BroadcastAsia 2012 - Sights and Sounds, Tech and Trends
BroadcastAsia 2012 is underway and it is an excellent opportunity for you to check out the trends which will be shaping the audio visual market in the coming years. Products and services ranging from OTT, DVB-T2, 4K cameras and much more are on display.
What's Trending?
Held at Suntec Convention Center, BroadcastAsia 2012 is an excellent opportunity for businesses and enterprises to check out the latest technologies in the broadcast industry. However, at the same time, the show allows us a peek into the future and a chance to check up on the latest trends shaping the audio and visual market segment. Besides displaying a host of new hardware there was evidence of new moves with regards to Over-the-Top (OTT) services, digital terrestrial transmission standards, content resolution and much more.
BroadcastAsia 2012 is underway at Suntec Convention Center right now.
The Advent of DVB-T2
Singapore has already adopted the digital terrestrial transmission standard titled DVB-T2 and is awaiting its deployment. The technology is already in use in European countries such as the UK, Italy and Sweden. Unlike its predecessor, DVB-T, DVB-T2 is able to offer higher bit rates which can allow for the streaming of HD content. This should be great news for anyone with a HD TV, such as the Samsung D8000 or the LG LM9600. Current SD content does not do justice to the performance that these televisions are capable of offering and DVB-T2 will hopefully help them realize their full potential.
The DVB-T2 system has already been adopted by Singapore but has not yet been implemented.
To elaborate further, DVB-T2 is a system which transmits compressed digital audio, video and other data in "physical layer pipes". Transmission is achieved using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) which encodes the data on multiple frequencies, along with concatenated channel coding and interleaving. As a result DVB-T2 can offer higher data rates or robustness than ever before. BroadcastAsia 2012 had a few vendors showcasing DVB-T2 ready setup boxes which should become commonplace once the system is in place in Singapore.
This little DVB-T2 tuner is going to help switch digital terrestrial transmission standards from the current DVB-T supporting SD programming to HD quality content when the switch takes place locally.
For those who are a bit more arcane in their pursuit of tech, the following provides a comparison of DVB-T and DVB-T2. The new and improved features for the latter can be seen in bold. For more reading and local deployment plans, do check out out our past coverage.
DVB-T | DVB-T2 | |
Modes | QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM | QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM |
FFT Size | 2k, 8k | 1k, 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k, 32k |
Bandwidth | 6MHz, 7MHz, 8MHz | 1.7MHz, 5MHz, 6MHz, 7MHz, 8MHz, 10MHz |
Typical Data Rate (UK) | 24Mbits/s | 40Mbits/s |
Max. Data Rate (@ 20dB Carrier to Noise Ratio) | 29Mbits/s | 47.8Mbits/s |
Required Carrier to Noise Ratio (@22 Mbits/s) | 16.7dB | 8.9dB |
Over-the-Top Services
We have already touched on Over-the-Top (OTT) services when we were given a sneak preview of what to expect from BroadcastAsia 2012. Seeing the rate with which Singaporeans have taken to smartphones and tablets, it is no wonder that BroadcastAsia 2012 decided to dedicate a specific portion of the showfloor to OTT. The second screen has gained a lot of importance among users for casual watching and the big wigs are taking note.
A designated zone for OTT services had been set up for OTT services.
OTT represents the culmination of co-operation between different parties. Content providers, data management specialists and front end designers have to come together to deliver the end product. Players such as Sony, ESV, Switch Media and Starhub, along with many more shared the area to display their products.
OTT services for all platforms (iOS, Android and Windows 8) and a wide range of device (smartphones, tablets and notebooks) are available.
The major advantage of OTT is the shifting control, which is taken from the content producer and placed in the hands of the consumer. Being able to access music, movies and videos at their own convenience and on the device of their choice whether it is a tablet, smartphone, notebook or TV, seems to be one of the major thrusts of these services.
What's on the Floor
4K Resolution Recording Devices
Blu-ray and its 1080p videos have scarcely established itself as the premier high definition content format, but already another challenger has already appeared on the horizon - albeit just in terms of a video recording resolution at the moment. 4K is upping the ante and offering resolutions that are unmatched. BroadcastAsia 2012 reflected this trend with different products allowing users to create their own 4K content.
Sony's booth was set up to showcase their new 4K camera and its ability to capture greater details.
The chief movers and shakers were Sony and Canon. Both displayed 4K cameras that you can procure to shoot in higher resolutions. Panasonic also displayed a mock-up of a future 4K Varicam which is set to compete with Canon’s EOD-1D C and Sony’s NEX-FS700. Also on site was the Black Magic Cinema Camera which we got our hands on during the BroadcastAsia 2012 preview.
Canon was also out in full force showing off a range of hardware.
It is more a question of when, not if, 4K becomes the norm. Sony seems to think the time will be soon as evidenced by the fact that their new, top-of-the-line Blu-ray player the S790 comes with 4K playback capabilities.
The mockup of the 4K Varican from Panasonic was also displayed.
Panasonic also showed off their new video format AVC Ultra.
For more details of the 4K momentum and a detailed breakdown of the mentioned products and their video handling capabilities, do check out Andy Sim's (our Senior Tech Writer for AV matters) dedicated coverage on this subject here.
High-end Monitors for the Color Conscious
The consumer offerings for displays have been getting progressively better and cheaper. But they still do not compete with the professional monitors, some of which were showcased at BroadcastAsia 2012. Dolby in particular was displaying a Professional Reference Monitor which was being touted for its super dark detail and color accuracy. The device featured two LCD panels and a full array LED backlighting system with local dimming. We have to admit the blacks rendered were to die for!
Costing in the region of $40,000, this Dolby Color Reference had the most gorgeous black reproduction. Sadly this shot does not do justice to its performance we glimpsed first hand.
At the same time, Sony had a range of new OLED Color Reference Monitors which have to be applauded for the fidelity of their performance.
Similarly, these OLED Color Reference Monitors from Sony had great color fidelity which unfortunately no photo would do it it justice.
Social Stratosphere
We live in a world of immediacy. Everything has to be instant. So much so that gone are the days when you could wait to edit your works in proper. To this end, a new bunch of devices showcased were capable of transmitting videos shot directly over 3G and 4G networks.
Innovation and advances in technology means that this equipment is all you need to broadcast live over data networks.
The transmitters weigh around 4kg and can be carried on your back.
Nestled in a corner, we also found a new social service that was launched on the day itself. Titled Wikiaboutme, you can push content out over all your social networks from this one particular service.
Wikiaboutme does what this image depicts. It serves as a dashboard for you to manage your social media presence.
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