Although there are still many cables to connect and physical hardware to implement, the overall scope of many of today’s system integrator projects around the world is changing dramatically, incorporating lots of software and IP connections. Once the exclusive domain of project engineers well versed in SDI infrastructures, IT experts are now the driving force in the design and building of a broadcast facility that makes heavy use of cloud-based operations.
NHK, Japan’s Broadcasting Corporation, has been taking a leading role in popularizing UHDTV services since 2013. The company has developed their own playout systems for both 4K and 8K channels based on advanced digital satellite broadcasting technologies.
Philo T. Farnsworth was the original TV pioneer. When he transmitted the first picture from a camera to a receiver in another room in 1927, he exclaimed to technicians helping him, “There you are – electronic television!” What’s never been quoted but likely the first question raised was “What do we do with it?”
Imagine you are a creative person with technical skills and limited moral constraints. Now imagine you get the opportunity to steal the series finale for Game of Thrones weeks before the episode is broadcast or streamed. That would be worth a lot, wouldn’t it?
Cloud technology, artificial intelligence, ATSC 3.0, Internet Protocol, virtual reality, 5G, IoT devices, blockchain, microservices and augmented reality are all terms broadcasters are beginning to understand more fully and beginning to implement as they build out their next-generation IT-centric production and distribution plants. Each has its own benefits and advantages to help in the creation and delivery of content, but a truly successful facility will have to incorporate all or most of these technologies in order to be successful in today’s multi-platform world.
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John Watkinson introduces the idea of channel coding to convert the uncontrolled characteristics of data into something that works within the limitations of real media.
Ground breaking advances in storage technology are paving the way to empower broadcasters to fully utilize IT storage systems. Taking advantage of state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, IT innovators now deliver storage systems that are more resilient, flexible, and reliable than at any time in the history of broadcast television.
IP is taking the broadcast world by storm, and bandwidth considerations, coupled with a drive for an increasingly better picture resolution, are taking center stage. Being able to push an ever-higher number of streams down a 10Gbps (or even 1Gbps) fiber line means that fewer lines need to be leased and that remote locations with a decent internet connection can partake in what is most important for the broadcast sector: contribution, remote production via IP, and offline video editing/production.
