March 2017 MANAGEMENT 23
Broadcasting in 2017 : IP and KVM
VWSE Productions , a full-service entertainment production company , has been deploying Facilis shared storage systems to produce big screen content for both their on-site production departments and for use off-site during major sporting events .
Building the blocks to content creation
Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment ( VWSE Productions ), a fullservice entertainment production company , has been deploying Facilis shared storage systems to produce big screen content for its on-site production departments as well as for use off-site during major sporting events .
VWSE , which specialises in live sports entertainment and production with an emphasis on in-venue displays , recently purchased two Facilis 96TB TerraBlock 24D shared storage systems to replace older storage drives and standalone storage solutions .
Since then , the TerraBlocks have become VWSE ’ s Tier 1 shared storage solution for all editorial work .
Seeking a more portable solution for use off-site , a TerraBlock
In order to accelerate the delivery of programme content to the cloud via Discovery Communications ’ global media asset submission platform , the Producer ’ s Portal , the US mass media and entertainment company is deploying Signiant ’ s Flight solution .
The new system , said Signiant , allows content creators to ingest media assets directly into cloud object storage rather than physically shipping data tapes , which reduces delivery time from several days to just a few hours .
Now providing content across pay-TV and free-to-air platforms in more than 220 countries and territories , Discovery sources its programming from an inter national
8D was also purchased for use as a road server . Installed in a 14RU rack , the 8D , along with some Blackmagic Design and networking gear , is transformed into a mobile production hub on the road — allowing connectivity via fibre or Ethernet .
Ryan Kehn , creative director at VWSE , said : “ The 8D has worked well for us . We migrated from a solution we came up with , which worked great for one or two editors . But as our operation started to expand , we needed to shift our focus to something more portable and versatile , something that could handle the intense loads demanded during major event productions , and the Facilis storage has been solid .”
One feature of the Facilis shared storage network , according to
Kehn , is its ability to allow storage servers to be easily connected and disconnected whenever a server needs to “ hit the road ”.
Because the VSWE team works on extremely condensed timelines , it is also key that equipment used is reliable , easy to deploy and maintain . Facilis , for instance , provides Kehn and his team the flexibility to connect to shared storage via fibre or Ethernet .
He concluded : “ We have a lot of users connected to our systems at any given time . Maybe six heavy users on either fibre or 10Gig copper at any one time and our producers also connect over Ethernet as well . We demand a lot from our systems , and don ’ t have time for any problems . The reliability and flexibility of the TerraBlock systems has been good for us .” network of producers — with a growing focus on using cloud technology .
Josh Derby , VP of technology development and strategy , Discovery Communications , explained : “ At Discovery , we are focused on speed of delivery as we move content around the globe to our billions of subscribers . Our focus on speed remains front and centre in the transition to the cloud as we look to increase flexibility and efficiency .
“ We rely on Signiant to transfer our content reliably , quickly and securely as it moves through our global content supply chain .”
Discovery ’ s Producer ’ s Portal provides content submission services to its global network of more than 600 production partners , allowing them to send finished programmes and all associated elements to cloud object storage over any Internet connection .
The system , which was built by Discovery ’ s in-house developers , provides end-to-end functionality that includes file delivery as well as automatic check-in of the assets to Discovery ’ s media asset management system .
Producers interact with the application via a browser-based interface , initiating high-speed transfers between a lightweight Signiant software client at the producer ’ s facility and Signiant-managed infrastructure in the cloud . by terence teng
The major topic at last year ’ s IBC show and one that we also expect to see fairly heavily featured at the NAB Show next month is the application of IP technology in the broadcast world .
What is reasonably certain to many of our customers , collaborators and partners is that IP handling of content is already in place and capable of delivering valuable new tools and processes . What is on the minds of many in the broadcast industry , though , is how the IP concept interleaves in today ’ s business model and how they can use it to their advantage .
IP connectivity of live content is already part of the established workflow ; we saw it in action at the major sporting events last year . Standards such as SMPTE2022 ( the baseline for interoperability ) point the way towards the implementation of IP , allowing manufacturers to deliver and studio engineers to deploy commercial , off-the-shelf components suited to the broadcast infrastructures of tomorrow .
IP is the beginning of a significant shift that will include a host of new techniques and solutions that will enable broadcasters to create even greater value in the future .
However , new ways of thinking will be required as IP enables the workflow to become more production-focused and as content is handled in the cloud after physical interfaces are removed in favour of IP transmission and connectivity .
We will continue to have broadcasting centres in which operators , production engineers , content creators , editors and probably a few new job titles that we have not even considered will congregate .
Discovery speeds up workflows with Signiant Flight
Signiant Flight is also now available on the Amazon Web Services ( AWS ) Marketplace online store , where AWS customers can upload large files quickly to Amazon Simple Storage Service ( S3 ) using Signiant Flight .
In live events and sports production , content is being captured in outlying venues and then delivered back to the broadcast centre by IP . And in every location , people need to access the creative and content transmission tools , and they need and want to do that from their own workstation and desk .
This places greater demands on the broadcast facility infrastructure . It is now viable and common for studios and editing suites to be created with the bare minimum of Capex-heavy bespoke broadcast devices as they are replaced by general-purpose PC-based servers , workstations and shared software — certainly a radical change from the traditional broadcast workflows of just three or four years ago .
KVM ( keyboard , video and mouse ) solutions , particularly matrix switches , are an essential element of this infrastructure — giving each person instant access to every computer and tool within their local facility . At just the press of a button , or short keyboard sequence , anyone can flip from one process to another , one computer to another , right from their own desk .
And the performance is so good that they do not even realise that the hardware they are accessing is hundreds of metres away in a central equipment room , where it is secure and can be maintained better .
This greatly helps the production staff to achieve the additional workload placed on them and the increased efficiency that they are expected to deliver in the new age of IP-centric broadcasting .
Terence Teng is Managing Director , IHSE APAC .
Signiant ’ s Flight solution is allowing content creators , through Discovery Communications ’ global media asset submission platform , the Producer ’ s Portal , to ingest media assets directly into cloud object storage rather than physically shipping data tapes .