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www.broadcastengineering.com A PEN -ON MEDIA PUBLICATION
AVOID A COMPRESSION HEADACHEUnderstanding AVCHD and H.264/AVC
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ALSO INSIDE:BUILDING EFFICIENT WORKFLOWIt requires more than just automation
ARCHIVE AND ASSET MANAGEMENTProtect thcse valuable media assets
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TABLE OF CONTENTSVOLUME 53 I NUMBER 10 I OCTOBER 2011
BroadcastEngineeringe
FEATURES42 Understanding AVCHD
The codec differs from H.264/AVCin several important ways.
48 Production workflowsSmaller broadcasters have differentneeds than their larger counterparts.
BEYOND THE HEADLINESDOWNLOAD
12 Audio-visual archivesAs other options become available,tape may not make the cut.
FCC UPDATE16 TV -51 under attack
The wireless industry's wish wasgranted as the FCC froze applicationsand changes to Channel 51.
DIGITAL HANDBOOKTRANSITION TO DIGITAL
18 Interactive systemsThe upcoming ATSC NRT standarddelivers content in advance of use.
COMPUTERS & NETWORKS22 Networked media
Storage and usage are almostcompletely disconnected.
PRODUCTION ROOM24 In -stadium entertainment
Vendors and venues find revenue in equippingsports arenas for HD production.
(m tinucef on page 6
SEE IT ONLINE!Learn from the experts with Broadcast Engineering'sSpecialized Training eBooks and video tutorials.
Learn more at: www.broadcastengineering.com/specialized -training/.
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4 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
ON THE COVER:AVCHD, developed jointly by Panasonic and Sony, is aproprietary version of H.264/AVC. Specifically, AVCHDemploys both the H.264 Main Profile and High Profile.Thus, althouch it is marketed as a single codec, it uses apair of codec profiles.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (r0mTiNt1ED)
VOLUME 53 I NUMBER 10 OCTOBER 2011
SYSTEMS INTEGRATIONNEW MEDIA NETWORKS
28 BXF explainedThe new, open SMPTE schema standardlevels the playing field for manufacturers.
SHOWCASE36 In -game experience
Oregon's Matthew Knight Arena boastsHD production technology.
NEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWSAPPLIED TECHNOLOGY
52 Openet SDM software
61 Signiant CSCM software
FIELD REPORTS54 T-VIPS's IP transport
58 Plura monitors
TECHNOLOGY IN TRANSITION63 Video processing
GPUs could make advancedgraphics attainable by all.
NEW PRODUCTS65 Harmonic's Electra 9000 video
encoder and more ...
DEPARTMENTS8 EDITORIAL
71 CLASSIFIEDS73 ADVERTISERS INDEX74 EOM
JUST THE FACTS!After 10 months of anxious waiting, the FCC's netneutrality rules have finally been published in theFederal Register. The rules are set to take effect onNov. 20. However, it's expected that Verizon andMetroPCS will challenge the rules in court. Earliercases from Verizon and MetroPCS were tossed outof court because the rules hadn't been finalized.
Learn more at www.broadcastengineering.com
6 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
-hat's a bold statement, but a true one. As one of the world's largest broadcast and professional solutionssuppliers, Grass Valley" has over 3,000 ac-ive 'broadcast' customers, and lens of thousands of professionalusers generating content using Grass Val ey tools. For more thE n 50 years, Grass Valley has been, and
continues to be, at the forefront of on -air innovation, creating some of the most accomplished productsand services available. When you're watching news, sports, or entertainment programming, whether ona TV, the web, or a mob]e phone, you're watching Grass Valley at work.
For more informaticn, please vis t:www.grassvalley.com
Ge00"g rass valley
EDITORIALDEPARTMENT
Do we needthe cloud?
If I rated technical topics by the number of press re-leases received, cloud storage would be number one.Not a day goes by when I don't receive at least severalpress releases about new vendors, products or no-
tices of webcasts or seminars about cloud storage. Today, Ireceived a press release titled, "Cloud on a USB stick."
But the question readers continue to ask me is, "What doescloud storage have to do with broadcast and production ap-plications?" That is a more difficult question to answer.
In looking for help, an hour on the Web merely left memore confused than before. One vendor offered 10 reasonsto use cloud for backup. Another white paper suggestedthere are three types of clouds: private, public and hybrid.There were also many papers appearing to want to scareone off from the technology with titles like, "Cloud Appli-cation Deployment: 10 Deadly Sins." I also discovered thehybrid cloud, the rich cloud and the virtual cloud.
The recent IBC convention should have provided someguidance, right? Nope. While some of the convention'stechnical papers mentioned the cloud, I did not visit asingle vendor claiming to offer cloud storage as an endproduct. That may not be so surprising as broadcasters areabout as risk adverse and anyone.
Cloud technology is a huge business. Amazon operatesthe world's largest cloud -based service provider, the EC2(Elastic Compute Cloud), which is said to use 40,000 serv-ers. It generated $500 million last year, and some believe it
will hit $1 billion in revenue next year.While certainly large, that amount of storage is peanuts
compared to Google. According to a report from DataCenter Knowledge, Google has approximately 900,000servers consuming about 220MW of power, or about1 percent of total global electricity use by data centers.
MI of this makes me wonder why cloud vendors are notscrambling to supply technology to this industry. Then, Ireflected on a point above: Broadcasters are not risk takers.
Even so, IT -centric products are already core to somebroadcast and production applications, so can the benefitsof the cloud be far behind?
As one who likes holding my content on local servers, Iwould be hesitant to turn it over to the invisible cloud. Butthen, my own experience includes several system failureswhere several years of data suddenly disappeared. That aloneshould make me eager to hand that task to someone else.
However, before you upload your entire station to thecloud, it is worth reading what Oracle CEO Larry Ellisonsaid about the cloud. Keep in mind he's made a lot of cor-rect business and technical decisions that have made himthe third richest person in America.
"The interesting thing about cloud computing is thatwe've redefined cloud computing to include everythingthat we already do," Ellison said. "I can't think of anythingthat isn't cloud computing with all of these announce-ments. The computer industry is the only industry that ismore fashion -driven than women's fashion.
"Maybe I'm an idiot, but I have no idea what anyone istalking about. What is it? It's complete gibberish. It's in-sane. When is this idiocy going to stop?"
What's your opinion? Is there a cloud in your future?Let me know at [email protected]. BE
EDITORIAL DIRECTORSend comments to: editor©broadcastengmeering.com
8 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
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s, nized by industry professionas Japan's largest broadcasting equipment exhibition.What is Inter BEE?E A venue where everyone can experience the latest trends and developments in audio, video
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IIAn excellent opportunity to witness firsthand the burgeoning businesses related to the completetransition to digital broadcasting that took place in Japan ahead of other Asian countries.
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Power -source equipment, batteries, measuring equipment, and converters thatincrease broadcasting equipment performance.
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Audio-visual archivesAs other options increase, tape may not make the cut.
41 he demise of videotapepresents a challenge forbroadcasters. It is no lon-ger possible to send pro-
gram videotape to the archive - aclimate controlled warehouse - andexpect to check it out sometime inthe following 25 years. Instead, pro-grams now exist as data files, andnew systems and working practicesare required.
Virtually all new cameras shoot asfiles written to data cards or opticaldiscs, and videotape as an acquisitionformat is becoming a memory. Morefinished content is being delivered tomaster control as MXF files or anoth-er similar format, so again, videotapehas had its day.
There are two issues with tape:How long will the medium last, andhow long will tape decks be around?Tape generally lasts 20 to 30 years ina climate -controlled environment.However, finding a working tape deck
BY DAVID AUSTFRBFRRY
DAM
Content and archive management
Hierarchical stora e mana s ement
High- Nearline Automatated Externalperformance disk tape tape
disk array array library storage
Media migration
The storage of the future
Figure 1. An archive consists of a hierarchy of storage, with a management layer tocontrol file transfers and migration to future storage media.
older than 20 years is nearly impos-sible. There are still working quadmachines, but they are relatively easyto repair, with discrete electronicsand large mechanical parts. The min-iaturized parts of modern decks are
FRAM E GRAB A look at the issues driving today's technology
Watching the streaming cloudWith better devices, more people are choosing Internet -based,on -demand viewing.
Scheduledbroadcast TV
Recordedbroadcast TV
Short video clips,e.g. YouTube
DVD/Blu-ray
Streamed on -demandTV shows
Downloaded content
Streamed on -demandmovies
Pay -per -view
Source: Ericsson
M2011II 2010
0 20 40 60 80 100
PercentConsumer usage (more than once a week) for TV/video
http://wwwericsson.com
difficult to manufacture withoutspecial tools, so sourcing parts decadesahead will be difficult. The same appliesto the highly integrated electronics.
In the data storage world, thisproblem is solved through ongoingmigration to the latest format. Dataon SCSI drives is copied to SAS, LTO-2to LTO-5, and so on. Migration iscarried out before the media wearsout or the drives become obsolescent.Some tape libraries include lifecyclemanagement software that moni-tors tape condition and migrateswhen appropriate. Archive manage-ment software similarly managestapes, migrating when needed, and"defragging" partially erased tapes,compacting them to fresh media.(See Figure 1.)
Videotape can be similarly migrat-ed, but each dub is a generation loss.For compressed digital videotape for-mats, losses from error concealmentand correction can occur. For com-posite recordings, there are additionalartifacts of decoding.
Data tapes and disks can be copiedwith very low data losses. An archivesystem should include a data integrity
12 broadcastengineering.com October 2 011
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check to ensure the file hasn't beentampered with or corrupted whilein storage.
LTOLTO is a popular format for ar-
chiving because it has media anddrives available from several manu-facturers. Also, the format has a well-defined roadmap, with the currentgeneration being LTO-5. Each gener-ation drive is backwards -compatibletwo or three generations, providingfor easier transition.
LTO-5 also introduced supportfor Linear Tape File System (LTFS).This is useful for small archives wheresingle tape may be used to store proj-ects, jobs or program series. It allowsdirect access to tape from Linux, Macand Windows operating systemswithout the need for tape manage-ment software.
With a large robotic library, a DAMsystem and archive manager is usedto catalog and index data tapes, butLTFS offers a low-cost alternative forad -hoc archiving.
LTO-5 cartridges store 1.5TB data.The projected LTO-8, three gen-erations ahead, is planned to store12.8TB. Since LTO-3, support wasadded for write -once read many(WORM), and hardware encryptionwas added in generation 4. Theseare both of potential application inmedia archives.
One day, there will be a successorto the LTO format, and, in time, thearchived files will be migrated to an asof yet unknown storage medium.
Cost vs. performanceData can be stored on spinning
disks or data tape, and each has itsadvocates. But, will one eventuallyovertake the other? While that answeris unclear, the choice will be largelydetermined by cost and features likeintegrity, resilience and restore times.
The choice of local server sys-tems, or "the cloud," is partly a busi-ness issue, balancing CAPEX andOPEX. However, security and disas-ter recovery are important issues to
consider. Cloud -based storage servicesare backed by strong marketing. But,with broadcasters' experience at main-taining program archives, there is notnecessarily a great need to turn to aservice provider. Also, many IT solu-tions are designed for a data life of lessthan a decade, making them unattract-ive for a lot of broadcast content.
A secure archive will house a mini-mum of three copies. These would bea local copy and two different cloudsuppliers, which would give very goodresilience against disaster or businessfailure of a cloud service provider.
Data can be storedon spinning disksor data tape, but
will one eventuallyovertake the other?
DAMResiliency is important, but how do
you find the content? Any videotapeand film library will have a catalog.Originally, it could have been a cardindex, but now more likely a database.In a similar fashion, digital assetsneed a catalog, index, and a means tosearch and retrieve content.
But, how do you protect the cata-log? Again, the answer lies in datamigration. This is where standards areimportant for asset records. It makesit much easier for future generationsto use the information if it conformsto a standard. There is much workongoing to standardize file wrappersand metadata for content archives,but the work continues, and, in 2011,there is no complete answer as towhich standards are best.
The issues to be consideredinclude: the choice of video and audiocodecs, wrappers and containers, andmetadata. Much of this has alreadybeen covered by SMPTE standardsand AMWA specifications, but thereare particular issues for archives.
How do you know what you are view-ing is what was originally stored? Hasit been edited or tampered with overtime? File integrity checks are oneway to assure that you are viewingthe original content. Some storagesystems support WORM, and this is agood way to prevent tampering.
Heavily compressed video datais not ideal for an archive, as it ismore subject to picture impairmentsthan uncompressed or mezzaninecodecs. Long GOP compression isalso less suitable for further editing.The choice of codecs should balancestorage cost against the compressionratio that suits future repurposing.Too much compression could dam-age the future value of an asset.
For many reasons, the content fileand DAM record can become sepa-rated. During mergers and acquisi-tions of media companies, data canbe lost. Also, databases corrupt formany reasons over decades. For thisreason, it is essential that content filesbe self -describing. That means suf-ficient metadata is wrapped with thefiles to ensure the audio-visual datacan be decoded, and that descriptivemetadata provides explanation of thecontent and its ownership.
SummarySetting up a program archive is
a complex balance of cost versusperformance. An archive must bemore resilient against failure thangeneral IT systems. The reason isbecause lost files are a business'lost assets.
Judging an asset's value 20 or 50years in the future requires a crystalball, which makes it even more dif-ficult to judge the ROI of an archivesystem. Additionally, some mediacompanies are attempting to de-velop a best practice for media pres-ervation; so, for now, learn from theguys with valuable assets as they willhave given the task considerable timeand effort. BE
David Austerberry is the editor ofBroadcast Engineering's world edition.
14 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
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FCC UPDATEBEYONDTHE HEADLINES
TV -51 under attackThe wireless industry's wish is granted as the FCCfreezes applications and changes to Channel 51.
0 n Aug. 22, the FCC im-posed an immediatefreeze on applicationsfor new stations and
improvements in existing stationson Channel 51, currently the up-permost TV channel. The freeze wasimposed at the request of the wirelessindustry, which wants interferenceprotection for future wireless opera-tors on 698MHz to 704MHz, whichis adjacent to Channel 51 (692MHzto 698MHz).
Seeking protectionChannel 52 has been auctioned
within the wireless world, and thewinning bidders do not want high-powered TV stations operating nextto their lower -powered wirelessdevices. Wireless advocates asked theFCC to, in effect, create a guard bandon the TV side of the spectrum dividerather than on the wireless side bystopping any growth on Channel 51.
DatelineOn or before Dec. 1, 2011, Non-
commercial TV and Class A stationsin Alabama and Georgia must filetheir biennial ownership reports.
On or before Dec. 1, 2011, com-mercial TV and Class A TV stationsin all states and territories must filebiennial ownership reports reflectingtheir ownership as of Oct 1, 2011.
By Dec. 1, 2011 TV and Class ATV stations in the following loca-tions must place 2011 EEO reportsin public files and post them on theirwebsites: Alabama Colorado, Con-necticut, Georgia, Maine, Massa-chusetts, Minnesota, Montana, NewHampshire, North Dakota, RhodeIsland, South Dakota and Vermont.
BY HARRY MARTIN
These requests resulted in the freezeimposed in August.
Fixed database priorityWhile the FCC is considering how
much of the TV band it can rededi-cate to wireless, it has already frozengrowth in the entire TV band. Nonew applications or channel changesare allowed for full -power stations,and no new applications are being ac-cepted for low -power TV stations onany channel. All of this is to ensure afixed database when the FCC receivescongressional authority to incentiveauctions and channel repacking. TheAugust freeze signals the FCC's de-termination that sanitizing Channel51 is a higher priority over having afixed database.
Immediate changesFull power TV stations on Channel
51 are invited to move to any lowerchannels they can find. Their rule -making petitions to amend the TVTable of Allotments, and their ap-plications for construction permitsto change channels, will get expe-dited treatment. On the other hand,pending applications for new LPTVstations on Channel 51, most of whichwere filed in 2009 and 2010, and werebeing processed up to now, have beenfrozen. Although, they were given a60 -day window, ending Oct. 21, to filechannel change applications. Suchwindow applications will be treatedas minor changes.
