NAB 2018: Cyber security, audio technology and content creation solutions were showcased by Cisco, Fortium, Deluxe and Dolby during NAB.

Cyber security

Members of the Media and Entertainment Services Alliance (MESA) showcased cyber security, audio technology and content creation solutions during the NAB Show.

Cisco

Expanding on its Media Blueprint which was first unveiled at NAB 2016, Cisco has added new solutions as its continues focussing on industrialising the media ecosystem.

Showcasing its IP networking, security and software solutions it has demonstrated its strategy to expand its portfolio into IT.

Cisco Global Industry Director for Media and Entertainment Roger Sherwood explained the company mission has been to penetrate traditional broadcast operations.

He said: “There’s a lot more IT in broadcast, a lot more broadcast in IT and that plays very much into our sweet spot of the legacy protocols are going away [and] a lot of these tools and systems are starting to look like traditional IT now.

“We’re really starting to see that convergence happening on the customer side too.”

Cisco’s key takeaway is that “security is the foundation of everything.”

He explained the value of content produced from film, TV and live events he is surprised that major organisations have not yet developed holistic software and ransom protection strategies.

Sherwood expects the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo to be a major driving force for 8K content creation and delivery.

As such, the momentum the industry is moving toward the need to protect content and its priority within businesses will rise, which was a key focus for Cisco’s demonstrations.

Cyber security and content protection summit

NAB’s inaugural half-day event provided technology and business updates on cyber security and anti-piracy initiatives being deployed across film and television.

Delegates saw a focus on defending against disinformation and social media manipulation as cyber threats have moved from government into the private sectors.

New Knowledge Founder and Chief Executive, Researcher and Commentator Jonathon Morgan delivered the keynote offering advice on the ways in which news and entertainment companies can protect themselves and their consumers from misinformation and diffuse viral propaganda used to exert influence. Delegates took away a set of best practices to defend their brands against information attacks.

He said: “We’re now in an era where most people get the majority of their information online.

“Information defence will soon be as essential as cybersecurity. Entertainment and media companies are already routinely targeted by disinformation attacks.”

Morgan’s artificial intelligence (AI) detects manufactured online crowds, social media automation and other signals of inorganic social media influence. The technology solutions give brands early warning alerts about potential threats and helps them stop the attack before it influences their customers or employees.

Fortium

Content security was the focus for Fortium during the NAB Show showcasing the way companies can keep content secure through its disc and file-based security solutions.

Fortium Chief Executive Mathew Gilliat-Smith explained the industry continues to underestimate the ability hackers have to access their content.

MediaSeal file encryption software is designed for TV and film post production in sound and editing picture, localisation and marketing, to enhance the security of content by automatically and transparent encrypting.

Gilliat-Smith said: “Files are encrypted instantly when saved to a LiveFolder and decrypted automatically when accessed by an authenticated user.”

The growing demand when Fortium changed its business strategy, introducing a new pay-as-you-go pricing model which has proven ideal for customers who found the initial pricing model challenging.

Deluxe

Deluxe Entertainment Services Group has collaborated with technology companies DLVR Inc and Hybrik in the development of its new Deluxe One platform which was revealed during NAB.

The Deluxe One open platform was designed to “unify global content creation and distribution.”

Deluxe announced: “The Deluxe One unifies every stage of the content ecosystem — from creation to viewer experience — in one cloud-based interface. Deluxe said in its announcement.

Designed to “integrate with any vendor or customer system, allowing users to succeed in an age where the lines between creator and distributor are becoming increasingly blurred.”

DLVR’s video delivery optimisation data and services help video publishers achieve peak streaming performance on each device. It’s based entirely on cloud optimisation, eliminating the need for software development or plug-ins.

Hybrik was selected for its cloud transcoding cloud-based media processing system. Deluxe Chief Product Officer Andy Shenkler said: “Selecting Hybrik to be a “key partner” for the Deluxe One ecosystem “ensures that we will always have the capacity and quality we need to support growing demand in both volume and advanced formats,” including 4K resolution and high dynamic range (HDR).

Dolby

Striving ahead with its leading Dolby Atmos surround sound technology, Dolby also showcased the Dolby Vision HDR range and its growing momentum on Dolby AC-4 audio compression technology adoption.

Dolby has been working with Netflix in the deployment of distributing content using Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision for mass market.

As well as deploying in live environments, having partnered with France Televisions on the French Open tennis finals using Atmos and AC-4 in 2017.

Dolby Senior Manager for Business Strategy-Imaging Playback Stephen Auld explained collaborating with content creators over the last few years has seen Dolby at the core of the HDR evolution.

In addition to the Netflix support, there are over 200 titles in Dolby Vision on the Apple iTunes store as well as Amazon supporting Dolby formats. From the consumer point of view there are 12 market available TV sets which support Dolby Vision playback at mainstream prices.

Dolby revealed during the NAB Show its partnership with US organisation Pearl TV which broadcasters include Cox Media Group, EW Scripps Company and Hearst Television.

Pearl TV announced that Dolby, along with several other key partners, are working together to get the first next-generation TV signal test bed in the Phoenix Model Market on-air using ATSC 3.0. Dolby is providing encoding and decoding technology to add key audio features with AC-4.

Topics