Q. Evaluate 3D one year after it was perhaps over-hyped by various industry types at IBC 2010 — what is the reality settling down into?
3D has definitely become a reality in theatres, where consumers are actually willing to pay a premium for the experience. However, it’s a very different story in the living room where they don’t seek the 3D experience as much. Not only are they still faced with the obstacle of having to wear awkward and oversized glasses, but they don’t really want to pay the premium for the TV set and 3D content either. The only area where there seems to be a more immediate buy-in is sports broadcasting. But we’ll have to wait and see whether the technology providers focus their efforts to reflect these trends.
Q. What broad technology trends do you think will be front-and-centre at IBC?
The 10,000-foot view is still “Broadcast meets IT.” Information technologies are at the forefront of how media is being produced, transformed and delivered to global audiences. I see four main categories of technologies/products being at the front-and-centre of IBC this year: open and flexible tools to enable file-based workflows; cloud infrastructure and services (content delivery, media transformation, backups); high-performance storage (enabling new efficiencies for multisite broadcasters); and mobile technologies (for content contribution from mobile devices and delivery to mobile devices)
Q. What’s new that you will show at IBC and that broadcasters should look for there?
Aspera will be showcasing many enhancements to its core line of software products, introducing new products and functionalities, which broadcasters should check out at IBC:
-Aspera Orchestrator — a platform for creating and automating complex workflow sequences that include Aspera file transfer operations
-Aspera Sync — a scalable, multidirectional bulk-data synchronisation application for global file sharing, distribution and collaboration, real-time mirroring, archiving, backup, recovery and migration.
-Aspera fasp-MC — multicast transport technology for large-scale delivery of content
-Aspera Mobile Platform — high-performance transfer capabilities to power mobile content contribution and distribution
-New “cloud” functionality in Aspera’s core fasp product line enabling the rapid transfer of large files directly to Amazon Web Services Simple Storage Service (S3)
Q. How is your new product offering different from what’s available on the market?
Our products are all based on patented fasp technology, a breakthrough, high-performance transport protocol. In addition, our open approach to product development and close work with the technology providers to supply the broadcast, media and entertainment space, guarantees our customers, like Sky Italia, solutions that are tailored to meet their exact needs.
Q. Where are you based, and how many employees do you have? Anything else we should know about your company?
We’re based in Emeryville, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area and also have an office in Nice, France. We have nearly 100 employees worldwide and support more than 1,200 customers. Aspera software is used to move multiple petabytes of data every month.
Q. How many years have you been going to the IBC show and what’s your fondest memory? What’s your favourite restaurant or pub?
This will be my 10th IBC. My fondest memory is definitely packing up the BBQ equipment in our events truck a few years ago. We gathered the setup crew across the lake from the IBC beach and enjoyed a great cookout on a really beautiful day! My restaurant recommendations would be Mayur (Indian, near Leidseplein) and Bistrot Neuf (French-inspired, not far from the Central Station). These two take some beating — they’re the best. Hands down!
