InBroadcast - November 2024 - 38

38
www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 14 - Issue 11 | November 2024
InMedia
DirectOut Expertise Delivers
Successful Solutions for Global
024 was a huge year for sport, from the Olympics
to Euro 2024, the summer has been filled with
ectOut PRODIGY.MP system deployed
for ultimate redundancy and reliability at
Next Gen ATP finals in Jeddah
Sports Broadcast Networking
2
triumphant sporting endeavors. But how audiences
experience these events outside of the arenas has
changed significantly and broadcasters are working
hard to keep up with multimedia consumption.
From methods of consumption to developments in
transmission, the broadcast of sporting events is
constantly evolving.
From home cinemas, to TikTok and YouTube,
content is being experienced in a multitude of ways
and Nicolas Sturmel, Senior Network Technologist
at DirectOut, is well placed to share his insight
into how major sporting events are staying on-air
for longer, with increased clarity and transmitting
content
across
the globe, ensuring home
audiences witness the action within moments of it
happening.
DirectOut products are used to ensure critical,
immersive 7.1 Dolby
Atmos
sound, can be
transmitted constantly, alongside 4K pictures,
24 hours a day across the world to millions of
people live, without a glitch.
Digital
content
is
sent
out
across multiple
channels, not just on broadcast media designed
for home televisions, but also digital outlets, such
as
smart-phone apps and browser-connected
streaming-devices. Consumers
now demand
higher quality content and watch a range of
viewing perspectives, sometimes across multiple
screens. Home electronics have improved at an
extraordinary rate and consumer uptake is high.
Home audio is also evolving, with sleek solutions,
that enable surround sound to be delivered from
easy-to-use singular sound bars, rather than a full
surround-system with separate speakers.
The amount of data required for content like
puts huge strain on IT networks, so the industry
has responded by developing the SMPTE ST 2110
protocol, a new way of transporting audio, video,
and metadata across an IT network. It works by
splitting data into three streams, called essences,
limiting the size of the information by only sending
active streams and minimizes the requirement for
decoding hardware.
DirectOut's PRODIGY.MX is
at the heart
of
networks like these, as it is capable of translating
the various protocols seamlessly. Thanks to the
modular design of the PRODIGY series, cards
can be added or removed as needed to increase
usability. Network modules
like the Ravenna
card include an NMOS interface specification,
defining data models and ensuring devices can
be controlled by any software compliant with it.
Launched at IBC2024, a new out of band NMOS
mode allows even more flexibility
for the end
user. By harnessing these specifications within
the hardware, we are finding a balance between
complex network capability and overwhelming the
audio engineers that need to use the equipment
effectively.
Until
recently, using proprietary
For large scale sporting events like the Olympics,
that are broadcast across the world and then
adapted in a variety of ways locally, the audio team
can also utilize globcon to create local sub-mixes
within the PRODIDGY, if required. The PRODIGY.MP
AutoMix feature is very useful in this application,
allowing engineers to mix and monitor audio feeds
without the requirement for an additional mixing
console.
In Paris, the team at France TV was able to mix
network
protocols such as Dante had been the norm. The
end user benefits from their simplicity and ease
of use, but is offered limited versatility. Broadcast
situations like the Olympics require a much more
complex networking system to provide additional
content, requiring more network knowledge to
facilitate. We are seeing more IT literate audio
engineers as the reliance on Audio over Internet
Protocol (AoIP) increases.
Computer network understanding is becoming
a much more desirable skill with broadcasters
looking to maximize their
personnel budgets and get the
most out of their equipment.
Having the right technical staff
is crucial, but by simplifying
our hardware interface with the
network, engineers are better
able maintain the required
complex
connection without
being overwhelmed, ensuring
that
they
can benefit
the full capability
products.
from
of all our
all broadcast audio streams at once, including HD
video content and 4K content with Dolby Atmos.
Engineers switched monitoring between the two
streams directly via globcon, without the need
for an additional mixing console. When audio
engineers have the skillset to mix audio artfully,
but also invest time in the set up and control of
software like globcon, there is no limit to what can
be achieved.
Once the infrastructure is installed and the
broadcast
is running, the equipment may have
to remain in use for many weeks, continuing
to run effectively without being switched off or
rebooted. At DirectOut, we run tests to ensure that
our solutions are able to run for long periods in
the most challenging environmental conditions,
ensuring our end users can leave their units
running for months without any concern.
Exploiting the reliability of the PRODIGY series
enables engineers to concentrate on producing
excellent
content without worrying about the
performance of their equipment. This reliability is
essential for sports broadcasters, especially for
large scale, multi-venue sports events.
By producing hardware that can interface with
all devices on the network, transport and convert
large amounts of audio data and be simplistic to
interface with, DirectOut has ensured that sports
broadcasters can continue to offer innovative and
exciting content to millions of sports fans across
the globe.
https://www.directout.eu
http://www.inbroadcast.com https://www.directout.eu https://www.directout.eu http://www.PRODIGY.MX https://www.directout.eu https://www.directout.eu
InBroadcast - November 2024

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