PANELLISTS
12
April December 2012
2016
Adopting IP into
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Stage Tec hands new role to Dirk Berar
Stage Tec , a Berlin-based manufacturer of professional audio mixing consoles and routers , has appointed long-term employee Dirk Berar ( left ) as head of software and systems development . Berar joined Stage Tec in 1999 , where he worked on developing dynamic automation for Cantus and Cinetra , the company ’ s first mixing consoles . Berar then adopted the role of systems engineer , integrating the diverse engineering disclipines at Stage Tec . On his new role , he said : “ I look forward to driving the development of new products in an innovative team , an exciting challenge for me .”
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Studio Technologies unveils Dante-supported beltpack |
How will transitioning to a fully IP environment impact news production ? Millette Manalo-Burgos provides some answers .
One of the key attractions at IBC 2016 last September was the IP Interoperability Zone , designed to attract broadcasters interested in transitioning their production workflows to IP . According to IBC ’ s organisers , the transition to IP is one of the biggest challenges facing broadcasters and media companies today , with fears over limited inter-working and a lack of recognised standards the most common brake on progress .
The zone offered demonstrations of various practical and proven interoperability solutions , which included the work of the JT-NM ( the Joint Task Force on Networked Media : a combined initiative of AMWA , EBU , SMPTE and VSF ) and the AES on a common roadmap for IP interoperability .
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“ For a number of years now the industry has needed a way forward to collaborate on IP interoperability . It was critical that the industry ’ s vendors came together to achieve this ,” said Peter White , CEO of IABM , which represents a majority of international broadcast technology vendors .
Transitioning to an IP workflow is also a major decision for many broadcasters ; that is why they need to consider very carefully what benefits they can derive if they decide to go in this direction , and what challenges might await . For instance , what impact will IP have on the newsroom production workflow ?
Barry Pegg , executive vice-president of engineering for Magna Systems and Engineering , shares his answer with APB : “ IP provides a single operational environment comprising management , workflows and data . It adds massive levels of efficiency improvement for video and audio acquisition and transport . It brings fast access , multiple-user access , fast and easy inter-company , city , continent file movement capability ”
Pegg adds that IP actually simplifies and accelerates newsgathering , as the technology allows news to operate in a
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far greater non-linear capacity .
“ Virtual ‘ embargoes ’ brought by video bottlenecks are a thing of the past . Serial news creation and production end with the introduction of digital IPbased capability ,” he says . “ IP provides a pathway to virtualisation , which brings ease of redundancy , simplified hardware deployment and is scalable . However , it can be more complex to configure .”
IP has been used in parts of the broadcast industry for years , according to Adam Cox , head of Broadcast Equipment , for Futuresource Consulting , a specialist consulting and research firm , but its potential is now starting to be realised within the world of live production .
Cox explains that this is due to the emergence of 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ), which is acting as an enabler for IP . The two areas that are cornerstones for any new technology such as 4K / UHD are movies and sports . These genres are the standard bearers for new technologies and lead the way as the pay-TV industry invests in the latest innovations in order to keep their content offering relevant .
This was the case for HD , it was the case for 3D , and it will be the case
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Studio Technologies , a manufacturer of audio , video and fibre optic solutions , has introduced the Model 362 Listen-Only Beltpack that features Dante audio-over- Ethernet technology . Intended for use by on-air talent or production personnel , the Model 362 is a two-channel user device that supports headphone monitoring of two audio channels associated with a Dante application . The new Model 362 beltpack , added Gordon Kapes , president of Studio Technologies , is designed to provide the form factor , reliability and features needed to be effective in a variety of studio and field applications .
Next Month @ Creation Broadcast Monitors
PANELLISTS
Joseph Jerome T Francia
Vice-President & Head of International Operations GMA International
Amitabh Kumar
Director , Corporate Zee Network
IP-ready newsroom systems
This year , a number of broadcast technology providers unveiled newsroom production offerings designed for IP-based environments . Here are two noteworthy solutions from Dalet and Snell Advanced Media ( SAM ):
Dalet Unified News Operations Flexibility is the number one pre-requisite for just about any media operation , and operating in an IP-based environment enables just that . For news broadcasters specifically , running on an IP network not only delivers flexibility , but also offers scalability , agility and enhances remote collaboration , which are critical components to today ’ s successful news operators .
Dalet ’ s IP-based solutions offer production and distribution tools that are purpose-built for news operations . These story-centric solutions allow broadcasters and media organisations to unify previously siloed facets of news production and delivery , transforming “ remote contribution ” into “ complete collaboration ”. Thanks to robust news production and delivery tools that span beyond the physical borders of the newsroom , broadcasters can contract and scale resources at will by putting story-centric search , editing and publishing tools directly at the fingertips of journalists
and editors , all while precisely aligning editorial planning with media management , automation and distribution .
Called Dalet Unified News Operation , it is a global approach to news production and distribution that is far more scalable and flexible and better supports the ebb and flow of a multi-platform , multi-channel news operation .
The Dalet solution connects news content from planning down to distribution on multiple outlets , such as social media , mobile apps and content management system ( CMS ), along with traditional , linear broadcast . The story-centric news planning tools , programme boards , as well as intuitive mobile and desktop clients and Web-based tools , break the boundaries of the traditional newsroom computer system ( NRCS ) to give “ unprecedented visibility and access throughout the entire editorial life cycle ”.
According to Dalet , it is an “ absolute necessity ” to make Web and social media a core function of the news production and distribution process today . Thus , advanced integration with social media platforms and CMS offer instant publishing from Web , desktop and mobile tools . Easy access to detailed reports and
Leveraging the flexibility of IP , the Dalet Unified News Operations integrates all of the newsroom production and distribution functions with native support for common exchange and communication protocols . analytics aid in research and planning . Smart automation via a DaletBPM-based workflow engine for news ensures resources have access to the content and tools they need when they need it .
Broadcasters like Euronews , which operates as one channel that broadcasts in 13 languages , are already deploying a Unified News Operation model . Running on IP-based Dalet Galaxy platform , the new Euronews workflow has 200 simultaneous users across several sites . Federated tools standardise ingest , logging , editing , graphics , planning and distribution across all Euronews operations . The flow of content is seamless and ubiquitous from acquisition to distribution to archive . The flexible architecture combined with centralised content repository allows Euronews to better manage the multi-site workflows across four different offices — Lyon , Brussels , Athens and Budapest .
Leveraging the flexibility of IP , the Dalet Unified News Operations integrates all of the newsroom production and distribution functions with native support for common exchange and communication protocols . It brings in key third-party broadcast components via a powerful API that drives integration for best-of-breed workflows .
SAM enables fast news delivery in various platforms
SAM recently introduced a major update to its news offering — providing support for any format of video , ultra-fast editing , automated versioning and multi-platform publishing .
Trevor Francis , director of production systems at SAM , said : “ Historically , news