As the dust settles on another NAB (literally – there was a major sand storm in Las Vegas during the conference), what were the major themes and talking points of this year’s show? In summary, there was little radically new or unexpected but solid progress on the evolution towards the next generation of broadcasting.

Here are the technology highlights of the show:

Everything over IP

IP is the new new (unless we are talking about file based transport and OTT delivered content where it is old hat). Product vendors operating from content acquisition all the way to content consumption discussed, and in some cases demonstrated, their IP wares. From IP contribution, IP studios, IP playout and IP distribution solutions, this new disruptor seems poised to finally displace the venerable SDI interface in broadcasting. SMPTE first standardised SDI way back in 1989, so it has had a good run. But when did the newcomer appear? It’s actually older than it looks, having been first described by Vint Cerf (Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist) and Bob Kahn back in May 1974, and its current widely deployed version (4) standardised in 1981. Since that time it has gradually been adapted as the universal transport protocol for many industries and our turn has finally come.

There were an impressive number of vendors demonstrating IP capable versions of their products at NAB, typically using SMPTE 2022:6 for uncompressed video or VC-2, JPEG2000 and other emerging solutions for lightly compressed material. This was a significant step forward compared with last year (when support was often promised but not shown). However, there is still a lot to do here. While SMPTE 2022:6 seems to be establishing itself as the industry standard for uncompressed video over IP, there are multiple contenders for low latency lightly compressed video with different vendors placing their bets accordingly. There is also a bit of a free-for-all in terms of control plane implementations, with a variety of vendor specific SDN variants being shown – standardisation is important here for the future if we are to have sufficient vendor choice.

Software/Virtualised/Cloud-based Products

The transition from selling atoms to bits continues (from hardware to software based products). The implementation of IP transport is closely related, at least for those products processing realtime video, as you can’t plug an SDI cable into a virtual machine. While we saw a lot of announcements at last year’s show, and a few early prototypes, things were much more tangible this time around including some significant announcements of customer engagements. There are multiple strands to consider here. At the most basic level, pretty much every major vendor was talking up their software-only product variants. Delve into what this actually means and some were more credible than others – ‘yes we have it running as software on a virtual machine now’ is some way behind providing reliable, customer testable, fully supported software-only products with the associated license flexibility that makes them actually useful.

Then there was the cloud. If the spectrum of cloudiness between different vendors was measured in Hertz, we would have enough to carry an infinite number of channels. At one extreme there were companies who were selling hardware appliances with the word cloud stuck into their product name, and at the other were those who have really put in the effort to create ‘cloud native’ products that can be delivered as pay-for-use services. The reality is that writing real cloud applications is hard and porting existing products designed for a different software era is harder still. The cloud is also a different business model and those companies that are transitioning to as-a-service vendors need to learn many new skills to be successful. I think it’s fair to say, on balance, that many companies are trying hard to embrace this new structure and progress is being made.

The one disappointment from the show in this regard is that, with a handful of notable exceptions, there were no exciting disruptive new entrants that really caught my attention. Software and cloud technologies in particular create a breeding ground for disruptive new entrants to an industry but they have not really arrived yet in broadcasting. However, there were a few in the Sprocket area that looked very promising and worth tracking in the future.

UHDTV

The approach to UHD was interesting. A number of vendors, selling everything from cameras to encoders, had working products and demonstrable expertise gained in developing 4K systems. But there seemed to be less focus on 4K screens running video loops (we have all seen those by now) and more serious discussion about the challenges of building end to end 4K systems and the actual payback (both in commercial and viewer terms). The wow factor has given way to the why factor with many highlighting the relative impact of higher spacial resolution versus higher dynamic range, frame rates and a wider colour gamut. UHD looks best when it combines all of those things but there is work to be done to get us there.

Cool Stuff

The GoPro stand was bigger, and the crowd noisier, than ever. Even the mainstay of the NAB crowd, not necessarily the younger, adventure seeking demographic often associated with these amazing little cameras, got worked up into a frenzy when free plastic accessories were thrown amongst them. Next door on either side were some of the latest drones on offer. It is really amazing to see how this sector has evolved in the past three years, with some incredibly sophisticated products now available at prices that are within reach of even the most cash strapped filmmakers.

All in all it was a good NAB that showed an industry undergoing great change but still able to put on a good show with a bit of swagger. It’s a good reminder of why this is an exciting time to be a part of the industry.

Steve Plunkett, Chief Technology Officer