tvte apri 2016

April 2016 I Issue 2 I Volume 34

Future-proof your

STORAGE

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

Buyers guide Affordable 4K

cameras

NABsneak-peek

Making the grade A new series of talks

with colourists

01 TVTE Apr16 Cover_final.indd 1 30/03/2016 15:59

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Full Page Template.indd 1 3/1/2016 10:54:29 AM

MANAGING storage

can be stressful. I know

because I’ve still got a

storage space in L.A.

fi lled with stu� I’m sure

is very important – but

apparently not important

enough to ship to my

home in London. I still can’t quite bring

myself to either take the hit on the shipping,

or cut my losses and sell it all o� . And I’m

sure the second I get rid of one old, unread

book, I’ll suddenly have a burning need for it.

Digital storage bestows upon us all the

opportunity – or curse – of never having

to make a decision about what to keep

and what to jettison. Digital storage is

infi nitely expandable and becoming ever

cheaper, particularly cloud storage. With this

embarrassment of riches, we fi nd ourselves

in the position of being able to hang on to

absolutely everything. The big questions

then are what to do with those assets, how

to manage them, how to future-proof the

storage we’ve chosen. This issue’s Storage

Focus o� ers insights and strategies on how

to take advantage of all the storage options

available in a new cloud-centric world.

There’s plenty more in this issue. We take

a look at the bleeding edge of acquisition,

Light Field Technology, and kick o�

‘Making The Grade’, a new regular feature

on colourists and their craft. And our NAB

Product Preview highlights some of the

gear that will be on display at the biggest

broadcast show of the year.

Neal Romanek, [email protected]

WHAT’S IN STORE?

BUYERS GUIDE: AFFORDABLE 4K CAMERASThe best 4K cameras for the budget-conscious shooter

WHAT IS THE REAL COST OF 4K?A new study claims that UHD TV sets will cost the US an additional $1 billion in energy consumption

32

STORAGE FOCUS: CHOOSING YOUR CLOUDRichard Welsh helps us shop for the best cloud storage solution

22

1436AUDIO CASE STUDYJünger Audio helps ABS in London stay “Loudness Legal”

38

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com 3 April 2016 TVTechnologyTVBE090316 NAB16.indd 1 09/03/2016 14:59:59

home in London. I still can’t quite bring

CONTENTS

NAB PREVIEWA look at the products coming up at the year’s biggest trade show

03 TVTE Apr16 Contents_final.indd 1 30/03/2016 16:00

www.tvtechnologyeurope.comTVTechnology April 2016 4

COMMENTARY

The overriding message to come out

of BVE 2016 was that the future of

IP in a broadcast infrastructure has

made good progress last autumn’s

IBC. Although a single set of standards are

still not agreed - there are different flavours

from different manufacturers - we’re seeing

IP standards and products moving in a more

consistent direction.

MOVE TO MIXED ESSENCE

At IBC2015 there was a lot of talk about IP

needing to be more than just video signals over

IP. Now there’s a definite shift towards mixed

essence over an IP infrastructure. Put simply,

mixed essence enables the isolation of individual

elements such as audio and metadata, meaning

they can be treated separately, so only what’s

needed gets moved. It’s a far more efficient way

to send media across a network as you don’t

have to push around a massive payload each

time.

The move to IP for baseband signals, not just

baseband video, is similar to the digital workflows

we saw emerge around ten years ago. It was not

enough to simply switch from tapes to files. The

smart companies analysed the potential benefits

of a file-based workflow, and adapted their

production workflows accordingly. This process is

exactly what’s needed with IP, and at BVE we saw

a lot of this positive movement.

STANDARDS DEFINITION

Interoperability between systems is critical.

While many companies have already directed

considerable investment in their own approach to

IP, this R&D doesn’t need to go to waste. Interfaces

can be developed to link into other technologies

and standards. This is why we’re seeing the

emergence of standards groups such as the Alliance

for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), established to bring

manufacturers together. For successful industry

adoption, it’s vital that bodies like AIMS ensure

what’s being delivered is what the customer actually

wants, as opposed to what vendors want to sell.

2016 is a crucial year for our industry and it

will be interesting to see whether a coherent

set of standards can be agreed. I expect to see

the results of this work more clearly displayed at

NAB in 2017. NAB, in both 2016 and 2017, is an

opportunity for manufacturers to demonstrate to

end users and systems integrators the value of

their work.

As a systems integrator, we want choice and

interoperability. We don’t want to be forced

down the route of some proprietary technology

because a manufacturer believes they know best.

The more coherent the policy and the standards,

the better for us, the better for our customers,

and the better for the industry as a whole.

AN EASIER TRANSITION

Going IP will make managing 4K and beyond

a lot easier. Right now, getting 4K delivery

down to a single interface instead of quad HD

infrastructure, is critical to its adoption. Few

broadcasters and content creators can afford

to invest in the huge routers and vision mixers

needed for 4K, when they’ll only use 25% of a

system’s capacity for their current HD operations.

Building the right system infrastructure to

meet these needs now and in the future is

crucial. For example, we actually held talks with

a customer recently about 8K because they

want to have a future-proofed infrastructure.

The only way of delivering media of that size

is over IP. Indeed, some see 4K as a temporary

format because once the standards are in

place to make 4K over IP work, 8K is a natural

progression. It could be argued that we’re now

at the stage where moving to IP is like the switch

from analogue to digital, and the move from 4K

to 8K is the equivalent of going SD to HD. Yes,

there will be complications and the inevitable

interoperability issues, but we’re going to see a

much easier transition with IP at the heart of this

transformation.

LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS

While there wasn’t much new in the way of

technology on show at BVE, it’s a great show

for networking. It’s also a gauge of the current

market feeling as we build towards new

product announcements at NAB in April.

There’s still considerable work to do to prepare

for the arrival of a full IP infrastructure and UHD,

but it’s reassuring to see the building blocks

being put in place, and the market mood far

more optimistic.

The formation of industry alliances to define

standards is a big step forward. These will help

ensure that systems integrators like ourselves

can build our customers the right, future-proofed

infrastructure, allowing them to benefit from

new production workflows that an IP

infrastructure brings. n

A brighter future for IP and UHD

“Going IP will make managing 4K and beyond a lot easier”

David Phillips, business development director, systems integration, at Gearhouse Broadcast looks back on this year’s BVE show in London and sees an industry ready to embrace change

04 TVTE Apr16_ Commentary_final.indd 2 30/03/2016 17:41

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com TVTechnology April 20165

I n January, the industry took a

giant leap when the LiveIP Project

performed a landmark remote

production of a live Belgian musical

concert using IP and open standards

throughout the production chain.

Overseen by the European Broadcasting

Union (EBU) and Belgian operator VRT,

with the support of several broadcast

technology partners, the LiveIP project

was first launched last year and is the

first proof of concept of a complete

multivendor live production chain that

relies exclusively on IP.

The latest phase of the LiveIP project,

and the remote production of the

concert, was an extension of the LiveIP

full IP local studio set up in August 2015,

which in many ways paves the way for

broadcasters in the transition towards

IP. It also demonstrates the potential for

remote locations to become extensions

of the studio/campus set-up. The

project addresses many concerns cited

by broadcasters exploring the move to

IP, including performance, reliability,

deterministic network behaviour and

clean-switching.

EARLY STAGES

The IP evolution is still in its early

stages, but in a recent survey of leading

broadcasters conducted by Futuresource

Consulting on behalf of Nevion, 41 per

cent of global broadcasters said they

had already begun the transition to IP

and were preparing their business and

workflow for an all-IP future. According

to the survey, those broadcasters who

had not yet started to move to IP in live

production anticipated they would do so

in the next two years, with a complete

transition expected within the next

ten years.

Despite the encouraging research,

the main challenges for broadcasters

are around building an adequate

infrastructure that will allow them to

transition. However, common technical

reservations regarding the technology,

such as reliability, latency and

management, can be overcome with

the right, standards-based equipment

and software.

THE RIGHT ARCHITECTURE

As business needs evolve, the best

way forward is for broadcasters to

move to IP incrementally. The core

principles to consider include making

allowances for a period of co-existence

between baseband and IP, adhering to

recognised standards and ensuring that

the architecture is based on the use of

software defined networks.

To some broadcasters, the distributed

nature of IP networks appears to be very

different from the familiar centralised

architecture they are used to. However,

the architecture of modern, robust

networks is not that dissimilar to

baseband networks.

Based on a ‘leaf-spine’ set-up, the

equivalent of the central router in the

MCR is the ‘spine’: a set of standard

IP routers and the spine routers are

connected to ‘leaf ’ networks situated in

various locations. The ‘leaves’ consist of

standard IP routers combined with media

nodes that provide the bridge between

baseband technology and IP. Each leaf

is connected to multiple spine routers,

ensuring reliability and scalability, with

bi-directional links. The media nodes also

ensure signals are never disrupted and

the spine-leaf architecture scales easily,

meaning that in theory, there’s no limit

to the size of the network. The whole

network is controlled by management

software, making it an SDN in which

the routes between the sources and

destinations are set up dynamically to

guarantee the right level of deterministic

performance. As the network is IP based,

handing signals to other networks such

as remote production, telco networks

or other broadcasters, is a standard

IP feature. Any router in the network

can forward the packets to any other

connected network, even if the latter is

not SDN-based. As no specialist gateways

or bridges are needed to achieve this,

remote locations effectively become

extensions of the central studio/campus.

MANAGING THE SYSTEM

The key to efficient management of

the transition from baseband to IP is to

ensure that the migration of the network

is transparent. There is a growing need

for a media service management system

capable of handling baseband and IP

networks that presents a broadcast-

centric view of the network as a whole.

The journey to IP does not need to be

difficult. The route has been carefully

planned and projects like LiveIP will help

by addressing common challenges.n

IP stepping stonesNevion is a partner in the Live IP project, which has pioneered an all-IP workflow for live production. The company’s marketing director, Olivier Suard, says that the road to IP will require steady steps, but doesn’t need to be difficult

“The IP evolution is still in its early stages, but the transition to IP in the live production environment is underway”

COMMENTARY

05 TVTE Apr16_ Commentary_final.indd 2 30/03/2016 17:00

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SHARPSHOOTER

Where did you grow up?

A small village in Surrey, called Dormansland.

Where do you live today?

I live near Tetbury, in Gloucestershire.

Languages?

English and un poquito Espanol.

What education have you had? Special training

in camera work?

After leaving school I had no idea what I wanted

to do. After starting as a greenkeeper, I then

became a tree surgeon for five years, which

enabled me to get work in Australia. Whilst

travelling for work, I enjoyed scuba diving as a

hobby, and on a remote island called Koh Tao in

Thailand, I first found my love of filmmaking.

I’ve always been an avid photographer and

little realised I could turn my hobby into a career,

until I started filming people completing their

PADI open water diving certificate. The resident

underwater cameraman, Wayne, gave me a

crash course on how to film, edit and deliver a

DVD to the students, all on the same day. I learnt

fast — it was the only way I could afford to stay

on this paradise island. Ever since then I’ve pretty

much taught my self. Then, ten years later, I was

awarded an 18 month bursary at the BBC Natural

History Unit. This was the golden ticket to work

closely with the best in the industry. I watched,

helped, asked questions — and now I teach too.

What was your first ever shooting job?

My first ever shooting job was to film the open

water students, but my first ever TV credit was for

a series I shot called Spanish Dive Adventures.

You specialise in wildlife shooting. In what way

does your mental approach differ from, say, a

news video cameraman?

When starting a wildlife sequence I spend a lot

of time researching and preparing to film the

creatures’ behaviour. In the field you have to

think like the animal, behave like the animal and

sometimes even smell like the animal. Being

smarter than your subject is not that easy,

especially when everything is against you - either

the weather is not on your side, the animals are

not behaving, or you’re just in the wrong location.

Whenever I tell anyone about my job they always

say I must have a lot of patience. True. In filming

wildlife you do need a lot of patience, but you

must also trust your instincts.

Current assignments. Where, doing what,

shooting for whom?

Lately, my career has taken quite a turn. I’ve

just started up my own company called Motion

Impossible. We make remote camera platforms.

I was one of the first in our industry to start

working with handheld gimbals and ever since

then I’ve been using the technology in many

different ways - on jibs, cable dollies and now

with our own remote camera platform called

BuggyCam, which we sell all around the world.

Our latest one is for filming virtual reality. In

the past, moving VR camera arrays has been

done mainly by drones, but they’ve never

moved very well nor remained stable from the

ground without someone in shot. So my latest

assignment was to be a DoP on a VR experience

for Universal Music and film five songs for a new

album of thrash metal band called Megadeth — a

different type of wildlife filmmaking!

The young man and the sea

This issue Barrie Smith talks with wildlife cameraman Rob Drewett, who has evolved a wild creation of his own: the BuggyCam mobile camera platform

BY BARRIE SMITH

“Producer Alex Lanchester and I were stalked by a grizzly bear for about an hour”

07 08 09 TVTE Apr16 Sharpshooter_final.indd 8 30/03/2016 16:08

Are you affected by weather conditions?

When you want sunshine, it rains and when you

want rain, it’s sunny. It’s called Sod’s law! We’re

very weather dependent. I once worked on a

BBC series called Wonders of the Monsoon.

