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8
www.tvtech.com | September 2023

5G
Broadcast
Doug Lung looks at the
emerging standard

equipment guide
audio
contents September 2023
volumn 41, issue 9

10 15

18 20
10 What Is 5G Broadcast? 20 Why Does A/V Sync
Does it have the potential to replace
ATSC 3.0?
By Doug Lung
Continue to Be an Issue for
Broadcasters?
equipment
guide
user reports
27
Out-of-sync audio and video
can originate in the OB van or broad- audio

15 Assessing the State of cast studio

By Dennis Baxter
• Blackmagic Design
• Calrec
4K/UHD in Today’s Broadcast • Solid State Logic
Ecosystem 6 • Clear-Com
4K creates technological and operational
22 Storage Technologies Need in the
challenges as bigger events demand
higher levels of gloss to Change to Keep Up With news
By Phil Rhodes Supply and Demand
The steps you’ll need to take to fu-
ture-proof your infrastructure
24
18 For Content Personalization, By Karl Paulsen eye on
‘Taste’ Is All in the Data tech
Recommendation engines increase
viewership, interaction
By James Careless 34
people

27

twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | September 2023 3

editor’s note

Vetting 5G Broadcast
Vol. 41 No. 9 | September 2023

FOLLOW US
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A new standard, “5G Broadcast” has suddenly joined AI as perhaps one of the most talked CONTENT
about developments in the broadcasting industry this year. While it’s still in what Content Director
Tom Butts, tom.butts@futurenet.com
would be termed the “experimental” phase, the protocol has gained a number Content Manager
of adherents worldwide in a short span of time. Terry Scutt, terry.scutt@futurenet.com
German transmitter manufacturer Rohde & Schwarz has taken the lead Senior Content Producer
George Winslow, george.winslow@futurenet.com
on the technology, demonstrating its capabilities at a number of major Contributors: Gary Arlen, Susan Ashworth,
trade shows for the past five-to-six years. Testing has taken place in James Careless, Kevin Hilton, Craig Johnston,
China, Europe and Latin America. R&S and its adherents claim that 5G Bob Kovacs and Mark R. Smith
Production Managers: Heather Tatrow, Nicole Schilling
Broadcast, (under the “3GPP” protocol for mobile broadcast standards)— Managing Design Director: Nicole Cobban
which was devised to offer both broadcast and multicast service over 3G Art Directors: Andy McGregor, Anthony Wuillaume
networks—could be an alternative to broadcast formats such as ATSC 3.0,
ADVERTISING SALES
particularly in terms of handing massive amounts of data. Managing Vice President of Sales, B2B Tech
The aim of 3GPP “is neither to burden the regular mobile networks nor to Adam Goldstein, adam.goldstein@futurenet.com
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How have broadcasters responded? Some, particularly in the LPTV sector, are cautiously op- If you submit material to us, you warrant that you own the material and/or have
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an IP solution, I guess they feel they can do no better. For them, ATSC 3.0 is ‘not invented here.’” socioeconomic standards.

TV Tech’s RF expert Doug Lung has taken a look at the protocol and in this issue, examines
the technology and its market potential. In the end, he concludes that, much like ATSC 3.0, the
decision to adopt 5G Broadcast will end up being a business and marketing decision, rather
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than a technological one.

While it’s too soon to determine whether it gains any traction in the U.S., it deserves to be vetted
and tested and, depending on test results, considered as another method to deliver content to
mobile devices. It’s way too soon to be thought of as any kind of “threat” to NextGen TV.
Future plc is a public
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Tom Butts
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4 September 2023 | www.tvtech.com | twitter.com/tvtechnology

in the news

Nielsen: Streaming Outpaced Broadcast,

Pay-TV in July for the First Time

update

Deployments Ratings for streaming services watched category, capturing 25.7%

Minneapolis: KARE (Tegna), KMSP, (Fox), KSTP (Hubbard), outpaced U.S. broadcast and cable
WCCO (CBS) and WUCW (Sinclair) TV in July according to new numbers
Philadelphia: KYW-TV, WPSG (CBS); WCAU (NBCU), WPVI from Nielsen, marking the first time
(ABC), WTXF (Fox) and WUVP (Univision) that viewing for broadcast and cable
Reno, Nev.: KNSN (Deerfield Media), KOLO (Gray), KRNV- fell below 50% since the ratings
DT (Cunningham Broadcasting), KRXI (Sinclair) and KTVN researcher began tracking streaming
(Sarkes Tarzian), services in the fall of 2020.
South Bend, Ind.: WHME (Family Broadcasting Corp.), Although the numbers were
WNDU, WSJV (Gray), WNIT (Michiana Public Broadcasting) likely skewed by an increase in
and WSBT-TV (Sinclair) kidvid ratings as well as what
San Francisco: KDTV-DT (TelevisaUnivision) KGO (ABC), was considered a soft month for
KNTV (NBCU), KPIX (CBS), KRON (Nexstar) and KTVU (Fox professional sports, the fact remains
Television Stations) that the decline in broadcast and
pay-TV viewership continues apace.
First NextGen TV-Certified Consumer Auxiliary Device Broadcast viewership reached
Now Shipping a new low, at just 20%, while cable
ADTH’s NEXTGEN TV Box, the first consumer external viewing garnered just 29.6%, which
device certified with the NEXTGEN TV logo, is now ship- meant that combined non-streaming
ping for $119.99. As expected, the box—which Atlanta numbers dipped just below 50%.
DTH jointly developed with Tolka—includes support for While overall TV usage was up just
the A3SA digital rights management protocol, making it slightly from June (0.2%), viewing
the first such certified device on the market. among people under the age
NextGen TV is now available in more than 70 markets of 18 increased 4%, and viewing
nationwide from markets as large as Los Angeles and as among adults 18 and older fell 0.3%.
small as Green Bay, Wisc. Ivy Shou, president of Atlanta These trends resulted in increased
DTH, characterized the launch of the box as a “landmark streaming and “other” usage, which
moment both for us and for our development partner, Tolka.” is primarily attributed to video game
“The ADTH upgrade accessory receiver is not only ful- consoles.
ly certified with the NEXTGEN TV logo but also verified for Comparatively, sports on
content security, she said. “This assures that consumers broadcast generated almost 25
will get the best possible experience at home, enjoying billion viewing minutes in July, albeit
the outstanding advantages of NEXTGEN TV channels in across a range of channels. Most
70 markets across the U.S. The ADTH NEXTGEN TV Box would consider July a slow month
packs a huge amount of processing power and versatil- for sports, given that broadcast
ity into its compact dimensions and makes UHD TV sports viewing typically
reception easier than ever. It is also the first set more than triples when
top box to support A3SA digital rights manage- September starts.
ment.” While the FIFA
Orders for the ADTH NEXTGEN TV Box can Women’s World
be placed via ADTH’s website: Cup provided a boost
https://shop.adth.com/collections/all. at the end of the month,
drama remained the most
of viewing. Overall, total broadcast
viewing was down 3.6% to finish the
month at 20% of TV, representing a
new low. On a year-over-year basis,
broadcast usage was down 5.4%.
Cable viewing slipped as well,
losing a full share point to capture
29.6% of TV in July. Feature film
was the only genre to see a rise in
viewership (0.5%), despite the fact
that usage fell 1.5%. Viewing across
virtually all others dropping from
June. ESPN’s "Home Run Derby" and
the "College World Series" took the
top two slots, followed by "When
Calls The Heart "on The Hallmark
Channel. On a year-over-year basis,
cable usage was down 12.5%.
Local broadcast TV trade
association TVB blasted the study,
accusing Nielsen for failing to
“provide the key data needed by
advertisers.”
“The Gauge Report provides a
monthly view of the content and
programming that audiences are
watching on a television screen,
including broadcast, cable and
streaming platforms,” said Steve
Lanzano, TVB president and CEO.
“However, The Gauge doesn’t
provide the key data needed by
advertisers. Specifically, The Gauge’s
streaming numbers include ALL
SVOD subscribers—those who do
and don’t receive ads—and for most
SVOD platforms subscribers viewing
ads are a far smaller segment of the
overall total viewing.”
Tom Butts

6 September 2023 | www.tvtech.com | twitter.com/tvtechnology

in the news

OPINION preserve 1.0 service that’s essentially the same

as a broadcaster’s primary 3.0 channel.

NextGen TV DRM:
Now consider this finding from a March
NPD Circana Report: “The average TV is
replaced every 6.56 years in the U.S., and more

Let’s All Take A Deep Breath than one-quarter of TVs are now at least seven
years old.”
Given that the first 3.0 gateways—those

D
igital rights management
(DRM) is under the
microscope in the ATSC
3.0 world—at least by a
contingent of early NextGen TV
adopters and pundits who fear
broadcasters will use it to lock
down their OTA signals, prevent
viewers from digitally recording
their favorite shows and yank away
features like time-shifting that
Phil Kurz
they have enjoyed since VHS and
Betamax VCRs burst onto the market in the
1970s.
This concern centers on some early 3.0
gateway boxes that receive a NextGen TV
signal and convert it for display on a legacy
DTV set—not fresh out-of-the-box NextGen
TV sets with built-in 3.0 tuners.
Perhaps, however, the consternation and
hand wringing may ultimately prove to be
largely irrelevant.
On June 20, the FCC adopted its 3.0
Multicast Licensing Report
and Order (“In the Matter of
Authorizing Permissive Use of
the ‘Next Generation’ Broadcast
Television Standard”).
In it, the commission writes:
“Accordingly, we adopt a new
sunset date of July 17, 2027.
Given the ongoing transition, we
believe at this time that this is
an appropriate sunset period.”
That sunset is the new lights-
out date for 1.0, subject to an agency review
commencing in July 2026. That means viewers
can continue to receive and record legacy DTV
over the air through mid-July 2027.
Consumers also can take solace in the
fact that the FCC has not found “a sufficient
shift in the marketplace that would
justify elimination or modification of the
substantially similar rule.” Presumably, in July
2026 if there hasn’t been “a sufficient shift” in
the market, it will continue the requirement to
without DRM support—came out in 2020,
it’s fair to assume that NextGen TVs with
built-in DRM support will replace many of the
TVs those gateways feed today. Further it’s
reasonable to assume 3.0 recorders with DRM
support will become available.
Anne Schelle, Managing Director of Pearl
TV, has said as much. “Content security is
designed to prevent piracy, not stop home
recording,” she said. “No broadcaster has
attempted to limit digital video recording
capability for its ATSC 3.0 broadcasts, as
far as we know. In fact A3SA’s [ATSC 3.0
Security Authority’s] compliance rules for
broadcasters expressly prohibit restrictions on
home recording for ATSC 1.0 signals that are
simulcast now in ATSC 3.0.
“Moreover, expect content security-verified
DVRs to be available to consumers by early
2024 and maybe even later this year.”
Bottom line: Now is not the time for
consumers to panic, but rather to take a deep
breath and let things play out. l

IN MEMORIAM
Matt Adams
Matt Adams passed away Aug. 18 from cancer at the age of 65.
Matt was a video pioneer, utilizing Ku-band satellite for telemedicine and distance learning—before
turning 20. In 1984, he built and deployed transportable satellite services to televise the Olympics and
in 1989, he designed and implemented the first all-serial digital television facility, for The Christian
Science Monitor.
He led a team that designed the technical architecture of the first Direct TV plant in Castle Rock, Col. in
1993 and in 2002, he developed a file-based remote workflow for NBC Olympics in 2002, which over the
next couple of decades blossomed into a full-fledged remote digital asset management system. In 2009,
while working for Harmonic Inc, he developed a similar system that served as CNN’s production backbone.
Adams was awarded seven Emmys for his Olympics innovations as well as a patent.

