FEED Summer 2023 Web

Exploring the future of media technology

EDITORIAL EDITOR Verity Butler

+44 (0)1223 492246 veritybutler@bright.uk.com

STAFF WRITER Katie Kasperson DIGITAL WRITER Samara Husbands CHIEF SUB EDITOR Matthew Winney SUB EDITORS Ben Gawne, Martin Puddifer JUNIOR SUB EDITOR Lori Hodson CONTRIBUTORS David Davies, Fergal Ringrose, Michael Burns ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Sam Scott-Smith +44 (0) 1223 499457 samscott-smith@bright.uk.com SALES MANAGER Emma Stevens

+44 (0) 1223 499462 +44 (0) 7376 665779 emmastevens@bright.uk.com

he dawn of the internet has been one of the most world- shifting events of recent times. It shapes practically every

of our remote and hybrid broadcast Masterclass. Plus, make sure you don’t miss our breakdown of recent reports on cybersecurity as well as our annual NAB Show round-up! Noticed how cars are gradually turning into cinemas and entertainment studios on wheels? We have too. Future Shock examines the opportunities this presents to the broadcasting landscape. Cloud was one of the hottest topics at this year’s NAB Show (and practically every NAB for the last 15 years!), so make sure to catch Industry Inventory – where a collection of cloud specialists share all you need to know on the solutions available to the M&E market. Finally, be sure to head over to this issue’s Xtreme, where we report on the tools behind the 2023 Cambridge and Oxford Boat Race – alongside a detailed exploration of innovation in the robotics side of sports broadcast.

SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE Claire Cornish

+44 (0) 1223 499453 clairecornish@bright.uk.com

intersection of our lives, from being able to instantaneously find out the answer to any burning question, to battling a global pandemic with remote-working tools. With the great power it holds over civilisation as a whole comes even greater responsibility – an increasingly urgent one at that – to ensure that safety is enforced in every corner of the online universe. Our summer issue delves into digital dangers faced by younger generations, and what’s in place to tackle them, with a social media safety special. In our Genius Interview, we talk to TikTok EMEA policy manager and an all-round internet safety guru, Daisy Soderberg-Rivkin, about the larger-scale protocols in place. Speaking of remote working: we’re back with an updated, post-pandemic edition

DESIGN DESIGNER AND AD PRODUCTION Man-Wai Wong JUNIOR DESIGNER Hedzlynn Kamaruzzaman DESIGN MANAGER Alan Gray DESIGN DIRECTOR Andy Jennings PUBLISHING MANAGING DIRECTORS Andy Brogden & Matt Pluck FOLLOW US linkedin.com/company/feedzine @feedzinesocial

This month’s cover illustration was created by Man-Wai Wong at Bright Publishing

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IN THIS ISSUE

START-UP SNAPSHOTS 024 Arti AR

016 NAB Show 2023 006 FEED:SHOW

071 Klearnow AI 079 Orchard Clips 0 90 TMT Insights 12 9 Shotstack

Our rundown of the latest media tech news and industry announcements

The 100th birthday wasn’t the only key takeaway from this year’s incredible expo

028 Parental controls We uncover the dangers posed by the web, and the tools we can use to protect the most vulnerable 036 Securing your socials We’ve talked the internet, but navigating social media is a different ball game

054 Just the Numbers 046 Genius Interview

Meet TikTok’s new EMEA policy manager and internet safety guru, Daisy Soderberg-Rivkin

FEED:XTREME

092 Sports Reporter The biggest news bulletins from the sports and esports divisions of broadcast media 102 The Gemini Boat Race Oxbridge’s famous race is now a global event – thanks to the live production teams involved 110 Robotics in sports OB The OB scene has change rapidly thanks to the sports TV sector. Machines are now major players

Cybercrime is on the rise. Here’s our breakdown of the latest facts and figures

072 Industry Inventory 060 Masterclass: Hybrid life Our expert panel holds an open discussion on the current state of broadcast workflows Cloud solutions are increasingly ingrained into everyday broadcast, according to our line-up of pros

084 Futureshock

120 Esports empires

In-car entertainment is at the start of its journey, with international success being its final destination

We’ve all heard of end-to-end broadcast. But what about end-to-end esports?

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FROM OUR PARTNERS

023 NewTek 026 Sony 034 TSL 041 Signiant

042 Lawo 052 Zixi 058 MPB 067 Dejero

068 Qvest 070 Brainstorm 080 Panasonic 100 Riedel

108 TSL 116 Harmonic 126 Ross Video

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114

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Trade shows may be back in full force, but we’re not going anywhere. Read ahead for M&E highlights from around the world

Words by Katie Kasperson

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We know you need to be kept up to date with the many comings and goings of broadcast tech. Don’t worry! FEED has all the latest product unveilings TECHNOLOGY & DEPLOYMENTS

SAVING SWITZERLAND

ONE-STOP SHOP

Schutz & Rettung Zürich (SRZ), Switzerland’s largest civilian rescue organisation, has equipped its command vehicle with Riedel’s Artist and Bolero intercom systems and RSP-1216HL SmartPanel. Since summer 2022, the vehicle has successfully completed many emergency missions thanks to Riedel’s reliable communications systems. SRZ includes the fire brigade, ambulance service, civil defence, operations control centre and fire police, responding to major incidents like accidents and natural disasters. The command vehicle holds three separate rooms: work, report and support. “Everything must absolutely work 100% reliably in the event of a crisis,” says Erwin Engel, sales manager Switzerland. Thomas Hauert, staff officer and chief situation and command support, concurs.

