Taking a broader view on media distribution - March 2020
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MEDIA TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION ISSUE 43 • MARCH 2020
Taking a broader
view on media
distribution
Read about
• Success for broadcasters at WRC-19
• 5G broadcast trial in Austria
• Testing workflows for live HDR
and more...
tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020 1
tech.ebu.ch/subscribe
7 9
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Issue 43 • March 2020
Cover story: With broadcasters under
massive pressure owing to increased
global competition and shifting
10
consumption patterns, distribution
models need to adapt to meet
user expectations. The evolution
of media distribution is a key focus
for this issue of tech-i, including the
5G broadcast trial in Austria (p7),
weighing up the options for radio
(p8), what the WRC-19 agreement
means for broadcasters (p10-11),
and forecasts from the EBU Media
Intelligence Service (p17).
Editor-in-Chief: Antonio Arcidiacono
Managing Editor: Patrick Wauthier
Editor: Eoghan O’Sullivan 3 Broadcasting, 5G and spectrum
tech@ebu.ch Antonio Arcidiacono on future distribution options
Design: Louise Tait 4 News and events
Printed on FSC certified paper by EBU Data Pool; Object-based audio master class
Graphius (FSC CO14767) 5 Production Technology Seminar 2020
© European Broadcasting Union Snapshots of the event
All rights reserved. The reproduction 6 Deepfakes: an opportunity for public service media
of articles in tech-i is authorized The worrying growth of video deepfakes and what can be done
only with the written permission of about it
the publishers. The responsibility for
7 5G broadcast trial lined up for Vienna
views expressed in tech-i rests solely
with the authors.
Austria’s ORS tests the capabilities of feMBMS for content
distribution
8 5G: friend or foe for digital radio?
How do 5G and DAB+ compare when it comes to radio
distribution?
9 Keeping radio in the connected car
The SWR audio lab focuses on integrating radio in connected cars
TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION 10 Spectrum: off to a good start for WRC-23
Get an edge The EBU contributed to several successful outcomes for
broadcasters at November’s WRC-19
• Our goal is to be an incubator to
advance media technology. 12 Live HDR production: testing the best workflows together
• We catalyse innovations so they NRK hosts valuable tests of live HDR production workflows
deliver for all players 14 4K HDR Immersive logo
• We stimulate active collaboration A new logo helps ensure interoperability
so that you get more than
innovative technology – you get a 15 AI and Data Initiative: harnessing the potential of AI for PSM
real competitive advantage. AI and Data Initiative brings EBU Members together around
common challenges
Sign up to receive tech-i magazine, 16 Why produce UHD while we’re still delivering in HD?
EBU Technology & Innovation
newsletters or event alerts: tech.ebu. David Wood asks how we can get the most out of UHD displays
ch/subscribe 17 TV distribution: looking ahead
The latest forecasts from the EBU Media Intelligence Service
EBU Members are encouraged to 18 Partner Profiles: RadioDNS
follow and contribute to the work
of our Strategic Programmes and Standardizing the convergence of broadcast radio and IP
Communities of Practice. technologies
19 In the spotlight: Nathalie Jaquet, RTS
Visit: tech.ebu.ch/ourwork
Chair of the New Builders Community of Practice
2 tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020
EDITORIAL
Broadcasting, 5G and spectrum
Antonio Arcidiacono, Director of Technology & Innovation, EBU
Television distribution was, NEED FOR CHIPSETS
for a long time, straight- Media delivery to mobile
forward. Content reached the devices will be successful if
TV sets of mass audiences end user devices are
either over the air, via a deployed with a common
terrestrial antenna or satellite multilayer technology and
dish, or through cable. Even related chipset. Previous
the arrival of digital television efforts to deploy services
25 years ago didn’t change based on a variety of
the equation greatly. standards failed mainly
Broadcasting ruled. because the industry was
Things are no longer so not able to sustain personal
simple. end-user devices with
The ubiquity of the internet, multiple chipsets using
enabled by increasingly different technologies.
capable fixed and mobile Success will come when the
broadband networks and market provides chipsets
devices, means that that combine both cellular
audiovisual content reaches and broadcast/multicast
end users also in unicast reception, also exploiting the
mode. It’s about one-to-one local storage of personal
connections and a much devices. This is why we are
wider range of content, closely watching and
services and reachable encouraging the various 5G
devices. Broadcasting remains networks. broadcast trials taking place in
hugely important, but it now Neither broadcast nor mobile Europe, Asia, and South America.
shares the media delivery networks can function without (There’s a report from a soon-to-
playing field with an equally guaranteed access to begin trial in Vienna on page 7.)
impressive distribution radiofrequency spectrum. This The combination of terrestrial
mechanism. was reconfirmed at the ITU and satellite broadcast
WRC-19, the four-yearly global infrastructures will allow the
THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION? event attended by about 3,400 sustainable coverage of any
5G technology is being participants from most of the territory, with the satellite
promoted as the ultimate 193 ITU members states. As providing coverage in remote
solution for many applications, reported on pages 10-11, the EBU areas – particularly important for
including media content delivery. took a role in resisting a push to the automotive industry – as well
Both the laws of physics and allocate a further chunk of UHF as feeding terrestrial network
basic economic principles still spectrum, below 700 MHz, to nodes. This will also provide a
apply, however. Delivering mobile telecommunications. reliable and universal solution
content to large populations That spectrum remains allocated that can support public alerts in
simultaneously and across large to broadcasting and it is our emergency situations.
territories over unicast cellular current position that it should Media distribution is becoming
networks alone would require remain so after WRC-23. more complex because we need
substantial investments in Public service media is too to reach the population not only
capacity and geographical important not to have sufficient in a fixed environment, but also
coverage. The real strength of spectrum to cover 100% of the in mobile contexts in all locations
5G technologies for media population and 100% of the and on many different user
delivery is linked to the ability to territory. This is important for devices. There is space for many
combine the use of broadcast fixed reception over terrestrial players to play a part in
and multicast infrastructure with and satellite networks. It is when deploying these services. It is
that of unicast infrastructures, we turn to mobile reception, an only by working together and
resulting in ubiquitous coverage essential and increasingly combining the strengths of
and sustainable service quality important part of the mix for different technologies and
even for the largest audiences, EBU Members, that we need to related networks that we will
but without significant guarantee the best use the serve the end users and society
additional investments in cellular available spectrum. well.
tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020 3
NEWS & EVENTS
Help us fill the data pool
Using PTP for Time Using PTP for Time Using PTP for Time &
& Frequency in & Frequency in Frequency in Broadcast
Applications
Broadcast Broadcast
Part 3: Network design
Applications Applications
for PTP
Part 1: Introduction Part 2: PTP Clock
Characteristics
The EBU has begun the process face recognition, a more robust
MARCH 2018 NOVEMBER 2019
DECEMBER 2019
Thomas Kernen, Mellanox Thomas Kernen, Mellanox
Thomas Kernen, Mellanox Technologies
Nikolaus Kerö, Oregano Nikolaus Kerö, Oregano
Systems Nikolaus Kerö, Oregano Systems
Systems
of building a large collective model would have the ability to
dataset that will help Members
boost their machine learning (ML)
recognize faces from different
ethnicities and not only the
Go deep on
applications, writes Alexandre
Rouxel.
Caucasian type, as is the case for
many existing systems. PTP for Live IP
Public service media have GDPR rules mean that only Precise timing is critical in
much to gain from using ML, public personalities can be part live production. And with the
which can save time and money of the inference set, which serves shift to IP-based systems, it
while enabling the creation of as a kind of dictionary against is becoming more complex.
new content and services. High which the ML checks faces. If EBU Fortunately, a three-part series
priority applications include Members share their data on local of EBU Technical Review articles
speech-to-text, face recognition, public personalities, the resulting provides a detailed look at the
speaker identification and fake inference set will be invaluable. key technology, PTP.
news detection. Ways to contribute to the EBU Authors Thomas Kernen
The project to build an EBU Data Pool: (Mellanox Technologies)
Data Pool, chaired by Léonard • share public data from your and Nikolaus Kerö (Oregano
Bouchet (RTS), involves archives Systems) start from the basics
combining different datasets • help gather data in other ways, of the IEEE 1588 Precision Time
to build efficient models, to such as web scraping Protocol, its relationship to the
benchmark AI solutions and to • contribute information, such as broadcast industry and the
share journalistic knowledge. AI a list of local public personalities related network requirements.
applications need to consume • help to develop software They go on to cover specific
data to train models – the quality to normalize and clean the PTP design considerations, both
and volume of the datasets are collected data from a network and end-node
key factors to build efficient • help to define the database perspective.
models for ML and deep learning. architecture Find all three articles at:
For example, in the context of Contact: rouxel@ebu.ch tech.ebu.ch/technicalreview
Mastering the production of audio objects
The ability to create and
manipulate audio “objects” is a
Frédéric Changenet
key element of Next Generation
(Radio France)
Audio. Working with object-
based audio (OBA) allows
producers to deliver a single,
multi-purpose audio package
that can be rendered and
played back on any audio setup,
including headphones.
OBA offers many advantages
to the listener, as accessibility
features are designed into the
format. For example, using the
same mix, the end user can:
• Change the balance between
dialogue and background
sounds event, in French, took place workflows for sports events,
• Control and change the at Radio France last autumn, drama, live concerts and more.
position of sound events with eleven sound engineers The master class will be offered
• Switch between different participating, from France TV, in English in the coming months.
languages RFI-France Médias Monde, VRT, Visit: ebu.ch/academy
To help sound engineers RTBF, RTS and Radio-Canada. Special thanks for the pilot
familiarize themselves with the The syllabus covers the master class go to Matthieu
exciting new possibilities, the production chain and tools Parmentier (France TV), Hervé
EBU Academy has added a available to create and Dejardin and Frédéric Changenet
Master Class on Object-Based manipulate audio objects, as (Radio France), and Benjamin
Audio to its portfolio. A pilot well as analysis of specific OBA Weiss (IRT).
4 tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020
PTS 2020: content
creation evolves
January’s Production Technology Seminar
was one of the biggest EBU Technology &
Innovation events ever, with 185 participants New technologies in cloud processing and storage, and the use
of real-time engines, are going to transform content production
from 27 different countries. Here we provide a over the next decade. MovieLabs wants to enlist help to get
few snapshots of the proceedings. there quicker and has produced two new white papers: one is on
production, focused on cloud fundamentals, security and access,
Visit the website for a summary of the whole and software-defined workflows; the second zooms in on the
opportunity to provide “security by design”, rather than as an
event and, for EBU Members only, all videos add-on. Jim Helman (MovieLabs)
and slides: tech.ebu.ch/pts2020
The future of PSM is being shaped by
forces outside their control. TikTok is
a good example: for its young users,
the reactions and connections to real The personalization team
life are much more important than at SR actively combines
whether the content is 4K. Things will qualitative (focus groups,
keep changing and we need to be able beta testers, personas) and
to adapt. The key is close cooperation quantitative (user behaviour,
between publishing, content, and tracking) data. Qualitative
product & technology – flexible content insights are used to form
adapted to different user situations, a hypothesis which is then
with more and better metadata. tested against quantitative
Heidrun Reisæter (NRK) data, sometimes needing
to build a way of collecting
the latter. SR uses the
EBU PEACH platform,
enabling dashboards, data
visualization and lots of A/B
testing. Jörgen Bang (SR)
Tokyo 2020 will have an
integrated 2K/4K international
signal. There will also be an
8K OBS/NHK co-production,
including use of rail and
high-speed cameras. NHK’s
live automated synthesized
commentary and closed
captioning will use the OBS
data feed, also used for
computer-generated real-time
signing. The entire torch relay
will be covered live in 4K, Media services have evolved from running on physical servers,
using a mobile IP network, to virtual machines, to cloud containers, and now to functions
and streamed online globally. in the cloud. The EBU’s MCMA (Media Cloud and Microservice
Kohji Mitani (NHK) Architecture) framework is a way to easily implement media
workflows in the cloud with a set of libraries to sequence services
and manage jobs. Bloomberg has used MCMA to process 500k
assets over 18 months, at just $2 per day for the environment! Loic
Barbou (Bloomberg)
PSM have a duty to make
their content accessible to all.