Moving not mandatoryExisting full- and low -power sta-
tions authorized on Channel 51 maycontinue to operate undisturbed- at least until the FCC decides onpermanent rules governing the wire-less -Channel 51 interface. Incumbent
TV -51 stations will be permitted tofile minor change applications, butonly if they do not propose to coverany area they did not cover before.
Only TV -51 affectedThe relaxed rules governing fre-
quency changes are limited to Chan-nel 51 stations and applicants. Allother television licensees remain sub-ject to all old processing rules. Thus,full -power stations on channels otherthan 51may not change channels, andpending LPTV applications for newstations on other channels will not beaccepted. But, unlike Channel 51 sta-tions, licensees on other channels mayfile for minor changes even if they pro-pose an expanded service area.
Those in limboThe Commission's initiative raises
some important questions. Will LPTVstations that want to abandon Channel51 now be allowed to claim displace-ment status and be eligible for prior-ity over pending applications for newLPTV stations or changes in existingstations? Will Class A stations be treat-ed any differently from LPTV stationsin this context? Will frequency -changeamendments to pending Channel 51LPTV applications take priority overpending applications on lower chan-nels? What about granted but un-builtconstruction permits for new LPTVstations on Channel 51? May theybuild on 51? And finally, if they pre-fer to move, may they do so as a minorchange the way pending applicants arepermitted to do? BE
Harry C. Martin is a member of Fletcher,Heald and Hildreth, PLC.
IllSend questions and comments to:[email protected]
16 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
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TRANSITION TO DIGITALDIGITAL HANDBOOK
Interactive servicesAn upcoming ATSC standard supports interactivity.
The killer app of computerinteractivity, when consid-ering popularity, is prob-ably the Web browser. But
interactivity requires more than justa browser; a rich user experience re-quires access to live and cached mul-timedia content as well as static pages.This month, we'll look at how thesecapabilities will be supported in anupcoming ATSC standard.
Local interactivity withnon -real-time services
When adding interactivity to a
DTV broadcast service, both "lo-cal" and "system" interactivity canbe provided. The former provides acomplete mechanism within a DTVreceiver, relying on stored content;users interact with their DTV, and thecached content can be retrieved andpresented at a time after it was broad-cast. The latter uses an out -of -bandreturn channel that provides signal-ing back to the broadcaster.
FRAME GRAB
BY ALDO CUGNINI
ATSC NRT (Non -real time) is aCandidate Standard that providessupport for delivery of content inadvance of use (i.e., files, as opposedto streaming content) to both fixedand mobile broadcast receivers. NRTservices will usually carousel (i.e., re-transmit) content throughout an an-nounced availability window, sincereceivers will begin "connecting" toa broadcast at different times. In thesimplest use cases, the set of avail-able files is fixed for the durationof an NRT session. However, dy-namic update of available content isalso supported.
NRT content carried in an ATSCbroadcast stream is delivered via ex-tensions to the File Delivery over Uni-directional Transport (FLUTE) pro-tocol. Developed by the Internet En-gineering Task Force (IETF), FLUTEprovides for unidirectional deliv-ery of files over the Internet, whereerror correction, and not bidirection-al handshaking with retransmission,
A look at tomorrow's technology
IBC2011 attendanceAt the IBC Show, attendance was sliglast year's numbers. Officially, 50,462compared to 48,521 in 2010.
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provides protection against data de-livery errors. The specification buildson Asynchronous Layered Coding(ALC), an Internet protocol designedfor massively scalable multicastdistribution. When used with ATSCNRT broadcast streams, FLUTE ap-plies to fixed receivers using the ATSC
ATSC NRT is aCandidate Standard
that providessupport for delivery
of content inadvance of use
to both fixed andmobile broadcast
receivers.
DTV Standard and mobile receiv-ers per the ATSC Mobile DTV Stan-dard. FLUTE file packets are allowedto use the entire transport, up to themaximum bit rate (i.e., 19.4Mb/s forfixed), minus signaling overhead.
NRT uses URL conventions thatprovide multiple capabilities to clientbrowsing of HTML files. With theserules, receivers can distinguish be-tween files that are available only viaFLUTE versus files that are availablevia both FLUTE and an Internet link.Specific NRT URL constructions alsofacilitate using relative URLs for filesdelivered by FLUTE, rather than lon-ger absolute URLs. They also supporthyperlink resolution among the fileswithin a FLUTE session, similar tohow file paths are defined in a com-puter's file system. Thus, conventionslike virtual folders can be used.
Three distinct consumption modelsare described in the ATSC NRT stan-dard: Browse and Download, Push,and Portal. Browse and Download
18 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
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describes content that can be selectedfor later download. There are two basicoperations expected to be supported:one where the user browses for contentto be retrieved from the digital broad-cast and one where the user chooses toview previously downloaded content.The Push service offers continuouslyupdated content and is similar in func-tion to an RSS news feed on the Inter-net. The Portal NRT service providesan experience similar to browsing theInternet using a Web browser.
When an out -of -band interactionchannel is present in an ATSC DTVservice using NRT (e.g., on a fixed re-ceiver with an Internet connection),it must conform to ATSC A/96 Sec-tions 6 (Application -layer protocols)and 7 (Network and Transport -layerprotocols), and can additionally sup-port other protocols. Network layerprotocols enable communicationsbetween a remote server and theinteractive television client in theDTV, over a return -channel network.Transport -layer protocols are de-ployed on top of the network -layerprotocols and are used for end -to-
end data exchange between the serv-ers and clients. The A/96 specifica-tion does not define the physical anddata -link layers.
Receiver customizationprovides personalization
NRT also supports a receiver tar-geting mechanism, which is based onthe optional association of targetingcriteria with services or individualcontent items. Using this mechanism,DTV receivers personalized by meansof a user setup (or other automaticmechanisms) can be programmed tobehave differently and present differ-ent content to different users, all ina seamless fashion. Various targetingcriteria are currently supported inthe NRT stream, such as geographicallocation, postal code or demographiccategory, and new criteria can poten-tially be added in future versions ofNRT. Using the NRT specification,receivers can also be built that sup-port different codecs, compression
formats and container file formats,including AVC, MP3 and DTS-HDaudio, and the multimedia containerformat profiled in the DECE MediaFormat Specification.
NRT services are fully backward -
compatible with existing DTV receiv-ers, which would simply ignore the ad-ditional content. (If a receiver firmware
NRT services arefully backward -
compatiblewith existingDTV receivers,which would
simply ignore theadditional content.
update mechanism is available, thencurrent receivers could potentially ac-cess the new NRT features, too.) TheCandidate Standard is expected to goto Draft Standard this month, unlessotherwise extended by the ATSC.
Mobile devices supportinteractivity with othertools, too
ATSC Mobile DTV (A/153) pro-vides for the delivery of auxiliary(graphical) components that sup-port interactivity, based on theOMA-RME (Open Mobile AllianceRich Media Environment) specifica-tion, written specifically for mobiledevices. OMA-RME is an umbrellastandard, encompassing elementsof application creation, delivery andcontrol. OMA-RME content consistsof scenes of objects such as video, im-ages, animation, text and audio thatare composed together. By definingeach object separately, the presenta-tion can follow scripts that controlthe appearance and dynamic behav-ior of the objects.
OMA-RME includes Scalable VectorGraphics (SVG) Tiny 1.2 (a W3C stan-dard), Dynamic and Interactive Multi-media Scenes (DIMS) and the ECMA
Script Mobile Profile. SVG is an objectcoding specification, an alternative tothe JPG or GIF formats, that provides away to generate and render both staticand dynamic (i.e., animated) graphicalelements on display devices. DIMS isa 3GPP multimedia standard that pro-vides for the development and deliveryof rich media services over mobile net-works, optimized for computationallyconstrained devices. DIMS is used tosynchronize graphics elements withaudio and video, and provides for thespatial and temporal layout of a mul-timedia scene. Scenes generated usingDIMS can consist of any combinationof still pictures, video, audio and ani-mated graphics. DIMS also defines anupdate mechanism that supports par-tial updates of an existing scene, as wellas on -the -fly tune -in functionality.ECMA Script is an OMA standardizedversion of JavaScript, which enablesWeb applications to have a compactenvironment within which to runcomputationally intensive programsand scripts.
The various interactive featuresdescribed here are under develop-ment (NRT) or in early deployment(OMA-RME). (ATSC 2.0, currentlyin development, will include Inter-net connectivity and NRT file -basedcontent delivery, as well.) Expect newtools and business models to emergeas interactivity and mobile broadcastgo forward. BE
Aldo Cugnini is a consultant in the digitaltelevision industry.
ElSend questions and comments to:[email protected]
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COMPUTERS & NETWORKSDIGITAL HANDBOOK
Networked mediaStorage and usage are almost completely disconnected.
BY BRAD GILMFR
It will not be long before thereis a complete disconnect be-tween where professional mediais stored and where it is being
used. This is a profound shift, and itopens possibilities that are only nowbeing contemplated, including pro-fessional media applications hosted inthe cloud. This new frontier is beingenabled by cutting -edge innovations
professional purposes over WANs;in fact, some would argue we arealready there.
You might wonder exactly whatI mean by "networked media over aWAN." Well, it depends upon the usecase. The WAN in question might bea VPN between a broadcaster and apost house. It might also be a private-ly managed network used by a media
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Hit enter these days, and your data can just as easily be stored in a cloud -basednetwork as it once was on a local server.The option is becoming more attractive assecurity continues to develop.
that combine IT technology in newways for professional media. It is alsofueled by some fundamental changesin large-scale corporate and consum-er environments on the Internet.
For some time now, this columnhas looked into technologies thatremove barriers to accessing profes-sional media over LANs. At this point,many of the issues surrounding LAN -based editing, file transfer and qual-ity of service have been addressed. Infact, collaborative, LAN -based pro-fessional media applications are com-mon place.
We are at a point where one canconceive of a sequence of techni-cal developments that allow a mediaprofessional to access content for
company with facilities all across theU.S. Or, it might be freelance peopleworking on a project that is hosted inthe cloud. From where I sit, it is thelast case that is getting interesting,and that is what I would like to lookinto in this article.
Securing the cloudIf you assume professional content
can be stored in the cloud (anotherway of saying content is stored onservers accessible across the Inter-net) and that extremely fast connec-tions are generally available, then thestage is set for professional use of net-worked media in the cloud. Almostimmediately, one runs into objectionsabout storing content in the cloud
rather than in a facility. After all, thisis almost the same as saying you wantto upload a bunch of content to theInternet, and we all know this couldhave serious security implications.
Actually, it is not the same. Whatif smart people are able to figure outways to secure professional media inthe cloud? After all, security is alwaysa risk/reward decision. I think this isnot only possible, but also I think it ishighly likely that media companies willaccept the security risks associated withcloud -based storage of media assets.
With this barrier out of the way, thenext question is whether professionalapplications accessing networked me-dia in the cloud can be built and stillmeet professional user requirementsfor speed, security, quality and overallfunctionality. I believe such applica-tions not only can be built, but alsoI have seen early implementations ofthese applications, and they are quiteamazing. Surely challenges exist, butlet's look at one example where thesechallenges are met and resolved usinga creative approach.
One potential problem is latency.Latency could result in unacceptablyslow response time in a viewer or edi-tor. One way this challenge could beaddressed is by intelligently predict-ing what content the user will requirenext, and moving the content onto theedit platform in the background whilethe user continues to edit. The conceptof a "viewable window" (let's say 10seconds before and after the currentlydisplayed content) has already beenemployed in a number of networkedediting systems. Extending smart solu-tions to networked media allows func-tional barriers to be removed.
But this scenario begs a question:Where is the system that is being usedto manipulate the professional media?Traditionally, the system might be aneditor sitting in a small room in a
22 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
COMPUTERS & NETWORKSDIGITAL HANDBOOK
television station. Over time, we haveseen these edit bays move from tape -based facilities to laptops, and the lap-tops move from edit bays in the stationout into the field. But, in these cases, aswe moved from specialized hardwareto a combination of commodity hard-ware and specialized software, the ap-plication has still resided on the sameplatform as the media. (For example,you may be using a laptop editor, butthe video and audio you are editing re-sides on the laptop as well.) As networkperformance across LANs and nowWANs has increased, it has becomepossible to remotely access the contentyou are editing. In some cases, vendorshave even demonstrated editors thatoperate using a Web interface. But now,however, we are at a tipping point.
Applications as a serviceWe know we can run professional
editors on commodity computer plat-forms. We also know we can separatethe location of the content we are edit-ing from the location of the edit soft-ware. We can use network attachedstorage to edit content located on a re-mote server. And, as I have just pointedout, we are at a point where we can editcontent stored on servers not withinour four walls, but in facilities locatedin other cities accessed across a WAN.
Right now, we are moving from aparadigm in which we know exactlywhich servers are storing our content,to a notion of content stored in thecloud, on servers in places where itmakes the most financial sense. Thephysical location is not dependentupon a specific place, but instead isbased upon meeting performance cri-teria for latency, lost packets, etc. Inthis environment, professional mediacompanies have no idea where contentis stored or copied and only care thattheir contract with the cloud vendorensures their business requirementsfor security and performance are met.How the cloud vendor achieves theserequirements, while important, areultimately left to the cloud vendor.
Wow, this is a very different world!But, this is not the end of it. What ifour professional media applicationsare pulled into the cloud as well? Forexample, imagine professional edit-ing software offered as a service in thecloud. In this world, you can walk upto any computer, open a Web browser,log in to your editing application andbegin editing content. In this world, itdoes not matter whether you are us-ing a PC or a Mac. Eventually, you cando the same thing using a hand-helddevice such as a tablet, an iPhone orAndroid device. You do not own the
software, nor do you own the serverson which the applications or mediaare stored. In fact, the software andthe media are stored in many differ-ent places in the cloud. The contentand even the editing software are notonly replicated in a number of physi-cal locations on the Web, fragments ofthe content and software are cachedclose to the user in edge devices.
I know that, by now, many of youare thinking this scenario is not onlyout there, but that it is completely offthe deep end. However, I can tell youthat not only is this possible, but thatI have seen early demonstrations ofit from several vendors. Yes there arebarriers - some technical, some cul-tural. Yes, it is true that in the futurenot all professional media applica-tions will work this way. That said,a significant number of professionalmedia applications will move to thecloud, so it is important that profes-sional media engineers start thinkingabout this new future. BE
Brad Gilmer is Executive Director of theAdvanced Media Workflow Association,Executive Director of the Video ServicesForum, and President of Gilmer &Associates, a management and technicalconsulting company.
IIISend questions and comments to:[email protected]
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PRODUCTION ROOMDIGITAL HANDBOOK
In -stadium entertainmentVendors and venues find new revenue
in equipping sports arenas.
The market for a wide varietyof live sports productiontechnology continues togrow significantly, but we're
not talking about mobile trucks. Asnew outdoor stadiums and indoorarenas continue to be built - or ret-rofitted - with new large HD (and3-D) displays, electronic scoreboardsand hundreds of flat -panel moni-tors at concession stands throughout,equipment vendors are reaping new-found revenue without having to de-velop new products to support them.Indeed, sports stadium entertainmentis big business with a substantial re-turn on investment.
In addition to producing content,this "new" technology is also beingleveraged to send ads and other spon-sored content to this captive audience,increasing the sports team's bottomline revenue as well.
The trend is clear: Stadiums andteams are trying to keep people in theseats by creating a multimedia expe-rience that is similar to, but can't bereplicated at, home. These new mediaproduction and distribution capabili-ties often require separate all -digitalHD control rooms, IP network back-bones and deterministic switching todistribute the numerous signals todifferent locations (simultaneously)within a venue.
In many cases, this has resulted inan infrastructure that is designed andimplemented as a completely separateentity from the network or regionalsports telecast production facilities,although it also includes HD cameras,production switchers, multiviewers,servers and routers.