MwareTV is providing a one-stop shop for US-based ISPs, covering more than 200 channels in a single contract. Users launching services will save time, with deployments taking just a few weeks. MwareTV’s cloud-hosted streaming SaaS includes subscriber and channel management, as well as interface creation via the innovative AppBuilder. “We have broad experience in delivering total solutions for residential multi-unit communities and commercial chains,” says CEO Sander Kerstens. The SaaS avoids complex legal and technical issues, allowing these bodies to ‘provide the best service.’

“In order for front-line emergency forces to manage events in the best possible way, we are dependent on operational resources that provide an overall view of the situation as quickly as possible.” Enter Riedel. Its Artist intercom system integrates SRZ’s Polycom digital radios, allowing the team to exchange pertinent information in real time. Additionally, the Bolero beltpacks each have a 17-hour battery life, aiding the chief officers and volunteer rescuers during long shifts.

FEMALE-CENTRED FAST

Germany’s Mainstream Media AG, with help from Amagi solutions, has launched its first female-centred Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST) channel, Starke Frauen (Strong Women). This channel adds to Germany’s rapidly growing FAST adoption.

Starke Frauen features international, female-led shows, and is available on Rakuten TV and LG channels. Mainstream Media AG deployed Amagi Cloudport and Thunderstorm for cloud-based channel playout and server-side advertisement insertion, respectively.

FULL FLEX

Dalet has launched FlexMobile, a mobile app for iOS and Android devices, as part of its Dalet Flex media logistics platform. The app lets users work with asset collections, perform reviews, add timecode-based comments and share content quickly. The cloud-based Dalet Flex platform is used to manage multimedia libraries, streamline production workflows and

facilitate supply chains. The addition of FlexMobile expands connectivity to digital content, while other updates – like added functionality in FlexReview and extended language support – make for a more efficient, accessible platform. With hybrid deployment capabilities, businesses can use the cloud while capitalising on their existing on-premises investments.

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Ateliere has released new data analytics capabilities for its Connect and Discover media supply chain platforms. By doing so, Ateliere is giving customers ‘visibility and accessibility to key information,’ according to CEO Dan Goman. The cloud-native platforms aggregate all data into a single ‘warehouse,’ ADVANCED ANALYTICS

with KPIs presented in a dashboard. This includes the number of titles, minutes and gigabytes processed, as well as detailed reports split by event type, status, quality and provider. The dashboard also shows peaks in content production, informing critical business decisions without requiring a data scientist.

HIGH-QUALITY CARNIVAL

DING DONGLE

Allente recently launched a 4K dongle for its OTT Google TV service – the first operator to do so within the EMEA region – with the help of 3 Screen Solutions (3SS) and SEI Robotics. The dongle requires no set up, minus the installation of the Allente app during first-time installation. It includes a remote with intuitive controls, such as an Allente button and TV button for quick access. It also features an Ethernet port, so viewing is uninterrupted by intermittent Wi-Fi. Allente employees can manage all apps and connected devices, including the new dongle, via 3SS’s 3Ready Control Centre. Any UX/ UI updates will be automatically applied, resulting in consistent, cross-device user experiences.

Following a successful World Cup trial, Globo and V-Nova have partnered again – this time, to deliver an LCEVC-enhanced stream of the 2023 Carnival in São Paulo and Rio. They configured the livestream alongside an AVC/H.264 feed to demonstrate the contrast in quality. During a trial broadcast, the LCEVC-enhanced stream produced a higher-quality output while saving 40% of bandwidth when compared to the AVC. “These real-life trials

Mola, an Indonesian OTT streaming service provider, is using Broadpeak’s UmbrellaCDN (content delivery network) selection, BkA100 analytics and Advanced CDN solutions to enhance and streamline its global video distribution. Mola can select CDNs fit for each request based on geolocation, end- demonstrate that this brand-new technology can be deployed today,” says V-Nova CEO Guido Meardi. LCEVC enhancement will power Brazil’s upcoming TV 3.0 system. STREAMLINED SOLUTIONS

QUICK FIX

user ISP, content type and time of day. It can also analyse consumption metrics and troubleshoot on the server and client sides. “UmbrellaCDN empowers Mola, allowing them to instantly select the most appropriate CDN for any situation and subscriber,” says Broadpeak CEO Jacques Le Mancq.

Zixi, provider of the Software- Defined Video Platform, is partnering with Estrella TV to distribute its broadcasts over IP. Estrella TV is a US- based, Spanish-language TV network with 15 operators, 35 affiliates and over 20,000 hours of original video content. The Estrella TV team use Zixi’s Zen Master control plane to deploy its new IP-based workflows, monitor stream health, deliver ultra-low latency and more.

