• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • TV/Radio Deals
  • Film partnerships
  • New appointments
  • Production
  • TV Channels
Seizing the opportunities of change

Seizing the opportunities of change

December 9, 2015
IBC 2024 to host 31 companies in GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland pavilions

IBC opens registration for 2025 edition

May 17, 2025
Ad 1 Ad 3
Vuz and Myco partner to monetise sports and entertainment content in MENA

Vuz and Myco partner to monetise sports and entertainment content in MENA

May 17, 2025
Quadsat and Arabsat sign MoU on spectrum and antennas

Quadsat and Arabsat sign MoU on spectrum and antennas

May 17, 2025
Asharq Documentary to launch ‘Hollywood Week’ featuring iconic star-focused documentaries

Asharq Documentary to launch ‘Hollywood Week’ featuring iconic star-focused documentaries

May 16, 2025
Azercosmos wins award for Azconnexus satellite broadband service

Azercosmos wins award for Azconnexus satellite broadband service

May 16, 2025
Petal Ads and AlUla renew partnership

Petal Ads and AlUla renew partnership

May 16, 2025
SoftAtHome provides Alexa voice control feature to Etisalat by e&

Pebble completes automation upgrade for Egypt’s ON TV

May 16, 2025
Space42 reports $115m in Q1 2025 revenue

Space42 reports $115m in Q1 2025 revenue

May 16, 2025
Winners of SatellitePro ME/BroadcastPro ME Manufacturer Awards 2025 announced

Winners of SatellitePro ME/BroadcastPro ME Manufacturer Awards 2025 announced

May 16, 2025
Winners of BroadcastPro ME/SatellitePro ME Manufacturer Awards 2025 announced

Winners of BroadcastPro ME/SatellitePro ME Manufacturer Awards 2025 announced

May 16, 2025
BroadcastPro Manufacturer Awards 2025

BroadcastPro Manufacturer Awards 2025

May 16, 2025
TVU Networks and Arabsat forge deal to advance broadcast innovation in MENA

TVU Networks and Arabsat forge deal to advance broadcast innovation in MENA

May 16, 2025
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Magazine Archive
  • Directory
  • Contact
Sunday, May 18, 2025
BroadcastPro ME
  • News
    • All
    • Analyst Reports
    • AV
    • Cinema Theatres
    • Esports
    • Film partnerships
    • International News
    • Mergers/Acquisitions
    • New appointments
    • OTT/Video Streaming
    • Podcasting
    • Production
    • Satellite/Broadcasting
    • Satellite/Comms
    • TV/Radio Deals
    IBC 2024 to host 31 companies in GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland pavilions

    IBC opens registration for 2025 edition

    Vuz and Myco partner to monetise sports and entertainment content in MENA

    Vuz and Myco partner to monetise sports and entertainment content in MENA

    Quadsat and Arabsat sign MoU on spectrum and antennas

    Quadsat and Arabsat sign MoU on spectrum and antennas

    Asharq Documentary to launch ‘Hollywood Week’ featuring iconic star-focused documentaries

    Asharq Documentary to launch ‘Hollywood Week’ featuring iconic star-focused documentaries

    Azercosmos wins award for Azconnexus satellite broadband service

    Azercosmos wins award for Azconnexus satellite broadband service

    Petal Ads and AlUla renew partnership

    Petal Ads and AlUla renew partnership

    SoftAtHome provides Alexa voice control feature to Etisalat by e&

    Pebble completes automation upgrade for Egypt’s ON TV

    Space42 reports $115m in Q1 2025 revenue

    Space42 reports $115m in Q1 2025 revenue

    Winners of SatellitePro ME/BroadcastPro ME Manufacturer Awards 2025 announced

    Winners of SatellitePro ME/BroadcastPro ME Manufacturer Awards 2025 announced

    Winners of BroadcastPro ME/SatellitePro ME Manufacturer Awards 2025 announced

    Winners of BroadcastPro ME/SatellitePro ME Manufacturer Awards 2025 announced

    Trending Tags

    • broadcast
    • MENA broadcast
    • ConnecTech2019
  • Tech Features
    • All
    • CASE STUDIES
    • New Media
    • REVIEWS
    • TV/Radio Deals
    • Updates from FOMEX
    • Virtual Production Series
    Tech strategies for an evolving modern MENA media ecosystem

    Tech strategies for an evolving modern MENA media ecosystem

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part II

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part IV

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part I

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part III

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part II

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part II

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part I

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part I

    Transforming the entertainment experience with tech

    Transforming the entertainment experience with tech

    Media leaders embrace digital transformation

    Media leaders embrace digital transformation

    Broadcasting beyond borders

    Broadcasting beyond borders

    Elevating the game

    Elevating the game

    What caught my eye at IBC2024

    What caught my eye at IBC2024

    Trending Tags

    • Videos
      Ignacio Gonzalez-Nuñez on Eutelsat’s new offering and market leadership

