The grand event opens, setting sail for a new journey. As the core exhibitor with the largest exhibition area, Sobey, under the theme of "Full-Domain Ultra-HD & Smart Cloud Audiovisual," showcased a rich array of exhibits at BIRTV2024, focusing on industrial innovation and development, removing obstacles to industrial upgrading, and solving problems in productivity building.
On the afternoon of August 21, Cao Shumin, Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, Director and Party Secretary of the State Administration of Radio and Television, visited the Sobey exhibition area accompanied by Chen Jinsu, Senior Vice President of Sobey, and Chen Zhi, General Manager of the Professional Media Business Unit.
Sobey CEO Wang Wei (first from right) attends the alliance establishment ceremony
At the concurrent Ultra-HD Full Industry Chain Development Seminar, the NVI Technology Innovation Alliance, jointly initiated by China Media Group and the China Film and Television Technology Society, was announced, with Sobey serving as the secretariat unit. This alliance brings together 21 core units in the broadcasting and audiovisual industry chain, focusing on promoting the development and application of NVI transmission protocol technology, and further building an independent, controllable, open, and advanced transmission protocol standard, laying a solid foundation for the independent control and sustainable development of core technologies in China's Ultra-HD field.
During the exhibition, Sobey showcased a variety of core products and solutions related to the development, upgrading, and cutting-edge exploration of the audiovisual industry.
Focusing on Ultra-HD to Create the Ultimate Audiovisual Experience
At the exhibition, Sobey comprehensively showcased its domestically produced key core products supporting Ultra-HD services, serving the entire business process from content acquisition, production, transmission, studio, broadcasting, and content management, attracting strong attention.
NVI
NVI is an ultra-low latency video transmission protocol jointly developed by China Media Group and Sobey, designed for cross-domain and cross-platform use:
- Possesses three core characteristics: domestic production, openness, and broadcast-grade standards;
- Provides low-latency, high-quality video transmission services for lightweight converged media studios, cloud-based broadcast production, and horizontal/vertical screen collaborative production scenarios;
- Features dynamic security strategies, supports multiple compression formats, and supports broadcast-grade metadata.
Based on its self-developed NVI peripheral hardware products, Sobey can help build lightweight converged media studios, lightweight OB vans, and lightweight cloud + local hybrid production studios, solving the industrial development problem of balancing low cost and high quality.
IP Production Network Architecture (2110-IP Studio)
- Adopts SMPTE ST 2110-22 network transmission protocol standard to ensure efficient transmission of video data;
- In terms of encoding scheme, the industry-standard SUVC encoding technology is applied, which significantly reduces system bandwidth requirements, greatly saves studio construction costs, and reserves upgrade space for future 8K and higher resolutions;
- Provides domestically produced studio hardware and software to help media build Ultra-HD studios with the ultimate cost-effectiveness.
Online Graphic Packaging System
- All products support domestically produced hardware and operating systems;
- Design end: Provides complete 2D/3D design tools, built-in multiple types of plugins, and a simple and clear interface for quick scene creation;
- Broadcast control end: Provides professional broadcast control tools, supports MOS protocol, and allows for flexible broadcast control and real-time editing;
- Engine end: Possesses Ultra-HD real-time 2D/3D rendering capabilities, with real-time data updates;
- Suitable for online packaging of various programs such as news live broadcasts, sports event live broadcasts, financial reports, and variety entertainment in real-scene studios, as well as supporting diverse application scenarios such as studio large screens, urban landscapes, concerts, and railway large screen packaging.
XR Studio
- Patented multi-camera preview: Enables low-cost multi-camera real-time XR effect preview without the need for high frame rate cameras and LEDs;
- Rapid creation of scene content: Built-in rich scene, component, and animation templates, supporting template-based production of multiple types of components; can establish a multi-dimensional asset library and uniformly manage template assets on and off the cloud;
- Virtual Reality Interaction: Combining a real-time 3D rendering engine with AI recognition, optical tracking, data processing, spatial interaction, and other technologies; through AI technology, it can accurately track the user's position and actions in 3D space, enabling natural interaction between the user and virtual objects, while supporting multiple interaction methods such as gesture recognition, voice recognition, and touch control.
At the exhibition, the Sobey XR Studio booth was bustling with visitors, many of whom personally experienced the infinite charm of virtual production and inquired about the system's application details. Currently, this solution can be applied to multiple fields such as program production, product launch, and education, pushing the application of flexible and efficient virtual production to a new level.
Domestic Ultra-HD Series Products
- SUVC shallow compression encoding that conforms to industry standards and the surrounding hardware ecosystem, achieving smooth upgrade of Ultra-HD while being compatible with high-definition formats, significantly reducing the difficulty of technology migration and the cost of Ultra-HD construction;
- AirUHD Information Technology Innovation Broadcasting System: Supports multiple architectures such as SDI, IP, and ST2110-20/22, with strong compatibility and high security and reliability, providing media organizations with a flexible and efficient broadcasting environment;
- Signal Fusion Scheduling System (SDN): Supports public cloud, private cloud, remote and local cross-domain scheduling, unified scheduling of SDI, ST2110 IP, NVI, NDI and other streams; and provides unified management and monitoring and maintenance capabilities for signals and system equipment.
