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October 2018
NEWS & VIEWS
Facebook Watch going for global audience
SINGAPORE – As Facebook continues to evolve its content strategy , the social media platform is aiming to bring Facebook Watch to a global audience .
Saurabh Doshi , director , entertainment partnerships , Asia-Pacific , Facebook , tells APB : “ Facebook Watch is a dedicated video platform that showcases a wide variety of content from creators and partners , as well as scripted and unscripted original programming from Facebook .”
According to Doshi , Facebook Watch partners are described as third-party companies using the platform to showcase their own content , and range from digital publishers to TV companies , production companies and broader page owners .
Facebook Watch creators , on the other hand , are individuals using the platform to engage and build communities of loyal fans .
For example , in Asia-Pacific , the China-based creator of Miss Yeah recorded big success in exporting the content worldwide on Facebook . Transforming ordinary office supplies into the kitchen — such as eating hotpot out of a water dispenser — Miss Yeah Facebook page has more than 3.5 million likes and 4.2 million followers .
“ Long term , we are focusing on creating a platform where all creators and publishers can find an audience , build a community of passionate fans , and earn money for their work ,” Doshi added . “ All content on Facebook Watch aims to be inherently social , encouraging users to share , comment , react or follow , in order to engage fans and build communities around specific programming strands or standalone videos .”
Another content genre that Face book has entered into , and which could potentially alter the
DVB-T2 potential to allow 4K / UHD TV reception
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Several DVB members , including Rohde & Schwarz ( R & S ), supplied their equipment to facilitate the trials .
Nils Ahrens , regional broadcast manager , Asia-Pacific , Rohde & Schwarz , outlined to APB the three main agendas that the trials aimed to achieve : “ First was to find out the highest maximum capacity in terms of data rates , the improvements compared to the exact settings of DVB-T , and the possibility of having a stream that is carrying 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) signals , as well as mobile signals .”
The trials were separated into two stages — a laboratory trial for the testing of set-top boxes ( STBs ) and wider trials encompassing transmission sites across Sydney that took place from April to June .
He continued : “ The Australians wanted to find out how its current network architecture can work with DVB-T2 . More particularly , if the technology provides greater flexibility to actually make a complete move from the current architecture of DVB-T into DVB-T2 . For whatever plan or roadmap to move into DVB-T2 , there is also a need to know its capability of carrying 4K / UHD content .”
Facebook Watch is a dedicated video platform that showcases a wide variety of content from creators and partners , as well as scripted and unscripted original programming from Facebook itself .
The DVB Project ’ s Dr Peter Siebert : “ DVB-T2 works in Australia as it works in Europe , Africa or Asia . I think everybody understands how DVB-T2 works , and I would not expect any negative results from Australia .”
Australia commenced the rolling out of the DVB-T network , which utilises MPEG-2 video coding , in 2001 . And by 2013 , the country successfully completed the analogue switch-off .
The recent trials successfully assessed the performance of DVB-T2 technologies in Australia , according to R & S , with DVB-T2 being considered as a technology to replace the current DVB-T standard for TV delivery in the medium term .
When combined with new compression technologies , DVB-T2 will have the potential to allow 4K / UHD TV reception , which provides four times the picture quality of the current HD standard , the company added .
“ DVB-T2 has a transmission standard that caters to 4K / UHD transmission ,” Ahrens elaborated . “ Otherwise , broadcasters would not be able to bring 4K / UHD pay-TV landscape , is live sports . Beginning with the 2019 / 20 season , Facebook will be live streaming every single match of the English Premier League in Thailand , Vietnam , Cambodia and Laos .
“ Facebook is already the broadcast home for all La Liga — Spain ’ s top professional football league — matches across the Indian subcontinent for the next three seasons ,” Doshi said . “ An additional layer of Facebook Watch partner content is through licensing deals — spanning both music and sports — in order to build up a music library , as well as live sporting events .”
content into the available bandwidth because the data and bitrates required to have a good quality transmission will go beyond what the DVB-T standard allows for .”
Dr Peter Siebert , executive direct or of The DVB Project , revealed that R & S has had prior experience working with South Korean broadcaster , Korean Broadcasting System ( KBS ), on tests with DVB-T2 and 4K / UHD content .
He said : “ There is a wide range of numbers for the necessary data rate of 4K / UHD content . The most demanding application is live broadcast of sports events , and I would still recommend 25Mbit / s in order to not have bad quality . For pre-encoded content such as video-on-demand ( VoD ) or movies , the data rate can be lower .
“ Depending on the trade-off between robustness and capacity , the data rate for DVB-T2 varies . It is just a different way to fill the payload , and for the transmission , it does not matter if the broadcaster fills it with many SD or HD services , or with one 4K / UHD service .
