tvte october 2015

October 2015 I IBC Show Supplement

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com

IBC 2015 SPECIAL REPORTAcquisition

From 8K to drones

MarketplaceAudio, post, delivery & more

Best of ShowWinners revealed

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in the United States and other jurisdictions. Grass Valley and iTX are trademarks or registered trademarks of Grass Valley.

CONTENTS

Among the many acronym-heavy industry trends highlighted by IBC 2015, OTT (over the top) is probably the one that causes the

the rage, prompting broadcasters and other traditional televisual service providers to

The development of these services, and the technology and networks that underpin

a host of new personalised advertising applications: technology that melds

programme information and automatically injects relevant adverts into live and

Broadcasters are looking for ways to better monetise their audience’s thirst for

OTT continues to disrupt and gain popularity

Will StraussEditor

WHY GOING OVER THE TOP IS GETTING PERSONAL

TAKE THE HIGH ROADA rundown of the high-end camera technology that debuted at IBC.

TALKING SHOPFrom picture resolution to codec development there was plenty to discuss during the IBC conference.

16

THE CUTTING EDGEIn post production terms, IBC highlighted the move to NLE-agnostic shared storage and the increasing influence of HDR.

28

08

12DRONES AND MOREIBC was not just about broadcast cameras. There was lots of innovation for the indie filmmaker too.

THE RESULTS ARE INAfter much debate and deliberation, TV Technology Europe has chosen its IBC 2015 ‘Best of Show’ winners.

THE ROUTE TO IPWith the broadcast industry’s move to IP now in full swing, signal distribution really came to the fore at IBC.

38

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com 3 October 2015 TVTechnology

24

Every year at IBC there is an air of

anticipation about the next hot piece of

technology. Last year the focus was very

much on UHD 4K and the early stages of

high dynamic range (HDR), so this year we were

eager to see what progress has been made in the

development of better pictures.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed

8K at IBC again but for the first time with HDR

using BBC R&D’s hybrid log curve. I felt the HDR

pictures were an improvement, but the shadows

looked unrealistically bright.

This was no doubt deliberate so that the

football match they were showing could be

better enjoyed, but it begs the question can the

same approach work well when the programme

‘look’ is as important as the content? In my

opinion, this is fine for live sport but needs work

for features and drama.

NON-STANDARD STANDARDS

With my ear to the ground, I also heard that both

the BBC and NHK are calling for one standard

to be used for HDR. After what I saw at IBC, it’s

something I’m unsure about right now. Of the

four different proposals I’m aware of, they all

have strong and weak points. One standard for

broadcast and one for cinema and VOD seems

right to me, not unlike current audio standards.

While the BBC hybrid log curve is well

placed to serve broadcasters, Dolby Vision is a

strong contender for HDR in the cinema and

home entertainment markets. Dolby showed

a complete HDR workflow: from production

to post-production, including grading and

mastering and this was some of the most visually

compelling HDR at the show.

Digital Vision’s Thor accelerator card, that

runs noise reduction on UHD 4K in real-time, is

about 40 times faster than current CPU based

processing. AJA, BlackMagic Design, Rohde &

Schwarz and Nvidia were all showing upgrades

featuring UHD 4K too.

OPENING UP THE INDUSTRY

Away from UHD 4K and HDR, this year’s key

theme was collaboration and integration. You

couldn’t walk ten paces without seeing vendors’

signage boasting about their openness and

partnerships with other vendors.

As a manufacturer-agnostic facility, it’s music

to our ears. One of our development engineers,

Tim Nicholson, presented a paper at the EBU

stand on our use of open source. We spend a lot

of time and effort opening up our technology to

work with other applications so we can deliver

the right workflow to meet client needs. Seeing

and hearing manufacturers taking huge steps to

open up their APIs to competitors is a fantastic

move forward for our industry.

We’ve made significant investment this year in

asset management and storage solutions from

TMD, Levels Beyond and Pixit Media, and hearing

about their roadmaps and third-party integrations

was also very encouraging.

VIRTUAL REALITIES

No trip to IBC is complete without a visit to The

Future Zone. The Academy Color (sic) Encoding

System (ACES), a free, open, device-independent

colour management and image interchange

system from AMPAS was there but, for me, it was

really a showcase for Virtual Reality (VR). I entered

the VR world courtesy of Rewind FX. Their demo

had to be experienced to be believed.

The Oculus Rift VR headsets were available to

try out on their booth. They advocate polygon-

based real-time environment mapping and, I

believe, one day this will cross over with live

action. The experience was amazing. I flew the

Red Bull Air Challenge, and felt pretty queasy in

the tight turns. It is a totally immersive experience.

Balance and orientation are entirely visual and

I had the freedom to look down, around and up

without any glitches. VR is definitely a hot topic

that we’ll be keeping a close eye on.

So with IBC over for another year, what

learnings can we take away? Most compelling

for me was that everyone is building in workflow

management as the need to make everything

compatible without further R&D becomes ever

more important.

Partnerships are most definitely the way

forward but the big question for me is: who is in

the driving seat? Perhaps we’ll find out next year.

Kevin Shaw is technology and restoration lead for

BBC Studios & Post Production‘s Digital Media

Services.

COMMENTARY

www.tvtechnologyeurope.comTVTechnology October 2015 4

Back to (virtual) realityAway from Ultra HD and IP, the big theme of IBC was collaboration and openness. But it was virtual reality that really got the pulses racing, writes Kevin Shaw

You couldn’t walk ten paces without seeing vendors’ signage boasting about their openness and partnerships with other vendors.

Kevin Shaw, technology and restoration lead, BBC S&PP, Digital Media Services

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COMMENTARY

As the dust settles on another IBC,

what were the highlights of this year’s

show? The key themes were largely as

expected: ultra high definition (UHD),

IP, and the migration to software all featured

prominently both on the trade show floor and in

the conference sessions.

UHD certainly felt more tangible and both

interest and activity has moved on more quickly

than many expected from last year’s show.

There was a lot discussion about BT Sport’s

Ultra HD channel launch in the conference

sessions. The fact that such a channel has

gone on air, particularly one that carries some

of the most high profile sports content in Europe,

seems to have acted as a catalyst for many

other broadcasters to consider accelerating

their own plans.

There was also a lot of focus on high dynamic

range (HDR) and when it might be available, the

consensus being that it’s more desirable and less

complex to introduce than originally thought.

However, a lack of agreement on standards and

the unavailability of TV sets mean it won’t be

coming to living rooms for a little while yet.

IP FRIENDLY

It is fair to say that pretty much every major vendor

seemed to be showing off their new IP friendly

products. We are clearly in the midst of a significant

and long heralded transition away from SDI to IP,

but many challenges remain.

Proprietary implementations exist for those

looking to build systems today but what we

really need is broad industry collaboration to

drive highly interoperable IP products. Thankfully

there were some key announcements at the

show on this front.

The VSF/SMPTE/EBU Joint-Task Force on

Networked Media published its long awaited

Reference Architecture shortly before the event,

providing an architectural blueprint for next

generation IP broadcast facilities.

The Advanced Media Workflow Association

(AMWA) also announced its Networked Media

Incubator Project. This is potentially a significant

stepping stone to an IP-based broadcast industry

as it provides a practical vehicle for broadcasters,

vendors, service providers and others to come

together and test real world interoperability.

COME TOGETHER

Finally, the Digital Production Partnership (DPP),

well known in the UK for its work in guiding

the broadcast industry towards file-based

production, delivery and operation, announced

a series of important developments at IBC.

These included a collaboration with the North

American Broadcasters Association (NABA) on

a US equivalent of AS-11 DPP, an update on

their forthcoming UHD specification and new

partnerships with both AMWA and SMPTE.

It is really encouraging to see all of these

organizations coming together to work on the

strategic direction of our industry at such an

important and active period of change. We at

Ericsson are active members of all of these

bodies and are very supportive of the work

they are undertaking.

That leads me to the last key theme of the

show: software-defined broadcasting. While IP

provides a great deal of flexibility at the control

and transport layers, we need new software-based

networked resources to replace the hardware

devices in place today if we are to truly transform

our industry for the future.

SOLID PROGRESS

There has been good progress made in this

area and most vendors demonstrated live

implementations of their software-only products.

So, in summary, it was a good IBC with few

surprises but plenty of solid progress towards a

major evolution of the broadcast industry. Now,

time to book those flights for NAB.

Steve Plunkett is chief technology officer,

broadcast and media services, at Ericsson

IBC 2015: IP friendly but few surprisesUltra HD, HDR and IP media system interoperability were key IBC themes for Steve Plunkett, who also pinpoints a growing need for software-based networked resources



IBC - ACQUISITION

The camera that attracted the most

attention at IBC was Sony’s compact

Super 35 handheld UHD camcorder,

the PWX-FS5, a smaller, and less

feature-full, brother to its best selling FS7.

Its body weighs just 0.8kg, light enough to

consider for drone use, and it is well designed,

with a very comfortable rotating hand grip,

six custom buttons (three on the grip), and a

really nice electronic variable ND filter (which

retracts out of the way completely when not in

use, to make the most of the sensor’s low light

performance of ISO 3200 to 32,000). Its 3.5-inch

LCD screen can be positioned on nine different

mounting points on the body.

Its main drawback is that it only goes up to

30p in UHD, however it can do eight second

bursts at up to 240 frames per second in HD. The

FS5 records internally (to SD cards) using XAVC

Long-GoP 4:2:0, but can output 10-bit 4:2:2 to

an external recorder. It can record S-Log2 and

S-Log3, with up to 14 stops dynamic range. When

it becomes available in November, pricing should

be around €5,800 (£4,200) for the body only or

€6,300 (£4,600) with 18-105mm E-mount lens.

Blackmagic Design’s Ursa Mini also attracted

crowds, as the €3,395-€6,225 (£2,025-£3,699)

camcorder has only recently started shipping. For

broadcast users, the more expensive PL-mount

Minis are the ones to get, as they can be fitted

with a $295 B4 mount (shipping November)

to take ENG lenses, complete with power and

control from the camera. The mount includes

optics, to give full sensor coverage, but “we don’t

lose any light or have vignetting,” claims Bob

Caniglia, a senior regional manager.

Thanks to upgrades since NAB, the camera

can also now do both SDI in AND out as well as

timecode and intercom, and can be controlled

from Blackmagic’s Atem switcher like a studio

UHD: On the right track

BY DAVID FOX

With ultra high definition (UHD) channels going live, buying 4K capable equipment is no longer a matter of mere future-proofing. Fortunately, as IBC proved, there is now a wide choice of cameras available, and it can make financial sense to buy one, even if you only use it for HD

camera. The 4.6K Mini offers 15 stops of dynamic

range (compared to the 4K version’s 12), and also

affords room for cropping/stabilisation for 4K or

UHD. EF mount versions of both are available.

LITTLE OR NO ALIASING

Canon’s recently released XC10 is one of

the least expensive UHD camcorders (under

£1,600/€2,100), but it may not be the ideal form

factor for many as it tries to be a camcorder in a

DSLR body. However, it does show how the extra

resolution of UHD can make for an excellent

HD camera, as an independent test against the

EBU’s standards for HD content acquisition found

that the 1-inch CMOS sensor and DIGIC DV5

image processor provides “little or no aliasing”

and meets Tier 1 for HD production, making it

suitable for use on even high-end productions.

JVC’s GY-LS300 handheld Super 35 4K

camcorder (pictured, left) has received a version

2.0 update, and now includes: a film-look JVC

Log mode; a histogram; Cinema 4K/2K recording

(4096x2160 and 2048x1080); and zooming using

prime lenses without losing resolution - offering

2.3x maximum zoom for HD or 1.25x zoom

for 4K. It can also now trigger recordings

via HDMI/SDI, has JVC LUT support for the

Atomos Shogun recorder, and HD output

via HDMI/SDI when doing 4K recording, for

HD monitoring.

V2.0 also adds colour matrix

adjustment, spot meter for

exposure, and a black paint setting

to precisely adjust the colour

temperature of master black.

A new 70Mbps

recording

mode allows

4K recording on

economical Class 10

SDHC/SDXC cards.

