LAS VEGAS – Innovation unleashes opportunity , and ultimately , it is opportunity that is being unleashed via industry transformation , said Chris Brown , executive vice-president of NAB Conventions and Business Operations .

Perhaps fittingly , 2016 NAB Show went by the theme of “ Ready , Set , Unleash ” and provided a timely platform for some of the leading broadcast manufacturers and solution providers to highlight the role they have to play in shaping the transformations the industry is undergoing .

Snell Advanced Media ( SAM ), for instance , revealed the IP-Edge technology , designed to remove the complexity from hybrid and pure IP roll-outs . Products that are IP-Edge-enabled include routers , switchers , IQ Modular processing , servers and playout systems . One of the first products launched in the IP-Edge family is the IQ-Edge processing solution made for interoperable processing of media in IP environments .

Reflecting on a “ highly successful ” 12 months , SAM reported double-digit percentage growth in playout technology sales for the second year running , with SAM technologies being used to launch over 140 new services globally .

This was predominantly driven by deployment of the company ’ s Morpheus playout automation and ICE CiaB products . One significant launch in this period was the software-only version of the ICE CiaB product , ICE SDC ( software-defined channel ), designed for operators looking to move to virtualised playout operations .

To address the “ strong and growing ” trend of 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ), SAM has also launched the new Kula switcher range , which is capable of 4K / 1080p / HD and SD in 1M / E and 2M / E versions and can handle multiple formats .

While reaffirming SAM ’ s commitment to delivering 4K / UHD and HDR ( high dynamic range ) live production and playout tech-

nologies , Stephen Wong , SVP sales , Asia-Pacific , SAM , cautioned that Asia may not be fully ready yet for 4K / UHD . Describing the region as being “ somewhere in between ” on the adoption curve of 4K / UHD , he added : “ There is not enough 4K / UHD content for Asia right now and where HDR is concerned , the standardisation issue must be first addressed .”

SAM is , of course , a founding member of the Alliance for IP Media Solutions ( AIMS ), an independent trade association whose key goal is to aim for open standards and interoperability in IP .

Another founding member of AIMS is Lawo , who premiered the V _ matrix , a software-defined IP core routing and processing platform .

Designed to provide a completely virtualised real-time production infrastructure , V __ matrix leverages multiple cores connected to a high-capacity COTS ( com-

mercial off-the-shelf ) switch with redundant 10GE and 40GE connections to form a distributed IP routing and processing matrix with frame-accurate , clean switching — just like a legacy baseband matrix .

Core processing blades are housed in 1RU , 2RU or 3RU frames , with physical connectivity to legacy SDI equipment provided through optional V _ matrix I / O cards .

Lawo ’ s VSM broadcast control and monitoring system serves as the control layer , while the system enables the switching and routing of signals both in the IP and SDI domains .

As a completely IP-based platform , the V-matrix can be deployed in an OB truck , a TV studio or a broadcast operation centre to create a virtualised core infrastructure for live production .

Because the capabilities of the system and the functionality of the signal chains are not defined by physical connectivity of hardware modules , routing and processing can either be decentralised and spread over one or more facilities , or be centralised in a fixed facility

Above : More than 103,000 visitors thronged the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Centre , where 1,874 companies highlighted their latest products and solutions that support the latest technology transformations .

Left : While SAM continues to advance its 4K Live Production solutions , Asia as a region may not be fully ready yet for 4K / UHD , noted Stephen Wong of SAM .