TVTE October 2015

October 2015 I IBC Show Supplement

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IBC 2015 SPECIAL REPORT Acquisition From 8K to drones

Marketplace

Audio, post, delivery & more

Best of Show

Winners revealed

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CONTENTS WHY GOING OVER THE TOP IS GETTING PERSONAL

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TAKE THE HIGH ROAD A rundown of the high-end camera technology that debuted at IBC.

Among the many acronym-heavy industry trends highlighted by IBC 2015, OTT (over the top) is probably the one that causes the PRVW NHUIXIĂ H /HG E\ 1HWĂ L[ GLVUXSWLYH 277 VHUYLFHV DUH DOO the rage, prompting broadcasters and other traditional televisual service providers to LQWURGXFH HYHU PRUH QRYHO LQWHUQDO ZRUNĂ RZV DQG H[WHUQDO LQWHUIDFHV VR WKDW WKH\ FDQ VHUYH WKHLU SURJUDPPHV YLD WKH LQWHUQHW The development of these services, and the technology and networks that underpin WKHP FRVWV PRQH\ RI FRXUVH $QG JHWWLQJ UHWXUQ RQ WKDW LQYHVWPHQW LV IDU IURP HDV\ 7KLV FRXOG H[SODLQ WKH HPHUJHQFH RI a host of new personalised advertising applications: technology that melds XVHU SURĂ€ OH GDWD JHRJUDSK\ DQG UHODWHG programme information and automatically injects relevant adverts into live and RQ GHPDQG FRQWHQW VWUHDPV VHH 3

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DRONES AND MORE IBC was not just about broadcast cameras. There was lots of innovation for the indie filmmaker too.

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THE ROUTE TO IP With the broadcast industry’s move to IP now in full swing, signal distribution really came to the fore at IBC.

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TALKING SHOP From picture resolution to codec development there was plenty to discuss during the IBC conference.

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THE CUTTING EDGE In post production terms, IBC highlighted the move to NLEagnostic shared storage and the increasing influence of HDR. 3

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THE RESULTS ARE IN

After much debate and deliberation, TV Technology Europe has chosen its IBC 2015 ‘Best of Show’ winners.

October 2015 TVTechnology

COMMENTARY

Back to (virtual) reality Away from Ultra HD and IP, the big theme of IBC was collaboration and openness. But it was virtual reality that really got the pulses racing, writes Kevin Shaw

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very year at IBC there is an air of anticipation about the next hot piece of technology. Last year the focus was very much on UHD 4K and the early stages of high dynamic range (HDR), so this year we were eager to see what progress has been made in the development of better pictures.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed 8K at IBC again but for the first time with HDR using BBC R&D’s hybrid log curve. I felt the HDR pictures were an improvement, but the shadows looked unrealistically bright.

This was no doubt deliberate so that the football match they were showing could be better enjoyed, but it begs the question can the same approach work well when the programme ‘look’ is as important as the content? In my opinion, this is fine for live sport but needs work for features and drama.

NON-STANDARD STANDARDS With my ear to the ground, I also heard that both the BBC and NHK are calling for one standard to be used for HDR. After what I saw at IBC, it’s something I’m unsure about right now. Of the four different proposals I’m aware of, they all have strong and weak points. One standard for broadcast and one for cinema and VOD seems right to me, not unlike current audio standards.

While the BBC hybrid log curve is well placed to serve broadcasters, Dolby Vision is a strong contender for HDR in the cinema and home entertainment markets. Dolby showed a complete HDR workflow: from production to post-production, including grading and mastering and this was some of the most visually compelling HDR at the show.

Digital Vision’s Thor accelerator card, that runs noise reduction on UHD 4K in real-time, is about 40 times faster than current CPU based processing. AJA, BlackMagic Design, Rohde & Schwarz and Nvidia were all showing upgrades featuring UHD 4K too.

OPENING UP THE INDUSTRY Away from UHD 4K and HDR, this year’s key theme was collaboration and integration. You couldn’t walk ten paces without seeing vendors’ signage boasting about their openness and

TVTechnology October 2015

partnerships with other vendors.

As a manufacturer-agnostic facility, it’s music to our ears. One of our development engineers, Tim Nicholson, presented a paper at the EBU stand on our use of open source. We spend a lot of time and effort opening up our technology to work with other applications so we can deliver the right workflow to meet client needs. Seeing and hearing manufacturers taking huge steps to open up their APIs to competitors is a fantastic move forward for our industry.

We’ve made significant investment this year in asset management and storage solutions from TMD, Levels Beyond and Pixit Media, and hearing about their roadmaps and third-party integrations was also very encouraging.

Kevin Shaw, technology and restoration lead, BBC S&PP, Digital Media Services

You couldn’t walk ten paces without seeing vendors’ signage boasting about their openness and partnerships with other vendors.

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VIRTUAL REALITIES No trip to IBC is complete without a visit to The Future Zone. The Academy Color (sic) Encoding System (ACES), a free, open, device-independent colour management and image interchange system from AMPAS was there but, for me, it was really a showcase for Virtual Reality (VR). I entered the VR world courtesy of Rewind FX. Their demo had to be experienced to be believed.

The Oculus Rift VR headsets were available to try out on their booth. They advocate polygonbased real-time environment mapping and, I believe, one day this will cross over with live action. The experience was amazing. I flew the Red Bull Air Challenge, and felt pretty queasy in the tight turns. It is a totally immersive experience.

Balance and orientation are entirely visual and I had the freedom to look down, around and up without any glitches. VR is definitely a hot topic that we’ll be keeping a close eye on.

So with IBC over for another year, what learnings can we take away? Most compelling for me was that everyone is building in workflow management as the need to make everything compatible without further R&D becomes ever more important.

Partnerships are most definitely the way forward but the big question for me is: who is in the driving seat? Perhaps we’ll find out next year.

Kevin Shaw is technology and restoration lead for BBC Studios & Post Production‘s Digital Media Services.

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COMMENTARY

IBC 2015: IP friendly but few surprises Ultra HD, HDR and IP media system interoperability were key IBC themes for Steve Plunkett, who also pinpoints a growing need for software-based networked resources s the dust settles on another IBC, what were the highlights of this year’s show? The key themes were largely as expected: ultra high definition (UHD), IP, and the migration to software all featured prominently both on the trade show floor and in the conference sessions.

UHD certainly felt more tangible and both interest and activity has moved on more quickly than many expected from last year’s show.

There was a lot discussion about BT Sport’s Ultra HD channel launch in the conference sessions. The fact that such a channel has gone on air, particularly one that carries some of the most high profile sports content in Europe, seems to have acted as a catalyst for many other broadcasters to consider accelerating their own plans.

There was also a lot of focus on high dynamic range (HDR) and when it might be available, the consensus being that it’s more desirable and less complex to introduce than originally thought.

However, a lack of agreement on standards and the unavailability of TV sets mean it won’t be coming to living rooms for a little while yet.

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IP FRIENDLY It is fair to say that pretty much every major vendor seemed to be showing off their new IP friendly products. We are clearly in the midst of a significant and long heralded transition away from SDI to IP, but many challenges remain.

Proprietary implementations exist for those looking to build systems today but what we really need is broad industry collaboration to drive highly interoperable IP products. Thankfully there were some key announcements at the show on this front.

The VSF/SMPTE/EBU Joint-Task Force on Networked Media published its long awaited Reference Architecture shortly before the event, providing an architectural blueprint for next generation IP broadcast facilities.

The Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) also announced its Networked Media Incubator Project. This is potentially a significant stepping stone to an IP-based broadcast industry

TVTechnology October 2015

as it provides a practical vehicle for broadcasters, vendors, service providers and others to come together and test real world interoperability.

COME TOGETHER Finally, the Digital Production Partnership (DPP), well known in the UK for its work in guiding the broadcast industry towards file-based production, delivery and operation, announced a series of important developments at IBC. These included a collaboration with the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) on a US equivalent of AS-11 DPP, an update on their forthcoming UHD specification and new partnerships with both AMWA and SMPTE. It is really encouraging to see all of these organizations coming together to work on the strategic direction of our industry at such an important and active period of change. We at Ericsson are active members of all of these

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bodies and are very supportive of the work they are undertaking.

That leads me to the last key theme of the show: software-defined broadcasting. While IP provides a great deal of flexibility at the control and transport layers, we need new software-based networked resources to replace the hardware devices in place today if we are to truly transform our industry for the future.

SOLID PROGRESS There has been good progress made in this area and most vendors demonstrated live implementations of their software-only products.

So, in summary, it was a good IBC with few surprises but plenty of solid progress towards a major evolution of the broadcast industry. Now, time to book those flights for NAB. Steve Plunkett is chief technology officer, broadcast and media services, at Ericsson

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IBC - ACQUISITION

UHD: On the right track With ultra high definition (UHD) channels going live, buying 4K capable equipment is no longer a matter of mere futureproofing. Fortunately, as IBC proved, there is now a wide choice of cameras available, and it can make financial sense to buy one, even if you only use it for HD

BY DAVID FOX

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he camera that attracted the most attention at IBC was Sony’s compact Super 35 handheld UHD camcorder, the PWX-FS5, a smaller, and less feature-full, brother to its best selling FS7.

Its body weighs just 0.8kg, light enough to consider for drone use, and it is well designed, with a very comfortable rotating hand grip, six custom buttons (three on the grip), and a really nice electronic variable ND filter (which retracts out of the way completely when not in use, to make the most of the sensor’s low light

TVTechnology October 2015

performance of ISO 3200 to 32,000). Its 3.5-inch LCD screen can be positioned on nine different mounting points on the body.

Its main drawback is that it only goes up to 30p in UHD, however it can do eight second bursts at up to 240 frames per second in HD. The FS5 records internally (to SD cards) using XAVC Long-GoP 4:2:0, but can output 10-bit 4:2:2 to an external recorder. It can record S-Log2 and S-Log3, with up to 14 stops dynamic range. When it becomes available in November, pricing should be around €5,800 (£4,200) for the body only or €6,300 (£4,600) with 18-105mm E-mount lens.

Blackmagic Design’s Ursa Mini also attracted

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crowds, as the €3,395-€6,225 (£2,025-£3,699) camcorder has only recently started shipping. For broadcast users, the more expensive PL-mount Minis are the ones to get, as they can be fitted with a $295 B4 mount (shipping November) to take ENG lenses, complete with power and control from the camera. The mount includes optics, to give full sensor coverage, but “we don’t lose any light or have vignetting,” claims Bob Caniglia, a senior regional manager.

Thanks to upgrades since NAB, the camera can also now do both SDI in AND out as well as timecode and intercom, and can be controlled from Blackmagic’s Atem switcher like a studio

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JVC’s upgraded GY-LS300 4KCAM

camera. The 4.6K Mini offers 15 stops of dynamic range (compared to the 4K version’s 12), and also affords room for cropping/stabilisation for 4K or UHD. EF mount versions of both are available.

LITTLE OR NO ALIASING Canon’s recently released XC10 is one of the least expensive UHD camcorders (under £1,600/€2,100), but it may not be the ideal form factor for many as it tries to be a camcorder in a DSLR body. However, it does show how the extra resolution of UHD can make for an excellent HD camera, as an independent test against the EBU’s standards for HD content acquisition found that the 1-inch CMOS sensor and DIGIC DV5 image processor provides “little or no aliasing” and meets Tier 1 for HD production, making it suitable for use on even high-end productions.

