1_Cover.indd 1 www.csimagazine.com Streaming isentering anew phase June 2016 • OTT, VoD, Cloud TV, Cable, Satellite, IPTV, DTT, IoT • TV Br oadcast •Streaming •SatelliteCab The leading mediafor videodeliverytechnology The magazinefor global video le •Hybrid The latest news, views andfeatures April 2019 19/03/2019 10:59:19

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TV Broadcast • Streaming • Satellite • Cable • Hybrid The leading media for video delivery technology April 2019 narratives and storytelling? 8K TV Interactive Interactive storytelling 21 Live OTT sports Editor ATSC 3.0 ATSC How to improve the Quality of Experience Goran Nastic Apple SVOD analysis SVOD Apple Commercial 27 Blockchain in DRM Streaming is entering a new phase Camilla Capece

June 2016 • OTT, VoD, Cloud TV, Cable, Satellite, IPTV, DTT, IoT • The latest news, views and features The role it can play in future digital rights 1_Cover.indd 1 19/03/2019 10:59:19 Daniel Torelli 05 News & analysis 28 ATSC 3.0 Design and production Is it in danger of missing the boat? Matt Mills (Manager) 06 Data corner: Apple SVOD Jessica Harrington Assessing Apple’s video streaming service 32 Building live OTT Regular contributors 08 COVER STORY: DTC Live content distribution over the internet Adrian Pennington, Philip Hunter, David Adams, Stephen Cousins, Get ready for the next wave of (mega) Anna Tobin direct-to-consumer services 34 CSI Awards 2019 All the categories in full Circulation 12 Low latency streaming Joel Whitefoot A CDN mechanism for reducing latency 35 Media in the cloud Accelerating file transfer in the cloud Accounts Marilou Tait, Mohamad Saidani 13 Machine Learning 41 Industry column: 8K TV From ingest and metadata to Editorial recommendations, discover how media The DTG zooms in on 8K television tel +44(0)20 7562 2401 companies are increasingly relying on ML [email protected] 43 Connected entertainment Towards a more connected world Advertising 19 VPNs and geolocation tel +44(0)20 7562 4382 IP intelligence and geo-location is growing [email protected] 50 Technology corner: IMF in importance tel +44(0)20 7562 2438 The DPP on the progress of the standard [email protected]

Subscriptions tel +44 (0) 20 1635 588 861 Editor’s report: [email protected] Circulation manager: joel.whitefoot@ As OTT approaches maturity, the streaming market is entering the next phase in perspectivepublishing.com its evolution. On the one hand, this will involve increasing business model diversification, including experimentation with ad-supported tiers. DAZN is the Subscription rates most recent platform to go down this route, and even Netflix is thinking about it Per year: Europe £88; UK £68; Rest of World £98. Cheques payable to in some shape or form. At the same time, a new wave of direct-to-consumer Perspective Publishing services is coming, led by some of the world’s largest media & entertainment brands that will Limited and addressed to the further shake up the market. The two developments are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Circulation Department Interestingly, these trends are coinciding with the launch of Apple’s long-rumoured and long- awaited video streaming service, more thoughts on which can be seen on page 8 in the Printed by Buxton Press analysis by Ampere’s Guy Bisson. Goran Nastic Managing Director John Woods

Perspective Publishing Publishing Director 3 London Wall Buildings London Mark Evans 2019 EC2M 5PD www.perspectivepublishing.com ISSN 1467-5935

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news in brief How do broadcasters approach AV1? JP Morgan forecasts Much has been written about Stockhammer of Qualcomm “I’ve been talking to 160m Disney+ subs how the AOMedia grouping at the DVB World 2019, a broadcasters to understand Disney’s direct-to- could ruffle feathers with its gathering of the global DVB- what their needs are and I consumer streaming new AV1 codec whose spec based broadcaster community think the companies we had service could accumulate was frozen around NAB 2018 “With MPEG it was very come together work on AV1 as many as 160 million time. While the FAANGs are clear, there were go-to people. included profiles that are subscribers globally, thinks committed to deploying it, But here, who is doing the important for broadcasters. JP Morgan. Analyst Alexia and the four main browser legwork, where do I go to, So when I talk to Quadrani reckons Disney+ vendors are on-board, the big who supports me in all broadcasters, those looking at will ultimately be able to question is how AV1 might be these detailed issues? If I upgrading to a next-gen attract 45m subscribers adopted by traditional non- have a user case or a codec, this becomes an domestically in the US and internet/OTT players. problem how do I get into attractive path for them, even 115 internationally for a “There needs to be an this, how can I be heard? if it’s just in the back end. total of 160m subscribers, effort to support the Are things controlled or is it “There are companies who depending on when Disney ecosystem, because if really open?” have invested significant gets some of its content something gets broadly In reply, Nathan Egge of resources in building this and rights back. “We view adopted you need to work on Mozilla said that the process they have committed to streaming services as a maintenance and addressing of becoming a member of the deploy and those people will positive addition to additional use cases. And Alliance is very much open. be there throughout the Disney’s ecosystem,” someone needs to put “I think we have been as lifecycle of this format.” Quadrani said. Previously, forward the resources and forthcoming as possible to Egge noted that the large Moffett- Nathanson make sure these things are bring people in who have real streaming players chose AV1 estimated Disney+ could executed all the way to the concerns and make the not because it is royalty-free attract about 2.4m integration, support those format cover as many use but because it is technically members in the US by the who want to use the cases as possible, I think superior to alternatives, end of its first year. technology,” argued Thomas there is an openness to that. though this is up for debate.

Bx-WiFi targets hotspot video congestion SYFY and Sky to debut ambitious new VR A new technology called Broadcast WiFi could offer and AR experience a way of solving the The SYFY is bringing a new devices. It will blend problems of wireless science fiction experience, elements of theatre, reception and transmission Eleven Eleven, in late May gaming and cinema in high-traffic venues like 2019, in a project influenced with immersive sports stadiums and music by immersive theatre, technologies. festivals. Global Invacom using storytelling techniques Tethered VR is partnering with that enable users to headsets will launch Edgewater Wireless view the action from on Oculus Rift, HTC Systems for the further multiple perspectives. Vive/ Vive Pro and development of Bx-WiFi, a Launching on various PlayStation VR, with technology they claim virtual reality platforms and a length over 90 enables live, high quality AR devices, the story is set minutes. Mobile VR and large-scale event video to test the consumer appetite devices (70 minute duration) interconnected characters streaming over an 802.11 for long-form scripted will launch on Oculus Go and and their stories, with over network. “This partnership content in VR and Samsung Gear VR. The AR 90 minutes of content could set a new record AR environments. version (also 70 minutes to explore. number for video Eleven Eleven will launch long) is developed for iOS Sky VR will partner with streaming to a device on with three custom devices using ARKit. SYFY in Sky territories in the each hotspot,” they said. experiences designed for Users will have the ability UK and Europe (Germany, Tested by the BBC, it tethered VR headsets, to control their experience by Spain and Italy) on the could compliment 5G. mobile VR headsets and AR following a group of release of Eleven Eleven.

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Sky continues OTT-focused evolution and news in brief service integration with Comcast LTE-over-satellite Chipmaker Sequans UK-based satellite and Communications and broadband provider Sky has aerospace giant Lockheed long been one of the world’s Martin are enabling LTE most innovative technology end-user devices to companies and this track connect directly to GEO record is continuing in 2019 in what they describe as with the launch of the Sky X being the world’s first streaming service in Austria “Sky X is not just a more solutions within AdSmart LTE-over-satellite solution. and deeper integration with expensive version of Now TV, brings together For this purpose, Sequans Comcast under the ownership nor is Sky X a poor man’s NBCUniversal’s Audience engineers modified their of the US cable network. Sky Q, it represents the Studio advanced targeting existing LTE chips to First to Sky X, an fundamental cannibalisation solutions alongside Sky’s enable a new LTE-to- IP-delivered pay TV offering of a company’s core business, addressable advertising satellite communication that is something of a blend which significant market tools. Sky was one of the specification developed by of Sky Q and Now TV. changes have forced it first movers in Europe with Lockheed Martin to take The app will be rolled out to do,” noted analyst addressable advertising with advantage of the huge to mobile devices, Samsung Thomas Flanagan of its AdSmart solution, now satellite opportunity now and LG smart TVs, PCs, and Rethink Faultline. over 5 years old, which developing for M2M and PlayStation 4 consoles, as “Over two years ago, when breaks down customer IoT applications. Startup well as through dedicated Sky first announced its plans demographics such as UbiquitiLink is also testing hardware in the form of to take Sky Q broadband- age, postal code and technology with MNOs the Sky X streaming only, we shouted from the viewing packages to better that could connect most device (pictured). rooftops how the move was segment the audience for existing smartphones The full Sky line up of live trendsetting and fearless – a advertising purposes. directly to a satellite. channels and sports content term we don’t use lightly – Combined with Audience is included, as are on-demand and still Sky remains the only Studio, it can target Canal+ rethinks SVOD series such as Game of obvious tier 1 pay TV audiences through the strategy with launch Thrones and movies, and operator embracing online widespread reach of French broadcaster Canal popular channels from the video with such open arms. national TV, leveraging Plus has announced a new likes of Disney, Discovery Sky, of course has the Comcast set-top box data in SVoD service called and NBCUniversal. It also resources, reach and funding the US and Sky set-top box Canal+Series as a comes bundled with to make such dramatic data in the UK for a total replacement of its folded broadcast free-to-air (FTA) changes to its business model data set of more than 50 CanalPlay offer. Prices channels, including ORF 1 & – even prior to Comcast million households. start at EUR6.99 per 2 in HD, RTL and Arte HD ownership – but increasingly Other initiatives are month, with tiers up to among others. those operators which don’t already underway too. Sky 11.99 covering four user. All three options are on a follow suit soon do so at their will be bringing Comcast’s The subscription will offer monthly rolling contract with own risk,” Flanagan said. own voice interface to its 5,000 episodes across 150 fixed rates. The packages In related news, Sky and Sky Q box later this year, current series, with several start at EUR19.99 a month, NBCUniversal are combining and its broadband new productions in the with a EUR24.99 tier and a their advanced advertising customers in Italy will be pipeline. Around 90% of EUR34.99 all-in package. platforms as Comcast pursues able to use Comcast’s xFi the content will be Analysts expect Sky to integration opportunities now digital dashboard to manage exclusive to Canal Plus, rollout its service in other that it has acquired the their home WiFi. Sky CEO including deals with markets if it proves a success UK-based company. This Jeremy Darroch said clear Showtime and FX. It in Austria. Sky’s footprint unification of capabilities benefits are flowing in both comes eight months after currently covers the UK, marks the first joint directions less than six CanalPlay shut down. Ireland, Austria, Germany, advertising initiative following months after his company Netflix, which starts at Italy and Spain (that is Comcast’s acquisition of Sky. became a part of the EUR9.99/month has expected to grow too). The new joint set of Comcast empire. around 5m subs in France.

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s Apple’s imminent launch of an Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) service the Apple TV: Peeling longest mooted product launch in history? It certainly seems like it. But where back strategies for there was once only talk, Ithe last year has seen real progress, not least in original a crowded market production. Apple is now a player of note alongside its FAANG (Apple Apple’s upcoming SVOD service coincides + Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, with the streaming market on the verge Google) peers. With just 29 shows in production or development, of a new phase of business model it’s still early days to derive too much about its long-term strategy, diversifi cation. Guy Bisson of Ampere but clues as to where Apple will Analysis delves into the company’s video position its offer are already apparent. And positioning is plans, strengths and weaknesses key now that the SVoD and streaming TV market is a pretty of streaming services households are rush. Apple’s move into original crowded place. willing to take is capping out, at production is well underway, it is Late market entry can sometimes be least in more saturated streaming ahead of both Facebook Watch and a good thing, leaving the company time markets; and with studio majors all Google’s YouTube in terms of shows to work out what works and what advanced with their own plans to in development (although both doesn’t in a new competitive space. launch direct-to-consumer steaming Facebook and YouTube already have But the issue for any new SVoD or offers, content acquisition is becoming a decent number of originals completed, Advertising-supported Video on more difficult. where Apple has only two). But Demand (AVoD) entrant is two-fold: The content challenge is one reason Apple is a minnow compared to there is early evidence that the number that original production is the new gold both Amazon and Netflix in terms of its forward production slate. And Amazon and Netflix benefited from being early market entrants with arguably easier access to acquired content at a time when studios and other producers were eager to license to the new buyers. Apple’s trump card, of course, is its device ecosystem. Reports suggest Apple is likely to be creative in the way it bundles access to its new service with device ownership. That will give it a turbo boost during early launch. But content is the real key to success and sustainability. Looking at the production and development slate for Apple suggests it has Netflix and Amazon firmly in its sights with a heavy push behind scripted content. This contrasts with both Facebook and YouTube, the content slates of which skew more heavily towards unscripted content.

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Apple’s forward production genre mix also points to a challenge to Netflix and Amazon, with drama, crime, sci-fi and kids’ content heavy in its development slate, all mainstays of the scripted output of the two SVoD majors. By contrast, Facebook and YouTube have much more documentary, reality and light entertainment in development. Early reports of Apple’s launch plans suggest the device giant has ambitions for a global launch. But to date, its production slate shows little evidence of addressing global markets, or leveraging local content for market entry. Compared to its peers, Apple’s upcoming production is distinctly US. Only YouTube is close in terms of its home-market focus. Netflix long ago hit a 50/50 split between domestic and international original production and Amazon is already at around one third international in its forward production. Facebook Watch has made international a definite focus which, with its reality and documentary mix, positions it nicely in its own niche. Apple’s US focus is not too surprising given it will focus on its home market for its initial launch, but it will need to ramp up international original production rapidly if it has any hope of competing with Netflix and Amazon. And when you’re playing in the high- end scripted space, that is not a cheap thing to do. Apple’s mooted $1bn content budget may not get it far.

Streaming content business model reaching its next phase A number of trends suggest that the streaming content space is on the verge of an impending adjustment. Consumer trends that point to SVoD stacking fatigue, emerging market power balances and the rapid expansion business model to date, and Apple’s model mix that Hulu has proved can in number of players thanks to studio own plans suggest that subscription work. I’d say it would be foolish to bet and platform-led initiatives, mean a new is key. But its own suggestion of heavily against Apple, but it’s going to phase of business model diversification bundling services with devices could be an interesting journey given the

could be on the horizon. also open the door to experimentation current development of the streaming / Shutterstock.com Robert Fruehauf Source: Subscription has been the dominant with ad-supported tiers and a business TV market.

