AUDIO FOR BROADCAST BACKGROUND

Transcription

1 AUDIO FOR BROADCAST Audio is an all pervasive, all important and, ironically, an almost unnoticed element in modern broadcasting. It just doesn t seem to attract the hype that s part and parcel of video in all its guises and flavours. In the second decade of the 21st century, audio will become much more immersive and will literally run rings around anything that video can simulate. BACKGROUND First there was mono, then there was stereo perfectly reasonable as we are born with two ears and then there was multichannel cinema audio, designed to draw its audience into the middle of the action being watched on the silver screen, complete with room-shaking explosions. Fast-forward several decades and we now expect to live the cinema experience at home, on rapidly enlarging (and smart) television screens but also on second screens; tablets, smartphones and all manner of computers and gaming platforms. Mono might be fine for the kitchen radio but it doesn t suffice for the home theatre experience, nor for the second screen and mobile audience. While many homes have 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound systems, installed more-or-less correctly around the family screen, it is interesting that the must-have product these last couple of years has been stereo headphones with a 3.5mm jack connector. Public Service Media must target all these markets. We all do this, don t we? 1.0

2 THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA A fundamental challenge for any sort of content delivery to the end user is that the content provider cannot know the exact environment in which its content will be used, let alone the capabilities of the transmission path used to convey the content. Audio creation and delivery has been in the digital domain for many years now; a notable exception remains analogue FM broadcasting to motor vehicles. High value drama and sport is commonly produced in 5.0 for use with HDTV services, but this must be mixed down to, or accompanied by, stereo for use with a standalone television or tablet. Future services beyond HDTV, whether UHD-1 or UHD-2, may have a 10.1 or even a 22.2 multichannel audio environment. Vendors might welcome this, but it is potentially a nightmare for domestic harmony. Although conventional TV and radio use is thriving, a large and growing percentage of consumption is being done on smart mobile devices, typically using IP delivery and usually limited to two channels of audio not exactly a prime environment for immersive soundscapes. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? The EBU s FAR (Future Audio Formats & Radio Production Systems) strategic programme is addressing all the above challenges, both alone and in the company of its ITU-R, SMPTE, AES and FAME partners. A number of project groups are active: BWF (Broadcast Wave Formats) is re-engineering the audio container to accommodate sufficient metadata to describe its content to any receiver. This decouples the creation and reproduction environments, producing a win-win situation for PSM and consumer alike. 3DA (3D Audio) investigates immersive audio, from binaural stereo (for mobile and handheld) through scene-based and object-based scenarios (for HDTV and beyond) the common thread is the remarkable decoding ability of the human brain when provided with immersive audio content. AST (Audio Subjective Testing), as new audio codecs arrive, assesses them for use in the entire broadcast chain. The system currently under the microscope is the Opus codec. PLOUD, the origin of the hugely successful R 128 Loudness Recommendation, is the subject of a dedicated fact sheet. The work of these groups will be distilled into updated and new EBU Tech documents and reports. These will be freely available in the EBU Technology & Innovation publications library (tech.ebu.ch/publications). FIND OUT MORE EBU Future Audio Formats & Radio Production Systems EBU Loudness tech.ebu.ch/far tech.ebu.ch/loudness 1.0

3 BROADBAND MEDIA DELIVERY Broadcasters face on a daily basis the challenge of distributing large libraries of video to an online audience that uses a multitude of different devices and technologies. The EBU is investigating strategies to maximize the quality of experience with interoperable broadcast services in this fragmented environment. BACKGROUND Calculated per head of audience, online video delivery is the most expensive distribution method used by broadcasters. However, the number of people accessing live, catch-up and other video-related services online is growing tremendously fast. Latest figures suggest that, for public service broadcasters in Europe, an average of 3% of viewing happens over the internet, mainly catch-up services, but also small amount of live viewing. Such consumption happens across a range of connected devices, through over the top (OTT) delivery. THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA EBU Members must try to reach a maximum number of media users, without compromising the quality of user experience. Up to now a number of different technologies have been needed to stream content to multiple platforms and devices, which has the effect of driving up the costs. 1.0

4 A key requirement therefore is to unify the delivery methods so as to avoid wasting money. Of equal importance for public service media organizations, however, is to deliver a good Quality of Experience (QoE). High audience engagement comes only with a high quality viewing experience. For broadband delivery, there has been a shift from (public) peering alone towards using dedicated content delivery networks (CDNs). It's expected that broadcasters will more and more use multiple CDNs simultaneously to manage the content flows over the internet. This will provide alternative routes to deliver the content to the end user. Another trend that is emerging is the use of cloud-based infrastructures and virtualization of services. Cloud providers are hosting CDN-like services, while on the other hand, CDN providers are likely to deliver cloud-based encoding to distribution services. Navigating these options is a particular challenge for EBU Members as they try to ensure they retain their independence and universality in the distribution domain. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? The EBU Technical Committee oversees a strategic programme on Broadband Networks that provides a focus for Members to share their experiences regarding the online distribution of audiovisual content - and work to find improvements. A number of activities are coordinated by the group, which also liaises with external bodies such as the DASH Industry Forum, MPEG, HbbTV, etc. The arrival of MPEG-DASH as a unifying streaming format has enabled broadcasters to use a single file format for encoding, to be distributed via standard web caches, and automatic optimization of the QoE. The EBU strives for open, efficient and interoperable broadcast services and strongly supports MPEG- DASH as a means to these goals it is a contributing member of the DASH Industry Forum. During the 2012 London Olympics the EBU initiated the first live public trial of DASH, presented by Belgian public broadcaster VRT, who offered their audience the chance to experience the Games on their personal devices via the groundbreaking format. The EBU has also contributed to the adoption of MPEG- DASH within the HbbTV standard. Recognizing the growing importance of cloud architectures for broadcasters, the EBU has developed a proof-of-concept built with open source software and protocols. OSCIED - the Open Source Infrastructure for Encoding to Distribution - shows a possible path towards "broadcasting from the cloud". It enables virtualized services that are scalable automatically across private and public clouds. The proof-of-concept was presented on the EBU stand at IBC 2013, and the code is freely available (github.com/ebu/oscied). Through its participation in the European FP7 project OCEAN, the EBU investigated interoperability of CDNs. The EBU BBN group will take this subject forward to provide further guidance to Members on CDNs and content delivery over the internet. BroadThinking is the EBU's annual two-day event where "Broadcast meets Broadband". It brings together around 100 delegates from across the industry to discuss technology, trends, best practice and policy for broadband delivery and TV platforms (including second screen and app environments). FIND OUT MORE EBU Broadband Networks group tech.ebu.ch/groups/bbn 1.0

5 CONTRIBUTION NETWORKS Increasingly broadcasters are using data network services for professional media transport. But the transition to these new methods requires adaptation, communication and learning. The EBU is helping its Members by specifying and testing standards and providing guidelines for interoperability and negotiation of Service Level Agreements. BACKGROUND There are many benefits to using data network services such as fibre, Ethernet, IP (internet protocol) and MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching). They offer a large market of providers, reduced provisioning costs and turnaround time, and the potential to reach more sites. For professional video and audio the applications are primarily real-time services for live contribution covering inter-studio, inter-campus and broadcaster-to-broadcasters links, O/B Van or SNG contributions. Primary distribution such as from playout centres to distribution partners can use the same techniques. (We don t speak here about delivery to the end user at home.) Data rates can range from high quality uncompressed HD video (1.5 Gbit/s to Gbit/s per stream), through mezzanine compressed video (e.g. HD JPEG 2000 at 150 Mbit/s) to low bit rates for presence monitoring (e.g. 64 kbit/s audio). THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA Adopting these new contribution techniques can be a challenge for broadcasters on many fronts. Using data networks for media content gives rise to very specific requirements: high performance and high availability is needed for live and real-time processes; guaranteed and predictable Quality of Service is expected; and interoperability is paramount. 1.0