In the couple of years we filmed it, there was

a drought, and we really struggled to get the

content of true monsoonal rains.

Do you travel much in Europe?

I recently filmed the mayfly sequences for the

new Brian Cox show Forces of Nature. We

travelled up and down the Tisza river in Hungary.

This was my first European job in a long time. I

do take many of my holidays to explore European

countries though.

What programmes have you shot for?

Mostly my work is out of the BBC. I’ve filmed

on Africa: Hidden Kingdoms, Planet Earth 2, Life

Story, Wonders of the Monsoon, Alaska, Forces

of Nature, Springwatch, Autumnwatch, and The

Dark.

Do you find some producers lack understanding

of your role and special needs?

Mainly inexperienced producers don’t understand

and always get you to film more than is needed.

Gearwise, do you travel heavy or light? Do you

work with an assistant or alone?

I’m afraid the days of wildlife camera assistants

are gone. Budgets just don’t allow it. That’s one

of the reasons all my gear is lightweight.

Current camera equipment you use?

RED Dragon, Arri Alexa or Sony FS7 for normal

filming and Phantom Flex 4K for high speed.

Is the DSLR style of camera workable in your

shooting style?

Maybe five years ago, but now there are a lot of

other options for that range of work.

What specialist camera gear do you use?

High speed cameras, cable dollies, gimbals,

Steadicam, Easyrigs, remote camera platforms,

vehicle mounts, long lenses. I use the MōVI

stabiliser too.

What can the MōVI system do that others, like

Steadicam, can’t do?

I’ve used the MōVI on a jib, hanging from a rope,

on a cable dolly and now on remote camera

platforms. So it can do a lot more!

What make and range are the lenses you use?

Mostly Canon, Nikon, Fujinon and Zeiss, ranging

from the most macro to the longest, like a Canon

50-1000mm.

In the field, is battery life a big issue?

Yes, and sometimes we use solar to recharge

the batteries, especially now as the technology is

becoming more intelligent.

Is 3D shooting difficult where you have little

control of subject distance?

My filmmaking is all about behaviour and filming

in 3D really limits that way of filming.

What useful piece of gear do you wish someone

might make?

A cheaper alternative to a Cineflex.

Is underwater work still in your repertoire?

It used to be, but I started getting bad ears whilst

doing lots of dives.

You have a fear of snakes. Has that affected

your ‘performance’?

I have filmed the largest snake in Africa

and for that sequence I was nominated for

a BAFTA.

What was that round-the-world power boat trip

(Earthrace) like?

The most amazing thing I have ever done. But I

would never do it again! Check out my website

to see more info on Earthrace.

What awards have you won?

RTS award, Jackson Hole Golden Panda, Guild of

Television Cameraman award and runner up for

two BAFTAs.

Best thing about your job?

I’m very lucky to experience places that most

SHARPSHOOTER


Drewett’s BuggyCam is a manoeuverable, high-speed camera platform for use on all terrains


people are not even allowed to go.

Worst thing about your job?

Spending so much time away from my family.

Hairiest/scariest assignment?

Working on a show called Alaska: Earth’s Frozen

Kingdom. The producer Alex Lanchester and I

were stalked by a grizzly bear for about an hour.

We wanted to film some caribou on the snow,

which was at the top of a large hillside. The walk

to the top was a lot harder than we first thought

and took a lot longer than expected, which took

us dangerously into predator hour. On the way

back down we literally bumped into a large female

grizzly. She was grubbing for berries and I’m sure

a bit of meat would have gone down nicely. She

was about 50 metres away when we saw her

and she was right on our direct route down the

hillside, so we had to reroute right through a

dense gorse forest. Our guide, who was waiting

by our trucks, was watching the grizzly through

his binoculars and told us that she was zig zagging

behind us and getting pretty close. In hindsight,

we were a little unprepared for that trip.

What country would you most like to shoot in?

New Zealand. This one has escaped me so far. n

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com April 2016 TVTechnology9

Drewett likes the MōVI camera stabiliser for hand-held work

CONTACTwebsites: www.robthecameraman.co.uk & www.motion-impossible.comEmail: [email protected]

“Sometimes we use solar to recharge the batteries, especially now as the technology is becoming more intelligent”


W ay back at IBC2014, Sony

launched the PXW-FS7 and had

a winner on its hands. Then last

year, at IBC2015, it launched the

PXW-FS5: a cheaper, smaller version of the FS7.

The FS5 offers 100Mbps Ultra HD (3840x2160)

for around £3,600 (+VAT, body only) with a Super

35 Exmor sensor using Sony XAVC (Long GoP)

compression recording.

On the FS5 website Sony urges you to: “Grab

and shoot with handheld Super 35”. Certainly the

first thing you notice about the FS5 is how small

and light it is. The camera body is only 830g. In

comparison, the new Canon C300 Mark II (body

only) is 1.7kg. Sony is deliberately aiming this

camera at the run and gun shooter. But drone

and gimbal users will find its light weight a bonus.

With the 18-105mm lens Sony provided for the

review, the camera was evenly balanced. The

body has a rounded bottom that nicely tucks

into your chest. The rotatable side grip handle is

nicely moulded and easy to adjust with a thumb-

operated release. The grip comes with three

assignable buttons and an assignable dial, joystick

and record button. But what is clever is the

function button on the handgrip, when used with

the joystick it gives you full control of iris, ISO,

shutter, AE shift, ND filter value, white balance

and focus. Your right thumb can now control all

the essential functions of the camera.

The top handle is firmly attached to the body

using two screws. On the base of the handle is

an electronic interface connecting the camera to

a zoom controller, record button and a single XLR

socket. The second XLR socket for input one is

located at the back on the camera body, so if you

want to work pared down without the handle you

can still plug in a microphone. If you do remove

the handle there is a protective cap to reduce the

risk of damage to the exposed electronics.

ASSIGNABLE FUNCTIONS

There are six assignable buttons on the camera

with 32 functions to choose from, including

smartphone connect, streaming and FTP transfer.

Sony is betting you need to connect and upload

your pictures at, well, the press of a button.

I liked the assignable dial on the grip.

Even though the movement is stepped, the

adjustments seemed very smooth. You can assign

focus or exposure controls to the dial. I’m not

sure I would use it for focus as I’d prefer to have

a second point of contact (ie, my hand on the

lens) to add extra stability.

Some auto focuses I’ve seen seem to hunt

around like a demented squirrel. The FS5’s

autofocus felt slow but in a good, thoughtful

way. If you stay in autofocus you get to use face

detection. I know some people still think it is a

gimmick, but I’m a big fan especially when the

talent insists on a walking piece to camera. If the

camera detects more than one face in the frame

a double orange box appears around what it

thinks is the primary face and a single orange box

ACQUISITION - USER REVIEW

Sony’s FS5 offers Super 35 on the run The Sony PXW-FS5 is an ideal for camera for 4K run and gun

shooting. Christina Fox runs it through its paces

“Your right thumb can now control all the essential functions of the camera.”


The rotatable side grip handle is nicely moulded and easy to adjust with a thumb-operated release

10 11 12 TVTE Aquisition Sony_final.indd 8 30/03/2016 16:08

around the secondary faces. Using the selection

dial you can select who is the primary face.

It was a bit of a surprise to find that the LCD

screen really is an LCD screen and not OLED.

That said, it was a decent enough size (8.8cm)

and can be positioned at varying angles around

four rotation points, making positioning it very

precise. The LCD screen feels flimsy compared to

the camera body, which feels robust. The screen

will need to be removed or have protection when

in transit as it doesn’t have a protective parking

place on the camera (although it can be fixed

in several places). It is also (like all LCD screens)

difficult to use in bright sunlight so I would

recommend you buy a sunshade. If you don’t,

you’ll need to use the eyepiece, but don’t forget

to attach the large eyecup to keep out the light.

I like to use peaking to help me with focusing,

but found the peaking to be poorly executed on

this camera. I could see it on wide shots but it

would often not appear at all in close-up. I tried

turning it from middle to high, but that didn’t

help. You may find it more useful to use the

magnification option to check focus. But if you

record with the screen magnification on, you

aren’t getting a close up, so be sure you turn it off

to see the correctly framed shot. I found the Push

Auto focus button useful to help me with the

focus in bright sunlight.

The 1cm eyepiece was a bit small, but it is an

OLED and so a better, more contrasty option in

“The execution of the variable ND is something Sony should be proud of. I’m sure others will want to copy it”


The grip comes with three assignable buttons and an

assignable dial, joystick and record button

Peaking (in red) should make it easy to focus, but it seemed to disappear on closer shots


bright sunlight. There is an option in the menu

(VF/LCD PANEL) that, when turned to LCD,

ensures the video is sent to the LCD screen

only. However set to AUTO it will automatically

turn off the LCD screen as you put your eye to

the eyepiece. Or, as I found out, when you put

the eyepiece to your chest when hand held. At

one point I looked at a blank LCD screen and

waited for what for what seemed like ages for the

camera to turn on, only to find it was on and I

was just standing too close to the eyepiece. The

option is there to try and extend the life of the

battery, but I found it very annoying, and as with

other cameras that have it, you should be able to

have both on and buy another battery.

VARIABLE ND

The FS5, like most pro cameras, has a neutral

density filter dial with four positions: Clear,

1/4ND, 1/16ND and 1/64 ND. However, you

can assign a different ND value to any of those

positions (except clear). This is an innovative

way of extending your ND filter capabilities. But

it gets better. There is also an option to select

Variable ND. You can then adjust the ND from

¼ to 1/128. The transition is very smooth. If your

reason for buying this camera is its shallow depth

of field this will be a killer feature. You can set

your aperture to the shallowest DoF and use the

variable ND for perfect exposure. The execution

of the variable ND is something Sony should be

proud of. I’m sure others will want to copy it.

The 18-105mm Sony E mount kit lens has a

constant aperture at f4 throughout the zoom.

The camera does have the option to use Sony’s

Clear Image Zoom - not your standard digital

zoom found on holiday camcorders. It is pretty

much undetectable as you move from optical to

digital zoom. It gives 2x magnification in HD and

1.5x in 4K. It is enough to help out a news camera

operator who can’t get close to the action – but

not so much that it degrades picture quality.

If you are considering this as a B roll camera,

note there is no time code in and out. Syncing

with another camera or audio requires a clapper.

The camera comes with the usual options

of 60Hz and 50Hz recording in HD so that you

should be able to make it backward compatible

with an older camera. I hate to say you can future

proof yourself with any camera, but, it does

offer 50p (60p) in HD and of course 4K/UHD

(24/25/30p) for when clients start to ask for it.

While HD recording formats are 4:2:2, UHD

at 100Mbps is 8-bit 4:2:0, which will put some

people off. It is worth noting that the SDI socket

can only output HD, but the HDMI output can do

4K. Also upgrades are in the pipeline, including

UHD Raw output.

The camera will record onto SD cards if you are

happy with AVCHD recording, but you will need

SDXC (U3) cards (around £42 +VAT for 64GB) if

you intend to use the camera at 100Mbps and for

Slow and Quick motion.

The FS5 can record eight-second bursts at 240

frames per second (or 16 seconds at 120fps) in

full HD XAVC 10-bit 4:2:2, so, if your project plays

at 24p, you can achieve 10x slow motion action.

The camera does offer S-log 2 and S-log 3

with a boast of 14 stops of dynamic range. But

according to Alister Chapman (DoP and Sony

certified expert) you really need to know what

you’re doing with your exposure as there is very

little latitude for error with 8-bit S-log. Using

S-log in HD is slightly less exacting as it will be

10-bit 4:2:2.

CONCLUSION

The FS7 is a popular camera and some will

think of the FS5 as a great B-roll option. But,

for those on a smaller budget, it would certainly

make a good A-roll camera for the run and

gun shooter.

If you have no money for grading then the

8-bit recording probably won’t concern you, but

I’d suggest you buy a good monitor (with its own

built-in peaking) to ensure those UHD images are

as pin sharp as possible. n


MULTI-INTERFACE A SHOE-IN FOR RADIO MICS

On top of the FS5’s camera handle is an accessory shoe, but this is not a cold shoe: there are electronic connectors. Sony calls it a Multi-Interface (MI) shoe and it’s available on many Sony cameras. I was loaned a wireless microphone: Sony’s UWP-D11 radio mic kit (from about £325 +VAT).

On the base of the radio mic receiver is a docking port that connects to Sony’s shoe mount adapter, which acts as a cradle and connects to the camera through the MI connector. The advantage of this is the receiver can now send audio direct to the camera and receive power from the camera.

If you don’t have a camera with a multi-interface shoe then you can still feed audio to the camera via an XLR cable.

The pocket transmitter comes with a lavalier microphone but this can be removed. In the menu you can swap from mic to line input.

The UWP-D11 was simple to set up. On the receiver you can choose Auto Set in the menu and it will scan for an unused channel. Once it has found one, it asks if you want to sync with the transmitter, then sets the frequency of the transmitter to match the receiver via infrared.

The receiver is a diversity system with two antennae and two independent receiver sections. There is also a headphone socket on the receiver, useful for checking the quality of the audio coming in.

