VIENNA—MUBI, a worldwide film distributor and producer, has selected Bitmovin as the cloud video-on-demand (VOD) encoding partner for its streaming platform.

MUBI replaced its legacy on-premises encoding technology stack with Bitmovin’s encoding infrastructure. The move brings greater scalability and faster turnaround times to MUBI’s growing film catalog, Bitmovin said.

Bitmovin is providing support for three-pass encoding UHD and a multicodec strategy, supporting AVC, HEVC and AV1 for film-grade quality optimization via a managed cloud service, the company said.

“At MUBI, every film we deliver deserves the highest possible quality. We needed an encoding partner who could match our ambitions, not just for today’s catalog, but for where we’re taking our platform,” MUBI Chief Technology Officer Andy Dust said. “Bitmovin’s HDR and AV1 expertise, fast response times and collaborative approach made the decision straightforward. We’re excited to build our next chapter of premium content delivery together.”

A close collaboration between Bitmovin and MUBI has enabled the company to complete a rapid integration and full encoding workflow migration from its legacy solution to the cloud encoding service ahead of a hard deadline for decommissioning the previous approach. The migration took place without disrupting MUBI’s ability to deliver films from its catalog, according to Bitmovin.

“With its carefully curated catalog of film content, MUBI brings quality cinema to film lovers globally. Bitmovin’s VOD encoder delivers outstanding quality of experience as well as multi-codec streaming support, so it is well positioned to support MUBI in this endeavor,” Bitmovin co-CEO Ian Baglow said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

As UHD, HDR, live sports streaming, immersive audio and even 8K experimentation move into the mainstream, encoding has become a core business strategy. Broadcasters and streaming providers must elevate the viewer experience while reducing bandwidth and infrastructure costs.

Advances in AI-driven optimization, content-aware encoding and next-generation codecs enable operators to deliver higher-quality video at lower bitrates — fundamentally reshaping the delivery of premium video experiences.

Encoding as a Strategic Business Driver
Every additional megabit per second carries a cost — in CDN fees, transport, storage and processing power. At scale, even marginal bit rate reductions translate into substantial operational savings. Conversely, any visible drop in video quality risks churn, particularly in today’s competitive market where viewers can instantly switch services.

The challenge is inherently complex. Service providers must optimize three compression variables simultaneously: video quality, bitrate efficiency/processing power and latency. Improvements in one area often affect another. For example, reducing latency can come at the expense of the bit rate efficiency. Improving video quality by keeping bit rate low can increase computational load. Adding immersive formats increases complexity across the pipeline.

Modern encoding strategies recognize and treat compression as part of the overall delivery strategy, not just a codec setting.

The Rise of AI and ML Encoding Innovations
One of the most significant encoding developments in recent years has been the integration of machine learning into the encoding workflow. Several key enhancements are enabling broadcasters and service providers to deliver higher video quality, lower latency and greater efficiency.

Content-aware encoding
An advanced technique, content-aware encoding identifies visually important regions within video content — such as faces, text overlays or high-detail textures like grass — and prioritizes them for perceptual quality, (Fig. 1). Rather than treating every frame equally, content-aware encoding analyzes content characteristics in real time and allocates bits where they matter most.

Less critical areas receive fewer bits, preserving overall bandwidth while maintaining viewer satisfaction. Sophisticated rate-control algorithms can deliver significant bitrate savings, in some cases up to 50% without visible quality loss.

Real-time VMAF prediction
Today’s advanced encoding solutions can estimate perceptual quality metrics such as Video Multimethod Assessment Fusion (VMAF) during live encoding, enabling service providers to detect potential degradation before it reaches viewers. Real-time VMAF prediction models can achieve high correlation with offline measurements, up to 95%, allowing accurate quality assessment in live workflows and preventive encoding adjustments.

Automated quality analysis
Embedding AI into quality monitoring shifts service providers from reactive troubleshooting to proactive quality management. AI-driven regression testing and automated quality analysis enhance reliability by identifying deviations across nightly and weekly test streams. The result is a more resilient encoding pipeline where quality is continuously optimized. Service providers benefit by delivering better perceptual quality at lower bit rates, reducing distribution costs.

Intelligent node rebalancing
AI-driven algorithms assess system load, content complexity and processing demands to guide dynamic node rebalancing. This encoding approach enables more consistent resource allocation and stable video quality across distributed deployments.

GPU enhancements
GPU-accelerated enhancements play a pivotal role in the next generation of encoding. By integrating AI-driven pre-processing (like superscaling, denoising or deinterlacing) and GPU-enabled encoding control (like fine-grained Quantization Parameter -QP- control into the GPU pipeline), modern encoding platforms can deliver significant gains in performance and efficiency.

Preparing for the Next Generation of Codecs
While AI optimizations improve encoding efficiency within existing standards, broadcasters and service providers must also prepare their workflows and infrastructure for next-generation codecs.

Versatile Video Coding (VVC) promises up to 50% bitrate savings over HEVC while maintaining exceptional visual quality and is the selected codec for next-gen broadcasting standards like DTV+. Historically promoted as a royalty-free codec alternative, AV1 continues to gain momentum in OTT ecosystems with an improved efficiency compared to legacy codecs. And Low Complexity Enhancement Video Coding (LCEVC) offers a scalable enhancement layer that can improve compression efficiency without requiring full codec replacement.

Audio codec innovation further expands the scope of modern encoding platforms. Object-based formats such as MPEG-H and Dolby AC-4 enable immersive, personalized experiences. Dialog separation and accessibility features enable broadcasters and service providers to deliver personalized audio experiences to audiences. Moreover, support for object-based metadata for both MPEG-H and AC-4 enables precise audio rendering and personalization.

To accommodate for all these changes, a key strategic consideration for encoding is flexibility. Broadcasters and service providers cannot afford disruptive, large-scale infrastructure replacements every few years. Scalable encoding pipelines — capable of supporting multiple codecs, base layers and enhancement layers — allow gradual transitions aligned with market and business demands.

Powering Next-Gen Video with High Density, Low Latency and Immersive Readiness
Delivering next-generation video experiences requires broadcasters and service providers to handle intensive workloads with precision and reliability. Advanced encoding architectures are being designed for high-density and error-resilient performance. This, in turn, is laying the foundation for higher resolutions, lower latency, immersive formats and emerging viewing experiences.

Certain applications such as live sports streaming highlight why high-performance encoding architectures are essential. For instance, live sports streaming and interactive applications require high quality and a low degree of latency. Optimized pipelines reduce glass-to-glass delay while maintaining compression efficiency. This is essential for betting integrations, synchronized second-screen experiences and social engagement.

At the same time, experimentation with 8K and immersive video formats is accelerating. Encoding technology providers like Harmonic are trialing OTT profile ladders derived from an 8K source stream, processed in the cloud using both CPU and GPU resources. The profile ladder showcased in Figure 2 was processed in the cloud and would have been cost prohibitive two years ago. These trials illustrate the industry’s move toward higher resolutions delivered efficiently through hybrid compute architectures.

Even if 8K remains niche in the near term, the underlying engineering advances — high-density processing, scalable cloud-native workflows and error-free multi-profile generation — lay the groundwork for spatial computing, VR and headset-based experiences.

The New Compression Imperative
Ultimately, the latest encoding innovations enable broadcasters and service providers to deliver superior video quality at lower bitrates while reducing costs. Content-aware encoding, AI advancements and emerging codecs all have a role to play in helping service providers deliver premium experiences with the utmost efficiency.

In an era defined by subscriber churn, cost cutting and relentless viewer expectations, video compression remains a strategic necessity. Service providers that treat encoding as a core priority will be best positioned to thrive in the next phase of video evolution.

ESPOO, Finland—European connectivity leaders Nokia and Ericsson, have partnered with Berlin’s Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI), to shape and drive the next generation of video coding standardization—for better immersive media and mobile video user experiences in the 6G era.

For the first time, the three partners are combining their video codec research expertise with the goal of strengthening Europe's role in next generation standardization, they said.

Researchers from the three companies recently demonstrated a new video codec with considerably higher compression efficiency than the current standards (H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, and H.266/VVC) without significantly increasing complexity, while also improving energy efficiency and scalability. The documented research provides early evidence of technology capable of meeting the requirements for the next video coding standardization phase—an important milestone that helps initiate the process towards future decision-making, according to the companies.

Fraunhofer is a pioneer in the development of audio and video standards, having developed the MP3 audio standard in the early ‘90’s. The German institute was also a co-developer of the AAC standard and involved in the development of video MPEG standards as well.

The partners’ joint submission to the oversight bodies—the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group and the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)—was positively evaluated and is expected to help catalyze progress towards evaluation and decision-making by the standardization committee, the companies said.

In line with forecast 6G deployment, the next video codec standard is expected to be operational from 2029-2030 and will define the digital media landscape for the following decade. Until then, current standards, such as VVC, play a vital role in delivering advanced video experiences, driving market demand for high-efficiency streaming, immersive media formats, and scalable solutions across diverse devices and networks.

The new standard will be essential to a wide range of video-based applications, including mobile communication and streaming, as well as immersive and low-latency experiences. Anticipated use cases include the coding of professional-, user-, and AI-generated content; coding of gaming and 3D content; coding of content for machine consumption; and automotive and industrial use.

“Nokia’s inventors have been instrumental in the development of all market-adopted video codecs for the last three decades, including fundamental H.26x video compression technologies, and we are excited about shaping the next generation of video standards,” said Ville-Veikko Mattila, Head of Multimedia Technologies for Nokia. “By working together at the very start of the standardization journey we will ensure that the values of openness, excellence, and sustainability are embedded in the next generation of digital media experiences.”

Magnus Frodigh, Head of Research at Ericsson, said, “as a global connectivity leader, Ericsson is perfectly positioned to research and drive 6G enablement capabilities. We are proud to partner with Nokia and Fraunhofer HHI in video coding to combine research expertise and shape the next standard. Our partnership video codec achievement not only shows the ability of European technology leaders to come together and pioneer breakthroughs, but, by being prominent at the very start of the process, also flags our combined determination and commitment to shape the next generation of standards.”

“Video technologies are central to the digital experiences of tomorrow,” said Prof. Thomas Wiegand, Executive Director of Fraunhofer HHI. “Our joint research with Ericsson and Nokia demonstrates Europe’s strong competence in advanced media technologies and its active role in global standardization efforts. This collaboration also builds upon the contributions of the broader JVET research community, whose work continues to drive progress in next-generation video coding.”

In the U.S., 6G video encoding standards research is being led by the Next G Alliance, a D.C.-based industry alliance that a year ago produced a white paper titled “Video Codecs for 6G-Machine-Type Communications: Improving the Quality of Critical Application Roles.” The paper addresses the role of video codecs in 6G machine-type communications and points toward the needed evolution of video compression for 6G.

BRANSON, Mo.—Link Electronics has unveiled the Gemini Dual Caption Encoder, a next-generation captioning solution for broadcasters and institutions.

By enabling two caption encoders to connect through a single Ethernet port, the Gemini reduces rack space, streamlines network connections and offers a cost-effective means to manage multiple streams.

The Gemini is a 3G/HD/SD-SDI closed caption encoder equipped with six versatile communication ports (two each of Ethernet, RS232 and USB) and the ability to deliver captions over IP. It accepts two simultaneous 3G/HD/SD-SDI data streams, providing each input with two caption-encoded outputs of the same format, one of which can be decoded, the company said.

With reclocked SDI outputs that surpass the performance of many distribution amplifiers, the Gemini ensures signal quality that exceeds industry standards while preserving ANC data, including audio, it said.

The Gemini was engineered to serve a wide variety of environments, including broadcast studios, educational institutions, houses of worship, postproduction facilities and government organizations.

It allows two captioners to send data independently to separate SDI streams or a single captioner to feed both, ensuring maximum workflow efficiency. The system also allows the audio from the primary SDI stream to function as a USB microphone, creating opportunities for seamless integration with platforms like Zoom or speech-recognition software, Link said.

With eight GPI controls, four per stream, the Gemini makes it simple to stay compliant with Federal Communications Commission mandates and respond quickly to dynamic broadcast needs. Operators can switch between encode modes, bypass encoding remotely, manage decode services and use the Weather Lift function to ensure captions never block key on-screen content. Built-in caption data recovery and decoded output features provide reliable quality monitoring, and a GUI connection allows users to remotely access and control the unit, it said.

