❝ We ’ ve been studying IP technology and SDI over IP for quite some time . The seminar , through Michel ’ s keynote and case study presentations , has provided us with a better understanding on
the overall IP network architecture .❞
❝ Consumers ’ viewing habits are changing and content providers have to innovate with new approaches . Traditional broadcast technologies may shift to being more IP- or Web-based ; therefore , the seminar has provided good content with clear details about all the information
on IP broadcast technologies .❞
12 December 2017
NEWS & VIEWS
Seminars ‘ highlight that IP is the key topic in the industry ’
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Broadcast Server , which is installed in the Los Angeles studio , to receive incoming feeds . “ For The Runner , the production team transmitted all the feeds in IP through the entire workflow ,” he added .
The production team also utilised the Dejero Control cloudbased management system for asset tracking and content routing . Using Dejero Control , users are able to geo-locate and remotely control the transmitters , configure broadcast and cloud servers , view performance data , preview lowlatency feeds , and route live or recorded content to playout and online delivery workflows .
Moore commented : “ The idea of The Runner came from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck 17 years ago , but it took until 2016 for the technology to become available to make the multi-platform idea work for a mainstream , global entertainment audience . The Runner demonstrates that there has been a lot of maturity in IP when it comes to acquisition , playout and distribution .
“ Today , broadcasters are catering to all generations who not only watch programmes on linear TV but online as well , and vendors do have different solutions to support broadcasters ’ needs for multiplatform delivery .
“ In the future , as the broadcast facility becomes more cloud-based with a pool of resources , the whole infrastructure will become more efficient . In the long term , when broadcasters integrate all these systems today , and where IP is in the core facility , is what will make it much more efficient .”
Particularly in the Singapore seminar , Ideal Systems livestreamed the event to Facebook Live and YouTube Live using Dejero ’ s EnGo transmitters . Fintan Mc Kiernan , CEO of Ideal Systems , South-east Asia , commented : “ In the Singapore seminar , we not just talked about the technology but we ’ re actually using the technology in this instance . The Singapore
From left : Fintan Mc Kiernan , CEO of Ideal Systems , South-east Asia ; Mark Moore , vice-president , international sales , Dejero ; Wang Yin , assistant vice-president , broadcast engineering , Mediacorp ; Michel Proulx , media technologist and former CTO of Miranda Technologies ; YJ Huang , systems engineering manager , Asia-Pacific , Arista Networks ; Denis Pare , vice-president of sales , Embrionix ; and Shawn Liew , managing editor of APB .
seminar was live-streamed to Facebook Live and YouTube Live to allow people from anywhere in the world to view while the event was on . The response was great as we saw many people joining us virtually as well .”
For Embrionix , the company ’ s solutions were deployed by Brazilian broadcaster Globosat during the 2016 Rio Olympics . Denis Pare , vice-president of sales , Embrionix , said : “ Globosat ’ s goal was to monitor all the signals within the facility during the Olympics , and they decided to build an IP infrastructure to cover the sports event . They went on to install several IP multiviewers , which were designed based on the SMPTE ST 2022-6 standard . However , several of their feeds in the facility were still in SDI , and these feeds were not possible to fit into IP switches .”
In order to bring all SDI signals into IP , Globosat chose to employ Embrionix ’ s emSFP ( small form-factor pluggable ) gateway and emVIEW 2022-6 to cover the 2016 Rio Olympics . The emSFP- GATEWAY ST2022 gateway module is designed based on an SFP formfactor , and can be integrated in other broadcast equipment to provide a bridge between SDI and IP .
The emSFP-GATEWAY can
The winner of the Apple Watch lucky draw , Lim Hwa Meng ( right ), lead , outside multimedia production , Mediacorp , receiving his Apple Watch from YJ Huang , systems engineering manager , Asia-Pacific , Arista Networks . also be installed directly inside IP commercial-off-the-shelf ( COTS ) switches , thus allowing the COTS equipment to integrate sources with IP or SDI formats . “ By leveraging IP networks for the distribution of signals , users are able to use top-of-rack switches to gather the signals from the equipment . Coupled with high-bandwidth connectivity within the network , the SDI signals are then available to all the IP multiviewers ,” Pare said .
Claiming that emSFP is a processing device that provides more than gateway functionalities , Pare added that the device could also be used for monitoring 4K / UHD . He explained : “ Monitoring 4K / UHD requires a lot of bandwidth for the multiviewers . Using an SFP like the emSFP enables broadcasters to reduce the bandwidth directly at source .
“ For instance , an SFP is capable of supporting two 4K / UHD signals at 12G , and down-convert it to 720p , thus allowing broadcasters to reduce the bandwidth by 80 %. Other processes that can be done via the SFP includes the conversion from standard dynamic range ( SDR ) to high dynamic range ( HDR ), as well as conversion between SMPTE ST 2022-6 and SMPTE ST 2110 .”
The Singapore seminar was joined by Singapore terrestrial broadcast Mediacorp , which recently completed its move to the new Mediacorp Campus where transmission started earlier this year .
Wang Yin , assistant vice-president , broadcast engineering , Media corp , said : “ Back in the old facility , we had corporate IT and broadcast IT all running under the same network , and we encountered issues with connectivity and packet loss . Hence , when moving to Mediacorp Campus , we took the opportunity to redesign the whole broadcast infrastructure .”
In the new facility , Mediacorp isolates traffic flows by deploying a three-zone concept , which divides the broadcast infrastructure into three different networks — untrusted , semi-trusted and broadcast . For instance , incoming traffic from contribution , radio and external social media content will undergo security filtering before reaching the protected broadcast network .
Wang also shared that the implementation of IP in the Mediacorp Campus is extended across four areas — mainly IP control , media transfer over IP , IP-based monitoring , and contribution and distribution . Control over IP , which is a mature technology that has been used by several broadcast stations globally , has particularly enabled Mediacorp to pool its resources , he added .
In managing all these networks , Mediacorp developed a broadcast infrastructure monitoring ( BIM ) ecosystem , as it is crucial to have a network monitoring system in place to be kept informed of the status of each system . Wang explained : “ What we ’ re trying to do is to monitor the hardware and software services , and generate reports for the whole broadcast facility . It ’ s important to service impact analysis in the event of a system failure , which has a possibility of impacting other services . Hence , with a monitoring system in place , we will be able to analyse how critical this issue is , as well as the potential consequences of this failing service .”
Declaring the IP seminars a success , Ideal System ’ s Mc Kiernan concluded : “ The seminars highlight that IP is the key topic in the industry , and this is a valuable seminar that has provided important , upto-date information on the subject matter , which is migration from SDI to IP , and use instances . Technology is changing very quickly so gaining the latest information is important for staff and engineers making decisions in this space .”
Here ' s what the attendees say about the IP seminars ...
❝ We ’ ve been studying IP technology and SDI over IP for quite some time . The seminar , through Michel ’ s keynote and case study presentations , has provided us with a better understanding on
the overall IP network architecture .❞
— Kevin Chu , Assistant Vice-President , Broadcasting Engineering ,
Now TV , PCCW Media
❝ Consumers ’ viewing habits are changing and content providers have to innovate with new approaches . Traditional broadcast technologies may shift to being more IP- or Web-based ; therefore , the seminar has provided good content with clear details about all the information
on IP broadcast technologies .❞
— Terence Wong , Chairman , SMPTE-HK Section