TECHNOLOGY
IP-BASED PRODUCTION SPECIAL REPORT By Olivier Suard, Vice President of Marketing, Nevion
resources like studios, control rooms, equipment and indeed production staff, thereby increasing production nimbleness and reducing operations costs.
In recent years, we have seen more broadcasters moving to IP-based production. This was initially driven by the anticipated cost savings deriving from using enterprise equipment, but IP solutions are now increasingly being used to transform workflows – sharing more efficient
54 JANUARY ‘19
While there are clear operational benefits to using IP, these can only be achieved through capital expenditure, which broadcasters obviously need to justify. The justification comes when they are faced with situations where they would need to invest anyhow. At that point, the question for them becomes whether to invest in traditional SDI technology and infrastructure or move to IP. Currently, there are three main use cases where such investment decisions are leading broadcasters to move to IP.
Remote production The first, and most common is remote production. Covering sporting, entertainment, news or other events away from broadcast facilities is a complex and costly exercise for broadcasters, as OB units need to be deployed for onsite production. Broadcasters, and the providers of services to them, are periodically faced with the need to decide how to cover major events, for example when the FIFA World Cup or the Summer Games take place. A cost-effective alternative to using OB units is IP remote production, whereby all or most of the feeds are transported from where the event is happening to the central facilities, where the production takes place. IP