Live from IBC 2022: Saturday’s latest from Amsterdam

The SVG Europe and SVG Americas teams are onsite in Amsterdam for the triumphant return of the IBC Show. As the production and broadcast industry gathers at IBC 2022 to launch new products and reconnect, the SVG team is out in force in the exhibition halls of the RAI to gather and share the latest news with the SVG community. You’ll find all the key announcements and news here with daily updates through Monday.

Today’s issue features Advanced HDR by Technicolor, ATOMOS, Calrec Audio, Cobalt Digital, DataCore Software, Flowics, Grabyo, Gravity Media, Imagine Communications, Leader, LiveU, LucidLink, M2A Media, Matrox, Phenix Real-Time Solutions, Quantum, Qvest, Riedel, Ross Video, SES, Sony, Synamedia, Tellyo, Veritone, and Waves Audio.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor is at the Cobalt Digital stand demonstrating production features integrated with Cobalt Digital processing.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor is displaying the latest advances in SDR-to-HDR conversion at multiple stands at the RAI. Infusing automation into the process, the company also enables backward compatibility while maintaining the creator’s original intent. Partnering with Cobalt Digital (Stand 10.B44), Advanced HDR by Technicolor is demonstrating production features seen within Cobalt Digital’s 9904-UDX-4K processing card. In addition, the team at BBRight (Stand 2.B39) is highlighting features integrated in its playout solutions.

ATOMOS (Stand 11.D25) is targeting attendees seeking new ways to get live content into the cloud for editing and other production needs. The company is showcasing latest developments in ATOMOS CONNECT devices, Cloud Studio services, and Capture to Cloud. The CONNECT system uploads a proxy, which makes editing instantly available, and a master file (up to 8K), which can have content swapped in for the final output. ZATO CONNECT connects to playout sources via HDMI and USB UVC, enabling live streaming to Facebook Live, Twitch, YouTube, or even custom RTMP destinations. It also provides transparent overlays, with .png files able to be uploaded and then, via presets, placed into the video frame where desired. Its picture-in-picture feature is on display at IBC for the first time.

Calrec Audio (Stand 8.B57) is unveiling a brand-new audio-mixing system designed to keep pace with the changes broadcasters are experiencing in production workflows. Designed to adapt to changing production needs, Calrec Argo is a new approach to audio mixing, with a flexible control philosophy that breaks the traditional geographic tie lines between processing and control, according to the company. Calrec VP, sales, Dave Letson said, “As broadcast infrastructures migrate to new environments, broadcast consoles need to work in different ways to ensure that they remain a safe investment. On Argo, Calrec’s Assist GUI is central to the operation of the console and is directly transferable onto a browser to provide portability, backup, and on-the-fly configuration in remote locations.”

Cobalt Digital (Stand 10.B44) is celebrating its 25th anniversary here at IBC. Said Suzana Brady, SVP, worldwide sales and marketing, Cobalt Digital: “We started out with a small SDI-to-analogue converter box from NEP, and, 25 years later, we have hundreds of products. We founded openGear with Ross Video in 2006 and today have over 40,000 frames deployed and many thousands of Cobalt processing cards. And it’s great to be back here at IBC with our friends and partners to celebrate.”

DataCore’s Alex Grossman (left) and Dave Zabrowski

The fruits of DataCore Software’s (Stand 7.D17) recent acquisitions of Caringo and MayaData are being showcased at IBC as part of its new DataCore NEXT vision. First, DataCore has joined forces with Symply to release an appliance-based product that streamlines media archiving. SymplyPerifery is powered by DataCore’s object-storage platform, Perifery, designed for appliances and edge devices. Using the appliance, media companies can offload content from their primary online storage system (SAN or NAS) to a local archive for short- and long-term reuse and re-monetization. Second, DataCore has unveiled the latest version of its Swarm object-storage solution (part of the Caringo acquisition). Swarm offers significant enhancements for onsite and public-cloud environments, including hybrid-cloud enablement, improved performance for video streaming, and lightning-fast metadata search capabilities.

