The World of Broadcasting Technology: Infiltrating the Site of Program Distribution

The "World of Broadcasting Technology" series focuses on the "technology that supports broadcasting and distribution" at SKY Perfect JSAT.

Last time, we brought you an article infiltrating the site where broadcasts are delivered.

Actually, we deliver content not only through television but also through distribution services like "Program Distribution" and "SPOOX", and there are employees in charge of the technology to deliver that distribution.

Aren't you curious about how the various distribution services you use recently are made available on your smartphones?
This time, we interviewed them about the "technology behind SKY Perfect JSAT's distribution services"!

Interviewees

Mr. M (left in photo) 23rd year at the company, a liberal arts major whose main focus is sales and operations. Previously involved in technical sales for 9 years and OTT operations for 8 years.

Mr. N (right in photo) 13th year at the company. Assigned to a media technology-related department right after graduation, and has been involved in distribution technology since his 6th year.

First, we asked for a rough overview of how distribution content is delivered.

Mr. M: First, we "encode" the programs airing on broadcast channels—that is, we convert the video to upload it to the internet—and then send the converted files to the cloud.

Mr. M: Inside the cloud, there is a system that manages video distribution and a system that manages content information, and the content we just encoded goes into the video distribution system.
Here, we prepare various types of image quality so that it can actually be viewed on smartphones, PCs, and televisions.

Mr. M: Separately, information such as "when the program is airing" and "what the title is" is entered into the content information management system from sheets filled out by each channel.

When a customer actually tries to watch it, the CMS (Content Management System) on the cloud determines, "This person has a contract to watch this program, so it's okay," and through that CMS, the "broadcast content" and "its information" are delivered to the customer. That is the mechanism.

—I see. I have an impression that distribution is more prone to access concentration and failures due to the user's communication environment compared to broadcasting. How do you perform checks and monitoring in this area?

Mr. M: For that, you should ask Mr. N!

SKY Perfect JSAT checks distribution programs independently! The story behind its development

Mr. N: I build systems to monitor the availability—in other words, the health status—of all distribution equipment, including those at the TMC and services on the cloud.
When an alert sounds on that monitoring system, I actually watch the distribution program to confirm it, and if a failure has occurred, I act to restore it.

—When I visited the TMC the other day, I saw something that displayed alerts at hand. Does that mean you built that machine yourselves?

Mr. N: That's right. I'm the one who makes it (laughs).
Even though I say I make it, our role is basically the "upstream process of development," where we define the requirements for what kind of system we want to build.

—Were there any difficult parts?

Mr. N: It was always difficult (laughs).
Since broadcasting has existing technology cultivated over many years, there is a huge number of solutions to choose from when building, and the way to structure the system is well-established. However, in terms of distribution, it's an era where each company still has to grope around in the dark.

—Even though distribution services have become so popular, the equipment is still in the growth stage.

Mr. N: That's right. Regarding the core equipment for delivering video, it has become "common sense to build it this way," but I see that there are still differences between companies in terms of what kind of monitoring mechanism to incorporate.

With as many channels as we have, it's impossible to monitor by human eyes, so automatic monitoring by machines becomes necessary. Thinking about such automatic machine monitoring mechanisms was the mission given to the department I was in at the time.

—A big mission!

Mr. N: Since there weren't many machine monitoring mechanisms in the world yet, I thought of the monitoring method myself and had it developed.

—Surely there are some services that rely on human eyes for checks. There must have been trial and error precisely because you had to rely on machines.

Mr. N: Yes (laughs). So personally, I'm quite confident in building monitoring mechanisms.
We have had other companies ask us to build the same thing, and we have a track record of actually having it introduced. If you want to do machine monitoring for distribution, please leave a comment on this note (laughs).

—Indeed! Please make use of the comment section! (laughs)

The trigger for joining the company was that drama. I even had an unexpected experience as an extra!

―Mr. N, have you always been in Toyocho as a media technology specialist?

Mr. N: Yes. When I first joined the company, I was involved in broadcast equipment for five years. From my sixth year, I told them in an interview that I really wanted to do streaming technology, so I transferred, and I have been in charge of streaming technology ever since.

―Did you want to work in broadcast and streaming technology when you joined the company? Was there a specific trigger?