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RADIO STAR

Media Distillery has launched Ad Break Distillery, a solution which identifies the exact start and stop times of advert breaks during live video broadcasts. This enables operators and service providers to enhance advertising opportunities without compromising on viewer engagement potential. Viewership continues to shift towards VOD and away from traditional television. Some broadcast channels have five- BROADCAST BREAKS

M6 Distribution Digital, part of France’s Groupe M6, has chosen Ad Insertion Platform’s (AIP) DAIConnect for its radio channels. DAIConnect enables dynamic advertising insertion during live radio, tailoring the listening experience to each end user without introducing buffering or latency issues. “Dynamic Ad Insertion combines the reach, value and impact of traditional radio with the targetability, scalability and analytics of digital,” says AIP CEO Laurent Potesta. M6 Distribution Digital and Groupe M6 can benefit from additional revenue resulting from personalised content.

minute ad breaks, but these may cause viewers to tune out. Short ad breaks maintain attention and encourage recall – an obvious choice for today’s OTT services. With Ad Break Distillery, providers can create new ad inventory, repurpose content, enforce trick-play restrictions, offer ad-skipping subscription models and more. It includes flexible integration options and encourages consistent UX across all content.

A GLOBAL GOAL

Globecast is working with Radio Télévision Sénégalaise (RTS) to grow its international presence. This comes as part of a larger goal: to bring Senegalese news and culture to viewers around the world and boost Senegal’s economy through tourism. A goal of this scale requires a concerted effort. RTS sends a signal to Paris via GCXN – Globecast’s public internet distribution solution – using the SRT protocol. This is then uplinked to various satellites and circulated across Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and MENA. Globecast oversees this operation and ensures synchronisation between all those involved.

MEDIA IN MENA

Gulfsat Communications, a service provider covering the MENA region, has installed Ateme’s converged video headend solution. This will power Gulfsat’s London and Kuwait locations, which service Arabic-language channels.

Ateme’s solution – which includes Titan, an encoding and statistical multiplexing technology – allows Gulfsat to transmit SD and HD DTH services throughout the MENA region. It also provides OTT and UHD capabilities.

Rascular – continuing to expand its NDI ecosystem – has launched the ViewMaster VR Pro multiviewer. The ViewMaster VR Pro is an advanced version of the ViewMaster VR, complete with four outputs to support a multimonitor environment, each of which can generate a unique NDI source with audio. The ViewMaster VR Pro benefits from additional configuration and control options, such as managing Rascular’s NDI routing solutions from within the multiviewer, enabling users to switch paths at will. It can display up to 36 NDI sources at once, discerning MULTIVIEWING MAYHEM

between those in Preview or Live mode. Users can also create presets for each project, making for an easier set-up process.

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SOFTWARE CITY

Telestream is now offering its Lightspeed Live Capture – a multichannel video capture and processing solution – as software-only. The new version supports transport streams, SRT, NDI and RTMP IP formats, and is integrated with Telestream Vantage, a workflow automation service. “It’s the same software in a flexible form with a lower cost of entry,” says senior director

of product management, Owen Walker. Telestream is also updating its Live Schedule app, which Lightspeed Live Capture uses to schedule event recordings. The update includes enhanced router control features, such as capturing media directly into

GLIM, a software for remote viewing and sub-clipping.

TILTING TV s

IPHONE-OGRAPHY

Sanus has released two new TV mounts: the Large Outdoor Premium Tilt TV Wall Mount and the Large Outdoor Premium Full-Motion TV Mount. The mounts support TVs from 37 to 95 inches and 40 to 85 inches,

respectively. Both are designed for any weather, being made from stainless steel and corrosion-resistant coating, and feature easy tilting adjustments with Sanus’ VirtualAxis technology. Both TV mounts are ideal for outdoor use, but the Full-Motion mount provides more flexible viewing. It can extend up to 25 inches from the wall with a 44 ° swivel, while the Tilt mount can only be adjusted vertically. However, the Tilt mount includes Sanus’ handy ProSet feature, which provides micro-adjustments, while the Full-Motion mount offers a motion lock so it stays in place. Both mounts also boast slim profiles, with TVs mounted between 2.18 and 2.74 inches from the wall.

Alteon has launched an iOS app, a cloud- based content management system for iPhone photographers and videographers. The app combines Apple’s high-quality camera technology with Alteon’s CMS capabilities, allowing users to create and share content with their collaborators. Alteon helps streamline the post- production process. iPhone users upload content for editing – thanks to Alteon’s workflow extension, editors can import files straight into Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro. The app’s ‘shooting window’ feature allows creators to set a timer, so everything captured within that frame is automatically added to their Alteon account.

InSync Technology recently released a new version of its FrameFormer software, which delivers high- quality, real-time video conversion. The update, aimed at improving frame rate conversion for sports broadcasters, works on CPUs – either on location or in the cloud. For a typical broadcast, it reduces CPU demand by up to 20%, thus lowering operating costs and environmental impact. The update also enables FrameFormer to run on increasingly popular ARM processors. “Our customers tell us that preserving detail in their challenging content is critical for them,” says LOW-COST CONVERSION

STUDIO SWITCHERS

For-A has continued its partnership with the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) with the installation of an HVS- 2000 3 M/E switcher in the PBC’s news studio. For-A has also provided the PBC with 15 flyaway kits, including the HVS- 100 and ClassX graphics. The HVS-2000 is a full-featured production switcher with 48 inputs. This can feed HD or 4K HDR in-vision displays over to studio floors, depending on their broadcast requirements.

CTO of InSync James Shepherd. “For our development team, this means continuing to raise the subjective image quality, and doing so with reduced resources.” The software update is available now for both new and existing users.