As a partner to the FS5, the UWP-D11 is a good choice as you can make use of the MI shoe connector. But if you are looking for a new set of radio mics for non-MI cameras, this range, with its ease of set up, is still definitely worth a look.

ACQUISITION - USER REVIEW

“It would make a good A-roll camera for the run and gun shooter”

Grab and shoot: Sony’s new PXW-FS5 is small enough for

run and gun use


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ACQUISITION – BUYERS GUIDE

Almost every new camera coming out

this year is Ultra HD (3840x2160 -

16:9 aspect ratio) or 4K (4096x2160

- 17:9, and intended primarily for

cinema). Even if you only want to shoot HD, it is

probably worth considering the UHD/4K cameras,

as they often offer excellent HD pictures and

should still be of use if you need to shoot

UHD/4K in future.

Of course, not every camera is created equal.

There are a lot of trade-offs, particularly if you

want to save money. For the purposes of this

article, ‘affordable’ is anything less than about

£5,000: although usable 4K cameras can cost

as little as £360.

The key choices, from front to back, are:

lenses, sensors, formats, codecs, bitrates, inputs/

outputs and ergonomics.

Lenses: Cameras that come with a built-in

lens are generally less expensive (all in) than

ones that allow you to change lenses. One-piece

camcorders have the advantage that everything

(including lens control) is integrated, the lens and

sensor are probably well matched, and you won’t

get dust on the sensor. Interchangeable lenses

offer more creative possibilities, allow you to use

lenses you’ve already invested in, and give you

scope for growing your lens collection.

Canon EF mount, Micro Four-Thirds mount,

and Sony E or A mounts tend to offer the

cheapest lenses, while PL or B-4 mount lenses

are generally much more expensive - there are

lots of adaptors available.

Sensors: Usually, the bigger, the better - in

terms of quality, low-light capability, and shallow

depth of field (if that is the look you want). A

smaller sensor camera will be easier to focus,

as it gives greater depth of field, which may be

exactly what you want for unpredictable subjects.

Some sensors are native UHD or 4K, others

(particularly on stills cameras) may have even

more pixels - which can be an advantage in post

production, or can cause problems (such as poor

low light performance).

Formats: If you’re shooting a drama and want

a cinematic look, 24/25 frames per second will

be enough. For documentary, sport or reality,

50p would be better, and if you want to do slow-

motion action, then you’ll need higher frame

rates. Most of the cameras in this buyer’s guide

offer higher frame rates for HD than for UHD.

Codecs: All the cameras use some form of

compression, generally based on H.264, but

some also offer Raw output or recording, using

logarithmic gammas. These Log outputs will

look terrible (grey and flat), because they have to

be colour graded to get the most out of them

(which generally includes higher dynamic range),

so only use them if you are going to do proper

post production. 4:2:2 colour sampling is always

preferable to 4:2:0, as is 10-bit or even 12-bit

(higher specs are available, particularly for Raw).

Bitrates: Generally, the higher the bitrate

the better, but that takes up more space on

your (more expensive higher-spec) recording

media, and you’ll need a more powerful

computer to edit it.

I/O: Some cameras will record in Apple’s ProRes

or Avid’s DNx codecs, but many other cameras

can be used with an external recorder to add

these higher-quality, edit-ready codecs, either

via HDMI or SDI outputs. If you are going to use

the camera live, you will need one of these - and

usually genlock too (for use with other cameras).

For inputs, look for XLR for higher quality audio,

and LANC for using with an external controller.

Ergonomics: Very tiny cameras can be difficult

to hand hold (they’re just too light), but may be

perfect for remote mounting. DSLRs generally

also need some sort of rig to make them easier

to hold, while shoulder-mounted cameras tend to

be the most comfortable to hold for a long time.

Small cameras also tend to have fewest

buttons, forcing you to use the menu for even

simple changes - assignable buttons are always

welcome. Features like built-in neutral density

filters are also useful, particularly if you want to

open the lens wide for shallow depth of field

shots. Always try out a camera before you buy

it, like big fingers and small buttons, they will suit

some people better than others.

To get the most out of many of these cameras,

you’ll also need to budget for lenses (such as

Samyang’s EF-mount VDSLR Lens Kit 2 with

14mm, 35mm and 85mm lenses and case for

about £1,000), add-on electronic viewfinders

(about £750-£1,000), and external recorders/

monitors, such as the Ninja Assassin 4K for

HDMI cameras (£850) the Shogun for HDMI and

SDI cameras (about £1,300), or the Convergent

Design Odyssey7Q+ (about £1,700) - bear in

mind that the recorders are liable to be limited to

a maximum of 30p in 4K or UHD.

WHAT’S AVAILABLE:

There is lots of choice, and if you look for deals,

you can get a lot for your money. All prices here

include VAT and were the best available at larger

broadcast dealers at time of writing. n

Low budget cameras for a high-budget lookWith quality 4K cameras becoming more affordable, anyone can produce broadcast quality images, and broadcasters can make sure even B-roll footage is future-proofed for UHD. David Fox guides us through buying 4K on a budget

David Fox

14 15 16 18 TVTE Buyers Guide_4K_final.indd 18 30/03/2016 16:19


£1,000 - £2,000

Action time: The GoPro Hero4 Black is about the cheapest way into 4K

Remote possibilities: The compact new E1 from Z-Cam offers excellent smartphone control

Blackmagic’s small Micro Studio Camera 4K (£1,000) takes MFT lenses and is designed for live use (UHD 24/25/30p or HD 50/60p) via 6G-SDI (10-bit 4:2:2). It is the cheapest way in to studio production, especially when teamed with Blackmagic’s ATEM hardware.

Canon’s £1,450 XC10 records UHD 25/30p to an internal CFast 2.0 card at up to 305Mbps (XF-AVC). It has a 1-inch sensor, C-Log (11 stops), 10x zoom (manual zoom and focus rings), and optical and electronic image stabilisation. It’s small, but easy to operate and offers excellent HD quality - 8-bit 4:2:2 50Mbps 50/60p to an SD card.

UNDER £1,000

The new £800 Z-Cam E1 is the smallest 4K camera that takes interchangeable lenses (MFT mount). It is a good size and weight (210g) for use with a drone, and records 4K at 24p, UHD at 24/25/30p and HD at up to 50/60p, using H.264 to a micro SD card at up to 60Mpbs. It has Mini HDMI output, Bluetooth and WiFi, and comprehensive control via an iOS or Android app.

4K Z-CAM E1

If you don’t need the GoPro’s remote mounting options, there is the Panasonic HX-A500E (UHD 25p and HD 50p) wearable camera, with separate camera and recorder (attached via cable) for the same price.

Panasonic also has small consumer (UHD/25p HD/50p) camcorders with 20x zoom lenses that are nice to use and produce pretty good pictures (especially for HD with HDR at 50Mbps). The £600 HC-VX870 is probably the one to choose, but there are other models.

PANASONIC HX-A500

Sony’s compact £1,000 Cybershot DSC-RX10 II camera offers UHD/25p recording, a fixed Zeiss 24-200mm (35mm equivalent) f2.8 zoom lens, uses the 100Mbps XAVC-S codec and Slog-2 gamma, and would be useful for drone use or hand-held gimbal stabilisers. It uses a medium-size (1-inch type) sensor, with ND filters, but the lens could be sharper. Frame rate in HD is up to 100fps.

Cable guy: Panasonic’s HX-A500 costs only £360

Plugged up: Panasonic’s GH4 recording to an Atomos Shogun

CANON XC10 SONY CYBERSHOT DSC-RX10 IIBLACKMAGIC MICRO STUDIO CAMERA 4K

At £360, GoPro’s Hero4 Black (UHD24/25/30p, 2.7K 2704x1520 50p and 1080p120) is the industry standard action camera.

GOPRO HERO4 BLACK

For something more serious, there is the £900 (body only) Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 Micro Four Thirds camera, which offers a lot of capability for the money and is well built. It shoots 4K/24p and UHD 24/25p at 100Mbps, and HD/50p at 200Mbps. It has useful video functions like peaking and zebras. But if you want to do colour grading or match more expensive cinema cameras look at the GH4R, which includes V-Log L gamma and unlimited recording time (about £100 extra).

PANASONIC GH4 + SHOGUN




£3,000 - £4,000

Sony’s new £3,500 PXW-Z150 has a 1-inch sensor, 12x zoom lens, and a usable digital zoom (from the 20-megapixel sensor) claimed to enable enlarging the image to 18x in UHD or 24x in HD. It records UHD 24/25/30p at up to 100Mbps in XAVC (4:2:0) or HD at up to 100/120fps (10-bit 4:2:2) in XAVC or MPEG2 at up to 50Mbps, to two SDXC/SDHC card slots.

SONY PXW-Z150

Blackmagic’s £3,800 Ursa Mini 4.6K EF (and £4,250 Ursa Mini 4.6K PL) look like the Ursa Minis to buy, with an improved sensor offering up to 15 Stops dynamic range in Raw. The camera has just started shipping, but without its promised global shutter. Whether it lives up to its potential has yet to be seen. Look for a review in TV Tech Europe later this year.

BLACKMAGIC URSA MINI 4.6K EF

Panasonic’s £3,300 AG-DVX200 has a 4/3-inch sensor and fixed 13x zoom lens, recording 8-bit 4:2:2 internal (10-bit output via SDI and HDMI), offering 100Mbps 4K/24p, or 50/60p for UHD (150Mbps) and HD (200Mbps). It can go up to 120fps in HD. It is a stylish, versatile general-purpose camera, but not great in low light.

PANASONIC AG-DVX200

Simply red: Panasonic’s DVX200 with an Atomos Ninja Assassin recorder

Panasonic’s £1,700 HC-X1000 records 100Mbps UHD 50/60p to SD card, 4K/24p, HD 50/60p 200Mbps. Small sensor, 20x zoom, three manual lens rings, 3x ND filters, 2x XLR input, HDMI out, IR night mode.

Sony’s £1,700 entry-level XDCAM 10-bit 4:2:2 XAVC HD camcorder, the PXW-X70 requires a UHD upgrade (licence about £375) to record 8-bit 4:2:0 UHD 24/25/30p at 60Mbps (this may improve in future). It has 12x zoom, single focus/zoom control ring, ND filters, HDMI and SDI out, 2x XLRs in, 2x SD card slots, is highly configurable, lightweight but front heavy.

JVC’s £1,600 GY-HM170 (150Mbps UHD 24/25/30p + 4:2:2 50Mbps HD 50/60p) has a 12x zoom (no resolution loss 24x digital for HD) and two SD cards slots. Nice to use, highly configurable, but the lens is a bit soft when wide open. JVC’s £1,800 GY-HM200 is essentially the same, but with XLR audio handle, SDI output and live streaming (worth the extra £200).

Sound investment: JVC’s GY-HM200 gets a handle on XLR audio

Up to speed: The Panasonic HC-X1000

can do 4K 50/60p

PANASONIC HC-X1000

SONY XDCAM

JVC GY-HM170 & GY-HM200


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£4,000 - £5,000

AJA’s Cion camera is a lot of camera for the sort of deals seen recently (£4,700). It is a shoulder-mounted (ENG-style) model offering Apple ProRes 422 and 444 at up to 4K 50/60p (or outputs AJA Raw at up to 4K 120p), to SSD media. It has a global shutter, PL mount (MTF makes alternative mounts) and 4x SDI outputs (for Quad HD links), and all the professional features you could want: although you have to buy your own viewfinder.

AJA CION

Sony’s £4,000 PXW-Z100 handheld XDCAM camcorder has a 1/2.3-inch sensor, 20x zoom, recording 4K/UHD at 50/60p (up to 600Mbps, 10-bit 4:2:2) and HD 50/60p using XAVC to 2x (fairly expensive) XQD cards, with HDMI and SDI outputs and 2x XLR inputs. Very nice documentary-style camera, but not great in low light (as you’d expect from such a small sensor on what is one of the older 4K cameras).

Canon’s newly launched EOS-1D X Mark II full-frame sensor DSLR should cost under £5,000 when it’s available. It offers 4K video capture up to 60p (800Mbps), plus HD 120p (360Mbps), to a CFast 2.0 card, with very good low-light capabilities.

Sony’s full-featured PXW-FS7 4K XAVC XDCAM camcorder is available for less than £5,000, but only ex VAT (less than £6,000 including VAT), so if you have the budget, it should probably be on your list too. It can record Raw 4K/UHD to an external device at up to 60p or HD at up to 240fps. It has two internal XQD media slots recording up to UHD 50/60p or HD 150/180p in 10-bit 4:2:2 XAVC.

SONY PXW-FS7

CANON EOS-1D X MARK II SONY PXW-Z100

Sony’s £4,500 PXW-FS5 Super 35 sensor camera takes E-mount lenses and records 100Mbps UHD 24/25/30p (4:2:0) and HD 50/60p (10-bit 4:2:2) XAVC, as well as eight or 16 seconds cache record of 240 or 120fps in HD, to SD cards. One of the neatest features is its electronic variable ND filter (very useful for shallow depth of field shots). It can also crop to Super 16 mode for 2K shots, and has a nice, rotatable handgrip. See Christina Fox’s review on page 10 of this issue.

SONY PXW-FS5


I nstead of recording a flat picture, what

if we could capture all the light falling on

the camera?

