Advanced Television

IBC Show Previews P – Q

Pebble – Stand 8.B75

At IBC 2023, Pebble is  announcing a major release of its market leading playout solution, with Automation 2.0. This release represents a major R&D investment to address two key market requirements, cloud deployment and security.

Pebble Automation has been adopted by leading broadcasters across the world supporting the most demanding playout requirements. The solution already supports on-prem, hybrid, and cloud deployments, but Pebble has identified the market requirement for more efficient cloud deployments and greater levels of network security. This has been achieved with Automation 2.0 through redesigning core aspects of the system architecture and incorporating state of the art technology.

Miroslav Jeras, Pebble CTO, explains: “Instead of trying to address security issues individually, we decided to introduce changes on an architectural level bringing the internal communications in line with the latest industry best practices. By doing the overall security refresh and consolidation of communication protocols, we have also optimized Automation for public cloud deployment scenarios.”

The company is showcasing Automation 2.0 along with a host of other upgrades to its playout and IP infrastructure management product portfolio at IBC. “It is very important to Pebble that our customers know that when they partner with us, they are buying into a company that continually invests in our portfolio ensuring their solutions stay current and meet their evolving needs,” stated Peter Mayhead, Pebble CEO, “I’m looking forward to meeting customers at IBC and sharing the great progress we’ve made”.

Pebble has recently launched a campaign highlighting Playout and the company’s strong capabilities to lead in the media and entertainment market.

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Planetcast – Stand 5.H78

Planetcast’s singlewindow, seamless content supply chain management will show how media companies can utilize an integrated suite of services that enable frictionless workflows and a hyper-connected approach to content creation and distribution.

We are excited to be promoting at IBC2023 our unified service layer that puts the customer at the centre of the content processing, distribution and monetization journey, said Sanjay Duda, Planetcast’s Chief Executive Officer. As operators seek new opportunities, there is a growing number of components and service providers in the value chain that can make the process of creating, distributing, and monetising content more complex and costly. At IBC we will be promoting  our single window offering that brings together all our existing modules – including content management, post-production and localisation, cloud playout, IP distribution, OTT and FAST channel services – as a seamless, yet modular, fully integrated solution.

At IBC2023, Planetcast will show how it enables broadcasters and other media and entertainment companies to employ cloud solutions more efficiently – together or as separate components. Innovative services and solutions Planetcast is demonstrating live on its booth include: 

  • CLOUD.X, its cloud playout platform, which enables FAST workflows and rapid ad insertion in partnership with Wurl, a world leader in dynamic ad insertion for streaming TV services; 

  • Contido, a leading-edge, cloud-native content supply chain management solution designed to handle video processing and publishing across multiple platforms. 

  • Switch Media will showcase Its versatile suite of OTT solutions – whose customers include Foxtel (Australia), Antenna (Greece), Media Prima (Malaysia), and Freeview (New Zealand).

Planetcast has developed one of the industry’s most comprehensive cloud offerings, trusted by the world’s most demanding global media companies, including Disney, Star TV, Viacom, and Doordarshan, the premier public broadcaster in India. Other world-class clients include Amazon Prime Video, Discovery, Indian Premier League (IPL), and Sony.

As the global media landscape continues to evolve rapidly, throwing up new challenges for media companies trying to meet the changing needs of consumers, Planetcast has looked for ways to help its customers meet new demands on their businesses.

In addition to providing demos of the company’s innovative and proven cloud playout and MAM solutions at IBC2023, the Planetcast team will discuss other elements of its comprehensive media services portfolio, including: 

  • Recaster – a dynamic and robust IP transport solution, which delivers a secure internet stream from anywhere to anywhere, be it a linear channel or a live sports stream; 

  • Managed PostProduction Services – a software and cloud-curated ecosystem of post-production services with a high degree of process automation, plus AI-enabled capabilities; 

  • Playout Disaster Recovery – cloud-based DR solution that provides incredibly cost-effective protection against broadcast service disruption; 

  • OTT solutions, which it is offering internationally in partnership with Australia-based Switch Media, whose customers include Foxtel (Australia), Antenna (Greece), Media Prima (Malaysia), and Freeview (New Zealand). 