6 Contribution would traditionally have been the domain of broadcast engineers, but the use of data network services brings with it a need for expertise from the IT domain. Knowledge that previously belonged to two separate departments needs to be unified, preferably using a common vocabulary. In the area of audio contribution, in many countries we are seeing the replacement of ISDN by IP. A key requirement here for broadcasters is interoperability across vendors. For video, new standardized methods of carrying uncompressed video and JPEG 2000 compressed video over IP have become available. These technologies are seeing significant uptake in contribution applications. Whether for audio or video, all broadcasters will inevitably need to negotiate Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that translate their business needs into the conventional SLA framework used by network service providers. The specific technical requirements mentioned above need to be taken into account, along with extra testing and monitoring, particularly during prime time broadcast periods. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? Through the strategic programme on Future Networks and Storage Systems (FNS) and its project groups, the EBU supports its Members in their transition to IT/network based infrastructures for their production and contribution workflows and ensures interoperability and best practices. Building on the de facto standard EBU Tech 3326: Audio Contribution over IP - Requirements for Interoperability, the ACIP2 group addresses the new world of audio over IP for broadcasters. It provides a platform for Members and manufacturers to exchange experiences and requirements and reacts to new issues that arise, like protection or the integration of new codecs. The VCIP group Video Contribution over IP helps Members to understand the potential that exists with these new technologies and also to establish the market maturity of certain standard implementations by means of interoperability tests. The group is investigating the SMPTE /6 standard for uncompressed video and JPEG 2000 transports over IP. Reports on interoperability tests already completed for the former and planned for Q1/2014 for the latter will be available to EBU Members. The Service Level Agreement (SLA) group addresses the need to find a common ground so that the service level can be defined to suit the needs of broadcasters within the framework of the service providers. It has published Tech 3361: Service Level Agreement for Media Transport Services - High Level Guidelines. It is now preparing the companion Technical Parameters document, to be published by the end of FNS also prepares the programme of the Network Technology Seminar, the annual event at the crossroads of IT and media production infrastructures covering production and contribution applications (See tech.ebu.ch/nts2013). FIND OUT MORE Future Networks & Storage Systems Strategic Programme ACIP2 Project Group VCIP Project Group SLA Project Group tech.ebu.ch/fns tech.ebu.ch/nacip tech.ebu.ch/nvcip tech.ebu.ch/sla 1.0

7 DIGITAL & HYBRID RADIO These are exciting times for radio. There is renewed momentum across Europe behind the transition to digital radio, and more to come as integration in smartphones improves. In parallel, a hybrid radio approach combines the power of both broadcast (DAB+, DRM, FM) and broadband while maintaining the simplicity and universality of radio. BACKGROUND Digital radio is here and happening. Lots of countries in Europe are rolling out digital services while some even have plans for switching off analogue FM services. Digital radio opens the door to new programming, improved and simplified reception, and enhanced data services. Receiver technology has progressed dramatically and prices have dropped. When one buys a portable radio nowadays, it is very often digital by default. Additionally, hundreds of broadcasters have activated hybrid radio for their services, bringing further benefits for the listener and broadcaster alike. THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA There will be two key drivers in making digital and hybrid radio a success for EBU Members: cars and mobile devices. The car industry has been slow to integrate digital radios, but that is changing and virtually all manufacturers now offer digital radio at least as an option. The ultimate goal is to have digital receivers as standard in all new car models. Car and mobile integration: the two current priorities. The mobile world is more difficult, but not for technical reasons. Mobile phones with digital tuners already exist in Asian markets. The challenge is to convince mobile operators and manufacturers to have a tuner in the devices they supply on the European market. There would one obvious and clear benefit in the avoidance of network congestion if people use broadcast rather than mobile broadband networks to receive content. But hybrid radio could be the real key to success. Not only does hybrid radio enhance the radio experience (via visual radio, seamless switching between broadcast and IP delivery, etc), it also makes it more personalized with functionalities such as tagging. Since these personalization functionalities require the kind of direct communication enabled by IP and cellular networks, there are opportunities for partnerships with operators.

8 Another key will be to deliver radio in an app-like environment on smartphones and tablets. There are already many radio apps available; and some smartphones also include an FM tuner, although these typically don t provide a good user experience. There is a need for a unified hybrid radio experience that comes by default on mobile devices. The app should present broadcaster services in an attractive way and implement seamless switching between broadcast and IP ( service following ). And it should offer digital and hybrid functionalities like visual radio, electronic programme guides and podcasts in a standardized way. For this scenario to be possible, an abstracted radio layer should be added in the smartphone that would offer an API to the apps. Hybrid Radio app Radio abstraction layer Broadcast Radio Tuner Cellular Modem DAB FM/HD DRM IP The radio abstraction layer, unifying broadcast and broadband in a smartphone and making radio available to any app. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? The EBU is active on a number of fronts to help Members make the most of digital and hybrid radio technologies. A milestone recommendation, EBU R 138, was issued in early 2013, to provide clear guidance on the best path to launching digital radio. (See: tech.ebu.ch/publications) The recommendation is fully aligned with the EBU s Euro-chip campaign, which has the support of the radio directors of major European broadcasters. Euro-chip focuses on promoting free-to-air reception, pushing for all new devices, including mobile phones, to be capable of receiving both analogue and digital radio services and switching seamlessly between them. The EBU is also supporting an initiative specifically focused on ensuring the integration of digital and hybrid radio by default in mobile devices. Originating among broadcasters in the UK, it aims to bring together broadcasters, operators and industry around the world to define, implement and promote a generic API that would enable apps to access radio tuners on tablets and smartphones. Alongside the above initiatives, the EBU continues to foster and conduct research and development related to hybrid radio, building on the work done by the RadioDNS organization. EBU Members and other broadcasters can access and use free/open source hybrid radio tools provided by the EBU, including the RadioDNS manager where they can activate their own hybrid radio service. And through the RadioHack community, exciting new ideas are explored to make digital and hybrid radio go even further. EBU Radio Week takes place every February, with a range of meetings and workshops taking place. The highlight is the Digital Radio Summit, a key annual update on the latest technologies, services and strategies in digital and hybrid radio. (10-13 February 2014) FIND OUT MORE EBU Digital Radio Platforms group RadioHack community Free/open source hybrid radio tools tech.ebu.ch/drp tech.ebu.ch/radiohack and tech.ebu.ch/io

9 EBU-TT EBU Timed Text (EBU-TT) is the successor to the well-known EBU STL subtitling format. It allows for the production and archiving of subtitles, supports legacy STL file transcoding and tunnelling, and provides a strong basis for online distribution and live subtitling. BACKGROUND The introduction of HDTV, the move to file-based production facilities and the proliferation of new online outlets, including hybrid TV, challenge the way audiovisual content is produced and distributed. In this new context broadcasters also need to re-design their subtitling workflows. THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA Today s distribution platforms offer higher quality display of subtitling and more precise positioning information than traditional analogue television, with its teletext-related subtitling limitations. File-based production facilities demand clearly specified ways to transport subtitles during production and to their customers. These should use standard technologies, be applicable across a range of solutions, and minimize dependence on bespoke products. The proliferation of online outlets requires broadcasters to create author-once, distribute-many content. Efficient translation from the production formats to those used for distribution needs to be possible. Future media services will make increasing use of timed metadata describing the content of programmes, including subtitles. An extensible mechanism can facilitate those services.