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service, our wholesale Streaming wars set to enter relationships will continue to be an important distribution the next chapter channel. So, it will be a priority to work with our partners to deliver As Hollywood majors near the launch of their a compelling and competitive DTC services, more consumer TV choice than product that will complement our wholesale distribution, ever is offering operators a new opportunity to allowing us to reach the largest number of viewers,” says re-aggregate on a blended content business WarnerMedia CEO John model, says Adrian Pennington Stankey. Similar agreements are happening elsewhere, but the ay-TV operators have emergence of services like Amazon’s relationships are becoming increasingly long grappled with subscription hub.” strained as competition intensifies. cord cutting but ‘cord Jeroen Ghijsen, CEO at user confusion’ may be the experience specialist Metrological SVOD overload will strain existing issue that offers them makes a similar point: “Aggregation of business relationships further a new opportunity. video content is on the rise. Historically The explosive growth in TV choices has The huge array of TV it was the MVPDs - and they are still seemingly escalated consumer Pand video services available trying to bring as many OTT channels frustration. A Hub Entertainment baffles many consumers, as they as possible into their video offerings - Research survey of US consumers last are increasingly compelled to mix but now there’s competition from OTT July found consumers hungry for and match services such as Netflix, streaming devices which unite a variety consolidation: looking for fewer Amazon Prime, Hulu or NOW TV of OTT channels.” platforms — even a single platform — and devices ranging from standard Roku, Netflix, Amazon, even Sling that will deliver their full array of customer premise equipment to TV are slowly becoming what optional content in one place. streaming players Chromecast, premium channel bundles were 15 years “The opportunity is for pay TV Roku and Apple TV. ago, observes Tony Maroulis of Ampere operators to take advantage of this ‘cord 2019 is primed for SVOD overload as Analysis. “Netflix’s list of pay-TV confusion’ by providing a single Hollywood majors near the launch of partners has grown rapidly, and platform that will build loyalty among their D2C services. Disney+, an Amazon’s Prime Video has followed existing subscribers, bring in new international rollout for NOW TV and suit, albeit a little bit further behind. consumers and even win back lapsed another from NBCU join MGM’s Epix “Simultaneously we’ve seen a growth customers,” suggests Mark Evensen, and AT&T’s WarnerMedia-fuelled in SVOD-stacking [consumer taking CTO at Amino. direct-to-consumer (DTC) strikes. ITV multiple SVOD services], with some The research indicates the time is plans an online paywall for its content if countries exhibiting very high stacking right: among respondents, more than a united UK broadcaster service fails to rates amongst SVOD subscribers,” says twice as many would rather access all fly. Then there’s Apple’s long the analyst. “As many as seven in ten their TV and video content from a anticipated debut, among many others. US SVOD respondents take more than single provider (69%) than through a The dichotomy is neatly put by one subscription OTT service, and range of sources (31%) “making it Dimitar Serafimov, demand generation with heavy content hitters planning crystal clear that consumers long for manager at OTT solutions developer their own DTC services this is likely simplicity when it comes to choosing Cleeng: “The rationale behind the OTT to increase.” and managing their entertainment surge is to give the freedom to Then consider this statement from choices,” says Evensen. consumers to pick and watch their WarnerMedia’s chief exec about Laurent Maillot, marketing manager preferred video everywhere, every time, balancing DTC with existing for pay-TV operator Orange agrees: on any device possible. At the same partnerships. “While going direct-to- “Consumers are looking for some time there are signs that the market is consumer gives us an additional flexibility. They prefer to have premium moving towards consolidation mainly opportunity to reach audiences that content from different providers but through a string of acquisitions and the aren’t part of a traditional subscription only one stop shopping. They don’t

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want multiple accounts.” “Integrating apps/OTT and live TV “By signing partnerships with DTC He adds: “We are convinced that the behind one remote control can help providers, operators can create hubs next phase of pay-TV strategy globally is showcase a broad range of targeted, and packages that will make the pill about aggregated SVOD.” contextual content and significantly easier to swallow and give easy access There are other trends too. While the enhance the user experience with to all the content they need. On the number of content providers is growing second screen, voice control, and other side, operators will benefit from to respond to a clear demand from universal search.” the fact that consumers will stay locked consumers for more targeted video Whether from an operator or the likes into their environment and will be content, many consumers want to enjoy of Roku, the bottom line is that willing to pay an extra dollar for the that on the main TV screen. consumers are willing to pay for it if easiness of use,” Gai. “SVOD is mainly a complement not a they can find and purchase their Viacom seems to have this strategy in replacement to broadcast TV for end preferred content with ease of use and mind from the get-go of its first DTC users,” argues Jorgen Nilsson, CEO at one billing system, integrated into a subscription service for MTV. Initially Zenterio. “There’s a great opportunity single UI. available only in the UK, MTV Play is for operators now, and it is a must for “You will see OTT look like pay-TV designed to reach the mobile screens of them, to maintain the role of prime with prices going up and pay TV more millennials and Gen Zs will provide provider of content and services to like OTT with prices and contractual long-form content experience in a the home.” terms more like an SVOD service,” standalone app. Yet OTT subscription fatigue is real. predicts Jean-Marc Racine, chief “We know there is a segment of “The ‘Netflix 20 minutes’ is when you product officer at video software younger potential MTV fans who sit spend a long time just deciding what to provider Synamedia. “From a beyond the basic pay-TV bundles,” watch, instead of actually watching consumer’s point-of-view a [pay TV explains Arran Tindall of VIMN. content,” adds Nilsson. “Users need aggregation] will be attractive because it Viacom nonetheless acknowledges the and appreciate an easy way to discover will be less expensive to access several importance of Sky, Virgin Media and content and manage multiple SVOD services plus linear programming BT and said it was speaking with telco subscriptions in a straightforward and from one platform than if you shop for providers and other platforms about consistent way.” the same content and subscribe to them future distribution partnerships. The argument is that consumers need one by one.” an aggregator to deliver an array of The benefit for pay-TV and OTT Stemming churn? targeted content and services like providers, especially the smaller ones, A combined SVOD/pay-TV offer should contextuality, second screen and voice of a unified TV hub appears mutual. help stem churn on both sides. As Gaï control in a single user experience that “Users who want to watch shows and points out, whose company specialises they can access without leaving the TV. movies from different producers need to in subscriber retention management for “This will ultimately satisfy their multiply DTC platforms which makes OTT services, when Netflix and pay TV desire for easiest access to their their bill quite expensive at the end of are packaged together, the pay TV changing content needs,” says Ghijsen. the month,” says Cleeng’s Alexis Gaï. provider reaches more viewers who want that SVOD experience. Consumers can switch from a schedule to an on-demand experience within the same UI and an operator can deliver the latest UHD (HDR) experience for integrated SVODs. Among other factors, DTC providers can guarantee a high QoE for viewers with pay-TV carriage, no longer being reliant on an external CDN to deliver their content to viewers. “Operators can guarantee QoE on their managed network,” says Broadpeak’s Nivedita Nouvel. “DTC content providers have the possibility of following Netflix, for example, where they would provide operators with local

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or smart TV, as well as the APIs Media majors launching DTC/VOD services underneath it for payments, DRM, Company/service Notes etc,” says Ghijsen. “Similarly, where Disney+ The big one. Disney will rely on exclusivity and custom, native implementations used originals to help attract and keep customers when to be required, while the resources it launches end-2019. Some estimate that Disney+ on the hardware were limited, now could attract up to 2.5m users in the US by the we are seeing HTML5-based end of its fi rst year. Can Disney+ give Netfl ix a run cloud implementations. for its money, in the US and internationally? Nonetheless, there will be pressure on aggregators to keep pace with every NBCUniversal Coming in early 2020, the company’s as-yet- new content provider and integrate or unnamed service will employ a freemium model onboard them in an aggregated offer. comprising a free AVOD part alongside an ad-free, This creates business and technical subscription-based tier. challenges - and opportunities NOW TV Under Comcast’s ownership of Sky, there are for vendors. plans to take it global in 2020, building on a strong Zenterio, for example, offers its brand recognition in the UK and Europe, though Zenterio Cloud and Zenterio TV not so much elsewhere. solutions for premium OTT app WarnerMedia Arriving later in 2019, it is expected to be one of integration, working with APIs to the new leaders to emerge from the battle for the deliver unified search and discovery. US market, under its new AT&T-defi ned, free- “The operator needs to find ways to mium strategy. Rethink Research estimates it make all content available easily and reaching 29.6 million SVoD homes by 2023. give the user the possibility to browse different content providers seamlessly,” Epix Now The MGM-owned service launched this February, says Nilsson. “This is mainly around priced at $5.99 per month, offering a library of how the operator can control the UI/ MGM blockbuster fi lms, four live EPIX channels, UX to maximise content consumption, and original content, some in 4K HDR streaming. but there is a technical aspect as well to Available stand-alone and via payTV. harmonise the metadata available from T-Mobile (US) Original plan was to launch a disruptive OTT TV the different content providers.” service nationwide, but gave up due to the huge Bringing IP and broadcast, together, saturation now experienced in this space, choos- architecturally, is what Synamedia call ing instead to become a DTC aggregator like Ama- Blended TV. “Whether the broadcast zon Prime Channels. “Reality topped rhetoric,” as network is digital terrestrial, QAM, IP analysts at TDG put it. multicast or DTH, operators require ITV Hub+ ITV’s premium online subscription service. For next-gen platforms to aggregate services £3.99 a month, users get all the features of the with unified metadata and content original ITV Hub, but with ad-free content and discovery,” says Racine. downloads. Saw strong growth in 2018. Unified search Apple The long, long debut is almost here. Late is not Unified-search is considered a key always bad, but it doesn’t suit Apple and might be component of the additional value a sign that it is stuck for ideas to innovate in this provided by aggregators. Should studios space. Much more analysis on pages 6-7 choose to keep all their content within their proprietary ‘walled gardens’, the caches to boost the quality of their myriad content and SVOD services. It value of a content aggregator will video content. Combining local caching is becoming easier and easier as increase, reckons Ampere’s Maroulis, with a CDN service is a win-win technology matures. “assuming the aggregator can provide a situation for DTC content providers “With cloud-based technologies, all greater degree of convenience for and network operators.” that’s needed is a browser and a the customer.” Historically, it was difficult for platform that can take care of the Since there’s no difference in the operators to setup their own back-end abstraction layer between the cloud and consumer’s mind about where content systems to onboard and aggregate the underlying hardware, such as a STB comes from, “the ability to aggregate

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metadata and go from search to directly audience is increasingly viewing the content is essential,” fragmented and weakening stresses Racine. every year, linear remains What’s important is for operators to mass consumption and have the ability to react to consumers’ enables us to keep control personalised, shifting content appetites of the TV. Our battle is to — whether the consumer desires niche/ keep the user on our side.” localised programming or international Maillot says Orange’s content — with the tools in place to target is to offer the track and measure real-time content maximum available content. consumption, and modifying the “There are some services content without disruption to which are a no-brainer, such the network. as Netflix. With others there “Simply put, related to the user’s are trade-offs to be done. personal preferences, if an application Amazon is a competitor on isn’t being used, then it should be the aggregation side and removed,” states Ghijsen. “If an that’s an issue for us. We application is being used often, it don’t deal with them now…. should be integrated into the EPG, maybe in future.” so it appears as if it was just a There will be pressure for broadcast channel.” a clearer distinction between “The key for the operator is to remain content providers and aggregators. “Media giants with top-notch content the main point-of-consumption for users “Hybrid models — where the same (HBO, Disney) won’t license to the and make sure users can find all company is both content provider and likes of Netflix which will in turn strip content they love in one platform rather aggregator — can work for very big SVODs of a chunk of their subscriber than many different platforms,” says players, but has its challenges,” base,” says Cleeng’s Serafimov. “That Nilsson. “This is the differentiator for outlines Nilsson. will increase competition among the operators compared to DTC platforms.” “They will compete with their own best and will raise the overall quality distribution channels, because a user of the service offered. That is always Content mix could find the same content in various good news for the market and Striking deals for the right mix of places, at different prices. Another the consumers.” SVOD services is another factor. challenge is that there will always be “The winner will be the one that Customisation and personalisation is some piece of content that users want makes life easiest for the end users key here as there’s no one-size-fits-all but that is not available on a DTC store. by removing as many friction points approach. Says Nilsson, “Different users It seems more likely that pure- as possible,” says Zenterio’s will need a different mix in their UX so aggregators have a better chance to Tom Keaveney. it is crucial that the operator can provide a complete content offer to end Because, ultimately, while the onset aggregate as much content as possible users, and simplifying the discovery and of broadband, together with SVOD, and be flexible in deciding how to access to it.” skinny bundles and DTC platforms, present that. This way, every user can has resulted in more choice, get the optimal mix over time.” The consumer wins… or do they? convenience and flexibility for users, There are ‘must have’ services [like Inevitably, there will be casualties. it has also created something of a Netflix] which consumers expect to get Many SVOD-only services (ad-funded, mess for both the industry and access to, reckons Racine. “Don’t forget transaction- or subs-based) simply consumer in terms of app and platform the importance of local channels either. won’t survive the aggressive content fragmentation. Now - as OTT matures FTA content still attracts the lion’s origination strategy of Netflix or and the streaming industry enters a share of audience. The combination of Disney. There has already been a lot of new phase in its evolution - the these with catch-up and SVOD is where consolidation and quite a few failures in question is how the future of TV will be pay-TV can differ.” the SVOD-only DTC space (Turner’s about deploying new integrated “Linear and local TV is key,” agrees FilmStruck and the original CanalPlay). experiences that are truly personalised Orange’s Maillot. “Local content has a Even Amazon is looking to cull some of and contextual while keeping in good ranking… we will keep on its SVOD Channels to focus more mind some of these challenges from distributing FTA channels. Even if the on exclusivity. both perspectives.

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delivery to client: MPEG-TS over UDP, Hearing future voices WebRTC and CMAF. The client then generates a request (with the token) to start the stream from the said edge from the past server. After the token is authenticated “If a goal was scored without me seeing it - the edge server starts streaming the content to the requesting client, using did it really happen?” MPEG-TS over UDP. and the adaptive bitrate concept should Once streaming has started, this be implemented on UDP and not on low-latency CDN mechanism includes TCP. Therefore, It is critical to develop special data exchange between the CDN an streaming mechanism and protocol edge server and the served player, from which handles MPEG-TS over UDP in which the edge server can conclude the combination with WebRTC and CMAF current quality of the line and manage at the last mile. The protocol is individual sessions. enforced by an advanced CDN This mechanism of constant technology and player’s SDK. monitoring, profiles switching and ere is a scenario that Internal CDN Distribution. The CDN stream concatenation, implements a only OTT subscribers architecture is unique and innovative, as pure adaptive bitrate policy while are familiar with: you it introduces some patent pending maintaining a continuous connection to are seating in your concepts for providing best streaming the client. The result is an optimal apartment and serving decisions and performance AI quality of experience for the viewer, watching a dramatic algorithms (which will not be both in terms of video quality, RTT and, tight playoff game of elaborated in this article). most importantly, streaming latency - Hyour favourite team. Maybe even it’s the In this low latency implementation, with an average of less than 1-second final itself. There is 1 minute to go and the use of ABR transport stream from the actual source feed in any you are sitting at the edge of your seat discards the need for a packager. The unmanaged OTT network. when suddenly you hear hysteric CDN’s Publish-Server gets from the screams of joy coming from transcoder couple of TS in different Conclusion your neighbours. bitrates and profiles. It is then pushes As the popularity of real-time live You immediately realise that there these streams to the appropriate edge content, such as sport, reality voting was a goal/buzzer-beater event, that servers according to Vimmi’s special and betting, is sky-rocking, and as the your OTT service will be kind enough internal distribution algorithms, based network’s infrastructure, capacity and to show it to you in 60 seconds or so. on consumption patterns, end-users’ quality are constantly improving, the This 1-minute-long limbo-zone, of session management and overall system common chunked HTTP protocols have knowing that your present is other load. This CDN ensures a sufficient become insufficient and the need for people’s past, generates a variety of bandwidth between the CDN POPs low latency streaming solutions has passing thoughts in your mind, starting and the publishing point for become a necessity. from the obvious “which team actually accommodating the sum of all profile Low Latency CDN is an inevitable won?” and “who scored?”, moving to levels of all channels. evolution of the OTT streaming frustration such as “when do OTT Detecting Bandwidth Fluctuation and industry, and it is just a matter of few services will finally provide a real-time Switching Between Bitrates. The low- years until it will become a mandatory experience for their viewers?” and latency CDN mechanism treats a live requirement for any content service ending in existentialistic insights such playback request as any standard provider which includes live content. as “if a goal was scored without me playback request: the CDN picks the Vimmi can be found at NAB Show 2019 seeing it – did it really happen?” best Edge Server to serve the specific on SU8622 request (based on Vimmi’s CDN grid- Low Latency CDN Mechanism computing algorithm), it then generates Moving Back to TS over UDP. It is a and sends a token to the requesting well-known convention that in order to client which relates to chosen Edge Eitan Koter is Co-founder & reduce the streaming latency, chunked Server, the client and the request time. Co-CEO, Vimmi Communications HTTP protocols should to be discarded, Edge server support three protocol to

