IBC 2024: In Review Part 2 – Halls 5 to 8

The SVG and SVGE editorial teams were out in full force at IBC 2024, covering the biggest sports-technology news and delivering daily live roundups. Here is a look at the news from exhibitors in Halls 5-8.

Featured in this roundup are Adder, AJA Video Systems, Amagi, Arqiva, Ateliere Creative Technologies, Audinate, Avid, AWS, Brainstorm, Brightcove, Calrec Audio, Chyron, Dalet, Dizplai, Dotscreen, EVS, Farmerswife, Fonn Group, Genelec, Globecast, Grabyo, JW Player, Lama, Lawo, LiveU, LTN, Magnifi, Matrox Video, Moments Labs, Mo-Sys, M2A Media, Native Waves, Perfect Memory, Perifery, Prodys, Quantum, Quantum 5X, Red Digital, Roe, RT Software, Salsa Sound, Sennheiser, Signiant, Solid State Logic, Studio Network Solutions, Telestream, Telos Alliance, Telstra, Tinkerlist, TVU Networks, Vivaro Media, Wisycom, WTVision, Zero Density, and Zixi.

Adder (Stand 8.B65) is highlighting the latest addition to its KVM matrix lineup, the ADDERView Matrix C-Range. For organizations or networks that operate in smaller spaces, including collegiate athletic programs, the new upgrade is intended for this smaller space and provides a streamlined IP KVM-matrix solution offering ease of use and minimal maintenance. Designed to be as customizable and user-friendly as possible, each user station is a master controller of up to 16 sources at any one time, and a single computer-access module can connect up to 256 user stations.

AJA Video Systems (Stand 7.B19) is looking to help the live-sports-production and TV market get on board with HDR workflows more easily via its ColorBox, which is now available as an openGear Card versus a dedicated box. The card handles inline color transformation for SDR and HDR as well as camera-log conversions. “As it pertains to live production,” AJA Senior Product Manager Tim Walker explains, “you might have some SDR cameras that you need to convert into HDR to be part of that single-master, single-stream HDR workflow, and you can do that with this card. It also has a built-in downconverter for UHD to HD and, in this openGear card for factor, it can do that with greater channel density and less rack space as we can get 10 channels of UHD conversion in 2RU. The frame also offers redundant power supplies, can be controlled by hardware control panels via an API, and has a latency of less than half a video line. That is important because that means it is within the timing window for switchers, so the switcher doesn’t need to add a frame of delay.” Also new is the Kona IP25, which provides uncompressed bi-directional SMPTE ST 2110 support for the transition from SDI to IP. The 8-lane PCIe Gen 4.0, SMPTE ST 2110 IP I/O card supports bidirectional uncompressed video. It has two SFP cages that support 10- and 25-Gigabit Ethernet (10/25 GigE) SFPs and includes a 1GigE RJ-45 connector.

Amagi (Stand 5.B87) has focused its efforts at IBC on live remote production, cloud migration, and streaming. To put its cloud-native solutions in context, the company has re-created a live-operations center at its stand. For sports, the environment shows everything from setting up an on-demand live-broadcast infrastructure, orchestrating live remote events, managing graphics and ad breaks, and clipping and social-media publishing. New at the show is the on-premises playout server Disaster Recovery DR Box for Amagi CLOUDPORT. CLOUDPORT, along with Tellyo STUDIO and Tellyo PRO, are on display to show how end users can manage and automate the entire broadcast workflow from ingest to delivery. These are the latest developments building on Amagi’s acquisition of Tellyo last year.

Media services provider Arqiva (Stand 8.MS6) has enhanced its portfolio of streaming services with the addition of new broadcast-optimisation capability. Provided in collaboration with System73, the new service offerings for optimisation, QoE analytics, and seamless CDN switching are intended to reduce delivery cost, latency, environmental impact, and viewer satisfaction issues that come with the increasing requirement of content owners to deliver traffic over the internet, all while increasing quality of experience. “This is a unique proposition for streaming,” explains Arqiva CTO Dom Wedgwood. “It’s peer-to-peer optimization, which is additive to CDNs; it helps sports broadcasters manage the peaks in their traffic that they can’t predict. To get the best performance for these peaks in traffic is hard, but this solves that.” In addition, Arqiva and Techex (Stand 3.B44) have revealed a partnership to offer seamless distribution of live event content from any source to any destination globally. The agreement, combining Arqiva’s managed services and live IP software solutions from Techex, aims to remove the complexities associated with distributing live content across multiple destinations and multiple distribution workflows. Designed with both flexibility and scalability in mind, the collaboration will deliver enhancements on Arqiva’s existing Arqade offering, removing the need for large capex investment while providing access to Arqiva’s 24/7 network oversight.

