
NAB Reflections: As Media Moves Into Industry 4.0, TVU Networks CEO Paul Shen Relishes the Opportunity to Lead With Tech Launch of MediaMind and further growth of HEVC have TVU Networks at the cutting edge By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Friday, April 20, 2018 - 2:28 pm
Print This Story
Silicon Valley-based TVU Network enjoyed a strong NAB Show last week in Las Vegas which was primarily spotlighted by the launch of its new MediaMind platform. It's a story-centric system that checked many of the boxes that were the rage at this year's show: IP, AI, big data, and the Cloud.
MediaMind brings together many of the pieces of the TVU production process, including TVU Contribution Automation, TVU AI Engine, TVU Real Time Search Engine, TVU Workflow Engine and TVU Producer Pro.
It's all part of the overall growth of the industry that company CEO Paul Shen is referring to as Industry 4.0. What he means if the move in media to the automation, digitalization and networking of design, production, information, communication and management processes. We caught up with Shen at TVU Networks' NAB booth to discuss the latest.
Paul Shen, CEO and founder, TVU Networks
What are the big highlights for you and your company at a show like NAB?
This show is not just about new products and new services. It's about seeing the industry move forward into what we are calling Media 4.0. It's the next phase of the media production process where automation and AI are going to have a significant impact.
We have introduced Media Mind.Fundamentally, we want to move into a platform where we know exactly were all of the content is and know what that content is. We have enough metadata to describe the content to the frame lab.
What we would like to see in the future is someone writing a script and the content can be produced. We have a lot of media companies supporting this and we are aggressively pushing this to the industry.
We've talked a lot about HEVC and how that's grown. Are you seeing any noted steps forward in that regard here at this show?
All of our products are HEVC-capable. We moved very fast. In fact, our HEVC-base pack has been shipping over a year-and-a-half now. Another important part of this is that we always believe in a software-based encoder. The reason is, in the mobile environment, we believe the way that a software-based encoder behaves matches the mobile environment. One example is that the bitrate constantly changes. How quickly can you adapt to the bitrate change is incredible important. Bandwidth availability is crucial. If you don't react fast you'll be less efficient or you will have packet loss. Our system can react to a bandwidth change request within a frame. So they perform very reliably.
Did any trends or themes jump out to you at this year's NAB Show?
There's been a tremendous amount of interest in our TVU Grid. One of our sports clients is the Iceland government broadcast stations and when the soccer team is playing, they go live on the TVU Grid. Any of their partners can share that content. Today we have more than 2,000 TV stations globally on the TVU Grid.
This system can be tremendous for sports teams because it makes it easy to share their content with all of the local TV stations in their market.
The media industry sports specifically is so rapidly changing to the point that it can be hard to keep up when releasing products or solutions as a tech vendor. What is about this industry that excites you?
For a company that wants to continue to lead with technology, the change is what excites us. We understand the technology. We are not in a business of contributing commodity products. We are in this industry to lead. Give the industry new technology and help them change their business, because if they don't change, they die. That excites us.
North America Stories
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...
15/07/2026
Brazilian media organization builds nationwide CDN with Broadpeak's high-performance software for low-latency streaming and new content distribution service...
15/07/2026
DHD announces a new utility designed to increase the efficiency of its audio mixing systems during initial installation and subsequent configuration.
Anyone w...
15/07/2026
BCNEXXT Brings Next-Generation Vipe to IBC2026, Breaking the 1:1 Channel-to-Server Ratio New innovations liberate broadcasters from legacy playout infrastructur...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Home to leading manufacturers, robotics pioneers, infrastructure builders and gaming, of course, Japan is one of the world's centers of AI - building across...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
14/07/2026
Agreement spans sponsorship sales, digital monetization, radio production, and new practice facility naming rights...
14/07/2026
Independent league adds 14 regional sports network affiliates, growing distribut...
14/07/2026
New strategy aims to unify competitions, content, fan engagement, and commercial...
14/07/2026
ESPN and Disney+ become exclusive home of PFL events in key international MMA market...
14/07/2026
Gill will oversee engineering, technology, and sports operations across the company's 64 local television stations...
14/07/2026
Submitted by North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
As broadcasters con...
14/07/2026
Modernized mobile unit combines HOME Apps, mc 56 console, and IP infrastructure ...
14/07/2026
Every match of the 32-team tournament will air across ION and Scripps Sports platforms in English and Spanish...
14/07/2026
FloHockey to stream every game of the annual international tournament under four...
14/07/2026
Victory+ telecasts to be simulcast on TEGNA-owned station, expanding free local distribution...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
IBC2026 has unveiled a powerful Conference programme bringing together global media leaders, technology innovators, creators, sports organisations, broadcasters...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, has delivered two highly capable outsid...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Telos Alliance Adds AudioShake Source Separation to Minnetonka Audio AudioToo...