SET INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BROADCAST ENGINEERING

Innovative AI-Powered Video Upscaling: Globo's Efficient Cloud System

2024-06-16T09:55:30-03:00

Globo, holder of a vast archive of video content with over 300 soap operas, mainly in standard definition (SD), frequently retransmits this material in high definition (HD), resulting in high processing demand. To tackle this challenge, we developed an innovative cloud system that adapts to our workflow, integrating seamlessly with the company's operational tools. This system not only offers scalability but also reduces processing costs by activating machines only when necessary and remaining in stand-by during idle periods.

Our system utilizes Artificial Intelligence models trained with videos from our archive, enabling them to handle images with different focus adjustments and intense action scenes, common in soap operas and series produced by Globo. The upscaling models are based on the ESPCN convolutional network architecture, implemented in Ffmpeg, a cross-platform solution used in the backend of many applications for tasks such as media converters, streaming solutions, and audio and video players.

All the tools, libraries, and frameworks used are open-source, eliminating costs associated with proprietary software licenses. The system is designed to be agnostic, capable of being implemented on most cloud platforms (Google, AWS, Azure, etc.) without the need for complex changes. The only requirements are buckets, VMs, messaging services (PUB/SUB), and serverless services, allowing it to run in any cloud environment.

Our solution ensures adaptability and cost efficiency, with a service level agreement (SLA) of less than 10 minutes. This efficiency is maintained regardless of the volume or duration of the video, thanks to the strategic use of preemptive machines that distribute the workload efficiently and allow for rapid provisioning in case of interruptions.

The process is fully automated and integrates seamlessly with the commercial platforms used in Globo's workflow. Additionally, the tool is available to Globo's CGI team, enabling the super-resolution of backlog content in SD or HD formats. This dual application highlights the platform's versatility and its significant role in improving broadcast content quality.

In our next phase, we aim to make this system accessible to other companies and individual users online, exploring innovative business models that provide monetization opportunities while meeting our operational needs. This initiative represents a crucial step in expanding the reach and benefits of our cutting-edge technology, offering a valuable tool for high-quality, low-cost video processing to a broader audience.

Together we are stronger – Co-Existence of 5G Broadcast with Other Radio Technologies

2024-07-02T15:54:53-03:00

Abstract—5G Broadcast offers broadcast network operators the possibility of reaching mobile devices directly with their broadcast transmit infrastructure, without requiring additional hardware in smartphones. 5G Broadcast enables delivery of services such as linear TV, live content offload, or emergency messages to the general population while minimizing the hardware impact and the cost to the end customers. However, when introducing a new broadcast technology, the co-existence with and the migration from existing broadcast technologies is one of the most challenging efforts – also taking into account spectrum scarcity, the need to support legacy receivers, and regulatory constraints. Co-existence scenarios is a must. Secondly, in the modern world of apps and software-based service layers, there exists a huge opportunity to share service layers across transport technologies including stationary and cellular unicast delivery, providing a unified and enhanced user experience. As 5G broadcast is decoupled from a specific service layer, unique and exciting co-existence scenarios exist.

In this paper, we analyze how 5G Broadcast can be introduced and deployed in such scenarios. One aspect includes the coexistence in the same UHF channel with one of several other legacy broadcast radio technologies, including ATSC 3.0, DVB-T2 and ISDB-T. A second aspect includes the discussion how 5G Broadcast can be integrated into existing service layers, such as ATSC3.0 and DVB-I. A third aspect is the deployment of 5G Broadcast jointly with unicast, including initial discussions on spectrum and technology requirements.

Enhanced Functions of Advanced ISDB-T Assuming Various Broadcasting Services

2024-07-19T10:59:22-03:00

The Advanced Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (Advanced ISDB-T) is a next generation digital terrestrial broadcasting system. In this paper the enhanced functions of Advanced ISDB-T assuming various use cases are introduced.

