Community Alliances

Non-profit, non-government, professional association to assist the development of broadcasting in the region. Full members are national free-to-air broadcasters in the Asia-Pacific region and there is associate membership for provincial broadcasters, subscription broadcasters or national broadcasters in other parts of the world.

The Audio Engineering Society is devoted exclusively to audio technology. Founded in the United States in 1948, the AES has grown to become an international organization that unites audio engineers, creative artists, scientists and students worldwide by promoting advances in audio and disseminating new knowledge and research.

Develops industry standards for audio and is the audio equivalent of the SMPTE.

The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) is a non-profit trade organization founded by leading companies to foster the adoption of industry standards for the broadcast and media industry as it transitions from SDI to IP. AIMS seeks to accomplish this goal using three key strategies:

• Initiatives that facilitate the education and adoption of open standards in the marketplace
• Activities that accelerate the education, development, and promotion of solutions that support these open standards
• Nurturing the creation and acceleration of new standards through the various standards bodies by providing focused support, commitment and testing of the proposed standards in real-world environments

Each Member agrees to publically endorse the AIMS Roadmap supported by the Alliance for IP Media Solutions as the preferred IP interoperability roadmap for the broadcast industry.

AMWA is an open, community-driven forum focused on the creation of timely, innovative, business-driven specifications and technologies for networked media workflows. Originally conceived to nurture and grow “AAF”, a project exchange format in the Post Production world. It went on to maintain support and update the MXF file exchange format.

Recent projects include:

• Networked Media Incubator. This new project will actively encourage open, early implementations of the JT-NM Reference Architecture V1.0, working with a range of media companies and their suppliers to deliver practical interoperability across IP based NMI infrastructures
• AMWA AS-11 DPP Certification. In partnership with the Digital Production Partnership (DPP), the AMWA Certification Authority (CA) issues certificates to vendors who have passed DPP lab testing
• FIMS – Framework for interoperable Media. FIMS is a project to define standards which enable media systems to be built using a Service Orientated Architecture. This will provide flexibility, efficiency and scalability that have previously been impossible to achieve with traditional architectures. FIMS is a Task Force managed jointly by the AMWA and the EBU
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The Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) is an Arab joint-action institution related to the League of Arab States and the Pan-Arab Association of Public Service and Commercial Broadcasters based in Tunis.

The Advanced Television Systems Committee, Inc., is primarily a North American international, non-profit organization developing voluntary standards for digital television. The ATSC member organizations represent the broadcast, broadcast equipment, motion picture, consumer electronics, computer, cable, satellite, and semiconductor industries.

Specifically, ATSC is working to coordinate television standards among different communications media focusing on digital television, interactive systems, and broadband multimedia communications. ATSC is also developing digital television implementation strategies and presenting educational seminars on the ATSC standards.

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A UK organisation with their mission statement being: “The DTG is the centre for collaboration at the heart of the digital TV industry.” More than 125 companies are members of the DTG. The primary area of influence is broadcast to the home, head end and consumer receiver. However, they do have workgroups including production. Participation in these none core areas is thin. Primarily famous for their “D” book which is the transmission reference document which translates standards from groups such as DVB in to UK specific specifications.

The DVB Project develops specifications for digital television consumer delivery systems, which are turned into standards by international standards bodies such as ETSI or CENELEC. It does so through collaboration of its Members in numerous Working Groups. Once specifications have become standards, they are promoted for international adoption and utilisation.

Each DVB standard starts its life in the Commercial Module which draw up a set of Commercial Requirements (CR) that outline the market parameters such as user functions, timescales and price range. Once consensus on the CR is reached in the Commercial Module, they are put forward to the Technical Module. In the Technical Module the technological implications of the user requirements are examined and available technologies are explored. Once the Technical Module reaches consensus on the resulting specification, the specification is put forward to the Steering Board. The Steering Board gives the final approval of the specification.

Specifically, ATSC is working to coordinate television standards among different communications media focusing on digital television, interactive systems, and broadband multimedia communications. ATSC is also developing digital television implementation strategies and presenting educational seminars on the ATSC standards.

The European Broadcasting Union is devoted to making public service media indispensable. We support and strengthen public service media, provide first-class media services and offer our members a centre for learning and sharing. This organisation is not primarily technical but supports a strong technology group. A group that once set standards but now works through the SMPTE on behalf of their members. They cite their in-house technology specialists as a key asset. Hold meetings exclusively for broadcasters and open up some of their events to a wider community including suppliers. They have a strong bias towards picture quality related issues and have tended to discuss with suppliers individually rather than collectively.

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The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) responsible for issues that concern information and communication technologies.

The ITU coordinates the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promotes international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world, and assists in the development and coordination of worldwide technical standards. The ITU is active in areas including broadband Internet, latest-generation wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, satellite-based meteorology, convergence in fixed-mobile phone, Internet access, data, voice, TV broadcasting, and next-generation networks.

ITU also organizes worldwide and regional exhibitions and forums, such as ITU TELECOM WORLD, bringing together representatives of government and the telecommunications and ICT industry to exchange ideas, knowledge and technology.

The ITU is seen as the highest level for broadcast and television standards and is often seen as the next world-wide step up from SMPTE standards.

Trade association for broadcasters, NAB advances the interests of members in federal government, industry and public affairs; improves the quality and profitability of broadcasting; encourages content and technology innovation; and spotlights the important and unique ways stations serve their communities.

Advocacy – policy and lobbying
Innovation – promoting new developments
Education – leadership and personal development
Trade shows

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A professional membership association and an internationally recognized and accredited organization. SMPTE advances moving-imagery education and engineering across the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has developed more than 800 standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines.

More than 6,000 members — motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students — who meet in Sections throughout the world sustain the Society. Through the Society’s partnership with the Hollywood Professional Alliance® (HPA®), this membership is complemented by the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide the expertise, support, tools, and infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television programs, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content.

Three pillars:

Membership – Promoting networking and interaction
Standards – Developing industry standards
Education – Enhancing expertise through the Motion Imaging Journal, conferences, seminars, webcasts, and Section meetings

The Streaming Video Alliance is the only organization (within the streaming industry) that brings together all the constituents of the ecosystem: network operators, content owners, service providers, and technology companies. We foster an unprecedented level of collaboration among the value chain, which is manifested through our various Working Groups (that address a wide spectrum of streaming video workflow elements). Whether it’s best practices, specifications, requirements, or even standards (pushed through liaisons with other industry organizations like the CTA), our Working Groups are helping to shape the future of streaming video by providing clear guidelines and other technical documentation that ultimately result in a better end-user experience.

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The VSF is an international association comprised of service providers, users and manufacturers dedicated to interoperability, quality metrics and education for video networking technologies. This primarily includes interconnectivity between video and networked systems. The organization’s activities include:

• Providing forums to identify issues involving the development, engineering, installation, testing and maintenance of video networking technologies
• Exchanging non-proprietary information to promote the development of video networking technology and foster resolution of issues common to the video services industry
• Promoting interoperability by contributing to and supporting development of standards by national and international standards bodies.