Peter Wharton
Peter Wharton, 64 died of cancer on Aug. 9. At the time of his death, he served as TAG Video Systems’
chief strategy and cloud officer. Peter’s career in television straddled both operations and system
design, beginning with a position at ABC News where he was involved in studio broadcasts, the White
House press pool, and coverage of presidential travels.
Peter was also very much involved in Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers activities in
Washington, D.C. and nationally. He attained a number of leadership positions, including SMPTE Eastern
Region governor and vice president of membership. For many years, he played a large role in producing
the SMPTE “Bits By The Bay” regional conference held near his home in Chesapeake Beach, Md.
At the time of his passing, Peter had attained the rank of SMPTE Fellow, and will be posthumously
honored with the Society’s President’s Award at the organization’s 2023 Media Technology Summit.

8 September 2023 | www.tvtech.com | twitter.com/tvtechnology

 rf technology
What Is 5G Broadcast?
Does it have the potential to replace ATSC 3.0?
I
nterest in over-the-air
reception of TV in the
U.S. continues to grow
as evidenced by sales of
antennas, with CTA estimating
that the total antenna
marketplace in the U.S. will
exceed 53 million homes by
2025. While the ATSC 3.0 build
out continues, a new concept,
“5G Broadcast” is now being
considered as another option for
high-power, high-tower “next
generation” TV broadcasting.
There is already one
experimental 5G Broadcast station on the
air (WOOD-LD in Westmoreland, N.H.,
announced in July), and broadcasters in
other parts of the world are testing 5G
Broadcast deployment.
Will it replace ATSC 3.0 as the “next
generation” broadcast technology? The
major factor, in my opinion, will be whether
or not consumers and broadcasters drop
over-the-air TV in favor of streaming
programming over the internet.
Credit: Getty Images
5G Broadcast is targeted primarily
at mobile devices, where data capacity
for video distribution is still a concern.
10 September 2023 | www.tvtech.com |
Consumer adoption of ATSC 3.0,
so far, has been limited to fixed
TV sets. While more people are
cutting the cord and discovering
(or rediscovering) over the air
broadcasts, far more of these sets
are connected to the internet
alone than to antennas.
Will wireless operators, who
largely control distribution of
mobile devices in the United States,
EXPERTISE
allow reception of 5G Broadcasting
Doug Lung without a government mandate?
If there is a government mandate,
perhaps that mandate could
require ATSC 3.0 devices instead.
That raises some questions: Which
technology is better? Which is easier to
implement? I’ll provide some information
and links to resources to help you answer
those questions.
A 3GPP STANDARD
5G Broadcast today is defined in 3GPP
Release 17 (for an overview on the evolution
of 5G Broadcast within 3GPP, check
“Broadcast, multicast technologies,” by
Dongwook Kim, 3GPP MCC at www.3gpp.org/
technologies/broadcast-multicast1).
twitter.com/tvtechnology
The current standard has features
that support high-power, high-tower
broadcasting. These include Receive-Only-
Mode (no SIM card required) and a cyclic
prefix of up to 200 microseconds, allowing
larger distances between sites in a single
frequency network (SFN).
The major components of the 5G
Broadcast signal are the CAS (cell
acquisition subframe), which contains the
PBCH (physical broadcast channel); PDCCH
(physical downlink control channel), and the
PDSCH (physical downlink shared channel)
necessary to decode the PMCH (physical
multicast channel). In order to receive a 5G
Broadcast signal, a receiver must be able to
decode the PBCH, the PDCCH, the PDSCH
and the PMCH.
The PBCH, PDCCH and PDSCH are
control channels that can be compared to
the bootstrap, L1-basic and L1-detailed in
ATSC 3.0, while the PMCH is similar to the
PLP subframe in ATSC 3.0. The coding and
modulation of these components determines
the robustness and capacity of the system.
More information on the 5G Broadcast
physical layer is available in “ETSI TS 103
720 Technical Specification” and in the
IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting paper
“Evaluation of ATSC 3.0 and 3GPP Rel-17 5G
Broadcasting Systems for Mobile Handheld
Applications.”
rf technology
Fig. 1: This diagram shows a R&S BSCC2.0 (broadcast service and control center) feeding
a R&S SDE900 (the same model number unit used for ATSC 3.0 signal generation) into a
TCE901 exciter and THU9evo transmitter.
Fig. 2: The internal architecture of the R&S BSCC2.0 (broadcast service and control center)
5G BROADCAST HARDWARE/
SOFTWARE
Rohde and Schwarz has developed a 5G
Broadcast platform that has been used for
tests around the world. Fig. 1, taken from the
company’s “5G Broadcast for Automotive”
presentation by Dr. Nik Dimitrakopoulos,
shows a R&S BSCC2.0 (broadcast service and
control center) feeding a R&S SDE900 (the
same model number unit used for ATSC 3.0
signal generation) into a TCE901 exciter and
THU9evo transmitter. With the exception
of the BSCC2.0, this configuration will be
familiar to U.S. broadcasters. Fig. 2, from
the BSCC2.0 product brochure, shows the
internal architecture of that unit.
The OpenAirInterface5g initiative has
developed software that will run on a UHD/
12 August 20212023
September | www.tvtech.com
| www.tvtech.com
| twitter.com/tvtechnology
| twitter.com/tvtechnology
USRP based SDR. The last information I
have on this is from 2019 for a configuration
based on 3GPP Release 14. Details are
available in the “FeMBMS/eMBMS E2E
Prototyping using OpenAirInterface5G”
presentation by Javier Morgade at
Vicomtech.
Fig. 3 shows a system using two Ettus
B210 SDRs, the same model used in the GNU
Radio ATSC 3.0 transmitter I described in a
previous article.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: 5G
BROADCAST VS. ATSC 3.0
Broadcasters have ATSC 3.0 transmission
infrastructure, but at this time don’t have
consumer equipment beyond fixed TV
sets and gateway devices. Qualcomm is
Rohde and Schwarz
has developed a 5G
Broadcast platform that
has been used for tests
around the world.
adding 5G Broadcast support to its mobile
device chipsets but no devices supporting
5G Broadcast are currently available to
consumers. Prototype devices are available
for both standards. When will consumers be
able to purchase these devices?
ATSC 3.0 broadcasts are already on the air
in more than 65 markets in the United States.
Currently there is only one 5G Broadcast
station in the U.S., the experimental LPTV
mentioned earlier. The 5G Media Action
Group’s website has details on 5G Broadcast
trials as well as links to a GITHUB with 5G
Broadcast reference tools. Expect to hear more
about 5G Broadcast deployments around the
world at the 2023 IBC Show.
5G Broadcast can build on existing
modems and 5G mobile device components.
This should make it relatively easy for
manufacturers to implement in mobile
devices. ATSC 3.0 has an incompatible
physical layer and requires additional
hardware, which implies extra cost for
mobile devices. Many ATSC 3.0 performance
advantages come from time-interleaving,
which requires more memory. I’m not
aware of 5G capability in any TV set. If 5G
Broadcast is required in TV sets, what will
that cost?
The IEEE Broadcast Transactions paper
shows ATSC 3.0 has a significant cost
advantage for network deployment—fewer
transmitters are required for equivalent
or better coverage. Will that matter in the
United States?
5G BROADCAST & ATSC 3.0 TOGETHER
What if we end up in a scenario where
5G Broadcast is available on newer mobile
devices but not in TV sets and ATSC 3.0
is available in TV sets but not on mobile
devices? What about automobiles? We’ve
seen interest in using ATSC 3.0 for delivering
content to automobiles and as shown in the
IEEE paper, ATSC 3.0 has a performance
advantage there, but if 5G wireless devices
are already in the vehicle, that may give 5G
Broadcast an advantage.
One solution would be for a TV station to
transmit both 5G Broadcast and ATSC 3.0 on
12
rf technology
Fig. 3: An OpenAirInterface5g system
using two Ettus B210 SDRs
the same channel. This would require using
time division multiplexing (TDM) to share
the channel. I described the demonstration
at the 2023 NAB Show in my two-part review
of the show in my June and July columns.
For this to work, either or both the ATSC
3.0 or 5G Broadcast standards will require
changes to their frame structure. Given the
number of ATSC 3.0 TV sets already in use,
any change to that standard will have to be
compatible with existing TV sets.
WILL IT BECOME A REALITY?
FCC rules require broadcasters to deliver
at least one free channel to the public in
standard definition. During the transition to
Comparing 5G Broadcast and ATSC 3.0 Performance
As in the 5G Broadcast system described
here, ATSC 3.0 has elements that allow
receivers to lock to the channel, get infor-
mation on how to tune the channel, and
decode the data. How these elements are
implemented affects performance under
different conditions.
Table XI in the IEEE Transactions on
Broadcasting paper “Evaluation of ATSC 3.0
14 August 20212023
September | www.tvtech.com
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| twitter.com/tvtechnology
ATSC 3.0, the FCC has required broadcasters
to ensure programming remains available
to all viewers, including simulcasting on
ATSC 1.0. It is unlikely the FCC will allow
broadcasters to shut down both ATSC 1.0
and ATSC 3.0 and move to 5G Broadcast any
time soon. Assuming interest in OTA TV
continues, the number of ATSC 3.0 sets will
continue to rise making a full transition to
5G Broadcast difficult.
Without new spectrum, I don’t expect a
significant number of 5G Broadcast signals
on the air in U.S. broadcast bands until
enough ATSC 1.0 spectrum has transitioned
It is unlikely the FCC will
allow broadcasters to
shut down both ATSC 1.0
and ATSC 3.0 and move
to 5G Broadcast
anytime soon.
and 3GPP Rel-17 5G Broadcasting Systems
for Mobile Handheld Application” shows
ATSC 3.0 performance gains for TU-6,
India-Urban, India-Rural, and Seoul-SFN-3
channels for ideal estimation and linear esti-
mation at speeds of 3, 40, and 120 km/hr.
Performance gain of the ATSC 3.0
bootstrap vs. 5G PBCH varied from a worst
case –4.1 dB for linear estimation of a TU-6
channel at 120 km/hr to
a best case +10.5 dB for
linear estimation of the
Seoul-SFN-3 channel
at 3 km/hr. Bootstrap
performance was better
than PBCH in 20 of the
24 scenarios.
A comparison of
PDSCH vs. L1-Detail
showed ATSC 3.0 per-
formance gain varied
from -3.0 dB to +5.0
dB. PDSCH was unde-
codable in 3 of the 24
scenarios. L1-Detail was
worse than PDSCH in
to ATSC 3.0 to allow 5G Broadcast to share
spectrum with ATSC 3.0. At that time,
some stations may be able to move to 5G
Broadcast entirely while other stations carry
their programming on ATSC 3.0 channels,
similar to the way stations are transitioning
to ATSC 3.0 now. Stations may also use TDM
(time division multiplex) to share their
channel between ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast.
Both assume FCC approval.
Several visions for the future for 5G
Broadcast/Multicast Rohde and Schwarz
described in their presentations could
apply to the ATSC 3.0 system. In the end,
the choice will likely depend as much on
marketing, business plans and consumer
preferences as it will on technology.
5G Broadcasting is continuing to
evolve. 3GPP Releases 18 and 19 should
make it easier for high-power, high-tower
broadcasters to begin 5G Broadcast, either
by itself or time shared with ATSC 3.0 when
(and if) 5G Broadcast reception becomes
available in mobile devices. l
As always, your questions and comments are welcome.
Email me at dlung@transmitter.com.
eight of the 24 scenarios, although in six of
these the difference was less than 1 dB.
When comparing ATSC 3.0 subframe with
PMCH, the subframe performed better at 5
Mbps, 10 Mbps and 15 Mbps in every chan-
nel, with PMCH undecodable in eight of the
24 scenarios at 15 Mbps. The performance
gain ranged from +15 dB linear estimation
in a 10 Mbps TU-6 channel at 120 km/hr to
+0.6 dB ideal estimation at 10 Mbps at 3 km/
hr and 40 km/hr in an India-Rural channel.
The study, presented in the IEEE paper
explains the ATSC 3.0 performance gain
comes from the superiority of its BICM (bit
interleaved coded modulation) components
and—depending on the propagation chan-
nel—the time interleaver.
The bootstrap performs worse than PBCH
in non-line-of-sight channels with high
mobility but otherwise bootstrap has better
performance. In the comparison of PDSCH,
L1-Detail performed better over line-of-
sight but PDSCH was able to take advan-
tage of the diversity provided by combining
two PDSCH in non-line-of-site situations.
Doug Lung

