Exploring the future of media technology
VIRTUAL SETS INFLUENCING BEHAVIOUR VIDEO VORTEX CONFERENCE LOW-CARBON TRADE SHOWS
The irresistible lure of interactivity Swipe. Tap. Spend.
3 CLOUD FOCUS Wildmoka WELCOME
VIDEOACTIVE
TV isn’t just for watching anymore. Interactive video is here, where you can swipe, tap, pinch and voice command your way through miles of screen content. It’s going to create new business models and new types of content, as well as a
EDITORIAL
EDITOR Neal Romanek +44 (0) 1223 492246 nealromanek@bright-publishing.com CONTRIBUTORS Ann-Marie Corvin, Michael Burns, Phil Rhodes, Heather McLane
whole bunch of new ways to harvest user data. We kick off this issue with a look at some of the new technologies for interactive video and the ways it can be used to increase viewership and enhance e-commerce. Get ready for action TV! Also in this issue, we look at the fantastic potential in virtual sets and live augmented reality content. Virtual sets tech is more than just a green screen and graphics – it’s a hurricane in your living room, holographic rock stars and live dinosaur battles. We also learn some amazing secrets about social data from Oxford Internet Institute professor, Taha Yasseri. And we visit the Video Vortex conference in Malta, where artists and academics plumb the depths of the video landscape and our relationship to it. Finally, jumping on the wave of environmental awareness sweeping the globe, we brainstorm the future of trade shows. In a decade where we all need to drastically curb or eliminate flying altogether, what will media industry networking look like?
STAFF WRITER Chelsea Fearnley
CHIEF SUB EDITOR Beth Fletcher
SENIOR SUB EDITOR Siobhan Godwood
SUB EDITOR Felicity Evans JUNIOR SUB EDITOR Elisha Young
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Matt Snow +44 (0) 1223 499453 mattsnow@bright-publishing.com ADVERTISING MANAGER Krishan Parmar +44 (0) 1223 499462 krishanparmar@bright-publishing.com
DESIGN DESIGN DIRECTOR Andy Jennings DESIGN MANAGER Alan Gray DESIGNERS Man-Wai Wong
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NEWSFEED Dispatches from the world of online video
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YOUR TAKE How a print magazine chose digital storage in its move to full-time digital content producer STREAMPUNK A company in the Czech Republic is making it easy and cheap to livestream from anywhere TECHFEED – VIRTUAL SETS Video magic that was once reserved for top-tier broadcasters is becoming available to everybody FUTURE SHOCK Machine learning is only as smart as the humans training it. And that’s a problem HAPPENING – VIDEO VORTEX FEED visits the Video Vortex conference in Malta, where scholars and artists imagine the future of video START-UP ALLEY This month’s start-ups include an AI-driven video editor and audio- editing collaboration in real time OVER THE TOP With climate change fast becoming a primary concern, what does the future hold for industry networking?
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INTERACTIVE VIDEO FOCUS
26 INTERACTIVE REPORT While you sit still, screens are getting
32 GENIUS
40 ROUND TABLE – ANALYTICS Our experts discuss
INTERVIEW Oxford Internet Institute’s Taha Yasseri on the
how to gather audience data and use it to create better services
active – Wirewax creates a new way of watching
persuasive power of the “like” economy
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BREAKING NEWS FROM THE STREAMING SECTOR
SINGAPORE’S FAKE NEWS CRACKDOWN
Singapore’s new law to combat fake news has come into force, despite criticism from tech companies and activists, who say the strict rules could stifle free speech. Under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, it is now illegal to spread “false statements of fact under circumstances” in which that information is considered prejudicial to Singapore’s society. The law gives government ministers powers to order
social media sites to put warnings next to posts authorities deem to be false, and in some cases get them taken down. Facebook, Twitter and Google – who opposed the bill during its advanced process through parliament – were given temporary exemptions from a handful of provisions to give them time to adapt. If an action is to be judged malicious, individuals could face fines of up to S$100,000 (£57,000), or jail terms of up to
ten years. Companies could be hit with fines of up to S$1m (£570,000). Kirsten Han, editor in chief of New Naratif, said: “The legislation is so broad it’ll be hard to predict how it’s going to be applied. What’s of immediate concern is the chilling effect and the further entrenchment of self-censorship.” Activists fear the law could be used to crack down on dissent during the run up to the Singapore elections.
