IP Showcase Set to Educate, Explore, and Engage at the 2023 NAB Show

The Audio Engineering Society (AES), Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA), European Broadcasting Union (EBU), SMPTE, and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again promote the IP Showcase at the 2023 NAB Show, April 15-19 in Las Vegas. The event is intended to inform attendees on a wide range of IP-related topics, while providing an opportunity to share ideas in a new meetup section.

The IP Showcase returns to the 2019 NAB Show for the third year, promoted by the AES, AIMS, AMWA, EBU, SMPTE, and VSF. The showcase will present educational opportunities and updates on the industry's transition to open-standards-based IP, allowing visitors to learn about the implementation of IP infrastructures for real-time professional media applications and obtain a clear view of the latest technical achievements and advances on the horizon. Highlights of market deployments from facilities around the world will be also part of the IP Showcase.

In my previous report on IBC 2018, I addressed some key technology trends from the IBC show in Amsterdam (September 13-18, 2018), in the perspective of audio technology, content production, and distribution. Of course, on the backbone of all the tremendous changes that are currently happening in the media business, broadcast, and professional production, the topic of audio-over-IP (AoIP) and the ongoing transition to fully IP-enabled operations in all platforms - traditional linear television, radio (digital, hybrid, virtual, etc.), and new over-the-top and on-demand streaming services - is front and center.

There is a new important file specification for media exchange now specified by the SMPTE and published in document number SMPTE TSP 2121:2018, titled "IMF Application DPP (ProRes)." This new specification was proposed by the Digital Production Partnership (DPP) and builds on the existing Interoperable Master Format (IMF) standard developed and published by the SMPTE, which was originally designed for streamlining the distribution of premium feature film content.

The European Broadcasting Union EBU and Fraunhofer IIS have successfully conducted the first trial for live production of immersive and interactive sound using the MPEG-H TV Audio System at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Lisbon, Portugal. For the trial, the Fraunhofer sound engineers installed a height dimension to the impressive microphone setup in the Altice Arena, enabling them to produce an immersive and personalized audio mix live. Broadcasters and sound experts present at the venue could experience the enveloping and interactive MPEG-H sound.

On 15th May 2018, the EU-funded ORPHEUS consortium presented their results at a workshop in Munich, Germany. The event served to summarize how the ORPHEUS project has created a full set of tools and applications for object-based media innovations, including demonstrations of a future-proof radio service, perfecting the complete workflow for object-based audio and IP-based delivery, and demonstrating object-based broadcasting innovations including foreground/ background control, language selection, immersive sound, and enhanced program services.

Already well under way in professional audio applications and the AV installation industry, the transition to IP is one of the biggest challenges facing broadcasters and media companies today, with fears over limited inter-working and a lack of recognized standards the most common brake on progress. IBC 2016 is set to demonstrate practical and proven interoperability with an exciting new demonstration area launching at this year’s show - Amsterdam 8-13 September.