasing the robustness of transmission systems, spectral conservation, consideration of human factors in television viewing, and more.

LOOKING AT TOMORROW’S TV SET The BMSB conference offered several peeks into television’s future, with James Walker, technical director in the New Initiatives division at NDS-Cisco, providing one of the more revealing of these in his “Wall-toWall TV” presentation.

Mindful of the present-day push for larger and larger screen sizes and higher picture resolutions, Walker speculated that the manufacture and distribution of gurgitation plasma, LCD, and LED displays would eventually end and a “onesize-fits-all” display element ////////////////20

Some 160 delegates representing 25 countries and most regions of the world attended the 2013 Broadband Multimedia Systems conference.

Andy Quested, head of technology for BBC HD and 3D

Bill Meintel, broadcast consultant and president of the IEEE’s Broadcast Technology Society would become standardized.

“We think that the key to large TV is to take small regular screen elements [tiles] and put

TV Technology Asia-Pacific I October/November 2013

them together onto the wall to make a large display,” said Walker. “This has a lot of practical advantages. It gives us

flexibility of size, so I could create a display to fill the space that would be appropriate in my room.”

Walker cited an example of the impractically of constructing bigger and bigger integrated display devices. “A colleague of mine has a friend who bought a 105-inch plasma TV. The cost was about £80,000; however, part of that cost was for removing some of the roof of his house and hiring a crane to lower the TV into the house.”

Walker offered that a “tiled” display approach would be a lot more practical and will probably be the direction that home television viewing takes. He stated that once the display industry had reached a “sweet spot” in terms of optimum display “tile” size and manufacturing costs, these sizestandardized panels would be available in a price range that would allow a consumer to literally fill up a wall with these borderless and seamless tiles to create a display as large as desired. The composite display screen could even turn corners and spread onto adjacent walls.

Walker predicted too that the number of tiles activated for viewing might vary, depending on content.

“[Historically] we always fill the frame regardless of the content—it doesn’t matter whether we’re watching a movie, sports, a drama, or even if the TV is switched off and we’re just watching black, we always see the same size pictures,” Walker said. “But we maybe shouldn’t be so constrained and have pictures that are an appropriate size for the content that we’re watching.”

Walker also thought that the home TV screen of the future might not remain a non-entity when television shows weren’t being viewed.

“With the TV today, there’s a natural antagonism between what the TV looks like when it’s displaying beautiful pictures and then when it’s switched off and the screen turns black. The larger the TV the stronger that antagonistic tension is,” said Walker. “There are a lot of people who are not prepared to have a large black object on the wall of their living space when they’re not watching TV. “So we think that if there’s going to be a very large display, it really ought to blend into the environment. These systems— when you’re not actively watching television content—will be able to have personal information, personal content displaying on the room surfaces.

Not necessarily something that you’d sit down to watch with a cup of tea or a beer, but possible information about … your daily life at home or something you might find of interest.”

Walker further illustrated this point by stating that such tiled displays might be designed to achieve a transparency of sorts, displaying the room’s wallpaper behind them when not in use so as to be less obtrusive.

THE CHALLENGE OF SHRINKING BROADCAST SPECTRUM An issue common to many of the BMSB delegates is the competition for UHF television spectrum by wireless broadband providers and the effect this may have on television’s future.

Bill Meintel, a U.S. broadcast consultant and president of the IEEE’s Broadcast Technology Society, described the impact of the impending federallymandated “incentive” auctioning of a large portion of the remaining U.S. television broadcasting spectrum.

“We’ve got 294 MHz of spectrum altogether and broadband wants to take away 120 MHz of that,” said Meintel.

“We’ve got a problem.”

James Walker, technical director in the New Initiatives division at NDS-Cisco The auction referred to by Meintel would not force broadcasters to abandon their

apart anymore. You’ve got this high-power television station out there with its signals booming in

A “tiled” display approach will probably be the direction that home television viewing takes.

Yiyan Wu, co-organizer of the BMSB London conference and principal research scientist at Communications Research Centre Canada. television channels, but rather would allow them to offer frequencies up on a freewill basis for auction on a television market-by-market basis. This could prove profitable for some owners, especially those who are currently operating with small, or no, profit margins. The intent is to turn off a sufficient number of stations so as to provide a worthwhile block of spectrum for telecom use. However, due to the number of markets involved in the United States, the frequencies in the cleared blocks of spectrum may not be universal.