JVC’s GY-LS300 handheld Super 35 4K camcorder (pictured, left) has received a version 2.0 update, and now includes: a film-look JVC Log mode; a histogram; Cinema 4K/2K recording (4096x2160 and 2048x1080); and zooming using prime lenses without losing resolution - offering 2.3x maximum zoom for HD or 1.25x zoom for 4K. It can also now trigger recordings via HDMI/SDI, has JVC LUT support for the Atomos Shogun recorder, and HD output via HDMI/SDI when doing 4K recording, for HD monitoring.

V2.0 also adds colour matrix adjustment, spot meter for exposure, and a black paint setting to precisely adjust the colour temperature of master black.

A new 70Mbps recording mode allows 4K recording on economical Class 10 SDHC/SDXC cards.

The GY-LS300 includes HD streaming with WiFi and 3G/4G for live HD transmission.

With commitments to test transmissions of 8K next year, and full coverage by the 2020 Olympics, anyone that wants to sell cameras to Japan’s NHK must be able to offer 8K.

Right: ENG ready: Bob Caniglia shows off Blackmagic’s Ursa Mini with B4 Mount

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Panasonic has taken a single-sensor approach (B4 mount with convertor and slight light loss) for its AK-UB300 and AK-UC3000 box and studio cameras.

The HDC-4300 will also address one of the biggest sports requirements, live slo-mo replay, via a software update, to offer 2x (100 or 120fps) shooting in UHD and up to 8x super-slow-mo in HD. The camera can also be used for high dynamic range shooting (it will get S-Log3 output in the update), something that the LDX 86 will also be able to offer via its new XF fibre transmission base station.

The latter will provide 15-stops of dynamic range plus one-wire UHD transmission (instead of 4x 3G-SDI), using Tico compression, “which is getting a lot of momentum because it is low latency and can be virtually lossless at 4:1,” says Mike Cronk, Grass Valley’s senior vice president of strategic marketing.

SMALL AND MIGHTY Another problem that broadcasters need to solve for UHD is miniature cameras capable of 50/60p.

THE 2/3-INCH CONUNDRUM Sport is where Ultra HD is really taking off, however, and because OBs require greater depth of field to keep everything in focus, all the major manufacturers have been intent on releasing models with 2/3inch sensors that take B4-mount lenses.

Hitachi was first last year with its SK-UHD4000 four-chip camera (two green sensors), and has now been followed by more traditional three-sensor cameras from Grass Valley (LDX 86 range), Sony (HDC-4300) and Ikegami (Unicam UHD).

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October 2015 TVTechnology

IBC - ACQUISITION

Grass Valley’s LDX 86 Universe offers UHD and 6x HD slo-mo Here Bradley Engineering has been working with AltaSens (JVC Kenwood’s sensor manufacturer), and is using its Super 35 4K sensor in the fibrebased Bradley 4K PTZ (3840x2160 50p) remote camera, which was demonstrated in a small spider-cam type rig at IBC but can also be housed in Bradley remote heads.

The 4K SDI camera from IO Industries offers 50/60p in both UHD and 4K in a tiny package, and received several updates at IBC. It now supports Camera Corps and TV Skyline remote control panels, with full control of focus and iris for Canon EF lenses, as well as all the standard camera functions. The camera has a Super 35, global shutter CMOS sensor, outputting 4:2:2, 4:4:4 or Raw. Panasonic’s new AW-UE70 is claimed to be the industry’s first integrated UHD pan/tilt/ zoom camera, but it only delivers 3840x2160 25p (via HDMI), although this might be OK for a commentary camera. It can stream UHD IP and record to microSD. It also delivers various HD formats including 1080 at 50p, 50i and 25p.

TO A GREATER XTEND For high-end production, the new Alexa SXT (Super Xtended Technology) adds electronics

TVTechnology October 2015

from Arri’s Alexa 65 camera to the existing Alexa XT sensor for in-camera recording of ProRes 4K UHD (3840x2160) and ProRes 4K Cine (4096x2637).

The FS5 is well designed, with a comfortable rotating hand grip, six custom buttons and a really nice electronic variable ND filter It can do live colour grading, so there is no need for a separate LUT box, and can output to an on-set monitor as well as doing the final grading and dailies creation, “so the people in post will know what the intended look was,” says Stephan Schenk, Arri’s managing director. It also has SXR (Super Xtended Recording) with new 1TB or 2TB capture drives. “That gives you massive capabilities to shoot without stopping,” up to seven hours in ProRes, he adds.

SXT ships later this year, and “a lot of orders” have already been taken. Anyone taking delivery of an XT now gets a free upgrade to SXT. Arri’s Amira documentary camera will get a free new software update (v3.0) enabling ProRes 4444 XQ recording, plus MPEG-2 HD 4:2:2 to

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match the XDCAM workflow. It will also connect via Ethernet to a Sony box to be controlled by a standard Sony RCP-1500 for multicam capability.

A new Amira Slot developed with Ambient for wireless audio has a two-minute battery to allow hot swapping the camera battery without interrupting the signal. There will be a paid update for the Alexa Mini made available later this year, adding Arriraw and 4:3 capability.

ROLLING IN THE DEEP Canon’s new EOS C300 MkII shoots 4K and UHD, and offers wider dynamic range (up to 15 stops). It uses a new Canon-designed Super 35mm CMOS sensor that has twice the readout speed (reducing rolling shutter effects), and a more advanced imaging engine with dual DIGIC DV5 processors.

The extra dynamic range is courtesy of a new Canon Log2 codec that retains more highlight and shadow information. It also has the Wide DR setting from the C100 MkII, which requires less work in post.

Other new features include: improved auto focus; extended ND filters; an increased ISO range of up to 102,400 for low light use; and dual CFast 2.0 memory card slots.

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more than 30p in 4K/UHD, although it can go up to 100/120p in 2K/HD mode.

Red’s new forged carbon fibre 8K Weapon with Zeiss lens

Sony’s new FS5 is light enough for use on a drone The C300 MkII also has new XF-AVC recording codecs based on H.264 compression and MXF wrapping, with 10-bit 4:2:2 XF-AVC intra for 4K/UHD at 410, 225, 220, or 110Mbps, while HD and 2K can be recorded in 10-bit 4:4:4 at 210Mbps, or 12-bit at 225Mbps. It won’t shoot at

Blackmagic Design’s Ursa Mini also attracted crowds. For broadcast users, the PL-mount version is the one to get

BEYOND UHD With Japan’s NHK committed to test transmissions of 8K next year, and full coverage by the 2020 Olympics, anyone that wants to sell it cameras must be able to offer 8K, so camera manufacturers are ramping up their development efforts. Canon announced at IBC that it will commit to 8K - it just wouldn’t commit to any time scale for this, but it said it is working on an EF-mount Cinema EOS System 8K (8192x4320) camera, a professional 8K reference display, and a still-image SLR camera equipped with a CMOS sensor with about 120 million effective pixels.

It is also working on 8K-to-4K down conversion and 4K cropping.

Ikegami, however, is already on its fourth generation 8K/Super Hi-Vision camera. The new SHL-810 is one tenth the size and weight (less than 9kg) of its first model from 2002. It uses a single 33-megapixel Super 35 CMOS sensor, achieving 4,000 TVL horizontal and vertical resolution, and provides 8K, 4K and 2K output, all in native quality. It can be used in a fully 8K production environment or alongside UHD and/or HD cameras.

This camera uses regular PL-mount lenses, while a System Expander enables the use of large viewfinders and full studio lenses, converting the portable camera into a full facility studio/OB camera. Output from the camera head to the control unit is 40 gigabits per second via standard SMPTE hybrid fibre, allowing long-distance links for live broadcasting. The SHK-810 employs a dual-green colour filter to deliver SHV’s wider dynamic range.

RED ALERT Red was showing its 8K Weapon complete with a new lighter, stronger forged carbon fibre body.

It was fitted with a 70-200mm Zeiss Compact Zoom, as this gives the most complete coverage of its sensor. This Weapon has a smaller body than its predecessors, but with a larger sensor, and should ship by the end of the year.

Unlike the Dragon, which had its fan inlet at the front (which could cause noise on set), the Weapon has its fan inlet at the back, using the front to house two on-board microphones, so users always have a reference audio track.

Red was also showing live monitoring of high dynamic range. Its HDR-2084 option uses the quad outputs of the Redcast module (developed for live broadcast use) to offer four different LUTs at once, and supports HDR monitors, including those made by Dolby.

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October 2015 TVTechnology

IBC - ACQUISITION

The world in your

hands

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he GoPro booth at any trade show always promises some of the most fun and innovative applications around, and IBC 2015 proved to be no exception.

Having established a market-leading brand associated with indie sports there is plenty of latitude to exploit. The mini Hero Session (circa £260/€350) captures HD from a square module

IBC 2015 was not just about high-end production tools and UHD-capable cameras.

It was also a great place to seek out innovation for indie filmmakers, self-shooters and anyone looking for something a little bit different, as Adrian Pennington discovered

“One of our goals is to have a best stab at teleportation – jumping to another place with immersive video.”

IBC delights: the Canon 6D on a Syrp Genie (left), the Shenzen Wingsland drone (top), and the Sony FS5 (bottom)

TVTechnology October 2015

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half the size of a normal GoPro and is so rugged that a GoPro rep said his dog had even eaten one - and both survived. Two new mounts for the unit are the ‘Ball Joint Buckle’ and the ‘Floaty’.

For live broadcast, GoPro has a tethered Hero model engineered with Vislink’s HD RF link that has been branded as HeroCast. The latency is 180200 milliseconds. The Hero4 Black is GoPro’s 4K camera and while 4K can’t yet be streamed from it live, the company says it is looking at this.

GoPros can also be ganged together as a budget means of recording 360-degree video.

Users can use either GoPro’s own software, which it acquired from Kolor, to stitch the images together or upload the video to Google’s Jump.

The difference is that the Kolor rig uses six cameras and includes views from above and below to create full 360-video, while the Google/GoPro Odyssey rig rings 16 models, four of which at any one time are focused on one data point meaning that it can capture stereo 3D video for VR applications (though not quite all views above and below).

Films can be published direct to YouTube to fuel its growing 360-degree video inventory (YouTube is adding support for VR playback soon) or sent back to the creator for further artistic refinements.

Firmware data is provided with Odyssey to enable processing on the Google cloud.

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IBC - ACQUISITION “One of our goals is to have a best stab at teleportation – jumping to another place with immersive video,” explains a Google representative who didn’t want to be named. “A lot of work goes into genlocking the cameras and synchronising the data to make sure its ingested into our pipelines.

Other solutions for 360 video require a lot of manual intervention to stitch the image.”

TEENY TINY CAMERAS Earlier this year the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) used tiny cameras during multi-platform overage of the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. The VeloVue HD was designed by Broadcast RF and built

by Videosys, fitted with the Cobham Solo7 HD Nano transmitter.

Now Videosys plans to go a step further with an even more discrete camera unit, barely 2cm wide, also working with the Nano. It could be ready to buy by the time you read this article.

Sales manager Alistair Horne said Videosys used its expertise in engineering camera controllers for Sony, Grass Valley and Hitachi to give the new camera a unique colour control that will see it matched to outputs from broadcast cameras. While some manufacturers, Marshall Electronics, for one, look to mass produce POV cameras, Videosys prefers to develop bespoke tools for broadcasters.