      Ignacio Gonzalez-Nuñez on Eutelsat’s new offering and market leadership

      Francesco Cataldo on iKO Media Group’s CABSAT showcase and broadcast trends

      Francesco Cataldo on iKO Media Group’s CABSAT showcase and broadcast trends

      Deepraj Sandhar on Ross Video’s Middle East growth and broadcast tech trends

      Deepraj Sandhar on Ross Video’s Middle East growth and broadcast tech trends

      Reema Omari

      Reema Omari on Universal Satcom’s growth and connectivity solutions

      Mustafa Afifi

      Mustafa Afifi of Rivada Space on Outernet’s impact in the Middle East

      Don

      ST Engineering iDirect CEO Don Claussen on Mideast ties and satellite strategy

      KSASummit

      Transforming Arabic Content: Studios, Producers and Regional Impact

      Bringing Real-Time Audience Insights to Linear Broadcast TV – A First and Exclusive

      Bringing Real-Time Audience Insights to Linear Broadcast TV – A First and Exclusive

      The Power of Podcasts & Audio Streaming in Saudi Arabia

      The Power of Podcasts & Audio Streaming in Saudi Arabia

    • Opinion
      YouTube in Ramadan: The silent giant

      YouTube in Ramadan: The silent giant

      Evision’s transformation proves that business acumen and passion drive success

      Sport’s Growing Grip on MENA Media

      MEASA’s media and communications innovations set new benchmarks beyond regional boundaries

      MEASA’s media and communications innovations set new benchmarks beyond regional boundaries

      Integrate ME 2023 brings its inaugural edition to successful conclusion

      Empowering the next generation of content creation and live broadcasting with AV PRO

      Decoding the Ramadan Drama Phenomenon: What Makes a Winner?

      Decoding the Ramadan Drama Phenomenon: What Makes a Winner?

      Reviving cultural identity through native storytelling in Abu Dhabi

      Reviving cultural identity through native storytelling in Abu Dhabi

      Why it’s game on for broadcasters of live sport

      Why it’s game on for broadcasters of live sport

      Evision’s transformation proves that business acumen and passion drive success

      Saudi Arabia emerges as the epicentre of Media & Entertainment in 2025

      Film and Beyond: Leapfrogging into the global screen industry

      Film and Beyond: Leapfrogging into the global screen industry

      Staying Safe and Ensuring Continuity with Cloud Playout

      Staying Safe and Ensuring Continuity with Cloud Playout

    • Interviews
      • All
      • Lounge
      Breaking barriers, building futures: The new face of IABM

      Breaking barriers, building futures: The new face of IABM

      New Leadership, Same Strategy, Sharpened Focus

      New Leadership, Same Strategy, Sharpened Focus

      Creating Captain Shedeed: A superhero with Arab roots

      Creating Captain Shedeed: A superhero with Arab roots

      UAE Pro League flips the field

      UAE Pro League flips the field

      Bringing the wild to the Middle East

      Bringing the wild to the Middle East

      Shades of success

      Shades of success

      Navigating the news wave

      Navigating the news wave

      From archive to asset

      From archive to asset

      Clarity in motion

      Clarity in motion

      Using AI to keep history real

      Using AI to keep history real

    • Products
    • Magazine Archive
      • BroadcastPro ME Magazine
      • PRO Directory
    • Events
      • News from Events
      • Upcoming Events
      DICM

      DICM

      IBC Show

      IBC 2025

      MPTS

      CABSAT2025

      CABSAT2025

      NAB Show

    No Result
    View All Result
    BroadcastPro ME
    • News
      • All
      • Analyst Reports
      • AV
      • Cinema Theatres
      • Esports
      • Film partnerships
      • International News
      • Mergers/Acquisitions
      • New appointments
      • OTT/Video Streaming
      • Podcasting
      • Production
      • Satellite/Broadcasting
      • Satellite/Comms
      • TV/Radio Deals
      IBC 2024 to host 31 companies in GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland pavilions

      IBC opens registration for 2025 edition

      Vuz and Myco partner to monetise sports and entertainment content in MENA

      Vuz and Myco partner to monetise sports and entertainment content in MENA

      Quadsat and Arabsat sign MoU on spectrum and antennas

      Quadsat and Arabsat sign MoU on spectrum and antennas

      Asharq Documentary to launch ‘Hollywood Week’ featuring iconic star-focused documentaries

