Technology for the Next Generation

by BHV CTO Bill Garrett.  This article was originally published 2 December 2022 in TVB Europe - original article here

I don’t mean to write a ‘dark skies’ story about the future of broadcast equipment, but one must ask the question, ‘as an industry are we delivering the appropriate kit for the workforce of tomorrow?’ Of course, if we adapt, the risks are mitigated, but my time at IBC 2022 says that some manufacturers need to look closely at their product set.

I’ll start by presenting a scenario. A market that many ‘clear thinking’ kit manufacturers have moved into is pro AV. Corporate communications, houses of worship and many other previously ‘non broadcast’ organisations have made steps towards becoming content providers. The sale of PTZ cameras, which had already been enjoying growth, have rocketed along with all the associated peripherals, mini vision mixers and streaming gateways.

However, the scenario in my head involves three smartphones  on lighting sticks, their 8K image sensors enabling virtual pan, tilt and zoom, some clever warping to give the image that ‘mechanical movement’ feel, with their multiple image sensors providing numerous shot options, and sound via bluetooth microphones. The producer, assuming there is one, sits at a tablet screen selecting the appropriate shots; AI is tidying the picture quality by automatically balancing colour and brightness, and is probably sorting audio too. The devices’ 5G connectivity streams all the content to the cloud. The total count of traditional broadcast manufacturers involved: zero!

All of this can be done right now. Sport producers are already using smartphones connected with 5G. What will make this scenario a reality is not cost but usability. All the functions are delivered by apps and a cloud-connected infrastructure, hence there’s no cabling. Production power is not heavy v-lock batteries but three USB power packs picked up at the service station.

If you are unsure that the new workforce of tomorrow really will be different then let me explain a situation facing the automotive industry by posing a question. ‘Would a child born today learn to drive a manual gearbox car? Would a child born today learn to drive at all?’ With the phasing out of hydrocarbon fuels, the first part is easy to answer with a resounding ‘no’! The second part needs a little forethought. There will be social changes that affect the choice to own and drive, there is also the question of autonomous vehicles and how progressed will these be. As it takes about seven years for a car to leave the drawing board and enter the showroom, automotive manufacturers have just over two vehicle design cycles to work out what to do. Worse still, the numbers are already in: the total UK driving tests taken in 2016 was around 500,00; by 2019 the pre-pandemic figure was 400,000. Car makers are currently scrabbling around for ideas. Let’s not find ourselves having lacked forethought.

Deep breath, now back to broadcast. There can be a bright future when we recognise the threats. But, our industry offering needs to change. I will spare the blushes of some manufacturers, but I saw new products on show at IBC that had an interface featuring a two-line text-based LCD display, with a ‘helpful’ rotary encoder! To set up this ‘sophisticated and modern network aware’ piece of equipment is like looking through a letterbox. Ovens and coffee machines have better. It is an interface that has been around for 40 years, it’s clunky, awkward and two generations away from the industry entrants who spent the pandemic glued to an iPad.

There are cheap and easy solutions to improve the interface between equipment and user. Technologies developed for smartwatches now enable cost-effective rich user interfaces without the need of a stack of silicon or the headache of a Linux subsystem. Development tools released in the last 18 months now enable designers to deliver graphical, icon-driven UIs with gesture control.

There is no need for kit designed today to have a text-only interface. This change brings the opportunity of a tutorial-driven ‘at the device’ guidance through an interface capable of providing it. Users will get much more from your product, thus enhancing your reputation for  user experience.

Designers need to think about connectivity too. A good number of engineers have quit the industry when asked to swap the BNC for a CAT5 cable because a trip to the classroom to learn new skills later in life didn’t sound appealing. When connectivity sorts itself out the frustration and fear subsides. There are networking technologies that can resolve the connectivity challenge, 5G being an important stepping stone where devices leave the complex connectivity overhead to a telco.

Every place in the chain where there is overhead and manual activity needs to be under review because the marketplace is doing so from the inside and out. The new workforce of tomorrow will influence what gets used, and within a short time that workforce becomes the decision-maker. If the industry hasn’t adapted, those dark skies will be upon us.