TVBEurope October 2014 digital edition

www.tvbeurope.com

October 2014Business, insight and intelligence for the broadcast media industry

Satellite focusIBC Best of Show

Avid CEO, Louis Hernandez Jnr

NOW HEAR THISInside broadcast audio

Imagine where you could take your business...if technology didn’t stand in your way.

An all-new blueprint for managing, moving and monetizing video content is here.

an evolutionary path that aligns current investments with the network of the future.

Find out more. imaginecommunications.com© 2014 Imagine Communications

TVBEurope 3October 2014 www.tvbeurope.com

Welcome to the October issue of

TVBEurope: our diffi cult second album.

Edition two of a wholesale redesign

can often feel like that, but I’m happy to report

that all systems have very much been ‘go’ since

our return from Amsterdam, and we have another

cracking issue lined up for you.

I’ll start with Amsterdam, and

IBC. Being my fi rst experience of

the show, I arrived with a huge

amount of anticipation, and what I

discovered to be a hugely optimistic

meeting schedule — you can tell a

rookie by his limp, you know.

There were plenty of themes

and discussions emanating from

the halls of the RAI complex. While

some lamented the ‘silo mentality’

that exists in addressing global

industry challenges, others talked

of the need for leadership, and the current

lack of senior fi gures putting their heads above

the parapet. But if there was one thing that

struck me at IBC this year, it is the sense that the

component parts of this broadening industry

appear to be pulling in the same direction, and

working to a common goal: evolution. Without

joining the bandwagon-chorus of ‘evolution, not

revolution’ championed by some, it is impossible

to ignore the growing appetite of the industry

to embrace change as progress, rather than

interruption (‘disruption, not interruption’ — for

the buzz-phrase enthusiast).

Onto this issue, and our Audio for Broadcast

feature. It doesn’t take much twisting of the

arm to get me over to Abbey Road Studios,

being a songwriter from a family

of Merseysiders. My recent visit

took me behind the scenes of an

Audio Network recording session,

as the company continues to build

its impressive repository of music

for fi lm and TV. The engaging

Andrew Sunnucks, its co-founder,

offers an energetic account of

the company’s work, and the new

breed of composers it has taken

under its wing.

I also speak at length to Louis

Hernandez, Avid’s CEO, as we delve

inside the chief executive offi ce, while we showcase

this year’s IBC Best of Show winners, examine the

latest in IP technology in our forum, and assess how

the UK has fared in making October’s fi le-based

delivery deadline. It really has been an immensely

enjoyable issue to put together.

I look forward to seeing you at the TVBAwards

on the 23rd of this month.

James McKeownExecutive Editor

IBC buzz-phrases and Abbey Road, tenuously linked by (vandalised) Beatles lyrics

WelcomeEDITORIALExecutive Editor - James [email protected] - Melanie [email protected] Writer - Holly [email protected] Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England +44 207 354 6002Contributors Mike Clark, Chris Forrester, David Fox, Mark Hill, Dick Hobbs, John Ive, George Jarrett, Heather McLean, Adrian Pennington, Philip Stevens, Reinhard E WagnerHead of Digital - Tim FrostOffi ce Manager - Lianne DaveyHead of Design & Production - Adam ButlerEditorial Production Manager - Dawn Boultwood

Senior Production Executive - Alistair TaylorPublisher - Steve [email protected]+44 207 354 6000Sales Manager - Ben [email protected]+44 207 354 6000Sales Executive - Richard [email protected]+44 207 354 6000Managing Director - Mark BurtonUS Sales - Michael MitchellBroadcast Media International, PO Box 44, Greenlawn, New York, NY [email protected]+1 (631) 673 0072Japan and Korea Sales - Sho HariharaSales & Project, Yukari Media [email protected]+81 6 4790 2222 Fax: +81 6 4793 0800CirculationNewBay Media, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough, LE16 9EF, UK

Free [email protected] 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

NewBay Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Association

© NewBay Media 2014. 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 qualifi ed persons residing on the European continent. Subscription is free.

Allow 8 weeks for new subscriptions and change of address delivery. Send subscription inquiries to: Subscription Dept, NewBay Media, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough LE16 7BR, England. ISSN 1461-4197

Printing by Pensord Press, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood NP12 2YA

You say you want an evolution…

In this issue4 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

Chris Forrester reports from IBC2014 where the satellite industry’s readiness to tap into 4K/UHD was evident from the many demonstrations witnessed in the prestigious Hall 1

Audio for Broadcast5222

6-10 Opinion & Analysis

TVBEurope’s parent company, NewBay Media, carried out its fi rst ever Best of Show awards programme for IBC in Amsterdam this year. Here, we celebrate the winning entries

37-41 IBC Best of Show Winners

58-63 IP Technology Forum

New research from GfK shows that while second screening is becoming commonplace, most people use the second screen for very separate activities

64-66 Data CentreFeature

44James McKeown speaks to Avid CEO, Louis Hernandez Jr, about the challenges of driving strategy in today’s market, and how his entrepreneurial spirit is helping to shape the company’s future

Our cover feature this month looks into the world of broadcast audio, where we learn more about the art of audio fi xing, talk to Harman’s Andy Stott about the company’s culture of innovation, and drop in on a recent Audio Network recording session at Abbey Road

14Coronation Street ’s production team delivers an even higher quality drama with a new workfl ow while still meeting the time demands of producing fi ve episodes a week. Adrian Pennington reports

12-20 Workfl ow

Satellite Focus

Simen Frostad, chairman of Bridge Technologies, analyses the technical issues surrounding the future of OTT

Philip Stevens moderates this month’s Forum which addresses the issues and challenges relating to internet protocol (IP) technology

Untitled-1 1 09/10/2014 17:03

Opinion & Analysis6 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

Over 50 per cent of the global population

will have internet access within three

years’ time, with mobile broadband over

smartphones and tablets now the fastest growing

technology in human history, according to the

2014 edition of the State of Broadband report.

The report reveals that more than 40 per cent

of the global population are already online, with

the number of internet users rising from 2.3 billion

in 2013 to 2.9 billion by the end of this year.

More than 2.3 billion people will access mobile

broadband by the end of 2014, climbing steeply

to a predicted 7.6 billion within the next fi ve

years. There are now over three times as many

mobile broadband connections as there are

conventional fi xed broadband subscriptions. The

popularity of broadband-enabled social media

applications continues to soar, with 1.9 billion

people now active on social networks.

In total, there are now 77 countries where over

50 per cent of the population is online, up from

70 in 2013. The top ten countries for internet use

are all located in Europe, with Iceland ranked fi rst

in the world with 96.5 per cent of people online.

A TV Everywhere futureImagine Communications has unveiled its vision

for enabling communications service providers to

gain a strategic advantage in offering over-the-

top (OTT) video and IPTV services. It is claimed

to be the only company in the industry with an

end-to-end TV Everywhere solution — from media

ingest to advanced advertising, subscriber billing

and multiscreen CDN.

“TV Everywhere is a game changer for

communications service providers around the

world who are looking to offer their customers

new services that increase loyalty and drive

revenue,” said Charlie Vogt, CEO of Imagine

Communications. “Driven by our vision of leading

media companies to a future that is defi ned by

IP, software-defi ned workfl ows and the cloud,

we offer customers an unprecedented degree

of fl exibility and scalability that allows them to

introduce new TV Everywhere technology and

customised services with ease.”

Content Everywhere round up

Melanie Dayasena-Lowe rounds up the latest Content Everywhere news, including global internet access, TV Everywhere and 4K TV shipments

MVPDs, in particular communications service

p roviders, are under severe pressure to provide

video content to the multiscreen world, and

they often must acquire technologies from

many vendors to establish a complete TV

Everywhere offering.

More 4K UHD TV sets shipped in Q2 2014 than the whole of 2013This year, 2.1 million 4K UHD TV sets were shipped

in Q2, compared to 1.6 million in 2013, according

to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Global

TV Shipment and Forecast Report. Brands

introduced their 2014 model ranges in Q2, with a

clear focus on 4K as the ‘must-have’ consumer

feature for high-end television viewing.

With the introduction of the 2014 models, the

shipment balance by region has shifted. In 2013

China accounted for approximately 80 per cent

of shipments in each quarter, as Chinese brands

introduced low-priced 4K TVs. However, in China

there were few sources of 4K UHD content, and

TV brands were largely marketing the higher pixel

count to consumers. New 4K TV models from

global brands have been introduced in every

region this year, and there has been a recent

increase in 4K UHD content available

from streaming providers.

A result of the regional shift is that China’s

share of 4K TV shipments dipped to 60 per

cent, though as supply chains are fi lled there

is likely to be some over-shipment relative to

demand outside the Chinese market. “New 4K

TV model introductions have broadened the

4K TV business, which has become a lot like

the high-end TV market, in general,” said Paul

Gray, director of European research for NPD

DisplaySearch. “Even so, there needs to be

greater implementation of broadcast

offerings that deepen the value of 4K sets

beyond pixel counts.”

Charlie Vogt


It has been a summer laden with change and

development at TVBEurope, and the onset of

autumn brings with it one of the most exciting

and anticipated areas of our development to

date. As you are likely to be aware, 23 October

sees the launch of the first ever TVBAwards; a

brand new event dedicated to the recognition

of achievement, excellence, and endeavour in

the broadcast media industry.

The awards recognise talent from across

the industry, covering Capture, Delivery and

Workflow categories, as well as Special Awards

for achievement in Outstanding Broadcast,

Marketing, and Sustainability. The night’s most

prestigious accolade, the Lifetime

Achievement Award, will be presented to

Dr David Wood, former deputy technical

director of the EBU.

Wood spoke to TVBEurope ahead of the event

and discussed his long and illustrious career,

which began at the BBC as a graduate trainee,

from where he quickly progressed to roles at

the IBA and the EBU. He pinpoints “being part

of the ‘drivers’ cab’ in the three stages of

digital television standards” as one of his career

highlights, as well as “being in at the beginning of

the DVB project in 1993.” Attendees to the Awards

will no doubt discover the depth of Wood’s

experience, and his outlook on the future of

broadcast (you can read the full length interview

with Dr Wood on pages 50 to 51).

Nominated projects have all been completed

over the last year, and are divided into four

fields. Capture comprises three awards: Beyond

HD Achievement, Achievement in Sports

Broadcast, and Achievement in VFX. These

are designed to honour expertise in image

and content creation, and nominees include

projects as varied as The Match at Mission Hills

(U.COM Media), War Horse live in 4K (NT Live

and Sony), and Peaky Blinders (Bluebolt).

The Delivery awards celebrate Achievement in

Fast Turnaround Broadcast, Legacy Content and

Multiplatform Content. Elemental Technologies

boasts a double entry in the category, with its work

for the BBC World Cup live streaming nominated

for two awards. The category also looks back to

historical broadcast gems, with the Achievement

in Legacy Content nominees including projects

on World War I (Russia Television and Radio/FERC

Sovtelexport) and a fatal Everest ascent in the

1920s (BFI National Archive/Deluxe Digital).

Post Production, Sound and Systems Integration

make up the Workflow awards. The teams behind

TV hits Sherlock, The X Factor, Happy Valley, and

Later…with Jools Holland are all in with a chance

of scooping the Achievement in Sound award,

while major projects like ITV Studios’ Production

modernisation (Nativ) and “the world’s largest TV

catch up service for UK education” (Cambridge

Imaging Systems), make up the Systems

Integration nominees.

Tickets are still available and include a drinks

reception on arrival, dinner, awards presentation

and after party. The black tie event celebrates

the successes of known industry colleagues,

coupled with a chance to network with

emerging creative talent.

The inaugural TVBAwardsA celebration of industry excellence

Holly Ashford introduces TVBEurope’s inaugural awards ceremony, created to recognise excellence and achievement in the broadcast media sector

OTT was a big theme at this year’s IBC,

as was 4K/UHD. Consider OTT in the

light of 4K and you get some interesting

perspectives on the dynamics driving the current

development of the market and the possible

future shape of it.

While the drive towards 4K has an obvious

pay-off for certain vendors such as manufacturers

of TV sets, who will see a higher margin on

every 4K screen they can shift, a difference of

approach between pure OTT service providers

and broadcasters shows that the opportunity OTT

presents is not the same for everyone.

For broadcasters delivering their main,

revenue-earning service to subscribers’ 1080p

television screens, OTT services tend to be seen

as an extra that they offer to allow the same

content to be viewed on tablets and phones.

The screen resolution of these devices is always

rising, but much of their current HD content is

streamed at no more than 720p by broadcasters.

For out-and-out OTT providers, streaming

at higher quality than this is an important way

to differentiate their services. So while lower

resolutions are still necessary for viewing on

mobile devices, OTT providers such as Netflix

have a big incentive to stream the highest

quality to smart TVs, and embrace 4K early.

Younger appealOTT may be a forum for cutting-edge

technology development for some, and a way

of protecting existing revenue sources for others.

But demographical factors are determining

market developments too. Cord-cutting, and the

preference of younger audiences for OTT TV, which

fits an ‘anywhere, any time’ consumption pattern,

are factors that can’t be ignored. The introduction

of hybrids of OTT and live TV services allows

broadcasters to take a more agile approach in this

fluid marketplace, adding or expanding services

at a much lower cost than was previously possible,

and offering something to both the younger OTT-

oriented audience, and those who prefer linear TV.

Whatever the market imperatives are, there

remain plenty of technical issues for OTT service

providers. Security of content over the public

internet, and how to provide service quality at a

TV-equivalent level are two of these issues.

A question of formatsOne of the more concrete technical issues for

the future of OTT is the question of formats. The

range of viewing devices that an OTT operator

has to support is a source of complexity.

In addition to encoding content for SD and HD

TV, a broadcaster adding OTT services has to

prepare the content for a combination of HLS,

Smooth Streaming, and HDS. These adaptive

streaming technologies share common features

but are not identical, and as usual when there

are competing formats, there is uncertainty

about which horse to back. Having to cater

for multiple formats increases the costs and

complexity of establishing and operating services

in what is still a fluid and evolving arena.

The simplification offered by adopting MPEG-

DASH as a common format would remove

some of these obstacles, and accelerate the

development of the OTT market. In theory, a

common format supported by all devices would

lower the cost of establishing new services and

make entry into the OTT market easier. But MPEG-

DASH is still unproven, still evolving, and it’s not

clear yet whether it will become the standard.

But MPEG-DASH is codec agnostic, and while

the vast majority of video is currently encoded

as H.264 this does mean that DASH is ready

for UltraHD with H.265/HEVC and hyper-bitrate

codecs when they are needed.

Interest in 4K over DASH may not have been

a top priority for those broadcasters surveyed,

yet the inclusion of support for services beyond

HD in the DASH standard is important, especially

since 4K is more of a differentiator for some OTT

providers than for others.


What does 4K mean for OTT providers?

Simen Frostad, chairman of Bridge Technologies, analyses the technical issues surrounding the future of OTT

Workflow12 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (KNR) is the

national public broadcasting corporation

of Greenland, based in the country’s

capital city, Nuuk. This independent state-owned

corporation is responsible for broadcasting both

radio and TV programmes. On the television side,

about 700 hours of programmes are transmitted in

the Greenlandic language (Kalaallisut) each year.

KNR’s news departments in Nuuk, North

Greenland, South Greenland and Copenhagen

deliver news to the whole of Greenland in both

Greenlandic and Danish. “Broadcasting in

Greenland is a big challenge,” explains Jan

Berg, KNR’s head of TV and deputy director.

“KNR is a small public service station with around

90 employees and a yearly budget of DKK 67

million. That is not much to cover as great a country

as Greenland. The distances are huge and

it is very expensive to travel since there is no

road to connect the cities.”

Greenland, which has a population of about

56,000, is the least densely populated country in

the world. Despite the huge area, KNR radio and

TV broadcasts reach each home.

“The government of Greenland also utilises the

broadcast station services to further unify and

connect the dispersed population, as well as to

promulgate the Greenlandic language,” states Berg.

Apart from the studio facility in Nuuk, KNR operates

remote area offices which feed local stories and

news via the internet. In addition, some larger towns

have live feeds using Streambox encoders.

Health issuesThe KNR broadcast operation was set up

in 1958 in a building originally designed as

a heliport for Air Greenland.

Green issues in GreenlandEnvironmental considerations forced Greenland’s public broadcaster to relocate. Philip Stevens discovered what was involved in the move

The new KNR continuity playout centre in Greenland

TVBE Oct P12-13 GreenlandMDLHAJMcK.indd 12 14/10/2014 15:48


Workflow

However, the combination of a building with an

extensive steel construction and the extreme

temperatures experienced in Nuuk, led to

condensation and water drip problems. Over

the long-term these created a build-up of

unhealthy mildew and fungus, and meant that

relocation was essential.

In September 2013, Danmon Systems Group was

invited to visit KNR Greenland and consult on the

relocation project. The move involved the entire TV

and radio broadcast operation and 100 staff.

Defined goalsDanmon Systems Group project manager Jack

Pfeiffer takes up the story. “The project goals and

ambitions were well defined. First, to ensure KNR

remained on-air during the move. Secondly, to

move the radio and TV station in an efficient and

cost effective manner. Lastly, to accommodate a

future plan that may see KNR move again to

a new purpose-built facility in the coming

three to four years.”

Pfeiffer explains that the first requirement —

staying on-air — provided the biggest challenge.

“It was essential that the move, rewiring and post

installation tests be performed without interrupting

the normal daily schedule of live broadcasts.

In close partnership with KNR, we were able to

agree a work schedule which ensured that the

network was able to maintain full-time on-air

status. Despite the complexity of the operation, a

closely monitored build schedule was achieved

over nine weeks in two phases.”

Phase one embraced the relocation of the

radio studios, including three Studer On-Air 3000

desks, and installation of a new Ross digital audio

router for transmission.

“Phase Two centred on moving the existing

television facility, with its 20x20m, two set

studio, gallery, audio production control rooms,

continuity playout master control room, plus the

entire equipment room with 16 racks. All needed

to be moved to the newly refurbished building.”

The original studio control room included

four PCs, five Sony CCUs, and four Avitech

multiviewers that generated a considerable

amount of heat and noise. It was decided that

these should be moved into the CAR, with KVM

extenders for the PCs and DVI optical extenders

for the multiviewers.

The original time plan was optimistically

scheduled for completion by the end of 2013.

However, due to construction delays and

scheduling needs, work was finished in May 2014.

The five existing Sony DXC-55 studio cameras

with their Vinten pedestals and Sachtler tripods,

together with Panasonic ENG P2 cameras were

retained for the relocation.

Other equipment that made the move

includes a PESA Cougar SDI-AES Router, a

Soundcraft Series Five audio mixer, Chyron

Duet and Title One graphics systems and

the RTS Zeus Intercom with user panels

and Telex BTR700 wireless.

Looking to the Arctic GamesWhat are the future plans for KNR? “I’m afraid

the details are confidential,” declares Berg. “But

what I can say is that, of course, they do include

migration to a tapeless workflow and possible

support for HDTV broadcast. Our future projects

include expanding our services, as well as

supporting the 2016 Arctic Winter Games which

will be hosted in Greenland.”

