DPP Narrows Choice for UHD TV Acquisition

British Cinematographer March p22

The use of 35mm film as an acquisition format for broadcast production could become an inadvertent casualty of Ultra HD (UHD) TV camera classifications following new guidelines issued by the DPP (Digital Production Partnership), writes Adrian Pennington. This has caused alarm bells to ring among the cinematographic community, which is always concerned to maintain film as a viable creative option for storytelling.

http://www.imago.org/index.php/books/item/32-british-cinematographer-magazine.html
https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/news/dpp-narrows-choice-for-uhd-tv-acquisition/

Classifications of digital cameras made by the EBU have been adopted by the DPP as the core of its guidelines for production of UHDTV programming for broadcast on UK TV. In the EBU document (R118 'Tiering of High Definition Cameras, published in March 2015) the focus is solely on digital acquisition, with 35mm conspicuous by its absence.

To meet the basic resolution of UHDTV, which is a progressively scanned 3840 x 2160 pixels format (either at 50 or 25 frames per second with either a colour sub-sampling of 4:2:0 or 4:2:2), the EBU rates cameras into two tiers.

Tier 1 is for cameras offering a 3840 x 2160 resolution. These will typically be single sensor cameras with an image size approximate to that of 35mm film and a minimum of 10-bit processing. Taking just this as the benchmark then cameras such as Red Dragon and the Sony F55 would be included. However, the EBU further defines UHD1 Tier 1 sensor resolution must be 3840 x 2160 in each of R & G & B. As guide, a Bayer pattern sensor would need to be at least 5760 x 3240 to achieve full UHD1 resolution. 

Interpreted by the DPP what this means is that only certain cameras with sensors capable of 7K, 8K or 9K resolution will be waved through automatically as Tier 1. 

Andy Quested, BBC Head of Technology BBC HD and UHD, said Tier 1 cameras include the ARRI Alexa 65 and Sony F65 but that cameras such as the Red Dragon with a 6K sensor would only qualify as Tier 2. The issue that relegates cameras like the Red Dragon to Tier 2 is the debayering process which can reduce the final resolution of the image, Quested confirmed.

“We use EBU R118 for cameras and the testing for UHD Tier 1 and 2 simply to measure the resolution – so a camera must produce reproduce 3840 x 2160 in R and G and B to be UHD Tier 1,” explained Quested. “UHD Tier 2 covers cameras that don't produce 3840 x 2160 as measured, but have resolution (in R&G&B) greater than HD. Just because a camera says '4K' on the side doesn't mean it produces "4K" resolution.”

The EBU's Tier 2 defines cameras as having a UHD output but a sensor that does not offer the full UHD 3840 x 2160 resolution. With output of ProRes 4K UHD (3840×2160) but a 3.4K sensor the ARRI Alexa would fall into this category, as would most current video cameras with sensors under 2/3".

Any proposed use of a Tier 2 cameras will only be greenlit at the discretion of the commissioning broadcaster and/or co-production partner. 

So where does this leave 35mm? Essentially, film would fall into the Tier 2 category making a conversation about its suitability for UHDTV mandatory between a broadcaster or co-production partner. The resolution of 35mm is not the issue, but filmstock, grain, aspect ratio and the processing route are, according to the DPP.

Looking at what the DPP states in its guidelines for submission of UHD TV programming issued in January, it states: “Film will not usually be considered for UHD programme production and will be counted as non-UHD content.”

However, it later states “35mm stock (new or archive) scanned at UHD (or 4K and cropped to 3840) can count as UHD.”

There is no contradiction in these two statements, according to Quested. “You can get 8K off a piece of 35mm negative if the stock is really slow and well lit,” he said. “However, 500 ASA will not give you good UHD. Well-processed 100 or 200 ASA stock at the right aspect ratio [suitable for 16x9] on the other hand is perfectly acceptable. 500 ASA or faster is not as good as 250 ASA or slower and it's the end quality of the content buyer [the audience] that's paramount. The issue is that there are more processes with film, which productions can try to save money, but potentially damage the result. Unless you have a movie budget you are not going to achieve the level of care end-to-end that a studio would. So we want to know how a production will treat the film.”

The DPP states that: “Super 35mm 100 ASA (or slower stock) transferred from the negative, would also be allowed, but once again must be discussed with the broadcaster.'

It further states that 'To maintain a high standard and meet audience expectations the amount of non-UHD material is limited to 25% of the programme’s total duration.'

“We've always been positive about 35mm, but we've upped the game a little bit here,” said Quested. “We are not questioning capture on 35mm, nor the work of DPs, but because film hasn't been treated properly in the past, by poor labs and bad processing, we need to know exactly what the production are doing.”

He added, “With a TV budget there is a much higher risk of doing a bad job using film than there is of using a very high-end digital camera.”

Quested clarified that any Tier 2 can be used for local (single territory) UHD production.

Whilst BT is the only broadcaster with a UK UHD channel currently, Sky is lining-up a UHD service later this year, and free-to-air broadcasters are forward planning for terrestrial UHD transmissions.

“Sky and the BBC are the primary DPP authorities [on UHD for drama] and both have every intention of using UHD for long term programme archive and sales,” said Quested. “None of us [DPP broadcasters] is offering a premium UHD pay per view channel yet, but when we do the consumer has every right to expect us to deliver full UHD.”

