AI and cloud computing focus on the second day of the 4K HDR Summit

The second in-person day of the 4K HDR Summit, which takes place from November 11 to 14 at the Cartuja Auditorium in Seville TechPark, brings together experts from the audiovisual sector to analyze how Ultra High Definition (UHD) and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming the production, distribution and experience of content.

From sports OTT platforms to traditional television networks, through advanced encoding solutions, satellite fleets and UHD e-commerce, the speakers agreed that AI has become a key element to optimize workflows, improve image and sound quality, personalize the viewer experience y open new monetization opportunities in an increasingly fragmented and competitive global market.

As part of the agenda, Google Cloud participated in several key sessions that addressed the challenges and opportunities that artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing pose for the global distribution of high-quality video and live sporting events. José Ramón Vázquez, Telco & Media Specialist de Google Cloud, dirigió la mesa redonda Reinvent high-quality video delivery, a discussion focused on how artificial intelligence and cloud technologies are transforming the production, distribution and viewing experience of digital video. Along with Remi Beaudouin, Chief Strategy Officer de Ateme, y Javier Lucendo, Senior Manager Video Processing and Delivery at Telefónica, the session explored how artificial intelligence is optimizing processing, compression and distribution workflows, while enabling new high-quality formats with lower bandwidth and greater energy efficiency.

For Remi Beaudouin, “AI can optimize video compression and packaging to reduce bitrate and cost” and highlighted that it “allows dynamic adjustments to be made to efficiently maintain quality.” “New standards and AI-based processing will transform content distribution,” he concluded. For his part, Javier Lucendo stated that “metadata is fundamental for personalization and AI helps recommend content based on user behavior and preferences.”

Jatin Dev, Senior Partnership Lead and Global Sellside at Google, will address the challenges of monetizing live and free-to-air broadcasting of sporting events, as well as the innovations that enable a safe, high-quality viewing experience for major sporting events. “The sports industry has become a high-performing global business where value is no longer passively derived, but actively created and strategically captured,” concluded Jatin, who participated in the panel “Live Sports Event Distribution,” moderated by Maria Medina, CEO of Medina Media Events, which discussed how to meet fan expectations and maximize value. They accompanied him Remi Beaudouin, Chief Strategy Officer de Ateme; James Pearce, Senior Vice President of Broadcast & Streaming de DAZN, y Alex Sanchez, COO de Eurovision Services.

The debate focused on the changing landscape of sports consumption and the need for innovation to respond to changes in fan behavior. Jatin Dev highlighted how “platforms like Netflix have attracted new audiences, especially a younger and more diverse audience, through engaging content like Formula One’s ‘Drive to Survive’.” For his part, Remi Beaudouin emphasized the “need for sports providers to adapt to fragmented audiences using various formats and technologies.” James Pearce addressed the challenges of piracy and the “importance of protecting media rights through advanced technologies such as DRM and watermarking.” Meanwhile, Alex Sánchez analyzed the balance between production quality and cost, pointing out “a trend towards HDR taking into account the economic implications of streaming.”

AI improves the quality of content

For its part, Aicox and its partner Small Pixels presented some solutions for the sector. Marta Pérez Montserrat, Broadcast & Media Project Engineer de Aicox Soluciones, compartió escenario con su colega Fabio Clabot, CEO of Small Pixels, who presented the work of this Florence-based company in the “development of software solutions based on artificial intelligence (AI) to improve video quality and real-time processing.” Small Pixels' mission is to “improve the way video is processed, analyzed and distributed, helping the industry move from traditional broadcast to intelligent, data-driven workflows.” Among their many solutions, they presented video preprocessing to “analyze and correct color, sharpness and motion in each frame before encoding” or their “AI-based upscaling technology, which converts HD content to 4K or 8K instantly to offer smoother movement, especially in sports broadcasts.”

Alvaro Ramirez Perez, Communication Director of Sevilla FC, presented the Sevilla FC+ platform, born as an OTT project, but which has become something more. The objective is to “build fan loyalty, achieve greater internationalization and monetize around a new ecosystem.” It is "a sustainable project" that has managed to "optimize the club's resources and unite all platforms", and on which work is being done to "offer 4K content and improve the quality of historical matches with the help of AI."