Accessibility for media doesn’t
need to be considered as
interfering with creative intent
or as something separate to
We’re living in a golden age of be added later. It needs to
content, but with all of this content, be redefined. Personalization
supply chains need to evolve and can be about giving people a
providers need to set themselves up choice on how they experience
for innovation. Change was previously media. There are four options:
driven by necessity, but today we need hearing, seeing, participating and
to take charge of the change. Netflix understanding. Cover all four and
tries to build a culture of innovation, you serve 100% of the audience.
where cross-functional experts and Andy Quested (BBC)
teams are fundamental. Standards
can reduce complexity for content
exchange and collaboration.
Naz Pethani (Netflix)
tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020 5
Deepfakes: an opportunity for
public service media
Tom Van de Weghe, an investigative journalist for Belgium’s VRT, received a research fellowship
to study deepfakes at Stanford University. As a founder of the Deepfake Research Team he
wants to raise awareness, foster collaboration and exchange ideas about detection solutions.
Imagine a society where we several possible solutions.
cannot rely on what we see One fascinating approach is
with our own eyes or hear with fighting back with tools based
our own ears. How would our on the same deep learning
decision-making during elections, techniques that have been used
business investments and to create the deepfakes in the
relationships be impacted? We’ve first place. A team at Stanford
now entered into a new fake news developed an automatic deepfake
era of digitally altered video and detection tool by assembling
audio, so-called “deepfakes”, and convolutional models that each
this could even further erode look for anomalies in a video.
and undermine public trust in Their solution achieves 97%
journalism and harm democracies. detection accuracy on a large
Compared to two years dataset of deepfakes.
ago, when the phenomenon Tom van de Weghe spoke about Another approach we’ve
first appeared, deepfakes are deepfakes at the EBU Production experimented with is embedding
now widespread. The term, a Technology Seminar 2020. View unerasable digital watermarks
portmanteau of “deep learning” the video (Members only) at: in media using deep neural
tech.ebu.ch/pts2020
and “fakes,” covers synthetic networks, where the signature
media generated or altered should always point back to the
with the help of AI, with the or gaining electoral support. original, unmodified content.
intent of deceiving an audience So far, deepfakes have been Another prototype uses
into thinking that they are real. mostly used to target celebrities, blockchain technology to track
Experts believe there are now while politically damaging the provenance of digital imagery
about 18,000 deepfake videos deepfakes have been rare. The by providing proof of authenticity.
circulating online, and the number most imminent threat, sadly, If a video is not traceable to a
is growing. comes from weaponizing native source, then the content
The techniques for developing deepfakes against women, cannot be trusted.
synthetic media are becoming whereby creators use their faces
better, more common and easier on pornographic content without PSM OPPORTUNITY
to use. Anyone can now create consent. These technological solutions
hyper-realistic deepfakes, even Nevertheless, newsrooms may look promising, but in the
without much knowledge of and journalists could become meantime, journalists and fact
machine learning. Deepfake a prime target for deepfake checkers must rely on their
technology uses generative creators. Publishing an unverified human skills to discern fake
adversarial networks (GANs), hyper-realistic deepfake as images and video from real ones.
which are trained to replicate source material for a story Before people start losing their
patterns, such as the face of a could damage the reputation of trust completely in audiovisual
president, and gradually improve news organizations and further content, we need to think about
the realism of the synthetically undermine public faith in media developing new literacies for
generated faces. institutions. This is what we call journalists, and to a larger extent,
“the erosion of trust”, when it for the public as a whole.
WEAPONIZING DEEPFAKES relates to digital visual evidence. Public service media have a
The required amount of training Unfortunately, there are no unique opportunity to combat
data has gone down dramatically, commercially available tools to the erosion of trust by developing
which means many more people detect deepfakes yet. It is clear processes on how to deal with
are vulnerable. Some applications that any technological solution doctored media. They can build a
only need a few pictures to train involves an AI arms race, as culture of training their journalists
their models. The resulting video deepfake creators are quick to in content verification and using
could be used for information catch up with the latest detection existing expertise. Meanwhile,
warfare, misleading public techniques. However, this they should also join forces to
opinion, manipulating stock prices shouldn’t stop us from exploring create a better radar for fakery.
6 tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020
5G broadcast trial
lined up for Vienna
With the ultimate goal of extending the ecosystem for media
distribution, the Austrian broadcasting services provider
ORS is setting up a 5G broadcast testbed in Vienna. Managing
Director Michael Wagenhofer (right) sets out what will be tested.
Construction work is currently broadcast multicast service) THE TRIAL: FACTS & FIGURES
ongoing for the 5G broadcast – a technology originating • Technology: feMBMS (3GPP
trial in Vienna, Austria, which from mobile communications Rel.14, upgrade to Rel.16)
is scheduled to be on air with – with the DVB-T2 terrestrial • Transmission power:
a single-frequency network at broadcasting standard for media Kahlenberg: 3.6 kW; Liesing:
the end of March 2020. Austrian distribution, currently used in 1.3 kW
broadcasting services company Austria. In future scenarios, • Single Frequency Network
Österreichische Rundfunksender feMBMS would enable media transmitter distance: approx.