Harris is one vendor that has tar-geted the space in a big way. Thecompany has designed and installedan entire IP-based digital signage
BY MICHAFL GROTTICFLLI
and live entertainment system insideAmway Center, in Orlando, FL, andis now working on the rebuildingof Madison Square Garden (MSG),in New York City. At MSG, Harris isdesigning the IP-centric core infra-structure and an infinitely customi-zable digital signage network basedaround Cisco Systems hardware (datadelivery) and Harris' encoders, as wellas its Infocaster (digital signage) andPunctuate (scheduling and invoicemanagement) software.
The Amway Center, in Orlando, FL,
features an IP-based digital signage andlive video display network.
At the Amway Center, the mostlyHarris system (NEXIO servers, HDrouters, CENTRIO and IP multi -viewers, template -based Inscribergraphics systems and modular gear)features an HD video productionand distribution and IPTV system,integrated with a multichannel digi-tal signage network. This allows theMagic to address more than 1100 in-dividual screens located throughout
the arena with tailored content. Dis-plays can be driven to show high -impact replays and highlights, venuemessaging, out -of -home advertisingor any combination of the three.
In addition, the system enablesadvertisers to have their names dis-played on every screen in the facilityat the same time, providing exclusivemarketing opportunities.
Serving fans in new waysNew innovations include taking
some of the traditional productioncapabilities of a video control room,which usually pushes out images to acenter -hung scoreboard, and makingthat content available to fans individ-ually either through special receivingdevices supplied by the team or mo-bile apps on their smart phones. Thisoften requires significant transcod-ing capabilities to convert basebandvideo into an easily consumable for-mat delivered over an IP and/or Wi-Fi network. Working with establishedsystem integrators around the coun-try, Harris has been implementingCisco switching technology with itsown HD servers and routers to makethis happen.
Harris is also working to developless costly systems, with less capabilitybut the same high -quality image pro-cessing, for colleges and smaller -mar-ket stadiums. It would be an integratedsystem that has been preconfigured toensure system interoperability.
Colleges get in the gameOn the collegiate level, many
schools are upgrading their in-houseA/V capabilities to enrich the fan ex-perience. The University of Oklahomaoperates a state-of-the-art video andtelevision production department,complete with in-house production
24 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
PRODUCTION ROOMDIGITAL HANDBOOK
ion, whichevents (for
cokzampus ven-
s.2.60es' 65V broadcasts1060 st on campus
_ttep.6.ee dwest.
a _es), 4 this high -value`-`,..2N.!th Sony XDCAM
s athletics de -e video production
The University of Oklahoma'sSoonerVision department developscontent for in -stadium and teamtraining purposes.
control room in 2009 that included aGrass Valley Kayak HD productionswitcher. It has now built a secondcontrol room and populated it with anew Grass Valley Kayenne HD videoproduction center switcher and twoK2 Summit (four channels each) HDvideo servers.
Facilitating dual broadcastsThese all -digital control rooms are
located inside Oklahoma MemorialStadium (the main football and soccervenue) and are connected via fiber-optic cables to a total of six athleticvenues across the campus in Norman,OK. During most games, the depart-ment produces a "dual broadcast," onefor the people in the stadiums and an-other for the broadcast TV audience athome. To accomplish this, the schoolpurchased two Grass Valley Kayennepanels, which are both operated off asingle switcher mainframe. One panelis dedicated to the in -stadium enter-tainment, and the other handles thelive TV broadcasts.
For the Miami Heat NBA basket-ball team, managing its vast arrayof assets was a problem until it in-stalled an Avid Interplay asset man-agement system, the same type usedat TV stations around the country.The Heat Group's Media ProductionDepartment, leveraging a sharedstorage infrastructure designed andimplemented by SGI Professional
responsible for the project manage-ment, space planning, final design,equipment procurement and systemsintegration as part of an ongoing de-velopment of the multimedia tech-nology in the stadium.
A full complement of HD technol-ogy has been installed that enablesthe "event -day" control room to mixa variety of feeds and send images
A full complement of HD technology has been installed at FedEx Field inWashington,DC, that enables the "event -day" control room to mix a variety of feeds and sendimages (both live and prerecorded) to fans in attendance.
Services (Fremont, CA), usesInterplay to search, retrieve and ar-chive the media it needs to createhigh -profile, brand -centric contentfor those in attendance at games.The Interplay gives the group's stafftotal access to their media and en-ables everyone in the workflow tomanage both data and the metadataassociated with it.
The Heat Group has expanded bybuilding an infrastructure that movesmaterial among EVS servers, SonyXDCAM optical disc players, andAvid editing and storage systems.
Keeping fans in the seatsThe Washington Redskins have
completed a new HD upgrade totheir FedEx Field video control roomand infrastructure, with the help ofCommunications Engineering, Inc.(CEI), in Newington, VA. CEI was
(both live and prerecorded) to fansin attendance at FedEx Field. The sig-nals are delivered to two 100ft-wideDaktronics screens as well as to a sta-diumwide video distribution systemthat can be configured to send differ-ent signals (and promotions) to dif-ferent parts of the venue.
Keytechnology pieces of the projectinclude a new HD Ross Video produc-tion switcher; Boland, LG and PlanarHD displays; Click Effects multichan-nel HD clip server system; EVS slow-motion video system upgrade; Evertzmultiviewer system; GMS wirelesscamera system; Grass Valley server;Harris video routing equipment;Image Video tally system; Sony HDcameras with Fujinon lenses; SonyHD video recording and playbackequipment; Apple edit system up-grades; Tektronix test equipment;Wohler audio monitors; an upgrade
October 2011 I broadcastengineering.com 25
PRODUCTION ROOMDIGITAL HANDBOOK
to fiber optics for the stadium's truckdock; and new operating consoles.
Another noteworthy project isthe MLB's Florida Marlins' ballpark,known as Miami Ballpark, whichis less than 2mi west of downtownMiami - on the site of the formerMiami Orange Bowl. The new ball-park will become home to the FloridaMarlins in 2012; the team will thenchange its name to the Miami Marlinsafter moving into the stadium.
The team's current home,Dolphins Stadium, includes a gamepresentations and events departmentthat is responsible for creating con-tent displayed on the large screen inthe ballpark. It uses a predominantlytape -based workflow, facilitated byHD editing and networking technol-ogy from Avid.
The department has three staffmembers who work collaborativelyto develop all of the video displayedin the ballpark as well as marketingspots that are aired in TV and radio.They also make community outreachvideos and dubs for a number of otherdepartments within the Marlins orga-nization. They are discussing buildinga new section of the team website thatincludes content shown at the ball-park that day on the "Marlin Vision"(Daktronics) displays.
All of the Avid gear, including AvidMedia Composer edit stations, anAdrenalin, an AirSpeed multichannelvideo server, Mojo and Unity sharedstorage and an Interplay connected toit, will be moved to the new ballpark.Storage capacity will be increased from16TB to at least twice that much.
Beginning in 2012, at the newMiami Ballpark, the game presenta-tions and events department will de-ploy an all -tapeless environment thatwill handle two separate feeds from asingle control room, one that goes tothe large ballpark displays and a sec-ond for all of the monitors through-out the vending areas. This will givethe team flexibility to customize adsand other promotions for differentparts of the ballpark.
[Note: Avid offers Avid InGame, apreconfigured video production sys-tem that enables sports marketing or-ganizations within leagues, teams andfacilities to deliver fan experiences aswell as drive enhanced brand visibil-ity and revenue.]
EntertainmentThe name of the game in sports
today is entertainment. Teams wantto monetize as much of that enter-tainment experience as they can byquickly creating content, such as
video packagand displaying isscreens througho,Web or in other typvthat use personalized
For broadcast equip7clthen, in -stadium entertaresents a reinvigorated verts(in light of a stagnant broasstation sector) that holds thetial for significant new business.all, who knows television produc,and video signal delivery better? Isbest part for equipment companies isthat they can easily carry over exist-ing technology to support these newtypes of digital signage and multime-dia AV applications.
The ROI for manufacturers is prettygood when you consider the minimalre -engineering required to support in -stadium video applications. For sportsteams and colleges, the benefit for fansis even more rewarding. BE
Michael Grotticelli regularly reports on theprofessional video and broadcasttechnology industries.
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BXF explainedThe new open SMPTE schema standard
levels the playing field.
For years, broadcast automa-tion systems and businesssystems needed manual ac-cess and conversion inter-
face applications to convert metadatato/from their respective systems. Themultitudes of proprietary interfacesare difficult to keep up with, especial-ly as system upgrades and enhance-ments were added to either side.
The new SMPTE 2021 BXF 1.0 sche-ma standard is one of the biggest ad-vances in broadcast automation in thisdecade. The holy grail of automationhas always been to provide a systemthat uses a central database for metada-ta between traffic and master control.Since centralizing a database betweenbusiness systems and master control/operations is easier said than done, thenext best thing is to standardize on acommunication schema for the ex-change of mission -critical data.
Technology standards are neededto organize varying systems and tech-nologies. While manufacturers offerthe promise of tight integration be-tween varying systems, they still of-fer varied proprietary systems. BXFchanges that. The new open SMPTEschema standard levels the playingfield for manufacturers. By enablingtheir systems to work within theprotocol's framework, manufactur-ers can assure broadcasters of gettingnonproprietary full -feature metadataconversions and messaging systems.
History and statsIn 2008, SMPTE developed and
published a schema standard calledBXF (Broadcast Exchange Format)1.0 or SMPTE 2021. In a nutshell, BXFwas developed to replace the variousarchaic text conversion schemas thathave been developed over the years tointerface, access and transfer schedules,
BY SID GUFL
playlists, dubs lists, record lists, deletelists, etc., from business systems to au-tomation systems.
Today, SMPTE representatives notethere are dozens of manufacturersthat have developed applications andworkflow systems using the BXF sche-ma. There have been more than 150national and international SMPTEmembers, including industry -leadingmanufacturers, involved in the devel-opment and enhancement of BXF. Inthis new digital world of broadcast-ing where multichannel, multimediaoperations are the norm, the BXFschema standard helps manufacturers
BXF-based applications and their open -standard schema save on costs.
build applications for automatingprocesses and procedures to next -generation enterprise levels.
The current BXF 1.0 includes anexchange schema definition (XSD)collection for schedules, as -run,content, content transfers, etc. TheBXF schema helps manufacturerssimplify and automate the commu-nication and workflow between abroadcaster's diverse business andtransmission systems such as traffic,program management, content deliv-ery and automation. The master con-trol and traffic departments are themost common broadcast uses. Whenproperly implemented, BXF-based
applications automate the work-flow process, streamline operations,maximize value of content and inven-tory, and increase flexibility for salesand advertisers.
As an XML-based communicationschema, BXF allows for near -real-timemessaging and updating betweendisparate systems. The XML-basedmessages include instructions aboutprogram or interstitial changes, al-lowing an automated approach to as-
run reporting and schedule changes.Other BXF capabilities include near-
real -time dub orders, missing spotsreports and content management.
In the past, a phone call to/fromtraffic was the norm. Seeing a trafficdepartment representative in mastercontrol to make changes to the paperschedule is usually a daily event. In to-day's world, business departments needto know exactly when a program orinterstitial has aired and if it aired cor-rectly, and they need to know it as soonas possible.
Revenue optimizationOne of the most important fac-
tors about BXF-based applications isthat they allow the decision -makingaspects of master control schedulechanges to be made in the traffic de-partment. Traffic personnel can max-imize revenue opportunities by pro-viding lucrative replacements to anymissing spot scenario. Or, when lucra-tive missing "copy" finally arrives andis ingested into playout video servers,traffic can make decisions on whichinterstitials/programs to drop and re-place. Traffic has advertiser contractinformation giving them the abilityto switch programs and interstitialsto more lucrative advertisers.
The sales department also ben-efits from BXF-based applications.
28 broadcastengineering.com October 2011
NEW MEDIA NETWORKSSYSTEMS INTEGRATION
Because of the automated near -real-time fashion of the BXF messagingschema, the sales department canmake last-minute, higher -revenueinterstitial or program additions tothe on -air schedule. So while BXFschemas lower costs through stan-dardizing, streamlined processes andminimized manual changes/input-ting, they also generate more revenuethrough revenue optimization.
Comprehensiveevent structure
In creating playout schedules, thegoal is to create a schedule with theminimum and most efficient amountof effort. BXF-based applicationssimplify the creation of complexmultiline event situations by auto-mating the creation of multiple eventlines within a playout schedule. In themost efficient configuration, trafficdoes little to activate a complex play -
out scenario like a live news breakfor example. For traffic personnel, itmay be as simple as creating a one -line traffic schedule with a predefinedidentification number. A BXF-basedapplication and the master controlautomation system take that one -linetraffic schedule and convert it into acomplex multiline playout schedulewith all the needed secondary events.If BXF-based applications are proper-ly configured with predefined conver-sion rules, master control personnelare not saddled with creating or fixingcomplex multiline event structures.
Latest applicationsNews production automation is
the latest craze in broadcast auto-mation. A handful of manufacturershave developed systems to automatelive newscast productions. The moreadvanced news production automa-tion systems repurpose content for
distribution via Internet, mobile devic-es, VOD and syndication. A key aspectof these systems is the ability to mon-etize content assets. Interfacing withtraffic and billing systems, via BXF-based applications, helps to maximizeadvertising avails to other platforms.BXF-based applications automate theheavy lifting of scheduling, changingand verifying ads in live on -air and livestreaming productions.
Content metadatamanagement
Beyond schedules and as -runs,access and distribution of databasemetadata is another of BXF's ben-efits. Business systems such as sales,programming and rights manage-ment use BXF-based schemas andapplications to automatically popu-late centralized data warehouses withcost and scheduling data. The mastercontrol automation database can be
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NEW MEDIA NETWORKSSYSTEMS INTEGRATION
populated with extensive and accuratemetadata from traffic systems. Mediaasset management (MAM) and digi-tal asset management (DAM) systemsuse database information from busi-ness systems also. News productionsystems use BXF-based applicationsto automate schedule changes andverify information for on -air, VOD,mobile and IPTV schedules. BXF-based applications and features canallow for the exchange of metadataamong systems that may not have di-rect access to content.
Content movementinstructions
As rich media content moves fromplace to place, the metadata associ-ated with this content moves also.This usually is a manual process orone with error -prone work-aroundssuch as hot -folders. Today, there areBXF-based applications that can
automate the transfer of metadatathat originates from advertising agen-cies and business systems to mastercontrol, nearline and archive MAM/DAM systems.
For example, let's say traffic makesa change request via a BXF schemamessage to master control, and anew interstitial is added to the mas-ter control playout schedule. Oncethe message is accepted by mastercontrol and the event is added to theschedule, the master control systemwill begin searching for that richmedia within its automation data-base. If the rich media is located ona nearline and/or archive system,the master control automation orMAM/DAM system will activate atransfer request for that rich media.Metadata from the business systemswill populate the master control andmedia asset management systemsdatabase. BXF-based applications
can create move -instruction mes-sages to activate a system's physi-cal transfer of content from sourceto destination.
The spotlight moves tobusiness systems
As BXF-based applications becomemore popular, we can see businesssystems playing a larger role in thecontrol and monitoring of broadcastproduction systems such as mastercontrol automation, MAM, DAM,etc. It's clear that improving andadvancing operations, proceduresand workflows that are upstreamof master control is now more im-portant than ever for broadcasters.The spotlight will shift to the traffic,programming, sales and rights man-agement systems. For example, itmakes sense for traffic to be respon-sible for master control metadata andschedule changes. With advertiser
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30 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
NEW MEDIA NETWORKSSYSTEMS INTEGRATION
contracts in hand, the traffic depart-ment has the information to make thebest possible decisions.
Cost versus benefitWe've mentioned many times dur-
ing this report that BXF-based ap-plications and their open -standardschema save on costs. To factor howmuch, you must first define cost andvalues to each aspect of the workflowand operation, multiply personneland wage costs by the hours it takesto transfer files, manually update da-tabases, manually correct schedules,manually enter and correct data indatabases, plus e -mails, phone calls,meetings, etc. Define the costs of howmuch time and effort is being exertedby functioning in a manual mode.
