What ’ s New on TV
10 May-June 2016
NEWS & VIEWS
What ’ s New on TV
Metadata for television re-imagined
Metadata is information about the ‘ content ’ that we are interested in using . This content of interest can be referred to as the essence . The essence can be a small bit of audio or video , raw audio tracks , B roll or an entire programme , a stereo mix or a 5.1 surround mix , an immersive audio mix , a single news piece or a newscast , a promo or a commercial — anything that we are interested in using , saving and finding again !
Metadata is useful if we want to send or broadcast the essence , and want the receiver to gain information about the essence . Metadata may contain the author , shooter , date of creation , owner , an edit decision list for video or audio or both , technical details about the essence , where the essence has been used before , who to pay for its use , how to use the available audio channels , how to adjust audio playback level , and more .
Metadata is extremely valuable but , so far , it is most useful in closed systems . Metadata has , unfortunately , been difficult to maintain and manage since the beginning and thus has not been used to maximum advantage . It has , in fact , been quite one-dimensional . Metadata exchange has only been possible within a limited number of systems , where it is used to share a limited number of very specific bits of information .
In a closed system , there is some assurance that the essence and metadata will not be separated . Examples of this are playout systems that ingest content , associate metadata with the essence , store the essence and metadata , schedule playout , and archive the content .
However , if ingest , scheduling , playout and archiving are handled by systems from different manufacturers , the essence and metadata can become separated or the metadata may simply be discarded in one of the stages of the workflow . The current ATSC broadcast system ,
Metadata will provide new opportunities for broadcasters to create revenue streams while encouraging viewers to participate in broadcasts instead of simply watching them .
Ken Tankel , Platform Manager , Television , Linear Acoustic
used in North America and in some other countries around the world , reliably delivers Dolby metadata from transmission chain to consumer — in a single step ! Although metadata is widely and successfully used for premium services , it has proven to be nearly impossible to assure metadata continuity from programme creators to distributors to over-the-air broadcasters .
Any break in the metadata chain results in unpredictable results for the broadcast consumer , so values are kept static and the audio is , hopefully , adjusted to match .
This situation cannot continue . New possibilities for content delivery will include audio-level information , immersive audio ( also called 3D and already in use in cinemas , home theatre , games and music ), personalised audio , and information for user interaction and commerce with broadcast and over-the-top ( OTT ) TV content .
The number of devices that viewers will use to consume TV content is growing and include a variety of handheld , mobile , small , large and very large screens , mono , stereo , inear , over-ear , small speaker and multichannel surround sound devices . It will be impossible to provide consumers with a great experience on all of these devices without reliably delivering metadata along with the content .
Metadata will provide new opportunities for broadcasters to create revenue streams while encouraging viewers to participate in broadcasts instead of simply watching them . Metadata will no longer be convenient ; it will be indispensable , reliable , and necessary , to maximise both the monetisation and the enjoyment of content .
The time for working around metadata is over . The time to embrace it is here and , thankfully , so are new methods and tools for delivering it . q
n CTE swims ahead with The Mermaid
HONG KONG – Celestial Tiger Entertainment ( CTE ) has secured first and exclusive pay-TV rights to Stephen Chow ’ s The Mermaid , as part of a licensing deal with Sony Pictures Television for CTE ’ s channels in Malaysia , Brunei , Indonesia and Singapore .
The Mermaid , now the highest-grossing film of all time at the Chinese box office , is the 10th directorial effort by filmmaker and actor Stephen Chow . The fantasy comedy stars newcomer Jelly Lin Yun as a mermaid , who is tasked to seduce a ruthless real estate
Celestial Tiger Entertainment has secured first and exclusive pay-TV rights to Stephen Chow ’ s The Mermaid .
HONG KONG – The Powerpuff Girls have returned to Asia-Pacific via an all-new series on Cartoon Network .
In addition to the 85 million homes on Cartoon Network , Turner ’ s other kid channels in the region — Boomerang , Toonami and POGO — are also airing The Powerpuff Girls , as are Oh ! K , Turner Class Movies , Warner TV and truTV . Channels operated by affiliate partners , such as Astro Ceria in Malaysia and TV5 in the Philippines , are also featuring the animated TV series .
The SyFy channel has expanded its programme offering with the addition of sci-fi series Airlock . developer ( played by Deng Chao ) in order to save her kind ’ s natural habitat .
The US $ 60-million production shattered box office records in China during the Lunar New Year holiday , including the biggest opening day ever for a local film . Its current box office gross of $ 520 million makes it the highest-grossing film of all time in China .
In addition to The Mermaid , CTE has also secured two other Chinese blockbuster hits of 2016 for its channels : The Monkey King 2 and From Vegas to Macau 3 .
n The Powerpuff Girls returns to Asia-Pacific
The Powerpuff Girls have made its comeback via an allnew series on Cartoon
Network .
n SyFy Channel a perfect fit for Airlock
SYDNEY – Australian online sci-fi series Airlock is making its TV premiere on Australia ’ s SyFy channel .
Produced by Deadhouse Films , the series is created and produced by Enzo Tedeschi , who said : “ The SyFy channel here in Australia is the perfect fit for Airlock and I am thrilled the series will have its first-ever TV broadcast in its home country . I am
Mark Eyers , chief content officer , Kids , Turner Asia-Pacific , said : “ The Powerpuff Girls will be simply everywhere ! We ’ ve waited a long time to see these super-cute and super-fierce girls return to action , and the all-new series marks the homecoming for one of Cartoon Network ’ s best-loved franchises .”
The initial run of The Powerpuff Girls premiered on Cartoon Networks in 1996 , earning two Emmy Awards along with five nominations .
looking forward to working with the team at Rockzeline to expand the audience of Airlock into the international market and am pleased to have the series picked up by Studio Plus .”
In addition to the SyFy deal , Deadhouse Films has appointed Rockzeline as an international sales agent , and who has since sold the series to Studio Plus ( CanalPlay International ).
Airlock ’ s story centres around a drifting derelict spaceship that docks with an isolated space station . Inside is a dead crew and a band of stowaway refugees . Tasked with the investigation , security officer Jonah Ashbrook ( Mark Coles Smith ) is thrown headlong into a series of events that will turn life on the station into a lifeor-death crisis .