The new continuity suite utilises a Dalet TV Playout System

ITV Studios’ move to a new northern

production base at Salford’s MediaCity

at the beginning of the year afforded the

opportunity to quietly revolutionise the post

workfl ow and on-screen production values of

fl agship soap opera Coronation Street.

The show had been post produced for some

time by 360 Media, the BBC and ITV joint venture

facility based, with ITV, out of Manchester’s central

Quay Street. But like the warren of production

offi ces there, Corrie’s production had outgrown its

resources and was in need of a revamp.

“Every Monday for 50 weeks we start a new

block of fi ve episodes, producing 260 episodes

a year,” explains Robbie Sandison, head of

production. “There is always media going

through. The more time we can spend producing

the programme as opposed

to making it work in post,

the more quality we can

show on screen.”

With the soap transmitted

fi ve times a week, the

production team is creating

the equivalent of a full-length

feature fi lm every week. The new location which is

built solely to cater for the Street (and is separate

to ITV Studios’ offi ces on the other side of the dock

adjacent to the BBC) includes external streets,

practical sets and studio space, together with all

the post production required to deliver completed

programmes on a fast turnaround.

“This building has given us a new lease

of life,” says Dave Williams, post production

manager. In designing the equipment spec and

workfl ow layout specifi cally suited to the needs

of the Street, the team’s goal was to increase

production values and to boost the effi ciency of

the technical workfl ow through to post.

One way of achieving both was to enhance

the colour correction process, which was

limited at Quay Street.

“We could only grade the location material,

not the studio material, because of the available

kit and the costs

associated with grading

the whole show,”

explains Williams.

“Previously, we were

exporting QuickTime

out of Avid, popping an

entire episode into the

Baselight One to grade,

and exporting it back

to Avid again. Each

round trip took an

hour or more.”

The new set-up features

the Baselight with Slate control surface but has

equipped fi ve of the production’s edit suites with

Baselight Editions, a software plugin that features

a familiar Baselight GUI and enables online

editors to manipulate the grading toolset

directly inside Avid.

Each clip is identifi ed with shot take, scene

and camera information which is fed through

to production. Script information is assembled

in Adobe Story.

HD camera outputs as AVC Intra 100 fi les are

immediately loaded onto an 80TB Avid ISIS 5000

shared storage system. From there, lead colourist

Stephen Edwards performs a master grade but

can do so without having to render a single

frame. Grading information is passed to the edit

suites as metadata in the AAF fi les, including

tracking information, windows and keyframes.

The colour correction is live, not burned in.

Instead, the grade is stored as metadata. By

working on the same media in its native format,

metadata exchanges between the grading

and editing suites are not only very fast but

there is no loss of quality through rendering or

fi le conversion. Editors can make changes to the

grade – such as extending scenes – if necessary,

and also the lead colourist can pull edited shots

(and their adjusted grades) back into Baselight

to make further changes in the master suite.

“They don’t have that much time to grade,”

explains Marty Tlaskal of FilmLight. “They may

use a couple of layers or a vignette to isolate

the action, put in an ellipse or blur someone out.

Workfl ow14 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

A new lease of life

Stephen Edwards: “We’re not trying to change the look of the show but we did need to balance it”

Coronation Street’s production team delivers even higher quality drama with a new workfl ow while still meeting the demands of producing fi ve episodes a week. Adrian Pennington reports

Corrie’s production had outgrown its resources and was in need of a revamp

The beauty of it is they can do it in an Avid and

everything is changeable. If a scene is too blurred

or not blurred enough – or the lighting director

wants to change it – then anything in colour

correction can be changed at any point. The

online editors don’t have to ring up grading as

they can do it themselves.”

AuthenticityThere was a perhaps unforeseen element to the

move which would ordinarily have impacted the

grade were it not for the more efficient workflow.

Although the sun rises in exactly the same place

in reference to the set’s geography as it does in

Quay Street, the lot is bigger, the street is wider

and therefore the shadows fall differently. Also,

the street simply wasn’t dirty enough.

“Although we’ve added dirt such as algae to

the buildings and added litter to the cobbles,

the set does reflect the light more than we

anticipated,” says Sandison. “It’s important to

be able to either fix this quickly in the grade

to match scenes that are usually shot out of

sequence (on different days), or to inform the

lighting director to maybe move the position of

the camera on set when they do pick-ups.”

“We’re not trying to change the look of the show

but we did need to balance it,” stresses Edwards.

“Between interior and exterior shots you could get

big jars caused by shadows or clouds.

“If we make it too desaturated, then people

will notice. We can make a block maybe darker

or moodier in keeping with a storyline and there

is scope for a director to want something more

silhouetted, for example. But the overall look to

the show is that it has a warmth (attributed in

part to the Ikegami studio cameras). It’s hard to

put a house style down because you don’t want

to lock-off a lot of artistic endeavour. But you do

want a look that invites people in.”

It was important that the file-based operation

maintain its use of AVC Intra as the codec from

capture through to DPP delivery, avoiding

transcodes as far as possible. Vidchecker is used for

automatic quality control and AmberFin to process

the DPP compliant delivery files. Until the final file

creation, production uses the same shared media.

This makes the process of approvals by

production executives much quicker too. Should

any changes be requested, the workflow is agile

enough now to be able to deal with it and save

everyone a lot of time.

Location rushes are currently captured onto

P2 media although this is shortly to be replaced

with studio cameras recording direct to a

gallery via AirSpeeds.

“The P2 adds a chalk and slate approach

to metadata, so moving to a gallery gives us

a chance to straighten out that part of the

workflow,” says Williams.

“What Corrie does well is try and push the

production values as high as possible bearing in

mind we’re delivering a show almost daily.”


Workflow

“With the drama transmitted five times a week, the production team are creating

the equivalent of a full-length feature film every week”

ITV Studios moved to a new northern production base at Salford’s

MediaCity at the start of 2014


Workfl ow

When Simon Robinson and Bruno Nicoletti

founded software company, The

Foundry, in 1996, the original intention

was to build a business employing no more

than six personnel. Today, the count is around

300, with staff split between the Soho, London,

headquarters, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley-

based offi ces and various other remote locations

around the world. “We are a software company

providing software tools for creative media people.

Media is pretty well a global activity, so we have

support teams wherever customers are using our

products,” explains Robinson.

As well as being a co-founder, Robinson

carries the title of chief scientist. “Starting a

company means you have the opportunity to

choose your title – and I felt chief scientist fi tted

my job description.”

He explains that the research team is mostly

made up of scientifi c people with PhDs, so his

own job title as the head of that group in the

early days was quite appropriate.

From the outset, the company produced plugins

for the Flame system, then made by Discreet

Logic. “At the time, the concept that you could

use software-based systems instead of bespoke

hardware was quite magical. And for us, the idea

of third-parties producing plugins and add-ons was

one of the motivations for starting the company.”

Although a great deal of the initial work

centred on commercials, it soon became obvious

that fi lm and broadcast television productions

could also benefi t from these solutions.

With the ever increasing need for the most up-to-date information to be available for viewers, Philip Stevens talks to a software developer that is meeting those demands

The Foundry fi nds a niche

Just in Time

Simon Robinson: “Developing Just in Time solutions actually helps

with this overall concern for shorter production cycles”

Award-winningIn 2007, The Foundry was presented with a

‘technical Oscar’ – a scientifi c and engineering

award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts

and Sciences – for a suite of plugins called Furnace.

“That led us into the world of motion pictures,

and as a result we took on a product called NUKE.

This comprised cutting-edge compositing tools that

delivered unparalleled speed and functionality in

the market. Soon it became obvious that this was

also a perfect solution for creating high quality

still and moving images not only in fi lm, but also

commercials, television, marketing and advertising

and design, especially where tight deadlines and

managing speed, quality and effi ciency in the

production workfl ow are required.”

The Foundry can now offer software for a whole

range of services from storyboarding through

3D content generation, rendering, visual effects

compositing, 3D painting techniques and fi nishing.

“The technology is moving ever faster and we

have customers come up to us and say ‘we are

doing this or that with our commercial or with our

fi lm, and these are the challenges we are facing

— what can you do to help us?’”

Just in TimeOne of those recent challenges revolves around

creating software that allows ‘Just in Time’

productions, especially commercials, to be

aired with the most up-to-date — even live —

information that will help consumers make a

purchasing decision.

He continues, “Our job is to meet those

demands with tools that are ‘Lego-like’ — which

means they have to be easily re-confi gurable

to make them into pretty well anything the

customers want. And that’s what one of the

customers needed in order to produce a series

of commercials, the content of which would

change according to certain conditions over the

course of an evening.”

The project involved Auckland-based design

and animation company Assembly carrying

out a unique piece of marketing for ASB Bank

in New Zealand. The company used HIERO, The

Foundry’s all-in-one shot management, conform,

edit and review solution, to move offl ine to

online, organise projects and stay on top of

review and versioning at every stage.

“HIERO is an interface that pops up rather

like an editor, on to which you can drag the

current state of the edit. It does all the conform

that allows you to build a fi le structure that

enables the operator to distribute the shots so

that anyone can pick them up and place them

in the appropriate folder. Every time a re-render

is carried out, the HIERO station plays back the

latest state of the edit.”

He continues, “The automated functionality

that cuts out complex manual processes means

that HIERO integrates seamlessly with NUKE and

other production tools to ensure smooth delivery

of collaborative end-to-end projects. It’s a

remarkably simple concept, but there’s a lot

of ‘tech’ underneath it.”

InterestingBlending marketing, animation, and social media,

ASB Bank’s inventive ‘Like Loan’ campaign —

created by Saatchi & Saatchi Auckland — proved

an ambitious project requiring spot-on timing

and precision. It centred on a competition via

Facebook that allowed users to collectively

lower a home loan interest rate and become

eligible to win that rate for a period of one year.

The dropping interest rate was tracked and

integrated into a pre-rendered animation and

then broadcast live in the designated spot.

Robinson explains more, “After creating and

fi nalising the commercials framing animation

with all its moving elements in 3ds Max and

compositing in NUKE, the crew at Assembly set

about building an OpenGL app that rendered

426 frames of additional 3D animation. This was

composited over the pre-rendered material and

then written out to a fi le sequence. This would

be set to happen every 70 seconds, versioning

up each time.”

The challenge for the creative team at

Assembly was to ensure that if the viewer was

watching television while logged into Facebook,

the number of ‘likes’ would be the same. Getting

those fi gures through to the correct spot on the

live screen was the next challenge.

Assembly also had to make sure the correct

motion-blur was on each number and then

animated in the exact ‘count-down’ fashion,

as it played live. HIERO and NUKE were tightly

integrated at the script level to ensure all the

tweaks were carried down the line.

The competition ran during primetime on

10 March, 2014 with the TV commercial appearing

nine times over a four-hour period, each airing

revealing the live results of the moving interest rate.

For each ad insertion into a break, the operators at

Assembly received a count-in from Master Control

at TVNZ, and at the appropriate moment the ‘play’

button on HIERO was pressed and the re-versioned

commercial sent down the transmission chain.

Assembly used a Blackmagic Ultrastudio 4K with a

Thunderbolt cable, allowing the playing of an HD SDI

stream with embedded audio straight from HIERO

on the iMac via internal SSD. According to Robinson,

there were no dramas at any stage of the night.

In another example, The Foundry systems were

used to reconfi gure and re-render a commercial

during a sporting occasion in order for it to be

played in different versions during the event.

“There are other examples out there where our

systems are being used in similar circumstances.

In each case, the transmission is triggered by a

new set of parameters within the commercial.

But where our system differs from others is that it

can include changes in the motion content,

not just the overlay of new text.”

The futureRobinson says that developments in this area

are moving on — not just for use in ‘traditional’

broadcasting circles, but also in the ‘alternative’

outlets such as YouTube and Netfl ix.

“Just in Time is an active topic and we will

continue to talk to our customers about future

demands. There are technical hurdles and there

are creative hurdles — but those are what we can

overcome. It is a social thing to react to what is

going on around the viewers, yet maintaining the

complexity of the fi nished product. Developing

Just in Time solutions actually helps with this

overall concern for shorter production cycles and

gives the edge to those clients who wish to take

advantage of this technology.”


Workfl ow

“There are technical hurdles and there are creative hurdles – but those are

what we can overcome” Simon Robinson,

The Foundry

The more ‘likes’ the rate got throughout the day, the lower it went. Each of the draws generated such a huge social response that all winners gained record-breaking home loan rates and the bank earned many new leads

Phot

o: ©

ASB

Ban

k. Im

ages

cour

tesy

of A

ssem

bly L

td

Workflow20 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

When content makes money, everyone

involved wants a slice of the pie,

and the majority of an entertainment

lawyer’s time is spent negotiating contracts

specifying how that money will flow and to whom.

In 2007, the Writers Guild of America went on a

100-day strike largely over the issue of the future of

‘new media’ rights and compensation, including

IPTV, streaming and on-demand. While producers

saw no reason to change existing agreements with

the Writers Guild, writers recognised that new digital

media outlets were going to dominate the future

of the industry. The stand-off cost the LA economy

hundreds of millions (some say billions) of dollars.

Fast-forward seven years, and rights

management is more treacherous and byzantine

than anyone could have ever imagined. Rights

issues have always been legally tortuous, but

with global audiences now demanding to

access programming anytime, from anywhere,

broadcasters face an unprecedented challenge

in managing content — from commissioning and

purchasing, to producing and scheduling.

Demand for on-demandCounterpoint Systems has specialised in rights

and royalty management software for over 20

years. The London-based company — with offices

in Los Angeles — began by providing the music

industry with a way to manage royalties, and then

in 1997, it launched software packages for the

larger media and entertainment industries. The

company has built up a formidable expertise in

the shadowy world of content rights and royalties.

“The issue that people are facing,” says Ben

Clasper, Counterpoint’s senior vice president, “is

that consumers’ expectations have outstripped

the broadcaster’s or content owner’s ability

to keep up. The consumer couldn’t care less if

something is a difficult rights model with US shows.

All they want to know is if they miss their favourite

show, can they watch it the next day? Can they

watch it for the next seven days?”

On one side, rights holders are increasingly

particular about how, when and where their

content is shown, while on the other, audiences

are demanding more availability on more screens.

When a viewer’s expectations of accessing an

on-demand programme are thwarted, they

don’t see a complex international rights issue at

work, they only see a broadcaster providing an

unsatisfying service.

Clasper says that the research he has seen

shows that when consumers are denied content

in one outlet, they will find it through another,

whether by accessing it from other territories

through tunnelling or other technical solutions,

buying it through a premium content provider,

or resorting to illegal methods.

Counterpoint often has broadcasters

approaching it for help who have used content in

good faith but have discovered that they’ve used

it in a non-compliant way. More often the issues

are around what the industry terms ‘non-linear

versus linear’ distribution.

“The number one question that people come

to us with is: Can you manage non-linear with

linear? Can you make sure my content gets up

on every platform, not just my traditional linear

playout systems?

“Our clients want to be able to say: ‘This system

will tell our scheduling platform when it can

broadcast the content, and it will also inform our

on-demand platform when it will be available,

and we may even be giving this content to third

parties to put on their site, and that all has to be

done in realtime and has to be ready the minute

the first trigger event happens, on the first time that

content gets released to the consumer.’”

A premium futureClasper believes that premium content will be

the differentiator between content outlets in

the future. “Everyone is going to have the same

channels, everyone will have the same normal

content. It’s going to be what have you got

that’s exclusive.”

Providing this exclusive content will force

companies that previously might have had a very

simple rights problem to become content owners,

which complicates rights issues immeasurably.

“Now you’ve got a far more complex problem,”

Clasper explains, “You’ve got talent, you’ve got

producers. You’ve probably got partners that

you’ve produced that content with, and you

suddenly get a new set of responsibilities in terms

of reporting. So, we’re starting to see companies

get into areas of business that they weren’t in five

to ten years ago.”

Counterpoint also provides forecasting services

to calculate the potential cost for running a piece

of content: “A business needs to be informed

of what that cost of sale is going to be. ‘If I put

this on an on-demand platform in Australia and

make X, what do I have to pay to everyone who

contributed to that content?’”

Beyond the problem solving, it works with

companies to leverage their rights and user activity

data. “There’s no point in putting content out on

14 different platforms if three of them don’t get

any viewers or activity.

“There’s a sort of Holy Grail that we’ve been

working toward that we would love to give our

broadcast clients, and that’s telling them in what

order and how to distribute your content in the

new world and make the most money.”

Know your rightsWith multiple content sources paid for at multiple rates, and played out on multiple screens, the issue of who gets paid what and when has never been more confusing. Neal Romanek spoke with rights software provider, Counterpoint Systems, which helps companies negotiate the content rights swamp

“The issue that people are facing is that consumers’ expectations have outstripped

the broadcaster’s or content owner’s ability to keep up”

Ben Clasper, Counterpoint

Research shows that when consumers are denied content in one outlet, they will find it elsewhere

This isn’t the fi rst time I’ve stood awkwardly in

a corner of Studio One, blushed with goose

bumps, hairs on end. Once, this hallowed

hangar haunted with its emptiness, its silence;

as if I was present at some precious interval of

refl ection on sessions past, and the pregnant

anticipation of those to come.

Today, I am met with a very different, but no less

vertiginous sense of enthrallment. The cavernous

live room of Abbey Road’s main recording

studio is alive with the sweeping strains of the

English Session Orchestra (ESO), whose shivering

adaptation of a brand new work by an unknown

composer is reverberating off every camber,

panel, and parquet fl oor tile of this iconic space.

“You’re recording the room as much as you’re

recording the orchestra,” posits an enthralled

Andrew Sunnucks, as he invites my gaze to inspect

the upper reaches of this vast structure, “the

gods”, as he puts it. “Studio One has that amazing

‘bloom’. It has a 2.4 second reverb, and when

you’ve got mics up there (in the gods), it’s perfect

for recording ‘tutti’ (all together).”

Sunnucks is at home here, which is no surprise

given the frequency with which his company,

Audio Network, is on-premises to utilise the unique

facilities that Abbey Road famously harbours. “We

did 41 days here last year, which probably makes

us Abbey Road’s biggest client,” he offers. “The

advantage of that is that you get to have a direct

relationship with the players.”

The players, in today’s case the ESO, are

handpicked by project, giving the company’s stable

of composers the very best musicians with which to

record their tracks. “It took a long time to get to this

standard of playing and this standard of studio. There

are many great classical players but it’s a different

discipline to have a click track in the ears, their parts

in front of them and then bang! Off you go.”

Indeed, our live room discussion takes place just

after the second run through of a score the ESO

have had barely 20 minutes to acquaint themselves

with. “They’re all amazing – it’s extraordinary,” he

confi des. “Especially with brass players, because

they can get lip issues; you have to work out the

sessions so that they’re not blowing fortissimo semi-

quavers all day long. You can understand that how

you lay the session out is very important.”

