Article for The Future.TV
By Simen K. Frostad, Chairman of Bridge Technologies
Why mistakes make for great movie plots, but terrible productions
In the world of movie making, you want there to be as few mistakes as possible, and modern measurement, monitoring and testing technologies are fundamental to making sure that networks deliver data exactly as they should across a broadcast chain.
But interestingly, in the in-universe world of the movies themselves, mistakes are integral. It is only through mistakes - an upset to the status quo - that our heroes are ever prompted to embark on their journeys in the first place
So what if a perfect monitoring solution had been overseeing the informational flow of our favourite films? Cinema might be an altogether different affair
The hero's journey
Imagine if the glitches that Neo saw in the Matrix hadn't existed because they'd been identified and rectified in the network right at the start. Neo would still be working a mundane 9-5 as a disillusioned programmer, none-the-wiser of the true nature of his reality; no red pill, no swishy black coat, no bullet dodging.
Minority Report would have been much shorter if broadcast monitoring solutions had been applied to the pre-cog data streams; the network engineers would have spotted the inconsistencies between the portentous broadcasts long before Tom Cruise started running around getting eyeball transplants.
But of course we're not just limited to sci-fi examples which focus around computers and data. Even the most classic of literature is often based around a failure to get a message (or packet ) where it's needed. How badly does Romeo and Juliet end just because Friar John fails to deliver Romeo's letter? The world's most famous lovebirds would be miserably married with three children now if they'd had the ability to monitor packet delivery in the 16th century.
Whilst in the classic Life of Brian, there would have been far fewer laughs as the comedic set of errors that eventually lead to Brian being mistaken for the Messiah could never have existed; no routing errors for the Wise Men, no failure to identify the true Brian on the cross because of duplicate IP-address assignments.
And finally, how about Star Wars? With the ability of modern monitoring solutions to provide meaningful, insightful data on just every metric that matters - and provide access to it in real-time from any point across the galaxy we mean, planet, the secret of Luke's parentage surely wouldn't have stayed secret for long, even with him residing in the far flung deserts of Tatooine. Naboo wouldn't have lost signal integrity in the trade blockade, and thus our gallant Jedi knights would never have undertaken a daring escape that eventually led them to Anakin and prompted a whole change to the balance of the Force. And R2D2's message from Leia wouldn't be corrupted or misdirected, meaning Luke wouldn't have embarked on his journey to find the mystical Obi-Wan.
The net result? Luke would have never kissed his sister. (Well yes, there's also the small issue of the galactic war between good and evil, let's not forget that). So don't let anyone ever tell you that the consequence of network and data errors isn't high stakes
Real life isn't like the movies
No doubt, these films would have been a lot more boring (and a lot shorter) if data and information hadn't become corrupted, misdirected or misinterpreted through its journey.
But whilst we love our films to be packed with excitement and explosions, the truth is that in the real world, we tend to favour the easy life. We think that if you asked a network engineer, they'd take predictability and stability over adventure (at least when it comes to their work ). It's nice when things work like they should - and a comprehensive, real-time, insightful and intuitive monitoring system makes that a more realizable reality, not a work of science fiction.
But achieving that stability and certainty needs the right knowledge, and the right tools. With a joined up, end-to-end solution like that found in Bridge Technologies' ISM (Integrated Services Monitoring) approach, broadcasters are able to maintain oversight of their entire media chain; from production to distribution, across hybrid terrestrial, IP, OTT, SDI and satellite infrastructures, making use of both compressed and uncompressed data, with metrics that facilitate both in-the-moment troubleshooting decisions, and longer term, strategic management choices.
To keep the movie analogy going, it's the equivalent of mastering the Force. Or possessing the Infinity Stones. Or owning the Elder Wand. Or wielding the might of the One Ring. Incredible power, unlimited insight (and almost zero chance of that power corrupting you and turning you into a supervillain, which is good).
Making Movie Magic
Indeed, it's not only network engineers and studio executives who can benefit from the easy life; it's the production team sitting right at the heart of the movie-making process too. The rise of remote broadcast and distributed production processes - facilitated in great part through the adoption of IP-based standards - mean that the ability to measure and monitor data flows becomes even more indispensable than ever before. Not limited to error detection and problem avoidance, the integration of M&M becomes a creative tool that allows production specialists - be they camera painters, audio engineers or producers - to make aesthetic and technical decisions in real-time, from anywhere in the world.
So whilst advanced network monitoring solutions might be vital in the world of film production, for now we can be glad that the exceptional reliability and consistency that they bring has stayed out of our fictional film worlds - otherwis
Europe Stories
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
13/09/2025
Harmonic's Software-Based XOS Advanced Media Processor Provides Unparalleled Efficiency and Unlocks New Business Models SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 13, 2025 -...
12/09/2025
For fans, we know how important it is to stay plugged into music culture and dis...
12/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden and Shipley, United Kingdom, September 12, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability and analytics for service quality and customer expe...
12/09/2025
Feature-length retrospective from Studio Crook to air in 2026
Sir David Jason returns to the nation's favourite comedy channel, U&GOLD, for Open All Hours:...
12/09/2025
Friday 12 September 2025
The Boomtown Rats, Nyah Grace, Soweto Kinch, Royal Ballet and Madness also announced to perform at the ceremony on Tuesday
Sky today ...
12/09/2025
Wuppertal September 12, 2025
Riedel Unveils Ultra-Light Bolero Mini Wireless Intercom BeltpackAt IBC2025 in Amsterdam, Riedel Communications unveiled Bolero M...