For use of Tier 2 in an international co-production “it is up to the co-producer to make the final decision,” he said. “It comes down to who is paying the most in the end.”

Tim Davis, ITV's senior enterprise architect and DPP lead explained that the purpose of the DPP is to produce as much standardisation as it can, “which kind of comes down to a minimum spec which we [DPP members] can all agree to.”

He continued, “There are so many variables out there that programming destined for UHD becomes a conversation between producer and broadcaster. A final decision comes to matters of stylistic consideration and workflow as well as input from any co-production partner and distribution requirements for international sales.”

So, if 35mm is proposed that doesn't automatically mean it can't be used for UHDTV, just that the final decision will be in the power of the broadcaster, rather than the original producer.

“It is incredible that 35mm doesn't automatically qualify,” says Adrian Bull, CTO and owner, Cinelab London. “It has more than 15 stops of dynamic range that digital is trying to catch up on. Without doubt we need more people recognising that 35mm is perfectly viable for UHDTV because it has got to the stage where 35mm is seen as not an option.”

Perhaps because of this the use of 35mm for TV origination has dwindled to a few trailers shot on film – such as that for last year's live episode of Coronation Street and another for ITV's The Sound Of Music Live.

Challenged as to how the BBC might screen high-profile movies such as Carol (shot on Super 16mm), plus Bridge Of Spies, SPECTRE and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which all shot on 35mm, Quested said that studio scanned versions will be of superior quality.

“The big difference between TV and cinema is that cinema has to deliver one master file to every projector in the world. Broadcasters on the other hand have to deliver a compressed version of it. That means we have to start from very high quality version.”

Steve Bellamy, Kodak's President of Motion Picture and Entertainment, Consumer and Film Division, said “The number one series on cable television in the US is Walking Dead and it is shot on 16mm. It is additionally done so at a small fraction of the cost of most of the big successful cable series. Shooting on film is affordable and  the lab infrastructure is starting to be a growth model."

He adds, “While from a utility perspective, it is easy to have a 'K' race for marketing purposes, it is mutual exclusive of image aesthetic. I love video, but it doesn’t change the fact that in nearly every post production discussion one of the first questions is, ‘how do we make this look more like film.’ Conversely, I can’t ever recall anyone in the history of content creation saying, 'How do we make this film look more like video?' The overwhelming majority of the greatest works of cinematic art have all been shot on 35mm film. It is our industry's library and legacy.

In a statement the BSC commented, The proposed DPP guidelines leave a number of questions unanswered and make depressingly familiar reading to those who remember very similar language being used to kill of 16mm film in the early days of HD in 2007 (and then partly retracted in 2013). The guidelines make no provision whatsoever for the art of cinema and patronisingly assume that buyers of 4K TVs only want to see super-sharp, ultra bright and colour-saturated images, and will complain if they see anything not shot on a camera with a 4K label. Exactly the same erroneous arguments were used in the early days of HD, but eventually sense prevailed. The BSC is meeting with the authors of these guidelines to seek clarification on many points, and to see what can be doe to allow directors and cinematographers greater freedom in their choice of acquisition media."

Axonista Introduces Object-Based Broadcasting Platform

Streaming Media

Second screen applications developer Axonista is launching what may be the first commercially available object-based broadcasting (OBB) platform.

http://www.streamingmediaglobal.com/Articles/News/Featured-News/Axonista-Introduces-Object-Based-Broadcasting-Platform-109841.aspx

The cloud-based software as a service enables broadcasters to offer interactive web-enabled graphics over the top of a live broadcast to mobile devices, set-top boxes, and VR headsets.

For example, according to CEO and co-founder Claire McHugh, "If a Twitter hashtag or voting button appears somewhere in a magazine show or reality TV show then, when those same graphics appear on their mobile, people nowadays expect to interact with it. But up to now, the graphics have always been 'baked in' to the picture. With object-based broadcasting these elements are liberated to give consumers the richer experience they expect, and giving broadcasters more engaging content."

Object-based broadcasting has been heralded by the BBC as the next phase in video delivery, but where its concentration is on enabling greater personalisation and access to BBC content, Axonista has found a way for clients to monetize it.

Another example: When someone watches the QVC shopping channel on a mobile, then Axionista's solution turns the "buy" button into a interactive link.

QVC, AOL, and Irish broadcasters RTE and TV3 are customers of the company, although the first to deploy the OBB function is online video short-form outfit The QYOU.

The technology behind this is an enterprise video platform dubbed Ediflo that the Dublin-based developer is now offering for licence via an SDK. Ediflo contains three modules. First is an asset management layer or library which can be pre-populated with information from a broadcaster such as show statistics or presenter profiles that permit the creation of content on the fly. There's a scheduling and playout function called Ediflo Live and Remoco, its video player.

"Ediflo is intended as an enhancement rather than replacement for linear broadcast technology," stresses McHugh.

Ediflo Pro with the OBB functionality will be available from Q3 2016 although Axonista is offering a limited number of trial subscriptions ahead of the general release date. The workflow allows the broadcaster to configure the look, feel, and interactive nature of graphics to mobile platforms, or the user can set their own preferences.

