The December 2016 issue of the EBU's tech-i magazine, published today, covers the usual wide range of trending technology stories. You can download the PDF now.
Future sounds
Audio developments feature in two articles in this issue: in the second of a two-part series, the EBU's Roger Miles explains why public broadcasters need to ensure they don't leave the question of renderers entirely in the hands of the big audio vendors. Meanwhile, David Wood asks whether Joe and Josephine Public are likely to be willing and able, in practice, to set up their Next Generation Audio speakers in the required configuration.
Staying the aural environment, we're also pleased to introduce the new .radio Top-Level Domain (TLD). Alain Artero, who is managing this project for the EBU, explains why this new Community TLD has been established and how radio entities can benefit when it is launched in early 2017.
New media
At the end of October 2016, Gemany's ZDF delivered a completely new online offering, merging ZDF.de and its Mediathek (catch-up TV service) into one. In the new issue of tech-i we hear from Exozet, the main contractor on the project, with an outline of the main components used to build the new microservices-based front- and backends.
Services like the ZDF Mediathek aim to tap into changing media consumption patterns in Europe. The Media Intelligence Service at the EBU recently published its latest detailed report on audience trends in Europe. The report is available exclusively to EBU Members, but you can find an overview of some of the key findings in tech-i 30.
5G, FCP and more...
Elsewhere in the magazine, Roland Beutler of SWR explores how 5G networks might completely revolutionize the media distribution market in the years ahead, ARTE's Kay Meseberg shares some of the broadcaster's early experiences with Virtual Reality programme-making, and Robert Amlung of BR, who is chair of the EBU's Flexible Content Production programme, explains how a recent visit to BBC News Labs was an ideal scene-setter for this new initiative.