“We can reshape the sensor to any size or shape with our own milling machines and design team,” explained Horne. “The fact that it is 1080i on the sensor means we can output 1080i while other technologies capture progressively at the sensor and have to convert it later.”

Incidentally, the latest addition to Marshall’s range of compact cameras is the CV620 which

features a 20x optical zoom, 340-degree pan, 120-degree tilt and a two megapixel ½.8inch sensor designed for studio, reality TV or commentator positions.

CAPTURING LIGHT For all the talk of virtualisation, the one thing the industry can’t yet translate into software is the physics of light hitting a sensor.

It is refreshing therefore to see a number of new high quality budget cameras come to market, many with the ability to capture extended dynamic range.

The Sony FS5 is a compact 4K Super35mm camcorder with built-in electronic variable ND

filters. These are designed to expand the depth of field and to control exposure of the unit’s 14 stops. The unit has the ability to capture 240fps in eight second bursts making 1/10 times Super Slow Motion possible. There’s an E-mount to take SLR lenses via an adaptor, as well as Sony’s A-mount lenses.

The FS5 will probably compete against the Panasonic’s GH4 and Canon’s XC-10 and its EOS C300 Mark III. The latter has a new Super35mm CMOS sensor, will shoot 4K/UHD and up to a range of 15 stops. However, it won’t shoot at more than 30p in 4K. Sony is also launching the a7S II full-frame mirrorless camera (pictured, left). Its key feature is the ability to capture pictures in highly sensitive light conditions to a range of ISO 409600 (and record 4K video).

Knocking even that capability into a dark corner is the Canon ME20F-SH (pictured, right) which boasts an ISO in excess of four million.

Canon is of the opinion that this stunning ability to capture extremely low-light environments – without using infrared – is useful for specialist TV productions of night-time wildlife, deep sea/cave exploration or astronomy.

Before we leave cameras it’s worth taking note of the Panasonic AG-DVX200, a new £3,240 (€4,400) large sensor (micro four thirds) 4K 50/60p machine with integrated zoom that promises all the joys of professional run and gun style shooting combined with a cinematic look.

FOCUS PULLING PRECISION What can generate a 3D map from a 2D image in 60 milliseconds? The Image+ measurement system from Qinematiq. Where previous instruments like laser or ultrasonic determine one measurement point, the Image+ measures the whole scene in detail over 600,000 pixels. This is useful for focus pulling with pinpoint precision – maybe to an actor’s nose or a flower in the scene background.

“It aids any situation where the depth of field is very close or your subjects are in motion, including sports or live shows,” explains founder Martin Waitz. The mechanism houses twin lenses The Atomos Ninja Assassin (left) provides 4K/UHD monitoring, recording, playback and editing for £900

TVTechnology October 2015

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www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

“For all the talk of virtualisation, the one thing the industry can’t yet translate into software is the physics of light hitting a sensor.”

Videosys: An HD camera, barely 2cm wide, that works with a Cobham Solo7 Nano, is in development.

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

and sits adjacent to a digital (4K, 6K, 8K) camera.

Control is wireless via touch screen.

“The accuracy is lower than one percent of the distance,” said Waitz. For example, it will be accurate to 2cm from a distance of four metres.

Smart Ranger is a companion range finder that measures the distance between the anchor unit on a camera and a portable transponder which might be carried under their clothes by an actor, which would prove useful in moving shots and steadicam work.

If it is time-lapse or motion controlled video for DSLRs you’re after then New Zealand designer Syrp has a beautifully crafted set of controllers.

The Genie (£520/€700) allows panning and linear motion control when attached to standard gear such as dollies, sliders, jib arms and tripods. The maximum speed a 360-degree pan takes is five seconds, while 30 inches of linear movement takes 23 seconds. The battery will last long enough for 50 hours of time-lapse. All of this can be controlled wirelessly on an app.

Just launched is a smaller module, Genie Mini, which at £200 (€270) a pop “has been selling like hot cakes” according to co-founder Chris Thomson. Updates to the app include time-lapse image processing on smartphones.

GET A RECORDER (AND SOME LEDS) Now you’ve captured the shot how are you going to record it? Options include the Atomos Ninja Assassin which provides 4K/Ultra HD monitoring, recording, playback and editing in a 430g package that costs £900 (€1,200). It lacks the 12G/6G/3G-SDI inputs and other functionality of the Shogun but is priced for the DSLR and mirrorless camera market.

The Odyssey 7Q+ is Convergent Design’s competitor to the Assassin’s bigger brother Shogun. It costs around £1,500 (€2,000), will record 4K raw and is direct compatibly, via HDMI, with cameras like the GH4 and the Sony A7S. To mount recorders and other accessories on DLRS, small camcorders or mirrorless cams you might try the new (£300/€400) Walimex Pro Aptaris Universal Frame system or the LockCircle BirdCage BoomBooster, a new modular camera grip (£180/€243).

You may not need lighting with all that dynamic range to play with but, just in case, here are a couple of new portable LED options. The Little Vid kit from Videssence includes three 50 watt Fresnel lens LED fixtures plus stands and reinforced case, power cords, gel frames and barn doors. Exalux Briks from Ledixis is described as the Lego of lights as several of the 9x9 cm squares can be connected in a variety of ways to create a bespoke lighting shape for tricky shots in awkward places.

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The drone zone SMARTPHONE innovation such as single-chip accelerometers and GPS systems have decreased in price, increased in number and given the UAV market lift-off. IBC set aside an outdoor cage for visitors to see or pilot unmanned flying vehicles in action.

Like GoPro, DJI has a market-leading technology that has attracted other companies to build accessories around it. These include the TVU Networks TVU One transmitter which can sit onboard a DJI Inspire and stream HD live with one second latency.

“Unlike DJI we offer a monitor with the controller.

This is easier to use than a mobile phone app.” Shenzen Wingsland “The market is booming and we are able to provide products that are very affordable but very powerful at the same time to generate stable 4K resolution in the air over a mile away and with 20 minutes flight time,” says DJI marketing director Willis Chung. “The flight collusion avoidance systems which is in our Phantom 1 model will be integrated across our range.”

Fellow Chinese drone maker Shenzhen Wingsland said that while DJI's technology was more mature, it couldn't match the control of its own. “We design and build our own controllers,” said company rep Hui Liu. “Unlike DJI we offer a monitor with the controller. This is easier to use than a mobile phone app.”

The quadcopter Wingsland Minivet includes support for four mllion pixel static picture shooting, HD 30p recording plus an automatic frequency hopping function in the controller that increases flight safety.

Debuting at IBC was ProDrone, a UAV designed to fold up into a iPad sized package to fit into a backpack. Apparently “ruthlessly tested in the world’s harshest climates to guarantee unconditional quality” the design has a modular payload for quick exchange of gimbal and camera combinations. It will launch later in 2015 priced between $800 and $3,000 (£527£1,900) depending on package.

October 2015 TVTechnology

CONFERENCE REPORT

Talking

HDR is the T

the talk From the perceived importance of TV resolution to codec development, there was plenty to talk (and disagree) about during this year’s IBC conference

CTOs think beyond resolution

A

ssessing the bigger picture of technology trends during IBC, leading chief technology officers (CTOs) were excited by the possibilities of extreme data while cautioning against a narrow focus on 4K. “We’re in danger of missing the boat by concentrating on 4K and HDR if we can’t distribute content to mobile and do so far more quickly to keep pace with binge demand,” argued Sinead Greenaway, UKTV director of operations during ‘Roadmap Session: Our CTOs look forward 12 months.’

“When we talk about 4K and HDR we are focused on one use case which is the big screen in the living room but it is the myriad of multiscreen TV use cases that may matter more,” added Paul Dale, CTO, Dentsu Aegis Network.

Discovery Communications is producing 4K programming and would like to do so at frame rates of 120p but even that amount of data is not

TVTechnology October 2015

enough for CTO John Honeycutt. “One idea is to create different viewpoints from 8K data to give the sense of being a fan in a stadium,” he said.

One of the possibilities of a move to IP is object-based broadcasting. “Releasing the components of sound and picture for a viewer to interact with is extremely interesting,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, senior vice president and group CTO, Ericsson. “We are moving to a point where we can use data for more than just forming pixels into a big block. It goes beyond the resolution of the TV.” “I think the idea is profound and little understood,” mused BBC CTO Matthew Postgate (pictured). “It’s about moving the whole industry away from thinking of video and audio as hermetically sealed and toward an idea where we are no longer broadcasters but data-casters.”

He added: “I am not interested in 4K. I am very interested in UHD.”

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he ‘Outlook for Broadcast and Media – IBC 2015 Wrap Up’ session underlined several big trends at IBC with the consensus being that HDR is the next big thing on which broadcasters should focus.

“Even your grandmother can see HDR,” quipped Phil Laven, DVB chairman. “And I don’t have anything against grandmothers.”

“HDR is the new black,” added Simon Fell, director of technology and innovation at the EBU. “HDR is much more applicable today and it is really astonishing,” said Marco Pellegrinato, director of research and development RTI Mediaset Group in Italy. “To move to UHD will take until the next decade because of all the costs but we can do this much more quickly.”

But Fernanado Bittencourt (pictured) from Society of TV Engineers (SET) in Brazil warned the broadcasting industry that with the moves towards higher resolution formats they must look to protect their spectrum capacity.

He said: “Broadcasters have always had the highest quality of video but I am worried that in five years it will be the worst quality. If you don’t have the spectrum to broadcast new technology there is a big risk of losing the market.

“Nothing is as profitable as over the air broadcasting but to keep the high percentage of viewers we need to keep the best quality.”

There was also agreement that IP is the future but fewer assents about how new devices like Apple TV and new forms of internet content are going to affect the industry.

Richard Friedel, executive vice president and general manager of Fox Networks, believes that the linear TV system will still be in place in ten years because people will still want “curated streams of content” but it won’t be from “big TV transmitters on mountaintops.”

Aspera chief

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new black executive Michelle Munson added that the rate of growth in internet delivery systems means that it will be less than ten years until non-linear is the dominant form of delivery.

Breaking the codec log-jam

A

n in-depth examination of the likely that EE is now working with V-Nova on developing progress for codec development, and what the relationship. “We champion any innovation could replace HEVC on the current road where we can see clear benefits to us and our map, occupied panelists at the IBC ‘Breaking the customers,” he said.

Codec’ session.

Eric Achtmann, executive chairman of Speakers discussed the merits of some V-Nova (pictured, above), said broadcasters and recent ‘free’ codec suggestions (from the Open operators already had a huge problem dealing Media Alliance) but the with ever-increasing overwhelming view was that capacity demands: “We this would stifle R&D, and “We wouldn‘t be doing this recognise that current could only lead to a field if the MPEG-2 equipment codec improvements day for lawyers as IP-patent are delivering a two-fold was no longer in use, but holders argued over usage. capacity improvement the fact is there’s a huge The trends were clear, every five to seven years, legacy out there.” Tony stated Tony Jones, head of but demand is growing technology/TV compression at 20-fold – and there’s a Jones, Ericcson at Ericsson. “MPEG-2 huge disconnect which has been around for 20 years and every year needs addressing.” He went on to argue that improvements are made,” he said. demand for bandwidth was not going to be “We wouldn‘t be doing this if the MPEG-2 satisfied by these incremental improvements. equipment was no longer in use, but the fact is “The installed base represents a huge elephant there’s a huge legacy out there.” in the room,” he said.