"For decades, TV has used graphics systems to enhance the primary broadcast with captions, tickers, stats tables, charts, photos, additional video footage, you name it," McHugh says. "This is fine on the big screen in the living room, but it's a big disconnect for viewers, especially millennials and those using touchscreen devices, where the expectation is that graphics are tappable and interactive. Ediflo helps broadcasters move away from broken TV experiences on mobile and instead create intuitive experiences which are more personalised."

The BBC continues to investigate OBB's potential. As part of a £4 million ($5.7m) investment from the EU's Horizon 2020 innovation fund, it is trialling the way a drama and a live broadcast can be consumed in a school and a home environment (where a group of people might have different devies and preferences).

BT Sport is another recipient of the EU fund and wants to produce further trials around the mobile broadcast of data-rich motorsport MotoGP.

While Axonista’s approach is limited to graphics, it does envisage expanding the workflow to include more audio and visual elements. "There is lots on the roadmap," McHugh hints. "Sports fans will be able to pick the commentary of which experts they want to listen to, for example."

She adds, "Our solution is a proven technology which allows video companies and new digital natives to develop interactive experiences for viewers without altering the editorial of the show or impacting existing workflows."

In a statement, Scott Ehrlich, CEO of The QYOU, said: "Ediflo is a sophisticated and powerful platform which allows us to develop interactive, mobile programming in tandem with linear content without having to completely rebuild our workflows."

Axionista was founded by McHugh and Daragh Ward, CTO, in 2010. In 2013 it developed ShowPal for TV3, a second screen app using Civolution content recognition to synch with the broadcaster's entire linear schedule.

The greatest AV market on earth

AV Magazine

'When people work with one mind, they can even remove Mount Taishan', says the Chinese proverb. Successful AV in China demands patience and a local partner.

http://www.avinteractive.com/features/the-greatest-av-market-on-earth-21-03-2016/

World stock markets were rattled earlier in the year by fears of an overheated Chinese economy, but with a 6.9 per cent growth rate and a population of 1.3 billion the market remains hugely important for pretty much any company with international ambition.

Arguably, the more salient affect is the devaluation of the yuan. “Budgets that were drafted in RMB (renminbi) are now under pressure, so projects that are allowed to move ahead are squeezing everything they can out of overseas manufacturers,” says Cameron O’Neill, director – APAC, Riedel Communications.

Of the over 1,000 exhibitors at ISE last month, more than one in ten (12.4 per cent) were from China, a quarter being new to the show.  InfoComm expects China’s AV market share to grow to 14 per cent of the global AV marketplace this year when it’s also forecast to comprise more than a third (37 per cent) of the entire Asia-Pacific market.

Yet the local AV market is still dominated by products (79 per cent), according to InfoComm, with just 19 per cent from the service segment. The typical break-out between product/services market share across other regions of the world are a 2:1 ratio respectively.

“Chinese contractors are learning fast and getting more and more efficient and professional, capitalising on what is easy and cheap to produce locally, for example with LED walls,” notes Antoine Métais, head of sales and marketing, Airstar China. This said, Métais often sees foreign-based outfits handling the artistic part of shows.

“Many commercial and artistic AV projects need a deep cultural understanding of the subject to be able to participate in the tender,” he says.

Local AV is “improving all the time,” agrees Roger Willems, chairman, Penn Elcom, the flightcase and loudspeaker component manufacturer which has a facility in China. “Chinese consumers like global brands but they are also very patriotic and love their country.”

Indeed the major contributing factor to China’s economic muscle is a burgeoning service industry, fuelled by the rising incomes of a burgeoning middle class.

“Leisure and entertainment are massive areas of growth as people continue to migrate from the countryside into urban areas,” assesses Stuart Hetherington, ceo, Holovis. “Combined with a fast growing middle class with disposable income and leisure time means both the in-home and out of home entertainment markets are exploding.”

Family Entertainment Centres (FECs) have witnessed huge growth, reports Hetherington, and due to the amount of gaming technology that people already have in their homes, the quality expectations for an out-of-home experience have also risen.

In one form or another, Christie’s digital cinema footprint in China is rapidly expanding. Over the next five years Dailan Wanda group will deploy 100 Dolby Cinema installations which use Christie’s 6P RGB laser with Christie/Dolby co-developed HDR. Wanda Cinema Line, the leading exhibitor by box office revenue in China, has therefore become the first cinema chain to launch the premium cinema platform in China.

“There is activity all over the country, notably in the tier 1 cities – Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the latter hosting dozens of tech start-ups “which gives the city the feel of early Silicon Valley circa 2000,” notes Hetherington.

Megacities

If you already find it hard to get a grip on China’s scale, then the idea of megacities blows the imagination. Underway is a project to merge nine cities that lie around the Pearl River Delta. The scheme will create a 41,500 sq km urban area twice the size of Wales and cover a large part of China’s manufacturing heartland. Around 150 major infrastructure projects will mesh transport, energy, water and telecomms networks at a staggering £190 billion. An express rail line will also connect the hub with nearby Hong Kong.

Chinese planners are now plotting Jing-jin-ji, a titanic megacity uniting the high-tech industries of Beijing with sea transport links at Tianjin and the surrounding province of Hebei. The 212,379 sq km area currently has a population of 130 million people but this could rise to over 200 million.

All these projects mean rapid expansion of basic infrastructure from hospitals and schools to mass transit. While the narrative is one of rapid technological progress, there are dissenters. “There’s a lot of catch-up going on,” says O’Neill. “There is demand but they are working from a much lower base. So the opportunist would simply copy something that already has proven results but has never been seen before in China and save a packet on R&D.”

