IBC2016: Impressive Brilliant Creative

We continue to publish materials about the trip of the winners of the International Conference "The digital and information technology in the electronic media industry" in Amsterdam at IBC Congress broadcasters. Author of following notes is Elizaveta Balakireva, the 3rd year student of the Faculty of Management and Media Communications

Going far beyond conventional trade shows, IBC is packed with so many activities, special demonstrations and networking opportunities that it can seem overwhelming. Luckily, there are numerous reference tools on hand to help you plan your schedule and make the most of your time. It was great experience, given me by my University of Film and Television and our sponsor IEEE BTS (Broadcast Technology Society). Before IBC (International Broadcasting Convention) I knew only one side of my future job. But after it, I have learned something new. In this report I will write about the most interesting excerpts from the conference, about my own experience and give some advice for students, who will be able to attend IBC next year. 

UEFA2016 – What is behind the screen?

 

As for me, the most interesting session about sport event broadcasting was “Euro 2016 Case Study”. Bernard Ross, Head of TV Production - UEFA shared the analysis of UEFA 2016 broadcasting in numbers. There were 131 broadcast partners all over the world, 1995 staff employed across all 5 pillars of the HBS project, 52 camera sources at the final, over 3500 hours of total content, 16 feeds delivered for each match, 1418 km broadcast cabling in the stadiums and 70 000 km long fibre distribution network across France. Moreover, 43 UEFA ENG (Electronic News-Gathering) crews generating content across France, 1043 video clips transferred by ENG crews, over 1000 hours of content streamed and 91 000 video clips delivered in broadcasting quality. It’s absolutely awesome! After this session I’ve understood that the great job is always hiding behind the beautiful picture. Have you ever thought about broadcasting when you’d watched football? So, I think that I’ll do it after this session.  

Breaking news from sport events broadcasting

 

Continuing a sport theme, I want to add some notes from sessions. «The 4K viewer comes first» - viewers would appreciate the much higher-definition from 4K and the wider field of view, especially in football, as well as a separate commentary team. Interest in High Dynamic Range (HDR) for live broadcasting continues to increase. Well publicized trials completed within the past year have proven that Ultra High Definition (UHD) images with HDR can be captured, delivered and displayed to viewers on HDR-capable TV screens. Talking about new UHD cameras, maintaining focus was a headache for the operators, but the problem had solved by placing the HD-quadrant, it provides the best quality.

«A key in future of sports broadcasting» - artificial intelligence would play a key role, because people don’t want to pay for the content, and we need to explore digital spaces for the best quality.

«We'll have VR-video (Virtual Reality–video) from stadiums in 2020» - actually, it was one of the difficult questions on UEFA session. Do you know, that 2 minutes of VR – content need 16 hours of rendering with the most powerful software. So, we (Russia) have 4 years to make this dream come true. 

Fall in love with broadcasting

 

IBC is the place, where I’ve found my first experience in love with broadcasting. To be honest, before this event, I thought that the technical side of broadcasting is very boring. But I was wrong! Broadcasting – is the convergence of technology and art. And IBC is the place, where you can find confederates. IEEE BTS had presented a great opportunity for students from University of Film and Television – IBC Rising Stars Pass. This program provides a unique chance to handle the latest technology, learn about how the broadcast industry is developing and network with those who can really help you raise your profile and advance career. After finishing this program, I’ve got the inspiration to be a part of broadcast industry.

 

«Don’t Miss» highlights

 

After visiting IBC, I can advise some interesting places, which will be interesting for everyone who planning to visit IBC next year.

1) IBC Big Screen Experience – the place, where you can access a modern quality of picture and sound with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision technologies. This year we watched two beautiful films: The Revenant and The Jungle Book. I saw it before IBC and I’ve compared my feelings after the second view. So, there is no limit to perfection.

2) IBC Future Zone – the place, where you’ll find the most modern technologies in the world. This year the leaders in this sector are VR-reality glasses, 360-degrees camera and microphone for it, and holographic 3D-tech by Panasonic. The future is near, just reach out for it!

3) IBC Party – an unusual party, where you can find new friends from all over the world in an informal atmosphere. This year theme was The Olympics and everyone could feel the spirit of Games at the party.

4) IBC Awards Ceremony – the show where you can meet the most interesting guests of IBC. This year you could see guests from NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), EBU (The European Broadcasting Union), ESPN (Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) and UEFA (Union of European Football Associations). Don’t miss the opportunity to visit this show.

5) Don’t forget to use IBC FREE Amsterdam tram pass to explore this amusement city in your free time. Places you may visit are: Museum Square, Dam Square, Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum. But don’t forget, that IBC must be the main reason for visiting Amsterdam. 

My life after IBC2016.

 

Actually, I would like to be a broadcast professional. But I mean a new type of employees. I mean specialists who know how to use new UHDTV and HDR technologies and workflows, who can develop their own TV-projects, and of course professionally use their communicative skills. Moreover, those specialists should understand business, management and audiovisual arts. It’s really important to understand all aspects of your future job. I am sure that in the future we will have only this type of specialists because there can be no creativity without technology! Thanks to IBC I have got professional skills. It is important to understand which microphone and camera you can use for the best quality of sound and video when you interviewed someone. But it is even more important to know “How it works?” and how to use this modern equipment. So IBC has opened me a whole new world in electronic news-gathering. I’m sure that it helps me in advanced career.

Finally, I would like to welcome you to attend the next IBC show. Everyone, who wants to be a successful member of an ENG crew like me, MUST visit IBC. And I hope that I and my friends will attend IBC next year!

 

 

Elizaveta Balakireva,

the 3rd year student

of the Faculty of Management and Media Communications