12 April 2019 www.csimagazine.com

12_Vimmi-v2.indd 1 21/03/2019 11:09:01 Sponsored by: www.csimagazine.com

Machine Learning in broadcast

Looking at how ML is being used in video content

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needed to act as conductors, AI touches all parts of directing the process, ensuring the algorithms deliver the results they would have achieved themselves the video lifecycle given the time. Along similar lines, some movie Philip Hunter examines some use cases of studios have been experimenting with use of AI techniques to Machine Learning in broadcast automate production of trailers to generate as much suspense and I and its subsidiary Archive, which applied AI algorithms to anticipation as possible without giving machine learning dredge the broadcaster’s huge archive away the plot. IBM Watson Media has (ML) entered comprising 270,000 hours of video to been working with studios on movie broadcasting well identify content meeting the tone and trailer creation, where the challenge is over a decade ago style of its BBC 4 channel. This led to in conforming with particular and have now 150 programmes being selected, rather requirements for context and tone, infiltrated just less than 0.1% of the amount analysed, according to David Kulczar, the Aabout every aspects of the video which human observers agreed seemed company’s Senior Offering Manager. lifecycle and even started to very much in keeping with the spirit of “IBM Watson created a movie trailer determine what content is made in the channel, which is focused on for the thriller “Morgan,” says Kulczar the first place. There is no single emerging arts, music and culture with a “To make the trailer, we essentially sent killer application, with benefits fair dose of comedy. Watson to film school to train it emerging more through This was a once off exercise whose extensively on what elements make a coordinated application of different object was not to deploy AI on its own compelling horror teaser. Watson ran algorithms and methods across for programme selection but to discover visual, audio, and contextual analysis on workflows and production lines in how it could assist human editors to the film, to determine which scenes a case of the whole being greater automate the effort of pre-selection were suspenseful, and arrange visuals than the sum of the parts. from a vast archive. Two lessons were accordingly. The process to create the We see this in metadata creation learnt, firstly that AI could provide trailer took about 24 hours to complete where AI tools are cutting costs and valuable assistance, according to BBC — a significant reduction from what speeding up the process through Four channel editor Cassian Harrison, typically takes around 10-30 days.” automation, which in turn improves the one of two architects of the programme. He admits more work was needed viewer experience by enriching search “AI can effectively analyse video before video producers can adopt such and discovery. Users are more likely to content and edit and build its own technology at critical mass, especially to find or be recommended something image sequences”, he says. develop clear frameworks for training they really want to watch, possibly The second lesson was that AI in this AI and machine learning modules to content they would not have searched context was a powerful tool only when meet the needs of production teams. “In for directly. ML can be employed exercised judiciously by humans and order to power that training, modules to home in on the most effective would be useless on its own. “With AI, will require troves of training data to mix between more obvious you have to build it with humans,” says better understand everything from recommendations (for instance, BBC Research & Development’s head unique sounds to identifying exact based on known likes) and more of internet research and future services, objects or faces within a video.” intuitive suggestions, akin to thinking George Wright, the other architect of Such advanced examples do outside the box. the programme. “Without human exemplify how AI will progress in It is also true that some AI based involvement, you would deliver quite a established domains of video creation, ideas, such as artificial news anchors, poor output.” production and delivery, according to might at first seem like gimmicks, but This is certainly true of such Aditya Ganjam at Conviva. A major turn out to illuminate aspects of advanced applications where the driver he reckons will be the ability of potential value, or give pointers to the algorithms are making the sort of AI and ML to uncover more signals, in future. That was the case in the UK decisions previously confined to less time, than other techniques. when the BBC staged an experimental humans, involving judgements with a “Without AI and ML techniques, programme in May 2018 called Made subjective component through fuzzy providers must spend a considerable By Machine: When AI Met The combinations of attributes. Humans are amount of time and effort to review

14 April 2019 www.csimagazine.com

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data or configure and monitor manual decisions. Conviva has seen that a viewership will drop dramatically. This alerts in order to predict successes or single pilot often provides the detailed is the case for content producers at all detect issues with the streaming engagement data indicative of the scales, from casual uploading to experience,” says Ganjam. show’s future success. Real-time analysis YouTube through to major distribution “With AI and ML techniques, this at the pilot phase of publication also deals with Netflix. In fact, the big SVoD process can be automated to proactively gives creators the opportunity to edit or players like Netflix and Amazon Prime predict and discover, and reactively develop subsequent episodes based on insist their content suppliers label their perform root-cause analysis. To those learnings. content in very fine detail and that can consolidate and correlate across This can then guide ongoing only be done efficiently at any scale devices, channels, social media requires development of the content where that with the help or AI tools. scale and real-time responsiveness of an is under the service provider’s control, Algorithms similar to those used for AI or ML engine,” he says. as well as how to promote it and target metadata creation are also being used to Such AI based correlation across data individual customers. “AI and ML generate captioning and subtitling sources enables analytics firms such as techniques can be used to tie a which have traditionally been time Conviva to address the three customer to the content that would consuming manually intensive fundamental issues of prediction, most resonate for them through deep processes. AI algorithms are automating detection, and diagnosis in various analysis of their data, and the data of language analysis, translation and contexts. “With detection, we are other viewers like them. The ideal is a speech-to-text, which in turn enables looking at identifying events of closed loop where providers are both generation of subtitles and captions importance, in real-time, to determine promoting and delivering content that in multiple languages. AI tools can factors that can lead to a poor user excites their audience and ensuring that convert audio to text, so that the experience when streaming. Finally, the experience of that content is at the words can be delivered aligned with we’re utilising diagnosis to analyse all level of quality the creator envisioned, the video segments. the hundreds of millions of possible all in real time.” Such audio to text conversion also permutations for root cause of helps with content moderation, which deterioration in quality in order to AI and the future of content has been a requirement for years but recommend action a publisher can take While being an opportunity, AI also has become a rapidly growing burden to improve the user experience.” imposes requirements that must be given recent proliferation of both When looking at the implications fulfilled in order to remain competitive content and compliance rules, which of AI and ML for content, the main and this applies not just to service vary significantly between countries. goal would be to understand how data providers or distributors but also More advanced AI tools can now can be used to decide what content content producers. In fact, it especially augment text analysis with sentiment, to license or create, or at an even holds for content producers because image and object recognition, allowing more granular level, how to tailor unless their assets are “AI ready” in the editors to detect more easily not just content to be most impactful with the sense of having the fine-grained offensive language but also adult target audience. metadata that makes them discoverable content deemed unsuitable for a given On the business operations side, AI by contemporary search and audience or window. and ML can inform investment recommendation algorithms, their Another area where AI has been making an impact is colour matching during the editing process. This example again highlights how AI and ML work best in combination with human experts. As IBM’s Kulczar stresses, there is the prospect of AI and ML having a growing impact on the nature of content itself. “Looking ahead, AI and machine learning will generate new, realistic audio and visual content: think, voice overs, splicing together manufactured shots from pre- existing visuals, and automatically sequencing shots into new scenes,” Kulcar says.

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using natural language; by asking How Machine Learning is questions and providing a set of search parameters that doesn’t necessarily include a title or actor’s super-charging content name. Conversational services not only dramatically increase the number of searches a viewer discovery for consumers instigates, it also broadens the type of search. With text search, the automatically imported, and viewer will typically search twice a By TiVo’s Charles Dawes even then, a process of month, using show titles. With random checks meant that Conversation, our research has shown he terms Machine incorrect or incomplete content could this number jumps to an average of 26 Learning (ML) and slip through the net. queries and the type of search becomes Artificial Intelligence In order to combat these challenges, more natural. Try typing ‘What is that (AI) are quickly TiVo uses advanced machine learning movie with Peggy from Eastenders and becoming two of the algorithms to assess the content that is Kenneth Williams?’ using text, and it most talked-about imported from multiple sources and quickly becomes clear why the natural, terms in the assign a confidence level to the content. conversational search is changing how Ttechnology sector, but what do Only if it falls below a defined level of viewers access content. they really mean for media? How confidence does a human editor need to Voice solutions rely almost exclusively are media companies like TiVo get involved to check it. Content above on the data in the underwater part of using ML and AI to make their the confidence level is able to be the iceberg along with the weighted businesses and the businesses of automatically processed and ingested connections that form the basis of the their customers more efficient? into the content database. TiVo ‘knowledge graph’, or proprietary How do these technologies benefit machine learning content technology. end-consumers especially as they The Metadata Iceberg – building It is this graph technology that is sift through the ever more- out the detail constantly looking for more complicated mix of content choices The content database is now bigger information, understanding the context and content platforms available than ever before and requires a level of what it finds and is continuously to them? of detail that many consumers will refreshing the content that forms one of This article explores those questions never be aware of. The days of time, the core areas that Machine Learning is as well as how TiVo has invested in ML title, cast and where content is playing making a difference for the consumer. and AI throughout its workflows to help is no longer sufficient to meet the Without the sophisticated algorithms super-charge content discovery. needs of the industry. A paradigm we that seek, sort, make sense and apply use at TiVo for our content is ‘the structure to the vast oceans of Content ingest and streamlining metadata iceberg’. The basic unstructured content we wouldn’t be the process information is above the waterline for able to deliver on the promise that Content ingest – or the process where everyone to see in the discovery consumers can ask questions such as metadata aggregators like TiVo bring experience but below the waterline ‘What is the film where Olivia Colman rich media into their systems – is the there is more information than you won an Oscar?’ or ‘What was the starting point for preparing the content expect as themes, tones, product links, Friends episode at the beach?’ or ‘Show needed for discovery engines. However, soundtracks, ratings, reviews and many me some TV programmes filmed near it’s become increasingly complicated as other categories help to build out a me’, etc. the needs for more and more resource that is fit for purpose in As part of any Conversation comprehensive information has grown. today’s discovery systems. integration project, TiVo asks its TiVo processes information from partners for entertainment sources hundreds of sources every day but Making metadata voice-ready which are most relevant to their services sources have different ways of collecting One of those discovery systems is and customers. By constantly updating content information and different “voice-led discovery’ – an area where these sources, this ensures that the tone formats, so it becomes difficult to TiVo’s Conversation product is a world and content of the service is maintained ensure content sources align. Only leader. With voice-led discovery, and enables natural, conversational recently could each content item be consumers are able to find content content discovery.

16 April 2019 www.csimagazine.com

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second-by-second start times of programs so recordings can be corrected in near real-time. This enables a seamless customer experience where they can replay a programme from the start and be assured that they won’t have to watch minutes of unnecessary content – or miss any of the content they love.

Closing the feedback loop None of these improvements and advancements in content discovery would make sense without the ability to learn from the There’s more to it than personalised content, twenty-one times consumers’ interactions as they find collaborative filters more likely to view that content which and enjoy their content. TiVo applies Now let’s talk recommendations. We’ve will have a total lift of fourteen percent advanced machine learning to the become accustomed, as television more unique viewers and a 129% lift return path data we receive in order to viewers, to have a user experience show in views overall. derive business insights that can help us new things we might want to watch. service providers and content producers When it comes to content The game is running late – what understand how their services are being recommendations, because of the can we do? used. From being able to introduce a myriad of choices out there today, In the past, a major problem that would new sense of serendipity into the there’s a need to go far beyond the basic frustrate viewers on an individual level recommendations world through to collaborative filters that show us ‘you was changes in broadcast schedules that helping get the right advertisements in watched X, people who also watched X weren’t reflected in their personal front of the right consumers, machine also watched Y so you should watch Y’. recordings on their video recorder or learning and AI will continue to have a There are many personal reasons we DVR. More recently, this has become a profound effect on how entertainment like to watch content and the much wider problem as service technology companies like TiVo do algorithms need to be equally diverse. providers begin to implement start-over business. It will also continuously These sophisticated algorithms need and network-based PVR solutions that change how consumers find the right to be powered by machine learning as rely on accurately being able to start piece of content at the right time as the the viewer progresses through the and stop recordings at the time when industry drives to create more and more content discovery timeline. The systems they actually begin and end. In order to great television for us all to consume. will gain more knowledge about a implement this at the speed and scale viewer and tailor the content discovery that a multiple channel service requires, journey to them individually. It’s this TiVo has been working with partners to Charles Dawes is senior powerful personalisation that has implement machine learning algorithms director, international showcased real results; users are eighty that are constantly looking at the marketing, at TiVo times more likely to click on content streams to identify the accurate

www.csimagazine.com April 2019 17

13-17_TiVo.indd 5 07/03/2019 14:26:19 Drive engagement and loyalty.

As the expert in personalised video discovery, TiVo can help you deliver the engaging features and services that drive customer loyalty. Our innovations in entertainment metadata, search, recommendations and conversation are powered by machine learning and provide the flexibility to add next-gen services and grow your business.

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Untitled-1 1 04/03/2019 10:36:05 Security

including Australia and New Zealand. VPNs, geolocation and Netflix established a team dedicated to combating VPN access to its content and others have followed its lead, with OTT video services the likes of Hulu employing VPN Tackling geo-piracy with IP intelligence detection to enforce geoblocking. As the issues have become visible and content owners’ consent. Tools such as the need to act more pressing, specialist Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), vendors like Digital Element have come Domain Name Systems (DNS), Tor, to the fore. Digital Element tackles geo- and proxy servers are helping drive a piracy through its NetAcuity growth in the illegal viewing of geolocation solution, a proprietary IP geographically restricted content, geolocation which it claims allows posing a significant challenge and customers to pinpoint users’ geographic escalating to the media industry. location from just their IP addresses, as Whether it is the widespread theft of well as uncover numerous other content as beoutQ is accused of actionable insights such as demographic perpetrating, or doing more to prevent data, connection types and proxies. content being geo-pirated and leaked by The company works with brands like the widespread use of VPNs and DNS ESPN, Twitter, Discovery, Yahoo, Proxies, it is arguably up to the entire VUBIQUITY and Disney Interactive value chain to work together more technology, using what it calls ‘IP closely to tackle the problem. After all, intelligence’ to “harness the power of n February 2019, a payTV companies, sports league, big location” to understand and connect development emerged that Hollywood studios, premium OTT with online audiences. could have implications for providers and others with high value Doing so helps video distribution the media & entertainment content all have a ‘stake’ in how that companies use effective technology to industry in Europe and content is viewed, which needs to be understand where their viewers are globally. This happened when protected from geo-piracy and accessing content from and identify beIN Sports threw down the geolocation-fraud. Ultimately, the entire those who are falsifying their locations, Igauntlet to media rights holders, business model relies on it. to ensure content suppliers’ regulations choosing not to bid for and renew Research by Global Web Index are adhered to. This has risen to the Formula One television rights suggests that one in four Internet users prominence as OTT proliferates and the it held in the Middle East, due to use a VPN service on a regular basis migration to SVOD, direct-to-consumer the rampant piracy in the region. In and mostly to access restricted content, streaming and other forms of digital a clear message, while most of the much of it live sports (although it is viewing continues to rise. The aim is to blame was aimed at beoutQ, beIN also known that Internet users in China help media companies balance the said it would pay less for rights are turning to VPNs to access social need between compliance with that cannot be protected and that networking sites). Sports rights deals geographical rights and provisioning a content owners should do more in are in most cases handed out on a better streaming service, using it as a the fight against piracy. territorial basis, localised in a similar power for good. The call to arms can be seen as a way to films, so live OTT sports This balance is also reflected in the wake-up call to the broadcast industry services are employing technology to recent change to the law by the as a whole, which has arguably long had fight geo-piracy and tackle the unlawful European Union that will see online its head buried in the sand when it use of VPNs. platforms like YouTube and Twitter be comes to new forms of piracy, choosing The use of VPNs to bypass territorial forced to remove copyrighted material to seemingly ignore the lessons controls and avoid geoblocking really deemed to breach IP property. Overall, from music and how they could first came to light as Netflix started to the EU is still keen to further its apply to video. become more popular, but was yet to ambitions towards a common digital For a little context, consumers are become a global OTT service. It was market, ensuring portability of content trying to circumvent geographic estimated that Netflix was being will promote legal access, but mindful restrictions and access video content accessed by tens of millions of people of the territorial restrictions created by from all over the world, with or without in countries where it had no operation, licensing schemes.