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7 NEWSFEED Updates & Upgrades
The BBC is planning a redesign of its iPlayer streaming service in an attempt to deal with changes in the way that people are now consuming television. Shows will be made available by default for up to a year, rather than the previous IPLAYER UPGRADE
30-day limit. Though, it’s unclear how this will affect deals cut by the BBC to sell its shows to rival streaming services after they disappear from iPlayer. No date has been set for the revamp, which will be the fourth time the service has made changes to its platform since it launched 12 years ago. It will retain its name, but its look will be changed, and
TikTok has launched an education programme in India as the short-form video app looks to expand its offering. EduTok covers a range of topics, from school-level science and maths concepts to learning new languages. It also features physical and mental health awareness videos, as well as motivational talks. It has partnered with EdTech start-ups, which will produce educational content for the programme. It is also collaborating with Josh Talks, who has already reached more than a record-breaking 35m users in less than two months on TikTok. In the last few months, more than 10m educational videos have been created and shared on TikTok, where they have gained more than 48bn views. The company has not announced the financial structure of its deals with creator partners. The programme aims to democratise learning for the platform’s 200m monthly users in India as demand for education content increases. This expansion to e-learning could also help improve its unscrupulous reputation. Earlier this year, an Indian court banned TikTok, alleging it was hosting and promoting pornographic content. The ban was later lifted. BBC director of content, Charlotte Moore, described the changes as “a new front door for British creativity,” as the broadcaster promises talent “unprecedented levels of creative freedom” and a “broader shop window” on BBC platforms. SHORT-FORM EDUCATION all BBC channels and live events will be integrated alongside box sets.
GAMES COMPANIES EXPLOIT UK TAX RELIEF
A Guardian investigation has found that a UK tax policy intended to boost the domestic video games industry has been used by some of the world’s largest games publishers to avoid paying corporation tax. WarnerMedia, which owns British game development companies that make the Lego and Batman: Arkham series, has claimed up to £60m. Sony, the owner of PlayStation, claimed almost £30m and Sega, which makes the sport series Football Manager, claimed up to £20m. Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR) was introduced by the UK government in 2014 to enable games developers to claim back up to 20% of production costs, with the intention
that it would help small and medium- sized businesses. The European Commission expressed concern the incentive could be used by larger companies, but was persuaded it would focus on “a small number of distinctive, culturally British games, which have increasing difficulties to find private financing”. Five years since the policy passed, The Guardian review of its impact suggests the opposite. Close to half of the relief went to four large foreign- based companies. Scores of games that have few, if any, British cultural reference have been awarded large rebates. The cost of VGTR to the UK taxpayer has increased to over £100m a year, treble what was forecast.
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8 NEWSFEED Updates & Upgrades
5G broadcasting got a test run in Brazil during September’s Rock in Rio festival, organised by the Grupo Globo TV network with tech partner Rohde & Schwarz. The music festival was broadcast on an experimental UHF channel using the new 5G technology. Rohde & Schwarz provided its R&S TMU9evo transmitter and R&S BSCC network component to aid the field trial. Like the 5G TODAY project in Bavaria, which has been ongoing trial was to validate the operability and market opportunities for 5G broadcast technology in Brazil and worldwide. TESTING 1,2,3… 5G since December last year, the aim of this
TREATING GAMING DISORDER
The NHS has opened the UK’s first specialist clinic to treat children who are addicted to playing video games. The initiative was set up prompted by concern about the growing number of young people whose heavy use of video games is causing problems for their mental health. The clinic is part of the National Centre for Behavioural Addictions in London, which also provides support for internet
addiction. Patients referred to it will be able to attend in person or have an online consultation via Skype. NHS chief executive, Simon Stevens, said: “This new service is a response to an emerging problem, part of the increasing pressures that children and young people are exposed to these days.” Last year, the WHO recognised ‘gaming disorder’ as a medical condition and
included it in its latest edition of the International Classification of Diseases, which tells doctors worldwide the conditions the WHO has accepted as a disease. Countries worldwide are now trying to cope with the new addiction. South Korea has banned children under 16 from
using online games between midnight and 6am. In China, Tencent has restricted the number of hours children can spend playing its games. MENOPAUSE MATTERS TO MEDIA
Channel 4 has launched what it says is the first dedicated menopause policy from a UK media company, as it hopes to end the stigma around menopause by encouraging a better understanding. The policy supports employees experiencing menopausal symptoms by giving them access to flexible working arrangements and paid leave if they feel unwell. The strategy also offers staff a private, cool and quiet workspace, a workplace assessment to ensure their environment is not worsening their symptoms and a range of support and guidance resources.
Jane English, co-chair of 4Women, the channel’s in-house gender equality staff network responsible for the policy, said: “Too many women suffer in silence due to the stigma around the menopause. We wanted to open up the conversation and prompt the media industry to also start talking more about how they can better support women transitioning through it.” Meanwhile, O2 has introduced a toolkit for its managers and employees to support staff experiencing symptoms of the menopause, as part of its commitment to promoting inclusion and diversity in the workplace.
The broadcaster cited research showing that less than 5% of UK businesses currently offer a dedicated menopause policy, despite the 59% of women in the workplace who say their symptoms have a negative impact on their work.
