Current Tech, Future Promises Coexist At IBC

IBC 2014 opens a five-day run in three weeks (Sept. 11-16) at the RAI Exhibition and Convention Center in Amsterdam against a backdrop of dramatic, unfolding changes that are impacting the future of broadcast television.

Two issues in particular — the squeeze on TV spectrum and standards for next-generation TV production and broadcasting — will be front and center. Some 50,000 TV tech professional from around the world are expected.

The battle over spectrum takes the stage on the conference’s opening day (Sept. 11). During the The Great Spectrum Debate, regulators, wireless industry representatives, broadcasters and broadcast technical organizations will discuss how to balance the spectrum needs of TV broadcasters and broadband service providers.

European Commission VP Neelie Kroes, will offer her insight on spectrum issues during her The Challenges Ahead keynote. Kroes is expected to discuss recommendations from broadcasters, broadcast network providers and mobile network operators for use of the 470-790 MHz UHF band.

Making more efficient and better use of whatever spectrum broadcasters manage to hang onto will be a major theme of the show.

IEEE will reprise its Future Television Technologies. Emphasis will be given to the physical layer, video transport and audio coding central to next-generation TV transmission and delivery.

Spectral efficiency, resilience and flexibility of satellite and terrestrial broadcast transmission will be the focus of the Advanced Transmission Techniques for Satellite and Terrestrial Broadcasting session put on by DVB.

Conference program organizers also have carved out a three-hour block of time on the show’s closing day for the Future of Broadcast Television (FOB-TV) session in which the latest work on next-generation television standards will be reviewed.

Nine panel members, including representatives from NHK in Japan, ETRI in South Korea, DVB in the United Kingdom and NAB in the United States, will discuss next-generation television systems, including how they can make more efficient use of spectrum. The session will examine advancements by the Advanced Television Systems Committee on development of ATSC 3.0 and look at next-gen technologies, such as layered division multiplexing and MIMO transmission schemes.

Ultra-HD, a significant part of any next-generation television standard, also will play a prominent role at IBC 2014.

With the coming of 4K and 8K ultra-HD systems  broadcasters must consider strategies for deploying technologies to handle one, the other or both. The Go with UHD-1 or Wait for UHD-2? session will examine UHDTV technology from the perspective of content creation, asset management and delivery and will review the paths of both ultra-HD technologies from the consumer and professional point of view.

Executives from French telecommunications giant Orange, Ericsson and Discovery Communications will discuss their five-year strategies. The 2020 Experience and How To Get There session will give panelists a forum to discuss the steps they will take to make Ultra-HD, over-the-top delivery of content and cloud TV reality.

Central to making possible transmission of ultra-HD (3840 x 2160) with four times as many pixels as full 1080p HDTV is video compression, and IBC 2014 will offer insight on the latest advancements in high efficiency video coding (HEVC).

During the session entitled A New Era of Compression With High Efficiency Video Coding, participants will discuss how well the new HEVC compression format may ultimately perform once it reaches maturity. The session will present subjective performance results of tests of the compression format and offer guidance on acquiring and exchanging HEVC-encoded Ultra-HD content.

The Ultra High Definition TV — The Latest Technology Developments session will examine the benefits of increasing resolution and frame rates as well as offer insight into building a 8K chain from acquisition through distribution.

Not everyone is onboard with a higher resolution future, and IBC 2014 will give 4K critics a chance to voice their concerns. Some 4K naysayers contend upscaling HD is sufficient. During More Pixels or Better Pixels? Making the Case for 4K or Ultra High Definition. 4K proponents and opponents will debate the issue.

High dynamic range, offering television viewers a way to see greater detail in bright and dark areas of the picture, also plays into the discussion of new higher resolution TV system. With HDR, ultra-HD can convey a new sense of reality. The High Dynamic Range Imaging –Contrasting Views session will examine how this technology is likely to affect production and distribution of content.

Acquisition of 4K and 8K content is dependent upon developments in camera technology, and IBC2014 will offer two different looks at the technology: One Camera, 6K Digital Stills & Motion, 4K Broadcast and Shoot ALEXA and AMIRA, Deliver Anything.

Of course, IBC promises to be about far more than the conference program and keynote speeches. More than 1,500 technology vendors will exhibit in 14 halls to show their latest products and innovations for the media and entertainment industry.

A crystal-ball look into the future of media technology will once again play a prominent role during the gathering at the IBC Future Zone. Many of the world’s leading research and development labs as well as universities use this forum to present their work and offer demonstrations. Some of the demos will include 8K coverage of the FIFA World Cup, new AV archive restoration technologies and a 360-degree viewable 3D display.

What is being accomplished with today’s media technology won’t go unrecognized, however. Ten projects have been shortlisted for the IBC 2014 Innovation Awards. Winners in three categories — Content Creation, Content Management and Content Delivery — as well as winners of other honors, including the Judges’ Prize, the International Honor of Excellence, the Special Award, Exhibition Design Award and Best Conference Paper Award, will be announced at a ceremony on the evening of Sunday, Sept. 14.

Judges of the Best Conference Paper Award have many impressive submissions to consider. Technical papers scheduled to be presented cover topics like: advances and the latest research into 3D audio; next-generation studio interconnection; broadcasting to mobile devices, one-to-many solutions; advanced transmission techniques for satellite and terrestrial broadcasting; and the latest Ultra-HD technology developments.

The IBC Big Screen Experience, a long-time fixture of the annual gathering, will once again focus on the convergence of moviemaking and presentation with broadcasting.

Among the scheduled IBC Big Screen topics and presentations are: whether the big screen and second screens can coexist profitably; event cinema that’s more than TV on a big screen; 6K digital stills and motion imaging as well as 4K broadcasting from a single camera; a tri-focal camera system for 3D; a screening of Life of Pi in 14 foot-lambert 3D with Christie 6p (six primary color) laser projection and Dolby Atmos surround sound; virtualized movie production; an update from the European Digital Cinema Forum; immersive audio; and laser projectors.

With a lineup like this, IBC 2014 promises to be packed full of opportunities to glean new insights into the direction of the broadcast industry as well as a fuller perspective on how new television technologies can be leveraged to improve workflow, increase profits and position one’s self or an entire broadcast organization for a future full of change.

The conference program runs Sept. 11-15; exhibits are open Sept. 12-16; and early bird registration is available through tomorrow, Aug. 22.

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