Local provinces are competing with each other to develop their economy in both public and private sectors “pushing them to build up stunning shows to attract tourists and create interest using high tech solutions,” suggests Métais.Theme park explosion

There are already 300 theme parks in China but global operators have prioritised the country to capitalise on the booming domestic market. Disney is building the $5.5 billion Shanghai Disney Resort set to open in June. Due in 2018 nearby is the Dream Center, a $2.7 billion entertainment complex backed by DreamWorks Animation, while construction has begun on a $3 billion Universal Parks & Resort near Beijing for 2019.

US operator Six Flags Entertainment is building a $4.6 billion venture in Haiyan, south of Shanghai for 2019, the first of multiple planned resorts in the country and Hasbro is opening its first Transformers themed live entertainment attraction, choosing China over the US. Opening in 2017 and developed by DMG Live, the custom-built theatre seating 4,500 will host a live show combining shape-shifting robots, aerial stunts and large-scale special effects according to a statement.

“China is the only place that has a giant catchment of 50 million people living in a three-hour drive or trainway,” noted Jeffrey Godsick, president of Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products.

Vienna-based Attraktion! is increasing its presence with 4D and 5D installations such as at LEWA Wonderland in Xian. It was also behind the waterproof 5D attraction Cinesplash5D at Ningbo Hangzhouwan Dream Hotspring Water World.

Other major projects attracting AV is Beijing’s host of the Winter Olympics 2022. Willems says Penn Elcom produced 300 flight cases for the Olympics 2008 just to carry one product for that event: “With 1.3 billion people, the event calendar is massive.”

Unique business challenge

Nonetheless, there is a business culture in China that simply has to be learned if any success is to come your way. Additionally, there are challenges importing technology into the country, especially around CCC Certification. Chinese authorities have the right to open all shipments which often worries manufacturers who are trying to protect IP, as products can be interrogated and (they fear), potentially copied.

“People often assume that there are significant challenges within the Chinese supply chain, and while this used to be the case, it has actually improved in recent years,” says Hetherington. “There are professional, high quality suppliers, some of which are very keen to strike partnerships with western firms.”

“Decide early on that you are in China for the long term, do not be confrontational and learn how to navigate and deal with things,” advises Willems. “Have the tenacity to re-ask a question until you are sure you’ve understood totally. I have seen catastrophes based on a few words being misunderstood.”

Métais’ advice is to develop a ‘guanxi’ (network): “It might seems obvious but spending time with partners and clients in non-formal situations is a key to pushing business.”

O’Neill warns overseas manufacturers to beware that the Chinese will play their cards close to their chest “until you can prove that you are serious and trustworthy. They know that their engineers have a lot to learn about AV/broadcast technology,” he adds. “So they would prefer that you take on that risk of the system failing (by offering an SLA). This basically comes from the concept of ‘Face’ where no-one wants to be the guy that suggests a new or novel idea and then have it fail.”

If not mandatory, it is critical to grasp Mandarin, usually by hiring local language technicians who also speak your company’s native tongue with a high fluency.

“You want to be acting at arm’s length in China,” says O’Neill. “There’s still a heavy state influence there and an outsider can easily get lost in regulation. You’re better off trying to piggy-back off someone who is already in the country and meeting some end clients directly, finding out which partners they use. Typically, a company will only purchase from a small number of partners, and they resist purchasing from anywhere else. Additionally, you may need more than one partner.”

The imperative of finding a local representative is stressed repeatedly to ensure that the Chinese team you work with are well briefed on how to represent your company.

“Finding the right partner can be difficult,” says Hetherington. “There are many who might not be all they seem so companies need to exercise significant caution before any contracts are exchanged. Starting with a trusted local representative is great to begin with. They can then help with introductions to the companies you want to talk to.”

While China is often seen as a huge prize from afar, you may find many more interesting targets in the Asian region. Says O’Neill: “China is big, and they have money, but you also need to approach the market seriously, with investment and local team members, which means that you are increasing your costs.”

Case study: Hong Kong Vessel Tracking Center

Hong Kong Harbour plays an important role in China’s international trading activities. Each year around 200,000 ships carrying 300 million tonnes of cargo use the port making it the fourth largest in the world. SAAB Technologies, Intronics and IHSE joined forces to build Hong Kong’s Vessel Tracking Center – among the most advanced in the world. The requirement was to detect maritime activity on radar images, register and follow vessel movements within a flexible infrastructure.

SAAB was tasked with harmonising all information facilities between shore and ships in the harbour from a central control station. To achieve this, the Tracking Center and the Kwai Chung Marine Traffic Control Station on the opposite side of the harbour were equipped with IHSE’s KVM for the extension and switching of keyboard, video and mouse signals over long distances. Other equipment included a Draco ultra DisplayPort KVM extender, capable of transferring 4K at 60fps over a single fibre cable.

Industry views

“Chinese contractors are learning fast and getting more and more efficient.”

Antoine Métais

Head of sales and marketing, Airstar China

“Budgets that were drafted in RMB (renminbi) are now under pressure.”

Cameron O’Neill

Director –APAC, Riedel Communications

“Chinese consumers like global brands but they are also very patriotic and love their country.”

