12 October 2017
NEWS & VIEWS
Modernising production control room workflows
The way content is consumed has dramatically changed over the past decade as social media and mobile viewing is becoming the new trend of content consumption .
For many broadcasters , studio automation has become an invaluable platform to deliver live content faster , with less margin for human error . The system coordinates all devices in the production control room and simply presents all relevant information and options in the software user interface ; the director can focus on content , while the system is taking care of all technical complexion .
The simplicity of the user interface allows anyone to operate any broadcast , from a journalist to an experienced operator . For broadcasters and publishing houses , this has proven to be highly effective , as more employees can operate the broadcast , minimising the reaction time for going on-air at any given moment . When news breaks , a single operator can start the broadcast and operators can be added , as they become available while the programme is live . Being on-air first is imperative , and studio automation enables exactly that .
Changing the pace of Channel NewsAsia
When Mediacorp in Singapore was building its new facility , studio automation was a technology that fundamentally modernised live content production . Different systems were considered to fit Mediacorp ’ s vision for the future and to integrate with the preferred broadcast equipment .
James Hollis , VP , production services , Mediacorp , shared : “ Viz Mosart was the obvious choice for a number of reasons . Firstly , our studio crew felt that from an operational point of view , the system interface was the most user-friendly and highly configurable to our specific needs .
“ Then , from a functionality perspective it was able to cater to our demanding production requirements across our multiple studios . Finally , from an integration point of view , it was
Vegard Elgesem , Product Manager , APAC , Studio Automation , Vizrt
flexible enough to work with all of our other systems and share these resources to help streamline our operation .”
The technology choice was not only going to affect Mediacorp ’ s production control room , but also to free up resources to create more content overall .
Hollis continued : “ As much as we were able to reduce our crewing requirements in the control room , what was key to us was to relocate the manpower to other more creative positions such as jib operations and technical support roles , which ultimately improve the quality of our output .”
A step towards cloud production
The next step of production optimisation is focused on the backend . While studio automation connects existing equipment , the software interface and backend workflows allows further modernisation of the production . The next generation studio automation fulfils all production requirements in a single solution , reducing capital investment , deployment time and usage of space .
Broadcasters can upscale systems without increasing their budgets . In addition to the reduction in size and cost , this new line of systems increases flexibility to address new challenges without further hardware investments , for example , live streaming to social media with custom graphics for specific devices .
When migrating to the cloud , it is a given that there is no conventional hardware panels or mainframes ; all will be running in software environments with software interfaces . Introducing studio automation now is preparing broadcasters for the next generation of production , and bridging the gap between current and future methods of creating content . q
To read more about the Viz Mosart and Viz Opus studio automation , go to Vizrt . com
IP-based video services the next big revenue for content makers
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And while Ross Video is also keen to highlight its IP and interoperability initiatives this year , Andrew Tan , director of sales , Ross Video , stressed : “ We want to help our customers understand what are the benefits of going to IP for them , so they can make a proper transition .”
In an increasingly IP world , consumers will demand new , diverse types of content , and will expect opportunities to interact with their content . Instead of dying , live TV is beginning to shift to connected devices and globally , IP-based video services will be the next big revenue pool for content makers . And for video services to have a successful future , artificial intelligence ( AI ) will have a key role to play .
These key findings were revealed in a recent white paper released by Parks Associates and sponsored by Ooyala . The only definite is the digital world we live in , said Belsasar Lee , founder and SVP of products and solutions , Ooyala . Otherwise , content consumption patterns continue to evolve ; currently , long-form content is dominating time spent across devices , even as more premium content is being streamed , he added .
In five years ’ time , everything might be in IP . The question is , how do we get there ?, asked Tom Flaherty , director , field marketing , Arista Networks .
Working with partners such as Lawo , Snell Advanced Media ( SAM ), Imagine Communications , Riedel , Grass Valley and EVS , among others , Arista Networks demonstrated an inter operable IP workflow process enabled by the Arista Extensible Operating System ( EOS ) and Arista Universal Cloud Network .
Founded in 2004 to pioneer and deliver software-driven cloud networking solutions for large data centre storage and computing environments , Arista Networks has in recent years , Flaherty revealed , adapted its APIs to work with broadcasters ,
and to provide the ability to run existing protocols over existing networks .
A congratulatory mood surrounded the Lawo booth , as the company celebrated its mc ² 96 Grand Production Console winning the IABM Design and Innovation Awards in the ‘ Audio ’ category .
“ At last , a console that takes account of the fact that audio mixing for TV requires the ability to see , as well as hear an incoming source before taking the audio to air ,” said the jury of the awards .
Designed to provide “ optimal performance ” in video production environments through native support for all relevant IP standards — SMPTE ST 2110 , AES67 , Ravenna and Dante — the mc ² 96 console is available in frame sizes with 24-200 faders . Other highlights from Lawo include the vsmSOUL orchestration and unification layer , which adds an overarching orchestration service for IP-based production environments to the
VSM control system .
For TSL Products , the company has updated a number of its control , audio monitoring and power management solutions to support media operations during this IP transition . For instance , TSL Products ’ MPA1 Dante audio monitoring series is now equipped with support of AES67 , which is the IP audio transport layer for SMPTE ST 2110 .
Additionally , its PAM-IP audio monitoring devices , which feature twin Ethernet ports , can also be deployed either in Dante or AES67 modes .
Commenting on the development of IP in the media industry , Mark Davis , director of products and technology , TSL Products , said : “ We ’ re seeing more media operators testing proofs-of-concept ; however , the fear of shortage of skills to bridge between the migration is one reason why the implementation of IP solution is progressing at a slower pace .”
Cobalt Digital presented its 9934-AUD- PRO 3G / HD / SD-SDI audio processor . The hardware features Dolby Real-Time Loudness
Lawo ’ s Christian Struck ( left ), senior product manager , audio production , and Andreas Hilmer , director , marketing and communication , were in a joyous mood as the company ’ s mc ² 96 Grand Production Console won the IABM Design and Innovation Awards in the ‘ Audio ’ category .