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The future is now

Feb 1, 2010 12:00 PM, By Steven Canepa

Broadcasters are using innovative approaches to keep pace with today’s digital world.

Clearly, a transformation of this sort isn't only about technology. It's about culture, skills, union rules, personnel policies, individual responsibilities, dealings with partners and vendors, and much, much more. It's also, importantly, about a marketplace shift. The reality is that historically, the broadcast industry has largely been served by many specialty vendors whose R&D budgets were largely funded by the broadcast industry alone. As such, the rate of innovation of products and service offerings was gated by this limitation and the pace of transformation ultimately dependent on the collective broadcast industry spending.

However, with general-purpose technology now able to provide the requisite performance and robustness, the broadcast industry is availing itself of the best applicable technology from the much broader IT industry. We are seeing how this broader R&D spending is providing real advantages for broadcasters. The Linear Tape-Open (LTO) consortium is an example of a standards-based, multivendor approach to data tape storage. With the announcement of LTO 5 support for dual partition tape cartridges, workflows that have previously been restricted to disk or flash memory can now be extended to LTO. As the resolution and archiving demands of the industry grow, broadcasters can leverage the price, performance and density advancements that data tape storage provides without the complexity or proprietary encumbrances previously accompanying videotape-based approaches.

A three-faceted approach

Three key focus areas are emerging. First, optimizing operations and infrastructure to reduce costs (a shared, virtualized infrastructure of servers, storage and data tape — powered by fast file systems and orchestrated by systems management software) is allowing media firms to pool and deploy resources more efficiently. It is also allowing firms to select tools commensurate with the workflow, purpose and intent. An example is editing. Instead of a single editorial platform, broadcasters are capitalizing on multiple editing tools sharing a common infrastructure. This allows firms to use high-end resources for high-value content while optimizing more simplified tools for lower complexity workflows. This virtualized approach can also be extended to incorporate emerging capabilities like cloud computing — where the on-premise infrastructure is augmented by remote infrastructure and services delivered over the Internet.

The second focus area is the horizontal workflow capability engendered by SOA middleware. As already discussed, this allows for integration of workflows across the business. Most importantly, it allows applications to be “snapped together” and, as needs change, to be unsnapped and reassembled into new forms. This unbundling of application functions is a key element of a more flexible media organization.

The third focus area involves using enhanced analytics and decision support tools to derive more insight. To achieve this, companies are extracting more data from workflows and cleansing and standardizing it so they can get a better view of what's actually happening with content, advertising and more. Crucially, this allows for a more holistic view of operations such as licensing, business agreements, and how content may be used or exploited. This enhanced data flow is enabling executives to make more informed decisions sooner, and to get more out of their resources — both human and technology.

To continue this transformation, there are several steps that broadcasters are taking:

Assessing legacy infrastructure, pooling assets and creating a roadmap for optimization. This often involves virtualization of resources and evolving infrastructures toward a more standards-based architecture. There are now many good marketplace examples of the benefits of end-to-end file-based workflow and using IT in lieu of specialized media platforms.
Uncovering what workflow exists today and determining what the key inhibitors are to responding to evolving business requirements — costs, redundant format transforms, manual processes, rigid technologies, etc.
Focusing on unique value. This includes achieving strategic objectives and serving multiple audiences across mulitple channels while securing cost advantages and capitalizing on opportunities to differentiate.
Outlining the path forward. Developing a roadmap can help broadcasters get to a more dynamic business framework with clear metrics of success and a focus on what internal tranformations and external partners are required.