Roger Willems

Chairman, Penn Elcom

Game on for sport OB firms

Broadcast

Outside broadcast suppliers are in a race to upgrade to Ultra High Definition and IP as the technology teeters on the cusp of becoming mainstream.

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/features/game-on-for-sport-ob-firms/5101596.article

This is one of those bumper years for live sport with the Rio Olympics and UEFA Euros dominating the summer schedules, but the bread and butter of domestic outside broadcasts is getting shaken up too.

With Sky prepping a UHD service before the start of the 2016-17 English Premier League (EPL) season and with most of its outside broadcast contracts - not coincidentally - up for tender, suppliers are racing to get their assets in order.

“We are gearing ourselves up so that when we get to the stage of renegotiation we can prove we have the expertise, kit and the roadmap to fulfil the needs of a HD/UHD simulcast,” says Eamonn Curtin, commercial manager, Telegenic. “We've been at the forefront of testing for UHD since 2013 when we went to Brazil and shot the Confederations Cup [in 4K].”

Telegenic shares Sky’s existing EPL contract with fellow incumbent NEP Visions. It was the main contractor to both BBC and ITV for the Six Nations, covers rugby (U20s, Aviva Premiership, and Junior World Cup) as well as rugby league for Sky and BT Sport, and is sending four of its trucks to the Euros (Marseilles and Nice) as part of UEFA's host coverage.

The company recently purchased fourteen Sony HDC-4300 cameras for its T25 truck. These are capable of shooting not only 4K, but also HD and super slow motion footage for live broadcast.

“At the moment we are not in position to build any new trucks since we heavily invested over the last few years but you can expect another push for investment from us and other companies over the next year,” adds Curtin.

By deciding not to take the plunge into 3D, Arena Television had the necessary reserves to pull the trigger on three new large mobile UHD facilities totaling £20 million. Its has a 38 match per year EPL deal for BT Sport (in HD) which expires at the end of the season.

“We tend to build a truck every 18 months and the tipping point has now come to move into UHD,” explains MD Richard Yeowart. “We didn’t think 3D would move mainstream and we got that right. What that meant for our business is that we were better positioned when the next major upgrade came along.”

The most experienced 4K live supplier, by some margin, is Timeline. It has completed over fifty OBs for BT Sport making production in the format “mainstream” according to MD Daniel McDonnell. “We turn up, switch on twelve cameras and do full match coverage whereas others are still testing workflows and it's still kind of a special thing.”

Timeline's 4K truck is not solely committed to BT and McDonnell is seeking music concerts and opera productions, overseas as well as in the UK, wanting to acquire at a higher resolution.

A large part of the hesitency in committing to 4K equipment is the unsteady state of gear which works with transport mechanism IP. Standards to move audio and video around in a live environment have not been agreed and key items from video switchers and audio desks, monitors and routers are only just being tested working together. What's more, RF links and super slow-motions – core elements of a conventional OB – are not yet possible in 4K.

Having built its facility using circuits which require four lots of HD signals to be routed around (Quad-HD), Timeline's next investment is likely to be IP.

“IP technology is on the cusp,” says McDonnell. “The standards are up in the air. We want to make sure we can use best of breed technology – a matrix from one company, cameras from another, switcher from another – rather than be tied to a single manufacturer's way of working in IP.”

CTV's sole 4K truck also works in Quad-HD but the company is looking beyond that to IP. “We want a full end to IP chain without limits and we haven't seen any [manufacturer] with that solution,” says Hamish Grieg, technical director. “We want interoperability so that we can put any IP tool in place for use now and in future. We don't want gateways where you need to convert the feed to and from IP.”

CTV will continue its regular outings for Match of the Day and field facilities for Sky's coverage of England test matches against summer tourists Pakistan and Sri Lanka, alongside its perpetual contract for European Tour Productions' golf, but its biggest event of the year is The Open at Royal Troon. It will array 130 cameras including 24 RF units to cover every single shot from every hole on every day of the championship for NBC (also ETP and Sky) - an unprecedented degree of saturation.

CTV has also plumped for fifteen of the Sony HDC-4300s, part of a larger order by parent outfit Euro Media Group. “We evaluated rival models from Hitachi, Grass Valley, Panasonic and Ikegami,” informs Grieg. “While there were pros and cons for each, the Sony is backwards compatible, meaning that it can work in HD SDI today but will also accept IP inputs.”

Arena has gone with a dominant vendor to outfit its three triple expanders. OBX, OBY and OBZ are destined to be the first all IP UHD HDR (High Dynamic Range) trucks perhaps anywhere in the world. “They are primed to go beyond 4K to 8K should the industry go in that direction, or they can cope with High Frame Rates. It’s a very expensive but future-proofed investment,” says Yeowart.

He says his crew are having to learn about how to rack (change focus) UHD cameras and what it takes to monitor an HDR feed in different areas of the truck.

“As communications get faster IP will allow broadcasters access to the data stream back at base for remote production,” says Yeowart. “It means we can employ IP engineers at Redhill [Arena’s HQ] for remote diagnostics. That changes the way the industry works. Once a truck has an issue on site now you have to deal with it locally, but the ability to remotely monitor on the road will be incredibly beneficial.”

Timeline has devised its own remote production editing platform which will allow editing staff to create sports highlights packages away from the broadcast centre. “The idea is that all rushes are held centrally and logged remotely and that the edit could happen anywhere – at a venue, in an office, at home,” explains McDonnell .