Ateliere Creative Technologies (Stand 5.C24) is using IBC 2024 to launch a graphics-processing unit–based live-production and editing platform. Software-based and cloud-native, Ateliere Live offers the ability to cut pictures, mix audio, and add graphics and effects via a web browser, with the video staying in the computer’s GPU until just prior to distribution. This removes the need for repeated encoding and decoding, in turn saving on energy usage and, according to Ateliere, reducing the costs per hour of live TV by up to 70%. The platform uses proxy contribution feeds and synchronised proxy-master feed timing for remote production. Public APIs allow integration with third-party applications. Ateliere customers include Swedish broadcaster SVT, which has already used the Ateliere Live tech on coverage of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Audinate (Stand 8.A95) and Lawo (Stand 8.B90) are talking about their new MoU agreement for the integration of Dante audio and video technologies into Lawo’s HOME apps. This will include provision of native discovery and management mechanisms for Dante devices and software as well as access to Dante audio and video within Lawo’s HOME management platform. Lawo intends to integrate Dante APIs and SDKs for access to control, management, and media signals for Dante networks directly into HOME. Lawo will also introduce Dante Importer (southbound) and Dante Exporter (northbound) services into and out of HOME. Says Audinate Principal Product Manager Jim Kidwell, “This is a big deal for us. Lawo has previously supported other protocols, so integrating us gives customers even more choices.” Audinate also is showcasing Dante Connect, its cloud-based audio-broadcast solution, in which multiple products work together for sports-broadcasting applications. A suite of software applications, Dante Connect facilitates cloud-based broadcast production and is a powerful platform for A1s and mixing engineers. “For sports broadcasters,” says Kidwell, “there’s a lot of flexibility, especially for remote working. You can have a team based in one location and just send a flypack to an event. If you do it right, you can get cost savings as well.”

Avid (Stand 7.B59) is emphasizing AI and focusing on how AI can be of creative assistance. “The way we are trying to apply AI,” says Craig Wilson, product evangelist, video and media, Avid, “is to help customers become more efficient, whether that’s allowing end users to spend more time on the creative part, as opposed to some of the mundane tasks, or enabling them to produce faster to more platforms and more channels.” One such capability is tying speech-to-text to the clips so that, when the text is dragged into the Media Composer timeline, the video follows; another example is rules functions that automatically upload an approved piece of content to playout. Also be sure to check out the new Media Composer SDK, which allows customers and partners to develop their own panels within Media Composer. Notes Wilson, “We have some workflows here with Autodesk or a dailies workflow where you can access the dailies from Autodesk, drag them in a Media Composer bin, and carry on with your work.”

AWS (Stand 5.C90) has launched AWS Elemental MediaLive Anywhere, a feature of the company’s MediaLive offering that caters to hybrid workflows by allowing users to run live video encoding on-premises while using the cloud for management. “When you can’t get your live video sources to the cloud, MediaLive Anywhere brings the cloud to you,” says Manish Rao, GM, AWS Elemental. “If you have a video source or destination anchored on-premises or a compute investment that you want to continue to use, MediaLive Anywhere brings the same great capabilities, APIs, monitoring tools, console, and pay-as-you-go pricing that you get with MediaLive to enable encoding anywhere.”

Brainstorm (Stand 7.B47) is prioritizing virtual-production capabilities. For workflows, the company is introducing Suite 6.1 flagship products eStudio, InfinitySet, and Aston, which feature integration with Unreal Engine 5.4, virtual production with advanced rendering capabilities, and collaborative workflows with Aston. Announcements include the company’s partnership with XD Motion, innovations in motion graphics, and its latest work in immersive environments with Edison Ecosystem Advancements and Edison OnCloud.

A major focus for Brightcove (Stand 5.A90) at IBC 2024 is a new AI Suite, which comprises five elements: AI Content Multiplier, AI Universal Translator, AI Metadata Optimiser, AI Engagement Maximiser, and AI Cost-to-Quality Optimiser. AI Content Multiplier uses generative AI to automate time-consuming tasks, such as reformatting 16:9 to 9:16 content, auto-clipping, and creating highlight reels from longer content. AI Universal Translator allows users to deliver translations across 130 languages with the ability to fine-tune, plus dubbing in more than 80 languages and hundreds of voices. AI Metadata Optimiser can generate descriptions and automatically transform content into searchable and AI-optimisable data sets. Each solution is currently available to existing customers to pilot, with general availability planned for later this year.

Celebrating 60 years of putting sound in the picture, Calrec Audio (Stand 8.C47) is marking the occasion with three major product launches intended to deliver flexibility to broadcasters: the compact Argo M console, ImPulseV cloud audio-mixing solution, and True Control 2.0. Built on the same technology that powers Calrec’s Argo platform, the new Argo M brings the same feature set and operational familiarity as the Argo Q and Argo S consoles in a compact 24- or 36-fader footprint. Designed for small to medium applications and adopting the same “everything anywhere” approach, Argo M is a plug-and-play SMPTE 2110–native console.

