Network Based Audio System Simplifies TV and Film Sound Production Setup

Setting up audio recording, switching, and mixing equipment on a production set has required multiple types of equipment and many cables which can be complicated. Chris Hollebone from Merging Technologies described to me at the NAB show a better solution which uses a single type of digital audio network. A digital audio network interconnects the audio capturing, distribution, and production equipment using one type of digital network (Ethernet). Using an Ethernet network allows the system to continue to operate even if a cable is cut or unplugged (automatically reconfigures). Because all the audio inputs share a common network, they can be time synchronized. Networked Audio also allows for remote management using Internet web browsers. This means that production staff can control audio settings and connections from anywhere they can get an data network or Internet connection.

Merging Technologies has created a digital audio network Horus audio I/O device that converts multiple types of audio into standardized digital audio that can be distributed throughout the Revenna IP based network audio system. Using Ravenna technology means it can work with many other IP based audio processing and distribution systems.

TV and Film Production Using High-Quality Zoom Lens Instead of Multiple Fixed Focal Length Lenses

Quality TV and film production has required the use of multiple fixed length focal lenses. Thom Calabro from Fuji Film explained to me that it is now possible to get better film production quality using a single high quality zoom lens. Having a set of fixed length lenses for TV and film production it costly, bulky, and difficult to manage. While zoom lenses have been available for many years, their cost and quality level have not been adequate for standard production - until now. To solve this challenge, Fuji has made a single zoom lens that provides the same or better image quality than fixed lenses. This can dramatically simplify production while reducing cost and decrease the number of items for production crews need to bring to the set.

Absolute Camera Position Control System Enables Rapid Set Deployment and Reshooting

Automating camera control for TV & film production (robotic camera systems) can be essential to production. Jake Dodson from Vitec Group explained to me at the NAB show that controlling the camera position on a set can be critical to ensuring reshoots. There is a difference between relative positioning (learning where it has been from its original position) and absolute positioning (knowing the exact location). If a camera pedestal has been moved (set changed), relative positioning systems can result in different camera angle reshoots resulting in unusable shoots. To solve this challenge, Vinten Radamec (a division of Vitec) has created a camera pedestal with an absolute positioning system (APS). APS uses laser based measurement systems with reflective targets to determine distances to fixed locations. Using fixed reference points provides positional accuracy regardless of set movement and can integrate with other robotic pedestals. This can dramatically reduce the amount of time used for targeting operations (robotic camera setup) and avoid unwanted changes in camera locations during reshoots.

Broadcast Production Intercom Console Provides Better Production & Talent Management

Coordinating production staff and other talent at film shoots can be difficult. Gordon Kapes, president of Studio Technologies explained to me at the NAB trade show that producers and directors need to give direction to specific people on the set. Without good talent communication, delays in production can occur increasing costs. Worst case scenarios can be inability to complete the shoot do to time delays or the inability of staff to coordinate the shoot. The communication process needs to be an interactive with multiple people requesting and responding to instructions. To solve this challenge, Studio Technologies created the m240 intercom, a 4 channel talent cueing intercom system. It is a simple to use audio communication system that combines a shared audio system (party line) with an audio connection priority assignment system (cueing).

Mobile Service Providers can Offload Customers to WiFi Hotspots - HotSpot Owners Can Earn New Access Revenues

Mobile phone companies can have difficulty getting mobile phone coverage into urban buildings. Kevin Morgan from Adtran explained to me at the TelcoTV trade show that mobile phone companies can use WiFi Mobile Offloading to provide mobile telephone service inside buildings. When customers experience no service in key locations such as convention centers, airports, or hotels, this is a key motivator for changing service providers. Even if the mobile service provider has radio coverage, users commonly access high-bandwidth services while inside buildings which can overwhelm the nearby cell sites. The solution is to allow mobile service providers to connect and manage access for their customers to wifi hotspots. The mobile service provider pays a small access fee for each call to the wifi hotspot owner which can be much less than the cost of adding additional cell sites for coverage and capacity.

Managing multiple WiFi hot spots (such as inside a convention center) requires additional management capabilities (such as transferring calls between WiFi hotspots as the user moves through the building). To solve this challenge, Adtran has setup a data center that allows mobile service providers and businesses to control user access control functions including authentication, security, and service policy control. This allows communication service providers to setup cloud based management for additional wifi access options.

Graphic and Logo Insertions Directly into MPEG Transport Streams

Adding graphics or logos directly to MPEG transport streams can be complicated for TV service providers. Laslo Zolton, Vice President of DVEO explained to me at the TelcoTV trade show that broadcasters want to insert graphic logos and other media into broadcast transport streams. This typically requires decoding and modifying the transport streams which requires costly equipment and can be complicated, especially to provide many local graphic insertions. The solution is to use a server that can directly insert the graphics and media directly into transport streams. The DVEO Ad Serter system can automatically insert graphics and text into real time IP, ASI, or SDI single or multiple program transport streams - MPTS. This includes original slates, crawls using Unicode language commands. This is a great solution to provide SuperPosition ads on mobile apps, EAS alerting messages, or news feeds for the bottom of the screen.