GmbH & Co KG (ORS, partly content to be received on mobile 16 km
owned by EBU Member ORF) is devices as well as on set-top • Center frequency: 739 MHz
setting up a test environment for boxes (STBs), thereby expanding • Bandwidth: 10 MHz
this in the urban area of Vienna the ecosystem for broadcasters. • Modulation coding schemes:
with two high-tower high-power While the initial implementation multiple MCS (QPSK, 16QAM,
transmitters (at the Vienna of feMBMS will be based 64QAM), dynamic use
1 – Kahlenberg and Vienna 8 – on Release 14 of the 3GPP • Data rate: up to 30 Mbps
Liesing sites). specifications, the testbed will be • Payload format: Multicast
As part of the first phase of upgraded to align with Release MPEG-TS over RTP, DASH,
the trial, which lasts until Q2 16 at the end of 2020. HLS
2021, the test installation will
be used to compare feMBMS ALTERNATIVE MEDIA FORMATS
(further evolved multimedia In preparation for the trial, the OPEN INVITATION
Technical University of Vienna The technical feasibility of
performed link level simulations the applications will then be
to provide information examined during the second
regarding potential data rates phase, in 2021. This includes
and reception qualities. The testing the interaction between
theoretical results will now broadcast network operators
be verified through practical (BNOs) and mobile network
measurements in the field, both operators (MNOs) for innovative
stationary and mobile, based on and interactive television
different speed levels. and radio experiences, the
Another goal of the first phase distribution of disaster and crisis
is to test the simultaneous information as well as dynamic
transmission of new alternatives network utilization (and load
for service offerings with balancing) for MNOs.
dynamically different media We have opened the 5G
formats, via a 10 MHz bandwidth broadcast test environment in
transmission channel. The Vienna to all interested parties:
formats to be tested include RTP universities, broadcasters,
(real-time transport protocol) BNOs, MNOs, set-top box and
and HLS (HTTP live streaming). chip manufacturers. They are
These tests will also require new invited to build their experience
and flexible applications that can using an existing 5G broadcast
follow the dynamics of different test environment and do
formats and content. For their own tests for feMBMS
instance, it should be possible devices, applications and so
to process data simultaneously on. The project is supported
from mobile communications by the Digitization Fund
Vienna’s Kahlenberg transmission networks, Wi-Fi connections of the Austrian Regulatory
tower, one of the sites for the 5G and an feMBMS broadcast Authority for Broadcasting and
broadcast trial connection. Telecommunications (RTR).
tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020 7
5G: friend or foe for digital radio?
With 5G services becoming available to consumers across Europe, the radio industry has been
asking itself what benefits 5G might bring to radio broadcasters and audiences. And is DAB+
still needed? The EBU’s Ben Poor and Darko Ratkaj provide some answers.
Both DAB+ and 5G have
advantages and disadvantages.
5G is an evolution of previous
mobile communication systems
that started with 2G/GSM and
include 3G/UMTS and 4G/
LTE. It is now being gradually
implemented in mobile networks
and the first compatible handsets
are available on the market.
Although some of the main
5G use cases are expected to
be for industrial applications
and transport (e.g. factory
automation and connected
cars), it should provide the BBC has conducted trials
consumer market with improved of 4G and 5G broadcast
connectivity, higher speeds and for radio distribution
lower latency.
Mobile data packages are, in However, there are currently no
RADIO-RELATED CHALLENGES general, sufficiently large to user devices that support 5G
Audio streaming over 5G support the amount of daily broadcast and it is uncertain if
is similar to 4G – working listening done by the average and when such devices will be
well where the network has European and prices are falling. available. A business case for
enough capacity and good It may take many years before deployment of 5G broadcast in
coverage – but it also has 5G is universally available. networks is yet to be found and
similar shortcomings from a However, as 5G is being deployed suitable regulatory conditions
broadcaster’s point of view: in combination with 4G and need to be established. While 5G
• mobile network coverage is not both support audio streaming, broadcast may be important in
ubiquitous; listeners may not notice which the future it is many years away.
• 4G and 5G networks are based network provides the service.
on unicast, which does not So, is DAB+ still needed and can COEXISTENCE LIKELY
scale well for mass audiences; radio broadcasters rely only on So, what can we conclude?
• content rights for online 5G in the near future? Ubiquitous connectivity is
streaming can be prohibitively DAB+, being a broadcast essential at home, on the move
expensive compared to system, provides a cost-efficient and in cars but so, also, is the
broadcast; way for the mass distribution of move to non-linear audio,
• access to audience data linear radio services. Specified by e.g. on-demand, podcast and
may be controlled by mobile a set of open standards, it allows personalized services. DAB+
operators or streaming predictable quality of service and can be used as a cost-efficient
platforms; anonymous listening and is free- distribution channel for linear
• online competition is global to-air. audio, complemented by 4G/5G
rather than national or However, DAB+ has two main that can deliver the new user
regional as in broadcast, limitations: it is limited to the experiences that audiences
raising challenges related to distribution of linear radio, while expect.
prominence; listeners increasingly also want Current EU legislation
• conventional radio receivers on-demand and personalized mandates “digital terrestrial radio
cannot connect to mobile content; and DAB+ reception broadcast” reception capability
networks. capabilities are generally not in cars, which could in theory
Nevertheless, streaming implemented in mobile handsets. mean 5G broadcast, not just
to personal devices like Current 5G specifications DAB+. DAB+ and 5G are likely
smartphones and tablets is include a broadcast mode that to coexist for a long time with
increasingly used for both live could, technically, combine broadcasters and audiences
and on-demand radio, and this the efficiency of broadcast benefiting from both of them.
trend is expected to continue. with the flexibility of unicast.
8 tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020
Keeping radio in the connected car
Christian Hufnagel and Daniel Freytag manage the SWR audio lab, a small unit of the German
broadcaster that develops ideas and prototypes for the future of radio. Connected cars are one
key focus.