The GY-LS300 includes HD

streaming with WiFi and 3G/4G for

live HD transmission.

THE 2/3-INCH CONUNDRUM

Sport is where Ultra HD is really taking

off, however, and because OBs require

greater depth of field to keep everything

in focus, all the major manufacturers have

been intent on releasing models with 2/3-

inch sensors that take B4-mount lenses.

Hitachi was first last year with its

SK-UHD4000 four-chip camera (two green

sensors), and has now been followed by

more traditional three-sensor cameras

from Grass Valley (LDX 86 range), Sony

(HDC-4300) and Ikegami (Unicam UHD).

Panasonic has taken a single-sensor approach

(B4 mount with convertor and slight light

loss) for its AK-UB300 and AK-UC3000 box

and studio cameras.

The HDC-4300 will also address one of the

biggest sports requirements, live slo-mo replay,

via a software update, to offer 2x (100 or 120fps)

shooting in UHD and up to 8x super-slow-mo

in HD. The camera can also be used for high

dynamic range shooting (it will get S-Log3

output in the update), something that the LDX

86 will also be able to offer via its new XF fibre

transmission base station.

The latter will provide 15-stops of dynamic

range plus one-wire UHD transmission (instead

of 4x 3G-SDI), using Tico compression, “which

is getting a lot of momentum because it is low

latency and can be virtually lossless at 4:1,” says

Mike Cronk, Grass Valley’s senior vice president

of strategic marketing.

SMALL AND MIGHTY

Another problem that broadcasters need to solve

for UHD is miniature cameras capable of 50/60p.

With commitments to test transmissions of 8K next year, and full coverage by the 2020 Olympics, anyone that wants to sell cameras to Japan’s NHK must be able to offer 8K.

JVC’s upgraded GY-LS300 4KCAM

Right: ENG ready: Bob Caniglia shows off

Blackmagic’s Ursa Mini with B4 Mount

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com October 2015 TVTechnology9

Here Bradley Engineering has been working with

AltaSens (JVC Kenwood’s sensor manufacturer),

and is using its Super 35 4K sensor in the fibre-

based Bradley 4K PTZ (3840x2160 50p) remote

camera, which was demonstrated in a small

spider-cam type rig at IBC but can also be

housed in Bradley remote heads.

The 4K SDI camera from IO Industries offers

50/60p in both UHD and 4K in a tiny package,

and received several updates at IBC. It now

supports Camera Corps and TV Skyline remote

control panels, with full control of focus and iris

for Canon EF lenses, as well as all the standard

camera functions. The camera has a Super 35,

global shutter CMOS sensor, outputting 4:2:2,

4:4:4 or Raw.

Panasonic’s new AW-UE70 is claimed to

be the industry’s first integrated UHD pan/tilt/

zoom camera, but it only delivers 3840x2160

25p (via HDMI), although this might be OK for a

commentary camera. It can stream UHD IP and

record to microSD. It also delivers various HD

formats including 1080 at 50p, 50i and 25p.

TO A GREATER XTEND

For high-end production, the new Alexa SXT

(Super Xtended Technology) adds electronics

from Arri’s Alexa 65 camera to the existing

Alexa XT sensor for in-camera recording of

ProRes 4K UHD (3840x2160) and ProRes 4K

Cine (4096x2637).

It can do live colour grading, so there is no need

for a separate LUT box, and can output to an

on-set monitor as well as doing the final grading

and dailies creation, “so the people in post will

know what the intended look was,” says Stephan

Schenk, Arri’s managing director. It also has

SXR (Super Xtended Recording) with new 1TB

or 2TB capture drives. “That gives you massive

capabilities to shoot without stopping,” up to

seven hours in ProRes, he adds.

SXT ships later this year, and “a lot of orders”

have already been taken. Anyone taking delivery

of an XT now gets a free upgrade to SXT.

Arri’s Amira documentary camera will get a

free new software update (v3.0) enabling ProRes

4444 XQ recording, plus MPEG-2 HD 4:2:2 to

match the XDCAM workflow. It will also connect

via Ethernet to a Sony box to be controlled by a

standard Sony RCP-1500 for multicam capability.

A new Amira Slot developed with Ambient for

wireless audio has a two-minute battery to

allow hot swapping the camera battery without

interrupting the signal. There will be a paid update

for the Alexa Mini made available later this year,

adding Arriraw and 4:3 capability.

ROLLING IN THE DEEP

Canon’s new EOS C300 MkII shoots 4K and

UHD, and offers wider dynamic range (up to

15 stops). It uses a new Canon-designed Super

35mm CMOS sensor that has twice the readout

speed (reducing rolling shutter effects), and a

more advanced imaging engine with dual DIGIC

DV5 processors.

The extra dynamic range is courtesy of a new

Canon Log2 codec that retains more highlight

and shadow information. It also has the Wide DR

setting from the C100 MkII, which requires less

work in post.

Other new features include: improved auto

focus; extended ND filters; an increased ISO

range of up to 102,400 for low light use; and dual

CFast 2.0 memory card slots.


IBC - ACQUISITION

The FS5 is well designed, with a comfortable rotating hand grip, six custom buttons and a really nice electronic variable ND filter

Grass Valley’s LDX 86 Universe

offers UHD and 6x HD slo-mo

The C300 MkII also has new XF-AVC recording

codecs based on H.264 compression and MXF

wrapping, with 10-bit 4:2:2 XF-AVC intra for

4K/UHD at 410, 225, 220, or 110Mbps, while

HD and 2K can be recorded in 10-bit 4:4:4 at

210Mbps, or 12-bit at 225Mbps. It won’t shoot at

more than 30p in 4K/UHD, although it can go

up to 100/120p in 2K/HD mode.

BEYOND UHD

With Japan’s NHK committed to test

transmissions of 8K next year, and full coverage

by the 2020 Olympics, anyone that wants to sell

it cameras must be able to offer 8K, so camera

manufacturers are ramping up their development

efforts. Canon announced at IBC that it will

commit to 8K - it just wouldn’t commit to any

time scale for this, but it said it is working on an

EF-mount Cinema EOS System 8K (8192x4320)

camera, a professional 8K reference display, and

a still-image SLR camera equipped with a CMOS

sensor with about 120 million effective pixels.

It is also working on 8K-to-4K down conversion

and 4K cropping.

Ikegami, however, is already on its fourth

generation 8K/Super Hi-Vision camera. The new

SHL-810 is one tenth the size and weight (less

than 9kg) of its first model from 2002. It uses

a single 33-megapixel Super 35 CMOS sensor,

achieving 4,000 TVL horizontal and vertical

resolution, and provides 8K, 4K and 2K output,

all in native quality. It can be used in a fully 8K

production environment or alongside UHD

and/or HD cameras.

This camera uses regular PL-mount lenses,

while a System Expander enables the use of large

viewfinders and full studio lenses, converting

the portable camera into a full facility studio/OB

camera. Output from the camera head to the

control unit is 40 gigabits per second via standard

SMPTE hybrid fibre, allowing long-distance links

for live broadcasting. The SHK-810 employs a

dual-green colour filter to deliver SHV’s wider

dynamic range.

RED ALERT

Red was showing its 8K Weapon complete with

a new lighter, stronger forged carbon fibre body.

It was fitted with a 70-200mm Zeiss Compact

Zoom, as this gives the most complete coverage

of its sensor. This Weapon has a smaller body

than its predecessors, but with a larger sensor,

and should ship by the end of the year.

Unlike the Dragon, which had its fan inlet at

the front (which could cause noise on set), the

Weapon has its fan inlet at the back, using the

front to house two on-board microphones, so

users always have a reference audio track.

Red was also showing live monitoring of high

dynamic range. Its HDR-2084 option uses the

quad outputs of the Redcast module (developed

for live broadcast use) to offer four different LUTs

at once, and supports HDR monitors, including

those made by Dolby.

Blackmagic Design’s Ursa Mini also attracted crowds. For broadcast users, the PL-mount version is the one to get

Red’s new forged carbon fibre 8K Weapon with Zeiss lens

Sony’s new FS5 is light

enough for use on a drone


The GoPro booth at any trade show

always promises some of the most fun

and innovative applications around, and

IBC 2015 proved to be no exception.

Having established a market-leading brand

associated with indie sports there is plenty of

latitude to exploit. The mini Hero Session (circa

£260/€350) captures HD from a square module

half the size of a normal GoPro and is so rugged

that a GoPro rep said his dog had even eaten one

- and both survived. Two new mounts for the unit

are the ‘Ball Joint Buckle’ and the ‘Floaty’.

For live broadcast, GoPro has a tethered Hero

model engineered with Vislink’s HD RF link that

has been branded as HeroCast. The latency is 180-

200 milliseconds. The Hero4 Black is GoPro’s 4K

camera and while 4K can’t yet be streamed from it

live, the company says it is looking at this.

GoPros can also be ganged together as a

budget means of recording 360-degree video.

Users can use either GoPro’s own software,

which it acquired from Kolor, to stitch the images

together or upload the video to Google’s Jump.

The difference is that the Kolor rig uses six

cameras and includes views from above and

below to create full 360-video, while the

Google/GoPro Odyssey rig rings 16 models,

four of which at any one time are focused on

one data point meaning that it can capture stereo

3D video for VR applications (though not quite all

views above and below).

Films can be published direct to YouTube

to fuel its growing 360-degree video inventory

(YouTube is adding support for VR playback

soon) or sent back to the creator for further

artistic refinements.

Firmware data is provided with Odyssey to

enable processing on the Google cloud.

The world in your

handsIBC 2015 was not just about high-end production tools and UHD-capable cameras. It was also a great place to seek out innovation for indie filmmakers, self-shooters and anyone looking for something a little bit different, as Adrian Pennington discovered


“One of our goals is to have a best stab at teleportation – jumping to another place with immersive video.”

IBC delights: the Canon 6D on a Syrp Genie (left), the Shenzen Wingsland

drone (top), and the Sony FS5 (bottom)

IBC - ACQUISITION

“One of our goals is to have a best stab at

teleportation – jumping to another place

with immersive video,” explains a Google

representative who didn’t want to be

named. “A lot of work goes into genlocking

the cameras and synchronising the data to

make sure its ingested into our pipelines.

Other solutions for 360 video require a lot of

manual intervention to stitch the image.”

TEENY TINY CAMERAS

Earlier this year the Union Cycliste

Internationale (UCI) used tiny cameras during

multi-platform overage of the 2015 UCI Track

Cycling World Championships. The VeloVue

HD was designed by Broadcast RF and built

by Videosys, fitted with the Cobham Solo7

HD Nano transmitter.

Now Videosys plans to go a step further with

an even more discrete camera unit, barely 2cm

wide, also working with the Nano. It could be

ready to buy by the time you read this article.

Sales manager Alistair Horne said Videosys

used its expertise in engineering camera

controllers for Sony, Grass Valley and Hitachi to

give the new camera a unique colour control that

will see it matched to outputs from broadcast

cameras. While some manufacturers, Marshall

Electronics, for one, look to mass produce POV

cameras, Videosys prefers to develop bespoke

tools for broadcasters.

“We can reshape the sensor to any size or

shape with our own milling machines and design

team,” explained Horne. “The fact that it is 1080i

on the sensor means we can output 1080i while

other technologies capture progressively at the

sensor and have to convert it later.”

Incidentally, the latest addition to Marshall’s

range of compact cameras is the CV620 which

features a

20x optical

zoom,

340-degree

pan,

120-degree

tilt and a two

megapixel ½.8-

inch sensor designed

for studio, reality TV or

commentator positions.

CAPTURING LIGHT

For all the talk of virtualisation, the one thing the

industry can’t yet translate into software is the

physics of light hitting a sensor.

It is refreshing therefore to see a number

of new high quality budget cameras come

to market, many with the ability to capture

extended dynamic range.

The Sony FS5 is a compact 4K Super35mm

camcorder with built-in electronic variable ND

filters. These are designed to expand

the depth of field and to

control exposure of the

unit’s 14 stops. The unit

has the ability to capture

240fps in eight second bursts

making 1/10 times Super Slow

Motion possible. There’s an

E-mount to take SLR lenses

via an adaptor, as well as

Sony’s A-mount lenses.

