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December 2017
NEWS & VIEWS
Singapore delays digital switchover
SINGAPORE – The Info-communications Media Development Authority of Singapore ( IMDA ) has announced a delay in the analogue switch-off in the country .
Previously scheduled for this year-end , analogue TV broadcast will now continue until December 31 next year . This , said IMDA , will allow more time for households to switch over to digital TV ( DTV ). In the interim , Singapore terrestrial broadcaster Mediacorp will simulcast in both analogue and digital formats until December 31 next year , with full digital terrestrial TV set to commence on 1 January 2019 .
According to IMDA , about three in four Singapore households are already receiving DTV either over the air , or through their pay-TV subscription . To facilitate the switchover to DTV and ensure that more Singaporeans receive adequate assistance to switch over to DTV , IMDA is studying enhancements to the DTV Assistance Scheme ( AS ), and will announce the enhancements early next year .
Under Singapore ’ s DTV AS , households are provided with a free digital set-top box ( STB ), indoor antenna and installation .
To help viewers determine whether they will be affected by the analogue TV switch-off , all analogue TV channels will now automatically include an “ Analogue ” channel logo on the top right-hand corner of TV screens . Households who see this channel logo will need to switch over to DTV to continue watching Mediacorp TV channels from 1 January 2019 .
Singapore ’ s switch to DTV is supported by the DVB-T2 standard , and will also allow viewers with Toggle Red Button-registered HbbTV ( Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV ) sets to access Mediacorp TV shows , Toggle Original Content and catch-up TV . Toggle is an overthe-top ( OTT ) interactive service offered by Mediacorp .
IMDA also added that Singapore ’ s switch to DTV frees up scarce radio frequency spectrum , which will be used to provide better quality and higher mobile broadband speeds , ultimately improving enduser experience .
CAP members unite to halt content piracy
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“ Hackers have been targeting the piracy ecosystem ’ s click-happy user base for some time , and CAP will work with governments and the industry to help users better understand the inherent risks when accessing pirated content .”
CAP ’ s current members include beIN Sports , CASBAA , The Walt Disney Company , HBO Asia , NBCUniversal , Premier League , Turner Asia-Pacific , A & E Networks , Astro , BBC Worldwide , Cignal , Media Partners Asia , National Basket ball Association , PCCW Media , Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia , True Visions , TV- 5MONDE , Viacom International Media Networks and Fox Network Group .
For many of these content providers , they have already begun to roll out online content services for consumers to access their content digitally . However , piracy remains a “ very serious ” problem , said Joe Welch , 21st Century Fox ’ s Asia-based public affairs executive and chairman of the board , CASBAA .
He identified Asia-Pacific as one of the regions suffering most from piracy , and thus warmly welcomed the collaboration of CAP
CAP will work with governments and the industry to help users better understand the inherent risks when accessing pirated content , said Neil Gane , general manager , Coalition Against Piracy ( CAP ). Gane previously spent 12 years with the Motion Picture Association of America ( MPAA ), and was responsible for developing and implementing content protection and advocacy strategies in 13 countries .
members to collectively reverse the growth of piracy .
Asked to comment on how piracy can be more effectively combated in Asia-Pacific , Welch answered : “ Mainly , it is asking
‘ intermediaries ’ to be more responsive and responsible in working with content creators to reduce piracy on their platforms .
“ Another remedy that is not costly is ‘ site blocking ’ by ISPs after a judge or administrative body has determined the online location in question is an egregious pirate operation based overseas — so otherwise outside the reach of domestic law enforcement .”
While acknowledging that Asia-Pacific is making strides in these areas , he calls for more to be done in some territories , where the sense of urgency authorities pay to piracy remains “ underwhelming ”.
Another key goal of CAP , Gane added , is to cripple and eventually eliminate illicit streaming device ( ISD ) ecosystems across Asia- Pacific . “ There is a need to push for enhanced legislation to allow law enforcement agencies to seize ISDs and disrupt the ISD ecosystem at its source , as well as modernising regulatory frameworks to specifically deal with ISDs .
“ A final component is improved intermediary engagement at the point of sale , with the cooperation of technology companies , e- commerce platforms and financial processors being a key element in this process .”
IP seminars stress the need to design future-proof media facilities
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BroadcastAsia2017 in April had a hands-on experience of working on an all-IP ecosystem at the Broadcast IP Inter-Op Lab and last month , APB , in collaboration with systems integrator Ideal Systems , organised two seminars — one in Hong Kong on November 3 and the other in Singapore on November 6 — entitled Professional Media over IP : Building a future-proof media facility .
