In Broadcast - March 2018 - 48

48

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 8 - Issue 3 | March 2018

InStudio

Systems Integration - Part II
Contributing Editor Andy Stout concludes his two-part snapshot
of the current state of the System Integration sector...

Nicolas Moreau,
Marketing Manager,
Sony Live Production Solutions:
"From the perspective of Live
Production and IP, Sony experienced
a successful 2017 where live
broadcasting moved even further
towards an IP-centric future.
"The demand for innovations with
live production, such as IP, remains
strong across Europe. However, we
have seen the strongest demand for
this from the UK, France, Germany and
Italy. These demands have come from
the desire to future-proof production
as broadcasters across Europe sense
that IP is moving from the niche into
the mainstream. We also see a demand
globally for IP in live production. In
the UK, BBC Studioworks is using IP
for flexibility, while in Brazil, TV Globo

Kevin Moore,
Director, Ion Solutions:
"In our territory, which is mostly
Ireland, the demand has been
primarily around displays and storage,
not much in studio infrastructure and
production
"I think that's a continuing sign of the
pressure on broadcasters to improve
automated processes, reduce costs,
and at the same time try to maintain a
good on-air look. Overall this points to
increasing pressure on their margins.
"I think the old-school SI model of
major projects with lots of traditional
SDI infrastructure are pretty much
done - with the exception maybe of
the occasional OB vehicle, and very
rare studio project. The trend is very
much towards IP infrastructure and

wanted an IP infrastructure with the
confidence of SDI.
"The use of IP for live production is
clearly a trend that will become the
norm within broadcast. As part of
this, the industry calling for additional
standardisation.
In
December,
the Society of Motion Picture and
Television
Engineers
(SMPTE)
introduced three aspects of ST 2110.
"Flexibility and reliability is key
for facility providers as solutions
for production must not only work
effectively but produce high-quality
output. IP improves workflow as it
enables REMI, or remote integration,
which allows production companies
and broadcast operators to produce
quality content with less resources.
"The demand for IP's unique sharing
capability will continue to grow as it
introduces a new way of working as
live events can be covered and another
can start from another location
instantaneously - reducing downtime.
Cost can also be reduced as a lighter
set-up can be installed with two to
three employees on site rather than
a full OB truck filled with equipment
networking expertise, and successful
SIs are gearing more for this world.
"The highest profile project of 2017
was the installation of a new videowall
for TV3's News studio. This consisted
of a Christie Digital 32 x 55-inch screen
videowall, in two rows of 16, in portrait
mode. The screens are driven by
two Christie Pandora's Box 4K video
servers/effects controllers, each with
4x 4K outputs, and 4x HD-SDI inputs.
So a total of 8x 4K outputs driving the
wall, and 8x HD-SDI inputs for live &
clip playback.
"We have a diverse offering, covering
both broadcast and the broader
high-end AV sectors. We have seen
an increasing convergence of the
technologies across these sectors - we
like to call it Converged Divergence
- in other words, where previously
broadcasters and AV users occupied
very different worlds, now they are in
many cases using similar technology;
so IP in broadcast with the various
SMPTE standards that are evolving, but
IP in AV is also becoming prevalent, as
it is for DOOH, and other sectors of the

BBC Studioworks used IP for flexibility

- delivering an agile way of working
in the fast-paced environment of live
production.
"In 2017, Sony worked with BBC
Studioworks to deliver 4K over IP in its
Television Centre studios at the newly
refurbished Woodlane site in Central
London. For this refurbishment, BBC
Studioworks chose Sony's IP Live
Production system as well as 22x Sony
studio cameras, including 8x HDC-

4300's 3x XVS switchers and more
than 200 monitors, including OLED
screens. These screens were selected
to give BBC Studioworks its 4K
capability and help make its Television
Centre facility the most up to date and
flexible studio space in the UK.
"Sony's technology was selected
not only for the all-in-one solutions
package it offers, but for its open
standards approach."

TV3 news studio videowall

industry. And our traditional broadcast
clients are delivering content to all
these diverse platforms.
"Our engineers are finding that,
although the protocols and specifics
might be different, the fundamentals
are very similar, whether it's a
broadcast project, or a high-end AV

project. So all in all, we are optimistic,
and our launch on January 1st of our
new combined company, Ion Solutions,
which amalgamates the Eurotek and
AVTEK teams, reflects the crossover
we have seen - and continue to see -
between the traditional areas of the
business and the newer technologies."
http://www.inbroadcast.com https://www.bbcstudioworks.com/ https://en-gb.facebook.com/IonSolutionsLtd/
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