Amsterdam – 15 September: Sony is demonstrating its Media Backbone Hive production system for news, shown implemented at IBC 2017 (14-19 September) in a totally cloud-based environment.

For the first time ever at IBC, Hive will take centre stage in a fully functional cloud-native news platform, hosted in Open Telekom Cloud – the European service operated by Deutsche Telekom-owned ICT infrastructure provider T-Systems together with its technology partner Huawei. Combining a scalable production platform like Hive with the flexibility of the cloud, Sony shows that the agile future of news production is possible for broadcasters and content creators of any size.

Demonstrating the future of news production at IBC

Contrasting with today’s hardware-centric, studio based news operations, the demonstration shows the exciting possibilities of entirely cloud-based production across multiple locations, with content and applications securely hosted off-premises in enterprise-grade data centres.

At IBC, mobile journalists (Mojos) and media students will capture Full HD video content with handheld cameras and smartphones. Further material will be provided by Video Journalists (VJs), transferring content from their laptops to Hive using FTP or via direct upload.

Content contribution is also integrated with XDCAM air – Sony’s cloud-based workflow service that links field-based cameras with broadcasters’ news production infrastructure. With XDCAM air, ingested media files and metadata are available immediately for clip logging and editing while shooting continues – saving valuable time and helping editors build stories with unprecedented speed.

Cloud-based footage will be edited using a blend of Hive’s own built-in cutting tools, virtual craft editing stations and web-based desktop edit clients. The resulting packaged stories will be published directly from Hive to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other platforms throughout IBC.

Hive connects with MXF Analyser Cloud Service running on Microsoft Azure. This is a cloud-enabled version of MXF Analyser, a leading file checking tool developed over the recent years by IRT (Institut für Rundfunktechnik), a Munich based internationally renowned research and competence centre for broadcast and media technology. Affiliated to public broadcasting companies ARD, ZDF, Deutschlandradio, ORF and SRG/SSR, IRT also works with a wide range of clients from the broadcast, media and industry sectors.

IRT addresses Hive as part of its research on cloud production concepts and applications. It further focuses on how to integrate cloud-based solutions like Hive with existing media infrastructure, with respect to both essence and metadata.

Demonstrating the unparalleled power of Hive to support multiple media operations, technology vendor Huawei will access the same cloud-hosted content from their own stand at IBC, browsing and editing content on thin client devices.

Reach more audiences… at lower cost

“Broadcasters and news providers are facing up to the very real challenges of fragmented, hard-to-reach audiences, multiple platforms and rising operational cost,” comments Stuart Almond, Head of Marketing and Communications, AV and Media Solutions. “As we are demonstrating at IBC, by shifting their current news operations into the cloud and by enabling more remote production and collaboration, we’re helping our customers to not only deliver content faster through their linear workflows, but simultaneously reach new internet-driven audiences without the need to spend more.

“News is unpredictable. It can happen any place, any time – and the real competition for today’s broadcasters comes from anyone with a social media account”, notes Almond. “Media Backbone Hive opens the door to faster, more agile production possibilities. Just as importantly, hosting content and applications in the cloud marks a welcome shift from a heavy capital investment in hardware-based studio infrastructure to a far leaner, opex-focused model.”

“T-Systems as a European cloud pioneer has seen many verticals move into the cloud,” says Dr Maximilian Ahrens – VP Strategy & CTO Cloud – Digital Division – T-Systems. “We learned that one key factor in the digitisation journey is to have products designed for the cloud. These are assets Sony and Harmonic bring to the table. We have seen excellent results in our proof of concepts on our Open Telekom Cloud powered by Huawei”.

“The move to cloud based services within the media and entertainment industry is accelerating at rapid speed. Broadcasters are actively exploring new ways to reach and retain wider audiences, whilst increasing collaboration and ways of working remotely, but at lower cost,” says Dr. Rainer Schäfer, General Manager Media Services and Platforms at IRT. “This exciting proof of concept including a hybrid cloud scenario shows how the media industry is re-thinking production models.”
​ Sony is exhibiting at IBC 2017 in the Elicium Hall, RAI Amsterdam on stand 13.A10.

For more information visit pro.sony.eu.

For more information about Sony at IBC please click here.

#SonyIBC17