Telegenic is taking a watching brief on the technology. “While other companies are using it as their USP, there is still a lot of kit that's required for an effective IP chain,” says Curtin. “We have to take remote seriously,” he adds. “You still need cameras, fx mics and reporters pitch side, but in time the production gallery, sound mixer and vision switcher could move to a central location. Potentially that means not having a fleet of big trucks but specialisms.”

Tier 1 events like Wimbledon will still be worked with large vans on site but remote production will increasingly put pressure on traditional OB firms to adapt.

“Do you need the big edit suite and big integrated vehicles and tape trucks when perhaps there is a model around providing gallery services by the hour,” suggests Bevan Gibson. CTO for ITN which provides the technical production for Channel 5's Football League coverage. “It's getting to the point where I want to pick up the phone to a OB team at a venue and ask them for an encoding specialist who can get low latency high quality pictures from a certain camera back to us. That's something OB providers have not got into but it's where the industry is going.”

SIDEBAR: Changing the sports workflow

The nature of outside broadcasts is changing as broadcasters roadtest IP connectivity to cut costs yet distribute richer live content.

“Perception is a big thing these days. It is not acceptable for public service broadcasters – even if it’s actually more efficient editorially – to be sending large numbers of people overseas during major events,” said BBC Sport's technical executive, Charlie Cope [during a webinar organised by the EBU].

For live events, IP can mean more centralised production reducing the cost of crew on site but also the ability to do more at a venue should the occasion demand it. An example might be the Euros. “Heaven forbid that one of our home nations actually does well during the Euros; there’s then an aspiration to follow them as they progress through the competition,” said Cope. “If you’re able to be flexible about moving a studio operation into a local gallery, clearly that gives you last minute flexibility.”

The cost-benefits of IP also support the BBC's move into airing more women's sports, said Cope. “As rights become more of a challenge we have to think outside the box in terms of how we deliver that content.”

Like the BBC, Sky Sports has been trialling IP production for several years, gradually adding complexity into the mix. It has tested IP on Formula One principally to reduce cargo weight, on the presentation graphics and virtual sets of Monday Night Football, and for Soccer Saturday for which 30 reporters are kitted with lightweight satellite and bonded cellular links, to stream live video over IP.

For last year's US Open tennis Sky left the entire production team in Isleworth, performing a full remote production during the two-week tournament.

“Why build an expensive edit platform at the outside broadcast when you have all those facilities at Sky?” Gordon Roxburgh, technical manager, Sky Sports told a BVE seminar. “This workflow kept the majority of the production team in their environment, where they produce tennis week in, week out. It also let us better resource the OB, to put extra cameras court-side, so we could cross to our reporters who could use Sky Pad [a high-brightness touch screen], so players could analyse their matches.”

For the World Championships of Ping Pong at Alexandra Palace in January, Sky covered 111 matches over three-days with six remote controlled cameras (plus roving RF link) with no on-site studio and a limited OB crew including camera engineering and sound supervision.

“Instead of being stuck behind a wall of monitors in an OB truck or a gallery the executive producer was able to freely move around the venue, confident he could communicate with all the crew and monitor the transmission on his iPad,” explained Andrew Finn, senior director, Sky Sports. “We do this on a lot of programmes now, as it not only saves a fortune on facilities, but it looks and feels far more inclusive of the event.”

Whisper Films on the F1 starting grid

Within a couple of days of winning the contract to produce Channel 4's Formula One coverage in early January, Whisper Films had to commission an OB supplier since the window to ship equipment to Australia was just one week away.

“Normally when rights change hands you get six months or more to prepare. We had eight weeks,” says Sunil Patel, Whisper MD and executive producer of F1 coverage. “That [timeframe] was a major reason we worked with Presteigne. We inherited their set up and fly away kit already built to manage this operation.”

Presteigne Broadcast Hire had been supplying fly-packs for the BBC's F1 coverage since 2009. The limited turnaround time left little room to change the kit's specification although editing is switched from Apple to Adobe and the production will make use of four RF cameras rather than three plus a Sony F5 to lend a glossy look to features.

Since Formula One Management dictates the race coverage itself and demands that broadcasters only leave its feed after the podium interviews, the biggest difference Whisper says it will make will be in on-screen talent. They include David Coulthard and Susie Wolff.

Although, the Channel 4-backed indie scooped the three year, 10 race a year contract from under the noses of more established sports producers like IMG and North One, the company has hired seasoned F1 staff to bolster credentials. Former Match of the Day chief Mark Cole joins as head of television and former BBC F1 editor Mark Wilkin is also onboard.

Patel says the company, hitherto known for brand-funded sports content, proved its mettle producing a weekly NFL highlights show leading up to the Superbowl for BBC2.

“We will be looking at other rights once F1 is up and running,” he reveals. “The pressure comes from our own high expectations. We are duty bound to keep fans entertained and to improve coverage where we can. The pressure to succeed because we had this high profile win doesn't come into it.”

BBC and ITV Revive Paid VOD Streaming Plans

Streaming Media

Joined by NBC Universal, broadcasters BBC and ITV are working on a UK competitor to Netflix and Amazon Prime

http://www.streamingmediaglobal.com/Articles/News/Featured-News/BBC-and-ITV-Revive-Paid-VOD-Streaming-Plans-109707.aspx

The BBC and ITV are reviving plans to stream archive shows for a subscription and extend the commercial life of content.