Meintel forecast some problems with this scenario.

“If you’re not going to have the same spectrum available throughout the country, you’re going to have the situation where you have broadband and television sharing channels,” Meintel said. “You can separate them a good ways apart and this works until you have ducting.

Then for several hours these things that were spaced far enough apart aren’t far enough

hundreds of miles away wiping out all of your broadband service for maybe two or three hours. It doesn’t happen very often, but it’s going to happen.”

Concerns about the evershrinking amount of spectrum allocated for television broadcasting purposes were also voiced in a panel discussion— “The Future of Broadcast Television” which was held near the end of the BMSB event, and featured participants from the United Kingdom, Japan, China, Korea, and the United States.

“There is never going to be enough spectrum [for] the output and quality of what we want to put out, and with the options that we want to add to that,” said Andy Quested, head of technology for BBC HD and 3D. “My gut reaction—and this is almost heresy to some people in here—is I think we should give up all of it to telcos and say you must carry us, slide us up the frequency band—because they are desperate for our low frequencies that go through walls and into basements, but

there’s plenty of room further up that they’re afraid to use. Make them carry us to mobiles and to main televisions and to whatever we want. I think that they should start to deal with the 99.8 percent coverage that we’re supposed to deliver, [and with] mobile connectivity to places with very poor television connectivity. I think that the whole usage thing…has to be about how we get more content, better content, higher quality content to more devices.”

SMALL SCREENS PREDICTED TO DOMINATE In addressing a question from the floor about the possibility of broadcasters setting up their own wireless networks, Meintel offered the following: “The answer is yes [for broadcasters] who really understand where the future is.

The future is not in television to the home. It’s portable and mobile devices. The homes are mainly being served by cable now and [by] satellite service.

The future is [television] to iPads and cell phones. That’s where the forward thinking broadcasters are going. That’s where the future is.”

Despite some reports to the contrary, three-dimensional television is still holding its own as witnessed by several BMSB presentations. Chief among these was a look at the way 3D was used in coverage of the 2012 London Olympics by the BBC’s Andy Quested. Brunel University’s Amar Aggoun offered his thoughts on 3D’s future in his presentation “Future 3D Video Technologies,” and Hosein Asjadi of Sony Europe prognosticated as to where 3D will land in connection with the emergence of super highdefinition television. Threedimensional television was also addressed in at least five other technical presentations.

All in all more than 100 papers were presented at the 2013 BMSB conference, the eighth such convening of that group. The event was coordinated by John Cosmas, multimedia systems engineering professor at Brunel University, and Yiyan Wu, principal research scientist at Canada’s Communications Research Centre (CRC). In past years the United States, Germany, China, and South Korea have hosted the group’s meetings. /// The 2014 BMSB meeting will take place in Beijing, China.

See http://bts.ieee.org/ for more.

October/November 2013 I TV Technology Asia-Pacific

21////////////////

OPINION ///

Why TV Apps Should Differ From Mobile Apps /// By Terry Hughes ith hundreds of thousands of apps already available in the Apple App Store and in Google Play, the mobile landscape continues to create a growth industry for apps. Every brand, every company, every wannabe has an app -- and it’s fast becoming the primary way that users interact with organizations.

As users demand that their favourite apps work across multiple platforms, the lack of apps for TV means that cable and TV service providers are left playing catch-up. As apps begin to emerge on TV, those in our industry who are scrambling to make the app experience identical to mobile should stop to consider why apps on TV should be very different.

Apps on mobile devices are functional. A person can open a banking app to check a balance, go to YouTube to watch a video and then open a browser to check a Web page.

Those practices won’t work on TV. Apps will need to be threaded into the fabric of the viewing experience. For example, apps should be an integral and enhanced part of the TV channel being watched, with those most relevant to the viewing experience showcased first.

Apps shouldn’t be hidden in the silo of an app store or menu system. If broadcasters get this right, viewers won’t even know that they’re engaging with apps, and instead will see it as a standard part of the next generation TV experience.

Apps present new opportunities for the broadcasting industry to deliver ////////////////22

unique and personalized unicast programming and advertising to users, especially as our industry moves away from a dependence on linear broadcast technologies. As apps evolve and continue to proliferate in the TV realm, we will see TV channels, content and advertising delivered inside of apps, which will then provide a return path for interactivity and conversion.

Viewers won’t even know that they’re engaging with apps, and instead will see it as a standard part of the nex-gen TV experience.