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INDUSTRY NEWS Mergers, acquisitions and partnerships are shifting the tectonic plates of our landscape – here are the biggest movers and shakers

DYNAMIC DUO

NOW IT’S PERSONAL

VidOvation is partnering with Tone to deliver personalised, direct-to-device marketing to end users. Tone uses ‘Audio Activated QR’ to listen for embedded transmissions in film, television, advertising and other media. This then provides a user’s geolocation and, in turn, the event they’re attending. Using this information, VidOvation customers in the broadcast, streaming, production and pro AV markets can broaden user engagement during trade shows, cinema trips, sports matches and the like. This method of ‘passive’ engagement through personalised content is gaining traction in digital marketing and advertising. “Imagine being at a hockey game, and an offer to buy your favourite

Through a recent strategic partnership, Dalet and Fincons are expanding cloud-native workflow solutions to international media markets. Fincons brings four decades of international IT consulting experience to the duo, allowing Dalet to capitalise on its diverse consumer base – which includes both established media organisations and trailblazing storytellers – and technical expertise. “Nearly everyone today is a content creator,” says Ewan Johnston, Dalet’s strategic alliances and channel partner director. Dalet specialises in optimising modern content workflows, which includes SaaS, logistics and media distribution. Fincons will include Dalet Flex and Dalet Pyramid as part of its portfolio, connecting Dalet with new businesses and ‘ensuring success as customers transition to the cloud,’ adds Johnston.

player’s jersey is pushed to your phone when they score a goal,” suggests Jim Jachetta, executive VP at VidOvation. By incorporating Tone technology, customers will be able to do just that, creating new revenue opportunities in the process.

PATENT APPROVED

OpenVault was recently granted a patent – ‘System and Method for Prescriptive Diagnostics and Optimisation of Client Networks’ – for providing broadband operators with the tools to correct Wi-Fi and Ethernet issues. The technique gives operators a full view of subscriber and access networks, connected devices, equipment and services, allowing them to optimise individual network conditions. FANS FIRST Videocites, a company which analyses user-generated content (UGC) to reveal social trends, has partnered with the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as Velocity Capital Management and Infront Sports & Media AG. Thanks to its investors, Videocites can provide insights into the NBA’s public perception based on UGC – including that of fans and media partners – published online. According to

OpenVault’s diagnostics don’t discriminate between service providers, and use cloud- based computing to manage millions of subscriber devices. The system includes a dashboard with useful information about visibility, user details, service capabilities and more. Plus, a ‘fix it now’ button provides recommendations for customer service representatives, so issues can be resolved efficiently and without requiring a home visit.

Fan behaviour and UGC undoubtedly impact a brand’s popularity, but they have historically been difficult to measure. By developing AI-generated identification and video-fingerprinting technology, Videocites can recognise and analyse social trends and brand engagement for the NBA. This benefits the NBA as a business and provides suggestions for commercial opportunities.

Videocites co-founder and CEO Eyal Arad, the company is ‘turning that ‘perception’ into quantifiable data.’

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BEST OF BROADBAND

HIGH FIDELITY

Charter Communications has selected Harmonic’s Emmy-winning CableOS Broadband Platform to deploy virtual CMTS technology for its high-speed services. This cloud-native platform enables multi-gigabit Docsis 3.1 and 4.0 convergence, improving deployment efficiency and connectivity. CableOS currently powers over 90 broadband providers across the globe, including leading companies in the US, Europe, LatAm and Asia.

IHSE recently announced its 487 Series KVM Secure Core extenders, which allow users to switch between computers operating at different classification levels. The 487 Series is designed to comply with Common Criteria/NIAP data security, as well as the US government. With threats to cybersecurity becoming increasingly prevalent, it is essential to protect networks from data leakage

of both classified and also unclassified information. The Draco vario 487 Series maintains air-gap signal isolation, protecting audio-visual distribution by having it flow in one direction and preventing host-to-peripheral direct access. The 487 Series offers support for USB-HID extenders for keyboard and mouse, letting users securely access and control sources through the same port.

ALLIANCE, ASSEMBLE

The Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) Alliance has welcomed over 600 members in six years, gaining near-universal support across the broadcast and streaming sectors. Developed by Haivision, the SRT Alliance encourages member organisations to adopt the SRT protocol, which enables secure, low-latency video connectivity over the internet. Since it was open-sourced, almost every broadcast, cloud and VOD provider has adopted SRT and members include Paramount and Dolby.io.

MEDIA MIGRATION

Grass Valley (GV) and Globo have announced a multi-year partnership, in which GV will assist Globo with its transition to the cloud. In an effort to transform the digital side of its business, Globo will migrate its operations using GV’s Agile Media Processing Platform (AMPP). This will allow Globo to shed its hardware investments as well as expand its production capacity for live events. Globo is the largest media company in the LatAm market, and cloud migration is core to its modernisation.

MILLIONS IN MILLISECONDS

Osprey Video has announced an integration of its Talon 4K and UHD encoders and decoders with Red5’s Pro Server to deliver interactive video streaming in real time. By incorporating Red5 Pro, Osprey can provide ultra low-latency streaming at sub 500 milliseconds. This partnership will support content providers and their global viewers by offering quality video streams.

Osprey’s Talon encoders ingest 4K/60p feeds from cameras or master controls, which are then transcoded in real time by Red5 Pro before being sent to users via IP. Providers can ensure smooth delivery of low-latency streams in various settings. This is important for media and entertainment, where consumers need to view content simultaneously.

