IBC’s first live and in-person show in nearly three years at the RAI in Amsterdam attracted 37,071 visitors from 170 countries to see over 1,000 exhibitors. Taking place September 9-12, IBC’s return as a face-to-face show after two years of going virtual was, according to the organisers, characterised by “packed halls, standing-room-only theatres, bustling networking events, and crammed meeting schedules”. It certainly didn’t disappoint, with plenty of broadcast and broadcast/AV crossover products to whet the appetites of attendees – even if flights out of Schiphol were, for many, a nightmare of delays, missed flights and lost baggage.
“It was great to see, feel and hear the buzz of a live IBC once more,” enthused Michael Crimp, IBC’s CEO. “The quality of visitors has been outstanding and there was a real sense of positivity. We are stronger together.”
The line-up of exhibitors included major media, entertainment and technology players Adobe, Amazon Web Services (AWS), ARRI, Avid, Blackmagic Design, Canon, Comcast, Edgio, EVS, Fraunhofer, Google, Hewlett Packard, Imagine Communications, Lawo, LTN, MediaKind, Microsoft, Nagra, NEP Group, Net Insight, Riedel, Ross Video, Sony, Synamedia and Telstra.
Companies making their IBC debut this year included Ad Insertion Platform, Ai-Media, Blitz micro, Ceeblue, Castify.ai, Castr Live Streaming, Green Streams, Igalia, LiveAPI, PikoTV, Planetcast International, Riverside.fm, and XroadMedia.
Alongside exhibitors, IBC 2022 offered a “world-class” line-up of 250 headline speakers. Highlights included IBC Conference, centred on the theme ‘What’s next? Designing the future together’; IBC’s brand new Changemaker programme, focused on the people side of the business; the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme’s proof of concept demonstrations on the Innovation Stage; IBC Owner sessions; thought leadership presentations, panels, masterclasses, demos and case studies on the Content Everywhere Stage; and in the Showcase Theatre, where leading brands demonstrated tech advances.
A packed IBC 2022 Show Keynote saw immersive journalism pioneer Nonny de la Peña, hailed as “The Godmother of Virtual Reality”, addressing the topic ‘What’s Next: How immersive tech will create new narratives and transform entertainment’.
IBC Director Steve Connolly said: “The excitement across the industry to return to IBC has been tremendous. There was a real sense of purpose and of business being done. On the second day, stand rebooking for next year’s show was already in such heavy demand that we’ve expanded the show footprint for IBC2023 to include an additional hall not used this year.”
Below, we check out some tech highlights…
Lumens’ new AI-based cameras designed to automate video production
In Hall 6, Stand C12, Lumens unveiled two self-learning PTZ cameras which use machine learning to identify human faces and bodies. Both the VC-TA50 and VC-TR40 use this intelligence to deliver a “new level” auto-tracking performance, without the need for third-party software, additional hardware dongles or any user input.
“Our AI-based facial and body recognition technology is uncannily accurate,” comments Joris Nevens, general manager, Lumens Europe. “It’s been achieved in-camera using a state-of-the-art neural processing unit. While other systems depend on expensive servers and hard-to-configure software, the Lumens self-learning algorithm takes care of it all.
“This new level of reliability gives studio managers, conference producers and lecturers the ability to install the camera and leave it to track the on-screen talent or presenter.”
The single lens VC-TA50 is designed for use where the number of bodies in front of the camera is limited, such as in a weather centre or house of worship.
The more advanced VC-TR40 boasts twin cameras to maintain auto-tracking even when multiple moving targets are visible in the lens. Both cameras incorporate auto-framing technology which autonomously zooms the lens to capture the presenters and talent in view.
Black Box Emerald VUE 4K Multiviewer debuted at IBC
The Emerald VUE 4K multiviewer unites KVM switching with quad multiviewing to enable simultaneous monitoring of four DisplayPort video sources across two screens at “exceptional” 4K60 image quality. The system is ideal for production environments where space is limited, as it allows users to arrange windows freely on the screen or in preconfigured screen layouts such as full-screen, quad-view or picture-in-picture (PiP). Real-time switching between sources via keyboard, API or GPIO – or with the Black Box Glide & Switch capability – gives producers, engineers and editors convenient control over the production process.
KILOVIEW debuted new products to boost IP transition
KILOVIEW, a leading provider of IP video transmission solutions, expanded its growing ecosystem of powerful IP-based video transmission solutions at IBC, with a portfolio of new technologies designed to meet the requirement for IP-capable products throughout the industry.
The new N50 is the latest in KILOVIEW’s powerful range of high quality, low latency NDI converters. A powerful 12G-SDI bi-directional converter for both SDI to NDI and NDI to SDI, the N50 supports the direct transmission of USB to NDI signals by integrating both NDI and NDI|HX (including NDI|HX3) into one converter. This all-encompassing solution is intended to streamline and simplify processes in any professional IP-based video transmission environment, including broadcast, news gathering, sports and live events, as well as facilitating the transition from SDI environments to IP-based ecosystems.