      Asharq Documentary to launch ‘Hollywood Week’ featuring iconic star-focused documentaries

      Azercosmos wins award for Azconnexus satellite broadband service

      Azercosmos wins award for Azconnexus satellite broadband service

      Petal Ads and AlUla renew partnership

      Petal Ads and AlUla renew partnership

      SoftAtHome provides Alexa voice control feature to Etisalat by e&

      Pebble completes automation upgrade for Egypt’s ON TV

      Space42 reports $115m in Q1 2025 revenue

      Space42 reports $115m in Q1 2025 revenue

      Winners of SatellitePro ME/BroadcastPro ME Manufacturer Awards 2025 announced

      Winners of SatellitePro ME/BroadcastPro ME Manufacturer Awards 2025 announced

      Winners of BroadcastPro ME/SatellitePro ME Manufacturer Awards 2025 announced

      Winners of BroadcastPro ME/SatellitePro ME Manufacturer Awards 2025 announced

      Trending Tags

      • broadcast
      • MENA broadcast
      • ConnecTech2019
    • Tech Features
      • All
      • CASE STUDIES
      • New Media
      • REVIEWS
      • TV/Radio Deals
      • Updates from FOMEX
      • Virtual Production Series
      Tech strategies for an evolving modern MENA media ecosystem

      Tech strategies for an evolving modern MENA media ecosystem

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part II

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part IV

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part I

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part III

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part II

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part II

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part I

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part I

      Transforming the entertainment experience with tech

      Transforming the entertainment experience with tech

      Media leaders embrace digital transformation

      Media leaders embrace digital transformation

      Broadcasting beyond borders

      Broadcasting beyond borders

      Elevating the game

      Elevating the game

      What caught my eye at IBC2024

      What caught my eye at IBC2024

      Trending Tags

      • Videos
        Ignacio Gonzalez-Nuñez on Eutelsat’s new offering and market leadership

        Ignacio Gonzalez-Nuñez on Eutelsat’s new offering and market leadership

        Francesco Cataldo on iKO Media Group’s CABSAT showcase and broadcast trends

        Francesco Cataldo on iKO Media Group’s CABSAT showcase and broadcast trends

        Deepraj Sandhar on Ross Video’s Middle East growth and broadcast tech trends

        Deepraj Sandhar on Ross Video’s Middle East growth and broadcast tech trends

        Reema Omari

        Reema Omari on Universal Satcom’s growth and connectivity solutions

        Mustafa Afifi

        Mustafa Afifi of Rivada Space on Outernet’s impact in the Middle East

        Don

        ST Engineering iDirect CEO Don Claussen on Mideast ties and satellite strategy

        KSASummit

        Transforming Arabic Content: Studios, Producers and Regional Impact

        Bringing Real-Time Audience Insights to Linear Broadcast TV – A First and Exclusive

        Bringing Real-Time Audience Insights to Linear Broadcast TV – A First and Exclusive

        The Power of Podcasts & Audio Streaming in Saudi Arabia

        The Power of Podcasts & Audio Streaming in Saudi Arabia

      • Opinion
        YouTube in Ramadan: The silent giant

        YouTube in Ramadan: The silent giant

        Evision’s transformation proves that business acumen and passion drive success

        Sport’s Growing Grip on MENA Media

        MEASA’s media and communications innovations set new benchmarks beyond regional boundaries

        MEASA’s media and communications innovations set new benchmarks beyond regional boundaries

        Integrate ME 2023 brings its inaugural edition to successful conclusion

        Empowering the next generation of content creation and live broadcasting with AV PRO

        Decoding the Ramadan Drama Phenomenon: What Makes a Winner?

        Decoding the Ramadan Drama Phenomenon: What Makes a Winner?

        Reviving cultural identity through native storytelling in Abu Dhabi

        Reviving cultural identity through native storytelling in Abu Dhabi

        Why it’s game on for broadcasters of live sport

        Why it’s game on for broadcasters of live sport

        Evision’s transformation proves that business acumen and passion drive success

        Saudi Arabia emerges as the epicentre of Media & Entertainment in 2025

        Film and Beyond: Leapfrogging into the global screen industry

        Film and Beyond: Leapfrogging into the global screen industry

        Staying Safe and Ensuring Continuity with Cloud Playout

        Staying Safe and Ensuring Continuity with Cloud Playout

      • Interviews
        • All
        • Lounge
        Breaking barriers, building futures: The new face of IABM