The layout of the sessions has many infl uencing

factors, not solely the preservation of the players’

vital organs. Today’s recording has been broken

down into four distinct segments: strings, brass,

woodwind, and percussion. “For the user, this

means we can do different mixes and versions

of the same composition; for instance, we can

have a strings-only version which might have a

completely different usage (to the full version).”

Rather helpfully, the composition being put

through its paces by the ESO as we fi lter back into

the control room is a good example of this. The

score’s youthful composer and conductor, Jody

Jenkins, has brought touches of John Williams —

in his Indiana Jones pomp — and more than a

hint of Maurice Jarre’s Laurence of Arabia to an

orchestration with clear ambitions of accompanying

big screen adventure. But when heard as isolated

components, you can see (and hear) the markedly

different qualities each of the four segments brings,

and how each mix could be utilised for various

different synchronisation projects.

While this in itself is not breaking any new ground,

it does help in understanding the tangible benefi ts

of Audio Network’s mission on both sides of the

supply chain: removing barriers for those licensing

music for fi lm and TV, as well as for those making it.

Uncovering new talentThe latter is one of the most endearing things

about Audio Network, and Sunnucks; the

emphasis on rearing new and undiscovered

talent, and giving them a foothold in an industry

Audio for Broadcast22 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

Audio Network’s ensemble cast

Audio Network was born to remove the complexity of licensing high quality music for fi lm and TV by producing an entirely new audio catalogue specifi cally for content makers. In doing so, it has also encouraged a raft of new composers and songwriters into its community, giving them a valuable break into the industry. James McKeown met co-founder Andrew Sunnucks at Abbey Road Studios

Audio Network composer, James Brett, in discussion at an Abbey Road session


Audio for Broadcast

which is notoriously diffi cult for songwriters and

composers to break into.

“There’s nothing quite like seeing a young

person starting their career, standing in front of an

orchestra hearing their music being played back

to them,” Sunnuck explains. He estimates that

around 30 per cent of the composers currently on

his company’s books do not read music, at least

not with the conventional fl uency of a composer.

“The composers put together detailed demos,

of which we receive around 40 per day, and

we have a process of going through them. For

the less experienced composers who haven’t

worked with an orchestra before, we might bring

in an orchestrator to work with them.

“It’s really important to me that we’re always

bringing new people in,” he continues. “We have

something called ‘Undiscovered’, which is where

people send in a demo, we don’t fi ddle around

with it too much, but we say, ‘it’s a great idea,

but we’re only ever going to take fi ve tracks from

you.’ The idea behind that is that these guys are

published, they get to join the PRS, they get a start,

but we make it very clear from the start that we

won’t be doing more with them.”

Not quite a development deal, but it serves the

dual purpose of giving people a start without

the company becoming oversubscribed, and

bottlenecked. “(Taking on new composers) is

easy to do when you’re growing, but the reality

is that if you’re not growing, then you’re culling

other things to keep people coming in. So, there

are always diffi cult decisions to make.”

Today’s decision has been slightly easier. There

are two of Jenkins’ works on the agenda for the

ESO to commit to tape (or fi le, as is the way these

days). “We started with a really hard one today, to

get them [the players] really wound up. Then we’ll

take it right down. Measuring what they can do is a

really important part of it.”

That measurement applies not just to the

ensemble cast of players singled out for each

project, but also the space in which it is recorded.

“Studio Two (at Abbey Road) is not that much

smaller (than Studio One), but it has a more

workable sound – you can add reverb to it. Then

you’ve got places like Air (Studios) which has a

ceiling that you can bring down and take up, so it

gives you a different acoustic depending on

what you’re doing.”

If a work requires plenty of tracking, spaces like

Angel Studios would be the port of call, he says.

What Audio Network is doing on a regular basis is

ensemble work specifi cally for fi lm and TV, which

Sunnuck believes puts the company in a class of one.

“Because what we do is music for a purpose, there is a danger of thinking that

the performance is of no relevance. Well, it is. The fragility and the imperfections are

the value in a live recording”


“There is nobody else in the world doing regular,

large ensemble recordings like we are… there’s

just nobody else doing it. And we would know

because we’re using all the best players.”

Those players have moved on to track number

two in the short time we’ve been talking; Sunnuck

impressively interjecting his precise but warmly

delivered directions to Jenkins, and the orchestra.

“Some of the samples are really good now, but

they date,” he adds, as I question whether the

brass guide track underneath is a sample from

Jenkins’ demo. “If you do it right the first time,

you know the recording made today will still be a

great track in 20 years’ time, because it’s real.

“Because what we do is music for a

purpose, there is a danger of thinking that the

performance is of no relevance. Well, it abso-

bloody-lutely is,” he gesticulates passionately.

“The fragility and the imperfections are the value

in a live recording.” The impartial musician in me

couldn’t agree more.

Well stockedSo what’s next on the horizon for Audio Network?

The library is currently stocked with more than

81,000 pieces of audio, and the plans are to

double that. “The main thing is not to replicate

what we’ve already got,” he says.

“Firstly, we look at the metrics to see what is

being used, and why. We do a lot of analysis on

that. But, it has to be a creative business, so we

can’t rely on the metrics too much as you end up

reinventing what you’ve done to recreate that

success. We have to bring an element of surprise;

things that people wouldn’t expect to get from a

standard library.

“We’re doing a focus on international music,”

he continues, “and in that, we’re travelling the

world finding ensembles to record. We’re doing

lots in Nashville, we’ve got guys in India, Australia,

China, and Japan. So it’s a big A&R job to find

the right people, and interesting new material.”

The ensemble is put through its paces


Audio for Broadcast

On the orchestral side, there are various big

projects in the works, one of which is recording

all of the classical greats. “We’re reworking, for

media, everything from Wagner’s Ride of the

Valkyries onwards – we’re literally starting in 1700

and working our way through to build our own

classical catalogue. A lot of the classical music

you listen to on TV is actually taken from classical

catalogues, which is very dynamic, very difficult to

edit, whereas this will be designed to be used.”

And that’s just at one end of the spectrum. “The

other thing we’re looking at is ‘hybrid’ – the Hans

Zimmer sound where you have electronics with

orchestra. You need to have so many different skills to

bring it all together,” he explains. “The programming

needs to be bang on; it’s a big electronic production

and you’re adding orchestra to it, all of which means

that you need to know how to create space.”

It’s a bold blueprint to achieve the growth

necessary to keep the business moving forward,

but as with everything Sunnucks has described

today, there is an immense amount of thought

and perspective behind it. Audio Network now

has more than 500 composers on its books,

helping to release approximately 12,000 tracks a

year. It records with some of the finest orchestras

and musicians from around the world to create

what it believes is an entirely unique catalogue

of music for content producers.

“There was a time when ‘library music’ was an

egregious term, and something that people didn’t

want to be involved with,” he suggests. “Everything

has changed now, and media music is the way

that most of the top musicians and players have

a realistic opportunity to earn a regular source of

income. A lot of the libraries have been bought by

majors, which have a very P&L-driven approach

where the incentive to use samples, or to use small

ensembles, is very strong. I’ve seen a lot of great

catalogues being bought by majors where the

investment dries up, and then they’re run as cash

cows. I think that’s a very short-term approach.”

Sunnucks concludes that the ‘new approach’

is a strategy built for longevity; to produce a vast

new catalogue of accessible, and affordable

music with the utmost emphasis on quality. That

this strategy is being driven by the compositions

of a pool of largely unearthed, raw talent,

is refreshing to see, and is an encouraging

cornerstone of the Audio Network story.

“It’s about supporting creative talent: the

composers. It can be a lonely business, especially

as a composer trying to get into the industry, and

we want them to feel part of a community.”

If that community and this business can feed

off the passion and enthusiasm of Sunnucks

himself, then the future is an inviting prospect

for all involved.

“It’s about supporting creative talent: the composers. It can be a lonely

business, especially as a composer trying to get into the industry, and we want

them to feel part of a community” Andrew Sunnucks, Audio

Network

Much like the magical transformation at

the heart of the Cinderella story, audio

professionals quite are often tasked with

transforming flawed audio into pristine, usable

material. Yet in the broadcast world, there is no

escaping the fact that audio post production is

always at the end of the production pipeline. As

a result, schedules become compressed, with

quality suffering as a consequence. For a long

time, content creators have asked for workflows

to be even faster and more tightly integrated with

their DAW or NLE of choice.

One of the primary development themes in

audio repair is addressing workflow optimisation.

The optimum solution should not only solve typical

problems, but also solve them with minimum

disruption to users’ workflow, leaving them with

more time for creativity.

And, as important as repair may be, there’s much

more magic required to make the perfect-sounding

mix, whether it is matching dialogue recorded with

different microphones, creating a room ambience

across multiple edits by introducing the right kind

of noise, or removing reverberation and smoothing

levels for the right balance.

The perfect repair solution must reflect the

adage that a good sound mix is as much about

what people don’t hear as about what they do.

To understand the value-added role that audio

technology can play, it’s necessary to look at

some specific applications.

The reality TV audio editor/mixerReality television production requires a significant

amount of ‘run and gun’-style shooting without

much time or crew. With minimal set-up time,

quality and continuity are often sacrificed.

Additionally, due to constantly changing

locations and crew, it’s not uncommon for the

same actor’s audio to be captured with different

microphones. This, coupled with the naturally

varying sound characteristics of each location,

makes it difficult to keep each actor’s dialogue

sounding consistent and recognisably unique

to their character. Changes in the background

ambience of each location provide additional

challenges for editors striving to create a smooth,

consistent result in the shortest possible time.

The broadcast news audio editorNews is often breaking in frantic, uncontrolled, and

noisy environments. Being first-to-air is the primary

goal of any news crew, but the secondary goal is to

capture the most accurate portrayal of the situation.

Often, interviews are conducted at the

scene, and so dialogue can come back to base

distorted or with hums due to equipment failure

and no time to test the set-up before going live.

Add mobile phones, background noise, and wind,

and it may be almost impossible for viewers to

understand the interview.

The location recordist and audio post editor for filmLocation film sound tends to be highly controlled

and methodically planned out. The equipment

is thoroughly tested prior to shooting, and sound

recordists are masters of their craft.

Despite of careful preparation, no one can

predict what challenges will arise once actors

start moving and getting absorbed in their

performances. Because of the wide variety of

microphone placement and extraneous noises

captured on the set, the dialogue has typically

been ‘re-voiced’ in a process called ADR

(automated dialogue recording, or additional

dialogue recording). This process requires the

actors to re-speak their lines in a controlled audio

environment while viewing the take on a monitor.

While this technique offers the ultimate in

control for the mixer, the performance is typically

not the same, lips can be out of sync, and having

an actor perform multiple times in different

locations can be prohibitively expensive.

In modern post production, in order to reduce

the sound budget, the growing trend is to maximise

the use of location sound whenever possible. This

creates the challenge of matching any ADR-

recorded dialogue to that captured on location.

In light of these growing trends, editors and

engineers are finding innovative solutions for

delivering high-quality results without significant

increases in time. Intelligent software programmes

can vastly reduce manual efforts and streamline

workflows by ‘learning’ characteristics of audio

and matching those settings automatically to other

sound sources. Visual feedback in both waveform

and spectrogram modes offer additional layers of

detail, making it even easier to detect and isolate

common problems like electrical hum, mouth

noises, and unexpected mobile interference.

Companies such as ourselves are seeking to

address the needs of these broadcast and video

post markets through innovative new solutions

that will enable users to speed up their workflows.

These toolkits include the likes of ambience

matching, EQ matching, automatic levelling,

amongst other key developments.

Tools such as our own are built to be a

companion for all DAW or NLE systems, so

users can sculpt audio into professional-

sounding deliverables. Just don’t expect

them to transform your pumpkin into a

carriage at midnight.


Audio repair The Cinderella of broadcast post production

Rob D’Amico, senior product manager at iZotope, an audio technology company, looks at some of the most common challenges and pitfalls facing content producers

RX 4 is a new version of iZotope’s audio repair toolkit, which enables users to significantly speed up their workflows with time saving features

What would you say is the essence of the Infi nity core?One of the key drivers in the broadcast industry

is scalability and massing systems and channel

count. If you look at something like the Superbowl,

there are over 1,000 channels, so the ability

to process all of those audio channels is an

increasingly complex problem. At the end of

the day, you’ve got to have the digital signal

processing engine, and that’s the core.

There are three elements to a mixing system:

there’s the surface, the core and the input and

output sub system.

What we noticed about three-and-a-half

years ago was the fact that the DSP chips were

progressing on a linear trend. That means that

every fi ve years or so they bring out a new DSP

that has a level of processing benefi t which is

signifi cant, but not dramatic. If you do the same

comparison on x86 chips, which are in standard

pcs, it does follow Moore’s law. With Moore’s law,

every two years you get a doubling of power, so it’s

an exponential curve.

Three-and-a-half years ago we said ‘wouldn’t

it be great if we could get on the back of that

wave and do audio processing on an x86 chip?’

So we looked at that and put a project together

and that’s the essence of Infi nity core.

Intel had a strategy whereby it made every

chip backwards-compatible. That means you

maintain software compatibility from platform

to platform. It also means that as Intel brings

out the latest chip, which follows Moore’s law,

it means you can almost take out one chip and

plug in another and you’ve suddenly got (in

theory) double the amount of processing power.

As more and more channels are required to

be processed by the broadcaster and mixed

together and routed, we can adapt, and that

means we’re putting all of our expertise in

mixing platforms into the software that’s

actually mixing them.

The surface of Infi nity is all about redundancy.

More and more, the broadcast industry is

requiring increased redundancy. If they’re mixing

a live show, if anything goes wrong its big,

big trouble. We built in four CPUs into our

latest Vista X surface.

The third element [of Infi nity], which is

connectivity, was a relationship built with Riedel.

They handle data, and put it over a very high

capacity fi bre link which they can route between

their Mediornet boxes and take out the data

stream and re-convert it to whatever it needs to

be. We work with them to have this audio pipe,

we developed an interface called A-Link, which

we refer to as ‘MADI on steroids’. With MADI,

you’ve got 64 channels, with A-Link you’ve got

1,536 channels on a single fi bre.

What are the specifi c audio challenges for broadcasters carrying out live productions across multiple venues?[Broadcasters like the BBC] want to be able to

operate from one spot and control their system. It’s

the ability to handle a distributed network. It’s about

connecting everything together and networking all

their audio, so if they lift up a fader in London, they

can open a microphone in Manchester. The system

allows that to happen. We don’t want to limit the

way they want to work, we want to help them.

You were involved with the Olympics and now the Commonwealth Games. What other broadcast projects are keeping you busy at the moment? One of the wonderful things about being part of

Harman is we can do an end to end system, and

ever increasingly complex systems as well.

The sound of innovation


Audio for Broadcast

Andy Trott, vice president and general manager, MM&H SBU at Harman, spoke to James McKeown about Infi nity, innovation and his commitment to the broadcast market. By Holly Ashford and James McKeown

Andy Trott, Harman: “We are really hungry to innovate as a business”

Audio for Broadcast30 TVBEurope

When we go into a system, like one of the

stadiums in Brazil [for the World Cup], we can offer

a completely turnkey solution and that will be

tailored for whatever application we’re going into.

You can be sure that whenever there’s a

space with a live sound requirement, Harman will

be in there somewhere. We’re involved in a lot

of very big church installs. These places have a

huge broadcast and post production facility as

well, so they’ve almost got to have professional

TV-standard systems. It’s really big business.

We have OB truck projects on all over the

world. One of the biggest projects we undertook

is for the BBC. The BBC is our largest customer

worldwide: a lot of on-air consoles for radio

broadcast, including Vistas for shows like Strictly

Come Dancing.

What was the impetus behind the partnership with Martin Professional?Within the pro division, we want to expand beyond

audio. We see audio, lighting and video as a

ubiquitous system, it’s everywhere you go. We’ve

been going down this path for the last two years,

looking at acquisitions in these areas. Martin is the

biggest, they are one of the best brands in the

market for lighting. When we acquire a business,

we integrate it, and we have spent the last five

years getting ready for this.

The whole game plan was that when we were

ready we would start acquiring and bolting on

those companies. We got ready for that point

about two years ago and that is when we started

to get active in the acquisition world, the first one

being Martin. We’re also looking at technology

projects. What can we do with lighting and audio

that hasn’t already been done? We’ve got a

number of projects that we’re ‘blue skying’ – now

we own lighting, audio, what really cool stuff could

we do? It’s about doing cool stuff to give the

viewer, the paying customer, a better experience.

At the end of the day, it’s all about experience.

We are really hungry to innovate, as a business.

We’ve got engineers, marketeers, product

managers that are absolutely chomping at

the bit to get stuck in with Martin, AMX, with

whomever else we might buy.

We have this crowd sourcing capability

within Harman. We’ve got an Innovation

Studio with 15,000 engineers and R&D people,

innovators and inventors that can all contribute

and improve. A lot of this has come from our

corporate CTO, IP Park; he’s changing our

culture in terms of innovation. To pull people all

in one direction is quite a difficult thing and he’s

very successfully started to implement processes

to allow us to go in one direction. I went to a

corporate meeting in March and it was

hugely inspirational, and it was all about

innovation. We are all so hungry for it and are

here because we love it.

It must be quite a challenge to harness such an international pool of ideas...We spend half our time on conference calls, often

in the States in the evening. They’ll have the screen

split with the UK, China, Switzerland, talking about

different software – it’s amazing. It’s really exciting

and just breeds innovation.

No idea is a bad idea, that is genuinely true.

Even if someone comes up with something less

than inspiring, it still sparks an idea that can morph

into something completely different.

As our CEO, Dinesh [Paliwal], keeps

reinforcing to us, a successful business is ten

per cent innovation, 90 per cent execution.

Sometimes we do have to try and calm

things down a bit as people are so

enthusiastic, but ultimately, you can

have the best ideas in the world, but

unless you can put them into practice, it’s

worthless.

How prominent a focus do you now have on the broadcast sector? Not only are we totally committed to the

broadcast market, we love the broadcast market.

The broadcast market gives us a completely

different spin on pro audio. Pro audio is quite

diverse: for example, you’re talking to the kids

who want to be musicians, they want to play

guitar and they want to record themselves.

That’s the first time they have an experience with

one of your brands. On the other hand, you’ve

got the band on tour. They want to put on this

fantastic show, so they’re really looking forward

to anything new in terms of technology, but it has

got to be hyper-reliable. The broadcast industry

gives us massive scale, reliability, and quality. Being

involved in all these different areas is a really good

thing for us because instead of narrowing our focus,

we’re looking at the whole picture and each one

of these brings a unique element to our ability to

provide better solutions. The broadcast industry is a

very important industry for us, and working with the

people at the BBC is a joy.

You clearly love your job; that’s evidently a part of the culture of this company... We’re in rock ‘n’ roll, let’s not forget – it’s such

a great industry.

“Not only are we totally committed to the broadcast market, we love the

broadcast market”

Studer released its Vista V broadcast audio mixing

system at IBC2014

www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

Find out more at studer.ch

When it comes to the serious processing power and bulletproof-reliabilty required by today’s broadcasters, the Studer Infinity Series sets a new standard with massive performance and aviation-class redundancy levels.