Transparent Video Caching Reduces the Overwhelming Growth in DSL Network Traffic

Network operators are being forced to add capacity to meet the tremendous growth in network demand from video services (e.g. YouTube), file sharing, and software updates. Josh Adelson of Peerapp explained to me at the TelcoTV trade show that inserting smart video storage and distribution services (transparent caching) into DSL networks can dramatically reduce the capacity needs on the network. Without video caching, network operators will have excessive cost and complexity of adding capacity or provide a poor quality of service resulting in higher support costs or customer churn. The solution is to add transparent caching servers that can automatically identify and store popular video content. Transparent caching helps to reduce network capacity load, minimizes the capacity need (and cost) for Internet transit links, and increases customer satisfaction (higher video quality levels). Transparent caching automatically identifies popular content and stores the content as close to the subscriber as possible. The PeerApp Ultraband Transparent cache can be inserted almost anywhere within the IP portion of a DSL network. When caches are placed close to the edge, the network capacity savings increases because the transport is reduced over larger parts of the network. Transparent caching is simple to install and additional caching servers can be installed as the need increases (easily scalable).

Adding Smart Video Servers to Existing Telecom and Mobile Networks for More Efficient TV Services

Telecom and Mobile Network operators need to efficiently and reliably provide a mix of broadcast and unicast video services. Thomas Fuerst with Alcatel-Lucent explained to me at the TelcoTV show that mixing TV and IP networks can result in some key challenges for the network operators. These include poor quality of service reliability (especially for paid viewing), slow channel changing, distorted ad insertion (media processing for splicing), and inability to provide service to multiple types of viewing devices. To solve these key challenges, Alcatel-Lucent has developed a smart video processor and server. This server includes video packetization, rapid buffering, and smart video processing. Because these video servers are shared by many users, they can be extremely cost effective. Reliability - Buffer stores segments of each video stream (about 5 to 10 seconds) being delivery by the network (typically 100 to 500 TV channels). STBs can signal the video server when packets have been lost to enable retransmission. One to two second buffer in the STB means highly reliable video content. Fast Channel Change - on channel change request, video processor speeds up providing rapid delivery of the new channel. Viewers will not notice delays in channel changing time. Ad Insertions - commercial media segment can be rapidly modified (frame structures) so they can be integrated (spliced) into the main broadcast signal seamlessly. This process also allows for the insertion of personalized ads without modification to the STB. Transcoding and Transrating - allows for the conversion of media to the many additional formats and rates (e.g. lower rates for mobile video). This process can involve fundamental analysis and reconstruction of the media including motion vector sharing, re-quantitizing coefficients, and reducing bit rates. The smart video servers can be integrated into existing equipment and networks or it can be added as a separate element to existing networks. Alcatel-Lucent has develop a set of algorithms and protocols that enable the setup and management of these smart video processing servers.

Video Metadata Service Enables Content Discovery for Viewers on Social Media Platforms

Video content producers need to make their content discoverable to viewers through many online media channels. Sean Doherty, CEO of WURL explained to me at the TelcoTV trade show that a metadata service combined with a rich API allows content providers and broadcasters to enable their video content to be discovered on many types of social media platforms. Getting descriptive metadata can be difficult and producing it is costly. After the metadata has been gathered and organized, the content needs to be made available to multiple social media channels. Sean explained that WURL developed the Metachannel(tm) content source and the Web1000(tm) rich application program interface - API to solve this challenge. One simple solution for many video programs and channels.

How Small to Mid-Size Telephone Companies Can Maintain and Repair IPTV Systems

Keeping IPTV systems operating can be a very difficult task for small to medium size telephone companies. Marc Hayden, Executive Vice President of CHR Solutions explained to me at the TelcoTV trade show that there are many skills needed to setup, maintain, and repair IPTV systems. In addition to the technical and operational issues, there are a mix of regulatory and business issues that need to be understood and managed. Small to mid size telephone companies have a limited number of staff and their experience and skills are focused on standard telephone services. The solution is to use business process outsourcing – BPO to provide IPTV managed service support and training to assist existing telephone company staff. This can range from using an external network operations center – NOC for support to choosing a mix of support services such as business analysis, technology reviews, engineering analysis, managed services (white label cloud or MPLS).