10 Many new different subtitling formats have been proposed. They differ in target use (e.g. US captions vs. European subtitles), complexity and specifying organization. The good news is that most are based on the same core: W3C s Timed Text Mark-up Language (TTML). This is also the case for EBU-TT, the Timed Text specification developed with the needs of Europe s Public Service Media organizations in mind. Overview of recently defined professional subtitling formats. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? The main goal of the EBU s subtitle format work is to minimize divergence from other formats, trying to specify, as much as possible, functionality that belongs to a common subset shared with other formats, while still meeting the requirements posed by users for every stage of the subtitling chain. PRODUCTION EBU-TT part 1 (Tech 3350) specifies the baseline format. In essence this is a simplified version of TTML, which allows for the capture of all data essential during authoring, archiving and for future reuse. EBU-TT part 2 (Tech 3360) explains how legacy STL files can be transformed into EBU-TT. DISTRIBUTION EBU-TT-D is currently being specified, taking into account valuable expertise from users, distribution parties, hybrid TV organizations and CE manufacturers. The focus is on creating a profile for online distribution that is easy to stream using, for example, MPEG-DASH. LIVE SUBTITLING EBU-TT part 3 will support the functionality needed for live authoring and contribution of high quality subtitles, such as hand-over and timing information to allow for onward distribution and archiving. It is in development. FIND OUT MORE EBU-TT information overview tech.ebu.ch/ebu-tt EBU Subtitles-in-XML group Brings together both users and manufacturers tech.ebu.ch/groups/pdfxp Access to the EBU-TT-D open reflector or for other information For anyone with an interest in online distribution of subtitles subtitling@ebu.ch

11 FIMS The Framework for Interoperable Media Services, FIMS, is a joint AMWA- EBU project, focused on developing an open standard Service Oriented Architecture for media, and an associated vendor-neutral framework. This is an industry-wide project that holds particular importance for the broadcasting community, a fact that was recognized when the project partners were awarded the IBC 2012 Judges Prize. BACKGROUND The professional media industry is rapidly changing. Old paradigms are no longer sufficient for media companies working to deliver content to users. Business and technology changes occur constantly. Bespoke systems designed to provide delivery of content to traditional devices are not flexible enough to meet today's challenges and those to come. The industry needs more flexibility to meet them. While these problems have been identified for several years, it is only three years ago that all conditions were met to bring key market actors together and launch the FIMS project. The outcome of this project provides a way to build scalable facilities that can be rapidly adapted to meet the demands of media companies as they work to format and deliver content to an ever-changing set of consumer devices and media. The FIMS partners were awarded the 2012 IBC Judges Prize. THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA In media production systems, dedicated video and audio equipment is being replaced by IT software implementations. This is because users require media format flexibility and extensive metadata management, and to reduce costs through the use of general purpose PCs and networks. However, despite IT having been used in media production systems for many years, system integration is still an issue that often causes inefficiencies and extra costs, jeopardizing some of the expected benefits. A major cause of difficulties is the tight coupling of software components. This poses a number of serious problems in system management, including complexity in long term maintenance, problems with system scaling, difficulty in dynamic reconfiguration of processes, and longer IT innovation cycles. Another limitation is the use of undisclosed proprietary interfaces and data formats that greatly reduce the chances of reusability of components. This restricts user choices in assembling and upgrading systems. Although EBU Members know that SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) brings answers, it remains a challenge to migrate from existing production configurations.

12 WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? Since 2008, the EBU has promoted SOA by organizing workshops, publishing technical articles and through conference papers (e.g. IBC 2009). A project group dedicated to process analysis was created. Around three years ago, the EBU met with major representatives of the industry, including IBM, Sony and AMWA, to explore the value of a joint project. The jointly approved project became known as FIMS, the Framework for Interoperable Media Services. The FIMS Technical Board counts more than 90 companies among its members. In late 2012 the project delivered the FIMS 1.0 specification, already operational at Bloomberg. FIMS 1.1 has now been announced, with a new repository service interface and a REST reference implementation. This will be followed by a new interface for Quality Assurance / Quality Control, work that is taking place in collaboration with the EBU's strategic programme on Quality Control. There are different possible approaches to implementing FIMS in broadcasting facilities. Bloomberg collaboratively with Triskel decided that creating a global SOA driven media processing platform is a crucial part of their technology roadmap to achieve the flexibility, maintainability and scalability required to meet current and future business requirements. Turner Broadcasting will be the next major broadcaster to apply FIMS. A list of implementers, already featuring more than twenty companies, is regularly updated on the project website, fims.tv. In all cases, it is vital for broadcasters to understand their operational and business workflows and identify pitfalls with existing installations. There will be a return on this investment. By providing a solution to abstract the heterogeneous vendor APIs into a common framework, FIMS limits vendor dependencies and enables best of breed solutions, reducing time to market and product launch. The EBU will continue to actively support the FIMS project and promote it within the broadcasting community by co-publishing results with AMWA. The EBU also contributes solutions and expertise on metadata. The EBU and AMWA are working towards the adoption of FIMS by SMPTE. FIND OUT MORE FIMS website FIMS Project wiki fims.tv wiki.amwa.tv/ebu Scan this QR code to download the FIMS specifications:

13 FULLY IT-BASED PRODUCTION Broadcasters are using more and more generic IT hardware, networks and storage systems to produce their content and preserve their valuable assets. But selecting and evaluating solutions that meet the specific demands of media workflows is not trivial. The EBU is helping its Members to make the right choices and cost-effective decisions in their next rounds of infrastructure investment. BACKGROUND Media production infrastructure is very demanding and therefore has traditionally relied on specialty hardware. The advent of Information Technology (IT) based on commodity off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment became a viable alternative at the point where its performance could match that of the traditional technology. The first step saw acquisition and editing systems based on cassette tapes being progressively replaced by file-based workflows using generic data storage, packet-based networks (Ethernet, IP, etc.), powerful computing and expert software. This approach is now widely deployed but ongoing work aims to improve interoperability and performance, especially when scaling and distributing systems using the Cloud approach. However, the live production environment still relies mainly on speciality hardware and dedicated SDI interfaces. Indeed this is the most critical application for broadcasters, requiring the lowest latencies, and highest throughput and reliability, which explains why those proven technologies still dominate. Nevertheless, with packet-based networks continuously improving, and with 10 Gigabit Ethernet being more affordable (and 40 GigE and 100 GigE on the way), the industry is now talking about bringing the live production environment into a unified network architecture for the whole production food chain. 1. File-based Workflows Generic storage networks and hardware Expert software 2. Cloudification Service-Oriented Architecture Scalable On-demand 3. Fully IT-based Converged infrastructure Encompassing filebased and live production 1.0