Matt Stagg, principal strategist at mobile “Smartphones have proliferated over the past operator EE, showcased a recent trial with a new four years, and the TV industry is still deploying compression offering, V-Nova’s Perseus system, 200 million set-top boxes annually. The USA which delivered flawless Ultra HD signals to urban is investing $1 billion every ten days in extra and thinly populated areas at 6 Mbps. Stagg said bandwidth capacity and upgrades.”

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October 2015 TVTechnology

MARKETPLACE - LENSES AND LIGHTS

My light, my guide UHD lenses unveiled Fujifilm introduced two new Fujinon lenses for 2/3-inch UHD/4K cameras at IBC: an 80x box lens and a 22x ENG-style lens. The UA80x9BESM (pictured) uses the latest optical simulation technology to achieve an 80x zoom with advanced optical performance, such as high image resolution, contrast and colour reproduction. Covering the focal length from 9mm in wide angle to

720mm in telephoto, it uses a new optical stabilisation mechanism providing optimum adjustment to reduce image shake caused by vibrations and wind. The portable UA22x8BERD covers a focal length from 8mm to 176mm.

At the same time, Canon launched two new 2/3-inch lenses, the UHD Digisuper 90 (UJ90x9B) and the UHD Digisuper 86 (UJ86x9.3B).

Anamorphic ready for its close up Cooke Optics’ new 65mm Macro Anamorphic/i 2x prime lens (pictured) made its debut at IBC, alongside a major update to the /i Squared Technology metadata system. The 65mm Macro anamorphic lens, which recently went into production, boasts a close-up magnification ratio of 4:1:1. It has a close focus of 13.75cm from the front of the lens, which is almost unheard of

LED lighting on the bounce

Neo feels effects of upgrade New software that turns the colour-tuneable Rotolight Neo (pictured) into a lighting effects machine was shown at IBC. The software upgrade includes: Designer Fade, for programmable custom fades (up/down); True Aperture Dimming, which calculates the correct aperture (f-stop) at a given distance, shutter speed and ISO, and is useful for both stills and video; and CineSFX, a quicklyaccessible menu that turns the 91 TLCI

TVTechnology October 2015

in an anamorphic lens. According to Cooke, the key feature of the lens “is that its focus does not fall apart as it gets to macro focuses, making it ideal for close-ups and product shots.” Cooke has also been working on enhancements to its /i Squared Technology to provide more detailed lens data to VFX and post-production teams.

The latest firmware addition provides distortion mapping.

Neo into a versatile effects light.

Rotolight chief executive Rod Gammons demonstrated strobe effects that can be adjusted to sync with the camera’s shutter speed, lightning flashes, throbbing, colour cycling, emergency vehicle lights, and fire effects. The latter can be adjusted to replicate candles or camp fires and even flares where the flame changes from red to blue.

Also shown was an effect that randomly changes colour and intensity as if someone is lit by a TV screen.

The Alphatron TriStar 4 on-camera LED light “can be thrown on a concrete floor, just bounce and still work,” according to Richard Payne, technical pre-sales manager with Holdan, one of its distributors. “We threw it a few times, and the only damage was a slight dent in the metal barn doors, which - like its metal ball joint - is a rare feature in this price bracket.”

The £180 bi-colour light is tuneable between 3200K to 5600K, doesn’t change its intensity when you change colour, and uses 96 long-life, high-brightness three-chip surface mount diodes (with three times the output of non-SMD lights using the same

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number of LEDs). It promises 100ten per cent dimming without noticeable colour shift and is powered by Mini 4-Pin XLR or Sony NP-F Battery, draws 12W and has a beam angle of 120°. A builtin diffuser is included.

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MARKETPLACE - T&M AND MONITORS

A test of strength Convert, generate, analyse Omnitek showcased the Ultra 4K Tool Box, a test and measurement device for the analysis, generation and conversion of ultra high definition (UHD) signals.

The Tool Box, which includes 12GSDI Physical Layer analysis and generation, was built to aid 12G-SDI product design. It supports SD through to 4K60 UHD via quad 3G, dual 6G, 12G-SDI and DisplayPort and provides real-time 12G-SDI Eye with automatic rise and fall-time measurement, Jitter meters, waveform, histogram and Jitter spectrum analysis.

David Ackroyd, vice president business development, at Omnitek said: “We are seeing an increase in demand for our high speed test equipment both from manufacturers and system designers.”

T&M in the hand The Linear Acoustic MT2000 Multichannel Bitstream Analyser made its European debut at IBC 2015. Featuring a full suite of test capabilities in a handheld form factor, the MT2000 allows engineers to analyse and troubleshoot digital audio paths quickly, inside or outside a facility. Linear Acoustic said it is ideal for a variety of testing

applications, including broadcast, cable, satellite and home theatre.

Tim Carroll, chief technology of officer of parent company Telos Alliance, said: “The MT2000 is the next-generation in PCM and Dolby- encoded audio analysis and generation. It is an efficient tool for end-to-end system testing and is ideal as a replacement for the original Dolby DM100.”

Welcome the Grand Master Tektronix has launched a hybrid master sync generator that supports incremental migrations to IP-based video, as well as supporting traditional SDI. The SPG8000A comes standard with multiple independent black burst and HD tri-level sync outputs that are designed to meet the

synchronisation needs of traditional baseband video broadcast or production facilities.

The device also incorporates an optional, field-upgradeable IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) grandmaster clock that enables precise synchronisation of IP-based production workflow. Paul

Robinson, chief technology officer, video at Tektronix, said: “In the production IP world, if the video isn’t tied together in time, you can’t do anything, which is why we’ve spent so much time working on

this product so early in the day for SMPTE ST2059.

“The SPG8000A is the world’s first production quality PTP grand master and SDI hybrid reference generator.”

Qx updated Phabrix has introduced a new incarnation of Qx, its UHD TV test and measurement device. The Qx provides manufacturers with a toolset for both analysis and generation of signals up to 48Gbps payloads and, importantly, provides 12Gbps eye and jitter analysis. Also at IBC the Rx rack mount range of rasterizers were updated to version

TVTechnology October 2015

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9.03, adding new audio instruments to the video complement. At the same time the Sx range now benefits from a new A/V delay generator and inclusion of a VANC/ ANC signal monitoring grid.

The SxE has a new advanced eye and jitter toolset with additional jitter instrument, and celebrated its 5,000 sales since release.

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

7-inch on-board monitor sees the light of day A new series of daylight-viewable 7-inch HD on-board monitors has been unveiled by SmallHD. The 700 Series monitors come in a very slim, lightweight form factor and promise to provide an accurate 1080p display of focus, exposure, colour rendition and framing, even in broad daylight.

The 323 dpi, 1920×1200 display boasts 1000 NITs of brightness

New Ultra HD monitors

Quad-view engineering LED monitor on show A new desktop/rack-mountable 17.3-inch 1920×1080 LED engineering monitor with waveform, vectorscope, 16-channel audio and CEA-708B closed caption decoding has been released by Marshall Electronics.

The V-R173-DLW Quad-View

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

plus a bonded glass protector with an anti-reflective coating, offering improved contrast. Its aluminium housing and an optional acrylic screen protector are designed to survive harsh shooting environments. Features include 3D LUT video output to downstream devices and built-in dual-purpose battery slots tor either Canon LP-E6 or Sony L-Series batteries.

TVLogic demonstrated a new 12G-SDI single link 4K monitor for production and post-production use. The LUM-240G is a 24-inch monitor with UHD resolution (3840 x 2160), 10-bit colour depth, high contrast ratio of 1000:1 and wide viewing angle. It supports various standard colour gamuts including Rec.709 and DCI. TVLogic also showed the LUM170G, a 17-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution panel.

Both the LUM-170G and 240G support 12GSDI signal with four BNC input connectors (2 for 12G-SDI and 2 for 3G-SDI) and an HDMI 2.0. input.

2160/30p

test and measurement monitor (pictured) supports SDI, HD-SDI, 3G-SDI and Dual Link SDI. Selectable multi modes enable the monitor to break into four quadrants and display signal input information (link status), embedded audio levels, a waveform monitor, a vectorscope and live video simultaneously. A DVI input supports all HDMI modes and DVI to 170MHz. The V-R173-DLW also supports the in-monitor display (IMD) protocol.

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through 6G-SDI signal link is also supported. Andrew Sunwoo Kim, director for the international sales department at TVLogic, said: “The LUM-240G enables people that are checking and editing 4K files to have 1:1 pixel mode or single mode. Users can select one quadrant of the screen to see the 4K image enlarged for detailed checking,”

February October 2015 TVTechnology

MARKETPLACE - TRANSPORT

Going the distance No monkeying around New products for sending uncompressed signals further over a single fibre optic cable were showcased by MultiDyne at IBC. The new SilverBack-III 4K6 camera-back transceiver provides six 3Gbps signals directly from a single camera or multiple cameras to a base station, located near the camera, or miles away. Current uses include virtual reality applications for live sports viewing at home using specialised viewing devices. Multidyne also demonstrated its existing SilverBack 4K5 cameraback transceiver (pictured) with new feature enhancements that improve Intercom performance and other system components for the camera

operator. The SilverBack 4K5 system allows users to convert any quad-link camera into a fully systemised live production camera with full intercom and camera control directly to/from the CCU. Also on show was FibreNet, a real-time uncompressed optical network topology that connects multiple nodes of fibre infrastructure for managing, controlling and distributing uncompressed signals from one centralised location to a production crew anywhere in the world over a single fibre cable.

The fibre effect

Solo encoder for online

Making its first IBC appearance was Ikegami’s BS-98 and CCU-980 hybrid 2K/4K rackmountable optical-fibre transmission links.

When used in combination with current Ikegami Unicam HD cameras, the BS-98/CCU-980 can deliver HD and 4K processed UHD signals simultaneously. This allows users to employ their existing HD cameras and accessories, including lenses, for 4K production until such point as Ultra HD broadcast becomes popular. Also on show was a lower-cost camera transmission system that uses single, dark fibre cables and can carry multiple uncompressed HD signals, or 4K, over distances of up to 40km. The HTR100 Multi-video Fibre Optic Transmission unit can stream up to eight HD-SDI channels and can also be configured 4-in/4-out, or 6+2. “The signal is packetised at a very fast speed, less than 200 microseconds (0.2 milliseconds), point-topoint, based on a new type of SFP module,” said Masanori Kondo, president, Ikegami Europe.

LiveU has launched a plug-and-play live streaming bonding product for the online media market. Solo, designed to work with web streaming workflows, connects automatically to Wowza Streaming Cloud and a number of CDNs, OVPs and YouTube Live.

The encoder is built around LiveU’s existing bonding technology and its integral LRT (LiveU Reliable Transport) adaptive bit rate and forward error correction protocol and can be managed and controlled remotely via a web interface or smartphone. LiveU chief executive Samuel Wasserman said: “LiveU Solo is set to create a new standard. Our goal is to offer an integrated and much more powerful solution to sports and other vertical markets.”

36 signals into one Technology that allows 36 camera and CCU signals to be multiplexed on a single fibre cable was touted by Barnfind Technologies.

