Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) November 2017 Volume 34, Issue 9

NEWS & VIEWS November 2017 7 FEEL EMPOWERED WITH SOFTWARE DEFINED SECURITY Find out more on page 18 www.apb-news.com NEWS & VIEWS 6 W O R L D I N B R I E F Asia-Pacific will record biggest AVoD market BEIJING – Led by China, Asia- Pacific will overtake North Amer- ica as the leading advertising video-on-demand (AVoD) region in the world by 2021. A new re- port by Digital TV Research also revealed that, collectively, the two regions will account for 77% of the global total by 2022. BBC to produce more original content LONDON – UK media regulator Ofcom has mandated that at least 75% of all programme hours on the BBC’s most popular channels must be original productions commissioned by the BBC for UK audiences. Putting a CAP on piracy HONG KONG – CASBAA has announced the formation of the Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), a major initiative to coordinate industry resources in the fight against rampant content theft. CAP’s members include some of the leading video content crea- tors and distributors in Asia. CREATION 14 MANAGEMENT 16 DISTRIBUTION | NOVEMBER 2017 | VOLUME 34 | ISSUE 9 20 X-PLATFORM 24 HD+HDR – a compelling alternative to 4K/UHD? by shawn liew GENEVA – Embracing new tech- nologies has been one of the clarion calls issued to broadcasters in recent times. In the digital era where viewers have more choices than ever before to consume con- tent, will new technologies prove to be the game changer in the race to retain eyeballs? One technology which has been fiercely debated, and em- braced by some broadcasters, is 4K/Ultra HD (UHD), which theoreti- cally offers four times the resolu- tion of HD. A year ago, the DVB Project, in a bid to offer standardisation and interoperability for 4K/UHD, announced the UHD-1 Phase 2 specification. To enhance video and audio quality for broadcast TV services, UHD-1 Phase 2 supports Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) and Perceptual Quantiser (PQ) transfer Broadcasters should also consider the possibility of introducing HDR, HFR, WCG or NGA in combination with HD, according to Dr Peter Siebert, executive director, DVB Project. functions, and also includes fea- tures such as high dynamic range (HDR), high frame rate (HFR), wide colour gamut (WCG) and next- generation audio (NGA) to support 4K/UHD resolution (3840x2160). And while the DVB Project is continuing its efforts to support 4K/UHDTV, one of its main displays at IBC2017 involved the demon- stration of HDR and HFR with HD. Dr Peter Siebert, executive di- rector, DVB Project, told APB: “The UHD-1 Phase 2 specification spe- cifically allows that the advanced features [of HDR, HFR, WCG and NGA] can also be combined with resolutions smaller than UHD, especially with the HD resolution (1920x1080) in combination with progressive scanning (1080p). “This is also in line with UHD Forum Recommendations … and it is the DVB’s position that broad- casters are free to use either UHD or HD resolution in combination with the advanced features, de- pending on their requirements.” In Asia-Pacific, countries such as Japan and South Korea have already begun 4K/UHD broadcast transmissions, although for many other Asian countries, the tran- sition from SD to HD is still an ongoing process. Thus, in these countries will HD+HDR, for in- stance, be more viable, from both cost and technology perspectives? There are two key considera- 8 8 Broadcasters must respond effectively to market signals KUALA LUMPUR – As the way people consume content continues to change, broadcasters need to understand what each piece of technology they deploy is capable of doing, said Dr Amal Punchihewa, director of technology and inno- vation, Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). Dr Amal was speaking at the ABU’s 5th regional workshop on OTT and integrate broadcast/broadband technologies and services T r y T he S y s t em Buy T he S y s t em Or Rent T he S er v i c e for media. The three-day workshop last month introduced IP technologies and addressed some of the main issues that broadcasters are facing when they want to introduce over-the-top (OTT) and integrated broadcast-broadband (IBB) production and delivery within their portfolios. Dr Amal said: “One of the key discussion points at IBC2017 was also seamless navigation. You can have lots of content but how do you find them? Technologies such as IBB, HbbTV and hybridcast exist to help the discovery process.” OTT has “completely changed” the land- scape of broadcasting, and will play an in- creasingly key role in the delivery of content, declared Dr Leon Mun Wai Yuen, head, Sony EMCS (Malay­sia). “The entry level has become so low for operators to stream content over OTT. 8 8 G AME CHANGE R L ow Cos t Mul Ca m HD L i v e S por t s Pr oduc on MORE L I VE S PORT S L E S S PRODUCT I ON COS T F or T V a nd OTT Ne w I P T ec hnol og y Cont a c t i dea l _ l i v e@i dea l s y s . c om