As a result, apps will enable programmers to engage their audiences in entirely new ways, serving as a supplement to conventional shows in order to create a whole new dimension of engagement. Just as apps have transformed the book and music industries, apps on TV will disintermediate the value chain, enabling local and independent publishers of TV content to reach audiences without depending on a network deal with broadcasters.

More often than not, people are watching TV with a companion device on their laps. Therefore, offering companion apps that complement broadcasts will be key, as will leveraging the companion device as the point of interactivity with the first screen.

There is a proven desire among consumers to interact with shows or ads that they see

TV Technology Asia-Pacific I October/November 2013

on the television screen. If our industry leverages companion apps on those smart devices, we can deliver a superior user experience while leaving the TV to continue its main purpose of providing leanback entertainment.

We also need to consider where these apps for TV will reside. It's easier in mobile since apps have to run on a smartphone or tablet. In the living room, however, there are a whole host of smart devices including the set-top box, the TV itself, the games console, and over-the-top boxes including Apple and Roku.

Some systems run Android apps, which need to be optimized for the 10 foot experience, and some boxes run proprietary native apps that are hard to develop, and many boxes have non-standard browsers that run HTML5 apps developed for TV. As a result, this fragmentation will serve as a roadblock and cause app developers to pause until a clear winner emerges.

With so much conversation focused on “cord cutters” and “cord shavers” (the new generation of consumers who either discontinue their traditional TV service or trim it back), apps will allow the broadcast industry to remain current and relevant with this new type of audience.

The “cord ignorer” simply doesn’t watch TV anymore, so reaching that user via companion apps is essential for the broadcasting industry. The “cord absorber” lives for TV programming, and our industry needs to deliver world-class app experiences to these people so that they can get their fix long

Terry Hughes after the show has aired, whether they are in front of the TV or not.

Overall, apps in the TV environment present unparalleled opportunities.

However, unlike in mobile, at AppCarousel we don’t see hundreds of thousands of apps or app developers. We see apps as an essential extension to the brand of every programmer, broadcaster, publisher and cable operator.

Apps will allow them to deliver content in totally new ways, and will enable them to engage with their users. Apps will also present new opportunities for monetization via merchandising and premium content, and as part of IPTV, will offer up whole new technical paradigms for service delivery and unicast programming. /// Terry Hughes is Managing Director of AppCarousel Contacts: www.appcarousel.tv

‘We Did It!’

London to Amsterdam - 300 miles in three days - 6th - 8th September 2013 Fifteen Riders, 300 miles, 20+ Punctures, Hours of Rain, Three Days, Thousands Raised for Charities Special thanks to event sponsors JCA, Liberty Global, SIS Live, Quantel and 202 Communications.

To sponsor or ride next year, see www.ibc2ibc.com

USER REPORT /// BUYERS GUIDE: FIELD PRODUCTION

Loudness at the Source /// Hendrik Simoens on how VRT’s reporters achieve simple, accurate loudness measures in the field

lemish Radio and Television Network Organization, or VRT, is the Flemish public broadcaster for the Dutch-speaking portion of Belgium. We aim to reach the maximum number of media users with a wide range of quality programs that excite and satisfy them, so we provide programs and services on all platforms in an array of genres, from information and culture to education and entertainment.

Because we have such a wide range of programming, VRT program engineers work on all sorts of projects with varying amounts of audio content, all of which must follow the EBU R128 standard for broadcast loudness. In order to comply with the standard, which went into effect on Jan. 9, we needed tools that would help us monitor loudness. One of those tools is the VisLM-H, NUGEN Audio’s visual loudness monitoring tool with history view (H) and a data-logging

option. We use VisLM-H mostly for on-location news stories and high-level audio postproduction.

VisLM-H is a software plugin that we can insert into our workflow whenever and wherever we need it. Our editing suites are equipped with physical loudness meters, but for our news department, where space is limited and most people work on their laptops, it’s not possible to install a physical meter. For example, foreign correspondents working in other countries or other reporters working in remote locations might do some of their own editing on their laptops before submitting their reports. Often they’re using a Panasonic P2 camera to capture video and audio and ingest it into the PC, where they use Avid NewsCutter to prepare the package. In situations like those, VisLM-H easily displaces a physical meter at a lower cost.