Sony Venice 2 digital
cinema camera
Assessing the State
of 4K/UHD in Today’s
Broadcast Ecosystem
4K creates technological and operational challenges,
especially as bigger events demand higher levels of gloss
By Phil Rhodes
The move to high definition didn’t make
viewers work hard to notice the improvement.
It was easy to promote, in TV showrooms or
at broadcast equipment conventions.
The shift from HD to UHD is almost as big
a jump in linear pixel count, and while the
same level of immediate uptake probably
wasn’t expected on the consumer side, broad-
cast clients have begun demanding it almost
as a matter of course.
It’s no surprise to see an outside broadcast
truck covering an event in 2023 with “UHD”
as a proud part of its livery. Sometimes that’s
done for future-proofing, and sometimes to
satisfy early adopters at home. Whatever the
motivation, UHD creates technological and
operational challenges, especially as ever
bigger events demand drive for ever higher
levels of gloss. That increasingly means high
dynamic range and UHD, always with the
pressure to somehow do it all with the same
resources as conventional HD.
FUTURE-PROOFING
There are now a number of ways to do that,
and many of them diverge from the sort of
technology that broadcast has long been used
to. Arri’s Multicam system marries its Amira
camera—itself not quite a UHD device, but
usually near enough—with a fiber adapter and
compatibility with the sort of control panels
and other truck tech that put engineering
people in a place of comfort.
Similar things are possible even on lower
budgets with equipment from Blackmagic
Design, which not only has cameras with
studio accessories and lots of spare resolution,
but also switchers, recorders and the Resolve
application.
Sony has also put its high-end cinema
cameras into the parts of broadcast that seek
twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | September 2023
4K production
to bring a little Hollywood sparkle to live
TV, although by sheer hours broadcast, the
company’s more conventional studio cameras
are still doing the lion’s share of the work.
Peter Sykes, strategic technology
development manager at Sony in the U.K.,
confirms that the motivations for UHD are
“a combination. The future-proofing part is
very, very important, because prestige content
will be archived. Especially for sports events,
archive is a consideration once you get to the
top tier events… if you want to put something
in the archive, do it at the highest quality.”
In the immediate term, though, the pressure
to please subscribers remains key. “The image
quality is something people will look at when
they’re trying to differentiate themselves
from their competitors,” Sykes confirms. “You
can get the consumer TVs, and the bitrates
are available as they weren’t in the very early
days—but if you have a premier league football
game, the rights for that game are very, very
expensive and you need a good look. They’re
always trying to get the best rights, and that’s
a way to differentiate.”
It’s been over a decade since Sony launched
its first 4K broadcast camera, though Sykes
points out that HDR had to wait on standards
activity.
“Live broadcast producers were operating
in an HD SDR environment, mainly, and
our first developments looked at increasing
the resolution,” Sykes said. “As a follow-on
stage about a year later, in the mid-2010s,
HDR in live production really started to
capture everyone’s imagination. It was the
ITU that developed the specifications for TV
production. When those arrived the pathway
was opened up to start producing live content,
and that’s where HDR really did capture
everyone’s imagination.”
IT’S NOT JUST THE TECHNOLOGY
Equipment is one thing; technique is
another. “There is a technology aspect to all
this,” Sykes confirms, “but there’s also an
operational aspect to it as well. It wasn’t just
the technology that needed to be addressed, but
fitting the technology into existing workflows
was a challenge. Imagine you have outside
broadcast companies with operators in the
trucks, camera shaders, vision supervisors, all
having lots of experience in HD SDR, to then
come along and say we can’t have two trucks,
we have to have a simultaneous workflow so we
have some new practices, but we don’t want to
have to completely retrain.”
Automatic downconversion is one option—
once a picture has been engineered for HDR,
there’s enough consistency for a machine to
15
4K production

since become an everyday occurrence.

Lake Forest High School, just outside of Chicago, has employed a full system of Blackmagic Design
cameras and equipment, including Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 digital film cameras and ATEM
Mini Extreme ISO live production switcher for switching, as well as the HyperDeck Shuttle HD for
playback to cover sports.
create the accompanying SDR output.
“If you look at some of the work the BBC
has been doing, they’ve developed their own
LUTs, and we’ve also issued some LUTs of our
own, which are freely downloadable from our
website to do conversions from HDR to SDR.”
Sykes concludes, though, with the
observation that while truck technique is
key, dealing with large sensors and high
resolutions demands the best of camera
operators, too. “If you’re going to shoot the
halftime show at a major event, you’re going
to put your exceptionally good talent on
that.”
READY FOR ANYTHING
Blackmagic Design’s approach to high-
resolution broadcast came from slightly
different beginnings. Darren Gosney,
technical sales manager for the company,
begins on a technical note:
“We were one of the key manufacturers
driving for 6- and 12-gigabit SDI technology
across a lot of live products,” Gosney said.
“We wanted to move away from dual and
quad link for high bandwidth content. One
of the things we’ve really pushed for is UHD
for HD prices—all the way back to when we
“Archive is a consideration once you get to the
top tier events… if you want to put something in
launched the first ATEM switcher with 6G SDI
capabilities, 10 years ago.”
“What that’s let us do is to allow not only
high-end broadcaster to work in UHD, but
also other people to experiment,” he added.
“What we’ve noticed over the past 10 years is
where that’s bled into other areas, the AV and
live events workspace. If you’re hosting live
music events or high-end concerts, you’ll have
huge LED walls at the side of stages and in
those instances high resolution is beneficial. If
you’re pumping through low-res content it’s
hard to distinguish what’s going on.”
HIGH FRAME RATES
On smaller screens, some of the most tech-
savvy consumers exist in the world of computer
gaming. High-bandwidth workflows were
adopted early to satisfy viewers who demanded
high frame rate, if not high resolution.
Some of the earliest applications for images
beyond traditional 25- or 30-frame broadcast
standards were targeted at applications other
than broadcast. Esports needs high frame rate
for much the same reason that conventional
field sports need high frame rate. It’s the same
reason 720-line 50- and 60-frame formats
existed, and it’s why 1080p60 pictures have
Even before 60p became common for live
sports broadcasting, gaming tournaments often
meant putting together 3 Gbps infrastructure
to handle live cameras and feeds from both the
player monitors and in-game virtual cameras.
Still, pushing resolution beyond HD meant four
physically separate links until 6- and 12-gigabit
SDI, or more recently various IP options, found
ways to fit UHD pictures down a single cable.
“Esports is a huge emerging market,” Gosney
says, “and has been for the last few years. The
technology there sometimes exceeds what
you’d see in broadcast. We’ve done extensive
work with the likes of ESL, a big esports
conglomerate across Europe. They use capture
cards to get content in and out of workstations.”
The company’s Ursa Mini cameras, with
their Super-35mm sensors, are examples of a
multipurpose approach that’s only recently
become commonplace; big sensors with lots of
resolution, which can be cropped to suit the job
at hand. “We’ve used the really powerful sensor
we had in our other 6K camera so that you have
the dual-ISO capability, which is really good in
low light if you’re in a conference center, or for
darker concerts,” Gosney says. “Because it has
the resolution, you can also put a B4 broadcast
lens on there and go shoot an interview, then
shoot the VTs, which are interspersed with
the live production… that is one of the huge
benefits of that camera.”
Much as the Ursa series is perfectly capable
of shooting HDR images, Blackmagic’s
implementation through its switchers is a
work in progress. It’s a reminder that HDR is a
system, not a product, although the company is
well-placed to build that system.
“Other manufacturers do cameras, or
switching, or routing, but we have every part
of the puzzle,” Gosney says. “We can connect
end to end and it gives customers confidence
that things will work cohesively. Things like the
ATEM ISO lets you run a fleet of 4K cameras
through our HD television studio switcher, and
it’ll record an iso feed in low bandwidth H.264.
Then, you’ve got the option to drop that into
post, cut, then relink to the camera originals
working in 4K or 6K or even higher.”
With that sort of capability available even
from the company, which positions itself as
the affordable option, the offset between
what producers want and can have, and what
the audience is actually watching, seems set
to persist or even widen. With the technology
democratizing, though, the best conclusion
might be that it may not matter that much,

the archive, do it at the highest quality.” because if we want UHD and HDR at 60
frames, we can increasingly have it, from high
PETER SYKES, SONY U.K. school sports to the Super Bowl. l

16 September 2023 | www.tvtech.com | twitter.com/tvtechnology

reducing churn
For Content Personalization,
‘Taste’ Is All in the Data
Recommendation engines increase viewership, interaction
By James Careless
The applications may seem innocuous when
they suggest new programs for you to watch,
but content personalization/recommendation
engines are truly powerful platforms that
significantly benefit broadcasters and content
distributors.
Case in point: ThinkAnalytics produces
content personalization engines for Bell
Canada, Crunchyroll, Tata, Liberty Glob-
al, SkyMexico and BritBox International,
among others across 38 countries. Based on
its presence on one billion devices serving
475 million people, ThinkAnalytics’ research
has found that its content recommendations
increase on-demand viewership up to 100%,
boost the consumption of linear TV by 35%
and increase the number of channels viewed
by 30%.
“Content recommendation engines are
all about placing the content in front of the
subscriber in such a way that they’re going
to act,” said Greg Riker, chief revenue officer
with ThinkAnalytics in the U.K. “The key is
making the viewing experience on that chan-
nel/platform interesting enough for them to
continue to come back because they’re being
served the content that they like to watch on
an ongoing basis.”
HOW IT WORKS
Content personalization is all about mon-
itoring the types of content a given viewer
chooses to watch—particularly when they do
so for an entire series—and using the data
accumulated during their viewing experiences
to recommend similar kinds of content.
“There are two ways that you can use
personalization,” said Tony Jones, principal
technologist with MediaKind, which offers
its MediaFirst TV recommendation platform.
“First, there’s video on demand, where con-
tent appears as a recommendation for viewers
based on their preferences. Second is the
creation of a ‘Custom Linear Channel.’ This
involves creating a custom channel filled with
content from the recommendation engine.
It’s like a continuous channel specifically
18 September 2023 | www.tvtech.com | twitter.com/tvtechnology
crafted for an individual user, eliminating
the need to swap channels. It’s essentially a
recommendation-driven playlist.”
To do all of this successfully, “video con-
tent recommendation engines leverage sever-
al data sets to suggest content by analyzing a
user’s interests and viewing behavior,” said JT
Taylor, product marketing lead with Syname-
dia; maker of Synamedia Go, a cloud-based
video management platform that includes
content recommendation modules. “There
are several factors that these recommenda-
tions are based on—for example, the viewer’s
search and watch history, and the content
they have previously liked or shared among
others.
“By analyzing data, identifying patterns,
and understanding viewer preferences, these
engines, driven by algorithms developed
with a combination of AI and research, offer
personalized content recommendations that
expand beyond surface level recommenda-
tions solely based on what someone has al-
“The design of
personalization engines
must prioritize the end
consumer’s privacy.”
TONY JONES,
MEDIAKIND
MediaKind’s
MediaFirst is an
end-to-end, cloud
video platform
for the creation,
management and
delivery of next-
generation pay
TV that provides
a personalized TV
experience engaging
the customer in
the live, video
on demand and
subscription content
that is suited to their
viewing.
ready watched,” Taylor continued. “They also
enable viewers to discover new content that
they might have otherwise overlooked.”
ThinkAnalytics refers to this concept as de-
veloping “taste profiles” that capture viewers’
program preferences in ways that can lead to
successful content recommendations.
It’s an in-depth process: “We do a lot of
what we call ‘metadata enrichment’ to get
much more granular on the ability to make
good recommendations,” said Riker. “It’s
not just that you’re watching a drama or a
romcom or that you like this actor. We get
much more detailed than that. It’s the ability
to compare that taste profile against the rest
of the catalog and then put similar content in
front of this person so they continue to watch
this channel.”
As the numbers from ThinkAnalytics
demonstrate, content personalization can
help keep viewers watching the same chan-
nel/platform more often. This reduces churn
at a time of ever-fragmenting audiences due
to increased content choice.
Taylor concurs. “Ultimately, the synergy
between personalized recommendations and
content discovery increases user loyalty and
leads to greater lifetime value for each user,”
he said.
From ThinkAnalytics’ standpoint, it’s about
engagement, according to Riker.
“That’s really important, he said. “If you
can begin to offer similar content and adver-
tising to viewers, you can keep their engage-