The shift from FM to digital radio For us, this opens up
(DAB+) is clearly underway. Some completely new use cases with
countries are spearheading this great opportunities to bring our
transition and working towards (or, content to new platforms. The
in Norway’s case, completed) FM ARD Audiothek app already
switch-off. By December 2020 all provides high quality audio
new cars in the European Union content and podcasts from all of
are required to be shipped with our ARD members for phones
digital radio receivers. and the web. A special user
For millions of people across interface designed for cars allows
Germany our core radio brands quick and easy access to all of
provide not just entertainment our content, even when on the go.
and information, but also service With good metadata, the content
and safety updates during car can also adapt to the user’s
journeys. We are continuously needs: a 10-minute commute to
focused on providing solid work requires different content
distribution using worldwide than an hour-long business or
metadata standards, such family trip. With the option to
as RadioDNS, to secure the Christian Hufnagel and Daniel Freytag download the audio files to the
reception of our programmes phone, users can avoid the risk of
in a hybrid environment. mobile data charges or drops in
Ideally, the listener doesn’t CARS & SMARTPHONES network coverage.
even notice changes between However, delivery of audio via IP These new opportunities also
aggregated services and different is an increasingly important trend come at a cost: the days of “just
broadcasting standards, enabling in this field as well. Listeners are broadcasting“ a linear signal are
uninterrupted playback of their bringing their phones along on long over. We are continuously
favorite radio station. the journey. Those phones are monitoring the market to detect
With manufacturers updating useful tools since they already trends and new technologies. If a
their in-car dashboards to serve offer access to everything the new solution seems viable to our
changing customer demands, user needs. Google’s Android listeners, special development
this field is becoming more operating system and Apple’s iOS work is needed to integrate such
fragmented. The screens are software recognized this early on, tools.
gradually becoming larger and are providing ways to extend The varying policies of
and more visually appealing. the phone’s screen to the car manufacturers and software
Slideshows via DAB+ are a great dashboard. With Android Auto providers can make such
first step to utilize this space and and Apple CarPlay, one simple integration time-consuming. Yet
leverage the linear broadcasting connection gives quick and easy sometimes we need to think
standard to provide a better access to everything the phone outside the box, independent of
experience to users. has to offer. technical and legal constraints, to
work out how we could imagine
a future of radio across all new
The ARD Audiothek on an in-car display
connected devices. Those devices
include, but are not limited to,
connected cars and emerging
technologies like voice assistants.
As one example of this, we
are prototyping solutions to
skip components from the
linear programme (music, news,
announcements, etc.) and replace
them with alternative content
from our radio stations. In close
conversation with our listeners,
we test those new ideas and
develop them further.
tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020 9
Spectrum: off to a Explainer: World
Radiocommunication
good start for WRC-23 Conferences
The ITU World
Radiocommunication
Conference (WRC) was
held in November 2019 in
As the dust settles on WRC-19, the EBU’s Walid Sami and Sharm El-Sheikh (Egypt).
Elena Puigrefagut explain what was at stake for broadcasters WRC-19 revised the Radio
in Shark El-Sheik last November, and where attention should Regulations that govern the
already be focused for the next World Radiocommunication worldwide use of spectrum.
The conference was preceded
Conference in 2023.
by the Radiocommunication
UHF: a good outcome for broadcasting Assembly, RA-19, which mainly
defines the methods of work of
For EBU Members, one of the to mobile and identification
the ITU Radiocommunication
most significant debates that for IMT (international mobile
Sector. And WRC-19 was
played out in Sharm El-Sheikh telecommunications) in the band
followed by the first session
concerned the future use of the 470-694 MHz in Region 1.
of the Conference Preparatory
UHF band. Four years earlier, On the opposite side, the RCC
Meeting of WRC-23, CPM23-1.
at WRC-15, it was agreed that regional organization (including
the 2023 conference should Russia and surrounding
consider this topic. A draft countries), part of Region 1, for WRC-23 had to allocate
agenda item and an associated proposed to entirely delete the the work on this UHF agenda
resolution were approved. The UHF item from the agenda of item to the ITU working parties.
balanced text left all possible WRC-23. This option was also Three options were formally or
options open, making clear that supported during the conference informally proposed: to allocate
decisions should be based on a by some sub-Saharan African the work to the Mobile Study
review of the spectrum use and countries. These two contrasting Group 5, to the Broadcasting
needs of the existing services positions reflected the large Study Group 6, or to a joint task
in a wider UHF range, and after variance in importance of the group between the two. Thanks
technical and regulatory studies. terrestrial television platform to efficient action by all the
WRC-19, which set the agenda throughout Region 1. broadcasting stakeholders at the
for the next conference, had The CEPT (Europe) countries conference, coordinated by the
to make a final decision on and many Arab and African EBU, it was decided to create
the inclusion of this topic at countries supported keeping a new task group under Study
WRC-23. Some Arab countries, the agreement from WRC- Group 6 (namely TG6/1) to carry
Egypt – the host – with UAE 15 unchanged, which was out the work on the UHF agenda
and Saudi Arabia, requested indeed finally the decision of item 1.5 of WRC-23. This ensures
WRC-19 to discuss and modify the conference. The EBU had good starting conditions to
this draft agenda item and the also expressed views to the deal with this highly important
related resolution with the aim conference supporting this subject for the broadcasting
of restricting the outcome in option. Based on this decision, community in Region 1 and
WRC-23 to a possible allocation the first preparatory meeting worldwide.
C-band: the fight resumes and Asia. For mobile operators upper part. The band was not on
Another key focus for the it represents a large portion of the WRC-19 agenda, but it will
broadcast community – and bandwidth, 800 MHz, potentially be at WRC-23. The conference
another success at WRC-19 – for 5G services. will try to harmonize worldwide
was in C-band. The frequency Previous conferences allocated the 3600-3800 MHz range for
range 3400 to 4200 MHz is used parts of the 3400-3800 MHz mobile services and IMT.
by broadcasters for programme range to mobile services The success for broadcasters is
contribution and distribution although with significant that the 3800-4200 MHz range
(including, in some countries, differences between regions will not be discussed at WRC-
PHOTO: © ITU/M. MOUSA
backbone distribution for DTT and countries. In Europe, the 23 and thus remains available
networks), nationally, regionally whole band is allocated to for satellite use. However,
and globally. One of the main mobile services and is one broadcasters will need to follow
characteristics of this band is of the pioneer bands for 5G discussions at national level in
its resilience in heavy rainfall identified in the EU. Due to some countries, e.g. USA and
compared to higher satellite harmful interference from UK, and monitor and mitigate
bands, making it essential in mobile services, broadcasters adjacent band interference from
tropical areas in Africa, America are moving their services to the IMT below 3800 MHz.
