PANELLISTS
❝ Ross started out as a switcher company in 1974 and we ’ ve obviously grown and diversified a great deal since then , but production switchers remain an incredibly
important part of our business .❞
18
May 2018
HBO picks Wazee Digital for archiving needs
HBO is using the Wazee Digital Core cloud-native digital asset management platform to digitise and archive sports content currently stored in endangered videotape formats . In doing so , HBO can preserve its deteriorating content while providing access to the archive for stakeholders who need that content . Michael Castro , vice-president of HBO , said : “ Many of HBO Sports ’ assets are on legacy tape formats that need to be migrated to digital because the physical formats are deteriorating , and the videotape machines that play them back are quickly becoming extinct . ... Through Wazee Digital , we are rediscovering these historic moments and making them available for future use .”
NexGuard watermarks KT Skylife ’ s content
South Korean satellite broadcaster KT Skylife is leveraging the NexGuard watermarking technology to meet studio requirements for the protection of high-value content . A Nagra customer since 2010 , KT Skylife can now meet forensic watermarking requirements mandated by MovieLab ’ s Enhanced Content Protection for premium content , including 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) and high dynamic range . Nagra ’ s NexGuard forensic watermarking technology adds a unique , invisible identifier to video content delivered to set-top boxes , smart TVs and other video players . It embeds a unique watermark for any video shown , making it the only way to tracing illicit re-distribution back to a specific content .
Next Issue @ Management
Audience Measurement
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
How broadcasters are still ‘ switched on ’ to live production needs
Some things just never go out of vogue . As multiple formats emerge to present more technical and operational challenges , production switchers continue to be the heartbeat of any live production environment .
Shawn Liew reports .
At a time when Ontario-based Ross Video is highlighting its commitment to the live production sector with its new “ Living Live !” branding , its very first product range is still playing a key role .
Les O ’ Reilly , marketing product manager for production switchers , Ross Video , tells APB : “ Ross started out as a switcher company in 1974 and we ’ ve obviously grown and diversified a great deal since then , but production switchers remain an incredibly important part of our business . Production switchers also remain one of the key pieces of equipment during a live production environment .”
At the recent 2018 NAB Show , Ross Video introduced versions 8 and 13 respectively of its Acuity and Carbonite switchers , as well as launched the Carbonite Black Solo 13 . This new product , said the company , is a self-contained production switcher and hardware panel combination with 13 inputs and six outputs , giving users more I / O to work with in productions . It also retains the form factor of the Carbonite Black Solo .
And to allow customers to better understand its full range of production switchers , Ross Video started in February this year the first of a series of four production switcher webinars .
Some of the key topics discussed , O ’ Reilly reveals , included the role switchers play in both HD and 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) productions .
On the latter , he elaborates : “ 4K / UHD
❝ Ross started out as a switcher company in 1974 and we ’ ve obviously grown and diversified a great deal since then , but production switchers remain an incredibly
important part of our business .❞
— Les O ’ Reilly , Marketing Product Manager for
Production Switchers , Ross Video
productions are most than just about picture resolution . We have many customers looking at multiple methods of transport — quad-link 3G in both QSD and 2SI variants ; quad link carried over IP connectivity in QSD and 2SI ; and 12G single link that has interested many
Ross Video ’ s line-up of production switchers include the Carbonite Black , which has been joined by the new Carbonite Black Solo 13 , a self-contained production switcher and hardware panel combination with 13 inputs and six outputs .
small and medium installations where the benefits of SDI can still be valuable .”
IP , O ’ Reilly accesses , is also becoming prevalent in HD workflows , when installations are able to pack dense amounts of data on fewer cable , and where connectivity scale can create system architectures that are able to exceed the sizes that a conventional SDI router is capable of achieving .
Connecting these discussions , is another hot topic — high dynamic range ( HDR ). “ Yet again , we have an issue about production and delivery formats , along with ‘ vendor ’ -specific models that are not necessarily an ‘ industry standard ’,” O ’ Reilly argues . “ Having to support these different models is not an issue for a production switcher since the inputs all come in as SDI 10-bit video . We just need to process the pixels .”
The problem arises , he points out , when all of the input modes do not match , and thus need to be made to match . In this instance , a transmission output is required , O ’ Reilly says , illustrating : “[ HDR ] transmission to the home may be done in Hybrid Log Gamma ( HLG ) 709 because you do not want two separate channels — one to support HDR in a format that is not compatible with standard dynamic range ( SDR ) monitors , and another that would be an SDR channel .”
Calling Ross Video an “ evolving product company ” offering software- and field-programmable gate array ( FPGA ) - based solutions , he highlights how this