Supporting both line 21/22 CTA-608 waveform and SMPTE 334 Caption Data Packet (CDP), the Gemini handles SD and HD encoding. Its XDS packet capability includes Parental Guidance (V-chip) and Transmission Station Identification (TSID), making it a comprehensive and future-proof tool for captioning professionals.

More information is available on the company’s website.

AUSTIN, Texas—Media Excel today announced a strategic collaboration with Akamai aimed at delivering video processing capabilities. 

A participant in the Akamai Qualified Compute Partner (QCP) Program, Media Excel’s HERO encoders and transcoders are now optimized to achieve significantly increased density on Akamai’s cloud-based GPU instances. This allows Media Excel to deliver improved performance that enables content providers to process more video streams at the same time without compromising quality, Media Excel said.

The GPU instances also enable the low-cost deployment of AI-based encoding on HERO, which can lower the price of bandwidth for users, it said.

“Akamai’s GPU-enabled cloud instances provide the perfect platform for our DIVA-enabled encoding technology,” said Media Excel CEO Narayanan Rajan. “By optimizing the use of both CPU and GPU resources, we can push the boundaries of video processing, offering our customers superior results while minimizing their TCO [total cost of ownership].”

The partnership introduces new cost efficiencies to the market. Leveraging the competitive pricing of Akamai’s GPU instances, Media Excel and Akamai are able to offer compelling per-channel pricing regardless of scale. This makes high-quality video processing accessible to a broader range of content owners and service providers, Media Excel said.

“Running Media Excel’s high-density video processing solutions on Akamai helps give media companies the control over their workflows that they’re asking for,” said Dan Lawrence, vice president of cloud computing at Akamai. “Together, we’re helping to make high-performance video encoding, transcoding, more affordable at a global scale.”

More information is available on the Media Excel and Akamai websites.

BEAVERTON, Ore.—The Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF) has issued an update on its recent efforts and provided some predictions for 2024, which the group expects to be a “breakout year” for Versatile Video Coding. 

As demand for high-quality video continues to rise rapidly with the popularity of streaming services, social media video, and user-generated content, analysts at Verified Market Research project that the market for video encoding technology will reach $3.1 billion by the end of the decade, growing at a steady CAGR of 5.31%, MC-IF reported. 

"The mission of MC-IF is to promote technologies developed by MPEG. Over the past few years, MC-IF has focused on VVC, a video codec that offers improved efficiency and applicability for a wide range of applications," explained Justin Ridge, president of MC-IF and principal engineer at Nokia’s Multimedia Research and Standardization unit in a blog.

Adopting VVC has significant business and economic implications for many sectors of the economy that depend on high-quality video experiences. For instance, VVC introduces exciting opportunities to improve efficiency and performance while creating new revenue streams for broadcasters and over-the-top service providers. 

"Beyond publishing guidelines, 2023 was also a watershed year because several standards bodies approved VVC -- including SBTVD, DVB, SCTE and ATSC (where it is in-progress). These approvals are important because it lays the foundation for practical deployments," Ridge said. “It is designed to handle a wide range of applications and has attracted participants from various industries -- including digital entertainment, manufacturing, and logistics as well as a growing number of drone applications.". 

As a result the group said it expects “VVC to appear in a growing number of mobile devices and consumer electronics -- especially smart TVs -- as early as 2024,” Ridge said. “After that, we anticipate it to permeate into other areas, such as surveillance and security, in devices like drones and security cameras.”

More specifically the group noted that VVC sets itself apart from legacy encoding technologies —and even current encoding alternatives—in several ways:

• Improved Coding Efficiency: VVC offers superior coding efficiency compared to previous generations of video codecs. 
• Versatility: As the name suggests, VVC handles many applications. It incorporates various tools and features that make it suitable for different types of video content, such as HDR, 360-degree immersive video, and screen content.
• Open and Rigorous Development Process: VVC was developed through an open and rigorous process involving hundreds of technology experts. This ensures that VVC is reliable, robust, and suitable for large-scale deployments.
• Compatibility and Interoperability: VVC builds upon previous generations of video codecs, such as H.264 AVC and HEVC. As a result, it shares similar architecture and tools with earlier MPEG codecs, accelerating hardware implementation and mitigating complexity while still creating eye-popping performance gains. This allows for a smooth transition and integration into existing ecosystems and workflows. It also enables interoperability between different products and devices.

"Overall, VVC's combination of improved coding efficiency, versatility, open development process, and compatibility make it a compelling choice for various industries and applications in the digital video space," concluded Ridge.

A Q&A with Ridge is available here.  

SEATTLE—In a move that will simplify live video workflows in the cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced that AWS Elemental Link UHD now supports AWS Elemental MediaConnect.

AWS Elemental Link UHD is a compact cloud-managed encoder that is designed to simplify the process of connecting live HDMI or SDI video sources, such as cameras or other production equipment, to the cloud for processing and distribution. AWS Elemental MediaConnect is a reliable, secure, and flexible transport service for securely sharing or processing live video. 

The move to combine Link UHD with MediaConnect provides users with a simple and cost-effective way to create live video workflows in the cloud, saving time and resources compared to traditional on-premises, satellite, or fiber infrastructure, the company reported. 

It will also give customers more flexibility in how they process live video and can add broadcast-grade monitoring or integrate ISV or AWS Partner applications into their live video applications.

“With this release, we have combined the simplicity of Link UHD with the flexibility of MediaConnect,” said Brian Stein, general manager of AWS Elemental. “Using MediaConnect, our customers can choose how they process their video, transmit it to partners, and replicate it to destinations around the globe. This opens up new possibilities for video broadcast, archival, monitoring, and live cloud production workflows.”

Previously, Link could only connect to AWS Elemental MediaLive as a channel input.

The move to provide MediaConnect support for Link UHD opens up Link UHD to more use cases such as low-latency contribution, monitoring, and distribution where additional transcoding may not be required, AWS said. 

AWS also noted that Link UHD device setup is simple and does not require technical expertise: users simply plug in video, ethernet, and power. 

To pair Link UHD with MediaConnect, users create a flow using the AWS Management Console or API and MediaConnect returns an ingest endpoint for use to send video. MediaConnect is then ready to replicate and distribute the video stream to destinations users specify, both inside and outside of AWS. 

With Link UHD and MediaConnect, customers can also access their video feeds before they are encoded with AWS Elemental MediaLive, gaining control over processing and reducing latency. Once video is in MediaConnect, it can be transported to other AWS Regions, securely replicated and shared with partners, and even sent back on premises

“We use Link UHD to transmit 4K video from fixed camera angles in our arenas for officiating, hockey operations, and player health and safety,” said Grant Nodine, senior vice president of technology at NHL. “With MediaConnect, we seamlessly deliver video feeds to partners anywhere in the world using entitlements and perform transformations on feeds to produce outputs for streaming and archival. The overall ease of use and enhanced automation capabilities make Link UHD invaluable in supporting our game night operations.”

MediaConnect support in Link UHD is also important to streaming video platform providers and companies that transport video for their customers to multiple destinations for monitoring or for use in live streaming and broadcast applications, AWS reported. 

“We love it when our customers use AWS Elemental Link devices, because they are simple to set up and manage from AWS, and they are a cost-effective way to distribute video streams,” said Dave Evans, product vice president, M2A CONNECT at M2A Media. “Some of our customers also need to monitor their video feeds and deliver them to their partners for redistribution. With Link UHD and MediaConnect, we can send low-latency live video confidence monitoring streams to a multiviewer while simultaneously sending the same feeds for video processing. Delivering live video from an event using MediaConnect to affiliates across the world is possible in just a few clicks.”

AWS also explained that customers building live cloud production solutions require more control over how their video is processed. Using MediaConnect, video can be sent directly to Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instances, and customers can deploy applications using software from ISVs and AWS Partners. Video is delivered with low latency in its original contribution video quality, and the Link UHD device is easy for even non-technical people to deploy in just about any location on premises, AWS said. 

More information is available at https://aws.amazon.com/elemental-link.

HUDSON, Mass.—BitFire has launched the capability to transport live video programming in High Dynamic Range (HDR) over the BitFire Video Transport Network. 

This latest update allows broadcasters, streaming providers, sports leagues, production companies, and event promoters to deliver visual content with maximum contrast, making images appear richer and more brilliant. With this advancement in video transmission, BitFire has met the challenge of delivering HDR across long-haul IP networks.

“HDR is on the rise as more broadcasters embrace high dynamic range in their live productions,” said Ben Grafchik, vice president of business development at BitFire Networks. “At BitFire, we’re proud to provide the ability to deliver HDR through our global IP network.”

HDR provides an increase in the available range of luminance within an image, meaning the overall difference between the darkest shadows and brightest highlights is much greater than that of traditional SDR television. The human eye cannot take in the entire HDR range at once, causing the viewer’s visual system to react as though they were in the scene, allowing HDR to display astonishingly rich images that are perceived more intensely.

BitFire noted that its new support of HDR has a number of implications: 

• For broadcasters, HDR means live productions will display with greater luminance, headroom, and color depth. Subjects and backgrounds will appear richer and more detailed, allowing programs to more faithfully convey the experience of being there.
• For production teams, HDR provides an enriched ability to manage visual details, giving V1s and colorists the control to create a more appealing cinematic impact. The advanced capabilities of your cameras, studio equipment, and control room technology can now be transmitted to networks and other distribution and broadcast partners with ease.
• For audiences, HDR delivers images that appear more vibrant and immersive, with deeper shadows and clearer highlights, optimizing the emotional impact of cinematic scenes and thrilling action alike.
• For businesses, HDR brings the capability to exceed viewers’ expectations with the highest quality images available. For remote production, in-studio services, post-production, or network distribution, the ability to deliver HDR throughout the workflow offers a competitive edge.
• Most importantly, this update leverages BitFire’s software-defined platform to increase broadcast capabilities using the BitFire hardware already deployed, further improving workflow, impressing audiences, and expanding opportunities for producers and broadcasters.

More information about BitFire’s globally-scalable Video Transport Network, its multiple cloud and physical data centers, and the capabilities of its BitFire Engines to encode and decode SDI video, in full 10-bit HDR, for IP transmission is available at bitfire.tv. 

WALTHAM, Mass.—Spin Digital has integrated the Zixi Software-Defined Video Platform into its live encoding and playback solutions. 

Together, the solutions offer the live encoding, compute efficient playback and transport performance to unlock new immersive viewing experiences, including up to 8K/HDR resolution, efficient HEVC and VVC compression and VR/AR optimized video delivered with error-free reliability and ultra-low latency, Zixi said.

Spin Digital’s live encoding and playback solutions enable ultra-high resolution 4K, 8K and 16K video processing with support for high dynamic range, high frame rate, wide color gamut and 360-degree video and virtual reality. 

Integration of Zixi with the Spin Enc Live, Spin Player HEVC and Spin Player VVC products, enables reliable transport of these high-performance streams that can leverage network bonding, enabling live video to span seamlessly across multiple networks to maximize available bandwidth and add resiliency and enhanced protections, including Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) connection security and live content encryption support, it said.

Users leveraging the Spin Digital live encoders can now accept as well as broadcast from Zixi-enabled live sources and to Zixi Broadcaster target destinations. This enables users to deliver high-quality content with greater bandwidth efficiency at lower latencies and with increased reliability. Dynamic Forward Error Correction (FEC) and Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) combine to ensure reliable delivery without adding significant latency while maximizing available bandwidth for content delivery. The bandwidth efficiency and error-free delivery included with the integrated solution are vital for supporting advanced UHD/8K video applications, it said.

"Spin Digital is leading the charge in to the next generation of media and entertainment applications, and we are thrilled to be able to deliver this joint best-of-breed experience," said John Wastcoat, senior vice president of alliances and marketing at Zixi. "Spin Digital has an excellent reputation for next-generation innovation with their dynamic, feature rich offerings, and we look forward to a successful partnership.”

More information is available on the Zixi website.

FREEMONT, Calif.—Streambox has integrated its Spectra and Iris software streaming encoding and decoding solutions for use with Blackmagic Design’s family of UltraStudio and DeckLink capture and playback devices, Streambox said today.