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10 YOUR TAKE Media Storage
When Complex Networks decided to make the jump from print magazine to full-on digital content producer, the first thing it needed was the right storage solution CHOOSING STORAGE FOR YOUR VIDEO VENTURE omplex Networks began its journey in 2002 as a print magazine dedicated to hip-hop, fashion and popular street culture. As with most media organisations, the company has had to undergo significant transformation to keep pace with changing audience content consumption habits. JASON COARI, DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT AND SOLUTION MARKETING, QUANTUM Choosing a suitable storage solution is essential ADJUSTING TO NEW MEDIA WORKFLOWS Producing digital content presents different challenges from print, and placed greater demands on the team at Complex Networks. With more content being created – in higher-resolution formats and over a wider variety of platforms – it became clear the company required a more sophisticated storage solution to support the demanding workflow. Previously, an earlier-generation NAS system had been installed, which was designed to provide editors with improved
In 2007, the publication began investing heavily in its online presence, and by 2011 the digital side of the business had grown to include more than 50 websites with over 25 million unique visitors each month. In order to sustain this level of growth, the business reinvented itself in a number of ways, all of which affected overall content production and distribution strategies. On the publication side, the transition was straightforward, and a majority of the magazine’s editorial team are still employed and produce content across all digital platforms. However, the technical side of the business provided a greater challenge. The company had to re-evaluate and eventually modify their technology landscape in order to progress and drive audience engagement.
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11 YOUR TAKE Media Storage
WITH THE NEW SYSTEM IN PLACE, EDITORS AND STAFF ALL HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO THE SAME FILES throughput and efficient shared storage capabilities. The solution was short-lived, however, because its performance was insufficient to support working on a high number of simultaneous, high-resolution video projects. The existing shared storage system also imposed restriction workflow restrictions on the teams. Editors were only able to work at one-quarter to one-half of the ideal resolution needed, meaning they were resorting to external hard drives to increase throughput and get higher performance on their workstations. Such constraints and bottlenecks interrupted workflows and negatively impacted overall efficiency. If Complex Networks was to continue to grow, it needed a storage solution designed for high-performance video production that could scale in line with content growth, support high-resolution video content and facilitate maximum collaboration through coordinated accessibility. Complex Networks ended up selecting a 500TB StorNext-based Xcellis workflow storage system. To be certain the solution was precisely architected to meet its needs, Complex Networks engaged Chesapeake Systems, a systems integrator specialising in helping users design and
two. The software in the array monitors access patterns and automatically moves the most active files to the fastest medium, making the system easier to manage. Previously, the company had five different teams working in isolation to produce primary content. With the new system in place, editors and staff all have direct access to the same files. Sixteen editors have direct fibre channel access to the shared storage for high-performance processing, and approximately 40 more can access the same storage shared over Ethernet using StorNext gateway appliances. LAN access, used for lower- performance tasks such as playback and ingest, provides higher performance than the old system, as a result of the new network being specifically designed for media work only, separate from the corporate Ethernet. StorNext allowed Complex Networks to integrate a multitude of services, including managing, editing and producing content. Ultimately, Quantum’s workflow storage system became the core technical foundation on which Complex Networks based its transition from print to digital production, allowing the organisation to maximise business opportunity and continue to expand its global presence.
TRAINER-ING DAY Complex Networks’ origins as a magazine about hip-hop and sneaker culture are reflected in its video originals. Here, Kyrie Irving goes sneaker shopping with Complex’s Joe La Puma
implement workflow solutions for rich- media environments. After a review of the customer’s workflow, including an analysis of client types, connectivity preferences and throughput needs, Chesapeake validated the company’s plan to go with a StorNext-based solution. MODERN SHARED STORAGE DESIGNED FOR RICH MEDIA AND OTHER DATA-INTENSIVE WORKLOADS The system combines a streaming file system with policy-driven data management, giving users shared access to common content, which can span multiple storage tiers and locations – including disk, tape and the cloud. The StorNext-based solution offered Complex Networks the advantage of a high- performance shared storage environment designed for rich media and other data- intensive workloads. The Quantum hybrid storage arrays provide a combination of storage types within a global namespace, including all HDD, all SSD or any combination of the
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12 STREAMPUNK CamStreamer
A company in the Czech Republic is making it easy and cheap to livestream from Axis IP cams to anywhere on the internet CAM STREAMING FOR EVERYONE Words by Neal Romanek
ivestream cams appeal to the voyeur in us, the desire to watch, god-like, the banal coming and going of the oblivious little people
of Earth. Cams can transport us in a special way that only live broadcast can – “I am watching an event happening right now on the other side of the world”. It’s as if we were imbued with a kind of clairvoyance, develops livestreaming applications for Axis Communications, the pioneering Swedish manufacturer whose IP cameras are used in a range of industrial, security and consumer applications. The company started with a simple encoder embedded in Axis cameras to allow live streaming to YouTube. Now, CamStreamer features foolproof set-up and easy graphic features for a variety of Axis IP camera types, and includes recording options, scheduling and audio features. CamStreamer is employed in many different scenarios. It’s deployed in 24/7 nature cams, including a stream from a white-tailed eagle nest in Latvia and the polar bear pen at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage. Live streaming of tourist landmarks abound – a seafront hotel on the Dutch coast, a Swiss ski resort, and an able to vision events far, far away. Czech company CamStreamer
