PANELLISTS
18
January-February 2017
Broadcast quality that can stand the test of time
VSN drives Aragon TV ’ s playout automation
VSN has installed two VSNMULTICOM solutions for Aragon TV ’ s new redundant playout automation system in Spain . One solution is dedicated to the broadcasting side , whereas the other focuses on the channel ’ s recordings . Both systems are integrated with the VSNEXPLORER media asset management ( MAM ) solution and VSNEXPLORER business process management ( BPM ) modules . This , said VSN , allows all media workflows managed in both playout systems and also within the TV archive to be unified and controlled under one single platform .
IRT ’ s first IMF analyser
Germany ’ s IRT , a research and competence centre for audio-visual technologies , has released its first IMF analyser that analyses and validates the completeness and standard conformance of IMF packages in depth . The Interoperable Master Format ( IMF ) is a new SPMTE standard for storing , exchanging and delivering A / V productions . IMF defines a package that contains different MXF files for audio , video , subtitle and metadata .
Next Month @ Management Business Intelligence Systems ( on top of MAM )
PANELLISTS
Fintan Mc Kiernan
CEO Ideal Systems South-east Asia
Patrick So
Regional Manager Asia Pacific Magna Systems & Engineering
Craig Johnson
Head of Reach Solutions , South-east Asia , North Asia and Pacific , Nielsen
Traditionally , waveform monitors and vectorscopes have gone a long way towards ensuring broadcast picture quality is maintained . When it comes to analysing 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) and high dynamic range ( HDR ) images , test and measurement ( T & M ) tools may have an even more critical role to play , as Josephine Tan finds out .
T
he adoption of 4K / UHD and HDR by the broadcast industry has been compared by some commentators as a larger step than when TV transitioned from monochrome to colour , says Kevin Salvidge , Leader ’ s European regional development manager .
4K / UHD and HDR demand increasingly careful attention to signal quality , Salvidge tells APB , as higher resolutions and wider colour gamut are likely to show up the imperfections in original content .
Because consumers viewing on the latest-generation , high-quality displays can see these imperfections “ very clearly ”, precise T & M is becoming more important than ever for broadcasters . Salvidge explains : “ Broadcasters have to ensure that new content has been acquired and processed to the highest possible standards because , if it is not , then these new platforms and the compression algorithms they employ will show up any technical issues inherent in the original content .”
Thus , he suggests that broadcasters should deploy T & M equipment that provides real-time graphical displays of key content parameters .
For instance , in Amazon Prime ’ s motoring TV series , The Grand Tour , Hilversum-based video systems specialist United used Leader ’ s LV5490 waveform monitor to enable the technical
Gary Lewis , regional sales manager , the Middle East and Asia-Pacific , Phabrix : The role that T & M equipment is playing today in the broadcast and production environment is more crucial than it has ever been ; this can be partly attributed to the challenges posed by higher resolutions ( 4K / UHD and 8K ), and an increasing emphasis on high frame rate and wide colour gamut .
crew to check the colourimetry and gamut of the various cameras used in shooting .
The LV5490 offers 4K / UHD , 3G , HD and SD T & M features in a compact portable unit . Waveform , vector and picture display can be viewed at the same time on the LV5490 ’ s nineinch LCD monitor , which offers a wide viewing angle with high colour reproduction .
One feature of the LV5490 that proved to be key in The Grand Tour shoot is the Cinelite II toolset , which allows easy assessment of relative exposure and overall luminance during production . Within the Cinelite II toolset are Cinezone , a “ false colour ” display system that supports HDR production on a standard dynamic range ( SDR ) display ; and Cinelite , a built-in light meter reading tool that allows operators to monitor the value of a pixel on the original content .
Bolke Burnaby Lautier , United ’ s manager of special projects , says : “ The integral Cinelite feature allows the camera crew to ensure maximum signal quality when shooting , rather than relying on signal re-normalisation during post production .”
The role that T & M equipment is playing today in the broadcast and production environment is more crucial than it has ever been , Gary Lewis , regional sales manager , the Middle East
Leader ’ s LV5490 waveform monitor was used in Amazon Prime ’ s motoring series , The Grand Tour , to enable the technical crew to check the colourimetry and gamut of the various cameras used during the shoot .
Kevin Salvidge , Leader ’ s European regional development manager : Because consumers viewing on the latest-generation , high-quality displays can see imperfections in original content “ very clearly ”, precise T & M is becoming more important than ever for broadcasters .
and Asia-Pacific , Phabrix , acknowledges . This , he says , can be partly explained by the challenges posed by higher resolutions ( 4K / UHD and 8K ), as well as an increasing emphasis on high frame rate ( HFR ) and wide colour gamut ( WCG ).
Collectively , these factors are placing additional focus on the compliance area , according to Lewis , who recommends T & M equipment to be equipped with the “ speed and flexibility ” in order to provide analysis on picture display , jitter analysis , audio monitoring , logging , SMPTE ( Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers ) compliance and physical layer display .
Ensuring that image quality is maintained when it reaches viewers via a host of different display devices takes “ a lot of work ”, and requires T & M tools to support multiple video formats , including 4K / UHD with HDR , or even standard dynamic range ( SDR ), suggests Alan Wheable , communication manager at Omnitek .