Chyron (Stand 7.B49) is showcasing expanded live–sports-graphics solutions. Besides creating new opportunities and updates to its Chyron LIVE cloud-native production platform, the company is debuting two features to its sports-analysis line PAINT 9.8 and Virtual Placement 7.6. The enhancement to PAINT increases flexibility in replay and telestration on live broadcasts. To increase efficiency in virtual graphics in a live setting, Virtual Placement 7.6 supplements broadcasts with better optical tracking and calibration, which will upgrade the graphics’ accuracy and precision.

Dalet (Stand 7.A43) is emphasizing artificial intelligence. With such products as Dalet Pyramid and Dalet Flex, customers are able to tap into the power of a single, cloud-native technology stack to facilitate production, distribution, archive, and monetization for various sectors. In fast-paced environments like news and live sports production, aspects like quick turnaround for editing and collaboration set users up for success. Other services also are on display, including Dalet Media Cortex for media-asset management and workflow orchestration, Dalet AmberFin for high-quality transcoding, and Dalet Brio for invest and playout.

The buzz on the Dizplai stand (5.B57) is all about the possibilities offered by the launch of its gaming division, Dizplai Gaming. Born out of the acquisition of the PickGuru free-to-play,gaming platform, the new division creates interactive game experiences for first and second screens that enhance fan engagement for sports rightsholders, brands, betting companies, and broadcasters. Dizplai Gaming’s first major public move is MailOnline’s Teamsheet. Launched for the 2024-25 Premier League season, the interactive social-media game invites users to test their football knowledge by naming the starting 11 of a team from Premier League matches. Players earn points based on speed and accuracy.

EVS (Stand 5.G08) is showcasing its use of generative AI as part of its XtraMotion offering. The AI suite can transform single-phase cameras into super-motion cameras, improving broadcast quality in budget-constrained environments. Features include shallow depth of field, adding cinematic effects, and de-blurring, which sharpens replays and improves advertising visibility. “We have a lot of these effects in the pipeline,” says Jan Mokallai, VP, Solutions, LiveCeption. “By the end of the year, all of these will be released into a general availability.

Farmerswife (Stand 6.C24), provider of resource scheduling and project management, is talking about its now one-year-old partnership with Octopus Newsroom. Together, they are actively working on innovative solutions that promise to take their collaboration — and the efficiency of newsroom operations — to new heights. The latest integration addresses key challenges in media operations by streamlining processes, reducing information overload, and empowering news teams. The company is also discussing Cirkus, a tool for creative teams that enables companies to manage everything from budgets and people to invoicing.

Cloud-native video-production and collaboration platform Mimir from Fonn Group (Stand 7.D05) now allows users to add frame-accurate comments in-flight to any asset. The whole workflow takes place inside the item page from a new comments tab, so users do not have to switch workflows to collaborate and comment. Also new to Mimir is intelligent, fully automatic scene-description capabilities to improve search and set speed-cutting records for its cloud video-production and collaboration solution. AI enables scenes in a video asset to be accurately, automatically, and instantly detected and described. Relying on semantic models, the scene descriptions are automated, detailed, and accurate. In addition, users of Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Studio can now enjoy single-click import of media assets from Mimir. In addition, it is possible to export a sequence from Mimir to Resolve with all subclips and to export finished edits back to Mimir.

Genelec (Stand 8.A61) has unveiled the Unio Personal Reference Monitoring Solution. Comprising the 9320A SAM Reference Controller, Reference Measurement Microphone, and the new 8550A Professional Reference Headphones, it helps create a seamless bridge between professional in-room loudspeaker and personal-headphone monitoring. With the additional headphone calibration features available within Genelec GLM software — and the optional Aural ID V2.0 binaural headphone monitoring technology — users can enjoy a personal and truthful headphone monitoring experience. Says Howard Jones, communications director, Genelec, “Unio provides a bridge between in-room and personal-headphone monitoring. You can pick things out, position in the mix, and trust what you’re hearing on the headphones. The idea was to produce a headphone mix that was more akin to hearing loudspeakers in a room, so it was always a reliable reference.”

Advanced TX and connectivity capabilities and end-to-end hybrid cloud solutions are the focus for Globecast (Stand 5.C75). Backed by major investment in IP and cloud technologies, Globecast has broadened its acquisition, remote-production, media-management, playout, and distribution solutions. The company is now focussed firmly on the accelerating pace of hybrid-cloud-technology integration and orchestration, growth of its OTT service model, and its sustainability strategy. Globecast enabled playout and global distribution via an IP/cloud distribution mix for the Africa Cup of Nations 2024, Premier Padel Tournaments in Rome and Malaga, and UEFA Euro 2024 for Sky Italy and RAI, utilising unilateral delivery via fibre.