12/09/2025
Wuppertal September 12, 2025
Riedel Communications Acquires hi human interfaceRiedel Communications today announced the acquisition of hi human interface fro...
12/09/2025
CORE+ virtually removes distortion, setting a new standard for church sound and giving worship teams the clarity and confidence they need.
Read the full artic...
12/09/2025
The Late Late Show is back with a bang after the summer break, and Patrick Kielt...
12/09/2025
The World Athletics Championships, Ireland v France in the Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final, the Irish Champions Festival, and two Sports Direct Men...
12/09/2025
The Records Show starts Sunday at 6.30pm on RT One and RT Player.
Katie Hanno...
11/09/2025
RADAR, Spotify's program for emerging talent, recently hit a major milestone...
11/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden, September 11, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability & analytics for service quality and customer experience, announced today the la...
11/09/2025
Under the USD 89.6 Million award, SES Space & Defense will provide global commer...
11/09/2025
Leading Balkan DTH provider adds capacity to consolidate its m:Sat TV platform at 23.5 degrees East and serve more customers across the region
Luxembourg, 11 S...
11/09/2025
UKTV's free streaming service U launches on Sky Q
Free streaming service U has launched on Sky Q in the UK, UKTV and Sky confirm today, expanding the footp...
11/09/2025
From the discreet 2061 lavaliers to 4099 and 4011 mics, the setup delivered clean, natural sound in one of the most challenging broadcast environments.
Read th...
11/09/2025
From rugged build quality to natural, detailed sound, the verdict is clear: big performance can come in a very small package.
Read the full review here!...
11/09/2025
Tonight on Prime Time
RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm
Tonight RT Prime Time...
11/09/2025
RT Statement: 2026 Eurovision Song Contest
At the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in July, a number of EBU members raised concerns ...
10/09/2025
Lossless on Spotify Premium is here.
Lossless audio has been one of the most a...
10/09/2025
The Television Will Be Revolutionised Sep 10, 2025
Written by Sunit Kotecha, Director of Delivery and Operations, YouView
2025 marks a century since the f...
10/09/2025
First of Spains F110 frigates get future-ready with Rohde & Schwarz communicatio...
10/09/2025
Harmonic's cOS Platform Supports DOCSIS and Fiber, Enabling Midco to Deliver Reliable Multi-Gigabit Connectivity to Subscribers SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 10,...
10/09/2025
RT brings three days of live radio, live entertainment, live news, live weather, personal appearances, and more
Join RT Radio 1: Morning Ireland, The Oliver ...
09/09/2025
Since 2020, Spotify's RADAR program has been a launchpad for emerging talent...
09/09/2025
In 2020, Spotify launched RADAR with a clear mission: to identify, nurture, and ...
09/09/2025
If you're on BookTok, you know the drill. You scroll, you tap, and suddenly your To Be Read list is overflowing with trending must-reads. Not unlike Spoti...
09/09/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
09/09/2025
Harmonic's VOS360 Ad SaaS Enables Personalized Ad Delivery and Seamless Integration with the Ad Tech Ecosystem SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 9, 2025 - Harmonic ...
09/09/2025
St. Luke's Episcopal Church in New Jersey needed audio that truly connects and they found the answer.
Read the full case study here!...
09/09/2025
From AI-driven sound design to adaptable systems and uncompromising audio quality, the discussion highlights how innovation is shaping the future of performance...
09/09/2025
The conversation covers DPA's natural, uncolored sound, how to choose the right mic for any application and the company's latest innovations including C...
09/09/2025
From the origins of CORE to the latest CORE+ upgrade, the article explores how DPA minimizes distortion, expands dynamic range and ensures clarity at every SPL ...
09/09/2025
September 9 2025, 07:22 (PDT) Dolby Revolutionizes Entertainment on Four Wheels...
09/09/2025
The Autumn Schedule has begun on RT Raidi na Gaeltachta, with a feast of music, entertainment, news and current affairs programmes as well as an interesting s...
08/09/2025
The company continues to focus on its own training programs. Recently, 20 new ap...
08/09/2025
How an MVP-first approach helps you move faster, stay flexible, and deliver smarter.
Too often, media technology projects aim to solve everything at once ma...
08/09/2025
Fox Corporation Announces Resolution of Murdoch Family Trust Matter New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA - September 8, 2025 - Fox Corporation ( FOX or the Comp...
08/09/2025
Fox Corporation Announces Secondary Offering of Class B Common Stock New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA - September 8, 2025 - Fox Corporation ( FOX or the Co...
08/09/2025
Fox Corporation Announces Pricing of Secondary Offering of Class B Common Stock New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA, September 8, 2025 Fox Corporation ( FOX ...
08/09/2025
PantoneLIVE Adds New Color Libraries to Meet Growing Demand for Two-Piece Alumin...
08/09/2025
Advanced Workflow Management Simplifies Streaming Operations and Lowers Costs SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 8, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced an adva...
05/09/2025
Your listening habits are as unique as you are-and this year, Spotify has introduced a wave of new features to help you personalize your experience. From playli...
05/09/2025
Rohde & Schwarz UK awarded Silver Award under Defence Employer Recognition Schem...
05/09/2025
This weekend sees another feast in store for all sport fans as RT airs a jam-packed schedule of live, free-to-air sport.
The Amgen Irish Open continues all we...
04/09/2025
Experience true spectrum dominance in all domains with Rohde & Schwarz at DSEI 2...
Article for The Future.TV