AI Empowering a Smart and Innovative Future
Artificial intelligence technology is constantly revolutionizing content creation methods and sweeping across future communication formats. At this BIRTV, Sobey highlighted its innovative technology products, including intelligent program production and creation tools represented by APE and ACE, as well as intelligent toolkits equipped with generative AI capabilities.
APE: the industry's first AI-native video program production tool adapted to media processes
APE is designed for intelligent and routine video program production in the media industry, supports the access of plug-in algorithm models, and can integrate multiple AI model capabilities to achieve efficient collaboration among multiple intelligent agents.
- Based on video scripts, it supports "one-click" controllable intelligent generation from text/manuscript to script to storyboard to finished product;
- Can intelligently match videos according to scripts to complete automatic editing, intelligent dubbing, automatic lyrics singing, and other functions;
- Understands audiovisual language, provides professional-grade intelligent editing, and supports the generation of timelines that conform to film and television production standards and cinematic art.
While realizing the intelligentization of the entire video production process, APE has also significantly improved the efficiency of video production creativity and editing; it is worth mentioning that APE won the BIRTV "Recommended Project Award" for its advanced product concept and innovative technology.
ACE Video Creation and Packaging Tool
ACE, through its intuitive node-based editing operation, allows users to directly drag and drop audio and video processing nodes and AI nodes to build workflows. It can also complete video packaging and content-assisted production on the same platform, enabling low-code construction of AI applications. It is suitable for various creative video production scenarios such as video packaging, film and television special effects, and creative advertising.
- Simple operation: Input and output can be previewed at any time, multiple processes can be freely combined, making it easier for users to start editing;
- Collaboration Management: Supports integration with APE and non-linear editing systems; generated results can be directly imported into the timeline as source material;
- Multi-task supervision: Supports offline editing, real-time task management and remote resource monitoring;
- Cross-Platform Support: Supports Web, CS applications, and cross-platform node orchestration to meet the needs of complex projects.
Intelligent Application Toolset
Leveraging its self-developed Mingmou domain model and audiovisual algorithm capabilities, Sobey also showcased intelligent graphics, intelligent manuscripts, intelligent media assets, intelligent non-linear editing and other applications and tools at the event, providing users with efficient and comprehensive key capability support for intelligent production.
Cloud + Audiovisual: Exploring the New Fusion of Audiovisual and Intelligence
Responding to the trend of cloud technology and media production integration, Sobey also brought a cloud-based full-domain audiovisual and media intelligence solution to this exhibition, fully promoting the innovative integration of audiovisual, intelligence and cloud technologies, and driving the rapid and efficient development of audiovisual intelligent applications.
Audiovisual Intelligent Cloud
Sobey's Audiovisual Intelligent Cloud, showcased this time, is a cloud-based audiovisual and intelligent media solution that further innovates and integrates audiovisual, intelligent, and cloud technologies. It provides users with a full-chain service capability from AI model production and management to intelligent application construction, helping users achieve agile application and continuous optimization of AI models. Furthermore, the Audiovisual Intelligent Cloud also moves media production to the cloud, providing users with stable, secure, resource-intensive, and on-demand scalable intelligent production computing power.
- Audiovisual cloud technology supports signal production and post-production scenarios, and supports full-domain cloud migration of media production;
- Leveraging generative AI capabilities, intelligent computing power can be provided for signal production and post-production based on the cloud;
- Supports network signal connection via cloud internal transmission links, supporting SMPTE2110 standards and NVI transmission protocols, and fully supports PTP clocks;
- Supports operation and control via remote desktop and hardware control panel;
- Supports NMOS protocol; can be networked with traditional devices through a converged signal management platform.
Renewing Interactive Scenarios to Unleash New Productivity
Mingmou Vision
Mingmou Vision integrates Sobey's self-developed AI model base and virtual presentation technology, targeting professional fields:
- Based on knowledge enhancement, it can achieve efficient injection of domain knowledge, and has built-in fact checking to ensure that the generated content is credible and controllable;
- Combining 3D digital human interaction, efficient and accurate domain knowledge retrieval and accurate and professional question-and-answer responses can be achieved;
- Provides personalized customization services such as professional field model customization, digital human image and timbre customization, and 3D virtual scene presentation.
At the exhibition, Sobey specially showcased the intelligent tour guide assistant tailored for this BIRTV—the Sobey booth digital human, providing visitors with detailed product introductions and technical consultations, creating a novel 3D immersive exhibition experience; the virtual reality can be applied to various scenarios such as intelligent tour guiding in cultural tourism, intelligent customer service in government, e-commerce, and banking, intelligent medical guidance, and intelligent educational tutoring.
AI Digital Humans
Based on self-developed domain models, Sobey has created a number of AI digital human applications, including broadcast digital humans, live streaming digital humans, Q&A digital humans, and photo digital humans. AI digital human images can be generated instantly by inputting text, voice, and photos, expanding the interactive and innovative forms of content production with one click.
At BIRTV2024, Sobey comprehensively demonstrated the deep integration of Ultra-HD, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence in industry applications, accelerating the transformation and upgrading of the audiovisual industry and continuously creating new value for the vigorous development of the industry. Looking to the future, Sobey is willing to join hands with ecosystem partners in various fields to jointly enter a new era of new-quality creation, new-quality expression, and new-quality dissemination.