10 tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020A record 3,400 participants attended WRC-19, including delegates from most of the 193 ITU Member States. Also
represented were 260 members of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), representing international organizations
(including the EBU), equipment manufacturers, network operators and industry forums, attending as observers.
Ku-band: unexpected mobile interest PMSE
The frequency range 10.7- opposition from most regions The spectrum needs for PMSE
11.7 GHz is the core band of the world. In order to unlock (programme making and
for direct-to-home (DTH) the situation, it was agreed special events) were considered
distribution of radio and that the studies would be done directly or indirectly in Sharm
television services over in all bands where the fixed El-Sheikh. Firstly, the RA-
satellite. Today there are service is assigned, not only 19 revised and approved an
thousands of television and in the Ku-band, and would important resolution for PMSE
radio services distributed all not have an impact on the that calls for studies to identify
over the world via Ku-band. Radio Regulations at WRC-23. harmonized frequency bands
The band is also used for However, it is expected that and for exchange of information
satellite newsgathering for the proponents of the topic about the actual frequency
television contribution and may use the results of such bands used for PMSE in the
occasional-use services, in studies to ask for inclusion on different countries of the world.
particular in those regions the agenda of WRC-27, with a Secondly, the agreed UHF
of the world less affected by focus on the Ku-band. agenda item for WRC-23 (see
heavy rain periods. Broadcasters will need opposite) includes a review of
At WRC-19, four countries to monitor the studies and spectrum use and needs as well
(Bahrain, Kuwait, Tunisia, provide information on as sharing studies for PMSE
UAE), requested the addition spectrum used and the value of in UHF band as part of the
of a WRC-23 agenda item the services provided. Studies existing services in the band.
to study the use of 10.7-11.7 will also need to consider Broadcasters are users of
GHz by IMT for fixed wireless how protection of the satellite PMSE and have a great interest
broadband; in some of these services can be guaranteed. in contributing to this work.
countries such use is already
in place. The proposal received
Preparing for WRC-23
The WRC-23 agenda includes topics that will have a crucial impact on the future of EBU Members’
distribution and contribution services and the time schedule is very tight. The Special WRC-19/23 Review
Workshop organized by the EBU on 21 January 2020 was the first gathering of the broadcast community
to define a roadmap of activities and to identify actions for the various stakeholders. The workshop was
followed by a meeting of the Strategic Programme on Spectrum, which will lead EBU preparations.
FIND OUT MORE AND GET INVOLVED
Participation in the SP Spectrum is open to EBU Members only: https://tech.ebu.ch/groups/sm
tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020 11Live HDR production:
testing the best workflows together
Odd Erling Høgberg explains what Norway’s NRK sees in HDR and how his organization
benefits from being an EBU Member.
NRK rates high dynamic range been able to experience the HDR the downscaled UHD HDR signal
(HDR), together with vibrant result on our own televisions. with a native HD SDR signal. We
colours (wide colour gamut) as Even though live HDR had three professional monitors
more interesting than moving to production still is a little bit for HDR image evaluation: two
the 2160p UHD resolution only. In ahead of us, we are already Sony BVM-X300s and one
fact, we have been shooting curious to learn as much as BVM-HX310 and several HDR-
content with HDR-compatible possible about the topic. So, capable CE displays. Further, the
cameras for several years now, when the possibility arose to ad hoc gallery included AJA
using the cameras’ proprietary learn from the people who have FS-HDR, Sony HDRC-4000 and
log function. This way of working been driving the development of For-A FA-9600 converters, a
was introduced to provide more HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma, an Blackmagic switcher, two
latitude in SDR (standard HDR standard) and who have Tektronix waveform monitors, an
dynamic range) post-production, gathered a large amount of AJA image analyser, and several
rather than to create content for knowledge about live HDR AJA FS-HDR and Blackmagic
HDR distribution. It has production, it was an offer we Quad-3G / 12G SDI converters
nevertheless already helped our could not refuse. with LUT options.
staff to get acquainted with HDR, It also was a nice opportunity We did not make life easy for
both in the acquisition stage and to give something back to the ourselves. In fact, we had
in post-production, where video EBU community, by hosting and discussed doing everything in
editors use a NRK’s own HDR-to- helping to organize the 1080p rather than 2160p
SDR look-up tables (LUTs) for workshop in one of our Oslo resolution, to simplify the set-up.
the conversion. It is only in the television studios. That first of all In the end we nevertheless chose
last two years that our meant creating a sparkling to do everything in 2160p/50 to
productions have been targeting scenery. We had very good help offer the “real” experience of
HDR distribution as well. We are from our props master. I think he what the full set of UHDTV
now close to offering post- enjoyed creating a scene with parameters can offer, including
produced HDR content to the many shiny items that usually the extra detail and sparkle that
Norwegian audience. cannot be used, because their comes with it. One should not
details most probably would clip underestimate the complexity, as
GOING LIVE in SDR production. a lot of the current professional
Live production is a different UHD equipment “only” offers
story, though. For live we have SDI COMPLEXITIES Quad 3G SDI interconnects,
been following the work of EBU The workshop set-up included demanding four 3G SDI-cables
colleagues performing trials and two Grass Valley LDX-86N for a single 2160p/50 signal. This
the first live productions. Due to Universe chains, a Sony HDC- rapidly leads to a lot of cables
domestic rights restrictions we 4300, a Sony PMW-F55 and a between units and converters. In
have been restricted to reading Sony HDC-2500. The latter was addition, SDI level A/B
blogs and articles, and have not included to allow comparison of incompatibilities remain a major
12 tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020Simon Thompson (left)
and Andrew Cotton, both
of BBC R&D, shared their
experience with HDR
production
headache. Increased use of 12G
SDI connections will make these What is the best way to use legacy replay servers in HDR
set-ups a lot easier to cable and productions?
manage. Depending on the design, legacy servers may offer only half the
number of channels when working in 10-bit instead of 8-bit mode.