14 THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA The trend is to produce more content, for more and more formats (from mobile to Ultra High Definition) and platforms (mobile to big screens, second screens, hybrid, etc.) and with the same or even fewer resources. This requires more automation and flexibility in workflows. On the storage side, this asks for preserving more media data and for a longer time while being easily accessible, findable, retrievable and quickly repurposable. What is so specific about networks and storage when it comes to media content? It is not the individual demands of broadcasters that are unique, but the combination of them. They need high performance and high availability for live and real-time processes along with many decades of reliability for archived content. Because their demands change quickly, they need on-demand scalability of resources with guaranteed and predictable performance. And for these reasons, they need interoperability between all systems, with the ability to extend such systems with COTS equipment without compromising the required Quality of Service and control. And, in order to use IT networks and storage to fulfil all of these requirements, there is a need for a deep unified knowledge that previously belonged to two different domains of expertise, and separate departments in many organizations: IT and broadcast engineering. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? The Strategic Programme on Future Networks and Storage Systems (FNS) manages the activities and sets the priorities in this field. In November 2012 FNS organized a workshop on demystifying cloud technologies for media production. FNS also prepares the programme of the Network Technology Seminar, the EBU s main annual event at the crossroads of IT and media production infrastructures. The Future Storage Systems (FSS) group focuses on identifying user requirements for media storage systems for applications ranging from capture, post-production and play-out to production library and longterm preservation. The group is also addressing performance measurement for those systems. This work is leading to guidelines on making the appropriate technology choices, taking into account the performance vs. cost trade-off during the whole life cycle of the media content. Two key documents have emerged from this group already, both available from tech.ebu.ch/publications: Tech 3358 Media Storage Framework Tech 3362 Media Storage Performance Design Considerations and Benchmarking The EBU is also co-steering, together with the Video Services Forum (VSF) and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineering (SMPTE), the Joint Task Force on Networked Media (JT-NM). This industry-wide initiative aims at ensuring interoperability in packet-based systems for professional media. FIND OUT MORE Future Networks & Storage Systems Strategic Programme Future Storage Systems Project Group Joint Task Force on Networked Media Cloud Technologies Workshop 2012 tech.ebu.ch/fns tech.ebu.ch/fss tech.ebu.ch/jt-nm tech.ebu.ch/cloudworkshop 1.0

15 HIGH EFFICIENCY LIGHTING LEDs and other new technologies are an attractive solution as modern and efficient light sources for television productions. However, their introduction is leading to unintended and possibly expensive consequences of poor colour reproduction. The EBU is helping to address the issues. BACKGROUND Broadcasters are continually looking for more efficient technologies and thus more and more are introducing LED lighting in their studio environments. But it isn t until the final images are seen that the problems of colour-rendering consistency become obvious. And when a television camera captures the wrong colour it is firmly embedded in the signal; no colourist can correct all of the problems this creates. THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA LEDs offer several advantages in terms of energy efficiency, light weight, long life and the reduced need for power hungry air conditioning systems. Most EBU Members are already using these light sources in their daily production for reasons of economy. Nevertheless, LED lighting opens the door to several problems with colorimetry or colour reproduction, resulting in reduced picture quality. As broadcast television is constantly seeking to improve picture quality (in order to maintain sales potential in a converging market), colour fidelity and consistency are important factors in these efforts. Left: The ColorChecker chart shows the different appearance of a set of colours under different lighting conditions; Right: This photo illustrates the impact that different LED light sources can have on skin tones.

16 There is only one internationally approved measurement system for the assessment of light sources, the Colour Rendering Index, which dates originally from the 1960s, and is aimed at colour rendering for the human viewer rather than the TV camera. The BBC pioneered some research with the development and proposal of a Television Lighting Consistency Index (TLCI) in the 1970s and 80s, but this needed to be updated for modern camera channels. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? The research on the TLCI was taken forward by an EBU project group on LED lights. The group produced a Recommendation on lighting measurement, R 137. A 2012 update of the TLCI was produced as part of the work, with software and supporting documentation available for free download. The EBU is exploring the possibility of co-operating with the industry on having the software incorporated into measurement tools. The work was presented at the EBU booth at IBC 2012 and further work has been done since then. IBC 2013 will provide evidence that the TLCI has already been adopted by some luminaire manufacturers. Rather than assess the performance of a luminaire directly, as is done in the Colour Rendering Index, the TLCI mimics a complete television camera and display, using only those specific features of cameras and displays which affect colour performance. The TLCI is realised in practice using software rather than real television hardware. The only hardware that is required is a spectroradiometer to measure the spectral power distribution of the test luminaire, and a computer on which to run the software analysis program to perform the calculations. The Television Lighting Matching Factor (TLMF) is a spin-off of this work which allows practical comparisons between light sources to enable programme makers to assess the compatibility of different luminaires which might be used together. Cooperative work with AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences), SMPTE and other colorimetry experts strengthened the work done by the EBU LED project group. Colorimetry expert Alan Roberts and LED Project Group chair Per Böhler demonstrating the TLCI at IBC FIND OUT MORE TLCI-2012 documentation and software EBU LED Lighting group tech.ebu.ch/tlci-2012 tech.ebu.ch/groups/led

17 HYBRID TELEVISION Online internet and off-air broadcast TV together in a single service and device: the boundary between the two is disappearing. With Hybrid TV comes a rich entertainment experience with the convenience of broadband and the appeal of high quality broadcast. The EBU is at the centre of industry efforts and helps Members to exploit the possibilities. BACKGROUND All agree of the importance of making online content available across as many devices as possible. Tablets are now a popular end-user device for watching broadcast content. Large flat screen TVs now have processing power to enable them to display HDTV or 3DTV and to connect to the internet. Similarly, consumers use games consoles to watch online services like catch-up TV. Broadcasters continue to enjoy healthy audiences for their traditional linear services and have had significant success with online offerings such as video-on-demand and 7-day catch-up TV services. The combination of the opportunities opened up by the new devices and the experience of the broadcasters is a winning one. TV sets remain at the centre of the media experience in European homes, so providing as rich an experience as possible for those sets needs to be central to a broadcaster s strategy. But that rich experience should allow viewers to enjoy content in a way that suits the shared media context, a context that is quite unlike, for example, media viewed on tablets. THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA Given the importance of the TV set to consumers, broadcasters are not the only ones seeking to exploit the opportunities of internet connected sets. As broadcasters know only too well, media on a large screen remains a lean-back experience, with easy access for all the family, a quality immersive experience, and with all the safeguards associated with family viewing. There are some key challenges for EBU Members: Keep it simple! TV is about immersing yourself in content. It s also about ease of access: sit down, switch on, enjoy. Increasingly powerful TV sets encourage the introduction of ever more apps, sophisticated interactions and other distractions. Broadcasters need to stick to the core values of quality and simplicity as they move to exploit the synergies between broadcast and broadband services. TVs shouldn t be confused with other sophisticated connected devices, nor should the consumer be confused. Quality of experience Traditional broadcast networks remain the best way of getting high quality content to a large audience. Where they fall short is in the provision of personalized services, which is the strength of broadband networks. But to ask current broadband networks to deliver high quality video reliably to a large screen is to stretch the current infrastructure, especially when network operators seek to monetize any improvements in service. The goal of Hybrid TV is to provide 2.0