AI-powered solutions for live highlights creation and live captioning are on show on the Grabyo stand (5.A20). Automating creation of highlights packages for up to 50 sports, the solution uses computer vision and AI to identify key moments and log them in the DVR of each live stream with video markers. Users can select markers for publishing clips instantly, and multiple clips are configured by the AI system, based on editorial guidelines, and automatically populated in a video-highlights project. All the automation workflows are designed to retain editorial control for users, curating content for faster editing and publishing. The automated-live-captions feature uses speech-to-text AI to generate closed captions, in real time, for live broadcast outputs in any supported format, including SRT, Zixi, RIST, RTMP, and RTP. Grabyo customers include Premier League, UFC, Mediapro, and the Professional Squash Association.

JW Player (Stand 5.A53) and multiscreen-app developer Dotscreen have announced a strategic partnership under which JW Player’s advanced content-delivery technology dovetails with Dotscreen’s proficiency in user-experience (UX) design and app development. Together, they offer an end-to-end OTT solution that they believe will improve the viewer experience across various devices. The collaboration is being showcased with a joint demo application. In addition, JW Player recently supported an upgrade of VBTV, Volleyball World’s proprietary media platform offering a range of volleyball content, including premier professional and collegiate leagues and Beach Pro Tour action. Improvements include enhanced streaming quality, localised content and language support, and broader device compatibility. Other partners involved in the upgrade are Applicaster, Cleeng, WSC, and Deltatre.

Lama (Stand 8.A76) is talking about the new Lama NDI Virtual Soundcard, which provides the real-time efficiencies of NDI to audio production. A free 16×16 AoIP software interface delivers low-latency multichannel audio over standard IP networks. The Virtual Soundcard, a technical collaboration with global VoIP connectivity standard NDI, emulates the functionality of a physical soundcard without the need for additional hardware.

Lawo (Stand 8.B90) has announced that its HOME Apps platform now hosts nine essential processing apps, effectively doubling the previous offering, with more apps to follow in a few weeks. All run on the same generic computer and offer the convenience that they can be configured and shared among locations using Lawo’s HOME management platform. Lawo Marketing Manager Andreas Hilmer says, “It’s not a future story; it’s a production reality. HOME apps have been serving the largest sports events around the globe already! The adoption is great.” Though launched at IBC 2023, the HOME Apps had already been used at Women’s World Cup 2023, where every feed that went out to rights-holding broadcasters went through the system. It has since been used at the Rugby World Cup in France, for which Lawo technology connected all the stadiums to the IBC, and this year at the Euros and the Olympics.

Although, coming into the show, the big sports news for LiveU (Stand 7.C19) was the Lightweight Sports Production solution, the company made a splash to open IBC 2024 with the announcement of its new IP transmission solution, LiveU IQ (or LIQ for short). LiveU IQ is designed to maintain top-level cellular connectivity by automatically switching between mobile networks in any location. As for Lightweight Sports Production, the solution is reducing the tools for live coverage to a single, cost-effective tool. Built on a remote production “ground-to-cloud-to-crowd” model, it is a turnkey choice for live sports production, providing a complete capture-mix-share solution, making live-video capture, program production, and distribution collaborative. Quick setup, elimination of a truck onsite, and an estimated cost of about $500 per event make it possible for seemingly any sports event to receive live video coverage.

LTN (Stand 5.A76) is showcasing how its LTN Lift automated digital linear-channel creation and playout solution can provide sports broadcasters and federations with new revenue opportunities and allow them to deliver tailored cross-platform experiences. Sports streamer DAZN is one of the organisations to have used LTN Lift to create new linear channels across digital platforms. LTN Lift makes it possible to spin up multiple versions of customised linear channels while mixing prerecorded and live programming and integrating with third-party channel-management systems. The LTN-hosted playout solution was used during Euro 2024, delivering customised video feeds to fan zones across 10 cities. Also at IBC, LTN has announced that it has teamed up with Skyline Communications. The partnership integrates Skyline’s DataMiner open-monitoring and data-orchestration platform with LTN’s interoperable ecosystem of IP video-distribution technologies. The link-up is underpinned by the LTN Wave fully managed, multicast-enabled IP-based transmission solution.

Magnifi (Stands 5.H52, 14.AIP4), an AI-powered enterprise product developed by VideoVerse, features several enhancements: a built-in editor, automated subtitles and captions, Geogating to stay compliant with local regulations, and Tenant Management to ensure the right content gets to the right person. The company is actively seeking value-add resellers, referrals, and other partners as it looks to grow and expand. Magnifi allows content owners and rightsholders to automatically detect key moments in live or recorded video feeds and create real-time highlights and short-form videos.

