In time travel fiction, one of the most fruitful plot devices, is uncertainty of outcome. Going back (or forward) in time is a risky business, and there’s even more risk if you don’t know in which direction you are traveling, and how far.
If you handle media assets, you know how to store lots of data and manage its constant growth. You’ve put the right storage with the right performance into the right places. You’ve got asset management solutions that serve your workflows well. You have distribution tools that let you send data across the globe. The problem is that none of it works well together.
Broadcast and production facilities will maintain islands of SDI-dependent functionality within their workflows for the near to mid-term. Even so, an increasing number of facilities are on the road to establishing operations that can truly be called IP-based. With several IP-migration roadmaps from which to choose, and the likely hood of new interoperable IP-based broadcast solutions by the end of 2016, broadcasters are poised to move into the all IP domain.
Adaptive-bit-rate technology is a boon to multi-channel delivery, in part because of reduced bandwidth requirements. A downside is that ABR signals need specialized testing. Fortunately, specialized test solutions are available to easily and objectively make the needed analysis.
The adoption of tapeless digital workflow is becoming customary in the modern world of media and entertainment. Unlocking creativity, improving production quality, obtaining better control of digital assets, and surpassing viewer expectations without attendant cost increases are powerful factors that influence the adoption of file-based production. HD and 4K are now required capabilities along with delivering content in broadband, mobile and DVD/Blu-ray formats. Optimizing tapeless digital workflow in order to allow for the best possible implementation requires the careful consideration of many variables. After the production planning and workflow design are done, after the cameras and codecs and edit tools have been chosen, after the workflow is documented and the file naming and metadata conventions have been determined, what then?
On Wednesday, April 20th, the Sociedade Brasileira de Engenharia de Televisão (SET) will host a breakfast at the 2016 NAB show to discuss the future of terrestrial television. That we are even asking the above question should alarm every OTA broadcaster.
Compromise is in the air between the broadcasting and cellular industries in the wake of the recent Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 in Barcelona. This was highlighted in a presentation by Günther Oettinger, EU (European Union) commissioner for the Digital Economy & Society, who urged the broadcasting and broadband sectors to collaborate more closely over development of converged services and frameworks that meet the common requirements of all media and Internet services, particularly with regard to mobile devices.
Building the technical core for a cable, satellite or broadcast system starts with predicting the transport needs. Add to that requirement constantly changing viewer demands and needed support for new technology like 4K, UHD and HDR. Now ask yourself, what state-of-the-art monitoring technology will be needed to ensure proper system performance?
