8 February-March 2015
NEWS & VIEWS
Tata Sky presents cricket matches in 4K
MUMBAI – Indian direct-tohome ( DTH ) operator Tata Sky has launched what it calls India ’ s “ first ” 4K Ultra HD ( UHD ) set-top box ( STB ), which will reportedly allow Indian viewers to enjoy selected matches from the Cricket World Cup 2015 , which takes place from Feb 14 to March 28 in Australia and New Zealand , in 4K UHD glory .
Available to existing Tata Sky subscribers at US $ 95 and nonsubscribers at $ 105 , Tata Sky 4K is said to be a new-generation STB with the capability of delivering UHD picture quality and Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround sound .
Users can enjoy Tata Sky 4K as their first connection or as an additional STB at home with the Tata Sky MultiTV connection option .
According to Tata Sky , the launch of the Tata Sky 4K STB has been timed to start just before the commencement of the Cricket World Cup 2015 . For cricket-mad India , it is an opportunity for cricket and sports enthusiasts to witness the sport ’ s largest event for the first time in 4K quality , Tata Sky added .
The launch plans of Tata Sky 4K were unveiled last July , when the DTH operator showcased a FIFA World Cup quarter-final match in 4K UHD .
Tata Sky said the launch of Tata Sky 4K places it ahead of the industry , following previous launches of HD PVR , VoD and Everywhere TV services .
DTT has evolved to include hybrid standards
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In response to the strong growth of on-demand and nonlinear TV services , DigiTAG noted that the DTT industry has worked to evolve the platform to include standards for services classified as “ complementary to DTT ”.
The development of hybrid standards such as MHEG-5 , MHP and HbbTV , which combine DTT with fixed broadband networks , allows the consumption of both linear and non-linear services , said DigiTAG . “ The coexistence of broadcast and broadband networks enables the delivery of the full range of services to all users on all devices .
“ A convergence of broadcast and mobile broadband networks that would duplicate capacity and require unnecessary high investments is then not necessary for the delivery of both linear and on-demand services .”
New standards , DigiTAG maintained , are not the end-goal of DTT development . Instead , the aim should be to improve services and the quality of content , allowing viewers to watch this content on existing and new devices .
In order to deliver more content and services , market pressures also dictate that broadcasters use the most efficient compression and encoding standards . In the long term , DigiTAG believes that the move from MPEG-4 to HEVC would represent a bitrate improvement of 30 % -50 %, while future encoding technology beyond HEVC could also support a similar gain in bitrate .
Encoding standards , said Digi- TAG , are offering greater gains in capacity , while broadcast transmission standards such as DVB-T2 have been developed to increase the capacity to offer new services benefiting viewers .
However , there remains a stumbling block to the continued development of the DTT platform — the scarcity of radio-frequency spectrum .
According to DigiTAG , the reallocation of the 700MHz band will reduce the total spectrum available for DTT by 30 %. Yet , to
4K : 2015 likely to be ‘ a year of contemplation ’ for APAC broadcasters
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did not take off as expected with respect to potential and interest , the interest from both consumers and providers of UHDTV-1 services will sustain [ 4K UHD ] and help it evolve to Phase-2 , with improved frame rates and deeper bit depths .”
At this year ’ s ABU Digital Symposium ( DBS-15 ), to be held from March 3-6 in Kuala Lumpur , 4K UHD , along with topics such as over-the-top ( OTT ), high dynamic range , cloud technologies and services , and spectrum would top the agenda of the annual conference , themed Enabling Change Smartly ( see page 15 for more information ).
That 4K UHD is likely to eventually become an integral part of the profound change sweeping the broadcast industry is clear — where it ranks in terms of priority for Asia-Pacific broadcasters today is less certain .
According to Fintan Mc Kiernan , CEO of Ideal Systems Singapore , 2015 is likely to be a year of contemplation for Asia-Pacific broadcasters .
Mc Kiernan told APB : “ There is a strong focus by Asian broadcasters and content producers on what technologies to use that offer the best balance between performance , quality and price .”
Expect to see a number of production facilities to be 4K-ready , Mc Kiernan predicted , before adding : “ However , we are not seeing much requirement in Asia-Pacific yet for linear 4K .”
Another key theme of CES 2015
Viewers in India will be able to catch this year ’ s Cricket World Cup in 4K Ultra HD via Tata Sky 4K set-top box .
was the ‘ Internet of Things ’ ( IoT ), which Karen Chupka , senior VP , International CES and corporate business strategy , CEA , described as “ the opportunity to connect everyday items to networked devices like PCs and smartphones for greater control and management of our everyday lives ”.
The implication for the broadcast industry , as viewing habits continue to evolve , is that there will be a tremendous demand for more content streamed over the Internet onto multiple connected devices .
