20
MANAGEMENT
August 2016
Taking the next step in the IP transition
BY JOSEPHINE TAN
IP is emerging as the base technology to link multiple distributed systems and to provide a
platform for the integration of a
multi-vendor environment. IP
could also turn out to be the
cheapest and most efficient technology for broadcasters who can
no longer delay the inevitability
of planning for the adoption of
IP, suggested Heinz Herrmann,
Group CEO of Magna Systems and
Engineering.
Put in place a clear migration
path to IP by first appreciating
what encompasses the entire IP
value chain, Herrmann advised.
He told APB: “IP is not just a way
to reach consumers via over-thetop (OTT), or just playout over the
Internet. The entire IP value chain
will include areas such as production, post production, multiplexing
and more.”
❝There will be a risk
involved in migrating
to IP until [delivery]
standards are ratified
and gain in maturity.❞
— Heinz Herrmann,
Group CEO,
Magna Systems and
Engineering
IP can be an attractive proposition because it provides cost
advantages and simplifies distribution workflows, for instance, by
simplifying interconnectivity via an
IP switch.
However, there are a number
of challenges to overcome before
the transition to IP can be a successful one, Herrmann acknowledged . These include latency
issues and the ratification of IP
delivery standards, he said, adding:
“While IP is mature, the delivery
standards for IP in broadcast are
not quite so. There will be a risk
involved in migrating to IP until
standards are ratified and gain in
maturity.
“ The broadcast industr y is
adopting SMPTE 2022-6, and now
SMPTE 2022-7, as the standards
for IP delivery. Magna is already
working with the leading vendors
and early adopters of SMPTE 20226 to provide a smooth migration
Apantec lights up 4K/Ultra HD displays
for European football fiesta
At the recently concluded 2016
U E FA E u ro p e a n C h a m p i o n ship (Euro 2016) held in France,
Apantec’s Micro-4K-DP 4K/Ultra
The International Broadcast Centre
(IBC) used NEC 4K/UHD monitors,
coupled with Apantec’s Micro-4K-DP
DisplayPort converter, to view 4K/UHD
4:2:2 feeds.
HD (UHD) to DisplayPort converter
was chosen by the Euro International Broadcast Centre (IBC) to
support the viewing of 4K/UHD
4:2:2 feeds.
The IBC received all venue
signals and distributed them out
to broadcast partners for global
transmission. Receiving uncompressed 4K/UHD feeds via fibre
from the main venue stadiums, the
IBC faced the challenge of viewing
4K/UHD 4:2:2 feeds on 4K/UHD
monitors in full RGB 4:4:4, 10 bits
at 50Hz.
To overcome this challenge,
NEC 4K/UHD monitors supporting
the DisplayPort 1.2 SST interface
were deployed, alongside the
Micro-4K-DP.
One Micro-4K-DP was used
to drive a NEC 98-inch 4K/UHD
monitor in the IBC main lobby,
while another was utilised with a
NEC 65-inch 4K/UHD monitor in
a control room for quality control
and monitoring of signal feeds.
According to Apantec, the
Micro-4K-DP is a cost-effective
alternative to high-end monitors
directly accepting 4x 3G-SDI 4K/
UHD signals, and allows largersized monitors to be used, without
any compromise to quality.
It is also designed to provide
an affordable plug-and-play solution for viewing 4K/UHD content
on monitors that use DisplayPort
1.2 (DP 1.2), which is capable of
displaying 4K/UHD resolution
up to 4096x2160, RGB 10 bits, at
50/60Hz.
from hardware to software-based
compression, without incurring the
cost of a ‘forklift upgrade’.”
As with any technology transition, risks are inherent and perhaps
unavoidable. Software-based systems, in the interim, will continue
to experience teething problems
with latency and scalability, said
Herrmann, who recommended that
broadcasters continue to deploy
gateway hardware as they transition from baseband to IP.
