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November 2015
Is high dynamic range the best thing since the introduction of colour? Adrian Scott: lifetime achievement winner Does RGBW qualify as UHD? | IBC acquisition feature
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November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 3
Welcome
EDITORIAL Content Director and Editor-in-Chief: James McKeown jmckeown@nbmedia.com Senior Staff Writer: Holly Ashford hashford@nbmedia.com Contributors: Chris Forrester, David Fox, Adrian Pennington, Philip Stevens, Will Strauss, Catherine Wright Head of Digital: Tim Frost Human Resources & Office Manager: Lianne Davey Head of Design, Hertford: Kelly Sambridge
There’s nothing black and white about HDR High dynamic range has fully emerged from the (increased) shadow of the UHD debate
Senior Production Executive: Alistair Taylor Sales Manager: Ben Ewles bewles@nbmedia.com +44 207 354 6000 Account Manager: Richard Carr rcarr@nbmedia.com +44 207 354 6000
H
igh dynamic range
the challenges and
(HDR): from afar,
opportunities of this much
it sounds like the
talked about area.
defining quality of a leading
We also reflect on the
soprano. Similarly, to us,
career of Adrian Scott,
it may just represent the
who was the recipient of
closest thing we have to a
our lifetime achievement
Sales Director: Mark Rankine mrankine@nbmedia.com +44 207 354 6000
defining measure of image
honour at the TVBAwards
quality running at the top
at the end of October.
Managing Director: Mark Burton
of its game. Not that we’re
Adrian’s qualities as an
leaving resolution at the
evangelist for newsroom
door, but HDR is being
computer systems and
trumpeted, loudly
non-linear editing, and
in some parts, as a key
his dedication to roles
value proposition in the
with IBC, IABM and
evolution from HD.
G-SAM, mark him out as
Sales Executive: Nicola Pett npett@nbmedia.com +44 207 354 6000
US Sales: Michael Mitchell mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv +1 (631) 673 0072 Japan and Korea Sales: Sho Harihara sho@yukarimedia.com +81 6 4790 2222 Circulation Free subscriptions tvbe.subscriptions@c-cms.com Subscriptions Tel +44 1580 883848
TVBEurope is published 12 times a year by NewBay Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England +44 207 354 6002 NewBay Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Association
Is it the most marked
one the industry’s finest
staging post in technical development
ambassadors. Equally, his qualities as a human
since the introduction of colour some 80 years
being puts all of those technicalities into some
ago? Some think so. Simon Fell, the EBU’s
degree of insignificance: a much admired, and
director of technology, termed it
widely respected character who is renowned
‘the new black’. (Many thanks to him for
for his generosity, loyalty, and abilities as a
our cover slogan.)
storyteller. Congratulations, Adrian: a well
SMPTE has recently published its Study Group report into the HDR ecosystem in
deserved recognition. Congratulations are also due to my
which it pinpoints the need for new standards,
colleague, Holly Ashford, who, from the
an investigation into the effects of content
December issue, will sit in the mighty deputy
conversion on HDR material, and states its
editor’s chair following an internal reshuffle. It is
uncertainty that future HDR content
a well-earned step up in her blossoming career,
© NewBay Media 2015. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the copyright owners. TVBEurope is mailed to qualified persons residing on the European continent. Subscription is free.
delivery/transmission systems will be
and I’m delighted that she will be taking a more
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We take up the discussion in this issue, as Adrian Pennington gets to the bottom of
I sincerely hope you enjoy this issue. James McKeown Editor-in-chief
4 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
In this issue
Opinion and Analysis Will Strauss elaborates on the industry’s trending issues over the last 12 months, and offers some ‘questionable’ predictions about the future
18
Workflow
6
How IMG tackled the Rugby World Cup. Philip Stevens went behind the scenes at the year’s biggest international sporting event
12
34
Feature
Women in TV
Does RGBW qualify as UHD? The International Committee for Display Metrology is urgently considering revisions to its Measurement Specifications, in this TVBEurope exclusive
On-screen, off-screen, and leadership: Jessica Hawkes reports from the latest conference to directly address the challenges facing women in media
36
Transcoding forum Feature HDR is the new black. The best thing since the introduction of colour? Will all HDR versions be equal? Adrian Pennington finds out
20
Philip Stevens chairs the debate as authorities from across the industry come together to discuss the increasingly innovative world of transcoding
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6 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Opinion and Analysis
TODAY
tomorrow
sometime
NEVER
Broadcast industry trends in 2015 (and some questionable predictions about the future), by Will Strauss
Olympic Games. It has always been thus.
said so, at every conference, and in every
What 2015 did show us, however, is that there has
interview, you care to name.
been a major mind-shift amongst broadcasters.
Now, they want to use advanced IP-based
There is now a genuine desire on their part
systems and IP networks for production and
to move away from the reliance on closed,
broadcasting (even in a live environment), potentially making them more efficient and
t was the year that UHD went live, IP took
I
over and everyone started to worry about security. But how will history remember 2015
and, perhaps more importantly, what happens next? As fun as it was, it is unlikely that historians will look back on 2015 as a significant year in the
‘As personalisation takes hold in 2016, someone needs to come up with an idea that creates on-demand experiences that combine the benefits of immediacy with the magic of scheduling’
on-going development (and transformation)
more nimble. In the future, it will simply be the software on top of the IP layer that determines what that video data does, how it appears, and where it goes. Several broadcasters are already making plans for cloud and IP-based broadcast facilities that will look nothing like they do now. In fact, they will look an awful lot like data centres.
of television. Yes, we’ve seen the first ultra high
As such, perhaps history will look upon 2015
definition channels go live in Europe but even
as the beginning of a new era: the era of
that could be considered merely another notch
proprietary and specialist broadcast equipment
software-defined broadcasting. Maybe it was
in the resolution bedpost.
and adopt a neutral platform for video data.
significant after all?
Odd-numbered years, those without a major
It won’t happen overnight but the powers-
sporting event (with apologies to the Rugby
that-be no longer want to have to invest in
Remote production
World Cup), tend to be less evolutionary than
hardware and upgrade their internal and
On the same subject, one of the many
those that feature a football World Cup or
external networks every few years. They have
potential upsides of the television industry
November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 7
Opinion and Analysis embracing IP is the opportunity that it presents
greater problems. As such, security has to be in
visible while watching a sporting event. Access
for live remote production.
every conversation about the future. It was a
to data and the ability to manipulate and use
key theme in 2015.
it is, of course, crucial here. Without information
By that I mean having cameras, operators and very little else on location and then whisking the
In some cases, the solutions are simple.
live feeds instantly (or as near as dammit) via an
Despite all the phishing attacks and probing
personalised. Broadcasters continue to work
IP network to a gallery (conceivably) anywhere
that happens in the media world, 75 per cent of
hard on gathering and disseminating viewer
in the world, where pictures and sound can be
all security breaches occur via a valid network
data, and encouraging customers to make their
switched, manipulated and distributed.
username and password, and in many cases
relationship a two-way thing.
The immediate cost benefits of working this
authorised administrator access.
way are obvious. With less movement of people and kit required – and little need for OB trucks – it could make certain types of live production more cost effective. This, in turn, could potentially allow for coverage of niche, lengthy, or lesswell-known events that might not be otherwise affordable using a truck. Various demos were shown at NAB and IBC this
about a viewer, experiences cannot be
Technology also plays a vital part. This year, we have seen a significant rise in the number
‘Next year, a forward-thinking telco will come up with a package that makes it cost effective for broadcasters. Then we will really see if remote production lives up to its billing’
of platforms and services that are able to automatically insert or splice relevant local content and adverts into on-demand and live streams. They use audio, watermarking, and other cues to pinpoint when to personalise, and both personal data and viewing records/trends to decide what goes where. Previously very
year to prove that point, with the manufacturer
expensive to deploy, these technologies are now
EVS particularly keen on making it work. It’s
considered affordable and practical.
not just vapourware either, as illustrated by
In the UK this year, Sky’s AdSmart personalised
Gearhouse Broadcast’s successful demonstration
This is not unique to television, of course. But
linear TV ad service – in which adverts are stored
and ChyronHego’s VidiGo selling a working
having passwords will soon become a thing of
on set-top boxes and transmitted during live
remote production system to Euro Media Group.
the past. It may take a serious security breach for
viewing – was rolled out onto the broadcaster’s
a broadcaster to take action, and this may well
on-demand services, where ads that were
especially when you start cranking up resolution
happen in 2016, but either way, systems need to
previously stitched into VoD files can now be
and frame rate, so trying to send live 4K at
be put in place, if they haven’t been already,
refreshed or replaced.
60fps from 16 cameras over IP is probably
to avoid the adoption of IP becoming an open
pushing your luck. But, on a general level, it is
invitation to would-be criminals.
Large multi-camera productions are still tricky,
technically feasible, and there are cost savings
As VoD grows in popularity, it doesn’t take Nostradamus to predict that this will become a major ‘thing’. We can expect other broadcasters
from a production perspective. However, the
Personalisation
to follow suit in 2016, as Viacom, the owner of
price of bandwidth still makes remote
This is a ‘biggie’. As VoD services continue to
Channel 5, did this year.
production expensive.
take hold of the broadcast world, profit-seeking
But while technology is key to allowing this
service providers are looking to capitalise by
personalisation, the really successful exponents
thinking telco will come up with a package
offering a more personalised experience to the
will be those that bring a human element to
that makes it cost effective for broadcasters.
viewer, both in programming terms and with
it too. The editorial skills that make (or made)
Then we will really see if remote production
targeted advertising.
channels great need to be incorporated into
My prediction is that next year, a forward-
lives up to its billing.
This will, it is believed, help to keep a viewer
VoD products so that they avoid the hideous
within a network, introduce them to the full
problems that can be prevalent with computer
Security
range of available content and, importantly,
algorithms. Anyone that has ever bought
Using IP might be more efficient but it does
make them happier and more likely to respond
something from Amazon.com for a friend
have its downsides, not least that it makes
to commercials (in turn, making media
or loved one, and is now bombarded with
broadcasters potentially more vulnerable
companies more money).
inappropriate banner ads promoting similar
than ever before.
Personalisation is relevant up and down the
wares, will know what I mean.
With everything existing virtually, in the cloud
programming chain. It can be as simple as
As personalisation really takes hold in 2016,
and across IP networks, hacking becomes a
a marketing tweet telling a viewer that their
someone needs to come up with an idea that
far bigger consideration. Cutting an SDI cable
favourite show is now available to download.
creates on-demand experiences that combine
would cause disruption, of course. But hacking
Or as complex as being able to individually
the benefits of immediacy with the magic of
into a broadcaster’s network could bring far
customise the on-screen graphics that are
scheduling. We live in hope.
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
8 TVBEurope
Opinion and Analysis
A series of expensive events: The growing role of SVoD By Richard Broughton, research director, Ampere Analysis t the end of Q2 2015, there were
A
just under 63 million paying Netflix subscribers globally. There are few rivals
of comparable scale: Netflix accounted for just over half of global SVoD contracts at the end of Q2 2015. Its closest peers include Amazon, which operates Prime Instant Video in a handful of markets including the USA, Germany, UK and Japan; Hulu, which has begun to transition from catch-up platform to fully-fledged subscription video library; and local market players like the UK’s Now TV, Germany’s Maxdome, France’s CanalPlay, and others.
‘Netflix coughed up $3.1 billion on content in 2014 alone and expects to expand its spend to roughly $5 billion by 2016’
Yet Netflix and Amazon come from a different background to that of most of their peers: they’re not backed by traditional broadcast or pay-TV groups. As a consequence, their emergence onto the online video scene, while
licensing agreement in each market in order to
of library titles. In the USA, Amazon inked an
a cause for consternation for many B2C TV and
provide a steady flow of high-profile content. But
exclusive multi-year deal with HBO, the first time
film companies, was greeted happily by many
due to the opportunistic nature of such deals,
that HBO content has ever been licensed for
content distributors as another outlet and buyer
the company’s offering changes noticeably
an online-only SVoD service. However, the deal
for their titles. Additional competition spurred on
between countries. In the USA, deals brokered
excludes new shows from Amazon’s catalogue
inflated rights values, and a mini flush of cash for
with Disney and the Weinstein Company
for three years from first release and despite this
those able to tap into the new revenue stream.
beginning in 2016 bode well for the streaming
was widely reported to have cost $300 million.
Netflix has spent roughly $8.5 billion since 2010
service and build on early window arrangements
Amazon’s other competitive US content deals
to obtain streaming content for its service. The
with Sony Animations, Relativity Media and
include an estimated $200 million deal with
company coughed up $3.1 billion on content in
Dreamworks Animation, among many others.