Live broadcast’s shift to IP is, naturally, at the center of Matrox Video (Stand 7.B15) conversations. The most notable of the tools on display, the new Avio 2 IP KVM is the industry’s first open-standards–based IPMX/ST 2110 KVM solution and is here as a tech preview following the product’s announcement earlier this month. It offers uncompressed, real-time remote operation on 10GbE networks and support for 1G network with optional JPEG XS codec. Avio 2 is fully NMOS-compatible and supports image quality up to 4K and 4:4:4 color space. Additionally, the company’s Monarch EDGE encoder/decoder remains core to its live-sports offerings, especially on the industry’s REMI front. With an established legacy for ultra-low-latency, high-resolution (HDR 4:2:2 10-bit video) multistream sync, 4K/multi-HD support, and genlock, Monarch EDGE is now in version 2.08, adding reprogrammable I/O, encoder and decoder previews/thumbnails, SRT connection bonding, custom PIDs, and more.

Moments Labs (Stand 5.H60), the video-search–tech company formerly known as Newsbridge, is talking about new features for MXT-1.5, its multimodal AI indexing model. Utilising the company’s content-awareness algorithm, Automatic Sound Bites, as the name suggests, highlights sound bites in a video, allowing editors to quickly identify quotes or sections without spending time scrolling through footage or transcripts. Sequences Detection enables users to instantly find moments they need to build a story by automatically grouping shots into editorial sequences. Also on show, A plugin for Adobe Premiere Pro provides users with direct access to their Cloud Media Hub within the Premiere Pro interface, removing the need to switch screens or download and re-upload files. Moments Labs customers include Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen and WRC Promoter.

Mo-Sys (Stand 7.B45) is highlighting its Mo-Sys L15 PTZ camera head, the latest heading for the growing market for PTX cameras and camera heads in sports. Designed for small-size, large-sensor cameras, it is suited for filming in tight spaces. On the flip side is the U-50 heavy-duty remote head, which can support up to 50 kg, suiting it to long-lens use where it isn’t practical to have a person manning the camera. “We cater to the broadcast and film markets,” notes Markus Wuttke, customer service engineer, Mo-Sys, “so we have very quiet heads that also have built-in encoders so we can get the pan and tilt data directly from the camera and combine it with our tracking equipment. One thing people like about our cameras is, they are very easy to set up.” MoSys also is showing MoViewer, a cost-effective and fully autonomous system that integrates with existing studio multicamera projects and provides directors an AI-assisted, real-time, perspective-accurate preview of all cameras.

M2A Media (Stand 5.H78), the live-event cloud-broadcast firm, has appointed Ciarán Doran CEO to work alongside founder Marcus Box, who takes up the role of CTO. Formerly in senior leadership roles at Rohde & Schwarz and Pixel Power and a familiar face to many at SVG and SVG Europe, Doran has more than 30 years of experience in broadcast tech, including a decade each at Sony and Harris Broadcast in engineering, product-management, commercial, and executive roles. In recent years, through his company Deep Blue Sapphire Ltd, he has specialised in transforming businesses that bring leading-edge technology to market by building growth in sales and the corporate bottom line. Doran is on the stand at IBC 2024.

Native Waves (Stand 5.A41) is teasing some new features for its live-media-viewing-experiences technology. Now included in the end-to-end offering is user-activated action replays, which, when viewed on a mobile device are swipe-able, making it easy for the user to see one or a series of customised highlights both during and after a sports match or event. Replays are possible from multiple camera angles. The new swipe-able highlights feature, which offers a “TikTok-like” experience, is currently without a name, but it can be demoed on the Native Waves stand during the show.

Perfect Memory (Stand 8.D25) has been extremely busy in the partnerships department, which attendees to its stand in the RAI can learn about. For the sports-video-production community in the U.S., the company is working closely with NASCAR to improve the fan experience by supporting the motorsports league with automation. In Europe, the company has assisted a major football club with its archival process and media management. Globally, the International Governing Body of Biathlon has tapped Perfect Memory to enhance its content visibility and collaboration. Perfect Memory is also making an impact on the broadcast front by helping two media entities with their respective responsibilities: RTL Belgium to improve and automate the media supply chain and France Televisions for global data governance and efficient access for all teams.

Perifery (Stand 7.D18) is showing its new Vision AI-enhanced asset-management tool, which allows object detection, facial recognition, speech-to-text, and video summarisation to be used to search media libraries. Video summarisation works in the same way users interact with ChatGBT in natural language. Says Jonathan Morgan, SVP, production and technology, Perifery, “You can request summarisations that match your organisation’s needs. As we reuse content in multiple ways and have content coming in from stadiums, broadcasts, and other sources, it’s clear the potential to monitise sports archives is greater than at any time previously. An organisation such as Perifery, who aims to make integrated workflows connected and easy to use, enables sports organisations to gain the maximum benefit in the shortest time.”

