In Broadcast - February 2016 - 61


61

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 6 - Issue 2 | February 2016

InMedia

InForm

Total Migration To The Cloud
Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar, Head of Global Marketing, Amagi, examines next-gen
Cloud technology, and how broadcasters can utilise it to their advantage...

T

here has been a noticeable shift
within the broadcast industry,
Cloud infrastructure is making inroads
owing to its superior technology and a
host of efficiencies.
The Cloud is a reliable content
delivery mechanism, and new channels
can launch in less than four weeks at
a fraction of the cost. Executives are
viewing Cloud as a vehicle to deliver
business results.
The broadcast industry has been
grappling with numerous challenges.
For a long time, broadcasters have
been using expensive, archaic physical
data storage and archival systems that
hinder rapid scaling of operations.
Regional
viewer
preferences,
broadcast regulations, and content
rights obligations are driving the need
for hyperlocal playouts. The evolution
of the multiscreen TV experience
is mandating nonlinear versions
of broadcast feeds. Furthermore,
monetising content across devices in
a targeted and personalised manner
remains a huge untapped opportunity.
These are key drivers. Cloud
broadcast technology could be the
silver bullet for which the industry

has been searching. Leveraging
future-ready Cloud infrastructure,
broadcasters can completely migrate
their operations and workflows to the
Cloud, driving efficiencies across MAM,
playout, delivery, and monetisation.
What's more, the Cloud can co-exist
and complement existing traditional
models as per business needs.
Broadcasting
Future:
Nextgeneration Cloud-based broadcast
platforms allow TV networks to
prepare,
manage,
deliver
and
monetise their content, all through a
common platform.
Content owners and broadcasters
are able to create and deliver linear
and nonlinear streams across cable,
satellite, IPTV, and OTT on-demand
platforms, reducing dependencies on
individual service providers.
Content
Preparation
Apps:
Broadcasters will be able to access
multiple third-party apps through
App Exchange platforms to perform
a variety of services, including
scheduling, EPG management, rights
management, viewership analytics, ad
traffic and delivery, regulatory QC, and
subtitling.

The new-age platforms will also
enable broadcasters to select 'best-inclass', and dynamically stitch together
a workflow of their choice.
Unified Storage & Playout: In the
Cloud, broadcasters can benefit from
a unified content storage, archival, and
management system. On an as needed
basis, the Cloud broadcast platform
allows users to configure playout
systems on the fly, leveraging COTS
products.
Apart from delivering content to
operator headends and teleports for
further distribution, Cloud broadcast
platforms also offer automated
transcoding, and delivery to different
VOD and OTT platforms. Through
Web-based, unified user interfaces,
TV networks are able to schedule
delivery and integration with rights
management for seamless operations,
even from remote locations.
Monetising Multiscreen: Cloud
platforms offer integrated ad-insertion
capability to monetise both linear and
nonlinear feeds. Ad inventories can be
optimised not just at a regional level,
but can be geo-targeted by country,
county, city, or locality. Based on user

profiles, ads can also be targeted to
individual homes, where possible.
The monetisation capability, when
extended to OTT platforms, enable
ads to be dynamically inserted at the
server-side and personally targeted to
individual viewers.
Control & Monitoring: Since the
entire broadcast workflow is in the
Cloud, broadcasters enjoy full visibility
of the entire playout operations
through Web-based interfaces. They
are able to retain control of all parts
of the workflow to build greater
efficiencies and improve broadcast
quality, thereby creating an enriching
TV experience for audiences.
The Cloud offers infinite avenues for
broadcasters to embark on a radically
new path. Some have had a head start.
Others are bound to follow!

Pixel Power Builds On
Productivity Solutions
A

t BVE 2016, Pixel Power is building
on its pedigree of nearly 30 years
of uncompromised excellence for a
new generation of products.
Pixel Power will be showcasing
two products built on its graphics
core, aimed at automated content
production, and high-performance
channel playout.
The Pixel Power Clarity platform
has been the unrivalled leader in
broadcast graphics, known for its
creative freedom as well as for its
technical quality. The Clarity graphics
engine is now at the core of two new
products which add high productivity
and operational convenience, solving
real issues for today's channel
operators and broadcasters. These
products will help content producers

and broadcasters either make more
money or save money.
Pixel
Factory
automatically
generates sophisticated clips - such
as promos, trailers and marketing
content - using templates, information
entered by the commissioning
producer, and direct access to
the asset management system. It
automatically creates all versions of
a clip, eliminating much unproductive
manual work, and delivers them into
the asset management ready for
transmission.
StreamMaster also builds on the
Clarity 3D graphics engine, this time to
create an integrated playout platform
for even more complex channels. The
modular software platform can run
on dedicated hardware, virtualised

in a data centre or virtualised in
the cloud. Because it is a softwaredefined system it is format agnostic
and capable of continuous scaling
and flexibility. This results not only in
impressive cost savings but also allows
new pricing models, including pay-asyou-go for trial channels and pop-up
services.
Joining the Pixel Power UK sales
team at BVE 2016 is Senior Product
Specialist Matt Williams. He has
been providing pre-sales support for
Pixel Power in the USA for the last
five years, and has now relocated
to London to provide the same high
level of expertise for UK and European
customers.
"What broadcasters and service
providers need today is to bring

Pixel Power StreamMaster

together technical quality, creative
freedom and operational fluidity,"
Williams said. "The Pixel Power Clarity
graphics engine has led the market for
decades in quality and creativity. But
it was always developed as a platform
for automation, and in products like
Pixel Factory and StreamMaster we
have systems that are ready for the
software-defined, IP future. Because
they are built in software, they are
completely future-proof, so could be
the last decisions you need to make in
graphics and automation."
The Pixel Factory automated content
production system, StreamMaster
automation, Clarity graphics and other
Pixel Power products can be seen at
BVE 2016.
http://www.inbroadcast.com https://youtu.be/faVIN_D7xbs https://youtu.be/gA5K_xGt4HA
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast - February 2016