RAIN COVER FOR CANON DSLR

LED FRESNELS Litepanels Inca 12 (tungsten balanced) and Sola 12 (daylight balanced) Fresnel fixtures combine the performance of large Fresnel fixtures with the advantages of LED technology. Both versions supply powerful and controllable illumination comparable to a 2K while using just a small fraction of the energy required by traditional tungsten or daylight Fresnel fixtures. With custom designed, lightweight Fresnel lenses, they emit even, collimated light that is easily controlled manually or via an integrated DMX module to facilitate remote dimming and flood-spot focusing simultaneously. Litepanels has three new traveling kits featuring the company’s new cost-effective 1x1 LS fixtures. www.litepanels.com

////////////////24

Audio level on locations has always been a problem, and the nature of a location shoot means audio is tricky to begin with, so it is helpful to have something that allows remote reporters to watch the levels in the field before sending the piece back to the station.

Because it’s a plug-in, VisLM-H represents the ultimate in portability. The visual meter simply appears on the screen alongside other editing tools without the inconvenience of a physical box.

The meter’s history feature is helpful because when we create or edit a piece, it’s important to see if there are loudness jumps or drops in any part of the edit to ensure loudness for the entire program is at a reasonable and consistent level — especially if we’re combining archive material with new material.

VisLM-H gives us an easyto-use, EBU-compliant way to measure, compare, and

contrast loudness for entire sections of audio. With the VisLM-H plug-in, our remote reporters have a unique tool for accurately measuring the loudness of a piece right there in the field, which ultimately helps VRT comply with the rules and deliver better-sounding programming to viewers.

VisLM-H is just one piece of NUGEN Audio’s product line, which offers a number of tools for audio analysis, loudness metering, mixing/mastering, and tracking. Besides VisLM-H, to some extent we also use NUGEN Audio’s LM-Correct automatic loudness analysis and correction tool, and the Visualizer audio analysis suite. /// Hendrik Simoens is Project Engineer at VRT

CONTACTS www.nugenaudio.com

LOCATION LIGHTING POWER, MORE Cineo DC150 is a a DC/battery power module for TruColor LS. It is ideal for location lighting where AC is unavailable.

It operates on 24-36VDC and for up to 3 hours on Li-Ion batteries.Cineo used IBC to show new mounting options for both its TruColor HS and LS lights, including double yokes, pole-op yokes and spacelight hangers. Performance Dimming was also shown-TruColor systems now support a tungsten-emulating dimming curve with full-range dimming from 0-100%. www.cineolighting.com

Petrol Bags has introduced a new transparent rain cover to provide waterproof protection for the Canon EOS C100 DSLR camera. Specially fashioned to fit over the C100, even while the flip out screen is open, the cover allows for fast and easy setup, while keeping all camera controls fully accessible. This all-weather accessory is constructed of transparent waterproof polyurethane that doesn't obscure the camera’s view. The smart design makes the Rain Cover extremely easy to install while shooting. www.petrolbags.com

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013

MARKETPLACE /// LOW LIGHT BOX CAMERA The HDL-4500 is a 3CMOS multi-purpose HDTV camera from Ikegami that achieves super high sensitivity. Under star bright conditions (0.001lx), it can produce colour video. With its compact one-piece form factor, this camera is suitable for various applications such as a weather camera, POV camera, etc. Features include 2/3 inch 1.3M high speed multi sampling 3xCMOS; frame rates of 59.94fps or 50fps; a minimum illumination of lower than 0.001lx; S/N of 56dB; auto video level control function; auto tracking white balance; a Viewfinder, Handle & Shoulder Pad Option; and more. www.ikegami.com

BONDED 3G/4G LiveU offers a range of bonded 3G/4G uplink solutions for broadcast and online media, offering a one-stop-shop for live news, sports and event coverage. This includes the latest mobile application, the handheld Smart Grip.

The company’s LU-Smart mobile app solutions bringing bonded transmission to mobile phones and tablets (iPhone, iPad and Android devices), and include the patent-pending Smart Grip device with its chargeable battery and MiFi channel (or any other mobile hotspot) in a handheld monopod (see picture). www.liveu.tv

ENG OVER CELLULAR At IBC 2013, Dejero demonstrated its latest bonded cellular technology, using mobile wireless networks to transmit high-quality ENG video. The Dejero LIVE+ Platform includes the LIVE+ 20/20 transmitter, a portable and rugged bonded cellular transmitter for a wide variety of ENG applications. It also includes the LIVE+ NewsBook software that brings cellular transmission capabilities to laptop or personal computers, and the LIVE+ Mobile App for popular smartphones. www.dejero.com