Mr. N: Let's see. In university, I was at a school that only had science and engineering departments, and I majored in statistics, artificial intelligence, and information science.
It might be because I did research on video analysis during that time, but originally, I really loved television, which is why I applied to (SKY PerfecTV!).


―Is that so! What kind of TV programs do you like?
Mr. N: I like Fuji TV dramas from the late 90s to the 2000s.


―Oh! For example?
Mr. N: I am a huge geek when it comes to "Bayside Shakedown" (Odoru Daisousasen).
I think that drama was a pioneer in terms of fans getting excited about a show on the web.
An official program site was launched, providing a place for viewers to get excited, and there was interaction between fans. I even participated as an extra in "Bayside Shakedown THE MOVIE 3: Set the Guys Free!"


―Wait, really!
Mr. N: I loved it so much that I wanted to get inside, so I applied... (laughs)
I met Yuji Oda, Kyoko Koizumi, and Shun Oguri (laughs).
It was like playing a detective role during the filming at the old Wangan Police Station in Odaiba.


―I'm jealous (laughs). I want to watch it again and try to find you.

Mr. M: I didn't know that! Did you watch things like "Tokyo Love Story"?

Mr. N: I liked "Tokyo Love Story" too. I was hospitalized when I was in kindergarten, and I really wanted to see the final episode, so I begged the nurse, "Please let me watch it!" and she specially allowed it. I watched it in the waiting room at 9:00 PM (laughs).

―What a precocious kindergartner! The nurse must have been surprised too (laughs).
Mr. M, do you have any content you like?

Mr. M: For me, it's probably car and motorcycle motorsports. Also, recently, I finally started watching overseas dramas. Because of that, I use Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+, so I look at their respective features.

―Do you ever think it would be nice if SKY PerfecTV!'s streaming service had these features too?

Mr. M: I do think it would be nice to have features like intro/end credit skipping, auto-play for the next program, and background playback, which I see when using other services.

―That's true... Speaking of what you said earlier, I think there are circumstances where the man-hours required are different because there are so many channels... I'm looking forward to future updates!
Have you also always been in departments related to broadcast technology, Mr. M?


Mr. M: No, I've experienced various departments since joining the company in 2001.
By the way, my previous job was working in sales at the BBC for about four years.
―The BBC of BBC News?


Mr. M: My boss at that time moved to SKY PerfecTV!, and through that connection, I am here now.
Since joining the company, I haven't just been in media departments; I was also seconded to a group company in charge of space business.

As seniors and juniors in broadcast and streaming technology ―And what we want to do in the future

―Back when N was a new employee, what was your impression of them, M?

M: Basically, they haven't changed much since then, have they? If I had to say, they were a bit elusive, or rather, had a unique vibe (laughs).

N: (laughs) But back then, though it's not for me to say, I really wasn't showing my true self.
I'm doing things so freely now, but when I first joined the company, I often felt that people in the technical department were very rigid.
Now, I tell my juniors to work while having more fun (laughs).

―It's great to hear that from a senior. Conversely, is there anything about M back then that is different from now?

N: No, they are exactly the same as they are now (laughs). In M's case, they've remained the same since our first impression.

M: I'm 50 years old, but I don't want to become an old fogey! (laughs)

Everyone: (laughs)

M: So, my stance is to be in a mentor-like position where they can come to me for advice anytime. There's not much I can actually help with, though (laughs). I'll give advice or say, 'In that case, ask this person.'

―You give advice, but don't interfere too much. You're the ideal boss...!
Lastly, please tell us if you have any future goals or ambitions.

M: This might be unrelated to technology, but I'm interested in the Sustainability Promotion Department (the department that works on initiatives like SDGs).
I go to rice paddies and participate in activities in my private life, so I'd like to think about those things at the company too.

N: That's true. I'm interested in regional revitalization and community exchange.

―I'm interested in that too! But I'm surprised it's different from your main job (laughs).

M: When you feel firsthand that you are contributing to people, I feel like you can apply that to your own work as well.

N: When I'm facing systems all the time, I start wanting to interact with people (laughs).

M: In that case, I recommend picking up trash. Things like regional cleanup operations are really great. When you pick up trash, you can say, 'Nice pick!'

―(laughs)
The end of our conversation drifted away from streaming, but we also caught a glimpse of the wonderful relationship between the two of you!

Click here for the streaming services supported by these two.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Broadcast Technology series!

(Interview and text by Tantan)