VITEC - Experts & Thought Leaders

The demands on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations are growing, as the current complex security environment addresses new requirements to support faster and more efficient operations. Legacy ISR systems have struggled to keep up with the vast amounts of surging data volumes, which often translates into delayed decision-making. As a result valuable -- and sometimes vital -- insights are lost, risking mission success and even human lives. So says Mark Rushton, Global Defense and Security Lead at VITEC in a recent vidcast interview for journalists. Role of artificial intelligence In response to these challenges, the ISR community is exploring the role that artificial intelligence (AI) at the edge can play in enabling ISR platforms to filter, analyse, and prioritise data in real-time. By shifting -- and automating -- decision-making capabilities closer to the sources of intelligence, AI at the edge promises to reduce data overload, optimise bandwidth, and improve mission outcomes—all without increasing payload or infrastructure costs. There is mounting evidence the result can be profound, creating a more agile and responsive ISR operation that can quickly identify critical threats and streamline workflows, enhancing efficiency and decision-making. Tackling data overload in ISR Operators face delays and risk missing critical insights during time-sensitive missions One of the main challenges in ISR is managing the overwhelming volume of data. With hours of footage to analyse, operators face delays and risk missing critical insights during time-sensitive missions. “AI at the edge can help alleviate the problem of data overload,” explains Rushton. “By integrating AI into drones and sensors, ISR platforms can analyse data in real-time and proactively identify opportunities to focus on the most salient information, rather than transmitting everything back to the command center by filtering out irrelevant data and highlighting key events.” Improving mission efficiency For example, if AI detects a significant anomaly such as a suspicious object or vessel in an unexpected location during an ocean scan, it can trigger an alert, saving operators from reviewing hours of footage.  This approach helps operators focus on actionable insights, reducing workload and improving mission efficiency. Boosting efficiency without added payload The most important imperative, notes Rushton, is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of ISR platforms The most important imperative, notes Rushton, is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of ISR platforms without adding extra hardware assets -- which increase payload weight -- or additional processing requirements -- that can affect compute performance. These are factors that can reduce mission efficacy.   “AI at the edge doesn’t require extra hardware, which is a crucial advantage for platforms,” says Rushton. Real-time decisions “By embedding AI into existing sensors and encoders, systems can make real-time decisions without increasing payload. This reduces operational costs and improves data transmission efficiency.” ISR systems with AI at the edge can also help determine whether to stream high standard-definition footage based on the importance of the data and the availability of bandwidth resources. This optimises transmission quality, delivering the most important data to operators for analysis in the highest-fidelity format possible. Advancing real-time decision-making While AI has been used in recent years to support ISR operations from central command centers, the rapid development of this emerging technology has made it possible to push analytical capabilities closer to the point of data collection, enabling faster and higher-quality intelligence gathering. That said, Rushton stresses that AI at the edge should continue to be seen as an augmentative tool, rather than a replacement, for human analysis. “AI is designed to assist human decision-making,” Rushton notes. “Critical decisions will always stay with human operators, but AI helps by reducing the data they need to process. This allows operators to focus on what’s important, enhancing overall efficiency.” The road to widespread adoption Despite its clear advantages, AI at the edge is still in the early stages of adoption within the ISR community Despite its clear advantages, AI at the edge is still in the early stages of adoption within the ISR community. Many organisations are exploring its potential but remain cautious, particularly regarding the reliability of AI algorithms in real-time mission scenarios. “There’s growing interest in AI at the edge, but for many organisations, it’s still in the conceptual stage,” says Rushton. Scalable, reliable AI application While some elements of AI are already being integrated into sensors and encoders, more testing and strenuous proof of concepts need to be conducted before AI at the edge becomes a mainstream feature of ISR platforms. What is clear is that as the technology matures, its role in enhancing ISR capabilities will continue to grow. “The bottom line,” concludes Rushton, “is that organisations need to start asking the right questions about how AI can fit into their existing systems. By focusing on scalable, reliable AI applications today, they can ensure they’re prepared for the future of ISR operations and remain effective in a constantly evolving intelligence landscape.”

