IBC announces Future Zone and Future Trends line-up

The Future Zone will feature leading firms and researchers from the Japan, South Korea, Germany, France and the UK, covering technologies ranging from AI to UVW and web-VR applications.

IBC 2018 has announced the line-up for the IBC Future Zone and IABM Future Trends Theatre. Major companies taking part will include Japan’s NHK and BBC R&D from the UK. Both companies will demonstrate technology advances, including: web-VR applications; object-based media scenarios; pathways to 8K resolution for UHD; and artificial intelligence in broadcasting.

Internationally renowned French research institution B-com will show innovative uses for augmented reality and new audio/video production workflows. Research foundations ETRI from South Korea and Germany’s IRT, which are contributing as part of international collaborative research projects, will demonstrate object-based broadcasting of major sports events, smart stadium technologies, and the world’s first intercontinental ultra-wide vision (UWV) transmission between South Korea and the Netherlands.

Audio, an often overshadowed component in the broadcast world, takes a prominent role in this years’ Future Zone with a chance to see spatial audio solutions which have progressed significantly over the last year.

On the video side, 4K UHD is already establishing itself in the marketplace. Various implementations of UHD technology standards will be shown on the UHD Forum stand, including end-to-end OTT HDR systems and new academic research into high-contrast HDR techniques. This includes an app that enables attendees to see special HDR content on their mobile phones.

A key competent of IBC’s Future Zone is the IABM Future Trends Theatre. A packed programme of 60, 20-minute presentations will feature executives from companies including Hexaglobe, videomenthe, Prime Focus Technologies and Blue Lucy who will present on a range of topics including AI, cloud business models, new-age content supply chains, and blockchain.

For more information and to register for IBC2018 visit: show.ibc.org

Meanwhile, AWS Elemental, an Amazon Web Services (AWS) company, has announced that the fifth annual 4K 4Charity Fun Run at IBC Show will take place at 07:00 local time on Saturday, 15 September at Amstelpark in Amsterdam.

Among the non-profits supported by the 4K 4Charity Fun Run at IBC Show is Amsterdam-based StichtingNewTechKids, which provides computer science education for girls, minorities, and economically challenged youth in the Netherlands. The organisation supports a computer science teacher training program for primary school teachers with proceeds from the 4K 4Charity.

Also supported is Iridescent, a global education non-profit. Through its two programmes, Curiosity Machine AI Family Challenge and Technovation, Iridescent introduces underserved communities to new technologies and empowers and equips them to solve the real-world problems they face.

The 4K 4Charity at the 2017 IBC Show recorded more than $39,000 in donations from 540 registrants and 14 corporate sponsors, making it the most successful 4K 4Charity at an IBC show to date. Confirmed sponsors for the IBC 2018 event include Cisco, Arqiva, Verimatrix, Dolby, Brightcove, Irdeto, ChyronHego, SVG Europe, the Munson-Simu Gift Fund (in honour of the late Elemental cofounder and CEO Sam Blackman), and Raz PR.

To register for the 4K 4Charity Fun Run at IBC Show, or to view sponsorship opportunities, visit https://4k4charity.com/ibc.