Value is the next factor. What is theaverage value of your interstitials andprograms? How much revenue wouldbe lost if an interstitial or program
did not air or it aired incorrectly, re-quiring a make -good? Value can alsomean potential revenue. By offeringautomated processes, last-minutechanges can incur additional revenue.Near -real-time updating is constantlyshowing commercial avails. Thesebenefits have value. Value can alsobe given to your on -air look. Howdo we compare to the competition?Automated systems by definitiongive you a higher up -time percentageand better on -air look than stationswithout automation.
ImplementationImplementing BXF-based applica-
tions involves hardware, software anda good amount of workflow changes.The majority of a BXF implementa-tion is reorganizing and revampingyour workflow process. In fact, you'llspend more time on redefining du-ties and tasks than you will with the
physical implementation of hardwareand software. In physical terms, theBXF-based applications and theirschemas run best on server -classhardware with modern network ac-cessibility to all parties involved.
To implement BXF in your facility,you must first understand the needs.Then, understand how BXF will ben-efit your system. You must also un-derstand the manufacturer and its in-tegration of BXF schema standards inits products. Once you've pinpointedthe areas where BXF-based applica-tions can be used, devise a plan. Cre-ating a diagram and documenting isalways a good first step.
Even though automating simplifiesan operation, it's only smart to haveaccurate documentation. The mainreasons for documentation includethe training of new staff, for trouble-shooting issues and for future con-figuration changes or enhancements.
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NEW MEDIA NETWORKSSYSTEMS INTEGRATION
Test offline and verify the results.Train staff on how the new processesand procedure will work, and then ac-tivate your BXF-based applications.
BXF 2.0The SMPTE BXF standard and sche-
ma is alive and constantly changingand updating. SMPTE representatives
note there are big advances coming inthe next version of BXF. SMPTE bal-loting and voting are still required, butthere are a few new advances worthnoting. If voting passes, the next BXFversion standard will soon providesupport for simultaneous programevents in master control.
A simultaneous program event
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scenario occurs when there is a clos-ing credits DVE squeeze while simul-taneously starting the next program.BXF will properly report timestampsand durations for programing andinterstitials. Previously, secondaryautomation events such as DVE,logos, crawls, animation keys, etc.were considered nonprogram events.In BXF 2.0, the plan is that second-ary events can be identified as pro-gram events for proper automationas -run reporting.
Multilanguage support is alsoplanned for BXF Version 2.0. If com-mittee voting passes, the BXF schemawill be enhanced to allow for multiline,noncontrol program titles that can beplaces on the schedule in multiple lan-guages. The noncontrol informationlines are used by program managers toproperly schedule and verify, via as -run,multilanguage programming. Mastercontrol operators will also benefit byknowing if a program will run on otheroutput channels in another languageor that the program has multilanguageaudio channels.
The futureThere are many enhancements
coming in future releases of the BXFschema standard. Most notably is howthe BXF schema will be used in ap-plication to interface with rich mediaMXF files. BXF-based applications willsomeday have the ability to map andextract metadata information fromMXF files. For example, if a station ornetwork receives an MXF file from adistributor, a BXF schema -based ap-plication can extract the metadatafrom the MXF file without having towait for a hard copy sent separate viapaper timesheet or e-mail.
Combining metadata with rich me-dia is a common operation in manyapplications for European broad-caster. For example, metadata extrac-tion is automatically entered into themaster control automation system forplayout. Databases in master controland traffic for spot or programmingmetadata is not common like it is inthe U.S.
32 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
NEW MEDIA NETWORKSSYSTEMS INTEGRATION
The EBU, Advanced Media Work-flow Association (AMWA) and theirFramework for Interoperability MediaServices (FIMS) initiative are work-ing to improve how metadata andrich media are managed in a service -oriented architecture environment. Itis hoped that the output of this initia-tive will soon be brought to SMPTEfor due process standardization.
We can also expect more rightsmanagement support in the future. Asour industry is quickly moving frommultichannel to multichannel/multi-media operations, rights managementis more important than ever. Bothbroadcasters and content owners willbenefit by accessing near -real-timeinformation regarding their content.BXF schema -based application manu-facturers are working to make theseoptions and features a reality.
Thus far, advertising agencies havenot used BXF. SMPTE representativeshope that one day ad agencies will alsobe able to benefit from BXF. Nationaladvertising and content metadata be-gins with advertisers and ad agencies.By adding ad agencies to the broad-casting workflow, metadata accuracycan be improved and operations can bemore streamlined. For example, todayinterstitials have unique agency identi-fication code. If they used BXF-basedschema and applications, this agencyidentification code would stay withthe metadata throughout the entireend -to -end workflow. The metadatawould begin at content creation, thenstay through advertising buys, contentdistribution, playout, as -run, businessreconciliation and finally to verifica-tion, affidavit creation and billing.
Why BXF?Many manufacturers think the
adoption of the BXF schema standardshows a commitment to and supportof a broadcaster's right to choose thebest systems available. Inventory andrevenue optimization work extremelywell with the BXF standard in themix. Competition is a good thingfor the industry, and it raises the barof functionality. Manufacturers are
eager to compete to ensure broadcast-ers remain competitive in a fast -chang-ing multichannel, multimedia digitalworld. Standards such as BXF are thebest way to ensure that happens_
BXF schema -based applicationsare becoming an essential componentof highly automated broadcast opera-tions. The notion of both eliminating
cumbersome manual file exchangeand having a near -real-time exchangeof data between production and busi-ness systems is a good example ofhow today's broadcast technologyprovides more functionality and re-quires less time to manage. BE
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Matthew Knight Arena's control roomis part of an overall project integratedby Burst that also brings Oregon fans areplay system in HD.
Oregon's Matthew Knight Arenaboasts HD production for fans.FIY DON ROONFY
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Sports Illustrated.Over the decades, the multipurpose arena for sporting and entertainment
events underwent numerous modifications and upgrades, but it was time toreplace the much -loved arena with a modern facility designed to give specta-tors a more engaging experience.
36 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
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Three stories tall and weighing 20 tons, thescoreboard is one of the largest installed in acollege sports arena.
So, in January 2011, the Ducksmigrated into the state-of-the-artMatthew Knight Arena. The history -making move has provided a memo-rable game -day experience using newtechnology and multimedia com-ponents, including: live coverage,instant replays, behind -the -scenesaction, fan shots, and promotionalmessages to capture action on thecourt and in the stands.
Located on the Eugene, OR, cam-pus, the 12,364 -seat arena, complet-ed at a cost of $227 million, is alreadymaking a name for itself. One of themost expensive college arenas con-structed to date, "The Matt" is in therunning for LEED Gold certification(which will make it among the firstLEED-certified sports facilities in thenation) and boasts one of the larg-est college sports facility scoreboardsever installed - standing three sto-ries tall, 36ft wide and weighingmore than 60,0001bs.
Burst, a Denver -based systems in-tegrator, worked with consultantsAnthony James Partners (AJP) andWrightson, Johnson, Haddon &Williams (WJHW) to provide detaileddesign and integration of the HD vid-eo replay system and control room.Several other parties were involvedwith the project as well, including:
Ellerbe Becket, TVA Architects,Hoffman Construction, JMI Sportsand IMG College.
The University of Oregon neededa versatile and robust system thatcould multi -task to handle a widevariety of sport and entertainment
needs. The new arena meets thoseneeds with a high -definition systemthat brings the spectator experienceto a whole new level.
The video replay system is madeup of a central equipment room, amain control room and an auxiliary
The 12,364 -seat arena, finished at a cost of$227 million, is one of the most expensive
college arenas constructed to date.
Camera shading, tape operations and patching to the truck dock, for all eventsincluding games and concerts, will take place inside the main equipment room.
38 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
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control room. The facility supportsfive dedicated, high -definition cam-eras via patching at numerous JBTpanels throughout the arena. Basedon the camera location, an operator
can shoot in a studio or with a hand-held configuration. A camera at cen-ter follow position, another at slashand handheld cameras under eachbasket capture action on the court.
Design TeamBurst:Tom Norman, senior design engineerDon Rooney, VP engineeringDave Stengel, senior project managerLetha Koepp, project administratorChristian Freeman, lead installerAnthony James Partners (AJP): Larry LucasWrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams: Todd SempleJMI Sports: Dave Daterman
Technology at workADC: Video patchAdobe: Creative Suite 5 graphic design softwareAJA Video Systems: Frame syncs and conversionAnton Bauer: Batteries and accessoriesAPC: UPS
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A floating handheld camera providesimages of the fans in the stands andbehind the scenes.
Connectivity to the truck dockis available for sending and receiv-ing feeds to and from visiting trucks.The system also accommodates livebroadcasts and provides replays to thein-house audience.
The video production system gen-erates video signals for the large cen-ter -hung displays and the in-houseMATV system.
On the event level, a main controlroom houses a full production crew.An auxiliary control room - witha second Ross Video Vision controlpanel in the scoreboard/PA room -on the upper concourse is availablefor use during smaller scale produc-tions. The main control room hasnumerous audio, video and intercompaths to and from the main PA room
Connectivity tothe truck dock is
available in order tofacilitate resourcesharing betweenarena production
and visiting trucks.
on the upper concourse, as well astriax, audio, video and intercom tielines to the truck dock to facilitateresource sharing between in-housearena production and visiting pro-duction trucks.
The overall project schedule wastight, making logistics important.Considerable communication andcoordination with other contractorswas essential to ensure that all con-tractors were able to complete workon time, even when services weren'talways available or reliable. For ex-ample, when electricians needed tokill site power to test various systems,it placed an additional burden on theschedule for completion.
40 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
Last-minute additions to the origi-nal plan called for the installationof two additional cameras, a secondswitcher control panel and framesynchronizers to allow operatorsmore flexibility to run a show from
cost-effective price. This was a turn-key project, and all equipment wasbrand new.
Key equipment includes: Hitachiand Sony cameras, Fujinon lenses,a Ross Video production switcher,
Despite last-minute additions to theoriginal plan, including two more
cameras, a second switcher controlpanel and frame synchronizers, all
work was completed on time.
the main control room or from theupper -concourse PA room. Regard-less, all work was completed on time.
Equipment selection for the are-na was carefully considered in or-der to provide the best images at a
a Grass Valley K2 Dyno replay sys-tem, a Chyron character generator, aMiranda multiviewer, a Clear -Cornintercom and a Snell routing switch-er. Terminal equipment is dominant-ly from Ross Video, with additional
conversion gear by AJA Video Sys-tems and sync generation by Harris.Audio interface equipment is fromHenry Engineering.
The Matt features a productionsystem built to enhance fans' experi-ence, regardless of the entertainment.Whether for basketball, volleyball,concerts or other functions, spectatorsget "front row" seats to the court, thestage and in the stands. The enormousscreens fed by the HD system provideoutstanding viewing for every fan, sothere's not a bad seat in the house. BE
Don Rooney is vice president,engineering for Burst.
ImmIcastrgiteringSPECIALIZE{ TRANING:e8soks
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October 2011 I broadcastengineering.com 41
4
Understanding
AU
CH
DT
he codec differs fromB
Y S
TE
VE
MU
LLEN
H.264/A
VC
in severalw
ays.hen D
VC
AM
, DV
CPR
O anc D
VC
PRO
50 were introduced,
manufacturers positioned these proprietary form
ats as "pro-fessional" com
pared to the "consumer" D
V form
at. After
working w
ith all foul formats, it becam
e clear that differencesw
ere confined to their tape recording system. D
V, D
VC
AM
,D
VC
PRO
and DV
CPR
O50 all use the sam
e video codec. (DV
CPR
O50 em
-ploys dual 25M
b/s DV
codecs.)
October 2011
Ibroadcastengineering.com
43
FEATUREUNDERSTANDING AVCHD
Baseline Profile
Level3.1
H.264/AVC720p25720p30
Up to14Mb/s
CAVLC
No Bslices
4 x 4only
Level3.2
H.264/AVC 720p50720p60
Up to20Mb/s
Level4.0
H.264/AVC 720p59.94/720p601080 p29.97/1080p30
Up to20Mb/s
Level4.1
H.264/AVC 720p59.94/720p601080p29.97/1080p30
Up to50Mb/s
Main Profile
Level4.0
AVCHD720p25
720p59.941080p23.976
1080p25
Up to20Mb/s CAVLC
and
B
slices
Level4.1
AVCHD Up to50Mb/s
1080p29.971080i50
1080i59.94
CABAC 4 x 4only
High Profile
Level4.0 AVCHD
720p25Up to
20Mb/sB
slices720p59.94
1080p23.9761080p25
1080p29.97 CAVLCAVCHD 1080i50 and
Level4.1
NXCAMAVCCAM
1080i59.94 Up to50Mb/s
CABAC
4 x 4
BDOr
8 x 8
Level4.2
AVCHD 2.0 1080p501080p59.94
Up to50Mb/s
Figure 1. HD H.264/AVC profiles and levels
Although AVCCAM and NXCAM aremarketed as professional formats, bothuse the same AVCHD High Profile codec.
AVCHD, developed jointly byPanasonic and Sony, is a proprietaryversion of H.264/AVC. Specifically,AVCHD employs both the H.264Main Profile (MP) and High Profile(HP). (See Figure 1.) The HP codecprovides important image qualityadvantages over the MP codec. Thus,although AVCHD is marketed as asingle codec, it uses a pair of codecprofiles. (The HP codec is down-ward compatible with the MP codec.)Moreover, although AVCCAM and
NXCAM are marketed as professionaiformats, both use the same AVCHDHP codec. As you can see, understand-ing AVCHD, AVCCAM and NXCAMis more complex than understandingDVCAM, DVCPRO and DVCPRO50.
Baseline ProfileThe lowest profile used by an HD
camera is BP. BP supports only theless efficient context -adaptive vari-able -length coding (CAVLC). Level3.1 supports 720p30 at up to 14Mb/s,
while Level 3.2 and Level 4.0 support720p60 at up to 20Mb/s - althoughat such a low data rate, only 720p30would be visually acceptable. Level4.1 supports 720p60 at up to 50Mb/s.(See the H.264/AVC I- and P -sliceencoding sidebar on page 46 to learnabout H.264/AVC encoding.)
Main ProfileMP offers the next performance
level. MP supports both CAVLC andthe more efficient context -adaptivebinary -arithmetic coding (CABAC).MP also supports B -slices in addi-tion to I- and P -slices. Because B datapackets provide H.264 with its great-est encoding efficiency, MP decreasesthe probability of compression ar-tifacts upon rapid motion. AVCHDuses MP and higher profiles.
A B -reference is generated whentwo motion vectors are defined fromthe displacement between the Cur-rent Block and Reference Blocks.With H.264, "bi" means two vec-tors - not two directions as it doesfor MPEG-2.
Several levels may be used withMP. Level 4.0 supports 720p59.94 and1080i59.94 up to 20Mb/s (17Mb/s),while Level 4.1 supports data rates upto 50Mb/s (22Mb/s to 24Mb/s). Theability of Levels 4.0 and 4.1 to sup-port 1080i59.94 means that 23.976fpscan be recorded after applying 2:3pulldown. This capability also meansthat 1080p29.97 can be recordedas 1080i59.94/29.97PsF because itsframe rate is equal to the 29.97fpsused by 1080i59.94.