The Norwegian company’s innovation uses a higher density of small form factor pluggables (SFPs) in order to get double the channel count when using existing CWDM infrastructure. The technology splits the CWDM grid into ‘high’ and ‘low’, enabling the same wavelength window to send and receive signals bi-directionally over

TVTechnology October 2015

fibre. Working this way, up to 36 signals (or 18 bi-directional) can be transported over a CWDM infrastructure that would normally be limited to 18 channels. Barnfind Technologies chief technology officer Arild Skjeggerud said: “This makes it possible to multiplex 36 camera/CCU signals on a single SMPTE hybrid fibre cable. It reduces set-up and tear down complexity and time.” Larger solutions with more camera/CCUs on one fibre are in development, he added.

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MARKETPLACE

The route to IP Scalable power

Support for ASPEN grows

The NVISION 8500 hybrid routing system (pictured) was shown at IBC by Grass Valley. The company said that it combines “exceptional resilience with cost, space and power efficiency to make it an ideal enterpriseclass routing solution.” Designed for production and playout applications from trucks to the “largest engine rooms”, it is said to offer the convenience of integrated audio processing and simplified cable management. The routing system is available in five frame sizes, from 144×144 to 1152×1152 and larger.

At the same time Grass Valley highlighted a new IP Gateway card for the 8500 that provides broadcasters with the ability to “ensure their facilities are ready for the transition from SDI to IP infrastructures.”

By packetizing realtime, uncompressed, baseband video using SMPTE 2022-6, the IP Gateway enables broadcasters to transport video over 10GE networks.

Evertz used IBC to tout an increase in support for ASPEN, the open, non-proprietary protocol that it believes is better suited to IP-based production than the SMPTE 2022-6 standard.

Submitted for publication as a Registered Disclosure Document (RDD 37), ASPEN is used for sending uncompressed Ultra HD/3G/HD/ SD over MPEG-2 transport streams (TS). When combined with SMPTE 302M (Audio over TS) and SMPTE 2038M (Ancillary data over TS), it allows broadcasters to switch uncompressed video and

audio over an IP network. Among the new ASPEN supporters is Ross Video. At IBC, the two companies announced that they are developing 10GE IP interfaces with ASPEN support for the Acuity production switchers (pictured), allowing connection to Evertz’s Software Defined Video Networking (SDVN) high capacity switching

IP at the core At IBC, Sony waxed lyrical about how IP-based technologies can open up new possibilities for broadcasters. It also revealed that in excess of 30 companies are now working to develop IP production products based on the company’s Networked Media Interface (NMI), its development for latency and noise-free switching of HD and 4K video, audio and metadata.

Michael Harrit, marketing director, Sony Europe,

MicroN for media distribution Riedel Communications’ MicroN is an 80G media distribution network device for the company’s MediorNet line of media transport and management products. Working with the MediorNet MetroN core fibre router, MicroN is a high density signal interface with various audio, video, and data inputs and outputs, including 24 SD/HD/3G-SDI I/Os, two MADI optical digital audio ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two sync reference I/Os, and eight 10G SFP+ ports.

At IBC Riedel announced that Colognebased OB firm RecordLab TV & Media (part of the NEP Group) had added the MircoN to a new truck. Thomas Riedel, chief executive of Riedel Communications, said: “This 1RU box is a powerful and flexible 80G media distribution device that can be used in several different ways to create unique signal topographies and simplify signal transport like never before.”

TVTechnology October 2015

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www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

SIGNAL DISTRIBUTION

cores, the 3080IPX and EXE-VSR. This interface removes the need for external gateway modules.

Other ASPEN supporters include: ChryonHego, Discovery, Game Creek Video, Hitachi, NEP Group, PacketStorm, Sony, Tektronics and Vizrt.

EVS hopes to get “more out of live”

Virtualisation consolidation

A multi-vendor approach to ‘getting more out of live’ is one of the cornerstones of EVS’ IP4Live, a new initiative revealed at IBC. The IP future, as envisioned by the Belgian firm, is non-proprietary and IP infrastructures should be open and standards-based, it said.

“What we’re talking about now is really the last frontier for IP,” explained Johan Vounckx, senior vice president of innovation and technology for EVS. “Our IP4Live initiative is a strategic programme to lead and guide customers in a smart way with real cost and flexibility benefits.” One example saw a demonstration of IP-based live remote production alongside Cisco. With EVS’ new XiP gateway enabling in/out IP links to its video server, the company showed multiple live feeds – using SMPTE 2022-6 – over an IP network featuring Cisco’s standard IP switches and software defined networking.

Among the highlights of Cisco’s IBC 2015 presence was a virtualised video processing (V2P) technology that consolidated various infrastructure elements into a single, cloudbased, virtual offering.

Also on show was the company’s contribution to security for the virtualised video environment across the entire attack continuum, including: video streaming, end point, network, data centre, web and email security. Demonstrations of broadcast video production over IP were featured, as were programmable private and hybrid cloud infrastructures for the media data centre that support secure, elastic, scalable and flexible workflow requirements.

New business and monetisation models with Video Everywhere delivered as a service were also on show, together with advertising substitution and advanced viewer analytics.

said: “IP solutions enable information to be transmitted with true creative flexibility and reliability across workflows. Sony works with its customers to create streamlined live workflows, allowing them to get content out quickly and efficiently.” At IBC Sony added a live switcher (the Sony-XVS-8000, pictured), a baseband processor unit and a multiport AV server to its IP Live Production System.

A risk-free path to IP? At IBC, SAM (formerly Quantel and Snell) demonstrated what is described as its “riskfree” IP migration strategy, one that enables broadcasters to move via hybrid SDI/IP working to fully-IP operation at their own speed.

This approach, the company said, would see existing SDI systems across its router, switcher, infrastructure and playout product ranges made IP-capable. The strategy embraces support for SMPTE 2022-6, VC-2 and other compression formats. For IP routing, SDI inputs and outputs on the SAM Sirius 800 multi-format router, for example, can be replaced with IP I/O on a

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modular basis, enabling IP routing capabilities to be added progressively as required. For switching, the entire Kahuna switcher range can now be progressively IP-enabled by swapping out input and output ‘fins’ over time.

A range of three fully-IP Kahuna switchers (pictured) that “retain all the power and capabilities of their SDI counterparts” were also unveiled.

For an IP infrastructure, new IQMIX modules will provide SDI/IP and IP/SDI encoding for up to 12 streams. IQMIX slots into the IQ Modular frame alongside other infrastructure modules.

October 2015 TVTechnology

SPONSORED REVIEW

Going solo with LiveU At IBC, LiveU delivered Solo, a best-in-class streaming solution for the online media market RONEN ARTMAN, VP OF MARKETING, LIVEU

C

ellular bonding technology has changed the world of live video acquisition in the broadcast space with LiveU’s market leading solutions having truly disrupted the previous status quo. Particularly across the news and sports sectors, the ability to capture high quality live video while being extremely mobile, responsive and shooting from places previously unimaginable has changed the way that people think. Now there’s LiveU Solo.

LiveU Solo is a new ‘Plug and Play’ live streaming bonding solution from LiveU, launched at IBC2015. It brings the company’s expertise and highly successful technology from the broadcast world – where it has established a reputation for innovation and excellence with products like the small LU500 backpack – to the online space. In fact, it won a Best of Show Award from TVBEurope.

LiveU Solo is a best-in-class live streaming solution based on LiveU’s robust and field-proven bonding technology, 10 industry patents, and integral LRT™ (LiveU Reliable Transport™) protocol.

Optimised specifically for video performance, LiveU Solo delivers the rock-solid video streams LiveU is known for across the broadcast world by using LRT’s integral adaptive bit rate and forward error correction technology.

Designed from the ground up to fit seamlessly with web streaming workflows, LiveU Solo connects automatically to popular CDNs, OVPs and YouTube Live as well as to Wowza Streaming Cloud™, a cloud streaming service offered

by Wowza Media Systems™. For further east of use and convenience, Solo can be managed and controlled remotely via a web interface or smartphone.

LiveU Solo provides a cost-effective and seamless way to send contribution video over the internet, bringing an integrated ‘glass to glass’ live

TVTechnology October 2015

LiveU Solo is aimed at any live online media production looking to improve their viewers’ experience streaming solution that delivers the highest possible quality and reliability to anyone, anywhere. LiveU Solo is aimed at any live online media production looking to improve their viewers’ experience LiveU Solo was developed in response to discussions with customers and a growing need for a professionalgrade live video product for the online media market. LiveU Solo follows in the

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footsteps of existing LiveU technology by setting a new standard in the web streaming space. The ethos behind LiveU Solo is to provide a simple, integrated solution for sports and other vertical markets, which is much more powerful. LiveU Solo brings all the reliability and quality of professional broadcast technology to the mainstream, allowing anyone to begin streaming at an accessible price.

Similar to LiveU’s broadcast solutions, LiveU Solo is an integrated unit that comes with everything required to function within an online workflow. On the transmission side, and as part of the overall streaming solution, this small, easyto-use encoder is available in a single channel streaming configuration or with premium full bonding capabilities.

LiveU Solo will be offered via LiveU’s new online store (initially in the US, then rolled out more widely) and LiveU’s international partners.

LiveU owns the patent for cellular bonding used today for remote news gathering in the US and in other countries. All LiveU products are based on this fourth-generation patented technology. www.liveu.tv

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

MARKETPLACE - POST AND MAM

The cutting edge Avid opens up Avid has announced that its Interplay MAM asset management system (pictured) and its ISIS shared storage now support a variety of third-party video editing systems, including Adobe Premiere Pro and Apple Final Cut Pro. “Avid is committed to providing media professionals with the collaborative workflows they need to create, manage, and deliver the highest-quality content, regardless of the tools they choose to use,” said Dana Ruzicka, vice president and chief product officer at Avid. “Now,

HDR, HFR for Clipster

editors using third-party non-linear editing systems including Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, and Grass Valley EDIUS can benefit from the flexibility, efficiency, and enhanced collaboration that Avid media management and shared storage systems provide.” At IBC Avid also revealed that sales of its MediaCentral Platform have topped 26,000 and that it is making available Studio Suite, a new grouping of products that enable collaboration between users of Orad applications and other Avid and third-party products on MediaCentral.

Media Navigator

Standalone LTFS tape archive A standalone storage and archive product that uses the Linear Tape File System (LTFS) was handed its European debut at IBC. Paragon is designed as a complete sub-system for adding hierarchical storage management (HSM) to existing asset management systems from multiple vendors. It has a RESTful API in order to make integration as simple as possible and incorporates appropriate data tape storage and management technology using the LTFS file system for permanent storage life and media portability. TMD is also offering Paragon+,

TVTechnology October 2015

which also includes core asset management functionality. “We know, from talking to our customers, that there is a gap in the market for a simple and highly targeted storage system, which can sit as the archive for any asset management or digital workflow system,” said Tony Taylor, chief executive of TMD. The intention is that Paragon and Paragon+ will be sold to production companies, post producers and small broadcasters as packaged systems, via distributors. ERA has been appointed as the Paragon distributor for the UK.