Headlining both seminars as keynote speaker was Michel Proulx , media technologist and former CTO of Miranda Technologies , who told APB : “ The TV business is changing very rapidly . We do not know what the business will be like in 10 years , or even five years from now . Therefore , there ’ s a need for broadcasters to design a media facility that is agile .
“ IP is about agility and futureproofing . The need to be agile will come from business pressure and the change in how TV is being consumed .
“ Broadcasters have to also future-proof themselves for new standards while preparing for 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) and beyond .”
Proulx emphasised that IP is beyond a replacement to SDI , and has a bigger role to play in this transition . “ In our network centre , the real reason we are interested in
IP is not IP — it is the virtualisation of our media processing … IP is the on-ramp to virtualised media processing ,” he said , quoting Thomas Edwards , vice-president , engineering and development , Fox Networks Engineering and Operations .
Proulx explained : “ Moving from SDI to IP is the first transition . The second transition is moving from hardware-based , fixed-function solutions to software-based solutions , which will eventually lead to virtualisation and the cloud .”
And instead of having purposebuilt hardware , he encouraged broadcasters to invest in hardware that will be compatible to work with generic computing platforms while urging operators to install software-based solutions within these systems wherever possible .
The approach of having generic hardware he referred to is derived from the concept of a “ dematerialised facility ” developed by the Joint Task Force on Networked Media ( JT-NM ).
A “ dematerialised facility ”, according to the JT-NM , is a broadcast facility operating on generic IT equipment . The dematerialised faci lity employs Internet technology , which allows the rapid scale-up and scale-down of these facilities , and has security integrated right from the beginning .
For Singapore terrestrial broadcaster Mediacorp , its multimedia
Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union ’ Dr Amal Punchihewa : “ In Asia-Pacific , broadcasters have to start planning and be vigilant of the happenings in the broadcast sector in relation to IP while pushing ahead in making the transition happen .”
network has already adopted virtualisation , based on VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V platforms , in its various broadcast solutions .
Wang Yin , assistant vicepresident , broadcast engineering , Media corp , who spoke at the APB seminar in Singapore , shared that the most significant benefit Mediacorp has reaped from the implementation of virtualisation technology is thin provisioning . “ Because when we thin provision , we can share the same physical hardware — and slice certain computing power for a small application . However , if it ’ s for a larger application that requires more resources , we can also dynamically assign more computing power to support the big scale application ,” he explained .
The degree of IP implementation in the new Mediacorp Campus is extended across four areas — mainly IP control , media transfer over IP , IP-based monitoring , and contribution and distribution .
Control over IP particularly , Wang continued , is already a mature technology that has been used by several broadcast stations around the world .
He explained : “ The benefits we learnt by implementing this technology in our new campus is the ability to pool our resources .
“ Instead of wiring the equipment for each individual , we can now have a studio equipment room , where we place all the systems together . Depending on which production control room wants to engage with which particular equipment , we can simply point it to that equipment .”
The transition to IP is inevitable , declared Dr Amal Punchihewa , director , technology and innovation , Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union ( ABU ). Dr Amal , who attended the APB seminar in Singapore , said : “ Like what Michel mentioned in his presentation , it is crucial for broadcasters and the industry to be ready for the use of IP in coming years .
“ We ’ ve seen some good results and work done in IP from individual standard bodies like SMPTE , as well as other broadcasting unions such as the European Broadcasting Union ( EBU ). And in Asia-Pacific , broadcasters have to start planning and be vigilant of the happenings in the broadcast sector in relation to IP while pushing ahead in making the transition happen .”
Another key issue which broadcasters have to bear in mind is the need to train and arm broadcast engineers with new IP skillsets , so that when IP gradually becomes more prevalent , these engineers will be equipped with the right skillsets , said Fintan Mc Kiernan , CEO of Ideal Systems , South-east Asia .
“ In the months ahead , more research and development efforts in the industry will take place on the IP side ,” Mc Kiernan said . “ It ’ s important for broadcasters to realise that their broadcast engineering staff need to start upskilling in the IT , IP and software spaces .
“ Now is the time where there is a need for more training and upskilling , and there ’ s more work that can be done in this space in our region .”
Vincent Kwok , senior executive engineering , broadcasting department , engineering division , TVB , agreed with Mc Kiernan ’ s point on upgrading broadcast engineers ’ skills , concluding : “ The next generation of broadcast engineers should have stronger background in IT than broadcast . However , in this transition to IP , these engineers also have to be equipped with knowledge in broadcast , especially in baseband .
“ The knowledge in TV baseband is important in IP , and the ability to leverage baseband technology in the migration to IP — I think it ’ s an important stepping stone .”