High ProfileHP offers all the capabilities of MP
(CABAC coding and B -slices) plus anoptional capability that greatly im-proves codec efficiency - the abil-ity to dynamically switch between8 x 8 and 4 x 4 submacroblocks duringcompression. Image areas with highdetail are compressed using 4 x 4 pixelblocks, while areas with low detail arecompressed using 8 x 8 pixel blocks.The latter generates less data; there-fore, more bandwidth is available for
44 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
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FEATUREUNDERSTANDING AVCHD
H.264/AVC I- and P -slice encodingMO MEM MEM=MO ME MEM=ME MO WM=ME MO MEM=MO NI OM= OMMOMUMMIIMM MMEMMIMI Mil =MI==WM NM =MEMMMMMMMMMMM UMWMMOMMMEM =MOMMOMMOMM INIMMOOMMMOMOMOMM MINIMOOMM=OOS MOOMMEMOMOMMEMMO OMMEMMOMMEM= MEM==EMMA =ME=A mum ft n M MM awl":MMOMMEMM MUMmom= inismsrommommm mummomommum mummemommem mommilMEM= MEMMEMMEMEM OMMEMC
r.MOMMOMMO MOMMOON= MUMMOMMEMOM 11111.110MEMMINIMMO UMW,MMIIIMOMME MEMMIIMMINIMO MEM P.MEMO MEW
OMMEMEM MOMMOMMMEM= SOMMEMEM MOMMEM= MMIIMMIIMEMMEN =MINI=MEM MEM=MEM MEM=MMOMMOM OOMMOMMMOMS MOOMMEM=MEM MEM=MOM= MEMMINIMMOM MOWMM.= MOM
Figure 2. 16 x 16 pixel macroblocks eachwith four 8 x 8 subblocks
0ne of the many characteris-tics of H.264/AVC that makesit difficult to understand is its
use of terms similar to those usedwhen discussing MPEG-2 - forexample, "I," "P" and "B." An H.264I -slice is a portion of a picture com-posed of macroblocks, all of whichare based upon macroblocks withinthe same picture. Thus, H.264 intro-duces a new concept called slices- segments of a picture biggerthan macroblocks but smaller thana frame. Just as there are I -slices,there are P- and B -slices. P- and B -slices are portions of a picture com-posed of macroblocks that are notdependent on macroblocks in thesame picture.
H.264 encoding begins by chro-ma downsampling to 4:2:0. Next,each incoming picture is dividedinto macroblocks. (When interlacedvideo is encoded, both fields arecompressed together.) Many of thesame techniques used to compressan MPEG-2 I -frame are used tocompress macroblocks making upan I -slice. Each 16 x 16 pixel macro -block is further partitioned into four8 x 8 submacroblocks. (See Figure2.) The encoder can switch betweenworking with 16 x 16 blocks and8 x 8 blocks.
Blocks, of course, are locatednext to other blocks. For example,
the Current Block (yellow) in theFigure 2 frame to be encoded has ablock to the left (green) and a blockabove (blue). The latter two blocksare Previous Blocks. Referenc3Pixels are located at the left (dar<green) and lower (dark blue) bound-aries between Previous Blocks andthe Current Block. Four differenttypes of prediction methods (modes)are used with 16 x 16 macroblocks.(See Figure 3.)
When predictions are made for8 x 8 submacroblocks, nine modesare used. (See Figure 4.)
In all cases, the mode that bestpredicts the content of the CurrentBlock is selected as the Current Pre-diction Mode. The Current PredictionMode is linked to the Current Block.Each Predicted Block (from the col-umn and row of Reference Pixels) is"subtracted" from the Current block,thereby generating a Residual (dif-ference) Block. Each Residual Blockis compressed, linked to the Current
Block, and during decoding used asa picture "correction" block.
Once an I -slice has been encod-ed, P -slices are encoded. Motion es-timation is methodically performed,and macroblocks in other frames aresearched for the contents of the Cur-rent Block. H.264 supports searchingwithin up to five pictures before or af-ter the current picture. (AVCHD sup-ports searching within four pictures.)Obviously, the greater the number ofreference pictures used, the greaterthe memory that must be in an en-coder. For this reason, AVCHD cam-eras typically only support one ortwo reference frames.
The block with the best measuredcontent match becomes a Refer-ence Block. A P -reference is gener-ated when only a single motion vec-tor is defined by the displacementbetween Current and ReferenceBlocks. Each motion vector andeach P -slice compressed ResidualBlock are linked to a P -slice.
0 (vertical) 1 (horizontal) 2 (DC) 3 (plane)
Figure 3. Four prediction modes for 16 x 16 luma blocks
Mode 0
Mode 4
Mode 1
Mode 5
Average
Mode 2 Mode 3
Adjacent pixels6. Predictive pixels
e Copy of below pixel
Figure 4. Nine prediction modes for 8 x 8 submacroblocks
46 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
FEATUREUNDERSTANDING AVCHD
data from areas with fine detail.During encoding, each 16 x 16
pixel macroblock is partitioned intofour 8 x 8 submacroblocks and 164 x 4 submacroblocks. (See Figure 2.)The encoder can switch among work-ing with 16 x 16 blocks, 8 x 8 blocksand 4 x 4 blocks. When predictionsare made for 16 x 16 macroblocks,four modes are used. (See Figure 3.)When predictions are made for 8 x 8submacroblocks, nine modes areused. (See Figure 4.) Canon AVCHDcamcorders were the first to use HPH.264. Shooters quickly found MPsoftware decoders were unable to de-code Canon recordings.
An HP encoder supports 720p59.94and 1080i59.94 using multiple lev-els. Level 4.0 supports data rates upto 20Mb/s (17Mb/s). Level 4.1, usedby AVCHD, AVCCAM and NXCAM,supports data rates up to 50Mb/s(22Mb/s to 24Mb/s). Blu-ray employs
Level 4.1 using a video data rate upto 40Mb/s.
Level 4.2, available in camcord-ers using AVCHD 2.0, supports adata rate up to 50Mb/s (28Mb/s) for
H.264/AVC encodesstereo audio using
ACC or LPCMaudio. AVCHD
audio is restrictedto AC -3 Dolby
Digital 2.0 stereoor 5.1 surround.
1080p59.94 When AVCHD is record-ed on a DVD, the disc's maximum spinspeed limits the data rate to 17Mb/s.Therefore, when you shoot either MPor HP Level 4.1, or HP Level 4.2, youwill not be able to archive to a DVD.
GOP structureEach frame is encoded as one or
more I-, P- and B -slices. Typically,every half -second, an H.264 encoderoutputs an I -frame -a picture withall intra-encoded slices.
Audio encodingH.264/AVC encodes stereo audio
using ACC or LPCM audio. AVCHDaudio is restricted to AC -3 DolbyDigital 2.0 stereo or 5.1 surround.(NXCAM camcorders record un-compressed audio using PCM audiosampled at 48kHz.) BE
Steve Mullen is the owner of Digital VideoConsulting.
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Dundas Square, one of the new sites withinthe Rogers Network in Canada, employs anAutocue newsroom system.
Smaller broadcasters have differentneeds than their larger counterparts.BY RICHARD SATCHELL
It is the accepted norm for manylarge broadcasters to base theirentire production workflowsaround a large centralized work
hub, and it is often hard to argueagainst this approach. It allows all ofthe elements of the workflow to havecommon access to the appropriatemedia at any given point and enablescollaboration between users.
Traditional best -of -breed vendorshave also built out their solutions tocover large elements of the workflow
under one roof, removing a numberof integration issues. However, forsmaller broadcasters, while their fun-damental production requirementsand aspirations are the same, it is notalways appropriate or possible to sim-ply scale down the same solution tomeet their needs, let alone budgets.
A centralizedproduction hub
The concept of a centralized pro-duction hub, using a large SAN or
NAS device as the conduit throughwhich all production data flows, ishardly new, and the sharing of mediaacross a network is now an acceptedpart of the broadcast and productioncycle. With the addition of client in-terfaces to storage systems, file levelsharing from a centralized and net-worked location is now readily avail-able. This allows users to access mediaand work on it from any workstation,to subsequently share media acrossdifferent functions more easily, and
48 broadcastengineering.com October 2011
worktiowsultimately to collaborate by workingon the same file at the same time.
Beyond the theory, this model, andits associated technology, has adaptedwell to the constantly changing realityof the broadcast world. The move toHD (and now stereoscopic) has driventhe need for larger and faster storage,increasingly complex workflows andquicker turnaround times. And thesheer scale of production environ-ments now requires dedicated videonetworks, often isolated from the reg-ular corporate networks required forthe everyday operation of the business- all of which fits well with the con-cept of centralized work hubs.
To deliver the desired workflowaround this hub, best -of -breed ven-dors have historically supplied dif-ferent parts of the production chain.
However, over the past 10 years, themarket has seen significant consoli-dation, workflow has become king,and companies have developed oracquired much broader solutions toprovide ingest, storage, editing andplayout all under one roof. This ap-proach clearly makes a lot of sense interms of integration, workflow andsupport, albeit that many specialistscatering for specific elements of theworkflow will still argue the merits oftheir best -of -breed solution.
Scaling the size of this model up-wards, or applying it to a broadcasterabove a certain size, is simple andmakes sense for all involved. Manu-facturers are obviously only too hap-py to design systems in a way thatcan be grown over time or are wellsuited to large installs, and they often
see spending on infrastructure solu-tions as a strong indicator of futureinvestment. For the broadcaster, thisoften creates a platform for growth,acquiring technology that is eitherexpanding or complementing theircore investment. It therefore makessense for technicians, engineers,consultants and integrators who arelooking to grow the infrastructure ofan existing site, or even specify andinstall a new site from scratch, tolook at what's come before and scaleor replicate as appropriate.
Scaling downBut, scaling these solutions down
to a smaller operation is anotherstory. The large number of smallerbroadcasters and production facilitiesmay have the same production values
If"# IN! =max
Immirm /pa
COVER THE SPECTRUM OF
WORKFLOWThe XF Series' universal CF Card captires 50 MbpsMPEG-2 4:2:2 or. 3E/25 Mbps 4:2:C componentvideo. MXF file wrapping strearil nes the integrationof video, audio, and metadata into networkedinfrastructures 3nc ensures high -compatibilitywith leading NLE syslems. The XA10 records AVCHD
files to internal 64GB memory cr to 2 SDXCmemory cards. usacanon.com/spactrum
2011 Canon U S.A., Inc. All rights reserved. Canon. XF. and XA are registeted tracemarks of Canon Inc. in the United States. IMAGEANYVVARE is a trademark of Canon.
CanonimageANYVVARE
FEATUREPRODUCTION WORKFLOWS
and aspirations as their larger coun-terparts, but certainly don't have thebudget or the resources to implementthe same workflows, nor do they re-quire the complexity inherent in theselarger systems.
For smaller broadcasters, a singleintegrated end -to -end solution is amust. It is simply too expensive andoverly complex to have various com-ponents of the ingest, central stor-age, playout and nearchive/archiveworkflow represented by individual
Autocue's complete end -to -endnewsroom and production workflowcan be based around a single videoserver and scaled upward as required.
systems that interface to each other.This end -to -end approach often pro-vides a simple, scalable and modularsolution that is much more appropri-ate for the scale of operation, bothnow and in the future. However, eventhe brands that can offer the breadthof solution required are often cost -prohibitive due to the high level ofinitial investment required. So thequestion remains: How can we, astechnology architects, reduce the costfor smaller broadcasters while main-taining or even improving the desiredworkflow and scalability?
If we accept that the concept of acentral hub and an end -to -end solu-tion is the best direction to take, thenthe next step is to consider what canbe done to scale this up or down infi-nitum as required. Due to the inher-ent structure and building blocks ofthe larger systems, even if you drasti-cally reduce its size, each function stillneeds to be split across several differ-ent servers, often including propri-etary hardware, and each element ofthe workflow still needs to be separat-ed by several client interfaces and as-sociated licenses. For a smaller opera-tion, this is clearly too expensive, butalso unnecessarily complex. If your
workflow dictates that a single useris fulfilling multiple functions, thenthe idea of that individual having tooperate across a number of separateclients from a single workstation is nolonger fit for purpose.
Central storageas the engine
Today some vendors have devel-oped solutions that use the centralstorage not only as the hub but alsoas the engine. This structure enables
the same fundamental workflow,providing a system that is not onlycheaper in the first instance but alsohas considerably lower running costs.The user also maintains the benefitsof having a single vendor covering allelements of the workflow, and beingable to access content from any loca-tion on the network.
Larger broadcasters might arguethat the obvious trade-off in sucha system is the depth of functional-ity and level of redundancy it can
Autocue Video Server at, . .
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The Autocue video server GUI is simple and intuitive for large and smallbroadcasters alike.
many of the functions to be done injust one or two servers, or for largeroperations, to split and apply thesame functionality across multipleservers as required. This also com-bines all the tools in to a single inter-face that can be split across any num-ber of workstations depending on theworkflow. This, combined with thescalable infrastructure, makes scalingup much easier than scaling down theinherently larger systems.
And, finally, it makes the manage-ment, editing and sharing of filesmuch quicker as access to those filesis direct from the central hub. The re-sultant system is, therefore, reliant onfewer constituent servers to deliver
For smallerbroadcasters, a
single integratedend -to -end solution
is a must.
provide. However, when dealing witha fraction of the budget and resourc-es, smaller broadcast and productionfacilities will welcome the news thatthey can recreate the same workflowand systems of the big boys in a moreaffordable way.
Richard Satchell is businessdevelopment director for Autocue.
BE
50 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
ENTER TO WINREASONSTO ENTER: Your facility will be featured in a full -page article
- complete with photos - in the December issue
Winners are announced in a multi -pageSpecial Report in the Match NAB issue
Winners receive yearlong exposure on ourhigh -traffic Web site
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Go to www.broadcas:engineering.com
Questions or comments? Contact Susan Anderson
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COVER THE SPECTRUM OF
COLOR
0 2011 Canon U.S.A.Inc. All rights reserved. Canon
Originate extraordinary color clar ty and detailwith Canon's high-performa Ice optics, CMOSimage sensors and DIGIC DV 111 digital component
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APPLIED TECHNOLOGYNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
Openet SDMA new Subscriber Data Management software
designed forTVE flexibility could mean more profits.
Crafting successful businessmodels for TV Everywhere(TVE) requires a true op-erational shift away from
traditionally siloed information intotrue data interoperability with regardto entitlements. At Openet, we'vefound that a Subscriber Data Man-agement (SDM) system, in conjunc-tion with an operator's policy andcharging architectures, enables thiscritical change.
The system is critical given its abil-ity to process more granular types ofpotentially disparate viewer data andthen provide valuable analysis to theoperator. For entitlements, the sys-tem is taken a step further, integrat-ing with other systems to present themaximum return for every piece ofthe value chain.
The authentication and authoriza-tion layer regulates access to particu-lar content based on a subscriber'sentitlement profile (what the user haspaid for or is permitted to use). Thisrelates to the software's ability to rec-ognize who the customer is regardlessof how he or she accesses the service,overlaying his or her entitlement pro-file, and then monitoring and track-ing behavior for billing and researchpurposes. For example, restrictionscan include individual pieces or bun-dles of content (such as TV channelsor premium films), or according totime -of -day, physical location, device,quality of service or multiple accessby the same customer.
A premium entitlements and con-tent monetization layer acts as theoperator's own salesman, allowingthe subscriber to go beyond a ba-sic package and purchase premiumcontent on a one-time basis (pur-chasing a single episode or full sea-son of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire"
BY MICHAFL MAN7O
would be one example) along withtying individual pieces of content topredetermined viewing periods likeone-time stream versus unlimitedviews. In this instance, charging, pol-icy and SDM all work seamlessly toprovide flexibility.
This portion of the architecture re-quires more extensive content rightsagreements with providers. This al-lows operators to sell subscriptioncontent in a TVE environment in ex-change for a percentage of the result-ing revenue.
After that comes the necessarysafeguard of parental controls, whichprovides a subscriber -initiated buf-fer to certain content based on ageappropriateness, time of day, cost orother factors. Policy management isat the forefront, but user -set charg-ing restrictions also help operatorsbetter cater to families. This level ofcontrol can only be achieved throughaccess to content metadata that feedsinto the software and manages accessbased on these parameters.
Last comes fraud protection, ofwhich identity management is a keyelement. This function may be em-bedded in the software or exist as anindependent component. This en-sures log -ins from one account arebeing used only by household mem-bers and not by outside parties.