Viacom as well as smaller agreements with
2014 alone and expects to expand its spend to
In Europe, Netflix gained the lion’s share of the
MGM and Lionsgate and access to the
roughly $5 billion by 2016. Amazon has spent less
MGM, Miramax and Lionsgate catalogues in
Disney Movies Anywhere application as of
on content, but still paid out $1.3 billion in 2014,
the UK, Disney in the Netherlands and Warner
September 2015.
according to CEO Jeff Bezos.
in Scandinavia.
Some of the cash goes on competing for
Amazon has taken a similar approach,
In Europe, Amazon has struck various deals including a first window agreement with
high value premium content. Netflix typically
targeting a small selective set of higher-cost
Paramount in Germany and second window
has at least one major ‘first window’ movie
rights, supplemented by a large catalogue
deals with Sony, Universal and Warner in the UK.
November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 9
Opinion and Analysis Furthermore, the content acquisition strategies
cash furnishing the pockets of third parties,
meaning content distributors may soon face
represent separate pots. Subscription VoD
it is increasingly placing its bets on original
dwindling budgets. Yet even as Netflix’s outlay
services exhibit relatively little overlap in terms
productions. Amazon has followed suit, via both
begins to switch source, Amazon’s content
of title availability. Just 13 per cent of Netflix’s
its existing pilots scheme and also high-profile
spend is picking up, and Ampere expects that
US catalogue is shared with Amazon Prime
moves such as securing the ex-BBC Top Gear
even if a decline in Netflix acquisitions occurs in
Instant Video, and just 6 per cent of Amazon’s catalogue is also available on Netflix. Genres are also differentially represented: Amazon has a much higher proportion of documentaries in its library than Netflix, which has a higher proportion of comedy shows. The catalogue differences have been picked
2016-2017, Amazon Prime content acquisitions
‘Netflix has indicated it is aiming to reach a position at which half of its business revolves around the company’s ‘own’ content’
should roughly offset the effect, despite its own increasing focus on originals. Ampere estimates that combined, Amazon Prime and Netflix will be spending $1 billion on original content in 2016. Furthermore, the race for more ‘originals’ has begun to pull in runners
up on by consumers. Netflix’s US subscriber base
from adjacent markets, such as pay-TV operators
is more likely to choose comedy as a favourite
keen to ensure they don’t lose out to upstart
genre of show. And Amazon’s customers have
online rivals. UK pay-TV operator Sky hit nearly $1
a higher propensity to prefer documentaries
team’s services. Both companies are pushing
bilion per year in original British programming in
and lifestyle shows. The content differences,
to increase the proportion of content spend
2014 and has indicated it expects the figure to
combined with a low pricepoint, mean that the
devoted to original titles.
grow still further.
two services are not mutually exclusive. Roughly
Netflix has indicated it is aiming to reach a
So while the market for acquired content
a quarter of Netflix’s US subscriber base also
position at which half of its business revolves
remains robust, savvy content suppliers should be
watches videos via Amazon Prime.
around the company’s ‘own’ content, albeit
preparing for a possible switch in spend from key
over an undefined time period. If the subscription
clients. Positioning themselves to take advantage
coming to an end. Netflix is determined to build
VoD company reaches this target within the
of the burgeoning ‘originals’ market will ensure
itself into a brand associated with high-quality
next four to five years, peak spend on acquired
that they are shielded should the worst happen,
exclusive content. And rather than spend its
content could arrive as soon as 2016 or 2017,
and the cash cow move onto pastures new.
But the (brief) days of excess may soon be
HD
FHD
UHD
SD
The Window for Broadcast Evolution www.tvlogic.tv
10 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Opinion and Analysis
Ensuring quality in IP video delivery systems By Göran Appelquist, chief technology officer, Edgeware he growth of video delivered over IP
T
networks is showing no signs of slowing down. The industry shift towards IP,
combined with consumer demand for the highest quality video streamed to any device, at any time, anywhere, is forcing service providers and broadcasters to adapt to stay competitive in this evolving video landscape. HTTP-based adaptive streaming was developed to enable high-quality video delivery over the internet, and proved to be an efficient method for delivering content to smartphones, tablets and connected devices. Today, it is increasingly replacing traditional IPTV solutions
bitrate streaming (UHD and HD) over long-haul
larger networks. There are several ways multicast
for delivering even the prime video services
networks. To ensure optimal video delivery,
can be used to deliver live streams, at least to a
for the living room.
service providers need to consider the following
nearby cache. File fragments can be delivered
techniques to address these challenges.
over multicast, or video can be delivered as
To ensure the best possible user experience, video service providers must address bandwidth,
several synchronised transport streams. The
latency, and packet loss in order to avoid quality
Resource management
first option requires less intelligent caches, but
issues such as buffering, slow responsiveness, low
Properly tracking and allocating bandwidth is
consumes more network bandwidth. The latter
resolution and glitches. HTTP adaptive streaming
required in order to deliver high or continuous
option requires intelligent caches that can
quality content to a large number of viewers,
segment, encrypt and re-package content,
without over-provisioning the network. This is
but requires only one format to be delivered
challenging for adaptive streaming sessions,
through the network.
‘To ensure the best possible user experience, video service providers must address bandwidth, latency, and packet loss in order to avoid quality issues’
which consist of hundreds or thousands of small
Pushing live streams over multicast to
fragments instead of a single continuous stream.
edge caches is also an efficient way to
A solution is to use ‘virtual sessions’. Deploying an
minimise the end-to-end latency for live
agile software defined network management
delivery, by avoiding intermediate cache
solution makes it possible to allocate resources,
traversals. For some live events, like sports,
provide load balancing and monitor functions
short latency is crucial.
that are scaled on demand.
Measure and analyse
is based on two main technologies that impact the quality management: the use of TCP as
Proximity to client
Since quality decisions are made by the clients,
the transport protocol and the provisioning of
Originating streams as close as possible
the only way to verify the quality experienced
content at multiple quality levels.
to the viewers makes it possible for
by end users and to evaluate the impact of
operators to ensure high-quality video delivery.
any optimisations introduced is to measure and
clients to adapt to changing network conditions
A distributed hierarchical network stores the
analyse the traffic that was actually delivered.
by requesting a suitable quality level. The TCP
most popular content closest to the end user
This can be challenging if the delivery of every
protocol also offers inherent retransmission
and the least valuable content deeper in
little chunk needs to be monitored. A video-
capabilities, which enables it to efficiently
the network. In addition to improving quality,
aware analytics tool that abstracts the data at a
deal with packet losses, preventing noticeable
caching can be a cost saver by reducing
meaningful level is key.
glitches. However, to maintain a certain
upstream bandwidth requirements.
TCP is a bi-directional protocol, allowing
HTTP-based adaptive streaming enables service providers to deliver premium content to
bandwidth capacity in the presence of packet loss requires over-provisioned networks. Another
Multicast of HTTP live streams
a growing number of devices and over different
issue impacting the available bandwidth is
Popular live content often causes peaks in
network types. Yet, the issue of quality is still top
latency. Despite not being a major issue with
network traffic. To overcome this issue, distributed
of mind. By considering the aforementioned
user interactivity, increased latency will lower
caching servers can fan-out streams closer to the
techniques, service providers can address these
the available bandwidth. This may prevent high
end user. However, this may still be inefficient in
issues and keep pace with industry demand.
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12 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Workflow
How IMG tackled the Rugby World Cup Philip Stevens talks to the provider of IBC services for this major sporting tournament
distribution and licensing, IMG is providing the
on. The citing commissioners used a remote
International Broadcasting Centre (IBC) at its
login to those systems to view the ISOs – but
Stockley Park, west London, facility.
they are low resolution and so not suitable for broadcast quality. But they do provide useful
Making plans
insights of incidents that we used for the highlights
very four years, the Rugby World Cup (RWC)
“As with most major events, we had the first
programmes we produced.”
tournament involves 20 nations competing
World Broadcaster Meeting (WBM) sometime
in 48 matches for the coveted William
E
in advance - in fact, March 2014 in this case,”
Not studio-bound
Webb Ellis cup. (Ellis was the Rugby School pupil
explains David Shield, senior vice president,
Shield reports that the main broadcasters to
credited with inventing the game by picking up
IMG Studios. “At that meeting we outlined our
utilise the IBC have been TF1, Canal+ and ESPN
the ball during a football game and running to
production plans, gave the rate card, plus
Latin America. “We made a five camera studio
the goal. Not everyone is convinced of that origin,
booking deadlines. The IBC became operational
available at Stockley Park for all rights holding
however.)
on 14 September, with the second WBM held at
broadcasters. However, these days broadcasters
the Lord’s Cricket Ground a day later where all
don’t really want to be in studios at IBC. They all
the broadcasters came along for a final briefing.”
want to be in amongst the atmosphere at pitch
But there is no doubt about the popularity of the event, with organisers of the 2015 tournament in England calling it the world’s third largest
The signal from all the matches was available
side, presenting their output from the ground.
sporting event, following the FIFA World Cup and
at the IBC and The London Gateway (BT Tower)
For the opening game featuring England and
the Olympics. In fact, global television audiences
and IMG arranged a satellite distribution path on
Fiji, we saw 15 pitch side presentations. That
are measured in the billions. And with Rugby
a cost share basis.
meant a great many elaborate set ups, but once
Sevens’ entry into the Olympics in 2016, the sport is likely to grow more rapidly. Coverage in the UK for the 2015 tournament which started on 18 September and ran through to the end of October has been provided by
IMG received four feeds per match: Dirty Main,
the broadcasters had handed to the match
Dirty Backup, Dirty Tertiary and Clean. In some
commentators, there was some hasty de-rigging
cases, there were up to four matches taking
as the teams emerged.”
place on a single day. When it comes to ISO feeds, Shield says that
In the case of broadcasters TF1 and Canal+ (who have been sharing feeds), IMG produced
ITV, which also acted as host broadcaster. Working
IMG relied on using the half and full time melts
French language graphics at the IBC. “Those
with ITV and the broadcasters from around the
provided by ITV. “The good old fashioned way,”
broadcasters took the graphics feed from us
world who showed some or all of the matches
he quips. “Having said that, we did have access
and used Globecast to get the signals back to
was IMG. Alongside supporting the Rugby
to eight ISO angles as a by-product of the
their studios. Using a separate link, the studio
World Cup in many areas, including through
TMO (Television Match Official) system used by
component – which came from each stadium –
sponsorship, commercial ticketing, television rights
officials to check for infringement of rules and so
was also sent to Paris, where the live pictures and
November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 13
Workow graphics were synchronised and combined.� This meant that when, for example, the host broadcaster inserted a lower third graphic in
The control room at the IMG production centre and inset, David Shield, senior vice president, IMG Studios
English, a trigger sent to Paris allowed the French language information to be inserted at the same time. For those broadcasters who lacked the resources to send commentators around the UK for every match, IMG provided off-tube facilities at the IBC.
Highlighting the action
logs for all the major incidents leaving our loggers
a complex operation. In all, there were ďŹ ve four-
As mentioned earlier, IMG was responsible for
free to concentrate on visual aspects of the
wire circuits to every venue.� That IP network also
producing the ofďŹ cial daily 26-minute highlights
games. That meant there was no need for them
carried the Hawkeye system in place for each
programmes. In addition, there have been
to worry about numbers of tries, tackles and so on.
match. “We also used it to carry the simultaneous
52-minute programmes every Sunday night and
It is easier then to list shots such as cutaways to the
translations for the press conferences. Similar to
now a 60- and 120-minute overall tournament
crowds that might be useful in the ďŹ nal edit.â€?
the systems used at the FIFA World Cups, we set up booths within the IBC for the translators. They
round up. Avid and EVS were used for editing the programmes, utilising IP Director and Ardome
Using IP
could do their work here and so avoid the need
Media Asset Management systems. Forscene has
Shield says that a dedicated tournament IP
to travel around the country, something that
also been used for producing clips.