The software works with Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve Studio editing, color grading, visual effects (VFX) and audio post-production software to create a post-production cloud-enabled workflow that ensures professionals can see the same high-level images wherever they are working as they would in local monitoring, it said.

Streambox products reliably stream and display live, high-quality video, up to 4K 12-bit, across public and private networks, enabling everything from contribution to remote collaborative workflows, it said. 

Streambox’s Spectra and Iris product lines both integrate with DaVinci Resolve Studio using industry standard APIs and can now be used with any model of UltraStudio or DeckLink.

“By giving our customers the ability to work with any of Blackmagic’s capture and playback products, they can have an end-to-end Streambox software workflow,” said Streambox CEO Bob Hildeman. 

The integration supports DaVinci Resolve and other professional products for use on premise or in the cloud, giving users confidence they will be viewing and working on the same high-quality images in either case, he added.

Spectra offers high-performance streaming media encoding to those using cloud-based applications. It provides the ability to view fully accurate, high-quality versions of media with low latency. Spectra also can deliver a high-quality, low-latency stream to multiple remote collaborators using DaVinci Resolve Studio anywhere in the world, Streambox said.

On the remote client side, Streambox Iris allows users to create a software decoder supported by all Blackmagic UltraStudio devices, giving them the ability to connect to any SDI or HDMI professional monitor for the highest quality output, it said.

Demand for easy encoding and decoding high-quality images within Streambox workflows in the cloud has grown with the increased use of DaVinci Resolve Studio and the recently announced Blackmagic Cloud workflow, the company said.

More information is available on the visit Streambox.

PALO ALTO, Calif.—A new player in the North American encoding market arrived last month with its eye set on sports contribution, network broadcasters, telcos, MSOs and direct-to-home service providers.

Appear, which traces its roots back to 2004 as a spinoff of Tandberg Television, has entered the North American market with four products: X Platform, a high-speed video networking, IP security and advanced compression solution; XC Platform, a modular head-end platform for IPTV and broadcast with support for acquisition, compression and stream processing; X10 DSNG: a digital satellite news gathering encoder-decoder and satellite up- and downlink in a single chassis; and NEO10, a software-based compression solution, says Ed McGivern, general manager.

The Oslo-based company, which has distributed its products in the U.S. since 2008 through Sencore under the DMG brand name, will continue to have a distribution relationship with Sencore but is also building direct distribution and has begun to build a North American sales, marketing and technology team, he says.

Coming to North America was motivated as much by evolving production workflows as it was by technology developments, says McGivern.

“The market segment in 2020 and 2021—with the advent of a lot of REMI remote productions and the building of SMPTE ST 2110 networks, as well as the migration to IP, cloud-based live production and playout technologies—[are areas where] we've really done a lot of work in Europe and in North America through Sencore,” he says.

The pandemic helped to drive adoption of REMI by many broadcasters and production companies to maintain the safety of workers who otherwise would have been in unacceptably close proximity to one another. 

“REMI remote production technology has existed for years," McGivern said. "I think what some of the pandemic has proven to us is that operationally it can be done. Operationally, they were forced to be remote, which helped create demand for high-speed networks, dedicated private-line networks and then low latency contribution.”

This development helped create what McGivern calls “a pure growth opportunity” for Appear in North America. “The demand is there, the product suite is there and the market is really looking for a standards-based company that does best of breed for compression, codecs, ground-to-cloud, cloud-to-ground JPEG XS and low-latency, high-availability products,” he said.

At the moment, Appear is content to build its North American business on these products; however, the company has its eye on the adoption of ATSC 3.0 by broadcasters and the chance to meet their encoding needs, he says.

To date, Appear has conducted some encoding trials and tests in North America and is “keen to pounce on” 3.0 as TV broadcasting evolves and migrates to the new standard, says McGivern. 

“We’re very close to that, and we’re looking at where that market segment is going to take our North American customers and viewership and will be ready to deploy a support platform for ATSC 3.0 as we move forward,” he says.

To date, Appear has assembled a North American team in Nevada, California and Minnesota. Mark Andrews has been named vice president of sales for North America. The company will make its first NAB Show appearance since announcing its North American operations this April (23-27) in Las Vegas.

At the show, the company will debut its new NEO20, a plug-and-play solution offering accelerated HEVC transcoding simultaneously with AVC transcoding, which simplifies server deployment and operations.

The NEO20 can receive MPEG TS IP RTP/UDP and SRT streams and deliver both MPEG TS IP RTP/UDP output and most common HTTP push formats. It also can transmit streams in SRT format.

See Appear at NAB Show booth W8917.

More information is available on the company’s website. 

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Edge Networks has launched its NextGen TV-based Evoca service with an end-to-end solution from Harmonic that provides on-premise encoding, cloud origin server and delivery solution enabling the hybrid OTA-OTT pay-TV service to deliver more than 80 channels to subscribers.

"To launch a service as unique as Evoca, we needed a forward-thinking technology partner with extensive experience in the broadcast and streaming worlds," said Todd Achilles, president and CEO at Edge Networks. "Harmonic's cutting-edge solutions made them an obvious choice for our service. Together, we've created a service that will simplify expanding Evoca into additional markets around the country."

The Harmonic solution includes the VOS 360 live streaming platform running origin server and delivery functions on the public cloud. Using the cloud allows Edge Networks to scale rapidly as its Evoca service ramps up and extends its streaming reach, Harmonic said.

On premise, Edge Networks is using the Harmonic Electra X live video processor to deliver high-quality HD and 4K content while reducing required bandwidth by using the solution’s real-time video optimization techniques, the company said.

"We're entering a new era of television with ATSC 3.0," said Eric Armstrong, vice president, video sales and services, North America, at Harmonic. "Harmonic is thrilled to be part of this new service, leveraging ATSC 3.0 OTA and broadband delivery paths, while tapping into the flexibility of the cloud, to provide viewers with a game-changing television experience."

More information is available on the company’s website.

LAS VEGAS—The Phoenix Model Market Initiatives, a collaborative, single-market effort for the planning and implementation of NextGen TV technology, has a new compatriot in video software provider Synamedia.

Synamedia announced during CES 2020 that it has entered into a partnership with Pearl TV, which is helping to lead the Phoenix Model Market.

The basic goals of the Phoenix Model Market is to confirm TV service parameters and performance, determine consumer appeal of next-generation HDR video and immersive audio content, assess TV application features and implementation requirements, test interactive and addressable advertising functionality, determine consumer device and service appeal and ensure effective and efficient interoperability with MVPD systems.

As part of the effort now, Synamedia will provide encoding expertise and services. It will also build future ATSC 3.0 applications based on market needs.

“Synamedia has more than 30 years of industry experience delivering true end-to-end solutions, inclusive of and beyond encoding and transmission,” said Dave Longaker, senior vice president and general manager of the Americas at Synamedia. “Not only does this make our portfolio unique, it also highlights the vast expertise and support our team can bring to game-changing initiatives like the Phoenix Model Market.”

Synamedia will demonstrate its ATSC 3.0 systems at CSE 2020.

For a comprehensive source of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see ourATSC3 silo.

Switch Media, a world leader in online video technology, is announcing the launch of MediaHQ Lite. This is an end-to-end OTT platform that provides a comprehensive feature set at a cost-effective price point allowing an OTT service to be delivered swiftly. MediaHQ Lite keeps complexity to a minimum while satisfying core OTT requirements, reducing overheads and providing the opportunity to test new ideas with minimal budget.

Premium OTT services have become complex and fragmented. Many broadcasters and content owners struggle with bespoke integrations, finger pointing between vendors, the high costs of app development and progressively increased overhead costs. MediaHQ Lite is aimed at new OTT offerings where time-to-market is critical, and budgets are realistic. The platform provides the ability to extend reach, free up operational resources and adapt to the changing OTT landscape and consumer expectations.

Using MediaHQ Lite, an OTT service can be launched quickly and easily without any kind of customisation. Users simply rebrand according to their own brand guidelines. Features include secure VOD and live streaming with DRM, a global CDN service, analytics reports, comprehensive metadata, high definition ABR encoding and use of the Switch Media applications, or their own apps if they have them. What really sets MediaHQ Lite apart is a full featured server-side ad insertion integration with AdEase providing uncompromised addressable ad experiences.

Luke Durham, CTO, Switch Media says, “We have been approached by many content owners wanting to launch new OTT services who are overwhelmed by the intricacy and costs. This is especially the case in emerging markets such as South East Asia and Africa, but also the growing collection of content owners who want to augment their revenue streams by going directly to the consumer with a niche offering. With MediaHQ Lite we’ve created an end-to-end solution that keeps the lion’s share of features and value but removes much of the complexity in the setup, and the often-overlooked operational costs.”

The release of MediaHQ Lite follows the successful launch of MediaHQ Enterprise at NAB 2019. MediaHQ Enterprise uses a powerful workflow engine and houses a flexible suite of modular components that integrate seamlessly with existing systems, which are supported by Switch Media’s expert in-house technical team 24/7. Users can upgrade from MediaHQ Lite to MediaHQ Enterprise at any time if their needs or requirements change.

Switch Media will discuss OTT delivery at:

• Asia Video Summit – Singapore - 4-6 November 2019.  

• AfricaCom – Cape town - 12-14 November 2019. 

Cypress, CA, October 8, 2019 – FOR-A will demonstrate its focus on comprehensive product integration with a showcase of its range of signal processors, encoder/decoders, video production switchers, video servers, and graphics systems at the company’s booth at NAB Show New York. FOR-A® will exhibit in Booth N530 during the show which runs from October 16-17 in the Javits Center in New York City.

FOR-A’s NAB New York booth lineup includes the FA-9600 multi-purpose signal processor, the IP-HE950 encoder/decoder, HVS-490 HANABI switcher, Variant Systems Group’s Envivo Studio production suite and Envivo Replay sports and live event replay solution, ClassX content creation and graphics playout solution, the CG-Portable compact character generator, and the ODYSSEY Insight video server.

Aside from its NAB New York appearance, the FA-9600 multi-purpose signal processor is featured at other high-profile events, including October’s 2019 world rugby event, the 2020 Tokyo summer games, and the start of the new professional football leagues in Europe. The FOR-A FA-9600 dual channel signal processor is gaining attention from premiere broadcasters looking for the highest quality, image conversion technology for these prestigious events.

Fujitsu’s IP-HE950 real-time H.265/HEVC encoder/decoder units employs the latest compression tools and image processing algorithms to provide best-in-class video fidelity. The IP-HE950 supports real-time 4K contribution, as well as SD and HD. The IP-HE950 utilizes new H.265/HEVC technology, which can provide a two times compression ratio over H.264/AVC technology. FOR-A is a distributor of Fujitsu’s high-performance encoders and decoders in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, as well as select regions in Latin America.

The compact HANABI HVS-490 opens the door to more affordable 4K production. HDMI 2.0b specification support provides 4K output to a multi-viewer. Offering exclusive features, including MELite™ technology, which extends the switcher’s 2 M/Es to offer 6 M/E performance, the HVS-490 is designed for use in any live environment, including mobile shoots, events, and in-house corporate productions. The switcher provides users with event memory and macro functions, as well as integrated frame synchronizers and multi viewers.

Just introduced at NAB 2019 in April, Variant Systems will showcase the new Envivo Studio to NAB New York attendees. Envivo Studio is an all-in-one live production system that includes a clip player, still store, shot box, live switcher, internal keyer, coaching review tool and powerful capabilities including VDCP control, 24hr loop record inputs, and slow motion replay.

Envivo Replay offers a complete replay solution packaged in an intuitive user interface with continuous multiple iso-channel recording capabilities, simultaneous clip storage of multiple angles to clip bins, playlists for highlights playback, built-in branding capabilities, direct publishing to social media platforms, and support for high speed super slow-motion cameras. At NAB Show New York, both Envivo systems will be shown with a Dante audio interface, enabling the systems to support uncompressed, multi-channel, low latency digital audio over a standard Ethernet network. Studio and Replay also support NDI (Network Device Interface), a free protocol for Video-Over-IP.

