22 SCALING UP FOR SUCCESS
Russell Trafford-Jones, Chair of the IET Media Technical Network, tells David Davies about the organisation’s lecture series for IBC2023, including a session on the scaling of distribution infrastructure
With a mission statement to “inspire, inform and infl uence the global engineering community to engineer a better world”, the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET) brings together like-minded experts via technical panels and networks. In the broadcast world, its activities are channelled through the IET Media Technical Network, which has had a long association with the IBC Show, including roles on the IBC Technical Papers Committee and the hosting of the prestigious John Logie Baird Lectures. Russell Trafford-Jones is Chair of the IET Media Technical Network, and says that one of “the main priorities, both internally and internationally, is to make sure that we are surfacing as much knowledge as possible. So, for example, we look for key topics to cover on our YouTube channel, whether presentations or panels; a video on IP versus SDI has proven to be especially popular and resonated very widely.” It’s clear he regards IBC as part of both knowledge sharing and acquisition. Referencing the pandemic hiatus, Trafford- Jones says: “Although people can go without a show for a while, if they do so their familiarity with people and engagement with the wider industry trends does dwindle. There is only so much you can do individually without attending the IBC Show, which I like because – in terms of the conference and other talks taking place – it makes it easier to access the relevant knowledge and get up to speed on new technologies and wider industry issues. No one wants a world where we don’t all get together in Europe once a year, and IBC is the venue for that.” For this year’s show, the John Logie Baird series, named in honour of the legendary inventor who demonstrated the world’s fi rst live working television system in 1926, will explore the theme of ‘Scaling TV’. Today’s session takes place at 13:00 in Room E102 and will consider the latest thinking and impact of IP-delivered TV.
“This taps in to two aspects of the way media is changing,” he explains. “One is the M&A activity creating organisations with more channels than ever before, and the scale of production that goes with that. The second is the growing challenge of delivering to more and more viewers over the internet. While
Russell Trafford-Jones, IET Media Technical Network Chair
most people simply assume the internet will just scale to meet demand, national ISPs have made it clear that the current infrastructure for delivery to homes is not yet ready for a 100% transition away from RF transmission to internet delivery.”
“While most people simply assume the internet will just scale to meet demand, national ISPs have made it clear that the current infrastructure for delivery to homes is not yet ready for a 100% transition away from RF transmission to internet delivery”
While Martin Russ – a former key player at the IET who helped judged the IBC Technical Papers for many years – sadly passed away in February, the organisation will again have a place on the IBC Technical Papers Committee through Ian Nock, Past Chair and current Vice Chair of the IET Media Technical Network. The papers scheme, says Trafford-Jones, provides “one of the few places where we
as an industry can really get into the nitty gritty and discuss acute details. Some of the research going on [in the industry] is often kept under wraps – not because people don’t want to share it, but because there isn’t necessarily an opportunity to do so. The Technical Papers provide a chance to do just that.” In terms of his own expectations for the IBC Show, he is hoping to see more activity around cloud interoperability. “It’s clear that the move to the cloud, both in the contribution and production spaces, is underway – as it should be,” says Trafford-Jones. “But as an industry we need some form of framework – whether it’s in the form of standards or an agreement – that allows for interoperability. So I am fascinated to see how those conversations are going to move forward at IBC.”
Russell Trafford-Jones is Chair of the Media Technical Network at the IET, one of IBC’s owners.
Visit the IET throughout the show on the partnership pavilion in Hall 8.
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