Now with a choice of three processing Cores and two class-leading control surfaces, Studer Infinity offers cost-effective broadcast mix solutions for any application, from OB Trucks through to TV and radio production facilities, with up to 800+ audio channels and over 5000 inputs and outputs via our D23m modular I/O system of analogue, digital and video interfaces.

Compact control surface - up to 52 faders and optional meter bridge

Expanded control surface - up to 72 faders (more on custom configs.)

Infinity Core - now available in 200, 400 and 800+ channels

Infinity just got bigger

The Vista V expands the new Infinity Series with a compact, cost-effective console ideal for broadcast environments where space is at a premium.

IBC Review32 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

Much of the Ultra HD debate at IBC

centred on the merits and timing of

services delivering phase 1 UHDTV, by

general consensus less of a killer app than the more

full fat phase 2 version.

While phase 1 was approved by the DVB in July,

phase 2, which provides for greater latitude for

colour and light as well as higher frame rates, won’t

have trawled through the standards bodies until 2017.

As a matter of competitive necessity pay-

TV operators BSkyB, BT Sport, Sky Deutschland

and others will have launched services by then,

but they remain reluctant to invest for fear of

underwhelming consumer response.

“We like UHD, and technically we could

launch today, but we also don’t want to

jeopardise the market with a substandard service

given the consumer experience with 3D,” said

Stephan Heimbecher, head of innovation at

Sky Deutshcland who also co-chairs the EBU’s

Forum for Advanced Media in Europe leading

investigations into UHDTV. “The industry agrees on

HDR and wider colour and HFR for phase 2 but we

need to address the detail and understand, for

example, ten or 12-bit. This is a very complex issue

with a wide variety of opinions.”

With the business model on the transmission side still

to be found, there are no shortage of options for

shooting Ultra HD or 4K content (buyer beware: kit

marked with a UHD badge will probably be doing

3840x2160 resolution, while 4K specced kit will

attain the slightly higher cinema 4096x2160 images,

but at IBC the evidence was this messaging can

be blurred). In this period of transition, the mantra

from every exhibitor was ‘shoot HD now, record

4K for the archive’ — an increasing demand from

sports, drama and documentary producers and

their broadcaster clients.

“Interest in 4K acquisition is high because the

format provides greater flexibility in recorded

footage and in live, by being able to dive

into the image for zoom or replay,” was Andy

Bellamy of AJA’s take on it. When the first 4K UHD

channels do launch in Europe towards the end of

2015, there should be a stash of content ready to

fuel the pipe. Here are some of the technologies

getting us there.

Gold standardARRI proudly holds the gold standard for film and

drama imagery despite, or perhaps because of,

its insistence on marrying resolution with higher

4K acquisition review IBC2014

dynamic range and other picture attributes.

Nonetheless, the company was pestered by

visitors asking about a 4K successor to the Alexa.

“What is the point in making a camera just to

deliver more dots on the screen?” said Stephan

Schenk, GM, camera and DI systems business

unit. “There is no benefit if you can’t also deliver

representation of skin tones, high light sensitivity

and also on the cost of workflow. When we

are ready to release [a new system] it has to

surpass the Alexa as it is today. Our sensor is still

surpassing all the latest technologies. We are

much more gearing for phase 2 UHD.”

Alexa is used in 80 per cent of Hollywood

productions, the company said, the secret to

which lay not in the number of the pixels but

in their quality. Nonetheless, it has yielded to

demand from broadcast producers concerned

to future-proof productions, and upgraded the

Amira to provide in-camera recording of 3.8K, as

near as dammit to the notional 4K goal, at up to

60fps to CFast cards in ProRes.

Debate about the merits of phase 1 or phase 2 UHDTV aside, producers now have a wealth of options to accumulate 4K content today, writes Adrian Pennington

“We like UHD and technically we could launch today but we also don’t want to jeopardise the market with a

substandard service given the consumer experience with 3D”

Stephan Heimbecher, Sky Deutschland

Smart glassCommon to all these cameras is the glass, still

the most expensive part of the kit.

Blackmagic’s Tim Siddons says the growing

number of acquisition concepts give filmmakers

the ability to select exactly what they need,

shot for shot.

“In camera development, we are seeing lots

more electronics onboard, smaller sizes, higher-

resolutions, smarter cameras, but I don’t think

we’ll ever escape the fact that the camera is a

tool to manipulate light and a DP at the peak of

their game is not somebody who just presses a

button. You need physical control over that light.”

He added: “Glass will always be an integral

part of creating a look and feel, and so, unlike

any other piece of kit, users have an emotional

relationship with their camera. Software

simulation of that will never be as good.”

The Alexa too will now permit ProRes 3.2K

recording which, according to ARRI, can be up-

sampled to 4K and UHD.

For feature films, an up-sample to 4K can

already be carried out after VFX and other post

tasks have been completed at 2K resolution.

For certain fast-paced Amira productions,

however, there may not be the time or resources

for such processes in post, which is

why a UHD output direct from the camera will

prove beneficial.

That ARRI has a next-gen camera in the works

is no secret. Solectrix developed the processing

algorithms for the original Alexa and has

delivered similar IP for its neighbour’s next

generation camera.

Admitting that the company’s delay in

getting a 4K product to market was in part due

to “getting wrapped up in 3D commitments for

London 2012”, Nigel Wilkes, group manager BC

and IT systems, was pleased that Panasonic had

the €24,000 Varicam 35 close to shipping.

By taking the semiconductor designed for its

3D cams (which recorded dual stream, one per

eye) into the Varicam, Panasonic has enabled

simultaneous recording of RAW 4K, compressed

UHD 444 and high-speed HD as well as low res

proxies to a specially developed €15k Codex

recorder and P2 media. 240fps HD is achieved

with a special high speed head costing €16k

mainly for blue chip docs.

“If we had come out too early it would

have just been a shoulder cam. What we are

delivering today is the best specifications of any

camera around,” he said. “We understand that

ARRI is the camera of choice at the moment but

we are bringing our 35mm Varicam look with very

flexible gamma curves and a fresh palette of

paint that DPs have not used before.”

Documentary producers can future-proof

content using Sony’s PXW-FS7, designed

for run and gun operation and use in harsh

environments. The €8,000 XDCAM shoots 4K

Quad Full HD1 in 60fps and 240fps HD at up to

14 f-stops, and had 200 orders taken by dealers

including Visual Impact at the show.

Bolstering this new product is a shoulder

mounted accessory for the F55, tailored for

documentaries, and an upgrade to the F5 giving

users 4K recording capability. Sony will also debut

a 30-inch 30,000 4K OLED monitor come spring.


IBC Review

Stephan Heimbecher: “The industry agrees on HDR

and wider colour and HFR for phase 2 but we need to

address the detail”

A two-piece mini 4K system (head and recorder) attached to a gimbal for aerial shooting by AltaSens

IBC Review34 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

Although AJA “has built hundreds and is

ready to go” said marketing manager Andy

Bellamy of the CION, the company is not

accepting orders until the unit is 100 per cent

ready. Quite what the hitch is was unclear

but AJA has excited the industry with its

non-proprietary design and the accessories

are fl ooding in. These include an Alphatron

electronic viewfi nder, lens mounts/adapters

from MTF and Wooden Camera, and matte

boxes and focus controllers from Vocas. CION

supports 4K and 120fps, attributes tested for

replay by NASCAR and Major League Baseball.

4K systems camerasFinally, outside broadcasters like Megahertz, builder

of a 4K mobile unit for BT Sport, have a choice of

4K camera technology. Hitachi and Grass Valley

have favoured 2/3-inch sensors which permit the

use of their existing B4 mount HD lens inventory.

The former’s SK UHD40004, which houses four MOS

sensors, scored a mulit-million pound deal for the

fi rst 50 units from rental fi rm Gearhouse. It will use

the new cameras to populate a new 4K OB truck,

as well as a 4K truck planned for North America.

The rest will be spread among its European

operation. “It can output HD SDI for those not

yet ready to transmit 4K but who want to build

a library of 4K footage,” said Paddy Roache, UK

director and GM, in a familiar refrain. The camera

was also tested by Sky at the Ryder Cup. Grass

Valley’s LDX 4K/UHD camera is scheduled to ship

at the end of the year with a clever deployment

of three 2/3-inch sensors each offset by half a

pixel from each other. It then records 4:4:4 RAW

signal and upconverts it for maximum quality.

“The advantage is the same sensitivity, depth

of fi eld, and dynamic range as a regular 1080p

camera,” said Klaus Weber, senior product

marketing manager. “You need to compromise

for 4K whether or not you use a single large sensor

or three smaller sensors. A single-sensor camera is

a compromise in terms of shooting angles, the use

of zoom lenses, and depth of fi eld. It is ideal for

fi lm but not really for a live show.”

Weber’s words neatly sum up the reluctance

felt by some live sports broadcasters in using

the Sony F55 for 4K stadium work. Now they

have options.

“2/3 is nice to have in your arsenal and clients

will use it if the production suits, but shooting 2/3

with 2K lenses is not good enough,” said Mark

ARRI Alexa 65 for 6.45k cinematographyDespite being pestered by visitors keen to know

where its next generation Ultra HD camera was,

ARRI was on message at IBC: “We’ll only talk

about a new camera when there is something

to say.” Having concentrated TV producer

minds on 4K upgrades to the Alexa and Amira,

the German developer quietly debuted a

large format 65mm version of the camera

capable of 6.5K resolution at Munich show

Cinec just days after IBC closed.

Marketed as a speciality camera for large

format cinematography or VFX background

plates, it will be available exclusively through

ARRI Rental (price not disclosed).

ARRI executives have long maintained that

they would not release a native 4K model

until they felt that it didn’t compromise other

characteristics, particularly the Alexa’s wide

dynamic range.

So how does the Alexa 65 square up? At the

heart of the camera is the A3X sensor, three

times bigger than Super 35 (the size of Red’s

Dragon 6K chip).

This has a 54.12 mm x 25.59 mm active

imaging area, which is even larger than the

fi lm gate of ARRI’s 765 65mm fi lm camera. The

maximum recordable resolution from the A3X

is 6560x3102 photosites, with a dynamic range

greater than 14 stops.

The sensor design is based on the same

photosite technology as the ALEXA XT, therefore,

image attributes such as colorimetry and

dynamic range will match well with any member

of the ALEXA family. This allows productions the

option to mix a 35mm ALEXA XT with the larger

65mm format camera, without having to worry

about adopting different workfl ows or any

additional colour correction in post.

When recording full resolution Open Gate

6560x3102 ARRIRAW at 24fps, the ALEXA 65

generates around 2.6TB of data per hour. This

is almost three times more than an ALEXA XT

in similar mode. Alternatively, it will support

two cropped lower res recording modes;

1.78:1 (5120x2880) and 1.50:1 (4320x2880) and

generate less data.

The camera incorporates a Codex recording

engine, similar to the one built into the ALEXA

XT. Existing ALEXA XR capture drives support

recording from ALEXA 65 at up to 24fps, and

a 512GB media card will record around ten

minutes in full open gate mode. A new set of

capture drives developed by Codex for early

2015 will offer 2TB of recording capacity, and

be capable of 20Gbps data rates, enabling

recording times of over 45 minutes.

Two bespoke workfl ow systems, based on

Codex Vault, have been developed — the

Vault S and the Lab 65. Both can transfer, store,

and review ALEXA 65 material on set, near set

or in a post facility. ProRes 4444 HD dailies

masters can be generated in realtime for dailies.

On the glass side, ARRI has rehoused

Hasselblad lenses to work with the new sensor

— eight primes ranging from 24 to 300mm

and a 50-110mm zoom.

Additionally, a Vintage 765 lens range,

originally developed to partner the ARRIFLEX

765, has been adapted for use providing a

classic fi lmic look. Other lens and lens mount

options are being considered by ARRI.

Large format designs like this hark back to the

golden age of 65mm fi lmmaking in the mid-20th

Century where the epic frame was used to lens

fi lms like Lawrence of Arabia. ARRI’s 765 fi lm

camera was more recently used for sequences

in fi lms like Far and Away, Sunshine and Gravity.

It’s also no secret that fellow fi lm equipment

stalwart Panavision is developing a digital 70mm

camera. There is a view that if cinema exhibition

is to survive then immersive large format screens

are the future.

Given the specialist application of the Alexa

65, ARRI is likely to continue to be pestered by

producers, cinematographers and press for news

of a separate 4K Alexa with Super 35mm sensor.

Red Digital Cinema’s 6K Dragon sensor outputs 4K via a new broadcast module

Pict

ure c

redi

t: Re

d.co

m, I

nc

Grinyer, Sony’s head of business development

for 3D, 4K and UHD. “You need a 4K lens.”

Nonetheless, he hinted that a product along the

2/3 lines might emerge from Sony.

Panasonic also showed a concept studio-

camera-in-box-style single sensor with a 2/3-inch

lens on the front. Expect more on this at NAB.

The surprise in this category was Red Digital

Cinema which has enabled its 6K Dragon sensor

to output 4K via a new broadcast module with

four 3G SDI outputs systemised by Nipros.

“The approach not only transmits 4K

video live, but records Red code raw for

archive and accommodates a simultaneous

TX of HD,” said Nipros CTO, Sal Sandoval.

“We can switch the signal live for broadcast

and we can put up to fi ve HD sources at any

frame rate and any system frequency for

POV applications.”

Functionality was put to the test with Vizrt and

tracking specialists Ncam in a live rendering of a

3D animation inside a live 4K feed.

“4K opens up whole new possibilities for what can

be displayed,” said Alan Piper, Red’s Europe MD.

“You put a lot more information inside a

4K image such as immersive graphics and

have it readable.”

4K compact and POVClaimed as the smallest 4K camera, the Flare

from IO Industries builds on the successful 2KSDI

and features a a Super 35 CMOS sensor with a

global electronic shutter, and quad-link 3G/HD-SDI

AJA’s CION supports 4K and 120fps


IBC ReviewGermany’s Solectrix has collaborated with Codex to unite a custom-developed RAW recorder with two modifi ed sinaCAM remote heads for ActionCAM

36 TVBEurope

IBC Reviewwww.tvbeurope.com October 2014

outputs. It comes in interchangeable and fixed

lens versions, can shoot 60p and costs $8,000 but

recording must be made via a separate field

unit such as Ki Pro Quad or Odyssey 7Q. “It’s

perfect for locked-off POV shots in vehicles or on

gimballs,” said IO’s Stuart Cranston. “Since it only

weighs 600g you can easily put it on a jib.”

Germany’s Solectrix has collaborated with

Codex to unite a custom-developed RAW recorder

with two modified SinaCAM remote heads for

ActionCAM. The HD system has been adopted for

use as the satellite cameras in the Fraunhofer/ARRI/

Walt Disney hybrid 2D/3D and post S3D trifocal

system because SinaCam image sensitivity blends

well with the trifocal’s main Alexa camera.

While JVC focusses on the live streaming

capabilities of its camcorders, it also showed several

prototype 4K cameras built around a Super 35

CMOS chip capable of 12 or 10-bit depth made

by sister company, AltaSens. These ranged from a

compact handheld unit which uses Micro Four Thirds

lenses to a two-piece mini 4K system (head and

recorder) which was shown attached to a gimbal

for aerial shooting. Most notable is a 4K shoulder

mounted version with PL lens mount specced as

shooting 60fps 4K and HD at up to 240fps.

AltaSens has also been busy with Bradley

Engineering to locate its 4K sensor, this time

with up to 72fps, in a remote controlled module

based on Bradley’s dome-shaped Camball

camera head with a pan-tilt mechanism.

Go 4K today, 8K tomorrowOne of the drivers for 4K is consumer demand

in the Far East where half the 30 million panels

sold worldwide will be in Chinese homes by

2015. Asian demand is also encouraged by

government funding in Korea (via Kobeta) and

Japan (NexTV), the latter focussed on chasing

4K quickly to market with 8K in time for the

Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Indeed NHK plans to have

several 4K channels and an 8K test service up

and running in 2018 to coincide with the FIFA

World Cup in Russia.

Consequently, NHK is rounding out its

acquisition armoury by incorporating the Super

Hi-Vision chip into Hitachi (systems), Ikegami

(shoulder mounted) and Cube (steadicam)

cameras. The Sony F65, built for cinematography

but already having seen high-speed applications

recording 120fps World Cup Final action, is

earmarked for ENG use by NHK, upconverted

from the chip’s raw data. According to Sony’s

head of AV media, Olivier Bovis: “There will be

ramifications to our future product” as a result of

Sony’s taskforce R&Ding 8K capture.

Expect further NHK 8K tests at the Women’s

World Cup and Wimbledon next summer. 1 4K (4096 x 2160) shooting will be available by

early 2015

Two bespoke workflow systems, based on Codex Vault, have been developed: the Vault S and the Lab 65


IBC Review

TVBEurope’s parent company, NewBay Media, carried out its first ever Best of Show awards programme for IBC in Amsterdam this year. The awards ran across the NewBay Media portfolio of brands, and here, we showcase the winning entries in the TVBEurope category

IBC Best of Show 2014

The new ConeXia intercom system from AEQ-KROMA is a new global audio solution. ConeXia has the capacity of up to 1024 x 1024 cross-points and is based on a modular system of audio I/O cards. It has the ability to integrate intercom and broadcast audio sources into the same matrix, with 48kHz 24 bits sampling. Further, the system can be built for 100 per

cent redundancy when catering for critical operations. ConeXia is also compatible with all AEQ-KROMA intercom panels, and expands the interface options with almost any telecommunications interface.

AEQ-KROMA

ConeXia

Capable of shooting at 4K/UltraHD and 2K/HD resolutions, CION is AJA’s new professional production camera that features an ergonomic design and offers in-camera recording directly to the Apple ProRes family of codecs, including 12-bit 444, for pristine image capture.

Enabling today’s growing demand for high frame rate

support, CION allows users to output 4K raw data at up to 120 fps via 4x 3G-SDI outputs and can record directly to AJA Pak SSD media at up to 60 frames per second.

AJA

CION

Accedo VIA is an application solution enabling operators, media companies, and broadcasters to launch full-featured multiscreen services quickly and efficiently across multiple connected platforms, including PCs, mobiles, tablets, smart TVs, and game consoles.

Accedo VIA has been launched to solve complexity for Accedo customers, who are experiencing challenges in technical multiplatform delivery, as well as editorial challenges, where different

platforms may require different promotions, messages and consumer bundling.

Accedo

Accedo VIA

Aspera’s new Auto-scaling Transfer Platform automatically scales and expands transfer capacity of Aspera server software in cloud infrastructure, providing media companies with the ability to expand high-speed transfer capacity direct to cloud storage as needed, and leverage the most cost-effective infrastructure. Companies can control and predict ingest, delivery, and distribution times, regardless of

media volumes, infrastructure distance, or network quality.