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Pliant Technologies – Stand 10.C53

Pliant Technologies announces the latest addition to its MicroCom family of products with the new MicroCom 863XR wireless beltpack. This product is designed for use in Europe as it operates in the 863-865 MHz ISM band, which allows for unlicensed use in most European countries. The 863XR features excellent range, two intercom channels and the capability to support up to six full-duplex users with unlimited listeners. Pliant will be debuting this new solution aimed at its European customers at IBC 2023.

“We are excited to introduce MicroCom 863XR at IBC. This new addition allows Pliant to provide a cost-effective high-quality intercom solution aimed at the European market,” says Gary Rosen, Vice President of global sales for Pliant Technologies. “We look forward to showing off this latest addition to the Pliant family of products to all those in attendance at IBC 2023.”

MicroCom 863XR provides full-duplex, multi-user intercom solutions for applications where high-quality audio, extended range, ease of use, and affordability are essential. Built with rugged IP67 construction, a long 12-hour battery that is field replaceable, along with a range of MicroCom accessories, the MicroCom 863XR is perfect for jobs that require continuous use.

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Quicklink – Stand 7.B50

Quicklink will debut ST250, an 8K-ready AI-enabled multi-camera, all-in-one broadcast studio hardware solution, at IBC 2023. The ground-breaking technology is a fully versatile solution that can be simultaneously remotely controlled from both hardware control panels and through intuitive web interfaces. The Quicklink ST250 incorporates remote control of all the elements of your studio, including multiple PTZ cameras, camera on-air/standby tally, camera pedestal elevation, lighting, audio, confidence monitor, teleprompter, engineering talkback/IFB, backdrop monitor/display, chroma keying, and more. The ST250 incorporates everything you need as a full production and distribution system – the perfect all-in-one solution for your remote studio!

Control all elements of the production completely remotely from a simple, intuitive and feature-rich user interface; the Quicklink Manager. In addition, the Quicklink Bridge allows you to remotely control all aspects of your production from anywhere in the world, without any complicated network configuration, offering an unparalleled level of flexibility within your remote productions. The four onboard independent audio pre-amps enable complete control of your professional powered microphone inputs.

“We’re exceptionally excited to launch and debut the Quicklink ST250 at IBC 2023,” said Richard Rees, Quicklink CEO. “This innovative and highly-requested solution is

the most powerful solution that we have created to date – and will revolutionise production possibilities.“

Further enhance your remote studio productions with the latest innovative AI technology within Quicklink Cre8, powered by NVIDIA Maxine. The Maxine Eye Contact feature ensures subjects look like they’re gazing directly at the camera, even when looking at external monitors or reading notes, which maximises audience engagement. In studios with lighting challenges, apply Artifact Reduction to automatically reduce artifacts and preserve texture. Video Noise Reduction removes low-light camera noise while preserving detail, levelling up the professionalism of productions.

Easily integrate your remote studios into your workflow with professional broadcast outputs, including RTMP, SRT, NDI, or Quicklink Studio, to any destination, or output via SDI to integrate into video production suites such as Grass Valley Kula & Kahuna, NewTek TriCaster, Blackmagic Design ATEM, Ross Video Vision, and more.

Quicklink will celebrate 20 years in business and demonstrate Cre8 with NVIDIA Maxine technology at IBC.