Prodys (Stand 8.C71) is demonstrating its Quantum audio encoders — the Quantum2 W and Quantum2 XL — for remote commentary, providing all-in-one boxes for audio and video. Says Prodys Sales Manager Gaspar Gomez, “Until now, customers needed a commentator box and a backpack to do the video, but now we’re delivering that all in one box, based on our rich history in audio commentary.” Also, the company is introducing the Quantum Web Commentator, a remote commentary application with video decoding that runs seamlessly on any browser. Additionally, the Quantum2 ST audio codec now supports four independent mono connections, and its encoders now feature Ethernet Tunneling, allowing remote IP operations and simplified control of connected devices, such as PTZ cameras.

Quantum (Stand 7.B55) is determined to deploy AI in a meaningful way. Its “flashFORWARD” demos show several end-to-end solutions designed to power AI initiatives for years to come. One example is Quantum Myriad, a cloud-native architecture that brings new levels of simplicity and adaptability for unstructured data storage. A Myriad cluster can start with as few as three NVMe all-flash storage nodes, and its architecture enables scaling to hundreds of nodes in a single distributed, scale-out cluster. Clients connect through a single IP address no matter how large the cluster grows, and Myriad automatically load-balances client connections across multiple 100GbE ports. Another offering is Quantum StorNext, a shared-storage software platform suited for large video files, digital imagery, and other forms of unstructured data.

Quantum 5X (Stand 8.538) is on hand with its usual bevy of low-profile player and coach audio transmitters and microphones. This year’s offerings feature more handheld controls for coaches and on-air talent to use in getting those discrete microphones on-air via the SwitchMic family, which comprises the Rockerswitch, the Toggleswitch, and the Pushswitch. Each has a different type of switch (rocker, toggle, pushbutton) to put the mic in transmit mode, and, when the device is coupled with the MicControl software, button functions can change. “With the pushbutton, you push it once to mute and push again to get it back on,” explains Quantum 5X Chairman/CEO Paul Johnson. “With MicControl, you can change the function from push to mute to push to talk or push to access the talk-back channel. And you can set it to push and have the person, like a referee, speak to the house and make an announcement without interrupting the feed to the truck.”

Red Digital (Stand 8.MS14) is focusing squarely on the traditional-broadcast market with a new broadcast module for the Red Digital V Raptor XL camera that, according to Andy Newham, sales manager, EMEA&I, Red Digital, allows the camera to easily slip into a broadcast environment. “It begins by changing the colour mapping and the terminology in the camera menus to make it more broadcast-friendly,” he explains. “It can connect to the CCU for cameras like the Sony HDC-3500 and provide remote control so you can have a cinematic look that matches the colour from the broadcast cameras. And it can do 240 frames per second in 4K, so it is well-suited for high-frame-rate needs. Also, there is a global shutter, which is being used for high-speed capture in the motor-sports market.” Something else to check out is VRX Phantom Track, an LED screen offering a mode for flickering between frames (allowing one LED screen to output two images) and the camera can be synched with that flickering to deliver the two images as two separate outputs from one camera.

LED manufacturer Roe (Stand 7.B26) is showcasing how virtual-production technology and great content can deliver immersive storytelling, as BBC Sport’s Euros studio outside the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin die earlier this year. Roe Marketing Manager Marina Prak explains, “This type of experience is important to attract the younger generation to sport as well. A lot of people play FIFA, for instance; if you can create that feel in your live sports broadcast, it adds to the storytelling for the audience. Also, it gives the talent a variety of tools to bring that to life.”

RT Software (Stand 7.B26) is talking about Tactic v8.0. The new version of the telestrator incorporating AI to enhance the analysis system. Tactic Pro not only automatically detects players but — with Team ID, the latest addition to its range of AI enhancements — identifies which team they belong to. Says RT Software Commercial Director Mike Fredriksen, “We have re-engineered the rendering engine at the heart of our products to reduce its footprint. We’ve shrunk it down in size so it’s easy to deploy in AWS and the cloud. We now also have three engines in one, with Vulcan, Unreal Engine, and Chromium.”

Salsa Sound (Stand 8.B77e) is demonstrating many cool areas of audio, including a virtual remote production using two separate workflows — one MPEG-H, one Dolby — fed by the same raw microphone feed. Says Salsa Sound Co-Founder/CEO Rob Oldfield, “What this shows us is that MixAir is ridiculously flexible. It also shows that you can do Dolby workflows in the cloud because we have a software-defined methodology, not a hardware-defined methodology. I’m really pumped to be showing this at IBC this week.” Salsa Sound is also demonstrating a bleeding-edge new product designed to show mixers exactly what they are mixing in terms of speech intelligibility.

