18 NEWS & VIEWS
April 2017
PHOTOS : ASIA-PACIFIC BROADCASTING UNION
Designed for 4K / UHD TV , the TS 101 154 V2.3.1 specification also includes support for HDR , HFR and wider colour space , said Dr Peter Siebert , executive director of DVB .
“ By leveraging the inherent strength of satellite broadcasting , TV operators can provide coverage to their audiences with quality of service ( QoS ), and extend their over-the-top ( OTT ) services across different territories , irrespective of local Internet connection speeds or network congestion ,” said Markus Fritz , executive vicepresident of commercial development and strategic partnerships , Eutelsat .
Michel Beke , vice-president product strategy , MediaGeniX , highlighted that the company ’ s WHATS ’ On business management system simplifies the production complexity when it comes to content delivery across multiple platforms .
In conjunction with the symposium , a total of 43 exhibitors demonstrated their latest products and services on the exhibition floor .
ABU DBS 2017 : How to dominate the digital domain
by josephine tan
KUALA LUMPUR – With the theme of Digitise , Digitalise and Dominate , the 13th Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union ( ABU ) Digital Broadcasting Symposium ( DBS ), held last month in the Malaysian capital , focused on the importance of broadcasters embracing digital technologies and solutions within their current broadcast operations and workflows .
In today ’ s fast-moving broadcast industry , the key to survival lies in going digital and implementing digital technologies throughout the broadcast chain , stressed Dr Javad Mottaghi , secretary-general , ABU , in his opening address .
“ The current media environment and the business of broadcasting are faced with tough times . One of the biggest and fastestgrowing areas is the use of new media and alternative delivery platforms ,” Dr Mottaghi continued :
“ The availability of affordable portable media devices , together with the huge growth of broadcast connectivity , is driving the industry towards this new direction . Thus , broadcasters need to accept these changes and be part of the change .”
Perhaps , the biggest , and most impactful , change is the change in consumer ’ s viewing habits . Mobile devices are increasingly being used to watch video content on the go , and consumers are now demanding high-quality content on smaller screens .
In addressing the growing number of IP-native screens , Eutelsat highlighted the SmartBEAM satellite multi-screen video delivery solution , an end-to-end platform for IP-multicast over satellite .
Markus Fritz , executive vicepresident of commercial development and strategic partnerships , Eutelsat , explained : “ With Smart- BEAM , TV operators can broadcast video content in IP format via satellite , creating a network dedicated to all IP-native devices such as tablets and smartphones .
“ By leveraging the inherent strength of satellite broadcasting , TV operators can provide coverage to their audiences with quality of service ( QoS ), and extend their over-the-top ( OTT ) services across different territories , irrespective of local Internet connection speeds or network congestion .”
The viewing of content across multiple platforms has also underlined the importance of broadcasters ’ media workflow and management processes . Michel Beke , vice-president product strategy , MediaGeniX , identified complexity as the main challenge in managing workflows .
He elaborated : “ Although production complexity is invisible to consumers , it adds to the burden of broadcasters as they need to have a seamless solution for the user while managing all the delivery platforms , formats and rights .”
Beke presented MediaGeniX ’ s WHATS ’ On broadcast management system , a cross media scheduling system that manages the workflow around the content .
Comprising modules for linear scheduling , video-on-demand ( VoD ), content and rights management , promotions and interstitial management , workflow automation , analytics and finance , media management and standard integrations , WHATS ’ On allows broadcasters to launch channels or set up additional on-demand services while optimising workflow and infrastructure , Beke shared .
When it comes to retaining viewers ’ attention , the key to succeed is undoubtedly content . However , the difference between producing content today , compared to the content that was previously produced , is the need to understand viewers better . With that understanding , more compelling content specifically catered to specific audiences can then be produced , suggested Aale Raza , director for systems integrator Whiteways Systems .
In order to reach the widest possible audience , according to Raza , content also needs to be distributed on as many platforms as possible , including terrestrial and OTT services .
“ Disruption is happening , and TV channels have to convert themselves from being not only a transmission company , but also a creative production company . This is because the fundamental aspect in producing compelling content is creativity . Creativity is vital , and technologies can be broadcasters ’ partners to enable success ,” he added .
As an enabler , technologies can potentially offer many possibilities . One example is 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) video quality , which South Korean broadcaster , Korean Broadcasting System ( KBS ), is planning to launch over terrestrial networks this May , via the ATSC 3.0 standard .
Chung Da-Woon , from KBS ’ TV transmission and control department , explained : “ The planned launch will make KBS the first to air regular terrestrial 4K / UHD broadcast , and the upcoming 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics will be a valuable opportunity for us to present this broadcast technology to the world .”
In enhancing video and audio quality for broadcast services , the Digital Video Broadcasting ( DVB ) has announced the development of TS 101 154 V2.3.1 , a specification for the use of video and audio coding in broadcasting applications based on the MPEG-2 transport stream .
Calling the specification a “ big step for broadcast ”, Dr Peter Siebert , executive director of DVB , added that the new standard “ offers a wide range of new possibilities ”.
“ DVB looks forward to having broadcasters implementing the standard while providing quality improvement for the end-users ,” he said .
The new specification comprises support for high dynamic range ( HDR ), as well as transfer functions for both hybrid log gamma ( HLG ) and perceptual quantiser ( PQ ). Additionally , high frame rate ( HFR ), offering shaper images of moving objects by going beyond the current 50 / 60fps , is also included in the new standard .
For audio , DVB integrated the next-generation audio ( NGA ) schemes to provide audio content using object- or scene-based audio coding .
Going beyond 4K / UHD , Japanese public broadcaster NHK is preparing for the broadcast of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in 8K . Besides providing more pixels with high resolution , 8K technology also offers faster pixels with HFR , and better pixels with wider colour gamut and HDR , said Tomoki Matsubara , advanced TV systems research division , science and technology research laboratories at NHK .