Bbc rd preso_southampton

Future Media © BBC 2012

Challenges and opportunities for the BBC and the WebSouthampton, Dec 6th 2012

Internet Research and Future ServicesGeorge Wright, Head of IR&FS

@georgie


Intro

• Background• Overview of the BBC• Brief History of the BBC• R&D at the BBC• The Internet and the BBC• What we do on and with the Web• Questions


Me

George Wright

Head of Internet Research& Future Services

> 17 years at the BBC


BBC Overview

• Largest Public Broadcaster in Europe• Not for profit• Licence fee funded (£154.40/ year)• Independent of Government• Incorporated under Royal Charter• 70 radio stations, 10 TV channels, large content website• Main domestic UK service• Worldwide News service• Commercial subsidiary (for overseas sales/ DVDs etc)• 27,000 staff• £4.8 bil annual revenue


Our Charter


Service Overview

• Begun in 1922• TV broadcasts begun 1936• Colour TV started 1967• FM radio 1955• Website 1993• Digital Radio 1995• DTV 1998• HDTV 2006


BBC R&D

• 160 staff across 3 labs• Been in existence since 1930• Incorporated by Royal Charter: “..maintain BBC’s position

as a centre of excellence for research and development in broadcasting and other means for the electronic distribution of audio, visual and audiovisual material, and in related technologies.”

• “The UK's NASA” (House of Lords Select Committee on the BBC Charter Review 2005-6)


Some highlights of BBC R&D's history

Noise-cancelling microphone (1927) VHF/FM transmitter(1945)• Colour TV (1954)• Digital TV standards proposed (1964)• Digital audio recorder/playback demonstrated (1971)• CEEFAX (text service on TV) (1974)• NICAM stereo (1986)• BBC Internet service (1989-1995)• Multicast internet streams (2004)• Freeview HD (2008)


Who my team are

• Internet Research and Future Services section within BBC R&D

• Working at the audience end of the broadcast chain• Full range of skills (Engineers, designers, producers)


What we do

• We build new prototypes, demonstrators and services across all digital platforms

• To try things out• To explore things• To solve problems• Focus on user-facing things

• Also, protocols and standards for emerging platforms• Engineering and UX [User Experience] /HCI [Human

Computer Interaction] research

• 5yr time horizon


Who we work with

• BBC programme makers (Dr Who, Springwatch)• Mobile and TV Platforms product development teams• Academia• SMEs• Collaborative research partners (TSB, European

Commission - EU FP7, EU PPP)• Standards bodies (W3C, EBU, DVB)


We work in the open

Site http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/prototypingBlog http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rdCode: http://github.com/bbcrd Weeknotes http://bbc.in/rdweeknotes White papers http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/publications/ Conferences (IBC, W3C etc)Standards bodies (W3C, DVB)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/prototyping

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rd

http://github.com/bbcrd

http://bbc.in/rdweeknotes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/publications/


Issues and questions

Corporate R&D traditionally has a different pace to it30 years ago, competition came after 5-25 years of

preparation (Channel 4, BSkyB, commercial radio)Now, a service can be conceived, developed, tested,

deployed and acquired in <12 monthsMany new user-facing services come from the West CoastMost are either PPU (pay per use) or ad-supportedWhere does this leave BBC/ Corporate R&D?


The BBC and the Web

Bbc.co.uk since 1994First Website 1995Strong early promoter/

adopter of Web standards

Now most popularcontent site in Europe


R&D approach

● Standards● Usage/HCI● Low level plumbing● Distribution platform● 'Web as medium/canvas'● ID/personal data● Prototyping● SemWeb/Big Data● Archives● Cross-platform work● Future


Standards

● BBC member of, strongly involved in, W3C● Chair W3C Audio WG● Involved in many other WGs● Drive adoption eg SemWeb

● DVB and EBU● Learning by doing● Avoid vendor hype● Evalute new standards, proposals


HCI and UX

● Advanced UI research● Browser moving target closing● Mobile/STB whole new series of challenges● Recommendations


Low level plumbing

● Ipv6 ● Multicast trials● P2P work● Mobile broadcast/ spectrum/whitespace● Future Internet● Vista TV

Future Media & Technology BBC 2012

Requests for programmes continue to rise: 145m in Dec 2010, 200m in Dec 2011

Available on 20+ devices and rising

Distribution platform


Web as medium/canvas

● Whole new 'platform'● Can't just reuse old designs● Non Web safe palettes● Flash was the answer – what was the question?● http://futurebroadcasts.com/

http://futurebroadcasts.com/


ID/personal data

● Bbc.co.uk always 'worked' without login● Commercial rivals drive login (twitter, FB)● Strict UK and EU rules on DPA● OpenID..● Sibyl


Web as toolchain/shopfront

● Github, wordpress, puppet,AWS● Timesheets, document sharing, wikis● BBC locked down desktop vs access anywhere● R&D website useful recruiting tool, library of our

white papers● Production staff using as AV search, playback,

transcode platform


SemWeb/Big Data

● BBC very early SemWeb adoptor● Bbc.co.uk/programmes massive resource● Page for every programme● Always available● 70mil triples● Each term also in Dbpedia● Twitter work – whole of firehose● Massive amounts of throughput


Archives

● BBC huge archive● Locked up in leaky warehouse :(● Moving to the Web● Redux, Snippets, WSA● Mood, genre, topic


Cross platform work

● One service,many devices● Universal control API● DLNA?● RadioDNS as binding control system for new

devices● Android – fragmented but niceRaspberry PI, Little printer● IoT


Future

● Massively big data● ID and brokerage● Mobile Net and broadcast● Handoff and cacheing● HCI and UX● Increased 'window' for repeat viewing● IP end to end for all our content● Loads of possibilities, loads of questions...

Future Media & Technology BBC 2012

Requests for programmes continue to rise: 145m in Dec 2010, 200m in Dec 2011

Available on 20+ devices and rising

Distribution platform


Thank you – questions?

[email protected]

@georgie

Documents

Bbc rd preso_southampton