The Inter Bee 2013, also known as the International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition has attracted a large number of Japanese and other international companies in Chiba city of Japan from November 13-15.
Japan's biggest exhibition on the broadcast industry is showing a full line up of innovative technology to develop next digital audiovisual and information industry.
Based on the background that Japan plans to officially start broadcasting with the 4K Ultra HD standard next year, various actual applications of technical innovation are being demonstrated.
NEC - the most progressed broadcasting facility company introduced a new broadcast system with the theme "Advanced Friendly."
The new system uses H.265/HEVC, which has 4 times capacity compared to MPEG2 in speed and volume as an advanced image compression technology for practically enabling 4K Ultra HD.
Also, it showed a master control room designed by combining the concepts of advanced technology and ergonomics.
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Power consumption can be reduced 30 per cent compared with the previous model. NEC emphasized ecology as a demonstration of the "friendliness" of their technology.
Fujitsu also introduced new next generation image compression technology for 4K Ultra HD, a definite trend that Japanese technology has been focused on nowadays.
At the same time, the real-time networking gear strongly demonstrated the ability to smoothly transmit video over satellite networks.
Containing a function called "Robust Error Correction," the encoder is flexible on any network environment, i.e. on household networks. Fujitsu explained "Users in Asian countries who don't have an advanced technological environment like DVBASI can still easily transmit the video on real time with the encoder".
A new movement has come to camera lenses as well. Fuji Film expanded their existing PL Mount series of cinema lenses, available in standard, zoom and wide are applicable to 4K Ultra HD.
Live sports broadcasting is planned in the first stage of using the 4k Ultra HD, and Fuji Film demonstrated use of existing TV field zoom lenses on 4K camera. It proved that the lenses themselves have already possessed the high quality necessary for application to the 4K Ultra HD environment.
Besides showing a gigantic size 4K Ultra HD TV, Toshiba's new "Smart TV" solution attracted visitors in the exhibition booth.
This September in Japan, NHK has started a new service called Hybrid cast which brings together broadcasting and network communications, enabling broadcast digital TV to be integrated with internet based content to provide various services.
Toshiba provides a strong technological foundation to accelerate the Hybrid cast.
Toshiba promoted the solution for connecting TV and tablets and smart phones. They demonstrated a horse racing program on TV, using a tablet in order to show related information on the screen such as horse names, course information and race results.
Hybrid cast is an upgrade from the current data broadcasting system based on BML.
The new solution introduces HTML 5, enabling the same content on TV as is available on the Internet, expanding opportunities for producing a variety of contents and services.
Toshiba said that many broadcasting companies will join the Hybrid cast and devote to accelerate seamless service between TV broadcasting and internet.