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October 2018
NEWS & VIEWS
Connectivity barriers no longer , for live production in the cloud
For some early adopters , the cloud already provides a scalable , flexible infrastructure achievable without large capital investment , enabling workflow efficiencies in content creation , management and distribution .
Broadcasters are faced with increased processing and storage needs to accommodate their archives and new content . At the same time , this content must be distributed and delivered in multiple ways , each with different technical requirements : video and audio codecs , wrappers , metadata , and so on . Meeting all these demands , and ensuring that each is in the correct format , can be an automated process that is ideally suited to the cloud .
Up to this point , however , the adoption of advanced cloud-based workflows , especially for live production , has been hindered by concerns over the reliability of connectivity to the Internet . That is why Dejero believes that achieving cloud success within broadcast will take industrywide collaboration .
Dejero solves the first-mile challenge of efficiently moving content into the cloud from virtually anywhere , where it can be managed , processed and ultimately distributed . This is of critical importance as the industry transforms . But that is just one part of the equation .
At IBC2018 , Dejero collaborated with Microsoft Azure , Avid , Haivision , Hiscale , Make . TV , and Signiant , to show a proof-of-concept demonstration of live production in the cloud to deliver greater flexibility , scalability and budget efficiencies to broadcasters .
From the field , a live video stream is sent to the Microsoft Azure cloud platform from a Dejero EnGo mobile transmitter . Dejero ’ s video on-ramp technology receives the stream in Azure , transcodes it and delivers the standardised stream to Make . TV ’ s Live Video Cloud , which is used to curate and route the content to any number of destinations from within Avid MediaCentral . Hiscale ’ s cloud-based transcoding solution enables the live ingest into customers ’ editing and asset management environments , where high- and low-resolutions files can be stored in Avid Nexis .
Additional workflows include a live ingest workflow using a Haivision
Bogdan Frusina , Founder , Dejero
stream to Avid MediaCentral or a filebased workflow with Signiant . The overall solution presents users with a single interface , pulling relevant data from collaborating partner technologies while leveraging the compute and storage power of Microsoft Azure .
This workflow aims to illustrate how the cloud can deliver on a vision that enables broadcasters to take advantage of a highly flexible infrastructure that scales according to their needs — whether that be for a month , a day , or an hour at a time — while reducing costs , and expanding their revenue options .
The cloud can help broadcasters address a pressing need to improve efficiencies and control costs . Cloudbased processes can be shut down when they are not needed , so broadcasters are not paying for processing power they are not using .
A hybrid world is emerging , where on-premises and cloud infrastructure work together . In this scenario , the cloud is often used for occasional or peak needs . It could present new oppor tunites : trialling a new channel , for example .
As the broadcast industry transforms , cloud processing will become crucial to metadata enrichment . For those with extensive archives , comprehensive content metadata is central to maximising monetisation . Artificial intelligence ( AI ) can identify detailed information within the content , including image and sound recognition , as well as speech detection , to enrich the metadata .
Taking away the need for capital investment and moving to an operational expenditure model , spinning up and shutting down processes and the associated costs as needed , the cloud will enable people , even those perhaps working out of their garage , to run an enterprise-grade broadcast operation . They will drive revenue much quicker , from a significantly lower cost base , which changes the dynamics of the industry completely . q
Systems integrators , KVM solutions providers seen at IBC2018
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multiple full-colour multi-touch displays , 32 hybrid-lever keys , the ability to leverage apps for multi-functionality , and the ability to adapt to the various workflows in use today .
Alongside the SmartPanel was the display of the Bolero wireless intercom system , which is now available as a standalone application . With the Bolero Standalone Application , antennas are daisy-chained to each other in a line or redundant ring via a synchronised time-division multiplexing ( TDM ) network .
In its continued global expansion , Riedel announced the opening of its fourth Asia- Pacific sales hub in Beijing , following the launch of its branches in Australia , Japan and Singapore . Riedel ’ s Beijing office is located in Chaoyang District , and will be led by Gao Jian , who will be the regional sales manager for China .
Meanwhile , TVT has been embracing IP cloud technologies and media management approaches , and has enabled the global content services provider to address the complexities of packaging , versioning , producing access services , managing and delivering content for international linear , on-demand and online entertainment market .
Mark Beard , senior vice-president , commercial , TVT , revealed that the company has been tasked by UK broadcaster ITV to provide a content management platform for its local and international markets . This partnership will see TVT managing media logistics , content preparation and access services across all ITV ’ s platforms .
MediaKind , formerly known as Ericsson Media Solutions , unveiled its new name to reflect the concept that “ media should inspire and unite humankind ”. At the show , MediaKind launched MediaKind Universe , its next-generation solution and service portfolio .
Driven by new consumption habits , MediaKind Universe allows content owners , distributors and service providers to meet the increasing pace of innovation and to create new and dynamic workflows . MediaKind Universe consists of five solutions , named after constellations , which provide solutions to content contribution and distribution , direct-to-consumer , video delivery networks , consumer experience and services .
Featuring the theme of “ Shaping the Future ”, ARRIS focused on smart connectivity and multi-play devices with the display of its HomeAssure solution . ARRIS HomeAssure comprises a range of gateways , modems , network extenders , consumer apps and cloud management software — all developed to improve coverage and performance of the Wi-Fi connected home .
And as cable networks evolve towards distributed access architectures ( DAA ), AR- RIS demonstrated the delivery of quadrature amplitude modulation ( QAM ) over IP video and data over remote PHY solutions , optimise network implementation and management with ARRIS Network Planning and Consultancy Services , and network intelligence and orchestration solutions .
Responsible for building and installing complete networks , playout centres and
MediaKind ' s Chiranjeev Singh ( left ), director of marketing , APAC , with Murray Barker , marketing director of EMEA .
turnkey solutions are systems integrators such as Magna Systems and Engineering . The company has been involved in several projects that leverage IP and 5G technologies , revealed David Blackett , group general manager , Magna Systems and Engineering .
He explained : “ The ratification of SMPTE ST 2110 has given a boost for broadcasters in transiting to IP . We are now seeing more implementation of IP within broadcast infrastructures .
“ And on the topic on 5G , we have already provided test equipment to telcos for their
ARRIS is attempting to redefine connectivity with the display of its product portfolio , including the ARRIS HomeAssure suite of solutions . Seen at its booth are : Duncan Potter ( left ), senior vice-president for global marketing , ARRIS ; and William Ho , senior vicepresident for Asia-Pacific and Japan .