And if we could do that, could we then

generate a perspective from any position? And

possibly even display it as a three-dimensional

holograph?

That’s the theory behind light field

imaging, which has potentially revolutionary

consequences for visual storytelling. Recent

advances in processing power and sensor

technology have made the technology

appealing to electronics giants like Microsoft

and august cinema engineering bodies

like SMPTE.

A light field – a concept originally proposed in

1846 by Michael Faraday – is defined by the

number of light rays within a given area. It is

technically five-dimensional: three spatial (x, y,

z), plus two angular dimensions describing the

direction of the ray.

To capture a light field you typically either

array cameras which will simultaneous record

different angles of the same scene, or place a

micro-lens in front of conventional optics

to funnel information (about intensity,

direction, colour).

POST PRODUCTION POSSIBILITIES

At present, there is no way of post-producing

the sheer volume of data produced, or of

displaying it, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t

useful applications for the technology around

the corner.

Researchers at German institute Fraunhofer

IIS, for example, have developed a system

comprising 16 HD cameras arranged in a 4x4

grid. Last September, it released a plug-in for

Nuke as an aid to processing the data and shot

a short film, Coming Home, with Stuttgart Media

University, which showcased the technique’s

capabilities for live action filming. The plug-

in can be downloaded from the Fraunhofer

website (www.iis.fraunhofer.de/lightfield)

The chief advantage, Fraunhofer contends,

is that light field imaging will offer a more cost

effective way to produce film and TV.

“On-location retakes are time-consuming

and expensive,” says Frederik Zilly, head of

Fraunhofer’s Computational Imaging

group. “What if the focus was incorrectly

set during shooting or the perspective has

to be changed? The use of multicamera

systems opens the door to a world of new

post production possibilities.”

Among the possibilities are dolly-zooms,

vertigo and Matrix camera tricks which could

be rendered out of existing material in the

cutting room. “Expensive effects, previously the

preserve of cinema, can be brought to TV with

light-field recording,” Zilly says.

NEW REALITY FOR CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Also known as computational cinematography,

the idea is anathema to most cinematographers.

If all the important camera parameters, such

as position, viewing angle, depth of field,

aperture and exposure, can be determined in

post there are big questions about where this

leaves the DP’s craft.

Light field imaging Object-oriented video

ACQUISITION – SPECIAL REPORT


“I think both the capture and playback of light fields will be the future of cinematic virtual reality.”

The Raytrix R29 3D lightfield colour camera has a light field

resolution of 29 Megarays (number of light rays

captured by the sensor). So far, Raytrix cameras

have been primarily used for industrial

applications.

Advances in audio technology have resulted in flexible, object-oriented sound. Could light field imaging usher in an era of object-oriented video? Adrian Pennington reports

The Lytro Illum’s 40 megaray light field sensor

19 20 TVTE Apr16_Aquisition_final.indd 8 30/03/2016 16:13

“Cinematographers will worry that light fields take

away one of their primary tools – composition –

because the viewer can move around the space,

and see things from different perspectives,” says

Ryan Damm, founder and light field systems

developer of Visby Camera. “On the other hand,

this opens up lots of new creative possibilities

and completely changes the creative toolkit.”

The main driver of interest in light field today

is its potential application in virtual reality. Most

current VR systems position multiple lenses in a

sphere then stitch the resulting images together.

Despite some tweaking in software this approach

arguably lacks the subtitles of parallax which

allow a VR viewer to have positional tracking

- to move their head side to side, forward and

back, look straight up or down without the

illusion breaking. In theory, light field-captured

360-degree video would create a more genuine

sense of presence and freedom of movement

for live video which is only possible today in CG

VR experiences.

“Cameras shooting 360-video can’t use

position tracking to synthesise a single

perspective,” says Damm. “That is VR video using

existing standards, rendered using game engines,

and that model won’t work.”

Lytro, Californian maker of the first consumer

light field still cameras, announced Lytro

Immerge last November and plans to launch it

at NAB. Immerge consists of a five-ring globe

that captures what Lytro calls “light-field volume”,

dedicated servers for storage and processing,

an editor for integrating data with NLEs and

compositors and a video playback engine.

“Everybody is talking about light fields and

nobody fully understands the potential yet,”

said Aaron Koblin, co-founder and CTO of VR

production outfit Vrse which helped develop

Immerge. “We’re just waiting for the moment

when we have the tools. I think both the capture

and playback of light fields will be the future of

cinematic virtual reality.”

VR headsets (Oculus, HTC Vive) and

augmented reality systems (Meta, Microsoft

Hololens - both in closed beta) are the only

means to display light fields at present. In the

pipeline are holographic screens, such as that in

development at Leia3D, with Samsung among

tech giants to have filed similar patents.

None of these displays is capable of showing

live action video, though that may change with

the release of Immerge. The bigger challenge is

creating a camera with enough fidelity that it may

be better termed a holographic video camera.

400 PETABYTES AN HOUR

“With a micro-lens approach you end up

with an effective resolution equal to the

number of micro lenses,” says Christian

Perwass, founder, Raytrix. “Even

with a 40 megapixel camera, with

20,000 micro-lenses you will only

end up with 20,000 pixels. The

higher the effective resolution, the

shallower your depth of field becomes

which means you can’t take

advantage of all the

different views.”

Raytrix, a German

company selling precision

measuring instruments for

industrial work, has effected a compromise by

deploying a micro-lens with three different focal

lengths. Based on a 42 megapixel sensor, its R42

camera offers an effective resolution of 10

megapixels at 7fps. Perwass believes existing light

field systems are limited by the laws of physics.

“They are workable with close-up subjects like a

face but if you want to extract depth information

for scenes 10-20 metres away you might as well

use standard stereo 3D cameras,” he says.

There is a third way, using traditional optics:

This is to film a scene with multiple arrays of

micro-lens imagers or with higher resolution

sensors; or ideally a combination of both. Phase

One released a 100MP stills camera in January,

Canon is developing one with 120MP and even

has a prototype 250MP chip. However, this only

shunts the problem down the line.

But exactly how much data does a hologram

require? Damm, presenting on the topic for

SMPTE at NAB, has done the math. A rough

approximation: for a two square metre surface,

you would need about 500 gigapixels of raw light

field data, taking up more than a terabyte. At 60

frames per second that’s about 400 petabytes per

hour. “That equals a whole lotta hard drives,” he

says. “People are cutting various corners to try to

make it work, but it’s a hard problem.”

Visby, Damm’s company, has a light field codec

in development but doesn’t plan on releasing

anything until next year, at the earliest.

“In the near term we are able to capture light

fields and collapse all the data down to non-three

dimensions for manipulation in post,” says Simon

Robinson, chief scientist at The Foundry.

“Imagine looking out of a window in your

home. Now imagine that as a holographic

picture. That is where we are headed in the

longer term.” n

x

ACQUISITION – SPECIAL REPORT

20 www.tvtechnologyeurope.comTVTechnology April 2016

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At Sundog we offer cloud Software-as-

a-Service for various post production

processes. Early on in building the

Sundog platform we made the

decision not to offer storage services. There are

many options for storing media in the cloud,

and we didn’t want to force a particular solution

or provider on our customers. This has meant

that we have built ways to work with a number

of methods of cloud storage and have seen a

variety of solutions. In this article, I will outline the

cloud storage approaches we have seen and the

practical implications of their use.

BEYOND PUBLIC-PRIVATE-HYBRID

Public and private and hybrid cloud are now

well understood concepts. What is interesting

is the recent rise of community cloud, which

is filling a gap in the marketplace for those

who want content-focussed cloud storage

but don’t want the complexity of operating a

private cloud. A number of providers of media-

centric storage have sprung up who offer a laser

focus on content applications and have a deep

understanding of production and post workflows.

These providers offer a cost-effective scalable

solution that gives an option to those not wishing

to move wholesale into public cloud. Many of

these providers also run hybrid models where you

can use hosted storage for regular work, and still

leverage public cloud at peak times.

The other area seeing growth is the ‘glue’

joining different cloud solutions. It’s not

uncommon to use multiple services in Google,

Microsoft and Amazon public clouds on a project

but store production data in managed service

clouds such as Sohonet or Base Media. In this

multi-cloud environment there are many ways

to join the dots. In the case of software services,

some are based in a particular cloud and require

connection to storage systems in that cloud.

Others are able to work with data from multiple

sources. We are seeing increasing sophistication

in the ability of SaaS applications to speak to

multiple clouds via multiple mechanisms. Many

software systems and managed storage providers

offer integration to familiar file transport systems

such as Aspera and Signiant.

£ $ €

It’s important you understand the basic financial

mechanics of the solution you’re choosing. Is

data movement (ingress and egress) a chargeable

part of the service? Different providers charge

for all, some or none of your data movement.

Another question you should ask is how does

better connectivity impact total cost of the

service? Public cloud typically offers some sort of

dedicated connection option but you may find

this attracts additional charges elsewhere from

your telecoms provision or hosted cloud services

connecting to the public cloud.

One of the most important elements to

understand is tiered access storage – block

versus object versus archive storage – what are

the combined volume and access costs (for

instance archive storage may appear to be more

cost-effective than block or object for the total

volume, but can quickly become costly if you

require frequent access).

So when does it make sense to use block

over object storage? Typically block storage is

required when running with a ssmall number

of processing end points. For instance, if you’re

running a real-time application such as colour

grading where you require high bandwidth to

a single server, block storage makes sense. If

you’re running highly scalable processing where

there are potentially many servers running in

parallel then object storage is faster because of

a high aggregate speed to multiple endpoints.

However, if using object storage, it’s important to

STORAGE – BUYER’S GUIDE

Get started with cloud storageYou’re going to migrate to the cloud sooner or later. Richard Welsh, former SMPTE governor and founder of Sundog Media Toolkit, offers tips on getting started

“Look to companies that offer flexibility in storage options, and the transport mechanisms for getting files in and out.”


“It’s important you understand the basic financial mechanics of the

solution you’re choosing”

22 23 TVTE Apr16 Storage Analysis_final.indd 8 30/03/2016 16:15

have the right tools for asset management. Block

storage presents an array of drives striped with a

file system, so this looks and behaves like a local

SAN/NAS volume - useful if you want to spin up

servers in the cloud to run the same software

that you use on local machines. Object storage is

entirely virtualised so files now become “objects”

with paths that look like network addresses.

Object storage has a high level of distribution and

redundancy across the infrastructure of the data

centre(s) in use. Those objects are reconstructed

by the storage controller to deliver files to the

sever requesting them. The software must be able

to understand those object paths in order to get

the files, process them and put them back into

object storage. It’s essential that your choice of

SaaS and asset management system can interpret

these objects and present them in a familiar

way. More advanced tools will be content aware,

interpreting content types, formats, metadata, and

allowing proxy views of the media.

SECURE STORAGE

The number one question about using cloud

services for media recently has been security.

The focus on security for cloud has resulted in

a plethora of options. Understanding these is

another important element in choosing storage.

There are two main areas of security to look at

here, encryption and access control.

Encryption at rest can be handled broadly

in two ways, server side and client side. Server

side means that the cloud control layer handles

encryption and decryption of content as it

enters and leaves the storage cloud. In public

cloud, server side encryption and key handling

is performed transparently to the client and

typically doesn’t add any significant processing

overhead and little or no additional cost. Client

side encryption means data is pre-encrypted

before transport and key management is the

responsibility of the client. The advantage is

complete control of keys and decryption points

is with the client, but the process is no longer

transparent and adds processing and operational

cost. The implementation very much depends

on other factors such as the use of encryption

at rest on local (non-cloud) storage and key

management and access control systems

already in place.

Typically, server side encryption is already used

and trusted by large corporations.

GETTING UP AND RUNNING

Cloud storage offers scale and flexibility whilst

moving from a capex to an opex model. As the

industry migrates elements of its operations to

cloud, we will see a high level of fragmented

services and hybrid workflows. So it’s essential to

analyse the applications you want to run in the

cloud, how to interface those various services

and especially how cost savings can be achieved.

Look to those companies that offer flexibility

in storage options and the transport mechanisms

for getting files in and out. This is just as

important as any financial benefit, because if

workflows become constricted your savings can

quickly evaporate. The initial learning curve for

cloud storage can be steep, but we have had

an overwhelmingly positive experience once

customers are up and running. If you’re thinking

about it, you should start to dip your toe in the

water now. Many providers offer free trials which

are perfect to experiment. Take advantage of that

and stay ahead of the curve! n


22 23 TVTE Apr16 Storage Analysis_final.indd 9 30/03/2016 16:15

Television viewers have an insatiable

appetite for nonlinear content. They

want to consume it when they want,

on any device. PVR solutions are a

popular way for IPTV, cable and OTT operators

to deliver nonlinear content, yet they are limited

to a single device type. Operators need a flexible,

scalable, and cost-effective method for delivery

high-quality nonlinear content in a multiscreen

environment.

Recent advancements in IP technologies have

emerged as a solution. IP networks now have

the capabilities of storing content and streaming

it on-demand to each end-user, allowing cloud

PVR applications. Instead of storing the recorded

content on a local drive, cloud PVR captures the

content in the heart of the network and streams

it as video-on-demand content, with all the trick

mode functions (e.g., pause, fast rewind, fast

forward) available. Additional applications such as

start-over, catch-up, and time-shifting TV can also

be supported with cloud PVR.

