BroadcastAsia 2016 spotlights digital disruptors

This year’s BroadcastAsia, CommunicAsia and EnterpriseAsia brought together 48,000 attendees from 102 countries and regions with a platform to engage in meaningful dialogue around new and future solutions that governments and businesses can deploy for success in a digitally transformed world.

Commenting on this year’s show, Lindy Wee, Chief Executive of event organiser Singapore Exhibition Services, said: “In addition to the Singapore government’s recent announcement of new technology initiatives, we also saw numerous products and solutions launched at our event over the last four days. These innovative solutions ranged from data analytic tools and devices, smart systems, robotics, virtual reality and more. As our lives and businesses become more digitised, we as event organiser are more determined than ever to deliver high quality and relevant events, bringing new launches and the latest insights each year.”

Business and consumer expectation and consumption of mobility and connectivity have risen, with greater demand for quality and speed. According to the Ericsson Mobility Report released at the event, 5G subscription uptake was revealed to be faster than 4G, with a forecast that global 5G subscriptions will hit 150 million by the end of 2021.

In addition to insights shared, exhibitors at BroadcastAsia showcased the world’s first and latest solutions on the back of today’s hyper-connectivity. The exhibition brought together top industry service providers to showcase an entire ecosystem of the latest end-to-end solutions needed to stay ahead of the curve.

New launches included the first VR-ready Dell precision workstations for enhanced experiences, Imagine Communications’ Ultra High Definition production tools and operational management platform, Ideal Systems’ new revenue-generating systems for broadcasting industry, and more.

“The world of VR is quickly growing beyond media and entertainment, supported by the advancement of technology that allows for optimal VR experience, whether consuming or creating VR content. Dell has been delivering immersive computing experience for many years and is committed in enabling VR partners across the entire ecosystem, besides providing advanced hardware configuration. BroadcastAsia provided the platform to showcase how we can support the democratisation of VR for the masses in areas such as education, architecture and real estate, manufacturing and advertising. We have had overwhelming response at the booth, and look forward to developing new partnerships in furthering the growth of VR in the APJ region,” said Harveenpal Singh, Business Development Lead, Precision Workstation, Client Solutions, Dell APJ.

“We were very impressed with the level of real demand for the next generation IP-based broadcast systems. We saw tremendous interest in the new systems we launched in Asia for the first time at BroadcastAsia, from revenue-generating systems like Paywizard and Starfish right through to the revolutionary Electricfriends camera robotic system that we use to great effect with Vizrt in their augmented reality demos,” said Fintan McKiernan, CEO, Ideal Systems SEA.

New innovations from first time exhibitors such as CISCO, Dell, Tata Communications, Level3 Communications and Hyku attracted a lot of attention. Dell showcased how content experiences can be rejuvenated with the latest in 360 degree VR capabilities, and Hyku, social TV application with patented second-screen sync technology designed to better connect and engaged hyper-connected consumers of today.

Consumer expectations in the region increasingly present new challenges to provide more convenient and reliable access to content. Building on the success of its debut last year, the popular TV Everywhere! Zone returned with an emphasis on OTT and multiscreen solutions and explore the entire value chain of non-linear broadcasting.

In addition to the TV Everywhere! Zone, attendees could explore other themed zones, including the Cinematography/Film/Production Technology Zone – where exhibitors demonstrated the latest motion picture production tools and software capabilities – and the Post Production Hub where industry experts shared their knowledge and experience using technology showcased at BroadcastAsia2016. Oscar nominated, multi Grammy-nominated producer of soundtracks, classical and jazz recordings and former Senior Vice President of Sony BMG Masterworks, Christopher Craker was a part of the lineup at the Post Production Hub, as well as award winning sound designer and composer of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit, King Kong, Dave Whitehead.

The Post Production Hub at BroadcastAsia also saw overwhelming interest from visitors, drawing huge crowds daily to the booths and presentations. Visitors had the opportunity to hear from Oscar- and Grammy-nominated producers, award-winning film makers and sound and visual effects experts, with content ranging from modern filmmaking techniques and technologies and how Hollywood drama uses LED lighting, to the art of refining sound to bring scenes to life.

“The crowd at BroadcastAsia have been most encouraging, with overwhelming interest and support of my presentations and demonstrations at the Avid booth. I’m grateful for the opportunity to travel to Singapore to share my experiences and techniques with fellow sound enthusiasts. I hope the experiences I have shared might help fellow filmmakers and producers enhance the cinema experience for their audience,” said Dave Whitehead, Sound Designer, White Noise Ltd.

Calvin Koh, Assistant Project Director, BroadcastAsia, confirmed that the exhibition will be moving to Suntec Singapore next year.

“The show has been great this year. It has been a very good knowledge sharing platform, which is the main idea of hosting shows like these. There was a lot of interest in our post-production and TV everywhere hubs this time around. We will continue to keep the show relevant to our visitors in the future. It will be at a different venue next year and the exhibition will be held over three days instead of four.

“We are also taking a segment of BroadcastAsia to Indonesia, which has huge domestic media and entertainment market. The special focus in Indonesia will be on audio, video and radio and the acquisition part of the media. The exhibition will also feature new innovations in producing and consuming media, and will be held this year in from August 31 to September 3,” he added.

At CommunicAsia and EnterpriseIT, the inaugural Asia ICT Innovation Forum organised in strategic partnership with Huawei, also served as a knowledge-exchange platform. Attendees interacted with regional ministerial representatives, internationally renowned economists and global ICT industry thought leaders in their discussion of the impact of digital technology on the Asia Pacific Economy, the value of Big Data analytics, and more.

Commenting on the event, Joe Deng (Zhou Jianjun), Carrier Business President, Huawei Southern Pacific Region said: “We were strongly encouraged by the enthusiasm, meaningful exchanges, and potential collaborations resulting from the inaugural Asia ICT Innovation Forum. We believe our message of accelerating digital transformation through ICT innovation and ecosystem synergies to deliver a better connected world have been well received. We will continue to provide platforms for the meetings of minds and facilitate dialogues to create an open, collaborative, win-win ecosystem to advance the vision of a Better Connected World, which leads to progressive economic development, vertical productivity and efficiency, as well as sustainable and safe living. Huawei is committed to helping the telecom and vertical industries digitise their infrastructure, operational systems and business models to realise their business aspirations.”

The 2017 edition of BroadcastAsia will be held from 23 to 25 May at Suntec City Convention Centre, while CommunicAsia and EnterpriseIT will remain at Marina Bay Sands. The inaugural edition of Broadcast Indonesia will be held this year from  August 31 to September 3.