(Internet Protocol) network was in place for all the
would have been impossible for just one translator
venues, including the IBC, used for the RWC. “We
when there were four matches on some days.�
“We also took the Opta data feed which not only drives the live graphics feed, but also
made use of that network for the comms from
produces the tournament data system,� reveals
the host broadcaster. That VoIP technology was
serviced radio rights holders on site and produced
Alongside its television commitments, IMG also
Shield. “We used that information to populate our
utilised to create all the four wires needed for such
a radio World Feed. „
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14 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Workflow
French broadcasters get personal To rival US companies such as Netflix, French broadcasters are increasingly betting on advanced search engine tools and personalised channels to better tailor programmes and advertising to their audience, writes Catherine Wright ne of the main themes at IBC this
O
of franctv zoom just before the summer. To be
year was the need for broadcasters
fair, the pubcaster has morphed over the last five
to better get to grips with viewers’
years from being a late technology adopter into
desire to watch their favourite programmes
a serious player, paving the way with its its user-
wherever and whenever they want, and from
friendly catch-up service Pluzz.
any device. Accessing programmes seamlessly
Lucas Serralta, MD of Canal + digital
Stéphane Reynaud, CEO, Cognik
The mammoth organisation, home to
on mobile phones or tablets outside the home
around 10,000 employees, spread across four
year. France Télévisions may be at the forefront
remains difficut mainly because some of the
TV channels (France 2, France 3, France 4 and
of technological innovation, but it has not
biggest broadcasters and producers out there
France ô) changed management teams at
broken the bank: Cognik had to work within a
do not want to let go of the rights. But tailoring
the end of the summer and is now led by
very tight €1.4 million to develop, test and launch
programmes to better suit their audience’s tastes
Delphine Ernotte who has put digital strategy
the prototype.
in this increasingly on-demand world is one of the
at the centre of her agenda.
Stéphane Reynaud, the company’s CEO,
areas where European broadcasters are making
The personalised channel which is available as
big strides in their fight to rival US giants Netflix or
an app on Apple’s iPhone uses software designed
the call of duty to meet the broadcaster’s
Amazon. They are playing catch-up, but some
by French startup Cognik. Viewers who have
requirements but thinks that it is an effort that will
are making interesting technology choices that
downloaded the app on their iPhone will be
pay in the long run. “We are just at the beginning
should help them compete.
able to choose whether and when they want to
of the process, new versions will be launched and
watch a short YouTube-style teaser, a longer ten
the publicity is great!” he enthuses.
Two of France’s main broadcasters, France
admits its software engineers went far beyond
The company already hit the headlines in
Télévisions and Canal Plus, have adopted
or 20-minute extract or the full-length programme,
sophisticated software tools which enable them
in a personalised selection of France Télévisions
2012 when it won a Mipcom technology award
to very finely tune programmes to match each
content. The pubcaster has been working on
for software used by Canal Plus to launch Mon
viewer’s specific requirements.
francetv zoom since January 2014, and has tested
Nickelodeon Junior for its Canalsat subscribers,
it on various focus groups before launching what
a personalised TV channel for kids, that parents
Télévisions, which used to be known as a worthy
it calls an initial prototype, which is due to evolve
could programme according to their children’s
but slow bureaucratic giant and certainly not
according to viewer input. The broadcaster is also
tastes. But, according to Stéphane Reynaud,
at the forefront of technological innovation, has
planning to launch other versions of the channel
francetv zoom is another kettle of fish altogether.
overtaken most of its gaul rivals with the launch
on all smartphones and tablets by the end of the
“It is much easier to create software for a
Somewhat surprisingly, pubcaster France
TVBEurope 15
November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
Workflow specialised TV channel, targeted at sport lovers or
contemplative mood,” describes Lucas Serralta,
even if they will look at stuff on other devices
kids, for instance. But France Télévisions’ audience
MD of Canal + digital experience. “We believe
as well. The idea is to be able to show content
is much wider, and our profiling techniques are
that people still want to watch films and other
that will bring people together, based on their
much more finely tuned than they were a couple
forms of content together in front of a TV screen,
individual preference,” he concludes.
of years ago: we now select psychological traits according to a pre-defined list. We combine these with the editorial input of France Télévisions, and the end result is a tool that is very close to what the viewer really is.” Among Cognik‘s founding scientists, Kristine Lund, who studied at the CNRS (Centre National de Recherche Scientifique), France’s biggest state-owned research body, has become one of the leading gaul experts in the area of artificial intelligence and how it can relate to human beings. Her input in the development of Cognik software has been essential. As Reynaud readily admits, Cognik’s profiling tools could become handy for advertisers as well. Francetv zoom includes a wide number of pre-roll adverts, but no profiling can be used unless the viewer specifically agrees to it. The company is working with a number of other European broadcasters on similar tools and is expected to make some important announcements towards the end of the year. The huge elephant in the room remains Netflix. The US-based OTT operator’s recommendation engine is one of the key reasons for its huge success: the service is user-friendly and gets better each year. Around 800 research engineers work on its recommendation tools, whereas France Télévisions dispatched a team of 25, to which one can add Cognik’s five software engineers, to work on francetv zoom. The fight is unequal, but then David did win against Goliath. A company that has employed a bigger team of software engineers is Canal Plus. The satcaster has recently hired 200 new technical recruits, which puts it at least on a par with the US giant. Also just before the summer and before a change in leadership, Canal Plus announced the launch of Cube S, an OTT set-top box. The satcaster also debuted a new software engine named Suggest, which is initially available for the company’s CanalPlay VoD service – essentially films – but which will eventually be extended to other services such as Canal + à la demande, which also offers sport and entertainment. Until now, the gaul satcaster used Eureka, which simply compiled ‘historical’ information (ie which programmes viewers have watched over a period of time) and flagged up playlists based on that basic input. But Suggest uses a much wider base of information to create more precise programme recommendations. “We try to assess the viewer’s mood: is he emotional or in a zen-like
16 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Workflow The Cooking Show – The World on a Plate was produced for the Rai3
channel from Monday to Friday for the first five months of the Expo
Rai’s food for thought Mike Clarke reports on Italy’s state broadcaster’s in-depth coverage of Expo 2015
R
ai Expo was Italy’s national broadcaster’s cross-media structure launched to ensure Expo 2015 worldwide coverage. The
website (in nine languages) and multi-platform
feed compressed in MPEG-4 AVC HD 1080i at
France’s Kolor, a reference point in panoramic
50fps 4:2:2 and scrambled in Clear. Multilateral
imagery solutions, including panorama
feeds were accessible over Europe via Eutelsat
software, virtual tour software, video-stitching software and a full range of hardware products.
‘At the Expo site, Rai’s work included the coverage of all the daily events held in various locations’
production provided web documentaries,
The broadcaster’s Il Mondo di Expo app, on the other hand, offered users the ability to discover the countries participating in the event. At the Expo site, Rai’s work included the coverage of all the daily events held in various
interactive timelines, infographics, apps,
locations: from the National Days to parades,
documentaries, events, streaming, blog and – of
7B. Thirty minutes of daily highlights were
conferences, and countless visits by famous
course – TV programmes.
also produced and fed out at 2.30pm and
personalities from all over the world.
As the event’s host broadcaster, Rai produced
5.30pm every day.
Rai had an on-site multi-function studio
a series of events for the organisers, including
Rai also offered a 360-degree immersive
used for a variety of transmissions: Rai 1, the
‘live’ events put at the disposal of interested
experience of the Expo, viewable on mobile
broadcaster’s flagship channel, had live
broadcasters in the form of an international HD
devices by downloading Kolor Eyes 360° by
coverage from the studio during its Uno Mattina
November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 17
Workflow morning news programme, its Mezzogiorno
2015, once the two chefs finished their dishes,
audio matrix and D.O.Tec converters and
Italiano lunchtime show and Vita in Diretta in
Lisa Casali and her celebrity guest of the day
the studio’s lighting was controlled by
the afternoon. As well as live coverage for the
took their leftovers and invented a new dish,
Compulite Vector Red R8000 and Compulite
various channels’ TG newsreels, the studio also
thus combining different gastronomic cultures
Spark 4D consoles.
hosted the conclusive evening of the Prix Italia
and sensitising the public to issues of cultural
international awards.
dialogue, sustainability and food waste, a
provided in-studio sound for the live audience
fundamental message of the Expo itself.
and shows’ hosts and guests used Sennheiser
The six HD cameras used in the studio were
series 5000 wireless microphones.
Among the other programmes produced by Rai Expo for its channel, TGR Expo News on Rai3, Ricette a Colori for Rai Gulp, on the topic of correct nutrition and Experia, a journey round Italy in the Expo year, a series of 12 documentaries on the various Italian areas’ excellent products, aired on Rai2. The most viewed on-site Expo production was, however, The Cooking Show – The World on a
L-Acoustics Kiva and JBL VRX loudspeakers
A key feature of the studio’s design was
‘Rai produced a series of events for the organisers, including ‘live’ events put at the disposal of interested broadcasters in the form of an international HD feed’
the huge curved LED screen, for which specialist firm STS Communication (headquartered in Bresso, Milan) handled the installation of 293 of Eurosell’s 5mm pitch Acronn Air-LED tiles) with variable curvature, as well as content management and live playout,
Plate, produced for Rai3 channel from Monday
via two six-output Dataton Watchout systems.
to Friday for the first five months of the Expo and
The screen was controlled by six Linsn controllers
weekly in October. Hosted by Lisa Casali, expert in sustainable cuisine and well-known food blogger, the show’s format featured two different chefs every
and featured active back-up with Barco DVI four Grass Valley LDX 80p HD cameras and
and remote control with a (MIDI programmed)
two Panasonic AW HE 120 units.
digital pad. Rai3 director Andrea Vianello
Rai’s Milan Production Centre’s team had a
enthused, “Our channel didn’t have a lot
day, one Italian and the other from another
Sony MVS-8000 video switcher, two Sony XDCam
of cookery on its schedules, but with this
country, preparing dishes that emphasised both
HD PDW-HD1500 disc recorders and BLT’s SMS
programme it made up for lost time, and did
individual creativity and local or national origin.
Teca 2U at its disposal. Audio was handled by
so from the perspective of eco-compatibility
In coherence with the themes of Expo Milano
a Stagetec Aurus console, Stagetech Nexus
and intercultural encounters.”
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18 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Feature
Does RGBW TV qualify as UHD? International year-on-year volume growth
Chris Forrester offers this exclusive ICDM report for TVBEurope
Thousands of units, UHD
1
IE
Sep 13 - Aug 14 14
he International Committee for Display
T
ES
defines performance measurements, quality
IT
Sep 14 - Aug 15
Metrology (ICDM), which is part of the Society for Information Display’s Definitions
20 158
and Standards Committee, and which
19 242
and fundamental parameters of all display technologies, is urgently considering revising
67
FR
its Measurement Specifications to prevent low
426
resolution TV panels being misleadingly sold as 4K UHD TVs.
56
GB
509
In many ways the current problem is similar to the early days of HDTV when so-called ‘HD
74
DE
Ready’ lower-cost displays flooded the market
481
with less-than-perfect technology. Today, the
0
current crop of (mostly) Chinese-manufactured
100
200
300
400
500
600
displays available are generally failing to deliver true 4K resolution. Many TVs marketed as 4K or
Data: GfK September 2015
UHD in reality only contain 2,880 lines of pixels, and fall well short of the ‘active’ 3,840 pixels
by a red/green/blue sub-pixel. However, ‘RGBW’
the colour performance of the display. Critics
required to be truly Ultra HDTV.
panels include a white pixel sub-pixel alongside
of the technology say that the final image is
each red/green/blue sub-pixel triplet to make
simply diluted and that colour fidelity information
ICDM that its current Measurement Specifications
each individual pixel. The technique comes with
is lost, and the ‘premium’ offering damaged.
were being deliberately misused by some
a penalty of an effective 25 per cent reduction
One negative comment from the well-regarded
manufacturers to market ‘RGBW’ panels as
in the number of pixels in each line of the display.