The FS5 will probably

compete against the

Panasonic’s GH4 and Canon’s

XC-10 and its EOS C300

Mark III. The latter has a new

Super35mm CMOS sensor, will

shoot 4K/UHD and up to a range

of 15 stops. However, it won’t

shoot at more than 30p in 4K.

Sony is also launching the a7S

II full-frame mirrorless camera

(pictured, left). Its key feature is the

ability to capture pictures in highly

sensitive light conditions to a range of

ISO 409600 (and record 4K video).

Knocking even that capability into a dark

corner is the Canon ME20F-SH (pictured, right)

which boasts an ISO in excess of four million.

Canon is of the opinion that this stunning ability

to capture extremely low-light environments –

without using infrared – is useful for specialist TV

productions of night-time wildlife, deep sea/cave

exploration or astronomy.

Before we leave cameras it’s worth taking

note of the Panasonic AG-DVX200, a new

£3,240 (€4,400) large sensor (micro four thirds)

4K 50/60p machine with integrated zoom that

promises all the joys of professional run and gun

style shooting combined with a cinematic look.

FOCUS PULLING PRECISION

What can generate a 3D map from a 2D image

in 60 milliseconds? The Image+ measurement

system from Qinematiq. Where previous

instruments like laser or ultrasonic determine one

measurement point, the Image+ measures the

whole scene in detail over 600,000 pixels. This

is useful for focus pulling with pinpoint precision

– maybe to an actor’s nose or a flower in the

scene background.

“It aids any situation where the depth of field

is very close or your subjects are in motion,

including sports or live shows,” explains founder

Martin Waitz. The mechanism houses twin lenses

IBC - ACQUISITION


The Atomos Ninja Assassin (left) provides 4K/UHD monitoring, recording, playback and editing for £900

and sits adjacent to a digital (4K, 6K, 8K) camera.

Control is wireless via touch screen.

“The accuracy is lower than one percent of

the distance,” said Waitz. For example, it will be

accurate to 2cm from a distance of four metres.

Smart Ranger is a companion range finder

that measures the distance between the anchor

unit on a camera and a portable transponder

which might be carried under their clothes by

an actor, which would prove useful in moving

shots and steadicam work.

If it is time-lapse or motion controlled video

for DSLRs you’re after then New Zealand designer

Syrp has a beautifully crafted set of controllers.

The Genie (£520/€700) allows panning and linear

motion control when attached to standard gear

such as dollies, sliders, jib arms and tripods. The

maximum speed a 360-degree pan takes is five

seconds, while 30 inches of linear movement

takes 23 seconds. The battery will last long

enough for 50 hours of time-lapse. All of this can

be controlled wirelessly on an app.

Just launched is a smaller module, Genie Mini,

which at £200 (€270) a pop “has been selling

like hot cakes” according to co-founder Chris

Thomson. Updates to the app include time-lapse

image processing on smartphones.

GET A RECORDER (AND SOME LEDS)

Now you’ve captured the shot how are you

going to record it? Options include the Atomos

Ninja Assassin which provides 4K/Ultra HD

monitoring, recording, playback and editing in a

430g package that costs £900 (€1,200). It lacks

the 12G/6G/3G-SDI inputs and other functionality

of the Shogun but is priced for the DSLR and

mirrorless camera market.

The Odyssey 7Q+ is Convergent Design’s

competitor to the Assassin’s bigger brother

Shogun. It costs around £1,500 (€2,000), will

record 4K raw and is direct compatibly, via HDMI,

with cameras like the GH4 and the Sony A7S.

To mount recorders and other accessories

on DLRS, small camcorders or mirrorless cams

you might try the new (£300/€400) Walimex Pro

Aptaris Universal Frame system or the LockCircle

BirdCage BoomBooster, a new modular camera

grip (£180/€243).

You may not need lighting with all that

dynamic range to play with but, just in case, here

are a couple of new portable LED options. The

Little Vid kit from Videssence includes three 50

watt Fresnel lens LED fixtures plus stands and

reinforced case, power cords, gel frames and

barn doors. Exalux Briks from Ledixis is described

as the Lego of lights as several of the 9x9 cm

squares can be connected in a variety of ways to

create a bespoke lighting shape for tricky shots in

awkward places.


The drone zoneSMARTPHONE innovation such as single-chip

accelerometers and GPS systems have decreased in

price, increased in number and given the UAV market

lift-off. IBC set aside an outdoor cage for visitors to see

or pilot unmanned flying vehicles in action.

Like GoPro, DJI has a market-leading

technology that has attracted other companies to

build accessories around it. These include the TVU

Networks TVU One transmitter which can sit

onboard a DJI Inspire and stream HD live with

one second latency.

“The market is booming and we are able to provide

products that are very affordable but very powerful at

the same time to generate stable 4K resolution in the

air over a mile away and with 20 minutes flight time,”

says DJI marketing director Willis Chung. “The flight

collusion avoidance systems which is in our Phantom

1 model will be integrated across our range.”

Fellow Chinese drone maker Shenzhen Wingsland

said that while DJI's technology was more mature, it

couldn't match the control of its own. “We design and

build our own controllers,” said company rep Hui Liu.

“Unlike DJI we offer a monitor with the controller. This

is easier to use than a mobile phone app.”

The quadcopter Wingsland Minivet includes support

for four mllion pixel static picture shooting, HD 30p

recording plus an automatic frequency hopping

function in the controller that increases flight safety.

Debuting at IBC was ProDrone, a UAV designed

to fold up into a iPad sized package to fit into a

backpack. Apparently “ruthlessly tested in the world’s

harshest climates to guarantee unconditional quality”

the design has a modular payload for quick exchange

of gimbal and camera combinations. It will launch

later in 2015 priced between $800 and $3,000 (£527-

£1,900) depending on package.

“For all the talk of virtualisation, the one thing the industry can’t yet translate into software is the physics of light hitting a sensor.”

“Unlike DJI we off er a monitor with the controller. This is easier to use than a mobile phone app.” Shenzen Wingsland

Videosys: An HD camera, barely 2cm wide, that works with a Cobham Solo7 Nano, is in development.

CONFERENCE REPORT

Talking the talkFrom the perceived importance of TV resolution to codec development, there was plenty to talk (and disagree) about during this year’s IBC conference


Assessing the bigger picture of technology

trends during IBC, leading chief

technology officers (CTOs) were excited

by the possibilities of extreme data while

cautioning against a narrow focus on 4K.

“We’re in danger of missing the boat by

concentrating on 4K and HDR if we can’t

distribute content to mobile and do so far more

quickly to keep pace with binge demand,” argued

Sinead Greenaway, UKTV director of operations

during ‘Roadmap Session: Our CTOs look

forward 12 months.’

“When we talk about 4K and HDR we are

focused on one use case which is the big

screen in the living room but it is the myriad of

multiscreen TV use cases that may matter more,”

added Paul Dale, CTO, Dentsu Aegis Network.

Discovery Communications is producing 4K

programming and would like to do so at frame

rates of 120p but even that amount of data is not

enough for CTO John Honeycutt. “One idea is to

create different viewpoints from 8K data to give

the sense of being a fan in a stadium,” he said.

One of the possibilities of a move to IP

is object-based broadcasting. “Releasing the

components of sound and picture for a viewer

to interact with is extremely interesting,” said

Ulf Ewaldsson, senior vice president and group

CTO, Ericsson. “We are moving to a point where

we can use data for more than just forming

pixels into a big block. It goes beyond the

resolution of the TV.”

“I think the idea is profound and little

understood,” mused BBC CTO Matthew Postgate

(pictured). “It’s about moving the whole industry

away from thinking of video and audio as

hermetically sealed and toward an idea where we

are no longer broadcasters but data-casters.”

He added: “I am not interested in 4K. I am

very interested in UHD.”

The ‘Outlook for Broadcast and Media –

IBC 2015 Wrap Up’ session underlined

several big trends at IBC with the

consensus being that HDR is the next big thing

on which broadcasters should focus.

“Even your grandmother can see HDR,”

quipped Phil Laven, DVB chairman. “And I don’t

have anything against grandmothers.”

“HDR is the new black,” added Simon Fell,

director of technology and innovation at the

EBU. “HDR is much more applicable today and

it is really astonishing,” said Marco Pellegrinato,

director of research and development RTI

Mediaset Group in Italy. “To move to UHD will

take until the next decade because of all the

costs but we can do this much more quickly.”

But Fernanado Bittencourt (pictured) from

Society of TV Engineers (SET) in Brazil warned

the broadcasting industry that with the moves

towards higher resolution formats they must look

to protect their spectrum capacity.

He said: “Broadcasters have always had the

highest quality of video but I am worried that

in five years it will be the worst quality. If

you don’t have the spectrum to

broadcast new technology there

is a big risk of losing the market.

“Nothing is as profitable as

over the air broadcasting but

to keep the high percentage of

viewers we need to keep the

best quality.”

There was also agreement

that IP is the future but

fewer assents about how

new devices like Apple TV

and new forms of internet

content are going to

affect the industry.

Richard Friedel,

executive vice president

and general manager of

Fox Networks, believes

that the linear TV system

will still be in place in ten

years because people

will still want “curated

streams of content” but

it won’t be from “big

TV transmitters on

mountaintops.”

Aspera chief

HDR is the

CTOs think beyond resolution


An in-depth examination of the likely

progress for codec development, and what

could replace HEVC on the current road

map, occupied panelists at the IBC ‘Breaking the

Codec’ session.

Speakers discussed the merits of some

recent ‘free’ codec suggestions (from the Open

Media Alliance) but the

overwhelming view was that

this would stifle R&D, and

could only lead to a field

day for lawyers as IP-patent

holders argued over usage.

The trends were clear,

stated Tony Jones, head of

technology/TV compression

at Ericsson. “MPEG-2

has been around for 20 years and every year

improvements are made,” he said.

“We wouldn‘t be doing this if the MPEG-2

equipment was no longer in use, but the fact is

there’s a huge legacy out there.”

Matt Stagg, principal strategist at mobile

operator EE, showcased a recent trial with a new

compression offering, V-Nova’s Perseus system,

which delivered flawless Ultra HD signals to urban

and thinly populated areas at 6 Mbps. Stagg said

that EE is now working with V-Nova on developing

the relationship. “We champion any innovation

where we can see clear benefits to us and our

customers,” he said.

Eric Achtmann, executive chairman of

V-Nova (pictured, above), said broadcasters and

operators already had a huge problem dealing

with ever-increasing

capacity demands: “We

recognise that current

codec improvements

are delivering a two-fold

capacity improvement

every five to seven years,

but demand is growing

at 20-fold – and there’s a

huge disconnect which

needs addressing.” He went on to argue that

demand for bandwidth was not going to be

satisfied by these incremental improvements.

“The installed base represents a huge elephant

in the room,” he said.

“Smartphones have proliferated over the past

four years, and the TV industry is still deploying

200 million set-top boxes annually. The USA

is investing $1 billion every ten days in extra

bandwidth capacity and upgrades.”

executive Michelle Munson added that the rate

of growth in internet delivery systems means that

it will be less than ten years until non-linear is the

dominant form of delivery.

new black

Breaking the codec log-jam

“We wouldn‘t be doing this if the MPEG-2 equipment was no longer in use, but the fact is there’s a huge legacy out there.” Tony Jones, Ericcson

MARKETPLACE - LENSES AND LIGHTS

My light, my guideUHD lenses unveiledFujifilm introduced two new

Fujinon lenses for 2/3-inch

UHD/4K cameras at IBC: an 80x

box lens and a 22x ENG-style

lens. The UA80x9BESM (pictured)

uses the latest optical simulation

technology to achieve an 80x

zoom with advanced optical

performance, such as high image

resolution, contrast and colour

reproduction. Covering the focal

length from 9mm in wide angle to

720mm in telephoto, it uses a new

optical stabilisation mechanism

providing optimum adjustment to

reduce image shake caused by

vibrations and wind. The portable

UA22x8BERD covers a focal length

from 8mm to 176mm.