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PARTNER PROGRAMMES iSize has joined the Google Cloud Partner Advantage programme as a Build Partner, meaning the company can deliver its solutions via Google Cloud. As a Build Partner, iSize can also implement its advanced technologies – BitSave and BitClear – as part of a wider infrastructure. BitSave uses psychovisual technology to mimic the human visual system and optimise video bit rate. BitClear provides AI-based denoising to remove video artefacts and thus revive quality without altering content. iSize customers using either software can deliver high-quality video solutions quickly, across any codec, to any device, all thanks to the Google Cloud. In other news, LiveU has joined the AWS Partner Network (APN) after it successfully completed AWS’ Foundational Technical Review process. LiveU Central, its cloud management platform software, helps customers with their ‘ground- to-cloud’ video solutions via portable encoders powered by AWS. The APN is a global community that combines industry expertise and well-designed resources to offer solutions for the best possible customer experiences.

Dutch media organisation Antenna Group recently acquired Sony Pictures Television’s portfolio in Central and Eastern Europe, which included 22 TV channels, two streaming services and more than 24 million subscribers. Upon completing this recent acquisition, Antenna recruited Imagine Communications to migrate its content to Landmark Rights and Scheduling, a cloud-based SaaS. Operating under a tight turnaround, Imagine implemented the system in under 12 weeks. Landmark Rights and Scheduling lets users create single or multichannel schedules, combining programme content and advertisements into a single playlist. It can be deployed for both live and on-demand video streaming. UPON ACQUISITION

IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES Disguise is partnering with Nvidia to integrate RenderStream with the Nvidia Omniverse, allowing content creators to link their preferred production tools in a single system. With a unified workflow, creators can keep up with evolving demands and build immersive visual experiences. Nvidia Omniverse lets users design three-dimensional virtual worlds that enhance live performances, location-based experiences, television productions and broadcasts with the help of RenderStream, which transfers information between third-party engines. The platform allows for cloud-based collaboration and also supports disguise Drive and Previz for uploading, storing, previsualising and sharing 3D content.

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CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION: A SHOW TO REMEMBER 2023 marked 100 years of NAB – and there’s no better place to celebrate that than Las Vegas. The FEED team showed up in style to meet industry leaders, exhibitors and communicators. Here are our biggest takeaways Words by Katie Kasperson

ust touched down in Vegas town! On Saturday 15 April, the (now all-female) FEED team convened in Las Vegas for our long-awaited appearance at this year’s NAB Show. For some (me), it was the first time in Sin City. Luckily, I had three Vegas veterans showing me the ropes. On Sunday, we made the trek from the LINQ Hotel to the Las Vegas Convention Centre via futuristic monorail. Our first stop was the Central Hall, where we met with Calrec and Clear-Com before splitting up to cover all bases and reconvene later. Monday began with a Bubble breakfast at the Renaissance Hotel, where we met – round-robin style – with many of its clients.

In the day, we visited over 15 stalls, including our friends at Rohde & Schwarz, Blackmagic and Haivision, and I also saw ‘A conversation with Brett Goldstein’ on the Main Stage, moderated by Ashley Nicole Black. On our final day, spent almost entirely in the expansive West Hall, we saw over 20 stalls and familiar faces at AJA, Qvest and M2A Media, to name a few. We dropped by the Streaming Summit, listening in on ‘FAST, AVOD and SVOD: Defining the new pay TV bundle’ before packing up to head home. As with every NAB, themes emerged, clueing us into the state of broadcast. By speaking with vendors and making our own observations, we saw some clear patterns.

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ON THE UP: AI

Of the vendors we met, many have incorporated AI into their latest products and solutions. Trint uses AI to transcribe audio and video files in over 30 languages, and can also create closed captions, increasing accessibility. EVS’s XtraMotion 2.0 is an AI-based service that uses ‘frame interpolation’ to create clips in super slow-motion. This even works on archived content. Magnifi’s AI-powered highlight generation enhances sports content and promotes fan engagement. These bite-sized clips can be published to a range of platforms in real time. Audio Design Desk (ADD) created its own ‘Sonic Intelligence’ to simplify sound editing during post-production. I saw this first-hand at its booth, where I spoke with CEO and co-founder

Gabe Cowan about how ‘sound can see.’ ADD then gave a demonstration using original audio, with video borrowed from the Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once . Meghna Krishna, chief revenue officer at Magnifi, noted that people seemed ‘positive but sceptical’ about AI at this year’s NAB. Gone are days of equating AI to robots rendering us obsolete, but it’s new territory nonetheless. AI can parse and generate text, audio and/or video quicker than humanly possible, boosting workflow efficiency. It’s likely a tool that’s here to stay – at least in the media sector.

AN INDUSTRY FIRST Tedial debuted its Smartpacks, a new feature of Smartworks that is a suite of Package Business Capabilities (PBCs). According to Tedial, PBCs are ‘reusable software components that provide the key building blocks of a composable enterprise” to streamline business units for broadcasters. It’s the M&E industry’s first PBC solution.