could be logos of sponsors or owners of a resort, or showing information on what is happening at the location,” says Capousek. “Cities can have a stream going online all the time, and it’s good for attracting visitors and increasing exposure.” APPS FOR CAMS The main CamStreamer app enables easy streaming from an Axis camera to multiple social media platforms simultaneously. It is downloaded right to the camera, eliminating the need for other encoders or hardware. The app integrates easily with YouTube and Facebook Live, but is also compatible with other streaming servers like Wowza, and is available for a single purchase price of $299/€269. The company’s newer CamOverlay app provides graphic overlays for livestreams, burned into the video at source. These allow for addition of weather information, sports results or custom graphics like
ALL OVER THE WORLD Popular initiatives using Axis IP cameras include wildlife watching and tourist destination feeds
ocean view from a bar in the British Virgin Islands, for example. One of the most popular use cases is in small-scale sporting events: “Small sports teams can install cameras around the field and eliminate the need for a cameraman,” explains CamStreamer CEO David Capousek. “And they can then stream to YouTube, which is free. We find that around 80% of our sports customers are using YouTube because of its zero cost and reasonable functionality.” City and resort cams also represent a big chunk of CamStreamer’s custom: a full-time stream of your hotel, resort or tourist centre is a great promotional tool. “They might have a fixed camera equipped with embedded graphics, which
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13 STREAMPUNK CamStreamer
CITIES CAN HAVE A STREAM GOING ONLINE ALL THE TIME, AND IT’S GOOD FOR ATTRACTING VISITORS AND INCREASING THEIR EXPOSURE
logos, using the processing power of the camera. The app will set you back another $299/€269 or you can buy a package of both CamStreamer and CamOverlay for $499/€459. “This is a great advantage compared to the traditional way of adding the overlays,” says Capousek. “You don’t have to transcode the video. You don’t have to unpack it, insert the graphics, and pack it again. You would have to do it on a server. Instead, the CamOverlay application sits inside the camera and takes the video provided by the camera chip and before it is encoded into H264, the graphics are added into the raw image, pixel by pixel, and then the camera encodes it and sends it to the CamStreamer app, to then send it out to YouTube.” CamStreamer is also offering the CamScripter app, which allows users to insert any kind of data into the video stream and extend the functionality of their IP cameras with custom micro apps. It costs an extra $199/€179 and enables easy
inclusion of things like scoreboards or other applications requiring multiple data fields. CAMS AND CARS This summer, CamStreamer apps powered live streams of a popular open-air car show along the Vltava river in Prague. The organisers of the Cars on Náplavka show provided three different livestreams from different vantage points along the Náplavka riverbank neighbourhood. Highlights of the event were music, talks and car displays, including the Czech debut of the new Škoda Kamiq. The camera set-ups not only allowed those unable to attend the festival a chance to spy on the action, but also made for a powerful incentive to go and join the fun. “We want to keep pace with the latest trends, and live streaming is a step in the right direction,” said Czech News Center’s Petr Vaněk, producer of Cars on Náplavka. “With this solution, the event has a perfect tool to attract new visitors. The streams are promoted by our own media channels, and
people can see what’s happening at the event any time they want.” One static camera at the event streamed live from a ferry going between the two banks of the Vltava. Another was mounted in the interior of the new Škoda Kamiq. A third was a pan-tilt-zoom camera located on the main stage overlooking the venue. These were all connected to the internet via local 4G. To provide online viewers with information about the programme and the location of particular stands and
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14 STREAMPUNK CamStreamer
CAMS AND AR The company is looking ahead to being able to implement augmented reality-style graphic elements into the camera feed. “On a PTZ camera we could easily put a placeholder in the video stream, which would show the location of a specific building, say, Big Ben. You are telling the camera that this is the location of the object in the scene and then you attach an info box to that location. When the camera moves over the scene and reaches the location where Big Ben is present, it automatically displays the graphics related to that position. It would be really nice for the city cams.” The company is also developing a simplified kind of video switcher running on the camera. It will be able to switch a virtually unlimited number of camera streams via the user interface window. Most of CamStreamer’s customers are in the US and in continental Europe, driven as they are by Axis camera sales, which are big in these regions. “Our exclusivity with Axis makes it a very recommend a type of camera, we can do it, because we know the catalogue of Axis cameras so well. And often they’ll ask us what they need to get the best streaming out of those cameras. I wouldn’t say it’s professional advisory services, but we’re very knowledgeable about what we do.” good proposition for us,’ concludes Capousek. ‘If someone asks us to
attractions, the CamOverlay app was used to implement helpful infographics, including graphic labelling of each car exhibitor’s stand. An info ticker service provided ongoing programme information. “You can manage everything remotely, the graphics, logos and text that need to be displayed,” says Capousek. “The beauty of Axis being a security company is that cameras are better protected and can be installed in harsh environments, so it makes them very suitable for a lot of the installations we have. You just need to bring power to the camera and router, and that’s it. You don’t need anyone in the field taking care of the camera. It’s protected against rain, sun, dust – everything.”
