Using cloud for live broadcast
Cloud technology is enabling broadcasters to test new business models, build new services and implement workflow efficiencies. Dejero is helping them do it
Dejero is all about using the cloud for increased efficiency, flexibility and cost savings for broadcasters. The company blends connectivity from multiple network service providers and technologies such as cellular and satellite to deliver fast and dependable Internet access required for cloud computing, online collaboration and the secure exchange of video and data. About the market dynamics encouraging people to use the cloud, Bogdan Frusina, Founder and Chief Innovations and Strategy Officer at Dejero, says the availability of cloud technologies is giving broadcasters new ways of approaching live production. “Market pressures are forcing broadcasters to stop building infrastructures designed to manage their maximum usage environments, and instead build for their average use, and to have the ability, through the cloud, to overflow when needed.” “The money isn’t there to build for peak usage, so as you look to replace or renew infrastructure, new designs based on average usage are now possible, affordable and have the flexibility to cover all circumstances through the cloud,” he adds. Create new business models Using cloud technology enables broadcasters to cost effectively and easily test out new business models without over-committing, explains Frusina. “For the likes of sports broadcasters used to working on the English Premier League, they could, for instance, use Dejero’s technology to test the system and develop new business models that would enable them to broadcast lower-tier matches, without huge CAPEX expenditure. It can be revolutionary.” Dejero’s technology is much more cost effective and flexible than on-premise equipment, according to Frusina. “You don’t need to write off your CAPEX on a lot of equipment that you might only use four times a year,” he says.
You’ll never have as many security staff employed to look after your systems as Microsoft doesThe company’s use of artificial intelligence within the cloud also means that this system is about more than just infrastructure and storage. Frusina states: “The flexibility that cloud provides is significant. With AI capabilities and enriched metadata, all your content is tagged and stored, ready to use. You can also automatically correct things such as camera focus and colour correction as content is processed; that’s the beauty of using the cloud. You get so much!” He continues: “AI in the cloud allows us to do several things that free up human resources. I’ve spoken to organisations that are looking at moving significant portions of their workflows into the cloud, and as a result they can shift resources to improve efficiency.” Proven cloud workflows Collaborating with Microsoft Azure, Avid, Haivision, Hiscale, Make.TV and Signiant at IBC2018, Dejero showcased how live production workflows in the cloud can deliver greater flexibility, scalability and budget efficiencies to broadcasters. Frusina says the workflow demonstrated at IBC aimed to illustrate how 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. With its collaborators, Dejero demonstrated its version of a live ingest workflow. From the field, a live video stream was sent to the Microsoft Azure cloud platform from a Dejero EnGo mobile transmitter. Dejero’s video on-ramp technology dynamically received the stream in Azure, transcoded it and delivered the standardised stream to Make.TV’s Live Video Cloud, which was used to curate and route the content to any number of destinations from within Avid MediaCentral. Hiscale’s cloud-based transcoding solution enabled the live ingest into customers’ editing and asset management environments where high- and low-resolution files could be stored in Avid Nexis. Additional workflows included live ingest using a Haivision stream to Avid MediaCentral or a file-based workflow with Signiant. The overall solution presented users with a single interface, pulling relevant data from collaborating partner technologies, while using the compute and storage power of Microsoft Azure. “After our demonstration at IBC and interest in cloud workflows, we are working with customers to customise systems that suit their needs,” says Frusina. “Within the cloud, organisations can design a tailored workflow that comprises services from different vendors, providing greater flexibility and taking advantage of interoperability.” Tried and tested As to fears about the security of cloud solutions, Frusina notes: “Cloud security has come a long way and big investments are being made to keep cloud content secure. The likes of Amazon, Google and Microsoft run significantly tighter security for their cloud services than any broadcaster could ever employ on their own.” Additionally, he says the redundancy of cloud services is second to none, with hard drives in a cloud environment being replaced according to tight maintenance policies every three years. Added to that is the ever-falling cost of storage, which Frusina estimates has dropped by around 40% in the last four to five years, making it increasingly affordable. Going forward, Dejero is on a journey to aid the move of more broadcast workflows to the cloud. Explains Frusina: “There are technologies that need to be developed in order to move everything into the cloud for broadcasters. That’s the journey we’re on; it’s a process. “The goal is the ability to provide infrastructure in the cloud and spin up a new TV station overnight. The concept of spin-up and spin-down infrastructure at an affordable price point is what makes the cloud so appealing.” This article first appeared in the November 2018 issue of FEED.]]>
