Interview with John Heywood, Head of Software, Phabrix.

• What are the main trends of IBC 2023, in your opinion?

There’s a notable interest in 2110 monitoring, with individuals seeking tools to assist them with their 2110 connections. Stream analysis and media latency tools have been particularly high on people’s agenda this year.

• What new products is your company showcasing at IBC 2023?

At IBC this year, we’re showcasing some new software. We have a new version of our Qx software, in fact, three different new versions. The release switches, which will be available in two weeks, add SD support to our product range, including upscaling support. Now, we can display and analyze video standards from SD to 4K all within the same box. It upscales SD so you can get fullscreen SD and fullscreen 4K.

The next software version we’re presenting is version 5.4. This brings full-range support to our product line, which is vital for many of our customers who use our products to assist with their video wall issues. Especially for video wall customers, who typically use PC-based video standards instead of YCBCR 4210, their preferred video format is 4K RGB444 Full range. This is the video format we’ve targeted this year and are showcasing at IBC. The final version of QSP, which we’re currently working on and will release next year, addresses the issue of switching between IP 2110 analysis streams, SDI analysis streams, and 2022-6 analysis streams. Previously, with the Qx product range, we had to reboot between IP mode and SDI mode. However, with the new product releasing early next year, the reboot issue has been resolved. All the data will populate within 5 seconds of making the switch, marking a significant step for us. Additionally, the QxP platform won an award, which is fantastic.

Moving on to our other products, on Rx, we are releasing a new version of software 909 at the end of this month. It’s a free upgrade and can be downloaded from our website.

Regarding the Xs range, we are demonstrating new tech software that provides codes for the data provided in the SDI to describe the video standards. Unlike the old version, the new one decodes, describes, and highlights whether there are potential specifications issues.

• Are there any developments in integrating AI into your solutions?

Currently, none of our tools utilize AI. However, it’s something our cloud platform might be adapted to in the future, though probably not our desktop versions.

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