So IBC 2011 has come and gone, but what were my show highlights?
Super Hi-Vision
3D broadcast took a little bit of a back-seat this year. Is the fad over? Who knows! In its place however, 2K, 4K and even 8K developments took precedence. NHK and BBC's R&D departments have developed 8K broadcast and display technologies that this year granted them the IBC 2011 Conference Award. For those who got to experience it, they were treated to an amazing 20-foot, 8K demo, supported by a 22.2 channel surround system.
4K and 8K technologies will be in our homes sooner than we think, and next year those in London will get a sneak preview, as BBC and NHK intend to record and project the 2012 Olympic games to the public.
Foundry's Hiero
Last year, The Foundry's Storm (DIT Tool) was released. 12 months on, and due to poor sales, the product has been canned. From the ashes rises Hiero.
Hiero is a DIT/Conform tool for Nuke that also has a timeline. It helps Nuke users conform and manage their media and roundtrips back and forth with ease. Hmmm... a suggestion of a new NLE to challenge the likes of FCP, Avid and Adobe? Perhaps, but more interestingly with its functionality with Nuke, we may also see a Foundry production package in the not-too-distant future. Watch this space.
Automated QC/VidChecker
Baton and Cerify have dominated this space for a little while, and with tapeless delivery becoming almost industry standard worldwide, automated QC is having a boom.
The problem I've had with automated QC software is that they overly complicate it for what the majority of us need to do. Thankfully I stumbled upon VidChecker. The Bristol-based team have created a user friendly GUI that makes life so much easier. You are still given tons of customizable features - from QC watch folders to gamut correction to encoding, it has it all, but is much easier to navigate. QC systems are great, in particular VidChecker, however at present, it will never replace the eagle eyes of a keen VT/MCR op.
So those were my highlights of IBC 2011. For those who wish to do some homework, I do also have to make some honorable mentions:
- Sony OLED broadcast monitors
- Baselight for FCP
- Adobe Flash 11/Server 4.5
- Cinema4D R13
Until next year Amsterdam!
Sam