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Review of IBC2009
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.
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 2009 IBC Exhibition
The 2009 IBC exhibition played host to more than 1,300 of the world's key technology suppliers and in excess of 45,000 visitors 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-led 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, visitors 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 pre-release 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 2009 IBC Conference
The comprehensive IBC2009 conference programme successfully responded to the changing industry needs and introduced a series of high profile business sessions to complement the well established technical and creative themes. Follow the links to listen to the sessions as MP3s (right-click and "save target as" to download).
Among more than 60 thought-provoking sessions at IBC2009, there was pioneering insight into 'what can stereo 3D offer', the MPEGIF master class on the 'future of digital television' and a lively debate on UGC with an international panel of students. The conference also provided a unique opportunity to study both the ASC and 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 speakers addressed 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 delegates 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 is captured in the Executive Daily - a compendium of knowledge shared by many of the thought leaders who addressed the 2009 IBC Conference.
For example, in 'New money for smart investments' CBC's Steve Billinger, Across Technology's Peter Hinssen and HSBC's Stuart Mills give insights into what financiers are really looking for in their investments. Or, in 'Is the broadcast journalist a threatened species?' Current TV’s James Baker, Sky’s Andrew Hawken, Guardian journalist Sarfraz Manzoor, media commentator Raymond Snoddy and Hindustan Times’ Vir Sanghvi discuss whether there’s life left in the Fourth Estate.
Most of the IBC2009 conference sessions are available as free downloadable MP3s.
IBC2009 VIP Gold Pass members can also access most of the session presentations here (username and password required).
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