NEED TO KNOW An informal subjective test with the workshop participants led to
What all the participants the conclusion that quality-wise, when 10-bit HDR playback is not
acknowledged was the need to feasible, the next best option would be to use 8-bit HDR, followed
learn and understand the by 10-bit SDR. Quality degradations were most apparent in the
characteristics of the new video UHD/HDR programme when using 8-bit SDR.
system that HDR introduces.
Understanding the importance of This offers serious benefits when camera shading on down-
the OOTF (opto-optical transfer you have to track down a converted SDR images. The main
function), scene-referred versus conversion error in a hectic live reason being the difficulty for a
display-referred conversions, production situation. shader to maintain an objective
BT.2020 and BT.709 colour approach to the SDR image if
spaces, and the differences RIGHT MONITOR FOR THE JOB there is a brightly sparkling HDR
between the main HDR formats An important reason why the image right next to it. However,
is fundamental, to be able to production situation is more they now have good experience
correctly design and evaluate live complex than in the past, is that adjusting the HLG system
HDR workflows. there will be a need for SDR gamma and shading with 600
As we experienced first-hand, images for the foreseeable cd/m2 monitors, which is less
there is a need to have full future, which means any HDR tiresome for the shaders. An
control over the use of production must also guarantee accompanying benefit, important
conversion LUTs. This firstly the creation of good SDR for many, is that this will enable
means knowing which LUT to images. This constrains the way choosing from a larger selection
use at the different spots in the the HDR production can be of monitors in a more modest
production chain, and secondly designed. A second reason is price range.
which version of the LUT. The that you are likely to mix SDR After 2.5 days of gamma
look-up tables can be regarded and HDR sources (e.g. specialist curves, LUTs, cable swapping,
as work in progress; they are still sports cameras), which require detailed picture analysis and
being optimized as more dedicated conversion. in-depth discussions, we feel a
experience is gained in using An interesting discussion we good deal closer to being ready
them. Andrew Cotton (BBC R&D) had during the workshop was for live HDR production and we
reported that working with these about the need (or not) for 1000 are very inspired to progress our
LUTs over time enabled him to cd/m2 HDR monitors in the own live tests. Thank you,
recognize which LUT was in use control room or in the OB truck. colleagues, for brightening up
by looking at the visual output! Hitherto the BBC has practiced our minds!
tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020 13UHDTV: how a new logo helps
ensure interoperability
A collaboration between the EBU and Eurofins Digital Testing is helping to ensure EBU Members
and the industry have a stable and secure set of guidelines to foster adoption and deployment
of UHD technologies. Director of Engineering at Eurofins, Bob Campbell, explains what’s new
about this certification and logo initiative.
2020 is set to be another
important year for the
deployment of advanced
technologies that enable an
intensified viewer experience for
in-home entertainment. For TV
manufacturers UHD (with 4K
resolution) and high dynamic
range (HDR) become the new
baseline and OTT services
are starting to deliver 4K and
HDR content, with national NGA technology from production logo signals compliance with
broadcasters following the trend to consumption. Additionally, the EBU guidelines and international
with HDR versions of their original EBU produced NGA content at open standards, but still allows
content. To further enhance the the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. manufacturers to differentiate
visual experience, attention is In August 2019, the EBU on performance and additional
turning to the audio experience. released Tech 3372, “a set of features. Rather than competing
UHD/HDR service parameters with alternatives, such as Dolby
NGA – SIGNIFICANT ADDITION which are expected to offer Vision or the UHD Alliance, it
The addition of Next Generation interoperability with the large is complementary, being the
Audio (NGA), which is now majority of devices expected to only logo scheme bringing 4K,
regarded as an essential part be available on the European HDR, WCG and NGA together
of new 4K services, is seen by market from 2020”. The and signalling interoperability
many as a significant step beyond parameters in the document were between services and receivers.
simply a “better picture” to drafted based on discussions Because it references open
really deliver an immersive and in several EBU and related standards and guidelines from
interactive experience. industry groups that include EBU the EBU, DVB and HbbTV, it
NGA creates a truly captivating Members and representatives is not a new standard itself.
sound experience, enabling of major consumer electronics It should help adoption and
the consumer to experience equipment manufacturers. compliance, filling a space that
enhanced audio, wherever isn’t addressed by existing
and however they choose. LOGO & CERTIFICATION manufacturer and consortium
The advanced personalization The final piece in the puzzle was logos. Finally the 4K HDR
settings that can be enabled by a means to easily communicate Immersive logo is backed by
NGA, especially important for to consumers that services and comprehensive test materials
accessibility, would allow users to receivers are compliant with these and a rigorous certification
interact with audio and adapt it guidelines. To meet the demands regime operated by a respected
to individual preferences. No two of consumers, manufacturers independent testing specialist.
people experience audio in quite and broadcasters, the EBU The 4K HDR Immersive logo
the same way, and no one mix partnered with Eurofins Digital has been adopted by several
works for everyone. Testing, a global leader in end- manufacturers already. It will
DVB standardized three NGA to-end quality assurance (QA) be on all compliant 2020 LG
systems within its audiovisual and testing services, to develop UHD TVs scheduled to launch in
coding guidelines (TS 101 154), and launch a logo and receiver Europe in March/April this year.
as well as UHD resolutions, certification programme based on Hisense are planning to support
HDR and wide colour gamut EBU Tech 3372. the new logo during Q2, on
(WCG), and the latest HbbTV The 4K HDR Immersive™ logo models from their new platform,
specification includes these can be displayed on compliant while Vestel will support it on
important technologies as well. devices and used in retail and Toshiba branded models this
Meanwhile several broadcasters for services by broadcasters year. Further announcements are
and OTT providers are trialling and operators. For receivers, the expected to follow.
14 tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020GROUP UPDATE
AI and Data Initiative: harnessing
the potential of AI for PSM
The EBU’s Big Data Initiative has evolved into the AI and Data Initiative. Its co-chairs,
Léonard Bouchet (Head of Data and Archives at RTS) and Bob van de Velde (Lead Big
Data Engineer at NPO), set out how they plan to support Members as they grapple with
these new technologies.