A demo of the latest ClassX solution of 2D/3D character generation and live motion graphics and playout software integrated with FOR-A video switchers will be on the FOR-A booth. ClassX’s graphics suite of solutions is popular with universities, digital signage, live event, and sports production applications. FOR-A is the exclusive distributor of ClassX in North, Central and South America. The agreement provides broadcasters and live event producers with the ability to create and play out ClassX real-time broadcast graphics integrated with FOR-A video switchers.

The compact and low-cost character generator CG-Portable with Brainstorm software will be introduced for the first time in the U.S. during NAB New York. The unit provides a wide array of text and graphic functions, including two independent text overlays, static and animated logo insertion, timer overlay with up/down count, and fill/key mixing over live background video or uploaded graphics. With a rich feature set at an affordable price point, this unit is perfect for a variety of CG applications.

ODYSSEY’s Insight Production Server is a multi-channel playout system, available in a two- or four-channel configuration. Offering a Web interface for control from any device with a web browser (no installation required), the video server provides a wide range of supported wrappers and codecs for media contribution and video play out with time delay playback.

About FOR-A

FOR-A, a worldwide, industry-leading manufacturer, offers a wide range of broadcast and production products with a focus on cutting-edge technologies, including: HD, 4K and IP products. FOR-A continues to offer future-ready, cost effective, advanced technology solutions. Products include: video switchers, routing switchers, multi-viewers, full 4K high-speed cameras, IP encoders/decoders, multi-channel signal processors, 8K/4K/HD test signal generators, color correctors, frame synchronizers, file-based products, character generators, video servers and much more.

For a full range of HD and 4K production and processing solutions, as well as IP-based products, visit our web site at www.for-a.com.

# # #

FOR-A CORPORATION OF AMERICA, 11155 Knott Ave., Suite G&H, Cypress, C.A. 90630 Phone: 714-894-3311, Fax 714-894-5399 Web site: www.for-a.com 

IBC 2019, 13-17 September, Stand 6.C11- BirdDog, a leading manufacturer of NDI tools will launch BirdDog Cloud, enabling NDI delivery over the public internet securely with AES 128/256 Encryption. Utilising SRT protocol, BirdDog Cloud ensures high quality delivery despite poor quality network connections with extremely low latency. BirdDog Cloud will be available to purchase immediately via its global network of resellers.

BirdDog Cloud is a modular and scalable delivery platform, allowing customers the option to pay only for the features that are required. Full remote production, studio and control is possible via the public internet from any global location. Support features include; PTZ Camera Control, Tally, and Audio Intercom via the BirdDog Comms application.

BirdDog Co-Founder and CEO Dan Miall said, “We are extremely proud of BirdDog Cloud. We’ve been creating NDI workflows since its inception and BirdDog Cloud can make the dream of working on a tropical beach with a laptop and an internet connection come true. We live in a time of exciting technological advancements and are excited to see the workflows our customers can create with BirdDog Cloud.”

“SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) protocol is the fastest growing industry standard for online content sharing between sites and was an obvious choice for us when building BirdDog Cloud,” said Jan Grimestad, Product Manager and Lead Designer for BirdDog Cloud. “SRT creates a reliable, stable connection complete with AES encryption. Our customers can send video over the internet with low latency and have total peace of mind that their content is secure. We’re really excited to be part of the SRT Alliance.”

Users simply need an Endpoint Core at each end and have the flexibility to add features as required. The complete list of modules includes:

Endpoint Core:
Everything you need to get started for a single point to point connection, including Tally, Comms, Video, Audio, and PTZ Control all over a secure and encrypted connection.

Endpoint Multi
A multiple stream licence limited only by the number of streams your computer can process. The faster the machine the more streams. It enables multiple, single point to point connections.

Multistream:
Enables multiple streams over a single SRT connection. Use an End Point at each end and stream from Oslo to New York, Paris, and Melbourne simultaneously. All NDI feeds sent from Endpoint to Endpoint will maintain individual sync.

Multiview:
A scalable and powerful NDI Multiviewer that automatically creates the least number of video windows needed whilst still maintaining a 16×9 aspect ratio. Each receiving End Point can configure it’s own custom Multiviewer. The NDI for the Multivewer is sent at lower bandwidth to allow more video windows than full bandwidth NDI capabilities. Variable settings include 720p or 1080p resolutions or full NDI.

Alpha:
Additional support for sending remote graphics or other sources with alpha over the SRT link.

WebRTC:
Convert NDI to WebRTC with very low latency as Program out back channel to ENG or other remote productions.

Learn more about BirdDog Cloud by viewing: https://youtu.be/gwENJ9-CELU

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About BirdDog
BirdDog is the manufacturer of the world’s best NDI tools and is dedicated to simplifying your transition from baseband video to IP workflows. Based out of Melbourne, Australia and with a team of innovative and slightly quirky engineers, our goal is simple - make great products at great prices. BirdDog is an Australian company based out of Melbourne. To learn more about BirdDog, please visit http://www.bird-dog.tv/.

Media Contact:
Eamon Drew
eamon@bird-dog.tv

PR Contact:
Laura Westrope
Manor Marketing
laura@manormaketing.tv
+44 (0) 7436 874 000

IBC 2019, 13-17 September, Stand 7.A01: Cinegy, the global leader for broadcast playout software in the cloud, has announced that it will showcase the full scope of its 8K recording, capture, archive, and encoding capabilities during IBC 2019.

On its IBC stand, Cinegy will feature the eye-popping Sharp 8M-B80AX1E 8K displays, the first 80-inch 8K professional display to be mass produced. The Sharp 8M-B80AX1E has 33 million pixels (7680 x 4320), four times that of 4K UHD and sixteen times the resolution of full HD.

Cinegy CEO Jan Weigner said, “Earlier this year we announced that our entire software-defined television product range is now 8K capable. We had an opportunity to thoroughly test and confirm those capabilities on Sharp’s new 8K displays at their Hamburg offices.

“We connected a small PC running our Cinegy Player 3 software and played 8K clips that had been filmed by a Sharp 8K camera and the results were astonishing. I can confirm that Sharp’s 8K displays are the only ones to date that legitimately display a true 8K picture using existing NVIDIA graphics cards on a Cinegy software-powered PC or workstation.”

Peter Heins, Senior Product Manager, Visual Solutions, Sharp Information Systems Europe, further clarified, “We are proud to be working with Cinegy, showcasing our latest addition to Sharp’s 8K ecosystem. We are delivering on our vision to charge the world with 8K, offering resolution that transforms our ability to display reality and Cinegy is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this vision. The new 80-inch 8K display will support new and exciting business applications that rely on ultimate image precision and clarity, and we look forward to seeing the benefits of our collaboration with Cinegy.”

In addition to showcasing real-time 8K imagery on its stand, Cinegy will also feature other 8K-ready products that are expanding Cinegy software’s appeal in enterprise IT and professional AV markets.

Weigner added, “All of this is to clearly illustrate, rather than just talk about, the fact that working in 8K from end to end – in real time - has never been easier. Affordable 8K SDI cards are readily available, Sharp’s display is the current 8K benchmark, and our software, in combination with our Daniel2 GPU codec, eliminate any obstacles to 8K production. Furthermore, by bringing the Daniel2 codec to Adobe Premiere for Windows and Mac, we open up the world of 8K production to millions of existing Adobe users.”

Cinegy will demonstrate its 8K capabilities on in Hall 7, Stand A01 during IBC 2019. For more information, visit www.cinegy.com

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About Cinegy
Cinegy develops software solutions for collaborative workflow encompassing IP, capture, editing and playout services tools, integrated into an active archive for full digital asset management. Either SaaS, virtualizable stacks, cloud or on-premises, Cinegy is COTS using standard IT hardware, and non-proprietary storage technology. Cinegy products are reliable, affordable, scalable, easily deployable and intuitive. Cinegy is truly Software Defined Television. Visit www.cinegy.com for more details.

About Sharp Information Systems Europe
Sharp Information Systems Europe (SISE) is a division of Sharp Electronics Europe, which offers a unique portfolio of award-winning document management and display solutions to help organisations transform the way they engage with information. Sharp’s industry-leading MFPs and large production systems sit at the heart of integrated applications for digital transformation, while our display solutions include innovative video walls, digital signage displays and interactive flat panel displays for collaborative presentations. Our mission is to develop new products that support individual expression; creating life enhancing experiences that let you be original. For more information, please visit www.sharp.eu


Cinegy PR Contact:
Jennie Marwick-Evans
Manor Marketing
jennie@manormarketing.tv
+44 (0) 7748 636171

OSLO, NORWAY—Nevion, a provider of virtualized media production technology, says it has added a new JPEG XS encoding and decoding media function to its Virtuoso software-defined media node. The new functionality is already being rolled-out by “a leading global broadcast network” to get video in and out of content hubs, as part of a centralized live production infrastructure solution—the world’s first official deployment of the technology, according to Nevion.

JPEG XS (ISO/IEC 21122) is a new encoding standard for video that achieves pristine visually lossless output (both for one-time and multiple concatenated compression), at sub-millisecond latency, i.e. a fraction of a video frame. High quality compression is achievable with ratios up to 10:1 and beyond, depending on the application.

Read More:JPEG XS Reduces Cabling Bandwidth Needs

This makes JPEG XS extremely attractive for low latency real-time transport of HD and 4K/UHD video over wide-area networks (WANs). It also makes it suitable for bandwidth-constrained campus and facility local area networks (LANs) when uncompressed transport is not a viable option.

The Nevion Virtuoso JPEG XS media function is powered by TICO-XS from intoPIX and offers both encoding and decoding capabilities, and multi-channel support. It takes uncompressed video in either SDI and IP (SMPTE ST 2110-20) formats, and outputs JPEG XS encoded video for transport over IP (SMPTE ST 2110-22). The solution also provides transport protection using SMPTE 2022-7 based SIPS (Seamless IP Protection Switching).

The JPEG XS media function can also be combined with the Virtuoso’s extensive audio capabilities, for example to enable encoded video and audio to be transported as separate SMPTE ST 2110 flows, and be synchronized at the receiving end.

“We are very excited to have added JPEG XS to the many media functions that can be configured dynamically on Nevion Virtuoso,” says Johnny Dolvik, Chief Product and Development Officer at Nevion. “We are also very proud of the fact that it is already being deployed. We have no doubt this is the first of many deployments, as JPEG XS provides an exceptional balance between compression ratio and latency.”

As well as JPEG XS, Nevion Virtuoso already offers JPEG 2000, TICO, and H.264 encoding capabilities.

Nevion Virtuoso and the new JPEG XS media function will be on show on Nevion’s booth (1.B79) at IBC 2019.

Switch Media, a world leader in online video technology has launched Watcha, a key new feature for its product suite, MediaHQ, which was unveiled at NAB this year. The Watcha tool provides broadcasters and content owners with a solution that automatically highlights and reports issues during the encoding process. It was designed to answer the changing needs of broadcasters as they continue to adapt to on-demand services.

Unlike other encoding tools, Watcha tracks the content at the same time it’s being encoded, reporting issues that may arise, such as pixilation. The report is immediately sent to the engineer detailing when and where those issues arise. This is particularly useful for 4K and CPU-intensive projects. If encoding fails, Watcha can automatically restart the process. As well as providing detailed reports, Watcha can encode and stitch together sections of content again, saving significant time and costs.

Project lead for the Watcha tool, Kevin Staunton-Lambert, Solutions Architect, R&D Department, Switch Media says, “Prior to Watcha, if a 4K movie took eight hours to encode, the report may take another eight hours to prepare. With Watcha the two work together simultaneously. That’s a huge time saving for broadcasters who are under pressure to get their content to multiple platforms quickly.”

Watcha also provides support in production environments. If a sports broadcaster is broadcasting a football match for example, Watcha can assist the vision mixer by detecting camera issues, automatically telling the operator to jump to another camera that can cover the pitch in the same area. Watcha will continue to monitor the cameras and will automatically revert to the previous camera if required.

Switch Media’s MediaHQ provides broadcasters flexibility based on individual requirements. Users can tailor their workflows, selecting any or all of the components in MediaHQ’s powerful product suite to manage and assist in the delivery of content for both online distribution and traditional broadcast. From ingest, media management and preparation to distribution and analytics, broadcasters can access everything they need under one roof, on one platform to improve or augment their video workflow.  

