Events Blog
LTE adds value for events, but can it scale?
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Posted by
Bram Tullemans
Feb 28, 2013
Long Term Evolution: a buzzword at MWC, at least for the last five years when I've been in Barcelona for the event. The first wireless internet access services using this data transmission technique are slowly being rolled out, most of the time...
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Posted by
Bram Tullemans
Feb 27, 2013
That your smartphone can be used as a remote control for the TV is not new. The question is more whether it represents an improvement to existing controls? At MWC in Barcelona this week, the next generation of this special use case is shown...
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Posted by
Bram Tullemans
Feb 27, 2013
As broadcasters we want to send out our content to all our viewers at the highest qaulity possible. It is in our veins and therefore we distribute our content via channels that can guarantee a fixed quality of video. Today at the Mobile World...
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Posted by
Bram Tullemans
Feb 25, 2013
Anywhere anytime is an often-heard slogan at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. This slogan is supposed to refer to the advantage of unicast delivery of on-demand services. Demos on the Spanish and Catalan booths here show how the terrestrial
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Posted by
Frans Dejong
Feb 05, 2013
We humans are good at remembering extremes. And advertisers know it. 25 years ago Dutch public television broadcast a commercial that virtually everybody of 35 years and older will remember.
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Posted by
Frans Dejong
Feb 04, 2013
Richard Smith (BBC) made an almost emotional plea last week (at PTS 2013) for all broadcast staff to join him in reducing all of the costs of productions. Smith said the price of not being green is easily measured using one of the latest carbon
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Posted by
Frans Dejong
Feb 04, 2013
The keynote Howard Lukk gave at the EBU Production Technology Seminar last week was like Disney's latest movies: bright and inspiring. The Hollywood guru presented the audience with a stunning view of how movies are made today and how they are...
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Posted by
Frans Dejong
Dec 11, 2012
German EBU Member SWR has established a workflow to allow journalists to contribute news with their mobile devices - and we heard all about it at IMPS Network & Learn this afternoon. The direct driver for this is the competition SWR faces...
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Posted by
Frans Dejong
Dec 11, 2012
This morning at the IMPS seminar, VRT’s online expert Emmanuel Rottey made a case for producing a lot more short form content. He basically said it is unavoidable, as the audience is asking for it. The main driver is the popularity of...
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Posted by
Frans Dejong
Dec 10, 2012
Our Members are under pressure. They are asked to slash costs at a time when the number of delivery platforms has grown at an unprecedented rate. Thus, more content for less. But how? We're getting useful advice at the IMPS* Network & Learn...
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Posted by
Darko Ratkaj
Nov 15, 2012
My colleague Elena Puigrefagut introduced todays sessions at FORECAST'12 by saying: 'The future of broadcasting is in our hands, let us see how should it look like'. At this year's event I learned of many trends that all seem to be taking...
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Posted by
Darko Ratkaj
Nov 15, 2012
Usable radio spectrum is sometimes compared with land space. In some areas available land is abundant and every family can have its own plot, perhaps with a house and a garden. They need to agree with their neighbours about a fence on the common...
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Posted by
Darko Ratkaj
Nov 14, 2012
There is growing pressure on broadcasters to release some of the radio spectrum currently used for Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) services in the UHF frequency band. A market value of this spectrum is estimated to be many billions of euros in...
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Posted by
Darko Ratkaj
Nov 14, 2012
In order to navigate through the intricacies of the ITU process one needs to know many abbreviations and acronyms, such as WRC-15, CPM, JTG, Radio Regulations, Agenda Items, Study group and Working Parties? Those initiated will use them with...
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Posted by
Darko Ratkaj
Nov 14, 2012
This morning at FORECAST'12 Marit Ingves presented an illuminating case of the 'radical' Finland, a country that believed in technology and used it as a vehicle to get out of the recession of 1991-1993. It was not only Nokia, it was a vision...
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Posted by
Darko Ratkaj
Nov 14, 2012
Pham Hai of the ITU took us for a walk in a new TV landscape and almost got lost. In his FORECAST'12 keynote he spoke about the shiny new mobile devices, the new opportunities for user participation, the rise of on-demand media, the blurring...
