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Technical Review | January-March 2012
Image enhancement techniques using Retinex theory were presented by Ikegami. Cameras inherently have limited ability to sense luminance unlike the human visual system which encompasses a wide range of luminance variation. Also pictures cannot be obtained with good results during poor visibility conditions such as shadow, haze and snowfall. Image enhancement techniques using Retinex theory, can improve contrast in a shadowy scene and restore colour in hazy scenes.
Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) delivered a presentation on the 3DTV broadcast system and facilities used for the IAAF 2011 event at Daegu, Korea. The service compatible, full HD 3D service method which provides hybrid coded dual streams for L & R signals compared with the single stream used in the frame compatible method, was used for the event The bitrate adopted was 240 Mb/s (120 Mb/s each for L & R) using the JPEG2000 compression format. Service compatible delivery enabled 3D TV sets to view the picture in 3D whilst non- 3D TV sets were able to display a 2D picture.
‘Content Quality and Assurance’ is essential to ensure viewer comfort and protect business revenue generated from advertisements. However, traditional ‘Quality of Service’ (QOS), focusing on measurement of some key technical parameters and visual inspection by operators, is no longer practical with the large number of services and channels available in different formats. To answer this, ‘Quality of Experience’ (QOE), which monitors the video codec layer, the transport stream and other essential parameters, now provides a better quality assurance method in the digital processing and delivery area.
Assimilating Effective Workflows and Media Management
Though file-based content production has taken off, there are still some unresolved issues, such as interoperability and efficient media management. Current file-based production workflow is complex, with multiple production islands, duplicated services and tightly knit point-to-point connections, making it difficult to integrate with different vendors. The result is restricted collaboration and high IT manpower costs. Systems like the Media Backbone
Conductor provide workflow management solutions that simplify integration of digital production islands and facilitate end-to-end tapeless operations. The industry is defining a standard named ‘Framework for Interoperable Media Services’ (FIMS) for common service interfaces.
Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) related its experience in setting up a digital archive system. To start with it was essential to clearly understand archive requirements and to start with smaller storage. More storage could be added as the workflow and system grew, allowing flexibility to add advanced storage devices and media. All stakeholders needed to be involved at the planning stage. The first steps involved defining a metadata structure, creating user profiles and deciding the input and output formats required. It was found to be helpful to go for the most flexible and customisable system option as this allowed changes in the workflow, if needed.
KBS has completed a transition to File Based Production System which it commenced in 2005. It took into consideration the input from the staff, potential to reuse parts of the old system and training of staff on the new system. It was very important to consider the people who would use the system first, keep them informed and preparing them for the change. Regular meetings were held with editors. The system storage having increased by 40 times since first installation, it was important to adopt flexible and upgradable solutions.
With fast processing power and high speed connectivity, content can be stored in an external host located anywhere in the world, the so called ‘Cloud’. In the past, such solutions did not work well with large amounts of data due to limitations in connectivity and processing speed. But content storage and management solutions are now available creating easy collaboration and more efficient workflows. Security remains a major concern and needs to be addressed carefully.
Broadcasters have new competitors in the form of OTT providers like Hulu, Google TV, Apple TV and others. But it is a growing and open market which, with proper planning and a good business strategy, can become a monetising platform. Going to a multi-screen delivery system involves major changes in workflow and architecture and implementing technology without change management may not provide desired output.
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