BENEFITS OF CLOUD-PVR VS LOCAL PVR

The cloud PVR approach offers a multitude of

benefits compared with the local PVR approach,

for both service operators and end-users. The

benefits are even bigger when shared copy

is allowed.

With cloud PVR solutions, end-users can

launch any number of recordings on various

channels simultaneously without any constraint

on the available bandwidth or number of tuners

on their reception device. The recorded content

can be viewed on all of a subscriber’s devices.

Moreover, the quantity of storage available is

not limited to the STB initially installed by the

operator. Storage can be increased, as needed.

Another advantage of cloud PVR solutions

for end-users is that the quality of the recorded

content is not limited by the constraints on the

network at the time of the recording. With local

PVR, if the network quality is not good at the time

of the recording, the content will be stored with a

low quality, whereas cloud PVR enables content

to be adapted to the conditions at the time of

the streaming. Ultimately, this leads to a superior

quality of experience (QoE) for end-users.

From a service operator standpoint, cloud PVR

solutions offer significant cost savings. Operators’

hard drive costs are reduced, since storage is only

added on an as needed basis. There is no need

to deploy PVR STBs with a monumental amount

of storage space that may not be used. Support

costs also go down with cloud PVR solutions, as

there are no disks in the STB, which can be a key

point of failure.

Operators that use a cloud PVR solution will

also see reduced churn. Since their customers

have recorded all their content in the operator

network, they are less willing to switch to a

new provider. In addition, cloud PVR solutions

open up new business models for operators,

allowing them to use storage space in the cloud

in various ways (e.g., global fee per month, price

per channel or bouquet, storage quotas, etc.) as

well as insert targeted advertising into the stream,

personalizing the end-user experience.

SCALABILITY

One of the most important features that an

operator should look for in a cloud PVR solution

is scalability. A cloud PVR solution must scale to

handle a growing number of recordable channels

(i.e., ingest capacity), new recording requests (i.e.,

recording and storage capacity), and an increase

in viewing requests (i.e., playback capacity).

From a scalability standpoint, operators will

want a cloud PVR solution that offers a high level

of flexibility to answer all the constraints of the

different cloud PVR use-cases and usage models,

including shared and private copy. This will

simplify capacity planning.

Using a cloud PVR solution for multiscreen

can require a huge amount of storage. Each

piece of recorded content must be available

in the various delivery formats (e.g., Apple HLS,

Microsoft Smooth Streaming, Adobe HDS, MPEG-

DASH) supported by the broad range of end-user

devices. Storing the same recording in all of

these different formats in advance is costly and

can become an obstacle for operators to rollout

cloud PVR.

Operators can overcome this challenge using

on-the-fly (OTF) packaging. With OTF packaging,

the recording is stored in only one format,

preferably protected with an AES fixed key (DRM

is not applicable), or in the clear in a format

usually named ‘pivot format’. In this case, content

is packaged in the right format and protected

via the DRM of the choice of the operator by

the origin server only when requested by an

end-user device.

REDUNDANCY

Redundancy management is an important point

for operators to consider when rolling out a

cloud PVR solution. However, redundancy in a

cloud PVR solution can be costly because all of

the recorded channels have to be ingested twice

in the origin server cluster when a 2N redundancy

scheme is used. This doubles the recording

capacity of the origin server cluster.

Employing an N+1 redundancy scheme,

operators can reduce the cost of the cloud PVR

solution. However, part of the recordings will be

lost during the time required to set up the live

channel on the redundant origin server in case of

failure. Operators will want a redundancy scheme

that doesn’t record the same live channels twice

and avoids loss of video data.

The best case scenario is to select a cloud

PVR solution that supports a 2N architecture

where a live channel is ingested by two origin

servers but actually recorded by the main

origin server. In case of failure of the main

origin server, the recording can be resumed

by the redundant one without any loss of

video data, ensuring the best possible QoE

for end-users without requiring doubling the

writing bandwidth and the storage capacity

of the system.

By using a highly scalable cloud PVR

solution that features best-in-class redundancy

management and OTF packaging capabilities,

operators can deliver a multiscreen service with

exceptional QoE at the best cost. With cloud

PVR solutions, operators have the flexibility to

deliver content over managed and unmanaged

networks, support traditional VoD or advanced

applications like catch-up TV on every screen,

and adjust storage, as needed, to increase end-

user engagement with their service and their

revenue streams. n

Cloud PVR: Optimising the multiscreen delivery of live TVNivedita Nouvel, VP marketing at Broadpeak, outlines the capabilities operators should look for when choosing a cloud PVR solution for multiscreen delivery

x

STORAGE - FEATURE


24 TVTE broadpeak feature_final.indd 8 30/03/2016 16:28

U HD is effectively four times the size of

HD. That means significantly greater

capacity is needed to store UHD

media. The shift to UHD production

also demands an increase in bandwidth and

therefore faster connections to enable the

same level of performance for editing, file

movement and media processing on and off

a storage system.

Although capacity and bandwidth requirements

are transforming performance requirements

needed with the move to UHD, the workflow

they support is remaining relatively unchanged.

HDR and the immersive audio can add to the

workflow, but for the most part there is little or

no action being taken to change editing and

production workflows, and so the transition to

UHD isn’t really changing the way that storage

gets used by those processes.

COMPRESSION CHOICES

As facilities begin working with UHD, they have an

array of new codecs, as well as older well-known

options, from which to choose. The specific

codecs they embrace will have a direct impact

on the capacity and bandwidth required of the

storage platform. With UHD file sizes being so

large, the differing requirements of these codecs

is an important consideration - higher bandwidth

requirements add up fast. In many cases,

a facility will settle on a mezzanine

compression format (lightly compressed)

that is visually indistinguishable from the

original uncompressed version.

Another consideration in UHD adoption is

how and where to store UHD assets. Should

the content be integrated with other assets on

existing storage? Or, should they be stored on a

dedicated new system. Either way, the ability to

expand in both capacity and bandwidth as UHD

becomes a greater part of the overall workflow

is an important factor to consider when deciding

on a storage solution. The latter approach is

made possible when using storage technologies

that offer non-disruptive scaling of storage.

Bandwidth and storage capacity can be added

while the system is still in use with no interruption

to service and no down time for users. As

workflow requirements evolve, this approach

creates efficiency and an easy way to provide the

new resources in the right place at the right time.

THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY

To be cost-effective, the UHD storage solution is

most likely to be built on hard-drive technology.

To get the required level of performance means

more disks and faster connectivity than for

HD assets. It is beneficial to have a greater

number of drives per rack unit along with higher

speed connectivity. This helps reduce space

requirements, complexity of installation and can

mitigate maintenance and power consumption.

UHD storage solutions will depend on 10GbE

or other high-speed connections. As editing

clients and workstations are upgraded to support

UHD, it is important that the right connectivity

technology link those workstations to storage.

GETTING DISKS TO SHINE

Where storage for UHD content can really shine

is in how consistently it provides direct access to

files, regardless of how much storage capacity is

in use. This is a performance characteristic that

makes a high quality shared storage system an

ideal solution for UHD production workflows.

Providing the performance of a Fibre Channel

Storage Area Network (SAN) and the simplicity

and scalability of Ethernet-based Network

Attached Storage (NAS), such a system can

ensure the user experience is always the same

no matter how large the system grows, or how

much storage capacity is consumed. Even when

multiple editors are working on large UHD files

simultaneously, the load on the system does not

translate to slowdowns. Likewise, because there

is no down time for scaling or drive rebuilds,

editors and other processes, like file transfer and

transcoding, enjoy continuous performance.

Many broadcasters are considering also how

their investment might boost other areas of

production and delivery. Storage technologies

have evolved to support an array of applications,

including the creation of digital libraries and the

consolidation of “islands” of storage onto a single

storage platform.

As with every other migration, a move to UHD

will demand efficient, cost-effective storage.

Demands for multiplatform delivery as well as for

UHD means new or expanded storage systems

will be required to support conventional linear

broadcast workflows, new UHD/4K workflows,

and workflows supporting delivery of content to

OTT and VOD services, as well as to CDNs. n

Building a home for your UHD contentAdopting UHD means an opportunity to rethink storage. Andy Warman, Harmonic’s director of production and playout strategy, gives tips on building a storage solution for UHD

STORAGE – BUYERS GUIDE


The UHD cinematic/offline workflow

25 TVTE Harmonic feature_final.indd 8 30/03/2016 16:30

Deluxe Digital Cinema EMEA has

carried out post-production on

some of the industry’s major

films of recent years, including

Frozen, the Harry Potter franchise and Avatar.

Relying on industry-leading graphics and

post production software, the company’s IT

infrastructure is at the heart of its success.

In addition to a natural need for greater

storage capacity (due to the resurgence in

3D as well as the advent of 4K resolution

imagery), Deluxe Digital, based in London,

needed a smaller array with higher storage

capacity to adequately archive films in its

space-challenged data centre. Its legacy

Oracle/STK L700 was aging, support contract

fees were becoming increasingly high and

Oracle’s future support plans for the L700

library were uncertain.

After researching the market, the Deluxe

Digital team selected Spectra Logic’s T950

tape library with LTO-5 drives to archive over

10TB of film footage every day.

The T950 is library is designed and built to

meet stringent requirements for data integrity,

data security and high reliability. At Deluxe

Digital, it is used to archive film projects from

14 European countries and to access data

from old LTO-3 tapes from the L700. The unit

can expand over time and will support future

projects as Deluxe Digital London creates

and ultimately archives more video material.

The T950 also reduces staff administration

significantly, affordably scales in throughput

and capacity, and supports multiple

generations of current and future

tape formats.

Meanwhile the LTO-5 drives offered

Deluxe Digital performance benefits. The

media cartridges were suited for the media

and entertainment industry because they

are optimally balanced for protecting

content for the long-term and have a

native capacity of 1.5TB (3TB with 2:1

compression). They have a native transfer

rate of up to 140Mbps (280Mbps in compressed

mode). The cartridge capability of the Deluxe

Digital solution allowed the company easy access

to archive and backup data on tape and a smooth

integration of new higher performance interface

standards. The system’s backward compatibility

ensures that data that was written up to five years

ago can easily interface with contemporary and

higher-density formats: a crucial feature in this

fast-moving industry.

In an active archive configuration, feature film

footage can be restored into Deluxe Digital’s

production environment for foreign versioning

and subtitling. Deluxe Digital’s Active Archive

environment allows data to be moved between

Deluxe Digital’s SGI disk-based arrays and the

T950 library using ASG’s Time Navigator software.

Footage is kept in the Active Archive format

for 12 months as standard before the tapes are

taken out of the archive and moved to secure

off-site storage.

“Feature film foreign versioning and subtitling

for theatrical distribution are key, specialised

services for Deluxe Digital London and have been

ever since the two concepts evolved. Spectra

Logic gives us the most cost effective, secure and

efficient means of safeguarding our clients’ digital

assets and ensuring they are readily available for

valuable versioning and subtitling projects. Being

based in Soho, London, floor space was also a

major factor in our decision to select Spectra

Logic, along with the T950’s massive density and

LTO-5 format.” n

STORAGE – CASE STUDY

Archiving the blockbustersWith a need for more storage, and not much space, Deluxe Digital Cinema EMEA looked to Spectra Logic for its new archive. Brian Grainger, Spectra Logic chief sales officer, tells us how they did it


Environment Snapshot• Spectra T950 tape library• Six LTO-5 fibre channel drives and 450 licenced slots• DVS DDN SAN• Active Archive environment

26 TVTEApr16 Storage Quantum_final.indd 8 30/03/2016 17:20

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STORAGE – INTERVIEW

How has easy access to the cloud shifted

Signiant’s service?

Initally our customers were the larger companies

in the media and entertainment space, the large

studios and post production houses. But what

we’ve done recently is make our software much

easier to deploy for smaller participants in the

industry by shifting to SaaS (Software as a Service)

products. The key benefit to those SaaS products

is there’s much less for the customer to manage

and deploy and worry about. They just get the

benefit of the software.

The next big trend in media is people moving as

much of their operations as possible to

an opex model as opposed to a capex model. And

obviously things like SaaS and cloud are

a part of that.

What processes will companies be migrating

to the cloud?

The big thing that we see shifting to cloud is

content aggregation and distribution because

of the elastic nature of bandwidth and storage.

This use case still has the same requirements as

moving media between facilities or within

a facility in that it needs to be fast and secure

and reliable.

It’s interesting how quickly things are

accelerating in this area. Almost everybody we talk

to says that management is pushing them to use

cloud first and only look at on-premises storage

when cloud isn’t practical economically or if there

are security concerns: although

those concerns are going away as people

get more comfortable.

Are you looking at companies beyond the

broadcast space?

Absolutely. We’re seeing everybody becoming a

video company as they start to use video more

and more. Especially with things like training and

marketing activities. And having a SaaS solution

that’s mainly cloud-based allows companies

without a lot of IT support to use our software.

