Case Study

www.evs.tv

March 2008

Dramas and Entertainment Production

Native DNxHDNative DNxHD® Workflow Workflow

Dramas and Entertainment Production

Customer >Customer >

Television Broadcasts Limited, commonly known as TVB, is the

major commercial broadcasting television station in Hong Kong.

The main activities of TVB are television broadcasting and

programme production, as well as other broadcasting-related

activities like programme licensing, video distribution, and satellite

broadcasting. TVB transmits over 16,000 hours of programming on

its Chinese Jade channel and English Pearl channel free of charge to

2.22 million homes in Hong Kong. TVB is one of the largest producers of

Chinese-language programming in the world. Many of the Chinese

programmes are dubbed into other languages and are distributed

to more than 30 countries, accessible to more than 30 million

people every day.

"TVB wanted to establish a start-to-

end High Definition tapeless production

network to fulfill the production

requirements for our new HDTV

programmes EVS’ field-proven recording

and playback server technology was

chosen for its flexibility and total system

integration features with the HD NLE and

archive system."

Bruce Kruger

Controller

Head of Engineering Division

Television Broadcasts Limited

On 31 December 2007, TVB officially launched its 24-hour HD channel, HDJade, providing diverse and brand new audio/visual entertainment in the digital era. In addition to the simulcast of the digital Jade and Pearl channels, two more channels, the J2 and Interactive Information channels, will be launched tentatively in the first and second quarters of 2008.

TVB provides a wide array of programmes, both self-produced and acquired, including HD dramas, documentaries, and live broadcasts on events of public interest, such as national and international sports events. The 2008 Beijing Olympics coverage available in High Definition format will be another driving force in stimulating DTT adoption.

Striding into the free digital era, not only has TVB invested large resources in the implementation of this new technology, but TVB is also the first free television station in Hong Kong committed to providing interactive, enhanced features and data services such as Electronic Programme Guide, programme synopsis, programme content, breaking news, financial news data, weather forecast, games, TV shopping, voting and survey, and more, embracing the benefits of DTT to the fullest.

TVB Dramas and Entertainment Production

Dramas and Entertainment Production

Case Study

The Digital & HD Era The Digital & HD Era >

TVB’s New Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting

TVB Digital Channel

Launch Date Content

High Definition Jade

31/12/2007 24-hour broadcast of TVB HD programmes and first-run acquired HD programmes

Jade 31/12/2007 Jade simulcast

J2 First Quarter, 2008

Entertainment, lifestyle, travel, music, popular Asian drama series

Pearl 31/12/2007 Pearl simulcast

Interactive Information Channel

Second Quarter, 2008

Interactive information

XT[2] : The XT[2] delivers a full range of applications for live/studio production,post content management, and playout. The XT[2] platform allows full HD/SD compatibility in order to make a seamless transition to HD.

Challenge Challenge >

To cope with the worldwide demand for programme production

and the requirements for the new HD channel, TVB decided to

adopt HD non-linear editing technology and expand to a full server-

based HD tapeless production network, including digital archiving

and media asset management system, which would be the first of its

kind in Asia.

The new HD Production Network required the following key features and enhancements :

a start-to-end system with no transcoding for HD media;

networked server-based system, with bandwidth/throughput capable of handling a minimum of 50 workstations;

video and audio editing within the same network under simultaneous real-time process;

one video channel carrying minimum eight discrete audio channels;

near-instant playback and slow-motion;

system-generated low res for production support and browsing;

metadata with user-adjustable/definable structure;

metadata exchange/interlink with TVB Corporate Programme Library;

metadata flow from studio recording to editing and archiving;

basic MAM with user/access rights hierarchy;

improvement on workflow efficiency;

guarantee of high-quality HD media.

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IPDirector is an integrated suite of video production

management applications that gives you total control

of your production via EVS’ XT[2] servers integrated

into any workflow. The IPDirector Suite allows ingest

control, metadata management, on-the-fly editing,

and playout scheduling, all managed from a single

interface. Running on a Windows-based workstation,

IPDirector is easy to learn for every member of

the production team, so everyone on the network

can instantly share content, edits, and metadata.