As a packed launch event at De Hallen Studios in Amsterdam on Friday 13 September, German audio giant Sennheiser (Stand 8.D50) unveiled Spectera, the world’s first wideband, bidirectional, digital wireless ecosystem. Introduced on stage by CEO Andreas Sennheiser, Spectera is the result of 12 years of spectrum lobbying, R&D, and customer feedback and represents a step change in digital-wireless technology. Based on the company’s Wireless Multichannel Audio Systems (WMAS) technology, Spectera reduces wireless-system complexity, increases capability, and simplifies setup — doing so with less equipment. It delivers full remote control and monitoring, including permanent spectrum sensing, and has bidirectional bodypacks that deal with digital IEM/IFB and mic/line signals simultaneously.

Signiant (Stand 5.C74) has added new features to its unified media platform: TPN App and Cloud Gold Shield assessments for its SaaS products and Proxyless Play. The latter makes it possible to play media assets without having to pre-generate and store yet another set of proxies, saving time and costs. Partial File Restore allows a user to mark in and out points on a file and create and transfer just the selected clip without having to move the entire asset. Cloud-to-Cloud Transfer via Jet has also been added, allowing video transfer within and between cloud storage endpoints. Although this can be done with other tools, having a single full-stack product provides lower TCO, the company says.

Solid State Logic (Stand 8.B73) is showcasing additions to its System T production platform. The new S400 range has the premium features of the larger S500 console in a more compact form factor of 32, 48, or 60 faders. “The displays and the metering on the faders are the premium features that operators are accustomed to from our S500, explains Berny Carpenter, broadcast product manager, SSL. “This is another surface option that sits between the S300 and the S500.” The S400, he adds, is suited to OB vans on which space is a consideration or to studios that have either space or budget considerations. With the same software feature set as the rest of the range, it can do all the things the larger console can do, the only difference being the hardware controls. “The control surface, the processing engine, and the IO devices,” Carpenter notes, “are all IP-connected and can be distributed wherever needed, including processing in the cloud.”

Studio Network Solutions (Stand 7.B27) is exhibiting the latest updates and changes to its acclaimed EVO Suite. This includes ShareBrowser, a media-asset–management system with integrations in Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer, and DaVinci Resolve for a smoother user experience. On the remote-production front, the company is assisting clients’ transition to remote/hybrid environments with remote-editing capabilities via ShareBrowser v.7 and Nomad.

Telestream (Stand 7.B11) is showcasing the latest enhancements to its Live Capture Platform — both on-premises and in the cloud — and the release of SPG 4000 4.0, which is increasingly moving into the cloud. A range of AI-powered solutions have been engineered to transform how media professionals ingest, enhance, and deliver content: Automated Workflow Creation — Vantage Workflow Designer automates configuration of media-processing workflows by leveraging AI; Intelligent Quality Control — Telestream Qualify automates the process of ensuring consistent content quality across large volumes of media; and Efficient Captioning — Stanza’s new AI-powered speech-to-text captioning capabilities offer instant caption-file generation with built-in support for translations, comprehensive formatting, and flexible layout controls and is available as a cloud service or locally on a captioner’s machine. Telestream has also unveiled the VLS-300, the newest member of the Vantage Lightspeed server family. The advanced model is engineered to boost Vantage workflows with unparalleled speed and efficiency in high-volume transcoding and media processing. On moving its tools into the cloud, Dave Norman, VP, sales engineering, solutions, Telestream, says, “It’s a hybrid world. We’re making our tools easily accessible, on the cloud or on-prem, for sports broadcasters to be able to access anything they need from anywhere they want.”

Telos Alliance (Stand 8.D37) is reliving the Paris 2024 Olympics on its stand, talking about its work across the Games for Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ production, which it supported with a tailored intercom system. “At the Olympics,” explains Martin Dyster, VP, business development, Telos Alliance, “our intercom system that we built with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Anthony Sachot [director, audio technology] was used. It’s the evolution of our cloud intercom product – Telos Infinity VIP, which we launched in 2021 – and a kernel of thought from Anthony, [evolving] from POCs to the real thing, the first proper use case being at the Olympics 2024. Warner Bros. Discovery deployed this virtual intercom platform in the cloud over 256 panels and 256 4-wires. It went well; we’ve had very positive messages from Warner’s audio people post Olympics.”

