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The broadcast industry is once again going through both business and technology changes. At the heart of these changes is the need to move to IP-based infrastructure. There are many different codecs and standards being proposed but one that is key to this transition is H.264/AVC. It’s a good fit for end-to-end IP workflows because it provides a full spectrum of video quality and resolutions including support for low to high bitrates, proxy to 4K or even 8K, Intra or GOP formats, 8- and 10–bit depth and 4:2:0 to 4:4:4 colour sampling. It is widely used in broadcast and A/V so interoperability and compatibility are no longer concerns.
When computers began replicating and replacing expensive electro-mechanical broadcast TV production and playback systems, the gravy train ended for some and started for others. Affordable digital TV production gear has slashed the ante for producers and is making mountains of television content with high technical integrity available for everyone.
The broadcast environment is evolving rapidly, driving broadcasters to look for innovative technologies that optimise the delivery of video content. Broadcasters today are handling an increasing number of feeds being delivered to a plethora of viewing devices. In addition, video content needs to be prepared in multiple formats to take into account regional preferences such as language or local advertising restrictions. To overcome these challenges, broadcasters require a playout strategy that is much more efficient and affordable than the traditional satellite- and fibre-based models.
_460_323_70.jpg "There remains confusion on where IP will first be applied in production and broadcast facilities. Image by Jordan Olson.")
At this IBC vendors pushed the Cloud and IP-related technologies. Terms including; SDN, SDVN, NFV, NTP, PTP and SDS have become the buzzwords du jour. What does all this mean to the guy needing to build a facility?
Over the years, content creators and broadcasters have accumulated large libraries of assets in analog formats. With the switch to the digital workflow, there is a critical need to digitize all these assets before they are lost and for the monetized value they represent.
Frontline uses innovative new satellite antenna to enable dual-band capability on the ViaSat network, allowing safe switching from Ka-band to Ku-band from inside the satellite vehicle.
Let’s face it, there are only a small handful of points in time where our entire industry shifts and pivots in fundamental ways that change it forever. I believe we are at the precipice of one of those rare industry-defining moments. An example of a similar moment in the past was the advent of file-based workflows. There were many people at the time who thought moving away from tape-based workflows was a mistake. Today, tape doesn’t exist at all.
Object storage is not a magic bullet that can solve every archive problem. Even so, it is much easier to maintain and more effective than tape-based models in today’s “always on” content-driven society.
