special report
ibc 2011 review
The annual International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam is one of the two half-yearly events that keep the electronic-media industry alive and kicking, the other being NAB. More than simple venues for the introduction of new equipment, these are the shows where visitors are able to experience speculative technologies that may shape the industry’s future. Wearing his IBE?press accreditation, David Kirk trawled the halls of Amsterdam’s RAI exhibition venue in search of excitement and inspiration.
facing imminent competition from higher resolution image formats. NHK’s 8K (7680 x 4320 pixel) ‘Super Hi-Vision’ may still seem wildly over-specification for anything short of IMAX-sized screens but is encouraging serious consideration of 4K (3840 x 2160 pixel) as the next worldwide transmission standard. YouTube has, meanwhile, already
begun streaming content at 4096 x 2304 16:9 and 4096 x 3072 4:3, a reminder to terrestrial and satellite broadcasters that the Internet has the potential to surpass terrestrial and direct-to-home satellite transmission. Sony announced at IBC its intention to
develop a complete 4K workflow for the production market, from acquisition to editing and production. Sony has also stated that its 20 megapixel 8K F65 CineAlta camera, shown in prototype at NAB, will be on the market by the end of 2011 at a cost of Euro 38,000. Software development kits will be offered to third-
IBC2011 innovation T
acquisition area is the growing popularity of using remote heads to supplement traditional tripod-mounted cameras. This allows a single operator to control one or more cameras linked back to base by short-run copper, long-run fibre or satellite. Ultra long distance camera control can be performed by fast link, or via where latency is less of an issue such as in a presenter-to-camera regional studio setup. The DSMG ‘ENG-truck-in- your-pocket’ exhibited by Aviwest is an interesting variation of this theme. 3DTV continues to gather momentum
he most important single development evident at IBC was that standard definition, from a product perspective, is essentially dead. 1080i and 1080p are the new SD but
Sony announced at IBC its intention to develop a complete 4K workflow for the production market, from acquisition to editing and
production. Sony has also stated that its 20
megapixel 8K F65 CineAlta camera, shown in prototype at NAB, will be on the market by the end of 2011 at a cost of Euro 38,000. Software
development kits will be offered to third-party
manufacturers to integrate F65 RAW workflows into their line-up of production and post-production tools.
party manufacturers to integrate F65 RAW workflows into their line-up of production and post-production tools. Equally apparent was the accelerating
shift to file-based content acquisition, extending the role of media asset management right up to the camera lens. The catalyst here is the increasing affordability of high-speed and high- capacity solid-state memory devices for camcorders. Widespread adoption of digital single-lens-reflex cameras within the production community has in turn influenced the design of the latest- generation ENG and EFP camcorders. In Britain, the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV, S4C and BSkyB are cooperating in a ‘digital production partnership’ which advocates common technical and metadata standards for file-based delivery of television programmes. The six broadcasters have agreed the UK’s first common file format, structure and wrapper to enable TV programme delivery by file. These new guidelines will complement the common standards already published by the partnership for tape delivery of HD & SD TV programmes. A distinct trend in the content-
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www.ibeweb.com
with an increasing number of broadcasters declaring their interest. One pattern evident at IBC2011 was the addition of 3D capability to products that would hitherto have been regarded as 2D only. Grass Valley’s new Karrera video switcher is an example. There was certainly no shortage of 3D camcorders and 3D rigs, though most observers are waiting for high-quality direct view display screens. Organic-LED screens have become
increasingly popular for picture monitoring, outperforming standard LEDs in terms of picture quality and consistency. Sony’s BVM-E250 24.5 inch OLED screen won the IABM 2011 Peter Wayne Award. TV-Logic is another OLED supplier worth serious attention. Corporate takeovers, which often
coincide with relevant trade shows, were thin on the ground this year. Screen Subtitling’s purchase of SysMedia was announced shortly after the show along with Nagra-Kudelski buying Sigma Systems’ Subscriber Information Service business. IBC itself was claimed to have
attracted the highest attendance in its history at 50,462 (visitors plus exhibitor staff), 4% up on last year. With over 1300 exhibiting companies, there was plenty to keep everyone occupied. That’s the short summary. Now for a more detailed selection of innovative
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