AMSTERDAM — As IBC2019 draws to a close, the giant conference and exhibition once again showed why it describes itself as “the world’s most influential media, entertainment and technology show”.
Across 15 halls of the RAI Convention Center in Amsterdam, almost 60,000 broadcast professionals gathered from around the world to see new products launched and to debate key media topics.
This year’s exhibition saw a focus on AoIP products and cloud-based “radio-as-a-service” solutions. The Telos Alliance used IBC to launch the Axia Quasar sixth-generation AoIP console. Available in sizes from four to 28 faders per frame, with support for up to 64 faders in multiple linked frames, the console is powered by a new native AoIP Quasar Engine.
Meanwhile, Broadcast Pix launched RadioPix, an integrated production system for visual radio applications. “We felt it was time to produce a dedicated product for visual radio featuring a complete toolset and a streamlined user experience,” said Tony Mastantuono, product manager for Broadcast Pix. Multiple macros can be assigned to each microphone, which allows the system to select between camera shots to create more dynamic productions.
Elsewhere at the exhibition, Netherlands-based Broadcast Partners showed SmartRadio, a web and cloud-based, radio-as-a-service platform, consisting of newly-developed micro services, running in the cloud. The system comes in modular form, allowing users to scale up or down on a monthly basis.
Finland’s Jutel demonstrated RadioMan 6 Live, which it describes as “a virtual browser-based radio production, editing and playout system, where the audio processing is done in the cloud, so that no specific hardware is needed.” The latest version adds new cloud-based tasks: audio contribution streaming, on-air playout and production mixing in the cloud, along with web-based audio editing without the need for browser add-ons.
Xperi’s stand offered a preview of how the new over-the-air in-vehicle Hybrid Radio experience will look with DTS Connected Radio. The system, which is set to launch in 2020 supporting analog, DAB+ and HD Radio, includes real-time broadcast metadata for all programming types, and can also gather new data on how listeners are engaging with broadcast content in the vehicle.
Two events focussed on the development of Digital Radio Mondiale. On Friday, Gospell unveiled five new products that all include DRM technology, including a portable receiver, car adaptor, and a high performance active HF antenna. Then on Saturday, on the Nautel stand, Fraunhofer IIS launched the latest R7 edition of its ContentServer head-end technology for DRM and DAB+.
At the IBC conference running alongside the exhibition, Monday morning saw a WorldDAB session on “Radio Distribution Strategies for a Connected World,” led by Patrick Hannon, the organisation’s president. It explored broadcast digital radio’s place in the distribution mix, including a case study of Norway’s multi-platform strategy, and reports from recent broadcast 5G trials in the U.K. and Germany.
IBC also saw Rise, the advocate group for gender diversity within the broadcast manufacturing and services sector, announce the winners of its new Rise Awards. Woman of The Year was Morwen Williams, Head of UK Operations for BBC News, and recently also appointed chair of the World Broadcasting Unions’ International Media Connectivity Group.
