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FeaturingAI – Where Are We Headed?

NAB Show 2018

Mergers & Acquisitions

Competition Law Changes

BaMTM Awards

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36 IABM JOURNAL

Jason Pruett, Product MarketingManager, NewTekIP and the progressive movementtoward interconnected production willno doubt be, and understandably so,the buzz about NAB Show 2018. Butbeyond the expected presence of IP-native technologies interoperating in ashow of force for the industry’s nextbig shift, vendors and attendeesshould also plan to witness software-driven production approaches andworkflows indicative of the bigger-picture promise of IP.

Certainly, seeing and experiencing the‘how’ of various technologies workingtogether is important, but theseforward-thinking concepts and ideasthat comprise the ‘why’ are what willdrive adoption en masse.

Broadcasters and producers whoremain behind the curve won’t be soeasily convinced to transition to any ofthe emerging methods if they onlystand to simply see another way to dowhat they are already doing. Theymust be incentivized.

So, it will be interesting to see whichmanufacturers and developers are upto the challenge right now of risingabove the technical conversation toeffectively communicate the practicalbenefits of software-driven, IP-based

production in terms of real-worldproductivity, flexibility, andprofitability, while demonstratingtangible workflows that support thatmessage.

Ted Korte, COO, QligentAt the 2017 NAB Show, we sawstandards and collaborative groupscatching up with the influx oftechnology. Now, at the 2018 NABShow, we expect to see the results ofthose efforts, in particular, thestandards release for SMPTE ST 2110IP Studios and ATSC3.0 Next-Gen-TV.

Now, the question remains the timingof moving from trials, inter-op labs,and plug-fests to real projects asbusiness cases are rationalized andbudgeted.

We also expect to see morevirtualization and newly builtworkflows moving to the cloud wherethey will replace ‘old-school’ playoutand asset management workflows,among other areas that can benefitfrom cloud capabilities.

Parallel to any cloud strategy, weexpect to see increased use of suchbuzzwords as ‘artificial intelligence’(AI) and ‘machine learning, (ML)’especially with respect to contentcreation, distribution, target

advertising and even monitoring,(albeit with continued skepticism ofactual implementations).

While we at Qligent believe in thepromises of the cloud, AI and big data,we also believe that whole workflowsneed to be reworked to capitalize onthe technology.

OTT, OTT, OTT will be everywhere, andas usual, there will be a wide range of solutions as the delivery modelcontinues to grow and mature.Everyone is becoming a player. Watch out Netflix!

Joe Commare, MarketingManager, RiedelAs of this writing, it’s late Februaryand NAB Show preparations are in fullswing. The move towards all-IPinfrastructures is also advancing at arapid pace. Just this week, Riedelparticipated in the ‘Dirty Hands’Interop in Houston with over 60 othermanufacturers. It’s encouraging andgratifying to see so many working sohard to achieve full IP interoperabilitybetween products. Only through theseinterops will we ALL learn theprocedures and best practices thatwill push adoption along. Theequipment being tested now will findits way to the IP Showcase in Central

Americas Members’ Council looks forward toNAB Show 2018: ‘Watch out Netflix!’

”The average viewing session across all devices falls by 77 percent when there is a significant impairment of video quality”

Ahead of this year’s show, I asked our Americas Council Members toshare their thoughts on what we can expect to see at the forthcomingNAB Show – the big themes and subjects that will be debated anddiscussed around Las Vegas in early April. While each has their owntake, some common themes quickly became apparent – IP, OTT, Cloudand streaming quality in particular. All share one thing in common – anupbeat, optimistic outlook. Here’s what they had to say.

Caryn CohenDirector, North America, IABM

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”In less than two short years, more than 70 percent ofthe world will be mobilized, with mobile video viewingprojected to grow by 25 percent in 2018 alone”

Hall at NAB Show in April. Everyoneshould plan on spending some timethere, and we should be encouragingour clients to do likewise.