As the OTT market continues to gain maturity , traditional broadcasters need to grasp the various opportunities offered by OTT , advised Dr Amal . “ OTT will enable global services from broadcasters to transcend beyond geographical borders ,” he said .
“ A number of ABU member broadcasters are concentrating on delivery of content over broadband in recent times .
“ Traditional broadcasters will enjoy competitive advantage by offering Integrated Broadcast Broadband ( IBB ) services using technologies such as HbbTV .”
Last year saw Internet Protocol ( IP ) in broadcast workflows became a hotly discussed topic , as broadcasters ponder the feasibility of integrating IP into their workflows , and an eye-catching number of software-based solutions — including Ideal Systems ’ own SoftCast suite — were launched .
However , as with 4K UHD , Mc Kiernan is quick to urge caution for IP . He explained : “ There are still
SINGAPORE – The concept of Internet of Things ( IoT ) was thrust into the limelight at CES 2015 in Las Vegas last month , which was heralded as the “ largest ever ” IoT showcase . How does one accurately define IoT ? David Siah , chairman of the Cloud Security Alliance , Singapore , offered this interpretation : “ The ‘ Internet of Things ’ refers to the increased digitisation of everyday objects — any technology device is being designed with connectivity in mind , whether that device is a smart TV , a broadcast device or a smart toaster .”
He also cautioned : “ With more and more devices coming online , securing these devices becomes the next big security challenge .”
For broadcasters who are embracing virtualisation , securing their valuable media assets will take on even more significance in the age of IoT . Siah explained :
vest in OTT as a hedge .”
4K UHD and IP can be key enablers in allowing broadcasters to stay competitive as alternative content providers continue to emerge . Whether they are the “ new normal ” for Asia-Pacific broadcasters now deserves more scrutiny . Citing the example of digitisation , Dr Amal lamented that it is a topic that has been discussed for many years in the Asia-Pacific region , yet only a few countries are working intensely on digital switchover plans .
And lest anyone forgets , content is still king , as Peter Thomsen , deputy managing director of systems integrator Danmon Systems Group , pointed out . “ Amid
Danmon Systems Group ’ s Peter Thomsen : “ The most important ingredient is still good programmes .” a lot of technical issues to be fully ironed out . While there are clear benefits to be had from building an IP facility , there isn ’ t much appetite for doing this if the price is a multiple of building a traditional baseband facility .”
Mc Kiernan believes that the tipping point for both IP facilities and 4K UHD in Asia will be when competition between the manufacturers reduce the cost of broadcast IP infrastructure to the point that building a facility for 4K in IP is costequivalent to building a current HD facility in baseband .
Echoing Dr Amal ’ s views , Mc Kiernan concluded : “ Ultimately , I feel that 2015 is not likely to be a big year for building new IP or 4K facilities in this region .
“ Instead , I think this will be the year of ‘ go live to stay alive ’ — inremain competitive and sustain the adoption of new technologies , the DTT platform will require continued access to sufficient spectrum , especially during migration periods .
DigiTAG explained : “ The move to HDTV , and later Ultra HDTV , will require higher bandwidth per TV channel and thus more spectrum .
“ When both are considered together , the migration to higher quality / compression is likely to result in a net increase in spectrum . In addition , the period of simulcast that is likely to be required when migrating DTT offerings from SD to HD , and later UHD , will also increase the need for spectrum , doubling bandwidth use .
“ In the medium term , the migra tion to higher quality is likely to cause a net increase in spectrum requirements as it creates the need to simulcast more than one DTT technology to support consumer migration . Therefore , DTT will continue to require adequate spectrum in order to facilitate future standard development .”
all the industry talk about acquisition formats , delivery channels , OTT , mobile reception , and so on , the most important ingredient is still good programmes ,” said Thomsen .
“ Without these , people will stop watching television … The many flavours of catch-up TV on the Web have their place but are no substitutes for professionally produced live reporting , well-researched documentaries and creative dramas .”
He concluded that much of present activities in the region are [ still ] centred on designing and building facilities to sustain this core of the entire TV business — facilities to produce compelling live and local content .
Up the game in securing media assets
“ While today ’ s cloud-based services allow for the elasticity of quickly scaling up virtualised compute infrastructures , the challenge lies in the provisioning of security to secure the new compute resources being ramped up .”
As the cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment demonstrated , cyber warfare can no longer be taken lightly . Siah highlighted another cyber attack that struck South Korean broadcasters KBS , MBC and YTN on 20 March 2013 . Such attacks collectively reinforce the need for broadcasters and media companies to be more vigilant and to up their game in securing their cyber assets .
Siah added : “ Broadcasters need to be aware that the approach to virtualisation security differs from that of traditional security – and therefore there is the need to incorporate the correct security technologies and workflows .”