Planning and Designing the IP Broadcast Facility

A New Puzzle to Solve

Gary Olson

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781000047769
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Communication Studies
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

This book provides a comprehensive understanding of the technology architecture, physical facility changes and – most importantly – the new media management workflows and business processes to support the entire lifecycle of the IP broadcast facility from an engineering and workflow perspective.

Fully updated, this second edition covers the technological evolutions and changes in the media broadcast industry, including the new standards and specifications for live IP production, the SMPTE ST2110 suite of standards, the necessity of protecting against cyber threats and the expansion of cloud services in opening new possibilities. It provides users with the necessary information for planning, organizing, producing and distributing media for the modern broadcast facility.

Key features of this text include:

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• Strategies to implement a cost-effective live and file-based production and distribution system.

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• A cohesive, big-picture viewpoint that helps you identify how to overcome the challenges of upgrading your plant.

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• The impact live production is having on the evolution to IP.

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• Case studies serve as recommendations and examples of use.

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• New considerations in engineering and maintenance of IP and file-based systems.

Those in the fields of TV, cable, IT engineering and broadcast engineering will find this book an invaluable resource, as will students learning how to set up modern broadcast facilities and the workflows of contemporary broadcasting.

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Overview

To continue solving this new puzzle, it is necessary to identify all the pieces. Then they can be assembled into the complete new picture. One of most important things that has happened in the transition and evolution to IP is the introduction of approved and somewhat approved standards for live production. There are still many familiar elements to this architecture and many of the workflows. But there are also significant changes and new elements to be taken into consideration:

• Standards and Protocols
• Live Production – Studio, Remote and Field
• Ingest, Acquisition and Capture
• Media Management
• Automation and Orchestration
• Quality Control and Monitoring
• Communications
• Workflow and Business Processes
• Engineering Design and Documentation
• Network Design
• Cyber Security
• Cloud, @Home and AI
• Multi-Platform Contribution, Distribution and Delivery
• Facility Planning and Design

This overall picture will help provide an understanding of what goes into the entire IP ecosystem that encompasses both live and file-based production.

What does the entire architecture look like from beginning to end? And what are the changes that have taken place?

Figure 1.1 shows at a very high level the core processes that represent the entire lifecycle of media movement in the IP world.

Figure 1.1 Entire IP Architecture and Workflow

The book will explore the changes to the core processes in the new lifecycle: Creation, Management Media Movement, Handling, Retention and Delivery

The core infrastructure in broadcast and production technology has changed substantially having evolved to mostly computer-based devices and systems and continuing the transition to IP for signal and transport on a network topology. The introduction of accepted standards and protocols has a significant impact on the design and implementation of live and file-based IP technologies and infrastructure. The evolution to IP introduces many new workflows, business and production processes and new facilities design.

The systems and devices used in media production and broadcast are based on COTS – Commercial Off The Shelf computer technologies, having evolved from proprietary hardware. What does that actually mean – computers, servers network, storage, applications, middleware and cloud? As a result, system design, integration and infrastructure is based on a new IP network topology and software applications running on servers. They communicate with other applications using API’s (Application Program Interface). Virtualization reduces the amount of computer hardware, however it still needs sufficient computer resources (CPU, memory and storage) to perform.

IP and computer-based devices and systems coupled with the availability of higher-speed bandwidth connectivity has made @Home production more affordable and practical. This enables the use of existing infrastructure and personnel at the broadcast center; using IP technology over WAN (Wide Area Network) to manage, control and operate production devices and systems at remote production locations. This has been used by broadcasters in major sporting events and its use is growing.

Cloud products and cloud-based micro services enable a more collaborative environment, reduce on-site maintenance and change the considerations of replacement due to product lifecycles. However, the cloud requires open internet connections, which exposes the protected media environment to potential cyber threats. Cyber-security products typically put a performance burden on media systems that presents a challenge to critical operations.

Another crucial piece of the puzzle is the integration of business units with media systems i.e. traffic and media management. The introduction of new workflow integration between business units and media creates the need to work more closely together. This integration requires the enterprise and media networks to touch and these systems to cross connect. This means that many of the operational silos that existed before are now being broken down. Traditionally, media and business units operated largely autonomously from each other, as in silos. This “silo” organizational structure existed even within each of the business and media groups. The broadcast, production and technical operations, finance, business and legal departments all operated independently. In the new business model, everyone in the organization needs, will and can access the media and metadata. Metadata in the context of media management has critical implications and is core to what the live and the file-based IP world is all about. The use of artificial intelligence provides new tools in creation, production and media management.

One of the many changes that occur is that the relationship between technical operations, engineering and business demands much tighter integration. The broadcast center has now become a media data center with its own managed network (LAN), however while the Media LAN and Enterprise LAN need to be connected, they need to be cyber protected. Governance, once the province of enterprise IT, now plays a significant role in developing and managing the rules and policies that control and manage workflows and processes of media. These rules and policies are new and different when applied to a media network, systems, devices and applications. Program delivery is across many platforms and devices at a time when the consumer watches media on multiple devices and platforms, such as files and streams. This significant change in the way media is delivered impacts production as each platform can have a different format and its own delivery specifications.

