8 March 2017
NEWS & VIEWS
BroadcastAsia2017 to highlight IP interoperability
SINGAPORE – The next few months promise to be an exciting and , perhaps , defining time for the Asian broadcast industry ’ s transition to IP .
With interoperability being hailed as the key enabler of IP , the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers ( SMPTE ) is preparing for the introduction of the SMPTE ST 2110 standard , designed to provide a common set of protocols for IP interoperability for the worldwide media and entertainment community .
Howard Lukk , director of standards and engineering , SMPTE , told APB : “ SMPTE has been working with the industry in a multi-pronged effort to consolidate a next-generation professional media-over-IP standard .
“ This work has been on-going for several years and is now coming to fruition as the new standards series known as SMPTE ST 2110 .”
Reaching an industry consensus for a new standard is “ challenging work ” that cannot be accomplished in isolation , Lukk said , adding that SMPTE is involved in many industry efforts , including the Joint Task Force for Networked Media ( JT-NM ).
And it is with industry collaboration in mind that SMPTE is supporting the Broadcast IP Inter-Op Lab @ BroadcastAsia2017 .
Set up by APB , in collaboration with systems integrator Ideal Systems and BroadcastAsia2017 show organiser Singapore Exhibition Services , the lab will showcase what is working in IP today and highlight interoperability between different manufacturers .
The lab will also offer a handson approach of working on an
Howard Lukk , director of standards and engineering , SMPTE : “ SMPTE is pleased to see BroadcastAsia2017 hosting an IP Lab to help test , demonstrate and promote the upcoming series of standards surrounding professional media over IP .”
all-IP ecosystem , and will include a live broadcast studio , content editing and distribution to overthe-top ( OTT ) platforms , all in real-time IP .
Lukk concluded : “ SMPTE is pleased to see BroadcastAsia2017 hosting an IP Lab to help test , demonstrate and promote the upcoming series of standards surrounding professional media over IP .
“ We look forward to working with the IP Lab to help move the broadcast industry forward in the next generation of infrastructure to support the needs of broadcasters around the globe .”
To find out how you can participate in the Broadcast IP Inter- Op Lab , turn to page 35 for more information .
Viewing habits have changed : ‘ Re-train , re-strategise , then move into digital foray ’
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changing habits due to the flexibility offered by non-linear and time-shifting capabilities offered by digital media ; viewing habits , in turn , are changing due to lifestyle changes .”
In days past , a broadcaster can reasonably be seen as an organisation , as a network or station , that broadcasts TV programmes . Very often , they also own the main distribution pipeline and control the content that viewers watch on their TV screens .
Those days are long gone , suggested Andrew Anderson , head of broadcast operations , Seven West Media . “ Times have changed and the definition of TV and ‘ broadcaster ’ is changing . Audiences expect to be able to consume live and pre-recorded content wherever they are , and on whatever device .”
He also believes that OTT and broadcast spectrum are becoming “ one and the same ” for linear distribution of channels , as broadcasters find it an imperative to distribute their linear channels on OTT , in order to survive .
“ OTT has the advantage of delivering higher quality formats that broadcast spectrum does not allow ,” Anderson explained . “ So , as Internet pipelines grow , broadcasters can provide for new formats without additional spectrum licence .”
By itself OTT is not a threat to traditional broadcasters , according to Dr Zaki , who instead pointed the finger at the lowering of entry barriers .
The clear advantage that the likes of Netflix and Amazon have over traditional broadcasters , said Dr Zaki , is lower operating costs .
“ Traditional broadcasters have huge legacy costs to deal with ,” he pointed out . “ The Neflixs and the Amazons , however , come with small set-up costs , a workforce consisting of young , energetic , IT-savvy , openminded and highly technical individuals who are able to adapt to the fast-changing world of technology .
“ Old equipment , massive infrastructure , a broadcast-centric workforce , coupled with poor-quality manpower are by far the biggest stumbling blocks for broadcasters to compete in the digital world .”
Unlike Dr Zaki , HOOQ , an OTT service launched in 2015 to serve the Asian market , believes that , for the moment , OTT remains a complement , and not a replacement for broadcast TV .
“ Subscription-video-on-demand ( SVoD ) services mostly do not [ yet ] cover live sports and news , which are the strongholds of TV ,” said Peter Bithos , CEO of HOOQ .
He , however , acknowledged that trends suggest a continued increase in cord-cutters , or viewers who cancel their pay-TV subscriptions ( see report on page 10 ).