And it’s not just small companies that are taking

advantage of us. It’s departments within larger

companies, where they don’t want to be as reliant

on IT. The IT departments are realising their role

is shifting too. They’re more about guiding users

to the right solutions. Instead of in the past where

they provided the full compliment of technologies.

I think the corporate video market is definitely

looking for solutions that are easy to use and

deploy and cloud lends itself to that. They can

really benefit from the SaaS approach.

Their requirements also tend to work well for

cloud workflows: say, if they’re creating advertising

or training content. The objective of that content

is to be widely distributed within the organisation,

and so in some instances the cloud infrastructure

is a better fit.

Dropbox was showing at the BVE

Show in London. People said

“What are you doing here?”

and they said, “We’re in this

space now.”

I think a lot of the things

Dropbox is good for now

are lighter weight assets.

Things like scripts and

low res proxies. But what

people find when they

try to use Dropbox for

broadcast quality video is

that is just doesn’t work. The

file sizes are too big and the

times it takes to move things are

too long.

We try to offer the ease of

use of Dropbox but with the

professional quality

and speed. But

they’re

definitely looking at this space. There’s no doubt

about that.

Are people expecting more commodity

IT solutions, rather than specialised

broadcast equipment?

I think people are much less willing to pay ten

times as much for a piece of hardware that is

theoretically media and entertainment specific

but in its core has the same processor

commodity IT has.

Companies used to have three networks. They

had their IT network for standard office activities,

they had their production network for moving

around files, and they had their SDI network for

video routing. Two of those networks were IP. The

final stage in all that is putting all that SDI traffic

over IP. When that happens, you can converge the

infrastructure. With software defined networking

capabilities, everything is just an IP port, regardless

of whether it’s file-based, live, or IP stuff.

What is Signiant working towards

in the future?

The key thing for us is to continue

building on the momentum of

moving to file-based workflows:

it’s hard to believe in 2016 that

there’s still a lot of physical

media around. And we want

to keep building on the

momentum of the move

from on premises storage

to cloud, which is where

most of the movement is now.

We want to make that easier

and easier and a better

experience for our

customers. n

Fast moverSigniant’s Media Shuttle product allows users to move big, media industry-size files anywhere at high speed. We interviewed CTO Ian Hamilton on how the cloud is changing how the industry works

“Almost everybody we talk to says that management is pushing them to use cloud first and only look at on-premises when cloud isn’t practical”

28 TVTE Apr16 Signiant Feature_final.indd 14 30/03/2016 17:10

E Even the language around captions and

subtitles is confusing. And perhaps that’s

the best place to start. In America, they

refer to the timed text that accompanies

video/audio as captions – specifically, open

captions or closed captions. Open Captions are

“burnt” into the encoded/distributed video picture.

Closed Captions are carried alongside, and the

display device controls the rendering of the text

over the image when selected by the user. And

‘subtitles’ refers only to foreign language text.

In Europe (and elsewhere) we tend to just use

‘subtitles’ to refer to all cases. For this article, it is

only subtitles, the European equivalent to Closed

Captions, that we will discuss.

WHY WE CARE

Aside from being ethically sound, in many

territories providing subtitles is a regulatory

obligation – as such, it is a business cost that

must be addressed with maximum efficiency.

When all or most content was delivered to

consumers by linear broadcast, the most

effective time to add subtitles was at playout –

before which all the subtitle data would exist in

a discrete workflow and data path. This posed

some challenges in terms of association of text

with video/audio but avoided the much larger

issues of media interoperability and file exchange.

However, when we start delivering content

through multiple platforms, it is not efficient

to have separate subtitle data paths for each

platform. We need to look at how to bring text,

video and audio together much earlier in the

production and content preparation process.

FORMATS

STL, SCC, PAC, RAC, CHK, SRT, SUB, 890, XIF,

CAP, TXT are some of the popular file formats for

authoring, editing and storing subtitles standalone

from the video and audio. Standards and

specifications exist for some, but there are many

proprietary implementations too, meaning that

converting archives of these files to something

interoperable often poses a hurdle. Tools exist

to handle these conversions, but it is important

to ensure those conversions can be easily

orchestrated and married to other operations to

maintain efficiency.

Although there are other alternatives,, the most

common carriage formats for subtitles are OP42

(Operational Practice as defined by Free TV

Australia) for SD and OP47/SMPTE RDD08 for

HD. These specifications describe the way in

which the text is actually written into the ancillary

data space (VBI or VANC) in file or stream form.

While there is opportunity for error in encoding/

decoding to and from these formats, this is a well

understood area and errors are relatively rare.

CARRIAGE MECHANISMS

Although by no means necessarily the same

thing, the carriage mechanism and media

file format are very much related. By carriage

mechanism, we are referring to the container

for the carriage format. For MXF files this will

commonly be an ST436 track – a track that

contains ancillary data according to the SMPTE

ST436 specification. However there are many

other frequently used containers such as MPEG-

2 user data space, ‘in-vision’ space in IMX (tall

MPEG) or VAUX in DV. Some vendors created

proprietary side-car files to contain ancillary data

while some proprietary codecs (such as ProRes)

have specific containers for captions. Regional

application specifications such as AS-11 UK DPP in

the UK and the ARD-ZDF MXF profiles in Germany

should go some way to constrain options and

aid interoperability, but limited vendor support

along with variations in the implementation

of those specifications can still cause issues.

Understanding the carriage mechanisms and

different media file formats is especially important

when dealing with legacy files with embedded

subtitle data and/or files arriving from third party

sources. Whether you are looking to extract

the subtitles from these files for reference or

manipulation, or converting them to a mezzanine

format, knowing what subtitles are in the source

files and where they are is the difference between

success and a potentially untestable workflow.

PIVOT FORMATS

As with any ‘many in, many out’ scenario, the

test matrix, and chance of error, can be greatly

reduced by using a mezzanine or ‘pivot’ format

at the centre of your workflow – converting

only to that format on the way in and only from

that format on the way out. The best format to

choose will depend on your workflows – if you’re

significantly manipulating or editing subtitles

then an STL or TTML file might be preferable, in

repurposing and delivery workflows, a standalone

(reference) ST436 MXF file could speed up

transformations for delivery – but generally

something tightly defined, specified and/or

standardised will be advantageous.

As stated at the beginning of this article, even

the language around captions and subtitles is

confusing and there are possibly terms and

acronyms used here that are unfamiliar or

different from those you may have used. The

most important factor in any conversation around

subtitles to define a vocabulary from the start and

minimise confusion. n

Finding the right wordsBen Davenport, director of marketing at Dalet, takes a look at the challenges in subtitling for a multiscreen world

MULTISCREEN - FEATURE


29 TVTE Dalet Feature_final.indd 8 30/03/2016 16:54

www.tvtechnologyeurope.comx www.tvtechnologyeurope.comTVTechnology April 2016 30

It’s been a turbulent few years for

broadcasters. The rush of viewers online

has been so frantic that there has been a

growing fear amongst broadcasters that they

will be left behind.

But now things are getting back into

perspective. Broadcasters have discovered that

they’ve held an ace card all along: live TV.

Event television has generated viewer demand

for live services in the online domain. Sporting

events are obviously big drivers of simultaneous

audience engagement, but Saturday night is also

a case in point: a quick look at Twitter during

these periods will demonstrate how much

viewers like the idea of everyone watching the

same thing at the same time.

Broadcasters have added live streaming across

their online platforms and, in doing so, they’ve

discovered that live channels online are very

popular: especially for live events, such as a major

sporting tournaments where key fixtures are

played out during the day, when the viewer often

doesn’t have access to a television.

OPPORTUNITY TO MONETISE

We have seen that viewers will watch a typical

live programme from start to finish, a streaming

session that may last for more than an hour. This

makes inserting pre-roll ads very inefficient in

terms of ads watched per content hour. Indeed,

it also represents a fraction of what would be

expected by broadcast television. Pre-roll is also

incredibly frustrating to users.

In some territories, broadcasters are credited

in their ratings for online views of the broadcast

ad breaks, but streaming video tends to be a

personal experience for the viewer. If they are

watching on a mobile or tablet, for example, they

have a one-on-one relationship with the screen,

as opposed to the traditional TV that counts

whoever is in the living room as its audience. As

a result, there’s a huge opportunity to be able

to cater content, including advertising, to the

individual, which can be sold by broadcasters at a

premium. The most obvious approach to achieve

this was to apply client-side ad insertion, as used

already on their VoD services. But this approach

has drawbacks, including:

• Heavy demands on the player leading to

stream inconsistency

• Added buffering while each advert loads

• One bad video asset can break the stream

• Software must be developed and maintained

for each platform/device

With many such annoyances directly affecting

the viewing experience, it shouldn’t be a surprise

that users have been reaching for the ad blockers.

Broadcasters, faced with the ongoing cost of

maintaining multiple platforms, and potential

brand damage for a poor user experience, have

rightly been put off.

A BETTER WAY

Server-side offers the best user experience

because it isn’t reliant on heavy lifting by

the player. The viewer is delivered a single,

continuous stream, regardless of platform/device,

that is free from the tell-tale buffering that betrays

the client-side approach.

For commercial broadcasters, a commitment

to a linear streaming strategy also means a

commitment to server-side ad insertion. That

means integrating an ad technology provider

with their streaming workflow in order to create a

user experience in which ad insertions are frame-

accurate, seamless, and placed in a section of the

stream where viewers expect adverts to be.

Channel 4 was the first UK broadcaster to offer

a full catch-up TV service. The 4OD platform has

been relaunched as All4 and now includes live

streaming with ad replacement. Having collected

user data, such as age and gender, at the point

of registration for over ten years, the insight it has

into its audience places it in an enviable position.

Other broadcasters have since realised the value

in owning first-party data.

Despite the plethora of shows now available

on catch-up, there is considerable evidence to

suggest that there is a demand for a ‘lean-back’

viewing experience. This has an interesting

effect on how many ads are watched through.

Yospace customers consistently report watch-

through rates of over 98 per cent in their live

streams, not just for sporting events, but linear

television also.

The impact of server-side ad insertion

on digital revenues has been so great in live

streaming that broadcasters are starting to

replace existing VOD solutions, too. The key

workflow integrations are already in place so it’s a

straightforward step.

It’s clear now that the concept of live TV is

here to stay and that server-side ad insertion will

become the standard, if it isn’t already. n

Live ad insertion: killer app for broadcasters?VoD services have had traditional broadcasters on the defensive, but can sophisticated ad insertion get linear viewing back on top? Paul Davies, communications manager at Yospace, gives his take

MULTISCREEN – COMMENTARY

30 TVTE Apr16 Perception_final.indd 8 30/03/2016 16:55

What is the Natural Resources

Defense Council?

NRDC is a California-based environmental NGO.

I am the Director of NRDC’s Center for Energy

Efficiency Standards. Our group works to reduce

the energy use of buildings and the equipment

inside them through voluntary programs,

such as energy labels, consumer education,

rebates or tax credits, bulk procurement, design

competitions, and mandatory policies at the

state or national level. As power plants are

often the largest source of CO2 emissions in

many countries, anything we can do to reduce

electricity use helps us prevent climate change.

One of the Center’s main areas of focus has

been consumer electronics. We did the first

ever comprehensive study on the energy use of

flat screen TVs back in 2005 (http://www.nrdc.

org/air/energy/energyeff/ftv.pdf) when little to

no information was publicly available on the

energy use of new digital TVs.

Our work served as an effective call to action

to the industry and policy makers to update the

test method for measuring TV on mode power

use so that it could be used for digital TVs.

The old method used static test bars, which

would not capture the energy used to process

and display moving digital content. We also

worked to add on mode power levels to the

ENERGY STAR labelling program and to require

energy use labels to be displayed on new TVs

and websites. We also helped promote rebate

programs for the more efficient models on the

market, and set minimum energy efficiency

standards for new TVs sold in California and

other jurisdictions. The California standards

paved the way for the labelling and MEPS set in

the European Union.

What prompted your look at UHD and its

impact on energy consumption?

We closely track industry trends and new

features with an eye towards the impact they

might have on energy use and operating costs.

One way we do this is to closely monitor

product introductions and communications

that emerge from CES, the annual Consumer

Electronics Show. In January 2015, the industry

was heavily promoting the latest TVs generically

referred to as Ultra High Definition or 4K TV.

Once again there was virtually no information

on the energy use of these new TVs. So we

hired an expert consulting firm, Ecos Research,

to do testing for us of a cross section of new

UHD TV models that were introduced in 2015.

We tested the energy use of UHD TVs playing

current content (high definition or HD) and

also 4K content. Then we tested the energy

use of the new emerging format called high

dynamic range (HDR), and also measured the

standby power use and resume times of internet

connected TVs, also called Smart TVs.

We also did some modelling on the potential

incremental energy use and carbon emissions

that would occur if the industry were to

transition to UHD TVs for all TVs over 36 inches.

One of the good environmental

developments that has come about is

the industry’s evolution from using linear

fluorescent lamps in the back of the TV to LED

backlights. The fluorescent lamps contained

mercury whereas LEDs do not.

Did this year’s CES raise any flags

about the energy impact of new

consumer technologies?

The industry is shifting its promotion and focus

from simply higher resolution to TVs that can

play back high dynamic range content. TVs

capable of displaying HDR content will use a lot

more energy as the images are brighter. The

CES show seemed to be an arms race as to

who had the TV with the brightest picture. This

has a real energy impact.