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hatever Netflix does Interactive TV and is tracked very closely by the branching narratives: industry, so the Wcompany’s recent foray into which way will they go? branching narratives has reignited an old debate surrounding this CSI asks if Netfl ix’s Bandersnatch will form of interactive TV. Will viewers embrace it, or do shows like kick-start a new wave of interactive Bandersnatch have limited appeal? The interactive movie format was first storytelling in TV tried in 1967 with Czech-produced opportunities of this kind of viewing they found making some of the choices Kinoautomat. The BBC experimented experience as online video services in a limited amount of time (less than with a technology in the early 1970s enable interactivity and personalisation. 10 seconds) too stressful. that later developed into teletext, and Charlie Brooker, the show’s creator, Given the costs and complexity of then later in the decade the world’s first initially used Twine, an open-source tool producing and creating these types of commercial interactive TV service specially developed for telling stories, on top of most users’ preference launched in Ohio, USA. interactive non-linear stories, which was for lean-back experiences, it is difficult The ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ eventually replaced by Netflix’s own to see them becoming mainstream, at episode was released in December 2018 in-house tool. Having developed its own least for the foreseeable future. “It by Netflix to its members worldwide, Branch Manager software, Netflix will certainly takes a lot of careful planning giving users the option to influence the continue to explore the possibilities to produce a satisfactory experience, so story and in the process work their way further. Indeed, VP of product, Todd it is a creative challenge as much as a to up to 12 different endings. Yellin, promised more such question of cost and complexity. The Depending on the actions the viewer programmes at a Mumbai this month: main problem is perhaps the need for took, viewing time could be anywhere “It’s a huge hit here in India, it’s a huge viewers to make conscious choices between 40 minutes and over two hours. hit around the world, and we realised, through the course of the narrative. For Viewers were presented with a series of wow, interactive storytelling is some that may be an attraction, for A or B choices, from the small something we want to bet more on. others it may be an irritation,” says Dr decisions that had no impact on the We’re doubling down on that. So expect William Cooper of informitv. story (such as what cereal to have for over the next year or two to see more Then again, computer games are breakfast) to more complicated interactive storytelling. And it won’t borrowing heavily from film these days dilemmas that influenced the fate of the necessarily be science fiction. It could so why not have TV take some elements main protagonist. be a wacky comedy. It could be a from that medium if the availability of One argument in favour is that romance, where the audience gets to choice means those viewers who want it modern technology and the power of choose – should she go out with him?” are left more immersed and engaged? It OTT stands to unleash the Given Netflix’s love of data, it will be also encourages repeat viewings... interesting to see “We have yet to see a defining success how the feedback for this genre but I suspect there will be affects any future further innovation in this area. There experiments with are endless possibilities for narrative interactive TV. development,” surmises Dr Cooper. It goes at odds In the end, content will always be with the phrase king and if programmers like Netflix “Netflix and can pitch these shows as a compelling chill” that has story rather than just a gimmick, then made its way into branching narratives could evolve into a popular culture, viable TV phenomenon. with some users The future path to success, then, is complaining that very much open.

20 April 2019 www.csimagazine.com

20_InteractiveTV.indd 2 14/03/2019 16:09:05 Sponsored by: www.csimagazine.com

Live sports streaming

Improving the Quality of Experience

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broadcasters find that very off- A question of OTT sport putting when audiences for broadcast sport services are still Streaming of all sports is growing exponentially very large. “There’s been a period when what’s been technically and this presents unique technical challenges, possible hasn’t been commercially possible,” says Westcott. says David Adams Meanwhile, the number of t’s easy to forget how quickly PwC estimates that media rights Direct to Consumer (DTC) streaming things change in this industry. revenues for esports grew by 49.6 per services is also rising, as more sports For example, streamed VoD cent between 2017 and 2018; and that brands, including some of the most services have only been a the esports economy will double in size popular sports and teams, but also less mainstream proposition for a over the next four years. mainstream sports, create their own few years, even if our The dynamics are different in every OTT services. Notable launches during children now regard buffering market, but pay TV providers in 2018 included F1 TV and Juventus TV. Ion Netflix as an infringement of particular are coming under increasing Westcott acknowledges that the their human rights. It’s also not pressure to create some form of sports number of these services is rising, but that long since anyone who actively streaming service. “I think most suggests that major sports are likely to chose to watch an online stream of traditional players are developing some keep using the same linear model as a live sports event would have kind of online offering, partly because long as it is financially worth their been regarded as an oddball. they’re under an obligation to show they while. “When their TV partners are Today, OTT streaming of live sports are trying to reach audiences online,” offering them less money, that’s when events is firmly established – in says Tim Westcott at IHS Markit. “But I they might think it’s worth making a future it may well be an important think you have to be careful about change,” he says. influence on industry fortunes. talking about this as a revolution. More That could happen. “Some “Sports has always helped to drive of us are using mobile devices, more of broadcasters are looking at their subscriptions and revenue for media us have moved online, but the TV still catalogues and deciding that some services: in radio, broadcast TV, satellite has a very important role in sport.” sports are becoming unaffordable,” TV, cable TV,” says Lee Berke, CEO of Munford agrees, highlighting an Westcott continues. “We are going to US-based consultancy LHB Sports, increase in the average bit rate used by see some sports rights holders failing to Entertainment & Media. “The same is fans streaming World Cup matches in obtain the revenues from operators they going to happen online.” 2014 and those doing so in 2018, from would like. Maybe they will decide there OTT streaming of all sports is 1.65Mbps to 2.74Mbps, which he says is a big enough online audience for growing in practically every market, indicates a big increase in the numbers them to change the way they license according to Ian Munford, director of of viewers streaming to big screens. their rights.” product marketing at Akamai. “The But enabling a large audience to Some sports may strike deals with biggest video delivery records that we’ve stream to big screens is both technically major technology firms seeking to hit are all to do with live sport,” he says. demanding and – perhaps more acquire a slice of the sports streaming He contrasts average peak numbers of significantly – expensive. Many market. The 2018 deal struck between concurrent streams for matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup – 5 million – with the equivalent figure in 2018: 9.7 million. “What we see as a peak in a given year then becomes the norm the following year. The viewing audience is transitioning to an online world.” The push online may also be accelerated by the rapidly growing popularity of esports. Respondents to PwC’s 2018 Sports Survey say esports now has a greater potential to grow revenues globally than any other sport, toppling soccer from its ascendancy.

22 April 2019 www.csimagazine.com

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advantages include things like latency. No viewer wants to hear their scalability, the ability to spin servers up neighbours cheering while on their own or power them down to allow for screen a footballer is preparing to take a audience peaks and troughs. penalty; or to see social media posts “Quality is important and latency is referring to events they have not yet really important,” says Guido Meardi, seen on the screen. CEO and co-founder of compression Latency can reach 50 seconds or specialist V-Nova. “A few seconds more on an OTT stream. It is caused in matter: the emotional charge from a part by legacy features in streaming bad experience is greater, if the game is formats, which use memory buffers happening right now and you cannot within the workflow to reduce buffering watch it.” within the player in a consumer device. The trouble is, there are a lot of With three or more chunks of six to ten things that can go wrong. “Some may seconds of content buffered in some be beyond the control of the service formats, that delay stacks up quickly. provider – the state of a broadband Any attempt to reduce that latency ac connection in the home, or slow acelerates the workflow, so risks an clearance for a credit card payment, for adverse impact on QoE. But there are example – but the provider gets the ways to solve the problem. One is to use blame,” says Westcott. Everybody hears a multicast/ABR solution, featuring a about it, because people complain on unicast to multicast transcaster in the Amazon and the EPL to acquire the social media.” headend, with multicast then converted rights to 20 Premier League matches Technologies that might help a back to unicast equipment in or before over two match days per season provider avoid this scenario include the consumer device. Use of CMAF between 2019 and 2022, may one day V-Nova’s PERSEUS Plus compression reduces the chunks of content in the be seen as the moment when Amazon technology. It uses a unique hierarchical workflow. Torasso claims that started to turn itself into a significant encoding approach to enable better combining ABR and CMAF can reduce player in sports. Since then it has compression on top of existing codecs latency to between five and seven created partnerships with other sports like H.264 and HEVC, alongside seconds. Akamai’s Adaptive Media streaming services, including Eleven. reductions in the processing power Delivery solution uses ABR technology Other notable recent developments required during encoding. By leveraging that can support HLS and MPEG- have included YouTube acquiring the existing codecs and working within DASH, alongside CMAF. Its liveOrigin right to stream a range of major sports exiting streaming formats like HLS and technology is designed specifically for in the US and other markets; and both MPEG-DASH it also maintains live OTT content. Facebook and DAZN making inroads compatibility with existing devices. Broadpeak offers a nanoCDN into rights markets for cricket and V-Nova says operators have used the multicast ABR solution to achieve the football. StreamNet TV is preparing to technology to provide UHD and HD same aim. “It allows you to handle launch a new international OTT service video at bandwidth speeds that deliver a unpredictable peaks in demand,” says incorporating live sports and esports. good QoE even for viewers using Nivedita Nouvel at Broadpeak. devices relying on lower connectivity Finally, there are other technology Service quality and latency services like public Wi-Fi. It claims use factors that may also help shape the But live sports streamed OTT will only of the technology can reduce storage future of live sports streaming, such as acquire and retain a mass audience if and CDN delivery costs by up to 80 5G, which European operators are those services match or exceed the per cent. planning to trial for events like Euro performance of broadcast services in Open source and cloud technologies 2020. Globecast suggests that major terms of reliability, Quality of help V-Nova and other vendors provide technology companies that buy sports Experience (QoE) and latency. flexible solutions that can scale up rights may use VR to differentiate their Cloud-based technology in particular as audiences grow. A good CDN offerings (StreamNet TV is already means that operators and sports service is also essential, as is flexible promising this). organisations are able to launch new backend technology, says Globecast’s All these technologies are impressive. OTT services directly targeting the Frederic Torasso. But ultimately it may be the rights consumer at a much greater speed and But arguably the most important holders who determine the future of a much lower cost. The cloud’s multiple thing any service can do is reduce streaming live sports.

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500k users (a realistic number for the How to successfully first few weeks of the new service). However, scaling that service up to profitability becomes more and more deliver live sports at about the bandwidth available across multiple points of failure, and the ‘network collapses’ that are experienced scale over the internet when certain bandwidth thresholds are exceeded. The math is simple: if an operator – by the numbers targets 5 million customers, it likely needs to be able to manage over 2 By Antonio Corrado, CEO and Co-founder, million concurrent users during primetime, and peaks of usage above 3 Mainstreaming, and Guido Meardi, CEO and million concurrents. Live streaming Co-founder, V-Nova services typically recommend 2-3 Mbps for SD and 8-9 Mbps for full HD and he growth of video streaming chunks with the lowest support passable video down to around traffic is dizzying, possible latency, which requires single- 800 kbps. If we assume a target of with 45% of people pass real-time encoding, constant bitrate providing HD to at least 70% of viewers watching OTT video delivery and very reliable backbone (which would still be worse than what for over an hour per connectivity to the CDN Points of traditional broadcasters have been day. There is always Presence (PoPs). Caching and multi- doing for the past ten years), then we talk of Netflix, but chunk buffering also become would have 2 million users, meaning 7 Tmost of the ‘valuable’ video impractical. Additionally, when lots of Mbps x 2 million = 14 Terabits of content, such as sports, esports concurrent users generate peaks in traffic. In order to guarantee a and news will remain, by network capacity utilisation, packet loss minimum service to all, it would be definition, live. ratios skyrocket, generating lots of necessary to use 0.8 Megabits x 2 Major sports/esports federations and packet resends that further clog the million = 1.8 Terabits. This would rights holders are increasingly going network. Buffering or poor video quality have to happen during primetime, direct-to-consumer in a bid to challenge leads to strong negative feedback from on top of the bandwidth needed by the established status quo of Pay TV consumers, which ultimately impacts social networks, which also peak operators and broadcasters. Indeed, for the economics of the service. Despite during sports events and all other many sports federations or rights the myth of this problem being limited internet services distributors, the tipping point has to developing countries, it affects strong These figures, which when we arrived where it is often more lucrative infrastructure markets too: last year US account for packet loss are closer to 20 to monetise their content rights directly streaming users experienced poor video Terabits, are very high, and arguably rather than licensing them to operators. quality and/or buffering more than 30% unrealistic given the infrastructure In theory the internet allows you to of the time; service outages during available in many countries. The entire distribute very high-quality video (even major sports events frequently made the internet capacity of most European UHD HDR or 1080p50 HDR) to all news in almost all developed markets. countries and US states is smaller than devices. However, live distribution over To understand the problem and its 20 Terabits. The entire global capacity the internet doesn’t compare to the corresponding solution, let’s imagine a of the biggest CDN providers is quality of experience provided by sports streaming provider with a between 30 and 40 Terabits. With traditional broadcasters. It also doesn’t flagship property like the national planned capacity increases taking many deliver the same quality of service as football league for its territory, and walk years to materialise, the day on which VoD streaming services like Netflix, through the issues it would face. 20 Terabits can be taken lightly is not which can count on optimisation To break even the provider needs to yet in sight. Of course, by that time technologies such as multi-pass content- grow as quickly as possible to between 3 operators will be serving more viewers adaptive encoding, variable bitrate and 5 million customers. Most demanding even higher quality too. encoding and multi-level caching. operators initially focus on ensuring the Luckily a proven solution exists, and Live streaming is a different ballgame: basic infrastructure to successfully it comes from the correct use of two all users need to view the same authenticate and manage approximately essential technologies: Content Delivery

24 April 2019 www.csimagazine.com

21-25_VNova.indd 4 14/03/2019 12:16:35 Sports streaming

Networks (CDNs) specifically designed alternatives: HEVC, VP9, AV1 and served and guarantees a good quality of for video (known as VDNs, Video PERSEUS Plus. service even to those with low Delivery Networks), and next-generation With HEVC there are compatibility bandwidth. When HEVC delivery is an video compression codecs. Utilising issues with many of the devices in option, PERSEUS Plus HEVC these can increase the number of last- circulation because new hardware is demonstrates even higher compression mile connections able to receive top required, as well as known license efficiencies using over 70% less quality profiles, facilitate the distributed liability issues. VP9 offers moderate processing power than native HEVC. delivery to CDN POPs and dramatically compression benefits in live video but Going back to the user volumes reduce the number of Terabits needed. also has compatibility issues with many mentioned above, they would become That ultimately delivers a higher-quality, devices. AV1 is not optimal for live achievable targets if they were managed more robust consumer experience. video because of the considerable through a VDN and with the best CDNs have been quietly managing computing power required and the compression on the market. Serving the static and media content substantial absence of devices that are over 2 million users simultaneously, distribution market for two decades. For able to decode it before 2021. with 70% viewing in HD, would require historical reasons, however, most The answer comes in the form of about 1.8 Megabits x 2 Million = 3.6 CDNs, including those that handle the a low-complexity software technology Terabits, ensuring a minimum service to largest volumes of traffic, are not that can bridge the gap between codec all would require 0.3 Megabits x 2 optimised for video delivery. CDNs are standards by greatly enhancing video million = 0.6 Terabits. Packet loss ratios online delivery systems that, through a quality whilst leveraging the capabilities would also be much smaller, making technological infrastructure with of existing decoder hardware. V-Nova’s actual required backbone and VDN different PoPs and servers, constantly PERSEUS Plus does exactly that by capacities close to theoretical numbers. copy content to bring it closer to the building on top of AVC and HEVC Similar throughputs are feasible in the final user. Transmitting “LIVE” means today (and in future any codec that short term, while the previous ones are exactly that - without copying - and it is has achieved hardware penetration). not. On top of this, last mile for this reason that traditional CDNs PERSEUS Plus AVC has connectivity would be sufficient to have difficulty in meeting the needs of demonstrated unprecedented guarantee the required percentage of today’s market. compression performance, backward HD viewing, while previous bandwidth When it comes to video, operators compatibility with the devices in requirements would make them a should use the specific services of a circulation, and lower computing power further barrier to quality of service. Video Delivery Network (VDN) like requirements for encoding. PERSEUS Change is essential for the entire MainStreaming, which is natively Plus AVC is also the only codec industry to satisfy such large pools of designed to distribute real-time content enabling HDR 10-bit delivery in users especially when more and more such as live video. combination with 8-bit AVC. Operators broadcasters and operators are gearing The second fundamental element to have utilised it with live UHD video at up for streaming delivery too. solve the problem lies in compression under 8 Mbps, SuperHD 1080p50 The growth of sports and esports is codecs. The one used almost exclusively under 4 Mbps, full HD under 2 Mbps, increasingly built on being able to reach by streaming services today, is called and acceptable quality services for a fans with high quality video and low AVC (also known as H.264). To date, football match even under 300 Kbps. latencies wherever they are, across the market mainly offers four This triples the audience that can be multiple devices and at a cost to suit everyone’s wallet. Thanks to interactivity, personalisation and ubiquity, OTT has the potential to become not just TV-like, but better-than- TV. However, large-scale live streaming operators and content rights owners must not underestimate the technical challenges of live OTT streaming, and should consider pursuing the technical solutions that are already proven to deliver the quality of service that everyone expects and deserves. V-Nova can be found on booth SU8213 at NAB 2019