Openet's system looked to incorpo-rate this tiered system of entitlementsinto a largely subscriber -controlledarchitecture enhanced with opera-tor inputs. What follows is an outlineof the start -to -finish experience de-signed for North American MSOs.While the included parameters arejust examples, each could be custom-ized, dependent upon the preferencesand current billing structure of theindividual operator.
Step 1: User registrationand preferences
An existing customer of a mul-tichannel video operator logs intoa content portal for the first time.The user is the designated admin-istrator and can add other users tothe account.
In this example, a user adds his wifeas another administrator and his son.
The user has set parental controlsfor the child to ensure age appropri-ate content is available to him as wellas setting a monthly spending limit. Ifthe user wants further customizationof controls, such as time of day restric-tions and customized usage reports,he is offered the ability to purchase aParental Controls Bundle add-on.
As an administrator, the user canset his own preferences as well as forthe entire household
Step 2: Content entitlementAs discussed above, the content to
which a user is entitled can be basedon parameters including service plan,settings, profile, usage activity, demo-graphics and location. For this ex-ample, the user is on a basic TV Plan,so while some content is free to him,he also has the option to purchaseand view premium content on anad -hoc basis. Suggestions that appearare rooted in the system, while thepolicy management function appro-priately provisions the content basedon subscriber profile parameters. Thecharging software then handles thebilling queries.
When the child logs in, the contenthe views is different since he is onlyallowed access to content rated G orTV -Y. While the content -restrictingportion of this operation is based inpolicy management, parental controlsusing charging capabilities also help
52 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
APPLIED TECHNOLOGYNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
avoid "bill shock" scenarios resultingfrom children inadvertently runningup large bills or rapidly depreciatingtheir prepaid account.
Step 3: Purchase ofpremium content
This system allows a variety of on -demand purchase options to existingand new customers. If a user wishes toview premium content not includedin his or her basic package, he or sheis offered several options, including a24 -hour view of all premium content- an option that needs to be stipulat-ed in content rights agreements withproviders. Payment options would bebased on a user's profile.
After the user selects a paymentoption and authorizes charges, 24 -hour access is granted. The chargingsystem tracks this timed period and isable to send notifications when thatperiod is about to expire.
SDM, policy and charging con-trols can enable operators to offerpersonalized, dynamic, subscriber -aware promotions to up -sell and cross -sell services. The infrastructure makesit easy to link past -viewing behaviorwith recommendations and methodsof fulfillment. In this example, imag-ine an operator immediately offering adiscounted soundtrack for a film fol-lowing its conclusion or enacting pro-motions that provide a user with a freefilm once he or she has watched fiveselections at full price.
This model rivals, if not beats, pop-ular over -the -top (OTT) offerings inmany areas. For operators losing theirperceived importance in the valuechain, this and similarly built TVE ar-chitectures provide a way to showcasevalue on a daily basis to consumers byintegrating functional, intuitive inter-faces and purchasing options.
This interface, however, is rooted
in network software systems that canservice the level of variable behaviorand preferences outlined above. Thesesystems are already in place at the vastmajority of MSOs, but a TVE systemthat interfaces with each represents atrue operational advantage that cata-pults operators ahead of low-cost,low -overhead OTT players.
At Openet, the TVE solution fo-cused on having strong subscriberawareness capabilities that makeservices much more dynamic. Thisenables the greater degrees of person-alization outlined above and the abil-ity to deliver further monetizationscenarios for operators. The result isa software integration that helps con-sumers enjoy a more customizableand personalized experience, whileoperators are better positioned togenerate new revenues out of TVE. BE
Michael Manzo is chief marketing officerfor Openet.
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FIELD REPORTNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
T-VIPS' IP transportWGBH delivers its programming in real time
over the public Internet.
As a PBS member stationand the single largest pro-ducer of PBS television- including "NOVA,"
"Antiques Roadshow,""Frontline" and"Masterpiece Theatre" - and Webcontent, WGBH in Boston producesa variety of programming for ourviewership throughout New England.While we transmit a strong HD/SDsignal over the air, we also rely uponcable and satellite providers, such asThames Valley Communications inGroton, CT, to deliver our channel toregional viewers, especially to thoseoutside of our coverage area.
The challengeThames Valley, a provider of digital
cable, Internet and digital phone ser-vices, previously received our signalfrom a satellite service operated byShaw Media, which uplinked majorBoston channels for rebroadcast to itsCanadian viewers.
In the spring of 2010, ShawMedia discontinued its satellite ser-vice. Thames needed to quickly findan affordable, reliable alternativemeans of receiving our signal.
With only a one -month lead timeand little budget to work with, WGBHengineers began searching for an eas-ily accessible, affordable, real-time,broadcast -quality transport system.We initially thought we would just se-cure dedicated telco circuits betweenour Boston plant and Thames Valley'sheadend, but that proved to be be-yond our budgetary means.
The testsI then remembered a demo I'd seen
at NAB of the T-VIPS TVG420 ASI-to-IP video gateway, which sends areal-time ASI transport stream over IPnetworks. I called the manufacturer's
BY MICHAFL FOTI
U.S. office in Millburn, NJ, and theyimmediately loaned us two gatewaysthat we could use for two months toconduct a test.
One gateway, which was installedin the equipment racks in our sta-tion's machine room, was set up to
Since WGBH needed to filter out itssecondary services, we soon replacedour gateway with a different T-VIPSdevice, the CP510 transport streamprocessor. The processor automati-cally identifies and filters the specificPID component for WGBH-SD from
With only a one -month lead time andlittle budget to work with, WGBHengineers began searching for an
easily accessible, affordable, real-time,broadcast -quality transport system.
PBS member station WGBH in Boston uses a T-VIPS TVG420 ASI-to-IP videogateway and a CP510 transport stream processor to send its 61\413/s MPEG-2 SDfeed to Thames Valley Communcations' headend for wider distribution.
take a 6Mb/s MPEG-2 feed of our SDsignal. It encapsulated that signal intoIP packets and sent it over the Inter-net to Thames' headend. The othergateway, installed in Thames' head -end, received that MPEG-2 streamand fed it to an MPEG-2 decoder thatconverted it back to baseband videoand audio for rebroadcast.
our SMPTE-310 ASI transport streamand outputs an IP signal for real-timetransport over IP networks includingthe Internet. This additional signalprocessing - filtering a specific PIDfrom our ASI multiplex - sparedus from having to dedicate an ex-pensive ATSC encoder to solve thisproblem. The processor filters select
54 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
COVER THE SPECTRUM OF
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FIELD REPORTNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
services from the WGBH-DT trans-port stream for delivery to ThamesValley and enables flexible adapta-tion and filtering of MPEG transportstreams and component filtering, aswell as PSI/SI/PSIP table updates.
The resultsFor both transport tests - the
gateway to gateway and processor togateway - we found that Thames
bandwidth on the Thames circuit tothe Internet. The problem was re-solved when engineers increased thebandwidth allocated to the device.
Despite the fact that WGBH hasmore than 500Mb/s of bandwidthin and out of our plant, once thattransport stream reaches the publicInternet, it is subject to the vagariesof Internet traffic and packet rout-ing. The processor and the gateway
Once that transport stream reaches thepublic Internet, it is subject to the vagaries
of Internet traffic and packet routing.The CP510 and TVG420 both solve this
problem by applying advanced FEC to thesignal to ensure a high quality of service.
Valley successfully received broad-cast -quality video and audio suit-able for rebroadcast in real-time.Problems occurred at times between8 p.m. and midnight when the IP-de-livered WGBH signal showed signs ofintermittent problems, such as blackflashes and audio dropouts. Duringthis time, Thames' data customerswere heavily using their PCs to accessthe Internet, consuming significant
both solve this problem by applyingadvanced FEC to the signal to ensurea high quality of service. This resultsin a solid video picture and high -
quality audio even over the public In-ternet in the presence of packet loss,latency and other defects caused byInternet routing.
After one full year of operation,this T-VIPS system has proven to beextremely cost-effective and reliable.
WGBH purchased the processor andgateway, and we are free from the re-curring monthly charges commonto other broadcast systems. ThamesValley now benefits from this real-time signal transport system for a sig-nificantly lesser monthly charge thanit was paying for Shaw Media's satel-lite service, and for far less than thecost of dedicated fiber circuits.
We considered it critical to retainWGBH programming within Thames'TV package. The CP510 and TVG420made it possible to do that cost-effec-tively, within our tight timeframe andwithout quality compromises. BE
Michael Foti is director of engineering,WGBH Educational Foundation.
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FIELD REPORTNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
Plura monitorsMonitors such as the FTM-043 are designed to deliver
efficient tools for mobile production.
Testing and monitoringmultiple video standardsis an hourly occurrence onany of my television pro-
duction projects. This is true for boththe load -in and day-to-day changesthat arise, as I find myself constantlyneeding to identify and critique sig-nals of all types.
As a truck engineer -in -charge, I needto see and hear multiple standards witha minimal hardware footprint.
The Plura Broadcast FTM-043field test monitor, which we recentlyinstalled on Aspiration, our new 40ftexpanding side mobile productiontruck, provides an all -in -one solu-tion for quickly identifying signals,associated standards and other dataembedded on the digital signal -and otherwise.
I live in an HD/SDI world but amstill surrounded by legacy compos-ite signals, which can be some of themost difficult to process. From tele-prompter feeds to downconversionsfor a venue television or streamingserver, composite video is one of thehardest standards to deal with today.
Simply put, the industry is far lessequipped for analog video in the mod-ern broadcast and production envi-ronment. Humbuckers and termina-tors are harder to find, for example.The FTM-043, with its on -board LCDscreen for testing and monitoring in-coming signals, allows me to visuallyconfirm a possible problem before go-ing through repair steps.
Test signal generationThe field test monitor is also an ex-
cellent test signal generator. We feedprojectors, web servers, LED screensand many other devices from the TVtrucks and fly packs. The device al-lows me to confirm signal presence
BY NIC DUGGFR
quickly and accurately, while simul-taneously allowing generation of testsignals for comparison, alignmentand troubleshooting. And, this isnot a standard color bar genny. Allpatterns have an option for motion,and the list of patterns is ideal forany engineer.
The on -board audio capabilitiesalso eliminate Q -box requirementsfor quick audio testing applications.With both audio -in and audio -outvia the embedder/de-embedder or
tape machine inputs also saves a largeamount of time.
There are a number of user featuresand benefits that stand out. The com-pact size of the package is the leadingbenefit, as it easily fits into an equip-ment rack or my tool bag.
The front -facing connectors arealso an improvement over test de-vices that assume gear will alwaysbe racked. The on -screen overlay ofembedded information saves a lot oftime, and the combination of both
The FTM-043's on -board LCD screen tests and monitors incoming signals,allowing engineers to visually confirm potential problems before going throughrepair steps.
The FTM-043's compact size allows it to fiteasily into an equipment rack or tool bag.
the on -board XLR connections, thetester supports almost any field au-dio testing application. I can quicklycheck mic level, line level or embed-ded audio coming from the venue orfrom the truck. Being able to gener-ate tone to quickly fix speakers and
multi -standard digital and analog in-put options is an excellent feature.
Andrew Humphries, TNDV se-nior engineer, recently noted that itwould be next to impossible for himto be an effective engineer in thetruck, at the I/O panel and at multiple
58 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
FIELD REPORTNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
locations inside a venue without ac-cess to an FTM. This is because he andother TNDV engineers are now accus-tomed to reaching for the device whenthere is a problem to address. It's hardto imagine being able to troubleshootand solve a problem as quickly with-out it.
The FTM has centralized into a sin-gle device what previously took threedevices to achieve. Previously, I had tocarry both separate handheld SD andHD testing products along with the Q -box for audio applications. I frequentlycarried a full-sized monitor to jobs aswell. This is no longer the case.
Instead, the test monitor offers aclean and efficient means of goingfrom the patchbay to the I/O panelto the venue with a single device fortesting both incoming and outgoingsignals. The ability to see and confirmthe signal and the format, and thentransmit a test pattern in multiple Being an effective engineer would be almost ;mpossible without FTM access, he said.
TNDV senior engineer Andrew Humphries points to one of his truck's Plura HD monitors.
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FIELD REPORTNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
standards and multiple formats, is ahuge benefit to performing my en-gineering duties in mobile produc-tion environments. I plan to have anFTM-043 in my patch bay, my I/Opanel and my tool bag for every showmoving forward.
Capable monitorsIn addition to the field and test
applications that Plura has added tothe TNDV tool box, I have addition-ally been impressed with the mediumformat high -resolution monitors. Weuse both the 17in PBM-217S as wellas the PBM-217-3G on all three ofour multiformat trucks.
The multiple inputs on the 17inmonitors have been ideal, with thetrend of workstations within produc-tion trucks requiring both HD/SDImonitoring, as well as DVI or VGAmonitoring. These monitors offer fast
switching of inputs, which is importantfor a ProTools operator or a graphicsoperator needing to see both configu-ration PCs and video signals. They alsooffer a clear picture -in -picture optionthat allows me to monitor one signalwhile working on the other.
Some of the field applicationsthat stand out include the strongtabletop stand and the integrated
The ability tosee and confirmthe signal andthe format, andtransmit a test
pattern in multipleformats, is ahuge benefit.
carry handle. The rugged design alsoenables stronger confidence in send-ing these monitors into a venue or offto a booth.
The prosumer feature that standsout most is the addition of an HDMIinput. This has proven to be conve-nient as a large number of packagesand b -roll today are shot today onDSLR. Rack -mounting is also a snap,with the internal power adapterquickening the setup process. Be-yond all this, the monitors are visu-ally attractive.
Based on the flexibility of thesevaried products, Plura continues toimpress with a flexible set of tools andmonitoring systems that are ideal forengineering in mobile production. BE
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60 broadcastengineering.com I October 2 011
APPLIED TECHNOLOGYNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
Content exchangesContent supply chain management software makes
secure, file -based B2B exchanges a reality.
he global economic crisishas had some interestingeffects on the media busi-ness, one of which is the
continuing decentralization of manyproduction and post -productionprocesses that have traditionally beenhandled in-house. Driven to reducecosts and empowered by newly digi-tal, file -based workflows, large mediacompanies are increasingly outsourc-ing functions such as editing and lan-guage dubbing/subtitling to freelanc-ers and small "mom-and-pop" outfits- many of whom are highly special-ized and geographically dispersed.The ability to exchange high -valuemedia assets securely and efficientlywith business partners outside theenterprise has always been important,but the task has become more com-plicated as these boutique enterprisesjoin the workflow.
A complex worldIn the old days of international
distribution, conversion from NTSCto PAL or some other video formatmight have been all that was requiredfor international playout, and lan-guage was not a large consideration.Today, media companies must notonly contend with international videostandards conversions but also the re-quirement to distribute the content inmany different languages, in HD and(in some cases) 3-D as well as SD, andin formats to support a dizzying arrayof new platforms and services such asmobile devices and pad computers,video on demand, etc.
In order to prep so many differentflavors of a single title, content own-ers must involve larger numbers ofoutside partners and vendors, manyof whom might be working withtheir own subcontractors. Because
BY RICK CLARKSON
so many more people have to touchthis highly valuable intellectual prop-erty to get it into its final form, secu-rity becomes a much larger and morecomplex proposition.
Content exchanges are further com-plicated by the increased size of thefiles required to traverse the network,with "super HD" formats such as
trying to move to completely file -based, tapeless operations, many stillrely on videotape to move content toand from vendors and subcontractors.There are two great problems with thiscontinued dependence on physicalmedia. First is the requirement to buildextra time into the workflow for thecustoms hassles, inevitable delays and
A content supply chain management system (CSCM) designed for ad -hoc fileexchanges between media organizations and their outsourcing partners shouldbe browser -based and enable users to exchange content with other users, systemsand applications regardless of location or the size of the digital assets.
