The IBC2003 Conference opens in Amsterdam this September amid dramatic changes in the television industry as broadcasters wrestle with making a smooth transition from delivering analog to digital services over the air and via emerging alternate paths like the Internet.
More than 40,000 people are expected to attend the conference and exhibition, and 1,000 companies will display their products in 11 halls, each with its own theme. The exhibition halls will be open Sept. 12 through Sept. 16.
The conference portion of the gathering, which runs Sept. 11 through Sept. 15, will give broadcasters the opportunity to learn from their peers in five distinct areas: Delivering the Goods, which explores technology applications and business models; Digital Lifestyle, which examines media and technology convergence; Production, which focuses on planning, workflow and implementation; The Business of Archives, which covers preservation and repurposing, will be put on in conjunction with the FIAT/IFTA International Federation of Television Archives; and D-Cinema and Alternative Programming, which delves into the future of out-of-home entertainment.
The conference will feature three keynote addresses, including:
- Berlin Goes Digital, chaired by Hans Hege, director of the Media Authority of Berlin-Brandenburg. Berlin will be the first city in the world to cease analog TV operations and go completely digital with terrestrial transmission. Due to take place later this year, the transition would more than double the number of TV services in the area. This keynote will discuss how the transition was made and plans to extend digital services in the city.
- The Impact of Digital Lifestyles on the Mediawith participation from Ashley Highfield of the BBC, who has helped guide the BBC in exploiting the use of digital media. Highfield will present his views on how digital media will affect how people consume media in the future.
- The Industrial Revolution Comes To Television, chaired by Neil Dormand with participation from Michele Romaine of the BBC. Romaine is the director of production modernization for the BBC. She is responsible for Onevision, the BBC’s digital desktop production system. She will discuss an end-to-end digital television process, how it affects people and work culture and the opportunities it presents for using content.
For more information, please visit www.ibc.org.