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system. “This is the Blockchain and future DRM part that all content creators I think should CSI hears Dell’s vision for Blockchain in digital rights care about and that makes me excited about lockchain is rising up owns the content, the multiple owners this platform,” Uwaje said. “Imagine a fast on the priority who create music or films. smart contract where every single word list of the media & Who owns the content and where is code and algorithms, it means there entertainment does the money go? How can are rules to it. These smart contracts industry. Because technology enable companies to think can heavily automate processes but controlling and differently about business models? This more importantly, because of the licensing content is is where Blockchain comes in. Dell transparency of information, we can becoming more complex in a digital believes that technology, especially such trust the contracts we put out there.” Bworld, one of the key use cases being as decentralised platforms like The kind of information that can be examined by the industry is the role Blockchain, can enable companies and stored includes ownership, publishing, Blockchain can play in digital rights individuals to drive more trust and usage rights, watermarks, payments and management (DRM). transparency within this ecosystem. others. The algorithms behind the A new model is starting to emerge Dell sees a number of use cases smart contract can execute on all these, that is more transparent, where the having the most impact and potential according to Uwaje. This is also why owners of the content have more within the M&E industry, including smart contracts are also being control and can manage their IP among them those around digital rights introduced in other industries like intellectual property. That’s where new management (DRM), royalty systems, insurance, property and finance. She technologies that enable that, including fighting piracy, fair trade for talent and mentioned an upcoming music festival Blockchain and smart contracts, come micro payments for artists. later this year will be powered by into play. “By no means are we saying that Blockchain in the back end, acting as Dell Technologies has developed its Blockchain is that magic pill that you the smart contract to enable tickets own blockchain solution that enables will have and everything changes. But sales based on that logic. media & entertainment organisations to what we are seeing is it represents a Blockchain, she argued, makes it a lot increase the level of trust and different type of logic that enables you less likely to have content illegally transparency among all players in the to think differently,” Uwaje said. downloaded and distributed. content value chain, as well as reducing Blockchain is potentially These are the reasons why Dell has many of the inefficiencies, manual transformative of DRM and ownership. invested a lot of R&D in the last few processes and overhead that goes ahead It is a decentralised digital ledger that years (its permission- based Blockchain with managing content rights. gives everybody an equal copy is an abstraction layer of Ethereum At BVE 2019, Dell EMC’s registered across every block or virtual machine), helping content Blockchain strategy lead, Nkiru Uwaje, participant, all on a single database. In creators and big organisations working talked about the vision that the a future scenario, content creators in the M&E space to visualise the company has for the future of content could upload content like video into a change and monetise it too. rights. She noted that an estimated 25% legally binding smart contract placed To this end, some of the capability of the royalties are still being left unpaid into the Blockchain network. Once Dell has built on top of its platform is due to lack of being able to identify who recorded, a digital watermark is focusing around digital rights, identity embedded on top, acting wallets, micro payments, real time like a digital serial number transactions, even reducing some piracy for content. in terms of prevention through account The system also performs security methods. a real time auditing and Dell is working with very big media reporting feature that keeps entertainment companies, well-known time stamping consumption household names and brands, focused and distribution in a cycle. on using Blockchain for DRM and also The entire ecosystem from payment reconciliation, joining many start to finish is linked to the other similar projects out there, as the smart contract, and back to industry tests the technology and new the content management business cases.

www.csimagazine.com April 2019 27

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nline video usage is undoubtedly Can ATSC 3.0 rescue increasing, at the same time as streaming is FTA in an OTT world? grabbing not just most of the Is the new ATSC standard in danger of Oattention, but also R&D budgets missing the boat, asks Goran Nastic and technology innovation. Mindful of these market and industry more bandwidth efficient, and can All of these technological dynamics, the Advanced Television support video resolutions exceeding improvements sound promising on Systems Committee set about 2160p (4K UHD) at 120 frames per paper translate into better services and modernising its core standard to second. It also provides support for open up new business models. The embrace broadband as much as HDR and wide colour gamut (WCG) main attraction appears to be using traditional broadcast. immersive video technologies, Dolby broadcast spectrum to offer additional “We don’t have to wait for full AC-4 and MPEG-H 3D immersive services to mobile users and the broadcasting to make full use of audio technologies, as well as opportunities for enhanced advertising. standard. It’s a suite of standards,” datacasting capabilities. notes Alan Young of Crystal. “If you The modulation scheme supports DOA? Not so fast… want to use only internet delivery you layered division multiplexing (LDM) Nevertheless, ATSC 3 has been can, there is nothing to stop you from and multiple physical layer pipes declared in some quarters as “dead on doing that,” he says. “But if you want (PLPs), each with its own trade-off arrival” (DOA), especially in light of mass market through broadcast, between bits/second/Hertz and 5G. The bottom line may be that 5G is infrequent as it may be, you can - you robustness (signal-to-noise ratio), already winning the content delivery get to decide most efficient way of thereby enabling a large variety race before it has even officially begun, delivering your content.” of different services to be offered Ooyala and other observers have An enhanced version of what is now under different reception speculated. retroactively known as ATSC 1.0, conditions simultaneously. While Goldman and Hobbs think it is ATSC 3.0 brings a number of benefits ATSC 3.0 is based on a native IP premature to declare ATSC 3.0 DOA, to broadcasters, including a more robust transport layer and utilises the DASH they agree commercial reasons will play and efficient transmission system that is delivery protocol for OTA channels, heavily into its usage and deployment. comparable to DVB-T2, by leveraging according to Harmonic’s Jean Macher, “It’s all about effective network their licensed spectrum. It employs IP enabling technology such as receiver efficiency and the trade-off between packets for delivery, rather than a DVB clients, DRM and targeted ad insertion unicast, multicast and broadcast Transport Stream, and is arguably more systems to be reused and a utilisation. There is certainly a place for aligned with online and mobile services. straightforward path to OTT, where both technologies to complement each There is a much more robust DASH has been used for years. other, but again, it comes down to the modulation scheme that enables mobile In addition, the standard enables commercial use cases,” they say. television to handhelds and in-vehicle broadcasters to deliver geo-targeted ads, Broadly, the main use cases are: devices moving at high-speed, according emergency alerts in the most adverse • Localised broadcast streams; to Matthew Goldman and Lisa Hobbs conditions, VOD, and other interactive • Partnering to create interconnected of MediaKind, which has been closely services using a broadband return path delivery across a broadcast, MVPD or involved in both the creation of the for viewers with internet access. streaming service providers’ IP stream ATSC 3.0 standards and in the With ATSC 3.0, broadcasters can on partnered stations; development of ATSC 3.0 broadcasting also explore OTA pay-TV options such • Alternate delivery or staggered and receiving solutions. The company as channel- or event-based pay-per-view. delivery for live events by device types; has encoding and packaging solutions “The opportunity for dynamic or • Targeted advertising; (the latter a requirement in all IP targeted ad insertion as well as DRM • Advanced Emergency Alerts; and systems), as well as targeted advertising for ‘freemium’ or pay-TV services that • Enhanced Video and Audio solutions that broadcasters are looking require viewers to register is also delivery for a better viewing experience, to deploy. possible,” says Macher. “ATSC 3.0 is including higher resolution (frame ATSC 3.0 offers support for newer leading the charge to the next era of rates) and more consistent technologies such as HEVC, which is broadcast television.” signal quality.

28 April 2019 www.csimagazine.com

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of devices for Aggressive timeline media consumption The move to ATSC 3.0 is not an in different enforced regulatory migration, but circumstances,” perhaps the adoption timelines show argues Ronnie Bell how pressing the broadcast community of Imagine sees the need to go down this route. Source: Nielsen Source: Communications. The ATSC finalised the umbrella “Could this be ATSC 3.0 television standard in VHS vs Betamax? January 2018, and the FCC started Possibly – it could approving limited deployments a few come down to ease months later. A year on, tests and trials of use, but might also have been underway in a number of US be split by location, states to determine technical parameters device and signal and business implications, and these availability. It could will go on throughout this year. also lead to better Major US broadcast organisations “These will help to shift the alignment, for example, between using that cover virtually the entire US boundaries between traditional broadcast signals for mass reach and footprint have stated that they will be broadcasters and content service point-to-point for other purposes,” says on-air commercially with ATSC 3.0 providers,” reckon Goldman and Bell, adding: “ATSC 3.0 provides an before the end of 2020. They include Hobbs. “Beyond the obvious, there are opportunity for traditional OTA the Sinclair Broadcast Group (191 broadcasters looking at ways to pool the broadcasters to disrupt MVPD and network-affiliated TV stations) and spectrum at their disposal and treat it Digital Advertising markets, and blurs the Pearl TV partnership of eight as a data pipe. Automotive updates over the lines between linear and non-linear, broadcasting companies (representing the air (think navigation systems), offering the ability to stream cross- over 220 network-affiliated TV stations) corporate data transmission, etc.” platform. “It creates the opportunity to together with the technology There are also plenty of opportunities reach the ‘cord-cutter’ audience.” vendor community. for 5G and ATSC 3.0 technologies to This is a sentiment echoed by Pearl “With commercial launches planned complement each other. For instance, TV, which sees the convergence of for 2020, this is a fairly aggressive one case would be bandwidth sharing/ broadcast with streaming in ATSC 3.0 schedule for deployment,” note swapping, with so-called ‘short tail’ attracting ‘cord nevers’. Goldman and Hobbs. wide-audience broadcasting benefiting Indeed, there is logic to that as With no extra frequency to manage with ATSC 3.0 and ‘long tail’ small numbers from Nielsen on over-the-air the transition, broadcasters need to plan multicast or unicast benefiting from a and OTT viewing in the US show. and work together in each market where cellular-type network. The number of broadcast-only they want to launch ATSC 3.0 services. “5G is a great candidate to provide households in the US has remained This requires a new type of the broadband path to a hybrid ATSC steady at around 11 million for the collaboration and significant planning. 3.0 receiver,” says Macher at Harmonic. last three years, but Nielsen found the As Myra Moore of Digital Tech Proponents, therefore, argue that number of homes using an antenna to Consulting points out, the last time US ATSC 3.0 will allow broadcasters to watch television has actually increased, broadcasters transitioned from an old to implement new business models that from 11 million in Q2 of 2010 to 16 a new system, conditions were vastly will have a dramatic impact on the TV million in Q2 2018 (see chart above). different, and this time there is no industry over the next decade, including Almost all the growth in OTA government mandate or organising more holistic hybrid broadcast and households has come from homes that body for a wholesale switchover. broadband services, blending the also watch some form of internet TV. “Although impossible to quantify, the personalisation with mass delivery. Most pair their OTA line-up with new competitive video services “5G does not make the ATSC3.0 streaming services; as of May 2018, landscape cannot be underestimated as transmission standard DOA; it just almost 60% of OTA households a motivating factor for broadcasters to creates competition across different combine broadcast television with cooperate with each other - especially if industries attempting to deliver content IPTV/OTT services. In total, that cooperation introduces technical and information to consumers. This broadcast-only, broadband-only and efficiencies that can enable additional competition enables users to accept and broadcast&broadband combined revenue streams, reduce ongoing become comfortable with various types account for some 20 million homes. operating costs, and create a platform

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All of the major CE makers were very active participants in the development ATSC 3.0 globally of the ATSC 3.0 standard, and are now South Korea has already adopted ATSC waiting for clarity from the market. 3.0. Broadcasters there have been using “Many major consumer electronics it since just before the 2018 Winter manufacturers have said they will Olympic Games in PyeongChang, mainly support ATSC 3.0 but ultimately they for UHDTV delivery, with the goal of full will be driven by the extent of adoption country coverage by 2021. It is and consumer demand,” says Cooper. interesting to note that this is in a “CE manufacturers are onboard but country with one of the most advanced by which a single market can transition are trying to confirm what features and broadband infrastructures in the world, from the old to the new system. DTT capabilities are needed to launch ATSC with high fibre penetration and some of broadcasters know they have a high hill 3.0, as well as when it makes sense to the fastest speeds over fixed and to climb and that they must upgrade introduce 3.0 products,” admits Macher mobile networks. their networks to see the other side,” at Imagine. Elsewhere, Canada and Mexico are she added. Connected TVs are the most likely likely to adopt it, as they currently use One of the main challenges and candidates and, luckily, the largest TV ATSC 1.0. drawbacks is that ATSC 3.0 is not maker in Samsung, as well as LG, are “While the specific transmission backward compatible to the existing both based in South Korea, where standard may only be adopted in markets ATSC 1.0 system. So the cost of a new ATSC 3 was first used (see box). For its like the US, S. Korea and the Americas, transmission chain for ATSC 3.0 is a part, Sony said it will supply TVs, we believe that many of the resulting limitation, as is the cost of better ATSC demodulators and application capabilities that ATSC 3.0 is enabling will 1.0 compression in order to squeeze development tools. be standardised and adopted by other additional channels coming from the This rollout, on top of perhaps markets around the world,” says Bell broadcaster hosting the ATSC 3.0 popular streaming hardware like Roku at Imagine. transmission, according to Macher. devices, will be the real litmus test for MediaKind’s Goldman and Hobbs point This equates to investments needed to the success of ATSC 3.0. to some interests being expressed in change and update hardware, meaning With the current pace of change in Latin America (Brazil specifically, with CFOs and CTOs will need to take a the US TV landscape, the risk is that on-air 4K tests being run in Rio de good hard look at the upgrade costs people start watching broadcast network Janeiro) and even India, “but nothing and ROI. content using D2C (direct to consumer) definitive at the moment”. “Implementation will require platforms, or SVOD platforms, ATSC3 could be a candidate in regions upgrading signalling and transmission bypassing broadcasters entirely. where digital terrestrial television is not systems but the biggest challenge for “Some may regard it as already too widely adopted. Yet alternatives, such as broadcasters will be convincing late, but there is always a requirement the DVB standards out of Europe, are consumers to use compatible receivers,” to move standards on and in that sense already broadly deployed and supported. notes Dr William Cooper of ATSC 3.0 is a step in the right consultancy informitv. direction,” says Cooper. goal of these broadcasters obsolete,” As it happens, while hardware “With the amount of technological agree Goldman and Hobbs. “That said, support is not entirely clear, there are change, there is definitely risk, this always has been about having a some positives to take in terms of especially with a voluntary adoption viable commercial model for the varied release plans for some end-user devices. programme,” acknowledges Imagine’s TV and advanced services that ATSC Bell. “However, some of the models 3.0 enables and it will be the roll-out of Build it and they will come? provided by ATSC3.0 are not easily these services that will determine the Because broadcast groups and networks replicable by other technologies, so we success of failures of these endeavours.” are committed to having a high number expect a lot of the work done on things And, as Crystal’s Young proclaims: of markets lit up with ATSC 3.0 by the like monetisation will be interesting to “We hear how broadcast is dead, OTT is end of 2020, so compatible TV sets are broadcast and other industries for many taking over. OK, that might be the case likely to be available in retail markets by years to come.” but broadcasters won’t just sit there and then. Compatible televisions are already “It’s difficult to imagine what let it happen.” available in South Korea and are commercial alternative will become The fightback then, starts here, even expected to be available in the US from pervasive during this timeframe that if it is largely a case of if you can’t beat numerous manufacturers in Q4 2019. would have the effect of making the them, join them.