Greg Riker, chief revenue officer for
ThinkAnalytics
ment levels very high, and then you can go
from there.”
PRIVACY AND SECURITY CONCERNS
Although content personalization platforms
do harvest viewership data, they do so in such
a way that their identities remain anonymous
and their personal information stays private.
“Privacy is paramount,” Jones said. “Per-
sonalization tools should ensure that individ-
ual users remain unidentified. A token-based
system can ensure user or group anonymity.
The design of personalization engines must
prioritize the end consumer’s privacy.”
His view is endorsed by others in the
industry. “Striking a balance between offering
personalized content recommendations and
respecting user privacy is crucial to ensure
customer trust and maintain a positive
relationship with users,” said Taylor. “As a
responsible technology provider, we prioritize
implementing robust data protection measures
and providing transparency to address these
privacy concerns and ensure a secure and en-
joyable user experience for our customers.”
WHAT’S COMING NEXT
With its ability to keep viewers engaged,
content personalization/recommendation
platforms are helping broadcasters and
content distributors retain and grow their
audiences today.
As for the future? Taylor expects content
recommendations to transcend video and
encompass music, gaming and spoken word
reducing churn
podcasts.
“As well, content recommendations will
incorporate real-time contextual information,”
he said. “Factors like time of day, location, cur-
rent mood, and trending topics will influence
content suggestions. And content discovery
will extend beyond traditional text-based to
include voice-based recommendations, image
recognition, and interactive interfaces.”
Artificial intelligence will play a more
important role, with broadcasters and content
providers working through AI platforms such
as ChatGPT to provide recommendations
based on users’ questions. “Whether it’s Dis-
cord or WhatsApp or Twitch, you can start to
create these one-to-one relationships outside
of the service providers’ own platforms, le-
veraging chatbots and generative AI to drive
recommendations,” said Riker.
Whatever comes next, the primary goal
for content personalization is enhancement,
Jones concluded. “While current recom-
mendation engines are better than random
selections, there’s room for improvement
in targeting content to users’ interests. The
challenge lies in moving beyond simply rely-
ing on a user’s historical habits.” l
inside audio
Why Does A/V Sync Continue to
Be an Issue for Broadcasters?
Out-of-sync audio and video can originate in the OB van or broadcast studio
T
he state of audio and
video synchronicity in
the broadcast world is
definitely improving,
but deficiencies are still
apparent on some broadcasts,
particularly sports.
Audio/video synchronization
problems are aggravating and
probably inevitable. Frequently
many problems experienced in EXPERTISE
the home are solved by software
updates, replacing cables,
Dennis Baxter
adjusting the hardware settings
in your TV and on your soundbar or by simply
unplugging the unit for 30 seconds.
A HEAD SCRATCHER
However, many persistent and seemingly
random sync problems that plague
broadcasters are a head scratcher. For
example, how can various elements within
a production such as wireless microphones
and cameras be out of sync while other
production elements are in sync? I used to
think my problems were a Roku (streaming
device) problem, but then the network goes
Baseball is a tedious sport to sync audio because of the various graphic sources that all inject some
processing latency.
20 September 2023 | www.tvtech.com |
to a commercial break or local
news and that content seems
to mysteriously be in sync. How
can an entire program be out of
sync while the national and local
commercials are in sync?
Although picture and sound in
DTV are transmitted together they
are distinct streams of data and
processed by separate hardware or
software paths at the station and
in TV receivers. Here lies most of
the problems: At-home audio and
video enhancements such as video
upscaling and soundbar decoding through
ancillary speakers require processing time.
Many issues can be resolved with a power
reset, software download and even by
putting a wire between your router and TV,
eliminating the wireless aspect of Wi-Fi, but
there are problems that the viewer cannot
resolve, particularly in sports.
Out-of-sync audio and video sync can begin
in the OB van or broadcast studio where the
audio and video are captured, produced and
processed independently of each other.
With any piece of digital equipment—
twitter.com/tvtechnology
for instance the mixing console—the
microphones have to be digitized and
attention must be paid to the input/output
stage and with the monitoring.
Why? Because latency occurs with every
digital conversion. High-end digital mixing
consoles—such as those from Lawo, Calrec,
Wheatstone and others—have resolved any
noticeable delay, but with the pressure to
reduce engineering costs, small and medium-
sized operations have opted for mixing
consoles from the PA industry that rely on I/
Os that connect through CAT 5/6 along with
console plug-ins for compressors and other
processing equipment that certainly inject
timing issues.
Mismatched conversion or sampling rates
will certainly cause latency between digital
equipment and can be easily overlooked
during installation. At the end of the day, a
“valid test” should be conducted to ensure
that the audio and video are in sync before
leaving the studio or OB van.
A SUMMER OF FRUSTRATION
Every time I watch TV I observe A/V sync
issues, but I decided to give broadcasters
another look last month and was very
surprised at what I saw and heard. Nothing
demonstrates a sync issue better than the
crack of the bat hitting a fastball or the
whack of the golfer on a tee shot.
Earlier this season, ESPN’s Sunday Night
Baseball caught my attention after I noticed
that the first several batters were out of
sync. This does not surprise me because the
audio team might have to do some tweaking
to get the sync dialed in. But after several
innings the sync did not improve.
Months later, ABC/ESPN appeared to
have their sync issues under control and
their coverage of softball championships
with RF microphones on the coaches and
umpire seemed to match the picture.
ESPN’s WNBA coverage was impressive
because the net microphones and
coaches’ microphone were spot-on with
the commercial breaks. Later that day I
observed that ESPN’s SportsCenter was in
sync, but once again Sunday Night Baseball
 inside audio

was off. How does that happen?

Glenn Stilwell at the
Baseball is a tedious sport to sync audio mixing console of an
because of the various graphic sources that
all inject some processing latency. I asked Sync issues are pervasive Apple TV broadcast

Glenn Stilwell, who produces and mixes and elusive and can
baseball for Apple TV, what the numerous
audio sync pinch points in baseball are. occur in production,
“Foremost the pitchcast or strikebox,” transmission, distribution,
he responded. “Second is the advertising
boards [green screen] behind home plate. and finally, in the home.
Third can be any low depth of field RF
cameras that shoot presenters. And then insure and maintain sync. I know that sync
there are wireless mics placed on the home issues have been addressed in these pages;
plate umpire. Getting all that to sync with however what I do not know is why sync is
the video can be a challenge.” still a pervasive problem, particularly with
Stilwell further said that “Camera 4 sports. I would appreciate hearing from
[center field] is the most common video my engineering and video friends who can
signal that will need a sync adjustment, explain to this non-techie audio guy what’s
as it is the one typically used with the going on.l
pitchcast and advertising signs. Camera 2
[high home] also has a different sync given
Dennis Baxter has contributed to hundreds of live events
that it is used to show certain graphics.” including sound design for nine Olympic Games. He has
In addition to baseball, golf is particularly earned multiple Emmy awards and is the author of “A
difficult to sync because of the abundance Practical Guide to Television Sound Engineering”
and “Immersive Sound Production – A Practical
of wireless microphones and cameras Guide” on Focal Press. He can be reached at dbaxter@
used. During my listening test I observed dennisbaxtersound.com or at www.dennisbaxtersound.
that both CBS and CW’s LIV golf were
unacceptably out of sync.
I waited for CBS to show the booth
announcers and noticed that they were
slightly out of sync, but when they showed
the roving announcers, the sync only got
worse and the tee shots on both CBS and
LIV golf were hideous. I curiously waited
for CBS to go to “60 Minutes” and found the
sync on “60 Minutes” to be acceptable.
Finally I observed that NBC NASCAR
had various degrees of sync issues between
the many RF microphones and even
the commercials, but when the network
switched to local news, the sync issues
cleared up. During the day and evening I
noticed that one of the four local networks
had sync issues on all programming and
that the talking heads on CNN, MSNBC and
PBS were in sync.
Sync issues are pervasive and elusive
and can occur in production, transmission,
distribution, and finally, in the home.
With production, anything wireless comes
with timing problems. Additionally, when
moving audio and video through the
network, frame synchronizers and encoders
need processing time to accomplish their
tasks. Bit rate reduction, better known as
“compression,” is always prone to timing
issues.
I know the technology exists to initiate
proper sync, and there are various “time
stamping” schemes that can be used to
storage technology
Storage Technologies Need to Change
to Keep Up With Supply and Demand
The steps you’ll need to take to future-proof your infrastructure
I
n recent years media organiza-
tions have been preparing for
changes in how media is pro-
duced, which inevitably came to
fruition once the impacts of Covid
were realized. Prior to the pandem-
ic, remote production was quite
stable for those larger venue-like
productions (concerts, sports,
entertainers), however day-to-day
operations (news, weather, local EXPERTISE
shows) had to be re-envisioned on
a much broader scale once produc-
Karl Paulsen
tion crews became isolated.
The media and entertainment industry saw
a huge impact as the industry nearly shut down
overnight. Once organizations were able to sur-
vey the availability of their own resources, the
extension of those resources quickly expanded,
supported by software-enabled internet-based
interconnects and flexible remote applications
that were portable and adjustable.
‘REMOTE MODE’
When the pandemic was “officially” over, the
entities that enabled these new routine remote
operations quickly understood that they could
continue in the “remote-mode” fashion and
sought to keep that new operational model
Fig. 1: Structure of 3D-NAND flash devices
22 September 2023 | www.tvtech.com | twitter.com/tvtechnology
functional. This, obviously, pleased
the majority of those who had now
resolved to work from home and
could easily and effectively operate
in that model with only marginal
impact on homebase facilities. Cer-
tainly, exceptions popped up and
adjustments had to be made—but
the overall design and modeling for
remote production was established.
The foundation for many live and
non-live productions were now
setting like wet concrete.
Other things besides connec-
tivity and applications have been changed
or augmented to allow remote or at-home
production to be sustained. The most obvious
is the cloud—but cloud facilities had to expand
in similar fashion to allow home-based central
equipment rooms of the broadcast facility to be
more easily utilized.
By that I mean, accessibility, bandwidth,
networking and fast, easily accessible storage all
had to be reshaped in order to support live and
non-live production requirements.
One of those areas, storage growth, has not
slowed down in the least. Predictions say that
by 2026 more than 220 exabytes of data (equal
to 220 quintillion (1018) bytes) will have been
created and stored somewhere in various eco-
systems, according to research and a report by
Coughlin Associates.
THE VARIETIES OF CLOUD
Reports have indicated that server and
storage spending are leading indicators of the
global economy. As for the future, companies
are either terrified or optimistic of that pattern,
or both at the same time, as predicted by Next-
Platform in September 2022. IDC reported that
total revenues in “shared cloud,” “dedicated
cloud” and “all-cloud plus non-cloud” reached
$39.9B; and overall increases from 2020 for the
same period reached over $10B in growth.
This only covers a single segment of those
overall applications, and when compared with
past sales—including service providers and
everyone else (private users, non-shared ser-
vices, etc.)—total revenue in 2020 was $130.9B
and the predicted revenue in 2026 will reach
$197.3B (references from IDC in 2022 as a CAGR
of 10.9% from 2022 to 2026).
With this growth, how will storage technol-
ogy be able to keep up with the supply and de-
mand expectations? What is changing to meet
these goals? There is a steady change in storage
technology platforms, which are necessary to
meet the objectives expected. Some manufac-
turers are betting on the change to an all-flash
storage device, whether for the local device or
the cloud. One manufacturer recently reported
that they expect capacity of their proprietary
DFMs (direct flash modules) to increase by
six-fold in a few years, reaching up to 300 TB
capacities.
Advancements in 3D NAND (Fig. 1) areal
density will look somewhat like how HDD (hard
disk drives) grew a few short years ago. The
physical capacities of such hard drives nearly
reaching saturation as molecular densities
drove magnetics to practically crashing and
colliding upon themselves. Today, 24 TB and
48 TB DFM drives are shipping, dwarfing past
other devices and showing that HDDs may no
longer be the norm.
How is this changing? Heretofore, 3D NAND
devices used a stacking or laying principle
with between 112 and 160 layers per IC. In the
next few years (and less than five), fab vendors
expect the number of active layers to increase