Vincent Teoh of HDTV Test, suggested: “[They
supporting the UHD requirement for 3,840 pixels
This in effect reduces the native resolution of
are] trying to shoehorn RGB video signals into an
per line. In a modern display, the display raster
RGBW panels to 2,880 pixels instead of the UHD
RGBW matrix, [where] colour information is lost,
is comprised of individual pixels each made up
requirement for 3,840 pixels and can also impact
and users will never be able to enjoy movies in
Industry stakeholders have highlighted to
Forecast of Ultra HD channels until 2025 350 300 250
EUROPE
200
MENA
150
LATAM US
100
APAC 50 0
2012
2013
2014 2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025 Data: NSR, SES
TVBEurope 19
November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
Feature RGBW matrix, [where] colour information is lost,
The annual volume of screens sold in these
Insight, Pearl.tv, Fashion 1, plus demo channels)
and users will never be able to enjoy movies in
markets is expected by then to have reached
and COO Ferdinand Kayser says SES expects
the manner intended by the director.” Indeed,
37 million. Satellite operator SES is already
around 220 UHD channels to be available over
informed sources say these low resolution displays
transmitting a handful of UHD channels (NASA TV,
Europe within the next ten years. n
will not qualify as being approved to carry the Digital Europe UHD Logo. While there’s plenty of blame attached to some TV makers which do not conform to the full UHD resolution requirement. Even if the current ICDM Specifications are correctly applied today, then if these display are measured as having 25 per cent fewer individual pixels per line than 3,840 then these RGBW displays should not qualify as UHD. Worse, perhaps, is that the buying public has no way of identifying these less-than-perfect units. There is simply no notification or labelling to indicate the display’s core structure. The ‘RGBW’ issue has been highlighted at the recent Eurodisplay 2015 – the International Display Research Conference – held from 21 to 23 September in Ghent, Belgium. ICDM is now contemplating revising its Measurement Specifications to prevent RGBW based panels being misrepresented as supporting 3,840 pixels per line and thereby qualifying as ‘true’ UHD TVs. It is widely agreed that in these early stages
LED Color and quality you can count on!
of the UHD market the entire value chain has to deliver the best experience to consumers. These lower resolution RGBW displays are not delivering the premium experience that UHD demands. This latest development comes on top of the latest GfK research into 4K/UHD sales, and which shows that Ultra HD popularity is booming in terms of retail sales. By the end of 2015, GfK estimates that already more than 9.3 per cent of all screens sold in Europe in 2015 alone will be UHD capable and a potential installed base of 6.2 million Ultra HD TV sets will be acquired. Nick Simon, GfK’s senior analyst for consumer electronics, said the UK alone will see one million ‘UHD’ units sold this year “and it could be more”. The UK will see 1.8 million units sold in 2016, and three million during 2017. Across Europe the sales picture is much the same, with the UK leading the way in UHD sales (509,000 in the 12 calendar months to the end of August 2015).
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Germany is just behind, with 481,000 units sold, and France 426,000. The consensus is that next year’s Rio Olympics will again boost sales with a growing consumer awareness of UHD. GfK forecasts that Ultra HD screens in 2020 will represent more than 70 per cent of total sales across Europe and almost 60
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per cent in the Middle East and North Africa.
18 19 TVBE Nov Workflow_ RGBW-UHD_finalamended.indd 19
12/11/2015 10:15
20 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Feature
HDR is the new black Technicolor at IBC2015
High dynamic range is touted by some as the best thing since the introduction of colour, but will all HDR versions of it be equal? Adrian Pennington finds out
allows an increase in the colour gamut to 1,024 shades of each colour. Combine increased luminosity and richer colour with the greater resolution 4K can provide and HDR could be as important an experience as the introduction of
he potential to offer high dynamic range
T
bright than some things you might see in real
(HDR) is considered by many broadcasters
life, but the increased luminosity will still mean
and OTT players as a key value proposition
a far more realistic picture. The difference is
claimed Dominic Glynn, Pixar’s senior scientist
in the move to upgrade viewers from HD. Both
immediately apparent when looking at images
who guided the HDR finish for Inside Out. “We
Netflix and Amazon Prime are offering UHD
of water, or of clouds, for example.
can show the audience colours they’ve never
HDR remastered videos and shooting original
colour was 80 years ago. “It’s hard to believe unless you experience it,”
seen before.”
‘HDR could be as important an experience as the introduction of colour was 80 years ago’
content in the format. For little to no additional bandwidth, viewers can see a difference over normal HD at any viewing distance. There can be few if any manufacturers with a stake in Ultra
But any mainstream TV industry shift towards HDR will be delayed as technical standards are agreed. “How you create that HDR data chain is a question that needs a lot more attention,” said
HD not also offering a means of getting HDR
Sean McCarthy, engineering fellow at Arris. “It’s
through the chain. As Simon Fell, EBU director of
not as interesting as the pretty colours and stuff,
technology and innovation neatly put it: “HDR is
but it is important.”
the new black”.
The introduction of HDR also ramps up the colour.
“HDR is the area with the least agreement
While the average TV today has a brightness
HDTV is based on an 8-bit system, meaning there
across the board for a single standard,” notes
range of around 100 candela per square
FF8
are up to 256 shades of each colour available
Rowan de Pomerai, senior technical manager,
metre (known as nits), HDR displays could offer
(in theory – in practice around 220, for historical
Digital Production Partnership, which wants
1,000 nits, 1,500 nits or more. That’s still far less
technical reasons). But with HDR, a 10-bit system
to design a single UHD HDR specification for
-200 B R IG H T E
R
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November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 21
Feature programme delivery. SMPTE will publish a
quality for both SDR and HDR, and selected for
by HDR-enabled devices but in the vast majority
Study Group report on the current state of the
playback appropriately. So, NHK and BBC have
of household sets with the SDR range of HD. It is
HDR ecosystem for content mastering and
created the Hybrid Log-Gamma HDR solution to
one of a number of options being considered by
broadcast shortly. It has already published two
try and solve this issue. It intends to ensure that
the ITU for standardisation, but even then it then
HDR standards related to content mastering: ST-
an UHD HDR signal can be displayed not only
needs to be implemented into TV sets.
2084, for the Electrical Optical Transfer Function (EOTF); and ST-2086, to define static metadata. SMPTE is now working on a standard for dynamic metadata needed to support SDR and HDR content at the same time.
“We can show the audience colours they’ve never seen before” Dominic Glynn, Pixar Dolby helped deliver SMPTE 2984 implemented in its own Dolby Vision system – this SMPTE standard has been adopted in the Blu Ray Disc Association. Content owners including most of the studios are starting to remaster older content for HDR-compatible UHD Blu-Ray. However broadcasters BBC and NHK have expressed concerns that this standard is not ideal for the workflow of live TV where a single broadcast version needs to deliver acceptable
s True ‘next generation’ product
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s Comprehensive range of Audio and Video tool sets s Support for up to 48Gbps Analyser and Generator payloads s HDR, WCG, HFR, and object based audio formats* s Client/Server based architecture s App based control - PC, Android, IOS s 2 x SFP± supporting 10Gbps networks* and 12Gbps optical sdi s SMPTE 2022-6 over 10Gbps networks* s Compact, low power, low volume solution s Price - best value for money solution in the market
UHDTV1/4K
UHDTV2/8K
PHABRIX UHDTV SUPPORTED FORMATS Pixels
Lines
Frames
10b 4:2:0 (Gbps)
10b 4:2:2 (Gbps)
10b 4:4:4 (Gbps)
12b 4:2:0 (Gbps)
7680/8192
4320
120
60 [8]
80 [8]
120 [16]
72 [8]
95.5 [16]
144 [16]
7680/8192
4320
60
30 [4]
40 [4]
60 [8]
36 [4]
48 [8]
72 [8]
7680/8192
4320
50
25 [4]
33 [4]
50 [8]
30 [4]
40 [8]
60 [8]
7680/8192
4320
30
15 [2]
20 [2]
30 [4]
18 [2]
24 [4]
36 [4]
7680/8192
4320
25
12.4 [2]
16.6 [2]
25 [4]
15 [2]
20 [4]
30 [4]
7680/8192
4320
24
12 [2]
16 [2]
24 [4]
14.4 [2]
19 [4]
29 [4]
3840/4096
2160
120
15 [2]
20 [2]
30 [4]
18 [2]
23 [4]
36 [4]
3840/4096
2160
60
7.5 [1]
10 [1]
15[2]
9 [1]
12 [2]
18 [2]
3840/4096
2160
50
6 [1]
8 [1]
12 [2]
7.5 [1]
10 [2]
15 [2]
3840/4096
2160
30
3.7 [1]
5 [1]
7.5 [1]
4.5 [1]
6 [1]
9 [1]
12b 4:2:2 (Gbps) 12b 4:4:4 (Gbps)
3840/4096
2160
25
3.1 [1]
4.2 [1]
6.2 [1]
3.7 [1]
5 [1]
7.5 [1]
3840/4096
2160
24
3 [1]
4 [1]
6 [1]
3.6 [1]
4.8 [1]
7.2 [1]
[Number of 12 Gbps physical links]
UHDTV Video Payloads Supported by PHABRIX Qx/M01
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Disney Pixar’s Inside Out which exploited Dolby Vision’s wider colour gamut
Made in the UK
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
22 TVBEurope
Feature LDX Series camera
“The HDMI specification was updated to 2.0a, to deliver the metadata to the displays to enable SMPTE 2084 presentation. This suggests that if the display supports HDMI 2.0a it should decode HDR content correctly. However the message to consumers is far from clear.” Peter White, CEO and co-founder, Rethink Technology Research, agrees: “HDR is being seen by many TV manufacturers as something that they will introduce after 4K. That’s the wrong approach, but the TV “Currently, the clearest
manufacturers hold a lot of sway. In the US,
proposition is the BDA, with Ultra HD
manufacturers are selling ‘4K’ devices that are
Blu-Rays reportedly launching before
not UHD. The fight to differentiate among those
the end of the year,” says DTG chief
players is pushing ‘4K’ rather than UHD, in the
technology officer Simon Gauntlett.
same way that they tried to push 3D when noone was ready for it.”
Which brings us around to the consumer messaging: TVs are already being marketed as supporting HDR, but which standards are they supporting? How ‘high’ is the dynamic range, with brightness levels of displays varying from 400
‘BT TV said at IBC that the company is looking to add HDR capabilities to its Ultra HD 4K channel within two years’
The UHD Alliance which includes members of the consumer electronics community and Netflix is also trying to specify UHD, which will include HDR requirements. All eyes will be on the CES show in las Vegas in January where
nits to over 1,000 nits and giving dramatically
the next crucial stage of the UHD HDR
different experiences for the viewer?
debate will be played out.
www.asperasoft.com moving the world’s data at maximum speed
November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 23
Feature Live HDR For live broadcasting the issue is more complex.
Mark Turner, Technicolor
The main outside broadcasters including Visions, Telegenic and Arena, are testing live HDR (UHD and HD chains) for clients including BT Sport. Delia Bushell, managing director at BT TV said at IBC that the company is looking to add HDR capabilities to its Ultra HD 4K channel within two years. How might live HDR broadcasting be handled? Technicolor has a new server-based version of its Intelligent Tone Management software that scales standard dynamic range source material (such as 4K 60p) for HDR use. The aim is to allow sports or live event productions to continue to use current cameras and infrastructure at a venue with the upscaling occurring on the final output mix. Importantly, the upscaled signal is routed through an Elemental encoder which spits out a single stream which can be received in HDR and SDR which for a broadcaster reaching the mass of households with plain old SDR screens is a must.
“The cheapest way of implementing HDR live is for the mix to happen as normal with the final mix upscaled” Mark Turner, Technicolor
equipment. It has trialled 4K HDR capture with
Pixar’s Rick Sayre says that on Tomorrowland,
Dorna Sports using HDC-4300s at the 2015 British
on which he was digital imaging consultant,
Grand Prix MotoGP.
the HDR “revealed a gleam in the eyes of
Michael Harrit, marketing director, Sony
the actors which it has not been possible to
“You can’t justify the cost of running two
Europe, said, “We have built HDR into leading
infrastructures so the distribution system needs
production tools to create an HDR end to end
to be combined,” says Mark Turner VP, business
production workflow from acquisition to delivery
which can pull a viewer out of the story,” says
development and relationships. “The cheapest
to the living room.”
cinematographer Steven Poster. “We may see
way of implementing HDR live is for the mix to
RED Digital Cinema also has a live HDR output
show before.” “The eye tends to be drawn to the highlights
some gimmicky HDR that has nothing to do
happen as normal with the final mix upscaled.
solution allowing users to simultaneously monitor
with storytelling. Just because we can now see
OB engineers can adjust the settings in real time
both the standard dynamic range and HDR
through a brightly lit window exterior doesn’t
or apply different HDR settings to different sports.”
images of the same shot on-set, in real-time. That
mean that we should.”
Dolby offers an alternate route to HDR. It has
will allow users to see more of what the sensors
“As time goes on, filmmakers will take
worked with Grass Valley to introduce a process
on their cameras are capturing – from the deep
advantage of the expanded colour space
for individual camera feeds. Grass Valley has
shadows to bright highlights. Like Dolby, the RED
offered by the use of laser light source
an XDR software-upgrade option for all LDX 86
solution meets the SMPTE 2084 standard.
technology to bring colours and contrast
Series cameras working in single-speed formats
never seen before on a cinema screen,” says
(HD/3G/4K). This is claimed to deliver 15 F-stops of
Creatively, what can HDR do?
Stuart Bowling, director, content and creative
sensitivity to the home with a suitably equipped
There are also some obvious ways in which
relations at Dolby.
