Playout automation touches every area of a broadcast or video service distribution facility yet the time is drawing near when it will run on virtual machines in a datacentre or in a public cloud over IP network.
Some vendors have declared their roadmaps but with an industry in the early stages of introducing IP infrastructure, the reality is that it is facing at least two years of development until robust and sophisticated capabilities emerge to replace legacy hardware.
TV will move to IP sooner than people think, predicted Charlie Vogt, CEO of Imagine Communications during the IBC Conference Keynote Assessing the Future of Broadcast TV. The differentiation between broadcaster and operator competitors in broadcast should be the content and the logo, not the network. This wont happen until we can commoditise the network.
While almost all aspects of channel creation are now available as software in a different shape and scale, the generalisation of hardware creates a less deterministic environment for the software to operate upon. At IBC there were warnings that current solutions based on standard IT or cloud architecture were not as efficient or rich in functionality as existing solutions.
The very high level of redundancy, availability and performance with which broadcasters have become accustomed with SDI infrastructure are issues that need to be addressed.
Vogt, a vocal advocate of the urgency to migrate from to IP, recognised the problem. Our customers cant continue to spend the kind of money they are currently spending in proprietary, black box playout and networking gear which needs forklift upgrading every five to seven years because of inefficiencies of the hardware, he said. They need a better cost model. The biggest challenge for companies is how you get from here to there. Its an evolution. There will be hybrid networks and workflows in the short term but we are focused on delivering software architectures today.
The potential to innovate enabled by a truly software defined broadcast environment is galvanising the industry. There cant have been many vendors at IBC not scrabbling to re-engineer their systems toward a future broadcasting infrastructure based on virtualisation, cloud and mobility.
Advantages include rapid channels deployment and business models based on software as a service. Playout in the cloud promises to lower the cost of channel creation and extend channel brands into new markets at a time when established players need to react quickly to OTT. The geographic barriers of legacy technologies could be removed, meaning that channels can be created on the fly, virtually at any location in the world.
The implications of a virtualised production and distribution infrastructure are nothing less than revolutionary, Larry Kaplan, CEO, SDVI told the IBC Conference session The Death of SDI? Channel provisioning in days, not months. 75% or better asset utilisation, not 25%.
Nonetheless there remains a level of comfort that broadcasters get from the physical aspect of SDI, especially when working with routing signals, emergency switching or distribution.
Today then, virtualised playout is the exception rather than the rule with work still ahead in terms of standardisation, control, and management required before sophisticated playout systems to gain mass appeal.
The move from SDI to IP is termed disruptive but actually it is a positive because IP permits the industry to adapt to change at the pace of the web, said Vogt.
For a decade weve been searching for the killer app and over the last couple of years mobility has helped us define video as the killer app. Some 75% of all web traffic over the next few years will be video. Mobile is already deeply disrupting the video industry. Of the 40% of CAGR rate in online video, 23% of that is tied up in real-time video consumption. We all have to embrace the change or get left behind.
To explore these topics further there is wide range of VOD content available to stream from IBC TV at www.ibc.org/VOD plus a close focus on the impact of IP and cloud on media in the Middle East and North African market at the three day summit IBC Content Everywhere MENA.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
06/05/2026
Polands Miecznik-class frigates are part of the largest contract in Polish shipbuilding history. (Image Credit: PGZ Stocznia Wojenna)...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the expansion of its leadership structure as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen both its operational management ...
06/05/2026
For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-runnin...
06/05/2026
ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing
Brie Clayton May 6, 2026
0 Comments
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a nove...
06/05/2026
Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Med...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Narrative Entertainment has partnered with Encompass to deliver high-quality subtitling of its Great! network content using the Altitude Intelligence AI assiste...
06/05/2026
SipRadius, widely recognized for making content processing and connectivity secure and seamless, is proud to launch a dramatic new approach to AI content creati...
06/05/2026
When the broadband and media industry gathers at ANGA COM in Cologne from May 19 to 21, Big Blue Marble will be at the forefront. The international broadcast an...
06/05/2026
Cinegy GmbH, a leading developer of software-defined television technology, is proud to exhibit at MPTS for the first time. Visitors to the stand will discover ...
06/05/2026
Val Jeanty Receives 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award Jeanty, a composer, percussionist, and turntablist, is the fourth Berklee recipient of the prestigious award ...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
When live cycling races and international marathons stretch for miles across cities and countryside, there is no margin for RF failure in live broadcast. As Chi...
06/05/2026
Oberkochen/Germany, May 5, 2026
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a novel solution for creating physically based cinematic lens looks for visual...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
06/05/2026
The race to build the world's most powerful AI factories demands networking ...
06/05/2026
How changes to proteins can alter drug interactions for new precision therapies Scripps Research team maps how chemical modifications to proteins affect drug bi...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
05/05/2026
Three phones were hardwired for power and transmission to the truck; camera feat...
05/05/2026
The creative studio behind campaigns for the NBA, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, ...
05/05/2026
Nielsen has announced results from a co-viewing pilot program covering February&...
05/05/2026
viztrick AiDi, an on-device AI solution developed by Nippon TV, delivered global...
05/05/2026
ARRI has announced Omnibar, a battery-powered, IP65-rated multi-color LED linear...
05/05/2026
Imagine Communications has announced that France T l visions is the first broadc...
05/05/2026
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Bell Media today announced a multiyear agreement to broadcast and stream WNBA games in Canada beginni...
05/05/2026
SVG is proud to announce Warner Bros. Discovery's Techwood Studios in Atlant...
05/05/2026
With no operator required, AutoMic workflow automates talent identification on U...
05/05/2026
A crash in 2015 set the industry back, but this winter proved that drones are he...
05/05/2026
Another year, and more proof that Asia continues to shape some of the world's most exciting new sounds. This year's RADAR artists draw from deep local r...
05/05/2026
The Austin City Limits Music Fest 2026 lineup just dropped, and this year, Spoti...
05/05/2026
New drum machine book campaign incoming
Bjooks have announced that during Superbooth 2026, they will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the product...
05/05/2026
Flagship all-in-one production bundle updated
The latest version of Native Instruments' flagship virtual instrument and plug-in bundle has just been ann...
05/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host RF Testing Innovations Forum 2026, helping design engine...
05/05/2026
L3Harris provides communications, electronic warfare, sensors and mission systems that enable Virginia-class submarine crews to operate with confidence in conte...
05/05/2026
The company grew by 7.6% in net revenue and 16.3% in EBITDA, achieving a 33% inc...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
Playout automation touches every area of a broadcast or video service distribution facility yet the time is drawing near when it will run on virtual machines in a datacentre or in a public cloud over IP network.
