Tech revolution transforms entertainment content at IBC 2008
Innovative applications in broadcasting are enabling a user experience that is more personalized and interactive than ever before.
IBC 2008 – Focus on innovation
Converging technologies over telecom and broadband networks delivering content through TVs, PCs and mobiles are ensuring that customers enjoy their viewing experience on the move and wherever they go.
“Innovation” was the buzzword at IBC 2008, held at Amsterdam in September, with two of its technology zones showing significant growth in participation over previous years. The Mobile Zone at IBC showcased the latest developments in 3G services and mobile broadcasting, while the IPTV Zone brought together the leading vendors demonstrating the technology and how to implement it.
According to research group Gartner, by end 2010 there will be 356 million mobile television viewers worldwide, up from the 11 million figure in 2006. IPTV, with its on demand video content delivery over Internet protocol, is also driving change in the industry.
IBC’s innovation awards reward the application of new technology in three categories – content creation, management and delivery. The content creation award went to the movie “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert” for its stereoscopic 3D postproduction. NBC Universal won the innovation award for content management for its MICAH production workflow that distributes NBC’s content for multiple platforms (the web, video on demand and electronic sell-through). The content delivery award went to producer and distributor Control Room, which delivered live streams and near real-time turnaround of video on demand content onto MSN, during the Live Earth day of music in 2007.
New Media Opportunities
IBC 2008 delivered the first ever transatlantic high definition stereoscopic 3D broadcast of an interview with the CEO of DreamWorks Animation SKG – Jeffrey Katzenberg. This was a true breakthrough in 3D live transmission. 3D is emerging as the next big thing in broadcasting generating a world of opportunities, with 3D players seeing broadcasting as a vital end market. 23 major motion pictures are coming out in 3D in 2009, according to Joshua Greer, President of Real ID. 3D movies have been multiplying box office revenues in 3D equipped theatres. Rising revenues point to 3D as a fast-track market.
Developments in digital signage are creating new media opportunities for broadcast technology vendors. IBC 2008’s business briefing program included in-depth discussions on the commercial potential of this new marketing medium, which uses IP-networked flat screens to distribute information, advertising, multimedia and TV content in retail environments, transports hubs, stadia etc. The digital signage business could be as big as US$ 1 billion by 2012, with customers coming from a variety of industries from construction to retail.
Live demonstrations at the New Technology Campus
The New Technology Campus at IBC is a unique platform where authors of conference papers can stage live, working demonstrations of their technology. This year, it featured a gathering of researchers from Japan, the Russian Federation and Europe.
Nagoya University (Japan) showcased its ‘Free Viewpoint Television”, which is an innovative interactive television that enables users to view a scene by freely changing their viewpoints.
The Television Research Institute of St Petersburg demonstrated their new video codec, boasting of a higher compression ratio than MPEG-4, and a video processing speed 50 to 100 times faster than MPEG-2 or MPEG-4, with the same or better video quality.
These and many more applications and technologies, showcased and demonstrated at IBC, are transforming the creation, management and delivery of entertainment content.