This approach, he added, will
aid broadcasters to manage any
latency issues more efficienctly
while continuing to seek the cost
benefits that will justify the transition to IP.
“Some broadcasters are very
late adopters of technologies that
have been around for quite some
time. Of course, this is easier said
than done because there are existing investments that need to be
leveraged and protected.”
He cited the transition from
analogue to digital, which provided a “major cost advantage”
because the transmission of digital
technology is much more efficient
and provided a lower cost point to
operate from.
Until comparable cost benefits
can be realised, the transition to IP
will not happen instantaneously;
some broadcasters might favour
a full-IP, full-software approach,
while others are likely to adopt a
‘wait-and-see’ attitude.
Do not rush to migrate to IP
without mapping out a clear migration path, Herrmann reiterated.
In equal measure, dismissing the
adoption of IP in its entirety is no
longer an option.
“It is only a matter of time,
when broadcasters realise the full
benefits of IP, and only when they
find the right price points, will we
begin to see them migrate straight
to IP,” he concluded.
EuropaCorp streamlines
media production workflows
with Aspera Faspex
Founded by French filmmaker
Luc Besson, EuropaCorp produces and distributes English- and
French-language feature films,
including blockbuster franchises
such as the Taken trilogy and the
Transporter series.
In order to collaborate and
exchange large files between
its Paris headquarters, a satellite
office in Los Angeles, and external vendors and film directors
around the world, EuropaCorp is
utilising Aspera Faspex.
Aspera’s high-speed file
transfer technology simplifies
and accelerates the transfer of
visual effects (VFX) materials,
digital cinema packages (DCPs),
trailers and other large media files
and metadata on a daily basis,
shortening end-to-end production
schedules and improving collaboration between globally dispersed
creative teams.
For instance, EuropaCorp is
now able to send a DCP file (100GB
or more) from Paris to Los Angeles
in two hours with Aspera Faspex.
Agnès Berger Sébenne, head
of post production at EuropaCorp,
explained: “When we set out to
find a transfer solution that could
meet our requirements for speed
and security, there were no comparable options. No one else can do
what Aspera does — other options
simply are not good enough.”
Hong Kong Jockey Club gallops ahead
with IHSE’s KVM switching system
In order to support race and sports
event broadcasting at its new Sha
Tin racecourse broadcast centre,
the Hong Kong Jockey Club has
installed an IHSE Draco tera KVM
matrix switch system.
The installation allows all
broadcast and data servers, and
presentation computers, located
in the first floor central equipment
room, to be connected to workstations, edit suites and control
desks in the broadcast studios
and other areas throughout the
building.
IHSE’s Draco tera switch delivers latency- and artefact-free video
and audio, enabling the centre
to keep punters and enthusiasts
abreast of racing events and deliver
live feeds to broadcast transmission
networks in the region.
A 160-port Draco tera switch
provides access from the studios
and other locations to the central
equipment room over singlemode fibre laid throughout the
building. XV (eXtreme Velocity)
KVM extender units were also
selected to provide the “best possible image quality” and futureproofing.
The Draco tera KVM switch is
also supporting an essential feature
for live horse ra cing broadcast
services, according to IHSE. The
redundant capability and backup
of the Draco tera, combined with
its hot-swap component ability, provides the confidence that
equipment can be maintained and
replaced without disruption to live
broadcasts, IHSE explained.
Patrick Wong, engineer at the
Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “The
Draco tera switch delivers instant
connection to computers and a
good operator experience, with no
latency in signal transmission. This
is a pre-requisite for live events,
which cannot tolerate delays of
any kind.
“From the engineering viewpoint, features such as dual fibre
The Hong Kong Jockey Club has recently installed an IHSE Draco tera KVM matrix
switch system at its new Sha Tin racecourse broadcast centre.
ports, redundant power supply and SNMP (Simple Network
Management Protocol) capability
offer flexible and effective ways
to create systems with total reliability and zero downtime, and
which can send system alerts when
necessary.”