These 50+ companies are all blazingthe trail, and the 2018 NAB Show willlikely see a lot of familiar players withnew IP offerings together with(hopefully) a lot of little companies andstart-ups, too. It’s these little guys,unencumbered by the old workflows,who have more freedom to innovateand provide new tools to make thistransition a little easier.

I can’t wait to see how it all plays out,and it’s really cool to be living throughthis dynamic stage in the evolution oftelevision production!

Mary Kay Evans, CMO, VerizonDigital Media ServicesIn less than two short years, more than 70 percent of the world will bemobilized, with mobile video viewingprojected to grow by 25 percent in 2018alone. That means viewers are tuninginto NFL games, the NBA playoffs,concerts, all of their favorite content ontheir mobile and connected devices, atunprecedented rates. As mobile videoconsumption continues to accelerate,there’s never been a more critical timethan right now for broadcasters andcontent providers to be hyper-focusedon reaching viewers on the screensthat consumers are looking at most:their mobile devices. Whether it’sthrough a subscription model, a whollyowned app or a collaborativepartnership, the broadcasting industrymust be positioned to successfullyenter and thrive within the OTT market.

The industry must also be ready toaddress some of the challenges thatstreaming video can present, such asbuffering, monetization and quality ofexperience. For example, we found that86 percent of viewers we surveyed say

it is very or extremely important toexperience TV-like quality every timethey watch, on every screen they use,and just as telling, the average viewingsession across all devices falls by 77percent when there is a significantimpairment of video quality. A negativequality of experience for OTT contenton mobile devices can adversely impactviewership and ultimately, a contentprovider’s revenue. That’s why it’simperative that we focus not only on amobile strategy, but on a mobile-beststrategy.

Specifically at the upcoming NABShow, I’m excited to see contentproviders and their partners, vendorsand other service providers connect,collaborate and work together todetermine how to flourish within theOTT market. I predict we’ll see evenmore solutions and hear even morethought leadership around howbroadcasters can enter, thrive andexpand their OTT offerings. Increasedmobile video consumption growth iscoming – whether you are prepared forit or not. But, I’m confident that we willcontinue to see innovative technologiescome forward to lay the groundwork tomake high quality, mobile-best contenteasily accessible to viewers, in everypart of the world.

Adam Schadle, VP, Video ClarityAt NAB Show 2018 we will seepractical applications of newly createdIP standards for uncompressed in-facility networking that will be able toeffectively replace SDI infrastructuresthis year. As the new IP networks areimplemented, interoperability testingwill continue between bothmanufacturers and entertainmentoperators who will apply video andaudio quality testing throughout theinitial evaluation and adoption process.As with most new technologies manyfacilities will take a step or hybrid

approach by including legacy SDIfunctions to implementation as well as testing.

Cloud and on-premises virtualarchitectures applied to contentdelivery are rapidly evolving areaswhich are very effective for setting upand quickly deploying content delivery.We are seeing mainstream adoption forboth VOD and live channels/events,particularly as television distributionand OTT apply to every content sourceand especially large-audienceentertainment experiences. It’simportant for content providers to testthe encoding technology, various bitrates, and network path to insureaudience experience and brand qualityfor these deployments both before andduring the scheduled air time.

Peer Jambor, Director ofMarketing and Communications,VITECAs the broadcast industry continues toevolve into non-traditional and cutting-edge delivery platforms andtechnologies, the NAB Show is asrelevant as ever. It’s the perfect forumfor attendees to see these dynamics inaction, as vendors showcase theirmost forward-looking solutionspreparing customers for the IP-basedfuture.

At VITEC, one trend we’re seeing is theconvergence of digital signage andIPTV. This is not only inevitable butcritical, since both elements mustwork hand-in-hand to give end usersthe best-possible experience. IPTV-driven digital signage systemsconsistently deliver a smoother, moreconsistent, and higher-quality viewingexperience for even the most-demanding signage and videoapplications, such as those inenterprises, sports stadiums, andgovernment agencies.