4K HANDHELD The Sony PXW-Z100 is a professional 4K handheld XDCAM camcorder that can capture stunning 4K content at 50p or 60p. The PXW-Z100, together with its fixed 4K-compatible highperformance G Lens, weighs less than 3kg and uses the XAVC recording format first used in the PMW-F55 CineAlta camera. The PXW-Z100 is based on the same shooting ergonomics as a conventional handheld professional camcorder, so it is possible to capture 4K content without extra equipment and with a minimal crew. In addition, during post production, downscaling from 4K to HD provides new possibilities for HD content production. www.sony.co.uk

October/November 2013 I TV Technology Europe

25 ////////////////

MARKETPLACE /// HIGH-CURRENT POWER The DIONIC HD Logic Series battery from Anton/Bauer is suitable for powering high-current digital cinema cameras in a lightweight and robust package. The DIONIC HD is a 183 Wh Li-Ion battery that incorporates sixth-generation cell technology and the company’s latest software architecture. Weighing 40 percent less than a NiCad or NiMH battery, the DIONIC HD has 25 percent more capacity and will run a 30-watt camera, monitors and multiple accessories for more than six hours. www.antonbauer.comv

LED FRESNELS All Lupolux fixtures feature high quality LED arrays of the latest generation, with high output and high CRI value. Plus, Lupolux’ background in the photographic market has always set a high standard of quality of light. Lupolux continues to offer the whole range of lights equipped with HMI lamps and compact fluorescent lamps, and all lights are made in carbon fibre for weight savings, toughness and portability. Pictured is a daylight Fresnel, equipped with a discharge lamp and an integrated electronic power supply. It features extremely low power consumption (150 W) and high light efficiency (800 W). www.lupolux.com

////////////////26

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013

LED FRESNEL This Vidnel 50 Fresnel from Videssence delivers tungsten performance in a powerful LED package with colour at 96+ CRI. The new 50 watt Vidnel provides the single shadow and focusing characteristics essential to Fresnel fixtures while using a fraction of the power. It delivers a soft directional beam of adjustable light and has flicker-free dimming without colour shift. Manual slide bar at the side of the fixture focuses the beam and locks in place. Passive heat dissipation design avoids the noise and failure of internal fans.

Available with On Board and DMX control and dimming. Compact 266mm x 290mm housing is great for location shooting. The fixtures utilize standard 4-inch Gel Frame and Barn Doors. Units are available in tungsten and daylight. www.videssence.tv

SX-300 PAN & TILT HEAD One of Shotoku’s latest midweight EFP pan & tilt fluid heads, the SX-300 features outstanding balance, a robust build and ergonomic design.

With a high capacity 40kg (88 lbs) payload and widebalance capability, the SX-300 supports an array of cameras, lenses and accessories, making it perfectly suited for field production, OB and studio use. The 300 head accommodates flat base or 150mm ball. Operators can not only expect top-class performance and reliability from the SX300’s VISCAM technology for smooth and adjustable pan & tilt drag with reinforced torque, but a continuously adjustable balance system. www.Shotoku.co.uk

MARKETPLACE /// ACCESSORY POWER

4K PRODUCTION, DSLR ADVANCEMENT Reflecting the current industry interest in acquiring content at higher resolutions, demonstrations on the Canon stand at IBC were heavily focussed on bringing 4K production to life, and featured a live 4K production workflow using Canon’s latest products.

Ahead of the show Canon made several announcements including the launch of its new CN-E35mm T1.5 L F Cinema prime lens, and a host of feature updates to its existing range of Cinema EOS cameras.

Amongst the many updates a new maximum ISO setting (ISO 80000) was announced for the EOS C500, EOS C300 and EOS C100, allowing creative content makers to shoot in even more extreme low light conditions.

During the show Canon announced that its EOS-1D C had become the first ever DSLR to meet the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Tech 3335 requirements. Making the camera the first ever DSLR to be considered capable of providing an image of high enough quality for use as a broadcast production tool. www.canon-europe.com © Emmy de Graaf

////////////////28

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013

PAG has introduced a range of new plug-in output connectors for its PAGlink PowerHub, thereby increasing the type of camera accessories that can be powered via this device, using PAGlink batteries. The new output connectors are Hirose (4pin) and 2.1mm socket (PP90), designed for 12V DC camera accessories. The PAGlink PowerHub, Model 9709, is provided including four D-Tap output connectors, which have been designed to be interchangeable with the

new variants. The D-Tap connector is now also available to buy as a separate item.

