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Open House 3 Keynote Speech (May 25) A special presentation at NHK STRL Open House 2010 described the coming of a genuine “user age” driven by the appearance of the Cloud on the internet and the birth of new network devices such as the iPhone. In the years that followed, the number of worldwide mobile communications subscribers came to exceed the global population, with many people carrying a high-function, ultracompact computer in the form of a smartphone in a “continuously connected” state. Now, in 2017, the expanded abilities of the users themselves have made them the real leaders of this age, bringing about major changes not only in many business fields but in the global social structure as well. With 2020 in sight, the mobile network, the driving force behind empowered users, is set to evolve to its next stage as research and development of the 5G mobile network takes off in countries around the world. Perhaps the first and foremost requirement for achieving a full-scale 5G era is a completely stress-free network environment for the user. This era, in which demands such as ultrahigh data rates, high system capacity, massive device connectivity, and ultralow latency must be met, will likely see the birth of a wide variety of astonishing devices and applications. At the same time, we can expect digital innovations, such as those in internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), to accelerate and new applications benefitting from such innovations to appear. Such innovative technologies should have a major impact on the way businesses and industries operate, while giving birth to business models through industry “remixing” that transcends the existing frameworks. In the 2020s, users will benefit from ongoing innovations in business and society, and we believe that expectations toward “television” from users will increase significantly. We thus greatly expect television to make the most of evolving digital innovations and broadcast technologies to expand its scope. Gota Iwanami, President, INFOCITY, Inc. Television for 2020 and Beyond Keynote Speech 1 Over time, viewers and listeners educate themselves to expect ever higher image and audio quality, and more personalisation. At the same time, the demographics of our societies evolve. The time that individuals spend consuming media continues to grow. Some young people today spend more time consuming media today than either working or sleeping. By 2067, 40% of the population in the western world will be 65 years old or over and huge media consumers. How can innovate on adapt and respond? The EBU has identified what it believes to be the most critical innovation challenges facing broadcasters. They are: UHDTV, VR/AR/MR, Next Generation Audio, Cloud usage, 5G prospects, Big Data usage, Companion Screens, Hybrid Broadcasting, Smart Radio, Improved Internet CDNs, ICT programme production and delivery, and improved Security measures. These are the tools that will create our new media world. Can we make value judgements about each? History can help. Much of the media seen today had beginnings in previous decades. In 1964, Dr. Fujio* had the original idea for HDTV. Learning from NHK STRL and others, we must ask whether we can project forward today’s systems - and thus predict the technology of the coming decades. The road ahead will see TV with greater immersion of video and audio, and personalisation. But fundamentals will not change. We are using technology to tell stories, we make people laugh, cry, cheer, and feel involved, and that will never change. We will just (hopefully) get better at doing it. * Former director of STRL (1983-1986) VR, AR, UHD+ ... television in 50 years’ time - can we predict it today? Keynote Speech 2 Dr. David Wood, Consultant, EBU Technology and Innovation