Fresh from being acquired by Vizrt, Flowics (Stand 5.C39) is keen to celebrate and discuss the deal’s benefits for customers, but that is not the only IBC focus for the live-graphics company. Integration with stats providers, allowing provision of live data-based graphics and the ability to bridge the gap between various graphics platform providers, is also on the agenda. With Vizrt, the company is keen to incorporate its cloud-based live graphics and interactive content platform with the Tricaster production system, a combo that Flowics considers a great fit for sports broadcasters.

Grabyo (Stand 5.F45) is showcasing a handful of new enhancements to its existing workflows. Instant Replay, the new cloud-based solution, is accessible via any web browser. To develop more services for live productions, Grabyo is pairing Instant Replay with other techniques, including slow-motion controls and a new media-playout system. In addition, Grabyo is bolstering its Grabyo Producer platform with new features. At the top of the list are Key and Fill graphics to diversify the layout of any live stream, Custom Graphics Transitions to differentiate the live video feed and the inserted replay, and Asset Snapping that automatically aligns content to the desired location.

Gravity Media (Stand 10.A45) is on hand to discuss its wide range of production services, facilities, and OB trucks, along with details about a new production facility it will build in west London. “That will be a transformation for us,” said Eamonn Dowdall, executive officer, Gravity Media. “We already have a London production center, but it is working to capacity, and we’re here to talk about where production is going.” Learn more about Gravity’s full service of offerings around the globe as well as recent accomplishments, such as being a key technical backbone to the US Open tennis tournament currently taking place in New York City.

Imagine Communications’ John Mailhot

Furthering implementation of IP is a goal of Imagine Communications (Stand 2.B49). Responding to the increased demand of remote workflows within hybrid production environments, according to CTO, Networking and Infrastructure, John Mailhot, the company is strengthening the power of the Selenio Network Processor (SNP). Features include DSP-enabled advanced audio processing, coordinated switching of 8K signals to support multi-stream workflows, and enhanced JPEG XS connectivity offerings. Another tentpole of Imagine’s efforts in sports-video production, the Magellan Control System has received notable additions. The software adds support for the latest versions of Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC) and Arista CloudVision Extension (CVX) Media Control Service (MCS). Also at the RAI, Imagine is partnering with Singular.live for its new Aviator platform. Built on top of this web-based offering, Singular.live enables secure access and operating control of graphics and other aspects via a simple internet connection.

Leader (Stand 10.C01), looking to help broadcasters make the most of HDR without compromising SDR output, is hosting a combined demonstration on its stand. The demonstration features Leader’s LV7600 and LV5600, with an AJ Colourbox using Cromorama’s Orion Convert. The result is broadcasters’ ability to optimise HDR and SDR output. Said Leader Sales Engineering Manager Kevin Salvidge, “Sport and HDR go hand in hand, but most viewers still watch TV in SDR. Broadcasters don’t want to damage that output while still going for a single pass on both HDR and SDR. This demonstration with Cromorama, AJA, and Leader will give broadcasters confidence to push HDR without compromising SDR; they can maximise the HDR quality. Using our waveform monitors, you can see SLOG3, HLG, PQ, and SDR.”

LiveU (Stand 7.C30) is a destination for sports producers, broadcasters, and federations looking for an end-to-end cloud-centred live-video and remote-production solution. Tier 2 and Tier 3 sports, in particular, are the focus for a workflow that incorporates the cloud master-control room easylive.io, which the company acquired in May 2022, with LiveU encoders and offers live contribution, cloud production, orchestration, ingest, and distribution. Adding the cloud layer is part of the company’s plan to “move away from being a backpack company”, said LiveU VP, Marketing, Ronen Artman. At the same time, the company has announced a tie-up with content-connectivity–solutions provider SES, which will provide an end-to-end solution for live video contribution and distribution combined with premium content aggregation. Ideal for sports, it allows delivery of live video across satellite, fibre, IP, and cellular.

