BCA Show Preview - 64

64

SUNTEC SINGAPORE

A part of

MARINA BAY SANDS * SUNTEC SINGAPORE

SHOW PREVIEW | 26-28 June 2018

Ericsson Media Solutions
Transforms Television
Ken Yap, Head of Media Sales APAC, Ericsson Media Solutions reveals how the
company's solutions are directly responding to this period of TV transformation...
BroadcastAsia:
Has
BroadcastAsia
2018 come at a good time for the media
industry? Why?
Ken Yap: BroadcastAsia 2018 arrives at
a time when the media and entertainment
industry is in its greatest period of
transformation. Consumer appetite for all
forms of video is continuing to grow at
a rapid pace. There are also significant
changes in viewer expectations for
immediacy, simplicity and availability
of content, which is placing unique
requirements on the TV ecosystem.
Today, live TV content needs to deliver
ever-greater immersive experiences through
Ultra High Definition (UHD) and mixed reality
capabilities. Content providers are embracing
OTT to deliver unique value on a direct-toconsumer basis. On-demand content is
also maturing to become multi-screen, and
providers are increasingly looking to integrate
cloud-based services to deliver intuitive
content discovery experiences for viewers.
BroadcastAsia 2018 offers an opportunity
for us to discuss these trends and how our
cloud-enabled, standards-based integrated
end-to-end roadmap is enabling TV players
to transform their offering and cater to the
growing needs and demands of viewers.

to discover, watch and share
video content whenever and
wherever they like. Today,
around 70% of consumers
watch TV and video on a
smartphone - twice as
many as in 2012. Sixteen to
19-year-olds spend more than
half of their time watching ondemand, an increase of more
than 100% (10 hours a week)
since 2010. These changes
in viewing habits mean that
TV providers now need to
deliver high-quality viewing
experiences anytime, anywhere
and on any device.
The TV and media industry
must ensure compression performance to
deliver the best picture quality on whichever
media service or device the viewer chooses.
This content also needs to be intuitive and
easy to find - Ericsson ConsumerLab TV
and Media research shows that the average
time spent searching for content has grown
to almost one hour per day. We are seeing
the cloud providing new ways to deploy timeshift services to create intuitive, accessible
and compelling viewing experiences.

BCA: What do you think are the key
developments in, or threats to, your market
sector at the current time?
KY: Ericsson ConsumerLab TV and Media
research shows that viewers are demanding

BCA: How is the company positioning
itself for the future of broadcasting?
KY: For us, it's about delivering today,
but always with an eye on driving the
next compelling consumer experience.

TV providers need to deliver content anytime, anywhere and on any device

A fifth of homes have a UHD TV (Ericsson ConsumerLab Report)

We are providing both the innovation that
is realising this future, alongside real,
deliverable software and service solutions
that are needed for TV service providers to
compete today. Partnering with One Equity
Partners earlier this year gives us the scale
and financial muscle to support ongoing
investment in cutting-edge new technologies
in compression, delivery, and our two
platforms, Mediaroom and MediaFirst.
BCA: Are the latest technological
advancements
revolutionising
how
manufacturers determine new product
offerings? How challenging is it to address
these issues and keep ahead?
KY: Our hardware and software
solutions have been designed to
directly respond to this period of
TV transformation. For example,
at a time when a fifth of homes
now own a UHDTV (Ericsson
ConsumerLab TV and Media Report
2017), our new MediaFirst endto-end UHD ecosystem leverages
high-performance algorithms for
encoding UHD content. It delivers
across contribution networks with the
freedom to use High Dynamic Range
(HDR) technology for a more natural
and immersive consumer experience.
The solution offers a cloud-agnostic
choice of private, public or hybrid
clouds for the ultimate flexibility for
formats and deployment.

In addition, the drive towards more
immersive experiences, using UHD and
mixed reality capabilities - including the
processing of 360-degree video - are
evolving from demonstrations to real-world
consumer applications rapidly. Ericsson
Media Solutions is a founding partner of the
Virtual Reality Industry Forum (VRIF) and
last year created a real application of Virtual
Reality (360 video) synced with live sports
alongside other VRIF members, showing its
future potential.
BCA: Is the increase in live production
requirements changing the sector in any
way?
KY: Broadcasters are increasing the
rate of delivery of live UHD programming
to consumers. This requires a seamless
workflow across the entire video and audio
delivery chain, from acquisition cameras
to an ever-growing universe of consumer
devices.
The added complexities of HDR, immersive
audio and high bandwidth network
infrastructure requirements have made
true UHD ecosystems difficult to achieve
until recently. Increasingly, broadcasters
are building converged OTT and broadcast
ecosystems that leverage optimised
hardware, IP workflows, and the cloud, to
mix SDR and HDR content and address
all screens within a common end-to-end
solution.
https://mediasolutions.ericsson.com
https://mediasolutions.ericsson.com/# https://mediasolutions.ericsson.com/portfolio/ https://mediasolutions.ericsson.com
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