At the same time, Canon

launched two new 2/3-inch lenses,

the UHD Digisuper 90 (UJ90x9B)

and the UHD Digisuper 86

(UJ86x9.3B).

Neo feels effects of upgradeNew software that turns the

colour-tuneable Rotolight Neo

(pictured) into a lighting effects

machine was shown at IBC.

The software upgrade includes:

Designer Fade, for programmable

custom fades (up/down); True

Aperture Dimming, which

calculates the correct

aperture (f-stop)

at a given

distance,

shutter

speed and

ISO, and

is useful

for both

stills and

video; and

CineSFX,

a quickly-

accessible menu

that turns the 91 TLCI

Neo into a versatile effects light.

Rotolight chief executive Rod

Gammons demonstrated strobe

effects that can be adjusted to

sync with the camera’s shutter

speed, lightning flashes, throbbing,

colour cycling, emergency vehicle

lights, and fire effects. The

latter can be adjusted

to replicate

candles or

camp fires

and even

flares where

the flame

changes from

red to blue.

Also shown

was an effect

that randomly

changes colour and

intensity as if someone

is lit by a TV screen.

Anamorphic readyfor its close upCooke Optics’ new 65mm

Macro Anamorphic/i 2x prime

lens (pictured) made its debut at

IBC, alongside a major update

to the /i Squared Technology

metadata system. The 65mm

Macro anamorphic lens, which

recently went into production,

boasts a close-up magnification

ratio of 4:1:1. It has a close focus

of 13.75cm from the front of the

lens, which is almost unheard of

in an anamorphic lens. According

to Cooke, the key feature of the

lens “is that its focus does not fall

apart as it gets to macro focuses,

making it ideal for close-ups and

product shots.” Cooke has also

been working on enhancements

to its /i Squared Technology to

provide more detailed lens data to

VFX and post-production teams.

The latest firmware addition

provides distortion mapping.

LED lighting on the bounceThe Alphatron TriStar 4

on-camera LED light “can

be thrown on a concrete

floor, just bounce and

still work,” according to

Richard Payne, technical

pre-sales manager

with Holdan, one of its

distributors. “We threw it a few

times, and the only damage was a

slight dent in the metal barn doors,

which - like its metal ball joint - is a

rare feature in this price bracket.”

The £180 bi-colour light is

tuneable between 3200K to

5600K, doesn’t change its intensity

when you change colour, and

uses 96 long-life, high-brightness

three-chip surface mount diodes

(with three times the output of

non-SMD lights using the same

number

of LEDs). It

promises 100-

ten per cent dimming without

noticeable colour shift and is

powered by Mini 4-Pin XLR or

Sony NP-F Battery, draws 12W and

has a beam angle of 120°. A built-

in diffuser is included.


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MARKETPLACE - T&M AND MONITORS

A test of strength

T&M in the handThe Linear Acoustic MT2000

Multichannel Bitstream Analyser

made its European debut at IBC

2015. Featuring a full suite of

test capabilities in a handheld

form factor, the MT2000

allows engineers to analyse

and troubleshoot digital audio

paths quickly, inside or outside

a facility. Linear Acoustic said it

is ideal for a variety of testing

applications, including broadcast,

cable, satellite and home theatre.

Tim Carroll, chief technology of

officer of parent company Telos

Alliance, said: “The MT2000 is

the next-generation in PCM and

Dolby- encoded audio analysis

and generation. It is an efficient

tool for end-to-end system testing

and is ideal as a replacement

for the original Dolby DM100.”

Welcome the Grand MasterTektronix has launched a hybrid

master sync generator that

supports incremental migrations

to IP-based video, as well as

supporting traditional SDI. The

SPG8000A comes standard with

multiple independent black burst

and HD tri-level sync outputs

that are designed to meet the

synchronisation needs of

traditional baseband video

broadcast or production facilities.

The device also incorporates an

optional, field-upgradeable IEEE

1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP)

grandmaster clock that enables

precise synchronisation of IP-based

production workflow. Paul

Robinson, chief technology officer,

video at Tektronix, said: “In the

production IP world, if the video

isn’t tied together in time, you can’t

do anything, which is why we’ve

spent so much time working on

this product so early in the day

for SMPTE ST2059.

“The SPG8000A is the world’s

first production quality PTP

grand master and SDI hybrid

reference generator.”

Qx updatedPhabrix has introduced a new

incarnation of Qx, its UHD TV test

and measurement device. The

Qx provides manufacturers with

a toolset for both analysis and

generation of signals up to 48Gbps

payloads and, importantly, provides

12Gbps eye and jitter analysis. Also

at IBC the Rx rack mount range of

rasterizers were updated to version

9.03, adding new audio instruments

to the video complement. At

the same time the Sx range now

benefits from a new A/V delay

generator and inclusion of a VANC/

ANC signal monitoring grid.

The SxE has a new advanced eye

and jitter toolset with additional jitter

instrument, and celebrated its 5,000

sales since release.


Convert, generate, analyseOmnitek showcased the Ultra 4K Tool

Box, a test and measurement device for

the analysis, generation and conversion

of ultra high definition (UHD) signals.

The Tool Box, which includes 12G-

SDI Physical Layer analysis and

generation, was built to aid 12G-SDI

product design. It supports SD through

to 4K60 UHD via quad 3G, dual 6G,

12G-SDI and DisplayPort and provides

real-time 12G-SDI Eye with automatic

rise and fall-time measurement, Jitter

meters, waveform, histogram and Jitter

spectrum analysis.

David Ackroyd, vice president business

development, at Omnitek said: “We are

seeing an increase in demand for our

high speed test equipment both from

manufacturers and system designers.”

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com February 2015 TVTechnology15

7-inch on-board monitor sees the light of dayA new series of daylight-viewable

7-inch HD on-board monitors

has been unveiled by SmallHD.

The 700 Series monitors come

in a very slim, lightweight form

factor and promise to provide an

accurate 1080p display of focus,

exposure, colour rendition and

framing, even in broad daylight.

The 323 dpi, 1920×1200 display

boasts 1000 NITs of brightness

plus a bonded glass protector with

an anti-reflective coating, offering

improved contrast. Its aluminium

housing and an optional acrylic

screen protector are designed

to survive harsh shooting

environments. Features include 3D

LUT video output to downstream

devices and built-in dual-purpose

battery slots tor either Canon

LP-E6 or Sony L-Series batteries.

Quad-view engineeringLED monitor on showA new desktop/rack-mountable

17.3-inch 1920×1080 LED

engineering monitor with

waveform, vectorscope,

16-channel audio and CEA-708B

closed caption decoding has been

released by Marshall Electronics.

The V-R173-DLW Quad-View

test and measurement monitor

(pictured) supports SDI, HD-SDI,

3G-SDI and Dual Link SDI.

Selectable multi modes enable

the monitor to break into four

quadrants and display signal

input information (link status),

embedded audio

levels, a waveform

monitor, a

vectorscope

and live video

simultaneously. A

DVI input supports

all HDMI modes and

DVI to 170MHz.

The V-R173-DLW

also supports the

in-monitor display

(IMD) protocol.

New Ultra HD monitorsTVLogic demonstrated a new

12G-SDI single link 4K monitor for

production and post-production

use. The LUM-240G is a 24-inch

monitor with UHD resolution

(3840 x 2160), 10-bit colour depth,

high contrast ratio of 1000:1 and

wide viewing angle. It supports

various standard colour gamuts

including Rec.709 and DCI.

TVLogic also showed the LUM-

170G, a 17-inch full HD (1920

x 1080) resolution panel.

Both the LUM-170G and

240G support 12G-

SDI signal with

four BNC input

connectors (2

for 12G-SDI and

2 for 3G-SDI)

and an HDMI

2.0. input.

2160/30p

through 6G-SDI signal link is also

supported. Andrew Sunwoo Kim,

director for the international sales

department at TVLogic, said: “The

LUM-240G enables people that

are checking and editing 4K files

to have 1:1 pixel mode or single

mode. Users can select one

quadrant of the screen to see the

4K image enlarged for detailed

checking,”


MARKETPLACE - TRANSPORT


Going the distanceNo monkeying aroundNew products for sending uncompressed

signals further over a single fi bre optic cable

were showcased by MultiDyne at IBC. The new

SilverBack-III 4K6 camera-back transceiver provides

six 3Gbps signals directly from a single camera or

multiple cameras to a base station, located near the

camera, or miles away. Current uses include virtual

reality applications for live sports viewing at home

using specialised viewing devices. Multidyne also

demonstrated its existing SilverBack 4K5 camera-

back transceiver (pictured) with new feature

enhancements that improve Intercom performance

and other system components for the camera

operator. The SilverBack 4K5 system

allows users to convert any quad-link

camera into a fully systemised live

production camera with full intercom

and camera control directly to/from the CCU.

Also on show was FibreNet, a real-time

uncompressed optical network topology

that connects multiple nodes of fi bre

infrastructure for managing,

controlling and distributing

uncompressed signals from one

centralised location to a production crew

anywhere in the world over a single fi bre cable.

The fibre effectMaking its fi rst IBC appearance was Ikegami’s

BS-98 and CCU-980 hybrid 2K/4K rack-

mountable optical-fi bre transmission links.

When used in combination with current Ikegami

Unicam HD cameras, the BS-98/CCU-980

can deliver HD and 4K processed UHD signals

simultaneously. This allows users to employ their

existing HD cameras and accessories, including

lenses, for 4K production until such point as

Ultra HD broadcast becomes popular. Also on

show was a lower-cost camera transmission

system that uses single, dark fi bre cables and

can carry multiple uncompressed HD signals,

or 4K, over distances of up to 40km. The HTR-

100 Multi-video Fibre Optic Transmission unit

can stream up to eight HD-SDI channels and

can also be confi gured 4-in/4-out, or 6+2. “The

signal is packetised at a very fast speed, less than

200 microseconds (0.2 milliseconds), point-to-

point, based on a new type of SFP module,” said

Masanori Kondo, president, Ikegami Europe.

Solo encoder for online

36 signals into one

LiveU has launched a plug-and-play live

streaming bonding product for the online

media market. Solo, designed to work

with web streaming workfl ows, connects

automatically to Wowza Streaming Cloud and

a number of CDNs, OVPs and YouTube Live.

The encoder is built around LiveU’s existing

bonding technology and its integral LRT (LiveU

Reliable Transport) adaptive bit rate and forward

error correction protocol and can be managed

and controlled remotely via a web interface

or smartphone. LiveU chief executive Samuel

Wasserman said: “LiveU Solo is set to create a

new standard. Our goal is to off er an integrated

and much more powerful solution to sports and

other vertical markets.”

Technology that allows 36 camera and CCU

signals to be multiplexed on a single fi bre cable

was touted by Barnfi nd Technologies.

The Norwegian company’s innovation uses

a higher density of small form factor pluggables

(SFPs) in order to get double the channel count

when using existing CWDM infrastructure. The

technology splits the CWDM grid into ‘high’ and

‘low’, enabling the same wavelength window

to send and receive signals bi-directionally over

fi bre. Working this way, up to 36 signals (or 18

bi-directional) can be transported over a CWDM

infrastructure that would normally be limited

to 18 channels. Barnfi nd Technologies chief

technology offi cer Arild Skjeggerud said: “This

makes it possible to multiplex 36 camera/CCU

signals on a single SMPTE hybrid fi bre cable. It

reduces set-up and tear down complexity and

time.” Larger solutions with more camera/CCUs

on one fi bre are in development, he added.

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MARKETPLACE


The route to IP

Scalable powerThe NVISION 8500 hybrid routing system

(pictured) was shown at IBC by Grass

Valley. The company said that it combines

“exceptional resilience with cost, space and

power effi ciency to make it an ideal enterprise-

class routing solution.” Designed for production

and playout applications from trucks to the

“largest engine rooms”, it is said to off er the

convenience of integrated audio processing

and simplifi ed cable management. The routing

system is available in fi ve frame sizes, from

144×144 to 1152×1152 and larger.

At the same time Grass Valley highlighted

a new IP Gateway card for the 8500 that

provides broadcasters with the ability to

“ensure their facilities are ready for the

transition from SDI to IP infrastructures.”