HDR set. At IBC the feed was encoded along
HDR could enhance specific types of
with the HDR information by a Muse Live encoder
programming like sports: it means you can
from Envivio (now an Ericsson company). A
actually see a flying golf ball against the sky;
highlighting a scene in Inside Out which
licence upgrade from Grass Valley is required
or watch a football match in a stadium half
exploited Dolby Vision’s wider colour gamut
to unlock it on all LDX series, plus you need a
in and half out of bright sunlight without
capabilities. This is when Joy and Sadness enter
monitor to view it on – and Dolby has those.
experiencing that clunky moment when the
the Subconscious and the production design
camera has to jump through five or six stops as
called for the look of a black-light room: glowing,
the play moves in or out of light or shade.
colourful, and highly saturated.
Sony pledged its commitment to incorporate HDR capabilities into more of its production
“Animation is an amazing way to apply wider colour gamut to audiences,” he adds,
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November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 25
Feature
Capturing the imagination in UHD With Ultra HD channels going live, buying UHD and 4K capable equipment is no longer a matter of mere future-proofing. Fortunately, there is now a wide choice of cameras available, and it can even make financial sense to buy one if you only use it for HD, writes David Fox
T
he camera that attracted most attention at IBC was Sony’s compact new 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 performance, 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 240fps in HD. It 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. It
‘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’ should cost €5,800 (body only) or €6,300 (with 18105mm E-mount lens) inc VAT in November. Blackmagic Design’s Ursa Mini also attracted 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
ENG ready: Caniglia shows
optics, to give full sensor coverage, but “we
off Blackmagic’s Ursa Mini
don’t lose any light or have vignetting,” claims
with B4 Mount
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
26 TVBEurope
Feature
UHD on tap: Grass Valley’s LDX 86 Universe offers UHD and 6x HD slo-mo
Red’s new forged carbon fibre 8K Weapon with Zeiss lens
Bob Caniglia, a senior regional manager. Thanks
stabilisation for 4K or UHD production. There is also
body. However, it does show how the extra
to upgrades since it was shown at NAB, the
EF mount versions of both.
resolution of UHD can make for an excellent HD
camera can also now do both SDI in AND out
camera, as an independent test against the
as well as timecode and intercom, and can be
Little or no aliasing
EBU’s standards for HD content acquisition found
controlled from Blackmagic’s Atem switcher
Canon’s recently released XC10 is one of the
that the 1-inch CMOS sensor and DIGIC DV5
like a studio camera. The 4.6K Mini offers 15
least expensive UHD camcorders (under £1,600
image processor provides “little or no aliasing”
stops of dynamic range (compared to the 4K
inc VAT), but may not be the ideal form factor
and meets Tier 1 for HD production, making it
version’s 12), and also affords room for cropping/
for many as it tries to be a camcorder in a DSLR
suitable for use on even high-end productions.
November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 27
Feature trigger recordings via HDMI/SDI, has JVC LUT
releasing models with 2/3-inch sensors that
support for the Atomos Shogun recorder, and
take B4-mount lenses.
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
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
‘The FS5 is well designed, with a very comfortable rotating hand grip, six custom buttons and a really nice electronic variable ND filter’
UHD). 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
precisely adjust the colour temperature of master
shooting: it will also do up to 8x super-slow-mo
black. A new 70Mbps recording mode allows 4K
in HD). The camera can also be used for high
recording on economical Class 10 SDHC/SDXC
dynamic range shooting (it will get S-Log3 output
JVC’s GY-LS300 handheld Super 35 4K camcorder
cards. The GY-LS300 includes HD streaming with
in the update), something that the LDX 86 will
has received a version 2.0 update, and now
WiFi and 3G/4G for live HD transmission.
also be able to offer via its new XF fibre
Sony’s new FS5 is light enough for use on a drone
includes: a film-look JVC Log mode; Cinema
transmission base station.
4K/2K recording (4096x2160 and 2048x1080);
The 2/3-inch conundrum
Prime Zoom allowing zooming using prime
Sport is where Ultra HD is taking off, and outside
range but also one-wire UHD transmission (instead
lenses without losing resolution, offering 2.3x
broadcasts require greater depth of field to keep
of 4x 3G-SDI), using Tico compression, “which
maximum zoom for HD or 1.25x zoom for 4K;
everything in focus, which is why all the
is getting a lot of momentum because it is low
and a histogram. It can also now
major manufacturers have been intent on
latency and can be virtually lossless at 4:1,” said
This will not only provide 15-stops of dynamic
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
28 TVBEurope
Feature Mike Cronk, Grass Valley’s senior vice president of strategic marketing.
Small and mighty Another problem that broadcasters need solving for UHD is miniature cameras capable of 50/60p. Here Bradley Engineering has been working with AltaSens (JVC Kenwood’s sensor manufacturer), and is using its Super 35 4K sensor in the new fibre-based 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’s usual remote heads. The tiny IO Industries 4K SDI camera 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
JVC’s upgraded GY-LS300 4KCAM
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,
tilt/zoom camera, but it only delivers 3840x2160
have already a lot of orders”, anyone taking
global shutter CMOS sensor, outputting 4:2:2, 4:4:4
25p (via HDMI), although this might be OK for a
delivery of an XT now gets a free upgrade to SXT.
or Raw. Panasonic’s new AW-UE70 is claimed
commentary camera. It can stream UHD IP and
to be the industry’s first integrated UHD pan/
record to microSD. It also delivers various HD
new software update (3.0) enabling ProRes 4444
formats including 1080 at 50p, 50i and 25p.
XQ recording, plus MPEG-2 HD 4:2:2 to match the
Its Amira documentary camera will get a free
XDCAM workflow. It will also connect
To a greater Xtend
via Ethernet to a Sony box to be controlled
For high-end production, the new Alexa SXT
by a standard Sony RCP-1500 for multicam
(Super Xtended Technology) adds electronics
capability. A new Amira Slot developed with
from Arri’s Alexa 65 camera to the existing Alexa
Ambient for wireless audio has a two-minute
XT sensor for in-camera recording of ProRes 4K
battery to allow hot swapping the camera
UHD (3840x2160) and ProRes 4K Cine (4096x2637).
battery without interrupting the signal. There will
It can do live colour grading, so no need for a
be a paid update for the Alexa Mini
separate LUT box, and can output to an on-set
made available later this year, adding Arriraw
monitor as well as doing the final grading and
and 4:3 capability.
dailies creation, “so the people in post will know
The Videosys 2cm HD cam
what the intended look was,” said Stephan
Rolling in the deep
Schenk, Arri’s managing director. It also has
Canon’s new EOS C300 Mark II shoots 4K and
SXR (Super Xtended Recording) with new 1TB
UHD, and offers wider dynamic range (up to
or 2TB capture drives. “That gives you massive
15 stops). It uses a new Canon-designed Super
capabilities to shoot without stop,” up to seven
35mm CMOS sensor that has twice the readout
hours in ProRes. SXT ships later this year, and “we
speed (reducing rolling shutter effects), and a
TVBEurope 29
Feature The Sony FS5 more advanced imaging engine with dual DIGIC DV5 processors. The extra dynamic range is courtesy of a new Canon Log2 codec that retains more
NETWORK. AUDIO. VIDEO.
highlight and shadow information. It also has
smart IP live production infrastructure.
the Wide DR setting from the C100 MkII,
It uses a
which requires less
single 33-megapixel Super 35 CMOS
work in post.
sensor, achieving 4,000TVL horizontal
Other new features include:
and vertical resolution, and provides
improved auto focus; extended ND
8K, 4K and 2K output, all in native
filters; an increased ISO range of
quality. It can be used in a fully 8K
up to 102,400 for low light use; and
production environment or alongside
dual CFast 2.0 card slots. It has new
UHD and/or HD cameras.
XF-AVC recording codecs based
It can use regular PL-mount lenses,
on H.264 compression and MXF
while a System Expander enables
wrapping, with 10-bit 4:2:2 XF-AVC
the use of large viewfinders and
intra for 4K/UHD at 410, 225, 220,
full studio lenses, converting the
or 110Mbps, while HD and 2K can
portable camera into a full facility
be recorded in 10-bit 4:4:4 at
studio/OB camera. Output from
210Mbps, or 12-bit at 225Mbps. It
camera head to the control unit is
won’t shoot at more than 30p in
40Gbps via standard SMPTE hybrid
4K/UHD, although it can go up to
fibre, allowing long-distance links
100/120p in 2K/HD.
for live broadcasting. The SHK-810
K C I K
ed mat ontrol ixing o t u A ing c all m mix close-b for
employs a dual-green colour filter to
Beyond UHD
deliver SHV’s wider dynamic range.
5
01 2 t c
With Japan’s NHK committed to test transmissions of 8K next year, and
Red alert
full coverage by the 2020 Olympics,
Red was showing its first 8K Weapon,
anyone that wants to sell it cameras
with its new lighter, stronger forged
must be able to offer 8K, so camera
carbon fibre body, fitted with a 70-
manufacturers are ramping up
200mm Zeiss Compact Zoom, as
their development efforts. Canon
this gives the most complete
announced at IBC that it will commit
coverage of the Weapon’s 8K
to 8K, it just wouldn’t commit to any
sensor. It uses the small new Weapon
timescale for this.
body (also available in magnesium
Ikegami is already on its fourth
and woven carbon fibre), but with a
generation 8K/Super Hi-Vision
larger new sensor, and should ship
camera. The new SHL-810 is one
by the end of the year.
tenth the size and weight (less than 9kg) of its first model from 2002.
Unlike the Dragon, which had its fan
inlet at the front (which
a
mp o c C
IB lete omp c r ere! you te h Get a d up IBC
n io ctio Aud e4 & t rodu o o P e m d e e i t r lV V__ emo iona for R rect i e d c i y B rfa tenc Inte w La o to IP L r e fo rfac ew1 i e t v n _ II V_ g DM orin o-H onit IP-t M o adi 4 erfaces ide __m IP V A Int l8 & to-IP a t o i i ud dig ty A A__ uali Q High
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 HDR2084 option uses the quad outputs of the Redcast module (developed for live broadcast use) to offer four different LUTs at
Neat touches on Sony’s FS5 include rotating hand grip and numerous mounting points
once, and supports HDR monitors, such as Dolby.
www.lawo.com
30 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Feature Canon’s ME20F-SH boasts a maximum ISO in excess of four million
Canon’s ecosystem of innovation A resin-based 3D printer, a camera that can “see in the dark”, an immersive 8K theatre, and Super Machine Vision were just some of the innovations on show at the Canon EXPO in Paris in October. Holly Ashford reports
battery powered, with the 4K 10.1-inch LCD monitor connected by a single cable. Incorporating Canon image-processing technology, the UHD 8K reference display supports the production of 8K video content, with a pixel density exceeding 300 pixels
anon’s global showcase takes place
C
The Grande Halle de la Villette which hosted
per inch – a level approaching the limit of
once every five years, with 15,000 square
the Expo was divided into ‘zones’ covering
human visibility, according to the company –
metres devoted to new and improved
life, professional, work and society, though
achieving high brightness, high contrast, and
products demonstrating the breadth of consumer
perhaps most impressive was its World Imaging
a wide colour gamut.
and business industries the company covers, and
Gallery. Before seeing the technology capable
the vision of its R&D teams.
of producing 8K content, Expo visitors were
Expo, where Canon was demoing another new
At Expo 2015, Canon stressed how rapidly the
From vibrant brights to a dark room at the
treated to the end result: a huge screen
development, an ultra-high sensitivity 35mm
world of imaging is expanding in our age of the
showing footage captured with 8K cameras,
full-frame CMOS sensor. The Canon ME20F-SH
Internet of Things (IoT), in which we are seeing an
offering a roller-coaster point-of-view ‘ride’
camera boasts a maximum ISO in excess of
increasing number of objects being connected
through different scenery. The incredible detail
four million, and despite the near darkness in
through smart devices. These rely on built-in
created a rather impressive and unexpectedly
the demo space, the video captured showed
cameras or sensors and the data they generate,
immersive experience.
objects indiscernible to the naked eye. The
and although the company “cannot predict how this will play out”, according to chairman and CEO Fujio Mitarai, “The possibilities are big, they are real, and they are ours for the taking.” Canon does predict that IoT will largely depend on developing the “imaging of things” and to deliver its new developments in the
technology can shoot videos in condition of
“We have mastered imaging technology. Our lenses and sensor together with our processor are the best in the world” Fujio Mitarai
world of imaging, Canon is building a network
only 0.03 lux – which Canon said was comparable to the amount of light provided by a crescent moon – and, in the broadcast space, the company sees it being used primarily for wildlife documentary filmmaking. Also on show was Canon’s ultra-high resolution 250 megapixel CMOS sensor, which allows for
of companies with regional headquarters
the detailed capture of images from a great
managing local R&D and manufacturing. It
Visitors were also able to try out Canon’s first 8K
distance. According to Canon, it boasts the
is hoped this will deliver its ambitious goal, of
camera, its Cinema EOS System, which captures
world’s largest number of pixels in its lens size,
a future in which “every image should have
8192x4320 resolution video at up to 60fps. The low
and five times more than the amount currently
a connection with Canon,” according to
aberration 8K lens gave clarity and sharpness to
available in the company’s EOS 5DS. Its use for
Rokus van Iperen, president and CEO,
the image, while a high dynamic range and wide
security and surveillance was highlighted at
Canon EMEA.
colour gamut created an intense vibrancy which
the Expo, which was a somewhat unnerving
even a non-filmmaker like myself was impressed
prospect, as the sensor technology allows the
storing, editing or printing it, we want to play a
by. Still images taken from RAW videos are 35
user to clearly see letters on a building 15km
part and are building businesses to do this.”
megapixel, and the camera system can be
away. According to the IHS Security Systems
“Whether it is taking the image, recording,
November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 31
Feature Integrations Report 2015, the video surveillance
to me”. Much of the futuristic 8K kit at the Expo
further M&A” in Europe, and by 2020 “you will see
market is estimated to be close to €18 billion
is yet to hit the market, but it did demonstrate
the Canon you know and trust, plus a brand new
by 2018, so its no wonder Canon is ploughing
what the next generation of video technology
Canon built around partnerships with some of the
money and resources into its network video
may look like. And as for the future of the Canon
world’s best known companies, and some you
solutions (NVS) business.
business? Mitarai said the company “will seek
may not even know yet.”