Built directly into the core Aspera transfer software stack, the platform automatically matches the actual transfer capacity with the transfer demand in realtime, based on user-defined criteria.

Aspera

Auto-scaling Transfer Platform

DaVinci Resolve 11 is a major upgrade to the Emmy award-winning DaVinci Resolve colour correction platform, and comes with more than 70 new editing features including dual monitor support and familiar professional tools such as dynamic JKL trimming, audio crossfades and fully customisable keyboard shortcuts for faster editing.

There is also a new collaborative workflow toolset that allows an editor and multiple colourists to work on different workstations, sharing the same timeline and working in tandem as they complete shots.

Blackmagic

DaVinci Resolve 11

IBC Preview38 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

The VB288 Objective QoE Content Extractor is a server-based system that provides objective video and audio monitoring of MPEG-2, h.264/MPEG-4 and h.265/HEVC streams, integrating monitoring of realtime streams and OTT services within a unique web browser-based remote video wall capability providing full view-anywhere visual status information.

In its latest version, the VB288 features on-board AES decryption, which means that the VB288 can provide full content extraction and

packet inspection at any point, anywhere in the delivery chain, even when the signal is encrypted at the encoder stage.

Bridge Technologies

The new Studer Infinity Core is the x86-based signal processing audio core with direct built-in AES67 interface. The Infinity Core delivers more than 800 audio channels with superb sonic quality, and more than 5,000 inputs and outputs.

The use of CPU-based processors suggests exciting possibilities for scaling up to even larger channel counts, and for running third-party algorithms.

Studer by Harman

Infinity Core

VB288 Objective QoE Content Extractor

EditShare’s XStream EFS is the newest member of the company’s shared storage product line, and is a powerful distributed, scale-out file system designed from the ground up for in-place, online editing in media intensive environments.

A single XStream EFS system can start as small as 128TB and scale up to many petabytes. All XStream EFS systems offer multiple layers of redundancy that can tolerate the failure of many hard disks, including the failure of an entire node.

EditShare

XStream EFS

Ericsson’s MediaFirst TV Platform is a software-defined, media-optimised platform for the creation, management and delivery of next generation pay-TV. The new end-to-end cloud-based platform embraces all content sources and delivery networks, equipping operators to deliver the most cutting-edge, large-scale video services to the billions of devices forecast to be connected by 2020.

Ericsson

Harmonic

Harmonic’s VOS provides a common media processing platform, simplifying workflows and maximising flexibility for the deployment of broadcast and multiscreen services.

The software-based Electra XVM transforms content playout, distribution, and multiplatform service delivery by integrating realtime encoding, high-quality branding and graphics, and transport stream playout for broadcast and multiscreen services, providing video content and service providers with unparalleled function integration, increased operational flexibility, and unlimited scalability.

VOS-Based Electra XVM

The LDX XtremeSpeed (LDX XS) from Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, comes packed with features that make this the most cost-efficient advanced imaging camera for live sports production.

This handheld ultra-motion camera provides sports directors and producers alike with seamless system integration into live

production workflows, the flexibility to move their ultra-motion cameramen close to the action to capture stunning live shots, and

the same high performance and features as the LDX Series of advanced imaging cameras.

Grass Valley

MediaFirst TV Platform

LDX XtremeSpeed 6X ultra slow-mo camera system


IBC Preview

mocha Pro by Imagineer Systems is the Academy Award-winning visual effects software package built on Planar Motion Tracking technology, a unique image analysis engine designed to reduce artist-driven manual post production tasks such as match moving, rotoscoping, object removal, clean plate generation and image stabilisation.

The new mocha Pro version 4 offers native Stereo 3D (S3D) workflow capabilities, advanced support for Python scripting and complimentary workflows with popular editing and VFX systems.

Imagineer Systems

Hitachi Kokusai Electric

mocha Pro

Lawo’s mc²36 audio console is a universal all-in-one mixing desk with a comprehensive feature set for use in broadcast, theatre, houses of worship, live and install applications, which offers value for money.

Its compact size, DSP micro-core (with internal 512x512 port audio matrix) and

integrated I/O make the new console suitable for permanent

installations with limited space and for rental companies with an eye on transportation considerations.

Lawo

Hitachi Kokusai Electric has developed the SK-UHD4000, a broadcast 4K Ultra HDTV camera system which can use the 2/3-inch B4 mount lenses used in conventional HD broadcast cameras.

The use of standard HD lenses with the SK-UHD4000 eliminates the need for special conversion adapters, and allows broadcasters to use existing lenses and shoot video in 4K

resolution. The 4K Ultra-HDTV camera system is designed to provide solutions to the challenges of live outside sports broadcasts, such as sensitivity and depth of field.

SK-UHD4000 4K Camera

mc²36 all-in-one production console

Piksel Mosaic unites all forms of content in one simple browsing experience, using a tile-based interface which retains a consistent look-and-feel playing to the individual strengths of the device used – TV, smartphone, laptop, desktop or tablet. Piksel Mosaic is built on context-based recommendations, intuitively pushing content to the user based on an understanding of what the user likes to access, when, and on what device.

xxxxx40 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

IBC Preview

The EVO.Live console can switch between live and post production modes at the touch of a button, and is available in chassis, table-top or in-surface consoles, 12 to 60 faders, and scalable processing and I/O. It also can be used in a dual-operator configuration.

EVO.Live features Fairlight’s FPGA-based Crystal Core engine that delivers high channel and bus counts, low latency and exceptional audio quality. It offers enhanced production tools such as sound FX playout, multi-track recording and playing, external device control and full timecode capabilities.

Media Logic GmbH

Piksel

EVO.Live

Mosaic

The NVIDIA Visual Computing Appliance (VCA) is a turnkey appliance equipped with eight high-end NVIDIA GPUs to dramatically accelerate ray tracing, enabling users to interact with computer models of such high visual fidelity that it can eliminate the needs for physical 3D prototypes.

The scalable, network-attached GPU appliance is engineered and built by NVIDIA and designed solely to provide designers and artists with the fastest and easiest way to create photorealistic images of their creations.

NVIDIA

Pixel Power’s Buzz is the smart entry point for adding social media to your broadcast. It allows users to engage with and take the measure of an audience, reliably moderate contributions from Twitter or other social media streams and then integrate the content within the Pixel Power graphics workflow.

Buzz software is a natural extension of the graphics workflow that was designed with non-technical staff in mind, with training requirements at a minimum.

BuzzPixel Power

Visual Computing Appliance (VCA)

StorNext’s Pro Storage Solutions are specifically designed to enable the newest high-performance digital workflows and drive higher levels of efficiency for broadcasters and post production facilities.

StorNext Connect enables users to install StorNext software through an easy, self-guided interface; download software and

upgrade StorNext clients and servers from a single screen; restart clients and servers and check the status on automated tasks from a single screen; and troubleshoot performance bottlenecks with realtime activity, performance and usage graphs.

The RTW TM3-Primus is a multifunctional audio measurement unit featuring unbalanced RCA type 2-ch analogue and digital (SPDIF) interfaces. The unit is powered by a USB mains supply or the USB connection direct from a PC.

The unit supports all widely used PPM and TruePPM measurements and scales.

Provided Loudness standards are: ITU BS.1770-3/1771-1, ATSC A/85, EBU R128,

ARIB, OP-59, AGICOM, CalmAct. Level and loudness display with bargraph type or numerical readout plus MagicLRA type.

October 2014 www.tvbeurope.com

Screen Systems

A challenging, yet much sought after solution to subtitling live web video has been developed by Screen Systems. The solution adds low bandwidth timing information to the video stream and is used to synchronise subtitles to the frames of video the viewer is watching.

An advantage of the Screen solution is that the same general mechanism of image-based subtitles held on a separate server can be used for consistent broadcast quality subtitling of both Video on Demand and live web video.

StorNext ConnectQuantum

TVBEurope 41

IBC Preview

RTW

TM3-Primus

Web/OTT LIVE Subtitling

xxxxx42 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

IBC Preview

Timecode Buddy :pulse is an advanced piece of long range RF and Wi-Fi enabled timecode and metadata technology; a single box camera and production solution to streamlining production workflows.

In addition to the core technical functionality, Timecode Systems has also

included a range of user-friendly features to give users the best possible experience, including its size (94mm x 67mm x 23mm), its high resolution OLED display, flexible mounting methods, USB2.0 host ,and device and multiple powering options.

Timecode Systems

Vislink and TVU Networks have joined forces to develop the TVUPack TM8200 that combines cellular, IP and microwave transmission technology in one compact backpack that delivers reliable, live, HD video picture quality on the go.

The TVUPack allows news broadcasters to transmit a live video stream from a remote location back to the newsroom using any (and all) 3G/4G, microwave, satellite, Ethernet, wireless and even Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) connections simultaneously, dynamically aggregating all connections for maximum transmission throughput.

Timecode Buddy :pulse

Viaccess-Orca’s Connected Sentinel Player is a new multiplatform media player available for Android and iOS tablets and devices that include digital rights management (DRM) for premium VoD and live content. Using the Connected Sentinel Player, service providers can distribute content securely to set-top boxes (STBs), tablets, smartphones, and PCs with a very short time to market.

Viaccess-Orca

Connected Sentinel Player

Vislink and TVU Networks

TVUPack TM8200 powered by Vislink Hybrid Technology

While our inaugural Best of Show awards

highlighted some of the leading new

products being showcased at this

year’s IBC, there were plenty of other companies

demonstrating the latest in their range of gear,

equipment, and solutions.

One such company was Canon, which brought

a number of new additions to Amsterdam

including the latest in its Cinema EOS line-up. The

CN 7X17 Cine Servo zoom lens is the first large

sensor lens that Canon has designed from the

ground up specifically for broadcast use,

as Peter Yabsley, professional products marketing

team leader at Canon Europe, explained.

“It’s all about the operation,” he says. “It’s

very practical for hand-held use; it’s lightweight,

compact but it’s got that servo drive unit meaning

that it can be used in a studio configuration, for

sports, outside broadcast, and is perfectly suited

for 4K production. It’s an exciting new step for us.”

Technological breakthroughYabsley moves on to what Canon sees as a

technological breakthrough in its dual pixel

seamless autofocus. “This is a new sensor

technology that has been developed over a

number of years by Canon,” he said.

“It enables autofocus with any Canon EF lens

on large sensor cameras, which are traditionally

difficult tools to focus with because of the shallow

depth of field. So this is a great addition for

C100 and C300 owners to make it easier to

shoot with these cameras in a wider variety

of shooting situations.”

You can see more from Canon’s Peter Yabsley

on the video section of the TVBEurope website.

Canon’s focus on technical breakthrough

Dual pixel seamless autofocus was among a number of products released at IBC by Canon Europe, as Peter Yabsley, the company’s professional products marketing team leader, told TVBEurope

Peter Yabsley


IBC Review

In terms of your own perspective on where we are and where the industry is headed, what do you make of the current environment?I think it’s undergoing some fundamental

changes. Sometimes when you’re in the

heart of the change you don’t appreciate

how fundamental it is. The digitisation of the

connection between the idea that you have

to create content and the consumption of that

content allows a much more intimate, more

powerful, more economic connection. Every

other part of our lives is becoming digitised.

The way you buy a car and the way you meet

people is being digitised, so why wouldn’t

media be digitised?

For our clients it offers some fundamental

questions. Why do we need to be so siloed?

Why do we need to have so much proprietary

technology? Why do we have to have so

much fragmentation and non-cooperation

between vendors, which is costing us 25 to 30

per cent extra? We think it is the most ineffi cient

deployment of capital of any industry. Why do

we have to live with this?

These changes are causing media companies

to ask questions about ‘how should we

organise what technology we deploy and

who should we hire?’ The siloed approach

isn’t sustainable with the economics of today’s

media industry.

The good news is that media consumption of rich

media is rising rapidly so it’s a good place to be

if you know how to create content. The problem

is you need to create great content more

effi ciently and you need to get more value out

of every asset. That’s what Avid Everywhere was

designed to address.

There’s an understanding now of the change that’s taking place and that component parts of the industry are less afraid of that change. Is this something you are seeing?I don’t see enough leadership from the people on

the fl oor here. I actually see more ideas from the

clients than I do from my peers. That’s not normally

the case and I’m not sure why that is. I think this

industry needs more leadership. I think the vendor

community could do more to step forward and

create a path that makes sense for them and for us.

Interestingly, everyone’s talking about 4K within

their silo or device but it has to be solved in a

more creative way. That just means we’re on to

8K and you throw everything out and do it all

again. Other industries do it a lot smarter. We can

do it a lot smarter. We can expect more and the

clients should expect more.

What challenges are you facing now in terms of driving the strategy for Avid amid this evolving landscape?I had the luxury of being on the board fi ve years

before, so I was familiar with the company’s

strategy and got asked to be the CEO. There

are the same questions you would normally ask:

who are we? How are we unique and different?

How do we address the biggest pain points of

the industry? What I found is that we have a lot

to be proud of and to build on, but we also have

tremendous opportunity right now.

We have a 25-year heritage in a category we

helped to create on the editorial side. But just

as we reimagined how to create content, we’re

now reimagining how to connect the entire

workfl ow between the creative process and

the distribution process. Now that it’s digitised, it

should, and can, be fully digitised.

Our clients have a unique challenge in that

they don’t have the luxury to just worry about

the digital channels and devices. They also

Feature44 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

Entrepreneurial blueprintLouis Hernandez Jr, CEO of Avid, talks to James McKeown about leadership, where the industry is headed, and how his entrepreneurial background has put him in good stead to drive the company forward. By Melanie Dayasena-Lowe and James McKeown

“I don’t see enough leadership from the people on the fl oor here. I actually see

more ideas from the clients than I do from my peers. That’s not normally the case and

I’m not sure why that is”

have to worry about the terrestrial and heritage

business so they have a more complicated

set of questions. Coming in has been a lot

of fun because Avid is a very trusted and

respected brand. It’s proven technology that

has been part of the family for 25 years. Avid

Everywhere is being adopted at such a fast

rate but it’s not because we’ve convinced

everyone it’s the only way to do things. From

conversations happening with clients for two

to three years, they just didn’t have anyone

to attempt to put together a cohesive

enterprise strategy. Since it comes from

someone in the family, someone they know

and trust, it is being adopted at record rates

right now. The industry was looking for it and

I feel they were looking for someone in the

industry to step forward and say ‘here’s our

take’ on how to move forward as an industry,

more than just in one of the silos.

We asked clients what’s important to their

business of media, not just what’s the next

function or feature they need, or when and

how they want to move to 4K. It’s much

bigger than that.

There’s a lot to be proud of but there’s a

lot changing within the family and we need

to do something more about it. 4K is a good

example because the issue isn’t high resolution,

in fact it’s going to keep changing. We’re in

a world where you need to create great

content and consumers are demanding

better viewing experiences, but the ease with

which you can create content today has

increased the competition for viewership/

listenership/advertising revenue. Content

creation has gone up dramatically in the

last 15 years but budgets haven’t. You have

to do more with less. 4K is an example of a new

standard being adopted for viewing, essentially

for resolution, that’s changing codecs on the

front end with manufacturers and changing

devices on the back end. We can go through

this endless merry-go-round of waiting for the

next resolution decision to be made and throw

everything we have at it but with the business

dynamics it’s not sustainable. We have to think of

something different.

What was your background prior to joining Avid?I grew up as a technologist. My father is

a technologist and an educator and my

mother is also an educator. My formal training

is in economics and finance. I’ve worked

in sports and media, e-commerce and

banking technology.

I was in the media area before in a start-up

that grew very rapidly and went public in the

late 90s with digital distribution of content. I then

went into the banking industry, which was

interesting because it is by far the largest

segment that deploys technology. It is roughly

three times larger than media but they had

1,500 fewer vendors and if you take the top ten

vendors they equal about 50 per cent of the

market. In broadcast media, it’s a lot smaller,

it’s only 15-20 per cent. By comparison, we

[media] spend a lot more time and energy just

connecting all the parts. We estimate 25 to 30

per cent of budgets are wasted just putting

all the pieces together.

Part of it is the vendors, part of it is the way

media clients run and part of it is the adoption

of technology. No matter how you look at it, it’s

terribly inefficient. When you look at a return on

invested R&D dollar, it’s poorest in our sector

and we can be more competitive as an industry

in how we deploy capital in R&D. It has to be

better than it is today.

I’ve mostly been an entrepreneur. I taught and

also consulted for a couple of years at PwC.

My interest in banking was that I wanted to have

an impact on social stability.

My last company, Open Solutions, tried to find

a way that we could share common standards

globally so it was easier. We’re serious about

these types of technologies because we know

they work. ‘Open’ means inclusive and that a

community can work better with each other in

a productive way. Even if that means it’s not

always your product.

Coming here, where it’s not as regulated

as banking (it’s smaller and without those

pressures) was really shocking to me. There

was so much pride in proprietary technologies

that were disconnected. We’re trying to

make it harder for each other, and that’s not

good for anybody.

What parts of your entrepreneurial background do you bring to the role at Avid?I’ve started a few companies and I still have

a few companies operating. When you’re a

disruptive innovator and taking on established

players, you learn what it takes to excite the

senses on what’s possible in an industry. When

you’re a larger, proven, established player, I’ve

also learnt what can happen if you become

complacent. Avid has a unique opportunity

TVBEurope 45

Feature

“We can go through this endless merry-go-round of waiting for the

next resolution decision to be made and throw everything we have at it but

with the business dynamics it’s not sustainable. We have to think of

something different”

October 2014 www.tvbeurope.com


Feature46 TVBEurope

because it has a rich heritage that was born

out of reimagining how to create content and it

really created a category.

We, at our birth, were a disruptive

entrepreneurial company that created a whole

new way to think. Like a lot of companies,

over time you tend to stay where you began.

The digitisation of the workfl ow: Avid can

legitimately take credit for being the initial

people that took fi lm and converted it to a

digital fi le record when many hadn’t heard of

such a thing, and really led that to create this

category. Since then, the rest of the workfl ow

has become digitised but Avid stayed with what

it knew best. Now it’s trying to take that anchor

role and say that we can do more to the entire

workfl ow. Now, our problem isn’t just creating

content, it’s doing it in a more cost-effi cient

way that fuses the creative process with the

monetisation process. We’re re-embracing our

heritage of being an innovator. The board saw

that linkage between my background and

what we needed now.

What do you enjoy most about your job?The most fun thing has been how willing our

clients are to share with us. Avid is in the middle

of a transformation itself, trying to recapture the

imagination of the industry. We’re part of the

family. We want to help an industry that we’re

excited about and care about.

The three things that excite me are, number

one, that it’s a big challenge because

we want to preserve our heritage and

build on it in a way that solves the

biggest business issues.

Number two, our clients and

employees are fully engaged; one

thing that surprised me was how the

largest media companies in the world

roll up their sleeves and share with us

what their business problems are.

The biggest thing, and probably

why this effort is so important, and

what’s always been the case with

media, is how it is part of our social

fabric to educate, to connect, to

delight and to inspire. In good times

and bad, this is the case. As we

become more globally connected,

more organisations want to fi nd their

voice. That’s one of the reasons why

media consumption is going up so much.