By packetizing realtime, uncompressed,

baseband video using SMPTE 2022-6, the IP

Gateway enables broadcasters to transport

video over 10GE networks.

Support for ASPEN grows Evertz used IBC to tout an increase in support for

ASPEN, the open, non-proprietary protocol that

it believes is better suited to IP-based production

than the SMPTE 2022-6 standard.

Submitted for publication as a Registered

Disclosure Document (RDD 37), ASPEN is used

for sending uncompressed Ultra HD/3G/HD/

SD over MPEG-2 transport streams (TS). When

combined with SMPTE 302M (Audio over TS) and

SMPTE 2038M (Ancillary data over TS), it allows

broadcasters to switch uncompressed video and

audio over an IP

network. Among

the new ASPEN

supporters is

Ross Video. At

IBC, the two

companies announced that they are developing

10GE IP interfaces with ASPEN support for the

Acuity production switchers (pictured), allowing

connection to Evertz’s Software Defi ned Video

Networking (SDVN) high capacity switching

MicroN for media distributionRiedel Communications’ MicroN is an 80G

media distribution network device for the

company’s MediorNet line of media transport

and management products. Working with the

MediorNet MetroN core fi bre router, MicroN is a

high density signal interface with various audio,

video, and data inputs and outputs, including

24 SD/HD/3G-SDI I/Os, two MADI optical digital

audio ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two sync

reference I/Os, and eight 10G SFP+ ports.

At IBC Riedel announced that Cologne-

based OB fi rm RecordLab TV & Media (part of

the NEP Group) had added the MircoN to a

new truck. Thomas Riedel, chief executive of

Riedel Communications, said: “This 1RU box is

a powerful and fl exible 80G media distribution

device that can be used in several diff erent ways

to create unique signal topographies and simplify

signal transport like never before.”

IP at the coreAt IBC, Sony waxed lyrical about how IP-based

technologies can open up new possibilities

for broadcasters. It also revealed that in

excess of 30 companies are now working to

develop IP production products based on the

company’s Networked Media Interface (NMI), its

development for latency and noise-free switching

of HD and 4K video, audio and metadata.

Michael Harrit, marketing director, Sony Europe,

SIGNAL DISTRIBUTION

EVS hopes to get “more out of live”

Virtualisation consolidation

A multi-vendor approach to ‘getting more

out of live’ is one of the cornerstones of EVS’

IP4Live, a new initiative revealed at IBC.

The IP future, as envisioned by the Belgian

fi rm, is non-proprietary and IP infrastructures

should be open and standards-based, it said.

“What we’re talking about now is really the

last frontier for IP,” explained Johan Vounckx,

senior vice president of innovation and

technology for EVS. “Our IP4Live initiative

is a strategic programme to lead and guide

customers in a smart way with real cost

and fl exibility benefi ts.” One example saw

a demonstration of IP-based live remote

production alongside Cisco. With EVS’ new

XiP gateway enabling in/out IP links to its

video server, the company showed multiple

live feeds – using SMPTE 2022-6 – over an IP

network featuring Cisco’s standard IP switches

and software defi ned networking.

Among the highlights of Cisco’s IBC 2015

presence was a virtualised video processing

(V2P) technology that consolidated various

infrastructure elements into a single, cloud-

based, virtual off ering.

Also on show was the company’s

contribution to security for the virtualised

video environment across the entire attack

continuum, including: video streaming, end

point, network, data centre, web and email

security. Demonstrations of broadcast video

production over IP were featured, as were

programmable private and hybrid cloud

infrastructures for the media data centre that

support secure, elastic, scalable and fl exible

workfl ow requirements.

New business and monetisation models

with Video Everywhere delivered as a service

were also on show, together with advertising

substitution and advanced viewer analytics.


A risk-free path to IP?At IBC, SAM (formerly Quantel and Snell)

demonstrated what is described as its “risk-

free” IP migration strategy, one that enables

broadcasters to move via hybrid SDI/IP working

to fully-IP operation at their own speed.

This approach, the company said, would see

existing SDI systems across its router, switcher,

infrastructure and playout product ranges made

IP-capable. The strategy embraces support for

SMPTE 2022-6, VC-2 and other compression

formats. For IP routing, SDI inputs and outputs

on the SAM Sirius 800 multi-format router,

for example, can be replaced with IP I/O on a

modular basis, enabling IP routing capabilities

to be added progressively as required. For

switching, the entire Kahuna switcher range can

now be progressively IP-enabled by swapping

out input and output ‘fi ns’ over time.

A range of three fully-IP Kahuna switchers

(pictured) that “retain all the power and

capabilities of their SDI counterparts” were

also unveiled.

For an IP infrastructure, new IQMIX modules

will provide SDI/IP and IP/SDI encoding for up

to 12 streams. IQMIX slots into the IQ Modular

frame alongside other infrastructure modules.

cores, the 3080IPX and EXE-VSR. This interface

removes the need for external gateway modules.

Other ASPEN supporters include: ChryonHego,

Discovery, Game Creek Video, Hitachi, NEP

Group, PacketStorm, Sony, Tektronics and Vizrt.

said: “IP solutions enable information to be

transmitted with true creative fl exibility and

reliability across workfl ows. Sony works

with its customers to create streamlined live

workfl ows, allowing them to get content out

quickly and effi ciently.” At IBC Sony added a

live switcher (the Sony-XVS-8000, pictured),

a baseband processor unit and a multiport AV

server to its IP Live Production System.

Cellular bonding technology has changed

the world of live video acquisition in the

broadcast space with LiveU’s market

leading solutions having truly disrupted

the previous status quo. Particularly across the

news and sports sectors, the ability to capture high

quality live video while being extremely mobile,

responsive and shooting from places previously

unimaginable has changed the way that people

think. Now there’s LiveU Solo.

LiveU Solo is a new ‘Plug and Play’ live

streaming bonding solution from LiveU, launched

at IBC2015. It brings the company’s expertise and

highly successful technology from the broadcast

world – where it has established a reputation

for innovation and excellence with products

like the small LU500 backpack – to the online

space. In fact, it won a Best of Show Award

from TVBEurope.

LiveU Solo is a best-in-class live streaming

solution based on LiveU’s robust and field-proven

bonding technology, 10 industry patents, and

integral LRT™ (LiveU Reliable Transport™) protocol.

Optimised specifically for video performance,

LiveU Solo delivers the rock-solid video streams

LiveU is known for across the broadcast world by

using LRT’s integral adaptive bit rate and forward

error correction technology.

Designed from the ground up to fit seamlessly

with web streaming workflows, LiveU Solo

connects automatically to popular CDNs, OVPs

and YouTube Live as well

as to Wowza

Streaming Cloud™,

a cloud streaming

service offered

by Wowza Media

Systems™. For

further east of use

and convenience, Solo

can be managed and

controlled remotely

via a web interface or

smartphone.

LiveU Solo provides a

cost-effective and seamless

way to send contribution

video over the internet, bringing

an integrated ‘glass to glass’ live

streaming solution that delivers

the highest possible quality

and reliability to anyone,

anywhere. LiveU Solo is

aimed at any live online

media production looking

to improve their viewers’

experience

LiveU Solo was developed

in response to discussions

with customers and a growing

need for a professional-

grade live video

product for the

online media

market. LiveU

Solo follows in the

footsteps of existing LiveU technology by setting

a new standard in the web streaming space. The

ethos behind LiveU Solo is to provide a simple,

integrated solution for sports and other vertical

markets, which is much more powerful. LiveU Solo

brings all the reliability and quality of professional

broadcast technology to the mainstream, allowing

anyone to begin streaming at an accessible price.

Similar to LiveU’s broadcast solutions, LiveU

Solo is an integrated unit that comes with

everything required to function within an online

workflow. On the transmission side, and as part

of the overall streaming solution, this small, easy-

to-use encoder is available in a single channel

streaming configuration or with premium full

bonding capabilities.

LiveU Solo will be offered via LiveU’s new online

store (initially in the US, then rolled out more

widely) and LiveU’s international partners.

LiveU owns the patent for cellular bonding used

today for remote news gathering in the US and in

other countries. All LiveU products are based on

this fourth-generation patented technology.

www.liveu.tv

RONEN ARTMAN, VP OF MARKETING, LIVEU

LiveU Solo is aimed at any live online media production looking to improve their viewers’ experience

Going solo with LiveU


At IBC, LiveU delivered Solo, a best-in-class streaming solution for the online media market

SPONSORED REVIEW

MARKETPLACE - POST AND MAM


The cutting edgeAvid opens up Avid has announced that its Interplay MAM asset

management system (pictured) and its ISIS shared

storage now support a variety of third-party video

editing systems, including Adobe Premiere Pro

and Apple Final Cut Pro.

“Avid is committed to providing media

professionals with the collaborative workfl ows

they need to create, manage, and deliver the

highest-quality content, regardless of the tools

they choose to use,” said Dana Ruzicka, vice

president and chief product offi cer at Avid. “Now,

editors using third-party non-linear editing

systems including Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, and

Grass Valley EDIUS can benefi t from the fl exibility,

effi ciency, and enhanced collaboration that Avid

media management and shared storage systems

provide.” At IBC Avid also revealed that sales of

its MediaCentral Platform have topped 26,000

and that it is making available Studio Suite, a new

grouping of products that enable collaboration

between users of Orad applications and other

Avid and third-party products on MediaCentral.

HDR, HFR for Clipster

Media Navigator

Aff ordable, scalable and fl exible are the words

used by Sony to diff erentiate its Media Navigator

from the rest of the crowded media asset

management pack. Adam Fry, deputy vice

president, Sony Professional, said: “Unlike other

asset management systems currently in the

market, Media Navigator does not require a

deep technical knowledge for operation of the

platform or the creation of workfl ows. It allows

customers to adapt the platform for their specifi c

needs, be it a one-man operation or enterprise

level company.” Acknowledging that the market

is highly competitive, Fry added that Sony has

Standalone LTFS tape archiveA standalone storage and archive product that

uses the Linear Tape File System (LTFS) was

handed its European debut at IBC.

Paragon is designed as a complete sub-system

for adding hierarchical storage management

(HSM) to existing asset management systems

from multiple vendors. It has a RESTful API in

order to make integration as simple as possible

and incorporates appropriate data tape storage

and management technology using the LTFS fi le

system for permanent storage life and media

portability. TMD is also off ering Paragon+,

which also includes core asset management

functionality. “We know, from talking to our

customers, that there is a gap in the market for a

simple and highly targeted storage system, which

can sit as the archive for any asset management

or digital workfl ow system,” said Tony Taylor,

chief executive of TMD.

The intention is that Paragon and Paragon+

will be sold to production companies, post

producers and small broadcasters as packaged

systems, via distributors. ERA has been appointed

as the Paragon distributor for the UK.


At IBC Rohde & Schwarz DVS previewed

a ‘next generation’ version of its Clipster

mastering station. Based on an entirely new

hardware platform, it includes new features

for high-end post-production including high

dynamic range (HDR), high frame rates (HFR)

and 4K Ultra High Defi nition (UHD).

For HDR, Clipster supports Dolby Vision as

well as mastering formats that support 4K HDR

such as IMF. Clipster will additionally work with

high frame rates up to 120 fps in 4K and 12-bit.

The company also highlighted new features

for the ingest and production server Venice

including direct recording in 4K without the

need for stitching processes.

The bridge to 4K UHD via IPAJA unveiled several new technologies at IBC

for 4K UHD-over-IP workfl ows. “Now that they

are becoming real, people are fi nding holes in

their workfl ows and we are giving them tools to

bridge the transition,” said product marketing

manager Bryce Button.

Products debuting included a 4K and

multi-channel HEVC encoder. Corvid HEVC

is a PCIe 2.0 8-lane video card that provides

real time, low-latency HEVC encoding at 4K,

1080p HD and lower. Development partners

can use AJA’s SDK to integrate Corvid HEVC

directly into Windows and Linux applications.

Cisco demonstrated the integration of Corvid

HEVC into its UCS rack-based server at IBC.

