January 2017 www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope vii
Supplement can be virtualised in the cloud or a data centre. Virtualisation could lead to the end of the master control room and the studio gallery as we know it. Or, perhaps more realistically, it could make them more flexible places to work. The beauty of virtualisation is that it enables instantaneous function and revision changes so workflows can be switched quickly and easily. Of course, there are still bandwidth considerations and I am certain that the RAW output from the camera censor will never go directly to the cloud. The CCU output might, though, which offers up further possibilities. But it is probably fair to suggest that the physical performance of live production in 2020 will be transformed by the move to software and virtualisation.
Virtual reality production While the underlying technology that moves signals around a TV facility has changed dramatically over the years, the tools we use to manipulate the pictures and sound haven’t. We still use knobs and dials, switches and screens. What if the production environment itself could be virtualised? What if the live studio director, technical director or the vision mixer could control the production in a virtual world through a virtual headset? If the applications are virtual, then perhaps the user experience could be virtual too? This would be immersive, not for viewer but for the content producer. IP makes this possibile.
Smart OB trucks IP has started to penetrate the OB market with the first IP-based trucks going live this year. One of the benefits of IP is that it reduces the amount of cabling required, in turn reducing the footprint of the vehicle itself. Smaller, lighter trucks are definitely a benefit - as long as the production staff have the room they require, of course. This lines-up the possibility of developing smart OB trucks. Let’s say, for example, that a big event requires more horsepower than a single IP-based truck can offer. Instead of having to find a bigger truck, two smart trucks could be combined together. Thanks to IP connectivity, and using pre-set software functions that can be recalled at the click of a mouse, they could then dovetail and act as one, sharing resources. The opportunities are limited only by the imagination. Now, I will be the first to admit that some of these things I have mentioned here will not come to pass. I have no crystal ball. But the fact that I
‘IP may not be the solution to every broadcast problem but it certainly has the potential to provide more options when it comes to producing live TV’
There are so many more options in the brave new IP world. IP may not be the solution to every broadcast problem but it certainly has the potential to provide more options when it comes
can even make these suggestions shows you how
to producing live TV.
much more flexible IP is than SDI.
Find out more www.pro.sony.eu/imageipworkflow