Broadcast Beat Magazine 2018 NAB Show Edition | Page 85
Don’t Jump, Take the
Stairs on Your Path to
Virtualized Playout
By Tom Gittins, CCO,
Pebble Beach Systems
The relative merits of IP, virtualization and the cloud continue to
dominate broadcasters’ and vendors’ discussions and this year
will be no exception. While the entire industry is debating the
topic, the more developed markets are presenting a growing
number of invitations for RFPs (Request for Proposal) and POCs
(Proof of Concept). In these markets we’re seeing that no one
wants to build an SDI-based system anymore, and that if they
can possibly avoid doing so, they will. But whether IP is ready
for all use cases is the big question for many, since SDI has, and
continues to be, very good at delivering frame accurate signals
to where they need to go.
Too Soon?
In particular, the market is still not convinced that virtualized
playout solutions are ready to support every channel type, either
from a technical or operational standpoint. However, they are
certainly ready to support some, and I have no doubt that ulti-
mately all channels will be played out this way. We frequently
receive requests for POCs where we come into a facility, set up
their channels using our technologies, and utilize networks and
infrastructure that they may or may not provide. We can demon-
strate that overall this technology approach does work, but also
– crucially - where the current limits are. IP, virtualization and the
cloud are coming, but the real question is more about the pace
of adoption. How do broadcasters view the risks associated with
changes in technol