Also at the show, AJA debuted FS3, an addition

to the company’s line of professional frame

synchronisers that provides 4K up-conversion. A

line of openGear-compatible cards, and various

new mini converters, were also on show.

UHD and HDR in focus As well as a big focus on Ultra HD, Adobe off ered

an early look at optical fl ow time remapping

algorithms in Premiere Pro (pictured) and

highlighted 3D improvements in After Eff ects,

including a Cineware plug-in.

Bill Roberts, senior director of professional

video product management, Adobe, said:

“We’re all about Ultra HD. That includes three

attributes: frame sizes, frame rates and most

interesting is high dynamic range (HDR).” This

theme was underscored in the latest updates

and technology previews for its tools including

Premiere Pro, After Eff ects and Audition.

The company also showed support for

HEVC compression, and work towards an HDR

framework that includes P3 colour space. A

Dolby Vision HDR format demonstration with

Dolby was also available.

MAM launch

studied the sector and would not have launched

into it if it did not believe the technology added

value. Media Navigator is drawn from the

company’s existing Media Backbone Navigator,

which is the content management option for

Sony’s Media Backbone Conductor workfl ow

platform. It will work with a range of popular

non-linear editors and be integrated with any

storage platform.

One diff erentiator is compatibility withthe

cloud platform Ci for content sharing, review and

approval content and with Sony’s Catalyst suite of

media preparation tools.

MARKETPLACE - AUDIO


Making noises

Back in blackHarman’s Studer debuted the Vista 1 Black

Edition at IBC. Based on the same patented

Vistonics user interface with 40 on-screen rotary

knobs, the Vista 1’s look and feel is identical

to that of its larger sister models the Vista X

and Vista V. Features such as true broadcast

monitoring, talkback, red light control, GPIO,

N-x (Mix Minus) busses, snapshot automation

and DAW control make the Vista 1 suitable

for broadcast, live and production use. With

software v5.3, the Vista 1 Black Edition user

will also get the SpillZone and FollowSolo

functionality, as well as a server-based event

logger application, which is logging Vista system

and user-events. An integral DSP engine of 96

channels allows the Vista 1 to handle mono,

stereo and 5.1 inputs.

RMS2040 successor New 1010 digital wireless microphone system

from Audio Ltd was on display at IBC. The fully

digital successor to Audio’s RMS2040 wireless

microphone system, the 1010 transmitter and

receiver have been designed to match the rich

sound and rugged reliability that the 2040 is

known for but also to deliver the precision that

digital technology can off er. It took 12 years to

develop. Kishore Patel, Audio’s managing director,

said: “Sound recordists are insisting that if they

make an investment in new equipment it should

be able to cope with the way available bandwidth

‘Stress-free’ wireless micThe Sennheiser AVX wireless microphone system

for video cameras was showcased at IBC. A

TVTE ‘Best of Show’ winner (see page 38), the

compact receiver unit plugs directly into the XLR

of a camera, where it automatically pairs with the

microphone and switches on with the camera.

The AVX automatically adjusts the correct audio

levels between transmitter and receiver and

transmits using a specially protected link in the

license-free 1.9 GHz range. Sennheiser said that

the system has been designed so that setting up

and recording high-quality audio for video is fast,

convenient, and stress-free. The plug-on receiver

automatically switches on with the phantom

powering of the camera, and automatically pairs

with the transmitter. The system immediately

sets the correct audio level for the microphone

transmitter, matching it to the receiver, and

selects a free frequency. If there is interference,

AVX will inaudibly shift to a new frequency.

Vest choice for tactical audioThe new Audio Tactical Vest (ATV)

is claimed to be a ‘fi rst-of-its-kind

product’ that combines both an

audio harness and audio bag

in to one cohesive military-

style tactical vest. Porta-

Brace said that the ATV’s

lightweight, streamlined

design provides users with

improved stability, as

the vest grips the body,

providing better support

and weight distribution,

which should allow

users to move more

rapidly and freely on

location. There are

custom fi t models for

diff erent mixers, such as

the Sound Devices 633

and 688, the Zaxcom

Maxx, and the Zoom

F8 (coming soon).

Combined with dual

wireless systems, this

will create “lightweight,

compact rigs capable

of recording multiple

tracks on the run”

making it particularly

suitable for ENG or

fast-paced reality or

documentary production.

www.tvtechnologyeurope.com October2015 TVTechnology31

Wheatstone unveiled the

Gibraltar IP Mix Engine

plus a new touchscreen for

the Dimension Three audio console (pictured).

Another TVTE ‘Best of Show’ winner, the

Gibraltar IP Mix Engine is a network interface

that provides Wheatstone audio consoles with

direct connectivity into WheatNet-IP, the AES67

compatible IP audio network. The new engine

can handle 1,024 channels of audio, allowing

IP audio consoles to handle live and post-

production. It will be available for the Dimension

Three,

Series Four, D8-EX, Series Two

and IP-64 digital mixing consoles. Wheatstone

also showcased the Dimension Three with a

touchscreen. Eliminating the “sea of knobs,” as

Wheatstone describes it, this option features a

tabbed menu for basic functions like talkback,

confi guring bus matrices, muting mic groups,

and managing sources.

Solid as a rock

New options for Hydra2An integrated Waves SoundGrid

option for the Hydra2 platform

of consoles was announced

by Calrec. The company said

this is unique among broadcast

desks in that it uses a brand new

SoundGrid interface module

on Calrec’s Hydra2 network.

The module provides direct

connection between Hydra2 and

the Waves SoundGrid network,

off ering lower latency and greater

reliability. Calrec customers can

control Waves software from the

integrated touch display in Apollo

and Artemis surfaces, allowing

direct control of Waves plugins

from the mix position.

Also revealed at IBC was a new

automation system for Apollo

and Artemis consoles. Designed

to record the movements of

a console’s channel and bus

controls in real time, Calrec said

its implementation is unique

in that it operates entirely in

the background during a live

broadcast. The system is similar to

traditional post-production and

music automation systems, but is

“user-transparent”, according to

Calrec.

is being squeezed. So we’ve designed the 1010

system to allow up to 20 systems to operate

together in just one TV channel. We’ve also

equipped it with 100MHz switching bandwidth –

which we think will deliver maximum fl exibility.”

MARKETPLACE - DELIVERY


Getting personalThe Dolby Vision catalystThree more system-on-a-chip (SoC) companies

are integrating Dolby Vision into upcoming

releases, it has been revealed. Following Sigma

Designs earlier this year, HiSilicon, Realtek

Semiconductor and MediaTek are all now

incorporating, or planning to incorporate, the

high dynamic range and wide colour gamut

technology into their chipsets. The signifi cance

of the move is that it will allow makers of

Ultra HD set-top boxes, TVs, Blu-ray players

and digital media adapters the opportunity to

support Dolby Vision in their devices. Roland

Vlaicu, the vice president of consumer

imaging at

Dolby Laboratories, said: “This gives the device

manufacturers the ultimate choice: to stay with

their existing silicon choice and just add the

Dolby Vision component in a very economical

way without having to add additional hardware

components. That is a great enabler and key

catalyst for us.” The fi rst Dolby Vision displays

for the consumer market, the VIZIO Reference

Series 65-inch and 120-inch Ultra HD LED

Smart TVs, are due to ship before the end of

the year. An initial slate of Warner Bros. 4K Ultra

HD Dolby Vision titles are already lined-up for

distribution via VUDU. Sony Pictures also plans

to use the Dolby Vision mastering process in the

release of 4K Ultra HD titles.

Targeted ads spottedA multi-criteria advertising insertion and delivery

platform was shown for the fi rst time at IBC.

Designed for broadcasters and multi-screen

pay-TV operators, DVEO’s Spotter uses both

content data and viewer information to make

decisions about which adverts should be

played out. Content type, consumer profi le

and geolocation data are gathered by mining

multiple data bases in real time.

The Spotter triggers the start of adverts

using analogue cue tones or SCTE 35 triggers

and can insert commercial spots into live or

stored transport streams. Commercials can

be added inside, over or around video content

via slices, overlays, crawl messages, alert bugs

and video squeezes.

The Spotter transcodes content and inserts

SCTE 35 signals with the metadata required for

ad insertion. Input can be ASI, IP, or HD-SDI.

The platform transcodes MPEG-2 to H.264 and

converts HD-SDI content to IP or DVB-ASI. The

resulting DVB-ASI output is typically passed on

to a modulator for transmission via satellite.

Great and small India’s Lukup brought to IBC the Player X1,

a portable media player that functions as

both an IP set-top box inside the home and

an OTT device when used on a third party’s

internet connection.

Smaller than a cigarette packet, it has

built-in HDMI and USB cables and an

Ethernet port, 8GB of internal SD storage

and a 1GHz processor. The device also has

a built-in wireless access point that other

devices can tether on to for accessing the

Internet and content. For choosing content

and services on connected devices, the

Lukup Player X1 has a hand held controller.

Two streams of content can displayed

at the same time while an integrated

transcoder allows users to stream content

to a remote display. The X1 features a TV

Guide for channel management, content

search, recording on cloud drives, and social

media sharing.

Lukup also makes a larger player, called X,

that has the same capabilities but additionally

works with cable and satellite feeds.

AdsEdge for localised content Regionalisation benefits A new content management system that gives

DTT broadcasters the chance to localise their

output immediately before it is delivered to

viewers was debuted at IBC.

AdsEdge from Enensys Technologies is

based on the use of SCTE 35 ad break markers

and enables locally targeted pre-stored content

- such as adverts, news and weather forecasts

- to be inserted at the transmitter

site within a DTT single frequency

network environment.

AdsEdge works with Enensys’ HDc chassis

platform and is compatible with any terrestrial

network, including those using DVB-T, DVB-T2

or ISDB-T.

Based on industry-standard interfaces,

it behaves as both an Ad Server, in order to

store content fi les and generate reports for Ad

agencies, and like a deterministic Splicer so

that it can update live streams

with content upon receipt

of SCTE 35 triggers.

Broadcasters looking to insert local

advertising and content into their output,

without the need for separate satellite

feeds, are the target audience for Amagi’s

Storm platform. At the heart of Storm is

Storm IRD, Amagi’s satellite receivers and

decoders, which are capable of storing

content, detecting remote-insertion triggers

and inserting HD video and multiple audio

tracks – including Dolby surround – as well

as adding subtitles and multi-layer animated

graphics. Storm has a watermark-based

workfl ow. A cloud-based user interface

provides users with options for scheduling,

controlling, and monitoring playout of local

content and ads at remote head-ends.


At IBC 2015, Omnitek showcased the

Ultra 2.1 release which added new tools

to its highly successful Ultra 4k Tool Box

which has been shipping since June

and been adopted by a large number of leading

broadcast manufacturers developing equipment

requiring quad 3G, dual 6G and 12G-SDI interfaces.

The Ultra has been created to help address

the problems of connectivity that manufacturers

and system designers currently face in the

implementation of new 4K / UHD broadcast

workflows. The Ultra is a small, portable test and

measurement platform that helps to debug high-

speed physical layer issues and pixel ordering

complexities whilst supporting the array of different

interface standards to ensure all bases are covered

now and in the future.

It boasts significant feature sets that allow the

analysis, generation and conversion between any

video format signals, including between quad

3G and 12G-SDI, as well as support for 4K60

over 12G-SDI. Of particular interest at the show

was the sophisticated range of Physical Layer

measurement tools that have been recently

added to the Ultra’s functionality.

These world-first features offer Eye & Jitter

analysis up to 12G-SDI and include unique

tools to determine sources of jitter using the

Ultra’s innovative Jitter Spectrum and Jitter

Histogram displays typically only available on high-

end oscilloscopes. Enhancements made for the

show include audio PPM, channel status displays

and tone generation.

The Ultra now also provides ‘RVF’ full -raster

support allowing the playout and capture of active

video and all ancillary data. This powerful feature

allows the capture and analysis of problem material

as well as the ability to create custom ancillary test

signals. The Hex View display now expands on

the extremely useful Data View, Cable View and

Zoom View instruments for

even more detailed pixel

- level interrogation that is

essential to understanding

the complexities of the

multiplexing systems that

have been adopted for

quad 3G-SDI, 6G-SDI and

12G-SDI interfaces.