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SERIOUS BUSINESS Industry big hitters gather on the show floor to compare notes and show off their latest tech

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPORTANCE NAB launched its first-ever Excellence in Sustainability awards, to highlight ‘outstanding innovations in media tech that promote conservation and the reusability of natural resources.’ Harmonic won the sustainability in product or service award for its CableOS Broadband Platform; EVS, Varnish Software and Immersion Room received honourable mentions. Most vendors had a take on sustainability, like Alteon.io. Matt Cimaglia, co-founder and CEO, explained how the platform encourages sustainable practices. “I have a philosophy of one file… Not only are you reducing how many hard drives your team needs, but the energy it takes to download or copy that file.” By turning away from physical hard drives, companies are reducing the carbon footprint caused by shipping and transportation.

ALL ABOUT OPTIMISATION There’s demand for increased efficiency in all business areas, and ‘optimised workflows’ seem to be the answer. Both CGI and NPAW offer one-stop shops for data analytics, customer insights and other info, where everything is accessible via one dashboard.

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PAY TV PANEL This year’s Streaming Summit featured about 75 speakers in 26 events, covering everything from user experience and engagement to advertising opportunities. We attended ‘FAST, AVOD and SVOD: Defining the new pay TV bundle’, a panel discussion moderated by Barry Tishgart about what’s next for OTT services.

Speakers Archana Anand, Gio Punzo and Brian Rifkin touched on Netflix, Disney and other popular streaming services, analysing their business models and suggesting improvements. They took questions from the group, providing insights for everyone – but especially those new to streaming.

ROUND AND ROUND The Tesla Loop once again transported showgoers around the enormous NAB Show site

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CREATIVE CONVERSATION Roy Kent himself, Brett Goldstein, graced the Main Stage to discuss his creative approach to writing, acting, stand-up comedy and everything in-between. The conversation, moderated by Ashley Nicole Black, drifted from Goldstein’s background and what it’s like working in a writer’s room to fears, dreams and working with Harrison Ford.

The talk was like watching two friends catch up – which is essentially exactly what it was – Goldstein and Black

work together on Ted Lasso , which is now in its third series. Goldstein is also co-creator of Shrinking , the host of Films To Be Buried With and the winner of multiple Emmy awards – not bad.

HYBRIDISATION: STRIKING A BALANCE

We have seen an undeniable shift towards hybrid workflows. While physical equipment is often irreplaceable, companies are transitioning to cloud-based systems that encourage remote access across teams or entire organisations. As we head to an even more globalised economy, teams in the US and UK may need to collaborate on a project. Dalet offers solutions for media workflows (Flex) and news production (Pyramid), both of which ‘break silos’ between locations and make this collaboration possible. Reliable, high-speed internet is paramount. Dejero prides itself on its ‘resilient connectivity,’ calling this the ‘secret sauce’ of cloud-based workflows. Smart Blending Technology allows products like EnGo 3 to act as ‘souped-up hotspots,’ regardless of place. According to Chris Lennon, director of standards strategy at Ross Video, the on- premises/cloud balance depends on your goals. “We’re not believers in the cloud for the cloud’s sake,” he says. By having conversations and educating consumers, companies can find solutions that meet their clients’ needs.

’TIL NEXT TIME

This year’s NAB proved one thing: in-person conferences are truly back. With attendance surpassing 65,000 and 166 countries represented, the industry well and truly showed up. In three short days, FEED connected with countless innovative organisations. We’re already counting the days until next April!

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The need to support pandemic-era streaming productions was the initial impetus for Broadley Studio to invest in a NewTek TriCaster® 2 Elite. Now, it’s fundamental to the company’s day-to-day infrastructure

n many ways, the pandemic was a catalyst to explore new technology and ways of working. It provided a chance to put streaming to the test – to deliver events for corporate and broadcast applications. London-based Broadley Studio can certainly attest to the evolving expectations around streaming productions. Founder and managing director Richard Landy indicates that the company’s approach to streaming began to crystallise several years ago with its purchase of a NewTek TriCaster® Mini content creation system: “We’d had various ways of putting systems together over the years, and that had often been a bit of a challenge. But when we got our first TriCaster, we suddenly had a solution that provided all we needed in one box – allowing us to mix multiple camera feeds and stream everything via one easy piece of equipment.” The arrival of the pandemic – and, in particular, an upsurge in the number of complex productions – prompted Landy’s team to undertake a review. “People were becoming more demanding; there was an expectation that the solution we delivered be completely fail-safe.” Ultimately, the business decided to commence an extensive revamp that included overhauling the network infrastructure. Broadley Producer Arjun Pala recalls: “We upgraded from Cat5 to Cat6 cable throughout the building, which revolutionised our use of Dante and NDI® networking technologies. We can really buzz things around the building with ease, and tasks that would have been impossible before are now very achievable.” Optimising the use of NDI is certainly one of the key advantages of Broadley’s other major investment – a NewTek TriCaster 2 Elite. Described as the most complete video production

MOVING WITH THE TIMES Broadley Studio’s new TriCaster® 2 Elite has made it possible to produce more demanding streams with a much higher level of intricacy

WATCH ME! NewTek’s powerful and affordable tools help tell your story beautifully

cope with a number of demanding projects. As Landy recalls: “Some of the streams that we were doing with one customer began at 9am, finished at 6pm and involved multiple remote callers, virtual sets and a whole myriad of complexity. There’s no room for error there, so the TriCaster 2 Elite gave us the robustness we needed.” Broadcast technology reseller Altered Images provided support during the purchasing and installation phase, but all in all it has been a remarkably smooth process. Pala notes he “became comfortable and familiar with the features very quickly,” while Landy says the system has “paid for itself already! At the moment, we’re using it every week for a sports show that is being streamed globally and is part of a multifaceted digital offering including social media content edits. It’s this sort of project that exemplifies all of the benefits we have gained from investing in a TriCaster 2 Elite.”