“We have mastered imaging technology. Our lenses and sensor together with our processor are the best in the world,” stated Mitarai, boldly,
Members Of:
in his keynote speech. And the technology at the Expo was a clear attempt to demonstrate this, using advances we’ve seen in broadcast markets and using these to branch into new target markets, including NVS. “It is this technology that keeps Canon ahead of the competition,” Mitarai concluded. In addition to technological networks and development at the Expo, there was also an emphasis on developing human networks. Canon is working to build a network of Canon companies, an “ecosystem of innovation” which Mitarai described as “a dream that is very special
Canon’s global showcase devotes 15,000 square metres to new and improved products
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32 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Feature
GREAT SCOTT Celebrating a lifetime of achievement The second annual TVBAwards saw another much loved industry figure inducted into TVBEurope’s lifetime achievement hall of fame. This year, the spotlight shone brightly on the career of Adrian Scott, the hugely admired and widely respected industry veteran, who played no small part in opening the eyes of the broadcasting world to newsroom systems, and non-linear editing. Scott discussed his professional life with James McKeown Adrian Scott had a fairly unusual
A
Torvalds, so I suppose you can call me the
education, so he relays, having
Godfather of LINUX!”
Rugby School for which he says “a prior reading
and included the BBC, NBC, ARD, NOS, NRK, SVT,
of Tom Brown’s Schooldays was a perfectly
and many more. In addition to travelling around
adequate preparation”. His summers were spent
Europe, Scott toured the national broadcasters
in France, and then came the University of North
in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and
Carolina thanks to a “very generous American
South Africa. All of this, he states, was a major
scholarship programme. I did a degree in
reason why BASYS was awarded the Queen’s
journalism, which involved working in both radio
Award for Export Achievement in 1989.
started out at a small preparatory
Over the next few years, the customer base
school in Scotland, followed by
increased from a handful to over a hundred,
and television…my start in the industry.”
The next phase came when ITN got into a
Scott’s return to the UK coincided with the
financial crisis when the cost of building Gray’s
start of independent local radio. “I managed to
Inn Road formed “a perfect storm with the cost
get myself a job in the newsroom at Radio Clyde
of covering the first Gulf War,” he explains. “They
in Glasgow, not easy when your hometown is
decided to sell BASYS. The buyer was DEC, the
Edinburgh. After a couple of years, I moved to
Digital Equipment Corporation, who having seen
London to work as a presenter and producer at
own investment in the product. I was then invited
us as a means of entry into the broadcast sector,
Independent Radio News and LBC, from where I
to lunch at ITN and offered the job of European
then realised they hadn’t the faintest idea how
went to TV-am as one of the launch team.”
operations manager with the aim of trying to
to achieve it. The rumour went round that they
persuade other broadcasters to invest. This
were planning to close us down altogether.
It was there he first came into contact with broadcast technology. TV-am was pioneering in several respects, he says, being one of the
was in 1985.” So began the first of many evangelism roles
“Having already encountered Avid Technology at various trade shows, I started a rear-guard
first all-ENG news operations (three quarter-
Scott would take up in the industry. “At the time,
action along with some Avid colleagues to
inch BVU) and also one of the first to dispense
no one in Europe had heard about what we
persuade Avid’s board and shareholders that
completely with script and prompter typists in the
now know as NRCS, or even about PCs, which
they should buy BASYS from DEC. With less than a
newsroom in favour of the very first generation
didn’t really exist in those days anyway. I started
week to go before our planned closure, Avid and
BASYS Newsroom Computer System. “For reasons
travelling the continent with about a quarter
DEC both agreed, and the deal was done for an
I still cannot explain, in addition to being news
of a ton of rather unwieldy demo equipment,
extraordinarily modest sum of money (none of
editor and head of forward planning, I became
trying to persuade a generation of journalists
which came to me, alas).”
the in-house newsroom system super-user, and
that learning how to type and then using an
At the time, Scott explains, Avid was almost
was largely responsible for figuring out how to do
unwieldy green screen terminal would make
entirely a post production-oriented company,
three hours of live television starting at six in the
their lives a lot easier.”
“with practically no exposure in the broadcast
morning every day on a system which nobody
Amongst all the other firsts, the system
industry. We soon changed that, and my
knew how to use, and which had no how-to
Scott was selling was one of the very earliest
second major evangelism role was to persuade
manual. Fun!”
commercially available UNIX-based systems.
newsrooms and news organisations to embrace
“Perhaps one of my most far-reaching career
non-linear editing and playout, which soon came
newsrooms worldwide using a newsroom system,
achievements was to go to Helsinki with my
to include the first working video server.”
“of which by far the largest was CNN,” he states.
demo kit, to show it to YLE and MTV, whose
“Another was the Channel 4 newsroom at ITN;
editor-in-chief, Jan Torvalds, asked if I minded
playout brought with it a new generation of
and when the BASYS company went to the wall,
if his teenaged son came to have a look at
issues that the industry had yet to locate on its
ITN stepped in and bought it, largely to protect its
the demo. This was, of course, the young Linus
radar. “A small group of us at Avid began to think
For a time, TV-am was one of the four or five
The onset of non-linear video editing and
November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 33
Feature about these [issues], and I ended up drafting
This latter role included helping to move the IABM
It was in connection with the latter that, in
our thoughts into a paper for internal discussion.
towards appointing a full-time CEO, a job for
the mid-noughties, Scott became a founder
This ended up being the basis for a successful
which Scott was shortlisted “but lost out (quite
and European Chair of G-SAM. “The society
Avid US patent application describing a ‘Digital
rightly) to the wonderful Roger Crumpton.”
was conceived by a small group of us as a
Multimedia Editing and Data Management
For almost ten years, Scott produced and chaired
discussion forum and fledgling trade association
System’ which allowed users to create, browse, and catalogue multimedia assets. This was awarded in 1998, and was, I’m almost certain, one of the first mentions of the words ‘digital’, ‘assets’ and ‘management’ in the same sentence.” Scott departed Avid in 2002 to start his own
within which all sides of the industry, standards
‘Technologist, journalist, evangelist: however Adrian Scott’s legacy is defined, he will always be considered a giant of the industry’
one-man consultancy business, Bakewell House,
bodies, broadcasters, and manufacturers, could exchange views and experiences in aid of developing common ideas and particularly standards applying to MAM and DAM.” In 2009, Scott suffered a serious stroke, “which has left me with some lingering mobility issues. Thankfully, I have no mental or cognitive
which he runs to this day. Two other roles of
problems, and can still think and talk (to the
prominence that add some sizeable context to
conference sessions at IBC, and was responsible
great regret of those of my friends who think I talk
Scott’s legacy were those with IBC’s conference
for establishing, producing, and chairing the early
too much).” He claims to be “idly considering”
committee, and the Global Society for Asset
years of the IABM Annual Conference. “Both of
retirement, having reached the milestone age
Management (G-SAM). Indeed, following his
these conferences were among the first to start
famously committed to folklore by The Beatles on
exit from Avid, Scott’s influence in the industry
seriously discussing such topics as how industry
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. However,
began to flower. “I had represented Avid on
manufacturers can best survive
his work is not done yet.
both the IABM management committee and
the downturn; the skills shortage, especially
the IBC exhibitors committee, and I continued
of trained engineers; standards-driven systems
Adrian Scott’s legacy is defined, he will always
in those roles but also started to sit on IBC’s
integration; multiscreen/360° delivery; and
be considered a giant of the industry, and most
conference committee and to take on a business
(inevitably) the importance of metadata and
importantly to his colleagues, peers, and friends,
development role with the IABM.”
media asset management.”
one of its truest gentlemen.
Technologist, journalist, evangelist: however
34 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Feature
Women in Television On-screen, off-screen and leadership
The panel at the Women in Television conference at Burlington House
By Jessica Hawkes, account manager, Bubble and Squeak
the board. Taking a look at how
‘Women in leadership and
and member of Equity Women’s
the discussion has developed six
management’, ‘International
Committee began the discussion
months on, the Women in Television
perspective’ and ‘Women off-
by asking what steps can be taken
conference aimed to highlight the
screen, behind the camera and
to ensure the diversity of women
challenges facing women across
calling the shots’.
on screen. Six years on from the
With the BBC’s decision to
victory of Miriam O’Reilly against
ollowing the Women in
various disciplines of today’s
Broadcast Roundtable
media and entertainment industry,
make the inclusion of mandatory
the BBC for age discrimination,
hosted by TVBEurope in May,
and how the industry as a whole
female guests in panel shows, a
have lessons been learned and
the discussion continued
can work towards resolving the
main theme of the opening panel,
actions taken to ensure diversity
gender imbalance.
‘Talent and ensuring diversity of
of women across the industry?
representation’, highlighted the
Speaking of TriForce Creative
F
last month with the Women in Television – Onscreen, Off Screen
Adding personal insight from her
and Leadership conference at
experience as a female working in
difficulties of quotas and whether
Network, a company that aims to
The Royal Society of Chemistry in
parliament and in the media, Oona
they work as a positive step for
identify issues in the entertainment
Burlington House. The roundtable
King, the Baroness King of Bow and
women in the media industry.
industry regarding diversity, access
in May examined the current
diversity executive at Channel 4
Claire Dresser, chief administrator
and ‘knowing the right people’,
landscape for women in the
chaired the discussion that included
at BBC television, Minnie Crowe,
Crowe kicked off the discussion
industry, and the opportunities
the panel sessions ‘Talent and
COO of TriForce Creative Network,
by stating that she believes the
for better representation across
ensuring diversity of representation’,
and Jean Rogers, equity councillor
industry is not deliberately sexist,
TVBEurope 35
Feature but that women are just not noticed
employed are women and a third
if they’re not present. However,
of these are senior management.
highlighting that diversity quotas
Additionally, 164 women from BBC
can be divisive, Crowe believes
have received training through the
tackling the issue should focus on
Experts Women Programme. Despite
‘inclusivity not exclusivity’ as these
this, she called out for continued
quotas can start to set up minorities
support for the issues women
against each other. “Quotas are
face, suggesting part-time during
a good start, but they are not the
parenting and job shares.
answer.” Crowe stated that positive
This discussion led well into
discrimination should not be the
the following panel, ‘Women in
only reason women succeed, rather
leadership and management’ that
Connect 2 Expertise
Reliability
Innovation
“Quotas are a good start, but they are not the answer” Minnie Crowe, TriForce Creative Network it should be through merit alone.
looked, amongst other discussion,
Despite this, Norway’s gender quota
at whether the unsociable hours
was considered, whereby it is the
required within the industry mean
law since 2008 that all company
that women have to make a
corporate board memberships
decision between motherhood
require a minimum 40 per cent
and a career. How can the industry
female membership. Noting that
increase female representation at
‘portrayal is power’, Jean Rogers
the upper levels of management
argued that these forms of diversity
and how can they avoid tokenism
measures can play a vital part in
and discrimination? The panel
the positive exposure women need.
featured Heather Jones, senior vice
Rogers claimed that it’s difficult to
president, content and creative
break through to being judged on
at A+E Networks, Emma Tennant,
merit if never given the opportunity,
controller at UKTV, Kate Kinninmont,
and the positive discrimination
chief executive of Women in Film
allows a level of exposure for women
and TV and Jane Roscoe, the
to be noticed and appreciated.
director of the London Film School.