The limited testing we did with native HDR

content showed a 30% increase in power use

compared to the 4K version of the same movie.

As things are in their infancy, now is the time

for the industry to also focus on bringing down

the energy use of HDR-ready TVs. The first

step is to update the clips that are used during

testing. The current version is in HD and does

not contain HDR images, and as a result will

grossly under-report real world power use when

viewing HDR content.

The other trend at CES was simply how big

the TVs on display were. Throughout the huge

convention hall I was hard pressed to find TVs

less than 50 inches on display. And in general,

the bigger the TV the higher the energy use, all

things being equal.

In addition, it appears that HDR will be a

much more compelling feature for consumers

than straight up 4K TV. While 4K TV offers

greater resolution, the improved picture is only

slightly noticeable to most consumers and

requires one to be fairly close to the TV and for

the TV to be a really big one. HDR content on

the other hand is more of a ‘killer app’ which

SPECIAL REPORT

How much does UHD really cost?

“The CES show seemed to be an arms race as to who had the TV with the brightest picture. This has a real energy impact”


A report by the US-based Natural Resources Defense Council says UHD TVs could cost Americans an additional $1 billion a year in energy consumption: or close to an additional 8 Terrawatt hours. The report’s author, Noah Horowitz, talks to us about the hidden costs of 4K

32 33 TVTE Apr16 feature DPS Analysis_final.indd 8 30/03/2016 17:05

will drive new TV sales, as the pictures are

brighter and produce a wider, more vivid set

of colours.

What energy impact is being made

by other video technologies apart from TV?

Much of the equipment in the TV ecosystem,

including the TV and the pay-TV set-top box

will need to be capable of processing and

displaying the latest content, like 4K. As 4K

TV programming contains four times more

information than conventional HD, the files

will be larger and bigger pipes and processors

will be needed. As such, the data transfer

capabilities will need to be greater, meaning

more powerful servers and routers in the

future too.

This has an energy and environmental

impact that has not been quantified throughout

the system – from the Netflix server, to your

home, within your home, and inside your TV.

(For NRDC’s look at data centre efficiency, go

to: http://www.nrdc.org/energy/data-center-

efficiency-assessment.asp)

A few years ago, we did a report on cable and

satellite set top box energy use (http://www.

nrdc.org/energy/files/settopboxes.pdf).

One of the common themes with this

equipment is the unnecessarily high amounts

of power some of these devices use when they

are not in use. When we did our study, set

top boxes in the US consumed an alarming $3

billion per year in electricity use, with $2 billion

of that due to the power used when the devices

were turned off. Things are starting to get

better in the US as the industry is a lot

more focused on making their boxes more

energy efficient.

And once again, information on the set top

box energy use was not readily accessible

by consumers until we did our report and

successfully advocated for it to made public.

Without this information, consumers – and

many businesses - have no way of knowing

which is the superior model from an energy

efficiency and lower operating cost point of

view or alternately which is the energy hog that

they might want to avoid.

Download the full NRDC report at: http://www.

nrdc.org/energy/uhd-tv-energy-use.asp n

“The limited testing we did with native HDR content showed a 30% increase in power use compared to the 4K version of the same movie“


Preferred supplier of switches for Acuity, Carbonite, & CrossOver production switchers.

32 33 TVTE Apr16 feature DPS Analysis_final.indd 9 30/03/2016 17:05

How did you get started being a colourist?

I wanted to be an editor, but that wasn’t really

happening for me. So I went travelling, and I

got a call from a friend of mine who was an

assistant colourist at a company called Rushes.

He said he’d been made a full colourist, and

because I knew him and the head of the

department, they asked if I wanted take a role as

an assistant colourist. At that time I didn’t know

anything about colour grading – or telecine, as

it was known back then. It wasn’t something I

necessarily wanted to do, but from the moment

I put up a roll of film in the telecine gate I was

hooked. I worked my way up, then went to a

company called Red Post Production. I helped

set up a new grading division there with an old

Spirit telecine, and we started developing a bigger

client base. From there I went to One Post, then

finally came back to Rushes, where I was for the

past seven years. Then last year I left to set up the

grading team at Time Based Arts.

What is your set up at Time Based Arts?

We have two Da Vinci Resolve grading suites with

Dolby monitors. They’re both commercial grading

suites, but the second suite doubles as a film

grading suite. We have a 2K Christie projector and

projection screen, and we can swap over in the

room, so we can do both commercial grading

and long-form grading in that suite.

It’s obviously a very different process now from

when you started on that Spirit telecine.

It’s a totally different process. It was a more - for

lack of a better word - ‘organic’ process back

then. You would put the film on the gate, and

you wouldn’t have all the tools you have now.

With the old telecines and the panel that came

with them, you had maybe four or five windows,

and none of them would track. There was only

so much you could do. In a way you became

more creative working with those limitations. The

classic example is you would use Vaseline, or put

a ruler in the gate, to create a lighting effect.

But since the advent of digital intermediate,

you can track windows which isolate various

parts of the screen. And these shapes will track

through the shot, so if you have someone

moving through frame and you want to change

the colour of their face or make it brighter, you

can track that. Before, you had to incrementally

go through and create an event on each frame.

Then every time you put the film up, the film

would be in a slightly different place. It was a

bit of a nightmare. That one small change,

being able to use a trackable window, has

saved so much time.

But there was something quite magical about

working with those limitations and working

directly on film. Sometimes you kind of miss that.

It’s interesting that some people now are starting

to shoot film again.

When did you start using digital tools?

I was at Rushes at the time. We had two telecine

machines there: a C-Reality, made by Rank

Cintel, and a Spirit telecine, made by Philips

Thomson. The C-Reality went, and we bought

this new product made by Da Vinci, called

Resolve. We saw the benefits immediately in

terms of how much more colour correction

you could do, the tracking tools, and editing

tools as well. It became a complete tool. In a

few months, we phased out the Spirit and got

another Resolve.

MAKING THE GRADE

BlindingCOLOUR

Simone Grattarola discovered grading accidentally. In our first Making the Grade interview, the colourist of Peaky Blinders and the BBC’s adaptation of War and Peace talks about the evolution of the craft and how having the skill with the technology isn’t enough


Peaky Blinders: “A fresh approach”

34 35 TVTE Apr16 Making the grade_final.indd 8 30/03/2016 17:23

What kind of work did you do before you moved

on to long-form television?

Rushes was mainly a commercials grading

facility, as we are now at Time Based Arts. But

when you’re starting out as a junior colourist

you tend to work on prop promos and short

films. You cut your teeth doing those with

directors that you end up working with on

commercials. A lot of the people I started

working with years ago are doing long-form

TV or features or high-end commercials

now. That was one reason we put a projector

in at Time Based Arts: a lot of our directors

now do features.

Is long-form drama a very different process?

It becomes a lot more about storytelling.

Everything tends to be subtler. In a commercial

or music video, you have less time to create an

emotion - it’s one feeling that runs through it.

Doing a TV series involves a lot of preparation

– talking to the director and editor and the

DOP beforehand. We use a lot of references.

On commercials you don’t always get that

opportunity. You might only get to grade for a

day – or half a day - then you’re on to the next

job. Working on longer form, you can prepare

and bring in a lot of references.

What I enjoy is that it is a different skillset. You

keep watching things back and keep changing

them. Even physically when you step back from

a monitor, things can change. In Walter Murch’s

classic book In The Blink Of An Eye, he talks

about how he stands up when he’s editing. When

you’re grading, trying things like that helps, and

longer form projects allow you to do that.

You’ve just done the BBC adaptation of War and

Peace. How did it compare to Peaky Blinders?

Peaky Blinders was an interesting project because

the DOP, George Steel, was someone I knew

from grading commercials. When he landed

the job, he wanted to bring in someone with a

commercial background to create a commercial

look for that project. He didn’t want it to have the

“long form look”. He wanted a fresh approach.

We worked on tests before he went to shoot,

so we had quite a good idea of the look. And

after the project started, that look continued. It

got adapted as the series went on, but it was

a case where we hit on something early and it

carried through.

War and Peace was more involved - partly

because there’s a classic nature to it, whereas

in Peaky Blinders we had a blank canvas. At the

same time we wanted to do something that was

modern. It was a difficult balance. We did a lot of

tests and went through a lot of references.

But when we looked at it, it was too extrem - too

‘printerly’, like a painting. As it progressed, it didn’t

feel quite right. So we pared it back and there was

a lot of reworking and finessing. The producers

might not agree, because we spent more time

doing it, but it was creatively a really good thing

to step back and re-look at the work.

Kids entering the industry want to be colourists

rather than cinematographers or editors. What

advice do you have for people getting started?

When I started, it was like a dark art. No one who

came into post understood it or knew what it

was. Even I sort of stumbled into it. But now, a

company like Blackmagic has free versions of Da

Vinci Resolve that you can download, so a lot

more people know the toolset.

I’m constantly getting people contacting me,

saying “This is my reel. I’m a colorist.” My thing

with that is, if you have Final Cut at home and

can edit you might call yourself an editor, but in

our small community, in the commercials or film

world, you’re not.

Anyone who has these tools should try and

experiment with them, and should contact

people like myself. We’re always looking at

people’s work. But you still haven’t worked at

a company and understood what is expected

in terms of sitting down in front of clients and

delivering the best quality service. It’s very

different doing it at home than actually being in a

company with clients paying for what is perceived

as the best quality work they can get.

When I have people coming through, I do a

lot more schooling of them in terms of they’re

approach to work, how they deal with people,

how they manage their room and their session.

A lot of people have a good eye, but it’s about

understanding what a multitude of people

want, interpreting that and delivering it to them,

then giving them something more as well. That

becomes an art form in itself. With the people

that I’ve trained over the years, that’s always the

last piece of the jigsaw.

Emotional intelligence ends up being the most

important thing.

Yes. With grading there’s a hell of a lot of

preparation, especially on the long-form work

– looking at references, working with the DOP

on tests, creating look up tables. But when you

come to work on it, you have to free yourself

a little bit. You don’t want to constrain yourself

to what you’ve done before. Because you’re

emotionally engaged and you’ve done so much

preparation, it becomes intuitive. By the fourth

episode of War and Peace, we were in that mode

of working, but it took a long time to get there. n


“Because you’re emotionally engaged and you’ve done so much

preparation, it becomes intuitive.”

War and Peace: “We pared it back and there was a lot of

reworking and finessing”

34 35 TVTE Apr16 Making the grade_final.indd 9 30/03/2016 17:23


AUDIO – CASE STUDY

London-based Advanced Broadcast

Services is using Jünger Audio’s loudness

control technology to deliver a better

service to its international clients.

Established in 1989 by former BBC Broadcast

Engineer Sass Jahani, ABS manages the

transmission and technical requirements for

major TV channels around the world. The

company initially designed and implemented

bespoke broadcast installations, but with the

advent of the Sky Digital platform in the UK in

1998, it became a service provider and now

supports the needs of more than 50 channels

from its playout operations centre in Park Royal.

According to Mukund Patel, ABS head of

technology and engineering, monitoring all

incoming and outgoing services is a key part of

the company’s quality control strategy.

“Controlling audio loudness is now a legal

requirement in many countries around the

world and, as we broadcast TV channels on an

international basis, having a reliable loudness

management system in place is imperative,” he

explains. “Since making the decision to go with

Jünger Audio’s system we haven’t looked back.”

ABS first made contact with Jünger Audio in

2005 when an ABS customer complained about

an imbalance in the audio levels between his

station’s programme content and commercials.

“Someone we knew recommended the Jünger

Audio B42 leveller, so we bought one and it

solved the problem,” Patel says. “We just plugged

it in and it worked. We ended up buying quite a

few more B42s to help level our audio content.

Of course, the B42 doesn’t control loudness

so when that became an issue we went back

to Jünger Audio and started investing in the

company’s C8000 system.”

LEGALISING LOUDNESS

Jünger Audio’s modular C8000 solution

incorporates a suite of DSP and I/O interface

cards enabling it to integrate workflow for

managing surround sound and Dolby coded 5.1

audio signals in production, ingest and playout.

These include HD/SDI de-embedding/embedding

with VANC, Dolby E resynchronisation with

in-built video delay and Dolby Metadata

generation. All C8000 systems include Jünger

Audio’s Level Magic adaptive loudness algorithm,

which is based on a multi-loop dynamic range

control principle. This enables slow changes

(AGC), fast changes (transient processing)

and look ahead peak limiting to be handled

simultaneously.

“When we installed our first C8000 systems

we started putting two TV channels through

them,” Patel says. “They were so useful that

we invested in more. Now we are up to ten

channels. Because it is a modular system it is very

easy to expand as we go along. We just add more

cards, copy and paste the pre-sets for a particular

territory and off we go.

“Initial set up was just as easy. When we first

got a C8000, Jünger Audio helped us test it

and install the right pre-sets. Everything we

put through the C8000 is now compliant with

loudness legislation in all key territories including

the USA, and we don’t manually have to

adjust anything.”