YOU DON’T NEED ANYONE IN THE FIELD TAKING CARE OF THE CAMERA. IT’S PROTECTED AGAINST RAIN, SUN, DUST – EVERYTHING
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16 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE AWS
THE CLOUD FOR LATAM TV rupo Marcatel has been innovating in
“We have a little bit of everything,” says Edgar Cerón, Aldea Mexico’s general director. “We have education customers, we have government accounts, we have enterprise and we have broadcasters, too. Any company that is doing some kind of video distribution over IP could be one of our customers. It could be e-learning or entertainment – we have diversity in the kind of customers we serve.” This diversity of customers means that Aldea Mexico has developed a diverse service. When the company started, it was providing solely streaming media services, then it moved on to providing hosting services and cloud storage solutions. It is now specialising in content security services for the cloud and even SD-WAN services. SD-WAN stands for ‘software- defined networking in a wide area network’ (WAN) and simplifies the operation of a WAN by separating networking hardware from its control mechanism. “You could say that Aldea Mexico is more like a media and cloud services company,” adds Cerón. FINDING THE RIGHT CLOUD “When we started our move to the cloud, we knew since we were talking about media, we needed a lot of bandwidth, a lot of storage and a lot of processing to do the encoding and transcoding of content. So we started trying solutions with different cloud providers,” says Cerón. It took some time to find the right cloud provider, but Aldea Mexico’s journey came to a happy conclusion two years ago when it began its adoption of AWS tools.
Aldea Mexico is using AWS tools to become an end-to-end provider of cloud-based media services for Latin America
telecommunications for over 50 years, and bringing people
together through telecommunications is in the DNA of all the companies in the group. More than half a century ago, Gustavo M de la Garza Ortega created Radio Beep, a pioneer paging company in Latin America. In 1994, he founded Marcatel, a company that has a Mexican fibre-optic network with a global presence. In 2008, Grupo Marcatel acquired Aldea Montreal to intensify its services worldwide. Aldea Mexico, a branch of the company in Mexico City, provides media and content delivery for customers across Central and South America, specialising in cloud services for the region. Marcatel owns a wide fibre-optic network that connects Mexico, the US, Canada, South America, Europe and Asia. Leveraging this has allowed Aldea Mexico to build first-rate video distribution services over a wide area. While most of Aldea Montreal’s customers are broadcasters, Aldea Mexico’s customers are a wide variety of companies requiring video services.
OUR WORK WITH AWS ISN’T ONLY ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY, BUT ALSO ABOUT THE PEOPLE
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17 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE AWS
“At first we didn’t really understand what would be the big difference between AWS and other vendors,” says Cerón. “But what we noticed when we began working with them is that they would provide us with different tools, so we could start creating our own services for customers.” It was when Aldea Mexico initially started to experiment with AWS tools, that the possibilities for new services became more apparent – that the cloud was for more than just storage. It wasn’t long before Aldea had developed its own online video platform. “With AWS, we were able to start building our own core technology. Instead of reselling the service from someone else, we could build services from scratch by putting together different pieces from AWS,” explains Cerón. Aldea Mexico began to build its own OTT platform using AWS components, including AWS Elemental MediaConvert, MediaLive, MediaTailor and Amazon CloudFront. Once the platform was ready, Aldea began to incorporate social networks
into the product, again developed using AWS tools. CLOUD AMBITIONS Cerón says the company is now looking forward to growing its offering even more, using AWS as the main generator for new services and for being able to provide services tailored for the needs of those in Latin America. “We want to expand. We were just at IBC in Amsterdam where we saw some of the new solutions that AWS is launching and we’re looking forward to being able to work with those,” says Cerón. “Now we have these solutions, something we want to start focusing on is localised services for local markets in South America – and at a price point that is suitable for that area.” “When someone comes in with a product from the US or Europe to Mexico, sometimes those services are too expensive. I’m not saying they aren’t good – they could be very good solutions and services – but we are trying to focus
our strategy in South America on how to develop solutions that fit those markets – Colombia, Chile, Argentina. We are positive our solutions could help those markets.” As part of Aldea Montreal, and being part of Marcatel, Aldea Mexico is looking to provide that complete distribution and contribution service. “We can do everything, from the production at a stadium, taking the video into AWS and then encrypting it out to the end user. We want to be an end-to-end distributor for the region,” says Cerón. But, finally, it’s not only the toolkit that has Aldea Montreal sold on AWS Media Services. It’s also about the relationship it has built with AWS. “Our work with AWS isn’t only about the technology, but about the people. We have had a very good experience with them. They have
provided us not only with tools, but also with ideas,” enthuses Cerón.