18 an equally immersive experience via broadcast AND broadband networks. A viewer shouldn t have to accept a drop in quality if the service comes over his broadband network. A safe viewing environment On the surface, it s just about having two different pipes into a single device. But there are differences in the rules applied to broadband networks and the highly regulated world of broadcasting. If the viewer can no longer distinguish the pipes through which his content is arriving, how is he to know which rules apply? As the different stakeholders battle for the viewer s attention, the broadcaster s attractive, high quality and simple propositions need to be stronger than ever. The challenge is to ensure a level playing field. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? The EBU is synonymous with the innovative technological developments that have shaped radio and television over the years. Hybrid TV is a strategic target for the EBU and its Members. The EBU is a founder of HbbTV, established its legal structure and hosts its administrative office. HbbTV is the standard of choice for hybrid TV systems in France, Germany, Netherlands, the Nordic countries, Poland, Spain, Turkey and as far afield as Australia. EBU Members provide input into the requirements capture and development of the next generation HbbTV systems The EBU also hosts the DVB Project Office, the developer of the MHP specification which is used for hybrid TV services in Italy, and is the basis for interactive services on cable networks worldwide. EBU Members in the UK were the pioneers in interactive services using MHEG-5 and are at the forefront of the development and rollout of YouView, an innovative hybrid TV solution based on a managed experience. HbbTV is the Hybrid TV standard of choice for many European countries; MHP and YouView and are used in Italy and the UK respectively. At European Commission level the EBU continues to inform debates on Network Neutrality and Hybrid TV and has published a set of Hybrid and Connected TV Principles. An EBU Strategic Programme on TV Services and Platforms provides a focus for Members to share their experiences and work together on improving the Hybrid TV offer. The EBU has also fostered the development of white label applications, developed basic guidelines for the deployment of Hybrid TV and continues to work on improved broadband distribution architectures. FIND OUT MORE EBU TV Platforms Group tech.ebu.ch/tvp HbbTV MHP YouView

19 INTEGRATED MEDIA PRODUCTION STRATEGIES The challenge of producing and distributing content for multiple different platforms is increasingly present for Public Service Media organizations. The IMPS programme was set up to assist EBU Members in their integration of television, radio and online in the newsroom and to enable fast, high quality and efficient content production that matches the needs of the different consumer platforms. BACKGROUND Most broadcasters now produce and distribute content for multiple platforms. These include linear television in SDTV and HDTV; non-linear and hybrid services such as catch-up TV; services to mobile devices; and so forth. The same applies to the radio services of broadcasters, and almost all broadcasters also have online portals of one kind or another by now. EBU Members need to be able to provide content that matches the needs of all these services simultaneously. Media consumption patterns and the devices used are changing fast; therefore broadcast organizations have to change as well. Of concern are organizational matters, corporate cultures, the way broadcast professionals work, the definition of new workflows, and the introduction and application of new production technologies. DR s media city DR Byen an impressive testament to the Danish broadcaster s convergence-driven thinking. 2.0

20 THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA. To address all distribution channels and media consumption devices from a single content management platform, Public Service Broadcasters need to move from production islands, where content for TV, radio and online is produced in isolated silos, to a fully integrated set-up. There are numerous interrelated challenges to be overcome in achieving this change: interoperability and flexibility in technical systems; a comprehensive and agile media information management system; storage and archiving systems that are adapted to a file-based environment; and multi-disciplined staff. The benefits from such a transition include efficiencies in costs and resource use and an ability to quickly adapt to changing consumption patterns. But, as with any process that entails significant organizational change, the successful management of that change will be the key to success or failure. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? To help Members respond to these trends and support them through the period of transition, in late 2011 the EBU Technical Committee created the strategic programme IMPS - Integrated Media Production Strategies. Jointly run by the Media and Technology & Innovation departments, IMPS takes an interdisciplinary approach to these production integration challenges, recognizing that the technical and content sides of EBU Members must cooperate on these issues. THEME VISITS TO INTEGRATED MEMBERS The main focus of IMPS is theme visits to the premises of Members with advanced media integration. Participants editorial, technical and management learn about the benefits and costs of an integrated approach; how change management is being handled; how work processes and functions are redesigned; training and communication for users; and the technical solutions chosen. DISSEMINATION Theme visit reports A report on each visit documents change management, editorial and technical issues in a concrete and practical manner. The reports constitute a wealth of knowledge that Members can tap into. Network & Learn events These events, held on a yearly basis in Geneva, allow participants to discuss IMPS findings and issues while networking with their European colleagues confronted in their organization with similar challenges. CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE WITH INDUSTRY Another key objective is to identify operational issues that arise when creating content with an integrated approach: interoperability, managing metadata, and identifying barriers to accessing media information. Members learn about the integration and interoperability issues identified in practical cases and how to avoid them. New requirements are defined and communicated to the manufacturers and vendors. Reference architectures and best practice guidelines will form a framework for Members to follow. TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT IMPS Roadshow The IMPS Roadshow aims at disseminating, in a practical way, best practices, management tools and methods, technology and editorial organization findings. It comprises several modules based on the knowledge and best practices formally collected during the visits and compiled in IMPS visit reports. EUROVISON ACADEMY Master Classes Throughout the year, the EUROVISION ACADEMY offers Master Classes on IMPS related issues. Built around best practices and cases studies, Master Classes aim to provide professionals with an understanding and concrete know-how that they can apply immediately on a specific issue. FIND OUT MORE IMPS homepage (to join and access documentation) EUROVISION ACADEMY (for theme visits and Master Classes) tech.ebu.ch/imps 2.0

21 LOUDNESS The EBU s Loudness work has become a resounding international success. Many national broadcasters have adopted or are currently switching to the EBU R 128 Loudness Recommendation and over 65 product manufacturers are offering tools in support of EBU R 128. And there still is more to come... BACKGROUND The recent history of the EBU s loudness work goes back to IBC 2008 when the PLOUD group held its first meeting on the path to a true audio levelling revolution. Over the two years that followed the group produced a set of technical specifications and practical guidelines that help the industry implement loudness metering and normalization in a straightforward and standardized way. The set consists of: EBU R 128 EBU Tech 3341 EBU Tech 3342 EBU Tech 3343 EBU Tech 3344 The core of the work, which specifies a target level of -23 LUFS (+/- 1 LU) A technical specification on how to create meters for measuring Loudness. The Loudness Range (LRA) descriptor, helping to characterize audio content. Practical production guidelines; How to implement R 128 in your facility A very detailed guide on the distribution aspects of loudness normalization. Test material, Technical Review articles, translations and many presentations are available too. EBU R 128 specifies that audio loudness should be normalized to a level of -23 LUFS There has been a particular focus on international alignment. Following the definitive studies of gating functions, measurement intervals, and scales, the ITU-R BS.1770 and BS.1771 loudness specifications have adopted the key EBU Mode meter parameters (400 ms, 3 s, EBU scale) and the EBU loudness gating algorithm. As these specifications now form the basis of virtually all loudness meters in use today, they help harmonize implementation across the globe. Similarly, EBU loudness metadata has been adopted in two Audio Engineering Society standards: AES 41 (for carriage of metadata in digital audio) and AES 31 (network and file transfer of audio).

22 THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA The biggest challenge broadcasters face is to decide how and when to switch over to loudness measurement and levelling. Important factors include (re)investment cycles, switch-over dates set by colleagues/competitors, and the amount of training that is required to educate staff and clients. The move to HDTV or file-based facilities has proved to be a good moment for broadcasters to switch from an audio peak-level approach to loudness measurement and levelling. Another good switching point is the use of loudness normalization in legacy archive migration projects. Typically broadcasters try to make the loudness switch-over in sync with their prime colleagues/competitors, involving other organizations where relevant too (such as advertising agencies and national legislators). Although the loudness measurement and levelling approach is much more intuitive than the traditional peak-level approach, staff nonetheless require a minimal amount of training to get acquainted with the new loudness paradigm. Many broadcasters have set up in-house projects to deal with this, often inviting colleagues from countries that have already made the switch. Other challenges (and opportunities!) relate in particular to the use of loudness tools for radio and broadband content distribution, such as catch-up TV, where loudness variations have, historically, been bigger than broadcast TV. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? The main deliverables have been achieved, the uptake is a huge success, and the EBU is continuing its work, especially to address above challenges. In brief: The group is now solving the problem of how to use/set loudness processors to get even more benefit from R128 and to prevent turning broadcast audio into sausage-processed sound. The group is drafting practical advice on the use of EBU R 128 for radio. For radio production and digital distribution in particular, the use of loudness tools seems an easy gain. In Norway, for example, DAB broadcasts have already switched to being loudness normalized. A lot of effort is put into the sharing of experiences between broadcasters, both by individual PLOUD participants and at EBU-organized Loudness Workshops. Another topic on the agenda is the treatment of very wide loudness range material, such as movies with large contrasts between the lowest and highest loudness levels. This is an advanced topic, but interesting results are already being reported by users. FIND OUT MORE EBU R 128 information tech.ebu.ch/loudness PLOUD chairman Florian Camerer providing training at an SRG-SSR seminar.