PAGlink batteries have a 12A current capability, when linked, enabling a user to power simultaneously the camera and multiple 12V accessories, such as: camera lighting, monitoring, audio, and transmission devices.

A USB module (1A, 5V) has also been incorporated in the PowerHub, for charging a variety of devices. www.paguk.com

LED PANEL The LUPOLED 1120 DMX DUAL-COLOR series are LED panels with 1120 High CRI LEDs (CRI>94), made especially for photography, video and TV studios.

These panels can be set to any colour temperature from 5600°K to 3200°K, by rotating the knob on the back of the fixture. Additionally the colour temperature can be visualized on the digital display on the back of the fixture. The luminous intensity level can be adjusted from 0 to 100% using the second knob on the back of the fixture. These can also be controlled via integrated DMX. The unit’s light (600 gram) battery can provide about 3 hours of illumination at full power. www.lupolight.it

SHARPSHOOTER ///

A Man with a Camera …

NAME: Michael Goring

actors and photographers live round here for some reason.

AGE:

OCCUPATION:

32

Cameraman, editor and director.

STAR SIGN:

YOU'VE BEEN AN ACTOR, AD, AND NOW A CAMERAMAN. HOW HAVE THESE HELPED YOU IN YOUR PRESENT ROLE?

Capricorn.

HOMETOWN: Reading, UK.

CURRENT LOCATION: Tufnell Park, near Camden in London. Lovely area. Many

////////////////30

I started as a runner/stand-in on films and dramas. The directors often used to say I should take

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013

up acting so I did a course and got an agent. Not much happened after that, although I recently acted in a short film, so maybe it’s not totally over. It's definitely helped being an AD. I've met some of the best British directors and you kind of soak up all the creativity and the way things are done, how to get round problems and treat talent.

I do direct half the time but it's really up to the client that calls me. I'm just a man with a camera.

I think if you're not using the camera you can be clearer about what sort of vision you had for the project. It's so easy to get distracted by a plethora of white balances, histograms, focus and sound, but I like that all jobs are different.

I recently bought an old 5DII so that I can make use of all the lovely lenses I have for my main camera. It's nice to be free to take the cheaper camera around with me to do photography or a bit of filming.

>

SHARPSHOOTER /// WHAT IS YOUR EDITING HARD/SOFTWARE SETUP? I use FCPX which was kind of forced upon me when I did a software update and my FCP 7 stopped working!

I hate FCPX. I always find myself saying 'if I can just sort that out then I will love it', but I don't know — it's endless. I do like the fact it's easy to make something look good quickly.

WHAT IS YOUR ACADEMIC BACKGROUND? I'm a bit overqualified, really. I was a bit confused because I love science and art, so I went travelling for a year; cycling across China for charity and then did an art foundation course. I then went the other way and did a degree in environmental science. I loved that too but ended up doing an MA at Bournemouth University in Film and TV production. It was very good, very focused.

CURRENT ASSIGNMENTS. WHERE, DOING WHAT, SHOOTING FOR WHOM?

////////////////32

A few weeks ago I was filming for Dior at Harrods, then filming at a conference, a gig and a music video. I just had some meetings, one with the V&A museum to make a video and another with an actress who started her own app about graphology.

I'm penciled in next week to film all over the country with the Water Board and I just had an email about some TV work Thursday. So it’s extremely varied.

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013

HAVE YOU BEEN BUSY? Yes, I’ve been very busy. It helps having the latest camera, but certainly the economic mess is measurable. I hear it all the time: ‘there's just no money anymore’.

FIRST-EVER SHOOTING JOB? I shot hundreds of front doors for a Royal Mail commercial years ago as a runner. But I suppose really, when I got my first camera -- the EX3 -- I was phoned up from New York and

asked to film an interview with a well-known Vogue photographer, Tim Walker.

I was very excited. His photographs are incredible. The director was a rather grumpy man. But we got on well and they've always asked me to film his interviews in London via Skype.

CURRENT EQUIPMENT YOU USE? I use a Canon C300 which I love.

I'm tempted to buy the C500 but

>

SHARPSHOOTER /// texts. Free should be stress-free.

I don't think my credit card company would appreciate that — hang on, they would love it! I have lights, a tripod, a slider, radio mics; 24-70mm L series Canon lens, 2.8/70-200mm L series, and lots of old Nikon lenses.