“ DVB-T2 works in Australia as it works in Europe , Africa or Asia . I think everybody understands how DVB-T2 works , and I would not expect any negative results from Australia .”
4K / UHD may just be a niche domain for some broadcasters
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yet to invest in 4K / UHD TV sets , and are therefore , not ready to enjoy 4K / UHD video yet .
There are also other priorities at play , as Dr Ahmad Zaki explained : “ Our internal processes are still centred around the provision of HD services , and we have no plans to provide 4K / UHD services as yet .
“ We have acquired some 4K / UHD-capable cameras , but this is merely due to compelling prices , and not as a part of our plans to go 4K / UHD .
“ Going 4K / UHD will demand much more financial and manpower resources , and we are simply not there yet .”
In Singapore , terrestrial broadcaster Mediacorp began 4K / UHD production in 2016 , and some of the programmes produced in 4K / UHD include VIC , 2589 and Intercept . However , it is unlikely that these programmes will be aired on free-to-air ( FTA ) TV anytime soon .
“ Toggle — Mediacorp ’ s interactive over-the-top ( OTT ) service — will be our primary platform for 4K / UHD content as it does not have the technical constraints as FTA TV ,” reveals Goh Kim Soon , head , broadcast engineering , Mediacorp .
“ Viewers can look forward to more content produced in 4K / UHD , including live production of major national events .”
As alluded to by Media Prima ’ s Dr Zaki , countries such as Singa pore and Malaysia , and those in ASEAN , are facing a race against time to complete the digital switchover , in line with the 2020 timeframe agreed by all ASEAN nations .
In Singapore , all analogue TV signals will be turned off by this December 31 , a deviation from the original target of end-2017 .
In Malaysia , uncertainly continues to abound . Dr Zaki observed : “ Another issue would be the ‘ stalemate ’ between broadcasters and MYTV .”
Mediacorp ’ s Goh Kim Soon : “ Toggle — Mediacorp ’ s interactive overthe-top ( OTT ) service — will be our primary platform for 4K / UHD content as it does not have the technical constraints as FTA TV .”
Dr Amal Punchihewa of IEEE-Broadcast Technology Society : “ The best way to deliver dynamic content such as sports is still via over-the-air , either through satellite or terrestrially , where quality can be assured through deterministic latency and other performance parameters .”
In April 2010 , MYTV was established to build , operate and manage the digital terrestrial TV ( DTT ) infrastructure in Malaysia . Since then , MYTV has been embroiled in a number of disputes with FTA broadcasters over transmission fees .
“ Until this impasse is resolved , the roll-out of digital TV services , let alone 4K / UHD services , is uncertain . There has been some intervention from the Malaysian government lately , but the final outcome is yet to be seen ,” said Dr Zaki .
Astro should be applauded for its strategic move to be a 4K / UHD pioneer and early adopter , noted Dr Amal Punchihewa , a distinguished lecturer of IEEE- Broadcast Technology Society ( BTS ) and former director , technology and innovation at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union ( ABU ).
He said : “ Pure OTT services such as Netflix are already offering content in UHD-1 , commonly known as 4K . If viewers have access to high-speed broadband with better quality of service ( QoS ), they could enjoy content with higher quality of experience ( QoE ).
“ However , the best way to deliver dynamic content such as sports is still via over-the-air , either through satellite or terrestrially , where quality can be assured through deterministic latency and other performance parameters .”
Incorporating technology ele ments such as high dynamic range ( HDR ) and high frame rate ( HFR ), increasingly more service providers are offering 4K / UHD content in genres such as sports and blockbuster movies , Dr Amal noted : “ South Korea has 10 % native UHD-1 content for its DTT network on ATSC 3.0 and will increase this annually to reach 100 % in the coming years .”
And even away from 4K / UHD hotbeds such as South Korea and Japan — the latter will commence 4K / UHD satellite broadcaster this December — 4K / UHD is beginning to take root in Asia , Dr Amal suggested . In India , for instance , there are D2h Life 4K , a 24x7 multigenre 4K / UHD direct-to-home ( DTH ) channel ; Star Sports 4K / UHD channel , which was launched during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup ; and the Star Gold 4K / UHD channel for Hindi entertainment , among others .
As competition in the media and entertainment industry continues to intensify , 4K / UHD could turn out to be a niche domain that allows the likes of Astro to gain a competitive advantage , said Dr Amal , who concluded : “ Hopefully , we can hear about the success and challenges involved in introducing 4K / UHD services during major APAC broadcast events next year .”