Fig. 2: Storage pool
internal architecture;
formed out of one or
more SSD or HDD disk
devices. Once a storage
pool set is created,
storage groups or sets
may be provisioned
from it.
to between 400 and 500 layers, yielding much
higher-capacity 3D NAND ICs.
OTHER STORAGE SEGMENTS
Applications for storage and its growth
indicate that there are other storage segments
which also need to be supported by M&E.
Long-term archiving will continue on various
media form factors, with external HDD deriving
around 18% of the archive storage space and
20% for local storage networks (NAS and
SAN) with about an equal amount for private
or public cloud at 21%. Digital magnetic tape
(e.g., LTO or similar) remains the leader at
32% overall, according to Coughlin Associates’
research—but this may be shifting downward as
cloud becomes more convenient and affordable.
This prediction, again, is for long-term storage
and for short-term storage the model changes
SEPTEMBER
In celebration of our 40th
anniversary, TV Tech
is offering a month-by-
month look at some of
the headline-making industry news of the past
four decades.
September 1983: TV Technology goes to press
for the first time. After several years of publish-
ing a successful radio broadcasting magazine—
Radio World—Steve Dana’s lMAS Publishing
launches a similar publication for the television
sector. The brand, which expanded online in the
‘90s, changed its name to TV Tech in 2021.
September 1993: Bell Atlantic (now Verizon)
launches a “video-over-copper” trial service
for some 300 of its Alexandria, Va. employees.
even more dramatically.
Both bandwidth and storage are required for
a proper balance in content generation (i.e.,
production, capture, post and readying for
transmission). The evolution of the network
to 100 Gbps is almost routine now. Effectively,
new installations striving towards an all-digital
post-production environment should consider
no less than 100 Gbps pipes to address the up-
and-coming virtual environments that already
require 20 to 50 Gbps connectivity/communica-
tions on a consistent basis.
Multipliers for content capture command
more and faster storage solutions that can only
be met by adding storage (local and/or cloud)
and pipes that move data at rates approaching
50+ Gbps continuously. If you’re producing 4K
(or 8K for long-term archiving) the network
must be capable of handling 100 Gbps with the
The “ADSL” (asymmetric digital subscriber line)
service is reported to deliver “slightly better than
VHS” quality, with MPEG video sent at 1.5 Mbps.
Subscribers have access to 30 movies residing
on a server.
September 2003: Despite much talk about
television’s “tapeless future,” manufacturers
continue to push the envelope on packing data
onto magnetic tape, with projections of moving
from present-day 100-gig data cassettes to 1 TB
of uncompressed data by 2006, and as much as
10 TB by 2011.
September 2013: Concerns are being raised
about the use of unoccupied TV channel “white
spaces” to transmit broadband data services.
Industry experts caution that interference to
licensed DTV broadcast channels would be
especially difficult to track down from mobile
twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | September 2023
storage technology
servers and storage able to receive (and return)
such data rates. Today, for most storage systems
in the M&E space, the bulk of those facilities
continue to rely on HDD, however, SSDs are
playing an increasingly important role through
the use of NVMe SSD and NVMe over fabrics
leveraging the “pooling” of storage.
Storage pools (Fig. 2) are principal constructs
around storage virtualization. The “distribu-
tion” of a storage pool (a block of storage) may
be connected in any number of means including
Fibre Channel, iSCSI or direct attached (DAS)
storage devices. The pool should not be “ven-
dor-locking,” meaning that a pool should not be
dependent upon one storage vendor’s product
or proprietary solution—and instead allow flexi-
bility to add or remove storage devices across
the overall storage network solution. This, in
turn maximizes the opportunity to scale or shift
storage depending on the load or application;
very important when exchanging files or resolu-
tion densities in a production environment.
One can see that the dynamics associated
with these new and future production storage
sets will require some careful planning to miti-
gate being trapped into a single source solution.
This appears, on the surface, to be the target for
future storage product providers, whether in the
cloud or on-prem.l
Karl Paulsen is a frequent TV Tech contributor who
has been writing about storage and media solution
technologies for the past three decades. He can be
reached at karl@ivideoserver.tv.
transmission devices and their location unpre-
dictability. Wireless microphones operating in
white space frequencies could also be impacted
by such difficult-to-trace interference sources.
James E. O’Neal
Prior to producing its first issue, TV Technology
sent out this ‘prototype’ magazine to
prospective subscribers.
23
eye on tech | product and services
MuxIP
Pod FAST TV
MuxIP, a provider of automated solutions for ad-
supported streaming, has launched Pod FAST TV,
designed to provide content creators the ability to
globally distribute vodcast and podcast content
targeting major FAST channel platforms, including
LG Channels, Pluto TV, Roku, Samsung TV Plus,
and Tubi. MuxIP’s Pod FAST TV format enables podcasters/vodcasters to
expand audiences and advertiser support beyond audio-only formats and
deliver live capabilities for higher CPMs and higher engagement.
As part of the launch, MuxIP is partnering with AVC Group, a global
integrator and distributor of audio, radio and vision products, to deliver
FASTHub for Pod FAST TV to its roster of content creation clients across
Australia, New Zealand, Middle East, North Africa, India and the Pacific
Islands.
z www.muxip.com
G&D
2 Factor Authorization
for KVM Systems
KVM manufacturer G&D has added
2-factor authorization (2FA) security
feature to its KVM systems to minimize the risk of cyberattacks. 2FA
for KVM systems provides access control to critical data and systems,
thus offering a higher standard of security, ensuring that only authorized
users can access the systems. This additional security level contributes
to protecting sensitive data and significantly reducing the risk of
cyberthreats.
Until now, user authentication for KVM systems involved a password
query. The optional 2FA introduces a second, ownership-based factor
that provides an additional level of security. A Time-Based-One-Time-
Password (TOTP) is used for this. In matrix installations, the feature ensures
increased security and in extender applications, in which 2FA is included
by default, this feature also brings significant benefits.
z www.gdsys.com
WideOrbit
WO Network 2023
WideOrbit has released WO Network
2023, the company’s flagship network
ad sales and commercial operations platform. WO Network 2023
introduces a number of new capabilities and benefits that are designed
to help broadcast and cable networks generate more revenue, reduce
costs, and improve efficiency.
Those capabilities include enhanced Direct Response automation;
improved precision when calculating CPMs and accounting for delivered
impressions; improvements to the Electronic Material Instructions module
and more. More specifically, Properties can now define raw impression
values from 1(000) thousand to the unit level 1(001), which allows users
more accuracy when calculating CPMs and accounting for delivered
impressions; there is a new tab within Constraint Instruction Bundles to
track changes to bundles; and users can create Master Deals from an
existing group of deals from Deal Search.
z www.wideorbit.com
24 2023 || www.tvtechnology.com
XXXXXXXX 2021
September www.tvtech.com | | twitter.com/tvtechnology
twitter.com/tvtechnology
Vizrt
MOS Gateway for Viz Flowics
Vizrt has added Media Object Server (MOS)
protocol support to its cloud-native HTML5
Viz Flowics platform. The addition means
Viz Flowics is now an HTML5 graphics
system with a MOS Gateway and HTML plug-in for all MOS-compliant
newsroom computer systems (NRCS). The support simplifies newsroom
MOS workflows, enabling efficient graphics creation and management of
graphics playlists, the company said.
While Viz currently offers a comprehensive solution using the MOS
protocol, the addition of MOS support to Viz Flowics gives newsrooms and
broadcasters seeking to adopt HTML5 for graphics a path forward. “We
want to make it easier for customers, especially broadcasters with more
simple graphics requirements, to incorporate HTML5 graphics,” said Gabriel
Baños, co-founder of Flowics. “The new MOS support in combination with
our native integrations with local weather, traffic and markets data providers
makes this solution a perfect fit for regional broadcasters and local stations
who are looking for more effective graphics systems.”
z www.flowics.com
Hitachi-Comark
VHF Band 3 E-Compact
Series Transmitter
Hitachi-Comark has introduced
the EC600HP-BB3 VHF Band 3
E-Compact series high-efficiency,
air-cooled solid-state DTV transmitters. The EC600HP-BB3 product line
is available with up to 4x power amplifiers (PAs) in parallel, producing from
1150 W to up to 4.6 kW, respectively. The EC600HP-BB3 features the
latest broadband Doherty LDMOS RF power amplifiers with efficiency of
up to 40%.
The new VHF band 3 E-Compact delivers the same features as the
UHF version, including, among others: EXACT-V2 DTV exciter licensed
for ATSC 1.0 and optional license for ATSC 3.0; hot-swappable rectifiers
accessible from the front panel of the PA chassis; dual commercial off-
the-shelf GE AC-to-DC rectifiers per PA in load share mode; single drive
exciter and controller or optional dual drive with auto switching.
z https://comarktv.com/
ARRI
Software Update Package 2.0
for cforce mini, cforce plus
ARRI has unveiled a Software Update Package
(SUP) 2.0 for its cforce mini and cforce plus lens motors. The update
improves the time it takes the motors to respond to user input, making
them twice as responsive. All cforce mini and cforce plus lens motors
in the market can benefit from the free software update and increased
performance is not affected by the choice of hand unit.
Any ARRI ECS configuration using the Hi-5, ZMU-4, SXU-1 or the
legacy WCU-4 can take advantage of the motors’ halved latency and a
pronounced enhancement of the first AC’s direct connection to the lens axis.
When working with a low-friction lens, the new motor firmware delivers
particularly improved performance when coupled with the larger 50t
CLM-4 gear (K2.72108.0). The combination delivers 25% faster speeds than
when used with the default 40t but with a slight reduction in maximum
torque, according to ARRI.
z www.arri.com/en