        Breaking barriers, building futures: The new face of IABM

        New Leadership, Same Strategy, Sharpened Focus

        New Leadership, Same Strategy, Sharpened Focus

        Creating Captain Shedeed: A superhero with Arab roots

        Creating Captain Shedeed: A superhero with Arab roots

        UAE Pro League flips the field

        UAE Pro League flips the field

        Bringing the wild to the Middle East

        Bringing the wild to the Middle East

        Shades of success

        Shades of success

        Navigating the news wave

        Navigating the news wave

        From archive to asset

        From archive to asset

        Clarity in motion

        Clarity in motion

        Using AI to keep history real

        Using AI to keep history real

      • Products
      • Magazine Archive
        • BroadcastPro ME Magazine
        • PRO Directory
      • Events
        • News from Events
        • Upcoming Events
        DICM

        DICM

        IBC Show

        IBC 2025

        MPTS

        CABSAT2025

        CABSAT2025

        NAB Show

      No Result
      View All Result
      BroadcastPro ME
      No Result
      View All Result
      AMT Ad SimplyLive Ad ibc Ad Rossvideo Ad
      Home Tech Features New Media

      Seizing the opportunities of change

      Guest Columnist by Guest Columnist
      December 9, 2015
      in New Media, Tech Features
      ShareTweetPostEmail

      The IT industry is massive compared with the broadcast industry – broadcasters would be foolish not to take advantage of the pace of developments in IT, says Paul Wallis We are seeing unprecedented change in the world of broadcasting and electronic media at present. This change is genuinely disruptive, as it offers the potential to […]

      Paul Wallis, Director of Sales, Middle East, Imagine Communications.
      Paul Wallis, Director of Sales, Middle East, Imagine Communications.

      The IT industry is massive compared with the broadcast industry – broadcasters would be foolish not to take advantage of the pace of developments in IT, says Paul Wallis

      We are seeing unprecedented change in the world of broadcasting and electronic media at present. This change is genuinely disruptive, as it offers the potential to have a radical shift in the way we work, bringing new efficiencies, new productivity and new ways of serving our audiences.

      As always happens when shifts in technology occur, there is a clamour to make dramatic changes as quickly as possible. Conference sessions are dedicated to the new possibilities. Vendors are keen to sell you new solutions.

      My first piece of advice to all those being bombarded with information about change, though, is to very carefully evaluate what your future plans are. Define your goals and the timeframe in which you hope to achieve them. Then you can develop the detailed plans to make it happen.

      Those plans will be unique to you. The speed of transition and the level of business continuity and security during the transition, as well as the ultimate end state, will be different for every enterprise going through today’s transitions.

      Make sure your objectives are clear: that will define your transition planning.

      Let us consider just a couple of the significant changes facing the industry today, and how we might plan to address them.

      Software-defined architectures

      The most obvious shift, and the foundation for the change in workflows, is the move to a radically new technology platform. Up until now, broadcasting has depended upon bespoke hardware and connectivity, because that was the only way to achieve the performance we need for broadcasting and production.

      All the devices we need – encoders, switchers, graphics engines and so on – used specially-designed hardware. There was no other way to create, manipulate and deliver 25 new pictures every second. We connected these black boxes through SDI, a serial digital interface created for broadcast because there was nothing else suitable.

      That has all changed. Modern CPUs and GPUs are now fast enough to handle real-time video. Gigabit Ethernet is giving way to 10 GB and 40GB Ethernet switches, with 100GB capabilities coming out of the lab and into commercial deliverables, and 400GB Ethernet on the near horizon.

      In short, we can do much of what we need using clever software running on standard hardware, and connected over standard networks. The IT industry is massive compared with the broadcast industry – Apple revenues in a single quarter are three times the whole of the broadcast product market in a year. We would be foolish not to take advantage of the pace of developments in IT.

      Project cycles

      Using COTS – commercial off-the- shelf IT hardware – gives us obvious cost savings and simplicity in purchasing. A best-of-breed system might have software from multiple vendors, but it would all run on common hardware, like HP servers.

      But it does bring a new challenge. Implementing a major broadcast project in the past meant procuring a set of hardware, integrating it, installing it and then effectively setting it in concrete for seven to 10 years, the lifetime of the system. Then you replaced it with a new system.

      The IT industry does not work like that. Try to recall the capabilities of a computer of 10 years ago! We are expected to replace core IT hardware every couple of years or so, along with the operating systems which run on it.

      For broadcasters, it means we have to get used to a much more fluid infrastructure. Replacement cycles will be different for hardware, for operating software and for applications software.

      Procurement cycles will change, too. For a major broadcast installation, a year from initial request for information to contract signing was not uncommon, with another year for integration, commissioning, testing and training to follow. In two years, the IT landscape will have changed – and now, so too will the capabilities of broadcast technology.