An ANC watch display

now provides ancillary

packet presence detection

to easily see which

common and user-specified

packets are present in the

incoming stream.

One highlight of the show was winning the

‘Best of Show’ TVBEurope award for the Ultra

4K Tool Box. As well as the Ultra 4K Tool Box,

Omnitek presented its established OTR and

OTM products, which not only feature

waveform monitoring capabilities

but also picture quality analysis, providing

real-time video quality measurement between

original and transmitted streams.

Another impressive feature that is available on the

OTR and OTM products is Omnitek’s ingenious

‘In-Service’ Lip-Sync delay measurement which can

be used to accurately determine A/V delay without

the need for a dedicated A/V delay test pattern &

tone or watermarking.

Omnitek showcased its upgraded OZ745

development platform, which now supports 4K

UHD TV over 12G-SDI, offering an ‘all-in-one’

solution for 4K video design to its already popular

design platform. The OZ745 was also used to

demonstrate the Warp Design Engine and OSVP

Scalable Video Processer IP blocks and associated

Xilinx RTVE 3.1 reference design, available as part of

Omnitek’s design services.

www.omnitek.tv

BY DAVID ACKROYD, VP OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT


Enhancements made for the show include audio PPM, channel status displays and tone generation.

Ideal for the job The addition of physical layer measurement tools bolsters Ultra 4K Tool Box

SPONSORED REVIEW

Probing content for errors Ideas Unlimited has launched Contentprobe

Revenue and Contentprobe Detect.

Contentprobe Revenue uses Ideas Unlimited’s

patented, non-destructive identifi cation and

verifi cation system, Media FingerPrinting, which

checks and verifi es content, and alerts users

about errors. Material is automatically monitored

from ingest to off -air to ensure that the correct

video, audio, subtitles, and access services are

being delivered as agreed. Any defects – such as

sub-frame audio sync errors, transport stream

data, SDI feeds, bars, tones, or silence – that

are erroneous or not required, are fl agged by

Contentprobe Revenue. Contentprobe Detect

is a content protection service provided from

Contentprobe’s managed broadcast centre that

accepts uniquely fi ngerprinted reference fi les

from a content owner or advertising agency.

The control panelCan quality assurance reduce churn?Helping broadcasters and other

video distributors to reduce

subscriber churn was the IBC

focus for the Boston-based video

intelligence technology company

IneoQuest Technologies.

End-to-end video assurance

services and innovations for both

linear and OTT/adaptive infrastructures were on

show, as was new technology for linear network

quality of service (QoS) management.

Kurt Michel, senior marketing director at

IneoQuest, said: “The industry is scrambling

to meet the demands of today’s always-on

viewers, and this is driving complexity to levels

never before seen. At the same time, viewer

quality expectations continue to increase, and

subscriber churn is often a

refl ection of quality issues. Our

comprehensive set of services

and solutions off er the focus

and visibility that our customers

must have to manage both

their traditional and emerging

video-based businesses, and

reduce churn.” Ineoquest’s video

intelligence technology measures

and aggregates metrics in real-time from several

key points within the video distribution chain

including: content preparation, network delivery

and device playback.

Data gathering assures quality

Series 5 of Agama’s technology for

monitoring, assurance and analytics of

service quality and customer experience was

launched at IBC.

According to the company, many

broadcast processes can be made more

effi cient and predictable when using data

to support better-informed decisions. The

company has thus updated its products so

that they make the valuable information

derived by their products available for

much wider use within an organisation.

Mikael Dahlgren, chief executive at Agama

Technologies, said: “By [doing this], we

can enable great improvements in quality,

effi ciency and customer understanding across

the video operator.” As part of this, Agama has

released a new media measurement package.

MARKETPLACE - SERVICE ASSURANCE

Live service QoE showcased The S3 Group used IBC to tout new capabilities

for testing live quality of experience (QoE) and

checking IP user load.

Live service QoE testing allows operators

to proactively check their services, using

multiscreen devices deployed in the network,

and to monitor the performance and availability

of the video delivery chain. Load Testing probes

for platform weaknesses across a variety of video

consumption scenarios, especially during spikes

in demand, using real-world devices and then

measures results against KPIs.

“Customers are worried about loading the

network,” said John Maguire, chief strategy

offi cer for TV technology. “What happens when

more two-way IP traffi c comes on to their

platform? We use StormTest to test the end-user

experience while we put the load on the system.”


The first fibre optic link connecting an

antenna back to a control room was

installed 40 years ago. Over this time,

fibre optic technology has made huge

strides but today’s compact and robust fibre

systems offer the same advantages of isolation

from lightning strikes and low loss. The StingRay

RF over Fibre range has been designed for

high density, with up to 16 inter-facility links

housed in one 1U chassis. Systems of several

hundred links are easily contained in a single

equipment rack and systems of over 100 links

are now in the field.

StingRay is a complete solution for RF over

Fibre links with a wide range of modules and

chassis operating up to 2450 MHz. The

range is expanding as ETL works with

customers to engineer solutions to

new opportunities.

OPTICAL PERFORMANCE

The quality of an RF over

fibre link is largely set by

the transmit laser. StingRay

modules use high quality

DFB lasers with a two-

stage optical isolator. This

stops reflections and back

scattered light from the fibre

degrading the performance

of the laser. Standard transmit

modules operate at 1310

nm with one link per fibre.

Coarse wavelength division

multiplexing (CWDM) allows

up to eight links to share

one fibre, each using its own

colour of light. Standard

StingRay links operate from

1m to 10km with options to

extend this distance up to

35km or more.

ALWAYS ON

StingRay systems are

always operational due to

a combination of system

redundancy and hot-swap

components. Features

include dual redundant

power supplies, redundant hot swappable fan trays

and modules which remain operational even if

central control and monitoring functions are hot

swapped. Chassis and modules are fully monitored

with input and output RF power levels reported to

allow failures in adjacent equipment to be easily

localised. Transmit modules can provide monitored

and short circuit limited LNB power of up to 500

mA with 13/18V and 22 kHz

signalling available.

SYSTEM DESIGN FOR RELIABILITY

StingRay RF over Fibre provides two methods of

improving system availability through equipment

redundancy. 1+1 links have one working link and

one standby link, in the event of a failure in the

main link the system automatically switches to

the standby link.

1+1 redundancy is simple and provides a high

level of availability but doubles the number of

fibre transmitters and receivers. StingRay RF

over Fibre also allows 4+1 redundant links to be

constructed. In these systems, one

A sting in the tailAdrian Sparks provides the inside track on StingRay, ETL Systems’ offering for RF over fibre links.

REVIEW



standby fibre link is provided for every

four working links, reducing the cost of

redundant equipment.

MONITORING AND CONTROL

Both chassis and modules are fully monitored.

Temperature is reported in the chassis and in

each module and the current of each RF amplifier

stage is measured with maximum and minimum

limits set. Monitoring information is reported via

web browser interface, SNMP, RS232/RS485 serial

interface and RJ45 Ethernet port. The modules

are easy to use and after installation, internal

levels are automatically adjusted for optimum

performance and to compensate for fibre loss.

After initial module

set-up the link gain can be fixed or advantage

can be taken of the wide 50 dB AGC range. Laser

optical power is measured at the transmitter and

receiver, this allows problems caused by loss

optical power to be quickly diagnosed.

REFERENCE TONE DISTRIBUTION

Modules are available covering L-band,

broadband, IF and 10 MHz applications. 10 MHz

applications are a particular strength of the range

with signal distribution over the chassis backplane

to individual modules. Within the transmit

modules, the 10 MHz signal level at the output

can be set over a -10 to +5 dB range allowing

the reference level to be optimised for each LNB;

a useful feature if the installation contains LNBs

from more than one manufacturer.

OUTDOORS UNITS

All the features and ease of use of an indoor

chassis can be provided outdoors with the

StingRay range of IP65 rated ODUs. These

support either ten or four modules with dual

redundant power supplies and full remote

control and monitoring over copper or

optical Ethernet. The ten-module ODU has

hot-swap power supplies and can be

configured with optical and RF patch panels, local

control and monitoring, and heaters for

operation down to -60 C.

COMPONENT MODULES

StingRay component modules are ideal for

applications requiring a small number of links.

The robust shielded housing is mounted using

four screws and powered from a small mains

power unit, basic settings can be controlled

using DIP switches.

Visit: www.etlsystems.comCall: +44 (0) 1981 259020

EXCELLING IN RF ENGINEERING

Call us or email us to discuss how we can provide the solution for your RF requirements.

Introducing an evolution in RF technologies for the RF distribution chain

Flexibility. Performance. Reliability.

New RF products which provide optimised performance, power consumption reductions, cost savings and rack space savings to teleports and broadcasters.

‘Fibre optic technology has made huge strides, but today’s compact and robust fibre systems offer the same advantages of isolation from lightning strikes and low loss...StingRay is a complete solution for RF over Fibre links with a wide range of modules and chassis operating up to 2450 MHz. The range is expanding as ETL works with customers to engineer solutions to new opportunities’


BEST OF SHOW

The best of the bestDuring IBC, a panel of expert judges trawled the halls on the hunt for innovation and technical excellence. After much deliberation (and no little arguing) they chose 23 products, solutions, and devices as TV Technology Europe’s IBC 2015 ‘Best of Show’ winners. Here is the full rundown. Congratulations to one and all

EVERTZ: MAGNUM GATESAIR: MAXIVA XTE

THE MAGNUM SDVN

(Software-Defined

Video Networking)

orchestration and control

software has been

specifically developed

to bridge all the major

components in a hybrid

or all IP based facility

and provide end-to-

end governance of the

video, audio, and data

flows from production to

playout.

A SOFTWARE-DEFINED

platform with unparalleled

signal processing power,

advanced Transport Stream

over IP (TSoIP) input capabilities

and Real Time Adaptive

Correction techniques that

provides optimum signal

performance over a wide

variety of modulations and RF

amplifier topologies.

The judges said: “Quite simply, way ahead

of its competition.”

The judges said: “Multi-standard and multi-input, and

based on a powerful HW, it is a future-proof solution with innovative features

already in the roadmap.”

AN ULTRA-SMALL

camera back

transmitter that

brings “software-

defined” into the RF

world for the first

time.

The judges said: “Brings dynamism to RF. It runs various apps, much like a smartphone, and can instantly transform its functionality for a

number of different requirements. A very clever device.”

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN: ATEM 2 M/E BROADCAST STUDIO 4K

ALLOWS video

production teams

to create live,

switched, high

frame rate HD

and Ultra HD

programmes at up

to 60 frames per

second.

The judges said: “Impressive 4K capabilities in a compact design and with an impressive price, plus integrated camera control for Blackmagic

Studio cameras.”

COBHAM: SOLO8 SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIO


ASPERA FILES

A CLOUD solution that allows TV stations and

digital publishers to acquire, curate and select

live and recorded video contributions. Includes

cloud-based mobile and web apps for live and

recorded content acquisition from various

sources and user groups.

THE PRODUCTION Resource Manager for Astra Studio 3 optimises

operations within news production automation. Its use improves

efficiency through pooling resources and dynamically assigning them

based on operational priorities.

AN SAAS offering that transforms content

sharing and collaboration across all storage

locations – on premises and in the cloud.

Using Aspera Files a media organisation can

establish a branded web-based presence

for the fast, easy and secure exchange and

delivery of file-based media or data of any

size, over any distance and between users

across separate organisations, combining

multiple cloud and on-premises storage

platforms. It is built on the Aspera FASP high-

speed transport platform for distance-neutral

transfer of extremely large files and data sets

over the internet.

The judges said: “Like all great inventions, it is not just a great idea but also

easy to use. It even works when the bandwidthisn’t brilliant.”

The judges said: Transformative. Essential.

Breaks down barriers.”

The judges said: “A ground-breaking QC system

that is capable of analysing from raw to end-user delivery.

Through a light metadata structure it allows frame-by-frame comparison between

any couple of points along the entire broadcasting chain.”

SIGNATURE technology that allows

automatic confidence monitoring

and media verification throughout a

broadcast chain.