Reuse Field Tests with Advanced ISDB-T System with Two Layers and MIMO 2x2

2024-06-20T23:31:10-03:00

The next generation of Brazilian Digital TV will offer numerous benefits to viewers and broadcasting operators. One of these benefits is the geographic segmentation of content. An alternative to geographically segmenting television content is to operate the system with reuse-1, which requires the transmission technology to operate with carrier-to-noise ratio (C/N) values close to or lower than 0 dB. This study presents field test results for the over-the-air physical layer using the Japanese ISDB-T Advanced standard.

A Subjective Quality Evaluation Procedure for Bitrate Determination of TV 3.0 Videos

2024-06-16T10:00:09-03:00

Television is still the most popular communication media in Brazil. Despite being a highly modern standard for its time, the current standard for the Brazilian Digital Television System is nearly 20 years old. Thus, the SBTVD Forum is developing a new standard, called TV 3.0, which is currently under development and aims to use modern technology, including transmission systems, audio and video codecs. This paper proposes a method to determine the output bitrate for a given video codec using subjective video quality assessment experiments, and details the experiments performed to assess the candidate technologies of TV 3.0.

Features and Applications of Physical Layer Multiplexing and MIMO in ATSC 3.0

2024-06-16T10:14:47-03:00

Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) released the ATSC 3.0 standard for next-generation broadcast services. ATSC 3.0 achieves more enhanced channel capacity compared to ATSC 1.0. With the advent of highly efficient video codecs, ATSC 3.0 can combine various services in a single RF channel. Beyond this, ATSC 3.0 also supports Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology, which doubles the system capacity of a single RF channel. This paper briefly introduces the ATSC 3.0 physical layer multiplexing techniques and their applications with MIMO.

Personalized and Seamless Ad-Insertion using the TV 3.0 Audio System

2024-06-16T10:16:56-03:00

Abstract

In Brazil, a major technological upgrade of the digital TV system is under way. The standardization of the next generation Digital TV system called TV 3.0 is currently carried out in partnership between the Brazilian Ministry of Communications and the Brazilian Digital Terrestrial TV System (SBTVD) Forum. The MPEG-H Audio system has been selected as audio codec for TV 3.0 broadcast and streaming applications after a careful evaluation of its advanced capabilities by an independent test laboratory. MPEG-H Audio enhances the consumer experience with immersive sound, advanced interactivity and accessibility options, and it brings new optimizations for efficient streaming, seamless bitrate adaptation and personalized ad-insertion use cases.

Evaluation of Advanced ISDB-T MODCODs for TV 3.0

2024-07-03T22:19:20-03:00

To modernize broadcasting in Brazil, the Brazilian Digital Terrestrial Television System (SBTVD-T) Forum, in cooperation with the Brazilian Ministry of Communications (MCom), created the Television (TV) 3.0 project. The project was divided into three phases and is currently in its final phase, and the laboratory tests related to Physical Layer (PL) have already been completed. Some of the tested requirements were Frequency Reuse-1, use of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antennas, negative Carrier-to-Noise Ratio (C/N) in Rayleigh channels and reception with an internal antenna. After the conclusion of the subjective video tests, it was decided that a bit rate of at least 7.5 Mbps (for 1080p 60 Hz (Full High Definition (FHD)) with the same quality used in Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting Terrestrial - Version B (ISDB-Tb)) and up to 37.3 Mbps would be necessary for the new system to allow the transmission of Ultra High Definition (UHD) content using the Versatile Video Coding (VVC) codec. Thus, some Modulation and Codings (MODCODs) tested during Phase 3 became temporarily unfeasible in order to achieve the objective of transmitting content with audiovisual quality equal to or better than ISDB-Tb. Therefore, in addition to the results obtained during the Phase 3 laboratory tests, this article presents complementary results from Advanced Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting Terrestrial (ISDB-T) using new configurations allowing the bit rates mentioned above to be achieved. The results of these new MODCODs will be shown in the final version of this paper.