30 April 2019 www.csimagazine.com

28-31_ATSC.indd 4 21/03/2019 10:28:02 Untitled-2 1 21/03/2019 14:03:13 Advertorial feature

side, and metadata or simultaneously broadcasted Building Live OTT blackouts, events, end-to-end automated workflows program become essential. This requires substitution, and automated workflows for all processes: Demystifying live content ad-insertion from ingestion, transcoding, encryption, distribution over OTT the business side. packaging, and publishing of Although many the content. ver-the-top (OTT) of these features platforms have have been available in a linear TV Robustness. A stutter free, high- drastically transformed platform for quite a while now, the quality and consistent video is the the video and expectation of a high quality of fundamental requirement for any entertainment experience (QoE) from an OTT service, platform. The platform must be highly- landscape with new and low switching costs in the industry performant to deliver the live stream technologies, and it’s means that brands must deliver a with zero downtime to have an optimal Oprojected to keep up this shift. In this seamless live experience over multi- experience for the viewer. new media consumption era, the screens as well. viewer’s are the king, and their Coverage of live sports or popular Resilience. Smaller faults during expectations of content and experience events may lead to millions of users processing or delivery of live streams decide the fate of a platform. The race hooked on the stream at the same time. can pile-up and cause more massive to please the viewer is quite evident by This can cause multiple implications, failures. Real-time monitoring, fault the fierce fight of OTT platforms for ranging from scaling for content tolerance and greater support must high-quality content, immersive processing to the scaling of bandwidth. be imbibed in the platform to experiences and value to the viewers. Streaming of valuable live content guarantee a very high uptime to The motivation is the boom of the OTT comes attached with the question the viewers. industry and a very fruitful projected of security; studios, broadcasters revenue of $129 Billion by 2023 with a and event organisers want their Scalability. As stated earlier, live OTT user base of 777 million. content to be protected with the might mean serving hundreds of linear Throughout the years, OTT services best security measures to circumvent channels and catering to potentially have been synonymous with video-on- illegal access and piracy. millions of users when it comes to live demand (VoD), but with innovations in As live video streams cannot be events. The platform should be able to delivery methods, technology, features, as easily recovered from a data loss scale up the delivery and DRM and user preferences, the industry is and delays as VoD content, the chances solutions to accommodate the millions witnessing a shift. Viewers are now of loss and failure are inherently higher of requests for the video stream. demanding the convenience and in Live OTT. From a business experience of VoD for linear channels perspective, live event streaming Extensibility. Capability to and live events as well; this makes it failures can ruin the experience for accommodate the changing user crucial for OTT platforms to establish a end-users as well as the brand image preferences backed by the drive through solid business model targeting multiple of the provider. analytics, prompt issue resolution, and screens. This growing demand for live Another aspect that makes live OTT achieving new monetisation content on the go is why many new unlike VoD is the presence of time- opportunities should be possible within VoD and digital multichannel video- based metadata. In VoD, the metadata the platform. The platform must be programming distributors (dMVPDs) comes in the form of assets, such as extensible to allow addition and are also entering the arena. duration, title, language and much modification of features, device more, whereas in Live scenario the compatibility and services (external or Differences: VoD vs Live metadata also consists of timestamps or internal). There should also be a As compared to VoD, Live OTT markers (SCTE-35) that help with provision for adjustment and workflows differ vastly. The variances ad-insertions, blackouts and nPVR. customisation of the workflow. start from the initial step of video ingestion to the final step of delivery of Expectations from Live Modularity. Modern digital media the stream. Besides the workflow, Live OTT Platforms: solutions should be built on OTT also requires a different set of containerised micro-services and features, such as catch-up or personal Automation. To manage a large serverless architecture, enabling them video recorder (PVR) from the user number of linear channels, attached to be highly modular as well as scalable.

32 April 2019 www.csimagazine.com

32-33_Anixom.indd 2 18/03/2019 14:08:40 Advertorial feature

Such an architecture facilitates the platform owners to choose, integrate, operate and scale services that fit perfectly with their technical and business goals.

Protection. Content protection and security are becoming a growing concern for broadcasters and event owners. A live OTT platform must facilitate protection of content using digital rights management (DRM) standards, forensic watermarking and entitlement services. Multi-DRM service that respects cross-platform compatibility and can secure content across devices must be in place to attain continuous security of duration for ad insertion into the or the EPG and time-based metadata the content. streams. While packaging the content associated with it. Catch-up duration, into adaptive streaming solutions advertisement configuration, Monetisation. The end-goal for such as DASH and HLS, the packager blackout regions and business and businesses is to generate revenue from inserts SCTE-35 metadata into a content rules can be defined within their OTT initiatives, with Live TV the manifest file or emsg boxes in case the CMS, along with providing monetisation opportunities are MP4 containers are used. accessto multiple users or limited to ad-insertion and selection A third-party ad-service utilises external participants. of service model. However, in the the client manifest generated in the Axinom BIS takes care of all the case of advertisements, modern previous step. The ad-service can integrations needed as well as the browsers and devices can circumvent dynamically inject advertisements execution of business rules defined many of the ad-insertions techniques; based on the SCTE-35 markers; this previously. The middle-layer facilitates therefore, the platform must allow processed manifest is then passed ad-insertion, querying, filtering, for dynamic server-side ad-insertion on to a content distribution network erification and access to content or ad stitching. (CDN) for playback of the live assets and streams. In addition, it streams and the inserted ads on the has several other features, such as Axinom Live OTT Architecture user devices. authentication, entitlements, full-text Axinom live OTT platform is composed The multi-DRM service that comes search with filtering, DRM licensing, of several individual components with a developer-friendly unified API advertisement support, reporting, that do all the complex tasks ranging allows encryption using the popular payments, monitoring and many more. from receiving the stream from modern technologies such as Microsoft Axinom’s digital solutions have vendors to serving it to the end-user PlayReady, Apple FairPlay Streaming enabled media and broadcast devices. In a modern, scalable and and Google Widevine with CENC organisations in reaching a global extensible platform, these components encryption scheme. Key rotation can audience with their content. With reside as containerised micro-services. also be performed to change the the right mix of robustness, scalability, The figure below visualises the process encryption key associated with the and extensibility, Axinom products for easy comprehension. live content. fulfil viewer expectations in the The basic media workflow for a choice of content and device, with live OTT starts with the process of Live OTT with Axinom unlimited localisations, not to mention ingestion where a video stream, Axinom, with its modular and robust supporting business goals with a provided by the vendor, is transcoded products and many industrial spectrum of monetisation and into streamable file formats. The partnerships, provides the full media operating models. source file metadata also include workflow that accompanies the SCTE-35 messages; alternatively, live OTT as well as VoD. Axinom Axinom can be found at NAB Show the editor can specify the markers in CMS can manage any video 2019 on booth SU10810 and online at the CMS for signalling the period and content, be it linear TV channels www.axinom.com

www.csimagazine.com April 2019 33

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Media in the cloud

Accelerating video content in cloud environments

35-39_Aspera.indd 1 21/03/2019 14:16:16 Cloud focus

onventional licensed software is evolving Media management into cloud-based delivery over the Internet, driven by in the cloud the popularity of applications such as Media companies’ increasing use of cloud CSoftware as a Service (SaaS), storage and software services threatens to Platform as a Service and Infrastructure as a Service and create bandwidth bottlenecks, but a new accessed via on-cloud service platforms like Amazon Web breed of super-fast internet fi le transfer Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Compute. can help. Stephen Cousins reports As data-intensive sectors like Media syndicated video hosting platforms. including the switch from physical to and Entertainment increasingly migrate Moving large and valuable video assets digital distribution and production, the to off-premises solutions, data ingest through the public internet can be very dramatic increase in firms that are able becomes a significant challenge because slow and has security risks. Using to produce, thanks to the internet, and large files must be relayed, often from Aspera, customers can deliver valuable the globalisation of production. Those multiple locations worldwide for use in video content fast and securely to our trends are firmly in place so more time-sensitive applications, but platform. The speed of overall video horsepower is needed to move conventional internet file transfer can workflow, including file ingest, queue files around.” be slow and unreliable. times, processing time and egress is Files transfers over the internet have Latency and packet loss are a major critical for many large media and traditionally relied on popular TCP- obstacle to long distance file transfers entertainment companies.” based protocols, including FTP/S, SFTP over conventional internet protocols. Other media and entertainment and HTTP/S, which facilitate As a result, many businesses have companies working with IBM Aspera communication between a web server chosen to adopt UDP (User Datagram include Netflix, Universal Pictures, BT, and an operating system to organise Protocol)-based solutions that operates Channel 4, Deluxe Digital Solutions, how files are moved up or down stream. outside the traditional network Australian Broadcasting Corporation, TCP was introduced in the 1970s and overhead to significantly ramp up file and Media Corp. has proved ideal for applications, such transfer speeds. as email or web surfing, but when large The cutting edge UDP-based software Overcoming latency and file sizes are being sent longer distances technology FASP was developed by packet loss a fundamental flaw is exposed. If the IBM Aspera to cut through broadband Multiple shifting dynamics in the media TCP layer in the OS (responsible for bottlenecks and achieve transfer and entertainment industry are driving ensuring the reliable delivery of packets speeds up to hundreds of times faster the need for faster file transfer over the of data) detects that a packet has not than traditional FTP. internet. Video files continue to arrived, a bespoke algorithm causes it The technology provides the increase in size as content producers to ‘throttle back’, retransmitting packets foundation for the Aspera on Cloud and distributors promote higher quality at a much slower rate, before slowly platform, making it possible to shift formats, using High Dynamic Range increasing that rate. large volumes of data regardless of file and larger frame sizes such as 4k In the highly congested conditions of size, transfer distance and network and UHD. today’s Internet, where busy routers and conditions. Video processing company The transition towards a highly multiple network stages increase latency Encoding.com uses Aspera’s solution to decentralised and distributed model has and packet loss, TCP retransmission migrate high-volume production video resulted in a dramatic increase in the can dramatically slowdown transfers. workflows from media companies locations where content is produced, “Packet loss and congestion are a to its AWS-based cloud platform and processed and distributed, increasing reality in the public internet today, but back out again. uptake of more readily available cloud- we shouldn’t have to let that slow down Jeff Malkin, president of cloud media based storage and processing. transfer rates. Aspera created FASP as a processing service Encoding.com, told Jay Migliaccio, offering manager, fool-proof high speed communications CSI: “We process and deliver files to Aspera on Cloud at IBM Aspera told protocol to move bytes across the CDNs, cable head-ends and other CSI: “There are multiple trends at play, internet,” says Migliaccio.

36 April 2019 www.csimagazine.com

35-39_Aspera.indd 2 21/03/2019 11:33:04 Cloud focus

Aspera’s FASP protocol harnesses movement of files from a UDP to send packets at high speeds, PC to a virtual machine, however it cannot confirm if packets to enable files to arrive safely. To do that, an extra layer interface with a plethora of authentication and security is added of services currently to guarantee the timely delivery of exploited by media users. every packet. Aspera on Cloud is Aspera On Cloud has been a game based on a versatile changer for film distribution company software-based Bitcine, which embedded the solution architecture that can be into its products used to move files into installed on any standard and out of AWS S3 storage. Colin operating system. It is Carter, Founder and CEO of Bitcine able to connect to users’ told CSI:.“We deal with files that are on-premises servers and hundreds of gigabytes in size, so those of all major cloud Aspera is injecting innovation into conventional transfer options aren’t storage services and SaaS providers. the live streaming space, which faces even a viable option. Key advantages The platform supports the full gamut of similar challenges in terms of are the increase in transfer speed, auto- rich metadata available guaranteeing speed and performance resume functions, and resiliency to poor in object-based cloud storage and over long distances. Production teams quality connections.” is constantly updated to reflect require fast turnarounds to send live Another satisfied customer is Silver new additions. video, monitor, edit, and QA it and Trak Digital, which aggregates content Innovation at the core of FASP has then re-publish the content for for many large SVOD/OTT platforms. enabled Aspera to expand into new consumption by a downstream According to company COO Christian transfer territory, says Migliaccio: “This consumer audience. Dedicated fiber or Christiansen, the ability to increase year our focus is on adding automation satellite connections are a fast, but bandwidth during peak demand times to the platform, most of our customers expensive option, FASP streaming over using Aspera on Cloud is critical: “We have been asking how to automate the public internet could offer a cheaper operate a Mobile Application different aspects to add efficiencies into and more effective alternative. Management SaaS in the cloud where their workflows. This is something we Aspera’s first major live streaming the bandwidth requirements are decided have included in our on-premises test case saw FOX Sports stream live by how many files clients upload, software stack for a while, so extending footage from the World Cup in Russia download, and/or deliver. The ability to that concept up into the cloud is a to editors in LA to live edit clips then spin up Aspera On Cloud instances to natural progression.” re-publish as highlights on news meet demand is essential in providing a The Cloud offers opportunities to use channels. The production was so good service,” he says different events as triggers to automate successful the broadcaster is looking to tasks. For example, when a file is expand its use in future live events. Media use cases uploaded to cloud storage, the start of “Live streaming opens up numerous Use of Aspera on Cloud is mostly being the transfer can be an event that triggers opportunities for major broadcasters,” driven by media customers via three key the next stage in the file’s journey, such says Migliaccio. “It goes back to the use cases. Content producers send as delivery to its final destination, or subject of decentralised production and video content back and forth for communication with a SaaS application the ability to cover live events anywhere editing; content distributors, often with that will review or process it. An event in the world without need to license massive libraries, transfer licensed could trigger an API call to any third expensive transmission technologies. content to customers in markets party service to process the content. Although people aren’t likely to switch worldwide. The third batch of users are Encoding.com is already providing off satellites that have worked fine for SaaS vendors that QA and transform support for this handy feature. Content the past 10 years, there will definitely video into different formats, for example owners with an Aspera High-Speed be more tests in this exciting area.” transcoding a master format into a Transfer Server can utilise the As the cloud continues to evolve and format suitable for TV or OTT Encoding.com API to automate the media companies seek to take broadcast in different countries, or transfer of files from the source location advantage of its scalable and cost- other asset management tools. to the firms processing centers, as effective services, fast file transfer will Cloud transfer offerings have had to well as deliver encoded content to play an increasingly vital role in evolve in recent years from the simple specific destinations. supporting its future success.

www.csimagazine.com April 2019 37

35-39_Aspera.indd 3 21/03/2019 11:33:26 Focus feature

important for live Empowering video video use cases such as live sports broadcasts. The management, processing nature of these events brings huge spikes in viewer and distribution in the cloud demand during the event, which quickly disappear By Jay Migliaccio, offering manager at IBM Aspera once the game, match or ideo content is requirements remain as strict as ever. tournament is over. Cloud-based growing. The To cope with all these pressures, workflows enable companies to quickly frequently coined organisations are increasingly looking scale production resources up or down phrase ‘Content is to move their workflows into the as needed to match variable demand. King’ has evolved to cloud, which can deliver many This flexibility is what makes the cloud ‘Video is King’. operational and financial benefits such a critical component of an Viewers want more while helping companies scale out architecture designed to service the Von-the-go video. And they expect their video production. changing needs of live video production. to be able to watch video wherever they are, whenever they want, and Three key advantages Accelerating collaboration on any device they choose. These Today’s production networks consist of With media organisations needing to demands require traditional hundreds, sometimes thousands, of create more high-resolution video broadcasters and a new breed of partners who contribute content on a content in increasingly shorter producers to create more video daily basis. The rapid expansion of turnaround times, rapid collaboration than ever to satisfy viewers — both these networks demands self-service across the content production network on-demand and high-quality live provisioning and enablement as well as is more critical than ever. Contributors streamed — in a growing number seamlessly scalable technology offered need access to collaboration workspaces of formats, resolutions, and bit by the cloud. Cloud infrastructure that facilitate exchange and delivery rates to support a variety of delivers virtually unlimited access to of video between users while connected devices. compute resources without the large always enforcing the strictest Producers must deliver faster and upfront investments required for security standards. more efficiently than ever before to traditional data centres. From a New cloud services can transform succeed in this highly competitive business perspective, the cloud offers cloud-based video sharing and media environment. Content production three key advantages: it removes the collaboration by eliminating the networks are expanding, and new kinds limitations imposed by computing and complexities of sharing large video files of workflows are emerging to achieve storage infrastructure within fixed with fast and secure transfer of the quicker turnarounds. Media companies’ footprint data centres; it eliminates the largest video formats, digital cinema infrastructure, including servers, need to over invest in infrastructure to packages, and associated metadata. By storage, and network resources, must meet peak demands, which then sits adopting a high-speed transfer platform accommodate massive volumes of video idle during normal operations; and it in the cloud, organisations can easily content. At the same time, security improves cash flow by shifting enable members of the network to investments from a quickly and securely exchange and Capex to an Opex deliver video of any size, over any model with pay-as- distance, and between end users across you-go options that different organisations. charge only for resources that are Faster file transfer in the cloud actually used. While the cloud offers many benefits, The scalability moving large video files into it can of the cloud introduce delays that are unacceptable is particularly for fast-turnaround video workflows.

