PANELLISTS
❝ The biggest hurdle we ’ ve seen is hiring skilled engineers experienced in both broadcast and networking … But as the transition to IP accelerates , we will see more good hybrid engineers emerge ,
and this being less of a concern .❞
30
June 2018
24i acquires Mautilus
In an attempt to affirm its ambition in delivering innovative and scalable video streaming application technology , 24i Media has acquired Mautilus to strengthen its technology framework with new products and features . Mautilus is a Czech TV app agency specialising in HbbTV and applications for multiple devices , and has developed TV apps for multiple platforms , including smart TVs , mobile and HbbTV . Rehor Vykoupil , CEO of Mautilus , said : “ Joining forces with 24i will allow us to better serve our customers by offering an innovative approach to streaming video technology . The combination will allow us to provide the best solutions to our customers , and will be a great home for our technology and team .”
Telestream updates Wirecast with new streaming features
Telestream has released Wirecast , a live streaming and production software for Mac and Windows . The new software features built-in PTZ control for robotic cameras in Wirecast Pro , support for the X-Keys Wirecast control surface , paired encoding contribution with Facebook Live and more . When paired encoding to Facebook Live , videographers will be able to target and stream content to Facebook pages for clients and their brands , without requiring passwords or credentials for the main Facebook account . According to Telestream , this is particularly useful for pages with multiple contributors and crosspromotional streaming .
Next Month @ X-Platform
OTT / VoD Solutions and Enhancements
PANELLISTS
Chong Siew Loong
CTO StarHub
Michael Cronk
Chairman , Alliance for IP Media Solutions ( AIMS )
Peter Bithos
CEO , HOOQ
Edging closer to the IP horizon
The transition to IP is beyond just replacing every capability of SDI equipment . It also involves new operational workflows and skillsets that are required to build new applications and systems , as well as the need to be cost-effective to deploy . Josephine Tan writes more .
The media and entertainment industry has already been transformed by several waves of digital transformation . These technological changes have been driving players in the industry to continuously innovate and develop new approaches to reach out to their audiences . And the most vital change taking place in today ’ s media landscape is the IP transition , which promises to provide more flexibility and agility for the design of broadcast facilities .
While it may not be time yet for broadcasters to discard their legacy SDI equipment , a hybrid concept of SDI co-existing with IP has already begun to emerge , and is likely to stay for a period of time . Arguably , the end-game is not solely about IP — it is about empowering broadcast facilities in the next wave of technological transformation .
One media company which has spearheaded the area of IP-based production is NEP Australia . In December last year , NEP Australia delivered a live-to-air , uncompressed HD remote production using SMPTE ST 2110 in conjunction with Fox Sports Australia .
The broadcast of the Hyundai A-League football match between Brisbane and Perth , held at Brisbane ’ s Suncorp Stadium , was produced and directed 920km away in the Andrews Hub , NEP ’ s centralised production facility in Eveleigh , Sydney . Connecting 29 sporting venues via a high bandwidth network , NEP ’ s IPenabled Andrews Hubs supports multiple concurrent outside broadcasts ( OBs ).
“ The consumption model of broadcast is changing massively ,” Stephen Edwards , head of technology for Fox Sports Australia , says in a video interview with NEP . “ People want anything , everywhere , all the time . In order to keep pace with that , we cannot silo operations and be limited by who can be there and when they can do it .”
For the broadcast of this football match , live uncompressed HD signals from 10 Sony HDC 4300 cameras were sent to Sydney via NEP ’ s new countrywide Distributed Production Network ( DPN ), with a fully redundant network at 50Gbps .
A HD video conferencing system enabled the “ split ” production environment , in which all programme production staff — including the director , vision switcher , audio director , graphics and replay ope-
❝ The biggest hurdle we ’ ve seen is hiring skilled engineers experienced in both broadcast and networking … But as the transition to IP accelerates , we will see more good hybrid engineers emerge ,
and this being less of a concern .❞
— Paul Druce , Lead Systems Engineer ,
Australia and New Zealand , Arista Networks
rators — were based at the Andrews Hub Sydney control room . The final programme was then delivered to Fox Sports via IP for broadcast .
Marc Segar , director of technology at NEP Australia , adds : “ This is a milestone for the broadcasting industry , and ushers in a completely new way of bringing live TV to air . This broadcast proves that broadcast technical professionals can now work across many locations using modern communication tools to maintain a team approach — regardless of distance .”
Providing the core network infrastructure to NEP ’ s Andrews Hubs is Arista Networks , which supplied its Arista 7500R series spine with 7050QX for the Hubs ’ core IP switching fabric . In addition , the Arista R series is also providing the IP fabric for four new NEP OB trucks , and is adding a network layer to NEP ’ s existing HD SDI baseband trucks .
Paul Druce , lead systems engineer , Australia and New Zealand , Arista Networks , tells APB : “ Broadcasters in Asia-Pacific are embracing opportunities to migrate to IP-based solutions . The best example of this is what NEP Australia have designed and implemented with their remote live broadcast hub implementation .
“ The IP network is the enabler for this innovation at the system level , and broadcasters want networks that are built on the same solid foundations and principals other critical networks are built on . This includes tenants such as automation to make the engineers ’ jobs easier and less complex , time aware with precision time protocol ( PTP ), and lossless systems .”
The main drivers for NEP to deliver an IP network , according to Druce , included the need to design a flexible and robust centralised hub model to support scale of bandwidth , and also the number of remote connections or OB trucks connecting into the hub , and to be able to scale out the connectivity to allow an increasing number of systems to become IP-enabled .
“ The project went very smoothly , but I ’ d say the biggest challenge for NEP was finding the right people with the right skillsets ,” he points out . “ We helped NEP with services to support the design and implementation of the network , and worked closely with other technology partners as part of the project .”
In order for broadcasters to strengthen their position in the industry , Druce emphasises the importance of broadcasters “ making correct choices upfront with a network topology that is proven , and making correct hiring decisions ”.
He explains : “ The biggest hur-