AMSTERDAM—AJA Video Systems is previewing its Virtual KONA software-defined virtualized video capture/playback solution being developed in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) here at IBC 2024.

The solution integrates the AJA NTV2 Software Development Kit (SDK), which is deployed by developers to build workflow solutions with AJA video I/O cards, and the AWS Cloud Digital Interface (CDI).

AWS CDI is a network technology for transporting high-quality, uncompressed video inside the cloud with high reliability and latency as low as 8 milliseconds. Combined, the technologies break down the barriers between on-premises and cloud for media production. Together, they enable third-party developers to build solutions across both environments for applications in broadcast, live streaming and post, it said.

Virtual KONA and the AJA SDK provide a direct plugin to AWS CDI, making it possible for any software application that supports KONA to connect to the cloud for I/O. This eliminates the need for developers to code an integration from scratch, while retaining all of the capabilities of AJA’s audio and video I/O cards in a virtual environment, it said.

Third-party applications will be able to input and output uncompressed, high-resolution, high dynamic range (HDR) video between the cloud and local workstations nearly anywhere in the world to support visual effects, color correction, editorial, broadcast graphics and playout as well as streaming, it said.

“As creative and live production workflows grow more distributed, there’s increasing demand for hybrid cloud and on-premises workflows. Virtualizing workstations and the third-party applications that run on them while still being able to stream that work down to local workstations for production stakeholders is crucial for remote teams,” shared AJA Video Systems president Nick Rashby.

“AWS CDI provides the network technology to transport live content with extremely low latency in the cloud, while Virtual KONA and the AJA SDK provide the reliable, fast I/O required to move media and metadata in and out of that network to and from local workstations, making the technologies highly complementary. Collaborating with AWS on this integration has been an incredible experience, and we’re excited to preview it at IBC.”

See AJA Video at IBC 2024 Stand 7.B19.

More information is available on the AJA Video and AWS websites.

More on the AJA NTV2 Software Development Kit is available online.  

More on the AWS Cloud Digital Interface is available online.

WAYNE, N.J.―JVC Professional Video has unveiled the new RM-LP450G Slow-Motion Controller for its vMix Studio Switchers.

Created specifically for sports broadcasting, the new controller is designed to increase the speed of a live playback workflow. With a modern appearance and simple control layout, the RM-LP450G offers 38 backlit keys to help quickly identify important functions and reduce the chance of errors. 

To streamline replays, the controller is also equipped with quick-action Playback Search Disks and Control T-bar for speed control of the video playback. Up to eight video inputs can be instantly accessed to capture the action from multiple camera angles and tailor playback for analysis and programming. 

“This winning combination of eight video sources and instant replay offers in-house stadium and arena production teams a simple, cost-effective way to output video directly to a scoreboard,” says Joseph D’Amico, vice president, JVC Professional Video. “We are excited to deliver this new controller and look forward to seeing what our customers in the sports and live events industries accomplish with the solution.”

In addition to the Control T-bar, which provides increasing or decreasing playback speeds with a simple fingertip control, the RM-LP450G comes complete with several other buttons and functions. Among these are the inner and outer Playback Search Disks for endless forward and reverse search of recorded video. With search capabilities varying from frame-by-frame to 16x real-time, the controller can be set to different speeds according to the needs of the operator. 

The available Playback MARK Area function enables users to indicate the IN and OUT point of the camera playback for marking the start and end points of a particular play in a game to use during in-game replays, slow-motion reviews or post-game highlight reels. Additionally, a CAMERA Selection Area function for the replay input enables users to set a slow-motion playback either for live programming or to be previewed prior to live broadcast. 

The RM-LP450G is designed for use with JVC’s multi-award-winning CONNECTED CAM™ vMix-Powered Studio Switchers, including the KM-IP8 and KM-IP8S4, to which it can be connected via a simple USB interface. The KM-IP8 and KM-IP8S4 can each manage up to eight NDI® HX inputs and feature four 3G-SDI inputs with bi-directional connectors and mini-SDI-to-SDI cables. Both devices offer several output options, including one 3G-SDI, one HDMI and four DisplayPorts; as well as a Gigabit Ethernet network port. Additionally, the KM-IP8 and KM-IP8S4 are optimized for switching live programming in SD up to full HD 1080 60P.  

 For more information, visit  jvc.com/usa/pro/professional-video/.  

VIENNA—Bitmovin will provide playback health analytics to complement the existing analytics offered as part of Amazon Interactive Video Services (IVS), Amazon’s managed live streaming AWS solution that makes it easy to build live streams and interactive video experiences, the company said.

The Bitmovin Analytics helps to optimize playback health and support data-driven decision making for content and ad strategies. They supplement Amazon IVS’ stream health analytics with playback health to bring a deeper understanding of each viewer’s streaming experience, the company said.

Bitmovin Analytics fully monitors the health of video streams in near real-time, including key performance metrics, such as video start time, average bitrate, view time, buffering and top errors, it said.