Hotel MDU Networking - Getting Over 500 Mbps of Ethernet Over Coax

Many people think that upgrading older hotel TV systems to new advanced digital systems requires new wiring. Mor Miller, CEO of Triteka explained to me at the TelcoTV trade show that it is possible to convert old hotel TV systems into new digital systems without significant wiring changes. Existing hotels and multi-dwelling units (MDUs) commonly have tree structured coaxial cables and low quality telephone lines to each room. Installing CAT5/6 data lines or fiber can be expensive and disruptive to guest operations. To solve this challenge, Triteka created the EOC Series of product that allow hotels to upgrade their existing wiring systems to provide ultra high speed data services. This “No New Wire” upgrade solution is relatively inexpensive, installs fast, and can co-exist with existing communication systems and devices. It can use a mesh topology that eliminates the need for a dedicated cable for each room. The current data rates for a single coaxial line is 500 Mbps. Future multi-frequency versions offer the potential of over 5 Gbps (10 RF channels).

Automating IPTV Home Wi-Fi Quality of Service Management

IPTV systems that use home Wi-Fi distribution systems that are not properly configured can have poor performance resulting in poor quality of service and costly trouble call tickets. Jerome Joanny, Vice President of Production Management with ASSIA explained to me at the TelcoTV trade show that ASSIA created the Expresse Wi-Fi management system which provides real time monitoring of connectivity, throughput, and latency on a per device basis to solve this challenge. It uses an intelligent software client that is installed in the access point which can gather long term system information, identify poor coverage areas, congestion points, and analyze traffic patterns. The system can recommend the addition of supplementary access points to solve congestion and/or coverage issues challenges. It allows for remote troubleshooting, and provide for proactive repair using an ASSIA patented and proprietary layered diagnostic optimization processes. It is a cloud based system so it is hardware neutral allowing any IPTV service provider to use the system.

Television Asset Management Requirements – Expanding and Simplifying

Content and asset management has become more complicated. Mary Roberts, Senior Vice President of The Platform explained to me at the TelcoTV trade show that television service provides of all kinds are experiencing new asset management challenges. Some of the key asset management challenges include new media formats, asset packaging options (thumbnail images, trailer videos, social media), content rights enforcement (business rules), and presentation players (varying capabilities and interfaces). For example, one program title used to have 6 media items – cover, thumbnail, description, trailers, and content. Now a typical program package has 25 to 30 media items – many of them for additional social media channels which continue to dynamically change. To help solve this challenge, The Platform has developed a video management platform that can automate the entire publishing process from file selection, transcoding, and applying asset types, to file movement to the right location, fulfilling almost any endpoint requirement.

Increasing DSL Distance for IPTV by Using Retransmission Video Servers

Some subscribers cannot receive IPTV services over DSL because they are too far from the central office. Joachim Roos, CEO of Edgeware explained to me at the TelcoTV trade show that while the DSL service may acceptable for Internet service, the packet loss is too high for IPTV. Even a 2% packet loss can result in poor IPTV quality. This makes both the subscriber and the service provide unhappy. The good news is that there is an open standards retransmission process (RFC 4588) that allows lost IPTV packets to be retransmitted by a cached video server. This allows a service provider to extend the maximum distance of IPTV service for subscribers. It can be better to retransmit IPTV video through a distributed video delivery network.

This video shows the distortion that occurs when 2%, 10%, and 20% packet errors with and without retransmission:

IPTV Field Service Requires a Combination of Electronics and Information Technology Skills

Field service technicians for IPTV require a mixture of electronics and information technology skills. The customer and IPTV service provider are interested in improving a quality of experience (QoE) that includes frozen screens, pixilation, and audio synchronizations. Technicians must deal with a mixture of hard to discover soft challenges (not full failures) that can be caused by poorly designed systems, incompatible devices, constantly changing software revisions and end-user equipment. To be an effective IPTV technician, it is almost essential to understand both electronics (physical access) and information technology (data networks and software services).

Technicians must understand the basics of access systems. The connection from the IPTV service provider can utilize several access types, including DSL, optical, RF (cable TV), wired data (Ethernet WAN) and wireless. The connection can be influenced by line conditions, such as the quality of the cable or connectors used, or back-end interconnections, such as access network congestion. The signal levels, such as RF or optical power, and the line condition (spectral profile) can be influential on the reliability of a connection.

Technicians must also understand home networks, which may be a mixture of data cable (Ethernet), powerline (HomePlug), coax (MoCA), wireless (802.11) and fiber (plastic LED fiber). The devices that customers connect to these networks can dramatically influence performance levels. Technicians need to understand how these types of home networks operate, and adapt to changing conditions. For example, the throughput of data connections over powerlines can be influenced by electrical noise from motors.

Technicians must also contend with new devices, technologies and services, such as Smart TVs, which utilize applications much like smart phones. These TVs may be connected to other devices, such as gaming consoles, and technicians must have the ability to troubleshoot these smart accessories. Another example is the connection of microphones to STBs for Karaoke, which is popular in China.

An Effective IPTV Technician Understands both Electronics and Information Technology