The software suite integrates transparently with any

third-party system, simplifying transfer of your media

to post production tools or archiving. IPDirector

expands your horizons by increasing your workflow’s

organization and accessibility.

EVS proposed a production workflow based on its XT[2] production server and related content production solutions fully integrated with Avid post production stations. The system that is being put in place for TVB can be presented in three main segments dedicated to drama, entertainment, and live OB productions. In addition, the EVS system proposal was configured to offer maximum integration with Avid post production and network access, guaranteeing an optimized HD tapeless workflow.

Solution Solution >

Equipment Equipment >

In each workflow, EVS deployed the following hardware and software systems and equipment:

XT[2] production server recording footage natively in Avid DNxHD® codec and also used for playback.

IPDirector content management system for control of the XT[2], for logging, edit, and rough cut.

XFile software acting as a gateway from the XT[2] to the Avid world.

XF[2] removable hardware for removable storage and gateway solution platform.

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AvidPost-Production

EVS Live Production

Avid Media Composer

XF[2]

Xnet[2]

[IP]Director

XT[2]

RS422

Fiber Channel

Avid Unity Storage (ISIS)

Avid Transfer Manager/ Interplay

Engine

Dramas and entertainment studios production Dramas and entertainment studios production and post production integrated workflows >and post production integrated workflows >

TVB Dramas and Entertainment Production

Dramas and Entertainment Production

Case Study

The EVS segment of the TVB HD production network project consists of independent production islands, which are tied together by a 10G network, or by the manual exchange of removable media.

In each studio, the operational workflow is based on the XT[2] production server, recording the director’s cut HD feed in “always on” mode. The studio operators use the IPDirector to manage the following operations during the production:

While recording, log the incoming feed (identify cue points and associate metadata);

During or after recording, review the footage (based on cue point points) and create clips (by selecting in and out points);

Associate comprehensive metadata to these clips;

Select clips and create playlist for rough cut editing or live studio playback;

Send selected clips and associated metadata from the XT[2] to the Avid world via the XFile gateway.

Thanks to the architecture of the IPDirector, any IPDirector station in any of the networked studios can access any channel of any XT[2], depending on user rights allowance. Avid editors are able to retrieve clips created with the XT[2] along with associated comprehensive metadata on their NLE platform. Once created, highlights and edits prepared by Avid editors can be sent to playback on an XT[2] server along with selected metadata. The XF[2] removable hard disk drive storage platform is used to load the removable media from the OB van, equipped with an EVS XT[2] production server, and to restore it to an EVS XT[2] or push it to the Avid side.

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TVB Dramas and Entertainment Production

Dramas and Entertainment Production

Case Study

Benefits >Benefits >

Easy management of the recording process (cameras, feeds, graphics, etc.).

Optimal speed and reliability to allow multiple camera feeds to be recorded, logged, reviewed and edited in a short time.

Permits multiple producers to «interconnect» and collaborate on various pieces of the production.

Intelligent metadata management (creation, organisation, and transfer) during and after recording.

Integrates with existing Avid non-linear infrastructures.

Guarantees full access to media at any time with the highest level of reliability.

Operates as a modular, scalable infrastructure.

Integrates, supports, and compatibly runs the new system with current operations and workflow.

Manages highly reliable and flexible playback control.

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"EVS’ server solution enables a seamless

and efficient production workflow within

our HD tapeless production network,

to support the increasing programme

demand. EVS provides near-instant

playback/slow-motion as well as the

same HD codec with the selected HD

post production system. This also forms

an integral part in the telecasting of live

international sports events such as the

Olympics, World Cup, and TVB’s renowned

live variety shows such as TVB Anniversary

Gala, etc."

K L YeungProject ManagerDigital Terrestrial TV Broadcasting Project Engineering Division Television Broadcasts Limited

Corporate Headquarters +32 4 361 7000North & Latin America Headquarters +1 973 575 7811Asia & Pacific Headquarters +852 2914 2501Other regional offices available on www.evs.tv/contactTo learn more about EVS go to www.evs.tv