September 2014
www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 85 QC Forum
operators begin to consider the second screen as the growth engine and an absolutely essential element in the asset delivery requirements of any original programme. Therefore, we’re seeing that second screen testing requirements are becoming very important, multiplied by the number of new versions sent for any one piece of content. Vasudev: Yes certainly. The viewer’s expectation is for a fl awless second or multiscreen experience. With multiscreen workfl ows, there is a proliferation of content at different bitrates and formatted for various screen sizes, which makes QC automation an essential part of the workfl ow. Westlake: In terms of processes, increases in second screen activity should not have affected QC processes that much. A high quality system will offer the ability to set up multiple test plans to cater for different fi le formats and, if used at the correct points in a workfl ow, can ensure fi les are correct for the chosen output.
Does 4K present any signifi cant challenges when it comes to QC?
Begent: It does not present signifi cant challenges and most auto QC systems already support 4K. It just means a larger frame resolution, more pixels, larger fi les to test and newer high effi ciency codecs like HEVC/H265. Davenport: There are a number of technical challenges with 4K and QC – new codecs, colour space(s), larger fi les, higher fi delity – but the key challenge is still around process management, and a well considered and designed workfl ow should accommodate all resolutions and frame rates. Nunney: Yes, more data means there’s more processing requirement, but two criteria remain the same. One being the technical specifi cation set and the other being at what level of degradation the user complains. A passive interface providing feedback of realtime quality, alerts and a QC storage loop at all times is the only solution. Schadle: Not really. However, the size of 4K fi les does require more testing time, especially since those fi les tend to be mezzanine-level and, therefore, larger and with higher bitrates. As delivery evolves and codecs get more effi cient, 4K fi les will continue to trend to lower data rates as they become more prevalent. Singhal: The primary challenge for QC of 4K content is performance. Due to size and bitrate, the processing of 4K fi les can take longer and require more computing power. As broadcasters such as Netfl ix lead the way towards 4K content, requiring stringent adherence to their
specifi cations, effi cient and comprehensive support for analysis of content by leading QC vendors becomes more important.
What is the next major development when it comes to QC?
Begent: The start of the next major development is already available. Systems like Vidchecker and Vidfi xer provide not only QC, but can also intelligently auto correct common problems like out-of-spec video and audio levels, and automatically add and remove black sequences and colour bars. This provides signifi cant ROI, and cost and time savings, as fi les with errors no longer need to be sent back for manual re-edit, correction and re-encode. Davenport: Firstly, the work of the EBU QC group to defi ne not just what should be tested, but how tests should be measured and, crucially, reported, making it much easier to compare auto QC vendors. Secondly, QC now happens at multiple points in a workfl ow, often across several departments and/or facilities. The carriage of QC metadata within or alongside media, providing genealogy and enabling users to quickly establish a level of trust in that media will offer signifi cant gains in effi ciency. And fi nally, auto fi x-up has already begun to establish itself as a way in which to signifi cantly reduce costs and gain effi ciency. Products on the market today are largely focused on correcting failed regulatory measurements, such as loudness and fl ash pattern analysis, but as these tools become more intelligent and algorithms improve, they will inevitably extend to provide fast and effective correction for other absolute and objective failures. Nunney: IP QC and correction combined at a great price all done via the cloud. Schadle: With regard to quality measurements, we will see perceptual metrics become more and more accurate as the tools continue to evolve closer to a human’s perception of quality. How these tools are being integrated into the QC process is also evolving. Therefore, a human-like perception of quality is a divergent question for QC processes. On one hand, there are many new techniques being touted as accurate – with single-ended metrics that might create some advantage over fi le syntax for quickly checking for anomalies. However, full reference methods are driving a much more reliable set of tools that can, in most cases, be relied upon for the most accurate quality measurements without the help of exhaustive subjective studies.
Singhal: With more and more broadcasters transferring the content QC responsibilities to suppliers, these providers – big or small – need access to the QC tools. QC vendors need to come up with offerings that are affordable and usable by players of all sizes in the value chain. QC vendors also need to continue developing their tools to measure reliably more and more of audio/video baseband issues that are not objective. Achieving true automation in these diffi cult scenarios requires the next level of innovation. Vasudev: Cloud-based QC is gaining importance as industry business models incorporate cloud-based workfl ows in an effort to increase operational effi ciency. However,
Penny Westlake Interra Systems
U.N. Vasudev Tektronix
“With the ongoing adoption of R128 recommendations across various parts of the world, Audio Loudness, along with Peaks and Loudness range, has indeed become an important consideration” Vikas Singhal, Venera Technologies
it is critical that content security within the cloud service be effectively addressed when implementing any cloud-based workfl ow. Westlake: There are new possibilities on the horizon… but if I told you, I’d have to kill you.
www.dalet.com www.emotion-systems.com www.hamlet.co.uk www.interrasystems.com www.snellgroup.com www.uk.tek.com www.veneratech.com www.vidcheck.com www.videoclarity.com
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