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18 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE AWS
AWS took part in a situational awareness day, held annually by the US military and its partners. The experience has led to better use of cloud-based video by governments BOOTS ON THE GROUND, EYES IN THE SKY
on platform and PED (processing, exploitation, dissemination) video/ geospatial applications running on Amazon Machine Images, powered by AWS Snowball Edge Compute and Storage Optimized devices. During the event, attendees shared insights about the challenges associated with their mission video systems. In response, AWS developed a strategy for implementing a hybrid workflow to enhance video performance, quality and resiliency in disconnected, intermittent and limited-bandwidth environments: 1. EMBRACE HYBRID FULL MOTION VIDEO AND STREAMING Until recently, most government video systems mirrored legacy commercial broadcast and IPTV designs – a camera connected to an AVC or HEVC encoder, compressing video, encapsulating using traditional MPEG-2 transport streams and transmitting over a managed IP network. These flows involved laborious IP multicasting protocols. Evolutions in media and entertainment streaming technologies and the cloud offer government organisations new tools to implement hybrid cloud and on-premises architectures that support broadcast-quality video for enterprise and tactical operations. The architecture pulls from familiar commercial contribution techniques using MPEG-2-based transport streams, combined with ground or cloud-based adaptive bit rate (ABR) video processing, aimed to improve quality across the enterprise.
or governments around the world, video is often the gateway for gathering intelligence and developing awareness of a
situation on the ground around the clock. These government organisations rely more and more on full motion video (FMV). Unlike commercial media and entertainment markets, where content is carefully crafted, government organisations can generate and consume huge amounts of content on the fly, in near real time. Government video can originate in areas of the world far outside its own country, in extreme environments, and may be time sensitive or mission critical. Effective video processing techniques are essential for high image quality and reliable performance, and also improved accessibility when it matters most. The Enterprise Challenge is an annual American joint and coalition intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance interoperability demonstration. It’s sponsored by the office of the US Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence – or USD(I). At this year’s challenge, Amazon Web Services demonstrated how government organisations can combine AWS and AWS Elemental services with traditional video infrastructure to improve video processing at the tactical edge. The event served as an operational proving ground, applying cloud-enabled technologies to real-time simulated mission environments. These real-world scenarios include how emergency responders could be supported with aerial video after an infrastructure-crippling natural disaster, how
footage could be furnished to troops on the ground in a combat scenario and how airborne sensor-equipped systems might provide another set of eyes to vessels in a search-and-rescue mission at sea. AWS Elemental demonstrated various aspects of a hybrid cloud workflow, leveraging AWS services aimed at improving the FMV quality of experience over constrained ground-based RF networks. It distributed reliable video streams to local tactical users and performed protected contribution of live FMV content to AWS Cloud Regions. The architecture involved use of a number of AWS services, including AWS Elemental Live on-premises encoding systems, combined with AWS Elemental MediaConnect, MediaLive, and MediaPackage for video transport, encoding, packaging and origination. In addition, nearly a half-dozen AWS Partner Network (APN) partners were involved in the exercise, deploying technologies that included ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) sensor systems, which used AWS Elemental Live small form-factor HEVC/H.265 encoding
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19 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE AWS
Currently, MPEG-2 transport streams are still best for contribution when implementing a hybrid FMV streaming architecture. They provide predictable real-time performance from existing sensor systems from air-to-ground, air-to- cloud, or ground-to-cloud scenarios. To improve picture quality and reduce bit rate, HEVC/H.265 video compression should be considered as the video contribution format. For distribution of FMV streams, OTT streaming formats, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH), or Common Media Application Format (CMAF) are best. They offer ABR profiles, allowing the same live stream to be encoded at single or multiple renditions, from high quality, higher bit rate to low quality, lower bit rate. 2. IMPROVE QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE Live video contribution over RF transmission systems are vulnerable to packet loss if not provisioned for error recovery. Dropped packets equate to data loss, which degrades the quality of experience at the client side decoder. Poor quality of experience (QoE) could be in the form of video pixelation, choppy playback, artefacts, or freeze frames. While wireless RF transmission systems can be rapidly deployed in tactical environments, they can exhibit unpredictable behaviours when pushed to their limits. Though by nature of the protocol, UDP/ IP flows are unreliable, they are heavily deployed in mission systems. Toggling these flows to real-time transport protocol (RTP) can improve stream resiliency. RTP was designed for real-time transfer of audio/video information over IP networks and includes several techniques that can better facilitate media-based delivery systems including timestamps, sequence numbers and payload types, which can be helpful in addressing common issues such as late or out-of-order packets. There are many ways to measure the general health and performance of a network. One practice is the basic ”ping” test, which uses a combination of ICMP control messages (Echo Request and Echo Reply) to measure specific conditions such as packet loss, latency and throughput between a source and destination. Ping is a common command line utility found on most operating systems and
MISSION POSSIBLE As OTT and streaming technologies improve, mission video systems are being transformed
comes into play. Full motion video streams generally contain geospatial metadata found in a data encoding standard known as KLV (Key-Length-Value). The underlying metadata contains specific location information about the video from the camera sensor or aircraft perspective (eg latitude, longitude, altitude, etc.). From a distribution standpoint, FMV streams are transformed from MPEG- 2 transport stream encapsulation to newer adaptive streaming formats, such as MPEG-DASH and HLS. Since these streaming protocols were designed to serve media and entertainment content over the internet, there was not a well-documented methodology to carry KLV information in the consumer market as there was with MPEG-2 transport streams. However, if KLV metadata were filtered out or lost in translation, FMV content would be less useful to an analyst, providing the most basic situational awareness without the descriptive geospatial data required for processing, exploitation and dissemination workflows. To overcome this obstacle and preserve the mission-oriented KLV metadata in an FMV streaming environment, AWS Elemental implemented the carriage of KLV in the fMP4 containers capable of facilitating many mainstream ABR formats in use today. Mission video systems are undergoing an evolution, as OTT and streaming developments open new opportunities for government
UNTIL RECENTLY, MOST GOVERNMENT VIDEO SYSTEMS MIRRORED LEGACY COMMERCIAL BROADCAST AND IPTV DESIGNS can provide good metrics about network conditions. Other forms of contribution encoding, such as ground-to-cloud, may be better off using more advanced packet protection methods that can guarantee media delivery. During Enterprise Challenge, the ground-based system terminated the aircraft RTP-FEC flow, then re-encapsulated it as a ground-to-cloud flow using reliable transport technology from Zixi. The Zixi transport protocol provides added network resiliency through a combination of applied FEC and ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request) for advanced error-recovery. It is offered on the AWS Elemental MediaConnect service using ground and cloud-based link components for secure, reliable live video transport. 3. CARRYING METADATA OVER ABR Video provides situational awareness, but doesn’t offer insight as to where activity took place, which is where metadata
agencies to access, review and analyse video from the field like never before.
