Review of IBC2009

IBC2009 embraced the latest in stereo 3D, high definition TV, IPTV, over-the-top services, web TV, on-demand, and user-generated content, and provided a forum for the industry to discuss and demonstrate how the technology may be applied.

It is 80 years since the BBC used John Logie Baird’s electromechanical system to broadcast its first public television signal. With the convergent technology currently evolving inside a high-definition TV set, and with HD displays and broadband networks now widely adopted in several markets around the world, many recognise the opportunity to transform the experience of television.

This year, faced with the twin challenges of a rapidly changing media landscape and the chill winds of a world economy in recession, IBC needed to invest in knowledge to enable attendees to compete in the brave new environment. And IBC2009 exceeded expectations on every level.

The Exhibition

The 2009 IBC exhibition played host to more than 1,300 of the world’s key technology suppliersand in excess of 45,000 attendees from 140 countries globally. IBC welcomed more than 100 new exhibitors from the US, the Middle East and Asia - including a new Chinese pavilion – and featured specialist zones that covered Digital Signage, IPTV and Mobile.

There was also a real buzz around the Production Village which allowed exhibitors to target customers - videographers, film makers and camera enthusiasts – like never before. New for IBC2009, the village was a hit with visitors and exhibitors alike, combining a comprehensive collection of the latest in digital and broadcast camera technology with professional and exhibitor training sessions on everything from how to shoot in low light conditions to how to capture the perfect interview.

Value added also arrived in the form of movie screenings in stereoscopic 3D, touch-screen technology on screens 7ft high and 15ft wide and expert reviews of the best technology from the show floor. Meanwhile, attendees could let off steam in the virtual motor-racing pods in the Games Arena, attend free post production training, exhibition Business Briefings on IPTV, Mobile and Digital Signage - and enjoy a memorable Awards Ceremony.

Accepting the 2009 International Honour for Excellence - IBC’s most prestigious award - on behalf of the Metropolitan Opera of New York City, general manager Peter Gelb appeared live in HD on the giant screen of the RAI Auditorium. Later in the evening the audience was also treated to a 16-minute extract of James Cameron’s stunning new 3D movie, Avatar.

The show floor displayed a multitude of products that aim to address the convergence of broadcast and broadband, with an increasing emphasis on the importance of the user interface and navigation. The purveyance of collaborative social media and networking tools, such as Twitter and YouTube, mean on-screen interactive services seem to be largely independent of broadcasters.

In the connected home, consumers will continue to dictate how they access media in their living rooms, while internet standards it seems will become increasingly important in enabling the next generation of interactive television.

The Conference

The comprehensive 2009 conference programme successfully responded to the changing industry needs too, introducing a series of high profile business sessions to complement the well established technical and creative themes.

Among more than 60 thought-provoking sessions at IBC2009, there was pioneering insight into the latest in stereoscopic 3D, the MPEGIF master class on the future of digital television and a live debate on UGC with a panel of international students. The conference also provided a unique opportunity to study both the ASC and the BSC digital camera tests and question the experts behind them, and experience extraordinary demonstrations of ways in which news and sports content will be delivered in homes and on mobile devices in the future.

This was truly a global forum for content: more than 300 high-profile international speakersaddressed conference delegates, with keynotes as diverse as a strategy supremo (IBM's Saul J Berman) to an editorial sage (Hindustan Times' Vir Sanghvi) to an advertising guru (Ogilvy Group’s Rory Sutherland).

And with 10% of attendees from the rapidly growing markets of Asia and the Middle East, there were speakers and sessions that addressed their needs in the form of TK Kurien, Wipro Ltd, India; Dick van Motman, DDB China Group; Yan Mostovoy, Harmonic, Israel; and Koji Nakao, NHK, Japan; Liliana Nakonechnyj, SET/TV Globo, Brazil and Andrei Boltenko, Channel One, Russia.

Much of the far-reaching industry insight explored is captured in the Executive Daily - a compendium of knowledge shared by many of the thought leaders who addressed this year’s conference. And you can listen to the best of the conference sessions by downloading the MP3s.

For example, in How do we spot good deals? you can hear how CBC's Steve Billinger, Across Technology's Peter Hinssen and HSBC's Stuart Mills strengthen attendee’s business prospects by explaining what financiers are really looking for in their investments. Or, in Is the broadcast journalist dead? listen to Current TV’s James Baker, Sky’s Andrew Hawken, Guardian journalist Sarfraz Manzoor, media commentator Raymond Snoddy and Hindustan Times’ Vir Sanghvi discussing whether there’s life left in the Fourth Estate.

Keep up to date with all the news, previews and discussions generating the debates at IBC2010 by visiting www.ibc.org. To stay ahead of the game, book IBC in your diary today: the conference takes place from 09 - 13 September; the exhibition is from 10 - 14 September.