Stand 14.D10, IBC 2019, RAI, Amsterdam: Intinor Technology, Sweden’s leading developer of products and solutions for high quality video over IP networks, will launch a newly combined router panel and video mixer for the highly portable Direkt link remote production backpack at IBC 2019.

Intinor’s Direkt router is used by major broadcast and production companies for video switching and mixing on the fly, and with the new router panel and video mixer combination the unit can provide GFX-overlays and PiP.

Direkt link can send video streams to multiple receivers, including Intinor’s own receivers, designed primarily for cable TV or channel control rooms; streaming servers for web TV; DTV boxes for OTT; PCs running VLC; and receivers from other manufactures.

Intinor CEO Roland Axelsson said, “The flexibility and versatility of our Direkt link range just become even more so with our new router panel and video mixer integration, and we are delighted to featuring it at Europe’s premiere broadcast technology showcase.”

The new Direkt link backpack system configuration can be adjusted using the new router display and keypad, or from a web-interface. The interface provides the ability to build profiles and adjust parameters for each broadcast location. Those profiles can contain and retain information on the network, content destination, and video-quality. The Direkt link system can store a broadcast on a USB stick for later use in on-demand or other video applications.

The unit will also have a new NDI input, which further expands Intinor’s collaboration with NewTek and other leading NDI developers.

At IBC, Intinor will also introduce ‘Direkt link tower’, a computer chassis that includes the powerful Direkt link encoder. The tower is pre-configured to esports-mode, Intinor's performance level 6 (x264 preset “SLOW”). This is the same encoding performance that is used worldwide for major esports tournaments like DreamHack, Blast Pro Series, PGL, Gfinity and many more.

For more information, visit www.intinor.com

###

About Intinor
Intinor develops its own products and comprehensive solutions for high quality video over IP networks. With solutions for contribution, as well as for distribution and web TV, Intinor has customers ranging from small production to major television channels. Intinor also work as consultants with product development and has extensive experience in developing custom-designed systems to meet specific needs. For more information, visit www.intinor.com

Company Contact:
Daniel Lundstedt, Marketing Coordinator
+46 (0) 90-349 39 07
+46 (0) 70-148 46 68
daniel.lundstedt@intinor.se

Media Contact:
Jennie Marwick-Evans
Manor Marketing
jennie@manormarketing.tv
+44 (0) 7748 636171

Cypress, CA, February 26, 2019 – After introducing the world’s first single link 12G-SDI production switcher at last year’s NAB convention, FOR-A® forges ahead with a showcase of working 12G technology at the upcoming NAB Show. Production switchers, video servers, keyers and test signal generators that support both 12G-SDI/4K and 3G-SDI/HD resolution will be booth highlights for FOR-A (NAB Booth #C5016.) The 2019 NAB Show will be held from April 8-11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“With the HANABI HVS-6000, we are the first to create a production switcher with enough bandwidth to carry the signals all the way through using a single coaxial cable,” said Takaaki Imoto, Senior General Manager of FOR-A Overseas Sales & Marketing Division. “This ability to process 4K video signals that input from a single cable of 12G-SDI is a big step, particularly as we advance toward even higher resolution formats for production. With four times the bandwidth of HD, 12G is the current ideal for high-resolution 4K production. We’re moving forward aggressively with this technology, incorporating it into our existing and developing product range.”

Offering 12G-SDI capability on all inputs and outputs, the 3 M/E HANABI HVS-6000 uses a single cable link. Video signals are processed throughout as a single image. The HVS-6000 is a 12 RU switcher, with a maximum of 80 inputs/32 outputs or 64 inputs/48 outputs. It also offers frame synchronization, frame buffer, 3D DVE, and 4 keyers per M/E with DVE function + 4 DSK’s. Its optional board-mounting SFP connector that supports an IP interface will debut at NAB 2019.

The HANABI HVS-1200, a compact 4K/HD compatible switcher, will be on display as a package supporting 12G-SDI, with the MFR-1000 routing switcher. The integrated HVS-1200/MFR-1000 combination creates a compact and affordable 12G-SDI/4K production system. This switcher builds on the features of the HANABI HVS-490 video switcher and adds 12G-SDI support as standard. The switcher also utilizes a single cable for image processing and is configurable as both a 12G-SDI/4K and as a 3G-SDI/HD switcher. In HD mode, the switcher accepts up to 40 inputs, and in 4K mode it accepts up to 10. In 4K mode, the switcher provides 2 ME performance (1 ME + 1 MELite™), and in HD mode it’s a 6 ME (2 ME + 4 MELite) switcher virtually.

Making its introduction at the show is the new DSK-4800 4K downstream keyer. The DSK-4800 accepts mixed 12G-SDI and quad link 3G-SDI input. It includes frame synchronization for all fill/key inputs. Up to 10-channel keying is supported, with 8 fill/key channels, + still + DVE (optional). Using the optional DVE, operators can enlarge, reduce, or move input signals from one input (including line) over other signals.

The ESG-4200 12G/IP test signal generator will also be on hand in FOR-A’s NAB booth. The ESG-4200 supports 12G-SDI, Video-over-IP SMPTE 2022-6 interfaces and provides a range of audio and 4K video testing.

A 12G-SDI/IP multi-channel video server will be at the FOR-A booth. The MBP-1000VS is ideal for 4K editing environments, offering multi-input/output 4K and HD support and ingest, playout and 4K recording functionality. Users can choose from four SSD capacities with maximum 15TB to meet their system needs and can add an LTO option for immediate archiving of captured 4K material or extended recording.

In addition to single-link 12G-SDI, FOR-A will also demonstrate products that support 4K, IP and HDR. 4K-supporting switchers in the FOR-A NAB booth will include the powerful HANABI HVS-2000, which offers the performance of a 7 M/E switcher; the compact, affordable HVS-490; and the HVS-100, which offers exceptional performance in a portable unit.

IP video introductions include: the SOM-100 media orchestration platform, the USF-10IP IP Gateway, and the MBP-1000VS-IP video server. An integrated baseband/IP control and monitoring system, the SOM-100 is designed for use in a mixed SDI/IP environment. The SOM-100 offers seamless operation of a variety of video equipment, monitored centrally from its interface.

The new version of FOR-A’s popular FA-9600 multi-purpose signal processor supports 3D LUT for advanced color grading and Sony’s SR Live workflow for live HDR production. The dual-channel unit provides HDR and Wide Color Gamut support and conversion of multiple formats, such as: 12G, 4K (UHD), 1080p, and SD/HD. Each of the FA-9600 processor’s two HD/SD inputs includes a frame synchronizer. Because the multi-purpose signal processor features 12G-SDI terminals, optional software opens the door to 4K(UHD) production.

The entire USF-Series of universal system frames, including the USF-106UDC-12G 4K up/down converter (which offers interlace/progressive and up/down conversion for a range of signals from SD and HD to 4K), will be on hand at the FOR-A NAB booth. Other USF series supporting 12G, such as the USF-105FS-12G frame synchronizer, USF-105UC-12G up converter, and USF-101MDX4-12G/101MDX8-12G audio multiplexer/demultiplexer, will also be introduced.

Additionally, FOR-A will demonstrate efficient HD integration with third party graphics, replay systems and production servers, including partner products such as: the ODYSSEY Insight video server; the ClassX content creation and graphics playout solution; Variant Systems Group’s Envivo Replay sports and live event replay solution; Media Links’ IP Media Gateway, Fujitsu’s IP-HE950 H.265/HEVC real-time video encoders; and InSync's frame synchronizer, frame rate converter, and up/down converters. 

ONTARIO—When you think about artificial intelligence (AI)–specifically software capable of performing self-directed tasks historically performed by human intelligence–it conjures up images of Skynet; the evil AI in the Terminator movie franchise.

That’s fiction. But in real-life, AI is finding its way into the workplace, and that includes the encoding, transcoding and decoding of compressed video. Using the power of AI in their programs, vendors such as Bitmovin, Cobalt Digital, MediaKind, Telestream and V-Nova are speeding up their encoding programs while reducing bandwidth demands; resulting in faster, more affordable products for their customers.

“AI is starting to play an important role in encoding, where it has enormous potential to dramatically improve workflows,” said Stefan Lederer, CEO and co-founder of Bitmovin, a developer of cloud-based media streaming technology. “With the emergence of new codecs, new video file formats and delivery methods, the TV and media industry needs solutions that improve encoding in the automated, immediate and highly efficient way that AI offers.”

[Read: How We See: The Human Visual System]

That said, there is a debate underway among vendors as to the limits of AI in the encoding process. Certainly AI–also known as “machine learning”–can accelerate the encoding process. But can it do everything that a human observer can to detect and remedy artifacts in compressed video? No one really knows.

It’s important to remember that the the improvement in speed is in the process of removing humans from the review stage after an encode has happened, according to Paul Turner, of Turner Media Consulting. “Encode parameters can be set to a predefined set of values, but you still have to look at the result and assess if the encoded output is of sufficient quality,” he said. “If not, you have to iterate on the settings.”

(For the record, ML is a narrower version of AI, in which AI-enabled software is charged with making decisions about specific data within predefined parameters; rather than becoming self-aware and choosing to annihilate the human race. In this article, we will use the two terms interchangeably, as the people who were interviewed tended to.)

HOW AI CAN IMPROVE ENCODING

Today’s video codecs use algorithms to analyze video imagery, to determine which bits can be removed to reduce file size without degrading the subjective image quality perceived by the viewer.

Injecting AI into the encoding process takes this process a step further. AI allows the software to proactively assess the quality of the compressed video before transmission. This lets the encoding system detect and remedy any artifacts inadvertently generated by the codec. As the AI does this, it “learns” from its actions, and uses this knowledge to improve its performance over successive applications.

The result: “By using AI, encoding solutions can make smart decisions about the compression settings and visual parameters of each frame, speeding up processing and improving encoding efficiency,” said Lederer. “Trained AI models can even predict the optimal encoding settings, as well as preprocessing tools, for every given source asset.”

There are other ways that AI can be used in encoding, according to Guido Meardi, CEO and co-founder of V-Nova, a U.K.-based developer of codecs. One of the most common is to improve an existing codec’s predictive capabilities, for deciding which bits can be safely removed.

“The better you predict the image, the less residuals you have to eventually encode,” Meardi said; “therefore the less you have to send down the pipe without compromising quality.”

THE LIMITS OF AI

In each of these examples, AI is trying to improve the video production process by automating quality control. This is meant to reduce much-slower (and more costly) human intervention to perform the same tasks.

“What you’re fundamentally trying to do is emulate human assessment,” said Shawn Carnahan, CTO for Telestream in Grass Valley, Calif. “You’re trying to use machine learning to emulate how the viewer perceives the quality of the content, and use that to decide questions such as ‘can I drive the bitrate even further, or do I need to increase the bitrate to maintain subjective quality?’”

If this sounds like a daunting task, it is. AI software is literally trained “to look for things in the image that human viewers would find objectionable,” Carnahan said. “You are training a machine to spot things that shouldn’t be there.”

This is where the limits of AI-enabled video encoding come to bear. “Mapping or trying to best represent the human visual system using software is near impossible,” said Carl Furgusson, vice president of Portfolio Management for MediaKind (formerly Ericsson Media Solutions). “People have been trying to do it for 20 or 30-plus years without success, and I don’t think anyone will ever really get to an accurate mapping of the human visual system.”

The problem is the subjective nature of human viewing, compared to a metrics-based AI viewing model. “You will always get different results between what people think in reality is better picture quality, and what the measurement tools will give you,” Furgusson said; no matter how sophisticated the AI viewing model may be.

Quality assessment isn’t only about absolute picture quality; there are artifacts that non-trained human viewers will not notice, according to Turner.

“That has to be factored in to the AI training too,” he said.

Does this mean that AI is doomed to play a minor role in video compression? V-Nova’s Guido Meardi doesn’t think so. Even with its limits, he predicts that AI will become “an integral part of compression engines in the future.”

Still, until this technology can actually match the complexities and nuances of the human visual system, human intervention will remain a necessary element of high-quality video compression. At best, AI will continually drive down the percentage of instances when humans have to step in to fix the picture quality.

