In Broadcast - May 2016 - 80


80

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 6 - Issue 5 | May 2016

InUSA

NAB Show 2016: Progress Abounds cont'd...
Evertz, which had been promoting its
own method of IP delivery. Standards
like SMPTE 2022-6 and the new TR03
standard were in abundance on the
show floor, but a lack of true adoption
of any one standard continues to
hinder
full-scale
implementation
across the U.S. and globally.

Ross Video introduced a new box-style
camera, its first in that category designed
for gimbals and drones

Box-style cameras also made
somewhat of a comeback at this
year's NAB Show, with Canon,
Hitachi, Ikegami and Ross Video all
introducing new models designed
for robotically controlled cameras
for automated studios and remotely
controlled environments.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ("drones")
were once again in evidence at
the show, as part of the Aerial
Robotics and Drone Pavilion, but the
momentum for the technology appears
to be waning, as U.S. government
rules have limited their use, and users
have grown bored with the four and
eight-prop systems. UAVs are in use in
professional settings, but the promised
potential has yet to be reached. One
interesting drone system at the show
(EHang's
GhostDrone,
complete
with spherical 4K camera) could be
controlled by wearing virtual reality
(VR) goggles and moving your line of
sight.
Speaking of VR, the consumer-led
technology was clearly in evidence
across the NAB exhibit floor, including
a live streaming VR headset from
TVU Networks. There was also an
interesting (and well attended) session
entitled Live Streaming Virtual Reality,
led by Chris Blandy, EVP, Technology
Solutions, Fox Networks Group. Like
all of the TV networks, Fox has been
experimenting with the technology for
newsgathering as well as its reality TV
shows. Look for more content to be
developed over the next eight months
that should really help launch the
technology in new industries beyond
broadcast and professional video
production. Several companies in the
broadcast industry said technologies
like VR would help them increase
their revenue in the years to come.

To this end, Blackmagic showed off
360 Designs' Mini Eye VR rig that uses
Blackmagic Micro Cameras. The Mini
Eye rig can hold anywhere between
three to ten small cameras, mounted
in a circle.
Live streaming platforms, using new
compression algorithms, are maturing
at a time when consumer demand
for content via Internet Protocol
(IP) delivery is at an all-time high.
Systems like Telestream's Wirecast
stood out as one of the industry's
only cross-platform, all-in-one live
streaming production software that
enables capture, live production
and encoding of live streams for
broadcast to multiple servers and
platforms simultaneously. With an ever
expanding list of streaming destination
partners such as Verizon Digital
Media Services, YouTube, Microsoft
Azure, Ustream and many others,
Wirecast makes it easy to broadcast
professional-looking live web shows,
news, online gaming, sporting events,
concerts, church services, corporate
meetings, lectures and much more
with just a few mouse clicks.
NewTek continues to promote its
IP delivery initiative, called Network
Device Interface (NDI), which has been
gaining traction within the industry as
a means for third-party equipment to
talk to each other over IP networks.
NDI allows multiple video systems
to identify and communicate with
one another over IP, and to encode,
transmit and receive many streams
of high quality, low latency, frameaccurate video and audio in real-time.
Newtek calls it an open standard for
live production IP workflows over
Ethernet networks. Currently more
than 100 companies have signed on
to support it - perhaps most notably
EHang's GhostDrone brings
together two nascent
technologies: Drones
and virtual reality
control.

Finally, the new ATSC 3.0 broadcast
spec for next-generation TV delivery
(both linear and on-demand mobile)
was on display for all to see. In fact,
both ends of the upper level South
Hall of the Las Vegas Convention
Center served as demonstration areas
for ATSC 3.0 broadcast equipment
and consumer experiences during
the 2016 NAB Show. The live tests
showed promise, but with no
government mandate and stations
looking at having to make new capital
investments to get up and running,
the market has yet to decide whether
it will be successful. For stations the
migration to ATSC 3.0 could involve
installing a larger transmitter or new
exciter to an existing transmitter
in order to maximise their ERP and
coverage, or at the very least a
software update to the transmitter
in order to transition to the new
modulation and perhaps increase
their power output. Many have stated
privately that they are not willing to
spend more for the same coverage
(albeit, adding mobile delivery to the
mix).

station based in Raleigh, North
Carolina. Other content was shown
and provided by companies such as
GatesAir, Harmonic, LG Electronics,
Zenith, and Triveni Digital.
Digital Alert Systems, Dolby,
GatesAir, Harmonic, LG Electronics,
Triveni Digital, and Zenith teamed
up to demonstrate live end-to-end
ATSC 3.0 workflows for a range of the
broadcast capabilities such as 4K and
high dynamic range at this year's NAB
Show. Multiple programmes of live and
prerecorded streams were displayed in
4K resolution with HDR, delivered at a
frame rate of 60 fps, along with nextgeneration audio. The demonstrations
were the first time that broadcasters
observed eight of the nine core ATSC
3.0 technologies being standardised
to provide advanced electronic
programming/service guides, HDR-tostandard dynamic range conversion
for legacy DTV, and other new services
and media types supported by the
next-generation broadcast television
system.
LG Electronics also demonstrated
a new wireless network antenna
designed to receive and process ATSC
3.0 television broadcast signals and
redistribute them via Wi-Fi throughout
the home to connected devices such as
smart TVs, tablets, laptop computers
and smartphones.

With more than 103,000 attendees
In the ATSC 3.0 Consumer Experience reported at this year's show, as well as
a showcase of the consumer benefits 1,874 companies spanning 1,063,380
spotlighted the new broadcast net square feet of exhibit space, there
platform, including a variety of was clearly something for everyone.
exhibits featuring new broadcast At the 2016 NAB Show broadcasters
TV capabilities such as interactive continued on their quest to find
advertising, advanced emergency the right combination of efficiency
alerting, expanded audio, and vivid 4K and cost-effectiveness in or to stay
video with high dynamic range. The relevant in a fast changing video
ATSC 3.0 Broadcast Pavilion, located distribution world.
in NAB Futures Park in upper level of
In some cases that meant walking
South Hall, featured demonstrations the floor and marvelling at the endless
of
broadcast
equipment
and possibilities.
systems from nearly 20
companies and research
institutions involved with
the introduction of ATSC 3.0
services. [Of note: Sinclair
Broadcast
Group,
the
nation's largest independent
station owner, staged a
live demonstration of the
Advanced
Warning
and
Response Network (AWARN),
featuring emergency alert
The latest developments in the emerging ATSC 3.0
content delivered from WRAL- broadcast spec for next-generation TV delivery (both
linear
& on-demand mobile) was on display for all to see.
TV, the NBC affiliate television
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.rossvideo.com/plus/acid-cam/ http://atsc.org/newsletter/atsc-3-0-where-we-stand/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3AZCZXkHhQ
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