“ OTT is here to stay , and has not reached its potential ,” Bithos added .
Whether they are cord-cutters or not , viewers in each customer segments have their own set of needs . As the fragmentation in the OTT space compels viewers to navigate through a dizzying array of options , the onus is up to content providers to address their various needs , said Justin Ang , head of product at StarHub .
Having launched its first multiscreen service in 2012 , StarHub is now offering StarHub Go , a standalone OTT service , which curates , for example , the best of English entertainment from HBO and the BBC , or the latest dramas from South Korea , Hong Kong and Taiwan .
‘ Play to one ’ s strength ’ is apparently StarHub ’ s message , as Ang described : “ As a pay-TV operator , our traditional strength lies in gaining our customer insights , which allow us to curate the content they love .
“ This strength is still relevant today as we can offer customers a single avenue for content spanning multiple genres on both TV and OTT .
“ While our customers can subscribe to OTT only , we are also offering TV and OTT in tandem as a seamless viewing experience . In that sense , the TV / OTT relationship is not necessarily zero-sum , but complementary .”
In the near future , there is a likelihood that the distinction between a traditional broadcaster and a Netflix will continue to blur . Arguably , viewers will only care about who can give them the content they want .
Broadcast companies today are already becoming media distribution platforms that specialise in the types of exclusive programming that is not available to the Netflix- and Amazon-type services , described Seven ’ s Anderson .
The latter , he added , aspire to be broadcasters but for now , at least , present different brands . “ They are makers , aggregators and distributors of content but do not have a large broadcast platform to market that content .
“ There is no Channel Netflix that you simply surf to in your lounge .”
The battle for eyeballs will be decided by the battle for content between prevailing platforms , as Anderson concluded : “ If there is one advantage that broadcasters have , it is that they are broadcasters — free and in the clear , but the content from the broadcast platform must be unique .”
Media Prima ’ s Dr Zaki , however , called for a complete overhaul of existing broadcast models , which he believes are simply not effective anymore . “ The only differentiating factor of terrestrial TV is its truebroadcast capability , but even this is being slowly eroded with newer encoding and delivery systems ,” he continued .
“ I believe there is still a place for big screens , but traditional broadcasters will have to re-look at internal processes , re-train , restrategise its core operations and then move into the digital foray .”
VRIF to drive VR ’ s immersive experience and value to audience
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VR content in live events , particularly in talent shows and sports , Koenen reported .
He pointed to the collaboration between UK broadcaster Sky , Formula One Management and Williams Martini Racing , where two Formula One World Championship races were produced in VR last year , and made available for viewing via the Facebook 360 Video platform .
Last March , Sky created the Sky VR Studio , an in-house VR production unit , and followed that with October ’ s launch of Sky VR , a free app that offers 360-degree video content from Sky and its partners .
Sceptics of VR will probably point to the 3D experience — which like VR , requires the donning of additional gear — as proof that VR will not find mass market .
Koenen , however , differed : “ 3D is merely a window to the world , but VR is more immersive and has more value with its physical presence element .
“ We want to ensure that VR is a great experience for consumers , where they can be comfortable using the headset over longer periods of time because if consumers have a miserable user experience , VR will fail before it even gets started .
“ Thus , one of the subjects the VRIF will be looking into is motion sickness .”
Besides motion sickness , VRIF will also be addressing and investigating all aspects of the VR content delivery chain , from acquisition to distribution . These include production , compression , user interface , storage , distribution , display and security .
Alongside Sky and TNO , other founding members of the VRIF includes Akamai , ARRIS , b <> com , Baylor University , CableLabs , Cinova
Media , Dolby Laboratories , DTG , DTS , EBU , Ericsson , Fraunhofer , Harmonic , Huawei , Intel , Irdeto , Ittiam , Movie- Labs , NABPILOT , Qualcomm , Technicolour , Sony Pictures , Vantrix , Verizon , Viaccess-Orca and Orah .
Although live distribution of VR is challenging due to the amount of bandwidth required , Koenen urged broadcasters and content producers to embrace this technology and start experimenting with VR content .
He said : “ Distribution will be-
Rob Koenen , principal , networks at TNO , and president of VRIF : The Virtual Reality Industry Forum ( VRIF ) is established to promote interoperability in the
VR delivery chain .
come more efficient as technology enhancements are now available to reduce the bandwidth while maintaining the video quality to the viewer . This will boost live distribution of content over-thetop ( OTT ), where broadcasters can then deploy VR services with the confidence of providing value to their audiences .”