We’re working on something that is socially

very important and has always been a big

piece of the fabric of our existence.

There are two things that I hope

our clients are appreciating

that’s happening. Number

one, the world is changing,

they’re in some form of

adaptation and we just

want to help because it

is happening to us too.

Number two, we should both care about this.

We have a chance to impact something that

impacts everybody. The social connectedness

and digitisation has made the world’s social

fabric stronger through media. You’re seeing it

play out all over the world.

What are the specifi c challenges you face as a company over the next 12 months to two years?Avid Everywhere was designed to meet the most

signifi cant business needs of the industry. We

conceptualised it in 2013 with a white paper

and launched it at NAB 2014.

One challenge was Avid Everywhere: the

platform and modules. The other was the

Avid customer association.

The platform was designed to meet the

challenges of the industry. How do we allow you

to collaborate, create at a lower cost and get

more value out of each asset by connecting the

creative to the distribution process? The reaction

and sales on this has gone crazy and it’s caused

us to have more strategic dialogue with more

large media companies than we had expected.

It has caused us to engage in ways we

haven’t had to before.

There are some new challenges and we’ve

had to adjust to this strategic dialogue. For

instance, our cloud-based offering has exposed

us to a whole new area of the market. The

marketplace allows you to be social with others

and collaborate via the cloud. This is a new

concept for our industry.

Part of the challenge is Avid Everywhere

being adopted at a faster rate than we thought.

We wrapped our SDKs and APIs with an

extendable toolkit and announced at NAB that

it’s available to anybody for free immediately:

customers, competitors.

We thought we’d have to go and recruit

people but in fact we had hundreds sign up

immediately. Once you’re certifi ed and you post

it on the marketplace, when you sell something

to my client, if it’s a certifi ed connection we’re

guaranteeing it works.

Now that we’ve put forth this ambitious

strategy and there are working modules that

people are buying at a fast rate, I really thought

it would take longer to get it going.

The Avid customer association was formed by

us for our community. It has an executive board

of some of the largest media companies in the

world, which governs six advisory groups (125

representatives). Their job is to represent the

interest of three million end users who use our

products. We’ve spent a ton on R&D.

Louis Hernandez Jnr

“The most fun thing has been how willing our clients are to share with us. Avid is in the middle of a transformation itself, trying to recapture the imagination of the industry. We’re

part of the family. We want to help an industry that we’re excited about and care about”

I just want to get a better return on what

we’ve spent by addressing the bigger

business issues. I thought the biggest

challenge was going to be getting people

to understand what we’re trying to do.

Our proven trust and heritage has kicked in

and they’re just happy that someone has

attempted to step forward with a bolder

strategy and it’s being adopted at a very

fast rate.

Someone called us the most open,

extensible platform on the planet. Clearly,

now we’re leading the way on openness

and flexibility, not only on the products/apps

but in the way you deploy it. You should be

limited by your own imagination/strategy,

not by your own vendor telling you you

can only deploy it one way because it’s

more profitable.

How much of your operation do you devote to R&D?We’ve always been 20 per cent above market

on spend. All I want is to get a better return.

We just announced our results recently. I think

people were shocked by how the company

has transformed economically because of all

the excitement of Avid Everywhere. We have

always spent a ton on R&D. We’ve had a fully

engaged client community.

What is the message that the industry needs to be buying into?The industry is in the middle of a transformation.

Clients should be expecting more. We only

need a couple of vendors to join the movement

to be more creative.

What industry has changed their delivery so

you can now only be cloud? Or the fact we’re

so fragmented. There are 1,500 main vendors

here that have no interest in making these

connect, everything is point to point. We have

a responsibility to stand up and say ‘there’s a

better way’, and that if we work together and

collaborate we can help ourselves and our

industry solve the biggest issues. The issue isn’t

how do we do the next button or feature, it’s

how do we keep doing what we love to do

in a sustainable way.

We have to work together more. We’re trying

to take out this fragmentation that is costing

us 25 per cent of the budget. Lets use that

money instead to focus on what the joy is.

The joy is in creating content.


Feature

“We have a responsibility to stand up and say ‘there’s a better way’, and that if

we work together and collaborate we can help ourselves and our industry solve

the biggest issues. We have to work together more”

Burrows, the DPP’s technical standards lead, and

Channel 4’s CTO of broadcast and distribution.

Bigger post houses have been prepared for

the new file delivery protocol, but many smaller

producers and contractors, accustomed to

delivering in ProRes or other formats, have been

scrambling to manage the transition.

Assessing progressSo, one year after the DPP announcement, how

have the British broadcasters managed?

Last month’s IBC2014 featured a special session

by the DPP, which looked back at the past year’s

progress. The DPP was able to announce that

as of 1 October, both ITV and Channel 4 will

have fully transitioned, with file-based delivery

becoming the default standard for all their

suppliers. In fact, the two broadcasters had

already been taking file delivery for several weeks.

Channel 5 and BT Sport have also been expecting

Feature48 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

Where were you on FDDay?

On 1 October, while the rest of the world

was quietly going about its business,

the UK broadcast industry observed

a momentous turning point. The first day of

October marked the end of tape forever and

the beginning of a bright new era of file-based

programme delivery. Sort of.

A year ago, at IBC2013, the DPP (Digital

Production Partnership) announced that on

1 October 2014, UK broadcasters BBC, ITV

and Channel 4 would move to fully file-based

programme delivery, with other major broadcasters

set to make the transition at best possible speed.

The DPP had set the stage for the transition back

in January 2012, when it announced a UK file-

based delivery standard that was to be the new

common file delivery spec for the future, AS-11.

Since then, the DPP has been tireless in its

educational efforts to prepare the industry for a

tapeless world. Its day and night campaigning

has included a continuous stream of social

media messages, links to technical papers,

publications – including the Producers Guide to

File Delivery – videos, and multiple seminar and

conference appearances (including TVBEurope’s

IT Broadcast Workflow). The conversation around

the file delivery switchover date even has its own

Twitter hashtag, #Fdday.

“It’s not just about producing a standard, it’s a

huge business change programme,” says Kevin

UK broadcasters created the DPP to speed the transition to fully digital production. This month marked their deadline for moving to entirely file-based workflows, using the new DPP AS-11 standard. How did they do? Neal Romanek reports

delivery of DPP AS-11 files for several

months now. The BBC has begun to phase in

file-based delivery from producers. BSkyB began

accepting AS-11 deliveries from 1 October,

aiming to complete the migration to full-file

delivery by October 2015.

The DPP’s Burrows says of the file-delivery

finish line, “It’s gone as well as we could expect.

Obviously, for shows in mid-commission, there’s a

view to take concerning whether you disrupt the

show half-way through the run or start it with files

the next time up. We’re basically taking a very

pragmatic approach to it.”The tape-to-file switch

is not the only transition the DPP is shepherding

the UK industry through. Earlier in the year,

working with the Advanced Media Workflow

Association (AMWA), the organisation created a

Compliance Programme, which aims to ensure

that suppliers are producing kit that can

correctly read and process files which meet

the AS-11 DPP standard.

“We realised at the beginning of this year

that, whilst we were making good progress

with the manufacturers, this is still a complex

area and our concern was making sure that

the files created would play back in other

manufacturers’ devices.”

In March, the DPP began to put together a

test centre, so it could analyse files from various

manufacturers and test products. “We came up

with a minimum criteria for compliance with our file

format,” says Burrows, “This isn’t to say we check

absolutely everything with that file, but there are

these 500 things you check when a file is delivered

or a file is created from a piece of kit. What we

do then is create a test report, which differs

depending on the type of product.”

The DPP already has about 30 suppliers signed

up for the programme, including Aframe, AmberFin

(a Dalet company), Emotion Systems, Front Porch

Digital, Nativ, Nugen, root6, Snell, Sony, Telestream

and Wohler Technologies. And at IBC2014, DPP

announced the first four companies that have

passed certification — Cinegy, Dalet (AmberFin),

root6 and Telestream.

Delivering the worldSo, tape will be around for a bit longer in UK

broadcast delivery – for a few weeks in some

cases, months in others – but considering many

UK companies have already been tapeless

for some time, and that the UK is continuing to

expand as a hub for file-intensive international

productions, it’s possible that next October

will find the UK a streamlined, fully

file-based ecosystem. The new AS-11 DPP

standard has attracted attention from other

parts of the world. Burrows said, “We met at IBC

with a few international broadcasters, from the

US and Europe, and there’s quite a lot of interest

from other people in adopting our standard or a

version of it, because we’ve been through all the

pain of getting there. They realise they need to

do something themselves.”


FeatureKevin Burrows presented at a special DPP session at IBC2014 last month in Amsterdam

Pict

ure c

redi

t: Th

e IBC

Dai

ly

Describe your early career, the composition of the landscape at the time, and the problems you saw that needed fixing. I joined the BBC as a ‘graduate trainee’ in 1968

from the Electronics Department at Southampton

University in the UK. At the BBC’s Ellis Island —

‘Wood Norton’ — one of the BBC top brass told

us that he felt sorry for us because (sic), “with

the start of PAL and SECAM colour TV, all the

challenging technical work has already been

done”. Of course, it wasn’t true. I started work at

BBC Research Department (Kingswood Warren),

the home of deep thoughts and gentile sports.

After five years at the BBC in 1973, I joined the

IBA (Independent Broadcasting Authority). One

reason was because it was moving to its superb

new premises just outside Winchester, Crawley

Court. Also, the boss at Crawley was the great

Howard Steele. His name sounded like a rock

star. He was an inspiring leader, young and full of

energy and ideas. He died relatively young. They

broke the mould after Howard.

Soon after I joined, I was asked to work with

the IBA team developing Teletext. I didn’t invent

their Teletext — this was Peter Hutt and his

guys. But I was asked to create and edit the first

live Teletext magazine. The service was called

‘ORACLE’, which is an acronym, and there will

be a prize for someone who remembers what

it meant. Howard Steele was competitive and

he knew the BBC was developing in parallel a

Teletext system called CEEFAX – he wanted to be

first. Our first live ORACLE service was at IBC

in September 1974.

One day my (rather Noel Coward-like) boss,

Dr Boris Townsend, who worked a lot in the EBU,

asked me to write a report on the new EBU ‘hot’

topic, Electronic News Gathering. I told him I

knew absolutely nothing about ‘ENG’. His words

ring down the decades: “Dear boy, anyone can

write a report on something they do know about

— it takes a good engineer to write a report on

something they don’t”. This was my introduction

to the world of committees and standards, which

was to absorb the rest of my career.

In 1980, I joined the European Broadcasting

Union Technical Centre in Brussels. The fine EBU

chief engineer, Prof Henri Mertens, wanted the

EBU ship steered towards a common world

standard for digital television – what a super

challenge to have. He gave me a lot of freedom

and much good advice. He told me that:

“achieving a common standard, even if not

perfect, is 100 per cent better than no common

standard at all”.

We set up a ‘Task Force’ that harnessed the

resources of the EBU and the SMPTE. To create

new standards, you do need some rules of

procedure, but you also need imagination

and creativity.

In 1989, the EBU moved its Technical Centre

(and me) to Geneva, Switzerland. Over the next

25 years, MPEG made its mark, the DVB Project

started, the EU collaborative projects began,

World Broadcasting Unions became more active,

and well, there’s lots more that could be said.

You mention some of the changes you have witnessed in your career — what in your view are the major milestones of this industry’s progression from the days of analogue and ‘traditional’ broadcast, to today’s digital realm? The world media industry has played ‘musical

chairs’ geographically over the decades.

Feature50 TVBEurope October 2014 www.tvbeurope.com

A time for reflection and celebration

“The impact of IP and the web is certainly of equal magnitude to the

Gutenberg bible”

Dr David Wood, former deputy technical director of the EBU, takes a trip down memory lane with TVBEurope ahead of his Lifetime Achievement honour at the inaugural TVBAwards, in recognition of his outstanding career in the broadcast industry

One of the shifts has been the move of the

development of new hardware video and audio

systems from Europe and the US to Japan, Korea,

and China. There are no manufacturers of

displays and few of production equipment

left in the ‘West’.

We are still witnessing major transitions in

programme production technology – file-based

workflows, IT programme production, and the

use of commodity equipment for professional

purposes. It has been a bumpy ride, and

broadcasters still need to fasten their seatbelts.

Not exactly the birth of printing, as a

generality, new eras in broadcasting do begin

when the ITU, MPEG, and DVB agree common

standards, but the impact of IP and the

web is certainly of equal magnitude to the

Gutenberg bible.

How have you changed as a person and professional during the course of your career? I was privileged to lead standardisation groups in

the ITU, DVB and elsewhere. I learned by attrition

that to reach common agreements you must

understand how the world looks from the point

of view of the different interests involved.

You need to also understand the differences

in behaviour of people from different countries

— there are different ‘conventions’ in different

countries. Japanese people, for example,

believe that certain things are ‘impolite’ and

they don’t say them. There are differences

between Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, many

European nations, Russians, and Americans. The

point is that the discussion leader’s job is to be a

bridge between the participants, and to sense

where the participants are coming from.

I have the honour of knowing many individuals

who possess natural authority, who exude an

aura of decisiveness that leads people to agree

with them and support them. Among them are

Ulrich Reimers in DVB, Leonardo Chiariglioni in

MPEG, and Mark Krivocheev in the ITU.

What have you enjoyed the most about your career — what personal achievements have given you the most satisfaction? Being part of the ‘drivers cab’ in the three stages

of digital television standards must come near

the top — SD, HD, and UHD — via Rec. 601, Rec.

709, and Rec. 2020. Incidentally, I always hoped

that by including 1080p/50,60 in Rec. 709 in 1989

we would see the decline of interlace scanning,

un-necessary in an age of content adaptive

compression, but it’s taking a long time.

For the HDTV Rec., we added a 1080p/24

format in 1998, believing it could have a role in


Feature

the cinema industry. Hollywood then went into

action and developed the higher quality DCI

standards for normal movie making. I hope the

Rec. 709 wake-up call helped them.

Being in at the beginning of the DVB project

in 1993 was another high point. When we

started, we thought it would be a three-year

project, but it was so successful, and still

continues actively over 20 years later, with over

a billion DVB-based sets out there now.

I am a passionate stereoscopic

photographer. I did work to move 3DTV forward

in the DVB Project. We agreed the 3DTV

standards the world needed, but expectations

were not managed, and we shot over the peak

of the inflated expectations curve into the trough

of depression. Eventually this will stabilise — so

don’t give up yet.

As chair of the EU Collaborative Projects

Concertation Group, I could see that Europe

overflows with great engineers and great ideas

for advancing technology — we just have to

harvest and manage them.

One of my favourite professional periods

was when George Waters was my boss at the

EBU, following his term as DG of RTE. He was

a kind and generous guy, with a great new

idea every day — just what you need to be

productive. It’s also been a treat working

with Christoph Dosch from Germany in

ITU-R Study Group 6.

How important a role do associations like the EBU have to play in the progression of this industry into the future? It has always made sense for broadcasters to

act together in matters of common interest.

The EBU’s national broadcaster members have

so much in common, while at the same time

they are not competing with each other. For an

association, it’s a gift to have this arrangement.

Broadcasting itself is riding stormy waters,

and no one knows whether over-air

broadcasting will be subsumed by internet

delivery in the years ahead.

What is your perspective of the industry of today, and where do you feel we are headed in terms of technological progression? The rise of technical quality is inexorable, and

eventually all displays from large screen sets

to tablets will be 2160p. 2320p will take more

time but we can be certain that it will happen.

Maybe it will be followed by an object wave

3DTV system. How will standards be developed

in the future? Systems will be increasingly realised

in software, a land where an ‘open source’

approach, rather than formal standardisation,

may be king.

Finally, the TVBAwards Lifetime Achievement honour has been bestowed upon you by your peers for your services to, and impact upon, the broadcast media industry. What message would you have for those in this industry (particularly the new entrants) who are tasked with preserving its longevity for generations to come? Every organisation, particularly broadcasters,

needs to have a plan of where they want to be

in five and ten years’ time — but a plan that is

constantly under review. We all need to have

our hand on the shoulder of something and

someone in front.

Secondly, each organisation should have to

have some kind of ‘unit for the future’, where

your best people look ahead from the ‘engine

drivers cab’, so to speak. Most of time, we are in

the ‘guard’s van’ looking backwards at what has

happened — you need people looking forward

for trends and tendencies.

If you do those things, you’re on your way. I

know it’s easy to spend other people’s money

like this. Forgive a guy who is just thrilled to be

asked for an opinion.

David Wood: “Broadcasting itself is riding stormy waters, and no one knows whether over-air broadcasting will be subsumed by internet delivery in the years ahead”

Typical comments of the likely impact to

come from 4K is this by Luxembourg-based

SES and its COO Ferdinand Kayser, who

said that SES is convinced that Ultra-HDTV will

make a major impact, and that satellite will

play a signifi cant part in winning audiences for

4K viewing. “Satellite will be very relevant for

delivery in the future,” he said. Kayser bases his

argument on the challenges faced by IPTV and

(to a certain extent) cable delivery of 4K signals.

Kayser expects some key European

broadcasters to have 4K channels on air during

2016. “The catalyst will undoubtedly be the

UEFA European Football Championships and

that year’s Olympics from Brazil.” He said he

expected some important pay-TV broadcasters,

such as Canal+, to start closing their Standard

Defi nition services soon.

He said that satellite was in place to ensure

there was no “digital divide” and that viewers

could watch 4K transmissions without buffering.

Kayser admitted that even the arrival of 4G and

perhaps even 5G, as well as digital compression,

would still not make terrestrial networks perfect as

a delivery mechanism. “No single technological

answer ticks all the boxes,” he said. “But satellite

is very strong and also represents value for

money and maximum choice.”

He added that by 2025 half of all screens and

STBs would be for Ultra HD. “Ultra HD screens are

already showing a similar price entry point and

price decreases, just as full HD screens did when

fi rst introduced. Introduction of the new [HEVC]

compression format will require a new simulcast

period to migrate from MPEG-4 to HEVC.

Congestion-free viewing of Ultra-HD services is

a ‘sweet spot’ for satellite.”

SES already has a number of demo 4K

channels on air, as has arch-rival Eutelsat. Indeed,

Paris-based Eutelsat has had test transmissions

on air for more than a year. At IBC2013, the

company showcased a live 4K demo of that

year’s San Marino Moto GP Championship.

Markus Fritz, Eutelsat’s commercial and marketing

development director, is anticipating an early

start. “In reality, many of our customers will fi nd

space on one of their existing transponders with

us for the early transmissions. How will it start? It

will be similar to the early days of HDTV; but fi rst,

the set-top boxes have to be available. In my

view, there’s plenty of content about, and if you

wanted us to fi nd content for two channels, let

alone a few hours in the evening, we could do it.

Certainly, fi lling four or so hours a day is

not diffi cult.”