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Qvest – Stand 10.C31

At the IBC trade fair in Amsterdam in September, Qvest will present a comprehensively expanded service portfolio with new practices and products for future-proof customer solutions in the media and entertainment sector. Additionally, the company will provide updates and insights into the international project business of the global Qvest group.Under the company’s this year’s IBC motto “Expect more”, the focus will be on the expanded range of practices, as well as new digital products with which Qvest addresses all the requirements of international customers in the field of media and broadcasting and beyond. From September 15 to 18, members of the global Qvest team will be on site in Hall 10 at booth C31 to inform visitors about all the latest news. In dialog with Qvest product experts at demo pods, visitors can experience, among other things, the successful digital products makalu Cloud Playout and ClipBox Studio Automation, which provide greater simplicity, productivity and scalability for broadcasters and publishers.  As part of its presence at the show this year, Qvest will offer a dedicated Product Experience Zone. Visitors can get insights about Qvest products during compact live presentations that will be offered several times a day. The integration platform for media workflows qibb, a strategic spin-off of Qvest, will also be presented. Their focus will be on automated workflows with generative artificial intelligence for media applications, integrating popular AI tools such as ChatGPT4. In addition, visitors can get comprehensive information about the Qvest fields of expertise, which are now clustered into practices. The Qvest practice specialists will demonstrate how the company’s knowledge in areas such as Foresight & Innovation, Digital Media Supply Chain, OTT, Data & Analytics, Digital Product Development or Systems Integration enables the implementation of future-proof technology projects. By using state-of-the-art technologies and individual consulting processes, the global Qvest team can offer specially tailored solutions for every need. Trade show visitors and media representatives will also have the opportunity to arrange exclusive meetings with Qvest. Members of the management of the worldwide Qvest company group, as well as practice and product experts, will be on site on all days of the IBC.

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Qwilt – Stand 3.B51

Qwilt today announces its participation at IBC 2023, where it will showcase the transformative power and global success of Open Caching for content delivery. Already deployed with 175+ content publishers and service providers, this unifying solution is serving over one billion consumers globally, enabling content to be delivered in the quality it was imagined. Exhibiting alongside its strategic partner, Cisco, Qwilt will show how its joint solution – Qwilt’s Open Edge platform running on Cisco’s edge compute hardware – provides Quality-as-a-Service content delivery by pushing content caching and delivery far out to the embedded edge of the carrier network.

Since last year’s IBC Show, Qwilt has reported considerable momentum in its ongoing mission to build the world’s largest and highest-performing edge CDN, empowering content publishers to reach end users from the true embedded network edge. With 900+ points-of-presence (PoPs) globally – located closer to end users than ever before – Qwilt is pioneering the use of Open Caching for service providers and disrupting the commercial CDN market. In the past year alone, Qwilt has added many major new service providers partners to its global edge CDN, including Fastweb, J:COM, stc Group, Telefonica, and Vodafone.

At IBC 2023, Qwilt will highlight the unique ability of its technology and services to offload 99% of core network traffic, enabling the delivery of high-quality content for some of the world’s largest streaming platforms. Visitors to the Cisco stand will be able to view a demonstration of the significant global capacity of Qwilt’s ‘All Edge’ network, built on the Streaming Video Technology Alliance’s Open Caching specifications. The demonstration will also showcase the ability of Qwilt’s Open Edge CDN to deliver extremely low latency, greater control over APIs, and a more flexible business model.

“As consumers increasingly stream more online content, the demand for exceptional streaming and other digital experiences is surging rapidly. Delivering content efficiently and at the highest quality has become crucial,” said Jonathan Candee, Chief Commercial Officer, Content Providers, Qwilt. “Open Caching allows content and application publishers to get closer to their users than ever before by tapping directly into the service provider network edge, resulting in an unmatched user experience – even during peak traffic. Our next-generation CDN technology is just the first of many Open Edge use cases that Qwilt plans to open up through our API-first ecosystem in the short, medium, and long term.”

Qwilt’s federated, unified, global edge CDN provides content publishers with a streamlined solution, eliminating the need to negotiate individual relationships with service providers. Unlike traditional commercial CDN nodes that are located centrally in the mid-mile range, Open Caching nodes are deployed deeply within the service provider network, often tens of miles – or even a few blocks – away from end users. This proximity enables applications and content to bypass peering points and the ISP core network, traditionally some of the biggest roadblocks to a high-quality experience. Qwilt consistently outperforms traditional CDNs in terms of streaming QoE. Some of the world’s largest streaming platforms use Qwilt’s solution today for streaming media delivery.

By leveraging Qwilt’s carrier-grade network delivery solution already embedded into the service provider network, content publishers can ensure enhanced performance, cost-effective delivery, and greater scalability than possible with traditional CDNs, addressing challenges such as the need for greater visibility, predictability, and control of video traffic, particularly for peak demand during live streamed events.

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