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Posted by
Darko Ratkaj
Nov 14, 2012
Lieven Vermaele, EBU director of Technology & Innovation, has told us this morning at FORECAST'12 that the future of broadcasting will be decided in the next three years. This is why, when we discuss one or another frequency band we must...
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Posted by
Media Strategy
Nov 07, 2012
Saku Tuominen is founder and creative director of Idealist Group, a Finnish production company of ideas. He is one of the leading consultants of creativity in Finland and abroad and has a project called ‘Redesigning 925,’ about redesigning
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Posted by
Media Strategy
Nov 05, 2012
Interviews with kids’ philosopher Øyvind Olsholt, transmedia storyteller Alison Norrington, games writer Rhianna Pratchett and TEDx Transmedia Curator, Nicoletta Iacobacci, all feature in this English-Italian short made at TEDx Transmedia
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Posted by
Media Strategy
Nov 01, 2012
Each of us, every single person here today, has a great opportunity. You have the chance to create the world of your dreams. Until very recently, that opportunity was reserved to the very few, the elite of society. But thanks to...
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Posted by
Media Strategy
Oct 31, 2012
At TEDx Transmedia, Robert Tercek enraptured and enlightened the audience with his “7 Gifts for Creative Activists.” Robert, a pioneer of interactive content on every platform and Chairman of the Creative Visions Foundation, dubbed...
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Posted by
Mike Mullane
Oct 23, 2012
Gohar Adamyan's speech closed this year's edition of Multimedia Meets Radio. Gohar presented not only 'LyunSe', a programme that aims to promote a social conscience amongst young people, but also she revealed plans for a Europe-wide platform...
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Posted by
Mike Mullane
Sep 26, 2012
On my way to Turin recently, for Eurovision Media’s flagship Multimedia Meets Radio event, I noticed a glossy magazine that invited readers to find out, "Which Justin Bieber song are you?" I resisted the temptation to take the test as...
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Posted by
Roger Miles
Sep 14, 2012
If you’ve ever been involved with a stand at IBC, and I’ve helped with nineteen of the 20 EBU stands that have been organised in Amsterdam, you’ll know that it’s very difficult to tour the other stands in the exhibition...
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Posted by
Roger Miles
Sep 14, 2012
Its funny how you get reminded of things. Carol Owens (formerly of the BBC), who was once-upon-a-time the chair of EBU group P/META, paid a visit to our stand at IBC. The instant I saw her I was reminded of two things she’d said that have...
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Posted by
Mathias Coinchon
Sep 13, 2012
Our hybrid radio demonstration at IBC generated a lot of interest. Together with RadioDNS, we were showing existing broadcasters live using RadioDNS, the RadioTAG tagging application and a proposal for a unified distributed authentication...
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Posted by
Frans Dejong
Sep 12, 2012
As a Dutchman, I know what it means for tourists to come to Amsterdam. On almost every other flight into the capital a fellow passenger would start to smile naughtily at me before asking where exactly to find the best entertainment places....
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Posted by
Eoghan O'Sullivan
Sep 12, 2012
The dust is settling on IBC 2012 and I think the EBU can be very pleased with the outcome. We had a busy stand with high levels of interest in all of our demos; we distributed more than 5,000 fact sheets (see below) and more than 1,000 copies...
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Posted by
Eoghan O'Sullivan
Sep 11, 2012
We hosted a drinks reception on the booth yesterday evening with the aim of giving EBU Members and our group participants a chance to meet and chat. There were plenty of familiar faces to be seen, including Technical Committee chair Arild Hellgren...
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Posted by
Eoghan O'Sullivan
Sep 11, 2012
We've done pretty well in terms of EBU coverage in this year's IBC Daily. (I guess "dominating" might be a slight exaggeration, but I can never resist an alliterative headline!) This can be attributed to a combination of us pre-submitting opinion...
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Posted by
Frans Dejong
Sep 11, 2012
The alarm clock in my hotel uses jungle sounds as a wake-up call. The elephants gently entered my room Monday morning at 06:30 hrs. A good hour later I was enjoying the EBU Loudness Breakfast, together with more than 80 other IBC visitors. It...
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Posted by
Eoghan O'Sullivan
Sep 10, 2012
A few snapshots from around the EBU booth at IBC this morning. Another LED light manufacturer takes up the offer of testing their products with Alan and Per's demo set-up. Our BBC colleagues got special t-shirts printed to promote...
