The ‘Outlook for Broadcast and Media – IBC2015 Wrap Up’ session underlined several big trends at IBC, the consensus being that HDR is winning versus UHDand that it is the next big thing on which broadcasters should focus. “Even your grandmother can see HDR,” quipped Phil Laven, DVB chairman. “And I don’t have anything against grandmothers.”
“HDR is the new black,” added Simon Fell, director of technology and innovation at the EBU. “HDR is much more applicable today and it is really astonishing,” said Marco Pellegrinato, director of research and development RTI Mediaset Group in Italy. “To move to UHD will take until the next decade because of all the costs but we can do this much more quickly.”
But Fernanado Bittencourt from Society of TV Engineers (SET) in Brazil warned the broadcasting industry that with the moves towards higher resolution formats they must look to protect their spectrum capacity. “Broadcasters have always had the highest quality of video but I am worried that in five years it will be the worst quality. If you don’t have the spectrum to broadcast new technology there is a big risk of losing the market,” said Bittencourt. “Nothing is as profitable as over the air broadcasting but to keep the high percentage of viewers we need to keep the best quality.”
There was also agreement that IP is the future but less assent about how new devices like Apple TV and internet content are going to affect the industry. Richard Friedel, executive VP and GM Fox Networks, believes that the linear TV system will still be in place in 10 yearsbecause people will still want “curated streams of content” but it won’t be from “big TV transmitters on mountaintops.”
Aspera CEO Michelle Munson added that the rate of growth in internet delivery systems means that it will be less than 10 years until the dominant delivery will be non-linear.