Videon
LiveEdge
Video encoding provider Videon has
integrated Zixi’s tech platform into Videon’s
LiveEdge, a powerful container-based
edge compute ecosystem with sub-second
glass-to-glass latency. A second integration
enables LiveEdge to be managed by
Zixi’s ZEN Master control plane, enabling users to manage large-scale
configurations and orchestrate, analyze, monitor, and report on live video
streams and devices across the Zixi Enabled Network of customers,
integrated hardware and software applications, platforms and service
providers standardized on Zixi.
Key features include the ingestion of live video, audio, graphics
and metadata, including proprietary and custom data formats, for
normalization, synchronization, visualization and security using native,
third-party or custom containers such as SMPTE-336 (KLV), SCTE-35,
timestamp, DRM, watermarking, etc.
z www.videonlabs.com/live-edge
MediaKind
MK/IO
MediaKind has introduced the
MK/IO streaming solution that
blends video quality and high
reliability with the quality of
experience that today meets
the expectations of millions of
viewers. Built on Microsoft Azure, MK/IO offers a video streaming canvas
for app developers, video platforms and others looking to improve the
experience they deliver to customers, the company said.
MK/IO offers video-on-demand (VOD) and live streaming, encoding
and packaging services for files and live video streaming with digital
rights management (DRM) support and a native media player. It is built on
Azure cloud and integrated in Azure Marketplace and offers application
programming interface (API) parity and one-click asset migration for all
Azure Media Services users.
z https://io.mediakind.com/
AI Media
LEXI Viewer
LEXI Viewer is a new captioning solution that
AI-Media says will revolutionize how event
organizers captivate and engage audiences.
Features include Full Screen Mode, allowing captions to be displayed on
the entire screen, offering maximum accessibility to a large audience;
Background Image Mode: Users can overlay four rows of captions on a
custom background image, providing complete configurability of caption
appearance, including font, text size, positioning and color; Caption
Decoder Mode: Captions can be displayed over the input video to mimic
the behavior of a consumer caption decoder while offering customization
options for font and text color; Scaler Mode: Users can maintain full
visibility of presentation content by scaling down the input video by 20%
and displaying two rows of captions above or below the video.
Furthermore, event organizers can enhance captioning security and
retain greater control of their data by pairing LEXI Viewer with LEXI Local.
This powerful solution provides LEXI automatic captions on-premises,
eliminating cloud-related concerns and ensuring complete data privacy.
z www.ai-media.tv/
eye on tech | product and services
MRMC
Cinebot Mini
Cinebot Mini, a small, lightweight, versatile
camera robot, includes a range of user-friendly
features that are well-suited for studio owners,
content creators, grips, cinematographers and
camera operators. The Cinebot Mini robot can be controlled manually
and record camera positions, a feature that makes complex camera
movements more accessible. Built to be portable, the robot is easy-to-
transport, setup and use on location.
It can run up to eight hours on battery power and can be controlled
by hand directly from a mobile device or with MRMC’s Flair software.
The robot can handle a camera payload of up to 22 pounds (10 kg) and
offers a 4-foot-3-inch (1.3m) arm reach, allowing operators to shoot from
a variety of angles and positions. For added flexibility, the Cinebot Mini
comes with a track and pedestal option. This feature allows the robot to
be used on an adjustable pedestal for height variation or equipped with a
track for an additional axis of movement.
z www.mrmoco.com
Cineverse
MatchpointAI
MatchpointAI is a new AI-based
platform and marketplace that
provides video content producers,
streaming platforms and OEMs
an easy-to-use way to prepare,
optimize and future-proof their content. MatchpointAI blends Cineverse’s
proprietary AI tools and an array of pre-integrated third-party AI tools. It
uses Cineverse’s proprietary content processing platform, Dispatch, to
provide content owners and streaming services access to capabilities that
can eliminate expensive, time-consuming manual work preparing film and
television assets for global distribution.
MatchpointAI also provides companies with a premium, affordable path
to scale global content processing and delivery at far lower error rates
at substantially reduced costs, while simultaneously preparing content
libraries for next-generation implementations.
z www.matchpoint.tv
Chyron
PRIME Platform 4.8
Version 4.8 of Chyron PRIME Platform live
production engine includes a new JavaScript
Effect & Resource tool that provides an intuitive interface to import
and edit scripts entirely from within PRIME. Scripts can be applied as
parameters at the object, scene, project and application level. New
scripting security settings also have been added to ensure security in
the cloud and on premise. The new version adds Replaceable Panel for
playout operators, offering an alternative to a custom control panel that
populates automatically with a scene’s replaceable elements, making
it fast to edit text, images and style values. The panel also offers control
over external updates and data bindings. There is also support for multiple
graphic subfolders, making it easy to drive all productions from one project.
For automated productions driven by external updates or Chyron’s
Intelligent Interface protocol, the introduction of message ranges
saves hours of operator time by eliminating the design requirement for
hundreds of graphics variations.
z https://chyron.com/
twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | September 2023 25
 equipment guide | audio

Immersive MMG of edit and mix groups. But two of the biggest
additions for our workflow are bus panning
and rewire support.

Upgrades Audio BUS PANNING AND REWIRE

Since we focus on Atmos and other immer-

Workflow With
sive audio formats, being able to use bus pan-
ning and placement is a huge timesaver and
helps to streamline our mixing process, espe-

Blackmagic DaVinci
USER REPORT
By Ken Mertz & Chris Keeney
Engineers
Immersive Music/Media Group
LANCASTER, Pa.—Immersive Music/Me-
dia Group (Immersive MMG) is a collection
of unified creative professionals rooted in a
Dolby-certified Atmos mixing room, recording
space and media facility. We offer our clients
the highest quality and most cutting-edge ser-
vices within our industry, as our goal for each
project is to facilitate a positive, meaningful,
memorable and unique experience from start
to finish. It’s why our facility offers a range
of services, including shooting, editing and
grading, in addition to mixing and recording,
in order to provide Immersive MMG and our
clients with a competitive edge.
At the core of Immersive MMG’s services
is our sound studio, a premier destination
for audio services. We’ve had everyone from
Grammy-nominated producers to songwriters
to audio engineers to instrumentalists walk
through our doors.
workflow. For example, we can mix with native
Atmos integration and patch ins and outs
to and from additional in-house hardware,
computers and speaker setups, all from within
Fairlight’s Patch Input/Output menu. For extra
control and a greater variety of workflows,
Fairlight gives us the ability to swap the order
of effects, dynamics and EQ.
Blackmagic Design has continued to up
its game with each new version of DaVinci
Resolve Studio, and version 18.5 is no excep-
tion. On the Fairlight page alone, many of the
most recent upgrades are practical and useful
to our daily processes, such as fine control of
automation level trimming and the addition
cially with dense and complex material. Rewire
support is another benefit to our workflow and
helps to make what can be a tedious process of
connecting certain types of third-party plug-
ins and software much smoother, saving us
time and energy.
These latest upgrades help us leverage the
workflow and processes that we have devel-
oped over the years in audio-only DAWs, while
reaping the additional editing, color grading
and VFX benefits of the entire Davinci Resolve
platform. This results in a win-win for us and
our clients and helps us to truly offer the high-
est-quality services possible. l
Ken Mertz and Chris Keeney are engineers
at Immersive Music/Media Group. They can be
reached at 717-621-2441 or at
info@immersivemmg.com.
For more information, visit
www.blackmagicdesign.com.

ALL IN THE NAME

A primary focus of our company is Atmos
and other immersive audio formats, and at the
core of our Atmos studio is a computer-based
content development design with a DAW/video
production computer connected through 128
MADI channels to a dedicated Dolby Atmos
Rendering Master Workstation (RMW). This
supports DaVinci Resolve Studio editing,
color grading, VFX and audio post-production
software. We use DaVinci Resolve Studio’s
Fairlight audio post-production tools and
a five-bay Fairlight Advanced Console for
mixing and mastering for our musician and
post-production clientele alike.
Implemented in 2020, Fairlight’s flexibility Acoustic guitar instrumentalist Bob Coyne shot in 6K and keyed out in the DaVinci Resolve
and feature set seamlessly support our spatial Studio color page at Immersive MMG

twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | September 2023 27

equipment guide | audio
buyers briefs

Wheatstone
Strata Audio
Control
Surface
Wheatstone’s Strata is a compact (40-inch wide) mixing/processing
surface that interfaces with the entire family of Wheatstone Blades,
Stageboxes, and AoIP Audio Drivers. A Wheatstone network consists of
various Blade I/O types (Analog, AES3, Mic, MADI, HD/SDI embedded
audio) connected via Gigabit ethernet. The surface itself is also
connected via GigE, with redundant network ports on both the surface
and the Mix Engine Blade associated with the surface.
Strata is AES67/2110 compatible and has extensive on-board
processing applicable to all inputs and master outputs: 4 band full
parametric EQ, Hi/Lo pass filters, expander/gate, and compressor/
limiter. All processing and control is done via an intuitive central 13.3-inch
16:9 1080p touchscreen. 32 physical motorized faders control sources on
two layers providing 64 active mix channels.
www.wheatstone.com
Lawo
mc²56
The third
generation of the
mc² 56 represents incorporates several groundbreaking features from
Lawo’s mc² 96 flagship console while offering compact size, flexibility
and versatile design for applications ranging from broadcast trucks and
studios to live performance and recording. For optimized performance
within IP video production environments, it offers full support for native
ST2110, AES67, Ravenna and Dante, while Lawo’s LiveView feature
enables thumbnail previews of video streams directly in the fader
labeling displays.
Networking applications have also been enhanced with the addition
of unique capabilities such as IP Easy simplified network setup and DSCA.
https://lawo.com
Nugen Audio
Utility Tools
Nugen’s new Utility Tools are
aimed at encouraging creativity
and improving workflows. This
includes Jotter, a timestamped
annotation tool, and Aligner,
which perfectly aligns audio
with just the touch of a button.
Aligner is an automatic
phase and polarity alignment/correction tool with an automatic linking
functionality to connect multiple instances in session. It can be utilized in
various instances, including lining up multitrack recordings or to ensure a
microphone and direct input signals are lined up correctly. Jotter allows
TV and film sound editors to collaborate with each other and directly with
clients worldwide.
https://nugenaudio.com/
Neumann
KH 120 II Studio
Monitors
Designed for audio professionals,
Neumann KH 120 II monitors were
created to redefine audio excellence in the industry. With a frequency
response of 45 Hz to 21 kHz, these monitors offer a wide dynamic range,
ensuring that every nuance of your audio is faithfully reproduced.
Featuring the latest advancements in sustainable design, the KH 150
II offers impeccable sonic performance across the entire frequency
spectrum. The new long-throw 6-inch woofer provides tight and
controlled bass, while the 1-inch tweeter delivers pristine highs without
any harshness or distortion, providing an incredibly accurate and
immersive listening experience.
www.neumann.com
Wohler
iAM-SUM
The iAM-SUM Series
is a set of well-featured, easy-to-use and competitively priced IP-ready
audio monitors/mixers available in 8-, 16- or 32-channel configurations to
operate in either single channel or pair mode. Standard features include
3G-SDI and a pair of analog inputs and outputs. Upgrade/license other
signal formats and processing options, as and when needed, either
initially or after purchase.
Equally at home in QC, fast-paced OB and live-to-air environments,
iAM-SUM provides intuitive audio monitoring with instant access to
signals or to user-definable presets of any individual signal source or a
mix of sources for monitoring and mixing. Options for additional signals
include AES3, MADI, Dante, Ravenna, SMPTE-2110 and SMPTE-2022-7.
www.wohler.com
Sennheiser
EW-DP
Wireless
Microphone
System
Sennheiser’s fifth-
generation Evolution Wireless system is a fully digital UHF wireless
microphone system with a new portable design and unmatched audio
quality. At its heart is a compact, intelligent receiver that helps even
novice users set up their audio with ease. ​Besides the stackable EW-DP
EK receiver, the series includes a bodypack transmitter for clip-on mics
(EW-D SK), handheld transmitter (EW-D SKM-S) and plug-on transmitter
(EW-DP SKP) that will launch in October.
Three sets are available: The EW-DP ME 2 SET comes with a bodypack
transmitter and the ME 2 omni-directional clip-on (lavalier) microphone,
while the EW-DP ME 4 SET includes a cardioid clip-on microphone
for noisier environments. The EW-DP 835 SET contains a handheld
transmitter with cardioid MMD 835 dynamic microphone head.
www.sennheiser.com