Sustainability is doubtlessly a top-of-the-list issue industry-wide, especially in the hospitality sector. This industry has, in fact, created a serious threat of carbon emissions resulting from the energy used and the subsequent waste, accounting for 5% of world emissions, as approximated by the World Tourism Organisation. As a result, many businesses are now actively seeking innovative technologies to adopt more sustainable practices, from energy consumption to waste management, and ensure their operations minimise environmental impact while delivering exceptional guest experiences. Sustainability standpoint  Richard Neville, Chief Technology Officer at VITEC, says: “There is growing awareness of the role that technology can play in helping hotels provide highly customised guest experiences while also hitting their sustainability targets. Let’s face it, hotel guests want to feel pampered.” “They want to feel like special consideration has been taken for them specifically. IPTV, Video on Demand, and interactive services can offer that unique and tailored experience. There are many advantages from a sustainability standpoint as well, ranging from IPTV systems’ higher energy efficiency over conventional cable or satellite TV systems to their simple reduction of paper waste.” Smart technology Smart technology can also be a great way for businesses to improve their sustainability IPTV technology is making waves, shaping the future of sustainable hospitality. Interactive services not only provide a unique and personalised customer experience, allowing guests to enjoy all of a hotel’s services and facilities from the comfort of their in-room TVs, but smart technology can also be a great way for businesses to improve their sustainability and cut down on carbon emissions.  This helps reduce energy wastage and consumption, and even save on energy bills. This blog will explore how technological upgrades can benefit businesses in the hospitality sector on their journey to sustainability. Saving energy Most IPTV systems, for instance, are generally energy-efficient compared to traditional cable or satellite TV systems. Traditional systems may require a different set-top box in each room, which can be very consuming in terms of energy. IPTV works with the existing infrastructure and thus requires little or no new hardware. Current solutions in IPTV will accommodate integration with hotel energy management systems that switch off TVs automatically when rooms are not occupied. This way, energy wastage can be significantly reduced. Minimising paper waste Digital check-in and check-out processes reduce the number of printed receipts and paper forms In-room paper materials like TV guides, menus, and promotional brochures lead to a great amount of waste. IPTV can replace them with digital content accessible right through television, thus not requiring printed material and ensuring current information is always up to date.  Digital check-in and check-out processes reduce the number of printed receipts and paper forms that need to be used.  Encouraging eco-conscious customers IPTV can enhance the guest experience by offering features that align with sustainability goals. The more eco-conscious customers the business attracts, the more likely they are to treat the hotel or cruise liner with sustainability in mind. This means that customers are likely to ensure that waste is recycled correctly, and that lights and devices are switched off when not in use. Not only can sustainable hospitality be used as a marketing tool, but it might also attract customers who will ensure these standards are upheld. Enhancing sustainability The use of these technologies will be vital in advancing the future of sustainable hospitality Smart room technologies, such as automated lighting, climate control, and occupancy sensors, are another way to significantly reduce energy usage. Light and door sensors can ensure that the hotel or cruise ship is only using energy when absolutely necessary.  Not only can they detect activity, but these technologies are also designed to use less energy overall—with LED bulbs using less energy per wattage than older models of lighting. As more travellers prioritise eco-friendly accommodations, the use of these technologies will be vital in advancing the future of sustainable hospitality. Other smart technologies Hotels and cruise liners are being looked at for their Environmental Social Governance (ESG) more than ever, so being able to meet these standards is important not only for regulation needs but also for the customer’s satisfaction. The three “R”’s of reduce, reuse, and recycle should be started with a focus on reducing in every aspect. The choice of technology can severely determine how much energy a business uses and wastes a day. Investing in IPTV and other smart technologies not only benefits the environment but also enhances brand reputation and operational efficiency.

VITEC, a market-renowned provider of IPTV, video streaming and digital signage solutions, and RFmondial, a specialist in wireless transmission technology, have announced a groundbreaking achievement: the world's first demonstration of ultra-low latency (below 100 ms) video streaming over DECT NR+, the new non-cellular 5G standard. Achieved as part of the Sennheiser-led Franco-German-backed project MERCI, the demonstration took place at a public workshop in Hannover, Germany on April 19, 2024. Potential of DECT NR+ VITEC and RFmondial joined forces to unveil the potential of DECT NR+ for wireless video transmission As partners in the MERCI project, VITEC and RFmondial joined forces to unveil the potential of DECT NR+ for wireless video transmission.  VITEC’s market-renowned video encoder and decoder – renowned for exceptional energy efficiency and industry-low glass-to-glass latency – and RFmondial’s compact and optimised NR+ implementation (based on the Nordic chipset) combined to demonstrate to workshop attendees robust HD video streaming with latency down to 50 ms glass to glass over ranges of up to 100 metres. Simplicity of NR+ setup Eric Deniau, VITEC’s SVP R&D, commented: “This demonstration shows that Ultra-Low Latency wireless video transmission is now made simple even in very demanding environments, where today complex dedicated technical means are needed.” Jens Schroeder, RFmondial’s Managing Director, added: “The simplicity of NR+ setup, which does not require infrastructure deployment, together with its robust and high-performance capabilities, make it an ideal solution for wireless video connectivity in applications such as public venues, industrial or medical environments.” Focused on two use cases The MERCI project has support from the German and French governments as part of their 5G programmes, with work focused on two use cases where these capabilities will be needed: Public venue displays and remote video production where video quality and display latency are key factors. Industrial robots and remote vehicle operation where end-to-end latency and secure transmissions are essential. Adoption of wireless video transmission NR+ enables ultra-low latency and ultra-reliable wireless connectivity for demanding network environments. Based on proven capabilities, it is anticipated that future silicon implementations of NR+ will allow for more throughput and improved robustness (as defined by the ETSI standard) to fulfil the requirements for wider adoption of wireless video transmission.  Combined with the next-generation high efficiency/low latency/low footprint video coding technology VITEC is currently working on, unprecedented performance will be possible, making the combination a perfect fit for many use cases where wireless video connectivity is currently lacking a suitable solution.