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Affordable, scalable and flexible are the words used by Sony to differentiate its Media Navigator from the rest of the crowded media asset management pack. Adam Fry, deputy vice president, Sony Professional, said: “Unlike other asset management systems currently in the market, Media Navigator does not require a deep technical knowledge for operation of the platform or the creation of workflows. It allows customers to adapt the platform for their specific needs, be it a one-man operation or enterprise level company.” Acknowledging that the market is highly competitive, Fry added that Sony has

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At IBC Rohde & Schwarz DVS previewed a ‘next generation’ version of its Clipster mastering station. Based on an entirely new hardware platform, it includes new features for high-end post-production including high dynamic range (HDR), high frame rates (HFR) and 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD).

For HDR, Clipster supports Dolby Vision as well as mastering formats that support 4K HDR such as IMF. Clipster will additionally work with high frame rates up to 120 fps in 4K and 12-bit.

The company also highlighted new features for the ingest and production server Venice including direct recording in 4K without the need for stitching processes.

UHD and HDR in focus As well as a big focus on Ultra HD, Adobe offered an early look at optical flow time remapping algorithms in Premiere Pro (pictured) and highlighted 3D improvements in After Effects, including a Cineware plug-in.

Bill Roberts, senior director of professional video product management, Adobe, said: “We’re all about Ultra HD. That includes three attributes: frame sizes, frame rates and most

interesting is high dynamic range (HDR).” This theme was underscored in the latest updates and technology previews for its tools including Premiere Pro, After Effects and Audition.

The company also showed support for HEVC compression, and work towards an HDR framework that includes P3 colour space. A Dolby Vision HDR format demonstration with Dolby was also available.

MAM launch

The bridge to 4K UHD via IP

studied the sector and would not have launched into it if it did not believe the technology added value. Media Navigator is drawn from the company’s existing Media Backbone Navigator, which is the content management option for Sony’s Media Backbone Conductor workflow platform. It will work with a range of popular non-linear editors and be integrated with any storage platform.

One differentiator is compatibility withthe cloud platform Ci for content sharing, review and approval content and with Sony’s Catalyst suite of media preparation tools.

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AJA unveiled several new technologies at IBC for 4K UHD-over-IP workflows. “Now that they are becoming real, people are finding holes in their workflows and we are giving them tools to bridge the transition,” said product marketing manager Bryce Button.

Products debuting included a 4K and multi-channel HEVC encoder. Corvid HEVC is a PCIe 2.0 8-lane video card that provides real time, low-latency HEVC encoding at 4K,

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1080p HD and lower. Development partners can use AJA’s SDK to integrate Corvid HEVC directly into Windows and Linux applications.

Cisco demonstrated the integration of Corvid HEVC into its UCS rack-based server at IBC. Also at the show, AJA debuted FS3, an addition to the company’s line of professional frame synchronisers that provides 4K up-conversion. A line of openGear-compatible cards, and various new mini converters, were also on show.

October 2015 TVTechnology

MARKETPLACE - AUDIO

Making noises

‘Stress-free’ wireless mic The Sennheiser AVX wireless microphone system for video cameras was showcased at IBC. A TVTE ‘Best of Show’ winner (see page 38), the compact receiver unit plugs directly into the XLR of a camera, where it automatically pairs with the microphone and switches on with the camera.

The AVX automatically adjusts the correct audio levels between transmitter and receiver and transmits using a specially protected link in the license-free 1.9 GHz range. Sennheiser said that

the system has been designed so that setting up and recording high-quality audio for video is fast, convenient, and stress-free. The plug-on receiver automatically switches on with the phantom powering of the camera, and automatically pairs with the transmitter. The system immediately sets the correct audio level for the microphone transmitter, matching it to the receiver, and selects a free frequency. If there is interference, AVX will inaudibly shift to a new frequency.

TVTechnology October 2015

The new Audio Tactical Vest (ATV) is claimed to be a ‘first-of-its-kind product’ that combines both an audio harness and audio bag in to one cohesive militarystyle tactical vest. PortaBrace said that the ATV’s lightweight, streamlined design provides users with improved stability, as the vest grips the body, providing better support and weight distribution, which should allow users to move more rapidly and freely on location. There are custom fit models for different mixers, such as the Sound Devices 633 and 688, the Zaxcom Maxx, and the Zoom F8 (coming soon).

Combined with dual wireless systems, this will create “lightweight, compact rigs capable of recording multiple tracks on the run” making it particularly suitable for ENG or fast-paced reality or documentary production.

RMS2040 successor

Back in black Harman’s Studer debuted the Vista 1 Black Edition at IBC. Based on the same patented Vistonics user interface with 40 on-screen rotary knobs, the Vista 1’s look and feel is identical to that of its larger sister models the Vista X

Vest choice for tactical audio

and Vista V. Features such as true broadcast monitoring, talkback, red light control, GPIO, N-x (Mix Minus) busses, snapshot automation and DAW control make the Vista 1 suitable for broadcast, live and production use. With software v5.3, the Vista 1 Black Edition user will also get the SpillZone and FollowSolo functionality, as well as a server-based event logger application, which is logging Vista system and user-events. An integral DSP engine of 96 channels allows the Vista 1 to handle mono, stereo and 5.1 inputs.

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New 1010 digital wireless microphone system from Audio Ltd was on display at IBC. The fully digital successor to Audio’s RMS2040 wireless microphone system, the 1010 transmitter and receiver have been designed to match the rich sound and rugged reliability that the 2040 is known for but also to deliver the precision that digital technology can offer. It took 12 years to develop. Kishore Patel, Audio’s managing director, said: “Sound recordists are insisting that if they make an investment in new equipment it should be able to cope with the way available bandwidth

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New options for Hydra2 An integrated Waves SoundGrid option for the Hydra2 platform of consoles was announced

by Calrec. The company said this is unique among broadcast desks in that it uses a brand new SoundGrid interface module on Calrec’s Hydra2 network.

The module provides direct connection between Hydra2 and the Waves SoundGrid network, offering lower latency and greater reliability. Calrec customers can control Waves software from the integrated touch display in Apollo and Artemis surfaces, allowing

direct control of Waves plugins from the mix position.

Also revealed at IBC was a new automation system for Apollo and Artemis consoles. Designed to record the movements of a console’s channel and bus controls in real time, Calrec said its implementation is unique in that it operates entirely in the background during a live broadcast. The system is similar to traditional post-production and music automation systems, but is “user-transparent”, according to Calrec.

Solid as a rock is being squeezed. So we’ve designed the 1010 system to allow up to 20 systems to operate together in just one TV channel. We’ve also equipped it with 100MHz switching bandwidth – which we think will deliver maximum flexibility.”

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Wheatstone unveiled the Gibraltar IP Mix Engine plus a new touchscreen for the Dimension Three audio console (pictured).

Another TVTE ‘Best of Show’ winner, the Gibraltar IP Mix Engine is a network interface that provides Wheatstone audio consoles with direct connectivity into WheatNet-IP, the AES67 compatible IP audio network. The new engine can handle 1,024 channels of audio, allowing IP audio consoles to handle live and postproduction. It will be available for the Dimension

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Three, Series Four, D8-EX, Series Two and IP-64 digital mixing consoles. Wheatstone also showcased the Dimension Three with a touchscreen. Eliminating the “sea of knobs,” as Wheatstone describes it, this option features a tabbed menu for basic functions like talkback, configuring bus matrices, muting mic groups, and managing sources.

October2015 TVTechnology

MARKETPLACE - DELIVERY

Getting personal The Dolby Vision catalyst

Great and small India’s Lukup brought to IBC the Player X1, a portable media player that functions as both an IP set-top box inside the home and an OTT device when used on a third party’s internet connection.

Smaller than a cigarette packet, it has built-in HDMI and USB cables and an Ethernet port, 8GB of internal SD storage and a 1GHz processor. The device also has a built-in wireless access point that other devices can tether on to for accessing the Internet and content. For choosing content and services on connected devices, the Lukup Player X1 has a hand held controller.

Two streams of content can displayed at the same time while an integrated transcoder allows users to stream content to a remote display. The X1 features a TV Guide for channel management, content search, recording on cloud drives, and social media sharing.

Lukup also makes a larger player, called X, that has the same capabilities but additionally works with cable and satellite feeds.

TVTechnology October 2015

Three more system-on-a-chip (SoC) companies are integrating Dolby Vision into upcoming releases, it has been revealed. Following Sigma Designs earlier this year, HiSilicon, Realtek Semiconductor and MediaTek are all now incorporating, or planning to incorporate, the high dynamic range and wide colour gamut technology into their chipsets. The significance of the move is that it will allow makers of Ultra HD set-top boxes, TVs, Blu-ray players and digital media adapters the opportunity to support Dolby Vision in their devices. Roland Vlaicu, the vice president of consumer imaging at

Dolby Laboratories, said: “This gives the device manufacturers the ultimate choice: to stay with their existing silicon choice and just add the Dolby Vision component in a very economical way without having to add additional hardware components. That is a great enabler and key catalyst for us.” The first Dolby Vision displays for the consumer market, the VIZIO Reference Series 65-inch and 120-inch Ultra HD LED Smart TVs, are due to ship before the end of the year. An initial slate of Warner Bros. 4K Ultra HD Dolby Vision titles are already lined-up for distribution via VUDU. Sony Pictures also plans to use the Dolby Vision mastering process in the release of 4K Ultra HD titles.

Targeted ads spotted A multi-criteria advertising insertion and delivery platform was shown for the first time at IBC. Designed for broadcasters and multi-screen pay-TV operators, DVEO’s Spotter uses both content data and viewer information to make decisions about which adverts should be played out. Content type, consumer profile and geolocation data are gathered by mining multiple data bases in real time.

The Spotter triggers the start of adverts using analogue cue tones or SCTE 35 triggers and can insert commercial spots into live or stored transport streams. Commercials can be added inside, over or around video content via slices, overlays, crawl messages, alert bugs and video squeezes.

The Spotter transcodes content and inserts SCTE 35 signals with the metadata required for

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ad insertion. Input can be ASI, IP, or HD-SDI. The platform transcodes MPEG-2 to H.264 and converts HD-SDI content to IP or DVB-ASI. The resulting DVB-ASI output is typically passed on to a modulator for transmission via satellite.

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Regionalisation benefits Broadcasters looking to insert local advertising and content into their output, without the need for separate satellite feeds, are the target audience for Amagi’s Storm platform. At the heart of Storm is Storm IRD, Amagi’s satellite receivers and decoders, which are capable of storing content, detecting remote-insertion triggers and inserting HD video and multiple audio tracks – including Dolby surround – as well as adding subtitles and multi-layer animated graphics. Storm has a watermark-based workflow. A cloud-based user interface provides users with options for scheduling, controlling, and monitoring playout of local content and ads at remote head-ends.

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AdsEdge for localised content A new content management system that gives DTT broadcasters the chance to localise their output immediately before it is delivered to viewers was debuted at IBC. AdsEdge from Enensys Technologies is based on the use of SCTE 35 ad break markers and enables locally targeted pre-stored content - such as adverts, news and weather forecasts - to be inserted at the transmitter site within a DTT single frequency network environment.

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AdsEdge works with Enensys’ HDc chassis platform and is compatible with any terrestrial network, including those using DVB-T, DVB-T2 or ISDB-T. Based on industry-standard interfaces, it behaves as both an Ad Server, in order to store content files and generate reports for Ad agencies, and like a deterministic Splicer so that it can update live streams with content upon receipt of SCTE 35 triggers.