Focusing on the heart of the issue,
Heather Jones heavily supported
Rogers continued that images of
career and motherhood, claiming
women in the media are directly
she owes much of her own success
correlative with the glass ceiling for
to being a mother. “I am living
female industry success, pointing
proof you can be a successful
to young presenters seen as ‘eye
woman and a mother.” The
candy’ as they’re paired almost
dynamics of motherhood contribute
invariably with older men on screen.
additional skills vital to leadership
In fact, 80 per cent of newsreaders
and management positions, noted
over 50 are male. Underlining the
Jones, listing prioritisation, confidence
vital role that men have to play in
and self-esteem.
positive exposure, Rogers claimed
environment where women can
need to be seen”.
take themselves seriously as leaders,” idea that a great deal of the gender
introduction of quotas, Claire
imbalance lies in a lack confidence.
Dresser was keen to highlight the
“We need to encourage women to
positives of how far the industry has
imagine themselves in leadership to
come, utilising examples of support
create a psychological shift”.
organisation, 48.8 per cent of staff
www.fischerconnectors.com
said Jane Roscoe, furthering Jones’
the gender imbalance alongside
provided from the BBC. Within the
Proven, reliable connectors and cable assemblies are here
“We need to promote an
that “seeing is believing and women Talking on how to overcome
Make Broadcast Easier
The full version of this report can be found on the TVBEurope website.
Headquarters Fischer Connectors SA Saint-Prex - Switzerland Phone +41 21 800 95 95 mail@fischerconnectors.ch
36 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Forum
Codewords Philip Stevens moderates this month’s forum, dealing with the increasingly innovative world of transcoding
simple, although we might not
that we didn’t bet the mortgage
have realised it – composite or
on that one.”
component analogue and Digital
The days of simple transcoding
Betacam as a high-end option,”
are gone. It’s not just a question
reflects Paul Turner, Telestream’s
of transcoding files, but also how
ncoding solutions abound.
sales, EMEA, Elemental; Marc
vice president, enterprise product
the process dovetails within a
And with the diversity of
Risby, director of technology at
management. “Today, the
production workflow. Intelligent
delivery mechanisms open
Boxer Systems; Mark Senecal,
format landscape has changed
workflow management is a key
to broadcasters, the demands are
manager, product management,
drastically and is characterised by
issue for any transcoding platform
becoming greater. So what are the
compression products, Imagine
a dynamism that is increasing
since it is here that significant
issues facing makers of transcoding
Communications; Steve
month on month. Our customers
savings in time, manpower and
systems? We asked a number of
Sklepowich, VP marketing, Vantrix;
are faced with myriad different
cost are made.
players to provide their views on
and Paul Turner, Telestream’s VP,
formats: 4K/UHD/J2k/X-AVC/AVC-
He continues, “The platform
various aspects of the transcoding
enterprise product management.
ultra/HDR are all options that need
must add value over and above
to be covered.”
the simple file conversion model:
E
business.
and transcoding product
The challenges facing today’s makers of transcoding equipment and services
marketing manager at ATEME;
“Being a broadcast executive
‘legs’ and which represent a
In developing our Vantage
Matthieu Fasani, a product
of a certain vintage, I can think
bad investment decision for both
media processing platform,
manager for Dalet Brio and Dalet
back fondly on past times when
parties. “Take 3D, for example, at
these considerations are equally
AmberFin; John Nemeth, VP
tape format choices were
Telestream, we’re mighty relieved
important to the variety and
Those offering thoughts are (in alphabetical order) Thomas Burnichon, file ingest
Turner says that as a transcoding
metadata management, workflow
system vendor, the company
management, graphics overlay,
needs to make commercial
audio channel mapping are all
decisions. Which formats have
important pieces of the puzzle.
TVBEurope 37
November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
Forum efficiency of file transcoding
Nemeth answers, “Each operator
content. Astro, with a customer
6,000 hours of VoD content and
functionality. Capabilities such as
situation is different. Low-volume
base of 4.2 million, offers more
34 live linear channels. Elemental
caption/subtitle insertion, loudness
broadcast companies may
than 180 broadcast TV channels,
Cloud securely manages Astro’s
correction, QC integration, reverse
want to move all transcoding
including 48 HD channels, delivered
high-volume video content with
telecine, de-interlacing and frame
functionality to the cloud so
via direct-to-home satellite TV, IPTV
scale and elasticity, allowing
rate conversion are features that
they can scale resources up and
and OTT platforms.
customers to watch both live and
customers need and expect within
down as requirements fluctuate.
their transcoding system.”
For companies that consistently
introduced its OTT service, Astro on
“In 2012, the company
VoD content instantly.”
Turner goes on, “Also, we need
process vast amounts of video,
the Go, which currently provides
to make sure that our transcoding
the economics of a cloud-only
VoD content and live linear
platform is available anytime,
solution are still challenging. For
programming,” says Nemeth. “In
anywhere: an intuitive platform
those companies, a hybrid workflow
an effort to continuously expand
How just-in-time transcoding can reduce Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
that is on-premise and in the cloud.
makes the most economic sense.”
its service to include relevant and
According to a report from Frost
Vantage Cloud Subscriptions is a
and Sullivan, operators should
service that provides a broad
build live-to-VoD media processing
range of enterprise-class transcoding and file-based workflow automation for Amazon Web Services (AWS), available through the AWS Marketplace. It is a natural extension of on-premise
“To support the growing assortment of protocols, formats and resolutions, media companies must make frequent upgrades to transcoding equipment” Mark Senecal, Imagine Communications
capabilities at the network edge to cope with the explosive growth in time-shifted and place-shifted consumption of live, linear content. “To date, the most popular approach for multiscreen content transcoding has been just-in-time-
Vantage transcoding and
packaging (JITP), driven by relatively
provides discretionary capacity for managing demand peaks,
A hybrid workflow is achieved by
popular content, Astro partnered
low-cost storage, manageable
prototyping new concepts,
maintaining just enough on-premise
with Elemental to build a reliable
content volumes, and expensive
and deploying cloud-based
infrastructure to fulfill day-to-day
workflow for multiscreen services.”
live transcoders,” states Steve
media services.”
requirements, while leveraging
“In order to keep up with industry
Sklepowich, VP marketing, Vantrix.
cloud services for the elasticity
trends and consumer demands,
“However, soaring content volumes
The impact of ‘the cloud’ on transcoding practices
to handle variable demand. This
without depleting funds, Astro
and growing profile complexities
ground-to-cloud approach has
decided to take a software-
on the one hand and increasing
With nearly infinite combinations
the potential to save organisations
based approach and incorporate
transcoder densities and falling
of consumer preferences, devices,
significant capital expenditures
the cloud into its video delivery
transcoding costs on the other, are
formats and protocols and a
by instantly scaling up video
workflow. The Astro on the Go
shifting economics in favour of just-
flurry of new OTT and live-to-linear
processing capacity to
workflow now consists of more than
in-time-transcoding (JITT).”
VoD services, operators require
accommodate high-traffic
limitless flexibility and scalability
events, and scaling back down
to keep pace. And, increasingly,
again as throughput wanes.
enterprises are turning to software-
Having the flexibility to leverage
defined video (SDV) solutions where
both on-premise and cloud
hardware-based approaches
systems allows companies to
cannot keep pace.
economically balance video
“SDV platforms, such as those offered by Elemental, enable
processing resources. “The ability of Elemental Cloud to
video providers enormous
seamlessly support hybrid ground-
flexibility and scalability, as well
to-cloud video processing and
as capabilities critical to new
both live and VoD workflows is vital.
revenue-generating services,” states
In addition to lowering barriers to
John Nemeth, VP sales, EMEA, for
entry and reducing up-front capital
Elemental.
investments, with the Elemental
“Chief among these is the ability
Cloud Platform as a Service - PaaS,
to deploy software across an
broadcasters can ebb and flow
optimal combination of dedicated
their video processing.”
and virtualised resources in both private and public datacentres. So, where should transcoding be
As one of the leading integrated consumer media groups in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, Astro
located, on-premise, the cloud or as
focuses on providing a variety of
a hybrid approach?
pay-TV, radio and digital media
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Save the Date for IBC2016 IBC thanks everyone who was part of the IBC2015 experience and we look forward to seeing you at IBC2016 at the RAI Amsterdam. Conference 8 – 12 September 2016 Exhibition 9 – 13 September 2016 Keep in touch with IBC throughout the year: • keep up to date with the latest news at ibc.org/news • conference keynotes, breaking news and interviews available at ibc.org/VOD • IBC catalogue available in your pocket 365 days a year by downloading the mobile app ibc.org/mobileapp • join the conversation at ibc.org/social • ďŹ nd exclusive content and make new connections by using your Touch & Connect Portal ibc.org/portal
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TVBEurope 39
November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
Forum
From left to right: John Nemeth, Elemental, Marc Risby, Boxer Systems, Mark Senecal, Imagine Communications and Steve Sklepowich, Vantrix JITT is actually ‘JITT-P’, where
example of an ultra high-density
savings generated over a five-year
Compression equipment in a
packaging immediately follows
transcoder enabling JITT scenarios
period, the return on investment is
multichannel workflow must take
transcoding. This is particularly true
for operators. VMP is a software-
over 200 per cent. Another way of
on new levels of adaptability and
of network DVR deployments where
defined solution that enables
interpreting these findings is that for
flexibility for media companies
operators are required to maintain
providers to cost-effectively deliver
the same investment levels,
to keep pace with a rapidly
one copy of recorded content
high quality, multiscreen video. VMP
JITT allows operators to build
evolving industry.
per user. The report ‘The business
can be deployed on ultra high-
significantly higher capacity and
case for shifting live-to-VoD video
density turnkey video processing
deliver much better quality of
‘one codec’ per transcoder are
transcoding to the edge with just
appliances, or on standard servers
experience to subscribers.”
long gone,” explains Mark Senecal,
“The days of ‘one format’ and
manager, product management,
“My first message is that ‘transcoding’ is no longer just ‘transcoding’. What we are now talking about is a suite of tools and integrations that are at the very core of everything we do in the file-based world.” Marc Risby, Boxer Systems in time transcoding’, details the
in private or public Cloud scenarios.
CAPEX and OPEX economics of JITT,
Operators are able to combine
as compared to JITP, deployment.
efficient IP conversion, ultra high-
Financial models show that when
density transcoding, adaptive
considering a steady audience
bitrate packaging, encryption and
with consistent consumption of
streaming into a modular, virtualised
time-shifted linear content, the five-
solution. The result is a highly flexible
year total cost of ownership of JITP
and cost-efficient way to give
infrastructure is nearly twice that of
consumers high quality video today
JITT. That’s because the CAPEX for
with a future-proof feature set.”
JITT transcoders and the reduced
Sklepowich believes that up to 80
storage that they enable is 30 per
per cent cost reduction per stream
cent lower than JITP. Similarly, the
can be achieved by deploying
models estimate a 40 per cent
Vantrix Video Processing modules
annual OPEX savings because
on industry leading 4.3U, 2U and 1U
volume consumption in this use
appliances. These turnkey solutions
is predictable, and therefore
also reduce footprint by 95 per cent,
capacity can be planned to
resulting in dramatic CAPEX and
optimise utilisation.
OPEX savings.
Sklepowich continues, “In the
“Frost and Sullivan found that
report, analysts point to the Vantrix
when the cost of a JITT transcoder
Media Platform (VMP) as an
is weighed against the OPEX
The impact of the increased use of second screens
compression products, Imagine
The continued shift of video
that requires media companies
consumption patterns toward
to distribute content to a growing
devices other than the television
diversity of devices, nearly all
is having a profound impact
requiring unique resolution,
on transcoding equipment.
packaging, and compression.”