platform available today, the TriCaster 2 Elite establishes new standards for what can be achieved with a single system. Its improved features are: increased streaming power, quality monitoring, the NDI TriCaster app for Android, NDI Genlock, an Audio Mixer and Neural Voice Isolation capabilities. “The whole lockdown period allowed us to take advantage of some of the features NewTek has implemented using NDI,” says Pala. “It makes it very easy to have remote workflows and send signals anywhere. If someone wants to watch, you simply send a feed out. The TriCaster 2 Elite also allows flexible working not only in the sense of the feed, but the ability to have people operating in different rooms, contributing from afar.” The TriCaster 2 Elite has also yielded the necessary streaming power to

Interested? Talk to TriCaster experts:

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ARTI AR CEO:

What’s your origin story? I’m Avner Vilan, Arti AR CEO. Arti AR was established by a team of innovative visionaries with expertise in broadcasting, SaaS and augmented reality. Its vision was to transform the way we communicate over video by democratising the AR tech available only for high-end broadcasters. Arti began its journey in broadcast, where AR is traditionally scarce because of its costly hardware and need for professional design teams. This simple, cloud-based solution enabled the introduction of AR to productions that could never dream to do so. First-tier networks such as BBC and CBS used Arti outside their main studios, and dozens of local networks introduced AR to make their newscast look top-tier. In 2022, Arti was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding technical achievement for doing AR from a moving race car in SRX Racing. What is the company working on right now? The challenge of AR technology lies in integrating 3D graphic elements with real-world environments. Existing market solutions are costly and require complex equipment. Exploiting advancement in AI, cloud computing and computer vision, Arti allows any company seeking to enhance its videos and viewer engagement to create broadcast-quality AR content and live video interaction with 3D graphics, within physical environments, as easily as creating a Powerpoint presentation. Our current focus is on enhancing UX and ease of use without compromising high-quality design. We aim to maintain a user-friendly platform while delivering top-notch AR designs that blend seamlessly with real-world surroundings, regardless of the broadcast location. What is the next step? Arti’s mission is to establish itself as the next gen of video presentations and become ‘the Powerpoint of AR.’ While we currently serve enterprise clients like Dropbox and Oracle, we are expanding our target market and developing a self-serve solution that will enable any business to create captivating AR content for a range of uses, including presentations, webinars, marketing, education and more. What one thing does the business need most? As pioneers in AR storytelling solutions, we seek to cultivate a dedicated community who champion the company’s innovation. Arti gives creative tools to advocates, who spread the word of AR magic and showcasing the advantages of AR in their videos, to generate 3X more viewer engagement. Learn more at Arti.AR.

Avner Vilan STARTED: 2019 COUNTRY: Israel

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A panel of Sony and Nevion experts examined how live production will be evolving in the coming years, for a recent edition of its series of Networked Live webinars

iewing and distribution of content are evolving rapidly – demanding higher live quality and quantity for growth and sustainability. Where traditional content production

WATCH ME! Sony and Nevion’s Networked Live webinar

has been constrained by geographical location, advanced networking technology breaks through the boundaries of time and place. Production teams can now access resources anywhere, at any time – through a combination of on-premises servers and the public cloud. Sony’s expertise in IP live production provides unprecedented opportunities for the industry – particularly in this remit. Recently, Sony and Nevion invited viewers to witness a whole new generation of live production solutions, which provide efficiency and agility to workflows, in one of its recent Networked Live webinars: ‘How can you transform the logistics and economics of live production?’ Here’s what we learnt. MEDIA SOLUTION ECOSYSTEM The first crucial element to understanding what Sony and Nevion offer when it comes to distributed production is to discover what the ecosystem is in the first place. “What you can see from this graphic is the total breadth of solutions that exist in the Sony production portfolio,” begins director of networked solutions, Deon LeCointe. “Many people know Sony for our acquisition products, like cameras. They also know us for our display technology: our broadcast and production monitors, our evaluation monitors used on feature films and for video grading, our production trucks for major events. Then there are our Bravia TVs that many of you have sitting at home. What a lot of people aren’t aware of is what’s in-between.” What LeCointe refers to are the fundamental innovations people can’t see being powered

by Sony in the background – which connect its acquisition products right the way through to its display solutions. “The core focus of this discussion is that area on the graphic where you see the word ‘connect.’ This is where Sony and Nevion’s expertise combine, relating to connectivity and management of your on-premises resources, as well as connectivity and management of your cloud-based resources.” READING BETWEEN THE PRODUCTION LINES It is evident that the acquisition of Nevion by Sony took place in part to support the connection of the entire Sony suite of solutions. This is broken down into three pillars: y Network and resource orchestration y Media transport y Hybrid processing & operations “As we all know, the pandemic changed everything: the way we do business and the way we produce content,” highlights LeCointe. “We’d already seen a significant trend towards IP from

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Cloud

AI/metadata

Cloud gateway

Common platform Production tool chain

Multi-format delivery

Acquisition

Viewing

Public cloud Private cloud Remote operation/collaboration Live & file media exchange/5G/SDN Connect