Line for Leading Fiber Camera Systems
MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems returned to IBC with power extension in mind for camera operators seeking to free themselves from the limitations of SMPTE cable, and cleanly merge broadcast and digital cinema signal chains. The company’s new APE family adds advanced power extension capability to its SMPTE HUT and SilverBack systems via integrated DC power supplies.
MultiDyne developed the APE family to meet the needs of DC-powered cameras from leading vendors, and the devices are plug-and-play with automatic camera recognition. The HUT-APE (pictured) frees camera chains from the limitations of hybrid copper and fiber cabling by enabling cameras to be separated from their CCUs. It achieves this by tricking the camera and CCU into seeing a physical copper connection. Content producers can then instead use affordable, conventional single-mode fiber, which brings added benefits such as improved performance (no RF, EMI, or grounding issues), accelerated set and strike times, and reduced weight for transport on OB trucks and within flypacks.
HUT-APE offers long range power for DC-powered systems, broadening the range of camera manufacturers and supported types. Content producers can now pair a HUT-APE with the latest SMPTE studio cameras, and provide power from up to three kilometers away over SMPTE hybrid fiber. The HUT-APE can be paired with a companion throwdown power converter to provide 12 and 24-volt accessory power to lights, monitors and other production kit.
Macnica shone a light on IPMX standards at IBC 2022
IP transport specialist exhibited the “power of IPMX interoperability in broadcast and live production workflows from 1Gb to 100Gb” at IBC.
Macnica has played a leadership role in developing and aiding in the definition of emerging open standards that shape Video over IP migration for more than a decade. It has now set itself as a leading proponent of the emerging IPMX set of standards, first introduced with the pro AV market in mind.
Introduced by the AIMS Alliance in early 2020, IPMX implements a standards-based approach for AV over IP based on the SMPTE ST 2110 standard. Macnica believes it added a new twist to the open standards movement at IBC, by demonstrating how the emerging IPMX set of standards can simplify and accelerate the IP transition in broadcast and live production. Visitors to Macnica’s booth witnessed a full range of video over IP transport solutions for networks from 1Gb to 100Gb, using Macnica’s full suite of SoC, SoM and pure software solutions. The demos highlighted Macnica’s unique ability to address open standards transport across IP networks of varied bandwidth.
Andrew Starks, director of product management for Macnica, noted that IPMX shares many of the same technical benefits of ST 2110, including professional, broadcast-quality compression tools, but offers some unique technologies such as relaxed timing and support for asynchronous sources. Such tech is attractive to both broadcast and production pros.
Magewell Highlighted New Capture, Conversion, and Streaming Solutions at conference
Video interface and IP workflow innovator Magewell showcased capture, conversion, and streaming solutions that “seamlessly” bridge signals, software, streams, and screens.
Magewell’s video I/O and IP media solutions have become even more crucial for video production and broadcast professionals as they increasingly deploy new remote production models and streaming-centric workflows. Demonstrations of new and recent solutions at IBC, included:
• The new USB Fusion video capture and mixing hardware that lets users easily combine camera and wired screenshare sources into attractive live presentations for streaming, virtual events, online lectures, webinars, news reporting, video conferencing, and other applications.
• The flexible new Pro Convert AES67 multi-format audio encoder, decoder, and I/O interface device, which converts IP-based audio between AES67 (including compatibility with the SMPTE 2110-30 specification), NDI (with uncompressed audio), and SRT (with AAC compression), enabling mixed-technology local and remote production workflows that combine third-party products supporting different standards and formats.
• The latest updates to the Ultra Encode family
of universal live media encoders, ideal for applications ranging from live streaming and remote contribution to IP-based production, Ultra Encode supports H.264, H.265, and NDI|HX encoding plus a wide range of streaming protocols including SRT, RTMP, RTMPS, RTSP, and HLS. Ultra Encode can also be combined with Magewell’s Pro Convert decoders for end-to-end media transport in NDI|HX or streaming formats.
Shotoku’s Expanded Pan/Tilt Head Series and Enhanced Control Systems for All-Size Studios and Legislatures
Shotoku Broadcast Systems, international manufacturer of high-quality, easy-to-use, robust and reliable robotic and manual camera support systems, showcased an expanded line of pan/tilt heads and enhanced control systems, including the TG-47, new version of the TR-XT, and brand new Orchestra CMS v3 automation system.
The latest addition to the Shotoku range of pan and tilt heads, the TG-47 sits between the well-established TG-27 and TG-18i heads in terms of payload. Like all Shotoku heads the TG-47 moves with “fine control and smoothness” for “perfect” on-air moves.
The latest version of the TR-XT control system boasts smoothed key-frame sequences as standard, and now with AutoFrame face tracking options, TR-XT is the said to be “state-of-the-art” for in-studio robotics control.
The new Orchestra CMS v3 is a powerful automation system specifically designed for parliaments and legislatures, providing a high level of multi-camera control for semi- or fully-automated operation. Orchestra is capable of controlling a large number of pan and tilt heads within a full-size debating chamber and is fully integrated with audio conferencing systems for rapid shot acquisition following active microphones. A high-resolution UI touch screen is provided for manual control and immediate indication of active shots and seat positions.