1080p50/60 and 3-D becoming morecommon. Working in these new for-mats often requires moving files thatare two to 10 times the size of SD, aprospect that can bring traditionalcorporate networks and FTP systemsto their knees. With multiple, tightdistribution windows to meet in or-der to maximize profits for a new title,content owners can't afford the delaysand missed deadlines that might re-sult from having to restart a downloadover from the beginning, or a transferthat slows the network to a crawl andjeopardizes other communications.
So they fall back on their com-fort zone: tape. As hard as large me-dia companies and major studios are
potential for loss that is inherent in anyoverseas shipment. The second prob-lem, as ironic as it seems, is security.Thanks to a spate of highly publicizednetwork security breaches, many orga-nizations have well -justified concernsabout trusting their valuable assets toan unsecured network. But the realityis that valuable video assets are far saferin an electronic exchange than they arewhen shipped on physical media thatcan be easily hijacked in transit.
Towards contentexchange Nirvana
The good news is the latest develop-ments in content supply chain man-agement (CSCM) software designed
October 2011 I broadcastengineering.com 61
APPLIED TECHNOLOGYNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
specifically for connecting large en-terprises with smaller workgroups orvendors. The most advanced CSCMsystems specifically address all of theinherent challenges of file -based, busi-ness -to -business content exchangesby providing a highly managed infra-structure for rapid and reliable con-tent transfers, with enterprise -classsecurity based on a B2B content peer-ing model. These systems offer all ofthe benefits, and none of the expense,of a private dedicated network - butuse the public Internet.
A CSCM system designed for ad -
hoc file exchanges between mediaorganizations and their outsourcingpartners should be browser -basedand enable users to exchange contentwith other users, systems and appli-cations regardless of location or thesize of the digital assets. Also - andimportant for small, boutique serviceproviders with no IT department-
the system should offer a simple Webuser interface with minimal clientsoftware or server software at all toinstall and maintain. In addition, itshould offer network flexibility toaccommodate a mobile work style.For example, a contractor work-ing from one location can begin adownload, then pause it and move toanother wireless location. Instead ofhaving to start the download all over,the system picks up where it left offeven if the computer is now connect-ed to a different network. The trans-fer is seamless and secure, regardlessof file size.
Finally, the ideal CSCM systemshould offer the ability to add somedegree of automation to the exchange,for maximum security and efficiency.For example, the media companycould specify that all files coming infrom 39 vendors be virus scannedand QC'd before going into the
server, or that certain vendors' outputbe transcoded to specified formats.
To summarize, CSCM enables me-dia companies to electronically sendfiles of any size at light speed to theirvendors and get the amended versionsback without causing so much as ahiccup in the production schedule.Companies can do these exchangeswith even their smallest, least techni-cally sophisticated vendors, and theyhave the assurance that their files willarrive safely without any risk of piracyor other digital security breaches. BE
Rick Clarkson is vice president, productmanagement for Signiant.
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62 broadcastengineering.com October 2011
TECHNOLOGY IN TRANSITIONNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
Video processingGPUs could make advanced graphics
effects attainable by all.
As in many areas of tech-nology, we are enteringa time of particularlystrong change in how vid-
eo is processed. It is transparent thatanalog processing is a dead issue, orat least mostly. I am obliquely refer-ring to processing that happens in acamera of course, when analog sig-nals (light) are processed into vary-ing voltage as the sensor is read out.In addition to properly handling thehigh -bandwidth analog signals thatresult, analog optical filters are typi-cally employed to manage aliasing inthe sampled output of the sensor. Butbeyond this stage, little analog pro-cessing is still done, and it is a goodthing since few engineers are trainedthese days in the subtleties of analogvideo signal management and degra-dation. Even in cameras, most of theprocessing is done digitally.
We have also arrived at a new pointwhere the technology impacts videoprocessing in the digital realm. To beclear, I consider general-purpose soft-ware processing to be quite differentfrom that done in either hard -codedsilicon or reprogrammable devices. Iam also not focusing this article on
BY JOHN LUFF
special graphics processors - offerinteresting possibilities, each with itsown characteristics.
General-purpose platformsGeneral-purpose computing plat-
forms can do a lot of video processing,as well as generation of video signals forcharacter generation, weather graph-ics and art creation. That is nothingnew of course, since general-purpose
t13
The computing power of GPUs couldmake "expensive" video processingaccessible and common.
computers loaded with one or morevideo frame buffers have been avail-able for a couple of decades now. EarlySun, SGI, Mac and PC platforms trans-formed portions of station workflow.
Twenty-five years ago, performing a2-D rotation on a moving image andrescaling it to a different screen sizewould have been available only in
digital effects systems that cost 50 to100 times what a phone costs today.
the process of compression, as thatis completed in yet another specialpurpose programmable device. Onecould argue that compression is videoprocessing, but the other two choices- general-purpose platforms and
But with the power of multiple -core, multiple -processor systems, wenow see a plethora of real-time sys-tems based on computers that are inmost respects quite ordinary. Thatmuch speed makes generating and
processing video much easier. Suchgarden variety computing platformscan be quite cost-effective and canserve as the basis of editing, transcod-ing, ingest and special effects systems,to name only a few. I do not mean toimply they are necessarily cheap, for,as in all things, performance comes ata price. One only need contrast a Yugoand a Porsche to see that there is nofree lunch in technology. Both ends of
spectrum get you tothe location, but theyare oh so different.
Some video pro-cessing today is vir-tually free. Considerfor a moment the
resizing and process-ing that is done in smart
phones and tablets. Twenty-fiveyears ago, performing a 2-D rotationon a moving image and rescaling it toa different screen size would have beenavailable only in digital effects systemsthat cost 50 to 100 times what a phonecosts today. I sometimes watch rentedmovies on my tablet on airplanes; thequality is astounding, and I cannothelp but smile when I rotate the deviceand the picture stays level to the floor.The resizing engine that is doing theprocessing has all the same require-ments that the ADO of the '80s had,namely 2-D filtering of the image, re -sizing and smooth controls to make itfeel and look "natural:' Clue, nothingin nature can do this.
Carrying this thought a bit further,the processing in portable electron-ics is similar to that in virtually everydisplay device you can buy for videotoday Every monitor and TV receiverhas video processing that can resizeimages with excellent results. Thoseof us with enough grey hair canamuse ourselves by thinking of early
the
October 2011 I broadcastengineering.com 63
TECHNOLOGY IN TRANSITIONNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
8MIS 8Se -S68
0 104.2
otim epos on
standards converters, which occupieda couple of racks and did at most twoconversions (525 to 625 and reverse).Modern resizing engines have to han-dle multiple frame rates and scanningstandards, often including the ability
time and increase the capability wellbeyond what some of its competitorswith long-established pedigrees wereproviding. Indeed, GPUs are a keyelement in many real-time graphicsprocesses, like weather graphics.
It is more exciting to look under the hoodof devices that use GPU power. Graphicsprocessing units have been with us for a
couple of decades, but it has only beenrecently that we have seen them usedfor general-purpose video processing.
to display computer outputs directly.To do that and be affordable as a solu-tion in a CE device means high price -to -performance ratios.
Graphics processorsI think, though, it is more exciting
to look under the hood of devices thatuse GPU power. Graphics processingunits have been with us for a couple ofdecades, but it has only been recentlythat we have seen them used for gen-eral-purpose video processing. I didsome consulting with a U.S.-basedstartup that wanted to do some fairlyhigh -end processing, things like noisereduction, dust and grain removal,cadence repair, standards conversionand other complex processes. By us-ing GPUs as the engine, it was ableto significantly cut the development
Perhaps the most interesting partof this technology is that our use ofit is in its most early stages of devel-opment. It is easy to see applicationslike virtual sets using GPU power,but what about master control sta-tion -in -a -box systems? With the kindof power GPUs can bring to bear ona processing problem, we might seerich 3-D graphics applications withfully configurable windows. Eachstation could create a unique look forits interstitials and transitions, mak-ing it unique in the marketplace.
By integrating GPU-enhanceddevices in studio plants, processingthat was once quite expensive mightbecome just one more service calledup as needed. Or sophisticated pro-cesses not generally affordable couldbe more common, for instance,
preprocessing for improving theoutput of compression hardware forboth ATSC and ATSC MH signals.Noisy ENG shots could be signifi-cantly cleaned up. Old movie packag-es can be scaled to HD and improvedin quality at the same time while bitrates are optimized.
I have (intentionally) omitted dis-cussion of processing that is morecommonplace, though without theintent to minimize its importancein the industry. Frame synchroniz-ers, for instance, are a class of videoprocessing that most readers are thor-oughly familiar with. Quite often, aframe sync will contain a resizing en-gine and use hard -coded software tomake short work of many functionsthat at one time required many box-es, including audio track assignmentmanipulation, color gamut controland color space conversion, sync de-lay adjustment, and other importantprocessing functions. BE
Luff is a television technologyconsultant.
IISend questions and comments to:[email protected]
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NEW PRODUCTS
Harmonic Electra 9000
Multicodec, multiformat video en-coder for broadcast, satellite, telco andcable operators; simultaneously sup-ports broadcast, mobile and Web for-mats; is built on a flexible, open, scal-able architecture that integrates easilywith existing broadcast infrastructureand enables new muitiscreen services;delivers HD and SD video servicesusing Harmonic's MPEG-4 AVC andMPEG-2 compression algorithms;provides up to four audio/video pro-cessing modules per chassis.
www.harmonicinc.com
Ikegami Unicam HDK-97A
16 -bit portable companion -cameraemploys new AIT CCD imagers anddigital video processing system forsuperior picture detail and accuraterendition of color gradations; deliversa choice of 1080/50p 4:2:2 or 1080/50i4:4:4 color sampling; is designed fortraditional -style multicamera pro-duction applications; features a 3Gfiber -transmission system from thecamera head to its new CCU; trans-mission options include an HD -SDIQTV signal for teleprompter use andan HD -SDI trunk channel.
www.ikegami.com
Gefen DisplayPort
Two new KVM (keyboard, video,mouse) switchers are designed to al-low users to save space on the desk-top and cut excessive hardware costswithout sacrificing access to data;both the 4 x 1 and the 8 x 1 Display -Port KVM switchers are well suitedfor professionals who want to avoida networked situation; each gives aplug -and -play method of computersystem integration while supportinghigh resolutions up to 2560 x 1600;the 4 x 1 DisplayPort KVM switcherprovides access to four computersfrom the same monitor, using thesame USB keyboard/mouse, while the8 x 1 DisplayPort KVM switcher givesaccess to eight computers from thesame monitor, using the same USBkeyboard/mouse.
www.gefen.com
NEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
Panasonic HDC-Z10000
Camcorder with integrated twin-lensis compatible with the AVCHD 3-D/Progressive standard; features thecompany's Double 3MOS system forrecording high -quality full -HD 2Dand 3-D images; mounts two 3MOSsensors for superb color and detailreproduction; the two large -diameterF1.5 lenses independently mountedon the left and right are treated withNano Surface Coating, which reducesghosting and flare to produce crisp,clear image rendering.
www.panasonic.net
Solid State Logic V4
Software for the C100 HDS digitalbroadcast console offers new featuresand options designed to increase ca-pability, productivity and connectiv-ity; C -Play feature embeds a profes-sional audio playout system into theconsole surface, delivering superiorergonomics for the operator and inte-grated recall of playlists with consoleprojects; includes integration withMosart Medialab newscast automa-tion; adds existing support for SonyELC and Ross Overdrive; full -duplexconnectivity with Reidel RockNet au-dio networks expands compatibilitywith installed audio networks.
www.solidstatelogic.com
RIIIRIEDEL
ConnectAVB
Intercom goes
Real -Time IP
Connecting intercom panels over an IP-basedLAN environment has been the dream ofmany system planers. Riedel's AVB productline provides a communication solutionfulfilling the demands of professionalintercom users. Based on official IEEE
next generation Ethernet standardsAVB makes it possible to utilize 'acility andenterprise LAN data infrastructures forreal-time intercom applications. This allowsfor new approaches in system and facilitydesign providing significant savings in
infrastructure investments.
www.riedel.net
NEW PRODUCTSNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
TVU Networks TVUPack Mini
Small, lightweight portable live videotransmission system uses one or morewireless data cards to broadcast liveevents in HD or SD from virtuallyany location direct to Web; weighsless than 2lbs; is designed to fit witha variety of camera setups; can beused as a standalone unit, in a beltor in a shoulder -mounted case; canalso be mounted directly to a camerabetween the camera and its batteryusing industry -standard VMount orGold Mount battery plates; offers lowpower consumption to extend batterylife and is cloud -enabled.
www.tvunetworks.com
Marshall Electronics
Autostereoscopic 3-D (glasses -free)7in portable/camera-top monitorcan be used as a camera viewfinder orportable 3-D production display; fea-tures parallax barrier and lenticularhybrid technology; designed to pro-vide superior 3-D images with 1600x 600 screen resolution; provides dualreal-time waveform and vectorscope,along with various 3-D analysis fea-tures such as Check Box, Difference,Blending and Compare.
Nevion VS904-AIE-GE
Modular H.264 encoder enablesbroadcasters to deploy SD or HDvideo over bandwidth -limited in-frastructures; part of VideolPath'smanaged video services system andNevion's Ventura family of standards -based solutions, the VS904 providesSMPTE 2022 -2 -compliant IP net-work interfacing or DVB-ASI outputsfor deployment over traditional videonetworks; providing H.264 com-pression for SD/HD-SDI video, theencoder has configurable rates from2Mb/s to 25Mb/s and supports HighProfile @ Level 4.0 for HD applica-tions and Main Profile @ Level 3.0 forSD applications.
www.nevion.com
www.mars-cam.com
ORCHID OR -70-3D
Litepanels Sole 4
DMX-controllable LED Fresnel fix-ture features a 4in Fresnel lens; usesa small fraction of the power con-sumed by conventional fixtures; em-ploys Litepanels' proprietary LEDs toproduce a soft light quality in 5600°Kdaylight color balance; based on thesame Fresnel technology as the com-pany's Sola 6, but in a smaller, morelightweight form factor; focuses from70 to 10 degrees; can be dimmed from100 percent to zero with no noticeableshift in color temperature.
www.litepanels.com
ClePn cnund that covers serious ground.Up to 250m of reclocked audiotransport between trucks!Receive and reclock MADI signals withCobalt's new 9257 1x9 MADI DA for openGear'.
rc
AFTE -
250m SIGNAL
DEGRADES
The MADI (AES10) standardallows 64 separate audio signalsin a single coax cable, addingflexibility and cost savings.
COBALT DIGITAL ENGINEERING FOR TOMORROW'S BROADCAST
11800) 669-1691 / [email protected] / cobaltdigital.com
TechnologySTAR 2011 V
nine 4 copiesPerfect for sending signals to MasterControl, Production Control, MixBoards and other trucks.