Intelsat was also busy a year ago (showcasing

the live rugby union match between Saracens

and Gloucester), and is already carrying 4K

signals around the planet. A recent study from the

company found that 23 per cent of its clients expect

to launch 4K services within the next four years.

On airBut hop to Japan and Intelsat has had a real

– as distinct to a demonstration – service on air

since June, using communications satellite TV

channels of Sky Perfect JSAT Holdings. Moreover,

the Japanese are promising far more. Japan’s

government has confi rmed its roadmap for

the introduction of Ultra-HDTV in its 4K and 8K

versions. Japan will use its ‘BS’ satellite channels

for these debut services and as part of its build

up to a widespread introduction ahead of the

2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Satellite Focus52 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

Satellite ready to tap into 4KIBC2014 was dominated by 4K/Ultra-HD, and nowhere was this more apparent than in IBC’s prestigious Hall 1, where the world’s satellite operators have their massive stands. Almost every one of them contained compelling demonstrations of their latest, sparkling 4K assets, writes Chris Forrester

Ferdinand Kayser admitted that even the arrival of 4G and perhaps even 5G, as well as digital compression, would still not make terrestrial networks perfect as a delivery mechanism

The country’s Internal Affairs and

Communications Ministry said the government

would begin test broadcasting in 2016, when

Rio de Janeiro hosts the Summer Olympics, and

upgrade it to full-scale broadcasting as soon as

possible, according to local reports. By 2018, the

roadmap calls for Japan’s public broadcaster

to have its own dedicated 4K channel as well

as five commercial broadcasters to be

transmitting 4K channels.

None of Europe’s ‘big four’ pay-TV operators

(BSkyB, Canal Plus, Sky Deutschland or Sky Italia)

have yet made an announcement regarding

4K transmissions, although Sky Germany has run

tests on football coverage, a key driver for pay-

TV. On 26 April, it carried a Bundesliga football

match in Ultra HD. The match, between Bayern

Munich and Werder Bremen, was carried on an

SES satellite at 50fps using the new High Efficiency

Video Codec (HEVC) compression algorithm.

Six 4K cameras were used and another four

HDTV cameras had their signals up-converted

to Ultra HDTV.

Brian Sullivan, Sky Deutschland’s CEO, said:

“By successfully broadcasting a complete

Bundesliga match live in what was a true

end-to-end test of the full Ultra HD production

chain, it is clear that the day is getting closer

when it will be possible to bring a top quality

Ultra HD live sports production into consumers’

living rooms. There are still a few things to take

care of but I am very confident that we, as

the innovation leader, along with our partners,

are on a very good path to revolutionising the

viewing experience.”


Satellite Focus

“I expect we will see a few showcase events on a channel, which will grow to a

channel that has a lot of looping of content”

Euan Smith

Bringing the benefits of an “all connected” future to all citizens requires networks capable of enabling and supporting all required broadband and video-related features

looping of content. Over time,

I can see this migrating to

three, four or five channels and

perhaps more.”

Both BSkyB and Sky Italia are

investing in 4K content, being

captured for their archive

and future transmission. BSkyB

has worked for some years

with Atlantic Productions (for

both 3D and 4K shows) on

such award-winning hits as

David Attenborough’s Natural

History Museum Alive, shown

last Christmas, and its latest

4K production, Wild Flight. This year, Sky Italia is

releasing a co-production (with Rome-based

DBW) of Puccini’s La Boheme, shot in 4K at

the spectacular Torre del Lago, near Pisa.

There’s much more, in the form of sports of

course, and music, and natural history from

the likes of the BBC’s Natural History Unit and

Japan’s NHK, extreme sports from Red Bull,

and dozens more production houses now

gearing up for UltraHD.


Satellite Focus54 TVBEurope

Sullivan’s EVP of product and operations, Euan

Smith, went further, saying that Sky Deutschland

would have a test channel on air later this year.

Asked what this work would lead to, Smith said

there was much more to Ultra HD than just a

football game or two, however important they

were to subscribers. “I think it will go in much

the same way as HDTV did initially. I expect we

will see a few showcase events on a channel,

which will grow to a channel that has a lot of

SES is convinced that Ultra HDTV will make a major impact, and that satellite will play a significant part in winning audiences for 4K viewing

4K comments from IBC “4K is a tidal wave” NBC-Universal

“4K is a natural evolution” BT Sport

“We are working to the 2015-16 season”

BT Sport

“The juggernaut is in motion” Arqiva

“There is an appetite for quality” BT Sport

“The market will buy” Sony

“We are headed for 4K” BBC R&D

“4K is a no-brainer” DisplaySearch

“We’ve brought everything forward by

two years” NHK

“Blu-ray 4K by the end of 2015” CEA

“4K has a momentum today” Sky Deutschland

“HEVC is early in its life-cycle” Netflix

“200 4K channels by 2020. 1,000 by 2025” SES

“4K is a bit like an airline. HDTV is obviously

economy class. Everyone has it and they

can fly anywhere in the world. But it’s nicer

in Premium Economy where you can get

UHD-1/phase 1. Then in first class, it’s UHD1-

phase 2. Of course, 8K then means you are

in your own executive jet.” BSkyB

What will be the key challenges to overcome for satellite teleports when it comes to the future of redundancy designs?To keep up with demand for bandwidth and

new types of modulation, over 25 commercial

satellites are being launched each year.

As a result, I believe the key challenge for

many satellite teleports is to move away

from passive splitters and patch panels and

trust in improving software and hardware

redundancy technologies. Although this will

require investment, the added benefit is the

improvement in RF performance, such as

noise, return loss, isolation, signal compression

and flatness for their signal chains. At the end of

the day, the satellite industry has to persuade its

broadcasting customers that satellite is the most

reliable, affordable and flexible way to deliver its

programmes to a worldwide audience.

What Satcomms areas have been affected by increased SLAs?With the development of the mobile phone and

PDA market, streaming content to handheld

devices is driving new requirements for phone

operators and the satellite market. On a recent

trip to upgrade a satellite teleport in Hong Kong,

I was surprised to see so many people watching

live feeds, especially as there are often stringent

service level agreements to ensure these

networks are always online. The result is that to

keep the official departments issuing the licenses

for mobile networks happy, these SLAs mean that

the satellite industry that delivers live content to

the telecoms operators may have to comply.

What types of redundancy designs have you come across in global teleports?Installing increased levels of redundancy

within a satellite teleport or earth station can

be a costly process, unless a combination of

intelligent software, RF detection and switches

are installed. At the headend, we often see one

or two-standby motorised satellite dishes linked to

redundancy switches, which are brought online

as a main feed fails. In addition, we often find

that ETL’s RF matrix switches are used to ensure

that satellite feeds can be routed to any number

of IRDs or modems, which again can be used

in a 1:1 or n+1 redundancy design to back up

downlink equipment.

What are the more affordable ways satellite operators and broadcasters can improve their redundancy?Managing single

points of failure within

a budget is a tough

job for satellite RF

engineers. It is easy to

imagine the impact of

failure during a major

football match – where

millions of people may

be linked to a single

feed – and as a result,

the RF engineering

mindset should be

to design reliability

into the equipment. A balance of hot-swap

dual redundant power supplies, control cards

and RF hardware is becoming the standard

in professional teleports and means that the

important measures of mean time before failure

(MTBF) and mean time to repair (MTTR) are the

best we can achieve.

Which direction do you think RF redundancy will take?The pattern that I am seeing in the Satcomm

market is the increased investment in monitoring

and control software. The result is that a typical

media company, with a number of different

downlink and uplink teleports around the world,

can monitor and control downlink content and

uplink transmission equipment from one central

location. We have had to respond to this by

ensuring that all our RF distribution equipment,

including fibre links, can be integrated

into these all-seeing networks via Ethernet

to provide peace of mind.


Satellite Focus

Redundancy in your RF chainHow far do you go?

Andrew Bond: “To keep up with demand, over 25 commercial satellites are being launched each year”

“The key challenge for many satellite teleports is to move away from passive

splitters and patch panels and trust in improving software and hardware

redundancy technologies”

Service level agreements (SLAs) have become increasingly demanding for many satellite operators, as telecom-style performance measures influence uplink and downlink teleports. Andrew Bond, commercial director at the RF Engineering company, ETL Systems, talks to TVBEurope about the challenges facing the satellite industry in meeting these sometimes onerous requirements

Founded in 2009 by Alexander Mazzara

and TV industry veteran Kurt Schaad, the

concept for joiz was to create the most

innovative social TV broadcaster and platform.

Mazzara has a background in journalism and

has worked within the TV industry for Switzerland’s

largest broadcaster (SRF) and Germany’s RTL and

Pro7, so was well placed to enter the TV market.

The idea for joiz was to fuse TV with the web,

social media and mobile platforms. In 2011,

investors were secured to launch joiz for the first

time in Switzerland, followed by Germany in 2013.

“When we started, second screen and social TV

didn’t exist,” explains Mazzara. “Those days, it was

more about interactive TV. There’s a chance that

people are using other devices while watching

TV and the reason is that Wi-Fi is available for the

first time and there’s a huge chance of having

interactivity with software, not with hardware. Many

companies tried to do interactivity with another

remote control or set top boxes and typically it

didn’t work because in those days, interactivity was

not fast enough. Right now with apps or websites

you can do much more interactivity. You can

create a community around a programme.”

So what is joiz? It’s a combination of a TV channel,

website, social network and mobile service, all

offered as one entertainment proposition that

places young people at the heart of it.

joiz can be viewed as a free digital TV channel.

Users can also watch a live stream of the

channel (if based in Switzerland and Germany)

via joiz.ch and joiz.de as well as via its mobile

apps. There is also access to original content

(short videos as well as long-form programming)

via the websites and apps. The channels in both

countries are completely different operations.

They share some programming but are produced

for Swiss and German audiences locally.

Getting to know youThe company produces the majority of its

content and has incorporated advanced

technological developments to serve its users

across all platforms. “There are vendors that

make graphical interfaces, social media on TV,

etc. That’s nothing. Our view is about the viewer,”

says Mazzara. “We consider them first as viewers

and secondly as loyal customers. The TV world is

sort of a B2B model. You produce content and

go to a satellite/cable operator and those guys

provide content to households. The company

uses a customer relationship management

tool to better understand its viewers at home.

“E-commerce companies like Amazon are

already doing that. They don’t have content but

really understand their customers.”

At joiz, the company calls their viewers or users

‘viewsers’. Viewsers can create a profile on

the joiz website, which enables them to take

advantage of second screen opportunities such

as to check-in and comment on live shows, chat

with friends, review videos, submit questions to

studio guests and vote or take part in polls.

Another way for viewsers to be involved is through

the Red Button second screen feature, which

Mazzara describes as “a software Red Button that

sits in the app”. He adds: “We use it for commercial

reasons. For instance, during a McDonald’s ad,

people can click and immediately get a voucher

for McDonald’s. We also use it for cooking shows.

Viewsers can click the Red Button and receive the

recipe immediately on their mobile phone.”

Following its success in Switzerland, last year

joiz launched in Germany. “In Germany, we

create about 85 to 90 per cent of the content

ourselves,” explains Mazzara.

OriginalityThe original programming is produced locally at the

company’s hi-tech studios in Zurich and Berlin. “The

studios are pretty similar. We learnt a lot from Zurich

and we tried to make it better in Germany. We

typically have two main studios. One is a newsroom

studio and the other is a virtual set. In both studios,

we produce daily shows, talk shows and live shows

as well as people working outside on reports.”

In addition to the entertainment experience,

joiz is working with advertisers and sponsors. “The

Satellite Focus56 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

Social TV grips Europe

Fresh from speaking at IBC2014, joiz co-founder and CEO Alexander Mazzara talks to Melanie Dayasena-Lowe about his plans for ‘Europe’s first social TV channel’

“What we’ve tried to do in the last four years is to understand the ‘viewsers’

much better and to try to make a business model out of this”

Alexander Mazzara speaks at IBC2014’s ‘Interactive entertainment — You ain’t seen nothing yet’ conference session in Amsterdam on how to monetise big data

Pict

ure c

redi

t: Th

e IBC

Dai

ly

shift from linear TV to multiscreen experience

is already there. With customers like Coca-

Cola, they understand that and try to do new

things with us. Typically, what we do for them is

branded entertainment. Not only do we develop

a format idea for a campaign for them but we

also leverage their needs with a multichannel

approach. We try to create a format that works on

TV, online, social media, etc.”

Growth plansWith successful launches under its belt, joiz is

eyeing up expansion plans in the UK, US and

other territories. “We are looking for partnerships

and are in negotiations with some of the players

in the market. Both markets [UK and US] will be

very interesting for us, but we’ll do it carefully.”

In addition to launching the joiz brand in other

countries, the company is pursuing a new area

for expansion with its proprietary and innovative

technology framework. The interactive features

of joiz, including its fully integrated second screen

app, can work across numerous TV genres

including news, sports and programming for kids.

joiz Group is currently in discussions with

several broadcasters and production companies

interested in taking advantage of this opportunity.

“We’ve already signed some deals. We’re

already in the phase where we are integrating

the systems. The feedback is overwhelming.

It looks like we’ll be starting in Germany.

We understand the market here [in Europe]

much better so it’s faster to implement with

broadcasters,” he comments.

The company also offers several service

packages to complement the licensing of its

technology framework, including consulting,

hosting and user verification, community

management, media sourcing and support

services. Going forward, Mazzara sees TV as the

next big market. “I strongly believe the TV market is

in a big transition right now,” he concludes.

“It might come in the next five years. We get

a lot of feedback from advertisers and agencies

since we have such a broad distribution of

our free-to-air channels in Germany and

Switzerland. We’re seeing shifts in the

consumption of media along with new

platforms rapidly evolving.”


Satellite Focus

The idea for joiz was to fuse TV with the web, social media and mobile platforms

Dyster: I can remember producing broadcast

system designs where VT-based editing was

cutting edge, serial control was a revelation and

the parallel control cable infrastructure linking GPI

ports and Boolean logic-based custom switching

systems held together day-to-day operations

across the entire broadcast facility. In the past two

decades these ‘clunky’, over-complicated and

ineffi cient systems have gradually disappeared

to be replaced almost entirely with IP-based

facsimiles. Where hundreds of kilometres of cable,

thousands of connections and months of design

and installation once existed, now a few racks of

PCs, hundreds of metres of CAT5e cable and an

appropriate quota of Ethernet switches does the

same job for a fraction of the cost and complexity.

Mailhot: The economic scale of the IT industry,

as compared to unique equipment for television,

produces a very different leverage on its

technology supply chain. For the IT industry, this

has produced a benefi cial price/capability

improvement of roughly twice every 18 months –

this is seen across storage, computing, and also

networking. By contrast, HD-SDI was introduced

in 1995 and we are still using it today. For

uncompressed content, HD-SDI is still the standard

interchange. Signals are connected back to

a house ‘router’ and high-quality pixel-perfect

synchronous-timed signals are available. Except

for cost and scalability, HD-SDI would live forever,

but as IP technology continues to improve, even

these uncompressed production infrastructures will

fi nd scalability and TCO benefi ts.

Vermaele: IP technology will help us move

into one end-to-end virtualised platform that

will be software-based for all media processes

and IP-based as one converged network for

all media workfl ows between these processes.

If well designed, this will result in a format-

independent, vendor-agnostic, highly fl exible and

scalable infrastructure. The creativity, speed and

fl exibility to set up, develop and offer new media

experiences on these platforms will increase, while

the cost and complexity decreases.

58 TVBEurope www.tvbeurope.com October 2014

IP is the only way to go

Philip Stevens moderates this month’s Forum in which issues relating to internet protocol (IP) technology are discussed

With its ability to carry signals from any point to any point within standard internet infrastructures, audio and video-over-IP will transform broadcasting. So, what are the challenges when it comes to IP technology? What are the latest innovations? And where next for this technology?

Those taking part are (in alphabetical order) Martin Dyster, director and head of audio, TSL Products; John Mailhot, product architect director, Imagine Communications; Kirstan Pepler, head of propositions, media sector, Easynet; Steve Plunkett, CTO, Red Bee Media, part of Ericsson; Robert Rowe, MD, live TV, Snell, a Quantel company; Arnhild Schia, CCO, Nevion; Garrick Simeon, MD, General Dynamics Mediaware; Lieven Vermaele, CEO, SDNsquare; Jan Weigner, CTO, Cinegy; Hiroshi Yamauchi, technology and business development manager, 4K IP production and optical disk archive, Sony Europe.

IP Forum

How does IP technology help the broadcasting industry?

Martin DysterTSL Products

John MailhotImagine Communications

Mailhot: IP technology’s strength is also the

basis of its challenges. Take security: the core

strengths of IP networks are the ability to freely

interchange assets, to allow any computer to

reach, and control, any device, and to allow

the interworking of equipment, assets, graphics,

and fi les across facilities. This also presents

opportunities for operational errors and mistakes

— or malfeasance — at a greater scale. A

mis-routed RS-422 cable could create only a

limited amount of damage, while by comparison

an over-tired operator at a computer console

could take down an air chain. Then there’s

scalability even under duress. IP networks are

designed to ‘fi nd a way’ to get packets around

obstacles. As we transition more and more time-

critical work into packet-based networks and

routed infrastructures, allocating and managing

bandwidth requirements in these second-tier

connections will remain an important challenge.

Rowe: Ultimately, the biggest challenges are

small bumps in the road to a new, more effi cient

and effective workfl ow, rather than roadblocks

on the path to IP. As with all technology shifts,

the biggest challenges are in overall cultural and

organisational change management. Often, the

unfamiliarity of the equipment and the technology

and the changes with workfl ows require careful

planning, training, and consideration.

Schia: There are, of course, technical challenges to

IP, especially when it’s used for the realtime transport

of content for live production. These challenges

include variations in latency, the level of reliability

and the management of the IP networks. The reality

is that these technical challenges have largely been

overcome. There are two obstacles to the large-

scale adoption of IP, particularly in facilities. The fi rst

is the timing. The best time to make the move is

clearly when there is a need for new or upgraded

facilities — moving to IP for the sake of moving may

not make sense for many broadcasters. The second

and most important obstacle to IP’s adoption within

broadcast facilities is the lingering mindset of doubt.

Simeon: When it comes to technical change,

broadcasters tend to be cautious. Incumbent

technology, budgets and operational

considerations all play a role in driving change.

Television has made the shift into the ICT realm,

replacing many point-to-point intra-facility

connections with Ethernet and capitalising on

Rob RoweSnell

Arnhild SchiaNevion


IP Forum

What is the biggest challenge when it comes to broadcasting using IP technology?

“Any multiplatform strategy today is IP-based. So no IP equals no multiplatform”

Jan Weigner, Cinegy


IP Forum

commoditised IP networks and hardware for

fi le-based workfl ows and moving audio around.

However, the technical impracticality of shifting

uncompressed video around using IP technology

during ingest and playout remains stark. Studios

persist in working with uncompressed video

because that is what they are used to. As well as

being a cautious bunch, broadcasters also have

long memories. It takes time for broadcasters to

gain experience in working in all-IP and fi nally

forgetting about how IP packet-based networks

have lost data, suffered from jitter and caused

pain in the past.