Contribution

Distribution

Network & resource orchestration

Media transport

Hybrid processing & operations United cloud and on- premises processing & operations Distributable & stackable processors Cloud-agnostic processes

Federated orchestration across LAN/WAN/5G/cloud SDN & broadcast control

Real-time media transport across LAN/WAN/5G/cloud

High-quality video compression with

y y y

Advanced monitoring System provisioning

low latency

y y

For remote production, contribution and distribution

On-premises

Home

Local station

OB truck

WAN

Hub station

Data centre

SDI-based architecture within the M&E industry. But as the pandemic forced everyone to work from home, remote workflows really exploded – and continue to do so.” The sustained emergence of remote products has occurred because there are sizeable benefits, both financially and for workflow purposes. “That’s why connectivity becomes so important. We’ve seen an evolution, and Sony is proud to be leading it. We have a range of products that we’re bringing to market to help content creators take advantage,” LeCointe emphasises. An example of this is in Sony’s recent reimagining of the production switcher – which is traditionally built and placed within a machine room on-site or to a dedicated control room. The company recognised that they don’t need to be co-located to a specific studio or control room. “It’s about understanding that a switcher can be leveraged to multiple control rooms – a concept we like to call resource sharing. Each control room has access to the same pool of live production resources, such as the production switcher,” explains LeCointe. “We can do this today using our XVS Switchers, where you can split one physical switcher into two logical ones. We then took that concept further and introduced our MLS-X1 live production switcher.” Sony’s new switcher has a scalable, modular- based architecture, taking the logical switcher

concept even further. The idea is that you start with a single module (MLS-X1) with its own fixed number of resources; but as your production needs grow, you can add further resources. THE THREE P s “The reason we’re here and talking about this is because of that word: connectivity,” explains senior vice president of solution strategy at Nevion, Martin Walbum. “When we say connectivity, we refer to all the different elements of production.”

This is demonstrated by the three Ps: y Places y Processing y People

WE’VE SEEN A REMOTE WORKFLOW EVOLUTION, AND SONY IS PROUD TO BE LEADING IT

“What we offer, as part of the Networked Live programme, is a way to use the infrastructure as it is. If you need to interconnect things via a wide array of connections with lower capacity, then we offer a variety of compression technologies in order to allow you to still use those resources, wherever they might be,” Walbum concludes. To watch the full ‘How can you transform the logistics and economics of live production?’ webinar, head to: pro.sony/en_GB/events/ nevion-webinar-live

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Many potential question marks surround online safety. But there exist increasingly sophisticated ways to prepare children for what’s out there

ince its launch, the internet has come with baggage. Fearmongering has been deployed on a constant basis by governments, media orgs,

puzzle for the older generations to be afraid of. In actuality, the fear of the internet is more than justified. The web (particularly the dark web) is proliferated with child pornography, fraudulent schemes, cyberbullying, extremist propaganda as well as misogynistic, homophobic and racist movements. Need I go on? Of course, it’s a sure statement that the positives that come in tandem with the online landscape outweigh the bad. Truthfully, society as we know it today couldn’t function without the web, having been shaped into its current model by it. Excluding the obvious pros surrounding the knowledge, communication and financial gain it offers; one of the sole reasons the world was able to withstand a global pandemic was thanks to remote working – something that wouldn’t exist without the internet. However, the safety concerns are ever-present – and continue to snowball as online existence becomes crucial to human development. That’s also paired with the fact the news media is burgeoned with public congressional reviews, scandals and court cases featuring those at the top of the online food chain. We had Mark

schools and parents. As a result, the world wide web has been seen from the beginning as a frightening new global enigma; it was (and still is) considered an infinite abyss of knowledge, with an unlimited level of access and a capacity to breach privacy on both micro and macro scales. Looking at the landscape in 2023, a lot of that fear has diverted its course towards the metaverse, another digital

Words by Verity Butler

WATCH ME! Parental control and how to protect your kids online

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Zuckerberg and the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica crisis, recently with TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew – and then let’s not even get started with Elon Musk’s drastic and parental controls have been emerging at an increasing rate to help combat the issues of online safety. That is combined with the next generation of parents having grown up with the internet themselves, and are therefore wise to its dangers and preparing the next generation to cope with them. Jenny Radesky, who studies the intersections of child development, parenting and technology at the controversial takeover of Twitter. Safety techniques and tools like University of Michigan, takes issue with the phrase ‘parental controls’ itself in an interview for a blog by Mozilla. 1 “Parental mediation is a better term, parental engagement is another – and probably also better because it implies meaningful discussion or involvement to help kids navigate media, rather than using controlling or restricting approaches,” she explains. So, how can you mediate as a parent? And what tech exists to support you?

DON’T GET CAUGHT IN THE DARK WEB

The dark web remains the world wide web, but featuring content that exists on darknets: overlay networks that use the internet but require specific software, configurations or authorisation to access. Using the dark web, private computer networks can conduct business anonymously, which is why so much of its activity is illegal.

This forms a small portion of the deep web, meaning the two are often confused. A December 2014 study by Gareth Owen from the University of Portsmouth found that the most hosted type of content was child pornography, followed by black markets. After that were botnet operations, whistleblowing, bitcoin, fraud and mail order services.

SO, HOW CAN YOU MEDIATE AS A PARENT? AND WHAT TECHNOLOGY EXISTS TO SUPPORT YOU?

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