IBC 2013 showcases innovation from the satellite communications industry

The 2013 International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) brought together representatives of the satellite communications industry from across the globe. Many innovations in broadcasting were on show at the exhibition, including 4K ultra high definition television (4K UHDTV) and the new video compression technology High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). Among the new technologies on display there were a number of products which have come to the market as the result of support from ESA´s ARTES programmes.

Nearly 53,000 people attended the conference and exhibition at Amsterdam RAI, which featured more than 1,400 companies exhibiting over six days in September. IBC is one of the three main events for the broadcasting industry worldwide. A major theme at the convention was the growth of “IP everywhere”, highlighting the changes in how people are consuming media, particularly video content, on smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops via mobile broadband, which the ARTES programme is actively stimulating through its support for research and commercial applications.

A range of companies which are currently working with ESA, including Newtec, NDSatcom, International Datacasting, Cobham, Advantech, Global Invacom, Livewire Digital, Inmarsat, QuickLink, Astrium, Fraunhofer, EBU as well as satellite operators such as SES, Eutelsat, Hispasat, and Avanti, were exhibiting at the convention. Products developed with support from the ARTES programmes exhibited at IBC included the Livewire NetCaster app and the Newtec M6100 Broadcast Satellite Modulator, featured in previous news items on artes.esa.int.

Quicklink Video Distribution Services, a global provider of broadcast solutions for news, sport, entertainment and corporate media, ran several workshops for broadcasting companies during the conference. The workshops were part of an ARTES-supported project in which Al Jazeera, BBC, BSKyB, TV2 Denmark and TVI Portugal are participating to evaluate customer needs for a custom mobile broadcast encoder utilising the latest HEVC technology.

The Quicklink demonstration project will evaluate the HEVC technology while broadcasting on Inmarsat 's new, higher throughput BGAN HDR and Global Xpress satellite terminals and will provide valuable user feedback of the equipment in field use. The HEVC codec technology proposes to provide almost double the compression for the same level of video quality. The HEVC encoder and solution can also be used on non-satellite connectivity such as 3G, 4G, WiFi, WiMAX, ADSL and fibre.

Another company which has been working to develop new products with support from the ARTES programme, Newtec, was part of the team which captured and transmitted a multi-camera live sports event via satellite to demonstrate true 4K ultra high definition television (4K UHDTV). Working alongside Intelsat, BT Group, Ericsson, and Sony, Newtec used the transmission to showcase the abilities of the M6100 Broadcast Satellite Modulator to reliably process and transmit any content, ranging from low bit-rate standard definition content up to very high data rates for 4K UHDTV. Newtec was also part of a joint announcement with Ericsson, Eutelsat, Globecast, and SKY Italia confirming the successful completion of a series of live tests proving the reliability of an end-to-end satellite-based delivery chain for live images in 4k.

In separate announcement, Newtec detailed a multimillion Euro contract to deploy interactive satellite terminals running on the ASBU MENOS network for Télédiffusion d’Algérie. The award winning MENOS project was supported by the ARTES 3-4 programme and developed an IP-based networking technique for the exchange of multimedia content over satellite. Commercially launched in January 2009, the ASBU MENOS system has been expanding in use since then and will now be deployed over 48 regions in Algeria with two separate networks for radio and TV contribution and exchange.

A range of other interesting and innovative products from the European and Canadian Satcom sector were showcased at the convention, reflecting the commercial importance of the satcom sector for the ESA delegate nations.

 

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Published 23 October 2013
Last updated at 05 March 2015 - 10:17