IBC 2000: The spectrum of new broadcast outlets converge

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS – Touted as the world's premier electronic media event, IBC 2000 promises to exceed last year's attendance records, attracting over 40,000 broadcast professionals from over 120 countries. This year's show will fill 11 halls of the Amsterdam RAI Convention Center, during September 8-12, of which a half million square feet will be devoted to a record number of 1,000 technology exhibits.

So high was the demand for exhibit space that IBC Show spokesman Michael Crimp says "Exhibit Parks set-up outside the Convention Center have all been filled. Expansion is also taking place upwards, with more double decker (exhibit) stands than previous years."

Broadening the focus on convergence
Crimp says that the focus of the show is also broadening: "The traditional element of IBC is constant. But newcomers are on the whole coming from the Broadband community. This year's buzz words will be broadband, webcasting, Internet, new media, streaming video, interactive TV, and new data and control infrastructures."

These topics will be covered by a variety of panel sessions, including Broadcasting@Internet.now! (Sunday, Sept. 10), chaired by Lynn Claudy, Sr. VP of engineering for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), which looks at the fast-paced evolution of TV and radio broadcasting via the Internet, and the enabling streaming media tools.

Also, "Electronic Delivery for TV and D-Cinema," (Sunday, Sept. 10) will look at dramatic changes in feature film acquisition and distribution, hosted by Dave Bancroft of Philips Digital Networks in the UK. And, there will be several sessions on Interactive TV, including "Content Creation for the Web and TV," hosted by Open TV (Friday, Sept. 8), which explores whether both mediums can converge to form one unified multimedia environment.

Moving the post production world to new media markets while keeping an eye on the bottom line is a key concern for this year's attendees, Crimp says. "The pressure is on production for more program material at lower budgets," Crimp says. "Producers' briefings will be introduced at IBC2000 to de-mystify the technology and allow visiting production staff to quickly attack their core issues and re-define their needs, setting the pace to help them turn the fantastic product offerings into profitable tools of their trade.

Many sessions will focus on acquisition, desk top editing, and new media distribution." Among these sessions are: "Production: New tricks and new tools," being held Monday, Sept. 11, and "High Quality Low Cost Production: Obtaining and Saving Money in Programme Production."

New multimedia standard for Europe
But another major focus at IBC 2000 will be the new DVB-MHP specification, adopted by the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), this past July. The Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) API consists of a software specification, which will be implemented in set top boxes, integrated DTV receivers, as well as PCs.

The MHP will connect the broadcast and Internet, television and PC, and telecommunication world through these devices and their associated peripherals. "The Multimedia Home Platform" session (Monday, Sept. 11) will be an opportunity for content developers attending IBC to become familiar with the new (1,000-page) MHP specification, designated as ETSI TS 101 812, which is based on Sun's Java.

"We believe that this is probably the most important thing to happen to the content industry since the original development of the DVB specifications," says Peter MacAvock, managing director, DVB Project Office, in Geneva, Switzerland. "It will greatly broaden the scope of many of the content providers and open up new markets for them."

MacAvock called the DVB-MHP an important industry trend that will draw industry focus at IBC 2000. And he expressed the DVB's feeling that IBC is an extremely important event for the world's broadcast community. "Coupled with the North American NAB, IBC provides a vital window on the world for many organizations," MacAvock adds. "It is visited by all the important players in the television industry and provides a key launchpad for new applications and technologies."

To see what exhibitors will be offering at the show, see the IBC 2000 section of Digital Broadcasting.com.

Claudia Kienzle has been writing for the broadcast industry for over a decade. She can be reached at claudiakienzle@mindspring.com. (Back to top)