23 MEDIA DELIVERY STRATEGIES No single delivery platform is capable of supporting the whole range of broadcast services and reaching all types of receiving device. EBU Members already employ multiple platforms to ensure universal reach of their services. Cooperative use of networks could further exploit synergies between different technologies. BACKGROUND Broadcast services have evolved to include on-demand, data, hybrid, interactive, multi-screen and other innovative services in addition to the traditional linear programming. At the same time the capabilities of receiving devices are expanding. Broadcast services can be accessed not only on conventional radio and TV receivers but also via connected TVs, personal computers and mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Viewers and listeners are increasingly agnostic about the technology as long as it enables them to access media services at their convenience and on a device of their choice. The traditional broadcast networks are still the principal means of delivery. As none of them reaches all viewers and listeners EBU Members are present on multiple delivery platforms, including terrestrial, cable, satellite and, increasingly, IPTV. However, broadcast networks cannot support all types of service nor can they reach all user devices. Therefore, broadband networks are increasingly used, in particular for the delivery of innovative services. Broadcast and broadband networks have always operated independently of each other. However, if networks were used in a cooperative way it may be possible to make use of synergies between different technologies. This would provide new opportunities to broadcasters, network operators and users.

24 THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA As EBU Members seek to offer a portfolio of linear and nonlinear services to their audiences they are confronted with a number of challenges related to the growing number of delivery options and the proliferation of receiving devices. Two particularly relevant issues are: Linear radio and TV are the most popular services and, ideally, must be available on all platforms and on any receiving device. The traditional distribution networks (e.g. terrestrial, satellite or cable) serve well those users that are equipped with suitable broadcast receivers. However, these networks cannot easily reach the growing population of alternative user devices, in particular personal computers, smartphones and tablets. Hence, there is a risk that the users of these devices would never become a mass audience for Public Service Media. The reach of innovative media services (e.g. hybrid, on-demand, multi-screen) is constrained by the penetration and the capabilities of broadband networks. These networks seldom have sufficient capacity for the delivery of broadcast services to large audiences. Most broadcast receivers still cannot connect to broadband networks. In addition, broadcasters have limited control over signal integrity and quality of service, while delivery costs could be excessive. Furthermore, the potential of wireless broadband technologies for the provision of broadcast services is largely unknown. EBU Members must fulfil their remit, which implies providing their services free-to-air while leaving the choice of receiving device up to the user. Consequently, broadcasters need to be present on multiple platforms, since no single one is capable of delivering the whole range of services to all types of receiving device. This increases both the complexity and the delivery costs. Terrestrial delivery is well known and in many countries a large part of the population relies on it for access to broadcasting content. In particular, digital TV networks are technically and cost efficient, they are successful on the market, and supported by broadcasters and the industry alike. Currently over 50% of European viewers rely on terrestrial TV delivery. Nevertheless, the question of the future of terrestrial broadcasting has recently gained prominence, in particular because of the pressure to release some of the spectrum to other users. Reduced spectrum availability would constrain future developments and may lead to the decline and ultimately perhaps even the end of terrestrial broadcasting. At the same time, wireless delivery is the only way to serve portable and mobile devices. The demand for mobile media is evident in the strong growth of mobile broadband, which is largely driven by media services. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? The EBU's Strategic Programme on Cooperative Terrestrial Networks (SP-CTN) was established to study the evolution of terrestrial delivery networks, in particular future terrestrial broadcast and wireless broadband networks, in terms of their potential to carry future broadcast services both linear and nonlinear. The group has established a representative set of use cases that are highly relevant for EBU Members. The available distribution options are evaluated on the basis of their ability to satisfy these use cases. A separate project group, CTN-Mobile, was established to study how mobile broadband networks can best be used for the delivery of broadcast services to large audiences. The group is open to the representatives of broadcasting and mobile communities. It also seeks to identify the possibilities for sustainable cooperation between the two industries and has become a constructive forum for discussion. FIND OUT MORE EBU SP-CTN homepage EBU SP-CTN-Mobile homepage EBU Tech Report 013: Report on the Future of Terrestrial Broadcasting tech.ebu.ch/groups/ctn tech.ebu.ch/groups/ctnmob tech.ebu.ch/publications

25 METADATA & SEMANTIC WEB Metadata is vitally important and is indispensible for content archives, programme production, distribution and any system designed to electronically search and retrieve the assets you need and want. The EBU is at the forefront of innovation in metadata for media, contributing to and influencing international standardization activities. BACKGROUND The EBU has been active in the domain of metadata for many years, finding considerable success with the EBUCore metadata set. More recently the focus has been on metadata in the MXF file format (within SMPTE), advanced audio object modelling (ITU), and semantic technologies (with W3C and Europeana, the European digital Library). The EBU has now published two ontologies, which are the structures, rules and terminology used by metadata systems. The Class Conceptual Data Model (CCDM) and the EBUCore ontology together bring production and distribution metadata modelling to a new dimension. THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA Whenever we store things in a box, the box needs a label on the outside to tell us what it contains. If we have a lot of boxes without labels, we would never find anything. In the world of digital television and radio content, it s metadata that serves as the label on the digital box. Of course television or radio content is itself digital data, so the metadata is the data about data. It s said of systems involving vast amounts of digital content, if you can t find it you haven t got it. This is why the importance of metadata systems is growing for broadcasters as the amount of data they deal with grows exponentially. EBU Members now need to deal with the twin challenges of creating content for multiple devices and platforms and managing the huge amounts of data (including metadata) generated. They key to success lies in carefully structuring and linking the data so that it can be shared and reused across the organization and beyond this is the semantic web approach.