Anastasia Shkabara, Business Development Director, EMEA at Elecard, highlighted his company's extensive experience in encoding, transport and monitoring of live and on-demand broadcasts, ranging from SD to 8K resolutions, and incorporating advanced standards such as HDR and HLG. “Our goal is to help organizations ensure their audiences enjoy smooth, reliable and high-quality streaming experiences,” said Anastasia Shkabara.

Axel Bach, Presales and Delivery Engineer – Media Infrastructure Solutions from Lawo, spoke about innovation in audiovisual production: flexibility and microservices in the IP world. In his presentation he emphasized the “importance of orchestration and control of applications on servers, as well as resource optimization for UHD.”

Cristiano Belt, SVP Video Products of Eutelsat, explained the evolution of 4K channels in the company's satellite fleet, which today has 21 channels, ten of them from position EHB13E, the most important. Benzi regretted the loss of channels in the last five years, having gone from 38 in 2020 to the current 21, something that does not happen, for example, in China, where there is a boom in satellite broadcasting. In this sense, he highlighted the “importance that the entire chain must work together to make 4K a success.”

Rémi Tereszkiewicz, CMO Europe of the Ultra HD World Association (UWA), offered a comprehensive view on the next generation of video and immersive media standards, focused on cross-platform streaming, intelligent production and advanced content distribution. “UWA is already working alongside global leaders to define new standards that maintain creative coherence and visual quality across all devices, from mobile to 8K and 16K displays,” he noted.

Pan-European UHD Association

Víctor Sánchez, director of Media and Operations of TVE and president of UHD Spain; Jacques Donat-Bouillud, director of France Télévisions and president of the Forum Audiovisuel Numérique (FAVN) and Tonio Di Stefano, president of Ultra HD Forum Italia, starred in a panel on the present and future of UHD in Europe in which they agreed on the “need to be united and jointly promote the implementation and promotion of Ultra High Definition on the continent.” In this sense, they announced that the three associations will work together to create a European association that promotes UHD technology in Europe.

Victor Sanchez, director of Media and Operations at TVE, presented the progress of Spanish Radio Television in the adoption of UHD (Ultra High Definition), HDR (High Dynamic Range) and Artificial Intelligence technologies, highlighting its role as a leader and driver of innovation in Spanish and global radio broadcasting. “These technologies mark a new era in the audiovisual experience, improving image quality, contrast, colors and immersive audio, while remaining accessible through DTT and digital platforms such as RTVE Play,” he emphasized.

Jacques Gift-Bouillud, director of France Télévisions and president of the Forum Audiovisuel Numérique (FAVN), discussed the contribution to innovation from the point of view of distribution and assured that to achieve UHD production and distribution it will be necessary to "convert linear television into more premium with quality content, distribute linear content on all platforms, and produce UHD content to improve the attractiveness of its catalog."

Tonio Di Stefano, president of Ultra HD Forum Italia, carried out an in-depth historical review of the evolution of television in Italy until reaching the present day, with special mention of the Italian public television, Rai, which today has a total of 13+1 television channels and 12 radio stations. "Since we started producing in UHD in 2016, everything has changed a lot. We are heading towards a new form of consumption that is very changing," he said.

George of the Nut, Head of Technology & Operations de los Olympic Channel Services, expuso la evolución de la producción audiovisual en los Juegos Olímpicos, destacando la transición a formatos de alta definición como UHD y HDR. “Desde Tokio 2020 se ha duplicado la cantidad de contenido archivado, alcanzando unas 80.000 horas, ya que se ha empezado a archivar en HD y UHD”, señaló De la Nuez.

Angel Garcia Castillejo, vice president of the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), highlighted that “technological convergence, the emergence of new distribution platforms, artificial intelligence, interoperability, sustainability and cybersecurity configure a scenario of opportunities, but also an unprecedented challenge.”
Paul Gray, Omdia consultant, analyzed the current situation of the television market, highlighting that “it is currently stable, although there was growth during the pandemic with a peak of 250 million units per year.” For reference, he noted that the average size of televisions in China continues to grow, reaching 65 inches. A trend that is not similar in Europe and other parts of the world.