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BROADCAST TECHNOLOGY 2018
Broadcasters are becoming ‘softer’
BY DR AHMAD ZAKI
MOHD SALLEH
T
he title may be catchy, but it has
no relation to femininity or gender
issues.
Technology has indeed taken a more
software-based approach to offer various
solutions. Video encoders, decoders,
converters, multiviewers and so on are
now being implemented in software
running on common hardware platforms.
During my last visit to BroadcastAsia, I
witnessed many broadcast equipment
manufacturers becoming nothing more
than software houses. Manufacturers such
as Embrionix and Lynx Technik, to name
but a few, have shown that today software
is the name of the game.
Virtualisation of various processing
functions within the broadcast value
chain is made possible namely due to the
development of affordable, tremendously
fast and efficient processors. The
increased usage of field programmable
gate arrays (FPGAs) and other powerful
microcontrollers in the market today
are making product development much
quicker and less costly. I have even
witnessed devices implemented using a
‘Rasberry Pi’ 1 .
There are, of course, advantages and
disadvantages to this approach.
Advantages include reduction in
production costs. Just imagine if various
equipment functionalities are able to run
on a common hardware. Servers from
particular manufacturers can perform
various tasks, depending on the software
running on it. Manufacturers no longer
have to commission new hardware
designs for every new equipment in their
product line. Hardware customisation
costs and time may be drastically
reduced. It is quite common nowadays
to see the same mother-board inside
different machines. This is exactly why
the migration to IP (Internet Protocol) is
generating huge savings for broadcasters.
A survey published by IABM and
Davencroft Partners, Global Market
Valuation and Strategy Report (GMVR),
in 2017 stated that while the production
sector grew 0.3% between 2016 and 2017,
services went up by 3.3% within the
same period 2 . The growth in the services
sector points to the fact that the sector is
making a shift from hardware to software.
From an industry perspective, the move
towards a software approach is an
economic one. Profit margins for software
products are significantly higher than
hardware!
Manufacturers and solutions providers
are also heavily investing in software
resources such as programmers. Our latest
system upgrades in Media Prima are
largely attended by software engineers.
Gone were the days when systems
integrators (SIs) come with large tool
boxes filled with screw drivers, wire-
cutters, crimpers, multi-meters and the
good old WD-40. Most of them now
come with nothing more than a laptop,
and the first thing they ask for before
starting work is the Wi-Fi password. SIs
are now leaner and operate at much lower
overheads.
Equipment manufacturers no longer
have ‘production lines’; instead, they have
people sitting in front of their laptops
and their microcontroller programming
devices attached. The last few visits I
made to some known manufacturers at
their respective premises were actually
filled with programmers.
The ability of broadcast manufacturers
to write algorithms that perform according
to the requirements will increase the
speed of production. Enhancements
made on specific equipment can be done
quickly and upgrades can be done merely
by downloading onto the hardware
over the network at a flick of a button.
If implemented as a system, changes to
the software architecture in order to suit
customised solutions can also be made
possible. This is important especially for
broadcasters who implement unique and
specially tailored workflows designed
in order to conform to local regulatory
requirements. I do remember many years
ago, certain professional monitors were
made for SD but may be upgraded to HD
by just paying the licence and nothing
more.
There is a downside though. The
almost unlimited control over equipment
sold has enabled manufacturers to exert
huge maintenance contracts with each
purchase. In many ways, manufacturers
now feel more empowered through the
control they have on their products even
after they have been sold. Manufacturers
and solutions providers tend to attach
expensive service level agreements
(SLAs) to these products. Because it
is predominantly software, bug-fixes,
upgrades, customisations and adaptations
to new technologies will result in regular
improvements. These SLAs can become
a huge burden to the broadcaster whose
operational expenditures now become a
major component of the P and L (Profit
and Loss account).
This is in contrast to the old days,
when broadcast equipment were made to
last. I still remember the last Sony BVP-
30P cameras endured for more than 20
years before we discontinued its usage
about five years ago. These robust and
‘built-to-last’ cameras seems to be totally
detached from its manufacturers once it
is in the hands of broadcasters (if well
maintained). Spare parts were available
virtually from anywhere. SLAs were
unheard of during those days.
Therefore, the excitement experienced
by broadcasters is unfortunately short-
lived. The advantages and cost savings
offered by the shift from hardware-
based solutions to more software-based
solutions do not offer the promised
economic advantage.
Incidentally, the gradual move to
software-configured devices are not
limited to the broadcasting industry, but is
also observed in the telecommunications
industry with the advent of software-
defined radio (SDR) and related devices.
The race for faster processors is still
alive and kicking. And I think, it will
not stop anytime soon. Talks within
the semiconductor fraternity seems to
agree that Moore’s Law seems to be
slowing down 3 . However, silicon device
scaling is becoming smaller, which in
turn leads to lesser power dissipation.
As for the broadcaster, these hardware
advancements will encourage more
software-based products, which will flood
the industry in the future. Whether this
will be good for the broadcasting industry
is yet to be seen.
Dr Ahmad Zaki
Mohd Salleh is
Director, Technical
Operations,
TV Networks,
Media Prima and
an APB Panellist
1
The ‘Rasberry Pi’ is a single-board computer meant for developers and programmers to develop various
projects by writing appropriate software and downloading it onto its internal memory. Its latest version
comes with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor together with most commonly used interfaces such as high-
speed USB, on-chip Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) and several GPIO outputs.
2
http://blog.devoncroft.com/broadcast-industry-market-sizing/
3
https://semiengineering.com/how-small-will-transistors-go/
TV measurement enhancements
producing winning marketing strategies
BY BRETT GILLETT
T
he Asia-Pacific region is a highly
complex TV advertising market,
and is subjected to varied levels of
maturity and fluctuations in ad spend.
In South Asian and South-east Asian
markets, TV dominates ad spend, while
Japan, Malaysia and Singapore are seeing
TV holding strong under pressure from
rapidly growing digital revenues.
To support TV’s continued growth
trajectory across Asia-Pacific, marketers
must ensure budgets are justified and
TV campaigns are working effectively.
Thanks to advancements, the technology
now exists to not only measure TV in real
time but also optimise slots with this key
insight. Having previously measured TV
by gross rating points (GRPs), cost per
An
Supplement
“The brands that focus on making
their budgets work smarter, not
harder, by turning to brand-specific,
performance-based metrics will see
their marketing strategies win and
their TV campaigns thrive in 2019.”
— Brett Gillett
Global Strategic Business Development Director,
TVSquared
mile (CPMs), and ratings, brands can
utilise same-day audience response data
— such as search activity, Web traffic
and app installs — leveraging data
analytics to determine which regions,
genres, programmes, channels, days,
day parts, and spots are most effective
at driving engagement.
This data can be used to tie a specific
spot to an immediate action like an online
sale, subscription or registration, as
well as determine short- and long-term
impact. Ad waste can also be identified
and shrunk, as marketers are increasingly
under pressure to prove that TV drives
revenue.
These crucial insights must be used
to optimise TV campaign strategies,
making in-flight changes to ensure
budgets are working effectively, brand
key performance indicators (KPIs) are
met, and the best possible return-on-
investment (ROI) delivered on every
single campaign. By reaching these goals,
marketers will support the Asia-Pacific
advertising market, enabling it to continue
to grow and allowing the power of TV to
be fully utilised by brands.
The brands that focus on making their
budgets work smarter, not harder, by
turning to brand-specific, performance-
based metrics will see their marketing
strategies win and their TV campaigns
thrive in 2019.