I can always hire from a local hire company and a friend of mine has an F55. I've not heard good reviews about it yet, but I'm sure the 4K revolution is about to begin!

BEST THING ABOUT YOUR JOB? The best thing is just meeting all sorts of people from all walks of life and all sorts of places. It makes you feel quite privileged. I hear many actors say, “it beats working for a living,” (and) it's kind of similar.

HAIRIEST/SCARIEST ASSIGNMENTS AND WHY?

EQUIPMENT "WISH LIST"?

WHAT WOULD YOU IDEALLY LIKE TO HAVE?

I once had to film a documentary about a woman who had been badly abused as a child. She had had all her own daughters taken away from her by the state. In turn, one was abused badly in care and became a heroin addict.

We filmed all around Scotland in some pretty scary estates.

She really let loose on some of the people she blamed for her life, one being a man who had previously been put in jail for attempted murder (allegedly). I came pretty close to a run-in with him.

Oh yes: I need some Dedos, maybe a Kino, another lightweight tripod and maybe a really nice heavy one. I could do with a really good slider. I would like a focus-pulling kit and some prime lenses and maybe some kind of Steadicam-like set up.

The list is endless, really.

WHAT'S THE BIGGEST HASSLE IN YOUR CURRENT WORKING LIFE? I get a lot of people asking me to film and 'just edit a little' for free.

I love editing, but it's not like I charge much for it, I often say yes and end up editing for weeks with them barking orders at me over the phone or hundreds of

WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO SHOOT IN? I love the countryside or an exotic location. I love travelling, anywhere I need my passport is

nice. Practically: studios are always good.

FAVOURITE FOOD?

monks; St Feuillien Blonde or Tripel Karmeliet or something like that. Very strong too! but I only drink at the weekend, really.

I love Japanese food but I like any good food really. Right now roast chicken would be nice, and tiramisu or Banoffee pie!

FAVOURITE DRINK? I really like Belgian beer in those little stubby bottles made by

Contact: W: http://michaelgoring.com E: mmichaelgoring@mac.com

ADVERTISING INDEX /////////////////// COMPANY

PAGE

WEBSITE

COMPANY

PAGE

WEBSITE

Adder

26

www.adder.com

IBC

23

www.ibc2ibc.com

AJA Video

5

www.aja.com

Lite Panels

27

www.litepanels.com

B&H

35

www.bandh.com

Lupo Light

15

www.lupolight.it

Blackmagic Design

9, 13

www.blackmagicdesign.com

Lupolux

30

www.lupolux.com

Bridge Technologies

3

www.bridge.tv

Media Power

11

www.media-power.it

Canon

33

www.canon-europe.com

Miranda

2

www.miranda.com

CES

31

www.cesweb.org

34

www.teleprompters.com

Cobalt

28

www.cobaltdigital.com

Mirror Image Teleprompters

Decimator

7

www.decimator.com

Oasys

17

www.oasys.com

Digital Rapids

32

www.digitalrapids.com

Phabrix

25

www.phabrix.com

Hamlet

29

www.hamlet.co.uk

Wheatstone

36

www.wheatstone.com

Advertising Sales Representatives /////////////////// Publisher

Steve Connolly

+44 (0)207 354 6000

steve.connolly@intentmedia.co.uk

Europe

Sharifa Marshall

+44 (0)207 354 6000

sharifa.marshall@intentmedia.co.uk

Europe

Graham Kirk

+44 (0)1223 911153

gkirk@nbmedia.com

Italy

Raffaella Calabrese

+39 02 92884940

rcalabrese@broadcast.it susana.saibene@gmail.com

Latin America

Susana Saibene

+34 607 314071

Hong Kong, China, Asia/Pacific

Wengong Wang

+86 755 5785161

wwg@imaschina.com

Australia/New Zealand

Eric Trabb

+1 212 378 0400 x532

etrabb@nbmedia.com

US Central, New England & Canada

Vytas Urbonas

+1 212 378 0400 x533

vurbonas@nbmedia.com

US West

Pete Sembler

+1 212 378 0400 x324

psembler@nbmedia.com

US Classifieds & Product Showcase/ US Southeast and Mid-Atlantic

Michele Inderrieden

+1 212 378 0400 x523

minderrieden@nbmedia.com

////////////////34

TV Technology Europe I October/November 2013