LONDON –Telestream has added support for V-Nova’s PERSEUS Plus codec to its Lightspeed Live video streaming system, which is used by numerous major operators and video service providers worldwide.

Telestream Lightspeed Live provides live multiscreen encoding, packaging and distribution in addition to multichannel video capture and processing. V-Nova’s PERSEUS Plus enables video to be transmitted at half the bitrate of existing h.264 solutions whilst improving picture quality, and the low complexity of PERSEUS Plus h.264 also increases encoding density by 2-3x when compared to HEVC. V-Nova says this can enable the delivery of live 4K content at up to 70 percent more efficiency when compared to current competitive codecs,

PERSEUS will be available in Lightspeed Live Stream from version 3.0.

“We have always been committed to ensuring our customers have access to the most innovative and advanced video delivery capabilities on the market,” said Scott Murray, vice president of Product Management at Telestream. “It is clear that V-Nova’s unique PERSEUS codec plays a key role in rolling out higher-quality and more efficient video services. We’re delighted to be able to offer PERSEUS to our customers.”

PALO ALTO, CA.—A new report from online video technology provider Bitmovin finds that in 2018 the H.264/AVC video codec has continued to dominate video encoding used by developers around the world while the use of H.265/HEVC has grown significantly from 2017 to the present.

In its second year, the “Video Developer Report 2018” draws on the responses of 456 survey developer submissions from more than 67 countries to paint a picture of the current state of video streaming technology and what will be important over the next year.

Besides video codec technology, the report presents findings on other key streaming technology, such as streaming formats, software vs. hardware encoding, audio-video format delivery popularity, native playback and OTT streaming device technology, ad architecture and other topics.

[Read: Can Video Compression Tame The Internet?]

As in 2017, the results reveal that nine out of 10 developers continue to use H.264/AVC, while the percentage saying they are using H.265/HEVC has climbed from 28 percent in 2017 to 42 percent this year. VP9 saw a slight 1 percentage point uptick in the 2018 total to 11 percent, and AV1 remained flat at 6 percent.

Future plans for codec use paint a different picture. In 2017, 40 percent of developers said they planned to use H.265/HEVC in the 12 months, while 36 percent said the same this year; 18 percent said their plans called for using VP9 last year, while 15 percent said they did this year.

AV1 recorded the biggest increase with 14 percent in 2017 saying the codec would be used in 12 months, while 29 percent said so in 2018.

Other highlights of the report include: 82 percent saying they are using the HLS streaming format, while 61 percent use MPEG-DASH; 43 percent saying they use hardware encoders, while 54 percent use on-prem software encoders, and 38 percent use a software encoder in the cloud; and 52 percent saying they use client-side ad insertion, 44 percent saying they use server-side ad insertion and 25 percent saying they use dynamic ad replacement.

The free report is available online from Bitmovin. Registration is required.

LAS VEGAS –TV broadcasters who have wondered what all the hoopla is about when it comes to delivering IP packets as part of Next-Gen TV service rather than today’s MPEG Transport Stream via ATSC 1.0 may want to take the time to visit the Convergence TV Project demo in the NAB Futures Park (booth N1531FP) at the 2018 NAB Show next week.

There, five French companies and two research institutes will put on a joint demonstration of scalable High Efficiency Video Coding, otherwise known as SHVC, for audio and video compression. By encoding with SHVC, which is supported as part of the newly approved ATSC 3.0 standard, TV broadcasters can elect to send certain IP packets over the air and others over the top to connected TVs.

For broadcasters evaluating how best to use their over-the-air bits, SHVC will make it possible to pack more services –whether that’s more OTA channels, new data services or mobile TV—into their 6MHz channel without compromising the delivery of signals to the home TV.

SHVC makes that possible by enabling a base layer of service to be sent over the air and an enhancement layer to be delivered over the top to internet-connected TVs. Thus, broadcasters are relieved from the burden of carrying the full load of IP packets needed to make, for instance, a 4K UHD HDR picture, while maintaining the ability to deliver 4K UHD HDR to the home where the OTA base layer and OTT enhancement layer are added back together.

Essentially, SHVC as part of ATSC 3.0 will allow TV broadcasters to have their cake and eat it, too. In other words, they will be able to deliver the highest quality video and audio to the home while preserving their ability to deliver more services over the air.

[Read: Sinclair Taps ATEME For ATSC Encoding]

This base-enhancement layer combo should also allow broadcasters to overcome one of the biggest reasons Mobile DTV failed: simulcasting and broadcast rights.

James Goodmon Sr., Capitol Broadcasting CEO and Chairman of the Board, recounted the problem during a recent demo of NBCOlympics’ 4K UHD coverage from PyeongChang, South Korea, being delivered over the air from an experimental 3.0 station WRAL is running.

Goodmon told those gathered for the demo that the only way to deliver Mobile DTV in an ATSC 1.0 (A/53) era was with a simulcast of a separate service relying on A/153. Red flags went up for affiliates when the legal teams of their network partners insisted the A/153 transmission was a separate channel, and that the affiliates had not acquired the rights to simulcast their main channel on this new mobile channel. With SHVC as part of ATSC 3.0, no simulcast is necessary.

The objective of the NAB demo will be to show delivery of a full UHD service using an OTA ATSC 3.0 broadcast for HD HDR service and a 3.0 broadband path for enhancing the service from HD to 4K UHD with HDR. On the reception side of the equation, a normal ATSC 3.0 TV will display the HD HDR service, and a PC-based hybrid receiver prototype will combine the base and enhancement layers to display 4K UHD HDR.

The demo will also illustrate that it is possible for a regular HEVC-enabled TV set to decode the SHVC base layer without needing an upgrade, thus underscoring the backward compatibility of SHVC.

The Convergence TV Project, sponsored by the French government and two local councils, is the work of five tech companies, including TeamCast, ATEME, Broadpeak, Motion Spell and TDF. Two prestigious French academic research institutes, INSA Rennes and Telecom Paristech, are also a part of the project.

Samsung is supporting the NAB demo by providing the ATSC 3.0 TV set to demonstrate backward compatibility.

Visit the demonstration at NAB Show booth N1531FP.

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.

PARIS, DENVER & SINGAPORE–ATEME has announced that it is supplying Sinclair Broadcast Group with live video encoding technology for Sinclair’s Dallas experimental ATSC 3.0 test for single frequency networks.

ATEME is providing its TITAN encoding platform for ATSC 1.0 (MPEG-2) “Host Station” encoding and “NextGen” 3.0 (HEVC) encoding, providing efficient, Live/Mux statistical multiplexing enabled VBR encoding across both transmission platforms. Two years ago, ATEME introduced HE-MPEG2, a high-efficiency MPEG-2 codec, which is compatible with MPEG-2 compliant decoders, including legacy set-top boxes, digital televisions and digital to analog MPEG-2 converters.

[Read: Q&A: Mark Aitken On Dallas Next-Gen SFN Trial]

Based on the bandwidth efficiency of HE-MPEG2 in conjunction with ATEME’s TITAN Live/Mux statistical multiplexing, the ATSC stations have increased mux density by 30 percent without compromising video quality, according to ATEME. TITAN is a pure software encoder-transcoder that can provide a migration path to ATSC 3.0, HEVC or SHVC (scalable HEVC) and runs on any private/public and on/off-premises cloud infrastructure.

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.

LONDON—Video compression technology provider V-Nova has officially released its Perseus technology as a software development kit; don’t worry, no need to brush up on your Greek mythology. The company says the Perseus SDK is designed to enable operators and video platform providers to integrate and deploy the Perseus system on existing ecosystems for the delivery of full HD video over bandwidth constrained networks.

Available as an encoder plug-in and decoder plug-in for integration and deployment, Perseus plug-ins are supported on a range of platforms, including Intel x86-based encoders and iOS and Android consumer devices. Pre-integrated encoding/decoding combinations are also available for the deployment of Perseus OTT services.

Some of the benefits of the Perseus plug-ins, according to V-Nova, include reducing service buffering, allows product differentiation, and delivers HD OTT video services with few profiles and at lower bit-rates.

NEVADA CITY, CALIF.—Telestream and Comprimato have announced a deal that now makes Comprimato’s JPEG2000 software codec available as a component option for Telestream’s Vantage systems operating on Lightspeed server hardware. The Comprimato system is designed to accelerate the decoding and encoding of JPEG2000-based video, utilizing the Graphics Processing Unit power of Telestream’s Lightspeed servers, according to the digital media tools provider.

This new integration allows a Vantage system with a Comprimato option to reduce workflow processing by as much as 20 percent when decoding JPEG2000 contained in IMF, AS02 or MXF OP1a media files, says Telestream. When encoding into IMF, ASO2 or MXF OP1a files, Comprimato can reportedly reduce workflow processing time up to 12x.

Comprimato is a JPEG2000 UHD software codec tool kit provider based in Brno, Czech Republic.

SAN JOSE, CALIF.—The FCC incentive auction is a game-changing opportunity for broadcasters. Many broadcasters look at channel sharing as a way to cash in on the spectrum auction and still remain on-air. However, stations considering channel sharing need to be aware of the technology challenges and solutions. This article provides insight into how channel-sharing stations can optimize encoding efficiency and video quality utilizing the latest tools in compression including distributed statistical multiplex (statmux) architectures.

KEY TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES
A channel sharing agreement (CSA) can be between two or more duopolies, station groups or independents, and effectively allows the participating stations to distribute their programming over a shared amount of bandwidth. This pooled use of available spectrum offers a number of benefits, but also carries with it several technical challenges. One of the main issues is encoding efficiency. Broadcasters need to pack as many MPEG-2 channels as possible into the available 19.39-Mbps ATSC transport stream while maintaining their desired level of video quality.

Bitrate allocation can also be challenging, which is where statmuxing plays a critical role. To ensure that the requirements of a CSA are met, the participating channels must agree on how to distribute the bit-rate and video quality. Utilizing a constant bit-rate stream in a multiplex is not a viable option, as it would limit bandwidth efficiency and impact overall video quality.

Furthermore, many broadcasters want to combine their channels from geographically dispersed encoding feeds. But how do you maintain an encoder at one station when the statmuxing and transmission is happening across town—or perhaps across the country? Passing SDI circuits between the channel-sharing stations is an expensive proposition, so the solution needs to be both cost-effective and efficient while guaranteeing quality.

ADVANCED VIDEO COMPRESSION AND ANALYTICS TECHNOLOGY
As new video compression standards have been created over the last several years, they’ve essentially doubled encoding efficiency. These developments actually trickle down, so that coding techniques developed for both MPEG-4 AVC and HEVC also benefit MPEG-2. Statmux technology works hand in hand with AVC and HEVC tools and techniques to support the higher channel density required of CSAs.

Utilizing statistical multiplexing, stations can balance video quality across all of the channels in a statmux pool, shifting the bit-rate between those channels with low complexity statistics to those with more in real time. The VQ runs at its highest average when all sources in the pool are of a different content type: sports, sitcoms, talk shows, etc. There needs to be at least two channels of differing content in each to gain noticeable benefit.

A distributed statmux solution goes even further, allowing channel-sharing stations to build a single statmux pool from up to 32 geographically dispersed encoders. This capability further increases bandwidth efficiency, flexibility and cost savings, while enabling broadcasters to maintain high video quality.

For monitoring and measuring bit-rate allocation in the pool, video analytics software plays a crucial role in assuring that quality benchmarks are reached. Look for a solution that integrates seamlessly with the encoder to offer monitoring dashboards, real-time video degradation alarms, channel/pool quality comparisons, trend analysis, and a variety of reporting tools. These capabilities will enable broadcasters to achieve the highest possible video quality for their allocation, and to gauge the ultimate success of their CSA.

CONCLUSION
As the world leader in video delivery infrastructure, Harmonic offers Emmy Award-winning video compression, statistical multiplexing and video analytics solutions, enabling broadcasters to make a seamless migration to channel sharing and provide amazing video quality across all channels.

DALLAS—Osprey Video has released Ceylon, a free software encoding/streaming application designed specifically for Osprey video capture cards. This H.264 encoding application enables live Web broadcasting and archiving.