October 2015 TVTechnology

SPONSORED REVIEW

Ideal for the job The addition of physical layer measurement tools bolsters Ultra 4K Tool Box

BY DAVID ACKROYD, VP OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

A

t IBC 2015, Omnitek showcased the Ultra 2.1 release which added new tools to its highly successful Ultra 4k Tool Box which has been shipping since June and been adopted by a large number of leading broadcast manufacturers developing equipment requiring quad 3G, dual 6G and 12G-SDI interfaces.

The Ultra has been created to help address the problems of connectivity that manufacturers and system designers currently face in the implementation of new 4K / UHD broadcast workflows. The Ultra is a small, portable test and measurement platform that helps to debug highspeed physical layer issues and pixel ordering complexities whilst supporting the array of different interface standards to ensure all bases are covered now and in the future.

It boasts significant feature sets that allow the analysis, generation and conversion between any video format signals, including between quad 3G and 12G-SDI, as well as support for 4K60 over 12G-SDI. Of particular interest at the show was the sophisticated range of Physical Layer measurement tools that have been recently added to the Ultra’s functionality.

These world-first features offer Eye & Jitter analysis up to 12G-SDI and include unique tools to determine sources of jitter using the Ultra’s innovative Jitter Spectrum and Jitter

TVTechnology October 2015

Histogram displays typically only available on highend oscilloscopes. Enhancements made for the show include audio PPM, channel status displays and tone generation.

The Ultra now also provides ‘RVF’ full -raster support allowing the playout and capture of active video and all ancillary data. This powerful feature allows the capture and analysis of problem material as well as the ability to create custom ancillary test signals. The Hex View display now expands on the extremely useful Data View, Cable View and Zoom View instruments for even more detailed pixel - level interrogation that is essential to understanding the complexities of the multiplexing systems that have been adopted for quad 3G-SDI, 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI interfaces.

An ANC watch display now provides ancillary packet presence detection to easily see which common and user-specified packets are present in the incoming stream.

One highlight of the show was winning the ‘Best of Show’ TVBEurope award for the Ultra 4K Tool Box. As well as the Ultra 4K Tool Box, Omnitek presented its established OTR and

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OTM products, which not only feature waveform monitoring capabilities but also picture quality analysis, providing real-time video quality measurement between original and transmitted streams.

Enhancements made for the show include audio PPM, channel status displays and tone generation.

Another impressive feature that is available on the OTR and OTM products is Omnitek’s ingenious ‘In-Service’ Lip-Sync delay measurement which can be used to accurately determine A/V delay without the need for a dedicated A/V delay test pattern & tone or watermarking.

Omnitek showcased its upgraded OZ745 development platform, which now supports 4K UHD TV over 12G-SDI, offering an ‘all-in-one’ solution for 4K video design to its already popular design platform. The OZ745 was also used to demonstrate the Warp Design Engine and OSVP Scalable Video Processer IP blocks and associated Xilinx RTVE 3.1 reference design, available as part of Omnitek’s design services. www.omnitek.tv

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MARKETPLACE - SERVICE ASSURANCE

The control panel Can quality assurance reduce churn?

Helping broadcasters and other video distributors to reduce subscriber churn was the IBC focus for the Boston-based video intelligence technology company IneoQuest Technologies.

End-to-end video assurance services and innovations for both linear and OTT/adaptive infrastructures were on show, as was new technology for linear network quality of service (QoS) management.

Kurt Michel, senior marketing director at IneoQuest, said: “The industry is scrambling to meet the demands of today’s always-on

viewers, and this is driving complexity to levels never before seen. At the same time, viewer quality expectations continue to increase, and

subscriber churn is often a reflection of quality issues. Our comprehensive set of services and solutions offer the focus and visibility that our customers must have to manage both their traditional and emerging video-based businesses, and reduce churn.” Ineoquest’s video intelligence technology measures and aggregates metrics in real-time from several key points within the video distribution chain including: content preparation, network delivery and device playback.

Probing content for errors Ideas Unlimited has launched Contentprobe Revenue and Contentprobe Detect.

Contentprobe Revenue uses Ideas Unlimited’s patented, non-destructive identification and verification system, Media FingerPrinting, which checks and verifies content, and alerts users about errors. Material is automatically monitored from ingest to off-air to ensure that the correct video, audio, subtitles, and access services are being delivered as agreed. Any defects – such as sub-frame audio sync errors, transport stream data, SDI feeds, bars, tones, or silence – that are erroneous or not required, are flagged by

Contentprobe Revenue. Contentprobe Detect is a content protection service provided from Contentprobe’s managed broadcast centre that accepts uniquely fingerprinted reference files from a content owner or advertising agency.

Live service QoE showcased The S3 Group used IBC to tout new capabilities for testing live quality of experience (QoE) and checking IP user load.

Live service QoE testing allows operators to proactively check their services, using multiscreen devices deployed in the network, and to monitor the performance and availability of the video delivery chain. Load Testing probes for platform weaknesses across a variety of video consumption scenarios, especially during spikes in demand, using real-world devices and then measures results against KPIs. “Customers are worried about loading the network,” said John Maguire, chief strategy

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

officer for TV technology. “What happens when more two-way IP traffic comes on to their platform? We use StormTest to test the end-user experience while we put the load on the system.”

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Data gathering assures quality Series 5 of Agama’s technology for monitoring, assurance and analytics of service quality and customer experience was launched at IBC. According to the company, many broadcast processes can be made more efficient and predictable when using data to support better-informed decisions. The company has thus updated its products so that they make the valuable information derived by their products available for much wider use within an organisation.

Mikael Dahlgren, chief executive at Agama Technologies, said: “By [doing this], we can enable great improvements in quality, efficiency and customer understanding across the video operator.” As part of this, Agama has released a new media measurement package.

October 2015 TVTechnology

REVIEW

A sting in the tail T

Adrian Sparks provides the inside track on StingRay, ETL Systems’ offering for RF over fibre links. he first fibre optic link connecting an antenna back to a control room was installed 40 years ago. Over this time, fibre optic technology has made huge strides but today’s compact and robust fibre systems offer the same advantages of isolation from lightning strikes and low loss. The StingRay RF over Fibre range has been designed for high density, with up to 16 inter-facility links housed in one 1U chassis. Systems of several hundred links are easily contained in a single equipment rack and systems of over 100 links are now in the field.

StingRay is a complete solution for RF over Fibre links with a wide range of modules and chassis operating up to 2450 MHz. The range is expanding as ETL works with customers to engineer solutions to new opportunities.

power supplies, redundant hot swappable fan trays and modules which remain operational even if central control and monitoring functions are hot swapped. Chassis and modules are fully monitored with input and output RF power levels reported to allow failures in adjacent equipment to be easily localised. Transmit modules can provide monitored and short circuit limited LNB power of up to 500 mA with 13/18V and 22 kHz signalling available.

SYSTEM DESIGN FOR RELIABILITY StingRay RF over Fibre provides two methods of improving system availability through equipment redundancy. 1+1 links have one working link and one standby link, in the event of a failure in the main link the system automatically switches to the standby link.

1+1 redundancy is simple and provides a high level of availability but doubles the number of fibre transmitters and receivers. StingRay RF over Fibre also allows 4+1 redundant links to be constructed. In these systems, one

OPTICAL PERFORMANCE The quality of an RF over fibre link is largely set by the transmit laser. StingRay modules use high quality DFB lasers with a twostage optical isolator. This stops reflections and back scattered light from the fibre degrading the performance of the laser. Standard transmit modules operate at 1310 nm with one link per fibre.

Coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) allows up to eight links to share one fibre, each using its own colour of light. Standard StingRay links operate from 1m to 10km with options to extend this distance up to 35km or more.

ALWAYS ON StingRay systems are always operational due to a combination of system redundancy and hot-swap components. Features include dual redundant

TVTechnology October 2015

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www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

standby fibre link is provided for every four working links, reducing the cost of redundant equipment.

MONITORING AND CONTROL Both chassis and modules are fully monitored.

Temperature is reported in the chassis and in each module and the current of each RF amplifier stage is measured with maximum and minimum limits set. Monitoring information is reported via web browser interface, SNMP, RS232/RS485 serial interface and RJ45 Ethernet port. The modules are easy to use and after installation, internal levels are automatically adjusted for optimum performance and to compensate for fibre loss.

After initial module set-up the link gain can be fixed or advantage can be taken of the wide 50 dB AGC range. Laser optical power is measured at the transmitter and receiver, this allows problems caused by loss optical power to be quickly diagnosed.

REFERENCE TONE DISTRIBUTION Modules are available covering L-band, broadband, IF and 10 MHz applications. 10 MHz applications are a particular strength of the range with signal distribution over the chassis backplane

to individual modules. Within the transmit modules, the 10 MHz signal level at the output can be set over a -10 to +5 dB range allowing the reference level to be optimised for each LNB; a useful feature if the installation contains LNBs from more than one manufacturer.

‘Fibre optic technology has made huge strides, but today’s compact and robust fibre systems offer the same advantages of isolation from lightning strikes and low loss...

StingRay is a complete solution for RF over Fibre links with a wide range of modules and chassis operating up to 2450 MHz. The range is expanding as ETL works with customers to engineer solutions to new opportunities’

Call: +44 (0) 1981 259020

OUTDOORS UNITS All the features and ease of use of an indoor chassis can be provided outdoors with the StingRay range of IP65 rated ODUs. These support either ten or four modules with dual redundant power supplies and full remote control and monitoring over copper or optical Ethernet. The ten-module ODU has hot-swap power supplies and can be configured with optical and RF patch panels, local control and monitoring, and heaters for operation down to -60 C. COMPONENT MODULES StingRay component modules are ideal for applications requiring a small number of links.

The robust shielded housing is mounted using four screws and powered from a small mains power unit, basic settings can be controlled using DIP switches.

Visit: www.etlsystems.com

EXCELLING IN RF ENGINEERING Introducing an evolution in RF technologies for the RF distribution chain Flexibility. Performance. Reliability.

New RF products which provide optimised performance, power consumption reductions, cost savings and rack space savings to teleports and broadcasters.

Call us or email us to discuss how we can provide the solution for your RF requirements.

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October 2015 TVTechnology

BEST OF SHOW

The best of the best During IBC, a panel of expert judges trawled the halls on the hunt for innovation and technical excellence. After much deliberation (and no little arguing) they chose 23 products, solutions, and devices as TV Technology Europe’s IBC 2015 ‘Best of Show’ winners. Here is the full rundown. Congratulations to one and all

EVERTZ: MAGNUM

GATESAIR: MAXIVA XTE

THE MAGNUM SDVN (Software-Defined Video Networking) orchestration and control software has been specifically developed to bridge all the major components in a hybrid or all IP based facility and provide end-toend governance of the video, audio, and data flows from production to playout.

A SOFTWARE-DEFINED platform with unparalleled signal processing power, advanced Transport Stream over IP (TSoIP) input capabilities and Real Time Adaptive Correction techniques that provides optimum signal performance over a wide variety of modulations and RF amplifier topologies.

The judges said: “Multi-standard and multi-input, and based on a powerful HW, it is a futureproof solution with innovative features already in the roadmap.”

The judges said: “Quite simply, way ahead of its competition.”

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN: ATEM 2 M/E BROADCAST STUDIO 4K

COBHAM: SOLO8 SOFTWAREDEFINED RADIO

ALLOWS video production teams to create live, switched, high frame rate HD and Ultra HD programmes at up to 60 frames per second.