Vermaele: The biggest challenge will be to

change and adapt the common best-practices

of IT and IP networking to the quality level

broadcasters and media applications require.

Weigner: To educate the engineering staff and

users. Change management. ‘Angst’ management.

Not an issue with the iPhone generation.

Yamauchi: One of the primary challenges when

broadcasting using IP technology is ensuring

a stable infrastructure and connection that is

able to transmit large data fi les reliably. When

broadcasting live over IP, this is even more vital

and presents a challenge to ensure that there

are no interruptions in the feed.

Mailhot: The current work is around the

challenges of signal formats, timing, and control

methodologies for moving uncompressed

production-level video into an IP-streaming

signal fl ow inside the facility. Software defi ned

networking (SDN), and software defi ned workfl ows

(SDW), are two areas where we, as a company,

are focused right now. They provide the critical

control methods and the workfl ow optimisations

to achieve the promised savings.

Workfl ow orchestration is paramount to any

baseband and hybrid IP-baseband network,

and is a key area in which we have

accelerated our leadership.

Pepler: New camera developments are gaining

momentum, with the ability to deliver the output

directly as an H.264 encoded stream, as well as

traditional HD-SDI. This means the location need

only have an Ethernet connection and it removes

the encoding from HD-SDI currently needed to

convert the camera to an IP transport medium.

New encoding formats are required to produce

manageable video paths or streams across

networks. With UHD containing more than four-

times the picture detail, it also means traditional

encoding can produce stream bitrates that

become diffi cult to deliver at a competitive cost.

Plunkett: One of the most signifi cant is the activity

underway to provide an IP alternative to SDI.

Standards such as SMPTE ST 2022:6, IEEE 1588 and

advances in Ethernet switching infrastructure are

being introduced into vendor products with the

potential to radically change how professional

media facilities are built and managed.

Rowe: The most signifi cant innovations at the

moment are around SDN that allows the control

infrastructure of IP networks to be abstracted away

from the underlying hardware. This allows a highly

fl exible lever in the operation and management of

traffi c within the IP infrastructure.

This has also led to the concept of virtual

networking, which complements the rise of virtual

machines and cloud-based computing. Signifi cant

advances have been made in high bandwidth

links and their processing in IP routing infrastructure.

Links operating at 40Gbps and 100Gbps are now

commonplace, with work being targeted at higher

and higher rate links. These high capacity IP links

with routing infrastructure, coupled with software-

defi ned networking, allow the high bandwidth

media signals used in television production to be

handled by off-the-shelf carrier grade IP routers.

Schia: Some of the most signifi cant innovations

are around the compression of video, where

technologies are being applied to reduce the

volume of data transported, with very low latency.

We are also seeing a great deal of innovation in

the management of IP networks, which essentially

allow non-experts from the broadcasters to be in

control of setting up and taking down connections

between virtually any location.

Simeon: For us it has been ensuring all our ad

insertion splicing and editing software is HEVC-

available for when broadcasters are ready to

convert, plus redefi ning our solutions using IP, such

as our transport stream delay with logo insertion

and programme switching.

Vermaele: Networking today is limited to the

functionalities given by hardware providers and

the talent of implementations by the engineers,

“The technical impracticality of shifting uncompressed video around using IP technology during ingest and playout

remains stark” Garrick Simeon, General

Dynamics Mediaware

What are the latest innovations in this fi eld?

Kirstan PeplarEasynet

Steve PlunkettRed Bee Media


IP Forum

mostly providing connectivity and best-effort QoS.

The most important evolution in networking is

‘software defi ned networking’. The innovations lay

in pulling the network control and management

away from the individual network devices towards

(and into) the intelligence of software applications

that will manage in specifi c ways for defi nite

business requirements. That is where we focus as

a company with our GRID solution, to have one

converged network with guaranteed performance

for each workfl ow — fi le transfer, live SDI video and

centralised editing, and any kind of other IP traffi c.

Weigner: The buzzwords would be SDN, AVB

and SMPTE2022-6, but ultimately they are not

necessary for the migration, but a sign of the

legacy SDI folks trying to save their bacon.

The real innovation is moving from dedicated

hardware products to software-based products

that can also run in virtual machines which,

of course, inevitably lead to cloud-based

applications. Here, cloud does not necessarily

mean ‘public’, but could be a private cloud in a

broadcasters’ own data centre.

Yamauchi: Sony has developed a new AV-

over-IP interface. This converts video, audio,

and metadata into packets, enabling realtime

transmission between equipment via standard

network infrastructures. Using this technology,

Sony confi gures IP Live Production systems in

order to increase operational effi ciency and to

reduce system cost for broadcasting studio and

sports live production.

Dyster: Aside from simply monetising content

delivery, there are parallel opportunities to tailor

advertising through consumer/viewer analytics and

personalised targeting. As somebody inclined to

watch TV on demand or from the TiVo, I’ve become

quite adept at bypassing the commercials. I can

imagine those days are numbered and my content

provider is out there plotting new and devious ways

to pitch products at me.

Mailhot: When content is virtualised and no

longer encumbered by, or restricted to, physical

plant, amazing things begin to happen. You can

manage your advertising and air time much more

effi ciently. IP technology and IT infrastructure

also enable television operators to reach more

consumers with more content at lower cost-points

going forward. This ability to match specialised

content to smaller audience fragments

at appropriate cost-points, as well as with

addressable advertising, is a key to monetisation.

Pepler: There are three signifi cant opportunities.

First, IP allows for lowering the costs of creation

as well as contribution and distribution of live

and fi le-based content. Secondly, broadcasters

are able to offer more fl exible ways to both

create and access the content they own. Lastly,

consumers can have better access to content, in

both the B2B and the B2C markets.

Rowe: The benefi t of IP technology for monetisation

is mostly in the distribution end of the broadcast

chain. The ubiquity of IP transport across both fi xed

and mobile systems means that more and more

customers have more and more access to media

when and where they want. The bi-directional

nature of IP connectivity means that more

interactive viewing experiences can be delivered,

literally and fi guratively connecting with one’s

audience. This connection can be monetised by

offering innovations such as click-through purchases

of advertised or featured products or premium

interaction with a show’s hosts.

Schia: IP will be everywhere in the broadcast

value chain and so will new opportunities for

monetising content. Most importantly, IP brings

fl exibility to the creation and distribution of

content, which means it can be more carefully

tailored to the user. For example, Denmark-based

television broadcaster TV2 Denmark has adopted

an IP-based network that not only enables each

region to contribute to each other, but can

also select international content with a regional

interest, such as a local sportsperson competing in

a major sporting event like the Olympics.

Weigner: Monetisation equals multiplatform. Any

multiplatform strategy today is IP-based. So no IP

equals no multiplatform. Now, more live formats

will be added to the mix as well, for example

sports and concerts.

Yamauchi: IP technology is allowing broadcasters

to transmit content from more locations, with

more information than ever before, which

presents some enticing opportunities to monetise

content. With remote IP production, for example,

broadcasters can connect to more sports venues

for live feeds. This is particularly important, as

many broadcasters experience problems with the

increased demand for, and number of, football

channels they provide, due to a limited number of

OB vans. So, this is a clear example of how

sales can be supported.

Dyster: Absolutely. We are at the tipping point

between baseband and IP. At NAB, I heard the

technology head of one of the world’s major

broadcasters declaring that he had purchased

his last SDI router. With that announcement

still echoing around the halls of the Las Vegas

Convention Centre, manufacturers of all

sizes must start investing their considerable

development resources in creating and

delivering next generation infrastructure solutions.

Pepler: Yes, without a doubt. Moving to IP v6 with

built-in QoS and multicast-type distribution will

accelerate the adoption of this as a platform,

not only on distribution to the end viewer, but

also as methods of contribution.

Plunkett: Yes, but getting to an all-IP

broadcasting environment is complex and will

take time to be fully realised.

Simeon: Absolutely guaranteed. Adoption of

IP technology is causing a paradigm shift. It is a

change-enabler for allowing everyone to think

differently about how we work with video. It will

free the industry from known technical hamstrings

and cost implications of always working in

baseband with uncompressed video.

Yamauchi: The core benefi ts of IP production

are compelling: fl exibility, mobility, and reduced

operating expenses. Flexibility is enabled by the

format tolerance of IP technology, which means

that it’s already compatible with SD, HD, and 4K,

and with any other formats the future may bring.

Added to this, the design and confi guration for

IP-based systems brings another level of fl exibility.

The ability to execute IP production anywhere with

a solid connection ensures that IP solutions are truly

mobile, and control and transmission over IP also

helps to reduce operational expenditure.

What opportunities does the technology off er for the monetisation of content?

Is IP technology the future of broadcasting?

Hiro YamauchiSony

Jan WeignerCinegy

Garrick SimeonGeneral Dynamics Mediawave

Lieven VermaeleSDNSquare

Dyster: I’d like to think that the various

standards bodies are working to bring together

manufacturers of IP technology to tackle

interoperability of video-over-IP protocols in the

same way that the Audio Engineering Society

has championed AES-67.

Pepler: Easynet is working to provide an option to

a cloud-based DAM/CMS, with online burstable

storage and archive, through the advent of IP. This

allows Easynet to take packages and live playout

directly into the DAM, available anywhere. Using

IP networks opens up new ways to leverage cloud

assets, with storage becoming the major area

where broadcasters struggle to keep up with the

amount of content growth. When networks fi nally

move to IP v6, the way consumers can receive

services will change. Networks using IP v6 will

suddenly become a more ‘friendly’ environment

for video and other media-related services. At the

consumer end, the need to ‘record to disk’ your

favourite show will become a thing of the past.

PVRs won’t hold content locally, but in the cloud.

This benefi ts the broadcaster as they have more

control of the content recorded.

Plunkett: The use of IP transport and

communication opens the door to the

wider trends in the technology industry.

It will accelerate the use of software-

based infrastructure in many parts of the

broadcast chain and increase the use of

virtualisation and ‘the cloud’. Collectively,

these developments will change the broadcast

environments that we have known dramatically.

Rowe: The next major development is going

to be the general deployment of IP streaming

and IP routing for use in broadcast production

facilities. Some early systems exist today,

however, the technologies have changed

now to the point whereby much more effi cient

systems can be trialled that will lead the way into

the next generation of IP production facilities.

Schia: The area where IP is yet to make

major inroads is within facilities like studios

and campuses. There is still quite a bit of

resistance in those areas, driven by the

obvious cost of replacing existing, proven

baseband technology for new IP-based

technology. Rather surprisingly, there is some

discussion about adopting proprietary solutions

– for example, based on Ethernet, but history

has shown that industry standards ultimately

succeed, and in the domain of networks, the

industry standard is IP.

Simeon: I expect it will be a large shift towards

cloud-based operations including playout. We are

seeing components that will one day constitute not

just OTT playout facility in the cloud, but also entire

linear playout facilities that scale as channels and

demand ebb and fl ow.

Vermaele: The fundamental development will

be to adapt the current methodologies applied

in IP networking; such as unreasonable over-

provisioning or supposed QoS to cope with the

requirements of the media industry. We believe in

software defi ned networking, applied for media.

Weigner: Broadcast hardware is dead. IP means

commodity IT. The real benefi ts will be better

workfl ows with automatic metadata acquisition,

remote control and monitoring, and the ability to

run anything anywhere through the ‘cloud’.


IP Forum

What is the next developmentwhen it comes to IPtechnology for broadcasting?


Operators are not just distributors

anymore; they want to increase

customer satisfaction. It is clear that

analytics and viewing data are becoming very

important for operators who want to stand out

in a marketplace where competition is getting

fiercer and consumers have more choice than

ever before. Operators are beginning to develop

an appetite for granular data that provides

critical insights into how to satisfy their customers,

as well as being able to anticipate the needs

of their audiences, maximise opportunities for

upselling, assess which content is valuable and

optimise TV viewing data monetisation.

What our data has shown usThrough our partnership with Hvatski Telekom in

Croatia, we are currently measuring data from

300,000 households. By processing this data,

we’ve been able to identify a number of trends

that show how big data is changing the way

that audience measurement can help pay-TV

operators, broadcasters and media buyers.

Live TV is still importantOne trend we have spotted is that for big TV events,

such as sport, people still like to gather around the

TV set and watch live. We premiered our first live TV

ratings during the opening of the World Cup at NEM

in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Our audience measurement

of the Brazil versus Croatia game provided realtime

insight into audience engagement, revealing that

71 per cent of all Croatian households tuned into

HRT2 to watch the match at some point in the

evening. It was particularly interesting to see the

increasing numbers of people that tuned in when

Croatia scored a goal. Across the evening, the

game itself had an average household rating of

56 per cent and an average viewing share of 77

per cent, making it the most watched broadcast

that TVbeat has analysed in Croatia in the last two

years. Although TV viewing habits are changing due

to time-shift, multi-device and on demand, these

insights demonstrated that it is still important for

pay-TV operators to analyse linear TV, especially

for live events.

Many channels are still under-represented Another insight we gained is that many channels

in Eastern Europe are still under-represented

by current audience measurement systems.

For example, we learnt that over a two-week

period, one of the largest international channels

produced a ‘zero’ rating for 2,500 advertising

spots, according to existing measurement

currency. By contrast, our own data

demonstrated that the zero rating for the same

channel occurred less than a hundred times over

the same period. Zero ratings currently measured

on channels are not representative of the wider

picture of who is really watching. The samples

that current audience measurement systems

use are small, meaning that discrepancies can

be big and there’s a large margin for error,

especially for niche channels where viewers are

not truly represented. This is a problem for many

channels globally, not just in Eastern Europe.

It was interesting to read in UK media

publication The Drum recently that niche TV

channels are reconsidering current audience

measurement, and the challenges they bring.

Tim Kirkman, chief operating officer of London

Live, the local news and entertainment channel

for England’s capital city, explained the struggle

that the channel has been facing with its

dependency on BARB ratings. “BARB is

a mechanism which is designed and works for

the five public service broadcasters,” he said.

“If you’re below the one per cent audience

share mark, you’re always struggling. All minority

or small TV stations have the same issues.

For a good night of TV, I need to get ten BARB

homes watching – I cannot. It’s not a

sustainable model.”

Realtime audience measurement

platforms ensure that niche channels know

their real audience viewing figures and

understand how they can optimise monetisation

with ad revenues.

Pay-TV operators are ready for big data

Data Centre

56%

77%

12%

71%Percentage of households tuning into HRT2 for the Brazil vs Croatia World Cup game

Average household rating for Brazil vs Croatia

Average viewing share for Brazil vs Croatia

Average viewing driven by mobile, PC and tablet in Croatia

How big data is changing the way that audience measurement can help pay-TV operators, broadcasters and media buyers

Number of Croatian households measured by TVbeat = 300,000

Pay-TV operators are ready for big data that can help them understand how their consumers are really behaving, writes Laurence Miall–d’Août, CEO of TVbeat

“BARB is a mechanism which is designed and works for the five public service broadcasters.

If you’re below the one per cent audience share mark, you’re always struggling”

Tim Kirkman, London Live


A s people own and use more devices,

supplementary activities are growing at a

rapid rate (see chart 1). Research shows

that the biggest growth in second screening

between 2013 and 2014 has been on laptops

and netbooks, which has seen an increase of 18

percentage points, compared to smartphone

and tablet — growing at 16 and 15 percentage

points respectively.

But integrating watching TV with the activities

happening on other devices isn’t popular: only one

fifth (20 per cent) of respondents said they would

like the content viewed on another device to be

displayed on the TV screen. The same proportion

would like the websites for products, personalities

or adverts just shown on TV to appear on another

device automatically.

Staying connectedThat’s not to say people aren’t adapting quickly to

the smart TV environment. Six in ten (59 per cent) are

now using their main TV to access the internet via

a variety of means, with 16-34 year olds more likely

to do so at 78 per cent, and families also at 69 per

cent. Smart TV ownership continues to increase (see

chart 2 for penetration) with one in five (20 per cent)

now claiming to have a smart TV. However, it is the

need for a new TV rather than the smart features

that are driving choice, with 64 per cent citing this as

their main reason for purchase. There are still people

(15 per cent) who own a smart TV but do not take

advantage of the connected environment.

In today’s world, where consumers have more

control over when and how they choose to watch

TV, media consumption patterns evolve rapidly.

In particular, how people view catch up TV is

changing. In 2013, 64 per cent of people had a

PVR (Personal Video Recorder) or other catch up

service: in 2014 that figure had risen to three quarters

(76 per cent). The majority (86 per cent) agreed

that “it matters little or does not matter at all” if I miss

a programme that I wanted to watch.

Typically, the often ignored viewers aged 55

and older are heavy users of the new ways to

consume content. Since acquiring a DVR

(Digital Video Recorder)/PVR:

38 per cent of all respondents agree: “I am

more satisfied as I can choose what to watch at

a convenient time” (45 per cent of 55+)

37 per cent of all respondents agree “I am

watching fewer adverts” (45 per cent of 55+)

32 per cent of all respondents agree: “I am

watching more programmes that I enjoy”

(36 per cent of 55+)

The TV screen remains the main device for time

shifted viewing. Most (58 per cent) use it to watch

a pre-recorded programme and 46 per cent to

view a broadcaster’s free catch up service, but

more people are watching content via other

devices such as computers and tablets.

GfK predicts that smartphones will be the

most owned smart device, more so than TVs,

notebooks and tablets. While viewing TV content

on smartphones at present is not mainstream, this

increase in ownership, and our desire to catch up

on programmes wherever and whenever will mean

that more and more TV content will be viewed

on the small screen first, and broadcasters and

content makers need to be ready for that.

Second screening grows, viewing activity remains disconnected

Data Centre

GfK predicts that smartphones will be the most owned smart device – more so than

TVs, notebooks and tablets

New research from GfK, presented at the IBC conference, shows that while second screening is becoming commonplace with almost two thirds of viewers (64 per cent) using another device when watching TV, most people use the second screen for very separate activities. The way we are viewing content, however, continues to change as technology evolves, writes Christine Connor, research director at GfK

Chart 1: Second screening Chart 2: SmartTV ownership continues to grow

Chart 4: Smartphone and tablet value shareChart 3: Core internet devices

The Global Broadcast, AV and Pro Audio Resource Library

The free and easy way to stay informed

Publisher: Steve Connolly [email protected] +44 (0)207 354 6000

Sales: Ben Ewles [email protected]+44 (0)207 354 6000

Campaign Manager: Warren [email protected]+44 (0)207 354 6000

Why join NewBay Connect?Stay informed with the latest industry white papers, analysis, web seminars and case studies that affect your business and your career.

• Content created by industry leaders and technical specialists

• Free and immediate access, sign up and instantly download

• Save for reference and presentations

• Increase your knowledge base and productivity

• Weekly Connect newsletters tailored to your interest

• Access online anywhere and on any platform

• Range and depth of content continually expanded by the NewBay Connect editorial team

TVBEurope October 2014 digital edition

Documents

Transcript of TVBEurope October 2014 digital edition