COBALT
66 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
Ensemble Designs 3-D support
Interface is designed for the AvenueFlexible Matrix Router; router has anew, special Pairing configuration thatties inputs or outputs together to sup-port signals, such as Key & Fill, RGB444Link A & B or 3D Left & Right; pairingassociates a port to an existing Sourceor Destination assignment; router'sreal-time video thumbnails travel viaEthernet to the Router Control Panel,where they are displayed on a com-pact, high -resolution display; onlyports configured as Sources and Des-tinations appear on the 1RU panel, aniPad or Web browser.
www.ensembledesigns.com
Sony SBP-64A
SONY
n.11111.1
5b -X)
64
SxS PRO 64GB card can read andwrite data at up to 1.2Gb/s through anExpressCard slot without the need foran adapter; its 64GB capacity enablesthe card to capture 120 minutes ofHD422 50Mb/s recording in the MXFmode; a fully recorded 64GB cardcan be ingested directly to a laptopin an estimated eight minutes; offersseamless functionality with the com-pany's XDCAM HD and XDCAMEX series of solid state memory cardcamcorders.
www.sony.com
JVC GY-H M150
Camcorder includes a new encoderand digital signal processor, adoptedfrom JVC's 700 series cameras; addsimproved HD recording and supportfor SD; with its 3-CCD imagers, thecamcorder captures images in 1080p,1080i and 720p HD - at a variety offrame and bit rates - using native.MOV compression to allow shootersto quickly edit on Apple Final Cut Proor Adobe Premiere, as well as native.MP4 files for other NLE systems; re-cords SD footage (480i) as standardDV files (.AVI or .MOV); recordsto standard SDHC media cards likeother ProHD models, but also acceptsnew SDXC cards.
www.pro.jvc.com
Chyron LEX'
On -air graphics system now includessupport for stereoscopic 3-D graphicsprojects; the system's template -basedtext and graphics enable instant up-dates from data feeds and databases;features include 2D and 3-D objectimport, advanced text and image ef-fects, clip playout, and Chyron's Intel-ligent Interface and DB Link update;Double Advantage software bundlecontains stereoscopic 3-D capabili-ties in addition to Lyric PRO graphicscreation, and is available on all two -channel LEV.' systems.
www.chyron.com
Rohde & Schwarz R&S DVMS-B40 IP option
New option for the R&S DVMS family of compact monitoring systems is de-signed to help network operators achieve maximum operational reliabilitywhen feeding transport streams over IP networks; depending on the model, upto four signals can be measured simultaneously; monitors all relevant qualityparameters in the IP transmission; if one of the transmitted transport streamsis faulty, the new option can extract this stream and transmit it to the centralmonitoring station, also over IP.
www2.rohde-schwarz.com
RIIIRIEDEL
Global Fiber Service
The alternative to satellite uplinks: RiLink isthe new way to broadcast live signals fromremote event locations or foreign studios tothe home facility. Bi-directional, unaffectedby weather conditions and with significantlyshorter latency. Based on Riedel's ownglobal backbone, the RiLink Global FiberService transports not only HD/SD-SDI videosignals but provides additional featureslike integrated intercom and telephonecommunication, secure connections tocorporate networks or access to digitalarchives. RiLink is charged at a flat rateallowing for precise budget planning andmore live pre and post -event features ornews reports at no extra costs.
www.rledel.net
NEW PRODUCTSNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
Matrox Matrox MC -100 Utah Scientific
Dual SDI to HDMI mini convertersupports a wide range of display res-olutions through 3G, dual link, HDand SD -SDI; the single portable unitcan be used as an HD -SDI switcher,a distribution amplifier, a multiplexerand a 3-D processing unit; includestwo SDI inputs and two SDI outputsfor 3G, dual link, HD and SD/HDMIoutput for monitoring; additional fea-tures include on -screen display con-trolled by easily accessible hardwarebuttons for straightforward configura-tion on HDMI and/or SDI monitors,multiformat SDI signal distributionand SDI signal amplification.
www.matrox.com
Grass Valley
UCP-LC
Family of menu -based router con-trol panels feature high -resolution,full -color LCD displays and buttonsto provide user-friendly operationfor increasingly complex routing sys-tems; panels offer 16 or 32 buttonsin a compact 1RU package, as well asan innovative 3RU panel with dual -touch -screen LCD displays; all of thenew panels are based on a completelynew, user -definable menu system thatprovides a completely open platformfor defining all panel functions -from basic operation to the most so-phisticated router management func-tions - on a panel -by -panel basis.
www.utahscientific.com
Karma Video Production Center
10 -bit, 4:2:2 switcher and production center offers flexible features and an intui-tive user interface; a wide variety of system options provide the ability to growthe system as needs expand; features two frame sizes (4RU and 8RU) with frameconfigurations from 1 M/E to 4.5 M/Es; either frame can be combined with achoice of 2 M/E or 3 M/E control panels, as well as a 1 M/E soft -panel GUI.
www.grassvalley.com
Autocue Two -port server
Two -port server with SDI inputscan be used standalone as an e -VTRor VTR replacement, as part of anAutocue automation system, or aspart of other third -party transmis-sion or automation systems; featuresmore than 2TB of usable storage; 3U,rack -mountable Linux-based serverincludes a custom GUI that incor-porates video and audio monitoring;supports a wide range of formats forrecord and playback.
www.autocue.com
EVS Xedio Suite 4.00
Editing system is designed for fieldjournalists and editors looking forfaster and easier ways to managereal -timeline operations right aftershooting; features media handlingimprovements for newscasters; offersnew edit -in -place feature of the XedioCleanEdit timeline editor, which al-lows any devices such as camcorders,drives or local storage to be linked upto the journalist's laptop for immedi-ate media reviewing and editing.
www.evs.tv
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NCSIndustries
www.ncsind.com
68 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
Blackmagic Deisgn
Low-cost, high -quality video capture andplayback product for professional vid-eographers with HDMI and analog vid-eo; combines the high quality of HDMIcapture and playback with the wide com-patibility of analog component, NTSC, PAL and S -Video, and analog audiocapture and playback in a compact size that's completely powered from theThunderbolt connection on the computer; enables users to capture directlyfrom the HD camera's image sensor, bypassing the video compression chip foruncompressed video quality.
www.blackmagic-design.com
Intensity Extreme
Telecast Fiber Systems CopperHead Visa
Fiber-optic transceiver connects betweenremotely deployed HD newsgathering cam-eras and any third -party transmit/receiveand audio embedder/de-embedder systems;designed for ENG microwave and satellitetrucks outfitted with gear that performs vid-eo processing tasks such as audio embedding
and de -embedding, up- and downconversion, frame synchronization, and fibertransmitting and receiving; requires no base station; provides a direct fiber-opticlink between the HD camera and the video processing unit installed in the truck.
www.telecast-fiber.com
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RIIIRIEDEL
MediorNetCompact
50G Real -Time Media Network
Synchronized 50G real-timenetwork for 3G/HD/SD-SDI video,audio, data & intercom at theprice of multiplexing point-to-point fiber products
Flexible signal routing inc'. point-to-multipoint
Integrated Frame StoreSynchronizer, Embedder/De-Embedder, Test PatternGenerator, On -Screen Display &Timecode Insertion at every port
Fully compatible with Artist,RockNet and modular MediorNetsystems
www.riedel.net
NEW PRODUCTSNEW PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
NewTek TriCaster 450 series
Makes HD production available tolive video producers in a more com-pact, cost-effective solution; enablesanyone to simultaneously produce,live stream, broadcast, project and re-cord HD and SD network -style pro-ductions; a single operator or smallteam can switch between multiplecameras, virtual inputs and live vir-tual sets, while inserting clips, titlesand motion graphics with multichan-nel effects; TriCaster 450 EXTREMEoffers benefits such as NewTek'sIsoCorder multitrack, multiformatvideo recording technology.
www.newtek.com
Miranda Enterprise Suite
Streamlines content preparation forbroadcast playout and VOD pub-lishing; enables playout operators toreview, normalize and approve file-based content before it goes to air,lowering risks during playout; sim-plifies the normalization of programand advertising content for iTX cus-tomers, using automated workflowsfor analysis, review and fixing of themost important file issues; this nor-malization offers support for AFDtagging, high -quality up/down videoconversion, audio loudness correc-tion, channel tagging and downmix-ing, as well as support for ClosedCaptions/OP47 subtitles.
www.miranda.com
Thomson Broadcast Futhura Plus
Television transmitter is designed tooffer broadcasters energy savings,with a 50 -percent improvement in ef-ficiency over current standard trans-mitters; for use in initial deploymentsor for extending existing digital net-works; UHF wideband transmitteroffers high -power capability suitablefor HDTV and 3-D services with upto 35 -percent transmitter efficiencyand market -leading power densityof up to 12.6kW OFDM; equippedfor all OFDM standards in the UHFfrequency band; features Thomson'slatest software enhancements for theexciters and a range of passive com-ponents, including RF filters and newRF channel combiners.
www.thomson-broadcast.com
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70 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
PRODUCTS & SERVICES SPOTLIGHT
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October 2011 broadcastengineering.com 71
CLASSIFIEDS
Employment
WALB (TV), Raycom Media'sNBC station serving Albany, GA,is seeking an experienced televisionengineering management professional tojoin its staff as Chief Engineer. The successfulcandidate will need to be a hands-onleader possessing strong skills in all areasof digital broadcast maintenance, includingtransmitter operations, news/studio/mastercontrol functions, Internet/mobile platforms,station infrastructure and design as well asbuilding management.The Chief Engineer is responsible forscheduling, hiring, training, evaluatingengineering and operations personnelas well as creating and maintainingtechnical operating, and capital budgets.Excellent communications and employeedevelopment skills combined withmanagement experience are required.Minimum 5 years television engineeringmanagement experience in a newsenvironment and ASEE orBSEE is preferred.
Please send cover letterand resume to:Jim Wilcox, PO Box 3130,Albany, GA 31706 orfax to 229-446-4024 ore-mail [email protected]/F/D/V.
WCIA-TV is looking for anIT/MAINTENANCE ENGINEER
with a background in IT networking, audio,video and RF maintenance. This positionreports directly to the Chief Engineer andrequires hands-on maintenance for all IT,audio, video, and RF systems in the WCIAmain studio, remote news bureaus, and
multiple tower sites to includeMicrosoft Server, XP, Windows 7,
Microsoft Office, Mac, Harris Automation,Omneon video server, andThales DTV transmitter.
Troubleshooting and communication skillsare essential along with the ability to
make decisions and implement repairs inhigh pressure situations. A valid driver'slicense is required. Position requires a
minimum of 3-5 years broadcast and/ornetworking experience, applicants with a
background in both preferred.Please send resume,
Attn: Darren Martin, Chief Engineer, WCIA509 S. Neil St., Champaign, IL 61820 OR
to [email protected] is owned and operated by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.
EOE Please no phone calls.
Experienced BroadcastMaintenance Technician
needed for NYC -based,fast -paced sports and
entertainment production andpost -production facility.
E-mail resume to [email protected] with "TVTech" in the subject line.
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72 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
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AJA Video
Avid Technology
Blackmagic Design
Calrec Audio Ltd
Canon U.S.A. Inc. 49, 51, 5
Clear-Com Communication Systems
Cobalt Digital
Dalet Digital
Ensemble Designs
ESE
Evertz Microsystems Ltd.
EVS Broadcast Equipment
For. A Corporation of America
Front Porch Digital
Grass Valley
Harris
Harmonic Inc.
Lawo North America Corp.
Litepanels
LYNX Technik AG
Matrox Electronic Systems
Miranda Technologies Inc.
NCS Industries
Newtek Inc.
PlayBox
Riedel Communications
Rohde & Schwarz
Snell Group
Solid State Logic
Stagetec USA
Studer USA
Tiffen
Triveni Digital
NU NetworksUtah Scientific
Wheatstone Corporation
66
57
21
47
IBC
41
30, 62
41
7
37
19
33
59
32
27
9
68
11 -Oct
BC
65, 67, 69
15
45
IFC
64
39
23
56
60
17
34-35
Page AdvertiserHotline
13 800-251-4224
3 800 -949 -AVID
5 408-954-0500
29 +44(0)1422842159
3, 55 800 -OK -CANON
26 510-496-6600
800-669-1691
530-478-1830
310-322-2136
877-995-3700
973-575-7811
714-894-3311
+44 118 964 8200
416-292-0078
818-752-7009
+49 6150 18170
800-361-4903
514-333-1772
877-299-4614
210-370-8000
404-424-9283
818-241-4696
212-315-1111
888-782-4391
866-406-2349
800-645-2522
650-969-6732
8011-453-8782
252-638-7000
Broadcast Engineering is not responsiblefor errors in the Advertisers Index.
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blackmagic-design.com
calrec.com
usa.canon.com
clearcom.com
cobaltdigital.com
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ese-web.com
evertz.com
evs.tv
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fpdigital.com
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harrisbroadcastlive.com
harmonicinc.com/video-economy
lawo.de
litepanels.com
lynx-technik.com
matrox.com/video
miranda.com/stn
ncsind.com
newtek.com
playbox.tv
riedel.net
rohde-schwarz.com
snellgroup.com
solidstatelogic.com/c10
stagetec.com
studerch
tiffen.com
trivenidigital.com
tvupack.com
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October 2011 I broadcastengineering.com 73
EOMDEPARTMENT
Are you fighting thespectrum grab?
If not, why not?BY ANTHONY R GARGANO
I
s the broadcast communityasleep at the switch? It certainlyappears so. H -e -1 -1 -o -o?! Areyou awake out there? Microsoft,
Google, the Consumer ElectronicsAssociation (CEA), the InternationalAssociation for the Wireless Telecom-munications Industry (CTIA) andwhat seems like a cast of thousands allseemingly being aided and abetted bythe FCC are on a mission. They wantto evict you from your frequency, tak-ing away your most valuable asset:your spectrum!
It is dumbfounding to see the lackof any meaningful effort at engagingthe public about this threat to thebroadcast community.
The Philadelphia market, whichthe A.C. Nielsen Company ranks asthe nation's fourth -largest DMA,serves my local television. I've yetto hear any locals speak out. What'swrong with this picture? They haveimmediate access to an influentialmass audience, yet I have seen notone station take an editorial positionor attempt to inform and educate thepublic on this.
Certainly, there is a lot of activitybehind the scenes, both directly andthrough lobbyists, by the NAB andvia individual stations and groupownership legal departments. Theseefforts target Congressional com-mittees, elected representatives andFCC commissioners, but we aremissing the exponential effect thoseefforts could have when aided by amotivated public.
When the President speaks, thepress refers to it as speaking from his"bully pulpit?' They say this becausewhen the President speaks, he es-sentially has a guaranteed audience.Broadcasters, by virtue of the business,
have their own bully pulpit. Why notuse it? Shouldn't viewers know thattheir over -the -air television option isat risk? Shouldn't viewers know thatthose third or fourth sets not hookedup to cable or satellite will no longerhave signals available, or that thosenew inexpensive, portable DTV re-ceivers they are buying at Radio Shackare at risk of becoming expensive pa-perweights? What about those whorely solely on off -air reception?
It is dumbfoundingto see the lack of
meaningful effort atengaging the public
about this threatto the broadcast
community.
We're in the midst of launching amajor new over -the -air service: MobileDTV. This is a great time to educateviewers about this coming on -the -goinformation and entertainment view-ing alternative. But, shouldn't theyknow the loss of spectrum guaranteesMobile DTV will be stillborn?
Also, what about the tactics usedby the spectrum usurpers? In a recentCEA Market Research Analysis Brief,in order to support the case for auc-tioning off broadcasters' spectrum,the CEA maintained that, in a poll itconducted, only 8 percent, or 9 mil-lion, of TV households now rely onover -the -air for their TV reception -a decrease from last year. Interestingly,independent consultancy KnowledgeNetworks (a professional research
organization that provides services tothe government, academia, pharma-ceutical and retail sectors among oth-ers) released a study around the sametime saying 15 percent, or 17 million,of TV households rely on over -the-
air - up from 14 percent a year ago.Moreover, Knowledge Networks saidthose 17 million households repre-sented 46 million actual viewers, thedemographic breakdowns of whichis especially interesting. Minoritiesand low-income households are gen-erally more dependent on over -the-air reception. Twenty-five percentof Asian TV households, 17 percentof African -American households and23 percent of Hispanic homes relysolely on over -the -air TV reception.In lower -income households, 23 per-cent of those with annual income lessthan $30,000 rely solely on off -air forsignal reception.
So, we have two surveys: the CEAsaying the number of TV householdsrelying on off -air is 8 percent andshrinking; and Knowledge Networks,claiming that number is at 15 percentand rising.
Which one appears more credible?There is a real story here. Broad-
casters have much to lose. You havea bully pulpit. Use it. All you have tolose is the potential of an engagedviewership. There is no shame incopying what works. One wirelessindustry company that is part of thisthreat to your spectrum has a suc-cessful promotional catch phrase thatbroadcasters should not adopt but acton: "Rule the Air?' BE
Anthony R. Gargano is a consultant andformer industry executive.
ElSend questions and comments to:[email protected]
74 broadcastengineering.com I October 2011
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