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20 TECHFEED Virtual Sets
Words by Michael Burns
There is an explosion of virtual set technologies. Once reserved for top-tier broadcasters, video magic is now becoming available to anyone VIRTUAL SETS GET REAL
irtual sets are now a common sight on our screens, replacing the plywood and fabric of studios past and placing
presenters, pundits and news anchors in real-time rendered, shiny-floored virtual spaces, complete with augmented reality pop-ups and CG characters. “Without doubt we are seeing a substantial increase in virtual set adoption,” says Nic Hatch, CEO of real-time augmented reality technology developer, Ncam. “Predominantly because the technology is now easier than ever to use and delivers on the quality required. We know that viewership engagement has increased significantly for customers embracing our products.” Stuart Russell, senior communications manager for Ross Video, adds that interest in virtual solutions has grown as the technology has improved and the graphics rendering has become more sophisticated. “I think customers see the value in being able to use a green screen studio for a variety of different show formats,” he says. “There is no doubt that it allows for greater flexibility in terms of how studio space is used. That said, I think we’re probably seeing more of an interest in augmented reality at the moment. “I think content creators like the versatility of having a physical set and being able to bring virtual elements into it to add some extra creativity to their programming. It’s definitely becoming more widely used
in traditional programming and the sports and esports industries have been right at the front edge of the technology. Ross recently worked with esports company ESL and Spidercam to help deliver augmented reality content during the ESL One event in Cologne and I think we’re going to see this kind of content becoming more prevalent.” “The market will definitely continue to increase exponentially,” agrees Andy Hook, technical solutions director at broadcast gear provider, White Light. “Right now, we are seeing a shift in a virtual studio being more acceptable for use in corporate, education and live streaming environments. We’re also seeing more hybrid mixed reality studio sets, combining real sets with virtual extensions to make them feel bigger
or create elements that would be physically or financially difficult to construct.” Today, a virtual studio means more than just a stage with a green screen, says Ulaş Kaçmaz, vice-president of sales and marketing for Zero Density, which specialises in real-time graphics and VFX. “Augmented reality elements, hybrid studio operations – part green screen, part physical – portal windows, set extensions and so on also mean virtual studio production. Virtual studio use is surely expanding, although without a hint of physical sets becoming obsolete at any time in the future. There are immense possibilities in other areas for this technology to enhance visual storytelling. Creating a fantasy world from scratch and
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21 TECHFEED Virtual Sets
adding texture and spirit with invisible real- time VFX.” Kaçmaz points out the potential for virtual set-based documentaries and historical remakes. “They already have such strong stories,” he says. “Imagine the captivating picture that could be curated by employing this tech. Also, you’d be in complete control of your scene during the shooting or previs stage instead of fixing all up in the post and settling for the inevitable glitches.” “Storytelling is the key point,” agrees Ross Video’s Russell. “Virtual sets technology works at its best when it complements the story rather than being gimmicky, and I think the technology continues to develop in a way that makes
the images we produce more realistic, natural and interesting to the viewer.”
