Imagine experts can share insight on key industry issues from how SMPTE ST 2110 actually works in the real world, to how value can be extracted from remnant advertising inventory, to when it makes sense to virtualize playout operations or transition content origination and distribution to a public cloud.
“The end goal of an all-IP environment is now widely agreed upon across the industry, but the journey will be unique to every customer,” said Imagine CEO Tom Cotney. “The timing and availability of capital will be different for every customer. And there are various schools of thought about when to buy into the maturity curve of new technology."
At IBC 2018, Imagine Communications will demonstrate strategies for making agradual, managed transition to next-gen architectures and business models across three major solution pillars:
Ad Tech
Highlights include the worldwide debut of xG Scorecard, a business intelligence solution that provides real-time insights and precise knowledge of how spots drive sales for advertisers. The reporting tool blends data from traditional sales and traffic systems, operational databases, ratings, clickstream and even social networks into a single view that can be customized to meet the needs of specific users. By bringing together data that is normally siloed, xG Scorecard simplifies the process of discovering trends and spotting correlations vital to growing a media company’s business.
Live
Imagine will showcase its latest innovations for live production, including industry-first, high-capacity 100GbE network links, an intuitive live sports control panel that provides enhanced automation breakmanipulation, and SMPTE ST 2110-capable processing for HD, UHD and IP.Highlights include a demonstration of Imagine's Selenio Network Processor and UHD-ready EPIC MV multiviewer working together to efficiently monitor the signals of multiple dedicated screens, with inputs and monitor outputs all in IP.
To address the enormous bandwidth challenge associated with monitoring uncompressed UHD signals, SNP makes a “proxy” signal from every UHD signal that it touches in both directions. EPIC MV uses these proxy signals — which are full-color, full-frame-rate, and typically HD resolution — rather than the UHD original, resulting in a significant reduction in overall system cost.
Playout
Visitors to Imagine can get hands-on experience with proven, next-generation playout innovation, such as Versio Platform, a cloud-native, microservices-based playout ecosystem; Versio IOX, a high-availability, parity stack, multi-petabyte storage solution designed for the reliability and performance demands of broadcast; and Nexio+ AMP, a mediaserver with hybrid SDI/IP and H.265 capability.
Imagine will also demonstrate various transition scenarios for migrating from traditional to next-generation playout operations at a pace that works for each individual customer. For example, media companies using Imagine’s widely adopted ADC and D-Series automation can continue on their platform of choice, while layering in new features and capabilities that the Versio playout engine offers.