Not only has the technology changed, but there has also been a significant impact to the design and planning of the physical plant – the actual bricks, mortar, electrical and mechanical infrastructures.

‘Beginning-to-End’ is the concept of planning and design that must include creation, production, distribution, business operations, technical operations and workflow management.

Workflow is a term often used and sometimes abused. It is defined as a series of connected activities and processes. For example, editing workflow is the process of editing plus all the different pieces and parts associated with editing. Accounting workflow relates to all the things associated with payables, receivables and accounting work.

There are many workflows within the world of media, technical operations and their association with business operations. Some new processes are made possible by adding technology and achieved by changing the way people work.

During acquisition, essence is produced, captured and ingested. In the craft workflow there is remote and studio production, editing and graphics. These are all workflows that change in the IP ecosystem. Each of these processes needs simultaneous access to the same media files in the shared storage or cloud over the IP architecture. These new puzzle pieces fit together into a completely different picture, in terms of changes in technology, workflows, the design of the facility as well as the design of the infrastructure.

Technology Infrastructure

The core infrastructure is now comprised of applications, servers, storage and networks. When planning and designing any facility it is critical to anticipate growth. The core technologies in the IP infrastructure are different from tape-based SDI technologies and have other considerations:

• Extensibility
• Scalability
• Sustainability

Extensibility : This is a design principle where the implementation takes into consideration planning for future growth.

With technology changing as rapidly as it does, it is essential in the planning and design of a facility to assure that extensibility provides for and anticipates future growth.

Scalability : The ability of the hardware and software systems to expand to handle the growth without requiring replacement. This growth can be an increase in the volume of material acquired, produced, delivered or archived. It could be the number of users needing access or an increase in delivery platforms. What about the growing amount of proxies and metadata?

Scaling, growing or expanding in the IP ecosystem is accomplished by adding servers, network, storage and applications. Are there enough network ports? Is there enough bandwidth? If more storage capacity is added, what about throughput?

Sustainability : Maintaining hardware and software is all about service contracts, software updates and patches. Sustainability includes keeping spares or redundant systems as hot spares or backup. It means software configuration and database backups.

Total Cost of Ownership

When planning a new facility or making a significant capital investment in an existing facility, one of the critical elements of budgeting and decision-making is the total cost of ownership (TCO) of equipment and infrastructure. It is important to know not just what it costs to build, but also the cost to operate and maintain.

Lifecycle is another important consideration for TCO. Software and hardware have limited lifecycles before the manufacturer sunsets and obsoletes a product requiring an upgrade or a new product. The lifecycles of computer-based technology is also significantly shorter than previous proprietary technologies.

The interoperability and integration of computer technologies that depend on middleware, API’s and hardware interfaces introduces a new set of challenges when it’s time to update or upgrade a systems or device. What if the upgrade of one device does not support the version of some of the attached devices? This might impact device drivers and middleware. If the operating system on a server requires an update or upgrade, how many other applications and/or systems will need updating to remain compatible and interoperable? This will be covered in more detail in the maintenance chapter.

Facility Infrastructure – Physical Plant

Infrastructure is about more than just the technology. It is also about the physical facility, and with that there are a considerable number of changes to consider in planning and design.

It is a generally accepted that building a new facility is always easier than upgrading an existing one. Many of the considerations are the same, but it’s always a little easier to build from scratch, rather than modify existing infrastructure. This is as true with the physical aspect of the project (bricks and mortar) as it is with the technology. It’s also much easier for business continuity if the upgrade does not involve working around live systems. It is something like changing the tires while the car is moving.

When thinking about making building changes to accommodate live IP and file-based systems, space planning is completely different. New control surfaces do not require the same proximity to a mainframe for the proprietary connection requirements because they are now IP and connected over the Ethernet network. Even the server controls – screens, keyboards and mice – are accessed using extenders with a switch matrix that allows a single screen, keyboard and mouse to operate multiple servers from many locations.

Core space planning includes:

• HVAC
• UPS/Generator
• Room Adjacencies
• Spatial allocations
• Room Interdependencies
• Ergonomics
• Fiber and copper horizontal and vertical pathways
• Intermediate locations for switches including power and environment (IDF and MDF)
• Wireless distribution – Digital Antenna
• Local connections to endpoints
• Local converters and adapters

Production control rooms no longer accommodate as many dedicated control s...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Introduction
• Chapter 1. Overview
• Chapter 2. Standards, Protocols and Acronyms
• Chapter 3. Business Processes and Integration
• Chapter 4. Ingest / Acquisition / Capture
• Chapter 5. Workflow and Processes
• Chapter 6. Media Management
• Chapter 7. Technology Infrastructure and Engineering
• Chapter 8. Transmission and Delivery
• Chapter 9. Cloud
• Chapter 10. Artificial Intelligence
• Chapter 11. Facility Planning and Design
• Chapter 12. Review
• Appendix
• Terminology
• Glossary
• Index