Engineers and technologists are known for their problem-solving abilities. In fact, it’s a fundamental requirement. But of all the challenges our industry has faced this year and the solutions we’ve had to find, which technology dominates the broadcast landscape?

IP is delivering untold opportunities for broadcasters, not least the freedom to improve the efficiency of workflows. But during the evaluation of our systems, we should be thinking about resilience as much as efficiency.

Visitors searched the 2019 NAB Show exhibit halls, technical sessions and conferences for valuable clues to make the best high-stakes bets on the changing future of broadcast TV.

Cloud computing is arguably one of the most important advances in broadcast television since the development of the electron scanning beam. Empowered by the adoption of IP, cloud is proving its worth in all aspects of television. But what is it about cloud computing that makes it so unique and valuable for broadcasters?

IP is more than just a transport stream; it encapsulates a whole new way of thinking and esports is an exemplar of the IP and agile methodologies that deliver truly innovative workflows and mindsets.

Machine Learning (ML) is finding many new opportunities in broadcasting. From compression and library metadata tagging, all the way to image recognition for remote camera operation. One of the challenges we face in maintaining the ML momentum is implementing new, diverse, and relevant datasets. The question I have is, who owns the data?

When we cut through the marketing hype, there is a lot to be said for Artificial Intelligence (AI). But what exactly is AI? And will it really help advance the viewing experience for broadcast audiences the world over?

Despite the proliferation of webinars that seem to be trying to replace social interaction, I believe there is definitely a future for the webinar when used in the right context.

Video compression is always a touchy subject. The benefits for are clear, but much compression bias dates back to the historic analogue NTSC and PAL systems. In the digital IP world, is it now time to take a pragmatic look at video compression?

Flexibility, scalability, and resilience are the champions of IP migration, but we should remember, the real influencers in our infrastructures are the viewers.