38 April 2019 www.csimagazine.com

35-39_Aspera.indd 4 07/03/2019 15:30:08 Focus feature

Security can And if a supporting application be assured becomes unavailable, it can quarantine through secure the application, notify the team, access keys, and re-route the workflow to and encryption alternative systems. in transit and at rest. Moving content across multiple cloud environments Managing While media companies are increasingly complex adopting a hybrid, multicloud workflow workflows that uses a combination of public cloud, Creating, private cloud, and on-premises storage capturing, and compute resources, moving content processing and between these environments has Legacy transfer technologies, such as distributing video globally results in become much more challenging. Files FTP, are slow and unreliable, while complex cloud workflows that require that need to be exchanged are often shipping physical disks is time automation, visibility and management. stored in multiple clouds and consuming, introduces additional Using an advanced workflow on-premises systems. Traditional delays, and exposes valuable video to automation system to streamline transfer technologies bridging these unnecessary security risks. complex processes eliminates human environments are slow and unreliable, Typical file transfer acceleration error, reduces cycles and guarantees and physical disk shipments between “gateways” upload video to cloud object rapid video delivery. A complete them are time consuming and expose storage in two phases. First, video is workflow automation tool provides a content to unnecessary security risks. uploaded over the wide area network seamless end-to-end solution with third- IBM Aspera on Cloud overcomes the and written to the local virtual machine- party integrations that can scale to file transfer challenges of the hybrid attached block storage. In the second handle high-speed transfers of large file cloud by allowing media companies to phase, the video is copied from the volumes between any location, whether securely and reliably move their content local storage to the target object on-premises or in the cloud. across on-premises and multi-cloud storage. The result is a significant delay The system can automatically invoke environments at unrivalled speed. from when the transfer is started to the right application—whether With IBM Aspera on Cloud, media when the video is readily available for transcoding, watermarking or file organisations can seamlessly access and use, as well as increases in local storage format validation—and automatically share content stored across multiple costs and compute time and costs. manage the processing as well as handle clouds and on-premises data centres. It To become a practical option for conditional decision making. It can allows internal and external users to video workflows, cloud services need a intelligently move workloads between collaborate in a secure environment that secure, high-speed data transfer solution cloud platforms and on-premises tightly controls access to content and to move large video files and large environments, ensuring companies can application functionality. Using volumes of video to, from and between meet processing demands even when Aspera’s FASP® protocol, large files cloud and on-premises environments. they spike to their highest levels. and data sets are transferred across the That mechanism must address two main Media companies can also use storage environment securely – bottlenecks—the degradation in WAN workflow automation to prioritise overcoming the limitations of other file transfer speeds that occurs over workflows based on user-defined transfer technologies to move content at distance using traditional transfer characteristics, pushing the most maximum speed regardless of network protocols, and the “last foot” bottleneck important projects to the front of the conditions, physical distance between inside the cloud data centre caused by completion queue so that high-priority sites, and file size, type, or number. the HTTP interfaces to the underlying work is completed first. The cloud offers an attractive option object-based cloud storage. A workflow automation system can to keep pace with demands. Intelligent Fortunately, recent advances in high- also monitor the lifecycle of video at workflow automation solutions and speed transfer software services running any time or point in the workflow, as advances in high-speed file transfer and in the cloud enable high-speed upload well as the system health and status of collaboration services enable media and download of large volumes of video every job. It can automatically notify companies to satisfy viewer demands and large video files directly to, from the team about processing errors and and efficiently handle the increase in and across cloud object storage systems. provide a recommended resolution. video volumes, file sizes and formats.

www.csimagazine.com April 2019 39

35-39_Aspera.indd 5 07/03/2019 15:30:39

Industry column

experience 4K content upscaled to 8K, 8K TV: Cutting through producing a beautiful picture that attempts to mimic 8K quality, it isn’t 8K, but it’s a pretty close second. The the confusion best 8K TVs will use supersampling; a method used to remove jagged and The Digital Television Group (DTG) provides pixelated edges (also known as ‘jaggies’) from images rendered in TVs. practical insight about what consumers and In the world of transmitted images, there are no smooth lines, because lines the industry can expect from 8K television are made up of many small squares, each with a single colour. Unless the line is perfectly vertical or horizontal, the lines will be jagged and supersampling aims to reduce this effect by calculating an average colour value via several points within the pixel. 4K TVs are already using supersampling technology to display lower resolution content and the advancements in AI and pattern recognition algorithms have significantly improved to make way for 8K upscaling. 8K technology won’t just allow for better viewing on a TV screen but will have a significant impact on the t was hard to miss the sheer screen from only a few inches away. quality of VR experience. The 7690 x volume of 8K TVs that If the 70inch screen were in 1080p 4320 pixels could potentially offer a manufacturers had on display (HD), it might be difficult to detailed and more immersive VR at CES in January, sparking concentrate without being distracted experiences than ever before with more excitement amongst by the large pixels that make up the pixels per inch. Although, evidently the consumers and TV picture structure. technology to back this up isn’t quite enthusiasts alike. There is Globally, TV sizes are growing there yet with Chinese VR company Ialways plenty of demand for a significantly. In 2009, according to Pimax originally promising Kickstarter better viewing experience, and Statista, only 7% of households had a investors an 8K VR headset and instead loads of new acronyms to go with TV greater than 49”and in 2019 this providing a 5K VR Headset. it, QD, QUHD, OLED, SUHD are but figure is 33%. 88% of global television HDMI 2.1 is the new standard for to name a few. It’s fair to say that sales are now above 40”. Demand for HDMI connectors, confirmed back in this is not only confusing for the bigger TVs is growing with consumers November 2017, this technology has consumer, but the industry could wanting to create a true cinematic and managed to keep up with the likes of be forgiven for scratching its head immersive experience within the home - 8K and VR with continual a bit too. 8K TVs make this possible. improvements. The new cables allow for So what are the facts? 8K TV (also The perceived quality of a TV picture faster refresh rates, catering for 8K known as Super Hi-Vision) has 4 times is unique to you, with multiple factors resolution video at 60 frames per the detail of 4K and 16 times more altering your viewing experience. If you second, but more importantly for detail than 1080p. 8K resolution have 20/20 vision, the optimal viewing gamers and film enthusiast today, represents 7690 x 4320 pixels. distance for 8K (Super Hi-Vision) is HDMI 2.1 allows for 4K resolution at displayed in the diagram below, and as 120fps and Dynamic HDR. What’s so great about 8K? you can see, they are extremely short. 8K is quite literally bigger and better It’s all about the upscaling because An 8K reality check than 4K; an 8K TV offers such a rich the contents available today is HD or One thing that is for sure, is that 8K amount of detail that viewers can 4K at best! The upscaling technology equipment is expensive. Studios across experience a quality picture on a 70inch within the 8K TVs allow viewers to the world are still in their 4K

www.csimagazine.com April 2019 41

41-42_DTG.indd 3 07/03/2019 14:07:48 Industry column

purchasing cycle and aren’t ready to it is likely that for successful 8K the infrastructure is in place. adopt 8K technology just yet. Currently, television there would need to be a Universally agreed standards will not the average 8K camera comes in at over gigabit connection in the standard only create consistency across the £20k; the hope is to reduce the cost to a consumer’s house. Even at this industry and reduce confusion for third of this price. The issue with 8K prohibitive size, the limits of the consumers but will also allow content production may be the bandwidth will be tested. Then, most manufacturers to exploit economies of prohibitive cost of cameras, but the consumers would be daunted by the scale across multiple markets. manufacturers are seemingly living cost of this much data coming into the Once the DTG Widescreen Forum, by the notion ‘if you build it, they home. An hour of 8K streaming will then the HD Forum and now the UHD will come’. require about 75 GBs of data. A long Forum, the group works hard to ensure Japan and Italy’s RAI have both weekend of binge-watching could devour that the ultimate UHD viewing introduced a broadcast channel most people’s monthly data cap. experience is available to consumers. dedicated to 8K content, but it’s likely Streaming companies such as Netflix, The DTG UHD Forum are now looking that this will only be used for large Amazon, Hulu, and others, are at ensuring 4K looks amazing on sporting events, such as the 2020 struggling to deliver 4K content to 8K televisions. Olympics. There have been some consumers. This may be why they are movies filmed in 8K, Guardians of the more interested in developing HDR Why you should still be excited Galaxy, The Hobbit, Transformers and content at either HD or UHD for 8K House of Cards have all been produced resolution, which is more practical for The development of new generations of using 8K cameras – but to enjoy all delivery to customers. Netflix was quick technology is always exciting, opening these films, you would need an 8K TV, to dismiss the potential of 8K; their opportunities that were once thought to a dedicated satellite or impeccable reasoning? They focus on ensuring the be the works of science fiction. 8K is broadband connection content delivered is impressive. The most certainly here to stay, but we are Unfortunately, it is not enough to film number of pixels is irrelevant if the unlikely to see content distribution in 8K, a whole infrastructure needs to pixels being transmitted are of lesser anytime soon. be put in place for consumers to enjoy quality. Netflix instead are favouring This kind of detail in images allow for it. When it comes to streaming 8K, HDR, which offers brighter colours and advances not only in entertainment, but internet connectivity is not yet at the deeper blacks, resulted in a better- in the medical field too. 8K resolution same level of development. Even balanced image. is being used in surgical procedures to streaming 4K places a burden on Manufacturers are leading on 8K reduce the need for laparotomy surgery, bandwidth, making 4K streaming tough. because they need to be ahead of the an invasive procedure which involves You need 20mbps connectivity for 4k – curve and create hype amongst cutting the abdominal wall to view the and the requirement for 8K will be consumers, generating demand, and in affected area. Instead, surgeons can proportionally higher. turn prompting the production of 8K perform endoscopic surgery, using 8K When you consider most households content. It is important however, that endoscopes to view the surgery on require multiple simultaneous streams, the industry does not push ahead before screen, this is less invasive as the incisions are smaller. The detail produced enables surgeons to see what is going on better than ever before, and the recorded 8K video can be used for research and educational purposes. As with all new technology, there are teething problems that will take time to resolve before we start seeing 8K TV in our sitting rooms. The future of TV is one to be excited about as our home experiences become more and more immersive as next generation audio and vision evolve. To see an 8K TV demo with your own eyes, come to the DTG Summit, New Horizons on the 8th May 2019 at One Wimpole Street, London.

42 April 2019 www.csimagazine.com

41-42_DTG.indd 4 21/03/2019 11:11:13 Sponsored by: www.csimagazine.com

New convergence paradigms

Converged networks, connected entertainment

43_48_Access.indd 1 19/03/2019 11:45:04 Access focus

onvergence is happening Multiscreen 2.0: Where everywhere, evolving from a telco-centric version to one that is entertainment meets IoT much more in tune with today’s complex Next-generation entertainment will see Cdynamics. The world is much less simple than even just five years media blend with a wider set of connected ago. Broadband, the cloud, and scenarios. Goran Nastic reports connected devices like smartphones are causing TiVo, Netflix and other pioneers have fragmentation, meanwhile, doesn’t industries to interact and collide. shown just how much of a consumer always make it easy to guarantee Even with so much disruption appetite there is to be liberated of a consistent experiences. happening in markets globally - strict linear schedule and they revealed As Forbes suggests, a seamless user companies like Airnbn and Uber are a pent up demand to access content experience (UX) in a hybrid network rewriting the rule book in their fields - anytime, anywhere and on any device. environment is essential, but no easy television and broadcast is often cited This appetite for video and data across feat to achieve. These challenges, will as perhaps the most disrupted sector of a wide range of devices will continue to only intensify as the idea of a fully all. The move from analogue to digital grow over time. connected world starts to take shape. and then online has opened new Most broadcasters, in Europe at least, opportunities while at the same time have woken up to this reality. “We Extending the multi-screen challenging long established business recognise a new generation may not paradigm models and audience norms. Linear come into a linear environment at all,” The challenge for all companies is to viewing is either flat or in decline, while says Dee Forbes, managing director at keep up with the continued pace of SVOD and other forms of streaming are Irish national broadcaster RTE. innovation. With OTT maturing and growing fast, driven by the proliferation Swiss public broadcaster SRG is streaming entering the next phase of its of broadband enabled devices. pursuing a strategy of becoming a evolution, it is now a good time for According to IHS, there are now ‘transmedia content provider’, as it calls media companies to embrace video and more connected video devices in China it. “We want to say we are more and other entertainment in a wider than there are ‘dumb’ TVs in the entire more moving away from being a connected context. world. By IHS estimates, there were less broadcaster to something bigger, a Operators like Sky and Comcast than 2 billion TVs in homes globally at transmedia content provider. Our vision foresee a future where voice will evolve the end of 2018 that can’t stream from is within 5 years for people to see SRG beyond today’s basic functions like the internet. This means there is new as a digital media company, as opposed changing channel or searching for opportunity to reach people via non- to just a broadcaster,” said CTO programmes to more sophisticated broadcast means. Mathias Coinchon. control of smart home functions. These “Network capacity has made it In last 2 years, RTE has similarly include opening doors, checking possible for content providers to do been restructuring its organisation to a security cameras, setting the what they couldn’t do before. It has more convergent, customer-centric temperature and much more. become easier and more viable to go model. This has led to the collapse and Combining these with media directly over the internet, and your integration of 6 distinct divisions to experiences will difficult, but even viewers now have new devices they are remove silos, and Forbes notes how more promising. using to consume content,” says analyst every content genre now has to work This vision is shared by large set-top Tom Morrod. with a multi-platform perspective in box manufacturers like Arris who see In advanced markets, multiscreen has mind. “We are platform agnostic in the combination of TV, STB and become the new norm. A survey just terms of content,” she said, adding: “It’s smartphone as a good portal for smart released by E&Y found that a little over hard and takes time and thought.” home services. “You can use the real a third of UK households (34%) often From the point of view of estate, the speakers and graphics of the stream video content on multiple broadcasters, they are faced with the TV, to interact with you,” said Charles devices at the same time. Younger users challenge and complexity of imp- Cheevers of Arris. are leading the way, with 62% of 18–24 implementing apps onto platforms, as The nice thing, from a payTV year olds choosing to multiscreen. well as getting their apps noticed. CE perspective, is that the set-top box can

44 April 2019 www.csimagazine.com

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become more than a video decoder. For content, which in the past may have morphed,” as Dr Neale Foster, CEO of consumers, the result is greater focused on just audio. With the ACCESS Europe, put it to CSI. convenience and comfort. possibility of semi-autonomous and fully Beyond the car, smart cities represent Another smart home vertical is autonomous driving there is the option a logical and natural extension for even eHealth. “Service providers pushed of delivering video, including high wider content consumption. Dr Foster smart home into the mainstream and quality video, to a captive audience, offers some interesting ideas on the now have the ability to do the same for which might not have existed before,” future intersection between home care monitoring services, MacAvock said. entertainment and smart cities that you particularly AAL systems,” says The airline industry has also started can read about in the next feature. Jonathan Collins at ABI Research. to experiment with a bring-your-own- “The boundaries between the home The any-screen mantra also extends to device (BYOD) model for in-flight and out of doors environment have cars. In-vehicle entertainment is content, which may provide some blurred over the past few years. Today, arguably a huge untapped opportunity lessons to the automotive industry. the experiences we get in the home are for the broadcast industry. The inside of “The BYOD idea in the car is very absolutely fantastic: through our voice, the connected car is becoming just valid, but the car companies are trying we can turn on our TV, change another potential screen and connected to make sure that they don’t sell channels and even switch devices when device and there is an opportunity to commodity transport vehicles, they are we move from one room to the next. move content to and from the home trying to sell a user experience,” said This level of comfort has not yet been and the car for a more joint up MacAvock. And he adds: “The car replicated well enough inside the car, experience, especially as driverless cars vendors themselves are struggling to which we see as the next frontier for start to appear. identify open systems they can deploy entertainment: there is no reason that, “With regards to connected cars and which will allow them to prioritise their in the future, we wouldn’t be able to get other IoT type applications it’s own user experience over, let’s say, the a voice assistant to turn on the ignition important to realise that the user experience of other vendors. And and start playing the opening credit of standardisation work going on inside that UX will extend more into how the the next big TV hit,” says Dr Foster. 3GPP is very important in that space consumer is entertained, how they are “The level of sophistication we have because we know that with 5G, and cosseted inside the vehicles.” access to inside connected cars today is even 4G now - particularly the eCall ACCESS share these thoughts and opening the door to new forms of directive - you have an inroad into many considers one of the most exciting entertainment, as long as the content new cars which might not have existed developments to be using the company’s offering adjusts to the device and the five years ago,” said EBU’s Peter multi-platform Twine product not just passenger. To achieve this, collaboration MacAvock, also pointing to the work for video sharing between personal will be key: automakers need to be able happening with the upcoming DVB-I devices, but content consumption to talk about content, and the media & specification and bodies like the Car everywhere, in any scenario. Its vision entertainment industry will have to Connectivity Consortium (CCC). sees next generation infotainment better understand the challenges and “The media companies, on the other services enabling each journey to opportunities of connected, electric and hand, are very anxious to ensure they become a tailored, personal multimedia smart cars. can get into these cars with appropriate experience. “All of a sudden, media has “For us at ACCESS, the biggest hurdle to overcome is the notion that bringing a tablet with Netflix is enough to suit passengers. Replicating existing services will not work, simply because viewers don’t want to watch half of their TV show before arriving at their destination: they want a piece of content that will adjust to their personal preferences,” Dr Foster surmises. Ensuring a seamless, high-quality and personalised experience that is available anywhere, anytime presents both a big challenge and a big opportunity. ACCESS can be found at NAB Show on booth IVE-4

