 | Issue: | Asia-Pacific II 2013 |
| Article no.: | 12 | |
| Topic: | Digital – upgrade to thrive | |
| Author: | Janne T. Morstøl | |
| Title: | Chief Marketing and Product Officer | |
| Organisation: | Nevion | |
| PDF size: | 228KB |
About author
Janne T. Morstøl is the Chief Marketing and Product Officer at Nevion; brings more than 15 years of experience from the broadcast industry to the company. Ms Morstøl was appointed to her current post following Nevion’s merger with T-VIPS; she was COO of T-VIPS and a founder of the company. Ms Morstøl joined T-VIPS from Tandberg Television where she served in several management positions in engineering and business development. Prior to this, she worked as program director at Zonavi, a Telenor-owned iTV company.
Janne T. Morstøl holds an Electronics degree from NTH and a Masters of Business Administration from NHH.
Article abstract
Throughout the world, TV and other content is migrating to digital networks; those who haven’t migrated yet will. Digital transmission saves spectrum so it can handle more content, is more economical, it scales easily and the intelligence built into the systems and the solutions available from vendors make digital systems easier to monitor. Digital also offers a wider variety of ways to monetise and leverage content and push it to second screens, reaching end users on all their connected devices
Full Article
No matter where you are in the world, regardless of regional standards and applications, the march toward a digital world – one of digital terrestrial television and IT/Ethernet connections – is inevitable. If you haven’t already, upgrading to digital is a matter of when, not if.
The reasons for a move to digital are too numerous to ignore and to those reading this, are probably more than obvious: economies of scale, decreased operating and capital costs, increased flexibility, and the ability to push more content with the increased bandwidth are among the most important. Perhaps even more important is creating a reliable media network that can optimally serve both service and content providers now and into the future. Digital networks can take advantage of new ways to monetise and leverage content – from more channels and local content insertion to the ability to push content to second screens. Greater ability to reach end users on all of their connected devices will be critical to success in the decades to come.
Next-generation digital video networks –
• Broadcasters and content providers can more easily and economically deliver content to where it is needed, when it is needed
• Scales easily to individual needs and budgets
• Protects investment by providing a flexible video networking system that embraces evolving architectures and services
• Reduces operational costs and complexity through built-in intelligence
• Integrated end-to-end management capabilities ensure high quality standards
Challenges and opportunities
The growing consumption of media is straining network capacity and the resources of all those who transport content – from telcos to content creators to traditional broadcasters. More content demands more bandwidth, already a limited commodity. Networks are being stretched to capacity and need to operate more efficiently. Economic realities demand more cost effective operations. At the same time, content formats are growing in number and complexity, which adds to the processing burdens. Yet these very challenges are also opportunities, proof of a healthy media market where demand for content of varying types is high. The key is meeting expectations and delivering high quality content reliably and cost effectively.
The big C – convergence
Convergence is loosely defined as the interlinking of computing and other information technologies, media content, and communication networks evolving from the evolution and popularization of the Internet and the activities, products and services that have emerged in the digital media space. Media convergence brings together the ‘three Cs’ – computing, communications, and content. That makes sense. It is these capabilities that can open up the next frontier. This rise of digital communication has made it possible for media organisations, from the very small – individuals even – to the very large, to deliver data, audio, and video material over the same wired, wireless, or optical fibre – or at times a combination of all three. This has the power to transform the way we deliver media and the way that end users can consume it.
The shrinking globe
Many of today’s networks are global or have the capacity to operate globally. Much like the advent of digital communications, this is a by-product of both technology advances and our social fabric, and communications reflect this reality. It’s simply the way the world is.
The technology is here to allow content and service providers to expand their reach – so why not? The playing field is now more even. You don’t have to be a very large, well-funded network to reach potential consumers outside your borders or even around the world. If the demand is there and potential customers are there, it makes sense to connect. With the right network in place, you can reach these far-flung customers efficiently and cost effectively, and in a way never before possible with legacy, point-to-point systems.
Digital terrestrial broadcasting
Broadcasters and content providers around the globe are making the transition to digital, each at their own pace and with different standards, but all with the same goal of staying competitive in the new media landscape. Whether DVB-T2, ISDB-T or ATSC, advanced digital terrestrial television (DTT) solutions are instrumental in helping network operators worldwide simplify day-to-day operations, reduce costs and take advantage of new revenue streams with easy-to-deploy, customised solutions.
DTT networking advantages:
For broadcasters:
• Additional revenue streams: the ability to launch new channels
• Reduced cost and complexity
• Integrated management capabilities
• Opportunity to better utilise content library
For consumers:
• Digital reception delivers better picture and sound quality
• More varied – including niches – programming
• Easy access to electronic program guide (EPG)
• Interactive capabilities
End-to-end management
If there has been a stumbling block to more rapid adoption of digital networking, it has been the perceived lack of control and management capability. With today’s technology, this is no longer an issue, though any digital system requires end-to-end management to ensure the high quality required by professional broadcasting and, in the case of service providers, established service level agreements (SLAs).
SLAs define service levels in areas such as network availability, network latency or delay, network throughput, mean-time-to-repair, and service delivery and installation with consequences for provider noncompliance, including credits ranging from 50 per cent to 100 per cent of monthly costs.
Techniques to manage the Ethernet-based and terrestrial systems have matured alongside transport systems technology. As broadcast infrastructures become increasingly complex, monitoring solutions simplify operations and deliver the highest level of network reliability, continuously monitoring Quality of Service (QoS) at critical points in the terrestrial transmission chain. Marketplace solutions now monitor all major interfaces, formats and network layers, including SDI signal input, MPEG-2 transport streams in ASI, SMPTE310 and IP. Best-in-class solutions continuously monitor services, PIDs and PSI/SI/PSIP tables and the transmitted signals.
Service fallback and seamless redundancy switching are also part of today’s management systems, simplifying day-to-day network operations and providing an ideal tool for transport stream handling, redundancy, error detection and correction and fast problem diagnostics, including pinpointing the point of failure in a media transport chain.
Making your content work for you
Creative content is being converted into industry-standard digital forms for delivery through broadband or wireless networks for display on connected devices of all kinds, from mobile phones, laptops and notebooks to connected televisions. Business models are evolving before our eyes to profit from the growing consumer expectation for on-demand content. The range of content that consumers are able to access, in quality near equal to that on their television sets, grows daily.
Social media is also affecting how end users consumer media. Yet amidst this new converged landscape, a shift from competition to collaboration is emerging. Users can now engage with social media while viewing their favourite programming. Rather than fearing the loss of viewership to social engagement, content providers can seize the opportunity to enhance the TV viewing experience. The two are interdependent. When viewers are able to access original premium content delivered to their chosen connected device, they can engage with friends, and receive specialised content based on their preferences. In short, they enjoy a better, more interactive TV viewing experience. This capability also opens the door to new revenue opportunities. While this scenario might seem futuristic, it illustrates the power of digital networks.
Whether creating a low-risk digital terrestrial network to scale with your business or implementing an all IP-based system, implementing a digital network now – one that takes into account your existing infrastructure, your budget, and your business goals – is the best investment you can make in your future.