26 Designers of metadata systems, including broadcasters, have to trade off the advantages of comprehensiveness with those of simplicity. Too much complexity may be unnecessary and costly. Too simple a system may not cover what is needed. User-friendliness, easiness, flexibility, adaptability and scalability are more important than richness and comprehensiveness with impossible compliance rules. A number of metadata systems have been developed over time for digital media content with different ontologies. They have been designed to meet different needs, or have been developed by different people at different times. The EBU has worked to develop a system that meets the needs of its Members and, by extension, the wider media community. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? EBU metadata specifications, schemas and ontologies are the fruit of well-defined requirements and a well-developed understanding of user needs and developer habits. The EBU s Media Information Management strategic programme (SP-MIM) includes experts from around the world. The golden rule for their work, and the key to the success of EBUCore, is "keep it simple and tailored for media". EBU metadata work is licensed under Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike". Users and implementers have the freedom to adapt EBU's schemas and ontologies to address their respective needs. They should mention that the new specification is based on EBU work and should share the work under the same terms. It can be implemented into products for commercial purposes but cannot be traded as a specific commodity. EBUCore and associated activities are delivering many benefits to Members and the wider industry: EBUCore, which is now widely used, will soon incorporate the new EBU model for audio, including audio objects. This will be shared with AES for adoption in the AES60 standard for audio metadata, entirely based on EBUCore. EBUCore is used as the solution for metadata aggregation in EUScreen, the European audiovisual archives portal. EUScreen is now a key contributor to Europeana, the European digital library. Two forms of EBUCore are used in this context, the EBUCore XML metadata schema and also the EBUCore RDF ontology. The EBU-AMWA FIMS project, specifying an industrial solution for web service (SOA) based production architectures, has adopted EBUCore. The FIMS 1.1 specification uses EBUCore as its core descriptive and technical metadata. FIMS 1.1 is now working on quality control (with the EBU QC group) and soon on automatic metadata extraction in collaboration with the European Project TOSCA-MP. EBUCore is being registered in SMPTE under EBU Class 13. It is also the basis of development of the SMPTECore, an activity led by EBU. A MXF player and SDK (software development kit) has been developed in collaboration with Limecraft. It is now available as open source. In the domain of semantic web, EBU Members have begun to explore the huge potential held by such models, linking data from different information silos in a flexible and agile way. Applications have included the development of tools for journalists to easily pull together detailed information from a variety of sources, and the automated aggregation of data to enrich broadcaster websites with huge amounts of additional content, for example during major sporting events. The EBU s work on metadata contributes to enabling such systems, and there is a particular focus on sharing knowledge and experience across the membership. FIND OUT MORE General information on EBU metadata activities Download EBUCore EBU metadata resources tech.ebu.ch/metadata tech.ebu.ch/publications

27 QUALITY CONTROL There is a common misconception that the word DIGITAL means QUALITY. If that were true, in an ideal world there would be no need for Quality Control. In the real world however Quality Control has become big business and getting it right has never been more important. BACKGROUND Two years ago the EBU s strategic programme on Quality Control took on the task of analyzing the QC processes broadcasters undertake. The move from tape-based delivery to file-based delivery is also a move from a well-understood linear QC process to one where there are risks around interoperability and file corruption. The Quality Control programme through collaboration between broadcasters and vendors has broken down these processes into a simple set of criteria that allow users to build QC workflows. THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA Traditionally the QC process happened after a programme was completed and delivered to the broadcaster. However once the programme has left post-production, the material is usually archived, making it very expensive for any repairs to be undertaken, or the production has to pay to keep it on-line and available until the QC process is signed off. The most efficient point in the workflow to carry out QC is before the programme has left the postproduction company, BUT how can the broadcaster ensure the process has been carried out properly and accurately? WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? CRITERIA The EBU QC programme has identified over 150 different tests and cross checks that cover the whole range of tests that can be applied to file delivered programmes. Not every programme needs every test the key is to use the criteria to build a viable Test Plan. VENDORS The QC Vendors who are part of the programme all use the same names and EBU test IDs making it simple for a Test Plan to be applied to any workflow. BALANCE The business case is all about getting the balance right between having to check a file at every process point and the risk of missing serious errors. The operational case is about getting the right balance between human Golden Eyes QC and automated systems. There should be no need for a human operator to look at a programme a machine can fail first.

28 The key is to define a workflow that enables a group of tests in a Test Plan that is based on the EBU QC Criteria. EXAMPLE: THE UK DPP TEST PLAN What would such a Test Plan look like? In the UK the Digital Production Partnership (a partnership between all the UK Broadcasters) has agreed a common Test Plan (shown below) for all commissioned programmes. If a programme is tested to the criteria in the Test Plan, the broadcaster can accept a QC Certificate as a form of quality guarantee. FIND OUT MORE EBU QC group (also open to non-members) Collection of presentation, articles and links to the EBU QC library tech.ebu.ch/groups/qc tech.ebu.ch/qualitycontrol

29 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING FOR MEDIA Broadcasting is all about big releases, long-term investments and very high expectations in terms of quality and service availability. Can the broadband world of small iterations, flexible schedules, short lifecycles and cheap commodity hardware be adapted to suit the needs and expectations of broadcasters? BACKGROUND With a move to file-based production, the use of virtualised and cloud-based services for production and distribution, and the exploding demand for online content, broadcasters have no choice but to develop their competence in the area of software engineering. Many large companies operating in the internet domain face the same challenges as broadcasters: ensuring high quality of service and being able to scale systems to meet demand. There is much to learn from the software development sector, but the secret is in knowing how these lessons can be applied to the broadcasting world. The new EBU.io platform will showcase EBU software-based projects, incubate ideas coming from EBU Members and curate information on open source software for media. (see overleaf) THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA Broadcasting organizations demand quality and reliability whether in their production, distribution or online systems. These demands stand regardless of whether such systems use traditional specialised broadcast industry hardware or primarily software and commodity IT based solutions. However, as anyone who uses software on a regular basis can testify, quality and reliability are not always a given. There are a number of issues that EBU Members need to consider, but should not fear: Reliability modern software development techniques involve source control, code reviews, continuous integration, precise workflows and testing. While these may seem like heavy processes, by using the right tools and emphasizing best practises, progress can be smooth. 1.0

30 Responsiveness where large and vibrant developer communities around a language or project exist, the response time to addressing specific problems or improving features can be much faster than from commercial entities, who tend to bundle fixes into packages released at longer intervals. Open Source in the early days of the open source software movement, when the communities were smaller and there was less experience in how the development should be done, open source software could be hit and miss. For developer teams, open sourcing projects can improve their quality and clarity. Indeed, the fact that a project is public and reviewed by others creates an incentive to ensure it is in good shape. This also reduces or eliminates reliance on a specific person as it is the architecture and language that are important. This makes it easy to scale the team working on it. Finally, if the development is open, the effort can be combined and shared among different broadcasters. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? EBU efforts in software development are about building communities of like-minded developers working on projects of strategic importance to broadcasters and media companies in general. The EBU s Technology & Innovation department itself already engages in open source software development. A set of software development guidelines has been established, designed to bring together some of the best elements of AGILE and SCRUM development techniques, specifically targeting the reliability requirements that are crucial for broadcasters. Further, in order to share the knowledge of the different broadcasters and foster open source mediarelated projects as well as providing a window to the outside world on some of these, EBU T&I has launched a portal called EBU.io (tech.ebu.ch/io). As software development and the open source approach are at least as much about people as about code, the EBU is running the first EBU DevCon (Developer Conference) on November This workshop will bring engineers from the internet world and cover the wide field of Software Engineering for Media: Open Source, Development & Deployment Culture and Data. The second day will propose handson workshops to discover or improve engineering skills. FIND OUT MORE EBU.io portal EBU DevCon 2013 tech.ebu.ch/io tech.ebu.ch/devcon13 1.0

31 SUSTAINABLE BROADCASTING Like all industries, the broadcasting sector has a responsibility to improve its environmental performance. Many have shied away from tacking the topic due to a lack of expertise and resources but being more sustainable often leads to lower costs; and by sharing knowledge with others, we can all benefit. This area is important to EBU Members audiences and to their staff, hence the creation of the EBU group on Sustainable Technology in Broadcasting. BACKGROUND Many governments and organizations are shining the spotlight on the environmental impact of various industry sectors. This is the case with the power generation, automotive and consumer electronics sectors, to name just three. Telecommunications and broadcasting are no different with various initiatives under way across Europe. The main environmental impacts of the broadcasting industry are greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy use; raw material consumption and electronic waste. Studies suggest that 2% of global GHG emissions result from Information and Communication Technology (ICT) (~800 Mt CO2e). Television sets and related peripherals are responsible for ~1.8% of global emissions (~700 Mt CO2e). The industry itself is also vulnerable because of environmental issues rising energy prices, energy security and resource scarcity all affect the sector. Additionally, climate change may cause infrastructure in some countries to become vulnerable to flooding etc. In the last few years, we have seen several disruptions to the global supply chain because of weather events. These could all increase costs for broadcasters and on top of these, carbon taxes are been introduced in some countries. We need to consider how to make the industry more resilient to these changes.