When used with a supported Osprey capture card, Ceylon allows user to live-stream events to computers, connected TVs, tablets and mobile devices. At the same time it archives HD streams to an MP4 container for later viewing. The application features a streaming engine that minimizes CPU usage and creates primary and backup streams from a single encode. It also has the ability to reconnect to the publishing port automatically in the event of loss connectivity.

The Ceylon is able to automatically embed closed captions in the H.264 data stream, which allows for caption display within supported players. Other new features for the Ceylon include TruVue Monitor, a preview window on the rendering of the encoded output; Source Preview, a real-time preview of the live video for cropping and image adjustment; and access to Osprey driver features.

Additional features include deinterlacing, cropping control, audio peak meters, and audio boost controls, vectorscope and luma scope functions when supported by an Osprey capture card.

The Ceylon application is currently available. Users of Osprey capture cards can download Ceylon from Osprey’s website.

ALEXANDRIA, VA.—With some program providers now streaming content in 4K/UHD resolution, and over-the-air broadcasting trials of the next generation of ATSC transmission including 4K demos, you might think that encoders to make UHD magic happen are signed, sealed and delivered. Not so fast, however—it’s complicated and a lack of approved standards is making the trip to the clarity of 4K a little murky.

These products are coming though, particularly since rapid evolution in the area of consumer 4K displays has put the 4K viewing end of the chicken-and-egg scenario into homes across the U.S. Viewers have shown that they are not chicken when it comes to shelling out for the latest high-resolution displays, and they are now waiting for program producers to lay the golden eggs of 4K content and delivery.

Those producers need the right encoders to process that content, and that’s where this story begins.

Last fall, NASA partnered with Harmonic to launch the NASA TV UHD channel.

“The 4K/UHD bandwagon has been steadily gaining momentum, led by consumer purchases of UHD televisions and content providers’ broad production in 4K [enabled by cost-effective 4K cameras],” said Peter Alexander, chief marketing officer for San Jose, Calif.-based Harmonic. “There has been growing demand from both sides for the services to connect the two, enabling broadcast delivery of UHD, but the technical and commercial viability models are not yet proven. Our partnership with NASA allows for the delivery of 4K content over a new UHD delivery workflow and on a new type of ‘ambient’ channel that does not compete with the broadcasters.” (Alexander is referring to last fall’s launch of the NASA TV UHD channel. NASA uses an end-to-end video delivery system from Harmonic to deliver linear 2160p60 video content.)

EARLY IMPLEMENTATIONS
These early implementations rely on standards that are still evolving, which means that each studio and delivery network is using encoders and software that are proprietary to that system, right down to the set-top box used to play the content onto a 4K display. Two codecs prominently mentioned with respect to 4K/UHD encoding are HEVC and VP9; VP9 is a royalty-free codec being developed by Google, while HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding) is being developed by an industry-wide effort under the organization of the ITU. HEVC is sometimes referred to as H.265 and MPEG-5.

Since VP9 is under the domain of one company, it was faster to get finalized and released to users. Companies including Nvidia and Microsoft are already using it in various products, and VP9 is supported by browsers such as Mozilla and Chrome. YouTube supports 4K video and uses the VP9 codec for that service (as might be expected, since Google owns YouTube).

HEVC has yet to be finalized, particularly with respect to high dynamic range and wider color gamut features. Developments have been coming quickly over the past few months but there are still issues to be resolved.

Bruce Devlin

“The licensing of the codec is still unclear since the December updates to the rules,” said Bruce Devlin, chief media scientist for France-based Dalet. “The majority of decoders are still software oriented and the sweet spot of ‘4K distribution via OTT’ hasn’t quite taken off due to a combination of factors including the average domestic bandwidth available, the compression ratios of today’s encoders and availability of content.”

The inexorable move to 4K delivery—either online or OTA broadcast—means more than just 4K resolution, and vendors are working to support features such as high dynamic range and wider color gamut.

Keith Wymbs

“4K UHD broadcasts are already benefiting from the wider 10-bit color gamut supported by HEVC,” said Keith Wymbs, chief marketing officer for Portland, Ore.-based Elemental Technologies. “For example, high dynamic range creates a more noticeable difference in images for consumers compared to Ultra HD 4K resolution alone. Software-based video processing solutions from Elemental support HEVC’s efficiency gains and picture quality advancements.” 

DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES
In the discussion surrounding encoding 4K video, it should be noted that there are different technologies used to move 4K video over IP networks, as opposed to preparing it for broadcast or online distribution. Grass Valley builds 4K IP video products that can be used for point-to-point IP distribution, such as a production truck to a studio. At the 2015 NAB Show, the Montreal-based company announced support for TICO, a new lightweight compression technology developed by intoPIX, which enables 4K UHD to be transported over legacy SDI infrastructure and modern IP production and contribution networks.

Sara J. Kudrle

“With a light mezzanine compression, such as TICO, which can be either visually or mathematically lossless depending on the compression ratio used, the 12 Gbps 4K signal can be made to fit [onto an IP network], said Sara J. Kudrle, product marketing manager for infrastructure, monitoring and control at Grass Valley. “TICO compression is very fast and lightweight, and can be used for live studio or truck applications, with only a few lines of delay. As TICO is generally a 4:1 compression, 4K/60 and 4K/120 will fit into a 10 GigE pipe.”

The new encoders for HEVC are often thought of as being specific for 4K distribution, but the reality is their efficiency is also used to free up spectrum now filled with signals encoded with H.264 and even MPEG-2 processors.

“HEVC encoding is not limited to 4K/UHD. Our encoders support HEVC encoding for HD/SD sources as well, with bandwidth savings of 30-50 percent,” said Abdullah Merei, compression product manager for Evertz in Burlington, Ont. “The real challenge is that program providers need to provide their customers with set-top boxes that support HEVC decoding.”

Others concur on the importance of freeing up bandwidth, which will probably be modest at the start and get more efficient over time.

“Although HEVC is the only practical way to deliver 4K/UHD to the home, it does offer significant reductions in bit-rate (vs. H.264, for example) that translates to more channels for a given transponder bandwidth,” said Paul Turner, vice president of enterprise product management for Telestream in Nevada City, Calif. “No special tools are required to make use of the new codec [except the codec itself, of course]—but once again, the current licensing situation is a fundamental barrier to widespread use of the technology. Bit-rate savings of up to 50 percent are theoretically possible, but customers should realistically expect to see savings in the 25-30 percent range at present. This should improve as the codec matures.”

All the manufacturers contacted for this article noted that software-based encoders and decoders, which can be updated with new features after they are put into service, are necessary for a successful rollout of UHD broadcasting and online distribution.

“We are at the beginning of 4K/UHD distribution,” Merei said. “To be able to flexibly handle technologies that are currently being finalized [high dynamic range, for example], you need to invest in software-defined products. We also need to define what 4K actually means. Does it include high dynamic range? Wider color gamut? Higher frame rate? 4K is not just a higher resolution.”

PHOENIX—“Video is everywhere. More content than ever is being produced due to the lower cost of entry in acquisition.”

This, according to Tom Lattie, vice president of market development at Harmonic, helps explain the explosion and future potential of video on our news, sports and entertainment media landscape. Furthermore, he says, there are no longer prohibitive entry costs in producing large quantities of high-quality media, and there are more and more outlets demanding it in a variety of formats to feed everything from handheld devices to home theaters.

One of the reasons for this rapid change is the evolution of video compression technology. From capturing content in the camera to transporting it for edit and distribution, there are codecs that supply light to heavy compression in order to move and store content efficiently. As camera resolutions increase, this coding and decoding process is key to enabling camera manufacturers to capture content that can then be edited and transported through distribution to the end user. This production chain starts with small cameras with limited power options and ends with huge server systems that can churn out content in multiple formats, and faster than real time.

Panasonic uses a single LSI chip, known as DYNA, to power its AVC-Ultra format.NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL
To accomplish this task, several technologies are leveraged throughout the process. Cameras require small, low-power encoders, whereas transcode farms leverage vast numbers of power hungry CPUs in data centers to do their heavy lifting.

“There is no one size fits all solution,” said Stephen Mahrer, technology alliance manager for Panasonic. Chuck Meyer, chief technology officer of Grass Valley, agreed and said, “There is no free lunch and there are always tradeoffs between the technologies.”

Though many broadcast and media technology vendors agree on certain benefits of codec hardware, there are vastly different implementations available to customers today. Some are very company specific or proprietary, where others are open source. It is important to understand the technologies and benefits of the three most prevalent processing chips in use today.

THE HARDWARE BATTLE
There are three types of processing chips that handle video compression. The most simplistic is the ASIC or “application-specific integrated circuit,” which, as its name implies, is a chip designed for a singular function. Then comes the more flexible FPGA, “field programmable gate array,” which combines some of the processing benefits of the ASIC with the flexibility of changing its coding via software at any time. Finally there is the GPCPU, or “general purpose central processing unit,” which is the Intel chip found in most every computer. This is the powerful processor that runs software-based solutions, but has a little hardware processing hidden under the hood as well.

ASICs are very popular in cameras due to their small form factor and minimal power requirements.

“We primarily use ASICs as we focus on the needs of production and field gathering devices,” Panasonic’s Mahrer said. Panasonic uses a singular stackable ASIC called the Dyna chip across the company’s entire camera line to provide HD to UHD encoding. These chips only draw 1.2W per unit. “You can’t do this kind of processing in software and still fit it into a camera,” he said.

Others recognize this benefit but point out the limitations of the ASIC.

“The ASIC can be custom-tuned to deliver a specific result at a cost of inflexibility,” said Brick Eksten, vice president of product strategy for networking & distribution at Imagine Communications in Dallas.

He is an advocate for the FPGA-based solutions that his company offers. “FPGAs are about flexibility,” he said. Within the FPGA, he said he could write code to build I/O, memory buses, filtering, up/down and cross converting. Though the chips may cost more than an ASIC they offer the flexibility to swap codec sets when needed.

Hugo Gaggioni, chief technology officer of the Broadcast and Production Systems division at Sony

“FPGAs are great, but they can also be quite power hungry,” Panasonic’s Mahrer said. He acknowledged their great flexibility in configuration, but does not see them as efficient as the ASIC solution.

Hugo Gaggioni, chief technology officer of the Broadcast and Production Systems division at Sony sees ASICs, which Sony also uses in its cameras, as an ideal application for the XAVC codec, where FPGAs will be more likely found in terminal gear.

“FPGAs are very large in size and consume a lot of power, making FPGAs better suited to larger dedicated devices,” he said. “For day-to-day operation of inexpensive commodity devices, one needs a dedicated LSI, which is why Sony rarely uses FPGAs for professional equipment.”

Harmonic’s Lattie said that they have been leveraging the power of both ASICs and FPGAs in their systems for years, but in the last year have gravitated toward GPCPU-based solutions.

“Even though we call them GPCPUs, we leverage hardware components in those chipsets to improve video compression,” he said

Lattie said that the new XEON processors in their systems have built in AVX instruction sets which allow them to do hard-coded accelerated math functions within the chip, speeding up the encode/decode process.

Grass Valley’s Meyers conceded that CPUs can do anything as their processing is software-based, but that comes at a cost of requiring more power and being more expensive.

“They are infinitely flexible,” he said. He added that Grass Valley also makes use of FPGA technology with the TICO codec as “it allows us to manage what has to be a real time process.” Like Panasonic and Sony, they have found that specific chip configurations solve problems like latency and power budget limitations.

Paul Turner, vice president of enterprise product management with Telestream in Nevada City, Calif., and a self-described “ex-hardware engineer,” agrees.

“Telestream is a software company,” he said. “Our belief has always been that the software approach is more flexible and adaptable.”

A hardware-based approach to encoding is advantageous when looking for a fast and cheap solution to a specific task. But, like Meyer, Turner cautions that there’s a trade-off.

“Chipsets go obsolete so you’ve constantly got to worry about what happens if you can’t get them anymore,” he said. “But just as importantly, is how flexible you can make the product. Our argument is always—with a software architecture—you can more or less do anything you want to modify the product. It’s more agile and flexible to use software.”

Chuck Meyer, Grass Valley chief technology officerWHICH CHIP WILL WIN?
Each chip-based solution seems to offer benefits that the others cannot provide. All camera manufacturers noted in this article offer camera-to-editor solutions, and a software version of their codecs as well.