Communications. “That formula no longer supports a business model
Optimize y our
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40 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Forum Instrumental to the evolution of
demand and resource utilisation.”
above 1000 nits – and can hence
Transfer Function), maintains high
transcoding equipment is the
He explains that transcoding on-the-
accommodate input formats
bitdepths, performs required colour
gradual abstraction of transcoding
fly, or just-in-time, especially when
graded for a maximum luminance
conversion steps, manages metadata
functionality from purpose-built
paired with just-in-time packaging
well above 100 nits.
and can be easily controlled.”
hardware. The ability to perform
(JiTP) capabilities, enables content
complex computational tasks on
owners and aggregators to
Dynamic Range (SDR) as a
poses new encoding challenges
commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)
reduce storage requirements by
luminance range from 0.1 to 100
and our R&D continues to develop
equipment means that users are
several magnitudes. “The ability to
nits, and HDR as 0.01 to 1000 nits, the
specific ways to handle them.”
now able to scale and diversify
transcode a programme for any
contrast is increased by a factor of
transcoding capabilities simply by
bitrate or to package it for any
100. “The broadcast chain is getting
adding new servers.
device, including the application
ready for this change, which implies
By defining typical Standard
He concludes, “HDR content
of encryption, at the time of the
modification in the way content is
How the nature of transcoding has changed in the past 15 years
the growing assortment of
subscriber’s request, frees service
shot and graded, and ATEME can
In 2000, when Boxer Systems
protocols, formats and resolutions,
providers from storing multiple
help deliver such content to the end
started selling transcoding with
media companies must make
versions of each piece of content.
users,” says Burnichon.
Telestream’s FlipFactory, the
frequent upgrades to transcoding
Single copy, or mezzanine file,
equipment. In an environment
storage models potentially reduced
required for proper HDR and WCG
different place from what we see
where functionality is dependent on
datacentre resource requirements
(Wide Colour Gamut) grading
today. “Broadcast servers had only
specialised hardware, companies
by as much as 80 per cent, in
for TV. With given source material
baseband I/O, video on the web
need to replace existing plant
comparison to solutions lacking just-
characteristics and target display
was in its infancy and certainly not
with each upgrade: a costly and
in-time capabilities.”
capabilities, it’s up to the colourist to
a revenue earning activity and a
adjust how much he wants to use of
‘cloud’ was something that spoiled
the new colours and contrast levels to
picnics,” states Marc Risby, director
which he now has access.
of technology at Boxer Systems.
Senecal continues, “To support
inefficient process. Software-
He adds that specific care is
broadcast world was a totally
enable new formats and support
One step closer to the real thing
additional devices to be added
Redefining the television experience
often through simple additions. A
goes beyond increasing the
transcoding is usually done in HEVC
where things were heading and
software-based approach delivers
amount of pixels to reach a higher
Main 10, and specific HDR signalling
the future was file. After successfully
levels of agility and productivity
spatial resolution. It also involves
is used. Instead of the traditional
helping to change how media
that empower companies
extending the dynamic range
gamma, luminance levels are
was delivered with their ClipMail
to explore new monetisation
between brightest whites and
sampled according to the human
product, Telestream moved focus to
opportunities while improving the
darkest blacks, preserving more
eye average luminance sensitivity:
making transcoding an enterprise,
efficiencies of operations.”
colours intact, and increasing the
much more precisely on low
server based, activity that could
based compression approaches
Even with all of the key advantages of a software
Technically, the delivery
“But, at this time, Telestream saw
frame rate to improve movements. “Real life luminance level can
‘The days of simple transcoding are gone. It’s not just a question of transcoding files, but also how the process dovetails within a production workflow’
environment, the transition will not
be significantly higher or lower than
happen overnight. Any shift from
those that TVs can reproduce,”
hardware-based to software-based
states Thomas Burnichon, file ingest
encoding will depend upon a
and transcoding product marketing
number of factors, including costs,
manager, ATEME. “High Dynamic
existing infrastructure, distribution
Range (HDR) consists of extending
requirements and technical factors,
fidelity in both directions. Modern
luminance levels than on high ones,
be automated and designed for
such as video quality and latency.
TVs can also display more colours
such as with the PQ (Perceptual
volume and FlipFactory was born.”
than included in the traditional
Quantiser) curve, defined in ST 2084.
says Senecal, “in the software
BT.709 colour space – hence the
Ten-bits sampling is also required,
now? “We are now at the stage
transformation is moving
definition of BT.2020 including more
using 9 bits to go up to 100 nits and
that transcoding moves from being
functionality into a virtualised
of the visible colours.”
the tenth bit to reach 10,000 nits.
viewed as an individual component,
Third-party proprietary metadata
for final output or ingest perhaps,
“The logical next step,”
So, asks Risby, what is transcoding
environment, whether that’s a
Perceived brightness depends
private datacentre or a public
on the image luminance measured
can be added to improve HDR and/
to being a more general, core
cloud service. This approach
in candela per square metres,
or guide tone mapping from HDR
infrastructure product. Transcoding
changes the entire economic
colloquially known as ‘nit’. In
to SDR or inverse tone mapping
– and its related functions – have
model. Investment in physical plant
theatres, since the surrounding light
from SDR to HDR – but this requires a
effectively replaced elements such
is diverted to operational expenses,
level is very low, a maximum of 48
compatible decoder.
as the video router, video and audio
providing even greater levels of
nits can be sufficient. For television,
flexibility and resource elasticity. This
though, 100 nits is the target; and
manages a wide range of HDR
allows the scaling of resources – up
recent receivers exceed this to
workflows, from various sources to all
this view to include some of the
or down – on-the-fly, creating a
reach 300 to 400 nits. New HDR
kinds of target devices. It handles the
elements that fit into the transcoding
perfect balance between resource
TVs can go even higher, typically
various HDR EOTF (Electro-Optical
ecosystem, such as subtitle insertion,
“Our Titan video transcoder
glue and standards convertors.” He believes that if you broaden
TVBEurope 41
November 2015 www.tvbeurope.com
Forum graphics tools and auto QC, that
and media-processing workflows.
list grows. Furthermore when some
IMF provides the specification
of the automated, variable driven
to separate content into various
editing functions are added, the
ingredients or components
true scale of where ‘transcoding’ fits
(namely, MXF media files), a
becomes apparent.
number of ‘recipes’ (Composition
He continues, “My first message
Play Lists), and a selection of
is that ‘transcoding’ is no longer
instructions (Output Programme
just ‘transcoding’. What we are
Lists: OPLs) appropriate for
now talking about is a suite of tools
each audience. By authoring
and integrations that are at the
the recipes and instructions in
very core of everything we do in
widely understood XML, users can
the file-based world. An additional
concentrate on the process of
upshot of this is that some systems
monetising media, rather than
have embraced enterprise IT
From left to right: Paul Turner, Telestream, Thomas Burnichon, ATEME
methodologies for resilience,
the complexities of media formats and processing.
monitoring and security to ensure
Finally, the cloud is here or at
Deployed workflows can be
consistent delivery and uptime.
least coming. In many customer
monitored at any level of detail with
(OPLs) in the source package
Allowing access to third party
engagements we are looking at the
graphical and textual reporting.
also fundamentally changes the
systems ensures interoperability
relative costs of on-premise or in the
with control layers and
Cloud and the game is changing
to BPMN 2.0, which is a widely
complimentary systems.”
quickly. We’ve been talking about
understood IT standard, we can
packages that know what they
Fasani continues, “By turning
The inclusion of the instructions
nature of a transcode operation. However, with ‘smart’ media
Cloud for a while, but in real terms
bring a multitude of benefits to
need to be, there will also be a
that the biggest change they see
it’s early days, but we’re definitely
media processes, making them
need for ‘smart’ transcoders.
regarding transcoding in their
seeing viable solutions.”
more understandable, shareable,
“Next, our larger customers report
environments can be simplified to
He concludes, “Looking just
future-proof and deployable. In
a little further, it is inevitable
The next innovation in transcoding
the same way as this innovation
that advancements in
ITV recently announced their
has been led by the ‘generic’ IT
virtualisation and cloud
platform has processed 25,000
“As English is not my mother-tongue,
standards, the next few years will
technology will go beyond the
programmes and there are users
before answering ‘what is the next
see similarly led development.”
infrastructure-led influence that
who process several thousand short
innovation in transcoding’, I referred
form clips a day.”
one word - volume. For example,
The largely XML-based IMF
it has had on media workflows to
to a dictionary and the definition
(Interoperable Master Format)
date, and start to re-imagine the
of the keyword: ‘innovation’,”
standard promises to revolutionise
way we approach the business
at which services and platforms
explains Matthieu Fasani, a product
the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of transcode
of media production.”
are being added. The proliferation
manager for Dalet Brio and Dalet
of devices is huge and the move
AmberFin. “I was actually presented
from low-res early mobile content
with two uses: ‘origination: the
to multiple renditions of HD has
act or process of inventing or
continued to push Moore’s-Law
introducing something new’; and
constrained processors. “CPU limits
‘new idea or method: a new way
have caused manufacturers to
of doing something’. This second
look at the benefits of optimising
definition is probably a good place
processing in a bid to ride the
to start, having just released and
development curve of this
demonstrated the latest Dalet
related technology. Although
AmberFin, version 11, at IBC.”
Primarily, this is due to the pace
not immediately applicable to
Available with version 11 is the
every codec, some tremendous
combination of the robust, high
performance gains have been
quality AmberFin transcode engine
made in h.264 encoding and
and the advanced Workflow
processes that include image
Engine. This greatly improves the
scaling. Moving forward indicators
orchestration of media workflows by
are that customers will transition
leveraging a highly intuitive Business
some services from h.264 to HEVC,
Process Model and Notation (BPMN)
not just to make 4K delivery cost
2.0-compliant workflow designer.
effective, but also to bring down
Users can quickly and easily create
current HD bit rates to lower
complex workflow chains with little
distribution costs.
or no prior experience.
e your
Streamlin
VOD
ver uisition o q c a t n te from con to publishing and g schedulin our content using y e g nnels. packa nder cha re r o ts s li v .tv ixe.t diagenix miniplay .mediawgwewn.m
www
42 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Data Centre
Mobile video streaming takes off This issue, we take a look at the latest intelligence from mobile analytics firm App Annie that covers global trends in video streaming apps pps delivering streaming to mobile
A
regulations faced by the traditional TV industry
devices are experiencing tremendous
in the country. The US has the most diverse
growth, and the reasons behind this
set of top video streaming apps whereas in
growth are country-specific, driven by different
the UK, traditional broadcasters dominate,
content preferences and the structure of the
claiming eight of the top ten spots. YouTube
traditional TV industry in each market. App
ranked number one in both the UK and US for
Annie’s latest report, Mobile Video Streaming
downloads. In the UK, sports apps accounted
Takes off Globally, focuses on the US, UK and
for seven of the top ten; the majority of sporting
China, looking at the trends shaping the growth
events are only available on pay TV channels
in streaming video apps.
in the UK, driving viewers to streaming options,
In the US, the revenue from the top ten
the report states.
streaming apps more than tripled during the
There is a huge amount of diversity across
12-month period ending 31 July 2015, the report
countries among the apps that rank in the
states, with the majority of growth driven by
top ten by monthly active users (MAU), and
HBO Now and Hulu. Strong uptake of iPhone 6 in
YouTube and Netflix are the only ones to appear
China may have been one factor, according to App Annie, driving the revenue growth of the top ten video streaming apps on iOS in the country. In the UK revenue remained relatively flat, which the company believes to be largely due to the fact that free-to-air networks remain popular. China’s top ten video streaming apps for iOS
‘The US has the most diverse set of top video streaming apps whereas in the UK, traditional broadcasters dominate, claiming eight of the top ten spots’
saw downloads increase 1.6 times year on year, whilst downloads in the UK and US remained relatively flat. The top ten video streaming
report concludes. Aggregators such as Netflix
apps in each country lean towards different
to appear in the top ten for multiple countries.
and Amazon, for example, have started creating
content types. In the UK, the revenue share of
The top ten by MAU tend to be TV/movies and
original content. China may see even more
video streaming apps focused on TV/movies
sports in the US, and are most balanced in the
growth ahead if Alibaba’s subscription video
is significantly lower that in the US, as similar
UK. Similar to its download and revenue rankings,
streaming service Tmall Box Office (TBO) is
content is available on free public networks. In
China’s most-used apps lean heavily towards
rolled out to mobile.
China, the dominant share of video streaming
those that deliver multiple types of content.
apps which provide multiple types on content
The lines that differentiate content providers
Finally, the report predicts eSports to be a major growth driver; YouTube and Twitch were
is an outcome, App Annie believes, of limited
will continue to blur as they evolve in order to
the fastest growing apps in the US, which bodes
government intervention as compared to
maximise share of viewing time, App Annie’s
well for the recent launch of YouTube Gaming.
Top ten video streaming apps by country revenue, iOS App Store and Google Play* combined
Top ten video streaming apps by country downloads, iOS App Store and Google Play* combined
1500 600 3.2x 1250
750 9.6x
500
Indexed Downloads
Indexed Downloads
500 1000
400
300
200
250 100 1.0x 0 0
12 months ended July 31, 2014
12 months ended July 31, 2015
12 months ended July 31, 2014
China*
12 months ended July 31, 2015
United Services
United Kingdom
*China data only includes iOS App Store