GOING GLOBAL

Of course, not every country has Loudness

legislation in place and channels broadcasting to

those countries don’t need to playout through

a Jünger Audio system, but Patel thinks it won’t

be long before demand for Loudness control

laws reaches even these places, especially if

the content they are producing is destined for

international markets.

“If our customers want to broadcast to Europe

or the US, they have to comply with legislation,

or get fined,” Patel says. “We do provide loudness

logging and our reports are very comprehensive,

but provided the audio content is going through

the Jünger Audio system we can be confident

that there won’t be a loudness issue. The C8000

sits towards the end of the broadcast chain and

going through it is pretty much the last thing that

happens to the audio before transmission.”

ABS is now housed in the fourth iteration

of its playout facility. By combining traditional

broadcast practices with the latest technology

and innovative thinking, ABS has pioneered many

of today’s best practices in the multi-channel

playout and transmission environment.

Although ABS has no immediate plans to add

additional Jünger Audio C8000 units to its roster,

Mukund Patel is in no doubt that more will be

coming along eventually. n

Loudness: keeping it legalWhen ABS Broadcast needed a solution to manage loudness compliance for their customers, they looked to Jünger Audio

Mukund Patel

36 TVTE Apr16 Audio case study_final.indd 12 30/03/2016 17:25


NAB 2016Product PreviewNAB 2016 is never short of new product launches. Here are just a few of our technology picks that will be debuting in Las Vegas

The news on TVU

The new UHD-12G digital

routing switcher from Utah

Scientifi c enables distribution of

SDI video signals, from SD data

rates up to 2160P/60 data rates, in

a single-link interconnect. Good

for live acquisition of UHDTV

content, the UHD-12G simplifi es

installations, reduces the rack

space needed to process 4K

signals, and lowers opex.

Compliant with SMPTE ST

2081 and ST 2082 standards

for SDI video, the switcher is

compatible with Utah Scientifi c’s

line of products. The UHD-12G is

available in 32x32, 144x144, and

288x288 frame confi gurations and

comes with a ten-year warranty

and no-fee product support.

Utah Scientifi c’s new family of

IP gateway input and output cards

provide two-way conversion of

SDI video signals and SMPTE-

2022 signals over a 10G Ethernet

connection. The new cards

work with all UTAH-400 Series 2

enterprise routers and also plug

directly into a stand-alone 2RU

utility chassis.

TVU One, a live, mobile, IP

newsgathering transmitter

from TVU Networks, aims to

deliver the same transmission

performance, picture quality and

sub-second latency of a full-size

backpack transmitter in a smaller

and lighter form factor. It features

the company’s Inverse Statmux

Plus transmission algorithm,

Smart VBR technology and the

TVU.264 video codec. TVU One is

available with embedded modems

and can transmit simultaneously

over multiple mediums, including

cellular, microwave, MIMO

microwave mesh, Ka-band and

Ku-band satellite, BGAN, Wi-Fi

and Ethernet.

TVU Grid, an IP video

distribution, routing and switching

system, lets broadcasters switch

live IP video content and share

live streams between remote

locations.

The TVU Anywhere app turns

an iPhone or Android device into

a live video transmitter. It uses

a 3G/4G/LTE wireless connection

and Wi-Fi when available to

transmit live video to a TVU

receiver.

UTAH SCIENTIFIC TVU NETWORKS

Switching it up

MARKETPLACE - NAB PREVIEW

38 39 40 41 42 TVTE Apr16_NAB Preview_final.indd 2 30/03/2016 17:27


Easy switching fromBlack Box

The DKM FX matrix switching

system by Black Box provides

flexible and instantaneous

switching and extension of high-

definition video and peripheral

signals. Designed for easy

expansion, the system lets users

add connections and change

inputs/outputs as needs evolve. A

variety of interface cards including

digital/analog video, USB, audio

and serial are available for the

system.

Multiple video inputs

allow the DKM FX to

support DVI, HDMI,

DisplayPort, SDI, VGA

and other digital and analog

standards, and it can support 4K

video up to 60 fps with 10-bit

color over a single DisplayPort

cable.

All DKM components can be

centrally managed and updated

with the latest firmware, and Black

Box offers free 24/7 technical

support.

Setting store by storage

NetApp is featuring its E5600

Series storage systems with

dynamic disk pools that provide

consistent video bandwidth. The

resiliency scheme provides 50%

more bandwidth during rebuilds

than standard RAID. The data

rebuild time is 1/8 the time of

standard RAID.

StorageGRID Webscale is

NetApp’s next-generation solution

for multi-petabyte distributed

content repositories. It provides

erasure coding or automatic

file copies to remote locations

depending on the value of the

media and the needs of the

workflow. StorageGRID Webscale

features include self-healing data

protection and tiering to either

cloud or tape.

The NetApp clustered Data

ONTAP operating system running

on the company’s FAS8000 Series

of enterprise storage systems

improves video bandwidth and

provides always-on operation.

Data ONTAP enables data mobility

between private and public

clouds, and its disaster-recovery

software improves overall data-

management strategies.

WOWZA MEDIA SYSTEMS

LIVEU

BLACK BOX

NETAPP

The Wowza GoCoder software

development kit simplifies

mobile app offers a common,

cross-platform API to capture

and stream live video and audio,

with broad support for a range of

iOS and Android devices. It offers

connection to Wowza Streaming

Engine and Wowza Streaming

Cloud and provides control of

video and audio encoder settings,

including support for 4K video

resolution. Wowza GoCoder SDK

features multiple-camera support

and configurable network bitrate.

For iOS development, iOS

SDK 8.01 or later is required.

For debugging Xcode 7 or later.

Android development requires

Android SDK 4.4.2 or later.

Wowed by a new streaming SDK

LiveU is debuting Solo, a plug-

and-play live streaming,

bonded solution for the online

media market. LiveU Solo allows

users to live-stream into any web

streaming workflow by connecting

automatically to popular content

delivery networks such as YouTube

Live and Wowza Streaming Cloud.

Solo can be managed remotely via

a Web interface or smart device.

LiveU’s live acquisition,

management and distribution IP

solutions are also being exhibited.

These include the LU200 field unit

and LU200e video encoder.

LiveU debuts live web streaming




Integrating with Grass Valley

At NAB, Dejero is featuring

its interoperability with

video production and content

management systems. Dejero

and Grass Valley are collaborating

to incorporate functionality of

Dejero’s LIVE+ Control into Grass

Valley’s GV STRATUS platform,

giving operators the ability to

access, manage and assign

content from Dejero transmitters

within a single window.

With LIVE+ Multipoint, content

is simultaneously delivered to

multiple stations over standard

IP networks, retaining HD quality

with low latency. Operators can

fi lter, monitor and route the

content from a single source to

many destinations.

Zooming in on Zeiss

At this year’s NAB, Carl Zeiss

is highlighting its compact

Zeiss CZ.2 zoom lenses that off er

the versatility of a cine zoom

and feature an interchangeable

mount for use on many camera

systems. The

weather-

sealed

lenses are

designed

for full-

frame

coverage and are

optimized for digital

cameras.

The Zeiss CZ.2

zoom lenses are available

in 15-30mm, 28-80mm and

70-200mm and weigh between

5.5 and 6.2 pounds. They have

fl are suppression, a circular-

shaped iris and are color-matched

with all Zeiss prime lenses. The

Zeiss CZ.2 lenses have a calibrated

focus scale and there is no focus

shift over the entire zoom range.

CLEAR-COM

AMIMON

DEJERO

CARL ZEISS

Clear-Com is highlighting its

new DX410 two-channel

digital wireless system, operating

in the 2.4 GHz band. The system

features 7 kHz wideband audio,

two-wire and four-wire bridging,

and two-wire auto-nulling for

integration with Clear-Com or

TW-wired partyline systems.

With HelixNet 3.0 the HMS-4X

HelixNet Main Station provides

power and networked channels

of audio to support up to 20

digital beltpacks. The rugged,

ergonomically designed HBP-

2X HelixNet Beltpack enables

access to two of any four system

channels over a single cable.

Clear-Com’s fi ve-channel,

full-duplex FreeSpeak II digital

beltpack operates in the 2.4 GHz

frequency band and features up

to fi ve communication routes per

beltpack.

High wireless act

T The Connex Mini is Amimon’s

small zero-latency HD

wireless video link measuring

65.5x44.7x14.9 mm (2.5x1.7x.6

inches). It provides plug-and-fl y

HD video transmission at distances

up to 500 meters (1,600 ft.).

Connex Mini’s 5 GHz transmitter

has automatic channel selection

for connectivity that is free from

interference from unmanned

aerial vehicle controls and 2.4

GHz radio links. A multicasting

feature supports four screens

simultaneously.

For content protection, the unit

employs AES128 for the video

encryption and RSA1024 for key

exchange.

The Connex Mini kit includes all

antennas, cables and connectors

required for link setup. Amimon

also off ers a mobile app for

Windows and Android.

A mini with multicasting



Virtual playout gets real

Pixel Power is

demonstrating

its latest version

of StreamMaster

virtualised playout.

Built on the Clarity

3D graphics engine,

the modular

software platform is

designed to provide

facilities for anything from a pop-

up channel to a premium service,

running on dedicated hardware,

on a virtual machine or in the

cloud with new pricing models,

including pay-as-you-go for trial

channels and pop-up services.

The Pixel Factory Clarity 3D

graphics engine now can use

templates to generate large

numbers of clips such as promos,

trailers and other marketing

content. Creative editors set out

the templates and provide core

information for each campaign,

and Pixel Factory will generate all

the versions and resolutions for

each clip.

COMREX PIXEL POWER

The new Comrex VH2 provides

the capabilities of a two-line

digital hybrid and benefi ts of VoIP.

The unit has front-panel controls

and connects directly to several

VoIP PBXs.

Access fi rmware 4.0 includes

forward error correction and

CrossLock, a new feature that

provides added capability for

bonding to enable

multiple

networks to be

used at once.

Users also can

confi gure multiple networks for

redundancy mode, which provides

reliability on higher bandwidth

links.

With the introduction of

LiveShot fi rmware 1.4, LiveShots

can interact using a peer-to-peer

model, making it more effi cient to

confi gure LiveShot connections.

LiveShot delivers low-latency

video and audio over a range of IP

networks.

All access


Ikegami is debuting the UHK-430 4K camera.

Designed for use in the studio and field, it

features three 2/3-inch 4K CMOS sensors

with RGB prism optics. Equipped with the

new ASIC for low power and new digital

signal processing features, the camera attains

16-axis color correction from a 3D linear

matrix. It also enables iLog, the Ikegami log

transfer characteristic for HDR. The UHK-

430 is capable of 40G transmission using

standard SMPTE hybrid fiber/copper camera

cable, uncompressed 4:4:4 resolution RGB

transmission, with four HD channels from CCU

to camera, one HD trunk channel from camera

to CCU, and there are simultaneous 4K and 2K

outputs from the CCU.

Masstech Innovations is demonstrating

a version of the MassStore platform,

which now supports LTO-7-compliant storage

devices. MassStore for MAM has a unified Web

interface for finding, viewing and managing

both video and non-video assets. MassStore for

News lets users archive, retrieve and exchange

content directly from their NRCS interface.

Stories and media are moved between users,

systems and sites with a single drag-and-drop.

MassStore for Program & Spot Aggregation

is an integrated content aggregation solution

that automates the detection, processing,

movement and management of incoming

file-based content and metadata from media

delivery platforms and portals.

T he Share application for Volicon’s

Observer Media Intelligence Platform

helps broadcasters repurpose and deliver

timely content to viewers via new channels for

on-air broadcast or digital and social media

platforms. Share is available on-premise and

as a cloud service, providing instant browser-

based access to media captured by the

Observer platform. New enhancements to the

Share application include integration with the

As-Run Log to enable users without training on

video editing systems to remove ads quickly

and generate complete frame-accurate

long-form VOD assets.

Volicon’s Observer OTT is a solution for

logging and monitoring OTT services that

stream content to computers, tablets and

smartphones.

IKEGAMI

MASSTECH INNOVATIONS

VOLICON

New 4K pro camera

Giving viewers a Share

EDITORIAL CONTENT DIRECTOR James [email protected]

EDITOR Neal [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS Ann-Marie Corvin, Chris Forrester, Christina Fox, David Fox, Carolyn Giardina, Mark Hallinger, Heather McLean, Ian McMurray, Anne Morris, Adrian Pennington, Barrie Smith, Philip Stevens

NEWBAY MEDIA LLC CORPORATEPRESIDENT AND CEO Steve Palm

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Paul Mastronardi

CONTROLLER Jack Liedke

GROUP CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Denise Robbins

VICE PRESIDENT OF WEB DEVELOPMENT Joe Ferrick

TV Technology Europe ISSN 2053-6674 (Print) ISSN 2053-6682 (Online) is published four times annually by NewBay Media. ©2016 by NewBay Media. All rights reserved.

Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London, N18LN, England

Free subscriptions are available to professional broadcasting and audio visual equipment users. Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome for review – send to Neal Romanek at [email protected].

CONTACTS EDITORIAL +44 (0)207 354 6002 n SALES +44 (0)207 354 6000

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Managing content with Masstech


White papers, webinars, opinions, blogs, case studies, tutorials and more.

Content Director: James [email protected]+44 (0) 20 7354 6002

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