A previous attempt in 2009, codenamed Kangaroo, was nixed by UK regulators.

A report in The Guardian, substantiated by "multiple sources," speculates that the broadcasters, along with NBCUniversal, are exploring a Netflix-style subscription service.

Admittedly in its early stages, the project is thought to focus on catalogue shows rather than first-runs, although some original commissions may be included.

The BBC is under pressure to make up to £800 million ($1.14 billion) in annual savings, and will be looking at any potential revenue to fill the hole.

ITV has been on a mission to reset the commercial broadcaster's dependence on ad revenues since chief executive Adam Crozier joined in 2010.

As of last month, non-advertising sales account for 49 per cent of ITV’s total revenues of £3.38 billion ($4.8 billion), up from around 30 per cent in 2010. Crozier said last month that ITV was looking to "explore new models for content creation and distribution, through a mix of pay channels and online."

While both networks run free catch-up services, programming is only available in a 30-day window after TV transmission.

BBC Store, launched in November, is a download to own service designed as a replacement for declining sales of BBC Worldwide physical disc sales. It has 7000 hours of shows available.

Both broadcasters, though, licence content to Netflix (ITV does this via ITV Studios) and will be eyeing the proven market in longtail views on the U.S. rival—a market which they had hoped to capture with the aborted Kangaroo.

This venture, which was also backed by Channel 4, intended to provided a single broadband VOD service in the UK and was blocked by the over zealous Competition Commission on the grounds that it would be a threat to the nascent video on demand market.

This opened the door wide to Netflix, which subsequently capitalised on the vacancy by launching in 2012. It now counts more than 5 million UK subscribers.

For this reason, and the increasing impact of other streamers like Amazon Prime, if the BBC and ITV proceed with a new paid VOD offer it is unlikely to run into the same competition issues. Nor would the new service include each broadcaster’s catch-up service, which was another concern of the regulator.

Assets from Kangaroo were acquired by Arqiva which proceded to launch ad-funded VOD service SeeSaw in February 2010 offering content from BBC Worldwide, Channel 4, Channel Five, and several production companies. This was shut down in October 2011 after failing to gain traction.

In the interim, the BBC and ITV retrained efforts on project Canvas which eventually surfaced as internet connected TV platform YouView.

Merging virtual with live – the next sports evolution?

Sports Video Group

Imagine sports presentation where a virtual world is combined with the actual event and the audience, user, or gamer can switch or play between the two. This is the firm belief of Lawrence Duffy, founder and managing director of Aurora Media Worldwide, the three year old sports media agency behind host coverage of all-electric motorsport FIA Formula E Championship.

http://svgeurope.org/blog/headlines/svge-analysis-merging-virtual-with-live-the-next-sports-evolution/

“We’ve looked at concepts which would allow us to map a virtual world against the actual world using all the data that we now have access to,” says Duffy. “We can create a virtual world that adds value to the live property. This will be the next natural step for some sports to take. There is a natural coming together between gaming, digital and live sports — between playing and watching – and it will happen soon.”

The most obvious synergies are in e-sports where amateur gamers can already test their mettle against professional gamers and where online gaming is transitioning into a major live streamed event. “Imagine a scenario in a Formula-E race where there’s an amazing overtake manoeuvre and you replay that from every angle and also as a 360-degree virtual replay,” he says.

An example of this cited by Duffy is the Virtual Eye augmented reality presentation which has become core to America’s Cup coverage online. In this system, GPS tracking data sent 1-10 times a second is recreated as graphics detailing the entire race course, including marks, laylines, advantage lines and distances between the boats. All of this information is available in real-time for immediate review and post-race analysis.

“Replication of this in other sports is inevitable,” says Duffy. “Kids can watch a Manchester City game live and then play on their PS4 and recreate the goals they’ve just seen. There’s a thin wall between those two experiences and sports producers will continue to pull down those walls.”

Aurora Media has a lot to live up to given the tagline on its website: “We like to shoot with tomorrow’s kit today, with brilliant post. We like to challenge and innovate.”

The approach is exemplified in its production of Formula-E for which it is the host broadcaster of the ten race calendar until 2016-17. “Formula E represents the collision between the digital space and TV. It’s about unpacking the OB in order to get further inside the sport than anyone has ever got before.”

He elaborates; “In a world where we can walk down a street and check an instant digital readout on our wrist giving us a record of steps or energy consumed, the viewer wants all data involved in a sport to come to the screen. They want it to be accessible, immediate and as entertaining as possible.”

This philosophy informed Aurora’s choice of camera placement for F-E. There are cameras positioned in the cone of each car and in the rain light at the back for nose to tail action. Layered on top of that is data, a key one being realtime data about the battery life of a car – akin to fuel levels in Formula One (information which FOM keep out of the public eye).

Says Duffy, “Another example from Formula-E is live streamed team to driver radio comms. When you combine live action with data assets and camera positions right inside the sport, it gives the fan a much more entertaining and informative experience.”

Formula-E also famously introduced the fan boost, a means by which fans can affect the outcome of a race by virtually injecting additional power into a race car through interaction on social media. “The industry has talked for a decade about convergence of digital and social platforms with TV and now the opportunities for second and third screen interaction are very real,” says Duffy.