LucidLink’s Julie O’Grady (left) and Alex Ferris

LucidLink (Stand 7.B06) has teamed with AJA Video Systems and Telestream on a new cloud workflow based on LucidLink Filespaces SaaS-based solution. Filespaces provides rapid access to data through AJA Diskover Media Edition in conjunction with Telestream GLIM and the Vantage platform. LucidLink serves as a central hub uniting what is typically two disparate systems creating seamless workflows for media organizations. Alex Ferris, director, pre-sales engineering, LucidLink, says these combined technologies allow media professionals to access, organize, and view data in one easy workflow.

M2A Media (Stand 5.H57) is emphasising two new things: an addition to the live-video–distribution company’s board of directors and an expansion into the U.S. Former BBC Chief Technology and Product Officer Matthew Postgate has joined the firm as a non-executive director. He will provide independent insight and help shape the company’s strategic direction. At the same time, M2A is organically adding a presence in Portland, OR, to provide 24/7 service and to capitalise on opportunities in North America. The team in Portland will be tech-focused initially, but sales and other functions will be added over time. Sports-related opportunities pinpointed by the company include broadcasters with newly acquired top-tier sports rights. The company is also showing its M2A CONNECT and M2A LIVE solutions.

Monarch EDGE from Matrox (Stand 7.B15) is worthy of attention for IBC attendees seeking an encoder/decoder for remote productions that includes built-in tally and talkback, 4K, and genlock support. EDGE is said to offer “glass to glass” latency as low as 100 ms over a standard 1 GbE network and can handle up to four camera feeds from HD or 3G-SDI sources. The company says it offers “studio-quality productions from the road with less staff and equipment.” On the same stand, GlobalM is demonstrating a new edge transcoding and remultiplexing solution developed with the help of NVIDIA DeepStream technology, using NVENC and NVDEC to accelerate video encode and decode at the edge.

Phenix Real-Time Solutions’ T.K. Gore

The message for Phenix Real-Time Solutions (Stand 5.G04) is low-latency streaming. Aiming to provide digital-centric sports fans the best possible experience, the company is working to deliver sure-fire solutions to the industry. The goal, according to Chief Revenue Officer T.K. Gore, is to even-out latency issues and offer zero-delay streaming for authentic in-game sports-betting opportunities. “From a co-viewing perspective,” he said, “we want each live stream to be synced together in order to not spoil the experience.” In addition, Phenix Real-Time Solutions is expanding services by opening several offices around the U.S. and the globe. Locations include Chicago; Zurich, Switzerland; Ukraine; a new space in San Diego; and Boston.

Quantum’s Skip Levens (left) and Natasha Beckley

Quantum (Stand 7.C39) has announced the immediate availability of its StorNext file system as a subscription offering in AWS Marketplace without the need for hardware infrastructure buildout, custom configuration, or client-software installation. According to Quantum Marketing Director Skip Levens, AWS Marketplace is one of the fastest ways to deploy StorNext shared storage and lets users connect from any location to edit video in the cloud as a team. Physical and cloud instances of StorNext can easily move, sync, or replicate content to unify workflows and can ingest from or publish to cloud storage, such as ActiveScale, or Amazon S3 services like Glacier. Quantum has also rolled out physical gear at IBC, including its F2100 NVMe storage appliance and H4000 Essential storage platform — both of which debuted in April at NAB 2022.

Qvest [Stand 10.C25] is targeting the unprecedented challenges that sports broadcasters are facing. Speaking from the show floor, Qvest CSO Christian Massmann cited a trifecta of issues faced by the industry: the need to invest wisely in current economic conditions, growing pressure to be sustainable, and the continued war for eyeballs on content. He said, “This is the first time our customers are struggling with these three things at the same time. All this is coming together now for numerous reasons. For broadcasters and streaming platforms, this is tough. They have a need to invest, but there’s an economic crisis, so they can’t increase their prices significantly. They need to maximise their content to stay attractive to customers and fulfil their net-zero objectives. We’re connecting the dots here and advising customers on all these areas.”