MAKE.TV: LIVE VIDEO CLOUD

SAM: MEDIA BIOMETRICS

AVECO: ASTRA STUDIO 3 PRODUCTION RESOURCE MANAGER

The judges said: “A simple but brilliant solution to dealing

with the logistical complexity of covering breaking news. The best innovations are those that solve real-world

problems. This does just that.”


BEST OF SHOW

DESIGNED to handle medium-size large-sensor cameras incorporating

anything from a light rig with just a camera and a lens, to a full rig with

monitors, wireless mics, batteries and more.

The judges said: “Just amazing for the money. Smooth

and stable. I love it.”

MILLER FLUID HEADS: COMPASS 23 FLUID HEAD

ALL-IN-ONE transmitter,

featuring the ONEtastic

wideband Doherty high-

efficiency technology, that

raises the bar of power

density to new levels.

ONETASTIC: ONECOMPACT P TRANSMITTER

TMD: PARAGON

AN OPEN architecture and media-aware storage management system

that uses the LTFS standard to control LTO data robots.

The judges said: “It shows good awareness of the market,

responds to its needs and proves that ‘easy to use’ doesn’t have to

mean cut-down.”

A PLUG-IN for Adobe Premiere

Pro CC that allows users to handle

complicated editing workflows

quickly, safely and across different

platforms.

The judges said: “Impressive power density in a fully

integrated all-in-one multi-standard high efficiency TV transmitter that is capable

of spanning across almost any TV transmission application, including echo

cancelling re-broadcasting.”

HOUSES ALL the DSP processing power for Wheatstone’s line of TV audio

digital mixing consoles and distributes aux, programme and mix-minus

feeds to the WheatNet-IP audio network.

ARVATO SYSTEMS: EDITMATE

The judges said: “Makes it possible to insert any legacy audio

equipment - from microphones to switchers - into a fully IP network, allowing TV production facilities to smoothly move to IP and add the utmost flexibility

to production audio workflows.”

WHEATSTONE: GIBRALTAR IP MIX ENGINE

The judges said: “Changes the

way editors and producer can use

Premiere Pro. Impressive.”


ROSS VIDEO: ULTRIX CONNECTIVITY PLATFORM

PACKS an unprecedented feature set into a compact package. Includes

historically big router-only technology like audio processing and multi-

viewers while supporting the new SMTPE 12G standard that gets 4K/UHD

video on a single coaxial cable.

IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS

The judges said: “Effectively proves interoperability

between mission-critical equipment from different vendors AND with different

protocols. A potential game-changer.”

A MARKET-READY, interoperable, end-to-end IP-based joint solution

(with EVS) for the live production of slow motion and instant replay.

SENNHEISER: AVX

A WIRELESS microphone

system for video cameras

that ensures totally stress-free

audio capture and offers ease

of use right from the start.

Operates in the licence-free

1.9 GHz frequency rage.

COMPACT, ultra-bright and

high-quality LED soft lights with

a design that is focused on

form, colour, beam field and

output.

ARRI: SKYPANEL LED SOFT LIGHTS BROTHER, BROTHER & SONS: PIPELINE SYSTEM

A MODULAR LED lighting

system in a lightweight

versatile form-factor that

provides brighter and higher

fidelity light emission. It

benefits from an expandable

array of cylindrical fixtures

that are customisable to suit

specific requirements.

A FULL HD monitor with

a daylight viewable 1000

nit display, anti-reflective

coating and 179-degree

wide viewing angle.

The judges said: “It’s very bright and

looks really promising.” The judges said: “Broadcast-grade,

compact, light, self-tuning wireless microphone

system fit for ENG and HDSLR shooting,

requiring almost no user intervention. Perfect for

single-person operation.”

The judges said: “Accurate colour. Yes, it’s bigger and

heavier, but it’s been really well thought out. Everything you could need is already in place and it will take a serious kicking.” The judges said:

“I love these. I just wish that they’d been around 20-plus years ago.”

SMALLHD: 702-BRIGHT 7-INCH MONITOR

The judges said: “High density, SW scalable, ultra compact

routing solution that is 4K and 12G-SDI capable and has the ability to individually

route 4K embedded audio inputs. Another great Ross product.”


BEST OF SHOW

EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE EDITOR James [email protected]

EDITOR Will [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS David Fox, Adrian Pennington, Ann-Marie Corvin, Christina Fox, Ian McMurray, George Jarrett, Heather McLean, Carolyn Giardina, Mark Hallinger, Anne Morris, Chris Forrester.

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 Ferrick1 Color - 0 Cyan / 100 Magenta / 99 Yellow / 4 Black

TV Technology Europe ISSN 2053-6674 (Print) ISSN 2053-6682 (Online) is published four times annually by NewBay Media. ©2015 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 James McKeown at the feedback address.

CONTACTS EDITORIAL +44 (0) 20 7354 6002 SALES +44 (0)207 354 6000

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Ben [email protected]

SALES EXECUTIVE Nicola [email protected]

U.S. MIDWEST, NEW ENGLAND & CANADA Vytas [email protected]

U.S. WEST Pete [email protected]

U.S. SOUTHEAST AND MID-ATLANTIC, US CLASSIFIEDS & PRODUCT SHOWCASE Michele [email protected]

HONG KONG, CHINA, ASIA/PACIFIC Wengong Wang [email protected]

ITALY Raffaella Calabrese [email protected]

LATIN AMERICA Susana Saibene [email protected]

PRODUCTION

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Davis White

HEAD OF DESIGN, HERTFORD Kelly [email protected]

PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE Jason [email protected]

USING Remote Phosphor technology, the HS2

from Cineo Lighting is a second generation

fixture that combines impressive brightness

and extremely accurate colour quality with

power efficiency and flexibility.

A SHARED storage system for real-time

collaboration that is powered by the Avid

MediaCentral Platform and integrates

with Avid Media Composer, Pro Tools,

and third-party tools including Adobe

Premiere Pro CC.

The judges said: “Proactive, seamless hybrid storage solution and storage management system. Great vision behind it and a

broadcast-focused design.”

QUANTUM: Q-CLOUD ARCHIVE PUBLIC CLOUD STORAGE SERVICE

EMPLOYING the power of the public cloud as an off-site tier within

a Quantum StorNext 5 workflow environment, it enables users of

Quantum’s intelligent data management software to store data in the

cloud when it makes the most sense for a given workflow.

CINEO: HS2 AVID: ISIS | 1000

The judges said: “This shows that they are listening to their

customers. Changes in ballast make that clear. Lovely light and one of the few LED lights that gives accurate colour.”

ENVIVIO: CLOUD DVR

AN ALL-SOFTWARE DVR solution working on standard servers, it

combines advanced storage technologies, designed to scale to

Petabytes, with optimised software for packaging and transcoding to

minimise the infrastructure costs.

The judges said: “Ideal for broadcasters that are looking to reduce set-top box costs, it cuts the

storage bill and includes advertising insertion features. Neat.”

The judges said: “A scalable and

affordable collaboration solution, and a

clear step towards interoperability. It

opens the doors of the Avid echosystem to

almost any NLE suite on the market.”

A

B

CD EF

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I

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K

L

Cash in or Trade up

UsedEquipmentWe Buy, Sell,

and Trade

Visit www.BandH.com for the most current pricing

B&H - The leading retailerof the Latest Technology

BandH.com

www.BandH.comWhere you will fi nd information

on over 400,000 items

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Shop B&H, where you will fi nd all the latest gearat your fi ngertips and on display in our SuperStore.

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*Applies to In-Stock Items. Some restrictions may apply. See website for details. NYC DCA Electronics Store Lic.#0906712; NYC DCA Electronics & Home Appliance Service Dealer Lic. #0907905; NYC DCA Secondhand Dealer – General Lic. #0907906 © 2015 B & H Foto & Electronics Corp.

A Anton Bauer Digital 90 Gold Mount Battery#ANDIG90GM$26900

B Lowel PRO Power Daylight LED Light#LOG510DA $60995

C Blackmagic Design Production Camera 4K#BLPRODCAM4K$2,99500

D Canon CN-E 135mm T2.2 L F Cinema Prime Lens#CAE135EF$4,95000

E Sony Alpha a7RII Mirrorless Camera#SOA7R2$3,19800

F Canon CN-E30-105mm T2.8 L SP Cinema Lens#CAE30105PL$23,27500

G Elvid 7” FieldVision Pro Monitor with Scopes#ELOCM7PWV$89900

H Porta Brace CTC-3 Traveler Camera Case#POCTC3$25085

I Canon EOS C100 mkII Cinema EOS Camera with 24-105mm f/4L#CAC100AF2E24$5,99900

J Panasonic LumixDMC-GH4 Camerawith Interface Unit#PADMCGH4BK$2,29799

K Magnus VT-400 Tripod System with 2-Way Fluid Pan Head#MAVT400$12995

L DJI Inspire 1 Quadcopter 4K Video and 3-Axis Gimbal #DJINSPIRE1$2,89900

PROMPTSHIPPING

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THE TV AUDIO REPORT: IP AUDIO NETWORKING +

Which Is Harder: Golf or Audio for Golf? How the Right IP Audio Network Can Help Make One of the Toughest Jobs in TV Sports an Easy 36 Under Par....

Golf is a unique sport in that its action and its fans are spread out over many acres. And the action moves over the course while the fans stay stationary. Grabbing audio at every point is a true challenge. Fortunately, with WheatNet-IP Audio networking, it’s as simple as dropping a BLADE-3 and a switch every place there’s action...

Depending upon how much coverage you want to provide, by our reckoning, for an 18-hole course, you’re going to want to cover all the tees and all the holes – that’s 36 audio locations spread over as many as 200 or more acres! And each location is going to need several mics to cover the wide dynamic range from the swoosh of the club to the crowd roaring. That’s a LOT of coverage!

Then there’s possible fairway coverage or folks out with remotes and before long you are up over 100 or more audio feeds from the course. Add the announcers, IFB, and different crowd mics, etc, and we are talking some SERIOUS audio.

IP Audio Networking has greatly reduced the strain associated with such an event. But that’s only the beginning. Imagine having interface boxes that manage switching based on which cameras are active. Imagine mixing the audio in the interfaces, remotely, using built-in virtual mixers at every audio point. Imagine the same boxes managing your IFB feeds as well as off-intercom conversations when needed. Imagine mixing and controlling all that in real time from wherever you like – your remote truck or maybe even your studio. With WheatNet-IP, you have the option.

Well that’s just scratching the surface. It’s here. No more need to imagine. No smoke. No mirrors. No Bogeys (but some Mulligans if you need them).

Wheatstone’s WheatNet-IP Audio Networking makes moving audio and controlling audio a snap. Built-in and programmable mix-minuses. Full IFB support. Full control over everything you could possibly want to do with your audio, including integrating it into your overall IP network (now, or when you adopt one).

1. BLADE-3 Audio InterfaceWith a Mic BLADE, you’ve got audio I/O, eight mic preamps, two 8x2 virtual mixers, audio and control routing matrix, source and destination control, gigabit connectivity, 12 GPI/O ports, 128 software logic ports, full programmability, auto mono summing, full AES67 compatibility, signal splitting, ACI, and so much more - all controllable from the console at the truck or studio. It’s kinda like dropping a full studio at each hole.

2. Managed Gigabit Ethernet SwitchYou may already have one at some of the holes for cameras if you are up to speed on IP networking. If not, they are relatively inexpensive and easy to come by.

3. Fiber Optic CableYou’ll need some heavy duty cable - like OCC B04 tactical breakout - stuff that is really rugged AND lightweight. Setup and teardown is fast and easy. And it’s less than the multipair copper cable you’ve been running.

Here’s what you’ll need at each audio point: (in addition to your Wheatstone IP console, mics, headsets, etc)

WHEATNET-IP: THE IP AUDIO NETWORK THAT’S ACTUALLY DESIGNED FOR TV

DIMENSION THREE WITH TOUCHSCREEN

AWARDED AT IBC TO GIBRALTAR IP MIX ENGINE –

BY ENGINEERS, FOR ENGINEERS

tvte october 2015

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