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This convergence needs to The march towards a fully happen, and to be at the forefront of everyone’s thinking, so that media and connected world entertainment can remain at the heart of consumers’ By Dr Neale Foster, CEO, ACCESS Europe daily life.

he rise of connected navigate the fragmented connected It starts in the (smart) home entertainment has entertainment landscape. Otherwise, we Despite media and entertainment radically transformed may see the reverse of the trend for services being an integral part of our the way almost cord cutting back to the convenience of daily lives, they have typically been everyone accesses pre-packaged entertainment offerings overlooked in the vision for an IoT and watches their and a single monthly bill. enabled world. Consequently, favourite content. We believe a solution is achievable, consumers often have to use numerous TNo longer tied to a specific schedule and it can be found in the right applications in order to access and or the living room TV, consumers have technological tools and platforms. control their different IoT and the freedom to view their favourite Today’s services can be created, tested multimedia devices and services. This is programmes on practically any device, and launched faster than ever but the causing frustration for consumers and it at anytime and anywhere. For the missing piece is to centralise all contradicts the idea of IoT being the entertainment industry, this quick subscribed services in one place. This epitome of ease. By providing simplified adoption of digital services has been a will allow easy, convenient access to the and unified access to IoT and boon: today, any organisation with its services they want, and this is ultimately multimedia devices, futuristic smart own content catalogue can launch a what all content providers and service home experiences can be brought to the video service. As we look towards the operators desire. With our ACCESS here-and-now – and open the door to next revolution, where connected Twine™ service platform, we have much more immersive connected entertainment will move beyond the already taken the next step towards entertainment options. constraints of specific devices or more cohesive, connected Breaking down the silos between IoT designated apps, let’s zoom in on how entertainment: combining a centralised and multimedia services adds a new multiscreen could evolve further and service platform for unified content layer of convenience within the home. what needs to happen next. access with a platform agnostic This will drive the consumer acceptance technology solution. beyond the few early adopters that Creating a true multiscreen Advancement in technologies are venture beyond asking their smart environment bringing us closer than ever before to a speaker to play a song or set an alarm. The transition to the connected world where truly smart devices, smart Consumers with a smart doorbell can entertainment era has not been without homes, connected cars and smart cities already receive alerts on their its challenges: the industry has had to are a reality. Here at ACCESS, we smartphone, record a short video clip if adapt from a few TV resolutions to envision a world where media and motion is sensed, and play a short, support a wide range of devices, entertainment services seamlessly personalised voice message when browsers, operating systems, screen integrate across IoT devices, inside and unavailable. This functionality is good, sizes and security specifications. In outside the home, including connected but it requires a specific app, which addition, the proliferation of services cars. TV programmes, Hollywood films typically only works on a smartphone – and apps offering multimedia content and specially created – and curated - and sometimes only one smartphone has created a new challenge: increased content will enable new business OS. With greater integration, operators complexity for viewers. Remembering models for the automotive sector, such can provide services that consumers’ which platform has a specific type of as subscriptions, pay-as-you-go, desire, leading to increased brand content – down to individual seasons of freemium and hyper-targeted advertising loyalty and stable revenues. For popular TV series in some cases – is triggered by the consumer’s interactions example, when the smart doorbell is simply not a good user experience. With with the real world. However, this vision activated, live footage from the front studios and content creators entering runs the real risk of ending up door could appear on any TV screen in the online video mix with direct-to- completely fragmented if the the home, pausing the viewing. This consumer offerings, the industry needs automotive, IoT and media & capability provides a much higher level to find a solution to help consumers entertainment worlds don’t collaborate. of ease for consumers engrossed in a

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content offering for a family embarking on a long distance journey to visit relatives could be wildly different, where audio books, podcasts - or feature length films for passengers - would be more suited for the duration of the drive. Through our solution, content owners will be able to work with the automotive industry to meet consumers’ expectations for a tailored in-vehicle infotainment experience that goes beyond simply mirroring the video services consumers already have access to in the home.

Arriving in smart cities film or hosting a party, enabling them Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) become an In the not too distant future, consumers to quickly review who is visiting. extension of the multiscreen ecosystem. will be driving their connected cars This is why we created ACCESS By embracing the connected car as a in smart cities where buildings, traffic Twine™ for Smart Home. Our new class of device, the entertainment lights and road signs will all be solution is designed to enable industry can extend its existing offerings connected. This is going to be yet consumers to access and control and generate new revenue streams in an another opportunity for the all of their multimedia and IoT environment where the consumer was entertainment industry to develop devices, even remotely. Support for previously out of reach. By making new interactions with their audiences. voice assistants such as Amazon Echo/ content available within the car, content Smart cities have the potential to Alexa and Google Home/Assistant creators, broadcasters and distributors make advertising more targeted than also helps make smart homes more can increase reach and engagement by ever before by analysing consumers’ intuitive. Extending this to multimedia turning vehicles into an additional interactions with the real world. For enhances the control that viewer has platform for their assets. It could also example, a shopper passing a mall of their experience by supporting rules foster new formats of content that are could notified of lunchtime deals and sequences that make sense in the better tailored to in-vehicle viewing, or set menu prices. The entertainment real world. For example, in the middle boosting the industry further. industry could easily use this concept of a film or a TV programme, Thanks to ACCESS Twine for to provide a list of programmes consumers will be able to simply Car, our content service and that feature the mall or the restaurant tell their voice assistant that they are automotive platform enabling secure that could be interesting viewing. going to make a drink or snack. The in-vehicle services and connected Smart homes, connected cars and programme will automatically pause infotainment, we’re striving to bring smart cities are promising to on the TV screen, switch on the content and automotive industries revolutionise our lives by connecting appropriate lights and even continue together. ACCESS Twine for Car also things we use every day. The challenge playing on the viewer’s connected enables passengers to play media is to make them more seamless, device in the kitchen once they are on any Twine enabled device within intuitive and efficient than ever before sensed in the room, so they don’t the vehicle. to foster wide adoption. One way of miss a second of the action. Next generation infotainment services achieving this is to ensure a close will enable each journey to become a integration with media and Hitting the road tailored, personal multimedia entertainment services. This can only Extending the entertainment experience experience. For example, a parent be achieved if the entertainment to the car is a new frontier for the driving their children to school in the industry works closely with automotive and entertainment morning – e.g. for a journey of less than manufacturers of cars, smart devices industries and can leverage the 30 minutes - will be offered family- and smart cities. This will help speed experience from mobile devices. It’s friendly cartoon episodes or educational the convergence between these worlds crucial for the entertainment industry games, audio and video. All controlled and ensure that media and that Electric Vehicles (EVs), hybrid, from the comfort and safety of the entertainment continues to be at the ride sharing services and, soon, driver’s seat and main console. The heart of consumers’ lives.

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43_48_Access.indd 5 21/03/2019 11:12:44 In-vehicle experience North Hall, N5306 They say every story starts at NAB Show.

Let us embark you on a connected enter- tainment journey that takes your content inside connected cars at NAB Show.

Join us for our exclusive panel discussion with Byton and France24 to learn how in-car infotainment can turn each journey into a tailored entertainment experience – only on April 8, 2pm PT in N3311. Or come to our booth #N5306 in the In-vehicle Experience at any time to see our award-winning solutions shipped in over 1.5 billion devices worldwide.

For more information, visit eu.access-company.com or contact [email protected]

ACCESS_CSI_204x271_2019-03-04.inddUntitled-1 1 1 05/03/201904.03.19 11:08:52 16:28 Events diary 2019

Date Name Location Website

12-14 March CabSat Dubai www.cabsat.com

12-14 March FTTH Council Europe Amsterdam www.ftthconference.eu 6-7 March Cable Congress Dublin cablecongress.com 11-13 March DVB World Dublin dvbworld.org 26-27 March EBU’s Broadthinking Geneva tech.ebu.ch/events/broadthinking2019 27-28 March Connected TV Summit London connectedtvsummit.com

6-11 April NAB Las Vegas nabshow.com 8-11 April MIPTV Cannes www.miptv.com 30 April - 1 May SportsPro Live London live.sportspromedia.com

6-9 May Satellite 2019 Washington DC http://2019.satshow.com 9-10 May TV Connect London Olympia https://tmt.knect365.com/tv-connect 8 May DTG Summit London dtg.org.uk/dtg/summit.html

4-6 June ANGA Com Cologne angacom.de/en 10-13 June NEM Dubrovnik neweumarket.com 18-20 June Broadcast Asia Singapore broadcast-asia.com

6-11 September IFA Berlin https://b2b.ifa-berlin.com 13-17 September IBC Amsterdam ibc.org

30 September-3 October Cable-Tec Expo New Orleans expo.scte.org 9-10 October AI World Summit Amsterdam worldsummit.ai 14-17 October MipCom Cannes mipcom.com

13-14 November Cable Congress Berlin https://tmt.knect365.com/cable-congress 26-27 November 2018 OTT TV World Summit London ottworldsummit.com 26-27 November 2018 CDN World Summit London cdnworldsummit.com November 2019 SportsPro OTT Summit Madrid www.sportspro-ott.com

For a full list of events taking place in 2019 please go to http://www.csimagazine.com/csi/events.php

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49-EventsDiary2019.indd 3 18/03/2019 09:57:30 Technology corner

Composition Playlists (CPLs) - data Localise or die structures that act as the ‘recipes’ to define how these media components Rowan de Pomerai, head of delivery and can be constructed into each required version. growth at DPP, looks at how IMF changes This creates dramatic savings in the game for content versioning storage and file transfer. If a new version is 98% similar to an existing echnology is making peppers. Why? Because Japanese version, with just a few shots changed, the world seem ever children love broccoli! we need only store and manage the 2% smaller, yet perhaps The same challenges are becoming of different shots, not a whole new copy now more than ever, more and more common for TV too. of the programme. audiences want their For Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary IMF uses globally unique identifiers locality and their show, 106 versions were produced, for every media track file and every culture reflected in while BBC Natural History’s flagship composition, offering a host of benefits. Tthe media they consume. From series Dynasties required around 20 It means the genealogy of content is HBO’s German show Dark, with its versions per episode, plus clean clear. We can understand which content fandoms in Chile, Bangladesh and elements. Today, the process of creating is shared between any two versions, Canada, to Netflix’s Spanish series versions is often highly manual task. simplifying content tracking and rights Elite making waves in the US and Even though most of the audio and management. As new versions are UK, it’s no longer just big shows video is common between them, each created, knowledge is systematically from the English-speaking world version results in a new, complete video preserved rather than lost. that have a global market. As file, requiring storage, management and Referencing content by unique Netflix likes to say, a great story QC. It’s clear that we need more identifiers rather than file names also can come from anywhere and efficient workflows for dealing with enables more efficient exchange of travel everywhere. this proliferation of versions. versions between organisations. Often, In the world of high quality content, new versions are created long after the it’s increasingly the case that you can’t IMF to the rescue original programme delivery. With IMF, be a global player unless you’re a local The Interoperable Master Format we do not need to create and deliver a player too. (IMF) is a form of component based new full-length programme. Instead, It’s not just language that drives media, allowing producers and only the new or changed content is localisation, of course. Disney’s hit film distributors to manage multiple versions delivered, along with a new CPL. The Inside Out had 45 individual shots of content extremely efficiently. In an use of unique identifiers means that the visually edited for differing cultural IMF workflow, we store and manage CPL can reference video and audio references. In some markets, hockey only the elements of video and audio which has been delivered previously, was swapped for soccer, while in Japan, that are unique between versions, dramatically reducing the amount protagonist Riley’s nightmare food was reusing that which is shared rather of video and audio that must changed from broccoli to green than duplicating content. We use be transferred. When we don’t duplicate media, we don’t need to duplicate QC either. Back in the days of tape delivery, a small change could be performed as a ‘drop-in edit’, simply laying the changed shot onto the tape. We would QC the video or audio that had been changed, together with a few seconds of content on either side, but rarely would we review the whole tape end-to-end. Yet in current file-based workflows, small versioning changes result in a new, complete file, requiring a full new QC, at considerable cost. In an IMF workflow, however, it’s possible to

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perform a full QC only on the changed piloting IMF in their workflows. From a repository, meaning that media can be media, perhaps backed up by an single-episode pilot of a flagship drama accessed when required, instead of automated QC of the full new CPL. to major programmes transforming end- repeatedly transferring entire versions to-end workflows across a whole between organisations. IMF for broadcast and online organisation, 2019 will be seen as the But while IMF offers huge potential to year IMF became mainstream in global What’s next? deliver workflow improvements for broadcast. Many of these companies The benefits we’ve described aren’t broadcast and online content, will showcase their work with the DPP years away. DPP member companies penetration of these workflows has been at NAB Show in April. are already implementing cloud-based slow, apart from a couple of key players IMF workflows at scale. Technology such as Netflix. So two years ago, the IMF in the cloud vendors are already providing the tools DPP set out to make IMF a reality for Dramatically, many of the themes to create and manage IMF, and content both our members and the industry as a we’ve been discussing in our industry owners are building their next whole, through technical work and for the last decade collide in the generation workflows. implementation support. implementation of IMF. Great IMF The job isn’t done, of course. On the The IMF standards were originally workflows rely on great metadata, and technical side, we’re working on exciting developed based on workflows from the take advantage of universal new technical developments with DPP movie industry. While it was clear that identification of content. The storage members, including a new metadata the same benefits are hugely applicable and file transfer benefits of IMF make track that will allow time-variant to broadcast and online content, some the format especially useful for dealing metadata, such as programme parting updates and improvements were with UHD content. And cloud information or detailed logging required to fully meet the needs of that implementations built on microservices information, to be stored in IMF. And community. So, in 2018 the DPP, promise the most benefit across we’re partnering on a project to develop working with the North American integrated supply chains. common APIs for accessing IMF Broadcasters Association (NABA), It’s important to understand that content, enabling true interoperability published SMPTE TSP 2121-1:2018. component based media isn’t just a for IMF in the cloud. This IMF for Broadcast and Online replacement for a flat file deliverable. To support implementation, we’re specification adds features that are Of course, it’s possible to use an IMF creating materials to help organisations important to broadcasters around the Package (IMP) in place of an air-ready to identify the return on investment and world, such as support for ProRes, high master format such as AS-11. But to make the case for their investment in dynamic range using Hybrid Log truly capitalise on the potential of IMF, IMF. We’re producing informational Gamma (HLG), and control track it would be applied across the whole materials and events to promote the audio description (AD). In addition, supply chain of generating, managing benefits of IMF and educate the whole the specification constrains the and exchanging versions. The most content supply chain. We’re developing parameters of IMF in order to restrict highly optimised IMF workflows place common template delivery documents use to common combinations of frame the content in the cloud, and use IMF for broadcasters and distributors to use size, colourimetry, sampling, and so on. as a framework to access, manage and when commissioning IMF content. And By doing so, we enable true reversion it. we’re sharing information and interoperability by aligning multiple Creating a new version becomes a knowledge about pilots and users across the complex content case of creating a new CPL, and implementations of TSP 2121, to supply chain around common use contributing only the new video or inspire and inform those who are just of the technology. audio back into your cloud repository. starting to consider IMF. In February, we launched the DPP In the complex multi-party workflows We’ll be sharing much more at our Certified programme, offering used by many, the greatest benefits Breakfast Briefing, IMF for Real, at NAB interoperability testing and product are gained when all those parties - Show in April, and on the Digital certification. This programme allows production company, post house, Production Partnership website, vendors to validate and demonstrate service providers, distributors - access www.thedpp.com the quality of their implementations, the content in a common cloud and helps buyers to choose products system. Instead of shipping video with confidence. back and forth, we simply exchange Meanwhile DPP member companies compositions. The unique identifiers in Rowan de Pomerai is head of delivery and growth at the Digital from ITV to A+E Networks and BBC the CPL can be used to reference the Production Partnership (DPP) Studios to Turner are implementing or media elements in that content

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50-51_IMF.indd 3 07/03/2019 14:12:59 Embrace the age of Infinite Entertainment.

We’re Synamedia. We’re helping service and content providers around the globe to protect and monetize video content so they can win in the age of Infinite Entertainment. We do that with the world’s most complete, secure and advanced end-to-end open video delivery solution.

We’ll be at NAB 2019, booth SU10125, and we’re looking forward to discussing how to embrace this exciting age of Infinite Entertainment. www.synamedia.com

© 2019 Synamedia and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.