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Posted by
Peter Macavock
Sep 10, 2012
The 4 S's, or is it 3 related items? If 2011 was the Hybrid TV IBC, then 2012 has seen it mature with a number of stands showing off hybrid TV building on standards - or not. Humax (4.A80) is showing YouView - a rare treat for us Europeans as...
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Posted by
David Wood
Sep 09, 2012
There was glitz and glamour, delicate amuse-bouches, and a show pulled off by Rob Curling with panache. 8 September 2012 was the night of the IBC awards ceremony. This was a really special one for us (EBU), because the winner...
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Posted by
Roger Miles
Sep 09, 2012
Here at the EBU's stand at IBC 2012, one of the presentations is more than a little disquieting. Simon Tuff, chairman of the EBU's Green Broadcasting group (pictured, mid-presentation, on the EBU booth), provides some chilling evidence...
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Posted by
David Wood
Sep 08, 2012
The EBU-organized session at IBC (Prepare Today, Prosper Tomorrow) on Saturday was a real cracker. The session was split into two parts – the first about what we need to do today to be successful, and the second about what we will need...
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Posted by
Frans Dejong
Sep 08, 2012
Do you know exactly how warm it is in your room? And what time it is, up to the second? Probably not. Human beings are not very good in measuring in exact numbers. We leave that to thermometers, clocks and computers. But if it comes down to...
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Posted by
Eoghan O'Sullivan
Sep 08, 2012
We have six demos on the booth at IBC this year, with all of them featuring strong contributions from EBU Members. It's important for us that our presence at the show also showcases the work that our Members are doing. For example, our Belgian...
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Posted by
Frans Dejong
Sep 08, 2012
On the first IBC day we organised a series of five visits to subtitling equipment manufacturers to discuss the latest developments, especially the EBU-TT subtitling format which we published in July. The goal of that format is to provide a modern
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Posted by
Benjamin Steward
Sep 07, 2012
Opening day of the IBC started with an EBU briefing on what’s what and who’s who, ably given by Eoghan O’Sullivan. He covered every detail, from the essential presentation schedules to the location of the water cooler...
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Posted by
Eoghan O'Sullivan
Sep 07, 2012
IBC 2012 is the first public outing for the new brand platform for the EBU and EUROVISION. Of course the timelines involved with preparing for a show like this mean that a lot of the decisions on the look and feel of our stand had to be made...
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Posted by
Eoghan O'Sullivan
Sep 06, 2012
The build-up period has gone smoothly on the EBU booth so far at IBC 2012. Our stand builders have done a really professional job and have been very responsive to any last minute requests (of which there are usually many). Screens are always...
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Posted by
Frans Dejong
Sep 04, 2012
Arguably the most attractive RAI 'hall', the Elicium building. Picture: Adam Kliczek / Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA-3.0) Being technical and Dutch has its charms when it is IBC time. Seeing the polders and hearing the soft ‘g’s’
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Posted by
Benjamin Steward
Sep 04, 2012
It's IBC time again, when our beloved boffins from the Technology & Innovation Department (new name) dust off their suits, shine their shoes and set their GPS wristwatches for Amsterdam. It's also a good chance to try out the new EBU Community
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Posted by
Benjamin Steward
Aug 06, 2012
Sports writers are calling last Saturday night (Aug 4) "the most important in British Olympic history". So how do I express how epic it was to be there in person without drawing flak for gloating? Marching through the Olympic Park in...
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Posted by
Benjamin Steward
Aug 05, 2012
After two days of privileged access to the dynamic world of Olympic broadcasting, I had no such invitations to honour on Friday. I was staying in Dulwich, south London, at the house of an old friend who is something of a technophile. His vast,
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Posted by
Benjamin Steward
Aug 03, 2012
As I walked down the hill to Sydenham Station to start my morning commute, I pondered what lay ahead. My experiences of the previous 24 hours had attuned me to the hubbub around Stratford Station, the portal to Olympic world through which many...
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Posted by
Benjamin Steward
Aug 02, 2012
I am not ashamed to admit that on the descent to London City Airport yesterday morning I felt unexpectedly moved. I hadn’t been back to the UK for more than two years, and I was struck by a sense of pride at the architectural splendour...