      Ultra HD

      The move to a software-defined architecture for content creation, management and delivery is a major challenge, but so too is the decision on what form that content will take.

      Many are still working through the move from standard definition to HD; others are considering what is to follow. 4K channels are being announced, but there is growing concern that this is just one of many ways to improve the quality the viewer perceives, and it may not be the most effective or cost-effective route.

      For action channels, many consider high frame rates to be the best way forward. But, like 4K, this implies a lot more data. Moving from HD to UHD quadruples the amount of raw data to be processed and encoded: so too does moving from 25 frames a second to 100 frames a second. But HFR is even harder to compress than UHD.

      2015 has seen a rapid rise in interest in high dynamic range (HDR) for television – better pixels, not more pixels.

      The theory is that if you can more closely define colours, you can create perceived sharpness without actually increasing the screen resolution. A move from eight bits per colour to 12 bits has a stunning effect: more detail in the shadows, brighter highlights and an almost 3D-like clarity. And all for only a 50% rise in the bit budget.

      How will the industry move forward? It is too hard to tell at the moment. What is clear is that your new architecture is going to have to be flexible enough to cope with 4K/UHD (or 8K, or more), HFR and HDR, even though you may never need all of those capabilities.

      New workflows

      This brings us back to how best to take advantage of software-defined architectures.

      In the past, for instance, we have always handled signals at their native resolution – SDI – because that was the only option. But IP connectivity and Ethernet switches are measured in bytes, not in ports, so perhaps there is value in mixing compressed and uncompressed content. We could determine, on a signal by signal basis, how to balance image quality, latency and bandwidth. A set of business rules could automate this decision-making in an instant, giving priority where needed and sacrificing quality where it is not going to be noticed.

      Processes too are likely to be virtualised in a data centre, and maybe the cloud, rather than running on application-specific devices. Why would you allocate a standalone computer to graphics generation which is only needed for an hour a day, when the graphics software could grab as many processor cores as needed, when needed, from a pool in the data centre?

      If you know you have a peak in encoding traffic, for example – for the main evening news programme, perhaps – then ship that out to the cloud to create capacity. Or maybe put other encoding work into the cloud to make space for this key task in the data centre.

      These are just some of the ways in which the management of broadcast and media technology will look very different in the future. As I said at the start of this article, the really key thing is to determine where your business and operational requirements lie, then create an architecture that will support it.

      You are unlikely to be able to implement this new architecture all in one go: most of us have existing infrastructures which must be amortised over time. So your planning process must also determine how you will run a hybrid infrastructure and the consequent hybrid workflows, all the while moving towards your final goals.

      This is a tremendous opportunity to create an architecture fit for the future. Ensure that your goals can be achieved at your pace.

      Paul Wallis is Sales Director Middle East & Africa at Imagine Communications.

      Tags: 10th editionImagine CommunicationsIT industryPaul Wallisvirtualised

      Related Posts

      Imagine Communications unveils next-gen traffic and billing system

      Imagine Communications unveils next-gen traffic and billing system

      April 16, 2025
      FOMEX 2025 returns to Riyadh for third edition on February 19

      FOMEX 2025 returns to Riyadh for third edition on February 19

      February 17, 2025
      Imagine Communications to showcase broadcast solutions at FOMEX 2025

      Imagine Communications to showcase broadcast solutions at FOMEX 2025

      February 17, 2025
      Lionsgate appoints Adam Fogelson as Vice Chair of Motion Picture Group

      Imagine Communications appoints Steve Reynolds as new CEO

      December 17, 2024
      Broadcasting beyond borders

      Broadcasting beyond borders

      November 20, 2024
      IBC 2024 draws 45,000+ visitors from 170 countries

      IBC 2024 draws 45,000+ visitors from 170 countries

      September 17, 2024

      Related News

      DIFF kicks off 10th edition with Palestinian film

      DIFF kicks off 10th edition with Palestinian film

      December 8, 2013
      DIFF rolls out the carpet for a bumper 10th edition

      DIFF rolls out the carpet for a bumper 10th edition

      November 24, 2013
      More Related News

      BroadcastPro ME

      • About
      • Advertise
      • Subscribe
      • Magazine Archive
      • Directory
      • Contact
      • Privacy

      Follow us on Social Media

      No Result
      View All Result
      • News
      • Tech Features
      • Videos
      • Opinion
      • Interviews
      • Products
      • Magazine Archive
        • BroadcastPro ME Magazine
        • PRO Directory
      • Events

      Login to your account below

      Forgotten Password?

      Fill the forms bellow to register

      All fields are required. Log In

      Retrieve your password

      Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

      Log In
      Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com