The motorsport is also working with developer 360 Racing to stream 360-degree cameras on board four cars during races. YouTube videos from races have been posted since last May but new tests ongoing since November are intended to give viewers a second screen experience live from a driver’s point of view.

“The 360 cameras we tested are a runaway success and the feedback phenomenal,” reports Duffy. “It speaks to the signature of Formula E which is to be an online and fan-based experience, to be on platforms that allow people to take part. VR and 360-degree video is an ideal way to unpack areas of the track that have not been seen before. We will continue to look at it (live 360) and look to roll it out as an ongoing proposition.”

He admits that innovation of this sort is easier in a sport fresh to market such as Formula-E, which as part of its branding, wants to be seen as a young, rule breaking and tech-savvy. “it is inevitable when you start from a new position that you can be bold,” he says. “That said, your boldness is based on an end-game which, for Formula-E, is to engage, motivate and monetise a sports audience with a new entertainment property.”

A new area for sports production

Duffy, a former IMG and Endemol executive, co-founded Aurora in 2012 and now employs around 30 staff including former Channel 4 live sports editor Jamie Aitchison who is the firm’s commercial & development director. Aurora is one of a number of sports producers – Whisper Films, Whistle Sports and ITN Productions among others – trying to break the duopoly of sports production in the UK.

“If there is a duopoly it’s been hard won,” says Duffy. “People say the contracts are locked up between IMG and Sunset+Vine but they’ve worked hard to get them so there’s no antipathy there. At the same time there’s a third way and it’s the reason I set up this business.”

Traditional sports production companies work with sports rights holders who retain the rights, he says. “Then there are sports [like MLB] which keep control of rights and produce their own media. There is a third way and this is the area in which we sit. This is between working with somebody’s IP and bringing your own IP to the table.

“It’s a new area for sports production and the reason why people come to us to develop original IP. We will be bold in developing solutions that bring digital virtual and live factual to those sports which want it.”

Aurora’s other contracts include for Dubai Duty Free Tennis, part of the ATP tour. It has just signed to work with Dubai-based Falcon and Associates on its social and digital properties including Badminton’s World Superseries Finals. It produces Goodwood Festival of Speed Revival for ITV and elite track cycling 6 Day Cycling held at the Lee Valley Velo Park.

Sky Spreads its Bet in Online Futures With FubuTV and iFlix

Streaming Media 

The broadcaster is preparing for a time beyond traditional TV viewing by making investments in sports and entertainment streamers around the globe.

http://www.streamingmediaglobal.com/Articles/Editorial/Featured-Articles/Sky-Spreads-its-Bet-in-Online-Futures-With-FubuTV-and-iFlix-109698.aspx

British-based European satellite broadcaster Sky has added to its portfolio of online streaming ventures with fresh investments in U.S. online sports pay service FubotTV  and in Asian OTT content provider iFlix.

The moves are part of the pan-European broadcaster's ongoing programme of investing in innovative startups directed at safeguarding its future as viewers shift from traditional TV consumption.

Having built its subscriptions business in the U.K. on live sports content, the broadcaster is not unnaturally focusing many of its investments at sports streamers.

FuboTV launched in January 2015, and has attracted 400,000 subscribers paying $10 a month for a bundle of live football match sports and magazine-style content. According to the company, it is the second-largest aggregator and distributor of OTT sports content and the fastest-growing "virtual payTV operator" in the U.S.

Distribution deals with Univision, beIN Sports, GolTV, and Benfica TV mean FuboTV delivers 30 to 40 live football games a week over the Akamai CDN, including MLS and Spanish La Liga matches. Over a quarter of subscribers are Latin American. The service is available on the web and Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, Amazon, iOS, and Android devices.

Sky's stake was matched by 21st Century Fox, which owns 39 percent of Sky. The $15 million total funding round included additional backers such as former NBA commissioner David Stern. Univision Communications invested previously, and FuboTV received seed investments from Anthony Vinciquerra, former CEO of Fox Networks Group, and Blake Krikorian, co-founder of Sling Media.

Neither Sky nor Fox are supplying the service with content, though both now take a seat on the board.

"We’re excited to be investing in FuboTV, at a time when our customers are looking to consume more and more content, whenever and wherever they are," said Emma Lloyd, director of corporate development and strategic investments at Sky.

This news follows recent Sky investments in U.K.-based mobile fan engagement and sports marketing company InCrowd Sports (for €396,000); U.S. sports streamer Whistle Sports ($7 million) and DataXu, a Boston-based provider of programmatic advertising analytics software ($10 million). In December, Sky paid $300,000 for a stake in LA-based online TV content publisher TV4 Entertainment.

Earlier this week Sky paid $45 million for a share of iFlix, which has been dubbed an Asian rival to Netflix. The service provides unlimited access to a library of Hollywood titles and Asian regional and local movies and TV shows

Although it operates in the U.K., Italy, and Germany, this is Sky's first investment in the APAC region.

iFlix was founded less than year ago, and has 1 million subscribers in Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. It plans to extend its service to new Asian markets in the coming months.

“iFlix has quickly established itself as southeast Asia’s most exciting and fastest-growing streaming TV service,” said Sky Group CFO Andrew Griffith. “There are lots of opportunities for Sky and iFlix to work together and share expertise as both companies continue to expand.”