HD Masters 2009: Making High Definition Work 23-24 June 2009, The Hotel Russell, London

LONDON - Each year, the momentum behind HD Masters grows, and this year will be no different

The 4th annual HD Masters 2009 conference is brought to you by TVB Europe in partnership with SMPTE and the BKSTS. It is the European event for excellence in high definition production, infrastructure and delivery to the home.

Over two days, the conference will showcase cutting-edge developments and unpick practical case studies, setting new benchmarks for best practice. Delegates will hear from a 40-strong speaker line-up from across Europe, including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. John Luff, Television, Technology Consultant and SMPTE Fellow Luff is also making his debut at this year’s conference, sharing the recent developments currently in practice in the US, as well as address the latest developments and innovations in HD technology.

The conference programme has been put together by the highly respected John Ive, now consultant and technologist. Ive’s career in the television industry has spanned for more than 35 years; including periods at the BBC, the Independent Broadcasting Authority and Sony, in senior management, operations, marketing, programme-making, and technology research and development. With his close proximity to the market, the conference programme delves deep into the most critical technical HD issues that the broadcast industry currently faces.

The conference will kick-off on Tuesday, 23 June with an insightful keynote presentation from Danielle Nagler, Head of HD for the BBC. Speaking for the first time at HD Masters, the presentation will identify the most important areas of strategic technological developments that will drive consumer take-up of HDTV. With BBC plans at the forefront of the industry, this will be a session not be missed.

Day one will follow-on with four in-depth sessions on specific topics; each featuring a host of recognised experts and ending in an interactive panel discussion. ‘Industry Status’ will hear the latest developments from across Europe, led by David Wood, Chair of the European HD Forum. Representatives from France, Sweden, Poland, Germany and the US will join Wood for a cross-continental discussion, drawing on shared learning and development.

With Media City and BSKYB’s new site developments hot news, day one will also explore the reality of 1080p50 compliant studio builds. Hearing from fore-mentioned champions, this session will answer critical questions on how the industry as a whole can progressively move forward.

The day will move on to explore solutions to audio challenges and put Dolby on the platform. Followed by a tour of the latest production techniques and processes being trialled and introduced across sports, drama and news. Led by Andy Quested, Head of Technology at the BBC, the session will also feature case studies and discussion from WDR Germany and Outside Broadcast.

A special feature presentation from Japan’s NHK on Super-High Vision will bring day one to a close. A drinks reception for delegates and sponsors will be held post-conference for networking around the exhibits. Exhibitors this year include: Digital Rapids, Dolby, Everetz, EVS, For-A, Harris, NTT, Panasonic, Phabrix and Screen Subtitling Systems.

Day two will open with an exceptional keynote from Paul Mason, Head of Olympic Broadcasting Services London who will provide unique insights to London 2012.

Following the same format as day one, the grand finale session will be on the latest developments in 3D; an increasingly exciting area full of interesting business prospects. Featuring insights from BSKYB and practical guidance from leading consultants — this panel will end the conference on a high.

Other sessions not to be missed on day two will drill down into the detail of compression and bit rates; spectrum usage and DVB-T2 deployment; tapeless HD workflow; speciality equipment innovations; equipment interoperability; SD to HD migration; and future studio design implications.

Speakers include: Richard Salmon, Senior Research Engineer, BBC Research; Richard Lindsay-Davies, Director General, DTG; Simon Fell, Director of Future Technologies, ITV; Reinhard Penzel, Principal, JETZT; Chris Johns, Chief Engineer - Broadcast Strategy, BSKYB; Luk Overmeire, Technology Expert, VRT.

The conference will close at 17.00 on Wednesday, 24 June with a final conference round-up from session Chairs from across the conference - summarising the key learnings from the two days to overcome technical challenges and get HD strategies on track.

HD Masters: Making High Definition Work will take place at The Hotel Russell in London from 23-24 June 2009. For more information and to secure your place, visit the conference website at www.hdmastersevent.com, or contact HD Masters customer services on +44-(0)-20-7921-8039.

Source: UBM Conferences

Louise Challis, UBM Conferences, +44-(0)-20-7921-3921, louise.challis at ubm.com