IBC Preview: 5G X-Cast - A Technology That Solves A Problem

If what we knew previously as the broadcast industry had a theme song it could be Wilbert Harrison's Lets Work Together, because everywhere you look collaboration is the name of the game.

It will be evidenced (again) at IBC by the IP Showcase, the huge cast list behind IMF for broadcast and online, the power play from the heavyweight Alliance for Open Media that is the AV1 codec, the 5G innovation for new delivery potency across all networks, 5G-XCast, and many more team efforts such as the still inspirational JTNM Roadmap, and an IBC conference program with strong diversity and inclusivity values.

At IBC 17 the star attractions on the EBU stand were the Peach recommendation engine and the Eurovision Flow Multi-CDN tool, both guiding lights to the values of teamwork in creating new software tools. Both are now mature applications in wider user.

The major new thing to look for is 5G-XCast, which has immensely rich potential as the route into 5G for broadcasters; it is a 5GPPP Phase II project offering incredible analysis potential plus a new way of thinking about content delivery. It does huge things for delivery via mobile, fixed networks and Wi-Fi. Getting very high quality content to a mass audience seamlessly is coupled with incredible versatility. Expect 5G-Cast stand demos around the show, because it is a technology that solves a problem.

The other star turns from the EBU will start with EBU Audio Renderer (EAR): this is an open-source object-based audio renderer co-developed by BBC, France Tele and IRT, and it will have its own listening/demo room.

Other EBU highlights will be the Live IP Software Toolkit, open source testing tools that enable IP-based facilities to visualise/analyse signal flows in the network; BISS Conditional Access, signal encryption that can give and deny individual receivers at the end of a broadcast signal chain access at the push of a button; and, media cloud and micro-service Architecture/FIMS. This is all about metadata and asset management. Look out for smartspeakers as well. The EBU Cyber Security Project is fairly mature and worth tracking, and so too is the Cloud Technologies for Media Production Around IP project.

DVB-I to catch the eye
Giving the curation of the future trends theatre in the IBC Future Zone to the IABM was an inspired move. We are promised a program of key technology presentations that match those no longer being regarded as way-out fantasies, because they already reside in business plans, with other technologies that do not even sit on broadcaster horizons as yet.

Every technology subject that IBC delegates put high on their research agendas will feature, including: artificial intelligence (AI), cloud-based micro services, the new media content chain, multi-platform publishing and delivery, the potential of VR and other immersive technologies, the leveraging of social media, virtualisation opportunities, the applications for block-chain, targeted advertising, and new business models unlocked by the cloud and other enabling technologies.

Peter White, IABM CEO, said: "We have considerable experience in this field, having run the theatres within the IP Showcases at NAB and IBC. This is a natural next step for us as we continue to help drive the future success of the media industry."

The DVB will be celebrating its 25th anniversary and its big eye-catcher will be DVB-I, which is created to bring a broadcast digital TV-like experience to services delivered on open Internet. This, on many must see lists along with 5G-XCast, is an intriguing combo of the strengths of both broadcast and broadband. The building blocks of the DVB-I ecosystem will be the subject of a stand demo. 
The second big DVB attraction will be a state of the art DVB-T2 plus HbbTV system from Germany, including additional content delivered over IP using DVB-DASH. Also expect an interoperability demo of DVB-SIS, a single illumination system that allows the combination of DVB-S/S2/S2X distribution and DVB-T/T2 contribution in a single beam.


A lot of industries are converging
With many media companies now using the same technologies as all other industries, one of the big changes within IBC has been the rapid rise in significance of the conference program. This year it has eight tracks offering the bonus of seriously important and successful executives, and discussions about all the key technologies.

To find out what the editorial goal was BFV spoke to Jaisica Lapsiwala, IBC head of content.

"We want to broaden it out to wider than just technology, so we are looking at how audiences are behaving, where Ad Tech is going, right through to immersive experiences and how you create those," said Lapsiwala. "We are also looking at things like strategy – what's happening in the market in terms of landscape – and who is partnering or collaborating with who.

"The reason we have so many tracks is that we are covering quite a wide base, and we recognise that a lot of industries are converging together," she added.

It takes one online glance through the confirmed speakers to realise that diversity has been the big driver.

"It was a concerted effort. It is not a natural thing for IBC, but this year we created an initiative around diversity and inclusivity, and it has become part of our charter," said Lapsiwala. "Where there are panels we have 50:50 where possible. Overall across our tracks and speakers we have got a 30:70 female to male ratio. Last year we had 14% of female speakers across the whole program, which is awful."

The action required was to encourage session producers and the content steering group to embrace female leaders within the industry and invite them to Amsterdam.

"It is sad when you have to enforce something like that, but why we stressed that we really want this to happen is so we are driving positive change. That is out ultimate goal," said Lapsiwala.

Those who loved the traditional IBC papers sessions are going to have to embrace change.

"What we have done this year is rather than having a separate technical papers stream we have embedded those technical focuses into their appropriate track. So when you look at the audiences track you will see papers on audience related technologies, and when you study the cutting edge track you see tech papers that are really pushing the boundaries," said Lapsiwala. "We have re-named them as Tech Talks: the audience will see, hear and experience different formatted sessions – interviews, panel discussions, stand and deliver presentations, and the Tech Talks."

