Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/613047
www.postmagazine.com 42 POST DECEMBER 2015 OUTLOOK BROADBAND CONTENT O f I were to recognize the group that had the largest impact in post production this year, I would undoubtedly say it was the broadband content owners. 2015 was a monumen- tal year in which broadbanders such as Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and Apple gained market share in new and influential ways. You won't find more significant and con- sistent innovation in entertainment than the breakthroughs from these broad- band leaders, who tirelessly hunger for technological reformation. The creative component of entertain- ment has always required a technological partner to reach customers. And now with the adoption of OTT spanning across ev- ery demographic, 2016 will prove to be an enormous year for technological advance- ment, which will continue to strengthen broadband's grip on consumers. When you want to peek into the future, the first place to look is the past. These are some of the most notable re- cent tech developments in our industry: • File-based capture (instead of film and videotape) • 4K capture (instead of HD) • 4K distribution (instead of HD) • Extended dynamic range (instead of standard dynamic range) • File-based distribution (instead of satellite or film print) • Rec. 2020 (instead of 709) • Virtual Reality (instead of a standard viewing experience) What's interesting about those chang- es is that when you plot them on a chart, you see that traditional broadcast and cinema groups are only scratching the surface of a few of these technological opportunities. In contrast, the broadbanders are not only innovating all of these technologies, they are publicly championing them to their consumers! These two elements are critical in predicting where things will go because not only are the broadbanders rapidly growing the market with new innovations, but they are simultaneous- ly educating the consumer base and making it easier for them to use these innovations. The result of this clever technique is an increased demand for their unique services: • 4K capture and distribution is a stan- dard for all Netflix original productions • Amazon standardized HDR/EDR deliv- ery with all of its original content • The new AppleTV searches across all broadband providers with increasing intelligence • Sony, Samsung, Sharp and Vizio are selling wide gamut, 4K, EDR displays at accelerating rates • VR has picked up major influencers, such as Nokia, with expansive applications When you compare broadband's level of influence to cinema and broadcast, the difference reveals a major opportunity for innovation on all sides. I have heard hundreds of arguments by special interest groups against some or all of these techno- logical headlines, but the broadband- ers have proven consumers are smart and that these technologies are viable and lucrative. For a long time, cinema and tradition- al broadcast entities limited creative choices by controlling how consumers access content. But 2016 will show more consumers signing up to experience the innovations of the broadbanders, fueling creative choices in both post and production. e are no longer just the design- ers and creators of traditional content and media. With digital media, we've become participants in the act of creating experiences for clients and users that engage in a connected global society. As a culture, we get so excit- ed about the prospects of future tech that we often forget that ideas lead the experience, not the other way around. Technology for creating and experienc- ing will always change, but at the core of this shift is a new understanding of how we are communicating with our audience and each other. To embrace this paradigm shift, we first accept the fact that we know little about it, and that's ok. Technology is always going to be in a constant state of evolution, but ideas will remain rooted in our understanding of these advance- ments. It's exciting as a designer to think about these tools opening up new doors for creative storytelling, but it's import- BY MICHAEL CIONI PRESIDENT LIGHT IRON HOLLYWOOD/NEW YORK WWW.LIGHTIRON.COM BY LOREN JUDAH CREATIVE DIRECTOR WE ARE ROYALE LOS ANGELES,/SEATTLE WWW.WEAREROYALE.COM BROADBAND CONTENT BREAKS THROUGH EFFECTIVE STORYTELLING IN TODAY'S CONNECTED CULTURE OUTLOOK DIGITAL EXPERIENCE O I W