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IBC was a whirlwind of activity, with the show receiving over 2000 more visitors and 100 more exhibitors than last year. Perhaps a clear indication that the media industry is as vibrant and dynamic as ever.
There were many at the show who had expected to hear about the impact of AI on the broadcast industry. And yes, AI was there. Some technologists looking to find a place where generative AI could make an impact, others, perhaps more successfully exploring where AI could optimize and automate more mundane tasks.
But, from what I observed, the advancements that looked like they would deliver the largest impact on the media landscape revolved around the ongoing advance of IP technology and Cloud deployments. At IBC, the benefits of IP interconnect that can be flexibly routed, automated, and orchestrated to co-ordinate with high level tasks were laid bare. I saw numerous examples and use-cases of IP saving the broadcast industry time and money – And those savings are worth investing in.
Those who came to see Net Insight at IBC found themselves drawn to how IP Media Trust Boundaries were being deployed by customers to segment their media networks. Clearly, we tapped into a need to actively monitor and apply automated rules to remove the risk of configuration errors and ensure that only the right streams flow to the right places. The subject of IP Media Trust Boundaries often arose when discussing the need to share content between media organizations. How to make those flexible links, but to also maintain network separation between organizations? Many found it useful to see how Net Insight had implemented a Facility Connect architecture for DMC as they built out an IP-native large-scale remote production workflow.
Cloud processing and making media connections over the unmanaged internet continued to show important advancements at IBC, both in terms of new tech and operator need. The sheer ubiquitous scale of the internet is now enabling media organizations to build network access to new locations at an affordable cost and monetize content that previously was not commercially viable – And with the rise of OTT platforms, it can be viewed en-masse. The media industry has now advanced towards ARQ enabled platforms that can manage complete networks. What was particularly interesting were conversations I had with several network architects looking to augment existing managed fiber networks with new unmanaged internet links. The potential to use the internet to extend reach looked compelling.
Sometimes, the tiniest things can make a real difference. At Net Insight a physically small product was launched and made an enormous impact! To complement Net Insight’s unmanaged network platforms of Nimbra Edge and Connect iT, we proudly showed our new, video edge device – the Nimbra 204. This compact unit enables operators to ingest and egress live video into their media networks. The Nimbra 204 turned heads not only because being tightly coupled to the network platform meant registering it on the network is a breeze, but also because it offered highest quality HEVC 4:2:2 compression at an affordable price point – matching the commercial needs of these unmanaged networks.
And finally, something that has been close to my heart for years – the advancement of 5G technology for broadcast applications. There were fantastic examples on show for all forms of 5G topologies. 5G Public network deployments, examples of 5G network slicing and the use of Private 5G networks. The opening ceremony of the Olympics being a prime example. Net Insight has been playing its part in this evolving technology. We were honored to be recognized by IBC with their Innovation Award for assisting Verizon and NHL build out a 5G and edge compute live broadcast system. That Verizon 5G system used our Nimbra 400 product – which incidentally we announced at IBC is being enhanced with HEVC 4:2:2 compression.
You can now see why IBC was quite the whirlwind experience this year!
“We can now consider a far wider array of live broadcasting services, often presented at very short notice, for our overseas territories where difficult connectivity environments had, until now, hindered numerous high-quality broadcast opportunities. Net Insight’s solution reduces our operational costs significantly, while at the same time enabling us to maximize our service availability and reach to our overseas territories.”
Pascal Gerard,
French overseas territories, at France Télévisions
“We offered our IP/MPLS media transport solution to the world’s most demanding TV companies, for their contribution feeds and it has performed extremely well. Going forward, we see multiple possibilities to expand our service offering based on the advanced VA platform. In addition, the strong QoS functionalities combined with the advanced monitoring capabilities of the Net Insight Nimbra platform ensures that we can offer the highest quality services to our customers.”
Magdalena Domagalik,
Business Development Manager Media Services, KPN
“For us, carrier grade really means something, and we would never use the Globecast brand on a solution if we didn’t believe it fulfilled our strict quality requirements.”
Benoit Leonble,
Product Manager, International Terrestrial Solutions at Globecast
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