From connectors to the number of devices to spanning long distances, changing a physical plant is both challenging and expensive. Choosing a single codec solution can be of concern.

“It does give one pause to ask, what should my next investment be?” Meyers said. He sees continued growth in the GPCPU-based systems and feels software will provide more flexibility in the future. “The broadcaster is no longer in control of the format at home,” he added, pointing to the need for maximum flexibility in the complete broadcast chain.

Imagine’s Eksten sees a definite leaning on the enterprise level.

“Look at the velocity of the market, we are seeing the biggest players asking for software-only solutions,” he said. He also explained that large content distributors are more concerned with their operational fabric rather than the cost. “Their scale precludes having lots of dedicated boxes; they want to manage their systems on an IT level.”

For companies like Imagine, Grass Valley, Harmonic and Telestream, this means that their software-based solutions will continue to grow the use of GPCUs. The need for ASIC and FPGA solutions will continue to evolve, as where Moore’s Law will continue to increase the processing power of CPUs, it may never bring down their size and power draw. Thus cameras, terminal gear and other links in the facilities’ production chain will remain reliant on ASIC and FPGA technology.

 SEATTLE AND PORTLAND, ORE.--Amazon Web Services, the cloud video unit of the retail giant, has inked a deal to acquire Elemental Technologies, a multiscreen video specialist that counts customers such as Comcast, Sky, HBO, DirecTV and CBS Interactive.

They didn’t disclose the terms of the deal, but The Information reports that AWS is paying about $500 million in cash. Founded in 2006, Elemental has raised $41 million.

Elemental’s software-focused platform, which runs on off-the-shelf hardware, supports both live and on-demand streaming, and will be more tightly integrated with the AWS Cloud platform. Elemental will continue to operate its business under its existing brand, and serve its range of clients that span cable operators, broadcasters, governments, and enterprise customers. They expect to close the deal in the fourth quarter of 2015.

More details are available at Multichannel News. 

SAN FRANCISCO – Cloud media processing service Encoding.com has introduced the Reserved Cloud, an unlimited cloud based encoding plan. The service is designed for high volume enterprise media workflows, providing broadcasters a method for handling existing media processing requirements with automatic failover for spikes in usage.

The systems unmetered cloud pricing model allows customers to pay a fixed monthly fee per Reserved Instance, granting them access to more than 30 professional encoding engines. The model is being offered starting at $1,000 a month. The service is also integrated with Amazon Web Services, allowing customers to have the option to pay a fixed fee per month for unlimited encoding on an AWS Reserved Instance.

Additionally, the Cloud Reserved Instance allows customers to enable automatic failover of their queue to the on-demand queue when reserved instances are busy. Customers can set the time the job will sit in the queue before failover is triggered. Users can also tune their encoding queue by configuring the number of concurrent jobs to send to a single 32 core reserved instance. Full real-time queue statistics and the ability to send priority jobs directly to the Encoding.com public on-demand cloud are also available. 

Mark Senecal, manager of product management for compression, Imagine Communications

PHOENIX— From SD to UHD, the High Efficiency Video Coding codec also known as H.265 is predicted to change the media viewing landscape in 2015. After being formally adopted as a video compression standard in 2014 and showcased as the UHD enabler at the Consumer Electronics Show, the use of HEVC in both software and hardware could possibly make the biggest impact of any new TV technology in coming months.

“HEVC will bring not only more pixels but better ones,” said Keith Wymbs, chief marketing officer at Elemental Technologies, a Portland, Ore.-based developer of video processing technology. He is referring to the fact that the HEVC standard allows for not only greater resolution, but more color depth and a faster frame rate. All of these elements can mean big improvements in the video experience.

The improvements that HEVC will bring will not only benefit UHD viewers, but those using SD and HD content as well. Mark Senecal, manager of product management for compression for Imagine Communications in Dallas, explains that by leveraging the compression efficiencies of the new codec, low bandwidth viewers who once could only get 480p streams can now get 720p over the same delivery path. “If you look at companies doing a pure OTT play, ones that do SD can now deliver HD, which is a more compelling offering,” he said.

Bringing the improved viewing experience home will rely on companies leveraging the new codec to deliver content over existing distribution systems. “For HEVC distribution it is about economizing bandwidth,” says Ian Trow, senior director of emerging technology and strategy at Harmonic in San Jose, Calif. “Use of HEVC has a direct cost savings in distribution, whether satellite or Internet delivery.” He says that at CES there was a huge emphasis on replicating what Netflix and Sony had done in terms of a UHD VOD service model using HEVC.

Shawn Carnahan, Telestream CTO
MAKING BETTER PICTURES
Not since the AVC (H.264) codec helped enable the transition from SD to HD, has a technology come along that promises both cost savings and viewing experience improvement.

“The big advantage of HEVC as we see it is getting better quality content to the user,” explains Imagine’s Senecal. He says that his company is excited about UHD enabling technologies and that they also see better quality content revolving around more and better HD as well as the improved viewing experience of 4K images. “HEVC is the next generation of compression technologies which has not only advantages for UHD but regular HD, and in some cases SD as well,” said Matthew Goldman, senior vice president of TV compression for Ericsson and executive vice president of The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.

“High dynamic range is one of the hottest topics in the industry,” says Goldman. Greater HDR means brighter colors and more contrast between lights and darks. He explains that the higher resolution of UHD is best experienced on certain size screens from a certain distance, “but higher dynamic range is always visible even when resolution may not be.” The use of HEVC may benefit all resolutions by providing more HDR, which will improve the viewing experience over current SD and HD color spaces that due to current standards present far less color and contrast than the human eye can perceive.

For sports enthusiasts higher frame rate video increases the detail and can eliminate the blurring of fast moving scenes. “HEVC can support higher frame rates in addition to resolution and color gamut,” adds Goldman. This could pave the way for a more immersive sports viewing experience. Though HEVC is not a SMPTE standard, the organization is working on the standards that complete its implementation into the broadcast ecosystem.

THE BANDWIDTH WIN
“In many ways HEVC will empower 4K delivery much as H.264 kicked off the HD delivery model,” Senecal said. The often 4x multiple of data and file sizes associated with 4K production can make both transmission and storage of the assets a challenge.

Harmonic’s Electra-X Targets UHD Encoding

SAN JOSE, CALIF.—Harmonic is expanding its Electra media processing product line with the introduction of Electra X, targeting broadcast and multiscreen content delivery. Harmonic says it’s the world’s first encoder family to support graphics, branding, and playout functionalities, as well as superior video quality and full-frame UHD live encoding.

Harmonic Electra X
Powered by the Harmonic PURE Compression Engine, Electra X appliance-based media processors boost video compression efficiency across a range of formats and codecs—including MPEG-2, AVC, and HEVC codecs—over CBR, VBR, and ABR encoding schemes to support devices from handhelds to UHDTV. The product launch initially encompasses two products, the Electra X2 (HD) and Electra X3 (UHD). The Electra X2 integrates real-time SD and HD encoding, high-quality graphics, branding, and playout functionality in a 1RU appliance. The Electra X3 advanced media processor uses Harmonic’s PURE compression engine to deliver real-time UHD formats up to 2160p60 (HEVC Main 10 profile).

“From a storage perspective it’s been a challenge getting 4K material compressed to a manageable size until very recently,” said Trow. “And for HEVC, 4K distribution has been all about economizing bandwidth. This has a direct cost savings in distribution, whether satellite or Internet delivery.”

Netflix and Sony led the way with their proprietary methods of delivering 4K to home via OTT services, and DirecTV has now entered the field by utilizing a satellite delivery method by partnering with Elemental Technologies and Samsung to create their end-to-end delivery model. Netflix and DirecTV, which want to draw more customers in by offering 4K content, both rely heavily on the compression efficiencies of the HEVC codec.

HARDWARE VERSUS SOFTWARE
Compressing large files as cost effective and as efficiently as possible is one challenge for getting UHD material to home. This is where HEVC can leverage its 30–50 percent efficiency over H.264 to provide the right transmission and file size numbers to make storage and distribution of UHD material a reality. To implement the use of HEVC compression there are different techniques, each with its own benefits. These range from hardware solutions and software-based ones to hybrid models utilizing the flexibility and processing of both.

Telestream uses a GPU model in its Vantage transcoders to leverage the power of high-end video cards. Processors by companies like NVIDIA were developed for gaming and animation, but are also leveraged for the computationally heavy compression needs of HEVC. Other companies such as Elemental, Harmonic—which just introduced its Elextra-X platform targeting UHD (see sidebar)—and Imagine Communications’ SelenioFlex line also use a software- and GPUbased platform that they feel allows them to remain flexible and not become too hardware dependant. “Softwarebased systems allow scalability, which means less hardware sitting around idle,” says Imagine’s Senecal about the ability to leverage “virtualization” in the compression space. Wymbs at Elemental agrees, “Uncertainty will drive the market towards the flexibility of software solutions,” he said.

Sony’s XAVC Picks up Where HEVC Leaves Off

There are many proprietary recording formats being used by RED, Canon and ARRI to record their RAW UHD media. These files are huge and create a slow and expensive digital cinema workflow. Other camera manufacturers are choosing a compressed format that is easy to edit right out of the camera.

Sony’s F5/F55 camera platform uses XAVC to record 4K files to Sony SxS cards.
“Sony’s latest compression technology for HD and 4K applications employs use of MPEG4/AVC also known as H.264 and implemented in a single ASIC at the highest Profile and Level configuration permitted by the MPEG4 standard (P/L 5.2).” says Hugo Gaggioni, CTO for Sony Electronics’ Professional Solutions of America. “XAVC is the commercial name that Sony uses to call this implementation, both in hardware and in software.”

Panasonic has chosen AVC Ultra 4K, and Sony XAVC as their 4K editable H.264 camera native codecs. These two codecs both utilize ASICs to enable real time recording compression of 4K images into recordable file formats written to media in the camera. Sony’s full line of 4K cameras which include the F-55, F-5 and new FS-7, all use XAVC to record 4K files to Sony SxS cards. Their cameras also offer the ability to record regular 2K HD files simultaneously to SD cards.

Ian MacSpadden

One of the most efficient ways of performing compression is through the use of dedicated chips called ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Fujitsu demonstrated one at CES that was designed for HEVC. ASICs can provide a powerful and low-cost solution to encoding and decoding. Each of these technologies will have a role in completing the HEVC and UHD ecosystems. With both GPU and softwarebased compressors encoding material and ASICs in receiving devices quickly decoding the media, the HEVC and UHD workflows may be fully realized.

ROOM FOR MANY CODECS

Shawn Carnahan CTO for Telestream in Nevada City, Calif., thinks “HEVC is a good tool, but is not the overly hyped solution that it is made out to be.” Carnahan explains that the 30–50 percent compression numbers are valid, but not at every resolution all the time. “It’s not going to replace H.264 any more than H.264 replaced MPEG-2.” He points out that most TVs today still have MPEG-2 based tuners and H.264 decoders embedded. Only the newest models feature the new HEVC decoding.

Senecal returns to the argument about content. “It’s all about the availability of UHD content,” he said, adding that most 4K content now is in the form of produced assets, which means that linear distribution (live) won’t happen for some time. “Initial deployment will be in the set, as it is the easiest way to do it,” says Carnahan. Currently there are several external challenges, like only the latest HDMI cables supporting 4K. “The next step will be more outboard devices that are 4K capable and that can talk to the 4K sets,” Carnahan said.

Trow thinks HEVC will be a big topic at this year’s NAB Show, with broadcasters and OTT delivery companies looking for future hybrid models that offer both live and VOD functionality.

With the ATSC 3.0 standard still a year or two away, some broadcasters like Sinclair Broadcast Group have already become inpatient and have moved forward to test their own versions of higher compression technologies to deliver more channels and better quality content. “Whether right or wrong, they are pushing the industry towards a standard that will be flexible,” said Goldman. “They want to most efficiently use their bandwidth.”

In the near-term, the use of HVEC will be most active in the TV manufacturing and VOD service world, where broadcasters and content providers scramble to acquire HD and UHD assets and develop profitable distribution chains featuring higher resolution media with more vivid colors.