for many broadcasters , particularly in Asia-Pacific . As aforementioned , the transition from analogue to digital TV is an ongoing process ; in Asia-Pacific , many broadcasters are still operating in SD . For those who have recently upgraded their broadcast systems to HD , and for those who are in the midst of doing so , does it make economic sense for them to commit to the level of investment required to make their systems 4K / UHD-capable ?
For broadcasters still operating in SD , if they leapfrog directly to 4K / UHD , can they be assured of the ROI required to justify such a hefty investment — and that is a very big if .
Consumers also need to be educated and convinced on the benefits of 4K / UHD . To eliminate the issues of viewing distance and screen sizes , technologies such as high dynamic range ( HDR ), high frame rate ( HFR ) and wide colour gamut ( WCR ) — integrated as a collective — have been touted as the key components in realising the full benefits of 4K / UHD .
In the next two to three years , many technology discussions will centre around image quality , with 4K / UHD HDR at the heart of these discussions , suggested Clement Kwan , regional technical director , APAC , New Digital Technology ( NDT ). “ I foresee increasing technical discussions on HDR and corresponding products because HDR can affect production , playout , monitoring and distribution … I anticipate more HDR-related products to be launched , and HDR will become a requisite technical requirement in customer tenders ,” he added .
And what about the possibility of HD HDR — can this be a suitable alternative for broadcasters who are not yet ready to offer 4K / UHD services ?
Speaking recently with APB , Dr Peter Siebert , executive director , DVB Project , said he sees a “ big future ” for the combination of HD and HDR , particularly for terrestrial services .
The current stumbling block to the adoption of HD HDR , Dr Siebert explained , is the lack of legacy receivers to work with a 10-bit transmission path , as is the requirement for HDR . HDTV delivery , on the other hand , functions on an eight-bit transmission path . The issue of backward compatibility is one that the DVB Project is working closely on , with a technical specification for the broadcast of HDR content to be released this November .
The considerations in transitioning from an SD ( SDR ) infrastructure to HDR with HD , 4K / UHD or any other resolution are uniformly considerable , cautioned Jonathan Mortimer , managing director , WTS Asia-Pacific .
Unlike migrating from an existing HD studio to HDR or a hybrid HD HDR / SDR system , where the general infrastructure largely remains the same ,
The IP Interoperability Zone at IBC 2016 featured demonstrations from over 30 companies on IP interoperability . More importantly , it sought to demonstrate that broadcast IP is a possibility today .
the latter example entails changing the whole broadcast plant , he pointed out . In this case , Mortimer recommends that the infrastructure put in place is 4K / UHD-ready , while calling for the standardisation of HDR .
And when it comes to the transition to 4K / UHD , it would be wise for broadcasters to start planning for an IP infrastructure , in order to cope cost-effectively with the connectivity requirements , he added .
IP leading broadcast industry transformation If the assertive viewer is re-defining business models and content delivery strategies , then IP is potentially threatening to derail a mode of operation that broadcasters have been habitually attuned to over a sustained period of time .
Many broadcasters are finding it hard to discard existing SDI infrastructures in place of IP-based broadcast systems . Whether this can be attributed to feasibility or , simply , conservative mindsets , is disputable , although many questions concerning broadcast IP remain to be answered .
For instance , can broadcasters be assured that they can easily bring together disparate pieces of equipment from different vendors to form a bestof-breed solution to support an IP-based infrastructure ?
This argument , perhaps , brings to focus two of the key concerns surrounding broadcast IP — interoperability and open standards .
To highlight the strides made in addressing these concerns , the IP Interoperability Zone at IBC 2016 featured demonstrations from more than 30 companies on IP interoperability . These were based on the technologies of the AES ( Audio Engineering Society ) and the Joint Task Force on Networked Media ( JT-NM ), a combined initiative of AMWA ( Advanced Media Workflow Association ), EBU ( European Broadcasting Union ),
SMPTE ( Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers ) and VSF ( Video Services Forum ).
The IP Interoperability Zone was also sponsored by IABM and the Alliance for IP Media Solutions ( AIMS ), which is growing increasingly influential in advocating for the adoption of a common , ubiquitous set of protocols for interoperability over IP .
Formed last December , AIMS has already reached the 50-member milestone , with many of its member companies at the forefront of supporting the transition to IP .
Perhaps more tellingly , many of these same companies are essentially competing against each other in an increasingly competitive marketplace ; within the grouping , there are even companies who are actively developing proprietary IP standards of their own . The unifying standard moving forward , said Mike Cronk , chairman of the AIMS board , will be SMPTE SD-2110 , which all companies , including those working on their own standards , are supporting .
And Cronk wants broadcasters to be part of the AIMS ecosystem by joining AIMS . Currently , only about a tenth of AIMS ’ current membership comprises broadcasters , a statistic that Cronk is keen to see increased . “ The more people who support a common standard , the more choices broadcasters will have . This helps in pricing , in selection capabilities and broadcasters are then able to select best-in-breed solutions ,” he told APB .
Broadcasting has been transformed and IP is making broadcast more versatile , assessed NDT ’ s Kwan . However , he raised his concerns on whether the time is right to deploy an entire IP workflow in an end-to-end system . Besides the issue of ensuring compatibility between different hardware and software solutions in an integrated system , he cited conservative mindsets , legacy components , entrenched practices and financial considerations
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