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Posted by
Benjamin Steward
Jul 31, 2012
I have checked in. My bags are nearly packed. My itinerary is fixed. Tomorrow morning at crazy o'clock I fly to London, where I will become another smiling face in the buzzing Olympic throng. As the Games have got into their stride,...
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Posted by
Benjamin Steward
Jul 27, 2012
The starting gun for the London 2012 Olympic Games is just hours away. The International Olympic Committee, the EBU and its Members have been readying themselves for years, and there is a tang of excitement in the air that, at last, the Games...
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Posted by
David Wood
Jun 23, 2012
The GA is all over now....except for those who spend an extra day in Strasbourg taking in its culture. What would we give as an overall verdict? I think we could say rather good. The sessions kept the audience's...
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Posted by
David Wood
Jun 23, 2012
The first session of the final afternoon of the General Assembly was about the future of the media – what the trends are, what the signs are, and what broadcasters should be doing about it. Three 'Gurus' were invited to give...
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Posted by
Annika Nyberg
Jun 22, 2012
The values have been unanimously adopted! Hooray! This is a truly important and significant step for the EBU. Only when we agree who we are and agree that this is who we want be can we act together for the benefit of society. Work doesn't stop...
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Posted by
David Wood
Jun 22, 2012
Public service media occupy a privileged position in society. They have a mission to provide such elements as impartiality and universality. For the past year, a group has tried to set down on paper what are, or should be,...
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Posted by
David Wood
Jun 22, 2012
The meeting heard from the European Commission of the partnership agreement with the EBU to work together to help publically owned broadcasting in the 'enlargement countries' of the EU. An important step forward. Congratulations...
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Posted by
David Wood
Jun 22, 2012
The public choice made during elections is critically important for us all. Broadcasters rightly see their role as helping the public to understand candidates and their views, so they can make informed choices. A special session was held...
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Posted by
David Wood
Jun 22, 2012
Day 2 begins with a keynote for MEP Catherine Trautmann, one of the legislators with the greatest interest in, and best understanding of, the media. Ms Trautmann understands, we are pleased to hear, exactly where we are...
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Posted by
David Wood
Jun 21, 2012
The afternoon continues with the other Departments. Do you remember how the other Departments did? First up is the Technology and Development Department movie. It is good. For some reason people in the Technology Department...
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Posted by
David Wood
Jun 21, 2012
The afternoon gives the EBU Departments the chance to explain the work of their teams to the General Assembly. They all have shot short movies to explain what they do. This gives your blogger the chance to tell you afterwards...
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Posted by
David Wood
Jun 21, 2012
In the second session of the day, EBU DG Ingrid Deltenre took delegates through some of the statistics of the last year in the EBU. There were lots of contracts, concerts, and names – but for some reason I do remember...
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Posted by
Annika Nyberg
Jun 21, 2012
Now we are getting to the real thing in Ingrids report about the content members have produced - a multiplatform version of "Proud to Present". So much better to show what we do instead of just talking about it. Also a good example of something...
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Posted by
David Wood
Jun 21, 2012
What an amazing place Strasbourg is! Part looks like it came from 1000 years in the past. Part looks like it came from 1000 years in the future. The Parliament Building has vast atria, and a real feeling space...you...
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Posted by
Annika Nyberg
Jun 21, 2012
I hope David doesn't mind if I join the blog? The Assembly is just starting, in new colours, a new design, part of the new branding, and it looks really great! Very professional, and quite right for this place at the heart of the European...
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Posted by
David Wood
Jun 20, 2012
The view from my window at the Sofitel in Strasburg – the church of ‘St Pierre le Jeune’ – is a treat. This is a ‘must’ to see if you can. Try to get a room overlooking it. Problem is, it’s...
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Posted by
David Wood
Jun 19, 2012
Should coverage of national sports events be for Pay TV or Free to air TV? Should broadcasters sit back and watch the decline of terrestrial television broadcasting? The first meeting of the EBU General Assembly wrestled with...
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Posted by
David Wood
Jun 19, 2012
This is a welcome to a blog that will report some of the happenings at the EBU’s General Assembly, being held in Strasbourg, France this week. This is the most senior gathering of the EBU, the collective organisation of Europe’s
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