28 September 2023 | www.tvtech.com | twitter.com/tvtechnology


Middle Tennessee State U. Sounds
Off With Calrec for Bonnaroo
USER REPORT
By Michael Fleming
Professor of Audio Production
College of Media Entertainment’s Recording
Industry Department
Middle Tennessee State Univ.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn.—At Middle Ten-
nessee State University, our broadcast audio
advances and remote production accomplish-
ments have been rapidly evolving. A prime
example of this happened in June during the
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Man-
chester, Tenn., where more than 80,000 fans
took in 135 scheduled acts on six primary
stages over a non-stop four-day weekend. The
experience of seeing and hearing multiple
overlapping shows, especially amongst the
kaleidoscopic lights of “‘Roo” at night, is
exhilarating and dizzying.
However, if the crowds, sound levels and
smells of a live music festival aren’t your
speed, there was a streaming alternative
on Hulu, which broadcast two channels of
Bonnaroo programming over the same four
days with live and time-shifted coverage of 71
MTSU students used Calrec gear to produce the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival for a live Hulu
stream.
selected performances.
It takes a national level crew of producers
and craft professionals to create 70 consis-
tent hours of great-looking, great sounding,
high-definition multicamera concert television.
But who would have guessed that 29 of the
streamed performances, originating from two
separate Bonnaroo stages—sometimes at the
same time—were switched and mixed entirely
by a crew of university students in a 40-foot ex-
pando box truck nearly half a mile from NEP’s
mobile units in the master control compound?
EMERGING ARTISTRY
In 2014, when this story begins, the College
of Media and Entertainment at MTSU hosted
a symposium on music festival management
that opened the door to an educational part-
nership with Bonnaroo. I became the coordi-
nator and audio supervisor on a faculty/staff
team that taught nearly 100 students over the
next five years how to mix, shoot, engineer
and direct live performance coverage of
Bonnaroo’s “emerging artist” stage.
What began next as a limited plan in 2018
to replace the truck console and deploy
digitally networked field boxes led to another
opportunity thanks to Calrec. We made a
twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | September 2023
equipment guide | audio
transformational investment in not just one
but three digital broadcast audio consoles
with associated I/O equipment to support
broader collaboration and training on premis-
es as well as in the mobile unit. We certainly
didn’t know how relevant distributed produc-
tion and remote integration would become
within the next year.
G MASTER LENSES
During peak-Covid, we used our Calrec
Summa-32 and Brio-36 consoles in a variety
of linked and independent configurations
across the MTSU campus on dark fiber Hydra2
networks and within the College of Media and
Entertainment’s studios. The equipment and
its unique capabilities also helped us launch a
new broadcast audio production course.
We broke the mold again at Bonnaroo
in 2022 when we were asked to go live and
produce several mainstage EDM acts for
that year’s Hulu broadcast. Not only did we
shoot more total performance hours than any
previous season, we spanned more than 3,000
feet with a dozen video lines and over 100
audio channels to reach both the EDM stage
and our alternate venue, thanks to our Calrec
upgrades.
To achieve simultaneous broadcasts from
two stages in 2023, we implemented two fully
independent video production switchers, a
complex audio traffic scheme with multitrack
recording, and independent audio program
mixing, monitoring and QC, thanks in huge
part to the flexibility of the Brio’s split con-
sole layers, dual inputs per channel, multiple
main buses and Calrec Fader Assist. l
Michael Fleming is an audio engineer with
a strong track record in broadcast audio and
music production. He earned degrees in physics
and music from Carleton College and McGill
University, respectively, and has held national
office in the Audio Engineering Society.
At Middle Tennessee State University, Flem-
ing is a professor of audio production in the
College of Media and Entertainment’s Record-
ing Industry Department. He can be reached at
Michael.Fleming@mtsu.edu or
seattletvcrew@comcast.net.
For more information visit
https://calrec.com/.
29
equipment guide | audio

SSL Powers PBS’ within the S500 console, and it is great to have
everything in one spot.
In addition to having the broadcast ca-

‘Austin City Limits’

pability, networking capacity, high-quality
mic pres and DSP functionality, we needed
dynamic automation, which is not only key

Audio Production
USER REPORT
By Randy Reynolds
Lead Audio Engineer/Austin PBS
Audio Supervisor/”Austin City Limits”
SEATTLE—“Austin City Limits”—now in its
49th season—is the longest-running music
television show in history. We broadcast on
PBS stations nationwide and host approxi-
mately 20 shows per year. We are proud of the
contribution we have made over the years,
not only to the city of Austin, but to Ameri-
can music culture at large.
One of the things that makes us unique
is that we have always let the artist choose
the songs, giving them full artistic control.
In my experience, this is highly unusual, and
certainly welcomed by the artists we work
with. Something else that makes us unique is
we have recorded every performance in-house
for all 49 years. These performances are then
edited down to 13 one-hour episodes that run
internationally. Some of the artists we have
worked with include Paul Simon, Foo Fight-
ers, Billie Eilish, Steve Miller and Lyle Lovett,
among others.
were presented with several options, but
once Audio Director David Hough and I saw
the Solid State Logic S500 console, we both
agreed it was the perfect solution.
GOLD STANDARD
Some of the features that drew us closer to
the System T included the SuperAnalogue mic
pres, and the on-board dynamics and effects—
which are “gold standard” and very important
to us. As far as the mic pres, from the very start
you get the best signal possible, whether in a
live or recording scenario and it is a sound that
artists and bands can immediately connect
with and appreciate. The powerful on-board
DSP is great as well because we don’t want to
have to rely on outboard gear, which we did in
prior years. All of these features and more live
to the post side of our production but also a
helpful tool with clients who want to hear a
specific section or track after a rehearsal or
performance. Using dual Tempest Engines,
I love how we can go from one to the other
seamlessly. On the SSL we can add process-
ing or switch between primary or redundant
engines without a drop in audio. It’s terrific!
Since we’ve installed it, everything has
been very solid. From a sound perspective,
this really takes us to a more modern and
next-level place. SSL is a legacy brand, we
are a legacy brand, it was a very easy match
and we are very pleased. So far, we have done
eight shows with the new console, and we’ve
had nothing but success. l
Randy Reynolds is the lead audio engineer at
Austin PBS and audio supervisor at Austin City
Limits. He can be reached at
rreynolds@klru.org.
For more information visit
www.solidstatelogic.com.

MAINTAIN THE AUDIO VIBE

We recently acquired a new Solid State
Logic System T broadcast audio production
platform, which is housed in the audio con-
trol room at the ACL Live at the Moody The-
atre, where the show is produced. This is our
permanent home and has a seating capacity
of 2,750. The System T platform, which in our
case comprises a 48-fader S500m console and
dual TE1 Tempest Engines and a variety of
SSL’s Network I/O interfaces, provides a com-
prehensive end-to-end solution for recording,
mixing and broadcast applications.
Since we are in an “all-analog” theater, it
was important for us to have Dante/MADI
capability out of the gate to meet our clients
needs and the array of interfaces we see each
season. We want to keep the vibe of what the
band is presenting, but we also broadcast For “Austin City Limits’” 49th season, Randy Reynolds has relied on a new broadcast audio platform
video both internally and to the public. We from Solid State Logic.

30 September 2023 | www.tvtech.com | twitter.com/tvtechnology

 equipment guide | audio

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

Taps Clear-Com for Comms
USER REPORT

By Aaron Stephenson
A/V Supervisor
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

CINCINNATI—From the very beginning of

my tenure at the Playhouse (a large, region-
al, nonprofit theater in its own right) it was
clear that there were frequent aspirations for
transitioning shows to Broadway. We’re a re-
gional Tony Award winner and have also won
a Tony for shows we’ve transferred to New
York. So, we have a profile in the region and
we’re beholden to our patrons to provide the
best possible experience with cutting-edge
technology and by dedicating resources to our
shows so that they’re great, not just on a local
scale, but on a national, global scale.
Recently, the Playhouse had a huge capital
campaign and opened a new building in
March 2023. The theater we were in had
been in place since the 1960s, so, this was a
total campus renovation that required a big
investment, not only for the build but also the
technology needed to make it functional.
NEW BUILD, NEW CLEAR-COM TECH
We’ve been devoted Clear-Com acolytes for
years. Previously, we’d been using CELLCOM,
but coming up to this build, we decided to
upgrade to an Arcadia Base Station, Free-
Speak Edge and FreeSpeak II. Arcadia handles
comms for the entire campus, which has two
spaces: the 537-seat Moe and Jack’s Place—
Rouse Theatre and the 172-seat Rosenthal
Shelterhouse Theatre.
The Shelterhouse is our original theater.
It’s literally a historic park department stone-
walled shelter house with unique comm
needs because it wasn’t built as a theater.
Using FreeSpeak II there—with one antenna
that covers the entire space even through
the stone walls—along with FreeSpeak Edge,
works well for our bigger space.
Getting shows up and running requires
a lot of personnel who require constant,
detailed communication. So we needed an
intercom system that could handle a variety
of needs for productions ranging from dramas
and jukebox musicals to farces and Broadway
shows with a large cast and orchestra. That’s
Aaron Stephenson relies on new gear from Clear-Com for comms at two new theaters at the Cincinnati
Playhouse in the Park.
where Clear-Com comes into the picture—
their technology is so flexible, modular, and
scalable; and with Arcadia and FreeSpeak
II we’re discovering features we didn’t even
realize we wanted.
DIGITAL COMMS WITH ARCADIA
Now we’re running digital wired comms,
FreeSpeak Edge, FreeSpeak II, and an old
analog 4-channel wired system simultane-
ously through Arcadia. It’s pushing the whole
system. We can communicate between digital
and analog, wired and wireless, digital and
digital comms. No matter what we need, we’re
able to facilitate it, which I don’t think any
of us in our wildest dreams expected we’d be
able to do with one base station—especially
for multiple spaces.
We can also create custom groups/channels
that we can change depending on where we
are in production. In tech rehearsals vs. pre-
views vs. production, our needs are distinct,
so being able to quickly and efficiently switch
between those stages of production serves
us very well. Even though we had minimal
training on the system, on the first try, it all
worked, which is rare. We just opened the web
browser, set it up the way we wanted, tested
it, and it worked immediately. Right off the
bat, the cross-platform functionality—using
all these different Clear-Com technologies
together and being able to communicate
between them—was tremendous.
But to me, the primary function of comms
is safety. This new theater has many moving
parts overhead we didn’t have before: set
pieces flying in and out, automated scenery,
trap doors, and all manner of motorized,
moving objects that can be dangerous if you
don’t have constant, vigilant communication.
The fact that people can communicate with
whoever they need to efficiently and quickly
is very important.
Clear-Com’s audio quality also plays into
that—noise, interference, ringing, buzzing
or just being unable to hear what people are
saying. Eliminating that helps us focus and
communicate more clearly. l
Aaron Stephenson is A/V supervisor for Cin-
cinnati Playhouse in the Park. He can be reached
at aaron.stephenson@cincyplay.com.
More information is available at
www.clearcom.com.

twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | September 2023 31

equipment guide | audio
buyers briefs

TSL
MPA1-MIX
The MPA1 product
family provides quick
and simple operation, with each model available as a Solo or Mix variant.
ST 2110, 3G/HD/SD-SDI, Dante, MADI, AES and Analog audio interfaces
are all catered for by the MPA1 Range of audio monitoring products. All
MPA1 monitors share the same 1RU form factor at only 100mm deep,
with a built-in power supply and are ideally suited for where space and
weight is a premium, such as OB trucks, flyaways, SNG and ENG trucks.
Offering simple and intuitive control, the MPA1 range has been
designed to enable the smoothest of workflows for operators and
engineers working under high pressure such as with live production. In
addition, all MPA1 ranges can be configured, controlled and monitored
via web interface, enabling facility-wide management of MPA1 from a
single desktop PC.
https://tslproducts.com
DPA Microphones
DLS4000 Location
Sound Kit
DPA’s DLS4000 Location Sound
Kit features an array of crucial
condenser microphones and
accessories, each chosen
with input from professional
engineers. Included are the
4098 Supercardioid and 4661 Heavy Duty Omnidirectional mics; two
each of the 4097 Micro Shotgun, 4017B Shotgun and 4018C Compact
Supercardioid mics; and a pair each of the 4060, 4061 and 4071
Omnidirectional mics.
Four 6061 and two 6060 Omnidirectional Subminiature mics are also
available for close-miking, along with more than 20 accessories.
www.dpamicrophones.com
Interra Systems
BATON 9.0
Version 9.0 of BATON, Interra’s
company’s AI-/ML-enabled
automated QC platform is
designed to handle most demanding QC standards for quality and
compliance for audio and video. New features added to BATON include
major framework updates, performance enhancements for QC and
analysis of UHD content, optimized IMF analysis, and optimized reading
and downloads from S3 cloud.
In addition, enhanced video quality checks enable the detection and
decoding of QR codes, video dropout, logo detection, color banding for
UHD content, and burnt-in-text recognition. BATON also offers complete
support and checks for subtitles and transport stream formats, as well
as Dolby Atmos, enhanced audio quality checks like Audio Silence, and
enhanced support for formats including REDCODE audio, DPX, and TIFF.
www.interrasystems.com
DHD.audio
XS3
A new addition to DHD.audio’s modular range of audio studio equipment
and systems, the XS3 core audio processor supports up to 20 stereo
faders on DHD audio mixing consoles. Occupying 1U of rack space, it will
form the basis for the reintroduction of complete mixer bundles for the
SX2, DX2, and TX2 models. DHD cores process audio as well as connect
control surfaces and perform I/O routing and interfacing. IP audio feeds
as well as IP-connected remote device control can be closely integrated.
Automated workflows and product virtualization are also supported.
www.dhd-audio.com
RØDE
Wireless Pro
Wireless PRO
RØDE ‘s Wireless PRO utilizes
Series IV 2.4GHz digital
transmission and proprietary
near-zero latency codec with 128-bit encryption, delivering crystal-clear,
stable audio with a range of up to 260m. Its 32-bit float on-board recording
means audio is safely backed up every time it is recorded, with the ability
to recover any recording in post-production that was too loud or too quiet.
The advanced timecode capabilities allow easy synchronization of audio
and video.
Included are two professional Lavalier II microphones for recording
on-screen talent, as well as furry windshields for outdoor use, a pair of
MagClip GO to attach transmitters anywhere, a smart charging case and a
handy accessory pack to store lavs, cables and clips.
https://rode.com/en
Pliant Technologies
CrewCom Firmware &
Software Update, v1.14
Pliant’s latest update to CrewCom includes
support of two additional hardware
devices, convenient new features and
several key improvements to CrewWare
control software to strengthen the user
experience.
With the new v1.14 firmware update,
CrewCom now supports the addition of the
new IP-rated lineup of radio transceivers
(RTs), and the current CrewCom CRP-12 series of radio packs (RPs).
CrewWare v1.14 includes a unique UI display in the system diagram of
CrewWare that automatically detects the new IP-rated RT hardware and
shows when it is in use, as well as the indication of corresponding new
model numbers in the detail and device list views.
www.plianttechnologies.com

32 September 2023 | www.tvtech.com | twitter.com/tvtechnology


IntraCom
VCOM
VCOM is a software-based,
always-on, multichannel, multi-
access matrix communications platform that can be provisioned in the
cloud or on-premises for professional and mission-critical applications
and as such, can be located anywhere a network connection can be
established. VCOM is highly scalable to thousands of users and supports
virtually an unlimited number of channels and conferences.
The feature-rich, IP-based system incorporates an abundance of
practical functionalities that have been developed over Intracom’s 17 years
of providing IP solutions. VCOM systems are found worldwide in renowned
facilities that depend on crisp, reliable communications to operate.
www.intracomsystems.com
Wisycom
MTK982 IEM/IFB Transmitter
With high-
quality audio
and extremely
low spurious emission, Wisycom’s MTK982 dual-wideband, stereo IEM/
IFB transmitter features up to 330 MHz bandwidth and a 470-663 MHz
frequency range.
The MTK982’s Direct Digital Synthesis signal provides reliable
performance and operation. Long-range Bluetooth remote-control and
Stationary Wave Ratio sensing on antenna outputs are also included.
Both analog and digital (AES3) inputs are supported. When used with
Wisycom’s BFL transmitter and receiver, the MTK982 transmits signals
over fiber up to 20 km, at low latency. The MTK982 has a high-resolution
LCD display and can be controlled remotely using Wisycom Manager.
https://wisycom.com
products & services marketplace
equipment guide | audio
buyers briefs
AEQ
XPEAK Intercom
System
XPEAK is a matrixless intercom
system ready for remote production developed on new concepts,
which covers a range of needs in a cost-effective way and flexible and
simple configuration. It supports up to 28 user terminals in a variety of
form factors: desktop, rack, wired beltpack, wireless beltpack, and PC
applications, which can be connected to each other with the greatest
operational flexibility and without the need for an array. The stationary
terminals have 8 4-way lever keys, with two functions per lever, in
addition to individual level regulation on the key itself.
https://aeq.es/xpeak
Telos Alliance
Telos Infinity
Virtual
Intercom
Platform (VIP)
Telos Infinity Virtual Intercom Platform (VIP) is a fully featured, cloud-
based intercom system, delivering sophisticated comms to smartphones,
laptops, desktops or tablets via HTML5 browser or the new Infinity VIP
App for Android and iOS devices.
Infinity VIP lets users harness Telos Infinity IP Intercom’s performance,
scalability, ease of integration and operational/cost efficiencies on-
premises, in the field, at home or site-to-site, making cloud-based media
production workflows available wherever the action happens. Easy panel
sharing via email links to pre-configured screens simplifies collaboration.
www.telosalliance.com
people on the move
For possible inclusion, send information to tvtechnology@futurenet.com with People News in the subject line.
WENDY MCMAHON
CBS News and Stations,
CBS Media Ventures
Wendy McMahon has been named
president and CEO of CBS News
and Stations and CBS Media
Ventures. In this new role, McMa-
hon will lead CBS News’ broadcast
and streaming operations, 27 local
TV stations in major U.S. markets,
14 local news streaming channels
and CMV’s top-rated first-run
syndication programming, as well
as its content licensing to television
stations and the division’s national
advertising sales business.
ALEX KEIGHLEY
Telestream
Telestream has promoted Alex
Keighley chief revenue officer to
lead its global sales teams. For the
past 30 years, Keighley has held
senior positions at organizations
such as AP, News International and
Reuters. He also played a role in the
growth of Avid, Bitcentral and Grass
Valley. Since joining Telestream in
December 2020, Keighley has led
the U.S. sales team, working with
customers across the spectrum
of networks, studios, live and
post-production companies, station
groups and streamers.
34 September 2023 | www.tvtech.com |
DAVID ESPINOSA
Fox Corp.
Fox Corp. has appointed David
Espinosa president of distribution.
Most recently he served as EVP,
distribution strategy and business
affairs. Espinosa will oversee the
company’s multiplatform content
distribution for its brands, including
Fox Entertainment, Fox News, Fox
Sports, Tubi and manage all aspects
of distribution with the Fox-affiliated
television stations in over 200 mar-
kets across the U.S. Espinosa has
served in increasingly senior roles
since joining Fox in 2006.
KYLE LUTHER
Imagine Communications
Imagine Communications has
tapped Kyle Luther assumes as
its VP, Americas sales. He will be
responsible for sales strategy for
Imagine’s portfolio of playout and
networking solutions. With more
than 25 years of experience in the
media and entertainment industry,
he has a deep understanding of
the playout and video technology
sector. Prior to joining Imagine,
Luther held sales leadership posi-
tions with Ross Video, Grass Valley
and TVU Networks.
twitter.com/tvtechnology
MICHAEL BIARD
Nexstar Media Group
Nexstar Media Group has hired
Fox Corp. executive Michael
Biard as president and COO fol-
lowing more than 23 years at Fox
and its predecessor companies,
including leadership positions
covering multiple functional ar-
eas. He recently served as presi-
dent, operations and distribution,
overseeing the multiplatform
content distribution, strategy,
affiliate marketing and related
business operations and affairs
for all of its media brands.
BRIAN NORRIS
E.W. Scripps Co.
The E.W. Scripps Co. has hired Bri-
an Norris as its new chief revenue
officer. Norris is a seasoned media
industry leader with 25 years of
experience driving television reve-
nue and developing multiplatform
advertising sales strategies. Norris
was most recently with NBCUni-
versal, where he served as senior
vice president of its recently
launched SMB growth division.
Before joining NBCUniversal,
Norris led media sales for Dish
Network and Sling TV.
MARK SMITH
IBC Council
IBC has appointed Mark Smith
chair of the IBC Council, which
advises IBC on key strategic issues.
Smith spent more than 30 years in
the technology and events sector.
He helped launch the IBC Accel-
erator Media Innovation Program.
As communications and marketing
director for the GSMA, the organi-
zation that represents the interests
of mobile network operators world-
wide, he was a key part of the team
that acquired and grew Mobile
World Congress (MWC).
TED HAND
Society of Broadcast Engineers
The Society of Broadcast En-
gineers has elected Ted Hand
president of the association for
2023, succeeding Andrea Cum-
mins. Hand, CPBE, 8-VSB, AMD,
ATSC3, DRB, was elected to his
first one-year term as president,
which will commence on Sept.
28, 2023. Hand is an SBE Fellow
Member. Kevin Trueblood, CBRE,
CBNT, was elected vice president;
Jason Ornellas, CBRE, was elected
treasurer; and Geary S. Morrill,
CPBE, AMD, CBNE, was elected
secretary.
Ride the Wave to
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