Networking outside of sessions
One of IBC's big decisions was to make its huge Cyber Security forum event invitation only.

"It is Chatham House rules so none of it will be broadcast or streamed live. The reason for that is so that executives in the room will feel relaxed and confident and able to openly discuss the challenges of Cyber Security threats, and be able to discuss solutions without being reported on," said Lapsiwala. "We have approached cyber security on IBC365, so people can see a round table discussion. We have executive interviews with some of the people appearing in the forum as well so audiences do have access to content around cyber security."

Look out for Channel 4 CISO Brian Brackenborough talking about fending off constant attacks, some of which are political and some are just loan hackers in their bedrooms.

Asked to summarise what visitors should look at in the program, Lapsiwala said: "We have tried to focus on the quality of each individual session, so it is not just about the big keynotes this year. It is about upping the quality of speakers and the editorial content within each session.

"We are putting our audience at the heart of the event. We have made a huge effort into understanding what they are looking for and what their objectives are, and we have built sessions around their needs," she added. "I am really confident this year that all of them really hit the mark in terms of quality. We have focused too on networking so outside the sessions the networking area is being re-designed. We have Sli.do app and we have lounge talks in the forum lounge, which will be casual panel and networking talks. Our program reflects what's happening in the industry."

Two checklists
The Digital Production Partnership (DPP) has several big talking pieces for IBC, the first being the adoption and implementation of IMF for broadcast and online. There will be a briefing for the DPP membership community of over 300 companies, and a number of exhibiters will major on IMF implementation.

DPP MD Mark Harrison will be speaking about collaboration in order to promote security best practice, and the DPP's Committed to Security Program with accompanying Mark has been boosted by ITV and C4 stating that they will make it mandatory for their suppliers to hold the DPP security qualification.

"One of the key features of the DPP's program is our two checklists: they are for the production environment and for the broadcast environment," said Harrison. "They both calibrate our controls against existing industry standards, and we are not trying to replace any of these other pieces. We are trying to create an entry point for everyone in the industry."

On the issue of media companies using the same technology as all other industries, Harrison said: "We now have a lot of companies approaching us about membership that have come in from other sectors. Others are companies who had other verticals as being much more significant to them, but they are now developing their media verticals.

"The media supply chain is starting to be populated by companies that have come from other industries, and it is fundamentally changing the nature of that supply chain," he added. "But it is also bringing in a lot of other experiences, knowledge and different ways of doing things, which in itself can be very disruptive."

Cheapening content creation
The new comers do bring skills appertaining to operating in a connected world. Meanwhile, the DPP has identified online content monetisation as its second big piece for IBC.

"We are going to be spending some time looking at this as we go into 2019. We are in a place now where we have seen the music industry develop platforms that are terrific for consumers but not great for the musicians and content creators, and we have seen something similar in the world of publishing too," said Harrison. "Well it is not in the interests of content creators that this should happen in media."

Cheapening content creation is not in the interests of brands or advertisers either because historically they have had a very intimate relationship around video content.

"For much of our industry the creation of video content has been funded by advertising, unlike the worlds of music and publishing so the question is, how are we going to maintain those relationships as we move into a world of online video content delivery? Increasingly it is the consumer and consumer convenience that's calling the shots around how the delivery platforms are being developed," said Harrison.

"There is a common need for both content creators and brands, and advertisers and for the platforms themselves, to find a way of insuring they all have an effective means of monetisation with online video," he added.

The DPP also produced recent findings (The Production Business 2018) about the state of the production sector, which is a core part of the IBC community, and Harrison espied significant change that everyone should notice.

"Ten years ago the world of content production was divided up into a spectrum of different and differently sized production companies. It went from the very large groups down to small entities that probably had a specialism," he said. "There was a lot of diversity, and you had many production companies just specialising in creating TV and Cinema commercials."

They were a separate community, as were those making corporate content, but where do we stand now?

"We are seeing a polarisation and the TV production world is dominated by major players. When you look at small to medium-sized production companies what you find are companies that specialise in the creation of promotional and branded content," said Harrison.

Anxiety about cloud-based working
He believes that in taking on corporate programming these companies have elevated it in scale and reach, and that they are also invading the territory that once belonged to the advertising companies. This interesting new market is vital to IBC, so too is Harrison's second take on production.

"This is around the picture we gained of how companies actually work. There is still a huge amount of anxiety about cloud-based working. Less than 40% of companies in our survey use cloud storage. And by our calculation about 60% of companies do not have the quality of Internet connection or network connections that people would regard as appropriate to a media production company," he said.

"The world of connected production is coming but more slowly than anyone would have predicted five years ago," he added.

The DPP has identified AI (specifically machine learning up front) as a big piece of work for the autumn.

Harrison said: "AI is likely to soon make genuine impacts on our industry and I am expecting that the answer to that is going to be in some quite prosaic but significant areas. As the broadcast world of technology becomes less specialist and gives way to IT, we are likely to see more and more of the hype cycle effect. The broadcasters and content providers are no longer in charge of technical change like they were 20 years ago.

"Other people are going to start shouting about particular new technologies long before media professionals have a chance to assess what these technologies could really do for them," he added. "We saw it with cloud, we saw it with VR, and now we are seeing it with AI."

Author: George Jarrett

This article is also available in the August edition of Broadcast Film & Video. Available here.