As the dust settles on another glorious and exhausting IBC show, we take a look at some of our highlights from the show that just keeps on giving. The ‘hot list’ on the agenda was largely to be expected – UHD (Ultra-High Definition), HDR (High Dynamic Range) and the continued transition from SDI to IP.
What stood out to us?
On both the trade-show floor and in the conference sessions, the buzz was on how IP is changing the nature of media production. It’s truly a great sight to see key M&E organisations including
AMWA (Advanced Media Workflow Association), the
DPP (Digital Production Partnership) and NABA (
North American Broadcasters Association) uniting to agree upon open frameworks and standards for IP production that the industry can adopt. Noticeable at both NAB earlier this year and even more so at IBC we are beginning to see an increasing number of manufacturers adopting these standards and creating production equipment and software that could ultimately lead us to an IP production environment which would revolutionise the way we make and consume content.
Of course, as with any new technological advancements, security was a top priority at the show, Helen Stevens, DPP chair and director of broadcast operations at ITV, said in a statement. “The growth in connected services and IP- driven production, as well as cloud platforms and applications, means that, as a modern broadcaster, our focus has to be on protecting our content from increasingly frequent cyber attacks.” The DPP (Digital Production Partnership) and NABA (North American Broadcasters Association) jointly released a paper at IBC on the cyber security challenges faced by the broadcasting industry and the best practices to follow – these recommendations will be adopted by several major U.K. broadcasters. Sohonet is proud to support these organisations and the great work they continue to do for the industry.
Sohonet at IBC 2016 – What did we get up to?
Introducing Sohonet ClearView Flex
ClearView Flex; a tool which allows both media creatives and execs to stream live video sessions in real-time to multiple parties from anywhere on any mobile device or PC.
Consisting of a Sohonet-managed device connected to an editing station or other real-time video source, the ClearView Flex web application enables the administrator to invite viewers via a one-time URL sent via email. Viewers need only to click on the link to start watching the real-time HD video stream on their own device. Offering key features such as end-to-end encryption, logging, session burn-ins and attendee management, the complete solution requires just a few minutes of training to use.
It was great to get the product in front of so many talented individuals from the industry and to hear their feedback on this exciting advancement in media-optimised remote collaboration.
Beyond ClearView Flex, we were pleased to show off new integrations with partners like GrayMeta and Spikes, as well as the latest iteration of our flagship file transfer product, FileRunner.
Events – The Olde Sundog at the Beach Bar, Happy Hour & MESA’s LAmsterdam Party
This year, the Sohonet team headed to where the action was: The Olde Sundog at the Beach Bar in the RAI, it was great to see so many of our customers and friends and enjoy the sunshine! A big thank you to
Richard Welsh from
Sundog Media Toolkit for pulling it together each day, Sohonet were very happy to be sponsors!
On the Saturday evening we had a jam-packed evening with our own Happy Hour drinks at the Okura from 4-7pm. With the promise of flowing drinks and food throughout the evening we got everyone to don our rockin’ t-shirts – thank you to everyone who came – you all looked great!
After our Happy Hour wrapped up we gathered the troops and headed over to
MESA’s LAmsterdam party at Yip Fellows, Dam Square which we also had the pleasure of sponsoring. Thank you to all the MESA team – it’s always a blast hanging out with you guys!
In summary it was a great IBC full of exciting changes happening within the industry. Next stop on the tour:
SMPTE. 