32 THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA Broadcasting is undergoing a period of unprecedented change: migration from analogue to digital broadcasting, producing and distributing high definition television, pressure on terrestrial frequencies from the mobile telecommunications sector, and addressing the consumers demands for more immersive services like hybrid TV and, on the horizon, UHDTV. Public Service Media organizations have particular responsibilities to ensure universal coverage for their services, sometimes at odds with minimising the environmental impact of these services. Thus a balance needs to be struck. While digital television distribution is more efficient than analogue, there are extended periods of simulcasting in most territories and there is a need to roll out dense transmission networks to meet the coverage objectives demanded by public service charters. As wireless telecommunications networks become more effective at delivering media content, authorities seek to compare the environmental impact of each distribution mechanism. Larger domestic screen sizes and more powerful TV sets are increasing the environmental impact of consumption. Do we understand how new technologies affect the overall environmental impact? For example, how does HDTV compare to SDTV? Are there ways to efficiently enhance mainstream broadcasting services with over-the-top hybrid TV? As public service broadcasters, EBU Members have constraints based around universal service and coverage obligations. Such obligations have been brought to the fore as migration to digital distribution from analogue is completed. Extending broadcast coverage to upwards of 99% of the population and the additional transmitters that entails could result in a significant additional environmental impact. WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? Sustainability touches many areas of broadcasting from production to transmission to IT. Not everyone working in these areas has sustainability knowledge and no sustainability expert can know about all these areas. The EBU has an interdisciplinary group of experts from different members, and other broadcast organizations, already engaged in working on environmental sustainability issues. The Strategic Programme on Sustainable Technology in Broadcasting (STiB) has several strands to its work: 1) To produce guidelines on best practice in sustainable production and develop a common methodology for measuring the carbon footprint of production. This builds on work already carried out by Members but will have a wider scope. 2) To help Members understand how to use sustainability measurement and metrics to deliver business transformation thus aiding informed decision making. This could be supported by the use of case studies and will take advantage of work done in other related industries like the ICT sector. This is expected to focus on programme production, apparatus rooms, data centres, contribution and distribution. 3) With the support of the Technical Committee, to establish strong working relationship with or a sustainability facet within all EBU technology projects and working groups. 4) To act as a collective voice when liaising with other groups who seek to engage with the broadcasting industry on sustainability and environmental issues, e.g. the ITU. This will include reaching out to other stakeholders like the mobile telecommunications sector. FIND OUT MORE EBU Sustainable Technology in Broadcasting Group tech.ebu.ch/green This group welcomes non-ebu member broadcasters who are actively working on becoming more sustainable.

33 UHDTV The transition to digital television and HDTV is well under way. At the same time, broadcasters must have an eye to the future, recognizing the inevitable evolution of the viewing experience. Inevitably steps need to be taken now to be future-proof. The options beyond HDTV include: a more advanced HDTV system 1080p/50 and two levels of Ultra High Definition Television, UHD-1 and UHD-2. In all cases there are production, delivery and consumer aspects to consider. BACKGROUND Television image quality has shown continuous evolution over the last 50 years and is unlikely to stop abruptly now. The factors affecting this have been the improvements in television displays and, in the digital age, improvements in video compression efficiency and increases in chip gate density. All of these trends will continue. Television systems that provide a better viewing experience will be driven by a combination of the consumer electronics industry s need for new selling propositions and the public demand for ever better and more immersive experiences. Complete or partial worldwide standards are now available for the following future options for broadcasters: 1080p/50 a version of the HDTV format with greater vertical-temporal resolution; this has twice as many pixels as the HDTV formats used today, and would provide somewhat more detail and processing headroom. UHD-1 this is the first of two levels of Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV). Level 1, the 4k level, provides 8 Megapixel images, the equivalent of four 1080p/50 images. Details for further parameters such as frame rate, higher dynamic range, wider colour gamut and a more immersive audio system are under discussion. UHD-2 Level 2, also called Super Hi-Vision, or the `8k`level, provides 32 Megapixel images, the equivalent of sixteen 1080p/50 images. As in UHD-1, further parameters will be improved and refined. As these new formats imply a higher amount of data a new and more efficient video compression system HEVC was developed by the MPEG/ITU VCEG standards group. The standard was published in January It may be up to 50% more efficient than MPEG-4/H.264 AVC, the compression system currently used. This may significantly enhance the feasibility of broadcasting these new television formats. THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA Broadcasters are obliged to look beyond today s HDTV, and to ask what s next? They need to understand the options, their practicability, their cost, and the potential impact on their business models. They need, for example, to decide on whether production in the 1080p/50 format would be valuable, and in which circumstances. Broadcasting in 1080p/50 may become more practical with upcoming receiver generations. However, with these different quality steps ahead, broadcasters need to decide whether to step over one or other format.

34 The nascent UHDTV standards include a number of options for elements such as colour encoding, frame rate and bit depth, and here too, broadcasters need to make choices that would result in a significant quality difference compared to HDTV. The performance of the HEVC compression system on UHDTV formats also needs to be evaluated for optimal service shaping on the different networks (satellite, DTT, broadband, cable, etc). WHAT IS THE EBU DOING? The EBU is coordinating and participating in various European and global groups which define and influence the development of UHDTV, while also assessing the potential impact of UHDTV for Public Service Media. The EBU s BeyondHD strategic programme is a unique platform in Europe for the industry to exchange knowledge and opinions about these new systems, and to study technical questions together with the EBU Members. In the last 18 months the EBU has, with key partners, created various test sequences to enable important scientific tests that will help to define the core parameters for UHDTV. Specific activities have included: Resolution and HEVC: comparative tests of UHD-1 and HD resolution and performance evaluation of HEVC HFR: under the auspices of the Broadcast Technology Futures group, tests have been conducted to assess the impact of Higher Frame Rates HDR: tests of High Dynamic Range are planned Studio codecs: new studio video codecs such as XAVC and AVCUltra are under investigation Audio: a 3DAudio project group is investigating potential parameters for more immersive audio The EBU is playing a key role in federating all industry partners towards creating a common roadmap. A series of workshops has been central to this effort, with the next UHDTV: Voices & Choices taking place at the EBU on November. In parallel, with DIF, the Digital Interoperability Forum, the EBU is leading discussions in the Forum for Advanced Media in Europe (FAME) on the business impact of UHDTV. Via a formal liaison with DIGITALEUROPE, the trade organization for consumer electronics, the EBU is following carefully the development of a proposed UHD-1 logo. Furthermore, the EBU actively participates in the activities UHD related groups in the DVB Project, SMPTE and the ITU. In 2012, the EBU published a status report (Tech Report 014) on 1080p/50 and 4k, addressed to senior management. This report, which is in the process of being updated, describes key factors to consider when selecting between 4k or 1080p/50 as future production format. A test production in 4k 3D was shot at the Eurovision Young Dancers contest at the Baltic Opera in Gdansk, June (Image: KUK) FIND OUT MORE EBU BeyondHD group EBU Technical Reports tech.ebu.ch/groups/beyondhd tech.ebu.ch/publications