Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The R&D and product development landscape: Appear

07/09/2023

By Jenny Priestley

Published: September 7, 2023 Updated: September 8, 2023

Annette Hopland, product owner at Appear, tells TVBEurope why she believes SRT will continue to gain traction as the standard evolves, and suggests vendors shouldn't always rush to be first to market. What impact has the pandemic and its continuing aftereffects had on the company's approach to R&D and product development? Our approach to R&D [ ]

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>

Annette Hopland, product owner at Appear, tells TVBEurope why she believes SRT will continue to gain traction as the standard evolves, and suggests vendors shouldn't always rush to be first to market.

What impact has the pandemic and its continuing aftereffects had on the company's approach to R&D and product development? Our approach to R&D is that we always design products that are simple to use, make a real difference to our customers, and provide the highest functionality through a combination of modular hardware and software - and other than needing to collaborate remotely, the pandemic had no impact on that approach.

However, the pandemic did magnify existing semiconductor shortage issues and caused disruptions in supply chains and logistics. When the pandemic hit, broadcasters faced two problems: needing to create more content for viewers in isolation, while also keeping their own personnel safe while producing that content. This accelerated the rise in remote production and demand for solutions, like Appear's X Platform, that enable remote workflow adoption for remote production, leading to an appreciable uplift in demand for our X Platform. With all our test and verification tools already available remotely, we were well equipped to manage this transition pre-pandemic, enabling us to continue serving our customers throughout the pandemic.

What are the biggest challenges you are facing in R&D and product development/deployment in the current landscape? We think the greatest challenge is always answering the question: Out of the ten things you could do, which three should you do, and how do these interact with each other and your existing solution portfolio? One of the ways we've addressed this is by transforming our internal infrastructures and test methodologies to support continuous delivery in the most relevant fields of R&D.

Another challenge is to avoid putting being first to market too high on your wish list. We aren't always first to market, but we do everything we can to make sure we're the best on the market. SRT is an example of where we want to be: because we understood the importance of hardware-accelerated SRT early, we were first to launch a non-server-based solution and we believe we are and will stay best-in-class too.

Talent acquisition is another ongoing challenge; hiring enough developers to maintain our customer demands and skillsets requires an ongoing focus on recruitment in an otherwise competitive pool.

Where do you see the most opportune areas for innovation in your area of the market, and what tech/solutions will drive that development? We see the live sports contribution market as a real hotbed of innovation. The convergence of cutting-edge technologies such as advances in 5G connectivity, AI-driven video analytics, and cloud-based production solutions are truly transformational. These innovations enable broadcasters to match transport cost with content value with faster, more reliable, and cost-effective sports broadcasting, real-time data analysis, personalised viewer experiences, and immersive content. As a leading provider in this domain, we are leveraging these opportunities to drive the development of our solutions and enable our customers to provide better consumer experiences.

What are you working on currently that excites you as a product team, and what can we expect to see at IBC 2023? SRT will continue to gain traction as the standard evolves and as the cost advantages of deploying SRT over the public internet become increasingly obvious. At IBC 2023 we will demonstrate how our focus on efficiency and elegant engineering enable us to be the global leader in live event contribution. The on-site team will share updates on initial trials of hardware accelerated SRT and demonstrate project deployments with major media enterprises.

We're also working with several tier-one operators to assess their cloud strategies and in some instances de-cloudify' their media workflows. Our NEO Series is used by several operators, including Sappa and A1 Croatia, as an on-premise solution to optimise their approach to media infrastructure. This on-premise live transcoding solution assists broadcasters and operators through the intricate process of technological realignment. By facilitating the transition from cloud to on-premise or hybrid, these organizations can redefine their strategies and achieve cost and performance efficiencies in the process.
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/production-post/the-rd-and-product-developme...
See more stories from tvb

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

03/06/2026

NAB Launches Merkhet Solutions to Advance Deployment of BPS

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

FCC Kicks Off First Spectrum Auction in Four Years

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Utopai Studios Launches Pai 2.0, Cinematic Storytelling AI System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Roku Introduces NHL Zone

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Study: Record Revenue Expected for FIFA World Cup 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Frequency Launches In-Scene Advertising

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Creamsource Introduces Vortex2 and Vortex2 Soft

Creamsource, known for its tried-and-true Vortex Series of cinematic lighting, has announced the Vortex2 (V2) and Vortex2 Soft (V2S), two compact additions to t...