“Amazon IVS is powering live interactive video experiences for use cases that span social media influencers to retail, household consumer brands and public institutions, and so it’s a huge honor to add to the service's existing metrics with the announcement of Bitmovin Analytics,” said Stefan Lederer, CEO and co-founder of Bitmovin. “Bitmovin Analytics with Amazon IVS is a robust solution, providing deeper session analytics that can pinpoint playback issues and provide actionable insights to resolve them to ensure IVS-powered streaming services are delivering exceptional viewer experiences to their audiences.”

Bitmovin Analytics complements Amazon IVS to provide a complete understanding of audience preferences and viewing habits with insights into audience retention, geographical distribution and device utilization to inform decision-making on investment into new content and the prioritization of what’s popular with audiences, the company said.

Bitmovin’s Analytics delivers near real-time operational monitoring to optimize video and ad workflows based on viewer experiences across all platforms. Bitmovin Analytics also offers benchmarks across different performance metrics to gain industry insights, it said.

More information is available on Bitmovin’s website.

LOS GATOS, Calif.—Multiple publications have reported that Netflix has begun testing variable playback speeds for TV shows and movies through its app on Android devices. The streaming service is allowing a subset of Android users to watch its content at speeds that range from 0.5x (half speed) to 1.5x.

Being able to customize the playback speed is a popular feature with podcasts, and some reports speculate that Netflix subscribers may use these sped up rates for content like documentaries or stand-up specials.

Netflix provided a statement to Variety confirming the tests:

“We’re always looking for new ways to help our fans enjoy content they love, so we’re testing playback speed options on mobile devices. Our tests generally vary in how long they run for and in which countries they run in, and they may or may not become permanent features on our service.”

Update: Netflix has responded to criticism from the likes of Judd Apatow, Brad Bird and Aaron Paul about its recent tests of variable playback speeds for content. The streamer stressed that this test is for mobile devices only—phones and tablets—but that it is a feature that has been requested in the past by its customers, though in the short term there are no plans to roll out the service.

“We've been sensitive to creator concerns and haven't included bigger screens, in particular TVs, in this test,” Netflix said in its blog post. “We've also automatically corrected the pitch in the audio at faster and slower speeds. In addition, members must choose to vary the speed each time they watch something new—versus Netflix maintaining their settings based on their last choice.”

An abundance of streaming services and video content has led to a rise in mobile video viewership, with 62% of global video views happening on the phone or tablet. Whether the viewer is looking to watch a prestige TV series, an award-winning movie, a live sporting event or a short video, they all expect the same thing: when they hit the play button, the video will start instantly and play flawlessly.

Unfortunately, there are still times where the viewing experience fails to match viewer expectations. Slow start times and buffering are still major issues for mobile video. As media companies invest billions of dollars to build streaming services and produce content, even small issues in the playback experience could derail them, regardless of whether the service itself is at fault.

A 2018 study conducted by OpenSignal gave countries around the world qualitative scores on their overall mobile video experience. The U.S. ranked near the bottom with a 47 out of 100. (75-100 is Excellent, 65-75 is Very Good, 55-65 is Good, 40-55 is Fair and 0-40 is poor.) That’s in a developed nation. In India, a country where mobile video viewership is exploding, the mobile experience is even worse. (This is not good for a service like Netflix, which recently announced major plans to expand into the Indian market.) The country that ranked highest in the study, the Czech Republic, still only got a score of 68.

This shows that there’s a lot of room to improve when it comes to mobile video. In fact, in a more recent OpenSignal study, the four largest US carriers—Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile—were rated as merely “fair” providers on the mobile video quality scale. The study cited prolonged stalling and long wait times for high-resolution video. And that’s not acceptable.

Mobile video is still talked about as a “new” technology, which means it gets graded on a curve. It’s somewhat similar to mobile advertising, where ad buyers are told that they’re overachieving if even 70% of their video ads are actually seen. Mobile video buffering used to be really bad, so now that it’s OK, everyone seems to accept that as a victory. But viewers themselves aren’t going to stand for minor improvements. In this era of cord cutting, consumers don’t see mobile video as an emerging replacement for TV. It is TV in viewers’ eyes, and they’re comparing their mobile video experiences to the cable experience.

Cable customers are rightly dismayed if a channel change takes longer than a fraction of a second, and cable operators task dozens of engineers to fix the problem. If cable subscribers experienced poor experiences like buffering and degraded picture quality on a regular basis, they would look for an alternative provider or cancel their subscription. In this regard, OTT services need to start acting like cable operators, striving for 99.99% availability and reliability. We need to fix the quality and reliability problems wherever they occur, from the origin cloud to the last mile.

And the time to act is now. Mobile video providers content to wait for the worldwide deployment and adoption of 5G or some other magic bullet will be the losers in the intense battle for mobile viewers already well underway. It’s time for the mobile video industry to pull out all the stops and effectively present an experience that resembles traditional TV when it comes to quality and reliability. Rather than aim for modest year-over-year improvements in buffering and other performance standards, the industry needs to aim for something much closer to 99.99%.

Dan Taitz is known for transformative work with some of the biggest names in media, including Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Univision Communications and Oxygen Media, where he negotiated the sale of the company to NBC Universal. As president and COO of Penthera, Dan has a deep understanding of how video service providers can create a deeply-engaging, consumer friendly experience in the mobile video space.