In the beginning, there was Standard Definition, and we lived with it for a good many years. But we wanted more and better content. Then came High Definition, with six times the resolution, and an aspect ratio similar to the screen of a movie theater. It was good and we enjoyed it.
Sky directors of technology and content processing assess the challenges and benefits of evolving media supply chains from traditional on-premise to the cloud.
As manufacturers develop new devices for TV production networks, they must also write specific code that allows that tool to be recognized and controlled over an IP network. While most companies follow common open source API specifications in their software controllers, they sometimes deviate from each other, causing major interoperability issues for network designers and system integrators of such networks.
The media industry is in the midst of a wholesale move toward streaming, first in the entertainment sector and now in sports. Over the next 10 years, more than 50% of audiovisual revenue will come from over-the-top (OTT) services. According to Strategy Analytics, OTT revenues will surpass pay TV for the first time in 2024. Much of the momentum over the next decade will come from live, and in particular sports, with rights holders expanding on current DTC experimentation by placing more of their properties online and by traditional pay-TV like Sky and Comcast substituting satellite and cable with leaner fitter faster IP delivery.
The finite speed of light, and indeed of all communication has various impacts on broadcasting.
Legacy broadcast systems using SDI are well understood and reliable but inflexible, based as they are on dedicated routing switchers, video monitors and ingest hardware. That inflexibility extends to the difficulty in adding additional editing, media asset management or playout capability – more routing, more hardware.
The recursive filter has the advantage of using less hardware, but is more complex to understand.
Live TV production may not be the best fit for perfectionists who can’t recognize ‘good enough’ and move on. Live TV has no patience, no second chances and can never be late. Every live shot is a first impression.