VIRTUAL SETS TECHNOLOGY WORKS AT ITS BEST WHEN IT COMPLEMENTS THE STORY RATHER THAN BEING GIMMICKY
IMAGINATION ENGINES An essential part of virtual set solutions is accurate camera tracking. Systems from the likes of Mo-Sys, Stype and Ncam allow live tracking and precise placement of virtual and physical elements. Virtual set software converts the data coming from the tracking system and converts it to virtual camera data for the rendering engine. “Ncam’s approach is to provide a complete virtual set solution, meaning that not only do we provide the most flexible and robust camera tracking technology available, but we also supply highly accurate lens distortion data, which
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22 TECHFEED Virtual Sets
is crucial to ensuring that the real world matches up seamlessly with the virtual world,” says Nic Hatch. “Ncam’s recently released AR Suite powered by version 4.23 of the Unreal Engine is able to take all the Ncam data and produce a final keyed and composited image. All these elements have been designed from the ground up internally at Ncam.” This integration of the Unreal Engine (UE) from Epic Games as the 3D renderer in many proprietary virtual set solutions has pushed the wow factor for a couple of years now, but tools built around this photorealistic real-time game engine continue to impress and be refined. An example is the Reality Engine composting software from Turkey-based Zero Density. “Reality Engine’s unique architecture allows Hollywood-level visual effects in live production and the node-based compositing and keying tools enable the most photorealistic output,” claims Kaçmaz. “Zero Density not only provides the main system, but also the necessary automation, monitoring and controlling interfaces. The GROUP OF BROADCAST ORGANISATIONS TOUSE HIGH-ENDVIRTUAL STUDIO TECHNOLOGY UNTIL NOW, IT HAS BEEN THE PRIVILEGE OF A SELECT
system is designed to run on multiple Unreal Engine instances that are all controlled and managed as one. “Our Reality Keyer product works with a clean plate and combines this with the system’s tracking functionality to produce a mesh representation of any studio green screen cyclorama,” continues Kaçmaz. “It’s implemented as a shader inside UE4. The system’s use of projection mapping of the clean plate assists the keying and makes the system much more advanced than just
a normal chroma keyer. It is the world’s only real-time image-based keyer that works on GPU, preserving real environment details such as contact shadows, transparent objects and sub-pixel details like hair.” Russell says: “With almost everyone in the virtual solutions market offering graphics solutions that are based on the Unreal gaming engine, it has become increasingly difficult for customers to differentiate between vendors, and increasingly hard for vendors to add value. Ross has chosen to focus on the twin issues of configuration and control. “Our virtual solutions control platform is called UX and we’ve deliberately made it intuitive and extremely customisable. The graphical user interface is very easy to use and comes installed on a touchscreen PC for virtual set camera calibration, scene manipulation, media replacement, event triggering, MOS newsroom integration, animation control and robotic camera movement control. The application provides seamless integration with tracking systems and real-time 3D rendering engines such as Ross Video’s XPression and Voyager.” Aximmetry is a Hungarian company that had its start in designing video solutions for stage. Its most recent focus has been seamless integration of real and virtual
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23 TECHFEED Virtual Sets
VIRTUAL TV
VooSport and BeTV decided to go virtual for their L’Europe des onze programme covering European football. The show was powered by Reality from Zero Density. The Belgian pay TV channel was based in Keywall studios in Charleroi, Belgium. “Dreamwall designed the set and powered it with seven Reality Engines on seven cameras, including one crane,” says Kaçmaz. “The weekly show has already recorded more than 320 hours live from the virtual studios. They wanted to transform the game nights with seamless commentaries with 3D graphics, interactive elements and visually stunning content.”
environments and, to this end, the company has created an internal, software-based keyer as part of its virtual studio software. “The new advanced keyer provides superior results for keying transparent objects, contact shadows and fine details,” says chief operations officer Orsolya Dormon. “It can handle broadcast-quality real time in 4K with GPU-accelerated rendering at a fraction the GPU usage. We have also made a leap in generating realistic shadows. Apart from contact shadows, Aximmetry can cast virtual shadows on the talent and we can combine these seamlessly with the real-life shadows generated by the talent itself.”
A mixed reality environment is the standout feature in White Light’s virtual studio tool, SmartStage. “Our solution omits the need for green screens by instead utilising LED video walls, so the content is really there,” says White Light’s Andy Hook. “This makes the system much more user-friendly. You do not need to be trained in broadcast, you can just walk on set and the interaction, eyelines, reflections, lighting and colour is all real and more natural.” NEXT BIG THING “Making real-time ray tracing a reality has been the biggest advancement of this year,
ON ZE BALL VooSport and BeTV use virtual sets for L’Europe des onze, transforming the programme with 3D graphics
promising true-to-life scenes,” says Zero Density’s Kaçmaz. In this case, software has had to catch up with the hardware. “Nvidia announced the RTX cards dedicated to real-time ray tracing last year,” he adds. “Zero Density and Nvidia partnered with Fox Sports for daily presentations inside a real-time ray- traced virtual studio at NAB 2019, which was solid evidence it can be done. At IBC2019, NEP The Netherlands and Zero Density showcased a superior real-time ray-traced virtual studio. Creative and developer teams have not adopted this tech completely yet, so it is not mainstream, but will be starting from 2020.” Spanish virtual sets company Brainstorm is also implementing the hardware developments found in the Nvidia RTX GPU for photorealistic content generation in its latest InfinitySet. As well as
WITH GROWING ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS, BROADCASTERS NEED TO USE MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRODUCTION METHODS. THERE IS NO NEED TO CUT DOWN FORESTS TO BUILD 3D VIRTUAL SETS
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