Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) September 2018 Volume 35, Issue 8 | Page 22

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September 2018
Friend MTS integrates watermarking on AWS Elemental MediaConvert
Friend MTS has announced interoperability of its Distribution iD watermarking with AWS Elemental MediaConvert to provide an added layer of security against streaming piracy for on-demand video . The distributorlevel watermarking , along with Friend MTS ’ global content monitoring service , enables providers of on-demand content to gather intelligence about the sources of streaming piracy . Simon Hanna , partnerships director , Friend MTS , said : “ The integration of our watermarking with AWS Elemental MediaConvert video processing allows AWS Elemental users to deploy extra security without changing their content deliver workflows . Importantly , this distributor-level watermarking can be readily integrated with subscriber-level watermarking for even greater protection against streaming piracy .”
Leader adds new members to Zen series
Leader has expanded its Zen series of test and measurement instruments with the LV5350 portable 12G / 3G / HD / SD-SDI waveform monitor and its LV7300 rasteriser . Besides being equipped with IP measurement capabilities , both the equipment incorporates the SDI facilities of the LV5600 and LV7600 . Other features , such as test pattern generation , closed-caption monitoring , CIE colour chart , high dynamic range ( HDR ) measurement , focus assist , are also integrated in the solutions .
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Routers

PANELLISTS

Fintan Mc Kiernan
CEO Ideal Systems South-east Asia
Patrick So
Regional Manager Asia Pacific Magna Systems & Engineering
Craig Johnson
Managing Director - Media Nielsen

Designing today ’ s MCR for the next wave of broadcast operations

With more formats , platforms and channels to manage than ever before , master control rooms ( MCRs ), as the technical hub of all broadcast operations , have to be better equipped with technologies to streamline their operations . Josephine Tan reports .

At the heart of every broadcast facility lies the master control room ( MCR ), the technical hub where a pool of resources are installed for operators to make critical broadcast decisions . Today , as consumers are increasingly engaged with content across a diverse range of platforms and devices , broadcasters and media companies are required to deliver more services while driving increased operational efficiency .

To meet the shifting demands of viewers , channels need to transition to a mix of linear and digital services , suggests Raed Al Tikriti , vice-president , playout , Grass Valley .
He tells APB : “ Rapid growth in the number of channels , and increasing costs due to the issues of managing and monitoring services , place added pressure on operational costs . More channels mean more people to monitor the playout operations , which is costly .
“ MCRs need to be flexible and agile enough to manage monitoring and play-
Grass Valley ’ s iTX integrated playout platform is designed to provide media companies with a migration path towards IP workflows . out across more platforms . IP-based infrastructures deliver this flexibility and agility , allowing more channels to be added more cost-efficiently . Additionally , with IP-based systems , the need to change playout hardware as formats evolve is eliminated .”
In a typical MCR , the hub comprises all equipment required to prepare multiple channels for playout , from signal receivers to monitors , servers and branding and graphics engines through to playout and automation systems . And in most markets , Al Tikriti points out that many of the MCR applications have transitioned from a hardwarebased environment to a software-based ecosystem .
“ As IP replaces existing SDI infrastructure , cloud and virtualised applications will begin to increasingly filter through the MCR , where each channel can be operated via a virtualised machine , rather than requiring a dedicated piece of kit ,” he explains . “ This will make the MCR much more scalable , making it possible to rapidly add and take down channels , as well as adapt services to respond to market demands .”
To provide media companies with a migration path to IP , Grass Valley has developed iTX , a 4K / HD / SD integrated playout platform with IP / SDI flexibility and advanced workflow automation . The iTX unifies workflow from ingest to playout , with applications spanning across quality control , content management , archiving , traffic interface , audio / video processing , graphics and subtitling , transmission control , transcoding , and monitoring .
The playout platform is equipped with support for SMPTE ST 2022-2 MPEG-2 and AVC / H . 264 compressed IP inputs / outputs , as well as SDI I / O . In version 2.9 , Grass Valley has added SMPTE ST 2022-6 input to support IP production systems .
In managing multiple formats , Grass Valley has developed the Masterpiece 12G-SDI master control switcher , which enables master control and channel branding for all standards up to 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ). Equipped with an intuitive and compact control panel , the Masterpiece 12G-SDI features FormatFusion3 technology to support more capacity in order to feed multi-format material into channels . Other features of the Masterpiece 12G-SDI include flexible audio capabilities , channel branding and multi-channel video programme distribution , as well as dynamic visual effects .
Another approach that allows media companies to perform more functions with less equipment and manpower is the concept of centralisation . Having centralised MCR operations , according to Al Tikriti , enables media companies to manage and control multiple operations — all networked together — from a single central location .
Ideally , he suggests that the concept of centralisation is capable of delivering economics of scale , allowing new services to be set up faster , while resources can be reallocated more efficiently as needed .
“ Centralised diagnostics , commissioning and maintenance deliver cost efficiencies . Furthermore , this model also reduces the overall cost of personnel and technology investments ,” he concludes . “ As the industry moves towards greater adoption of cloud and virtualised broadcast environments , centralising master control will be a key part of the transition . We have seen some early examples in the market , but widespread adoption is still some way away .”
Alison Pavitt , marketing manager for Pebble Beach Systems , acknowledges the benefits of centralisation , and says : “ Broadcasting from a centralised data centre , either on- or off-premise , is an ongoing emerging trend . However , the high bandwidth demands of