Media archives are just one area content and ethical PSM values INTEGRATING
where the potential of AI and into these tools and shape their We are all relatively small
machine learning (ML) is starting evolution, with the end goal of organizations compared to the
to bear fruit. This will ultimately continuing to serve our core big tech companies, but we
extend to all aspects of media values: inform, educate, entertain, have a lot in common when it
production and distribution. and play a role in society. comes to values and how we
New applications that one could Our priorities within AIDI approach our work. Being able
only dream about a few years can be summed up in a simple to share code, cross-applying
ago are now possible thanks to phrase: “Get together, share, use cases, best practices,
AI. This technology is about to integrate and collaborate”. But metrics and ethical guidelines
come at us with the power and what does that mean in more across Members, will speed up
potential impact of a tsunami. detail? development cycles and make
It is becoming clear that data us better able to compete with
and AI will have a profound SHARING commercial players.
impact on the media sector. As our recent survey has shown,
Public service media (PSM) some EBU Members are quite COLLABORATING
need to shape that impact advanced in their work with Having very similar use
together – otherwise commercial AI, some are just about to get cases, distinct from those in
actors with different interests into it, and some are struggling. the commercial space and
and criteria will shape it for us. We want to support Members academia, we can develop
Through the EBU’s AI and Data to share experiences, speed solutions tailored to the specific
Initiative (AIDI), we are focusing up development cycles, avoid needs of public broadcasters,
on outreach to Members and pitfalls and review vendors. together and from the start.
aim to help them harness the For this we are organizing four By talking to each other before
potential of AI in order to mini-workshops in 2020, each to starting the development cycle,
support their public service discuss a specific topic in depth, we can make sure that we’re
remit. with hands-on components building something that can be
As PSM, we can use our unique where relevant. The topics re-used across Members. We
qualities – good content, an we’ll be exploring together also want to help coordinate
audience and, most of all, the will include recommendation these efforts with third parties,
trust of the public – in order to systems and video deepfakes, as we are dependent on external
build AI that can be trusted. We for instance. Other topics will entities to provide parts of the
have a chance to inject quality stem from Member suggestions. services and solutions that we
require.
Getting to know our AIDI
community members will
help us to align priorities and
events with their organizational
needs and determine the most
important things to tackle
first. AIDI has a bimonthly
newsletter and monthly sync
call for participants. Join us,
and don’t hesitate to talk to
us about ideas, solutions and
collaboration!
Contact AIDI coordinator
Lalya Gaye with any questions:
gaye@ebu.ch
Bob van de Velde and Léonard Bouchet, co-chairs of the AI & Data Initiative
See: www.ebu.ch/aidi
tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020 15IN MY OPINION
Why produce UHD while we’re
still delivering in HD?
4K TV sets are now commonplace and 8K sets are coming soon. But, asks David Wood, with
relatively little 4K broadcast content available and 8K content even scarcer, why make and use
UHD sets now, when widespread availability of native content seems distant?
One argument is that, even if no On the other hand, if the content
native content is available, 4K and was produced in UHD rather than
8K TV sets will have advantages for HD, although the same aperture
viewers of HDTV. The claim is that effects scaled up would occur in the
the higher the resolution of the camera – they are due to laws of
screen, the better can be the physics – they would occur at higher
perceived quality of lower resolution frequencies. Now, down-sampling
content, because of up-conversion the UHD content can filter out the
in the TV set. This is true, but the part of the signal with reduced
reasons are complex. frequency response, leaving an HD
The quality achieved on a UHD set signal with full frequency response
will depend on the up-conversion and a filled-out spectrum. This can
algorithm, but even more on how be passed to the HD delivery
the content is produced. channel, metaphorically filling all the
To understand why, take a seats in the HD bus.
reference chain with content
produced in HD, an HD delivery UHD TO HD TO UHD
channel and an HD display. 1080p When the HD content, which was
HDTV means 2-megapixel images down-converted from UHD, gets to
delivered at the frame rate used. the UHD set, it can be up-converted
back to UHD for display. The UHD
SPECTRAL OCCUPANCY TV screen will have display
In practice, the image quality seen is limitations, but they only have an
also affected by how well the effect at higher frequencies, so the
signal’s frequency response is image quality can be better than it
“filled-out”. This is technically called would be if seen on an HD set.
the spectral occupancy. The HD Showing this (originally UHD) HD
camera will have constraints on the image on a UHD set has, in effect,
degree to which the signal it can improved the quality.
provide is filled-out. They are due to To make the best use of UHD sets
what are termed aperture effects in the home, with HD delivery
and aliasing, which mean that the channels, programme makers would
spatial frequency response falls off need to make content with 4K or 8K
with higher frequencies, and this UHD, and down-sample it to HD (or
cannot be avoided. The image will eventually 4K) for delivery.
appear less sharp and thus lower The up-conversion algorithms
“To make the best quality, as a result. used in the TV set will influence the
use of UHD sets in In our reference chain, this signal is HD image quality seen on the UHD
passed to the HD delivery channel, a display, but the largest factors
the home, with HD container that takes in what it is influencing the perceived quality will
delivery channels, given and carries it onward to the be how well the content was
display. Imagine that the delivery produced and the degree of spectral
programme channel is like a bus that has a occupancy that it has.
makers would certain number of seats. What we Broadcasters and internet content
are passing to our HD bus to carry providers will need to assess the
need to make to the TV set here is less than its full quality gain and decide if future
content with 4K complement of passengers – less programme content should be made
than the bus is capable of carrying. in UHD and down-converted for
or 8K UHD, and When the less-than-full signal is delivery, while delivery is still HDTV.
down-sample it to presented to the HD set, there are The question is whether this would
further factors that potentially limit be a good investment, bearing in
HD (or eventually the quality seen, such as the size of mind the growing use of UHD
4K) for delivery.” dots on the screen. displays.
16 tech-i | tech.ebu.ch | March 2020You can also read
