Two important new documents were launched this week at the Network Technology Seminar 2013, the EBU's annual Media & IT Rendezvous. A set of guidelines for negotiating Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and a framework for media data storage are both designed to meet the specific requirements of broadcasters. And both are likely to be hugely valuable for EBU Members in future.

With the rapid growth of IT-based infrastructure, many broadcasters find themselves negotiating SLAs with network service providers. The new guidelines provide a realistic high level view of the key elements that should be considered in media transport SLAs. They inclu guidance on how their specific broadcast media needs can be translated into models that are in use in the IT and telecom industries.

The other new document presented at NTS 2013 provides a Media Storage Framework. It is an overview of the media storage environment that will provide the context for subsequent documents that will emerge from the EBU. Future outputs will provide guidance on, for example, performance and benchmarking.  Both of the documents launched this week also help by providing a common vocabulary to improve communication between the broadcast and IT domains.

This year's Network Technology Seminar was the best attended yet, with over 110 participants. Around half came from EBU Members and a similar number were first time attendees. The high attendance and the many first-time participants were both evidence of the growing interest in this domain and the hunger for support and guidance on the brave new world of IP networks, cloud-based services, etc. The EBU, within the framework of its Strategic Programme on Future Networks and Storage, is uniquely placed to develop and provide the tools and guidance that Members and the wider community need.

Photo: The EBU's Félix Poulin with Yuan-Xing Zheng (BBC) and Chris Chambers (BBC), the chairs respectively of the SLA Project Group and the Future Storage Systems Project Group.

Downloads

• Tech 3361: SLA for Media Transport Services
• Tech 3358: Media Storage Framework Model