03/06/2026

Do not read this media release! Andy Lee's smash-hit show returns to ABC this July

Do not read this media release! Andy Lee's smash-hit show returns to ABC thi...

03/06/2026

Faster, More Flexible AI Matting Fuels Boris FX Silhouette

Faster, More Flexible AI Matting Fuels Boris FX Silhouette Jessie Electa Petrov June 2, 2026 0 Comments The 2026 release helps artists tackle complex ...

03/06/2026

La Tl's National League Hockey Expansion Powered by Blackmagic Design

La T l 's National League Hockey Expansion Powered by Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton June 2, 2026 0 Comments Blackmagic Videohub 120 120 12G provi...

03/06/2026

ZY Optics to Offer Exclusive First Look at Zone T1 Cine Kit at Cine Gear Expo 2026

ZY Optics to Offer Exclusive First Look at Zone T1 Cine Kit at Cine Gear Expo 20...

03/06/2026

Berklee Alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume to Perform Together on St. Vincents 2026 Live with Orchestra Tour

Berklee Alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume to Perform Together on St. Vincents 20...

02/06/2026

Case Study: Tennis Channel Transitions From Satellite to IP Distribution With LTN

Tennis Channel has completed a transition from satellite-based distribution to a...

02/06/2026

Daktronics Announces 2026 High School Video Summit for June 23-24

Daktronics has announced the 2026 High School Video Summit, a two-day educational event for high school educators and student production teams, taking place Jun...

02/06/2026

Fandango to Screen Telemundos FIFA World Cup 2026 Coverage at 160 Theaters Nationwide

Fandango will bring Telemundo's live Spanish-language coverage of the FIFA W...

02/06/2026

AWSN Announces Broadcast Schedule for Inaugural Professional Softball League Season

All Women's Sports Network (AWSN) has announced the live television schedule...

02/06/2026

Spalk Announces Partnerships with Ligue 1, Euroleague, and LNB

Spalk, a cloud-based multilingual commentary and production platform, has announced three new partnerships: Ligue 1 (English and Portuguese highlights), Eurolea...

02/06/2026

NHL Network Announces Stanley Cup Final Programming Schedule

NHL Network's 2026 Stanley Cup Final coverage began June 1 with NHL Tonight: Stanley Cup Final Media Day from the Carolina Hurricanes' Lenovo Center at ...

02/06/2026

Matrox Video Launches Maevex MGX Series IPMX-Ready AV-over-IP Encoders and Decoders

Matrox Video has announced the Maevex MGX Series, a lineup of IPMX-ready video e...

02/06/2026

Marshall Electronics to Exhibit IP Camera Lineup at InfoComm 2026

Marshall Electronics will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7521), showcasing a lineup of 4K and HD compact POV cameras for corporate, education, hospitality, wo...

02/06/2026

PAMA and Shure Extend Deadline for Mark Brunner Professional Audio Scholarship to June 15

The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated have...

02/06/2026

MultiDyne To Debut FiberSaver-10G and New VersaBrix Frame Options at InfoComm 2026

MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C50...

02/06/2026

Advanced Systems Group Promotes Joe Marchitto to Western Regional CTO

Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has announced the promotion of Joe Marchitto to Western Regional CTO. In his new role, Marchitto will oversee system design across ...

02/06/2026

Brothers Osborne To Perform Free Concert Outside Lenovo Center Before Stanley Cup Final Game 1

The NHL has announced that Brothers Osborne will headline a free outdoor concert...

02/06/2026

CP Communications Names First Female Executives in Company History

CP Communications has announced the appointment of its first two female executives in the company's 40-year history. Tabitha Coleman has been named Vice Pre...

02/06/2026

Lighting Design Group Designs Broadcast Studio for Yahoo at 770 Broadway

The Lighting Design Group (LDG) has announced the completion of Studio C at Yahoo's headquarters at 770 Broadway in Manhattan. The studio launched April 24 ...