Telstra (Stand 5.C71) is highlighting continued growth not only of its core global premium media network but also the complementary internet delivery service, which continues to gain traction for sports events of all sizes. “We’ve now delivered many Tier 1 sporting events, often as a replacement for satellite, often as the primary delivery mechanism,” says Telstra CEO Karen Clark. “We’re also excited by our 5G solution for professional media.” She notes that events are also mixing the use of internet delivery and premium networks, using one or the other for the first leg of transport and switching to the other technology for the second (or third) leg: “It depends on the bandwidth required and the location or if there is already fiber rolled out at the venue.” Details about that solution will be offered in a presentation by Telstra , Portfolio Lead, Media Solutions, Angus Stewart on the Content Everywhere stage at 5 p.m. today.

Tinkerlist (Stand 7.C17) is talking about its recent investment from EVS. Says Tinkerlist Head of Growth Aaron Nuytemans, “For EVS, we’re a perfect match. EVS is a leader in live execution, but what they don’t do is the pre-production part. But, because we interface directly with EVS, we can provide an end-to-end solution for scheduling and more.” Cuez by Tinkerlist has also unveiled Storiez, a cloud-based, story-centric tool that can be connected to the company’s Rundown and Automator products but also stand on its own. Storiez is a newsroom computer system (NRCS) that allows real-time collaboration to manage and deliver breaking news in a single platform.

TVU Networks (Stand 5.A.91) has added a virtual Network Operations Centre (NOC) to its SaaS live-video platform. The NOC offers broadcasters the ability to watch over and control their media pipeline from contribution to final playout. Available in the cloud, on-premises, or via a hybrid of the two, the NOC features UDX for up/down/crossconversion, browser-based video scopes, and manual or AI-powered colour correction on any IP source. According to a spokesperson for TVU Networks, this new offering would give broadcasters confidence to use the cloud for sports and news production and would make life “easier for broadcast engineers”. TVU is also showing its recently launched MediaHub routing platform and showcasing how France Télévisions used its technology as a disaster-recovery backup during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

Vivaro Media (Stand 5.H82) has added AI-enhanced versioning tools to its FLOW on-demand live-video-procurement, -management, and -delivery platform. Included are captioning, translation, and voiceover. AI Media has partnered with Vivaro to make it possible. FLOW now also includes D2C streaming capabilities, thanks to a tie-up with French company SPORTALL. Vivaro provided live-video transmission and production resources for broadcasters in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and France during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

Wisycom (Stand 8.C44) is rolling out the MTH610 handheld wireless microphone transmitter at IBC 2024. The latest addition to the brand’s Symphony line of products, the new handheld features dual-band capability in the 470- to 1,260-MHz range, which is essential for global events covering a wide range of locations and frequency spectrums based on specific country regulations. It was developed to fill a need in the live-performance industry for a wireless-microphone solution offering flexibility and durability. “This new transmitter features an ergonomic design that makes it one of the lightest and easiest to carry in the professional audio world,” says Leslie Lello, product specialist/project manager, Wisycom. “The MTH610 also incorporates all the functionalities of our popular and globally acclaimed MTP61 and MTP60 portable bodypacks, including remote control via Bluetooth using the Wisycom app.”

WTVision (Stand 7.C10) is discussing a number of products on its stand that will help sports broadcasters. These include its AR³ Football product, which uses AI to enhance camera tracking with precision and efficiency. On AR³ Football, Pedro Duarte, Portugal Sales Director, WTVision, says, “It allows you to introduce graphics on the field for a much more immersive experience for people at home. It can be integrated into the game to show player stats and information, and it can also be used to drive sales. Clients want to monetise their products, so we’re helping them to do that.” WTVision is working on expanding AR³ Football to other sports, using AI. Additionally, it is presenting a new version of SportStats featuring advances and an array of capabilities and is introducing the latest R³ Space Engine and Designer updates.

Zero Density (Stand 7.B01) is discussing its new Lino real-time motion-graphics platform. Lino enhances rendering and compositing quality while significantly cutting down implementation and production costs and redundancy. All production assets in Unreal Engine can be used in video-wall content, on-air graphics, or preproduction motion graphics and virtual-production graphics. Lino now has additional features and new positioning on Zero Density’s expanding graphics ecosystem. The company also has announced a partnership with Matchday Production, a Danish sports-production company and part of DMC Production Group, to provide virtual-production technology. This collaboration will deliver a comprehensive end-to-end solution for two white-label virtual studios in Copenhagen. The first users of the new studios will be Disney+, streaming the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League, and ESPN Matchcenter, providing football updates. The setup includes Zero Density’s Reality5 virtual-production platform.

Zixi (Stand 5.A85) has adopted the tagline “Do the math,” with Chief Executive Gordon Brooks encouraging IBC attendees to speak with company reps to understand the cost savings that would allow them to do more for less. Zixi is demonstrating features and functionalities that allow broadcasters, OTT providers, sports leagues, regional sports networks, and local affiliates to reach global audiences by using the Zixi Enabled Network, with analysis of total cost of ownership of large-scale IP delivery applications compared with other industry alternatives.