AN ULTRA-SMALL camera back transmitter that brings “softwaredefined” into the RF world for the first time.

The judges said: “Brings dynamism to RF. It runs various apps, much like a smartphone, and can instantly transform its functionality for a number of different requirements.

A very clever device.”

The judges said: “Impressive 4K capabilities in a compact design and with an impressive price, plus integrated camera control for Blackmagic Studio cameras.”

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AVECO: ASTRA STUDIO 3 PRODUCTION RESOURCE MANAGER THE PRODUCTION Resource Manager for Astra Studio 3 optimises operations within news production automation. Its use improves efficiency through pooling resources and dynamically assigning them based on operational priorities.

The judges said: “A simple but brilliant solution to dealing with the logistical complexity of covering breaking news.

The best innovations are those that solve real-world problems. This does just that.”

MAKE.TV: LIVE VIDEO CLOUD A CLOUD solution that allows TV stations and digital publishers to acquire, curate and select live and recorded video contributions. Includes cloud-based mobile and web apps for live and recorded content acquisition from various sources and user groups.

ASPERA FILES AN SAAS offering that transforms content sharing and collaboration across all storage locations – on premises and in the cloud.

Using Aspera Files a media organisation can establish a branded web-based presence for the fast, easy and secure exchange and delivery of file-based media or data of any size, over any distance and between users across separate organisations, combining multiple cloud and on-premises storage platforms. It is built on the Aspera FASP highspeed transport platform for distance-neutral transfer of extremely large files and data sets over the internet.

The judges said: Transformative. Essential.

Breaks down barriers.” www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

The judges said: “Like all great inventions, it is not just a great idea but also easy to use. It even works when the bandwidth isn’t brilliant.”

SAM: MEDIA BIOMETRICS SIGNATURE technology that allows automatic confidence monitoring and media verification throughout a broadcast chain.

The judges said: “A ground-breaking QC system that is capable of analysing from raw to end-user delivery.

Through a light metadata structure it allows frame-byframe comparison between any couple of points along the entire broadcasting chain.”

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October 2015 TVTechnology

BEST OF SHOW WHEATSTONE: GIBRALTAR IP MIX ENGINE HOUSES ALL the DSP processing power for Wheatstone’s line of TV audio digital mixing consoles and distributes aux, programme and mix-minus feeds to the WheatNet-IP audio network.

The judges said: “Makes it possible to insert any legacy audio equipment - from microphones to switchers - into a fully IP network, allowing TV production facilities to smoothly move to IP and add the utmost flexibility to production audio workflows.”

TMD: PARAGON

ARVATO SYSTEMS: EDITMATE

AN OPEN architecture and media-aware storage management system that uses the LTFS standard to control LTO data robots.

A PLUG-IN for Adobe Premiere Pro CC that allows users to handle complicated editing workflows quickly, safely and across different platforms.

The judges said: “Changes the way editors and producer can use Premiere Pro. Impressive.”

The judges said: “It shows good awareness of the market, responds to its needs and proves that ‘easy to use’ doesn’t have to mean cut-down.”

ONETASTIC: ONECOMPACT P TRANSMITTER ALL-IN-ONE transmitter, featuring the ONEtastic wideband Doherty highefficiency technology, that raises the bar of power density to new levels.

MILLER FLUID HEADS: COMPASS 23 FLUID HEAD DESIGNED to handle medium-size large-sensor cameras incorporating anything from a light rig with just a camera and a lens, to a full rig with monitors, wireless mics, batteries and more.

The judges said: “Impressive power density in a fully integrated all-in-one multi-standard high efficiency TV transmitter that is capable of spanning across almost any TV transmission application, including echo cancelling re-broadcasting.”

The judges said: “Just amazing for the money. Smooth and stable. I love it.”

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www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

ARRI: SKYPANEL LED SOFT LIGHTS

BROTHER, BROTHER & SONS: PIPELINE SYSTEM

COMPACT, ultra-bright and high-quality LED soft lights with a design that is focused on form, colour, beam field and output.

A MODULAR LED lighting

system in a lightweight versatile form-factor that provides brighter and higher fidelity light emission. It benefits from an expandable array of cylindrical fixtures that are customisable to suit specific requirements.

The judges said: “Accurate colour. Yes, it’s bigger and heavier, but it’s been really well thought out. Everything you could need is already in place and it will take a serious kicking.”

The judges said: “I love these. I just wish that they’d been around 20-plus years ago.”

SMALLHD: 702-BRIGHT 7-INCH MONITOR

SENNHEISER: AVX

A FULL HD monitor with a daylight viewable 1000 nit display, anti-reflective coating and 179-degree wide viewing angle.

A WIRELESS microphone system for video cameras that ensures totally stress-free audio capture and offers ease of use right from the start.

Operates in the licence-free 1.9 GHz frequency rage.

The judges said: “It’s very bright and looks really promising.”

The judges said: “Broadcast-grade, compact, light, self-tuning wireless microphone system fit for ENG and HDSLR shooting, requiring almost no user intervention. Perfect for single-person operation.”

ROSS VIDEO: ULTRIX CONNECTIVITY PLATFORM PACKS an unprecedented feature set into a compact package. Includes historically big router-only technology like audio processing and multiviewers while supporting the new SMTPE 12G standard that gets 4K/UHD video on a single coaxial cable.

IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS A MARKET-READY, interoperable, end-to-end IP-based joint solution (with EVS) for the live production of slow motion and instant replay.

The judges said: “High density, SW scalable, ultra compact routing solution that is 4K and 12G-SDI capable and has the ability to individually route 4K embedded audio inputs. Another great Ross product.”

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The judges said: “Effectively proves interoperability between mission-critical equipment from different vendors AND with different protocols. A potential game-changer.”

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October 2015 TVTechnology

BEST OF SHOW QUANTUM: Q-CLOUD ARCHIVE PUBLIC CLOUD STORAGE SERVICE

ENVIVIO: CLOUD DVR AN ALL-SOFTWARE DVR solution working on standard servers, it combines advanced storage technologies, designed to scale to Petabytes, with optimised software for packaging and transcoding to minimise the infrastructure costs.

EMPLOYING the power of the public cloud as an off-site tier within a Quantum StorNext 5 workflow environment, it enables users of Quantum’s intelligent data management software to store data in the cloud when it makes the most sense for a given workflow.

The judges said: “Ideal for broadcasters that are looking to reduce set-top box costs, it cuts the storage bill and includes advertising insertion features. Neat.”

The judges said: “Proactive, seamless hybrid storage solution and storage management system. Great vision behind it and a broadcast-focused design.”

CINEO: HS2

AVID: ISIS | 1000

USING Remote Phosphor technology, the HS2 from Cineo Lighting is a second generation fixture that combines impressive brightness and extremely accurate colour quality with power efficiency and flexibility.

A SHARED storage system for real-time collaboration that is powered by the Avid MediaCentral Platform and integrates with Avid Media Composer, Pro Tools, and third-party tools including Adobe Premiere Pro CC.

The judges said: “This shows that they are listening to their customers. Changes in ballast make that clear.

Lovely light and one of the few LED lights that gives accurate colour.”

The judges said: “A scalable and affordable collaboration solution, and a clear step towards interoperability. It opens the doors of the Avid echosystem to almost any NLE suite on the market.”

CONTACTS EDITORIAL +44 (0) 20 7354 6002

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EDITORIAL

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HEAD OF DESIGN, HERTFORD Kelly Sambridge ksambridge@nbmedia.com

CONTRIBUTORS David Fox, Adrian Pennington, Ann-Marie Corvin, Christina Fox, Ian McMurray, George Jarrett, Heather McLean, Carolyn Giardina, Mark Hallinger, Anne Morris, Chris Forrester.

U.S. MIDWEST, NEW ENGLAND & CANADA Vytas Urbonas vurbonas@nbmedia.com

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NEWBAY MEDIA LLC CORPORATE

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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

TVTechnology October 2015

U.S. WEST Pete Sembler psembler@nbmedia.com

TV Technology Europe ISSN 2053-6674 (Print) ISSN 2053-6682 (Online) is published four times annually

by NewBay Media. ©2015 by NewBay 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 James McKeown at the feedback address.

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THE TV AUDIO REPORT: IP AUDIO NETWORKING +

Which Is Harder: Golf or Audio for Golf?

How the Right IP Audio Network Can Help Make One of the Toughest Jobs in TV Sports an Easy 36 Under Par....

Golf is a unique sport in that its action and its fans are spread out over many acres. And the action moves over the course while the fans stay stationary. Grabbing audio at every point is a true challenge. Fortunately, with WheatNet-IP Audio networking, it’s as simple as dropping a BLADE-3 and a switch every place there’s action...

Depending upon how much coverage you want to provide, by our reckoning, for an 18-hole course, you’re going to want to cover all the tees and all the holes – that’s 36 audio locations spread over as many as 200 or more acres! And each location is going to need several mics to cover the wide dynamic range from the swoosh of the club to the crowd roaring.

That’s a LOT of coverage!

Then there’s possible fairway coverage or folks out with remotes and before long you are up over 100 or more audio feeds from the course.

Add the announcers, IFB, and different crowd mics, etc, and we are talking some SERIOUS audio.

IP Audio Networking has greatly reduced the strain associated with such an event. But that’s only the beginning. Imagine having interface boxes that manage switching based on which cameras are active. Imagine mixing the audio in the interfaces, remotely, using built-in virtual mixers at every audio point. Imagine the same boxes managing your IFB feeds as well as offintercom conversations when needed. Imagine mixing and controlling all that in real time from wherever you like – your remote truck or maybe even your studio. With WheatNet-IP, you have the option.

Well that’s just scratching the surface. It’s here. No more need to imagine. No smoke. No mirrors. No Bogeys (but some Mulligans if you need them).

Wheatstone’s WheatNet-IP Audio Networking makes moving audio and controlling audio a snap. Built-in and programmable mixminuses. Full IFB support. Full control over everything you could possibly want to do with your audio, including integrating it into your overall IP network (now, or when you adopt one).

Here’s what you’ll need at each audio point: (in addition to your Wheatstone IP console, mics, headsets, etc) 1. BLADE-3 Audio Interface With a Mic BLADE, you’ve got audio I/O, eight mic preamps, two 8x2 virtual mixers, audio and control routing matrix, source and destination control, gigabit connectivity, 12 GPI/O ports, 128 software logic ports, full programmability, auto mono summing, full AES67 compatibility, signal splitting, ACI, and so much more - all controllable from the console at the truck or studio. It’s kinda like dropping a full studio at each hole.

2. Managed Gigabit Ethernet Switch You may already have one at some of the holes for cameras if you are up to speed on IP networking. If not, they are relatively inexpensive and easy to come by.

3. Fiber Optic Cable You’ll need some heavy duty cable - like OCC B04 tactical breakout - stuff that is really rugged AND lightweight. Setup and teardown is fast and easy. And it’s less than the multipair copper cable you’ve been running.

DIMENSION THREE WITH TOUCHSCREEN WHEATNET-IP: THE IP AUDIO NETWORK THAT’S ACTUALLY DESIGNED FOR TV

BROADCAST AUDIO PERFECTIONISTS®

AWARDED AT IBC TO GIBRALTAR IP MIX ENGINE –

BY ENGINEERS, FOR ENGINEERS