Riedel (Stand 10.A31) is celebrating acquisition of Simply.Live. Riedel CEO product division Rik Hoerée said, “The rationale behind this acquisition of Simply.Live is we want to move into the heart of the production and get in front of users. With the acquisition of Simply.Live, we get that position. We also want to offer a choice of deployment types for end users, from on premises to the cloud and hybrid, as well as a choice of business models: investment and subscription models and a utilisation-based model. What we bring to Simply.Live is the intercom part, that audio capability we have, which we can add to their portfolio. Also, our global presence.”

Ross Video (Stand 11.B10) is highlighting the Ultrix FR12 routing, multiview, and signal-processing platform. Said VP, Global Sports and Live Events, Kevin Cottam, “It’s 288×288, and the Ultrix has already been successful so moving up to a larger size is pretty awesome. It is also hyper-converged, so we can get up to a pretty high number of inputs and outputs.” He added that the acquisition of Spidercam gives Ross customers a new production tool that he sees as a big plus in the venue and broadcast marketplace: “It’s another arrow in our quiver.”

SES (Stand BS10-BS11) and LiveU are showing their joint offering of an end-to-end solution for live video contribution and distribution. Aimed at customers looking to broadcast live sport from stadiums and remote sites, the turnkey solution includes LiveU’s 4G/5G mobile field units as an alternative to onsite SNG trucks plus the ability to aggregate content in the LiveU Matrix IP cloud service along with distribution via SES global satellite and IP network.

Occupying a whole hall at RAI, Sony (Hall 13) has plenty of room to demonstrate new technologies and services. One of the most anticipated is the new MLX-X1 vision mixer, which can stack CPUs with GPUs and FPGAs to allow simultaneous 4K and HD productions (or even a home and away HD production), an important addition to Sony mixer capabilities. Sports-content creators will want to check out the A2P AI Automated Production system, which allows users to set up rules for a particular event (say, a goal or a shot) and then use AI to identify other goals or shots automatically, speeding content creation and delivery to social media and more.

Synamedia (Stand 5. A69) is showcasing its most recent acquisition: the Quortex cloud-native SaaS solution for just-in-time processing of live and recorded streaming. Already adopted by Red Bee Media for disaster recovery, it provides exactly the resources required at any given time rather than requiring a 24/7 service to be provided. Also on show is the Vivid Workflow as-a-Service (WaaS), which includes tools for service providers of any size that deliver premium OTT services for live events and sports. New additions include Vivid Connect for cost-effective backhaul transport services and Vivid Record for time-shifted TV and cloud DVR. The company is expected to announce a deal with a sports customer in the coming days. Low-latency streaming is also a key theme for Synamedia at IBC, with particular emphasis placed on the new sports economy where there are different latency requirements depending on the user: live betting is mission-critical, and live-streaming quality is more important than latency. For live betting, Synamedia promises as little as 1.8 seconds of latency.

Tellyo (Stand 1.C37) has extended the hardware options for pro users of the cloud production platform, with a Loupedeck editing console and Behringer mixer in use on the company’s stand. “Many of our customers work in time-sensitive situations so we want to make the platform intuitive and even quicker to use,” said Tellyo Head of Marketing and Communications Stuart Russell, citing client Sunset + Vine, which recently had to work to a 20-minute deadline for clipping and uploading content from Henley Royal Regatta rowing event to YouTube. Tellyo has also made some enhancements to the live-clipping, -editing, and -streaming platforms, with updates to make it easier to work with clips containing multiple audio files and the ability to manually tag and categorise content according to criteria or activity.

Veritone (Stand 1.A15) is demonstrating its range of AI solutions at IBC. The Veritone Digital Media Hub allows users to monetise content via the use of AI-powered tools to sort, tag, and segment media, which Veritone said can be done in a fraction of the time required by traditional asset-management solutions. Veritone’s clients include Globo and Extreme E.

Waves Audio (Stand 9.A01) is on the Grass Valley stand promoting its inclusion in the GV Media Alliance, a group of media organisations dedicated to providing fully tested, integrated solutions for media workflows running on-premises or in the cloud. The validation means that the Waves Cloud MX audio mixer can connect with Grass Valley’s AMPP (Agile Media Processing Platform) system and provide audio-mixing and -processing abilities injected into the AMPP’s workflow. Visitors can see a demo of the integration in action.

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