NAB 2018: Innovation and disruptive technology applications have been recognised at the IABM BaM Awards during the NAB Show.  

Sachtler and vinten iabm ba m award winner

Sachtler and Vinten award winners

The inaugural IABM BaM (Broadcast and Media) Awards recognised innovation at the heart of what is driving change across the industry.

Winning entrants include Sachtler and Vinten’s reinvention of the tripod, Vizrt’s integration of augmented reality (AR) for sports and Prime Focus Technologies’ application of artificial intelligence (AI) for secure subtitling.

The winners were filtered down from over 100 submissions with judging carried out by a panel of 40 industry experts.

IABM Director of Strategic Insight John Ive said: “Changing and updating the awards categories this year has received a tremendous response, not only in quantity but also in the quality and breadth of entries.

“Traditional products and services still feature strongly but are joined by many applications representing new technologies and business models. The BaM Awards represent a real window on the future of the broadcast and media industry.”

The winning entries will automatically be submitted for IABM’s Peter Wayne Award, with the winner announced at the IABM Annual International Business Conference and Awards in December 2018.

The 2018 winners 

Create
Sachtler and Vinten – flowtech Camera Tripod Technology

“It is unusual to see such a radical rethink of the humble tripod. A reinvention of one of the most basic pieces of kit used in location production. It is the new gold-standard for camera tripods.”

Produce
Vizrt – Viz Libero AR augmented reality sports analysis

“Adding real excitement to studio coverage and tapping into the trend for AR to allow fans and presenters to analyse the plays and get closer to the action. This will add the wow factor to sports coverage. Great looking graphics and integration. Opens up new possibilities for production and storytelling styles; impact is directly visible to the audience.”

Manage
Prime Focus Technologies – Secure Subtitling Tool for Pre-release content

“A very nice solution to an area where growing regulatory requirements require disproportionate resource to meet. Addresses the real issues with a convincing explanation of how the solution will help address these. Good example of applying AI-like technology. Improves content security. Combines tech, AI and humans.”

Publish
ZOO Digital – ZOOdubs cloud dubbing service

“A cloud-based dubbing solution helps to solve distance and access to voice talent in a flexible way that shows great use of cloud technologies. It is delivering real results for users. Important to have scalable, on-demand cloud dubbing capability for international distribution.”

Monetise
NPAW (Nice People At Work) – YOUBORA AI 2018

“Puts data at the heart of end-users’ monetisation strategy, leveraging AI for ad and sub monetisation. Includes a variety of possible use cases, including bitrate optimization, personalisation and customer retention applicable to different monetisation models.”

Consume
NeuLion – NeuLion Digital Platform Advanced Mobile Experience

“Excellent focus on the mobile market. This is the main viewing screen for millennials. Complete solution giving broadcasters the tool to deliver an excellent experience on mobile devices. This is key to watching more video and sports on mobile devices. Interactive graphics, data visualisation, video adaptation on smaller screens, recommendations, offline viewing make it a clear winner.”

Connect
Dejero – Dejero CellSat: Connectivity when you need it, where you need it

“Clever and innovative system that combines the best aspects of Ku-band satellite and cellular modem technology into a package that can deliver contribution feeds in virtually any circumstance.”

Store
Object Matrix – MatrixStore: storage re-imagined

“As we move to Cloud services an innovative hybrid approach is ideal for security of data. Enables hybrid on-premise and cloud-based workflows, and support for the industry standard IMF format and media metadata. A high-end product able to operate with the high resolution mastering video formats.”

Support
Sonifex Ltd – AVN-PXH12, AES67 Stream Mix Monitor

“The product lives up to its reputation. It is not complex but extremely functional which the ‘user’ environment really appreciates.”

Project
NEP Group & Discovery Networks – Cloud-Based MAM System for the Olympic Games

“Using a cloud-based solution as the MAM platform for one of the highest-profile broadcasting events such as the Olympic Games is a brave decision, and successfully utilising it to deliver all of the Olympic content to 50 territories in 21 languages is a great achievement.”