Expected Tech Trends:Conversion to digital and HD operations will be front and centre. For over-the-air transmission specifically, high-efficiency green operations and advanced delivery methods will be major topics. We do expect that our US customers visiting will be interested in talking about the spectrum repack, and we also think that international broadcasters will be watching that closely as they prepare for potential initiatives of a similar nature in the future.
New at IBC:All of what we are showing ties to our central message of over-the-air efficiency, and providing the lowest total cost of ownership for our customers. Rising operational costs, driven by skyrocketing energy bills and carbon taxes, are a global issue impacting broadcasters and network operators. Our transmitters, for example, are built using our PowerSmart 3D high-efficiency designs, which enable reduced costs associated with monthly energy bills, cooling systems, rental space and ongoing maintenance.
We’ll introduce a series of new transport and delivery products for over-the-air TV and radio. On the transport side, optimization of the transport network is a key piece of the efficiency puzzle, as broadcasters increasingly look to IP networks to reliably move content between many sites, and transitioning from more expensive TDM networks. We’ll introduce Intraplex LiveLook for broadcasters using our IP Link codecs, for the purpose of providing greater visibility into network performance associated with IP audio transport between one or more points. Intelligent networking tools like LiveLook, as well as enhanced standards-based interoperability for contribution and distribution across our IP Link range, will enable broadcasters to establish redundant IP streams, support multiple algorithms and gain greater visibility into network performance.
On the delivery side, we’ll introduce a series of new low-power and gap filler transmitters, and also demonstrate LTE mobile offload using our Maxiva transmitters. The DVB-T2 broadcast standard affords an intriguing opportunity for interoperability of television and LTE networks. This mobile offload technology allows television and LTE broadcasting over the same spectrum and infrastructure to help solve network capacity challenges. Mobile service providers and broadcasters/Network operators both benefit from lower delivery costs and new revenue opportunities as consumers continue to demand a TV everywhere consumption model.
Initial thoughts on 4K and even 8K:Customers are interested in planning for broadcast of 4K and 8K, and are looking to higher capacity modulations to enable the delivery of these services. To that end they are looking for highly efficient transmission solutions that have low total cost of ownership, with software upgradability to allow for 4/8k transmission on their timetables. That is a key benefit of our Maxiva transmitter platform using the DVB-T2 standard.
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