DAVID DAVIES: Given that the ‘remote approach’ is here to stay, do you think we should expect an industry-wide period of investment and renewal in order to solidify the new workflows? JOHN O’SHAUGHNESSY: One of the things we have discovered [concerns the importance] of finding the right balance in how we use our capacities. We have lots of facilities on site, and often when productions require use of those facilities they don’t require them in a simple way. So for us there has [been an impetus to] find a balance between operating that way and then potentially having a local studio sat empty that someone else might want to use, versus the potential complications of adding more remote working. Another point I would make is that [remote/hybrid production] is enabling more smaller events to be covered. These might be events where they can’t really afford to have huge OB vehicles, or whether the broadcaster might be covering multiple events at the same time. Having a media hub that can switch between various local sources gives so much more flexibility. So we have a focus on finding a balance between technology and budget, because for [some of the lower-budget productions] there may be a way of compromising in terms of the equipment you need – questions like, can you do the production with fewer cameras? And so on. This is all achievable, although it does mean you have to adapt to every one of the cases. Every project has its own set of requirements.
GUILHEM KRIER: When it comes to remote production for us at the moment, it means broadcasting and live events; it’s not [applicable in] the corporate market. But in terms of broadcasting and live events, there is a clear demand growing in this direction. In fact we have been asked by customers to adapt our products further to meet that request. For example, we are now pulling ST 2110 support as well as compressed ST 2110 using JPEG XS direct into cameras. Also, we have PTZ cameras that are natively able to output ST 2110 compressed and uncompressed on top of the ‘usual suspects’ like NDI and SRT. It’s worth noting that SRT is in-demand; people are happy with that protocol judging by the feedback we get.
JEREMY MILLER: Yes, customers are ‘gearing up’ for the new ways of working. I also think it’s noticeable that, when you speak to customers, they are used to employing a product in a certain way, but over time – for example, as we have added a 5G product to our EnGo line [of mobile transmitters & internet gateways] – they have also recognised the chance to use these other capabilities, too. People have alluded to trying to do more with less, and [with regard to what can be achieved] a lot of it comes down to bandwidth constraints and budget. A customer’s budget can be impacted if they are working on a remote site that will charge them an arm and a leg to get the fibre connection they need. But with the cellular structures now in place, it’s possible to give people the bandwidth for a full multicamera shoot in which multiple IP cameras can be plugged into mobile units and rack-mounted gateways.
“A MEDIA HUBTHAT CAN SWITCH BETWEEN LOCAL SOURCES GIVES MORE FLEXIBILITY”
feedmagazine.tv
Powered by FlippingBook