PANELLISTS
20
July 2017
Broadcast Solutions opens new S ’ pore office
Broadcast Solutions has strengthened its position in Asia with the opening of a new Singapore office . Joe Tan ( pictured ), formerly of Riedel Communications , will lead the company ’ s Asia-Pacific team in his role as general manager , Asia-Pacific . With the new Singapore office , Broadcast Solutions says its will be able to better serve its customers with on-site consultancy and support . Besides providing systems integration services , Broadcast Solutions is also looking to bost the presence of Broadcast Products , the company ’ s product division .
Qvest Media joins AIMS
Systems integrator Qvest Media has announced its membership into the Alliance for IP Media Solutions ( AIMS ). AIMS is a non-profit trade alliance that promotes the open standards that broadcast and media companies use to move from legacy SDI systems to a virtualised , IP-based future . Daniel Url , managing director , Qvest Media , Europe , said : “ AIMS makes it possible for in-depth exchanges with international partners , organisations and thought leaders who all have the same vision as we do — to help shape the future of the broadcast and media industry , and support users in their digital transformation .”
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Routers
PANELLISTS
Fintan Mc Kiernan
CEO Ideal Systems South-east Asia
Patrick So
Regional Manager Asia Pacific Magna Systems & Engineering
Craig Johnson
Managing Director - Media Nielsen
Master control evolving to meet today ’ s broadcast requirements
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Broadcasters and media organisations today are under pressure to keep operational costs down while increasing their channel output and playout efficiency . Although the intepretation of master control systems may differ from one broadcaster to another , the core functionalities , arguably , remain unchanged . Shawn Liew writes more .
he master control room remains the beating heart of any broadcast operation , and is the technical hub where missioncritical programming decisions are made , according to Jan Eveleens , CEO of Axon Digital Design , who tells APB : “ The ability to scale a master control operation as and when needed is crucial in today ’ s rapidly evolving media landscape .”
Like many aspects of the broadcast industry , master control is evolving , both in terms of technology and functionality . “ In a world where resources are tight , the need for fast yet cost-effective workflows has never been greater . As a result , more and more broadcasters are using automation to drive their playout , so the trend is towards less manual operation in master control ,” Eveleens explains , while stressing that some manual intervention is still required in “ unpredictable ” live broadcast environments .
He believes that a master control system should , at the minimum , consists of the following : A solid set of transitions ; some DVE ( digital video effect )
❝ The master control room remains the beating heart of any broadcast operation , and is the technical hub where mission-critical programming decisions are made .❞
— Jan Eveleens , CEO , Axon Digital Design functionality ; channel branding / logo insertion ; proper audio handling ( including Dolby processing ); support channel ‘ ganging ’; and automation support .
The trend of consolidating master control and playout is gaining momentum , accesses Alun Fryer , marketing product manager , Technical , Infrastructure , Ross Video . Many mid-to-large broadcasters are moving to centralised master control to minimise capital and operating costs , he observes . “ We continue to see a growth in channelin-a-box ( CIB ) and virtualised cloudbased playout solutions . These solutions bracket the market with cost-effective , all-in-one solutions ( CIB ) and scalable , multi-channel solutions for large infrastructures ( cloud ). As cloud technologies continue to evolve , there will be more momentum to adopt these solutions .”
Broadcasters and media organisations today need to perform the balancing act of keeping costs down while increasing channel output , suggests Karl Mehring , director of playout and delivery , Snell Advanced Media ( SAM ). “ As the number of channels increases , so too does the cost of managing and monitoring them in an efficient way — the potential for errors also goes up exponentially ,” he adds . “ In turn , the evolution of master control is driven by this need to get more linear channels to air more efficiently .”
A lot of this efficiency , says Mehring , comes down to condensing operations . “ As the number of channels , language versions , regional variations and so on increases , the more efficient you can make this environment the better .”
To allow customers to gain better operational efficiency , SAM offers tools such as the Morpheus UX , which allows one operator to look at more channels and at more focused information across multiple channels . Software-based products like ICE SDC , meanwhile , are designed to allow broadcasters to “ rapidly create ” master control environments . This , Mehring adds , is ideal for event-based channels , with resources either turned off or re-directed once the demand is no longer there .
Break free of the shackles imposed by the limitations of traditional master control systems , Axon ’ s Eveleens advocates . Broadcasters need to be able to expand and manage master control systems in line with changing broadcast needs , which are leading users to demand integration of various functionalities within their facilities , he observes .
With this in mind , Axon ’ s master control system offers all required functionalities , and is also part of the company ’ s Synapse range of signal processing products and Cerebrum control and monitoring software .
Eveleens explains : “ As Axon ’ s master control fits into the Synapse housing , other processing elements , such as a multiviewer or up / down-conversion can be easily integrated in the same frame to save physical space , and can be integrated in the overall control and and monitoring functionality .”
Consider your needs today , and how they will grow in the future , before selecting a master control system , advises Ross Video ’ s Fryer . For instance , consider how a system will scale as more channels are brought online , or when existing channels are packaged in new ways — be it multi-language , multiregional , multi-format , or through different media such as Web streaming , social media and mobile . “ We continue to see broadcasters working to repurpose