02/06/2026

Zee Entertainment Acquires FIFA Media Rights for India Through 2034

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (Z) has announced a partnership with FIFA to broadcast FIFA World Cup 2026, FIFA World Cup 2030, FIFA Women's World Cup 2...

02/06/2026

Behind The Mic: Prime Sports UK Shares On Air Roster for NBA Finals; and More

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and repo...

02/06/2026

Auburn Universitys Parker Leppien on the Nonstop Growth of War Eagle Productions

The department is broadcasting NCAA Baseball Super Regionals at Plainsman Park this weekend Broadcast and production crews at Division I institutions are busy ...

02/06/2026

With Stanley Cup Final Set To Begin, NHL and Honeywell Lay Foundation for Energy-Efficient Venues

The initiative is extends beyond the league's arenas to team training rinks,...

02/06/2026

Release Rundown: What to Watch in June, From Leviticus to The Invite

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Pen lope Cruz, and Edward Norton appear in The Invite by Olivia Wilde, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. (Co...

02/06/2026

Scaler Music launch Carbon Electra 2

Musically intelligent soft synth gets upgraded Scaler Music will be probably be best known to many for their music theory tools, but their product range al...

02/06/2026

Klevgrand introduce Altitude

Powerful new vocal-production tool announced Described as a vocal performance station , Klevgrand's latest plug-in combines pitch-correction with harmo...

02/06/2026

McDSP introduce DC-2 Dual Compressor for APB

Launched alongside Go Green sale extension McDSP have just released the latest addition to their APB line-up, DC-2 Dual Compressor, and have also announced ...

02/06/2026

Ableton announce Extensions SDK

Create custom tools for Ableton Live 12 Suite Ableton have just introduced a new open JavaScript toolkit that allows anyone to create their own custom tools...

02/06/2026

Eventide unveil the H9 Harmonizer Gen 2

Now features full H90 algorithm library Eventide have announced the upcoming launch of the H9 Harmonizer Gen 2, a new and improved version of their hugely p...

02/06/2026

Universal Audio release UAD Topline Vocal Tune

Plus UAD Half Yearly Sale now live The latest arrival to the Universal Audio range delivers a new native pitch-correction plug-in that's capable of deli...

02/06/2026

BTL Laboratory becomes Taiwan's first test house with a CTIA Certification compliant OTA test system by Rohde & Schwarz

BTL Laboratory becomes Taiwan's first test house with a CTIA Certification c...

02/06/2026

Cobalt Digital to Showcase End-to-End IPMX Ecosystem at InfoComm 2026, Making ST 2110 Easy for Pro AV

blueCORE standalone processors headline solutions designed to simplify the trans...

02/06/2026

Monetizing the Archive: How Cantemo's JIT Playback Eliminates the Proxy Bottleneck

If you've kept up with this article series, you know by now where to start w...

02/06/2026

Calrec Scales ImPulseV for Greater Choice in Virtualised Workflows

With new DSP configurations and flexible licensing options, Calrec is removing the barriers to virtualised audio, giving broadcasters the freedom to scale produ...

02/06/2026

Marketing Architects Expands Relationship With Nielsen To Include Integration of Media Data Engine on a National Level

The TV agency was one of the earliest adopters of Nielsen's local television...

02/06/2026

Riedel Networks Taps Gudrun Scharler as CEO

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/06/2026

Grass Valley Enables Sky News Australia s Cloud-First New...

Grass Valley today announced that Australian News Channel (ANC), operator of Sky News Australia, has deployed Grass Valley AMPP to transform its newsroom produc...

02/06/2026

STUDIO TECHNOLOGIES INTRODUCES NEW MODEL 385 MIC INTERCOM...

Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, announces its new Model 385 Mic/Intercom Beltpack. The Mode...

02/06/2026

Gudrun Scharler Appointed CEO of Riedel Networks

The Riedel Group today announced the appointment of Gudrun Scharler as CEO of Riedel Networks. She succeeds Michael Martens, who has led Riedel Networks since 2...